Too Much

Chapter 10 - Blackmail

Joey lay in the backseat of the car, his head leaning against the backseat window with his one leg extended across the seats and the other hanging off. Kaiba jumped in the front seat and the car engine roared to life. He did a quick 3-point turn and drove in the direction they came. Joey was drifting in and out of consciousness while Kaiba drove.

Kaiba sat brooding in the front seat. He felt like it was an extremely inappropriate time to argue with the blond, seeing as he didn’t have any fight left in him but that didn’t stop him from being furious. What the hell was going on tonight! Tonight’s events hardly answered any of the questions Kaiba had, and created about a thousand more. He started to regret getting involved with Joey’s affairs in the first place seeing as it was causing more harm than good. He was sick of the insomnia he had and felt like the only way to get some good sleep was to figure out this whole situation but his questioning would have to wait until tomorrow. Kaiba drove faster than he would usually, caused by his anger and impatience.

When the vehicle came to a stop, Kaiba twisted around in his seat and addressed Joey.

“Can you walk?” he said coarsely, little concern in his voice.

Joey gave a little shutter as he was awoken.

“Yea,” he spoke through a thick, tired voice as he opened the car door and stepped out, unsteady on his feet. When he took in his environment, the beat-up apartment he and his father dwelled in was not in sight. Instead he saw a huge white manor, delicately manicured with immaculate gardens. Most of it was obscured by the darkness, but what Joey saw was enough. His eyes grew wide for a moment as he took in the view. Then his expression turned to confusion.

“Why are we here?” he said in a cautious tone, afraid of what was going on.

“You’re staying here tonight,” Kaiba answered shortly in a low voice, not up for a debate.

“No,” Joey began, “You gotta take me home!” His voice was strained, the little energy he had was dwindling fast as he followed Kaiba up the stone walkway.

Kaiba, hearing how weak Joey sounded, said simply “We’ll discuss it in the morning.” His voice was dangerous and indicated his refusal to discuss it further. Joey made a few feeble objections as Kaiba walked through the mansion and Joey followed, but Kaiba chose to ignore it. Kaiba led Joey to a huge room containing a large bed.

“You will be staying in here tonight.” Kaiba muttered, “I’ll get you something else to wear” he added as his eyes roved over the dried mud and grass stains all over Joey’s clothing.

Kaiba left the room and walked briskly to his own room. He walked into his walk-in closet and peered around for something casual. He wasn’t having any luck. He had swiped the outfit he wore that night from one of his male servants, seeing as jeans and a hoody were not likely articles of clothing in his wardrobe. He wanted an outfit that wouldn’t reveal his identity and was concealing. He didn’t know what to expect when he went chasing after Joey but he felt like being conspicuous was a good idea. He peered in the mirror that hung inside the closet. He looked much younger dressed so casually, he almost looked his own age. He gave a shudder and gave up his search, knowing he wouldn’t own anything remotely appropriate.

He woke up one of the maids who lived in the mansion and ordered her to retrieve fresh clothing for the guest. The maid returned in record time carrying a plain white uniform that the cleaning staff wore and brought it into the guestroom. Kaiba stood near the doorway and was able to hear Joey’s arguing with the maid, but eventually gave in and changed out of his spoiled clothing. The maid exited the room minutes later with the heap of dirty clothing in a laundry basket as she headed towards the basement. Kaiba, having a sudden thought, called to the maid.

“Give that to me, I’ll take care of it.”

“Excuse me?” the maid said confused by the odd request.

“It’s late and you must be tired, I’ll take care of the laundry,” Kaiba said, mustering a pleasant tone that almost completely hid his anger at the situation.

The maid stared puzzled at her employer and handed over the laundry basket. It was evident that she was not used to any sort of kindness from the teen and thought it must be some sort of trick. She continued to eye Seto warily as she made her way to her quarters quickly.

Kaiba’s pleasant face fell as he walked quickly towards his bedroom, laundry basket in hand. He closed the door behind him and placed the basket on the floor, looking at it expectantly. He thought that maybe his clothing will give him some answers, seeing as he wouldn’t get any from Joey that night, and perhaps if some of his questions were answered than he would sleep easier. He sat himself down on the bed and pulled out the jeans first, shoving his hands in the front pockets.

He found a folded piece of paper in the left pocket, which he unfolded and scanned quickly. There was an address and some other information that was clearly describing the job Joey did that night. Kaiba’s face fell with disappointment. He already knew of Joey’s thievery and had guessed that it was gang activity so this clue didn’t shed any light on the situation. All the other pockets were empty except for the back pocket which contained his wallet. He opened it up to see a picture of a beautiful girl. The picture confused Kaiba, seeing as he had never seen this person before and had never seen Joey with her. He naturally found no money within the wallet. Kaiba discarded the pants and continued to look in the basket.

His shirt was next which didn’t reveal anything special about the boy and was the cleanest article of clothing. Finally his green jacket was left. Kaiba picked it up and was surprised at the heaviness of it. It was by far the dirtiest and had clumps of dirt caked into the fabric. He reached into the front pocket and his hand clasped around a small plastic bottle that rattled as he removed it from the pocket. He stared at this confused for a second before popping the lid open and looking inside to find an assortment of different pills.

Kaiba considered them for a moment before all the pieces started to fall into place. Why Joey sometimes acted odd, why his friends seemed really worried, why Joey was dead on his feet. Kaiba said his conclusion out loud in a course whisper

“The mutt’s a drug addict.”

Kaiba sat and stared for a while, letting this new piece of information sink in. It was all beginning to make sense. When he finally snapped out of his daze he felt contented but angered at this knowledge, feeling like finally he wouldn’t think about it anymore. He was going to discard the jacket, feeling like he had everything he needed to know for the moment before his hand brushed against something very hard and heavy in jacket pocket, located inside.

He reached inside the jacket again and his hand felt cold metal as he pulled out the object that made the jacket so heavy. His eyes went wide as he saw the pistol. That took him by surprise. He took this new piece of information and thought about it thoroughly, finally coming to the conclusion that with Joey’s past, it shouldn’t surprise him. He placed all the clues he found back in the jacket with more force than was probably necessary and sent it down to laundry. Everything except the pill bottle he had found. He went to bed that night feeling remotely disgruntled, but didn’t completely understand why.

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Joey awoke the next morning at a very late hour. He opened his eyes to not his usual peeling and water damaged ceiling but a bright white one. He suddenly had a frightened sinking feeling in his stomach as he realized he wasn’t at home. He sat up quickly and took in his surroundings. The previous night’s events slowly started seeping back into Joey’s head as he realized where he was, though some parts were still fuzzy. His whole body felt like a freight train hit it. He brought his hand to his pocket but then remembered that his drugs were in his jacket that he changed out of that previous night. He placed his bare feet on the mahogany wood floors and walked to the door. He walked slowly to the landing, not sure what you were supposed to do when trapped inside your enemy’s home. His first instinct was to run, but he knew he couldn’t leave without his clothing and he didn’t know where they were located. Just then a servant appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

“I see you have finally awoken, Mr. Wheeler. My instructions are to provide you with some breakfast if you could just follow me.” The butler spoke in a professional but kind voice. He looked at Joey with a small amount of pity.

Joey followed obediently like a lost dog, frightened by the unfamiliarity of his surroundings. The butler made a quick phone call as they walked and had Joey sit in a dining chair in the great dining hall. Moments later Seto entered the room, wearing a lavish white suit and a black tie,. He had clearly been awake for hours. He sat down opposite of Joey.

“Where are my clothes?” Joey asked immediately, hoping he could retrieve them and get out.

“Patience. I’d like you to answer a few of my questions this morning before you leave,” Kaiba said calmly, the anger he was feeling the night previous had diminished.

“And why should I do that, huh?” Joey questioned quickly, his regular flare had returned after having a good night sleep.

“Because I happen to know about a certain car robbery that the police would be more than interested in, that’s why.” Kaiba answered, voice still calm seeing as he had the upper hand.

It took Joey a moment to figure out what Kaiba was implicating. “Wait, so you’re blackmailin’ me now?”

“You can call it what you like.”

Joey was silent for a moment, taking in his situation. His arms were crossed and a pout was evident on his face, looking almost childish. He didn’t have long to think before Kaiba began his onslaught of questions.

“What made you conceive that jumping out of a moving car was a good idea?”

“I didn’t jump!” Joey said defensively. He wasn’t planning on answering Kaiba’s questions, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t defend himself.

“Do you think I’m some naïve idiot?”

“I didn’t ju-”

“I don’t believe that!” Kaiba yelled, slamming his fist onto the table. “Why would you do something so reckless! Are you honestly so stupid. You could have died, I’m surprised you weren’t severely injured!” Kaiba was seething. A sudden rage came over him that he couldn’t explain. Joey stared for a moment in shock at Kaiba’s sudden anger when moments before he was perfectly calm, but then came back to his senses, meeting Kaiba’s anger with some of his own.

“I didn’t fuckin’ jump! I just kinda… fell,” Joey finished.

Kaiba considered his words for a second.

“Oh, I see,” Kaiba responded as if it made perfect sense now. He rearranged his features back into his usual calm and collected mask, though some red still remained on his cheeks from his previous outburst.

“Wait … What?” Joey asked, confused by Kaiba’s sudden agreement.

Kaiba gave one of his cruel smiles, the ones he gave when he knew he had his opponent by the balls. He was confident again, and he knew he had control of the argument.

“So, did your fall have anything to do with these?” he asked as he reached into his suit pocket and pulled out the pill bottle, giving it a little shake just to antagonize Joey.

Joey looked up at the bottle he had received from the hospital the day he got his nose treated. He still had some of his meds left in there and if that was it he could have let it go. The problem was that he had put the pills Matty had given him the previous night in there as well after they had stolen the car. It was part of Joey’s payment for the job and contained a very nice supply to keep Joey going. It was all he had and he had to get it back.

Joey’s face was furious. “Give those back!” he yelled as he flew up and reached for the bottle. Kaiba quickly backed away and held it up high. Sometimes being tall had its advantages.

“Sit.” Kaiba commanded, “Or I won’t give them back.” He threatened causing Joey to lower himself.

“What are these?” Kaiba interrogated.

“They… are… medication for my headaches,” Joey lied unconvincingly.

“Did you forget about our little agreement?” Kaiba spoke slowly, “You tell me the truth in exchange for my silence about last night.”

Kaiba just waited, knowing the mutt couldn’t continue to lie if he wanted to stay out of jail.

“Well, what do you think they are?” Joey retorted angrily, trying to find a way out of telling the truth.

“I think you are abusing medication that was not prescribed to you.”

“Well technically, some of it was,” Joey said, gesturing to his bandaged nose with a small smirk returning to his face.

“That’s not the point!” Kaiba snarled, realizing that Joey never denied the drug abusing statement, meaning it was probably true. When Kaiba found the bottle last night, he was almost sure what it meant. Now it was verified. He also felt a small twinge of guilt at the mention of Joey’s nose.

“These are very powerful and are dangerous to take, especially in combination!” Kaiba continued. He had been trained in medicine when Gozabura was still around, along with everything else under the sun. He didn’t know exactly what these drugs were, but it wasn’t hard to see they weren’t good.

“What, are you lecturin’ in me now? You’re not my mother, Kaiba.”

“I am well aware of that.” After a pause he continued with a smug look present on his face. “And where is your mother, Wheeler.”

Joey stood up again and prepared to lunge at Kaiba. Kaiba peered over Joey’s head and snapped his fingers, causing a burly bodyguard to grab onto Joey’s arms and hold him. Kaiba had to remember, he wasn’t here to verbally abuse Joey, he was here to question him but sometimes it was just so tempting.

“Are you going to behave?” Kaiba asked Joey as if he was talking to a child, causing Joey’s rage to escalate more. Joey just ripped his arms out of the hold of the bodyguard and sat back down. Kaiba took his actions as a yes.

“What drugs were you on last night, and do not lie to me again.” Kaiba’s voice was low and dangerous as he said the latter part.

Joey looked at Kaiba with as much loathing and hatred he could muster. He hated him and now he had to tell him the truth about the most private parts of his life or he would turn him in.

Joey closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh.

“Lorazepam, I guess I took too much.”

Kaiba knew exactly what the drug did. A doctor prescribed it to Mokuba when he had trouble dealing with anxiety ever since he was kidnapped and kept hostage in the dungeons of Pegasus’s castle. It really traumatized him and even though Seto didn’t approve of the drugs, he monitored Mokuba’s intake very closely. The Lorazepam explained Joey’s behavior the previous night. When taken in excess it can cause extreme drowsiness and fainting.

“Did you know ‘too much’ can put you into a coma?” Kaiba asked again in a low voice, angry that abusing drugs was no big deal to Joey. Joey remained silent and continued looking down.

“Did you!?” Kaiba asked again louder.

“No! I didn’t, okay!” Joey outburst, looking up at Kaiba, their anger was equivalent in both their faces. Joey purposely made sure he never found out the awful side effects of the drugs he took. He thought if he knew he might be convinced to stop taking them. Seeing as he relied on them he couldn’t take that chance. They were silent for a moment, allowing them both to calm down.

“Why do you do it?”

Joey took a deep breath and calmed down a little. Joey’s new strategy was to tell Kaiba enough of the truth and maybe then he could leave sooner. This argument had taken what strength he regained after the long nights sleep right out of him.

“It makes the pain go away. Without them I’m not sure I could do it.”

“Do what?” Kaiba’s voice was softer than he intended it to be.

“Live.”

This answer shocked Kaiba. He had automatically assumed Joey was just another druggy who just liked to get high. He didn’t realize that he depended on them so much.

“What about Yugi or the others. Do they know this?”

“Of course not, they would never understand.”

“How long have you been abusing?”

“Awhile.” Joey answered shortly.

“How long?” Kaiba repeated, anger seeping back into his voice.

As Joey thought of the answer, his tone turned sour as well. “Oh I dunno, shortly after my parents divorce. So six years.”

“So ever since your father started abusing you.” Kaiba said in a disgusted voice. Silence fell over both of them. Joey didn’t know what to say to that and Kaiba was waiting for a response. They were both standing by now, and both breathing heavily at their heated argument.

“That’s bullshit,” Joey finally spat, but some of the heat was missing from his voice.

“Oh please Wheeler, it couldn’t be more obvious. Whether you are going to admit it or not.”

Joey exhaled and started shaking his head. The more he thought about it, the less it all made sense.

“What’s the point to all of ‘dis? He finally questioned with angry desperation.

“Why did you bother helpin’ me out last night? Just to trap me here and interrogate me? Was this all part of your plan. Do you get some sick pleasure from blackmailin’ me into telling you about my pathetic life?”

Joey’s voice grew louder every passing moment, cracking at the end. He had lost it. He buried his problems with his pills, making him almost capable of forgetting them. Being forced to talk about all of this with Kaiba caused the little façade he had going to disappear. It brought everything he tried so desperately to hide away to be thrown in the open, causing him to deal with it all at once. The pills helped Joey bottle up his problems, but now the bottle blew.

“What else did ya want to know, huh? That I’m also an alcoholic jus’ like my dad? That my sister needs an operation or she’ll never see again? That it’s my fault my mother and sister left us in the first place? Whatever my father does to me, I deserve it? Does that make you happy you sick fuck?”

“You think this makes me happy?” Kaiba yelled.

Joey didn’t answer. He was having trouble catching his breath. He was feeling so much anger and grief at once it was causing him to be unable to function. His hands started shaking and he began hyperventilating. Kaiba stood shocked for a moment as he watched Joey slump over with his shaking hands on his knees. Joey’s collapse brought Kaiba out of his stupor.

Kaiba flung his hand in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He quickly dialed a number before pressing it up to his head.

He had a brief but urgent conversation with his personal doctor that lived a few blocks away.

“You need to come over immediately. I have someone here who has collapsed. Drugs may be involved.”

“I’ll be right over.” The voice said before hanging up.

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So I am really unsatisfied with this chapter…I’ve written it a thousand times and I still don’t like it. And I know… how many things can be wrong with Joey in such a short period of time. The answer to that is apparently a lot.