IT' FINALLY POSTED! AH! THANK GOD! OH MY GOD I AM SO HAPPY I COULD CRY!

I apologixeor the lateness of this chapter. I got it finished a month ago my poor grammar knight worked her littl heart out to get it to me and then the power went out...but here it is and as pomised it is worth the wait!

I waited so long to ppst this chapter! i'm super sorry its almost three weeks late!

Discliamer: i own nothing.

As always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions and go nuts.

Chapter XXXVII: Reconcile

That night, The Eye of Timaeus was alive with the rush of celebration. The storm—despite its suddenness and savagery—had passed with little destruction, and after so much longing and waiting, the stale air had finally stirred and the wind returned. At long last, the great green dragon had wind in her sails and flight as her power once more. With their bellies fat and full and their weariness gone, there was no protest when the Trierarch ordered the sails immediately released and the anchor hauled up.

Unorthodox though it was, the Trierarch insisted the ship sail through the night; the storm had worn the waves flat, so they had neither the strength nor the endurance to resist the ship and it was not worth risking the wind's favor. She was, after all, a fickle creature. Ryou had volunteered to take the wheel—the onions had rejuvenated his spirit, though the Trierarch insisted Rhebekka check for a concussion first. The Trierarch himself "volunteered" Raphael to take the first watch. He didn't dare protest. The rest of the crew celebrated with another batch of Yugi's soup, which had become affectionately nicknamed "Storm Brew" after the time and creativity of its invention. Even Malik and Otogi, as curt and unexcited as they could, swallowed their pride and asked for seconds.

It was the first time Yugi recalled since leaving port that he found himself smiling. There were still some distrustful glares and disapproving snorts, but underneath it now was a begrudging sort of gratitude that, in some way, could even be masked as respect. It was no grand leap forward—it was no certainty or guarantee of anything—but to Yugi, it could've been a leap across the Nile.

Over the clatter of bowls, the rattling of spoons, and the thunderous thumps of mugs thick with ale came the cacophony of laughter, shouts, jibs, and even a few drunk enough to start singing—and Yugi found himself at the heart of the noise and safely distanced from behind the counter. Rhebekka chomped down hard on onions and bread and drank the brew like it was ale. Yugi insisted on giving her something for her fever, but she would hear none of it.

" 'Twas sleep that was all I needed," she insisted, but Yugi didn't trust the flushed pallor of her skin. "I'm going to bed," she announced with a yawn, vaguely aware of Yugi's hesitant expression. "Don't worry yourself about me, lad," she said with a wink. "Go and celebrate with your husband. I will be fine."

Her comments stirred something in him and Yugi couldn't recall seeing Timaeus after he'd praised him with a kiss. Until he spotted him slipping through the chaos like an emerald shadow revealing itself only when it wanted to be seen. He was not too difficult to spy in his trademark silver uniform and bits of green and blue armor.

You are mine to protect.

The words came back to him and Yugi started after him, with an urge whose origin he could not explain. Ducking and weaving his way through the crowd, Yugi caught sight of him exiting the stairs. He took two steps at a time and watched him slip through the doors to the Navigation Room.

He stopped at the doors, standing innocently and ornamentally between them—the thick wood and polished gold a perfect replica of the distance that had wedged itself so deeply between them. Yugi had built that wall himself, he knew, but now he felt it weakening and thinning under the multitude of tiny cracks. He stood there with his hands shaking, daring himself to enter or turn back, and wondering if he had the strength to do either.

It hurt. This distance between them hurt, even more under the weight of memories that were only ever pleasant and frustrating. Was it truly done? He wondered, and knew only he had the answer. Timaeus had said as much, and he felt the parts of himself that dared to hope, to dream, to leap and take a chance on the promise of loving arms waiting for him on the other side of the door—even as the other warred and raged and warned against such foolery. With its bitter reminders of protection and duty, could he truly trust those promises?

You are mine to protect. He had said so that night. He had said it many times before and with equal fervor, but this time, something about it spoke of duty and passion as if they were one in his heart. That he—Yugi—had a place in that heart.

"Are you not coming?" The voice dropped in the silence like a stone in a well.

"Yugi?" Timaeus asked when Yugi did not answer or look at him.

His name was a distant whisper on Timaeus' lips. Yugi lifted his face and found Timaeus standing.

His smile was proud and pleased, but his eyes were lost and grieving. "You were magnificent today."

Yugi colored before he could stop himself. "T-Thank you." Then he squared his shoulders, his soul weary and tired but his mind alert and convicted. He tried to slip past him, but Timaeus was quicker. "Wait." He took Yugi's hand—the embrace so quick and gentle Yugi barely felt his fingers around his hand. His eyes were all things wounded and rueful. "Stay."

Another order. Weariness replacing agitation, Yugi wrenched his hand away. "I'm tired," he snapped, his words more fatigued than angry. "Leave me be." He quickened his steps until his hands clenched instinctively around the door handles and pulled. They didn't open. He pulled again. The doors protested with a loud wooden clang, but the locks did not yield. With a growl of vexation, Yugi wrenched harder, over and over in repetitive grunts of growling and pulling, but the wood was strong and the door was old but held firm. He finally shoved them forward with a loud, irritated curse. "Damn it!"

He didn't hear Timaeus' gentle steps approaching until strong arms encircled his waist and clasped his palms together. Timaeus' hands were warm and enclosed Yugi's completely, though not ungently. Suddenly overcome by a nameless, foreboding dread, Yugi struggled frantically. "L-Let go!" With a fierce cry, he pulled himself free and spun in his arms.

He stumbled back against the doors, but Timaeus caught him with an arm and slammed his palms on either side of him, disabusing him of any notion he might have had of escaping. As Yugi bore into the other's frozen face, he experienced a frantic moment of remembrance and how Timaeus had stood over him at their wedding: that deadness of his expression. The unbearable loss of his face, the sorrow of his guilt… He saw none of those things now. Only opposites: desperation, bewilderment, pleading love, flickering hope… He might have been someone else entirely, because his look was so full of feeling.

"Do I repulse you so much that you cannot look at me?" Timaeus' soft, fervent question startled Yugi out of his thoughts.

"Do—you—what?" Yugi stuttered like a startled animal, unsure of how to react. This wasn't the Timaeus he was used to. This wasn't the cool and controlled Trierarch whose rule was absolute. Nor was it the dutiful Guardian he had married and kept him sheltered, or the playful Rogue whose stolen kisses and sultry mischief he secretly missed. No, this being, whose eyes were all things wounded and rueful and whose frown was all things broken and lost, was the Man—the Man who'd finally shown his true face.

Timaeus deflated at once and pulled his arms away. "I don't want to fight you, Yugi," Timaeus mumbled softly, unable to articulate his words strongly. "Nor do I wish to hurt you."

The declaration only made Yugi angry. Though he knew Timaeus would not do so now, he had hurt him before. This was the man who'd plucked and played his heart like a sistrum and filled his head with promises, hopes, and dreams—only to dash them all away with the stroke of his signature and whisk him off into a loveless marriage of political duty he called protection.

"Then what…?" Yugi's throat closed, choking on bitterness and resentment. He squared his shoulders and put on his anger like armor, and for a brief moment, he was able to fool himself into believing he was a match for him. That he could—what? Win another argument? He didn't want to fight him. What did he want? What did Timaeus want?

"Just…" Timaeus fumbled for words and trailed away, at a loss. "To talk… like we used to," he said at last. "To try and understand this. Understand us and… what happened to us." On his face was a helpless look. Yugi's anger and bravado dissolved in an instant, replaced by a weary exhaustion that nearly made him collapse. Timaeus moved hesitantly, as if to catch him, but Yugi braced himself against the door, knowing that if Timaeus touched him now—if he let those soft hands and warm arms embrace him—he'd be lost.

"What... happened…?" Yugi trembled and struggled to catch his words. All control was slipping away like water from his skin. "You lied to me!" His words were small, broken things, but voluminous in their anguish. "You promised me freedom! You promised me companionship! You promised me all my dreams—" He stopped himself short and smothered his face in his hands, trembling harder and unable to stop himself. "You promised me everything… then you took it all away."

When he looked up again, he expected Timaeus to look broken and repentant—instead, he looked enraged, but not with anger.

Betrayal.

"And do you think I do not regret it?" His words were savage with heartbreaking guilt. "Do you think it does not torment me every waking hour, wondering what it was I had done that was so unforgivable? Wondering how to make amends when I don't know how to help you? Do you truly think me so cruel as to play you false when I'd wanted to spend the rest of my life with you?" His hands found Yugi's shoulders, shaking. Yugi could only stand still, frozen by shock and his own self-horror and disgust as Timaeus crumbled in front of him.

Timaeus stood on shaky legs and when he looked into Yugi's eyes again, they were wet with unshed tears—one green and ardent, the other white and ghostly. "I—" He choked on his regret. "I know you despised the hastiness of our marriage, and even I did as well, but…" Words and logic abandoned him and his tongue twisted. "Does being my Consort truly disgust you that much?"

"I—" Yugi choked. It would've been so easy to lie then. To lie and hurt him worse than he'd been hurt, but it would've been a hollow victory and he would derive no pleasure from it. "I never hated you..." Yugi confessed, his eyes downcast. "I wanted to marry you…" he broke off.

Timaeus gaped in shock. For a whole moment, he just gawked at him in silence. "Then… why?" Timaeus stuttered on his own bewilderment. "W-When I asked your brother, why did—" He never got to finish.

"But you didn't ask me!" Yugi cut him off loudly, his face still downcast.

Timaeus blinked. "I didn't?" He pondered the statement, a mixture of horrible realization and overwhelming idiocy pooling in his gut. All those nights, he questioned on what he should do, what he should say, what he had done—what it was that had made Yugi despise their union so much, when only the day before they had been laughing. He never thought the answer was something so simple and so fixable, had he only the wit to see it. Or the stomach to ask.

Then suddenly, it melted into shameful clarity. "I didn't…"

Yugi shook his head, trembling. "You were the only one who ever asked me what I wanted. The only one who cared enough to ask… but… you asked my brother. You asked my sister. You asked your King… but," he paused again. Only now did he realize he was shaking all over. "You never asked me."

A comforting weight settled on his shoulders and Yugi immediately relaxed. The soft grip of Timaeus' hands was both unsettling and surprisingly comforting. Yugi lifted his face. Timaeus' eyes shined with apologetic tears.

"I wanted to," he explained. "I wanted nothing more—but you were so upset. It broke my heart to see you like that and worse to know that I was the cause of it. They told me to wait, to let you rest, let you accustom yourself to the idea..." he trailed off, like he was lost in a distant memory. "Your sister and brother knew you better than I did, so how could I argue? And I'd hoped that perhaps all you needed was time. But when you didn't, when it crossed me that you might not feel the same for me as I did for you, I was at a loss on how to help you. And truthfully, I think I was avoiding talking to you, need I upset you even further."

Yugi listened, truly listened, and his stomach twisted in knots. "You could've said something…" he trailed off, but it was a weak defense. He could've said something, he realized, instead of cowering in his room, smothered in bed like hiding under it would magically save him.

"But then…" he paused, his own face flushed with shame. Oh Ra, he had run away from him, hadn't he? Ran away from Timaeus and Dartz and Mut and Pas like he ran from them whenever he was angry. Ran like a spoiled, sniveling child who didn't want to take his medicine. "So could I…"

I am a child, he thought. A selfish, stupid child.

"Forgive me," Timaeus apologized with an embrace. "I did not wish to marry you this way."

Yugi stiffened in his arms. "… Then why did you marry me?" he said hesitantly, like he was still wondering if he truly wanted to know, but the question left him before he could stop it. It had been plaguing him for so long, but he'd put it off for far too long, and he knew then that if he did not ask it now, he never would. He pulled away and met Timaeus' eyes, pleading for honesty. "Please tell me. Why did you marry me, if not for duty?"

Timaeus could only smile. "Do you really not know?" His expression softened until his smile was all adoration and admiration. It seemed like such a simple feeling—this fragile, terrifying emotion that crested inside him, and yet it was so incredibly complex he did not know how exactly to articulate it. So he told the truth. "Because I'm infatuated with you, Yugi. You astound me with your wit, your spirit, and your beauty. Your will is as strong as mine, but your temper is as fierce as a lion and your heart is just as brave. Gods above, I wanted you the moment I first saw you in Mut's temple, covered in dirt and so wild you didn't have the sense to know I wasn't an enemy and yet still you fought me as bravely and fiercely as anyone I'd ever challenged. How could I not? Everything about you intrigued me—still intrigues me. You were like fire and passion and wit and courage and everything that I'd ever wanted in a challenge, all wrapped in one beautiful box."

He stopped just long enough to catch his breath. His eyes blazed and burned with so much passion that Yugi couldn't breathe. His knees weakened under him and he knew that if Timaeus said what Yugi thought he would say next, they would no doubt give out under him.

"So no, my sweet one," Timaeus said at last, brushing a loose hair out of Yugi's face, and tucking it behind his ear. His eyes were bright and ardent, and his smile was all things honest. "It was neither for duty nor for protection. I married you because I wanted nothing more than to call you mine."

That was it. Yugi's weight gave out beneath him and he collapsed in his arms, but Timaeus was quick to catch him and held him tight as he cried. His body was heavy and immovable yet his spirit had never felt so free. Like a thick mantle had been hung onto him and he was only now free from the heavy burden. He didn't truly know whether to laugh or cry. So he did both.

Timaeus sank to the floor, his heavy lover in his arms—yet, as he held Yugi crying and laughing in his grasp, he'd never felt more weightless. The invisible layers of guilt and doubt and loathing and sheer hopelessness that he'd clung to like a beloved suit of armor had peeled away, leaving him light and distorted, but he'd never felt so calm and happy.

For countless moments, they stayed like that, simply holding the other—simply laughing like they'd used to. Both were unwilling to let the moment end and the lingering questions of the next stage corrupt their peaceful bliss after so many days and nights of loneliness.

"Yugi…" It was Timaeus who broke the silence, of course. Yugi knew what his question was before he'd even asked it. "What happens now?" He knew what he wanted—he always had—but he was giving Yugi that decision. To make amends for the one that had been taken from him, and Yugi knew its intention well.

"We could start over," Yugi proposed with a blush. "Get to know each other again." Could it be like it was before? The open, honest talks late into the night, and the lingering kisses that left him breathless and wanting? Would be it be more? Yugi shivered, remembering the hot touch of Timaeus' fingers on his skin. He hoped it would. He wanted it to be—wanted it more than he'd ever wanted anything.

He remembered the prayer he'd uttered the morning his life had irrefutably changed—the morning before Timaeus came into his life. Something or someone… that was mine alone.

"I'd like that," Timaeus agreed with a pleasant smile. His warm fingers stroked Yugi's cheek. "I'd like that very much." Yugi relaxed into the embrace, realizing then how much he'd missed it.

"Yugi." His name was a low, whispering chime, like a brass bell. Gingerly, Timaeus lifted them from the floor and—with a swift flick of his wrist—grabbed the key Yugi had failed to notice off the hook. The doors unlocked and opened welcomingly.

Timaeus spun to Yugi, his hand outstretched. "Come to bed."

Yugi blanched. He knew they had agreed to start over, and as much as the idea thrilled him, was he truly ready to accept this when his state was still vulnerable?

Timaeus blinked, then chuckled impishly. With a teasing smile, he added, "The hour is late and the day was long. I'm sure we are both tired."

Yugi blinked. "You mean… just sleep?"

"Of course," Timaeus added with a dramatic, gracious bow that was all chivalry. "What did you think I meant?"

The prince blushed.

Timaeus only laughed. Perhaps it was time to stop teasing. " 'Tis alright, love. I gave my word, did I not? I will have you willing in my bed or none at all. You have no reason to fear."

"It's not that I'm afraid," Yugi protested, furiously shaking his head. "I'm not! It's just… I…"

"You have never lain with anyone before," Timaeus finished with an understanding nod. " 'Tis alright. It's natural for a maiden to be frightened on their wedding night." He pressed a gentle kiss to Yugi's forehead and the former prince blushed deeper, despite his indignation over the term used for him. "I promised I would wait and I will." His warm thumb rubbed smooth circles over Yugi's cheek. "And when that time comes, I promise you will find only comfort in my arms and pleasure in my bed."

"When", Yugi noted. Not "if". Was he truly that confident? Or that certain? Yugi did not know, but he felt too light to care. He smiled, and took Timaeus' hand and gave it a small squeeze—but this time, all he felt was comfort.

X X X

A little after midnight, they'd stripped down and prepared for bed. Yugi chose the silken Locrian garment from before, grateful for the soft material against his weather-beaten skin. The storm had left the armor he'd worn damp and stiff and crusted with saltwater, and his skin felt tight even after he'd taken it off.

Yugi flopped onto the cool sheets and let the feathery-soft mattress absorb his weight. He curled against the pillows and waited for Timaeus to join him. And waited, until his eyes grew heavy and his body liquefied into the soft sheets. When he opened his eyes again, it was with a sudden jolt of not realizing he had closed them, and was disappointed to find the bed empty in the morning—then glanced out the windows and realized that the sun had not risen yet.

Yugi blinked. Timaeus was an early riser, but surely the man wasn't up this early? Judging from the darkness of Nut's cloak, the dawn was still hours away. Then where—? A shuffle of movement caught his attention and he spied an all-too-familiar lump curled atop the couch, a green cape draped haphazardly over its frame.

A memory grasped hold of him, of the last time he's woken up and Timaeus wasn't in his bed. "Oh, for heaven's—" Yugi rolled his eyes and threw off the sheets. Cold night air nipped at his bare feet and belly but he brushed it off as nothing more than an annoyance. His bare feet smacked against the wooden floor with agitated slaps.

"Timaeus!" he screeched in his face. Shocked awake, Timaeus rolled up, his hand grabbing open air, and he flopped at Yugi's feet in a tangle of cloth and limbs. He groaned and nursed his sore chin with a palm. He turned to Yugi with a growl and caught him smothering a snort of laughter.

"Do. Not. Say. A word," Timaeus hissed dangerously low. His face twisted into a snarl of wounded pride like an animal about to strike, but the flopped mess of his hair and his cloak tangled around his limbs completely marred the effect.

Yugi swallowed and nearly choked on his laughter. "Why are you sleeping on the couch?" he managed through restrained giggles.

With greater refinement than the situation afforded him, Timaeus stood. The cloak slithered like a serpent from his lap and pooled at his ankles, exposing pale, scarred skin—naked save for the night pants he wore. Yugi fought the urge to blush. "Well?" he demanded.

"Since my presence made you nervous, I thought sleeping apart would be more to your comforts," Timaeus said, and bent to retrieve his mantle from the floor.

Yugi stared at him blankly. Just then, he realized that not one night had he felt the bed dip with the other's arrival, nor shift from his departure. "Timaeus?" Yugi reeled in his shock. "Are you saying… that you've been sleeping on the couch since our first night?"

Timaeus did not answer, but the uncomfortable shift in his eyes spoke more answers than a thousand words. He turned away, a color akin to a blush dusting his cheeks. "It matters not. It is late and we are both tired. Let us retire." At Yugi's hesitant look, he added, "Do not fret. I am comfortable here." He laid himself down and covered himself again with the mantle.

Yugi just stood there, unsure whether to be touched or insulted. Knowing the other had willingly sacrificed his own comfort to avoid causing him distress comforted him more than he imagined it would, but the truth of that also filled him with shame—that the other had needed to do such a thing in the first place.

Yugi resolved himself then. There was no need for such a division now, and he'd be damned if he'd let another barrier rise between them when the first had only been freshly torn down.

"Very well," he steeled himself and slid next to him. "Move over?"

"Wh—?!" Timaeus squawked and stumbled backwards in his seat until he hit the rough wood of the backrest. He tried to protest but Yugi had already slid under the blanket and was wedged tightly against his skin. Barely big enough for one person, the couch was a tight fit and Yugi had to press himself against the curve of Timaeus' chest to lie comfortably enough.

He hadn't failed to notice the heat coming off the other's scarred chest or the way the powerful muscles curved and molded under his hands and cheeks, and he shivered under it. Red dusted his face, but he couldn't have fought it if he tried. When he breathed, he inhaled the man's scent, and he smelled like the sea: with the sharp pang of salt and the fresh, open air of freedom.

Timaeus shifted to sit up, and Yugi floundered, nearly landing on the other's lap. "Yugi!?" Timaeus caught him by the shoulders and sat him on his knees. "What are you—?"

"What?" Yugi cut him off. His face was bright pink and his mouth set in a pout. "We just promised to start over, did we not?" He forced himself to meet Timaeus' eyes, but it was difficult to focus when the other was so close and clad in almost nothing. "And… we are married, aren't we?" He tried not to stammer. "And the Locrian custom is for husbands and consorts to sleep together so… shouldn't we at least share a bed?" He gazed down at their location, then amended, "Or a couch?"

Timaeus stared at him, stunned. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He tried again but only managed, "I do not wish to make you uncomfort—" before Yugi cut him off with an aggravated groan.

"Oh, stop." He nearly shoved the other down. Overcome by surprise, Timaeus flopped onto his side. Yugi exhaled a breath and lied down next to him, but the couch was still small and he had to curl against Timaeus' side to keep from the edge. "You don't have to keep protecting me, you know," he said softly and pressed his face into the other's chest. "I know you said that I am yours to protect, and I'm grateful for that, but I can take care of myself, too, and…" He rose slightly and managed to pull himself into a half-kneeling, half-sitting position that allowed him to meet Timaeus' eyes. "I—" he started, and looked at his hands. He took a moment to collect himself, then said, "I want you, too."

Timaeus blinked then smiled. His gentle hand slid under Yugi's jaw and lifted his face. His lips graced Yugi's in a gentle kiss that the other willingly returned after a small gasp. His body flushed with heat, and Yugi felt his senses abandon him then return, heightened and incredibly sensitive. Every touch sent fire through his body and left a burst of heat that chilled once the fingers pulled away, galvanizing him awake and demanding more. His hands rose to clench Timaeus' shoulders and instead, found the rough muscles of his chest. Delicate fingers spidered over mountains of scars and flesh and bone that should've intimidated him, but instead, only excited him. His eyes fluttered close and he pulled himself flush against his husband.

Lost in the sweet sensation of Yugi's lips after so long, Timaeus abandoned all thought and let this feeling take over. The sweet softness of Yugi's lips against his, the touch of his smooth skin under his rough fingers, the other's soft, pale body pressed and perfectly molded against his larger, harder one—they were all intoxicating. The touch of Yugi, the feel of Yugi, was like a drug that robbed him of all care and coherent thought, and left only his sense of pleasure so heightened and alert, he felt drunk from it. Timaeus' arms wrapped around Yugi's slim waist and slithered up his sides and down his back. Though disappointed he wasn't touching skin, he felt every curve of flesh and bone through the silks and his hands trembled. Yugi was all softness: soft lips, soft skin, soft curves, and all of it melted in his arms like Timaeus was holding air and he tried desperately to grab hold of it.

Timaeus pulled Yugi close the same time Yugi pressed against him, and the new angle shifted their weight and they fell back against the couch in a swift fluid motion that ended with Timaeus on top and Yugi beneath him, their hands locked and their kiss unbroken. They pulled away only to breathe and air escaped them in heavy bursts, and yet both felt weightless. Weightless like they were floating in water, drowning, and had no desire to swim and leave this fluid, liquid place.

They didn't kiss again. Instead, they lied there, curled together—perfectly fitting into one another like the pieces of a puzzle. Yugi pressed his cheek against Timaeus' chest and the other stroked his hair with soft, delicate touches that made him giggle.

"Quite persuasive, aren't you?" Timaeus teased.

Yugi snorted but did not move from his spot. "You kissed me," he protested.

"And you kissed me back," Timaeus countered. "Though I am pleased you did. I have longed to kiss you again."

Yugi blushed at the statement and pushed himself deeper against the man's chest to hide it. Warmth radiated from his makeshift pillow, but it was a different kind of warmth from what he was used to. Different, raw, and surprisingly comforting. "You are my husband. I should like you kissing me."

"Ah." Timaeus gave a gasp of mock surprise and triumph. "So you do like me?" he teased.

Yugi blushed deeper, then snorted. "I did."

He felt Timaeus deflate. "As in you don't now?"

There was no masking the sadness, and hearing it made Yugi sit up, immediately guilty but unsure how to articulate his feelings. So he decided to tell the truth. "I'm not sure. I do like you when you're not acting all commanding, but," he paused. "I don't know you. I mean, I know you, but I know almost nothing about you. I've heard rumors and tales: that you were raised by a dragon, sprouted full grown from the sea, saved the king from pirates…"

Timaeus laughed, and to Yugi's delight, it was a merry one. "Oh, I'm afraid I am not as exciting as the tales. I was born just like any other man. I had a father, a mother, and a pleasant childhood."

"And after childhood?" Yugi asked curiously.

Timaeus' expression dropped to a frown. "That is not a tale I like to tell." It was curt and unelaborate, but the words were honest and the tone was sweet. For Yugi, it was enough.

Yugi couldn't remember lowering his eyes, but he felt Timaeus' warm fingers brush his face and redirect his gaze. On his face was a soft smile. " 'Tis nothing against you, my sweetling," Timaeus explained. "There is much of my past I am not pleased with. I consider Locri my home now and my present life. I have no need for the pains of the past. It is my own and I have made my peace with it."

The response saddened him, but Yugi nodded his head respectfully.

"But…" Timaeus added and Yugi immediately perked up. "Perhaps one day, sharing the tale will not be a burden if you are there to listen." Yugi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He chose to laugh.

"Perhaps," Yugi teased with a giggle of touched delight, "I will be interested enough to listen."

"Is that a challenge, little one?" Timaeus eyes lit up, recognizing their old game.

"Mayhaps it is," Yugi rolled away and flashed him a teasing smile.

"Well, then…" Timaeus' arm slithered around Yugi's waist and pulled him close. With a cry of shock and excitement, Yugi found himself crushed against the other's chest, his back pressed to the cushions and Timaeus on top of him. "I suppose I'll just have to try harder to change that."

Yugi blushed, heart pounding and lungs constricting with excitement. He held his breath and waited for the passionate ravish the devilish fire blazing in Timaeus' emerald and pearl eyes promised.

Timaeus pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. Yugi exhaled and liquefied in an instant, but he did not feel disappointed.

Timaeus only chuckled, admiring how perfectly Yugi's body curved into his. His smaller, softer frame, modeled against his tougher and harder one like it was meant to be there. So perfect. Yugi was not a shy thing, he noted—passion came easily enough, but affection was something he was still new to. He would need a gentle awakening. "And…" Timaeus teased, wrapping his arms around Yugi's waist tightly.

"As your husband, I reserve the right to hold you. Just hold you if that will ease your mind."

Yugi flashed a stubborn face, but there was no masking the pleasure Timaeus found there. With a proud nose, raised high, he relented, "I guess that's alright." And proceeded to snuggle into Timaeus' chest.

For the first time since their wedding night, both husband and consort slept peacefully.

I am so proud of this chapter! and i'm so happy its posted! i waited SO long to write it and DAMN it had so many awesomescenes in mind and once i tackled the hell of the beginning (transition is my weakness) it was GOLD! i LOVED writing this chapter so much!

It was so much fun to write: espeically that couch scene :) it just fit so much to get some equality back into their relationship.

I'm also very proud of their reconcile, especially because of how even it was :) they were both at fault and it took the two of them to work through it. Also someone mentioned Timaeus on his knees, which i honestly didn't think fit cause then it could seem more like he was to blame and Yugi wasn't at fault but somehow that still ended up happening but i kinda liked how it came out.

Overall, i am just so deliriously happy with this chapter! i'm gonna have SO much fun writing the rest of this story. Four more chapters and then the Ocean Arc is DONE and about 5 maybe 6 after that Part II will be concluded. so my goal is to finish the Ocean Arc by New Years. Ambition is to finisht the whole thing but work has been evil but I have a christmas vacation coming up and i am definitely inspired!

Next twp chapters are written and beted! and as a special gift to everyone the next chapter will be posted Next Week!

As always read, review, reply, comment, critique, ask questions and have fun! i can't WAIT to see the reviews for this one!

NEXT Time: A supposedly disappointing morning leads to an entirely unexpected-and steamy-surprise, and after an unorthadoxed bonding experience, Timaeus and Yugi decides to make a few "amendments" to their agreement.

NEXT UPDATE: DECEMBER 26TH! MERRY CHRISTMAS!