Pharaoh and the Thief
folder
Yu-Gi-Oh › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
17
Views:
5,167
Reviews:
90
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Yu-Gi-Oh › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
17
Views:
5,167
Reviews:
90
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 4
Warnings: None in this chapter. Sorry, no lemon yet. It’s getting there though.
Author’s Note: Thanks again for all the reviews. It makes my day getting them. This chapter is pretty short, but things are getting interesting.
Chapter 4
The sounds of someone moving in his room woke Bakura from his slumber. He lay still, not opening his eyes, but listening intently as someone maneuvered around in the dark. He heard something heavy being set on the table next to his bed. There was a long pause as Bakura strained to hear what the intruder was doing. Then, much to his surprise, he felt soft fingers stroking his hair away from his face. He froze for a moment, then lightening fast, his good hand shot out from underneath the blankets and latched on to the offending wrist.
Bakura’s eyes opened to meet the surprised ones of Atem. “Don’t touch me,” Bakura hissed.
“Sorry,” Atem mumbled as Bakura released his wrist. He pulled it back and rubbed at the spot where Bakura had gripped it. “I brought you dinner,” Atem said apologetically.
Bakura glanced at the table and saw there was a tray laden with food sitting there. He realized it had been a few days since he’d had a proper meal. “Thank you,” Bakura said gruffly, grabbing a piece of bread and tearing a chunk from it with his teeth, chewing contentedly. Atem sat back in the chair he had pulled to Bakura’s bed side and watched him eat.
“How long has it been since you last ate?” he inquired curiously as Bakura finished the bread and moved on to the rest of the tray.
Bakura shrugged, “I stole some fruit in the market. Before that....I don’t know, couple of days?”
“A couple of days?” Atem asked incredulous. “You don’t seem too upset about that.”
Bakura shrugged again and swallowed. “You get used to it.”
Atem said nothing but continued to watch the thief eat. Bakura eyed him from under his fluffy hair as he ate his meal. “Why do you always watch me like that?” he finally demanded.
“I find you interesting,” he replied as though it wasn’t an uncommon question.
Bakura eyed him warily again. “Well I don’t like it, so stop.” And as an afterthought he added icily, “I’m done with the food so you can go now.”
“Your bandages need changed,” Atem told him, motioning to the sterilized cloth that covered his back.
Bakura hesitated. He knew they needed changed, he could feel the cloth’s stiffness from the drying blood where it had bled through earlier. Nevertheless, he didn’t want Atem touching him again. He didn’t know why, but it made him feel nervous and weak, and he hated the thought of being even more indebt to this man than he already was. But then again, if he left the bandage as it was, it would probably get infected and kill him before he got a chance at the pharaoh.
“Fine,” Bakura grumbled as he turned his back to Atem, “just make it fast, I want to go back to sleep.”
Atem nodded and gently peeled the bandage from Bakura’s back, hissing in sympathy when he saw what was underneath. Deep cuts crisscrossed his tanned back in angry red welts. A couple of them had torn open and were lazily oozing blood. Atem dipped a cloth in a bowl of water he had brought in on the tray and gently wiped at the half crusty blood on the thief’s back.
Bakura instinctively winced as the cloth touched his wounds. “Sorry,” Atem said quickly, pulling the cloth away. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s fine,” Bakura snapped at him, angered by his implied weakness. Atem studied the back of the thief’s head quizzically before continuing, gentler this time.
Bakura sat stiffly, waiting for Atem to finish and leave him alone. “I’m sorry,” he heard the other man whisper softly again.
“I said it’s fine!” Bakura snapped again.
“No,” Atem whispered, “I mean for what happened to you. In the dungeon.”
Bakura turned around to glare at him. “It wasn’t your fault, why are you apologizing?” he demanded.
Atem played with the edge of the cloth in his hand, not meeting the thief’s unnerving gaze. Finally, he looked up, “It may not have been, but I should have stopped them.”
Bakura could see the guilt in the other man’s eyes. He didn’t understand why it was there, but felt responsible for it.
“You did stop them,” Bakura said, voice softer this time. “If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have my hands anymore. Actually, I’d probably be dead.”
Atem nodded as though trying to convince himself. Bakura took a deep breath, he wanted nothing more than to let him stew in his own thoughts and go back to sleep, but he knew he was indebted to him and the guilt showing clearly in his eyes made Bakura want to comfort him for some reason unbeknownst to him.
“Look, I owe you a lot okay. That’s the second time you saved me. And you’re taking care of me, which is a hell of a lot more than anyone else has ever done for me, so stop blaming yourself.”
Atem focused his investigative gaze once more on Bakura’s. “What do you mean this is more than anyone’s ever done for you? Any decent human being would do the same,” he replied.
Bakura snorted. “I suppose I haven’t met many decent human beings then.”
Atem stared at him in slight disbelief. This is the only kindness this man has ever known?
Bakura shook Atem’s gaze off and made a gesture as if to put a hand on one of Atem’s arms, but thought better of it. “I’m trying to say ‘thank you,’ okay? It doesn’t happen very often so take it when it does.”
A faint smile graced Atem’s lips. “You’re welcome.”
For the first time since Atem had met the thief, Bakura smiled, then nodded to him, and turned back around so Atem could finish.
Atem dipped his fingers in a jar of salve and began massaging it tenderly into Bakura’s wounds. He felt the other man shiver beneath him, but made no comment.
Soon he was finished, with a fresh bandage in place, and stood to leave.
“Are you okay for the rest of the night?” Atem asked, gathering up everything on the tray.
“Am I okay?” Bakura asked incredulously, “it really doesn’t get much more ‘okay’ than this.”
Atem smiled at that and was met with a return grin from Bakura.
“Sleep well then, I’ll be back in the morning,” he said as he retreated through the door, one last glance showing Bakura snuggling happily under the comforter.
Author’s Note: Thanks again for all the reviews. It makes my day getting them. This chapter is pretty short, but things are getting interesting.
Chapter 4
The sounds of someone moving in his room woke Bakura from his slumber. He lay still, not opening his eyes, but listening intently as someone maneuvered around in the dark. He heard something heavy being set on the table next to his bed. There was a long pause as Bakura strained to hear what the intruder was doing. Then, much to his surprise, he felt soft fingers stroking his hair away from his face. He froze for a moment, then lightening fast, his good hand shot out from underneath the blankets and latched on to the offending wrist.
Bakura’s eyes opened to meet the surprised ones of Atem. “Don’t touch me,” Bakura hissed.
“Sorry,” Atem mumbled as Bakura released his wrist. He pulled it back and rubbed at the spot where Bakura had gripped it. “I brought you dinner,” Atem said apologetically.
Bakura glanced at the table and saw there was a tray laden with food sitting there. He realized it had been a few days since he’d had a proper meal. “Thank you,” Bakura said gruffly, grabbing a piece of bread and tearing a chunk from it with his teeth, chewing contentedly. Atem sat back in the chair he had pulled to Bakura’s bed side and watched him eat.
“How long has it been since you last ate?” he inquired curiously as Bakura finished the bread and moved on to the rest of the tray.
Bakura shrugged, “I stole some fruit in the market. Before that....I don’t know, couple of days?”
“A couple of days?” Atem asked incredulous. “You don’t seem too upset about that.”
Bakura shrugged again and swallowed. “You get used to it.”
Atem said nothing but continued to watch the thief eat. Bakura eyed him from under his fluffy hair as he ate his meal. “Why do you always watch me like that?” he finally demanded.
“I find you interesting,” he replied as though it wasn’t an uncommon question.
Bakura eyed him warily again. “Well I don’t like it, so stop.” And as an afterthought he added icily, “I’m done with the food so you can go now.”
“Your bandages need changed,” Atem told him, motioning to the sterilized cloth that covered his back.
Bakura hesitated. He knew they needed changed, he could feel the cloth’s stiffness from the drying blood where it had bled through earlier. Nevertheless, he didn’t want Atem touching him again. He didn’t know why, but it made him feel nervous and weak, and he hated the thought of being even more indebt to this man than he already was. But then again, if he left the bandage as it was, it would probably get infected and kill him before he got a chance at the pharaoh.
“Fine,” Bakura grumbled as he turned his back to Atem, “just make it fast, I want to go back to sleep.”
Atem nodded and gently peeled the bandage from Bakura’s back, hissing in sympathy when he saw what was underneath. Deep cuts crisscrossed his tanned back in angry red welts. A couple of them had torn open and were lazily oozing blood. Atem dipped a cloth in a bowl of water he had brought in on the tray and gently wiped at the half crusty blood on the thief’s back.
Bakura instinctively winced as the cloth touched his wounds. “Sorry,” Atem said quickly, pulling the cloth away. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s fine,” Bakura snapped at him, angered by his implied weakness. Atem studied the back of the thief’s head quizzically before continuing, gentler this time.
Bakura sat stiffly, waiting for Atem to finish and leave him alone. “I’m sorry,” he heard the other man whisper softly again.
“I said it’s fine!” Bakura snapped again.
“No,” Atem whispered, “I mean for what happened to you. In the dungeon.”
Bakura turned around to glare at him. “It wasn’t your fault, why are you apologizing?” he demanded.
Atem played with the edge of the cloth in his hand, not meeting the thief’s unnerving gaze. Finally, he looked up, “It may not have been, but I should have stopped them.”
Bakura could see the guilt in the other man’s eyes. He didn’t understand why it was there, but felt responsible for it.
“You did stop them,” Bakura said, voice softer this time. “If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have my hands anymore. Actually, I’d probably be dead.”
Atem nodded as though trying to convince himself. Bakura took a deep breath, he wanted nothing more than to let him stew in his own thoughts and go back to sleep, but he knew he was indebted to him and the guilt showing clearly in his eyes made Bakura want to comfort him for some reason unbeknownst to him.
“Look, I owe you a lot okay. That’s the second time you saved me. And you’re taking care of me, which is a hell of a lot more than anyone else has ever done for me, so stop blaming yourself.”
Atem focused his investigative gaze once more on Bakura’s. “What do you mean this is more than anyone’s ever done for you? Any decent human being would do the same,” he replied.
Bakura snorted. “I suppose I haven’t met many decent human beings then.”
Atem stared at him in slight disbelief. This is the only kindness this man has ever known?
Bakura shook Atem’s gaze off and made a gesture as if to put a hand on one of Atem’s arms, but thought better of it. “I’m trying to say ‘thank you,’ okay? It doesn’t happen very often so take it when it does.”
A faint smile graced Atem’s lips. “You’re welcome.”
For the first time since Atem had met the thief, Bakura smiled, then nodded to him, and turned back around so Atem could finish.
Atem dipped his fingers in a jar of salve and began massaging it tenderly into Bakura’s wounds. He felt the other man shiver beneath him, but made no comment.
Soon he was finished, with a fresh bandage in place, and stood to leave.
“Are you okay for the rest of the night?” Atem asked, gathering up everything on the tray.
“Am I okay?” Bakura asked incredulously, “it really doesn’t get much more ‘okay’ than this.”
Atem smiled at that and was met with a return grin from Bakura.
“Sleep well then, I’ll be back in the morning,” he said as he retreated through the door, one last glance showing Bakura snuggling happily under the comforter.