#jaspershipping

Ok here it is. After all this wait. Unedited and unread. I’m? So sorry. Thank u for bearing w me. As a further apology, have both? I hope it’s at least somewhat worth the wait.

I started w an idea and went w the flow. Atem is a sap and misses half the harem bc he has all this love to give. Protec him.

*♡*♡*♡*

Mahaad watched Atem’s face fall as the image on the screen winked out, Seto and Seth disappearing with it. He reached out, his arm falling around Atem’s shoulders to pull him in. Yuugi ducked to push the laptop under the bed before joining them, claiming Mahaad’s other side. Mahaad’s fingers chased the chill from Atem’s skin, holding him close enough to feel his breath against his neck.

‘Hey,’ he tried. His lips brushed the top of Atem’s head as he spoke, so he placed a kiss there. ‘They will be here tomorrow evening.’

'I know.’ He did not elaborate, just shuffled closer to Mahaad to lie half draped on him. Yuugi took the chance to crawl over to them and claim the place at Atem’s back, shielding him between their bodies.

Yuugi grinned at Mahaad, chin propped on Atem’s shoulder. 'Hi.’

'Hello,’ Mahaad stretched out his fingers, now trapped between them, to tug at Yuugi’s shirt. Yuugi answered him with a wink, fitting his own arm around Atem to squeeze him closer as he kissed the back of his neck. Yuugi’s chilled fingers found their way under the hem of his shirt and Mahaad twitched but did not relinquish his position, retaliating only by draping a leg over Yuugi’s where they were tangled with Atem’s.

Yuugi laughed. 'Right as I had planned.’ The offending fingers traced his hipbone, stopping just above the dip of his pelvis and then extricated themselves. Judging by Atem’s surprised gasp, they had found a more forthcoming target.

Mahaad grinned to himself, tilting his neck in an attempt to catch Atem’s lips. He landed just shy of his mark, unwilling to loosen his hold on him. Atem took the hint, readily raising his head from his shoulder to meet him halfway. Atem clutched him close and Mahaad repaid him in kind, molding their bodies together, making spaces for the other to fill, just as their mouths fit together with no space for breath.

'Still sad?’ he asked, lips gently brushing still.

'How can you be sad after that, other me?’ Yuugi pinched his side and Atem jumped, releasing Mahaad’s waist to snatch Yuugi’s wrist. He slipped his fingers through his and held their joined hands to his chest, effectively immobilised. 'Do I get one, or?’

Atem kissed Yuugi’s knuckles. 'From…?’

'I’m not picky,’ he leaned in to mouth at the crook of Atem’s neck, nipping and licking at the spot. Atem yielded, turning just enough to catch Yuugi’s lips with his own. Mahaad stroked from his hip to his thigh to hook his fingers behind Atem’s knee and draw him closer. Atem came willingly, allowing his body to be moved and positioned however they saw fit, Yuugi’s free arm wrapping around Atem’s shoulders as they kissed, fingertips playing at his collarbone.

'Gods, I love you.’ He knocked his forehead to Yuugi’s temple. 'I’m so lucky to have you’ Atem’s voice was reverent, matching the feeling in his eyes and Mahaad thought it should really be the other way around.

Yuugi leaned in again, capturing Atem’s plump bottom lip between his teeth and tugging. 'We love you too, Temu.’

Mahaad leaned closer, let Atem’s free hand tangle in his hair. 'Really, no luck or happiness could surpass our own.’ A kiss to his brow, then another, this time to his cheek. 'Not even Seth could disagree with me this time.’

Atem laughed, the grin spreading to his eyes and Yuugi whistled. 'Such high hopes for our boy. The wager?’

Mahaad raised an eyebrow at Yuugi’s cheeky smile. 'Your call.’

'Ooh I guess we should reward such daring. Right, Atem?’

'Something like this?’ Atem tugged on his hair and Mahaad followed, closing the gap between them for a brief kiss.

Me, taking a deep breath: oh, there is a lot to unpack here…

Well… first things first! dragon innuendos may indeed get a pass! Atem takes to calling Seto “dragon” and it kinda sticks and even Seth has taken to affectionately think of him as his own lil dragon he gets to keep (at last. but never aloud.)

HOWEVER! Few things can make Seth deflate and even outright leave the bedroom as fast as a bewd-specific innuendo or -gods forbid- toy. Very very few things. Kisara does not deserve this and Seth will accept no reference to anyone’s anatomy tarnish her name. (Plus? It’s one of the biggest black spots in his conscience still. Even if she may or may not have threatened him w bodily harm if he as much as shot another guilty look her way.)

Yes!! Kisara spends about 98% of her time as a dragon these days. Seth has just learned to translate her body language and the exact sound frequency of each snort. They can have an entire conversation with only Seth talking. 

Now Mana… Mana came into the afterlife much later than Seth did. She was kinda left to pick up the pieces after Atem and Mahaad’s deaths, and whenever Seth’s will floundered. They went through a lot together, shouldering the weight of Atem’s name and a threatened throne. I hc that Seth took on what should have been Atem’s thone name(s), while his birth name was used to seal Zorc, for a more seamless cover-up. So whenever he was addressed, it was like another stab to the heart. Not allowed to grieve, called by another’s name, put up a front for the people… it rly weighs on someone, u kno? And Mana was the only one still there and w enough spunk to yell at him and scold him by name in private. Their situations might be different but they went through much of the same pain. 

When he did give up (an event that may or may not correlate w Mahaad as DM finally losing his memories to the darkness. :)), she had to watch it happen and know she couldn’t do anything but let him go (another sad sad story and i could go on about Seth’s suffering and the horrors that tie him and Mana for days). When her time came, she immediately assumed her position by his side, which is to nag and pester him until he gets out of bed and between stray errands. She grew to be like the little sister he never had and it’s the same for her, even if they cannot stand to be in the same room without sassing each other. 

A lil peek into Mana and Seth’s bickering can be found in the 2nd chapter of the (now chaptered!!) fic that i will go back to after my exams. With more of my girl to come of course! ;))

Hello anon. Oh boi this is going to get long and sad. 

Firstly, idk what exactly u mean by isolation bc imo all of them have been there in one way or another. Maybe it wasn’t the puzzle or nothingness, but it was sth. I will aim for a comprehensive answer but if you had sth more specific in mind, feel free to hmu again. I am dumb and my brain is full of Cold War politics atm (help me). So… w that said!

They all have nightmares. Some more frequent or more violent than others. Atem dreams of emptiness and confusion and anxiety. Seto dreams of his demons. Mahaad dreams of the darkness and his memories with Atem and Seth and his sense of self slipping away. Yuugi, before getting Atem back, used to talk to himself and get no answer. And Seth… Seth is so deep in ptsd idk where to start tbh. The most prevalent tho is his fear of being alone (and also falling short where it matters). And when one of them has a nightmare, all of them get it. They are no strangers to it. They might share (Atem) or they might keep it in (Seto, Yuugi) but they always end up under a very warm cuddle pile and w Mahaad sacrificing his energy to guard their sleep w soul magic. 

Now, individually… Atem honestly cannot get enough. He might be tired, he might not want to talk much, but he will almost always be in the same room as a minimum of one bf. He will kiss them and touch them in small ways any chance he gets, just for the contact and reassurance. 

Mahaad doesn’t actively avoid being alone, but he reassures himself by taking care of them whenever he can. He just has to care for someone (that is doubly true for the time they spend in the afterlife before their resurrection, and a lil afterwards, when Atem and Seth are the most fragile). Generally, he will put them first and operate on auto until it is settled and he is alone and then and only then he might allow himself a breakdown. But he is most at peace when he knows his boys are okay, and that very soon includes Seto and Yuugi. 

Seth. (there is… a lot to unpack here) Seth is having the toughest time, before even moving into the mansion. Now, 5 people as is, is not a lot for him. In fact, u might even say it’s more peaceful compared to a palace where he is held in close scrutiny for everything he does. Esp before his death, with the political unrest and war (his time would fall in an Intermediate Period for Egypt if you’re familiar) and the pressure to produce an heir before he was killed or dethroned. I hc he had to deal w a lot of fabricated rumors and scandals –bc he seemed eccentric even to them– that he so did not deserve for all he did for Khemet. He is starved for contact, which has resulted in him being very tactile. He won’t stick as close as Atem does 24/7, but he clings in his sleep and literally cannot get enough of someone touching/holding him. He must be able to hold onto his partner during sex (spoiler: bc of the pressure to reproduce, the scrutiny, the women thrown at him and his self inflicted celibacy, the first time things get steamy after they rejoin and he realizes this is real, he cries on his partner and then end up cuddling instead.) He cannot sleep (undisturbed or at all) alone. 

Yuugi is a lil overwhelmed to have Seth and Mahaad in the house at first. Not bc he doesn’t like them or they are too packed (it is a mansion) but bc he is unsure of how to act around them. Esp bc he is the only one who can’t understand or speak their language. They try tho, and through the bond Atem keeps as much of a constant translation stream as he can. Which, rly, is Yuugi’s fave time bc he can’t get enough of being able to reach over and feel Atem on the other end once again. He will be jetpacking at least one of them during sleep, altho he prefers to have at least one bf on either side, and has been known to switch it up after the 3am bathroom break just to get a bit of everyone. 

Seto is a lil more difficult. It’s a lot for him, more so bc he traps himself into various imaginary scenarios where he is left behind and Atem rides off into the sunset w Seth and Mahaad even tho Seto has an active role in their resurrection. In short, it feels like an entire army in his head. He is already familiar w Yuugi (rivalshipping will be established by the time Atem is resurrected) and he clings to Atem like a man starved. He grows accustomed to Mahaad first bc he is a balancing force, and lastly Seth bc they are too similar and clash the most and it scares him. But ultimately, he thrives at having the attention of 4 bfs. Do his self-isolating all-nighters stop? No. But now they come w warm tea and snacks left by his keyboard when he wasn’t looking which isn’t half bad. 

Mokuba is honestly the biggest wild card. He sees Seto exhausted and knows he has been reckless and risking his life and for what? He gives them a hard time at the start, and says some hurtful things to Atem. But they get it resolved, and he sees that from a point on they are good for his brother. And as much as he might not like it, perhaps the only way for Seto to let himself happy. Mokuba and Seth keep tip-toeing around each other, bc he low key creeps Mokuba out as a concept and Seth did not account for Mokuba in his plans, but they make it work. They got this. 

Reunions aren't always what one would expect. Sometimes there's hurt and misunderstandings. Sometimes there's laughter. Sometimes the love and devotion is all encompassing.