Prompt XIV: Love
Yugi was still beaming the next day as he trotted ahead with Yami beside him. The hatchling raced to his side and cast a quick glance toward Atem, grinning, before he bounded after the Gandora. Yami stopped beneath the shadow of the outcrop, their absolute rendezvous point, and didn't move until Yugi called for him to follow. He glanced at Atem then, as if in askance, and fled immediately after Yugi when Atem nodded permission.
"He's a good hatchling," Timaeus commented, smirking. "Even Critias would have followed without a second thought."
Atem glanced at him sideways. "He's also aware of all of our thoughts and emotions. It gives him a better understanding of what's happening and why the rules we've set matter so much." He paused. "But even without I think he'd be just as amazing and sensible. I know I certainly was."
Timaeus burst out laughing. "Is that what you remember? I recall you challenging me a number of times and having to be sat on once."
Atem huffed. "If you weren't so irritating, I would never have questioned anything you said." He smirked when Timaeus smacked his wing into his side. He shook himself out and wandered forward. Yami and Yugi were closer to the ledges, still within the shade so no one would immediately spot Yami from overhead. The hatchling was leaned forward and peering over the side as Yugi talked.
"You were relatively well-behaved, even if you needed some humility boxed into you," Timaeus snickered, never taking his eye off Yugi and Yami. "Although I'd say you turned out a thousand times better with my guidance."
Atem snorted. "Sure. Tell yourself that as much as you'd like."
His friend chuckled and turned to him. "What happened last night?"
"Hmm?"
"Before Yami…lost his temper about being called a killer. You and Yugi lingered outside. Yami seemed kind of worried about it but he started running around and doing laps before you entered the den. But he didn't tell me why he was so excited."
Atem fell silent for a moment, studying his friend before glancing at Yugi and Yami. The hatchling had taken to pouncing at a stray beetle even as Yugi continued telling him whatever story it was he'd chosen. He and Timaeus were the hunting party for the day, to give Yugi a small break and allow him some time alone with Yami. Timaeus had taken the bulk of that, made to stay in the den with Yami almost without relief. He had to be tired of it…
"What are we in the mood to hunt?" he asked instead, glancing in the direction he knew the river wound about the territory. Timaeus tilted his head, puzzled, but followed when Atem became airborne. They flew in silence for a few moments, until Atem spotted an area suitable to find at least a deer or moose. He shook himself out as Timaeus landed, padding forward a few feet.
"I get the feeling it's a touchy subject."
Atem blinked and glanced over. "What? Oh, no, it's…" Maybe it was, but not in the sense he wasn't happy to announce it. It was more that he worried somehow saying it too much might lessen the strength of the declaration. He considered Timaeus for a long moment, then turned away. "No, I…I told Yugi I loved him."
Timaeus stopped short at his side, clearly startled, then smirked and bumped his shoulder with his. "Ha! And you said you didn't know that you were capable!" he crowed. He smirked and raised his head and Atem scoffed softly, but Timaeus fell quiet after a moment and frowned. "Are you okay? I thought you'd be happier with this."
Atem blinked and glanced over. "I'm happy with it. I just…" He faltered, unsure what to say. It seemed so childish a fear. But he'd never been super affectionate when it came to declarations, though he'd tried to make it clear he'd protect Yami until he couldn't or he'd protect Yugi no matter what. It was just…hard, and he didn't understand why.
Timaeus glanced at him again and Atem fought to find the words.
"I guess I just didn't expect Yugi to be so…scared when I said it." He cast him a sideways glance. "He said he thought I only loved Yami. I…I guess I thought I'd done a better job of showing him than I have."
"Yugi is more verbal than you," his friend snickered. "I'm not surprised he doubted it just because you've never said it to him before. He always says it to you once or twice a day. It's probably something he taught himself to do and you're so quiet and closed off sometimes. It probably just made him nervous."
Atem grimaced. It made sense but it didn't make him feel any better. "I don't…want to say it a lot," he hedged, almost looking over anxiously. He flexed his claws and glanced around. They were too far from the river to fish, and it wasn't as if Yugi and Yami didn't love red meat, but the idea of hunting suddenly made his stomach ache. "You don't think it'll upset Yugi if I don't constantly say it…right?"
Timaeus blinked. "I think Yugi knows you're not the same as him. He's given you a lot of grace and patience to be you, so I doubt he'll expect you to say it every time he does."
He hummed and nodded slightly, blinking. "I suppose."
Timaeus smirked. "You act like he's going to forget who you are just because you said it finally. He's not. Yugi knows exactly who you are and what you've gone through. He waited this long just to hear you even slightly mutter that you loved anyone. I don't think he's going to suddenly expect you to say it every single time he says it." He snorted. "Even Yami knows you won't say it all the time. He doesn't even say it that often. Yugi just…likes to remind you, I think."
"Remind me?"
"Yes. Because you're a bundle of…low self-esteem and even worse self-respect and Yugi likes to raise it up sometimes—or constantly, honestly, even if it doesn't always take for you at the time." Timaeus stretched lazily and looked over his shoulder. "I hate to say it, but it feels so nice being out of the den like this. I love Yami, but he goes a million miles a second and I might have been used to Critias, but he can barely match a scale with Yami."
Atem smirked. "I'm not surprised."
"It feels good to stretch and wander a little. Yami probably wants a break from me too."
"Maybe. Yugi tells the best stories. It probably makes him happier than ever when he gets time alone with him to listen," he commented, tilting his head. It wasn't as if it was hard, but changing shifts between the three of them was more involved than it likely needed to be. Timaeus and Yugi were more insistent he got out to stretch his limbs and sunbathe, while Yugi mostly did the hunting and Timaeus stayed in the den all day. It made the most sense, because of their attempts to hide from Jaden, but it still didn't seem fair.
"To answer your question," Timaeus said abruptly, turning to him and leveling him with an amused look, "I don't think Yugi is going to want you to say it that often to him anyways. It wouldn't be as genuine to him if you said it every time he did. He knows you too well to expect that or to listen to you say it and not realize you're doing it to make him feel better."
Atem blinked and opened his mouth.
"Besides, with how often you told him you were afraid you might never be able to love him, I doubt he thinks you'll say it every day."
He faltered. "You can't blame me. I didn't know if I could. And he had every opportunity to do with that what he would. It was better to say so and allow him time to realize I might not be who he truly wanted than to pretend, yes?" he demanded, flustered. Timaeus startled, blinking, and stared in surprise. "He so constantly said it. It almost felt like he was testing me or just trying to see if I'd say it back. I did not lead him falsely."
Timaeus snorted, then laughed. "Don't bristle. I was making a statement. He's lucky you're forthright, just like you're lucky he's patient." He paused. "Although, I'm glad you finally said it. After all those times you thought you couldn't. I've been waiting forever."
Atem couldn't help but snicker. "You? You've been waiting forever?"
"Of course! You realizing you're not as detached as you used to think?" Timaeus scoffed. "I was always waiting for you to finally admit you were past just caring a lot about him. Coincidence that you said it after Yami hatched, because I'd like to point out that it was probably a little while before or maybe a tiny bit after."
Atem tilted his head. "Why do you say that?"
"Because you weren't…as closed off. When I came to check on you and Yami came rushing up to me, you'd already been a lot warmer and less…secluded. It's hard to explain, honestly, but I saw the difference."
He blinked. "Maybe." He was more sure it had been around the time Yugi fell off the cliff in the snow that he'd felt it the first time, though it had only grown from there. He just hadn't…thought he'd needed to say it, though in hindsight he should have known. Yugi was so soft and vocal. He should have realized saying he loved Yami in front of him and never saying it to him directly would have wounded him some. It just had somehow never occurred to him.
No wonder he'd sounded and looked so hurt at times.
Atem forced the guilt aside. Yugi didn't hold it against him. He knew that. He was just happy to hear him say it for once. He was just happy Atem even cared so much about him. He knew that. But it was so weird to him, how Yugi was so vocal about his affections and Atem hardly ever bothered unless directly confronted or asked. It should have been the other way around. Atem should have been open about it due to his species and Yugi extremely closed off due to his…
He looked at Timaeus again. "Deer? Moose?"
His friend shook his head. "Whatever you think they'll want. I'm just happy to stretch my legs."
