Yami gently picked the covers up and eased into bed beside Seto who was knocked out completely, and the sight warmed his heart.
Brown hair was splayed messily across his forehead while his delicate features were softly illuminated by the glow of sunrise creeping in through the gap in the curtains.
So sweet, Yami thought as he leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Seto's cheek and then snuggled down into the pillow beside him, feeling a hand land heavily atop his shoulder. It made him open his eyes and then listen…to Seto's even breathing…
He was still asleep.
Yami closed his eyes and let out the breath he had been holding.
What a fucking night.
He'd made sure everything he'd used was cleaned or hidden away.
His boots he'd hosed down, Mokuba's car he'd wiped and re-parked, the books with the dark phones he'd hidden…in Mokuba's room amongst his stacks of prep books, and his henna tattoo, he'd made sure to preserve with a thin medical bandage he'd taken from the gardener's first aid kit. All of his body armor, his helmet, his gloves, binoculars, were packed away in the safe in the basement…
All that was left was to get some restful sleep.
With Seto's body heat and calming scent beside him, Yami found it extremely easy to drift off.
Seto woke up with his nose buried in spiky hair, and he closed his eyes again.
His phone alarm was vibrating on the nightstand beside him.
So Yami had come back last night after all, as he'd promised.
Because trust was a thing they had.
He let out a tired groan and shut the alarm off while gripping his phone in his palm. Yami's scent was all over the sheets beside him and it was so nice. Calming…
He fell asleep again briefly and the phone vibrated under his palm again. Dammit.
Time to get up.
But… first, he needed one kiss to solidify his non-toxic behavior regarding his trust for Yami.
Seto landed a kiss to Yami's temple and saw his eyelids fluttering. Dark shadows clung to his under eyes, and Seto poked Yami in the cheek, seeing his eyelashes flutter prettily again.
"Love you. I'm off," Seto said hoarsely, and wasn't prepared for an arm to come hooking around his neck to bring their lips crashing together with a clumsy sleepiness that made his heart wrench.
Half-asleep but happily melting into Seto's sweet tongue swirling against the roof of his mouth, Yami kept his eyes shut while his ears hummed happily as a cool hand palmed down the side of his hip and gave his ass a squeeze. A-Ah…too early…
"Send me a sexy photo. I missed you last night," Seto growled into the shell of Yami's ear, and he gave it a bite, receiving a sleepy mumble.
"Mmmm love you…" Yami replied… in English.
Seto leaned away in shock, nodding and continuing to stare at Yami's spiky hair framing his delicate face.
Sleep-talking or replying in another language.
Yami hadn't done that in years.
"I love you too, where were you last night?" Seto tried half-heartedly, wondering how aware Yami was when he was sleep-talking. Sometimes he got an answer.
But 100% of the time, it never made sense.
Yami's mind churned with exhaustion.
Seto was asking him for details…of last night.
"...Dumb," Yami replied with a mumble. "And dumber. Don't trust them… But give.. Flying horse…a second chance…kiss …hmmm…"
Okay, kiss, Seto thought happily as he leaned in to peck Yami on the cheek again and then peeling himself out of bed to get showered.
Yami was having a fun dream.
He patted soap down his body, thinking his mood was up. Despite falling asleep alone last night, he was happy again when he woke up with Yami beside him. It was like magic.
Grumpiness in the morning had vanished every time he saw Yami's face first thing.
Stepping out to get dressed, he heard a hollow knock on the bathroom door, and he called out, hearing his own voice echo in the spaciousness, "...what?!"
What the fuck did Isono want?!
"Sir, a slight…emergency," Isono's voice was muffled through the barrier. "You are without your phone, I couldn't reach you for permission."
Huffing in annoyance, Seto ruffled his hair dry and quickly strode up the steps of the bathroom to slide the door aside, growling, "okay, what? First thing in the damn morning?"
"H-He said he wanted to catch you before work…it's Mr. Pegasus," Isono stammered, taking a respectful step back and lowering his eyes. "He is at the gates in a car, alone."
Seto narrowed his eyes.
Pegasus.
The trash interpol officer who was now jobless and probably broke.
"Turn him away," Seto ducked back into the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth, and he heard Isono call out behind him, "but he says it's an emergency regarding your safety at the dome tomorrow!"
With the toothbrush still stuck in his cheek, Seto stared at his own reflection, his heart skipping a beat.
"Give flying horse a second chance…" was what Yami had just mumbled. Was Pegasus the flying horse?!
Fine.
He bent to spit and rinse, calling over the edge of his towel, "Let him in! I'll get dressed! Give me 10 fucking minutes!"
"Right away, sir," Isono mumbled and he hurried away.
Yami rolled over in bed and yanked the covers over his head, wondering why Seto was shouting from the bathroom so damn early in the morning.
He cracked his eyes open tiredly and saw Seto striding shirtless through the room to pick up his phone from the nightstand, leaving a wonderful scent of minty freshness behind him, and then the door to the connecting closet slammed.
Oh.
Someone was making Seto angry first thing…
He closed his eyes again and drifted off.
Downstairs, Pegasus was waiting on the largest couch he'd ever sat on, and the early morning sun was beaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the beautiful banister of the grand staircase leading up to the rest of the enormous house.
He told himself he'd be cordial.
Seto Kaiba, no matter how despicable, was human too. But sitting in this magnificent house made him feel a rush of deep resentment for the CEO.
No good, scum-sucking, money-having, selfish ingrate, Pegasus ranted to himself as he crossed one leg over the other, filled with a jittery adrenaline.
The way he'd been intrusively searched was annoying.
His car had been swept with a device too.
The process had been more arduous than entering the security building at the secret service.
And after all of that, something felt off about his sparkly surroundings.
Maybe it was the shiny chrome signal jammers obviously installed into the decor.
Maybe it was various cameras strategically hidden in the ceiling corners and light fixtures.
Or maybe, it was the CEO himself, coming down the stairs looking cranky with a cup of coffee in his hand while carrying a reinforced briefcase in his other hand, dressed in a handsome, dark navy suit paired with a light pink tie.
Absolutely villainous.
"The disgraced horse. What do you want?" Seto asked as he handed his briefcase over to Isono and sipped his coffee, still feeling the sleepy haze at the front of his mind. Too early for a human face that wasn't Yami, Mokuba, or his servant.
Deciding not to react to that insult, Pegasus stood in a smooth motion and bowed, knowing he feared someone else more than this CEO currently, and that was…the man he had come here to warn Kaiba about–MTRock a.k.a Gemini.
"You tried your very best, and I thank you for changing my career trajectory," Pegasus hissed as he reached into his blazer pocket to slide out the ID he'd been issued. "I am now working for a division in C1 for national security. I was in the field last night and have been tasked to come warn you about a certain individual–"
"Save it," Seto rolled his eyes, sipping his coffee again and sitting down on the lounge across the way, throwing one leg over the other to cross them tightly. "But whatever. I'll hear it. Hurry up. This is my breakfast hour and I've given it to you."
As soon as he said that, a chef came walking through the house to place a tray laden with sparkling fruit, a pastry and a miso soup on the coffee table between them.
Bristling with irritation, Pegasus reminded himself to be the bigger person as he launched into his rant, still standing while he talked at the beautiful food the CEO was eating.
"I'm disclosing classified information, so you ought to show more appreciation," Pegasus sniffed, tugging at the lapel of his blazer with a nervous pinch of his fingers. "Last night, a cell of violent men organized by Marik's brother, Odion, convened to plan your demise at your phone release."
"Boo, next," Seto replied, his cheek pouched with a grape. The fact that he was getting a report today meant it had been taken care of. The horse wanted thanks, that was all.
Pegasus's eyelid twitched, and he continued steadily, "you'll be relieved to know that we have managed to neutralize 18 of the 22 men by tagging their cars and arresting them at their resting points."
"Wow," Seto commented callously, wondering if he could take out his phone to check email.
Pegasus lost his patience and hissed, "that leaves the 2 most dangerous men out in the open. They returned automatic fire at agents last night, and two people were injured! All for you. You should sound more grateful."
"Ban illegal gun imports," Seto said flatly, and he received a snarl from Pegasus.
"Because it's so easily done, and we have some slip through the cracks, and these assassins all have your name on their to-hit list," Pegasus grimaced. "Oscar, also known asOdion is still at large, and he knows we are after him. We think he will surface at the dome to target you with his remaining men, two of which are ours. Me, and another wild card, MTRock."
"Empty rock?" Seto let out a huff of laughter. "I hate this show. Skip to the next season."
"Letter M, Letter T!" Pegasus shouted, completely at the end of his rope. "You think this is all a fun, ha-ha-funny joke, because you own the world with your tech releases, but you bleed red just like the rest of us. Don't pretend like you're above me, Seto Kaiba!"
"Fuck, calm the fuck down, do you need a coffee?" Seto asked with an amused eyebrow raise. "Okay, I got it. Letter M and T rock. Is that all? I hate starting my mornings like this."
There was a tense silence where Pegasus glared at Seto for a long moment before he sat down and addressed the manservant standing at attention by the stairs, "where's my laptop? Give it back. There's something on there I need to show."
Seto sipped his soup slowly and tapped his phone, eyeing the time.
15 more minutes and he would leave.
Isono handed Pegasus the heavy laptop and it was placed on the coffee table with a thunk. There was quiet tapping as Pegasus pulled something up and then spun it around to face the CEO, pointing at the page with a slender finger.
"Read, and save your questions for the end," he said coldly, and Seto set his miso soup down to squint at the dark, messy code.
Who the fuck wrote this?
On closer inspection, it wasn't code.
It was a chat thread…on the most bare-bones forum that sent a shiver down his spine. A Dark forum, and they were speaking in code.
"Need all geard0s to mobilize in yllow z0ne...k ib/-\ d0m2 6/20/1700…"
"Rumint has it that t3m is living permanently in yellow zn. Warning."
"Can confirm. Have seen [tem] with my own eyes, in public, unarmed."
"Yellow zone? Do they mean Asia? Fucking racists…" Seto began, and he received a cold palm facing him from Pegasus.
"I said questions at the end. Have you read it all?" The man asked sassily, and Seto rolled his eyes.
Yes, there wasn't much to read.
"I didn't understand half of that, other than they were writing my name in leet speak, and badly, to avoid my algorithm," Seto replied with a sigh as he leaned back into the couch cushions. "So thanks for that, I guess."
Pegasus let out a low growl and snapped, "here's a quick breakdown. Tem, is A-tem. Got it? Geardos are tech-violence-gear-obsessed freaks. Now you'll read this and say, you've got it covered, Pegasus!" Pegasus said mockingly in a high-pitched voice, and Seto winced.
"Get to the point–" Seto said loudly, his patience thin, and Pegasus barreled over him.
"Point is, there is a red-alert individual we couldn't ID and couldn't get close to," Pegasus steamed as he gripped his knees with whitened fingertips. "A man or a woman who showed up in heavy gear, didn't once take off their helmet and is deaf. Gemini. That is the name, and it would do you some good to dig around the Dark Web to see if we've missed something. Your eyes are needed for your own safety too, Kaiba."
"That is such a common-ass name. I won't find anything," Seto scowled, rolling his eyes. "That's your job, Mr. I'm-a-C1-division-national-agent."
"I'm saying, you should be aware, and should be alert, possibly even change the date of your release if we can't detain Odion before your stage time." Pegasus nodded solemnly. "I made a truce with the elusive Gemini but he strikes me as someone who will flip sides based on his own feelings."
Seto eyed his phone buzzing across his table and let out a sigh.
"Fine. I'll look in my free time, but no promises. What do I even look for?" Seto growled, setting his half-finished soup down and standing. Dammit. Breakfast ruined.
He was going to be hungry before lunch because of this.
"Methodical veteran killer, with 12 or more years of experience," Pegasus rattled on one hand, touching each fingertip with a trembling hand. "Tactical, distrustful, has a tattoo of the sign Gemini on his…left wrist. Small stature, our cameras measured 162 cm, gear and all."
There was a silence.
"Any chance that might be Atem?" Seto asked dryly, wondering if that's where Yami went last night. Pegasus sounded really freaked out, but everything he was describing sounded like Yami, except for the tattoo part, and the being deaf part.
"Atem is 152 cm, and even counting that ridiculous hair, isn't even close to 162!" Pegasus barked, his shrill voice echoing in the mansion while Seto winced again at the volume. "Does he have any markings? Do you know about them? Our file says it's against his religion to be marked or inked in any way."
"He has a religion?" Seto perked up with instant curiosity. That was new?! Or untrue, because he'd never seen Yami practice any faith in their years together.
"You don't know him at all? And yet you protect him so fiercely," Pegasus snarled, and he received a cool, unblinking shrug.
"Again, you're accusing me of the same shit that got you fired," Seto replied gleefully, his eyes widening. "Talk about a toxic pattern, Pegasus. And soft reminder that you can wear stacked boots that add height," Seto continued with an eyebrow raise, now more convinced than ever that this 'Gemini Rock' person was Yami…last night. "Anything else you wanna emphasize? Something that really pissed you off about him?"
Pegasus glared hatefully at Kaiba and replied, "he's deaf, or pretends to be. I don't fucking know. But he's definitely older than 35 based on our age calculation compared to his claimed experience level."
Oh, Seto blinked rapidly, a pit sinking into his stomach.
Okay, that wasn't Yami. Shit.
"Well, how do you know his age?" Seto tried again, hating how he felt a curl of fear sink into his stomach.
Pegasus's brown eyes gleamed with triumph as he said, "12 years of assassinating experience, the killer must have started at a statistical age that's common. 23. Even if it's younger than that, 20. Add 12 years to that, he's still around an age over 30."
Seto blinked.
"Say he was training all his teens and did a First Kill at age 25," Pegasus was enjoying Kaiba's fearful silence. "That makes him at least…37. We theorize he's an old one that came out of retirement for the money your head fetches underground. Your head will forever be drawing these vipers out of their pits. Congrats, Seto Kaiba. Your phone releases are indeed extremely marketable. Atem, who you claim not to be associated with, is the least of your worries. Someone else is always higher on the food chain than that monster."
Seto gripped his knees briefly before he stood up and swept his phone off the table, having heard enough taunts and threats.
"Thanks for the update, I'll press charges if you trespass again," he said, walking to the door and feeling Isono follow him to the car. He hated to admit that his knees were shaking a bit from that news.
The only thing that comforted him was that he could ask if Yami had ever heard of this Gemini person, and risk opening a dangerous conversation that would undo healing. He had to prep for that conversation, dammit.
He pulled his phone out and decided to send Yami a text just in case, so he could have all day to deal with it.
"...Hey, good morning (or not) when you see this. CW talk about your old life…ready? …
…..
Who is Gemini and have you seen/ heard or run-in with this person?
Pegasus paid me a visit this morning to warn me about this 'threat' + a brother of Marik (odion) and the feds KEEP fucking up, letting these fuckers go. I dont know what the fUCK they're doing other than failing and wasting money.
Okay, that's all. Love you. Relax today."
Growling to himself Seto shoved his phone back into his blazer pocket and aimed his gaze out the window, trying not to feel nauseous.
Pegasus stayed sitting on the couch, unsure what to do with himself after Kaiba had left so suddenly.
He was about to get up when he heard footsteps come down the staircase, and to his extreme shock, Atem, wearing a fluffy bathrobe and puffy slippers, padded down to gaze sleepily around the foyer. Their eyes met, and Pegasus's mouth dropped open.
Yami felt the sleepiness vanish in an instant and he finally had an answer to who was shouting so much. It wasn't Seto because it hadn't sounded like Seto.
It had been Pegasus. Oh shit.
He should've checked his phone before rolling out of bed and trusting that it was safe in his own living room.
"Y-You!" Pegasus trembled as he pointed an accusing finger at the sleepy, spiky-haired man swaying on the middle step of the grand staircase.
"And…you," Yami replied calmly, biting back a smile. "I have a name. I'm sure you know it. What brings you here so early in the morning?"
And he addressed Isono who was walking back in through the door with a nod, "can you bring up a coffee on the 3rd floor? I'll be taking it with Mr. Pegasus here on the balcony."
He turned to walk up the steps so he could wash his face and get dressed.
Well, how nice. Pegasus had come to update Kaiba about it, as planned.
He looked forward to some good news.
Completely speechless, Pegasus sputtered as he watched the manservant bow to him and ask that he head up to the 3rd floor, so he got up and walked on numb legs up the magnificent steps, past glistening furniture and artful pillars, curving walls and spacious lounges before arriving on a beautiful, rounded-out balcony with an infinity pool set against the view of Domino City. The brightness was blinding.
The wealth was blinding.
Fitting. For a CEO harboring a known terrorist!
As he had suspected all along…!
Furious, Pegasus didn't even hear the manservant asking him to choose breakfast from the pad on the table, and he sat down on the plush chair with a huff, glaring at the view of Domino.
Villains.
And here he was, about to have a normal meal with one of the world's most feared, uncatchable, undetainable psychopaths!
A gentle scraping echoed through the room and Pegasus jumped in shock, seeing Atem sitting casually across the table from him…too close!
They were an arm's length away, but it still felt too close.
He could see every eyelash, and the way his angular eyes were dark and hollow, and his tanned skin was sparkling with a freshly-showered dewyness, and a few water droplets hung off the edges of a spiky bang that framed his high cheekbones…prettily.
The man was pretty.
Annoyingly so.
Grinding his teeth, Pegasus aimed his gaze out to the view, offended.
Offended that he had lost his job for being right.
Offended that Atem was intensely pretty, which was why he kept getting away with actual murder, while living comfortably under the protection of Seto fucking Kaiba and his billions.
"What have you come to say?" Yami asked casually. He had read Seto's text message and knew Pegasus sought information about his persona last night as Gemini, but he wasn't about to give it away without hearing something of equal value.
"...That you are all…filthy liars–" Pegasus was cut off with a hollow thump of Atem's fist against the glass table, rattling everything on it, and that made him jump.
"Insult me in my own home and regret it," Yami said seriously, hating how he was letting an annoying man into his comfortable space. "We're friends here. Let's keep it that way by being polite."
There was a tense silence where Isono came forward to set two cups of coffee down, and Yami thanked him with a nod.
"Thank you. Now, let's try again," Yami said as he gave it a whiff, trying to clear the tired haze in the front of his mind, completely understanding why Seto had been so angry earlier. "Good morning, Mr. Pegasus. How are you?"
Pegasus's eye twitched and he finally turned to face the assassin with a growl, "you said, 'my own home'. You live here."
Yami raised his eyebrows and let out a half laugh. The bathrobe earlier didn't give it away?!
This poor man…
"And I got dressed for you," Yami gestured at his plain black tank and matching, black athletic pants. "I never get up this early since I'm retired, as you know. What's gotten you so cranky this morning? Tell me how your meeting with Seto went–oh, we can play some chess to take our mind offyour anger."
Isono approached the table with a thick chess set, and Yami gave the manservant another nod.
He had taken the time to detail a course of action for the servant. It was better for them all to have Pegasus trust them.
Pegasus glared at the glass chess pieces as tanned hands began arranging the sides, and he fixated on the matte black watch on Atem's wrist, and his stomach wrenched.
That…wasn't the same watch from last night, was it?
He couldn't tell.
It had been so damn dark.
There was a peach-colored bandage on the space underneath the watch band, and Pegasus felt the floor drop out from underneath him.
No…way.
No.
….What was under that bandage?!
Atem's skin was so tan, it made the pale-pink bandage stick out like a neon sign.
"White…or black?" Yami tilted his head, aware that Pegasus had noticed his watch and bandage combo. "Choose now…5, 4, 3…2…"
"Black," Pegasus said instantly, daring to reach for the coffee to give it a sniff, and then a sip. "Nice watch. How did you hurt yourself? Left wrist?"
"I think you know," Yami said quietly as he set a white pawn with a thunk onto the board, sipping his coffee too. "I want to hear an update."
Pegasus blinked and slowly raised a firm hand to move his black pawn forward too, unable to believe his own mouth was moving as he spoke, "I came to tell Mr. Kaiba that we apprehended 18 of the 22 men who threatened to cause harm at his phone release."
Pleased with this news, Yami moved his knight and carefully picked up his mug again to take a sip. Very good.
18 out of 22.
Who were the other 4 they failed to catch?
Pegasus eyed the black watch on Yami's arm before he moved his knight in the same way, copying him as he added, "Oscar leader and his right-hand man, Kalim, evaded us."
"And the other two?" Yami asked as he moved another pawn out and eyed the board casually, catching a sharp glance from Pegasus.
"Are you joking?" The white-haired man cried as he inched his bishop out from the back row, putting pressure on Yami's knight. "The other two, named Baby and MT Rock, are smart enough to keep their phones off until the day of the hit."
Yami blinked and moved his bishop out too, replying calmly, "so we'll just let Odion hide? You have no idea where they might be staying in the area? Come on, Pegasus."
Gritting his teeth, Pegasus didn't make a move and glared at Yami's bandaged wrist. "We are trying not to cause panic before a large event in the city. We have put all the major hotels, overnight cafes, motels, hostels, and rental properties on alert. We are as intrusive as the government allows. Citizens are cooperating."
"Obviously…" Yami moved his knight out in a sudden move to plant him directly in the middle of the board. "They are staying with people they know. Or hiding out with the homeless."
Pegasus's heart skipped a beat, and he stared at the spikes in Yami's hair with a cold puddle of realization trickling through him. They hadn't thought to check homeless communities!
…He didn't immediately know where any were, because he wasn't native… But there was someone they arrested last night who was.
"Hold that thought!" Pegasus yelped as he scrambled to pull his phone out from his blazer, aware that there was a small smile sitting on the spiky-haired man's face, but he ignored it.
He clicked his phone on and realized he had no signal.
His blood boiled and he had to set his pride aside to ask under his breath, "...how do I make a call?"
"Wifi-connect, the password for this floor is…RuyLopez-003, for one of my favorite openings," Yami pointed casually at the pawn on his side of the chess board. "I'll wait. Capital R and L, small hyphen after the Z, then zero zero three."
Pegasus ground his teeth and quickly typed the password in to dial his immediate supervisor and was met with the desk cadet.
"Matsuda's desk…"
"This is Agent 224P-91, Pegasus Max," Pegasus snapped, sounding very much like his old self with a gleam in his eye. "...Yes, P as in Papa you imbecile. … Well, wake him up and tell him to check where the homeless reside–"
"It's daytime, so too late," Yami said carefully as he leaned back in his seat to cross his arms. "The homeless here take their shelters down by 8 AM every day…to be unobtrusive to the public."
Pegasus faltered, and he covered the receiver on his phone as he leaned forward across the table to hiss, "then what the fuck?! How are we supposed to find them?!"
"You wait… here," Yami tapped Pegasus's bishop sitting at the corner of the board. "Missed the window by a few hours. It should be fine."
"Should be?" Pegasus cried, and he heard the man on the other end of the phone ask if he was still there. He hung up furiously and glared at the bandage on Yami's wrist.
"What's your angle?" He growled, eyeing the patch and wishing he could grab Atem's arm to tear it off so he could finally see for himself if the Gemini tattoo was there.
Yami shrugged delicately and set the empty coffee mug aside for Isono to take as he replied with a small smile, avoiding eye contact while keeping his gaze nailed to the chess board, "no angle. I don't want to see needless bloodshed in my home city."
Pegasus narrowed his eyes and wasn't sure how to react. That sounded really tame coming from a monster.
"I don't believe you," Pegasus replied icily. He crossed his arms and decided to stop drinking and touching the table. In Atem's file, it mentioned he was someone who enjoyed banter, regardless of who it was.
Prison guards.
Prison doctors.
A stranger on a bench.
If he witheld an interaction, he might get some truth. Might. It was hard to tell with unpredictable humans like Atem.
"Your move," Yami nodded at the frozen board. "Or are you stuck? You strike me as someone who enjoys strategizing."
Pegasus narrowed his eyes and replied, "I've done enough. It's actually your move."
Yami blinked and paused, nodding, and then slowly turning his left wrist up to carefully peel the bandage off his skin.
He raised his arm and flashed the tattoo with a handsome grin, "there, we'll let it breathe." And he stood to discard the bandage while leaving Pegasus sitting there, stunned.
That…had been a comforting exchange of services.
He provided the update and received valuable intel as payment.
He's learned that Seto Kaiba was indeed guilty of obstructing the arrest of an internationally wanted terrorist, and the said terrorist was engaging him with work banter while being extremely helpful.
But strangely enough, Pegasus did not feel the same, burning rage that he associated with making a high-profile arrest.
As Atem returned to the table and Pegasus gave him a nod, a strange calm settled over the pair as they played through several games of chess.
Exploring the quiet hum of heartbeat in his chest, Pegasus discovered it was a feeling of…relief, that maybe, just maybe, he might live to see the end of this mission, and it was because someone he considered a mortal enemy had decided to help.