Chapter Text
Silence resonated the dark streets of Nagoya as a shady, coated man staggered on the streets - carrying with him: a stack of documents under his arm secretively. Occasionally, this man would shift his eyes to his left or right, or even behind him as he walked on, checking for anyone on sight.
“Those damn kids… Making my work even more difficult…” He murmured with a click of his tongue. “And I was shot too…”
“… We can help you with that, you know. But you’re as stubborn as fuck.”
Flinching upon hearing a voice, the man snapped his head in front of him where the voice was heard and there he saw a raven-haired man a few meters away from him. He glared at him, recognizing his appearance almost immediately as he bared his teeth.
“As if I could trust you, you government watchdogs…!” The man snapped as he pointed an accusing finger on the other guy. “You’re the reason why my business is now in anarchy!”
The guy chuckled lowly as if it was a joke, “Now, now, that’s not a very nice way to address the Japanese Secret Service, Mr. Bathory.” The raven-haired man said in a tone mixed in casualty and condescending, irritating the man. “Besides… Making a business out of illegal drugs and child prostitution doesn’t sound very nice, huh? Especially since you’re manufacturing it here.”
Bathory clicked his tongue again as he was reminded of his doings.
“For that, you are a wanted fugitive in all of Japan. And as such, I ask you to turn yourself over peacefully for a fair and just trial.”
“Never!”
Unfazed by the immediate answer, the raven-haired man sighed as if he was expecting it, “You left me with no choice, then…” He pressed something on his ear before continuing, “Do it.”
And on cue, a metallic bullet was sent flying on one of Bathory’s legs, drawing out blood and a pained scream from the man as he fell to the ground in a rough manner. He squirmed in agony as he was approached, his form being overshadowed by the other under the flickering street light. Bathory glared up to the raven-haired male as best as he could while he twitched from the wound, his vision slowly becoming dim due to the heavy blood loss.
“Asuramaru, speaking… Yes, I’m in Nagoya Central Park. Gekkouin and I immobilized the suspect. Bring the medic team along since we injured him more than once to stop him.”
Bathory faintly heard this Asuramaru guy speak through an earpiece before he completely lost consciousness on the dirty concrete.
-
“Well, aren’t you messy as always, Yuu… Letting us take Bathory in that state...” Guren snickered as he read through papers about Bathory’s unlawful industry, learning all the transactions done within the previous years of activity. “Though, I applaud you for the success of the mission. It had taken five years to finally find this guy and put him to justice. You’ve done a great favor to this country.”
“Ah, thank you, Guren, but I think the credit should be given to Yoichi. I mean, he was the one who shot him in order to stop him from running.” Yuu insisted with a small blush of embarrassment.
“But… You were the one who set the plan to capture him, even if it ended a bit with the suspect losing some of his blood.”
“Yeah, and I’m sorry for that.”
“… Well, it’s all in the past now, Yuu. And besides, I highly doubt you would ever finish your missions clean without it being a bloody mess by the end of the day even if you’re an alpha.” Guren sighed whilst ignoring Yuu’s scowl at him as he neatly kept Bathory’s files in a folder and placed it aside on his table. “But, more importantly… I didn’t call you here just to simply congratulate you on a job well done.”
“Huh, I figured as much… Knowing you, I tend to expect some sudden requests coming up every now and then.” Yuu agreed as he crossed his arms on his chest. “So, what is it this time?”
Guren raised a brow, amused at his dauntless subordinate before he handed him a folder out to him, “This is a bit strange as of late, but we have received word that a citizen in Shinjuku is a descendant of the deceased Russian royal family a long time ago: the Romanov’s. When Russia heard about this news, they immediately requested us to escort him back to them.”
“… Romanov? I thought they were just folklore… But they’re actually real?” Yuu commented in disbelief as he opened the folder, his green eyes scanning on the typed document. “Mikaela Shindo… Now known as Mikaela Hyakuya?”
“The name change was because his biological parents died in a car accident.” Guren explained as he saw Yuu’s confused expression. “He was sent over to the Hyakuya orphanage to be taken care of, but sad to say, no one adopted him and he ended up serving the orphanage until news about his lineage was revealed.”
“Wait… This is weird. How on earth did they know that he is of royalty?” Yuu asked as he looked up to his beta superior. “With his parents gone in a car accident, there’s no solid evidence to prove his ancestry. This could be a fraud.”
“No, it’s not.” Guren disagreed.
“With his parents gone, there’s only one evidence to prove such a thing, and it’s his blood. You see, Yuu… Royal blood react differently compared to that of the ordinary ones in terms of blood typing and tests. While in ordinary blood tends to give weak results at times, royal blood doesn’t. Pureblood or half blood royalty, they give solid results. That’s just how strong they are.”
“I see…” Yuu hummed as he turned the page and he paused. His breath hitched.
There, in his line of vision, was the photo of Mikaela Hyakuya. Blond hair, blue eyes, and pale, creamy skin... There was no denying it. The man definitely looks like a foreigner, and a beautiful one too with how Yuu’s eyes stared at his image so intensely. Even without the physical version of the person, Yuu could already feel his alpha side reacting slightly just at a mere look.
Strange.
“… An omega,” Yuu blurted out so suddenly, his eyes never taking off from Mikaela’s photo. “This guy… is an omega?”
“Spot on.” Guren complimented with a nod. “Your instincts must have reacted when you saw his picture, correct?”
“And you want me to escort him?!” Yuu questioned angrily as he closed the folder, feeling offended at the indirect implication. “I refuse to take this mission. I won’t be somebody’s babysitter just because he’s of royalty. I don’t stoop that low.”
“I didn’t give you the option to refuse, Yuu.” The beta reminded sternly, frowning at Yuu’s outburst. “If this were any other mission, I would have entrusted it to Kimizuki or Narumi to get it done. But instead, I personally chose you to take it.”
“Why me?! I didn’t apply into the secret service to look after someone like some kind of parent! I want to help people!” Yuu protested, slapping the folder on Guren’s desk in front of him. He didn’t even care if he was being disrespectful to his superior right now. He was just too angry.
“And you are doing exactly that, Yuu.” Guren replied calmly in spite of Yuu’s act. “By escorting Hyakuya back to Russia, you’re helping him come back to his motherland safe and sound, protecting him from danger. Isn’t that what you like?”
“Well, yes, but―”
“―Then that’s enough for me to know that you are the perfect man for the job. End of discussion.”
Yuu’s hand on the folder curled into a fist at the immediate decision, but he didn’t raise another protest when Guren used that one line to end the conversation officially, making the confirmation known to both parties. With the argument resolved into an inevitable choice, Yuu inhaled deeply to calm himself down, closing his eyes in doing so before he went back to his professional attitude towards his superior, venomously taking back the folder as he met Guren’s eyes with his ire tamed.
“… When do we leave?” He asked brusquely.
Guren grinned at the acceptance as he stood up from his office chair, pleased by Yuu’s response. “You leave tonight together with Hyakuya at 2000 hours, so I suggest packing your necessities before meeting him personally at 1900 hours.”
Yuu blinked in confusion. “I’m meeting him in person?”
“Well… It was a request coming from Hyakuya himself; saying that he wanted to know who his escort will be and perhaps get along with him.” The beta explained further, smiling smugly at his junior’s irritated look.
“Hmph, how pointless...” Yuu remarked as he turned to leave the office, face hard in a displeased expression. “I don’t see why he wanted to get along with someone who will be his body shield during the whole trip. It’s a nuisance and a waste of time.”
“Maybe or maybe not… Your opinion might change once you get to know him yourself.”
Yuu could only scoff at that as he left the room with an incredulous shake of his head and a roll of his eyes, disagreeing to Guren’s hypothesis completely with a thought.
As if that could happen… I would like to see him try.
* + *
“W-Welcome to the Japanese Secret Service Headquarters, your highness. You honor us with your presence.” Yoichi greeted with a small bow once Mika was seated on the couch of one of the building’s grandiose room that was bright with a chandelier and with expensive antiques decorating the place. “We have received your request that you want to meet your escort tonight, but I’m afraid he’ll come here be a bit late due to some unforeseen circumstances. Please understand.”
Smiling meekly, Yoichi then took some cups from the serving table along with two teapots and some condiments as he sat at the opposite couch across Mika, offering him something to drink. “For the time being, allow me to give you some refreshments as we wait. You can choose between black tea and hot chocolate. Or if you want something else, please feel free to say so.”
“Hot chocolate is just fine. Thank you.”
Yoichi nodded, pouring the liquid of Mika’s choice into a cup before handing it to him. Mika took a sip and sighed, folding one leg over the other. It wasn’t exactly to his taste, but the boy looked nervous enough. Mika didn’t need to give him another reason to have his anxiety spiked.
It was tolerable and that was what mattered. If he thought about it, he’d had worse.
He wasn’t much for conversation, seeing as it was late and if he was being honest with himself - he was slightly anxious as well. Though who wouldn’t be, with all that had been happening in his life recently. Finding out you’re of royal blood was one thing when you were a child - but when you are an adult, it takes on a whole other meaning. For a while, he had begun to forget, because when his parents were alive, it certainly wasn’t as big of a deal as it was now. He was far too preoccupied with whatever toys his parents gave him and whatnot.
The word “prince” once held little meaning to him.
Now it was being repeated to him,and people were referring to him as “Your highness.”
It was certainly something that would take getting used to.
Finishing his drink, he set it down and ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh.
“Would you like any more hot chocolate your highness?”
Mika shook his head. “No, thank you.”
Sitting back in his seat, Mika pulled his knees up to his chest. It wasn’t that he wanted to mostly ignore the presence of the brunette, but this whole situation was exhausting. He had a feeling it really wasn’t going to get any better in that aspect.
After all, Russia was a ways away.
A nap until his escort arrived wouldn’t hurt too much, would it?
The position was awkward, but he likely could manage until he slept somewhere proper. After all, he’d slept in worse positions, in much less comfortable conditions.
Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
* + *
Yuu was late... Or he purposely made himself late, hoping to piss Guren off after briefing him hours back. He was still angry that his so-called personally requested mission was escorting - babysitting - a long lost omega prince to Russia. Where was the fun in that? Sure, Yuu likes traveling to different countries but this mission just spoils everything. He even measured the distance and the time going to Russia with the hopes of finishing this half ass mission and say goodbye to whoever that omega was, wishing him good luck in his new role of servitude to his country and never see him again.
Ah, yes. Yuu could look forward to that. He could waste a day or a week for that just to get this mission out of his hair. An alpha like him was never meant for shitty escort missions like this anyway. What was the worse that could happen?
"Asuramaru, reporting for duty." Yuu called out nonchalantly to the room he was supposed to meet his escortee but all he saw was Yoichi and a human ball with yellow hair in opposite couches.
He frowned as he closed the door. "... What happened?"
"Ah, his highness is tired and as you can see, he's napping." Yoichi explained as he twirled his tea to mix a cube of sugar. "If you were here a bit earlier, you could have seen him when he was still awake."
Yuu rolled his eyes at Yoichi pointing out his tardiness as he approached and sat down beside the brunet omega, taking a cup for himself and pouring a drink. "So, how long do I have to wait until he wakes up?"
Yoichi chuckled. "Oh, Yuu-kun, I don't know if that's you being thoughtful or just being lazy but you have to wake Mikaela-sama if you want to catch his flight going to Russia... and if you want to finish this mission pronto. You're fifteen minutes behind schedule."
When Yuu heard that, he suddenly stood up from his seat with an exasperated face while screaming a loud, "Fuck...!" as the barley tea he was supposed to drink spilled on the floor along with the tea cup that smashed upon impact. The sounds were more than enough to wake a startled Mika up.
Mika woke with a start, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He wasn't a light sleeper in the slightest, but he also want the deepest of sleepers either. So of course being woken up by someone shouting, and glass breaking was slightly alarming, to say the least.
“What…?” he mumbled, confused and still very much tired.
Though as he looked around and found not only Yoichi, but someone else - he found himself wide awake. Was this the escort he had been waiting for? If so, why had he yelled and dropped his cup. Or what he presumed was his cup.
“Ah, your highness. Glad to see you’re awake.”
The other omega offered his best smile to Mika - though the blond could see beyond the facade he put on. He seemed… nervous, almost. Though seeing as the brunette was likely trained to deal with all sorts of people, it probably wasn't for the same reasons as him. Because Mika wasn't trained for this. And the reasons he had to be anxious about this all were abundant.
“This is Yuuichirou, he will serve as your escort to Russia. He’ll make sure to keep you safe.”
The reassuring smile the omega gave did little to comfort him. Especially since he could feel the other man’s - Yuuichirou’s eyes on him. It made a shiver run down his spine and he stood, taking a step to the side, away from Yuu as well as the broken glass at his feet.
“Right. Thank you. I assume that this means that we’re leaving then?”
"We are doing more than just leaving...!" Yuu raised his voice a bit before he rudely grabbed Mika by the arm to drag him out of the room.
"We are fucking rushing to the damn airport right now!"
"Ah, wait, Yuu-kun, you're not supposed to do that!" Yoichi scolded as he caught up with them and forcefully loosened Yuu's grip on Mika. He frowned slightly at Yuu. "What would Guren say if he heard about this?"
Yuu groaned. "Does it look like I care? I'm fifteen minutes late!"
"And whose fault is it to come late, hmm?" Yoichi pointed out with a knowing look that only added more to Yuu's frustrations and the alpha stormed out of the hallway with a frown.
Yoichi sighed before he turned to Mika with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, your grace. Yuu-kun is generally a nice person, but something about escort missions always ticks him off. Please forgive his behavior for the time being."
“It's fine…” Mika sighed and rubbed the skin of his arm where the alpha grabbed. It really rubbed him the wrong way the way he had been grabbed. But there wasn't much he could really do about it, they were already late. It would have to wait till they were safely on the plane.
After all, he didn't plan on just letting something like this fly over his head. Though he didn't look like it, he was angry. Luckily, he knew how to keep his cool in a situation like this.
“Thank you for the assistance.”
Mika bowed once in the direction of the brunette before turning and sprinting to catch up with the alpha. When he did, he was slightly out of breath, and a little more frustrated than before. And though he kept pace with Yuu, he kept his distance. Far enough out of the way so he wasn't within arms reach, at least. He would have rather not been grabbed harshly by the man who was supposed to be escorting him. Not dragging him around like an animal on a leash.
He suddenly couldn't wait until this was all over but at the same time, he was slightly afraid to see what the future would hold for him.
The omega's worry was potent in his scent and Yuu's brow twitched upon faintly smelling it, growling under his breath.
" Stop thinking. I can smell it from here and it's annoying."
Mika furrowed his brows and glared briefly at the man.
Was he really trying to get on his nerves, or was he really that irritable?
“You say that like stopping my thoughts is actually possible,” He spat back. “And if you’re talking about annoying things as well, you should check your attitude .”
Yuu sighed before he brought out his phone out from his suit. He dialed a number in as the both of them arrive by the entrance of the building with a black limousine in front to take them to the airport.
"Asuramaru speaking, I have the escortee and I expect that his things will be in the plane before our arrival to avoid any further delays." Yuu spoke professionally as he nonchalantly opened the limousine door for Mika to go in, ignoring the omega's presence while he talked on the phone.
Regardless of his frustrations, Mika got into the car as the door was opened for him - seating himself as far as he could to the right. In no way did he want to be close to this man. Physically or emotionally.
‘What a lousy way to have someone escort you.’ He thought to himself.
He could tell already that the whole trip was going to be just as rotten as it had been already. Whatever this man’s deal with escort missions was, Mika really wished he’d get over it. Yuu’s sour mood was starting to affect Mika’s as well. He really hoped for a pleasant mission while he dealt with knowing just how important this was, not to mention dangerous - but he guess that hoping only got him so far.
After all, he didn't hope for this.
Yuu wanted to roll his eyes. He didn't have the time or the luxury to pamper his escortee when they wouldn't be seeing each other in the long run. So why should he care if Yuu was an asshole?
Meh, just let this one slide for now.
Yuu went in the limousine following Mika and sat on the edge as well, putting a huge gap between the two as he shut the door close and ended his phone call. He then reached out for the small window connecting the main cabin to the driver.
"The airport, please," Yuu instructed firmly before closing said window.
Within a few minutes, the car eventually started to move. Yuu sighed tiredly as he stretched a bit before slouching onto his seat with a hand holding his face. He felt calm yet livid at what transpired for the evening and unwillingly sensing the omega's presence so close to him didn't help at all. In fact, it irritated him; like his mere presence alone was a huge reminder at what mission Yuu got himself into after finishing off the previous one on the very same day.
Yuu's brows furrowed and he tapped his fingers on his knee at that memory. He simply couldn't catch a break and he expected Guren to double his vacation day for this since being a top tier secret service agent wasn't easy in the slightest. His life was on the line in almost every mission that he took; even a simple escort mission could be deadly when unprepared.
But Yuu was ready to give his life to protect people.
The only problem that lied ahead was the fact he was going to protect only one person now. What good was the life of one person over the lives of the majority? Yuu knew the answer right away, but Guren thought that it was best for him to handle this one. Why? What was so special about a long lost omega prince besides his inheritance and title?
Yuu didn't know and he didn't want to find out. All that mattered to him was that he finish this mission quick with no feelings or intimacy involved because that would lead to a whole new array of problems that he didn't ask for.
* + *
The atmosphere in the whole ride was very awkward and tense; even driver became uncomfortable to the point of playing some music in the background. Not that Yuu cared because he was mentally complaining about the duration of the transportation. He was about to ask what was taking them so long when the driver pulled to a stop. Yuu blinked when he heard a car door opening and another, and he saw Mika's side of the car open.
"May you have a safe flight, your highness." The driver spoke as he gently led Mika outside with a hand.
“Thank you.”
Mika offered a smile to the driver and bowed briefly at the man.
Yuu frowned but he didn't voice a complaint as he let himself out of the car, closing the door behind as he silently followed Mika being escorted by a lot of specially trained agents that gained some unwanted attention.
Mika still wasn’t used to this sort of treatment. It was slightly exciting and all-too surreal. Stepping up on the first step of the airstairs, Mika took one last look at the city lights in the distance before he left this place - possibly forever.
It was nice while it lasted, Japan.
Sighing, Mika turned back to the plane and climbed up the rest of the stairs. Though, he had to pause for a moment to admire just how nice the plane was. These guys who had arranged this certainly weren’t playing around. Not with transportation, nor the security.
It was an odd concept to take in, the fact that all these people were here because of him. To keep him safe from any and all harm. Everyone seemed rather okay with it, apart from Yuu, of course.
As soon as he was within range, he collapsed onto the nearest chair with a sigh.
It was comfortable - certainly more comfortable than the couch he had napped on while waiting for Yuu.
He might be able to get used to this for now. Being so comfortable, that is. The only problem was Yuu, with his grumpy demeanor. It was certainly not making the not-so-great situation any better. Mika decided to try to stay positive, for now. Since he was going to be stuck in an enclosed space for several hours with the alpha, he might as well make the best of the situation.
Or, he would try at the very least.
Yuu eyed everyone with growing suspicion as he eventually boarded the plane. The driver seemed to have fancied Mika if he opened his door first instead of Yuu's, which was strange since it was a common tradition for the bodyguard to go out first to protect the person of interest. But then again, traditions tended to break over the coming years - yet Yuu still couldn't get the feeling of uneasiness out of his chest.
"I guess I'll drink some brandy..." He murmured to himself as soon as the airplane door closes.
"Ah, welcome sir." A steward greeted Yuu politely. "Please take a seat and fasten your seatbelt. We’ll be taking off shortly."
"R-Right, thank you..." Yuu said as he took a seat close to the window, making sure he was on the opposite seat lane from Mika which created yet another gap between them while he fastened his seatbelt as the intercom played.
"Good evening, this is your pilot speaking. We hope you enjoy your time flying with us here, your highness." It said. "Please fasten your seatbelts as we prepare for takeoff."
Mika buckled his seatbelt like he was told, and turned to the window. He forced the window cover up so he could easily watch when the aircraft actually took off.
His eyes were glued to the wings and the runway - whatever his eyes could possibly catch. He almost didn't pay attention as the flight attendant ran through the emergency landing instructions. Though, he definitely got the gist of it.
He’d never really been on a plane before - at least, not that he remembered, so he was excited to experience this sort of thing. Planes were fascinating, defying gravity in such a spectacular way. Sure, they were loud, but it was a small price to pay for machines that were able to cross great distances in such a short amount of time.
“Woah,” He breathed as the engines fired up, and they began taxiing towards the runway. It was slow, seeming like it took forever they reached the end of the runway and were ready to take off.
A wave of excitement rushed over Mika and he gripped the armrests and kept his eyes glued to the window - though he couldn't actually see very much out of it.
He didn't care about not seeing much, only that he saw something , at least.
He's like a child...
Yuu observed Mika by a glance as he took out a pack of gums from his suit to chew on once they were on air. Everything around him rang in his ears when they were in the sky and he chewed a gum in his mouth to reverse the process, hearing a distinct popping sound that cleared his temporal deafness. Once he got his hearing back, he stared at the window beside him that he partially opened. Everything was so dark; save for the bright dots that he knew were the city lights of Japan, but overall, there wasn't anything nice to take note of since Yuu could barely see anything except for his reflection staring back at him.
He frowned at himself. He really needed a drink.
As if on cue, the sign to unfasten their seat belts blinked and Yuu immediately undid his seat belt to go to the back where the flight crew deck was. His footsteps were almost too quiet to be heard so it was no wonder how his sudden arrival startled the steward in-charge who was pouring water in a glass, nearly dropping the glass pitcher in shock.
"O-Oh, my... How may I help you, sir?" He asked as he settled the pitcher in a stable place to prevent it from falling.
"Don't mind me; I just want to drink some brandy to ease my stress," Yuu explained while he searched through the cabinets of the deck. "That is... unless you don't have any?"
"We have three bottles of it; feel free to use any one you’d like." The steward announced generously as he took some snacks and sweets from another cabinet. "Though, I would suggest drinking only a little since you're escorting someone. You need all the alertness you can get."
Yuu frowned before he grumbled, "I'm not that weak." before opening another cabinet that did show the three bottles of brandy the steward was telling him of. He took one in random and got himself a rocks glass and some ice. Yuu didn't bother looking at the label since he would know the taste soon enough.
He opened the bottle to pour himself a drink but he was getting distracted by stare the steward was giving him. He stopped what he was doing so that he could give the attendant a look. "... What?"
The steward jumped. "N-Nothing, it's just that, uhm..." He adjusted his hat for a bit as a crooked smile formed on his lips. "You're acting like this isn't the first time you’ve escorted someone. Have there been others?"
"Of course." Yuu answered sourly as he placed the brandy bottle down. "I've escorted a lot of famous people to different countries, but all of them have a bodyguard or two tagging along with them. So, technically, this is my first escort mission where I have to act both as an escort and a bodyguard for this... royal prince."
Yuu sighed heavily before he took a swig of his brandy. The ice clinked on the glass. "Not only will I have to bring him to Russia, but I also have to protect him; make sure that he is still alive and shit. Honestly... The least that the secret service could do is to bring a backup in case one of us dies by some stupid accident I don't know of."
The steward blinked in surprise. "Oh? You're alone in this?"
"You bet your sweet ass I am." Yuu smirked as he poured himself another glass. "Guren thinks I'm so badass that I could handle this on my own. Well, he's correct on the badass part but that fact that I'm supposed to protect only one person ticks me off... Not to mention that he's an omega too."
Yuu huffed before taking another swig. "Worse part in this thing is that I'm an alpha and shit things like ruts and heats tend to happen. Do you get what I'm trying to say here?"
"C-Certainly, sir." The steward nodded as his face turned a bit red. "You're right that it is a problem. I mean, what would happen when one of you went into a heat or a rut in the middle of the mission?"
"That I don't know but I'm sure as hell that I won't be near him when that time would come," Yuu stated as he crossed his arms while he slouched against a wall. "Firstly, because I made him hate me. Secondly, because I don't want to cross some boundaries. And thirdly, because he's just a package to be delivered; nothing more, nothing less."
Yuu grew silent after saying that. He glanced at the side for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak.
"... I don't care for him one bit."
The silence between them was unnerving and the steward hung his head low in defeat almost immediately afterward.
"I-I shall deliver this to his highness. In case he wants some refreshments or something to eat."
"Wait..." Yuu called out which caused the steward to flinch. "What's your name?"
"... Lacus Welt, sir." He answered.
"I see..." Yuu hummed as he downed his glass, emptying it smoothly. "Thank you for hearing me out... Even if it's just me ranting and all."
"Ah, no problem. I'm glad to be of help to you in some way..." Lacus hesitantly said before he went away with a tray of snacks and a glass of water.
Yuu sighed as he placed down the bottle down. Apparently, complaining about his mission to a stranger did a number on his mood and he suddenly didn't feel like drinking another glass of the alcohol he so craved. It even made the aftertaste in his mouth taste bad.
Squinting in disgust, Yuu decided to switch his drink with water instead to wash away the horrible taste. He was about to pour himself a glass when he felt something grainy on the table. He blinked when he saw a white substance and snorted in disbelief.
"He spilled sugar, seriously?" He complained as he brought a fingertip to his mouth to remove said substance... but instead, his face soured and he stuck out his tongue.
"Ugh, what is this, salt? It's too concentrated; why the hell would they have that in here? It's not like they use rock salt for airplane food..."
Unless...
Yuu's eyes widened and he immediately rushed out of the flight crew deck to catch up with Lacus, his footsteps echoing on the airplane floor as his senses suddenly went on high alert. He practically ripped the curtain separating the two parts of the airplane when he spotted Lacus giving Mika the glass of water for him to drink, the omega completely oblivious as to what the liquid contained.
"Don't drink that...!" Yuu shouted as he ran towards Mika and slapped the glass of water away, sending the item crashing on the floor.
"S-Sir, is something wrong?" Lacus asked nervously.
"Don't fuck with me!" Yuu growled as he grabbed Lacus by his uniform collar, causing the tray of food to fall on the floor.
"You drugged that water, didn't you?! For what, who are you working for?!"
Lacus squeaked in fear and he glanced at Mika for help.
Mika watched, eyes widened as Lacus was grabbed.
The pure anger in Yuu’s scent, as well as his voice… it scared him if he was being honest with himself. So much so that he really had no choice but to breathe through his mouth. Even that did little to help.
It still smelled like anger and disdain and it made him anxious.
He couldn't meet Lacus’ gaze any longer.
Instead, he chose to look at the floor. The once calm flight had evolved into a very serious situation and here he was panicking. This man had so easily fooled him into a sense of security just by being a flight attendant. It made the reality of the situation really sink in.
He was not safe. Not now, not ever.
This was the worst kind of situation, too. Because here they were - thousands of feet in the air with someone who wanted to kill him. Or worse.
It took him lifting up his hands to brush his hair back from his face to realize just how much he was shaking. Scrunching up his nose, Mika couldn't help but panic. Maybe Yuu was immune to this kind of thing, but he certainly wasn't.
The actual concept of someone trying to harm him come to life stirred up the fear in him.
Did the pilots even know what was happening?
Mika shut the window he had been looking out before - the view seeming more like something foul now rather than a wonderful sight.
He decided - in that moment - that he no longer liked planes.
"Your highness...!" Lacus cried, sounding a bit offended at being manhandled by Yuu. "Do you really believe in what this man says? He could be lying to you, you know. You two just met, after all. You can't trust him that much."
"Shut up." Yuu hissed at Lacus as he took a pair of handcuffs hanging from his belt. "The only liar I see here is you. Don't confuse his majesty."
"How dare you accuse me of such?! I only want to give his highness some refreshments for the trip. What is so wrong about that?" The steward protested before he winced at having his hands restrained. He turned to Mika with a look of desperation. "Please, your highness, I'm innocent in this. This escort of yours is probably drunk from drinking the bottle of brandy not too long ago. You have to do something about this or else I'll lose my job and I don't want that."
Lacus then began to sniffle as he begged. "I really love this job and I worked so hard for it... Please let me keep it. I'll do anything you want."
Mika licked his lips, the pleading of the flight attendant were deafening.
“No… you're right. We have just met.”
Mika turned to Lacus, letting out a shaky breath as he saw him there, restrained.
“But by the same logic, I can't trust you either. That's where it falls apart. Because although this man is irritable, he was hired to protect me from this kind of thing. Even drinking, I don't think he’d go mad and start accusing people of drugging me because he was drunk.”
Even so, Mika began to doubt his own words. He looked down and away from the man, a sinking feeling settling in his stomach.
He just hoped that putting his faith in Yuu was the right choice. Because neither of them could afford to be wrong.
“What did you see that's got you so worked up, anyway? I’d imagine you have a good cause for concern.”
He turned his attention in their direction again, looking to Yuu expectantly. And boy did he hope he had a good one. After all, it was Yuu’s trustworthiness that was on the line as well as Mika’s confidence in him being trustworthy.
He wasn't sure if he hoped that they were really wrong or right.
Yuu met Mika's stare before he sighed while apprehending the steward. Who was he to refuse an answer to his escortee in times like this?
"... Have you heard of the date rape drug, GHB?" He began to explain. "It's a colorless, odorless yet extremely salty substance used for spiking drinks. The drug could be easily masked in just about any drink if it was planted carefully. However, this guy here..." Yuu pushed Lacus a bit more firmly on the ground, causing a grunt to be heard. "He was a bit sloppy when he placed it in your water; there was some leftover powder from him pouring the drug into the water on the table when I was about to get water myself."
Yuu looked at the side as he continued to explain. "Potentially, the drug doesn't kill you; it just knocks you out cold within the next five to fifteen minutes similar to a tranquilizer or a sedative. However, a lot of things can happen in just a short amount of time… like rape or murder."
"And by the look of things, I don't think you were after raping the prince." The alpha said as he smirked down on Lacus who glared at him in return. "So tell me, Lacus Welt, why do you want to murder the last direct descendant of Russian royalty? Who sent you to do this?"
"N-No one..."
"No one, eh?" Yuu hummed nonchalantly before he pulled out a taser from his back pocket, making sure that Lacus saw it with his own eyes.
"Will you start telling the truth or do I have to resort to torturing you for it?"
Mika unbuckled his seatbelt, finally and made his way over to where Yuu had Lacus handcuffed.
Looking to Yuu, he shook his head, reaching out to push the taser down. And then, he leaned down so he was face to face with the man.
“Just tell him what he wants to know and you won’t get hurt.”
He looked to the man, hoping he would value not being in pain over the information he was withholding.
“That thing,” He paused to turn and point at the taser Yuu held in his hand. “Is going to hurt a lot. Who knows. You might even lose control of your basic bodily functions. Do you really want to be in that situation when we’re thousands of feet in the air?”
If it were him, he would rather save himself from such a fate.
“If you just tell us what we need to know, then we might be willing to cut you a deal.”
Though he was bluffing, he tried to make it believable enough for Lacus to let his guard down. He wanted that information without Yuu having to hurt the man.
Mika would be willing to do anything in order to not hear or see something like that.
Maybe it was his omegan instincts - the urge to protect and preserve, even when this man had tried to kill him - but he couldn’t stand the thought of even this despicable man being hurt for the sake of information.
Lacus stared at the two of them for a while before he slowly hung his head in defeat, seemingly accepting the fact that he was quite clearly outnumbered.
"Okay, I'll tell..." He agreed before he took a deep breath. "But first, I want to confess one thing."
"And what is that?" Yuu asked with a raised brow.
"I want to confess that... While we were talking..." Lacus then flashed the both of them a grin before continuing, "I freed myself from the handcuffs and now I’m going to use them to trap the both of you with them."
Showing his now freed hands briefly, Lacus then took both Mika and Yuu's wrists - cuffing them together before pulling them forward to grab the taser
"I'll be taking this, thank you."
Lacus chuckled slyly before turning the device on to press it on Yuu's side, sending a jolt of electricity through both Yuu and Mika because of the handcuffs connecting them.
"F-Fuck...!" Yuu swore as he gritted his teeth to get a hold of himself.
"Serves you right, 'royal escort'." Lacus mocked as he took out a remote control from his steward uniform.
"I intend to settle this in a more peaceful manner by kidnapping the omega and leaving you to die in an 'accidental' plane crash but it seems I changed my mind."
He pressed a button on the control which caused the plane to move to one side, causing Yuu and Mika to stumble at the plane's wall while Lacus laughed as he took a parachute from a closet.
"I'll let the both of you die here instead!"
With that announcement, he proceeded to open the passenger entry door, causing the plane to decompress, forcing everything that wasn’t tied down to the floors inside of the plane to be thrown out of the plane. Yuu immediately grabbed a hold of one of the seats and held tight onto it whilst pulling Mika to safety with the handcuffs. The alpha glared at the man who waved them goodbye before another button on the control was pressed which caused the plane engines to explode, wrecking both of the airplane's wings and causing it to fall downwards at a dangerously fast pace.
And Lacus was just smiling through it all despite the strong currents of wind.
"Dasvidaniya, your highness," Lacus said in a mocking manner before he jumped and disappeared into the night sky with a parachute on.
Yuu let out a curse as his body could barely move due to the motion the vacuum created. He couldn't even think properly with this much chaos going on, but he needed to do something to bring him and Mika to safety. That was his mission; his priority that he promised to fulfill and a stupid plane crash wouldn't stop him.
With a look of determination, he turned to Mika with his mind set on escaping this life-threatening situation.
"Oi, Hyakuya, listen to me," Yuu spoke loudly to get Mika's attention and he met blue eyes looking at him. "We are getting out of here; nobody is going to die tonight. You just have to trust me."
Mika hesitated for a moment, barely able to breathe. If it were any other situation, he might have worried about hypoxia due to their altitude, but they were falling, and fast. He’d seen many documentaries in his time that showed the effects of hypoxia. He had no other choice but to trust the alpha, not that he had given him a reason not to.
He’d been right about Lacus, after all.
“I trust you.”
And he meant every word. Though the man angered him, Yuu was his only shot.
He was afraid, but Yuu was the only one in this situation that hadn't let him astray. He had tried to tempt Lacus with logic, and reason but that had proven to be a fruitless effort. But at least they had failed in a way that didn't require him getting kidnapped.
“How are we going to do this?”
Mika struggled a bit. His grip was unsteady - his hands covered in sweat. The force of the wind sucking everything out of the plane, at least - everything not tied down was strong. Stronger than he really could have imagined.
And now he was fighting against those winds, fighting so he didn't let go and possibly send the two of them flying out of the plane. If that happened… their luck would have run out.
"Follow my lead," Yuu instructed as he mustered up enough strength to walk slowly along the side of the fuselage - one foot at a time; fighting his way through the winds despite Mika's added weight. He made his way to the closet Lacus got his parachute from and saw one, last parachute from the far corner which he took with a lot of difficulty because of the situation.
It was wholly a good thing that Mika was holding onto something tight for the time being.
Yuu turned to face Mika as he unfastened the parachute pack and placed one strap of it on his free arm while saying, "Your safety is my priority in this mission. Hold onto me tight and never let go."
He then proceeded to grab Mika by circling an arm around his waist to pull him closer to his chest, not caring if he was practically crushing Mika or invading his personal space because of it. He could care less about such trivial matters when their lives were at stake.
Breathing deep to calm himself, Yuu tightened his hold on Mika before he let go of the object he was holding onto which forced the both of them to leave the burning airplane with not much trouble. Yuu turned around in the air so that he was facing the earth while Mika faced the opposite direction and he caught on with how the velocity around them had changed now that they were outside of the airplane; realizing that they were now falling faster than ever due to their body's gravity. As a result, he could barely see and breath with how much the wind was rushing through them as they fell from the sky.
Forced tears came out of his eyes as he all but yelled at Mika beside him despite their close proximity. "The parachute! Release the fucking parachute!"
Mika reached up with one hand, releasing the chute. And Mika gasped and held onto Yuu tighter as they were jostled around when the chute opened. Out of fear that he'd drop from the sky right then and there, he wrapped his legs around Yuu and clung to him.
Yuu said to never let go of him, after all. So he didn't. Despite their agitation toward each other, he would rather they both get out of here alive than make a fuss about having to touch Yuu. He kept a tight grip, eyes scrunched closed until they were safely on the ground.
And what a welcome relief being on the ground was.
It was a hard landing, but a landing nonetheless. One that didn't end in their fiery deaths.
“Oh, thank god.”
Mika wasn't sure exactly when he had started crying, but that really didn't matter much to him. All that matters is they got out alive.
Wiping at his eyes, Mika pulled himself away from Yuu a bit and sat up. Though, he couldn't do much with the handcuffs that still connected them. Suddenly, he remembered something. That something being the key Yuu probably had to the handcuffs.
Or the one Mika hoped that he had.
“Do… do you have the key to remove these things?”
Pursing his lips, he looked to Yuu, a mix of worry and hopefulness crossing over his face. He worried that it was too early to ask this. After all, they only just barely escaped their demise.
The handcuffs gave them little room to do much since wherever one of them went, the other was sure to follow. Though, they had little choice and fiddling with a pair of handcuffs while on a plane that was bound to smash into the earth was not an option. He would prefer not to have to deal with never being able to move more than a foot apart, if he had the option.
"... Who needs a key?" Yuu countered as he took out a pistol from his gun holster and shot the chain links of the handcuffs, immediately separating the two of them with a loud bang.
"I'd rather save myself the trouble to find that stupid key when there's a much simpler way to separate us."
"Great, now I'm deaf, thanks," Mika muttered, pulling his hand closer to himself. Despite the ringing in his ears, he was grateful that they weren't forced together anymore.
He pushed himself up and brushed the snow off of himself.
Sighing, Yuu stood up from the ground and dusted off his clothes as he removed the parachute on his back. The place that they landed was cold with snow falling all around them. The temperature of the Earth eventually caught on to them and Yuu hugged himself for warmth while he shivered rather violently due to the cold.
"Great... Just fucking great..." Yuu sarcastically celebrated before he gave out a short sneeze. "We're out here in the middle of nowhere with nothing left of our stuff and we’re going to fucking freeze to death. How joyous."
Yuu glanced at Mika who too was shivering from the cold but what really caught his eye was the fact that Mika was wearing such light clothes in a cold weather. The omega was practically on the verge of getting hypothermia if Yuu didn't do something about it. And quick. With another sigh, Yuu wiggled out of his business suit blazer, albeit with some difficulty because of the handcuff on his wrist, and threw said fabric right at Mika's face, ignoring the way Mika glared at him annoyingly because of it.
"Wear that and stay warm. You need it more than me." Yuu suggested as he reached out for his phone a bit shakingly now that he took off one of the items that kept him warm. He needed to know where they were for the time being in order for him to make plans on what to do next.
"Thanks..." Mika mumbled and pulled the blazer over his shoulders, tucking his arms inside to keep his hands safe from the cold. It was still absolutely freezing, but the blazer helped to keep him just a little warmer. And 'just a little' made a huge difference in this situation to keep him from turning into a popsicle.
Mika appreciated it, though he didn't enjoy Yuu throwing it at his face. Though he supposed it couldn't be helped.
Having a jacket that helped keep him warm was much more preferable to the ringing in his ears that never ceased.
It was starting to get a bit irritating but he supposed he couldn't do much about it. They were separated and that was the good thing about it. Now all that was left was to get out of this weather.
Mika shivered and hugged the jacket closer. He couldn't help but notice that it smelled like the alpha.
"What now?" He asked, and looked to Yuu nervously.
Yuu licked his lips.
"For now, we find a place to stay for the night. It's getting very late and we need to stay together as close as possible for warmth if we want to still be alive the next day."
Yuu tapped on a map application in his phone to locate the nearest shelter that they could stay and he managed to find an abandoned shed nearby. It wasn't the best place to sleep on such a cold night but they didn't have any other options as of the moment, especially with how dark their surroundings were. Inhaling scantily, Yuu turned to face Mika with a distasteful look.
"I located an empty shed nearby and it's all we've got for tonight. We might as well make do with this for now..." Yuu then offered a hand for Mika to take. "Let's go. We don't have any time to waste."
“Can’t wait,” Mika remarked sarcastically.
Mika frowned, but reached out, taking Yuu’s hand with distaste. It meant his hand was exposed to the cold now, but he supposed they wouldn’t be getting as warm as they’d like to be any time soon.
He really didn’t like the sound of this, but it couldn’t really be helped. As they continued onward, Mika realized just how much of a toll all of this had taken on his body already. He was properly exhausted, and the sleep he got tonight likely wasn’t going to help that fact. If he got any at all, that was.
As an omega, he couldn’t help but have a natural liking towards softer things. At least, when it came to sleeping. And the ground could be considered soft in some situations, but this was not one of them.
He was sure the ground was frozen - just like most things around them.
Shivering, Mika trudged forward - his eyelids began to feel heavy as they walked and with the cool winds blowing into his face, he fought to keep them open. Eventually, he looked down to try and avoid the wind, allowing Yuu to guide him toward the shed they would be staying in.
After a few minutes of seemingly walking in an endless spiral, Yuu spotted the shed not too far away from them and he immediately walked a bit faster towards it, letting go of Mika's hand in the process as he opened the shed albeit with some difficulty with how the snow heavily piled up on it.
He opened his flashlight equipped on his pistol to do a quick search to make sure that the shed was really abandoned before he pulled Mika inside, closing the door behind them afterwards. With how dark it was inside, Yuu kept the flashlight on and even removed it from his pistol just to put it in the center to illuminate everything. He sighed as he brushed off some snow that had accumulated in his hair and on his clothing throughout the duration of their trek to the shed.
"This'll do for now." Yuu murmured before turning towards Mika as he kept his pistol back to its holster before putting his hands on his hips. "The next problem, however... is keeping warm till dawn. We can't exactly make a fire here or else the whole shed will likely catch fire. Do you understand what I'm trying to say, your highness?"
"You're trying to say that we should stay close in order to keep warm."
Mika frowned and looked down at the ground. He didn't like the idea at all. Being close to Yuu was really the last thing he wanted to right now. He wanted to curl up under a pile of soft blankets and sleep the night away.
However, he didn't have much of a choice as to whether or not he wanted to. It was more that he had to if he wanted to keep warm.
It was either this or freezing to death in an abandoned shed. Out of self-preservation, he'd choose the former. He wanted to live, to get out of this situation and get to somewhere better. Really, he couldn't wait until they were able to get to their destination. Hopefully, without getting in anymore plane crashed. He just hoped that wasn't too much to ask.
But, man did he really wish he had dressed for the cold weather.
Sniffling, Mika pulled the coat closer to himself. Even though it was cold already, he could feel the temperature start to drop more as the minutes ticked by. There wasn't any promise of it getting warmer until the sun came up again. Even then, it would still be cold. He found it to be both a blessing as well as a curse that he had decided to wear fuzzy socks to be escorted to Russia.They were warm, but already they were starting to become wet due to the snow in his shoes. At least he had worn any at all.
"It can't be helped, so let's just... do it."
"... Yes, let's." Yuu agreed with a small hiss in his voice as he chose a clear spot and sat down on the ground against a wall. He opened his arms wide as a reluctant invitation for Mika to cuddle him even if his face showed a distinct dislike for such an act. But with how they barely have any source of warmth around, sharing their body heat with each other was the only plausible solution in this.
"Just this once," Yuu said as he beckoned Mika. "Let's tolerate each other just this once for the sake of surviving the next day; no funny business whatsoever. C-Come on..."
Shivers ran down Yuu's spine and goosebumps formed on his skin as his shirt clung to him like a second skin. It was extremely uncomfortable, to say the least, but he wouldn't take it off unless needed.
"Alright. Just this once."
Letting out a shaky breath, Mika moved forward and climbed onto Yuu's lap. He was reluctant, but did so anyway.
Having to tolerate someone he disliked was a far better option than what cruel fate awaited them outside.
He didn't realize just how much he was shivering until he wrapped his arms around Yuu - he couldn't help but press his hands flush against Yuu in an effort to warm them. The cloth over Yuu's torso did little to warm him, but he couldn't complain.
Mika could only really take deep breaths as he clung close to Yuu in order to keep himself warm. Eventually, he let his head rest in the crook of Yuu's neck and he sighed. Little by little, he felt as if he was going to being a popsicle just a little less.
It wasn't perfect, though.
"Jesus... why couldn't they have crashed the plane in a warmer area? It's freezing," He joked, knowing that Lacus ultimately had little regard as to whether or not they froze to death. He likely thought they had died in that plane as it smashed into the ground before they could properly succumb to hypothermia.
"Well, it's Russia, what did you expect?" Yuu countered as he brought Mika close to him by pulling his blazer around him. His shirt, alongside Mika's, were making some friction between their chests that was anything but comfortable. Not to mention that it was so fucking cold. He didn't know how Mika could tolerate something like this.
"Certainly not this. I knew it was cold but definitely not this cold.”
Yuu frowned before he pulled back a bit to undo the buttons of his shirt, each removed button slowly reveal the alpha's skin in the dim lighting. Yuu didn't like how he was showing his naked chest to Mika but for the purpose of warmth and to make it comfortable, he did what he had to do and slid his shirt off of him. He tossed his shirt aside before he looked at Mika.
"... Y-You too." He muttered hesitantly as his cheeks slowly became pink in embarrassment. "Clothes won’t do much in terms of helping us to keep warm if we’re wearing them, so... t-take off your shirt."
If Mika's face wasn't warm before, it certainly was now. Regardless, he pulled away just slightly and reached for the ends of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head.
He took but a second to look over Yuu's bare chest before looking away once again. Setting the shirt aside, he leaned forward again. The contact of their bare chests together did much better to keep them both warm. He sighed in relief because he was finally experiencing some sort of warmth. More so than before. Although slightly embarrassing, this was far better than wearing shirts. After all, the human body was warmer than the clothing they put on.
As he became just a bit warmer, he felt his eyelids start to become heavy. After going through such a wild series of events, his body was finally able to relax.
Eventually, soft snores were heard and Yuu had to prevent himself from pushing Mika away for invading personal space. Instead, he awkwardly raised his hands to grab a hold of his slightly falling blazer around Mika's shoulders and pulled him closer, covering both of their naked skin inside of it. A different kind of shiver went through his body when he pressed their skins together that he immediately dismissed as an aftershock from staying out in the cold for too long.
With a huff, Yuu circled his arms around Mika for security and more warmth. He made sure the omega was comfortable on his lap before he too drifted off to sleep.
This was going to be a long mission.