Joey scrubbed at the coffee stain on the table by the window. His arms ached and he was tired; longing to get home to bed, or at least a little Playstation. His shift had ended ten minutes ago but the stubborn old couple in the corner refused to leave until they finished their greasy salad. Joey slung the tea cloth over his shoulder, glancing at the plastic clock on the bright, gaudy wall. It was past eleven. Back in Domino however, it would be almost dawn, and the city would be slowly waking up to a chilly September morning.

Here, however, in this fast-food restaurant in the back-end middle of nowhere town, Joey waited for his last customers to toss their salad scraps into the bin, and step outside into the rainy night. He pretended to sweep, secretly watching the rain rush down onto the asphalt as they retreated into the night. They ducked under a streetlight and Joey saw the canopy of an umbrella bloom above their heads. Satisfied they were gone, he made to return to his sweeping, but something made him double take, and so he peered through the foggy glass into the night.

Across the gloomy car park stood a tall, shadowy figure, unmistakably clad in a long coat with a wide tail that almost touched the ground. Joey blinked to be sure it was not a trick of the light, as the figure was so hidden as to be almost invisible. Then he saw the streetlight twinkling off the bonnet of a car as the figure moved, and he was sure that someone was there. They began to walk towards the brightly-lit restaurant, so Joey hurried to the door to flip the sign to 'closed'.

As the figure grew nearer and nearer, Joey slowed to a stop with his hand still on the sign. Squinting through the rain-speckled glass, he began to recognise those sharp, shiny black boots; that sweeping coat with its stiff white collar; and finally, those piercing blue eyes.

"How the fuck..?" he whispered, horrified as Seto Kaiba pushed open the door, snapping his umbrella closed as he came across the threshold and into Joey's life.

"Well, Wheeler," he said calmly. "You look pleased to see me."

Joey spluttered unintelligibly for a few moments, watching Kaiba shake his umbrella off onto the greasy floor. He looked… tall, Joey thought, as if his previous height of almost six foot had not been enough during the last three years. His hair was the same: cut into a neat style with an attractive low-hanging fringe that partially concealed his mysterious eyes. He still had his thin frame and long, spindly piano-players fingers. His sharp nose and even sharper eyes followed Joey as he stepped back, attempting to find a little space to steady himself.

"But we're closed," he said, dumbfounded.

It had been three years since he last saw Seto Kaiba. Or any of his friends, except for Téa. The events following the loss of a mutual friend had led him to crave a little distance, so when the opportunity to leave the city had arose, Joey seized it, and joined Téa in her search for herself overseas. Now she attended a prestigious dance school whilst Joey worked in the restaurant. He did not resent, nor regret it, grateful for the chance to earn a modest living for himself. Although the restaurant was a little further out from the town than necessary, Joey liked the bike ride through the country roads and the isolation. Much had changed in him since his duelling days.

But how had Kaiba followed him here? Why was he here after three years? It seemed so surreal, almost like a dream.

"How'd you know where I was?" Joey asked, still flabbergasted. Back in Domino, he had not exactly left with Kaiba on friendly terms, but nor had they hated each other. It was more a mutual toleration that ended with Joey's abrupt disappearance. As for their friendship, Kaiba no longer left a bad taste in Joey's mouth – it had been too long for that – but he was not exactly ready to throw the guy a parade. "I didn't even know you knew I left."

"I didn't," replied Kaiba. "I was not about to chase you around Europe, even if I had known," he continued. "I only found out when you failed to turn up for my most recent tournament. With you and Yugi Motou away it was almost an insultingly easy win."

"I remember that," said Joey, ignoring the vituperative spiel. "I saw something about it in the news. You tore apart the competition. Not the most graceful acceptance speech I've ever heard."

"I'm still the best," Kaiba said.

"And still an asshole," Joey replied. Irritated, he returned to his sweeping. "So how's Mokuba?"

Kaiba folded his arms, affronted at being dismissed like that and answered curtly, "Fine, I put him in charge of updating the old systems. Seemed to suit him best for the time being. Why do you even care?"

"Dunno, just kinda liked your little brother. He had more personality than you, moneybags." Joey turned to face his old adversary, wondering why that life had decided to catch up to him suddenly. "What are you even doing here?" he asked. "How'd ya find me, huh? You wouldn't have bothered without a good reason."

Kaiba opened his mouth but with a frown closed it again. Joey wondered if Kaiba didn't know.

"Well, may as well make yourself comfortable," Joey said with a shrug. "Or clear off. I'm gonna be cleaning for a while before I can leave."

"Are the tables done?" Kaiba asked.

Joey made a show of wiping one with his fingers and pretending to find nothing on them. "Clean as day," he declared.

"Clear," said Kaiba.

"What?"

"The phrase is 'clear as day'. Or 'clean as a whistle'. You got them confused."

"Well, whatever, I did them, so sit if you're gonna."

Joey disappeared through the swinging kitchen door as Kaiba sat down. He could hear the sound of water running and trays being banged together unceremoniously, followed by loud out-of-tune whistling. He perched his laptop carefully on the edge of the table and opened it up.

Aside from work-related notifications to sift through, Kaiba had a few messages from his younger brother trying to reach him.

"Hey, big bro, I know you're probably busy or got caught up but aren't you supposed to be back today? Did something happen with the flight? Just wanted to make sure everything's okay and if you need me to arrange anything my end to come get you. Mokuba."

Kaiba exhaled slowly before replying.

"Everything is fine. Do not worry. I took a detour on my way home. Just make sure that everything is running smoothly and I will return as soon as I can…"

He wondered how to finish the message. He cracked his fingers once and continued to type.

"…I found him in England."