Adult-FanFiction.org : Yu-Gi-OH

Silent Tears	By : AnonymousTigress Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 7536 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I gain no profit or benefits from writing this fan fic.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
smint45: Ha ha I’m glad I gave you that bad feeling. I love throwing in cliffhangers from time to time. And yes, Mokuba made an oopsie. Not a good oopsie.
CHAPTER TEN
“I’m not going to ask again. Where is Wheeler?” Seto commanded.
That question woke Yami up in an instant.
“Joey? Kaiba, Joey’s not here.”
The two teens were now sitting quietly upstairs in the living room. Well, Seto was standing with his arms crossed over his chest and leaning back against the wall. Yami stared up at him with red-rimmed eyes.
“What do you mean Joey left? Why would he leave?” Yami asked.
Seto shook his head in frustration.
“I don’t know,” Seto answered.
Yami stood up in a barely held fury.
“That’s load of bullshit and you know it. There’s something you’re not telling me,” Yami hissed.
Seto glared. Yami returned the glare.
“Do you know what Hell it’s been having him there? In my home?” Seto demanded.
Yami flew across the room until he was almost touching noses with the taller teen.
“This isn’t all about you, Kaiba. Joey was beaten by his own father because he was protecting something that belonged to you. Your home was the most logical choice. His father is out on bail. If Joey is anywhere else, that bastard can get to him. Or did that not occur to you?!”
Yami was right. He had been frustrated that Joey had left with only a note left behind. He hadn’t even considered the thought that his father could and would get a hold of him. A man like that would take out his own son and not lose any sleep over it. He needed to find Wheeler. Now.
“Yami? Kaiba?”
Both teens’ heads snapped to the side. A sleepy Yugi was rubbing his eye as he walked down the hall towards them.
“Yami, why’s Kaiba here?” Yugi asked.
“Yugi, go back to sleep,” Yami told him.
Yugi seemed to come more alert. He could see that something was disturbing both Yami and Kaiba. That led him to only one conclusion.
“Kaiba, is it Mokuba? Is he okay?” Yugi asked, stepping closer.
Seto was stunned by the question. It took him a moment to register the question.
“No. He’s fine,” Seto replied.
Yami swallowed before stepping closer to his lover. He took Yugi into his arms and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
“Yugi, it’s Joey. He left the mansion. Kaiba thought he may have come here,” Yami told him.
Yugi frowned up at his lover.
“But he is here.”
Yami and Seto’s heads snapped down to look at Yugi. The shorter teen pulled gently out of Yami’s arms and motioned down the hall.
“You were in the shower when he came in, Yami. I guess I forgot to tell you he’s here,” Yugi said, shrugging.
Yami darted down the hall with Seto and Yugi right behind him. Yami got to the office room and opened the door. His gaze went immediately to the small couch in the room. He let out a big sigh of relief when he spotted the tall blonde curled up on it. Seto was thankful that Yami’s sigh covered up his own.
Seto moved around the two lovers and over to the couch where he crouched down on one knee. He gently grasped a shoulder and shook.
“Wheeler. Wake up, Wheeler,” Seto murmured.
The blonde made an hmm sound but remained sleeping. Seto shook him a little harder with a firmer call of his name. Joey woke with a jolt and blinked sleepy eyes as he moved his head up.
“Hmm…Wh-?” Joey mumbled, still half-asleep.
The blonde let out a wide yawn before slowing pushing himself up into a sitting position. He looked up at Seto with glassy eyes.
“Wheeler, you’re coming with me…whether you like it or not. I’m taking you home,” Seto told him.
He became confused when Joey closed his eyes with a wince. He tucked his arms around his ribs, shaking his head. Yugi moved around him and planted himself down onto the couch beside Joey.
“Joey! Joey, that’s not what Kaiba meant. He’s talking about the mansion, not the apartment,” Yugi reassured him.
Seto hadn’t realized that Joey’s definition of home differed from his. Sure, the blonde had his own room designed at the mansion. But that didn’t make Kaiba Mansion his home. In Joey’s mind, home still meant the apartment; the place of his abuse.
Yugi watched as Seto laid a light hand on top of his best friend’s head. He leaned his head down to Joey’s good ear and he whispered something to him. Whatever he said, the sleepy Joey nodded his head to it. It was a very shocking sight to see. Kaiba seemed almost comforting to the hurting teen. Even though he was sitting close to Joey, Yugi couldn’t hear what he mumbled back to Kaiba.
“Yug?”
Yugi looked at Joey. The older teen gave him a small smile.
“Can ya get muh bag from yer ‘oom?” Joey asked, his sleepy voice slurring his words.
Yugi nodded.
“I’ll get it, Joey. Do you need anything else?” Yugi asked.
Joey mumbled something back to Yugi. Yami watched in amusement as Yugi looked surprise at the response, but then shrugged and got up. Yugi sent him to the kitchen to grab a soda out of the fridge.
“A soda? It’s almost midnight. He’ll be up all night,” Yami hissed to Yugi as they left.
“I think Kaiba wants Joey awake for the talk they’re going to have back at the mansion,” Yugi hinted.
Yami let out a low whistle.
“Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that conversation,” Yami mumbled.
Yugi had to throw a few things into Joey’s bag so Yami was first back to the room. Joey was still yawning when they got him out and downstairs, but he was definitely more awake. Yami pulled Kaiba aside as Yugi leaned into the open passenger side window to speak to Joey. Joey sat quietly with his head down. He fiddled with the top of the half-empty soda bottle with his thumbs.
“Joey, you know you can tell me anything…right?” Yugi asked, quietly.
A small smile fluttered across Joey’s face.
“I know, Yug. It’s just hard,” Joey murmured.
Yugi’s smile was nowhere near as bright as it usually was.
“We don’t believe Teá. We’re all on your side, Joey. You can come sit with us at lunch again,” Yugi whispered.
Joey shook his head.
“I like sitting with Kaiba. It’s quieter outside. He doesn’t really talk to me, but he doesn’t ignore me, either,” Joey said.
Yugi felt sad that Joey didn’t want eat with the group; with him. He was trying to understand, to be there for his best friend, but it was hard. He heard Kaiba say something unsavory to his lover and knew Kaiba would be leaving in a minute. Yugi leaned off the door so he could open the door and throw his arms around Joey in a hug. He didn’t notice the way Joey stiffened in his arms.
Yugi pulled back and closed the door. Seto climbed in and locked the doors. Yugi stepped back into Yami’s embrace and watched as Kaiba pulled out.
“What did you say to Kaiba?” Yugi whispered.
“I reminded him not to get mad at Joey. Something’s wrong and they need to talk, not argue,” Yami whispered back.
Seto drove down the road with a million different thoughts running through his mind. Joey was quiet in the car while taking an occasional sip of his Dr. Pepper. Both teens knew the discussion was going to happen at the mansion. Seto noticed Joey shiver and flicked the heat up. He noted that the shivers stopped, but Joey said nothing. He had noticed a lot of things as of late and he was coming to some conclusions.
After they pulled into the driveway and parked, Joey kept his head down as he followed Seto inside. Seto paused in the entrance hall to speak briefly with Roland. Joey went on straight back to his room. When he came back into the room, he put his things away in the bathroom. Joey hissed through his teeth when his shirt rubbed across his upper back.
His upper back felt like someone had doused it in alcohol and threw a lit match on it. Come to think of it, sounded like something his father would have done. Joey kicked his shoes off into a corner. He felt bad that Kaiba had come out at such a late hour to look for him. He knew he should have waited until Kaiba got home or even tomorrow morning.
Slowly, Joey sat down on the corner of the bed facing the door. He lowered his head, closed his eyes, and waited for his death sentence. He didn’t even hear the brunette come into the room. Yet he could feel the brunette standing with barely a distance between them.
“I don’t get it.”
Seto stood quiet and waited. He wanted to see where this was going.
“We’ve been rivals for years. You don’t get along with my friends or me. You’ve put me down countless of times. And yet here you are, chasing after me at night to drag me back after I left. You don’t have to care about what happens to me. So why do it?” Joey mumbled.
Seems like the blonde wanted to take things slow and calm. Without hesitating, Seto laid his hand down on Joey’s head again. He half expected the blonde to lash out at him or flinch away from his touch. However, the blonde only breathed in and let out a deep breath. Seto did the same. If they were going to have a discussion, he figured the best approach was going to be bluntly honest with the abused teen.
“I do it…because I can. You have all these people around you supporting you while you heal. But you’ve had to rely on yourself for so long after fools and morons have failed to listen to you. Too blinded by your ex-gang member picture. You’re not used to asking for help. Or accepting it, are you?”
When Joey didn’t say anything, Seto knew he had his answer. He moved a strand hair that had fallen out of place before resting it back on the center of the soft blonde hair. Joey noticeably shivered when Seto ran his fingers through the hair in a soothing manner. He only did it once, despite the lack of protest. It was the first time he had done it when the blonde was awake and aware of what he was doing.
“Why did you leave?” Seto whispered.
Joey breathed deeply while gathering his thoughts. Kaiba was being honest with him. He owed the brunette that much. That and he kind of liked the feeling of a hand in his hair. Even if it was Kaiba.
“I had lunch with Mokuba and I asked him why ya looked so tired. Thought maybe it was a big project or something. He told me it was because of me. I don’t wanna be responsible for you stressing yerself out,” Joey explained.
Seto frowned as he stared down at the blonde’s bowed head.
“Did Mokuba tell you why I’m tired? Specifics?”

Joey shook his head. “He just said it was my fault and that it started when I first came here.”
Seto made a mental note to have a talk with his brother later.
“You were having nightmares. You were taking the sleeping pill and wasn’t able to wake yourself up. I…I’ve been helping you through the nightmares,” Seto confessed.
Joey lifted his head slightly but not enough to look up at the taller teen. Joey’s gifted mind suddenly connected everything together. The strength of the sleeping pill would prevent him from waking from nightmares, which meant he could have hurt himself far worse than he already was. This would explain the feeling of being held and the familiar feel of a hand soothing over his head.
“You’re tired because you wake up before me so I don’t catch you. I…I don’t want you doing it. I don’t want ya losing sleep over me,” Joey told him.
Seto shook his head and tightened his free hand into a fist before slowly releasing it. Wheeler was doing it again. He was putting the needs of others before himself. Seto slid his hand back through the strands, causing Joey to shiver again. The feeling was making him forgot about the hot intensity racing across his upper back.
“I don’t like to repeat myself, but I will because of your bad ear.”
Joey let out a small chuckle when a finger tapped his hearing aid.
“Nightmares are something you can’t control. The one time I wasn’t here, you hurt yourself and could have done worst. You had tangled yourself in the sheets. I had to cut the sheets away to free you,” Seto told him.
Joey came to a sudden realization.
“My foot…” Joey’s voice drifted off.
“Yes. And I don’t want you worrying about me. Worry about yourself. Yes, I’ve lost sleep and I’m irritable. That’s not front page news. That’s Mokuba’s morning observation of me.”
Joey chuckled and thought he may have heard a small chuckle from the teenage CEO. He chalked it up as his imagination, though.
“Do me a favor, Wheeler. Open that big mouth of yours and tell someone what you want. You’ve never been afraid of telling me what you thought about me. If there’s something you like, tell us. If there’s something you don’t like, then tell us that, too.”
Joey was quiet after Seto’s command. Seto almost wondered if he had gone to sleep sitting up. Then a quiet yet strong voice spoke.
“I…I like it when someone hugs me and says something nice to me. I don’t like yelling or someone grabbing muh arm. Reminds me too much of my old man. I like…my room. Never had anything like it.”
Seto nodded his head. He made a decision right then with himself. He had to throw away their rivalry and start anew. Wheeler needed him more as an ally. He was willing to be something different, if the blonde was willing. His hand froze when Joey’s hand gently grasped it.
“I like that…with my hair. It makes me feel better. Thanks for making the nightmares go away. I don’t think you know what happened in the hospital. I guess I had a nightmare one night. Pretty bad one. Ripped out my IV. They had to sedate me.”
Seto doubted even Yami and Yugi knew about this. Yami, with his big mouth, wouldn’t have kept that a secret from him. Seto looked at the hand grasping his. Upon closer inspection, he could see some healing scars from where the IV must have been when it had happened.
“I want to make a proposal, Wheeler.”
Joey let a small, playful smile flitter across his face.
“You gonna give me a ring first?”
His smile fell, though, when Seto pulled his hand away. His own hand fell down to his lap and his head fell further down onto his chest. He startled when he felt something being placed around his neck. Joey’s hand shot up to grasp Kaiba’s card locket; the very one he had left here.
“Close enough for you?”
Joey could practically hear the smirk in the brunette’s voice. So Kaiba did have a sense of humor. Oh, well, two could play that game.
“I’m not wearing a dress.”
“You wouldn’t look good in one anyway.” Snort. “I want us to start over, Wheeler. I don’t have friends, only business associates and acquaintances. But I’ll try to be your friend.”
It was the best deal Joey had gotten in a long time. Joey nodded his head before standing and finally lifting his head to look the brunette in the eye.
“I’d like that, Kaiba,” Joey replied.
Joey watched Kaiba roll his eyes.
“Call me Seto.”
Joey’s eyebrows shot up.
“Are you serious?” “As a heart attack.”
Joey smiled. “Then call me Joey.”
Seto smirked.
“Okay.”
“Hey, Kai-Seto?”
Seto heard the slip up, but understood it would take some time for Joey to adjust to the name change.
“What?” Seto asked.
“Can I…I mean, will you…uh…?” Joey blinked hard and rung his hands together.
Seto reviewed through his head what Joey had confessed to him. It occurred to him that Joey was trying to ask for a hug. He knew he guessed right when Joey didn’t flinch when he brought his arms up. He gave him a light hug but then pulled him closer when Joey didn’t pull away. Unfortunately, he didn’t realize where one of his arms came across.
Joey cried out as Seto’s arm pressed hard against the painful marks on his upper back. Startled, Seto immediately released him and pulled back with his hands on Joey’s shoulders. The blonde had tears in his eyes as his hands held onto Seto’s arms.
“Wh-Joey?” Seto asked, quietly.
Joey sniffled.
“It’s…it’s my back,” Joey whimpered.
Eyes widening with understanding, Seto’s hands trailed down to the bottom of Joey’s shirt. He looked at Joey for permission. Closing his eyes with a grimace, Joey nodded. Seto had Joey hold his arms up as he tried to carefully lift the shirt up and off. Then he coaxed the blonde to turn around. Seto pulled the hair at Joey’s nape to the side as his eyes fell on the place his arm had been.
Seto’s eyes grew alarmingly wide. There were several marks, ranging in color from light to dark, which stretched out across Joey’s upper back. The mark looked suspiciously like the letters JWS, but backwards. Seto brought a hand up to lightly touch the marks. He was no expert, but it looked like more than one of the marks was infected.
Joey bit his bottom lip as his body shook. He lowered his head while a tear ran down his face. He felt his body being turned around before he was pulled into another, gentler hug. Joey’s arms slowly slid up to pull the body closer. He bit his bottom lip to the point of drawing blood. The blonde still tried to keep it all in.
Joey felt Kaiba pull him towards the bed where he sat them both down. Joey instantly curled up in the brunette’s lap and buried his face in his shirt. He felt the arms around him rock him gently back and forth. One arm was around his waist while another came lightly up his back to weave a hand through his hair.
Joey had been holding back since he had fully woken up that day in the hospital. He had been brought up to have a tough skin and the gang gave him an even rougher personality. His friends knew him as the playful jokester of the group. One hug and hold from Kaib---Seto---and he was ready to spill his beans.
“Let it go, Wheeler. Go ahead and let go. I’m not going anywhere,” Seto whispered in his ear.
Letting go was exactly what he did. The floodgates opened and, for the first time since his father first started hitting him, Joey cried.
He cried for his parents splitting and his mother taking away his sister. He cried for all the times his father had beaten him. He cried for all the people who hadn’t believed him about the abuse. He cried for all those years he had hidden the abuse from his friends. He cried that his former friend thought he had rejoined the old gang.
Seto listened and carefully strengthened his hold on the sobbing blonde. His sobs were quiet and pressed into his shirt. Joey’s body shook as he cried. His quiet and contained crying was testimony to just how much internal pain Joey was in. He hadn’t quite expected this to happen, but he supposed something like this had been due to happen. The CEO had been too focused on the mental pain and more noticeable injuries. He hadn’t even asked the blonde about his back or ribs.
Seto wasn’t surprised Joey cried himself to near exhaustion. The CEO figured he must be coming down off his caffeine high. Seto looked up when he heard the door open. Roland came through and walked straight over to the bed. Unknown to Joey, Seto had pressed a non-emergency panic button, alerting Roland to report to him.
“Roland, call Connors. Tell him he’s needed. Wheeler’s back needs to be looked at,” Seto whispered.
The security nodded his head and left to make the call.
“I’m sorry,” Joey mumbled with a small sniffle.
“Stop apologizing. It’s starting to get annoying,” Seto told him.
“I’m sor-…Nevermind.”
Seto shook his head. It was going to be hard to break the blonde of the habit.
“Just…be quiet. Don’t move too much. I’ll get the story out of you later…Joey,” Seto said, having to mentally remind himself not to call the blonde Wheeler.
Joey just nodded his head. It seemed like an eternity until Roland appeared at the door with Dr. Jack. The doctor immediately flew across the room and over to the two boys. The doctor made a face as he turned on the bedside lamp and got a real good look at Joey’s upper back.
That is going to be a problem, Dr. Jack thought.
Given the two teens instructions, they maneuvered Joey to lie down on his stomach on the bed. He sent Roland to the bathroom to get a few things. Seto gave Joey a pillow to rest his head on his arms as he carefully slid off the bed. Joey winced when he felt the doctor poking around at his back.
“This is serious, Joey. It looks as though you’ve got a few of these marks infected. I’m going to need to clean them to get a better look,” Dr. Jack told him.
“ ‘k, doc,” Joey mumbled.
Dr. Jack didn’t even bother asking Roland or Seto to leave. Roland left after dropping off the requested items, but it was clear that the CEO wasn’t going anywhere. Seto sat down on the floor, putting him at eye level with Joey, and talked to him in a soft voice. The doctor was pleased with the distraction as Joey didn’t even stir when he started cleaning the boy’s back.
Dr. Jack blocked out the boys’ voices as he cleaned and disinfected the marks on Joey’s upper back. He tossed away the cream he had originally prescribed Joey and dug through his bag for a new one. The tube he pulled out was a stronger cream with special qualities that would help with the minor infection. Using a small, round-shaped medicine pad, Dr. Jack smoothed a light layer of cream before applying it to the pale blonde’s back.
Joey let out a yelp of surprise when the cold cream touched his back. It took a moment for the blonde to settle back down so Dr. Jack could do his job. He noticed in interest that Joey seemed unnaturally subdued. Something seemed to have changed since the last time he had seen the two teenagers together. Seto was speaking in a quiet voice and combing a hand through Joey’s hair. If asked, Jack would have sworn it looked like something his wife would do for him after a hard day at the hospital.
Then again he recalled his wife mentioning a recent change at school. Every day that week she had spotted Joey sitting outside with Seto during lunch. Dr. Jack wondered if maybe the boys – no, young men – were finally setting things aside. He finished up and threw his materials away in a nearby wastebasket.
A very sleepy Joey closed his eyes as he felt the doctor finish. The stinging pain was finally gone. He sighed in relief and murmured some gratitude. He felt Seto scratch his head gently before standing. Joey bit his lip to suppress a whimper. He heard some quiet whispers from the doctor and CEO. A moment later, he felt a calloused hand pat his arm.
“That cream is going to need to be applied two times a day. I’ve given Kaiba precise instructions. If it gets worse, I don’t care if he drags you in bitchin’ and screaming, I need to see you.”
Joey opened his eyes to look up at a slightly blurry doctor.
“’kay, doc. ‘m sorry,” Joey slurred.
Dr. Jack chuckled.
“It’s okay, son. We all make mistakes. But let’s try not to take another one like this, okay?”
Joey nodded weakly before closing his eyes. Dr. Jack stepped over to the doorway where Seto was standing with his arms crossed over his chest.
“I don’t want him to risk sleeping on his back. I don’t care how you both manage but don’t let him sleep on his back,” Dr. Jack cautioned.
Seto nodded his head.
“Thank you for coming. Roland will show you out,” Seto told him.
Dr. Jack patted him on the shoulder before slipping out the door. With a small sigh, Seto allowed his body to relax before slipping back over to the bed. He leaned down to whisper to Joey.
“I’ll be right back. Go brush your teeth or something. Take out your hearing aid. I don’t want you sleeping and rolling over on your back.”
Joey groaned in protest but carefully slid himself off the bed and up to his feet. After he watched Seto leave, Joey stumbled into the bathroom. After all that crying, Joey decided to wash his face. The cool water felt good in his face and over his pounding head.
The next few minutes were all a blur until Joey found himself lying on his bed with Seto. He had given a little protest when Seto had pulled him partially on top of him. Joey just finally gave up for the night and laid his head down on Seto’s clothed abdomen. He startled when he felt Seto poking at his ear, but then he remembered his hearing aid was still in. He tilted his head, allowing the brunette to gently pull it out.
Seto opened the battery door and reached over to set the hearing aid down on the bedside table. When he settled back down, Seto slid a hand on top of his head. Seto mentally noted that the feeling of the blonde’s body resting up against his side was starting to feel normal.
“Get some rest, Whe…Joey. We’re going on a trip tomorrow,” Seto spoke softly.
“Hmm? Where we goin,’ Kaiba?”
It was late and Seto didn’t care to correct the blonde on his name.
“It’s a surprise. Now get some sleep.”
Through his light t-shirt, Seto would later swear Joey smiled.
END OF CHAPTER TEN
Author’s Note: A special shout out to smint45. I had already decided Joey was going to be at Yugi’s but Yami not be aware of it when you posted your review. Your review almost made me think about writing that he was elsewhere. I think that could have gone just as well in this chapter.
Also, it may seem like the two are acting like lovers and if they’re both so smart…then why aren’t they realizing that, right? Well…love is blind. Joey is seeking comfort and this is new territory for Kaiba.
- 9
- 10
- 11
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Silent Tears