Prompt XV: Fate
Atem leaped down and narrowly missed the sheep. But it startled backward and fell over the side of the cliff as if it no longer possessed legs. The noise it let out was sharp and hideous and Atem cringed as he watched it plummet toward the ground. Yugi stood feet back, eyes huge, as it landed and its neck cracked upon impact. Atem shivered and leaped down the next ledge, hesitating before he slowly picked his way to Yugi's side.
The Gandora glanced at him, grinned, and raced forward to lick his face. Atem grunted and tried to paw him away but Yugi wiggled and dodged each attempt, licking him more forcefully. Atem chuckled and tried to dodge aside but Yugi growled and jumped again. He almost managed to knock him over, though Atem kept his balance without too much difficulty.
"Little one," he laughed, "I'm hungry."
"Yeah, but you looked like you needed to be licked," he teased in turn, rubbing against him after a moment. Had he still been able, Atem was sure he would have purred as a dragonet.
"Oh?"
"Your face is just too cute not to lick all over!" Yugi declared, though he finally stepped away to let Atem move toward their prey. The God Dragon scoffed but didn't speak, wandering around him to make his way toward the sheep. Yugi was quiet behind him for a moment before rushing to his side. "Atem."
He halted and looked over, puzzled. "Yes?"
Yugi hesitated for a moment, searching his face, and then finally came forward another step. Atem wondered if he meant to say something was wrong, or to reprimand him for scoffing at him moments before. But it passed as it always seemed to. Yugi was never one for reprimand, though he did sometimes give him annoyed looks when he berated himself too harshly. The Gandora smiled and leaned forward to lick his beak.
"Do you believe in fate?"
Atem blinked and stared at him, bewildered. "Fate?" he echoed, the word tasting almost foreign on his tongue. He peered at him in confusion for a long minute, then looked away and back. "I don't… I don't know. Why do you ask?"
"I just always kind of wonder. You said once that your mom told you stories when you were younger about how all dragons have a mate designed specifically for them." Yugi searched his face as if he were waiting for Atem to say something, but he couldn't think of anything. He could barely focus on breathing, the topic was beginning to unnerve him so much. "But, when I was younger, my parents told me I was just crazy and stalking death to even consider trying to find you again."
Atem tilted his head, bewildered. "I don't…?"
"I was just thinking that sometimes when I was upset and wavered a little, I used to tell myself I was fated to be your mate," he admitted, then grinned as Atem's eyes stretched huge with surprise. "Like, at some point I convinced myself if I wasn't to be your mate, then I was going to be lonely forever."
He blinked and snorted. "Why would you do that? That's not…"
Yugi shook his head and looked away. "It made it easier sometimes when I wavered. It's hard running on pure stubbornness sometimes."
Atem laughed before he could stop himself. "Stubbornness? I thought you ran on optimism."
"Nah, it's just easily hidden," Yugi snickered, turning to him and licking his face once more. "I told myself if I didn't win, I'd stay close. You know that, but I meant it. I would have gone to the Wind Clan camp or tried to get a spot near where Timaeus lives to be close to you still."
Atem hummed. It was a conversation they'd had a couple of times, but never with this exact angle. He wondered what would have stirred it on at this exact moment.
"So you told yourself I was fated to be your mate?"
"Other way around," Yugi laughed. "I think you're too…strong to be bound by anything, let alone fate."
Atem blinked. "Why do you say that?"
Yugi paused and searched his face, then rubbed against his side again. "Because you've always been able to outdo, outsmart, and overcome anything and everything thrown your way. I don't think half of the other dragons could claim they've done half as much as you. I mean, you've lived through a lot of things a lot of others probably could never hope to claim."
Atem considered him a moment, torn between caution and affection. Had Yugi truly convinced himself he had to win the courtship challenge because it was fated for him? It sounded so…estranged and almost childish. He almost didn't want to admit it made his hearts a little warmer.
"Besides, what else was I going to do? I spent eight moons down there with the humans testing my endurance for the weather, shadowing them to learn how to use a net, and developing a taste for fish. If I lost, I was going to be pretty hopeless for anyone else."
Atem laughed and shook his head. "I'll pretend in your case it was fated you won your challenge," he chuckled, licking his forehead and turning away to face their meal. "Besides, it sounds cute alongside the stories my mother told me."
Yugi rubbed against him again, then ran over to their food. "I always thought it was funny," he admitted. "Because I don't think fate holds a flame to you, but then I always used to tell myself it had to be fate that made me notice you that day when my parents left. I disobeyed and went so close to the entrance for the first time and there you were, running around and being adorable."
"Me? Adorable?" Atem scoffed. "I was always regal."
Yugi burst out laughing and licked his face again. "Regal, adorable, all applied to my amazing God Dragon," he snickered.
Atem snorted but didn't push him away, entire body warm with affection.
Maybe fate managed to get me that time.
