Seto was just about to close his laptop when he caught a headline on the nightly news popping up on his browser, because his name had been mentioned.

"Diamond Exchange robbery with hostages held on the first-floor grocery store…"

Gritting his teeth, he clicked on it and tried not to be affected by a muted video of Anzu talking to a crowd of press in front of the destroyed windows of the chocolate shop.

He flitted his hands over the keyboard to search his own name in the article and found the mention.

"…Kaiba employees were trapped inside the grocery store as hostages, but were extracted quickly due to the diligent work of Domino's negotiation team…"

That was it.

Maybe he needed to expand his word filter to 'Seto', but he didn't want to see that shit.

He had lawyers for that reason.

Slowly easing the computer shut, he glanced up to see Yami curled up peacefully in their bed, his shoulders rising and falling softly in the semi-darkness.

Mokuba's shadow panned across the floor and stood by the doorway, his phone glowing in his hand, so Seto stood and walked over to give his little brother a hug. He gently eased the door shut behind him as to not disturb Yami, and predictably, Mokuba held his phone screen up to show him the article he'd just been reading.

"Isono was a hostage," Mokua said flatly, his face serious. "He was shopping inside, wasn't he?"

Seto nodded stiffly, opting to remain silent.

"And Yami risked his double-agent status to get him out, right?" Mokuba asked shrilly as Seto's face remained impassive. "I heard him talking to Auntie Anzu about it. I didn't know she was a crime department head. That explains why Yami 'works with criminals' and they can recognize him!"

Seto rested his hand atop Mokuba's head and gave him a pat, deciding to repeat what Yami had said to him, "you're a little VIP in the making, so you know this stuff is really dangerous and not to get caught up in it, okay? People like Anzu and Yami protect us, so we can trust them."

"Cuz people wanna kill us?" Mokuba asked suspiciously, his gray eyes narrowing.

"Or something," Seto shrugged and gave his brother a shove back to his room. "Get some sleep. I know I need some. 'Night, kid."

And he stood to quickly walk back into his room, hearing Mokuba mumble behind him, "g'night big bro."

Smiling to himself, Seto got into bed and tucked his legs underneath the sheets, stealing some of Yami's warmth when he cuddled up behind him and buried his nose into the crook of Yami's ear, inhaling lightly and enjoying the musky scent. It made him hard.

"Hey…" Seto bit down on the shell of Yami's ear, trying to wake him up a little.

He'd been sleeping since 8pm, and it was now midnight.

He could wake up for some fun, right?

"Yami…" Seto breathed as he crept his hand up Yami's flat chest, his palm grazing over soft nipples. "Wanna fuck?"

Yami tensed when he felt a hand sliding up his back, and something heavy leaned into the side of his leg, and he thought he felt heat seeping into his hip…

Blood?!

He jerked awake and elbowed his attacker in the chest, immediately reaching under his pillow for his gun, but his fingers came up empty when his knuckles grazed the headboard.

The unfamiliar nightstand blurred in his vision when he saw the empty wine glass…. So he grabbed it as a weapon and smashed it for a sharp edge, leaping out of bed while shoving the pillow behind him when he heard a soft oof! he spun around in a contained rage to face his attacker, holding the shattered glass up at eye level while he scanned his surroundings, willing his thundering heart to calm down… calm…down…

He'd been sleeping in a large canopy bed.

This wasn't a hotel room.

This was…Seto's bedroom.

The curtains were drawn tight for maximum darkness because Seto needed restful sleep…

Swallowing thinly, Yami lowered the glass apologetically and didn't move from his spot, aware that shards were scattered around his bare feet.

Seto was huffing and patting his own chest, rubbing the stiff bruise he thought might form on his shoulder while he coughed lightly and tried to catch his breath, because holy…shit…

Yami had a full-blown episode or something!

The place he'd been sleeping was damp with sweat.

"Nightmare?" Seto asked hollowly, reaching for his phone to slowly ease on the lights. "Don't move. I'll get Isono to come in with a dustpan."

"No. I wasn't dreaming," Yami answered instantly, his heart steadily calming down.

This… was exactly why he didn't want to be half-retired, while half-working for Anzu.

He was either fully retired, or not.

He'd picked up a gun to take lives today and it was turning him back into a monster.

"Okay well… I wanted to…fuck, but nevermind," Seto said seriously, aware that Yami's PTSD might rival his own in a terrifying way. "Want to talk about it?"

Yami jumped when he heard Isono open the door, and he had to set the broken wine glass down, feeling a sense of impending doom crashing over him. He was behaving like a monster right now. What if he accidentally hurt Seto? Or Mokuba? Or Isono?

He would never forgive himself.

"Yami? …Come back—stay there, don't move," Seto commanded his manservant, who had paused by the foot of the bed with the dustpan and broom.

The sharp tone drew Yami back to the present and he swallowed thinly, clenching and unclenching his jaw, trying to find the words for a proper apology, but for some reason, 'I'm sorry for making a mess,' didn't seem to cut it.

Isono hovered obediently by the end of the bed, wondering if he'd walked in on a lover's fight. He'd never seen them fighting before, and he dreaded to see it. There was broken glass…

"You're right, as you always are," Yami said seriously, giving Seto an apologetic nod.

"Oh yeah, keep telling me about it," Seto smirked, feeling a rush of pride. He loved it when Yami stroked his ego…amongst other parts of him.

"…You're right about the lines being blurred when Anzu and Joey call on me," Yami said in a rush, gripping the hem of his pants, wishing he had a shirt to put on. "I woke up thinking I was in a job. I thought I was in a hotel room, and you were a stranger. When I'm off, I'm off, and it needs to stay that way. Otherwise…" He trailed his gaze over to the mess of shattered glass by the nightstand with a guilty nod. "…I might hurt someone. Even you."

"Then tell them to fuck off. You're not on-call. No Yakuza. No guns. You're retired," Seto said calmly, wondering if he ought to try the restraining order angle again. "You're the one making friends with them, inviting them over for spa days and brunch."

"I'm trying to think about Mokuba's future, alright?" Yami hissed, his ears burning with embarrassment. "So I'd like to go somewhere for a change of scenery, to reset. Can you come with me?"

Seto nodded, recognizing the pattern instantly.

Yami did this often now that he thought about it. A threat would happen, he'd take care of it, and they'd all go on vacation like a normal family, essentially burying it.

Hell, their first meeting went like this. His life had been threatened, they ran away to Norway like a couple eloping for a honeymoon and returned to Japan like nothing was wrong.

And it stayed that way for 2 years.

"Perhaps it's not the best time to bring it up, but Mokuba can't come, and I won't be able to watch any more of those…action-spy movies with him," Yami admitted, thinking his 'no violence' restriction should extend to the media he consumed. "FPS and RPG video games included. He'll be upset, but I hope he'll understand."

"If I remember correctly, he had to beg you for two months to play one with him," Seto rolled his eyes but nodded in understanding. This explained why they got along so well. Their traumas were essentially the same.

They stared silently at each other while Isono shifted the broom to his other hand, and Seto gave him a nod. So he walked forward and bent down to steadily sweep up the shards around Yami's bare feet.

Yami bent down to help, but the manservant angled the broom away and shook his head tensely.

"Thank you, sir. Don't trouble yourself," Isono said calmly, feeling a protective rush bubble up in his chest as he continued to listen in on their conversation.

"I'm sorry—" Yami began, but Seto interrupted him harshly. "Don't apologize."

There was an awkward pause as Yami gave Seto a tentative nod, his heart thudding gratefully in his ears as Seto gave him a kind smile.

"Get in the shower. I'll change the sheets," Seto said flatly, getting out of the bed to call in a maid.

Yami nodded again and walked into the bathroom, trying not to feel ashamed for his violent reaction. The door slid shut and Isono straightened up to inspect the floor with a sharp eye, making sure no glass was left over.

"Do you think he'd benefit from talking to a doctor?" Seto asked Isono, wondering why he was even thinking about it that way. Talking to a counselor didn't help himself, but maybe Yami was different. He could hope.

"It would be best to ask him," Isono replied robotically, but deep down, he had to wonder how effective that method would be.

After all, the young master's demons weren't easily banished like that either.

Seto set his jaw and sat back down at his desk, watching the maid come in with a stack of bedding, and he decided to contact the source of Yami's nightmares.

Anzu and her stupid task force.

"Pass me his phone, the useless one," Seto nodded at Isono, and the manservant bussed the phone from Yami's nightstand over to his desk.

Glaring at the screen, Seto decided to call it. He turned to face the window and on second thought, walked out to the balcony before he hit dial.

To his surprise, Anzu picked up in two rings, sounding wide awake.

"Mazaki."

"Hey. You." Seto said stiffly, and he heard a cold silence on the other end.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Kaiba?" She asked, and Seto could hear a clicking on the other side that sounded like typing. "Please be aware that all calls between us are monitored and recorded."

"Okay, drop the fucking bullshit for five seconds. Can you do that?" Seto fumed, gripping the edge of the phone and resisting the urge to hurl it over the balcony's edge. "He's not a normal person who can just turn it on and off. If you care about him at all, stop. Calling. Him."

There was another brief silence, and Anzu replied with a neutral, "we don't call each other. He happened to be in the area. He's a private citizen, so it's perfectly within legal boundaries to request his help—"

"Well you know what?" Seto clenched his teeth as he palmed the balcony railing in an effort to control his anger. "This private citizen had a reaction tonight. He had an episode where he thought he was in danger. Because this afternoon, you put him in danger. Repeatedly. And now it's all, 'back to normal on a fucking Wednesday'? It's not. For him, it's not. And it doesn't work like that. You know this. So don't make me file for that restraining order."

"That threat is old, want to try a new one?" Anzu challenged, and she regretted poking the CEO again because she heard his voice crack with emotion on the other end.

"Stop making him half-work for you. You were fine without him. He's retired. End of fucking story. Push him again in the wrong direction and you'll see my name on the news for something other than a phone release." Seto snarled, and he regretted saying that in an instant, because Anzu sounded way too interested.

"What do you mean? He's your head of security, isn't he? Why would he want to hurt you, or anyone—"

"You're insufferable," Seto hissed, and he hung up with a furious tap.

On a whim, he took the sim card out and hurled it over the balcony railing. There.

He stalked back into the bedroom to see Yami standing dazedly in the middle of the floor with damp hair, in a bathrobe, watching the maid pat the sheets flat.

"Thank you, leave it. It's fine," Yami thanked her and tried to get her to stop arranging it.

They were going to mess it up by sleeping in it again anyway.

She bobbed her head and wheeled her cart out of the room and closed the door softly.

Seto tossed the phone back onto the bed with a thump and glared at it.

"It's dead. No sim. It's somewhere outside and being picked up as litter tomorrow," Seto announced, hoping this would be the end of it. "No more work calls from her. Set the boundary, Yami. If she comes over for spa day, it's only going to be about wine and massages. No bullshit or I'll throw her out myself, got it?"

"Yes, thank you." Yami said passionately, bobbing his head in agreement, feeling a rush of relief he didn't know he needed. "I'll set the boundary with firmness."

Seto crossed his arms stiffly and watched Yami climb into the fresh sheets and pat the spot beside him, smiling and attempting to act cheerful.

"Let's sleep. I feel better after that," Yami admitted, thinking Seto's action of taking the police phone access away really absolved his guilt.

There was a tense silence, and Seto decided to try asking, "…want to seek counseling for PTSD?"

Yami swallowed thinly and felt a pit of dread sinking into his stomach. W-Was it that bad? That Seto thought he needed…a hospital?

"It's not something you have to seriously consider," Seto said hastily, seeing Yami's face darken. "But if you want, we can invite someone over and just talk it out. Someone who might help you find a way to turn it off. I don't fucking know. It didn't really work for me. I told you, right? Remember …that? We can keep it all here, in-house. Nothing ever has to leave this place."

Yami blinked and nodded, trying to relax.

Right. This was more of Seto's caring, sweet side.

The CEO was offering to bring help in.

It was a kind offer and one he would consider, after trying his other methods of turning off his monstrous side.

Yami laid his head down on the pillow and felt Seto ease into bed beside him, being conscious not to touch him, so he rolled over onto his side to drape his arm around Seto's chest, snuggling close and talking into the sheets between them.

"An upstairs gym being finished will help," he began, and Seto let out a huff of laughter.

"Yeah, I think so too," Seto replied, resting his hand atop Yami's hand which was on his chest, and he let his breath out slowly. "It's fine if you accidentally kill me, but don't let Mokuba find out."

Yami's hand curled into a fist, and he raised his head, protesting vehemently, "don't even joke about that, Seto Kaiba!"

"Kidding! Joking!" Seto said hastily, rolling over onto his side to rest his arm lazily atop Yami's slender shoulders, pulling him into a crushing hug against his chest, the tips of spiky hair tickling his nose. "I'd kill you first. Count on it."

"…That's a better joke," Yami growled, and he closed his eyes, trying to fall back asleep again.

He could feel Seto steadily relaxing beside him, and after a while, the CEO's breathing evened out, and Yami raised his head, gazing into Seto's handsome face, his heart aching.

This man was so understanding and loving.

Yami knelt in the closet and dug behind his shoes, pulling out the pair of old combat boots he never wore.

He reached his hand into the shoe and pulled the sole out.

His burner was waiting for him, fitted snugly at the bottom, wrapped beside a charger and a spare magazine.

Slipping the phone out, Yami held the power down and counted the seconds, seeing it flash and power on, with 9% battery.
…..Still good enough.

Seto was at work.
Mokuba was at school.
Isono was running errands, leaving him alone in the house with the maids and the chefs.
No one should be coming up to bother him…

A few long messages were waiting for him on the phone, and Yami read them slowly.

"Obtained the stairwell footage. It was a struggle.
Results are: In return for destroying them, Mazaki Anzu has reached out to homeland & other int. terror div heads to alert them of your 'permanent stay' in Japan, but she didn't mention an address.
It was put in as a silent inter-agency alert.

They made her take lie detector tests and detained her for 14 hours.
She passed all the tests.

They know you have eyes inside their systems.
She tells me they hired a dark hacker and found code you injected 2 years ago to monitor alerts on your name.

That has been found and removed."

Sitting back on his heels, Yami let his breath out in a slow huff.

What a terrible trade.
Whatever.
Anzu was his eyes inside now.
She'd unknowingly passed the grueling interrogations for him.
And a person with badge-access was always better than code.

Back to the other matter he wanted to address.

"Good work," Yami made sure to praise, and then changed the subject.

"I'm having episodes and violent reactions.

I don't want to hurt anyone near me.

Find and vet doctors who are highly qualified. Pay them a visit in person to make sure they pass the tests, then recommend the doctor to Kaiba Seto through your network.

Find an empathetic doctor who will understand that by seeing me as their client, their practice will be forever compromised."

Yami sent that text with a heavy heart and then added, "I can pay."

Which was never the issue.

The issue was finding someone fulfill this irritating role as 'his doctor'.

His backrow was expanding.

It's fine, Yami told himself as he powered the phone off and reminded himself to charge it next month.

He wouldn't want to have to lie to this doctor.

He wanted this to work out and he wanted to be better.

Author's note:

Ooo Yami tries therapy?!