#if yugi was my child I’d go to school and throw hands with everyone | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bluejaytaco · 6 years

Text

Superhero AU

You can read it as The Failings of Project Millennium here! Hope ya enjoy!

“You could have killed him!”

He was sick of having this argument. “So what? Maybe someone should actually do it and put the kid out of his misery!”

“Are you even listening to yourself?! He's a child!”

“Barely. You know he barely qualifies as even a 'he' anymore. That's not your son; that's an experiment gone haywire!”

“He's still family, Malik.”

“Then I'm doing him a favor.”

The thought back to the argument filled Malik with regret. He could still see the look on his sister's face when she heard him talk so bluntly about Horus. He knew none of this was easy for Isis. The day she presented the infant to Kaiba was the lowest he'd ever seen her. But he helped convince her it was all for the best. The Kaiba Corp scientists would treat him well. He would be able to help people. He would be a hero.

Malik wasn't completely wrong. Horus was alive and well. He was running around the city as a masked vigilante. Although the fact that he was seeking out his mother was concerning, in a way.

It was also concerning that one of his eyes looked as though it had lenses. He decided it was probably for the best that he didn't tell that part to his sister. Just like he didn't tell her about all the other children who were brought in to partake in the abilities they themselves had trouble controlling.

His powers pulled as he felt someone step up from behind him. He sighed and closed his eyes. “I told you this wouldn't-” He immediately snapped his mouth shut when he saw his visitor wasn't Horus. It was a different mask; the mask of a falcon with an orange sun on the forehead.

Malik turned to him completely. “You witnessed the fight today. I'm guessing your name is Ra?”

He nodded. “One of my names, yes.”

“You hid your abilities well. Why didn't you attack me with Horus?”

Ra looked down for a moment and thought deeply about his answer. “Horus... doesn't know I'm around. I'd like to keep it that way for now.”

Malik tilted his head and crossed his arms. “Is there a reason or do you just like to be all secretive for no reason?”

“Horus and I aren't the only two. There's still two more out in the world. I know where one of them is located. The other, however...”

“I know about Anubis. I saw the files.” It didn't take much to gain the information he needed. Just a quick manipulation of one of the Kaiba Corp employee's mind.

“Then you know what I'm going to ask.”

Malik nodded and sighed through his nose. “I do. And I won't get involved. I just want to move on with my life and leave this mess behind.”

Ra shrugged. “That's enough for me. Just stay out of the way and you'll get exactly that.” He moved to the edge of the building.

“It might be a good idea to keep close to Horus. Anubis might be following him.”

He only paused to hear what Malik had to say. Then, he stepped off into a dark void he created himself.

Malik watched and let out a breath. These children were going to be more of a problem than Ra claimed; he could feel it.

“It burns!”

“Stop whining. If you didn't try to get into a fight with your uncle, you wouldn't be in this position.”

Atem pouted at Kaiba and fought to get away from his hands. But then the cloth was pressed against his temple again and he hissed.

Kaiba held it there for a moment. The blood had been cleared away but there was still the possibility of infection if the wounds weren't properly cleaned and bandaged. Wounds like this always took much longer to heal than the simple knife or bullet wound. “Hold it there.”

Atem placed his hand over the cloth as Kaiba let go. He watched him turn away and prepare something to cover the cut.

“You're lucky he didn't cut any deeper or else we'd be looking at your skull.” Kaiba picked up the mask and observed it. Aside from a few dents in the gold, it was still intact. “We might want to consider modifying this to protect you better.”

“I like it the way it is.”

“It's not doing its job.”

Atem raised an eyebrow. “Its job is to protect my identity. I think it's doing it very well.”

Seto looked as though he wanted to say something but quickly thought better of it. He clenched his jaw and put the mask down. “There's no malfunction in your eye, right?”

Atem shook his head.

Kaiba pushed Atem's hand away and put a bandage over the wound. “Try to keep yourself from getting killed before that heals. I have to get back to work cleaning up your other mess.”

Atem felt something tense in him as Kaiba turned away. He hopped off the table and headed for the door.

“One more thing.”

He turned back and looked at his 'cousin.' Kaiba picked up the blood covered cloth but didn't look at him. “Don't let yourself get too attached to Yugi. That's how you'll end up getting hurt.”

Atem snorted and looked away. “You would think that.” He walked out the door and left Kaiba to his thoughts.

“You've never been to Burger World?”

“Is it really that strange?” Atem smiled in amusement but felt a small bit of concern. What was the possibility of this blowing his cover?

Yugi shrugged. “Maybe not. I just never met anyone who didn't go there at least once. We used to go all the time in high school.” He adjusted the bag on his arm and smiled. “Anyway, Some friends and I are meeting up there. We might hit up the arcade or something too. Do you wanna come?”

Atem blinked and stopped walking. He'd never been invited anywhere. In his defense, it was largely due to never really stepping foot outside the Kaiba mansion up until a week ago but... would Kaiba be mad?

Did he actually care? Yugi was asking him to meet up with friends! People! People who weren't servants who feared him or the Kaiba brothers who still treated him like some kind of child. An overpowered child, yes, but a child.

Atem smiled. “I'd love to.”

Yugi smiled back. He liked that smile. “Great! Let's go!”

The walk there was quick. It was almost too quick for Atem's taste. It didn't give him a lot of time to learn about Yugi. To learn what made him smile. To learn what brought him absolute joy. But these were things he expected to learn in time. All he had to do was stay close.

A group of people waved from a couple of tables away from the door. Yugi beamed and nearly ran to the table. Atem followed suit.

“Yo, Yugi! You're just in time!” A taller boy with shaggy blond hair grinned with a wave. His smile fell ever so slightly at the sight of the stranger. Still friendly just more guarded.

Yugi continued to smile as he gestured to his new friend. “Oh. Atem this is Jounouchi,” he gestured to the blond, “Honda,” the brunet boy next to Jounouchi, “And Anzu,” the brunette girl on the opposite side of the table. Yugi then turned and looked at them as he gestured to Atem. “Guys, this is Atem. He's Kaiba's cousin.”

Jounouchi snorted as Yugi guided Atem to sit in the booth. “Kaiba's cousin, eh? Sorry to hear that.”

Honda rolled his eyes and looked at Atem. “Jou's got a bit of a sour history with Kaiba.”

Atem's lip twitched into a soft smirk. “Doesn't everyone?”

The blond barked out a laugh but didn't go any further as Yugi pulled up a chair for himself.

Anzu turned and looked at Atem. “So, how'd you meet Yugi?”

Atem sat up a little straighter. “We have a few classes together.”

“Atem's been helping me a lot. He's kind of brilliant.” Yugi grinned at the other fondly. He watched with satisfaction as a light blush came over the other boy.

“I wouldn't go that far.”

Anzu leaned on the table and eyed the newcomer with a soft smile. “What're you studying at DIT?”

He shrugged. “It was just a good opportunity to learn something new.” And that turned into a very good decision. He glanced over at Yugi and saw the eyes still on him. They were smiling just like he did at the mention of friends.

Atem couldn't help but smile back. The look was interrupted by a waiter taking their orders. He listened closely as everyone listed what they wanted and figured out the pattern for it before ordering his own items.

He had no idea what he was getting but it was enough to know he would be blending in easily with the other people. Throughout the meal, he mostly just listened to them talk about games and such. Occasionally he would throw in his thoughts. Living in the Kaiba mansion surrounded by the very games that replaced weapons made him pretty knowledgeable in games of all types.

But it would seem there was a reason Kaiba got so frustrated with Yugi. Yugi made Kaiba look like an amateur by comparison and he did it in a way that was far from intimidating. Questions were answered without a scoff or even a hint of annoyance. Rather, the questions were met with enthusiasm for the opportunity to teach someone about his passion. It was refreshing.

The arcade wasn't too far from the burger place. It was only a block down, right past the spot where the Pharaoh was thrown into a window and defeated. The window still sported the spider-web crack from his body and the sidewalk looked as though it had some kind of crack of its own.

Atem tried not to look at that spot.

Everyone scattered when they entered the arcade. The place was already pretty crowded but that was fine. No one cared they had to wait a moment for a game.

Atem found his way over to a shooting game about shooting people who came back from the dead. He'd seen Honda challenge Yugi to a fighting game and a small crowd had gathered around Anzu as she worked on getting a perfect score on the dance game near the front.

“Mind if I join ya?” Jounouchi picked up the second player gun and put in a few tokens.

Atem smiled to him as the two began annihilating anything that stood in their way. They did it in silence for half of a level before Jounouchi spoke up.

“So, uh... Kaiba, eh?”

Atem nodded.

“How long you been there?”

“I guess it's been about three months.”

The blond was silent for a moment. He shot a few of the enemies getting a little too close to Atem. “So... don't look too deep into this but... How's he been?”

Atem glanced up at Jou. He stared into his eyes, hoping for some clue as to why that question was asked. Especially after what was said in the burger place. “He's been... Kaiba. No better or worse, I guess.”

Jounouchi nodded and tried his best to cover his smile. “Right. Of course, he is. Rich bastard's never gonna change.”

Atem snorted and emptied his clip into one of the bigger enemies. It would seem this sour relationship had a mixture of sweetness to it. But he didn't feel as though he was in a position to call Jou out on it.

“He must be pissed about your crush on Yugi.”

Damn. He should've asked. Instead, he stumbled with his gun. He just held it for a moment while Jou covered him. “Is it that obvious?”

“To me it is. Don't know if Yugi noticed cuz he's always in his own head.” Jou smirked without looking away from the screen. “Don't worry, bud. I got your back.” He stopped shooting as a cutscene loaded on screen. “Just let me know when you decide to make a move cuz I've got some advice.”

“...Did you and him...?”

“Hah, no not really. I've just been around long enough to watch a couple of people try and fail because they weren't speaking his language. But I got a good feeling from you.”

Atem blinked and tilted his head. He wasn't completely sure, but he thought this was probably a good thing. He wanted to be liked by Jounouchi. Despite his odd connection to Kaiba, which may or may not have been severed. He smiled softly and nodded. “Thank you, Jounouchi.”

“Eh, it's no big deal.”

“Grab the Rocket Launchers! They're our only chance to take him down!”

They turned back to see the giant monster on screen. Both brought up their guns and they switched over to the more powerful weapon.

A small message appeared in Atem's eye to indicate Kaiba was trying to contact him. It glowed red, softly and right near the edge of his peripheral. Atem ignored it.

“I'm gonna need a rematch soon.”

“Should we be takin' bets this time? I'm pretty sure you're not going to beat him.”

Yugi smiled. “He got close this time.”

Anzu shook her head and sighed at the shorter boy. “You know you're just encouraging this to go on longer.”

“Not on purpose.”

Atem just smiled to himself as he listened to the group. It was nice to be around people who could be so carefree. For a while, he wasn't sure people like this really existed outside of the fictional worlds he'd seen before. But here they were, as real as him.

He paused and lost his smile at the sound of a helicopter overhead. He didn't have to look around to know he wasn't the only one to hear it. They all knew what it meant.

Seto Kaiba walked up to the group casually.

Atem watched as everyone's stances changed from relaxed to tense. All four of his new friends looked at Kaiba as if they were preparing for a fight. But not a word was spoken. The CEO walked passed them all as his eyes landed on Atem. He said nothing as his gaze stayed locked.

Atem stood his ground as Kaiba stopped by his side. “Last warning.” He said it so softly Atem was sure none of the other people in his group could hear it.

Atem didn't open his mouth. He clenched his jaw and sent a message in his silence. Kaiba would not continue to run his life. He could bitch and moan all he wanted but at the end of the day, Atem would decide for himself what he wanted to do.

The message landed. He could tell by the way his faux cousin walked away. He could also tell the argument was far from over. The experiences of arguments in their past led him to that conclusion.

But, for now, it was done. For now, Atem had won.

But somehow the victory felt concerning as it sat in the back of his mind. There was something he wasn't considering. A longer game.

That was the one Atem would have to win. Both of them knew that more than anything.

Yugi was a little disappointed when Atem decided it was time for him to leave. It was possible whatever Kaiba had mumbled to him was enough to get him to return home but that didn't stop the dejected feeling that flowed through him. He wanted to spend more time with Atem; he wanted to get to know him better.

He wanted a lot of things from Atem.

It was kind of like his old crush on Anzu except with a different level of intensity. When he liked Anzu in a way a little more than platonic, it could be considered nothing more than innocent puppy love. He had thought about dating and possibly an overindulgence in fantasies of marriage and a family. Sure, sexual thoughts came to mind but...

But the fantasies weren't the same. Anzu was sweet and loving; Atem was hot and heavy. Fewer candles and roses, more ropes and bite marks. And something in his eyes made Yugi think he caught onto the thoughts.

Or maybe he was just hoping Atem was a mind reader so he didn't have to eventually admit to it.

Yugi walked into the game shop to find all the lights were off. He could only assume his grandfather wasn't feeling well and decided to close up early for the night. Although, if that were the case, he would usually call and see if Yugi would have the time to stand in for him.

But then he heard the sound of something beeping from the back room. He followed the sound. “Grandpa?”

The soft beeping stopped.

Yugi walked into the room and glanced around at all the boxes that were open. The contents inside had been shifted around as if his grandfather were looking for something important. He spotted him as the old man slowly climbed to his feet.

Yugi moved in closer. “Are you having trouble finding something?”

Sugoroku chuckled. “Oh no, I'm just working on doing some restocking. The shelves were looking a bit sparse after today's rush.”

Yugi glanced back out into the store. He hadn't remembered seeing much out of place. The store had been a little slow lately so pretty much all the same products were on the shelves for the last few months. Still, he didn't call his grandfather out on it. “Sorry, I should've been here to help.”

The older Mutou waved it off. “Eh, you have your own life and your friends. I wasn't gonna spoil your good time so you could come here and just watch me work.”

Yugi smiled softly for a second before it fell into a curious look. “What's that?” He pointed to the tablet in his grandfather's hand.

Sugoroku immediately turned off the screen. “Nothing really. Just a new thing for cataloging the store. A gift from a friend.” Before Yugi could ask another question, he changed the subject. “I'm sure you have a lot of school work. Why don't you go get started on that? I'll have dinner ready soon.”

Yugi eyed his grandfather for a moment before the smile was forced to return. He nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I'll do that.” He turned back to the door. “Just let me know if you need help, okay?”

“Don't worry about me, kiddo.” He waved at Yugi's retreating form happily before his face fell again and he returned to the tablet. He turned it back on and continued to look over the updated condition of Subject Horus and the pictures sent to him. He needed to work to see if he could figure out who sent this to him.

But he had a feeling he knew exactly who. He wondered what caused the man to rise again; last they spoke he only wanted to live his life without another thought to any of this. No more experiments; no more enhanced children.

But it looked as though Subject Horus was still alive and well. That could be dangerous if he ran into any of the other three.

He didn't know what Gorzuburo did to his poor sons but now knowing Horus was still around, he could only assume the worst. Sugoroku tapped on the screen and found his contact has kindly given him a short list of people to contact with more information.

It would seem Seto Kaiba knew something considering his name was there. But Sugoroku clicked on a different name. One that seemed much more dire.

It was simply labeled Valentine.

#Superhero AU #atem #malik ishtar #isis ishtar #yugi mutou #jounouchi katsuya #honda hiroto #anzu mazaki #seto kaiba #sugoroku mutou #puzzleshipping #puppyshipping #violetshipping #ygo fanfiction #writings

8 notes · View notes