My Little One

Recovering

It had been a month. Atem hadn't seen Yugi yet. Heba never told him what was going on with him but he knew Heba was helping somehow. He sighed as he headed to his meeting with Yami. Aknankanon had called them to attend and they left the room. 

As Heba entered Yugi's room, he sighed a little. Yugi's once gravity-defying, vibrantly colored hair was now dimly colored and limp against his soft face as tears ran down his face again. His clothes were worn and didn't seem like they were meant to be worn. Heba wiped Yugi's eyes, causing Yugi to flinch, then nuzzle his hand. 

"Yugi," Heba spoke, trying to catch his twin brothers attention. "You could at least take a bath." Heba told him and Yugi clutched his sides and curled up more. "It's okay. Nobody will walk in." Heba reassured and Yugi shook his head. 

"N-N-Not...alone..." Yugi stammered and Heba blushed, then hugged him. "A-Atem..." He spoke clearly and Heba lifted his head, then sighed and nodded. 

"I'll ask him, okay?" Heba asked and he nodded. "But you cannot hit him," Heba warns and leaves quickly. 

When Heba reaches the doors to the throne room, the guards open them. Aknankanon looks and Heba bows his head. 

"My Pharaoh, may I borrow Prince Atem?" Heba asks, making Atem frown lightly in confusion. "It concerns his personal slave, my Pharaoh," Heba adds and Aknankanon nods firmly. "Thank you, my Pharaoh." He thanks as Atem walks over. 

"What is it?" Atem asks as they walk back to his room. "Heba?" Atem asks and Heba stops, then looks at him. 

"Yugi refuses to bathe alone. I cannot bathe him. Will you?" Heba asks and Atem nods as they arrive at his room. "Please...do not freak out when you see him," Heba begs and sits down on the floor beside the slave room. 

Atem nods and walks into the slave room. He sees Yugi curled up and hiding, his hair unnaturally dim from dirt and dust and his clothes worn. He tells Heba to prepare clothes for him and shuts the door. 

"Yugi?" Atem asks and Yugi peeks up, then squeaks a little and hides his head in his knees. "I'll help you bathe," Atem tells him and Yugi sits up a little, looking petrified. 

Atem offers his firm hand, which Yugi takes shyly and leads the smaller into the bathroom. Yugi looks around before sitting in a crouching position on the floor, weeping suddenly. Atem kneels down and Yugi's crying. He gently wraps his arms around the weeping boy and Yugi tenses and then looks at Atem and weeps into his arm. 

"What's wrong? I'm here." Atem tells him and Yugi clings to him. "Is it your clothes?" He asks and Yugi clutches the sides of his robe, preventing it from coming off.

"P-Please...don't make me take it off..." Yugi wept and Atem kneels in front of him. "A-Atem..." He stammers and hugs him, clinging to him tightly. 

"It's okay," Atem reassures, slyly moving the oversized robe down his thin body. "You need to bathe, Yugi," Atem admits and slips it fully off, lifting Yugi as he did so, making the boy hold tighter onto him. 

"N-No!" Yugi cried and Atem sat him in the warm water, making Yugi stare in horror at him, hiding his side. "P-Please...don't look at me..." Yugi begged as tears ran down his face. 

"My love, I am here for you," Atem admits and Yugi looks over, tears running down his face. "Move your hands, love," Atem tells him, perching on the side of the circular bath. 

Atem gently guided Yugi's hands away and revealed the deep wound there. Atem froze, then smiled warmly at Yugi. He then filled a vase with the warm water and poured it over Yugi's head, causing him to flinch and bring his arms around himself. Atem finished washing Yugi's hair before gently wiping his face and Yugi tensed every time he touched his face.