Archaicshipping (Atem/Priest Set/Thief King Bakura)

. . .

"I see the pharaoh's rabid dog has joined him, as usual."

In spite of everything, Set felt something in him tighten to a tense vibration at the slight, his lips pulling back automatically. He knew that the thief could see the change in expression, too, as Bakura's face suddenly pulled back in a wide, wild grin, his eyes lighting up as he realized that he had hit a nerve.

Behind Set, Atem grabbed Set's arm, squeezing.

"Set," he hissed. "Set, calm down."

Even the pharaoh could tell that Set was already starting to lose it. It took everything Set had not to simply rip his arm free of Atem's grip and fling his Rod forward to send his monster in a wild strike at the grinning thief.

Bakura snickered, balancing at the very edge of the railing that overlooked the temple courtyard, his eyes glinting in the moonlight at the pair below him.

"He's got you on a leash, doesn't he?" Bakura said. "A short one, it seems."

"You hold your tongue," Set hissed. "I won't let you get anywhere near him."

"He barks, but does his bite match?" Bakura laughed. "You can't even try, not with the pharaoh telling you to hold."

"Set," Atem said again, his voice cracking slightly with almost desperation. "Set, don't rise to him—the others are coming, you have to hold."

It took everything Set had to keep his boiling blood under control.

"You won't even banter with me?" Bakura said, sounding mock disappointed. "And here I was hoping we could play a little—but I guess a dog can only do what his master says, and the pharaoh is such bore, isn't he?"

"Don't speak of him that way!" Atem said, his fingers digging into Set's arm.

Bakura just threw his head back and laughed. But the sound of rushing feet and fluttering robes, shouts in the distance, made him compose himself.

"It looks like I won't have any more fun today," he said. "Until next time, pharaoh and pharaoh's loyal dog."

Bakura laughed again, and before either could do anything, he had fallen backwards off of the railing and vanished into the darkness, disappearing like one of the shadows themselves.

Set's heart pulsed in his chest so hard that he couldn't even hear the sounds of the other priests calling out to them. The only thing he could register were Atem's fingers still wrapped around his arm.

"I don't think of you like that," Atem mumbled, his voice cracking with desperation—was he scared that the thief had made Set's opinion of him change?

Set just clenched his jaw.

"I know," he said.

. . .

A/N: I don't really know what I was trying to do here. Next is Aptshipping (Honda x Ishizu).