Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Watch Over Me ❯ Come Back Home ( Chapter 26 )

Dragondreamer: Yami Dragon, yes you can kill Steven, but good luck trying. Mummification while alive and burning didn't get rid of the body.

Gralnak: I know. I have to reload the chappie.

Lady Elfskye: I like Steven too. Joey's dad was good, too, but I can only use him once. Steven was more popular.

IYYASHI: Anzu is a good baddie, too, but only for that story..she's good to bash.

Ryou's mistress: *gives bucket of Aten plushies*

Shadow of Light: Sotires are everywhere..but, I usually get my good ideas in the shower or riding with my wife…in the car! in the car!

Angelic Mouse Girl: Isis will make it better. By the way, LEMON next chappie. I'm due for one.

Joey's Gal: Steven and Tom were two of my faves, too. They were such bastards and were good at it! I shall not disappoint you.

Yasha: Thank you!

ssjgoddesschico: take care of yourself, babe. that's important no matter how nuts things get.

sliderkta: Marik just loves to torture Isis. I read your fic..it was really really really funny. Me and my wife died laughing.

Come Back Home

Isis sat in the limo with Seto Kaiba and Ryou. Ryou wrung his hands nervously as they drove to Child Services. He didn't know what Flannery was going to say to Isis. Isis remained calm, just as she always did during rough times. Seto and Isis walked into Flannery's office, complete with a new mahogany desk.

"Ryou? What are you doing here?"

"I came with my legal guardian."

Isis walked in and sat at the chair in front of Flannery's new desk. "I am a busy woman, Mrs. Flannery, and I must discuss this situation with you."

Flannery was about to shut the door when Seto Kaiba walked in and took the seat beside Isis.

"Sit down, Mrs. Flannery, I have a business to run and do not have time for small talk."

Ryou walked in and sat between Isis and Seto.

"What is it that you want, Mr. Kaiba?"

"What it is that I want, Mrs. Flannery, is my friend Ryou to be returned to his legal guardian."

Flannery sat at her desk and pulled out her file. "But, Ms Ishtar was not present for the period that we assigned her as legal guardian. If she wanted legal guardianship, she must be present at all times."

Isis narrowed her eyes at Flannery. "Ryou is perfectly capable of living on his own. Steven Bakura left Ryou alone for years. All he had was Bakura to take care of him. What is the difference between taking care of himself then and now? My brother Malik is also taken care of by his significant other, for lack of a better word, Marik. When we were young, we were also left alone for much of our lives. I took care of my brother since his childhood. We were orphaned when I was 14 years of age. Since then I have been caring for my brother and not once did anyone intervene and tell me that I was not capable of caring for him."

"You volunteered to take responsibility for Ryou Bakura, Ms. Ishtar, and you did not perform your duties."

"Nonsense. I sent money home often. I contacted my brother to make certain he was doing well. Ryou and my brother did not want for food, clothing, and they had a roof over their heads. I provide for my brother during my absence and I do not appreciate the fact that he was dragged bodily from our home kicking and screaming."

"He was not kicking and screaming, Ms. Ishtar."

Isis put her hand on Flannery's desk hard enough that the flesh slapped against the wood. "That is not the point, Mrs. Flannery. The point is that my brother was forced against his will out of his home. That is not acceptable!"

Seto leaned over. "Need I also point out, Mrs. Flannery, that Malik was much better off alone with his sister absent than that foster home in which he was placed?"

"I was told to place Malik with Mr. Wheeler, Mr. Kaiba."

"An unlikely story. Story or not, however, Malik is back with me and he is safe."

Flannery's eyes opened wide. "You found him? Was he hurt?"

"We found him after we met," Seto said. "He was sick with a fever and walking pneumonia. He is recovering at KaibaCorp now."

"But the kids are with you, too!"

Isis narrowed her eyes. "The fact that you tore my brother away infuriates me. And the fact you tore two crying babies away from their parents is despicable behavior! My brother, though he may still be young, is nothing but a caring, loving parent to Aten Bakari Ishtar. And Bakura Itemri is a loving father to Aria Kanika Itemri."

Flannery closed the file. "My job is to protect those kids, Ms. Ishtar."

"My job is to protect my brother and his family. Whether you recognize it or not, my brother and his friends are a family. There is no difference between my brother and his family and your own family…they pay bills, they eat, they sleep, like all families they may bicker about money, but it doesn't mean they are any less of a family."

Seto stood up and leaned forward putting the palms of his hands on the desk. "We can do this the hard way, or my way, Flannery. Allow Malik to return home and give Ryou and Bakura custody of the kids. Or, We can take this to court. I have the best lawyers in the business. I'm not sure if the courts would like the idea of you taking Malik out of Isis' care and putting him with a child molestor. Not only will I take you to court because of Malik, but my boyfriend Joey was injured as well. And I guarantee you, Flannery, that you will have a hard time getting another job in Domino City or elsewhere. Now….which is it going to be?"

*********************************

Seto's POV

Well, that went along well. Flannery gave official custody back to Isis. Smart lady. She knows that I have people all over the city who would give her a hard time because she hurt the ones I care about. Nobody hurts the ones I care about.

Most of all she must have been afraid of me. She knows I would have used my lawyers if I had to. My legal team can't be bought by people like her. The last thing she needed, though, was for the public to hear how she completely screwed Malik by putting him with Joey's dad.

Joey….Puppy….tonight will be our first time alone without the kids down the hall. Tonight we will be alone. ( Do you guys see a lemon coming up? I sure do! *evil grin*)

No chibis. No staff. I can send Mokuba out to his friend's house. No problem there.

I miss having the home to myself and the puppy. I love the kids to death, but they belong with their mother and fathers.

Isis walked to Malik's room and up to her brother's bed. Ryou sat beside him. Malik was looking slightly better. She sat beside her brother and ran her fingers through his hair. "Malik? How are you feeling now, brother?"

"A little better. I still get a little dizzy every now and then, though."

Isis smiled. "Are you ready to go home?"

Malik's purple eyes glistened and a large smile crossed his face. "I can go home? I don't have to stay here? I can really go home?"

Isis nodded. "Yes, Malik. You can go back to your home."

Ryou smiled and squeezed Malik. He jumped from the bed and hugged Isis tightly.

"Thank you, Isis! Thank you!" Ryou said kissing Isis' cheek.

Malik brought Isis into his arms and kissed her shoulder. "Thank you, sister! Thank you so much! I've waited to go back home! Maybe now things can go back to normal! *Authoress pauses to snicker evilly* I miss my own bed."

I sat at the foot of the bed. "And you can take Aten and Aria back home with you, Malik. You are a family again."

Malik bit his lip and buried his face in Isis' shoulder sobbing. What's all this about? I thought he'd be happy! "Why are you crying, Ishtar? I thought you wanted this."

"I do want this. I just never thought I would be able to go home again."

Isis brushed back Malik's hair off his face. "You can always come back home, brother."

Malik smiled and hugged his sister again. This is getting a little too mushy for my tastes. Luckily Aria came in to interrupt my attention from the cavity-producing scene in front of me. Bakura entered with Marik beside him. Aten sat in Marik's arms. Ryou jumped up and ran to Bakura.

"Yami, we can return home today! We can really go home!"

Bakura looked up at Isis. "Really? What changed Flannery's mind?"

"The last thing she needed was a public scandal. She'll think twice before meddling with those whom Seto Kaiba cares about."

Ryou looked at me. His eyebrow raised and he turned his body to me. "You….care about me?"

Ryou was a good friend. He always kept good secrets and was always caring for everyone else except for himself. Besides, he gave me the best treasures in the world….Aria and Aten.

"Yes, Ryou, I do care about you. Why else would I go through all this to make sure that your kids were safe and you could be reunited with them?"

Ryou approached me and kneeled before me on his hands and knees. His head was lowered and I could hear a sniffle. "Thank you, Seto. I know this was an inconvenience to you, keeping the kids here."

"Ryou, neither them nor you are an inconvenience. Those kids belong to their family."

Ryou looked up at me and before I knew it, Ryou was hugging me gently. "Thank you. Thank you."

Ryou never hugged me before! I didn't think he owed me anything. He's a friend and it gave me and Joey things to think about when we adopted a kid of our own.

Speaking of which…..Joey and I need to talk about that.

"It's no problem, Ryou. Really. Why don't you collect the kids' toys and clothes and go get settled in the house again."

Ryou smiled at me and gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Thank you again, Seto."

I could see Ryou doing everything gently. He was a very affectionate guy…not like Bakura, who would rather probably tear you apart than cuddle anyone but Ryou. Ryou ran away and packed the kids things.

Joey and I stood on the front steps watching Ryou and Bakura pack the limo. My arms were wrapped around Joey's waist. Ryou returned to me and hugged us both.

"Thank you so much for caring for them, Seto. You are a true friend."

Dear, Ra, Ryou, don't talk like Anzu…please.

"No problem, Ryou. Anytime."

Joey hugged me tightly and I could swear I heard him sniffle as Aten ran up to him.

"Unkie Puppy, I wove paining wif you. Can we do dat when I come to tee you nest?"

Joey kneeled to the chibi and nodded. "You bet we can, Aten! I'll have all your paints and brushes ready for you."

Aten squealed and hugged Joey. "Tanks, Unkie Puppy!"

Aten ran away and Aria jumped in front of Joey. "Unkie Puppy, be sure Unkie Seto buys more M's when I come back. Oh! And be careful wit my sword in the big safe! I no wan it to get broked on me!"

Aria hugged Joey and jumped trying to kiss me. I leaned down and she kissed me.

"Yeah! We go home! We go home!"

Marik walked up to me and looked down at the ground. Marik's been very quiet and reserved since I told him about Aten. It wasn't easy news to hear, I know, but he had a right to know. Malik stood beside his yami holding onto his yami's hand.

"We wish to thank you, Seto," the yami started, "for taking care of Aten for us. It wasn't easy, we know, to have them over here. And Joey, I owe you a great debt. You risked yourself for Malik's safety. You put yourself in danger to keep Malik out of harm's way. Thank you."

Malik wrapped his arms around Joey. "Thank you, Joey. No one has ever done that for me before. No one has ever threw themselves into danger for me. I'm sorry that your father did what he did to you, Joey. If you ever need an ear, you can talk to me."

Marik and Malik walked away and Bakura stepped up to us. "Well, moneybags, thanks for taking care of Aria and Aten for us. Aria was a handful, I know. We….umm….damn, I'm no good at this…..we…ummm…appreciate your help….umm…forget it. Thanks a lot, moneybags."

Well, that's Bakura for you. Ryou walked up to us and hugged us both again.

"Thank you both for all your help."

"Really, Ryou, it's no big deal."

Ryou smiled and ran to the limo. I lead Joey back upstairs and we called Mokuba's friend's parents to see if Mokuba could come over. Luckily for me and Joey, Darren's brother was out of town and Darren wouldn't mind the company. Darren's folks are good people. Darren's parents were so close, I just let one of my security guards walk him over to the house. It was only a ten minute walk.

Joey and I had dinner together. For the first time in days, Aria was not here to run around the table. Aten wasn't sitting in his usual spot reading the comics with his cup of "coffee." Aria wasn't telling us about how much she missed her "sword." Aria wasn't running around like a banchee on a sugar high screaming at the top of her lungs that she had M&M's.

It was quiet. Joey and I ate our supper without exchanging a single word. We hadn't had a quiet dinner like this since the kids came. Now….it was strange without the kids here. The candles flickered on the table as we ate.

"Seto?"

"Joey? What's on your mind?"

Joey looked around the empty room. No chibis around. "It's too quiet."

I heaved a sigh. I missed the sounds of the kids already. I didn't want to see them leave, but they belong with Ryou and the others.

"I know."

Joey looked up at me. "I can't wait to bring Hayden home, Seto. I think he is what we need. We are what he needs. He needs a family with two parents who love each other."

I did love Joey. Very much.

Our servants cleared up our dishes as we extinguished the candles. Joey and I moved to the lounge and sat on the loveseat. In front of us, the fire was crackling. Besides that, the room was once again quiet and empty…no chibis.

Joey looked around the room and sighed. "It's going to be great when Hayden comes to live with us, Seto. The kid is really a great kid. He's a little quiet, but that's to be expected."

"When does the lawyer come to sign the official papers?"

"I already signed them. I didn't want someone else to take him before we even had the chance. I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds."

It's not like Joey to sign something official without me. "You signed your name on the adoption papers?"

"Your handwriting is so close to mine, it's not funny."

He signed my name! He can't do that on adoption papers! "And the lawyer let you do that?"

"He suggested it. When I had to leave to keep Aria and Aten here, it technically made you single. You didn't have a live-in lover. As such, you adopted Hayden as a single parent. My name was also put on the documents as a guardian in name only to keep the legal riff-raff off our asses."

That's my puppy! I trained him well. I put my arms around him and cuddled him close to my body. "So, when does Hayden come permanently?"

"They will call us. They will have to contact the family he is with now and make the arrangements to have him come here. Isn't this great, Seto? We're going to have a boy of our own!"

I smiled as I brought Joey against my body. I had the feeling that Hayden and Joey would help each other heal from the pain of what they went through together. It wouldn't be easy, but I had to learn to have more patience with a chibi in the home full-time.

"Can't wait, puppy. This will be perfect for both of us. We need a son of our own." My hand brushed against his cheek. "We'll have a family of our own. A boy that both of us can care for."

Joey looked up at me with those beautiful eyes. "I want to make his life better than what it was, Seto."

"Both of us want that, puppy. I want to make both of your lives perfect."

"My life is already perfect with you, Seto."

My puppy can be so sentimental at times that it's sickening. But, it felt good to hear the words. Life is perfect with him. He's all I need. He's all I want. He's all I crave.

"Puppy, I…I want you to make love to me."

Joey pulled back a little. "Why?"

"I want you to make love to me. I want to help you forget about your father."

Joey shrunk back and he turned his eyes away from me.

"No matter what pain you went through, Joey, I want you to know that you did not deserve it. I want you to know that I love you. You need to gain control back of who you are and I know that making love to me heals you. You aren't afraid of me and I don't want you to be."

Joey turned his eyes a little towards me. "I'm not afraid of you, Seto. I'm afraid of….myself." Joey stood up, his back to the fire. His figure was illuminated by the fire. "I don't know how to make love to you, Seto, without the toys. I'm afraid that if I don't use them, you won't be satisfied."

"Joey, even if we cuddle I am satisfied. Everything you do satisfies me, but you can't be afraid of love."

Joey bit his lip. "To me, love had to be a shining metal handcuff….a tightly-knotted rope. Love was nothing more than an excuse."

I stood up. "My love is not an excuse. Joey, I love you for who you are, not for what you can do for me."

Joey crossed his arms. "If I didn't use the toys, my father wasn't satisfied. And if he wasn't satisfied….I was punished. So, I don't know how to love someone without the aid of anything. I'm sorry, Seto. But, I can't subject you to my own nightmare."

I stood up and walked to him. My hand tilted his chin up a bit and I kissed his cheek.

"I want to make you feel better, puppy. I want to show you that love isn't about toys or empty promises…at least, not my love anyway. I love you for who you are, not for what others may have said you are. I love you, puppy….my Joey."

I leaned over and kissed Joey again, letting my tongue brush gently against the front of his lips. I could still taste a hint of chicken gravy from our dinner. He closed his eyes and let me lick his moist, warm cavern clean of dinner's remains. My hands pulled him close to me so I could feel him against me. I needed this as much as he did. When our kiss was ended, I brushed his blond hair back.

"Goodnight, Joey."

I walked out of the room and headed towards our bedroom. I entered and stripped myself. Gods, it feels good to get out of these pants! Between Joey against me and me picturing him naked above me affected me more than I realized. Getting to sleep with an erection the size of the Grand Canyon was not going to be easy!

I slipped into bed and pulled the white, sheer covers over me. I looked down at myself and closed my eyes wishing I was with Joey.

*************

Joey's POV

Seto left and I sat staring into the fireplace for a long time. I thought about what he said. Seto did love me for who I was, but I had no reason to fear his love. He never hurt me in bed. Even though he used to be a bastard to me outside of the bedroom, inside the bedroom, he's my careful, but dominant lover.

Was I really ready to sleep with Seto? The pulsing feeling between my legs certainly told me I was more than ready. My father was never the kind of lover I wanted. I had no choice as a kid. I couldn't expose Hayden to that kind of domination. He's a kid. He deserves to play, go to school, have friends, and get into mischief.

I wanted to walk into our room and slide into the bed with my lover and whisper in his ear, "I love you, Seto. Please let me make love to you."

I finished my drink and walked to the bedroom. I peeked in through the slight opening of the door and saw what I only saw in my wildest dreams…….

Updates: Tuesday or Wednesday