So, here's a Christmas fan fiction. It's AU operating on generally the same premise as "It Doesn't Suit You"- the ceremonial duel ended in a draw, resulting in Tami acquiring a body of his own. It's his first Christmas and Yugi's determined to see him fully immersed in the holiday cheer.
I found the idea of a Christmas story a little challenging-I know it's been largely secularized and is rooted in a lot of pagan traditions, but the fact that Christmas as we know it is a Christian holiday gave me pause. I figure that since supernatural powers and the Egyptian gods played such an integral part in their lives, most of the Yu-Gi-Oh characters logically can't be Christian. So I did my best to keep Yugi's explanation of it to Tami as secular as possible, and I kind of justified it in my head by deciding that there's no reason not to enjoy the decorations and joy of the season, anyway. And there are about a billion other Christmas stories in the fandom...
But I guess I still had this question of "Er... Does this really work?" going through my head as I was writing. I'm kind of not sure if it came out alright because it was a bit distracting. I did reread it and edit/revise...
But reviews with your thoughts would be much appreciated! :)
Anyway, Merry Christmas!
~Pleurez
"Yami! Yami, wake up!" Practically bouncing up and down with glee, Yugi prodded the motionless lump on the bed.
A grumble.
"Yami," he whined. He began to shake him more vigorously, insisting, "You've slept long enough! Come on!"
As the former spirit stirred, Yugi could've sworn he heard a muttered "mind crush", but he was undeterred. As soon as Yami sat up, Yugi snatched his hand and began tugging him towards the door. He pushed it open, beaming as he dragged the bleary-eyed man into the living room.
Yami stopped dead in his tracks.
"Aibou? There is a tree in the house."
Yugi nodded, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Yup!"
An exasperated sigh. He tried again, "Why is there a tree in the house?"
"Because it's Christmas!" He pushed a cardboard box in front of Yami, chattering, "Grandpa and I decided we'd let you sleep while we went out to pick it. But now you have to help us decorate it!" Yami peeked into the box, finding a tangled mass of glittering garland and tiny lights.
"Go easy on him, Yugi," Solomon chuckled, standing in the doorway holding another box. "They didn't have Christmas in ancient Egypt!"
Yami picked at the garland, not entirely sure what to do with it. When he and Yugi had shared a body, he'd been too preoccupied with trying to keep him and his friends safe to have paid any mind to these kinds of traditions. Though, in retrospect he thought he vaguely remembered seeing similar trees before… Not that that helped him understand what Yugi was going on about.
"It's a holiday. During the season, you get to decorate the house with lights and evergreen, and then on Christmas day you spend time with all your friends and family and exchange gifts."
Solomon plopped his box down on the ground. "Well, come on! Let's do the lights first!" His eyes were bright with mischief as he pulled three masses of lights from the box, taking one for himself and giving the others to Yugi and Yami."First one to untangle theirs gets to put the tree topper on!"
Though he still didn't think he really understood the point of the tree, Yami wasn't one to back down from a challenge. All three tackled their string of lights with the same enthusiasm and determination as a game of duel monsters.
It was close, but Yami managed to get his finished just seconds before anyone else.
Yugi's head disappeared into one of the boxes and when he surfaced he was holding a glittering statue of the Dark Magician in attack mode. "Alright, Yami! After all the other decorations are up, you can put him on the very top of the tree!"
It seemed fitting to have him do it, anyway, since it was for all intents and purposes his first Christmas.
As they wound lights around the branches of the evergreen, Yami found himself cursing the tradition. The pine needles were sharp and the lights tangled infuriatingly easily. However, Yugi's cheer was practically contagious and he couldn't stay irritated for very long.
Next came the ornaments.
Yami was amazed at the number of duel monsters figurines Yugi dug out. He picked up a little kuriboh by the hook, asking, "Fifteen of them, aibou?"
Yugi gave a little eye roll as if to say duh! Wasn't created a giant wall of kuriboh one of their signature moves? He tried his hardest to have at least one of every monster in their decks—and a few that reminded him of friends—, and as many of the magic and trap cards as he could find. Things like mirror force were a little tough to make into ornaments, but he'd had no problem finding magical hats and swords of revealing light.
Solomon watched his grandchildren.
"Yugi, the Kuriboh have to go around the Blue Eyes!"
Yami plucked one of the little balls of fur of the branch it had previously been on, adding it to the mob surrounding the dragon.
"Fine, but the scapegoats get spread out around the tree."
As they bantered over the placement of various ornaments, the old man smirked. "How about another game?"
Each pulled a monster from the box.
"Dark Magician Girl," Yugi crowed triumphantly. Her attack points were higher than both the Celtic Guardian Yami'd pulled out and his grandfather's Curse of Dragon. "The next ornament's mine!"
Quickly, the number of creatures left in the box dwindled, leaving only the Dark Magician to be placed.
"This one's yours, Yami," Solomon reminded him.
The former pharaoh climbed the ladder, balancing his favorite monster on the tip of the tree. An easy smile spread across his face.
Solomon switched on the lights. "Well done! It's the best it's ever looked."
Yugi rolled his eyes. "You say that every year, Grandpa!" However, his eyes settled on Yami and he added, "Though, this year I think you're right. It does seem extra special."
With a grin, he ushered the taller duelist into the kitchen. "Come on! Now it's time for gingerbread houses!"