Seto held open his closet door, staring at a suitcase he hadn't used since leaving the orphanage. He'd packed it only twice in his life, once at the adoption, and once at seventeen, when he couldn't take the abuse anymore. He never packed much. Every time he planned to start over, his plans left out possessions tying him to the past.

Beside it sat a new suitcase, the one Pegasus bought him to use for the trip tomorrow. He couldn't put off packing any longer. Seto had to choose one.

But he closed the door and sat on the foot of his bed, loosening his tie. His phone buzzed, bringing his attention to his side table. His phone was between the two tickets Bakura bought him, and the passport Pegasus had rushed.

The tickets were for a flight tonight. In five hours, Seto and Mokuba needed to be on the plane.

Or Seto could ignore the tickets and leave for Beijing tomorrow.

He should have talked to Mokuba about this already, and gotten Mokuba to pack. Saying nothing made it easier to choose to stay.

But the option for escape was there, easily attainable. They could rush pack now, and then be at the airport before Gozaburo got back from work. To do that, they'd need to leave in an hour.

Seto reached for his phone. It was just an email from his adviser rescheduling their next meeting, so Seto dismissed it. All his work on the projector, all the hours put in, and all his aspirations tied up into it would disappear if he left. Seto would end up working in a quiet shop, with a different name, in a country where no one knew him or cared to.

He traded his phone for the passport. Tapping it against his palm, he debated opening it for the tenth time to stare at the photo of himself. Pegasus picked out the picture. Pegasus bought Seto's ability to leave.

With a heavy breath, Seto stood. He tossed the passport on his pillow and headed down the hall to Mokuba's room.

"I thought you were at school," Mokuba said when Seto came inside.

"Got back early. Homework?"

"Loads," Mokuba said, and groaned a bit. He held up his binder.

"Is that school or Daimon?"

"Daimon. He wants to make me work a grade ahead."

Seto rolled his eyes. "Leave it. You're working too hard as it is."

And Mokuba didn't deserve how hard Daimon and Gozaburo pushed him. Mokuba didn't care about his name. He didn't care about money.

Mokuba had to come first. Seto could find other ways to practice self fulfillment.

"Why don't you pack a bag?"

"For what?

Mokuba turned in his chair, and looked at Seto with furrowed eyebrows. He hadn't taken off his school uniform yet.

"I have tickets for us to leave tonight. We should pack light."

"Leave for where?"

"Overseas."

It was the right choice, despite what Seto wanted. He'd been pushing himself down for a decade. He had plenty of practice with it.

"For how long?" Mokuba asked. "Are you saying like, leave for good?"

"How would you feel about it?"

Mokuba looked at the stack of homework on his desk, staring for several moments. He clenched the fist hidden against his lap, which felt like a refusal.

"You tried that before," Mokuba said, voice weak.

Mokuba had been five.

Seto had made it to the train station.

"Do you want to stay?"

"I remember what he did."

The window caught Seto's attention and held it. Seto hoped Mokuba had been young enough to forget, that hiding the scars meant burying Mokuba's memory of it. But they lived under one roof, and there was only so much blood that could be hidden.

"It won't happen again."

"Don't lie to me, Niisama."

Mokuba deserved to be away from this stress. Staying six years wouldn't just hurt Seto.

"If we leave now, we can get to the airport before he gets home. I have the tickets."

"We'll be safe?"

"It's arranged," Seto said. "We just have to get to the plane."

"What about your degree? The holograms? Ryou?"

Seto crossed the room to stand by Mokuba, but decided to kneel to eye level. Mokuba's fist hadn't unclenched, and Seto put his hand over it, offering a gentle squeeze.

"Ryou'll catch up. We'd never leave without him. And there's much more to my life than the holograms."

"And Crawford?"

"Wouldn't have lasted. If we want to try going, it has to be now."

Mokuba closed his eyes, and his chest rose and fell several times. Each breath was deep and severe. This had been harder on Mokuba than Seto knew.

"What do I pack?"

"Whatever you want to be sure to have. Just a carry on if you can."

Mokuba didn't have actual luggage. His backpack was probably the biggest piece of luggage he had.

"Just some clothes then?"

"We'll have money to buy more of what we need. Bring whatever's important, and I'll meet you in the garage."

He had to pack, and now that he committed, couldn't waste more time. Gozaburo had his own security team, and if they saw Seto and Mokuba packing, would report back.

"I have a bigger suitcase. If you run out of space, let me know."

Seto ruffled Mokuba's hair as he stood. They would talk more about this on the way to the airport, and Seto would do his best to explain the necessity of it. He wanted none of the burden of this on Mokuba. But Mokuba needed answers.

Seto went back to his room and began to fill his new suitcase. Before taking it to the garage, he would need to text Fuguta and have him draw attention away from the path from Seto's bedroom to the garage. Even the housekeepers had to be out of his way.

He packed simply. A few changes of clothes. A few toiletries that wouldn't be an issue on a plane. He packed his laptop with all his research and the locket Mokuba had given him on Seto's twentieth birthday. He packed his father's watch and his mother's journal, and everything else stayed in his drawers.

Leaving his room didn't feel significant. Seto packed to leave and start over, and his suitcase was half empty. Maybe he needed to pad it with a pillow.

Seto grabbed the ticket and put it into his jacket pocket before texting Fuguta. He didn't give a reason, and Fuguta didn't ask. His passport went in the outer pocket of his suitcase.

Seto's keys were in the garage, and he made it there without running into someone. Seto pressed the button for the garage door and went to open the trunk, but saw a shadow falling on the floor beside him.

"Kaiba-sama."

He didn't even have the ability to hide the suitcase before turning.

"I thought you were in Beijing with Pegasus."

Croquet stepped into the garage and bowed.

"He sent me to escort you there safely."

"I'm not meant to leave until tomorrow."

Despite the glasses, Seto caught Croquet's attention flicker to the suitcase. It was only for a moment.

"Thankfully, you've come prepared for it."

Fuguta must have seen them pulling in, and hopefully, someone would stop Mokuba from coming in to the garage. Seto could play this off, but not if Mokuba came down with his own luggage.

"Just getting the car ready for tomorrow. I planned to head to the airport straight from the lab."

"I have your new ticket ready. The flight leaves in an hour."

"Is there a reason it was pushed up?"

Seto agreed to a Friday flight for a reason. Leaving on a Thursday wasn't convenient, even if he hadn't been trying to run. Pegasus would be in meetings on a week day, and Seto always stayed in the lab during business hours. He originally planned to spend tonight in with Mokuba.

"It was at Master Crawford's request."

"Is that as specific as you're allowed to be?"

Croquet's silence answered for him, and he gestured to Seto's suitcase. "May I carry it for you, Kaiba-sama?"

"I should go tell my family I'll be leaving early."

Isono had been meant to come to Beijing with him. Was he still supposed to come, even with the last minute change?

"You can text in the car."

Croquet stepped forward to take Seto's suitcase, and Seto had no choice but to let him. The two tickets were safely hidden in Seto's jacket, and he needed to get rid of them before anyone could see. If they went through the airport, Seto could dump them in one of the trash bins.

Seto left his keys on the closed trunk and followed Croquet to the idling car. The three SUVs were lined up in the circular drive, and Seto got a sinking feeling the guards weren't there for his protection.

Why did Pegasus actually want him in Beijing?

Croquet put Seto's bag in the back of the middle SUV and then opened the back door for Seto to climb in. The heat was on full blast, but Seto couldn't take off his jacket to compensate. Croquet mentioned it was fine to text. Seto did, first to Mokuba, letting him know he had to leave, then to Isono, warning him of the change of plans. He kept his messages brief and in his normal tone, knowing Pegasus's men very likely had access to Seto's messages.

How would he explain this to Mokuba?

He'd gotten Mokuba's expectations up for nothing. And now Seto was being whisked away without warning or explanation.

The last text he sent was to Pegasus.

Croquet just picked me up. Something I should know about?

Beijing was only an hour behind Domino, which meant Pegasus would likely be in meetings for another few hours. But he had texted back during meetings before. Pegasus even stepped out of meetings to call Seto to talk about what many would consider trivialities.

Seto closed his eyes and tapped his phone against his palm. He shouldn't expect a response. Pegasus sent a swarm of men to take Seto without warning or explanation.

The driver never acknowledged Seto. Croquet had taken the passenger seat and they rode in silence, a light snow falling outside. Part of Seto hoped it would pick up and delay the flight. But that was just delaying the inevitable. Pegasus wanted him off guard, alone in a foreign country.

Mokuba and Isono responded to ask questions couldn't answer. Every time his phone went off, he had a moment of hope it was Pegasus. Five minutes passed, then ten, and as they neared the airport, Seto still didn't have a reply.

Pegasus could be busy. Seto wanted to believe the best from him, but this had him on edge. Maybe Pegasus wanted an extra day. Maybe he had a surprise planned for Seto's first trip out of the country.

Maybe Seto was being led to his execution.

How could they have known he was planning to leave? Hadn't Bakura spent months preparing a safe getaway? What were the chances this was coincidence?

"Does this mean I'll be returning a day early?" Seto asked.

"That will be up to you and Master Crawford to determine."

Seto wanted to believe that meant something positive. It wasn't an outright promise or denial.

The planes overhead got louder, and the tickets in Seto's pocket seemed to radiate heat. If he gave them any attention, Croquet was certain to notice it.

Seto had never been to the airport before, and expected the driver to follow the signs for the terminals. But he took a side lane that went straight to a tarmac, where men in bright vests waved them through.

"We aren't going in?" Seto asked.

"You'll be taking one of the private jets."

They hadn't taken any of Seto's electronics, and Seto wanted to trust Pegasus.

Pegasus would give Seto the benefit of the doubt. After their conversation the other day and the upfront honesty, there wasn't a reason for Pegasus to whisk Seto off to another country to confront him. He had Seto alone and already questioned him.

"The flight isn't long," Croquet said as they parked. "Would you like us to get you any snacks for the trip?"

"Are there drinks on board?"

"There are."

"Then I'm fine. Is there WiFi?"

"There is. The password will be available for you."

Why would they let him work if he was flying to his death? They couldn't, and Seto took refuge in that fact. This was a simple change to the schedule, and Croquet couldn't give information because he didn't have a right to it.

Seto claimed a block of seats on the plane, a section with four leather chairs facing each other, a small table between them. He set up his laptop to work on his paper, a drink already poured beside him.

Just before take off, Seto received the reply from Pegasus.

I'll meet you at the hotel. We'll have dinner.

Seto nearly didn't reply through the shock of the response's simplicity. Here Seto was, stressing over the sudden shift in plans, and then Pegasus replied with a dinner invitation.

Everything was fine.

Is everything okay?

They took off before Seto had an answer, and he couldn't break his gaze away from his phone. He told himself the text would follow soon. In the next second. Or the next.

The drink didn't taste right, but Seto blamed the altitude. He finished it off and tried to focus on writing, but his gaze kept drifting to his phone.


He'd finished two drinks on the flight, then had a coffee to help wake himself up. He packed his laptop and asked Croquet where his suitcase had been stored. If he could tuck the tickets into it now, maybe no one would see.

"We're going through customs first. Is your passport inside it?"

"It is."

They went down to grab it after the steps had been pulled up. Under watch, Seto couldn't hide away the tickets, and had to settle for taking out his passport. Seto carried it and his laptop bag inside, checking his phone again to see if Pegasus responded.

His screen was still black.

Their bags and passports were checked, too lightly, if Seto took his guess. He imagined that Croquet's badge waved them through more easily. They were walking out to waiting cars when Seto realized he didn't have a phone charger or contact case.

Seto took in the city while they traveled to the hotel. Beijing's downtown had much more of a classic design than Domino, silver skyscrapers and wide roads. The lights were more subdued than Domino's blaring colors. Beijing was also a much larger city, more of a tourist destination than anything in Domino. In Domino, the city hall building where Gozaburo worked was the oddest shaped building, but Beijing had dozens of oddly shaped towers.

He would like to tour them outside the speeding car. Seto imagined himself wandering with only a map as a guide, taking in the angles and stresses caused by the weight they supported. He wanted to sketch them, to get ideas for the design of his projectors.

If Pegasus really did just want Seto here early, then Seto could start walking around the city tomorrow. He downloaded an app right after accepting Pegasus's invite to translate the signs into Japanese. He hoped for a chance to make use of it.

The hotel could have been any other building. They parked out front where the valet station was, and Croquet opened Seto's door. Seto hooked the strap of his bag across his body to follow.

No one here had any reason to recognize Seto, but they all seemed to. Seto brushed it off as them being devoted to their job. He glanced over to the man who took his suitcase, but didn't linger. Everything he considered important had been packed in that bag.

Croquet let one of the other members of the security team speak with the staff, and Seto assumed he was fluent in Mandarin. Seto let them lead the flow of traffic, through the lobby and straight to an elevator. Croquet produced a swipe card that allowed them to go to the penthouse.

When the elevator doors closed on Croquet and Seto alone, Croquet broke the silence.

"Is there anything you'd like me to take first?"

They really did know everything, and Seto strongly considered giving him the tickets. But Croquet was loyal to Pegasus, and if Pegasus was going to find out about them, Seto was going to be the one to tell him.

"Nothing comes to mind."

"Very well, Kaiba-sama."

The elevator dinged when they came to a stop. The doors opened to a vast penthouse, decorated minimally, with a long window occupying the far wall as the room's focal point. While he stepped inside, Croquet dropped Seto's suitcase behind him. In a room of this size, Seto's steps echoed. He glanced side to side, to the open bedroom on his right to the kitchen on his left, but after taking in the starkness of the suite, his attention fixated on Pegasus, who stood facing the window, wearing the red suit he was known for.

The doors closed as Seto reached Pegasus.

"I expected you to be in meetings," Seto said.

"I wanted to be here when you arrived."

Pegasus's gaze never wavered from the streets below. In the twilight, the roads were streaked with headlights, all in varying shades of silver and gold.

"Why did you have him pick me up early?" Seto asked, abandoning the view of the skyline and sunset in favor of looking at Pegasus. There was nothing to read in his expression, no clues to garner.

"I understand a change of plans can be disconcerting." Pegasus kept his arms crossed.

"I'd packed already," Seto said. "And I've been trying to be more spontaneous."

"You've never struck me as one for spontaneity."

"I'll have to be to keep up with you."

Pegasus's hands clenched against his elbows, but his posture remained the same. The tension in his pose leeched into the atmosphere. Seto inhaled and absorbed it, although he'd been trying to remain calm. Through the tension and trepidation, Seto wanted to be here. Running had never been for Seto's sake.

"I get the feeling you wanted to talk tonight," Seto pressed. Their last in-depth conversation helped for a time, but maybe they needed another.

"Do you have something to talk about?"

"Why won't you look at me?"

Asking for it broke Pegasus's reverie over the city, and he softly angled to Seto, staring at his jaw a moment before meeting his eyes. When they connected, Seto caught the first clue of emotion. The tension could only mask the anger for so long.

"Why did you agree to come?" Pegasus asked.

"Croquet didn't give me much of a choice today."

"Seto," Pegasus said in a breathy, hurt voice.

"I agreed because I wanted to be here. I wanted to start moving forward"

"Wanted."

"You asked why I agreed. I agreed in the past. I want to be here."

For a moment, Pegasus turned his eyes upward, but closed them right after, hiding any emotion that might have slipped out. His lips parted in a wobbled breath, steeling himself enough to look at Seto again.

"I don't think I can believe you anymore."

"You should," Seto said before Pegasus went any further.

"Seto, please."

"I'm serious."

"Someone in my position expects some level of dishonesty in a relationship. Meeting that dishonesty with disillusionment has always worked for me, because I rarely find someone I can imagine a future with. I overlooked a lot for you."

Seto's hopes for the future splintered around him. He had been excited for this trip, and defended his right to put himself through this. Seto had a lifetime of experience with dashed hopes, and still invested in another one just to watch it shatter.

Gozaburo might have been right about Seto.

Rather than answer immediately, Seto took off his jacket and bag. He tossed them on a nearby couch, giving little regard to the tickets Pegasus clearly knew about.

"I've never done much for myself," Seto said, and spotting a bar cart, went to pour himself another drink. "I enjoy being with you. If outside circumstances were different, we'd have nothing between us here."

He downed a shot of vodka because it had been the nearest bottle to him.

"Nothing's ever so easy," Seto said.

"You've always known the circumstances."

"Is it so wrong to wish they were different?"

"You agreed to come here, knowing I wanted us to move forward. That I wanted to be with you."

Seto put down the glass.

"I want to be here."

He went back over to Pegasus and took his hand. For the first time, Pegasus made no effort to reciprocate the touch.

"You planned to let things get intimate between us?" Pegasus asked. "Spending time with me is one thing, but toying with me? Is that who you really are?"

"I didn't intend to give that impression," Seto said, but he realized how the timing of his planned escape would have factored into Pegasus's current thought process.

"I'm tired of defending your right to lie."

The cruelty of the sentiment struck deep in Seto's chest, and he dropped Pegasus's hand. A confession now reeked of certain death, both for him and Mokuba, and still, for the length of a passing breath, Seto considered it. The truth would leave nothing between them.

"Why have Croquet bring me if you decided you didn't want me here?"

"I do want you. That's what brought you to me in the first place, wasn't it?"

Pegasus shook his head, and went to stand closer to the window. Night fell quickly, but the lights filling the city made up for it, even from this far above.

"I didn't realize things would go so far," Seto said, because it was as close to the truth as he could bear to step.

"And yet you agreed to come here. How long would you have let this go on?"

"Until you decided I wasn't enough."

"Back to the false modesty?" Pegasus paused. "I suppose it did get you far."

Seto almost wished Pegasus would say it, break the unspoken agreement not to put Seto's treason into the open. If Pegasus said it, Seto lost all reason to lie.

"I decided I wanted to stay with you," Seto said. "You have every reason to see me how the rest of the world does, but you've always seen through that."

"So you express wanting to stay by booking two flights to Finland?" Pegasus said, punctuated by a brief glance over his shoulder. "The day before our plans?"

"Wanting something doesn't mean I can have it."

"I'm meant to believe you're willing to abandon all morals for me? You chose to run to a country I have no foothold in."

"I know I've lied," Seto said. "Lying has been a crucial part of my life for too long. But I do want to be with you."

Pegasus's hand clenched, only long enough for Seto to catch glimpse of it, and then he turned. He had a contemplative downturn to his lips as he took in Seto, and seeming to resolve himself, came forward.

"You want to be with me," he said in a thin question.

"Yes."

Pegasus took Seto's face in both hands, and kissed him deeply. They left behind restraint, clutching to each other and moving away from the window. Their steps seemed aimless and of little importance. Seto didn't know if it was possible to convey some a large sentiment through a kiss, didn't know if he could persuade Pegasus to trust him without another word.

Overwhelming their touch was the sense that they fit well together. Seto previously noticed it in the shape of their hands, but now, their bodies moved together without thought. One of Pegasus's hands moved to loosen Seto's tie while Seto held Pegasus's hair out of their way.

They didn't kiss often. If they had, Pegasus might have been more willing to believe Seto.

Seto's legs bumped into something after a minute, hitting at the back of his knees and causing him to fall. He landed on the bed right as Pegasus discarded his tie.

They separated a moment, Pegasus standing over Seto, straddling his knees, and Seto piecing all this together.

When Pegasus gently pushed Seto back, the realization kicked in.

"Wait," Seto said, and inhaled deeply.

"You said you wanted to be with me," Pegasus said, and undid Seto's top button. "You were willing to take this as far as necessary."

The next button caused Seto's heart rate to pick up. He tried to push Pegasus back, but his hands were knocked aside. This wasn't how things were meant to go.

"Let's talk first," Seto said. "There are some things—"

"They didn't train you for," Pegasus finished for him. Seto's scrambling kept Pegasus from opening more of his shirt, and Pegasus's gaze darkened. In a swift motion, he grabbed either side and pulled, popping the buttons and revealing his undershirt.

"Did you request this or were you coerced? They sent you to the art show and you started looking for—"

Pegasus tugged up the undershirt and froze.

His eyes flickered side to side, following the lines of the visible scars, processing them. Seto's stomach had the least, but none of them could be passed off as surgical. Pegasus ran a thumb across the length of the scar Seto had gotten for turning the crop on Daimon when he was fifteen.

Seto closed his eyes, letting his head fall to the side.

Pegasus raised the shirt more. The scars on Seto's chest were mostly burns. Pegasus's touch was light, tracing the punishments Seto received for every failed assignment.

"A way out," Pegasus said under his breath.

He put a hand on Seto's arm, and the weight on his lap lessened. Seto thought Pegasus might pull him to his feet, but instead, he flipped Seto underneath him.

The scars on his back drew a gasp. Pegasus's hands shook when he touched them, one hand holding Seto's shirt up while the other felt the rigid and puckered skin.

Seto didn't try stopping him.

Pegasus saw the mark from when Seto stammered through his first attempt at a presentation, the one from when he told Gozaburo the change he brought to the world wouldn't come through politics, the one from when Seto told a teacher he was hurt, from when Seto threw a glass, when he wouldn't let Mokuba be hurt, when he stood up for what he deserved.

The scars were a symbol of every rebellion and failure. Pegasus didn't know the stories, but he saw their conclusion. His touch finally landed on the worst of them, a narrow scar on his side.

That knife had been intended to kill him for trying to run. The doctor called him lucky.

"Could I sit up?" Seto asked, voice low and quiet.

Pegasus moved off him.

Seto fixed his shirt as best as he was able.

"Your father?" Pegasus asked.

"Gozaburo."

Pegasus stared at Seto's chest although the scars were hidden.

"This whole time, it was him you were running from."

"No matter what I want, Mokuba will always come first."

"Why didn't you say something?" Pegasus asked, shaking his head. "I could have helped."

"I didn't want you to find out like this. I wanted to tell you."

"Some of them are still healing. He's—"

"Mokuba's legal guardian, and a governor. Who would take up a case against him?"

"I would."

Pegasus took Seto's hand, and Seto caught back the emotions welling. He hadn't wanted it to happen like this, didn't like being put into a situation where he had to share something so personal in a method he hadn't agreed to. But conflicting that was how securely Pegasus held his hand.

"If something happens to Gozaburo, I don't get custody of Mokuba. Gozaburo's brother is next in line."

"You don't think you could fight it?"

Seto's body was covered in proof fighting got him nowhere.

"His brother lives in the US. Getting Mokuba back would be nearly impossible. I'd lose the rest of his childhood."

"And running was the most feasible alternative?"

"Mokuba's nearly the age I was when he adopted us. I can't risk letting Gozaburo hurt him."

Pegasus drew Seto to his side, holding him steady with a firm arm around his waist. Seto rested their heads together and focused on his breathing for a minute. His heart was still racing, and no assurances he offered himself calmed it.

"Why does he do it?" Pegasus asked.

Seto's initial response was snark. There was no reasoning to justify it. He wouldn't give the abuse any credence by explaining why he deserved it.

But he took another breath. Pegasus didn't mean it like that.

"I'm not his son," was all Seto ever could conclude.

"All this time," Pegasus said, "You were just trying to protect yourself."

"I don't tell people the truth."

"You have an issue with violence," Pegasus said. The hand on Seto's waist gripped slightly more.

"Getting myself and Mokuba somewhere safe seemed more attainable than trying to fight him."

"I'm sorry you didn't feel safe with me. If I'd known, I never would have assumed…"

Pegasus cut himself off. Whatever he'd been ready to say, he changed his mind. Seto didn't ask him to finish.

"I assumed the worst of you. Forgive me for it."

"You couldn't have known."

A gentle hand brought Seto's gaze to meet Pegasus's. All the anger and heartbreak from before had gone.

"You can trust me," Pegasus said, and kissed Seto's head. "I'll take care of everything."


Thanks for reading and reviewing!

You can expect an update the first weekend in January.