We Could Be the Way Forward

bakura had every intention of getting his revenge on pharaoh atem and his court. however, his plans go a bit sideways when he discovers that he and pharaoh atem are soulmates. even worse: atem refuses to act like the brat bakura knows he is.
rating: teen and up

content warning soul mate au

additional notes not historically accurate, but waterfowl surprisingly well researched. beta'd by cloud.

The Thief King had planned this for months. He had every detail down to the letter planned. He planned for everything. What Bakura hadn’t planned on was the black-and-white vision he’d always had changing the minute the Pharaoh came into view. He wasn’t expecting to be caught off-guard when he noticed that the Pharaoh’s cape was in color and that gold had a dazzling color to it. He had no words for any of the colors presented to him. Normally, one’s parents would tell a small child which colors were which and then they could name them when they finally saw them. This was an insult at this point. Must the colors come into view when he was standing in front of the court that was the very reason he did not have his parents? That he grew up with no names for colors? 

“No,” was all Bakura could say in response, staggering back. There went all his plans at that moment. “No, no, no… one of you assholes can’t be my soulmate.”

Unfortunately for him, the Pharaoh held up his hand to the rest of the court, blinking slowly as he looked around him. And the Pharaoh stood up from his chair, walking up to him. “It’s you,” the Pharaoh noted, sounding somewhat marveled. “You must be my soulmate.”

Bakura gritted his teeth. He had come to kill the Pharaoh and instead, he’d discovered that the person he’d sworn to be his mortal enemy was what brought color into his life. He realized he did have a name for the color of the Pharaoh’s cape: blood. The Pharaoh’s cape flowed down around him like a river of the stuff. “You can’t be my soulmate,” Bakura hissed. “I despise you.”

The young Pharaoh tilted his head in confusion, as if suddenly realizing that this was not the happy moment the Pharaoh was probably picturing. Bakura was willing to bet that the Pharaoh had been raised on stories of soulmates meeting and having their happy ending. All fluff and no tragedy. He was willing to bet this young Pharaoh had never experienced any kind of hardship in his entire pampered life. “You’ve never met me before,” the Pharaoh said in confusion. “How could you despise me without knowing me?”

Once again, Bakura noted how sheltered the Pharaoh must be if he never realized that people could despise him for merely existing. “You represent the failures of this empire,” Bakura said with a snarl. Unfortunately, this did not cause the young Pharaoh to flinch back. His eyes continued to bore into Bakura’s and Bakura noted that much like his cape, the Pharaoh’s eyes were also the color of blood. Blood and gold was the only way Bakura could describe the Pharaoh’s color scheme. “Your failures are why my family is dead.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” the young Pharaoh said in response and once again he held his hand up behind him. It was then that Bakura noticed that the guards were at arms. Ready to take him in, more than likely. His entire court looked furious. One of the priests seemed like he was ready to protest the truth that Bakura had laid out in front of the Pharaoh. “I’m even more sorry to hear that you feel that way. My dear soulmate, it would mean the world to me if you allowed me to help ease your burden.”

Bakura flinched back from the Pharaoh’s gentle tone and surprisingly soft gaze. What was he playing at? The Pharaoh had already taken to calling him “my dear soulmate”? They’d just met and Bakura’s first reaction had been to tell him to fuck off. “You can’t ease my burden,” Bakura growled, hating how little of a reaction the Pharaoh had to his bad behavior. “You’re a selfish, arrogant, spoiled prince who doesn’t even begin to understand the devastation your father’s reign caused.”

“That’s enough,” called one of the priests. Bakura noted that this one appeared to be only slightly older than the both of them. “You will address the Pharaoh with respect! I do not care if you are his soulmate, the Pharaoh is divinity on Earth.”

“Mahad, please,” the Pharaoh said, looking over shoulder with a sharp gaze. For once, the sheer weight of the power that the Pharaoh held was starting to hit Bakura. He had not yet realized that the Pharaoh had been sheltering him from the consequences of his own actions. Bakura hated the Pharaoh for that. “Darling, I understand that there are some pains that can not be completely healed,” the Pharaoh said softly as he cupped Bakura’s cheek and Bakura flinched away from his gentle touch. It was even worse when the Pharaoh was trying to be kind. Bakura had been gearing up for a fight and now everything about his plan had completely fallen apart. “I want to understand. Please, let’s talk about this.” He paused, before giving a soft smile and a chuckle. “I just realized… I never properly introduced myself. I am Atem. May I know your name, my sweet soulmate?”

Sweet soulmate? Was he messing with him? The Pharaoh had to be joking. But there was no sign of humor in the Pharaoh’s face. “Bakura,” he finally said after a moment of trying to analyze the Pharaoh’s motives. “And I am the result of your father’s failures,” Bakura said, finally remembering his main goal. “And I will make you pay for what you did to my family.”

“I would pay any price you ask,” the Pharaoh simply replied and once again, Bakura was knocked off balance. He’d expected the Pharaoh to balk that his soulmate was some commoner or to get angry at him for his assumptions. Instead, the Pharaoh’s approach was gentle. “I could never forgive myself if I had ever brought you harm, even unintentionally. My dear soulmate, please… I once again wish to know how I can ease your burden.”

Bakura could only reach the conclusion that the Pharaoh must be insane. There has to be a price that would be too high for the Pharaoh to consider paying. Did the Pharaoh not realize the cost that his father was willing to pay during the bloody war that took place while he sat upon the throne? Bakura bitterly noted that the Pharaoh seemed like he’d spent his entire life well-fed, whereas Bakura’s parents…had given him their share of the food. To keep him alive rather than let him starve to death. “You could starve like my parents did,” Bakura said, reflexively. The anger was still there. He couldn’t just let it go just because the Pharaoh was acting weird. “Your father didn’t care about the cost, he just cared about himself, didn’t he? You sit here only because your father took from my family and those like my family.”

For once, the Pharaoh seemed surprised. Good. “Is this true,” the Pharaoh asked and for a minute Bakura thought the Pharaoh was talking to him. It took Bakura a second to realize he was talking to his advisors instead. “Did people really starve because of that war?”

“Of course not,” one of the elder priests said with an acid look on his face. Bakura realized he actually recognized this particular priest. When the war had run short on soldiers… He narrowed his eyes at this priest. Surely this priest had to recognize him, right? Bakura had personally begged him for more rations to help his family and this priest had laughed in his face. “He’s making it all up.”

“You,” Bakura roared, starting towards the priest. “You were the one who denied me rations when I told you my family was starving! And here you stand, still with power! Who are you to be the arbiter of justice when you would let a child starve to death to keep yourself fed?”

The priest called Mahad seemed surprised. In fact, this declaration seemed to shake the entire court. For once, they were all listening to him. Bakura was surprised by this shift in the air. Even the Pharaoh was glaring at the priest. “Akhenaden,” the Pharaoh said acidly. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“What does it matter what he has to say for himself,” Bakura asked, unable to help himself. “I was there! He allowed people in my village to starve to death! Rounded up whoever seemed fit and demanded they fight in a war we had no care for! He claimed this was at the behest of the Pharaoh. Don’t you already know this?”

“There was no such order from the previous Pharaoh,” Mahad said quietly, and Bakura realized that the guards that had been aiming their spears at him…were now aiming them square at the priest named Akhenaden. “It is required for every priest to study the previous reign so we may better advise the current Pharaoh. This is the first I am ever hearing of ration cuts. Akhenaden… What did you do?”

The Pharaoh stepped away from Bakura and for once, Bakura realized there might be some truth to what the Pharaoh had said. “Akhenaden, you are stripped of your duties from here on out,” Atem said, motioning to the guards. “We will conduct a full investigation into these claims. Until then, you are to remain confined to your quarters. You will be kept there with guards stationed there. If you attempt to leave, I will have you executed. Am I understood?”

Bakura didn’t expect the Pharaoh to actually care about justice. He expected him to protect those on his court. He expected lip service to justice and to be dismissed. So far, this was one of the odder days of his life. He didn’t know what to say in response to the swift action the Pharaoh took the second Bakura levied his complaints. In fact, Bakura had assumed that the young Pharaoh already knew about what happened to his village. A nasty thought hit him, however. Could he really trust this display? He had no other explanation for what had happened, but looks could be deceiving. He already felt like he was on uneven ground. Mahad eyed Bakura. “My Pharaoh,” he remarked, sounding uneasy. “What do you wish for us to do in regards to your…ah…soulmate?”

The Pharaoh turned back to Bakura. “Show him around the palace,” the Pharaoh said decidedly, a soft smile appearing across his features. Bakura hated to note that it made the Pharaoh seem rather pretty. “Perhaps see if he’d be willing to join me for dinner later.”

It was very clear to Bakura that despite the events earlier, Mahad was still wary of him. It was the first sensible reaction to him that Bakura’s seen. He was still thrown off by the way the Pharaoh had simply accepted that they were soulmates. It bothered him. “If you should harm the Pharaoh in any way,” Mahad remarked suddenly as he led Bakura down a very isolated hallway, “I shall personally kill you myself.”

Bakura smirked. “It seems you have more sense than your Pharaoh,” Bakura remarked, a raised brow. He was not sure what to make of Mahad yet. While he had come to Bakura’s defense against Akhenaden, he still could not trust that Mahad was not simply playacting to stay in the Pharaoh’s good favor. In fact… He couldn’t trust the Pharaoh’s response either. It was confusing that the Pharaoh just seemed to go along with the revelation without a single question about it. “I make no promises that I won’t.”

Mahad turned to him, eyeing him, sizing Bakura up. “While the Pharaoh has you under his protection, you will remain safe in these halls,” Mahad said, clearly unhappy with this statement. “Let me put this in a way that you’ll understand: while the Pharaoh breathes, no harm can come to you. It is in your best interest that you keep the one person who wants you alive unharmed.”

When it was put like that… “What do you mean the Pharaoh has me under his protection,” Bakura asked, almost angry that the Pharaoh had managed to find a way to squirm out from Bakura’s revenge plans again.

“Exactly that,” Mahad said as he led the way towards opulent bathhouses. Bakura noted the amount of gold that seemed to adorn the walls. If nothing else, he could admire the Pharaoh’s disgustingly rich tastes. Vaguely, he wondered if the dinner the Pharaoh promised would be just as luxurious. “Considering that you are the Pharaoh’s soulmate… It comes with privileges. You will not be harmed within these walls. You are free to whatever you’d like here and you are free to come and go as you please. Consider it a blessing from the Gods.”

Now there was someone that Bakura certainly had no interest in thanking. Where had the Gods been when his family was starving? Where had they been when they’d needed the hellish war to end? Still, Bakura knew better than to outright insult the man when the man was essentially offering Bakura free reign of the palace. Anything he’d like, huh? “Does that mean that I’m your boss now?”

Mahad frowned and sighed, shaking his head and muttering something under his breath. “No,” Mahad finally said as he stopped in front of a room. “This is the Pharaoh’s room. You are welcome to stay in there tonight or if you would like a separate room, there is a room across the hall that is also available to you. The Pharaoh would like me to inform you that you do not have to stay with him or eat with him, but he would highly prefer for you to do so.”

“Then why doesn’t he tell me himself,” Bakura remarked, already planning on taking the other room. He didn’t give a shit what the Pharaoh wanted. “He talked big about wanting to talk things out with me. Why did he just take off like that?”

“The Pharaoh has duties to attend to,” Mahad said, pinching the bridge of his nose and muttering something under his breath again. “Believe it or not, the Pharaoh has responsibilities that he has to take care of, even when he’d rather be running off doing Gods know what. Now, I believe that concludes the tour, and I have my pupil to return to. I shall be leaving you in the hands of Priest Set. Set, if you would.”

The man that Mahad called over had a rather sour look on his face. Bakura sensed a perfect target to annoy. “Could Isis not do this,” Set asked immediately. “I don’t want to have to babysit the Pharaoh’s boyfriend.”

“I’m not his boyfriend,” Bakura objected, annoyed. Must everyone act like it was a done deal that the Pharaoh and him were going to ride off into the sunset, happy and in love? It was rather infuriating. “Besides, what else could you have to do that could possibly be more important?”

Set glared at Bakura. “I could be counting every gold piece in the treasury,” Set spat back at Bakura, “And it would be far more interesting than being around you.”

Bakura laughed. He couldn’t help it. Set seemed to take himself so seriously that Bakura would assume the man had a stick up his ass. “Hey, chill,” Bakura said, glad to have found at least some sort of entertainment around this stupid palace. “Not my fault that you aren’t considered important enough to warrant a bigger assignment.”

He was amused as Set began to splutter, looking infuriated. Now why couldn’t he have done this to the Pharaoh? Set seemed rather easy to rile up, Bakura noted. “I’ll have you know that watching the Pharaoh’s soulmate is a very important assignment,” Set finally got out, sounding rather stiff. “It is basically being assigned to guard the Pharaoh’s heart, after all.”

“Really? Is that how you’re going to justify your babysitting assignment,” Bakura remarked, enjoying the way it seemed to bug this man that he was more or less forced into hanging out with him. Bakura had noted that Mahad had already vanished. How did he do that? Would it be too much to ask Set to tell him how Mahad just vanished? It seemed like a very useful skill. Nah. He’d rather keep mocking Set. “After all, you’re the one who called it babysitting and not very interesting. Clearly it’s not that important to you.”

Once again, Set spluttered in response. “You’re very aggravating,” was all Set could say in response. Unlike Mahad, Set did not seem as skilled in muttering to himself. Bakura perfectly caught every word of, “Just like the Pharaoh, in fact. Perfect for each other.”

“Well, we are soulmates,” Bakura said, squashing his first instinct to be offended by the comparison to the Pharaoh. Did the Pharaoh really enjoy aggravating this priest? Bakura instantly decided maybe it would be best to join the Pharaoh for dinner. He could ask the Pharaoh about his priests. The plan began to instantly change in his head. Perhaps this wasn’t the dire setback he’d previously thought. “And it seems quite easy to make you mad.”

Set paused before a slight smirk appeared across his face. “Tell you what,” Set said. “The Pharaoh enjoys games of Senet. Do you know how to play?”

Bakura was taken aback. A game? He supposed it made sense that the Pharaoh would have some time to actually play games. “Only vaguely,” Bakura said, refusing to admit that he’d never actually played Senet before. “It’s been a while.”

“It won’t do if you don't know how to play,” Set said as he led Bakura to another room in the same hallway. He motioned to a board with some pieces on it. “Let’s begin with the basics.”

A few rounds later, Bakura had gotten bored of the game. It seemed that for all his boasting, Set was a rather poor player and even a poorer loser. “You suck,” Bakura said at the end of their final round, yawning. “Could you actually try to present a challenge this round? If not, perhaps it’s better we stop now.”

Bakura had barely noted the time that had gone by. He supposed it must be late if the sun was starting to set. And yet…he still had yet to see the Pharaoh again. Speak of the devil, he thought as the Pharaoh entered the room with a rather jovial smile upon his face. “I see Set’s shown you the game room,” the Pharaoh remarked, noting the look upon Set’s face and smirking. “And I see Set still has yet to find an opponent he can beat.”

Set glared at the Pharaoh and to Bakura’s great surprise, the Pharaoh merely laughed in response. “Perhaps you and I should go another round, my Pharaoh,” Set said. “Perhaps this time I may actually win.”

“Oh, I have no doubt you have improved from the last time,” the Pharaoh remarked, the same smirk still on his face. Bakura instantly wanted to know what happened last time. “However, the cooks have prepared us dinner and it would be rather rude of us to let their hard work go cold. Bakura, my dear, have you decided if you would like to join us for dinner? If you would rather not… I can have a plate sent to you.”

“No, I’ll join,” Bakura said hastily. If the Pharaoh was indeed honest about wanting to talk to him, Bakura didn’t want to throw away the chance. If he could learn more about life within the palace… Perhaps that was all he needed. “In fact, it would be my honor to join,” he added, rather silky.

It seemed Set did not buy this, but Bakura did not care about the suspicious look on Set’s face. He only cared about the relaxed smile on the Pharaoh’s face that showed the Pharaoh was indeed a trusting fool. “Excellent,” the Pharaoh said softly, holding his hand out to Bakura. Bakura did not understand what the Pharaoh was getting out. “May I?”

A few moments passed before Set gave an exasperated sigh. “The Pharaoh wishes to hold your hand, Bakura,” Set spat. “Honestly.”

Bakura was still confused but hesitantly put his hand out towards the Pharaoh and the Pharaoh’s hand clasped around his. Bakura noted the Pharaoh’s grip was rather firm. The Pharaoh’s gaze was strange. No one had ever looked at Bakura like this. He couldn’t describe the expression on the Pharaoh’s face, in fact. All he knew was that the Pharaoh’s eyes seemed to hold some kind of awe. The Pharaoh pulled Bakura up into a standing position with a glint of something else in his eyes…playfulness, maybe? “Come on,” the Pharaoh said, and Bakura was surprised by how giddy the Pharaoh sounded. “Set, try to keep up.”

The Pharaoh began to pull Bakura forwards and for a second, Bakura was surprised by the sheer strength in the otherwise tiny Pharaoh. He was not expecting the Pharaoh to be able to drag him along. He also was not expecting the Pharaoh to be rather quick. He had to run just to keep up with him. “Do you often do this,” Bakura said, surprised to note that none of the staff seemed surprised to see their young king tear through the halls of the palace.

“Gotta beat Set,” was all the Pharaoh said in response. “He’s got long legs.”

A young girl leaped out of a vase in front of them and Bakura thought he might have a heart attack from the shock. “I’ll keep Set busy,” the young girl said as she landed rather elegantly right in front of them. Or well, to the side. “I’ll be there after Set gets there!”

“Who was that,” Bakura said, unable to help himself. “And why is this so important?”

They came to a stop in front of what had to be a dinning room. “Cause Set takes everything too seriously. Good for him to calm down,” the Pharaoh said with a shrug. “And that was Mana. She agrees with me that Set is too tightly wound up.”

Bakura supposed, after spending some time with Set, that he couldn’t exactly disagree that Set was a little too tightly wound up. However, was this really the best way to get him to calm down? Mana was trailing after Set, chattering away at him with a vaguely serious expression on her face. Her fist was closed tight around the arm of Set’s robes, who looked very annoyed. “Must you make a game out of everything,” Set said to the Pharaoh, glaring down at him. “You should know that you should be taking your duties much more seriously than this. Honestly, how are you ever going to amount to anything if you keep shirking your studies and your duties?”

The Pharaoh seemed entirely too unbothered by these accusations for Bakura’s liking. “One cannot be expected to study all the time, Set,” the Pharaoh said with a shrug. “Have you considered that the problem isn’t that I know how to have fun, but that you entirely have no idea how to have fun?”

“Today you learned that there were things happening in your father’s reign that neither you nor your father knew about,” Set remarked, notably not once looking towards Bakura. “If you wish to prevent your father’s mistakes from happening again, the burden is upon you to know that the time for fun has passed.”

“He has a point,” Bakura said quietly before he could stop himself. “People starved because your father did not take help. He allowed that priest to continue to hold on to power. You said you would pay any price to ease my burden. Are you serious about that?”

Bakura was once again caught off guard by the Pharaoh’s gaze upon him, rather serious. “Of course I am,” the Pharaoh said, lightly squeezing Bakura’s hand. “If both you and Set are concerned there may be other issues that might not have been brought to my attention, then perhaps it would be best to devote further attention to the kingdom to assure that others are not lacking.”

He’d expected the Pharaoh to argue with him. To insist that he was correct and that everyone else around him must be wrong. He had not expected the Pharaoh to agree as quickly as he had. Mana, for her part, had not interjected into this conversation at all. Bakura was surprised when he finally got a proper look at Mana. She looked no older than fourteen, perhaps even younger. She seemed almost disappointed. “Oh,” she said softly. “If… if that’s the case, I probably shouldn’t be bothering you during your studies anymore, my Pharaoh.”

“Perhaps not, Mana,” the Pharaoh said with a slight nod. “I’m certain Mahad would rather you focus on your own studies, anyway. Last I heard, you were getting quite good with your magic.”

Despite everything, Bakura still had a soft spot for children. “It’s okay,” Bakura said, not exactly wanting Mana to keep looking rather upset. “How about this: I’ll hang out with you when the Pharaoh has to study?”

This actually seemed to cause Mana to cheer up slightly. “Really,” she said brightly before launching herself up onto Bakura’s back. He was surprised to note that she was rather light. In the moment, he noted a brief flash of something across the Pharaoh’s face. Once again, Bakura could not read the Pharaoh properly. “Oh, I got to show you some of the cool games we have here! You’re gonna love ‘em!”

Bakura couldn’t find it in him to argue back with Mana about the games the palace must offer if Senet with Set was anything to go by. All that mattered was that this small child seemed to be laughing and happy to have someone else in the palace to hang out with. Bakura could put aside revenge to make sure a child wasn’t upset, after all. “Sure,” Bakura said with a light shrug. “I’m sure you’ll present more of a challenge than Set did.”

“Oh, of course,” Mana said as he carried her into the dinning area with the Pharaoh and Set. “I’m the best at games, you know. The best at hide and go seek, the best at catch, the best at Senet…well, actually, the Pharaoh’s the best at Senet. But I’m second best!”

“Is that so,” Bakura said, looking over at the Pharaoh. “Are you really the best at Senet, Pharaoh?”

The Pharaoh shrugged with a light grin. “Call me Atem, dear,” the Pharaoh said, once again a lot more casual than Bakura would expect out of the differences between status. “And well, I have been told I’m good at it, though I suspect no one is actually playing at their full potential against me.”

“Please, if I could actually beat you, I would have,” Set said with a light snort. “And one of these days, I will beat you, Pharaoh.”

“Considering your skills when you were playing against me, I find that highly unlikely,” Bakura retorted as he set Mana down, who then ran over to Mahad. Mahad had a slightly tired look on his face, Bakura noted. Was that Mahad’s default state? “What, did you just take it easy against me?”

Set scowled again. “Really,” Atem said as he took a spot at the head of the table. Bakura noted there was a chair next to Atem and Bakura suspected it was for him. His suspicions were confirmed when Atem motioned for Bakura to join him. “You have to tell me more about how you crushed Set at Senet. He’s quite proud of his skills in that game, you know.”

“I wouldn’t be proud of them,” Bakura said as he took the seat next to Atem, noting the layout of the table. Mana took a spot next to Mahad, who was sat next to what appeared to be the only other woman at the table. A chair was empty between Atem and Set and Bakura vaguely wondered if that was where Akhenaden normally sat. “They were mediocre at best.”

Bakura noted what was in front of him. It seemed rather small for dinner. Once again, he realized he had no name for the color of anything. “Your soulmate is rather rude,” Set said with a glare. “Are you really going to just let him be rude like that?”

“It’s not rude to point out that you could work on sharpening your Senet skills,” Atem said with a light shrug before popping the entire thing on his plate into his mouth. Bakura did not understand why no one seemed to be complaining that this was not enough food for a person to survive on. Still, he followed suit and noted that it seemed to be made out of some kind of meat. Was this really all there was to the meal? Maybe the shortening of rations had simply been because no one in the palace ate enough anyway. “In fact, you should be reminded daily that your Senet skills could use some work. I’d be happy to show you the ways you’re lacking after dinner, Set.”

“Seems like you’re merely looking for an excuse to show off,” Set remarked as a new item was placed in front of everyone by the staff. Bakura was bewildered to note this was served in what looked like a spoon of all things. It also tasted different from the previous food, having a creamier texture to it. What was going on? Did they just eat tiny bits out of a bigger plate? Were they sharing a single plate of food? He would expect the rich to at least have their own plates of food. “Is it perhaps that you would like to show off for your newfound soulmate?”

Bakura did not like how Set seemed to talk about him like he was not sitting right there. “I’m right here, you know,” Bakura said, glaring at Set. “Perhaps no one informed you that it is rude to ignore those right next to you.”

“Bakura’s right,” Atem remarked as a full bowl of soup was placed in front of them. Bakura’s eyes widened in surprise. This was certainly not in line with the past two “meals” that had been placed in front of them. “It is indeed quite rude of you to speak about Bakura as if he is not here. You should apologize, Set.”

Set glared venomously at Bakura. “Fine,” he said, barely hiding the acid in his words. “Bakura… I would humbly like to request the forgiveness of the Pharaoh’s soulmate for my prior rudeness.”

Bakura, for his part, had already begun to start drinking the soup placed in front of them. He was surprised to note how light it was compared to most soups he’d encountered before. Bakura paused to finish swallowing the soup, before smirking at Set. “I suppose I could forgive you,” Bakura said, well aware that he might be pushing it the more he needled Set. “It will be truly hard to get over all the rude things you’ve said to me, you know.”

“I’m certain with time, Set and you will become friends and work past this rather poor first impression Set put upon you, dear,” Atem said. Bakura was rather stunned by this statement. It showed little care for the impression Bakura might have left upon Set. Perhaps hanging out with Atem might not be the worst thing in the world if this was how Atem decided to act around Bakura. “Set doesn't exactly make the best first impression, after all.”

“This is true,” came Mahad’s quiet remark. “The first time I met Set, I thought he was a rather pretentious prick.”

Mana giggled at this. “Oh, is it make-fun-of-Set time,” Mana said, sounding rather excited. “I love make-fun-of-Set time! You know, he has this stupid hat he likes to wear, so one time I -”

“Do not finish that story, Mana,” Set said with an irritated look upon his face and glaring at the young girl. “I’m sure the Pharaoh’s soulmate has no interest in this story, anyway.”

When Mana’s excited look faded, Bakura decided that despite the fact he actually didn’t really care much about this story, he would let Mana finish it anyway. “Actually,” Bakura said, “I am very fascinated by the story. Please continue, Mana.”

Mana’s bright look reappeared as she delved into a story about practicing magic, hiding something that Bakura didn’t really pay much attention to, and mocking one of Set’s hats. Bakura had barely noticed that time had passed when the soup bowls were collected by the staff and…replaced with even more food. “What’s this,” Bakura asked, rather bluntly.

“It’s the appetizer,” one of the staff said, seeming confused. “Is there something wrong with it?”

Bakura paused. “What the fuck’s an appetizer.”

“It’s to stimulate the appetite,” Atem cut in, smiling as he waved the staff off. “Typically served before a meal. Have you never had one before?”

“But I was eating food before this,” Bakura said, bewildered. “Wasn’t I? Why would you need an appetizer to stimulate whatever the fuck you just said when we’ve been eating?”

Atem paused, frowning. “I… I don’t know,” Atem admitted. “It’s just what we do here for dinner. Just relax. I’m sure you’ll find everything to be delicious.”

With that, Atem had placed his hand gently on Bakura’s thigh and Bakura tensed up at the overly familiar touch. He wasn’t expecting Atem to be this touchy feely. Then again, nothing about Atem was as expected. This day could not get any weirder. Would it be off putting if he pushed Atem’s hand off him? Still, he took a bite out of the appetizer. Atem was right: it was, indeed, delicious. It was also more food than he’d ever had in a single day. He was surprised when the plates were taken away and a salad was placed in front of him.

Once again: it seemed on the lighter side compared to what he would usually eat. If he was hungry, this would not help. Yet no one at the table seemed to complain about a meal of only salad. There was no way there was more food coming after this right? Indeed, yet again, once they’d finished this course, the plates cleared again and a serving of fish was placed in front of him. Now this was something he usually would eat. Bakura noted that it seemed to be catfish, something he’d never actually managed to eat before. Typically, he would eat tilapias as they were easier to catch. He couldn’t complain, though.

Just when he’d thought that clearly this was the end of the meal, another course was brought out. “Ah geese,” Atem noted with a bright smile. “Hopefully it was the one that was pissing me off earlier.”

Bakura did not have a response for that. What did one say when one’s mortal-enemy-turned soulmate declared they had executed a waterfowl on the basis it had pissed him off? “I’m pretty sure it’s your fault the goose went after you,” Mana chirped, already digging into her meal. “You’re shiny and have fun hair. Clearly the bird thought you were nesting material.”

Atem scowled. “Or maybe it was just evil,” Atem said. “Like all waterfowl are. Have you ever met a goose that had a pleasant temperament?”

“I think Mana has a point,” Bakura interjected with his mouth full, ignoring the scandalized look on Set’s face. “Maybe the bird did think you were just nesting material. You shouldn’t think the world revolves around you. It’s not a good look.”

“Must everyone be against me,” Atem complained as he started to eat his food. “All I’m saying is geese are definitely evil. They’ve been chasing me since I was little. Surely I didn’t look like nesting material when I was eight.”

“If your hair has always looked like that, probably,” Bakura retorted. Maybe it was just the fact that Bakura happened to really like geese, but he was tempted to stick his fork into Atem’s hand. “Besides, it’s not like you’re dead. They didn’t kill you or anything.”

Once again, Bakura was confused as to how anyone was supposed to fill up when the serving sizes were rather small. He’d already cleaned his plate. He was rather surprised when a servant placed some apple slices in front of him. The hell was this about? “No but it could have,” Atem said with a sniff. “They have sharp teeth, you know. What sort of bird needs sharp teeth?”

Bakura did, in fact, know that geese had sharp teeth. “That’s how they eat,” Bakura said, glancing up to note that Mana had also finished her food and was now happily munching on the apple slices. Why just a small section of the apple? Were rich people insane? That was the only conclusion Bakura could possibly have. “They live on a diet of fish. They need the teeth to catch the fish in the river. You’re ascribing them a morality on the basis of something they need to survive.”

For some reason, this seemed to cause Atem to sit up straight and tilt his head towards Bakura with a look Bakura could only describe as ‘fascinated’. “Interesting,” Atem said, resting a hand on his chin. “You have an excellent point, my love. Perhaps maybe I should indeed consider that other animals would have different needs to suit themselves to their environment.”

The tone Atem had was so sincere that Bakura was caught off guard. He’d expected Atem to continue to hold on stubbornly to his previous assumption on the creature but instead… Atem seemed open to learning? It was then that Bakura realized that he was starting to become deeply fascinated with Atem’s reactions to things. Bakura had a picture of Pharaoh Atem in his head and Atem refused to adhere to any of them. It was extremely frustrating. “Oh you have to be kidding me,” Bakura said as another plate of food came out. “How many fuckin’ plates of food do you need?”

“There’s only three courses left,” Set said, looking up to the sky for something. Bakura looked up but didn’t see anything interesting worth looking up for. “Just enjoy the food.”

Bakura examined the new plate of food. How could they just sit here and eat fish, geese, and meat that seemed to have figs and grapes artfully arranged on the plate. It also seemed as if this serving was even smaller than the goose. He’d never seen this kind of meat before. “What is this, anyway?”

“Beef with figs and grapes. One of my favorites,” Atem replied as if he did not just remark that they were eating some of the most expensive food that Bakura’s ever seen. Beef? They were eating beef in the palace this whole time? “It’s rather delicious.”

It was hard to get angry when he’d already know that the royalty got to enjoy this kind of meat the entire time. Bakura instantly thought of those back home in his village who would desperately fish in the Nile for extra food when the rations had been cut short. About how the Nile had seemed to never have enough to go around that year. “So this is how the rich live,” Bakura sneered. “You’d think they’d give you bigger servings.”

Set seemed about to say something when Atem held up his hand again. “Set, don’t,” he said rather sharply. “Part of the reason is because the staff also gets to enjoy part of the meal. Part of it is simply because well, you’ve seen how many rounds of food there is. It’s to ensure there is no waste.”

“Waste,” Bakura repeated as if Atem had said something completely ridiculous. All Bakura had ever seen was proof of the palace’s excess and waste. “Are you serious?”

Atem seemed baffled by Bakura’s reaction. “I would think you’d enjoy knowing that steps have already been taken to ensure that others are also fed considering my father’s failures to do so,” Atem remarked, his earrings clacking against the gold neckband that kept his cape in place as he titled his head. “I understand the mistrust, Bakura. Believe me, I do. I understand why you would be angry. However… I am not my father. And I intend on making things right.”

There was something infuriating how Atem refused to get angry, no matter how bad Bakura’s behavior was in an attempt to rile Atem up. Surely this had to be some sort of ruse, right? A polite face he put on for his priests, perhaps. Maybe if he got Atem alone, he could actually see what Atem was actually like when he had no one important to perform for. He thought about this as he took his first bite of the beef and was pissed that it was, indeed, delicious. Must this be regulated to only the rich? It seemed unfair that they could enjoy the excess that living in the palace afforded them. Perhaps he could convince Atem to allow common folk to dine in the palace. He froze as he realized he was starting to think as if Atem would actually help him. He couldn’t afford to get swept up in Atem’s facade.

As Set had remarked, another plate of food came out and this time, Bakura actually vaguely recognized what was on the plate. It was cheese. Did they really need to devote an entire plate to cheese? He was surprised when no one seemed to remark on the amount of work this must place on the staff. “Is no one else thinking about the amount of work this must be for the staff,” Bakura finally asked, looking around at the table as he noted almost all of them seemed uncomfortable by the question. “Really? Not one thought about how this must be a lot of work for the people who work for you?”

It was only Mana who was brave enough to reply. “No one’s ever complained,” she said softly, looking a bit like she’d just been scolded. “I… I just never thought about it before, I guess. I mean, I’ve got magic,” she said, showing off a burst of fire from her hands as Mahad gasped.

“Mana, what have I told you about fire magic at the table,” he exclaimed, yanking what appeared to be very flammable napkins away from her. “You couldn’t have shown off in a less destructive way?”

“Sorry,” she exclaimed, quickly conjuring water that drenched Mahad, leaving him soaking wet. Bakura couldn’t help himself: he laughed. “Oh! I’m so sorry! Let me -”

“Mana, whatever you are planning to do, do not do it,” Mahad said, pulling his hat off and twisting the water out with a long suffering look on his face. “I think that is enough practicing magic at the dinner table, wouldn’t you agree, Mana?”

Bakura was surprised to hear a quiet laugh at his side and glanced over. Atem, indeed, was laughing. “Personally, I think you should have shown off your pigeon trick,” Atem remarked with a slight grin on his face. “However… You do have a point, Bakura. Perhaps it would be better to see if we can cut down on the amount of plates used to serve food to streamline the washing process. For now, we should let the staff do their jobs without making them feel uncomfortable.”

He was about to argue when a new plate was placed in front of him. A honey cake but the toppings were strange and unfamiliar to him. It was adorned with what appeared to be a ringed fruit of some kind and white flakes. “What the fuck is this?”

“You really should stop swearing,” Set said, an annoyed look on his face. “You are dining with a God, you should behave better.”

“Now Set, don’t act as if you haven’t been rude at the table before,” Atem remarked as he took a sip of his wine. “It’s honey cake with pineapple and coconut.”

As far as Bakura was aware, both those were deeply expensive. No one he’d ever encountered had ever actually tried it. He’d heard of them, of course. Thieves always did make certain to know what was worth taking. Bakura jabbed a finger at the ringed fruit on top of his serving. “Is that the coconut? What color is that, anyway?”

“No, that’s pineapple,” Atem said gently, as if Bakura wasn’t acting like a complete dick over dinner. In fact, Bakura grew more irritated every time Atem spoke in that same soft tone. It was as if Atem didn’t seem to care that his soulmate was a thief. “And it’s yellow, love. Did no one teach you the colors?”

“My parents are dead, in case you forgot,” Bakura hissed, examining the look on Atem’s face. Was this some kind of joke?

Atem did not flinch and instead gave a sort of half smile. “That’s not what I meant,” Atem said and Bakura noted that all the priests seemed rather uncomfortable. “My parents died when I was young. Priest Mahad was the one to teach me about the colors instead. I merely thought that maybe…there was at least someone else who might have looked out for you.”

Bakura flinched back by how sincere the look on Atem’s face was. Was that pity in his eyes? “I don’t need pity,” Bakura snapped. “No, no one looked out for me. I looked out for myself.”

“It wasn’t pity, my love,” Atem said and put his hand over Bakura’s. Bakura yanked it away, almost offended by how Atem refused to be just as rude as he was being. He wanted Atem to get angry. As fun as it was pissing off Set, he wanted to see what could enrage Atem. What could drive Atem to get rude. “You know… You have people that will look out for you now.”

It was deeply uncomfortable the way Atem looked at him. He was trying very hard to ignore the way it was actually starting to have an impact on him. Bakura wouldn’t admit that his heart was starting to actually skip a beat every time Atem looked at him. He didn’t want to start thinking that maybe Atem might be different from everything he’d believed. However, there was no reason to think that Atem was anything but sincere in his desire to ensure that what happened under his father’s reign never happened again.

He was almost grateful when the final course arrived. A tiny bite sized sweet thing that he once again had no name for. This time he didn’t bother asking what it was. He didn’t care. Atem leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Care to take a walk with me?”

Bakura might have had reasons to say no. He might’ve once thought that talking a walk with Atem with no intention of killing him would be too ludicrous to even imagine. Hell, even just this morning he would’ve thought the idea insane. And yet, staring deep into Atem’s eyes, he nodded in agreement.

All he could think was that surely now that the two of them were alone, Atem would reveal his true colors (pun absolutely intended). He expected some level of anger from Atem that his soulmate was someone from a lower class who called him out on all his shit. Instead, Atem remained as relaxed as ever. “What’s the name for the color of your cape,” Bakura finally asked. “I know it can’t be blood.”

“It’s red,” Atem said and Bakura noted that the guards of the palace glanced at him sideways in alarm. Good. At the very least, the guards were aware of what Atem was not. Some of them seemed stunned to see Atem looking very relaxed around Bakura. “Would you like to know more about other colors?”

He would, but he didn’t like how agreeable Atem seemed about it. “Do you understand why your guards don’t like me?”

“You’re a thief,” Atem replied rather casually and Bakura was shocked. So Atem wasn’t as stupid as he seemed. Then why didn’t he just have Bakura arrested already? He’d had more than enough opportunities. Surely Atem wasn’t truly letting everything go simply because they were soulmates, right? “It doesn’t matter. From what you’ve told me, you had every reason for doing what you did to survive. Perhaps the issue is as you said at dinner—we have assigned morality to something without understanding the root cause.”

Survival was a tricky thing. Bakura wasn’t sure where what he did to survive compared to what he did for the hell of it began and ended. However, Bakura was starting to wonder if maybe Shai had twisted him to the Pharaoh so tightly in such a horrible way because it had known that they might never have met otherwise. Would any god be that cruel? He’d heard stories of the cruelty of the gods before but never seen it in action. Would it not have been kinder to let the two of them find each other in a different way? “You’re nothing like what I thought you’d be.”

Atem had a sly smile on his face. “Oh, so you don’t still think I’m an asshole,” Atem asked, raising an eyebrow up at Bakura. “I won’t pretend that perhaps I haven’t been a little sheltered from what life outside the palace must be like, nor pretend that my slacking off during studies is a good thing. I do think that perhaps Shai made you my soulmate specifically to keep me grounded and to give you people to assure your safety and wellbeing. While I would like to know why Shai would have made your life so difficult when it did not have to be, it is not my place to question her choices.”

Bakura smirked. “I thought you were supposed to be divinity personified,” Bakura mocked, referencing the amount of times both Mahad and Set had hammered this home. “Who better to question Shai than divinity on Earth?”

Atem laughed, shaking his head. “Well, I suppose I could ask Shai what the hell she was thinking,” he said with a light smile before pointing at one of the curtains that hung from the window that peered out over the palace’s courtyard. “That’s purple, by the way.” He then pointed to one of the potted plants. “That’s green.”

He was almost amazed by Atem now. Atem no longer seemed like a god to take down but rather just a normal man. Bakura didn’t understand how he couldn’t process that idea before but now it was very clear. Atem’s smile was dazzling, he thought. He acted on pure impulse, cupping both of Atem’s cheeks and pulling him in for a deep kiss. Atem gave a muffled noise of shock before melting into it. Neither of them were experienced, Bakura noted. It was absolutely not a perfect first kiss—their teeth clacked together, and there was just a little bit of the taste of the dessert and wine from dinner on Atem’s tongue. Messy, just like how they’d started. Bakura was a little stunned by himself when he finally broke the kiss and Atem looked flushed. “I heard it was illegal to touch the pharaoh without permission,” Bakura said, by way of explaining himself. Atem laughed breathlessly.

“I won’t tell,” Atem breathed, his lips brushing Bakura’s lightly. “In fact, I’m of the opinion that it’s a stupid rule.”

Bakura smirked. “I personally think a lot of the rules are stupid,” he said. Of course this would not be easy. Bakura knew that. However, he somehow now felt that perhaps he and Atem could work towards something great together. There was only one way forward into the future. “You and I should head to your bedroom and discuss which rules I think are absolutely stupid.” With a light grin, Atem led Bakura to his bedroom and to the start of their  way forward, together.