Hyatt Insomnia: The ponytail idea was just a whim I decided to go with. Guess I liked the mental image. To me, Joey was always scruffy because he never had a reason not to be. Figured first impressions definitely fell under the heading of acceptable reasons for a couple of little changes. Oh, and I'll be more careful with spelling in the future, thanks!
PanDora: Thank you, I thought so too! I hope this next part remains kawaii, while still addressing our third reviewer's concerns. Be sure to let me know what you think!
Rhelle: Another Seto/Joey fan! glomps Rhelle Aren't they the greatest? About the character depth... I'm really sorry if you feel that I've made the characters one-dimensional. I do agree, though, that the first couple of chappies have been very event-driven, so I guess I'll try to slow it down a bit here and give them time to develop. If you could be a bit more precise in what you mean by "character depth", that would totally help too.
Kaial and Luke Skywolf: Yeah, I can't count the number I've had to wipe drool off the keyboard, and it's my story! Sorry for making Luke jealous, though.... glomps both Thanks for reviewing!
Warnings... well, it's still yaoi (refer to previous chappies for definition), maybe OOC ness, and I think the fluff warning is warranted, LOL. Oh, oh, and minor Tea bashing! I'll probably include other couples in the future, since I can't really ignore the other cast members (okay, I could, but human interaction would probably add to character depth). Feel free to leave suggestions on which couples you'd like to see. No yuri, but straight/yaoi couples... go for it!
By the way, I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh (almost forgot to put that in 0_0)
Chapter 3: Possession
Joey silently thanked whatever gods had been responsible for Seto thinking to reserve the table in the very back of the restaurant. At least this way he wouldn't have to share his celebrity boyfriend with anyone else but the waitress, who, by the way she was squealing at one of her colleagues, had already recognized one of the world's richest eligible men sitting down at a table she worked. As Joey slid into his seat, he decided that she was more than enough.
Seto, meanwhile, was too busy patting himself on the back (figuratively, of course) for having had the foresight to find out about Joey from the one person who actually knew him, and whom Seto could stand, Yugi. It might have taken the better part of an hour to convince Yami that he really didn't have any ulterior motives about wanting to talk to his hikari, and the rest of it before Yugi finally stopped laughing at the sheer absurdity of Seto and Joey being in love, but it had all been worth it. Seto Kaiba now knew Joey better than he knew himself. He had heard all about the blond's secret passion for Italian restaurants, that the only movies he enjoyed were cheesy chick flicks, what he really hated (school, shopping, and Tea's friendship speeches), and anything else that might avert any embarrassing situations down the line. There were some things, though, that even Yugi hadn't had a clue about, and Seto, instead of being nervous about going in blind, was strangely looking forward to discovering things about Joey that only his puppy himself knew.
"You're thinking again." Seto mentally slapped himself for not paying enough attention to the exquisite creature seated across from him. 'Great move, Kaiba,' he berated himself 'While you're congratulating yourself on avoiding any possible crises, you just created one yourself!'
"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly. "I'll try to keep my mind in the present from now on." With somewhat more than a casual interest, he let his gaze trace the slightly tanned form of his date's exposed chest, drinking in every perfect detail hungrily. "Don't think that'll be too hard." he finished, licking his lips subconsciously, and not even the candlelight was sufficient to hide Joey's blush.
"Hentai." the shorter boy accused, just as the waitress came up to their table.
"Welcome!" she said, a little too cheerfully, and let her eyes flit between both teens. Joey noticed how her gaze lingered too long on Seto, and his hand curled into a white-knuckled fist under the table. "Can I take your order?" She batted her fake eyelashes so fast it was a wonder they didn't stick.
Seto ordered some dish that Joey couldn't even pronounce, much less figure out what its components were, and the girl scribbled something on her pad. She took off immediately, but it was still much too slow for Joey's taste, who commenced a nervous drumming with his free hand, the other still much too tightly closed to allow for much freedom of movement. He had known on some level when he had confessed to his love that said man was a popular target for the misguided affections of total strangers, but he had never given much thought to keeping him until now. What if Seto met someone else, someone more attractive, or smarter, or richer, than the pitiful whelp of a puppy that Joey saw himself as. What if... what if...
A firm hand seized his wrist with an iron-like grip, and once he had gone still, Seto lifted the roughened hand to his lips and brushed the lightest of kisses across Joey's fingertips. Electricity jolted through the blond's arm, but he relaxed completely. Even the fist under the table fell open. Caressing Joey's hand with both of his, Seto leaned in closer to his date, such that his breath stirred the candle flame and sent the shadows across Joey's face dancing.
"It'll take more than her to break us up." One final kiss, and then Seto released Joey's hand. "I have all that I need." This simple phrase brought back the memory of a castle roof that seemed a thousand years in the past, a time when Joey had misinterpreted his feelings of love for those of hatred. Then, however, the words had been spoken maliciously, the intent behind them leagues darker than the words themselves. This time, though, they were employed to heal, spoken with genuine affection rather than bitterness. Joey reflected on how drastically, and how quickly, people could change. Now, watching the great Seto Kaiba completely open and unguarded before him, he knew he wouldn't have it any other way.
Not too long afterwards, the waitress came back with two dishes that looked and smelled absolutely amazing. She set them down and went back to staring stupidly at Seto. The billionaire calmly salted his food, and turned up to pin her with his midnight eyes, before she could turn away.
"May one of us help you?" he asked, and Joey recognized the effort it took to keep his tone polite.
The girl bit her lip, and shifted from foot to foot. Finally, she pulled a scrap of paper and handed it to Seto, who took it and nodded a dismissal. Gladly, the waitress took her leave. Without missing a beat, Seto unfolded the sheet of paper, and Joey struggled to remember what his boyfriend had just said to him. Sighing, Seto refolded the paper and dropped it gracelessly into the candle flame. Joey slumped down in relief.
"What, did you still think I would give her a second glance?" Joey nodded. "Well, I won't. Not just her, but anyone else for that matter. So, you can dig in. I won't be abducted by rabid women while you're shoveling food into that beautiful mouth of yours." Once again, Joey turned redder than the tomato sauce, but he did take a first, tentative bite, after which he commenced to polish the meat and pasta dish off with the fervor of a starving man.
As soon as they were done, Seto motioned for the check. "We'll skip dessert, if that's all right with you," he said. Joey nodded furiously, and Seto chuckled. The waitress brought over their bill, but when she received no reaction to the now-burnt phone number she had given Seto, she stormed off. The CEO tossed his platinum credit card onto the tray that the bill had come on, and brought it up to the cashier himself to save time. Joey noticed, much to his amusement, that his boyfriend didn't leave a tip.
The waitress' station was right beside the exit, and as they passed by, Joey caught their waitress staring yet again. 'That's it,' he decided, 'Time to teach her a lesson.' Without warning, he pressed himself against Seto and shoved his tongue into the brunet's mouth. His love was surprised, to say the least, but instinct made him return the kiss with equal passion. When they finally separated, Joey locked his amber eyes with the now stunned waitress.
"Mine." he said, just loud enough for her to hear, and trailing a nearly hysterical Seto, he left the restaurant, firmly resolving that no matter how good the food might be, they wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.
