Rebirth
by Ceresi
Rating: R
WARNING: There are spoilers for the HP books in here. I know, it's crazy. Also, slash, and one racy little R scene. ALSO. This is still, for all intents and purposes, a rough draft. I've had it betaed and edited it several times myself, but I'm working on a sequal, and some changes might be necessary.
Want more notes? See Chapter One.
***
He entered through a hidden door, one that only he, his brother, and Joey knew about. It led to a deserted basement, used mostly for storage of Seto's old computer equipment. He was careful not to touch it -- even discarded and unused, the stuff was riddled with alarms. He breathed a sigh of relief as he reached the elevator.
Seto knew he was missing. Those police were searching for him . . . a wave of guilt swamped him. What kind of a brother was he, running off and worrying Seto sick? When it was the first time that Seto saw Joey in almost a year?
He felt hollow, gutted. He hurt. He hadn't imagined that it would be like this -- when he left a few hours ago, he was on fire with anger and self-righteous indignation. But now he felt distinctly let down, and stupid, and utterly worthless.
It was too much. Mokuba bowed his head and leaned against the wall, mouth fighting to turn into a grimace of tears. He had to blink hard to hold it back. What was he going to do?
Talk to Seto, something in him suggested. Even if Seto was furious with him.
The elevator door opened.
~
He found Seto in his office. His brother was standing at the window, facing away from the door, looking down at the fleet of police cruisers with unnerving blankness. Something moved on the couch across the room -- Joey.
He was looking at Mokuba. "Seto," he said urgently, standing.
Seto turned his face to look at Joey, and then the door. Mokuba reached up to grasp the frame. He tried to muster a smile, but failed, so he just said, "Hi," rather lamely.
Seto looked frozen. He didn't move.
"Where have you been?" Joey asked.
"I." Mokuba took a deep breath. "With my friend," he said. Seto's eyes flickered. "I --"
Joey stepped between them, gripping Mokuba's shoulders. When he worked up the courage to meet Joey's eyes, Mokuba found them warm and concerned. "Kid, ya had us worried."
"Sorry," Mokuba said miserably. "I'm really sorry."
Joey patted him on the shoulder. He looked back at Seto -- "You all right, Seto?"
"I'm fine." Mokuba winced at the harsh, hoarse tone of his brother's voice.
Joey left quietly.
Seto crossed the room slowly, to his desk rather than Mokuba. He dialed his cell phone and spoke into it for a moment, not looking at his brother even briefly. Finally, he hung up.
"I'm sorry," Mokuba said quickly.
"Do you think," Seto asked slowly, "that this is just -- just another thing that you can apologize for and get out of?"
Mokuba winced, his eyes burning. "Sorry," he whispered.
"I had no idea where you were," Seto said flatly. "You could have been dead."
"Sorry," Mokuba whispered again.
"Stop apologizing," Seto ordered. He came to Mokuba's side and towered over him. "Look up."
Mokuba stared at his brother's shoes. "I'm sorry," he murmured. Seto shifted slightly, but listened. "I'm sorry." Tears started slipping down his face. He felt altogether wretched -- after everything with Daisuke that should have been right and was just wrong, and then finding Joey so worried, and Seto so hurt and tense and angry, and just -- "I'm sorry."
It came out as a sob. Mokuba sat, weeping quietly into his palms. He couldn't bear to look up and see Seto's expression of impatience -- when Seto sighed and knelt, he tensed, tears catching in his chest.
Warm hands rested on his shoulders. "Never do that again," Seto said quietly.
"No," Mokuba agreed, uncertain as to what Seto meant, whether it was the running away or the lying or the tears. He had never felt so horrible. "I promise." He started to cry again.
Seto pulled him into a hug, one of the few hugs that Mokuba really remembered. He wept into Seto's shoulder for all he was worth.
~
Mokuba and Joey, with the evil, deliberate calculation that only they got away with, decided that if they couldn't force Seto to stop working, they would annoy him to death while he did it.
So three days after Joey's arrival, Seto found himself struggling to read and sign a contract while Joey surfed parody news sites on Mokuba's laptop (calling out interesting headlines as he spotted them) and while Mokuba struggled to write a history essay.
Joey started chuckling.
"We don't want to hear it," Seto said, giving him his most threatening look.
Joey lounged on the couch and gave him a very sly look. "It's a good one."
"No."
Joey stretched -- Seto stared at the hem of his shirt as it rode up and revealed a strip of tanned belly. He shook himself and went back to work.
Smirking, Joey craned his neck to peer around Seto's desk and Mokuba. "C'mon, Mokuba, help me out here."
Mokuba mumbled, flipped a page in his book. "Working now, thanks."
"You're tellin' me history's more interestin' than --"
"We don't want to know," Seto said forcefully. Stubborn, as always, Joey sat up and prepared to read the entire article out loud.
Seto saved his work and turned to chew Joey out, but his cell rang. Scowling, Joey sat back as Seto answered.
"Hello?" He paused a beat. "Taylor?"
Joey shot to his feet. He stood at Seto's desk in a heartbeat -- Mokuba was at his side a moment later, holding tight to the back of Seto's chair.
"What happened?" Seto finally demanded. He was silent for a moment, and then scowled. "Taylor, all I'm getting is static."
"What?" Joey demanded anxiously. "What? Is he in trouble?"
"And there's a dog yapping in my ear," Seto continued irritably.
Mokuba sent Joey a quelling look and waited patiently. Finally, Seto snapped, "Taylor! I didn't hear a word you just said, dammit. Slow the hell down. What happened to Valentine?"
Joey bowed his head, knotting his fingers in the sleeve of his jacket. Mokuba left Seto's side and stood next to Joey, searching for something comforting to say. He couldn't think of anything, though. They waited.
Finally Seto sighed, giving Joey a look that somehow communicated relief without actually being relieved. "Everyone's fine? Even Ryou?"
Another pause. Joey leaned heavily against the desk, lips turning up happily. Mokuba nudged him and they exchanged grins.
Seto, however, was not smiling. "What d'you mean, you have to go? Who was behind the at --" He stopped and rolled his eyes. "Fine, Taylor. Go look after your boyfriend. But I want a report by tomorrow morning." If Mokuba listened intently, he could hear Tristan complaining. "And make Valentine call me. And Ryou." Another pause. "Stop whining. Wheeler says hi, by the way."
"Tell him he's a giant dork," Joey said, smirking.
Seto passed the insult along and switched off the phone a moment later. He tossed it onto his desk and leaned back into his chair, looking up at Mokuba and Joey.
"Well, that's all taken care of," Mokuba said, relieved. He'd been horrified to learn that someone had been attacking Seto, and that his brother hadn't told him. Even now, Seto wouldn't quite meet his eyes.
"Good," Joey said. He plopped himself down on Seto's desk, earning himself a raised eyebrow, and added, "So, Seto."
Seto leaned further in his chair and looked skyward. Mokuba hastily went back to the window, saying, "I'm not part of this."
Joey smirked. "What're ya gonna do to distract yourself till Tristan calls, Blue Eyes?"
"Do not call me that." Seto was trying not to leer too openly -- even if Mokuba couldn't see his face, he was still in the room. "I'm going to work."
Mokuba closed book and binder with a snap. "I think you've done enough work."
"I agree."
"I've barely done any work between the two of you!" Seto tugged his laptop closer, only to have it pulled away by Joey.
"I've got an idea," he said, and grinned.
