Booty Call Rule #14: No sleepovers.
Whenever possible, hook up at a hotel. Don't let your lives overlap, don't let your clothes get mixed up, don't leave your things at his place.
If he absolutely must come over to your house, don't let him fall asleep there. Make him leave, even if it means dumping his sleeping body in the back of your limo and telling your driver to dump him on his own doorstep.
Because if you make the mistake of letting him stay the night, sleeping in the same bed, and waking up in each others' arms, you've let yourself go too far.
The pale sunlight filtered gently between the tiny crack between the curtains, casting a soft light on the two teens laying side by side in an enormous bed, wrapped around each other like lovers.
Joey was the first one to wake up.
He opened his eyes, blinked away the blur of sleep, and looked down at the man sleeping in his embrace.
Seto Kaiba.
He looked so peaceful, so calm in sleep, that he almost looked happy. There was something soft in his expression, something that Joey'd never seen there before. The blond was too warm, too comfortable like this to move away, but that didn't explain why he let his lips graze Seto's cheek.
Sapphire eyes opened just as Joey was lifting his face away, but the moment their eyes locked, the blond froze. After a few moments of simple staring, Kaiba lifted a hand to cup Joey's cheek, then brought his face down again for a proper kiss. Joey kissed him eagerly, even as the brunette rolled them over so that he had the high ground. Kaiba pushed Joey's bangs out of his face with a gentle hand as the blond pulled the sheets down more closely around them for warmth.
Then Kaiba did something Joey'd never seen before.
Seto Kaiba smiled.
A true, honest-to-goodness smile, born of untainted happiness.
So, Joey smiled back.
They kissed again, and again, and more times than they could count. When Kaiba's hands stroked his side, Joey's sensitive skin was tickled, and he laughed.
So, Seto laughed too.
It was as if they'd both been freed from all restraints, and they could allow themselves to engage in all the little affectionate things they could never do before, like making eye contact while they made love, calling each other by their first names, sharing an unnecessary number of kisses simply because they wanted to. The way Joey butted his nose into Seto's cheek and put his arms around his neck to keep him close. The way that, as he got close, Seto stopped and pulled Joey's arms away so that he could interlock their fingers with both hands, palms pressed together as Kaiba moved between Joey's legs. The way that the brunette kissed the underside of his partner's jaw and the curve of his collarbone as Joey went limp in the afterglow.
They couldn't seem to break apart. Even when they were done, they stayed close, connected. Kaiba held Joey to his chest and rolled onto his back, bringing the blond with him. Joey lifted his head and smiled sleepily at the brunette, speaking their first real words of the morning.
"Good morning."
"Good morning to you too. Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, you?"
"Quite well."
Joey relaxed again and let his head loll against Seto's shoulder. Kaiba started stroking Joey's hair, feeling the strands flow soft and smooth between his fingers.
"You matter to me, Joey, but I never meant for that to happen." His admission was honest and blunt, but not meant to insult.
"Yeah, I'm kinda surprised at myself for having a soft spot for such a nerd like you."
Of all the things to call him, nerd was not high on the list of Kaiba's expectations, and it prompted another laugh from him.
"I mean, you're a real dork, you know," Joey teased, smile broad as the brunette continued to laugh, the sound echoing and vibrating through his broad chest. "A downright dweeb, if ya ask me, and I know you do your best to hide it, but honestly, Kaiba, ya stick out like a sore thumb that way."