It wasn't… it wasn't a thing. Not a thing thing.

The first time, Yugi just happened to be having trouble sleeping and had become curious about the rumors that the Kaibas were back in town, or at least that the Kaiba mansion was certainly being used. Jii-chan had it from Midori who did weekends at the shop for extra money, who had it from her uncle, the only big construction guy in town, who had it from his former business partner's girlfriend who owned a tea house on the same street as the Kaiba mansion. So it was definitely true, Jii-chan insisted.

And Yugi had been having trouble sleeping since… well, to be honest since before Atem left. But at least when Atem was there he had someone to talk to, and they could play games; he had spent many sleepless nights teaching Atem board games with boards from his soul room. He had loved Scotland Yard and been puzzled by Uno. Just knowing he had a friend next to him had helped.

Now Anzu was in America, Jounouchi was working day and night to scrape together the money to buy in in a motorcycle business and Honda was in cram school to try for University. They didn't need to worry about his moping on top of all that.

So when he was tired of tossing and turning, he got up and went down to have a cup of milk or something, and the glint of a 'KC'-marked van under the full moon had caught his attention. With the muddled thoughts of someone who had only slept about four hours in two days he decided that this was a sign that he should go visit Kaiba-kun and Mokuba-kun.

He had aimlessly walked out in his pyjamas and a jacket he had left in the kitchen earlier that day and just started walking. Even with smog hiding the stars, the sky at night was a beautiful sight and it was a peaceful amble. He hadn't even realised that he had reached his destination until he made a turn and scrambled backwards from a hideous, looming thing.

A moment later, having stifled his urge to scream, he had edged close enough to realise that it was just a gargoyle. One of two framing the Kaiba's wrought iron entrance door. The door was open. It didn't occur to him to be surprised by this either.

When he was walking through the long, winding driveway, meant really for a car, he was too busy saving himself from mysterious thorny plants to really wonder about what he was doing. He hadn't remembered to exchange his slippers for shoes and the thorns were lovingly twining around the bare bit between his slippers and pyjama pants.

It was only when he reached the imposing front stoop that he suddenly realised that it was a really inappropriate time to be paying a call even to friends. And he and Kaiba-kun had never exactly managed 'friends.' Even if Kaiba-kun had seemed to be thawing last time they met.

His dazed and tired mind hadn't gotten beyond this point when the door swung open. Kaiba-kun stood there, looking mildly irritated. By his standards, that was practically a rollicking welcome.

He looked Yugi over from fluffy slippers to bunny ears pyjama hood with one sharp glance, hesitating only briefly on the collar still buckled around his neck. Then he walked away, leaving the door open. Yugi just watched him, a little stunned at actually seeing him. It was only now that he realised he hadn't actually thought that they were back.

It was difficult to see in the gloom of night but Kaiba-kun looked… good. Better than he had in America, where he had been too-thin with a permanent frown, and dark bags under his eyes. He was wearing a full-sleeved t-shirt and long, dark pants but they looked comfortable and well-worn, not sharp and crisp like everything else Yugi had seen him wear.

"If you aren't coming in then shut the door. I don't want a stray coming in." Other than you, the waspish tone seemed to imply. Yugi smiled impishly to himself. He hurried in and closed the door, and thought but didn't say, that checking security to see who it was and opening both the outer gate and this door was an awful lot of trouble to go to if he didn't care whether Yugi came in or not.

He peeked around curiously as he hurried to keep up with Kaiba-kun's retreating back. He hadn't really had much time to look around last time he had been here, and he'd deliberately repressed most of his memories from then. Still, the hall looked emptier than he remembered. There was only one light on, and Kaiba-kun seemed to be leading him up by sheer memory. Yugi stifled a sulky curse as he hit his shin on something, belatedly realising that they were going up the stairs.

Kaiba-kun led him up the stairs, and motioned at him to keep silent as they went past some rooms. Probably Mokuba-kun was sleeping inside one of them.

Finally Kaiba-kun opened another door and went in. Once again, he made no gesture of welcome, seeming to feel that the open door was welcome enough. Which, Yugi mused, it probably was.

The lights were bright in this room, there was a desk and a big couch as well as a futon, and he realised he must be in some type of office. Trust Kaiba-kun to have an office at home too! Yugi's own desk was covered with origami and cards, both duel monsters and normal cards. Back in school, he had never been able to find his homework without turning over everything. Along with the laptop, there were a couple of other screens set up on the desk, and Yugi guessed that Kaiba-kun had seen him coming on those security screens.

There were only a couple of pictures up on the rather bare walls, and he drifted towards them. They seemed posed, relatively recent pictures. One he remembered seeing on the cover of a magazine, with the Kaiba brothers standing in a pose: back to back, Kaiba-kun with his arms crossed over his chest while Mokuba-kun winked and made the peace sign at the photographer.

At a muted thud behind him, he turned around and drifted towards Kaiba-kun instead. Kaiba-kun had dropped two Duel Disks on the table. He cocked his head and studied them. They were undoubtedly a new prototype. They hadn't hit the shops yet, Yugi hadn't even seen any pre-order forms come through.

"The latest in the new line. With these, Solid Vision has transcended every other form of gaming in the market." Kaiba-kun spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, but the suppressed smugness fairly radiated off him to someone who knew him as well as Yugi did.

Genuinely delighted for him, Yugi smiled sleepily up at him and said, "Congratulations, Kaiba-kun! I look forward to playing with them."

"Let's start then." Kaiba-kun was brisk with his movements strapping on the Duel Disk.

Yugi felt his eyes getting larger, "Ah, um…"

Kaiba-kun looked up from the Duel Disk and narrowed his eyes, "This is what you're here for?" It was more of a demand than a question.

Yugi shrugged helplessly. "Where do you think I'm keeping a deck in this?" He gestured to his pyjamas and the plain, pocket-less jacket.

Kaiba-kun looked him over carefully, as if this might be a trick question. Yugi began chuckling to himself helplessly. It was typical of Kaiba-kun to assume he had come over for a Duel, even if it was the middle of the night. Some things didn't change. He felt happier than he'd felt in a long time.

Nonplussed, Kaiba-kun looked at him. "Why are you here?" he asked finally, disgruntled.

Yugi shrugged again, "I couldn't sleep."

Kaiba-kun stared at him. "So you came here? To do what? Ruin my sleep? Is this some trick, Mutou, because you won't be able to play with my mind like that."

Yes, of course, he had walked all the way over here in pyjamas with a hood and ears on it to psych him out by not Duelling him. Yugi stared at him, faintly puzzled by how his mind worked. Didn't it overheat sometimes, coming up with these complicated strategies?

"I just couldn't sleep, Kaiba-kun," he repeated firmly.

After a long moment of staring each other down, Kaiba-kun looked away and muttered, "I have another futon."

Yugi almost said, what, but then stopped himself. He said, "I'll be okay on the couch," with a smile.

Kaiba-kun shook his head, and took off the Duel Disk even faster than he had put it on. "That couch has been there for years. It will probably need to be fumigated. Wait here."

Yugi waited. Immediately after Kaiba-kun left the room he started feeling sleepy again, like he had taken all the vitality with him. He yawned loudly and then blushed, glancing around to make sure he really was alone.

Kaiba-kun reentered carrying not only a futon but blankets and, Yugi tilted his head, were those hot water bottles?

Yugi politely tried to help but Kaiba-kun firmly but gently pushed him aside and set up everything with characteristic efficiency. Two futons lay side-by-side on the ground in a very cosy arrangement.

Yugi fell in without bothering with a token protest at how he should go home. He didn't want to go home, he wasn't sleepy and happy and comfortable in the dark alone at home. Kaiba-kun rarely bothered with meaningless politeness himself, and he despised it in other people.

He half-expected Kaiba-kun to sit at the desk and start working, but Kaiba-kun disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a thin book that was definitely not in Japanese.

"I'll turn off the lights when I'm done," he said, "Go to sleep." He settled in into his own futon, only a few inches away from Yugi, close enough that Yugi could hear him breathe in the silent room.

Yugi yawned again, and didn't have the energy to blush. "I don't know how to read any other languages. I'm not even very good with English." His eyes were closing by themselves now, Kaiba-kun was just a blur. "You're really smart, Kaiba-kun." And he was fully asleep.

It wasn't exactly a surprise that when he woke he had migrated from his spot half onto Kaiba-kun. It was more surprising that Kaiba-kun was clearly awake and hadn't… done anything. He could hear Kaiba-kun's heartbeat, a steady da-dum-da-dum under his cheek. And his hand. Yugi squeezed his eyes closed and prayed that he could sneak away and pretend that he wasn't holding Kaiba-kun's hand in his sleep.

Somehow Kaiba-kun had realised he was awake, because he abruptly dropped him back onto his own futon, even if the movements were gentle enough not to hurt him. Then he got up and left the room. Yugi gave a mental shrug, too sleepy still to manage a physical one—apparently they were pretending it hadn't happened.

Two days later, Yugi had tried everything to get to sleep. He had even stuffed his head under his pillow so he couldn't hear all of the noises of the night. The creakings and groanings of the house. Nothing worked.

Suddenly determined, he got up, got into his slippers, and marched out to go to the Kaiba mansion.

Then he marched back in, changed into shoes and grabbed a jacket and then marched back out again.

Kaiba-kun looked faintly suspicious as he opened the door, "Are you here for a Duel this time?" he demanded.

Yugi shook his head and smiled his nicest smile up at Kaiba-kun.

"Do I look like a homeless shelter to you?" Kaiba-kun demanded, not moving from the doorway.

"I'm not homeless," he said, face falling. If Kaiba-kun genuinely was upset then Yugi shouldn't have come. They had had breakfast after that night, amiably silent, and then Kaiba-kun had 'given him a demonstration,' of the Duel Disk, which Yugi had privately amended to 'showing off,' and he had assumed that everything was fine.

"Ano…" he smiled weakly up at him, suddenly feeling a lot smaller, "I'm disturbing you. I'm so sorry. I should go." He rubbed at the back of his head, a gesture he had caught from Jounouchi-kun and never managed to get rid of.

Kaiba-kun glared down at him until Yugi felt like walking away backwards and then he suddenly backed away from the door and walked away inside.

Mood brightening already, Yugi hurried inside and shut the door. He was a little surprised that Kaiba-kun still set up both futons side-by-side, but said nothing. It was easier for him to sleep when he could sense someone's presence nearby. Kaiba-kun was distinctly not his Ot…not Atem, but that made it easier in a way. He wouldn't wake up aching from wrong expectations.

He settled in and remembered to mention, this time, that he had tried out KC's latest VR game and it was (as Jounouchi-kun said) slamming. Kaiba-kun said, "Of course," but sounded pleased underneath that so Yugi just gave him a sleepy smile and snuggled down into his hot water bottle.

He woke up in the morning in Kaiba-kun's arms, his own head tucked under Kaiba-kun's chin. It was oddly comfortable and he dozed for a long time before Kaiba-kun carefully put him back on the bedding and got up.

The third time, Yugi had resisted for almost a week and then waited until midnight before making the slow trek to the Kaiba mansion. He patted the gargoyle that had frightened him the first night. It wasn't its fault it was so ugly and scary-looking, probably it was just lonely.

Kaiba-kun had opened the door, stared at him for a long moment, and then said, "You're not here to Duel, are you?" in a resigned tone.

Yugi shook his head and waited to be let in. This time, Kaiba-kun had clearly been working when Yugi interrupted. His desk was covered with papers in a haphazard manner. The couch had been replaced, but there were two futons already there, folded up neatly in a corner of the room. Yugi sneaked a little glance at Kaiba-kun but he steadfastly did not meet Yugi's eyes.

Yugi and Kaiba-kun worked in tandem to set out the futons, and Yugi got into his usual one. Kaiba-kun left briefly, and came back carrying a hot water bottle that he handed over to Yugi. He himself went back to work. He reached to turn off the lights, but Yugi protested, "Your eyes will get weak!"

Kaiba-kun looked startled, then said dismissively, "I'm used to it, it'll be fine."

Yugi sat up to protest, "I can sleep with the lights on, I've done it plenty. You don't want to hurt yourself working like that." It was just like Kaiba-kun to ignore the needs of his body.

Looking exasperated, Kaiba-kun said, "Fine, I'll keep the lights on, go back to sleep you lunatic."

Yugi beamed at him, and the exasperation softened into something a little nicer. Maybe even a trace of fondness. Yugi dropped onto his futon and slept the sleep of one well-satisfied in life. He woke up mostly on top Kaiba-kun, with Kaiba-kun holding him there with one hand around his waist. A little embarrassing but also… nice. It was nice.

It wasn't a thing though.

The fourth time it was definitely Kaiba-kun's fault. They had finally agreed on a time to Duel, and when the new Disks had malfunctioned, he had had to ransack his luggage for the last stable beta version, over Yugi's protests that they should go back to his place and use the last released version that he had at home.

Then they had had to start over, because the malfunctioning Duel Disks had shuffled their decks hopelessly well before releasing them.

So it had gone on well into the evening, to the point that Yugi had finally gotten to see Mokuba-kun come home. He was a much more cheerful and bright kid now, and even made sly digs at his brother about his dating style. Yugi shamelessly encouraged him so that he could satisfy his curiosity. He hadn't even known that Kaiba-kun dated, let alone enough to have a 'style.'

Then during dinner Yugi had made some unwise remarks about one or two of the side-quests in their Island of Fear VR game and both Kaibas had gotten stiff, like cats prepared to defend their territory, and demanded that he show them exactly what he meant by criticising their game. Yugi congratulated Mokuba-kun on his first named credit on an official game release but refused to back down from his criticism. So then they had to go through the side-quests in detail, so that Yugi could demonstrate to both Kaibas that he could defend his playing against theirs anytime, thanks.

Mokuba had grinned and walked off with a wave after that, but Kaiba-kun had insisted on making notes. It had been kind of fun, figuring out alternatives to the current gameplay that would improve the pace and structure, and still make sense in the game's world.

And time had flown, until Yugi had basically fallen asleep on Kaiba-kun while Kaiba-kun was still making notes on his tablet. Yugi had been half-aware that Kaiba-kun had basically carried him to the futon and taken his jacket and most of his jewelry (but not his collar) off and tucked him into bed.

Yugi had woken up gasping for breath because he had been trapped under Kaiba's considerably bigger frame. Kaiba-kun had woken in a rush and then blushed, beginning from the tip of his ears and spreading to his entire face.

Yugi stared, oddly charmed by the sight, until Kaiba-kun got up and walked away.

The fifth time, Yugi had woken up in his own bed, spread out a hand and said, "Other Me?" before waking up all at once and feeling that sick sinking feeling that made him want to hide in bed for a week. He forgot to even put on a jacket as he rushed out of the house towards the Kaiba mansion.

Kaiba-kun clearly noticed his misery but did not ask any questions, and he didn't offer any explanations. He did set up his futon just a little closer to Kaiba-kun's. But even though it was definitely crowding his space, Kaiba-kun said nothing as he prepared to sleep.

That time, Yugi woke up in his own futon, but with a hand gently running through his hair, long clever fingers scratching at his scalp in a way that made him want to doze off again. He lay there until the hand retreated. A hand pulled up his blanket to cover him to the shoulders and then Kaiba-kun left.

The sixth time, Yugi had actually been invited to sleep over, but by Mokuba-kun, who confided in him that R&D was still not done catching up now that the boss was back permanently and that meant that he had nothing to do except visit the arcade and maybe pick up some guys or girls. He smiled innocently at the look Yugi gave him when he added that last bit.

He must have been working harder than he thought, because by the time Kaiba-kun came home, he was conked out in front of the video game screen with the controller slipping from his hand until Yugi rescued it. Typical Kaiba, not knowing his own limits.

Yugi was just wondering what to do, since he would have been hard put to carry even a child Mokuba-kun and now he was an inch or two taller than Kaiba-kun even. Then Kaiba-kun came in, and his face softened around the eyes. Yugi pretended not to notice since that was better than Kaiba-kun pretending that he didn't have feelings. It did make him bold enough that night to lie with his hand between their futons, within easy reach of Kaiba-kun's hand.

When he woke up, he was lying on Kaiba-kun's shoulder, and there was a hand running lightly over his head.

"I like sleeping here," he said, tone still low and fuzzy from sleep.

The hand dropped away from his head in a moment and the shoulder beneath him stiffened. Yugi refused to move, he breathed slow and deep as if that would magically convert the stiff body beside his to a relaxed state.

Unfortunately, Kaiba-kun only waited a few short moments before shrugging him off and sitting up. Face closed off, he bit out, "I have plenty of space." For a moment, Yugi stared at him, trying to work it out, the sudden challenging tone had thrown him off his game.

Then light dawned. He said, more firmly this time, "I like sleeping here."

Kaiba-kun's frown withered away into something a little more uncertain, something a little like the face of a child who knows better than to ask, but can't quite help hoping anyway. Yugi held his breath as he inched a hand forward to hold onto one bigger than his. Then slowly he brought it to his mouth and pressed a closed-mouth kiss to it.

He could feel himself blush while doing it, and he hid under his bangs rather than look Kaiba-kun in the eye but Kaiba-kun slowly slid down to lie down again, holding onto his hand tighter than maybe strictly necessary.

Kaiba-kun was an insomniac too, Yugi thought, and he probably knew a lot of games. Even sleepless nights passed quickly if you knew a lot of games. Maybe he'd even know one or two that Yugi didn't.