I run around the corner and run straight into a hard, muscular chest. My bag falls to the polished granite floor and spits out all the contents, my phone, numerous papers and my laptop. I stumble and reflexively say "Sorry." to the person.

"So mutts can learn manners," says a very familiar voice that I haven't heard in person in almost 10 years, one that makes, if I actually had any, my panties wet still, Seto Kaiba. I fully get my balance back and look up straight into his icy blue eyes. They now fit their body. They never really fit the body of a teenager, now they make him look like the almost frighteningly merciless businessman that I know he is. The last ten years have been kind to him. He still has his chestnut hair; his body is better than when he was a teenager. He makes the t-shirt and jeans he is wearing right now like he's ready for the Oscars. Around his neck hangs his trademark card; I wonder if it holds a picture of his girlfriend. I haven't heard that he is dating anyone but his personal life was always pretty private. As well as a name tag for the conference I'm about to go talk at, um its a conference for veterinarians. So, Kaiba Corp isn't really in that business that I know of. Vet tech is a thing, so maybe.

"Sorry Seto I don't have the time for this, but I'm glad you're alive and haven't just created a hologram to run Kaiba Corp yet." I say as I bend down to get my papers. Then to my astonishment he bends down to help me with an amused smile his face. He hands me my laptop, my phone and the last of my papers.

"When do you then? Say dinner after your talk, which I think both of us should be getting to." I take my stuff and cram it into my bag and start to walk. I want to. I actually find what he does interesting. I took a few engineering classes to be able to follow his work. Plus, I'll be hungry after this.

"That works, we'll discuss a place that is suitable for your standards and it won't break my bank." Not that I'm broke anymore, I'm a vet that specializes in wild animals. I'm not a millionaire, as much as my investments are going pretty well, but I'm decently off. Enough to own my apartment, a car and a cat. It's white with blue eyes, and named Kisara.

"I'll give you a full review at dinner." He reaches for his wallet, and takes out a business card.

"My personal number." He says as stiff as ever. I fumble to find my cards. We exchange.

"Dr. Wheeler, I'm expecting a very interesting talk about 'Reproductive steroid hormones and ovarian activity in felids of the Leopardus genus'." He says and it feels like his words are petting me. Ten years and my feelings haven't changed that much. This isn't to say I've like pined after him or something weird like that. Dating has never been a top priority since I'm married to my career. I have dated people but no one that stayed for very long and I'm fine being a bachelor. I have friends, Serenity who also seems to be married to her career as a journalist, and about two girls and two guys on call if I ever care to hook up. Duke does give a good blowjob, I will admit.

My talk goes about as well I expected it would. A pair of slightly intimating blue eyes never seems to leave me. Even when I point them at screen, he looks at me. Then I get slightly swarmed by other vets with questions. Eventually I get out of the room and I find the tall, slim male with a really good ass that I'm about to go to dinner with leaning against a wall texting someone.

"So, where to? I want to be back for the dance party, which I assume you're not going to." I say shifting the weight of my bag. We start to walk in out of the building.

"How about Italian? And do you really think I going to let you pay?" I sigh. I make good money but I still make pennies to the dollar compared to him.

"I assume no. You don't need to pay my rent anymore, ya know." I shoot back and smirk. The shock in his face is easy to spot. He never told me at that he did, he never said anything about the mystery of how my rent ever got paid, but I kind of guessed it was him. And my guess seems to have been right. He holds the door for me as we leave the building.

"I'm glad that I don't." He says like its nothing, like paying that guy who you insult on a daily basis's rent is normal. Its not and he knows it. I shift the weight of my bag a little so it will stop cutting in quite so badly.

"Is your hotel close? My hotel is right there. I assume you don't want to carry around a heavy bag." He says pointing at the hotel right across street from the conference. Those hotels that get featured on HGTV and they have doormen in fancy black jacket. Any bets on if Seto Kaiba is in the penthouse?

"No, not really. I'm kind of curious what the penthouse looks like." I say as we cross the street.

"I'll be glad to take you on a grand tour." He presses the elevator button in the lobby. Underfoot is shiny marble, on our left a classy bar and a nice stained glass elevator hub on our right. A few female vet students eye us, a few I spot checking out Seto and at least one looking at me. Not that I can disagree, the stress and sleepless nights haven't gotten to him yet. We get into the elevator with the students who look at their phone with Hello Kitty cell phone cases, the new Dphone. I haven't gotten around to buying it. There is comfortable pause in our conversation.

10 years since my last dueling tournament, 10 years since I stood across from a stage and dueled him for a meaningless title. Time really flies, I'm a well-respected veterinarian specializing wild animals. His company is the most valued company in the world. Mokuba is vice president and seems to be dating someone right now, no names yet. Serenity travels a lot, so the only time I know I'll see her is Christmas. Yugi travels as well for digs and museums, Tristan is a general in the army, Tea became a dancer, Mai became an actress, and model. Duke created some social media start-up and he's doing well for himself, but it is stationed in Domino. So, we hook up when neither of us really have anyone. Ryou is a respected novelist, but I know that he spends most of his time writing romance novels under a pen name. We all spend Christmas together since no one in our group seems to find anyone that we care to date or marry, and most of us lack family we speak to.

We step out on a floor with only one door on it. He takes out the plastic key and opens the door. I find what I expected, sweeping view of the city, soft plush carpet, plush overstuffed chairs with a modern twist. I stick my bag on the slightly hard modern couch and take a seat on it. It faces a massive T.V. and stuffed ottoman. He takes a seat besides me and kicks his feet onto the ottoman. Then lays his arm on the couch cushion round my back.

"Did you really think that the dinner was a purely platonic offer? Do you really think that paying your rent was purely because your father was fucking asshole?" He says just like he says everything else, with confidence, conviction and apathy. He doesn't have a girlfriend then. I take off my shoes, kick my feet up next to his and curl up against him a little. I like this, just cuddling a little on the coach.

"Dating isn't really my top priority, I was fine just catching up with you. Assuming this isn't just a one night stand to you." His arm goes around me.

"One night stand, I've never had one. They sound horrible. While romance isn't my strong suit, I prefer to know the person I'm fornicating with. I find that it makes the act seem less like a biologic need. I can delude myself into thinking that I'm showing that I care in some way." The same person I've always known him to be, straight to the point, practical with every word. I assume that I can't expect a lot of gushy honey bear, honey boo, and sugar cakes stuff that I got with my last girlfriend. I can help myself but smile at him.

"Have any of your previous partners fornicated with the wrong person?" I ask. He nuzzles in my hair and smells.

"No, I have a clean bill of health. Yourself?"

"Clean bill of health. So, I assume this means we can forget condoms. I prefer skin on skin." I always purr. Fuck, my cock throbs at the thought of him with no barrier between us inside of me. I'm sure we have time for him to take me doggy style in a king sized bed. Because, what other position would be use for the first time together? It only seems right.

"I would prefer thaaaaa" he sneezes, right on my head!

"Bless you in a non-religious way." I say, first getting out of the line of fire, and then handing my handkerchief that I had in my front pocket. He takes it and blows his nose. A clear slime comes out of his nose, soaking through the handkerchief and getting his hands. Even he can't make blowing your nose graceful. I'm glad to know that he isn't magical. I go to the living room table and grab the box of tissues because my handkerchief is about to run out of area from the copious amount of clear slime my new boyfriend seems to be producing out of his nose. Right after smelling my hair no less.

I place them right in front of him and watch his reaction; it seems to be surprise at my gesture. He isn't sick. I took care of little sister to know that, that is after all the human antonym and pathology classes I had to take for my degree. I was an EMT for a while there to make ends meet. I deal with bodily fluids every day. I take my handkerchief back and throw it in the garbage. It was cheap and, of weird things to be happy about, that is one of them. Then I take a seat on coach again with him sneezing to my right, still.

"Never had a partner just give you tissues? Who did you date? Divas?" I ask.

"I said know, and that fact that I could just buy them something when I thought meetings were more pleasant than their company was useful." Typical, extremely typical, use his money to get what he wants. Release from a biologic need, something all animals need to do, sex for something that is purely a human creation, money. Romance! My idea of romance! I have questioned many times why I fell for him the first place.

"That not going to work, you know that right?" I say turning my head. His eyes are runny, his nose red and his face a little flushed. He sneezes again right when he getting new tissues, so a long string of slim runs out of his nose onto his face. Sexy. He quickly grab a few more tissues and blows pretty hard. It still comes out clear.

"I know. But I also know that if you're mad at me, it probably is an issue that is well over due to be talked about. You're not going to get mad at me for stupid shit like I talked to that female CEO in slightly flirtation way or some bullshit like that. Your self worth isn't predicated on the fact that I find you attractive." I can't help myself but laugh at anyone thinking Seto Kaiba flirting is a thing.

"Also sex isn't going to work either, if I'm legitimately pissed off at you, I'll more pissed off. If I'm vaguely annoyed at you for canceling dinner, a blowjob will work. Yes, I do expect you suck my cock. Also no threesomes. Never had a good experiences with those." He sneezes again, this time with a little blood. Hm, irritated nasal passage, no shock there he's been sneezing and blowing his nose for the past ten minutes.

"I expect return service. I will admit that I'll stop being annoyed at a lot for sex, cheating isn't one of them and I've never seen the appeal of threesomes. I never quite got where you paid attention." He says holding back a sneeze. This time most of its blood and I'm pretty sure he allergic to me by this point. I forget that I'm almost always carrying around animal dander on me, from my cat, from the lion, tigers, buffalo and a bunch of other animals.

"How about breaking to hives whenever we cuddle or getting a bloody nose and not because I'm that attractive? Also I do expect you bottom, the high and mighty CEO of Kaiba Corp isn't above that. Pun unintended." He hold up a tissue to his nose to stop the bleeding and leans forward so it doesn't go down his throat.

"That is an issue, sex will actually make that worse. I prefer bottoming actually. I hope that you didn't expect me to be particularity time consuming. I average 80 hours a week. I might cut that a little since I haven't any reason to not work that much since Mokuba graduated college." He says through the tissue. I'm a doctor for animals, he expects me to do any better?

"Good, I think I've averaged 75 in the past three months but I count a few volunteer jobs I do in there as well. I do expect to have dinner with you at least once a week, and I will be pissed if you miss that for anything but a business trip or someone died. Anniversaries, Christmas, Valentines Day, and both of our birthdays. Five days a year that I will not negotiated about unless something extreme, I don't know, a hostile take over. "I say, grabbing the phone, as I look at him drain blood from his nose on to thin pieces of paper. He needs something. I press the desk button.

"Can I have some Benadryl and Afrin sent up to the penthouse? It's under Seto Kaiba." I say into the phone. The lady at the desk says give them 10 minutes. He'll live that long. Then I hang up.

"I also expect you get to an allegorist as soon as you get back to Domino. Where I know you still live in the same house, if I'm not mistaken." I say. He changes tissues. I go get him a towel, he can afford to replace them and it has got to be more comfortable on his nose.

"I'll call tomorrow and you are incorrect about where I live. My primary residency is downtown now. A three bedroom penthouse, 4.5 bath, 3500 square feet with a view of the city." Primary residency, part of me doesn't believe that I just heard that. A single person in that large of a house does seems a little silly. As much as I have really wanted to have sex in the master bedroom there. It's almost as large as my present apartment!

"Three? You sleep in one, one for when Mokuba decides to stay in Domino. I assume his girlfriend would stay in the same room. The third is what, your blue eyes white dragon themed sex dungeon? I am not signing a NDA, I'm not Ana Steele." He actually snorts at that, causing a massive rush of blood on to the white towel. Fifty shades of blue, it involves an actually healthy relationship, no girl trying to save anyone, and actually interesting likable characters. The BDSM, I'd be down for that.

"A blues eyes white dragon themed sex dungeon? I have a few extra rooms in my mansion. But in that apartment it's my workroom for side projects. Very few of those could be used as a sex toy. The only one I could even imagine might be immersive virtual reality, sort of like Star Trek. But what are you thinking, red room of pain? I'll go for bondage, submission, domination, but the pain isn't really top on my list. I don't have time for every weekend and by the sound of it neither do you. I wouldn't date you if I thought a NDA was necessary." Good, he is at the very least willing to humor shit I can come up with.

"Experience or just don't think you would like it?" I ask. He raises an eyebrow at me.

"I can't imagine ever hurting you even if it was consensual. Also I can't imagine you hurting me and enjoying it. Please correct me if I'm wrong." I can't correct him. I've tried at one point because a girlfriend was into it, and it didn't go well at all. In fact I'm pretty sure it was the nail in the coffin of that relationship.

"I can't, but that comes from experience. Bad idea all around."

"Are you really shocked? Do you want a beer as well?" He says a little like he knew. I inwardly hit myself right then, god damn it! Fucking A!

"No." I admit with a sigh.

"I expect that issue to be non-issue to be honest. I expect you won't ask, and I won't ask. I'll listen if you do ever want to share." That is about how touchy and feely he gets; I think robots have more emotions than he does by this point. I am actually pretty sure he can program something to have more emotions than he does. But he has the important ones, and I'm not looking for someone touchy-feely. They weird me the fuck out. I don't want to talk about shit. I pay someone for that! You don't want to deal with that shit. My younger sister doesn't know much and I want to keep that way. I'll deal with his shit on his terms. That might have been a bad turn of phase right there.

"I expect you to be accommodating as reasonable for our schedules, you can expect return service. Will you expect brand loyalty? I'm thinking of getting a cyborg phone, and I am worried that this may be an issue." I actually get a laugh from that. Good, I was actually joking about that. The holographic tech is too good.

"No, but I'm doing something wrong if that is the case." There is a knock on the door. Good, he was looking a little pale. He'll want to sleep after this, or I should say, it would be wise for him to sleep. I get a small bottle of Benadryl and a small spray bottle of Afrin. I grab a glass of water, and two pills. I hand him the glass of water, I hold the towel while I hand him the pills as well. He shoots them back with blood running down his face. I hand him the towel as the drops start to pool at the tip of his nose.

"Will you expect me to sustain from alcohol?" He asks, still holding a towel up to his face.

"No, we won't have kids and I can leave if you ever touch me in a way I didn't want to be touched. If I recall you don't drink much anyway unless its caffeine."

"You recall correctly." He takes the towel off of his face as his nose stops bleeding. He still looks a little pale and I should just put him to bed now. He lost blood, quite a bit of it. I take it from him and give him a moistened washcloth to clean off the blood. Once he's done with that, I take the towel as well. He kind of looks like death warmed over, dinner will be in if he feels up to it.

"Soup or just toast?" I ask picking up the phone for the desk again. He finally takes his shoes off and puts them up on the ottoman.

"Pancakes." He answers leaning back on the couch. Ok. I pick up the phone and order for both us, pancakes for him and French toast for me. Breakfast sounds really good for some reason. I should go change into clothing that isn't filled with cat hair, dander and other kitty allergies. So I switch on Netflix, I walk over to his suitcase and grab a t-shirt he got at the conference, his jeans, a very nice pair of silk boxers and some socks. Then take an extremely quick shower. They're still big on me, I'm just not six four, but I'm not swimming in them. Then go back to couch with two blankets to cuddle under if he's willing to.

I pause for a second when I get back to living room waiting for his approval. He gives me a very tired smile. So I throw a blanket on him, put my feet on the ottoman. He repositions himself so his head is in my lap in a blanket burrito, not the words he would ever use. I mindlessly play with his hair while we watch some sitcom about a group in law enforcement. Eventually the food comes and we eat, there isn't much to say and neither of us really feels like talking anymore. He's not up for anything tonight besides cuddling, which I'm perfectly happy to indulge in. Soon he nods off in my lap on the couch. I watch him for minute just sleeping my lap. I really hope that an allergist will be able to find something, it will wear him out and I don't think anyone wants that. Also not really down for the nosebleed, just not a fetish I'm really willing to try. But he is super cute when asleep.

When the show ends, I gently shake him awake and direct him towards a bed. He doesn't protest. He sleepily puts on his blue silk pajamas in front of me. Every scar still visible even after this many years. He then crawls into the white hotel bed. I put the bottle of Afrin by his bedside, and turn to off the lights. Behind me I hear, barely above a whisper, as he's drifting off to sleep, "Thank you and I love you." I give him a smile as he closes his eyes, "I love you too." I get a quick smile that quickly relaxes in the name of sleep. I flick off the lights, leave the room and go back to the conference for the dance party, not before stealing the card to get back in.