Blue

by icypinkpop

Pairing: Seto/Joey, hints of Yami/Yugi

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh, or these pretty boys. Too bad.

Authors Note/Warnings: First YuGiOh fic ever! OwO

I got this idea when I was staying at Hotel Del Coronado, lounging about lazily under an umbrella in a chair and a robe next to the pool. It just sort of came to me all of a sudden, and I couldn't pass it up x3 Hooray for plot bunnies.
I did my best to make this as IC as possible; very difficult with this particular couple, but what's the fun of doing something easy? ;P On with the story!
--

Part Three

In all his life, Seto Kaiba had never expected he would be doing this.

And yet here he was, standing outside Joey Wheeler's door, waiting for an answer to his knock. All it had taken was a quick trip to the front desk to secure the blond's room number; very rarely was information kept "confidential" from a Kaiba if they happened to ask for it. He had been thinking quite a bit about Joey since the night before, and while he had toyed with the idea of having his past rival meet him somewhere like before, it had occurred to him that he wasn't really in any position to be making demands.

That was new, too.

The soft click of a latch brought Seto back to reality, and his blue eyes widened at the sight of a tired-looking, mussy-haired Joey, whose brown orbs watched him with what looked very much like a mixture of surprise and fatigue.

Seto swallowed a cough, standing in what he hoped was an unassuming position. "Can I come in?"

Moments passed before Joey stood to the side, holding the door open for the other.

"Yeah, I guess so. The place is kinda a mess, though," the blond warned with a soft chuckle, not noticing Seto's visible wince. God, when had he become so…weak-kneed at the sound of that laugh? It had always annoyed the hell out of him before. And that wasn't the only thing…the slightly shorter male pulled off the casual look incredibly well. Clothed in only a pair of loose jeans and grey tank top, it was obvious Joey wasn't making any particular effort for his sudden guest.

Shaking his head, Seto strolled over and took a seat on the side of the unmade bed, surveying Joey softly from across the room.

"You look like you just woke up," he observed, more curiosity in his tone than the usual spite. Had the room service people been late delivering his letter? He was tempted to question the other about the night before, but kept the words from leaving his lips before they too could spill out.

"Eh, sorta," Joey shrugged. "I've been up for awhile. I just didn't read your note until a minute ago." The silence turned slightly awkward as the blond stared back at Seto from across the room, brown eyes tinged with wariness. If anything, the brunette was surprised by the lack of anger he saw in those skeptical orbs.

"…listen." Sitting down a few feet away from his rival, Joey put his elbows up on his knees and cradled the side of his face in his palm, never once breaking his gaze. "Whateva trick you're tryin' to play on me with all this stuff…I dunno where you're goin' with it," the blond said honestly, face a picture of confusion and slight…hurt?

Seto mentally cringed. God, he hoped Joey didn't start crying again.

Taking a breath, Joey sat back up to his full height and crossed his arms, a soft shade of distrust slipping over his features. "I-I don't want ya to keep messin' with me."

Glancing up at that remark, Seto tried not to look indignant. "Messing with you?" he repeated, brow furrowing angrily at the blond's obliviousness. "Hasn't it ever occurred to you that I might want something other than fighting with you for once?"

Both teens looked surprised at his question.

Trying his best to seem unaffected by the awkward silence, Seto was wondering whether he should simply stand up and leave before his vision was usurped by an expanse of blue. Startled, he moved back slightly and stared at the wrinkled coat he had offered Joey the night before, memory rushing back into his head. For one moment, one terribly uncomfortable moment, the CEO had the vague notion his cheeks were going pink.

"Somethin'…else?"

--

All Joey could do was stare as his classmate took back the coat, draping it over his lap with that same effortless grace that he had grown to admire. Something else…did Kaiba really mean what he thought he meant?

A soft glance back into those blue eyes, and Joey immediately had to turn his head and cross his legs.

"Yes. Something else. And I would think after the way I've been acting, you would have figured out exactly what it is."

Oh god.

Voice rising up in his throat, Joey bit his lip and deliberately kept his mouth shut. Was this a dream? Those soft chocolate strands and deep cerulean eyes certainly looked real enough. The pristine arch of his pale neck, swooping down to reveal just a glimpse of his collarbone beneath the folds of a black, presumably expensive shirt.

Joey shook his head. It just wasn't possible that THE Seto Kaiba could be interested in someone like him.

However, a narrowing of eyes in the blond's direction revealed that Joey's bewildered reaction obviously wasn't what the CEO wanted to see.

"Damn it, do I have to spell it out for you?" The obvious annoyance reached his ears and Joey looked up, watching the other stare at him with what looked to be frustration more than anything. "What do you call everything I've been doing for you?"

"I don't know!" Groaning, Joey forced his eyes back up. "Look, I don't understand it, all right? It's not fair! You've been an asshole to me my whole life and now you're being…different."

Joey was overwhelmed. Not sure what to do, he directed his gaze away from Seto and stood up, turning his back and pacing restlessly over the carpet. "Don't do this to me, Kaiba," he sighed out in defeat, reaching up with the intention to grip his head only to feel his wrists gripped. Startled, he snapped his head upwards, brown eyes locking with blue.

"…what gives?" he asked, heart pounding heavily in his chest as he felt a familiar sensation of sweat breaking out over the back of his neck. He had no idea what to expect. Was Kaiba going to beat the crap out of him now?

Mentally acknowledging defeat the moment those warm hands moved to grasp his own, Joey looked down, only to gasp as his head was promptly tilted back up.

And then it happened.

All of a sudden, the blond found himself pressed up forcefully against a tall body, held firmly in place by a strong arm around his waist and a hand gripping his hip. Hot lips were sealed over his own, effectively turning him into a frozen, trembling mass.

Knees weak and heat building between them, Joey went limp in the grasp and leaned up despite himself, brown eyes hazy and lidded. God, he just couldn't help himself…he wanted this. For whatever sick, twisted, nonsensical reason, he just couldn't get himself to pull away.

Instead, he slowly reached up and gripped at the folds of the other's black shirt, melting into the kiss.

A few moments passed, which, for all Joey knew, were eternities in themselves, before the grip on his body loosened slightly. Assuming that he was going to be shoved back, he stilled for a moment in reluctance, only to shudder happily as long fingers slipped in his hair. A hot tongue slipped between his lips, eliciting a muffled sound of disbelief from Joey's throat. Kaiba tasted so good…

After a second or two more, the warm mouth left his own, and it took the blond a moment to remember where he was and what had happened.

"That answer your question, puppy?"

Startling at the low voice, Joey engaged in a long series of rapid blinks, waiting for his vision to come back into focus as a single hand trailed up to touch his lips. "I…h-hey, ya said no dog names," he eventually protested with a flicker of a smile, not sure what else to say. His question was answered. At least, the primary one was. He'd have to time to fill in the details later.

As much as Seto Kaiba could drive him crazy, he couldn't force himself to hate it.

--

"Ungrateful mutt." Seto had to try as hard as he could not to smile, arms crossed over his chest. He would never admit it, of course, but this was exactly what he loved about Joey. No cutesy stuff, no easy rides. Just that same fiery spark and determined stubbornness that he had grown to love.

"Oh yeah? Well you're a smug rich asshole who probably gets off ta his own reflection!"

His point exactly.

Unable to hold it in, the brunette chuckled darkly. "Oh, you wish I did, don't you puppy?" he asked, blue eyes glittering. "Don't think I didn't feel that little problem you were having when you kissed me. I'm sure you've imagined that a thousand times."

A deep flush appeared over Joey's cheeks. "You kissed me, asshole!"

"And you liked it."

"You're impossible!"

Seto smirked. He had come to the blond's room intending to have a conversation about where they were going to go from here, but Joey obviously wasn't going to allow it. Silently, the brunette was relieved. There would be plenty of time for that later.

Right now, those dark brown eyes and endearing lips were all that mattered.

With a soft smirk his only warning, Seto reached out to grip Joey by the shoulders, yanking him in and sliding one hand beneath the shirt. Urged on by a stubborn groan, he proceeded to push his catch against the mattress and went for his lips, thoroughly enjoying the almost-convincing physical struggle.

By the next morning, he vowed, the maids would have quite a time trying to clean up Joey's room.

Unable by this time to hold back a grin, the Kaiba brought one of Joey's legs up around his hip, one hand pinning both wrists above the blond head.

--

--

"Yug'!" Gasping at the sight of his best friend waiting for him over near the baggage claim, Joey grinned and staggered clumsily in his direction, hindered by the heavy travel bags slung over each shoulder. Skidding to a halt, he reached down and wrapped his arms tightly around his small companion, smiling widely. "I missed ya so much! I'm so glad ya could come pick me up!"

Effectively compressed into an even smaller package than usual, Yugi gave the blonde a gentle squeeze back and patted his arm, gasping for breath when he was finally set down. "I missed you too, Joey," he coughed out, a smile making its way over his lips. "How was your flight?"

"Eh, all right. Long." Joey stretched his arms up above his head, yawning loudly. "Where's Yami at? Did you guys have fun on your anniversary?" he asked with a teasing grin, bending down just enough to elbow Yugi in the side.

Yugi blushed, just as the other had expected. "Uhm, y-yeah, we had a nice time," he affirmed shyly, looking up at Joey with timid yet happy violet eyes. "He went to go get something from the snack bar. I didn't want to go with him unless your flight arrived and I missed you," the smaller explained, gasping as two longer arms wrapped their way around his chest. Joey tried not to giggle too much at the sight of Yami behind his best friend, with a large soda cup in one hand and what appeared to be a wrapped sandwich in the other.

"Aibou, I got-" Yami looked up, just now realizing the blond was there. "Joey," he nodded in the other's direction, dark eyes widening slightly as he gave the taller man a slightly disconcerting stare. "What happened to your neck?"

Joey blinked in confusion, reaching up absently. "My neck?" he repeated, pressing gently down with a finger and wincing in pain. Lips parting in realization, he went pink and quickly pulled his collar up to hide the marks, giving hasty grin. "It's nothin', honest. Jus' had a little…uh…"

"Hey, yeah, there is something." Wrenching away from Yami's grip, a worried Yugi strolled up and moved Joey's collar to the side, gasping at what he saw patterned over the blond's flesh. "It's all bruised! That looks like it hurts," he said in concern, pulling away slowly. "Do you want me to take you to the Game Shop first? I think Grandpa has some ointment that could help that."

"Nah, it's fine. Barely hurts. Really, Yug'," Joey insisted, unsettled by the almost…knowing look Yami was sending his direction. Seemingly a little less anxious, Yugi shrugged and moved back into the Pharaoh's arms, sucking a little at the straw that poked from the drink cup.

"All right then. Are you ready to go?" the smaller asked, pointing in the general direction of Joey's shoulder. "I can carry one of those bags for you, if you want."

"Wheeler won't be needing you to drive him home anymore."

Making a sound of surprise, Joey turned to the side to find an impatient CEO standing to his right, with his arms crossed and face its usual picture of annoyance. The blond bit his lip, embarrassed.

"Seto…I told ya Yug' was gonna take me," he said softly, having had this discussion already on the plane. He and the Kaiba brothers had agreed to return to Domino on the same day, and Joey had informed the other that his best friend was going to be there to pick him up. At the time, Seto hadn't objected. Joey wondered when the plans had changed.

He also wondered how the Hell he was going to explain himself to his friends when they found out what was going on between himself and the wealthy businessman.

"Oh, hi Kaiba." Waving, Yugi gave the tall brunette a smile, though it was obvious he was more than a little perplexed. "Joey mentioned you were staying at the same hotel when he called me. What are the odds, huh?"

Seto was silent.

"Uhh…" Not really sure what to do, Joey simply shrugged his shoulders and smiled, chuckling. He really didn't want to blow Yugi off, especially after he had come so far to do him the favor of picking him up. But then again, he didn't want to be put in a situation of having to recount the details of what had transpired with Kaiba that past week.

He flushed. After that first night when they had kissed, he and the brunette had managed to stay civil enough to one another for the next couple of days at the resort. They had met on the beach the last day before leaving for Domino and talked, mostly about how they felt for one another. While it was incredibly difficult to get anything incriminating out of Seto Kaiba, Joey felt like he understood enough for now.

Not to say that the bickering had lightened up much.

"I called ahead of time for my driver to pick us up," the CEO effectively snapped Joey from his thoughts, directing his gaze towards the nearly identical lovers. "I have business with Wheeler. After it's taken care of, I'll have someone take him home." Blue eyes narrowed slightly, and Joey had difficulty keeping his blush back.

He couldn't believe it. Seto actually wanted to spend time with him.

As much as the blond wanted to go with his friend as planned, he knew he had to soak up every bit of Seto attention he could get.

"Ah…sorry Yug' I think it's really important," he shrugged one shoulder, smiling guiltily. "Ah'm really sorry ya came all the way up here…I can pay ya the gas money."

Confusion in his dark eyes, Yugi opened his mouth to say something before a slightly smirking Yami cupped his ear. The Pharaoh murmured something indecipherable under his breath, and moments later a dark flush rose up over Yugi's face, which seemed only to deepen Yami's amused expression.

"Oh, um, it's fine Joey," Yugi said with an honest nod and smile, waving a small hand as he began to turn around. "I really just wanted to make sure you got back okay. I'll see you Monday, right? When school starts again?"

Glad his friend wasn't upset, Joey nodded eagerly. "Yeah, 'course. Thanks Yug'. Bye you guys!" he waved at the couple as they began to walk away, watching until both were out of sight.

"…why do ya want me comin' with ya?" the blonde inquired once his friends were sufficiently out of earshot, turning around onto to find Kaiba standing unusually close. He blinked. "What the…? Hey, I asked ya somethin'."

The CEO gave a shake of the head, features displaying a sort of reluctant amusement. "Am I not allowed to look at what's mine?"

Joey gaped. "Wha…h-hey! I ain't no piece of merchandise!" That was practically all he could get out before his lips started curling up into an irrepressible smile. Sure, it was weird. He doubted he'd get to hear the almighty Seto Kaiba say things like that very often. Not that it wasn't a rather Seto Kaiba-y thing to say. He'd just never thought he would hear that sort of possessiveness directed his way.

But it was a Kaiba remark, after all. It would go against their usual behavior for Joey not to respond in kind.

"Jerk."

"Mutt."

"Snob."

"Idiot."

"Freak."

"Screamer."

"…HEY!"

Before the blonde could fight back, he felt warm arms pulling him in, and just this once, Joey decided not to fight it. Just this once.

--

"What?!"

Yugi stared at his dark side with a gobsmacked expression, violet eyes almost threatening to burst from his skull from their increased size. "What do you mean they're together?! How do you know?!"

Yami shook his head a bit, a smirk playing over his lips. "You didn't realize?" he asked, chuckling somewhat darkly under his breath. "You saw the bruises yourself."

"…so?" Looking up at his other half, Yugi opened his mouth to say something when slender fingertips fell over his lips, effectively halting his words.

"You should know what a love bite looks like, aibou." Strong arms scooped Yugi up, crimson eyes looking suspiciously into purple. "I think I've given you enough of those."

With that, a short, struggling king of games was dragged from the airport, cheeks flustered and hands gripping at his lover's blue-clad shoulders.

--

--

The end! :D I hope you liked it. Let me know?