Nöel d'Esprit

Yami Bakura likes to humor Ryou over the holidays. Bakura x Ryou.

-

It was cold in Domino, but it was warm around Ryou's small apartment. So Yami Bakura reasoned… this was the impression he got from his incarnation's little hidden smile and the way he hummed to himself as he decked his halls. Bakura himself couldn't feel a degree in change of the temperature, but around Ryou, he almost could.

The slight, fair-haired boy turned from time to time to smile at the lanky spirit who was sitting cross-legged on the heater, staring at the cheerful snow-blue ornament in one hand, and the red pocket-knife in the other.

"Yami, what are you doing with that knife?"

"What is the purpose of these… ornaments?"

Ryou laughed. It was just like Yami Bakura to answer a question with another, completely irrelevant question. "I told you! They're to decorate the tree… well, I don't have a tree, but you can decorate anything with them, if you string them up…"

"Fine, fine," said Bakura, "but what are they really for?"

"Pardon?"

"You don't really expect me to believe that millions of people on your earth spend a month obsessed with a holiday that involves hanging up these baubles, just because they're… pretty."

"Not everyone is a humbug like you, Yami."

"Humbug?" asked Bakura. "Are you calling me one of those little striped candy buttons?"

"No! Well, those are peppermint humbugs, but that isn't what I was talking about- ow!" Ryou examined the blood that was pooling on his thumb, and glared at the fake holly he was pinning to his doorframe. "A humbug is someone who doesn't appreciate Christmas. I think it's from a book."

"You're saying I don't appreciate Christmas?" Bakura asked indignantly.

"Do you expect me to believe that you do?"

"Of course I do! This is a very interesting time of year, if you ask me."

Ryou sighed. "Interesting for you is quite something different for everyone else, Yami. Do you want to tell me what illegal things you've done during the holiday season?"

"That would ruin the surprise," said Bakura. He grinned at Ryou. "Just let me tell you, when people have their hands on the displays of nice presents, and their heads are thinking about something other than where their bags are… well, I find it quite amusing."

Ryou blinked. "I don't want to know," he said finally.

Bakura smirked broadly at him. "That's my boy," he said fondly. "Catch."

"Mm?" Ryou turned and felt something hit against his chest; instinctively, he put his arms up and caught the ball before it slipped to the floor. He looked down… and groaned. "Yami!"

"What?"

"This is- this is one of the Italian blown-glass ornaments Father brought back for Florence. It was my Christmas present for Anzu, Yami! I thought I told you not to touch the ornaments that were in that box by the heater."

"Oh. Hmmm… that's right, I remember that."

"Yami!"

"Jesus! Sorry." Bakura tossed up his hands. "See if I ever decide to do original commissioned artwork for you again, then."

"Sorry… for yelling at you." Ryou grinned sheepishly. He examined the glass bauble in his hand. "You did all of them, didn't you? Well… um… who knows, maybe they'll like it, even Honda and Jou. This way it's from both of us, eh?"

The messy carved picture of Yami Bakura, with Ryou on his shoulders holding a branch of mistletoe, smiled up at him.

-

:: notes

Well, after reading this, I realized that all of my holiday fics are indeed Christmas fics, since that's the holiday I celebrate. Not very PC… ehh. I don't exactly go for the ultra-political correctness, anyway. I guess it's ok. If you're not terribly offended… review? : )