Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh
Atemu leaned back against the throne and sighed, his eyes slipping closed in exasperation. It was days like today he truly hated his council. From a mental standpoint he understood that the council's only job was to advise him to make sure that he was doing what was best for the kingdom. But at the same time this issue wasn't as simple as the council suggested it was.
The council wanted Yami to take his place on the throne beside Atemu. At the end of the day that was what Atemu himself wanted but the problem was that wasn't something Yami was ready for, since the only way Yami would be able to take that place would be for him and Yami to marry. Something Atemu was absolutely certain Yami was not ready to do.
He loved Yami, he really did and if it was only up to him he would marry Yami tomorrow no questions asked. The council had basically asked him what the holdup was, a question he was unable to answer. Yami was trying and had been trying really hard to act like there had never been anything between him and Yugi. But at the end of the day, the fact remained that Yami had been deeply in love with Yugi. No matter how much Yami tried to dismiss it and act like it didn't matter at the end of the day it still very much mattered.
Deep down Atemu was still almost certain Yami was just pretending or forcing himself to, in a sense go through the motions. This was also why Atemu kept making up excuses to not move things further along. He didn't want Yami to end up doing something that he was going to regret. He also didn't want his marriage to Yami to be a prison sentence to Yami. Which was why he absolutely refused to just marry Yami for the sake of the kingdom. Yami's happiness was not worth that sacrifice.
"Pharaoh?" Seth queried drawing Atemu from his thoughts.
The rest of the council had left, leaving on the two cousins behind. Seth walked forward and sat down upon the edge of the dais beside Atemu's throne. Atemu gave Seth a strange look. Seth was a lot of things but completely formal was probably one of his defining traits. For him to behave so casually and in the throne room no less was strange.
"Is there something on your mind Priest Seth?" Atemu asked.
"Not so much as on my mind Pharaoh. I am curious what is on your mind? I can clearly see there is something troubling you." Seth said cautiously.
Atemu merely shrugged, "There is nothing on my mind that is of any concern. My mind merely wandered." Atemu said.
"Then why don't you give me the real reason you and your god chosen have not wed after six months? There is no logical reason why you and he would not have formalized your bond. And yet you hesitate. I cannot help but question why?" Priest Seth said.
Atemu sighed once more before he rose from the throne, "All I can say on the subject Priest Seth, is that the matter is a complicated one. I will let the council know if and when something changes but as it stands right now it is not the right time for such discussions." Atemu said.
Priest Seth did not pursue the matter further and allowed Atemu to leave the room. Atemu walked into his office and began to work on a mountain of paperwork that he needed to review. He was confident that the matter with Yami would resolve itself in time. As the priests had said back on Yami's 16th birthday they had the rest of their lives together. And for that reason alone Atemu saw no reason to rush things.
Yami glanced up from the history book he had been studying. Atemu had given into his request of something to do from months ago and now Yami took lessons here at the palace. Some of the lessons were interesting like the lessons on international relations and international customers fascinated Yami. Whereas the lessons on economics and history almost bored him to tears. But, according to his tutors these lessons were of the utmost importance and that when he took his place beside Atemu he would need to be able to pull from all of these lessons to help Atemu guide the kingdom along its journey to a prosperous future.
Yami vaguely thought that perhaps these tutors should visit his old school since they had mastered the art of guilt tripping their students into studying. Their overarching message was that if Yami did not study and do well he would be letting down an entire kingdom. Kind of made the idea of skipping lessons or not doing his homework seem pretty damn selfish on his end.
However, today of all days Yami was struggling to keep his focus on his studies. Today was Yugi's sixteenth birthday. By the gods he missed Yugi. He had missed him every single day he had been gone. He found himself wondering what Yugi had been up to. Wondering if Yugi had ever moved on? If he was happy?
Yami knew that he shouldn't be thinking about Yugi at all. Or that the thought of Yugi's smiling face shouldn't still make his heart speed up. He and Yugi were done, they were in the past and yet when he allowed his mind to wander it always seemed to gravitate back to Yugi.
Atemu should be the one who was always on his mind. And Yami would admit there were days that Atemu was at the forefront of his mind. His relationship with Atemu had been progressing nicely. They certainly had been doing a lot more intense kissing and even some touching although Atemu always stopped short of anything truly sexual ever happening. Yami vaguely figured Atemu was just shy, which went in the face of everything Yami knew about the man.
I wonder who Yugi's god chosen is. Yami thought. He really hoped that whoever Yugi got at least was a decent person, like Atemu. Yugi deserved that if nothing else.
"God chosen of Pharaoh." A sharp voice said, drawing Yami from his wandering thoughts. Yami turned his attention onto the tall brunet wearing priest's robes that had just entered the room he had been studying in.
Yami set his book aside. "Can I help you with something priest?" Yami asked, he had never seen this priest before. In fact he hadn't seen most of the priests and could not pick up who was who if his life depended on it.
The priest seemed to contemplate a course of action before he took a seat across from Yami fixing Yami with a pointed look. "Why have you and Pharaoh not married yet?" The priest asked bluntly.
Yami narrowed his eyes, "And what business is that of yours Priest?" Yami asked.
The priest gave Yami an arrogant, condescending look, "My job, God Chosen, is to ensure that the needs of the kingdom are met."
"And what part of butting into my relationship with Atemu ensuring the needs of the kingdom are met. Last I checked Atemu does a damn good job of taking care of the people. What happens between he and I is no concern of yours." Yami hissed.
"I would say ensuring the continuation of the royal line is a major concern of the kingdom." The priest replied sharply.
"And Atemu's and my sex life isn't any of your business. We will produce an heir to the kingdom and get married in our own time. We have the rest of our lives together. Who are you to rush us into getting married?" Yami yelled, rising to his feet and slamming his hands down on the table. The nerve of this priest to dictate his and Atemu's lives.
The Priest also rose to his feet, "Listen here peasant. You may have won the lottery in terms of being Pharaoh's God Chosen but do not assume for one millisecond that you have any idea about what it means to be royal or to look out for the wellbeing of a kingdom. The kingdom needs an heir and you will spread you little legs nice and wide so you can give Pharaoh one, two or ten. However many Pharaoh wants. You will marry him and that is that." The priest growled.
Yami felt a rage growing in him that he hadn't felt in a very long time. How dare this priest talk to him that way?
"Priest Seth, that is quite enough. Now leave while you still possess the ability to do so under your own power." Atemu growled from the doorway.
"Pharaoh I was just…" Priest Seth began.
"Attempting to bully my God Chosen. I heard. Now get out of my sight Seth." Atemu hissed, his tone leaving no doubt that the matter was not up for debate. Priest Seth gave Yami one last pointed look before he quickly exited the room.
Atemu sighed as he rested his head in his hands. Today was just not turning out to be a good day at all. Yami continued to glare after Seth until he was out of sight.
"The nerve of that priest." Yami growled.
Atemu walked over to Yami and lightly wrapped an arm around his shoulders, "Don't let him bother you Yami. He isn't worth your anger." Atemu soothed.
Yami turned his attention onto Atemu, "Are you saying you're okay with him basically saying I'm your whore?" Yami hissed.
Atemu sighed, "I said nothing of the sort Yami. And you know that I don't view you as such. Priest Seth overstepped his place and I told him as much. Although, I should have expected something like this to happen sooner or later. I am sorry for not warning you about it." Atemu said.
"Why would you have possibly known one of the priests would do or say something like that?" Yami asked.
Atemu sighed, "Because the council has been hounding me about when we are getting married for almost 3 months. I keep telling them that it isn't the proper time to be discussing this. They are beginning to get impatient. And when pressed all I tell them is that the matter is complicated." Atemu elaborated.
Yami nodded in acknowledgement before he gave Atemu a look, "Not that I'm not happy to see you but why are you hear in the middle of the day?" Yami asked.
Atemu sighed, "I was actually coming by to tell you that I was not going to be able to join you for dinner tonight. I have some things that I am going to be seeing to." Atemu said.
"When will you be back?" Yami asked.
Atemu sighed, "I'm actually not sure. I should be back in time to see you before bed tonight." Atemu said.
Yami gave Atemu a smile before he walked up and pressed a kiss to Atemu's lips. The kiss lasted for several seconds before Atemu pulled away. "As much as I would like to continue this I really do need to be leaving." Atemu said.
Yami gave Atemu a tight hug, "Be safe. I will see you tonight." Yami said.
Atemu pressed a kiss to Yami's cheek, "Until tonight." Atemu replied before he pulled away and walked out of the room.
Yami turned his attention back onto his book. Yami however, was unable to focus since he could still feel the anger over Seth's comment still burning in his veins. How dare he talk to me like that? Who does he think he is to tell me that I belong on my back? The nerve of him.
Yami ended up slamming the book shut. He had reread the same page six times and still had no idea what it was even talking about. He knew a lost cause when he was faced with one.
Yami got up and started to head back towards his and Atemu's rooms. He paused briefly when he heard voices up ahead. Voices that were talking about him.
"I don't understand why the Pharaoh hasn't at least brought up the topic with his God Chosen? Why is he holding back?" A voice Yami did not recognize asked.
"Perhaps because Pharaoh is too proud to admit that his God Chosen is holding out on him. I know Pharaoh is a noble man but if I were him I would press the issue." Priest Seth replied.
"Do you mean to suggest that his God Chosen has refused him? That peasant boy dared?"
"I don't have proof of that. But that would be my best guess. Pharaoh cannot say because he does not want to admit such a shameful fact. The God Chosen should be ashamed of himself." Priest Seth replied.
Oh that does it. Yami thought before he marched around the corner to see Priest Seth and two other priests he did not do talking. "Who the fuck do you three think you are to be discussing the personal relationship between Atemu and I. What happens in Atemu's and my room is no one's business but our own." Yami growled.
Priest Seth gave him a pointed look, "God Chosen of Pharaoh, do you deny that you have refused him?" Seth pointedly asked.
Yami however glared right back, "For your information I have done no such thing. The hesitation comes from Pharaoh. Not from me. So perhaps you should be asking him why he doesn't seem to want to take our relationship to a sexual level if you are so fit to blame someone for it." Yami snapped.
The priests all shared a condescending look, "Or perhaps you should be asking what about you has your God Chosen so repulsed." One of the priests said.
Oh he is going to get it. Yami thought before he lunged himself towards the priest that had spoken. Yami was able to land one blow before he found himself bodily lifted away from the stunned priest and being carried down the hallway.
"We do things different here in the palace peasant. For one thing we are civilized enough to use our words instead of our fists to solve problems. It is not our fault that his question struck a nerve with you. Pharaoh knows his duty is to provide the kingdom an heir so for him to hesitate in that duty means he is reacting to hesitation from your end. If you are so adamant there is no such hesitation than perhaps you should broach the subject." Priest Seth asked as he rounded the corner before pushing open the door to Yami and Atemu's chambers. He dumped Yami onto the bed before he turned and swept out.
"I'll have you know Atemu isn't disgusted by me!" Yami yelled as the priest paused to close the door.
Priest Seth gave Yami a smug smirk, "Then you bringing up the subject should not pose a problem." Priest Seth replied as he pulled the door shut, "It might do you some good to cool down before you end up hurting yourself." Priest Seth added from outside the door before Yami heard his footsteps head down the corridor.
Yami sank down on the top of the bed still fuming at the priests and the assumptions they had been making. Atemu isn't disgusted by me. Yami's mind kept repeating over and over again in his mind. Those priests were wrong. He had been trying to push things further a couple of weeks now but Atemu always put a stop to it before they got too far.
But why does he do that? Yami wondered, the words from the Priests planting doubt where Yami had none.
I guess I could ask him. But would he be honest with me if I did? Yami thought. Atemu had always been both open and honest with Yami, once they had gotten over their initial hump. Yami was fairly confident that Atemu would tell him the truth.
But now Yami was worried about what that truth might be.
Yami sat in that room for over an hour before he got up and headed to the bathing chambers and took a bath before he picked out what he thought was his best looking tunic. He also took great care in making sure his hair looked its best. Yami then slipped down the garden and plucked some flower petals from Atemu's favorite flower, the Lotus, if his memory of Atemu's answer was correct and brought them back to the room carefully spreading them around on the bed.
Yami then stood back and surveyed his work. In his opinion the room looked pretty romantic and was certainly the right atmosphere to take things to the next level with Atemu.
Yami did not have to wait much longer. Atemu showed up about an hour later. He looked mentally and physically exhausted and Yami vaguely wondered if now was really the right time to bring up this particular topic before he quashed that thought down. He would always be able to find some reason or another to avoid this topic. If he didn't bring it up tonight he probably wasn't going to bring it up at all. It needed to be tonight.
"Atemu, welcome back." Yami said with a smile as he walked up to Atemu and gave him a firm kiss. Atemu wrapped his arms around Yami's waist and firmly pressed his lips back against Yami's. Yami slipped his tongue out and lightly prodded Atemu's lips with his tongue, asking for entrance. Atemu's lips parted allowing Yami's tongue to enter his own mouth.
Yami stroked Atemu's tongue with his own, both enjoying the feeling of pleasure that shot down their spines as their tongues twirled and danced. Much too soon for Yami's liking he felt Atemu pull away allowing both men to catch their breath.
"Perhaps I should be gone more often if that is the greeting I get upon my return." Atemu replied before he pulled away from Yami, walking over to his vanity and started stripping off his jewelry and removing his makeup.
Yami just kind of stood there staring at Atemu. How in the world was he supposed to bring up this topic?
"So what else did you get up to while I was gone today Yami?" Atemu asked as he finished wiping off his face.
Yami figured that was about as good of an opening he was going to get. "I tried to start a fist fight with a couple of your arrogant councilmembers before that bastard Seth physically carried me back here and dumped me in here like I was an unmindful child." Yami said.
Yami heard Atemu take a slow calming breath before he spoke again, "Do I want to know why you were trying to get into a fight?" Atemu asked.
Yami sat down on the edge of the bed, "Actually, Atemu I think that you do. But first can you answer a question for me?" Yami asked. Gods this was really awkward and he hadn't even asked the question yet.
"You can ask me anything Yami, you know that." Atemu replied once he finished up on with the vanity and turned to face Yami, giving him his undivided attention.
Well, here goes nothing. Yami thought before he decided to just dive right in, "Why do you keep stopping things before we ever do anything sexual?" Yami asked. There, he had asked the most awkward embarrassing question possible.
Atemu was quiet for several minutes as he contemplated Yami, "Can I ask why you want to know? I'll answer you regardless I'm just curious why you are asking." Atemu said.
"Did I do something to offend you or something Atemu?" Yami asked instead, choosing not to answer Atemu's question because he figured that answer of the priests had gotten on his nerves was irrelevant. The crux of the matter is that he and Atemu hadn't started having sex yet and the question was why they hadn't.
Atemu sighed as he got to his feet, "Yami you have not done anything to offend me. If you had offended me in some way I am fully capable of expressing that to you." Atemu said.
"Then why?" Yami asked.
Atemu walked over to the bed before he sat down beside Yami, "Let me ask you something Yami, why do you want us to move our relationship to a sexual level? As the priests said back on your birthday we have our whole lives together. Why do we need to rush into anything?" Atemu asked.
This time it was Yami's turn to be quiet. Why did he want to move things to that level indeed? The answer of it was expected or that they might as well both completely were missing the point. Yami actually really didn't know why he was pushing to move his relationship with Atemu further. In fact he had been missing Yugi more and more as time went by. Perhaps that had something to do with why Yami was so adamant.
Yami gave Atemu a cheeky grin, "What can I say you're really hot and I want to be with you." Yami said.
Atemu gave Yami a pointed look. Yami resisted the urge to smirk because he noticed Atemu's ears turn a slight shade darker, "That has absolutely nothing to do with what we were talking about." Atemu said before adding, "I need you to be serious about this Yami."
Yami rested his hand on the side of Atemu's face. "Atemu, I think that I am in love with you and I have been trying to get you to take that next step with me for weeks. Why do you keep pushing me away? Are you saying that you don't want to be with me?" Yami asked. If he was honest saying that he was in love with Atemu was probably pushing the truth a little bit but Yami didn't really seem the harm in saying that he did love Atemu. Today, tomorrow, next week or next year didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. It would come eventually.
Atemu sighed. He felt how Yami pressed his lips to his neck and Atemu had to force himself not to get lost in the physical pleasure his body was experiencing. This was very important.
"Of course I want to be with you Yami. Gods you have no idea how hard pushing you away has been. I just don't want us to rush into something and to end up regretting it. If you aren't completely sure, if you still harbor feelings for Yugi, it's okay. You don't need to force yourself to do this. I'm okay waiting for you until you are ready Yami." Atemu said.
Yami pulled away from the hickey he was leaving on Atemu's collarbone. He looked Atemu square in the eyes, "I'm more than ready Atemu. For all of it. I want to be with you. I want to marry you. I want to be yours and yours alone." Yami said firmly.
Internally Yami really wished he was as sure as he sounded. Internally Yami was anything but sure. Yami pressed his lips to Atemu's neck again, his hand slipping up Atemu's thigh, his thumb tracing up the skin under his tunic.
And this time Atemu didn't push him away.
"If you're sure beloved." Atemu whispered, his own trembling hand resting on Yami's thigh. Yami pulled his focus away from Atemu's collarbone and instead pushed their lips back together forcibly knocking Atemu onto his back.
And the two were lost to a night of passion.