[ShortFic]/[Off Track]

This ShortFic is directly related to the Yu-Gi-Oh fanfiction Beautiful Items and utilizes characters and backstory from this previous source.

Disclaimer: Ownership of Yu-Gi-Oh goes to a lot of people, none of them me because I'm, you know, text. And text doesn't exactly get a place in the humans rights doctrine.

Narrator's Note: I know I don't say it, but er, I wanted to... thank... you guys for the support and enjoying Beautiful Items. I don't say this enough, but it means a lot to have someone at the other end of my narrator. Without you, I'd just be talking to myself. It means... a... lot.

Oh shut. Even text can get chummy during the holiday season. So, here's a special, fluffy, slightly spoilers Beautiful Items ShortFic in the spirit of the holidays. Amy x Yugi. I'm still playing around with titles. I thought I had a sarcastic one I like but the more I looked at it the more I wanted to change it.

Outside the weather was as chilly as Domino seemed to ever become. The color was a dull and looming grey, but was thankfully less than depressing. If fact, considering the time of year it seemed almost magical. Certainly if nothing else it was fitting. Amy looked out to this coloring and just starred.

She could only think about how weird it was that once again, the world seemed to be flocking into December. Just downstairs, Grandpa and Yugi were preparing to spiff up the shop to adorn the spirit of the season, filling it with a seine cheer. And cheesy [4filtet] garland. Surely there would be greens and reds everywhere, lights and fake snow. Yugi's mom was planning out what massive amount of food she would need, and of course Amy was always welcomed to help. Everyone made it seemed like they just loved her cooking. But more than that Yugi's mom gave off a stronger, "I love cooking with you" vibe like the mother of a single boy she was.

It was only a week until Christmas, though a holiday focused around religion it was celebrated for all kinds of reasons. Togetherness just being one. Yet Amy sat alone, looking aimlessly out the window of room. In her hands was a letter, still sealed and tightly as it had been sent. She had been starring at the return address for a long time now, trying unsuccessfully to figure out what to make of it. Amy knew exactly where it had come from – only one person would send her Christmas greetings from overseas.

Of course, she wanted to look at the mail Leo took the time to send her, Amy just knew she shouldn't. That was a life she left behind after all – the world where she lived with her parents, attended high school with Leo and worked towards the American Dream – and it was something she would never go back to. Obliviously Amy had no business dwelling even a toe into that world.

….Right?

She had no business opening this envelope and getting involved with whatever holiday update Leo sent her.

Amy slide the letter across her desk, face twisted in anxiety. Or was it that this was something she should do, but desperately just didn't want too. That possibility bubbled around her conscience, somewhere in the back of her head making sure she understood. So, with a cringe, Amy hesitantly pulled the envelope back her way. This incredibly stressful battle was one that she had been fighting for more than an hour, having been on mail duty today, and discovered the letter unexpectedly while sorting through the pile.

However, there was a knock on the door that made the girl realize there was a much needed break from the subject. It was a quiet knock, just enough to pull her out of her concentrated state. "Come in."

And there was Yugi, slowly poking his head through the door. Quickly folding the envelope up and shoving it into her pocket, Amy got up. "Are you busy with something?"

It was just like Yugi to make sure before telling someone what he wanted. "Nothing that can't wait," Amy's hand lingered near her pocket again. He didn't know just how thankful she was for anything he'd ask her to do. Whatever it was, the answer was going to be a astounding 'yes, I'll do it'. Anything to push this off. "what do you need me for? What can I do?"

Not too long ago, Yugi would have been taken aback by Amy's rapidly shot questions. But after all the time they spent together, he was used to it. "Um actually, Mom took Grandpa shopping with her, and she suggested that you help my finish the decorations." And then Yugi frowned, "I don't know why she doesn't trust me to do it on my own."

Being the furthest from the type of question Amy imagined, she agreed – a lot more hesitantly than she thought she would – and Yugi thanked her. Pushing in her chair and closing the door, the two headed downstairs.

And Amy realized that Mrs. Muto was indeed the wise woman she appeared to be. Calling for back-up was definitely the right choice. The storefront had been completely overrun with piles of decorations. Boxes were stacked on the display case, cheesy [4filter] garland hung loosely from the ceiling. Most of the lights were missing on one stream of lights, and the other was placed in a spot that had no hope of ever being plugged in without the help of several extension cords. Which, was probably what the boys had been thinking, seeing there were several of those were littered across the ground.

The girl could only look back at Yugi from the doorway. "I'm sorry, did you say you didn't know why? How is that even possible?" She stepped closer to him and waved her hands in front of his face. "It your eyesight going bad? Senses going wonky?"

"Grandpa... couldn't decide where he wanted everything to go. He kept taking it down. It was nice for a little while."

Words could not begin to describe how little she believed him. "Alright, look, just give me a hand with these." After scanning the apocalyptic mess, Amy decided it would be wise enough to start with the collectibles. Grandpa had left all his regular figurines out and tried to mix seasonal ones in with the bunch.

"The important thing to remember is that less is more. Especially in a cramped space. We wanna make it look like Christmas, not clutter."

Digging under the counter for the inventory clipboard, she began to reorganize the inventory list. Removing a select few of the figures she replaced them with the holiday collectibles. Yugi made sure to wipe the new ones down and make them shine, positioning them all so they faced the door, a few centimeters of space between each. She felt her face twitch at the various 'Dark Magician Girl' Santas in cute Christmas poses.

Then, fixing the garland edging the top of the wall, they two successfully picked out two colors in contrast to the four that hung before. Yugi picked gold, and Amy silver. She explained that these garland colors would set the mood and color scheme for the rest of the room. Yugi focused attentively on her words with several nods. It took standing on ladders and counter tops, working towards each other. The garland snakes elegantly around the room, strips of gold and silver each intertwining with the other. Looking back Yugi trying to reach as high as he could and hammer in a nail for the decoration to sit on, Amy found her face changing.

The chore that this started out to be wasn't really a chore. And in the glowing light reflecting off of the garland's gold and silver shimmer, she couldn't help but stare at Yugi's outline. Yeah. This was... Christmas after all. Right now, her previous inner turmoil over the letter had settled and disappeared. In it's place was a warmth. That warmth ran from inside her center, all the way up to her cheeks. It made the edges of her face rosy and stiff with a smile. Silently, Amy turned back to her own work, glowing with her own Christmas joy.

From there the two fixed lights along the display case, lit up a door with the tiny white bulbs. Hung a writhe with a red ribbon, and golden decorations. Suspended a few of the little glass bulbs from the ceiling. And with each step, secretly looking over her shoulder at Yugi.

Yugi had two jobs in the great unveiling of the room. He was to turn on the overhead light to the room. Amy thought that the bulb already in the ceiling was too dull and causing the decorations to become flat. As soon as she was done changing it, she would give him the signal and he would flip the switch. Secondly, he had to plug in the line Christmas lights they had going through the shop. Until then only the dimming light from outside illuminated Amy's figure in the room, standing on the small step ladder, reaching up the ceiling to screw in the new bulb.

When the two stood in the prime of their handy work, the room shinned. Amy screwed in a fresh white light bulb into the ceiling, and gave Yugi a silent thumbs up. Now was the moment of truth. So Yugi hit the switch and knelt down to plug the strip into the outlet. And just light that the room lit up of gold and silver, complimented by streams of green and red. The white lights edging the furniture light up as did the colored bulbs woven subtly around the garland. The lights were just dimmed enough by the overhanging light to add a colorful side around the room.

Amy grinned down at him, but only for a moment. The state of the room only lasted that brief time, because from behind Amy there was an unexpected shock of sparks. The new light bulb turned off instantly, the girl screeching with it. She turned around in rapid surprise, but too soon lost her footing on the ladder. It all happened so fast.

"Amy!"

There was Yugi.

At the bottom of the ladder having rushed from the outlet.

Surprise and fear also having crossed his face, he reached his arms out instinctively to steady her balance. But too late, she tumbled off those few steps and collided into the short protagonist, and the two hit the ground together.

Amy's first sense was sight. Well, not so much sight as it was that she saw a void of blackness, and came to slow conclusion that she was starring at the back of her eyelids. Then it was touch, the realization that she felt this uncomfortable lump in her upper back. Moving her hand down the down the spot where it had landed, she felt cloth, and realized what that lump was. Yugi's upper arm, and in his attempt to catch her she had landed in between his arm and chest, crocked safely in his embrace. Then it occurred to her that her back bones were probably uncomfortably digging into said arm. Whoops.

So she squirmed a little, cursing bitterly, 'How many Amys does it take to screw in a light bulb.' This was just great. Maybe it was her, maybe it was the bulb, who knows. Maybe it was fate being a [4filter]. But she...

...opened her eyes, and lost all breath and train of thought. Her mind fumbled to process what it was seeing. Her body didn't move from its spot of laying on her friend, her eyes were glued to the sight in front of her.

Yugi winced, also coming back to his senses. Only he came to gripes must faster, where it took Amy's functions time to process the accident, Yugi realized immediately. With the arm not encompassed by her, he rubbed his head, realizing the stinging sensation. Immediately, the boy turned his head to get best look at the other, leaning slightly and shaking her worriedly. "Amy, are you alright? Did you get hurt?" His panda eyes were wide with worry, in that worrisome way Yugi does.

But she didn't say a word. She didn't even look at him back. Amy only raised her hand and pointed upwards, Yugi slowly following her gaze. Following it all the way up to the ceiling, what should have been plain darkness was instead the backdrop fluttered in lights, Christmas lights scattered all over the ceiling.

Those lights reflected off of the garland, which too lite softly, illuminating the corners of the room, the shape of the ceiling, the presences of the walls. Illuminating the garland in its finest detail, each small strip of silver glinting. Each piece of gold glowing. Outlining the edge of the glass balls, the shape of each decoration was emphasized, the color heightened. Very much like starring into a starry night, the light seemed to hang above them, as if the ceiling and walls were a domain far beyond their reach.

The two breathlessly starred at the scene before them. Amy lay on Yugi, looking up without a care. Yugi lay next to her, enveloped in the scene, not a moment spared on the mess or the ladder of the light bulb.

Amy moved her lips, and a barely audible whisper came out. "Wow." Those lips parted into an helpless smile, curving upwards tenderly. What an accident. Her hand wrapped around Yugi's shirt, laying once again on his chest, as gentle as a small child. Knowing that he was seeing the scene with her brought Amy this unusually flicker, a light of happiness. Or joy. Or comfort. This was so different than being alone. Even though everything had changed, nothing really had. She was still surrounded with caring people, with concern. Even though she royally messed up, even though she rapidly changed everything, even though she stupidly left everything behind, this wasn't a bad life. In this moment there were no mistakes, because in this new life she lived, moments like this lived with her, nothing could be wrong.

Her gazed drifted to from the stars, to the star. Down to Yugi. And as she looked at him, she felt the lump of his arm now against her neck, and realized that she felt the two of them pressed together. She had felt it before, but she didn't really feel it. At the time, it didn't process. Until now, when a light bulb went on. Her and Yugi were... snuggled up together? Oh [4filter]. Amy smile disappeared fast. Her face lite up fast. Yugi seemed to process at the same time, his face lighting up faster, if possible.

The two awkwardly snapped away from each other, in half a second separated by a good two feet. "Ahhhhh [4filter]! [4filter], [4filter] I'm sorry." Amy flailed her hands in front of her face.

Yugi started up at nearly the same time. "Sorry, I, uh, are you..."

"The [4filter] light bulb, piece of [4filter], I wasn't expecting it to, maybe I, or it..."

"That was an accident, I promise I wasn't..."

"Totally an accident I didn't mean to..."

The two babbled incoherently at the same time, neither having the chance to listen too what the other said while they tried to reasonably explain themselves. Finally both Amy and Yugi fell uncomfortably silent, waiting for the other too start up again. Yugi looked down to his puzzle, suddenly becoming intently interested in starring at it, fiddling with artifact, and Amy seemed just as interested in the wall. Finally Amy let out a painfully oblivious throat clearing cough, and backed towards the stairs. "I'm sure you can take care of the rest. I've got to get back to the thingy I was doing before I was doing at the time." Yugi nodded instantly, eyes not moving from his interesting magical puzzle.

Leading Amy to turn tail and scramble upstairs. The next thing she knew Amy was slamming the door to her room closed, leaning on the door, covering her face in her hands to hide it. From who? The [4filter] air, okay. The bed, the desk, [4filter] anything plausible to lay eyes on her. She slumped against the door, the heat from her cheeks pounding against her palms. Heart beating loud, blood rushing to her ears, "[4fiiiiiiiilter]. 'I have to get back to the thingy I was doing before I was doing at the time.' What the [4filter] was that."

One after another, the thumbing of her heart remained increased. This thing she was doing before. That's right... Amy became suddenly aware of the poking against the side of her thigh. The corners of the letter were jabbing awkwardly into flesh, reminding her it was still there. Slowly she reached over to hr pocket, and maneuvered the paper out.

The letter. Amy nodded to herself. Back in her mind was the image of the lights, the warmth of that joy. Her hands felt along the side of the envelope, taking along the texture. And as she ripped the paper open, her face continued to stay heated at the recollection.