Adult-FanFiction.org : Yu-Gi-OH

Mistaken Assumptions	By : tavia454 Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 17844 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, I make no money off this story! Bummer!

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
Ok, I really, truly have to
apologize for the lateness of this chapter. Between story stealing
teenagers who need to grow up and understand that I am not as stupid
as they think I am, writer's block, stress of moving (which isn't
quite done yet) and a host of other plot bunny stealing catastrophes
this story has made almost no progress. (dodges rotten fruit and
veggies from readers) Ugh, really, I am sorry. Seriously, does RL
ever stop being a bitch?

In apology, though, I do have
an extra long chap for you. Although quite a bit of it belongs just
as much to Renaiya88027 as it does to me, for she's the mastermind
behind almost half of this chapter. A big thank you to Renaiya, and
Egyptiancatgoddess for being the very best betas a girl can have
(tackleglomps). And to Natoya for convincing me it was good enough to
send to beta.

This chapter is dedicated to
the ladies on the BPS forum – seriously guys, you are the
greatest! For anyone who's a puzzleshipper and hasn't been to the
site – go check it out! We don't bite (hard) and we actually
have a lot of fun!

Well, without any further
note...here's the chap! Enjoy.

~
o ~ O ~ o ~

Yugi held his breath as the
prone figure in his lap twitched once, and then twitched again,
slender, elegant hands searching for and finding his waist to wrap
around him tightly as the Pharaoh attempted to burrow further into
his lap. It wasn't moments after that when long, charcoal-colored
eyelashes fluttered slowly, gracing the young monarch with his first
glimpse of those glorious scarlet eyes since Atemu had passed out on
him a well over an hour ago, and he gave a relieved smile.

“Good
afternoon sleepy-head, how are you feeling?” He murmured
softly.

Atemu twisted his head back,
blinking in confusion for a moment, trying to clear the double image
of his lover's concerned face looking down at him, even as he worked
through the words that seemed to come to him through a filter of
thick cotton. He grimaced at the taste of unwashed linen that stuck
to his teeth and his tongue, his head fuzzy, and his voice thick as
he finally replied. “Wh...why...? Why are there...two of
you...little one?”

Yugi gave a quiet chuckle at
his lover's hoarse, almost unintelligible mutterings, threading his
hands through the mess of tangled beading surrounding Atemu's head.
“I had to substitute a couple of ingredients in your medicine.
I wasn't sure it would work, but now I'm glad I did it. Just ride it
out, Atemu, I'm right here with you.”

Atemu nodded slowly, closing
his eyes and burrowing tightly against Yugi's stomach as another bout
of dizziness overcame him. “Drink...?” He murmured
sluggishly after a long, drawn out pause.

Stifling a chuckle at his
lover's thoroughly drugged state Yugi rolled him over, propping his
head up in his lap and helping him to hold the bowl of water so that
he could wet his throat. Atemu took a couple of tentative sips before
flopping his head back down in Yugi's lap, drained for the moment.
Taking that as a sign that his lover was finished Yugi set the bowl
back on the bedside table, and picked up the cloth that he had set
down only moments ago to wipe at his lover's brow.

As Atemu's unfocused eyes
slipped closed once again Yugi's peaceful facade fell away, revealing
his troubled state of mind as he thought over their impossible
situation. It was really not a good idea for the Pharaoh to be here,
and not due to the threat of kidnapping alone. This affliction
worried him deeply.

Mahaado had confided once that
his lover had suffered these intolerable headaches from the moment he
had attained his adolescence, so it was doubtful that he would die
from them, but Mahaado and the rest of the Egyptian court knew how to
relieve the painful symptoms without over-medicating him – a
skill he had yet to learn, obviously.

But he wasn't quite ready to
return to the place where his lover wielded such absolute power, such
overwhelming control. Not now. Not this soon. And yet, neither was he
ready to be parted from him, not when they had just gotten back
together, while they were still trying to get to know each other. It
was a no win situation all the way around. Was there truly no ideal
solution to this dilemma?

Yugi let out a frustrated
breath, blowing a lock of stray hair out of his face, contemplating
his few options. He would just have to wait until the Pharaoh woke up
so they could work this out together. Perhaps they could come up with
a compromise that would keep the Pharaoh from danger and still allow
them to remain together without his having to worry over every little
misunderstanding turning into a fight for his freedom – or
his life.

It wasn't fair, Yugi decided
with a frown. Why couldn't they find a common ground on which to
meet? Somewhere where neither of them held power over the other, so
they could just get to know each other a little better, understand
each other a little more...? Life always had to be so complicated, so
demanding.

“Hey
Yugi...” Jou's sudden presence in the entryway startled the
younger monarch out of his thoughts and Yugi glanced up in surprise.

He gave a small grin. “Oh...hey
Jou, what's up?”

“Just
thought I'd come by and see if you needed anything.” Jou
replied, scuffing his foot across the floor uncomfortably.

Yugi raised an eyebrow. What
was with the guilty behavior? What was this all about? “O-kay...we're
fine...thank you though.”

With a halfhearted sigh, the
blonde shuffled into the chamber and flopped down on a corner of the
bed. He plucked at the sheet, his gaze alternating between Yugi's
face and the Pharaoh's prone form. Seto had just now given him some
insight as to why the Egyptian ruler always seemed so inflexible, so
domineering, and upon learning those facts Jou had come to the
decision that maybe, just maybe, he had misjudged the intimidating
monarch.

Up until their talk – or
argument rather – he hadn't realized that his sister's
husband had been a close personal friend of the Pharaoh's, or that
the massacre had been the doing of their very own soldiers, under the
command of that traitor, Dartz. He hadn't known that the man
responsible for Yugi's kidnapping had done so only because he had
doubts as to the young Hyksos king's knowledge of this massacre –
and that he could very well have killed Yugi upon their first
meeting and no one would have thought him in the wrong.

So many new facts had come to
light in the wake of the conversation he'd just had with the Egyptian
priest, and they left him wondering if he was right in his hatred of
this forceful, enigmatic man.

But it was Yugi that he had
come to apologize to, for his behavior over the past weeks. That, and
to find out what had really happened between his younger brother and
the Pharaoh. Yugi had become a nothing but mass of conflicting
contradictions ever since the Egyptian royal had reappeared back in
their lives, leading him to the conclusion that there was so much
more to the story than what he was seeing.

Jou
had learned that he had assumed much over the past months, only to
find out that most of his assumptions were wrong – he really
wanted to hear it straight from Yugi what had happened. To be honest,
he was hoping that all
of
his assumptions were wrong. But he wasn't quite willing to go that
far yet.

Yugi watched his friend warily
as the silence stretched out. This wasn't like Jou at all, he was
normally a very outspoken individual. But he was acting so out of
character at the moment. True, he had been acting oddly for a while,
but it was even more apparent now, with only the two of them in the
chamber. Finally, unable to take the silence any longer, Yugi opened
his mouth to question his friend, just as Jou cleared his throat.
The smaller teen gestured to his friend, giving him leave to speak
his mind.

“...Look...uh,
Yugi...I just wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting the
past couple of weeks...” Jou mumbled.

Yugi blinked at him curiously.
“...That's okay...you just had a lot on your mind and I didn't
want to intrude. I had a lot to think about too...We all did.”

The guilt-ridden blonde
scratched at his head sheepishly. “Yeah...uh...well, it wasn't
just that Yugi. Look, I've done a lot of things these past weeks that
I'm not exactly proud of...starting fights with you...Ryou...him...”
He jerked a thumb towards the unconscious form lying in Yugi's lap.
“I've pissed grandpa off a time or two as well...got the both
of us beat for it too...I guess what I'm trying to say is...that I'm
sorry – ”

Yugi's eyes widened at this new
information. “You did that?! I always thought that Grandpa...”

“Eh-heh...”
Jou gave a self-depreciating laugh before becoming serious.
“Yeah...that was me...it was just...you know, seeing him here
after seeing what you were like when you came back...I got pissed
off...and we got into it...and you know how Grandpa don't like
fighting. I have to admit though...I thought he would fight me
back...you know...a little more than he did...Yugi...” He cast
a pleading glance toward his friend. “What did he do to you?”

Yugi had been listening to the
blonde's confession with half an ear, his thoughts still hung up on
all the difficulties that continuing a relationship with someone as
all powerful as the Pharaoh would present, and so the question caught
him off guard and his head shot up, eyes locking with Jou's as he
tried to give an answer that would not result in his best friend
attempting to throttle his unconscious partner.

Yugi licked his lips nervously.
“He...uh...well...we had a misunderstanding, Jou. And then
everyone else got involved and it turned into an even bigger
misunderstanding...I don't know how to explain it....but it's in the
past now. I truly think I love him...Jou?” He stared at his
friend, trying to make him understand his position.
“Look...I...uh...We love each other...and what happened isn't
going to happen again. I won't let it. We're learning to talk things
through, rather than assume...”

With a sigh, the blonde settled
a hand on Yugi's shoulder, squeezing affectionately. “It's
okay, Yugi. It's difficult...I feel that way about the priest too.”
He shrugged off-handedly. “Who knew, right? That we'd end up
falling for those that came in here and split us apart...it's just
so...uh...weird, right?”

“Incomprehensible.”
Yugi laughed quietly, stroking his lover's plaited hair.

“Yeah,
that.” Jou gave a weak chuckle. “You're gonna think I'm
strange but...Please Yugi, just tell me he didn't rape you...the way
you acted when you returned...I thought...”

Yugi sputtered, gaping at his
friend. And then he took a deep breath, his eyes locking on Jou's.
“He didn't rape me! Why does everyone assume that?! He
didn't...I started...” He fell back against the headboard, the
gleam in his eyes still indicating outrage at the suggestion. “I
started it, damn it...he just...he didn't...stop...he brought up a
lot of old insecurities...look, can we not discuss this right now?
We've only just gotten everything worked out between us. Maybe
someday I'll tell you what happened...and why. I just need some time,
okay?”

The hand returned to Yugi's
shoulder, giving another gentle squeeze, calming him with its
presence. “Yeah, I'll wait until you're ready. Just know that
I'm always there for you. You are my brother...but more importantly,
you're my friend.”

Yugi grabbed the hand and
squeezed back. “I know. And I'm there for you too.” The
Hyksos ruler glanced down at his Egyptian counterpart. “But he
needs me as well. Gods Jou, he's so cynical, so closed off to
everyone...and I don't think it was just Katara that made him that
way...”

“Who's
Katara?” Jou questioned, seeing his friend's slip as an
opportunity to begin a discussion without blatantly prying.

Yugi flipped a lock of hair out
of his eyes, gnawing on his lip as he thought about the best way to
approach that topic, having completely forgotten that he hadn't said
a word about his experiences in Egypt to those who had been left
behind. “Uh yeah...about her...”

After a moment of tense silence
Yugi began to speak tentatively of his life as a slave to the
Pharaoh, giving Jou a brief description of some of the situations he
had faced during his forced stay in Egypt, but not much more than
that. And in return for his friend's attempts at honesty Jou told his
side of the story concerning his confrontation with their
grandfather, as well as some of what had transpired during the
younger teen's absence.

As they talked it became ever
so apparent to Jou that his sovereign was deeply attracted to their
unconscious guest, for his hands would stray towards the other's
decorated locks, or smooth over sun-kissed skin every so often. And
he came to realize that the younger teen hadn't lied when he had
spoken of his love for the majestic Egyptian. It was evident in each
and every touch, in every glance.

And as Atemu began the minutest
stirrings to indicate his return to consciousness Jou realized that
he might be alright with Yugi's choice of partner – so long
as the man treated him with respect from this moment on.

“Hey,
are you feeling better now?” Yugi questioned as Atemu opened
his eyes briefly.

The Pharaoh blinked a couple of
time in an attempt to clear the hazy dual images that the world was
determined to present to him, assessing his dizzy condition before
giving his reply. “Mmm...still strange...little one...going
away though...hungry...”

A rumble of the elder monarch's
stomach brought Yugi's attention around to the fact that neither of
them had eaten since breakfast that morning, and it was now close to
the end of Re's journey. Maybe if Atemu got some food in his stomach
it would help to clear his head.

“Hush
now, I'll be right back.” He whispered softly, setting aside
the cloth he had been using to wipe at his lover's brow.

Yugi watched as Atemu slipped
back into a state of semi-consciousness before shifting him slowly
off his lap and onto the bed. The man gave a slight protest at his
actions, curling in on himself in the absence of his body heat. Once
assured of his lover's comfort Yugi bade Jou watch over the
semi-conscious royal while he scavenged up some leftovers from the
dinner he had earlier refused.

Sure, he could have called on a
servant to bring them something fresh, but he loathed having anyone
waiting on him for every minor detail, and after sitting on the bed
for so long he felt a serious need to stretch his legs. Upon gaining
the blonde's word that no harm would befall his helpless lover, Yugi
scurried out of the chamber.

Without his smaller friend's
buffering presence Jou stared at the man whom he had believed for so
long to have ruined their lives simply because he had the power to do
so. But now, instead of the overpowering demonic presence that the
Pharaoh had displayed when Jou had first seen him the night he and
his friends invaded their home, what Jou saw was simply another young
man, not much different than the rest of them. A young man who seemed
to carry the weight of the world on his slender shoulders, with the
worry lines etched deeply into his face despite his resting state.

And he couldn't quite find it
in his heart to hate the Pharaoh for doing something he himself would
have done to avenge the death of a friend. Not that he was quite
ready to trust the man after all that had gone down, but he had made
up his mind to at least hear him out, to attempt to understand his
side of the story, whatever story it was.

Atemu moved around restlessly,
fidgeting a little before falling still again, and the movement put
Jou on instant alert. A few moments later and Jou twitched, scooting
off the bed when it became apparent that his younger brother's guest
was starting to come around. Grasping hands began to reach out,
searching for something that the half-conscious Egyptian seemed
unable to find.

Jou watched the man struggle
for a few moments, biting his lip as the object of his scrutiny
became more and more frustrated when he could not find whatever it
was that he sought in his drugged haze. The blonde wondered if he
should call the other's attention to him, or let him be and see what
he was up to. But his plan of action was decided for him when the
half conscious Egyptian cursed roughly, tumbling out of the bed in
his search for whatever it was he was looking for.

Atemu groaned when he landed on
his ass on the polished sandstone floor, uttering a garbled curse of
annoyance. Where was his little one? Had he done something to cause
the boy to flee his presence? The last thing he could remember
clearly was being made to drink that bitter, awful brew that took
away his pain and numbed his mind. Past that point everything was a
blank, a fuzzy blur of doubled mental images. What if he had
frightened his little one off again? What would he do then? He rubbed
at the sore spot on backside, wracking his brain for the answer to
his questions, for even the slightest coherent thought.

If he scared the boy off then
it was up to him to make right whatever he had done wrong, if that
were even possible this time. What if Yugi no longer wanted anything
to do with him? With this slender sense of wrongness prickling along
his nerves Atemu carefully picked himself up off the floor, swaying
precariously as he gathered his sluggish limbs beneath him.

Oh gods, he felt so
light-headed, so weak, so very dizzy, how was he supposed to find his
little one when he could barely walk? And what, exactly, had the boy
given him to ease his pain? Whatever it was, it was definitely more
potent than the stuff that Mahaado had always given him before.

He closed his eyes for a
moment, one hand on his head, the other outstretched to maintain his
balance. When the initial dizziness subsided he shuffled forward,
away from the safety of the bed, and began to search the chamber for
his little one's presence. He had to find Yugi.

“Yugi?
Where are you?” He called out hoarsely, his words slurred,
making his way slowly towards the doorway, or doorways – as
his eyes told him there were two of them.

Perhaps the boy had only
ventured out into the antechamber, maybe out of boredom, his mind
supplied. But he was more inclined to think that he had once again
done something in his drugged haze to send his little one fleeing.
The beginnings of a blind panic set in and the only thought on his
mind was finding Yugi and undoing whatever damage he had done this
time.

“Uh...your
Highness?” Jou called out, realizing that the Egyptian monarch
looked more than the slightest bit unstable.

Atemu turned at the call,
nearly overbalancing with the motion. His hands shot out to keep his
balance, his blurry gaze searching the chamber for the person who had
called out to him. “Who are you?! Show yourself.” He
commanded, his words slurring together as he spoke. Just as he
spotted Jou's silhouette against the light from the window he lost
what little balance he had been able to retain. He flailed, unable to
find anything to grasp as he pitched towards the ground.

Jou shot across the chamber to
offer assistance, realizing that no matter his misgivings concerning
their uninvited guest, the man was in no condition to be up and
wandering about. But he wasn't fast enough to make it to the
Pharaoh's side before the man landed on the floor in a tangle of
uncoordinated limbs. He smothered a laugh at the fierce look that
crossed the Egyptian monarch's face when his presence was finally
noticed.

“What
are you trying to do? Kill yourself?” He chuckled, noting the
other's irritated, unfocused glare. “Come on; let's get you
back into bed.”

“I
have...to find Yugi.” Atemu stated as he shakily pushed himself
back up off the floor. “Now stand aside.”

But Jou blocked his exit from
the chamber, unsure of how to handle the situation. “I don't
think so, your Highness. Yugi'll have my hide if anything happens to
you. Why don't you just go back to bed? He'll be back in a minute.”

Atemu tried to edge his way
around the blonde, only to find his way once again blocked by the
man's persistent presence, his panic at being unable to locate his
smaller lover starting to override what little remained of his common
sense. “Leave me be.” He growled. “I have to find
my little one.”

“Why?”
Jou questioned, trying his hardest to corral the uncooperative royal
back towards the bed, without making it seem like he was doing just
that. “He only went to get some food for you, he'll be right
back.”

Anguished scarlet eyes locked
with his and Jou faltered, stepping back at the sheer amount of fear
and desperation visible behind his glare. “I-I...I need to find
Yugi...I need to mend...whatever...I have done wrong...if 'tis
possible this time...”

Jou cringed at the Pharaoh's
drugged confession. “Aw, come on man, you are way too sick
right now. You don't even know what you're doing. Let's get you back
into bed and we'll talk to Yugi when he gets back. Okay?”

Jou
hadn't even finished speaking and already Atemu was attempting to
find a way around him. Stubborn. The blonde rolled his eyes and
hoisted the barely conscious monarch up over his shoulders, carting
him back towards the bed, despite his resistance. He was rather
surprised to find that the infamous
warrior
king
weighed
so little. From what Jou could recall there seemed to be very little
difference between Yugi's slight weight and that of the Pharaoh, and
he had to look twice to make certain that he had truly picked up his
intended target, and not his younger brother. With a hearty laugh at
the other's muffled curses, he dropped the outraged Egyptian back
onto the bed.

“You
cannot do this!” Atemu snapped furiously, glaring up at Jou.

The blonde folded his arms over
his chest, raising an eyebrow. “Says who? The way I see it
you're in no position to tell me what I can and can't do, your
Highness.”

With a snort Atemu heaved
himself back onto the floor, only to find himself on his back, right
back where he was before, a now laughing Jou straddling his legs.
“Stubborn.” Jou stated, capturing his arms as he flailed
about, trying to free himself from the blonde's grip.

“Let
me up!” Atemu hissed. “I need to find Yugi!”

“No,
you don't.” Jou stated again, as though speaking to a child.
“You're in no condition to go wandering about. What do you say
you just relax and we can hang out until Yugi gets back here? I swear
on all that's holy I'll sit on you till he gets back if I have to.”

“Let
me go!” Atemu snarled again, struggling beneath his weight and
Jou pinned his hands above his head, hanging on to the best of his
ability.

And that was the scene that
Yugi walked into when he returned to his chambers. The young Hyksos
royal stumbled to a stop, barely managing to hold on to the tray of
goodies that he had rounded up from the kitchens, his jaw dropping as
he caught sight of the two in such a compromising position. “Jou?
Atemu? What is going on in here?!”

The two figures on the bed both
halted their actions, Jou jumping quickly from the bed at the sight
of his smaller friend in the doorway. “Uh...eh-heh...” He
rubbed at his head sheepishly, a hand shooting out quickly to push
the obstinate Egyptian back to the bed when it was clear that the
other was attempting to get up again. “It's not what it looks
like, Yugi...the Pharaoh here thought he was just gonna get up and go
find you. And I was just trying to make him understand that he really
needed to stay put.”

“Yugi!”
Atemu called out frantically, trying to rise from the bed with a
determination that belied his condition.

Yugi raised a skeptical eyebrow
at the blonde's words and his lover's agitated tone, only to have the
other one quickly joining the first when his friend reached out to
push his lover back down onto the bed once again. “O-kay...”

After pushing the resistant
Egyptian monarch down for a second time Jou cursed roughly. “Damn
it man, stay down! Yugi's right here, you didn't do anything
stupid...yet, but you need to lie down before your hurt yourself.”
And then the blonde aimed a glare over at his smaller friend. “Gods
above Yugi, he's so stubborn. How do you put up with this?”

Yugi only shook his head,
slipping into the chamber to set the tray down on the table beside
the bed. One look at his lover's panic-stricken features and he
dropped down onto the edge of the bed to take Atemu's face into his
hands, forcing the Pharaoh to look at him. “Hey, I'm right
here. It's okay...”

The moment he heard his lover's
soft voice, the gentle hands on his face directing his vision towards
the one he needed so badly to see, Atemu latched on to his little
one's figure with startling intensity. “Oh gods little one,
whatever I did...I am sorry! Please don't...don't leave me.”

“What
the –?!” Was Yugi's startled reply. Upon realizing that
his lover was still heavily influenced by the medicine that he had
been given earlier he sought to allay his fears, curling up beside
him, whispering softly. He had not thought that the powerful Pharaoh
would take his brief absence so seriously. Never before had he seen
the powerful, commanding king act so needy, so confused, and the
sight tore at his heart.

“Shh,
I'm right here, Atemu...” He whispered.

It took him a while to calm the
Pharaoh down from his drugged irrationality, but he could tell his
words were starting to take effect when his lover's grip on his robes
began to loosen ever so slightly. As soon as he put some of the
shaken ruler's fears to rest Yugi coaxed him to sit up so that he
could eat, hoping that if he got some food in his stomach it might
help to clear his head.

Jou sat by the edge of the bed,
looking on, his jaw hanging somewhere in the vicinity of his knees as
he silently watched this frightening god-king cuddle up to his best
friend, his little brother.

It was nothing short of amazing
to him to see this reputedly fearsome warrior allow his brother to
hand feed him, to see the Pharaoh nibble at the bits of food that
Yugi held up to his mouth, a possessive hand wrapped around his
smaller friend's form. To see this powerful man looking back at his
brother with devotion clear in his gaze, and Yugi looking right back
at him with concern and care. The sight was something akin to seeing
a tame lion for the first time and he was shocked speechless.

The words exchanged between the
two were loving and tender in tone, but they were so soft he could
hardly hear them over the frantic pounding of his heart as he took in
the scene. Whatever it was that his friend was saying seemed to calm
the mighty king, though, and for that Jou was grateful, for he knew
the Pharaoh was a sight when he unleashed that temper of his.

“So...uh,
Yugi...” Jou nudged his head in their guest's direction as the
Pharaoh settled into a comfortable position and closed his eyes.
“Really?”

It took the smaller teen a
couple of moments to catch on to what the blonde was trying to ask,
but once he did a light blush lit up his features. “Yeah...really...”

Since Jou wasn't quite ready to
leave the two of them be even after the scene that he had just
witnessed he engaged his younger friend in conversation a little
longer, both speaking in hushed tones lest they wake the figure
sleeping between them. The blonde figured it was his duty as Yugi's
best friend, and older brother, to assure himself of the smaller
boy's happiness. And until that happened he was staying right where
he was.

Their quiet discussion carried
them through the early evening hours as the two found themselves
needing to catch up on all that they had missed out on in each
others' lives. Only once it became apparent that the quiet Egyptian
was awake, and had been following their conversation for quiet some
time did the blonde's curiosity come back with a vengeance, and he
found himself unable to keep from blurting out the question that had
been on his mind since the moment he had seen them interact with each
other under semi-private circumstances.

“When
did you fall in love with my little buddy here?”

Atemu took a moment to digest
the query, pulling Yugi down against him and arranging the boy to his
liking, thankful that his normal thought process had begun to return
with the addition of food and rest. “When I first realized my
feelings...? There are three separate and distinct instances where I
began to think there was more to my attraction to him than a mere
lust.”

“And
those were?” Jou prodded after the Pharaoh fell silent in
contemplation.

Even Yugi seemed to be
interested in the other's words as he watched Atemu closely.

“The
night that he...” Atemu stared straight at Yugi when he spoke
the words. “...that you were willing to forfeit your life for
your other friend, Ryou's safety...if not the very night we first
met. However, it was most apparent during our encounter at the stream
on our homeward journey.”

Yugi's eyes widened, even as
Jou scoffed at the Pharaoh's claim. “There's no way!” The
blonde refuted. “I saw you that first night, you were too
irritated to notice anything.”

Atemu leveled a glance at his
detractor. “How could I not notice it that first night?”
His eyes sought out Yugi's once again. “You were nothing but
courage, truth and idealism wrapped up in a beautiful little package,
and you intrigued me from the moment that you were willing to lay
down your life for those that I had lost. The rest was merely me,
fighting myself, attempting to find a flaw in your character that I
could exploit to prove to myself that truth and beauty did not exist
for a person of my position. And for that I am deeply sorry.”

“How
could you have known that I was being truthful?” Yugi
questioned, running a calming hand through his lover's plaited hair
as he recalled the man's claims of long ago feelings from the night
before.

“After
all you've seen, everything you've been through, how could you have
known?” When Atemu attempted to interrupt him he set a finger
to his lips. “If you were the god everyone thinks you to be I
would have trouble with your apology. But you are a god trapped in a
man's body, subject to a man's shortcomings, you do not know all, and
I would not expect you to believe me without proof. I know that you
could have killed me that first night, and no one would have said a
word against you.”

Atemu gave a light nip to the
digit that was set in front of his lips, watching Yugi's face light
up in a becoming flush. “This still does not absolve me of my
wrongs, little one.”

“No...”
Yugi replied. “But it does make it understandable. You do,
however, need to learn to open your mouth and speak up if something
is bothering you. You tend to keep everything bottled up inside and
let it build until you're temper makes an appearance...or a situation
arises, such as the one today.”

Atemu nodded sluggishly, ever
grateful for the slow return of coherent thought. “I shall try,
Yugi, truly I shall...I do wish your patience on this...I am not used
to speaking of my troubles. As Pharaoh, I am not supposed to show
weakness of any sort, lest I lose the trust of my people.”

A solemn look crossed Yugi's
features as he stared down into his lover's eyes. “I know that,
but its as I've been telling you all along; you're not perfect. You
should be allowed the same faults as any other person. I fell in love
with the man you are, not the god you're supposed to be. Let me in,
let me share in your worries. With two people working on a problem
the solution might be easier to attain.”

“This
is true.” Atemu admitted. “If I swear to speak with you
of my concerns will you swear to inform me should I cross the line,
if I have done something of which you disapprove.”

Yugi nodded with a smile.
“Don't I always? There's one thing you can expect from me,
Atemu, and that is that I will tell you the truth as I see it. It
doesn't mean that there isn't another way to look at a situation, it
just means I'll tell you my interpretation of it.”

“Guh,”
Jou rolled his eyes, getting to his feet. It was time for him to
disappear. “You guys are entirely too mushy for me.” He
exclaimed as he strolled out of the chamber, calling back, “get
some rest, you two. We'll keep the hyenas away for the day.”

“Thanks
Jou.” Yugi called back as Atemu pulled him down to lie beside
him.

Once
outside the chamber, Jou sat with his back to the wall, just outside
the partially open door. He hoped he would overhear something,
anything to make sense of what he had just witnessed. He was so
confused about the entire situation. But his first priority was to
Yugi, and he intended to make certain that his smaller friend had not
gotten in over his head, even if he had to use a means he was none to
proud of...such as eavesdropping.

Yugi
ran a hand over his lover’s face. There was so much on his
mind, so many questions that had been answered by what Atemu had just
said. He had seen much of the behavior Atemu had described, in his
father and brother. Unlike Atemu though, he had not become cynical,
but rather scared.

They
had all fed his fears; Hasim, Raphael, even Dartz and Pegasus. They
had created his insecurities, formed his self-doubts over all the
years of his life. It had taken Atemu weeks to even begin to make
Yugi question his own assumptions about himself, and then Atemu
himself had....

He
shook his head to clear the nagging thought. That had been a mistake.
He could not lay complete responsibility at Atemu's feet for being
deceived; the Pharaoh had been taught from a young age to expect such
dishonesty from others. To trust no one. Yugi knew he was partly to
blame himself, for not telling Atemu about Dartz when he had first
seen the man in the Pharaoh’s court.

And
then there was the matter of his forgiving Atemu, considering whether
or not he could truly love the other again, in the way Atemu wanted.
He could admit his love for the Pharaoh to Jou quite easily, but to
tell Atemu himself was another matter entirely, as doing so would be
giving the Pharaoh a certain measure of power over him. Did he have
enough courage to do that? Did he love Atemu enough to admit it aloud
to his partner, and trust that the other wouldn't take advantage of
it, as he had before?

Atemu
lay quietly next to Yugi, enjoying the boy’s presence, relieved
that he had not done something he would regret under the influence of
the medicine Yugi had given him. He wished he knew how to proceed.
There had to be something else he could do to prove himself to his
little one. Yugi shifted slightly, and Atemu sensed a change in his
mood. He opened his eyes, wondering if Yugi was going to leave him
again.

“I
used to be so afraid of you.” Yugi murmured.

Atemu
looked up in fear, terrified that Yugi was going to say that he was
still afraid of him, or something of that sort. Yugi noted the his
expression and put a hand to Atemu’s lips, forestalling
comment. “No Pharaoh; you have confessed, now it's my turn.”

Atemu
lay still, looking at his lover’s solemn features, listening as
Yugi opened his heart to him, praying that he would find happiness in
the outcome of this discussion, just as he had the last.

“From
the first time I heard about you, you were always the demon in the
night, coming to attack my land and my people. My father and brother
always described you in the worst way, and when you came to Hyksos to
meet with my father, he would always banish me to my chambers,
telling me that you would kill me on sight. Leading me to believe
that you hated those who were so weak and helpless...those like me. I
believed them; I had no reason not to. Even as I grew older and
realized that not everything they told me was the truth, I still
believed what they said about you, because anyone could see that the
empire you ruled was powerful, and you were merciless against those
who attacked you.”

Atemu
winced, feeling unaccountably guilty. “I am –”

Yugi
shushed him with a look as he continued to speak. “But then I
saw you myself, and I was surprised beyond words. I had always
pictured you as a tall, large man, fearsome and deadly. But you were
hardly taller than I was, and even though you scared me, with the
intensity of your glare and your anger, and the threat you posed to
the lives of me and my friends, you were still so...beautiful.”

Yugi
sighed, embarrassed. “I hated myself for thinking that, in the
midst of all our troubles. I thought it was a sign of my own
weakness, that even though you held my life in your hands I was still
attracted to you, even with as arrogant and commanding as you were,”
he smiled, teasing Atemu.

Atemu
grinned back at him, acknowledging the jibe. “The attraction
was mutual, little one, I assure you. From the moment I first saw you
looking at me from behind your friends. I remember thinking ‘those
eyes are going to be the death of me.’ ”

Yugi
blushed and looked away before continuing. “And that night,
when you informed me that I was to become your slave...I was
frightened then. I’d seen that look in your eyes
before...Pegasus looked at me like that – and I knew all too
well what he wanted from me. I expected you to force me to your bed
that very night, and was surprised when you didn’t. Then on the
journey, that day in the water...” He trailed off, trying to
find the words.

Atemu
waited patiently for him to begin speaking again, and was rewarded
with a soft smile as Yugi gathered his thoughts and forged on with
his story. “You didn’t force me. You were gentle, and
didn’t hurt me. I had expected to feel only pain from such
things, but when you kissed me —”

The
younger monarch raised a hand to his lips, remembering. “I’d
never been kissed before then, and I’d always wondered why
people seemed to enjoy it so much. And it was amazing, but then you
—” he blushed again.

Atemu
finished the thought for him. “I frightened you, did I not,
with my actions that day?”

Yugi
nodded. “Yeah, all my fears came back to me then; I remembered
what my father had done to that girl, and I was terrified that you
were going to do the same to me. I pushed away from you...Gods, you
have no idea how many times I kicked myself for doing that. I had
been a fool, I had known that a situation like that was bound to come
up, and that it was only a matter of time before you would take what
you wanted from me.”

Atemu
closed his eyes, recalling the shameful memory. “Just as you
were berating yourself for your actions I was doing the same. I knew
better than to act thusly –”

Yugi
was looking directly at Atemu now. “You weren’t the only
one struggling with a trust issue, you know. I was still trying to
shake off everything I’d heard of you. I wanted to understand
you based on what I’d seen for myself, not on what I'd been
told all my life.”

Atemu
brought Yugi’s hand to his mouth and kissed his fingers
lovingly. “You did better than I; I was unsure of even granting
you the chance to prove yourself to me.”

Yugi
smiled gently, tracing the outline of his lover's lips. “I’m
glad you did.”

“As
am I.” Atemu replied. They lay in silence for a moment, then
Atemu prompted him. “What happened then?”

Yugi
continued with his version of events. “You brought me to the
palace. I met Mana and Mai. Mai explained to me what my duties would
be, she's the one that made me realize that I had a lot of
misconceptions about physical intimacy. That it was only truly
painful if done incorrectly, and that if the people involved cared
about each other, it could be a wonderful experience.”

He
cringed, recalling how completely naive he had been when he first set
foot in the palace, how often he had blundered in his innocence. He
must have sounded and looked like a complete fool before the older,
more experienced woman who had been his instructor. He must have
looked like a fool before Atemu.

“Do
not look that way, little one. 'Twas no fault of yours that you knew
not what to expect.” Atemu admonished him lightly, urging him
to continue.

After
a moment Yugi gave him a wan smile. “I was so sure that that I
meant absolutely nothing to you, but I tried to convince myself that
it wouldn’t be so bad; that at least you had made an attempt to
quell my fears, that you were capable of considering my feelings
instead of just taking what you wanted. In any case, I didn’t
find you repulsive, as I did many others who wanted me in that way.”

Atemu
rolled his eyes. “Thanks.”

Yugi
gave a startled bark of laughter at his lover's bemused expression.
“You know what I mean! You were the one who accused me of
finding you repulsive, remember? In fact, the exact opposite was the
truth. I’d never seen anyone so gorgeous before. Not,” he
added, “that that would have meant anything if you were truly
as monstrous and cruel as people said you were. I may have been
attracted to your body, but people aren’t just bodies. What’s
inside matters far more.”

Atemu
nodded thoughtfully. “I was never one to believe that, until I
met you. I had always thought people to be corrupt on the inside,
that only their outer beauty set them apart. And so I chose my
bed-mates based on that alone. Perhaps I was setting myself up for
disappointment in going about my search thusly, for I never felt an
attachment to any of them the way I did to you; but so long as I did
that, it did not hurt so much when they eventually betrayed me, like
Katara did.”

Atemu
sighed. “Perhaps this is why your seeming betrayal angered me
more than even hers; I’d never loved her the way I loved you.
She betrayed me as a beautiful friend...you, I was beginning to
suspect even at that time, I love.”

Yugi
held Atemu closer, but to the Pharaoh’s disappointment, did not
answer Atemu’s declaration of love with one of his own.
Instead, he continued.

“Over
the next few days, I found myself more and more attracted to you. You
listened to me and didn’t judge me harshly, you spent time with
me and showed me the beauty of your garden. You touched me too. After
learning for myself how strong you were, I’d never expected you
could be so gentle with me. And then you caught me dancing.”
Yugi closed his eyes, remembering.

“I
thought I was imagining things when I felt you join me; I truly
believed that I’d driven myself crazy from my desire for you,
and my mind was giving me a hallucination of what I wanted. But then
I heard you, and realized you really were there. I pulled away out of
instinct, even though I’d just barely decided to overcome my
fear and change those old, fearful habits. I forced myself to be
brave and asked you to bed with me, to offer you what you wanted of
my own will, and not wait until the time you had given me was over,
and I was forced to it by the agreement I’d made with you. I
thought it might be easier that way, to choose when it happened. And
then...”

Atemu
watched him silently, knowing what Yugi was remembering, and wanting
to hear from his own mouth what he had made Yugi feel. Had he been
scared? Happy? Disappointed?

Yugi
shuddered at the memory, and Atemu licked his suddenly dry lips.

“I
wasn’t accustomed to touch, you know that. I’d never felt
the things you made me feel. I’d never thought it was possible
to feel the way I did that night. As long as you were touching me, I
could forget my fear, and enjoy what you were doing, and store the
memory away, in case you decided I was not to your liking and you
never took me to your bed again.”

Atemu
almost laughed aloud at the notion.

“You
pulled away to remove your clothes, and as soon as you weren’t
touching me anymore, my apprehension came back, but it wasn’t
just fear of the unknown. I was afraid I would disappoint you, that I
had kept you waiting all that time, only for you to decide that I
hadn’t been worth the trouble. I tried to distract you —
you still haven’t told me about your tattoo, you know.”
He opened one eye slightly to look at Atemu in mock disapproval.

Atemu
chuckled. “Perhaps later. Go on.”

Yugi
sighed, closing his eyes again, his lips parting in remembered
desire. “Your hands found me again, and I couldn’t hold
on to a coherent thought. The things you did to me, with your hands,
your lips, your entire body...” He shook his head, almost in
disbelief. “I never could have imagined the things you did to
me, the things you made me feel. And I realized, in spite of
everything...that I’d fallen for you.”

Atemu
held his breath, hoping for a confession of renewed love from his
little one.

Yugi
opened his eyes. “I felt so foolish! Falling in love with
someone who had kidnapped me, taken me from my friends and home,
forced me into the position of a slave...someone who, in spite of all
that, listened to me, and comforted me, and was willing to wait for
me to overcome my fear of him, instead of ridiculing me and forcing
me to his bed. After everything that had happened, and all I had been
led to expect, how could I not come to discredit what I’d heard
about you, and fall in love with the real you?”

Yugi
kissed Atemu’s forehead. “You were everything I’d
ever dared to hope for, and everything I never thought I could have,
with one exception: you didn’t love me. I was sure of it. After
all, how could such an accomplished man like you ever love someone
like me? You were a king in every sense of the word, someone people
looked up to, strong enough to keep a kingdom safe even though you
were no older than I...”

He
choked on his words for a moment before catching himself and moving
on. “...And I was the despised younger son of a tyrant king,
who couldn’t even earn the respect necessary to command the
nobles and soldiers of his dead father’s court to open the
granary and feed the people after his father’s death. I never
thanked you for that, by the way. You did everything I wanted to, but
unlike me, you could gain the respect necessary for your orders to be
carried out. I felt like less than the lowliest slave next to you. I
envied you your strength, your presence of mind, and I was sure that
although you tolerated me and seemed to enjoy my company, you could
never love me.”

Yugi
shrugged. “Even so, that didn’t seem to matter as much as
I thought it would. I never expected to be loved in that way, by
anyone, and you were kind to me nonetheless. I decided it wouldn’t
be so bad; I would go on being your concubine, and cherishing my love
for you in secret, but then you had to go and change things again.”

“You
said you could teach me, show me how to be a true king, one that
people would trust. I was shocked, not only because I had expected to
be your slave for the rest of my life, but also because I couldn’t
imagine ever being able to be like you. The idea seemed ludicrous. As
if I could ever measure up to you!”

“Oh
little one – ” Atemu started.

But
Yugi cut him off, his expression somber. “I suppose I should
have known better than to place you on a pedestal like that. If I
hadn’t, perhaps it wouldn’t have hurt so much when you
turned on me. Everything came back to me then, all my old fears,
every reason I had for doubting myself, and I fled the palace with
Grandpa and Malik, because I didn’t want to face the thought
that maybe you had just been using me all along, so you could hurt
me.”

Atemu
cringed at his words, and Yugi reached out to brush a stray braid out
of his face in an attempt to comfort him. “I couldn’t
bear the notion that maybe all I had ever been to you was an
amusement, a toy you had gotten bored with and decided to discard.
Instead, I chose to believe you were justified in your actions, that
I had done something to deserve you scorn. As painful as that was, it
was far more bearable than the thought that you
were the one who had betrayed me.”

Atemu
looked away, his eyes dark with pain. “I do not know what I
could possibly to do make it up to you, little one. If there is
anything—”

“Hush,”
Yugi commanded, his voice gentle. “You already have...my love.”

“W-what...did
you say?” Atemu gasped at Yugi’s words. My
love. Does that mean he...?

Yugi
stroked his hands over Atemu’s face. “You came after me.
You subjected yourself to my grandfather’s edicts and
punishments. You took on the role of a slave to be close to me. You
never gave up trying to apologize and explain yourself to me, even
though I was too hurt and scared to listen to you. You did as I asked
when I wanted you to take away my pain from the memory of our last
night together in Egypt. You begged me to forgive you, proved you
were willing to do anything to be worthy of my trust. And you have
proven yourself, Atemu. Not only of my trust, but of my love as
well.”

Tears
welled in Atemu’s eyes as Yugi bent over him, kissing his
forehead gently, then his cheek, and finally, his lips, before
drawing back and whispering, “I love you, my husband. Even more
than I did before.”

The
tears spilled down the Pharaoh’s cheeks as he whispered
hoarsely, disbelievingly, “How?
How can you love me more after
I betrayed you, than before I ever believed false accusations against
you? How can you bring yourself to forgive me, to trust me after my
crimes against you...? Gods, I want it so desperately...but I never
believed that you...how?”

Yugi
wiped the moisture from the other’s face. “Grandpa once
told me that a love untested is not a true love. And a love that
cannot withstand testing is a weak love indeed. After you’d
explained yourself to me, I asked myself if I was really going to let
the lies of a traitor come between us, and destroy what we had. The
answer is no. I will never let anything come between us. I know we
still have a long way to go, but I’m willing to try if you are.
I love you more than anyone, Atemu. More than life, more than the
world. And more importantly, we love each other, and we both know it.
The rest will work itself out, if we’re willing to try.”

Atemu
nodded, dazed. Yugi loved him! After everything he had done, this
amazing, beautiful being had given him his forgiveness! He felt
humbled by the boy’s admission, and the knowledge that they
did, indeed, still have much to work through. But, like Yugi, he was
willing to try, and trust that it would be all right.

Re’s
journey had ended by this point, and Atemu felt unutterably weary. He
pulled Yugi closer, burying his face in the boy’s shoulder.
“Stay with me tonight?”

It
was Yugi’s turn to be surprised. He had always been the one to
ask Atemu to remain with him through night’s cold hours. A
swell of happiness ran through him, and he decided to take advantage
of this chance. It was rare for Atemu to humble himself before
another, and Yugi understood why. Perhaps this was the chance to put
them on a more equal footing, to reverse their usual accustomed
roles, even if only for a while.

“On
one condition,” he began sternly.

Atemu
blanched, hoping that Yugi would not demand they make love first. He
wanted to, but in his current condition he feared he wouldn’t
be able to muster the necessary concentration to give his lover
pleasure. “What condition would that be, little one?” He
asked warily.

Yugi
guided Atemu’s face upwards, until they were eye to eye.

“Would
you let me
hold you
tonight?” He asked shyly, not out of fear of rejection, but so
Atemu would understand it was merely a request, and not a demand.

Atemu
couldn’t speak. Yet again, Yugi had taken him by surprise. He
knew his little love was naturally submissive and shy, the sort of
person who looked to others for protection and comfort, and now here
he was, offering both to Atemu.

Atemu
couldn’t remember the last time someone had held him, simply
held
him, with the purpose of comforting him. How long had it been since
he had been the one to sleep safe in another’s arms; how long
had he secretly wished to be able to let his guard down around
another, to be able to trust another person enough to let go of all
his pretenses and his façade of invulnerability, and simply
allow himself to accept another’s care?

He
had to answer Yugi somehow. His little one was looking at him, with
care and devotion clear in his eyes, his expression welcoming,
inviting Atemu to come to him, yet at the same time understanding if
Atemu refused his request. A gentle expression, and a smile that laid
no blame.

Without
another moment’s hesitation Atemu moved closer with a grateful
sigh, wrapping his arms around Yugi’s waist even as Yugi’s
arms rose to hold Atemu around his neck, tracing his fingers down the
Pharaoh’s back, over his shoulders, into his braided hair, all
the while whispering soothing words. It was nice to listen to these
words of comfort, but it wasn’t what Atemu wanted most to hear.

“Say
it, please.” He whispered into Yugi’s chest.

Yugi
understood immediately. “I love you, Atemu. Only you, only ever
you. You are the only one who has ever held my heart. I will always
love you.”

Atemu
turned his head, pressing his ear against Yugi’s chest,
listening to the boy’s heartbeat; steady and soothing. “I
can hear your heart. It’s beautiful.”

“It
belongs only to you, love.” Yugi replied.

Atemu
raised his head and lifted a hand to Yugi’s face, bringing Yugi
down to him. “I love you too, little one.” He whispered.

The two shared a deep kiss
before snuggling down against each other. Yugi holding Atemu close,
as exhaustion claimed him, and Atemu falling asleep to the sound of
his lover’s heartbeat. Tomorrow would be another day, and
hopefully it would mean a better one.

Having
heard enough Jou rose from his position against the wall, running a
shaking hand through his hair. He never would have believed it. The
mighty Pharaoh of Egypt, whose name had been a byword among the
people of Hyksos for years, had fallen in love with his brother!

He
didn’t understand all of their conversation, but he had learned
enough to trust that the pair knew what they were doing, that the
Pharaoh loved Yugi dearly, and Yugi loved him in spite of the
Pharaoh’s faults. Jou chuckled to himself, recalling his
earlier thoughts as he’d watched the two together.

And
so the lamb tamed the lion. He
mused. Never thought
I’d see the day.

He strode down the hallway,
turning his thoughts to the man in his own chamber. So what does
that make me; the shepherd boy who tamed a dragon? He chuckled
again at the thought. Or maybe we are all, every one of us, simply
people who fell in love, and are glad to have done so.

~
o ~ O ~ o ~

Please review?! Reviews help me
to get plot bunny food, and I am always in need of it to keep this
little bugger coming back to me.
- 22
- 23
- 24
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Mistaken Assumptions