"Hey Joey!" Mokuba exclaimed, bursting into the blonde's room. Judging by his reaction, the young child could tell that he was not expecting company. The teenager almost jumped a few feet in the air when he realized just who was calling his name.
"Oh Mokuba, it's only you."
"Yah, it's just me. Listen, I just heard the best news!" he exclaimed joyously, restraining himself from bouncing around the room.
"What is it?" Curiousity was getting the better of him. He wanted to know what the raven-haired pre-teen had found out but at the same time he thought that it would be better to leave something such as this unsaid. Every time Mokuba came to him with news of any sort, it always turned the tables on him. Maybe this time will be different… he thought hopefully as he noticed Mokuba bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.
"Seto is taking you out tonight!" he shouted gleefully, so loud that it was possible everyone on that floor could hear him. Joey, on the other hand was not so ecstatic.
"He's what?" Joey's jaw was literally hanging open, almost as if he was waiting for someone to stuff food into his mouth.
"Taking you out tonight," Mokuba repeated and then continued his statement further. "I just talked him and that's what he said."
Now Joey was speechless. He couldn't seem to comprehend what Mokuba had just told him. Why was Seto taking him out? Didn't he want to keep their relationship private? What happened to the Seto Kaiba he used to know, the one that believed in keeping their love a secret? Had he changed? Does he feel that a private relationship is just not working out for the two of them? All these questions were starting to give him a headache and he couldn't bear to think anymore. He took a seat on the bed and looked back over to Mokuba.
"So where exactly is he taking me?" the blonde inquired, hoping for an answer that wouldn't make his head spin even more.
"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. All he said was that Yugi was coming over for the night to watch me while you and him go out somewhere. He never even told me when you guys would back…" Joey gulped upon hearing the last sentence. If Seto had not given a designated time to when they would be back at the mansion, would that mean that…? He didn't want to think of the possibilities; whatever happened, happened and he would just have to deal with the consequences.
"So that's it?"
"Yep, at least, that's all I know," Mokuba replied, still in a rather chipper mood. It took a lot to bring his spirits down and when someone or something did, it hit him hard, almost as solid as rock.
Joey sighed. "Well I guess I'll just have to wait until tonight. Thanks for telling me Mokuba; at least now I have some time to prepare myself."
"Not a problem." Mokuba flashed a bright smile in the blonde's direction as he turned to exit the room. "Anyway, I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Okay, see ya kid!" With a wave of his hand, he noticed the mass of raven black hair disappear around the corner and down the hall. As much as the blonde-haired puppy wished to just slip underneath the covers and go to sleep, he fought that urge, knowing full well that he should start getting ready. He decided that his best bet would be to take a shower first. Even though he was extremely nervous about going out with Seto Kaiba, he still wanted to make a good impression of himself, especially since they were going out in public for the first time. He still couldn't believe it though; they were actually going out in public. He never thought that he would see that day; then again, he never even thought that he would be going out with his archrival. It's such a small world, isn't it? Yet soon enough, after he broke away from his thoughts, Joey grabbed a set of clothes off of his dresser that had been sitting there since early in the morning.
Seto must have put these here for tonight… Joey thought mentally as he walked out of his room and headed towards the bathroom. Luckily, no one was in there so he could walk right in. However, he didn't want to take too long in case someone else needed to use the bathroom. He was mainly thinking of Seto since it was him that he was going out with. He than suddenly began to drift away from reality as he pictured the brunette unclothed and very much exposed. Yet that didn't last long, for the blonde quickly shook his head as he tried to rid his mind of all the thoughts that currently ran through it…at least all the ones that included Seto. He didn't know why he was thinking this way but couldn't help in doing so. He was confused, more confused than he had been since Seto had first admitted his feelings to him. However, he simply ignored everything and closed the door as he began to strip down. Once he threw all of his dirty clothes into the laundry chute, he walked over to the tub and turned on the water, adjusting it to the right temperature. Soon enough, the shower was running and he climbed in, soaking in the heat as it poured over his aching body. He was feeling much better than he had been, yet he was still a little sore from all the pain and suffering his father had put him through when he lived with him. But that was in the past and he had to focus on the present and the future, which he hoped to share with Seto…
Meanwhile, Seto was still in his study working on a report for Kaiba Corp. He had been working on it for what seemed like forever and he couldn't wait until both he and Joey were out of house. He needed the fresh air and as much as he didn't want to draw attention to his relationship with the blonde, he knew that people would eventually find out sooner or later. So without any further thought, he stood up from his chair and walked out from behind his desk and over to the door where he opened it and walked across the hall to where the bathroom was conveniently located. However, when he went to open the door, steam erupted out from the room and he hurriedly closed it without any second thoughts. He knew someone was in there and by simply guessing, he figured that it was Joey, getting ready for their night out. He felt kind of awkward, knowing that he had almost walked in on his boyfriend while he was in the shower. He didn't know why he felt that way, he just did. It was unexplainable and the harder he thought about it, the more of a headache he got. They were going out and yet he felt uncomfortable about being in this type of situation. It was sure odd, yet he didn't think twice about it. He gave up and turned around, heading back into his study and closing the door behind him. He would pretend that this little scenario never happened and continue with the work that was waiting for him on his computer. When he sat back down again, he began hacking away at the keyboard, taking out all of his frustration on the poor, defenseless little laptop. It was the only way he could deal with his problems without inflicting harm on others or himself. Yet now that he had Joey by his side, he could talk about his problems with the one that meant so much to him. Yes, Mokuba did mean the world to him but now he had two people to share his feelings with and he was glad for that…
After Joey was done his shower and dressed, he did his usual bathroom routine. Once finished, he headed back to his room where he decided to watch a little TV before Seto decided it was time for them to head out for the night. He took a seat on the bed, turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels, looking for something interesting to watch. When he found nothing, he fell backwards onto the bed and closed his eyes, drifting into a peaceful, dream-filled sleep, which was unordinary for him, seeing as how he hadn't had many passive nights since he had first arrived at the mansion. All he used to be able to dream about was what would happen if his father found out where he was currently staying and what he would do to him. Every dream was more like a nightmare…until he found serenity within the arms of his new lover…
Suddenly, almost unexpectedly, a loud ringing echoed through the blonde's ear as he snapped back to reality. It was then that he heard Mokuba call out from the down the hall as he scampered down the stairs to the first floor.
Yugi must be here… Joey thought as he got up off of the bed and headed downstairs himself, ready to greet his friend with a warm, friendly smile. Even though a smile would not suit his current mood, which, of course, was extreme nervousness, he knew that it was only polite.
"Hey Mokuba," Joey greeted while peering over the raven-haired child's shoulder so as to get a better look at his friend. "Hey Yug, what's up pal?" His tone of voice sounded more cheerful than normal, yet both Yugi and Mokuba figured that it was because he was going out for the night. However, to their unfortunate dismay, that was not the reason for Joey's unexpected enthusiasm. He was acting this way only to cover up for how he really felt about this whole situation.
"Nothing much and you?"
"Same old, same old," Joey replied as he casually shrugged his shoulders.
"That's good. I'm glad to see you're up and about." Ever since Yugi had heard that Joey was practically bed-ridden awhile back, he couldn't help worrying; in fact, out of their entire circle of friends, he was the one who was most concerned with the blonde's health. But now that he knew his friend was feeling a lot better than he had been, he could finally relax and calm himself down.
"So Yugi…" Mokuba interrupted as he started bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. He always did that whenever he was excited or hyper (or both) and when that happened…well, let's just say that it's not a pretty sight.
"Yes?"
"What do ya want to do tonight?"
"I don't know. We'll decide that after Joey and Seto leave."
"But that won't be for at least another hour! At least play Phantasy Star Online with me!" he pleaded, turning the ever-so-lovable puppy dog eyes on the spiky-haired teenager. Just like most people, Yugi couldn't help but cave. It was impossible to resist that look and if there were someone that could, it would be a miracle in itself.
"Fine," Yugi sighed as he put on his best fake smile so that the young pre-teen wouldn't know how he really felt.
"Yay!" Mokuba exclaimed joyously as he ran into the living and made sure that the Gamecube was hooked up properly. "You coming Yugi?" he called out behind him to the two teens that were still standing in the front hall.
"Yes, I'm coming," Yugi replied as he walked up a couple of steps into the living room. However, before he turned his attention to that of the video game, he looked to Joey. "I guess you probably want to go upstairs and prepare yourself for your night out tonight, ne?"
Joey was a little hesitant with his reply. He didn't understand or know how Yugi found out about him and Seto but just figured that it was Mokuba who probably told him. "Yah, that would be a wise decision," Joey smirked casually as he headed up the stairs to his bedroom where he could freshen up a little bit more. On his way towards his destination, he passed by Seto's room, of which he simply walked right on by. He didn't want to disturb his boyfriend for he could be in the middle of something highly important; he could wait until it was time to go.
When he stepped into his room, he closed the door behind him and turned to the large mirror standing in front of him. While admiring his physique, he thought about how Seto was going to react to seeing him in such a state. He figured that he would probably just give him a kiss and they would be on their way out the door. As he continued to ponder with that thought, he closed his eyes and entered a world in which only his imagination could dream up. He loved every second of it and never wanted to leave…
Later on that evening, Joey was already downstairs and waiting in the living room for Seto to come down. For entertainment, he watched Yugi and Mokuba play Phantasy Star Online. Of course, Mokuba was kicking Yugi's butt, but only because he had had more practice than the older teen.
"That's not fair! I had that monster in my sights! I could have killed him!" Yugi complained as he set his controller down, or more so slammed it and crossed his arms in frustration.
"Heh, what did I tell ya? I'm just too good at this game!"
"Really? Okay, I'll play you best two out of three!" Yugi then picked up his controller and continued playing as if nothing had happened. It was then that all three males heard footsteps on the stairway behind them and when they looked back, they weren't overly surprised to see who was standing there. However, Joey was practically speechless when he got a closer look at what the brunette was wearing. It was completely different from most of the outfits he wore: tight, black leather pants (those never change), a tight, black muscle shirt, a black leather jacket, his hairstyle hadn't changed and his shoes looked to be made of leather as well. After taking in everything before his very eyes, Joey could have sworn that he had never before seen so much leather in his entire life; even Yami didn't wear that much leather and that was definitely saying something.
"Hey."
Joey gulped. "Hi," was the only response that managed to escape his now trembling lips.
"Ready to go?" the brunette inquired quizzically as he took in his boyfriend's appearance. He recognized the outfit almost immediately, seeing as how it was one that he had laid out especially for him. It consisted of: baggy black jeans, a black, loose-fitting muscle shirt and a black cotton jacket. Seto loved what he saw and couldn't wait until later when they were finally alone. Of course, they could be by themselves within the mansion's walls but it just wasn't the same. They had never really got to spend much time outside of that life and as much as Seto hated to admit it, it would be good for the both of them to get out, at least once in a while.
"S-sure," Joey stammered as he got up from the couch and walked around to where his lover was standing. "Whenever you are, I guess."
"Well I'm ready now so why don't you say we get going?"
"Okay," Joey replied hesitantly as they both headed down to the surprisingly small entrance hall.
"See you guys later!" Mokuba called out. "Have fun!"
"Bye!" Yugi added before turning his attention back to the game. The couple then said their goodbyes and when they were both ready, they stepped outside and headed over to the limousine that was currently parked right outside the garage. Once inside, Seto ordered the driver to take them to Club 64. Joey had had no idea what that was but just decided to go with the flow; after all, going to a club couldn't be that bad, right? Something told him that this night was going to be more than he could handle…
Mysterious Mistress Kura: Well, how was that? I think I did pretty well on this chapter, don't you? Hmm…I wonder what's going to happen at the club… Oh, before I forget, I just want to mention something. Yugi knows all about Seto and Joey's relationship because seeing as how he and Joey are best friends, it makes sense for him to know first. But how will the others react? I guess you'll just have to wait and see! Until then, please review! Ja ne!