Hm, one of my last comments was a compliment for my fast updates. Sorry :-)

Still giggling Joey and Kaiba made it back to the bedroom. Joey left puddles all over the floor and Kaiba urged him to change clothes. So Joey put some dry things for both of them out of the closet and started undressing. Kaiba sat on the bed and stared to the wall opposite Joey. But he couldn't help some short glimpses. To his own surprise he found him bony but well shaped. Joey's movements showed some trained muscles and his skin shimmered in the light coming from the window. Irritated by his fascination Kaiba looked down at his hands. "What about you?" Joey interrupted Kaiba's thoughts. He was now fully dressed and looked at the still half naked Kaiba. "You should be more careful and dress up." He put dry shirt and shorts in Kaiba's hands. Kaiba stood up and pulled the shirt over his head. He felt nervous and didn't want Joey to watch him but Joey was busy changing the sheets. "You must be tired," Joey said when he had finished his work. "Not really. Maybe exhausted but I don't feel sleepy," Kaiba answered vague. The truth was he could fall asleep within seconds but he didn't want Joey to leave him alone for rest. Joey frowned "Nevertheless you should lay down again. Would you like to listen to some music? I can bring you the kitchen radio." Kaiba nodded and Joey left for the kitchen. It took him a while and when he came back he not only carried the radio which was already turned on but a tablet with two glasses of water and a bowl of soup. The sight of the second glass made Kaiba smile. "You must eat something. I am sorry, it is just an instant soup but it is better then one made by me. I am not a big chef de cuisine", Joey said and put the tablet on the bedside table. He passed the bowl to Kaiba and sat on the floor. "You can sit on the bed with me. I think this would be much more comfortable for you", Kaiba heard himself say. "Okay", was the careless answer and Joey climbed on the bed. The radio was playing some popmusic. "Do you like the band?", Joey asked in a conversational tone. Kaiba who was sipping soup just nodded. The soup was very hot and the taste was nothing special but while eating he realized how hungry he was. Joey started bubbling about different music groups and didn't care about Kaiba being silent. When he finished the bowl he leaned back and listened to Joey. Joey was a lively speaker who used a lot of gestures and amusing accentuations. Kaiba enjoyed this entertainment but he wasn't able to follow the content. The extraordinary body-language was much more fascinating and again Kaiba was irritated about his interest. This time he concentrated more on Joey's face which was dominated by hypnotizing blue eyes. Kaiba tried to remember something so blue but a sudden question of Joey brought him back to earth. "What did you ask?", Kaiba managed to say.

"Oh, I must have bored you, right? Well, I asked about your favourite music. But of course, maybe you don't have the time to listen seriously to music. The company and all the games are your priority in life, right?"

"Hm, not exactly. You forgot Mokuba."

"I am sorry. But it doesn't look like you are spending too much time with him. I mean, he is with you all the time but you doesn't seem to notice him more than usual."

"Things are not always what they look like." Kaiba's voice sounded a bit harder.

"Don't be offended. I just can tell about the things I see."

Kaiba hesitated for a moment. "Right" he said with a shrug.

Joey shook his head. "I don't get it. You are maybe not the dumbarse I always thought you are. Why aren't you a bit nicer?"

"That's me", Kaiba said cynically.

"But not all the time. When you had the nightmare you were different."

"I am not proud of this outburst. Of course someone's personality has different shades. But I don't want to show weakness to others. That's why I am here. I need to calm down and then I can go on. I just have to believe you are taking confidentiality seriously."

Joey looked towards the window. "I will but being nice is no weakness. I never would say so."

"You are not in my position" Kaiba told him matter-of-factly. "Apart from our meetings during the duels you don't know my life. The company can be a scaring place. I worked my whole life to survive in this demanding atmosphere. It's nasty sometimes and I am trying my best to stay on top. In my opinion kindness doesn't help too much."

"So you are telling me your bossy attitude is just an attempt to prove your strength? You are a strange bloke. Stop that crap about being so hard because it is expected from you. No one forces you to be unfriendly."

Kaiba gave a short laugh. "I am not discussing this with you. My experiences told me a controlled appearance can save you from a lot of trouble. And I never failed in this."

"You are so ignorant. It will destroy you in the end."

Kaiba flashed him with a sad smile "There is no guarantee on this."

"If you say so", Joey said tartly and leaned himself back to the pillows. The music had changed to a news report and both of them were listening to it. After a while Kaiba whispered "Sorry" and Joey replied with "So am I." Joey was now very close and Kaiba could smell the soap from their shower. He closed his eyes and remembered the deep blue of Joey's eyes. "Your kindness is precious but it wouldn't suit me. Believe it or not I am quite happy with myself", Kaiba explained without heat. "I don't believe it and ..." But Kaiba interrupted Joey. "Cut the crap. Sorry for my language but I'm not in the mood for a deep conversation. Please just accept for the moment." In the blue behind Kaiba's eyes Joey's face became a vision of mysterious light. He noticed half asleep that Joey was leaving the bed. Kaiba felt sorry for this but he was too tired to react. Joey covered him with the blanket and suddenly Kaiba felt Joey's breathing on his cheek. His lips barely touched him and he could hear a whispered "Poor idiot" in his ear. When Joey left the room tears were running down Kaiba's face and he wished Joey would come back to kiss him again.