Shounen-ai: Seto x Joey
Created 12th October 2004 – edited 15th July 2005.
Contains some coarse language.

It was still raining when Joey finally got back to the house.

Mansion.

Whatever.

Kaiba was out (like that was some revelation, though, after...)

The place was ominously silent – even Mokuba was out, on some school trip or other.

"Be good, you guys", he had said with a wink, while Kaiba choked on his coffee. "And try not to rip out each others throats."

It had been funny at the time, but just now it seemed only a bitter irony that Mokuba had once again been right. They had fought, and now the whole thing was like some twisted nightmare that made a mockery of everything else, especially the 'relationship'.

It couldn't be called that anymore.

Berating himself for feeling sad, Joey instead turned his thoughts to anger. He had been in the right, after all – it was Kaiba's own fault for not listening, for not paying enough attention, for completely ignoring his lover in favour of a computer screen.

In short, his fault for screwing up.

Well, he had just had enough! thought Joey, furiously, now worked up into a state of near-apathy. Enough of that rich bastard's insults and enough of sticking around where he plainly wasn't either needed or wanted.

The only problem being... he had nowhere else to go. The only reason he hadn't left already was that all his belongings were here, and after being in the rain and biting wind for several hours, he was bloody freezing. After the fight, he had simply left, refusing to go back until the cold finally became unbearable.

"I'm sick of it, Seto! You're so selfish, only thinking of yourself, all the time! When was the last time we actually spent some time together?

"As you well know, I've been working on a project recently, that is of the utmost importance. I haven't got time for your childish tantrums", said Seto, coldly. He moved to go back upstairs, but was blocked by a fuming Joey.

It was the utter lack of emotion in his lover's voice that hurt the most.

"No way, Seto, this time you're gonna talk instead of just ignoring what's right in front of your rich-ass nose! Just 'cos you're a moneybags doesn't give you the right to treat me like you're a superior being!"

And Kaiba hadn't even turned around to look at him properly, hadn't even cared that the blonde was on the brink of leaving.

"Out of the way, Mutt."

Jou glared at the use of the hated word.

"Oh, I'll go alright, -Kaiba-", he spat. "And I'm sure as hell not coming back! Have a nice life, and go find someone else to be your fuck-dog."

The last comment had not been made by accident.

He stormed out the door, not waiting for a reply. Wanting it to hurt. Hoping Kaiba would be hurt. Feeling guilty because he wanted Kaiba to be hurt, and then feeling more anger at himself for the guilt.

So, now what? Here he was, shivering like crazy and totally alone in the house. Thinking that he might as well grab a drink while he was here, he took purposeful steps toward the kitchen - and to hell with what that rich jerk would say when he found out. He lived here too, didn't he? Or at least, he -did-...

He scanned the contents of the fridge. Water... juice... beer? There was quite a bit in there, despite the fact Kaiba rarely drank any of it. Guess when you're rich you have everything anyway, Joey supposed. Shrugging, he reached for a can, wondering, hoping, that Kaiba would be mad, or disappointed, or... -something.- Anything, to show Joey that the CEO still held some sort of emotion when it came to his lover.

Kaiba stormed down the street, searching for one face. Just one amongst the crowd. Stupid idiot – what was he thinking, staying out in this! The rain was heavy, the wind chill. Trust -him- to be stupid enough to walk out when there was a storm coming. And to be stupid enough to take Kaiba's lack of response so seriously.

Okay, so maybe he should have spent a little more time with Joey, but that was no reason to start screaming at him. And Kaiba knew he -definitely- should not have called him a Mutt; he had foolishly allowed his temper to get the better of him for a moment; a rare occurrence for the stoic CEO. He supposed that the name had been the last straw for Joey, who loathed the nickname. Kaiba had not called him such for months.

But as for thinking himself superior, that was plain nonsense – Kaiba had worked hard for every cent of money he had. And while he demanded respect from everyone, it did -not- mean he considered himself to be above them.

He supposed he should apologise, if it would fix things between them. He was getting seriously worried about the blonde now, if he was still out in this weather. And no, he wasn't so cold that he wouldn't admit that fact.

His mind made up, he headed back to the mansion, hoping that his... ?koi? had gone back also. Kaiba's trenchcoat snaked behind him as he began the walk back, head down against the wind.

Another can clattered to the ground, and Joey reached for another.

How many had he knocked back? Three? Joey couldn't remember. The first had tasted disgusting, the second bitter but a lot easier to get down, the third... the third... whatever, it didn't matter. Strong stuff, but who really cared anyway... was the floor moving?

Joey gripped the bench bench behind him to steady himself, and reached for another can. Quite nice, really, when you got used to it – strange how he had never noticed before, the bitterness changing to sweetness on his tongue, the heavy aftertaste becoming light and far less intoxicating... Joey licked the droplets from his lips, and let his next can drop. Hand shaking a little, he reached for another. The sound of the can opening under his fingers with a soft -pop- was distant, but the froth in his mouth was good...

" Joey."

"Uh... S-Seto?"

Damn, now he couldn't stop shivering. He hoped the brunette wouldn't notice.

Seto's face appeared to waver, and Joey gripped the bench harder.

"W-what are you... doing here?"

"I just so happens that I live here, Joey", said Seto, the sarcasm flowing too easily from his voice. Then the tone of his voice changed abruptly as he took in the blonde's appearance and the number of cans rolling about at his feet..

"Are you alright?"

"'C-course I'm alright. W-what, you d-don't think I can handle one or t-two beers?"

Somehow he couldn't get as much force into the comment as he would have wished; the anger appeared to have drained, and been replaced with a numbness that stretched its way from mouth to toes. His head didn't count, because it was somehow connected to his eyes, which were currently fuzzy and heavy with... something.

"There are six cans on the floor, Joey", said the CEO, quietly.

Joey blinked, looking down.

"Oh", he said.

Unfortunately, looking down seemed to make the dizziness worse. Losing grip of the bench, he toppled forward. From there everything got very hazy, and the events muddled.

There were cool hands touching his face, feeling his forehead

... and cans hitting each other as they were thrown unceremoniously into the trash...

... and then he was suddenly on his knees and leaning over the toilet as he heaved up the contents of his stomach...

... and the smell was nauseating, making him wanting to throw up again, only when he tried there was only dry retching, and an awful taste in his mouth...

... and then a bit more sick from his mouth and making him moan in pain because his head was so dizzy, and the floor would not stay still under his knees...

...and hands once again soothing him, brushing his bangs out of his face and rubbing his back until at last only those dry retches remained...

... and then he was up in the air, the floor completely disappearing...

... was he being carried?...

... and all the while, those impossibly deep blue eyes bored into his own hazel ones with such intensity that he couldn't even move, or speak, or breathe...

... and finally, a voice.

A voice which said, so quietly as to almost not be heard at all, "Ai shiteru."

Something covered Joey, then, and made his shivering go away as it was wrapped securely around him, firmly but gently. A glass of water also materialized before Joey's eyes; he sipped obediently, breathing a sigh of relief as the fluid eased his aching throat and washed away the aftertaste that still lingered.

And the blur in front of Joey turned to go, but not before the blonde had lifted his head and whispered, with all the strength he could muster, "Ai shiteru yo, Seto."