Pegasus's hand barely left Seto's lower back as they walked through the room, through the crowd of tuxes and gowns, mindless chatter, and excessive champagne. Seto tried counting how many guests were in attendance, but couldn't keep up as they mingled and changed dance partners. He guessed a couple hundred, and somehow Pegasus knew them all by name. The introductions hadn't ended yet, even two hours into the night.

Seto paid more attention to his dwindling champagne than the names the masses gave. He smiled politely and let Pegasus control the flow of conversation. It all centered on the charity they were supporting, a program to ease costs associated with adoption. Pegasus referred to it as "a program dear to his heart" multiple times already.

Seto ignored how the hand on his back seemed to flex every time he said it.

Thankfully, Pegasus kept too busy with conversation to drag Seto onto the dance floor. Soft music played in the background, not meant to draw much attention. On the dance floor, the couples mostly swayed, holding each other close. Pegasus had managed that without stopping his politicking.

During a lull in conversation, Pegasus pulled Seto aside, toward the bar where they could get another glass of champagne.

"You're handling yourself marvelously."

"Who knew I had a knack for smiling and nodding."

"You'd be surprised at how awkward some people can make these evenings. Once, I brought a young man along with me and he kept forgetting the name of the charity."

"Was it a complicated name?"

"He cared more about the cameras."

"I could do without those."

"You're a good sport," Pegasus said. "Are you sure you can't go with me to Spain?"

When Pegasus had asked, he probably assumed Seto would say yes since he had never left Japan. But with the tension hanging over the mansion, he couldn't leave Mokuba alone. The debate between the Kaiba name and their safety failed to surpass Mokuba's immediate well-being, but despite that, it was too soon for overseas trips. Seto wouldn't have wanted so much as a weekend getaway.

"As much as I'd like to travel, I do want to spend the holiday break with Mokuba."

"DC in the spring isn't as exciting, but you might like it. You strike me as the sort to enjoy history museums."

"You take Mokuba's commentary on me far too seriously."

"Do science and history nerds not intersect?"

"Careful, Crawford," Seto said, and took a sip of his champagne. "You'll blow my suave cover."

"I get you in a tux and you think you're Bond. I should have known."

Bond would have already gotten the information Bakura wanted. If tomorrow, Seto happened across that intel, he needed to determine if he wanted to move. Was being a Kaiba his end goal? Could he abandon his years of sacrifice and abuse for the prize of a name?

"Are you avoiding more introductions?"

"Now who's blowing whose cover?"

"I don't know how you keep up with this many names. Are you wearing an earpiece? Don't tell me that's why you wear your hair long."

Pegasus looked stunned for a moment. "Seto, that's the single most brilliant idea I've ever heard and never thought of."

"You must have thought of it," Seto said. He gazed past Pegasus at the dance floor, where the overhead lights cast starry patterns on the marble below. Occasionally a couple ended up under an almost-spotlight.

"Not for events like this. I could have Croquet hiding out with a dossier of faces and names. That would have saved me years of intense introductions."

"Intense because you have to memorize them?"

"People don't like it when you forget their name."

"Do they actually address it?"

"They haven't yet," Pegasus relented, and straightened Seto's tie. "But at some point, with the number of people I meet, someone will say something."

Seto finished his drink and set the empty flute on the table top. He considered sitting, but assumed they would have more rounds to make as soon as Pegasus finished his glass. After two hours on his feet, making pointless introduction after pointless introduction, Seto wanted a break.

He glanced over the heads of everyone in room, at the dim Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling, the trailing red ribbons, and the silver stars jutting out a bit lower. Someone had taken a great deal of effort to decorate the room, although none of the other attendees even looked up. They could have spared the decor in favor of a larger donation.

"I'm imagining you getting Gozaburo's name wrong," Seto said, and looked back at Pegasus. "How angry he'd be, and unable to say anything."

"If only I hadn't met him several times, I would do that for you."

"You wouldn't risk political conflict solely to prank him."

Pegasus shrugged and set down his glass. "But you and I both know how amusing it would be."

Setting down the glass indicated it was time to rejoin the crowd, but when Seto started to, Pegasus pulled him back. He gestured for Seto to follow him toward the exit.

"I've had enough showboating tonight, haven't you?"

"Isn't this early to leave?"

"Probably, but we have another stop before I take you home."

Taking Seto's hand, Pegasus led the way out through the hotel lobby, through the attendees milling around in gaudy clothing and jewelry, likely worth more than they planned on donating to the charity. A large wall clock let Seto know it was a quarter past nine, and Seto had expected to be out until at least midnight.

The car idled at the front entrance, with Croquet standing at the open back door, although Seto hadn't seen Pegasus call him. Had Pegasus planned an early departure? He'd given no indication they would stop anywhere before the night ended, and Seto had no clues as to what he had planned.

"Do I get to know where you're whisking me off to?" Seto asked. He slid into the backseat first, and Pegasus followed after. Seto wondered distractedly if Pegasus ever took limos. Having the extra space would have been welcomed so their thighs didn't bump together.

"Not even a hint. I'm going to tantalize you with suspense."

"How long do you plan to leave me in anticipation?"

"Only another ten minutes or so."

Seto loosened his tie, no longer needing to uphold appearances. He left his top button done, which didn't relieve the stuffy air around him as much as he might have been able to. Letting the tie hang eased enough of the pressure.

"I don't like surprises."

"You'll like this one."

"I suppose you expect me to find some solace in your confidence."

Pegasus took Seto's hand. "Do you trust me?"

Seto masked his eye roll with a smile, reacting more to the irony than the sentiment. Pegasus hadn't given Seto a reason not to trust him, whether the subject was good or bad. He said what he meant to, without sidestepping or evading. Seto did trust him.

And he didn't mind the one-on-one time anymore. In the beginning, Seto assumed Pegasus had too strong of a personality to adjust to, but was glad to have been disproved. It was just the reminders of why Seto was here that always threw him for a moment.

"You aren't giving me much choice."

"I look forward to the day it comes easily."

"I still want to know where we're going."

Isono knew about the charity event at the hotel, but no one knew to look for a detour. Seto doubted anything nefarious would happen tonight, but would have felt more confident with anyone knowing where he was.

"Soon. I promise."

Pegasus sealed the promise with a kiss, and Seto met him halfway. The car gave no privacy from the guards who sat up front, but Seto had slowly gotten used to having them around. They often spared a glance to the backseat, and out of the car, they kept their attention on Pegasus and Seto.

Privacy had become a rare luxury.

When Pegasus pulled back, Seto glanced out the window to see if their location would clue him in to their destination. They were stopped at a light on the edge of the government offices downtown, entering the industrial district. All the blocks ahead of them were factories and distribution centers. If anything surprise-worthy lay ahead, it wasn't evident at a glance.

"One of these days, I need to paint you under the city lights. The blue hues suit you."

"I can't imagine you setting up an easel downtown, with the public buzzing around you while you try to hold onto inspiration."

"Among the chaos," Pegasus mused. "You don't think I could thrive in it?"

"You've proven you can."

Pegasus traced his thumb over the back of Seto's hand, and he fixed his gaze there. If he had run his finger up Seto's arm just a few centimeters, pulled up his sleeve, he would have uncovered the first of the scars. If he had known, Pegasus would have never touched Seto so gently. They never would reach their destination.

The scars could have only come from Gozaburo, and if they came to light, there was no telling how Pegasus would react. They had caused the end of more than one relationship, but this time, it wasn't the relationship on the line.

If anything happened to Gozaburo, Seto lost Mokuba.

"I haven't been this excited in a while," Pegasus said.

"Excited to give me a surprise?"

"Yes."

"You've already got me on the hook," Seto said.

"And we're just about there. It's exhilarating, in a way, how excited I am to do something for you."

They both looked up from Seto's hand at the same time, and met each other's gaze. That confession came suddenly, catching Seto off guard. He knew he was meant to respond to it, that something like that deserved a response, but nothing came to him. Pegasus caught Seto off guard far too often.

I'm a lie, he thought. You're excited over a lie.

"It must be something extravagant then," Seto finally settled on.

"Entirely."

Croquet parked outside a nondescript building, and nothing Seto saw gathered any information about what might be inside. He let Pegasus lead him out of the car, hand in hand, and up the ramped entryway. There were no signs on the doors, no emblems or identifiers. He had no way of telling what sort of facility it was, or what might be inside.

Stepping inside didn't help. They were in a lab, with lathes, milling machines, welding tools, testers, vibration tables, and more Seto didn't recognize. Along with those were rows of computers, 3D printers, and computer parts. The center of the room had nothing. No equipment. Only a cordoned off area of nothing.

"What am I looking at?" Seto asked.

"Your lab."

The statement was even more immense than the one from the car, and Seto stopped examining the space to face Pegasus straight on. There was nothing between them, and Seto couldn't breathe for a moment. His lab. Ten times the size of the university space, and Pegasus had gotten it for him. After three months.

"I have a lab space."

"A small room given to you temporarily," Pegasus said, taking a step closer to Seto. "This is yours. The entire building, all the equipment. Work here. If we overlooked something, I can have it ordered."

"Pegasus," Seto started, and went back to looking around. "I can't accept this."

"You're going to create things unheard of before. You deserve a space worthy of that."

"I've only just started. I don't even have a working prototype."

"You will. You'll finish it here, in your own space, with your own equipment."

Pegasus took Seto's hands. "Your technology will define the future."

Seto shook his head. "You can't possibly know that."

"I have a knack for reading people," Pegasus said. "It's one of the things I'm best known for. You're one of the few I believe can do anything you set your mind to."

Seto couldn't accept but also couldn't refuse. This sort of a lab must have cost at least a million, and there would be ongoing expenses. If Pegasus bought the building outright in addition to the equipment, this was a multi-million dollar gift.

"I don't understand why you're doing this."

"Don't you?"

Seto was cornered and trapped in the most ornate cage of good intentions. How could he possibly expect this to end in three months? Pegasus snapped the trap shut, even if he didn't realize it.

"I can't accept this."

"Seto, I want you to have this."

"I'll be graduating in a year," Seto said. "Getting a job somewhere."

"You'll end up working for yourself, and we both know it."

"Most people don't run start ups out of multi-million dollar facilities."

Pegasus guided Seto's gaze back to him, and for a moment, said nothing. He had been so excited about this, and Seto was ruining it. Seto knew he should have been grateful.

But Seto was a liar.

"You don't want it," Pegasus said at length.

"I do," Seto said. He wanted to be honest about something in the midst of all this deception. "Too much."

He could do anything here. He could create anything and have no worries about finances or equipment or what a potential boss would think. Seto could do exactly what Pegasus said. He could create new technology at his own pace, experiment however he wanted.

And to do that, he had to accept Pegasus Crawford. He had to accept that what was happening here wasn't a lie. He was dating Crawford, and he was complicit.

"So what's the hold up?"

"I've never been offered a multi-million dollar gift."

"Not offered. Given."

Seto shook his head, but Pegasus put a hand on his cheek to stop him. His other hand came up too, holding Seto's face gently. There was no pressure in the touch. For a moment, it felt like Seto could have said no.

"You hardly know me."

"I'll admit, I'm hoping to change that."

Pegasus laughed and it got Seto to as well. The situation surrounding them was absolutely absurd. It was past time Seto accepted that.

"I don't care if Bakura isn't answering. Try again until you get him."

Seto parked and took his phone off speaker. He turned off the car but stayed inside.

"I've already called twice," Ryou said. "I could text."

"That would leave a paper trail."

"He didn't tell me where he was staying. Short of showing up to every hotel in the city, I'm not sure what else I can do."

"I know," Seto said, letting out a slow breath. "I just need to talk to him."

"I'll call a third time. Odds are, he'll know what that means."

Whatever else was keeping him busy, Bakura had never even alluded to. He certainly hadn't been sent to Domino only to babysit Seto's efforts, but his other assignments had remained entirely secret. He would have his phone on him.

"Odds are," Seto agreed. "Mokuba wants to go to the aquarium again this weekend. I'll let you know when."

"See you then," Ryou said, and ended the call.

Seto got out to head into the parts shop. When he was in the orphanage, Seto used to take any spare change he could find to rummage through their clearance section. The shop took used computers and hardware, disassembled them, and sold them at steep discounts. Seto built his first computer from parts he found here.

He had a lab filled with brand new parts, and he still felt more at home between broken and rusted out hardware.

"Yagami-san," the man behind the counter greeted.

Seto never corrected him. Before Pegasus, Seto assumed he wasn't public enough for many people to have known his name changed. He let the incorrect greeting go on for a decade, and now, refused to say a word. The owner must have known Seto had a different name. Seto didn't mind him sticking to habit.

His first stop was the bins at the back, where Seto found most of his connectors. He didn't need anything today. He didn't need anything from here again.

But it felt good to rifle through the bins, almost like muscle memory. The computer he built from these parts had been nothing to brag about, but it still ran. He repaired it as needed, and kept it on his desk at home.

When he built the prototype for his projector, he wanted at least one part to have come from here.

He shopped for a while, and went to check out with a few miscellaneous parts in hand. He hadn't decided which of them might work, or if any of them would, but he paid for them all, thanking the owner.

Bakura was leaning against the brick wall outside when Seto left.

"You've stopped answering your phone?" Seto asked.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

Seto rolled his eyes. "Crawford's gone too far. I'm not doing this anymore."

Bakura kicked off the wall and came over to walk by Seto on the way to his car. The shop was down a quiet street with minimal traffic, and Seto had parked at a meter.

"It's only been three months, and you've barely gotten any information from him."

Seto put the bag in the backseat before facing Bakura with crossed arms. "I'm telling you it's gone too far. He's too serious."

"That's good. He'll trust you with more."

"We agreed that I could call it off."

"We agreed on six months as a minimum. You're only halfway to that."

"He's making plans for the spring. He bought me a fucking machine shop."

With a shrug, Bakura leaned against the car. "I'm not getting the problem."

"He spent millions on me. After three months. He's too serious and you aren't even getting information from me."

"So get information."

"What part of this aren't you listening to? If I stay any longer, there won't be a way out."

The December air struck deeply, and Seto mimicked Bakura's posture to defend against it. Bakura should have approached Seto inside the shop, where the only person who might overhear them was the shopkeeper who had known Seto since he was twelve. They couldn't stay out long in the near-freezing temperatures.

"You're just now garnering enough trust to get useful information. This is what you signed on for."

"I didn't sign on for him buying me buildings."

"I'm sure it's still in his name. He'll sell it when you're gone."

"When will that be?"

Because he was asking for it now, and Bakura was refusing. The other day, Pegasus made it clear there wouldn't be a simple out from this, and Seto hadn't changed his mind. If he couldn't leave, he couldn't keep up the lies.

"Six-month minimum. Didn't think you'd give up at the first bump."

"How is that a bump? This isn't a casual relationship to him."

"He's had plenty of relationships. You don't know he didn't treat all of them exactly the same."

The wind picked up and it made Seto irrationally angry. "I'm the one in this relationship. If I don't get out now, there won't be a chance again."

"He just bought you a building. You can't get out now."

He said it so casually. Seto's plight meant nothing to him despite their history, and his own lack of foresight hit Seto directly.

"Forget it," Seto said, and walked around the car to the driver's side. "You knew you were condemning me to this."

Seto only cracked the door open when Bakura slammed it shut. He reached around Seto and held it there, preventing him from leaving. He leaned into Seto to move him back.

"I'm not condemning you. The offer still stands. Six months to a year and we get you out, regardless of how serious it is."

"I didn't anticipate him investing millions in me."

"That doesn't change anything. We still need information. He's expanding, and you have a chance at stopping that."

"He's going to look for us if we run. He'll assume the worst."

Bakura rested against the driver's door to prevent Seto from leaving. Seto wasn't above having to climb over a seat, but he would hold off on that for a while. He had been the one to call Bakura, and if Bakura was willing to talk, there was a chance Seto could convince him.

"So we move you both to a country he doesn't have a hold on."

"It won't be that simple."

"I get that I've been gone for a while, but do you seriously think I'd let him hurt you?"

Seto scoffed at it. "How are you supposed to stop him?"

"It's why I'm still in Japan."

"You're still in Japan to get information. Concerns for my general well-being left when you did."

"I couldn't stay, Seto. You made it clear there wasn't a future for me here."

Seto took a step back, putting distance between them. He'd done the same back in grade school when Bakura approached with a similar sentiment. It had been inappropriate then, and it was inappropriate now.

"How does that contradict my point?"

Light reflected off a passing car, flashing once and drawing Seto's gaze. The car passed and Bakura used the moment to step closer. He reached for Seto, and Seto moved back again.

"Stop," Seto said. "You don't get to do this."

"I'm on your team. And we're both looking to undo the damage Crawford's caused. And once we've gotten the information we're looking for, you get your ticket out."

"Are you going to tell me what information I should be looking for?"

"We'll know it when we hear it."

That was exceptionally unhelpful. If Seto knew what to look for, he might be able to get to the information faster. As it was, he took the crumbs as they fell, dragging out his time and mounting Pegasus's affections. If planning for the future and buying buildings was three months, where would they be at six?

"He won't let me slip away," Seto said, slowly, in case Bakura had missed it. "You're asking me to dig myself in too deep."

"Can't be deep enough we can't get you out. You're only with him a couple nights a month, and even then for a couple hours."

Seto closed his eyes. Bakura knew about some of the abuse. He should have realized eventually, Pegasus would want to progress things to the point he saw the scars. Seto was surprised it hadn't already happened. Purchasing the lab had come before sex.

"He asked me to go to Spain with him for the new year. Eventually, he'll want the relationship outside of Domino."

"Eventually. I'm sure you can find a way to slow him down."

"He bought me a building."

"You've mentioned that. It's your own fault for leading him on so well."

"Do you want me getting close or don't you?"

Seto glanced over his shoulder at the empty street. He had started to shiver, and had given up on getting out of this conversation with anything he wanted. He had a vague sense he was missing something, but couldn't place what.

"It's necessary. You're close and he clearly is starting to trust you. We'll get what we need in time."

Nothing was going to come of this discussion. That morning, Seto had been determined that leaving Japan and the Kaiba name behind was the right option. But if he couldn't get out now, then he needed to go back to the original plan of getting Pegasus to call off the relationship on his own.

If that didn't happen, Seto wasn't sure how things would turn out. He was still conflicted himself. Stay or go. Kaiba or Yagami. Pegasus or moral right.

If he admitted he enjoyed his time with Pegasus, what did that say about him?

"In time, I may have to put Mokuba's good above all else."

"I've never questioned that."

"Get off my car, Bakura."

Bakura did, giving Seto the space he needed to open the door. Seto needed to sit down and think a while on what outcome he should strive for, if being a Kaiba was worth being with Pegasus.

"You probably shouldn't have Ryou call so often," Bakura said. "I'll contact you."

"I won't hold my breath."

Seto closed the door in his face.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

You can expect an update the third weekend of November.