[fic] Fighters - Yugioh, 'Atemu'xYugi, general/serious, G, theme 049 (100_chances)
Theme: 049- Fighters; for 100_chances
Author: Chey (duelist_gurl163)
Genre: General/serious
Rating: G
Pairings: 'Atemu'xYugi friendship
Archive: Here
Warnings: AU
Spoilers: None.
Summary: Atemu had been hurt, but even in the worst moments there would always be one person he could trust.
Disclaimer: Yugioh still belongs to Takahashi.
---
It was close to midnight, just as Yugi was on the verge of falling asleep, when sudden knocking at his door jolted him upright. Expecting no one - and certainly not so late at night - he approached the front door with apprehension, peering through a window beside the door first to see who it was. He sighed with relief; he recognized the silhouette. Satisfied that it wasn’t some crazy axe murderer, he unlocked the door and opened it.
“Atemu, hey. What are you doing here-?” He trailed off, gaping as Atemu lifted his head. In the glow of the security light over the stoop, he could see Atemu’s face was splotched and puffy. Blood was smeared across it from cuts on his lip and cheek; his upper arms bruised with identical patterns of finger marks.
“Hi Yugi,” he said quietly. “Can I come in?”
Yugi stood aside without speaking. Atemu walked inside, stopping in the entryway. Yugi closed the door and kept staring, his mouth too dry to speak. Finally he managed to croak, “Atemu…what happened?”
Atemu, his arms wrapped loosely around himself, hesitated a moment before murmuring, “I u-um…he was mad at me for being out when he came home from work. He thought I was cheating on him.”
“He did this?” Yugi’s eyes narrowed. He had never really liked Atemu’s lover, he found the man to be aggressive and jealous, but he had never dreamed he would do something like this.
Atemu nodded, biting his lip out of reflex and wincing at the sting. “I…I just need a place to stay tonight.”
“Atemu, you can’t go back there, not if he’s turned to beating you up. Even if by tomorrow he’s calmed down, he’ll do this again. Have you called the police?”
“I’m not going back. I know I should have called the police, but even though he hurt me, even though he can’t be forgiven, I…I l-love him and I couldn’t.” His eyes filled with tears and he turned his head as if to hide them from Yugi. "I know, I know I should, but..."
The sound of guilt practically dripped from his words. Yugi stared at his turned-away face helplessly. “Oh, Atemu…”
“I’m sorry for showing up like this, I just…didn’t know where else to go. I…thought of going to a shelter but those are only for women and I didn’t know…if I’d be allowed.”
Yugi, trying to swallow the turmoil inside himself at Atemu’s broken voice, stepped away from the door. “You can stay here for as long as you want. I’ll call the police for you.”
“Thank you, Yugi.” He met Yugi's eyes again, but remained where he stood. Yugi finally reached out, took his hand, and gently led him to the couch to sit. Then he got the first-aid kit out and tended to the scrapes he could help.
“Are you hungry?” he asked as he taped a last bit of gauze over his cheek. “Or thirsty? I’ll get you something.”
“No. I’m fine.”
Yugi closed up the kit and sat down beside him on the couch. “Are you sure?”
Atemu didn’t answer. Instead he looked down at his hands and said, “You know…I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to make him mad. I didn’t want to fight. I hate fighting.”
“I know.”
“I told him the truth, I told him I loved him and I wasn’t with anyone else.” His eyes grew wet again. “And I apologized after he hit me the first time but it didn’t…it didn’t help. It only made him angrier.”
“Atemu, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? I thought…if he loves me I must have done something to deserve this, but I’ve been trying…to figure out what I did…and I didn’t do anything wrong.”
It shattered his heart to see the confused pain in Atemu’s expression, and he couldn’t help thinking: how could he do this to him?
He knew Atemu. He was proud and loyal and once he let someone in he tended to throw himself into making them happy. The fact that someone had worked his way into his friend’s heart only to use his loyalty against him and hurt him, both with his fists and in ways that didn’t leave marks…it infuriated him.
He didn’t let Atemu see it though. He couldn’t, not now. Atemu had seen enough anger for one night.
“No, you didn’t.” Yugi finally said as he put his arm around his shoulders, leaning back against the couch with him as Atemu buried his face into the crook of Yugi’s neck and grit his teeth, still murmuring.
“I didn’t…I didn’t do anything wrong. So why…?”
“Shh.” Yugi rubbed his shoulder gently, holding his trembling body close. “I know you didn’t do anything wrong at all.” He moved his hand to stroke Atemu’s hair, brushing it back as he whispered, “It’s all going to be okay.”
X - X - X
Notes: Even people who are strong and intelligent can be victims of abuse. It doesn’t only happen to weak-willed people, hence the reason Atemu was the victim. That and because I like woobie!Atemu and protective!Yugi, so sue me. I suppose this has some implied future Atemu/Yugi romance, but for now it's just friendshippy. Friendship is sweet too.
Atemu’s lover is an OC, though if you’d like to imagine your least favorite male character in that role, feel free.
Happy Easter! Now back to hunting Easter Eggs on the Dragon Cave site. xD
Author: Chey (duelist_gurl163)
Genre: General/serious
Rating: G
Pairings: 'Atemu'xYugi friendship
Archive: Here
Warnings: AU
Spoilers: None.
Summary: Atemu had been hurt, but even in the worst moments there would always be one person he could trust.
Disclaimer: Yugioh still belongs to Takahashi.
---
It was close to midnight, just as Yugi was on the verge of falling asleep, when sudden knocking at his door jolted him upright. Expecting no one - and certainly not so late at night - he approached the front door with apprehension, peering through a window beside the door first to see who it was. He sighed with relief; he recognized the silhouette. Satisfied that it wasn’t some crazy axe murderer, he unlocked the door and opened it.
“Atemu, hey. What are you doing here-?” He trailed off, gaping as Atemu lifted his head. In the glow of the security light over the stoop, he could see Atemu’s face was splotched and puffy. Blood was smeared across it from cuts on his lip and cheek; his upper arms bruised with identical patterns of finger marks.
“Hi Yugi,” he said quietly. “Can I come in?”
Yugi stood aside without speaking. Atemu walked inside, stopping in the entryway. Yugi closed the door and kept staring, his mouth too dry to speak. Finally he managed to croak, “Atemu…what happened?”
Atemu, his arms wrapped loosely around himself, hesitated a moment before murmuring, “I u-um…he was mad at me for being out when he came home from work. He thought I was cheating on him.”
“He did this?” Yugi’s eyes narrowed. He had never really liked Atemu’s lover, he found the man to be aggressive and jealous, but he had never dreamed he would do something like this.
Atemu nodded, biting his lip out of reflex and wincing at the sting. “I…I just need a place to stay tonight.”
“Atemu, you can’t go back there, not if he’s turned to beating you up. Even if by tomorrow he’s calmed down, he’ll do this again. Have you called the police?”
“I’m not going back. I know I should have called the police, but even though he hurt me, even though he can’t be forgiven, I…I l-love him and I couldn’t.” His eyes filled with tears and he turned his head as if to hide them from Yugi. "I know, I know I should, but..."
The sound of guilt practically dripped from his words. Yugi stared at his turned-away face helplessly. “Oh, Atemu…”
“I’m sorry for showing up like this, I just…didn’t know where else to go. I…thought of going to a shelter but those are only for women and I didn’t know…if I’d be allowed.”
Yugi, trying to swallow the turmoil inside himself at Atemu’s broken voice, stepped away from the door. “You can stay here for as long as you want. I’ll call the police for you.”
“Thank you, Yugi.” He met Yugi's eyes again, but remained where he stood. Yugi finally reached out, took his hand, and gently led him to the couch to sit. Then he got the first-aid kit out and tended to the scrapes he could help.
“Are you hungry?” he asked as he taped a last bit of gauze over his cheek. “Or thirsty? I’ll get you something.”
“No. I’m fine.”
Yugi closed up the kit and sat down beside him on the couch. “Are you sure?”
Atemu didn’t answer. Instead he looked down at his hands and said, “You know…I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to make him mad. I didn’t want to fight. I hate fighting.”
“I know.”
“I told him the truth, I told him I loved him and I wasn’t with anyone else.” His eyes grew wet again. “And I apologized after he hit me the first time but it didn’t…it didn’t help. It only made him angrier.”
“Atemu, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? I thought…if he loves me I must have done something to deserve this, but I’ve been trying…to figure out what I did…and I didn’t do anything wrong.”
It shattered his heart to see the confused pain in Atemu’s expression, and he couldn’t help thinking: how could he do this to him?
He knew Atemu. He was proud and loyal and once he let someone in he tended to throw himself into making them happy. The fact that someone had worked his way into his friend’s heart only to use his loyalty against him and hurt him, both with his fists and in ways that didn’t leave marks…it infuriated him.
He didn’t let Atemu see it though. He couldn’t, not now. Atemu had seen enough anger for one night.
“No, you didn’t.” Yugi finally said as he put his arm around his shoulders, leaning back against the couch with him as Atemu buried his face into the crook of Yugi’s neck and grit his teeth, still murmuring.
“I didn’t…I didn’t do anything wrong. So why…?”
“Shh.” Yugi rubbed his shoulder gently, holding his trembling body close. “I know you didn’t do anything wrong at all.” He moved his hand to stroke Atemu’s hair, brushing it back as he whispered, “It’s all going to be okay.”
X - X - X
Notes: Even people who are strong and intelligent can be victims of abuse. It doesn’t only happen to weak-willed people, hence the reason Atemu was the victim. That and because I like woobie!Atemu and protective!Yugi, so sue me. I suppose this has some implied future Atemu/Yugi romance, but for now it's just friendshippy. Friendship is sweet too.
Atemu’s lover is an OC, though if you’d like to imagine your least favorite male character in that role, feel free.
Happy Easter! Now back to hunting Easter Eggs on the Dragon Cave site. xD