bDisclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX
Title: Enchantment: Chapter 9: Seven Days?
Romance: Yubel x Juudai x Johan
Word Count: chapter: 1,768||story: 15,220
Genre: Romance, SupernaturalRated: PG-13
Challenge: Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section I, #12, a multichap with exactly 10 chapters; Written for the Valentine's to White Day Advent, day 24, write about a brainwashing/trickery.
Summary: On Johan's wedding day, he goes for a breath of fresh air in the forest, and encounters a creature he's never seen before. He will still marry this day. But not who he expected. For who would expect to marry the King of the Fae?

In all of his life, Johan couldn't recall when he'd been more content. His every need was met, in finer quality than he'd ever imagined it could be, and the longer he stayed in the realm of the Fae, the less he ever wanted to leave.

Why should he leave? What did the realm of mortals have to do with him anymore? Here he was loved. Here he was taken care of. Here he could help rule an entire kingdom. Juudai needed his advice on some things, his and Yubel's, and Johan gladly gave it.

The sex was incredible as well. That whole first week, there was little that the three of them did that wasn't indulge themselves. Juudai insisted that this was all part of Johan's newfound magic settling itself with with theirs. Johan wasn't certain if he actually meant that or if it was some kind of excuse. He also found that he didn't care. Not when he could wrap himself up in those two and be wrapped up in them in return.

"Johan." Juudai's fingers carded through Johan's hair patiently. "If you don't get up and put some clothes on, we're not going to be able to visit your parents."

Johan cracked one eye to peer up at his husband. "Oops?" He didn't make a move to get out of bed, reaching instead of run his fingers down the side of Juudai's neck.

Juudai let him do it, though Johan knew very well that if Juudai were actually upset, he was more than capable of stopping him in a single breath. Instead, he tilted his head to the side and let Johan continue to caress.

"Don't oops me," he said, however. "I told you that we were going to go today." One of his hands found its way to caress Johan in return and Johan tilted his head back and moaned. "You want to go see them, don't you?"

Johan made a face but didn't stop what he was doing. Neither did Juudai. "Not especially." The longer he stayed here, the longer he really didn't. He loved them still, but in a distant, hazy kind of way that didn't mean he wanted to visit any longer than he had to. Perhaps not at all.

Juudai drew in a long breath and pulled himself out of Johan's reach. Johan started to whine when Juudai laid a finger on his lips. "The sooner we go, the sooner we can return, and the sooner we can pick up where we're leaving off."

Johan really wanted not to leave off at all. He hadn't gotten his fill of this by far. But when Juudai spoke like that, he knew that he had to listen.

Juudai leaned in and brushed his lips against Johan's collarbone, tracing a quick design with his tongue, and caught Johan's eye. "Besides, a little anticipation is good for the soul, isn't it?"

And before Johan could reach for him, Juudai danced out of the way and headed off to his own set of rooms to get cleaned up and dressed. Johan glared after him, muttering a few uncomplimentary words under his breath, before he reached over to the bedside table to pick up his necklace and fasten it around his neck. The only time he didn't wear this was when he, Juudai, and Yubel were involved with one another. Otherwise, it never left him, and even then, he kept it within arm's reach.

Ruby Carbuncle materialized as soon as he fastened it, winding herself around his neck. Amethyst Cat now appeared at the foot of the bed, cleaning one paw with her long tongue.

"So you're going to see your parents?" she asked, tilting her great head. Johan nodded, wriggling up to his feet, keeping Ruby steady with one hand as he did.

"I'm still not happy they didn't tell me about Juudai," he grumbled, heading for his own bathroom, Amethyst leaping down to follow him. He never cared if they joined him there. He had no secrets, from them of all beings. "I could've been ready for this. A lot more than I was."

Not that he really had that many complaints now that everything was over and done with. But that first day of confusion could've been dispensed with. He would've much preferred to anticipate his wedding rather than be so nervous he could've barely moved.

"They worried about you," Topaz Tiger said from where he appeared. "But they will at least now know that you're safe."

Johan smiled in contentment at that, glancing down at the mark on his hand. He knew what that really was now: Juudai's mark, showing who Johan truly belonged to. "And loved." So very loved. And loved in return, as well. Whether they'd want to keep the bargain they'd made or not, he was here now, and he wasn't going to leave.

Soon enough he'd made all the necessary preparations. He hadn't bothered with too many clothes during the last week. They always ended up being taken off him before he had them on long anyway. It just hadn't been worth the effort.

Once he was ready, he stepped out into the hallway. Ruby Carbuncle remained curled around his neck, only having moved away long enough so he could get his path. He could feel the rest of the Gem Beasts' spirits, but they weren't visible at the moment. Most of them stayed invisible except when he needed or wanted to talk to them about something, or vice versa. But he always knew that they were there with him.

That was another point in favor of staying in the fae realm, even if he hadn't wanted to just to be with Juudai and Yubel: he would not be able to have this family in the realm of man. His parents didn't trust anything that even loosely smacked of the supernatural.

He hadn't gone more than a few paces before Yubel and Juudai joined him. Juudai pulled him in for a brief kiss, while Yubel brushed the back of one hand against his cheek. Yubel wasn't always as physically affectionate as Juudai was, but more than made up for it when those moments did come.

"Are you ready?" Juudai asked, taking a small step back to admire Johan. "It does look like you are."

"I am," Johan agreed, checking Juudai out in return. "Let's go."

Juudai wrapped his arms once more around Johan, and Yubel enveloped them both between dark wings, and that was all that it took. Between one breath and the next, they no longer stood in the hallway of the fae castle, but just outside of the home Johan had known for so many years of his prior life.

He'd not taken half a dozen breaths before crockery shattered and he turned to see his mother standing in the doorway, her hands held up to her mouth, eyes wide.

"J-Johan?" she murmured, starting to reach for him before she pulled her hand back. She looked different, he thought. A little older, a little more careworn. He didn't recognize what she wore, but it looked a little old as well.

"Mother?" Johan didn't move away from Juudai and Yubel. "I'm only here for a visit." He glanced around, noticing other changes now, changes that seemed unlikely for having taken place in the scant week since he'd left. "Where's father?"

She swallowed several times before she could form words. "Johan...it's been… been seven years." Now he saw lines on her face that hadn't been there when he'd seen her last. "Your father… he died last year. He fell during the harvest and ..." She slowly shook her head.

Johan swallowed, trying to comprehend what he'd just been told. "Seven… years?" His father was dead? He could almost comprehend that. Accidents happened all the time. This would neither be the first nor the last in the village. But to have it be his own father? He hadn't been prepared for that at all. Nor for how much time had passed. That didn't seem right.

He jerked his head around to look at Juudai. "Seven years?" Did Juudai know about this? He had to, didn't he? How could he not?

Juudai only shrugged. "Did I forget to mention that? Every day in my land is about a year in mortal terms, unless I will it otherwise." The corners of his mouth twitched upward. "And I have been rather distracted this last week."

Johan's hands clenched into fists. He jerked himself around to stare at his mother again. "Mother, I've been with the fae."

"I know," she said, a very sad smile on her lips. "We knew from the moment you vanished that day. We wanted to keep you safe. That was all, Johan. But the fae will have their price, will they not, your majesty?" Now she turned toward Juudai, her eyes grown cool and distant.

"That we will," Juudai said, wrapping one arm around Johan and pulling him close. "But even if we hadn't made our bargain, old woman, Johan would belong to us. He always has. I told you this many times. And you didn't want to believe me." He ran his fingers through Johan's hair possessively. "You know better now, don't you?"

Johan's mother let out a long sigh. "Even if I didn't, it would do nothing to gain either my husband or my son back, would it?"

"Not at all." Juudai nipped along Johan's ear. "I could've saved your husband, if I knew about the accident. I'm not sure if you have anything else that I would want, though." He laughed, long and low and satisfied. "But what I have is more than enough anyway."

Johan tried to get his thoughts together, but doing so when Juudai had his hands on him wasn't that easy. He wasn't certain if he understood everything that was being said around him in the first place. What he did understand was that his father was dead, he'd been gone seven years instead of seven days, and Juudai had just put his hands on one of his most sensitive spots, quite likely in full knowledge of how weak it made Johan in the knees.

"So, now you see that my husband is safe, happy, and where he belongs," Juudai said, then turned to Johan. "Your mother is happy as well, at least so much as one could expect."

Johan nodded, his thoughts stuck together and slow. He would miss his father, but it had to happen sometime, didn't it?

Juudai smiled and nipped at Johan's ear. "Then let's go home."

To Be Continued

Note: The next chapter is the last one.