Disclaimer:Just to remind you guys, I still don't own anything. (I guess the fact that I'm here should prove that.)

Authors note:I actually thought about this one evening and just pictured the stared, where Seto would secretly see Joey for ages while Joey couldn't even answer. And I had to write a happy ending for it. Unfortunately, I couldn't choose between two of those and so I wrote both. I put up a poll on my profile where you guys can vote for your favorite one and then I will eventually get that one by a Beta and write another chapter for it...it will take place about half a year or a year after it. And now, please enjoy.

Version one won the poll with 6 votes out of 10. And thanks to dancing elf for beating the winner and the second chapter for it.

Version 1

10 Years

"Peep…peep…peep…peep…peep…peep…"

He was used to the sound by now. So used to listening to the peeping of the machines that kept the other alive. Tomorrow, or since it's past midnight, today at 10:26 it will be 10 years since the accident. 10 whole years since those amber eyes had been open on their own account. 10 years since he had heard the laugh of the blond man that lay lifelessly in his hospital bed. Joey's face was as white as the sheets beneath him. It always is. His former ruby lips could be any color, but Seto wouldn't know because an oxygen mask always covers them. Without it Joey would be dead by now. Without one machine that forces air into his lungs, and another that triggers the muscle of his heart to work for one more beat, Joey would have died 10 years ago.

Seto sat there watching the pale face that was framed by blond hair, a face that didn't look nearly as healthy as it had 10 years ago. The hair was cut irregularly, probably by a nurse who was bothered by the long hair while washing the skinny body that had hardly any muscles left. Or rather, the muscles are there, but they are dreadfully underdeveloped, especially compared to how the young man had been 10 years ago. The well-defined chest and abs that were always hidden by an over-large shirt were reduced to near extinction.

"How can you even sleep with all these noises?" Seto asked Joey in a whisper. He always spoke to him occasionally while sitting by his bedside. It probably was hopeless, but he couldn't stand this strange kind of silence. Not that it really was quiet. Like he said to Joey, the machines were ridiculously loud, but no one really spoke.

It's just past one in the morning. The only time when Seto had time to see Joey was late at night, and he liked the fact that he was alone with him then. He didn't mind the peeping so much anymore, especially since it was the sound that accompanied each one of Joey's heartbeats. Every peep meant that Joey lived for the duration of one more heartbeat; they were music to Seto's ears. But the other sounds in the hospital at night annoyed him greatly: the steps of the nurses walking from one room to the next; or the snores of some of the other patients-the ones that haven't been in a coma for the last 10 years. Every night so far, Seto had heard a bed being moved along the hall, another emergency that must have arrived and been brought here. Those sounds annoyed him the most.

A little while later the door to Joey's room was opened quietly. Seto heard it but still stared at Joey's face, uncertain how many more nights he would see it. He had been wondering how much longer he should come to see him-even his sister only visited twice a year now. Yugi, who had been there every week for the first 5 years, now came once a month to visit his friend. Duke hadn't been there for at least a year, probably longer. Even Joey's father didn't visit the blond. The reminder of Joey's father made Seto glare. Just one month after the accident he had wanted the doctors to turn the machines off-to end the peeping that accompanied Joey's heartbeats-and end Joey's life. And for what? It wasn't because he couldn't stand to see Joey waste away here on a bed, unable to move, and seemingly dead to the world around him. No, the reason had been money. The machines were too expensive and he couldn't afford enough booze for himself. His liquor was more important to him than his own son. Even though most of it was paid by Joey's insurance, Joey's father resented having to pay the rest.

Seto heard a quiet cough from the direction of the door and assumed that the nurse just wanted to announce her presence-like he hadn't heard her already. "I thought you might like a coffee," a female voice said.

Seto didn't need to look up to know who was there. He never looked away from Joey's face from the moment he entered the room. He knew every nurse by name and recognized her by the sound of her voice. "Thanks, Lilith," Seto said, not moving, and heard her put down a paper cup on the table next to Joey's bed. He saw the hand from the corner of his eye, but didn't say anything else. Then it was quiet again-for a moment—with only the peeping of the machines and a few quiet steps outside of the room. Part of Seto wanted to ask the same question he always asked. And he knew that she waited for it, just like every nurse who brought him a nightly coffee waited. "How is he?" He finally asked, already knowing the answer and fearing it at the same time.

"No change in his condition," the nurse replied, waiting a few moments before she left.

Every night the same answer…why do I even bother to ask? Why do I let myself hope that there might be a tiny change? 10 years and still no sign of a change in Joey's condition. The odds that he'll ever wake up again are slim and I know that even Joey's sister has started to wonder why Joey is still being kept alive. Mokuba has mentioned to me that she doesn't like the fact that Joey has to endure being so utterly weak and defenseless with hardly any hope of improvement. But she hasn't asked who pays for all this yet. No one knows that I pay for the treatments, not even Mokuba. Of course the hospital knows, and they would tell Joey's family if any of them would ask. But as far as I know, no one has asked.

Joey's father hadn't been to see him since he said that he wouldn't pay for the machines any longer. Serenity only came twice a year, since she lived too far away to visit more often. And since she found it hard to see her older brother so weakened, she never stayed very long. His mother had accompanied Serenity a few times, but the number of times she had been here to see Joey could be counted on one hand.

The sound of the peeping goes on with no end to it. One heartbeat after another, one more moment of stolen life, one more moment in which Joey isn't allowed to move on to another life or to whatever might come after this life. I don't really believe that there is an afterlife, so that's why I will never allow anyone to turn the machines off. I will keep them running for as long as Joey's heart keeps beating with them. As long as Joey manages to live with the machines, I will keep him alive.

But how much longer should I come and see him during the nights? Maybe the question is not how much longer I should come, but rather, how much longer can I continue to do it?

Seto gave a sigh and took the cup of coffee, happy that he could just about see the cup without moving his eyes from Joey's face. He drank it slowly and started to whisper to Joey, just little things that happened during his day. How he had caught some people talking about him when he entered his office. He had been slightly late, even though he wasn't scheduled to be at his office until 10. He never was scheduled to be there any earlier for 10 years, as he needed at least 4 hours of sleep each night. To his luck, the mansion was only 10 minutes by car from both the office and the hospital. As long as the traffic wasn't too bad, that gave him about 40 minutes to get ready for bed and later to shower and get himself dressed for work. The fact that he had a driver was helpful as well; he could eat some breakfast and have a coffee on his way to the office.

Seto also mentioned that Mokuba had told him today that Yugi has owned the shop for a few weeks now. His grandfather had officially gone into retirement and passed the shop to Yugi, as Yugi's father, Solomon's son, had no interest in it. There were a lot of other little things Seto told Joey slowly, talking about each topic with one or two sentences before falling quiet again for a while. He didn't want to be too noisy for Joey and he gave him some time to let his words sink in, if they reached him at all.

Seto gave a sigh…it was probably pointless. "It's been 10 years since the accident, you know?" Seto asked close to 5 in the morning. He knew that he had to leave soon, and was getting incredibly tired. Just 4 hours sleep each night for 10 years was getting exhausting. Maybe he should cut down at least, but even now it was hard to leave, to force his eyes away from Joey's beautiful face. He probably wouldn't be able to cut down, but this couldn't possibly be healthy for Seto. Joey was hardly alive, and he might never open his eyes, so it was pointless to long for a man who might never be truly alive again. And even if he wakes up,Seto thought, he'll never return my feelings for him.Seto gave a sigh and then added, "I might not come back to see you, Joey. I try not to, even though I still love you." Silence again, apart from the peeping machines and the muted sounds from the hallway. "You don't need to worry though, I won't let them turn off the machines." The silence stretched on for another moment, filled by the usual sounds until Seto stood from his seat close to the bed. He leaned over to give Joey one final kiss on his forehead, like he did every morning at around 5. "Please understand me Joey, I have to move on sometime, and it has been 10 years."

Why do I even worry if he'll understand, he'll never care anyway, even if he wakes up, Seto thought as he turned to leave, fighting the urge to turn around and see Joey one last time from the doorway. He needed to just go now, or he wouldn't be able to go at all-not this time-not after saying good-bye for good.

Like every morning, shortly past 8 in the morning a nurse entered Joey's room, to wash him and change his clothes. "Good morning," she said, like every morning, not expecting a reaction at all. But it was a policy of the hospital to talk to everyone, even when they were in a coma, hoping that the sounds might help to bring them back. She looked into the pale face and stared for a moment in shock. After that one moment she looked at the machines, noticing that the machines were probably close to alerting them anyway, because his breathing was slightly spiked and his eyes were open and filled with tears. But what really surprised her was that the machines only recorded his breathing and his heart, because he did both on his own accord.

Suddenly everything went on so fast around Joey. A doctor was called and he was injected with something to calm him as he was told about the accident. He still couldn't speak-his lungs, lips and even his tongue felt too weak to do anything. Serenity was called too, and she wanted to be there the next day. Other than that, they started therapy on the same day. Hoping that he would get his strength back soon, Joey worked as hard as he could, but was exhausted from the easiest tasks. Surprised about the fuss everyone made over him, he didn't feel like he had done such a great thing, he just woke up. But that alone was like a miracle to everyone else around him.

The first evening Joey fell asleep quickly, but didn't sleep soundly. In the middle of the night he woke up, and the machines alerted the nurses to his distress. His eyes were filled with tears again and his breathing spiked while he looked around the room, trying to say something over and over, but unable to form the words with his weakened body. The doctor had to come and give him something to calm him again.

Serenity came the next day, happy to see her brother awake, and even happier at his efforts to talk to her. But she worried too, because she had a hard time understanding him. Unlike the nurses, she knew her brother and had more time to listen. "Do you want to see someone?" She asked after some time, while she held Joey's hand. "If yes, try to move your hand, and if not, just don't do anything."

She could almost instantly feel a twitch of the muscles in Joey's hand, a slight movement of his fingers. He tried to say something again and his voice was louder than before, but she still couldn't understand what he was so desperate to say. She saw the despair in his eyes, the longing and the wish for her to understand him, to understand what he needed. And he did need it-not just wanted it—Serenity could see that as clearly as she saw her brother lying on the bed in front of her. "Do you want me to call Yugi?" She asked and saw him roll his eyes, but his hand didn't move at all.

"Is that a yes or a no? You didn't move your hand did you?" She asked, but she already decided to call him anyway. Yugi should know, so maybe that's why he rolled his eyes, he probably wanted to say, "Of course ya gotta call him, that's a given, but that's not what I'm trying to tell ya."

And she was more right than she knew. "Do you want me to call dad?" Serenity asked. She hadn't talked to her father since he wanted to turn of the machines so soon. Even she had started to give up hope towards the end, but she would never have given up on Joey that soon. Nothing happened. Joey just stared at her not even trying to say anything. But his eyes had an intent look in them; the look of someone who was absolutely desperate, and knew that he was losing a battle. He probably didn't expect her to figure it out.

But she really wanted to help her brother. It had been so long since she saw any reaction in her brother and now he looked at her with so much spirit in his eyes-so much longing-she simply had to help him. He had always been there for her, until the dreaded car accident that had sent him into this dreadful coma. A totally random car accident. After all those adventures Joey had been through with Yugi, after all the battles he had fought with Yugi, supporting him and helping him every step of the long and sometimes dangerous journey, he was taken down by a random car on his way home from school, just two days before graduation. Two days before he would graduate with reasonably good grades, after studying for ages and even begging Kaiba to tutor him. Serenity had felt so bad for her brother and worried for so long. Even though she hadn't seen him more often, he had never been far from her mind. She tried to ask Joey about every one of his friends-if he wanted to see them-but nothing changed, no movement, no sound, just that intent, nearly begging look in his amber eyes that stared into hers as if he tried to deliver the message with that look alone.

Serenity had a hard time thinking about anything while looking into those intent eyes. They were the only thing about her brother that really looked alive. He was still so pale. And even though the oxygen mask was removed since he breathed spontaneously now, he still needed a nasal cannula for some extra oxygen because his lunges were weakened by the last 10 years where the air was pushed into his lungs with a machine rather than being sucked in by his own efforts.

"I will find out," she promised Joey. "Even if I need to think about it a little, I know that you'll be working hard to get better again. I bet you will be talking in no time, and until then I will keep thinking."

She started to tell him other things while he just stared at her with a begging look. Every now and then she asked again about whom he wanted to see. She even tried to ask if he wanted to see Valon, Alister or Raphael, but she still hadn't got the right person. She was close to giving up for today and going to Téa's place. She would stay there to be closer to Joey, now that she actually might be able to help him with some support. Suddenly, she had one more idea about who he might want to see. "Do you want me to call Mokuba? Is he the one you want to see?"

Again nothing happened, at least not at first. After a moment Joey's hand moved a little, even more than the first time, the time where she figured out that he wanted to see someone. And he made some sounds again, louder and more pleading, but the look in his eyes was still strange, still begging her to understand.

She got out her mobile phone to call Mokuba, not knowing what else Joey might want. She had his number for some time now. Since Joey had been in the hospital, Mokuba called her about once a month after talking to the doctors, keeping her in the loop on how Joey was doing. They also saw each other every time she was in town to see Joey. Yugi could have done the same of course, but she liked talking to Mokuba, and was happy to be able to do that. "Hey, Mokuba," she said once he had picked up. "Could you come over to the hospital? I think Joey wants something from you, but I'm not sure if I got it right. He's still too weak to talk properly."

It was quiet for a moment, until Mokuba asked, confused, "What do you mean, he wants to see me? He's in a coma, isn't he?"

"Oh right, I completely forgot to call you in my haste to get here," Serenity replied and blushed a little. "The hospital called yesterday morning-Joey woke up. He is responding just fine, but he's still terribly weak, since he couldn't really move for 10 years, you know. He just had some passive movements done during therapies to prevent his joints from getting stiff."

"Joey woke up?" Mokuba asked and was surprised at the loud bang Seto's chair made when it hit the glass behind him. Seto, who had risen suddenly after hearing those words from Mokuba, didn't seem to care at all that he nearly broke the big windows behind himself. In fact, he hardly seemed to have noticed it, as he just stared at Mokuba in shock.

"Yes," Serenity's voice answered him through the phone. "And he wants someone to come here, and when I said your name I got a reaction, but he still looks at me like I didn't quite get it right, but it's better than nothing. Maybe he thinks that you can help me figure it out."

"Ask him about Seto," Mokuba said, seeing the intense look on his brother's face, and he was surprised by it. Seto had flat out refused to come with him to the hospital to visit Joey every single time he was asked, and Mokuba had been slightly upset about it, but not really surprised. Seto had never really cared for Joey or anyone else, apart from Mokuba himself. But Mokuba had hoped that Seto would come with him for his support; it hadn't always been easy for Mokuba to sit there and see Joey completely unresponsive. Joey used to be so strong and brave, but now he lay on his bed without moving, looking like he was dead. Or rather, he had for the past 10 years, and it was hard for Mokuba to picture him awake after all that time.

Serenity was confused, but held Joey's hand to notice easier if he would move it and asked, "Do you want to see Set…" she couldn't even finish the name before Joey held her hand with a surprising strength, not anything like he used to be capable of before the accident. She still barely felt the pressure, but he moved his fingers around her hand, moving her hand a tiny bit towards himself as he mumbled, "Ya…ya…," probably trying to say 'yes.'

"I think you got it right, Mokuba," Serenity said, surprised, but then asked, looking at Joey, "But I don't get why?"

Mokuba looked at Seto, who still stared at him. He hadn't moved an inch, but looked incredibly tense. "Joey is awake," Mokuba said to him, wondering why he acted so strangely. "And Serenity thinks that he wants to see…you."

That triggered something in Mokuba's older brother, even though Mokuba had no idea what that something was. But Seto moved again, actually, he stormed out of his office and towards the elevator. "Mister Kaiba," the secretary called out after him, "the appointment with-"

"Move my appointments for today…all of them," Seto replied, entering the elevator, happy that it was already on the top floor, and pressing the button that would bring him down to his car in the parking space below the building; it was always ready, just in case he needed to get someplace quickly. The driver of his limousine was way too slow for his taste today.

"Seto, wait," Mokuba said and ran towards him, barely getting his hand into the space between the doors to make them reopen so he could go with Seto. In the process he earned himself a death glare from his brother, which was a rare experience for Mokuba. He still had the phone in his hand and quickly told Serenity that they were on their way, then ended the call without a proper goodbye. Something was up with his brother, and he wanted to know what.

"But he must already be on his way," the secretary reminded her boss, surprised by his actions.

Seto's glare moved from Mokuba to his secretary, who was much more used to the sight. "Screw them," Seto told her. "I'm busy."

She thought she knew her boss and all his moods by now. He usually was cranky, but was also very dependable, and hardly ever late, even though he usually started late in the day. He was usually there when expected, he liked his day well-structured, and she always knew what would happen during the day by the time she got into her car to drive to work. Something like this, where Mister Kaiba just ran off, had never happened before. It confused, but also worried her greatly; something must have happened.

"What's wrong, big brother?" Mokuba asked once the doors of the elevator had closed. "Do you know what Joey might want from you? If not, it will be hard to find out, because Serenity said that he can't even talk properly right now."

"Why?" Seto asked, glaring at Mokuba again before shifting his glare towards the buttons on the elevator wall.

Mokuba watched Seto press the button for the parking lot again, glaring like he wanted to rip the electronics out just to punish the elevator for being so damn slow. He made a mental note to get buckled up in the car, as Seto's driving style was fast even when calm, and right now he might make the trip to the hospital in record time. "He hadn't moved for 10 years. Hell, he didn't even breathe on his own account," Mokuba pointed out. "His lungs and, well, just about every muscle in his body got weaker over time. It's normal that he can't do much right now, isn't it?"

"Probably," Seto answered, hoping that it really was the only reason. Joey had been severely injured in the accident 10 years ago, and he remembered all too well how the doctors had worried about some possible brain damage. He just hoped that wasn't the case. The weakened muscles are reason enough for the moment, but it doesn't have to be all.

Mokuba watched him for a moment before he asked, "Do you know what he wants now or not?"

"How would I know?" Seto asked and glared at the buttons, pressing the lowest one again, angry at the slow speed.

Once the door to the elevators opened Mokuba had to nearly run to make it around Seto's car that was the closest to the elevator and get into it before Seto had the engine running. Mokuba hadn't even closed the door by the time Seto started to drive. "Slow down," Mokuba nearly screeched over the squealing tires as Seto drove out onto the streets, not even bothering to look to either side, nearly running into another car.

Seto didn't react to Mokuba's screeched 'request' and still drove through the city with way too much speed, not stopping for anything, be it red lights or a stop sign-he just drove. He only slowed once, just a little, to avoid driving right into a school bus.

By the time they reached the hospital in record time, Mokuba was sure that he had been close to having a heart attack at least 10 times. His legs felt wobbly as he walked towards the hospital's main entrance right after Seto, moving as fast as he could. Seto didn't quite run, but he walked swiftly with his long legs, and Mokuba hurried after him, asking again, "Seto, what's going on? Why are you suddenly in such a rush to get to Joey? Why does he want to see you anyway?" Seto didn't answer, he rushed through the hospital taking the stairs rather than the elevator, stairs were faster and Joey wasn't so far up that it would be too exhausting to rush up the stairs. They were nearly at Joey's room when Mokuba suddenly asked, "How do you even know where his room is? You've always refused to see him when I asked you to come with me."

But by the time Mokuba finished that question the door to Joey's room was already flung open by Seto, who stared at the blond man in his bed like always when he entered that room. It was a big difference, and not only because, for once, the sun was shining onto the blond's hair. The mask was gone, but Seto saw that he was still getting oxygen. But the biggest change was his eyes. His beautiful, amber eyes were looking right into his own. Seto stood in the door staring at Joey, unable to move an inch. Joey was awake, his Joey had finally opened his eyes. Now, after he had decided to finally try and move on, resulting in a night of wandering around his mansion fighting the urge to rush to Joey's side; and the better part of the day angry at himself for missing his time with Joey and already longing for the night to come so he could rush to Joey's side and watch his sleeping face. Now Joey was awake. But why did Joey want to see him? Had he heard some of the things he had said? Did Joey know that he had been here every single night for the entire 10 years? Was he angry that Seto had interfered with his life and watched him sleep so often? Or was he grateful that Seto had kept the machines running, thus giving him a chance to come back to life?

Mokuba and Serenity stared at their brothers and then at each other. Neither one knew what to say or do and sensed the tension in the air, sensed that something was about to happen, but neither one had any idea what it might be.

Joey tried to move his hand, tried to reach out to Seto, but all he could manage was raising two of his fingers a little off the bed. It was enough though. Seto saw the movement and was at his side with three quick steps then held his hand tightly. Seto looked at Joey for a moment, seeing his lips forming a tired looking smile and his eyes, nearly closed, looking happy too. He seemed content and Seto squeezed his hand gently, revealing a little smile of his own. "Took you long enough to wake up."

Seto felt a squeeze on his own hand and a tiny movement that felt like Joey tried to pull his hand but didn't quiet manage to move it. Seto kneeled down next to the bed and leaned closer, moving his ear right next to Joey's lips and having his own lips right next to Joey's ear. He heard Joey struggle for a deep breath and heard his quiet, "loo…loo…."

Seto squeezed Joey's hand and whispered, "Take your time, one word per breath, I'll listen."

It was quiet for a moment, but Seto stayed still, assuming that Joey tried to gather some of his strength and certain that he'll manage to do just that. Then he heard him take another labored but deep breath, even deeper than the one before, with an even quieter "lov." Seto squeezed his hand a little, worried that Joey might have heard him the last night he'd been there. It was the only time he had ever used the word "love" in his life, unless of course it related to a brotherly bond with Mokuba. It was quiet again as Seto just waited until the next deep breath and a quiet "ya." Seto froze, sure that he had misunderstood him, but he stayed still, waiting to see if there was more that Joey would say-something that made it clear that he had misunderstood him. It took even longer until there was another deep breath and then came the quiet "too." Seto didn't move, but felt Joey's head move a tiny bit to the side, less than an inch, but it brought Joey's lips right to his own ear and Seto felt Joey's lips press against his skin ever so slightly . Seto's body seemed to move on his own accord. His hand that held Joey's squeezed his hand a little while his free hand moved to Joey's head, letting his fingers move into Joey's soft hair; his face moved closer to Joey's neck, cuddled against it, letting his lips touch the skin where Joey's neck turned into his shoulder. "I love you," Seto whispered quietly, "I've always loved you, Joey. Don't ever do this again, don't ever leave me again."

Seto heard Joey take another deep breath and then a whispered, "sssy."

Seto heard himself chuckle and then whispered, "I forgive you, just this once."

"I guess I missed something," Seto heard the voice of his brother come from the door.

"So did I," Serenity said, closer to the bed and on the other side of Joey.

Seto heard Joey chuckle a tiny bit and then looked into his eyes, he looked even more tired than before. "Try to sleep-it must be exhausting for you to speak right now."

Joey didn't sleep though, his eyes were locked with Seto's, and Seto could see the longing in them, the same longing he felt, but all he did was move his hand through Joey's hair and hold his hand. It probably wouldn't be good to kiss him, leaving him even more breathless than he currently was.

The gentle touch and the exhaustion won in the end, and once Joey's eyes were closed for a while Mokuba asked, "Since when are you two together? I mean, I thought you hated each other, and why on earth wouldn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't tell you what wasn't the case," Seto answered calmly. "We're dating for a few moments, if that's what you can call it."

"You just got together?" Mokuba asked, surprised, "But how, and why and…just tell me the whole thing."

"I'm not sure about half of it," Seto answered. "I just know that I've loved him for years-long before the accident-and when I heard about it I was too shocked and too scared to see him right away. After a few days I started to visit him during the nights, though. I came every single night since then and stayed till 5 in the morning."

"That explains why you stopped going in to work early," Mokuba said, watching his brother.

"I don't know since when he likes me though, or why," Seto answered while watching the sleeping beauty in front of him. "But I'll never let him leave me again."