Authors note: This fanfic was inspired by the song Far away from Nickelback. It basically wrote itself but unfortunately turned out much longer then planed. Since I don't know where to cut it in half I leave it as one really long one shot, I hope you like it.

Plenty of time!

His wild hair looks magnificent in the dim light of the night club, but in my opinion that's still one of the less alluring aspects about him. It's nothing compared to the way his eyes are alight with energy and excitement about his own actions like they always are when he's playing around in a night club, but even that is still nothing compared to the way he moves his incredibly attractive body-the way his slender hips are moving to the music while his arms seem to draw in everyone around him, inviting them to mess with his unruly mop of hair just like he does right before his hands move down again to be placed at the hip of the person he's currently dancing with.

I'm not the only one who has a hard time keeping my eyes off of him, not that I even bother to try, but some who arrived accompanied by their partner do try though for at least some of them it obviously isn't all that easy. I'm not at all surprised considering the way his hips are currently swinging with the beat, so deliriously close to the brunette bitch who's currently lucky enough to be his dance partner. I can't possibly be the only one imagining himself being said dance partner. His confidant and playful smile together with his tight fitting black leather pants and equally tight fitting red shirt are doing the rest to draw nearly every eye in the room towards the center of the dance floor where he is.

The first time I saw him dance like that I wanted to kill the person he danced with. I never thought anyone could make me feel as jealous as I did that night. I even went as far as to ensure the person moved out of the country-for her own safety of course. If I ever saw her again, I probably would have killed her in a jealous rage.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still not happy to see him dance with anyone but me, but I can just about manage now that I know his games. I should have known from the start that he just needs an outlet for his animalistic energy. I don't call him mutt for nothing after all. He is wild, energetic and agile just like a real dog. At the same time he is unpolished, dirty and, even though I wouldn't seriously call him mentally challenged, he isn't the smartest one to walk the face of the earth either. But for some reason I just find myself even more attracted to him due to his wild and carefree nature.

I know that I shouldn't like him, I'm a very young CEO of a very big company and need to keep my image to ensure my position after all. I don't want tot care what others think, but I need to impress some business partners in order to keep my company where it is-at the top. But it doesn't really matter… I'm sure there will be a time where it doesn't matter who I'm dating, perhaps once I'm older and have secured my position and power a little more; I'm constantly working towards that goal already, and I also have a plan on how to seduce the beautiful man I'm currently only daring to watch from afar.

I will wait until we're out of school for a longer period of time. By then I shouldn't need to worry about my image anymore, at least not to the degree I have to now. And once I haven't seen him for a few years, or rather he won't get to see me while I watch him just like I do now, I'll wait until he has some sort of problem that can only be solved with money or power and then I'll come running to the rescue. He will be bound to find me interesting at the very least after such a drastic change in my behavior, and from there it'll be the easiest thing to charm the blond little street dog to fall for his rescuer.

Fortunately Joey had never shown a greater interest in any of his dance partners so far. They're just that-dance partners-and nothing else. One of those managed to steal a kiss from the blond once in a surprise attack, a kiss right from his beautiful lips. He got a black eye, curtsey of Joey, and, unknown to Joey, also lost his job and apartment thanks to me. Well I was generous, much more generous than he deserved! I got that kiss-stealing fool a new job, one that is pretty much on the other side of the world. Unfortunately he wasn't intelligent enough to become an astronaut or I would have sent him to the moon for good…but then again, Mars is even further away.

My little puppy has changed his dance partner to another bitch, a blond one this time around. Even though I'm not nearly as jealous as I've been the first time I watched him move his body so perfectly to the music like only a born dancer can do, I still wish I could drag Joey out of here, take him home, and tie him to my bed. I can't even count how many times I've dreamed of doing just that. Unfortunately I'm rather certain that if I do put a collar on him and chain him to my bed, in reality, he won't be as willing as he is in my dreams, and I really would prefer him to be with me willingly than having to rape him. I want to see his face filled with lust and his eyes clouded with pleasure, of course, only provided that I'm the one who causes said pleasure for him.

I've pictured it at least a million times, how he would look on my spacious bed, naked of course, his face filled with longing while I move my hands over his perfect body; his soft and muscular chest and arms, slowly working my way downwards towards his tights. I wonder if his tanned skin is as soft as it looks. I wonder how his voice will sound when he moans under my touch or begs to feel me inside of him while his eyes look into mine longingly. Well I doubt that anyone can make him beg but who knows, even I can be wrong occasionally, and I most certainly will try to make him beg.

I can't wait to tease him… I've pictured so many things that I want to do with him. I've pictured touching every centimeter of his skin, first with my hands and later with my tongue, to lick cream from his chest or even chocolate sauce. I'm not so much into sweets, but I bet he would love to taste the chocolate on my lips when I kiss him after my little snack. I want to feed him with chocolate covered strawberries right from my lips to his, or let him lick some chocolate sauce from my member; I bet the little sweet-tooth would actually enjoy it, and I know I would enjoy it greatly.

Though I must say that I do fear his teeth a little, the playful little puppy might try something stupid. He probably would enjoy hurting me, just playfully and not too much of course, just to show his own questionable power. I hope he will try something stupid because I can't wait to punish him for the first time-to tie him up and tease him even more, not with chocolate of course but rather with a little spanking of his tight butt or by letting him feel my nails moving downwards over his back towards his hot ass and covering his whole body in love bites of course. That last part would also have the nice side-effect of marking him as mine.

I really should stop thinking about such things while watching him move on the dance floor. I can already feel my pants tighten like so many times before, and I wish I had the privacy of my bedroom right now to release the building tension in my groin by touching my own erection while imaging it was Joey who was touching me in such an intimate way, teasing and playful.

I really need to learn to stop my mind from wandering to such naughty thoughts about the blond when in public, it's just good that my face doesn't show any of my thoughts. Apart from the tightening pants, no one would ever be able to find out how tempted I am from the picture in front of me while I sit here on the other side of the night club and watch the blond, who is so far out of my reach.

I watch him take a break from dancing and have a drink at the bar, the cold liquid touching his ruby lips and I wonder if they're as soft and moist as they always look. I see him put it down again and a guy walking closer to him. He has wild black hair and piercing blue eyes. I haven't seen him here before, but I've noticed Joey dance for a while. I see him point towards the dance floor and right after that Joey moves back to it, followed by the guy. I keep an eye on Joey's drink since the hand of said guy moved above it in a strange fashion, and I can't help but wonder if he dropped something into it that might daze Joey if he drinks from it after their dance again.

I shift my gaze back to Joey once I see one of my ten private detectives switch his glass with another one. He really is a stupid mutt to leave his drink unsupervised. He would have gotten himself drugged a few times by now if I hadn't interfered, or rather my private detectives that I have just to make sure that Joey is still available once the right moment to make my move arrives. They're quite handy in keeping the mutt safe as well.

I wonder what he'd say if he knew how often they've saved him from probably getting raped so far. Would he be grateful that I saved him, or mad that I always had an eye on him? I have a feeling it would be the latter one and better not let him ever find out.

It's far closer to sunrise than sunset before Joey finally leaves to go home and I eagerly follow him, knowing by now what to expect when I do. I might be in for a real treat soon and I can hardly wait for it.

I reach the apartment of his father where he lives before he does since I used a car, worried that he'd notice me if I followed him and took the night bus like he does. Once he enters the small apartment I'm already getting more excited as I stand in the dark alley from where I know that I can see the window of his room. I watch him turn on the light and hope that he's at least nearly as aroused from dancing as I am from watching him, and usually he is.

The light in his room is being turned on and my blond puppy moves closer to the window, pulling his shirt over his head. I wonder if he even has curtains, or does he get off on the fact that anyone who might be down here can watch him? Maybe he's just very certain that no one would walk by at this time of the night. Whatever the reason, he stands up there moving his hand, probably to remove his pants, and I can't say how much I wish his window was much bigger. But then again everyone who walked past would get to see what I'm watching from this dark alley, not that I need to stand here. His window is brightly lit and he probably can't see much out here since there are no street lights in this tiny, rundown, street…at least no working ones. He might see his own reflection, which might be a reason for him to leave the curtains open too.

I watch his eyes close halfway while one of his hands moves up to hold himself up against the wall right next to the window. I can still see most of his upper body since it was just the end of his left arm disappears behind the wall while his face is close to the glass, and his right hand is too far down to see it. Still, I can guess what his right hand is doing by watching his face, the exact face that I want to see while he's under me on my bed-his face slightly flushed while his lips are slightly parted.

Such a dirty little dog, standing there and touching himself where anyone might see him, and it's not even the first time that I've seen him like this. It's no surprise that I get such fantasies and wet dreams about my dirty little puppy, a great many of them where he is in front of the great window in my office while I'm standing right behind him. It makes me wish I could be up there, and I can't wait for the day that I will be the one touching him and getting to see that face from closer up. I have plenty of time to reach that goal though, and I will just watch from afar until that day arrives.

From the way he looks he's close to reaching his climax, and I can't wait to see it before I go home; his light is going to be turned off soon after that anyway. Once I see his lips open further and his eyes close before his face relaxes again, I turn around. If I watch him catch his breath while his face is still a deep red and his eyes are clouded from pleasure, I'll probably cum from simply watching him-which I would never admit to of course.

Once I've turned around the first thing I see is a gun that's pointed straight towards me, and a face partly hidden by the darkness in the alley. I stare in surprise, not fear, because I'm Seto Kaiba and don't fear anything. But before I can say, "Get that thing away from me or I'll sue you for all that you're worth and destroy your miserable little life," I hear a loud bang and I feel a pressure in my chest that causes me to fall backwards.

Once I hit the ground I feel someone move his hands over the pockets of my coat and grab my wallet with a whispered, "I'm sorry, but without your money my baby will die."

Once he got it I hear retreating steps, and then I'm alone. I find the little hidden button that will alert Roland that I need his help, and I know it will take him less than 5 minutes to find me. He is always close to me, and due to that he's probably the only one to know about my feelings for my little puppy, but I still worry that it will be too late. The lack of pain and the strange feeling that I've somehow lost all my weight and am currently floating above the ground, unable to feel it at all, is probably a dead giveaway that I don't have as much time to seduce Joey as I thought.

I turn my head as far as I can to see his face looking into the dark for any sign of the source of the gunshot. He's so stupid… He should be hiding somewhere where he can't be seen to stay safe, but no. Instead he looks right out of the window and risks his life, probably without even seeing the danger he's in. If the guy who shot me thinks that he saw it all, he might be next!

I hear Roland's voice call out for me and I'm relieved; it will probably keep Joey alive. Part of me wonders why I'm not more worried about what the press will say about this shooting, but the only thing I really want to know is why Joey looks so shocked once the flashlight from Roland hits my mostly lifeless body. He hates me so much that I thought he'd be calling his friends to throw a party. I just wish I had used my time to change that, to make him feel sad about my death, to miss me, and most of all to remember me. But before I can even think about saying or doing anything, everything slowly turns into darkness, but I doubt that the flashlight is losing it's power and fading.

Roland's voice seems to be fading into the background while the darkness seems to be creeping up from all around me. The last thing I see is Joey's shocked face and my last thought is,"why didn't I tell him I loved him? I could have had him at my mansion with him in my arms if I had."

I feel like I'm floating, not feeling any pain nor hearing anything I can actually make sense of; I do hear some sounds here and there though. I have no idea for how long that goes on. Time seems to be a non-existing matter in the darkness and the only halfway coherent thing in my mind is the regret I feel about never telling my puppy what I truly felt for him.

When I start to notice more things around me and feel a bit of pain radiating from my chest, I have no idea how much time has passed. It have just been seconds and I'm stilly lying on the ground in that alley, or maybe it's been a few minutes and I'm in an ambulance. It might have been a few hours and I'm lying in a hospital already, but it could also have been days, weeks-if not months-or even years.

I slowly start to notice more through the never yielding darkness that surrounds me. I hear an annoying peeping and part of my brain wonders why no one's turning off the alarm. I slowly start to open my eyes and I could slap myself for my last thought. My brain must be more confused than I'd like to admit-of course the peeping is coming from stupid hospital machinery!

I see my brother look at me and I'm glad that it hasn't been too long since I last saw him-he hasn't changed at all. I try to remove some of the countless wires that are on or in my body ad are annoying me to no end right now. My blond puppy is nowhere around me, and who knows how much time I have left to tell him how I feel. Right now the pain in my chest is worse than it was right after getting shot.

"Don't move. Please, Seto, don't move," Mokuba begs me and I see him press a button.

"What happened?" I ask with a voice that doesn't sound like mine at all; it's weak and rough. But I need to know how I got here and how long I was unconscious. I need to know if I was out of it long enough for Joey to have gotten a permanent lover.

"You got shot, Seto. What the hell happened that you got shot? Why were you in such a place anyway, big brother? I was worried about you," Mokuba says with a worried look on his face, and I can see that he had been crying not to long ago.

"I know that. I got shot in my chest, not in my brain," I tell him, trying not to sound too annoyed with him. I know that he's worried and has no idea how well my memory is right now, or how well my brain is able to absorb his words, so it is no surprise that he started with the fact that I was shot. But it still does annoy me greatly to not get the answers I need when I don't have the strength to keep my patience. "I want to know what happened after Roland found me."

"He called an ambulance and put some pressure on your wound," Mokuba explains. "Once you were at the hospital you went into surgery to remove the bullet. It had missed your heart by less than an inch and stopped right in front of your lung. The doc said that you've been incredibly lucky, but for a while he couldn't tell me if you'd make it. What where you doing in such a place, Seto? I thought I lost you when Roland called me."

"How long ago was that?" I ask, ignoring his question. I don't want him to be the first to hear about my feelings. I mean I love Mokuba to pieces, but those feelings are something that I want to share with Joey before I share them with my kid brother.

"Two days," Mokuba whines. "The doc said that if you didn't wake up soon you might… Well, that doesn't matter anymore. You're finally awake and fine, right? Now, what were you doing there, Seto?"

Luckily the doctor enters the room and I'm saved from having to answer a question I don't want to discus right now. "How soon can I go home?" is the first thing I ask once he walks in and I glare at him.

The doctor stares back at me in surprise and answers, "I can't say that at this point. It depends on how well you recover, but it might be a few weeks if not a couple of months."

"In that case I release myself at my own risk. I have everything I need at home. Mokuba, get my stuff," I order and try to get up just to feel the pain in my chest increase. It really burns, like someone is starting a fire right on my ribcage, but I bite my teeth and try to ignore the pain.

"Seto Kaiba, you lie back down this instant!" my brother orders in a voice I've never heard him use before.

I stare at him, stunned for the moment.

"How dare you scare me like that and then risk your life further by going against the doctor's orders! You better do what he says or I will make your life a living hell! Do I make myself clear?"

I stare at him for another moment with very mixed feelings. Part of me is incredibly proud that he's so much like me, but the bigger part is simply annoyed about being told what to do by my kid brother. "You can't order me around," I point out, but his glare is still on me and I feel slightly uneasy. His eyes are red and he has dark bags under them… Well, to be truthful, those bags have bags. He must have been incredibly worried about me just like he said, and I even understand it. I don't even want to imagine him lying here and not knowing if he'll pull through.

"Fine," I mumble and ease myself back onto the bed, hearing the doctor let go of the breath he must have been holding for a moment. "But I need to call someone right away. Give me your phone."

"No work until you're better," Mokuba orders. "I'm leading Kaiba Corp. since you got wounded, and will do it until you're back, so do worry. I won't disappoint you."

I can't help but feel even more pround of him after those words. It must have cost him a lot to work while I was lying here, wounded and probably dying. "It's not for work," I reassure him, "and I need to make that call, so give me your phone or I'll walk out of that door and have that little conversation in person."

Mokuba glares at me for a moment before he looks at the doctor.

"He needs some rest," the doctor tells him, "but most of all he needs to calm down. So if it will help him relax I don't see a problem with a short and calm conversation on the phone. I will also give him something to calm him that might make him fall asleep soon."

"Don't you dare!" I warn him. "I don't have time to sleep!"

"Brother!" Mokuba says in that chiding and annoying tone again. "You let him give you the drug, and take the time to sleep or you can forget about getting my phone!"

I glare at him again but since he still looks like shit, and that's putting it nicely, I say, "Fine. But I need to be alone during the phone call."

The doctor immediately started to work on the IV and injected something in it, probably worried that I might change my mind again any second.

Mokuba looks really surprised though; I've never kept a secret from him before, not until I fell in love with Joey and so far Mokuba has no idea about what I do to be as close to him as I can. He still nods and just passes me his phone. "You got five minutes, and not a second more."

Strange, that's what I used to tell him when he begged to play a new game for a little longer before going to bed on a school night. He even said it in the same stern voice that I used to use, and I just nod and watch him leave the room together with the doctor-who just finished injecting god knows what into me, and I'm not sure I want to know.

I don't even want to think about it and rather open the contacts and search for the right one. I notice that there is no Joey Wheeler in it though, and I'm slightly disappointed. Still I look through all the names from top to bottom and hope to find him under a different name. Once I see Puppy I chuckle, which I regret greatly due to the pain it causes. I ring the number and hope that it's the right one.

After just two rings I hear Joey's voice sounding worried. "How is Kaiba? Please don't tell me he died."

It truly surprise me that he's that worried, granted by now I find it silly of myself to think he would laugh and start a party while I'm still dying. He could never be that coldhearted, but I hadn't thought him to be this worried about me either. I do like to hear him like this though. "Why should Mokuba be dead?" I ask with a smirk on my face, choosing to misunderstand him on purpose just to annoy him a little; he's just too cute when he's mad.

It was quiet for a moment until Joey asked, "Kaiba? Is that you?"

"No, it's a ghost," I reply sarcastically. I do understand the question though-my voice still sounds dreadfully off even to myself.

"Could be true, even if it's you," Joey said, actually sounding sad. "All things considered, ya could be dead. Do ya have any idea how worried we all were?"

"We who?" I ask. Was he talking about that little cheerleading squad? Because I honestly wouldn't care about them, but if he meant Mokuba and himself I actually would like the thought that they comforted each other during the last few days.

"We all," Joey answers and I look at my watch.

After looking for his number and teasing him a little I don't have that much time left so I better get to the point.

"I mean me, Yug, Tris, and the rest of the gang and Mokuba of course. I mean the kid was a worried and nervous wreak every time I saw or called him."

"You two have been in touch then?" I ask, needing to hear it confirmed that he indeed had been there for my brother.

"Of course we have," Joey answers. "He asked if I knew why the hell you were at such a place since I lived close by. Did ya know that I could actually see ya on the ground from my window? For a moment I thought ya were dead. Do ya have any idea how that felt? Why did ya have to be in such a place at such a time?"

What a hypocrite. He was out there a few minutes before that little incident too, getting home from the night club! He nearly got drugged since he didn't watch his drink and then he walks through the same area at nearly the same time and is chiding me?

I bite my tongue. I don't really want to tell him just how much I know about his activities during the night, at least not over the phone. "I had my reasons, which is why I called you," I tell him since Mokuba can walk back into the room any moment. "I need to talk to you."

"Ya are talking to me, so shoot," I hear him say and give a sigh, regretting the motion instantly since that too increases the amount of pain I'm in for a moment. I must have made a sound since Joey asks, "Are ya alright?"

"I got shot you moron," I tell him. "Of course I'm not alright. And if I wanted to talk to you on the phone I wouldn't have said that I need to talk to you-I would have gotten right to the point, especially since Mokuba might interrupt us at any moment. He wasn't too keen on letting me phone someone, insisting that I take it easy."

"Who's the dimwit now?" Joey asks. "Ya got shot, so of course he'll want ya to take it easy. For a while he thought he'd lose ya, and he very well could have. Go easy for a few days even if ya do it just for him."

"That will depend on you," I inform him, hoping to gain some leverage over him. He clearly doesn't want Mokuba to worry about me, and maybe that's why he was worried too. It wasn't really about me, just about Mokuba having to worry about me. "Will you come here so I can talk to you in person, or do I have to sneak out of here and find you?"

"You're really acting strange ya know," Joey points out, and I guess I sort of do.

The fact that I'm calling him is already much more than a little off, all things considered. I don't think I've ever done that before.

"But fine. I'm on my way."

He hardly managed to finish that sentence when Mokuba walks into the room and I was just about to reply when Mokuba took the phone and spoke into it, "Seto needs to rest, sorry." He then ended the call without even waiting for a reply.

I wonder if he'd done it if he'd known who exactly had been on the other end.

"I'm expecting a visitor," I inform him calmly, trying not to show my irritation about him taking the phone right out of my hand-even if it's his.

"You're going to be asleep. Whoever it is can come here tomorrow," Mokuba insists.

"I need to talk to him, Mokuba," I insist.

"Why?" he asks, furious all of a sudden. "I don't get this shit, Seto! First you're in such a crappy place at such an hour of the night and get yourself shot, and then you don't even tell me why even though I asked you again and again! Then you insist on calling someone and insisting that it isn't business related, and now you even insist on a visitor? What the hell are you keeping from me? Do you have some secret girlfriend and don't want to tell me because I'm too small or what? Just tell me what's going on already, Seto! You've been out so often recently and always after getting some call from someone, and you never tell me who it is or what it's about. Don't you think I get when you're hiding something? Don't you think that I worry about you just like you would worry for me? Just tell me already… I don't want to find out what this is about on your funeral or something."

"I don't have a girlfriend," I tell him, hoping to calm him.

"Oh no, of course I'm probably imagining things. After all I'm just some stupid kid aren't I?" Mokuba fusses, still angry, and I can see tears starting to build in his eyes. He hasn't been this emotional in a long time and I guess it's due to a serious lack of sleep, as well as his worry for me, and I have to admit that I'm the one who caused both.

"…I'm gay," I interrupt him before he can start to get himself even more hyped up about this. "But I'm still single."

Mokuba stares at me and then asks, a little more calmly now that he seems to think that I might actually answer his questions, "If you don't have a boyfriend, then what were you doing in that kind of area?"

I watch his face and start to wonder what he's assuming. Unfortunately whatever the doctors injected me with is working overtime. I feel extremely lightheaded and have a hard time focusing on my own incoherent thoughts, never mind his words and facial expressions. "I'll try to explain once I'm a little bit more myself if you don't mind."

"No, you have to tell me now," Mokuba whined. "I've never seen you this chatty. Who knows when I'll get another chance. I mean you just admitted to being gay and I bet you wouldn't have done it without those lovely drugs."

"What the hell did they give me anyway?" I ask him and eye the IV, and I decide to ask what in the world the doc drugged me with. At least the pain in my chest is much better, even if it's not completely gone. I do feel tired though, and home that I can manage to stay awake until I get a chance to talk to Joey.

"I don't care what they're giving you, big bro, but whatever it is must be good." He sounds way too amused for my sake, and his eyes aren't as worried anymore and look rather excited. "And now, tell me. What were you doing there?"

"I had something to do there," I just say. "And I'll tell you what exactly after I've talked to Joey."

"Joey?" Mokuba asks, confused. "You didn't just call Joey Wheeler and tell him to come did you?"

"Yes, I did," I tell him and watch him closely, still feeling a little strange. "And you ended the call with him rather rudely if I might point out."

"What do you want from Joey?" he asks, and I can nearly see the smoke go up from his head while he things about this piece of information.

I hear myself chuckle about his strange face and already know I'm going to regret this one day, but right now I just feel strange. "That's a secret," I tell him, still fighting the giggles that built up in my throat unsuccessfully. "At least until I talk to Joey."

"Not fair," he whines and I smile a little at him, gladly feeling the giggle starting to stop.

"Please Mokuba," I say, trying to ignore the strange feeling of floating that I'm suddenly getting again. "I want to talk to Joey about this first. I will tell you though, I promise."

I wonder why it's so hard to keep focusing on his face and talk to him. Whatever the doctor gave me, I have to make damn sure that I don't get more of it. I'd rather take a bit more of that pain than this strange feeling.

"Fine," Mokuba gives in after I fight to keep my eyes focused on him. "But don't you think I should call Joey and tell him to come tomorrow instead? You're half asleep and clearly not yourself right now."

"Please don't," I say without thinking it through. "I know I'm not really myself and that it might be smarter to not talk to him while my head feels like there is nothing but air in it, but I need to tell him. I need to tell him as soon as possible and, depending on his reaction, I might like the drugs much more afterwards.

I see him frown and my eyes fall closed just for a second, or at least I thought it was just a second; but by the time I open them again the pain is a tiny bit worse. I still feel lightheaded and I notice that the room is dark and Mokuba is suddenly gone.

"Hey sleepyhead," I hear a gentle voice next to my bed say, and I turn to look into the amber eyes of my little puppy. He doesn't look quite as stunning as he had the last time I saw his face; he has too many bags under his eyes and they look slightly puffy like he too might have cried, but it's not as bad as Mokuba had been.

"Ya know that it's not very nice to order me all the way over here and then go to sleep for several hours, right?"

I see the corner of his mouth move up into a slightly lopsided and really cheeky grin, but his voice is so gentle and caring that I'm actually starting to feel a tiny bit hopeful. "Sure I know that," I point out, trying to look as smug as ever and hoping that someone took the time to ensure that I look halfway presentable. I hadn't even thought about how I might look after having been unconscious in a hospital bed for this long, at least not until he could see me in whatever state I'm in. "I just didn't assume a mutt to have any knowledge about it, nor do I assume that you have any other important engagements you need to attend," I say and see his smile increase.

"Never thought I'd say it, but I'm actually happy to hear ya make fun of me."

"I never knew that you were a masochist," I reply and feel his hand gently slap my shoulder. He's hardly touching it, but then again it might just be the drugs that are making me a little numb.

"I'm no masochist ya stupid jerk," Joey replies, grinning. "I'm just happy that I still get to punch ya for being a jerk."

"Is that all?" I ask him and watch his face for a moment.

His beautiful eyes just look questioningly towards me-he's probably wondering how much of my words are only coming out due to my drugs.

"You said that you could see me from your window, and asked if I knew. It sounded like you assumed I couldn't have, but to be honest I did," I say, sounding much more serious than before-after all who knows how long those drugs will let me stay awake. I watch the surprise on his face, but he doesn't say anything and just looks questioningly at me. "I saw you right before I lost consciousness… And I saw your face when Roland found me, just for a moment, but I hadn't thought you'd look that way because of me.

"Don't tell me ya really thought I'd throw a party," he said, obviously trying to use a joking tone but I can still hear that he would feel insulted by that notion if I would seriously think it.

"To be honest, for a second I did," I answer him honestly anyway. "I know that it's silly. You're not cold enough to really go that far, no matter how much you despise me. But there is a lot of room between throwing a party and looking like you haven't slept for ages, and to be honest it looks like you went to the latter extreme."

He looks like he actually feels embarrassed about something and an adorable blush starts to cover his cheeks. "I did sleep just fine," he answers, but I still doubt it. "I just stayed here tonight for Mokuba's sake. He was worried that ya really would run off to find me if I didn't stick around until ya woke up."

I watch the blush increase and can't help but wonder what might have brought it on. Was he embarrassed about the fact that he had obviously been worried about me, or was it just that I had noticed his worries? But why should he feel embarrassed about it? "Thank you," I force out in a whisper. "I'm happy to know that you worried about me a little, even if it looks like you don't want to admit it."

I see him stare at me in surprise and then he grins again before saying, "Whatever they're giving ya here, I want some of that too. It must be great stuff."

I chuckle again, slightly embarrassed about it but unable to show it-the chuckle is making sore of that while I can't even focus enough to put my poker face in place to stop it. "Mokuba said something similar but trust me, you'd regret it. I bet I will regret half of the stuff I said already, never mind about the things I still want to say."

"Why?" he asks, looking at me with an eager expression. "What are ya about to tell me? Why did ya ask me to show up anyway?"

"I love you," I say. I'm not sure if it's the drugs or fear that I'll miss out on something and have such a big regret again when I die for real, but for some reason I just blurted it out without trying to sugarcoat it or charm him into giving me the response I hardly dare to hope for. "That's what I wanted to tell you, and I guess I'll regret telling you at some point but it's still true."

Now he really stares at me with his mouth slightly open. After a moment I see him look deep into my eyes and I wonder why until he suddenly waves his hand in front of my face with the words, "Hey Kaiba? Are ya in there somewhere because someone took over and said the most ridiculous things… Like anyone would believe that truckload of crap."

"You were out dancing," I tell him just to prove that I'm not just crazy and was already in love with him before I got any drugs from the doctors here. "The night I got shot I saw you. You nearly got drugged by someone who put something into your drink, but one of the private detectives I'm paying to keep an eye on you made sure to replace your drink before you could drink from the spiked one."

I blush a little before I continue with the even more embarrassing part of my confession. "I followed you home, like I did a few times before, and knew that with the way you were hyped up from dancing I would get to see you undress close to your window and… Well, we both know what you did then, what you nearly always do…"

Now his blush is turning into an even darker shade than mine before I continue.

"I know you probably don't care much about it and will never return my feelings, but I really meant it when I said that I love you. I wanted you to know because I really regretted that I never even tried to tell you when I saw you look at me with that much worry on your face. It was all I could think about at the time while right now I want to kill the doctor for causing me to tell you much more than I need to, and I'm probably making you mad at me for having you stalked around."

It's quiet after I finish and I wonder for how long he'll just sit there and stare at me with that dumbfounded look on his face. I wish he would finally say something. I wouldn't even mind it if he just ran away instead. I just want a reaction to my confession. I want to know how much damage my drugged mind had done to any hope of getting him in the future, if I still have one.

I wish I knew what was going on in his brain since his expression kept changing, and from the look on his face he is sort of mad that I more or less stalked him and peeped on him masturbating; but if he complains I'll just tell him that it's his own fault for doing that right in front of his window. I still remember the way he looked while he was still doing that, the cute blush and lustful expression. I close my eyes for a moment since my eyelids are extremely heavy again, and I enjoy the mental image of the memory.

By the time I manage to open my eyes again, I groan. I've fallen asleep again, and now Joey is nowhere in sight. I can probably take that as an answer too. Mokuba is next to the bed in the same chair Joey had been in last night and he's asleep.

I try to fight the tears that sting my eyes. The pain is worse so I assume that the effect of the drugs is mostly gone, but the tears aren't due to that. Still I refuse to show anyone just how bad the rejection hurts and will just try to fight for him as good as I can once I get out of here.

I don't know how long I lie there and think about ways to charm my stubborn and adorable little mutt but at some point the door to my room opens and I look up, hoping that I see a blond mop of hair walk into the room. Unfortunately it's just a nurse who walks in and whisperes, "Good afternoon mister Kaiba. I'm here to apply your pain medication."

"I don't want any," I snap at her, hardly even feeling sorry for her even though it isn't her fault that she isn't my mutt.

"But I'm sure the wound is starting to hurt again and it will only get worse if I don't give you the medication," she explains, worriedly eyeing my brother.

"Dare to wake him up and you'll lose your job, and I swear I'll find a way to ensure that you won't find another job in this country," I warn her while I glare at her. "I have no idea what it was I got yesterday, but I don't want to be that out of it again! Do I make myself clear?"

"Seto," I hear a mumble from my brother. "Stop threatening her."

Great, I was too loud and woke him up myself.

"What is this about anyway?" he asks with a yawn.

"Nothing," I simply state and still glare at the shivering nurse.

One glance of from my brother towards the tray she is holding and I'm getting a glare from him. "Seto, you'll let her give you the medicine or I swear I'll drive you crazy until you do."

"Go ahead," I just tell him and glare at him now. "It's just against pain anyway, and you know that I prefer that over being absolutely beside myself any day. I will not let them make me high again."

"But you need your rest, and how are you supposed to sleep with a hole in your chest?" Mokuba asks me.

"I already slept more than I was awake during the last few days," I point out. "If they insist they can give me something to help me sleep tonight, but nothing else."

"I'll go and talk to the doctor," the nurse informs Mokuba and leaves.

"Do you have to be this stubborn?" Mokuba asks me with a frown.

"Of course," I tell him. "It apparently runs in the family."

At least that coaxes a little smile out of him and he is quiet about the medicine, at least for now. Neither of us say anything for a moment while I still hope for Joey to show up, but I don't dare to ask. "How is it going with the company?" I ask instead, trying to distract myself from the pain of the rejection that ripped a much bigger hole into my chest than the tiny bullet ever could.

"Great. I've got to go back there soon," he explains. "But don't worry, you won't have to be alone. I organized it so that all of my appointments are when Joey has time to be here."

"He was here?" I ask incredulously.

"Of course," Mokuba answers. "He said this morning that you talked to him for a moment. Must have been even more out of it than he thought if you forgot."

"I wasn't out of it," I reply a bit more snappily than I intended. "I meant he was here before I woke up at all? He talked like he had just stayed that one night."

"No, he usually comes late in the afternoon right after work and stays 'til the morning. He could hardly have had any time to shower and get ready for work. He insisted on it though so I could get some work done and a bit of rest as well, but to be honest I'm not sure when he slept. He only left when he had to go to work, and even then he was strangely reluctant to leave at all. Must have been a shock for him to see someone nearly die right in front of his window I guess."

"So he'll be back?" I ask and can't help but smile happily.

"Yeah," Mokuba answers, surprised, and watches me closely. "Why? Didn't you manage to tell him whatever you wanted to tell him before you fell asleep again?"

"That's not it," I tell him honestly. "I just didn't manage to stay awake for his answer, if he ever gave it."

"So it was a question?" Mokuba asks curiously.

"Not really, no," I explain and sigh, regretting it due to the pain but I try not to let him see it. "I told him something, but he should have replied something to the topic and didn't. He just sat there and stared."

"What was it about?" Mokuba asks me and I can see that he's getting more and more curious about it.

"About the fact that I'm in love with him," I say and try to sound as calm as I can even though I'm sort of worried about his reaction too. I know that he'll accept anything I do, but I still worry that he'll be upset since Joey is more his friend than mine.

"You can't be serious," he says after awhile. "You always pick on him, and now you're trying to tell me that you're in love with him? If you don't want to tell me the truth then fine, but don't lie to me."

"I'm not. I just find him even more alluring when he's really pissed, and he is the reason I was there. He was at a night club and I watched him go home and change." I blush at that statement since I just confessed to my little brother that I was peeping on his friend. I must still be a little under the influence of whatever drug I had the previous day.

Mokuba stares at me and then asks, "Did you tell him why you were there?"

"Yes," I answer and wonder why that is important to him, but I decide that since I started to be this honest I might as well continue. "And I told him about the ten private detectives I'm paying to watch him twenty-four-seven just to make sure that he's safe."

"How stupid are you?" he asks me and I look at him questioningly. "If you want him to like you, you don't do such things! And if you have to do them anyway then you at least shouldn't tell him about it! Now he'll be mad at you for sure."

I stare at him and then say, "Sorry, but I didn't want to keep any secrets and I don't regret it… Well, maybe a little."

Mokuba sighs and then says, "At least he said he'd be back this evening. Maybe you can smooth things over with him and who knows, maybe he was just too surprised to tell you his feelings right away. He might still be in love with you."

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up kiddo," I say and smile at him to ease his worries. "but I really doubt it. If he comes at all he'll probably reject me, which doesn't mean I have to give up."

Mokuba looks at me for a little while longer and I try to change the subject back to the company; it's easier to talk about just facts and number and nothing emotional or saddening. The way he looks at me tells me he knows why I'm talking about the company, but he keeps it going anyway. He doesn't even bother to try and talk me into pain medication when the doctor interrupts us and once I got rid of him I continue my questioning about the company.

It's long past eight and I'm already finished eating a tiny bit of yogurt for dinner when the door opens to reveal the man I've been waiting to see.

"Hey Joey," Mokuba says as cheerful as ever and winks at me. "Good that you're here. I need to hurry and get to Kaiba Corp. See ya tomorrow morning."

"Maybe not," I say, and both stare at me. "I'm not a baby. I don't need a sitter, and Joey needs some rest. I mean I'm happy to see him anytime but he shouldn't have to stay the whole night."

"I go wherever the hell I want and ya can't stop me," Joey points out with a glare and turns to Mokabu with the words, "See ya tomorrow morning. I'll keep an eye on mister stubborn here."

"Okay," Mokuba replies, sounding a little worried when he adds, "Please be nice to him."

"Sure," Joey promises. "As nice as always."

Mokuba gives a sigh and looks at me one more time while I give him a, hopefully, reassuring smile. "Just don't kill each other," he mumbles, rolling his eyes and then leaves.

It's quiet while Joey sits down in the chair Mokuba just left and looks at me while I think about the right thing to say.

"Are ya still high?" he asks after awhile.

"Of course not," I answer and fight a blush.

He watches me again for a while and then says, "Well you seem to be a little more like yourself. I mean last night ya were completely out there. I doubt ya even remember though."

"Every word," I answer. "And I always know what I do, no matter what."

He looks at me for a moment and then murmurs, "Ya really peeped on me?"

So much for fighting the blush. I can feel heat all over my face and I wish I could blame someone else for it. "Yes," I say, fighting to keep my voice steady.

"And ya got some people stalking me?" he asks.

"Only for your protection, after all you're too stupid to even watch your drinks," I point out.

"I've done just fine so far," he points out but blushes a little too before he adds, "And if ya really are in love with me ya shouldn't say that I'm stupid."

"What am I supposed to say then? That you're as smart as I am?" I ask. "I thought I'm also supposed to be honest with the person I love."

"So you really do? Love me I mean?" he asks.

"Yes," I reply and stare at the ceiling. Now that he had time to think about it he's sure to reject me.

"Why did ya never tell me?" he asks instead and I just groan in my displeasure.

Couldn't he just break my heart and get it over with? Does he have to ask all those pointless questions and find out just how much he will hurt me?

"I had my reasons," I just tell him. Being honest is one thing, but I'm not going to embarrass myself any further unless I really have to.

"Oh come on," he whines. "Just tell me already."

"I just did," I point out. "I had my reasons, that's it. You won't get more so deal with it."

"You really are a jerk," Joey replies and watches me intently for a while before he suddenly grins. "Tell me and I'll kiss ya."

I stare at him. Did he just say what I thought he did? Did he just offer to kiss me? Do I even want to kiss him? I mean I sure as hell want to if he wants to, but I don't want it to be due to a deal. I want him to want me for myself.

"No deal," I decide to answer after a moment of thought.

"I thought ya love me," he says, and somehow he sounds upset. "Why don't ya wanna kiss me then?"

"I never said I don't want that you stupid mutt," I point out. "I'm just not satisfied with a deal where you have to kiss me just to keep up your end of the bargain."

I see him look at me again for a while and then he smiles and slowly moves closer.

"What are you doing?" I ask while he still moves closer and by the time he closes his eyes and only moves his face closer to mine I'm reasonably sure I know what he's going to do. "I saidno deal. I won't tell you anything just because you kiss me, so you don't have to."

"I know," he whispers, and his voice sounds extremely seductive. "but I've wanted to kiss ya for so long."

Did he just say what I think he said? It can't be… I'm probably hallucination due to a side effect from all the drugs the dammed hospital staff pumped into my system.

I feel his lips reach their goal; his velvet lips gently press against my own and for a split second I'm unable to move a single muscle in my whole body while I feel them brush over mine. Once that moment has passed I close my eyes and start to move my lips a tiny bit, enjoying the shy first meeting of our lips to the fullest. Once it's over I stare at him and he looks right back into my eyes with his amber orbs.

A smirk is placed on his face and he whispers, "I never thought I could ever do it though."

"I love you," I murmur, unsure of what else to say.

"I love ya too," he says, and I still just stare at him in disbelief.

Maybe I'm not hallucinating. Maybe I died after getting shot and this is heaven.

Once again I feel his lips touch my own before he adds, "But ya should try and rest. I want ya to be out of here and fit enough to really make out as soon as possible, got that?"

I still just stare at him while he grins and then ask him, "Are you serious?"

"Sure," he answers and gives me one more kiss. "Oh, and about me getting my sleep…" I watch him stand up from the chair and fear that he's going to leave, but instead he carefully slips into the hospital bed I'm in and cuddles close to me. He's very careful not to get anywhere near my wound and whispers, "I'll just sleep here if that's alright with ya."

I try to move an arm around him, ignoring the pain from my wound easily. I'm too happy to care about the pain at all and just hold him gently in my arm. "Good night my little puppy," I whisper.

He glares at me and asks, "Did ya just call me puppy?"

"Yes," I admit with a smirk on my face. "I thought it was nicer than mutt, and you're still a dog after all."

"I'm no little puppy dog," he complains. "And I happen to have a name ya know."

"I know," I say, still smiling at him smugly. "But if even my little brother has your number under puppy in his phone, I see no reason why I shouldn't be allowed to address you as such."

"I'm going to kill that kid," Joey murmurs with a little blush on his face.

"I know you won't," I tell him, moving one hand to brush through his soft hair, and I know that I'm smiling much too caringly and losing all the smugness I try to keep in place for my image. "He's your friend and you're way too loyal to attack him. Just like a little dog, the most you'll do is growl a little."

"You're a jerk," I hear him whisper before he closes his eyes.

I force myself to stay awake, happy that I didn't let them drug me again since he looks unbelievably beautiful when he sleeps. I still find it hard to believe that he's in love with a jerk like me, but the facts are overwhelming. He's not only here with me, he's lying in the same bed and in my arms close enough for me to smell his unique scent-sort of earthy, salty and really really nice; a warm scent. Everything about him is warm-his eyes, his hair, his smile…so I shouldn't be surprised that his scent is warm too.

And it's not just that he's here, it's that he kissed me too. I don't just remember the feeling of his soft lips, I still taste his lips on mine when I move my tongue over my lips, proving that it wasn't just a very realistic daydream. And since I don't believe in either an afterlife nor heaven or anything else for that matter, it can't be any of those options either. It can't be a dream either because if this was a dream he would make out with me instead of just sleeping in my arms.

Logically this must be real, no matter how illogical his feelings towards me are, but feelings aren't logical and my feelings are proof of that. After all, if I would have chosen who to fall for logically then I wouldn't have chosen a stubborn street mutt like him. The daughter of a rich and powerful business partner would have been a smarter choice, not to mention an easier and much more socially acceptable one, but unfortunately love just isn't logical. For once my heart seems to win over my logical brain, and I'm unbelievably grateful that my, rather emotional, little puppy feels the same way about me.