Work Text:
"Washed up cunt," The older man grumbled as he threw the pocket money at Joey Wheeler, laid out on the bed. "You'd think a world famous duelist would have a better hole to use."
Joey said nothing, tucking his long, blond hair behind his ear as the older man got dressed.
The man soon left, grumbling more, but it was completely inaudible to Joey. He buried himself in the pillow, closing his eyes. Where did it all go wrong? Where did I go wrong?
Joey bit his lip, standing up. Not wanting to smell the guy's stench anymore, he stripped the bed and threw it in a trash bag. He'd always brought identifiable customers back home.
A cold winter night it was, he took the bag out, wearing only a long sleeved turtle neck sweatshirt and pants, and tossed it into an oil drum not far off from his house.
Striking a match, he watched the flame dance like it was his very soul on fire. Watching it burn the matchstick away into pitch black, he waited until the flame reached his fingers, scorching the tip off. Without flinching, he dropped it into the oil drum.
He hummed a bit, lighting another and tossing it into the rising flame. The stench was bitter, but the fire was warm and comfortable. He need not a reminder of who he was years ago.
Sneezing, he rubbed his nose with a smirk. He was in a good mood despite everything, so he's going to go out and treat himself to something good. A pricey restaurant? Good street food? That was for him to decide, he got good money from this job.
With a skip in his step, he went inside, grabbed his wallet and stuffed the bills he just got from the man into it, and then left again.
"Hot, hot hot!" Joey fanned at his mouth, gulping down his canned soda. "Sheesh, didn't expect that much spice, cook!" He grinned at the man running the stand, who smiled back.
"You looked like you needed an extra kick." The man mused. Joey ate another bite, and burst out laughing.
"Indeed I did! This is the stuff of legends, man." Joey bit into his bread next, washing it down with some more soda.
The man leaned on the countertop, watching Joey enjoy his meal as he had few other customers.
"You look tired," The manager began.
Joey was sipping at the soup of his ramen. "Mm? What of it?"
"Nothing, you haven't come by in a while, is all. You've really grown, Wheeler."
"I've just been busy with duel practice, homie. No big deal, I should def stop by more often though!"
"Oh, speaking of, KaibaCorp was handing out some fliers a week or two ago, I immediately thought of you. That's the tournament you were practicing for, right?" The man fished out a folded up poster from his pocket, passing it towards Joey.
Joey opened it up, thoughtfully staring at the poster. "Mm, mhm. Yeah, I signed up for this." He stared at the signup date, it had already passed.
"I'll see you on the big screen again, awesome."
"Haha, yeah." Joey kept his smile going. "On the big stage again..."
Joey folded it up again, handing it back towards the owner. "Won't you sign it for me first? Celebrity autograph and all that."
"Haha, sure." Joey was passed a pen, and he opened the poster again. "What's ya full name?" The man told him his name, and Joey signed it off with his usual signature.
"Aaand, there." Joey passed them back to the man, finishing off his soda. "Pass me another can."
The man did so as Joey pulled out his wallet. "It's all on the house, don't worry."
"Hmm. I won't take it." He passed the man the money, stuffing his wallet back in his pocket and getting up to leave.
"Silly boy," The man mused. "Thanks, have a great night."
Joey waved his hand, humming a little tune.
Away from the city lights, his eyes adjusted to the dark of the night on the pier. KaibaCorp and its arena was visible from where he stood, its lights reflected into the water.
He stripped his clothes off, piling it on the asphalt and stepped into the ice cold water.
He hissed, the water being cold enough to kill a guy from shock. It seeped into his old wounds, and he almost started to regret coming here at all.
He floated around the chilly water, breathing deeply, when - "Ah!" He gasped as he was suddenly being dragged out of the water.
"Wheeler?" A familiar voice sounded out, different from the person that grabbed him.
Joey started to cough, the cold air being too much for his lungs, and the figure that had grabbed him wrapped him with a big coat.
"Wheeler, what were you doing out there?" The voice said again.
Joey's eyes unstable, he was breathing rapidly and his motions haphazard before he suddenly passed out.
...
"Nii-sama, please."
"Mokuba, I want to -"
"*Nii-sama.*"
A deep sigh.
Joey slipped out of bed, approaching the door as he heard the voices behind it.
"He was lucky you were there at all, Mokuba. I'll drop asking about what you were doing there just this once, but I'm not coddling a suicidal loser."
Joey threw the door open. "I'm not suicidal!"
"Oh, you're awake!" Mokuba smiled.
Joey's eyes moved between the two siblings. Seto Kaiba and Mokuba Kaiba. It's been years since they last met.
"I won't ask what you were doing out there either," Seto said, matter-of-factly. "Stay here for your own good."
"I'm not fuckin' suicidal, or whatever you got your mind to." Joey crossed his arms. "I went out for a swim, I always do that to cool my mind."
"In negative degree weather?"
"Mhm." Joey nodded.
Seto sighed. "Even if you're not suicidal that's plain stupid."
Joey sneezed, rubbing his nose with a grin. "That's my middle name." He shrugged. "Thanks for the help, but no thanks. I'm not suffering from anything."
"When were you going to announce you're quitting dueling forever to be a prostitute?"
The room temperature quickly dropped.
"Nii-sama!" Mokuba frowned, furrowing his eyebrows.
"I'm refuting his lies. He's struggling to make ends meet, I'm already aware of that."
"Seto, there's something called tact." Mokuba pushed Joey on the back, leading him back to his room. "Wheeler, go back inside to rest."
"Ah, no, no, I'm fine, Mokuba." Joey waved Mokuba's hand away. "Thanks for helping me out back there. I really didn't need any help though, you troubled yourself for nothing."
"I do agree with Seto that it was very stupid of you to do anything like that, though." Mokuba pouted.
"Now when did you become such a well-mannered, good-looking and caring young man?" Joey chuckled, patting Mokuba on the head. "I'll be fine, I've lived long enough to know what's what."
"I dunno... Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll take you up on the offer to rest up here."
"Hmm, if you say so." Mokuba folded his arms across his chest. "Still worried though, is what Seto said true?"
"It's true if you believe it is. Good night, younger Kaiba." Joey simply smiled, waving at Mokuba. Mokuba nodded and waved back with a smile, as well.
"Sneaking out without saying goodbye, Wheeler?" Seto said, surprising Joey who was lurking around the kitchen, looking for the exit.
"Ah, hey Kaiba. Yeah, thanks for the hospitality but I have to go back."
"Mm." Seto said, as if acknowledging him. "You didn't sign up for the recent tournament. So I looked into what you've been doing." Seto threw some printed out photos at Joey, hitting him as they flittered onto the ground.
Multiple photos of Joey Wheeler, butt naked, cum stained, in voyeur, on sex toys, you name it.
Joey's eyes widened. "I never allowed anyone to -" He slapped his mouth over his face.
"So it is true." Seto's weight shifted from one leg to the other. "Not that I needed you to confirm it, your customers aren't very tight-lipped."
"Kaiba, that's my personal life you're talking about! No one gave you the damn right to look into that shit!"
"I put my research into everyone that works for me, when you register for duels in my tournaments it's no damn difference than that."
Joey clenched his teeth. "Stop doing that."
"Or else what? You're gonna go out there and confess?"
"*No.* I just want you out of my life. You already ruined it back then and you're threatening to ruin it again. Fuck off and fuck you."
Seto's weight shifted again. "You have nowhere to go."
"I have my house -"
"You have no money."
"I do -"
"From prostitution? You make nowhere near enough."
Joey's teeth were grinding against each other at this point. "What's your fuckin' deal?"
Seto had closed the space between them, standing only a foot away. "I want to make you a deal, an offer you can't resist."
Joey was then caught off guard with a kiss, a hungry, overpowering one that made him melt on the spot. He was being kissed, something none of his customers had ever done because he didn't allow it. Something Joey considered special, and it was taken away by Seto Kaiba just like that.
Seto hummed as he broke the kiss off, smirking.
"Let's take this elsewhere, shall we?"
The night was stolen away by spurious acts of sex.