Title: He Is
Theme: 32 – Water
Summary: Pool-jumping wasn't a habit of Yugi's, but it was hot and Atem's backyard door WAS open…
Rating: K+
Genre: General/Romance
Notes: I had no idea what to do for the "water" theme, so I just came up with this. xD Enjoy.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Come on, Yugi, it's scorching!" Joey was standing in a swimsuit, towel and flippers in hand. Tristan was behind him with a snorkel. "That thing's huge! Haven't you ever wanted to swim in it?"

"No, because it belongs to someone else," Yugi reasoned, but this did not stop them as they climbed over his neighbor's fence and into Atem Yamino's backyard.

Yugi sighed, heading back into his house. He grabbed a swimsuit and yanked it on – just in case he changed his mind, which he seriously doubted. He walked back outside, moving over to the fence door and opening it (Atem always kept it unlocked for Yugi, claiming he was welcome over at his house, but he'd never said anything about Joey and Tristan…). By the time he had closed it quietly on the other side and made sure that the lights weren't on inside Atem's house, his friends had already dove in.

"Guys, seriously, get out of there."

"But it's ninety-seven degrees! In November!" Tristan reminded him, coming up for air. His head was sopping wet, brown locks sticking to his skin as he blinked water droplets out of his eyes.

"Come on, Yug," Joey said, splashing just enough water onto the pavement to make Yugi jump a bit. "The water's ni-ice…"

"This is exactly the kind of thing they warn you about in school, peer pressure and all that." Yugi sighed. "I'll stick my feet in, but I'm not going to swim."

"Aw, that's no fun," Tristan said. He dove under again, disappearing. As he swam the length of the pool, Joey followed him, dipping under. They emerged a minute later and Yugi kicked off his shoes, then rolled up his sweatpants and dunked his feet in the water. It was warm, and he leaned back on his palms and looked up at the sky. He hadn't been to a pool in a while, but this felt better than he'd remembered.

Joey and Tristan stayed in for about half an hour, dunking each other and playing Marco Polo. By the time they climbed out, it was past ten at night, and even Joey – who always had some sort of battery storage attached to his back for extra energy – was exhausted. "See," the blonde said as he toweled off, "one dip. No harm done."

"It's nice," Yugi agreed, moving his feet in the water.

"You coming back with us?" Tristan asked when he didn't make a move to get out. They walked behind him, heading for the fence.

"In a minute. I'll just hang out here a while longer."

They left through the fence, where he could hear their voices fading as they crossed the Mutou backyard and into the kitchen, where his Grandpa was still awake, probably munching on a snack and reading a book. He waited until it had been quiet for a few minutes before slipping off his sweatpants; then, with one quick look to make sure he was still alone, he jumped in.

It was startling, at first, being back in a pool after so long not swimming. Just as quickly, though, all the instinct came back, and before he knew it he was moving steadily to the other side while water filled his ears. He hit a rhythm, lapping back and forth, back and forth, for so long that it took a few minutes to realize that a light clicked on in the house. Another turned on soon, too quick for him to realize.

Yugi froze, sinking down below the pool's edge, as a figure moved through the living room. After it crossed back once, then again, he heard a door slide open. He began to panic, taking a deep breath and submerging under the surface.

This was, as it turned out, not the smartest move, which became clear when he looked through the shifting blue water above to see his neighbor and classmate, Atem Yamino, staring down. By that time Yugi's lungs were threatening to combust, so he rose to the surface, his face bright red.

"Well, well," he said as Yugi sputtered to the surface. "What's this all about?"

Yugi swam to the edge, just to do something, then ran a hand over his face and wet hair. "Um," he said. "Actually – "

"Tristan and Joey were pool-jumping, huh?" he guessed.

"You knew?"

"I've known for a while. They're not exactly subtle about it." He pointed to the flippers Joey had deposited on one of the deck chairs. "Last time they left one of those donuts floating around in the water." He shook his head and came to sit down at the edge of the pool. "Still, at least people are getting some use out of this pool. My dad's always complaining about how much it's costing to heat it."

"You're not swimming in it anymore?"

Atem shook his head again. "No time to. Lately it's work, school, sleep, a social life, or hobbies. I've had to give up the last two, and even then, I'm struggling."

Yugi watched him for a few moments. "…You want to come in? It's really warm." It felt weird to invite Atem into his own pool, but he looked like he needed it.

"Nah, I'm okay." He sat on a nearby chair. "You go ahead, though."

Yugi bobbed there for a second, neither talking. "So I thought you were doing stuff for the school tonight. A fundraiser, or something."

"Change of plans. It was decided that I should come back home early."

"Decided," Yugi repeated.

Atem gave him a tired smile. "It's been a long day, let's just say that."

I'll bet. Out loud, he said, "All the more reason to take a dip. I mean, it's ninety-seven degrees. In November. You know you want to."

Yugi honestly didn't think he'd do it – but Atem nodded slowly, and rose to his feet. "All right. I'll be back in a sec."

As he disappeared inside, Yugi realized that this might not have been one of his better ideas. Sure, they knew each other from school and all, but they weren't friends like Joey and Tristan were; not anymore. Maybe if they'd stayed as close as they had as kids, being next-door neighbors and all, things would've been different now during high school, but as things were… Talk about awkward.

Before he could figure out how to change this, though – or even decide if he wanted to – Atem came back outside, now in trunks, and walked across the patio. Needless to say, this was distracting. Yugi hadn't exactly seen him shirtless before, and now he could focus on little else. All the more reason, he told himself, to backtrack, but before he could Atem was stretching his arms overhead and diving in, hitting the water with the tiniest splash and disappearing below.

When he emerged, after swimming closer to Yugi with an effortless breast-stroke, he was told, "Nice form."

"Thanks. Years of training."

Suddenly, Yugi was aware of how close they were, with only the water between their bodies. Beneath the surface of the water his skin looked so pale, almost blue. When Yugi looked back up again, Atem was watching him too, and after meeting his gaze for a second he floated a bit closer; it was a casual move, but still noticeable.

"We don't really see each other very much, do we?" Atem asked.

"No… you got involved with school stuff. Sports teams, a job, that kind of… thing…"

"Do you know what the first thing I noticed about you was?" he asked suddenly. Yugi vaguely wondered how this topic had come to in his mind, but he shook his head curiously anyway, and Atem responded.

"You always bended to fit my schedule. I never asked, you never complained, you just… let me have my space when I needed it. I didn't have to say anything. You just figured I didn't need you around, or couldn't afford to."

Yugi blinked. "You got busy, so I…"

"You made an assumption." Atem leaned forward, staring into Yugi's eyes. "Why did you think I wouldn't want you with me while I tackled on the world?"

All around them, the neighborhood was quiet, the sky spread out wide and sprinkled with stars overhead. Yugi could feel him right there in front of him. He knew this wouldn't last forever; it was the reason why he should have climbed out right then, as well as why he knew he wouldn't.

Atem was still watching him, both of them bobbing, and he could feel the water around him, pressing in, pulling back. Then, slowly, Atem was moving closer, leaning in, and despite all Yugi'd told himself, he stayed where he was as he kissed him. His lips were warm, skin wet, and when he drew back, Yugi felt himself shiver, unaccustomed to anyone being so close, and yet still not quite ready for him to pull away yet.

"Are you cold?" Atem asked.

Yugi was about to shake his head, say that wasn't it at all; before he could, he felt a hand close over his. "Don't worry," Atem said, "it's warmer the deeper you go." Then, to prove it, he went under, and Yugi took a deep breath, and let Atem pull him down with him.

Words: 1552
A/N: More pointless fluff. I just needed to write a fic that somehow fit the theme, and… this appeared. Somehow.