Atemu wound up cancelling the date due to Yami sleeping and the stress from Tea's intrusion had everyone on edge. Even Yugi had ended up crawling into bed with Atemu and Yami after the latter ended up there minutes earlier. Since Yami had claimed Yugi's usual space the boy slept across the foot of the bed, not caring about the sharp nails that the pair had.
-ding-
Yugi sat up quickly, 'that's from my phone! It must be Ryou!'
"Get out if you plan on answering that," Atemu muttered, his face buried in his pillow. "Let us sleep a bit longer."
Yugi scurried out of the room before Yami could say anything. He really didn't know what made him do whatever she said, but he also didn't want to find out any time soon. Looking at the text, Yugi smirked "Ryou's coming with his brothers for a barbeque picnic." Yugi said.
"... picnic...?" Yami muttered waking up a bit. "I thought we were going to all head to the mountains for the full moon?"
Yugi jumped on the bed, much to Atemu's annoyance. "It's just for today. They wanted to give Odion a male version of a baby shower before he can't go anywhere without a baby in tow."
"Yugi, I swear to God, if you don't stop jumping on my bed, I'm going to padlock you inside your 'clubhouse' tonight," Atemu growled.
"You never complained when I did this before, Temmy." Yugi said standing on the bed and hopping slightly with a smirk on his face until a tail swiped his legs out from under him.
"Atemu!" Yugi whined as he sat up on the mattress.
"That was before Yami decided to wake me up when she's having a hard time sleeping after someone messed up her sleeping pattern," the male grumbled. "Plus, your freezing cold hands and feet wake me up when you decide to sleep across the bottom of the bed."
"I can't help it if you're both warm and I'm cold. You're the one in charge of the thermostat."
"Yugi, that's enough," Yami said sternly as she sat up. Her eyes showed she was annoyed and tired of their arguing, "If neither of you shut up, I will kick you both out of the room so I can get some sleep. I swear you argue like a married couple." Yami growled out, throwing a pillow at Yugi along with a thick blanket.
Yugi pouted and left without saying anything. Atemu had a feeling that he wasn't going to be willing to talk to any of them for a while as he heard the backdoor shut moments later. He knew that Yugi was going to shut himself in his clubhouse and lock it from the inside from the way he had left the room.
"That's not good," he groaned, not knowing that Yami had yet to experience Yugi's 'silent tantrums'.
"What did I do?" Yami asked Atemu with a confused look referring to Yugi stomping out of the house.
"Actually, I think we both upset him and today was probably just a general start. This is the one day of the year that Yugi is super sensitive because it's the same day we became orphans. He was in the car when they were killed... remember what I told you before?" Yami nodded before Atemu continued. "I forgot what today actually was with everything happening. Now that he's barricaded himself inside that clubhouse of his, we might not see him for a while...at least until he has nothing to eat in there."
Yami stifled a giggle, letting out a choking sound, "I might have cleaned out his clubhouse of all the sweets that I found were past their expiration date or close to it. I also found some that were really gross looking and tossed them into the garbage."
"That's just about everything he had hidden in there," Atemu snickered. "It's been awhile since he did enough chores to earn enough allowance and credit to 'buy' permission to restock his rule-free stash."
Moments later, Yugi returned. "I'm hungry and there's nothing I can eat in my clubhouse," he muttered, pouting.
"I'll whip you something up from the kitchen. How does grilled cheese sound?" Yami asked getting up, a little achy.
Yugi beamed at the suggestion, "Can I have tomato soup too? I like yours better than anything Atemu buys!"
"Hey!" Atemu called out in fake hurt.
"Alright little one." Yami said chuckling as she and Yugi left Atemu to rest from the encounter earlier with the She-Demon in a human's body. 'Why didn't the knife cut through my skin like butter?' Yami wondered as Yugi got out the supplies for soup and a sandwich.
In a few minutes she had made the soup, mixed with her blood, and grilled cheese tinted red. "Here you go Yugi eat up." Yami said, handing the food to Yugi.
She watched as Yugi happily ate his meal at the counter. He had been eating better than before they had been changed, opting for anything that she could come up with over his usual preference of junk food. She noticed with pride that he had actually thrown out most of the stash that Atemu had approved of saying that the flavor was off.
"I should check to see if we can actually use the grill outside." Yami said, knowing she and Atemu could easily light the fire they needed.
Yugi slurped the last of the tomato soup and beamed at her, "Can we roast marshmallows tonight? I wanted to see if Atemu can keep a steady flame."
"You just want to see him go cross-eyed," Yami laughed, remembering the first time he blew a flame. "Admit it, Yugi."
Yugi laughed as well. "You caught me. But can we do them?"
"If Atemu allows them, we can. Okay?"
Yugi grinned, "Alright!"
"Go clean up the backyard before everyone gets here," Yami said before realizing that she had accidentally given Yugi an order. The second his face went blank and he headed to the backdoor, she mentally slapped herself.
"Yugi halt." Yami said in a commanding tone. The pale boy froze in place as his hand touched the door. She thought quickly for a way to release him from her command. "Clean up your dishes instead."
He turned and headed back to the table and gathered his dirty dishes. She watched as he took them into the kitchen and washed them before putting them in the rack to dry. As soon as he obeyed her, his passive face suddenly took on a confused look, "What just happened, Yami?"
"Sorry, Yugi. It seems I have to be very careful of how I ask you to do things. I hate the fact I can do that to you! God I'm so stupid for not thinking of the consequences of this." Yami said with a sigh, a flair of self hate in her eyes.
Yugi hugged her middle, "Don't feel like that, Yami. Besides, Temmy likes that I won't argue with you about chores when you do that. I'm safe and it's not like you meant to do it on purpose. I'm going to go hose down the table and chairs, okay?"
Yami squeezed him gently, grateful that Yugi hadn't lost his kind and understanding personality. "Okay. I'm going to go wake up your hard-headed brother while you're outside. I just hope that he's fully aware this time.
"Don't get yourself impaled by his hard head, Yami. I don't think you're that far in your relationship with my brother yet." Yugi teased smirking letting his fangs show.
Yami swatted at him with a dish towel, "I think I'm going to have a talk with Atemu about letting you hang out with your friends' older brothers unsupervised."
Yugi giggled as he narrowly avoided the towel. "Maybe I should just wait so you can remind him that I can hear stuff that happens up there from down here. I heard from Akefia that Atemu claimed you as his mate when he was really out of it."
"He marked me, Yugi, not claimed; those are two very different terms in dragon terminology." Yami huffed with a blush on her face. 'Damn it... I'm just glad he hadn't found that little box I kept under the bed for my 'me time'.' Yami thought very glad she kept that box very well hidden under lock and key.
Yugi suddenly went silent, a serious look on his face. "Yami, I heard that we're going to have to move because she's come back. I don't want to move... I love this house because it was Grampa's and our dad grew up here. Why can't we just stay here?"
"Atemu doesn't want to risk our safety with her out and about... she pulled out a knife to harm me otherwise she would have tried to kill Atemu or you just to keep Atemu to herself as some trophy husband."
"You and Temmy are dragons...why not roast her and bury the ashes?"
"Because the public can't know about us yet, Yugi, or we will become guinea pigs under a microscope and knives for the rest of our lives...and don't get me started on what they might do once they find out I can have children and they can make weapons of them."
Yugi sighed, "We could invite her to go camping and go hiking long enough to get her lost. Then we could leave her there with some supplies or something."
"I would trust Bakura or Akefia to kill her without getting too messy and to let me and Atemu burn the body in a massive bonfire." Yami said with a snort.
"Plotting someone's demise, are we," Atemu asked as he entered the dining room wearing his sleep pants.
Yami blushed as Yugi tried to look like he was innocent.
"Tea's." both said at once in sync before Yugi scampered off leaving Yami to Atemu's curious brain.
Atemu raised a brow in curious shock, "Really? What did you two happen to come up with?"
"Leaving her in the forest or letting Akefia and Bakura drain her then have us burn her to ash with dragon fire." Yami said with a blush feeling hot under Atemu's gaze. 'fudge it! I'm getting horny again!' Yami thought, blushing harder and redder.
"Well...we do have the camping trip coming up and will need to be able to feed four wolves."
"Will they be willing to help? Besides, you have yet to tell the gang that Tea was here in town." Yami asked with a raised brow. 'I think I need a cold bath after this... with my stuff under the bed...' Yami thought hating to use that but what choice did she have when she and Atemu had yet to go on a date yet much less in the position to make love to one another. 'I don't think we are even ready for this so suddenly...' Yami thought '... I should look into getting another apartment soon until Atemu and Yugi are settled into their new roles... maybe I can find a warm building no one uses and camp out in there for now.' Yami thought absently again, not noticing she had inadvertently spaced out of her conversation with Atemu.
"Yami, I think we need to talk about this trip. Apparently, it means that this thing will be irreversible when the full moon rises. Ishizu thinks she might have made a cure for at least one of us. She wanted us to talk about it since it's quite obvious that the rest of the group will be joining Malik as wolves... Yami... earth to Yami?... come in Yami..." Atemu said snapping his fingers in front of Yami who blinked.
"Sorry what were you saying? I was deep in thought about some things I need to do." Yami said with a blush.
Atemu sighed, "Ishizu might be able to cure at least one of us."
"Yugi... Yugi doesn't deserve this fate he was thrusted into... he... he is like a puppet under my blood, Atemu... one wrong move or word and he loses all of his awareness... it... it hurts... my heart seeing him like that... he doesn't deserve to be a vampire under my blood Atemu... he is too kind and pure-hearted to be a monster like us... he should be normal growing boy without having to drink or eat my controlling blood every day." Yami said as tears came to her eyes and slowly fell.
Atem gently pulled her into his arms. "Ok. We'll slip it into his drink the night before the full moon and hope that it works before the curse settles permanently. If it does work, we will have to protect him together. Will you help me keep him safe?"
"... yes... many times yes Atemu... he is like my own son to me now." Yami said in a low whisper before chuckling, "We sound like some sappy romance novel... god, I never thought I would be the woman in the story though."
Atemu looked stunned, "I never knew that you were ever interested in those books. Was this some secret addiction?"
"Mainly the manga with very descriptive pictures... and actions in bed..." Yami blushed like a cherry
"I hope you have those locked up," Atemu said seriously. "We have a thirteen-year-old boy running wild around here."
"You left them in my old apartment, Atemu... I don't have them anymore... just a book about two men that's it." Yami admitted
"I suppose I owe you some new ones to replace the ones you lost."
"Good luck trying, Atemu. I don't think they print them any more." Yami said before removing herself from Atemu already missing his warmth. "I'm taking a bath before the Thief clan comes and cooks."
Atemu held his hand up to her, "Yami, should we actually become full dragons, would you like to fly with me?"
"I... I would... love to... very much..."
"I know that we never got to go on our date, but I was wanting to tell you something important to me," he said before pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts. "Yami Sennen... we have known each other for quite a while... and I will admit... I had a crush on you even before the curse happened... all I ask is... will you be my mate?" Atemu asked stunning Yami with his words full of love.
"... yes..." Yami said nodding her head up and down as tears of joy trailed down her already tear stained face as she stepped up to Atemu and kissed him on the lips. Neither noticed they had a crowd around them for the last bit of the conversation.
They broke apart when the sound of money being pressed into a hand reached their ears. They turned to see Yugi wearing a smirk on his face and a wad of cash in his hands. Around him was the thief clan and the Ishtar clan, making Yami blush and let out a squeak at being caught, burying her face into Atemu's neck.
"How long were you listening?" Atemu asked
"The part where Yami was guilty I wasn't human anymore... why didn't you tell me Yami was giving her blood to me? It explains why Yami seems on the thinner side than normal." Yugi huffed at his brother.
"I did it to keep you healthy, Yugi," Yami said as she opened her arms out to him. "I had hoped that I wouldn't have to, but you became rather aggressive and lost yourself one time."
Yugi looked at Atemu, "Is that why you're part dragon and part vampire?"
"In a way yes... but we were all still learning what you were and how you reacted... you only had a couple drops of blood before you came home. In the span of a few hours you attacked the closest person to you with a subconscious want to change me. Yami intervened even though she had not fully recovered from feeding both you and Ryou the day before... I got a few drops of the exposed blood onto my skin and it infected my body. You know the rest of the story."
"If the supposed cure works, what will happen to me," Yugi asked.
"You will return to being a normal boy and grow until you are the age where you can choose what species you want to be. Just like Akefia and Bakura chose to be with their brother." Yami said
Yugi looked at his friends, "Wouldn't the cure work on Ryou and Malik?"
"Ishizu only made one... if she tries to make another the full moon would already pass and the curse would be permanently in place for all eternity, Yugi." Yami said
"Besides, Squirt," Akefia spoke up, "Malik would never be able to be human again since he has to bite his family to turn them. Ryou's decided to stay a vampire since he's already turned us. You shouldn't have to drink blood since you tend to freak out at the sight of it."
"Will everything still be the same as before?" Yugi asked as he looked sadly at everyone. "All of us together most of the time?"
"As much as we can, Yugi." Ishizu replied as Melvin ruffled the boy's head.
"Come on... are we having a cookout or what?" Bakura asked as Atemu snorted.
"You know where the stuff is out on the patio." Atemu remarked as Akefia and Bakura caught Atemu, taking him outside with the group. Yami staying behind as she grabbed four empty bottles, a pitcher, and a plastic funnel. She filled the pitcher halfway with water and ice before taking her wrist and cutting her skin right at the artery and letting the blood full the rest of the pitcher before the wound closed and she felt lighter.
She hoped that becoming a full dragon would eliminate this feeling. She was also on edge for the night of the full moon because flying with Atemu would be a part of their eternal promise to each other as mates.
'Gotta stop the spinning room... ugh I feel sick...' Yami thought as she filled the bottles marking them BW for blood water before putting them in a cooler with some sodas preparing some blood pops for Ryou, Bakura, Yugi, and Akefia. 'Popsicle maker... strawberry juice and blood... then instant freeze with ice breath... no problem...' Yami thought rubbing her head.
As she moved about her vision blacked around the edges but she fought to stay awake and to keep everyone happy even if she was the only one she would allow to give their recent vampires any blood. 'I won't ask Atemu to make this sacrifice... not yet... this is my responsibility...' Yami stubbornly thought after making the popsicles, feeling very light and so so sleepy but unwilling to rest.
Later...
Yami tucked Yugi into his own bed after his time of fun during the barbeque. She smiled at the memory of Akefia and Atemu working on starting the grill. The eldest of the Touzuku brothers had refused to listen to Atemu's order to keep away while he started the fire and walked up to the grill and try spraying the charcoal with the fluid. He was lucky that the house didn't catch fire.
Odion never showed up because he wound up getting wrangled into making a 'food run' for his wife's weird cravings.
She knew that they would be giving Yugi the cure the next day before 'inviting' Tea to join them on their camping trip to the middle of nowhere up in the mountains. They needed fresh meat for the new werewolves after they were Turned and she was a threat to her family...her mate and the boy she was responsible for and felt the urge to protect with her life.
'Wish I had stayed awake longer after that... caused Atemu to go into a panic because I used more than a pint of blood for everyone and almost slipped into a small coma because of it.' Yami thought bitterly. 'Waking up to Atemu shaking me with panicked eyes and fury is not a good way to wake up from a small blood coma.'
"Yami, since you seem to be sneaking into my room every night, why don't you just pick a side and sleep there from now on," Atemu asked her as he looked over her shoulder at his slumbering baby brother.
"I thought we settled that days ago when I did start sleeping in your room? I know I left the room earlier to go to my appointed one and get changed and dressed..."
"Not really. I mean actually moving your stuff in permanently. You seem to have a claim on half of the dresser top and bathroom counter. I figured that if we're going to be mated soon, you should be able to share my room permanently."
"Alright. After tomorrow I'll move my stuff in. Right now I wanna sleep and get my blood back thank you very much." Yami said yawning as she leaned into Atemu struggling to stay awake; even with that power nap she was still weak and low on blood.
Atemu wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "So... since you were the one who actually contributed to the blood that Turned me, would that mean that you have more sway in the way of things now? Kind of like the way the Queen is the one in charge of England?"
"No... don't have the right genes... the King gets the power but the Queen gets full sway in the final decision." Yami muttered laying her head in the crock of Atemu's neck.
They headed to their room for the rest of the night to sleep.