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The Mythology Set	By : ReizOokami Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 35569 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or its characters and I make no money from the writing or posting of this story.

Chapter List
- 54
- 55
- 56
Author's Note: I started this story and I… I just don't know where I was going with it. OTL What do you guys think?

Dragon-Born

"We have a problem."

Joey looked up from the kit he was bottle-feeding and frowned at the anxious look he was being given by his friend. "What is it? I thought it was just a routine round-up. –God, Yug', what happened t' your arm!"

"It's just a burn. Ishizu put a salve on it already," the smaller boy answered quickly, looking down at his gauze-wrapped arm and hand. He looked up at the blond and made a small noise that he usually only made when he was stressed. "But I'm serious, Joey. You know how that large group of nomads was found twenty or twenty-five years ago?"

The taller boy nodded slowly. "Yeah. The ones that missed technology past fire and spears, right?"

"Yes, that one," Yugi sighed. "You remember how after they were studied they were immediately taken into captivity for their own safety?" When the blond nodded again, he continued, "It was because at the beginning of every year, they'd go to the dragon graveyard and feast on the meat from a recently deceased dragon, right? They believed that the magic from dragon flesh and blood would give them good luck for the coming year."

Joey frowned. "What's your point, Yugi? What's the problem? Ya find another group of people like that?"

The smaller boy sighed and shook his head. "No. You remember that phenomenon we studied briefly about those people? About how if a child was conceived within a month after the feast, the baby was Dragon-Born?" He took a deep breath. "And how, when the baby was Dragon-Born, the people would leave them for the dragons to take care of because they believed that the children were chosen by the gods to be sacrifices to the kin of the dragons they'd consumed."

The older boy gagged a little. "Oh gods…!"

He swallowed as he saw the blond's eyes widen in horror. "Yes, well, we don't know about any of the other children that were Dragon-Born, but… we found one that had been adopted by some of the dragons. –We found one when we went to round up that last group of Blue-Eyes White Dragons. I guess he was one of the reasons why the dragons tried so hard not to be caught."

"…So… so the problem is, what to do with him, then?" Joey asked quietly, looking down at the pitch black kit gazing up at him adoringly. "…What sort of behavior has he exhibited since ya brought them in, Yug'?"

Yugi shrugged awkwardly. "He walks upright, but he just wanders around and investigates the pen we put them in like any other dragon would. He shows interest in the humans that come into the pen, I think mostly because he realizes that he looks more like us than he looks like a dragon, but he shies away and hides near any of the dragons when we try to approach him. I think he knows we're trying to… to 'separate him from the herd.'"

Joey frowned and bounced the little kit in his arms. "I see… And you're tellin' me this because ya think I can do somethin' about it?"

"Maybe when he sees that you care for Kai, he'll trust you," the smaller boy suggested helplessly. "Do you mind?"

The blond sighed and rubbed the back of his head as he pulled the empty bottle away from the mewling baby dragon. "I suppose. When were they last fed?"

"Just a few hours ago. They should be relatively reserved for at least a couple of days," Yugi replied instantly. "So you'll see him?"

"I'll try." Joey pursed his lips as he settled the kit into the sling around his shoulders, resting the small body against his chest so that it could hear his heartbeat like it would if it were cuddled on its mother's back. "Which pen did you guys put 'em in?"

Yugi frowned in thought. "Three. It was a rather small family group, but you know Blue-Eyes. They're rather family-oriented. Small families rather than one large pack."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Joey muttered, stroking the dragon's spiked ridge, then straightened his back. "Well, here goes nothing."

.-.-.-.-.-.

'Small family group my ass.'

Joey scowled as he stomped around the large enclosure. There were at least fifteen dragons in this pen, all of varying ages and sizes. He knew they wouldn't attack him—the safety of kits was sacred even among species of dragons that hated each other—but that didn't help his mood. He really should have asked for a description of this stupid 'Dragon-Born' or whatever.

Sensing that something was following him, he turned, glaring at what he figured would be an overly-curious kit or yearling. "Okay, beat it-!" He gasped as sharp, intense blue eyes bored into him from a human face and took a step back in surprise.

The man was taller than him, with long brown hair that fell down his back like a waterfall. Two horns, short and stubby but a pristine shade of white, extended from the sides of his skull and began to curve around his head before they ended in blunted points. His limbs were long and muscular and flecked with tiny patches of white scales.

He was naked.

Joey blushed brightly and quickly averted his gaze. 'Jeez I forgot what Yugi even wanted me t' do!'

The brunet eyed him critically, licking his lips as he examined the other human from head to toe. His eyes paused on the black kit that blinked up at him innocently, but then they continued up to the blond's face again.

There was a pause in which Joey held his breath, just in case the Dragon-Born man disregarded the kit he was caring for and attacked him anyway. His breath was released in a startled yelp as the brunet suddenly lunged at him, slamming him up against the fence and pressing up against him firmly.

He flinched as the kit mewed in confusion and reached up to grab the brunet's shoulders quickly. "Guh-! Get off!" He squirmed as he felt the taller man's mouth nipping his jaw and jerked his shoulder up so that he couldn't sink his teeth into his neck. "Damn it—Stop—I'm male—"

The brunet growled and reached up to grab his hair, trying to tug his head so he would bare his neck. When the smaller boy continued trying to shove him away, he snarled and dug his claws into his scalp lightly.

Joey continued to squirm even as tears formed in his eyes from pain. "Ouch! Damn it, get off of me-!" Feeling desperate and realizing that the brunet didn't understand his words, he grabbed the taller man's free hand and brought it down to his crotch. He flinched as the older boy gave him a hard squeeze and gasped. "Gah-!"

The Dragon-Born man seemed surprised when he felt male genitalia and leaned back to look between them, appearing baffled. He whined quietly, paused, then began to press against him more firmly, so he couldn't escape.

Joey was terrified for a moment until the brunet let out a startled yelp before he was swiftly yanked away. He slid down the fence, eyes wide as he watched one of the larger females grasping the brunet in her tail and carrying him away, scolding him like she would have any other kit. The brunet looked petulant but continued whining, and he figured the larger man had been arguing his point.

But he didn't care, because all he wanted to do was get out of there and get somewhere safe!

.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'm tellin' you guys, he wanted t' mate with me!" Joey wailed, hugging Kai tightly. "He was gonna mark my throat and he wasn't gonna let me get away!"

Tristan rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Well, I guess that rules out you helping with the kits in that family."

"That's all you're worried about?" the blond growled, glaring at him.

Yugi laughed nervously. "Well, face it, Joey. You've just got a thing for kits."

"So you don't care that this guy was gonna mark me and try t' fuck me?" The older boy's eyes darkened with anger.

Yugi took a step back. "O-of course I care! It's just, now that we know you can't separate him from the herd safely, we have to figure out some other way!"

Joey huffed and turned away from them sharply. "Of-fucking-course."

"…Maybe we can separate him when we tag them," Duke suggested, turning from the computer. "When they see we're doing something harmless, they'll let their guards down. Then we can pretend to tag him last and pull him out of the pen before they know what's happening."

"Yeah, and then they could cause a riot and trample the fences," Tristan muttered, scowling. "They treat him like a kit. You can't just take a kit away from its family unless they arecertain they can't care for it as well as you can."

Yugi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, let's just tag them and then call someone of higher authority. They'll figure out what to do." He turned toward his blond friend and smiled awkwardly. "Did you want to—"

"ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY NOT."

"…I didn't think you would…"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey walked up to the fence and held up the extra tag-gun he'd brought. "You'd think you guys would realize ya need an extra gun. Ya always break one on their scales."

"Thanks, Joey," Yugi sighed, reaching through the chain links to grab it. "I said we should bring another one, but you know Tristan and Duke; they never do anything wrong."

"Yeah, yeah. Next time just bring it and let 'em bitch," the blond muttered, watching as the other two humans carefully clipped bright blue tags up under each dragon's chin. "Jeez. Look, the dragons are even being nice about—WAUGH!"

Yugi jerked away as the Dragon-Born man appeared next to him, letting out a startled yelp as the brunet reached through the fence and caught his friend by the back of his head, bringing him to press up against the fence. "What are you—"

"Let go of me—" Joey began angrily, only to cut himself off as the brunet reached his other hand through to gently trace his cheek bones and ears. "Nn…!"

The brunet cupped his cheek and let out a quiet hum, leaning toward the fence to quietly breathe onto him. Joey felt his eyes flutter closed.

Yugi squawked and shoved him away. "Get away, you pervert!" he snapped, then turned to the blond sharply. "You should know better, Joey! You studied mating techniques!"

Joey blushed brightly and stumbled backward, clutching the kit sleeping against his chest. "Uh-! I-I didn't mean—I wasn't thinkin'—I'll go now." He ducked his head in embarrassment and hurriedly walked away.

The brunet whined and followed him on the other side of the fence, eyes wide and full of longing as he easily kept pace with the hurrying blond. When he reached the corner of the pen and could no longer follow him, however, he let out a long, sorrowful howl that made even Tristan flinch at the sadness at rejection it conveyed.

Yugi frowned thoughtfully as he watched the Dragon-Born man roar as if his heart had been broken and wondered what it was about Joey that the brunet found attractive. He'd been wary of the other humans, but didn't seem to have any such fears of Joey. It wasn't as if Joey looked anything like a Dragon-Born, either; he would probably be the last person to be considered even remotely dragonish, since his family wasn't even native to their dragon-occupied lands. His family had come from a land known for unicorns, and had even brought some unicorns to this land.

One of the dragons moved over and wrapped her tail around him, plucking him up swiftly and carrying him over to a group of kits and yearlings. The smaller dragons immediately began to squeal and mob him, and Yugi saw his small tail twitch before he was buried under a mountain of mewling, purring kits.

He watched a clawed hand scrabble wildly at the ground before falling limp, and he worried that the brunet would be smothered to death, but then he saw the hand lift to gently stroke one of the kits' tails.

It was because of Kai. The Dragon-Born had seen a creature that looked more like him than the dragons, and he had seen one of those creatures caring for one of what he deemed as his 'species.'

He thought that Joey was different from the others because he was caring for a kit. He didn't know that Joey was only caring for it because its mother had rejected it. He'd probably only chosen Joey because, even though Joey didn't look like a Dragon-Born, he was caring for a dragon and that made him at least dragon in that sense, making him the only ideal mate he'd probably ever find.

Yugi flinched. Joey probably wouldn't be pleased with his theoretical conclusions.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey watched the white dragons as they were herded into another pen, frowning when Kai squealed and grabbed at the fence with his claws. He reached out to gently pull the kit's claws away. "Stop it, Kai."

The baby dragon squealed again, squirming, until the human sighed in frustration and lifted him out of the sling. Purring in triumph, the kit squeaked as it was set on the ground and immediately charged to the fence. It bounced up and down, squealing again, and paced back and forth.

One of the white kits answered its call with a squeal of its own and charged toward them, its little legs pumping hard. Its mother turned and growled, but was appeased when the brunet that was part of their herd cut away to follow it, almost like a clan babysitter.

Joey stiffened as the Dragon-Born man approached, taking a step back but staying close enough to snatch Kai up in case there was trouble. The two kits mewed and tapped noses through the fence, then began licking each others' faces. The brunet walked up behind the white kit and paused as it saw him, then purred and stepped closer to the fence, growling something that made the white kit trill and wag its tail.

Joey took a step back in surprise as the brunet gently traced the wires of the fence with the tip of his finger and blushed, wondering what would come next. Dragons showed how delicate their touches could be by picking leaves off of trees one by one, then show how powerful they were at the same time by ripping the tree out down to the roots.

The brunet purred quietly, smiling, then snarled and grabbed the wires, ripping open a hole with his bare hands that was large enough for him to step through. The two kits cooed in awe.

Joey stared, jaw dropping slightly. "…Damn." He squeaked as the brunet stepped through the hole and snatched Kai up quickly, holding him to his chest as he backed away. "Now wait a minute, asshole, I'm not interested in becomin' your bitch-!"

The two humans paused as they heard a squeal and turned to look at the white kit that was waddling through the hole that had been made.

The brunet sighed and rolled his eyes, then leaned down to pick up the kit and stepped back through the hole, pulling the fencing shut as best he could before trudging after his family.

Joey and Kai looked at each other in surprise before the blond slowly made his way back to his room.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Seto."

Yugi looked up from his paperwork and blinked. "Huh?" He raised an eyebrow as he saw that Joey was staring out the window and into the rain, arms crossed and leaning against the windowsill. "What, Joey?"

Joey shrugged. "I was just thinkin' of a name. Let's call him Seto. His herd was found over in the Setorian Sector. So let's call him Seto."

The smaller boy smiled. "You know, when you name things, you get attached to them."

Joey traced his fingertip through the steam forming on the glass. "…He's cute."

"Joey, he doesn't have the mental faculties for you to be in a relationship with him," Yugi stated firmly.

"…He likes kits."

"Joey, he isn't capable of a relationship."

"…He's super strong."

"Joey."

"I know," the blond replied miserably. "But he's covered almost all of the basic mating rituals, and I gotta admit… I'm sorta attracted t' that." He blushed. "He's only missed a few, but he's done all of the ones white dragons are known to do."

Yugi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, frowning. "Joey, I know it's been a while since you've had… a date… but really? Accepting the attention of someone who thinks he's a lizard?"

Joey hunched his shoulders and sighed. "I know. It's just… even my last boyfriend didn't give me as much attention as he is. And my last girlfriend—shit, if she'd even treated me with half of the attention he is, I probably would have tried harder to make it work!"

"…Joey, even if it was possible, it wouldn't be fair to either of you," the smaller boy explained quietly. "You're a human, and he—for lack of a better description—is a dragon. He can't communicate with you, and you can't communicate with him. It just wouldn't work."

"…I know," the blond whispered, leaning his head against the cool glass. "I know. I'm awful."

"I don't think you're awful," Yugi sighed. "I think you're letting a somewhat handsome man get under your skin."

"…Yeah."

"…I suppose we could call him Seto, though. He does need a name, for when someone finally comes to help us separate him from the herd." Yugi raised an eyebrow. "And even though I think it's too late—don't get attached to him."

Joey flinched.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey's jaw fell open slightly. "He said… I should lure him out?"

Yugi flinched. "Yes."

"…Like, lead him on as if I plan on matin' with him? And then just let 'em take him away?"

"…Yes." The smaller boy looked ashamed he was even suggesting it. "And he said, if you didn't do it, he'd have you fired. …Maybe even have Kai taken away from you." He saw the stricken look the blond acquired and flinched again. "I'm sorry. I wish we'd just let the dragons go and never mentioned to anyone that we had a Dragon-Born."

"…That… asshole," Joey whispered, then covered his face and whimpered quietly. "I could go without the job, but Kai-?" He took a few deep breaths before letting out an angry roar and punching the wall, his fist easily passing through the drywall. "GOD DAMN IT!"

Yugi squeaked. "Joey, please stop destroying things-! You know it doesn't make you feel better in the end!"

The blond took a few deep breaths before he let out a quiet, defeated sob and slid to the ground. "Alright. I'll do it. If it means keepin' Kai, I'll do it."

He felt his friend giving him a hug but couldn't get over how terrible he felt. He would be leading the brunet on and would break his heart when he didn't mate with him at the end, instead letting a bunch of strange humans capture him and lead him away.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey blinked slowly. "…Wow."

Yugi frowned. "You okay?"

The blond turned to look down at him. "He kissed my socks off."

"Yeah, I didn't think someone who thought he was a dragon could actually… know how to kiss." The smaller boy smiled awkwardly. "But are you okay?"

Joey looked down at his feet and hugged himself, biting his bottom lip. "…Yeah, of course I'm fine. Seto's being transported someplace he can be studied safely and I can keep Kai."

Except he wasn't okay. Seto had looked so happy to finally mate with him, had kissed him with such want and need, and then had leaned back and smiled at him. Joey had felt his heart break a little when a group of men had stormed into the room and wrapped him in a straightjacket made of some material that even his superior strength couldn't rip it.

Seto had whined, had looked at him with such despair and betrayal that his already cracked heart broke even more. Then he'd been dragged out, screeching loudly for his family before he'd been locked into the back of an ambulance and sedated.

The dragons had all seemed so happy and proud when Seto had followed the blond out of the pen, had even seemed… relieved. Perhaps they knew that Seto had never really belonged with them, or sensed that this would be the only time he'd mate and be happy.

Not only had he betrayed Seto's trust, but he'd also betrayed the dragons.

Joey couldn't look Kai in the eyes for days.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey looked between the two different white scales he'd been given and sighed, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "Damn. Same dragon again."

Not that it was his problem anymore. He'd quit a few months after Seto was taken. He couldn't handle the guilt. He didn't deserve dragons, and they certainly didn't deserve him. He'd betrayed them. Yugi, Tristan, and even Duke had tried to convince him to stay, had tried to tell him that it wasn't his fault and it was for the best.

He knew differently.

They still sent him scales, since he was the best at identifying whether they came from the same dragon or different ones, but for the most part, he'd abandoned that part of his life. He'd come home and gone back to work on his family's ranch. The only contact he had with dragons now was Kai, who had grown into a handsome adolescent and sometimes nested at his ranch during the colder months.

He wasn't sure how Kai had found him a few years ago, since he'd left him with a female dragon that had willingly taken on the task of raising him herself, but he supposed bottle-feeding the kit fresh out of the egg had left an imprint on him.

Joey sighed and stood, licking his fingers and reaching out to put the flame of his lamp out. The sun was rising and he needed to go feed the unicorns, turn them out into the paddock, and muck their stalls. Soon someone would come by to buy them and herd them elsewhere. He wanted the unicorns in top condition when that happened.

As he grabbed a pitchfork and began mucking the stalls, he let his mind wander. It was one of the few times during the day that he allowed it, simply because he didn't like to dwell on what he was scooping up.

He wondered vaguely if his sister was okay, since she'd taken his job with dragons after he quit. He was more worried about Tristan and Duke than he was about her dealing with dragons. Yugi sent him a letter every week, though, detailing what had been happening. He mentioned that Serenity was a strong young woman and the last time anyone had attacked her, he'd had to see a doctor in the emergency ward, so he figured she'd be able to handle Tristan and Duke; after all, they liked girls, but were adequately scared of their tempers. It helped that Serenity had helped muck stalls and break unicorns, too, so she was stronger than the average woman.

He thought back to Seto and flinched mid-turn, cursing as the mucky hay fell from his pitchfork. He scooped it up again and dumped it into the wheelbarrow, then turned back to the stall, frowning.

It had been eight years. He wondered if Seto was still alive. Whenever he'd made inquiries, he was brushed off, and when Yugi made inquiries, he was told he didn't have enough clearance. He wanted to know that Seto was okay after what he'd done to him, but he figured that this was a just punishment; he'd hurt Seto, and now he'd never know what happened to him.

Joey rolled his eyes and cursed as he heard one of the herding-dogs begin barking. All of his neighbors and the people in town knew that he didn't talk to people when he was mucking stalls. His family has always considered it rude to talk to people during the handling of horse shit, and for the most part, unless it was an emergency, everyone else understood. He hoped to high heavens that the person that had stopped at his home was some lost city-sissy.

He didn't hear anyone approaching the barn, so he figured that the person at least had the good sense to wait at the house for him to come out. He hoped they'd leave before he got finished. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone today. Well, truthfully, he didn't want to deal with anyone at all.

He was bitter. He hated himself for what he'd done. And people felt sorry for him. He didn't want anyone's pity, even though he knew he sort of deserved it, because he was pathetic.

Joey leaned against the doorway of the stall and frowned, brows furrowing together. He missed feeling confident. He missed being proud. But he couldn't be proud of himself. Not after the way Seto looked at him with such utter betrayal. There was nothing to be proud of anymore.

He looked down at his feet, sighing quietly. "Damn it."

"Damning yourself, are you?"

Joey jumped and turned, pitchfork clattering to the ground when he was immediately arrested by glowing blue eyes. He gulped, squeaked, then whispered, "Seto?"

"…I suppose," the brunet replied, crossing his arms. He looked different when he was wearing clothes, especially an expensive silk shirt and dark slacks, despite the fact that nothing else about him had changed except for his short haircut. "I prefer Kaiba. It was the name given me by my teachers."

The younger boy blinked in confusion. "…What…?"

"After they finished poking and prodding me, they decided to experiment with me," the Dragon-Born man explained, shrugging casually. "I figured it would be best if I complied, and I learned quickly. I took especially well to the game of chess, so they named me after one of the most expert players. Aside from my scales, horns, and tail, I can function as a regular human."

Joey frowned and looked back at his feet. "…Oh."

Kaiba paused, the continued, "They've discovered other Dragon-Born among the herds of dragons that have been so difficult to bring in and tag. They're learning just as quickly as I did. I've even been offered a job. It's funny, since they thought of me as an animal before, and now they want to give me a job like any other human. I think I'll take it; I've been told that it's a very high-paying job."

"…Oh." The blond bent down to pick up his pitchfork, brushing off some of the mud and feces that had gotten on the handle when he dropped it, then began mucking the stall he was in again. "Well, congratulations."

Kaiba stared at him for a few minutes, tilting his head, then took a few steps toward him. He choked back a whine as the scent of old-hay-horse-shit-urine-sweat-mold nearly punched him in the face, pausing where he stood so he wouldn't accidentally knock himself out. "…That's all you have to say? After what you did to me?"

Joey rolled his eyes angrily but didn't look at him. "What do ya want me t' say? I mean, I can't say I'm sorry enough, so I won't even try. Why don't ya just take comfort in the fact that I'm pickin' up unicorn shit and you've been offered a high-payin' job?" he ground out, glad that the brunet had come so far but also pissed off that he'd worried for nothing.

Not that Seto's—Kaiba's—humanity made him feel any better. He felt a sense of loss, because the Dragon-Born he'd known was gone. Seto had been educated; he was no longer the instinct-driven beast he'd liked despite being scared of him.

He was Kaiba. Seto was gone. And it was his fault entirely.

Joey gripped the pitchfork tighter and grit his teeth, tears filling his eyes. He wondered what would have happened to Seto if he'd been allowed to leave with his herd. He'd probably still be blissfully unaware of what a shitty world the humans lived in, full of power-trips and unfairness and wrongful blame. He lifted his hand to wipe away the tears in his eyes, but strong fingers wrapped around his wrist before he got a chance.

Kaiba used the grip on his wrist to lift him off his feet and forcefully turn him around to face him, scowling. "That's a whole new level of disgusting even for you, Wheeler. Your hands are covered in shit. Even I was taught not to put filth near my eyes, and that was by my dragon guardians."

"Oh, go bother someone else, asshole!" Joey snapped, glaring at him. "Ya came t' rub it in my face that you're better than me now! I get it, okay?! Just leave me alone! I got six other stalls I still gotta muck and ya can't—"

Kaiba couldn't keep back the angry growl that escaped his throat. He'd been able to learn the human ways of life, but he hadn't been able to forget the dragon ones he'd grown up with.

The blond heard his growl for the threat that it was and stopped struggling, instead turning his wet glare on his feet petulantly. "…I get that you're better than me now, Kaiba. You've got a nice job lined up and I… I'm gonna be rakin' horse shit for the rest of my life and strugglin' t' turn a profit. Can't ya just leave it at that?" He sighed tiredly. "…I see that you're okay now. Please leave me alone."

Kaiba stared at him for several minutes, blinking slowly, before his eyebrow began to twitch. He opened his mouth, closed it, let out a high-pitched, angry whine in the back of his throat as his brows furrowed together, then opened his mouth again and roared.

Joey shrank back as much as he could with Seto's hand on his wrist, eyes widening in terror as the brunet let go of wrist and instead turned and punched the thick beam of wood that held the door to the stall, snapping it easily. He took another step back with a terrified whimper and looked up at him in confusion. "Se—Kaiba—What are ya—"

"WHY IS IT NEVER ENOUGH!?" Kaiba snarled, glaring at him.

The blond frowned in confusion. "…Wh-what-?"

"WHY CAN'T I PLEASE YOU!?" The Dragon-Born cornered him against the stall wall, placing his hands on either side of him so he couldn't escape as he angrily hissed, "When I was just a beast living among my family, you wouldn't have me. I did everything I could to prove what a good mate I'd be, and you started to seem receptive. Then when those men took me from you, I knew that you didn't want me as I was. I changed. I learned everything one needs to know about being human. I became human.

"I learned that most humans want mates with good, high-paying jobs, and I learned exactly how much one needs to make to be high-paid. I learned everything I need to become wealthy, because I also learned that some like to give up their low-paying jobs for wealthy mates. I know where to put my money once I earn it to keep it safe, to keep it growing into more money, and make life comfortable. I learned everything that the wealthy person must do to keep their mates happy.

"I went back to the place they'd taken me from, to prove that I could become the kind of mate you'd want. You weren't there, and they told me that you'd been gone many months. I had to beg and plead and even fight to figure out where you'd gone. Even when I show you what a great human I've become you don't want me.

"WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO MAKE YOU WANT ME?!" Kaiba roared, tightening his grip on the wood until he crushed it in his palms.

Joey bit his bottom lip, blushing a little, then went up on his toes and kissed the brunet lightly. He pulled back before the taller man could realize what he was doing and looked down at his feet nervously. "…Kaiba…"

Kaiba whined pathetically. "What do I have to do to be good enough for you?"

The blond looked back up at him and sniffed quietly, embarrassed because he hadn't realized just how desperately the Dragon-Born had wanted him—enough to change himself entirely. "Kaiba, ya don't hafta do anything. I like you as yourself, whatever that is. If you're happy, I'll be happy."

And he realized with a lighter heart just how true that was. It was how he'd always felt. He just wanted the Dragon-Born to be happy.

Kaiba looked at him for a moment, whining again quietly, then leaned his head on the smaller man's shoulder. "I want you. That will make me happy."

Joey bit his bottom lip, frowning, then glanced aside. "…I'm not like the humans ya learned about, Kaiba. I'm not just gonna quit because ya make a lot of money, or just let ya do all of the work."

"Then I'll stay here with you and work with the unicorns. Just please don't send me away," the brunet pleaded.

Joey sighed, brows furrowing together again as he looked at the Dragon-Born man leaning against him. After a moment, he began tilting his chin up.

Kaiba blinked, then whined again, eyes widening as he saw the blond's smooth throat being bared to him. He glanced up at his face in concern. This wasn't a human thing. He had a ring in his pocket. He could have just given him that!

The blond smiled at him, a single tear sliding down his cheek. "I wanna call ya Seto."

"…MINE!" Seto sunk his fangs into the human's throat and growled, feeling quite pleased with himself as the blond whimpered and fell limp against him. Gathering the limp body in his arms, he purred and released his neck, proudly carrying him out of the barn and over to a pile of hay.

"Agh! I don't wanna do it out in the open-!" Joey exclaimed, blushing brightly and glaring at him. "Take me t' the house!"

"You're filthy," Seto stated, as if that settled things, then began pulling at his clothes.

"I DON'T MIND YOUR BEASTY SIDE BUT I WILL NOT HAVE SEX WHERE ANYONE AND THEIR GRANDMOTHER CAN SEE ME."

Seto didn't even pause. So Joey hit him.

And he was thankful that Seto finally relented and carried him into the house so he could clean up. He was also glad that the brunet was curious enough to follow him to his soft bed, because once the Dragon-Born finished with him, he couldn't walk for three days.
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The Mythology Set