Black out
Chapter 7
Joey slowly got dressed. It was still dark but he had to go to work in a little while and assumed that Seto was already awake. He didn't seem to be the kind that would sleep in, especially since he probably had tons of work to get done. Joey walked slowly out of his room and looked along the hallway, wondering where he should go. He had no idea how he had gotten to that room or where in the huge mansion he was exactly. He just knew from a look towards his watch that he was running a little late to get to work and would never make it in time if he didn't hurry now.
He gave a sigh and started to slowly walk to one side along the hall. It had to lead him somewhere, and if not he could still turn around. After walking along the hallway he finally found some stairs and walked down. He knew from the view from the room he had been sleeping in that he had to get down one floor. Once there he saw a huge hall and a few doors going from it and gave a sigh. Once more he had no idea where he had to go to get out of here. He looked at his watch again and frowned. He would have to leave the books he wanted to borrow because he'd never make it to work on time if he walked home first and that meant he couldn't change either.
"Did you get lost?" Joey turned to the voice of Seto Kaiba and smiled, happy to see him.
"Moneybags!" Joey said without thinking, but sort of regretted it after seeing Seto's death glare. "Geez, chill out. I'm just used to calling ya that."
"I see," he said, but still looked pissed. "Would you like some breakfast?"
"I'd love to have some grub," Joey pointed out. "But I'm running late for work so I gotta go."
"You could just quit and stay with me," Seto suggested but didn't sound very hopeful.
"Yah right," Joey said sarcastically. "Like that'll ever happen. I'll keep working no matter what. I want to be able to at least pay stuff for myself and not depend on someone, especially not someone who would definitely use it if I did."
"What makes you think I would do such a thing?" Seto asked innocently.
"Considering how I got those tattoos and how ya got me to marry ya, you so would use that too," Joey pointed out. "And now, how the hell will I get out of here? I really need to go."
"If I'm as bad as you think, maybe I won't show you the way," Seto suggested.
"No you will show me the way," Joey said with a big triumphant grin on his face. "Because sooner or later I will get out of here and if you're too mean to me I won't stay married to ya."
Seto looked at him for a moment and then smile, "Seems like my mutt is smarter than I thought."
"I'm no freaking mutt ya jerk!" Joey screamed, raising his fists in anger. He wasn't really angry though, it was just that it was always like this between them and he felt much more comfortable that way than when Seto's used his questionable flirting talents on him.
"Maybe," Seto replied calmly. "But you if you call me moneybags just because you're used to it, I get to call you mutt since I'm used to it as well."
"You're still a jerk," Joey answered, relaxing his fists and crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"And you're still the only one who gets away with calling me that," Seto pointed out with a much more gentle smile than Joey was used seeing on him.
Joey looked at his watch again. "Ahhhh! I'm going to be late! I need to run!"
"Come with me," Seto answered with a sigh. "I'll give you a ride."
Joey looked at Seto, who already started to leave for a second but then just walked after him, hoping to get a lift to work. He wasn't disappointed with that hope. Seto went to get a car key from a hook in the hall close to the stairs and then he walked towards the front entrance, which wasn't far away. By the time they left the car that was probably matching the key arrived in front of them and the man Joey had seen the previous day got out, bowing before Kaiba who just ignored him and opened the passenger door.
"Just get your ass in that damned car," Joey said, pulling the door out of Kaiba's grip and standing next to the car until Kaiba gave a sigh and started to walk around. Once Seto opened his own door Joey got inside of the fancy car and closed the door himself with a grin on his face and happy to see the glare on Kaiba's face. "Did ya really think I would make it that easy for you?" he asked after a moment.
"Not really," Seto answered, the intensity of the glare slightly decreasing. "But considering how easy it was to marry you I had started to hope that it might be a little easier to tame your stubbornness."
"Guess ya were wrong," Joey answered, still happy that he could annoy Kaiba a little. "I'm not usually as easily tamed as when I'm drunk and hungry."
"That doesn't mean that I'm going to give up," Seto answered with the same strange smile Joey had seen the day before, and once again Joey wondered what made him smile that way. It was soft and he sort of looked…content. Slowly it dawned on Joey why he might look that way. He was content. He was absolutely and completely happy that Joey was with him and bickering a little. Not like over the moon happy, like if someone might win a million dollar lottery, but happy like someone who truly had everything he ever dreamed to have.
Joey smiled at that little revelation and the fact that little unimportant him was the reason that the cold hearted Seto Kaiba smiled in such a way, absolutely dropping his emotionless mask whenever that smile found it's way to his face. The smug smile, the evil laughter, it all had always looked like a façade, like it was just part of a role he played, and the insecurity that had been in his voice during that night made it all the more likely that he really was just playing a role most of the time.
"I never thought ya would," Joey answered, smiling happily towards the brunet. "Neither did I say that I want ya to stop."
Seto looked over at Joey briefly before he had to refocus onto the traffic but his smile stayed where it was, happy and content at the fact that Joey seemed to be so much more at ease around him than he had during their dinner the previous night. "I'm glad to hear that," Seto mumbled.
Joey wasn't surprised when they reached his work place even though Seto hadn't asked where he worked at all. That guy had him 'followed for his own protection' just to use him the next best chance he got and even snuck the keys to his apartment to duplicate them. It was obvious to Joey that Seto knew exactly where he worked and he wouldn't even be surprised if he had a hand in that business by now, or at least full knowledge of his working hours and schedule for the next month. "Thanks for the ride," Joey said once Seto stopped the car.
"Will I see you later?" Seto asked, and Joey was surprised to hear a tiny bit of hesitation in his voice.
"I still got those books at your place, so I will at least stop by to pick them up if ya don't mind," Joey answered "But I could do that tomorrow if you're busy tonight."
"No," Seto said quickly and smiled again. "I got time. I could pick you up after work."
"Thanks," Joey answered. "But I got to go home first, have a shower and get changed. But ya could give me my phone back so I can call Mai and apologize for your rudeness yesterday."
"I wasn't rude," Seto pointed out but passed him his mobile phone. "You where rude to let me wait and I remedied that fact by removing the disturbance."
"Wow," Joey said sarcastically. "She's so gonna love hearing that. And what did ya do last night? I bet she tried calling me."
"I simply informed her that you fell asleep earlier on and that she should kindly refer from waking you with another late night call," Seto answered.
"Sure," Joey said with a grin. "I can't wait to hear from her how ya did that. But I really should be going or I'll be in trouble. Thanks again for the ride and I'll see ya later."
"Bye," Seto said in reply but held onto Joey's arm for a moment and pulled him closer to give him a short kiss on his lips. "I'll miss you."
Joey blushed but then mumbled, "Later," and nearly ran away with a dark blush on his face. "For fuck's sake how on earth does he do that?" Joey wondered "I had sex with that jerk and slept in his mansion last night, never mind the fact that we're technically married, so how on earth can he make me this flustered with a simple peck on the lips?"
Joey knew the answer though. The sex was good and hot but it had started off with him getting so hot that he didn't think about anything really. But that kiss and the hypnotic look in his blue eyes when he said his goodbye was so intimate and caring that it was so much more than just having sex with each other. It somehow meant more when he said those words to him because they where so unexpected.
Sure Seto was hot, rich and powerful and could probably fuck around with at least half of Domino City if he wanted to, and for all Joey knew he might have done that, but Seto would never say something so sweet and caring to anyone unless that person really meant something to him. Those little words coming from Seto Kaiba revealed so much more of his emotions than the heated fuck in his office, and that was the reason why he was so flustered.
Joey slowly got ready for work when Tristan appeared behind him. "Hey pal, how are things?"
"Good," Joey said and couldn't help but blush again a little at the thought of what might happen if Tristan found out where he'd spent the previous night. The fact that Tristan had seen Joey with a guy in front of his apartment once didn't help. Usually it was nice to have a friend live in the apartment block just across the street, but when you try to start a relationship said friend will probably never understand, it might get embarrassing. Joey suddenly realized that he would have to tell Tristan soon, if he'd been five minutes earlier he would have seen Joey leave Seto's car.
"Your alright?" Tristan asked. "You look nervous and you're all red in the face."
"I'm fine," Joey replied, wondering when he should tell Tristan and more importantly what. He could hardly look at him and say "Oh by the way I'm letting Kaiba screw me." That would turn into one fun conversation. And considering that they worked at a destruction company, and due to that Tristan had easy excess to explosives, Seto's company or mansion might not be standing much longer if Joey told Tristan about that right now.
"Okay," Tristan said and held Joey's arm. "What's on your mind, because it isn't nothing."
Joey looked at him for a moment and thought for of what he should say to get Tristan off his back, at least for a moment. "I'm just thinking about something," he said after a moment, already knowing what information he might be able to pass to him safely.
"And what is that something?" Tristan asked. "Is everything all right with Serenity."
"She's fine I guess," Joey said. "At least I haven't heard otherwise since the last time I saw her."
"Then what is it?" Tristan asked, looking at Joey questioningly and worriedly.
"I just found out that the little KC tattoo isn't the only surprise I got from that black out the other night," Joey answered, blushing even more.
"And what is the other surprise?" Tristan asked worriedly.
"A bigger tattoo," Joey answered. "But I'm so not gonna show ya. Trust me ya don't want to see that part of my body, and anyway the tattoo isn't so important. I'm just wondering how I didn't notice anything sooner."
"And how do you think you can figure out what happened or rather with whom?" Tristan asked curiously.
"I'm sure something will come up and give me a hint." Joey answered.
"What kind of tattoo is it?" Tristan asked curiously after a moment.
"You don't wanna know," Joey answered hoping to get him off his case.
"That embarrassing?" Tristan asked, grinning.
"Let's put it this way, it's safe for us to go out for a drink because I'm not gonna flirt or try to screw a guy I meet there until I got rid of that one," Joey answered "And trust me, that one is the first to go."
"Wow," Tristan said. "It must be bad if ya even prefer the KC. I mean that is for Kaiba."
"Oh really?" Joey replied sarcastically. "I never would have guessed. And now lets go blow something up. I need to get some stuff out of my system."
"That's exactly why I love this job," Tristan informed Joey with a grin.
"So do I," Joey said and grinned back at his best friend and thought that going out for a drink might be a good way to tell Tristan about his new boyfriend. Maybe Tristan would go easy if he's slightly drunk, or rather so far gone that he'll forget about it without being able to complain that Joey didn't tell him afterwards. "Man don't be a cowered,"Joey thought. He knew that it was wrong to get Tristan drunk before telling him and that he should just spill it already. Maybe then he wouldn't feel so strange the next time he held Seto's hand someplace where Tristan might see it. And by now Joey was sure that the fact that Tristan might see it was the only reason it had felt so strange. Why else should he only feel uncomfortable with it when he's on the streets and not at Seto's place where the maids might see them?
"You're sure that is all?" Tristan asked and Joey looked up at him noticing that he had just walked right past the place they had been headed for.
"Yeah," Joey said with a blush. "It's just… I don't know… I guess I didn't get enough sleep last night."
Joey noticed the worried look on his friends face but was happy that he didn't ask anything else for now and left Joey to his thoughts while they worked more silently than they ever had. Neither one said a word 'til well past noon. It was Tristan who broke the silence, unable to stand his friend's silence any longer.
"Hey Joey," He said nervously, and obviously certain that Joey wouldn't give him the whole truth if he asked for it. He clearly hadn't told him all that was on his mind that morning. "How about we go for a drink tonight?"
"Sounds good," Joey answered. "What time?"
"We could go right after work," Tristan suggested. "You know, like we usually do on some Fridays, to the nice little Irish pub that's on our way home."
"Sound's great," Joey said even though it was a Monday and they usually didn't go drinking during the week. "But I need to pick something up from someplace."
"And what from where?" Tristan asked.
Joey blushed and thought about it for a moment before he decided to tell the truth. It was safe enough for the moment and he probably should tell Tristan the whole story once they were at the pub anyway. The atmosphere there was usually very relaxed and Joey hoped that it would make it easier to tell Tristan about Seto. "I need to go to Kaiba's place to pick up some books he promised to let me borrow."
"You're kidding," Tristan said while his jaw had a sudden date with the floor. "You're going to KAIBA'S. And you want some stupid books? Why in hell would you do that?"
"I told ya before that I like to read some books and he happens to have some that I been wanting to read for a while now," Joey answered and could feel the heat in his cheeks from the additional blood. "I happened to talk to him about something yesterday and we somehow started to talk about books and he's read some I read too, and well he's got so many great books."
Tristan still stared at him in shock for a few moments, unable to find his voice before he managed to ask. "You talked…to Kaiba…and instead of fighting each other you two just happened to talk about…books? Who are you and what did you do to my pal?"
"Very funny," Joey mumbled. "It's not that strange, I mean we both talked to Kaiba before. We went to school together and not to mention saved the world. I mean that might not mean that much to ya since ya weren't as involved as I was with the dueling and all, but ya where there too so ya should know how much I owe him."
Now Tristan was truly shocked and unable to say a word while Joey's face took the darkest red yet and then prepared everything for the detonation of the building they were scheduled to take down today. Tristan couldn't believe what he heard and it took him nearly half an hour until he managed to say "How about I walk with you to Kaiba's place and then we go to the pub?"
Joey looked at him for a moment in thought and then said, "Fine, why not," hoping that they wouldn't start fighting before they reached the calm and relaxed atmosphere of the pub to talk it over in peace.
thanks to Sezthekitty, LovelyRose5001, Latina shewolf, Sasu-Sama' Sarukiji-Sempai, lolcari and dancing elf for the reviews.
I guess you all can guess that's going to happen next right? Tristan is going along to Seto's place and then Joey will tell him everything, including his new name.