Forever, My Puppy

Joey awoke with a start. He looked around the room and realized he was in his own room in the Kaiba mansion. Mokuba slept on the day bed that had been moved over to make room for the hospital bed. Joey sat up and then stood. He walked into the bathroom and found is sister sitting in the tub. Serenity made no move to cover herself, as Joey and her had never been shy around each other.

"Good Morning, Joey. Did you sleep well?" Serenity's voice was nearly lost behind her splashing the bathwater.

Joey walked over to the tub and pulled the dark blue curtain over the tub.

"Careful sis, Mokuba's still asleep. Do you want to live with the consequences of Seto finding you in the tub and where he can see you?"

"Ohh, Honestly! You can be such a prude sometimes Joey! Mokuba already took care what he needed in here, I think. Did he go back to sleep?"

"Yeah, I guess. He was asleep when I got up."

"Awww.. He sat up with you all night. He fell asleep once and Seto put him in the other bed, but he woke up later and sat by you all night. Mokuba loves you, I can tell. "

"He did? He's like his brother. I still can't believe I'm in love with Seto. Two years ago, I'd rather have killed him then even looked twice in his dtiontion. Now, it seems that I can't make it through the day without seeing him."

Shizuka pulled the curtian aside and looked out at Joey. She rolled her eyes at him then reached for the towel she hung near the tub.

"Do you HAVE to do that with me in the room?" Joey had his back to the tub, clearly ignoring his sister.

"Would you rather I did it in the bed?"

Serenity burst out laughing. She dried herself off then wrapped the towel around her hair. She picked up the robe and put it on, tying it at her waist. Pulling back the curtian, she stepped out of the tub and on to the mat. The mat was white, with a regal ruby eyed black dragon. She knew Joey had picked this out, as his favorite duel monster was the red eyes black dragon.

"I was only kidding, dear brother." What she was going to say next was inturrupted by the bathroom door opening. A very sleepy looking Seto Kaiba strode in. Seto smiled at Serenity and she quietly excusedselfself from the room. Seto took his lover gently in his arms and kissed him.

"Joey how are you feeling thorniorning?"

"Fine, but I think I somehow ingested a hairball somehow. I had alot of thick black hair on me when I woke up."

"Sounds like Mokuba got kinda lonely. He was supposed to sleep in my room, but he wanted to stay with you tonight. I'll let him stay out of school a few days. He needs to go, but telling him that is like telling a dog not to eat a stake dinner placed before it." Seto laughed then ran a tender hand through Joey's hair. "You really okay, Pup? You look like hell."

"I feel like Red Eyes mauled me. But oh well, I guess I can start taking the pain meds again tomorrow?"

"Today, Pup." Seto held out a small paper cup with a pain pill and Joey's vitamins. Joey had to take them due to the 4 days he lived without eating much. His body was still adjusting from that. "I'm just worried that you'll look like hell for a while. The school called here and said that Catherine's cleared you for a month and a half absence for recovery. A tutor starts tomorrow."

Seto went to the sink and filled a cup with some cool tap water and handed it to Joey, who obediantly took his pills. Seto smiled to himself. The first time after his coma that Joey had stayed in the mansion it was hell to even get him to eat. Joey thought it was a severe injustice to have to stay with Domino City's richest person. Once Seto had made it very clear that HE was the one paying Joey's medical bills and all, the blonde seemed to calm down. Seto was surprised that Joey never came to him, it was his friends.

"Joey I want to ask you, al the time your father was abusing you the past two years, why did you never take me up on my offer to stay here. I know you could have stayed with Tristian, Ryou, or even Malik. I know that it was bad for Mr. Moto's shop when you stayed with him, but Joey you didn't have to take your father's abuse. I was willing to give you a safe place to stay."

"To be honest, Seto, at first it felt like wer were flinging your money in my face. It was only after I spent nearly two months with you that I realized that you were truly concerned for my safty."

"It was always that. That day I saw you collapse at school, I offered my home for you. The hospital released you that day and I hired nurses to care for you. You don't remember, you were in a coma. I had you transferred to Yugi's the day you came to."

"But I was in a coma for four months. I spent 4 months here?" Joey shook his head. He remembered passing out at school one day and waking at Yugi's. "Wait...Someone called to me when I was.... you... you.."

"Joey, yes, I called out to you. I talked to you every day for those four months. I told you how much I cared for you, how stubboren we both are for not telling each other how we really feel. I was mainly the one who bathed you, turned you. I got a real respect for nurses during those months."

Reality set in for Joey then. For the past two years, his friends were there, but one person he thought who'd never be there. One who he thought would never care about a rough street kid. One who'd only reffered to him as 'Dog'. He remembered the dreams he had when he was in a coma. A magnificent white dragon guarded him, kept away the terrors. Even now, nightmares never bothered them for a grand white dragon would swoop in and erase them.

"Seto... You..always cared?"

"I did indeed Joey... ever since Duelist Kingdom. I was too stupid to tell you, and I made you think I hated you."

Their lips met in a heated kiss. Joey moved his body against his lovers in a feverish passion. Seto led them into Mokuba's room. Serenity watched for a moment, then quickly vacated the room, locking the door behind her. Seto kicked the bathroom door shut, and smiled when Joey locked it.

"We are alone pup. Are you sure you want this?"

Joey looked deeply into the blue eyes and smiled. His hand roamed down and rested over the front of his lover's pants.

"I thought you'd never ask."