Atem got out of the limousine and marveled at the architecture of Kaiba's mansion, admiring the front lawns, and the gardens peeking out from behind the monstrous house.

The windows were enormous, and there were many of them, all thin, sleek, and glistening in the morning light.

There were more pillars and balconies in front of him than he had silverware in his drawers, and Atem felt a slight twinge of envy. No one would ever guess that an Omega lived in this sheer opulence. Even the manservant who opened his door was an Alpha.

Kaiba was truly something amazing.

He lived with an Alpha manservant who did everything he was told.

That thought made Atem's blood run cold, and he glanced down at himself, realizing he shouldn't have taken Anzu's advice to wear a suit.
He should've taken Yugis and shown up in something more casual to appear less threatening.

Stepping up to the white, marble steps, Atem swallowed thinly and waited, hearing the manservant rush up the steps and hurry to open the massive doors for him with a bow.

Upstairs, Kaiba caught a glimpse of Atem before he walked forward and disappeared out of sight under one of the low-hanging rooftops.

What the fuck was he wearing? Did he really think he was supposed to come and beg for his position back? Holy shit, what a giant misunderstanding.
Atem was wearing his usual getup: black suit and tie with a white dress shirt underneath, like he was walking into any other day at work.

The message was: this is work. You are work.

Grinding his teeth, Kaiba let out a frustrated hiss and turned away from the window, willing himself to stay calm. It was fine. If Atem thought he was coming to beg for a promotion, he'd make Atem beg.

His phone vibrated with a notification from Isono, and it read, "Master Kaiba, the guest is here. Shall I double security around your room and in the hallway?"

"No need. He's harmless and an idiot," Kaiba wrote back and stuck his phone back in his pocket, fuming.

Atem heard the manservant's phone buzz as he was ushered into a spacious sitting room with white curtains, and floor-to-ceiling windows. An open flat led out to a sunny, zen garden, and Atem stared at the enormous koi pond just a few feet away, surrounded by three, glistening waterfalls, cascading down from the walls.

What a lavish and unnecessary feature, made only showcase how much money he had.

Very Alpha, Atem thought appreciatively, thinking Kaiba's overcompensation now made total sense. It was no wonder he admired Kaiba to the fullest. He mirrored the perfect Alpha with a ton of effort, and made it look effortless.

Only when one looked closely, they would see the cracks, and only because they knew his secret.

The manservant cleared his throat and approached him, taking off his sunglasses and staring him down with dark, beady eyes.

Nervous, Atem gave him a half-smile and said, "nice place—"

"You are not welcome here," the manservant said icily, and Atem's mouth went dry.

What? Was this man possessive of Kaiba too?

"I'm—" Atem began but was cut off rudely by the Alpha manservant.

"Master Kaiba believes you are, and I quote this verbatim from a text," the man slid his phone out and read loftily, "harmless and an idiot."

Atem blinked and said nothing, slowly processing that Kaiba really thought he was dumb. Good to know all of his carefully planned, polite and cautious gestures were being brushed off as stupidity.

"I know what you are, and I know what you are after," the manservant continued, his voice lowering dangerously. "And I will not allow it. I don't care how you managed to fool him into thinking you are harmless or an idiot. But if you are here to blackmail him about his condition, I also have a gift for you."

Atem opened his mouth to defend himself, but his voice died in his throat when he saw the manservant lift the hem of his blazer to flash him a gun, hanging very plainly off his belt before it vanished from sight when he dropped the edge of his blazer down again.

I'm being threatened! He would kill me on the spot if Kaiba wasn't here! Atem realized fearfully, eyeing the door and sweating. This was a mistake. He did not anticipate Kaiba to have Alpha bulldogs at his command…but he should've expected it.

Kaiba calmly stood at the edge of the glass banister, three floors above, listening to Isono soundly attack Atem with his words, and he stayed silent, waiting for Atem to respond.
He had not anticipated Isono reading his text aloud to Atem, but the outcome right now was hilarious.
What was Atem going to do? Fight Isono?

"What is your business here?" Isono asked, taking a threatening step towards Atem, raking his gaze intrusively up and down his slender form, taking in his pressed suit and shiny shoes.
A Top Alpha, and one that reeked of intelligence and confidence.
He would not allow this man anywhere near Master Kaiba.
Kaiba had ordered no security? Well, he was going to triple security now.

"He didn't tell you?" Atem asked lightly, doing his best to keep his tone professional, knowing he was inches from death. "I'm here to beg for a promotion, if we're going to put it in casual terms. The garden is beautiful—"

"Shut up," Isono hissed, his cheek tensing with anger. "You can beg at the office. Leave now."

He doesn't know about the accidental bonding and Kaiba didn't tell him about it! Atem realized, and he sharpened his wits, putting on the best smile he could muster.

"Master Kaiba has my utmost respect," Atem said clearly, looking the man sharply in the eye and seeing the corners wrinkle in distrust. "I read an email he sent threatening my position, I would've waited to beg at the office, but this couldn't wait. I had to take action. I felt threatened, you see?"

Atem hoped this appeal would work. This manservant and mentioned Master Kaiba's 'condition' and Atem wanted to portray that whether or not he knew about it, he was concerned about his job.

Upstairs, Kaiba rolled his eyes.
Atem was spewing lies.
Isono would see right through him and shoot him on the spot.
Better to head down now to stop bloodshed from happening.

As he made his way to the grand staircase, he heard Isono's voice echoing through the house, "…I see."

Isono relaxed his stance but didn't let his guard down.
This man was just desperate.
That was what Master Kaiba had meant.
But he still had to make it known that no other Alpha was allowed to step foot in here.

"Security is still being tripled," Isono sniffed, putting his sunglasses back on, and Atem kept the smile plastered on his face, praying Kaiba would come quickly to call off his dog. "And you are still unwelcome here. Don't ever come back."

"Isono, take a walk," Kaiba said coldly, seeing both men jump and turn to stare at him.

Atem smiled a real smile and felt a wave of relief. Good.
Kaiba had listening to that, right?
Had he seen how this man was threatening him? Quick, now he had to be fired…!

"Master Kaiba, I will stay here while he grovels," Isono said stiffly, walking to stand beside Kaiba protectively while glaring at Atem through his dark glasses. "And I will call the men in from the garden to—"

"No need," Kaiba interrupted, understanding that Isono was acting protectively for his own safety. "Take. A walk. Come back in thirty minutes."

"But, Master Kaiba," Isono muttered, bowing low and itching to disobey. "This man is a dangerous…Top Alpha. He should stay at the office, where he belongs…"

"I know what he is. Now leave," Kaiba said venomously, and Isono bowed once more before straightening up and shooting Atem a dark glare.

Atem smiled as kindly as possible and held his breath until the manservant walked out the door, leaving it wide open behind him.

"So, what do you want?" Kaiba asked Atem heatedly, staring out the open door and seeing Isono turn around to give him a look over his shoulder. He knew Isono wouldn't let this go easily and that he'd be back to check on them in a few minutes with some excuse. After having directly witnessed Gozaburo's abuse, Kaiba knew Isono's overprotectiveness came from a good place.

"Well, like I said, I came to apologize," Atem said, purposely his attention straying to the giant koi pond in the middle of the large sitting area. "Do they need to be fed?"

"What?" Kaiba snapped, and Atem had already raced over to the pond, bending over the edge with a bright smile that made his heart skip a beat.

Atem kept his gaze on the waving fish tail underneath the clear water, his pulse racing as he tried to keep as much distance between himself and Kaiba as possible. If he laid a finger on Kaiba while in this house, death awaited him at the hands of that other Alpha, he knew that much.

The manservant had a cold aura that was steely and unrelenting.

"Yeah they get fed on a schedule," Kaiba said blandly, aware that Atem was asking about this to cover up for something else. "Now stop stalling. Say what you came to say."

Atem looked up from the pool, directly into Kaiba's clear blue eyes, and said with unwavering confidence, "I forgot."

"You forgot," Kaiba repeated, hearing Isono's footsteps returning from the outside, and he saw Atem visibly freeze, and change his demeanor instantly.

Atem stood up straighter, flattened his arms to the sides of his body and bowed stiffly, speaking fast. "Yes, I apologize. Please give me a moment to collect my thoughts. Your manservant gave me a fright, if I can be honest."

Isono stopped at the door and stayed out of sight, eavesdropping.

Kaiba bit the inside of his cheek and realized Atem was acting, not for him, but for Isono. How fucking perceptive.

"Well, hurry up and remember because I still have shit to do," Kaiba said listlessly, feeling Isono hovering by the door, his anxiety rising.
Great. Atem couldn't say what he really wanted to say, because Isono was going to be hovering protectively around him all day.
Fuck.
He had not planned this out correctly.

"I will remember soon," Atem said keenly, straightening up and smoothing down the lapels of his blazer while he glanced around the home excitedly, his angular eyes shining. "How about a tour?"

Kaiba agreed readily. "Sure," he began, but Isono took this chance to step inside and clear his throat audibly.

"Or perhaps, I will bring you a bottle of wine," Isono suggested loudly, walking forward so fast, his heels clicked against the shiny floors. "Which only you will drink." He aimed another cold glare at Atem and then added, "Master Kaiba, I will bring you a coffee."

Atem mustered up another smile and secretly fumed.

Ahhh shit, this Alpha servant was annoying…. He could even feel Kaiba bristling at the interruption. Also, did this servant hint at poisoning him with the wine? Terrifying.

"He can have the tour, and the wine afterwards," Kaiba said through gritted teeth, pointing at the door. "Thought you had somewhere to be, and something to do?"

"Yes, I did it and I came back to help," Isono announced, eyeing Atem like a hawk, and Atem continued to smile, wishing he could melt into the floor and disappear. He understood where this protectiveness was coming from.

"You're not helping," Kaiba raged, feeling a headache coming on. "He's a trusted colleague, who's about to be fired, and he knows it. Fuck off, Isono. I can handle myself, or are you suggesting I can't?"

Isono swallowed visibly and struggled while Atem's smile broadened, almost wickedly.

If he kept sticking around, it would imply that Master Kaiba was weak.
That sent the wrong message to this Top Alpha.
This Top Alpha insisted he didn't know about Master Kaiba's condition, but he was the only Alpha to show up at the property in years ever since Gozaburo's death. This man had to know, which meant Master Kaiba did not know that he knew.

"Right, a tour," Kaiba growled, brushing past Isono and heading for the stairs, knowing his manservant was slowly piecing it together for himself in his head. Atem was the only Alpha to ever set foot on the property since…forever.
This meant he was special, not dangerous.

He walked up the stairs and waited for Atem to follow, hearing Isono hiss at Atem again.

"I know you know," Isono breathed, his eyes burning with hatred for the spiky-haired Alpha who was still smiling mildly at him, clearly undisturbed and too comfortable. "And if I see you on the cameras breathing to closely to him, I will kill you without hesitation. Understand?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Atem answered with as much confusion as he could muster, and Kaiba palmed his face in agony. Atem was a top actor, not a top Alpha.

Stunned, Isono let Atem brush past him merrily and head up the stairs after Kaiba, behaving like he didn't have a care in the world.

Boiling with rage, Isono stormed off to monitor the cameras, palming his phone in his pocket and itching to call and army of security to remove this man from their property, but he knew if he behaved like that, he would completely give Master Kaiba away.

Atem watched the man stalk away, and he made a mental note to himself to keep an ear out for him next time. It wasn't safe to talk openly to Kaiba in his own home. It was only truly safe in the office. He understood that now, but he would still try to apologize for his behavior at the amusement park by being more accepting of Kaiba's 'condition'.

He didn't know how to do that, but he'd planned on casually giving Kaiba more gentle handshakes, and that was as far as he'd figured.

"Right, this is the smoking room," Kaiba said gruffly, gesturing to the space before them and then walking away down the hall to another wide, open space that led out to a balcony. "This is the veranda library."

He gestured to the bookshelves set into the walls around them, and Atem nodded, his mind racing as he spotted a camera hidden in the upper corner of the bookshelf.
Ah… he couldn't even touch Kaiba here, otherwise men would come storming in to kill him.

Kaiba followed Atem's nervous gaze and noted the camera too.
Right. Isono had threatened to kill Atem if he breathed, because he was watching them through there.

Well, it was a good thing he knew where all the blind spots were, thanks to years of Gozaburo's abuse in this house.

"We have a billiard room…" Kaiba said, doing his best to sound bored, and he walked down the hall again, feeling Atem follow him, eight steps behind. Goddammit. This was such a bad idea.

Atem nodded cautiously, feeling very exposed when he saw another camera visibly peeking out from the end of the hallway. Damn. Kaiba's house was a fortress.

Of course, an Omega like him had to live in fear, even in his own home….

Atem grit his teeth and realized he was part of the problem. He'd been scheming to touch Kaiba while he knew all these cameras were pointed at them. This was why the cameras existed.

I am the problem, Atem thought nervously, not really hearing anything Kaiba was saying.

"The view here looks out over Eastern Domino," Kaiba said, patting the wide sill, looking directly at the camera directly above his head. This was a blind spot. Come the fuck over here.

"Interesting," Atem said, sounding dejected and completely uninterested.

"I said, come here and take a look," Kaiba demanded, pointing a slender finger upwards. "What's the point of the damn tour if you're not going to look?"

Atem saw the camera briefly, nodded, and hurried forward, his heart thudding in his ears.
What did that mean? The camera was blind here?

He approached the sill and a pale hand came reaching out, grabbing his wrist and yanking him forward so fast, his head spun, and he caught a whiff of Kaiba's delicious, sweet, mind-numbing scent. Atem acted without thinking and threw his arms around Kaiba's neck, hugging him tightly and pressing his lips against the shell of Kaiba's ear, taking a deep, shuddering breath, filling his lungs with the scent that made his eyes water with emotion.

Pleased, Kaiba gave Atem a pat on the shoulder, indicating he should let up.

Good.
Fine.
The hug was accepted.

Atem's arms tightened around his neck briefly before he let go and rushed to stand at the far end of the room, bending forward to hide his erection, pretending to inspect the hand-finished cue sticks.

"These look incredible," Atem commented, his voice shaking as he tried to compose himself, knowing the camera was aimed safely at his back. "Can we play a round?"

Please refuse, Atem thought silently. That would take ages.

"No. I'm thinking about getting rid of the table and this room entirely," Kaiba said flatly, thinking this was the fifth remodel this room had gone through because it was cursed. "This is a horrible room."

He stood up and walked out of the room, purposely brushing too close to Atem, and he felt Atem freeze nervously before waiting five seconds and following him, keeping eight steps behind, again.

Yeah, Atem definitely knew he was an Omega now.

He'd come to apologize, or confront him, but was reduced to using two second gestures, because Isono was waiting with an army at the tap of a button if he saw anything fishy on the cameras.

I should tell him, Kaiba thought, but he wondered how Isono would take the news. Badly, probably, and Isono would stay distrustful of Atem for at least a year until he witnessed them fucking consensually, or something.
Gozaburo had left them both extremely high-strung and paranoid.

The only place in the house that did not have cameras was his own room, but if they spent too long in there, Isono would immediately know.

I'm going to tell him, Kaiba decided, pointing out another room and seeing Atem nod emptily, his mind clearly somewhere else.

"Bored? Tired? We can have some wine," Kaiba said, knowing Isono would pop up seconds after he mentioned this, and Atem tensed, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Wine did not go down well for you," Atem said pointedly, and to his surprise, Kaiba waved dismissively and grinned handsomely.

"That's the whole point of drinking together, right? Anyway, here's my room, and the tour is over. You are not allowed up to the lab on the third floor or the basement," Kaiba said, seeing Atem's eyes flash for a moment before they darkened again.
Atem wanted to see his room.

Kaiba pushed the door open and walked inside, counting the seconds for when Isono would come barging in on them.

Atem followed hastily and shut the door behind himself, making sure to talk loudly, "wow! It's comfortable…!"

The door clicked into place and Atem threw Kaiba a frantic look, talking fast and trying to keep his voice down while an overpowering scent clogged his senses, but he pushed through it stubbornly.

"I came to apologize for brushing you off yesterday," Atem whispered, and Kaiba gave him a condescending look, so he continued. "I discussed it in depth with my friends and realized you were trying to tell me something. I completely missed it. I'm sorry. I was an idiot for not realizing sooner!"

"Yeah? What was it?" Kaiba challenged, taking a step closer to Atem and seeing his eyes soften at the corners with a warm smile.

"I—" Atem's voice caught when he heard footsteps running up towards the door, followed by a loud knocking, which almost passed as banging, so he stepped aside, and Isono kicked the door open, red in the face while carrying a tray with a wine bottle and one empty glass.

"Feeling like replacing the hinges?" Kaiba asked calmly, and Isono said nothing, glowering at him over the top of the empty wine glass.

"I would like a word with you privately, away from our guest," Isono said, deciding to ignore Atem completely. "He can drink this wine while we talk. Come downstairs, I have served coffee for you on the counter."

Isono set the tray down on the end table beside the door and stepped out, giving Atem one last condescending look before walking away.

Atem swallowed thinly and grabbed Kaiba's arm instinctively as the CEO passed, his eyes wide with concern. That servant Alpha was dangerously protective! Kaiba lived with this man? How was he not Marked by this man already?!

"Relax," Kaiba growled, giving Atem a nod, ranting at him quickly to avoid the rough feelings that came with his words. "He's loyal because he's seen the previous Alpha of this house abuse the fuck out of me, so I'll deal with him. He thinks you're the same, and nothing I say or do will make a difference, so just shut up and stop looking at me like that."

Atem's mouth dropped open as Kaiba's cold hand curled around his fingers briefly before he let go, and he was gone.

Standing alone in the room, Atem swayed on the spot and wondered if he should sit down.

Anzu was right about the abuse.

And it had happened here, in this house, with that servant.
Was Kaiba even…living a life? All he did was go to work and go home!

His life is insane! Atem reeled, pulling out his phone and sending Anzu a quick text.
Now, he needed plan.

It would be stupid to act brashly here while in the presence of that other Alpha.

Downstairs, Kaiba was having a whispered argument with Isono.

"I like him! I don't see a problem!" Kaiba hissed, and Isono frowned, shaking his head vehemently.

"You don't see the way he looks at you!" Isono cried, wondering where Kaiba's caution as an Omega had gone. "It goes past admiration. It's hunger. You don't see it. I do. He looked at you that way when you came down the stairs. I saw his eyes—"

"And I'm saying I like him. Am I not allowed to like him? Can you like him?" Kaiba raged, wondering why he felt like a teenager asking for permission to date someone. "He respects me. He listens to me. I'm trying to get him to stop being afraid of me, and you're not helping!"

"Why would he be afraid of you?" Isono took off his sunglasses and wiped his brow which was beaded with angry sweat. "It has to be an act. The only thing he's afraid of is losing his job!"

Kaiba bit back a sigh and said, "When he still thought I was an Alpha, he confessed to avoiding Omegas completely because he didn't want to be a monster. He's afraid of the scent because it makes him lose his mind completely."

"When he still thought you were an Alpha?" Isono repeated, folding his arms across his chest and raising his eyebrows coldly. "So, that man up there knows you are an Omega? And you let him in your room?! Where your scent is abundant?! Even I'm not allowed in there, Master Kaiba!"

"You didn't hear the rest of my sentence," Kaiba fumed, still trying to advocate for Atem. "He's different. Don't fucking kill him, got it?"

"He's not different," Isono replied dispassionately. "He's highly intelligent and knows how to act. Where did you find him? I don't trust him for a second, Master Kaiba, your safety is my highest priority. If he lays a hand on you, I will kill him against your wishes."

Kaiba palmed his face painfully and after a long moment, he raised his head and said emptily, "we're bonded, so you'd be killing a potential Mate who isn't fucking psycho!"

Isono paled and shook visibly.

"What? Wh-When did this happen?" Isono breathed, his knees weakening as he tried to envision the ways that could've happened. At work! At Kaiba's workplace?! But Kaiba had taken every precaution! How did this Alpha do that?

"It was unwilling on my part," Kaiba growled, seeing Isono grip the kitchen counter hard and pat blindly for the stool, pull it out with a loud scrape and sit down heavily in it.
Yep. As he'd envisioned, Isono was taking it badly.

"And he didn't know, or he acted like he didn't know," Kaiba added, now feeling better after having said it aloud. "Since then, I've been trying to convince him I'm an Omega. He thought it was a bond between two Alphas and suggested I take it to the press. Can you believe that?"

Isono shook his head slowly and continued to shake his head, his heart skipping nervous beats. Well, as long as Master Kaiba wasn't unwilling now, and he wasn't being hurt…

"He didn't believe you?" Isono asked shakily, rising to his feet again after managing to compose himself after a few deep breaths. "Why, yes, understandable. Your act as an Alpha is unbreakable and convincing. I've told you everything you've never needed to know. And yet, somehow…"

"It's already happened. I'm dealing with it now, so don't get in my way," Kaiba threatened, getting tired of repeating himself. "And he's staying the night if he wants. You're not…going to murder him in his sleep. Got that?"

"He's what?" Isono yelped, his hand already reaching for the weapon on his belt.

"Staying. The night. If he wants," Kaiba hissed, realizing he had to put his foot down harder with Isono, because Isono may have unintentionally bonded with his scent too, unbeknownst to the both of them.
Oh fucking shit.
That would explain Isono's unbridled rage right now and his murderous intent.
Oh fuck.

Time to tell Atem and have him deal with it.

Because as an Omega, this wasn't really his fault even though it was.

I feel great, Kaiba thought sarcastically to himself, finally understanding where Atem was coming from when he said he feared Omegas.

Isono was behaving almost erratically now, and Kaiba knew he was only doing so because he felt like it was correct, which, under normal circumstances, was correct.

But just then, he'd openly told Isono that he liked Atem, and his manservant nearly fainted from shock. It was not a positive reaction. His usual, calm and rational Isono had vanished, replaced with a dangerous, threating, murderous individual, who was out to get Atem.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Kaiba slowly walked up the stairs, wondering how he could begin to break this news to Atem. This was not how he'd envisioned his day to go at all.

Author's note:

WUH OH, atem arrives at the kaiba mansion and kaiba makes a horrible realization. He may have accidently enslaved isono with his scent uh oh woops.