Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Broken Hearts ❯ Casualties ( Chapter 14 )

Broken Hearts
Chapter 14: CasualtiesAnubis_Himura

~
Joey felt uncomfortable, even as he casually chatted with Tristan. He knew there was so much more he needed to say, and yet he couldn’t force the words from his mouth. He watched as Tristan twitched nervously, his leg bobbing to an imaginary rhythm.

Tristan meanwhile felt the tension as well. He felt very nervous, even though Joey was his best friend; Tristan had never felt this discomfort before.

“So.” Tristan sighed.

“So.” Joey mimicked his disposition.

“We need to talk.” They blurted simultaneously.

“Yea.” They agreed.

“What do you need to talk about?” Joey asked.

Tristan took a minute to respond, not sure if he really wanted to do what he was about to. “Is…” he began. “Are…” he couldn’t find the words.

“Trist, I think I know what you’re trying to say.” Joey took a deep breath. If he didn’t confess now, the guilt would kill him. “This is about us. You and me… and Seto.”

“Seto eh? Awful familiar.” Tristan knew something had been bothering Joey, and that it involved Kaiba. Now, his suspicions would be proven.

“You could say that.” Joey felt himself stiffen with Tristans’ tone. “Trist, you’re my best friend, but there’s something I haven’t told you.”

~

Kaiba paced back and forth “Why do you always have to be such a jerk?” He asked himself. “If you had been nice to him today and been the kind of guy you were yesterday, maybe he would be alone with Tristan!!”

Kaiba wanted to throw something, and in the end he did. He picked up the vase on the hall table and chucked it into the wall.
~

“…I haven’t told you.” The sound of crashing crystal interrupted Joey. “What was that!?” He ran out the door and down the hall in search of the noise. What he found was a maid and a shattered crystal vase.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Oh, yes. Clumsy me, always dropping things.” She smiled kindly and Joey left her in peace; but he didn’t miss the empty table ten feet down the hall, or the swish of a coat as it rounded the corner.
~

“Everything alright?” Tristan asked as he walked out into the hall.

“Yea. Just some broken crystal.” Joey answered, walking with Tristan back into his room.

“So as I was saying. Something I never told you.” Joey was so nervous he could feel himself start to perspire.

“First, I’ve got to say this.” Tristan was eager to hear Joey out, but he wanted to step down. “I think you and I would make better best friends, rather than a couple.”

Joey didn’t know what to say, did Tristan know? Was he just fed up with Joey?

“Trist…” he didn’t know what to say or do. He loved Tristan, but his heart was torn with his feelings for Seto.

Tristan was hurting; but he always knew, in the back of his mind, that Joey’s feelings for Seto would never die. This was the right thing to do.

“Trist, you know I love you.” Joey began. “But, what I haven’t told you is, last night…” Joey hesitated, it was now or never. “Last night, Seto and I slept together.” Joey felt himself becoming emotional. He would have taken a thousand beatings from his dad rather than se that look on Tristans face. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.” Joey’s apology was so soft Tristan barely heard it.

Tristan knew something has transpired between Joey and Kaiba; but he certainly hadn’t anticipated that Joey and Seto were so intimate.

Tristan felt all of his anger and pain welling up and he thought he might cry, or punch someone. Instead he stood up without saying a word, without even looking at Joey, and walked out.

Joey didn’t try to stop him. He knew he deserved it. He deserved worse, he wished Tristan had punched him and broke every bone in his face. The look of anger and hurt on Tristan’s face was more painful than anything he had ever imagined.

Seto stood in the entry hall as Tristan walked down the stairs.

“Tristan, I know what you must be thinking; but Joey shouldn’t be blamed, I’m very persuasive.” Seto didn’t want Joey to be hurt – and he wanted Tristan and Joey to remain friends.

Tristan stopped, face-to-face with Kaiba – he directed all of his anger, frustration, and sadness at Kaiba in that instance. Without hesitating, without really even thinking Tristan raised his fist and punched Kaiba square in the face. Kaiba was knocked out and crashed to the ground. Tristan left Kaiba there, blood trickling from his nose.

~

Joey didn’t move – he didn’t think. Honesty was a killer, but the guilt had been just as bad. He supposed what was done was done – but he surely didn’t want to loose Tristan as a friend. Suddenly he realized he had to do something – he couldn’t let Tristan walk out of his life forever.

Without any more hesitation Joey got up from the chair he had been sitting in and ran out the door. As he leapt down the last four stairs on the staircase he realized there was a body lying on the floor Joey knelt beside Kaiba.

“Seto…” he called, tapping the side of Kaiba’s face to wake him up.

Kaiba let out a tiny grunting noise and his eyes blinked open, closing almost instantly again. “Seto…” Joey tried again.

“It’s too bright in here.” Kaiba conceded.

“Come on, we should get you cleaned up.” Joey helped Kaiba to his feet and led him to the nearest downstairs bathroom.

Joey washed the blood off Kaiba’s face and made sure his nose had stopped bleeding. When Joey was satisfied nothing was broken, and that Kaiba was quite all right, he began leaving. After all, Kaiba was still in the dog house for being rude to him all day. Joey had to get to Tristan.

“I’m sorry.” Kaiba said, as Joey turned to leave.

“For?” He wanted to hear Kaiba say it.

“For being a jerk to you today… and for what happened with Tristan. I do not regret or take back what I did… what we did, but I am sorry it created a rift between you and Tristan.”

“It will be okay.” Joey’s voice was shaky, despite how hard he was trying to be strong. “Tristan will see that… I will…” He couldn’t take it any more. He broke down. Kaiba took Joey into a sweet embrace, wanting to comfort him; but afraid he was no good at being kind. Joey hugged him back, needing the comfort more than anything. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Unfortunately I don’t know what to tell you.” Kaiba consoled.

“I should just give him time… but if I don’t go after him, he’ll think I don’t care or something… I’ve made a mess of everything.”

“It will be okay. Tristan is understanding… you will be able to work it out.”

~

… and that’s it.. for now.. I think… ^.^