Hopelessly Violet

Part 9- True Friends

After several months rushed by before Joey's very eyes, the snow continued to present itself upon Domino City like a blanket of chills. Like a friend overstaying their welcome, the citizens grew tired of the weather. At the beginning of fall, the children frolicked about the snow with little care, but as winter progressed, the children stayed inside and the parents reluctantly shoveled the snow as they have been. 

Joey, in particular, loathed the mid-winter frost. The snow fell onto his exposed skin, causing an unsettling chill as he walked back to the shop from Kaiba Corp. He thought vigourously of how he would possibly tell his friends about his relationship, "Yug, Tristan, I got somethin' to tell ya. Kaiba and I are..." Joey hit his forehead with his gloved hands, frustrated, "Man, I have no idea how I'm gonna tell them. This ain't easy." he said to himself. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the shop dazed and confused, contemplating walking away and going somewhere else, but he knew deep down that he would have to tell them at some point, so he might as well tell them now. He pushed the glass door open and saw Yugi looking through a stack of markdown cards; the store was empty. Yugi looked up and smiled as he greeted Joey, "Off with Kaiba again?" Yugi asked. Joey tucked his hands into his coat pockets and shrugged, pausing as he prepared in his head what he would say, "Uh, yeah, l-listen Yug, I've gotta tell ya somethin', but ya gotta promise not to judge me." Yugi blinked and walked from behind the counter up to him, "I won't judge you, Joey, promise!" Yugi's smile was reassuring. Joey put one hand behind his head, "Ah man, well, you see..." he blushed, knowing what he was about to say would shock Yugi, "Kaiba and I are-" 

Suddenly, Tristen barged in with a pizza box and a huge grin on his face; Just what Joey didn't want at that moment. Joey put both his hands onto his head and yelled in frustration, "Ah, man! Come on!" suddenly, Yugi and Tristan's excited demeanor changed instantly into fright and confusion, "Woah, calm down, Joey. What's wrong with you?" asked Tristan, setting the box down onto the counter. Joey's eyes were closed as he clenched his teeth and kept his hands planted firmly onto his head, "I-I...I'm kinda in a relationship." Joey blurted out. Yugi gasped and Tristen just stood there like a goof, staring funny at Joey. For a few seconds no one said a word, but then Yugi broke the silence by asking who he was in a relationship with. Joey gulped, "Kaiba." Tristan fell backward, flaring his arms wildly before crashing onto the floor and Yugi just stood amazed. The tension in the room grew more intense, almost tangible, like it could be cut with a knife. Joey was blushing, waiting for someone to say something, but no one said a word, which triggered Joey to rush out of the store. "I shouldn't have said nothin' . I'm so stupid. I should have listened to Kaiba and kept my big mouth shut!" he reprimanded himself as he ran as fast as he could down the street. He envisioned, as he ran aimlessly, his entire group of friends judging him with crossed arms and raised eyebrows. Then, out of nowhere, the image of the smile Tea drew from the group's four hands popped vividly into his mind, overshadowing the racing negative thoughts, reminding him of their unbreakable bond. 

He stopped dead in his tracks, nearly slipping on the icy concrete and made an immediate turn back to the shop. He barged back into the shop, panting to catch his breath. Yugi and Tristan turned around and walked over to him, "Joey, are you ok?" Yugi asked. Joey blushed, "Yeah, I'm sorry you guys. I was scared ya'd judge me or somethin', but then I remembered the promise we all made to be friends foreva." Tristan laughed awkwardly, placing a hand behind his head, "Yeah man, we made that promise but I gotta admit, the fact that you and Kaiba are...a thing weirds me out." Joey raised a fist and snarled, "What eva happened to being supportive?!" This was something Joey was afraid to tell them for quite some time, so any judgment at all pained him so deeply. Everyone pushed for his and Mai's relationship to work, so he also didn't want to disappoint them. 

Yugi stepped closer to Joey and looked up at him, "It's ok, Joey. I think Tristan is just surprised, that's all. We will all support you, no matter what!" Joey's snarl turned into a calm smile; Yugi's words always comforted him because they were always sincere. Yugi was especially understanding because he was bisexual himself. He remembered the last night Yami Yugi stayed with the group until needing to return back to ancient Egypt; they both had a night of passion until falling asleep in each other's arms, not wanting the morning to ever come. 

Yugi had since kept this a secret from everyone. The only aspect coming as any surprise to Yugi was the fact that Joey's love interest is also his enemy. Tristan walked up to Joey and wrapped one arm around his shoulders, "Yeah we'll support your new weird relationship, what are friends for?!" Joey moved away and slammed Tristan's head with a fist, "Tanks for the support, I guess." Joey retorted sarcastically. Even with the way Tristan was acting, he knew he was, in his own strange way, being supportive. It felt so good to finally come out to his friends. He knew Tea would be okay with the relationship, at least after having an existential crisis for a minute. Joey also suspected Serenity would be supportive of him with a great big smile upon her kind face. 

But Seto had the harder job of, somehow, coming out to Mokuba who would probably have a cow. Even harder than that, he had to keep his relationship a secret from the press and society as a whole. 

Joey would, in the future, play a major role in the creation of the Duelist Academy, but no one would ever know except for their friends and family. Seto would cut the red rope on the day the academy opens, but Joey will watch from afar, proud of their creation.