Come Back To Me

Seto’s POV

I got into the limousine escorted by Donny and Jacob, two of my best snipers. I clenched my teeth and my fists tightly as I thought about Joey. If anyone was hurting my puppy, they were going to pay dearly!

Nobody hurts what is mine!

Where could he be? He said he was going shopping, but, he never told me where he was going to go.

What if…what if Joey left me?

Did I do something wrong?

Did I say something wrong?

What did I do to make my puppy run away from me?

No! Joey would never run away from me!

Joey…I cannot live without you. Come back to me.

As we drive to 42^nd and Logan Streets, I can’t help but think that what if some creep has his hands on Joey?

What if someone is hurting him?

What if he’s in trouble and I can’t help him?

What if…what if something happened to him and I won’t be able to find him?

We have to find him! And there is only one place where we can find him….Joey’s alley on 42^nd and Logan.

When we arrived at the alley, Donny and Jacob opened the doors for me to get out of the limo. I stepped out into the mud and grime of the street. Anything was worth it if I could get my lover back.

“Joey! Joey, are you in there?!”

Nothing answered me.

Donny and Jacob entered the alley in front of me. They drew their revolvers from their jackets and pointed it into the looming darkness.

“Joey! Joey, come out here! Jacob, you go first.”

Jacob narrowed his eyes and walked into the alley in front of me. We entered the eerie darkness of the alley.

A passing police car with sirens blaring shook me a little, but I wasn’t about to admit that to anyone.

We entered deeper into the alley. We saw two rats fighting over a piece of cheese.

We won’t be able to see anything like this. “Donny, go get the flashlight from the car.”

Donny left and returned quickly. Donny lifted the flashlight up. The doorstep was empty. The trashcan was still in the alley. I lifted the lid and saw Joey’s blanket and some trinkets. I pulled out a cross-stitched fabric. It read, “Home Sweet Home.” A corner had been spotted with blood.

“Mr. Kaiba! Over here!”

I ran to Donny and we looked on the wall.

Blood.

“Joey!”

Donny’s flashlight lowered as the trail of blood ran down the wall.

Jacob gasped. “Look! The trail leads to drops!”

Donny followed the trail. “The drops continue this way.”

Jacob and I followed the drops of blood down the street. If someone saw blood on the street, why didn’t anyone take notice? Why didn’t anyone help Joey?

I can’t even be sure it’s Joey! This could be anyone’s blood!

The drops of blood turned right and abruptly stopped at a door.

We looked up and we saw a house with windows that had been boarded up. I remember this place. Our history teacher once paired Joey and I up for a project on the Watergate Scandal. I had to meet Joey at his house.

Joey’s back at his house!

I banged on the door. “Joey! Joey! Let me in!”

No answer.

I backed away and barked my order angrily. “KNOCK IT DOWN!”

Jacob and Donny kicked the door open and pointed the revolvers into the house. The lights were on in the house and I saw the mess within.

Broken Furniture.

Broken glass.

Chairs were tossed on their sides. Empty liquor bottles were everywhere.

I ran for the banister leading up the steps. I smelled the shirt. It reeked of booze.

“Jacob, go upstairs.”

Jacob climbed the steps carefully, pointing the barrel of the gun up the stairs.

“Donny, follow me.”

We crept over the destruction on the floor. You can’t even move around this place! Donny entered the kitchen first.

Broken plates.

Broken glass.

Two of the table’s four legs had been broken and the table laid on its side.

More empty liquor bottles.

I heard a moan come from the basement. I nodded to Donny and he

opened the door to the basement.

“Let me go down first, Mr. Kaiba.”

Donny descended the stairs as another moan was heard.

“Joey! Joey, are you down there?”

Another moan.

He’s downstairs!

“JACOB! GET DOWN HERE!”

I turned on the light to the basement and walked downstairs behind Donny.

We saw an air hockey table with metal chains connected to the ends. Strange.

On the wall, we saw various whips, chains, robes, bamboo sticks, handcuffs, blindfolds, leather straps, and belts of various sizes.

“Joey? Where are you?”

Jacob came down the stairs, his weapon ready.

We heard a moan behind a curtain. Donny opened the curtain and we saw Joey.

Oh gods.

Joey had his hands handcuffed, he was suspended in the air by a hook in the ceiling. His feet could hardly touch the ground. Joey opened a weak eye and his head fell forward.

I ran up to my naked lover and removed the collar from around his bruised neck.

“Joey?” I cupped Joey’s face in my hand. “Joey, please say something to me!”

Joey’s breaths came in sharp gasps. I could smell his bitter breath.

“Take me home………please.”

Jacob and Donny lifted Joey so the handcuffs could get over the hook on the ceiling.

When Donny stepped away from Joey, I could see Donny covered in blood. I went to the back and saw Joey’s skin all torn and his blood seeping down his body.

On the table beside Joey was a whip made from strong electrical cord.

“Joey, who did this to you? Where is your father?”

Joey fell limp against me.

“Get him out of here!”

Jacob and Donny carried my unconscious lover out of the home.

I would love nothing more than to wait for his son-of-a-bitch father to come home! Then I would teach him not to lay a hand on my Joey! But, Joey really needs me right now. I can’t neglect him. I’ll be back for this dead man later!

I gave Joey my jacket and we lead him to the limo. In the backseat, I cradled Joey in my arms, but for some reason, it wasn’t enough.

“Jacob, help me.”

With Jacob’s help, I put Joey on my knee. I cradled him against my body, stroking his bloody hair.

“Nobody is to hear a word about this, understand? No one is to know Joey’s condition. No one is to know where and how we found Joey. And absolutely, positively, NOBODY is to know about me holding Joey like this! Do I make myself crystal clear?”

“Yes, Mr. Kaiba,” Donny said from the front.

“Yes, sir,” Jacob said.

“You can trust us, sir,” Donny said.

Donny and Jacob are very tight-lipped. I’ve seen Jacob get shot and refuse to tell people any of my secrets under penalty of torture. Jacob had been captured during an attempt to collect payment from one of my former associates. Jacob was shot in the arm because he was told to reveal all my personal secrets to the media and he refused.

He was given a comfortable standard of living because of my generosity.

I cradled Joey against my body. I wrapped my jacket around Joey and buried my eyes in his hair so nobody could see my tears.

I reached up and I stroked my lover’s bruised cheek.

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

We arrived at KaibaCorp and Jacob and Donny carried Joey up the steps. The guards in the lobby gasped when they saw Joey’s beaten face.

“Not one word out of any of you about this! If anybody tells the press, your ass will be in a sling for a week!”

We carried Joey to the elevator. Mokuba ran down the hall when he saw us and stopped abruptly as he saw Joey bleeding and beaten.

Mokuba’s eyes became wet. I have to focus on the problem at hand!

“Big Brother, what happened to Joey?”

“He was beaten. When I leave this building next, his father is going to lose both of his limbs! Go back to bed, Mokuba. I can handle this.”

I took him into our bedroom.

OUR bedroom?

That sounded nice.

Anyway, I took him into my bedroom and we laid Joey on his stomach.

“You’re dismissed,” I told Jacob and Donny.

Donny and Jacob bowed and they left the room. Both of them had to go wash up before going home to their families.

I wet a cloth and rinsed it. I cleaned up my lover’s back, eliciting tiny whimpers.

Luckily he was half aware that I was sterilizing his back with alcohol.

What pisses me off is that Joey was doing so well! He was coming off of the booze and now we are right back where we god-damned started!

God Damn it!

Shit!

I’ll help you back to the way you were, Joey. Even if I have to lay here and hold you every day for the rest of my life.

Quickly, I gave him a cat bath, running a damp cloth over his body to wipe off some of the blood and sweat.

There wasn’t much else I could do. I didn’t want to cause Joey more pain now. Tomorrow morning, I’ll give him a bath.

Don’t worry, Joey. I’ll hold you.

I rolled Joey on his back and I laid down beside him. With patience, I pulled Joey up to me and laid his head against my chest.

For hours, Joey laid on my chest. It wasn’t until three in the morning that Joey opened his eyes wondering where he was.

“You’re home, puppy. You’re home.”

Joey started to cry into my chest. “I have a headache!”

I reached into my drawer and gave him some medicine.

“The last thing I remember……”

I narrowed my eyes. “Go on.”

Joey’s eyes filled with tears and his body quivered. “I can’t! I don’t want to!”

I held Joey close to me. “Shhh, my angel. Just lay there. Just let me hold you. Sweet gods, Joey, I thought you were gone from my life forever! I didn’t think I would ever find you.”

Joey’s fingers clutched onto me tightly. “I cried for you…..and you never came for me.”

That, more than anything else, broke my heart. No.

I didn’t save you in time, Joey.

I’m so sorry.

“I love you, Joey. Gods, I love you so much! Just let me hold you. Don’t ever let me go.”

Joey moved his head with a whimper and he kissed the side of my neck. With a great amount of effort, he shifted his body close to me.

“Don’t let me go. Don’t let my father find me.”

“He won’t, baby. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

My lover let out a little whimper and I stroked his hair.

“It’s alright, my angel.”

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

Joey’s POV

I opened my eyes and tried to move. Oh my aching head….

Seto yawned as he saw my eyes opened. “Good morning, angel. How are you feeling?”

Oh my god! How did I end up here?

My eyes widened with panic. “Oh no, I’m dreaming!”

“No, Joey, you are not dreaming. You’re home. We brought you home last night.”

Mokuba burst through the door and jumped onto the bed. “Joey, how are you? Are you okay? Do you need anything? Are you hungry?”

Ouch, my head.

“Yeah, Mokuba….Fine.”

Seto chuckled. “Can you ask Monique to bring in our breakfast?”

“You bet!”

Mokuba ran out of the room and Seto nuzzled his cheek against my head.

“I’m glad you’re back home, Joey.”

A sigh of contentment came from me. This was home.

My father’s home….was hell.

Father.

He was careful last night. He didn’t…….pound me into the mattress like he always does. He just stripped me and hung me on a hook. I hadn’t been put on that hook for a long time. Only when I do something really bad, my father handcuffs me and puts me up there.

I hate him.

Last night, I refused to drink. But, my father held my nose, poured good ol’ Jack down my throat, and closed my mouth. I had to swallow it. I don’t care how much it hurts me, I need something to drink today!

I tried so hard, I really did! Don’t you believe me? How hard I tried to be good? I tried to be the dutiful son! I tried to be quiet, obedient, submissive, sober! But, I failed.

Failed.

Failure, you failed.

Joey the Failure.

Seto hugged me closer as he heard me start whimpering again from my own self-loathing.

I want to quit! I want to stop being the boy my father wants me to be! I want to be my own person! But……

Why am I afraid of being my own person?

Why must I live in my father’s shadow?

Why must I always be what someone else wants me to be?

Why….am I a failure?

I try not to fail, but it always blows up in my face!

Mokuba interrupted my self-criticism with breakfast. Seto watched me eat. It was a slow process. He checked my back and he sighed in relief.

“They don’t look infected. That’s a good sign.”

Seto left and returned with some cream. “This will help your bruises heal.” Seto bit his lip. “This stuff worked really well when Gozuboro….” Seto looked over at Mokuba. “This stuff worked really well when our step-father hit us.”

Seto put the cream on my cheeks gently. “Your poor face, Joey….does it hurt?”

“No. Not much.”

Seto leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. Mokuba’s head tilted to the side and smiled.

“Looks like my big brother has a soft spot for you, Joey.”

Seto grinned. “I sure do.”

Mokuba threw himself at me. “We’re finally a family!”

Family? This is a family?

I hugged Mokuba and kissed the raven hair.

Mokuba squealed and laughed. “Puppy germs!”

He scurried out of the room laughing.

Seto took my hand. “Well, Joey? What do you think?”

I shifted my eyes. “Think of what?”

“Do you think we can be….a family?”

Seto kissed my hand. “What do you think of Joseph Wheeler-Kaiba?”

I looked into those blue eyes. How could I answer him?

“Kaiba….I……”

EVIL CLIFFIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!