Chasing Butterflies | Mahad x Reader [Yu☆Gi☆Oh!]

Chapter 2 ❀ Differing Intentions

You were thirteen at that time. And due to your parents' mentioned good relationship with Aknamkanon, you spent most of your time at the King's palace. Your relationship with Atem did get better, but your feelings for him were never more than something you would feel for a friend. Atem, even if he was a bit naïve, could understand that much, and truthfully speaking, he could not see you as a future life-long companion either.

Sadly, Mahad's unwavering loyalty towards his other childhood friend sometimes made him hard to approach. You thought that the reason behind that was that he didn't want to get between your relationship with the young prince of Egypt — which in the end turned out to be the truth.

Another girl had come along by then — Mana. She had become Mahad's apprentice in magical arts which also ended up being a reason why you got to spend less time with Mahad himself. She was a nice girl, very cheerful and she loved to play, and you enjoyed pranking people together with her. What also seemed to be the case, was that Atem and Mana shared mutual interest for one another which under your circumstances was a good distraction from all the marriage-related issues.

That one day like many others, you, Atem, Mahad and Mana found yourselves outside the palace, just playing around and admiring the two magicians' skills for most of the time. The young prince and the female apprentice were joking like always, too, and making Mahad worry needlessly as usual. But them behaving that way also meant that you could show off to Mahad and not be as childish as the other two by acting more mature — something you were certain he would appreciate. "They seem to be going at it again, hm Mahad?"

"I know not how much longer I will be able to endure all of this..." The brown-haired nineteen year old sighed, bringing his one hand to his forehead in order to pinch the bridge of his nose tiredly. He stood near the usual tree, the one you used to play under all the time when you were children, or well, younger. "Right? They behave like complete infants, do they not?~"

Mahad turned his head around slightly, only to raise a brow at you and chuckle. "Like you are any different. You are simply pretending to be obedient now." It so seemed like the brunet had seen right through you, catching on to your secret plan. Then again, you had never intended to hide your intentions in the first place. You hummed innocently, not agreeing with nor denying his statement before you took a hold of Mahad's hand and dragged him as you sat down, making him do the exact same thing.

"Why are you always with me? Would it not be better if you were to spend more time with the young prince and Mana? They are much closer to your age than I am." Mahad questioned, he himself not sure if he really didn't know the reason behind that or if he simply didn't want to believe it and pretend to be oblivious instead.

"Is it not obvious? I like you more than I like them." You began cockily sweet-talking the male, knowing full well that pretty words wouldn't necessarily get you far, but as you always said, everything was worth at least a try. Mahad couldn't help but sigh, aware that given your promise to Pharaoh Aknamkanon you preferring him over Atem wasn't such a good thing. His reasonable self told him to pull away now and treat you the same as always if not even put more distance between the two of you, while his heart and feelings couldn't allow him to do such a thing. Not when you seemed to be feeling the same way he did.

"You mustn't say that..." Was the only thing Mahad could reply with in his current, doubtful state as he tried to keep a certain physical distance from you. Of course, no one ever said that that was going to stop you from getting all close and chummy with the brunet. Having a feeling that Mahad was being this cautious because the two of you were alone, you shuffled somewhat closer to him and even went as far as to lean your head against his shoulder. "Hey, Mahad...?"

"What is it?" The dark-skinned young male replied, his cheeks slowly reddening as he made the effort to turn his head around a little anew, so that this time his cheek leaned slightly against your head while he waited for your following words. "Let's go chase butterflies."

"You know that we cannot do that anymore." Mahad sounded a bit sad, and you soon were too because you didn't understand why he would suddenly say no so many times when you seemed to have had so much fun doing the very same thing just a few years ago. "Why not, Mahad?! We have not done it in so long, why must you always say no?"

"Lord Aknamkanon would not be happy with me if I were to bring you chase butterflies again." The brown-haired boy replied simply, his pathetic excuse upsetting you. Frowning lightly, you jerked your head away from its original position on Mahad's shoulder and stared straight into his grayish-blue orbs. "Are you still afraid that we will get scolded like that one time? That was only once, come on, do not be so stingy!"

"That is not it. You could not understand." Mahad said silently, averting his gaze as he attempted to move away from you, only hitting his back against the tree during the process. You, still thinking that Mahad might have actually been scared of the Pharaoh, decided to approach the matter differently. "Then make me understand."

Your face was only several inches away from Mahad's as your eyes never looked away from his. Your being so physically close to him made him feel on edge, afraid that Atem would show up at the wrong moment, or even worse, his father or your parents. And yet, despite all that, he couldn't bring himself to push you away. You wanted him to make you understand? He wanted to do the very same thing.

Mahad slowly brought his big hand to your face, cupping your cheek with it as if he were holding something very delicate and precious. His sudden and bold gesture surprised you a little, but not enough to make you back away, though enough to make the color of your cheeks deepen a tad. With his thumb sliding from your upper lip to the bottom one and resting there, Mahad began to speak in a gentle voice. "It is not the Pharaoh I am afraid of, it is myself."

"I as well want to be with you, but our intentions differ, [Name]." The brunet said in a sad tone, still resting his thumb on your bottom lip, his eyes staring at it as if they were being tempted, unable to look away. Mahad's pained expression made your heart ache and you didn't know how to make either of you feel better. You brought your left hand to Mahad's and took a hold of it carefully, soon sliding his palm over your lips completely.

You pressed a soft kiss against it, the area your lips touched soon feeling hot to Mahad who was more than just surprised. Only capable of quietly gasping and widening his eyes somewhat, the dark-skinned male was frozen in his position. "I am not sure that our intentions truly differ, Mahad. All I wish is to be with you. If we both feel the same way, is that not enough?"

That day you had almost been kissed on the lips for the first time. It didn't happen because, as one would expect in such situations, Mana and Atem happened to approach the two of you at the wrong moment, giving Mahad the chance his responsible self needed to get away from you.

That day was probably the closest you had ever gotten to Mahad, or would ever get. Because another piece of your memory that could never be erased, even if it wasn't such a cheerful one, was the day you became Atem's wife.

Unlike in perhaps other countries, there were no marriage ceremonies in ancient Egypt. A woman was married to a man as soon as she entered his house with the goods agreed upon. Marriages were usually arranged by one's parents, just like it had been in your case. Though given it was the new Pharaoh who was getting married, there was going to be somewhat of a ceremony, but only later in the evening.

Your feelings hadn't changed over all those years. Atem was not the man you loved and yet you were to become his wife today. There was still some time left until the ritual, so you decided to spend it in the palace's garden area. You had kept coming to this place as you grew up, even if that meant doing so alone. The garden hadn't changed much, perhaps the only things that were a tad different were the grass and plants. Due to both Mahad's and Mana's magical influences, the garden had become greener and even more beautiful as it now hosted more life. It was such a shame that you couldn't enjoy the sight with your certain special someone.

You stood in the midst of the grass and flowers as you held your hand out, a white butterfly soon coming to rest on the tip of your fingers. Those small creatures were as pretty as they were delicate, just like you remembered them to be. With them also came the unforgettable memories of Mahad and consequentially an aching chest. As you found your way back out of your own little world, you could feel the presence of another person close by. That particular aura had become unmistakable over the years, so it wasn't even necessary for you to turn around to identify them. "Are you going to just stand there?"

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Thank You for Reading!