Warning: my rating has changed, so yes, this chapter contains copious amounts of smut ;)

The pharaoh stood waiting for his son in the gardens, admiring the impressive array of flowers and healing herbs. Atem slowly stepped up to his father, unsure of what Aknamkanon had to say to him.

"Ah, my son, I am glad you have come," the pharaoh said, motioning for Atem to take a seat on the bench. The prince reluctantly sat down, his father taking the seat beside him. "Atem, I don't know if you yet realize it, but your reign is fast approaching. There are many preparations that need to be made."

Atem raised an eyebrow. "Father, I don't understand why you have been speaking this way lately. You are not so old; you will reign for many years to come." He awkwardly set a hand on his father's shoulder. The two of them had never been very affectionate.

"No Atem, you are wrong. There are many things you do not understand, things that weigh heavily on my soul. I fear this burden will send me to an early grave," he said solemnly, staring off into the distance. "I have made some terrible mistakes in my life, my son. Mistakes I will have to pay for. I must assure that you are a better ruler than I, and that you do not have to atone for my sins."

The prince frowned, not liking the way his father was talking. "I do not know what you have done father, but you have been a good pharaoh. You have always done what you had to in order to protect your people. I… I don't think I will ever be able to rule as you do." Atem hung his head, looking down at the ground to avoid his father's eye contact.

"Look at me, Atem," Aknamkanon commanded and his son obeyed. "I already sense the spirit of a great ruler inside of you, and I am confident you will become an even better pharaoh than I was. You simply need to be ready to take your place when the time comes. When it comes to your lessons, you are no doubt prepared, but there are other things that must be attended to. For instance I had thought by now you might have chosen a suitable wife, but unfortunately you have made no mention of it. This is something that you must do soon, Atem. You need to have a wife by your side when you take the throne."

Atem rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling extremely awkward. How could he take a wife under the circumstances he was in? He knew it was normal for princes to marry women of nobility for political reasons rather than for love, but he had no interest in marrying, especially if he didn't even love the woman. Maybe…he just wasn't interested in women at all. He began to imagine himself ruling with Mahad at his side as more than just his right hand man. What would be so wrong with that? It wasn't as if anyone had to know. Suddenly without realizing it he began to imagine Seto at his side instead, thinking of what a powerful team the two of them would be. What am I doing? He shook away the image and looked at his father. "I do not see the point of needing a wife to become pharaoh. Can't I wait a few years? It isn't as if I am ready to have children yet."

"Atem, you must provide your kingdom with an heir! Waiting to marry is out of the question," the pharaoh said sternly. "Most young men your age are already either married or preparing for marriage. How about Isis? She is a beautiful woman of high position in the court. You and she would make an excellent match."

"Isis? Yes, I mean she is attractive I suppose, but I don't love her. I don't even really know her that well." Atem was feeling very uncomfortable and wanted this conversation to be over.

"It isn't a question of if you will marry her, but rather when. I have already spoken to her family and they have agreed that you two shall marry. I hoped to have your consent, but it seems you are bent on being stubborn," the pharaoh said in a tone that one would not be wise to argue with.

Atem stood, clenching his fists at his side. "I am NOT going to marry her! You cannot choose for me who I spend the rest of my life with!" He shot his father a contemptuous glare and stormed away. He didn't know where he was running to; all he knew is that he had to get away. Tears of anger and frustration began to stream down his face. Everything in his life was falling apart. Not paying attention to where he was going, he smacked directly into something hard and fell to the ground. He wiped the tears from his eyes, looking up to see what he had hit. You have got to be kidding me.

Standing directly in front of the prince was Seto. He turned when Atem ran into his back, eyes widening as he saw the prince on the ground with tears filling his eyes. "My prince! What happened to you?" the guardian asked, reaching out to help Atem up.

"I don't need to have you making fun of me right now, Seto. I am not in the mood," he said venomously as he got to his feet.

Seto looked shocked by Atem's words. "My prince, my duty, first and foremost, is to serve you. If you are in distress, I want to help you in any way that I can."

Atem studied Seto's face, trying to detect sarcasm, but he was surprised to find that what he saw in the guardian's eyes was genuine concern. Seto never had done anything to wrong him, he was just a very competitive and prideful individual. Much like myself. Atem realized that Seto might understand his situation better than anyone. He could only imagine the way the guardian would react to someone trying to control his life. The prince lowered his guard. "Do you think we could talk somewhere private?" he asked.

"Of course, my prince. We can go back to my room. No one will disturb us there." Seto led the way there, opening the door for Atem and taking a seat on the sofa. "So, what is it that is troubling you?" he asked, making room beside him for Atem to sit.

The prince felt his stomach knot as he slowly sat down beside Seto. The guardian didn't even have to touch him to make him feel nervous. He stared down at his lap, playing with the rings on his fingers to distract himself from Seto's presence. "My father is forcing me to marry. He has arranged for me to wed Isis." He could practically feel Seto tensing at the words. Atem looked up at the man beside him; he appeared calm, but his eyes were filled with visible pain. He was looking at Atem as if he was something precious that had slipped through his fingers. "So…what do you think I should do?" Atem asked, trying to break the deafening silence that had formed.

"Did he say why he wanted you to marry contrary to your own wishes?" Seto asked, gracefully maintaining his composure despite the firestorm of emotions brewing beneath the surface.

"He said that I would be taking his place as pharaoh soon. Lately he has been behaving as if he has come to the end of his life. I know there is something he regrets deeply, but he refuses to speak about it." Atem looked down at his lap again, unable to bear the look he was getting from the guardian.

Seto moved closer to Atem, tilting the latter's face so he was facing him. "You are the prince, for you to be forced to do anything you don't want to do is preposterous. You are the ruler of your own life. The moment you let someone else decide things for you, you become nothing but a servant. You and I both know you have too much pride for that."

"I just…I don't know if I have a choice in this matter," Atem said solemnly, turning away from Seto as he felt tears coming on again.

"Tell me, Atem, why don't you want to get married? It is the normal thing for a man your age to do. Is it Isis? Are you just not ready? Or…is it something else?" Seto asked in a way that suggested he already knew the answer.

Atem stood, still facing away from the guardian. "I-I don't know. There are a number of reasons. I don't think I want to talk about this anymore. There really is nothing I can do." He took a step toward the door.

Seto quickly stood and grabbed Atem's arm, preventing him from leaving. "Please…don't marry Isis." His sapphire eyes were pleading with the prince. He hated himself for acting so pathetic, but he was desperate; his chance was slipping away.

The prince was stunned by Seto's action. He had never seen the guardian show anything other than ambition and arrogance, but it seemed he had a heart after all. Atem's own heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest. He suddenly threw himself into Seto's arms, violet eyes brimming with tears staring deep into equally sorrowful sapphire eyes. They knew exactly how each was feeling without having to say anything.

Seto wrapped his arms around the prince, leaning down to kiss him. Instead of the usual struggle he got from Atem, he felt the prince give in to the kiss willingly. Pleased, Seto picked him up and carried him over to the bed, laying him down on it gently. He climbed on top of him, pressing his body firmly against the prince's as he continued kissing him aggressively. "I want you to tell me what you want from me," Seto whispered as his hips grinded against Atem's.

Atem was being completely swept away by Seto. The guardian's body rubbing against his own had caused him to grow hard; he knew there was only one thing he wanted. "I want you to fuck me. I want you…all of you…now," he stammered out, his eyes intense with desire.

Seto smirked wickedly as he pulled Atem into a sitting position, pulling the prince's tunic off. He took in the sight of the prince's body, surveying him with an expression of a hungry animal about to devour its prey. He tossed aside his own clothing as he crawled up to kiss Atem again, their tongues twisting together. Seto ran his hand down Atem's body and began stroking him, eliciting a moan from the prince. "My prince, you are already hard without me even having to touch you. You are an eager one, aren't you?" he asked slyly as he moved back, slowly kissing the inside of Atem's thighs, purposely teasing him.

"Just shut up get down to it," Atem demanded, not willing to give up his authority just because he was letting Seto dominate him. He ran a hand through the guardian's hair and clenched the sheets tightly in the other as he felt Seto take his cock into his mouth. "Seto…gods that feels so good…" he said breathlessly as the guardian skillfully moved his lips and tongue along his length. Seto lifted his eyes to look at him and seeing the devious look in those liquid sapphires made Atem want to come on the spot. He desperately wanted it to last longer. "I need more, Seto…I need you inside me."

"Anything you want, my prince," Seto purred as he lifted his head and inserted a finger into Atem. The prince shuddered and tensed and the guardian kissed him gently. "Try to relax," he said as he pushed a second finger inside. He let out a small chuckle as he saw the mixed expression of pain and pleasure on Atem's face. "Have I ever told you how adorable you are?" Seto grinned as Atem flashed him an annoyed look. He could feel the prince getting impatient; he removed his fingers and positioned himself at Atem's entrance. He held onto the prince's legs as he thrust inside, letting out a sigh of pleasure. "You are so tight, Atem."

Atem shut his eyes tight and gripped Seto's shoulders firmly as he felt the guardian move inside him. He felt like he was going to rip apart at first, but as Seto's pace steadied, the pain was masked by the most intense, wonderful sensation he had ever experienced. "Seto…faster…harder," he commanded. The guardian obliged, thrusting in forcefully. Atem moaned as he wrapped his arms around Seto's neck, holding on tightly. He opened his eyes and looked up into Seto's, surprised when he saw how lovingly the guardian was looking at him. He teared up as he pulled Seto's face down toward his, kissing him passionately.

Seto pulled back, feeling his heart race as he saw Atem looking up at him with tears in his eyes. He lifted the prince's hips higher, plunging in deeply to hit Atem's sweet spot, making him cry out in pleasure. He continued to thrust all the way inside the prince, tight warmth enveloping him completely.

Atem couldn't hang on any longer. "S-Seto…Seto!" He gripped the gaurdian as hard as he could, his entire body trembling from sheer ecstasy as he climaxed. Seto threw his head back and moaned loudly and Atem felt as he came inside him. The guardian collapsed on top of him and Atem embraced him. Their chests rose and fell together heavily as they both tried to catch their breath.

Seto moved so that he was lying beside the prince, holding Atem close. "So how was I?" he asked, smiling as he kissed the prince again.

"Seto…I…" Atem couldn't seem to find any words to describe what he had experienced. It was utter bliss. He had never felt so alive in his entire life. In this moment, his whole world was Seto; nothing else mattered.

The guardian took the response as compliment. Before, he would have gloated about how he had somehow "won" this little game they had started, but now, he had no desire to at all. He simply lay there peacefully, putting his lips close to Atem's ear and whispering quietly.

"I love you…"

My first ever publicly posted smut *dies a little* I hope you guys are satisfied! HUGE thanks to my love Icedcherryheart for inspiring me to write this chapter :D School has been torture lately so I'm really glad I finally got this up for all of you :) Next update will be a little while because I'm going out of the country for a couple weeks. So you will all have to be patient to see how Atem reacts! I'm definitely looking foward to reviews for this chapter now that I've gone all the way XD