In case you guys are wondering, I've been sick for the past couple days and have been staying at home. These oneshots have been created during that time, cause I can't be on the computer doing other things too much. In other words, yes, my parents are out and I'm breaking the rules by quickly typing these up XD But I hope you all are enjoying them!

Oh yeah, and why do I keep starting these out with Yami and Yugi arguing about something and Yugi lecturing him? O.o

"Aibou, I don't know if that's such a good idea…"

"Oh, lighten up, Yami!" Yugi smiled, his gaze focusing on the next branch he was prepared to reach for.

"Aibou, if you fall, that will leave a ton of damage."

Yugi snickered quietly to himself. "To my life points."

Yami crossed his arms tightly over his chest, raising an eyebrow at him. "What was that?"

"Nothing, I was just being a nerd to myself," Yugi grinned down at him. "Besides, if I do fall, there are too many branches around. They'll catch me. And if for some reason they do not, I'll give you the liberty of catching me."

Yami said nothing in reply to this. This sudden quietness concerned Yugi for a moment. He stopped midway in his climbing. "You… will catch me if something goes wrong, right?"

"Of course, aibou!" Yami confirmed quickly. "I won't let a scratchcome upon you, as your guardian and your friend. But you really should come down, I don't want to risk it."

"Risk what?" Yugi called from the high point where he stood.

"Injury!"

"You just said you wouldn't allow a scratch on me. If you're true to your word, you have nothing to worry about! Besides, if I fall, I'll probably just laugh at my injuries. I only got a couple years left of my childhood, Yami, and so do you! We have to live once in a great while."

Yami drank in his words. It was true. They were both sixteen, and the time these days have been flying too quickly to both their liking. Yami deeply admired the boy climbing the tall pine tree in front of him. He was right—they had to let these moments last while they still had them.

Yugi struggled to reach the next branch; it seemed to almost evade his grasp. His eyes slightly widened when there was a disruption in the lower half of the tree; he wasn't alone in this tree. He looked down to see…

"Yami!" He exclaimed happily. "What made you change your mind?"

Yami waited on that to reply, searching with a hand for a more reliable branch. Yugi watched him, bewitched with how graceful the ex-Pharaoh climbed, how his long, thin fingers curled around a branch, almost lovingly; how his feet lifted off another branch in such a way that it almost looked as though he were floating gradually to where Yugi stood. The boy felt ashamed. Whether it was dueling, climbing trees, cooking, or even playing video games, would he ever be able to possess the same grace and agility Yami had?

Finally, Yami reached where Yugi stood on a small branch. He waited below him for the other to continue, but was concerned with the way his aibou was staring down at him.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

Yugi shook his head out of his stream of thoughts. Good thing he remembered to block the mind link at that moment.

"It's just… you're so…" Yugi trailed off, licking his lips with nervousness and his mouth left agape for a moment, but his sentence was left unfinished. He proceeded in climbing again, determined to reach the top with his Yami beside him.

Wait, did he just think hisYami?

Yugi's hand suddenly flew to his blonde locks. Where in the world are these thoughts coming from? The boy wore a light shade of pink on his cheeks, looking ahead and trying to focus on the task at hand, but it seemed nearly impossible!

Yami lagged behind his aibou, peering curiously and suspiciously at him. He looked as though he were having a hard time contemplating something. Yami saw only a glimpse of half of his face when the boy looked this way and that to consider his next branch option. Was Yugi… blushing? But why?

"Aibou, are you alright?" The taller teen finally asked.

Yugi froze in his place for a moment, as if set on pause, but then the 'play' button was hit again. "Yeah, I'm fine, Yami."

"You didn't finish your last sentence," Yami observed skeptically.

Yugi's face was flushed. He began climbing at a quicker pace—

"And you closed off the mind link so I don't know what it is."

Yugi started climbing at rapid speed now. Yami was connecting the dots, one by one, and he didn't even need to say anything! But he was determined to reach the top! Almost there, almost there, focus Yugi, focus!

"Yugi, what is making you blush and climb so—"

SNAP!

A cry escaped Yugi's lips.

Yami's eyes buldged—he had attempted to climb the tallest branch of the tree, but it was not merciful and with Yugi's weight tugging on it, it snapped.

"Yugi!" Yami held out his arms to catch the falling boy, his grip no longer steady on the branches, either. Yugi fell downward and Yami caught him, wrapping his arms securely around his light as they both tumbled down the tree with gravity. Each branch under them broke, except for the one at the very bottom, which was the longest branch, and the first one they had climbed. It caught Yami and Yugi for an instant, and with their weight added on top, lowered them to the ground. They rolled off the tip of the branch and it snapped back into place.

For a long moment, there was absolute stillness and silence with Yami's arms still around Yugi's thin body, like a protective shell, and the boy's head was buried in his guardian's chest.

"Yugi… are you alright?" Yami asked softly as he parted away from him to see his face. As always, it was flawless, save for lots of dirt and tree sap. Yugi didn't meet his eyes, though. His violet orbs were wide with terror and shock. He slowly slid out of Yami's hold and stood up without even blinking, as though he were a zombie. Yami mirrored his actions and stood as well, looking to Yugi's skin for any cuts and bruises on the rest of the his body. His job was done well—Yugi still looked untouched. For a long time, the boy stared at the tree they had just climbed and fell out of, taking notice of the hundreds of pine needles and branches that snapped off with them and were now scattered on the ground.

And then, without any warning whatsoever, Yami jumped as Yugi threw his head back to the heavens and laughed hysterically. He then lifted two fists in the air, jumping up and down, yelling triumphantly "I did it! I did it!" and another stream of laughter following.

"Did what?" Yami asked softly, completely dumbfounded with Yugi's sudden joyfulness. After all that…?

Yugi heard him and turned to the taller, running into his dark half's arms for a tight bear hug.

"I reached the top, Yami! I touched the tallest branch in the tallest tree of this whole park!" He beamed.

Yami blinked a couple times, then smiled, enveloping the boy, returning his hug. He wrapped one arm around his shoulders, and the other hand resting on the crown of his head. He nuzzled his forehead in Yugi's blonde streaks. My crazy aibou…

R&R!