Title: Flames of Ra
Tags: Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Episode s02e43 Mind Games: Mai vs. Marik, Part 3
Summary: Atem protected Joey and Mai by blocking the winged dragon of Ra's direct attack. Screw Marik and his shadow games; Ra's attack had been real. Pretending like his back wasn't still on fire every time he moved, and staying strong in front of Marik's ever watchful eyes and those of his friends, was quickly wearing him down.
"Hide all you want from your little friends," Kaiba said, "but I deserve more from you. I deserve everything you have. So don't you dare face me and pretend nothing is wrong."
AU: Atem and Yugi are two separate people.
BETA: TheSupernova
Chapter 1: Martyr
"Are you okay, Atem?" Joey asked him worriedly. "That Egyptian god monster blasted ya really good."
"I'm fine, Joey," Atem reassured. "What about Mai?"
Atem sighed. With so many people counting on him to save the world, he needed to remain strong. More importantly, he needed to prove that the Pharaoh was strong enough to withstand anything Marik could throw at him.
"Well isn't that special. It appears I'll be able to destroy the Pharaoh even sooner than I thought I would."
"Not quite, Marik! Your dark shadow powers will never penetrate me! I will shield everyone from your evil!"
"I doubt it! Nothing can withstand the unstoppable force of the greatest creature to ever walk the Earth, the winged dragon of Ra!"
Atem supposed distancing himself from his friends was a residual habit left over from his time ruling Egypt: constantly hiding his weaknesses in favor of a confident public image. Yugi kept telling Atem relying on others wasn't a weakness, and normally he would have taken Yugi's advice, but this was different.
People were expecting the Pharaoh, not Atem, to save the Earth. So that's who he needed to be, an infallible ruler.
This was probably why Atem found himself alone on the top of Kaiba's blimp, near the edge overlooking Domino City. Screw Marik and his shadow games; Ra's attack had been real. Although Atem's jacket was unsinged, his body had suffered deep 2nd degree burns from behind. While Atem had a relatively high tolerance to pain, this was quickly wearing him down; pretending like his back wasn't still on fire every time he moved, and staying strong in front of Marik's ever watchful eyes. The Pharaoh wasn't in pain, he stopped Marik's direct attack and life goes on.
Atem threw his jacket to the ground and allowed the chilled atmosphere to numb his body. He wore a loose, black tank, more suited to summer, but it was the only shirt he had that didn't cling to his back. Harsh winds were pushing against him, sweeping across his arms and through the thin shirt.
"You've been up here for hours," Kaiba said, breaking the silence. Atem startled in shock, causing streaks of pain to course up his back. He gripped the steel railing tightly to avoid making any sounds.
"I'm preparing for my next duel," Atem replied.
"You're lying."
Atem didn't respond immediately.
"Does it matter?" Atem asked. "I don't need your help."
He could get through this on his own, just like he did 5,000 years ago.
Kaiba laughed loudly. "Now that's my line. I suppose it's time for me to take a page from your book." Kaiba stepped up behind him, resting his hand lightly on Atem's shoulder. "You need my help, Atem, so don't give me any more of your bullshit."
Atem turned away, but Kaiba refused to be ignored.
"I talked to Yugi and Ishizu. I know what happened in the duel with Marik. I know what you're hiding." When Kaiba didn't get a response, he dug his fingers in and slashed them across Atem's back. Tears tracked down Atem's face as he cried out in anguish.
"Hide all you want from your little friends," Kaiba said, "but I deserve more from you. I deserve everything you have. So don't you dare face me and pretend nothing is wrong."
He wrapped his arms around Atem's chest and pulled the pharaoh close. Kaiba leaned his head lightly against Atem's.
"A pharaoh needs to be strong. If anyone found out Marik got the upper hand, that I wasn't able to fully stop the attack from penetrating me…" Atem shook his head, sighing. "I'll do anything if you can make the pain stop. I'm so tired of pretending."
Atem released the tension in his body, relaxing into Kaiba's arms.
"You'll do anything?" Kaiba asked curiously. "Okay then. Get your ass back to our room so I can take care of you. I don't want you avoiding me like this, do you hear me? And don't you fucking lie to me again."
"I'm sorry," Atem admitted, nuzzling Kaiba's neck. "This won't happen again. You have my word."
Kaiba nodded. "Now get moving."
A/N: Oops. Kaiba turned out to be a lot more dominant then I had intended... and Atem is all like: that's cool. whatever.