Author's Notes: BTW, I've totally forgotten what the next step in this story was, so I'm going to be kicking myself later. It's really not as if you need to know this, but you don't need to know that I have to brush my teeth neither and I'm telling you all the same cuz I'm just that wacky. Hey, do any of you kids watch Witch Hunter Robin? Man, that show just got crazy… Right, so to get back on track: It's a real shame that I hadn't gotten around to writing this fic earlier, I really felt like it. But I didn't want to update this fic before The Bet (my Harry Potter fic), and I'm having a bitch of a time with that one. I wrote myself into a corner, except not really. I have so many options open to me, but I just can't get the door open. Fucking locked doors. Yeah, so right about now, those who are reading this have become victims of my insanity… I taste chemicals... I hope there was nothing wrong with that toothpaste. So I totally died my hair purple yesterday (December 17). Um… So there's really nothing else to say –though there wasn't really anything to say in the first place.
IMPORTANT This is the longest fucking chapter I have ever written for this story and practically nothing happens; I just couldn't shut myself up. So I hope this is interesting to you readers and if you don't like the length of this chapter, be heartened, I don't plan on writing any more like this unless that is what the people want. So that's it then.
Disclaimer: If Yu-Gi-Oh! belonged to me, it would be infinitely better.
Seto tripped on the door step as he entered his dorm, exhausted. Usually he remembered to lift his foot up higher when he stepped into his room, but after his meeting with Devon, he couldn't remember anything. It was a wonder he still knew where his room was. Seto was an unhappy mixture of astonishment and confusion. Never before had he met anyone like Devon, nor had he ever thought in his wildest dreams there could actually be in existence someone like Devon –surely God wouldn't allow it? But alas, Seto had thought wrong and now he was certain that demons walked among us.
"Wheeler?" Seto called out, checking for his roommate. There was no reply. Good, the brunette thought. He wanted to be alone; he'd had enough human contact for one day… Actually, make it five days.
He ran a hand through his hair as he walked tiredly to the red couch and flopped down, groaning contently as the comfort of the couch overwhelmed him. Despite his will, his thoughts wandered back to 'the encounter', or so he was calling it. He kept seeing Devon's face alight with excitement and admiration and, in Seto's mind, something akin to insanity. All he saw was her mouth moving at a startling rate, the words all fusing together to form some strange and terrifying language that only she was privy to. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yami trying to hide a smile as he sipped his coffee. Seto's own coffee had touched his lips once and was now cooling on the table. His hands rested on the table, his knuckles white. How much time had passed while he was in this state of shock and unfamiliar terror? He didn't know. He vaguely remembered muttering random responses to her questions, but for the most part she spoke about anything and everything at great lengths. At the end of 'the encounter', Devon hugged Seto again –Yami had been right; Devon did jump on Seto the first she saw him. The brunette, too tired to resist, also let her kiss him on the cheek. Yami had said his good-byes to Devon as well; however she seemed too preoccupied with the singer of her favourite band to care about anything that Yami did for the moment. The crimson-eyed teen had appeared emotionless, though inwardly Seto knew that he was positively delighted and that his vindictive pleasure had been satisfied. He would hold this moment of triumph forever.
Seto felt ashamed at being affected so by Devon. After all, she was just a girl, and Seto prided himself on being emotionless and untouchable. Why had she made such an impact on him? He would never know, but she had, and Seto felt like she had taken something from him. Yami knew Seto was weaker and more vulnerable than he would like him to think. Of course, Yami had always suspected, or would like to have believed, that the brunette wasn't made of stone, but now it was confirmed and Seto was sure he would take advantage of that and hold it over his head for a long time.
Seto exhaled, putting his right hand to his head and letting it slide down to his cheek, his fingers splayed across his eyes. A shower, he thought, that's what I need: a shower. Seto stood up slowly from the couch and reached into his pocket for the key to his door. He unlocked the door and pushed it open.
Contrary to popular belief, his room was a mess. Shirts, pants, underwear, socks –all of it- littered the floor in a senseless pattern, here and there a patch of hardwood. The bed was unmade, the sheets and blankets bunched up at its base. Displayed on shelves, tables, any flat surface were millions of collectibles ranging from Nightmare Before Christmas figurines to Lord of the Rings, to fancy daggers and other gothic items from his dark days. Posters and magazine cut-outs covered every inch of the wall –Metallica, Guns'N'Roses, Led Zeppelin, the Doors, every kick ass band that ever was. Just about the only thing that wasn't in total disarray was his C.D rack that ran from the floor to a foot from the ceiling, nearly full. On the top were old Queen records, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, ACDC, the Cure (though he had never been a big fan) and various others –whatever he could get his hands on. His CDs were neatly stacked and not a speck of dust lay on them. The two bottom shelves were stacked full of DVDs: Velvet Goldmine, Party Monster, SLC Punk, Quills, Spirited Away, Interview with the Vampire, every film directed by or starring or having some affiliation with Quentin Tarantino, a good many of Tim Burton's movies… and Dude, Where's my Car?. This was his secret life, the side no one expected of him, and the side he felt he had to keep hidden.
He took off his shirt and tossed it to the floor, adding to the clutter. He closed the door and looked into the mirror on the back of it. Seto had always been a narcissist, yet very insecure. He loved to look at himself, but he went to great lengths to like what he saw. Seto was ashamed about what he had done to attain his goal, and he told nary a soul, but in the end he thought it was worth it. He traced a finger along his rippling abs. Yes, definitely worth it.
Seto yanked his gaze from the mirror. He reached into his drawer for a pair of boxers, then for a pair of pants. Seto never wore a shirt while his roommate wasn't in; he loved to catch the reflection of his finely toned chest in shiny surfaces. He walked towards the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, though not tightly enough. The door opened a crack. Seto, with his back turned, did not notice. Nor did he notice when the clean pair of boxers fell out of his hand and onto the floor. He entered the bathroom and shut the door, locking it. He dropped his clean pants on the toilet, his dirty clothes on the floor. He adjusted the faucets until the water was steaming hot. Despite his cold exterior, Seto couldn't stand cold things.
Joey had woken up at 9:00 am, and that was early for him. A wacky idea had struck him, and instead of rolling over and going back to sleep, he got up out of bed and strode into the main room of the dorm. Seto's door was closed, as usual. Joey had never seen inside the brunette's room, and the mystery of what lay inside nagged at Joey's mind until he couldn't stand it and he'd try to open the door, but Seto had a sixth sense about these things and he'd always walk in just as Joey put his hand on the knob. The blonde was sure that there was a lock on the door now, but he had never been able to work up the nerve to try and turn the knob since Seto had kicked the crap out of Joey the last time. Well, it hadn't been much of an ass-whoopin'; Seto had just punched the blonde, dragged him to the door by the hair and, quite literally, kicked him out of the room. It had been late at night, and Joey was quite sure the brunette was smashed because in the morning when Joey slipped timidly into the dorm –he had spent the night sleeping in the Early Birds' Lounge (this is the same lounge that Yami met with Kaiba two chapters ago) - Seto had looked at the blonde's face with something that may have been surprise and said:
"What happened to you? Lost a fight, perhaps?"
Joey hadn't said anything, unsure whether the brunette was reminding and taunting him about last night, or if he couldn't remember what he'd done and was just being a jackass. Either way, Joey was sure he didn't want another confrontation like that. It was more traumatizing than anything else.
But today he was feeling sassy and courageous. He strode toward the door, sure that Seto was not inside; he had heard movement earlier, around 8:00 am, he believed, and knew it must be Seto. It had woken him up only briefly before he had fallen back into Dreamland. Joey never saw his roommate in the morning, except on Wednesday when they both had Phys. Ed at 8:30 in the morning. Joey would be just stumbling out of his room and Seto would be sitting on the couch, fully dressed, his bag at his feet and breakfast would be waiting for him on the table. Seto of course would have already eaten – or wasn't planning on ingesting food until after gym, if at all. Joey appreciated his roommate's kind gesture, however surprising it may have been. It gave the blonde an extra boost in the morning, knowing that maybe, just maybe, Seto was beginning to consider Joey as a friend. The blonde would prefer it if Seto actually ate with him, but you can't ask for the world.
What unnerved Joey the most, however, more than the random act of kindness new to this year, was the amount of food Seto was ingesting, or not ingesting. Joey hardly ever saw the brunette eat anything, but then again he might just not eat in front of the blonde. But still, Joey was worried. He remembered that back when he had first met Seto at fourteen, the two had been the same height and roughly the same weight, the brunette being slightly heavier, oddly enough. Since then, they had both grown –in Seto's case, a lot- and had lost weight –once again, in Seto's case, a lot. Joey had been really worried about Seto that year. Even after the boy's growth spurt, he was a little heavy and Joey knew that it greatly upset him. He noticed that the brunette was eating less and less and was exercising regularly and strenuously. Joey would come into the dorm and Seto would be passed out on the couch. Joey would quickly go to his side, but the brunette would push him away. He was becoming skinnier and skinnier, unhealthily so. Joey would also find the bathroom door locked, and a towel shoved into the tiny space between the floor and the door. Joey at first didn't know what that meant, but then he realized that Seto was soundproofing the door. Then the day came at the end of the year when Seto collapsed in the middle of math class. It was summer and the heat was intense. Everyone believed that he fainted from heat exhaustion, but Joey knew otherwise. Of course, he would never say anything –to Seto, or to anyone else. He had hoped that one day the brunette would finally confide in him and let it all out. Two years later, Joey was still waiting.
The blonde pushed these thoughts out of his head; they weren't worth thinking. Seto was the healthiest and happiest that Joey had ever seen him, which was rather pathetic if one thought about it, but Joey never did. As strange as it sounded, Joey liked Seto the way he was, and now that he wasn't potentially starving himself, throwing up, slitting his wrists, abusing certain substances, Seto was easier to talk to and be with. His mood swings had more or less subsided, which meant that maybe Joey wouldn't get smacked if Seto walked in as the blonde was trying to open the door. Maybe.
Joey's hand hovered above the knob, his heart racing. He listened for footsteps or the door as Seto entered the dorm. He heard nothing. All was quiet. Joey rested his hand on the knob and tensed, expecting to be struck down by lightening or something. Nothing happened. Joey's hand tightened on the knob and his heart beat faster. He slowly twisted the knob and… locked. Joey exhaled and let his hand flop beside him. Some part of him was strangely relieved. As much as he wanted to see into Seto's room, he wasn't sure he was ready for it. His mind had created such an elaborate and impossible image of Seto's room, that Joey was afraid that seeing the actual room would destroy its mystery and intrigue. As odd as it sounds, Joey was afraid of being let down.
Joey sighed and muttered, "Oh well." He looked back at his own door, wide open, which is how he always left it unless he was within. Joey was struck with the strange idea of closing it. He knew it would accomplish nothing, seeing as how Seto had already seen inside everyday. Still, Joey felt like being mysterious, maybe tempt Kaiba to open the door and then he'd be able to catch him. Foolish thoughts, these were, but Joey had never been one to care about being thought a fool. And so, after getting changed into jeans and a T-shirt, Joey closed his door without him actually being inside and left the dorm.
Twenty minutes later, Joey found himself tired and bored out of his mind. Nobody of interest was up at this hour –nobody he was interested in anyway. There was a reason he never left his dorm before ten at the ABSOLUTE earliest. So, at 9:20 he found himself back at his dorm. The door hadn't been closed properly and was slightly ajar. Joey didn't remember leaving it like that and he hoped to God that Seto hadn't been by; otherwise the blonde would be in for a series of reprimands and insults.
Don't be a fool, a voice in Joey's head said, if Seto had been here, he would have closed the door and then shouted at you.
Joey knew these words were true and so he entered the dorm calmly. He made sure to properly shut the door behind him. He walked towards the couch but stopped dead. Seto's door was slightly ajar, just as the dorm room door had been. Joey blinked. Is this really happening? Did Seto really leave his door open? It seemed almost too good to be true. Here's your chance, Joey, go for it! His voice told him. Joey hurried towards the door, not even stopping to think that Seto may be within. From the corner of his eye the blonde saw a dark blue lump lying on the floor and he stopped. He knelt to the ground and looked at it, unable to recognize what it was. He picked it up and almost cried out. They were boxers, Seto's boxers. He stood up, the undergarments still in hand. Why he didn't just toss them to the floor, Joey didn't know and he never tried to figure it out. He was in front of the door now, his hand raised, fingertips pressed against the wood. Just one push and the mystery of Seto's room would be revealed. Joey bit his lip and pushed.
Seto turned the shower faucets and the water flow stopped. He slid the glass shower door open and grabbed a towel from the rack. He wrapped it around his waist as he stepped out of the stall. He wiped his hand across the foggy mirror, clearing a patch. His hair was a dark brown and hanging in front of his deep blue eyes. He wondered if he should let his hair grow out a little. He was beginning to like longer hair, and since he was in a band he could probably pull it off too.
Seto took the towel from his waist and started drying himself off. He picked up his clean pants, expecting the boxers to fall out. They didn't. Seto shook the pants. Still nothing.
"Shit," Seto murmured. They must have fallen when I was carrying them…He looked at his dirty clothes and contemplated putting those boxers on, but quickly thought better of it. After all, he had just gotten himself clean. Putting on dirty boxers would be kind of counterproductive. Instead, he decided to wrap the towel around his waist, go back to his room and find the boxers. He'd deal with his other clothes later.
He opened the bathroom door and stepped out. His skin was still a little damp and was glistening slightly in the sun from the large window in the main room. Seto turned towards his door. It took him a few moments to realize that the door to his room was wide open and, standing in the doorway looking in, was Joey, holding a pair of Seto's boxers in his hand. The brunette almost screamed.
Joey heard a door open behind him and froze, afraid to turn around. He was in for it now. He didn't know how Seto would react to Joey actually seeing inside the room. The blonde bit his lip and turned. He gasped. Seto was standing half naked with only a towel tied loosely at his hips to cover him. Joey had only caught glimpses of Seto's chest in the past; nothing like this. He was seeing Seto's body full on, with nothing to hide it. Of course, it didn't help that Seto was glistening in the light. Joey felt his heart racing, and it wasn't entirely from fear of being caught.
"S-Seto, I," Joey stuttered. "You left the door open!" What else was he to say? Seto simply stared at him, surprise giving way to anger. Joey started shuffling towards his door, adjacent to his roommate's.
Seto moved towards Joey menacingly. The latter shuffled faster, hoping to get inside before he was pummelled. He didn't make any quick moments lest he prompt the burning brunette to attack. Joey reached his door and opened it but Seto jumped and closed it, narrowly missing Joey's hand, which rested at his side now, its twin doing likewise. Joey was up against the wall, Seto's wet, sinewy body practically pressed against his and the brunette's smooth, muscular arm over Joey's shoulder, holding the door shut. Joey stared up into the brunette's eyes that, if they changed colours, would be a fiery red from fury. Seto was a few inches taller than Joey, and in this position with the brunette leaning over him, he seemed ever the more tall.
"I don't ever want to catch you in my room again," he said in a low, growling voice, "Did I make that clear?"
As he was saying this, his face was coming gradually closer to Joey's, whether by accident or just in attempt to appear more menacing, Joey didn't know. But, by the end, Seto's lips were a mere two inches from the blonde's. Joey's heart flip-flopped and butterflies were fluttering in his belly. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but it sure wasn't unpleasant. Seto's eyes were locked onto his, and Joey could see the same confusion in them that were in his own.
Seto suddenly closed his eyes and looked away. "Just stay out of my room." He took his hand off the door. He looked down and saw Joey holding his boxers still and snatched them out of his hand. But as he did this, the towel came undone and fell to the floor, completely exposing the brunette, who turned completely red.
Joey froze, watching as his roommate grabbed his towel and hastened to cover himself, but not before Joey had a good look. Seto caught the blonde's surprised gaze on him and blushed even more. He opened his mouth to say something witty, but nothing would come out. Instead he just turned on his heel and hurried into his room.
Joey watched the retreating form of his roommate and couldn't help but smile giddily. When the door was slammed shut, Joey slid to the floor, a hand to his mouth. That had been the single oddest experience in his life.
End Notes: I told you this was a fucking long chapter. Really though, I just couldn't shut myself up even when I really wanted to. I think it's the hair dye getting into my brain. I can't think anymore man. Oh well, purple hair is cool. Well, it's a deep burgundy that looks purple. I just hope I can get away with it in me school. It's run by a bunch of conservatist assholes. Right, so that's that, and I hope you liked this chapter.