Warnings: Mild Violence/Blood, Mild Cursing, Referenced Sexual Content

Prompt XXVII: Gravity

Yugi heard them before he saw them. The noise was enough to send every bird in the forest screeching into the sky. Branches shook from the sudden emergence and he swore he saw a murder of crows panicking and screaming as if witnessing death itself. He hurried forward, tossing his backpack against the door and taking off in the direction of the noise. The pack was almost screaming, chanting something he couldn't quite make out with all of them so out of sync with each other.

It took him a moment to recognize the way they all gravitated and circled around, screaming encouragement or frothing with excitement. He barely got to the edge of the circle when the wolves broke apart. A gray shape was thrown forward several feet, rolling and gathering dirt and grass in their fur. Yugi stiffened, alarm creeping down his spine. His head snapped up, eyes widening.

Yami was there. The black wolf was feet away. His tail was up. His eyes were glowing. Blood dripped from his teeth. A tuft of fur clung to his bottom lip. His tongue flicked once over his nose. His entire frame was rigid. Every hair on his back was raised. His shoulders were braced. His ears were pricked forward.

Back down.

Bakura snarled low in his throat. He got up on shaky limbs and bristled, baring his teeth.

Yami charged him. He slammed into his side and sent him rolling. Then he stood there again, glaring.

I said back down.

Bakura slowly staggered to his feet again.

Yami glared at him, lowering his head and snarling. He paced once, then twice. His teeth chomped. He snarled louder. Then he charged and slammed him into the ground. He grabbed him by the throat and snarled some more. And yet Bakura refused to tuck his tail. He struggled and kicked and panted for air.

Yami released him and paced again. He tossed his head and snarled. He snapped his teeth and pressed a paw into his throat. He spat at him. He threw him to the ground again.

And then he stopped. His eyes flickered to Yugi.

I can't make him back down.

And Yugi understood abruptly what had happened that day of their initial fight. Yami hadn't wanted to fight him to begin with. He'd accepted because he'd felt pressured. And he hadn't expected Bakura to be so bloodthirsty. He hadn't expected such ambition. And he'd been so shocked Bakura would die for the position that he'd given up.

He'd rather have been torn to pieces and the pack hate him than have to kill him.

And now he was in the same position.

Yugi blinked and looked down at Bakura with a horrified expression. Yami could kill him. But he'd never forgive himself. And he'd likely never be okay with the pack afterward.

Bakura, please! Ryou begged. Enough!

Fuck. Off. Bakura struggled for his paws again. And then he lunged. Yami barely sidestepped to evade him. Bakura stumbled and hit the ground, then immediately got to his paws again. He coughed up blood and still turned on Yami with his mouth gaping wide to sink his teeth in. The black wolf flattened his ears and shot Yugi another desperate look.

He opened and closed his mouth, then moved forward. "Bakura, you need to stop. It's over. Yami won. Leave it alone."

Fuck you.

I don't want this, Yami whispered, panicked. Please, Yugi.

He couldn't think straight. Yami was so shaken he could barely breathe when he looked into his eyes. The pack was frozen and contemplating their battle with bewilderment. There was a way around this. He knew there was. He just didn't know what. He couldn't think long enough to figure it out. Yami staring at him with such anxiety was enough to knock the air from his lungs.

His brain short-circuited again as Bakura tried once more to slam into him. Yami sidestepped and bore his teeth but did not fight. He backed away when Bakura lunged. His ears flattened against his head as he looked between them desperately. His red eyes were locked on Yugi again.

Please, Yugi…

Yugi opened and closed his mouth. Then he looked at Bakura again. For a moment he couldn't think straight. And then he blinked. A thought blossomed in the back of his mind, desperate for recognition.

But it was intense and he could not entirely convince himself it was the best idea.

He shivered. The most he knew to do was to initiate a public declaration of intent, which meant he and Yami mated in front of them. It forced Bakura to step down by way of declaring the fight treasonous.

But he couldn't be sure Yami could stand to do that. He was shy and awkward when it came to sex even in the safety of their own room. Even when Yugi showed him the ropes of what he'd always imagined he'd do, he'd fumbled and apologized and whispered awkward assurances that he'd try harder. He hadn't hurt him in any manner, but Yami had been so scared all the same.

Yugi, of course, had understood the fear. He'd watched and read and practiced on himself to the point he was absolutely sure he wouldn't hurt him. It was the perfectionist in him and his refusal to hurt Yami that had made him try so hard. And to throw that away now because of Bakura was something he couldn't stomach to even consider.

He watched the gray wolf try again to get at Yami. Yami dodged away, getting a few yards of distance between them and shivering. Yugi's heart skipped a beat as they snarled and snapped and dodged about. Yami shot him a desperate look and slowed his efforts to hold Bakura off. He looked at him, flattened his ears, and began to lower his head as if to surrender.

"Enough," he blurted out, hating himself for not remembering before. He could barely believe he'd forgotten. And he wished he could have spoken to Yami before he'd attempted to do this again. He wished he'd asked for his name, his full legal name rather than what they'd chosen for the paperwork under the guise of him being Yugi's cousin. His first and last name were right, but he'd chosen his middle after his brother. And Yugi highly doubted that was what his parents had given him. "I, Yugi Motou, alpha of the Domino City pack, declare this rank battle a victory for Yami Atemu Sennen, former omega. As I decree, so you shall do. Yami Atemu Sennen is declared beta to each of you and from this point on any other fight for this rank shall result in penalty and punishment."

The pack froze as one. Eyes widened and heads snapped around to stare at him. His parents bristled with shock. Yami himself stared as if he had grown a second head. Bakura stiffened and slowly lowered himself to the ground in front of them both. Ryou trembled with what looked like relief. And then they all looked to Yami. Ryou was the first to rush forward, lick his chin, and bow before slinking off. The action was repeated one wolf after another, until the pack had finished and huddled together watching them both pointedly.

Yami looked over with his ears flattened. Yugi…

He exhaled shakily. "From this moment on, Yami will act as beta until he becomes alpha alongside me. As I decree, so you shall do," he said loudly, voice taking on a more guttural undertone that would have spoken of malice were it not for his intent. He'd forgotten the alpha command, because he'd never had to use it before. Doing so now was almost stunning. He felt his blood warming, burning in his veins, and for a single second he swore he felt the pure power of the pack in its unity. It passed after a few minutes of tense silence, the warmth slowly but surely fading until he could face Bakura without the urge to lunge. "I'll take you to the clinic. Yami, come with us. We might need your help stitching him up."

Yami flattened his ears and hurried after him when Yugi picked Bakura up. I'm sorry. Yugi glanced at him sideways as the wolf got to his side and peered at him with a horrified and somehow heartbroken expression. I didn't mean to force you to do that. I…I just didn't want to kill him.

Yugi went to ask what he meant, and then clenched his jaw until his teeth felt they might break.

They needed to talk after Bakura was patched up.