Author's Note: Man, I'm just cranking these out. You guys should love me to pieces. But then, that leads to…

OH MY GOD! You're all gonna kill me! D: When you get to the end, you will wish I would die. And then you'll realize that if I die, you'll never see what happens. And that will make you even angrier. I'm sorry in advance. If it makes you feel better, I make myself angry. -_-;

The Secret Serpent

Recap:

Yugi nodded quickly. "Yami can only handle Bakura so long."

"What?! Right! Sorry! Let's go!" Joey exclaimed quickly, standing, only to whine as the dragon was plucked out of his hands. "Seto-!"

The brunet settled her inside the collar of his coat, making sure she was hidden at least partially; he didn't intend to let anyone take a second look to make sure their imaginations weren't tricking them. "You can only pull off the 'yellow tumor' look so often, puppy."

"Hey!"

"AGH, the feeling is getting worse!" Ryou wailed, tugging at his hair.

Joey would have argued, but his friends took priority right now and he really didn't feel like helping them clean blood off of the walls of the game shop, so he grabbed his friends and threw them into the portal first.

Chapter 4

Joey sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Seto had been at the office all day. He'd promised to come home and spend some time with him, but… he'd probably gotten caught up at work. Well, at least he could honestly say that Seto wasn't as irritable as he had been, which was a plus, he supposed. If only he got to experience it when he wasn't dog-tired from work…

tap tap tap

He blinked in surprise, then turned, confused. "…Codi?"

Indeed, the little yellow dragon was hovering outside his window, a rose clasped in her mouth with a note hanging from it. He stood up and walked over to the window, then opened it and reached out to grab the rose. The dragon smiled shyly before flying past him into the room. She squeaked happily as she found his bed unmade and decidedly messy, then flew under the covers, making herself unseen.

Joey blinked at her again for a moment, then smiled and chuckled softly. "You're so weird Codi." Looking back at rose, he tilted his head and read the note.

Look down.

"Huh?" Confused, the blond leaned out the window to look down, then gasped softly and covered his mouth. "Oh!"

Seto smiled at him sweetly and lifted the rest of the bouquet up slightly. "Something special that isn't sex. You like spaghetti, right?"

"Of course I like spaghetti, ya stupid-!" Joey laughed and shook his head. "And my friends think you're unromantic!"

The brunet tilted his head innocently, though the smirk on his face undermined any hope of looking innocent. "Now who says I'm being romantic right now?"

"Well, the table for two with candles on it and the plate of spaghetti seem to be romantic. And you're holdin' a bouquet of roses, on top of it." The blond smiled and leaned his arms on the windowsill. "I'd say that's pretty romantic, Seto."

Seto raised an eyebrow and laid the bouquet in one of the two chairs, then placed his hands on his hips. "Well are you just going to look at it or are you going to come down and partake in this?"

At this, the younger boy blushed a little. "…Ya know I get lost in the garden… It's so big…"

"Jump then. I'll catch you." The brunet smiled slightly when the other teen squawked in disbelief, then held his arms out. "You're only on the second story. I can catch you."

"No! You're crazy and we're both gonna get hurt!" Joey exclaimed, crossing his arms and scowling at him. "How 'm I gonna explain this t' my friends when I come int' school with a broken leg on Monday?! 'Oh, yeah, I jumped out a window. But don't worry, it's not too bad compared t' both of Seto's broken ARMS!'" He shook his head vehemently. "No!"

Seto sighed, then rolled his eyes. "Fine, then I'll come and get you."

"Ya want me t' go wait by the door then or—Eep!" The blond blushed as he watched the CEO shedding his shirt, then scowled. "Just whatta ya think you're doin'?!"

"I'm coming to get you," the brunet replied, laying his shirt over the back of the chair. "So just stay there."

"Nyeek alright alright alright!" Joey exclaimed, waving his hands frantically. He was not in the mood to watch his skin rip just to get his wings out. "I'll jump! Just… don't do that!"

Seto looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Because I can come get you—"

"No! I'll jump!" The blond hesitantly sat down on the windowsill, then looked back at his boyfriend. "…Ya promise you'll catch me?"

"Why would I let you fall? You'd get hurt. You're carrying out baby, remember?" The older boy smiled at him and held his arms out. "Just trust me, puppy."

Joey hesitated for a few more minutes before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Then, he slid off the windowsill and into space. "Meep!"

Seto growled softly to himself—he get a great view of the blond's ass from down here—then hastily leaned forward and caught him. It would not do, he decided, if he actually did let the blond hit the ground; he doubted he would get any 'puppy wuvins' for a while if he did that.

The younger boy yipped as he fell into the brunet's arms and quickly threw his arms around his neck. "Aha-! Never ever again!" he exclaimed, only to find his tirade cut off when the brunet's warm mouth covered his. He mewled softly, then quickly turned his head away, scowling. "Ya made me jump out a window!"

"I hardly made you do anything," the CEO commented, frowning, but set him in the open seat nonetheless. Reaching over for the bouquet, he set it in the blond's lap and added, "I was quite willing to come and get you, remember?"

Joey frowned in concern. "But Seto, every time ya make your wings come out, it rips your skin open. It has t' be painful, right?"

Seto sat down across from him, frowning thoughtfully. "Well, I guess it is, initially. But I've gotten used to it."

"How often do ya—" the blond began, looking horrified, but then the older boy had reached across the table and pressed a finger to his lips. Brows drawing together in trepidation, he heaved a frustrated sigh.

The brunet sighed as well. "Often enough that I'm used to it. Sometimes, late at night when I can't sleep, I'll take a flight over the grounds. It's hard to sleep without—" He cut himself off abruptly, then forced a smile. "Our food is going to get cold."

Joey blinked at him in confusion, then opened his mouth to ask what was wrong. He closed it again a moment later and sighed, then looked down at his plate. He knew that before they'd been sucked into the book, Seto had been a very private person—almost obsessively so—and didn't like to share weaknesses. However, he'd hoped… that maybe Seto could learn to trust him?

Seto frowned as he noticed the blond picking at his food, even though he knew he'd usually scarf it down. Sighing, he set down his fork and ran a hand through his hair. "…It's a dragon thing, Joey. Sires like to be close to their dames. I… I know I can hug you, and cuddle you whenever I want, but… it's not the same as curling around you at night, protecting you, knowing that you're safe. I know you tied the bells to the window and door, so I'd hear it, but that's just not good enough for my psyche. So I go out and prowl the grounds to make sure nothing can get close enough to get to your window and door."

The blond blinked in confusion, then frowned. "Why didn't ya tell me? Ya must've known that I'd let ya in bed with me if ya did."

Seto shook his head, smiling a little now. "If I did that, you'd feel obligated, and you know it. I want you to invite me to your bed. You'll do that when your ready."

Joey blushed a little and looked down at his food, brows furrowing together slightly. "And people say you're not romantic!"

"…I'm not. I'm the most unromantic person in the world." The brunet scowled at him. "And if you go around bragging to your friends how unromantic I am, I'm going to get very upset."

The blond rolled his eyes and shoved a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth. "Please, I'll spill this t' Yug' as soon as I get to a phone."

"…You traitor."

"I'm just sayin', this isn't bad publicity or anything!" the younger boy cried, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Ya underestimate your fan girls, Seto!"

"I do not."

"Ya do too!" Joey scowled when the brunet opened his mouth to argue further, then shoved a meatball into his mouth so he couldn't. "I win. Allow me t' enjoy my special, ya asshole!"

Seto blinked in surprise, then snorted and looked away from him, choosing instead to chew the mass of meat in his mouth. "Humph."

.-.-.-.-.-.

"That is so not fair!"

Bakura nearly jumped off the couch. Ryou rarely raised his voice, so this meant something big was happening. Standing, he went to the kitchen doorway and peeked inside in confusion. "Hikari? Is everything okay?"

Ryou turned to face him sharply, surprised, then blushed a little. This was soon followed by an angry scowl. "Kaiba just had dinner for two with Joey with roses and everything! He even had Codi send up a little card telling him to look down and see it!" He flailed his arms about in frustration. "It was candlelit! Bakura, they had a candlelit dinner! Why can't you be romantic like that?!"

"Wha-!?"

"And not only that, but Kaiba even told him that he couldn't sleep without him by his side! How romantic is that?! Why can't our boyfriends do that!?" Ah, that was Yugi.

This required retreat.

"Bakura! I wasn't finished talking to you! Bakura!" Ryou shouted as the other boy ran out of the house. "You jerk! I hope you're not planning on getting laid tonight!" When even that failed to bring his boyfriend back, he sighed in frustration and crossed his arms, turning toward the speaker phone angrily. "Why is it that our boyfriends can think up the best strategies for a stupid card game but they can never come up with a romantic date?"

"I don't know, but it's really starting to tick me off that Joey got the romantic boyfriend when Kaiba hasn't been sweet to anyone but his brother in his whole life!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Seto flapped toward the mansion again, intent on checking up on his lover one last time before trying to sleep again; Codi had opted to sleep on his bedside table, beneath the lamp. Landing gently on the blond's sill, he grabbed onto the side to keep from losing his balance and falling. But, his view of the blond was obstructed. Right where his head should be was instead… a pink sticky-note shaped like a heart?

The rocking chair is pretty comfortable.

The brunet flapped his wings a few times in confusion, then looked down to see the window opened a crack. Wedging his fingers beneath the window, he slid it open, then slipped into the blond's room, cursing softly as his wings banged against it on the way. He pulled his wings back into his body, cringing a little, then turned and shut the window again; it was a little chilly outside.

Turning back to the bed and the boy cuddled up in it, he felt his heart melt. The blond had pulled the rocking chair up as close to the bed as it could be, allowing him to be as close to the bed without actually being in bed with him. He wasn't giving him exactly what he wanted, but… he was allowing him closer than he had been.

Seto wasn't going to pass this chance up, so he sank into the rocking chair, which he actually found surprisingly comfortable. He rocked in it a few times, pleased, but stopped immediately when Joey began moving. The blond moved around for a few minutes, growling, then turned and landed on his side, huffing. Seto watched to see what was wrong, then reached out to gently brush his hair out of his face. A few moments later, he leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead before he leaned back, crossed his arms, and settled himself down to sleep. He'd be amazed that next morning to find it only took him a few minutes.

Once his breath had evened out, a pair of brown eyes peeked up at him before Joey sat up, smiling. He leaned in to place a kiss on his lips before taking the duvet from the foot of his bed and spreading it over him. "Sweet dreams, dragon."

The brunet heaved a content sigh, then began to purr. "Mm… Puppy…"

Joey giggled and gave him another kiss before he snuggled under his covers again. "Silly Dragon Master."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Codi sighed and wiggled her way into the Golden One's room, sensing the Dragon Master there. She flew over to go wake him up while hopefully not disturbing the other boy; Seto had said he wanted to get up early so he could finish up some work and take the day off for his puppy.

She gasped as she saw a large, dark looming figure over the Golden One, its beady red eyes trained on his belly where the baby would form, then let out a shrill shriek. "JOY-EEEEEEE!"

Seto snapped awake and looked around in confusion, instinctively grabbing for his mate. Joey's eyes fluttered for a moment before he groaned softly and let his head fall against his shoulder. "Seto…"

The brunet dipped his head and shushed him. "Shhh… Just sleep, puppy…" Once he was certain that the other boy would stay asleep, he looked up at the tiny dragon in confusion. "Codi? What's wrong?"

Codi gave the far corner of the room a dirty glare—the dark creature had immediately retreated there when she'd screamed—then flew over to curl up in a ball on the blond's chest. "Meee…" She growled protectively—very cute, with her tiny voice, of course—and didn't take her eyes off of the threat.

Seto frowned in confusion, then went to place the blond back in bed. However, when the dragon gave him a dirty look, he sighed and stood up to carry the blond to his room. He'd finish his beauty sleep in his bed.

Codi glared at the far corner with even more intensity when the beady red eyes followed the blond out. She'd do her best to continue helping the Dragon Master while at the same time protecting his dame.

Just after he'd finished tucking him in (he was sure fussy with the blankets, Codi noted), his phone began to ring, and he hurriedly snatched it up before Joey could wake, see him tucking him in, and freak out, screaming that he was taking his perversion to a whole new level. "Kaiba."

"Mr. Kaiba, there are two gentlemen here at the gate asking to see you. I'd send them away or call the police, but one of them has threatened to 'mind-crush' me. Does your insurance cover mind-crushing?"

Groaning, the brunet pinched the bridge of his nose. It wasn't even five-thirty yet and he had crazy ghosts at his gate. "Just… let them in. I was expecting this; just not at five in the morning."

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba."

Seto wondered whether or not he'd be able to get the work he wanted done finished with Yami and Bakura here, then decided he just didn't care enough about them; he'd wanted this day with his lover and he'd be damned if he didn't get it all because of them. …He should get to the door quickly or else he was going to find himself in need of a new one. Grabbing his laptop and a shoving a bunch of reports he needed to read into a folder, he hurried downstairs.

He got there just in time to see the door shaking on its hinges. Scowling, he opened it. "This had better be good!"

"What are we doing wrong?!" Bakura cried in frustration, reaching forward to grab his shirt and shake him. "Why is you?! WHY!?"

Seto raised an eyebrow, then lifted a hand to pry him off. "Let go of me, you moron. What the hell are you talking about?"

"What the tomb robber would like to say—" Yami began, stepping on the albino's foot. "—Is that we would like to know how you come up with 'romantic' ideas to spend time with Joey? Because we… find ourselves at a loss there."

"…I have no idea what you're talking about," the brunet replied, turning to head for the living room; he had a feeling they'd follow. They were too stubborn to accept that half-assed answer.

He was right.

"Don't walk away from me!" Bakura exclaimed angrily, stomping after him.

Yami sighed and shut the door, but also followed him. "Kaiba, if you just answered honestly the first time…"

Seto rolled his eyes and booted up his laptop, then pulled out one of the reports he grabbed and began to skim it, to see if it needed his absolute attention. He wasn't going to waste his time and effort because some idiot wanted to actually write a report on the color of the glue used to fasten some of the pieces on the new duel disk. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a completely unromantic person." He glanced at his laptop as the two yamis sputtered in disbelief (and Bakura in anger) and typed in a web address, then turned it to face them and reached for another report, because the one he'd been skimming was totally a waste of his time. …He'd pawn it off on an underling.

Both of their jaws dropped a little in incredulity. Yami's eye twitched. "'…Romantic ideas dot com [1]?'" he asked, brows furrowing together. "They have a freakin' website for this?!"

The brunet pulled out a pen and began scribbling down a few other websites. "Google is really the best sometimes. Just type in 'romantic ideas' and you'll find a load of ideas." He paused, hand hovering above the paper, before he glanced back up at them uneasily. "…But you have to put your own twists on any idea you find. If Yugi or Ryou find out you just copied someone else, they're going to be hurt that you couldn't think up something original. If they ever do happen to find the idea you used and you have put your twist on it, you can say, 'Well, I thought it was a good idea, but then I realized I had to change it a little so it could be special for you.' They'll melt for sure."

"I knew ya weren't romantic!" Bakura crowed, snatching the paper out of his hand. "Thanks, Kaiba!"

"Don't forget what I said about changing some things!" Seto called after him.

Yami sighed and stood. "Well, I suppose I better go pick up some flowers for my aibou," he mumbled, reaching for his own list of websites. "Thanks, Kaiba."

The brunet tilted his head slightly as the other man walked away, then called out, "Get him a burger or two instead. Remind him that you're his lover and as such can remember his favorite food."

The former-spirit paused in the doorway, then nodded slowly. "Thanks, Kaiba."

Seto smirked and leaned back in his chair, chuckling softly. He now had something to hold over them, which would help if he ever… needed a favor, or something along those lines. Once he was sure the front door had closed, the brunet began to cackle in a way reminiscent of his pre-Death-T days.

Yami shivered slightly and glanced back at the door. 'Why do I feel as if I just sold my soul to the devil?'

.-.-.-.-.-.

Ryou scowled as he heard the front door open and huddled deeper in his cocoon of blankets, shoving another spoonful of ice-cream in his mouth. He resolutely turned his head away when he felt the couch sink as his lover sat down, and when the former-spirit touched him, he flinched away.

And then he heard a soft 'ow!'

Turning his head sharply, he gasped as he found a grey-blue [2] kitten sitting on his lover's lap, looking confused and upset. Then, it opened its tiny mouth again. "Ow!"

He knew for a fact that Bakura had never wanted a pet. He believed that it would cut into his time alone with him. So why did he have what he referred to as 'Ra's Minions of Evil' (apparently, he'd had a bad experience in a tomb once) in his lap? It made no sense. No sense whatsoever!

"…Bakura, what is this?" he asked softly, looking up at him in confusion.

Bakura looked away momentarily, then hurriedly shoved the kitten onto his lap. "…I know you like the franks in that stupid book, but since they never go anywhere without each other, it would be stupid to bring when here. …So I got you the next best thing."

Ryou blinked down at the kitten for a few moments, then smiled, turned, and leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. "So you do know how to be romantic."

"…His name is Storm, 'cause he looks like a storm cloud," the former thief added, and the younger boy laughed softly and kissed him again, though he aimed for his lips instead.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Yugi blinked as a bag from Burger World was dropped in front of him, then looked up in confusion. "Yami?"

"I was on my way back from my walk and decided to pick something up for you on the way home, as an apology for not being as romantic as you want me to be," Yami replied, then kissed his forehead.

The younger boy blinked again. "…You don't have to apologize for that, Yami. You're just not a romantic person." He smiled brightly. "But thanks for the food! I'm happy that you remembered my favorite!"

The former pharaoh scowled and placed his hands on his hips. "I can be a romantic person! Just watch me!"

Yugi raised an eyebrow at him, somehow pulling off Kaiba's 'you've-gotta-be-kidding-me-you-really-are-weird' look with his adorable face. "So it's a challenge now?"

"You're darn right it's a challenge!"

"…Right." Sighing, the formerly normal high-school student began pulling burgers and fries out of the bag in front of him. "Okay, fine. You have a chance every Friday at nine o'clock when we get back from a double-date with Kaiba and Joey."

"Alright, fine-! Wait, when did we start having double-dates?" The confused expression on Yami's face was almost comical, but for the fact that Yugi knew if he laughed, he'd be apologizing to a sulky pharaoh all evening.

"Joey and I decided that we needed to spend time together and also get you and Kaiba to get along without wanting to duel each other, so we planned double-dates," Yugi explained, smiling brightly in his 'aren't-I-smart-it's-so-simple!' way. "We were going to invite Bakura and Ryou, too, but we decided to take it one step at a time and begin with the less violent pair: meaning you and Kaiba."

Yami stared at him for a few minutes before scowling. "We may kill each other just to spite."

"Oh, shut up. Do you want some of my burger or not?"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Tristan tilted his head as he heard his doorbell, then sighed and flipped his TV off. He was expecting some take-out, so he planned to go into his room and sulk, so his parents wouldn't come home from their date (how unfair was it that they could go out on a date and he couldn't find anyone?!) and worry about him.

Going to the door, he began pulling out his wallet as he opened it. "How much do I owe you?"

"I am not a pimp!" Serenity exclaimed angrily, wrenching on the ear she had in her hand.

Tristan looked up at her in surprise, then frowned. "…Hello… Serenity…"

She scowled at him. "I hope you were expecting someone else when you opened the door!"

"…Chinese take-out?" It was more of a question than an actual answer. He was rather frightened of what this girl could do. She was, after all, the little sister of his best friend, who had in fact impaled a wall with a phone's antenna.

"…Whatever. Valid reason," the younger girl stated, then scowled again and yanked on the ear. "Forward!"

Tristan actually felt sorry for him as Duke stumbled forward; he could see a little blood from where her nails had dug into his ear. "Um…"

"Duke would like to say something to you!" Serenity stated cheerfully, then scowled and kicked the dice-obsessed duelist in the ass, shoving him into the brunet and making them both fall on the floor. "YOU WILL WORK THIS OUT!" So saying, she turned and stomped away, muttering about how boys were idiots and how she hoped that hanging out with Téa tomorrow would make her feel better.

Tristan shoved the raven-haired boy off and growled. "Just what I needed. If it weren't for the fact that she terrifies me, I'd have kicked you off my doorstep. Get lost."

"TristanwaitpleaseI'msorry!" Duke explained, reaching out to grab his arm. "Just hear me out!"

"I may have acted straight, and I think I am straight, but if you think I'm a horrible enough person to just kick you in the balls like that emotionally then I don't even wanna be friends with you!" He tried to pry his hand off, but when that didn't work, he jerked his head away, resolutely keeping the tears that were threatening to fall in check. "…You really hurt me, Duke. I don't think I want to talk to you right now."

The other boy winced as he saw the brunet's shoulders begin shaking, then hesitantly stood. "…Okay. Maybe later then?"

He wanted to say no, to make him hurt like he'd been hurt, but he just couldn't bring himself to make anyone else feel that pain. So, nodding a little, he sighed. "Okay. Call me tomorrow and we'll see what happens."

Duke smiled hopefully and nodded. "Okay. I'll call you tomorrow then."

Tristan watched him leave out of the corner of his eye, then sighed and covered his face. "Oh, God."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey moaned softly and turned onto his back, letting his eyes flutter open as he raised a hand to push his hair out of his face. "Mmn…" He frowned in confusion. His ceiling was not blue. Sitting up quickly, fearing he may have been abducted somehow and that Seto was hurt, he was relieved to find Codi curled up on a small pouf from a container of talcum powder on the bedside table. So he hadn't been kidnapped. Then where was he?

'This must be Seto's room!' Truth be told, he'd only seen glimpses of it, when Seto had tried to invite him in and he'd peeked past him. But, he'd always been too intimidated to take him up on the offer, so he'd scuttled away to his own room; when they did have sex, it was always there (or in the shower, if Seto could finagle him into it that day). 'It's… not at all like I thought it was.'

It was large, but not overly so; one wall was covered by a bookcase, and on the other side of the bed, about ten feet away, was a desk with a desktop computer on it and a few various papers. There were dark blue curtains at the window, and in the far corner a couple of big, comfy-looking armchairs and a coffee table, where he assumed that Seto sat and read in his free time.

Looking up, he found that the reason he thought the ceiling was blue was because of the blue canopy on the four-poster bed. He sat up and looked down at the blankets covering him. There was a cotton sheet (he'd been expecting silk, actually), then a thicker blanket, and finally, the comforter. The comfort was also blue, like the canopy, while the other two were a calming cream color. It was all very comforting, but…

Why was he here?

Joey lifted his gaze quickly as he heard someone at the door, raising the blankets up to his chest anxiously, then reached over to poke Codi; he had a feeling that if he needed protection, she'd be the one to help him. …Though he didn't know why this was, considering she was tiny. "Codi!"

"Mee?" The dragon lifted her head, blinking blearily. "Mee…"

Then, the door opened, revealing his mate. Seto raised an eyebrow. "…Why are you up so early? I was planning to come get Codi so we could try and make breakfast for you."

Joey blinked innocently, then smiled. "Dinner last night and breakfast in bed? What did I do t' deserve that? …I might just do it again," he stated, voice slightly husky as he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

The brunet wondered if he knew just how provocative he was like that. If Codi hadn't been blinking at him in confusion (she had no hands. In what way was she supposed to help him?), reminding him that she was in the room, he probably would have jumped his mate. …He wasn't so sure that would have stopped him last night, though.

Seto shook his head quickly, trying to get the naughty thoughts out of his head so he wouldn't jump his bones anyway. "I've gotten most of my work done so I can spend more time with you. Okay?"

The younger boy smiled sweetly. "That sounds great! Just one question." At this, his expression darkened. "Why am I in your bed?"

"Codi wouldn't let me leave you in your room," the brunet replied, frowning. "I'm not really sure why, and she hasn't told me." He paused in thought, then smiled a little. "Maybe she's taken a liking to you."

"Oh. …I see." Joey looked at the dragon and tilted his head, then frowned. "…I dunno if I'm ready for that yet, Seto…"

He wasn't quite ready to share a bed with him, despite what they had done and were bound to do again. It just seemed… too intimate to him. That, and his parents had once shared a bed, and then seemingly one day, his mother had just left, and taken his baby sister with her. He knew logically that the two events didn't have anything to do with each other—in fact, it had more to do with when his father started sleeping on the couch instead of with his mother—but he couldn't help…

"It was just for a couple of hours." Seto walked over to him and planted a kiss on the top of his head comfortingly. "Codi came to wake me up at five to get my work done and then she made me move you."

The blond slid his arms around the older teen's waist and sighed, leaning his face into his side. "…Okay…"

"Come on. You need a shower and I think I should help you," the CEO stated, hugging him back and pulling him off the bed.

Joey squeaked and blushed. "Seto, I don't wanna—It's the morning!"

"Yes. Let's make the most of it while we have all of our energy."

"Pervertpervertpervertwhatareyadoin'ohmyGod!"

Codi tilted her head as the door to the bathroom closed, then squeaked in alarm when she heard a shriek from the Golden One. When this was followed by a playful roar and the blond's soft, repetitive cries coming in a certain rhythm, however, she realized it for what it was and her squeak turned to one of embarrassment. …Well, she could go check on that evil thing, so she didn't have her ears bleeding from hearing their sex noises.

Face settling into a determined scowl, she took to the air and made her way to Joey's room. She peeked into his room suspiciously, then moved in further, eyes fixing on the far corner. Her eyes narrowed as the beady red eyes of the Evil Thing landed on her, and she swore she could hear its rumble of displeasure. She flew over to give it a piece of her mind.

Just as Codi opened her mouth to begin shrieking at it, however, its tail came out of nowhere, slapping her into the opposite wall with a loud 'smack.' All of the air in her body rushed out in a squeaky wheeze, and then she fell to the ground, unable to move.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] I won't lie; I Googled. :3 Because it doesn't take a genius to figure out that when you can't think something up yourself, you can use other people's ideas as long as you tweak them enough to make them yours and your significant other doesn't find out. :D

[2] It's called a Russian Blue. I figured that since Ryou likes the little leader frank so much, he could get the closest thing to her. The gender may be different, but I like the idea of Bakura competing with a cat, and then taking it personally because the cat is male. The idea makes me giggle. :3