Everything has been so confused. Yugi is still stuck between giddy happiness and numb disbelief. It's been a few hours now and he still can't believe that Atem is standing there next to him. He's sure the only way he's been able to function at all is that his subconscious has decided that everything is just like it used to be - of course Atem is here, Atem has always been here.
But Yugi knows it's not the same. That's very obvious, because at some point Atem grabbed his hand and still hasn't let go. Yugi hardly noticed it at the time, and is it really all that surprising considering that Atem, Atem's soul was always touching him not so long ago? When he did suddenly understand what that hand in his was and what it really meant, he'd felt hot and cold all over.
Atem is here. He is flesh.
It's too much.
Everything had happened so fast. A shocked silence, then so much noise at once. Yugi is sure he cried, though he doesn't remember realizing it. Everyone was so happy to see him, their friend they'd thought was gone forever. Joey had actually picked him up off the ground in a hug. Atem never released Yugi's hand for a moment, and it felt so natural that when they'd gotten back to the shop he never even thought that it might look funny and they should let go. He honestly hadn't thought about it at all.
Grandpa just gave them both the biggest grin, stopping Yugi every time he tried to explain to the best of his ability why there was a golden skinned version of himself standing at his side. Yugi always had suspicions that his grandfather knew about the Pharaoh, that he'd been able to tell them apart when they switched places, but that was still leaps and bounds away from the physical person next to him.
"It's so good to see you smile again, Yugi," was all he'd said, waving them upstairs. "I'm sure you had a tiring day. Go and get some rest!"
Now they stand silently - though not awkwardly, as there has never been awkwardness between them - in Yugi's bedroom. The bedroom they already shared for two years.
"Yugi," Atem says quietly, and when Yugi looks at him he sees a vulnerability he's not sure he's seen in the Pharaoh before. Felt, maybe; in those moments where Atem believed he'd failed and put his partner in danger. Looking into his eyes, those eyes that are somehow both those of a teenage boy and an ageless spirit, and seeing it there laid out before him is so different.
"I'm here," Yugi says, but he's almost unsure that he is and he knows he sounds it. This must be a dream. Atem's hand is still in his, slightly sweaty just like anyone else's would be but clinging with a determination that's a little more than average. Yugi is sure he's in shock, he thinks it and even the thought feels numb. This is who he's thought of every night. This is his Yami. Here, and real.
"Aibou," Atem says, his voice husky with emotion, and that's what makes Yugi lose it. Every half-there touch, every moment of comforting companionship, every little endearment comes together in a single point of blinding light; as blinding as the light pouring from the door was the last time Yugi saw him.
Atem's breath is on his cheek. When did they get so close? Everything that's remained unspoken for years hangs between them.
Yugi can't take it. He claims Atem's lips, not even stopping to think about it. His subconscious tells him it's ok, it feels so natural, does it ever. Has Yugi ever even thought about these feelings in terms of kisses? What he'd felt for Atem had never required thinking about. It was always something he'd understood. He'd taken it as it was, and there is no reason to stop doing that now. Those warm lips are on his and they're Atem's lips, and those are Atem's arms wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him so close their noses mash together. That doesn't even slow them down. Yugi can't keep his hands still. They want to touch everything they couldn't touch before, feel every rib and muscle, trace every scar, dip fingertips into his belly button and grab his ass.
There's a gentle thud as Atem's shoulders bump up against the wall. Yugi doesn't stop. There's an almost delicate gasp against his lips, and that alone makes him harder than he ever would have thought possible. Atem's hand is twisted up desperately in his hair, and Yugi can feel it trembling. There's no question at all that the other boy wants this, even needs it. In the back of his mind, though, Yugi knows that he's probably already overwhelmed by coming back and seeing everyone again and touching everything. He should wait. He should back off.
He can't. Atem has a smell for fucks sake, what was once an insubstantial spirit smells like warm skin. Their teeth crash together. Yugi has to stop to breathe, only remembering he has to at all when his lungs start to burn. He pulls away enough to catch his breath, though considering Atem's arms still around his neck he doesn't get far at all. He doesn't want to anyways. Their bodies are so close that he dizzily thinks anyone watching might think they're trying to become one again.
Tips of their noses brushing, Yugi looks at Atem again, really looks, takes in every pore on his face. The Pharaoh's cheeks are flushed dark, his pupils blown and his eyes wild. He's always been so stoic, so composed even in his lowest moments that it's easy to forget how young he really is. Yugi wants to ask if he's okay, but unsurprisingly he doesn't have to.
"My heart is racing," Atem says breathlessly, and it's more than obvious he'd completely forgotten what that felt like. He does not ask what Yugi is doing, not even with his gaze, and both of his hands cling to the back of his partner's shirt as though he thinks someone will try to tear him away.
He probably does. It's a feeling Yugi can't shake either. He mindlessly brings one of his hands up to rest gently on Atem's cheek as if to confirm once again that it is solid. His thumb wipes away the string of drool on the corner of the Pharaoh's mouth that he apparently hasn't noticed. Who cares which one of them that belongs to. Yugi feels a laugh bubbling up inside him from just how much that doesn't matter.
Atem slowly leans in for an almost hesitant kiss, his lips brushing chastely against Yugi's. It's so soft, so gentle, so utterly loving; and it only stokes Yugi's fire back up to a raging inferno. He throws his weight against Atem, making his shoulders thud on the wall again, and their teeth click as the kiss suddenly deepens. Yugi has no idea how he's never considered the two of them kissing before; pushing his tongue into Atem's mouth and tasting him satisfies something he had no idea he needed satisfied.
Atem, though a little less forwards, is giving as good as he gets. He kisses like he does everything else, passionately and with great confidence. He's naturally trying to take the lead and probably doesn't even know it. Yugi just rolls with him, not caring at all if Atem is an obviously inexperienced kisser or really about anything at all other than the fact that this is Atem. It hardly occurs to him that the kiss is sloppy, all he cares about is that their mouths keep touching.
He's so hard, and he can't even be embarrassed. There really is no awkwardness between them - even when they'd maybe not so subtly watched each other masturbate. Now, having an erection feels natural, and if the thought that Atem will notice it does occur to him, he couldn't care less. In fact, he presses even more flush, and he can feel the hot ridge of the Pharaoh's cock as well. It makes his breath leave him in a rush, especially when those slim hips twitch needily against his own. It occurs to him that this is dangerous. It's dangerous because he can't stop. He's pretty sure that Atem wouldn't be able to either. They both want this, need it too badly. Atem's hands run down his back, not feather-light and gentle but with firm determination, like he needs to memorize and possess every inch. His hands pause a moment on the waistband of Yugi's pants, resting just above the curve of his ass. It's a hesitation before the plunge, as suddenly he's gripping with both hands and pressing Yugi's hips against him so tightly that Yugi can feel the button of his other self's pants bite into his stomach. That is far from the sensation he's focused on. His hips buck helplessly when he feels that heat again, and he hears a tiny whine so unexpected that it takes him a good few moments to accept that Atem did actually make it.
Yugi wants to hear more. That stern and mature voice losing control is something he never knew he needed so much. The fact that it's for him is making him dizzy. His lips are starting to feel tender and bruised from the desperate force of their kissing. It doesn't matter. He knows dimly that they need to move, they can't just stay against this wall, but it's almost impossible to think of anything that would move him even a hair away from Atem, anything that would stop their kiss or those delicious bursts of friction.
Then it occurs to him that he could see Atem naked. The thought of that expanse of tan skin, of seeing that flushed and strangely vulnerable expression on the Pharaoh while he laid back on the bed...
He slides his hands around to tug on the front of Atem's shirt. "Let's move," he mumbles, and when he says it, it barely seems like he's the one talking. Atem just responds with a soft sound of offense, presumably from breaking one of their points of contact.
Yugi tugs his shirt again, somehow managing to take a step back. Looking into Atem's eyes once more almost makes him abandon the plan to get them the few steps to the bed. Instead of his usual lack of emotion, the Pharaoh gazes at him with naked want, something either too strong to control or that he doesn't care to. Yugi has to consciously stop himself from slamming Atem back against the wall. He stares straight into something that is never exposed, maybe never has been. No one else would understand, even if they were there to look, but Yugi sees much more. He sees Atem's flaws where others only see a cold being of justice and morality. He sees the pride, and the greed; hints of the brash entitlement brought on by being groomed to a child King. To him, Atem has always been a person - not simply a powerful spirit.
Instead of throwing himself back at the Pharaoh, Yugi strips off his shirt. It both breaks the spell between them and shows very clearly his intention. Atem's face splits into a grin, his hands sliding up to greedily touch what has just been laid bare. His unguarded joy is one of the most flattering things Yugi can imagine. Atem wants him. Him. Even though they no longer share a mind, Yugi somehow knows that Atem is just as overwhelmed as he is that it is the two of them doing this.
"You're beautiful," it's a breathless and husky whisper, and though Yugi thinks that a lot of guys wouldn't want to be called beautiful, when it comes from the Pharaoh's mouth there's something so poetic and fitting about it. It's the ultimate flattery and not feminine or strange in the least.
"You've seen me naked," Yugi can't help but smile, not in the least abashed.
"Yes." That's all he says, offering no more explanation.
Even while speaking, they haven't moved apart. Each of them holds the other firmly with both hands. Yugi takes another step back, Atem automatically coming with him. It's only a moment until the backs of Yugi's knees hit the bed, and as soon as they do he throws his weight back. Atem is hardly bigger than him, so they both fall in a warm tangle. The shift makes them frantic again, Atem's face ending up nestled in Yugi's neck. He presses chaste kisses almost feverishly over any exposed skin he can reach. Yugi isn't complaining, but it does occur to him that Atem probably has very little experience with so much as watching porn. This is just his unadulterated expression of love; he has no clue that he can slow down and be sexy about it and bite and lick or even be more open-mouthed and soft with his kisses.
That very fact honestly makes it hot. Atem doesn't care if he doesn't know what he's doing, for once. He just wants to touch.
Yugi wants his mouth again, so he grabs his chin and pulls him back up. The hot breath on his cheek just reminds him that Atem is here, and alive. Alive. He can feel his heart fluttering at the very thought. The eagerness of their kiss reminds him how good that friction had felt, and he moves his insistent hands down to grab at Atem's belt. As soon as he manages to slam them together the game changes yet again. The Pharaoh not only takes to the idea immediately, but his breath starts coming in desperate pants that make Yugi so hard he can barely help but roll his hips up to meet Atem's grinding.
"Yugi," this time it's hardly a breath against his lips, but he hears it, and opens his eyes to see Atem with the most incredibly baffled expression on his face.
"Is something wrong?" Yugi is breathing heavily too, and notices that Atem has a hand to his own chest. The confused look slowly becomes a confused smile.
"My heart is pounding."
Yugi can't help a giddy laugh, but then a wave of anxiety clutches at his chest. "Is... This something we should really do?" He can still feel Atem's cock against his thigh, and whatever part of his brain that controls his own is screaming that he doesn't care if he should do it or not.
The Pharaoh gives him a hard, raw look. As uncharacteristic as many of his expressions have been thus far, this one is anything but. This is determined. When he speaks, his voice is as commanding as Yugi's ever heard it, in the dueling ring or out. "Aibou, do not stop."
That is more than Yugi needs. He thrusts against Atem with a groan of relief at the spike of pleasure in his gut, then squirms until he can wrap his legs around those slim hips. Atem has lost all sense of rhythm, and buries his face in his partner's neck to let out a totally unashamed moan of his own.
"Yes, yes," Yugi whispers, all but clawing at him; knowing almost instinctively that he's reaching the edge. They're both moving so much that Yugi is actually sliding back on the bed. He can actually feel his own drool on his cheek, but wiping it away is the last thing on his mind right now. He rolls his hips up almost roughly; and upon realizing how close Atem's ear is to his mouth, sucks and licks sloppily at the lobe. He is more than invested in the idea of making the Pharaoh cum. Every fibre of his being is devoted to it.
When Atem stiffens in his arms, his breath choking off into a sharp "Hh," Yugi doesn't stop moving, grinding up against him to get him through it. As he relaxes he goes limp, but he hardly waits a moment to fumble his way down to Yugi's crotch. The first squeeze is hesitant, but clearly the whine he earns is enough to show him he's doing the right thing. He rubs with his palm and kneads with his fingers with all of the eagerness he'd had when he kissed at Yugi's collarbones.
Yugi throws his head back, not in the least afraid to let Atem see what he's doing to him. He's probably drooling again. All he knows is that he wants more. Then Atem rubs just the right spot and he feels his legs start to tremble. "Yami," he whines, the old name slipping out in a crashing wave of pleasure. He curls his toes, his hips bucking up helplessly one last time. He can hear Atem's deep voice speaking softly in his ear, but whatever endearments there are he is not capable of understanding right now. He lets out a sharp cry as everything peaks, his dick twitching in the confines of his pants. Atem's insistent rubbing only becomes firmer; and it seems like his orgasm goes on longer than any he's had before.
When he comes back to himself, exhausted and boneless and definitely very droolly, it's to see Atem propped up on his elbows and gazing at him with a sleepy look that borders on reverence. Yugi feels another swoop of dizziness. As intimately as he knows Atem, even as deeply as he knows they both need each other, to have the Pharaoh look at him that way...
The moment is a little ruined when he comes to full awareness of the sticky and rapidly cooling mess in his pants. God, he can't believe they didn't even manage to get their pants off. Atem is actually still fully clothed!
"We're kind of a mess," Yugi says sheepishly, wrinkling his nose. He struggles to push himself up a little. There's a lot he could say - about how happy he is, about how much he loves his other self, about how incredible what they'd just done had been. He looks at Atem and knows there's no need at all to say a word of it. Two heads can clearly still be one understanding. He just grins and bubbles up with joyful laughter, throwing his arms around Atem's neck.
For the first time in nearly a year, things are good. In fact, Yugi's not sure if they've ever been so good, for him or his partner.