Chapter 1

"Yugi, are you sure about this?"

The worried tone carried down the phone line – a question repeated one last time, before they said their goodbyes.

"Yes, Gramps! Seriously, stay and spend time with Professor Hawkins. He could do with the company, particularly with Rebecca stuck in Paris over the holidays. The two of you can duel by the Christmas tree or something?"

Yugi couldn't keep the smile out his voice at his grandfather's answered grumbling.

"Besides," Yugi continued, "it's not as if I'm going to be alone, is it?"

Mr Moto sighed, his breath making the line crackle slightly.

"Alright, alright. And no, you're most certainly not going to be alone." A jovial tone crept into the elder man's voice. "And please remind Joey and Tristan not to eat us out of house and home, won't you? I expect my jar of humbugs to be in the exact same place I left them when I get back in the New Year!"

Yugi laughed and agreed, making promises to call every day over the next week. It was a relief when he finally put the phone down and he let out a breath, sitting back into the soft blue couch of the recently refurnished Muto residence. The shop had boomed in the years following Yugi's adventures – many customers brought in with the promise of catching a glimpse of the world champ and his rather iconic hairstyle – so, they had redecorated their small, but cherished, home above it.

Seven whole years had passed since then, since he said goodbye to Atem and hello to a life of working in the shop and pouring over his own game designs – some of which were near completion. Yugi himself still couldn't accept that he was twenty-five years old. Grampa was in total denial of the fact, choosing to cough loudly whenever Yugi mentioned it. The spiky-haired duellist wasn't sure if it was because the man couldn't accept that Yugi was a grown adult – or if it was because it served as a reminder of how old his grandfather was himself.

Looking around, smiling briefly at the pretty Christmas tree in the corner, Yugi momentarily blushed at the fact that he still lived at home. Surely, he should be moved out at this stage? Téa left the country at eighteen, for crying out loud! But sense won out and, in an effort to save money and keep his aging family member company, he stayed, quite happily - but every now and again he worried over his stationary life.

Shaking off these thoughts, Yugi rose from his seat, stopping to fix the garland laid across the television and headed for the stairs, ready to open the shop for a spot of Christmas trade. He had better make some money if he was going to feed Joey and Tristan for the holidays, hadn't he?

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"Jeez Tristan, would you stop messin' around with that thing? It's freezin' out here!"

Tristan paused in his efforts to attach the nuts back onto the car wheel, turning to glower at his blonde friend.

"Do you want to change the tire Joey? Because be my guest."

He held out the tire iron, watching other's reaction. Joey immediately looked sheepish and held up his gloved hands. "Ah, no, no – you're doing a fine job!"

Tristan grumbled under his breath as Joey skipped back to the passenger side, opening the door, intent on climbing back into the warm interior.

"Joey! I have the car jacked up! I don't need your big head weighing it down."

"What did you just say ta me?!"

Joey came marching back around, looking thunderous in his puffer jacket. But he immediately stopped at the look his brunette friend was now giving him. Tristan was grinning. Joey raised a questioning eyebrow, tugging his scarf tighter to fight the chill, waiting for an explanation.

Tristan dipped his head back to the jack and started lowering the car, the wheel securely in place.

"Feels just like old times, doesn't it?"

Joey's face instantly softened, and he smiled.

"Sure does. Just wait 'til we see Yugi and Téa. Talk about a reunion. But we gotta get to my sister's first!"

The two boys – now men – were grinning like idiots by the time they were on the road again, belting out 'Driving Home for Christmas' in unison, then roaring with approval when one suggested they stop for pizza.

x


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Mokuba Kaiba thought it felt rather weird to be back at their home in Domino. Having spent most of the last five years between America and England – where he now attended university – it was strange to be back where it all started.

Momentarily, he mourned the warmth of their New York City apartment, having spent the previous Christmas there, but he supposed it was nice to be back in Domino – even if he wasn't overly fond of this house.

His brother was out, doing god knows what – most likely terrorising the employees at Domino's Kaiba Corp headquarters. Employees who'd enjoyed a serene few years without their ill-tempered boss towering over them, watching their every move like a keen hawk. The younger Kaiba snorted with laughter at the image he conjured up in his head, supposing that his brother would be making up for all those years of peace with a Smaug-like reign of terror, just in time for the Christmas holidays.

Kicking off his shoes, he flicked through the channels on the obscenely large television screen in their upstairs living room, feeling utterly lazy and content by the fire. Mokuba loved Christmas and despite being seventeen – fast approaching eighteen – his taste for cartoons had never faded, so he happily left 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas' on the screen, reaching for his mug of tea.

He'd barely managed a mouthful when the door suddenly slammed downstairs, causing him to slosh some of the liquid down his jumper.

"Hot, hot, hot!" he cried, pulling the fabric away from his chest until it cooled somewhat, placing the cup down safely. Checking himself for burns, he grumbled at the red – but unharmed – skin, casting an eye to the door. "That's one way to announce you're home, Seto…"

Getting up, comfort thoroughly disturbed, he padded down the hall in socked feet, peering over the bannister to see his brother shedding his coat.

"Hey, Seto. Bad day?"

The elder Kaiba didn't even turn around.

"The worst. They've all gone soft. I told them that if things didn't get into shape soon, they'd be out of a job – just in time for the damn holidays too."

Mokuba grinned in response to his brother's theatrics.

"Big bro, I have a serious question for you."

Kaiba deigned to turn around then, looking up at his brother with a questioning brow.

"If you had to decide," Mokuba said, rather cheerfully, "would you say you're more like Scrooge or the Grinch?

A glower was aimed his way initially, but then Kaiba shrugged and made his way toward the kitchen, not looking back up at his sibling

"I'll claim Ebenezer Scrooge, if they're the only options. But that makes you Tiny Tim."

"Hey!"

Mokuba leant farther over the bannister in an attempt to glare at the brunette, but he was gone, leaving Mokuba to stew for a moment, standing a little taller in an attempt to debunk the notion that he was still short. This was done with minimal success…

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11.30am the next day found Mokuba wrapped head-to-toe in wool and heavy denim. He had regretted his choice of clothing while in the car, convinced that his driver couldn't hear him asking for the heat to be lowered through the triple-layered scarf, but as soon as he was dropped off in town, he was glad. The wind was positively icy, and the ground was white and thoroughly frozen. If it weren't for the fact that he had Christmas shopping to do and he was craving proper hot chocolate – not that powdered stuff they had at the mansion – he might not have left the safety of his home.

Waving to the driver, he started down the street, weaving in and out of the people hobbling around with multiple shopping bags. After one particularly close encounter involving an elderly lady and her pull-bag, the boy was happy to see a cosy coffee shop up on his left. Dodging inside, he immediately removed his scarf and opened his jacket, the burst of heat from the shop threatening to overwhelm him.

Miraculously, it was quiet, just a few people scattered around on comfortable sofas or at thick-set wooden tables with leather chairs, reading and sipping their brews.

Spotting a table by the frosted window, looking out on the snowy streets, he quickly ordered a hot chocolate (cream, marshmallows – the works) and a cinnamon bun and sat down. He browsed through the few books that were placed on the table, but decided to just watch the outside world while he enjoyed his treats.

He was barely halfway through his beverage when his phone rang. Pulling it out of his coat beside him, he answered with a cream moustache, much to the amusement of the girl who walked by the window at that moment.

Blushing profusely, he wiped it away.

"Sorry – hello?"

"It's me," came the serious tone of his brother. "I'm after wrapping my meeting early and thought I would come meet you for lunch. I rang the mansion, but you must be out?"

"Yeah, I popped out for a hot chocolate," Mokuba said happily, scooping some cream up on the end of his finger and devouring it. "But I'd love to have lunch. We could eat here actually, if you want to keep it light?"

"That sounds fine. Where are you?"

"Fodges & Higgis, on 34th."

"Ridiculous name, but not far from the office. I'll see you in about twenty minutes so."

Kaiba had ended the call, so Mokuba threw his phone down, biting into his bun with added enthusiasm at his unexpected company. It was testament to how many years had passed, that his brother willingly left the office for breaks now. It had started some time after the events with Yugi and his friends. Kaiba spent more time with Mokuba and took short periods of time off, to focus on other projects and actual real life, though that last part didn't get much farther than brotherly bonding.

Though he wasn't sure, Mokuba suspected his brother's behaviour had something to do with the Pharaoh – Yugi's other half – leaving. But why? That was anyone's guess. In any case, he couldn't care for the reason, it was a welcome thing after all.

x


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Almost exactly twenty minutes later, Kaiba arrived, his deep navy suit and coat making him appear taller than ever. Quick to order a coffee, he sat across from his brother, eying the remnants of the cinnamon bun with mild disapproval.

"Hey bro! How'd the deal go?"

Kaiba relaxed at the topic and removed his coat, folding it carefully over the back of his seat. He seemed to have no issue with Mokuba's venue choice, aside from the name. The younger boy handed him the small menu he had attained from the waitress prior to his arrival.

"Very well, actually. Mazuko made no changes to our initial agreement and seems happy to move to the next stage. It seems he won't be the headache that his predecessor was."

"That's awesome!"

Kaiba scanned the menu before handing it back to Mokuba, who smiled at the waitress to catch her attention.

They ate unintentionally fast, mulling over the details of their upcoming releases and Mokuba's life at college, but when they had finished, Kaiba surprised his brother by ordering a second coffee and hot chocolate. Clearly, he was intent on staying another while. That really had been a positive meeting. Mokuba knew he had booked a few days off for Christmas – again, something he has opted to do over the last few years – so he was surprised that the CEO was so relaxed. Usually when facing time-off, he went into overdrive, working like a crazy person, as if to make up for the time he would be away. But Kaiba Corp was a well-oiled machine now and they had good people in place to handle things. Sure, it wasn't all roses and sunshine and there were still betrayals, disloyalty and backstabbing, but it was nothing the two of them couldn't handle – the worst of it had ended years previous.

Mokuba was debating mentioning a girl he had taken an interest in back in Cambridge, when the shop door opened, and a very familiar spiky head walked through – a multi-coloured, spiked head that Mokuba hadn't set eyes on in well over three years.

"Seto," his tone caught the other's attention immediately and he looked to where Mokuba was nodding his head, "is that who I think it is?"

It was.

x


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Yugi was grateful to get out of the wind and into his favourite coffee shop. He felt a tad guilty for closing the shop that morning, but he had Christmas errands to run. Besides, he had stayed open very late the night before. Fixing his hair with mild embarrassment at it's unkempt state, he approached the counter, greeting the guy behind it – Kato was his name – with a smile.

"Hey Yugi, how's it goin'? Your usual?" Kato asked, hand already making for the coffee machine.

"Yes please! Although to be honest, I'd take anything warm on a day like that. I think it's going to snow again this afternoon."

When his mocha was completed to perfection and he had tipped generously, Yugi made his way toward his table buried in the back, pulling a book off a nearby shelf as he went. But he didn't get far, hearing his name said, almost tentatively, off to the side.

Turning, drink and book carefully in hand, he almost dropped them when he was met with the faces of Mokuba and Seto Kaiba.

"Mokuba? Kaiba? Wow, hey!"

Cheerful disposition in full throttle, Yugi approached the brothers, delighted to see some very familiar faces. It wasn't often that he ran into friends of old. Most had moved away years ago and only returned sporadically. As for the Kaiba brothers, it has been almost four years, if he wasn't mistaken?

Kaiba's gaze was characteristically steely, his face unchanged by time and as tall as ever, judging by the long legs visible under the table. But his look was not unfriendly and Yugi perceived it as positive, as warm as Kaiba could manage in this situation, he suspected. Mokuba on the other hand, was overjoyed, sitting up straighter and grinning like a madman. His face had matured, but his unruly black hair was still long and he had only grown a couple of inches. Yugi could sympathise.

"Long time no see, Yugi! How are you?"

"I'm great, thanks Mokuba. How have you been? I heard you were in college in England? And you Kaiba, I hope you're well?"

Mokuba spoke with enthusiasm about his studies, referencing the work he and his brother had been doing together in the past few years. Kaiba nodded along, sipping his coffee, but didn't interrupt. Only when Mokuba had finished, did he open his mouth.

"And you Yugi?"

Yugi felt his cheeks colour for some mad reason and he mentally willed them to cool down.

"I'm good! Still living in Domino, but always busy. Are you back for the Christmas period?"

Mokuba piped up then. "Yeah! I'll be returning to university in January, but Seto's due to stay here for a few months, right Seto? And I'll be back on mid-term then."

"You're not returning to America then Kaiba? Téa mentioned seeing you in New York about a year ago." Yugi said gently.

Kaiba shook his head. "No, not for some time. Business has boomed in America, but the Japanese market could use some work. So, I've elected to come back."

There was an odd pause between them then, as if they both realised they would inhabit the same city once more. The two greatest duellists in the world, back in Domino, within reaching distance. A thousand things sat in the space between them, things they had never and likely would never discuss – Atem being the largest topic. Yugi had the oddest impulse to bring him up, even just to speak his name, but he swallowed the notion and simply smiled.

"Best of luck with that then."

Kaiba dipped his head in response, while Mokuba frowned softly at the weird tension that had suddenly descended. He supposed that the two men weren't exactly sure where they stood with one another. No longer rivals, what was left between them, but a shared past of the wackiest events imaginable and a dear, but departed, spirit?

Glancing at his brother and then back to Yugi, Mokuba was determined to give them something to talk about – something they had in common – but Yugi beat him to it, the world champ looked surprised himself at the words that came out of his mouth.

"I know we haven't spoken in some time, but perhaps, if you like, we could meet up over the holidays? We could even have a duel? If you have time, of course.

Mokuba was fully ready to answer for his brother, expecting stubbornness or nonchalance from the other, but his mouth dropped when Kaiba agreed.

"I have some time off over the next two weeks, so I think that could be arranged."

Yugi's uncertainty seemed to melt away and he beamed at the two brothers, looking like his younger self for a moment.

By the time Yugi sat down at his table and the brothers were leaving, they had agreed to set up something two days from now.

x


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Note: Christmas fics aren't just for Christmas, it would seem.