The water laps at his bare feet, the tones of the river muted as if the crystalline waters were being cautious as to not disturb the quiet darkness. Around him is blackness, the sky smattered with stars; he is moving through the expanse of it, silently along the tall reeds.
The path along the narrow shore and reeds is one that is familiar to him. He has visited this place every night since the fateful day that he let his soulmate journey beyond their shared body so that the spirit could fulfill his sad destiny.
He pushes through the reeds until he comes to the other side of the river's bend, and he stops when he sees the lone beam of moonlight that cuts through the darkness, framing the small portion of the inlet that juts out of the opposite bank.
A figure stands there, back turned, and Yuugi feels his heart ache.
Ever since that day that they had to say goodbye to one another, this is what awaits him every sleep: Atem, enveloped in the light, with his back to Yuugi.
There had been nights where Yuugi had attempted to swim to the other side just to be beside his love. But with every desperate try, the river would swell, grow wider, and Atem would suddenly be further and further away until Yuugi would eventually tire himself awake.
He's given up these attempts, for he understands now that he won't be let over to be with Atem until it's time, and so Yuugi resigns himself to sitting on the edge of his shore, content to watch Atem in the distance.
Each night praying that this will be the night that Atem will turn, smile, and welcome his partner with open arms.
The pain barely cuts through his pleasure-fogged mind, and Joey smiles.
Eyes lift upwards towards his lover and revel in the sight that he finds: Seto slouched in his office chair and hair tousled. His dress shirt opened, revealing the hickies that are forming upon arousal-stained skin. The pants and boxers? Long gone.
Blue eyes spark; bottom lip worries between the top teeth, mouth expelling the occasional groan.
It's arousing to see Seto completely unraveled. Considers it a personal achievement, that he is able to make someone so powerful lose his fastidious control.
Again, the hand in Joey's hair tugs insistently. Speaking of control, Joey smiles to himself and allows his impatient lover to reclaim some of what he's lost over the evening's proceedings. With a happy sigh, Joey acquiesces and his head is guided back to the saliva-slicked cock, fully prepared for the fall.
It is quiet on the back porch, and he is probably the lone person awake in this house. The stragglers have gone home, or dragged their drunken selves into one of the many bedrooms of the Kaiba mansion.
The newlyweds were gone to their marriage bed hours ago. He, too, should attempt to sleep, but his nightly anxiety would only keep him awake. So in a small way, he is glad that this task has fallen to him.
"You are going to have one hell of a hangover," Yuugi sighs aloud to his slumbering charge and fellow best man, as he sits up straighter against the couch leg, gaze casting towards the garden.
Mokuba, who is curled on his side against Yuugi's leg, twitches in his sleep, forehead almost smacking the basin Yuugi provided in case Mokuba needed to vomit…again.
Yuugi allows himself a small smile, eyes studying Mokuba's face - no longer a child's, a few weeks past his seventeenth birthday - before the reminder of how much time has passed causes Yuugi's to anxiety flare.
So much has changed. For the good of all, for the happiness of those he loves. He is grateful that everyone's lives are moving forward, even though he knows he is not - will not completely move beyond that time when he let that perfect part of him leave.
Evenings like this are normal: from sunrise until the twilight, Yuugi can feel and act at peace. But it's during the night when he feels the crushing absence most, and it becomes a challenge to hold himself together.
A sharp flash of gold draws his eyes over to the privacy wall of the Kaiba mansion, and Yuugi smiles in relief. He has made it another night.
"Good morning," he says reverently to the sun that is beginning its climb. The sight of the rays warms his soul, dispels the sadness dwelling in Yuugi's heart. Renewing its partner's resolve to live through another day.
"I am sorry," he says, even though they both know that he is not. Yuugi presses a kiss to Seto's forehead, "Thank you for doing this, for being my priest." For reopening the doors for me.
"Take care of them," he breathes, suddenly feeling an urgent beckoning beyond the doors.
"Get going," Seto snaps, but the words hold everything Seto means but cannot say: that he will take care of everyone; that despite his anger, Seto is going to grieve; hates that this is what had to be done to free Yuugi once more from his loneliness.
A nod, and Yuugi turns towards the doors, unable to look back, lest he see his loved ones standing at the perimeter of the ceremonial arena and lose his nerve.
With resolute steps, Yuugi crosses the threshold: into the welcoming embrace of the arms extending from the blinding light.
Meat sizzles on the grill, the knife a staccato on the cutting board. The conversation, once a dull buzzing, grows clear as he becomes alert.
He comes to focus on Joey feeding Mokuba a slice of the apple he's been chopping before their conversation resumes.
It's happy, it's peaceful, it is, Seto realizes, the first time since he became the Kaiba heir that the mansion feels like a home.
Seto allows the content feeling swell and grow before he rolls over and drifts back to sleep.