She felt a slight breeze tickle her cheek, then a weight on her back, gentle fingers trailing along her shoulder blades, her spine.

With some effort her eyes flickered open. A smile greeting her.

"Good morning."

She yawned in response, arching her spine like a cat.

A rustle under sheets, cool lips brushing against her forehead. Blue eyes, melting ice.

Still. Soft. This.

Could this be a dream?

She extended her arm, brushing fine chestnut strands out of his face, shivering as his fingers made a lazy circling motion along her back.

Strange dream…

Sunlight streaming in through the window, bathing her white sheets in a glow.

The hum of city traffic outside…

The morning.

This was real.

Him above her, pressing into her needily, urgently, into the mattress, growling filthy things against her throat-

-His hands on her breasts, her thighs cradling his, she on top of him, him lying back in her reclining chair, moving within her-

-The darkness of the closet, her skirt around her hips, held between him and the wall as he drowned out her moans with his lips-

-Desperate and never having enough-

… it was real, gloriously real.

As was the vision lying beside her-in her bed-his legs brushing against hers under crisp sheets, a smile.

Seto…

He had freckles.

Seto Kaiba had freckles. Tiny afterthoughts dotting his nose, minuscule specklings kissing his cheeks in careful clusters.

She wanted to count them all. Kiss every one.

"Good morning," he repeated, lips brushing her ear, palm flattening on her back. His head on her pillow now. Gazing at her like a wonder. Like he never wanted to stop. Like nothing would be enough for him.

She shivered.

"Good morning, Seto." To her own ears her voice sounded blissfully relaxed. Like she'd forgotten what being truly sated felt like-

She rolled onto her side languorously, his hand fitting into the curve of her waist, eyes dropping briefly downwards to take in her body, gliding over her like fingertips, before his eyes settled on her lips.

"Sleep well…?" His eyes flickered towards her own, large, waiting. She could see a hint of stubble forming on his chin.

"Very well, thank you." She saw now, in the direct sunlight, that he had flecks of a burnished gold threaded throughout his hair…

She wound a strand of it between her fingers as his eyes followed her motions almost curiously.

"Mmm…?"

He smoothed his hand along the curve of her rear, making her giggle, the clear sound punctuating the thick low-lying hum of the morning.

She let go of his hair, tracing his eyebrows, then his nose, before outlining his lips with her pointer finger.

Real.

Him.

"Nothing."

She rolled onto her back, allowing his hand to rest upon the space between her hipbones. Reached out, tucked herself under the sheet, swaddling, drawing the fabric up to her chin, then covering her nose and mouth so that her eyes peeked out at him. She blinked twice for effect.

She didn't know why-she felt impossibly free, mischievous, even-to do something like this.

She didn't dare to look under the sheets, to let her hand wander to where she still so wanted to explore.

Not yet…

Seto cracked a tiny smile at her gesture, before removing his hand from her hip and, with one graceful motion, pulling the sheet over both their heads, drowning out the harshness of the light, reducing it to mere background noise.

Ishizu looked.

And blushed-

Of course-

"Did you… sleep well?" she found herself asking, voice studied, overly casual.

"You're so beautiful." In the dim space under the sheets, she caught a flash of white teeth, then her eyes fluttered closed as he shifted, rolled closer, pressing a kiss on waiting lips.

Ishizu found herself clasping her hands together across her belly to prevent herself from reaching for him-temptation-as his tongue slipped along her lower lip.

At a pause, she smiled against his mouth. "That doesn't answer my question."

"Hmm?" She felt his reply more than she heard it.

His hand moved back to her hipbone. Pinky finger extended. Circling. Dangerously close to gathered dark curls…

"How could I not?" His voice was a whisper against her neck. Vibrations twisting through her.

Making her want.

As if a day went by when she didn't…

She smiled seraphically, scooted in closer. His lips moving lower. Lower. Lower-

Her legs spreading to allow his hand access, his fingers navigating.

Slick. Silk. She gasped as he found what he sought.

Then, in one swift motion, lips never leaving her breast, his hand was gone, one thigh-oh--then the other, brushing against her legs. Resting on his arms. Poised above her. Her hips opening for him. Feeling him against her inner thigh.

His wanting her.

A promise.

"Mm…" His voice was husky. Hips rolling. Teasing.

"I could have taken up the whole bed, you know-"

She sighed as his lips, teeth, tongue played with a nipple. Slowly. Torture.

"I could snore… "

Her hand slid between them. Found him. His eyes losing focus for just a moment, breath ragged.

"Please…"

She smiled. Wrapped her legs around his back. Holding him-and then he was inside, uttering a groan against her skin. Music.

Her hands to his shoulders. This-

"Could have made little sounds…"

-It was never enough-and it was too much. What she'd wanted. Having him like this-like it was natural.

"What sort of little sounds?"

Lips on her neck, her collarbone.

He rocked his hips against her. Hard.

"Oh-"

Sparks shimmering inside her. Hot-crawling inside her skin-

Her hands clutched at his shoulders, slid to hold him tight against her, because no matter how close he was it was everything, it was painful-

He chuckled dryly and did it again. "Sounds like that?"

He lowered his head to her ear. Took her lobe in his mouth. Teeth gentle. "Well, I could certainly grow accustomed to that…"

With some effort, her voice dislodged itself from around a series of shallow breaths. "Could you, now?"

"I could." His voice hid a burbling laugh poorly.

"How presumptuous of you. Thinking you'll get to hear it agai-ohh-"

He'd called her bluff, and she was unraveling quickly. Ribbons unfurling, revealing more and more layers, shivering bright from within-and it was him-he was the one doing this to her-him and only him-Seto-

-how strange this was-

"Fuck, you're beautiful-" A melody. A prayer. A sigh, full of everything she needed to hear-endless. Something unknown and knowing in his voice, as if he was trying to reassure himself back into believing-as if he was stunned as well.

Her fingernails left shallow welts on his shoulder muscles as she came.

And he was spent, a fury of kisses raining upon her, each more hungry than the last.

She couldn't help but laugh, bell-like, as he rested his forehead against her own, their breaths melding and synchronizing into one wave. Steady. Together. Cocoon of sheet. A cradle.

A cheeky thought crossing her head as visions of the previous night revisited her. His hands steadying her as she moved atop him. Slowly at first as she remembered the feel of him inside. Quickly when he begged for more. "Where did you get the idea for me to leave my shoes on?"

He pulled out; dropped to her side. Threw back the sheets, chilled air gliding across their flesh. Buried his face in the pillow. "Was it that bad?" Muffled. Nearly petulant.

"No, on the contrary-if it worked for you…" She pressed her body up against his and listened to him breathe. Noticed the blush on his neck.

"How long?"

A rather more serious question.

One he understood nonetheless.

"After Egypt?"

A brief shake of his head, face still hidden in plush white.

"Battle City?"

"Are you asking how long since I've wanted to do this, or…?"

A pregnant pause. As if he had said too much.

Her heart trembled dangerously in her chest.

"Are they so different?"

His fingers clutched at the pillow. Shoulders tense. Waiting.

She smiled again. Leaned forward. Pressed a kiss to the back of his neck, reveling in how he shuddered delicately.

"Well."

He turned to face her. Cheeks pink and fading. "Well?" Voice slightly cracked around the edges.

She allowed her fingers to comb through his hair. Gentle. Soft. Kindred.

"In any case, I'm glad Mokuba called."