LOTS OF OPENING NOTES

Oh lawd, I wrote a drama. Well, kinda. There are still some funny parts here and there, hopefully. If I could include another category it'd be like this: Drama/Romance/Humour.

This is my four chord wonder. I wrote the fic I hate, the clichés are here, but fortunately not all of them. But I had to, it was the only way to get it off my head. Despite this, I'm actually proud of it.

Kyah, it's M rated! Little me's growing up.

Recommended listening to accompany the story: Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. But if you watch YGOTAS you'll probably want to skip Bullet With Butterfly Wings or it might upset the mood ;) In fact, Smashing Pumpkins in general works. I'm sure Today can fit in there somewhere...

By the way, sorry about the title, I thought and thought and thought but couldn't come up with anything better.

I'm sorry if it might put you off, but no matter what I did, I couldn't find a way to add a separation between paragraphs, symbols didn't work, shift + enter didn't work, so I had to insert those ooo in order to separate a scene from the other. Trust me, without it, it looks confusing.

Joey Wheeler and the Things That Keep Happening But Nothing's Ever Over

1

When Kaiba's pencil fell on the desk, Joey knew that was his chance. To increase his luck, the teacher was taking long to return from wherever he had gone off to.

It's now or never.

He got up from his chair and leaned towards the sleepy Kaiba, who opened his eyes half a second before he felt Joey's lips on his.

No matter how appalled he was, Kaiba wouldn't make a scene in front of the whole class. So he took hold of Joey's collar and pushed him away. Luckily, they were in the back of the class, so nobody had noticed what had happened.

"What's the meaning of this?" His voice was low but clearly disturbed.

Joey smiled and went back to his desk. "What do you think?" His heart was beating so fast he thought he was going to faint.

As Kaiba opened his mouth, the teacher returned. Explanations would have to wait until the end of the class. Not that any of them could pay attention to anything anymore.

Joey hadn't planned that far. Ever since he found himself in love with Seto Kaiba, probably the last person on Earth he (or anyone, for that matter) should fall in love with, his only goal had been to kiss him and try to elicit the same feelings from him. And now that he'd done it…

Now I just want to stay alive.

The last time Kaiba remembered being that pissed off was when he last duelled Yugi. He didn't know where to begin to think about what just happened. Joey Wheeler kissed him, okay, that was the easy part. But why? Why did he do it? Why did he think it was okay to do that? Why—why?

Joey was sitting in a way that his hair hid most of his face, so when Kaiba looked at him, he couldn't figure out absolutely anything. He couldn't see how red his face was, how he was staring blankly at the black-board, how he was, basically, just trying not to pass out.

He could only see his lips.

The lips that had kissed him. The only lips that had ever kissed him. Kaiba never thought about kissing or even having a relationship with anyone before, these things didn't interest him in the least. That mutt had no right to—

The bell rang.

Cautiously, Joey looked at Kaiba, who was staring as if in deep thought at his book. He got his things and left. Maybe he should let the other think about it for a while.

Getting out of his stupor five minutes later, Kaiba did the same. He searched through the school, but Joey was already gone. He considered letting it go. It didn't mean anything to him. If it meant to the other, he didn't care. Why would it mean anything to Joey? He simply couldn't fathom his motives, so he couldn't stop thinking about it. He shouldn't care, but he wanted to know. That's all there was to it. It didn't mean anything to him.

Getting into his car, he drove around for a while, trying to sort out his thoughts. He concluded that he needed to solve that now. Since he didn't know where Joey lived, he drove to Yugi's grandpa's game shop. To his surprise, the first person he saw as he entered the store was Joey himself, sitting in a corner. To his utter surprise, he was crying.

That threw him off the tracks. Now he had all new questions.

"What happened?"

Surprised, Joey rubbed his eyes and got up. "Kaiba? I… why…"

"What happened?"

Joey lowered his head and sighed. "My sister. She was in a car crash."

2

Kaiba instantly thought about his own little brother and imagined what Joey must be feeling right now. "Is… she okay?"

"I don't know. The hospital called while me and Yugi were playing, so we came back here to ask if Grandpa's neighbour could give us a ride because the hospital's pretty far—"

"My car's outside. Let's go."

"But Yugi—"

"You call him back. Come on."

"Um… okay." He grabbed his bag and followed Kaiba to the car.

"Which hospital is it?"

"Puzzle."

The ride was silent. Of course both wanted to talk about what had happened earlier, but knew that wasn't the time.

The woman at the reception guided Joey to a room while Kaiba looked for a phone.

"Joey?"

"Yugi, it's Kaiba. Wheeler's with me."

"Kaiba? What happened? Where's Joey?"

"I went to the game shop and he told me what happened. I drove him to the hospital. "

"Oh." Now it was Yugi's time to be filled with questions, but he refrained himself. "Do you know Serenity's situation?"

God, he didn't even know the sister's name. Serenity. Okay. "Not yet. Wheeler's talking to the doctor. I'll tell him to call you later."

"Okay. Thanks, Kaiba." Boy, did it sound weird thanking Kaiba.

Hanging up the phone, he went to search for the cafeteria and got a cup of coffee. Back at the waiting area, Joey was sitting on a couch, crestfallen in every way of the word. He raised his head when he heard Kaiba approaching.

"She… she's in a coma. No sign of waking up." He broke down in tears again after saying that, hands hiding his face. Kaiba quickly put the cup on the table in front of them and sat next to Joey. He held him clumsily, not used to the action, but couldn't find anything to say.

Should he say it would be okay? He had no way of knowing that, how could he make such a promise? What would he do if things didn't turn out okay? Perhaps he should talk to the doctor himself to know exactly what was going on, but he couldn't leave Joey's side right now.

He sighed as Joey's sobs ebbed, and whispered, "It will be okay."

3

Joey woke up and reality dawned on him. His sister was in a coma and might never wake up again. It also dawned on him that he had been sleeping on someone's lap, and the cherry on top was that he had drooled on said lap.

Tears. I was crying, he'll think it's tears. He? I'm on Kaiba's lap. What do I do?

He raised his head and immediately met Kaiba's eyes.

"The doctor said we should go home. They'll call to inform of any news."

"Oh. I should go then."

"Where's your family? Why aren't they here?"

"My Mom… I think she's travelling to some country, I have no idea which. My father, well, he just doesn't care."

Kaiba thought about that. The parent he remembered was a giant douche, the ones he barely did hardly mattered, but he was pretty sure they were dead too. Parents were useless.

He should tell Joey to stay with someone, the company of only a deadbeat father probably wouldn't make him any good right now. Or ever. Maybe Yugi or that pointy-haired guy. But what came out of his mouth surprised both of them.

"Come stay in my house for now." He wanted to take care of it. For some reason, he felt responsible for Joey. The only way he would make sure Joey was alright was if he were the one looking after him. Why he wanted to be sure that Joey would be alright was a mystery to him.

"I can't, I have to get money for the rent and the other bills."

"Is your father disabled?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Then he'll take care of it if he wants to."

Joey thought about it. He couldn't argue with that, even though he knew his father would probably die in a pool of his own dejects before getting a job. Screw him, he deserved it anyway.

"I have to get some things first."

"What about the hospital bills?"

"My Mom can pay for them, as soon as they find her, that is."

They reached the reception and left Kaiba's phone number. Kaiba opened the door and reached for his keys, casually looking around. "And the next time you drool on me, I'll make you dry it."

Joey instantly got beet red, lowering his head as he sat in the car. "Sorry." With his head down, he missed the almost smile on Kaiba's face.

ooo

Joey was almost sleeping again when they reached his beat-up building. He asked Kaiba to wait in the car while he got his things, too embarrassed of his drunken father. As usual, he was sleeping on the couch, with six or seven empty bottles around him. Joey quickly gathered some of his belongings and left a note on the refrigerator, explaining the situation.

"See ya later, old man. Come looking for me if you ever become a human being."

His father groaned and rolled on the couch.

He closed the door softly and left.

Back in the car, he decided to try and explain his actions back in the classroom.

"Kaiba… about before…"

"We can talk later. I don't like discussing anything on an empty stomach."

"Oh. Okay." In the silence of the car, Joey started to ponder whether this was really such a good idea.

4

Kaiba gave him a room and showed him around so he wouldn't get lost.

"If you want, I'll call Yugi to tell him what's going on."

"Nah, it's okay. I'll talk to him in school tomorrow."

"Then go take a shower. Dinner will be served in forty minutes."

Bossy much? "Okay."

Back in his own room, Kaiba also took a shower, reliving in his mind the happenings of this strange, strange day. Things always took a turn for the strange when Yugi and his friends were involved, but today was on another level. Because it didn't involve anything that could be considered supernatural or paranormal. It was only reality being bizarre right on his face.

He called Mokuba and explained everything to him, then both sat on the dinner table waiting for their guest. A couple of minutes later Joey showed up, pale face and puffy eyes, he was the image of gloominess.

They ate quietly, with only Mokuba describing his day at school and Kaiba nodding. The fact that his little brother had found a boy he couldn't beat in Capsule Monsters made his eye twitch for a moment.

After dinner, Mokuba excused himself to go do his homework and they were left alone at the table. Kaiba finished his glass of water and looked at Joey. "If you want to talk, now's the time."

Joey looked away, trying to think of a way to begin. He sighed, still looking at anything but Kaiba. "There isn't much to say. I like you."

Even though that's what Kaiba was expecting, it still surprised him. "Why?"

"I… I don't know why, it just happened. I'm sorry that a man is confessing to you, but I couldn't hold it anymore."

"It makes no difference to me whether you're a man or a woman; the fact is that I'm not interested in anybody." He could see what an awful thing he had just said in Joey's defeated face. "I'm sorry, I should have thought before speaking."

"No, you said what you meant; it was the right thing to do." Just not what I wanted to hear.

"Look… I don't want to give you any false hope. But give me some time to think about this. Just don't expect much of it."

Joey smiled weakly. "It's okay, Kaiba. I understand. If it's alright, I'm going to bed now."

"Of course. We'll go to the hospital again tomorrow after school."

In spite of what just happened, Joey was grateful to him for everything else. "Thanks."

Alone at the table, Kaiba thought. He didn't have time in his life for anything or anybody other than his brother and the company.

But… that wasn't exactly true, was it? He had time to go to duel championships, to try and think of new ways to defeat Yugi, to create Blue Eyes White Dragon merchandise.

And now he was taking care of him anyway. Did he feel anything for Joey? Surely he was good looking and had an interesting personality. He even considered him a decent duellist despite everything he said.

He called him loser and ordinary. That was so… so childish. Why would he do that?

But those reactions he was used to see related to love, he didn't feel any of them. There was no ache or acceleration in his heart if he thought about him, nor a sense of over-joy.

There was that desire to protect him, but that had started today. Even if Joey was an underdog before, he was more of a lost puppy now. It made him feel bad. What he liked to see when he looked at Joey was the fight in his eyes, the challenger, the fierce duellist.

Giving up on it for now, he decided to go to bed. He wasn't in the mood for work or anything else.

Passing by Joey's room, he heard him sobbing very softly. He made to knock but stopped. Should he go in or leave him alone? He wanted to go inside and console him, but now he could be crying for two different reasons, and he was one of them.

Vexed, he refrained from knocking and went to his own room.

ooo

Joey was in fact crying for three different reasons. The first was the probability of never seeing his sister awake again, that hurt him terribly. And the fact that he hadn't been with her to protect her affected him deeply. What a lousy older brother he was.

The second was the unrequited feelings for Kaiba. What was he expecting anyway? Who was he to want anything with Seto Kaiba? He had wanted to try and make him feel the same, but now it felt like a lost battle. He'd said he would think about it but Joey knew he was just being nice after having stuck his foot in his mouth.

The third was everything balled up together. He hated himself for feeling so weak, for crying, for being helpless. The weight of the situation felt unbearable. The only relief he got was from crying. And he hated himself for it.

5

The next morning they went to school in the usual silence. Kaiba wanted to say something, but there was nothing to be said. He hadn't decided anything, and opening his mouth could result in him saying the wrong thing again.

Joey met Yugi and told him everything. Well, everything about the car crash. Serenity was in a car with a couple of friends, when another car hit them. Everybody died except her.

Yugi was very sad, of course, but why Kaiba was involved in all this puzzled him.

"What was he doing in the game shop anyway?"

Joey had put two and two together and figured it out earlier. He turned slightly red and quickly thought of something. "Well, we had a fight yesterday and I think he wanted a rematch."

"And how did he know you would be there?"

"Um… he must have gone to my house and saw I wasn't there. So he figured I'd be with you."

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry for all the questions, Joey. It's just that it's so weird to see him being so helpful. And you can stay with me if you want to, okay?"

He really thought he should, but being besides Kaiba felt good, even if he couldn't do anything. "Thanks, Yugi. But I think we're starting to get along." Yeah, right. "And you're right. I just think he can relate. What with his brother and everything."

He didn't know how right he was.

ooo

After the first few classes, Joey couldn't stand being inside anymore and climbed to the roof of the school. He laid on the floor, anxious and depressed, unable to stop thinking about everything. He felt the tears coming again but fought against them. He'd only be angrier if he cried again. So he closed his eyes tightly and didn't dare opening them again.

A while later, he felt someone sitting next to him and knew it was Kaiba.

"Do you wanna go now?"

He opened his eyes and stared at the sky. "Yeah."

ooo

They both sat next to Serenity, listening to the constant beeping sound of the machines. Joey wondered if she knew he was there. If she was mad at him. He thought she probably was. Why she hadn't turned into a punk after being abandoned so many times, first by her father, then her mother and brother, was a mystery to him. He knew he should have tried to stay with her, maybe get a decent job and rent an apartment for the both of them. And now it was most likely too late. The fact that she hadn't turned into a delinquent after all she had been through amazed him.

But then again, neither had he. There had been Hirutani's gang back then, but he had been smart enough to leave that behind after he fulfilled his reasons to follow him in the first place.

Kaiba took the time to study Joey. Even in his crushed emotional state, there were absolutely no bad qualities on him. He cared deeply for his sister, and Kaiba could tell he felt guilty.

"Why do you blame yourself?"

Joey was stunned that Kaiba figured that out. "She should be with me. Our mother is not a bad person, but she's a little spaced out. I knew she wouldn't take proper care of Serenity."

Kaiba got what he said. He also felt he was the best person to take care of Mokuba, and never would entrust him to anyone else. But there had to be something he could say to make Joey feel better.

"You're right. Not about being your fault, but she should stay with you."

Joey nodded and looked back at his sister. She looked so pale and sickly that he couldn't look too long before those damn tears would threaten to spill again.

After the doctor came to check on her, they left to get something to eat. Joey couldn't eat more than a salad, and played with the food in his plate. Kaiba wasn't much hungry either but finished his lunch as if it were a duty.

They went back to her room, and Joey couldn't help but ask why Kaiba was doing all that.

"I found that you're a good person, and I don't say that about many people. In fact I don't think anybody is good. But the image I had of you was completely wrong. Even if it isn't the same as you, I guess I like you too."

Joey was speechless, but willed himself to go on. "Because I care about my sister?"

"Because you truly care about her. And you care about your parents even if they don't deserve it. The world just isn't a fair place."

Joey stayed silent for a while, then he looked outside the window. "You're also not who I thought you were."

"Oh? Does that change how you feel about me?"

Joey smiled even if he didn't want to. "Not really." Or maybe it just makes me like you even more.

6

Mokuba was angry at his Capmon maniac colleague and couldn't talk to either of them, too busy thinking of new strategies.

Like the previous night, Joey excused himself to go to bed right after dinner, glad that the next day was a Saturday, so there would be no school.

Like the previous night, Kaiba could hear him crying softly. He entered the room without knocking, sat next to Joey and held him. Joey forced himself to stop crying but Kaiba held him tighter, telling him not to hold it in.

"It hurts, Kaiba."

"I'm sorry."

"It hurts."

"I'm sorry."

He held him until both fell asleep.

ooo

He was glad he hadn't drooled this time. He was glad to be held by Kaiba. If that was all he could get, then he would enjoy it. Instead of getting up, he stayed in bed, even if the sun was burning his face.

"I could close the curtains if it's bothering you."

"Oh, er… if it's okay…"

Kaiba let go of him and got up to close the curtains. Alone in the bed, he felt colder than he'd ever been, but in a moment, Kaiba was back in the same position.

"Go back to sleep. I'll be here." The words felt sweet and sour, but Joey opted to think only about the sweet part.

ooo

When Joey woke up again, he was lying on Kaiba's chest. Kaiba was holding him like a hero would hold a heroine on the cover of a pulp romance. Geez, I'm not a girl.

Even if I am behaving like one.

This time Kaiba was asleep, and he took this chance to look at him.

His face was stunningly beautiful. He wished only for a moment he were awake so he could see those striking blue eyes. I'm ogling him. If he were awake, he'd probably blush. Or hit me. Or both.

He petted Kaiba's hair softly. Kaiba made a beautiful sound that he realized was a moan.

I shouldn't do that. It's like I'm molesting him. Even if he thought that, his hand continued to pet his hair.

"Joey…"

He was petrified. His hand stopped and he didn't know what to do.

"Joey…"

"Y-yeah?"

"Joey…"

Is he dreaming? Is he dreaming about me?

At a loss for what to do, Joey looked around. And then his eyes fell on it.

Kaiba had an erection.

His face felt so hot he thought it was on fire. Even through clothes and blanket, he could clearly see it.

He couldn't stay there anymore. Getting up carefully as to not wake him, he left for the bathroom. He sat against the door, dazed and puzzled. Then he got up and washed his face. He sat again, pulling at his hair.

What's the meaning of this? Heh, it's what he said back then. But seriously, what? Should I tell him? Should I nonchalantly say, "Hey Kaiba, you were totally having a happy dream about me last night"? He'd never believe me. And… when can I get out of here?

Outside, Kaiba awoke from his very first wet dream ever equally confused. He tried to enter the bathroom but the door was locked. Then he remembered that wasn't his room. He left quickly before Joey would get out.

Hearing the room door close, Joey got up and opened the bathroom door.

Okay, false hope be damned. Now I know I have a chance.

7

They had missed breakfast and were almost late for lunch. On the table, neither could look at the other. Noticing the weird mood, Mokuba wanted to know what was wrong.

"Nothing's wrong, Mokuba. Why would you think that?"

"I don't know. It feels like one of you walked in on the other changing or something."

Kaiba and Joey looked at each other but quickly diverted their eyes.

"Nothing's wrong, Mokuba."

ooo

Something was very wrong. Whenever Kaiba would look at Joey, his stomach would do something weird, but not in a bad way. He thought about the dream he had, but couldn't remember much of it. Joey and him were in bed. Joey had kissed him again, and this time he didn't push him away. They kept on kissing and… the rest was a blur.

They postponed the trip to the hospital because neither could look properly at the other.

Mokuba made them play some video game with him, and after a couple of hours, things were back to normal.

ooo

Serenity's room was filled with flowers. Looking at cards, Joey noticed some were from his friends, and some he didn't know, he supposed were from her friends. She has so many friends I don't know. Including those two who…

He couldn't complete the thought.

Later, back in Kaiba's house, Joey fell on the couch, suddenly feeling very tired. He opened one eye to see that Kaiba was standing at the door.

"Would you mind… if I slept with you again tonight?"

Joey felt his whole body tingle. "Not at all." Before he could say anything else, Kaiba left and only returned when it was time to go to bed. He went to his room and lied on the bed, leaving the door ajar.

A few minutes later, Kaiba showed up and closed the door.

The room was darker than the other nights. Perhaps because the curtains were still closed. In a few moments, Joey felt Kaiba sitting on the bed, and in another couple of seconds, his arms were around him. Joey simply knew from now on he would have trouble sleeping whenever those arms weren't around him.

"I'm sorry that I'm still not sure. But of one thing I'm certain. What I want the most right now is to kiss you."

The tingles in Joey's body were now a hundred times stronger. He breathed deeply to keep his voice steady. "Okay."

Seconds had passed after that and nothing had happened. When Joey opened his mouth to ask if everything was okay, he felt Kaiba's lips on his. It was heavenly. So much better than the time in the classroom. It was a little clumsy, since it was the second kiss for both of them, but very affectionate. It was like both were trying to show the other what they were feeling with their movements.

Clumsiness soon became excitement, and the kiss grew hotter. Kaiba knew it wouldn't be fair to Joey if he just kissed him and then told him he didn't want anything to do with him. But even so, he had to try, otherwise he wouldn't know.

But now he knew. He knew he didn't want to spend another single day without kissing him again.

He stopped, a little breathless, just enough to say, "Okay, I'm sure now", and went back to the kissing.

The room was suddenly too hot. Kaiba took off his shirt and threw it across the darkness. Instead of kissing Joey's lips again, he went for his neck, and it also felt incredible. Wherever his lips touched on Joey's skin, would make them both moan.

After a while, Kaiba's fingers touched the hem of Joey's pants, but Joey stopped him. "Tell me you're absolutely sure."

He took Joey's hand and kissed it. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Now take off that shirt before I rip it off you." Joey was only happy to comply.

It was all or nothing. If Kaiba indeed dumped him after tonight, he knew the broken heart would probably kill him. If not, well, then maybe it was time he enjoyed some well deserved happiness.

When Kaiba was finally satisfied having kissed Joey's whole upper body, he went back to his pants, silently asking permission with his hands this time. Joey's answer was to raise his body from the bed to help him take them off.

As soon as he was naked, he felt Kaiba's lips and tongue around him and couldn't stifle a loud moan. Obviously smiling, Kaiba put a hand over his mouth and told him to shut up. Joey apologized, also smiling, but almost did it again when Kaiba's mouth returned around him.

Since Kaiba had told him he had no interest in anybody, he probably had never done that before. How he was so good at it, Joey couldn't figure out. Well, this was new to him too. Maybe it always felt this good. A few minutes later when Kaiba's tongue was doing indescribable things to him, Joey decided that no, it was definitely Kaiba that was over-skilled.

"Kaiba… I'm gonna…" Kaiba stopped suddenly.

"Bite on the pillow."

As soon as he did, Kaiba continued, giving him the first non-solo orgasm of his life. He thanked god for the pillow.

"Tastes funny." Joey blushed violently. If Kaiba were the type to talk dirty he would probably die of embarrassment. But luckily for him, that was all he said.

"I wanna do it too." Kaiba nodded, removing his pants and throwing them right on top of his shirt, unbeknownst to him.

Joey simply knew he wasn't doing it as good as Kaiba had done, but he got him moaning nonetheless, his body rising from the bed to meet Joey's lips. In a few minutes, he silently agreed. It did taste funny. But not bad.

He went back to Kaiba's side kissing his chest on the way and licking one of his nipples. Kaiba let out a tired "Ah", and held him tightly. "Thank you, Joey."

Joey smiled content. "Any time. Seto."

8

Joey woke up in the middle of the night in a sudden burst of panic, absolutely sure that Kaiba would regret it the next morning. He tossed and turned, thinking if he would be able to cope with it, was it really possible to die of a broken heart? But Kaiba's arms held him again.

"Stop kicking me! If you don't want me anymore wait until morning so I can kick your ass."

Joey let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He kissed Kaiba's chest. "Sorry. Just having a bad dream."

Kaiba squeezed him until he thought he would suffocate. He didn't know Kaiba was that strong. "I'm here."

Smiling, he closed his eyes again. "I know."

ooo

He was dreaming he was being crushed by a giant rock and woke up to a Seto Kaiba fully lying on top of him. "Kaiba… I can't breathe…"

"Hmm… shut up, mattress."

"No, seriously!" He rolled them until Kaiba was beside him. "You talk to your mattress?"

"Only when he feels this good." His hand groped Joey's body blindly, eliciting moans and laughs. "Yesterday I had a… dream about you."

"Oh, I know."

"You know?"

"Yeah. You were saying my name and then I looked at you and you were, you know."

"…Up?"

"Um… yeah. Then I left because I didn't know what to do."

"Well, that had me thinking. Whether I had become just sexually attracted to you or it was something more. But then I… took care of it and still couldn't stop thinking about you."

Joey was getting redder by the second.

"Then I kissed you," he kissed Joey's shoulder, "and knew it was so much more."

Joey was so happy he thought he would explode. But he had to ask. "Hey, uh… it surely seemed like you knew what you were doing last night."

Kaiba was silent.

"How come?"

He sighed. "After we got back from the hospital, I watched some… educational videos. And I'm a fast learner."

Joey was mildly shocked. "Educational. Right."

Kaiba shut him up with a kiss, then looked in his eyes with a serious expression. "You changed me, Wheeler. I can feel it was a change for the best. But… it also feels my life will be harder from now on."

Joey thought about it. "Well, I think no relationship is easy. But if it's worth fighting for, then everything else is worth it." And nobody is worthier than you.

Kaiba stared at him for another few seconds. "You're incredible." Then he got up, completely brazen and got his clothes from the ground. "Come on. Let's go get breakfast."

ooo

Mokuba was staring at them.

"You're weird again."

"Oh? How so?"

"It's different than yesterday. Are you two dating?"

Joey choked on his milk. Kaiba smiled calmly. "Maybe."

"Tch, whatever. I don't care." But Kaiba could see he was smiling too.

ooo

Joey was fidgeting in the seat of the car.

"What is it? Do you want to go to the bathroom?"

"Er… no. Do we… are we dating?"

Kaiba smiled, comprehending his edginess. "Do you want us to be?"

Joey stared daggers at him. "Kaiba…"

"Yes, we're dating, I'm your boyfriend, whatever you wanna call it. What difference does it make? You'd probably turn into a statue if anyone found out."

Joey felt a warm wave take over his heart and butterflies partied in his stomach. "Well, I wanted to know. And… I'm working on it. On my nerves."

"Good. Because I'm no good at keeping secrets."

Joey gulped as they got out of the car.

ooo

The receptionist told them there was a new visitor in Serenity's room. Joey ran to the room. A woman sat with her back to the door.

"Mom?"

9

The woman got up from the chair and stopped in front of Joey. It seemed like she wanted to hug him but felt she didn't have any right to. She looked at the boys and lowered her head. "I… I was in Paris. I asked her to come with me but she didn't want to. I said she couldn't have any boys over or drink alcohol. And… and…"

"Mom, that's enough." He put his hands on her shoulders and she cried on his chest.

Kaiba touched his arm. "I'm going to wait outside."

"No, stay. Mom, this is Seto Kaiba. He's my… we are…" His mother's face was a question mark. Kaiba went to the rescue, holding out his hand to the woman.

"Hello ma'am, I'm his boyfriend." He looked at Joey. "See? I didn't burst into flames or anything."

Joey was red and fuming. "Shut up."

His mother's eyes sparkled as she looked at Kaiba and shook his hand. "So… unnaturally gorgeous! Are you a model?"

Kaiba tilted his head a little. Unnaturally? "No, I'm the C.E.O. of KaibaCorp."

"Oh, my! That sounds so important."

Joey was undisturbed, long knowing his mother would probably react like that to the news that her son had a boyfriend. "Mom, did you pass by the house?"

"Oh, Joey. I couldn't. Not alone. What if he hits me? I'm so scared of him! He doesn't hit you, does he?"

"Of course not! He's too drunk all the time to have a decent aim. Plus I'm stronger than him."

"That's good. I'm… I'm so stupid. I should have taken you both with me when I left. But… you know I didn't have any money and…"

"Shhh. We talked about this. It's okay."

Kaiba was sitting on a chair looking at Serenity, but paying close attention to the conversation.

"We can go over there later if you want to. I'll be there with you."

"I don't know, Joey. Maybe we should just leave him alone."

"…I understand." He sat next to Kaiba and touched Serenity's face gently. I'm sorry.

ooo

On the ride back, Kaiba couldn't help but notice that Joey was depressed again. "You want them to get back together."

It wasn't even a question. "Geez, Kaiba. How can you be so perceptive?"

"Maybe you're easy to read. At least ever since you became my favourite subject."

It would take long to get used to Kaiba talking to him like that. He blushed, looking out the window. "That was the idea. But things in real life don't work out like in the movies. She left because he hit her. I couldn't stop him because I was too small. He'd hit me too, but nothing serious. Just the occasional slap in the butt if he was displeased with something. She really didn't have any money back then, but after a couple of years she started writing for a fashion magazine and became sorta famous in that midst. She sends me an allowance every once in a while but I'm saving most of it for college. She did ask me to go live with her once but… I just couldn't leave him alone. He's my father despite everything.

"I… joined a gang and learned how to fight because some nights his hand was heavier, and I didn't want to live like that. I don't even know why I wanted them to get back together anymore. It wouldn't work out. I guess it was just some promise I made Serenity."

Just like that, Joey told his whole story to Kaiba. Well, almost all of it.

"And how did you start hanging out with Yugi?"

"Well, I was still a bit of a slacker, but Yugi showed me some truths and I realized I was just being an ass."

Kaiba smiled, parking the car in the mansion's driveway. "Being an ass doesn't always pay off."

Joey didn't quite hear him. "Eh?"

"What? I said nothing."

10

That night Joey was nervous again. Would they do it again? Or would they do… something else? How many 'educational videos' had Kaiba watched? Was he ready? Where they ready? Would he be on the bottom? Probably. Kaiba was too bossy to allow anything else. What if it hurt too much and he'd never want to do it again? But he wanted anyway. He wanted badly.

"What are you thinking about? Sometimes you look like the cat that ate the canary, but now you just look like the canary."

Go to hell with your ESP, Kaiba. "Um… nothing. Nothing at all."

"Okay. I'll pretend I believe you just this once. Will you come sleep in my room tonight? My bed is bigger."

Joey's stomach did a back-flip. "Sure."

Kaiba sat next to him on the couch. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

He blew softly on Joey's ear and whispered, "What are you thinking about?"

Now it did a kick-flip to indy to impossible. "N-noth…"

He ran his tongue along the shell and bit on the lobe. "What are you thinking about?"

Seriously that this guy had never been with anyone before? Joey was having a hard time believing that. "What… what are you thinking about, Kaiba?"

Kaiba pulled Joey so that his head was on his lap and he was looking up to his face. "I'm thinking about how much I want you." He ran his hand across Joey's chest. "About how sexy you'll look naked on my sheets. And all of the sounds I'm going to make come out of you. Mokuba is sleeping at a friend's, so you can be as loud as you want."

Joey felt so light-headed he knew he'd fall if he tried to stand up now. Mostly because all of his blood had suddenly rushed to a single part of his body. He didn't even have enough left to blush anymore.

Kaiba crossed his arms, turning his face away from Joey. "Of course, if you have other plans I'll understand."

Joey's eyes widened. "No, of course not!"

Kaiba leaned forward and kissed him. "Good. Then go upstairs. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Gathering the necessary strength to climb the stairs, Joey heard the car engine.

Inside the room, he didn't know what to do. Should I take off my clothes? No, it's too weird to be naked alone in someone else's room. Maybe I should get on the bed. Or maybe I should open the window because I think I'm starting to sweat. Dammit.

He opened the window and stared at the huge full moon. His heart was still aching for Serenity, but there was nothing he could do about it. Only hope. And wait.

After a few minutes, he heard the car parking and sat on the windowsill, too nervous to do anything else. Kaiba entered the room and walked to him without turning on the lights. He took Joey's face in his hands and stared into his eyes. The moon light made him look almost ethereal.

"You suddenly became very important to me. And I thank you for entering my life like this. Don't ever leave it."

Unknowingly, he had considerably calmed Joey down with these words. Joey smiled lovingly. "I won't."

Kaiba kissed him with passion, slowly pulling him to the bed. In a couple of minutes, their clothes were strewed across the floor. Kaiba got the little package with lube gel he had just bought from his pocket and put it on the night-stand.

The moon was doing a decent job of illuminating the room. Kaiba noticed the apprehensive look on Joey's face. "The last thing I wanna do is hurt you. Tell me if I do and I'll stop it."

"No. I want you to go all the way."

"Even so."

"I need this, Kaiba."

Kaiba kissed his neck and rubbed himself on him like a cat. "Okay, stubborn. Then I won't stop even if you beg me."

Joey smiled fiercely. "Like I will!"

Kaiba kissed his neck once more and took the gel. He put some of it on his middle finger and began introducing it in Joey, carefully watching his face. Joey tightened his jaw, trying to relax.

"Joey..."

"I'm okay, Kaiba. Don't stop." It wasn't that bad. Especially because he was sure it would feel nice soon. Well, it had to.

Kaiba massaged Joey with his finger, noticing that he was relaxing more and more after each thrust. After a couple of minutes, he started pushing back against Kaiba's hand. It really did feel good. He moaned, pulling Kaiba towards him for a kiss. He was so caught on in it he didn't even notice when Kaiba's finger became two. One of his hands was lost in Kaiba's hair, while the other scratched his back wildly.

Kaiba stopped gradually, touching his forehead to Joey's. "No turning back."

He knew that was a really a question, his last chance to back up. "No."

He removed his fingers and aligned himself with Joey's entrance. He tried for the life of him to go as slow as possible. The frown on Joey's face told him it hurt much more than the fingers. He kissed the closed eyes, silently apologizing. After what it felt like an eternity, he was all the way in. He stopped and let some of his weight fall on Joey.

Joey was holding him tightly, panting in his ear. "I love you."

Kaiba felt his heart warming up. There it was, the over-joy, the heart beats getting faster. He looked at Joey with what was probably the happiest smile of his life. "You know what? I love you too."

They kissed passionately and Kaiba started moving slowly, hands touching Joey everywhere. Joey pushed him slightly so he could look at his face. He'd never felt so elated. He simply couldn't believe Kaiba had just told him that. When he said it, it wasn't so he could hear it back, in fact he wasn't expecting to hear this for at least a while; who knows, maybe never. Kaiba was just really full of surprises.

Kaiba kissed him again, increasing the speed of his movements. When Joey moaned louder, he searched his face but only saw pleasure in it. Relieved, he took him in his hand and stroked him in time with the movements. Joey's noises were almost screams now. That amused him.

"You really are... loud", he said between a pant and another. "Not that I'm complaining."

Joey showed him his tongue playfully. "Shut up." Kaiba took said tongue in his mouth and sucked on it, making Joey produce a new noise. Minutes later, he found out that Joey was actually being pretty quiet before, comparing to the yell his orgasm drew out from him. Feeling him tighten even more around him proved to be too much for Kaiba and his own climax soon followed. The fact that he'd been so silent in contrast to Joey made him chuckle.

Opposites in everything.

Having forgotten their problems at least for a little while, they fell asleep almost at the same time, tired and infinitely happy.

11

Kaiba had both arms around his waist and his lips touched his belly, as if he had fallen asleep mid-kiss. Joey decided to never leave that bed again.

But in the next minute, his stomach growled, and lips turned into teeth.

"Ow! I'm the one who's hungry and you bite me?"

"I'm hungry too but I'll settle for eating you."

Torn between embarrassed and ecstatic, Joey smiled. "How can a personality change so much in just a few days?"

Kaiba bit him again. "My personality didn't change. I'm still an asshole to the rest of the world. How do you feel about breakfast in bed?"

"I'd say it's the greatest idea you had today."

"And how do you feel about the maid seeing us like this?"

"Um... maybe we should put some clothes on."

Kaiba got off the bed to gather their clothes. "You won't ever hear me saying this again but, well, duh." He climbed back in bed and buried his face in Joey's neck. "I just meant together. In bed."

"You'll shock me whenever you have the chance, won't you?"

"I think it'll be my new goal in life."

"Okay. I don't mind people knowing. It's not because you're a guy. I'm just... shy about these things, you know?"

"Not really. Never been shy about anything. But it's just another thing to put on the list."

"List? What list?"

"Things where we're the opposite one of the other. Red and blue. Black and white." He sucked on Joey's neck. "Noisy and quiet."

Joey gasped with the sensations, threading his fingers on Kaiba's hair. "Rich and poor."

"That wasn't on the list. But I'm glad opposites attract." He got a phone from the night-stand and asked the maid to bring them breakfast. Just like in a hotel. 'Rich' was a huge understatement. When he was done, Joey was dressed already. "But the best thing is that we have so much more in common than opposite."

"Such as?"

He put on his own clothes and returned to Joey's side. "I don't know. But I know it's true. We just have to find out."

Joey felt dizzy with those words. Having no idea of what to say, he kissed Kaiba with all the love in his heart.

"By the way, you do know we missed school, right?"

"Really? What time is it?"

"A quarter to nine. I'll call them and make up something."

"Oh, good. I didn't get any homework done the whole weekend."

"I did, but you can't copy."

"What? Why not?"

Kaiba licked the red mark that was slowly turning purple in Joey's neck. "Because it's wrong."

Before Joey could reply, there was a knock on the door, and the maid entered with a plate full of food. She didn't say anything, just smiled at them and left.

"She tried to find a girlfriend for me once. Now she's probably sure I didn't want because I don't play for that team, or whatever that expression is."

"You didn't even have a team."

He started fixing some food in a plate for both of them. "True. I thought loving someone was suicide. Futile suffering. I've had my share of people declaring themselves to me, some crying and begging, but they all meant less than nothing. No matter how good looking, boy or girl, none ever interested me." He held a grape to Joey's lips. "Aren't you special?"

Joey ate the grape, licking Kaiba's fingers in the process. "Aren't I?"

After a breakfast that was much disturbed by making-out sessions between a bite and another (and sometimes bites were just part of it), they finally left the bed. Kaiba forced Joey to do his homework all by himself, only occasionally helping when he seemed genuinely stumped.

They went to the hospital after lunch, and later passed by the game shop because Joey wanted to buy a booster pack. Yugi could tell the atmosphere was different between his friend and Kaiba, there wasn't that sensation of... diamond dust between them anymore, even if Kaiba didn't say a word during their stay.

"Kaiba... do you think we should tell them about us?"

"Actually I think it'd be more fun if they found out on their own. Like, walking in on us kissing and having a heart attack."

"Oh, you just wanna kill them."

"That's the fun part. Now let's go to bed. I'm tired but I wanna snuggle before sleeping."

Snuggle? Joey was shocked once again.

The love-making was even better than in the previous night, practice indeed led to perfect. The only down side for Kaiba was that he couldn't hear Joey's delicious noises now that Mokuba was home.

12

The week continued in this pace, Serenity still slept and Kaiba and Joey enjoyed the thrill of making out in places they could easily be found, both by school staff or friends, but lady luck was on their side on this. Until Friday, when a hot snuggling behind the gym building was interrupted by a loud crash.

"N-no way!" Tristan took a step and tripped on all the gym material he had been carrying and dropped.

Joey blushed. "Oh, hi Tristan. He, he. I guess we were found out."

"Didn't you see he was following us?"

"What? He was? And you didn't say anything?"

"I thought you knew and were being kinky."

"S-so you were being kinky?"

"Hey! Stop saying kinky! I... I saw but I can't believe. And I wasn't following you!"

"We can do it again if you want, but no pictures."

"You're having way too much fun with this, aren't you Kaiba?"

"Wasn't that the point?"

"B-but... how is it possible that you two are... what are you two anyway?"

Kaiba grabbed Joey's butt and brought him closer. "Lovers. Hey, I liked that. From now on you're not my boyfriend anymore. You're my lover. Sounds sexier."

"B-boyf-boyfriend?"

"No, lover."

Tristan passed out.

"Here's another one you won't hear me saying again, unless we make another one pass out: score."

"You're insane. Come on, lover. (Won't say it again, it sounds weird.) We gotta wake him up."

"Why?"

"Why?" Joey thought about it. "Hey, I didn't use to have a reason to help a friend. You're a bad influence, Kaiba."

"So? The dark side is way better."

"Dark side? I thought you hated Star Wars."

"Doesn't mean I can't like Darth Vader."

"Of course it does!"

"He's gone."

"What?"

"Your friend."

"Don't change the- oh my god he's gone!"

In matter of seconds, Tristan had returned pulling Yugi with him.

"Tristan, why can't you just tell me what happened?"

"I told you, you gotta see it with your own eyes!"

"Oh, hey, Joey. Kaiba. What's going on? Why's Tristan hyperventilating?"

"Um... because he saw us..."

"Saw you doing what?"

"Er..."

Kaiba sighed and pulled Joey towards him again. "This."

Joey was afraid this time his face really would catch on fire, but he continued kissing Kaiba. It felt too good to stop.

"Oh. That's why the mood had changed between you two."

Tristan shook him. "That's all you have to say?"

"What else? They seem happy."

"But... but... he... they..." He looked at them again, and to his luck, they had stopped kissing.

"But Joey, what about Mai?"

"What about her? She has big boobs, everybody checks her out. Even Téa."

"I don't."

"You're-different-Kaiba."

"Come on, Tristan. Let's leave them alone. I'm sure they want to enjoy the rest of the break." This time he was the one pulling the still incredulous Tristan along.

"See? School can be fun."

Joey only shook his head.

13

They were duelling when the phone rang.

Kaiba noticed the nervousness on Joey's face and went to answer it. He was nervous too.

"Yes? This is Kaiba. He's here."

Joey couldn't breathe.

Kaiba turned towards him and his smile made him look like an angel. "Thanks. We'll be right over."

This time, his tears didn't bother him at all.

ooo

"...And your brother is dating a super hot male model! No, wait. I think he said-"

"Mom! Serenity!" Joey ran inside the room and hugged his sister.

"Oh, Joey! Thank you so much!"

That confused Joey. He sat next to her in the bed. "What? Why in the world would you thank me? I... I wasn't there to protect you. Because of me, you-"

A slap resonated across the room. "Don't you ever say that again! How can you blame yourself over something like that? None of this was your fault, Joey."

"But... if you were staying with me, maybe I could..."

"Even if we lived together, I could still have gone out and it still would have happened." She held him again. "You can't control these things, Joey. Please, understand. It's just the way it is. Now stop this, okay?"

"...Thanks, Serenity. For being so wonderful."

"I thanked you for coming to visit me every day. You and Mr. Kaiba."

Kaiba and Joey's mother watched the scene as if it were a soap opera. "Ugh, please. Just Kaiba is fine."

"You... you could tell we were here?"

"I think I could feel it. And I could feel your sorrow. I'm sorry there was nothing I could do."

"Shhh. It's over now. And guess what. You're coming to live with me and you'll never entering another car again."

Serenity was speechless.

"What?"

"I've talked to Mom about it. Don't think for a second she's happy about it. She's not abandoning you. It took days for me to convince her. But she can't be there all the time for you. I can."

"He's right, honey. Of course, this will be only if you want. But I'll have to return to Europe for at least another six months starting next week. Even if you don't want to, at least stay with your brother until I get back."

Serenity smiled coyly. "I... I've always wanted to live with you, Joey. Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yeah, we'll rent an apartment and I'll get a job, it'll be perfect!"

"Oh but, won't this take long? What about until then?"

"You know, my secretary is looking for a new trainee. Why don't you pass by the building with me later and talk to her? If it works, at least you're settled on one thing." He whispered in Joey's ear. "I don't know if we'll get much work done, but at least it will be fun."

Serenity blushed as hard as Joey. "Kaiba! Not in front of my sister! And uh, thanks for the offer."

"And you both can stay in my house until you find a place. I'm sure Mokuba wouldn't mind having a sister."

"Kyah, Joey! My son-in-law is Santa Claus!"

Joey laughed out loud, because this time, it was Kaiba's turn to be shocked.

ooo

They snuggled in Kaiba's couch.

"If I had my way you'd keep living here. And this is very annoying because I always have my way."

"Don't be so spoiled. Two of the apartments on the list are near by. We'll be here all the time."

"And you'll sleep here."

"Occasionally."

"Fine. When you're not here, I'll be there."

"Hey, can't argue with that. See? You had your way."

"Good. Now I'll have my way with you."

"Can't argue with that either. But... when will I get to have my way with you?"

"What? Aren't you happy with the way things are?"

"Well, of course, but... I'm a man too, you know."

Kaiba fondled him through his clothes. "Oh yes, I can see that."

"Kaiba! You're changing the subject again!"

"How about... when you beat me at Duel Monsters?"

"What! Dammit! Er, I mean, great!"

"Now less talking and more naked."

"Uh, Kaiba... can I play with your deck?"

"No, but you can play with my-"

"Noooooooo! My innocent ears! Both of you! To your room! Now!"

"Sorry, Mokuba!"

The End

ooo

AND NOW SOME CLOSING NOTES

• Puzzle is a hospital in the Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds manga. It's in Satellite, not Domino, but it was just a homage.

• The legal driving age in Japan is 18 but, hello, he's Kaiba. He screws the rules.

• I had a hard time finding a title and an ending. Rejected endings:

"Now less talking and more naked."

"Yes, lover!" - Too Mila Kunis

"Now less talking and more naked."

"As you wish." - Too Princess Bride

Then a zombie shows up and eats everybody. - Too Romero

• As for the title, Scott Pilgrim has some great ones. Seriously, all of them. Rejected titles:

The Tale of the Boy With the Sister in a Coma and the Guy He Loves (kinda true)

The World is a Vampire (lie)

Tonight I'll Take Over Your Soul (and put it with mine because we're definitely soul mates) (lie)

Untitled (totally true)

• In the line [Kaiba tilted his head a little.Unnaturally? "No, I'm the C.E.O. of KaibaCorp."]what I really wanted to write was, "No, I'm a boss", but couldn't due to the serious tone of the story y_y

• The dialogue between Joey, Kaiba and Tristan in part 12 may be a little confusing, but hopefully you can understand who says what based on what's being said ^^v I'm sorry about that.

• I'm sorry I made Joey cry so much, I hate those cry-all-the-time type characters, but I think it's justified. And I always make him the cool, uninhibited one, this time around I wanted him a little bashful. I think it totally works for him. Fierce but coy. Shy but... noisy. Hmm.

• Due to some happenings in the past, I don't use beta readers anymore. You can help me if you want to, commenting on errors you found and I'll try and fix them :)

• Many thanks to: Kazuki Takahashi and LittleKuriboh for introducing me to Yu-Gi-Oh, Joseph Haydn and the Smashing Pumpkins for being muses, Scott Pilgrim for having awesome titles and insomnia for making me come up with the story a late night. Oh, and thanks Chipotle Tabasco for being so delicious *-* (and Kaiba and Joey for being delicious too *¬*)

• Read my other stories! They're shorter and funnier.

• ...I don't wanna go. I had a great time writing this.

• Okay, bye ó.ò. It was great while it lasted. See you next time!