It had been a month since the accident, and almost a week since Jounouchi had been let out of the hospital, and in another month the stitches would be taken out. After that, there would only be a scar reminding him of that incident and his time working for Kaiba as his secretary. Only a scar…

Well, there would be Mokuba too. He had come by several times while he was recovering, both to the hospital and to the house, bringing various get-well gifts. He and Shizuka had hit it off, and Jou had to admit that, despite his usual scary big brother routine, he did approve of her choice. Mokuba was a good kid – the complete opposite of his brother. It made him wonder how the two could ever be related.

Like he'd promised, Mokuba wrote up a good recommendation for him that he had added to his resume, and was sure to state that his leaving from his last job had nothing to do with his performance. He had a good feeling going into his first interview, as a receptionist for one of the other big companies in town. He was happy when he'd been informed that he'd gotten the job, and was practically walking on clouds for his first day of work.

Dressed in a nice suit with his hair neatly combed, he made his way into the lobby of the building, heading towards the front desk. Unlike last time, he didn't receive any odd stares from anybody. In fact, any looks given towards him seemed to be filled with… Pity? The grin he had been wearing since early that morning began to falter as he looked to the receptionist, leaning in close.

"Hey, er, I'm Jounouchi, I'm supposed to be Takagi-san's secretary starting today…" He began, and she bit her lip as she looked through the computer, shaking her head. He could immediately tell that something was wrong when she looked back up at him, that expression of pity on her face the same as everybody else in the room.

"I'm sorry, Jounouchi-san, you were supposed to receive a notice in the mail… Something happened and we aren't able to employ you at this time. The position has gone to somebody else… Once again, I'm very sorry." After giving him the news, she quickly looked down, trying to seem busy with other work and obviously hoping that he would leave without trouble.

Jou was shocked. What happened?! They had assured him that he was perfect for the job two days ago, but now he had been fired before he'd even worked a day?! His good mood was shattered as he slammed his hand down on the reception desk, accidentally startling the poor girl in the process.

"What the hell?! Why? What happened?" His voice was louder than he'd expected, and it drew a few stares. His cheeks burned red with embarrassment and anger as the woman behind the desk shrunk back, obviously about to call security.

"I'm very sorry, Jounouchi-san, but… it was considered a conflict of interest, seeing as your last place of work was one of our opponents. Please leave, or I'll be forced to…" She trailed off, and Jou just stared. Conflict of interest? But Mokuba had written him that letter, he'd told him… That could only mean one thing. Kaiba had interfered. He'd threatened the company, telling them not to hire him. But why? Was this just another of his sick games? He could feel his chest tightening as he quickly spun around on his heel, heading out of the building and towards Kaiba Corp. He had something to say to his former boss, and it wasn't exactly something that could be portrayed over the phone.

***

The elevator doors slowly slid open, and Jounouchi quickly stormed out into the small hall where he'd been working for two weeks before the incident a month before. While he had only been here for a short time, the place had become very familiar, and he noticed that his name-tag was still on the desk. Another young man was sitting there at the moment, a small piece of paper with the name 'Honda' written on it underneath the formal tag, as though the company hadn't gotten around to changing it yet. That was odd. They'd had his ready in two days.

But it was also beside the point. Paying no attention to the new receptionist, Jou stomped towards the office at the end of the hall, ignoring Honda's insistence that the president was in a meeting. He threw open the door and there sat the man Kaiba himself, perched proudly on the edge of the chair that was his throne, a couple of older man standing in front of his desk and preaching about new business plans. Once Jounouchi entered, however, all eyes were on him, including the CEO's. Panting slightly as he had run the whole way there, Jou opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. They couldn't. He was so pissed off, he couldn't think of anything to say. But his former boss' reaction was infuriating as always. He simply smirked, looking the blond straight in the face before he spoke.

"I'm sorry, Jounouchi-san, but I'm busy at the moment. Wait outside and I'll talk to you about re-employment." That was the last straw. So he expected him to come crawling back like some kind of animal? Jou completely lost it. He ran at the desk, pushing the other men aside before he punched Kaiba hard in the face. He obviously caught him off-guard, and he took advantage of that, punching him again and again, yanking him off of his chair and shoving him against the wall, beating on him despite the pain he was feeling in his stomach. All that running around had almost broke one of the stitches, and while the wound had already closed, he could feel a bit of blood leaking through his shirt.

Everything was a blur from then on. He could hear shouting, and apparently Mokuba came in and pulled him away. His head was spinning, but he could see Kaiba slump down to the ground, a trickle of blood coming from his nose as the stuck-up old men quickly rushed to his aid. God-damn him… He deserved every second of that! He wanted to kill that damned bastard! He wanted to…

He was gently pushed down onto the couch, cursing as Mokuba softly tried to calm him down, placing his hands on his shoulders as the blond eventually wore himself out, cursing and punching the back of the sofa. He hated this. He wanted to get away from Kaiba, pay off his debts and never have anything to do with him ever again. He hated the feeling of being treated like a toy, especially since Kaiba knew that he couldn't run away. It was like he got pleasure from watching him squirm, and Jou was tired of it. He wanted out. He didn't want to get caught up in this anymore.

Mokuba let out a sigh as he left to get the first-aid kit from his desk, returning in a moment and opening up Jou's shirt to make sure he hadn't re-opened his stab-wound. They were both silent as the cut was cleaned and re-bandaged, just to make sure, and Jou took off his shirt to avoid getting anymore blood on it.

"...Jounouchi… I'm… Really sorry about the way big brother acts." Mokuba's voice was very quiet, as though he were ashamed, but didn't want to speak ill of his treasured sibling. "I really wanted to stop him, but… He wouldn't listen to me. He… Doesn't want you to leave."

"What the hell… He doesn't give a fuck if I leave or not." Jou grumbled, covering his face with his hand as he leaned back against the couch. As if… The only reason Kaiba wanted him around was to torment him. He'd made that perfectly clear in the hospital. "He only wants a toy and a pet… He doesn't actually give a damn about me." He muttered, and deep down he hated that. His fists clenched as he muttered another curse word, and Mokuba gave him a soft, sympathetic smile.

"That's not true, Jounouchi. I know he's not the best at showing how he feels, but… The truth is, the reason why we always hire male secretaries is so that big brother wouldn't be tempted. He's never touched a man's blood before, because he says it's disgusting… That's why I was really surprised when he brought you in here that first day." He chuckled, and Jou slowly moved his hand away. That was the first he'd ever heard of that. He watched Mokuba quietly, and the younger brother continued.

"Not to mention he normally doesn't pay any attention to his employees other than to berate them." Jou could attest to that. He'd faced the brunt of Kaiba's harsh criticism on his first day. "But really, this is the first time he's been so involved with anybody. Even with the girls, he'd never cared about what they did, whether they cheated on him. He's never actually tried so hard to keep somebody with him before, and I never expected that he'd actually go to the hospital to see anybody, let alone his secretary. Did you know he actually left work early without telling anybody just so he could go to see you?"

He didn't know that. The thought that Kaiba had actually cared enough to abandon his duties just to see him made him blush a little, but he still didn't buy it. If he really liked him that much, why was he constantly treating him like a dog? Belittling him, restricting his freedom… He didn't seem to give a damn about his feelings at all, and he was sick of it.

"You say that, but… He's still screwing around with them now." He muttered, while Mokuba tilted his head to the side, pondering.

"Mmm… Actually, I don't think he is. He hasn't really gone out much lately aside from work. He's just moping around at home; the maids hate it, because he's always criticizing their work. I'm not even sure when he last ate, I just know that he's been upset ever since I told him that you quit." Mokuba smiled slightly as Jou flushed a little, looking away. The younger male could tell what he was thinking, and he quickly stood up, heading towards the desk.

"I think… I think that you should talk to him. Come by the house tonight. Besides… if you work it out, you can come back to work, right? I can't stand that new secretary! He can't do anything right!" He looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes, and Jou couldn't help but laugh at his face. Despite how upset he had been earlier, talking to Mokuba just made him feel so much better. It almost made him regret leaving.

***

…Wow. Even though the Kaiba family was rich, Jou was astonished by their house. He had to look down at the address Mokuba had given him to double-check and make sure that he'd gotten the address right. Sure, he'd mentioned before that they lived in a mansion, but this place… This place was /huge/! It was easily ten times the size of his modest house, and he felt a part of his pride crumble. And here he'd thought he had a pretty nice place… The rich really were on a different level, after all.

Once he reached the gate and was let in, he began the trek up to the front doors, eventually being met there by one of the maids, who led him inside. The inside of the house was just as impressive as the exterior, and he felt just as out-of-place here as he had on his first day of work. He was looking around in wonder as he was led out of the main hall and into what appeared to be a sitting room, where he waited quietly for the owner of the estate to join him.

He didn't have to wait long. After about five minutes or so Kaiba stepped into the room, his nose somewhat swollen with a large bruise on his left cheek. He didn't look at all happy, and Jou felt himself shrink back. He was the one who'd caused those injuries, after all, and it didn't take a genius to know that Kaiba would be pissed. Still, he did deserve it…

"So? What do you want?" Kaiba's words broke him out of his thoughts, and he quickly stood up, facing the other man eye-to-eye as he sucked in a deep breath. This was harder than he thought; he had no idea how to word it without seeming stupid. After a few seconds he just squeezed his eyes shut and opened his mouth.

"Kaiba… Do you like me?" He was surprised as the words came out. That wasn't what he had wanted to say. He had meant to ask him why he was making his life miserable, why he wanted him to stay, why he was such a sadistic jackass. Why had those embarrassing words come out? He saw Kaiba's surprised expression, and he quickly blushed and looked away, feeling like an absolute idiot. The brunette CEO was silent for a few minutes, as though he were trying to think. Mokuba had talked to him earlier, scolded him and warned him about the way he dealt with people, but…

"You're mine." He said flatly, unable to respond yes or no. The childish possessiveness surprised Jou, and his expression hardened as he glared at the other, clenching his fists.

"I'm not a toy or a pet!" He snarled, about to storm out right then, but he was pulled back as he felt Kaiba's arms wrap around him, pulling him in close.

"You're mine." He repeated, and Jou could feel his entire body turn bright red, right up to his ears. This… He hadn't been expecting this. He opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off. "I refuse to let you leave, and I won't let anybody else hurt you. I won't make you cry again, I promise. But you're not allowed to leave."

His tone was different from usual. It was like… He was trying hard to choose his words, to show how he felt honestly. It was… somewhat endearing. All of the animosity that he felt towards the other man began to melt away as Jou closed his eyes, hanging his head.

He had always told himself that Kaiba was the only one who had any sort of attachment, but the truth was that he had been thinking of him ever since he'd been in the hospital. He tried to hate him and he'd attempted to run away from him so that he could return to his old life. But… He just couldn't leave, could he? His face burned as he placed one hand on top of the vampire's slowly moving it away.

"Don't say such embarrassing things." He mumbled, not looking at him as he slowly undid his shirt. "You… You're infuriating. You treat me like an idiot, and all by yourself you decide that I belong to you. I really hate it." He was lying, of course, and Kaiba's eyebrow rose as he watched Jou pull his shirt off, turning back and walking into the other, resting his chin on the other's shoulder. "…You haven't eaten in a while, right? I still… Owe you, so…"

His words were quiet, and Kaiba closed his eyes as he pushed the other away, grabbing his wrist instead and pulling him down the hallway. Damn, Jou… If his defiant side was what had drawn Kaiba to him, then seeing this cute shyness was what kept him hooked. The blond objected as he was led through the house, feeling embarrassed whenever they ran into a maid. This was a fairly awkward position, after all…

Soon enough they reached a fairly large room, and Kaiba locked the door behind them once they entered, not even bothering to turn on the lights. It took a second for Jou's eyes to adjust to the darkness, but when they did he could tell that they were in the brunette's bedroom. At first he opened his mouth to say no, tell him that he didn't want it, but the words didn't come out. He had offered.

He felt himself being gently pushed onto the bed, and Kaiba's wet lips on his throat. He had to admit that he was surprised with his self-control. Normally he wouldn't have bothered changing their location or making the feeding session feel comfortable, especially if they'd missed a day or two.

A soft moan escaped the blonde's lips as he felt the skilled kisses on his neck, his eyes squeezing shut as he tilted his head to allow the vampire better access. He drew in a quick breath as he felt the fangs against his skin, and then when he felt them expertly pierce the flesh. It wasn't as painful as it normally was, as though Kaiba was trying to make it as gentle as possible, and that alone was enough. Jou reached up and wrapped his arms around the other man, and soon he felt Kaiba's hands fumbling to undo his fly.

They never actually had sex, but it was far more pleasurable than any time that they did go all the way. It was as though they were nervous teenagers going at it for the first time, touching one another as if to affirm that this was what they wanted. They rubbed their groins together, then, just as his head was starting to go fuzzy, Kaiba removed his teeth from Jou's throat and kissed him, the taste of blood still in his mouth. Just like that, they continued to kiss and touch, the blood smeared across both of their faces and bodies, staining the sheets as they lay together in the bed.

The secretary moaned as he felt his boss' tongue trace along the outline of the scar on his stomach, feeling the saliva between the stitches. It hurt, but at the same time it was a very pleasant experience, and the blond had to bite hard on his lip to avoid crying out. He clenched his fists, clutching the sheets as the CEO's mouth then went down to his nether regions, taking his penis in his mouth.

That was when Jou did something that surprised him. He refused, pulling Kaiba into the 69th position so that they could pleasure one another at the same time. Sucking and licking, it only took a few minutes for Jou to release in Kaiba's mouth, and the other soon did the same. The blond could feel the sticky white liquid on his lips and in his mouth, and he closed his eyes as he pulled away, leaning in closer to the brunette as they both kissed once more, hugging as they both eventually fell asleep.

…I feel like I disappointed about 98% of you with this chapter. I'm not even sure if I liked the fact that about five minutes of talk solved all their problems, but… At least it's an update, right? And the ending was cute. Cute and fluffy! So not the usual for this story.

And no, it's not over yet. This is probably the penultimate chapter, though.