Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh
Update schedule: Chapter two on July 6th, chapter three on 16th, chapter four on 26th, chapter five on August 6th
THIS ENTIRE AUTHOR'S NOTE IS A SPOILER! IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO READ IT, BUT BE AWARE PART OF THE STORY IS GRAPHIC. IF YOU WISH TO AVOID THE GRAPHIC CONTENT, SKIP PART TWO OF THIS CHAPTER.
The process of laying an egg is somewhat graphic, to show Atem's confusion and unpreparedness. It's not common for dragons to have such painful labors; females are usually stressed when the egg first forms but not birthing. Contractions are slight and usually just enough to encourage the female to lay her clutch.
The dragons are extremely well-prepared for egg laying, with flexible insides and a mucus membrane to lubricate the eggs before contractions. The eggs are also smoother and softer, making it easier than giving birth.
Originally, Atem and Yugi were not going to be able to conceive an egg. I was going to keep this idea for a one-shot. But it made sense to expand it and make it a full length canon story for the Of Land and Sky series. Plus Yami is adorable. And I think his arc will be the perfect ending to this universe.
As for how, I will explain here because it's not something Atem knows.
Atem is capable of asexual reproduction. He produces eggs that usually die days after being created in one part of his body. The eggs wither and die since Atem has never triggered the genes necessary to allow fertilization. In real life, some female lizards are known for storing sperm from their partners and later using it for fertilization for later eggs. Atem is capable of doing this (due to the Water Dragons being able to change sex) but never has.
Atem has a part of his body called the oviduct which surrounds his other reproductive organs and keeps the eggs contained. The eggs are exact clones of his own genetics. Laying them asexually would mean they'd be exactly like him (two mouths, etc) because he'd be cloning himself. But, because of his genetics (as with all asexual dragon species), the eggs would die slowly due to lack of fertilization. The lack of mixed genes causes them to lose probability of survival because of their cloned state as certain genes duplicate until the dragonet rots in its egg.
Atem pushing to be mounted as often as he did caused his body extreme stress. This made one of the eggs drop into the oviduct where it became fertilized with Yugi's sperm. But it's also the stress that causes further complications for Atem. Since he wasn't female, his body wasn't prepared for the process and the egg became inflated due to the pressure Atem himself accidentally put on it when he did not realize it was happening. The lack of contractions caused the egg to build with more fluid and grow larger (it would have imploded had Atem not realized what was happening). He also laid his egg too soon (hours after they mated rather than days or moons), which is why Yami is so small. Atem's lack of understanding caused further complications.
Dragons possess a mucus membrane that lubricates their insides to help the egg pass as they lay their clutch. Because of Atem's state, his body forced the egg out prematurely. This caused him to expel the mucus membrane atop the egg (which is why it was black and smelled of blood) and the only way it could was in a similar fashion to a hyena ("pseudo penis"). Atem barely avoided extreme blood loss, internal bleeding, organ rupture, the egg imploding... Fun overall birthing process. 10 out of 10 stars, totally!
Part I: Nest
Yugi groomed him faithfully. His tongue ran the length of his beak to his crown and from chin to jaw. He muzzled and licked along his throat. He pressed into his side and lay his chin on his forehead gently, closing his eyes for a moment. Atem was exhausted as he exhaled heavily and tried to suppress an oncoming shudder.
"Are you okay?" Yugi whispered, voice strained with anxiety and concern. Atem ignored the feeling of his tongue against his muzzle, the way he exhaled gently against his flesh. "Please, tell me you're okay. I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't mean to if I did."
Atem cracked an eye to peer at him. "I'm fine," he mumbled in an unconvincing tone. He didn't have the strength to tell him how much every part of him seemed to tingle and burn. Every muscle in his body was worn out and he felt too hot, as if he were somehow sweating much as a human might. "I'm perfectly all right. Do not fuss."
Yugi ignored the last few words, focusing instead on grooming his muzzle and sniffing along his neck. For a moment Atem thought Yugi might nudge or clip his neck with his teeth in an effort to initiate Claiming him. The thought made him anxious and he got up on unsteady legs, flexing his toes in an effort to regain feeling there. His back legs burned; the burden of holding Yugi's weight must have been far more than he'd initially assumed.
But he'd collapsed when Yugi had finished and the Gandora had panicked, grooming him and shivering as he tried to reassure himself Atem was okay. He felt cold as he shifted his back paw to allow Yugi more room to sniff his hindquarters. He licked a couple of times, sniffed the length of his long tail, and then continued on to the other side to repeat his investigation. Atem flexed his toes and forced himself not to tremble, testing his weight to ensure his limbs could still hold him. He ignored Yugi beyond listening to his sniffing.
"You seem okay…" Yugi sniffed his flank now. It took everything in Atem not to snarl when he pressed the tip of his beak gently against the flesh in front of his right hind leg. It seared with pain and he almost wobbled on his paws, feeling dizzy with the burning pressure in his muscles.
Yugi usually grabbed around his shoulders when he mounted him. Although, several times, he had slipped during their more vigorous mating hours before. He'd lightly clawed his flanks in front of his back limbs and behind his long ribcage. He had not drawn blood that Atem could tell, but he'd still felt the sting of it for several minutes after. But now it felt as if his insides were bruised and sore and swollen.
His tongue ran over Atem's side and the Sky Dragon knew he'd found a scratch of some kind there. He closed his eyes, bidding the pain away, but it seemed only to intensify as if to mock him.
"You're trembling again."
Atem grunted, at a loss for words. He had begun erratic trembling an hour or so earlier. Yugi had, at first, refused to mount him until Atem had all but begged. He was still not sure if it was the way he'd looked at him so pitifully or the fact his voice had cracked that had caused Yugi to go back on his word. He'd mounted him again a few seconds after, asking him multiple times if he was okay as Atem pressed his face into the ground and struggled to steady his breathing.
It had become apparent to him soon after the fourth time that his body was not made for such extremes. Every muscle in his body had threatened to seize, causing the tremors that provoked Yugi to panic. His lungs had begun to press in on themselves, collapsing and twisting in his chest, and he'd forced himself to take deeper and more even breaths to resist the urge to take shallow and fast instead. It hadn't been beneficial to him, but it had kept Yugi from further panic. And if he could quell some of his anxiety, he'd do so.
It was the main instinct of a Sky Dragon, to ensure their mates were happy. Perhaps it was not meant to be to such an extreme, considering he felt as of he'd been beaten senseless, but it was there all the same. There was a reason Sky Dragons were considered devoted mates. It did not hurt the reputation that they were also the only species to mate for life by instinct rather than necessity like Ice Dragons.
Ice Dragons did so because they lacked the numbers to support breeding outwardly. The vast majority of them refused to take on mates in other species for the sake of raising their numbers once more. Their loyalty to one another stemmed from dire need rather than desire.
Sky Dragons, however, had never truly been short in mass. Individual species numbers had risen and dwindled with time, but it had never caused much of a problem. The only true time a Sky Dragon had been forced to raise numbers had been when the God Dragons had turned their sights on the Slifer species. They'd underestimated, assuming their strengths would be enough to take them down. But the Slifer was considered a stain on much of the Sky Dragon species.
They were extremely territorial, to the point of almost killing on contact. Their temperaments were considered abnormal for Sky Dragons, but they were usually solitary as well. Most times they did not raise clutches of more than one or two eggs and it was not often it happened more than once per mating pair. The one time it had been different had been during the edict.
They'd bred copious nests and raised hatchlings to fight almost from the moment they were a moon old. Atem knew the rumors rather well, especially due to the fact that he so shared their genetics. He was Slifer through and through, from the red scales along his back to the huge wings and jaws and serpentine Origin Form. Not many of them had two jaws—though abnormalities were not unusual for Sky Dragons as a whole due to being a combination of three species—nor such long tails or a gemstone in their foreheads.
But it did not take more than a single glance to name him as he was.
It was one of the many reasons his existence drew so much attention.
"I'm not doing this again," Yugi said quietly, voice soft but firm. Atem opened an eye to look over and see him, expecting him to be at his side, but the Gandora stood before him with a concerned expression. "I'm not. You can't ask me to. You look like you've been beaten to exhaustion…"
Atem nodded and closed his eyes again. He didn't want to. It'd likely kill him if he did. He shook his head and tried not to snarl at the coil of pain that lanced through him. "That's fine. I'm too…I'm too tired, anyways."
Yugi came closer, leaning forward to lick his face again. Atem ignored the urge to simply curl in on himself, to try to bunch his limbs up until he could no longer move but to tremble. He could feel it in his back legs now, sharp and terrible. But it was not enough to make him shake more fitfully and so he closed his eyes tightly.
"Are you okay?"
He grunted and flexed his claws. "I'm fine. I'm just tired." Atem unsteadily lifted his head higher and shifted his weight on shaky legs. Yugi looked horrified, then melancholic. And the Sky Dragon knew Yugi blamed himself for the state he was in. Atem shook his head slightly, wishing he knew how to comfort him. "I'm going to rest in the den. I don't think sunbathing would be a good idea in this state."
Yugi blinked then bristled, growling as he thumped his tail. "I'll kill the next one that comes here, I swear."
Atem snorted, shaking his head. He'd been approached by the first of what he assumed would be many suitors earlier that day. The dragon had come to engage him, speaking confidently about how he'd conquer the God Dragon and become an impossible force. He hadn't seemed to mean it maliciously, more just for power status and attention. He'd seemed the boastful, proud type rather than truly aggressive. How he'd planned to best Atem had been something the God Dragon hadn't gotten the details of.
He'd simply taken a seat, tail wrapped around his paws as he sat lazily beneath the sun. He'd shrunken from his Origin Form—it was the best for sunbathing as his scales were not as incredibly dense along his spine or slick on his flanks—and spoken quietly to tell the Wind Dragon that he'd already mated. The male had clearly been disbelieving, if only because the rumors still circulated of a God Dragon in the eastern region that killed suitors when they failed to best him. He'd tried to explain further, but Yugi had arrived by then.
It had only been a minute or two in reality that the mating call had dissipated. And when Atem went to answer his suitor again, the Gandora had charged in at a full sprint. The Wind Dragon had been thrown backwards, pinned with teeth and claws to the throat, and shaken almost limp. Atem had scrambled to grab Yugi by the base of his neck to tug him back before he could do any further damage. Yugi had released him, too startled by the sudden action on his mate's behalf to truly care the Wind Dragon was loose again, and spun around. Atem had let go of him then, considering the juvenile Wind Dragon who took off immediately after, and reminded Yugi he was likely no older than the Gandora himself. Yugi had pouted but ended up slathering his face in licks, reminding him that part of being his mate meant he had to protect him from such needless incidents.
And from there, Atem had suggested mounting might be easier as it would scent-mark him. Yugi had been more startled than excited by the suggestion, though he had not been suspicious as Atem had feared. He'd agreed when Atem pressed and from there Atem had prodded further and further until he was now almost unable to stand properly. Even his wings drooped from the onslaught of pain in his muscles.
"You do that," he mumbled, turning to Yugi and forcing a smile. He was sure he looked battered and exhausted, as if he'd been in battle for hours rather than mounted too copiously. "I don't know I have any objections; feel free."
Yugi nuzzled his cheek and peered at him with something like barely restrained panic. "I'll go get you something to eat, okay? I don't like how unsteady you are."
Atem nodded, letting him lick the underside of his chin and neck for a few moments. He knew Yugi was trying to calm himself, grief and fear combining to form crashing waves of guilt. Perhaps he thought if he touched Atem and the God Dragon did not yelp he was more likely to be okay.
He shook the thought away and turned his head to study Yugi more pointedly as the Gandora looked him over and asked, "Do you need help getting into the den?"
"I'm fine. I can climb in there. I'll be asleep when you get back," he promised. Because he wasn't sure he wouldn't lash out if he were to try to nudge him up and over the opening of the den. If he were to help by way of pushing on his romp as he had after the fight with Keith, Atem thought he might explode and turn on him. He hurt too much to accept his help gracefully. "I'll see you in a little while, okay?"
Atem woke in the darkness, a hideous throbbing pushing through his back end. He was shaking before he could stop himself. His hearts raced. He could not tell how long he'd rested, but it felt like mere minutes. He could still sense the sun high in the sky, in almost the exact same position it'd been when he'd first lay down.
He got up to circle and lay down again. It could have been the position; that was not too uncommon. He often woke in the night with the need to stretch and move around. And it did not quite help he always lost his sense of awareness and thought Yugi a threat whenever he moved.
He still was not used to someone being so close. It made him anxious. Waking in the den to someone's steady breathing and finding a dragon whose species was so well-known for destruction was not something he could always consolidate. He would snarl and spit, bristling before he remembered himself.
But Yugi put up with it. He would blink in surprise, then understanding, and lay his chin on his paws. Atem, however, would be rattled by guilt and the need for solitude, and go to the other side of the den and watch him. He made sure to at least face him while he slept, though he knew it didn't offer much comfort for Yugi when he woke alone again in the mornings.
It was never mentioned. But he knew Yugi was hurt all the same. He knew it made him sad Atem didn't feel safe enough to stay beside him through the night. It was not a rare occurrence and the frequency was becoming more apparent.
Atem shook his head and pawed a couple of stones. One flipped and the soft sand beneath stirred slightly. He shifted his weight and curled up, pressing his jaw against the turned stone and closing his eyes. He was asleep within minutes.
But he was awake again just as fast.
His hind legs were burning. His hindquarters were throbbing. His belly ached and rolled. His skin felt as if it had been scorched. He anxiously moved about again.
The throbbing passed after one more incredible spike of pain. And then the sensation faded as he turned and made his way towards the other side of the den.
He'd only settled a minute before the pain came again. It started in the core of his belly, pushing outward so intensely he fell flat when he tried for his paws. His back legs shook, a tremor racing through them. His wings shuddered and throbbed, twitching in the dirt.
He tried for his paws only when the pain subsided. He could stand, but his sides cramped and squeezed. He was sick with dizziness. He felt small, as if his body were trying to fold in on itself.
He circled twice. His legs buckled then. Pain cut through him. His tail thumped, hitting the ground hard enough to daze him. He whimpered and pressed his wings into his sides to try to offset the pain.
He panted for air, swallowing a panicked bellow. He hissed and clawed the ground, throwing dirt and stone about. The sand was soft and cool. He wanted to bury himself in it. The pain grew more intense, violently pressing upon his insides. There it reverberated, dancing along his bones.
His scales shifted, shaking and shivering. His belly ached and churned. He flexed his claws, panicking. What in the name of the God Dragons was happening?
His hearts thumped. A quiver swept through him. His back legs braced against the sand. His breathing became more erratic. He arched his spine. His nerves burned and itched. For a moment he thought to throw himself on his back and roll around.
Perhaps it was a delayed response to Yugi's release.
Was that possible?
Atem didn't know. He couldn't be sure. He had never heard of that. But then he'd never asked, either. And they had never mated so copiously before. It could have been the intensity of their couplings. It could have been the amount of seed Yugi had spilled in him. He didn't know.
All he knew was he couldn't breathe properly.
Steady waves of pressure tightened his insides.
It had never happened like this before.
He arched his back. The scales rose, sliding and moving. The pain become more concentrated. His pelvis felt as if it might shatter. Atem grunted and hissed.
None of it made sense.
Atem writhed, unable to stop himself. He fell on his side, kicking pathetically. His lungs constricted. His paws shook.
He clawed at the ground, arching again. Pain splintered through his limbs. He snarled. He writhed. He thrashed. He wheezed. His spine jutted and folded. The waves came faster. He trembled. His legs threatened to collapse.
The pain flared. Atem spun on himself, nearly collapsing. His insides burned. The pain in his hindquarters was dizzying. He was blinded. Spots of white mutilated his vision. Then he snarled, writhing quickly and rolling to a stand.
He looked again, lifting his leg. The pain lessened minutely with the movement.
But this wasn't the focus.
He recognized the pink organ there. What he didn't understand was the size or the thick black and red ooze it expelled. Atem growled again, flexing his claws. The pain tripled and pressed against his insides once more.
He trembled. His blood burned. A tingling sensation spread slowly through his muscles. He understood the feeling well enough.
His scales became a shade duller. Then they developed a golden hue. This faded to gray, then beige. He could no longer tell himself from the sand of the den.
His panic had triggered his Wind Dragon genetics. He'd lost every hint of vibrancy in his scales. He'd turned invisible, blending in with his surroundings.
It was a stress response. He'd always had control of it formerly. It was panic now that made him unable.
Atem glanced at the ledge over his shoulder. Yugi would never have been able to see him if he came back now. He'd struggle to find the slightest of shadows or the edges of his body where the scales distorted his surroundings.
He tensed and arched again. His claws raked the ground. He snarled under his breath. Liquid splashed against the sand and stone. Atem panted, struggling to stay upright.
This wasn't how this was meant to happen.
He'd realized upon seeing it what was truly happening. Understanding had finally come then. But it was impossible. It was beyond nature. Atem was almost hopeful he'd mistaken it.
But the waves of pain came in intervals, slow and then rapid.
His shallow breaths were not helping.
He focused on the next peak of pain. He clamped his jaws, dug his claws in, and snarled under his breath. His body burned when he attempted to mimic and recreate the sensation. He nearly collapsed, hateful for his physical weakness. He was too dizzy to stay fully upright. He caught himself by some miracle.
The pain rose again. The pressure grew tenfold.
It felt as if a dam had burst.
He smothered a scream.
He felt as if he were being burned alive.
It was almost as if he'd been gutted and his entrails scooped from the wound.
A wet slopping noise met his ears. He stumbled, barely catching himself. His sides trembled. His body was cold, shaking. He could feel the pain fade a single moment. He bore his teeth and flicked his tongues. Then he clenched his eyes shut.
It couldn't have survived.
He'd responded too late.
The spasms alone should have killed it.
Atem looked over slowly. He was shaking. His wings had cut his sides from pressing so hard. He blinked and exhaled slowly.
It was there.
It hadn't been a phantom pain as some small part of him had hoped.
He lifted his back leg. The organ was swollen, drooping, blood and black slime still dripping. It would take a couple of hours at the least for the swelling to subside. The state of abuse it had gone through would take longer to recover from. It would recede likely during the night.
He couldn't lay directly on his belly anytime soon without risking permanent damage.
He didn't truly care, however. He only ever needed it for marking territory and urination. Yugi mounted him most often. It was easier for him to simply let the hybrid mount him than stress him by attempting to mate midair again. And to mount him on land made Atem feel uncomfortable and estranged.
Atem straightened shakily. His limbs felt almost broken. He looked at the mess of flesh and blood, the musky scent making his head spin. Exhaustion tugged at his insides. He coiled his tail beneath himself and lowered himself slowly to lay across the smooth scales.
It offered minimal relief, but even that was enough.
Atem settled his breathing and closed his eyes. Then he turned to look over again.
The egg had likely suffocated. It was wrapped in a thick hideous red and black film. He could make out the individual veins, the mucus membrane the shade of dried blood. Atem hissed and flexed his claws.
He'd need to clean it.
He rose to a stand, glancing toward the den entrance, and struggled not to bristle.
At least Yugi was not coming just yet.
Atem had moved the egg to the other end of the den. It was where he most often slept and it would be no surprise should Yugi find him resting there. He put it against the wall, where it would be more sheltered from various little scraps of wind some autumn days brought. And this way he would not have to worry that he could not supply the necessary body heat to keep it alive.
If it was still alive.
He had felt that it was before. Instinct had driven him to clean it of its membrane, burning it away and using the ashes top keep the egg better insulated for the moment. But now he had to wonder. He had heard rumors a parent knew when their egg was in trouble. He had been told one always understood when their offspring was hurt or needed them. Even in the egg, a parent knew what their hatchling needed of them.
And yet…
For everything Atem swore he knew of himself, he could not say the same about this little egg. No amount of memories of conversation with his parents—his pestering to know while his siblings hovered and grumbled in annoyance when he interrupted stories—could tell him.
Maybe he lacked that instinct.
Or perhaps the egg really was dead.
Atem narrowed his eyes.
It would not surprise him.
The egg should never have been produced.
But he'd also reacted incredibly late.
And he'd not had the knowledge to push it out without damage.
And, with the membrane atop it when it had greeted the world, it was no wonder the egg was black. It should have been light blue or white or silver, gold or some mixture. Sky Dragons laid eggs the color of the sky. Ice Dragons laid eggs that glimmered like stars. Lightning Dragons laid eggs bright scorching golden like a rod of lightning. Fire Dragons laid eggs soot black or sometimes black with ribbons of gold and soft orange like embers. The Earth Dragon laid an egg the color of soft sunbaked sand or reddish mud. The Water Dragon laid an egg of deep blue or soft turquoise. The Wind Dragon had pale eggs, usually white and sometimes soft blue like the sky.
Regardless of the egg being half Yugi, the shell should have been a color of the sky. But it was stained black, and he could see various little cuts of something like blood red.
The membrane had most likely suffocated it. The discoloration was a note of that in and of itself. He could see small trails like veins. And he knew it was the membrane. If it had not been for this, the egg probably would have been a softer color. The membrane had left an imprint on its surface. With how frail a Sky Dragon's egg was…
But, should it be dead, then what? Did he bury it? Did he eat it? What did one do with an egg they knew wouldn't make it?
Atem considered it. Then he looked away. He'd rather sit and wait, perhaps hope despite himself it had survived.
His wings drooped as he looked down at it.
He remembered now.
There was a little ceremony.
It was a ritual all species of dragons performed when they thought their egg dead.
The parents would speak a few words, giving a blessing of some kind in which the deceased was named and given sanctuary in Paradise. And then they would crush the egg and burn the remainders and bury the ashes.
Fire was the only breath shared by all species of dragons. Because of this, the ceremony was the same for each of them. It tied them together, so even if the parents were separate species such as Yugi's own, they were united in this one manner.
Atem looked over at it.
He didn't know how soon Yugi would be back.
And he did not know he had the stomach to take a chance on whether he was correct and the egg was dead. What if, on that small off chance, the egg was still alive? What if it was still alive and well and he performed this ritual believing otherwise and—?
He sat up when he heard scraping. There was a soft huff and a thump. Atem relaxed, recognizing the annoyed grunt his mate let out. And then horror crashed through him. He looked around frantically.
There was no further evidence he'd laid this egg, right? There was no way Yugi could possibly detect it, right?
He was shaking when he looked around a second time. Aside from the egg itself, it did not seem as if there was anything he should hide.
He shivered and looked in the direction Yugi was coming. As long as he lay beside it, Yugi wouldn't see. And then, as long as he was there, Yugi would know to jump over him and away from the cliff. Yugi was very conscious of wherever Atem was, always thoughtful enough to pay attention and move around him.
Atem settled close to the wall, draping a wing over the top of the egg, and stretched himself out in a more comfortable position. At least the swelling had gone down and he did not have to lie on his tail any longer. He didn't have to worry about explaining it to Yugi.
He knew Yugi would have noticed end become concerned. Atem never lay on his tail. He didn't like to expose his belly in any manner and flipping his tail to show the black and white striped scales felt similar. He didn't like showing weakness of any kind. It would have gotten him killed before, and though Yugi was perhaps the gentlest dragon he'd ever met, he couldn't convince himself to shake such instinct.
"I hope you're still hungry," the Gandora grunted, poking his head out over the edge of the lip. His mouth was full of buffalo hide and he looked somewhat tired from dragging it. How his voice still managed to remain so comprehensible was beyond him. "Because I have no idea how I'm going to finish this thing if you're not."
Atem laughed and shook his head. "I'm starved."
"Great!" Yugi murmured, then moved to get a better grip. He came over the edge with a much heavier thud than usual, awkwardly lugging his catch. Atem almost got up, then stopped himself. He'd have to ask Yugi to bring it closer. He didn't want to risk leaving the egg alone for long. If it was alive still, that was critical.
It would rely on body heat for the first moon, though sunbathing would be necessary as well. He'd need to expose it to sunlight so it got the right intake of heat and fresh air. He would need to sunbathe as well, or else he would lose his coloring and health and slowly but surely become sluggish and weak.
And that wasn't something he could afford, either.
Atem wanted to groan. He wasn't made for this. He had no idea how to balance his needs and the egg's, and his desire for secrecy.
"It's almost as big as you."
"I had to take my frustration out on something," Yugi murmured dismissively. He shook himself out where he'd tripped over the prey animal, then turned to him with bright eyes. "Because I realized something while I was out and about hunting."
Atem blinked, then frowned visibly. "Oh?" he asked softly. "And what was it you realized?"
"No, no, no. I'm going to explain as I tell the story." Yugi huffed, giving him a small glare before studying his expression. His anger melted away soon after as he grabbed the buffalo again, dragging it to Atem and taking a seat. The Sky Dragon sank his teeth in ravenously, swallowing huge mouthfuls even as Yugi shook his head. "So, after I left you to get into the den, I was thinking about that sunbathing comment you made. And I thought about the Wind Dragon that had shown up earlier. And I thought about how suddenly you wanted to be mounted so much."
Atem slowed his eating, casting him an anxious glance and feeling shame crash through him. He'd been hoping Yugi would overlook it. He'd been so incredibly hopeful—and amazingly stupid, he realized. Of course Yugi would figure it out. Even if it was not apparent in the fact that a suitor had shown up, it would have been obvious when he bothered to analyze his behavior. It would not have been hard for him to realize that most likely he would remember this being around the time his parents would look to physical intimacy.
He lowered his eyes, looking at the meal in front of him. Now was likely the time Yugi would realize just how hopeless he was and leave him for a female.
"And then I got to wondering, but then I figured, no you wouldn't do that. But, then, no, actually, of course you would," Yugi continued. His voice had taken on a slight edge of frustration but he sounded tired. He shook his head. "And then it occurred to me that Rafael probably didn't help matters, either."
Atem blinked and looked at him sideways, almost wanting to duck and cover his face with his paws as a hatchling might. Yugi peered back with a mild expression of frustration but mostly relief.
"That's where you got the idea, right? Because he'd said mounting males was more fun for him because of how often he could do so in a short amount of time? That stuck in your head when you went to Bless Seto's nest, didn't it?" Yugi prodded gently. He tilted his head and then sighed and shook himself out, smiling. "But, honestly, I'm relieved it was something as simple as their heat cycle and insecurity. I thought you were actually sick."
"Sick?" Atem repeated softly, turning his head toward him in bewilderment. He frowned and studied his more relaxed stance before blinking and shifting slightly closer. Somewhere in the back of his mind a sense of relief crashed through him. The egg he'd laid had not stunk of rot as his brother's nest had. He'd almost chosen to kill the one that had stunk the most, certain it wouldn't survive long enough to hatch. But that wasn't the case here. The egg had no scent but for blood, and even that was fading. It didn't stink of rotting flesh, so maybe that meant it would hatch. Maybe he hadn't ruined it. "Why would I wish to be mounted if I were sick?"
"I thought something was wrong and so you were afraid I'd find out and you were trying to make me stay." Yugi paused, falling silent for a moment before shaking his head. He looked relieved when he tilted his head toward him. "Although, I guess the latter part wasn't wrong. You really were trying to keep me around by initiating mountings."
"I…" Atem looked away. "Well, I cannot imagine you would wish to stay with a male unable to do much more than offer you the chance to mount them when there are plenty of females going through cycle now. And it is not as if you are stupid. You are very capable of winning if it came to a fight of some kind or anything of that matter. "
"How about the fact I love you and always have and always will?" Yugi asked quietly. "Or about how I even offered to let you Claim me before so you would be assured I wouldn't run off on you? Or that I care for you more than anyone or anything else and I would do anything for you? Did you forget all those things, Atem?"
He flexed his claws. "I find it hard." He twitched again, then looked away, tucking his head into the fold of his wing shamefully. But when he looked forward, the little egg seemed to stare back at him and he felt as if he might vomit. He looked at it a few moments, hearts thundering in his chest, and then slowly turned away again. "I find it incredibly hard to believe it sometimes. It's not…easy to believe someone cares for me as much as you do. And I don't distrust you. I just…"
"Become dog-brained whenever you're uncomfortable?" Yugi suggested gently. When Atem huffed, he laughed and licked his forehead. "You really do need to stop doubting everything so much."
The Sky Dragon didn't answer him, looking back at the buffalo and then to him again. Yugi wasn't wrong. It was ridiculous of him to keep doing this. It was one thing to doubt himself but another entirely to doubt someone who didn't deserve it.
"I'll try to work on it."
Yugi nodded, as if this answer truly satisfied him and he could think of nothing better to be said. Atem studied him, but his hunger clawed his gut and he looked down again, digging into the carcass quickly. He swallowed whole chunks as Yugi watched, sitting inches away and waiting for him to finish.
"Are you not hungry?"
Yugi blinked, neatly tucking his paws into his chest as he laid down and let his wings touch the ground. He shook his head and lay his chin down, watching him lazily. "I'd rather you eat your fill first."
"But—"
"I wasn't the one quivering like a leaf because I could barely stand any longer," Yugi chastised him gently, tilting his head and offering a small smile. "Eat, Atem. If I'm hungry later I'll hunt again. It's okay."
He almost argued he would not eat anymore if Yugi would not join him; he'd done so before. They'd shared a meal and been amicable before. Doing so again would not be impossible.
But then it occurred to him he should go ahead and gorge himself. He had a lot of blood loss to make up for in laying the egg. If he did not maintain his own health and keep himself well-fed, he'd have little body heat to offer. If he did not have the body temperature necessary to nurture the egg, he would condemn it to an early grave. Atem still could not say with certainty it wasn't already dead. Should it be his worries were for nothing then he was worrying without reason, but should it not be he had a lot of work to do before it hatched.
Atem refused to look over at it. He couldn't just pretend it dead for convenience. The resolve he felt made him want to curl around it and listen for any movement. Fire Dragon clutches hatched rather quickly. Given Yugi's genes, perhaps it would hatch sooner and he'd be able to present Yugi a dragonet. Then again, with his own genes in the mix, it might take much longer. Fire Dragons had shorter lifespans abf aged much faster; Sky Dragons hatched and aged much slower due to their incredibly long expectancies. He wondered if it would take moons to hatch.
He shook the thought away. Yugi was stretched out, asleep now that he'd gotten the chance to physically rest. The Gandora was curled almost into a ball, paws still tucked beneath his chest and head lowered and angled toward him. Atem could hear the softest of snores coming from him. No doubt as much stress as it had put on Atem's own body, the copious mounting had exhausted Yugi as well. He might not have been in pain as Atem had, but no doubt he'd grown tired and sluggish. How he'd managed to hunt was almost beyond him, but for the fact he understood Yugi's frustration and panic before he'd deduced the situation for what it was.
Atem turned his head to look at the egg beneath his wing. It was so much smaller than he'd expected such pain to produce. He'd thought it to be at least larger than his own head but it barely measured the height of the tusks on either side of his jaws. He studied it, sighing softly as he turned back to his meal.
"I really hope you're alive."
Terminology:
Dragons use "paws" for their feet, "beaks" for the tips of their mouths, and "muzzles" for the bases/bridges of them. They use these because they all have human forms and they use other terminology for their human counterparts than their dragon forms.
Each dragon has a Battle and Origin Form. The Origin Form is their natural form, the one they were born in which would be them in the anime. Their Battle Forms are more compact and deadly and makes them all around the same size but for natural variances (Atem is about four inches taller than Yugi, Seto is about two inches smaller than Atem, etc). It also tends to be the form that they mate in for the sake of being roughly the same size (as Slifer absolutely DWARFS Gandora in size and build in the anime).
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