Black out

Chapter 9

"Does it really have to be Kaiba?" Joey wondered and looked next to him to the sleeping brunet with a sigh. "How did I get caught up in his pace again?"But the answer to that was easy. Kaiba simply had to kiss him and he had completely lost it and not long after that he was in Kaiba's bed. He hadn't even gotten around to talking to him about his manipulations behind his back. Sure it was nice that he made sure his friends wouldn't walk in on them before Joey got to talk to them, but he would have preferred it if Kaiba would have TOLD him about that. He could have said "Don't talk to Mai for too long or Tristan will see us leave" the night before, or he could have talked to Joey about the monitor and just stopped kissing instead of yanking him around by his arm and being a dick.

Joey watched Kaiba's face a little longer, wondering how a jerk like him could look so peaceful and innocent while he slept. He moved a little closer trying to cuddle up to him without waking him up. He felt Kaiba's arms move around him and heard him sigh in his sleep once he got a little closer. It felt really nice to be in his arms, cuddled against his strong chest. Until now Joey wouldn't have guessed how well he fitted into his arms. His head was lying on one of his shoulders and his body curved along Seto's, fitting perfectly. Joey was nearly asleep when he heard Kaiba murmur something in his sleep. He probably would have found it really cute to find out that the great and powerful Seto Kaiba talked in his sleep but the words made him rather angry at Kaiba.

"My little puppy," he murmured.

"I'm no damned puppy!"Joey thought. "Dog or mutt is bad enough, but PUPPY? What does he take me for?" Joey was close to waking Kaiba and kicking his ass for it, but while looking up into Kaiba's innocent face while he slept he chose to wait 'til the next morning to wake him and yell at him. "Sweet dreams," Joey whispered instead and just closed his eyes, falling asleep quickly in the comfortable embrace. It was much later that night when he woke up from the ring of his mobile phone.

Joey eyes stayed closed while he moved his hand along the covers of the bed towards the ring. After only a second he heard Seto's voice "Do you always have to phone him in the middle of the night? He's asleep."

"And do you have to steal my phone every freaking night? I need that or I'll sleep in again," Joey mumbled and opened one eye just enough to see his phone in Seto's hand and took it from the brunet. "Hey Mai," he said once he had the phone at his ear.

"Hey Joey," Mai asked, sounding cheerful. "I thought your going to take it slow? So how come that even though you already have your own room at his place you're in his bed?"

Joey knew that if he wouldn't be so tired he would blush, but right now he didn't really care and yawned before he answered, "Shit happens."

"Nice way to put it," Mai said with a chuckle "I hope he didn't get what you're talking about or he might get mad."

Joey eyed Seto, noticing his confused look, and was unbelievably happy that he only heard his side of the conversation. "How should he get it? He can't hear ya can he?" Joey said with a grin and rubbed his eyes. "Better question is, how did ya know about my room?"

"He mentioned it when I tried to phone you last night," Mai explained.

"I bet he was a jerk," Joey said.

"And the jerk is trying to sleep so quit the call," Seto said, clearly upset. He didn't really care to hear Joey's voice but he didn't like the fact that he was clearly talking to Mai about him and he didn't know Mai's replies.

"No problem," Joey said with another yawn. "Where is my room then? I'll just sleep there and then I can talk as much as I want to."

"Just forget it," Seto mumbled angrily. The thought of Joey leaving the room displeased him even more than having to wonder what his sentences meant.

Joey watched his face for a moment and then gave a sigh, "Listen Mai, I promise I call ya tomorrow right after work before I go see Kaiba okay?"

"Great," Mai chuckled. "Now you even do what he wants."

"I don't do this because of Kaiba," Joey answered, angry at himself that he wasn't tired enough to avoid a blush any more. "I'm simply tired and need to work tomorrow, so I need to sleep now."

"Fine," Mai answered. "But if you don't call, and with plenty of time, I'll call you in the middle of the night again and trust me, this time I won't quit annoying you until I got some juicy news."

"Then let's say I ring ya when I got time and ya can call me back," Joey suggested with a sigh. "I called ya too often during the last couple of days and I'm broke."

"Get Kaiba to pay the phone bill," Mai suggested.

"I'm not a gold digger," Joey replied. "I ain't asking him for money."

"Fine have it your way," Mai sighed. "But I can't keep calling you all the time either. So either get some money out of him, or get a laptop so we can chat online."

"How the hell am I suppose to save money for that when I talk to ya all the time on my phone?" Joey asked. "And let's talk about that tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night Joey," Mai said. "And do nothing with Kaiba boy that I wouldn't do."

Joey just ended the call hoping that meant he wasn't supposed to do anything because he most certainly didn't want to picture her drooling after his boyfriend.

"You're done talking to her?" Seto asked, still sounding upset.

"For now," Joey answered.

"What was that about money?" Seto asked and looked at Joey curiously.

"That was… None of your fucking business," Joey answered with a grin and gave him a short kiss on his lips. He looked too adorable to resist with the upset look on his face. "And now good night." Joey turned around hoping that he wouldn't get tempted to do more than that little kiss as long as he didn't have to see Kaiba and then he closed his eyes, feeling his heart race just because he knew that he was layin in Kaiba's bed right now.

The fact that Kaiba started to move behind him did little to calm his racing heart. He felt a little like the prey for an extremely scary and dangerous creature, but what the worst part about it was that it exited him greatly to be Kaiba's prey. He felt Kaiba's arm move around his waist while his lips brushed the little KC tattoo on his back before he moved his face higher and his nose moved along Joey's hair. Joey could hear Kaiba inhale deeply and blushed even more while Kaiba's arm was holding him tightly around the waist by now.

"By the way," Joey mumbled, hoping to change the mood and stop Kaiba in his tracks. He really didn't want to make it easy for him. "I'm no puppy."

"I don't recall ever saying that you are one," Kaiba replied in a seductive whisper.

"Not while ya were awake," Joey agreed. "But ya talk in ya sleep and said 'My little Puppy.' Before I fell asleep."

"I don't talk in my sleep," Kaiba insisted, and Joey was pleased to notice that he clearly wasn't trying to sound seductive at all.

Joey turned around and grinned, "Ya do, but it's really cute to watch ya sleep. Ya look as innocent as a little baby, and then the mumbled sound of ya voice makes it even more adorable."

"I'm not adorable," Seto answered, still clearly upset and looked at him for a moment before he gave a sigh. "Just try to sleep, you got work tomorrow."

Joey looked at him for a moment longer but then cuddled up to him feeling Seto's arms tighten around him. "Before I forget it," Joey said in a quiet voice. "Ya can't hold onto me unless I let ya, so quit pulling strings behind my back and tell me if ya trying to do something. Like making sure that Tristan wouldn't walk in on us and stuff."

"I thought you'd prefer to talk to him instead of him walking in on us," Kaiba explained.

"I know," Joey answered. "And I did prefer that, but I want to know when ya worry about things like that. I want to be in on it when ya end a call with Mai just so we can be gone before Tristan is back too. That way I don't have to think that ya simply a pushy jerk."

Seto didn't answer for so long that Joey was sure he wouldn't answer at all. It was quiet in the dark room and Joey was still curled up against Seto's body. He could feel that Seto was still awake though because one of his hands stroked gently through Joey's blond hair while the other arm simply held Joey close to his body. The movement of Seto's hand in his hair was so relaxing that Joey was nearly asleep when he heard the quiet voice of Seto say, "I will have to be able to hold onto you, because no matter what I can't let you go." Joey felt Seto's face move closer to his own hair and heard him inhale deeply again before he added, "I simply can't lose you again."

"Then quit being a jerk," Joey mumbled half asleep, feeling Seto's body stiffen slightly. But the next thing he remembered was the alarm on his phone going off. Joey looked around the room and saw Seto on a comforter with his laptop on his legs and already dressed.

"Good morning," he said with a smile. "I hope you slept well."

"Sure," Joey yawned and rubbed his eyes just before he looked at the time and got up to grab his clothing. He looked at them and then at the time again before he asked, "Can I get a ride home? I think I need a shower and I can't show up at work in the same outfit again."

"Of course," Seto answered. "You can have a ride to wherever you please. But you could have a shower here and I'm sure I can organize something that will fit you too. That way you'd have enough time for breakfast before I give you a ride to work."

"I doubt that your pants will fit me," Joey answered, eyeing Seto wearily.

Seto stood up and left the room for a moment just to return with a pair of black jeans and an equally black shirt with a red dragon tattoo print. "That should fit though."

Joey eyed the outfit and asked, "Where did ya get that?"

"From your room," Seto answered. "My private detective, the one who was following you for your own protection, got some stuff that you tried on recently but didn't buy. I hope you still like some of them and just left them for financial reasons."

"Ya bought me some outfits without having a clue if I like them?" Joey asked, surprised. "I mean ya didn't even know if I'd accept them or if you'd ever get a chance to give them to me. For all ya knew I might have kicked ya ass after finding out that I'm technically married."

"Just take them and go have a shower," Seto ordered with a slight blush, "or would you really prefer to skip breakfast."

"Me, skipping free food?" Joey asked and grabbed the pants and shirt. "Never, but I need something to wear under the pants."

"What for?" Seto asked with an evil grin on his face. "It will just be bothersome when I undress you tonight."

Now it was Joey's turn to blush, "I guess I really need to stay at my place again. Ya getting to cocky," Joey pointed out and eyed Seto curiously for another moment. "Since when are ya getting all that stuff anyway? I mean the bed in the other room too. Ya can't really deny that ya got it just for me."

"I got it a while ago," Seto answered. "I thought I might need it."

"Let me guess," Joey muttered. "Plan B?"

"Did Mai say something?" Seto asked, surprised.

"Does she know something?" Joey asked, surprised since she hadn't said anything specific about it yet.

"Not really," Seto replied and watched Joey's reaction. "At least nothing you don't seem to know."

"That wasn't knowing," Joey replied with a grin. "It was a lucky guess. I'm really starting to get how ya brain works."

Seto smiled at him and then just asked, "Would you like some breakfast before work now or not? Because if you do, you should hurry up and get under the shower."

"I still don't have boxers," Joey pointed out, "and I ain't going without just so ya can get off on it."

Seto stood, got some of his own out and said, "They should do for today. I'll make sure to get you some of your own."

"And here I thought ya already had everything I could need," Joey said with a grin. "But ya gonna get this stuff back. I ain't keeping it."

"Why not?" Seto asked. "Apart from the boxers, I can't use it anyway."

"But if I keep all the stuff ya got me," Joey explained with a soft and caring smile towards Seto, "I won't have anything here the next time I stay over." And then he disappeared into Seto's bathroom to have a quick shower, enjoying the feeling of the hot water on his skin and trying to forget the fact that Seto was just in the other room and probably over the moon with joy since Joey more or less promised to be over more often.

Once Joey left the bathroom, dressed and styled, the breakfast was already standing on a small table and Joey sat down and devoured it quickly after a short glance towards the time. Even with getting a ride he was getting slightly late. He clearly was chatting around with Kaiba way too much. Once he was done he said, "I guess I need to hurry now."

"Seems like it," Seto answered. "Will I see you again later?"

"Sorry. I don't have time," Joey answered. "I got to go over to my place and do a bit of cleaning and washing. But we can go out over the weekend again if ya want to."

"Of course," Seto replied, looking slightly upset. "You could come here today though. I could send some maids over to your place and get it cleaned."

"I like my privacy, and anyways what's the point in having my own place if I ain't getting to see it?" Joey asked him and smiled a little. "I need to go home every now and then at least Seto. Go easy and give me some time would ya."

Seto gave a sigh but replied, "Fine. I just wanted to offer it."

Authors Note: Thanks to LovelyRose5001, Sezthekitty and Sasu-Sama' Sarukiji-Sempai for the review.

Next chapter Joey will see the rest of the gang and his sister.