Jou slept in the limo ride back as he usually does and Kaiba couldn't help but stare at the puppy, noticing how his face was contorted in pain. The brunette suddenly had this urge to protect the blonde and get rid of anyone who was making him suffer.

He gently shook Jou awake when they arrived and led the sleepy puppy into the house. As soon as they arrived at their hallway, there was an awkward silence. Kaiba didn't want to be the one to initiate a kiss twice in one day, but, at the same time, he felt a need to kiss the blonde goodnight, if only to reassure himself that they wouldn't go back to being just co-workers in the morning. Unless…

Did he just kiss back because I am his boss?

He wouldn't do that, right?

He would tell me if I cross any boundaries?

Within a sinking feeling, the brunette realized that the puppy wouldn't say anything. The old Jou would've, but he wasn't like that anymore. He was more nervous and unsure of himself than Kaiba had ever seen him. For the first time, the CEO wondered what had brought upon the change.

"Umm...Kaiba, listen. I-I really need this job, okay? More than I've ever needed anything and...You understand what I am saying, right?" the blonde suddenly whispered, looking at the ground.

I most definitely do NOT understand.

It sounds like the puppy is breaking up with me before we even get together.

Why would he fear for his job?

I've shown him more appreciation than I've shown in all my years as a CEO combined.

Or does he mean that he doesn't want to be with me at all.

"Try making sure what you're about to say makes sense before opening your mouth, you stupid mutt!" Kaiba yelled, then hurriedly went into the nearest room. He was too angry. He needed to calm down before doing anything.

"I don't think he was saying no, big brother," he heard Mokuba say from his bed and turned around. His brother was sitting up and looking at him with sympathy.

"Mokuba...I'm sorry if I woke you up." the brunette said quietly and turned to walk out. His brother's voice stopped him.

"Don't go. It's okay. I am up anyway, so aren't you going to tell me what happened?"

Kaiba sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed then started recounting all the details of the past hour. When he was done, Mokuba looked ecstatic, and Kaiba just groaned.

"What's that smile for? He doesn't even want to."

"He never said that, Seto. He just said he cares about his job. You need to reassure him that you two being together won't jeopardize anything."

"Mokuba," the CEO started, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I don't know how more reassuring I can possibly be."

At that, the black-haired brother just laughed.

"It doesn't have to be verbal or written this time. Just somehow prove to him that you are very serious about this and won't fire him or whatever." Mokuba said, then yawned loudly. Kaiba gave a slight smile then kissed his brother's forehead and tucked him in.

"I am sure I'll think of something," the brunette said quietly as he walked out.

Jou tried not to give the kiss much thought, though he failed miserably. His insides were screaming at him that this was the universe finally giving him something good in his life, something to look forward to. But, deep down, he couldn't stop worrying. What would happen when Kaiba inevitably grew tired of Jou, when the CEO finds out about the blonde's past? Would he only end whatever relationship they had? Or would he go so far as to fire Jou as well? If that happened, it would be the end of him. In a twisted way, Jou's health and life were in Kaiba's hands, and, as much as the blonde liked the brunette, Jou didn't like that. It wasn't safe. It wasn't guaranteed. Nothing in Jou's life was.

I just need to get through this month.

Then, I'll have enough for the tests.

I'll have them, then get the surgery.

Then I can be with him without worrying about my job.

It won't matter that much if I get fired after that.

I'll be able to see. I could live freely, even if it's on the damn streets.

He slept in the limo again on their way to work. He hated doing that. He didn't like the vulnerability that came with falling asleep in public places, but he was exhausted and determined to get enough rest to function properly. He wanted the new schedule he created to work. He cared a lot about the Kaiba brothers' happiness and the blonde, himself, would get more rest if the schedule worked out.

He was doing well on time and finishing tasks quicker than he ever thought possible, although it might've just been the fact that he wanted to get the older Kaiba home to his brother even earlier than the new schedule had planned. Jou knew that he had mad Kaiba angry the night earlier and the blonde wanted to make it up to the CEO in any way possible. They hadn't even spoken properly about their fight, remaining silent until they parted ways in the halls of the Kaiba Corp building. They couldn't speak now, though. They both had a lot of other tasks left and needed to hurry.

"Puppy, come into the office."

The blonde's eyes widened and he gulped. Was Kaiba going to fire him? He couldn't have made the CEO that mad. He hadn't barely said two words to him.

Oh God.

This is it.

He is going to get rid of me.

How could I have been so stupid?

Why did I say anything?

I should've let him do whatever he wanted.

Now, I'll be out of a job.

My life is over.

"P-please let me stay until the end of the week. Y-you don't have to even see me. I'll come earlier and leave later than you. I-I just really want the schedule to work," the blonde sobbed out when he entered the office, in tears by the time he closed the door behind him. He meant every word. Kaiba could be an ass all he wanted. Mokuba was still Jou's friend and the blonde would see to it that the black-haired boy gets to spend time with his brother.

"Jounouchi," he heard the brunette say softly. Jou raised his head and was met with concerned blue eyes. The CEO suddenly got up, took Jou's hand, dragged him back to the desk, and sat the blonde down on Kaiba's seat, then knelt in front of him with a sad smile. The brunette placed a hand on Jou's cheek, forcing the blonde to look up.

"I'm not firing you, puppy. I don't know what made you think your job was in jeopardy, but I wanted to ease your fear," he said gently, then gestured to a strange paper that was laid out on his desk, "That is a contract that says if I fire you before your original contract is up, I'll have to pay you 10,000,000 yen. It's binding and there are no loopholes. I was calling you in here to have you sign it."

10...10 million?!

Is he serious?

The blonde's heart warmed at the effort Kaiba was putting into making him feel better, not that it changed Jou's perspective one bit.

You're an idiot, Kaiba.

An idiot who shouldn't make promises he can't keep.

You'll see. You're going to get sick of me one day and regret ever drawing up this contract.

Everyone tosses me aside eventually.

It's not their fault I'm a broken, repulsive plaything.

That's just the life I was dealt.

Strangely enough, the gesture was still well-received and Jou had calmed down entirely. He still feared for his job, but at least, now, when Kaiba got rid of him, he'd have enough money to both do the tests and have the surgery. It would be fine.

"Thank you, sir," the blonde said, wiping the tears at his cheeks with his hands, then quickly signing the document.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? If your schedule works, and I know it will, we'll be off work by 9."

Jou slowly shook his head. He couldn't go anywhere.

"I..umm...I ain't got no cash, Kaiba and I don't want you paying for everything," he said quietly, looking at the floor, then got off Kaiba's seat, turning his back to the brunette, "we can have dinner at home, though. If it's all the same to you?"

Once he heard Kaiba's hum of approval, Jou nodded and left the office, not looking back at the CEO, and went instantly to his desk. Despite all his fears, Jou couldn't help but smile, a little excited for the simple dinner. It meant a lot to him that Kaiba didn't fight him on the money issue and agreed to have dinner at the house. So far, the brunette wasn't acting like Jou's former bosses, so the blonde felt like he could relax. He was safe. His job was safe. He had Kaiba's interest. For now.

"Thank you for agreeing to this," the blonde said as they walked into the mansion at 9:20 sharp. The brunette gave him a puzzled look and stopped in front of the door to the dining room.

"I was the one who asked," he said slowly, as if testing Jou's hearing. The blonde found Kaiba's confused expression a bit cute, though.

"Yeah, I know. I know. Just...thanks for agreeing for it to be here and all."

At that, Kaiba smirked and said "you try saying no to a crying puppy."

Jounouchi blushed furiously, both embarrassed about the situation and angry that Kaiba would bring it up now. Was the brunette trying to humiliate him?

"It's not like I was crying for no reason. I know you don't get it, moneybags, but any regular employer out there would've booted my ass outta their company if the same thing had happened with them. You should've seen what that stupid Cheesy Crisps manager did when…" the blonde said loudly, then clamped his mouth shut as a dark shadow passed across the brunette's face and Kaiba scowled. Jou continued "Hiroto said no to his advances."

When Kaiba didn't say anything and continued to stare wide-eyed at the blonde, Jou put his face in his hands and groaned.

"I've just completely ruined the night, haven't I? Well, you've lasted longer with me than I thought you would, I'll give ya that," he said, then turned to leave. Before he could take a single step, Kaiba grabbed his arm and dragged him into the dining room. Jou tried to hide his flinch when he was forced to sit down on a seat at the table.

He won't hurt me.

He won't hurt me.

I think.

"Shut up and be impressed already," the brunette told Jou firmly as he took a seat across from the blonde.

And Jou was very impressed. Somehow, the brunette had arranged for the entire dining room to be remodeled into a more romantic setting. The long brown table that used to be there was replaced by a small, round one that fit two people exactly. It was covered with a white cloth, above which candles and wine glasses were placed. The dining room was fancier than any restaurant Jou had seen before. The CEO had somehow brought the 'dine-out' setting into the room because Jou wouldn't eat out with him. His heart warmed at the thought that Kaiba did all this for him. He didn't think anyone would care about his comfort or happiness enough to do this.

"Thank you. It's beautiful in here," he whispered breathlessly.

"It was the servants who did all of this. I merely instructed them."

"You know what I mean, Kaiba," Jou said, rolling his eyes. The CEO smirked.

"I have an IQ of 160. I always know what you mean."

They were both silent for a moment before Jou said "I can't believe.." at the same time that Kaiba said "I really…"

Kaiba chuckled and said "You go."

"I was just going to say I can't believe we actually made it back before 10. It's a miracle," the blonde said, tired from the long day, but excited at the fact that they would both get adequate rest if they kept at their current pace. Kaiba smiled at him lovingly.

"And I was going to say I appreciate all the work you've put in for the schedule. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for, puppy."

"Yeah, right," Jou said, then snorted before realizing he said it out loud and looked down in embarrassment. Suddenly he felt Kaiba grasp his hand on the table and looked up. Kaiba still had a soft expression on his face.

"I don't say things I don't mean, puppy. It's not a compliment. I've had 26 secretaries before you and all they did was complain about the workload. Not one of them thought of a method to lessen it as you have. You really fascinate me, Jounuchi, in more ways than one."

Jounouchi couldn't believe his ears. Was Kaiba really saying those things? The brunette caught on to Jou's train of thoughts and laughed slightly.

"I am not very good at emotional conversations, puppy, which is why you might find that I don't show my appreciation a lot. That doesn't mean I take everything I have for granted," he said quietly, giving the blonde's hand a firm squeeze.

"I am glad I could help, Kaiba."

They both smiled at each other for a moment before a servant in a suit came to the table with menus.

"You really went all out, huh?" Jou asked with a giggle. Kaiba smiled but said nothing as Jou scanned the menu. The blonde looked up at him in confusion, then asked "What? Aren't you going to order anything?"

"I already know what I want. I personally chose the items and designed the menu," the brunette said with a nod.

"Are you sure you know what you want? You aren't going to send the poor guy back to the kitchen a thousand times?" Jou joked, recalling their experience at Cheesy Crisps, then he froze.

Did I just make things awkward?

Damn it.

Why did I have to bring that up?

"I'm not going to do that," Kaiba said firmly, "afterall, there's no reason I want to see him more than once."

Jou blushed as he realized what Kaiba meant. The humiliating experience he had as a waiter went to the back of his mind. He couldn't really be mad at Kaiba after everything the CEO did for him. For the first time in his life, Jou could actually say he felt safe and comfortable in a place.

The waiter came back and took their orders, bringing a bottle of wine with him and proceeding to pour some into Kaiba's glass. Jou could guess it was expensive because he couldn't pronounce its name. When the waiter brought the bottle over to Jounouchi's glass, though, the blonde placed a firm hand over it, shaking his head frantically. Alcohol brought up some very bad memories. He had long ago promised never to touch the stuff and could never really see what the fuss was all about.

"Do you not like it? I can order any kind you like," Kaiba suddenly said, looking at Jou with a raised eyebrow.

"Nah. Thanks, Kaiba, but I don't drink," he said firmly. He wasn't the best employee when it came to work ethics, mostly because of what past employers asked of him, but this was the one thing that was his and he wouldn't go back on it for anything. His other employers weren't very pleased about it, but he was hoping Kaiba wouldn't push him.

And the brunette didn't. He surprised Joey by nodding his head slightly then telling the waiter to take the wine and both their cups away.

"Y-you didn't have to do that. I wouldn't have minded if you had some," he said once the guy had left. Kaiba just smirked.

"Really? You wouldn't have minded at all?" Kaiba asked and Jou shook his head, then the brunette continued "I have met with a lot of clients for dinner, puppy. They only refuse to drink if they are recovering alcoholics, are repulsed by alcohol, or have had bad experiences with it. In all cases, they become uncomfortable with anyone who consumes alcohol in their presence. You don't have to lie to me."

Jounouchi gulped. He had underestimated Kaiba's ability to read people. Everything the brunette said was on point, and the blonde knew he needed to offer an explanation now.

"Listen, Kaiba, I-" Jou started, not really knowing how he would continue.

"You don't have to tell me right now, either," the brunette said, interrupting Jou, then offered him a reassuring smile, and asked if he wanted a soda.

"That sounds perfect," Jou said with a smile. In that moment, he found himself admiring the man in front of him more than he ever had before.

Maybe it'll be alright.

L - Thank you so much for your comment! Yeah, I feel like both their pride and their different social status would pose problems in their relationship. It doesn't seem like a lot of fanfics recognize this, though, either making one of them OOC or both of them having the same status in an AU. I am trying to get their personalities and reactions right in this fic. Not sure if I am accomplishing that. There will be PLENTY of drama, though, even after Jou is 'out of the woods'. In that, you are right.