The next morning
Joey woke up and rolled over, looking around the room with his eyes still blurry with sleep to find it empty. For a second he didn't even remember where he was but one look at the massive desk and book shelves reminded him of everything...but where was Seto? He vaguely recalled feeling him get up some time during the night or early morning but couldn't place whether or not he should know why or where he'd gone. Joey blinked twice and then noticed the post-it that'd been stuck to his forehead. He pulled it off and read it.
' Work. Call later.' Joey stretched and yawned then sat up groggily and pulled the rest of his clothes on, sticking the post-it to the nearest lamp.
"Does that mean me or you?" he said aloud but only silence answered. He laughed and stood up. And that's when he noticed the second post-it, which was on the door conveniently placed at his eye level. He walked over and pulled it off.
' Me,' it read, which made him roll his eyes and just laugh again. He stuck it back on the door and went downstairs to the kitchen to find some breakfast. Halfway through scavenging every cabinet for something that looked even remotely like normal food a phone started to ring. Joey spun around guiltily and slammed the cabinet door shut, managing to crush his finger in it. He yelped in pain and shook it out then answered the phone.
"Hello?" he said, then stuck the tip of his finger into his mouth.
"I see that you're making yourself at home," Kaiba's voice said with a hint of amusement in it.
"Where are you?" Joey looked around.
"At the office. There was a bit of a crisis that needed my assistance but I shouldn't be here all day. I'll meet you for lunch. Name your place."
"This sounds like we're making a business meeting," Joey said opening the cabinet again and shuffling through a shelf of baking ingredients. He closed it again and moved on to the next cabinet.
"There might be some of Mokuba's cereal left in the bottom cabinet to your left," Kaiba instructed. Joey opened it to reveal box of Lucky Charms and looked around the room again warily.
"How're you..."
"I'll pick you up when I get done here. Try not to break anything." The phone clicked off.
"As if I - try - to do things like that," Joey said sarcastically. He discarded the phone on the counter and pulled out the box of cereal.
At Yugi's House
"Yugi I'm... What's going on in here?!" Yugi's grandpa yelled waking both of them up. Yami tried to disappear but Solomon walked over and grabbed his ear, pulling him away from the bed. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what happened!" Yami winced and Yugi covered his eyes. "I left you in charge of protecting my grandson and this is what I get?" He turned Yami so he was facing Yugi.
"Oh that... He fell in the kitchen and hit his head on the counter." Yugi tilted his head confused and then trailed a hand over his cheek. He recoiled when a pain shot out from a place right below his left eye.
"Yeah. It's nothing Grandpa. I just fell. Clumsy me," Yugi smiled to reassure him and shrugged. Solomon let go of Yami and Yami crossed his arms annoyed.
"So did you miss me?" Solomon asked. Yugi's smile became more believable.
"Of course we missed you. How was it? How's your friend?"
"Not too much better but there's still hope. Well, I'm going to go get some sleep. It was a long trip. You boys should change your clothes and get ready to open. There's already a line out there waiting." Solomon left the room.
"Really?" Yugi crawled over to the window and looked out. "There's nobody out there," he said puzzled. Yami went over to him.
"Of course there isn't. He's just playing with you." Yami sat down on the bed next to him.
"Why didn't you tell him what really happened? He would have understood and you would have looked a lot better," Yugi said crawling into his lap.
"Telling your grandfather that you got into a fight over something I said wouldn't make me look any better."
"But you protected me?" Yugi tried to make him feel better. Yami smiled down at him.
"I don't know how I got through anything without you." Yugi smiled.
"So do you think Duke's calmed down since then?"
Tea walking to work
"Hey Tea, wait up! I need to talk to you!" Duke ran up to her. She rolled her eyes and didn't respond right away. "Didn't you get my messages?"
"Yeah, all 582 of them."
"Then why didn't you call me back?"
"Because I didn't want to." They stopped at an intersection.
"Come on. I said I was sorry like ten million times. What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to leave me alone. It's over Duke. You insulted my friend and that is unforgivable." She crossed the street.
"I did more then insult him. He's a loser. Why's he your friend anyway?" he yelled after her but didn't follow. She turned around angrily.
"Because he cares about things and he respects other people. In other words, because he's not like you." She continued on her way. Duke shook his head angrily.
"This is all Yugi's fault. If only I could get him alone without that stupid bodyguard of his. I'd teach him a thing or two about respect. I always knew he was faking that little innocent act. He's got everybody fooled into thinking he's Mr. Perfect. Well he ain't fooling me." Duke stormed off.
Joey woke up and rolled over, looking around the room with his eyes still blurry with sleep to find it empty. For a second he didn't even remember where he was but one look at the massive desk and book shelves reminded him of everything...but where was Seto? He vaguely recalled feeling him get up some time during the night or early morning but couldn't place whether or not he should know why or where he'd gone. Joey blinked twice and then noticed the post-it that'd been stuck to his forehead. He pulled it off and read it.
' Work. Call later.' Joey stretched and yawned then sat up groggily and pulled the rest of his clothes on, sticking the post-it to the nearest lamp.
"Does that mean me or you?" he said aloud but only silence answered. He laughed and stood up. And that's when he noticed the second post-it, which was on the door conveniently placed at his eye level. He walked over and pulled it off.
' Me,' it read, which made him roll his eyes and just laugh again. He stuck it back on the door and went downstairs to the kitchen to find some breakfast. Halfway through scavenging every cabinet for something that looked even remotely like normal food a phone started to ring. Joey spun around guiltily and slammed the cabinet door shut, managing to crush his finger in it. He yelped in pain and shook it out then answered the phone.
"Hello?" he said, then stuck the tip of his finger into his mouth.
"I see that you're making yourself at home," Kaiba's voice said with a hint of amusement in it.
"Where are you?" Joey looked around.
"At the office. There was a bit of a crisis that needed my assistance but I shouldn't be here all day. I'll meet you for lunch. Name your place."
"This sounds like we're making a business meeting," Joey said opening the cabinet again and shuffling through a shelf of baking ingredients. He closed it again and moved on to the next cabinet.
"There might be some of Mokuba's cereal left in the bottom cabinet to your left," Kaiba instructed. Joey opened it to reveal box of Lucky Charms and looked around the room again warily.
"How're you..."
"I'll pick you up when I get done here. Try not to break anything." The phone clicked off.
"As if I - try - to do things like that," Joey said sarcastically. He discarded the phone on the counter and pulled out the box of cereal.
At Yugi's House
"Yugi I'm... What's going on in here?!" Yugi's grandpa yelled waking both of them up. Yami tried to disappear but Solomon walked over and grabbed his ear, pulling him away from the bed. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what happened!" Yami winced and Yugi covered his eyes. "I left you in charge of protecting my grandson and this is what I get?" He turned Yami so he was facing Yugi.
"Oh that... He fell in the kitchen and hit his head on the counter." Yugi tilted his head confused and then trailed a hand over his cheek. He recoiled when a pain shot out from a place right below his left eye.
"Yeah. It's nothing Grandpa. I just fell. Clumsy me," Yugi smiled to reassure him and shrugged. Solomon let go of Yami and Yami crossed his arms annoyed.
"So did you miss me?" Solomon asked. Yugi's smile became more believable.
"Of course we missed you. How was it? How's your friend?"
"Not too much better but there's still hope. Well, I'm going to go get some sleep. It was a long trip. You boys should change your clothes and get ready to open. There's already a line out there waiting." Solomon left the room.
"Really?" Yugi crawled over to the window and looked out. "There's nobody out there," he said puzzled. Yami went over to him.
"Of course there isn't. He's just playing with you." Yami sat down on the bed next to him.
"Why didn't you tell him what really happened? He would have understood and you would have looked a lot better," Yugi said crawling into his lap.
"Telling your grandfather that you got into a fight over something I said wouldn't make me look any better."
"But you protected me?" Yugi tried to make him feel better. Yami smiled down at him.
"I don't know how I got through anything without you." Yugi smiled.
"So do you think Duke's calmed down since then?"
Tea walking to work
"Hey Tea, wait up! I need to talk to you!" Duke ran up to her. She rolled her eyes and didn't respond right away. "Didn't you get my messages?"
"Yeah, all 582 of them."
"Then why didn't you call me back?"
"Because I didn't want to." They stopped at an intersection.
"Come on. I said I was sorry like ten million times. What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to leave me alone. It's over Duke. You insulted my friend and that is unforgivable." She crossed the street.
"I did more then insult him. He's a loser. Why's he your friend anyway?" he yelled after her but didn't follow. She turned around angrily.
"Because he cares about things and he respects other people. In other words, because he's not like you." She continued on her way. Duke shook his head angrily.
"This is all Yugi's fault. If only I could get him alone without that stupid bodyguard of his. I'd teach him a thing or two about respect. I always knew he was faking that little innocent act. He's got everybody fooled into thinking he's Mr. Perfect. Well he ain't fooling me." Duke stormed off.