Summary: His life at an all time low, Joey turns to attempting to sell himself on the street just to feel loved. A certain CEO doesn't exactly approve of this idea and may have to admit something to stop him. Seto/Joey shounen-ai.

Word Count: 8,597

Rated M due to sexual references and mild language.

Disclaimer: Rights to all characters/ places used are not mine to have.

Untouchable

Part Two

"How could I ever love a whore like you?!"

The name stings, being said aloud. "Wait, let me explain-"

"You're scum, Wheeler, and scum and high class don't mix. You're out of your mind if you thought I loved you of all people."

"Seto, please…"

"How dare you call me that? Only my brother is allowed to call me by my birth name, and not the likes of you. Now get out of my sight before you disgust me further."

"What do I have to do to make you see that I'm not as bad as you think?!"

"You can start by leaving me alone!"

I wake up from my body being shaken.

"Come on, wake up. Get ready for school."

My eyes open, but they instantly shut again from the cold air hitting them. I reach up to rub them awake, to only find them caked with tears. Shit, Kaiba saw me crying…

"There's a uniform on the end of the bed I can let you borrow. Get clean and dressed. The bathroom in the second door on the left."

I sit up from lying, my legs hanging off the edge. I must've collapsed and passed out when I hit the bed. I wipe away the tear trails, acting like I'm still trying to wake up.

"Can you be ready in forty-five minutes?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be downstairs with Mokuba. Come down when you're ready to eat."

"All right."

As soon as he's out of sight, I take a shaky breath to calm down. Why was I crying? My dream wasn't that bad… But I guess my heart says otherwise. I wonder what he was thinking when he was trying to wake me up. My neck hurts… I take the collar off my neck and feel its imprint there.

I easily find the bathroom and look at my reflection. I look like shit, even without having any fun. Hair's a mess, neck's red, make up's smeared… A wonderful sight as soon as you wake up. I manage to find a washrag to get off all the leftover make up. After a bit of scrubbing, I get off most of the black and red from the night before- it's a bit puffy around my eyes from the scrubbing, but it'll be fine in a bit. I use my fingers to attempt to tame my hair, then go back and get into the uniform Seto lent me for the day.

Hey, it actually fits perfectly! This must be one he outgrew or something. Wow… I'm in something Seto's worn! Okay, stop acting like a giddy idiot, control yourself…

Gawd… I can't believe I was crying in my sleep again. And I can't believe he saw it! I wish I could control that, too… But I guess it'll just keep happening until my life gets better. Oh no… What if he says something about it? Like, 'Why were you crying?' or 'What were you dreaming about that would make you cry like a baby?' …Nah. He wouldn't ask that. But maybe he could… I better quickly think of an excuse if he does. I put my stuff in a neat pile on the corner of the bed. 7:30- I still got twenty minutes. …I'm hungry.

Wow… This place is just too big. I head downstairs and go through at least four or five rooms before finally finding a kitchen. In the middle is an island counter, where Mokuba just so happened to be sitting at and eating cereal.

"Hi Joey!" he greeted. "Wait… When did you come here?"

As if on cue, Kaiba came in from a doorway across from me, laptop in hand. "He stopped by late last night to ask about a homework assignment. I wouldn't let him go out again, risking getting mugged or something, so I let him stay the night."

"Wow, that was nice of you…" He turned to me again. "You want some cereal? We have plenty!"

That's exactly what I myself had thought- Wow. That was quite a lie. I can't believe the kid bought it. Unless… Kaiba has been changing, and he knows it, so then it'd be normal for him to do that for someone… I wonder how much my dear Seto's changed…

I take a seat next to Mokuba and he passes me a bowl and food. My stomachs turning, practically screaming, 'Feed me, you frickin' moron! Shovel it all in!' I proceed to down it.

"You want something, too, Seto?" Mokuba asked kindly.

Kaiba scoffed at it. "You know I don't eat breakfast," he replied before leaving the room. Okay, maybe he hasn't changed that much…

The preteen ate along side me for a minute before speaking again. "I was really surprised that Seto let you stay…"

"Yeah… I was too when he asked me." More like demanded me to…

"I just won't get used to it. Seto's been gradually getting softer toward people. It's not like him at all…"

Is this kid trying to tell me something?"

"But oh well! Did you sleep okay?"

ixi

Ah… One thing I like about April. We're allowed to eat outside, instead of being congested in those damned classrooms. Normally, I don't eat lunch, but it's a good thing I had some yen in my pockets last night- as a just in case. So here I am, eating a cheeseburger I bought from the school store, sitting under a tree.

"How could I ever love a whore like you?!"

OW! I bit my cheek… Stupid dream. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all day.

Except I probably wouldn't be thinking about it right now if Yugi and Tristan were here. We all usually eat together, but they had to go do some stuff-who knows what- leaving me all alone and allowing my mind to think whatever.

"…scum and high class don't mix."

I close my eyes, trying to block it out. After a moment, they open again to finish my lunch. Once chugging some milk, I get up to throw my trash away. I come back to my spot and plop back down, watching the school doors.

I glimpse Kaiba enter the school, a scornful face with laptop in hand again. Heh, probably made a bad transaction or someone's trying to scam him out of money. …or he got a B in Bio. Heh heh, the fit he had was hilarious…

Hmmm…. He's so… I dunno… I feel like I'm cheating on him, wanting to go on the street. But I'm not, technically…

He still cares about it, though.

I wonder how much he cares… Probably not enough to stop me again. I'll call Tsuki tonight to see when I can hook up with them again-

"Don't ever let me see you on the streets again, or I'll personally see to it that you never do it again."

Pfft. What an empty threat. But if only we could get together…

I get so wrapped up in my daydreaming that I don't even notice the one I'm daydreaming about heading right toward me.

"You look more dazed than you usually do."

Wow, that's the way to wake up. I watch with wide eyes as he takes a seat right next to me.

"What do you want?" I ask coldly, trying to get the sounds from my daydream to stop ringing in my ears.

He glanced over at me with those freaky eyes. "It's a free country. I sit where I please." Damn those eyes, being so beautiful…

If I wasn't hell bent on pushing him away, I would've laughed. But before I could reply, he was talking again.

"As absurd as it may sound, I wanted to talk to you."

I glared at him. "Oh really…?" Meanwhile, it felt like my mind was shutting down and melting. I shall now swim in the smoothness of his voice, feeling like I'm drugged and loopy, all the while he's asking me things I don't want to answer. Joy.

"Don't get the impression that I give a damn about you because I don't."

…He's turning pink… I didn't know Ice Kings could do that…

"But curiosity has been eating at me. … Just what possessed you to make you want to be a whore?"

I flinch slightly at the name, at him of all people putting it so bluntly.

"I never thought it'd be something you would do. Why did I find you on that street, dressed the way you were?"

Well, at least it isn't about the dream, but this isn't any better.

"It isn't any of your business," I tell him, looking up at the sky to avoid looking at him.

He's still looking at me. "I see…"

Gawd, he's starting to sound like a counselor. Also, in turn, sounding like he cares. …It feels like my heart cracks just a little, at that faint glimmer of hope. 'Because my life's hell and no one loves me, so it's the only way I can at least feel even a little loved, since I can't get it from you!' … Yeah, that's the explanation I refuse to give to you.

I glance over at him, only with one eye. "I thought you didn't give a damn about me."

He continues staring at me. I can barely stand it, it's so relentless… "What you're doing is dangerous, Mutt. You can get kidnapped off the street you're selling yourself on, taken advantage of in a way you don't want, killed…" He finally looks away. "It's not worth it."

I stand up, towering over him. "Careful, Kaiba, even thought you say you don't, you sound like you care. I told you, it's none of your damn business, and it's my choice."

Standing over him like this, I have such an urge to just lean down and kiss him. Perfect lips, waiting… I want to have my first kiss here and now and with him. But… I can't…

The bell rings. He gets up and brushes off invisible dust before looking at me again. "Then good luck with it." He goes past me, his arm faintly sweeping against mine as he went.

… It's probably that glimmer of hope that suspects he was lying to me back there...

ixi

Like I said I would, I called Tsuki. She asked about what happened, and I told her nothing and that it wouldn't happen again. I just requested that we go to another corner. She agreed, but said it'd be safe and better to come on Saturday night.

Saturday… has come. And no school to worry about tomorrow. A perfect quarter moon surrounded by stars, all easily seen on the cloudless night. The air's a comfortable temperature - not too humid or anything. Tight leather pants, a chain as my makeshift 'belt' and hanging off my hips, a blue tank top that goes down just past my ribcage, and a black dog collar. Still the same make-up job.

"It's good that you debut on a Saturday, anyway," says Reyna, "you get more customers."

"Good," I reply, "more practice."

Kaiba's warnings ring in my ears again. Well, he can go fuck himself. I'm here again, and he isn't stopping me this time. I'm ready for this, and I need this…

… Or do I?

A white car pulls up to the corner we're at. "Oh!" said Tsuki. "This one's for me- he's a regular. I'll see you guys later!" She jogged up to the car in her heels, got in and left.

"Sooner or later," said Reyna, winking at me, "you'll have regulars just like we do."

I look to the sky. "That'll be cool…" Who am I kidding? It'd be great!

"Wow, you sure seem like the type that spaces out a lot."

I look over at her. "Really? Sorry…"

She got out her pack of cigarettes. "Are you sure you're all the way? You seem like you're my type."

I smile at her. "Yeah, I'm all the way. Sorry to burst your bubble."

A black car pulls up, a Mercedes. "Wow, they come quick," I say.

Wait… A Mercedes?! No, don't flip out yet. It couldn't be him- he's not the only one that drives that kind of car…

"I'll see what he wants," said Reyna, flicking her cigarette away. She strutted as sexily as she could up to the passenger side window that went down as she approached. She leaned in and talked to the person for a few seconds, I couldn't hear what was said. She then came back over to me with a grin.

"He's asking for you, Joey. Good luck."

I stared disbelievingly at her, my feet feeling like bricks. "Yeah, thanks…" I say slowly, walking past her smiling face.

It's all right… It's only a coincidence… Once I see it's a complete stranger, I'll calm down. I'll have fun and get what I want…

… No… Oh shit…

There he is, in the driver's seat, smirking smugly at me. "Get in," he said, sounding almost sweet. Gloating that he caught me again.

Oh God, get me away from him. Make him go away. Give me this one night of sin, I'll do anything… But of course not. You never listen to me. If you did, then this guy right in front of me…

I oblige and get in.

"So," I say, annoyance clearly in my voice, "What do you want this time?"

The smirk never leaves, but rather widens as he drives away. "The reason you're dressed the way you are and on that corner…" he says in a voice that seems so much different than usual. His right hand comes off the steering wheel and to grope my left thigh. My entire body tenses at the touch. "What do you think I want?" he said darkly. He looks over at me without turning his head, his whole expression evilly smirking.

Oh no. No no no no no… This isn't happening…

The hand starts rubbing, coming dangerously close to my crotch. "I'll pay you any price you desire, you needn't worry about that."

My heart's racing. I can barely breathe. My eyes feel like they're about to pop out of their sockets as I stare blankly at the road ahead. It feels like my entire body is blushing. This is a cruel joke, God. Ha ha ha, I get it, now make it stop. You're a bastard for thinking this is funny. As much as I wanted Kaiba, as much as I prayed for it… Never did I want him just for this. I hate you… Twisting my dream like this…

Last time he picked me up, it was just to scare me. But this time… it's for real…?

He spares no time getting us to the Kaiba mansion. My mind's so occupied with what's going to happen that I can't wonder about this huge place like I usually do. My leg under that hand feels like it's burning alive. He stops the car in front of the door and turns off the engine.

He looks over at me, his eyes falling onto the collar around my neck. "Let's go, pup," he says as he opens his door.

The name stings a little as I proceed to get out. But it's only 'pup', not 'dog shit' or 'Mutt'… So why does it hurt?

I stall as he walks around the car. He comes up to me and takes my hand, lacing our fingers together. He's holding my hand?! What universe IS this?! But unlike when he'd been touching my leg, his hand feels rather warm than scorching hot…

We walk up, stopping to let him unlock the door. He doesn't bother turning on any lights as he shuts the door and leads me upstairs, never letting go of my hand. His grip is firm, like he refuses to let go, but it's strangely gentle, too. The whole walk to his room is done in silence. Mokuba crosses my mind- where is he?- but that thought is quickly forgotten when he leads me inside his bedroom.

I instantly notice the candles. They're on his dresser, all set in a row between two statues of his beloved dragon. It's the only source of light in the room, and flickering casts dim shadows upon all. The door to the room I had been in just days ago is shut, and behind me he's shutting the door to the hallway. There is no escape. But the candles have my attention - why…?

He planned this. He deliberately went out looking for me, knowing I was going to ignore him and go out there. He planned on taking me here…

An arm goes across my back, leading me to the bed. "Relax, pup," he whispers into my ear, sending chills down my spine.

When I reached the foot of his bed, he turned me around and caught me off guard, pushing me onto the mattress. It happens in a complete blur. Next thing I know, I'm laying down watching Seto Kaiba peel off the skintight black sweater he has on. Oh… My mind goes blank. So flawless, perfect… What was I here for again? I'm still spaced out over his partial-nakedness as he crawls on top of me, bringing me out of my daze. Those wonderful eyes are clouded with lust - scaring the shit out of me, I may add.

It starts off as a simple, chaste kiss, just pressing his lips against mine. Before the shock can even fade in the slightest, his tongue invades my mouth. He's hungry for it, quickly darting about, tasting all and battling.

My eyes are locked tight, hands clenching the bed sheets… I feel like I want to cry right now. I never wanted it like this…

His right hand comes up and rests on my exposed hip. I was expecting to hear a loud hiss from the touch, his skin on mine feels so hot.

He's slowed down some, making it more pleasurable. My whole body's tense, refusing to relax. But as it continues, I guess it does feel nice… At least it's with him, and not with some guy that I don't even know his name. The heat on my side's cooling off. I could definitely get used to this…

Well… This is probably the only chance I get to do this, to make out with him. Think of it like that. Only under this rotten circumstance will I get to feel his 'love'. …Fine.

The tongue leaves, and is proceeded by him taking my bottom lip into his mouth. Once sucking on it for a few seconds, he lets it slip out, turning to trail feathery kisses down my jaw and neck My jaw tightens to keep from making any noise- I never imagined such a simple action would feel so damn good. He nips and licks, my body going into overdrive. When the hell did he learn how to do this?!

But he casts one last lick. The hand slides away; his presence is gone, leaving me cold. I pry my eyes open to see what's going on. He's backed away, standing in front of the bed, his arms folded. It seems like he's done, but I can't seem to relax still. All I can manage to do is loosen my hold on the sheets and stare up at the bare ceiling.

"I guess that's one way to give a guy his first kiss…" I say softly, really to no one.

Wait a minute… No pants are coming off, no one's screaming in pleasure… It's really over? I prop myself up on my elbows, bringing up my right foot to the edge of the bed. "Aren't you… gonna finish?" I ask meekly.

He stares coldly at me, as if nothing had just happened. "No." His sight falls to somewhere near my foot, the ice seeming to thaw a little like the last time I was here. "Not like this…"

H… Hey! He stole my thought! I thought the same thing! I stare at him as I wipe the last traces of spit from my lips.

He looks to me again. "I'll ask you this one more time- what possessed you to become a prostitute?" he asks carefully.

My stare turns cold. Here we go again. You bastard… You ask that after…? "Why do you want to know, Kaiba?! You said yourself that you don't give a shit about me, so why should I have to explain myself to you?! And even if that was true, then what the hell was that kiss for?!" I sit up, waiting for his answer.

"I did it to prove that you aren't cut out to be one the streets like that. If you're so scared to be with me, then you can't be with anyone else!"

… What? Hold on- this is Kaiba. I can think of two ways he can mean that. … Damn glimmer of hope…

"Well," I start before thinking clearly, "if it wasn't you, I'd be just fine! Because it was you, I was distracted!" … Crap. I hope he didn't catch that hint.

He continues to stare at me for a long moment. "I see," he says softly before turning to leave.

"Wait a minute!" I call, jumping to my feet. "I ain't done with you!"

He stopped as if I had commanded him to, twisting around to face me. His hand darted out to grab my own, yanking me against him. The suddenness of it made me lose balance and fall against him. He took complete advantage of it and crashed his lips on mine again.

… huh? My mind has just melted, turning into a blob of putty. Excuse me while I fail to reshape it into something coherent.

I must manage something, since I pull away from the kiss. He's still holding my hand. "What was that for…" I ask barely above a whisper.

All he does is smirk at me.

Damn, maddening… What the hell's going on…?

"Come with me." He refuses to let go of me as he gently takes me out of the room.

This isn't anything like the Kaiba I know. Did aliens abduct him and fry his brain? He's kissed me twice…

As soon as we're in the hallway, I snatch my hand from his grasp. "Explain yourself," I demand. "Why?" I can't bring myself to finish the rest.

He stops and turns to look at me. "You suspect something?"

"Uh, yeah, something like that."

"Hm. I see."

"Damn it! Give me straight answer!"

He takes my hand again, not looking at me anymore. "You won't shut up about it until I just come out and say it. Spare me the embarrassment. I know you're not that dumb- figure it out."

No way… Shut up, you stupid hope, it can't be. Those aliens did a good job on him, that's all.

I allow him to take me where ever. "Where are you taking me?" I ask. My voice sounds weak, even to me.

"To get that make-up off."

Heh, for a second there, I forgot all about what I had meant to do tonight. Those plans are ruined again. I can't help but run through all that had just happened - are my feelings mutual…?

He flicks on the light in the bathroom. "Take a seat."

I oblige and watch him, seeing him in a different way now. Suspect, indeed. He takes out a washrag and holds in under the faucet he turns on. Once ringing it out, I close my eyes and let him work. He gently scrubs them clean, apparently trying his best not to hurt me.

Does he really… like me? I can't believe it…

He moves on to my opposite eye. "The reason you went onto the street… I think I know why."

I stay silent, curious about what he has to say.

"If you wanted to feel loved…" He stops cleaning; I open my eyes. He reaches up to wipe away some stray black. "You could've come to me."

My breath is taken away. The… the cold glares, the sneers, the cat calls… Dog shit, Mutt, scum… He never let on, never hinted… And I hurt him, in my attempt to be so selfish… This just can't be real…

I rub my eyes, willing myself to force down the tears and not cry. Everything's a blur, I can't see.

He was so mean, so icy, stolid…

He takes my hands away from my eyes. "Don't do that."

No, you idiot! Don't you know what you're allowing to happen?! But it's already starting- the tears are welling up and close to spilling.

All that time I thought he hated every aspect of my being… I never needed to try and take drastic measures to feel a little loved… It was here all along. He's covered it up so well, tricking me…

He's holding my wrists so I can't cover my face, letting my tears fall. Damn it, Seto, stop watching. I'm so ugly now…

He's in front of me, his arms under me and lifting my body up. My head falls to his shoulder, my own arms going tightly around his neck. He picks me up like I'm a mere, weightless child; so strong… And I think back to a dream I once had, where he did this same exact action- It's come true. I cry harder, choking on a sob, just still not believing this is real.

He silently takes me back to his bedroom, the flames flickering as we pass. I'm gently lowered onto the bed, my head falling onto the pillows. My crying still hasn't subsided from all the shock. I sense him walk over to the opposite side and get on with me, turning so that I face him. Instead of looking into his eyes like I've always wanted to, I curl into a ball and bury my face into his chest. An arm goes around me to bring me closer, inviting me to get it all out.

What does he think of me now, as I snivel on his beauty? How could he love me if I'm like this? And this feels so warm… What was I thinking, wanting to betray him? How can he forgive me…?

I feel him nuzzle into my hair. "Don't worry about it," he says quietly as if he's reading my mind.

I try to stop my crying, holding it in. Even so, I can't stop the shaking. What the hell…? What's with him…?

"I know it may be hard to believe, but I realize that I'm just as human as anyone else."

"It was cruel of you," I say, still attempting to calm down. I can't get out of my ball. "Scaring me like you did, then it ends up like this…" If I wasn't so shocked from everything, I could fall asleep like this…

There's a pause. "Sorry." It sounds like he forced himself to say what he truly meant. But that's okay.

"Joey… Are you sure…?"

My eyes open. Am I sure? Am I sure that I'm definitely love him? Heh. Are you kidding me?

I finally uncurl and look at him. They look the same- the same as I see them everyday- and yet, they're different. There really are emotions in them. He covers them so well, they can only be seen this close. That's so cool…

"Keh! You kidding? I'm one of the only ones that can find a way to love your cold ass."

With an itty-bitty, almost not there smile, his eyes closed and held me tighter against him, his head never losing contact with mine. "That's… probably the best thing I've heard in a long time," he said just barely above a whisper.

I keep myself from grinning. I won. All of this is real.

So this is what love feels like…

END

Written 5-19 to 6-7-05, edited 10/7/13