Alia: Happy Valentines Day! This is a short fic I did because I've had the idea for a full story bouncing around in my head for a while. Unfortunately, I've got my hands full with Shadow Illusions (Puzzleshipping) and especially Hope Hates Reality (Monarchshipping).
So I thought I'd write an overall clip of the story. You have background, plot, and character information all in this so it should work.
Enjoy.
Title: Someday
Author: Alia D
Part: 1/1
Rating: R
Pairing: Monarchshipping
Spoilers: YGO series
Warnings: Het, Yaoi, Hints of mpreg
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh anime series, or the game or anything else that I might mention. I am making no money with this.
Summary: Life throws people a lot of setbacks, but you have to keep trying. Someday right?
Author's notes: Medieval Setting. Much thanks to my Sims Medieval for assisting me. Yugi and his crew are all older (late 30s). Everyone else are in their late teens/early twenties.
Someday
Curling up deeper into the warmth surrounding him, Atem mentally groaned.
Nearly two years ago, he had always hated mornings in the past as it meant one more day of existence. Mornings meant going through a harsh day of work with little food. They meant more scars on a beaten body. The sunrises meant that he had to deal with his sadistic master and his harlot of a wife. Dawn meant that he had to remember the truth about his surrogate mother and what that sick bastard had done.
If it hadn't been for the few sparks of happiness in that life before, he'd had gone to sleep and never woken up.
Now, rising with the sun was an amazing thing, but that didn't mean that Atem had to like it any more than before.
Pulling the covers up high around his chin, the weary man pressed his scarred back into the warm chest behind him. The arm lying over his waist pulled him closer. Atem grumbled softly as a cold nose rubbed his neck. Comfortable and satisfied with air pocket under the wool blanket, Atem closed his eyes intending to return to sleep.
"I know you're awake, Atem. Get up." A sleep heavy voice announced just at the edge of Atem's ear.
In response, the older man buried his head deeper into the blanket, soaking in the warmth.
The other man gave a deep sigh. Atem felt like cursing when the arm wrapped around him disappeared. The warm body pressed against him rolled away. "This isn't going to change anything."
Atem could already feel his morning fall apart. He made no move to rise even as a hint of cool air slipped into his air pocket.
"I thought you were helping me this morning. Atem, get up!"
Atem took a moment to slide his hand out into the cool air to make a rude gesture. A moment later, he slid his head beneath the bed covers.
There was a rude snort before his pocket of heated air burst. A strong hand was quick to snatch the warm wool blanket, leaving a rather unhappy individual sprawled out on the cooling sheets.
Atem yelped at the sudden rush of cold air before scrambling for the discarded blanket and sheets. The sudden temperature change was almost painful this deep into winter. "That wasn't necessary!"
Amused rose madder eyes stared at him, though they trailed over the prone man's body for a moment. "Yes, it was. You specifically said you wanted to see me off this morning. How will that happen if you're still asleep?"
Atem glared as the partially dressed man walked out of the door of their bedroom. He hated having his words thrown back in his face, at least so early in the morning. However, as much as Atem hated it, his husband was right.
With him leaving for such an extended trip, he would need some assistance to prepare for the journey. It didn't help that Atem didn't think it was necessary for him to go anyway. The whole war was stupid. Their land hadn't even started it.
Groaning as if he were the only spouse rising early when he was really one of many, Atem rolled onto his stomach and picked up the pair of wool socks laying over his boots beside the bed. Pulling his socks on lazily, Atem rolled around the bed until he sat on the side. Sliding on his boots, the disgruntled man stood and headed through the door to the main room of their home. "Yami, it is still entirely too early for this."
"It is for most people. However, few care about the foot soldiers." Yami stood in front of the fireplace, still bare-chested as he stoked the fire and tossed in another block of wood.
Atem had never understood how the man could stand the cold weather so well. Atem was always extremely poor with it. He'd even worn a thick sweater to bed to escape the horrible air. The older man had enough of the cold over the years.
"You are no ordinary foot soldier." Atem wrapped his arms around Yami from the back. He rested his chin on his husband's shoulder. "We both know where you'll be most of the time anyway."
Yami rubbed the hands clasped over his abdomen, and looking over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow at Atem's tone. There was a small hint of jealousy in it.
He knew Atem wasn't jealous that he was a soldier. In fact, there had been an awful fight when Yami had accepted the position. The older man hadn't been happy that his husband was a castle guard before but a soldier? There hadn't been anyway that Yami could have rejected the position, but it was still days before they could speak without argument.
"That's not true. I'll be working with all the other soldiers. I won't get any special treatment. The only reason they even recruited me is because of the general."
Atem frowned. "Yes, but we both know the King doesn't want the prince's favorite dead."
Yami didn't even turn back around. He turned to the reheating pot hanging in the fireplace. Maybe some food would get rid of his husband's foul mood. Atem was always like this in the morning. Although the current subject didn't make things better. Absently, he picked up a spoon from the mantle and said, "So if the Prince-Consort had saved my life, you wouldn't be grateful?"
Annoyed, and rather chastised, Atem sighed. Pressing a kiss to his husband's shoulder, he turned and walked toward the empty satchel hanging by the door.
Despite his current temperament, Atem did understand. He and Yami had been through so many things since their childhood, but they had done much of it together. Atem didn't know what he'd do if he lost his husband, an occurrence that was very real now. He understood how King Muoto would feel if Prince-Consort Heba had died. After all, neither man had fully recovered after the kidnapping and murder of their only child.
Atem's eye drifted as he walked to the bedroom with Yami's satchel. On the table next to the larder and fireplace sat a plain blue jar. The jar was a mediocre size and light weighed as it was partially filled with coins of various values. On the front of the jar were the words 'Apothecary'.
Ignoring the continuous urge to hide the jar, Atem went to pack the small stack of clothes Yami had cleaned for the journey. The man in question closed his eyes for a moment lifting the top of the pot and stirring the leftovers from dinner. A glance at the window showed that the sun was just beginning to rise.
Shaking off the spoon, Yami placed the top over the pot and sat the spoon aside. He stretched his arms out, dropping one to scratch his head, as he turned his eyes at the open bedroom door.
Yami knew he shouldn't worry, but Atem had been under a lot of stress lately and it was affecting his attitude more and more. Atem had been so relaxed when they'd moved from their hometown. Even when he hadn't been at full health, Atem had glowed with happiness, especially when they finally married. Yami felt horrible that he was responsible for causing some of worry and stress to return to his husband.
First, there was the matter of work. Neither man had a difficult time finding work, but Yami had intended to find a job as a scribe. He hadn't meant to sign up as a castle guard, but the job was available at the time, and Atem was still healing from his last ordeal with Zigfried. Besides, Yami hadn't intended to do it forever. Just enough to supplement the money from selling his home and help with the future.
Yami's eyes darted to the blue apothecary jar with a sad smile.
Then there was the attack on the country. It was full blown first act of war. No one had been expecting the country of Dragows and King Lector to attack. But when they did attack, they'd done as much damage as possible. King Lector had struck neighboring farms, two major towns, the capital and the castle.
Yami clearly remembered the terror of not being able to reach Atem in their small room in town. How he'd been prepared to fight his way out of the castle to reach his husband. Running into an injured Prince Heba fighting for his life was the only thing that stopped him. Yami had spent the rest of the attack protecting the injured royal and praying for his new husband's safety.
And after the attack, when many people had returned to their ransacked homes after the raiders had been killed or forced out, Yami had walked in to see his devastated husband holding an empty, blue jar.
Picking up two clean bowls from the table, Yami filled one with a frown on his face. Out of everything he had seen that day, finding their little hope for the future empty had been heartbreaking. It was as if their life together had been violated by the theft.
And when the two men had begun pulling themselves together, Yami had been pulled aside, personally thanked by the King and dragged, almost literally, into the army by General Wheeler.
It hadn't been a good time for the couple.
Things were getting better now, and their little jar was again filling with money, but it wasn't easy when your new home was in the middle of a war.
Walking to another table in the center of the room, Yami sat the two warm bowls on to the wooden table as Atem walked in. Yami threw him a little smirk as he took a seat in front of his bowl. "I could have done that. I'm a big boy after all."
Atem raised and eyebrow, a little more relaxed as he positioned the packed satchel next to Yami's chair. With his free hand, he playfully cuffed his husband. "Pervert. Didn't you get enough yesterday?"
Yami blinked before blushing. "Hey! I didn't mean-,"
"And I know you can do it." He held out a thick cotton shirt and Yami's uniform vest. "But you're always taking care of me. Let me give it a try this once."
Yami smiled warmly, his eyes dancing. He rose from his chair and took the shirt. As he dressed quickly, he said, "I thought we were always rather even."
Atem moved forward after Yami had closed his shirt. He helped his husband into the thick winter vest that sported the country's colors. "It never really felt that way. Your family helped me as a child. Then you stayed by, loved and cared for me every time I was hurt. Then you – you bought me away from that pink fool." He paused to accept the comforting kiss from Yami. "No, love. We're not even now, but someday."
The older man involuntarily allowed his eyes to trail to the jar. Yami smiled at him. "Does that mean you've changed your mind?"
Atem snorted. He shook his head negatively. "Not likely. I must be insane."
"We've got plenty of time to decide that." That earned the soldier a look he ignored. Giving his husband a peck on the cheek, Yami nodded his head toward the reheated food. "Let's eat for now. The last thing I want is Bakura showing up with nothing on my stomach."
Atem sneered as he went to take his seat. "Are you sure you can't accidentally kill him? Just trip him somewhere dangerous."
"Ryou would be heartbroken. Why do you think I go easy on Bakura during spars? Don't tell him that though." If Bakura realized that Yami would create draws or lose just to shut him up…
Atem tried not to choke with laughter as he took a bite of food.
Watching Ryou fuss over Bakura's cloak as the man did a final inventory check of his pack and horse, Atem wrapped his arms around his husband's back.
The large courtyard was filled with soldiers, horses, and carriages all set to march out. Plenty of husbands and wives waving their spouses off as the soldiers marched toward Dragows. Ryou kept slipping bandages and medical creams into Bakura's bag. Rebecca's husband was handing her another bundle of arrows. Mahado and Isis stood talking near the side with their heads close to each other. Seto stood near a wall saying goodbye to his lover, Noah, and his little brother, Mokuba. Lord Pegasus' bride wore a serene smile while her husband begged her to stay home.
Others stood excited for the procession to begin. Ushio was surrounded by his useless little minions with an excited bloodthirsty grin. Keith was yelling at his men to hurry up and complete various tasks he'd set them.
Even the leaders of the army seemed a little excited. Lieutenant Duke Devlin and General Joey Wheeler were all impatiently waiting for the King and his mate to appear. Atem had a feeling it had to do with the reviving rumors of the newborn prince's death. Even nearly 19 years later, more than one person still believed that Dragows' King had something to do with it.
Yami's face was buried in Atem's shoulder, blocking out all the sights and sounds and enjoying the way Atem rubbed his scarred hands over his cloaked back. He startled his husband with the words, "It's time to go."
Looking down at Yami, Atem followed his line of sight to King Yugi and his husband Heba. The two men were walking toward a keep where General Wheeler and Lt. Devlin stood. King Yugi was dressed as usual while Prince Heba was dressed for battle. He'd be traveling with the army.
While walking toward the front of the crowd, the royal couple had caught Yami's eye, and the two nodded a quick greeting with a smile at the young couple. Atem couldn't help a warm smile in return.
Atem truly did like the royal family. They'd been kind to him and Yami even before his younger husband saved Heba's life. He'd never forget the small gifts they'd given him and Yami after they married. Atem chuckled. He'd never forget that the King and Prince-Consort had stood as witnesses for his wedding even if Atem, Yami and the priest hadn't known their identities at the time.
Atem gave Yami a long hug as courtyard began to quiet when everyone noticed the King. He pressed a kiss to Yami's forehead. He decided to speak now as the King began his speech. "Yami, I will not open that jar alone. I'll never forgive you if you get yourself killed."
The younger man pressed a kiss to his husband's neck and shoulder. "That won't happen. Remember what I promised."
"Someday, right?" Atem fought to overcome the fear that settled in his stomach. He wouldn't make it without Yami in his life. He knew he'd fall apart without his constant.
Yami nodded, pulling away enough to look his husband directly in the eye. "Someday. I've kept every promise to you, Atem. I'll keep this one too."
Atem nodded and let go. Yami had never broken a promise no matter what he had to do to keep it. Atem needed to trust that he'd keep this one too.
The End
Alia: Well there you are. Here's hoping everyone figured out what the jar of money was going toward.
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February 14, 2013
