Black out

Chapter 10

"Finally," Tristan said, brushing off some dust from his shirt. "I thought this week would never end."

"It wasn't that bad," Joey said with a grin. Of course the day had been a bit rougher than usual. A building needed to be taken down and it was attached to the buildings next to it and already nearly halfway broken down. They had needed to be careful to avoid getting crushed by the building before destroying it bit by bit. But Joey wouldn't say that all week had been bad, especially since he once again had shown up to work in a nice limousine courtesy of Kaiba, who insisted that Joey's way to work would be too far if he stayed at his place. But Joey was sure that he simply wanted Joey to himself for a few more moments.

"Not that bad?" Tristan asked. "Maybe not if you're grinning from one ear to the other since getting dropped off in a huge black limousine. Never thought Kaiba could make you that disgustingly happy. And I swear that if you ever tell me how he's doing it, I'll kill ya."

"Trust me, a while back I wouldn't have believed he could do it either," Joey said, grinning to his friend. "But now, stop looking so down. We'll be with Yugi and the rest of the gang soon and can have some fun together. And the best part…it's finally the weekend so you can get drunk."

"Finally! I can't wait to see Yugi and Duke and the rest," Tristan answered. "You haven't been the best company recently, always busy doing stuff with Kaiba."

"Oh come on," Joey blushed. "I've just been going out with him for a little over a week and only seen him seven nights. That's hardly any reasons for complains."

He hadn't intended to be with Kaiba during the week again, especially not that often, but Seto had been 'driving by' his workplace by coincidence and asked if Joey wanted a ride somewhere. Of course that ride had ended in Seto's huge bed after going to watch a movie, going for dinner, or just having a drink somewhere. Joey knew that Tristan was right though, he hadn't spend as much time with his best friend as he used to. They would always hang out a little after work since neither one had anything better to do unless they met up with the whole gang, but now Joey had been more at Kaiba's place than at his own.

"And you're married to him," Tristan replied in a slightly joking tone. "Which I still find really hard to believe. I mean we're talking about Kaiba here, man. I don't get how you can live with yourself dating that jerk."

"So do I," Joey answered and looked at his friend, who grinned at him slightly mockingly, happy that Tristan didn't really seem to mind who Joey was dating all that much. "I mean I don't even remember it and I most certainly don't really count it. If you ask me I'm dating him and that's it. At least I don't remember agreeing to anything else."

"But you are still married Joey," Tristan pointed out. "Even if you refuse to acknowledge it to him, you are married. You'll have to think about what you'll do about it eventually."

"I know," Joey said and looked down for a moment before he looked back up with a grin. "But today ain't eventually."

Tristan had to laugh about his friend's reaction, "That's so you."

Joey grinned at Tristan and both talked some more about work and other things until they were nearly at Yugi's place. Joey was glad to get his mind away from a certain CEO, who seemed to be occupying said mind recently.

Once they where close Tristan brought the topic back up though, "Does Yugi and the others know about you and Kaiba?"

"Not yet," Joey answered. "I've still got to find the right moment to tell them. And to be honest, I haven't seen either of them in a while. Not since the trip to the beach."

"How come?" Tristan asked. "You used to hang around the shop nearly every Saturday at least, sometimes even some evenings during the week-especially when I was out on a date."

"Then it just would have been Saturday's," Joey said with a laugh and felt Tristan's fist collide with his shoulder and felt himself being pushed to the side a little. He laughed even more after that. "But apart from that," Joey added, a little more serious but still with a grin on his face, "I guess I was busy for a while and had my mind elsewhere after…finding out some shocking news."

"Like I said," Tristan mused with a grin, "you haven't been the best company lately. Even before you got together with Kaiba, the news about being married really must have knocked you out of your socks."

Joey just kept grinning when he said cheerfully, "Well I'm here now and I fully intend to completely forget about Seto for tonight."

"So you won't tell the others today?" Tristan asked.

"Okay," Joey admitted. "I might start about him briefly, but you're probably right, I don't really want to think about him today, never mind talk, so I might not tell them just yet."

"You do know that we'll be behind you anyway, right?" Tristan asked. "I mean, I'm still not happy that it had to be Kaiba, but at least you're smiling. And no matter how much I hate the jerk, I owe him for that."

"Thanks pal," Joey answered with a grin. "But ya don't really owe him anything, but if ya want to pay him back give him a good kick in the ass if ya get around to it. He definitely deserves that for using the fact that I was totally wasted."

"How about you distract him the next time he picks you up and I sneak up from behind?" Tristan offered.

"Great plan," Joey laughed. "And ya know what? It might have it's advantages to date the jerk, it'll be way easier to distract him for me now."

A little later Tristan and Joey arrived together at Yugi's place, still in the same outfit they had on at work. Duke was already there and he wasn't the only one. Serenity had arrived earlier today and spent the day with Téa, waiting for her older brother to have time to spend with her. It was one of the reasons why they all met on that day, or rather their current excuse to see each other again. When she hugged Joey, happy to see him again, she whispered, "Mai told me you got a second tattoo?"

Joey just blushed and ignored it for the moment while Yugi asked Serenity for how long she'd be staying in town.

"Unfortunately just the weekend, but I'm bringing a surprise guest. Téa is the only one who knows and only because she caught me on the phone with him," Serenity said with a pout. She had hoped to surprise everyone with the news. "I might even stay with him tonight, unless Joey offers."

"Me offer? I demand that ya stay with me. I'm not going to let my baby sister stay with some guy, especially since I have no idea who he is," Joey immediately said and added, in the hope that she wouldn't talk about Kaiba or the second tattoo in front of the others, "And that way we can talk some more…in private you know."

"Who is the guy?" Tristan asked, curious and jealous.

"I told you," Serenity answered with an innocent smile, "A surprise."

Téa helped Serenity to distract the others in the group from the mystery guy while Joey was happy that Serenity didn't say a word about tattoos at all. Unfortunate he couldn't get too much on her case about the guy since she might return that favor then. In the end they all mostly talked about the good old times. It sort of felt like their really old talking like that, but it still was a lot of fun to talk about those times. A time where they all had been in high school and saved the world with the pharaoh, some of them losing their soul in the process once or in Tristan's case, his body. Joey couldn't believe how much fun it was to talk about little monkey Tristan instead of thinking about being married to Kaiba.

It was already past ten when Yugi suddenly said, "Would you guys mind if I turn on the TV? I wanted to see an interview about a new gaming system that's due to come out soon."

"What are ya waiting for?" Joey asked, happy that he might be able to find out about a new game in a few moments. He had been so occupied with a certain CEO that he hadn't heard about it at all. "Turn it on already."

Yugi turned it on but had the volume muted until it would start. "Great, I was worried I might miss it," Duke said cheerfully. "I'm recording it though just to be sure."

"I thought you might," Yugi answered. Duke had a game shop like him, just that Duke's was a lot bigger than his little shop. It was his grandfather's old one but half a year back Yugi got it from his Gramps because Solomon wanted to retire, or rather he wanted to travel Egypt more often and was sick of the shop holding him back and needed to get rid of it. Unfortunately for the old man, Solomon's only son, Yugi's father, had no interest in games or the game shop at all and that's why Yugi was now the proud owner of the Kama Game shop. "I'm recording it too, but I can't really wait 'til later."

Tristan rolled his eyes and Yugi turned the volume up a little once Seto Kaiba walked into the screenshot. "I should have known." Joey thought and fought a groan back while he noticed Tristan's knowing look towards him-he probably thought the same as Joey did. "I just can't hide away from that guy."

Joey tried to listen to what Kaiba said about the new gaming system and heard Yugi and Duke talk about it to each other quietly as well, but the sound of Kaiba's voice brought back some memories of his whispers and moans from the previous nights and turned into a huge distraction.

The interview on screen about the new system went on for about half an hour and once the woman who interviewed Kaiba asked, "May I ask you a question that is a little more private, one that I'm sure our viewers will love to hear answered?"

Joey saw Yugi take the remote and heard him mumble, "I doubt that we need to hear the rest."

When the woman said, without really waiting for Kaiba's response, "According to our researches you've married a little while ago."

Everyone in the room froze, everyone but Tristan who looked instantly towards a shocked looking Joey. "How come Mokuba didn't tell me?" Yugi said after a moment, "I've talked to him two days ago."

Everyone still stared at the screen where Seto Kaiba just glared towards the woman. "And do your researches tell you to whom?" he asked after what felt like ages to Joey.

"Unfortunately we haven't been able to find that out just yet," she said and Joey was relived. He didn't really want the majority of his friends to hear the news from the TV, especially not while he was right next to them and could have said something before the damned TV had been turned on.

"That's good," Seto said and grinned towards her. "Because for now I'd rather not have my husband's name revealed."

"Husband?" she asked. "You've married a man?"

Everyone stared at the screen and Yugi whined, still with the remote in his hand, "How come Mokuba didn't tell me. He could have told me something like that. We're friends and I thought friends say such things. How come Kaiba didn't tell us himself?"

"Maybe he had his reasons," Joey murmured with a blush. If Yugi was that outraged that Mokuba hadn't mentioned that his brother was married, he sure as hell would be that Joey hadn't said anything sooner.

"If it had been a woman I'd have said wife, so of course it's a man," Seto answered still glaring at her. "But I fail to see why that is anyone else's business."

"Well people are curious mister Kaiba. I'm sure you've noticed that before, considering your position," she answered with a sweet smile and was simply ignoring Seto's glare towards herself. "May I ask if you prefer men over women? Or don't you really mind either way."

"I can hardly stop you from asking me anymore privet question," Seto answered. "But you can't force me to answer either, so I'd advise you to stop them. You know more than enough already. I'm married to a man ,which clearly shows that I love him, after all we're married, and everything else should be of no interest to you."

Joey blushed so hard that he feared everyone in the room would notice that something was up and he couldn't fight the happy smile Kaiba's confession brought to his face. He was slightly disappointed though, he had often wondered since when exactly Kaiba had an interest in him and how many other men or women he might have had in his life before, especially since Seto probably could have had multiple ones at the same time considering his power and wealth. The fact that he didn't look half bad was a plus too and Joey knew all too well that he wasn't bad in bed either. Joey hadn't really dared to raise the topic with him yet since he had no idea if Seto had a great deal of experience or not. He probably could have a lot of people but since he liked his privacy he mightn't, and Joey didn't want to look inexperienced or like a slut if he was asked about his sexual experience in return so he had kept quit.

"Will you tell us if this is the fist real relationship you had?" The woman asked, still ignoring the death glare. "I've never heard about you having a relationship before. But then again we haven't heard about the current one so far either and you're already married. How long have you two been together and how did you manage to keep this from all of your fans for so long?"

"Once again, it isn't really your business so stop pestering me about the topic," Seto answered, glaring at her even worse, and Joey noticed that her hands where shaking a little. Still she tried to stay smiling at him politely and not showing her fear in front of the camera. Joey nearly pitied her, of course she could just quit getting on Kaiba's nerves with those private questions, but then again it was her job. "And before you even try getting on my nerves with anything else, I refuse to answer anymore private questions and if you keep asking them I will leave."

Yugi put the remote to the side with the words, "I'm so going to phone Mokuba. I've got know this."

"Who cares? I bet it won't last anyway," Tristan said much to Joey's relief. At least one person was trying to defuse the situation. "Kaiba won't tell who his husband is, so for all we know the poor guy was blackmailed into spending time with such a jerk. And who cares anyway, it's not like that guy is our friend."

"But he helped us so often, how can you say that he isn't our friend. And I bet Seto wouldn't blackmail someone he loves," Yugi said, outraged.

"I wouldn't say that," Joey pointed out, remembering how Seto had actually planned to use the marriage as blackmail for dates and he was sure that if Seto had something else to blackmail Joey with, he would use it to force Joey to move in with him right away for sure.

"We'll see," Yugi said and got his phone out. "I bet this guy is really nice and they probably have a good reason not to say it right now. I'm just happy for Seto that he isn't alone anymore. I mean since Mokuba moved away to take charge of the business oversees he must have been incredibly lonely."

"I bet there's a reason," Tristan mumbled with a glance to Joey. "Maybe the poor guy didn't even know that he was married at the start because he was wasted at the time, and once he found out he was too shocked to tell anyone."

"I agree, you got to be drunk to marry a jerk like him," Téa agreed and Joey suddenly felt Serenity's eyes on himself. She knew about both tattoos and if Mai had told her that the second one was Seto's dragon in such an intimate place, she might get that it's just the way Tristan just said and that Joey is the mystery husband.

"I wouldn't say that," Duke thought out loud. "It might be some gold digging guy who's mainly after Kaiba's money. It would explain why no one knew about them beforehand, the guy might have rushed Kaiba."

"Since when have you been in love with your secret husband?" the woman on screen asked.

While Kaiba silently glared at her for a moment Joey heard the peep on Yugi's phone, it was on speaker so they all could hear what Mokuba would answer once he picked up.

Seto just kept glaring at her silently and then just moved away again and before the woman could say anything else Yugi had it turned off, probably to be able to talk with Mokuba without too many background noises.

Joey was just happy that Seto hadn't said anything that might cause his friends to figure out that he's his husband.

"Hey Yugi," was heard from the phone. "How are you?"

"Why didn't you tell me that Seto married?" Yugi asked right away. "Who is the lucky guy?"

It was quiet for a moment. "He isn't married." Mokuba answered sounding confused, "What made you think he is?"

"He just confirmed it on TV," Yugi replied, sounding just as confused as Mokuba did now. "He had an interview and they had found out that he was married but not to whom and now they talked about it until he got sick of her interference with his privacy."

"He is married?" Mokuba asked and Joey blushed even more. He hadn't even thought about the fact that his brand new brother-in-law had no idea about this. "He can't be!… How dare he, not telling me-his only brother-that he married! How dare he marry without me being there! He better have a damn good excuse or he'll regret it."

"He does have a reason," Joey interrupted. He knew that his friends wouldn't shut up about it now. His night without having to think about the jerk was already ruined, so he might as well tell them, especially since Mokuba deserved to get an answer and hopefully one that would prevent the two brothers from fighting. Joey really didn't want to risk their relationship. "Kaiba didn't know if his husband would stay married to him when they got married. Because, like Tristan knew, I really was wasted, and with how I was wasted I couldn't even open my freaking door and didn't know about all the other surprises that accompanied the damned tattoos until a little while ago and then I freaked and I made him stay quiet about it further because I still have no clue what I should do."

It was quiet for a moment until Mokuba asked incredulously, "Was that Joey's voice?"

"Yes," Yugi's voice was hardly audible in his surprise. "And I guess he's your brother-in-law now."

"Only temporarily," Joey insisted even though he feared that it would be more permanent, considering that he had been talked into staying the night as often as he had. "At least, maybe temporarily."

"Maybe?" Duke asked. "You'll only maybe be temporarily married to Kaiba?"

"He's getting it annulled, aren't you Joey?" Téa asked. "You can't seriously stay married to Kaiba."

"I don't know right now okay?" Joey answered with a blush. "I mean I only recently found out that I didn't only get a tattoo, no I got two of them and he got one as well. Never mind the fact that the guy I'd been with that night with the black out was Seto fucking Kaiba. And like that isn't enough of a surprise after one tiny little black out, now I'm married and a freaking Kaiba myself. That's kind of a lot to think about and I don't know."

It was quiet while Joey took a deep breath before he added a little more calmly than before, "I think he really loves me and he can be nice…if he really wants to be. He has proven that…kind of."

It was quiet again until Yugi asked Tristan, "And you knew?"

"Not for long either, and more or less only because Joey was so confused that he couldn't keep it from anyone at the time," Tristan explained. "I'm not surprised he didn't tell anyone. He doesn't even know what he wants right now. Kaiba is pulling his strings like Joey's a puppet and Joey even likes it. You should see how he grins when Kaiba picks him up from work and drops him off the next morning. Honestly I never thought Kaiba could make anyone that happy, especially not Joey, but somehow he does."

Joey was happy that Tristan stood beside him even though he hated Kaiba just as much as he used to. It was sort of scary though that it looked like Kaiba was manipulating him, at least it seemed to look like it to Tristan and Joey wasn't completely sure if he was right or not. It didn't feel like he really was manipulated, but Joey wouldn't put it past Kaiba to try, and he was sure that Kaiba could manipulate him to a point and probably knew how much he could get away with without Joey even noticing it.

"Wait," Téa said. "Kaiba is dropping him off the next MORNING? You mean like as in Joey's staying the night? Joey please tell me you're not letting him screw you, that's disgusting!"

"Hey," Mokuba's voice said over the phone, "could you please sort out the parts involving my brother's sex life when I'm not listening in? I really don't want to hear about my brother sleeping with my friend. And anyway I don't think Seto would really pull Joey's strings like he's a puppet. I mean, I'm not saying he isn't the type to do that-because he is-but even Seto couldn't do it. Joey is just way too stubborn. I think he is the only one to ever talk back to him and he is also the only one who can really surprise Seto. I know for a fact that Joey is the only one who doesn't shiver under his death glare at all, and I'll never forget how surprised he was when Joey battled Marik as well as he did."

"That wasn't the last time he was surprised," Joey said with a wicked grin and slight blush right when the door bell rang, but he just kept talking hoping that once the visitor was there the topic would change as long as their curiosity could be satisfied with it. "He looked like I was a ghost when I told him that I wouldn't mind dating him. He actually married me while I was wasted enough to talk me into it just so he could blackmail me into dating him. He thought I never would go on a date with him otherwise and really wanted me to give him a chance."

"Considering that you're dating him right now. I guess he could have gotten that easier," Duke said while Yugi walked towards the door without actually leaving the room and waiting in the doorway to the hall. He didn't want to miss anything and he didn't want anyone to interrupt right now.

"I guess the tattoo would nearly have been enough, and the fact that he was nice enough to get me great breakfast the morning after the black out," Joey said, leaving out the fact that said breakfast was payment. "But to be honest, if he hadn't done something along those lines as he did, I wouldn't have considered it ever."

"But you love him now…don't you?" Mokuba asked, sounding worried while the doorbell rang again.

"I like him," Joey replied honestly. "I really do like him a lot, but I'm not sure if it can work out with us. He's still such a jerk."

"He isn't really that bad," Mokuba said protectively of his brother, hoping to help him a little with his relationship. "But I guess he could have tried a different approach. I'll have to talk to him about it I guess."

"Don't worry kiddo," Joey answered. "I'm fine so leave him be. I actually think that he really knows me and knows how far he can go."

Everyone looked at Joey in surprise until he added with a blush, "I'm not saying that it was right what he did. I know that it wasn't but I still think that he knew that I could cope with it and wouldn't be too distraught. And Yugi you should open the door I bet who ever is out there is starting to freeze to death."

"Thanks Joey," Mokuba said over the phone. "It actually isn't all that cold but I really would love to see you all instead of just hearing you guys."

Thanks to LovelyRose5001, lolcari, Sezthekitty, Latina shewolf and dancing elf for the reviews.

And next chapter will be the last one. In it you'll all see how used Joey got to Seto being a possessive jerk because he'll show up at Yugi's to get him back to the mansion. :P