This fanfic was inspired by Seventh Sage's "Dear Santa", which I thought was adorable beyond words. You should go read their fic, it's full of puzzleshipping goodness and Yami working as an elf as a bonus!

Well, instead of an elf, I decided, for my own work, Yami becoming… something else. ;) You'll seeeee.

In any case, yes, it's still a tiiiiny bit early for Christmas, but… well, I wanted to put this down on paper and Microsoft before I forgot it! Enjoy!

"Yugi, do you want a cookie?"

The petit boy with the tri-colored, perfectly spiked hair, nodded happily to Anzu's offer as she held the cookie tray consisting of gingerbread men and snowflakes and heart-shapes, under his nose. A big smile spread on her pretty face as Yugi reached up and gladly accepted a snowflake-shaped cookie and brought it without hesitation to his waiting lips. Anzu took a heart-shaped cookie and placed it sneakily in Yugi's lap with a wink. He smiled a little in return, and the female teen stood up and made her rounds to all the other guests who attended her Christmas party. Yugi took another bite into his sugary treat between his fingers and watched the bustling holiday festivities around him, as he leaned on one hand against the carpet. Jounouchi and Honda were in one corner with wine glasses nearly empty, held up proudly in front of them. Once filled to the brim, the boys had managed to down maybe… four or five glasses; Yugi had lost count, himself. He smiled a little as Jou took a noisy slurp from his cup, and a second later, both were laughing hysterically as though it were the funniest sound that had ever filled their ears. Just as they began falling over and slapping their knees, Honda spilled a little on the floor. There was a swear, and soon a scolding from Anzu, then more laughing erupting between the two teens. Yugi couldn't help but giggle a little bit, himself. He loved seeing his friends having fun, even if it meant they were a little tipsy. He's promised himself he'd never get as drunk as them in his life, or drink anything with alcohol for that matter. But it was still entertaining to see others become over-exaggeratingly silly, nonetheless.

The boy stood up then, finishing off his cookies with a few more nibbles, and strode over past his two drunken friends—who were completely oblivious to his change in location—and to the front door where he grabbed his winter coat that was suspended on the coat hanger. He was slipping it over his arms as Anzu approached.

"Leaving already, Yugi?" She said with disappointment.

"Yeah," He smiled sadly, his fingers fumbling with the buttons of his coat. "I shouldn't keep Jii-chan and Yami waiting too long. Besides," he blushed a little, "I still have to write my wishing letter to Santa."

"Santa?" Anzu blinked. She smiled weakly. Even for someone Yugi's age, nearing seventeen, he still believed in Santa. It astonished her that Sugoroku Motou hasn't just told Yugi the truth by now… but if Yugi was happy believing that such a being existed, then she was happy to play along and not ruin the hope and cheerful vibe her friend exuded about it every year.

"Yugi!" A raspy voice called as Jou and Honda stumbled, with arms wrapped around the other's shoulders for stance support, to where Yugi and Anzu stood by the door. "I heard you mention… S… Santa!" Jou said with a small hiccup and a silly grin following.

"Yes?" Yugi raised a curious eyebrow. He tried to stifle the laugh wanting to arise, seeing the two sway drunkenly from side to side like old men, nearly tripping over their own feet and into the wall just a couple feet away.

A bubbly giggle erupted from Jou's lips as he staggered forward. Yugi held out his arms and caught his best friend before he had the chance to collapse on the floor right then and there. He blinked expectantly at the taller teen in his arms. The blonde threw his head up with his jaw loosely hanging open as he stared with glazed eyes at Yugi. The smaller coughed lightly, waving a hand in the little space between them, the scent of wine prominent in his breath, much to his dismay.

"Yes, Jou, what is it?" He asked weakly, hoping his friend's brain would function even a little bit properly so he could just get to the point. Another giggle escaped, and Jou held Yugi's shoulders for support.

"Y… you still believe in—hick—good 'ol… jolly… fat man, 'lil Yug?" He smiled.

"Em, yes," Yugi stared at Jou impatiently, "Who doesn't?"

Jou threw back his head to the heavens and laughed, hard, catching him and Anzu off guard. Honda most likely would have been surprised, too, if it weren't for him being perhaps more drunk than Jou: He leaned against the wall limply, a little drool forming, and he didn't seem to care. Yugi waited for Jou to stop laughing.

"Oh, Yugi!" He said in between gleeful chuckles. "Don't you—hick—know that he's… he's… like, not real?" Jou greatly emphasized his last word, causing Yugi to reach up and wipe off tiny splatters of spit that flew on his face. The blonde stared at his friend hard, with wide eyes and gripped his bony shoulders harder, leaning in close, whispering almost in a sinister manner: "Your—hick —g-gramps buys all the things… that you want… and puts them under the tree when… you're asleep!" He exclaimed, and staggered backwards a couple steps from the impulse of his raised voice. He held his head. "Woah…" he mumbled. Anzu took furtive glances between Yugi and Jou, then quickly proceeded in cupping his mouth shut and smiling reassuringly—and a little nervously—at Yugi's perplexed expression.

"Don't listen to him, Yugi, of course Santa exists! Jou's just had too much to drink is all."

Yugi said nothing for a few moments, then he mumbled, "Right," and threw his scarf around his shoulders and wrapped it snug around his neck. Anzu waved as he opened the front door with a click and the cold, snowy scenery greeted him.

"Well, Merry Christmas, Yugi! Say hi to Yami and your grandfather for all of us!" She said cheerfully. Yugi looked over his shoulder and smiled, nodding, and then waving back.

"I will. Thanks for having me over for this, I had a great time. Merry Christmas!" As he stepped out into the cold night air, he giggled to himself upon hearing Anzu shriek when Jou licked her palm still over his mouth. He closed the door behind him, and began walking.

As Yugi began his journey back home—which thankfully was only a few blocks away—he shoved his frigid, pale hands in the pockets of his coat, and took notice of how his slow breath was visible before him, and the snow gently falling around him and melting in his spiky hair. He could hear the faint Christmas music playing on record players in some homes he passed, but it was mostly comforting silence that enveloped him and the atmosphere. Suddenly, his thoughts disturbed the peace as he recalled what Jou had told him:

Oh Yug! Don't you know he's not real? Your gramps buys all the things that you want and puts them under the tree when you're asleep!

Even in his completely drunken state, was Jou right? Sometimes when one was tipsy enough, they would admit things they would never consciously admit… and what Anzu said right after made it all the more confusing:

Don't listen to him, Yugi, of course Santa exists! Jou's just had too much to drink is all.

Yugi frowned. Anzu didn't even seem confident in her own words. Her voice was shaky, and her face expressed something like Jou had just blurted out a dirty little secret.

Yugi sighed deeply and watched the mist that formed from it ascend into the night, finding himself in front of the Kame Game Shop's doors. No, Santa exists. He has to… right?

The bell jingling on top of the door announced Yugi's arrival back home. There was loud banging on the steps descending, getting louder and louder until Yami had appeared on the bottom to greet him. He saw Yugi and brought the smaller teen in a warm, welcoming hug.

"Aibou, so glad you're home. Did you have a good time?" He smiled as they parted. Yugi nodded, smiling gently in return.

"Yeah, I did," he replied. "Jou and Honda got really drunk. It was pretty funny to watch." He decided to leave out the Santa issue, for now.

Yami chuckled. "Does sound like fun. Well come up, you got more presents in the mail from your relatives. They're under the tree!"

"Really?" Yugi suddenly burst with excitement, his sadness dissipated into thin air, his worries becoming only water under the bridge. The two boys giggled as they trudged hurriedly up the staircase to greet the glowing tree in the living room, sparkling brilliantly with multi-colored strings of lights and ornaments, illuminating the room with it's cheerful radiance. More presents than the day before sat in stacks underneath it, neatly wrapped and beckoning Yugi to be opened at the first sight. The smaller boy, in his bubbly state, jumped up and down with a huge grin plastered across his face. Yami chuckled—it was like he suddenly became ten years younger.

"Yes! And just think how many more there will be tomorrow morning when Santa comes—" Yugi suddenly ceased his little dance of joy, remembering. Remembering what Jou said.

Don't you know that's he's not real?

Yugi's shoulders slumped. Yami reached over and placed a hand on the center of his back. "Aibou? Are you alright?"

Yugi glanced at him with concern showing in his eyes, and Yami felt he should worry as well. The smaller of the two youthful teens grabbed Yami's slender hand and marched to his room. Once the door was shut after yanking the poor pharaoh inside, Yugi slid against the door to the floor and began to sob. Yami was instantly at the Light's side, wrapping an arm around him as a gesture of solace.

"J-Jou said… that Santa… w-wasn't real…" He finally said. Yami raised an eyebrow. Why did this not come to him as a surprise? Well, ever since Yugi told him about Christmas and it's purpose in early December, and how this big and jolly "Santa"-fellow would deliver presents to good children all over the world in a matter of twelve hours, and he'd eat cookies and go to the next house on a sleigh with flying reindeer… shocker.

But it wasn't right, either, to break Yugi's heart and hopes just like that. So, instead, he said something along the lines of "well, who else would bring the presents?"

"J-Jou… also said… that j-jii-chan does that…"

Again, shocker.

Unfortunately, it was all true. But Yami's heart ached to see his aibou like this. He'd do anything to make those tears vanish, to keep Yugi believing. Because the way Yugi described Christmas and Santa at the beginning of the month, and his cheerful spirit for it… made Yami want to believe, too.

The taller slumped to the ground beside Yugi and pulled the boy in an endearing embrace, holding his head against his chest. He absent-mindedly began stroking his hair, shooshing him.

"Don't give up so easily in the spirit of Christmas, aibou. Please don't. Your strong belief in him and the magic of it makes everyone around you be joyful and believe. You're an inspiration, especially, to me… it's because of you that I believe in him, too." Yami smiled as Yugi raised his tearful-stained face to meet and find the sincerity in his eyes, hope reflecting in Yugi's violet orbs.

"You mean it, Yami?" He murmured. Yami nodded his head slowly, his thumb caressing his tears away, his expression and words so warm. Yugi squeezed the thin body of his other half, smiling at him and silently thanking him. Then, he untangled himself from Yami's embrace and rose to his feet.

"I'm gonna… wait for Santa this time. Just… see what happens." Before Yami could open his mouth to reply, the boy had already left the room. Isolated, Yami sat there in thought. He knew what he wanted to do, to make this year special for him. He would most likely lose his dignity in the process, but it was for his aibou.

Yami was just about to exit the room when Yugi suddenly appeared in the doorway again.

"I have to write my letter!" He exclaimed, brushing past Yami and scrambling around his desk for paper and a writing utensil. The pharaoh said nothing, only watching in astonishment at Yugi's strangely fast speed in getting his tools and rushing out the door again. He chuckled and followed him into the living room, where he witnessed the determined Hikari at work as he scribbled a few sentences down on the flat piece of paper with notably incredible speed. His tongue stuck cutely out the corner of his mouth as he tried to ignore Yami's presence and concentrate on completing his task before it was too late. Then, he folded it up and slipped it in the envelope, licking the seal shut. Finally, he bounded down the stairs and out the front door and crossed the snowy sidewalk—in his socks—to the mailbox, and dropped it in. He looked down the road in the night as he hugged himself, shivering violently, and hoping the mailman would come soon.

Wait, what?

"NO!" He suddenly hollered. Yami heard this and got up from the couch, rushing down the stairs and outside the shop. He found Yugi there, sitting beside the mailbox that towered over him, with his face in his hands.

"It won't get to him, Yami! It can't! It's too late!" He said, his face rising from his hands to meet Yami's concerned eyes. At this, they softened. The pharaoh walked over to his aibou and helped him stand up and get him inside, feeling his body shiver under his touch from the cold. He reassured him as they entered the shop again, saying, "Don't worry. It'll get to him. Remember, he's a being with magic, as you've told me—you don't need a mailman in order for him to get your wish." The little Hikari nodded, hoping Yami was right.

The hours of the evening came and went, but for little Yugi, it felt like forever. He sat with a cup of hot chocolate—nearly empty—in his grip, in front of the colorful, glowing tree. He forced himself to restrain the temptation to just rip open the presents given from his relatives in his excitement. No, he had to wait for Santa to deliver the rest of the gifts, and open them all in the morning.

He was told that the time Santa was supposed to arrive was when the clock struck midnight. Well. It was now fifteen minutes past midnight.

Yugi sighed, feeling the tears starting to come. At first, it was because he thought Jou's words were truly correct. But then he realized there was a deeper meaning to it—he doubted that his true wish this year would be granted, which was what he wrote in his letter. It wasn't a physical item he could hold in his hands, wrapped up in pretty paper or a bow. No, it was something that went beyond that. Ever since Yami had gotten his own body, this one thing was what he secretly wanted, more than anything else.

"And now?" He sighed again, his heart heavy. "I don't think it's going to work. I'm not worthy. It's too late," When the clock struck thirty-minutes-past-midnight, the tears fell freely down his soft cheeks. Jou was right. Santa would not come, and the magic of Christmas was only told in fictional stories. Maybe I should just go to bed, he thought solemnly. But for whatever reasons, he stayed rooted right where he was, gazing at the tree with such sadness. "You lied to me." He whispered. At whom, he didn't really know, himself. Everything, anyone, everyone.

There was a faint grunt in the walls then, and the sound filling Yugi's sensitive ears of dust and ash falling unusually. Yugi slowly turned his head to the fireplace, and there, he could see it. The dust and ash continued to drop fast to the wood, and there was low thumping somewhere upwards, and more grunting, like someone was struggling to get through the chimney. Yugi quickly scrambled to his feet. "Santa…?" He whispered. This couldn't be… was it? He rubbed his eyes, but the scene before him continued. He pinched himself quickly at his side, and his head didn't pop off his pillow in his room. Okay, so he wasn't dreaming. His big eyes widened as he watched dumbfounded, and waited.

After a couple minutes of waiting, Yugi jumped back with a gasp as a giant pile of ash plopped to the ground in the fireplace and floated in the surrounding space. Yugi coughed, trying to wave it away as he narrowed his eyes in the ash and dust cloud. He could make out a figure. He could see patches of red, and the sound of big boots clicking against the floor—yes!

"S-Santa?" Yugi called to the figure. Finally, Yugi could see more clearly as the dust particles began to disperse. The man's back was turned, but his eyes were not mistaking him when he saw the red coat splotched with ash, and the unmistakable red hat with a fuzzy ball at the tip.

"Ho-ho—" The voice of the man tried to laugh in the jolly Santa way, but then he began choking on the dust still lingering in the air, and his voice suddenly became thirty or so years younger. He coughed violently, making Yugi wince. But he knew that voice anywhere… He narrowed his eyes again.

"… Yami?"

The man froze where he stood. Then, a sigh that meant he was caught. "Yes, aibou." He mumbled, turning so Yugi could see his face—which was nearly black from ash like the rest of him.

"Wha… what're you… you…" Yugi suddenly fell over on the floor, rolling where he lie, laughing till he had tears in his eyes as he clutched his stomach. He couldn't even finish his sentence, too much in his own laughing fit for words. Yami smiled weakly—okay, so he couldn't fake a Santa very well, but… at least his aibou wasn't severely disappointed, crying, or yelling and throwing a tantrum at him for it.

"You—you—you shoved pillows up your costume to—to make you look fat?" Yugi was laughing insanely now, slapping the floor to his side. "A-and… that beard!"

Yami started to join in this laughing fit as well, in stages: first came giggling, then chuckling, then full-on laughing. Not as much as his aibou, but surely enough to make his stomach hurt. Both boys stayed like this in the comfort of each other, laughing until it hurt or they were absolutely breathless and simply unable to anymore; until all that came out was wheezing. For a long time, it was the most glorious sound to ever pass through their ears. Yugi had not laughed this hard, as he remembered, in a very long time—and to hear Yami laughing as hard as he was with him, only made it better. They knew they most likely just woke up Sugoroku, but why stop and regret this amazing moment?

Yugi let out another small laugh, then another, both weak and choppy as he lie back on the floor with his hand resting on his stomach and one leg straight against the carpet, and his other leg slightly bent. Yami had flopped himself on the arm of the couch in the midst of their laughing, and now he lie there, just as breathless.

"Yami… that was really, really wonderful. It was… really needed." Yugi smiled.

Yami's lips slowly curled up in a smile and he turned his body to face the little Hikari on the floor. "Yeah? I'm glad, then. My mission has been… well, halfway accomplished."

"Halfway?" Yugi echoed, turning his head to look at his darker half just a couple feet off the ground from him.

"Well… my main motive was to make my Santa actually believable," Yami chuckled. "That didn't quite go as planned. I wanted you to… keep believing in magic, aibou. But I did want to make you smile, too, which… definitely worked." He said with a little smirk.

"Yami," Yugi grinned, touched by the taller's explanation. He pushed himself off the ground and took a few steps forward to his companion, then kneeled down in front of him and reached out to cradle his cheek. "I do believe in magic, Yami. Moreso now than… ever before. I know it sounds cheesy, but… well, you just made my Christmas this year so much more sweeter and full of magic compared to any other year that I've sat and waited for an old man to magically appear in the chimney," He smiled. "You did something so much more special. And, although I didn't exactly get my wish that was in the letter… that was enough to make me happy." He smiled gently.

"Aibou," Yami sat up on the end of the couch, taking the smaller's face in his hands. "You know, whatever you wanted… you could have just asked me. I have a way of getting anything you want," He chuckled lightly. "So in a way, I suppose I'm a skinnier, less-jolly version of Santa Clause," He smiled sweetly at the boy who's eyes sparkled at him. "So, what do you want for Christmas this year, my little aibou?"

Yugi's cheeks colored a light pink as he glanced down at his lap, his fingers again fumbling with the ends of his nightshirt. "I… um… well, it was… a little personal… what was in that letter…"

Yami rolled his eyes. "C'mon Yugi, it can't be thatpersonal if you're sending it in a letter to a guy at the North Pole."

Yugi couldn't help giggling at Yami's comment, but it immediately stopped. His eyes constantly wandered to focus on something else in the room, refusing to meet Yami's soft gaze. He suddenly broke away from Yami's hold on his cheeks and stood up. "Y'know, Mr. Santa, I made some cookies for you! I'll be right back!" He said nervously, and proceeded in stepping away to the kitchen area. Yami frowned and quickly yanked off the fake, curly white beard and threw it to the floor, then pulled out the pillows from his stomach and also threw them aside. These useless things shed in just a matter of seconds, he swiftly caught up with his aibou and grabbed the smaller's thin wrist and turned Yugi around to face him directly. Shock and confusion were shown in the boy's eyes.

"What're you—" Yugi was stopped midsentence by a pair of lips crashing upon his own, and a pair of long arms wrapping around Yugi's small body like a snake. It took the little Hikari a second to process in his mind what was happening, but once he registered that Yami was, indeed, kissing him—he gave in, his eyes bidding shut, and melted into it. He hardly noticed his own arms twining around the taller's waist as the kiss continued and deepened. Yugi couldn't help smiling through it all, a single thought taken over as gratitude overwhelmed his entire being.

Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Finally they pulled away after a minute, but Yami's hold on the boy in his arms only tightened, their faces mere inches apart. "I want to send that human necessity to breathe straight to the shadow realm." Yami mumbled against his lips.

Yugi giggled. "But, you know, Yami… that was actually… my wish in the letter."

"To make the necessity to breathe go to the shadow realm?" Yami said playfully.

Another bubbly giggle. "No… the… other thing."

Yami's eyes widened with realization, and a smile gradually graced his lips. "Then, my mission is one-hundred-percent accomplished."

Yugi's eyes drifted shut and he leaned up to grasp Yami's lips another time. "Thank you."

Finally, Yami pulled away and sighed, his hand coming to rest on the back of his neck. "Well… Santa ended up not coming… I'm sorry, aibou."

"What are you talking about, Yami? Of course he did!" Yugi grinned.

"No, I mean… the real one." Yami mumbled solemnly.

Yugi shrugged. "Well, even if that's so, I still believe in him—there will be a ton more presents tomorrow morning, and I'll still believe it was his doing. Maybe he's running a little late tonight," He giggled. "But, even if it's not so, his spirit certainly exists. He made my ultimate wish come true for me this year, on some level."

Yami smiled gently at his Hikari, pulling him into another embrace, his arms loose around the smaller's shoulders. "Merry Christmas, my aibou."

"Merry Christmas, my Yami."