Zypher: so we're back to the siren AU and if one were to line the days up from June, this prompt fell on Father's Day which led to me getting a whole different idea for Pressure in comparison to the original idea i had planned. now, for all to remember even with the warnings below, this isnt cute little mermaids, the concept of sirens i went along with is they're fearsome predators that serenade, drown and eat humans. they still have cognitive thought but are still monsters in their own right. so before anyone tries to come at me about Yugi for one reason or another, remember:
he is a siren as well. he is still a sweetheart but has adapted to being a siren down to the very core. so what happens here is his good heart at work and the maternal siren need to take from the surface what he felt was a treasure left to spoil with the "ground dwellers". now on with the show!
warnings: human prey, character death [but not really. apply what happened to Yugi in the earlier chapters here~ the victim of course will shock you]
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Day 21: Yugi surfaces in search of a meal when he finds a lone boy out on the shore. A remembrance of the day that he had long forgotten due to past circumstances of his human life, he decided to grant the boy something he had lost...
On the grounds that his partner would not cow to the pressures of fatherhood, the very thing he left home for.
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Yugi hummed softly as he woke from his peaceful slumber, stretching out slowly before looking around the beautiful grotto that was now his home. It has been a month and a half since his rebirth into a siren and grew into his life rather quick for all that he went through to get to this point. He did have a bit of homesickness the first few days amidst the work of trying to adapt to his new tail, even taking the time to surface around the area of the beach house that he once stayed with his friends only to see the absence of light in the house to show that the vacation was over and Jounouchi, Seto and Mokuba returned back to Domino.
It truly broke his heart but Atemu showed that for all his bravado, he was a doting mate and took care to ease Yugi into his new life and home. Once he felt comfortable and adapted to many things, especially when it came to food, Yugi was swimming fast and singing beautifully than any angel. He looked down to Atemu who slept quietly beside him and smiled, deciding that he'd fetch them breakfast as he rose slowly from the spongy seaweed and algae bed wrapped in old, faded beach towels pulled from the beaches. Yugi looked to the bright blue expanse glowing from the sun above, seeing colorful fish swimming along and the occasional bigger fare meandering about.
Yugi will admit that he was grateful that Atemu's presence in these parts for so many years drove away any big predators, knowing full well he wouldn't have known how to handle himself when it came to a shark. Lazily drifting along, Yugi decided on who he should lure into the watery depths and decided on picking up a sizable one if he could spot one, smiling in delight as he started for the popular beach that was their hunting grounds. Atemu would be so happy for the meal!
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When Yugi surfaced, the day didn't completely register to mind for a moment until he realized the reason for the extremely crowded beach chock full of families. Such a holiday that his human life often forgets as the reason behind such celebration had long left him in his childhood. As such, it never once occurred to him that Father's Day was that day. The siren hummed, tail propelling his body forward as he looked among the happy faces of the children playing games with their dads, others watching as the grill crackles and pops with the warm scents of hamburgers and hot dogs. There were a few couples there just relaxing but all in all, it was your typical beach day and it was almost shameful to think of pulling one of these eager fathers from their families. He sighed, sinking further now to continue along, playing the obvious tourist out for a swim in too deep waters scanning the shoreline.
As he thought of the concept of fathering, Yugi wondered now if Atemu had ever considered the thought as he had left his home and kingdom behind to escape such things and the clearly uninteresting female siren population that never tickled his fancy as Yugi himself had. Probably not, Yugi mused, then began to wonder if siren biology would equip the males with such things to have children of their own between two males but quickly shut the thought down with a heated blush under the water. If that was a fact, Atemu would at least tell him over trying to surprise him with that idea after a moonlight nesting session. Finally, violet hues spotted a lone male, big and bulky as he had hoped for and grinned playfully as he went to slowly inch towards his target when something else caught his eye further down.
It was a young boy, far from the other families on the beach hunched over in the sand with a worn piece of driftwood in hand. He was doodling random patterns in the wet sand but the expression on his face showed little amusement to his solitary game. This had Yugi grow a little curious, eyeing his current prey as if ignoring him now would be a missed opportunity but the child seemed alone and separated. He weighed his options quickly and decided that the boy would take precedence this time and slowly made his way towards the shoreline. The small brunet boy continued to make random lines in the sand, disconnecting from all the festivities around him as light amber eyes stared at the lines wistfully.
He was alone, clear as day, and couldn't think to be invested in the rapacious glee around him as families spent time with each other on this day devoted to the fathers all around. His parents had passed long ago and his caretaker was being a pain so he decided to go out on his own to the beach to play. However, the idea of coming to the beach was a terrible mistake and decided the only empty spot would be a good place to just lament and muse on his situation. A splash caused him to lift his head, seeing violet eyes watching him before a head raised from the water with a warm smile.
"Hello, dear. Why are you out here all alone?" The boy blinked, looking around for a moment before pointing at himself and Yugi nodded, motioning for him to give his answer. "My caretaker was annoying me. So I came to the beach to play." Yugi frowned, asking about where his parents were and learnt the tragic tale of their passing when he was younger. Keeping himself afloat, Yugi began to speak with the young boy, asking why he wasn't playing with the other children or at least making friends with the parents already there to get something to eat. Surely sitting idly by with all this cooked food was making him terribly hungry, a fact that the boy didn't mention but Yugi could hear. The boy didn't want to make trouble for himself so he decided to stick around there. "Well that isn't fair for you. Here, I'll get you something." Yugi said before he was gone. The boy was stunned by such generosity of a complete stranger but smiled, holding his groaning belly that ached for food.
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Atemu had no need to be alarmed upon waking but he did have his concerns when Yugi wasn't beside him. His mate did well to not reveal himself to the public when serenading a foolish ground dweller into their claws for meals but the other siren still had his worries. He allowed himself to sit idle in hopes that Yugi would return soon with a promising meal but after a good hour, he grew frustrated. Yugi was a fantastic hunter so this wouldn't have taken him this long. Moving from their shared nest, Atemu was out of the grotto and heading for the populated beachfront.
When he surfaced, sharp scarlet glanced around, seeing the beach teeming with families with their grills and playthings for the children but no sign of his dear mate. Bubbles rushed from his mouth as he skulked the shoreline in hopes to see Yugi, eventually catching sight of him at the far end with a child there, happily eating some burgers. Without a single thought, his tail flicked at abnormal speeds to reach him. Yugi heard him before he saw him, quickly turning to face the other whose eyes clearly read of what he was up to. "I know what you're thinking and I will explain to you in better details when we're home. But Atemu, meet Judai. Judai, Atemu." Yugi introduced and while little Judai was intimidated by the other, he gave a shy wave. "Charmed." he mumbled before looking at Yugi once more.
Yugi knew what that one meant and frowned, moving closer to Atemu who gave a single motion and was soon gone underneath the waves. Judai watched the exchange and asked if everything was alright. This is exactly what he feared and didn't want Yugi to be in trouble because of him. "I'm sorry if Atemu is mad at you...I-I didn't want that..." he murmured and Yugi hushed him, promising that nothing was wrong and that he'd go talk to him. "But Judai...I want you to think on something for me." Yugi murmured as he looked to the families on the beach. If you feel your life is not fulfilling, to come and meet him again at this very spot before midnight. "I will wait here before the turn of the day. If home is not right for you then come to me and I can work some magic of my own to make you happy."
Judai tilted his head at the thought, wrapping his arms around his raised knees as he thought about it before nodding. Yugi was really nice and worried for him. He was like the father he didn't have but also didn't want to cause conflict with Atemu who he was sure was closer to him. The siren smiled and reminded him of the deadline before he was gone, Judai almost thinking he saw a lavender tail surface from the water as Yugi left before rubbing his eyes. Yugi couldn't have a tail.
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Back at the grotto, Atemu was gnawing on the arm of a woman he had thralled on the way back, waiting for Yugi's return. Yugi didn't show himself to that child, which he was grateful for, but he was still displeased by his behavior. Just the sight of the child had reminded Atemu of old responsibilities and pressures of the crown. He knew Yugi meant no harm by getting acquainted with the boy but didn't know of his aversion to them. Of course, if Yugi had meant to lure the child, he knew better than to pick someone so scrawny with little meat on the bones. His gaze turned up to the displacement of water, seeing Yugi swimming towards him and swallowed the flesh in his jaws.
"I'm waiting for the explanation, dear pearl." Yugi gave a sheepish smile as he settled beside Atemu, making grabby hands for the body. Atemu gave a cocky smirk, lifting the arm and waved the hand at him which made him pout. "Ok ok." Yugi huffed petulantly, razor sharp teeth tearing into hand before he began to speak. Yugi began first with giving Atemu the rundown of the packed shores and the representation of this particular day to the humans. Atemu snorted at the thought but allowed Yugi to continue the explanation as they feasted, learning why he was so intrigued by the boy. "I think he's really lonely, Atemu. I don't want you to think I'm pressuring you into suddenly becoming a parent but my heart goes out to him, especially today. To not have a father...I relate to it." Now Atemu was left silent to Yugi's words.
The other siren never pried into Yugi's human past as it was unnecessary to know but the thought that he had gone a childhood without a father made him too relate in mild ways. Of his own father, the king, always busy and never had time for his son. Of the long, agonizing hours of studying and singing and preparing to take the throne until he finally cracked and abdicated from those responsibilities for a freer life once children became a topic. Of desperate siren women throwing themselves at his fins for the title of power of being his mate with voices so off tune it gave Atemu constant headaches.
He was glad to be away from that life and was at peace with someone that he could be comfortable with. But past musings aside, he took into consideration Yugi's clear desire to possibly adopt the boy and it left him mixed feelings. On one hand, it would be a heir to his sizable collection of items gained from years of wandering the vast oceans before roosting in the place he had now but the other was the lack of privacy and timeless care for a pup until he grew and adapted. Yugi had a good heart and a smart head on his shoulders so he wouldn't think to take this without proper planning. "Well then, my sweet pearl, if you're that much inclined to take on this tiny ground dweller, I will leave that decision up to you. But I want something in return for this." Atemu spoke once they had finished their meal and Yugi was giddy with promise of acquiring meals for the week and giving Atemu some well-deserved personal nesting time.
Atemu took no time into agreeing to the terms, tail swiping away the remains of the body to be disposed of later and Yugi dragged into the privacy of the grotto to cash in on part of that promise.
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It was around the eleventh hour when Yugi peered from the ocean waters, looking around the beach shore. It was emptied out now with the day finally over and families returned to their homes or hotels with the boardwalk closed until the next day. There was a roaming loner or two walking about the beach but Yugi had little care for them as he swam towards the spot where he first found Judai. A little ball of hope had him anticipating that the boy would be there, tired of a caretaker that sounded like he or she was tired of doing their foster duties. Yugi knew for what little he kept of his old life, his heart would go out to Judai and perhaps find him a better foster than the person to have him now. Of the knowledge that he himself wouldn't be able to take him in with such a small living space shared with his grandfather and mother. Not to mention all the legal hoops he'd had to deal with in the process.
But as a siren, they were rather assertive and persistent creatures if Atemu wasn't an example of those traits. Yugi was less of that but the urge was there and the desire to get Judai from a life certainly not made for him with the losses he suffered sparked a maternal instinct in him. It's far from his usual personality but one had to consider, becoming a siren has changed much of those traits he had when he was human. He held some distinct manners in him that are the remnants of the life he sacrificed but there was much more than made him a whole new man, one that was confident and forward. Yugi coasted through the water as he watched the beach, seeing nothing for a moment and sighed. "Perhaps the offer was too much for such a youngin'..." he started before hearing a soft voice call his name and turned to see Judai running towards the shore.
"Judai!" Yugi exclaimed, the small boy stopping before him with deep pants from running and apologized as it was hard to sneak out. "But I think I understand what you told me. That you'll give me a family, right?" Yugi smiled and nodded, promising that he will be loved and coddled in the embrace of a caring family if that is what he desired. Judai rubbed his arm, looking back then to Yugi, nodding and Yugi gave a warm smile. "Welcome to our family, little Judai~ Listen to your new lullaby and when you wake, papa will bring you some food." Judai nodded, unaware of the consequences he was about to walk into, the innocent childlike mind filled with the idea of having a family. A real family.
Yugi grinned with those shark-like teeth, swimming back from the shore and when his lips parted, a melodious hymn erupted from his lips. Judai was in awe, eyes wide and bright as his young mind was easily thralled to the call of the siren. So entranced was he that, like Yugi before, Judai missed the details that Yugi wasn't human as perceived upon first glance. The shark-like teeth, the slitted pupils of a predator, the webbed claws that reached out towards the child, beckoning him with promise of a tender hug. Judai couldn't resist the call, the soothing melody of an unknown lullaby drawing him in, encompassing his mind like a vice. The chill of the evening tides registered nothing to Judai's skin as he walked into the water, going further and further until he started to paddle his way towards the siren.
Yugi's smile only grew sharper, cooing Judai's name as he urged him into the waiting embrace for him, his lavender tail flicking above the surface as his song grew stronger. Papa, Judai whispered, falling into the siren's arms and felt them wrap around him, holding him close. His head settled to the bare chest, eyes slowly closing as Yugi began to swim further and further from the shore, singing the sweet lullaby as he ran claws through the shaggy brown mop. If one were to gaze out into the moonlit ocean, they would've seen the two out in the open but the moment they chose to blink, the last sight of them would've been the lavender tail with its indigo rings and fluttering fins disappearing underwater.
When the caretaker awoken to realize the boy had gone missing, he'd be too late in finding him, the only sign of Judai to be left behind was a single shoe that reached the shore.
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Atemu raised his head from his arms, having been drifting on and off from slumber awaiting Yugi's return. The siren heard him coming, catching the humming lullaby first before he saw his partner coming into the grotto, holding a small body in his arms. He recognized him easily as the boy from the shore, sleeping peacefully in Yugi's arms as the new tail he sported hugged around the siren's waist like a seahorse clinging to a stalk of kelp. It was an interesting patterned thing with scales of silver starting from the hip and down midway before cutting off into a v-shaped line where black continued down to the tip, light mulberry fins ending the short tail. Raising himself from the bed, he nodded in approval, proud to see that Yugi's spell casting had flourished to a point that he didn't need his guidance in the ways of siren transformation.
"Our new son, is he?" Atemu questioned as Yugi settled himself onto the bed so he could lay Judai down. "He is. Hopefully, the pressure of fatherhood won't be troubling for you." A stream of bubbles left the gills as the siren smiled. With stories so similar, Atemu wouldn't dare to not put his time in as a father towards their new pup. Brushing a lock from the small boy's face, he promised that he will be the best father he could be and Yugi smiled. "It's all I could ask for." he whispered, leaning towards him and their mouths met in a loving kiss before the two settled down for slumber with plans of what they will be up to with Judai to prepare him for his new life.
Lessons on swimming, singing and hunting for easy things like crabs and small fish, a diet to get him accustomed to live and raw prey until he was ready to be weaned to their real diet. Judai will grow fast and adapt even faster, his smarts hidden behind his headstrong behavior, a trait to never leave. When Judai woke to the face of his new parents and new life under the sea, he wasn't scared one bit for the unknown fact his human body had to die to be reborn as a siren but smiled the brightest smile as he threw himself into Yugi's arms with a delighted cry of:
"Papa!"