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When Joey had been hired as a high school teacher at the private boarding school in the next town over, he’d never expected Mokuba Kaiba to be one of his students. He supposed it probably shouldn’t have been that surprising. Of course Mokuba attended a private school. That’s what rich kids did. And Joey taught a lot of rich kids, but none of them were probably as rich as Mokuba nor did he have any kind of history with them.
Joey, for better or worse, was teaching high school math. He never realized how much he actually liked and excelled at math until he’d gotten to college. He’d had a professor that ignited a passion for it in him, and then he’d wanted to teach it, as well, hoping that someday, he could inspire students of his own to love math, as well. He had two sections of calculus, one of trigonometry, and three of advanced algebra. He mostly taught seniors, which was a unique experience because he was only a few years older than his students. They were pretty good about it, though a few had tried his authority early on, and he’d had to put them in line quickly. Several detentions and a trip to the headmaster’s office with the troublemakers had ironed everything out.
The day had wrapped up without issue, and Joey sat at his desk, reviewing homework assignments. It was easier to focus while sitting in his classroom than his apartment where he'd no doubt make himself dinner and play video games until falling asleep. He was in the middle of the last assignment for his algebra class, when he heard the door open. He finished grading and looked up, finding Mokuba standing in front of his desk, fidgeting somewhat awkwardly.
"What's up?" Joey asked.
"Mmm...Joey, I mean...uh… Mr. Wheeler."
"It's not school hours anymore, so just Joey is fine. Unless, of course, ya want me to do teacher-y things. Then maybe stick with the 'Mr. Wheeler'."
Mokuba chuckled at him. He'd grown up to look so much like his brother. The same strong jawline and refined nose. Their eyes, while different colors, were both clear and sparkled with intelligence. "So it's kinda school related," Mokuba said. "I'm on the debate team, right?"
Joey nodded, but that was the first he'd heard of it. As a first year teacher, he hadn't been asked about helping with any of the clubs nor did he go out of his way to spend time with Mokuba. He wanted to keep a nice, professional distance between them.
"Anyway, so our coach... she just had a baby. She had him early, so now she can't make it to our final debate. But we can't go unless we have a member of the faculty acting as our advisor or coach or whatever."
Joey could read between the lines add knew what Mokuba was asking him. "I dunno, Mokuba. I don't know anythin' about debates…"
Mokuba quickly assuaged his concern. "You'd be more of a chaperone than anything else. We know what we're doing and don't even really need help. We just need a teacher to come with us."
Joey considered for a second, then asked, "When is it?"
"Next weekend. The one after this upcoming weekend."
Joey looked through his planner, though he didn't really need to. He didn't have anything going on. Growing up and working had severely cut into how much time he got to spend with anyone. He spent most weekends alone, grading assignments, drinking beer, and binge watching shows online. Going out for the weekend, even if it was just to chaperone some students, would be a welcome change.
"Alright. I'm in," Joey agreed, taking up a pen to write down, " Debate match with Mokuba" in his planner.
Mokuba grinned at him, giving him an exuberant, "Thank you!" before speeding out of Joey's classroom. Joey shook his head, chuckling in amusement.
-
Two Saturdays later, Joey sat watching the debate unfold. He'd driven all of the students there in a school van, and after watching their practices, he had a pretty good idea how it worked. It wasn't something he'd ever want to do, but he was glad to be helping Mokuba and the four other students by being their stand in coach.
At the end of the day, his team won the debate, and he was excited for them. He gave then all high fives, and Mokuba wrapped him in a hug. Joey couldn't help the giant grin on his face. . Even if he hadn't done much, he was happy to participate in their victory.
"Seto!" Mokuba called out suddenly during their celebration, and Joey turned to look, almost not believing that Kaiba would be here. But there he stood, dark chestnut hair dotted with premature gray strands, looking out of place, though it wasn't because of the gray suit he wore. Everyone was wearing a suit or dress. Something nicer. It was more in how he carried himself, as though he didn't know what to do.
Mokuba wrapped his brother in a hug, and Kaiba returned it somewhat less vigorously, though no less sincere. "Did you see how I got that final counterpoint?" Mokuba asked him.
"I did. You did great, Mokuba." Kaiba's eyes softened as he said it, and Joey recognized the look. Pride. He didn't find that surprising.
Mokuba turned his attention to his fellow teammates after that, leaving Joey to stand with Kaiba alone. He shifted uncomfortably before clearing his throat. "Mokuba's a great kid. One of the best I have."
Kaiba looked at him with an eyebrow raised, perplexed. "He mentioned you were his math teacher. I wasn't expecting to see you here though."
"He asked me to fill in since their normal coach had her baby early and couldn't come. He said they couldn't come without a teacher so...here I am."
"Mmm," Kaiba hummed thoughtfully.
"It was actually kinda fun. The logic used reminds me of doin' math problems."
Kaiba glanced over at him. "I seem to recall you failing most of your math tests in high school. I've been curious about why you're teaching it ever since Mokuba mentioned it."
Joey smiled, wistful. "I had a professor that really just...he was awesome. He made it fascinating and easy to understand. I wanted to inspire kids the same way."
Kaiba nodded, acknowledging the answer. It was the most civil conversation he'd ever had with Kaiba, and he figured that maybe it was because he was in a more respectable position in life. And maybe Kaiba had chilled out some, too. The gray hairs certainly suggested he had plenty of other things to worry about and stress over.
Mokuba bounded up to them. "Hey! We wanna go get celebratory dinner."
"I'll buy," Kaiba offered immediately.
"And I guess I'll drive," Joey tacked on. "Whoever is ridin' in the van, at least."
They headed out, Mokuba riding with Kaiba and Joey driving the other four students to a nearby pizza place. And surprisingly, Joey was glad to see Kaiba. He was someone Joey's age that he could talk to. They'd been through some of the same nonsense together. With how amicable it had been earlier, Joey would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to it. After all, he finally seemed to have Kaiba's respect, and that was one thing he'd always desperately wanted. Kaiba's respect and approval.