Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Freak of Nature Documentary ❯ Crossing the Fine Line? ( Chapter 8 )

I haven't been posting this lately, not because I've had writer's block, but because I had honestly forgotten I posted things at Mediaminer. For me, Mediaminer's been difficult to use, EXTREMELY slow, and the fanart I try to look at is just about always a broken link. That, and it's sort of hard to remember a story when nobody leaves comments about it to remind you.... So whoever actually likes this, R&R, so it'll stick in my mind to update every now and then.

~*~*~*~

Joey looked around, taking in his sumptuous surroundings without much surprise.

Gleaming oaken paneling covered the walls, with some costly paintings hung at various prominent places. The floor was covered with a thick, soft, creamy beige shag carpet. A few scented candles had been lit in the otherwise darkened room to add to the ambiance, allowing for a gorgeous sunset to be seen from the window. He was sprawled out on a king-sized bed in his boxers, clothes neatly piled beside him, though it didn't seem bother him at all. Nor did it appear that he minded the leash clipped to his neck, which had it's end looped casually over one of the sculpted ends of the headrest.

He propped himself up on one elbow as the sound of running water stopped, cocking his head to listen. A figure appeared in the doorway, and he sat up entirely to greet it, soft brown eyes sparkling with unconcealed joy.

Seto padded into the room, attired in a fluffy white bath robe, and-- from the glimpses seen despite the tied sash-- nothing underneath it, either. His face was almost impassive, but one could see a glimpse of surprised delight in his cool blue eyes, like a ray of sunshine piercing into deep waters. He pushed his wet brown hair out of his eyes, and went to sit on the edge of the bed, cupping Joey's cheek in a still damp hand. "I didn't think you'd come back." He whispered. Somehow, he was able to charge the simple statement with more emotion than those few words seemed able to hold. His exposed flesh was beaded with crystalline drops of water, and one trickled down his cheek, as though he had started crying.

Joey's expression softened, and he moved to sit next to the taller boy, snuggling against him affectionately and wrapping an arm around his waist. "How could you ever doubt me?" He asked plaintively, tilting his head back to meet Seto's eyes. They were dark, dusky sapphire pools, glowing with intelligence and vitality, with limitless, unexplored depths. He felt that he was plunging into them, that he could fall for all eternity, and yet never see the bottom. He wasn't even sure if he ever wanted to.

Seto couldn't help but smile a little at the naked concern in Joey's innocent, trusting gaze.

His eyes were a warm chocolate brown, with a captivating honey-gold glow when the

light hit them. If he could pluck a handful of stars from the vaulted heavens, even they would be unable to outshine the beauty of his lover's eyes.... "I.... I didn't doubt you. I doubted myself. I was afraid that if you knew how I truly felt, you would push me away. I couldn't stand the thought.... but I just couldn't hold it back. The mask weighs too heavily on my soul to wear any longer."

What had he done to deserve this fallen angel? He longed to give him the wings he must miss, to watch him fly free. But no, he wouldn't. He had lived for so long just watching him, needing him.....now that he had him, he was afraid to let go. Ever. Seto wrapped a trembling arm around Joey's waist, pulling him close.

"I understand." Joey nuzzled his face into Seto's chest, sighing contentedly as he took in his scent, mingled with the aromas of soap and shampoo. Seto's hair smelled like vanilla. He'd never known that before. "But don't you ever think that again, okay? I'll never, ever push you away, no matter what." His voice was a little muffled from his position, so he lifted his head, giving the brunette a soulful look. "It doesn't matter what people think, or what it looks like. It doesn't matter how we act in public. What matters is what WE think and do, how WE feel, together. And as for me.... I love you, Seto. And I'll keep coming back, even if you send me away." His smile was chaste, and his free hand rose to stroke Seto's wet hair tenderly.

Seto's smile was just as radiant, if not moreso, as the weight of uncertainty lifted from his shoulders. "Ah, my loyal puppy...." The nickname wasn't an insult now; It felt fitting, felt _right_. "I'll never send you away. I want you to stay by my side." He lifted Joey's chin, and lowered his own head.

"Forever and always." Joey closed the gap between them, and their lips touched. The result was electrifying, and he could feel the shiver race along his spine. Seto tasted like a freshly brewed cup of coffee; strong, rich, smooth, at once both satisfying and invigorating. He had a thousand different subtleties that only added to the powerful flavor. If only this moment could last forever....

The brunette reciprocated the kiss in kind, surprised at the other's fervor. Joey had to be a jalepeño: fiery, passionate, and intense. He was exciting, a strong dash of spice to help awaken sleeping emotions that had been hidden under ice. A hand tangled through Joey's thick, soft mane of hair, and he ran his fingers through it reverently. It shone like spun gold, was smoother than the finest silk. He could only think of one thing: his angel had wings after all, and had flown them to heaven....

~*~*~*~

Joey sat up in bed, dark green pajamas clinging to him stickily, soaked with a cold sweat. Birds scattered from their perches on nearby windowsills and branches, and his father was unhappily roused from whatever slumber he was getting, by an unholy shriek coming from the opposite end of the house.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

~*~*~*~

It was 3:30 AM, and Joey had spent the last twenty minutes practically turning his room and closet upside down to ensure that he didn't own a collar or a leash. Thankfully, he hadn't, and was now starting to tell himself that it had only been a nightmare. Somehow,

the words seemed to lack the conviction he wanted them to have. He stared into the

mirror. "What's _wrong_ with me?!" How on, off, in, or under Earth could he like

_Kaiba_?! The guy was a complete and total jerk! An arrogant know-it-all, maddeningly impassive perfectionist who delighted in crushing and humiliating people. He wasn't even

a person! He had to be more machine than man. Tea was right; he must've forgotten how

to be human.....

Joey shook his head stubbornly, watching his bangs flop into his eyes. They'd studied Freud shortly before this in Psychology, and he was suddenly remembering the passage the class had read involving the subconscious and dreams. Funny how he knew it NOW, yet hadn't been able to remember for the life of him during the test....

"I am NOT suppressing things!" He pointed at himself in the mirror, glowering and generally trying to look as threatening as possible. He'd BETTER not be..... and even if he was... well.... it WASN'T that! Not a chance in the world!

Turning away in disgust, he peered at his alarm clock. Ugh, only 3:45? This was the second time in three days Seto had made him lose sleep! >.< And furthermore.... wait, why was he thinking of him as Seto now? Kaiba. Yes, keep it simple, keep it normal....

He really wanted to go back to bed, but he was almost scared to sleep, afraid of what new nocturnal horrors his subconscious might provide him with. So instead, he contented himself with taking a cold shower and getting dressed, heading downstairs to eat some breakfast. It wasn't even close to time for school yet, but he was already awake; what else could he do?

Hmmm.... school started at 8:00, so he had.... 4 hours and 15 minutes to burn. Now 4 hours and 14 minutes. Just great.... Deciding it was a bad idea to stay in the house, he put on a watch, slipped into his jacket, and went outside for an EARLY morning stroll. It was still dark, and the stars were only just starting to disappear. Not a single car on the road, no lights on in the houses, no people, no barking dogs.... it was really peaceful at this hour. Kinda nice.

Joey stuffed his hands into his pockets, and wandered aimlessly, letting his feet take him where they would. After all, he had over four hours to waste out here, so did it really matter where he went? Shrugging and deciding that it didn't, the blonde strolled on, alone with his thoughts.

~*~*~*~

It had been a boring day. There was, really, only one element that kept it from being the same as all the others. WHY did Joey keep looking at him like that?! It was nettling, to say the least. The boy would stare at him with a strange look in his eyes, abruptly have a change of expression, and then pointedly look away. It was indecipherable. He'd really have to talk to the blonde after school about this....

But meanwhile, he just ignored it as best he could. Just a little thing, right? If the kid was bothered by something, it wasn't his problem, unless it concerned him. And that, of course, was what he was meaning to find out....

~*~*~*~

Last period of the day, finally. He really needed some coffee; these teachers put anyone with an IQ of 35+ to sleep.... At least there wouldn't be any teacher prattling on for the entire period for this class; it was time to present their work. Joy to the world. What? No, he wasn't apathetic. He was hopping up and down, squealing with glee, and clapping his hands inside, really. Honestly, he couldn't figure out why people got so wound up about these things....

"Now, we'll do this in order of group number." Ms. Ross announced to the class once the bell had rang, and looked over the sheet. "Group 10 will go first. Seto or Joseph, please come to the front." She looked out to the last group, noting with pleasure that they didn't seem too worried. She usually went for the last ones first, just to see if they hadn't finished their work. It was quite effective.

Well, the dog had to follow the master..... Seto got up with a languid grace, and brought a video cassette up to the TV, popping it in. He'd just wing the presentation; If he'd made speeches over 20 minutes long based on one or two facts and pure improvisation, then he could handle something this simple. He pressed play, and stood silently as the tape began to play, clasping his hands loosely behind his back and sweeping the room with his eyes.

Thankfully, he'd gone back over the tape and edited it, adding fade-outs between scenes to be more professional looking, and entirely deleting the last bit of the.... shower incident. The commentary was there, but no visual, thank heavens. He didn't want half the class to go to the nurse from throwing up..... And along with the commentary, of course, was the audio of the mating call itself. "Even in my heart I see, you're not being true to me. Deep within my soul I

feel, nothing's like it used to be...."

There was an assortment of snickers from around the room. A random girl in the back ^_^ed. "I didn't know you liked Backstreet! I _love_ that song...." She looked at Joey with starry eyes.

"Augh...." Joey buried his face into his hands, blushing. This sucked, it really, REALLY did.....

The tape proved to be a general hit, the entire way through. Yugi gave him a sympathetic look. Joey shot a glare at Tristan, who was snickering as well. The spike-haired brunette just grinned at him. He glared daggers at Kaiba next, and was acknowledged only by a wink and taunting smirk. Grrrrrr..... >.<

Seto took a step forward, and stopped the tape once it had reached the end. "As you can see, my research project was on one Joseph Wheeler." He waved a hand towards his partner, who fidgeted uncomfortably as the entire class turned to stare at him. "I've spent an extended period of time studying my classmate over the weekend, and have had the opportunity to get several glimpses into his personal life, which have provided me with some new light to look at him. I've taken care to document his behaviors both in personal and interpersonal standpoints. This footage and knowledge was not affected or biased in any way, shape, or form, as everything was recorded candidly." His smirk widened at the look on Joey's face.

Meanwhile, Joey was twitching at all the attention, and struggling not to go up there and beat him into a bloody pulp. How DARE he! That was his private life..... and mundane as it could be sometimes, he had no desire for people to see it, especially _him_.... Joey shook his head, stubbornly trying to get rid of the mental images that were insistently insinuating themselves into his mind. Rage smouldered in his eyes, only barely tempered by his sudden preoccupation, and what shreds of self restraint he had.

"And by my observations, I've seen that Joey leads a rather solitary life, outside of his friends, basically looks after himself, and is killing many brain cells that could otherwise be put to good use by watching so much television."

Joey flushed further, and snarled, growling warningly low in his throat. "Kaiba...." He was GOING to kill that suited swine once the bell rang. That.... that.....

"Because of this, I've arrived at a few conclusions, which contribute to his overall personality. Joseph is exceedingly cheerful a great deal of the time, stemming from the fact that he is interacting with his friends. Regarding this, one can infer that he is a very lonely person, with low self-esteem, who lacks a sense of self and a general purpose to his life. So finally, we can see that he counterbalances this with an active social life, leading me to present my final statement." His smirk of cool amusement irked Joey further. "Which would be that, in order to maintain a sound psyche, he requires more love, positive attention, and affection." The blonde gripped the edge of his desk, knuckles white with the pressure of the hold. Wait for the bell.... just wait....

He turned to fast forward the tape a bit. "And in addition to this project, I tested my hypothesis, by creating a situation expressly providing these things." He clicked play, allowing the 'puppy' footage to roll. There was a general burst of laughter from the class at that, and some applause.

Joey's eyes widened, and his face flushed to a rather attractive beet red, this time from both embarrassment and rage. He pushed back his chair violently, and lunged at Seto with a murderous look. "YOU!" Okay, so he couldn't wait until the bell to kill him. Too bad there were so many witnesses.....

The class looked on excitedly, hoping to see a fight. Ms. Ross just seemed worried. Seto calmly stepped forward, catching the running boy with one hand grasping his shirt, and his free hand seizing one wrist. He held Joey at arm's length-- and he had very long arms-- to keep from being pummeled by the free limb. He let go of the blonde's wrist, and deftly probed his neck, pinching and twisting the sensitive cluster of nerves near the shoulder.

Joey's furious, rage-heated glare flowed into a look of shock as stars danced before his eyes, bursts of color blossoming like firecrackers around the room. He slumped, hanging limply in Seto's grip as he was knocked unconscious. Damn him.....

Seto released his fistful of shirt, and let Joey fall to the ground lifelessly. He could feel everybody's eyes on him, so he smirked calmly, adding in a touch of arrogance for show. "Problem solved. He's merely unconscious; no harm done." He gave the teacher a reassuring look, and prodded Joey in the ribs with the toe of his shoe. Joey stirred, mumbling incoherently. "And as his turn is next, I believe I'll just leave him here. He should wake up in a minute or two." He sauntered back to his desk with a careless grace, waiting for Joey to awaken so he could present his own report.