Yami sank into the bath and let out a sigh.
He'd been taking baths almost every day since Seto's phone release. Everything regarding the danger had slowly taken care of itself due to their hard work and vigilance.
The "deep fake" video of Seto shooting someone with a 3D gun had been aggressively taken down. It was still circulating in some communities, but they were the ones who needed to keep it alive. Because it was proof that Seto had teeth.
Yami knew it would deter anyone else from putting out hits on the CEO.
People like himself had wrongly thought that Seto was merely a keyboard nerd.
Seto was secretly capable, and he'd shown a dark side of himself in a second.
The rumors of his own death were swirling too.
"Rip /-\t3M" was a brief trending tag before it got squashed too, and Seto's shock at that had been apparent.
Yami had watched the CEO browse the tag and see people discussing an 'uncatchable ghost' with 'most wanted, global red flag terrorist'.
Thankfully, Seto recovered from the shock in a few seconds, kissed him on the cheek, and put him in the bath, promising to give him a good fuck when he came out. How sweet.
Closing his eyes, Yami sighed and sank deeper into the water.
This was insanity.
Seto was wavering between screaming at the top of his lungs or trying to pretend that nothing was wrong.
He'd been browsing through the results of searching "/-\tem" , "tem", "t3m" and "tev". Some of Yami's past activities were being discussed on main social media accounts, and he was sending out cease and desists to each source he found, but would read them first…
It was fascinating and terrifying.
A few mugshots from Atem's brief stints in maximum security prison had been released. In them, he was unrecognizable with a clean shaved head and shallow cheeks, but it was the same pair of dark, angular eyes.
It had been trending under the tag "skinhead assassin", and Seto never moved faster to blacklist that term on all their home accounts, especially on Yami's devices.
He'd put Yami in the bath so he could do some emergency scrubbing.
A couple of 'fans' had made documentary-style videos about how Atem/"t3m" had escaped these supermax facilities…and Seto had secretly saved those to watch for later, but then was stumbling across the same information again, later, because it was trending under a new tag: chicken soup.
Apparently Atem had escaped an "inescapable" cell that had been designed especially for him, made with knowledge of his past escapes, and yet it still failed to hold him, even while he was cuffed with specially-designed handcuffs and a strict schedule. He had saved chicken soup from every single one of his meals and used the sodium from it to corrode the metal lock on his handcuffs, and the rest was a mere scaling of the walls to get to the ceiling, where he dismantled some rafters with his opened handcuffs as his only tool.
Holy shit.
Atem was hailed like a god.
Apparently, Atem had killed a man via headshot by calculating the angle of a ricocheting bullet.
Sheer outrageousness.
Now Seto wasn't sure if that was believable or not…and it led him to search it on the dark web where a leaked security footage showed exactly that.
And that had been prison escape #2.
A guard had been aiming at him, and Atem stood calmly by the metal pillar with his hands up, baiting the guard to shoot him, miss, and the bullet bounced off the reinforced edge of the pole, killing the guard's partner, causing pandemonium that erupted in the facility, allowing Atem to quietly slip through the chaos and vanish.
His dark web fans tracked his kills and theorized on his movements throughout each country.
Proof of Atem's high-level kills were all locked behind a hundred loops of passwords, hard-to-read codes, and vanishing forums, but Seto managed to make his way through them, knowing if he was just a desk grunt at a national security agency, he wouldn't be able to do this…unless one had pushed themselves to learn the secret language and interact with the internet this way.
Fans had set up a profile for Atem.
Seto read through it all, fascinated and trying not to feel guilty like he was snooping.
Apparently Atem was known for 'outside hits'. Never choosing to hit the target at their home and always getting them in the middle of a day, showing that he knew every inch of their lives.
"Messy, hypothesized kills" were the ones done 'in a rush' with 'no contact but excessive planning, away from location'.
It often involved murdering with contact poison, one of Atem's favorite methods.
It was speculated that Atem mixed the deadly nerve agents himself, because someone hacked the coroner's report on one of the bodies and the list of tested chemicals on the corpse's skin made Seto scroll four times.
It sent a solid chill down his spine.
He couldn't read half of it.
And knowing Yami could, did, and acted on it…made him slightly afraid, and horny.
On Atem's fan profile, people were saying prison escape #4 was the sloppiest, but the most effective. It involved the help of a female guard, who he seduced and then convinced her to help him escape.
When they finally rode off the prison campus together in the armored truck, news articles reported that he'd tied her up, left her in the middle of the highway with a hot GPS phone. Cruel.
What Seto personally hated the most about that footage was the way the woman had tongue-kissed Yami before getting in the passenger of the truck.
But the man she was kissing was bald, so…he could pretend it wasn'this Yami.
Because that bald man wasn't a Yami he knew.
The Yami now was warm, loving, sweet, and loved over-caring for his hair. Maybe that was why. It was a direct reaction to having shaved his head for most of his teens and 20's.
The infamous, grainy, 'scowling at the camera' photo was circulated the most was because he'd grown hair.
And it was heavily deduced that he'd grown it out for a specific hit. In Japan.
That was where he'd been last seen, last headed.
Reasons?
A hit for Seto Kaiba had been put out with an insanely high price tag, in a difficult country like Japan, no one was up for it except for a select few, and it was rumored that of course Atem would be up for that challenge, but he'd been missing since prison escape #5, the chicken soup one, so…Where did he go?
Was he done?
Was he out?
Was he…dead?
A fan speculated that he might have spent it 'assimilating', learning Japanese.
Inactivity for 1.5 years for an active 'meat eater' like Atem was rare.
It meant he had died or settled down, which was the same as dying.
Then, 2 years after his disappearance, a string of 5 high-profile murders happened all in a row, in Japan.
The 'big 5'.
And the fan forums were in an uproar about it, many asking for the status on the 'k 1ba-ki11' so much that Seto realized he should add that to the censored hashtags.
He did, and just in time too.
People were really eager to discuss Atem publicly, because itwas fascinating.
How could a human live life on hard-mode for so long and remain alive?
Or remain human for that matter? And what were the authorities doing about it?
Seto was sweating in his seat. He'd reached the end of Atem's profile, and saw a list of speculated skills listed, and it was long.
Ranging from everything to motorcycle stunting, to high-caliber cooking.
Fuck, these are all true, Seto thought as he automatically scrolled through the list out of deep curiosity.
The list of guns and devices Atem could use took up 6 pages.
Atem was great with explosives apparently–creating and disabling them, making him an incredible bomb expert ranging from crude-homemade to the ones used in warfare.
He could pilot anything that had an engine and pick all types of locks.
He was rumored to be able to speak or have some kind of proficiency in every main language in the world, Seto counted 25.
He was beyond excellent with electronics, and several of the languages listed were for programming…
Atem was also a seasoned gambler, card-counter, and a skilled dealer.
Godlike was definitely the correct way to describe him.
Amidst his sleuthing, Seto found the hacked, redacted dossiers which global agencies had collected on Yami, and it included a prison psych eval that got uncensored, because a fan had so kindly hacked the doctor's computer.
"Charming and witty" were the words that stood out to him when reading the doctor's notes on their interactions.
And another careless note at the end made his stomach drop.
"Attractive. Offered a sexual exchange, challenged my code of ethics fluidly, almost won me over. Referred him away afterwards."
And no one was discussing that.
But he knew that was a serious, very real trait Yami had–the ability to make him wet at the tip and forget his own name.
Fan letters were scanned and uploaded to the bottom of the page, and that was the end.
A couple people claimed to have managed to mail letters directly to Atem's cell at certain points during his incarceration, but never received a reply.
Seto leaned back in his chair to take a breath.
That…was a lot.
It explained why their first run-away vacation together had felt…so dreamy.
Because Atem was unreal.
He'd literally been swept off his feet by a man who was 800 men in one.
He remembered Yami treating him like he was the only person in the world, and sure, he experienced that treatment often, but something about the way Yami hung off his arm, gave him sparkly smiles and smooth compliments made him instantly curious, because at the start of their getaway, he said he'd only go as far as kissing…experimentally.
It led to kissing with handjobs, and then kissing his dick… and then…
Seto ground his teeth.
The rest of that vacation had been a sexy blur.
And the two years following that, was the same.
They'd never had a serious fight.
Small spats happened, paired with long talks about habitual behaviors that would cause annoyance, but Yami would talk it out with him patiently, or yield fairly.
They always had an understanding, and…it was about making Mokuba their first priority.
After he specified that as the solid terms of Yami's moving-in, Yami did make Mokuba a priority.
Expeditiously.
Mokuba loved Yami on-sight, fascinated with his hair, his skin tone, his flawless japanese, and his excellent game play.
Seto didn't even know Yami was secretly training Mokuba with short CQC lessons for self-defense, or giving him 'code word of the day' shit.
Because one afternoon, he'd seen Mokuba teaching Shizuka how to disarm someone while demonstrating with a pool noodle, or how to palm someone in the nose after elbowing them in the neck if you were weaponless.
That had been a shock, and at the same time, not a shock.
His computer had fallen asleep while he'd been lost in thought, so Seto quickly tapped it back on to wipe his activity, sending another quick text to the PR person on duty right now to alert him of any other 'skinhead' comments. And to remove them from his mentions or tags.
The image of Yami with his head shaven, giving the camera a dark look really stuck with him.
It was scary.
He didn't recognize that person.
He'd just set his phone down when he heard the shower water switch on, and he realized he'd missed getting into the bath with Yami. Oh well.
Easing his laptop shut, he moved to sit on the bed and waited for Yami to come out. He didn't have to wait long.
He could hear the hair dryer, the clinking of Yami's hair product jars, and then the water running again when he washed his hands after that hair routine.
His phone buzzed with a notification and he read it while silencing his phone at the same time.
"Mr. Kaiba, 'starfish' is trending…regarding a spiky-hair style. Block?"
"Yep," Seto replied and he placed his phone face down on the nightstand, and he reached into the bottommost drawer to pull out the lube, his fingers brushing over two 9mm magazines, a compact Glock, the grenade which had been put in a soft, drawstring pouch, and the matte black watch.
I see. This is the 'purge but I can't purge that part of me' drawer, Seto smiled as he wondered if the lube was part of that.
Probably, yes.
Yami was weirdly knowledgeable about all kinds of lube. So maybe it wasn't weird anymore after reading that entire list of weapons he knew how to use.
After all, some aspects of this lube they'd been using was something he didn't realize he appreciated until he went and tried to shop for lube himself.
It was hard to find theperfect scentless, long-lasting, water-based lube that was skin-safe and didn't taste like shit….and came in a large bottle.
He set the lube beside his phone and saw Yami come walking out of the bathroom in his underwear, and his heart leapt. Aww…
Yami's hair had been spiked to perfection and a lovely scent of the bath drifted after him when he fell stomach-first onto the bed and grinned handsomely.
"Ready," Yami said cattily as he teasingly flitted the band of his underwear down to expose an ass cheek. "Let's do it."
Seto blinked and hesitated.
"Can I ruin the mood for a second?" he asked delicately, and Yami's face changed eerily. His angular eyes narrowed and the warm expression melted.
"Okay," Yami nodded and prepared himself for the worst.
Seto had seen him running around in full armor, and they hadn't properly talked about that incident. He'd seen Seto shoot a man in the visor with a 3D gun, and Seto in turn, had seen him snap that man's neck as a precaution.
And they hadn't properly talked about it.
"What's…the worst thing you've ever done?" Seto asked carefully, bracing himself for the worst answer than anything he'd read in the entire fan page. "I'm talking about the worst thing ever. Like, you would never do it again. I'm not saying hypothetical. I mean, something you've done–and you…understand what I'm asking?"
Yami nodded and answered without skipping a beat, "of course. I have an answer, don't hate it."
"I won't," Seto ventured, and he held his breath.
"Falling in love," Yami replied with a mischievous wink. "With you." And he propped his head up on his hands with a playful air, inching his ass up in the air to show off the one, exposed ass cheek. "Now do it to me hard."
"I'm being fucking serious," Seto scowled, reaching forward to give Yami's ass a squeeze so rough, it left an enticing handprint. "Be serious."
"That was my answer!" Yami protested as he returned the scowl with a narrow of his eyes again. "I'm completely useless now. All I can think about is how you'll fit inside me 4 days in a row and how little walking I'll need to do afterwards."
Seto let out a laugh and leaned forward to give Yami's bangs a loving pinch, seeing Yami roll over onto his back to give him room enough so he could kiss his way down Yami's neck, the minty scent of the bath hitting the back of his nose when his lips grazed across a sharp, adam's apple, and Yami's hands came draping around the back of his neck, giving him a warm tingle. He dove down to press his lips against Yami's much softer ones and steadily relaxed, letting himself enjoy the way Yami was tugging his shirt off around his head and tossing it aside with a snicker, and then pulling him close to furiously shove his tongue into his mouth, giving him a taste of sweetness that made his stomach twist.
Excited, Yami laid back and let Seto's arms surround him. His nipples were attended to with rough bites and his ass was squeezed repeatedly. Seto's hot, fiery tongue danced across Yami's skin, trailing over the muscular dips in his chest, a toned stomach, sharp hipbones and the space underneath his balls. Yami's breath hitched as Seto's tongue slipped naughtily into the most intimate folds underneath him, and he had to raise his knees up to get a better feel, his dick leaking excitedly at the tip every time Seto gave him a particularly exotic thrust into his rim, drawing forth a twisting, lustful bubble low inside his chest.
Slender fingers kept prying him apart, and there was a brief pause where they both breathlessly waited for Seto to palm the lube in his hands, and then swiping it up Yami's crack where he gently fingered the softness and felt it stretching against his knuckles while he kept his gaze fixated on the blissful expressions Yami was making.
His angular eyes were half-lidded and his head was thrown back so much, only the sharp angle of his chin was visible over the curves of his chest, and Seto's heart jumped with excitement as his dick ached, so he got up on his knees to poke the head of his shaft against the pink softness of Yami's rim, and felt hands clawing at his shoulders and arms, trying to bring him closer, so he shifted his stance and gently eased himself into the throbbing heat. His legs were being melted off as Yami trembled deliciously underneath him, letting out a soft gasp and then a strangled hiss, "...faster…" which prompted Seto to buck his hips forward again and again, slamming his palms down on either side of Yami's delicate face as he hovered over Yami's body, feeling Yami's hands come gripping his wrists to keep him there while their bodies connected below, bringing spurts of heat, jolts of electricity and fiery curls of pleasure.
Yami let out a laugh and craned his neck upwards to catch Seto's lips in a brief kiss before he leaned his head back into the pillows and let his body be rocked by rough thrusts, his stomach churning in his chest as Seto entered him with enthusiasm, making his ears hum whenever he caught glimpses of Seto's brown hair under his chin, followed by a stinging bite to his shoulder, then he was struggling to maintain eye contact while Seto's eyes were narrowed down at him in loving concentration, his back damp with sweat, making the grip Yami had on his shoulders slip, so Yami gave up and rested his hand around Seto's toned forearms, losing himself in the passionate twists and jolts of heat that brough him to an orgasmic high every time Seto rocked into him, his knees pressed flush against the backs of his thighs while his thrusts were relentless, and Yami closed his eyes joyfully when he felt a hot rush fill him up to the brim after a few seconds where it felt like they were both floating together, their lips sometimes barely touching but their breaths mingling….
And then they slowly came back down together.
Seto collapsed weakly against Yami's chest, not moving his dick out of the way while he stayed glued atop delicious, tanned, dewy skin. He rested his palm flat against Yami's chest and gave it a teasing squeeze.
"Nice boobs," he said carelessly, and Yami reached down to slap his hand against his pecs and return the compliment fluidly.
"Thanks. I think yours are bigger," Yami said with a panting chuckle, resting his other hand across his sweaty forehead while he caught his breath, his hole stinging and swelling with satisfaction. "They've been getting bigger."
"I know. I fill out my shirts nicely now," Seto replied with a sleepy mumble, rolling off Yami's body at last to rest his head on the pillow while his back stuck uncomfortably to the sheets. Gross. He needed a shower but couldn't move.
"You look good," Yami smiled and finally felt his heart calming down. "I love you."
"I love you too," Seto answered instantly, propping his head up on one hand and fixating on Yami's sharp collarbones. "You really meant that? Worst thing you've ever done is fall in love with me?"
"Yes," Yami replied seriously as he lifted his hand away from his face to stare up at the chandelier hanging above, his heart sinking with a dark feeling. "I was late in pursuit of Odion. Luckily, Pegasus tackled him. I saw on the bodycam footage…he was about to shoot you–" And he was silenced with a sloppy kiss that made him need to wipe the saliva off his chin. "Seto…! I'm being serious!"
"I was armed," Seto replied and Yami gave him a long, dark look before nodding.
"I've been meaning to ask you…when you've had time to play with a 3D printer, because I haven't seen it around, so you must've done it at work," Yami said quietly, hearing Solomon's spiteful old voice in his head say something about 'keeping secrets' even while 'married'.
"Fun fact, I got that gun from Solomon," Seto raised his eyebrows and saw Yami sit up so fast, the bed dipped.
"What?" Yami hissed, his expression turning cold in a second. "How dare he! He's been secretly turning us against each other!"
Seto shook his head in disbelief, "what? Come on. That old man just wants money."
"No. He told me things that would make me feel a divide," Yami said poisonously, his resentment for his grandfather coming up in a rush. "He suggested I lie to you when I haven't ever needed to do that. We're cutting off contact with him."
Seto blinked and his heart skipped a beat.
"What? He saved my life, and that's how you wanna repay him?" Seto asked curiously, wondering how heartless Yami had to be. Sure, that old man was a little demented, but he was…kinda cool…
Or not.
He was being clouded by survivor's guilt.
"No. Pegasus saved your life, don't get it twisted," Yami corrected him with a scowl. "Gun or not, he would've tackled the man down anyway. You managed to injure the other one. He was still alive when you shot him in the face."
"I think he was dead," Seto said with a cautious smile, and Yami gave him an exasperated look.
"Checks will be wired to him from now and no contact," Yami said firmly, nodding. "Go back to the way things were as if we didn't know he was in the country. I mean it, Seto. For the health of our relationship, I'm cutting him off and if I find out you've been talking to him behind my back, you will regret it in a way that I won't even be able to help you rectify."
"Just say 'dead'," Seto growled, reaching for Yami's hand to hold it, curling his fingers around Yami's much smaller ones. "No contact. I got it. And if there is contact, I'll let you know immediately."
Yami nodded and closed his eyes, rolling forward to press his forehead against the crook of Seto's shoulder and letting out a content sigh.
Good.
He needed his life to get back to that same, uneventful normal.
Author's note:
The boys catch a little break but seto finds out some Info :eyes emoji: