"Joey! Joey, please, open the door."

"No."

"Don't be an idiot, Joey! I won't wait forever!"

"I'm not asking you to. Go away."

"You're being melodramatic."

"I don't care! I can't… I just can't…"

The anger was draining from his voice, giving way to a wrenching sadness. Joey was used to being angry. Nearly all his life, it seemed, he had been angry. Angry at his parents, at his so-called friends before he had met Yugi and the others. Angry at himself, for being such a screw-up. And ironically, one of the only people in the whole world who had seen through his anger had been the one person who possessed the uncanny ability to make Joey angriest of all.

Right now, he was also the man who was hammering so insistently on his door.

"Joey! Will you just open the door so we can talk?"

"No." A whisper this time. Joey did not have the emotional strength to yell any more. He had already done his fair share of that, he thought. Now, he was just tired. He was tired of promises being broken, tired of excuses and apologies, and tired of believing them even more.

"Joey… I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Please let me in."

"I'm sorry too." He swallowed. "But this is my house. And I won't let you in. I can't do this anymore, Seto. I just can't. So please. Please just… leave me alone." His voice sounded ragged and broken even to his own ears. He had simply had enough.

So he was glad, now, that he hadn't quite moved out yet. There were still boxes strewn around, half-packed, lying aside mostly-empty shelves. But it was clean, and his bed was still here, as were the other few possessions he owned that were of any real significance. It was a small, cramped, ratty apartment, but it was his, and it was safe. Inside, nothing from out there could hurt him – not really.

At least, that was how it used to be.

Kaiba gave one last try. "Joey. It was a mistake. I know I was late… more than late. I know I let you down again. I know I've been away too much lately. But I'm done now, the project is finished. I want to spend more time with you, and with Mokuba. I want to make up for all the times I haven't been there, when I said I would be. Won't you let me do that?"

It hurt. Joey hadn't been prepared for how much it hurt. Kaiba very rarely apologised for anything, and even more rarely pleaded. But he was pleading now – Joey could not see him from where he crouched, back to the apartment door, but he could imagine Kaiba outside, leaning against the wood, his blue eyes intensely penetrating, as though he could see Joey from right through it. He did not sound angry any more either, although he had been, earlier. They both had been. Perhaps, after all, they were simply too alike; too quick to anger, too defensive, both too aware that they were leaving themselves open, once more, to being hurt by someone else.

That Kaiba was now speaking softly, more imploring than angry, was difficult to take. Joey was used to anger. He was not as used to gentleness; not when he and Kaiba fought. Yelling or coldly ignoring someone came easily, and in any case, they had each certainly had enough practice at that over the past year as they had grown used to each other. Used to being with each other.

But this. This caused him pain he had not felt in a while, and had hoped never to have to feel again. And if he let Kaiba in, he risked letting this feeling back into his life again for good.

"I'm going to bed now", Joey finally said quietly, aware that the silence had stretched out between them. They may have been only inches away from each other, but the space had grown thicker with the silence, so that they could have been on opposite sides of the world for all Joey felt. "Please go away."

Kaiba did not say anything. Or maybe he had already left, too impatient to stay outside Joey's door any longer. "Goodnight", Joey said almost inaudibly as he stood, not expecting a reply.

Over in the next room his bed was inviting, enticing, and he could spare no more energy for anything, least of all for something as draining as Kaiba.

He all but collapsed onto the mattress, not bothering to undress. He barely managed to kick off his shoes before sleep enveloped him like a sea, inexorably drawing him under. He did not have the strength to refuse it, even had he wanted to.

It was some time later before he woke. Disorientated, shivering a little, Joey simply lay there for a time, memories of what had happened returning sluggishly. He had not woken in this place for some time; it had been weeks since he had actually eaten or slept here. Dimly, he registered that there was light filtering through the window. It must be very early though, because there was a hush pervading over everything; unusual, when you were surrounded by dozens of other cheap apartments, many of which housed whole families. He had not switched on the heater before he had fallen asleep, and Joey guessed it was the cold that had truly awoken him. The walls were cold stone, and not insulated; in the winter, it could grow bitterly freezing without enough warmth circulating the rooms. It had not snowed this season yet, but it was quickly heading that way – Joey was glad that he wouldn't have to worry about that this time-

No. He would have to worry, he remembered, and his stomach clenched. His brain was thinking more clearly now, reminding him of what had just happened. And dammit, he knew he hadn't been in the wrong to leave last night, when Kaiba had pissed him off yet again, keeping Joey waiting in vain, but already Joey missed him. Whatever his faults, their relationship had been real, and Joey didn't know what would happen now that it appeared to be over – on his assertion. Life would go on, he supposed, but looking at things now, in the harsh light of dawn… would he have made the same decision – if he hadn't been so tired, if Kaiba hadn't left, if…?

Too many 'if's'. Joey shook his head to clear it, then made himself get up. His body protested as he unwound himself from the ball he had instinctively curled into, shuddering as the cold air found arms and legs not protected enough from its grip. He had been a fool not to wear something warmer than casual trousers and a shirt, but then, he hadn't exactly been at his best the night before either, rushing to the only place he felt he could go without a second thought for any physical concerns. Well, it would not be the only mistake he had made.

Wandering out of the bedroom, Joey could see the light growing brighter. It had an odd, almost glowing quality to it… had it perhaps finally snowed last night after all?

Joey seized on the question as a way of pushing the heaviness he felt to the side. Still trembling, aware that he was blinking rapidly to hold back the tears which threatened his calm, he quickly jerked open the door.

He was not prepared for a body to fall in after it.

Kaiba yelled something incomprehensible that nonetheless sounded suspiciously like a swear word, jolted violently from a fitful doze. His eyes were open now though, staring up at Joey from where he lay, half in and half outside the apartment. He did not stop staring as he pushed himself up, gritting his teeth and wincing from the fall. Joey saw that Kaiba's skin was far paler than usual; his fingers looked almost white, his lips tinged with a bluish tint.

"Have you been here all night!"

Kaiba blinked, and tried to smile. "Where else would I go?" he asked, his voice low. But unlike the rest of him, there was warmth in his words. Joey blinked again, hard. And Kaiba usually called him stubborn?

"You… you must be so cold…"

"You too, puppy."

That did it. Joey fought it but felt his self-control break. Sniffing, averting his eyes from Kaiba's gaze, he took his lover's hand and dragged him inside, kicking the door shut behind them, shutting out the world.

"You are… such an idiot…" The tears were flowing freely now, and Joey didn't know what he would do if Kaiba acknowledged them. Run away, probably.

"I saw the first snow", Kaiba commented, shrugging off his coat like the cold didn't bother him a bit. He didn't tell Joey to stop crying.
"God, Seto, I'm so sorry-"

"I'm not. It was beautiful."

Joey gave a short laugh. Trust Kaiba to act like it was nothing. But to Joey, it was everything.

So he didn't think about it. He just pulled Kaiba along with him into the bathroom, yanking at the handle of the shower lever so that water streamed down, filling the room with steam as it heated.

"Joey, what-"

It had usually been Kaiba who had initiated this kind of thing. Now, Joey felt that it was his turn. He stepped under the water, drawing Kaiba gently in after him, clothing and all. They were soaked in a matter of seconds, Joey adjusting the temperature carefully so that the water would not be hot enough to burn. His tears were quickly lost amidst the thousands of other drops.

"I'm sorry", he said again, quietly. "I was stupid."

"Yes, you were. But I was worse."

"Mm. We'll just have to make it up to each other, I guess."

A slow smile curved Kaiba's mouth irresistibly upwards. That smile was reserved just for Joey. "I guess we will."

Their clothing clung to them like a second skin. It was growing difficult to think again, especially when Kaiba all but growled his name. Together, they allowed the water to wash away what had come between them.

"I'm not doing this every time we end up having a fight, you know", Kaiba said afterwards, off-hand. It was hard to believe, now, that he had ever been cold in his life as they stood together, bodies pressed flush against each other. Neither could quite be bothered with turning the shower off.

Joey grinned, blushing lightly. "I'm not expecting you to. Although it's tempting to make the shower part a tradition."

"That, I can deal with."

"Good."

Their lips found each other's again, as the water continued to pour.