To say that it was too late for the Pharaoh to still be sitting in his office would be a tad bit of an understatement. Typically, he was out of the large, well furnished room by nine pm, but it was nearing the dead center of the night now. The only thing keeping him there was the fact that he was waiting for his second-in-command to report in.

Just when he was getting ready to call the man to inquire as to his whereabouts, the door opened and his blonde right hand trudged in.

"Bruiser," The Pharaoh said tiredly, "How are things going with the abdication of Kaiba Corp?"

"Eh?" Clearly, he'd been distracted. "They's goin' pretty well, boss." The blonde rubbed at the back of his neck, averting his eyes. "But do I really gotta keep pretendin' that I…?"

"Until Seto has completely given up the rights to the company, yes."

Bruiser made a disgruntled noise, but didn't argue. "S'that really all ya wanted, boss?"

"Yes. It'd be best if you returned to Seto, now." He leaned back in his chair, pressing the tips of his fingers together thoughtfully. "I'm sure he's wondering where you've gone off to."

Bruiser's face fell. "Aw, boss, he aint wonderin' nothin'. It's midnight - guy's been out cold since ten!"

"How can you be sure he's still asleep?" The Pharaoh raised a brow.

"Well, I, uh…" The blonde's eyes darted around the room as if he was searching for an escape route. "I can't. But moneybags usually sleeps all night, boss. Don't even get up t'go piss."

"That's with you laying next to him, yes?"

"Well… Yeah." He seemed to deflate. "Fine, whatever. I'll go." He turned, shoulders slumping. "See ya, bossman."

Pharaoh flinched slightly. "Joey," He flinched again at the slip-up while the blonde halted halfway through the double doors. "Does this ruse really bother you so much?"

"S'not that it bothers me, Yug'…" Joey sighed as he turned toward him, peeking up at him through his eyelashes. "S'that I think if I spend much more time wit'im… It won't be a ruse no more." Before the Pharaoh could question that, Joey threw his hands up, straightening his back. "Moneybags actually isn't so bad once ya get to know him!" His arms dropped as suddenly as he'd raised them. "And… And that's fuckin' scary, okay? Cuz I think I'm already startin' to… T'catch feelings for him. I don't like it." He paused to scratch the back of his neck. "If I knew for sure I could keep pretendin' without fallin' for that tightass, I wouldn't be so… Uh. What's the word I'm lookin' for, Yug'?"

"Hesitant?" He suggested, "Reluctant?"

"Reluctant." Joey nodded. "That's it."

Yugi sighed. "I'm sorry, Joey. I'd let you off the hook if I knew for sure we could still get control without you sweet talking him into it every step of the way."

"I understand." Joey waved his apology away like he was clearing smoke from the air. "It's cool. He should be done soon, so I shouldn't have to deal widit much longer."

"For your sake, I hope that's the truth." Yugi sighed again.

Joey gave a weak shrug. "Eh, whatever. See ya 'round, Yug'. Ima head back."

"Alright. Try not to do anything I wouldn't."

That made Joey laugh. "Dude, I crossed that line the first time I put his dick in my mouth."

Yugi blanched, staring in horror after the blonde while he cackled and sauntered out of the office.

After he managed to shake the mental image away, he stood and shrugged his suit coat back on. He couldn't quite recall when or why he'd taken it off - he found he had that problem a lot lately. His memories tended to fade long before they were supposed to. It made it difficult for him to replace his old, painful memories with newer, better ones.

Maybe it was a subconscious reflex, telling him not to get over his past just yet. Not to let go.

He wished it would go away.

The trip back to Kaiba Mansion was pretty short.

Too short, if Joey was honest. He didn't want to see "ol' Moneybags" just yet - he wasn't ready to go back to putting on his usual caring charade. It was tiring, really, pretending to care more than he did. Pretending that he was in love with Seto-freaking-Kaiba, which he obviously wasn't.

Seto Kaiba was a pompous, cold, stuck-up piece of horseshit, and Joey had been quite content with hating his guts up until about three months prior, when Pharaoh had suddenly decided that he should be the one to seduce Kaiba and convince him that giving up his company to Yugi was a good idea. Oh, yes, he'd been hand-selected for the task. Hand-selected and forced into it because any question of his loyalty could be considered reason enough to be rid of him. The other Immortals wouldn't be exactly charitable if they thought their boss' right hand man was skipping out on a mission.

Oh, he'd agreed to do it, though. He'd agreed to do it so that he could watch the look of heartbreak on Seto Kaiba's usually emotionless face when he was done with him and revealed it was all an act. He'd agreed to do it so that he could get some petty vengeance for all the times Kaiba had humiliated him.

But now, three months after his initial agreement, he'd found that Seto Kaiba was actually a very gentle, loving man if given the chance to get to know you. He was generous, incredibly soft-spoken, and such a gentleman. Joey would be damned if he admitted he had a spot for tsunderes, but Kaiba had proved to him that he really, really did…

And Kaiba had certainly developed a soft spot for him.

God, it was driving him nuts. Kaiba actually cared about him. Genuinely wanted to be with him. He had a sneaking suspicion that he might even want to marry him and - and he just couldn't do it, now.

He'd thought it'd be fun, making Kaiba fall in love with him and then crushing him - after all, Kaiba had crushed him so many times and he deserved to finally get paid back in full, but… He'd been imagining Kaiba remaining mostly his usual self during the relationship. Still cold and somewhat distant, still making fun of him. And for the first six weeks or so, that's what he got out of the rich man - just his usual self with the faintest hints of affection here and there. He'd put up with it because it was his job and he didn't really like Kaiba as much as he was pretending to, but then, after Kaiba had finally stopped beating around the bush and asked him if he was just trying to have a "Sugar Daddy" and he was able to honestly say "No", there'd been…

A sudden shift in Kaiba's personality. He went from cold and vaguely affectionate to warm and incredibly loving in less than 24 hours. Joey almost got whiplash, he thought, from the change.

And before he could realize what was happening, before he figured out that his emotions were betraying him, it was already too late. It was three months into a relationship he'd never wanted to be in and he was falling in love. Slowly, yes, but surely. He had no doubt that another month would be too much for him. He'd fall and he'd never be able to forgive himself for being such an idiot.

Kaiba would grow bored with him, sooner or later, but he would remain in love. His heart was too stubborn to give up on someone he loved, even if they didn't love him back. It'd take him years to get over the heartbreak of Kaiba leaving him if he fell for him, and a few more after that to get over Kaiba.

He was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't notice the subject of them approaching him where he stood idled in the hallway.

"Joey!"

He flinched, looking up. "Yes?"

"Where were you?" Seto's brows were knitted together.

Internally, Joey cursed. Externally, he shrugged. "I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk." Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it, please-

"A walk?"

"Yeah."

"To where?"

"Uh… Nowhere, really. I just took a walk around town." He frowned. "Why are you so worked up about it? Or… Up, at all, actually?" Oh, there he went not using his accent. He had to do that to make Seto trust him. He hated it. He felt vulnerable without the thick Brooklyn drawl to cover his insecurities.

Seto only frowned right back at him, apparently choosing not to enlighten him. "Seems like you take a lot of walks." He said after a moment. "In the middle of the night."

Joey groaned. "Seto, baby, are we really going to fight about this?" It was getting so hard to call him 'baby', recently. But that was the pet name he'd chosen right off the bat and he couldn't drop it now. "I'm a night person, you know that."

"Yes, but you're always gone in the middle of the night, after lying down with me. Do you really have that much trouble sleeping?"

"Yes, actually!" He couldn't help an outburst. Of course he had trouble sleeping - he was scared. Scared that he'd somehow fuck his whole mission up in his sleep. It wasn't unlikely that he would, either, and sleeping so close to Seto only made it all the more nerve wracking.

"Why?" The brunet demanded.

"Because I-" He cut himself off, forcing his voice down to an appropriate level. "Because I'm scared, ok?"

His eyebrows seemed to knit together further. "Scared of what, Puppy?" There was no anger there - only concern now.

Joey hated the way his heart skipped a beat. He also hated the way his mind had to race to think of an answer. I'm scared you're going to figure out that this is all a trick. No. That'd get him kicked out immediately, and while that was a good thing for him, that was not a good thing for the Immortals and the Pharaoh would be pissed. He didn't need that. I'm scared I'm going to fall in love with you. No - not that either. Anything but that. He wasn't going to discuss his real feelings.

Eventually, eyes downcast, he murmured. "I'm scared you're going to abandon me." Not entirely false. I'm scared you'll abandon me because that would jeopardize the mission and I'd be screwed.

"Puppy…" Seto's arms were around him in an instant, lips pressing a gentle kiss into his hair. "I would never."

"You say that now," He replied softly. It wasn't hard to make his voice tremble - his heart was pounding wildly, because oh God he was terrified. He couldn't be found out now. He had to make this last as long as possible. He had to make sure he succeeded. "But what about six months from now?" Yes, good. Tears. He hadn't realized he was this good at acting. "A year? You'll get tired of me eventually, Seto…"

"Joey, baby," He hooked a finger under his chin and lifted it. "never."

He kissed him, then, and Joey loathed knowing that he enjoyed it. That he liked it when Seto kissed him and gently scraped his teeth over his lip. But he did - he loved it, actually, because even if he was pretending to love Seto he wasn't pretending to love sex with him. That was all real.

Seto was an extremely careful lover - he made sure that his partner enjoyed what he was doing. He wasn't forceful, wasn't cold or rude. He was attentive, calm, and loving.

His hands were soft, gently tugging Joey toward their room, pushing him down onto their bed, sliding up the inside of Joey's thighs. But oh he was a tease. He would turn Joey into a whimpering, writhing mess before he'd ever move past foreplay. He was good at it, too. He could get Joey to beg for him in under twenty minutes, and while that was humiliating Joey couldn't help enjoying it.

Joey melted at the feeling of lips and teeth on his neck. Of hands running down his sides, nails scraping over the sensitive spots near the middle of his ribs. Seto knew that. So he did all of it - but he did it like the tease he was. He gave feather light kisses and soft little nips to his neck. Trailed his nails just barely over the skin over those sensitive ribs. And then, out of nowhere, he'd bite down, graze his nails almost harshly down his sides, and-

"Please." Joey whimpered. "Please, Seto…"

He didn't have to specify what he was pleading for. Seto wouldn't make him. Wouldn't humiliate him like that.

"Alright, Puppy."

The click of the bottle being opened, the squelch of the slick substance inside squirting out into Seto's hand - it was almost too familiar to Joey. He flinched slightly at the cold feeling of a slicked finger pressing against his puckered entrance, then relaxed, taking deep breaths. He could handle this. He could probably handle Seto without this, but he'd humor the man.

The sudden intrusion made him buck his hips slightly. Seto chuckled at that, slowly moving the digit in and out of him. He knew Joey could take him - could probably be taken dry, if they were both honest -, but he loved to tease him. He twisted his finger slightly. Where…? Ah. There it was.

Joey gasped, bucking his hips again. "S-seto…"

Seto knew what he was asking for. He slid another finger in, doing his best to maintain that angle while he thrust both of them. It wasn't exactly easy, he'd admit, but he could do it given the proper amount of concentration.

He didn't remove the fingers, didn't stop thrusting and scissoring them, until Joey was whimpering again.

He didn't ask the question at the tip of his tongue. He knew the answer already. Click. Hesitation. This question was worth asking. "Joey, baby… Do you think I could take you dry this time?"

"Probably." Joey breathed, staring up at him, pupils blown wide, hair sticking to his forehead already. "Why?"

There was a click as Seto closed the bottle, then a soft tapping noise as he set it down on the nightstand. "I wanna try."

"Alright. Go ahead." He opened his legs a little wider. "Really I… I insist."

Seto snickered, but obliged as he pulled Joey closer to him, throwing his legs over his own and rubbing the engorged head of his cock against the extremely inviting opening before him. Joey gave a low keening noise in response, hips and thighs twitching a bit. He was clearly fighting against the urge to buck against him. To slam himself onto Seto's cock.

"Don't tease." He murmured. "Please, Seto, please, I can't take it tonight."

"As you wish."

He pressed into him, watching the blonde's eyes slide closed. A quivering groan escaped him, but there was nothing to indicate that he was in pain. That was good. Seto hated watching Joey in pain.

"How do you want it, Puppy?" He whispered once he was nestled between Joey's legs, skin against skin, buried to the hilt.

"I don't care, baby - just fuck me. Please." Joey groaned. "However you wanna do it."

"You might regret that." Seto warned him, but didn't elaborate.

He just adjusted his position and started thrusting - hard. Fast. Right off the bat. And of course he'd calculated exactly where he needed to thrust. He hit Joey's prostate on the first thrust and every one after that.

That was what made Joey love sex with Seto so much. It was always intense even if the other was moving slowly, because he never missed.

This time was better, though. Seto wasn't being gentle. He wasn't holding back. He was just slamming into him over and over and Joey couldn't help seeing stars and letting his head fall back against the mattress. He tried to twist his fingers into the sheets to steady himself, try to gain some level of control over his body, but as usual Seto's fingers looped through his about halfway through and he leaned further over him. Leaned down where he could nibble on Joey's collarbone and push deeper into him, and as much as Joey loved it when Seto was hitting his prostate head on, he found he actually liked it more when it was being grazed so roughly.

"Seto," He gasped. "Baby - fuck, baby, I'm close…" He somehow managed to wrench his fingers from Seto's grip to wrap them around his shoulders and dig his nails in. "Fuck," He repeated.

"Me too." Seto murmured into his ear. "Should I pull out?"

"W-we're both clear, right?" Joey sought out the shell of Seto's ear and nibbled on it for lack of anything better to do with himself.

"Yeah." Seto shuddered and even at the pace he was managing to keep Joey felt his cock twitch.

"Then don't p-pull out." He felt so incredibly dirty saying it. "I…"

"You what, Puppy?"

He closed his eyes. "I want you to fill me up."

Seto's hand - which he hadn't realized was on his hip -, squeezed. "Fuck. I'd be happy to."

And, moments later, when Joey's body spasmed and he came, Seto followed suit and fulfilled his promise.

After sex was about the only time that he could sleep comfortably next to Seto, with no fears that he'd reveal something he didn't want to. If he was exhausted, he tended to shy away from his rampant sleeptalking - one of the reasons he took so many walks, really. He had to admit, regardless of it being an act, that it was nice, though, to fall asleep with someone holding you closely… Like they're actually scared to lose you.

Ryou took a long drag off his cigarette, letting the smoke billow out of his mouth like a thick cloud of death mist. His dark eyes trailed slowly over the sheets that laid across his lower half, then to the tanned body next to him. Malik stared right back at him, wearing a tiredly accepting (yet somewhat irritated) expression.

"I forgot you smoked." He noted after a long moment of silence.

Malik couldn't stand silence.

"I usually don't." Ryou drawled with a sleepy smirk. "But I can't help it after sex sometimes."

"You never would have done it before." Malik sat up. "You always insisted it was terrible for you."

"It is terrible for me." Ryou snorted, flicking the cherry into a very conveniently placed ashtray. "The only difference is that I no longer care if I live or die."

"But you know you don't want to die." The Egyptian said. "Not yet."

"Not yet." The paler agreed easily. "Not until we find them. Not until I've given that bastard a piece of my mind." He eyes narrowed, sleepy smirk morphing into a rather dangerous looking neutral expression.

Malik hated that expression. It never meant anything good. He had to get that expression of Ryou's face before… He shuddered at the very thought. "You really hate that he left, don't you?"

"I can't fucking stand it." His expression changed again. His irises darkened, actually physically darkened, and he cast his eyes downward. "What the fuck did I do, Malik? How did I manage to drive him away?"

"I don't know. You know I wonder the same thing about…"

Ryou nodded. "I… I'm gonna head home, alright?"

"Alright."

"See you at the next meeting."

"Mhm."

He slid out of the bed, snuffed his cigarette out, and slipped back into the discarded clothing he'd left on the floor. He paused mid-way through putting on a thief's coat that he'd so lovingly hand-stitched together. He opened his mouth, glancing over his shoulder, then let it click closed. He looked away, shrugged the coat the rest of the way on, and paced over to the bedroom door.

He paused again. "Don't do anything stupid." He advised, and then he was gone.

Malik sighed, having already laid down and turned over. Why were both of them so bad at being proper human beings?

Ryou had a very similar thought as he dropped out of one of the windows onto the street below, pulling the coat very close to him upon landing. It was a chilly night. He was a chilly person. And Malik… Malik didn't deserve this treatment, but he couldn't help being the way he was. He couldn't help that his heart just wouldn't let him treat the other the way he deserved. Wouldn't let him love him, because, believe him, he'd fucking tried.

He'd tried to get over Bakura. Tried to fall in love with Malik because Malik was the closest thing to a best friend that he had and if anyone would love him and treat him right…

Malik didn't deserve to be tied to him, though. He didn't deserve to be stuck with a man whose emotions no longer functioned correctly. A shell of a man. God he felt worthless - only one thing to do about that.

The shadows on the sidewalk wrapped around him, obscured him from view, and when the glass of the jewelry shop front shattered, the shadows snuffed out the sound and silenced the alarm. And he emerged a few minutes later with a heavy coat and some brand new adornments in his ears and on his fingers and wrists.

Ah, yes. That felt much better.

A/N: Reviews are both appreciated and encouraged, be they positive or negative. However, I must say that while positive reviews will motivate me to write, flames will be used to roast marshmallows for me to snack on while I write ;)