Author's Note: I feel as I should warn the readers that there is no continuity to these little one shots. I'm just throwing them out there as I get inspired/want to run away from my current project that is giving me grief. And so we come to this, dedicated to the cold walk from the dorm to the dining hall and, as always, I forget a jacket. Also, dedicated to the snow that decided to fall, but not to stick.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I do, however own the plot…what plot there is.


Snowfall

"Smells like snow."

The off hand comment from Yugi earned him a sideways glance from Atemu, the former pharaoh adjusting the strap of his backpack over his left shoulder as he looked at his partner. Yugi just gave him a happy smile before taking another deep breath, taking his hands out of the pockets of his coat. Atemu shivered at the mere thought of exposing any skin to the cold air. His face was cold enough as it was. He swore his nose was about to fall off.

"Of course, it should be a little bit colder for snow."

"Colder?" Atemu watched his breath appear, the white vapor slowly fading into the afternoon. He shivered at the very thought and pulled his jacket more tightly around him, tucking his chin into the black scarf that he had around his neck. He shot a glance at Yugi as the teenager laughed, looping his arm through Atemu's and walking a bit faster.

"Come on, we'll get home and get you warmed up." Atemu began walking faster at the promise, wanting to get out of the cold air as fast as he could. The cold had never really affected him when he had been with Yugi, every sensation feeling filtered by the time it got to him. Cold, back then, had been a little discomfort that was easily brushed off; not this bone chilling feeling that made him want to hide under the covers for the rest of the day.

He looked hopefully down the road, sighing as he realized that they had a good few minutes walk back to the game shop. Usually he would be distracted by Joey, the blonde teen usually hopping all over the sidewalk and Atemu having to struggle to avoid coming in his path. He was constantly reminded of his priests when he walked home, everyone seeming to follow him –although it was really Yugi- as they walked along; although none of his priests would have dared to ruffle his hair.

"Atemu?" The former pharaoh shook himself out of his thoughts, realizing that they had arrived at the game shop and Yugi was holding the door open, staring back at him in confusion. Usually he would be already inside the warmth of the house, but he had zoned out in the cold. He shook his head and gave Yugi a reassuring smile before walking into the game shop, slipping off his shoes as Yugi closed the door behind him.

He had been spacing out a lot recently, but Atemu thought he had an excuse. While not as disorganized as before, he still had a lot of memories to sort through and reconcile himself with. The instances of being hit with a random memory were growing less frequent, which was perfectly fine with him. He had been getting sick of suddenly staring off into space and missing something important when something came back to him, the triggers of the incidents still unknown to him.

Atemu slipped out of his coat, unwinding the scarf from around his neck and draping both over his arm as he waited for Yugi to be ready to head upstairs. The teenager smiled at him. walking over to the counter of the shop and giving his grandfather a kiss before heading upstairs. Solomon and Atemu shared a nod before the former pharaoh followed his partner upstairs.

"Head on up and start on homework, I'll be up with something to warm you up in a minute." Atemu accepted the backpack that was passed to him, beginning the climb up to the room that they shared. He padded down the hallway and shoved the door open with his shoulder, tossing his coat and scarf on the bed before setting their backpacks down by the desk. He then returned to his coat and scarf, hanging them up on the hook behind the door. Backing away, he reached for his backpack, sighing as he unzipped the bag to stare into the inside.

It was amazing his back hadn't given out by now with all the stuff he had to carry around. There were at least three textbooks that were ferried back home daily. Atemu sighed before fumbling for his history book, hoping that he could distract himself with something interesting. He flopped back onto the bed, knowing that Yugi would take the desk for his preferred workplace and opened the book to a random page. He winced as he found himself staring at a picture of the Sphinx before flipping forward in the book. He had never read the chapters on Ancient Egypt, having come in too late in the school year for that, but he did have memories of them from Yugi. The inaccuracy scared him sometimes.

Atemu looked up as the door opened again, Yugi entering with his hands wrapped around two mugs with steam coming from the top. He sat up quickly, smiling at the teenager. Yugi returned the smile before placing one of the mugs on the desk before handing the other to Atemu. "Still cold, mou hitori no boku?"

"Not as much as before." Atemu accepted the mug and wrapped his hands around it, smiling at the scent of hot chocolate. He closed his eyes with a content sigh as the warmth from the drink and the mug warmed up his hands. He could hear Yugi scrambling around in his backpack, the teenager sighing and throwing a book onto his desk, a sure sign that Yugi had chosen to start on his math. Atemu's smile widened, opening his eyes to take a sip of his hot chocolate before moving his history book aside.

He leaned forward to place his hot chocolate on the desk, using the move as an excuse to stand up and look over Yugi's shoulder. Atemu rested his hands on Yugi's shoulders, feeling the teen relax under the touch. "Need help, aibou?"

"No." Yugi shook his head, his pencil beginning to move across the page. "I just hate math."

"But you're good at it."

"Doesn't mean that I have to like it."

"Think about the problems like you are dueling. I promise you, it's more fun then."

Yugi gave him a blank look, raising an eyebrow in an imitation of him. "I doubt I'll be asked to calculate interest rates during a duel. I just can't see it happening."

Atemu laughed before making his way back to the bed and sprawling out on it. He reached for his own math homework, dragging that text book out as Yugi began scribbling on his paper. Atemu began to work on his own homework, working through the problems without really thinking. Although they had different teachers, Atemu and Yugi were usually in the same place in math.

Hours passed as they made their way through their homework, Atemu looking up every once and a while to see Yugi staring at the sky with a hopeful look in his eyes. He shrugged it off as Yugi wishing that it didn't get dark so early. His hikari said that it was kind of depressing to see so little of the sunlight in the winter. Atemu was in the middle of plowing through Hamlet when he caught Yugi doing it again, his own book resting unopened on the desk. Slightly worried, Atemu sat up and got Yugi's attention. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Yugi absently played with his now empty mug, a small smile on his face. "I just have a feeling it will snow."

Atemu raised an eyebrow before going back to his book, scowling as he tried to get back to Hamlet. He couldn't understand why the prince wouldn't do anything. As a noble he should have acted, it was part of his upbringing. His literature class seemed to sympathize with the character while he was constantly baffled by his indecision. If something was ruining your country you acted, you didn't just sit there questioning everything. Of course, his own view on it could be a bit biased. Not that he would ever admit that.

"Anyways, do you want the shower first?"

"Why do we have to take turns?"

He heard Yugi laugh before the teenager's school jacket was thrown at him. "Pervert."

Atemu pulled the jacket from his head, settling back on the bed and watching as his hikari gathered his pajamas before heading out of the room. The former pharaoh waited until his hikari had moved from his sight before he resigned himself to reading through the rest of his assigned pages, soon the only sounds coming from the sound of pages turning and snorts of disgust as Atemu continued on.


The former pharaoh stepped out of the bathroom, absently rubbing a towel over his hair. As it dried, the tri-color strands were beginning to return to their gravity defying state. Atemu leaned back in to throw the towel over the rod on the back of the door before walking back into the room he shared with Yugi, immediately being thrown back to the bed as Yugi tackled him.

Atemu stared down at the hikari that was nuzzling his chest, amused by Yugi's reaction to the pajamas he was wearing. While Yugi had settled for his favorite flannel star patterned pajamas, Atemu was wearing black flannel pajamas, the neckline on his cut low. He wrapped his arms around Yugi, returning the hug as Yugi sighed. "Fluffy and warm."

"Glad I meet your approval."

Yugi giggled and pushed away, sitting cross legged on the bed. Atemu joined his aibou fully on the bed, glancing at the door before sighing. "I'm guessing that this is going to be one of those 'grab what you want' nights."

The teenager nodded. "Mom is in the next city. I hope she gets back before the snow."

"How do you even know it's going to snow, aibou?"

Yugi looked at him. "I told you. It smelled like it."

"How can you smell snow?"

Yugi shrugged. "When you have lived as long as I have-"

Atemu held up a finger to cut him off, smiling. "You cannot use that excuse with me, aibou. I am about three thousand years older than you."

The teenager laughed and hugged Atemu again. "Just trust me. I can smell the snow."

"Alright, aibou." Atemu pulled Yugi off the bed, guiding him towards the door. "But this old man needs feeding, unless you're going to offer an alternative to dinner?"

Yugi gave his shoulder a gentle slap before pulling away, bounding down the hallway; calling back over his shoulder, "Pervert!"


Atemu woke up with a shiver, opening his eyes to see that the covers were still on over him and Yugi was still cuddled up to his chest. He shivered again before pulling Yugi closer, one hand reaching underneath the covers for the extra blanket that he used, pulling it from where it had tangled around his legs and up his body. Atemu glanced up at the clock to see what time it was, the motion turning his gaze to the skylight.

His eyes widened as he saw the white that covered the window. He tensed for a moment before carefully slipping out of bed, wrapping his arms around himself when he realized how cold it was. He tip-toed over to where he could see the skylight more clearly, craning his head up to stare at the covering. Cautiously, he reached up to touch the glass, surprised to find it cold. He pulled his hand back down, blowing on it to dissipate the cold sensation.

Atemu tipped his head to the other side, staring at the white covering, so engrossed in his study that he didn't notice Yugi stirring. He jumped at the excited squeal from the bed, turning to see his aibou bouncing over to where he was standing, jumping on the balls of his feet.

"It snowed, Atemu!"

So this was snow. Atemu tipped his head to the other side, unimpressed by the white substance. It was not what he had expected and it made everything colder, something that Atemu would have rather not happened. All in all, he was not happy about this new development. "I can see that, aibou."

"I'm going to check to see if school has been canceled." Yugi tore off down the hall, Atemu hesitating before walking over to the dresser and slipping on socks. He followed his aibou down into the main level of the house, immediately claiming the blanket that they kept over the back of the couch and curling up in it. He opened it to allow Yugi into his lap, the teenager sighing as he settled back, turning on the television with the remote.

Atemu shifted to a more comfortable position and began to doze, lulled back to sleep with the comfortable warmth of Yugi in his lap. He was jostled from his sleep as Yugi shot to his feet, the teenager managing to smother his shout of joy. Atemu blinked sleepily, looking at the television in time to see Domino High flash across the bottom of the screen before the next school appeared. He looked up at Yugi, amused by the little dance that his hikari was doing. "Aibou?"

"School is out for the day. Three day weekend, Atemu!"

"Good." Atemu yawned, standing up and dropping the blanket from his shoulders. Now he could return to bed and try to warm up. Maybe he would have to borrow a sweatshirt from Yugi to stay warm. "I'm going back to bed."

"No." Yugi grabbed onto his arm, beaming at him. "We're going to play in the snow."

There was a moment of silence, Atemu's eyes widening.

"You can play in it?"


Atemu stared at the white expanse that had once been their front walk, the pristine surface marred at points by Yugi's footprints, left behind as the teenager raced around in the snow. He glanced up at his hikari before going back to his inspection of the snow, prodding it with his foot. It gave under his weight, collapsing and leaving a mark from where he was tried to step into the snow.

He sighed and looked up, surprised to see more of the white stuff falling from the sky. He was just beginning his further contemplation of the sky when something knocked into his side. Atemu jumped and looked down, surprised to see snow sticking to the arm of his coat. He glanced up at Yugi, eyes widening as he saw that his aibou was casually tossing a ball of snow in his hands. "Come on, mou hitori no boku."

"Aibou…" Atemu sighed before venturing into the snow, hearing it crunch under his feet. He wasn't sure if he was a fan of this snow, suddenly yearning for the dry sands of Egypt. There he could at least be warm year round. He jumped as another snowball hit his back, staring awestruck at Yugi as the teenager giggled. And it was impossible to stay angry with Yugi when he was laughing. "Rebellion, is it?"

"What?" The smile disappeared from Yugi's face for a moment, Atemu taking the time to scoop up some snow in his hands, packing it into the shape of a ball. Yugi gave a squeak and tried to run, yelping as Atemu's snowball hit him in the back. And then Atemu was off, chasing after Yugi.

The two traded snowballs, Yugi being able to fashion them faster but his aim was slightly worse. Atemu still stumbled around, not quite used to walking in the snow, but all thoughts of being cold were forgotten.

Atemu finally caught Yugi, pulling him into a hug. The teenager struggled for a moment before going limp in his hold, panting as he tried to regain his breath. The former pharaoh smirked before leaning forward. "Caught you." He watched Yugi trembled as his breath ghosted over the teenager's neck. "Now how should I deal with you?"

"Atemu…" Yugi broke off into giggles as Atemu tickled his side, the former pharaoh letting up as Yugi slumped forward in his hold.

"Address me properly."

Yugi tensed, looking at Atemu out of the corner of his eye. "My Pharaoh…"

"Better." Atemu kissed Yugi's neck, enjoying the shiver that passed through the teen before pulling away. "Cold, aibou?"

Yugi gave a nod, allowing Atemu to nearly carry him back into the shop, where they stripped out of their wet coats, hanging them up to dry in a corner. Yugi was the first up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time as he raced to living room, Atemu following at a more sedate pace.

He still didn't like snow, but he could put up with it. Especially if it caused that reaction in Yugi. He licked his lips unconsciously, a smile crossing his face as he climbed the stairs into the living room. He went after his aibou, waving to Solomon as the elderly man walked out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee. Atemu glanced at the clock before raising an eyebrow. "Opening the shop late?"

Solomon laughed. "The kids want to play in the snow before the make their way down here, if any do at all."

"I'm sure they will."

"We'll play Duel Monsters down there in a minute…or better yet out in the snow!"

Solomon laughed at the expression on Atemu's face. "Is the snow a bit much for you?"

Atemu shrugged. "Not as bad as I originally thought."

Yugi appeared with their Duel Disks, bouncing excitedly. "Come on, mou hitori no boku!"

Atemu rolled his eyes before following Yugi back downstairs to retrieve his coat. He slipped his Duel Disk on over his coat, absently reaching for the deck that he kept with him at all times, a throwback to their days of peril and adventure. Yugi was already waiting for him outside, talking to some of the kids that had started to gather. Atemu smiled and slotted his deck into place, stepping outside before he activated the Duel Disk, seeing Yugi do the same.

Yes, the snow wasn't as bad as he originally thought. And maybe he could learn to like it.

But that didn't mean he appreciated the cold it brought with it.


Read and review please. Constructive criticism, as always, is greatly appreciated.