Atem sighed contently as he lay on the too-soft bed and stared at the swirls of the ceiling's posh design. He took a moment of reflection of what had occurred; the heated bodies, the tangled limbs, the soft, breathy moans.

They were all over each other like, well, horny teenagers just discovering their realized lusts. It wasn't gentle, but it wasn't rushed either, how the two of them kissed with small sips at first, testing the waters before driving deeper. As with any challenge, they strived to discover how the other worked, what they liked, what they didn't. With little bites at lips, a playful grin, they found a glorious unity in their rivalry.

It was beautiful and heated and messy. And perfect.

He turned to glance at Seto who was lying on his back as well, eyes forward, his lips slightly parted, and he looked a little shell shocked. Atem held back a budding chuckle. It was perfect. He was perfect. Everything about Seto was to his ocean deep eyes to his long, elegant neck and the smooth skin—almost unmarred if not for the new marks Atem had left in his passion.

The former Pharaoh had the sudden urge to touch that skin and, with a welcoming thought, he realized that he could. Therefore, moving slowly to not spook the other man, Atem turned on his side and propped his head onto his hand, looking down at Seto.

It took a few seconds for Seto to respond but when he did it was just as breathtaking as when they first began their dance. His eyes finally focused, came back to life as they lay in moot calculation on the Pharaoh. He said nothing, only smiled and that… that was enough.

And Atem knew exactly how to respond.

He smiled back.

Atem reached out to lay a hand on Seto's stomach to gently stroke it. It was not to entice him or to stir any heated reaction nor was it possessive petting. It was just a touch of reassuring physical contact. Then he asked, "How are you feeling?" Not "are you okay?" or "are you uncomfortable?" He didn't want to coddle the other man but to be sure nothing was amiss.

At that Seto looked away again to stare at the ceiling, not to shut out the Pharaoh but perhaps remembering what occurred. "It was strange," he said slowly, carefully to choose his words. "At first it felt like I was going to…" he trailed off, once again catching Atem's eyes for a brief moment before looking away as a hint of a blush rushed to his cheeks. He closed his eyes as Atem finally let out of a small huff of a laugh, more a brush of warm air against Seto's cheek. "But yeah, I feel good," he continued. "Really good in fact."

There was no need to hold back the urge to kiss those warm lips so Atem leaned over Seto, just those last few inches away, and claimed that content smile and drank it up like ambrosia. Just a kiss; simple, passionate, adoring. A kiss for the sake of the kiss. There was no need for sweet words or overdone declarations. Their fight was never over, but the rules had changed.

And they both loved their challenge.