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Sand Lover	By : Ykarzel Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 6495 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Sand Lover Part One
- 2-Sand Lover Part Two
- 1
- 2
Sand Lover

By Ykarzel

Part Two of Two

****WARNING: Part one did not upload entirely, be sure to check that you've read the end of it before continuing.*****

Joey reluctantly pulled himself out of sleep and into
awareness. Jason had his arm wrapped
around him. Joey snuggled back into the
warmth, and for a moment just let himself enjoy it. Then, reluctantly, he opened his eyes. He was facing Jason, who was still sound
asleep despite Joey�s movement.

Joey chuckled at the red head, who�s mouth was hanging open
and hair was all over the place.
Reluctantly, he turned over to look out the window. He had to work double shift today. He saw the water still streaming down the
window and knew that Emily was gonna smack him silly for getting out of
it. Flipping back over, he snuggled more
into Jason.

�Jay, it�s raining, I don�t have to work.�

Jay grunted and shut his mouth, swallowing a few times
before answering. �Mom is coming today,�
he said.

Joey groaned and hid his face in Jason�s neck. �You had to remind me. I was excited for a minute.�

Jason sat up and blinked, glancing at his wrist watch which
had somehow managed to stay on him.
�Actually, she said she�d be here in a half hour, and you know she likes
to be early, we better get up.�

Jason tried to sit up but Joey clung to his arm. �But we always fool around on rainy
mornings.�

Throwing his legs out of the bed, Jason stood up, pulling
Joey out of bed in the process. �I�ll
make it up to you later. Hurry up and
get dressed. Take a pillow out to the
couch and make it look like you slept there.�

Grumbling, Joey pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a tee
shirt then grabbed his pillow. Figuring
the best way to make it look like he was sleeping on the couch was to actually
do it, he chased Sabrina off and laid down, pulling the blanket off the back
and covering up with it. Sabrina jumped
back up and curled up on Joey�s stomach, purring contently and kneading the
blanket.

Jason emerged fully dressed from the bedroom a few minutes
later, presumably after having removed any evidence of the night before. He rolled his eyes at Joey�s snoozing, and
started the coffee so it was hot before his mother arrived.

The door bell rang and Joey groaned, putting his pillow over
his head.

�Guess that means I�m answering it,� Jason said, scratching
the top of Sabrina�s head on the way past, causing her to purr louder and dig
her claws into Joey�s stomach.

�Hey Ma,� Jason said as the door opened, bending down to
give the short woman a hug. She returned
it, and another set of arms wrapped themselves around Jason�s waist. �Hey Mattie, I didn�t know if you�d be coming
along or not.� He removed one arm from
his mother and wrapped it around the even shorter girl.

�I missed you!� she exclaimed, hiding her face in Jason�s
side.

�Come on in, you guys.
Joe, look alive.�

�I�d love to get up and greet them properly,� Joey called
over the arm of the couch. �But Sabrina
has decided to insert her razors, and digs when I try to move her.�

Jason laughed, pulling a chair from the kitchen table into
the living room while his mother took the easy chair. �Sabrina!� Mattie squealed, coming over to
stroke the cat. The calico purred
appreciatively, arching into the girl�s hand and curling her toes and claws
into Joey�s stomach.

�Arg!� Joey cried,
his eyes clenched. Mattie giggled. �Oh, you think that�s funny?� Joey asked
her. She nodded, and Joey grinned at
her. �C�meer kid, gimme a hug.� She abandoned Sabrina and hugged Joey�s neck. Sabrina jumped down off of Joey in favor of
rubbing against Jason�s ankles. He
reached down and picked the offending feline up and sat her in his lap, where
she settled immediately.

His stomach no longer being held hostage, Joey sat up,
pulling Mattie up on the couch beside him and hugging her tightly. Joey and Mattie got along wonderfully. It was his only saving grace in her mother�s
eyes.

�Don�t you have to work, Joseph?� she asked from her
position in the chair, watching Joey through suspicious eyes.

Joey put a hand behind his head. �Actually, I was supposed to be working
second and third shift today. But the
rule is if it rains before first shift is up, the beach is swim at your own
risk.�

�Lucky you, then.�

�Oh yes ma�am,� Joey replied as earnestly as he could. �This is my second day of luck.� She�d once given Joey permission to call her
Miss. Nancy, but he�d never referred to her as anything besides ma�am.

�Anybody want coffee?� Jason asked, hoping to break the
possibly awkward direction before it was followed.

�I�ll get it,� Joey said, jumping up as soon as his mother
his answered affirmative. �Did you bring
your suit with you Mattie?�

�I did, are we going to the pool?� she asked. �Cause it�s raining hard.�

Joey started pouring the cups. �A, friend of mine is up here from my home
town,� Joey said, having to force the word friend. �His little brother Mokuba is here with him. He�s your age. I think you guys will get along.�

When he walked the coffee over Mattie looked skeptical. �You�ll still be there, right?� she asked.

Joey smiled at her.
In a way, he was glad it was raining to spend time with Mattie, even if
it did mean having to put up with her mother�s disapproving glances and haughty
comments. �Of course I will be.�

�And what of this, friend, of yours?� asked Nancy,
putting an emphasis on friend that meant she had taken Joey�s need to force the
word a different way.

�You could hardly call us that, ma�am. Actually, we merely tolerate each other. But I�ve been friends with Mokuba for a few
years now.� Jason sent Joey a
sympathetic glance, knowing that talking about his relationship, or lack
thereof, with Kaiba, wasn�t easy.

�What of you two?� she asked, taking a sip of her
coffee. �Are you two still, friends?�

Joey choked on his coffee, turning away in a coughing fit.

�It would be hard to share such close quarters if we weren�t
friends, Ma,� Jason answered.

�And you�re still sleeping out here on the couch?� she
asked, raising an eyebrow at Joey.

He tried not to look at her for more then a moment at a
time, because her eyes saw right through him.
�Yes�m,� he answered through coughs.
�Couldn�t kick Joe out of his bed if I tried. I don�t mind.
Except when certain felines decide to sleep with me.� Hoping to be convincing, Joey glared at
Sabrina, who ignored him.

�What if one of you decided to have somebody over?� she
persisted, staring Joey down. Jason
wanted to help, but could do nothing more then watch Joey apologetically.

Joey laughed nervously. �Well, it hasn�t become an issue
yet, and I�m moving out in exactly a week, so I doubt it will become one.�

�You�re leaving?� Mattie cried.

�I�ve gotta go home, Atty.
There are people there that love me and miss me a whole lot. And unlike your big brother, I�m not out of
school yet.�

Mattie clung to his arm.
�But I�ll miss you, and I love you a whole lot�

�I won�t be gone forever.
You�re like Jay. He seems to think
just because I don�t live here you�ll never see me again. I�m not that easy to get rid of.� Mattie giggled at him when he ruffled her
hair.

�I wasn�t aware that you were still in high school, Joseph,�
Nancy said, setting her coffee mug down on the coffee table, probably the first
time it was actually used as such and not as a foot rest.

�This�ll be my last year, Ma�am. Not really sure what�s going to happen after
that. I might end up back out here, but
perhaps not.�

It took Joey three cups of coffee to handle the time it took
Nancy to finish one. He knew she was deliberately sipping it
slowly to draw out his agony. When she
finally did finish, Jason was actually the first to jump up, putting Sabrina
down on the ground. �I�m ready to
swim. How about you Mattie?�

�Yeah!� she said, jumping off the couch. She led the way out, Joey hardly having
enough time to change into his suit before she was dragging him out the
door. Joey held her hand while they
walked. Not that she wasn�t old enough
to walk on her own, but walking with Mattie gave him an excuse not to converse
with Nancy.

When they reached the pool, Jason waving at the door man on
the way in, Joey excused himself. �I�m
gonna go let Mokuba know that we�re here.�

The moment the elevator doors closed Joey collapsed against
the wall, letting out a deep sigh.
Dealing with Nancy was a
ballet on a cluttered floor; dance around everything while avoiding a fall flat
on your face. He was so relieved to be
away from her, that he was actually looking forward to a confrontation with
Kaiba.

He knocked at the door without hesitation. Mokuba would be expecting him if he
remembered that Mattie was supposed to be there today. When the door opened, it was Kaiba behind it. He stared at Joey for a moment. Just long enough for Joey to take in his
mussed hair, his lack of shirt, and his panting.

Flying through the air from the right came Mokuba, who
crashed into his brother and took him down to the floor in a series of
yells. Kaiba went down fighting; trying
to roll over and pull his brother off of him.

Joey watched for a moment in shock tinged with horror, as
the brothers wrestled for the upper hand.
Mokuba exclaimed loudly, holding his hand up in triumph. �Got it!� he shouted, attempting to pull
himself off his brother. But Kaiba
wouldn�t have it. Grabbing Mokuba by the
forearm and yanking him back down, he pinned him in one swift move.

Kaiba stared at Mokuba expectantly, pinning his wrist down,
until Mokuba sighed and unclenched his fist.
�Why�d you have to go and do that Seto?�
The brunette didn�t answer and stood, offering his hand to his
brother. �He would have let me won,�
Mokuba said, turning to Joey who was still standing in shock at the door. �But I guess he doesn�t want to lose in front
of you.�

�What were you fighting over?� Joey asked, thinking it had
to be something really important to cause two brothers who loved each other so
much to fight like that.

�Oh, it�s a button,� Mokuba said with a shrug. He held out his hand, and Kaiba dropped the
said button into it, for Mokuba to hold out to show. Joey looked down at it. It was just a large plastic white
button. There wasn�t anything
particularly special about it.

Kaiba was pulling back on his shirt, his back to Joey. The blonde glanced between the two, not
understanding. �It�s just a game,�
Mokuba said, smiling. �We wrestle for
the button.�

Joey didn�t want to try to understand, so he changed the
subject. �Mattie is downstairs.�

Mokuba�s eyes lit up, and even Kaiba turned around
expectantly. �Really? I can meet her?�

Joey put a hand behind his head and looked down. �Yeah.
I�d wait for you, but I�ve got to get back down there. If I�m gone too long, Nancy
will lecture me or, something.�

His shoulders sagging, he turned around. Mokuba was slightly disturbed by the complete
lack of Joey that had been in the person he�d just spoken to. He shut the door and turned to his brother.

�We better hurry and get down there Seto. I don�t think Joey can handle too much longer
on his own.�

�I�ll go change,� Seto responded, walking into his
bedroom. Mokuba grinned. They were making progress; Seto hadn�t made a
smart comment about how the mutt deserved it.

*^*^*^*

When Seto and Mokuba reached the pool, a short squat woman
was in the middle of elaborating to Joey why high school kids today were
incompetent to take on the roles of their elders. It was obvious, however, in just the few
moments that Seto heard, that she meant Joey when she said �high school� kids. Jason, Sarah, and Mattie, who looked like a
mini Sarah, must have gotten their red hair from their father. Nancy
was a brunette, with brown eyes that didn�t match the blue of the others.

Joey jumped up upon seeing them. �Attie, Ma�am, this is Mokuba Kaiba and Seto
Kaiba. They�re from my home town.�

Nancy stood up
and Seto stepped forward to shake her hand.
He already had her type pegged.
Mokuba gave a small wave to Mattie, who smiled brightly. �Nice to meet you,� Seto said, smiling at
her. Joey glanced at him warily. The Seto Kaiba introducing himself to Nancy
was not the Seto Kaiba that Joey knew.

�Seto Kaiba of Kaiba Corp?�

�One and the same,� Seto said with a nod.

He took the last chair at the table for four, while Mokuba
followed Mattie to the pool. Joey turned
so that he was facing them, using the fact that he was a lifeguard as an excuse
to turn his back on Nancy. It meant he had to face Kaiba, but he could
see Jason across the table out of the corner of his eye.

Joey listened as Nancy
proceeded to ask Seto various questions about his work and his life. Kaiba answered them all with detail and a
smile Joey could hear but was afraid to look at because it would creep him
out. This had to be how cold, impersonal
Seto Kaiba used �people skills�. The falseness
made Joey�s skin crawl.

�Jason is in training to become a chef,� Nancy
added, switching the direction of the conversation. Joey glanced over Jason who looked just as
surprised as he was.

�Joey said something about that,� Seto answered politely.

Nancy turned
proud eyes on her son. �He has a very
bright future ahead of him. He makes me
very proud.�

Joey blanched involuntarily.
She was attempting to interest Seto in Jason. He saw Jay hide his face in his hand. At least Jason wasn�t encouraging it.

�Speaking of food,� Seto said standing. �Joey, would you give me a hand? They�re going to be hungry after swimming for
that long.�

�Sure Kaiba,� Joey said, standing instantly.

�Mattie, Mokuba, get in the shallow end while Joey�s
gone.� The two grinned at each other
then raced towards the other side. They,
at least, were having a good time.
Mattie won the race and Mokuba tackled her for it.

Joey walked beside Kaiba in silence until they were in the
elevator. Only once the door closed did Joey
sag against the elevator wall again, pressing his forehead onto the cool
surface in order to alleviate the headache that lingered.

�Thanks, for that, Kaiba,� he said awkwardly, though he was
obviously grateful.

Seto didn�t respond to the gratitude. He leaned up against the back wall of the
elevator and crossed his arms. �Is she
always like that?�

�Every time,� Joey groaned, shifting to press his other
temple against the wall. �You�d swear I
was drugging him and forcing him to worship the devil the way she talks about
me.�

�You are corrupting her only son,� Seto replied with mild
amusement. Joey glared at him, but it�s
effectiveness was lost in the way his face was pressed against the wall.

�Trust me, if there�s any corrupting happening, it�s not on
my part.� Joey snapped his mouth shut
after that, feeling that he�d said too much.
The silence that followed was awkward, and the ding of the elevator gave
Joey a start.

They made several sandwiches, the silence only broken by the
rain. Slowly though, it started to feel
less awkward. Less like they weren�t
speaking to each other and more like they just weren�t speaking.

Seto noticed Joey working slowly, and smirked to
himself. He obviously didn�t want to go
back down there. Which Seto could understand. He�d met mothers similar to her at business
dinners. They constantly told him about
how wonderful they daughter was, despite the fact their daughter was attending
with a date. On the bright side, at
least Nancy was targeting the right
gender.

With and audible sigh Joey closed the bread, then blushed
realizing he�d broken the silence. The
resulting silence was again awkward, as if they should be speaking and
weren�t. Seto cursed him for breaking
that.

�Maybe she won�t talk with food in her mouth,� Seto said,
turning around to put the meat back in the fridge. Joey laughed, almost too loudly just out of
shock that Seto had made a joke. �I was
being serious,� Seto said, glancing at Joey.
That just made Joey laugh more as he followed Seto back out of the
apartment.

When they reached the pool again, Mattie and Mokuba were out
of the pool and in Seto and Joey�s chairs.
They grinned up at them and refused to move. Seto set the plate down on the table while
Joey grabbed two chairs from a nearby table to pull over.

Nancy, it
seemed, had taken a warming to Mokuba too, and was questioning him about school
the same way she had Seto about his job.
Relieved, Joey munched on one of the sandwiches and made eye contact
with Jason. They were having a very
amusing silent conversation when Nancy�s
attention shifted again.

�I�m very impressed, Kaiba, that you�ve managed to
accomplish so very much at a young age.�

Seto looked up from the paper he was reading and gave his
fake smile again. �Thank you for the
compliment.�

�So polite too,� Nancy
said, puffing up with pride as if Seto was her own son. �Some young men would do well to follow your
example.�

Joey focused on his knee, not trusting himself to look
up. Mokuba looked questioningly at
Mattie, who rolled her eyes and discreetly twirled a finger around her
ear. The pair giggled at their shared
joke.

Seto couldn�t believe he was missing this opportunity. He had a chance here to mock Joey and prove
that he was better, and he wasn�t utilizing it.
But there was something, unsatisfying, to have somebody help him. He�d never wanted to make Joey feel bad about
himself, just make him angry. He knew
that with Nancy and Mattie here, Joey wouldn�t get angry. Even if he did, he�d be mad at Nancy
too.

�All this time, the only reason I�ve been trying to make
him mad is so I have all his attention,� Seto thought to himself, with a
sardonic mental smile.

Three more not-quite-jabs at Joey, and Jason stood up. �I�ll be back,� he said, smiling at his mother. �There�s somebody I want you to meet.�

Mattie and Mokuba got up too, both heading back to the
pool. Seto and Joey reclaimed their old
seats back, Joey once again turning his back on Nancy
to face the pool.

Seto sensed the danger in the way Joey slouched and looked
even more defeated. Now that Jason was
gone nothing was going to hold Nancy
back. Just as she opened her mouth, Seto
cut in with a question of his own. �So
what is it you do for a living? We�ve
talked plenty about me.�

She shut her mouth on what she was about to say and
smiled. �I was a full time mom until my
husband died seven years ago. Since then
I�ve been working at the local library.�

�That shows remarkable resilience,� Seto said, ignoring
Joey�s appreciative glance. �To start
working again like that.�

�I had my babies to support.
I�m sure you felt something similar when Mokuba came under your
care. They were the most important
thing.�

Jason rushed back in at that moment, dragging behind him a
young man by the hand. �Mom, I want you
to meet Ashton, he�s going to be taking my place at the hotel so that I can
move back into the kitchen.�

Nancy glanced at
their hands, which were still together, and her eyes narrowed. �Aren�t you a bit young to be working there?�
she asked.

Ashton blushed red, but didn�t pull his hand away from
Jason�s. �I, I look a lot younger then I
am. I�m eighteen, nineteen soon.�

Nancy
smiled. �That�s nice. So how long have you and my son been,
friends.� The pause before the last word
made subtly an afterthought rather than a mask.

Ashton blushed harder, his cheeks and ears flaming a bright
pink. �Well, I started working about two
weeks ago, we met a few days before that.�
Ashton couldn�t say that they weren�t friends, so therefore had no way
to correct her incorrect assumption.
Jason grinned, it was working.

�Well, it was nice meeting you Ashton,� she said with a
smile. Then turned her attention back to
her son. �Jason, I owe you an
apology. I should have believed you when
you told me that you and Joey were just friends. I promise to trust you more in the future.�

Mattie, sensing that they were going to be leaving soon, got
out of the pool and wrapped up in a towel that Mokuba handed her. She dug a pen out of her mom�s purse and
started to write on Mokuba�s hand.

�It was nice meeting you too, Mr. Kaiba,� Nancy
said, giving him the same smile she had granted Ashton. �I�m sure we�ll see you again soon,
Joseph.� Joey plastered a huge fake grin
on his face and waved. Seto knew he was
angry she�d apologized to Jason but not to him.
However, he did bend over and give Mattie a huge hug. �Come on Mattie, let�s go visit your sister.�

�I�ll walk you to the door,� Mokuba exclaimed, holding his
written-on hand up in the air as if he was afraid to touch it to anything. �I have to go up to the room. But I�ll be back, Seto.�

Joey, Jason, Seto, and Ashton stood silently as they watched
Nancy and Mattie exit, escorted by
Mokuba. Only after the door was firmly
shut did Ashton yank his hand away from Jason.

�I can�t believe you would do that,� he said, in a voice so
deeply angry and disappointed that volume wasn�t needed.

Jason�s eyes widened as he took in Ashton�s death
glare. �What? What is it?�

�That you would abuse my feelings for you like that to get
your mother off of Joey�s case. That you
would take advantage of me that way, so you can be with him.�

Jason�s mouth fell open.
He was shocked that quite, adoring Ashton was actually angry with him,
and not afraid to tell him about it either.
Guilt followed with the realization that something done without thought
was in reality, wrong. Yet, he hadn�t
meant it in the self serving way that Ashton was taking it.

�Ashton,� he started when the shock wore off and the guilt
forced him to speak. �I didn�t mean to
take advantage of any feelings you might have-�

�Save it Jason. It�s
irrelevant, any that I had are gone now.�
Ashton turned and stormed out of the room, tossing his apron on one of
the chairs and exiting out the door that led to the outside rather then to the
rest of the hotel.

�Wait, Ashton, I didn�t!� Jason called, running after him.

�Jason, Ashton!� Joey shouted, starting after the pair. He nearly tripped when his arm was grabbed
and Seto held him back.

�I highly doubt your presence will help matters.�

�But,� Joey protested, attempting to pull away and watching
Jason�s figure disappear through the glass.
All at once he stopped resisting, figuring Seto was right and allowing
his arms to fall to his sides in defeat.
Seto let go instantly, not touching
him a moment more then necessary.
�Shit,� Joey said with passion, turning back around and kicking at the
chair he had been sitting in. �This is
all my fault.�

Seto didn�t agree, but felt that he had interfered enough and
remained silent.

Joey kicked the chair again, this time back out, and fell
into it. Seto too sat back down. Several moments later, Mokuba had still not
returned and Seto began to wonder if he was coming back at all. Still, Joey was waiting for Jason to return,
and even though he felt awkward waiting with him, it would be even more awkward
to get up and leave.

It took several long silent minutes, in which Joey
continuously displayed his frustration on the table or chair legs. Seto didn�t understand why Joey was so
involved in this, but knew that if he continued to watch he�d figure it out
eventually.

Joey flew out of his seat before Jason even opened the door;
he�d been watching through the glass for the red head to appear. �What happened?�

Jason sighed and accepted the hands that Joey held out to
him. Seto kept quiet, remaining the
observer and attempting to fade away. He
felt he was succeeding; they were acting in that natural state they only had
when they thought he wasn�t looking.

�I managed to convince him that I wasn�t trying to use him
so you and I could be together. He only
believes me because I reminded him that you were leaving next week. But I can�t give him a reasonable excuse for
wanting him to meet my mother.�

�Why don�t you just tell him the truth?� Joey asked, his
eyes glued to Jason�s in a type of urgency.
The last thing that Joey wanted was for everything to fall to pieces for
Jay right before he left. �That you
wanted to give her that impression because it�s true.�

Jason squeezed Joey�s hands.
�But Joe, we only have a few more-�

Joey cut him off with a finger against his lips. �Jay, it wouldn�t matter if we had a day or a
month. We promised we�d never get in
each other�s way of a real relationship.�
He removed his finger and leaned forward, giving Jay a quick kiss. �Last kiss.
Your shift with him starts soon anyway.
Go home, shower, get ready, make him tie your tie, and tell him how you
feel. I�ll be moved out of the apartment
before your shift�s over. That way he�ll
know you�re serious.�

�Joe, you don�t have anywhere to go.�

�I�ll call Em and see if I can sleep on her couch tonight,
and then after your Mom goes home Sarah will let me stay with her. It�s only a few days.�

�But,� Jason started, and Joey cut him off with a huge hug.

�No buts. Good
luck. I�ll be by tomorrow morning to
find out how it went.�

�Thanks Joe,� Jason relented, squeezing him back.

�Joey, you can stay at our place,� Mokuba said from his spot
by the door. Jason, Joey, and Seto
whipped around, none of them hearing the boy come in. �We have two couches. And we�re going home the same day you are.�

Joey was about to protest, but Jason pinched his side, and
caused the blonde to change his mind.
Jason�s silent message was right; this was an opportunity. �Kaiba? Do you mind?
I hate to ask, but,�

Seto�s attention moved from his brother, to Joey, who was
still wrapped in Jason�s arms, then to the pool. �That�s fine,� he said, standing in order to
keep from looking at any of them. He
picked up the remnants of their luncheon and started for the door.

�I have to go,� Jason said, hugging Joey again. �If you become a stranger I�ll never forgive
you.�

Joey laughed. �I�m
staying in this hotel. You�ll see more
of me now then you did before.�

*^*^*^*

�Thanks for helping me, Mokuba,� Joey said, following behind
the boy who was carrying one of his bags.

�It�s cool that you�ll be staying with us Joey. I�m surprised you managed to pack in an
hour.�

Joey laughed, closing the door to the Kaiba�s room behind
him. �Well, I�ve been getting ready to
go for a week now. So it didn�t take
much.�

�Dinner�s in the kitchen,� Seto said, walking past the two
and into his room. Mokuba stuck his
tongue out at his brother�s back until the door shut.

�Is something wrong with him?� Joey asked.

�Nothing that sex won�t cure,� Mokuba responded, dropping
Joey�s belongings in the corner.

�Mokuba!�

�What? It�s true.�

�Even so, you shouldn�t talk about your brother that way.�

�I�ll stop talking about it as soon as you cure him, kay?�
Mokuba called as he walked into the kitchen, leaving Joey with his stuff.

Joey, unable to think of a response to that which would be
appropriate to shout into the other room, remained silent. So Mokuba was onto this too? He should have known Jason had a
conspirator.

A few hours later, Joey pulled the blanket off the back of
the couch and was reminded of the beginning of this summer when he�d first
started living with Jason, before they shared a bed. Behind him he heard one of the bedroom doors
open, and instinctively knew that it was Kaiba still awake and about. Or perhaps instinct was knowing that Mokuba
had fallen sound asleep an hour ago.

The footsteps paused, as if he had just remembered he wasn�t
alone in this room, then continued to the kitchen.

Joey smiled and sighed, getting comfortable on the
couch. Staying here would be
interesting.

*^*^*^*

Seto dressed before he went out to start the coffee, not
wanting to be seen by Joey in what he usually slept in. When he did reach the kitchen, though, Mokuba
was eating a bowl of cereal, the coffee was already made, and the brothers were
alone.

�Where�s Joey?� he asked before he could stop.

�Went to see Jason to find out how things went with Ashton,
and then he�s going to work. He has
morning shift for his last week. He made
you coffee.�

Seto paused in his pouring of the coffee. It hadn�t really occurred to him that Joey
was still working; he always acted like he was on a vacation. �Are we going to the beach then?�

�Are you still pale?�

Chuckling, Seto sat down beside his younger brother.

*^*^*^*

Joey unlocked the apartment door and it didn�t occur to him
until after he was inside that maybe he should have knocked. After all, he didn�t live here anymore,
despite the fact that he still had a key.

Jason wasn�t up yet, so Joey went over to start another pot
of coffee this morning. Just as he
turned the machine on he heard the bedroom door open and turned around. The red head was stark naked, rubbing sleep
out of his eyes.

�Morning Jay.�

Jason looked up, surprised.
�Joe? What are you doing here?�

�I told you I was going to stop by to see how it went.� At that moment, Ashton walked out of the
room. He, at least, was wearing boxers,
but he still went wide eyed and red when he spotted Joey. �Oh,� Joey said, �better than I thought.�

Jason rolled his eyes and moved toward the kitchen. �Are you making coffee?�

�Yeah, it�s started,� Joey said, using his arms to lift
himself onto the counter. �So,� he
grinned cheekily at the pair of them. �How�d
it go?�

Jason walked over and pulled the coffee pot out from the
machine and stuck his mug under it, waiting until he had a few sips before
replacing it. He sucked it down black
and completely ignored Joey�s question.

�I�m gonna go clean up and get dressed, Ash, don�t let him
get to you.�

Still blushing and avoiding eye contact with Joey, Ashton
sat down at the table. Jason walked back
into the bedroom and shut the door behind him.

�If I had known you�d be here,� Joey said after a moment, �I
would have at least called first.�

Ashton didn�t look up but he smiled and hugged his arms to his
bare chest. �It wasn�t exactly planned. And, what you did was really sweet, so,
thanks.� He looked up for a brief moment
on the last word, then down again.

�Here,� Joey said, tossing something at Ashton. The boy looked up and caught it as it was
flying at him. Opening his hand too look
at it, he realized it was the apartment key.
�I officially don�t live here anymore, so you�d better take that for
me.�

Ashton blushed again, but smiled. Joey watched in amusement. He already like the kid, which was good,
because he wasn�t going to be around to kill him if he wasn�t good to Jason.

�So, are you going to tell me what happened last night, or
am I going to have to drag it out of Jay?�

�He cornered me back in the kitchen,� Ashton replied almost
too quickly, as if he wanted to tell somebody badly and was holding it
back. �And asked me if I was doing
anything after work.�

Joey put the back of his hand to his forehead and pretended
to swoon. �So romantic.�

�Hey!� Ashton defended, glaring.

Joey held his hands up in defense. �I�m only teasing you Ashton. I couldn�t be happier for the two of you,
honest.�

Ashton�s glare cooled instantly. �Sorry, I just,� he paused, �well, I feel
like I have a lot to live up to. You and
Jay are so, close.�

Joey nodded. �That we
are.� He jumped down and patted Ashton
on the shoulder on the way to get a cup of coffee. �But Jay and I are just really close
friends. Really close, but still
just friends. You and Jay will be very
different. It�d be like an apple trying
to live up to a banana. There just isn�t
a common ground to compare them.�

�Except taste.�

Joey smirked at him over his coffee rim. �I�m sure you taste just fine.�

Ashton hid his face behind his hand but still laughed. Jason came back out, this time donning
clothing. Joey walked over and hugged
him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

�Joe, you�re making Ash jealous.�

Joey mock gasped. �I
would never want to do that.� He walked
back over to Ashton, bent down and kissed him on the cheek too. Ashton was caught between shock and laughter;
Jason, too used to Joey to be shocked, just laughed. �Alright you lover birds it�s been fun but
I�m working morning shift. I get paid
today, Jay, do you still want half the rent?�

�Are you still living here?� Jay asked, coming over to stand
beside Ashton. Joey watched as Jay
snaked an arm around Ashton�s neck.

�No, but I was for most the month.�

�Don�t worry about it Joe.
Besides, Ash is gonna take over for me today, I�m moving back to the
kitchen tonight.�

�Congratulations, Jay.
Well, I�ll probably see you both around the hotel.�

�How did that go last night?� Jason asked as Joey headed for
the door.

�If something happens you�ll be the first to know,� Joey
promised, closing the door behind him.

Jason headed over to get a full cup of coffee this time, and
noticed Ashton spinning something silver on the table. �What�s that, Ash?�

�Joey�s key,� Ashton said, smiling shyly up at Jason. �He thought I might need it.� Laughing, Jason bent down to give the
brunette a kiss.

*^*^*^*

Joey glanced down when he heard Mokuba run back to Seto from
the water. Sunday through Tuesday had
been bright clear days. Now, Wednesday,
Mokuba had still not had enough beach.

It was doing Kaiba good, though, Joey could tell from up in
the chair. His skin had finally absorbed
some color and the hallows around his eyes were long gone. Seto glanced up at Joey, and for a long
moment the two made eye contact. Then
the brunette looked away again, back down at Mokuba.

Joey sighed as he turned his attention back to the
water. For the past three days it had
been that way. Eye contact held a moment
too long to be normal, conversations that went one step too far, physical
contact that was sustained a breath longer then necessary.

Kaiba was interested.
Joey knew it now. It could have
been those little signs that proved it, or proving it making him aware of those
little signs. It might have been Jason
assuring him that Kaiba didn�t hate him that allowed him to notice these
things, or just living in the same place and being around him so much.

It was all very frustrating.
If they were fighting, well that was one way to release the frustration,
one that had worked for a long time. If
they were fucking, that would be an even better way. But now they weren�t doing anything
except look at, touch, or talk to each other just a bit too much to be
normal.

He was so intent on the water and his own thoughts that he
didn�t even notice when Mokuba walked over and climbed up on the chair. �Almost done Joey?� he asked.

�Soon as Emily gets here to take over Mokuba.�

�She�s late,� he said, tugging on Joey�s foot.

�I�m never late,� Emily said, ducking around the other side
of the chair and making Mokuba jump.
�I�m just on my own time.�

�Almost on mine,� Joey said, jumping down and picking her up
by the waist to lift her into the chair.

She laughed at him and patted him on the head. �We�re gonna miss you Joe.� He squeezed her hand once before allowing
Mokuba to drag him over to where he and Seto had a blanket laid out.

Joey fell down onto it, letting out a sigh as he spread out
on his back. �Aren�t you coming down to
the water Joey?�

�You go ahead, I�ll be there in a few minutes.� Mokuba sped off, not wanting to deny the
blonde a chance to be alone with his older brother if he asked for it.

Seto glanced over at Joey, quickly, and noted his eyes were
closed. When he looked over again a
moment later and Joey�s eyes were still closed, he allowed his gaze to
linger. He didn�t know how Joey could
manage to sit in the sun for hours everyday and not burn. Only with sunscreen and careful, timed,
rotations had Seto managed to avoid turning bright pink, and even so his
shoulders and the back of his neck were starting to tinge. But Joey�s skin was anything but pink. Seto let his eyes roam down the blonde�s
chest, his tan skin glistening in the sun.

He allowed himself a slow, visual feast down and back up
Joey�s chest. The smooth, bronze shine
of his skin. The fine trail of sun
bleached blond hair that started just below his belly button and continued down
past where Seto could see. The dips and
peeks of his abs which moved with each breath.
The slightly darker coloring of his nipples, relaxed in the warmth of
the sun. The hallow that dipped between
his collar bones. His wide shoulder and
strong neck that begged to be kissed and sucked on.

Joey�s eyes ripped Seto�s away from his neck. Seto realized he�d been caught. Joey kept their gaze locked. His eyes, a warm dark brown accented with golden
honey, offered Seto a challenge.

There was no way to deny it now. Joey knew that Seto wanted him. And Seto knew Joey returned the feeling. The only question now was what were they
going to do about it.

Joey reached a hand out to Seto. The brunette took it without thinking. Joey used it to pull himself up into a
sitting position, and used the leverage to jump up on his feet. Without a word to Seto, he turned and walked
toward the ocean.

Seto saw the challenge to follow; it was as obvious as if
Joey had verbally dared him to do it.
Yet, he hesitated, and decided not to accept. Sitting with his arms resting on his legs, he
watched the blonde�s butt as he walked down the beach.

*^*^*^*

Somehow, on the way back inside, Mokuba had ended up being
carried by Joey in a piggy back. They
seemed to be in a hurry, which Seto didn�t understand, but he followed behind
them. Joey practically danced as they
waited for the elevator to come down. He
glanced at a clock and then at the stairs.

�Don�t you dare,� Seto said before he could help it. �Not with Mokuba at least.� Good cover.
That made it sound like he was worried about Mokuba�s safety, not Joey�s
when carrying Mokuba up several flights of stairs.

�Good point,� Joey said.
�Down you go.� He leaned back to
let Mokuba off, then turned and bolted up the stairs. Seto wanted to ask, as he was sure Mokuba
knew, but he refrained himself.

By the time the elevator arrived on their floor, and really
there were only two suites on the floor; the other was vacant so it was theirs,
Joey was waiting to get on the elevator.
He was already changed, his hair brusquely dried, and dressed in better
clothing the Seto had seen on him yet.

�I�ll see you guys later,� he said, patting Mokuba on the
head, and grinning at Seto. The brunette
kept his mouth in a straight line, trying to pick up on any clues as to his
destination.

�Have fun, Joey. Say
hi to everybody for me.�

�Will do. I�d bring
you along, kid, but,� he grinned, �I don�t think I�m going to be old enough so
I know you won�t be. Don�t wait up!� he
called through the closing elevator doors.

Mokuba snickered and walked toward their door, waiting for
Seto to fish out his key. Seto figured
it had to be some kind of party, one that probably involved alcohol. He thought on that a moment as they went in. Everybody would probably mean Jason, Ashton,
Emily, Sarah, and anybody else that worked at this hotel or with Joey. Perhaps this was a goodbye party for Joey.

Pleased with his ability to surmise as much from two
sentences, he unlocked the door and let Mokuba in ahead of him.

*^*^*^*

When the door opened, Seto refrained, with years of refined
self control, from looking up. He kept
his eyes glued to his paper, reading the same sentence over in his head but
still not understanding it.

�Kaiba?� came Joey�s voice.
He was surprised, no doubt, to find Seto still awake at three in the
morning, and sitting in the living room at that. �What are you doing?�

�Searching for a loop hole in this contract,� Seto answered
in a bored statement. In reality he was
reading a report on last month�s finances, but there was no way Joey would know
the difference.

�Why are you still up?�
Seto didn�t answer. Joey walked
into Seto�s peripheral vision, and Seto watched him stumble and nearly fall
onto the couch.

�Are you drunk?� he asked, setting the paper down and looking
up to stare at the blonde. Joey was
sprawled out on the couch, his hand to his forehead.

�They made me take a shot for every minute I was late.�

�How late were you?�

�Fifteen minutes.�

�What was in them?� Seto asked incredulously, fearing
slightly for Joey�s safety.

Joey laughed. �No
idea. Couldn�t have been too bad
though. Jay�d never let me do something
dangerous.�

Seto relaxed, realizing he should have already known
that. �Did you drink besides that?�

�Some,� Joey answered, wondering why Seto was acting like a
mother hen.

�You don�t sound drunk,� Seto said after another moment.

�I never do,� Joey answered, sitting up slowly with the aid
of the couch arm. �My speech and mind
are completely clear.� He looked up at
Seto, then pressed a hand against the side of his face as if to steady it. �Except there�s two of you, and I know I�m
not going to be able to walk to the bathroom without stumbling.�

�You act more sober drunk than sober,� Seto said, crossing
his arms.

Joey laughed, the action causing him to fall back over into
a horizontal position. �You know, I
always told Tristan I thought more clearly when I was drunk and he never
believed me.�

Seto smiled, very slightly.
This was comfortable. Some how,
Joey�s intoxication took all the pressure out of interacting with him. He stood, and walked over to the blonde. �I�ll help you to the bathroom,� he said,
offering his hand. He was reminded
suddenly of earlier on the beach.

�Great,� Joey said, reaching for it. �I need a shower so badly, I�m gonna make the
whole place smell like booze.�

When Joey took his hand, Seto tried to pull him up at the
same time he tried to lift himself up.
The result was an overcompensation for Joey�s weight, and the blonde
stumbled and fell onto Seto, who just barely managed to keep his own balance.

Seto held Joey steady.
Joey laughed at his own fall, gripping onto Seto�s forearms. Seto didn�t laugh, and his silence eventually
quelled Joey�s laughter.

But Seto�s silence was not because he felt it wasn�t
humorous, but that he was suddenly very aware of Joey�s body pressed against
his, of holding Joey against him. Slowly,
he snaked his arms further around Joey, pulling him closer and tighter.

That cut off the rest of Joey�s laughter, and he became
aware of their proximity all at once. He
froze, his mind starting to run too fast and for the first time actually making
him feel drunk. Perhaps he wasn�t as
sober minded as he had thought, because he couldn�t think this through.

Seto eventually had Joey held against him in nearly a hug; a
steady, comfortable, supporting way. Joey found himself looking over Seto�s
shoulder, unable to see him, but able to feel everything.

Seto bent his head down until his face was buried in Joey�s
neck. He inhaled deeply, because under
the alcohol he could smell Joey�s aftershave or cologne or deodorant or maybe
shampoo; whatever it was that made him smell as good as he did. As he exhaled, it came as a sigh that allowed
the tension to flee from him, causing his body to meld better against Joey�s.

Seto�s sigh caused Joey�s mind to stop the circle it was
running in, and brought back his ability to think. He tightened his hands on Seto�s
forearms. He waited a moment more
(because it felt so good), then used them to push Seto back and keep himself
steady at the same time.

�Come on, Kaiba, stop,� Joey said, not looking up but
putting as much distance between them as he could without letting go. He didn�t want to look Seto in the eyes
because his will power was already taxed enough by the large amount of alcohol
in his system. �Right now, I just, need
a shower and to sleep this off.�

Seto pulled away all at once, and Joey nearly fell face
foreword, but managed to stop himself.
Before he�d even taken two steps in the direction of the bathroom he
heard Seto�s door slam shut.

*^*^*^*

Sitting in the bright sun, on the loud beach, with a
hangover and four hours of sleep, was not Joey�s favorite thing to do. Nonetheless, tomorrow would be his last day
of work, so he had refused to call in, and had decided to make the best of it.

�Hey Joey,� came Mokuba�s voice from below him, and Joey
glanced down only momentarily because the sun made the sand bright and it hurt
to look at.

�Hey, kid. Where�s
your brother?�

�He said he didn�t want to come and that I�d be fine on my
own,� Mokuba answered. �He seemed pretty
pissed off, I think something happened at work.
I just wanted to let you know I�m here.�
He took off down towards the water as if he�d been burned.

Joey cringed. Even
though Seto had never been awake before he left for work, something this
morning was ominous about the closed door, as if Seto could have been
out there and refused to be. Now, Seto
didn�t want to come down to the beach.
Somehow, Joey had screwed up last night.

Luckily, Emily was due to be there any minute. Seto probably expected Joey to stay with
Mokuba, which would be the only reason why he would be allowed to go the ocean
by himself. But Emily was a very good
lifeguard, better than Joey, and he trusted her to watch him.

The walk back to his, now old, apartment took ten minutes if
he walked, and five if he ran. Standing
in front of apartment thirty two, he spent a whole thirty seconds fishing for
his key before he remembered that he no longer had one.

Instead of knocking, he started to bang the door
rhythmically, knowing that Jason would recognize this �knock� right away from
the one time he had locked himself out of the apartment.

It took longer then he would have expected, before Jason
threw the door open. The redhead looked
flustered, and as usual was wearing little clothing. �Joe?
What is it?�

�I need help,� Joey answered, and Jason opened the door to
let him in. �I screwed up, Jay,� Joey
started right away, automatically falling into the track he often paced, as he
had the night they�d come back from watching Mokuba.

�What happened?� Jay knew
better than to try to calm Jay down; that the best course of action would be to
sit and allow him to walk his energy off.
He sat down beside Ashton on the couch, who had his face hidden in his
knees and was shaking with either laughter, anger, or tears.

�When I came back last night, I was smashed, you know. He was, he was waiting up for me. He had to be, because he was working out on
the couch, which he never does. He
always stays in his room you know?�

Jason made an affirmative sound and reached an arm out to
draw Ashton closer to him. Ashton
relented completely, falling over and hiding his face instead in Jason�s
lap. Jason ran his hand up and down Ashton�s
bare back in a comforting gesture.

�I came in, and, he started, mothering me. He was really, concerned, that I was
drunk. And I was, but I remember it
all. He was comfortable, and nice to
me. As if, because I was messed up he
didn�t have to be, so, so,�

�Distant?� Jason supplied.

�Exactly,� Joey said, turning to look at him and noticing
Ashton for the first time. His initial
reaction was how absolutely adorable Ashton looked curled up on Jason�s
lap. Then he took in several aspects,
such as the flushed color of Ashton�s skin, Ashton�s state of half dress, because
with Jason it was a normal occurrence, and the way both were taking long, deep
breaths. �Oh, God,� he said, his eyes
widening in horror. �I am so sorry.�

Jason snickered.
�Don�t worry about it Joe, just keep going. What happened next?�

Joey�s shocking realization seemed to take the energy out of
him. He quit pacing and fell down into
the easy chair. �He was going to help me
walk to the bathroom. He helped me up
and I fell against him. He just, held
me. He wasn�t cold, or stiff.�

Ashton started giggling, muffled slightly by Jason�s
thigh. Joey glared at him even if Ashton
couldn�t see it. �That�s not was I meant
and you know it, pervert.�

�Keep going Joe,� Jason coaxed, pinching Ashton�s side to
make him stop.

�I knew what was happening, Jay. So, I pulled away and I told him to stop.�

�Why?� Jason asked incredulously. The ending he had been expecting was that
Kaiba had given a little and Joey had overdone it, gone too far. Not the opposite.

�I was drunk.
I, I just didn�t want to be drunk the first time we, you know.� Ashton started snickering again. �Not that!� Joey defended. �He was going to kiss me. I know he was.� The disappointment and regret evident in
Joey�s voice shut Ashton up before Jason had a chance to pinch him. The brunette sat up, finally getting an idea
of the seriousness of the problem.

�So, what�s wrong now?�

�He�s avoiding me,� Joey said, pulling his legs up to his
chest. Ashton got up and walked over,
sitting down on the arm of the chair and wrapping an arm around Joey. The blonde was slightly surprised, but then
realized Ashton had probably been going through about the same thing a week ago
and related better than Jason really would ever be able to.

�Look, Joe,� Jason said, leaning forward. �He probably took you stopping things last
night for rejection. And he�s one of
those types that nobody rejects, so his defense will be to pretend it
never happened, and you don�t exist.�

Joey groaned, and let his head fall onto Ashton�s leg. �We�re all the way back to square one.�

�Nah, this can be salvaged,� Jason said thoughtfully. �Just not by you.� Joey looked up. �Stay here, I�ll be back in just a bit.�

�What are you going to do?� Joey asked. �Don�t, mess it up.�

�Joe,� Jason said, pausing in putting on his shirt. �Haven�t I always taken care of you before?�

�Works both ways,� Joey said, crossing his arms.

�Trust me, I know his type.
Don�t hit on my boyfriend.� Jason
shut the door behind him, leaving Joey and Ashton alone. Joey looked up at the brunette, who was
staring at the closed door with wide eyes.

�What is it?�

�He�s, never called me that before,� Ashton said, fighting a
huge grin.

�Huh,� Joey said, crossing his arms and turning to look at
the door too, as if they could both still see the red head. �I�m actually a little jealous. He never called me that.�

Ashton, finally starting to understand when Joey was joking,
laughed and gave the blonde a shove on the shoulder.

*^*^*^*

The coffee had long grown cold, but Seto continued to stir
it in a counter clockwise motion. He�d
pulled the blinds, and sat with the lights off.
He didn�t want to be in the sun today, attempting to better fit society�s
views of healthy. He wanted to sit in
the dark and brood.

The knock at the door didn�t startle him; in a state of
indifference nothing is surprising. He
thought for a moment. Both Mokuba and
Joey had a key, so it would be neither of them.
Perhaps it was a maid. But he
knew that the hotel kept careful track of when he left so they knew when to
clean, so he doubted there�d be a mistake.
He�d half decided not to answer it, when the knock came again and he
found he was standing and heading for the door before he�d really thought it
all the way through.

Somehow, it wasn�t surprising to see Jason on the other side
either. That didn�t feel like an effect
of the indifference. �Joey�s not here,�
Seto said shortly.

�Joey�s back at the apartment,� Jason said, pushing the door
further open and stepping through it.

Seto turned around and walked away, as Jason was obviously
going to come in, invited or not. He
walked back to seat at the table and sat down, returning to stirring his cold
coffee. He didn�t ask Jason to sit, so
the red head stopped at the edge of the table, resting his hands on the back of
the chair.

�Look, I love Joey,� Jason started.

�Ashton will be crushed,� Seto replied, staring into the
black of the mug.

�You know what I mean. Joey�s only lived here a few weeks, and he�s
already become the best friend I�ve ever had.�

�I�m sure the sex helped with that.�

�Damn it Kaiba!� Jason said, slamming his fist down on the
table. That caused Seto to look up,
meeting Jason�s sharp blue eyes that glared down at him. Perhaps it was that Seto was sitting while
Jason was standing, but he suddenly became aware how much bigger, stronger, and
older Jason was than he. His mouth
snapped shut.

�In two more days, Kaiba, I will lose my best friend. I want to know that he�ll be as happy back
home as he was here. And you have a
chance to give me that assurance. The
fact that you�re about to throw that opportunity away, therefore, infuriates
me. So, I want you to do something about
it or I will.�

�I have no idea what you�re talking about.�

�You know exactly what I�m talking about. Last night.�

�Nothing happened.�

�You�re damn right nothing happened,� Jason said, finally
lifting his fist off the table. He kept
Seto�s eyes glued to his through sheer will.
�And not for lack of desire on either part, Kaiba. But because Joe wanted to make sure that he
was sober for your first kiss.�

Kaiba pressed his lips together to resist a retort, and
stared Jason down with a will of his own.
For a moment more Jason stared, then turned on his heel. He paused for a moment in the doorway that
led to the living room, but didn�t turn around.
�Joe likes to be petted,� he said slowly, as if it was something he�d
rather not share. �It really doesn�t
matter where, he just, loves constant contact.� Waiting just a moment more as if debating to
say something more, Jason started walking again. Only when Seto heard the door shut did he
push the coffee away in disgust.

*^*^*^*

Joey stopped by to pick Mokuba up at the beach, under the
pretense of getting lunch, before he headed back to the apartment. In reality he just didn�t want to go back
alone. He tried not the be nervous; but
Jason had refused to tell him what he�d said to Seto.

Mokuba was chatting away about, well something. Something Joey didn�t really have to listen
too because Mokuba was doing all the talking.
The apartment was still dark; the curtains were all closed. But the light in the kitchen was on, so they
both naturally went in that direction.

�Whatcha making, Seto?� Mokuba asked. �I�m starved.�

Joey was surprised to see the brunette. Somehow he still expected him to be locked in
his bedroom. But instead he was standing
in front of the stove, his back to both of them.

�Just soup. Simple,
but I figured you�d both be hungry after baking all day in the sun.�

The use of the word both in that sentence told Joey that
everything was okay again. Jason had
managed to undo what Joey had done last night.

�So Joey,� Mokuba said with a grin, as Seto put their lunch
on the table. �How was the party?�

Joey looked down at his soup, careful to keep Seto
completely out of his range of view so there was no chance that they�d make eye
contact. �It was a lot of fun.�

�What time did you get back in?�

�Late,� Joey answered, feeling his cheeks warm.

�Oh, come on Joey, I�m not a little kid. Tell me about the party.�

Joey let his head rest on his left hand and picked up his
spoon with the right. �Never drink,
Mokuba.�

�Joey,� Mokuba groaned.
�I already have a big brother.
Save the lectures.�

�I had a great time at the party, but for one night of fun I
may have sacrificed something I�ve wanted for years. And I regret it.�

Mokuba was thoroughly confused now, but by the was Joey was
carefully avoiding looking at Seto and the way Seto was staring silently at his
own meal, told him something had happened. Joey, however, was proud of the
confession. It had allowed him to
apologize without the awkward act of doing so.
He excused himself from the table and went into the family room.

*^*^*^*

Joey had gone over to Jason�s and Ashton�s for dinner, as
Jason wanted to practice some of the dishes he would have to prepare from now
on. But they hadn�t eaten until Jason
got off, which was late, and conversation afterwards ran even longer. So Joey was later getting back then he
intended.

He opened the door quietly, and had to stand beside it for a
few moments to let his eyes adjust to the dark of the room. He blinked until he could sort of make out
the furniture, at least avoid running into things. He made his way over to his stuff and
stripped down to his boxers, tossing the clothes inside the open suitcase.

He made his way to the couch slowly, nearly tripping on the
rug he�d forgotten existed. He swore to
himself, more for a break from the silence than actual frustration. He sat down on what would serve as his bed
with a sigh, grateful to be away from the hazards.

�You should be more careful, Jou,� came a voice, causing
Joey to jump and nearly squeal.

�Kaiba!� Joey hissed.
�What the hell? Don�t do that to
me!� Seto was sitting in one of the
chairs, which was completely in shadow.
Joey couldn�t see him at all, even squinting. But he didn�t have to see Seto to know he was
smirking.

�Sorry to have startled you,� Seto replied smoothly, his
voice deep enough that it wouldn�t carry, so he didn�t have to whisper.

Joey laid down, giving the pillow a punch to avoid lashing
out at Seto. �Stupid couch,� he mumbled,
kicking in order to get situated.

�Are you comfortable?� Seto asked.

�Yes,� Joey answered cautiously, his frustration suddenly
disappearing. This situation was
different, something was up.

�Are you lying?�

�Yes.�

Joey could hear Seto stand up, and once standing he could
see his silhouette through the dark.
Seto reached his hand out, the light color of his skin easier for Joey
to see. Feeling a frightening sense of
d�j� vu, Joey reached out and took it.

Seto pulled him up, and this time both managed to keep their
balance. As was the norm in the past few
days, their hands remained together a breath longer then necessary, then were
dropped quickly. Seto started to walk
away, and the challenge to follow was implied again.

Joey took a moment too long in making up his mind to accept;
he couldn�t see where Seto was going.
�Kaiba, wait, I can�t see.�

Seto�s hand appeared in the darkness, it�s color once again
giving it away. Joey took it with both
of his. He followed Seto�s arm until he
was right behind him. He held Seto�s
hand against his abdomen with his left hand, and held Seto�s upper arm with his
right, insuring that he would follow directly in the brunette�s path and avoid
running into anything.

They moved slowly across the room, and Joey let his eyes
fall shut, as he couldn�t see anyway, and enjoyed the feeling of Seto�s cool
hand on his stomach.

When he heard Seto�s door open, his eyes flew back
open. Once inside, Seto stopped short,
and stared at the single window with one curtain open, leaving in enough light
so that Joey could see his facial features for the first time. Somehow, he knew that wasn�t part of the
plan. The plan was darkness. Without alcohol to take away the awkwardness,
Seto planned darkness. A single curtain
betrayed them.

Joey didn�t want to lose this, not again. He dropped Seto�s hand and crossed the room,
closing the curtain in one swift motion, plunging the room into darkness. What little night vision he�d had was
destroyed now. Unable to see, he stood there,
waiting.

He heard Seto breathing before he felt the hand on his
waist. He held stock still, afraid to do
anything that would interrupt this. A
moment later, a second hand mirrored the first.
Slowly, inch by inch, the two hands moved to meet each other in the
middle of his back. He wanted to reach
up, to warp his arms around Seto�s neck, but fear kept him still. Not of something happening, but of something
not happening.

Gradually, so slowly it made Joey want to cry and laugh, he
was pulled closer. Seto�s arms came
around him, to hold him. Joey still
waited to move, waited to respond. For a
while they stood there, silent, Joey held cautiously in Seto�s arms.

Joey had never been so aware of his own body before. He fought nerves to hold still, ignoring the
way his legs suddenly ached from being locked in place. He carefully monitored his own breathing,
self consciously not wanting to sound like he was out of breath, though
thinking about it only made it harder to control. He tried to breathe down, so he wasn�t
breathing in Seto�s face. For some
reason he couldn�t seem to breathe through his nose.

Slowly, his eyes were adjusting, and he could make out
Seto�s outline. In a moment, they�d be
able to see each other.

Seto leaned forward, and Joey�s breathing stopped
altogether. Just as he had the night
before, he buried his face in Joey�s neck, and Joey recognized the test. They continuously challenged each other, like
two little kids daring each other to climb trees and jump off walls; the dare
its self was rarely completed, it was in the daring they enjoyed themselves. This was a dare to push Seto away again, to
back out now and pretend it hadn�t happened.

Joey reached up and grabbed Seto�s forearms again, mocking
the night before. He felt Seto�s breath
hitch, perhaps afraid Joey would stop them.
Joey pulled the arms around him tighter, causing Seto to hold him closer
and their bodies to be pressed firmly against each other. Then he let go, and wrapped his arms around
Seto, locking him there. Bending his
neck, Joey could smell Seto�s shampoo in his hair. It had a mint quality to it

They were holding each other. Slowly, their grips became less tight and
more comfortable. It was solid, soft,
and warm.

Joey was the first to pull away, but not enough to separate
their bodies. Only enough so that Seto
was forced to look him in the eye.

In the dark, Seto�s blue eyes were gray, his pupils
large. His eyes didn�t look wide, like a
deer trapped in the headlights, as Joey was sure his own did. Suddenly self conscious, he closed his eyes
and leaned forward so that their foreheads were pressed together. Their breath mingled between them and Joey
was reassured to realize Seto�s breathing was stilted too.

Joey knew what was about to happen a heart beat before it
did because Seto�s breathing stopped.
Seto�s lips came up against his bottom one, and instantly he closed his
mouth to kiss back. Three breaths later,
Seto pulled back, not just from the kiss but entirely away from him. Joey reached out instinctively, managing to
grab one hand to keep from being deserted.
He then blushed at his own dependence, but didn�t let go.

In three steps, Seto led Joey to the side of the bed, then
let go of his hands, and walked around to the other side. Joey understood, and nervously crawled onto
the side Seto had assigned him. Never
before had getting into bed with someone been so nerve wracking.

Were they getting under the covers or on them? Should he undress, or stay clothed? He stalled until Seto got in first, and as
the brunette hadn�t stripped and had gotten under the covers, Joey took a cue.

He laid down on his back, trying, once again, to calm his
breathing enough that he could use his nose.
He stared at the ceiling, trying to think things through as fast a
possible. Seto was a control freak, he
knew that, so he should probably refrain from taking any of that control
away. Which didn�t bother him yet. For now, he didn�t mind allowing somebody
else to call the shots.

A minute later, when nothing had happened, Joey glanced over
at Seto. The brunette was laying on his stomach,
his head turned away from Joey.
The blonde stared for a long time, trying to figure out what this
meant. He had no way of knowing if he
was asleep or not, though somehow Joey doubted it.

For a moment, he seethed in silent anger. Seto thought he was rejected last night, how
was this supposed to feel? He
weighed his options. If he made a move,
Seto would probably resent him for it, because Seto was supposed to be the
leader. He couldn�t call out to him,
speaking would make this too real, and this couldn�t be real until it was over
or it would become too awkward and collapse.
If he got up and left, which in his angry state he wished sourly he
could do, Seto would take his departure for rejection again.

He felt cheated. As
if Seto had been obligated to kiss him once, but that was all that he had to
do.

Slowly, his frustration cooled. Studying the brunette, he could tell in the
stiff hold of Seto�s shoulders and his short, quick breaths that he was not
only awake, but terrified, though he�d probably viciously deny it.

Before he had any time to debate his own daring, Joey
reached out and grabbed Seto�s hand, pulling it toward himself. Seto allowed his arm to be moved, though Joey
could see his shoulders tense.

Joey placed Seto�s hand on his abdomen again, silently
communicating with Seto more than words could say by repeating the action from
earlier. Once again Seto�s hand felt
cool against his skin. He threaded his
fingers between Seto�s, holding his the hand in place. He liked contact. If Seto was going to get away with running, he
would at least give Joey contact.

Seto�s shoulders relaxed, the tension visibly fleeing. He squeezed Joey�s hand ever so slightly,
causing the blonde�s heart to jump.
Finally both able to breath normally, sleep soon claimed the pair of
them.

*^*^*^*

Joey�s mental clock was set to wake him early, he was
working first shift. Usually the faint
lightening in the sky would manage to ease him awake. But when he came into awareness all at once,
he knew something was wrong.

His mind caught up quickly, and he realized the reason he
hadn�t been eased awake was the curtains were pulled closed to block the
light. He couldn�t imagine why Jason
would do that. All at once, he realized
the body pressed against his wasn�t Jason�s.

He went first cold, then very warm, at the realization that
he was curled against Seto Kaiba. But he
didn�t have long to bask in the feeling.
Today was his last day of work, and if he waited any longer he was going
to be late. He pulled slowly away from
Seto�s heat, hoping that he slept at least as soundly as Jason did. The last thing that Seto needed was to be
losing sleep.

Once free from the tangles of the sheets, he looked back
down to find Seto very much asleep, and breathing softly. He lingered a moment more, just looking. Never before had he seen Seto sleep. There wasn�t anything particularly different
about how he looked asleep rather then awake, except maybe more relaxed. But just the idea, that he�d been trusted
enough to bare witness to Seto�s most vulnerable state, made him smile. So what if nothing had happened. Nothing needed to.

He left reluctantly, rushing through the morning chores he�d
assigned himself upon moving in. Making
the coffee, set out the stuff for Mokuba�s morning boy of cereal. As if thinking of the boy had summoned him,
he padded out of his room still half asleep, his hair a disaster and eyes
unfocused.

Joey said a quick good morning before running into the
bathroom to finish getting ready for the day.
As usual, he was leaving before Seto was awake, though he�d held a
secret hope that maybe today Seto would wake up early.

*^*^*^*

He wasn�t used to the lack of alarms, clocks, phones, and
other various machines that somehow managed to interrupt his sleep every
morning. He couldn�t slowly move from
asleep to awake. When he awoke he did so
as he did most things; completely and efficiently.

Sometime during the night he�d flipped over, which was also
unusual because once he asleep he normally didn�t move. He looked to his right, but Joey was
gone. Logically, he knew the blonde had
gone to work. Emotionally, he felt
cheated.

He didn�t let himself think about it too long, and walked
out of the room. Mokuba was sitting at
the table, as usual, eating his sugar coated candy in milk. Mokuba gave him a goofy grin. �What?� Seto questioned.

�I know.� Mokuba said with a smirk.

�What are you talking about?�

�Joey tells me everything.�

�Is that so?�

�Mmm hmm,� Mokuba taunted, giving
his brother an evil smile. Seto chose
not to respond. �Seto has a boyf-�

Seto cut off the rest of the taunt with a hand over Mokuba�s
mouth. He couldn�t say that word. Not that he was at all afraid of Mokuba or
anybody else hearing or saying or thinking or knowing it. He was afraid of hearing it himself. Hearing it aloud would make it too real. �He slept in my room, that�s all.�

�I knew it!� Mokuba exclaimed, pulling his mouth away and
jumping out of his seat.

Seto realized he�d been tricked, and narrowed his eyes at
his brother. �How did you guess?�

Mokuba, who very rarely succeeded in outwitting his brother
(and half those times he was pretty sure Seto let him), gloated
shamelessly. �I came out to go to the
bathroom last night, or early this morning, and Joey wasn�t on the couch. I knew he was home, the clothes he wore were
on the floor. At first I thought he was
in the bathroom and I nearly cried because I had to pee so bad, but he wasn�t. And since I could see he wasn�t in the
kitchen, I knew there was only one other place he could be.�

�Sneak,� Seto admonished.

�Clever,� Mokuba corrected, crossing his arms and sticking
out his chin. �I didn�t do anything
wrong. So, tell me everything.�

�Why?� Seto asked, crossing his own arms to mirror his
little brother. �You never feel the need
to bless me with information on your romantic interests.�

�So now he�s a romantic interest?� Mokuba said tauntingly,
not allowing Seto to turn the conversation on him. �I thought you had better things to do with
your time?� he said, throwing Seto�s words back at him.

Seto, for once, was caught off guard. The thought of Joey not being worth his time
was so preposterous it was laughable, and yet a week ago he�d said exactly
that. �We kissed once,� he admitted,
defeated.

�And?� Mokuba prompted.

�That�s it.�

�What do you mean that�s it?
I�m old enough to take it, big brother, tell me what happened.�

�Nothing,� Seto said, almost regretfully. Mokuba realized he was telling the truth.

�You mean you slept with him and nothing
happened? Jason is going to kill
you.�

�How do you know about that?� Seto exclaimed.

Mokuba smirked like a cat who�d just reviled the fact he�d
stolen all the cream. �A common cause
can make two unlikely close friends.�

�It�s a conspiracy.�

*^*^*^*

�Joe, are you sure?�

�Jay,� Joey said patiently, opening the door, �he lives five
minutes down the road. You live four
hours away, and I leave tomorrow. I�ve
already compromised with you by bringing you here. Now shut up and let me enjoy your company.�

They walked into the apartment, and headed straight to the
kitchen as they were carrying dishes of hot food. Far too much food had been made in the
restaurant this evening, and Jason and claimed the excess. Ashton had respectfully declined the invitation
to join them, understanding it would be their last night together.

�You know,� Jason said, setting the dish down. �A week ago I planned to tie you to the bed
tonight and make sure you never forgot me.�

A clink of a dish made them aware of another in the room,
and they spun around to see Seto standing at the counter they�d had their backs
too. Joey wasn�t sure whether to groan
or snicker. Jason smacked a hand to his
forehead, berating himself for not knowing better.

�A week ago Ashton didn�t have you wrapped around his
finger,� Joey went on, attempting to pretend there was nothing wrong with Seto
hearing what Jay had said. �Hey, Kaiba,
we�ve brought food. Mokuba around?�

�Napping,� Seto answered.
�Spent all day at the beach and he wants to stay up all night.�

�I�ll get him,� Jason offered, leaving the room before
either could protest. Joey glared at his
retreating back. He knew what Jason was
trying to do, and in a way he appreciated it.
But when it came down to it, he was leaving tomorrow, and wouldn�t see
Jason again for an indeterminate amount of time. He didn�t want to sacrifice what time he had
left for the little progress he might or might not make with Seto.

�I didn�t realize you were working today,� Seto said
mildly. �On your last day.�

Joey knew instantly the point of the statement was that Joey
had not been there when Seto woke up, not that Joey had needed to work.

�I wouldn�t have if I could have helped it,� Joey said. �I�m glad I didn�t wake you.�

There it was, the very first verbal acknowledgement that
something was going on. In the light,
when they could see clearly, and there was no alcohol involved. Seto raised an eyebrow at him, as Joey had
just raised the stakes of their challenge.
But Seto said nothing; didn�t meet his raise.

Jason came back in at that moment, Mokuba following in his
wake. Joey moved to him immediately,
half because he missed being with Jason, half because he wanted to punish Seto. Jay was slightly surprised when Joey took his
hand and wrapped Jason�s arm around himself, but didn�t push the blonde
away. He figured Joey knew what he was
doing.

Seto�s face was a mask of impassiveness through out the
entire meal, though Mokuba chatted with them amicably about what he would miss
when they went home tomorrow.

As a matter of course they moved into the living room after
the meal. Jay sat down on the chair,
hoping to allow Joey and Seto to sit together.
Joey had nothing of it, and crawled immediately into Jason�s lap.

He smiled contently, knowing as well as he knew himself that
Jason would not refuse him. It felt good to be held again; just a week and
already he missed touch. When Jason
reached up and started to run his hands through Joey�s hair, the blonde turned
to goo and couldn�t be moved for lack of substance.

Most of the talking occurred between Mokuba and Jason. Seto was, as he tended to be, stoic and
silent. Joey was too busy clinging to
his last bit of Jason to pay much mind to what was going on around him.

�Joe, it�s probably time I get home.�

Joey�s protests were physical rather than verbal, clinging
to Jason�s arm particularly hard. Jay
shook his head, and stood despite Joey�s presence, standing him upright. �You�ll survive without me, I�m sure.�

�That doesn�t mean I have to like it,� Joey said
stubbornly. �You�ll come to see me
off tomorrow?� Jason didn�t miss the me instead of us. Joey was taking parting pretty hard, which
Jason could understand. The only thing
that was easing this for him was knowing that when Joey left tomorrow, Ashton
would be ready and willing to comfort him.
Joey didn�t have such a luxury.
Jason spared a heart beat to throw a heated glare at Seto.

The distance between them closed in a hug, tight, hard, and
slightly desperate. Jason kissed the top
of Joey�s head, being taller, and tightened the squeeze before parting. �We�re being stupid, we�ll see each other
tomorrow.�

�You�re right,� Joey agreed, leading Jason to the door. They hugged once more.

�Joe,� Jason said seriously, looking him straight in the
eye. Now that he allowed himself to see
it, Joey could tell that Jason�s eyes were a slight shade darker than Seto�s.
�If something goes wrong,� he started, in a volume that would be just enough
for the other two to hear if they were listening for it. �Remember you�ll always have a place with
me. Not just for tonight, but always.�

Joey caught the threat behind the meaning, and was touched,
again, by the depth of Jason�s friendship.
Not that his own didn�t run just as deep.

�Ditto, Jay.� They
kissed just once, short and chaste, but meaningful. It carried with it that little bit more
than friends bond that they shared.
The knew, despite tomorrow, this was their real goodbye. Jason refused to put it off any longer. He opened the door and left, Joey closing it
behind him.

Upon losing his friend, Joey felt something like depression
settle around his shoulders. He could
have shaken it off, but he didn�t want to; he wanted to be upset.

�I�m gonna go to bed,� Mokuba said suddenly, jumping up.

�I thought you were going to stay up all night?� Seto asked.

�Too tired,� Mokuba called, as his door slammed shut.

Joey looked at Seto, who stared back. Seto was sitting on the couch that Joey
normally slept on, and right now, he just wanted to sleep, and be
depressed. But Seto showed no signs of
moving.

�You should follow him,� Seto said after a moment of
silence.

�That,� Joey said, walking over to his suitcase and
stripping down to his boxers, despite Seto�s presence (hoping it might give him
the idea that he was ready for bed), �is that last thing I should
do.� Joey saw it for what it was, and he
wasn�t going to take the bait. Seto was
going to try to rationalize an end to their heretofore nonexistent relationship
before it began using Jason. �It�s going
to be hard enough to leave. Besides, Ash
will probably be waiting for him.�

�I doubt that would stop him,� Seto observed sourly.

�I know it wouldn�t,� Joey confirmed. �It wouldn�t stop me if the situation was
reversed. It�s in the rules.�

�The rules?� Seto questioned, his sour tone lost to his
confusion.

�The rules. Soul
mates first, lovers second is the first rule.
The next is one always has first claim over the other. The third is to never utilize the
second.� There it was, and Joey stood
facing Seto with his hands on his hips.
It was a term, and Seto was going to have to accept it. That was another rule. If you couldn�t understand the bond, you
couldn�t stick around.

�That�s it?� Seto asked, obviously wanting to know if there
were any more rules.

�That�s all that�s numbered,� Joey went on impatiently; he
was cold and upset, and Seto was on his bed.
�The rest are implied in the rule of only never.�

�Elaborate,� Seto asked, trying to feign only faint interest
but intently studying Joey and his answers.

Joey barely managed to suppress a sign of exasperation. �Only Jay has the right to demand anything of
me. Jay would never demand anything of
me. Only Jay has the right to betray my
trust. Jay would never betray my trust. Only Jay is allowed to tell me to leave a
relationship. Jay never would. Only never.�

�It hardly seems useful to be granted those rights and never
use them,� Seto countered, his eyes narrowing.

�I don�t think I�m capable of explaining it to you, Kaiba. Now, I�m cold, I�m tired, and damn it, I�m upset. I�d like to go to bed and sleep so I don�t
have to think about being alone.�

�And?� Seto taunted, crossing his arms across his chest.

�You�re sitting on my bed.�

�I�m doing no such thing.�
Joey mouth fell open at that, not sure how to respond to something so
illogical. In his momentary shock, Seto
stood and closed the distance between them, wrapping his warm arms around
Joey�s chilled chest. �You don�t sleep
out here anymore.�

Joey fell limp against him.
Seto had met his raise, it was acknowledged and real. His eyes closed without his consent. Seto�s warms tightened around his waist in
order to hold him up. The next thing hew
knew, Seto�s lips were against his.
Three heart beats later, he hadn�t pulled back yet.

In that instant, the depression and emotional tangle Joey
had put himself in dissipated, and he was thinking clearly. He had to be careful he didn�t manage to
screw this up again.

He yielded completely to Seto, knowing instinctively that,
right now, showing any form of dominance would scare Seto away. Seto�s right hand moved up to cup the side of
Joey�s face, and when he moved to make the kiss deeper, Joey let him instantly.

Vaguely, in the part of his mind that wasn�t completely
focused on how to keep this going, he wondered where Seto had learned to kiss
like that. There was a brief moment
where he had to calm himself enough to breathe through his nose. Slowly, Joey reached up and wrapped his arms
around Seto�s neck like he had last night, angling his body to Seto�s more,
which allowed the kiss to deepen further.

Seto�s hand moved from the side of Joey�s face to the back
of his head, threading his fingers through Joey�s hair. Before he could even begin to think whether
or not it was a good idea, Joey moaned into Seto�s mouth. He couldn�t have helped it even if he�d
thought about it. Not when Seto�s hand
was in his hair.

Seto pulled away, and for one terrifying moment Joey feared
he�d messed up again. But Seto�s eyes
met his and chased away that doubt.
Seto�s normally bright blue eyes were gray, not due to darkness, as the
lights were still on, but with smoldering desire. That one look inspired a longing in Joey that
went so far beyond merely sexual there was no comparison. The need was so strong that it physically
hurt; as if something inside his chest and the back of his throat was trying to
force it�s way out.

When Seto took a step back, that pull inside his chest
forced Joey forward. Three steps later
Seto�s progress toward his room was halted when Joey grabbed and clung to him,
hiding his face in Seto�s chest. Seto
couldn�t have gotten away again even if he�d wanted to. So they moved slower, and more awkwardly, as
Joey would not give Seto an inch of space.
But it hardly mattered.

A new fear had risen in Joey; that of last night. Seto had awakened something inside him that
he�d never known existed. And if last
night repeated itself, he knew he wouldn�t be able to take it. He�d do something he�d regret. Seto couldn�t back out of this, because Joey
wouldn�t be able to.

Joey had no idea his fears were unfounded. Seto wanted Joey so badly that the intensity
frightened him. But not enough to stop
him. Whatever had gone wrong last night
hadn�t the slightest chance of happening again.

Getting into the room proved difficult. Seto had the hardest time convincing the door
knob to turn, and a harder time still convincing Joey to turn so they would fit
through the doorway. Once inside with
the door shut, however, Joey seemed to be able to let go. The space between them made the three steps
to the bed easy.

Seto caught Joey in a kiss again, before sending them both
down in a controlled fall onto the mattress.
For some time neither moved, caught in the kiss. Joey shifted slightly, rolling onto his back
and pulling Seto half on top of him, never allowing their lips to part.

Some of Seto�s nerves calmed with the action. At least he wouldn�t have to fight Joey for
control. With reluctance, he pulled away
from the flaxen haired boy�s lips. Joey
kept his eyes closed, taking deep breaths.
Seto spent a moment just looking at him.
In a way, he almost looked scared.

Joey�s eyes flew open and met Seto�s with anything but
fear. They were near black with
need. Black and grey caught each other
and held as they both were realizing this was real despite their silence.

Slowly, Joey reached
up with one hand to Seto�s collar.
Keeping their eyes locked together, he undid the top button with one
hand. Seto swallowed and Joey felt it
because his hand was against Seto�s throat, but the brunette didn�t protest. Three buttons later Joey stopped. Perhaps he was being overly cautious, as he�d
seen Seto without his shirt on before, but he wasn�t taking any chances. He�d bared Seto�s collar bone and slowly drew
his fingers across it, memorizing it�s shape with his finger tips.

Seto�s hand came to rest on the side of Joey�s face. He broke their eye contact to memorize Joey�s
features at this moment. He pushed a
lock of hair away from Joey�s eye, the pad of this thumb sliding smoothly
across Joey�s dark skin. Joey�s eyes
fell shut at the touch. Seto was
forcefully reminded of what Jason had said about Joey loving contact of any
kind, to be pet; a comment that had seemed so out of place at the time.

Did Jason touch him this way? The thought sent a sick feeling through
him. Joey knew instantly that something
was wrong by the way Seto�s body tensed and fractionally drew away from him.

�What?� he asked, eyes flying open, their pact of silence be
dammed. If this fell apart again, it
would break him.

�I�m not Jason,� Seto responded.

Joey blinked once, confused, then understanding dawned across
his face. Had the magnet between them
not been so strong, Seto would have fled from that comprehension. It hung between them, the admission of fear,
of insecurity.

Reaching up, Joey linked one arm around Seto�s neck and
pulled him down until Seto�s ear was even with Joey�s lips. �No, you�re Seto,� Joey said, his words like
honey; slow, sweet, and thick, and punctuated by his tongue, traveling down the
shell of Seto�s ear.

It had the effect of lighting a fire under Seto. He removed his hands from Joey�s face to
strip off his own shirt, while his lips sought out Joey�s for a hot kiss.

When Seto reached the state of mostly undressed that Joey
was already in, he paused. His hands
moved cautiously to Joey�s waist band, his two finger tips just barely dipping
underneath. Joey raised his hips off the
mattress, encouraging Seto to continue.

Seto was having a moral dilemma. He wanted nothing more than to see Joey
completely naked. Yet somehow, when
Joey�s eyes were closed and his body submissive with trust, it didn�t seem
right to look. So he kept his eyes glued
to the blonde�s face.

Though he�d allowed Seto to mostly undress himself, Joey
wanted this privilege. So once Seto had
finished stripping him, he reached up to Seto�s waist. He still kept his eyes shut, because if Seto
was insecure he didn�t want to see it, then he�d have to stop. He pushed his hands under the elastic band,
keeping his palms flat against Seto�s smooth skin. He pushed the boxers down with his wrists,
while his hands caressed Seto�s hips and thighs.

Seto�s control broke, and he found himself looking down at
Joey�s body, and completely entranced by it.
Without thinking, he drew a finger across the line where Joey�s skin
turned from dark tan to a milky white. Impossibly,
his skin was even softer here. His hand
traveled back up, across the blonde�s taunt stomach.

He experienced a rush of freedom, as he realized that if he
could sit here and touch Joey as long as he wanted to. His second hand joined the first, sliding up
his chest, over his shoulders and down his arms.

Joey practically began to purr. He was glad his mind was still functioning
because his body was beyond reason and protested loudly at the crawling rate
things were progressing. But this was
not simply a physical act. He and Seto
were undoing years of set hate and denial to establish a new precarious
foundation of love and acceptance.

Seto stopped and held still until Joey opened his eyes, then
attempted to tell him what was next without speaking. Joey simply smiled, inviting Seto to continue
to his heart�s desire. He reached to the
bedside table where a seemingly innocent bottle of lotion resided, and pumped a
generous amount into his palm.

Their lips locked as Seto pushed the first finger into
him. Joey moaned, as simply the thought
of Seto preparing him made him nearly come. Sex had never been this mental for him before,
it was always just physical. But merely
thinking of Seto made his desire burn. His chest felt ready to implode, and he clung
helplessly to Seto�s shoulders in response.

�Am I hurting you?� Seto asked breathlessly, completely
enraptured by the sight of Joey submissive beneath him.

�Anything but,� Joey answered, his voice still thick. His body withered on Seto�s probing
fingers. He kissed and sucked any part
of Seto that came within reach, which happened to be his neck.

By the time Seto finished preparing him, Joey was so caught
up in the idea of them sharing such an intimate action that only a mental
mantra and biting is lip kept him in control.
He forced his eyes open to see Seto, staring at him. Joey imagined he was probably quite a sight,
flushed and sweaty as his was.

He leaned up to place a soft kiss on Seto�s lips, before
fisting his hands in the sheets and using them to pull himself down. Seto was so distracted by Joey squirming under
him that he didn�t realize what the blonde was going to do until he felt a wet
heat surround him.

Seto was forcefully reminded of Joey�s experience in areas
where his was very limited. He clamped
his mouth on the noises that threatened to escape him. Joey did no such thing, profusely vocalizing
his enjoyment of causing Seto pleasure, or perhaps to cause Seto more pleasure,
as every moan and hum caused the brunette to shudder.

Seto attempted not to thrust, but eventually his body
betrayed him. Joey, however, to Seto�s
shock and envy, didn�t even gag. He
simply reached up and took hold of Seto�s hips, and began to guide him in
controlled thrusts that were easier to swallow.

Seto�s arms gave out and he half collapsed onto the
bed. Joey seemed to take this as a sign,
and with one last lick down the underside of Seto�s erection, pulled away and
started to squirm back up.

Joey moved to kiss Seto and when the brunette didn�t pull
away, he smiled into the sloppy kiss.
Joey spread his legs in invitation, saying without words that he was
more than ready to go on.

Seto took a calming breath; Joey�s mouth having more of an
effect on him than the blonde probably realized. He positioned himself in front of Joey�s
entrance and pushed in slowly. Joey
wrapped his legs around Seto�s waist and tried to encourage him to go faster,
but Seto resisted. His caution wasn�t
that he was concerned of hurting Joey; he knew the blonde was no stranger to
this. His pace was so he could keep
himself in control.

Joey thrashed desperately, but Seto went no faster. It was frustrating, and yet that much more
arousing. He tried to take deep breaths
and calm down, but then Seto would push in just a faction more and he went wild
again. He reached up for Seto, pleading
for a distraction. Seto complied,
leaning down and meeting Joey for a kiss.
This time, Joey didn�t let Seto dominate the kiss, and tried to express
how desperate he was. Seto was
momentarily shocked by Joey�s oral control, and the blonde used that
distraction to tighten his legs and push Seto the rest of the way in.

With his arms looped around Seto�s neck, Joey clung for a
long moment, adjusting to Seto�s size, and breathing harshly into Seto�s ear so
the brunette would know how turned on he was.
But Seto was in no state to take notice.
Joey was so hot and so tight, Seto�s teeth and eyes were clenched hard to
keep from releasing.

When the wait became nearly unbearable, Joey pulled back to
see what was wrong. When he saw Seto�s
face, contorted in an effort to control his body, Joey instantly understood and
regretted rushing him. To apologize, he
began to cover Seto�s face in kisses, despite that the affection was not
something they�d really approached yet.

Seto�s face began to relax, and he started to return Joey�s
kisses. When Seto�s eyes opened again,
Joey laid back. He reached for Seto�s
hands. He laced their fingers together,
and laid them above his head, causing Seto to pin him down. Seto was touched by the submission, refusing
to believe that it was just kinky, but that Joey was trying to prove how much
he was trusted.

Seto shifted so both of Joey�s hands were pinned with one of
his, and the other traveled back to Joey�s thigh. Slowly, he pulled back and nearly out of
Joey, before pushing back in just as slow.
The speed again reduced Joey to thrashing, squeezing at Seto�s
hand.

Seto experienced a rush of complete control, but it faded as
quickly as it had come. He was touched
by Joey�s trust, but he didn�t want to dominate Joey, not completely. He placed Joey�s hands on either of his
shoulders, and waited until Joey met his eyes before continuing.

Joey�s hands squeezed at Seto�s shoulders and he slowly
thrust back in again. He refused to
force Seto to go faster again, but he couldn�t take it any more.

�God, Seto, please,� he whispered, afraid to speak yet
unable to keep silent.

Seto found he was incapable of denying the blonde
anything. Tightening his hold on Joey�s
thigh, he picked up the pace. Joey
moaned loudly in appreciation, an Seto found he liked drawing the sounds out of
him.

Seto knew he wasn�t going to last very long, not how worked
up he was. With his free hand, he
ghosted down Joey�s stomach towards his erection. Joey hissed and gasped when Seto touched him,
and thrust involuntarily up into his hand.

They fell into a steady rhythm that was just slow enough to
keep Joey begging for it to go faster, but fast enough to drive him mad. Joey�s cries and gasps had regressed to deep
throaty moans. His nails dug into Seto�s
shoulders.

Seto�s control broke, and sensual grew to animalistic. He thrust into Joey hard and fast, matching
his thrusts with his hand. Joey�s moans
increased in volume, which only fed Seto�s passion.

Seto�s orgasm came just as hard and fast, emptying himself
into Joey. He didn�t slow, refusing to
leave Joey unsatisfied. Through his
passion fogged mind, Joey registered the thought that Seto had just
released into him, and his mind went blank as the thought was the final
straw. He came into Seto�s hand,
practically screaming his name.

A few minutes later, Joey�s began to become aware, and
blinked dazedly at Seto. The brunette
was cleaning them off with tissues, which was an act quite beyond Joey�s mental
capacity at the moment. He reached out
with both arms, whining like a child, until Seto came to him. Joey clung, unable to thing whether or not
their relationship was ready for this or if it would bother Seto. He buried his face in Seto�s shoulder, and
clung.

After a stiff moment of attitude, Seto relented, and pulled
Joey even tighter against him. Joey
nuzzled sleepily and began to relax, now that he was held. Seto found his eyes drooping too, and gave up
on trying to clean.

Staring at Joey�s already sleeping figure, he reflected that
the amount of emotions the blonde caused in him was astounding. Moments ago it had been desire so strong it
was painful, and now it was almost a motherly need to protect and guard. Exhaustion prevented him from contemplating
it any further, as his mind began to shut down.

*^*^*^*

Rather than awake all at once as he usually did, Seto slowly
eased away from the dream world. The
first thing that he noticed was his nose felt wet and cold. He twitched it to try to figure out why
without opening his eyes, and heard a giggle.

That caused his eyes to fly open, and land on Joey, who
smiled innocently, then reached out with the tip of his tongue to lick Seto�s
nose again. Seto blinked twice, as his
mind caught up with where he was, why he was there, and who was with him.

Joey snuggled closer before Seto had any chance to respond
to the licking, and nuzzled Seto�s neck.
�Morning,� he said, though it was muffled.

An early morning, half awake bout of fear hit Seto, and he
pulled Joey to him and held him there, as if he would disappear or leave. Joey responded by covering his neck in
butterfly kisses.

Seto found his voice.
�Are you always like this in the morning?� he asked.

Joey snickered. �Only
after I�ve been screwed senseless.� He
shifted so their lips were even and kissed Seto slowly. Seto responded sluggishly, still caught half
in sleep, and his hand came up to cup Joey�s cheek. Joey pulled away and smiled. �I like you this way. Half awake and vulnerable.�

Under normal circumstances that comment probably would have
bothered Seto, but right now he was more concerned with better uses for Joey�s
mouth than talking. He pulled him back
into a kiss, and relaxed into enough he could fall back to sleep, something he
never did.

Slowly, Joey removed himself from Seto�s arms and untangled
himself from the blankets. At first Seto
adverted his eyes, but then thought better of it and turned to appreciate
Joey�s body in the daylight. The blonde
was unaware of Seto�s eyes, as he searched around the bed for his boxers.

�We need showers,� Seto observed, noting the way Joey�s hair
stuck up in several directions.

Holding his located boxers in one hand, Joey walked back
over to Seto and took his hand. He pressed
it up against his stomach. Under his
palm, Seto could feel a small earthquake.
�First, we need food,� Joey said, laughing. �I�m starving.� He stepped into his boxers and pulled them up. Seto sat up, modestly remaining under the
blankets.

Joey crossed his arms.
�You better get some clothes on, because I am not going out there to
face the kid without you.�

Seto groaned. Joey
laughed and went over to Seto�s mostly packed suitcase. He threw a clean pair of boxers at Seto, then
stole a white tee shirt to wear himself.
It was a little big on him; Seto�s shoulders were wider, but that only
made him smile. When he turned back
around, Seto was out of bed and clothed.

When they walked out of the room, Joey made a beeline for
the kitchen, and Seto followed. Mokuba
was sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal, and didn�t look up at
them. However, he had a huge grin on his
face that made Seto groan and Joey blushed.

�Morning,� Joey said, reaching for the box of cereal.

�Good morning,� Mokuba said through his smile. �Sleep well?�

�Shut up,� Joey said, kicking the boy under the table,
making Mokuba laugh. The dark haired boy
passed Joey the milk, and said nothing more.

Seto sat down beside them, the paper opened in front of him
so his face was visible to neither his brother nor Joey. Under the table, however, his leg linked
around Joey�s ankle, causing Joey to smile.
Now he was ready to go home.

End of Part Two

Sand Lover

By Ykarzel

Epilogue

Walking in, Seto tossed his keys on the table by the door,
because by tomorrow, that would be the only place he would be able to find
them. When they clanged against another
set of keys, he smiled. Joey was here.

That caused his head to lift and back to straighten, despite
his exhaustion. For the past week
everything at the office had been murder, and in school finals were coming
up. Not that school took up much of
Seto�s time, but Joey was terrified of failing a class, and as a result, not
being able to graduate.

Soon, though, the semester would be over and they�d all have
a break for the holidays. Part of the
reason everything at Kaiba Corp was so hectic was that he was planning to take
off for the entirety of winter break.

He took the stairs slowly, hoping to sneak up on the
blonde. Once on the second floor, he
could hear Joey�s voice down the hall, which meant his door was open.

�Jay, you don�t want to back out of this. It�s probably time you did it, even if you
don�t want to.�

Intrigued, Seto paused outside his door. He was interested to see what Jason had
gotten in to that had Joey concerned enough to be on the phone this time of
night.

�Oh, don�t be stupid.
They raised Ashton didn�t they?
They can�t be that bad. Besides,
he�s met your mom, you owe him.�

Seto leaned against the wall, and waited. He felt no guilt for eavesdropping, because
it was Jason on the other side, who loved to eavesdrop on him if he could
convince Joey to go along with it. It
wasn�t that he particularly disliked Jason.
Over time, he�d gotten used to the daily phone calls and e-mails, and
being constantly updated on Jason�s life.
The fact was, however, that Joey told Jason everything. Jason knew things that Seto wouldn�t admit to
under torture. He didn�t really like the
thought of anybody but Joey having that much potential blackmail.

�Oh, no, I don�t.
It�s at home. I�m at Seto�s. No, don�t worry about it, he�s not here
yet. He�s at work. It�s been a hell of a week, I just miss him.�

Seto smiled. Despite
Joey�s ease in saying things like that, it never got old hearing them.

�Yeah, I�m feeling a little bit better with psychology class
now. Math is still scaring me, but
there�s not much more I can do about it any more. As long as I pass I�ll be fine.� Despite Seto�s aid, and hours of studying,
Joey was still having problems in his math class. It was hard for Seto to understand how to
help somebody in something that came so easily to him.

Joey groaned. �Jay, don�t
talk about it, I don�t want to think about it.
It was so easy before. I wasn�t
going to go to college, I was going to come live with you and work at the
beach.� Joey�s voice was getting further
away, and Seto realized he�d walked into the bathroom. He moved into the room, anxious to hear what
Joey was saying.

�I know, Jay, and it�d be cool, but I can�t leave Seto any
more than you can leave Ash. I don�t
know what I�m going to do. I�ll probably
get my own apartment around here. I�m
tired of living with the old man.� Joey
paused, and Seto sat down on his bed, taking off his shoes. �Huh,� came Joey�s voice again. �I don�t know, I hadn�t thought about
it. Ashton hasn�t moved in with you
yet.� Joey paused, then snorted. �You actually think anybody believes that? Everybody in the hotel knows you guys fuck on
days that end in y. Seriously, it was
different living with you. I wasn�t
dependent on you, I wasn�t in love with you.�

Seto smiled again.
Somehow, hearing Joey talk about being in love with him, when he had no
idea Seto could hear him, meant even more than being told. The moving in thing might have been a new idea
for Joey, but Seto had been thinking about it for over a month. It seemed more practical than visiting each
other. It wasn�t as if there was a lack
of space; Joey could even have his own room so they both had their own space. But it had never seemed appropriate to bring
it up. For once, he was grateful for
Jason saying something before he did.

�I don�t know, Jay. I
mean, that�s a really big step.� Joey
laughed. �Alright, you�ve got a
deal. You go home with Ashton for
Christmas and meet his parents, and when summer gets closer I�ll bring it up to
Seto. Agreed?� Joey paused. �Did he really? Let me talk to him.�

His shoes off, Seto laid back on the bed, and loosened his
tie. He knew better than to take it off;
Joey would be upset at being denied the privilege.

�Hey Ash. Code it if
he�s still in the room. I talked to him
about your parents, and he�s gonna go, alright?� Joey laughed again. �No problem.
Call me if you ever need him manipulated again.� There was another pause. �Hello love, miss me? Oh, I see how it is. Soon as the hot boy walks in with a willing
ass you don�t want to talk to me anymore.
Fine, I don�t need you. My
boyfriend is coming home to me.� Joey
laughed. �Love you too Jay. Have fun.�

Seto heard Joey�s cell flip closed, and he walked into the
room. �Hey!� Joey said brightly, upon
seeing Seto laid back on the bed. He
crawled on to it and grabbed Seto by the tie, using it to pull him up for a
kiss. �Surprised?�

Seto smirked. �I knew
you were here as soon as I saw your keys.�

�Mmm, how was work?� Joey asked
between kisses.

�It was work. Were
you waiting long?�

Joey grinned. �I�ve
been here since school let out utilizing your internet. I was studying psych. Mokuba and I ordered pizza.�

Seto laid back again, pulling Joey with him. �You might as well move in,� he said,
grinning.

Joey blushed. �I
wondered if you were out here for that.�
He shrugged. �Maybe later in the
year.� Using Seto�s tie again, simply
because he loved the control it gave him, he pulled Seto into another
kiss. �We can talk about it later, when
I�m not using you for stress release.�

�Oh, that�s what you�re doing?� Seto asked, as Joey�s hands
set to unbuttoning his shirt. �I�m being
used?�

Joey laughed and nuzzled Seto�s neck. �I missed you.�

Seto reached up wrapped his arms around Joey, and pulled him
into a tight hug. �Ditto.�

End

Dedicated to Ben, my Benniepoo.

Ykarzel: Okay, so, that took about a year more than it
was supposed to. *shrug* It�s novel length though. I ought to change the names and publish this
one. Now, I have an inkling, for a
prequel, about how Joey and Jason came to be as close as they are, but I didn�t
want to write it first because, well I didn�t know Jason yet. So upon request, I might do it, or it can
just stay in my head. I also may write the scene you don't see between Jason and Ashton. I wouldn't expect a sequel though, not this year anyway. Thanks for reading.
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