Yugi woke from his nightmare, gasping and in a cold sweat. One hand shot out to the night table and snatched at the Millennium Puzzle. His heart didn't start to slow until he had the cool metal clutched to his chest, sharp corners digging into his fingers.

He didn't usually sleep with the Puzzle, rolling over onto a gold pyramid in the middle of the night wasn't his idea of a good time, but tonight he let go with one hand long enough to flip the chain over his head and snuggled down under his covers with the Puzzle firmly tucked in his arms.

Closing his eyes, Yugi willed himself into half-consciousness, and when he opened his eyes again, he was in the bed of his Soul Room. The toy-filled room calmed him usually, but tonight the light seemed dim and the shadows of the stuffed animals and objects scattered around the room seemed creepy and menacing.

Yugi clutched the Puzzle tighter and slid from bed, picking his way carefully across the room in his bare feet. A Lego between the toes, even one that was a metaphysical construct, was never pleasant. At last he reached the door and pushed it open.

The hallway outside was the same as ever, torches flickering along the wall and stone floor cold against Yugi's feet. Yugi crossed the hallway and opened the doorway across from his own, revealing the labyrinth that existed inside his mind. Without hesitating, Yugi let the door swing shut behind him and began to trot down the nearest staircase.

He didn't linger to explore the maze as he sometimes did, but instead headed straight for the true room of the other person sharing his mind. The twists and turns of the labyrinth didn't phase him, even though they were never the same; Yugi had the feel of the maze, and was in no mood at the moment to play games with it.

The door Yugi finally stopped in front was no different from any of the others, but when Yugi pushed on it, the eye of Horus glimmered faintly on it before it swung open. When he crossed the threshold, the stone beneath his feet changed from the smooth, cool stone to rougher sandstone, slightly warm as though it had been in the sun.

This room was dim too, low-burning oil lamps casting flickering shadows across the scattered pieces of wood furniture and glinting across the carvings that decorated them. The darkness didn't seem eerie to Yugi in this place, though; his shoulders unknotted a bit as he shuffled across the room towards the bed, where a tangle of sheets rose and fell in time to soft breaths.

The mound of sheets stirred as Yugi drew closer, and long fingers came up to push sleep-mussed bangs back from half-closed eyes.

"Partner?" Yami asked, raising up a little on one arm. "Is something wrong?"

Yugi bit his lip, suddenly feeling like a stupid little kid for waking up Yami because he'd had a nightmare. He almost retreated, but just the thought of going back to his room alone pushed him a step closer to the warmth of Yami's bed.

"Sorry," Yugi said miserably. "I just…"

"Come here." Yami slumped back down against his pillows and beckoned Yugi over. Yugi took the last half dozen steps at a jog and scrambled up onto the bed before he even thought about what he was doing. He stopped himself just short of throwing himself into Yami's arms and blushed. Yami reached up to brush fingers across Yugi's cheek, which just made them burn hotter.

"Nightmare," Yugi finally said, refusing to lift his eyes from where his fingers were twisted around his Puzzle. "Since we destroyed the Pyramid of Light, sometimes…" Yugi trailed off. His eyes wandered far enough to see that Yami was wearing pajama pants that matched his, but no shirt, and his own Puzzle's chain was tangled around his neck, but the Puzzle itself was someplace over his shoulder. He still refused to meet Yami's eyes.

"Tell me, other I." Yami spoke gently, but the command was there all the same.

"It was so easy to break," Yugi murmured, shivering. "I dream someone breaks the Millennium Puzzle, blows it apart like the Pyramid, and then…then I'm alone."

Yami tugged Yugi forward, and he didn't resist, collapsing forward and winding arms around Yami's neck and throwing a leg over his hip, and Yami didn't seem to mind when Yugi's Puzzle caught between them and all its sharp points dug into his chest.

"The Millennium Puzzle has lasted for five thousand years," Yami pointed out, lips brushing Yugi's scalp. "I think it will yet be here for quite some time."

Yugi nodded, feeling silly again, but tightened his grip and buried his face against the warm skin of Yami's throat. Suddenly, fingers were on his chin, and Yugi thought Yami was prying him off, but instead they merely tilted his face up until warm lips brushed his own.

It wasn't the first time Yami had kissed Yugi, not by a long shot, but it was different when their legs were tangled together and Yami leaned over to press Yugi just a little more firmly into his bed. When he pulled back, something lurked in his eyes that made Yugi shiver before Yami's expression smoothed.

"Stay if you like," he murmured. "Only…" Yami pushed Yugi away a few inches, enough to let the Millennium Puzzle slip free and reveal several corners etched in red on Yami's chest. Yugi flushed yet again.

Chest rumbling with mild amusement, Yami ran sure hands over Yugi, turning him over onto his side and tugging him close, so that when he wrapped arms around him again, Yugi's back rested against his chest and the Puzzle was safely out of jabbing range. With Yami's hand splayed possessively across his sternum, Yugi finally felt some of the tension slip away from him.

Yami dropped off again immediately, but Yugi stayed awake for some time even after he relaxed, knowing that once he feel asleep, he would either rematerialize in his own Soul Room, or would wake in the real world. He wanted to stay awhile with Yami, who pressed closer and sighed against the back of Yugi's neck when Yugi ran fingers up his bare arm.

His skin was so warm, Yugi thought, and smooth, and suddenly Yugi wanted to touch it with his own skin instead of the pajama shirt. Even as he had the thought, Yugi felt himself grow warm from embarrassment, as well as something else he didn't examine very closely. Once he had the thought, however, he couldn't bring it back under control, fighting to keep from wriggling as he imagined the heat from Yami soaking into him without anything in the way.

After another few minutes, Yugi cautiously whispered Yami's name. When that got no response, he took a deep breath, then willed the pajama shirt away. Handy things, metaphysical constructs.

"Ooh." He couldn’t keep back the soft whimper as Yami's slow breaths made glorious inches of their skin slide against each other. Yami didn't wake, but his grip on Yugi tightened, and Yugi thought he felt lips press against the back of his neck.

Yugi still had no idea what it all meant when he finally did surrender to sleep some time later, but he hoarded the memory of Yami's skin against his own deep in his heart, and watched carefully for the flicker in Yami's eyes when he thought Yugi wasn't looking.

******

"Damn," Malik grumbled, scooping up his pile of glass stones. "You win again."

"Play again?" Ryou grinned at him from across the Mancala board. "He says you're getting better."

"Your stupid yami doesn't want me to quit so he can keep on slaughtering me," Malik retorted, letting his stones tumble out of his hand into the Mancala pit. He gave the wood board a little shove to the side. "Besides, mine keeps getting distracted by the shiny things and I can't focus. Play Yugi for awhile."

Yugi sat up a little from where he was sprawled on the floor and straightened the board out between himself and Ryou before starting to distribute the stones into the pits.

"He wants to know if he's playing you or the other you," Ryou said.

"Don't tell him," Malik warned.

"Me," Yugi shrugged. "Something about the clinking of the stones relaxes mine, knocks him right out."

"Shouldn't've told him," Ryou said. He paused for a second. "He says you could've kept him guessing about your strategy." Another pause. "Now he's going to crush your little pointy head." Another pause, then Ryou shook his head. "I'm not repeating that."

Yugi laughed and scooped up a handful of stones out of his last pit to take his turn.

"Not repeating that either," Ryou murmured as he leaned over to take his own turn.

"You shouldn't," Malik started as Yugi picked up another batch of stones, but then his eyes glazed a little, "uh…shouldn't do…I mean, that's what I did."

"Having some trouble with your Millennium Personality Disorder?" Ryou inquired, considering for a moment before choosing his stones.

"Shut up," Malik snapped, "just…just shut your damn…your damn mouth…you don't…don't know what…you…oh for fuck's sake!"

Malik reached out and seized one of the shiny glass stones. He held up so that it caught the light, then flung his hand out to the side with it, as far away from his face as possible. He shook his head a little and his expression cleared.

"Finally," he grumbled. "Can't get a moment's…what are you two staring at?"

"Nothing," Ryou snickered, bending his head back over the Mancala board. He and Yugi caught eyes and both snickered again.

"Like this never happens to you," Malik sniffed. "I know about you and that mp3 player, Moto."

"He's got a thing for emo," Yugi shrugged. "Bad Luck's new album'll keep him occupied for a good half hour."

"I jerk off," Ryou said.

There was a moment of silence.

"What?" Yugi asked, hand frozen in the air still clutching stones. Malik let out a titter.

"Jerk off." Ryou repeated. "You know, wanking? Masturbation? Polishing the knob? Waxing the--"

"We know what it is!" Yugi exclaimed, face bright red. He dropped his stones into the succession of pits hurriedly.

"Doesn't work on mine." Malik shook his head sadly. "Sex just makes him all possessive and…woogly."

"Mine's good for nothing but a nap after." Ryou jingled his handful of stones and rolled his eyes a little. "Don't argue, you know it's true. Woogly?"

"Wait," Yugi interrupted, blushing even harder if that were possible. "Are you telling me that you…you…with your yamis?"

"You don't?" Malik blinked.

"No!" Yugi exclaimed. Ryou and Malik exchanged a conspiratorial glance. "But…isn't that weird?"

"We've had ours a lot longer than you," Ryou pointed out, as Yugi scooped up a batch of stones without really looking. "Pay attention or he's going to have you in a couple turns."

"Since before puberty," Malik agreed. "Besides, he's me anyway, right? One morning we woke up and he said 'what the hell is that' and then we did some hands-on research that Isis says is perfectly normal."

"One of my schools had Sexual Education," Ryou said, running a hand through his hair ruefully. "They told us that sex was bad and masturbation killed kittens, and he was so pissed off he seduced me out of spite. Well, except for the part about killing kittens, he did like that."

"Oh," Yugi mumbled. He stared down at the game he was most definitely losing now. "You just…did it?"

"Why?" Malik sidled a little closer. "Do you want to…do it?" He gave a little leer.

"Don't tease the little virgin," Ryou reached over and poked Malik in the side. Malik twitched and the stone he'd been distracting Marik with slipped out of his hand and rolled across the floor.

"Now you've done…" Malik blinked several times. "You've…uh…"

"Yugi," Ryou and Yugi turned away from their exasperated friend, "is something going on with you and the other you? And he says just take your turn already."

"No, nothing," Yugi said quickly. He chewed his bottom lip as he picked a batch of stones and began dropping them. The clinking was soothing, he had to admit, and he spoke without meaning to. "It's just that sometimes I…never mind."

"You wouldn't mind if it did?" Ryou pried. The last stone slipped out of Yugi's stiffening fingers and hit the carpet. Malik pounced on it. Yugi was blushing furiously again. "Yugi, we've just told you that we both do, it's okay to say if you want. We won't say anything." Ryou eyed a patch of air slightly to his right. "You keep quiet."

Yugi gave another sigh as Ryou finished trouncing him quite thoroughly and reported that Bakura said "Ha ha, take that, and also ha".

"Sometimes," Yugi murmured as they were dividing up the stones again, "he kisses me, and I think he might…I mean, he gives me this look when he thinks I'm not looking, and it makes me all…all…"

"Woogly?" Malik asked with a victorious grin, making Ryou snort.

"Yeah," Yugi admitted, shrugging. "So do you think I should…"

"That's horrible." Ryou wrinkled his nose. "But mine's got a point. Sort of. In the sense that he used both you and the other you in the same sentence along with the phrase 'at the same time'." Yugi looked slightly traumatized. "What I mean is, you should just tell him. I bet he wants the same thing."

"And even if he doesn't," Malik added, "there's no reason you couldn't have hot sex anyway. Mine gets testy if it's been more than twelve hours, god only knows what he'd fuck if he'd been stewing in his own juices for five thousand years."

"That's totally not what the Millennium Rod is for, you pervert." Ryou rubbed his temples. Yugi twitched.

"I'm not so sure about this," Yugi said, looking down at his hands.

"He lives in your head," Ryou pointed out. "You aren't keeping any secrets from each other, trust me."

"You're suffering in a needlessly chaste fashion," Malik added. "You need to seize the day! Or the other you, at least."

"Even if I wanted to," Yugi mumbled, cheeks flaming, "I don't have any idea what to do."

"See, there we can help you."

Yugi swallowed nervously as he realized that Malik's hair had a few more spikes than usual, and Ryou's smile was way too pointy.

******

After all of Ryou and Malik's advice, Yugi had avoided Yami for a few days, wanting time to think. As much as one could avoid a spirit sharing a mind with oneself, which really meant that if Yugi wasn't at school or doing something for his grandfather, he was hanging out in his soul room.

He had noticed something strange, since he had been spending such an inordinate amount of time in the room: some of the toys had disappeared. Yugi was so preoccupied with this that he forgot he was avoiding Yami, and when the Millennium spirit knocked on his door, Yugi told him to come in without thinking.

"Yami, have you noticed that some of the…" Yugi glanced over at Yami, who was smiling affectionately at him, and the words suddenly died on his tongue. He glanced back down again, fighting down a blush.

"Is something wrong, partner?" Yami asked, coming over to sit beside Yugi on his soul room's bed. Yugi kicked his feet a little and didn't look up. "What were you going to ask me?"

"The…" Yugi cleared his throat. "The toys, some of them are gone."

"Oh?" Yami glanced around the room, which was filled top to bottom with toys, and raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell?"

"It's my soul room," Yugi pointed out. "Do things ever disappear from yours?"

"No, not that I have noticed." Yami was silent for a moment before he said, "Perhaps the room is changing because you are."

"Changing?" Yugi furrowed his brow and looked up at Yami, forgetting about his embarrassment. Yami lifted a hand to ruffle Yugi's hair.

"Aibou, have you truly not noticed?" Yami chuckled. "You've been growing up. Small wonder, with everything we've been through. You don't believe me?" he asked when Yugi still looked skeptical. "What were you talking to Ryou and Malik about?"

Yugi's jaw dropped. "You heard that?"

"Some of it," Yami admitted, letting his hand fall away from his poor, flustered hikari. "Enough. Yugi, we share a body, you didn't really think you were hiding that from me, did you?"

"Why not?" Yugi mumbled, staring at the floor and blushing so hard it was making him dizzy. "You're hiding how you feel."

"Am I?" Yami slid closer and used a finger to tilt Yugi's chin up. "Perhaps you just didn't see what I was showing you." Before Yugi could respond, Yami was kissing him, the same light brush of lips that they had shared dozens of times.

Only this time was nothing like those other times, because Yugi was suddenly overcome by the way he could feel Yami's heartbeat where his fingers pressed against Yugi's chin, and the way the wave of affection that washed through him left every nerve ending buzzing in its wake.

"Oh." Yugi's voice was very soft when Yami pulled away, but then irritation flashed through him at Yami's knowing smirk. He gave Yami a shove, and when the startled spirit tumbled backwards onto the bed, Yugi threw a leg over his waist and bent to kiss him hard.

Minutes later, Yugi was the one smirking when he lifted his head and found Yami blushing a little, both of them breathing hard.

"Partner?" Yami asked, voice rough. He seemed to notice suddenly that his hands were twisted tightly in the fabric over Yugi's thighs, and loosened his grip a little.

"You don't know everything," Yugi informed him, then laughed wickedly at Yami's expression when he wished the pants gone entirely.