Jou woke up with his worst nightmare coming to life. Everything was dark, but it wasn't like the usual flickering out he was used to. This seemed and felt more...permanent. He was crying but he didn't feel the tears running down his cheeks for some reason. He pulled his hand towards his face and realized there was something covering his eyes. Had his father blindfolded him? It didn't matter now. He couldn't hear or sense the man. He needed to finish things before his father attacked him again. His hand instinctively went to his pants pocket, but he found that it was empty. The blonde started to shake in fear. Where was it? He kept it in his pocket at all times. Did his old man take it away? Jou would never be able to find something sharp enough if he couldn't see. Maybe it was on the floor? He could feel around for it. As soon as the blonde sat up though, he was surprised to find that pain didn't coarse through his body like usual. He was even more surprised that the bed suddenly touched his back while a weird motor noise ran through the room. What was happening? Where was he?
"Don't freak out. It is a medical bed. I am just bending the back so you'd feel more comfortable," came a familiar voice. Jou whimpered, memories of the precious night...or was it morning? He didn't know anymore, coming back to him. Kaiba had found him. The CEO had seen...Did he know who the man was?
"Was...Did you...Where…" the blonde tried to ask, but his words came out choked. He was too afraid. His vision wasn't coming back and Kaiba was there. He wouldn't let Jou do anything to himself. He'd try to control him again. Maybe if the blonde bid his time and pretended to be fine with everything he'd eventually find a way to end it. That wasn't how he wanted to go, though.
"He got away, but I can have him behind bars in a second if you give me a name," the CEO said with a calm tone. After a few seconds of silence, after which it was clear that Jou wouldn't say anything, Kaiba continued "You had the surgery. The doctor says your eyes will be as good as new in a week."
Jou's mouth hung open at that, anger flooding his insides. He started to yell at Kaiba.
"You...you paid for it?! How could you do that? I'll never be able to pay you back!" he started, but shut his mouth as soon as he felt Kaiba's hand cover his own and squeeze it.
"I was a jerk to you. I apologize. I know I might never be able to make it up to you, but...I didn't want you to lose your sight. I didn't know you were in trouble, Jou. And seeing you like that...I wanted to help and protect you. The doctor informed me while I was in shock. It was a preventable loss, so I acted impulsively. That's not to say I wouldn't have done the same thing again if I could go back. My doctor isn't a legal one, per say; he didn't need your confirmation to go through with the procedure, so he took mine. That's the last time I'll ever make a decision on your behalf. I simply didn't want to risk waiting for you to wake up and argue with me about the cost, puppy. You're too precious for something like this to happen to you. Don't you realize how much you mean to me? I know I don't show it, but I fell in love with you and I couldn't risk you walking away after you woke up and...losing your sight as a result. I had to act quickly. Is there any part of you that understands that?"
Jou deflated at that. Kaiba's voice held so much emotion and sincerity. But, still…
"I can't ever pay you back," the blonde repeated didn't know what else to say. It was the only thing going through his mind at the moment. Kaiba owned him now. He wasn't free like he wanted to be. He was indebted to another person, one who has already shown that he has a possessive, controlling side.
"How would you have reacted if Serenity had refused your money? If she let herself go blind because of it? Would you be happy that you got to keep the money?"
"Of course, not," Jou snapped. It wasn't the same though.
"Did you force her or even want her to pay you back after she had the surgery?"
"No!"
"Then why are you being so stubborn?"
"I don't know!" Jou said, panting. He didn't like where this conversation was going. Kaiba didn't seem to be lying, but what if he was just saying this in the heat of the moment? What if he goes back to being a controlling jerk if Jou gives in? What if he uses this against him later on? The blonde wouldn't belong to him. He couldn't.
"Let's discuss this more after you get your vision back, alright?" Kaiba asked with a softer voice. Jou found himself nodding absentmindedly, trying to calculate how long it would take him to pay Kaiba the money if he had his old secretary job back. Would the CEO even let him return? He had thoroughly destroyed a project that Kaiba had been slaving over for months. Suddenly, he felt guilty. He needed to make up for that as well.
"Stop thinking so hard, puppy," Kaiba murmured and Jou smiled slightly. Even after everything, the brunette could still read him so well.
The brunette finally got Jou to agree to drop the subject for a least a week. Jou couldn't turn Kaiba down when the brunette offered him his old room back at the mansion. He couldn't exactly go back to his apartment with the door off its hinges, and he was almost certain his father would come back again. Not to mention it was very difficult for him to navigate basic tasks when he couldn't see anything.
What Jou didn't expect was for Kaiba to enter his room the first day with a tray, take his hand, and gently place it on every utensil and item on the tray until Jou had it memorized so he could eat without help.
"What time is it?" Jou asked when he began to eat and noticed that Kaiba wasn't leaving the room.
"It's 10:00," the brunette said with a casual voice. Jou choked on a bite of his food.
"Kaiba, tell me you ain't missin' a day of work just to watch me eat," Jou joked, placing a hand on his chest in emphasis. He heard Kaiba hum.
"No. I am not missing a day of work to watch you eat. I am not going into the office for a week so I could help you if you need it,"
Jou turned towards the source of Kaiba's voice and spoke firmly.
"I don't need babysitting, Kaiba. Go do your work. I know it's the most important thing to you anyways."
Jou continued to eat slowly, hoping the brunette would get up and leave. He wasn't ungrateful. He just didn't want Kaiba to do anything more for him. The brunette had already done enough.
"Work is definitely not the most important thing to me. And - and I am not doing this for you," he heard the brunette say hesitantly. That caught Jou's attention. He knew what the first part of the brunette's statement implied, but assumed the CEO was talking about his brother. No matter how weirdly emotional and honest Kaiba has been since Jou's surgery, the blonde knew that the brunette would never just casually admit that JOU was more important to him than his work. Could he?
"Who else would you be doing this for?" Jou asked instead. He didn't want to know the answer to the other question. Kaiba had an unfair advantage right now. Jou couldn't possibly leave the mansion at all for the week, and, if the last two days at that weird illegal place and today have been any evidence, the brunette was planning on using this week to get Jou to forgive him or get them back together or...something. Jou didn't know what the brunette wanted to accomplish by being so nice, but it was working. Jou found himself slowly enjoying the CEO's presence again. He didn't want that. He wanted to be pissed at Kaiba. He had a right to be.
"I am doing it for me. I feel guilty, Jou. I never should've forced you to stay at Kaiba Corp when you clearly didn't want to."
"I don't think you need to make up for that, rich boy. I already cost ya company billions. Did you forget?" Jou said hurriedly. He wanted the conversation over with. Kaiba was being genuine and that was weird. Why was he being so nice to Jou? When would the other shoe drop as it always did? What the hell was happening? What could the brunette possibly want that he would be willing to be this...vulnerable.
"It didn't," he heard the CEO whisper. Strangely, Jou felt relieved. At least he hadn't made a colossal mistake. Maybe Kaiba would be open to him getting his old job back.
Do I even want to be his secretary while he's being this weird?
He wants something.
And I have nothing to give.
Less than nothing.
I even owe him millions.
That combination doesn't work.
I need that job, though.
I'll never be able to pay him back without it!
"Did you find a new secretary who fixed the mistake then?" Jou asked, deciding to dip his toe in the water.
"No. The email was never sent in the first place. Kaiba Corp has a strict filtration system. They send me alerts whenever one of my employees is doing something suspicious. You have no idea what other companies would be willing to do to get their hands on one of my product designs."
"What? You mean to tell me that you humiliated me in front of everyone for no damn reason?!" Jou snapped, quickly putting the tray aside and jumping out of bed. He stomped his way over to where he was sure he heard Kaiba's voice from.
"You're lucky I can't see right now or I'd be beating the crap outta ya. Is this what you've been buttering me up for these past few days?" he yelled in Kaiba's face only to feel a hand turning him to face the other way and felt Kaiba's breath on his face. He had been yelling at an empty chair. He must have looked like a fool.
"I thought you had done it on purpose," he heard Kaiba whisper. Jou did a double take but otherwise stayed silent. He was more furious than confused. So furious. Finally, Kaiba sighed and continued "you seemed so eager and willing to get away from me and, when I told you you had to stay, you were so mad and moody. I thought you sabotaged the company on purpose. I-I thought you hated me and wanted to leave me enough to risk Kaiba Corp."
Jou felt like he had been slapped in the face. How could Kaiba ever think he would do that?
"Tell the driver to take me home," he said with a low, cold tone.
"Jou…"
"No!" he snapped, "If you meant what you said about not trying to control me anymore, you'll tell 'em to take me home now. If you think I could ever do that to you, then you clearly think very low of me."
"W-what was I supposed to think, Jou?" Kaiba suddenly yelled. It was the first time he had raised his voice since Jou's surgery, "we were- we were fine one second and- and then we had one lousy freaking fight and you just- you just stop talking to me and demand that you resign? I-I thought it was a joke at first. I mean, no one gets that upset that fast. But you did and you didn't even tell me why and you wanted to leave me forever. I don't work well with illogical matters, Jou.I needed to understand it. I needed to make sense of it because none of it made any sense unless you didn't care about me enough to begin with. I understand that you didn't want me to know because I would've offered to pay for the surgery. Of course, I would've. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I didn't, alright? But- but if I could forgive you for lying to me about something so...and-and you wanting to leave me with no explanation and not even giving me a chance to change your mind…so you wouldn't...so you wouldn't..."
"Go blind?" Jou finished after a few seconds of silence with the only sound in the room being Kaiba's heavy breathing. Was the brunette having a panic attack?
"Yes," the CEO choked out, his voice sounding further away from Jou than it initially was.
"Kaiba are you alright?" Jou asked the whole room, unable to tell where the brunette was or why he moved away.
"I'm fine," came the hoarse reply, "I was just trying to say that if I could forgive you for keeping that from me, then you can forgive me for everything that happened as a result."
Jou frowned slightly. The brunette was trying to hide it, but he was definitely crying or near tears. He wouldn't be faking that, right? What would be the purpose? Everything he was saying was true. Jou couldn't claim otherwise. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't really blame Kaiba all that much for how the brunette reacted. It was completely understandable. Suddenly, Jou felt guilty as well.
"I forgive you. And - and I'm sorry too…" he said, choosing not to call attention to the brunette's distress. Kaiba wouldn't like that. Jou did want to distract him, though. He continued "I had no idea me not losing my vision meant so much to ya, but I am fine now. I don't want you to miss any work because of me."
"I'm not missing anything. I was on my laptop when we started this conversation," Kaiba said after he regained his composure. Jou jumped when he found that the brunette was suddenly right next to him, holding his arm and leading him back to the bed, "perhaps you should finish breakfast."
Jou stubbornly shook his head, trying to find the source of the brunette's voice so he could face Kaiba. He couldn't wait for these stupid bandages to come off.
"Oh please, I woulda heard that annoying typing noise a hundred miles away. I know you weren't working earlier" Jou said, glad the atmosphere around them was less tense now. He heard Kaiba's hum of approval.
"You've complained about it enough times that I went out and bought one that makes no such noise."
Jou burst out laughing at the thought of Kaiba throwing his old laptop in the dumpster just because of one annoying little feature.
"Yeah. That sounds about right," he got out between laughs. His heart dropped when he heard the bedroom door close. Did he just somehow offend Kaiba? Was the brunette going to turn into a silent jerk again now that he had Jou's forgiveness.
The blonde breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the door open and close again. He refrained from saying anything, afraid he might somehow upset Kaiba again and cause him to leave.
"If you find me buying the other device so unnecessary, then you won't mind me working on this one for the next week," Jou heard Kaiba say, then felt the brunette sit right next to him on the bed then type away with an annoying clicking sound. The blonde groaned and pressed his hands to his ears.
"Ay, Kaiba, either you bring that fancy-schmancy silent one back here or one of us is going to be forced to leave the room and it ain't going to be me," Jou said firmly, then smiled when he heard Kaiba chuckle then leave the room to get the other device. His heart was content, but his mind wasn't. Now that Kaiba was gone, Jou finally had enough time to do the math. If he was right, it would take the blonde 20 years of work to pay Kaiba back and that's only if Jou never spends a single dime on himself.