The Benefits of Having a Debit Card, a Yu-Gi-Oh + Suite Life series Crossover fanfic

Hey there! Here's a new Yu-Gi-Oh/Suite Life series crossover oneshot I cooked up one day. I was looking up some really good stuff about debit cards on Google once, and I was quite surprised at how much info there was, too. So with that, and inspired by what I read – which I do my best to remember and keep in mind quite often – this is what I came up with. Hope you like it! :)

Disclaimer: Genius Kazuki Takahashi owns Yu-Gi-Oh. The geniuses at the Disney Channel own The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. The lyrics to Hard Workin' Man by Brooks and Dunn belong to their respective owners. I own the fanfics I cook up from time to time.

The Benefits of Having a Debit Card

I'm a hard workin' man
I wear a steel hard hat
I can ride, rope, hammer and paint
Do things with my hands that most men can't
I can't get ahead no matter how hard I try
I'm gettin' really good at barely gettin' by

Got everything I own
By the sweat of my brow
From my four-wheel drive to my cowboy boots
I owe it all to my blue collar roots
I feel like I'm workin' overtime on a runaway train
I've got to bust loose from this ball and chain

{Chorus}
I'm a hard, hard workin' man
I got it all on the line
For a peace of the promised land
I'm burnin' my candle at both ends
‛Bout the only way to keep the fire goin'
Is to outrun the wind

{Instrumental Interlude}

Come Friday night
I like to party hard
I carry on with the Cadillac cuties
Spend my whole week's pay on some weekend beauty
Come Monday mornin' I'm the first to arrive
I ain't nothin' but business from nine till five

I can't wait to get up in the mornin'
And do it all over again
Well I'm a hard livin', hard workin' man
-Brooks and Dunn, Hard Workin' Man

On this particular Friday afternoon, Cody Martin, twelve, was in his room sitting at his desk in the 23rd floor of the Tipton Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. He had a big smile on his face as he examined the math test in front of him. On it was a big A written at the top in red pen – which, to Cody, meant a good grade as well as the sign of a job well done. His mother Carey would be quite proud of him, as usual. Actually, now that he thought about it, she was always proud of him regardless of what he did or how he did in school – especially when it came to his grades or his flaws sometimes, too.

One of his strengths, on the other hand, was being very studious, scholarly and ready to learn, being the book-smart kid he was. Another trait of Cody's was his preference to think things over before making up his mind about a decision.

However, Cody's twin brother, Zack, was a different story altogether. Although Zack was also a bright kid, he was more street-smart rather than book-smart. And when it came to doing schoolwork, Zack preferred to "rent" Cody to do his homework for him, while Zack himself either did nothing at all or goof off. Also Zack would sometimes take advantage of Carey, and would usually do so by asking her for money, claiming it was for emergencies. Of course, to Zack, an "emergency" usually meant getting some cash so he could try very hard to win the games in the game room. Also, unlike Cody, Zack would always rush into making a decision right off the bat, instead of thinking it over before making up his mind. And despite Zack's obvious moments of intelligence, he was often short-sighted and lacking in his thoughts, which usually made him appear quite dumb to other people.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Cody looked over at the door and called, "Come in."

The door opened, and Cody smiled upon seeing who it was.

It was none other than Seto Kaiba himself.

"Hey there, Cody," Kaiba said. "I see you have a math test in front of you. A math test that you aced, I take it?" He then grinned as he said the last few words.

Cody nodded. "Yep, I did," he replied while also grinning. He felt quite proud of himself – but in a good way – for getting an A on a math quiz like he usually did.

Even Kaiba thought so, for he then said, "Come on, Cody. I have an idea for how we can celebrate you getting another A in math."

"Really? Like what?" asked Cody, as he was now very excited, but managed to keep it in check.

Kaiba thought for a moment, which Cody noticed while waiting patiently. It was then that Cody came to the realization that Kaiba thinking over things before making a decision was something they shared. This thought made Cody smile.

Finally, Kaiba then snapped his fingers before he said, "I've got it. How about we go to McDonald's? There's one located on 1 Union Street. I've checked it out beforehand, and it sounds awesome. My treat."

That sounded good to Cody as he hadn't been there in quite some time too. So after thinking it over, he replied, "Sure, Mr. Kaiba. That'd be great!"

Then, without even looking, Cody grabbed the first thing he saw, which happened to be his wallet. Of course, Kaiba observed this. Those azure eyes, which had a clear, analytical gaze to them, never missed anything.

"Oh, by the way, Cody?"

"Yeah?" asked Cody as he came to a stop, turned and looked at Kaiba.

Kaiba fought to keep the smile from appearing on his visage as he said, "You got your wallet with you, I see."

Cody looked down at his right hand and grinned upon seeing his wallet in it, glad that he had unknowingly picked it up without realizing it. "Yeah, I sure do," he remarked. "I never go anywhere without it."

Of course, Kaiba was able to gently coerce Cody into leaving his wallet behind.

"You won't be needing it, Cody," he said, locking Cody's chocolate eyes with his sapphire gaze. The eyes which, Cody had heard more than once, could frighten even a man with a violent temper into behaving himself. "Save your money for when an emergency arises, or if there's something special you might like."

After thinking this over, Cody, deciding that Kaiba was right, nodded and placed his wallet back on his bed. He and Kaiba exchanged grins with each other before heading out the door and over to the elevator.

When they got to the lobby, Mr. Moseby appeared. He smiled upon seeing Kaiba.

"Ah, hello, Mr. Kaiba!" he said. "You're enjoying our services here at the Tipton, I trust?"

Kaiba nodded. "Yes, Mr. Moseby. I certainly am. And as a matter of fact, Cody and I are going out to McDonald's."

Seeing the puzzled look on Mr. Moseby's face, Kaiba tried his best to keep from smirking. Secretly, he liked it whenever someone looked at him all puzzled. The puzzled look was for whenever he said something that was either too confusing, would fly over their heads completely, or consisted of only what he could understand.

Kaiba then explained, "It's a celebration of sorts. You see, Cody here has gotten an A on a math quiz – again."

As he said this he turned to Cody and smiled, which Cody returned.

"That's right, Mr. Moseby," Cody then spoke up as Kaiba then put an arm around Cody's shoulders, like the cool older brother or the neat cousin Cody sometimes wished he was. "Besides, I deserve a reward for all the hard work I did in preparing for the quiz too."

Kaiba nodded. "I agree with you there, Cody. I agree."

Cody looked at Kaiba and smiled. "Thanks, Seto."

"You're welcome," Kaiba replied, returning the grin.

To Kaiba, Cody, unlike Zack, was definitely destined to be a great worker someday.

Maybe, Kaiba thought, I can make him into my student and show him the ropes about being the CEO of a company like Kaiba Corp sometime. After all, I've seen how he works with numbers and spelling, so he must've had lots of practice when he was young. A fine protégé he will make someday. I just know it.

Keeping that thought in mind, Kaiba, along with Cody, went to McDonald's, where Kaiba suggested on paying for their meal with his debit card.

"Oh, no, Seto, you don't have to," Cody gently protested when they were in the men's restroom and had washed their hands (as Kaiba was a firm believer in washing one's hands before eating a meal, which was something Cody agreed with).

"I want to," said Kaiba, placing a hand on Cody's shoulder as he fixed Cody with his cobalt eyes, the gaze in them now gentle. "Besides, you don't need to see every mouthful as your last. I have plenty of money myself, and I really want to show you how proud I am of you for acing yet another math test."

Cody thought this over. Kaiba did have a point there, after all. Finally, he then looked at Kaiba and smiled as Kaiba then reached over to caress his cheek in a loving, brotherly manner.

"Come on, my young entrepreneur in training. Our food awaits us," said Kaiba as he put his arm around Cody's shoulders for what seemed to be the second time that night. A grin then appeared on Cody's face at those words, and he replied, "That sounds awesome."

Then, after a moment's thought, he added, "Now I wonder one thing, though. What do you think Zack going to say about this, Mr. Kaiba?"

"Plenty," Kaiba remarked as they got their food and headed for a booth. "But it will be worth every word. Besides, when we tell him why we celebrated, he'll probably ask why we didn't take him along."

Cody laughed quietly, and the sound rang nicely in Kaiba's ears like music as he imagined himself and Cody telling Zack all about it, and Zack throwing a fit (but the quiet kind, though) in reply. They exchanged secret grins before finally digging into their meal – the 9 piece Chicken McNugget meal with medium French fries and a Coca-Cola Zero for Cody, and the Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken with water for Kaiba.

While they ate, Cody listened intently and was very interested as Kaiba explained the benefits of a debit card in very simple terms. One of them was that unlike the credit card, which had the phrase "Buy Now, Pay Later" attached to it and had to be paid off at the end of the month, the debit card was kind of more like "Buy Now, Pay Now" and didn't have any interest payments or bills, either.

"Cool," said Cody.

"I agree with you there, Cody," Kaiba replied.

************Later, back at the Tipton**************

Luckily, Carey didn't seem to mind Kaiba taking Cody out for fast food at McDonald's, what with it being Friday night and Saturday being the next day (which meant no school for Cody and Zack).

As a matter of fact, she said, "Thanks, Mr. Kaiba, for taking Cody out to eat tonight; I had a feeling he needed a treat once in a while."

"It is no problem, Carey," said Kaiba in the smooth, charming tone he would sometimes use when talking to her. "After all, I sensed he needed it, too."

Cody smiled at those words.

He'd gotten an A on a math test thanks to all that studying he did, and Kaiba had taken him out to eat for fast food.

It was, to him, another good day in the life of Cody Martin...

Well, another Yu-Gi-Oh crossover oneshot finished. :) I cannot help but be proud of myself, but in a good way, that I have accomplished a new writing project I set out to do quite some time ago.

Anyway, feedback is appreciated, please. :)