The lab doors swung open again and Mahad groggily raised his head up to see if Atem had returned.
He was pretty sure they'd drugged him because his body kept growing heavy after all that shouting and struggling. It was futile to tug on the robes that were digging into his skin.
"Oh boy, who is this?" A soft male voice whispered, and Atem's deep voice could be heard replying in fluid Japanese.
"...A friend, or rather…a close family member. Please take care of him, can you get him a flight back or set him up with a safe hotel?"
Mahad pried his eyes open and stared right into the face of a man with silvery hair, tied back into a slick bun, and the man jerked back with an ungraceful shriek.
"Gah! He's awake!" Pegasus took a step back and tried not to stare at all the bondage knots spanning across the man's muscular chest. "Whose idea was this? Unique. Teach me."
Yami chuckled and moved to grab all of Mahad's ID's and his pistol. "That's the handiwork belonging to Miss Mazaki of the terrorist division. I recall you two aren't really on speaking terms? Even though that incident was almost a year ago?"
Pegasus wrinkled his nose.
Ah…yeah, nope.
They were…cordial.
They bumped shoulders when walking through the house sometimes, only because their mutual friends-slash-employers were Atem and Kaiba.
"Please take him and untie him at your own leisure," Yami said as he handed Pegasus all of Mahad's things in a plastic biohazard bag. "Guards A1 and A2 will help carry him into your car. He won't give you any trouble, I promise."
Pegasus's eyes gleamed evilly as he rubbed his hands together and stepped aside to let the burly guards pick the tied-up man chair and all, right up off the floor and walk him towards the elevator doors.
"W-Wait…A-Atem! Where are they taking me?!" Mahad cried wildly as he wondered if he was really dying today. He was still tied up and no one was letting him go!
Atem and the man with silver hair were still talking inside the lab when the elevator doors slid shut, so Mahad called out desperately again, "ATEM!"
Pegasus winced and Yami winced too.
"Should've gagged him," Pegasus suggested with a smirk, and Yami shook his head with a tired sigh.
"He came to check on me because he was worried," Yami explained quickly, eager to get back into bed for some more rest. "Bring him back for brunch the day after tomorrow, or next weekend if he wants to stay that long. Let him cool off. He's mad at Mokuba for messing with him on the golf course."
Pegasus's eyelid twitched.
Ah yes, he knew how much of a headache Mokuba was.
"He's ex-intelligence and one of the most gentle humans I've ever known," Yami offered as he ushered Pegasus to the elevator doors. "We grew up together and he was always protecting me. He'll threaten you emptily but never act on it. Oh, he likes lamb and most kinds of fish. He's easy to feed and water."
"Goody," Pegasus muttered under his breath as he rode up in the elevator with Yami at his side. This was what he'd been reduced to–a babysitter for rogue agents from other countries. It could be considered exciting, a new kind of exciting, that was more likeboring.
But whatever. Work was work, and he was being paid for this.
Striding out the front gates with the plastic biohazard bag of ID's in his fist, he got into his car and noticed the guards had freed the man from the chair, but he was still bound in the restraints. Interesting.
Those knots would be a fun puzzle later.
Yami stood by the doors and waved, catching a frantic look from Mahad, and an eye roll from Pegasus. The car traveled out past the dark gates and turned the corner, the red tail lights disappearing into the night.
Well, time to alert Solomon about Mahad's arrival into Japan and then…more sleep.
Texting with one hand while walking back up the stairs, Yami tried not to feel too guilty.
It was sweet that Mahad came to check on him. He thought he'd never see Mahad ever again, so it was nice to know he still cared.
He curled up on Seto's side of the bed and sank his head down onto the pillow, taking a deep inhale, enjoying the lingering scent that was uniquely Seto's and drifted off back to sleep, hoping that seeing Mahad after all these years wouldn't trigger any more nightmares.
Mokuba dragged himself out of bed when he felt his phone buzzing under his thigh, before realizing he wasn't in bed. He'd fallen asleep on the couch last night during the movie when he was supposed to stay awake to interrogate the drone-flying guy.
He pushed the covers off his legs and ran to wake up Anzu, shaking her roughly, "Anzu! …. Auntie Anzu!"
Anzu pried her eyes open and palmed her face with a yawn. Whaaaaaaat…. Holy crap, if this was what having kids was like…
"We fell asleep!" Mokuba hissed, giving her another shake and seeing Shizuka begin to slowly wake up too. "It's 6AM! Drone guy must be awake!"
Anzu bolted upright and nodded, pushing the blanket off her knees and walking sleepily behind Mokuba, who stabbed the elevator button with two fingers and crossed his arms in a huff.
She stared at his messy black hair and at the way he was tapping his foot on the ground.
Aww….
"Wanna join the force?" Anzu asked playfully, and she received a glare.
"Heck no, I've got better things to do," Mokuba replied snottily with his nose in the air. "I'm gonna be a programmer like Seto."
Anzu grimaced and nodded. Seto Kaiba was a criminal, but… Mokuba Kaiba was turning out okay, surprisingly. The elevator doors opened and they stepped in, riding down together in tense silence.
When they arrived in the lab, they realized it was empty.
Completely cleaned out.
The metal chair had been taken away and the stack of IDs was gone, along with the pistol…and the dude.
"WHERE DID HE GO?!" Mokuba shrieked, his voice cracking.
Anzu pressed a finger to her ear and walked swiftly back towards the elevator, trying to shut out Mokuba's frantic ranting.
"You literally tied him with the complicated knots! Someone must've let him out! Y'think it was Seto?! I'm gonna text him! …O-Or maybe it was Yami?! …ISONO!"
My god…he's so spoiled, Anzu growled to herself as they rode up in the elevator.
For a kid trying to become 'independent', Mokaba called for Seto or Isono at first opportunity.
Isono was waiting for them by the hallway when they stepped out of the elevator, and he bowed, quickly repeating what he had said to Master Kaiba, "Master Yami escorted the man out with the help of Pegasus."
Anzu relaxed instantly and turned to head back to the couch. Nice to know Yami had it handled.
"But is he dead?!" Mokuba cried, bursting with questions as he slid his phone out of his pocket.
"No, he was alive when he left with Pegasus," Isono replied solemnly, but deep down, he had to wonder if the man was still alive. "Don't concern yourself with this anymore, young master."
"Doesn't mean I should stop worrying about him," Mokuba muttered to himself as he stomped up the steps to take a shower.
But it was cool knowing that Yami had taken care of that guy.
Better let him know 'thanks'.
He sat on the edge of his bed and sent Yami and Seto a message before getting ready for school.
To Yami, he wrote, "thanks for making Pegasus take that guy. Hope you aren't mad or anything."
To Seto, he wrote, "thanks for not being mad about the guy in the basement."
Then he stuck his phone back into his pocket, eager to start his day.
He couldn't wait to play that new DLC grandpa had bought for him.
Author's note:
(i heard chanting in the background -more yami backstory! More yami backstory- and to that i say ….mmmmmmmmmmmngnmgm OKAY FINE lets do it! Next chapter incoming!)