Title: Grave Robber
Summary: Seto wanted to take his secrets to the grave, but when a class project lands him and Joey closer than desired, those secrets become harder to protect than ever. Especially when Joey is discovering the common ground they share.
Contains: Yoai, lemon in random chapters, references to child abuse and molestation, sudden flashbacks, arguments, and occasionally ooc-ness
Pairing: Seto X Joey
Disclaimer: I do not own yu-gi-oh or the characters, I also make no money from the writing of this fanfic.
Author's Note: This chapter jumps back and forth from what Kaiba thinks to what Joey is thinking. Just remember, when Seto Kaiba is referred to as Kaiba, it's Joey thinking and when he is referred to as Seto, it's Kaiba thinking.
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It seemed like an eternity after the maid servant brought Joey his dinner (a remarkable treat that immediately lifted Joey's mood as soon as he realized that it smelled as good as it looked and tasted just as spectacular as it smelled) at Kaiba's command that the CEO finally reappeared himself. Joey had had time to finish the exquisitely-presented "leftovers", made small talk to the maid servant who came to reclaim the dishes, and then wandered around the room he'd been put into. It was pretty nice, like a ritzy hotel. There were two chairs, a couch, several tables and stands, a dresser, a closet, a large bed, a bookshelf, and a writing desk with its own chair and lamp…
Just as Joey had decided to leave the room and wander the hallway instead of just the guestroom, Kaiba finally made his appearance. He'd shed his white and mauve duster and the gesture, which Joey would have typically overlooked, left the blonde feeling a bit confused. First, Seto Kaiba had been nice to him, and now he'd become impersonal enough to shed off his custom-made, one-of-a-kind, trademark coat in his presence.
Without that signature coat on, or one exceedingly similar to it, Kaiba just seemed smaller. His shoulders were narrower without the coat's flair, and he looked so much weaker, so much frailer, without the billowing coattails. When he was just dressed in the black turtleneck and pants, he looked like anybody. He looked so ordinary that Joey was almost surprised. Sure, Kaiba looked like everyone else when he wore his school uniform, but that was because he was required to. Here, in his own home, free to flaunt his riches and his achievements, he decided to strip himself of that distinguishing garment.
Why? Because the house and all of the things in it were symbolic enough of his wealth and success? No. That wasn't it at all. For Seto Kaiba, that wouldn't be enough. Seto Kaiba always behaved as if he needed to prove something to someone—as if someone doubted his power. The house and all of its belongings, the company, the employees, and the servants were all tools to express that success and wealth. His coats were tools. Why did he need so many devices?
Joey had a pretty good idea about that, even if he couldn't figure out what Kaiba meant by stripping himself of that coat—did he just take it off because he'd grown tired of wearing it all day? or was he trying to communicate something else?
Perhaps the reason why Kaiba needed big houses, companies, employees, and custom-made duster-coats was because the only person he had trouble proving himself to was himself.
"I printed out what we need. My eyes could use a break from the screen." Joey could hardly believe it. Seto Kaiba had just admitted a weakness—not a massive or important one, but it was one enough. First he was nice, then he stripped himself of his self-assuring coat, now admitting that his eyes were tired? What was he trying to do?
Seto looked at Joey slightly puzzled. He was being stared at as if he'd walked in without any pants on and then took off his shirt. The puppy's eyes went from slightly confused to nearly horrified in a matter of seconds.
Mentally, Seto scanned every possibility that could have caused the pet to act in such a way. The first cause was easy to identify—he'd been too nice to the pup when he'd first arrived. But how could he not? He'd looked as if he'd just been beaten—you don't beat something that's already injured.
But why had he gotten even more…flabbergasted.
"What's your problem, Wheeler?" Seto spat when he couldn't come up with an answer. That took the dumbstruck look off of the dog's face. "We have work to do. I want to get to bed before midnight so I don't end up—what is your problem?"
He did it again! Seto Kaiba was obviously trying to break some sort of barrier between them. It all made sense. His eyes were fatigued, he didn't want to appear tired at work—he was emphasizing his humanness! But why? For what purpose?
Not many things made Kaiba feel uncomfortable, but being stared at like he was naked made him nervous. He didn't like it at all.
"Here," Seto barked, thrusting half of the pages he'd printed out in Joey's direction. "This is your half to present," he added when Joey took them, "And this is mine." He held up the other half of the pages and let his eyes narrow into a glare. Joey met his glare and Seto allowed it to intensify until the mutt looked away.
"Are you gonna sit down or are you just gonna stand there all night, rich boy?" Joey grumbled after turning his eyes away and then quickly back. Seto moved over to the small circle of furniture at the far side of the room and sat down in one of the available chairs. It wasn't long before Joey claimed the other, muttering something snide to himself.
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The practice had gone oddly well and Joey was surprised by it. Once Kaiba became focused—after nearly ten minutes of chiding comments whenever Joey would open his mouth—he became exceedingly efficient. He made suggestions to help improve Joey's presentation skills without sounding arrogant, and even acknowledged suggestions that Joey made.
It was like he became an entirely different person when he was working, but Joey didn't dare comment on that. He knew that if he did Kaiba would just say something along the line of "It's my grade too, so I'm not going to let you mess it up for me because you don't know how speak, you dog". So, Joey didn't bother.
"What were you so upset about when you first got here, Wheeler?" Seto blurted out after deciding that practice had gone on too long already and it was time to stop. Joey's eye twitched.
"None of your business," Joey hissed in response. Kaiba just blinked in response, eyes lacking intrigue and offense. Joey felt a pang of guilt and turned his eyes toward the floor. "My dad and I got in a fight. It's nothing important, happens all the time." The last person Joey wanted to discuss dads with was Kaiba. Kaiba's real father was dead, his stepfather had been a psychopath, and Kaiba himself was practically a dad himself.
Joey had a feeling that, whatever he said, Kaiba would have a comeback prepared to make his father look like the good guy and make him look horrible for feeling ill will against the man. He knew Kaiba would never say "Be glad you have a father, at least", but that didn't mean he wasn't thinking it. Joey expect him to say "I'd be pissed off, too, if I had a mutt for a son", but Kaiba surprised him.
"Is he a high-strung kind of guy or the constantly aggravated type?" Kaiba's face remained indifferent and Joey could hardly believe that Seto Kaiba a.k.a moneybags was making idle conversation with him.
"Uh…a bit of both, actually," Joey answered, still stunned. "More aggravated than high-strung though." Kaiba looked as if he were going to say something, but just huffed instead. "Gozaburo seemed more like…the high-strung type," Joey commented quietly. Kaiba's eyes met his accusingly and he felt as if he'd stepped on a landmine.
"Yeah," Kaiba responded. "He was." The brunette stood up stiffly from his seat and left the room without saying any more. Joey remained seated and felt a bit paranoid.
It was as if the evening had been a dream—nothing about it seemed real. Not Kaiba's behavior, and not his own…but it seemed appropriate to act the way he had. After all, he was in Kaiba's house and completely at his mercy. It would be for the best for him to act polite and agreeable.
However, Joey couldn't help but feel guilty. When he brought up Gozaburo, Kaiba's eyes had immediately turned defensive and intense. That meant Kaiba had felt something, an emotion that he refused to acknowledge and express.
Most people would think it was because Kaiba hated Gozaburo, found his stepfather to be a figure in his life that had gotten in his way and wasted his time preparing him for things he didn't care to know. Those a bit closer would assume that Kaiba hated the man because he'd turned him into something else, something unfriendly and selfish.
Joey felt that there was something there other than hatred, perhaps admiration or respect strewn in with it that kept Kaiba grounded with Gozaburo's memory. Gozaburo had raised Kaiba…or at least attempted to. Joey didn't know much about their relationship before Kaiba acquired the ability to capture the man's company like a medieval castle, but something had to have happened that made Kaiba bitter.
He had stolen Gozaburo's company, why didn't he flaunt that like he did his wealth? Wear it on his sleeve in replacement of his heart? Beam with pride whenever Gozaburo Kaiba was mentioned because he, Seto, an orphan, had defeated that man when he was just a kid?
Joey guessed that he did flaunt that victory…he kept the last name Kaiba even though he appeared to despise the man who had owned it.
So why did he still seem bruised at the mention of the man's name? Seto Kaiba was better than Gozaburo Kaiba. He'd proven that to the world…
Joey's head seemed to be running around in circles.
He'd come to the same conclusion as before.
Kaiba had proven it to the world, but he hadn't proven it to himself.
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A/N: Joey's more perceptive than Kaiba thinks, isn't he?