Kisses.
One week had passed since Atemu had disappeared which also meant that Joey had to stop Seto and Seth from killing each other for a week now while Yugi got more irritated each time they wasted their time with one of their fights. Yugi managed to ignore their fights whenever they were camping for the night but during the day his temper was getting worse with each passing hour. And the fact that they had to take a few detours to keep Yugi out of sight didn't help. But since he looked too much like the Pharaoh to anyone who didn't know Atemu or Yugi well enough, he would be in danger if anyone saw him. Joey could feel with him. He might not be as worried about Atemu but Seth and Seto were getting on his nerves with their constant fights. The only way to keep them more or less apart was to walk between them. Solomon was the only one who truly enjoyed their trip and loved talking to Seth and was probably bombarding him with countless questions about his culture. Joey was happy about that fact since that also helped a little with the fights. Seth was simply too busy to fight when Solomon questioned him.
They usually rested at a water hole at night but this night they were at an oasis and it was really nice at this one. The water was clear and blue and the vegetation around it thick and colourful. Joey wanted to play in the water but decided against it since Seth was already looking like he was about to drool over him half the time and Seto wasn't that much better. Granted neither one actually did drool but they watched him constantly with a look like they were expecting him to start to strip any second. Unless of course they had another of their death glare contests. And somehow Joey doubted that getting all wet would be helpful. But Seth did either really need a bath or had some sort of plan that Joey didn't get, because for once he actually left Joey's side and went into the water.
He stood waist deep in the water when he dived under for a moment just to come back out seconds after. The water was rolling down his body in little drops while others flew around him making a little rainbow appear in the light of the already setting sun. Joey had a hard time to force himself to turn away from his muscular body and only with his eyes closed he could manage it. But as soon as he opened them his head developed a life of his own and turned back to the water. Seth was still standing there gliding through the water and diving his hand under every now and then to come back up with a rainbow around him.
After watching him for a while Joey suddenly felt an arm grabbing him around the waist and then he heard Kaiba's voice whispering into his ear, saying "You know that I look exactly the same, don't you?"
"Not exactly." Joey said just to annoy him "He's more tanned."
"Do you like that?" Seto asked and Joey was happy to hear that Kaiba was beyond annoyed. "I'm sure I could get just as tanned if you want me to." Joey felt Seto moving his other hand around him as well and the hand moved up along his body to rest over Joey's heart, "What is making your heart beat that fast?" Kaiba asked "Is it because of him in there or because of me holding you?"
Both Joey thought but he said "Neither", hoping it would shut Kaiba up so he could go back to the very bad and very dangerous daydream of both Seto and Seth standing there waist deep in the water and him being in between for once enjoying that position. After watching it for just a short while longer he felt himself being picked up a little and moved a few steps to the side. "Hey." Joey said a bit louder. "Put me down, now."
"Shhhh" Seto said "You don't want Seth to hear us and interrupt, do you?"
Joey turned around in Seto's arm to say "Hell, I do. I don't want to be alone with an ass like you", but he never managed to force the words out since he had enough to fight bag drooling himself once he saw that Seto obviously had opted to being half naked even without the excuse of swimming. Joey stared for a moment before forcing his eyes to close so he could at least try to focus the mumbo jumbo in his head. But before he had done that his mind went blank as he felt Seto's lips on his own. All he could was feel the moving of the lips, Seto's teeth when they gently nibbled on his bottom lip coaxing a little moan to come from Joey's lips. Just enough to part his lips a little and for Seto to move his tongue into Joey's mouth. Joey wasn't capable of thinking anymore. He just felt his own arms moving around Seto's neck pulling himself up against his strong body. Joey felt Seto´s arms tighten around his waist and moving him up and pressing him against a tree. Joey felt his own legs move around Seto's waist while his strong arms held him. Joey never actually chose any of this, he simply enjoyed what happened. Unable to think while his head was under shock. The kiss went on for another while until Joey heard something close by and pushed Seto away. Soon after that he saw Yugi walking up around a corner.
"There you are." He said. "There are tasty fruits here and we got the sleeping place ready."
"Great. I'm there in a second, I just need to cool down." Joey said and ran off into the water. He saw Seth somewhere further away but on the shore again. He was obviously looking for him, worried where he had gone to and about the fact that Kaiba was gone, too. Joey was just happy that Seth was out of the water meaning he had it to himself while he dived in before letting himself drift on it without looking to the place where they were about to camp. It was getting dark by now and he could see the moon high above him in the sky. He focused on him trying to ignore the feeling of two pair of eyes watching him in the water. It wasn't as cold as Joey had hoped but helped him calm down a little and think about what had happened. At least until he suddenly heard his name whispered into his ear. He looked up and saw Seth right behind him. For a moment he looked around hoping to see Kaiba and Yugi or at least Solomon to have someone watch them which hopefully would stop Seth from trying something like Kaiba had done moments before.
Unfortunately he had drifted behind some plant that was growing at the side of the lake it looked a bit like reed but Joey wasn't sure what it was. The only thing he did know was that no one could see them while he stood at this place with the water literally up to his neck. "What do you want?" Joey asked carefully trying to move back a little.
Seth looked at him and put one of his hands on Joey's cheek letting his thumb move over Joey's bottom lip. Joey could feel a slight sting where Seto had nibbled and was sure that Seth was able to see something there.
Seth looked at it and his face moved closer. Joey tried to look away but Seth pulled his face back gently and mumbled something Joey didn't understand. Seth pointed to his eyes then to Joey's lip. He leaned closer again but it looked to Joey like he just wanted to look at the wound that Seto must have caused him. "It's fine." Joey mumbled but let him look. Joey closed his eyes while Seth was this close. Feeling his warm breath on his own skin was enough to remind him of the passionate kiss he had just shared with Seto. The memory alone was enough to make his heart work overtime. After feeling Seth's thumb move around his bottom lip once more Joey could feel the warm lips of Seth replacing the thumb. One arm of the tanned man found his way around Joey's waist and he held him tenderly. It was completely different from the kiss with Seto. Seth was much more gentle, much more careful and softer, he was more caring and friendly than Kaiba who was nothing but a jerk.
But Seto could make Joey's mind go blank and Seth couldn't. Joey hadn't been able to stop Seto during the kiss until Yugi's voice got him back to his senses, but now Joey did stop Seth. He looked into his blue eyes and saw how happy he was that Joey had returned the kiss for a while at least. Joey tried to smile at him for a moment but then pressed him away gently. He knew that he would have needed at least twice that much effort to get rid of Kaiba, but Seth simply let go of him looking a little confused, and a lot confused when Joey started to run out of the water as fast as he could.
Joey wanted to get away, away from Seto and away from Seth. Joey was getting more and more confused, he had never thought of Kaiba as hot. Sure he had to admit that the giggling girls that drooled over him had a point, saying that his body was unbelievably sexy. Everyone with eyes had to admit that. But Joey still had never seen him as anything other than a jerk.
Joey walked alone through the vegetation around the big oasis, hoping that none of the others would find him. The only one he could bare to see was Yugi, but he didn't even really want to see him right now either. He knew that Yugi would want to help him but he couldn't. No one could help him now that due to Seto's strange behaviour he had fallen in love with an asshole. No Joey thought I don't like him. I hate him. I've always hated him. And just because he got his stupid genius brain…wait is that possible to have a stupid genius brain, oh who cares… anyway just because he got his brain deep fried on the way here and behaves like some love sick idiot doesn't mean that anything has to happen. I´ll tell them both that I don't want either one and if they don't leave me, tough luck, I just get Atemu's ass saved and then get the hell out of this place and hopefully Seto's brain will be back to normal once he got out of this heat here. And then everything can go back, right back to normal. He will be a jerk and I´ll fight back and that's it.
Joey took a deep breath and then slowly walked back to the camping side. The other four already sat around a small fire someone had started. Joey stayed a bit away and silently lay down in the sand, hoping to have some more peace before he had to say anything. And to his luck they for once they left him alone while he lay there looking away from the others, watching the moonlight light up the sand dunes.
Joey was nearly asleep when Yugi showed up close by his side whispering "They know."
"Who knows what?" Joey asked already half asleep.
"Seto and Seth know that you, well, kissed both of them." Yugi said obviously finding the thought of Joey kissing either of them rather strange.
"And they're still alive?" Joey asked trying to sound upset. "I guess I have to think of a new plan to get rid of them."
"I know you better than to believe that, Joey." Yugi said. "You wouldn't kiss someone just to get them pissed at each other."
"I didn't kiss them." Joey said, before adding in a whisper "They kissed me."
"That explains it all." Yugi said sarcastically but still both were quiet and Joey hoped that Yugi had taken so long because he had waited for the others to fall asleep. But even if they weren't, they talked quietly enough that Joey hoped they wouldn't hear anything anyway. He hardly had heard what the four of them had said before. "You did kiss them back, didn't you? At least that's what they were bragging about before punching each other a black eye."
"Kaiba has a black eye?" Joey asked, suddenly excited. He had never seen him getting hit and would have given a lot to see it at least once. "I should have gotten back sooner."
"So you like Seth more?" Yugi asked.
"He is nicer," Joey said but Yugi knew Joey enough to hear in his voice that there was more to this.
"And Seto?" Yugi asked.
"He's a rough, mean jerk and I bet he'll be right back to normal once this freakishly hot sun stops deep frying his brain." Joey said.
"Why are you sounding so sad about that?" Yugi asked his friend with a knowing smile.
"Yug, I'm tired, please just let me sleep." Joey said to end this conversation.
Yugi was quite for a while but then asked "You love Seto even though he is a jerk while Seth is nice, don't you?"
"That's sick." Joey mumbled half asleep. Yugi waited for another moment and then heard "Why can't I be normal for once?"
"You are normal, Joey." Yugi said. "Just a heart doesn't always listen to what your brain might think would be right. I mean, I love Atemu even though I know that he was just a spirit and I want to see him even though I know that I'll lose him again."
"You love him, don't you?" Joey asked.
"I always have." Yugi said "And now tell me who of us is strange, Yami, I mean Atemu shared my body with me. He was nothing but a ghost and I couldn't even touch him, but I still loved him."
"But he was always nice to you and protected you." Joey said "Kaiba never did shit for me."
"He found you. He was working day and night for weeks to get you back." Yugi said. "I don't think he'll be back to normal, as you called it, once we're back."
"And what do you think I should do?" Joey asked.
"Chose one of them." Yugi said.
"I can't." Joey said. "It doesn't even matter, I want to go home and Seth won't be there and to be honest I don't really mind since all those problems will be gone and I can get away from Kaiba too and then it all will be over and that is all that I want."
"That's a choice too, I guess." Yugi said with a frown "But please tell them that the next time they fight, because Seth said earlier that we'll be reaching the place where Isis saw Atemu shortly after noon. And I want them to focus so we can save him."
"I promise to do what I can but to be honest I doubt that it matters." Joey said "They're a lot alike you know. Not exactly but a lot and both are stubborn and I doubt either one will just give up no matter what I say or decide. Even if I would chose one of them over the other, neither would give up."
"Maybe. But it might help a little." Yugi said.
"Hey, even if they're out of it. Atemu can still count on us, right?" Joey said. "He helped us out more than once and saved you, now it's our turn again."
Authors Note
silvers-edge wrote in the last review "...Btw, I hope you didn't take my last review as telling you want to write, I get involved in these stories and feel the need to express what I was thinking while I was reading it. I'll try to keep a leash on it. ..." so here is what I think...BURN THE LEASH! I like reading about what my readers think and what they imagine happening next and what they think while reading it. Sometimes I read an idea that I already had written in the story (I'm always a few chapters ahead) and sometimes I liked my idea better so kept mine but still enjoyed imagining the other and a few times I changed a story because I simply loved the idea someone else had.
And now thanks to BrowneyedShamer (my ultimat #1 fan and the first to review the last chapter), dancing elf, silvers-edge, Cel, Nagareboshi-Lover, sadistic-neko and mandapandabug for the reviews.