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: A tiny shred of a lime in this chapter, followed by many rampant thoughts and confliction. We've known from the beginning how Kaiba feels, but what about Joey? Maybe it's about time we all found out.

( ) ( ) ( )

Practice? Kaiba had brought him over here to practice? For some reason—some exceedingly obvious reason—Joey really doubted that. Maybe it had been his plan at first, but it obviously wasn't anymore.

His heart was pounding in his chest as the brunette with the electric blue eyes stared him down as he practiced going over his portions of the project. He could no longer focus on how badly his shoulder hurt or how much his split lip stung…all he could feel was Kaiba's hand wiping his blood away.

Kaiba didn't need practice…he just recited his parts apathetically and then declared that he'd be a bit more animated when it actually came time to present.

It was obvious, however, that there was no real need for him to stay the night…He was as good as he was going to be at this… And Joey could honestly say that he didn't think he could stand to go over it one more time… He'd lose what was left of his mind.

"Can we just stop?" Joey asked. "I think we've both had enough of this."

"I think I'll be the judge of that, Wheeler," Kaiba retorted, his eyes narrowing. Joey sighed heavily and sank down on the couch.

"Come on," Joey groaned. "Let's just give it a break. I'm exhausted…"

"You're lazy," Kaiba responded straightening himself from the wall by the desk where he had been leaning.

"I'm not lazy—I'm tired!" Joey argued. "And I'm hungry. Isn't it time to eat yet?"

"Who said anything about eating?" Kaiba responded with ice in his voice. Joey straightened from his relaxed position and met the man's unhappy gaze with a look of confusion.

"You can't tell me we're skipping dinner to work on this thing," he said in disbelief and annoyance. "You're perfect and I'm as good as I'm ever going to get—let's give it a rest!"

Seto knew that a threat of a missed meal would set Joey off. He knew it, and yet he still wanted to laugh in surprise when it worked. That was the only thing that distracted him…the rest of his mind was still in a mad panic from what he'd allowed himself to do. From where he stood, he could see no way of escaping from the mess he'd made…all he could do was pretend it never happened or make it worse.

He didn't know which one was the best choice. Obviously, for his own protection and for the preservation of his self-image, the best option was to pretend that nothing had happened. Joey would come to conclusions on his own, he'd been making up excuses for everything Seto had done since the first time they'd worked together—even the small things—now, with a serious incident, he would have no choice but to think about it…He couldn't possibly overlook it.

But what would he think? That was what Seto wanted to know. What would he think of it?

As it was, it seemed that the pet was trying not to think of it. He was more focused on his empty stomach…

Maybe the issue could just drop and disappear… If Joey couldn't find an answer, Seto was sure he'd just give up. Working hard and thinking hard didn't seem like the mutt's favorite activities…

If he didn't do anything else—if he didn't make it worse—Joey would probably forget it had happened… After all, nothing really major had happened…he'd just gotten that…that person…that dog's blood in his hands.

See? Seto thought to himself. There wasn't anything to worry about at all.

As long as he didn't. mess. it. up.

"How about this," Kaiba said. Joey glowered at his from the couch, not liking his tone. "I'll let you have dinner if you do one thing that I say."

"Fine," Joey answered, looking in his classmate's eyes and searching for any sparks that he didn't like. There were a lot of them…and Kaiba was drawing closer to him…standing right in front of him and staring at him with those eyes that were dancing with menace and a vicious little smirk dwelling on his lips.

Then those eyes turned away from Joey's to look down at his slowly scabbing lip.

"Tell me," Kaiba said, meeting Joey's gaze once again. "Did your father do that to you?" Joey managed to glare at him for about half a second before he felt compelled to lose his rage. Kaiba looked so sympathetic…so…concerned.

"Yeah," Joey said, lowering his head for just a moment. "I said something that set him off." He didn't want to have his eyes off of Kaiba for long—not in fear that Kaiba would try to touch him again, but just so that he would know if he tried.

"Did you hit him back?" Kaiba asked, his face suddenly looking apathetic and cold. Joey could see nothing in the blue eyes…but he could tell by their unwavering intensity that Kaiba was a lot more interested than he was behaving.

"Wouldn't have done me any good," Joey said, his face becoming as blank as Kaiba's. "Can we eat now?" Kaiba looked at him as if disappointed and glanced back down at Joey's lips. "What? Am I bleeding again?" Joey raised a hand and touched a finger to the split, but, before the salts of his skin had time to make the slash sting, Kaiba had grabbed the hand away and was leaning in far too close.

Joey leaned back against the couch, and only had time to blink and take in the vastly conflicted look in Kaiba's eyes before another pair of lips was pressed against his own.

There was no salvation, Seto knew. Whatever madman had possessed him before had taken over once again. The first time he'd only touch him, now he was kissing him? No, there wasn't a way to escape from this mess…

He could only make it bigger…

If he was going to do anything, he was going to act like he meant to. That meant no brief peck on those wounded lips. It meant taking enough time to relish the contact and to begin to taste his blood as it was smeared on his bottom lip. It meant being forced to listen in silence to the madman that whispered in his brain.

Kiss back. Please. Kiss back so I don't look like a fool…

Of course, Joey never did.

Kaiba pulled away, face blank but eyes haunted by a vicious amount of insecurity and surprise. He wasn't looking at Joey, it seemed he was staring at the floor, even as he mindlessly wiped the smudge of blood off of his bottom lip.

Joey didn't know what to say to him or how to react. Once again, Kaiba had his mind completely twisted and lost. Piece by piece, Joey tried to figure everything out.

Kaiba had kissed him, and was now standing in front of him and staring at the floor, probably asking himself why… If he didn't know why, Joey knew it was a waste of time trying to figure it out first... There were other matters at hand.

Kaiba had kissed him…how did he feel about that? Joey knew that under any other situation—during any other time—he would have felt more than a small bit agitated and intensely confused. He would have pondered over what Kaiba could have been scheming—what rumor was he trying to spread? what insulting message was he trying to send?

This time, under these circumstance, Joey didn't feel mad, he felt…kind of sorry for Kaiba… He was obviously trying to say something, Joey obviously wasn't picking up on it, so he had to rely on a kiss that neither one of them understood.

He had been kissed…By Seto Kaiba… How did he feel about that? Not angry… acceptably confused… The key was that he wasn't mad… So, if he wasn't mad, what was he? He needed to find out, and fast because Kaiba was starting to get a look of horror in his eyes that masked the rest of his feelings… Joey didn't like that one bit.

If he wasn't mad, what was he? He was… Kinda happy about it…

"Kaiba," he said, slowly standing up in front of the brunette who immediately locked their gazes. Kaiba's eyes had turned into a mask of rage and bitterness…that had to mean that, inside, he was the most distressed boy in the world.

Kaiba didn't say anything back; that told Joey enough as it was. That meant that he knew he had taken things too far and assumed that the apocalypse was on the horizon.

Joey had nothing he could say to that. He couldn't think of the words, and he didn't have time to think logically about anything else. All there was inside of him was a need to banish the thoughts that were tearing his friend's mind apart.

If Kaiba had kissed him and he wasn't angry about it, then he must have been contented with it. There was no time to think about the meaning of Kaiba's kiss—what brought it on? what was it saying?—but that didn't mean he couldn't return it, backed with emotions of his own.

Seto's heart didn't skip a beat, and he didn't lose his ability to breathe, but he was still taken off guard when that blonde…person…put its lips to his. Why? Why would he do that? It was obvious that that creature—that dog—that kid hated him.

Right?

Ah, hell… The dog probably just wanted to make sure it got fed!

Kaiba abruptly pulled away, but before he could harden his eyes again, Joey had already seen the intense pain within them. Kaiba turned his back to him and started for the door with his head lowered just enough for his bangs to conceal his eyes.

"Come on," he practically shouted, lifting his head after getting all of his emotions back in check. "I'll get you something to eat before you start chewing my sofa!" Joey drew back in surprise at the sudden rage, but understood it enough not to snap back with serious anger.

For Kaiba's sake, he replied with some.

"I'm not your dog, rich boy!" Joey shouted and stormed past the brunette, out of the room. For Kaiba's sake, he had to behave relatively normal—though he'd be damned if he could remember what he normally acted like at that moment—that way, if Kaiba so chose, they could act like nothing had happened…

Like neither of them had "gotten over their differences" as Yugi would have put it and grew closer in just a few minutes' time…

( ) ( ) ( )

Seto knew he'd gone insane… He couldn't even remember what he had been thinking. At that moment, his houseguest was sitting in their dining room with Mokuba, eating everything placed before him with zealous enthusiasm. Seto had managed to escape from eating by acting as if he'd gotten a call…

Neither of them had fallen for it, but it somehow seemed better than just walking off.

Hidden away securely in his office, Seto let out a quiet groan and buried his head in his hands for several seconds…certainly not long enough to look half as weak or detestable as he felt. What was the matter with him? That was the only thought in his brain.

He'd just kissed that putrid, blonde dog—that juvenile delinquent—that boy! Perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad if that blonde punk had wanted it, but he hadn't! All of that returning of the gesture was probably just an act of nervousness or some sort of sick, disgusting kindness on that kid's part. Done just so he, Seto, would feel better.

He only felt worse and worse by the second.

What could he do to fix this, because he didn't want to make it worse. His mind told him to hide away in his room, call the practice for the project done, disappear for a little while…but he just couldn't allow himself to do that.

He already looked so weak now…there was no excuse to allow himself to behave even more pathetic. Seto knew that he would have to face that boy again, and it was quite honestly scaring him.

He didn't want to. He wanted to hide, to disappear, to cease existing for a minute…At least until he banished this madman who had taken up roost in his mind. He just couldn't allow himself to do that…

It was so much like before…so much like that first time…

The past wasn't a comfortable place to revisit, but it was at least familiar. He knew the turnout there…so he welcomed the memories he spent most of his time banishing from sight.

He'd felt the same then… He hadn't wanted to face that man. He hadn't known what to do or say, or if he should have done or said anything…

Back then, with Gozaburo, Seto had stayed silent. It had been the best option…

With Joey…he didn't want him to go away. He finally had him as close as he wanted him—for whatever sick purpose he wanted him for that he had previously been too shy, too wise to initiate—if he did and said nothing, Joey would disappear.

It would all disappear.

But wasn't that what needed to happen?

Seto groaned softly and looked towards the dead scene outside his window.

Once again, he couldn't have what he wanted…

( ) ( ) ( )

A/N: The last section is mostly a narration of what Kaiba is thinking, that's why it says "he" so much. (I don't know if that bothers you, but it bothers me quite a bit.) Apparently, Kaiba is starting to find synonyms for Joey…like boy, and houseguest—nice, human words. What can we trust Kaiba to do to get himself out of this situation, or in deeper? Tune in next time.