Thank you all for your kind reviews. I know this is a little dark, but I haven't written something like this in a while. Anyway, onward to chapter two.

HHHHHHHHHHHHH

Chapter Two

Six months later, Kaiba saw Jounouchi's name appear on his new employee list. He knew that Jounouchi was being released that week and didn't expect him to still want the job. He stared at the name, feeling his heart throb again. For weeks after the incident with Jounouchi his heart would skip beats and it was difficult to breath. Every doctor he went to said the same thing; anxiety. He laughed and never returned to them. There was no way he was suffering from that. He smiled, running his fingers along Jounouchi's name. At least he knew where Jounouchi was and could slightly keep an eye on him. The morning after Jounouchi woke in the hospital, he informed Mokuba that he didn't want to hear the blond's name. It hurt too much to listen to what Mokuba talked about when he visited Jounouchi. The job that Kaiba assigned to the blond was a simple one where he would key all the names and address of everyone he had meetings or appointments with along with the dates and times. This included all the new doctors he visited attempting to find out what was wrong with his heart. He would also type any follow up instructions provided by his secretary. His station was in an office on the first floor, giving him free access to come and go.

Kaiba would start using the back entrance so the blond wouldn't have to see him. He didn't want to upset the man. He initialed and wrote "okay" next to all the new employees before setting it in the tray for outgoing memos. He went back to the computer, finishing all the reports for the day. The day went quickly for the CEO. Before he knew it, night had fallen. Mokuba hadn't called him that day either. He sighed and packed everything away. His little brother barely talked to him, angry that Kaiba didn't fight for the blond. He didn't accept the "Jounouchi is straight" excuse, claiming that Jounouchi didn't like girls. "Well, he doesn't like brunet CEO's either," Kaiba thought, walking to the service elevator that would take him to the back entrance. He already informed Sago that he would be coming down that way.

Days went by, one after the other. He never saw Jounouchi, just the daily reports of how good he was and that his supervisor highly recommended that he be hired permanently, which was already a given. Kaiba packed up like the days before, determined to patch his relationship with Mokuba that night. He had just stepped out of the elevator when a familiar voice spoke to him, "So that's how you come and go without me seeing you. I thought you would never pull it off once I saw that I had perfect view of the elevators and the front doors."

"You are breaking our agreement."

"An agreement I made while emotionally distraught. I would like to renegotiate."

"What are your terms? I can arrive before your shift and leave after it."

"I don't want something like that. How about we go back to your place and discuss this?"

The CEO shook his head. "We'll go up to my office. This is something that shouldn't be arranged at my personal dwelling. Sago, take a dinner break. I'll call you when I need you or just walk back myself."

Sago looked at the blond who rolled his eyes. "Kaiba, shut up and get in the car."

The brunet glared at him. "Is this how you talk to someone that saved your life and offered all the help that you need?" Kaiba stepped forward, shoving Jounouchi into the wall, not caring about harming him in any way. His rage and hurt was controlling every aspect of his being. "You kick me out of your life, call me disgusting and caused a rift in my relationship with Mokuba. A rift I planned to fix tonight, but you want to renegotiate. I plan to sacrifice myself again for you and you want to fight about where we discuss this. What are you planning? Did you only want to come with me to set up a lawsuit? Did you want to go to the press and claim I touched you inappropriately? Why? Why would you want to do anything with me? I'm dis..." Kaiba paused, feeling his heart beating fast and irregular. His breathing quickened and his throat closed. The first thought that popped in his head was "heart attack." He knew something was wrong. Something more than anxiety. He didn't know who grabbed him when he was about to fall, nor anything other than the pounded in his chest.

Jounouchi eased the brunet on the ground, holding him close. "Easy, Kaiba," he spoke softly, attempting to calm the panicking man. He suspected Kaiba's anger but not something like this when he got stressed. He had seen that he was going to the doctors and not about to find the reasons. Who would have thought Kaiba as someone to have panic attacks? He felt the CEO trembling in his arms. "Breathe slowly. Take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Sago, can you get me a blanket for him?"

The stunned driver blinked, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. He would never guess something like this was the reason for all the doctor appointments. He moved quickly to the trunk and got the blanket out. Now, everything made sense. His boss probably didn't believe the doctors and that was why he never went to the same one twice. He knelt down, wrapping the warm blanket around the trembling man. "Should I call the paramedics?"

"No, he'll be fine. Help me get him in the car. He'll feel better at home away from the public eye."

The two struggled but eventually got the tall man into the backseat with his head resting on Jounouchi's lap. The blond ran fingers through his hair, pleased that Kaiba's breathing was beginning to return to normal. The blond pulled the blanket closer to his chin before returning to stroke his hair. He regretted pushing Kaiba, not realizing that it wouldn't take much to trigger everything. He frowned as the brunet squirmed, attempting to put distance between them. "Easy, Kaiba. You need to relax." He continued to pull him back down to his lap, but the silent man sat up and pressed himself against the door. He was upset that he lost control of his emotions, and he didn't want to be touched by someone he still cares deeply for that feels nothing for himself. He didn't want to walk into that false hope. That door was shut in his life, and he wanted to quietly continue his life alone.

"Sago," Kaiba said, voice cracking and thick from what sounded like unshed tears. "Take Jounouchi home." Getting out of the car once they arrived at the mansion and knowing that Sago would take the blond home, he stumbled, still unstable on his feet.

"Stubborn man," Jounouchi hissed also getting out. He wrapped his arm around Kaiba's waist for merely a second before the brunet pushed him away.

"Don't touch me. I can get into the house without your help."

"Sure you can, stumbling around like a drunk."

"You're the one that called me disgusting. Why would you want to touch someone filthy?"

"That's what I'm trying to talk to you about. I know you are a very private man and will not like this discussion out in the open. Let's go inside to talk. I'll make you some tea."

Kaiba growled, but moved ahead of the blond. "Do what you wish," he conceded, unable to fight any longer. He was cold, tired and thirsty. All he wanted to do was curl up in his bed and forget everything that happened. The second he walked through the door his mood darkened. He was used to his brother racing down the stairs to greet him, and he should have adjusted to not seeing him in the past months, but he couldn't. Every time Mokuba was missing from his daily routine, he was reminded of what happened between him and Jounouchi.

Ignoring the blond, he placed his briefcase on the floor by the door and walked into the living room. It was dark, and he planned to keep it that way. He lied down on the black leather couch, slowly drifting to sleep. The blond frowned, wondering how often he fell asleep there. Grabbing the blanket that Kaiba dropped, he placed it over him. There was nothing more he could do at that moment. He walked up the stairs that he saw the second he walked into the mansion. Opening and closing each door, he searched for Mokuba. He finally found him sitting in a blue bean bag chair playing a video game on a large television hooked to the wall. "Your brother has panic attacks," he said, frightening the young man enough to cause him to drop his controller.

"Jounouchi?" he said, putting his hand over his heart. "You scared me."

The blond leaned against the door waiting for him to calm down. "Why didn't you tell me he has panic attacks before I confronted him?"

"Nii-sama doesn't have panic attacks. He's too cold hearted and emotionless to have them."

"Bullshit. I saw him have one."

"He would tell me something like that."

"They are the reason he's been going to all those doctor appointments. Did you not ask him about them?"

"We really haven't spoken much. He stays late at the office and even goes in on Sundays instead of staying home. Though, he would tell me if he was sick."

"So the man lying on the couch because he's too exhausted to climb the stairs is perfectly healthy?"

"Nii-sama always goes up to his room because he puts his briefcase in the safe."

"It's by the front door. I told you the last week I was in the hospital that his reaction was because of me. I told you to talk to him. Tell him that he's forgiven. Why haven't you done that yet?"

"He forbids me to talk about you."

"It sounds to me that you are using that as an excuse not to talk to him because you're still mad."

Mokuba sighed. "He's been different. His temper sparks faster. I don't want him yelling at me."

Jounouchi walked over and knelt beside him. "He may yell, but he'll calm down eventually. You can't take it to heart right now. I hurt him and left him with that pain for months."

"It's not your fault. He should have done things differently."

"That's where you're wrong. He did everything correctly for an emotionally scarred person. He didn't yell at me, fight with me, call me names or hurt me back. He politely kept his offer on the table and left quietly. He even arranged for the changes before leaving. I was the one at fault and need to apologize. Confronting him like you said didn't work. I'll do it my way this time. Oh, and Mokuba, the next time you have a disagreement with him, don't use me to hurt him in any way." The blond stepped out of the room, not giving the raven haired man a chance to respond.

Jounouchi moved down to the living room, seeing that Kaiba hadn't moved and slept peacefully. He carefully lifted the CEO's head and let it rest in his lap. He wasn't sure how long he would sleep, but he wanted to be there for him when he did wake. He placed his head against the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling. He knew he hurt the brunet, but he didn't know he did that much damage. He should have known Kaiba would react strongly to the insult when he put so much effort into expressing his feelings the first time.

Jounouchi didn't know how long he slept and couldn't remember shutting his eyes. When he finally drifted awake, the first thing he noticed was there was no weight on his lap. Fully opening his eyes, he didn't see Kaiba lying on the couch and the blanket he had over the brunet was now draped over him. He tossed the blanket on the ground and took off up the stairs. He had to figure out where the brunet was. Unable to remember which door was Mokuba's, he opened all the doors until he reached a door with voices coming from. He could tell one was Kaiba's, and he could hear the sound of background music to the video game Mokuba was playing the night before. He stayed there for a moment, unsure if he should interrupt them. They needed to mend their relationship nearly as badly as Jounouchi needed to apologize to Kaiba.

The blond stayed outside the door awaiting the brunet. He was sure that Kaiba would leave once he was finished. Becoming a little bored with the wait, Jounouchi moved further down the hallway until he found Kaiba's bedroom. He was shocked to find that his expectations were wrong. He suspected that Kaiba would have his room decorated with colors of blue and silver like his favorite card, but the room was dark with white walls and black everywhere, from the bed to the carpet. The desk by the window held nothing on top, not even trays to hold paper. He wondered if this was where Kaiba usually worked on his products. The ex-duelist walked over to the dresser, seeing picture frames that were knocked over. It seemed odd that the perfectly clean room would have the frames knocked over. He picked one up and saw it was a picture of Kaiba and Mokuba standing outside of Kaiba Corp. The two were much younger. "This must have been their first day as owners," he thought, standing the framed picture back up.

He picked up the second picture; again it was of Kaiba and Mokuba, this time in front of Kaibaland. It was looking more like Kaiba purposely flipped them over. It must have been painful for him to be reminded everyday of their troubled relationship. He only hoped that everything would work out to their benefit. Jounouchi picked up the last picture, expecting another one of the brothers but was shocked to see that it was of himself; not just one of him and his friends but just him. He didn't recognize what dueling platform he was one, but he had his green jacket and gauntlet from Duelist Kingdom. "How?" he thought. "Kaiba wasn't there until we were about to reach the castle and then Pegasus locked his soul into a card."

"What are you doing in here?" Kaiba said, voice heavy with obviously unshed tears and sadness.

"How did you get this picture?"

Kaiba didn't have to look at it to know which one he was questioning. "Pegasus filmed the whole competition. That's a screen capture from your duel with Mia, your first duel."

"I'm sorry that I hurt you."

The brunet took the frame from Jounouchi, looking at it once before placing it faced down along with the other two that the blond set upward. "You were only saying how you felt. Everyone gets rejected at least once their life. I reject people all the time."

"We need to talk about that. I didn't mean any of those words."

"Can we talk about this later? I'm tired and would like to sleep in my bed this time."

Jounouchi looked him up and down. That was an obvious lie. Kaiba was on the verge of cracking and didn't want to do it in front of him. "Did he forgive you?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Yes it is. My hurtful words to you caused this wave of destruction. I told him several times that he should forgive you. Even last night I told him again."

"Look, Jounouchi, let's talk about this on another day."

The blond growled, attempting to keep his anger under control. Last time he lost it, Kaiba had a panic attack. "No. If he still didn't forgive you, I will go talk to him again. And, I've been trying to tell you my true feelings. Stop pushing me away."

Kaiba huffed and sat on his bed. "Fine. Tell me what you want and leave."

Jounouchi sighed, walking over to him. He gently wiped the tear that almost fell from the brunet's right eye. "I don't hate you. I don't think you're disgusting. I hated you at that moment because you were the one that saved me and saw me at my lowest point. I never wanted the man I love to see me like that. I want him to see me like I am now, strong, in control and positive. I didn't want to recover in your house because I didn't want you to have two different memories of me. I only wanted you to see me like I always have been. I want to be with you, but I didn't want my weakness to cause a rift in our relationship. But..." Jounouchi paused. "I did something far worse." He walked over to the dresser and stood the pictures back up.

"I caused you to regret your feelings and wanted to rid yourself of all reminders of me. That included hearing about me from your brother. When my thoughts cleared, I realized what I did and worked hard at my recovery. So hard that they released me six months early. I wanted to see you again so I could tell you how sorry I am, but you had ways of avoiding me and started them, like you told me you would, right after I was hired. No amount of apologizes could make up for the mental damage I did to you. I beg before you. Can we start over?"

Kaiba stared up at him unable to deny the sincerity in his voice. He knew the blond was deeply troubled by what he did. He lifted his hand and placed it beside Jounouchi's cheek before letting it fall behind his neck. He pulled the blond down, brushing his quivering lips across Jounouchi's. Very slowly he pushed them closer, giving him the time to step away if he wished. When the blond didn't move, he deepened the kiss, running his tongue across his lips, tasting him for the first time. He fought the moan that threatened and closed his eyes.

Jounouchi lifted his hands and brushed his fingers through Kaiba's slightly tangled hair. He allowed the brunet to lead. "I love you," Jounouchi breathed across Kaiba's lips when the need for air caused them to break apart.

"I love you, too," the CEO answered, still feeling slightly scared that this was a ploy, but that sensation was depleting. Every kiss and touch the blond made was too passionate to fake. He lied down on the bed, bringing the blond with him.

"Will you talk to me now?" Jounouchi asked, placing his head on Kaiba's chest. "Did Mokuba forgive you?"

"For the most part, but he's very angry that I didn't tell him about the doctor appointments."

"He'll get over that eventually. He knows you like hiding your imperfections. What did your doctor give you for your panic attacks?"

"I don't have panic attacks."

Jounouchi lifted his head and blinked at his new lover. "Are you serious? Then what was that last night?"

"Lost control."

The blond rolled his eyes and put his head down. "Whatever you say. You know it's okay to have anxiety. With your line of work, I wouldn't expect anything less."

The brunet growled. "I don't have anxiety. That's why I went for a second opinion."

"More like fifth and sixth opinion. You know if they all say anxiety, then it's true."

"I don't..." the rest of Kaiba's sentence was lost by Jounouchi's lips crashing into his.

"We'll work on that," Jounouchi said, placing his ear over Kaiba's heart. "You're heart sounds perfect." He ran his fingers up and down Kaiba's side and across his stomach.

The brunet didn't say more. He knew Jounouchi and the doctors were right, but it was hard to accept. He closed his eyes mimicking the symbols the blond drew into his stomach onto his back. He felt strangely more at peace than ever. He drifted off to sleep, finally feeling happy with Jounouchi now in his arms. He vowed never to let him go. "Happy belated birthday," he whispered, falling asleep before he could hear Jounouchi's response.

HHHHHHHHHHHH

I hope you all liked it. I have the next story almost ready. The first chapter should be up tomorrow. Until then, thank you all for reading. Please review.

Angel Dove