Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ A Love / Hate Relationship With Spring ❯ Chapter 4 - In Dreams ( Chapter 4 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: whosjeebus 
In which Joey does NOT get his revenge, Seto Kaiba has a wet dream, and Duke cops a feel.
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.21.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 6.0K | Visits: 519 | Status: Work In Progress
In which Joey does NOT get his revenge, Seto Kaiba has a wet dream, and Duke cops a feel.
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.21.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 6.0K | Visits: 519 | Status: Work In Progress
Title: A Love / Hate Relationship With Spring - Chapter 4/??
Author: WhosJeebus
Rating: Eventual NC-17 (I don't know about fruit, citrus or otherwise, but there IS some steamy boy on boy smut in this chapter)
Pairing(s): Seto/Joey, hints of Tristan/Duke, maybe more. I said maybe.
Beta: Jennie B. (She's craptacular!)
Spoilers: None (unless Seto and Joey actually DO start getting it on in the anime, in which case I will stop writing fanfiction and get Tivo)
Disclaimer: Are you serious? Oh, OK. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, I just twist it around and use it for my own perverted satisfaction. Don't look at me like that. I'm not the only one. You're reading this, after all.
Summary: Joey Wheeler has no shortage of reasons to hate the season of flowers, butterflies, and rebirth. Can someone unexpected give him a reason to enjoy it as well?
A/N: *** Responses to all my reviews follow this chapter - Thanks again you guys! ***
~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~
WHEN WE LAST LEFT OUR HEROES...
While his companion was still witnessing this spectacle with his previous thunderstruck expression, Joey felt a feral grin begin to creep across his own stunned features. The ultimate revenge for every defeat, every dog insult, every slight he had ever suffered at Seto Kaiba's hands was firmly within his grasp. All he had to do was follow Duke's earlier advice and just reach out and take it...
This was gonna be good.
~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 4:
Joey elbowed Duke out of his way as he stepped outside the diner and into the warm Spring sunshine. For a minute or two, his arrival went unnoticed by the disoriented CEO. He frowned. It took away from his fun if Kaiba didn't realize he had an audience. He leaned against the front of the building and commenced clearing his throat loudly. When that didn't grab Kaiba's immediate attention, he tried a different tack. "You look like hammered dog shit, Kaiba. What the hell happened to you?"
Seto froze. Here was the very last person in the world that he wanted as witness to his predicament. He closed his eyes for a moment to gather his wits about him then, straightening his shoulders, he turned to confront the voice behind him. As Kaiba whirled around, Joey was instantly pinned in place by an ice-cold glare.
Looking into those dark blue eyes, Joey felt a shiver run up his spine. He'd started out believing that he had the advantage in this unusual situation, but he was now ready to re-evaluate that particular assessment. At first, he had wondered if the other boy was high on something, but one look at that alert, malevolent glare answered that question for him. The intensity of that burning gaze wasn't lessened in the slightest, and Joey would have taken a step backwards if it weren't for the wall already at his back.
Seto gave the blond a lingering once-over and then curled his lip in seeming disgust. "Aren't you supposed to be in the park with the rest of the nerd herd? Did you slip your leash?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Or maybe they just set you loose hoping you wouldn't find your way home." He realized his mouth had gone dry as he said this and, despite his painful and embarrassing circumstances, he eagerly awaited the thrill he knew would come from watching Wheeler lose his legendary temper.
Before the blond could even begin to splutter, Kaiba's hopes were dashed. Both their attentions were drawn to a second figure arriving in their midst. Duke Devlin immediately took the nobler path and asked in a concerned voice, "Hey, are you OK, man? Do you need to sit down or something?"
Kaiba mentally debated his choices. He knew he wouldn't be able to stand unassisted for much longer, but was loath to demonstrate any signs of weakness in the presence of the two rival duelists. The huge, green eyes showed nothing but confusion and concern, and he decided that the best course of action would be to just come clean while ignoring the mutt's presence altogether. He was more than smart enough to realize he wasn't getting out of this mess without some sort of explanation. Seto Kaiba was desperate, but he wasn't above manipulating the situation. Smirking to himself, he realized he could use Devlin's soft-hearted nature to his own advantage. This was all well and good of course, but the mutt posed another problem. How could he think clearly enough to maneuver his way out of this when those intense brown eyes were focused on his every move? He sank down on the nearest bench and propped his feet up with a groan. Carefully avoiding looking at the shorter teenager, he told an abbreviated version of the events leading up to his current situation...
~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~
15 Minutes Prior...
Seto Kaiba was dreaming. He knew it was a dream because he had just passed his little brother while walking down an endless hall of mirrors. And his brother had been a giant snail. "That was an awesome touchdown, big brother," the Mokuba-snail called as he went by. "That tomato soup never stood a chance." Bemused, Seto shook his head and gingerly avoided stepping in the slime trail that Mokuba had left in his wake. His dreams were usually a bit on the ludicrous side, and he had always just assumed it was a natural by-product of his stressful career and lifestyle. He often mused that a psychiatrist would probably have a field day with even the most mundane situations that occurred during his non-waking hours. He halted before one of the infinite mirrors in order to view his reflection. This hall of mirrors theme was a recurring one, but he'd never bothered to hazard a guess at their meaning. Not every mirror he encountered reflected his own image back at him; some acted more as windows to other places or even like movie screens. This particular one was not of the latter group. Seto frowned at the mirror, hoping his most severe glare would have the same effect in dreams as it did in the waking world. The offending surface, however, did NOT shatter into a million pieces or run away crying. Instead, it remained static, stubbornly insisting that he was, indeed, wearing a frilly pink tutu and ballet slippers. Glancing down at himself, he was relieved to note that no matter what the reflective surface was trying to tell him, he was, in fact, dressed in normal, everyday clothes. When he looked up again, he noticed that the opposite row of mirrors had become an endless parade of closed doors. This was a new and intriguing development.
Seto continued his stroll down the hallway, eventually stopping in front of a door and pressing one ear against the polished wood surface. He heard faint music coming from within, and it sounded... familiar somehow. Curiosity finally got the better of him and, before he even realized it, his dream-self was turning the knob and slowly pushing the door inward. Recognition dawned on him as he heard the music again, clearly this time. It had been quite some time - in fact, not since his halcyon days at preschool - that his ears had been treated to the unmistakable strains of "The Hokey-Pokey". Standing in the entryway and peering into the mysterious room, the source of the music was not readily apparent. The room itself appeared to be an elaborate ballroom, complete with checkerboard tile floor and a massive, overhanging chandelier. In the middle of the dance floor stood his constant rival, Yami. As Kaiba watched, fascinated, the pharaoh enthusiastically followed the musical directions by "putting his left foot in". As he "shook it all about", he glanced up at Seto and smirked. It was then that the CEO realized he was standing in the doorway completely naked. He was even more horrified to note that he was sporting the beginnings of an erection. Yami ceased his dancing to stare with interest at the brunet's burgeoning arousal. He approached the other young man with a catlike grace, slinking forward and coming to a stop directly before the flustered duelist. Despite the fact that he was fully aware of his dream state, Seto was displeased to note that his nemesis was a good two inches taller than himself.
With erotic grace, Yami ran a finger along the other teen's bottom lip. He leaned tantalizingly close and whispered in a silky voice, "You'll want to be taking that," he indicated Seto's groin with a wave of his regal hand, "two doors to the left." And with that, he stalked back to the center of the floor and resumed his dance steps.
Kaiba stumbled backwards, the door closing automatically in his face. He stared down at his traitorous erection and attempted to will it away. When this failed, he concentrated on trying to envision himself once again fully dressed. Nothing happened. With a sigh, he decided to follow the dream-Yami's bizarre instructions. He might as well; he had to admit he was curious to see what would happen. After all, there were no consequences to worry about in dreams... and, while Seto had never really trusted the Egyptian, he didn't really think the spirit would deliberately try to hurt him, even in a dream. His gaze shifted to the first door on the left. It was painted white, a brass plaque affixed to its surface at eye level. "Department of Motor Vehicles," he read out loud, and shuddered. He knew the stuff of nightmares lay beyond that portal, and he wisely continued onward. There seemed to be nothing special about the second door to the left, and listening brought no further indication as to what might lie inside. Feeling a bit reckless, he twisted the knob and threw open the door forcefully. The illumination from the hallway did not penetrate into the gloom before him, so he tried squinting his eyes. Uninterrupted, opaque blackness was all the room seemed to contain. He was about to close the door and move along when an arm suddenly reached out from the murkiness, wrapped around the back of his neck, and pulled him inside. He stumbled a few steps before becoming aware of his surroundings. The darkness was no longer complete, and he realized that he was standing in what appeared to be the sitting area of a luxurious hotel suite. The room seemed mostly unadorned and was not readily familiar to him. He turned around and made note of the fact that the door through which he had just entered was no longer there. A small, overweight man in spectacles stood a few paces away, wringing his hands and muttering to himself. This man was blocking a second darkened doorway, and appeared extremely agitated by Kaiba's presence. He too, was completely naked.
"Wakefield?" Seto asked, now completely bewildered by the fact that he was dreaming about his personal accountant. He certainly had no clue as to why he was dreaming about the man naked, and he tried hard to convince his sleeping self that right now would be a good time to wake up.
The man jumped a little at the sound of his name, causing his toupee to fall slightly askew. "Um...you - you'll never take me alive?" Wakefield stammered, not meeting the taller man's eyes.
"Was that a question?" Seto asked with a wry grin. He blinked, and a gun appeared in his hand, pointed at the trembling figure before him. "I guess not. So which one of us is the villain in this little scenario?" He waved the gun, indicating them both. This couldn't be what Yami had meant by his cryptic words.
Wakefield cringed. "You won't take him away from me; he's mine." The balding man drew himself up to his full five feet six inches and lifted his chin in defiance. Seto half expected him to twirl an invisible mustache.
"Now we're getting somewhere. Who's this HE?"
As if on cue, a bored sounding voice drifted from an open doorway behind the accountant, "Help. Oh help. Someone save me." Kaiba frowned. He knew that voice... "Won't someone brave and handsome come to my rescue? Please hurry, for I am at the mercy of an evil genius." A pause, then a loud yawn. "Quickly, before he has his wicked way with me."
Seto's jaw dropped. "Wh - you've GOT to be kidding me. WHEELER??!!"
"Oh hey! Is that you Moneybags?" the voice chuckled. "Well hurry up, man. My uh, maidenhood is in jeopardy here." There was another pause. "Christ, who writes this stuff? Can't you have a normal dream?"
Wakefield apparently took Seto's distraction as a positive sign, and attempted to tackle his employer. The man rushed at him, head lowered, and impacted with the CEO's firmly muscled midriff. Seto grunted lightly, but didn't budge an inch. Rolling his eyes, he brought the handle of the gun down on the back of the accountant's head with a satisfying thunk. He'd never imagined how good that would feel. He must have been pissed about his taxes without even realizing it. Wakefield collapsed without a sound, his body coming to rest in a fetal position. Kaiba dropped the gun on a nearby sofa and took one long stride over the prone form.
"I have vanquished the evil accountant, and am riding to your rescue. Fear not, fair damsel."
"Just cut the crap and get in here."
Seto grinned to himself and stepped through the darkened portal. "If you're in there tied to a railroad track, I'm going to seriously consider consulting a psychiatrist."
He heard Joey's sarcastic snort, and turned his head toward the sound. "Like it's news to anyone that you're cracked."
As his vision adjusted to the darkness, he felt a slow leer creep across his face. "Well, well. Look what we have here." Seto peered down at the figure sprawled on the plush four-poster bed before him. Joey Wheeler, naked as the day he was born and tied spread-eagled on top of the coverlet, returned the brunet's assessing gaze, seemingly nonplussed by his situation.
"Took you long enough." Joey eyed the impressive erection the other teen was prominently displaying. He raised his eyes to Kaiba's face and smirked. "But, at least you brought me something." He squirmed. "Now untie me. My hands are falling asleep." Kaiba just looked at him. "Oh, do NOT go there." Once again, he received no reaction other than a raised eyebrow. "You kinky bastard, you." The blond sounded impressed.
Seto climbed onto the bed and straddled the other boy, caressing up and down the prone body as he slowly lowered himself. He noted with satisfaction that he completely covered the smaller boy's body with his own. "This is MY dream after all. I think I should be the one giving the orders, don't you?"
Joey thought about that for a moment. "You can GIVE orders till you're blue in the face; that doesn't mean I'm gonna follow 'em."
Seto leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the hollow of Joey's throat, a brush of lips against the pulse beating strong in the other's neck. He trailed the kiss upwards to end it at the corner of slightly parted lips. Sitting back on his haunches, he released a long, exasperated sigh. He reached up and began untying the knots that secured Joey's arms to the headboard. "Amazing. Even in my dreams you seem to go out of your way to irritate me."
"Maybe I'm just incredibly immature; didja think of that?"
Seto smirked. "I'm not unaware of that fact, Mutt."
Joey drew his brows together. "Well, then maybe I just like having all your attention on me." The brunet froze in the middle of untying the second knot. The blond, seeing this subtle yet obviously flustered reaction, crooked a grin at the boy above him. "Think about it. It's not exactly like you have pigtails that I can pull."
Kaiba gave the barest nod as he resumed his actions. "So I'm to assume, based on the behavioural equivalent of an eight-year-old, that the spitball I found in my hair yesterday means you're attracted to me?"
Joey shifted his gaze away from the other boy. "Um...the spitball was Tristan." He suddenly brightened. "I'm the one who tied your shoelaces together! Oh, and the gum on your seat, that was me too. And the - "
"Enough! I get the picture; you like me."
"Yeah, I guess I do." He frowned, sitting up to rub at his wrists while Seto turned to take care of the knots around Joey's ankles. "Funny how the brain works sometimes, ain't it?"
A snort. "Very. Now I have confirmation that my mind is capable of rationalizing anything."
Joey frowned at the brunet's back. "No, you're not seein' the big picture here, Kaiba." He waited to continue until the other teen had turned back to face him. "This isn't just some hormone driven fantasy or that oversized brain of yours trying to blow off steam. Try puttin' two and two together, why dontcha?" He got up and began to pace the room as Seto leaned back on the bed, enjoying the show. Joey waved his hands in the air for emphasis. "Read between the lines. Get a clue. Buy a vowel..."
"While I'm sure this is all incredibly fascinating on some level, this is MY dream after all. If you don't mind, I'd like to get to the wet part of it now."
The blond stopped pacing and rolled his eyes at the figure on the bed. "Fine. Have it your way."
That infuriating smirk reappeared. "I usually do."
Joey stood with his hands on his hips, giving the brunet a flat stare. "If you insist on ignorin' what I'm tryin' to drill into that thick skull of yours, it's just goin' to come back and bite you on the ass."
"I like the sound of that too."
The other boy chuckled in spite of himself. "You're naughty. I so dig that about you."
Seto lifted one leg and placed his foot flat on the bed. "Do you know what I find most irritating about you, Wheeler?"
Brown eyes shifted to the junction of the other teen's widespread legs, then back to his face. "No, but I bet you're gonna tell me."
He idly stroked the hardened flesh between his thighs, all the while holding the smaller boy's undivided attention with his lust-filled gaze. "You're just so damned distracting." Seto arched his back, licking his lips as he uttered a soft moan. "I really hate losing my focus..."
Joey growled and climbed back onto the bed. He knelt between the other teen's legs and gave him a pointed look. "You can't stay asleep forever, y'know." He gave an involuntary shudder. "Profound, huh?"
Seto had the uncomfortable feeling that he wasn't going to be able to stop thinking about this even when he awoke. The notion that this little flight of fancy might serve no purpose other than to make him want the real thing even more flitted briefly across his preoccupied mind. But then, any and all thought went flying right out of the window as Joey leaned down and wrapped his mouth around Seto's erection. "Oh fuck yes," he heard himself say as oh-so-gentle teeth ran over the head of his length. He gave what he considered to be an embarrassingly high-pitched whine when Joey took him most of the way into his mouth and held him there. This was too much. His head flopped back on the pillows and he gave himself over completely. He fisted both hands in the coverlet and forcibly restrained himself from thrusting upwards. Although he was well aware that this was his own private fantasy, he didn't doubt for a second that his dream tormentor would be thoroughly displeased with him for that. Joey took him deep and sucked hard. He kissed the shaft, feather-light and then ran his tongue along the vein pulsing hard on the underside. He did things with his mouth that even a porn star would be embarrassed to admit they knew. Seto was in heaven. His moans became continuous and gradually rose in volume as Joey's hands travelled up from his thighs and dug in hard, holding Seto's hips in place.
Unable to resist temptation any longer, Seto raised his head and gazed down at the blond mane bobbing in his lap. Joey tilted his head the smallest fraction and glazed blue eyes met mischievous brown. Seeing those full lips encasing his arousal caused Seto's stomach to lurch and he was instantaneously about to come harder than he ever had in his life. "Oh God, don't stop..." He tried his best to prolong it, but the need for completion was rapidly becoming overwhelming...
It was about this time that he glanced down and noticed his feet were on fire.
~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~
Duke blinked. "So you're telling me you fell asleep underneath a tree, and you woke up with fire ants all over your feet?"
Seto buried his face into his hands and rubbed his fingertips along his temples. "That's exactly what I'm telling you, you imbecile. Which part is the most difficult for you to understand?"
Joey growled, bringing back unwelcome images and with them, unwanted activity in his groin. "Watch it, Moneybags. Injured or not, you're about to treat yourself to a fat lip courtesy of one Joey Wheeler."
"Ease off, Joe. He's a had a rough day." The green-eyed teen placed a calming hand on the back of Joey's neck. He lightly stroked the skin at the blond's hairline as Seto's eyes narrowed. What exactly was going on between those two? Why did he care? Duke scratched his head and pondered the other's teen's predicament. "So you sent your limo driver home with the rest of the day off, you said?" A terse nod. "And where's your cell phone again?"
Seto ground his teeth together. "I left it IN the limo. How many times do I have to repeat myself?"
"Whoa. Don't get all pissy with me, man. I'm the one trying to help here." More head scratching. "You know, none of this explains what the hell happened to your hair."
Seto blanched. "My hair...?" He reached one hand up and felt the sticky mess on top of his head. "Tree sap," he snarled, daring either of them to laugh. Joey pressed his face into Duke's shoulder and murmured something that Seto didn't quite catch. He was really starting to dislike the touchy-feely vibe he was picking up from the two teenagers.
Duke eyed the CEO up and down with a smug grin on his face. "I don't know man, he'd probably look hot even if he WERE bald." Kaiba pretended to ignore the comment, and was determined not to fidget under the green-eyed gaze. After another moment or two of intensely studying the brunet, Duke crossed his arms and gave a frustrated sigh. "I'd suggest driving you home, but my car's parked at least six blocks from here. Eveyone's out of the house today so this whole street's pretty much blocked off. I don't think you're capable of walking that far in your condition, anyway." He turned to the blond. "You got any other suggestions?" Joey scuffed his feet and mumbled something unintelligible.
"Speak, Mutt. I don't have all day to wait here and watch you learn a new trick. My patience is even more limited than usual."
"Time's about the only thing you got goin' for you at the moment, you prick. I'd watch that smart mouth if I were you." Joey shoved his hands in his front pockets and stared at his feet. "What I said was, my apartment's less than two blocks from here. We could take the big jerk there, patch him up a little, and call him a cab or something." For a change, Joey wasn't particularly concerned about dragging someone home with him. No sign of the old man this morning meant his dad had hit a winning streak with his ill-gotten gains. If his luck at the tables had gone sour, he would have staggered in drunk and taken his anger out on Joey last night. With any luck on Joey's part, he wouldn't be subject to his father's wrath again until the winnings ran out. He glanced up, a grimace contorting his features. "I'm not particularly fond of the idea myself, but I ain't seein' any alternative at the moment."
To everyone's surprise, Kaiba agreed to this plan with little hesitation. He desperately wanted everything in his life back to normal as quickly as possible. "Fine. But first, I have to get back to the park and tell Mokuba what's happened." He fluttered his hands impatiently. "Help me up." Joey rolled his eyes at the CEO's rude behaviour, but with some effort on all their parts, he and Duke soon had the taller boy up on his feet and supported between them.
The black-haired teen quirked an eyebrow at the injured billionaire. "Why didn't you just find Mokuba on your way out of the park?" "Was that a blush?" he wondered. "Nah, it couldn't be."
Seto gave them both his most disdainful sneer before answering, "I woke up somewhat...confused." Joey produced an obnoxious-sounding noise in the back of his throat.
"And with one hell of an impressive boner," Duke thought to himself. He wasn't ashamed to admit that the prominent bulge was one of the first things he had noticed when he spotted the disoriented teen. He knew there was more to the story than Kaiba was letting on, and it made him practically giddy with curiosity. He resolved to dig until he got to the bottom of it; his meddling nature would never let him rest otherwise. Bemused, he shook his head and turned his attention back to Kaiba's explanation.
"After I made my way through the woods, I wasn't immediately aware of where I had come out. It was rather...disconcerting."
Joey laughed out loud at this. "No shit. You looked like you'd just had your ass handed to you." Deep in thought for a moment, he said wistfully, "Fire ants, what a riot. Too bad I wasn't there to see it. I bet you squealed like a girl."
Seto didn't immediately respond to this, though Duke could have sworn he saw the blush make a brief reappearance on pale cheekbones. "Can we just get moving? Since this is technically all your fault Wheeler, I'd think you would try to be a little more circumspect." Joey's face immediately flushed purple and his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. He trembled hard and, due to their close proximity, it was nearly enough to rattle the taller boy's teeth. Seto was completely taken aback by the other's furious reaction. As insults go, he'd dished out much harsher and with milder results than this.
Duke reached a hand behind the CEO's back and touched the side of Joey's face with his fingertips. It seemed to get his attention. "Circum-SPECT, Joe; not circum-CISED."
He deflated a bit when he heard his friend's explanation. "Oh. OK." He gave Seto an embarrassed grin. "I guess you're right. If I hadn't screwed up your boots, you wouldn't have gotten into any of this mess." Kaiba didn't bother to correct his assessment. "I... I'm really sorry about that." He stared straight ahead fixedly as he ground out the apology, his left eye twitching a bit.
Duke found all this interaction very intriguing. "Sorry to interrupt the warm fuzzies but we should get a move-on, don't you think?" He gave the teen in the middle a gentle nudge, and they set off at a stumbling pace toward Domino City Park.
As they walked, Seto tried very hard to ignore the warm, lean body pressed so close to his own. With every hobbling step the three of them took, he became more and more aware of strong muscles flexing under taut skin, and the firm, calloused grasp enclosing his own hand. With his right arm thrown over the blond's shoulders, he felt every movement they made together, enjoying every ripple as he towered over the other's smaller frame. He surreptitiously lowered his head and leaned his weight more heavily on his right side. Joey grunted under the additional burden, but didn't falter as they made their halting way down the street. Pleased with himself, Seto tilted his face to inhale the mixed scents of the boy whose body was molded against his own. He detected the faint odor of cigarette smoke, along with shampoo, soap, and sun-warmed flesh. The heady mix caused his undiminished erection to give a noticeable twitch. Wincing, he quickly resumed his faintly irritated facade and focused on placing one painfully stinging foot in front of the other.
They were halfway to their destination when Joey suddenly threw up a hand and called a halt to their march. "What's wrong, man?" Duke asked.
He made no reply, but shrugged Seto's arm off of his shoulder and stepped several paces away from the other two boys. "Oh god...oh no..."
Realization dawned on the brunet, and he made a wry face. "He's about to sneeze. I'd advise you to take cover."
"Oh please...no...ahhhh..."
It took every ounce of Seto's self control not to groan out loud at the noises the blond was making. He bit his tongue and fought off random images from his earlier interrupted dream. He was starting to sweat with the effort of concealing his hyper-aroused state.
"Ah shit...ohhh..."
"Look up at the sun and say "cow" over and over," Duke blurted out.
In unison, Kaiba and Joey both gawked at him and exclaimed, "WHAT??!!"
"Trust me; it'll stop your sneeze." He sent the two of them a mulish glare. "Just do it."
"That's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard in my life." Joey rotated his eyes upwards and began chanting, "Cow, cow, cow..." After a few more repetitions of this, he looked back down, wriggling his nose. "Holy shit, it worked."
"Far be it from me to say I told you so, but..."
Joey punched his friend in the shoulder affectionately. "You're the coolest, Duke. Thanks."
Seto was more than ready to get off the roller coaster of emotions he had been riding since this morning. His feet throbbed, he had a painfully unfulfilled erection controlling most of his actions, his clothes and hair were an absolute mess, and he felt he was just on the verge of giggling like a madman. It was almost exhilarating, this not knowing exactly what would happen next. He wanted to throw Joey down on the ground and kiss him senseless; he wanted to punch Devlin's lights out for touching the blond so intimately; he wanted to be allowed to join in their teasing banter, and laugh at their antics together. He felt light-headed, as though any of these possibilities were acceptable, and choosing one of them should be the simplest thing in the world. He was snapped out of his reverie as he realized the other two teens were both staring at him in concern. He affixed his standard "holier than thou" expression to his face and growled, "What?"
Joey looked more perplexed than usual. "Um, I just asked if you were ready to head out again?"
Seto straightened his shoulders and allowed the blond to slip an arm back around him. It felt warm and comforting, but he resisted the urge to snuggle closer. As they continued their slow trek, he let his thoughts drift a bit as he mused on the day's strange occurrences. He couldn't help but wonder what else this innocuous-seeming Spring day held in store for him. The gates of Domino City Park appeared around the corner, and Seto froze in his tracks, Duke and Joey coming to a stop along either side of him.
"Devlin?"
"Yeah, Kaiba?"
"Get your hand off my ass."
tbc
~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~
Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Chapter 4 is my favourite so far, despite the fact that it remained stubbornly stuck in my head for a frustrating amount of time. Probably that damned not-lemon in the middle that did it to me. **sighs** I'll get better before it's time for the REAL hot and heavy action - I promise.
I'd like to take a moment to personally thank each and every person who took the time to submit a review:
Cas - You hit me up 2X! So - thank you thank you! For being the first to review, you get an imaginary cookie! Pick your flavor. I'm partial to white chocolate chunk macadamia myself... But yes, I most heartily agree that Duke is hot. I never even realized HOW hot until I started writing this. Now I have become his willing fangirl. I hope you stick with me on this, there's quite a few chapters left to go! Unless I chicken out to meet the challenge deadline. In which case there WILL be a sequel!
hellow - Hope the explanation met with your approval. I would never leave you hanging like that. Well, yes I would. :-P
Beysie - Another 2X reviewer! **huggles you** I love hearing that I made you laugh! I'm giving Seto and Joey some alone time in an upcoming chapter - let's hope I can keep that interaction fresh! I'm starting to feel the time crunch on this since it has to be wrapped up by April 30th. Guh. Sorry about the duplicate chapter mix-up, mm.org was giving me a hard time. This one's new, I promise! I'm not that bright so please be patient with me! I'm glad you liked what I've done so far, and hope you will be kind enough to review again! and again...and again...
bookwormloverjen - While I have absolutely no desire to either flame you and/or toss you in a river, I DO hope you will continue reading and reviewing! You're twisted. I like that. Chapter 5 is in the works!
tsutsuji - **glomps** One of my all-time favourite authors! I command you all to go and read her stuff. You won't regret it. Shoo. Go now. I'll wait here till you come back. I'm delighted to hear that I could make you appreciate my naughty!Duke. I'm wasn't much into him before this either, but now I am in lurve... I hope you'll continue reading and reviewing, and I promise more to come in the next few days!
Peace,
CJ
04/21/05
Converting /tmp/phpWdAzK7 to /dev/stdout
Author: WhosJeebus
Rating: Eventual NC-17 (I don't know about fruit, citrus or otherwise, but there IS some steamy boy on boy smut in this chapter)
Pairing(s): Seto/Joey, hints of Tristan/Duke, maybe more. I said maybe.
Beta: Jennie B. (She's craptacular!)
Spoilers: None (unless Seto and Joey actually DO start getting it on in the anime, in which case I will stop writing fanfiction and get Tivo)
Disclaimer: Are you serious? Oh, OK. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, I just twist it around and use it for my own perverted satisfaction. Don't look at me like that. I'm not the only one. You're reading this, after all.
Summary: Joey Wheeler has no shortage of reasons to hate the season of flowers, butterflies, and rebirth. Can someone unexpected give him a reason to enjoy it as well?
A/N: *** Responses to all my reviews follow this chapter - Thanks again you guys! ***
~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~
WHEN WE LAST LEFT OUR HEROES...
While his companion was still witnessing this spectacle with his previous thunderstruck expression, Joey felt a feral grin begin to creep across his own stunned features. The ultimate revenge for every defeat, every dog insult, every slight he had ever suffered at Seto Kaiba's hands was firmly within his grasp. All he had to do was follow Duke's earlier advice and just reach out and take it...
This was gonna be good.
~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 4:
Joey elbowed Duke out of his way as he stepped outside the diner and into the warm Spring sunshine. For a minute or two, his arrival went unnoticed by the disoriented CEO. He frowned. It took away from his fun if Kaiba didn't realize he had an audience. He leaned against the front of the building and commenced clearing his throat loudly. When that didn't grab Kaiba's immediate attention, he tried a different tack. "You look like hammered dog shit, Kaiba. What the hell happened to you?"
Seto froze. Here was the very last person in the world that he wanted as witness to his predicament. He closed his eyes for a moment to gather his wits about him then, straightening his shoulders, he turned to confront the voice behind him. As Kaiba whirled around, Joey was instantly pinned in place by an ice-cold glare.
Looking into those dark blue eyes, Joey felt a shiver run up his spine. He'd started out believing that he had the advantage in this unusual situation, but he was now ready to re-evaluate that particular assessment. At first, he had wondered if the other boy was high on something, but one look at that alert, malevolent glare answered that question for him. The intensity of that burning gaze wasn't lessened in the slightest, and Joey would have taken a step backwards if it weren't for the wall already at his back.
Seto gave the blond a lingering once-over and then curled his lip in seeming disgust. "Aren't you supposed to be in the park with the rest of the nerd herd? Did you slip your leash?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Or maybe they just set you loose hoping you wouldn't find your way home." He realized his mouth had gone dry as he said this and, despite his painful and embarrassing circumstances, he eagerly awaited the thrill he knew would come from watching Wheeler lose his legendary temper.
Before the blond could even begin to splutter, Kaiba's hopes were dashed. Both their attentions were drawn to a second figure arriving in their midst. Duke Devlin immediately took the nobler path and asked in a concerned voice, "Hey, are you OK, man? Do you need to sit down or something?"
Kaiba mentally debated his choices. He knew he wouldn't be able to stand unassisted for much longer, but was loath to demonstrate any signs of weakness in the presence of the two rival duelists. The huge, green eyes showed nothing but confusion and concern, and he decided that the best course of action would be to just come clean while ignoring the mutt's presence altogether. He was more than smart enough to realize he wasn't getting out of this mess without some sort of explanation. Seto Kaiba was desperate, but he wasn't above manipulating the situation. Smirking to himself, he realized he could use Devlin's soft-hearted nature to his own advantage. This was all well and good of course, but the mutt posed another problem. How could he think clearly enough to maneuver his way out of this when those intense brown eyes were focused on his every move? He sank down on the nearest bench and propped his feet up with a groan. Carefully avoiding looking at the shorter teenager, he told an abbreviated version of the events leading up to his current situation...
~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~
15 Minutes Prior...
Seto Kaiba was dreaming. He knew it was a dream because he had just passed his little brother while walking down an endless hall of mirrors. And his brother had been a giant snail. "That was an awesome touchdown, big brother," the Mokuba-snail called as he went by. "That tomato soup never stood a chance." Bemused, Seto shook his head and gingerly avoided stepping in the slime trail that Mokuba had left in his wake. His dreams were usually a bit on the ludicrous side, and he had always just assumed it was a natural by-product of his stressful career and lifestyle. He often mused that a psychiatrist would probably have a field day with even the most mundane situations that occurred during his non-waking hours. He halted before one of the infinite mirrors in order to view his reflection. This hall of mirrors theme was a recurring one, but he'd never bothered to hazard a guess at their meaning. Not every mirror he encountered reflected his own image back at him; some acted more as windows to other places or even like movie screens. This particular one was not of the latter group. Seto frowned at the mirror, hoping his most severe glare would have the same effect in dreams as it did in the waking world. The offending surface, however, did NOT shatter into a million pieces or run away crying. Instead, it remained static, stubbornly insisting that he was, indeed, wearing a frilly pink tutu and ballet slippers. Glancing down at himself, he was relieved to note that no matter what the reflective surface was trying to tell him, he was, in fact, dressed in normal, everyday clothes. When he looked up again, he noticed that the opposite row of mirrors had become an endless parade of closed doors. This was a new and intriguing development.
Seto continued his stroll down the hallway, eventually stopping in front of a door and pressing one ear against the polished wood surface. He heard faint music coming from within, and it sounded... familiar somehow. Curiosity finally got the better of him and, before he even realized it, his dream-self was turning the knob and slowly pushing the door inward. Recognition dawned on him as he heard the music again, clearly this time. It had been quite some time - in fact, not since his halcyon days at preschool - that his ears had been treated to the unmistakable strains of "The Hokey-Pokey". Standing in the entryway and peering into the mysterious room, the source of the music was not readily apparent. The room itself appeared to be an elaborate ballroom, complete with checkerboard tile floor and a massive, overhanging chandelier. In the middle of the dance floor stood his constant rival, Yami. As Kaiba watched, fascinated, the pharaoh enthusiastically followed the musical directions by "putting his left foot in". As he "shook it all about", he glanced up at Seto and smirked. It was then that the CEO realized he was standing in the doorway completely naked. He was even more horrified to note that he was sporting the beginnings of an erection. Yami ceased his dancing to stare with interest at the brunet's burgeoning arousal. He approached the other young man with a catlike grace, slinking forward and coming to a stop directly before the flustered duelist. Despite the fact that he was fully aware of his dream state, Seto was displeased to note that his nemesis was a good two inches taller than himself.
With erotic grace, Yami ran a finger along the other teen's bottom lip. He leaned tantalizingly close and whispered in a silky voice, "You'll want to be taking that," he indicated Seto's groin with a wave of his regal hand, "two doors to the left." And with that, he stalked back to the center of the floor and resumed his dance steps.
Kaiba stumbled backwards, the door closing automatically in his face. He stared down at his traitorous erection and attempted to will it away. When this failed, he concentrated on trying to envision himself once again fully dressed. Nothing happened. With a sigh, he decided to follow the dream-Yami's bizarre instructions. He might as well; he had to admit he was curious to see what would happen. After all, there were no consequences to worry about in dreams... and, while Seto had never really trusted the Egyptian, he didn't really think the spirit would deliberately try to hurt him, even in a dream. His gaze shifted to the first door on the left. It was painted white, a brass plaque affixed to its surface at eye level. "Department of Motor Vehicles," he read out loud, and shuddered. He knew the stuff of nightmares lay beyond that portal, and he wisely continued onward. There seemed to be nothing special about the second door to the left, and listening brought no further indication as to what might lie inside. Feeling a bit reckless, he twisted the knob and threw open the door forcefully. The illumination from the hallway did not penetrate into the gloom before him, so he tried squinting his eyes. Uninterrupted, opaque blackness was all the room seemed to contain. He was about to close the door and move along when an arm suddenly reached out from the murkiness, wrapped around the back of his neck, and pulled him inside. He stumbled a few steps before becoming aware of his surroundings. The darkness was no longer complete, and he realized that he was standing in what appeared to be the sitting area of a luxurious hotel suite. The room seemed mostly unadorned and was not readily familiar to him. He turned around and made note of the fact that the door through which he had just entered was no longer there. A small, overweight man in spectacles stood a few paces away, wringing his hands and muttering to himself. This man was blocking a second darkened doorway, and appeared extremely agitated by Kaiba's presence. He too, was completely naked.
"Wakefield?" Seto asked, now completely bewildered by the fact that he was dreaming about his personal accountant. He certainly had no clue as to why he was dreaming about the man naked, and he tried hard to convince his sleeping self that right now would be a good time to wake up.
The man jumped a little at the sound of his name, causing his toupee to fall slightly askew. "Um...you - you'll never take me alive?" Wakefield stammered, not meeting the taller man's eyes.
"Was that a question?" Seto asked with a wry grin. He blinked, and a gun appeared in his hand, pointed at the trembling figure before him. "I guess not. So which one of us is the villain in this little scenario?" He waved the gun, indicating them both. This couldn't be what Yami had meant by his cryptic words.
Wakefield cringed. "You won't take him away from me; he's mine." The balding man drew himself up to his full five feet six inches and lifted his chin in defiance. Seto half expected him to twirl an invisible mustache.
"Now we're getting somewhere. Who's this HE?"
As if on cue, a bored sounding voice drifted from an open doorway behind the accountant, "Help. Oh help. Someone save me." Kaiba frowned. He knew that voice... "Won't someone brave and handsome come to my rescue? Please hurry, for I am at the mercy of an evil genius." A pause, then a loud yawn. "Quickly, before he has his wicked way with me."
Seto's jaw dropped. "Wh - you've GOT to be kidding me. WHEELER??!!"
"Oh hey! Is that you Moneybags?" the voice chuckled. "Well hurry up, man. My uh, maidenhood is in jeopardy here." There was another pause. "Christ, who writes this stuff? Can't you have a normal dream?"
Wakefield apparently took Seto's distraction as a positive sign, and attempted to tackle his employer. The man rushed at him, head lowered, and impacted with the CEO's firmly muscled midriff. Seto grunted lightly, but didn't budge an inch. Rolling his eyes, he brought the handle of the gun down on the back of the accountant's head with a satisfying thunk. He'd never imagined how good that would feel. He must have been pissed about his taxes without even realizing it. Wakefield collapsed without a sound, his body coming to rest in a fetal position. Kaiba dropped the gun on a nearby sofa and took one long stride over the prone form.
"I have vanquished the evil accountant, and am riding to your rescue. Fear not, fair damsel."
"Just cut the crap and get in here."
Seto grinned to himself and stepped through the darkened portal. "If you're in there tied to a railroad track, I'm going to seriously consider consulting a psychiatrist."
He heard Joey's sarcastic snort, and turned his head toward the sound. "Like it's news to anyone that you're cracked."
As his vision adjusted to the darkness, he felt a slow leer creep across his face. "Well, well. Look what we have here." Seto peered down at the figure sprawled on the plush four-poster bed before him. Joey Wheeler, naked as the day he was born and tied spread-eagled on top of the coverlet, returned the brunet's assessing gaze, seemingly nonplussed by his situation.
"Took you long enough." Joey eyed the impressive erection the other teen was prominently displaying. He raised his eyes to Kaiba's face and smirked. "But, at least you brought me something." He squirmed. "Now untie me. My hands are falling asleep." Kaiba just looked at him. "Oh, do NOT go there." Once again, he received no reaction other than a raised eyebrow. "You kinky bastard, you." The blond sounded impressed.
Seto climbed onto the bed and straddled the other boy, caressing up and down the prone body as he slowly lowered himself. He noted with satisfaction that he completely covered the smaller boy's body with his own. "This is MY dream after all. I think I should be the one giving the orders, don't you?"
Joey thought about that for a moment. "You can GIVE orders till you're blue in the face; that doesn't mean I'm gonna follow 'em."
Seto leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the hollow of Joey's throat, a brush of lips against the pulse beating strong in the other's neck. He trailed the kiss upwards to end it at the corner of slightly parted lips. Sitting back on his haunches, he released a long, exasperated sigh. He reached up and began untying the knots that secured Joey's arms to the headboard. "Amazing. Even in my dreams you seem to go out of your way to irritate me."
"Maybe I'm just incredibly immature; didja think of that?"
Seto smirked. "I'm not unaware of that fact, Mutt."
Joey drew his brows together. "Well, then maybe I just like having all your attention on me." The brunet froze in the middle of untying the second knot. The blond, seeing this subtle yet obviously flustered reaction, crooked a grin at the boy above him. "Think about it. It's not exactly like you have pigtails that I can pull."
Kaiba gave the barest nod as he resumed his actions. "So I'm to assume, based on the behavioural equivalent of an eight-year-old, that the spitball I found in my hair yesterday means you're attracted to me?"
Joey shifted his gaze away from the other boy. "Um...the spitball was Tristan." He suddenly brightened. "I'm the one who tied your shoelaces together! Oh, and the gum on your seat, that was me too. And the - "
"Enough! I get the picture; you like me."
"Yeah, I guess I do." He frowned, sitting up to rub at his wrists while Seto turned to take care of the knots around Joey's ankles. "Funny how the brain works sometimes, ain't it?"
A snort. "Very. Now I have confirmation that my mind is capable of rationalizing anything."
Joey frowned at the brunet's back. "No, you're not seein' the big picture here, Kaiba." He waited to continue until the other teen had turned back to face him. "This isn't just some hormone driven fantasy or that oversized brain of yours trying to blow off steam. Try puttin' two and two together, why dontcha?" He got up and began to pace the room as Seto leaned back on the bed, enjoying the show. Joey waved his hands in the air for emphasis. "Read between the lines. Get a clue. Buy a vowel..."
"While I'm sure this is all incredibly fascinating on some level, this is MY dream after all. If you don't mind, I'd like to get to the wet part of it now."
The blond stopped pacing and rolled his eyes at the figure on the bed. "Fine. Have it your way."
That infuriating smirk reappeared. "I usually do."
Joey stood with his hands on his hips, giving the brunet a flat stare. "If you insist on ignorin' what I'm tryin' to drill into that thick skull of yours, it's just goin' to come back and bite you on the ass."
"I like the sound of that too."
The other boy chuckled in spite of himself. "You're naughty. I so dig that about you."
Seto lifted one leg and placed his foot flat on the bed. "Do you know what I find most irritating about you, Wheeler?"
Brown eyes shifted to the junction of the other teen's widespread legs, then back to his face. "No, but I bet you're gonna tell me."
He idly stroked the hardened flesh between his thighs, all the while holding the smaller boy's undivided attention with his lust-filled gaze. "You're just so damned distracting." Seto arched his back, licking his lips as he uttered a soft moan. "I really hate losing my focus..."
Joey growled and climbed back onto the bed. He knelt between the other teen's legs and gave him a pointed look. "You can't stay asleep forever, y'know." He gave an involuntary shudder. "Profound, huh?"
Seto had the uncomfortable feeling that he wasn't going to be able to stop thinking about this even when he awoke. The notion that this little flight of fancy might serve no purpose other than to make him want the real thing even more flitted briefly across his preoccupied mind. But then, any and all thought went flying right out of the window as Joey leaned down and wrapped his mouth around Seto's erection. "Oh fuck yes," he heard himself say as oh-so-gentle teeth ran over the head of his length. He gave what he considered to be an embarrassingly high-pitched whine when Joey took him most of the way into his mouth and held him there. This was too much. His head flopped back on the pillows and he gave himself over completely. He fisted both hands in the coverlet and forcibly restrained himself from thrusting upwards. Although he was well aware that this was his own private fantasy, he didn't doubt for a second that his dream tormentor would be thoroughly displeased with him for that. Joey took him deep and sucked hard. He kissed the shaft, feather-light and then ran his tongue along the vein pulsing hard on the underside. He did things with his mouth that even a porn star would be embarrassed to admit they knew. Seto was in heaven. His moans became continuous and gradually rose in volume as Joey's hands travelled up from his thighs and dug in hard, holding Seto's hips in place.
Unable to resist temptation any longer, Seto raised his head and gazed down at the blond mane bobbing in his lap. Joey tilted his head the smallest fraction and glazed blue eyes met mischievous brown. Seeing those full lips encasing his arousal caused Seto's stomach to lurch and he was instantaneously about to come harder than he ever had in his life. "Oh God, don't stop..." He tried his best to prolong it, but the need for completion was rapidly becoming overwhelming...
It was about this time that he glanced down and noticed his feet were on fire.
~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~
Duke blinked. "So you're telling me you fell asleep underneath a tree, and you woke up with fire ants all over your feet?"
Seto buried his face into his hands and rubbed his fingertips along his temples. "That's exactly what I'm telling you, you imbecile. Which part is the most difficult for you to understand?"
Joey growled, bringing back unwelcome images and with them, unwanted activity in his groin. "Watch it, Moneybags. Injured or not, you're about to treat yourself to a fat lip courtesy of one Joey Wheeler."
"Ease off, Joe. He's a had a rough day." The green-eyed teen placed a calming hand on the back of Joey's neck. He lightly stroked the skin at the blond's hairline as Seto's eyes narrowed. What exactly was going on between those two? Why did he care? Duke scratched his head and pondered the other's teen's predicament. "So you sent your limo driver home with the rest of the day off, you said?" A terse nod. "And where's your cell phone again?"
Seto ground his teeth together. "I left it IN the limo. How many times do I have to repeat myself?"
"Whoa. Don't get all pissy with me, man. I'm the one trying to help here." More head scratching. "You know, none of this explains what the hell happened to your hair."
Seto blanched. "My hair...?" He reached one hand up and felt the sticky mess on top of his head. "Tree sap," he snarled, daring either of them to laugh. Joey pressed his face into Duke's shoulder and murmured something that Seto didn't quite catch. He was really starting to dislike the touchy-feely vibe he was picking up from the two teenagers.
Duke eyed the CEO up and down with a smug grin on his face. "I don't know man, he'd probably look hot even if he WERE bald." Kaiba pretended to ignore the comment, and was determined not to fidget under the green-eyed gaze. After another moment or two of intensely studying the brunet, Duke crossed his arms and gave a frustrated sigh. "I'd suggest driving you home, but my car's parked at least six blocks from here. Eveyone's out of the house today so this whole street's pretty much blocked off. I don't think you're capable of walking that far in your condition, anyway." He turned to the blond. "You got any other suggestions?" Joey scuffed his feet and mumbled something unintelligible.
"Speak, Mutt. I don't have all day to wait here and watch you learn a new trick. My patience is even more limited than usual."
"Time's about the only thing you got goin' for you at the moment, you prick. I'd watch that smart mouth if I were you." Joey shoved his hands in his front pockets and stared at his feet. "What I said was, my apartment's less than two blocks from here. We could take the big jerk there, patch him up a little, and call him a cab or something." For a change, Joey wasn't particularly concerned about dragging someone home with him. No sign of the old man this morning meant his dad had hit a winning streak with his ill-gotten gains. If his luck at the tables had gone sour, he would have staggered in drunk and taken his anger out on Joey last night. With any luck on Joey's part, he wouldn't be subject to his father's wrath again until the winnings ran out. He glanced up, a grimace contorting his features. "I'm not particularly fond of the idea myself, but I ain't seein' any alternative at the moment."
To everyone's surprise, Kaiba agreed to this plan with little hesitation. He desperately wanted everything in his life back to normal as quickly as possible. "Fine. But first, I have to get back to the park and tell Mokuba what's happened." He fluttered his hands impatiently. "Help me up." Joey rolled his eyes at the CEO's rude behaviour, but with some effort on all their parts, he and Duke soon had the taller boy up on his feet and supported between them.
The black-haired teen quirked an eyebrow at the injured billionaire. "Why didn't you just find Mokuba on your way out of the park?" "Was that a blush?" he wondered. "Nah, it couldn't be."
Seto gave them both his most disdainful sneer before answering, "I woke up somewhat...confused." Joey produced an obnoxious-sounding noise in the back of his throat.
"And with one hell of an impressive boner," Duke thought to himself. He wasn't ashamed to admit that the prominent bulge was one of the first things he had noticed when he spotted the disoriented teen. He knew there was more to the story than Kaiba was letting on, and it made him practically giddy with curiosity. He resolved to dig until he got to the bottom of it; his meddling nature would never let him rest otherwise. Bemused, he shook his head and turned his attention back to Kaiba's explanation.
"After I made my way through the woods, I wasn't immediately aware of where I had come out. It was rather...disconcerting."
Joey laughed out loud at this. "No shit. You looked like you'd just had your ass handed to you." Deep in thought for a moment, he said wistfully, "Fire ants, what a riot. Too bad I wasn't there to see it. I bet you squealed like a girl."
Seto didn't immediately respond to this, though Duke could have sworn he saw the blush make a brief reappearance on pale cheekbones. "Can we just get moving? Since this is technically all your fault Wheeler, I'd think you would try to be a little more circumspect." Joey's face immediately flushed purple and his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. He trembled hard and, due to their close proximity, it was nearly enough to rattle the taller boy's teeth. Seto was completely taken aback by the other's furious reaction. As insults go, he'd dished out much harsher and with milder results than this.
Duke reached a hand behind the CEO's back and touched the side of Joey's face with his fingertips. It seemed to get his attention. "Circum-SPECT, Joe; not circum-CISED."
He deflated a bit when he heard his friend's explanation. "Oh. OK." He gave Seto an embarrassed grin. "I guess you're right. If I hadn't screwed up your boots, you wouldn't have gotten into any of this mess." Kaiba didn't bother to correct his assessment. "I... I'm really sorry about that." He stared straight ahead fixedly as he ground out the apology, his left eye twitching a bit.
Duke found all this interaction very intriguing. "Sorry to interrupt the warm fuzzies but we should get a move-on, don't you think?" He gave the teen in the middle a gentle nudge, and they set off at a stumbling pace toward Domino City Park.
As they walked, Seto tried very hard to ignore the warm, lean body pressed so close to his own. With every hobbling step the three of them took, he became more and more aware of strong muscles flexing under taut skin, and the firm, calloused grasp enclosing his own hand. With his right arm thrown over the blond's shoulders, he felt every movement they made together, enjoying every ripple as he towered over the other's smaller frame. He surreptitiously lowered his head and leaned his weight more heavily on his right side. Joey grunted under the additional burden, but didn't falter as they made their halting way down the street. Pleased with himself, Seto tilted his face to inhale the mixed scents of the boy whose body was molded against his own. He detected the faint odor of cigarette smoke, along with shampoo, soap, and sun-warmed flesh. The heady mix caused his undiminished erection to give a noticeable twitch. Wincing, he quickly resumed his faintly irritated facade and focused on placing one painfully stinging foot in front of the other.
They were halfway to their destination when Joey suddenly threw up a hand and called a halt to their march. "What's wrong, man?" Duke asked.
He made no reply, but shrugged Seto's arm off of his shoulder and stepped several paces away from the other two boys. "Oh god...oh no..."
Realization dawned on the brunet, and he made a wry face. "He's about to sneeze. I'd advise you to take cover."
"Oh please...no...ahhhh..."
It took every ounce of Seto's self control not to groan out loud at the noises the blond was making. He bit his tongue and fought off random images from his earlier interrupted dream. He was starting to sweat with the effort of concealing his hyper-aroused state.
"Ah shit...ohhh..."
"Look up at the sun and say "cow" over and over," Duke blurted out.
In unison, Kaiba and Joey both gawked at him and exclaimed, "WHAT??!!"
"Trust me; it'll stop your sneeze." He sent the two of them a mulish glare. "Just do it."
"That's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard in my life." Joey rotated his eyes upwards and began chanting, "Cow, cow, cow..." After a few more repetitions of this, he looked back down, wriggling his nose. "Holy shit, it worked."
"Far be it from me to say I told you so, but..."
Joey punched his friend in the shoulder affectionately. "You're the coolest, Duke. Thanks."
Seto was more than ready to get off the roller coaster of emotions he had been riding since this morning. His feet throbbed, he had a painfully unfulfilled erection controlling most of his actions, his clothes and hair were an absolute mess, and he felt he was just on the verge of giggling like a madman. It was almost exhilarating, this not knowing exactly what would happen next. He wanted to throw Joey down on the ground and kiss him senseless; he wanted to punch Devlin's lights out for touching the blond so intimately; he wanted to be allowed to join in their teasing banter, and laugh at their antics together. He felt light-headed, as though any of these possibilities were acceptable, and choosing one of them should be the simplest thing in the world. He was snapped out of his reverie as he realized the other two teens were both staring at him in concern. He affixed his standard "holier than thou" expression to his face and growled, "What?"
Joey looked more perplexed than usual. "Um, I just asked if you were ready to head out again?"
Seto straightened his shoulders and allowed the blond to slip an arm back around him. It felt warm and comforting, but he resisted the urge to snuggle closer. As they continued their slow trek, he let his thoughts drift a bit as he mused on the day's strange occurrences. He couldn't help but wonder what else this innocuous-seeming Spring day held in store for him. The gates of Domino City Park appeared around the corner, and Seto froze in his tracks, Duke and Joey coming to a stop along either side of him.
"Devlin?"
"Yeah, Kaiba?"
"Get your hand off my ass."
tbc
~~~~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~
Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Chapter 4 is my favourite so far, despite the fact that it remained stubbornly stuck in my head for a frustrating amount of time. Probably that damned not-lemon in the middle that did it to me. **sighs** I'll get better before it's time for the REAL hot and heavy action - I promise.
I'd like to take a moment to personally thank each and every person who took the time to submit a review:
Cas - You hit me up 2X! So - thank you thank you! For being the first to review, you get an imaginary cookie! Pick your flavor. I'm partial to white chocolate chunk macadamia myself... But yes, I most heartily agree that Duke is hot. I never even realized HOW hot until I started writing this. Now I have become his willing fangirl. I hope you stick with me on this, there's quite a few chapters left to go! Unless I chicken out to meet the challenge deadline. In which case there WILL be a sequel!
hellow - Hope the explanation met with your approval. I would never leave you hanging like that. Well, yes I would. :-P
Beysie - Another 2X reviewer! **huggles you** I love hearing that I made you laugh! I'm giving Seto and Joey some alone time in an upcoming chapter - let's hope I can keep that interaction fresh! I'm starting to feel the time crunch on this since it has to be wrapped up by April 30th. Guh. Sorry about the duplicate chapter mix-up, mm.org was giving me a hard time. This one's new, I promise! I'm not that bright so please be patient with me! I'm glad you liked what I've done so far, and hope you will be kind enough to review again! and again...and again...
bookwormloverjen - While I have absolutely no desire to either flame you and/or toss you in a river, I DO hope you will continue reading and reviewing! You're twisted. I like that. Chapter 5 is in the works!
tsutsuji - **glomps** One of my all-time favourite authors! I command you all to go and read her stuff. You won't regret it. Shoo. Go now. I'll wait here till you come back. I'm delighted to hear that I could make you appreciate my naughty!Duke. I'm wasn't much into him before this either, but now I am in lurve... I hope you'll continue reading and reviewing, and I promise more to come in the next few days!
Peace,
CJ
04/21/05
Converting /tmp/phpWdAzK7 to /dev/stdout