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"I hate coffee," Joey said.
“Then have tea,” Kaiba replied. He was reading a paper, not looking up to Joey.
Joey was sneering and leaning back in the seat. "Don't most people jus’ say 'have something else'?"
"Then have something else," Kaiba said, still refusing to look away from the paper. "It's your prerogative."
They sat in a café, with Joey watching the outside world with more fascination than the person in front of him. Although it was only a tabletop between them, it felt like the No Man's Land of a battlefield. For Joey, there seemed to be nothing more terrifying than a first date. So far, it wasn't a date at all. It was just him and Kaiba sitting down; Kaiba reading the newspaper all aloof, and them having a conversation about what Joey wanted to drink.
"I think I may jus’ get like...a cake or somethin’."
"Then do that," Kaiba replied, flipping the page of the paper. Joey groaned closed mouth. The paper flipped down, so they could look across one another, and Kaiba asked: “What’s the problem?” If there was nothing else severe about his countenance, it was the pierce of his cobalt eyes.
"I thought this was a date, Kaib'." Joey was convinced he saw Kaiba roll his eyes before the paper went up again. "Yo, Earth to Seto Kaiba.”
The paper folded down, then folded again a few more times to be placed flatly on the table, his hands clasped overtop of it. It wasn't as if Kaiba wasn't trying, Joey was sure, because he could look at Kaiba and see that there was a noticeable difference in his attire. His usual set of long-tailed coats were discarded away in lieu of something more muted, but perhaps a bit more charming. A dark wool suit coat overtop of a steel grey dress shirt and black slacks. Joey had to guess that this was Kaiba’s casual since it lacked a tie.
"Yes, Joseph Wheeler?”
"I thought this was a date,” Joey repeated.
"It is a date. October 17th is a day of the year," said Kaiba. He leaned back, taking an honest look at Joey for the first time that day. The blond was hunched over the edge of the table, arms folded over one another and held very tightly to himself. It hid the nice, cream (albeit wrinkled) button up he had decided to put on. He was on edge, perhaps nervous. Not that Kaiba couldn't tell by Joey’s voice that he was annoyed, but his body language spoke in much louder volumes.
"Stop bein' a smartass. Please, seriously. Ya agreed t’ this."
"I agreed to meet you for coffee," Kaiba said. "Which you do not like."
Joey stuck out his tongue. "Killjoy."
Something of a mirthful laughter escaped Kaiba, if for only a brief moment. He scooped the paper back up and set it with his other belongings. "This was a mutual agreement because third parties believed it was necessary. I do not."
"You never think anythin' is necessary."
Kaiba leaned his cheek on his fist. "Do the words ever reach your brain before they come out of your mouth?"
"Yes they—hey!"
Kaiba smirked. "Simple pup."
"'Ey, none of that. We agreed t’ none of the name calling."
"I don't see a legal binding document," Kaiba stated, and Joey looked prepared to yell at him, to which he set down the paper and added: "But I did give my word, and I will hold to it. Now, we were having a discussion, were we not?"
Joey was taken aback. Kaiba seemed—not nice, but not mean. At the very most, he was polite, and at the very least he was taciturn. It was like watching him calculate the playing field. "Uh, yeah, I s'pose we were.”
“Then, please, continue,”Kaiba said. His hands stayed folded together in front of him neatly, and Joey noted that his elbows never reached the table. He didn't slouch, his shoulders didn't seem too haughty, even if his head was raised slightly to look down his nose at the blond. No, nothing about Kaiba seemed to be off-putting other than his natural aloofness. At least Joey had his attention.
Suddenly, Joey realised he had pretty poor mannerisms in comparison. Never needing a reason to pull them out, Joey glanced down at himself and wondered if he should have mirrored Kaiba or simply tried to be better. He straightened his back and let his shoulders rest. His elbows slipped off the table and his hands laid flat on the surface, fingers drumming. "Yeah...yeah, okay. We were talkin’ about coffee."
"Which you don't like."
Joey’s nostrils flared, but he reminded himself to relax, laughing to kill the tension. “Yeah, which I don’t like.”
"Was that a third party decision? Or did you just watch enough movies and figure it that was the correct move?”
Joey cleared his throat and looked down to the table. "Ifiguredyouwouldaenjoyedit." He said it fast and low. Kaiba leaned in.
"Excuse me?"
A red blush appeared over Joey's cheeks. "I said 'I figured you'd like it'. There."
Something in Kaiba slackened, and he leaned back. His hands tightened together some before relaxing. Exasperated, Kaiba said: “...what am I going to do with you? This must be a waste of time for both of us then; I'll be off. We met at least. That way you're friends will be appeased."
"Now wait just a freakin’ minute."
Kaiba was halfway out of the booth. "Time is ticking Joseph. People and places..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can make time," Joey said. He was ernest in trying to continue the date. The contemplation on Kaiba's face, or the fact that he stayed at all, gave Joey cause to celebrate in the slightest.
"Perhaps," Kaiba said.
"So we might as well get somethin' while were here, right?"
Kaiba went towards the counter, which suggested to Joey that it was the correct response. His hands tucked deep in his pockets as he followed and read over the menu. "So uh...ya know what you want?"
"Of course."
"Right...yeah. Course ya do,” he muttered. Joey was almost sheepish now. Something more than his friends compelled him to be less combative with Kaiba, if only for the sake of them not killing each other where they stood. The same went for them not calling each other names. If it was supposed to a good first date, or any kind of first date, it needed to seem as though they were on the even level. "I uh...I'm thinkin' maybe I'll give coffee a whirl again."
"Do you know anything about what you would take in it?"
"No, not really. Most of what I got was from my dad and that was...meh, at best. Water with beans,” Joey shrugged. Kaiba didn’t respond, as if he hadn’t heard, and he briefly gazed over the menu before ordering. It took Joey a second to realize that he had ordered two things. "Ya gettin' two?"
Still silent, he paid the barista and waited. Joey moved up to stand beside Kaiba at the counter, looking up at the menu and then to the barista who glanced at him. He opened his mouth to order. "Don't," Kaiba said.
"Wha? You got yer thing, I'll get mine."
"It's already done," he said. The barista set down the two drinks, Kaiba handing a coffee cup and saucer to Joey.
"What's this?"
"Yours."
"Ya ordered for me?"
"Very astute,” said Kaiba as was walked back to the table while Joey blanched at what had just occurred. He was further confused when Kaiba sat down and acted as if nothing had just occurred.
"Kaib'? What the hell?"
"I figured ordering for you would make this process less painful and make you far less foolish."
Joey sat down, looking at the light, frothy concotion in the cup. Across, he seen Kaiba's. A simple coffee cup with what looked to just be black coffee. Much to Joey's surprise, he hadn't touched it yet.
"Guess I'll...give whatever girly drink this is a try,” Joey said as he brought it to his lips. A pause. “What is it anyway?”
"Does it matter?"
"No not really."
"Then don't ask."
"You drink yours then," Joey countered, setting the cup down.
Kaiba sighed. "You're being ridiculous. We'll see if my money was wasted."
"And that's one more thing," Joey said, and he started digging in his pockets to fish something out. "I ain't lettin' you pay for nothin' for me."
"Save it."
"No, I ain't budgin' on this one. Hate it as much as I do..."he pulled out a few bills and tossed it across the table. Kaiba receded back, crossing his arms and looking at the money with a raised brow.
"Take it, jackass."
"I thought we said no namecalling."
"That ain't namecallin'. That's truth-tellin'."
Kaiba shifted somewhat foreword in his seat, leaving space between them, to stare Joey down.
“Really now?" His voice didn't hint at severity, sarcasm, or even anger. Neither did he seem mirthful, humored, or even excited to be in verbal combat. He seemed so neutral to it. "I wouldn't want to get in a conversation with you about 'truth-telling' as you say."
"No? Well, that's good then. I'd have a helluva lot ta say."
The bills were still lying in the open space between them, almost forgotten. "This is why this venture is pointless and naïve,” Kaiba announced. The coffee cup was picked up and sipped from, like a show of mercy, before it was set down again. The entire time, his eyes never left Joey.
In turn, Joey picked up his cup in both hands, treating it as if it were a bowl, and he sipped from it reluctantly. His face scrunched and he said: “S’Hot."
The paper was pulled out again, knowing that Joey was now occupied for at least a few moments.
In those moments, Kaiba did sip from his own mug, up until Joey said: "This’s good I guess."
"It seemed appropriate."
Joey raised a brow. "Whaddya mean by that?”
"Exactly what I said.”
Joey sighed. "Well, maybe I'm a little slow—“ he pointed at Kaiba do stop any candid retort,”—but what the hell does that mean?"
"It means its like you."
Joey snorted. "Yeah, right. Like you know a thing about me. Idn't that what this is s'pose to be? The “get-ta-know-ya' section?"
"I doubt we need that. We've known each other long enough now,” Kaiba said.
"Yeah but..."Joey stopped, carefully picking his next words. "Not like that, ya know? A different kind of 'know'. Man, have you ever been on a date in your life?"
"Plenty of times,” Kaiba replied. Joey let out a puff of air in disbelief. "I'm sure you don't think so; I'm sure you think I don't have time, but I have dated in brevity. Though the number is dependant on what tabloid you read.”
And they fell into silence once more. Joey was quick to drink the coffee after it cooled. Kaiba sipped at a slow pace, not as uncomfortable as Joey while they simmered in the quiet. Once Joey’s cup was almost empty, he set it in the center of the table and glanced to the money once again, pushing it onto Kaiba’s side. The brunet flicked it back towards Joey, shaking his head.
“I have to go,” Kaiba said.
"Yeah, yeah,” Joey sighed, almost disappointed that their time was over. “People and places?”
"Precisely.”
Joey stood up as well, tossing the money back to Kaiba. "Take it. This wasn't a date, so there ain't none of that ‘be a gentleman’ nonsense.”
Kaiba was buttoning up the coat, looking out the windows, searching for something. "As far as anyone else is concerned, we should treat it as such. And no doubt your band of geeks, as well as Mokuba, will decide that we should do it again sometime.”
Joey couldn't help but feel a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Sure you ain't just sayin' that?"
"We’ll have to see,” Kaiba replied.
"A’course.”
Kaiba went to the doors, but paused before opening them. “I’ll be picking the coffee place next time."
Kaiba was out the door in a blink of an eye, leaving Joey stunned.
Aloud, to no one in particular, he asked: “Next time?”