Atem pulled a new box of tissues from the drawer and opened it before offering it to Yugi. He gingerly rubbed the teen's back as Yugi coughed harshly.
"I'll go and see if we still have-"Atem began, only for Yugi to shake his head.
"I can do it. You've done a lot today, you really should at least rest for a bit. If you didn't have a fever, I wouldn't mind so much, but the more active you are with a fever, your temperature is more likely to go up. Besides, resting is one of the best ways to help your body get rid of what's making you sick. It's not the same as just deciding you don't want to do something...but sometimes that's fine too. I mean, you don't have to get sick to have a break. Do you want me to bring you anything?"
"No. I was just on my way to get some medicine, I'll stop by the kitchen and get some juice. We may need another box of tissues as well." Atem turned from Yugi just in time as a sudden sneeze forced its way out, followed by a wave of dizziness and sharp pain that traveled through his body. He grabbed onto the bedside table to steady himself. He couldn't stop himself from wincing at the pain and it didn't go unnoticed by Yugi.
"A-"Yugi began in alarm
"I'm fine," Atem assured him, only to receive a skeptical glare.
"Don't do that, "Yugi said. "You're obviously not. Lie down now, I'll get whatever you need. q I'm done arguing about this."
"I'm not trying to-"
"What medicine were you going to get?" Yugi interrupted, losing his patience.
"I'll go in a moment," Atem replied as the dizziness and pain began to subside.
"Are you serious? You're holding onto the table right now and you expect me to let you near the stairs like this?"Yugi crossed his arms. Atem sighed.
"It's not serious, just a cold. I'm feeling a bit better now."
"Great. You're still not going down there. We all know you're independent and able to look after yourself, I'm happy for you... Right now you don't need to be doing anything. Get into bed." Yugi demanded.
"Yugi-"
"No. No more 'Yugis' or 'I'm fine.' This is one argument you're not going to win. My foot is down."The teen said firmly.
"Who do you think you are, speaking to me in that tone?" Atem growled in a tone that caught Yugi off guard. "If I speak to you in a normal tone, I expect-"
"Are you kidding me right now? I'm the person that's going to be heartbroken when you get dizzy on your way down the stairs, fall, and break your neck. I'm the one that's going to cry myself to sleep every night when you're not here anymore because you just couldn't stop. It's not like I'm asking you to move Heaven and Earth. Just lie down. Why is this so hard for you? You're not in Egypt and as you've pointed out, you're not a Pharaoh here. You don't need to do all this. This is ridiculous! You're going to hear me one way or another. You can get mad if you want to, but if I get through to you somehow, I'm fine with that. The question is Who do YOU think I am? because whatever your little...fit was just now, it's not going to work with me." Yugi left no time for a reply, storming over to the door and moving into the hall, slapping the door behind him. He coughed harshly into his sleeve, his heartbreaking. He had never been so angry with his love, nor had Atem ever spoken to him in that way.
Yugi made his way into the kitchen where he sat down in a chair, resting his head on the table, and cried. He hadn't heard the door click open and closed again, nor had he taken notice when Solomon entered the room.
"Yugi?" The old man called, resting a hand on his grandson's back. "Is everything alright?" The teen didn't bother lifting his head.
"N-No. W-we just had the worst argument we've ever had. I've never gone off on him that bad and then- H-He's not going to want me to be his heart anymore and he's going to go home and-"
"Over a little fight? Yugi, Atem loves you more than anything. I think your fever might be affecting you a bit more than you realize. Let's get you into-"
"No. I mean, I really messed it up." Solomon sat down across from him.
"Tell me what happened." He requested. Yugi sat up, sniffling, and recounted the story to the man, who listened carefully. When Yugi had finished, Solomon nodded.
"It sounds to me like you're both a bit testy. It seems like a big deal right now because you're both sick and probably tired. You know how you are when you get like that. Maybe he has his own version of it. Your grandma and I had arguments worst than that. That's not to say you don't have a valid point, but you need to understand that Atem is from a time when people were, what's the phrase I'm looking for..."
"Stubborn?" Yugi offered.
"Well, that too. The boys, especially royals, had to be a certain way. History tells us that Atem's family were very proud, strong people. That would've been expected of him as well."
"Yeah, I know. But he's here now. He doesn't have to be that way. I only tried to make my point because he's everything to me and I want him to be okay. He has to know that I don't expect him to be-"
"Yugi, you're expecting too much change at once. Imagine that dueling is all you knew, that's all I ever taught you was the ways of Duel Monsters and I told you who you were supposed to be, strong, brave, and always in control of your opponent. But one day, you found yourself in a strange new world and had to adapt to life without what you know, all in just a short time. How would you feel?"
"Pretty bad I guess. But Atem-"
"It doesn't happen overnight. It may never happen at all. You would always be a duelist at heart and Atem will always be Pharaoh, that's what he knows. So while I understand you're concerned for him and yes we've all had these conversations, also keep in mind that he's come from a long line of people who were mostly brought up in the same way. It's part of him, in his blood. But I also happen to know that much like my generation, the people in his era who knew what true love is, weren't so quick to toss it aside. If it was broken, they worked hard at fixing it. Things were a lot different then, Yugi. But when I see you and Atem together, I know that's exactly the kind of relationship you boys have. You'll work it out. Give yourselves a break but know that you'll have to talk about it eventually." Yugi wiped away the remaining tears.
"If you need a little support, we can all talk together."
"Thanks, Grandpa." Yugi sniffled. Solomon stood from his chair, patting Yugi's shoulder comfortingly before giving the boy some time to settle.
Several minutes passed before Yugi rose to his feet and made his way to the cabinet. He reached up, taking hold of the container filled with various boxes of cold and flu medications, and continued to the fridge where he grabbed a small bottle of orange juice. With a heavy sigh, Yugi trudged up the stairs and stopped in front of his bedroom door to draw in a breath.
Yugi slowly reached out for the doorknob and pushed the door open. He was surprised to find Atem standing where he had left him, his head resting in his hand, his expression was difficult for the young duelist to read. He closed the door behind him and set the items on the table.
"I eh- I brought your juice a-and I didn't know what you wanted so I brought everything so you could look through it." He said softly, avoiding eye contact. Atem remained silent. "Are you feeling okay?"
"No," Atem said shortly. Yugi took a step closer, reaching out to place a hand on Atem's forehead.
"What's wr-" He was surprised when Atem took his hand, preventing the attempt, then reached for the other. He knelt in front of Yugi, bowing his head.
"My most precious heart," He began. "There is no excuse in the world for the shameful way I acted. You came to me with a concern and I had no right to lose my temper. My responsibility to you, especially in times of illness or discomfort is to ease your suffering, not add to it. I've failed you and that's completely unforgivable. The ability to spend eternity with your one true love is a gift, one that I am clearly not-"Yugi joined him on the floor.
"You're taking this way too hard, Love. I mean, yeah, we ticked each other off but I think that's the first time you've actually changed your tone during a fight, you're usually really calm with me. I'm the one that gets frustrated for the most part. That doesn't mean I love you any less. Sometimes it happens and I can and will forgive you. That's what love is. I think we're both a little crazy right now. I shouldn't have raised my voice to you, you were fine until-"
"I needed to hear you, you're absolutely right. I get so caught up in the things I need to do, not just for me but for us and I forget that I'm not at home. Things are much different here and I suppose it's difficult to adjust. I am a product of my time and my family. I'm ashamed that I've gone back on a promise I made to you. To treat you with love and-"
"You do. You're amazing. I'm proud to be called your heart. Sometimes we're going to get on each other's nerves, part of loving someone. The most important thing though is we can come together and figure out what's going on so we can move forward. I only said those things because I'm so worried about you. Maybe I could've handled it better. Will you look at me, please?" Atem hesitated but did as he was asked. Yugi smiled faintly.
"Fate brought us together for a reason, just when I thought I lost you forever, your family gave you back to me. When Grandpa gave your puzzle to me, I needed a friend and there you were. It's always going to come down to us. I believe that in my heart. Something like this isn't the worst thing that can happen. It might've seemed really bad to you, but it wasn't. Just an argument. That doesn't mean you failed. You didn't let me down. We belong together, okay? Let's blame this one on the fevers. We're both tired and not feeling well, that can make anyone a little cranky." Yugi gently pressed his lips to Atem's forehead taking note of the higher temperature.
"Now, let's get your medicine, we'll get into bed and maybe take a nap, okay?" Atem nodded. "I love you."
"I love you too, Yugi. Thank you."
"Are you feeling okay to stand up?"
"Yes. I'm not as lightheaded as I was." Atem admitted, allowing Yugi to help him to his feet. He rummaged through the medications until he found what he was looking for. He removed two small white pills from the bottle and dropped it back into the container before taking a sip of juice and swallowing the pills.
Yugi helped his love get comfortable in bed before climbing in beside him. A moment later, Atem moved closer to Yugi, resting his head on the young duelist's chest.
"Are you sure you're okay? you don't usually do this."Yugi asked in concern.
"Do you recall telling me once that everyone needed an extra hug or snuggles I believe was the word?"
"Yeah. It's usually me."
"Yes, well, would you mind if, temporarily we switched that role?"
"Not at all, Love. Try to sleep, you might feel a little better." Yugi wrapped an arm around the former king as both teens closed their eyes and soon fell asleep.
A/N Clearly not my best work, but thank you to everyone who has supported and continues to support this as well as my other works. It's very much appreciated. All the best to you, dear readers.