Author's note: In honor of Anzu's birthday, here is a short, fluffy fic that I wrote a while ago. Thank you for reading, and I would love to hear your feedback!

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or these wonderful characters.

…

Always (Summer)

He loves waking to the scent of her on his pillow. Like a little love note, it waits there to tide him over until she awakens and rolls over to greet him. It reminds him, too, that at some point in the night, they slept with their heads so close together, noses nearly brushing and foreheads nearly nuzzling.

Close enough to steal the other's exhales.

She is beautiful always, but she is near breathtaking while asleep. Morning sun glints over her bare shoulders like she is made of burnished gold. Her outline, visible even beneath the light bed-covers, is reminiscent of a guitar – soft curves, a tapered waist, skin smooth to the touch. And inside, inside, she is filled with so much music. If only people knew how to listen.

Well, that's what he's here for, right?

He props himself up on an elbow to peek at her face. Curtained behind the long strands of chestnut hair – she has been growing it out, and oh how he loves it – her lips are parted, brow smooth, eyelashes resting against her cheeks. He tucks the sight away into his mental photo album.

Even in sleep, her toes sweep up and down his legs. Verifying that he is still there. He laughs, a quiet little sound, not enough to disturb her just yet. She needs her rest, after all. Just watching some of the intricate dance steps she practices makes him tired. He can only imagine what it must be like for her with so much pressure to teach her students well, to execute the dance routines flawlessly, to infuse every subtle twist of her foot and flourish of her arm with all the exuberance her body can muster.

Her toes sweep again, more insistent this time. A tiny moan comes from her throat. It makes his chest swell to know she wants him close even in her sleep.

He settles a hand at the curve of her waist, rubbing an endless circle there with his thumb.

"Shhh… I'm here, Anzu." His voice, warm and soothing, mixes with the soft breeze waltzing in through the open window. The sound of a promise, witnessed by the rising sun. "I'm always here."

She sighs in agreement.

The sheets rustle, and then she is rolling over, closer to him. He shifts onto his back, and she fits herself against his side - two puzzle pieces clicking into place. In a heartbeat, his hands slide to their familiar little niches between her shoulder blades and at the base of her skull. Their bodies are fused so close together now that it is impossible to separate whose skin belongs to whom. Not that he's complaining.

After a contented yawn, her left arm drapes over his torso, fingers tracing tiny patterns into his skin that leave a tingle in their wake. A soft warmth radiates when her palm settles at the center of his chest. Each time she exhales, her breath tickles his collarbone from where she has nestled her face into the bend of his neck. He can only smile and pull her ever impossibly nearer. Sometimes he forgets just how many little nuances of feeling she creates within him. Sometimes he is still surprised by the flip in his stomach, the flush of heat in his cheeks, the swirling, giddy fog that clouds his mind and makes him question whether he is awake or dreaming still.

Sometimes, he wonders… does she ever feel the same?

"Mmm, Yugi…" Sleepiness clings to her murmur the way dew drops stick to the meadow grass at dawn. Her eyes are but little slits that expose a sliver of cloudless afternoon sky. That sliver alone sends his heart on a marathon.

He presses his finger against her lips. "Keep resting."

"But –"

He kisses her forehead once, twice, three times. With each one, she relaxes more in his arms, sinks deeper into his body. Her thumb strokes back and forth over his chest.

"Mm-kay."

She touches her lips to his jaw. It is warmer than any ray of sunlight pouring down on them. Her head tucks beneath his chin, cheek burying into his shoulder just over his heart, while his fingers run through her hair again and again. Appeasing them both. Calming them both.

Finally his caresses lull her back to sleep. Her breaths fall into a rhythm, her hand against his chest stills. Through her skin, he can feel her heart slowing. A special tempo, just for him. He buries his smile in her hair and takes a deep inhale. The scent of soap and fresh air mixes with a fragrance that he can only ever describe as Anzu…

She overwhelms all his senses. Until the only thing he is really aware of is her. For one moment, he considers kissing her through and through so she knows just how powerful an effect she has on him.

He is patient, though. There will be plenty of time later to enjoy each other's company, to shower each other with teasing whispers and heartfelt kisses.

Always, after all.

For now, he is content to watch the gentle rise and fall of her shoulders, and to have her scent fill his nose as he presses his cheek to her forehead. As much as he loves waking next to her, he loves peaceful, sleepy moments like this even more, when they share one space and fill the silence with nothing but soft breathing. The sun trickles in through the divide in the curtain, spilling warm honey across bed and bodies alike.

And when he tucks the sheets closer around them, her lips over his heart pull into a smile.