Glass

Seto stared back at himself and nodded a few times. This morning was just about laying groundwork for later on. He could do this. Pegasus would believe this.

After washing his face once more, frowning at the stubble he hadn't bothered shaving, Seto headed for the bedroom. He allowed the full emptiness of the space to settle in as a reminder of what was at stake. It was time to cash in, to collect, to prove to Pegasus that this game for trust was over.

He sat on the floor rather than the bed since the discomfort would play to his advantage. And he went with the notebook instead of the French textbooks because after almost eight months, Seto probably could have spoken the language better than the author. Looking over them again might oversell the effort.

Seto sketched the other side of the room, guessing at the dimensions of the glass and the frame around Mokuba's painting. He jotted them in the margins and used the constant glances to watch for Pegasus, even though by this point, he could have drawn his room from memory.

"Good morning, Kaiba-boy."

"Pegasus."

"Are you drawing a picture? If it's good, I'll hang it on my refrigerator."

Seto ran his fingers back through his hair using the hand with the pencil and went back to his sketch. For a moment, he considered adding Pegasus in the chair, but waved off the notion. It was too much of a risk. Pegasus might end up finding it.

"What's got you so glum? Your visit with Little Mokuba's in just a few days. Buck up, soldier."

Seto dipped his head. "A soldier with no battles to fight."

"It's an expression, Seto."

Breakfast came through and although it involved a coffee, Seto ignored it. His head ached and leaving it there bothered him, but it was one day, one day for a greater cause than alleviating a withdrawal headache.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"You take interest in the feelings of a goldfish?"

Pegasus smirked. "Are we still on that? It's been months."

"Exactly. It has been months."

"I warned you from the beginning that this would take time. Have some patience."

"What have I done to give you a reason not to trust me?"

Seto set the pencil across the page. He kept his hand on it like he might abandon the subject at any moment and return to his drawing. An easy dismissal would break the illusion Seto was creating, but the idea that it was possible would work in his favor.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you want to stay," Pegasus said.

"I can't do that."

"Which means you are going to start looking for escape the moment I let you out."

"You let me out once already."

"And you convinced Joey to play along by putting escape fantasies in his head."

"Which I told you about. I may not want to stay, but I do want to stay with Mokuba. I'm not going to risk that."

"And I'm not going to risk you unraveling all this. Mokuba is behaving, but that's fairly new. I'd rather you didn't influence him like you did Ryou."

"You make it sound like that was purposeful. You can't blame me for following through with your request."

Pegasus crossed his arms and bounced a foot against the floor. "I happen to enjoy your brother the way he is. It's bad enough you'll have an entire day to ruin our progress."

"Should I sing your praises? Actually sing? What more could you possibly need me to prove?"

"I don't trust you yet. When I do, you'll get out."

Seto went back to his sketch, darkening the area around the chair. He had said enough to embed his points in Pegasus's head for the day. Balancing them would be a challenge, because if Seto threw out too many concessions too soon, it would read false.

"Don't be like this. You're doing well enough."

"You wanted me to understand your side, assumed I would because I have Mokuba. You know what? I've seen Mokuba twice in almost eight months. Not even an hour in total. You were willing to do anything to see her again. Kidnap Mokuba. Try to kill me. Steal souls. Pit fights. Why don't you get that I'm willing to do the same?"

"Mokuba is alive. Cecelia is not."

He caught himself before saying, "That's not my fault."

"You're not drinking your coffee," Pegasus said.

Seto rubbed the back of his neck, pressing his hand to the side of it and closing his eyes. He couldn't reason with delusion. That was okay. Seto didn't need reason for this day to go according to plan, but it would have been convenient to have the option.

"It's time I worked off it."

"You're giving up coffee?"

Seto shrugged and returned to his sketch. "It's been long enough."

"You should at least wean off it. Think of the headaches."

Seto met Pegasus's gaze. "I'm fairly used to headaches in here."

And that was his time for the morning visit. Pegasus bid him adieu and bowed for some reason, sweeping away with Seto's dinner plate and the speaker. Seto didn't bother moving, even though the smell of the coffee drifting toward him almost had him reconsidering the withdrawal he would face. But he kept sketching and avoiding the camera by keeping his head down. He hadn't gotten Pegasus to the mentality he hoped for.

His act that night would have to be better.

Seto stared once again at his reflection. He wouldn't fail this time. The speaker turned on and Seto lingered for a moment longer behind the wall.

Fifteen minutes.

He messed with his hair before leaving the bathroom and rubbed at his stubble to draw attention to it without having to comment himself. He ran a finger under his glasses and against the corner of an eye before sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Good afternoon, Kaiba-boy."

"Is it? Are you having a good afternoon?"

"Still grouchy, I see."

"I can't do this anymore."

Pegasus smiled politely and sat in the chair, leaning down to set Seto's stacked breakfast plate and mug on the floor beside him. He had changed out of his suit from the morning and into a pajama set—the purple one from the night of the green glasses.

"You're a strong boy, Seto. Hold out a while longer."

"I can't. Damn it Pegasus, look at where you've put me. Forget the fact that I can't see Mokuba or that I'm trapped in a display case. Everything is white. It's quiet. It's cold. It's static. I am losing my mind and I can't do this anymore."

"Where's the determination?" Pegasus asked as he turned off the music. "The strength? The abounding Kaiba resolve?"

"You've broken it. You win. I don't want to fight you anymore."

Pegasus pressed his lips together for a moment as he held Seto's gaze. Seto didn't waver, didn't look away, didn't blink. Too intense though, and Pegasus wouldn't buy it, so Seto ran his fingers through his hair again.

"I admit what I did. And while I didn't know about your wife—Cecelia—I did play a part in stopping you. I won't deny you your justice by fighting."

"It's a nice speech," Pegasus said. "But you're always full of pretty words."

"I'm not lying to you," Seto lied.

"Then you can continue to prove yourself. I can't let you out yet."

Seto stood and started to pace. The argument was tired and frustrating, but Seto could use that to his advantage, embody the emotions to better sell his ruse.

"Don't be like this, Seto. Your birthday is in just a few days. You can hold out until then to get your boost of Little Mokuba."

"And then what? Another four months of waiting for a few hours with him? I'm not asking you to let me go. I'm asking for you not to make me miss any more of his life."

Pegasus stood and walked up to the glass, so Seto mimicked the action.

"You will try to escape the moment you're freed."

"I'm telling you I won't."

"You tell me a lot of things."

"So chain me up," Seto said, "Switch out the door with glass in whatever room is up there. Just put me near Mokuba."

"I can't do that."

"You won't do that. I'm doing everything you've asked. I haven't fought you. I'm not attacking anyone when the glass is raised. I just want to stay with my only living family."

"And you will, eventually."

Seto slammed his hand against the glass and then stared at the hazy smudge it left. "That's not good enough. What else do I have to do to prove this to you? Even if you didn't have all the guards. An island. Security. Precautions. Even without that, I'm not going anywhere. At least here-" Seto paused for effect and to exhale. "-it's more time with Mokuba than if we were at home."

"I'm supposed to believe that?"

"What do you think the odds would be of me somehow managing to escape on the first try?"

Pegasus checked his watch. "Less than a percent?"

"I know that if I did try, only to fail, that I'd end up back here or in a dungeon. Longer, the next time. I won't chance a longer separation from Mokuba."

"But Kaiba, you're the sort of person I believe will find that marginal percentage and make it work."

"Keep an eye on me. Lock me up. This isn't about escaping. It's about Mokuba."

"We have holidays coming up," Pegasus said. "You'll be seeing him more then."

"Would that be enough for you? You can tell me that you'd be grateful for any chance given, but that's a lie. You would want the constant, to wake up knowing you could see her. To know that she was safe. We're supposed to understand each other. You're supposed to understand."

If Seto had been listening to Pegasus at all, that point should have stuck. It put them on the same team. It tied Seto's thoughts to Pegasus's. It conveyed the fact that Seto had been paying attention, trying.

"I do understand. I know exactly how hard this is for you. But you have to understand that I can't trust you yet."

"Let me prove it to you. What will it take? More than babysitting Bakura. More than convincing Wheeler to play along, which I know he is since you're calling him Joey now. I've been out of here and haven't tried anything. I've admitted that you're justified. Tell me what else I need to do and I'll do it."

"It's just time, Seto. You can't rush it."

No. He couldn't accept that.

"We were partners once. Let's go back to that. Take me out tomorrow. Show me what you've done with KaibaCorp. Put me back here at the end of the day."

Out of everything said, that got the most reaction from Pegasus. His head tilted to this other side and his fingers tapped on a crossed arm. "And why would I do that?"

"Proof. I won't ask to see Mokuba. We'll just work together."

"You said you wouldn't work for me."

"I said together."

Pegasus laughed and took a step back so they weren't in quite such close quarters. He checked his watch again before saying, "Your snark never fails to surprise me. It's good. Mokuba was worried you would lose it."

"So will you agree to that much? One day. Let me try to prove myself."

"One day won't prove anything."

Seto lifted a shoulder. "Couldn't hurt."

"I'm sure it could. You'll find a way, Kaiba-boy. Besides, tomorrow is the weekend. I'm not working."

"Monday then."

Take the weekend to think on it, Seto wanted to say. Decide in my favor. Give me some sign that you are actually going to let me out of here.

Seto couldn't actually say any of those things. Doubt was one emotion that he couldn't express, not if he wanted Pegasus to believe his surrender. Maybe he needed to try more desperation? But too much more and it wouldn't be believable. He still had to sound somewhat like himself.

"What's brought this on today of all days?" Pegasus asked. "You were your typical, severe self yesterday."

"I told you. I'm done."

"I want to believe you. Don't think that I'm just being stubborn. But even you must know how this looks from my end."

"I don't. I never thought I'd have to say any of this." He thought he would have gotten out by now.

"I can't do more than promise to think about it."

"Of course you can. You're in control of all of this. Just because I'd be out from behind this wall doesn't mean you lose your control."

"You're very pushy."

"Look at me," Seto said, and let his expression fall into the complete frustration that had been building. "All I want is to be there for Mokuba. You have everything. That is all I am asking for."

"That's a lot of ask of me."

"You can call me little prince again," Seto offered.

Pegasus laughed. "I do miss that one. But it's too soon. It's easy to make all these promises when you have nothing to lose."

"I'm losing his childhood. Don't you get that? I will have everything to lose once I'm up there. You'll have more control of me than this cage offers."

"See, I don't think that's true."

"One wrong word up there and you can throw me back down here. Don't you realize how careful I'm going to have to be? Mokuba wouldn't be able to handle me being sent back down." Seto closed his mouth before the rest of that sentiment spilled out. It wouldn't just be hard for Mokuba. Once Seto got out, he planned to keep it that way.

"Are you really so desperate that you would beg me, Kaiba?"

"Yes." Seto put both hands on the glass and bounced them slightly, tensing his fingers against the cool wall. "You don't need this anymore."

"I'll consider it," Pegasus said. He checked his watch again. "And I'll be going up now. I'll be back in the morning. Chess?"

Seto dropped his gaze and nodded. He had hoped for a definite answer, but he would have to settle with consideration. Pegasus had the weekend to think it over. Maybe that would be enough.

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You can expect an update on Wednesday, May 25th.