Lingershipping (Pharaoh Atem x Priestess Isis)
(set just before Atem's father dies)
"Prince Atem?"
The quiet voice drifted up to him like a spiral on the wind. Atem shrunk back against the wall, hugging his knees a little tighter to him to make certain his feet weren't hanging off the ledge. He was banking on people not looking up. They rarely did, anyway. Who would ever think that the crown prince had climbed up a wall and tried to hide on a thin ledge of architecture? No one, that was who.
He saw a figure come out through the door just a few feet below him. The gold of her headdress glinted in the light as she turned around and looked directly up at him, deep blue eyes missing nothing.
"Prince Atem," Isis called softly. "Will you come down?"
No one would look up. Except for Isis.
Atem ducked his head between his legs.
"I'm not here," he mumbled into his knees.
He could hear Isis' soft, sad smile in her words.
"We can't play that game today, Prince Atem."
Isis always knew where he was. Even before Mana. It was probably the necklace, showing her the way. She usually pretended not to know. Not today, though.
"Won't you come down?" she asked.
"...no."
A silence passed between them. Atem didn't raise his head from his knees to look at her, or even sneak a peek. But his head jumped up as he heard a soft scuffling sound, and he looked down with shock to see her scaling the wall to meet him. He watched in silent surprise as she expertly climbed up, not hampered by her dress, until she was sliding onto the ledge to sit beside him. She pulled her knees up and to the side of her, then let out a sigh.
"Well," she said. "It is quite nice up here. The view isn't bad either."
She turned to look down at him, half-smiling.
"Although it's hard to see it with your head down like that."
Atem blushed, but just ducked his head anyway.
They sat in silence for a few long moments, a stiff desert breeze whispering between them. Atem turned his head so that he could sneak a glance at her again. He still couldn't believe she had climbed up here. And in that long dress, too. As he watched her, she reached up to pull her headdress off, sighing as the wind picked up her dark hair.
"This gets so heavy after a while," she said. "It's nice to take it off."
Atem half grinned in spite of himself. She sounded so matter-of-fact about it. But the smile faded.
"Isis," he whispered. "I...I don't want to go back."
"I know."
"I don't...I'm not ready to be king."
"You may not have to be."
Atem snorted, burying his face into his knees again.
"No one thinks father has much time left. Especially not you."
Her hand came to rest lightly on his shoulder. He wasn't sure if he wanted to shrug her off or lean into the touch. He decided to lean into it. The warmth of her hand was soothing. Steadying. But it also let him relax a little too much, which brought the tears to his eyes again.
"Isis," he whispered, his throat tight. "I can't..."
"Sh," Isis said. "It's all right."
Then he was leaning against her and her arm was around his shoulders to steady him, and the tears were running silently down his his cheeks from eyes squeezed shut.
"I can't," he kept whispering. "I can't do it, I can't, I don't want him to die, I'm not strong enough, I'm not good enough, I can't do what he's done, I can't do it without him here, I don't want - I don't want to see him like this..."
"I know," she said. "I know."
"And I'm the prince so I can't cry, I can't let people see me cry, I'm not allowed to be sad, but dammit Isis, my father is dying and I can't cry..."
He was sobbing now, his head buried into Isis's shoulder, and her other hand had come up to his hair, stroking it softly, soothingly.
"You can cry," she said. "It's all right. You can cry."
Neither of them knew how long they sat there. But finally, Atem's tears subsided. He didn't move.
"Thank you," he whispered.
He knew that Isis was smiling at him with her usual soft, calm smile.
"If you ever need to cry," she said. "You can always find me."
"Thank you," he said again.
They lingered there, two souls leaning against each other, Ra watching as he moved slowly across the blue sky.
A/N: There we go, got that one done. Next is Lineshipping (Honda x Miho x Seto).
