Changed for the Better
A/N: Thank you to all of my reviewers! Free Seto and Joey plushies for you all!
Chapter 3
Yugi and Tea, both red-faced and panting, giggled as they took their seats beside Joey. For a moment, Seto was ignored. He didn't mind. If anything, that's how he wanted it to be.
"Oh, hey Kaiba. I didn't see you there."
Damn, Seto thought. "Hello Yugi."
"When'd you get here?"
"Just after you got up."
Then came the silence. For a few moments, they sat there in awkward silence. Tea sat with bated breath and fiddled with the edge of the tablecloth. Joey looked from Seto to Yugi to Tea and back to Seto. He sighed and drummed his fingers on the table. Yugi folded his arms on the table and sighed heavily. Seto leaned back in his seat and folded his hands over his abdomen.
Suddenly, Joey slammed his palms on the table. "I can't take it anymore! Tea, can I speak with you outside for a moment?"
"Sure Joey," Tea said as she walked with Joey out of the nearest exit.
Yugi watched them leave. He waited until the door had closed behind them before opening his mouth. "So Kaiba, what's going on between you and Joey?" he asked innocently.
Seto's eyes narrowed into a deadly glare. If Yugi was affected in any way, he showed no sign of it. He simply blinked at his taller companion. Seto sighed in defeat. The butterfly sensation in his stomach had refused to cease ever since he spoke Joey's name.
"Yugi, I respect you as a duelist and as a person. Can I trust you to keep a secret?"
Yugi's eyes widened slightly at the request. "Uh…of course! Of course you can trust me."
Meanwhile…
"Tea, there is something I think you should know," Joey said solemnly. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm not entirely sure how to say this, but I need to know if I can trust you first."
"You like Kaiba, don't you?" Tea asked as she moved to rest her back on the rough, brick exterior of the auditorium.
Joey stared at the brunette. The expression on his face read shock, shame, or even a mixture of both. Tea smirked when she saw Joey's cheeks turn bright red.
"Don't worry Joey. I won't tell a soul." She ran her fingers across her mouth as if she was zipping her lips. She turned her wrist as if she was locking her mouth shut. She gave Joey a thumbs-up and turned to walk inside. However, Joey grabbed the dancer's bony wrist.
"Tea, I'm asking you as a friend and as a frightened gay man, please do not tell a soul." Joey's eyes were wide and pleading. If he wasn't wearing a two-hundred dollar suit, he would have been on his knees begging her to keep her silence. It wasn't that he doubted her, for he had great confidence in his best friend. He was scared of what could happen if the wrong people, meaning Seto, found out.
Tea looked at Joey, sympathy flooding her face. She wrapped her arms around Joey's shoulders and gave him a friendly hug. "Joey, I promise I will tell no one. Your secret is safe with me."
Back inside the auditorium, Yugi and Seto sat at the table in stunned silence. Yugi's lips formed a perfect little "o" and Seto stared blankly at the tablecloth. After a prolonged and stifling silence, Seto and Yugi sighed simultaneously.
"No one knows?" Yugi asked more for verification than curiosity.
Seto nodded, but kept his icy gaze low. "Not even Mokuba knows."
Yugi nodded understandingly. "You have my word, as both a man and a friend. Trust me, no one will ever find out."
A/N: Yay! Another chapter is done at last. Cookies and plushies for anyone who reviews. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.