"Pass the soy sauce, Atem-kun?"

"Aa." Atem handed the bottle to Sugoroku, twisting his wrist to catch his coffee mug when he nearly knocked it over in the pass.

Never looking up.

He kept his eyes glued to the notebook set out between his and Yuugi's plate, considering… then grinned, drawing a blue line between two of the many dots on the page.

"Hmrmmm…"

"Something wrong, aibou? Did that move bother you?"

"Don't tease."

"Will you two not bring games to the table?"

Atem swallowed back the comeback on his tongue and looked up, his partner doing the same as they focused on Yui, frowning from her side of the table. "You have to go in ten minutes, Yuugi-kun. And if you're planning to walk with him, Atem-kun, you need to eat, too. I won't be able to keep your breakfast warm while you're gone."

"I'm nearly done," Atem assured, giving an easy smile where his partner offered only a sleepy blink.

"Yeah, me too. And we can stop at anytime. I'll just keep this round of Dots and Boxes in my notebook and we'll finish it later."

"That's not the problem, Yuugi-kun… and you did get a sunburn, didn't you?"

"It's fiiiine…"

Atem grinned back a snort at the yawned dismissal, returning to his rice and soup– and pretending not to notice Yuugi still eyeing their game.

Before his mother could prod him to eat again, there was a shrill telephone ring from the other room, prompting Yui to stand before the rest could even look up.

"I'll get it. You boys keep eating."

"Yes," Yuugi called, turning back to the notebook… sipping his tea as he stared.

"You know," Sugoroku started, and Atem turned his head to see the older man staring at the notebook himself, craning his neck to get a proper look. "That free space on the far right edge looks like a good move."

"Shush, Jii-chan."

"Yes," Atem agreed, narrowing his eyes at Sugoroku with a faint smile. "Why are you helping him?"

Sugoroku's smirk was downright impish, even as he put on a perfectly altruistic tone. "It looked like Yuugi needed the help more."

"Shush, Jii-chan."

The two laughed while Yuugi made a different move, drawing a green line near the bottom of the page.

"Atem-kun."

Atem paused, coffee at his lips, and turned to the door.

Yui was back in the doorway. "The phone call is for you. I left it off the hook."

…His expression blanked out.

He ticked a look at his partner, but Yuugi's expression was empty, too.

Aibou.

"…Did they say who they were?"

"No. Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Yui's prod was gentle, but Atem still fought back a sigh as he put down his coffee… only for a frown to strike his face.

He?

"Hey, Atem!"

Atem stared blindly at the wallpaper as he registered the voice, surprise giving way to recognition. "Mokuba?"

"Yeah! Sorry it took me so long to get back to you."

"Get back to me?"

"Yeah! …What? Did you forget about your bet with Nii-san?"

…Right, Atem thought, the curiosity in his mind deflating down to simple understanding. His passport. "Of course not. Should I be expecting it soon?"

"Not exactly. We're going to need a few signatures to finish up the work. If we forge that part, it could come back to bite us later. And we could just fax or mail the forms to you, but it'll go a lot smoother if you just come down and take care of it here."

Here? Atem looked at the receiver, as though Mokuba could see he surprise, then put the phone back to his ear. "You're in Domino?"

"Yeah! We had a couple of business meetings in town that we couldn't make work over the phone, so I flew back for the day, and I thought, since I'm here… So! Are you free?"

"…What time should I come by?"

"Ah, damn ink– Kushirigi-san! When is that new printer going to be here?!"

"By noon tomorrow, Mokuba-sama."

"Good. Make sure it's set up before Nii-san and I get back from the States. That includes any startup sequences."

"Of course."

"Thanks. You all right there, um… Atem?"

"Of course," Atem echoed, smirking as he looked up from the television. "I'm fine, Mokuba. Take whatever time you need. No need to hurry."

"Don't say that! You'll jinx us."

Atem chuckled, but didn't reply. Just watched as Mokuba went back to fussing with the office computer, calling out more questions and instructions to the assistant he had on speaker phone… but whatever was making the printer spit out forms half-drenched in ink, it didn't seem like a quick fix, so Atem went back to what he'd been doing since he arrived: pretending to enjoy the television and tea he'd been offered, while in reality side-eyeing the office around him.

It was exactly what he'd imagine Kaiba Seto's office would be.

Huge, pristine, white, decked out with a television and couch – both bigger than anything Atem had ever seen outside of a store – and covered in plants and furnishings and little conveniences and decorations that were each probably worth as much as the Mutou family shop, property and merchandise included.

And it all would have been easy to ignore had Kaiba been there, filling up the space and making himself a natural focal point among the decor. But it was the younger Kaiba brother there, not Seto. And while Atem would not let any awkwardness show in front of the boy, he felt no need to put on airs, either, leaving him quiet and noncommittal as he waited for Mokuba to produce what he was there to sign.

He eyed the muted news channel until Mokuba turned off the phone and focused on him, drawing Atem's attention back to him. "Sorry about this. I've already told Kushirigi to print off copies and bring them up as soon as he can. Hopefully you'll be long gone before he can make it up to here – he's down on the second floor – but it'll keep us from running into a wall over and over."

"It's honestly fine. I don't have work this afternoon, and aibou isn't off school for another couple hours."

"Right. Huh… you really…"

Atem quirked a brow as Mokuba frowned at him, hands still at the keyboard. "Yes?"

…Mokuba just shook his head, turning his faintly baffled eyes on the computer. "Nothing. Sorry. When did you get the glasses?"

Atem's stare didn't so much as twitch. "About a week ago."

"Huh. Well, it shouldn't be a problem. Just remember to take them off for the photos. We can take those in here as soon as you're done signing."

"That's good."

The printer screeched and spit out papers, and Mokuba gave a triumphant whoop! when he saw the results. "Finally! There are still some splotches, but these should be accepted without any problems. Here." He flipped through the pages, grouping and laying them out as Atem stood and wandered over to the desk, setting his tea down on a coaster embossed with an image of his rival's favorite dragon. "This is for the actual passport booklet, and this one is for your health insurance card… We've already got the birth certificate, inkan card, and emancipation papers worked out, but I printed copies of the forms Nii-san sent in for you, in case you need them: We still need to get them 'approved' by the government, but the identification numbers may come in handy. Is there anything else we might have missed?"

"No," Atem answered, looking over the already-typed-in forms with surreal wonder and half-comprehension. "This should be everything… I didn't expect insurance coverage. Thank you."

"No problem. It really wasn't as much work as you'd think," Mokuba boasted, grinning as though government-level identity fraud didn't even count as a challenge in his book. "Nii-san handled the initial writeups, but he left the government contacts and formalization to me. I got through it pretty quickly once I finished my latest project and had a little free time."

"Impressive," Atem smirked, picking up the forms to inspect them. "I take it Kaiba's still busy back in the States?"

"Yeah, sort of. He probably could have handled today's meetings over the phone, but honestly?" Mokuba grinned, sitting back in his big brother's chair with his arms crossed. "I think he's just afraid that, if he sees your face, he'll give into the impulse to challenge you. And he's still running simulations from your last duel."

Atem snorted, flipping through multiple pages of legalese. "Does he really think a computer can show him the way to beat me?"

"Hey, it's worked well for him so far."

"I would disagree," Atem breezed, smirking up at Mokuba. "A simulation can never mimic the way a real person plays. It may have the same cards, and know the odds and the optimal way to play them, but it can never capture the soul of how someone plays– me, or anyone else."

…

For a breath, Atem wondered if he'd made Mokuba angry. He was just staring at him, frowning in that same odd way as earlier.

But before Atem could steel himself too much against showing his doubt, Mokuba shook his head, expression relaxing. "It's weird."

"…What is?"

"Nothing. It's just– you're different."

Atem blinked… frowning as he lowered the papers. "In what sense?"

"…I don't know," Mokuba huffed, the chair creaking as he leaned back farther, still glowering at him. "It's just– even when I saw you back at the shop before, with the apron and the dust and everything," Atem twitched, tensing his face against a flinch. "I didn't notice it then, but now? You're just… different." And Mokuba tilted his head, narrowing his eyes like it would all make sense if he looked at Atem the right way. "You're even talking the same way, but you… maybe it's just that I've never talked to you much, outside of games or trouble, but you aren't as loud as before…" He straightened his head, looking Atem up and down as well as he could from behind the desk. "Or stiff."

Atem's brow wrinkled, his mouth went flat, but otherwise, he didn't speak.

He honestly didn't know what Mokuba was talking about.

And Mokuba rolled his eyes. "Well yeah, that's closer to what I remember," he drawled, snorting when Atem glowered harder. Mokuba just ignored him, looking back at the computer to type something. "Whatever, just ignore me. I know we're not done yet, but this should be the last step you'll need to be involved with. The paperwork and passports should be here well before the day of your flight… when was it again?"

"The twenty-fourth."

"Right. More than enough time."

More than enough time…

Atem didn't answer, turning back to the forms. "Where do I sign?"

"Oh, just on the bottom there, and towards the middle on the next page. Here, I have a pen– wait a second, how did you let me forget this?!" Atem looked up to see Mokuba opening a drawer and pulling out a small box of bright red cloth and gold metal fixings, a smirk on his face as he pushed it across the desk. "You won't get far without this! Although, to be clear, you can't use it outside of this office until you've got your inkan card. Well, can't legally, anyways."

Mokuba seemed faintly amused by the whole thing, but Atem was too mesmerized by the little ornate box to comment, opening it up to reveal a red ink pad and a black wooden hand stamp.

An hanko.

His seal.

His own, personal seal.

Even his partner didn't have a seal. Likely wouldn't until he was twenty and of age. The only one he– and Atem had ever touched was the family seal used to confirm package deliveries in the game shop. And that wasn't his.

It made perfect sense that Atem would need one, though. He couldn't sign any crucial documents without an hanko.

But…

Atem lifted the seal out of the box, turning it upside down to stare at the pristine, never used stamp on the bottom, the embossed characters perfectly clear even when read backwards.

The familiar kanji paired with katakana Atem had… never stopped to consider.

武藤 アテム

Mutou Atemu.

His name.

"Hey… uh, Atem? Are you okay?"

Atem… forced himself to swallow, struggling to fill his lungs with air, his skin feeling– clammy. "Where should I sign again?"

"Uh… here."

Mokuba didn't press. He just stared as Atem pretended not to notice, signing and stamping where indicated, looking down at his name again, emblazoned on the paper in the stark red ink… then he packed the seal away, leaving an awkward silence as Mokuba collected the forms.

"Thanks. I'll– get these sent over as soon as possible. After we take your picture, I'll hand it all on to Kushirigi."

"Thank you, Mokuba." Atem nodded, eyes on the desk… his attention eventually catching on the paperwork that remained. He picked it up, scanning the emancipation form before focusing on– "This is my birth certificate?"

"A copy, yeah. We need the real one stamped by officials still. But feel free to use that if you end up at the hospital or something– the same with the health insurance card. There might be some hiccups, but the billing should go through once we're done on our end."

"Could we use that retroactively to cover my glasses? The Mutous paid for them without any coverage."

"That should be easy enough. I might have to tweak some dates so we can claim you had coverage a while back, but–"

Atem smiled, pleasantly distracted by the thought of lightening the burden he had placed on his family… but the pleasure was short-lived, quickly replaced by shock as he stared at his birth certificate. The name and locations and even the relatives Sugoroku had invented were all familiar enough, but–

"Mokuba?"

"Yeah?"

"I have a birthday on here."

"Well, yeah. It wouldn't be very convincing without a birth date, would it? And you didn't give us one, so Nii-san just picked it."

Atem looked up, face blank. "It's July 7th."

Mokuba wasn't surprised at all. He just beamed, puffing up with pride. "That's right! The same as me."

"…"

"That's why I'm flying back early tomorrow. Nii-san's surprising me with a Capsule Monster feature at our amusement park– though he thinks I don't know about it yet, so don't tell anyone."

"…"

Mokuba smirked. " Happy birthday."

Atem blinked.

"Tomorrow?!" Yuugi snapped out, his cry all impulse and hitting him in the middle of a mouthful of rice, making him struggle to swallow.

Atem pat him on the back until he stopped coughing. "That's right. Kaiba handled that part of the work, and gave me the same birthday as Mokuba. And it is tomorrow, yes."

"What the devil prompted him to do that?" Yui scoffed, watching her son regain his breath before claiming his teacup and refilling it for him.

Yuugi shot her a weak, grateful grin as she handed it back, taking a quick, flinching sip of the hot liquid before facing Atem as he answered. "I'm not sure. Mokuba said it was probably just the first date that occurred to him."

Yuugi blinked, considering the idea. "That's… kind of sweet."

"Mhm."

"Still." They both turned to his grandfather, watching Sugoroku chew a bite of chicken before smiling at them. "It's your birthday, hmm? And what about the year? I know they'd want to dodge any guardianship issues, but did they really say you're an adult? Or already are? You're quite mature, Atem-kun, but the idea that anyone would mistake you for twenty–"

Yuugi snorted, pinching back a grin that only got wider when Atem side-eyed him, smirking before turning back to Sugoroku. "No, they worked out emancipation papers for me, so there isn't any need to pretend I'm older. I didn't understand most of it, but it's the same method Kaiba used for himself, and to claim guardianship of Mokuba. They just gave me the same birth year as aibou. 1980."

Sugoroku gave a quiet aaa of understanding as Yuugi shook his head, turning back to his rice– only to freeze with his chopsticks in hand and stare at Atem, because– "Wait… if you're just turning eighteen, doesn't that make me older than you?"

The look Atem shot him was thoughtful, but it grew quickly wry when he noticed the astonished and rather pleased look on Yuugi's face.

He raised a brow, eyes asking, Really?

Yuugi snickered, putting down his chopsticks with a grin. "You know what this means, right?"

"Do I?"

"Of course!" Yuugi pushed lightly on Atem's shoulder, shaking a smile loose. "If Kaiba-kun and Mokuba-kun have gone and given you a birthday, then we should do something tomorrow!"

"But it's not my birthday."

"It could be, you don't know! And either way, it's a birthday, so we should celebrate! Right, Jii-chan?"

He turned hopefully to his grandfather, and saw, even if the man was a breath away from a laugh, he was smiling, and when they locked eyes, he nodded. Yuugi beamed through the support, turned to his mother… and deflated.

His mother was frowning. "You just finished telling us you have a big reading assignment for Wednesday, Yuugi-kun. And another Friday."

"Mama…"

"And your finals are almost here, and you aren't nearly prepared enough for them, are you?"

Yuugi skirted a look at Atem, his gut flipping when he saw the easy, but far too sober look on his boyfriend's face. "But–"

"Atem-kun," his mother interrupted, ignoring Yuugi's protests to focus on Atem. "I will be more than happy to celebrate your birthday. But, if you have something of my son's memories, then I assume that you know how we handle weekday birthdays in this family?"

…Oh.

Yuugi relaxed a little at that reminder, and turned to look properly at Atem, watching the same understanding blink through his eyes before he nodded. "We move it to the weekend."

"That's right." There was a clear satisfaction in his mother's voice, and Yuugi heard her bowl move, probably refilling her rice. "We can close the shop for a long lunch this Saturday, and when Yuugi comes home, we will have a party. You can invite along your friends, can't you, Yuugi-kun?"

Yuugi jerked around to face her, shocked. A real, proper party? He'd just expected a dinner at a restaurant, maybe some presents and their friends, but a party? …He smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Good, then it's settled," she decided, pouring some soy sauce on her rice without looking up.

And the finality in her voice did bring an end to the discussion, silence reigning until his grandfather asked his mom whether she saw the story in the news about the local park.

Yuugi didn't listen to her reply, glancing at Atem. He was lost in thought, staring at his food with a faintly thrown expression, and Yuugi grinned to see it. He must be even more baffled by the thought of a party than Yuugi was.

…But still, it wouldn't be on his birthday.

Yuugi breathed out frustration, frowning down at his food as he thought about it. Studying on Atem's birthday… even if they hadn't known about it until just then, even if it was just a random day – Mokuba excluded – Yuugi still wanted to do something about it.

He should do something about it.

…So, he would.

Atem jolted awake at a loud screech, shooting up to his elbows to blink in the dark, nerves prompting him to find his feet and stop that–

The alarm stopped.

He stalled, confused and still half-awake as he fell back to sit on the futon, looking up to try and understand…

It was still dark outside. It had to be well before sunrise.

So, why did the alarm go off?

Soft shuffling and a sharp light interrupted any theories before they could form, Atem grimacing against the glare of the desk lamp, straining his eyes to see–

His partner, smiling.

Yuugi was sitting up in bed, hand still at the lamp as he looked down at him. "Sorry," he whispered, voice abashed and quiet. "That was kind of loud, wasn't it?"

Atem blinked at him.

"I'm kinda surprised, though." Yuugi went on, sliding away from the lamp and out from under the covers to stand at his desk, opening a drawer. "I didn't expect you to jump. You're always so quick about turning it off in the morning."

"That's when it actually is morning," Atem whispered, voice just as soft as Yuugi's as he eyed his partner's back, watching him shuffle with things he could not see. "Why are you up so early?"

"I needed time." Yuugi found whatever he was looking for and shut the drawer, turning around to plop down at the foot of the futon, a good couple of feet from where Atem sat. Atem met his suddenly eye-level company with a silent, curious stare, but Yuugi just smiled. "I hope you don't mind," he said, turning his grin down at the space between them, freeing Atem to openly scrutinize the emotions crossing his face. Excitement. Hope. Uncertainty… "I know it's really early, but I have to go to school in a while, and I wanted to give us enough time–"

"It's fine." Yuugi blinked up at the interruption, and the smile Atem offered him wiped away any sign of the wariness from his partner's face. "What did you want to do?"

Yuugi just… kept grinning for a while, staring at him… then finally, he sucked in a breath, and lifted the hand he'd kept tucked behind his leg, revealing what he took from that drawer.

His deck.

"I want to duel you."

Atem stared at the cards in Yuugi's hand… brain slow to catch up to the shock in his bones and the rapid fire of his heart, pumping adrenaline and wonder and elation through his veins until he felt hot and a smile burst across his face, gaze flying back to his partner's to check–

Yuugi was beaming, his excitement front and center for all – only him – to see.

The joy flew between their eyes, building until it exploded and Yuugi focused back on his cards, shuffling them in little fits and starts. "I know I kept you waiting forever, trying to get it right, but I was just grappling between choices and when you had your bath last night I made myself just decide because I wanted to at least do something special today, even if you have work and I'm studying after school and we won't have time later, and I thought this would be our best chance, and I wanted to do this anyway and as long as you're ready, I don't want you to not have a chance to–"

"Yes," Atem finally managed, and all shuffling ceased at a word, unable to restart when Atem grabbed Yuugi's hand, squeezing it until his partner met his eye and smile and the delight Atem could only hope shone through. "I would love to duel you, aibou."

Yuugi relaxed, the gratitude Atem himself felt clear in his gaze as they looked at each other, euphoria flying both ways and landing in warm static shock.

Atem broke their gaze to glance at the Duel Disk resting on the bookshelf… before looking back at his partner. "Here?"

"We only have the one," Yuugi pointed out, an oversight Atem had no time to lament when Yuugi squeezed his hand and leaned forward, his grin and quiet words almost conspiratorial. "But we don't need it, right?"

Atem smiled back, nerves crackling and burnt by his partner's expression and proximity. "No." They didn't need any visuals or sound effects or displays, or even more light than they already had, there in that dim room. They knew their cards, and they were facing each other. That was all they needed.

Atem let go and got to his feet, sliding around Yuugi's form to reach the desk, and the gold upon it. He pushed aside the Puzzle, glinting in the near-dawn light, and opened the box that had once held it, plucking out the deck of cards that rested within.

He held it up as he turned, looking down at Yuugi. "Are you ready, aibou?"

His partner beamed as Atem slid around him to retake his seat. "Ready and waiting."

Atem offered Yuugi one last warm smile, then traded it in for a smirk. "Then let's do this."

He cut his deck once, then offered it to Yuugi for the shuffle.

"I play Thousand Knives, destroying your Marshmallon."

"Guh–"

"Archfiend of Gilfer attacks and destroys your facedown monster– ah, so it was Blockman. Were you planning to use the Marshmallon Glasses I blocked to buy time to flip it and accumulate tokens, aibou? To summon Gandora?"

"Heh, that obvious?"

"No, just a smart enough move that I could see you doing it."

Yuugi grinned, not replying, Atem mirroring the look right back, pride warm in his chest. It wasn't the first wise combo his partner attempted, after all– but it did look like it would be the last.

Perhaps.

Atem eyed the one last facedown card on his partner's side, wondering… but he had no way to destroy it.

So he had to chance it.

He wanted to see–

"Sorry, aibou. This looks like the end."

…No. No, it wasn't.

Atem saw that in his partner's eyes. There was no defeat in their depths. Only expectation.

Atem smiled and attacked anyways.

"Dark Magician attacks your life points directly–"

"Actually," Yuugi flipped his card.

Mirror Force.

Atem smirked. "I was wondering where that card went."

"No, you weren't."

He looked up into Yuugi's smirk and fell into a proper smile, his brain doing one of those fuzzy flips that were growing so familiar as they locked eyes. "…No, I wasn't."

Yuugi snickered as Atem swiped up his monsters and placed them in his graveyard.

It wasn't the first time Yuugi had dodged death, wiping out Atem's efforts to build up tributes at the same time, just as Atem had managed to undermine quite a few of his partner's combos, kuribohs and gadgets and swordsmans all lost to his partner's own graveyard while Atem's boasted knights and tricksters and far, far too many spells. He had used up so many options already.

But he still had a few cards up his sleeve.

"I then end my turn– by playing Swords of Revealing Light."

"Wait, what?"

"Heh heh."

Three turns later, the spell moved on to the graveyard, its purpose usefully served.

And in that time, Yuugi managed to get a low-leveled Silent Magician and Toy Magician on the field… but Gandora sat in his graveyard, discarded from his hand thanks to a lucky pull on Atem's part involving Dark Red Enchanter– also in the graveyard. Atem only had one monster left in play.

Osiris.

It had taken far too many cards, left Atem with half of his life points gone, but he had finally summoned a God.

And Yuugi stared at the dragon like he could actually hear it roar.

Atem let his partner have his moment of dread and awe, then spoke. "Osiris attacks your Silent Magician." Atem had four cards in his hand. That gave Osiris 4000 attack points. Silent Magician only had 2000, and Yuugi was at 1200 life points.

If the attack connected–

Yuugi jerked, pulling a card from his hand to slam down a quick-play spell. "I activate Time Jump."

Of course.

Atem smiled to see it, his partner quickly searching his deck to trade out Silent Magician for her highest level, giving her a whopping 3500 attack points.

Atem couldn't end the duel anymore, at least this round, but Silent Magician would still be destroyed–

"And Confiscation."

Atem's eyes widened as Yuugi flipped the first of four facedowns on the field.

Confiscation.

'Lose 1000 life points, and the opponent discards one card.'

A card.

Yuugi was down to 200 life points, but when Atem discarded, Osiris dropped down to 3000 attack.

Lower than Silent Magician.

It would be destroyed, and Atem would have no room to normal summon more monsters before his turn ended.

The facts flashed through his mind, his partner smiling in front of him, half-relieved, half-satisfied… and Atem's heart raced.

Also satisfied.

He flipped one of his own three facedowns. "I activate Magical Cylinder."

…

Yuugi stared at the card, a thoughtful gleam in his eye… but ultimately just glowered at it.

Atem held his breath, wondering if this was it… and felt a wave of relief when Yuugi flipped a second facedown card.

"Negate Attack."

Atem laughed. "You had that, and you still look so glum? Are you that disappointed you couldn't destroy Osiris?"

Yuugi rolled his eyes, but he was grinning, too. "Fine, fine. So you get to keep it another round. Any other plays?"

Atem snickered, leaning forward on a hand to bring his face closer to his partner's. "Why? That eager for your own turn?"

Yuugi's eyes went wide, got stuck that way in the face of Atem's pleased smirk– then narrowed, the faint blush staining his cheeks undermining the steel in his voice. "Focus."

Atem might well have admonished himself, disturbing the sanctity of that long desired battle with such playful taunts, but he couldn't help himself. And couldn't regret when he got a reaction like that. So he didn't back off an inch, grinning away as he looked deep into Yuugi's eyes. "Which of us are you talking to, aibou?"

…Yuugi blushed harder.

Inside, Atem crowed.

Yuugi coughed, clearing his throat through closed lips before glowering at him. "Are you ending your turn?"

…Atem sat back, smiling. "Yes."

"Good," Yuugi huffed, exhaling like he could finally breathe again… and drew a card.

Whatever it was, it made Yuugi smile, pleased.

Atem quirked a brow, curious and appreciative of that look, but when Yuugi played it– "I summon Green Gadget to the field."

…Atem looked from the card to his partner, suspicious.

Yuugi didn't even use the card's effect to pull a Red Gadget from his deck.

All of his other gadgets had to be in the graveyard.

So why–

"And," Yuugi went on, playing a second card from his hand– his last one. "I equip Toy Magician with United We Stand."

'Gain 800 attack points for every monster on your side of the field.'

With Green Gadget there, that was 2400 points. With its base attack, that brought Toy Magician up to 4000.

1000 higher than Osiris.

Even if Atem somehow managed to draw a card to strengthen Osiris, they would only be equal. In an attack, both would be destroyed.

Osiris would be gone.

And Yuugi's other monsters would be free to attack, and–

The calculations flying through his head, Atem stared at the card, schooling his face into complete obscurity.

If Yuugi went to the battle phase with this setup– if he declared an attack–

"Battle Phase. Toy Magician attacks Osiris–"

"I activate Ultimate Offering, pay 500 life points to summon Jack's Knight from my hand, and then another 500 to sacrifice it and bring out Dark Magician Girl."

Yuugi's mouth snapped shut, purple eyes shot wide as Atem activated the trap and brought out the knight and magician in quick succession, weakening Osiris down to 1000 attack points in the process.

And his partner stared at Dark Magician Girl, baffled as to why– "That doesn't stop–"

"I also," Atem went on, looking Yuugi point blank in the eye as he flipped the last of his facedown cards. "Activate Eternal Soul, allowing me to bring Dark Magician back from the graveyard, and pull Dark Burning Attack from my deck to my hand, bringing Osiris back up to 2000 attack points."

The look on Yuugi's face said Atem didn't need to explain what he was doing.

He understood.

Yuugi looked at that field: the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl brought out for no visible reason, Osiris weaker after that move, the Dark Burning Attack spell that Atem claimed but couldn't even activate until his own turn… and Yuugi knew, his face lightning struck. "You don't have–"

Atem smirked.

He played another card, dropping Osiris down to 1000.

A quick-play spell.

Dark Burning Magic.

'Destroy every card on your opponent's side of the field if you have Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl on the field.'

"Sorry, aibou."

Unless the last two cards Yuugi had set could save him, this was it.

Atem would wipe him away with a single attack on his next turn… or his last gambit would fail, and Yuugi would take him out.

One way or another, the duel was over.

…And, in a single heartbeat, Atem saw how it would end.

His partner's expression relaxed. "I thought it was a good idea to hold onto those cards."

…Atem smiled. "What?"

Yuugi didn't answer. Just flipped a card.

Magic Drain.

'An opponent's spell is negated unless they discard a card.'

Atem grinned, tossed Dark Magic Attack into his graveyard… and picked up Osiris, adding it to the pile.

He had preserved Dark Burning Magic, but emptied his hand and brought the dragon's attack down to zero, destroying it.

The God was gone.

And that brought Toy Magician's attack to an end… but Atem kept on looking at his partner, his gaze expectant. "And?"

Yuugi merely grinned, flipping over his last facedown. "Solemn Judgement."

'Pay half of your life points to negate a summon or activation, and destroy the card.'

The Dark Burning Magic was cancelled.

Yuugi only had 100 life points left… but he still had Silent Magician.

Atem shut his eyes, smiling into the acceptance rolling through him… and asked, "Why didn't you use those traps earlier? Against my Magic Cylinder?"

Silence hung as Yuugi didn't answer, Atem looked– saw his partner, composed and shy and serene all at once, shrugging. "I would have destroyed Osiris, but you still would have had 1500 life points to my 100. I was afraid that, whatever traps you had set there, they would destroy me before I had another chance to attack."

…And he was right. If Yuugi had used up his cards on Magic Cylinder, Atem would have activated his combo to bring out Dark Burning Magic, cleared Yuugi's field, and attacked him, just like he had planned.

He would have won.

"…Bravo," he murmured, meaning it with all of his heart.

And whatever phantom pains beat through him for being bested, his partner bypassing and outpacing him and leaving him behind, an unnecessary aid– they were all drowned out by his pride, and the sweetness of Yuugi looking away, failing to stifle a smile and giving way to a fidgety snicker.

The best sight Atem could have ever asked for.

"Finish it, aibou."

…Yuugi's smile faded, his eyes sliding back to seek out his.

Scared.

Fear flashed through his eyes, and Atem… didn't understand… and when searching his partner's gaze told him nothing, he could only… could only smile, aim for comfort over awareness. "Come on, aibou. I can't have a comeback if you don't defeat me."

…Yuugi snorted, shocked back into a grin, and the odd relief in his gaze told Atem he had helped, even if he didn't know the distress. He shook his head, breathed deep... and nodded. "Okay. Then, Silent Magician attacks Dark Magician Girl, taking her out along with the rest of your life points."

That was it. Without magic, or duel disks, or any visual effects, there was only silence, and their own knowledge.

It was over.

Atem smiled, bowed his head… and put a hand on top of his deck.

Yuugi snatched it up instantly, a grand, snickering laugh running through his protests. "Stop it! You didn't surrender! Not at all– that was amazing."

Atem kept on smiling, curling his hand to squeeze the fingers that had caught his palm. "Yes, it was."

The sincerity mirroring his enthusiasm sobered Yuugi's excitement, but not his joy. He looked just as happy as they locked eyes. Shared smiles, the warmth of a gaze… hands holding tight.

Yuugi let go first, his grin bursting free as he gathered up his cards.

Atem mimicked him, but his focus remained caught on his smiling partner, unperturbed and not in the least distracted from his impulse to speak– to praise. "You were amazing," he went right on saying, only egged on by the faint sputtering noise Yuugi made. "What prompted you to put so many negations and blocks into your deck?"

Yuugi shrugged, but shot him a quick, smiling look before twisting around to face the desk. "You always play quick combos and surprise spells and counters," he said, stretching to slide his deck onto the desk without standing up. "I just prepared ways to counter your counters."

"So, you built your deck to face me," Atem surmised, ready and waiting to offer Yuugi a smile along with his deck when he turned back around. "Tailored it to me."

Yuugi matched the look, and accepted his cards. "The same way you did."

"Not like that," he disagreed, watching his partner add Atem's own deck to the desk. "I focused on building a winning strategy– on being ready for anything. But you were ready for me." And the instant Yuugi faced him again, settled back on the futon, Atem took his hands, claiming both and squeezing them until Yuugi blinked directly at him, into his smile.

…

The faint hue in Yuugi's cheeks and along his nose grew deeper, and he looked down, shrugging through a twist of a smile as he relaxed into Atem's hands. "I just wanted it to be perfect," he began– only to grimace with the word and shrug again, his expression sliding into a wry grin. "If I was going to do this– face you myself– Try to be anywhere near as good as you–"

"You are," Atem breathed, just as direct and insistent as before, tugging Yuugi's gaze back up to his by tone alone, so he saw it when his partner's expression stuttered, flashed with something raw and vulnerable but so open that Atem could only love it, pulsing an even tighter grip on his hands before letting go of one to clutch Yuugi's upper arm, instead, leaning closer with the touch as he insisted, "Aibou, I knew it long ago. You've long since surpassed me– no, no, you were always stronger than I am. You just didn't always see it– worse, I didn't always see it, but it was always true."

And however hard it was at times to consider in light of himself, of his place and what good he could do, it was as natural as breathing to try and make Yuugi see it, too.

But it wasn't that simple. Yuugi heard him, certainly. Even believed him, perhaps. But, the claims pulsed against his partner's very nature, and he knew no other response but denial, shaking his head as he floundered for words. "Mou hitori no boku, that's… I'm proud of this, don't get me wrong, but you– you're like a miracle to me."

Atem beamed, his whole chest hot with the words– but he pushed himself through it, not letting even a beat pass before saying, "As you are to me."

Yuugi started, his mouth opening just a touch and catching as he stared… perhaps unable to find words for his reaction. For the touched, shaky wonder that showed on his face.

Atem smiled, hoping his admiration and love showed through even half as well. "Thank you, aibou. This was more than I ever hoped for. You are more than I could ever hope for, and I just wanted–"

He lost his words as his partner grabbed his shoulder and leaned close.

Close enough for Atem to lose his breath.

He had just a moment to register it, to want it– and Yuugi was kissing him.

Soft, and tender, and slow– but pointed, seeking in the way he pressed so close and lingered, reluctant to back away at all.

And Atem was just as slow to recover, remember himself enough to reciprocate, his belated rush to catch Yuugi just as he was about to pull away coaxing his partner back, to repeat the action again, and again, rolling from one kiss to another in a smooth, slow stream of contact.

Atem breathed it in, pliant under the wash of attention as a hand left his and sought his side, freeing him to curl his fingers in the hair at the base of Yuugi's neck, inviting that heady sweetness to continue by moving his other hand to Yuugi's back as his partner tried to slide closer, pull him as close as he could, sitting face-to-face.

And Atem flowed with it all, basking in the contact as his eager allowance prompted longer, and deeper kisses, floating on the feelings behind every touch, and the tiny firecrackers going off in his brain… until one exploded like dynamite, and his entire body froze.

Because, Yuugi wasn't just– holding him.

He was touching him.

The hand at his waist had… slid up… Yuugi's fingers running up his front so firmly, Atem's shirt wrinkled a little with the caress. Rode up. And the faint splash of hot open air at the base of his stomach made Atem's gut quiver– as Yuugi's other hand abandoned his shoulder to run down the back of his arm.

All slow, barely noteworthy motions, but the meaning behind them fried Atem's brain. Left him still.

…Yuugi's kiss stilled, his lips pulling away just enough for his eyes to peek open, and look into his.

Checking.

…There was no thought to it.

Atem stared into those eyes, breath lost to the shot color of them… and slid his hand deeper into Yuugi's hair and pulled him back.

Yuugi breathed relief out through his nose, let Atem's firm intentions of a kiss stand for a few warm heartbeats… then pressed closer. Pressed until they were chest-to-chest, then even more, Atem's hand clenching in the back of his partner's shirt as Yuugi's kiss and weight knocked him on his back.

The tangle of legs and a sharp knee in Atem's thigh should have rattled it all to pieces, but no. The fall and the why of it made it hard to breathe– harder when Yuugi scrambled and kicked his way to straddling Atem's thighs, never letting it disrupt their kiss.

Or– or did they stay together because Atem didn't let go of his head?

It didn't matter. All that mattered was Yuugi pressing his weight down into him and sneaking fingers behind his neck to tilt his head as he liked, a tongue pressing hot against Atem's and using every little bit of the limited knowledge they shared to try and make his heart twist.

But– but, Yuugi was cheating.

Atem's heart was already hammering hard enough to explode!

And all he could do was ride it out, hands catching loose and fluttering at Yuugi's back as Atem pushed himself to give just enough to encourage his partner to keep going while he flailed within, dizzy and intoxicated by the way Yuugi relished him.

That was the only word for it: He was relishing him.

And Atem– he… he didn't know how to process it.

His own delight.

His delight in those kisses. In Yuugi. The sweet heat pressing into him.

He– he knew that pleasure. Had found it when Yuugi first kissed him, the concept of such joy bursting in his mind from wary concept to profound reality in a matter of seconds.

But… but that delight imploded in on itself, into something new.

Something odd.

And it felt good.

Always felt good, but every true bliss Atem had ever found in kissing had been because it was Yuugi.

Yuugi kissing him.

Yuugi wanting him.

Yuugi's mouth and hands and warmth and breath filling his lungs– and that was all still true.

More true.

But– but before, Atem had only sighed, and basked, reveled in the delight they had found together. Created together, it always seemed, as if those delights had never existed before Yuugi touched him.

Now, Atem shook.

Instinctively floundered with a want for balance, letting himself fall when he realized to his own wonder, he didn't want to catch himself.

He wanted to drown– in him.

Aibou.

Yuugi, pressing down into him, the heat of his thighs against his legs, his stomach to his, and the impulse to press closer burned through Atem even as he couldn't, because Yuugi and his weight and insistent enjoyment of their kiss held him down and kept him pinned. Atem could do no more than grip his back and return those kisses, quaking, not understanding his own joy and agony– because yes. Yes, there was an agony to it. A sweet agony that left him too dizzy to comprehend it when Yuugi first let the kiss die, ebbing away slowly so that the ghost of it lingered on Atem's lips when he opened his eyes, and saw his partner there.

Smiling down at him.

"S-sorry," he gasped, flushed and smiling and – Atem blinked dazed eyes to take him in – so sweet and lovely and triumphant, even as he apologized. "You were just– you were saying such amazing things, after being so amazing…"

…Atem could relate.

He stared into that dazzling, wonderful face… and cleared his throat, startling himself into grin. "No, don't apologize. It's…" he valiantly started– then stopped, looking down.

At them, his partner's body pinning him down.

Yuugi followed his gaze… and jerked up, completely red-faced as he rolled off of him and shuffled back, clumsy about it in no small part because Atem was slow to release him. "Sorry! Wasn't thinking!"

Atem watched him go, empty hands frozen, grappling at nothing – why did it stop – and shook his head, rushing to his elbows. "No. No," he repeated, pushing himself up until he was sitting again, side-by-side with his partner… looking into uncertain purple eyes as he poured as much insistence and warmth as he could into one last, "No."

Yuugi stared anxiously back at him, clearly not entirely convinced… but slowly, that worry was replaced by something else. A… sort of wonder.

His partner looked downright shocked, wide-eyed and taken aback by– by whatever he saw in Atem's face.

…Atem looked away, to the desk, painfully aware of his pulse drumming in his ears, and the heat in his face.

He should say something, but nothing came to his tongue.

And he lost the urge to find it when something nudged him, a glance back telling him that Yuugi had bumped his shoulder against his, then slid away again… his partner's gaze catching on his chest before rising up, meeting Atem's eye with a soft, affectionate smile. "Happy birthday, mou hitori no boku."

Atem stared, speechless.

Or– or just undone… undone by the man who bested him and burned his nerves and handed him his heart with a smile.

Aibou.

…Atem smiled back, breathing past the tension clogging his throat. "Thank you."

Yuugi didn't reply. Just smiled the brighter.

And for a few moments, all was perfect.

…But the moment dragged on, and where his partner looked happy to sit there forever, Atem– he'd pressed it back, but slowly that restlessness Yuugi woke beneath his skin rose back up, scattering his composure until he couldn't help but fidget, clearing his throat again as he shuffled in his seat– all while Yuugi just kept looking at him, an oddly sympathetic edge to his smile.

Atem found he couldn't quite look at it, his gaze shifting to the bookshelf over his partner's shoulder in a bid for something to say, anything to end the knowing scrutiny–

And he spotted a colorful box on the bottom shelf.

"We still have a while before Mama calls us for breakfast," he rushed to point out, looking back to see that something about the statement had shocked Yuugi– and prompted him to smile even more. Atem chose not to ask. "Would you– like to start the puzzle I won? At the park?"

Yuugi tilted his head, staring at him with a thoughtful air that could have been for the question or anything else under the sun… then nodded, reaching for Atem's knee.

Atem's mouth went dry as Yuugi squeezed, tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth.

"Sure. I'll pull out the rollup mat, so we can pack it away to finish later," Yuugi said, letting go and patting his knee once before turning to face his bookcase.

Atem stared at his back, unable to look away as Yuugi fetched the puzzle, or breathe enough to get out anymore than a quiet, "Aa."