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100 Puppies and Dragons	By : ReizOokami Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 8453 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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
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Author's Note: Follow-up to Faith. You remember that one? It's way back there. :/ What intent did I even start this theme with?

Nowhere and Nothing

"Where are you going?" Joey asked, frowning, and began following the brunet to the door.

Seto shrugged a shoulder. "Nowhere."

"…Okay." As the older boy stepped outside, he stopped in the doorway and leaned his head on the wood, brows furrowing together. "What are you gonna do then?"

The brunet turned to glance back at him. "Nothing."

Joey stood up straight. "Don't—Shou—Seto, ya shouldn't—"

"Just leave me alone," Seto spat, turning to walk away. "I don't want to talk about my feelings, and I certainly don't want to talk about them with you. It's not like you'd be able to help me, anyway."

Joey flinched and took a step back, then huffed and slammed the door shut. "Fine!"

Seto sighed and lifted his hand to rub his eyes tiredly, flinching when his fingers met the leather strip covering his eye—or where his eye had been. He'd been lucky enough—rich enough—to afford a glass eye to keep the socket from collapsing in a grotesque mess. He'd gotten used to only seeing with one eye, so he could navigate his way with only a little difficulty when it came to depth perception.

But he was still missing a fucking eye. He pretended not to notice that people stared at him when he went out, but it still pissed him off.

He'd been weak. He'd been vulnerable. He'd been blinded as his comrades were struck down. And then he'd hallucinated being rescued by his patron dragon—because that obviously hadn't happened. He refused to believe it had.

He refused to believe he'd been so pathetic and so close to death that his patron dragon had pitied him so much that it had to come save him.

Seto paused as he saw something out of the corner of his eye, turning to look in the store window. He hummed quietly when he saw that it was a cookbook.

Joey had said he'd wanted a cookbook at some point. He hadn't wanted it when Seto had been called into service. He'd said it would feel empty, not having him there to taste the food he'd made by being able to read. He hadn't wanted it before then because he hadn't felt comfortable enough in his reading abilities and he didn't want help.

Mokuba had said Joey had really improved his reading skills while he'd been gone. He was almost up to the level he should have been at in school.

…Certainly high enough to be able to read a cookbook.

Seto pulled out his change purse to see how much money he had, then stepped inside the store.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey turned his head as he heard the door open, then huffed, resolutely looking back down at the book on his lap. It wasn't an incredibly interesting book—in fact, he sort of hated it. It was boring.

But it was better than talking to Seto. He'd been irritable ever since he'd come back from the front lines and he knew he really shouldn't push him to talk, but he was so withdrawn before that, and now—

"What are you doing?"

Joey huffed again and lifted the book from his lap.

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see." He paused, then knelt behind him and slid his arms around his waist. "So you're too busy to pay attention to me then?"

The blond snorted and turned his head. "You're too busy broodin' t' pay attention t' me, so why should I stop doin' somethin' that actually helps me to pay attention t'you?"

Seto paused. "…Point taken. Fine, then, I'll just leave you to your book—"

Oh God Seto actually wanted to talk to him and spend time with him!

Turning, he threw his arms around the brunet's shoulders. "Wait, wait, wait!"

Seto chuckled and sat down, pulling the younger boy into his lap. "You're so easy to predict, Joey."

"Shut up," Joey muttered, snuggling into his chest. "I've really missed ya, Seto. Even when you're here, it feels like you're somewhere else."

"…Yes, well… I'm sorry about that." He jerked his head away when the blond reached up to touch the strip of leather hiding his glass eye. "Stop trying to touch it! Jeez!"

Joey flinched as the brunet grabbed his wrist. "Ow!"

"You know I don't like it when you try to touch it, so why do you persist?" Seto hissed, glaring at him. His anger immediately dissipated when the blond leaned in to kiss his nose. "Damn it, how do you do that?"

"Just part o' my charm," the younger boy cooed, fingers trailing gently over the leather. "And I keep touchin' it 'cause I think it's sexy."

"Charm, right. Of course it is—" Seto paused, then frowned. "You think this eye patch is sexy?"

Joey blushed and glanced away. "Well… Yeah. Didja forget where I come from?" He peeked up at him and bit his bottom lip. "You're pretty handsome. It makes ya look more… more rugged."

Seto tilted his head, then grinned—an expression that was quite dangerous on him. "You think I'm handsome? Ruggedly handsome?"

The blond covered his face. "Shut up. Your terrible attitude takes away from it. Your looks are the only thing ya got goin' for ya right now."

The older boy frowned. "…That's my only redeeming feature?"

Joey huffed and leaned back. "Ya snapped at Mokuba this mornin' for somethin' stupid and you've been really mean t' both of us! And ya have nightmares some nights but we can't help ya because the last time we tried ya threw us out of your room! Seto, I know ya don't wanna talk about it, but—"

Seto grabbed the cookbook and held it up. "I bought this for you. Mokuba says you're probably able to read it now."

The blond's face twisted into a cross between genuine happiness and heartbroken rejection. He took the book and hugged it to his chest, bowing his head in frustration. "…Thank you."

The older boy frowned and reached up to cup his cheek. "Joey, I can't. I just… can't."

Joey jerked away from his hand and scowled. "Of course ya can't. Because, ya know, we don't care enough about ya t' wanna know what's goin' on in your head so we can help ya."

"…I don't even know myself, yet." Seto turned his head away and sighed quietly. "…I wish I could— …I can't."

He remembered his compatriots standing next to him. He remembered the ground rumbling and ripping apart beneath them. He remembered fiery winds whipping around and slicing and burning his comrades to death, just barely clipping the side of his body and giving him the wound that had cost him his eye.

Right.

Fucking.

Next to him.

And he would never tell anyone about it, because he didn't want to make them suffer that horror like he had.

Joey gasped quietly as the brunet hugged him tightly, eyes widening as the older boy buried his face in his neck. He felt the brunet's chest heave a few times, felt a drop of liquid rolling down his neck, and realized that Seto could probably do with a hug or a pat on the back right now. He squirmed a little, finally wriggling his arm out from between them and reaching up to stroke his hair lightly. "Seto, you're gonna be okay."

But he wouldn't be. He knew he'd never be okay because he'd watched men standing not even three feet away from him die, had had his eye ripped from his skull, had faced down enemies that had fully intended to kill him and he'd still somehow managed to get away.

Joey could sense something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what, so he just continued to stroke his hair and whisper reassurances to him. "It's okay, Seto. Everything will work out. You'll see. You'll be okay."

Seto dug his nails into the blond's back but simply continued to hold him and let a few more tears roll down his cheeks.
- 89
- 90
- 91
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100 Puppies and Dragons