Tristan found it hard to make eye contact with either of them and instead
of subjecting himself to more awkwardness, he walked back into the living
room. Kaiba closed his eyes and took a deep breath then watched as Joey
let out a nervous laugh and sat back down on the bed.
"Well I'm pretty sure he's scarred for life," he said. Kaiba couldn't think of anything to say so he just shook his head. "Well..." Joey leaned over and brushed his lips over Kaiba's gently in a teasing way. "I guess we should find out what they want," he whispered as if the words were sacred. He stood up but Kaiba grabbed his arm.
"He never said right now," Kaiba smiled slyly. He pulled him back down and started kissing him again. Joey managed enough self-control to pull himself away.
"Come on, it's my sister's party," he protested.
"That didn't matter five minutes ago," Kaiba said playfully. Joey gave him a stern look and stood up again.
"I wasn't... Well it does now. Besides, I don't think Tristan would appreciate us staying in here." Kaiba gave in and they left the room. Yugi noticed them enter first.
"Joey! We're so glad to see that you're okay," he said exuberantly.
"I'm not. Next time you call and ask us to help you...I'm NOT helping," Tea said cynically. She headed for the bathroom.
"I think I liked it better in there," Joey mumbled to himself as he noticed all the other angry and uncomfortable faces around the room.
"We could always go back," Kaiba whispered close to his ear. Joey jumped, not realizing how close he'd been, then swatted at Kaiba as if he were a bug.
"Don't stand so close," he said acting annoyed. This made everyone stop what they were doing to look at them...except Tristan who'd decided it was better to think about something else. He turned on his CD player and one of Serenity's favorite songs started to play. That's when Duke decided to come out of the kitchen with the food.
"Who's hungry?" he asked trying his best to act like he was the happiest person alive. He put the tray down on a table that was set up near the side wall but nobody moved to get anything. "What's wrong with everybody? I feel like I just walked into a morgue," Duke said looking at everyone in turn.
"Could we please not mention dead people in the presence of food?" Joey said making the first move toward the table. "Or my sister..." he added as an afterthought. She smiled and brought Tristan over to the table as well.
"Thanks Joey," she said.
"No prob," he replied his mouth already full of food. Duke nodded as if to say ' now that's better,' and went back into the kitchen to get the drinks. Yugi looked at Yami before joining them.
"So Serenity, when's the next time you're coming back?" Yugi asked trying to keep the main focus on her.
"I'll be back for the summer. My mother just doesn't want me to miss any more school," she answered. Tea came out of the bathroom then just as Duke was returning from the kitchen. Everyone except Joey and Kaiba watched them in anticipation, of what...they weren't quite sure. Tea just grabbed a plate and threw some things on it and then went back over to a chair near where Yami was. Duke put the tray of drinks down.
"If you guys need anything else, just ask," he said, as if everything were normal. He grabbed a drink and sat down in a chair on the opposite side of the room.
"Thanks Duke," Joey mumbled, his mouth still full of food. He grabbed the drink closest to him and washed everything down. "So sis, you gonna give me one last dance?" he asked tossing the cup into a nearby trashcan.
"I'm not leaving forever Joey," she responded but let him take her out into the middle of the room. Tristan watched them dance happily for a minute but noticed Kaiba across the room and turned back to the table.
"So Tristan, how do you feel?" Yugi asked.
"I'd rather not talk about it," Tristan said a little on the defensive side and walked away. Yugi gave a confused look and walked back over to Yami and Tea.
"Yugi, dance with me," Tea said almost immediately. Before Yugi could protest, she'd grabbed his arm, but Yami grabbed the other one.
"I don't think that's the best idea right now," he said looking at Duke. Tea followed his gaze and let go of Yugi helplessly.
"Well, somebody's going to dance with me," she said and before he knew what was going on, she'd pulled Kaiba out onto the floor. He didn't even know what he was doing but no matter how much he tried not to dance, the more Tea forced him to. Everyone else started laughing at how awkward they looked, which only made Kaiba's want to be out of there stronger. His cell phone started to ring, saving him, and he left Tea to dance alone.
"Hello?" he answered the phone, plugging one ear to hear better.
"Seto? Where are you?" Mokuba's voice answered.
"I'm..." he looked around the room and tried to decide whether or not he should tell Mokuba the truth. "Why? What's wrong?" he decided to change the subject.
"Nothing. I'm just wondering what's taking so long." Kaiba looked at his watch and noticed that it was close to dinner time.
"Well I got a little tied up. I'll be home as soon as I can, okay?" Mokuba sighed but Kaiba couldn't tell what kind of sigh it was. Something in it did seem a little off though.
"Alright," Mokuba replied.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong?" Kaiba asked getting concerned but not really knowing why.
"No, everything's fine. I promise."
"Alright," Kaiba said but still wasn't convinced. "I'll see you soon." He hung up.
"Everything okay?" Joey said walking over. Kaiba nodded.
"I have to go. Tell your sister I said to have a safe trip," he said heading for the door.
"Will I see you later?" Joey asked. Kaiba hesitated, looking to see if anyone was within hearing distance.
"I'll...let you know," he said. He left the house.
"Well I'm pretty sure he's scarred for life," he said. Kaiba couldn't think of anything to say so he just shook his head. "Well..." Joey leaned over and brushed his lips over Kaiba's gently in a teasing way. "I guess we should find out what they want," he whispered as if the words were sacred. He stood up but Kaiba grabbed his arm.
"He never said right now," Kaiba smiled slyly. He pulled him back down and started kissing him again. Joey managed enough self-control to pull himself away.
"Come on, it's my sister's party," he protested.
"That didn't matter five minutes ago," Kaiba said playfully. Joey gave him a stern look and stood up again.
"I wasn't... Well it does now. Besides, I don't think Tristan would appreciate us staying in here." Kaiba gave in and they left the room. Yugi noticed them enter first.
"Joey! We're so glad to see that you're okay," he said exuberantly.
"I'm not. Next time you call and ask us to help you...I'm NOT helping," Tea said cynically. She headed for the bathroom.
"I think I liked it better in there," Joey mumbled to himself as he noticed all the other angry and uncomfortable faces around the room.
"We could always go back," Kaiba whispered close to his ear. Joey jumped, not realizing how close he'd been, then swatted at Kaiba as if he were a bug.
"Don't stand so close," he said acting annoyed. This made everyone stop what they were doing to look at them...except Tristan who'd decided it was better to think about something else. He turned on his CD player and one of Serenity's favorite songs started to play. That's when Duke decided to come out of the kitchen with the food.
"Who's hungry?" he asked trying his best to act like he was the happiest person alive. He put the tray down on a table that was set up near the side wall but nobody moved to get anything. "What's wrong with everybody? I feel like I just walked into a morgue," Duke said looking at everyone in turn.
"Could we please not mention dead people in the presence of food?" Joey said making the first move toward the table. "Or my sister..." he added as an afterthought. She smiled and brought Tristan over to the table as well.
"Thanks Joey," she said.
"No prob," he replied his mouth already full of food. Duke nodded as if to say ' now that's better,' and went back into the kitchen to get the drinks. Yugi looked at Yami before joining them.
"So Serenity, when's the next time you're coming back?" Yugi asked trying to keep the main focus on her.
"I'll be back for the summer. My mother just doesn't want me to miss any more school," she answered. Tea came out of the bathroom then just as Duke was returning from the kitchen. Everyone except Joey and Kaiba watched them in anticipation, of what...they weren't quite sure. Tea just grabbed a plate and threw some things on it and then went back over to a chair near where Yami was. Duke put the tray of drinks down.
"If you guys need anything else, just ask," he said, as if everything were normal. He grabbed a drink and sat down in a chair on the opposite side of the room.
"Thanks Duke," Joey mumbled, his mouth still full of food. He grabbed the drink closest to him and washed everything down. "So sis, you gonna give me one last dance?" he asked tossing the cup into a nearby trashcan.
"I'm not leaving forever Joey," she responded but let him take her out into the middle of the room. Tristan watched them dance happily for a minute but noticed Kaiba across the room and turned back to the table.
"So Tristan, how do you feel?" Yugi asked.
"I'd rather not talk about it," Tristan said a little on the defensive side and walked away. Yugi gave a confused look and walked back over to Yami and Tea.
"Yugi, dance with me," Tea said almost immediately. Before Yugi could protest, she'd grabbed his arm, but Yami grabbed the other one.
"I don't think that's the best idea right now," he said looking at Duke. Tea followed his gaze and let go of Yugi helplessly.
"Well, somebody's going to dance with me," she said and before he knew what was going on, she'd pulled Kaiba out onto the floor. He didn't even know what he was doing but no matter how much he tried not to dance, the more Tea forced him to. Everyone else started laughing at how awkward they looked, which only made Kaiba's want to be out of there stronger. His cell phone started to ring, saving him, and he left Tea to dance alone.
"Hello?" he answered the phone, plugging one ear to hear better.
"Seto? Where are you?" Mokuba's voice answered.
"I'm..." he looked around the room and tried to decide whether or not he should tell Mokuba the truth. "Why? What's wrong?" he decided to change the subject.
"Nothing. I'm just wondering what's taking so long." Kaiba looked at his watch and noticed that it was close to dinner time.
"Well I got a little tied up. I'll be home as soon as I can, okay?" Mokuba sighed but Kaiba couldn't tell what kind of sigh it was. Something in it did seem a little off though.
"Alright," Mokuba replied.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong?" Kaiba asked getting concerned but not really knowing why.
"No, everything's fine. I promise."
"Alright," Kaiba said but still wasn't convinced. "I'll see you soon." He hung up.
"Everything okay?" Joey said walking over. Kaiba nodded.
"I have to go. Tell your sister I said to have a safe trip," he said heading for the door.
"Will I see you later?" Joey asked. Kaiba hesitated, looking to see if anyone was within hearing distance.
"I'll...let you know," he said. He left the house.