I hope none of you all are lactose intolerant cos HERE COMES THE CHEEEEESE.

Chapter 25

AN IMPOSSIBLE THING

There was a memory from his childhood of him sleeping, or half-awake. He had been in pain, but he no longer remembered the reason for it. His childhood world seemed to have been filled with a million and one catastrophes. But that day, between sleep and waking, he had felt completely safe. His mother's scent had been around him, and she had been constantly in and out of his room. Even when he woke and she wasn't there, he wasn't afraid. He had known that she would return. The knowledge had made him feel whole.

And now - now, he found himself feeling the same. The hospital bed smelt strange, and the sounds around him were intrusive and frequent. But the hand that held his seemed to infuse his entire body with warmth.

He was asleep. His head rested against the back of his chair, and his mouth was slightly open. He wasn't snoring yet, but within another few minutes it would start. Atem smiled.

The hospital had just wanted to have Atem stay for two days for some check ups, but the way Yugi behaved, one would think it was two months. He had been running around getting Atem "actual, non-hospital, food", and acting as Atem's PA, fielding calls from Pegasus, Odion, Iris, and Duke, of all people.

In fact, this was the first time Atem had seen Yugi sitting still. Which was why he was slightly irritated when Joey burst in with a jovial "Aw, hey, Atem, you're awake!" Because it meant that Yugi was awake now, too, looking bleary-eyed and more than a little tired, but still determinedly cheerful.

"Oh, hey, Joey," Yugi murmured, rubbing his eyes. His other hand was still holding onto Atem's, and Atem couldn't resist a small squeeze. It was quickly returned.

"Hey, Yug. So Odion said security should be getting back to you before the end of the day."

"Security?" Atem frowned. "Odion?" His head swivelled between Joey and Yugi. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing," said Yugi. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Yug here is stirring up a few storm clouds."

"I'm not," Yugi countered, rolling his eyes a little.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, Yug," Joey said, stealing a chair by the next bed and pulling it closer to Atem's, before sitting down. "Yugi likes to be modest or some crap, but he's actually been getting Odion's advice about getting those guys' asses beat."

"That is not what I'm doing."

"Well," Joey shrugged, "in the bureaucratic sense, at least."

"That….is what I'm doing," Yugi conceded.

Atem frowned, peering at Yugi. "What are you talking about?"

Yugi let go of his hand to pick at the bedsheets. "I mean, it's not right what happened. And I know they got suspended and all earlier after what they did to me, but -" he looked up, his eyes holding a hint of steel that Atem had never anticipated seeing - "they've gone too far this time. We had to call you an ambulance - you actually ended up in hospital! Suspension is not enough."

Joey whistled low.

"I'm tellin' ya, Yug, you're scary sometimes. I mean, it's brilliant-" he stopped mid-sentence and scooted forward in his chair. "Wait - Atem, are you – blushing?"

"No. I don't blush." The response was mostly a reflex from years of teasing from friends.

"Um, yeah. You do. You're doing it right now."

"Hm. Perhaps I blush for some people." His face did feel slightly heated. But the puzzling factor, was not so much that as the indescribable sensation unfurling somewhere in his abdomen –something that was between floating and falling, something that made it hard to look at Yugi, and yet made it hard not to.

He realized belatedly that Joey was guffawing. So profusely that his head was thrown back, right into the riot of lotuses that sprang from a large vase on Atem's bedstand.

"What the-" Joey straightened, rubbing at the back of his head. "What's this? Are these from Yugi?" His gaze swivelled to his friend, his face a mixture of unrepentant glee and unabashed curiosity.

Despite the mute glare that he aimed at his friend, Yugi seemed to be giving Atem a run for his money in the blushing department.

"No," Yugi replied. "Those are from Atem's father."

"Hold up, are these lotuses? I didn't know you could get these locally."

"They're specially delivered."

"Dude. Who the hell is your dad?"

"Someone who is...very demonstrative of his concern for Atem," Yugi offered, his explanation pulling a laugh out of Atem.

"Alright, alright, keep your secrets. Anyways, I just wanted to update you Yug. I know how hospital wifi is." He stood up, stretching his hands above his head. "I might go grab a coffee or something. Looks like you two might want some alone time." The sly smile had crept back.

Atem could only shake his head. He couldn't really fault Joey's tendency to tease. After all, he would probably do the same to his friends.

"Thank you, Joey." Yugi's tone was one of exasperated fondness. "And goodbye."

Laughter trailed in Joey's wake.

"You should definitely ignore him," Yugi said, his mouth twisted into a reluctant smile.

Atem chuckled. "Oh, I don't know. As annoying as he is, I was just thinking that I'd do the same to my friends. Besides, how else was I supposed to find out about your secret hero complex?"

"I don't have a hero complex," Yugi mumbled to his shoes.

"Hey." The word came out tinged with an embarrassing urgency Atem hadn't intended, and he almost couldn't meet Yugi's eyes. But he rallied. "If I could have anyone for a knight in shining armour, it would be you."

In the blink of an eye Atem was drowning in the heady taste of Yugi's lips, his unique essence flooding his senses.

When Yugi pulled back his eyes were shining, and Atem found that they had the power to completely paralyse him.

"I was so afraid," Yugi whispered. "I was so afraid."

"I'm here," Atem managed to say, clinging to Yugi's wrist, wondering why the words were so hard to wring out through the tightness in his chest.

"I know it was stupid, I know it wasn't an impossible thing, but I was so afraid."

"Shh." He pressed his lips to Yugi's again in an embarrassingly urgent, desperate fumbling of skin and teeth. "I'm here."

Yugi nodded, the movement breaking and remaking their kiss in idiosyncratic bursts.

"I'm glad you're here." Atem felt the words murmured against his lips like a secret prayer.

"So am I," he responded, the words barely signifying the gratitude that was pulsing through his veins, gratitude for being alive and breathing, gratitude for being alive and able to breathe in Yugi's kisses, but mostly gratitude for the impossible, miraculous set of events, for the grand orchestration of life that had seen fit to let him cross paths with one Yugi Motou.

To be continued.

Please review :)