For the next few weeks, they fell into a pattern of Joey messing with Kaiba's alarm clock, either having him wake up extremely early, or extremely late. Once Kaiba had lain in bed, waiting for him, knowing he would, and caught him in the act. Joey nearly went out a window. Joey would cook all the meals, and occasionally force a day off onto Kaiba and drag him home from work.

That particular morning was different, though. Of course, Kaiba had gotten up late for work again, due to Joey's antics, but Mokuba had forced him to sit down for breakfast that Joey had made.

Kaiba sat at the table, grumbling to himself, something about needing to be at work. Mokuba sat across from him, beaming as always. Joey set the plates down, and not long after that, the food. Joey then did something that not only surprised Kaiba, but Mokuba as well. He sat next to Kaiba, and started eating and laughing as if he didn't just take the biggest risk in the world. He and Mokuba laughed as always, and Kaiba threw in a few demeaning insults to Joey along with some small conversational sentences. After they ate, Mokuba insisted on cleaning up while the other two boys stayed seated. Mokuba finished that, and stood on a chair.

"Attention Kaiba household plus one!" Mokuba shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Attention Kaiba household plus one! Today we're going on a picnic!"

Both Joey and Kaiba opened their mouths in protest, but neither could find words. Mokuba grinned, hopped off the chair, and ran into a closet, and jumped out with a picnic basket. Both boys blinked in confusion.

"As I said, picnic. So Seto, you're skipping work today, and Joey, you're going to fix some sandwiches for us while I get the basket and everything else we need." Mokuba said to them. Knowing arguing with Mokuba was hopeless, Kaiba nodded, and left the room to call his office, informing them he wouldn't be there. Joey got up, and went to make the food. Mokuba scurried around, snatching things and putting them in the basket.

After they all finished what they were doing to prepare for their surprise picnic courtesy of Mokuba, they started to head out. Kaiba flipped open his cellphone to call a limo, but Mokuba snapped it shut.

"No can do big brother. We're walking today." Mokuba wagged his finger in Kaiba's face. Kaiba and Joey groaned in unison.

"Oh stop it! We could all use the exercise!"

They all started their walk to the park. It wasn't that far away, the truth was, Joey's laziness probably rubbed off on Kaiba.

When they reached the park, it was vacant, a relief for the antisocial Seto Kaiba. Mokuba bounded towards a rather large sakura tree off to the side of the park. He reached into the basket and pulled a checkered red and white blanket out, which he then streached it over the grass under the shade near the tree. Since Mokuba looked like he was all set by himself, Joey headed to the tree. He sat under the tree on the warm grass, and leaned against the trunk. He stared at the bright blue skies above, and breathed in the fresh air. Kaiba walked up to Mokuba, and asked if he needed help. Mokuba shooed his brother away with a wave of his hand.

"I'm fine Seto, really, just go sit with Joey or something." Mokuba said, looking at his older brother with wide eyes. Kaiba glanced over to the tree at the blonde, and ran a hand through his hair, and sighed.

"Okay, as long as you're positive you don't need any help?" Kaiba tried.

"Yes!" Mokuba shoved his brother in Joey's direction.

"Okay, okay." Kaiba walked over towards the tree, his tailcoat swooshing in the warm breeze. He sat against the tree as well, a little ways away from Joey, maybe a few feet, but just enough. Joey looked over at the brunette who now sat with him at the tree. Sakura petals floated past the two, the silence completing everything. Joey, who was dazed by the beauty of the perfect daylight and tree itself, smiled. Kaiba looked over at Joey, who seemed to be in his own little world, and realized something. He actually quite enjoyed the mutt's company, but there was no way he was letting Joey find that out. It was made a little too clear to him that Joey did not like Kaiba around. Or so Kaiba thinks, but who knows?

Mokuba jumped up, and waved his arms.

"Hey! Guys! The picnic's ready, come eat!" Mokuba shouted with happiness. Joey lifted himself off the ground, and walked over to Mokuba with a huge smile.

"Oh yeah, this is gonna be the best picnic ever, right squirt?" Joey said when he reached Mokuba.

"Uhuh!" Mokuba bounced on the balls of his feet in excitement.

"Yo Rich boy! Hurry up here, I'm starving!" Joey yelled, grinning. Kaiba sat, still under the sakura tree, staring in the direction of the two boys, both smiling like idiots. He got up, and walked toward the two, who were eagerly sitting at the blanket. When he got there, he sat cross legged on the blanket, which was quite difficult because of his height. The three sat in a triangle on the blanket, and dug in.

After a while of joking around, eating, laughing, and plain having fun, all three were wrilled up. Joey smeared peanut putter across the side of Mokuba's face, and Mokuba broke in a huge giggle fit. Kaiba smiled, and suppressed a laugh.

"You're face will smell like peanut butter for weeks!" Joey laughed. That made Mokuba let out a loud snort, and that set Kaiba off. He started laughing too. Mokuba and Joey looked over in surprise at the eldest Kaiba who was letting small laughs escape behind his hands over his mouth.

"Jeez Seto, you're laughing!" Joey exclaimed. Kaiba and Mokuba silenced, and stared at Joey. Joey realized that he'd said 'Seto' instead of 'Kaiba' and his face flared red.

"Uhh... I have to go, umm, do something." Mokuba said quickly standing, and darting across the park, leaving Joey and Kaiba alone. Kaiba still stared at the blonde in disbelief. Had he said his name? For the first time? Joey could hear his heart pound in his ears. Bumpbumpbumpbump his heart raced. He stared at his lap.

"O-ohh, umm..." He stuttered.

"I've never heard you say my first name. You just said my name, didn't you?" Kaiba asked, ignoring the awkwardness of the situation. The only other person who Kaiba allowed to call him by his first name was Mokuba. Joey nodded, obviously uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I uhm..." The blonde stammered, refusing to look at Kaiba, for he knew all he would see was anger. That, however, was not the case. If he had looked up, he wouldn't see anger in the form of Kaiba's face going red and his eyes aflare, instead he'd see Kaiba utterly surprised, his ears blushing from embarrassment of not knowing how to react. The silence was unbearable for them both.

"I'm gonna go... Find Mokuba." Joey said, standing up and still refusing to look at Kaiba. Joey took a step before Kaiba stood quickly and grabbed his arm.

"Wait, Joey."

Joey turned around and looked at him, inwardly surprised that he wasn't ripping his face off yet and instead called him by his first name. Some unknown emotion flashed briefly through Kaiba's eyes and he let go of Joeys arm.

"N-nevermind..." Kaiba turned his head away. "Go find Mokuba for whatever you wanted." Joey took one last long look at Kaiba, and turned away, leaving in the direction Mokuba went.

Kaiba turned his head back towards Joey, and stared at him as he was walking off to find Mokuba. Kaiba smacked his forehead.

"That was... an interesting experience. I wouldn't like it to happen again though." Kaiba said softly to himself. He thought about what had just happened and told himself that the mutt was spending too much time with Mokuba and it was just a slip of the the tongue.

Joey came back with Mokuba and acted as if nothing had happened, joking and smiling, the usual.

"-And then the Dark Magician said, 'But I'm allergic to tomato!'" Joey shouted, grinning, as he approached Kaiba. (That's all Kaiba could hear when he was in earshot) Mokuba burst out laughing, and so did Joey.

"Seto! You- you should've heard the joke Joey just told! Hahahaha!" Mokuba keeled over holding his stomach.

"Yes, from what I head, it was interesting." Kaiba said, stone hard mask back. Both boys laughed for several minutes while Kaiba stood with his arms crossed. He wouldn't let it be known, but the fact that his younger brother was so happy because of the mutt put him at ease about letting him stay at his mansion.

They all sat around and continued talking, when suddenly Mokuba jumped up and behind a tree,

"Hey squirt!" Joey shouted, jumping up. "What are you up to?"

Kaiba got up as well and they neared towards the tree that Mokuba was hiding behind. Mokuba jumped out from behind the tree and threw some blue object in Joey's direction. Kaiba looked over at the now soaking wet Joey. He raised an eyebrow, and glanced over at the tree where Mokuba threw the blue thing. Another came flying at Kaiba, but he stepped aside, and it wizzed past him. Mokuba jumped out from behind the tree with multiple buckets of colorful balloons.

"Here you go guys, every man for himself!" Mokuba handed a bucket to each Kaiba and Joey a bucket. Joey grinned mischievously and jumped behind a tree and immediately threw a water balloon in Kaiba's direction. Kaiba realized too late and the waterballoon drenched him. He looked down at his soaking wet clothes.

"That was my favorite trench coat, Wheeler!" Kaiba growled, taking the coat off, knowing it would very well just slow him down.

"Big bro, you're wearing too much for a day like today." Mokuba shouted, throwing a balloon at Joey, soaking him even further. Kaiba looked down at his clothes. A black turttle-neck and leather pants, what was wrong with that? Well, maybe the trench coat was a bit too much. Kaiba shrugged it off, and threw a balloon at Joey. He laughed,

"If you had one, I bet your tail would be between your legs and soaked with you." Kaiba smirked, but then got a balloon to the side of his face unexpectedly, unbalancing him. He wobbled over, balanced himself, and threw two balloons at Mokuba.

"Ha!" He shouted, getting back at his little brother for the other waterballoons thrown at him.

The rest of the day went on like that, and by the end, all three were soaked to the bone, but happy. They had packed and were headed back.

"That was fun like I said it was going to be, right?" Mokuba asked, hopefully as the three walked the sidewalk.

"It was amazing Mokuba!" Joey laughed, ruffling the younger boys hair.

"I have to say, it was... more than I expected." Kaiba said, streaching his arms over his head.

"Yep," Joey said, throwing an arm over both Kaiba and Mokuba's shoulders. Kaiba froze stiff, and Mokuba laughed at his brothers awkwardness.

"Lighten up, Seto!" Mokuba laughed. Kaiba blinked in confusion and Joey grinned.

"Yeah, Seto." Joey said in a mocking tone. Kaiba's eyes widened in surprise, but he said nothing as he relaxed his shoulders. Joey grinned, and started babbling on about anything he could.

They all arrived back a the mansion, exhausted from the long yet memorable day.