Thank you guys for reviewing! It really means a lot to know that people like this story and want me to continue with it. Same warnings apply, although I think I might add OOC to the list just in case. This chapter isn't a songfic, by the way, and I still don't own anything except for the plot. Now, to answer those people who were so kind to review;

Hyatt Insomnia: Yeah, you totally got the rose analogy down. Glad you think it's unique, and I hope this chapter lives up to expectations!

Teb Teb: Yay, my first review! Thanks for the support, and you're absolutely right; you can never have enough Seto/Joey fics out there! Cutest couple, though... I find Yami and Yugi pretty cute, Seto and Joey are just beyond cute and into amazing!

shannon: Short and sweet, huh? Well, thank you for taking the time to cast your vote. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

babygurl: Thank you for the high praise, I have an awful self-esteem as a writer, so your review really gave me a boost. I worked really hard on that letter, and posted it hoping that it got Joey's personality across. Looks like I succeeded! Hope you stick with this story through this next chappie!

Su-chan: Glad you think it's kawaii, but I didn't find it all that rushed...0_0. Well, I hope things have slowed down enough here for your tastes! Thank you for the encouragement!

Thank you also to any readers that didn't review for whatever reason. You guys all rock! Well, this author's note has gone on long enough, so on with chapter 2 of "Near You Always". Enjoy, and don't forget to review!

Joey flopped down on his bed, sighing heavily as his gaze took in the wasteland that had once been his room. Clothes, Duel Monster cards, and piles of miscellaneous junk littered the carpeted floor. Holding the closest item of clothing, a black muscle shirt, up to the light, he grunted in frustration and tossed the garment to the side, into the reject pile.

This had been going on for over an hour. Leaping to his feet, Joey snapped up the alarm clock that rested on his dresser and sighed again. In a half-hour, he and Seto were supposed to go out on their first date. The billionaire had decided that they should start off with dinner and a movie, and even though Joey had thought that was completely cliché, he had jumped at any chance to spend time with his new boyfriend. He hadn't counted on the fact that he might run into the equally cliché problem of 'what the hell am I gonna wear?"

It wasn't like this was Joey's first time going out on a date; he had been out with a few girls for appearance sake. Those hadn't ever mattered this much to him, though, partly because he was always the one in control of the situation, but mainly because he didn't really care about making a good impression on any of those air heads. However, this new situation raised all sorts of new questions. Casual or formal? What restaurant were they going to? What movie? Should he wear the same white shirt and jeans that he always did, or go for something a bit more alluring?

Twenty-five minutes later, Joey heard a car horn outside. He stared at his reflection in the mirror critically, and decided this was the best he was likely to do with the time he had. Exhaling in a rush, he stuffed his wallet in the back pocket of his pants and went downstairs to meet Seto.

The taller boy was leaning against his obscenely expensive car when Joey walked out, but the moment he saw the blond, he gave up all pretense of looking calm and collected and just stared, his mouth wide open. Joey had pulled his usually messy, overlong hair into a short ponytail, which Seto would have thought looked ridiculous on anyone else, but found strangely endearing on Joey. His date was wearing a green silk shirt, untucked, with half the buttons undone, tighter-than-usual black jeans, and his usual sneakers.

Seto himself hadn't pulled any punches in the looks department, either, not by a long shot. His short hair was freshly washed, and impeccably combed. He wore a skintight white shirt with blue pants that looked as though they'd been tailored to fit him perfectly and brown loafers. Joey breathed a sigh of relief; Seto was dressing very casually, at least for him, which ruled out the fancy restaurant.

Seto caught himself staring first, and quickly cleared his throat gracefully, opening the passenger side door for Joey. "If you'll get in, Joey, we can take off. Reservations are for 7:30."

"Sure thing." The blond slid into the leather-upholstered seat, surprised how comfortable it was. Seto turned the ignition key, and heavy rock music came blaring out of the speakers. With a frown, the billionaire hit the stop button.

"Sorry about that," he apologized, "Forgot to ask what kind of music you like."

"Don't worry 'bout it, Set," The brunet started at the nickname, then gave a tiny grin. "This's fine."

They drove in silence, except for the music, which was extolling among other things the myriad virtues of overdosing on three drugs at once, if that were even possible. Not very romantic, in other words. That was fine with Joey, though; too much sap too soon was likely to get boring really quick.

After a while, Seto pulled up to a lower end Italian restaurant. "It doesn't look like much, but the food is to die for," he explained to his boyfriend. Joey just waved the justification off.

"Set, I wouldn't care if we were eating at a greasy spoon, as long as we were together." His eyes locked with Seto's, and the brunet could see quite clearly that he wasn't joking. This was a new twist to his love life, to say the least. The few girls he'd had cause to take out before expected lavish evenings, at restaurants that had more in common with castles than places of business. They expected to be showered with gifts, have private violin players at their table, and any other perk his money could garner for them. Now, here was Joey, who didn't care one whit where or what they ate, how they got there, and whether or not Seto was spending the wealth of a small country to keep him entertained. The CEO mused over all this for nigh on a full minute, until Joey brought him back to reality with a light kiss on the nose.

"You're cute when you're thinking." he snickered, and slid out of the car before Seto could exact payback. The brunet growled playfully as he set the car alarm and caught up to Joey at the entrance to the restaurant.

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Well, that's Chapter 2. I hope I didn't disappoint anyone... please review if you liked/hated it, and tell me why in either case. I'd like to know how to improve for upcoming chapters. Finally, I'll try to update regularly, so keep an eye out every couple of days. Ja ne!