A/N: The long (and I mean long) awaited next installment in the Symphony Series. Enjoy!

Out of the Woods:

~ We were built to fall apart, then fall back together ~

"Are we in the clear yet?"

Atem's voice was heavy with a mixture of what sounded like anxiety and anticipation, highlighting the crucial importance of the doctor's words to come. He was trying not to hold his breath in the brief silence that followed as the doctor reviewed the paperwork on her desk, but he felt his throat closing up against his will, effectively trapping the air in his lungs.

"Based on these results," the doctor began, flipping through the papers as she spoke, "it appears that there is no long-term damage...well, other than what we've already seen."

The sighs of relief that filled the room suggested to Atem that he wasn't the only one who had been holding his breath. "Thank goodness," Atem whispered almost to himself, slumping back in his chair as if this was the first time in months that he was allowed to truly rest. He glanced over at Yuugi, sitting in the chair next to him, the violet eyes as bright as ever.

"Your cognitive functioning, motor and sensory skills, hearing and speech, vision, coordination and balance - your results from all of the neurological testing we've conducted are unremarkable." The doctor finally looked up to smile up at them. "Looks like you're going to be just fine, Yuugi."

Yuugi felt the hand around his tighten, as Atem offered him a reassuring squeeze. The action caused Yuugi to turn away from the doctor and meet Atem's soft and purely joyous gaze. "Okay," Yuugi finally said, still looking at Atem with a dazzling smile. "Good."

Yuugi had awakened from his coma two months after Otogi, his now imprisoned ex-boyfriend, shot him in his left temple. The angle and distance of the shot caused the bullet to lodge in his cerebrum and required emergency surgery that left Yuugi in a coma for months. At first, he was touch and go, but he had eventually stabilized in his resting slumber and, as the weeks passed, the swelling in his brain lessened.

Atem was sitting by his hospital bed when he had first stirred, and when those amethyst eyes opened and Yuugi's vision had finally focused, Atem was flooded with paralyzing feelings of relief and joy. It wasn't until Yuugi had blinked at him and asked him "Who are you?" that Atem realized that something was terribly wrong.

The doctor had told Atem that amnesia was always a very real possibility with brain trauma, and whether Yuugi ever regained his memories could only be determined with time. Both Yuugi's long-term and short-term memory had been affected (though more so the latter of the two), and the memories that he did retain were sparse flickers of images that he struggled to make sense of. Despite the weight and devastating implications of this news, the doctor had assured Atem that, contrary to popular belief, people did not usually experience a loss of identity with amnesia. This was apparent upon Atem's initial interactions with Yuugi, who was very aware of who and where he was, but unclear about the events that had led up to the present moment.

Yuugi had no memory of his parents' passing, no memory of Otogi's abuse, and had retained only pieces of his childhood that appeared in sporadic blurs, most of which came to him in the days following his awakening. Over the next few weeks, as Atem had caught Yuugi up to speed with all of these life events, Yuugi had felt a sort of detached sadness wash over him. He had been able to acknowledge and accept that these things had happened to him, but unable to genuinely feel their impact.

When relaying what had happened the night of the shooting, Atem had purposely left out parts that he felt it better for Yuugi not to know - such as Yuugi's suicide note. Unlike Yuugi, Atem's memory of that night, even a half a year later, was as vivid as ever - the sound of the gun going off, of the bullet piercing flesh, of Yuugi crumbling to the ground, of the gun jamming as Otogi aimed at him. He still remembered how his heart raced and rage coursed through his veins as he charged at Otogi, disarming the man and bashing his head in with the butt of the gun until he was no longer moving. He had to live with the all-consuming panic and despair he felt when he gathered Yuugi's limp body in his arms, crying uncontrollably as he called 911 and begged them to save his little love.

Even to this day, the memories would slip into his dreams and twist them into nightmares - the sight of blood gushing out of Yuugi's forehead and staining his ghost-white face, his tears mixing with Yuugi's blood as he cried and pressed pleading kisses to Yuugi's lips, whispering silent prayers against them. He sometimes envied Yuugi's inability to recall that night, for Atem often wished for nothing more than to forget; to purge those memories from his mind.

Atem had learned in the months that followed that there were indeed aspects of Yuugi's personality that he had lost completely and, though most were for the better, in the beginning, Atem felt himself mourning the loss of the man he used to know inside and out. No longer introverted, Yuugi constantly sought out the company of others, requiring their presence in order to recharge, becoming almost intolerable when he was stuck in his apartment for too long. He was also more assertive than Atem had previously known, more driven to go after what he wanted, and certainly more outspoken, having lost the tendency to withdraw as well as his trademark secretiveness, both of which had been prominent themes throughout much of his adulthood. Atem had also, by experience, found that Yuugi was now more prone to bouts of anger and impulsivity.

Yuugi had immediately found himself taken with Atem – the elder's presence a constant source of familiarity despite the loss of most of his memories involving the man. Atem's scent, warmth, and voice provided him with gentle sensory reminders of his past and, over time, he was able to remember very brief memories with Atem that he absolutely treasured. Yuugi was unsure if what he felt towards Atem was love, only because he had nothing to compare it to, but he did know that he couldn't imagine his life without Atem and that was enough to convince Yuugi that his unwavering loyalty in and adoration of Atem was not misplaced.

Meanwhile, Atem was still in the process of trying to adjust to all the changes the past six months had brought with it - both with Yuugi and with his own life. In order to better care for and support Yuugi in his recovery following his discharge from the hospital, he had moved into Yuugi's apartment (into the guest bedroom) and begun a new job that afforded him more flexible work hours. Yuugi was still, to his core, the same man that Atem had been best friends with his entire life and was the same kind-hearted, forgiving, stubborn man he had always been in love with. But, at the same time, Yuugi was so very different, the darkness and air of sadness that had been interweaved with Yuugi's personality for so long now gone to make room for the brightest and most playful young man Atem had ever met. It almost felt like he was falling in love with Yuugi all over again, and it was as exciting and anxiety-provoking as ever, leaving Atem feeling like he was constantly on the edge.

However, it had only been four months since Yuugi had awoken from his coma and, despite Yuugi's insistence that he was fine, the younger man was still in a very fragile state. Yuugi was not shy in his attempts to woo Atem, but Atem had been urged by professionals and friends alike to take things with Yuugi very slow. It would have been unfair to Yuugi, who already had to take on the task of piecing his life back together, in addition to the physical and medical stresses of recovering from a brain injury. The last thing Yuugi needed right now was to deal with all of the insecurities and needs that Atem would bring into a relationship. As much as Atem yearned for it, it was selfish to pursue anything more with Yuugi than what they currently had (which, to be honest, kind of resembled a game of tug of war). That was Atem's stance anyways, and he shared this reasoning with Yuugi who wanted to hear nothing of it and made no effort to hide his obvious feelings towards the elder.

The irony, Atem would think to himself. They had spent their entire lives hiding their feelings from one another, and now they were both on display - one openly, the other hesitantly. Whereas Atem found himself tiptoeing around Yuugi and lacing each interaction they had with caution, Yuugi made it very clear that he had no qualms with diving right into things with Atem.

When Yuugi had been in a coma, Atem had sworn, every night, that he would confess his love immediately if the younger were to wake. However, he never actually did, though he was sure Yuugi had some idea of how he felt about it. Atem wanted to; he wanted nothing more than to get down on both knees and say those words, but he realized that it was neither the time nor the place. But Yuugi was perceptive and insistent, and he would push at Atem's walls, trying to find a way in. Even when pit against Yuugi's advances, Atem had held his own, his first priority being Yuugi's mental and physical well-being over indulging in his long-standing fantasies.

Though Yuugi was unsure of the extent of Atem's feelings towards him, Yuugi was very aware of their existence and he knew that, at the bare minimum, Atem was insanely attracted to him. And Yuugi made sure to use that knowledge to his advantage at every opportunity.

"Yuugi," Atem hissed the warning, narrowing his eyes at the man who was crawling towards him on the couch. "Behave."

Yuugi grinned, mirth sparkling in his eyes. "What's wrong, Até?" he teased. "Don't you want me?"

Atem's glare intensified. "Stop that."

"Oh, come on." Yuugi's smile faltered a bit, but his eyes were still as bright as day. "Let me kiss you."

"No." Atem's voice was hard, but he had to look away so that Yuugi didn't see the longing that they both knew was there. "Go get ready for your appointment. You're gonna be late."

"Pfft. Why? The sessions aren't helpful anymore. I haven't remembered anything new in weeks. I'm pretty sure this is it." Yuugi tilted his head. "Besides, I'd much rather stay here and -"

"What? And torture me?" Atem shook his head. "No, you go to your appointment. I will have dinner ready for you when you get back."

"I don't –"

Yuugi swallowed his protest under Atem's stern gaze, but he found comfort in the breaks in the mask Atem wore that allowed Yuugi to see just how much the elder adored him. Those eyes, Yuugi swore, could easily make him agree to just about anything.

"Fine," Yuugi eventually huffed out, pushing himself off the couch. Once standing on both feet, he took a step forward and stood in front of Atem, brushing his fingers through Atem's bangs, then lowering his hand to touch Atem's cheekbones with the tips of his fingers. It was all Atem could do not lean in, especially when Yuugi replaced his fingers with his lips and trailed soft kisses across Atem's cheek.

It took every fiber of Atem's being to pull back and twist away from Yuugi's petal soft lips. The amount of energy he expended to do so left him suddenly looking very tired. "Didn't they tell us don't rush into things?"

Didn't you flash your red eyes at me? Yuugi wanted to retort, for he certainly would not be pursuing Atem so aggressively if the man didn't allow those fleeting glimpses of love and desire to flicker in his eyes. Instead, Yuugi settled for a shrug. "I'm not going to give up, y'know."

"Oh, you've made it crystal clear that you intend to drive me to the edge of insanity until you get your way."

At Atem's words, Yuugi's expression lost some of its playfulness and, for a brief moment, he actually seemed very sad. "I want you so much, Atem. Sometimes, it hurts just how much."

"Oh, Yuugi," Atem whispered, standing up from the couch and pulling Yuugi into a strong hug. "These past few months have been crazy, and you know that. We need to focus on you and your health. Meaning that you can't go skipping medical or therapy appointments." Atem leaned back enough to look down at the man in his arms. "I'm not going anywhere. Once the dust settles, I'll still be here and we can take things from there. Just... be patient, okay?"

Bouncing back from his momentarily display of seriousness, Yuugi rolled his eyes at Atem and smiled. "Yeah, yeah," he said, swatting Atem's shoulder. "I've heard that one before."

With a chuckle, Atem released his hold on the other man and gently shoved him towards his bedroom. "Go get ready, Yuugi. And I swear, if you're not ready to go in ten minutes, I'll come in there and change you myself."

Yuugi paused in the threshold of his bedroom and turned his head to look over his shoulder and wink at Atem. "Don't make me any promises that you're not willing to follow through with, Até."

"Jesus." Atem raised his hands up in the air, accompanied by a small shake of his head. "You are impossible."

Yuugi's laugh was instant and it followed him into his bedroom, leaving a trail of giggles in his wake. It took all of the energy Atem had left not to follow Yuugi inside.