Ryou sat in Seto's lab space to eat his late lunch, and had managed to convince Isono to eat with him. Seto was at the other end of the table, finishing a sketch for a piece of hardware he wanted to try modeling for the 3D printer. A lot of what he designed needed to be custom made. The printed parts would be a start.

"I would've put money on it not being a normal date," Ryou said.

"For the most part, I could have forgotten who was sitting across from me."

"And next is what? Dinner by the sea?"

Seto rolled his eyes, and didn't look up from his tablet. "Next, he goes to Singapore for some meeting. It'll be a while before he's back in Japan."

As they were going their separate ways two nights before, Pegasus mentioned he would be leaving the next week. He only stayed in Japan around a week a month, which Seto had never cared enough to pay attention to. If this carried on with the same schedule, that meant only six weeks of potential time with him.

"Nothing before he leaves?" Ryou asked.

"He's a busy man."

The date kept Gozaburo off Seto's back for the last two days, which let Mokuba have a weekend of lesser homework and scrutiny. The house had almost felt normal since Pegasus texted, which meant Seto needed to find a way to ride out Gozaburo's caution as long as possible. With Pegasus out of the country so often, Gozaburo would get comfortable.

"You'll need to keep busy when he's gone," Isono said.

Anything might happen in three weeks, and almost anything would heal by the time Pegasus was back. At least for the first week, Seto and Mokuba needed to keep clear of the house.

"I'll bring him here after school. He'll be able to get his homework done all the same."

Fuguta could drive Mokuba over and none of Gozaburo's security team could interfere. The lab had too much space, so the four of them could spread out. Although Seto hadn't needed the space, it would come in handy to essentially move into.

"You should get a mini fridge," Ryou said. "Then you won't even need to leave for dinner."

Seto switched out of the modeling program and into his thesis paper. He hadn't worked on it yet today, and had to give it at least an hour's attention.

"I'll make note of it. There won't be reason to drive back and forth."

"You type on a rhythm. Have you noticed that?"

"You're hallucinating."

"Maybe. This is my fifth coffee."

When Seto tried to listen for it, he was too fixated on the motions of typing to get an accurate idea of what Ryou had heard. He ended up backspacing everything he had written in the last several seconds to try again. Having to write a thesis to confirm the technology he was going to create felt pointless.

"Imagine if we had decided not to torture ourselves with grad school," Seto said.

"But then we won't get to call each other pompous names."

"There are much simpler and less time consuming ways to switch names."

Gozaburo had Seto and Mokuba's name changed when Seto turned eighteen. That process hadn't taken more than two days, but they also hadn't done it all on their own. Gozaburo had people who had people for trivial things.

Seto hadn't pointed out how making the name Kaiba trivial lessened it. Seto hadn't gone through all of this just to take on a worthless name.

If he left Japan with Mokuba, this would have been for nothing. Seto picked out Gozaburo and had put up with him for a decade, just to give Mokuba the name and resources. How could he consider leaving when leaving meant throwing it all to the wind?

Pegasus had to call things off.

"We could've just let Mokuba pick what to call us."

"He's already picked a perfectly respectable name for you," Ryou said. "I'd end up being Dr. Voodoo or something."

Seto chuckled. "Mokuba knows you're more into tarot."

Mokuba had known Ryou for his entire life. Seto and Ryou had met before the adoption, back when Ryou's father was still around a few months a year, and Amane was still alive.

"I'm asking him tonight," Seto said. "Do you want him to be the one to tell you, or should I tomorrow?"

"Judge how clever it is. The cleverer, the more I want to hear it from him."

"Then you'll be getting a call from Mokuba."

They turned at a knock on the door, and through the window, Seto saw Pegasus and Croquet on the other side. The rest of the lab had emptied out, and Isono stood quickly to open the door, bowing.

Seto and Ryou stood too. Only Ryou bowed.

"Pegasus," Seto said, and caught Pegasus's approving smile. "I didn't realize you'd be stopping by."

"I wanted to have an appropriate mental image of your space before I leave. This isn't the lab I was imagining."

"It's a workspace, really."

"And are you a research assistant?" Pegasus asked Ryou, who stood awkwardly. When he saw Pegasus staring at him, Seto saw him almost bow again.

"No, Master Crawford. I was having lunch."

"Ryou's been my friend since grade school," Seto said. It might have been safer not to have them meet, since a background check into Ryou might turn up with Bakura, but the damage had been done. Hopefully Bakura wasn't on the books.

Pegasus offered Ryou a hand. "I'll have to get Seto to tell me about you."

Ryou took the hand, but pulled back immediately after shaking it.

"I'm sorry there isn't more to see," Seto said to give Ryou an out. "I won't start building the hardware for at least a couple months."

"While I'm here, you can show me around. I'll visit again in during the spring semester to see how things have progressed."

Seto hoped they wouldn't still be seeing each other in the spring, but for now, went along with it. He would give Pegasus a mediocre tour, with everything working toward eventually breaking them up. Maybe he could show Pegasus a botched version of his software.

"I can show you my sketches," Seto said. "I'll let you know what Mokuba decides tomorrow," he added to Ryou. He gave him his chance to exit, and Ryou took it, grabbing his bag and leaving.

Pegasus watched him go, lips downturned, only slightly.

"You two seem close."

"He's the only person historically willing to put up with me," Seto said, and walked Pegasus over to his laptop. He pulled over another chair so Pegasus could see the completed sketches, and Pegasus moved to take the seat, edging it a bit closer than Seto had positioned them.

"You've been working on the paper today," Pegasus said, when he saw it open on Seto's screen.

"It's the one part of this ordeal I don't want to do. I've set aside an hour a day."

In the current stage of his project, Seto's sketches weren't much to look at. Most were for parts inside the projector, but a few showed plans for his final piece. One included the full arena, and he had included designs for the projections between the players.

"You had me convinced you weren't an artist," Pegasus said.

"They're just sketches."

"Very detailed sketches. You have a knack for proportions and angles. A natural talent."

"Drawing machinery, everyone's dream."

"Don't play it down," Pegasus said, and put his hand on Seto's leg. "As you said, humility doesn't suit you."

"When it's built, there will be no reason for humility."

"Are we looking at the same thing? You're going to create an entirely new genre of gaming. It'll be like modern-day gladiator arenas."

Pegasus moved the laptop so he could use the trackpad, and flipped through Seto's sketch folder. He took the time to really look at all of them, even the sketches of lenses and card readers. He gave them as much interest as the arena sketch.

"Will you have a prototype built by the end of the school year?"

"If not this year, then the next. I only need to prove it's possible."

Seto leaned toward Pegasus, taking over the trackpad to pull up his blueprint, but putting them arm-to-arm. He didn't look away from the computer. Making eye contact now would be far too intimate.

His blueprint was simple, a four-pronged projector, that if built correctly, would create a tangible sphere. He intended for it to be portable, for it to appear solid, and for it to feel warm. Heat would be the easiest sensation to create. If he could give resistance when someone tried to run their hand through it, that would be even better.

"I plan to start simple."

"Everything does. You shouldn't downplay on my account."

"It's hardly comparable to making a difference on your scale," Seto said. Even a negative difference fit the definition. "One day, when I've proven it's possible, I'll never stop bragging."

"You don't wear your glasses often."

The question was a surprise, and Seto made the mistake of glancing up in response. His face was too close to Pegasus's, maybe a hand's length away, and Pegasus was again seemingly giving Seto every trace of his focus.

No one ever looked at Seto like that.

"I prefer to have peripheral vision."

"They were charming, but they did distract a bit."

"Distracting, but I need them or the contacts. I've been told I read too much."

"Fantasy or nonfiction?" Pegasus asked.

"Nonfiction, usually. I'm a notorious over-studier."

"Even when it doesn't relate to school?"

Seto pushed back his chair, just for an extra breath of distance. He had dated people before, but none of those relationships had ever moved so quickly. This was too forward, and Seto wasn't in a position to say no. In every other relationship, the power balance had swung in Seto's favor.

"There's plenty more to know."

"I agree with that. Why don't you show me around the campus? Take a break from your work?"

Seto nodded. "I'll take any excuse to stop writing."

They stood, and Seto signed out from his laptop. Since Pegasus's guards would be accompanying them, Isono could stay with Seto's things. Or Seto could lock the door to the lab. He might want Isono around in the event he needed an out.

"Before you got this lab space, where did you spend most of your time?"

Nodding to Isono to follow, Seto locked the lab behind them. The main section of the lab was still empty when they left, which meant the other students had seen enough to know to hide. Seto thought it had been difficult navigating the isolation before. They previously kept some distance, but nothing like this.

"Aside from classes, either the student center's coffee shop, or if a table isn't available, one of the benches on the quad."

"That sounds exceptionally collegiate."

"I might as well make the most of it while I'm here. Coffee at home isn't the same."

"Are you a tea drinker?"

"I'm both. I have at least three cups of each everyday. You?"

The wind gusted outside, hard enough Pegasus tied back his hair. He had dressed for the weather, in a well-fitted black jacket with a paisley scarf tucked underneath. He must have been overheating inside the lab, and the fall weather was a relief.

"When I do want caffeine, I normally have the strongest coffee imaginable brewed. Then let it cool enough I can take it as a shot."

"That sounds terrible."

"It's practical," Pegasus said. His guards walked closer than Seto remembered. Isono did the same to Seto's right.

"Do you not like the taste?"

"I've yet to find coffee worth my time."

Students rushed to the other end of the quad, to the far side of the fountain, most of them confident enough to spare a few glances. When this ended, Seto hoped things got back to normal quickly.

He didn't even like these people. He shouldn't have missed having them around.

"Do places have coffee tastings like they do for wine?" Seto asked.

"I couldn't say. I've never looked into them. Which bench do you prefer?"

"Usually the one nearest to the student center. For convenience, not necessarily anything about the bench itself."

Seto walked Pegasus to it and considered how boring of a tour this would end up being. First sketches in the lab, and now empty benches. If Seto knew to prepare for Pegasus showing up, he would have planned something more interesting. What did the student art center have on display this month? Ryou would have known.

"You're still nervous," Pegasus said.

"It's more contemplating how trivial this all must seem."

He was a grad student living at home. He didn't have anything interesting to show off or display. Aside from his work, what more was there to Seto?

"I'm the one who asked to see it," Pegasus said. "Your day to day isn't so trivial to me."

"We're looking at a bench."

"Which is far more interesting than meeting with contractors in Singapore."

Pegasus took a seat.

"Sit with me."

Seto did, because sitting on a bench and talking over the heavy winds was better than giving Pegasus a tour of a cafe surrounded by textbooks. At least out here, they were in public, and everyone else who walked by would be in equal discomfort.

"Are you having another house built?" Seto asked.

Pegasus crossed his leg toward Seto. "Another...oh, no. Engineering contractors. Another meeting in a series of meetings about things only slightly less trivial than a bench."

"At least you agree about the triviality."

Pegasus inclined his head. "I'm not here for the bench."

He looked around the quad, from the fountain—a copper rendition of a man reading—to the buildings surrounding them. The quad had a few trees evenly spaced out, none of them large enough to block the view of the brick buildings, all designed for cohesion, Seto assumed. He hadn't paid attention in orientation.

"I'm going to be a student for at least another year," Seto said. "Sitting on benches or in the lab."

"And I'll be traversing the world three weeks of every month. Do you mind fitting me into your schedule?"

"We'll make it work," Seto said as his phone started to vibrate. He ignored it.

"What else do you enjoy doing with your spare time? Is it all studying and coffee?"

"Not all," Seto said. "I spend what I can with Mokuba, and exercise often."

"What sort of exercise do you do?"

"I run several days each week. Isono and I also spar on occasion."

Mentioning it brought Pegasus's gaze to Isono. "Is that right?"

"Yes, Master Crawford."

"Nothing too intense, I'm sure."

He kept staring at Isono, as if expecting him to deny Seto's statement. Isono's training wouldn't let him argue or lie when confronted with a direct question, so Seto answered for him.

"Nothing I can't handle."

Being able to vent had spared Seto from lashing out at Gozaburo many times. He burnt his energy ducking from Isono and fought through the exhaustion to the point he couldn't have retaliated if he tried. It made it easier to accept.

"I take it you don't aim for the face," Pegasus said.

"Only if we pull punches," Seto assured him.

His phone started vibrating again, and Seto had to assume Gozaburo wanted something unnecessary. He left it in his pocket. If it was actually something important, he could call Isono. Talking with Pegasus was the only excuse Seto needed.

Pegasus did come in handy on occasion.

"You're a scholar who practices hand to hand combat in his spare time. I should have guessed, but my mind would have been limited to envisioning running as your sole exercise."

"Having a home gym helps keep everything diverse."

"Kaiba hardly seems the sort to have one built."

"I did," Seto said. "It's too big a house not to make use of every room. How many guest bedrooms can a person have when they never invite anyone over?"

"It keeps the maids in business."

Isono stepped forward and put a hand on Seto's shoulder. "Seto-sama. It's Mokuba calling."

Seto took out his phone. Two missed calls from Mokuba. He should have been just getting out of school. Seto thought over every possible issue that might have come up as he stood, and took the phone from Isono.

"Mokuba?"

"Fuguta didn't pick me up," Mokuba whispered. His voice was muffled, like he wasn't supposed to be on the phone. "It's Satuwatari."

His chest felt colder than the wind, and Seto had to force himself to remain level-headed. If Mokuba was able to make the call, then he wasn't home yet. Why hadn't Fuguta picked him up?

"Where are you?"

"In the car. Almost home."

"I'll meet you there. Stall."

Seto ended the call and handed the phone back to Isono. Everything told him to run to the car, but he couldn't dismiss himself.

"Something's wrong, I take it," Pegasus said.

"It's Mokuba. Something came up."

Explaining it wouldn't be easy, and Seto didn't know how he would start trying. His year of deflecting needed to pay off here.

"I have to get home," Seto said. "I'm sorry you came out for such a short visit."

Pegasus stood, and stepped up to Seto. "You shouldn't apologize for what's important to you. I'll see you again when I'm back in the country."

He put a hand on Seto's cheek, gloveless and cold, and brought Seto to him. He held Seto close, not quite kissing him, but somehow more intimate. Pegasus's breaths were warm. Seto felt his chest as it rose and fell for several seconds.

They kissed briefly, almost too quick for Seto to register it. Pegasus stepped back.

"Go see to your brother, Seto."

The guards around them hadn't been watching, and Isono stood behind Seto, so Seto couldn't tell if he had been looking. They were a small barrier between the kiss and the campus, isolating the moment to the two of them. The public setting Seto hoped for had turned into a disadvantage. He didn't want this moment public.

"Have a safe trip," Seto said, stopping himself from bowing, and gestured for Isono to follow him to the parking lot.

Seto waited until they had half the distance behind them before saying anything. Now, he had less reason to keep his temper level, but still controlled his every breath. This wasn't the time to snap.

"I should have answered."

"He sounded panicked," Isono said.

"Satuwatari picked him up from school."

Seto couldn't do much while they were walking to the car. The lab was locked and he wasn't worried about leaving his things inside while they rushed home. He didn't have time to stop for it.

He called Fuguta.

"Why didn't you pick up Mokuba?"

"I'm sorry, Seto-sama. He told me I wasn't permitted to leave the security office today. That he made other arrangements for Mokuba."

Eventually, Seto had to get Isono and Fuguta off Gozaburo's payroll.

"His other arrangements are Satuwatari."

"I'll intercept them at the door," Fuguta said.

"If you get yourself fired, I won't be able to do anything about it. Isono is bringing me home now. Text the moment you see the car pull in."

Gozaburo wouldn't do anything to Mokuba. He and Seto had an agreement. Seto bargained years before and had the seal of the contract branded onto his skin. But it wasn't lost on him that if Gozaburo went back on their contract, Seto would still wear it.

"A car left twenty minutes ago," Fuguta said.

"Then they're minutes from the house."

And Seto had a fifteen-minute drive.

"Keep me posted."

He put his phone away when they got to the car. Isono took the driver's seat, and Seto texted Mokuba.

Just got to the car. We'll be there soon.

Mokuba didn't text back. Seto drummed his fingers on his phone, staring at the screen, willing a reply. His screen stayed black, and the LED alert silent.

When it did vibrate, Seto cursed as soon as he checked it. Fuguta.

They just arrived.

"Drive faster," Seto said, and cracked his knuckles. It didn't help the anxiety. Gozaburo would have ten minutes alone with Mokuba. Seto had firsthand experience with what could be done in ten minutes.

"We'll start bringing him to campus after his classes," Isono said. "Send Fuguta over early, before he can be intercepted."

"How long will that work?"

"This was an oversight. It won't happen again."

"You can't know that."

They didn't even know what Seto was about to walk into. If he did, he would have prepared for it during the drive. It wasn't a misunderstanding, and Seto knew he was right to worry over it. He fought with Gozaburo over this too many times in the years before.

He imagined easily how this would go.

"He can't do anything," Seto tried to tell himself.

"Crawford will be gone for three weeks," Isono said.

If there were ever a time, now was Gozaburo's chance. To get Mokuba out, Seto would have to resort to old tactics, known to work, but if there was any other option, Seto had to figure it out now.

While Isono sped home.

Cutting down on Seto's time to think.

By the time Isono pulled through the gate, Seto's only plan was compliance. If he let Gozaburo have his tantrum, then he could get Mokuba out with minimal damage. Once Seto got Mokuba to Isono and Fuguta, he would worry about Gozaburo.

One thing at a time.

Seto didn't wait for Isono to turn off the car before getting out. He assumed Mokuba would already be in the office upstairs, and took the steps two at a time to get there. He didn't knock. They were past the need for formalities.

"Seto. You're home early," Gozaburo said. He sat behind his desk, with Mokuba in the chair across from him. Mokuba's feet hung, not long enough to touch the floor. He glanced back at Seto, nervous, but not hurt.

"You reassigned Fuguta."

"Fuguta works for me."

Seto crossed the room and stood beside Mokuba, but didn't look at him. The idea was to take the focus off Mokuba and give him a chance to leave. Isono would be waiting for him in the hall.

"And you've pulled me away from my work," Seto said. "Is there something we need to talk about?"

"There is. Sit."

Seto complied.

"I'm considering having Mokuba homeschooled. Daimon is more than capable of managing his studies."

Gozaburo glanced to the side, where Daimon stood in the corner. Seto hadn't noticed him. Seto had gotten into the habit long ago of ignoring Daimon's presence.

"At what point will Mokuba's knowledge exceed Daimon's mental capacity?" Seto asked. "You'll be re-enrolling him in a year."

Daimon stepped forward and started to protest, but Gozaburo silenced him with a dismissive gesture. It forced Daimon back to his corner, although didn't remove the snarl from his face. Very little ever did.

"You're questioning me again," Gozaburo said.

Seto ran his tongue over his teeth. He wasn't off to the best start.

"Only trying to understand. Is something unsatisfactory with Mokuba's education?"

"He would have more time to study without the trips to and from school."

"His grades are nearly perfect."

"Nearly."

Mokuba looked at his lap, wringing his hands.

"Moving him up a class would be a simple way to increase the challenge," Seto said. "If that's your primary concern."

If it was too difficult for Mokuba, Seto could help tutor him. Leaving him at home with Daimon full-time wasn't an option. Seto trusted Mokuba could keep up with the course load, even if he would start off behind.

"My concerns aren't your business, which is why you weren't consulted."

Gozaburo wasn't going to budge with upfront reasoning, and Seto didn't have any other options with Mokuba sitting beside him. He gave himself a moment to close his eyes, inhale and exhale, and then forced all emotions down.

"I'm sure we can come to an arrangement," Seto said.

He and Gozaburo stared at each other in understanding, an understanding that carried on for several seconds. As soon as Mokuba left, Seto could offer more than a sentiment of submission.

"Daimon, see Mokuba to his room."

"Yes, Kaiba-sama."

Mokuba glanced at Seto as if asking permission, and when Seto nodded, got up. He was slow to leave, but eventually, followed Daimon out.

The door closed behind them, and Gozaburo stood. There were times when he would walk around the desk, grab Seto with a firm grip on the back of his neck, and lead him where he wanted him, but this time, he pulled open the drawer like he had done on Saturday. Pegasus's texts had cut him short.

"What arrangement did you have in mind, Seto?"

"Whatever you'd like."

Gozaburo put the collar on the center of the desk and waited on Seto's response. Seto chose not to give one, and not to look at the collar. It hadn't gotten any bigger over the years, which kept Seto from ever getting used to the tightness.

When Seto said nothing, Gozaburo nodded.

"Down."

For Mokuba's sake, Seto knelt.


Thanks for reading and reviewing! Your comments are always appreciated.

You can expect an update Halloween weekend.