3. The Time
Last night Joey left soon after tuning the instrument, I already had informed my securities that he was allowed to leave but that they better trail him and don't lose sight of him unless they want to lose their job. He just played a very short piece that I have never heard before he left and I assume neither has nor will anyone else ever hear it. The melody was sort of confuse but beautiful. Filled with fears and doubts as well as something similar to hope and I assume it reflectes how he might feel. He must be afraid but still he just stood there tuning and then playing, not fighting anymore. He just accepts what is happening, now that we have come to an agreement. He wants to protect his father and I keep my word and wrote my lawyer another mail right after he left and right before I got to bed to get some rest before he or Mokuba return and wonder how to explain to my brother why Joey is suddenly staying without destroying my brothers innocent mind.
I can't stop thinking about Joey, and worry constantly, since I woke up this morning, where he might be and what he might do right now. I know that he is save, since one of my man is trailing him unseen by his friends and right now probably watching the Kame Game Shop where the geek squat hangs around so often. If something would have happened I would have been informed, I'm sure of that. Still, I worry about how he feels. Considering his music and what I know about his private life, his smiles are probably mostly fake. Maybe sometimes his smiles are genuine, after all he seems to love spending time with his friends and they're probably a good distraction from the pain, but I still fear that most of the time he's just faking it with a perfection that even I couldn't have managed.
I hear a sound from downstairs and look at the time. It's four in the afternoon and I wonder who is home first, Mokuba or Joey. My bet would be with Mokuba considering that the deal said that Joey could stay out for five more hours and I assume that he will be just about in time or a little late. And of course I'm right. A little later Mokuba is standing in my office. "Hey Seto. How are things?" He asks cheerfully while still eying me a little worried.
"Fine," I answer still unsure of how much to tell Mokuba about Joey's new living arrangements. I doubt that lying to him would be a good decision though. "We're having a guest for a while. Or rather someone is moving in."
He stares at me shocked. He clearly hasn't been expecting that and I completely understand that. It is rather out of character for me to let anyone move into the mansion. Even the maids aren't permitted to life here and there are just a few small rooms with a bed for those who have a night shift in case Mokuba needs something during the night. I know I never call upon them but I still feel better if someone is there for him especially when I'm on a business trip and can't take him, which so far only happened once and just for one night but still, I like to always be prepared for everything and one never knows if Mokuba might need something during the night that I'm unable to do alone. I also don't like it when Mokuba's friends are staying a night and only permit it when someone from my security is watching them all the time, resulting in Mokuba always sleeping at a friends house and never the other way around anymore. They obviously feel uncomfortable with a security as a shadow.
"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" He asks me obviously truly believing to simply have heard wrong.
"Someone is moving in with us for a while. A little less then a year." I tell him just now noticing how short a time it really is. Joey is 17 and he only has to stay until his 18th birthday. I should have prolonged it for another year but it would have been hard to explain since he won't be a minor anymore and can't be forced to stay anywhere due to custody regulations.
"Who?" He asks too surprised to form a proper sentence. "Why?"
"Joey Wheeler." I answer. "His father is currently under arrest and until further notice Joey stays here since he's still a minor but not a little kid. To send him into an orphanage would be troublesome and they didn't have a place in a small group of teenager that are living together with only little supervision. I offered that he could stay here since I assume that you would like to have him for company."
"Why is his father arrested?" Mokuba asks me curious. "What did he do."
"So far it hasn't been proven that he did anything and my lawyers are on it so don't trouble yourself with it. By the way, Joey said that he'd be staying with Yugi last night so if you want you can give them a call and join until Joey comes back." I mainly offer that to ensure that Joey does indeed come back, not that it is certain when Mokuba is there, but he might be more likely to return when Mokuba seems to know that he's living here and it will become part of their discussions that he is living with me which means that I can be reasonably sure that his friends know after that and that Joey doesn't have a reason to stay away just to avoid letting them find out about this arrangement.
"Sure." Mokuba says already getting out his mobile phone to insure that Joey is still with Yugi and to find out where they are. I assume he just wants to go there because he knows that he won't get anymore information's about this from me since I would have given him said information's by now, if I was planning on giving it at all, and now he'll go pester Joey. I very much doubt that Joey will tell him the truth though. And even Joey doesn't know the truth about why he is here and I'm quiet sure that my brother didn't swallow the excuse I gave about that topic. He knows me as well as I know him and I saw on his face that he has another assumption already, I just hope it to be faulty.
A little later I'm alone once again and wait anxiously for their return much later that night and fear that this pattern will repeat itself endlessly for the coming month.
I find out how true that is during the next few weeks. Joey always returns from school between five to nine and nine o'clock in the evening. He hangs with his friends until then and does his homework with them too, as far away from me as humanly possible. He does play the piano every single night though and I always listen to it. Mokuba was astonished after the first time he heard him play and to my great relieve he was as shocked to find out that he can't write it down as I was and is currently pestering him about it. I might not be allowed to do the same, but luckily I never promised to stop Mokuba either.
Our teacher isn't very happy to have lost the opportunity to teach him in the afternoons but she compensates by teaching the whole music class how to read and write notes now. I'm the only one who knows why the teacher just grinned after Joey's mumbled 'Bitch' during the first lesson about notes. He was just about loud enough to be heard by everyone in class.
After he is living with me for a few weeks I walk towards his room just past nine and knock. He doesn't tell me to come in, like always I knock a second time and just enter. "I have news for you." He just looks at me questioningly but says nothing so I continue anyway, "Your father is sentenced to be looked up in a mental institution until a psychiatrist deems him to have his addiction under control. I organised that he already was transferred from the jail he was looked up in until the sentence was decided today into an institution with a very good reputation concerning addictions."
"And ya telling me now?" Joey asked, "Ya should have told me before, I wanted to be there for my old man ya jerk."
I knew he would say that. "Well it's not like you asked," I simply state hoping that he'll forgive me at least that, since I mightn't have assumed it for all he knows. "Anyway, the other mans that where present the other night will scheduled to be sentenced tomorrow and I doubt that they'll ever get out of jail again.
At least he doesn't seem to care much about their hearing or sentence. "Ya should have told me about my old man's hearin'." He complains with a pout.
"You could have asked me about it." I retort calmly. "I thought you mightn't want to be reminded of the events of said night and thought it better to keep you away from it. But like I said, you could have said something."
"Ya should have asked instead of assumin' somethin'." He still complains.
"Well, it's too late now." I simply state. "Anyway, if you want you can visit your father anytime you want. I organised a driver for you, the maids can point him out to you the next time you need him, and he knows where to drive you too see your father. It's a few hours drive so I doubt you'll be willing to see him everyday since you won't have anytime with your friends during the week if you do but it's still up to you to decide."
"I don't need ya to get me a driver just tell me where it is." Joey insists.
"Too far to walk, and you'd need to use three train and a bus at least to get there. A driver will be much faster and cheaper if you just quit being stubborn and accept the driver at least for visiting you father." I simply tell him.
"Whatever." Joey mumbles clearly unhappy about the situation. "Anythin' else ya want?"
I give a sigh before I say, "No, but if you need something for this room or clothing or anything else, just let me know."
I wait a short moment to see if he already has any requests but then I turn to leave. I'm just reaching out to open the door when I hear him say, "Kaiba?"
I turn my head and look at him questioningly just to see him sit on his bed and stare towards the floor with the same look he has when he thinks really hard about something. I wait for him to continue quietly fighting to keep my patients. "Thanks, I guess." He mumbles looking away before he continues with lots of breaks, "I mean, I know ya just meant to help. Even though ya didn't need to and I really didn't want ya to. I know ya meant well. And ya know, for letting me use the piano and, ya know, for giving me my space and not pestering me or makin' fun of me and the whole lot. I still wish ya hadn't, but still. I guess I get that ya wanted to help."
I watch him for a moment longer in surprise I never thought he would ever thank me for anything, especially not this, but I smile and say, "Don't mention it. I'm just being selfish and want to hear you play, that's all."
"Still, thanks." He mumbles not looking at me and then I simply leave. I guess it's more then I could have hoped for and I'm not about to wait for the next fight between us to break loose.
The next day's are a little better. Joey sometimes returns a little before nine. Sometimes even around six or seven and he eats dinner with me and Mokuba rather then his friends. Mokuba Is exited about it, he caught on to the fact that something really bad must have happened to Joey even though he doesn't know what it was, he still worries and is relieved to notice that he seems to be getting more comfortable in living with us. Mokuba also eyes me with that strange worried look in his eyes and I fear he assumes the true reason behind my help, the selfish one included. I like being near Joey and notice myself that I smile much to often when Joey is around to keep that particular secret from Mokuba much longer. But so far he didn't utter a word about it.
Joey is talking with Mokuba a lot in the evenings when he's around but he treats me like I don't exist at such times. Even though Mokuba is already trying to include me all the time when I join them while they watch a DVD or a movie on television. I usually don't have the time for that, and I still don't but I want to at least spend a little bit of my time with Joey as well as my brother while I still can and work longer during the nights to manage it.
I do worry that his 18 Birthday is coming closer with each passing day while I listen to Joey play the Piano every night, usually standing in the door to keep him plenty of space knowing that he doesn't like to have me too close. Mokuba is often around too but not as much as I am. He still isn't into that kind of music at all even though he always says that listening to Joey is actually nice considering the style he's playing.
I think we both notice that the music is becoming more calm and stable, less confusion in it and sometimes even a few happy notes. Our teacher is less happy since she doesn't get to hear it anymore and most of all, Joy still doesn't even try to learn how to read or write music. A few weeks after he starts visiting his father twice a week on a regular basis and right after Joey played a particularly happy and calming tune I walk a little closer and finally dare to ask him something I wanted to ask for quiet some time. "Could you play parts of that song a few times for me? I mean I know that I have no right to talk you into anything and if you don't want to it's fine, but if I watch you play and look at your fingers, while you play parts a few times over, I might be able to write down the notes. It might make our teacher ease up on you."
He looks at me in surprise and then asks, "Ya can do that?"
"I know the notes better then most, I'm just not as talented as a composer as you are." I explain, "I might need to watch a few times though to really see how you move your hands since you often hit multiple keys with both hands at the same time and I need to watch carefully to avoid missing a note that you play."
"Cool, what are ya waitin' for?" He asks me and I get a few sheets out of my ever present suitcase as well as a pen and he starts playing the start right after I look towards the key without having to prompt him.
It actually goes well since he watches my face rather then his fingers or the keys and he repeats short parts over and over with only a little break until I look satisfied with it and then he starts the next sort sequence. This way we don't even need to talk until it's all done. I must say that I'm sort of disappointed since I hoped it would let us get a little closer to each other but at least I get to stand closer. Once I'm done I say, "I think I got it all, would you mind if I try to play it from this notes and you listen to see if I didn't miss anything?"
"Sure." He says, "Go ahead."
I'm quiet surprised to notice that he only moves to the side a little but doesn't really stand up. I sit down next to him and start playing. He doesn't move and just listens. "It's fine." Joey tells me right after I stop, "But I wanna try sometin'. Can ya play this?" Right after asking that he plays a few notes and I repeat it after him. "Great, and now this." He tells me and shows me a few more, I try and he shows me again since I made a little mistake, much to my own embarrassment. "Great and now play both and add this." He tells me and shows me something else.
"Slow down," I tell him. "If it's that much I need to write it down, I've got quiet a lot of other stuff that I need to keep in mind."
He roles his eyes while I start writing it down and then I play all three parts after each other, it does sound rather nice but something is missing. "Play again." He orders and this time, right after I start, he joins in and it sounds much better with his parts. I can't say how happy I am that I can actually play the piano with him this way, I never thought it possible since he can't read notes and I can't play without them.
"Ya meant it didn't ya?" He asks after he added a few more parts to the piece he just created with a tiny bit of my help. It did take some time since Joey needed to teach me my parts and I had to write down the notes which I refuse to do until I had written down the notes he played before with me.
I look at him in surprise and say, "I always mean what I say, but please enlighten me what you mean right now?"
"That ya like me." Joey mumbles hardly coherent. "I mean, I always thought ya hate me, but ya can actually be quiet nice, ya know, compared to how ya usually are. I thought ya where trickin' me when ya said ya liked me, ya know, the night ya dragged me here."
"Of course I meant it." I say, "And why shouldn't I be reasonably nice since your forced to stay with me under one roof. It only be troublesome for both of us if we were at each others throat more often then not."
He looks up at me with the same thinking look I came to know by now. "Maybe, but I never thought ya would be nice anyway. I really thought ya hate my guts."
"Well," I say trying not to let him know how much I care that he seems to be happy about me liking him, "I don't hate your guts. And like I said, I always mean what I say." I look at my watch happy to see that I need to leave soon anyway to finish up a few papers. I don't really want to get into the conversation of me liking him anymore then this.
"Busy?" He asks noticing my look.
"Unfortunately." I reply.
"Can we do this again?" He asks me smiling, "I mean playin' together and ya writin' down the notes?"
"Of course, I could try to teach them to you too," I offer.
"Don't wanna." He replies grumpily, "I hate math and since Miss bitch mentioned the word fraction I hate notes, at least when I gotta write them down instead of just playin' them."
"I bet I can think of a way that makes you love fraction lessons with me." I tell him with a smug smile already picturing the situation that is the most obvious one considering who's with me right now.
"Fine," He replies to my surprise, "Ya get one try but if ya can't make me love fractions, ya gotta throw me a huge birthday party when I turn 18."
"Deal." I say and give him my hand to shake on it again. This time he takes it right away.
"And one more thing," He tells me, "Quit hoverin' around me like I'm gonna have a mental break down or somethin' I'm fine."
I look at him in surprise, I actually thought that I did good with keeping my distance apart from watching him play but to be honest, I did expect him to have some sort of mental breakdown at some point, most likely while playing one of his sad pieces that might have been inspired by what happened to him. "I doubt that you can be fine after everything that happened to you, but I try to keep my distance if you prefer."
"I don't give a crap about distance, just stop lookin' at me like I'm gonna start cryin' any sec." He tells me, "I mean I was in a gang when I was just 12 and the first time I was drunk was shortly after that, my first time with a guy was when I was just 13 and the first time dad lost me in a game was when I was 15 already, I don't know how many I screwed around with before that. Sure what happened on those nights with dad's buds ain't gonna make the cut for a place in the top five days of my live but they sure as hell ain't the worst either. I deal with it, I'm tougher then ya might think and not some freakin' damsel in distress."
"You can't be serious, what could possibly be worse then getting raped?" I can't help but ask.
He grins at me and I'm already certain that whatever the answer is, I won't take it serious. "Fractions." He says and I grin a little too, "So ya better get startin' to organize my party, and just so ya know, I wanna see my sis so ya better book a flight for her already."
With that he stands up and leaves the room to go into his own while I watch after him, I'm still worried about what happened to him and how well he really deals with it since he seems to be really good in hiding his sadness behind a fake smile, but at least he seems to be doing okay if he can already joke about it. And I'm even more pleased to notice how we seemed to be getting along much better during just a few weeks so maybe he can consider me a friend by the time he turns 18 and I can keep spending a little bit of time with my sweet little puppy.
Authos Note:
Thanks to sherabo, Violet-Eclipse and Guest for the reviews.
Next chapter is already the start of the end since in that one Joey might move out. It's his 18th birthday!
By the way, who can guess how Seto will be teaching him the notes or what the really funny side effect might be!