Thank you Kumori Sakusha for your comments. Maybe you are the only reader. So feel free to have the story dedicated for you:)

Kaiba woke up with a confused feeling inside. Through the windows he could see the sun going down. He must have slept the whole afternoon. Streams of red and gold covered the sky and were crossed by purple clouds. It was silent and Kaiba wondered if Joey had turned the radio off when he was leaving. Thinking of Joey intensified the weird feeling and Kaiba closed his eyes again. What the hell was going on, he asked himself. All he could think of was Joey's slight goodnight-kiss which was shorter than a second. His mind revealed pictures of Joey during the last days. Caused by Kaiba's illness they had shared an intimacy which under normal circumstances would never have been possible. Surprised Kaiba noticed that he liked being in the apartment because of Joey and his presence. The images of Joey at his bed, in the kitchen and the bathroom blended to one clear portrait. Glittering blue eyes smiled at him but Kaiba couldn't concentrate on them. He paid more attention to the lips which came closer and closer. Kaiba sighed and a warm feeling floated through his entire body. One of his hands moved slowly into his shorts.

But a sudden second thought of what he was doing ended it all. He opened his eyes and pulled his hand out of his trousers. With disbelief he stared under the blanket and witnessed his half erection coming down. No way, he told himself. Joey was maybe his ally for now but that would be all. And on top of this: Joey was a boy. Kaiba focused all his attention now to this fact. All these emotional up and downs in the last time were confusing him.

Kaiba jumped out of the bed and opened the window. The fresh wind made him freeze and he could feel Goosebumps running down his spine. He took some deep breaths and glanced to the darken sky. "Don't stand there for too long", Joey said from the door. Kaiba turned round and exchanged a look with Joey. How long has he been there, Kaiba thought. He could feel his face redden. He closed the window and murmured something about going to the bathroom. Joey shot an amused look at him but didn't say anything. In the bathroom Kaiba watched his reflection in the mirror. Lost weight and a pale skin made him a pitiful figure in this loose shirt. His cheeks were burning and red spots were a visible sign of his shame. Kaiba cursed and rubbed his face. Could Joey have seen something? But even if he did so, he couldn't know that he was the reason. Kaiba tried to remember if he had named Joey. A knock at the door interrupted his thinking. "Are you okay?" Joey asked from outside. "Of course I am. Be back in a minute", Kaiba replied quickly. Flashbacks from his speech to Joey last night came back to him. In the past his controlled personality had saved him from a lot of trouble. It would work again. Even in this case. With a last look at his shorts he was sure that nothing was shown to prove him wrong.

When Kaiba was entering the kitchen Joey sat at the table bending his head to some newspaper. "Do you want to read?", he asked and looked up. Kaiba found no sign of maliciousness in his face and relaxed. He joined Joey at the table and soon he nearly forget about his concern. They were talking a bit about some reports but without harsh words. The atmosphere was cosy and when Joey offered some tea Kaiba felt like nothing had happened. Joey was standing at the kitchen board and reached out for two cups on the highest shelf. Because of the stretching Joey's shirt revealed some parts of his back. "I didn't see your scarves before. Where are they from?", Kaiba asked in surprise because the delicate white skin showed two pale red marks. There was a brief silence when Joey put his shirt down and came back to the table. "A relict from old times", he said. Then he continued making tea at the kitchen sink. "From your dad?", Kaiba asked. Joey's father was strange and didn't seem to be fond of his son. A cup filled with hot tea was placed in front of Kaiba and he could see Joey leaning at the board. "Well, we had our difficulties but these ones I remained from my time on the streets. You told me about your scaring company. No difference to street-life", Joey said bluntly. "I got these when I decided for a walk in the wrong area. But you don't have to be sorry. I had my revenge."

"Did it help?"

"No, I think you know about that."

"Are you still spending much time in the streets?"

"When I was younger and didn't know Yugi and the others I preferred to hang around there. It was easier then being home. My parents divorce took my mum and sister away from me and I was getting into trouble."

Kaiba thought of the framed picture in Joey's bedroom. "You miss you sibling."

"Yeah. I was always told to take care for her but when she was gone I lost my reason for being a good boy, I guess. I started truanting and the school warned my dad. It has caused a great number of arguments between us. We were fighting a lot but he never hurt me. My visible wounds I got from others." He leaned his head back and hold the cup to his chest.

Kaiba flicked through the papers to achieve time for thinking this over. Heavy outbursts for sending his son back to school didn't fit to the man he met. The lack of emotions towards his son was striking. "Why did your dad change?", he finally asked.

"You mean, why he became such a zombie? After a last attempt to get mum back we had to move into this flat. We had been living in a small house not far away from here. I suppose the movement broke his pride or something. He doesn't care about anything anymore."

"But you do."

"I don't want to be like my dad. But as a twisted result of the fact we are father and son I cannot let him down. Trying my best to keep this household running is the only thing I can do at the moment", Joey said forcefully.

Kaiba rose to his feed and walked to Joey. "I guess we both didn't know much about each other."