Seto jerked awake in the darkness, his heart in his throat as he felt himself falling forward, despite his stationary pose on the bed. He groaned faintly as the vertigo gave him a brief sense of nausea, rolling onto his side as he tried to slow his heart with some deep breaths.

"You're okay," Joey's voice whispered in the darkness as his hand snaked through the covers to find and stroke the brunette's back. Seto sighed with relief and nuzzled into Joey's shoulder.

"I didn't have a nightmare," he whispered back. "I didn't dream at all."

"Not that you can remember, you mean," Joey kindly rebuked.

"Hmm." Joey's cool hands were exactly what he needed; they were the only thing he wanted cooling the agitating, burning sensation.

"I really think you should see a doctor about these. If they bother you this much, you should just get them removed or treated somehow."

"I have an appointment with a specialist for next week."

"Good." Joey sighed a little with relief, and Seto could his warm breath in his hair. "I've been worried about you, and what you'll do when I'm gone." He was referring to college, naturally. His first semester started in less than a month.

"I'll go to work, eat dinner with Mokuba, travel for business, play some card games. The usual things."

"You know that's not what I mean."

"I'll be fine, Joe, just so long as you are."

Joey held Seto for a little while longer, stroking his back with steady, gentle hands.

"I am going to miss you when you go, though."

The brunette's words were so quiet that Joey almost didn't hear them at all.

"The great thing about being married to you," Joey murmured, pausing to kiss Seto's cheek. "Is that if I ever miss you too badly, I know you're only a phone-call away."

"Hm." Seto caught Joey's lips in a proper kiss, and the blond sighed. A moment later, he was wrapped up in the brunette's strong arms, still stroking his broad back as Seto peppered kisses on his chest. This was good, just to hold him like this and know that they still had some time together.

"How come you didn't swim, Ryou?" Serenity asked as Tea braided her strawberry blond locks for her, the younger girl sitting in front of her friend on the pool-side lounge chair while the teen she'd addressed was curled up in a plastic chair in the shelter of large, durable umbrella at the center of the nearest table. The pool was quiet for now, since Yugi ad the others had all gone to the locker room to change back into their street clothes.

"I get sunburned too easily," Ryou answered sheepishly. "I'm part Irish, so I don't tan, I just burn. It gets pretty bad when I'm not careful."

"Oh, that's too bad."

"Nah, it's fine. I still get to tag along and have fun with everyone." He was smiling as he said this, but a moment later, when he reached his hand into the bottom of his pouch of jellybeans, his smile dimmed. "Darn, I think I finished them all."

"If they're gone, then go wash your hands before you stain anything," Tea instructed, crinkling her nose a little at Ryou's sticky, multicolored fingers.

"Alright, I'll be back in a minute."

When Ryou entered the men's locker room, he went straight to the sinks, the changing area at his back and his friends' conversation echoing loudly off the tiled walls.

"—so I'm probably just going to major in General Studies," Joey was saying amiably as Ryou rinsed his soapy hands.

"Shut up!" Tristan's outburst sent shockwaves through the room, and Ryou watched in the mirror as the scene unfolded. Tristan's reaction was a non sequitur to him, but that was probably because he'd missed most of what Joey had said. "I'm tired of listening to you going on and on about that jerk. Are you ever going to shut up about him?"

"Well, excuse me for answering Duke's question!" Joey spat back at him, the two teens now facing each other with fierce sneers and clenched fists. Ryou was drying his hands as quickly as he could, ready to step in if he was needed. Duke and Marik couldn't hold the brawlers apart by themselves, and Yugi never got involved. And Mokuba...

Idiots, Ryou thought with mild frustration. They should know better than to get into one of these fights with Mokuba around. The younger Kaiba was standing by Yugi, eyes wide in bewilderment.

"I'm sick of hearing how that bastard's got you on a leash like a little bitch!"

"What did you just call me?"

"You heard me!" Tristan looked furious, more so than he usually did during these fights. It was actually somewhat frightening to be faced with that irrational rage in someone they considered to be a friend. "It makes me sick how much of a dog you've become!"

"Why you—" The room became loud suddenly, volume and echo colliding to create an unintelligible din.

Duke was the first to throw himself into the fray, with Marik and Ryou moving a fraction of a second later. Duke had inserted himself between Joey and Tristan just as they started to move closer to each, arms raised to start throwing punches. Duke grunted as he was smashed between them, Ryou reaching for Tristan's arms and trying to hold them back as Marik did the same to Joey. Duke had to push against Tristan's shoulders in order to sufficiently subdue him.

"Calm down, Tristan! Get a hold of yourself!" Duke was shouting as Joey shook off Marik's hands, having cooled enough to be left alone. The blond turned away with a scowl, grabbing his bag before leaving the locker room completely. Only then did the others let go of Tristan, albeit reluctantly.

"What is wrong with you?" Duke demanded, crossing his arms with a frown of disapproval. "Why are you so determined to pick a fight with him?"

"I can't help it, I just can't stand the guy!" Tristan looked mad, but not violent anymore. Marik took Ryou's hand and stepped away from Duke and Tristan, pulling Ryou with him.

"I'm really sorry about this," Ryou apologized in a faint whisper as Marik's arms circled his slim shoulders and brought him close to the Egyptian's chest.

"It's not your fault," Marik murmured back, eyes still fixed on the ongoing conflict as Yugi and Mokuba quietly escaped.

"You two used to be best friends, and his relationship with Kaiba shouldn't have changed that!" Duke's reprimand was cutting, but he wasn't done. "So he didn't tell you he was bisexual. So what! A true friend is supportive of his friends' happiness no matter what! Did it ever occur to you that maybe he didn't even know he was bi until Kaiba came along?"

There it was, out in the open, all the things that nobody else had had the audacity to say to Tristan's face. The brunette, always ready to open his mouth and let stupidity flow freely from it, was dumbstruck.

"It's attitudes like that"—Duke poked an imperious finger into Tristan's chest—"that make people afraid to come out and afraid to be honest about who they are."

"It's not about that!" Tristan spluttered.

"Bullshit!" Duke's interruption was enough to cow Tristan into silence again. "Your temper tantrums are selfish and absurd! If you don't find a way to at least pretend to get along, we're not going to stay friends with you. I'm shocked Yugi's put up with it for as long as he has, but you don't deserve it."

"Can we go now?" Ryou whispered, feeling awkward and embarrassed.

"Yeah, let's go."

Marik led Ryou out, pausing only long enough to grab their things before they left.

"You already know what my opinion on this is," Duke said coolly, crossing his arms.

"So don't bother repeating it then," Tristan growled, face still flushed from his fit of temper.

"You'll have to face it sooner or later," Duke sighed, uncrossing his arms to rest one hand on his hip. "And when you're ready, I'll be there to help-just don't make too much of an ass of yourself before then, okay?" He smirked and stalked away, leaving Tristan alone with his anger and doubt.

A/N: Life is absolute crap right now. x_x The next story in this series will come out in June. Please review and tell me what kinds of shenanigans you'd like to see these two get up to (Joey and Kaiba).