"He didn't waste any time, did he?" Duke said bitterly. He started to chop carrots for the salad. "I wasn't fallin' for that ' I'm in love with another guy,' act. I've known he was in love with Tea since the first day I'd seen them together. Always smiling and joking around. Well she's mine!" Duke threw the knife across the room, just as Joey walked in and it just barely missed him, embedding itself into the doorframe. Joey pulled it out and looked at Duke.
"What's wrong with you? Bad hair day?" Joey said, oblivious to what was going on because of course...he hadn't been around for the past few days. Duke scowled.
"No. And what's with bringing Kaiba? I figured this would be the last place he'd want to be," Duke said, equally oblivious.
"I guess he's playing it low today."
In the other room
"So..." Tristan looked at Kaiba uncomfortably. For some reason, his presence always made him feel like he was in school again.
"I'm glad that you came," Serenity broke in. "I know it's probably not as fancy as what you're used to but it really means a lot to me that you're here." Kaiba didn't respond.
"Well, can I at least take your coat?" Tristan offered.
"Where is it going to go?" Tristan pointed to a room down the hall.
"Just my bedroom. You'll get it back." Kaiba walked down the hall into the bedroom. "Or you could take it yourself," Tristan said to himself. ' This isn't going how it was supposed to at all. And where the hell are Yugi and Tea?'
----------
Yugi looked at the phone in shock.
"He hung up," he said. Tea turned back around.
"Good," she whipped the phone out of his hand angrily.
"But I didn't get to tell him where we were," Yugi said sounding hurt. Yami put a hand on his shoulder in comfort.
"We'll just call him back," he said reaching for Tea's phone. Tea pulled away again.
"I don't want to talk to that jerk."
"You won't be, I will," Yami said.
"But what if he hangs up on you too?" Yugi looked up at him.
"He won't." Tea looked at him too and the reluctantly handed him the phone.
"Just push the down arrow and hit send," she instructed. Yami followed her orders and put the phone to his ear.
"Hello, Taylor residence," Joey answered.
"Joey? What are you doing there?"
"Where are you?" Joey asked confused.
"Out looking for you."
"Well I'm here...(faintly) – Joey, could you please go make sure that your friend isn't reorganizing my room or something. (Louder) Oh. I gotta go. Get here soon." He hung up. Yami pushed the phone back at Tea.
"He's already there," he said bitterly and then started walking back toward town. Tea started after him.
"Well this is just great," she said, just as bitter. Yugi sighed warily and followed them.
Back at Tristan's house.
"Why'd he go in your room to begin with?" Joey asked incredulously.
"I offered to take him coat," Tristan shrugged. Joey rolled his eyes.
"Fine, I'll be right back." Joey walked down the hallway to Tristan's room and hovered in the doorway. Kaiba was seated on the bed looking at a picture of Joey and Tristan. "Would it really have killed you to just let him take your coat?" Kaiba looked up and put the picture face on the desk beside him. Joey noticed that the other pictures had already been turned down.
"Would it really kill you to listen to me?" Kaiba responded.
"Do you always answer questions with questions?"
"Do you always ignore answers when you need to justify your anger but can't?" Joey make a sound of protest.
"Come on. You really expect me to believe that you had something special planned just around the corner. I DID look both ways before crossing and I didn't see a thing." Joey went into the room and started to set the pictures up again.
"You didn't look hard enough."
"Well if I had known you wanted me to look for something, I would have. But crossing the street only requires me to look out for cars. Maybe if you hadn't of..." Kaiba surprised him by standing up and he stopped.
"Maybe if you weren't so stupid you would have seen the sign. I made it big enough for you," Kaiba said tired of being put down.
"Maybe I would have if you'd just told me to walk down a block instead of pointing and acting like I knew where I was going."
"Well sorry for thinking that you had some potential. I see how wrong I was now," Kaiba looked at him degradingly.
"Maybe you shouldn't assume you know things. You're not God," Joey fired back, taking a step closer almost in threat. Kaiba crossed his arms.
"You should be happy I'm not. I would have never let you be born."
"Well if I were..." Joey stopped and started laughing. Then shrunk down onto Tristan's bed. Kaiba looked down at him confused.
"What?" he dropped his arms.
"Hell, if I were God, I'd keep you exactly the way you are," Joey said.
"Is that supposed to hurt my feelings?"
"No. It's supposed to be a compliment. To be honest, I DID see the sign, and the table all set up so nicely. I was just so angry that I didn't stop."
"So you just got yourself lost out there because you were just too stubborn to stop? You're such an idiot," Kaiba shook his head and sat down beside him.
"Only when I'm around you," Joey said and kissed him. Kaiba pushed him down on the bed.
"Then you must be around me a lot," he smiled. Totally forgetting where they were, they became lost in each other...until someone cleared their throat behind them. Joey slipped out from under Kaiba and smiled embarrassed and Tristan.
"Yugi and Tea just got here and they want to talk to you," Tristan said pointing at Joey.
"What's wrong with you? Bad hair day?" Joey said, oblivious to what was going on because of course...he hadn't been around for the past few days. Duke scowled.
"No. And what's with bringing Kaiba? I figured this would be the last place he'd want to be," Duke said, equally oblivious.
"I guess he's playing it low today."
In the other room
"So..." Tristan looked at Kaiba uncomfortably. For some reason, his presence always made him feel like he was in school again.
"I'm glad that you came," Serenity broke in. "I know it's probably not as fancy as what you're used to but it really means a lot to me that you're here." Kaiba didn't respond.
"Well, can I at least take your coat?" Tristan offered.
"Where is it going to go?" Tristan pointed to a room down the hall.
"Just my bedroom. You'll get it back." Kaiba walked down the hall into the bedroom. "Or you could take it yourself," Tristan said to himself. ' This isn't going how it was supposed to at all. And where the hell are Yugi and Tea?'
----------
Yugi looked at the phone in shock.
"He hung up," he said. Tea turned back around.
"Good," she whipped the phone out of his hand angrily.
"But I didn't get to tell him where we were," Yugi said sounding hurt. Yami put a hand on his shoulder in comfort.
"We'll just call him back," he said reaching for Tea's phone. Tea pulled away again.
"I don't want to talk to that jerk."
"You won't be, I will," Yami said.
"But what if he hangs up on you too?" Yugi looked up at him.
"He won't." Tea looked at him too and the reluctantly handed him the phone.
"Just push the down arrow and hit send," she instructed. Yami followed her orders and put the phone to his ear.
"Hello, Taylor residence," Joey answered.
"Joey? What are you doing there?"
"Where are you?" Joey asked confused.
"Out looking for you."
"Well I'm here...(faintly) – Joey, could you please go make sure that your friend isn't reorganizing my room or something. (Louder) Oh. I gotta go. Get here soon." He hung up. Yami pushed the phone back at Tea.
"He's already there," he said bitterly and then started walking back toward town. Tea started after him.
"Well this is just great," she said, just as bitter. Yugi sighed warily and followed them.
Back at Tristan's house.
"Why'd he go in your room to begin with?" Joey asked incredulously.
"I offered to take him coat," Tristan shrugged. Joey rolled his eyes.
"Fine, I'll be right back." Joey walked down the hallway to Tristan's room and hovered in the doorway. Kaiba was seated on the bed looking at a picture of Joey and Tristan. "Would it really have killed you to just let him take your coat?" Kaiba looked up and put the picture face on the desk beside him. Joey noticed that the other pictures had already been turned down.
"Would it really kill you to listen to me?" Kaiba responded.
"Do you always answer questions with questions?"
"Do you always ignore answers when you need to justify your anger but can't?" Joey make a sound of protest.
"Come on. You really expect me to believe that you had something special planned just around the corner. I DID look both ways before crossing and I didn't see a thing." Joey went into the room and started to set the pictures up again.
"You didn't look hard enough."
"Well if I had known you wanted me to look for something, I would have. But crossing the street only requires me to look out for cars. Maybe if you hadn't of..." Kaiba surprised him by standing up and he stopped.
"Maybe if you weren't so stupid you would have seen the sign. I made it big enough for you," Kaiba said tired of being put down.
"Maybe I would have if you'd just told me to walk down a block instead of pointing and acting like I knew where I was going."
"Well sorry for thinking that you had some potential. I see how wrong I was now," Kaiba looked at him degradingly.
"Maybe you shouldn't assume you know things. You're not God," Joey fired back, taking a step closer almost in threat. Kaiba crossed his arms.
"You should be happy I'm not. I would have never let you be born."
"Well if I were..." Joey stopped and started laughing. Then shrunk down onto Tristan's bed. Kaiba looked down at him confused.
"What?" he dropped his arms.
"Hell, if I were God, I'd keep you exactly the way you are," Joey said.
"Is that supposed to hurt my feelings?"
"No. It's supposed to be a compliment. To be honest, I DID see the sign, and the table all set up so nicely. I was just so angry that I didn't stop."
"So you just got yourself lost out there because you were just too stubborn to stop? You're such an idiot," Kaiba shook his head and sat down beside him.
"Only when I'm around you," Joey said and kissed him. Kaiba pushed him down on the bed.
"Then you must be around me a lot," he smiled. Totally forgetting where they were, they became lost in each other...until someone cleared their throat behind them. Joey slipped out from under Kaiba and smiled embarrassed and Tristan.
"Yugi and Tea just got here and they want to talk to you," Tristan said pointing at Joey.