Chapter Text
“Don’t worry, I’m on my way,” Yugi muttered, mostly to himself, as he made his way to the door. Someone on the other side had been knocking for a while now and Yugi had finally given up on trying to ignore it. He had been working on a pot and had to let go of the soft clay in order to open the door.
He wiped his hands on his trousers before reaching for the doorknob and opening the door, ready to face whoever was on the other side. The cold night air hit his body and he shivered. The street was empty.
“Hello?” He looked the street, trying to spot any living creature. He gently shook his head and started to close the door when a figure stepped into his line of sight, completely wrapped up in layers and layers of fabric and clothing. The figure took a step towards him, and Yugi immediately drew back.
“Wait.” The figure reached out and Yugi froze. He knew that voice. Or rather, he used to know that voice.
The figure glanced around before he let the fabric that had covered his face fall to the ground. Eyes the colour of dark crimson met his own. Eyes as red as fine wine. Yugi immediately glued his eyes to the ground in a bow.
“My king.”
“Yugi, please.” The tremble in the king’s voice made Yugi look up. Those red eyes... they held something he had never seen before. Not in those eyes. Absolute terror.
The man weakly fell forwards and it was like through a miracle that Yugi was able to catch him.
“I didn’t know where else to go.”
“I... What...?”
The king only repeated his words in a low whisper.
“I didn’t know where else to go.”
He lost consciousness in Yugi’s arms.
As Yugi dragged the limp body into his house the fabric that until now had covered the rest of his head fell off him. Dark hair came loose and curled around his forehead. Yugi hadn’t seen that hair since... He still remembered how soft it used to be under his fingers.
He managed to get the king through his small house and carefully lowered the unconscious man into his bed. He reached out and brushed a few golden coloured bangs out of the man’s face.
It had been a long time since he had seen him like this, so close to him. With his fingers still at the king’s temple, he stared at the sleeping man’s face. Something about it felt wrong.
The he noticed the bruises. Across the hairline, down over the cheeks and the neck. Cuts, bruises, wounds. There were prominent dark circles under his eyes. The clothing he had used for discretion had fallen open and underneath it, Yugi could see glimpses of the royal regalia and golden jewellery, darkened by blood.
What happened to you?
The king still wasn’t awake in the morning. Yugi had spent the night by his side, cleaning the wounds, washing away the blood. He had carefully stripped the king of the many layers covering him, until he was left in the fine silk his ceremonial clothes were sewn of. Those clothes, the ones closest to his body, Yugi had left. Whatever had happened in the past was long gone. He was but a simple servant of the mighty king, and said king was in need of help.
Eventually he had been overcome by sleep and tucked himself into a bedroll on the floor outside of his bedroom. If the king woke up, he would notice and be able to help him.
But he hadn’t woken up.
Yugi stayed at home as long as possible the following morning, not wanting to leave the sleeping man alone. He carefully stroked his hair and put the backside of his hand by the king’s nose and mouth. He was breathing at least. Yugi had done the same test multiple times during the last hour, and he was possibly going mad. He was dying for answers.
What is going on?
However, when the sun stood high in the sky and his neighbours all had left their homes, he once again looked over to the man in his bed. He hadn’t moved at all since he first had gotten there. Yugi gently lowered himself onto the edge of the bed and reached out to shake the king’s shoulder. He didn’t even stir.
“My king?”
No reaction.
He really needed to get to the marketplace today. He had so many pots to sell, and Jou had said that he’d make sure Yugi got a good spot today. The pots were ready to be transported. He could be in the marketplace in ten minutes. If everything went well, he could be home in just a few hours.
He shouldn’t leave the king alone.
But a missed day at the market could break his whole business. He really needed the money to keep the house, and maybe today would be the day some noble realized that they needed a lot of pots for whatever reason.
I’ll be home in a few hours. He can survive until then.
Even so, he hesitated at the door, went back and wrapped the king up more securely in a blanket. He carefully stroked the man’s forehead.
“You know how to find your way around the house. I’ll see you in a bit.”
And so, Yugi left his house with the king still asleep in his bed.
“Jou, what’s going on?”
The marketplace was filled with vendors, guards and customers, just as it usually was, but today something was... off. An unnatural quietness lay over the marketplace, only broken by uneasy whispers. The guards stood to the side in small groups, talking in hushed voices.
Jou leaned against his spear and cast a glance towards the other guards, the uneasy nobles and the commoners that, just like Yugi, sensed the tense atmosphere.
“The palace guards won’t really talk to us city guards about it, think we’re too lowly. Doesn’t stop the rumours from spreading though,” he said. “Something happened at the palace last night, something they don’t want us city folks to know about.”
Something that ended with their king wounded and bloody at Yugi’s doorstep.
“I’ve heard the wildest theories,” Jou continued, leaning down to lift one of Yugi’s pots. He carefully inspected the polished edge, almost like he was there to do his job and not to chat with his best friend. “But it was probably just some noble that caused a show during a banquet or something. They are like that up in the palace, aren’t they?”
Yugi hummed in agreement, while dread filled his stomach. It wasn’t that simple, he knew that for sure. A minor quarrel would be handled quickly. But if something dangerous had happened, shouldn’t the city guard be alerted? If the kingdom was threatened, shouldn’t the people of the city be helped? Warned? The nobles couldn’t be that ignorant, right? The king, at least, he... he was still at Yugi’s place. Unprotected.
Yugi reached up and took the pot from Jou’s hands. He placed it back in its place and spent more time than he needed on making sure the best side was placed towards the potential customers.
“These rumours,” he said, “do they mention... anyone in particular?”
The gaze in Jou’s eyes immediately softened to something almost pitying.
“You’re not thinking about him , are you?”
The answer burned in his throat. Yugi forced his lips to stay closed and purposefully avoided Jou’s eyes. A woman and her young child saved him from answering by getting towards his stand. He kept himself busy for hours after that. Anything to avoid the risk of telling Jou. He was right. He was back.
He left as soon as he could without it seeming suspicious.
The way back to his house had never before seemed so long, an endless road from the marketplace to walk for him and the pots he had yet to sell. As a matter of fact, he couldn’t care less about the pots right now, not when the picture of the sleeping king still was stuck on the inside of his eyelids.
He entered the building and hurried to the bedroom. He tore open the door and halted. It was empty. The bed was made. He put his palm against the comforter. It was cold. An inexplicable ache spread throughout his chest. He was not crazy, was he? The king had been there, he had still been there when he left that morning. He had been right there...
“Yugi?”
He turned on the spot. There, leaning against the doorframe, stood the king, arms casually crossed.
Everything about him showed a simple easiness, all the way from the soft smile, to his relaxed stance, to the tunic he wore that Yugi could swear was one of his own.
Yugi’s reaction to all of this was everything but casual. Memories came flooding back, faster that he could process them, so he decided not to. He sank to the floor in a bow.
“Your majesty graces my humble household with your presence. Please take anything the house has to offer and-”
He got interrupted by a hand on his head. Gentle fingers slid down his cheek and grabbed his jaw, guiding his head up until he met those wine-red eyes again. The king was kneeling on the floor in front of him.
“Yugi, please. Not you. Not now. Please, just look at me.”
“But, my king-”
“My name, Yugi. Please tell me you still remember my name, even after all these years.” A yearning gaze searched for something in Yugi’s eyes. Something Yugi couldn’t quite name, and wasn’t sure if the king would find. Still, he couldn’t deny those eyes anything. Not then, not now, not ever.
“Atem.”
With the name came the memories.
He remembered climbing over the castle wall as a kid, just to see what was on the other side. He remembered finding the palace gardens, empty but for the beautiful blossoms and a boy his age, clad in the most beautiful clothes Yugi had ever seen. They started to talk, and he got to know Atem, a kid to a noble at the court, longing for a friend. Yugi remembered sneaking onto the castle grounds as often as he could, always meeting the boy in the gardens. They explored the castle grounds together, finding secret hideouts and places just for them. He remembered the games they were both obsessed with, the secrets they used to tell.
He remembered the two of them, a few years later, in their early teens, still keeping their friendship a secret from everyone else. Yugi finally convinced Atem to leave the castle. He remembered them walking hand in hand down the streets, Atem hidden in a cloak, and it was the most natural thing. It felt so right to be there with him. He brought Atem to his home multiple times when his grandfather wasn’t home, to play games or to just sit and talk for hours.
Atem had started to sneak out on his own after that, regularly waking Yugi up in the night by climbing through his open bedroom window. They spent every possible minute together.
The years passed
And they grew up.
He remembered the first time Atem had spent the night, accidentally falling asleep and waking up in panic with the first rays of sunshine, climbing out the window and rushing towards the castle before anyone noticed he was gone.
He remembered those eyes closing in bliss while strong hands pulled him closer for the softest, most perfect kiss of his life. A kiss that led to more. More kisses, more touches, more everything. Atem had been his first in almost every way someone could be.
They had been happy, at least for a few months, just the two of them.
He remembered that one fateful night, Atem half way out of the window, on his way home, Yugi pulling him back for another kiss, and another one.
Just one more.
Atem’s arms wrapped around him, held him like he was the most precious thing in the world. His kisses were desperate, like he never wanted to leave.
Neither of them heard the door open until a voice, frail with age, yelled out in alarm.
Yugi’s grandfather had gotten home without either of them noticing and now he stood by the door, frozen in chock as he watched them kiss. Yugi remembered pulling Atem towards him on instinct and feeling Atem’s grip tighten around him.
“What in the name of the gods...?”
Yugi turned towards Atem and gently pushed him away. He mouthed “go” and watched Atem nod and bolt into the night.
“Yugi, my boy, was that the crown prince just leaving our house?”
This was the moment when Yugi’s world first began to tremble.
“No, Atem is just a noble.”
“Atem? You mean the crown prince Atem, the only child of our revered King and Queen?
“N-no. He... he’s just... Atem.”
Grandpa gave him a look of pity and put his old, wrinkly hand on Yugi’s shoulder.
“Just be careful, my boy. Something tells me this already has gone too far.”
“Is it true?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is it true that you’re the crown prince?”
Silence.
“Have you been lying to me since the day we met?”
“Not about everything, just that. I didn’t want it to change the way you perceived me.”
“You didn’t think of telling me before I fell in love with you?”
More silence.
Horrible, horrible silence.
Then Atem moved. He grabbed Yugi’s hands and gently kissed his knuckles. His eyes were soft, filled with regret and uncertainty.
“I just wanted... for once in my life, I wanted to be just Atem. No duties, no expectations or rules. I wanted a friend to ease my loneliness, but I found you instead. Yugi, I love you so, so much. Can’t that be enough for you?”
He didn’t know what to answer. Atem, no, crown prince Atem gave him a soft smile, and when he opened his toned arms, Yugi didn’t hesitate to enter the embrace. Still, something was aching inside of him, an inexplicable burning that threatened to bring tears to his eyes. He took a deep breath and inhaled the familiar smell of his Atem.
“No more lies?”
The embrace tightened.
“No more lies.”
He remembered being out with Jou a couple of weeks later, hanging around by the market, with their other friends. He remembered the sound of horses and the flash of gold. He remembered the herald. The one telling them that the King was dead, and they would submit to sorrow for three days before the crown would go to Prince Atem, soon the be King.
Atem, soon to be king.
He remembered sneaking onto the castle grounds for the first time in over a year, immediately spotting Atem in the gardens. The boy he had met all those years ago, now a man, crying for the loss of his father, the loss of his freedom. Yugi sat down next to him and they held each other as Atem cried into his tunic. The king cried in his arms.
“We can’t do this anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
Atem’s head was resting on his chest where they sat together by the flowers. The coronation would be the following day and it was almost incredible that they had found this time to be alone. Yugi realized how strange it had been that he’d been able to get so much of Atem’s time before, when they were younger.
“Tomorrow, you’ll be the king. We can’t meet up like this anymore after that.”
“Why?” Atem turned around, staring into Yugi’s eyes, fear written all over his face. Yugi opened his mouth, but no words seemed to come. An infinity of time passed, or maybe it was just a couple of seconds, before Atem grabbed his arms, leaning closer. “Yugi, please, talk to me, if anything’s wrong I-”
“We were never meant to meet.” Yugi interrupted him quietly, averting his gaze until his eyes were firmly fixed on the ground. He couldn’t meet Atem’s eyes. Not now. “I’m a commoner, from the city. You know as well as I do that I can’t follow you were you’re about to go. We were never supposed to meet. This-” he gestured vaguely between them “-was never supposed to happen.”
“Yugi, we’ll figure it out, whatever happens we could-”
“No. We can’t. Atem, think. You’ve kept me a secret for years. How do you think your court will react if you keep disappearing for hours on end after your coronation? Or even worse, if you bring me to the court. They will lose all respect they have for you. And I don’t even want to think about how they would treat me.”
“I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.”
“You can’t control everything.” He sighed and lifted his gaze towards the sky. “You’ll be so busy you won’t even miss me.”
“That’s not true. Yugi, you know that’s not true. Please don’t do this, not now. I lost my father two days ago, please don’t make me lose you too. Not like this. Please.”
Yugi’s eyes burned almost as much as the lump in his throat. Still, he kept on talking in a rough voice.
“They’ll have you marry some princess, won’t they? Someone that’ll make our kingdom safer, or richer, someone who will give you a lot of heirs. Isn’t that right?”
“Yugi...”
“Tell me I’m wrong. Look me in the eyes and tell me I’m wrong.”
Silence .
“Where do you see me in all of this? To the side, in the shadows? Someone for you to hold while your queen is away? How do you think it would feel for me, watching you marry someone else, while you claim you love me?”
“But I do love you, Yugi, I love you-”
“I know! And that’s the problem!”
Silence .
“That’s why I have to do this,” Yugi whispered, blinking to hold the tears back. “No matter what the future holds, as long as we’re together it’ll end up hurting both of us. I don’t want to put you in the position of choosing between me or the kingdom. It was never supposed to go this far. We’re not children anymore, we need to take responsibility. This is the only way...”
His voice cracked.
“We promised each other not to lie, remember?” Atem’s face looked calm, but Yugi could hear the tremble in his voice, he could see the how Atem’s hands were shaking. “Then tell me this, Yugi, is this what you want?”
“No. But it’s what I need.”
“Okay.” The tremble was much stronger now, and Yugi’s every instinct screamed at him to grab Atem and pull him into a hug until they both felt better. To hug him and to never let go. It was horrible to refrain from comforting the man that had been his best friend, his lover, for all of these years. The man he was now hurting.
The next thing he knew was those red eyes peering into his, Atem’s hand coming up to gently caress his cheek. The uncertainty never left Atem’s eyes. Yugi hated it.
“Before you go, will you please grant me one single wish?” Yugi drew a shaky breath and nodded, his gaze never leaving Atem’s. “Please kiss me. If this is the last time I’ll see you, please kiss me so that I won’t forget you. Grant me one final kiss.”
“Whatever you wish, my king.”
They kissed, and Yugi poured all love he felt into that kiss. They kissed, and it was the sweetest, most bitter kiss they’d ever shared. The kissed, desperately, until the tears were running freely down their cheeks and their throats hurt from sobbing.
He remembered waking up in his own bed in the morning, without a sign that the king had ever been a part of his life.
Atem .
Yugi didn’t realize he was crying until Atem pulled him into a firm embrace. He buried his head in the juncture of the other’s neck and cried while Atem stroked his back.
“I’m sorry,” Atem whispered. “If I knew you’d be hurt this much by me coming here, I would have tried to find shelter somewhere else. Last night... I had to get away and your house was the only safe place I could think of.”
Yugi pushed himself away from the king and stood up. Atem stood up as well, still looking at him with an unspoken question in his eyes. Even though the blood was gone from his face, the wounds were still there. Cuts, bruises. Yugi dried away the last of his tears with the back of his hand.
“I’m fine, it was a chock, that’s all. I haven’t seen you in three years. Not since... that day.” He knew Atem understood by the look in his eyes. “What happened? Jou mentioned a rumour that something is going on in the palace. Do you need medical attention? Why did you come here?”
The man across him straightened. His face closed to an impenetrable mask of strength. The man in front of him transformed into someone he had never met. Someone he never thought he would get to see. A king.
“Yugi Mutou, if your king asks something of you, would you obey that command?”
Yugi hesitated before nodding, still keeping eye contact with the man in front of him. This Atem was one he didn’t recognize, and he suddenly felt unsure. He didn’t know how to react; Atem had acted so familiar with him just a moment ago and now... Still, it was Atem .
“Anything, your majesty.”
Atem gave him a confirming nod and went right past him into the bedroom. He knelt beside the bed and reached in under it. Not before too long, he arose again, something golden between his hands.
“I hope you didn’t mind me taking me liberty of hiding the things I brought with me. I didn’t know when you were to return, and I didn’t want someone to walk in to find the king in bloody regalia.” Something flashed in Atem’s eyes, maybe a hint of the fear he had been feeling yesterday. Whatever it was, it was gone in a second. “Yugi, you saw me last night, I almost got here on pure instinct, like something steered me to your door. I’ve been thinking during the day and it’s a perfect opportunity. I needed a safe place to hide this, needed someone to keep it hidden, and I can’t imagine anyone more suited to do so than you. Yugi Mutou, will you honour me and the kingdom by keeping the Millenium puzzle safe?”
In his hands lay an inverted, golden pyramid attached to a thick chain. A golden eye glowed slightly from the side facing Yugi.
“The... Millenium puzzle?” Yugi stared at him in disbelief. “The real one?”
Yugi had heard of the Millenium items. Every child had heard about them. The mystical, magical objects that gave the royal court their power and had allowed the royal family to rule the land for generations. It was said that the bearer of a Millenium item became a master of lights and shadows, transforming into a guardian and warrior of the kingdom.
“I need you to keep this safe,” Atem urged, taking a couple of steps towards Yugi. Yugi backed away instinctually. Atem froze, the cold façade cracking, showing the desperation underneath. “It’s not safe within the castle walls right now. This puzzle is the symbol of my power and right to the throne. Please, Yugi, take it and hide it.”
“Why... What...? Tell me what’s going on. Please!” Yugi was torn between backing away even further and trying to comfort the man in front of him. Atem held the puzzle so tightly Yugi was afraid he would hurt his hands. Atem took a breath, apparently trying to force the cold, stern look back on his face. Their eyes met. And everything crumbled.
Fear and desperation mixed in Atem’s face as he reached over and grabbed Yugi, pulling him closer, sliding the chain around his neck. The golden puzzle was shockingly heavy at first, but when it stilled against Yugi’s chest, he found the weight weirdly comforting. Atem let go and took a step away from him, a worried expression painstakingly clear on his face.
“Could you please do that? If not for me, for the kingdom?”
Yugi looked down at the puzzle, Atem’s begging tone echoing in his mind. He grabbed the chain and lifted his eyes towards Atem.
“What is going on? I haven’t seen you for three years and then you come in the middle of the night, beaten up and bloody and wanting to give me a Millenium item? Please, Atem , tell me what’s going on.”
The king sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sat down with his back against the wall and tilted his head towards Yugi, gesturing at him to come closer. Yugi sank down on the floor next to him, his hands still clutching the chain around his neck.
“Last night,” Atem started, his voice quiet, edged with bone deep tiredness, “the palace was attacked.”
“What!?” Had he heard right? If the palace had been attacked, they would notice it, right? The city guard would be informed. What if they came to the city?
“They came from nowhere,” Atem continued. “We... we are always prepared, we’re always fighting them back, I don’t know what happened. I don’t know why this time was any different...” His voice died with a tremble.
“What about the city?” Yugi felt awful to ask the question when Atem was so clearly upset, but he had to know.
“We didn’t think they would come this far. These people... they’re not human. They more like shadows, malicious ghosts that would roam freely across the land if it were not for the priests at the palace. If it were not for the Millenium items. If the people in the city would know of this eternal threat, panic would be guaranteed. This is our burden to bear in secret. Our duty to our people. Last night, they became impossible to control. The darkness kept gaining on us, taking down my priests one after another. The ghosts came crawling, clawing after us, after the items. One of the items finally succumbed to the darkness. And then another one. I kept trying to reach them. I searched in the darkness, reached towards my friends. It was impossible. The puzzle wasn’t strong enough. I wasn’t strong enough.”
Yugi reached out to grab Atem’s hand. Atem met his grip with an almost painful strength.
“How did you get out?”
“I almost didn’t.” A rough whisper. “I was alone in the darkness, only guided by the puzzle. I was bleeding and I had lost my crown. They had managed to knock me to the ground, and I lost it. It’s still there somewhere. I could feel the shadows grabbing me, pulling me towards them. I fought against them, the gods should know that I fought. But I could feel myself losing hope. And then there was a ray of light. Mana had appeared behind me, seemingly out of nowhere. She held her wand and it was like the sun had appeared in the darkness. The shadows drew back and she told me to run. I told her... I told her I wouldn’t leave her and she said that I had to. ‘This kingdom lives and dies with you. Run, and take the puzzle with you. Be safe, my king.’ So I ran. And behind me, I felt the light die...”
His voice broke.
“I hate it, you know. I hate being the king. ‘Be safe, my king.’ That was the last words she said to me. I’ve told you about Mana, she’s been one of my best friends since she was born. I don’t even remember the last time she called me by my name.”
Yugi looked at Atem, but the king turned his head away, as if Yugi couldn’t see the shimmering of tears on his cheeks.
“I need to get back to the palace,” Atem said quietly, his face still turned away. “I thank you for your hospitality. It was... nice seeing you again. Truly. Please keep the puzzle safe. If anything were to happen to me, at least I know the darkness won’t consume everything... everyone. Not as long as you keep the puzzle safe.”
He stood up and quickly walked out of the room. Yugi just watched him leave. As soon as Atem was out of view, everything came crashing down onto him. He grabbed the chain of the puzzle tighter, feeling a light warmth pulsating in the otherwise cold object of metal.
Atem will leave. He will go back to that castle, alone, without the light of the puzzle.
Before Yugi even noticed what he was doing, he had gotten up on his feet and ran after Atem. He reached him in the door, Atem’s hand on the doorknob.
“Wait!”
Atem froze.
Yugi held the puzzle tighter, unsure of himself.
“What are you going to do?”
“I... I don’t know.” Atem was still standing towards the door, his back against Yugi. Determined, strong, powerful, just like a king was supposed to be. Although Yugi knew that he didn’t imagine the tremble of his voice, the unnatural stiffness of his spine.
“You came to me in the middle of the night, bloody, beaten and terrified. And now you want to go back to that place? Alone? At least take the puzzle...”
“I can’t.” Atem still wasn’t looking at him and Yugi had to press down his growing urge to grab him and spin him around. “I need to get back to try and save the people. My friends... the guards... the servants... if I don’t go back, nothing will stop the darkness from spreading through the whole kingdom. All those people, falling to the darkness because of me. I wasn’t strong enough and they had to pay, they all will have to pay. If there’s any way I can help them, I have to try. As for the puzzle... it failed me last time. I would feel safer if it was here with you. Yugi...”
He took a deep breath and shook his head. Yugi moved at the same time, reached forward and grabbed Atem’s arm.
“Let me come with you.”
“Wha... Yugi, no.” Atem finally turned around, disbelief, almost chock, in his face, like he couldn’t believe Yugi would be so stupid . Still, a flash of worry, of longing , was clear in Atem’s eyes and Yugi was suddenly reminded of the old Atem. His Atem. The Atem he had known wouldn’t ever doubt him or his intentions. Then again, they hadn’t met since Yugi broke his heart. There had been three years of kingly duties that had separated them. A tiny voice in the back of his head urged him to back off, let Atem leave and to wait for the news.
What news? That the king was dead? That the court had fallen and that he was alone with a magical object, alone to know what happened between the castle walls?
Instead, he got closer to Atem, grabbing his other arm as well. Something flashed behind Atem’s eyes, like an unspoken wish.
“Yes. Let me come with you. You’re not going back there alone. That would be a suicide mission. You have no way of fighting against these shadow monsters. I know... I know I have hurt you and that you probably want to get away from here, but please. Let me come with you, let me protect you. I don’t know how, but if there’s anything I can do... I won’t let you die. If you’re going, I'm coming with you.”
“Yugi...” Atem’s voice was strained, and his brows furrowed in pain. “Don’t do this. Just let me go and I can know that you... that the puzzle is safe.”
“I can bring the puzzle with me.”
“No. I fled to keep the puzzle hidden.”
“No lies. You promised.”
Silence.
“Would you rather I left the puzzle here?”
Atem sighed and closed his eyes, tilted his head towards the ceiling.
“No,” he breathed. “If you’re going to insist on coming with me, you’re taking the puzzle with you. For protection. You’ll also have to promise to do exactly as I say. The palace where I'm going is nothing like the flower gardens you’ve visited.”
Yugi could do nothing but nod. At the mention of their past, a twinge of pain had bloomed from his stomach. Did Atem feel it too? How their past still affected Yugi.
He cursed internally. He had told himself he was over it thousands of times during these three years. He had told his friends he was over it hundreds of times. Atem’s existence had kept on being a secret for around a month after the last time they had seen each other. Then the dam broke while he was out with Jou and the gang. I hadn’t been much, just Jou making an offhand comment about a flower vendor and Yugi’s first thought had been “Atem would’ve liked those”. Then the tears started to fall down his cheeks. He told his worried friends everything and refused to think of Atem as anything other than “the king” ever since. He had also tried to not think about flowers .
“Do you understand me?” Atem’s fingers softly running across his cheeks made Yugi snap back to reality. “If I tell you to hide, you hide. If I tell you to freeze, you freeze. If I tell you to turn away and save yourself, you-”
Yugi interrupted him by catching Atem’s hand, keeping it in place against his cheek.
“Frankly, your life is more important than mine,” he began, Atem immediately opening his mouth to argue. “No, it’s the truth. You’re our king. That's why Mana begged you to stay safe. Because she believed that this kingdom will be safe as long as you’re alive. And I believe that too. A lesser man would have left, tried to save his own skin. The fact that you’re going back... We need you. I promise I’ll listen to you, follow your every command. But I won’t abandon you, and I won’t leave your side.”
“Yugi...”
“Atem.”
Atem’s eyes were pleading him to reconsider, his thumb stroking Yugi’s cheek absentmindedly.
“I could tie you up, make you stay here.”
“But you won’t.”
“No, I won’t.”
Yugi gave him a little smile, trying to shake away the tension in the air, and reached past him to open the door.
“Good. Let's go.”
Atem quietly followed him into the dusky twilight streets, leaving the light and safety of Yugi’s home to enter the shadows.