Seto picked up his son and brought him into the nursery. He settled down in the rocking chair and was happy to let Mokuba cuddle with him for a while. The past two days had been pure hell, but now it was over, and they were together again like they should have been all along. Mokuba was busy telling him about everything he missed. He jabbered and chatted happily, just glad to see his father again as he snuggled into him. His story was interrupted by Hobson, who announced that it was time for dinner. Mokuba frowned at being interrupted but his stomach was growling, so he didn't argue.
Seto was happy to carry him out to the dining room and feed him his dinner. It felt good to him to finally be an active parent again. After a bowl of ice cream for dessert, Seto led him back to the nursery and, after changing his diaper, got him dressed in a comfortable footed sleeper. Mokuba was happy just to be with his father, and snuggled with him again. For a short while after Mokuba had finished his stories, there was a period of silence. Neither father nor son spoke, but they were both enjoying just being together again. After that Mokuba looked up at his father with big eyes and held up one of his favorite toys: a little ball that jingled and squeaked when squeezed. He crawled onto the floor and rolled it to him. Kaiba, not wanting to disappoint him, rolled it back. They continued like that for some time until Mokuba got bored. They spent the entire evening switching between different games. Neither of them really paid attention to what was going on. They were both just focused on seeing the other again.
Although Seto remained focused on his son, he kept the clock in mind too. Every so often he would look up and another hour had gone by in what seemed like an instant. The time seemed to be flying by, and before he knew it, it was getting close to Mokuba's bedtime. After a few more minutes of playing, Kaiba put the toy away, earning a pout from his young charge.
"Daddy," he whined, "mine."
"I know it's yours, buddy. But it's time to get ready for bed."
"No!" He cried, "Play." He looked up at his father with the most innocently adorable look in his Arsenal. His eyes were so wide Seto feared they might swallow him whole. It took him a second to remind himself of what he was doing and why he was doing it. His face grew stern.
"Mokuba," he said in a voice that meant business, "It's not playtime anymore. It's bedtime. Now you have a choice. You can get ready for bed like a good boy or you can go in time out."
Mokuba was very surprised by that. To be honest he didn't think his Daddy had it in him to discipline him when he looked like this. He knew Daddy meant what he said, but Mokuba had inherited his father's stubbornness and wasn't about to go down without a fight. He crossed his arms over his chest.
"No bed!" He cried. Seto was disappointed to say the least. He had hoped his son would be a little more cooperative, but knew now that he had to follow through with what he said. He picked him up (not without resistance) and set him in the corner of the room.
"You're in time out for three minutes." He said. Mokuba tried to run out over and over again, but Seto kept putting him back until he stayed. Mokuba cried quietly the whole time but stayed put. The sound broke Kaiba's heart but he knew he had to stay firm. When the three minutes were up, he went to get his son out of the corner and bent down to his level.
"Do you know why you were in time out?" He asked.
Mokuba nodded, sniffling. "No bed?"
"That's right. Are you going to be a good boy now?" He asked. Mokuba nodded.
"Yes Daddy. I sorry." He said, giving his father a hug. Kaiba breathed a sigh of relief. The worst was over.
"Thank you for being a good boy. Now come on. Let's get you ready for bed." He said.
He made sure Mokuba brushed his teeth and got him in bed before giving him a bottle of warm milk and reading him a story. He switched off the lights and had almost gotten out the door when a voice screamed "Daddy!"
He went back in to see Mokuba reaching for him through the bars of the crib and crying for him. He sat down next to the crib and looked at him.
"What's the matter, buddy?"
"I no want you go." He pleaded.
"I know. But you'll see me in the morning. Just close your eyes and go to sleep and it will be like I never left." He promised.
"No!" He sobbed. "I no wanna sleep by myself." He looked at his Daddy tearfully. "Please?" He whimpered.
Kaiba really needed to work up an immunity to those adorable puppy dog eyes. He told himself it was just for one night and let down the side of the crib.
"Alright. You can sleep with Daddy tonight."
"Yay!" He cheered, grabbing his teddy bear and pacifier. Seto picked him up and carried him to his bedroom, laying him on the opposite side of the bed from him and gently tucking him in. He fell asleep almost immediately. Kaiba spent the next few hours in that room working to catch up with all the work he missed. But about once every hour or so he would stop working, stretch his legs, and go over to Mokuba to make sure he was okay. He needed to reassure himself that he was still there. Then he would plant a kiss on his forehead each time until he finally went to bed himself.