- Yesterday -

"That stupid mutt!" the CEO hissed under his breath as he yanked his favorite and only necklace off and checked it thoroughly, "he almost ruined the only picture I have of you of when we were kids."

Mokuba said nothing, remaining silent for the rest of the car ride. Kaiba noticed but decided not to call attention to it. He didn't need another lecture from his brother about being nice when the brunette hadn't done anything wrong.

The younger one of the brothers cleared his throat as soon as they entered the mansion they live in. Kaiba was already taking off his coat and handing it to a maid, instructing her to clean it well and have it dry by the next morning. Mokuba's action caught his attention and Kaiba groaned again.

"Tell me you're not about to say what I think you're going to say," he said calmly. When Mokuba didn't respond and simply stared at Kaiba, the brunette sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "he threw a milkshake at me."

"You got him fired. He cried because of you," Mokuba said quietly, frowning at his older brother, "You treat him so cruelly for someone who likes him, Seto. That was your first chance you have had with him since graduation and you just threw it away and, possibly, all future chances along with it."

"I don't need any chances with him," the taller brother gritted out, annoyed that Mokuba would bring up the sore subject. Kaiba always regretted how he had treated Jou before he got to know him. By the time the CEO realized his feelings for the blonde, it was too late. Jou hated him and Kaiba wouldn't stoop so low as to apologize and change his ways. Admitting mistakes makes one vulnerable and Kaiba didn't ever want to risk getting hurt after doing so. It would break him.

"It was just a stupid crush and I got over it."

"Is that why you kept making up excuses so he would come back to the table a million times?" Mokuba asked, smirking.

Was I being that obvious?

"I treated him as I would any other incompetent employee, Mokuba."

"I am not even allergic to chocolate!" the younger brother exclaimed, getting agitated.

"You could've been," Kaiba replied calmly.

"You didn't tell him the right order, then."

"He should've asked!" Kaiba replied, his voice getting a bit louder. He was aware that his argument was dwindling into nothing, but he wouldn't admit that he wanted to rile Jou up like the old days or even see the blonde more often.

After a moment of silence with the two brothers glaring at each other, Kaiba huffed and deflated.

"Fine. You're right. I might have let my emotions get the better of me tonight. Is that what you want to hear?" Kaiba whispered, hating how Mokuba always got him like this.

The younger brother smiled widely.

"Are you going to fix it?" Mokuba asked cheerfully. Kaiba sighed.

"Yes, I'll go get him his job back, but I am changing first."

In the blink of an eye, Kaiba found himself with an armful of Mokuba, who was smiling up at him widely and nodding at the same time.

"I wish you'd just show people how much of a good guy you are," the younger brother murmured, "Then people would stop thinking I am crazy for calling you kind."

"People are a nuisance. Who cares what they think?" the CEO growled, hating the fact that his brother gets called names because of him. Mokuba seemed to hesitate before saying the next part.

"I am also a bit worried, Seto. I love that we are close, but don't you want to have other people too?"

Seto looked down. Mokuba's eyes were wide and concerned. Kaiba knelt down to his level and rubbed his back.

"I don't need anyone else, little brother."

Whether I want a certain blonde is another story.

- Today -

It didn't take long to track down the blonde's address. He had secretly sent another driver after the blonde the day Jou got fired. The puppy was too distressed for Kaiba to just let him go home without protection. Kaiba's heart sank when the other driver informed him that the blonde was too upset to notice a car was about to hit him. He didn't show it, of course.

So, the next day, the CEO made his way to the address his driver had given him, hating every second he spent in the neighborhood. The entire street was a complete dump, filled with dealers, prostitutes, homeless people, criminals, and junkies. Kaiba was fuming. He absolutely didn't like the idea of Jou living there one bit. He had to find out how and why the blonde was forcing himself to live in these horrid conditions.

So, Kaiba waited outside Jou's door until the puppy arrived. The CEO expected a fight, punches, curses, and yelling. He expected Jou to stomp his feet in anger and turn the cute red of red he did when he was furious. Instead, Jou simply blinked once, slid into his apartment, and closed the door in Kaiba's face. No fury. No insults. No fight. So, Kaiba, in his bewilderment, did the only thing he could think of to right the situation again. He banged on the door with all his might and shouted at Jou to open it. When the blonde didn't, the CEO only did it louder until the neighbors started coming out of their doors to tell him to stop. Some of them were half-naked, some drunk, some smelly. Kaiba hated the building even more than he did a second ago. He was just going to start lock-picking the door when Jou opened it and motioned him inside through hand gestures.

Kaiba smirked. He knew what would come now. The blonde was probably furious at the CEO for causing such a ruckus. He would probably yell at Kaiba until he was blue in the face. The tall brunette frowned as Jou simply shut the door behind them then plopped himself down on a dusty mattress placed directly on the floor, and huddled into a ball, burying his face in the arms wrapped around his bent knees and leaning on the wall for support.

"What's wrong?"

The words were out before Kaiba was even aware he had thought them. He couldn't help it. He had never seen Jou so defeated and helpless. His guilt tripled upon the sight.

Is this all because he lost his job?

The manager treated him like crap!

He couldn't have been happy there.

Now that I think of it, I don't like the way that manager was talking to Jou.

Or the way he spoke about Jou.

Like Jou was disposable, not important, not human.

Kaiba gritted his teeth in fury. No one should treat his precious puppy like that. The CEO blinked and backtracked.

Just puppy.

He's not precious.

And he is definitely not mine.

Choking noises brought Kaiba out of his thoughts. His gaze instantly landed on Jou, who was sobbing violently, choking on air while trying to get his breath to even out again. Kaiba's hard gaze softened immediately and he just stood there gaping, not knowing what else to do.

Say something you idiot!

Make him feel better.

"I'm here to tell you that I was going to get your job back at that stupid burger place."

At that, Jou's wet eyes finally rose to meet Kaiba's.

"W-why would y-you do something nice for me?" the blonde whispered. Kaiba smiled internally. At least Jou was speaking to him now.

"You need to check your ears, mutt," the CEO started, intending on dragging the conversation out for as long as he could. He didn't want to leave Jou like this. "I said I was going to get your job back. I've decided against it."

The brunette's eyebrows furrowed as bitter chuckling filled the room. Jou's next statement shocked him to the very core.

"You know, Kaiba, the sad thing is...You would've been very hot if not for that mouth and your entire personality for that matter."

The CEO just stood there, eyes wide with his mouth hanging open, watching as Jou leaped off the bed and came closer, so close.

"I've always wanted to kiss you," the blonde whispered shakingly, looking at his feet as he stood in front of Kaiba, "would you be too mad if I did?"

The brunette couldn't form a coherent response, the only voice leaving his mouth a deep sigh. He never knew how much he wanted to hear those words until Jou said them. But the whole situation was beyond his wildest dreams. It couldn't be this easy, right? After years of what Mokuba calls 'pinning' after Jou, Kaiba gets to have him? Just like that?

The blonde didn't take the brunette's silence as a good sign and started to sob again.

"Please, Kaiba," he choked out, "I ain't ever kissed anyone before."

He wants me to be his first kiss?

Am I dreaming?

I thought you hated me, Jou.

Kaiba looked at the blonde's state and, though it pained him, had to admit that it just wouldn't be right to do anything with Jou right now. The puppy was too distressed to make good choices and firsts may matter to him.

The brunette slowly raised his hand and wiped the tears from Jou's cheek, his insides screaming at him not to do this, but he had to.

"Come find me when you're more...certain. I'll give you what you want," he said softly, then pulled his hand away.

Jou's head immediately snapped up. He glared at Kaiba through wet, red eyes as he furiously wiped away the tears on his cheeks with both his hands.

"I ain't a damsel in distress, Kaiba," he hissed, much to the surprise of the CEO, "I asked you for something. It ain't my fault you're too chicken to follow through."

Seeing Jou return to his normal, feisty self was enough for the brunette. He couldn't hold back anymore as he quickly smashed his lips upon Jou's and claimed dominance, shoving his tongue in the blonde's mouth and enjoying his unique taste. Jou stumbled back a bit, not expecting the Brunette's actions, then dragged Kaiba down on top of him on the mattress, moaning into the kiss.

Kaiba reveled in the noises that Jou was making, suddenly needing to touch every inch of the blonde. But, as the brunette was just about to lift Jou's shirt, he sensed something small moving beside his head before he felt antennae brushing against his cheek. He gasped loudly and shot up off the bed, taking the blonde with him into a standing position. He instantly looked down at Jou when he felt his puppy shaking in his arms. Jou was laughing hysterically.

"Y-you should've seen your face!" the blonde said between laughs, "It was just a cockroach, Kaiba."

Kaiba's heart warmed as he listened to Jou's soft laugh. Then, he realized their position and took his arms off the blonde, quickly regaining his composure.

"Just a cockroach?!" he hissed, the disgust evident in his voice, "Do I look like some kind of homeless person who would be used to having such vile creatures touch my face?"

Jou's laughter stopped there and he groaned, bringing his hand up to slap his forehead as if Kaiba was missing something.

"I ain't a homeless person. Not all of us can afford fancy-ass houses in nice neighborhoods, moneybags."

If Kaiba had been unsure of his decision before, which he wasn't, that statement only made him more certain that it needed to be done.

"It's a good thing your new job has room and board so you could learn to live like a damn human being then."

Kaiba knew the anger was evident in his voice, but he couldn't help it. Jou didn't deserve to live like this. The brunette smirked when he saw the confused look on the blonde's face.

"Right, I didn't get a chance to say," the brunette continued, "I decided against getting you your old job back, but my secretary took off unexpectedly yesterday, so here."

The blonde reached out his hand to catch the KaibaCorp key card being thrown his way, but it fell to the ground three inches away from where the blonde's hand was. Jou cleared his throat and picked it up, then, surprising the brunette for the third time that day, placed it back in Kaiba's hands with a sad smile on his face.

"I don't think so, Kaiba," the blonde said, shaking his head "but getting me my job back would help me big time if you could."

He's rejecting my offer?

To go work for that manager?!

WHY?!

Could he hate me that much?

Could that kiss have meant nothing to him?

He seemed to like it...to like me.

As if reading Kaiba's mind, Jou quickly reassured him.

"It's got nothin' to do with you," he said firmly, then looked deep in thought, "I just don't like computers very much is all."

Kaiba smirked. That was it? That was the only thing keeping him and his puppy on opposite ends of the city? Well, it was about to change.

"The weekly salary is 50,000 yen."