"Joey's been gone for a while, do you think he got lost?" Mokuba asked
over the dinner table. Kaiba's eyes moved to the doorway but he didn't
reply. His first thought was that Joey had left but this idea was
shattered with a loud crash in the hallway. Mokuba watched as Kaiba winced
and stood up to go see what happened.
"I'm okay!" Joey called, making Mokuba smile as his brother rolled his eyes.
"I don't care about you. What did you break?" he said walking into the hallway.
"Just this blue vase thing that..." Joey looked up as he noticed Kaiba's approach. "I'm just kidding. I didn't break anything. I just missed the last step and...well you get the picture. Here." He handed Kaiba the blue vase, which was perfectly intact. Kaiba put it back on the ledge by the stairs, and then helped Joey up. Joey moved close to him. "I really fell on purpose just so you'd get worried and come help me," he said slyly.
"I wasn't worried about you. I just wanted to know how much money you'd knocked over." Joey shook his head and walked toward the dining room.
"You're such a jerk." Kaiba grabbed his hand and pulled him back over.
"Glad to see I'm appreciated." Joey pouted.
"And you ruined the moment. I had it all..." Kaiba kissed him.
"Don't you ever shut up?" he asked. Joey smiled.
"No," he smirked. "I used to have eight hour long conversations with my Dad and all he would do was mumble an 'un-huh', every now and then. He wouldn't even look over or anything. Which I couldn't really understand because he'd always been the one to start them. I guess he never expected me to...and you don't care." Kaiba had moved away and crossed his arms. "I just thought that..." Joey trailed off.
"You're letting your dinner get cold," Kaiba said.
"Does that mean you already ate?"
"What?" Kaiba looked at him confused.
"Well you said my dinner was getting cold. If you hadn't eaten, yours would be too. Or don't you care about yours?"
"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?"
"As long as YOU know that, I'm okay."
"I'm done Seto. I'm going to get ready to go," Mokuba said walking past them and up the stairs.
"Where's he going?" Joey asked.
"Is it really that important to you?"
"I think you're more of a pain in the ass then I could ever be so I have a challenge for you. And you have to do it." Kaiba looked at him skeptical.
"I can't agree to anything until I know what it is," he said.
"You have to. Come on Kaiba, it's one of the many excitements in life. You'll never enjoy life unless you learn to take risks."
"I let you in, didn't I?" Joey rolled his eyes.
"Come on. I promise you that I wouldn't ask you to do anything that I didn't think you could. Well unless it benefited me which in this case it does but since I think it'll also benefit you I'll tell you that it's in your..."
"Stop talking. Fine. I agree to hear your challenge."
"Okay, so... Hey. That wasn't fair." Kaiba looked at him amused.
"What's not fair is you trying to get me to do something when I don't even know what it is."
"I challenge you to learn how to have a little compassion and humor people who are just trying to help you," Joey said sadistically.
"Is that it?"
"No. I was just adding it to the list."
"There's a list?"
"Just shut up and say you'll do it," Joey started to get impatient. Kaiba didn't answer. "Well?" Kaiba just watched him patiently. "I'll take that as a yes. So now, every time that you have the urge to respond in a negative or degrading way, you're going to stop and say something less...hurtful and defensive."
"I'm not defensive. And I never said I accepted your challenge. You told me to shut up first so I considered it the more prominent of the two commands."
"I'll give you a cookie," Joey said smiling.
"Is that supposed to be motivation?" Joey's smile faded and he sighed.
"I guess not. I'll tell you what. You can come up with the terms and I promise I'll abide. Anything you want me to do."
"Anything?" Kaiba asked taking interest.
"Seto, I'm leaving!" Mokuba called from the top of the stairs, a suitcase in his hands.
"You should have the servant carry that out for you," Kaiba said, watching him struggle to get it down the steps. Joey went up and helped him.
"Anything," he said meeting eyes with the older Kaiba.
"Thanks Joey," Mokuba said as he put the suitcase down on the floor.
"Alright. Now, if anything happens just call, okay, and I'll come right over to pick you up. Have fun." Kaiba knelt down so he was at his brother's level and hugged him.
"Thanks Seto. I'll see you tomorrow night." He grabbed his suitcase and started toward the front door, where the limo was waiting. "Bye Joey." He exited leaving the two boys alone again, Kaiba still kneeling on the floor watching him go.
"I want you to treat other people the way that you treat your brother," Joey said. Kaiba looked up at him. "That's the challenge."
"I'm okay!" Joey called, making Mokuba smile as his brother rolled his eyes.
"I don't care about you. What did you break?" he said walking into the hallway.
"Just this blue vase thing that..." Joey looked up as he noticed Kaiba's approach. "I'm just kidding. I didn't break anything. I just missed the last step and...well you get the picture. Here." He handed Kaiba the blue vase, which was perfectly intact. Kaiba put it back on the ledge by the stairs, and then helped Joey up. Joey moved close to him. "I really fell on purpose just so you'd get worried and come help me," he said slyly.
"I wasn't worried about you. I just wanted to know how much money you'd knocked over." Joey shook his head and walked toward the dining room.
"You're such a jerk." Kaiba grabbed his hand and pulled him back over.
"Glad to see I'm appreciated." Joey pouted.
"And you ruined the moment. I had it all..." Kaiba kissed him.
"Don't you ever shut up?" he asked. Joey smiled.
"No," he smirked. "I used to have eight hour long conversations with my Dad and all he would do was mumble an 'un-huh', every now and then. He wouldn't even look over or anything. Which I couldn't really understand because he'd always been the one to start them. I guess he never expected me to...and you don't care." Kaiba had moved away and crossed his arms. "I just thought that..." Joey trailed off.
"You're letting your dinner get cold," Kaiba said.
"Does that mean you already ate?"
"What?" Kaiba looked at him confused.
"Well you said my dinner was getting cold. If you hadn't eaten, yours would be too. Or don't you care about yours?"
"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?"
"As long as YOU know that, I'm okay."
"I'm done Seto. I'm going to get ready to go," Mokuba said walking past them and up the stairs.
"Where's he going?" Joey asked.
"Is it really that important to you?"
"I think you're more of a pain in the ass then I could ever be so I have a challenge for you. And you have to do it." Kaiba looked at him skeptical.
"I can't agree to anything until I know what it is," he said.
"You have to. Come on Kaiba, it's one of the many excitements in life. You'll never enjoy life unless you learn to take risks."
"I let you in, didn't I?" Joey rolled his eyes.
"Come on. I promise you that I wouldn't ask you to do anything that I didn't think you could. Well unless it benefited me which in this case it does but since I think it'll also benefit you I'll tell you that it's in your..."
"Stop talking. Fine. I agree to hear your challenge."
"Okay, so... Hey. That wasn't fair." Kaiba looked at him amused.
"What's not fair is you trying to get me to do something when I don't even know what it is."
"I challenge you to learn how to have a little compassion and humor people who are just trying to help you," Joey said sadistically.
"Is that it?"
"No. I was just adding it to the list."
"There's a list?"
"Just shut up and say you'll do it," Joey started to get impatient. Kaiba didn't answer. "Well?" Kaiba just watched him patiently. "I'll take that as a yes. So now, every time that you have the urge to respond in a negative or degrading way, you're going to stop and say something less...hurtful and defensive."
"I'm not defensive. And I never said I accepted your challenge. You told me to shut up first so I considered it the more prominent of the two commands."
"I'll give you a cookie," Joey said smiling.
"Is that supposed to be motivation?" Joey's smile faded and he sighed.
"I guess not. I'll tell you what. You can come up with the terms and I promise I'll abide. Anything you want me to do."
"Anything?" Kaiba asked taking interest.
"Seto, I'm leaving!" Mokuba called from the top of the stairs, a suitcase in his hands.
"You should have the servant carry that out for you," Kaiba said, watching him struggle to get it down the steps. Joey went up and helped him.
"Anything," he said meeting eyes with the older Kaiba.
"Thanks Joey," Mokuba said as he put the suitcase down on the floor.
"Alright. Now, if anything happens just call, okay, and I'll come right over to pick you up. Have fun." Kaiba knelt down so he was at his brother's level and hugged him.
"Thanks Seto. I'll see you tomorrow night." He grabbed his suitcase and started toward the front door, where the limo was waiting. "Bye Joey." He exited leaving the two boys alone again, Kaiba still kneeling on the floor watching him go.
"I want you to treat other people the way that you treat your brother," Joey said. Kaiba looked up at him. "That's the challenge."