Yuletide Poison
'A ballet slipper necklace for Téa, a 3D puzzle for Yugi, a new pair of leather gloves for Tristan, a locket and some gingerbread for Serenity, some homemade fudge for Mokuba, and a Blue-Eyes White Dragon keychain for Mr. Grumpy McAsshole.' Joey went through the list again, wondering if he'd forgotten anybody. He didn't need to worry about getting a gift for his father, since he was too sloshed to know the date, and he'd die before he got his abandoning mother a gift.
He was surprised he'd even gotten 'Mr. Grumpy McAsshole' a gift, but the keychain had been there screaming 'Pick me! Pick me!' It was only a buck fifty anyway. Not that he wouldn't peel off the price tag before he gave it, but he had to chuckle at what Kaiba would say if he knew he'd spent only that much on his gift.
On second thought, maybe Kaiba would just die of shock that the mutt had gotten him a gift at all.
Sighing, Joey shook his head and walked toward the chocolate shop in the mall, where he was currently picking up some extra work for the holiday season. He'd stow his purchases in the back and start cooking, and if he was lucky, maybe his boss would let him make the fudge there; he'd hate to have to ask Yugi to use his kitchen. He was known to get a little bit… over exuberant.
Like that time he'd accidentally baked six dozen cookies when he'd only meant to bake two.
Stepping into the shop, he waved to the man at the register ringing up the last few of the morning rush. "Hey, Hotori!"
"You're late," the black-haired man replied, glaring at him, as soon as the elderly woman and her granddaughter had left. "By fifteen minutes."
"Yeah, the line at toy store was murder," Joey explained, moving behind the counter. When he noticed the dark green eyes narrowed at him, he frowned. "Come on, Hotori! It's the holidays! Don't be so grumpy!"
Hotori snorted and crossed his arms. "Do I look like the kind of guy that pukes butterflies and shits cotton candy? I'll be grumpy if I damn well want t—ow!"
Peeking out from the kitchen, Joey couldn't help a smile when he saw a petite blonde woman with blue eyes glaring at his coworker, hands on her hips. "Hi, Hazel!"
"Good morning, Joey!" she replied cheerfully, then stomped on the other man's foot again. "That is not the type of language we want our customers to hear, Hotori!" She paused, then added, "And maybe you should learn how to shit cotton candy! People like buying chocolate from cheerful people!"
"I only agreed to work because it's the holiday rush," he replied, glaring at her petulantly. "Besides, you're lucky I love you, or I'd have quit on the spot!"
Hazel rolled her eyes and snorted, then turned to walk back to the kitchen. "You'd never have the guts to—Eek!"
Joey raised an eyebrow as Hotori managed to give her a slap on the butt before she got out of reach. "You gonna let him get away with that, Hazel?"
She blushed and rushed past him with an embarrassed huff. "Just… go sell candy, or something!"
He yelped as he was shoved out of the kitchen, then blinked over his shoulder at her in surprise. "…What was that all about?"
"She may be the boss of the company, but I'm the boss in the bedroom, kid," Hotori explained, patting him on the head as he took off his apron and nametag. "I'm going to go catch a smoke." Turning back toward the kitchen, he drawled, "Did you hear that, darling?"
"Humph! See if I make dinner for you tonight!"
He chuckled and turned back toward the blond teen. "She forgets that my parents are taking us out to dinner tonight. I'll be back in fifteen minutes."
"I'll hold down the fort, then," Joey replied, trying not to think about what he'd seen or been told in the last five minutes.
Honestly, the only reason he even got a job here was because he'd been in need of one desperately two winters ago and Hazel had been the soft-hearted American that had taken pity on him. Okay, so that was a lie; she had only hired him because he was blond and had a way with customers, and it was her theory that they could gang up on Hotori if he ever got out of hand. She'd offered him the seasonal position ever since, with the occasional shifts during the spring or fall when people got ill and couldn't be covered.
How being blond could ever help in ganging up on Hotori, Joey didn't even want to fathom.
"Hazel? Can I stay after the shop closes to make some fudge as long as I clean up after myself?" he called back, walking over to straighten a display of chocolate-covered dried apple and pineapple slices. "I promise I'm only making one batch, and you can take it out of my salary!"
She poked her head out of the kitchen and frowned. "Kid, it's the Christmas Eve. Surely you have Christmas plans?"
"…Not everybody celebrates Christmas in Japan, Hazel," he replied, putting emphasis on her name. Sometimes she picked up her boyfriend's habit of calling him 'kid' without realizing it. "Besides, the shop closes at five and the party's at seven. I need to wrap gifts anyway."
Hazel hummed thoughtfully, then slowly nodded her head. "Alright, but there's someone actually coming to pick up some boxes of fudge at six. He asked because he didn't want to deal with all the people."
Joey rolled his eyes. "And how much extra is he paying for that?"
"I told him twenty dollars for every minute after I finish cleaning up the kitchen," she replied, smiling, before she ducked back into the kitchen.
"So in other words… nothing."
"I'm going to be here at a quarter 'til six, so what's the point of charging extra? Anyway, stop talking to me—watch for customers, you silly goose!"
Joey snorted; it figured she'd do it for nothing. He wondered if Hotori knew about it. …Probably, actually, but he wondered how he felt about her extreme kindness sometimes.
He raised his eyebrows as Hotori strolled back in and grabbed the stepping stool, then tilted his head as he stepped up on it. "What are you doing?"
"Adding some American Christmas Cheer," he replied, using a pin to hold up a thread. Dangling from the thread was a sprig of bright green leaves decorated with white berries. "I'll be kissing my honey-baby before we leave for dinner with my parents." Hopping off the stepping stool, he kicked it back under the counter and walked over to him to show him a velvet-colored box. "And this is what I'll give her when we've finished dinner."
"Ah. And your parents will be there to guilt her into saying yes?" Joey asked, frowning in disapproval.
Hotori snorted. "No, they'll be there to try and convince her not to. Sometimes I think they love her more than they love me!"
"Convince me not to what?"
Joey yipped and hurriedly shoved the other man's hand down, just barely hiding the special box as Hazel poked her head back out of the kitchen. "Ho—my God!"
"Convince you not to stay in this little cubbyhole," Hotori replied swiftly. "You know them—they always want you to expand your little store to other parts. You're successful enough to do it, you know."
"Oh. …Well, maybe when I'm older," she answered thoughtfully, before disappearing back into the kitchen.
Hotori scowled sourly. "You're twenty-five right now." He looked down at his watch as it began beeping, then sighed and came around the counter as well, shoving the box back into his pocket. "Lunch rush!"
Five minutes after he'd said it, hungry shoppers not wanting to go the entire distance to the food court began ambling in, and it was all Joey could do not to faint when a couple of older teenagers began flirting with him for some free chocolate. Hotori sent them on their way with nothing but an immense sense of fear with some of the words he'd uttered.
.-.-.-.-.-.
"Goodnight Hazel, Hotori, Joey."
"G'night, Atsushi," Joey called after him, as his boss was currently scrubbing out a large mixing bowl and his boss's boyfriend was taking out the trash.
As soon as the other boy left, he frowned in confusion. He'd have never known that Atsushi had even been there had he not greeted him when he'd come in. However, that was all Atsushi would ever say; 'good afternoon' and 'goodnight' seemed to be the only words in his vocabulary, except for 'we need this' whenever they were running out of ingredients in the kitchen.
It was mainly Hazel and Atsushi in the kitchen, with a few part-timers circulating during the week, but for the most part, everything edible in the shop was made by them. Joey sometimes got to help on the slower days, and the chocolate rum balls were exclusively Hotori's creation, but there were few chocolates in the store that hadn't been touched by their ever-loving hands.
"Oh, did Atsushi leave already?" Hazel asked, frowning, as she stepped out of the kitchen. "I wanted to ask him if he had any Christmas plans. I remember, last Christmas, his family couldn't get together, so he just came to the shop and got a head start on the next day's chocolates. I hope his family gets together, the poor thing…"
"…Again, not everyone celebrates Christmas in Japan," Joey deadpanned. "The only reason my friends celebrate it is because their parents are cowed by the commercialism and the family sentiments."
She huffed and stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh, hush! You're just jealous because I get to have a Christmas tree in my apartment and you don't!"
"…Yeah, how long did ya hafta beg Hotori for that one?" the teen asked, then chuckled as she slapped his arm playfully. Growing serious again, he frowned and nodded toward the door. "Hey, Hazel, is Atsushi… slow, or somethin'?"
She blinked at him innocently, then frowned, understanding sparking in her eyes. "No, he just doesn't like to talk a lot. He prefers to listen." She offered a half-hearted chuckle. "That's probably why he doesn't mind my babbling."
"Oh. …Okay."
"No, really," she explained, smile becoming a little more genuine. "He just doesn't like speaking. It's nothing personal against you and Hotori."
"Oh." Joey paused, then smiled bashfully. "Can I make some fudge now?"
"As long as you don't mess up what I'm cleaning," she answered, patting him on the head, before she went back inside to continue cleaning.
The blond followed her into the kitchen and began making his friend's Christmas gift, trying his hardest to stay out of his friend and boss's way. However, after listening to the sound of his spoon stirring and pots clanking as they were being cleaned, he became antsy. "…Hey, Hazel?"
Hazel didn't look up from the dishes in the sink, but she was listening. "Hmm?"
"Don't ya ever miss your family durin' the holidays? Back in America?"
She paused in thought, then frowned and tilted her head. "Hmm… I guess I've never really thought about it. After my dad told me that if I kept dating Hotori he'd disown me, I just didn't care anymore. I guess my grandfather took me out of his will, too, and my auntie doesn't talk about me. Sometimes I wonder if they miss me during the holidays." She smiled sadly. "…They probably miss my Christmas treats more than they actually miss me."
Joey frowned. "Don't ya have any brothers or sisters that would talk to ya?"
She shrugged slightly. "I have a brother, but he stopped returning my calls, so I guess he's just forgetting about me. And a little sister, too, but she was too young to know what was going on. …I wonder what they told her…"
"Aw, who cares? They don't know what they're missin'," the teen replied, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her tightly. "I'll be your brother from now on if ya want. I know I can get on your nerves like a little brother if I try."
"Ha, no, that's okay," Hazel laughed, shoving him away. "Take care of your fudge, you loser."
Joey smiled at her but did as he was told. "I have an idea; why don't ya invite them over for Christmas, just for fun? Shove it in their faces that even if they're not there, you're still happy!"
She paused, then chuckled a little and nodded. "Maybe I will. At least if they don't come, I'll know where I stand with them." She shot him a smile. "And if that doesn't work out, I may have to take you up on that brother-sister proposal."
"Proposal?"
Joey turned to find Hotori in the doorway, looking slightly pale and horrified. At first, he wondered why, but then he realized that the man thought he'd spilled his secret. He opened his mouth to try and fix the situation, but Hazel beat him to it.
"Yeah! How would you like it if I just adopted Joey as my foster brother? We could be a big happy family!"
"…You disgust me," Hotori stated, but his tense shoulders began to relax. "I have to deal with not only you, but then you want me to put up with this kid? I'd kill myself. Or him, either way."
Joey felt a pang of jealousy as the man walked over and slid his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck to show he hadn't meant a word. He wished he had someone special like that—someone to joke with and cuddle, someone to do sweet nothings for, someone who would do sweet nothings for him like put up mistletoe just to be able to have an excuse to kiss him. But he knew the chances of that at the moment were slim to none. He wasn't emotionally ready to go chasing after someone, and he doubted that anyone would actually tell that he swung more toward men unless he wore a big rainbow sweater.
Even Yugi had doubted him when he'd first come out as being bisexual.
Sighing, he turned back to his fudge, then scowled and grabbed some cookie cutters shaped like a bell, a candy cane, and a Christmas tree, then began chopping up the confection before it cooled completely. …He was probably more violent than he had to be.
"…Joey, are you okay?" Hazel asked after a moment, watching as the younger blond began brutally stabbing his fudge. "…Joey?"
"'m fine." Joey glared at the chocolate for a few moments, then sighed, peering over his shoulder at them anxiously. "…If I said I was bisexual… would you believe me…?"
Hotori raised an eyebrow. "Bisexual? Kid, you're a fucking queer."
"Hotori!" Hazel smacked his shoulder and glared at him, then turned back to the blond staring at them in shock. "What he means to say is that we sort of guessed you were. Whenever the guys try to flirt with you for free chocolate, instead of being offended, you get flustered and aren't sure of what to do. You don't do that when girls flirt with you."
"…Girls flirt with me?" the teen asked after a few moments of awkward silence.
"Oh my God, he hasn't. Noticed," Hotori deadpanned, then sighed and shook his head. "Never mind, you're not queer; you're just fucking oblivious."
"Hey!"
Hazel smiled nervously. "I'm gonna have to agree with him on this one, Joey; you're oblivious to the girls flirting with you."
Joey scowled, then sighed and turned to begin placing the cut out fudge on a festive paper plate. "Whatever."
Hotori stared at him in disbelief a few moments longer, then turned to his beau. "So, are you ready to go?"
She turned to look up at him in confusion. "Huh? No, someone's coming to pick up some fudge in about a half an hour."
"Are you serious? Hazel, our dinner reservations are in an hour!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Why didn't you tell me about that?! I would have made our reservations for later!"
"Reservations…?" She blinked at him for a moment before blushing at her forgetfulness. "Eek! We're having dinner with your parents!"
Before the two could get anymore frustrated with each other (and before Hotori's plan to propose was sent down the drain), Joey cut in helpfully. "Well, I'll still be here for a little while to clean up, so if you guys want to leave me the keys, I'll lock up for you and come in early tomorrow to help open."
"Would you do that?! I'll love you forever!" Hazel exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "You're such a nice guy, Joey!"
Joey squealed as she pressed a big, sloppy kiss to his cheek and hurriedly shoved her away, wiping his cheek and making a face as if he were back in grade one and he believed girls still had cooties. "Yuck!"
"Yeah, forgive her overly affectionate ways," Hotori apologized, then threw a set of keys at him. "I expect you to be early to make up for being late today."
"That's so mean!" Hazel exclaimed, before she was led out of the kitchen. "We don't even open on Christmas day!"
Joey peeked out of the kitchen and watched as the man led his future fiancée toward the door. Hazel just happened to glance up at the sprig of mistletoe and squealed, then yanked him into a kiss to show her appreciation of his embracing of her culture. He chuckled softly as Hotori gave her a pleased smile before leading her outside. As tough and mean as he may have acted, he still loved her and it seemed it was the little things she looked for to prove it.
Again, he felt a pang of longing; he wanted something like that. Glancing up at the clock, he realized he still needed to clean up the kitchen from his last dish and wrap the presents he'd bought for his friends. It was six-thirty-two, and he figured he might as well joke that it had been thirty minutes since Hazel had left. Six hundred bucks, please!
Cleaning up left him with fifteen more minutes to wait, so he decided that since he had the wrapping paper with him, he'd just wrap their presents now. Then he could go straight to Yugi's, put the gifts under his small fake tree, and take a rushed shower. …Though someone might complain that he smelled better coming from the chocolate shop than fresh from the shower.
Just as he was wrapping up his last gift (a small box to hide the shape of the keychain), he heard the bell jingle as the door opened despite the closed sign. Standing up, he called out, "I guess you're here for your fudge! Just a minute!" He looked around, saw the large, ribbon-topped box, and grabbed it, coming out of the kitchen. "Ya ordered three pounds, ri—"
Joey cut himself off in surprise as he found Seto Kaiba waiting in front of him, peering through the glass at some large cherry cordials and sucking on a peppermint stick from the small jar of them near the register. After a few awkward moments on his part, he asked, "You're gonna pay for that, too, right?"
Seto jerked his gaze up to him, startled, then scowled, pulling the peppermint stick out of his mouth. "What are you doing here, mutt?"
"…I work here." The blond blinked innocently. "…But really, you're gonna pay for that, right?"
The older teen looked down at the peppermint stick, then at the price on the jar. "…Yes, mutt, I suppose I can spare an entire fifteen cents," he deadpanned, then fixed him with a glare. "Are you a moron or something? Wait, no, I know—you're just dumber than the average dog."
"Hahaha." Joey glared at him for a moment, then sighed and set the box on the counter. "Oh, whatever. Askin' ya t' be civil in the spirit of the holidays would just be too much t' hope for." Leaving the brunet to investigate the other confections on his own, he turned to go get his bags full of newly-wrapped gifts. If he wanted to get to Yugi's house in time for a quick shower, he'd have to go immediately after helping the CEO.
"So I assume that the proprietor of the shop is gone? What was her name—Hazel?" Seto called to him absently.
"Yeah, she left thirty or forty minutes ago," the blond replied, turning the lights out in the kitchen before coming back out to the counter. "She forgot about havin' dinner with her boyfriend's parents; they're gonna try t' convince her not t' marry him."
The older boy nodded absently. "So he's proposing. Will she continue to work here, or will she become a housewife?"
Joey thought about it for a minute, tilting his head, then shrugged. "She'll probably still work here. I don't think Hotori could handle her at home all the time. Besides, it's actually her shop. I don't think she'd wanna sell it."
"Good, because this is the only place Mokuba will eat fudge from," Seto stated, scowling. "And at these prices, it better be worth it."
"Oh, it is," the blond replied, punching in the sale on the register. "Everything here is completely worth it. I mean, ya ordered three pounds of fudge, right?"
"Mokuba ordered three pounds of chocolate. I'm just the escort home for it." The brunet's expression darkened. "…It will be gone by tomorrow night."
"…Right. Will that be everything for ya?"
The CEO eyed a couple of apple-sized mocha-mousse-filled chocolate balls before nodding slowly; he'd come back for them early tomorrow, so the caffeine wouldn't keep him up all night. "Yes."
"Alright, forty-four fifty." Joey hoisted his bag of gifts onto the counter and sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly as the other teen pulled out his check book. "So, you celebratin' Christmas?"
"Good excuse to get time off and hang out with Mokuba," Seto replied, ripping the check out and handing it to him. "This should cover it."
"Ah huh, thank ya for com—Holy shit moneybags!" The blond stared at the amount in shock. "Ya know ya overpaid by like seven hundred bucks, right?!"
The CEO grabbed the box of fudge and raised an eyebrow at him. "Twenty dollars for every minute after she finished cleaning the kitchen, right?"
"…I… This… Uh…" Joey had a feeling that Hazel would be distressed by the amount. She wouldn't be able to accept it. "…Ya know she was jokin', right?"
"Of course I do; I'm not stupid." Huffing, the CEO grabbed a pen and a slip of scrap paper. "Stupid women and their inability to accept a gift."
"…That's not why she wouldn't take it," the blond stated, then read what he was writing. He couldn't help a smile.
Congratulations on your engagement. Keep making fudge because yours is the only fudge Mokuba will eat, unless it's from a nameless, mysterious source, which I believe may just be your shop anyway.
"…Well, that might help," Joey finally decided, using a paperclip to pin the note and check together before slipping it into the cash register and closing the drawer. "Whether she accepts this or storms into your building demanding that you write a different, cheaper check is up to her, though."
"Of course it is," Seto replied, rolling his eyes, before turning to leave the shop.
Joey was only a step behind, fumbling with the keys so he could lock the door. He let out a yip as he walked into the brunet's back and looked up quickly in confusion. "Kaiba-!"
The brunet tilted his head slightly as he looked up at the sprig of poisonous plant, then raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Is that mistletoe?"
"Huh?" The younger boy frowned at him, perplexed, then remembered what Hotori had done and looked up quickly. They were both standing under the mistletoe. He stared at it for a few minutes in embarrassment, then looked back down to lock the door. "…Well, that's awkward."
Seto stared at it a few moments longer before shrugging carelessly. "It's a stupid tradition anyway."
Joey hesitated a moment at that, then turned, going up on his toes to press a quick, chaste kiss to the brunet's lips. As the older boy stared at him in shock (and slight horror), he smiled sadly. "I like followin' tradition. It's the only part of Christmas I really have left."
So saying, he made his escape, trying to take longer strides so he wouldn't have to put up with the CEO cursing and snarling at him for such a disgusting act.
Seto blinked in surprise, then lifted a hand to touch his lips, as if to see if it had just really happened. It appeared it had. He turned to look over his shoulder as the blond fled, looking much smaller and lonelier than all of the happy families and friends milling about in the still crowded mall.
Come to think of it, he didn't know what Joey was going to do for Christmas. His mother and sister were living elsewhere, he never spoke about his father, and his friends probably didn't celebrate or were going to celebrate it with their own families. …So where would he go?
.-.-.-.-.-.
"Merry Christmas."
Mokuba smiled awkwardly. "Well, gee, Atsushi, you could sound a little more cheerful about it."
Atsushi looked down at him, frowning, then deadpanned, "My brother is in jail and my mother died four months ago."
"…Right…" The younger boy sighed and took the basket he was being offered, then stepped to the side to allow him further into the house. "I'm glad you took up Seto's offer to stay here over Christmas. He's taking the whole week off to spend time with me! Isn't that great?"
The older boy offered him a small, timid smile. "I suppose. I don't really have a lot of experience to go on."
"It really is a shame you only got to meet me on the day I decided to drink two energy drinks," the raven-haired boy agreed. The two turned as the door opened only a moment later, and the smaller boy launched himself at his brother. "Big brother, you're home!"
"…" Seto blinked up at the ceiling for a moment, stunned, before replying, "I never would have guessed." Sighing, he sat up and patted his brother on the head. "If some lady comes to the gates screaming that I've overpaid her too much, pay her no mind."
Mokuba raised an eyebrow in confusion. "…Why…?"
"I'm in a cheery mood," the brunet replied, before he stood and brushed himself off. "Good evening, Atsushi."
"Mmn. Matter of opinion."
"No one likes a smart ass."
"Maybe you should get dumber then."
Seto snorted and gave the black-haired, green-eyed boy a half-hearted shove. "Go do something useful."
"You're lucky I like you enough to cook for you while your cook is on holiday," Atsushi replied, crossing his arms. "So, am I just cooking for you two tomorrow?"
Mokuba looked up at his brother and tilted his head. "…Who would be free to come over?"
"…What do Americans normally do for Christmas? …Customarily?" the brunet asked absently, raising a hand to his lips. "Anything special?"
"Family time," Atsushi answered swiftly. "Christmas dinner. Gift opening. Mass on Christmas Eve. Various other small family traditions. Why?"
"…I was wondering where to find a puppy on Christmas Eve."
Mokuba frowned. "…Seto, did you do something to Joey?"
"No, he did something to me," the brunet answered defensively.
Atsushi glanced between them for a few moments before turning to head for the kitchen. "You two are weird."
.-.-.-.-.-.
Joey smiled a little as he pulled on the thick woolen mittens Téa had gotten for him, then carefully tucked the matching scarf around his neck. He had a bag full of other various gifts from his friends—a few new booster packs, some candy canes, a sketchbook, a new set of charcoal pencils—at his side, and he was a little disappointed that he didn't have a chance to get to his apartment to drop them off, but he supposed most people wouldn't mind.
Glancing at his watch, he let out a squeak and began walking faster; he was going to miss the Christmas mass! He hadn't thought Yugi's party would last that long (1)! It was the last thing he had to look forward to before he had to go home and spend Christmas alone!
Joey got there just as the hymns began, and he wasn't last to arrive, so he could be thankful that he wasn't disturbing anything. As he walked inside, a hand caught his and began dragging him over to a pew at the back, leaving him to stumble after in surprise. "Nyeek! What the—"
Seto rolled his eyes and hissed, "Quiet, mutt. You don't want to disturb the entire congregation."
"Hi Joey!" Mokuba whispered, smiling, before coming to a stop next to his brother.
The blond murmured a greeting, still confused, and sat down. What was going on?
.-.-.-.-.-.
"Well that was cool! I've never actually been to a Christmas mass before! Do you always go to Christmas mass, Joey?" Mokuba asked, bouncing out beside him. "Is it something you do every year?"
Joey nodded absently. "Yeah, my mom brought me and Serenity when we were younger, and I've just kept comin'. How'd you guys know I'd come to this church?"
"I knew you'd lose track of time and just run to the closest church from Yugi's house," Seto replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Mokuba, put your hat on. You'll catch a cold."
The younger boy hurriedly pulled his hat on and looked back up at the blond. "You wanna come get cocoa with us, Joey? Seto promised we could have some after mass finished!"
"Um…" The blond looked up at the CEO nervously. "…If he says it's okay… I guess…"
"I don't mind," Seto assured, then began walking. "Come on, Mokie. We don't want to keep Atsushi waiting. …He may just throw it at us to spite."
Joey blinked in surprise before hurrying after them. "Wait-! Atsushi Kishimoto?!"
"You know him?" Mokuba asked, looking up at him.
"Yeah, he's the creepy guy that never talks t' me at work!"
Seto stopped, turned to stare at him, and frowned. "…He's our cousin."
"Oh." The younger teen blushed a little and suddenly found the building across the street very interesting. "…Sorry."
"That's okay; I think he's creepy too!" Mokuba replied cheerfully.
The brunet looked appalled. "Mokuba!"
"Well he is!" the smaller boy argued.
Seto sighed and reached up to rub his temple. "Oh, never mind."
As they approached the limo, Joey wondered why they hadn't parked closer, but didn't voice his question. He was merely nervous that Seto might have Atsushi spike his cocoa with poison because of his earlier… Mistletoe Mishap.
.-.-.-.-.-.
"Your cocoa is on the stove. If you ever make me stay up this late again, I'll kill you," Atsushi stated as soon as they walked in, making both Joey and Mokuba jump; Seto seemed entirely unconcerned. "Goodnight. Merry Christmas. Dinner is at five tomorrow."
"We'll be there," Seto replied, kicking his shoes off. "Goodnight."
"So you guys are havin' a nice family dinner, huh?" Joey asked, bending down to untie his shoes. "Sounds like fun."
Mokuba shrugged and followed his brother's example of kicking off his shoes carelessly. "Not really. Seto and Atsushi never talk during dinner."
Seto snorted. "The mutt can eat with us then. He can talk for three."
"Really?!" The younger boy sounded ecstatic. "Great! You'll have dinner with us, won't you, Joey?"
Joey frowned. "I dunno… I wouldn't wanna intrude on ya or anything…"
"It's no intrusion," the brunet replied. "Sometimes it's nice to hear babbling in the background."
Mokuba went from ecstatic to offended in seconds. "I don't babble!"
Seto paused before continuing into the kitchen. "That's a matter of opinion."
Joey couldn't help a small chuckle as the younger boy gasped in outrage and placed his hands on his hips. "Careful, Mokuba, ya look like my sister when she gets mad."
"You're all against me! It's Make Fun of Mokuba Day, isn't it?! How come?! What am I being punished for?! What did I—"
"Do you want one marshmallow or two?"
"Two please."
The blond smiled as the younger boy bounced over to get his cocoa as if he hadn't just been going through a tirade, then blinked in realization. "Oh! I forgot to give you guys your Christmas presents!"
He was secretly amused when the two Kaibas turned to stare at him with a mixture of horror and shock. He didn't want to think he was sadistic, but he was sort of pleased at the worry he knew was passing through his mind.
'OhmyGod he got presents for us and we didn't get anything or him!'
"…I sort of knew you guys wouldn't get one for me; it's okay," Joey stated, smiling, as he dug inside of his bag. "I'm just glad I'm not gonna be alone for Christmas. That's gift enough for me. …I'm sorry if ya don't really like your gift, Mokuba; I made it before your brother came by the shop t' pick up your order."
At that, Mokuba quickly set his cocoa down and grabbed the package. He looked up at the brunet pleadingly. "Can I open it, Seto?"
Seto glanced up at the clock on the microwave as he took a sip of his own cocoa. "It's technically Christmas."
The younger boy ripped into the gift with more enthusiasm than Joey thought he should have. Once he'd gotten all of the wrapping paper and tape off, he let out a delighted squee. "Joey Fudge! Yay! So happy!" At that, he began cackling and rushed out of the room after grabbing his mug of cocoa, leaving the blond stunned and the brunet sighing in exasperation.
"…What just happened?" Joey asked after a moment of silence.
The older boy shrugged carelessly. "He holds your fudge one step higher than even the shop you work at. He is now stashing it with all of his other candy that I have not yet been able to find; however, I believe he might seriously maim me if I were to even take one piece." He paused thoughtfully. "…Though I'll probably go up to check on him and he'll be in a sugar coma until about nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
"…Oh." The blond blushed a little and pulled out the small package he now regretted getting; not only had he kissed the CEO under the mistletoe, but to top it off, he had gotten him a gift that he might be offended by. "Um… If ya don't like it, I can just take it back, too…"
"Is it something extremely expensive that you've gotten to impress or ingratiate yourself to me?" Seto asked, taking the small box.
Joey shrugged unsurely. "Well… No…"
"Then I like it already." The brunet reveled in the glow of having his puppy blink at him adorably in confusion before actually unwrapping his present. Lifting the top off of the box, he blinked at the adorable picture of something blue and white looking up at him, then carefully pulled the keychain out.
The Blue-Eyes White Dragon keychain looked up at him innocently, its claws curled around what any moron (which he was not) was a heart. It was undoubtedly cheap, and had probably even been bought at Yugi's store, but for some reason… Seto couldn't bring himself to mind.
"…I can take it back, if ya don't like it," Joey offered quickly, as the brunet had only been staring at the keychain for a few moments and hadn't said anything. "I didn't really know what t' get ya, so—" He cut himself off as the older boy pulled his keys out of his pocket and watched silently as he detached them from the boring key ring they were already on.
Once his keys were on his new keychain, Seto lifted it to examine what it looked like with keys on it. Deeming it still adorable, he nodded and shoved his keys back into his pocket. "Thank you. I'm sorry we didn't get you anything."
Joey walked over to pick up the mug of cocoa that had been poured for him and took a few sips to hide his blush. "…Do you guys have a tree?"
The brunet smiled a little and grabbed his mug as well. "Sure. It's in the living room. I'll show you."
The younger boy smiled a little and followed him as he walked out of the kitchen, setting his bag of gifts by the doorway as they passed. As they stepped into the living room, however, his smile faded into an expression of awe as a gasp escaped his lips.
The tree was nine feet tall, topped with a star that added a foot of height. A long, silver garland was wrapped around it tastefully and silver icicles hung from the branches. Silver orbs and crystals hung in evenly spaced random patterns, and to top off the whole 'magazine perfect' Christmas tree, it was surrounded by different sized gifts with brightly wrapped paper.
Seto smiled a little at the blond's reaction and used a finger to close his mouth gently. "Let's sit down."
"Ah… okay…" Joey whispered, eyes still glued on all of the presents as he was led toward the fireplace. Sitting down, he finally looked back at the brunet in awe. "How many presents do you and Mokuba get each other!?"
"Four or five, actually," the older boy replied, smiling a little at the blond's reaction. "Those are mostly from fan girls or boys and some employees trying to get in good with me."
"Wow…"
Seto stared at him for a few moments, then set his mug down and stood up. "I suppose it won't matter if I open a few of these without Mokuba here, as long as I keep the tags so we can send thank-you cards." Seeing the confused expression, he smiled again. "Fans are easily appeased. We have one of the secretaries at work address all of the cards and write thank you, then she sends them up to my office and I bring them home so Mokuba and I can sign them. Out of four thousand and fifty gifts over the last few years, we've gotten one thousand and seventy-four thank-you cards for receiving the thank-you cards."
Joey couldn't help more awe at that. "Wow…"
Sitting back down, he handed the smaller package to him. "Why don't you unwrap this one?"
The blond frowned in concern. "Are ya sure ya want me to…?"
"Just keep the tag with it and it'll be fine," the older boy responded, ripping into his own gift. He raised an eyebrow. "…Then again, remind me that I want to open all of the smaller ones."
Joey turned to look up at him in confusion. "Why?"
"Because I think Mokuba can do without the naked photos."
"Wha-aaat?!"
Seto carefully put the photos back inside the box they'd come from and placed the tag on top. "We get a lot of those."
Joey looked back down at the small box in his hands. "…I don't think I wanna open it anymore."
"Not all of them are like that; go on," the brunet replied, taking a sip of his cocoa.
"…Well, okay…" the younger boy replied quietly, then pulled at the ribbon. After a moment of fiddling with the wrapping paper, he finally lifted the lid, only to find a few familiar branches of vegetation with long, thin round leaves and small white berries tied together with a red ribbon. "…Oh."
Seto turned his gaze from the mistletoe to the blond just in time to see his cheeks turn a rosy color in embarrassment. Placing both his and the pup's mugs safely a few feet away, he turned to the younger boy and cupped his chin to get him to look at him. "Remind you of something, puppy?"
Joey blushed even more and turned his gaze away. "I'm… I'm sorry if I made ya mad when I did that. I dunno what I was thinkin'—"
"I wasn't mad. Just disappointed," the brunet whispered, leaning in a little.
Brows drawing together, the younger boy tilted his head. "…Disappointed?"
Seto smiled as the blond's lip jutted out into an unconscious pout. "You did it wrong. When you kiss under the mistletoe, you're supposed to do it like this."
Joey squeaked as the brunet leaned down and pressed their lips together, then closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the other boy to pull back and say 'haha! The joke's on you! Why would I ever want a pathetic mutt like you?' When the only actions he got were the brunet's lips attacking his more insistently and his tongue lapping for entrance, he hesitantly placed his hands on the CEO's shoulders and allowed his tongue into his mouth.
Apparently, that's just what the brunet wanted, as he suddenly found himself on his back, the older boy kneeling between his legs as he pressed him down firmly. Mewling weakly, the pup wrapped his arms around his neck and allowed him to fight his tongue into submission.
Once he'd broken the kiss, however, the blond frowned. "…That is not how you're s'posed t' kiss."
Seto smirked. "Really? My mistake. I must have gotten that mixed up with another tradition."
"And what tradition could that possibly be?!" Joey exclaimed, blushing, as he glared at the brunet for looking so smug.
"One of my… personal traditions," the older boy purred, reaching up to play with the blond's bangs.
The pup almost leaned into the touch, but he was lucid enough to realize that it wasn't the time yet. "And that personal tradition is what?!"
Seto leaned down to gently nibble on the blond's chin before replying, "The tradition of kissing my puppy silly once I know he likes me back."
"…Uh?" Joey frowned in confusion. "What?"
The brunet offered him a self-satisfied grin. "Why do you think I always tease you? You're cute when you're riled up. …Like an angry puppy."
"…You said all those mean things t' me because ya like me?!" the blond exclaimed angrily.
"No, I said teased you because you're cute like that," the older boy explained patiently. "Besides, would you have paid attention to me otherwise?"
"Of course I would, ya stupid jackass moron!" Joey snarled, then lifted his hand to smack the older boy's forehead. "You're s'posed t' be a genius! Use your brain like one!"
Seto frowned and rubbed his forehead. "That wasn't very nice…"
The blond huffed and crossed his arms, jerking his head away angrily. "Neither was callin' me all those mean things just t' get me mad at ya!"
"…Puppy, don't be that way…" The older boy scowled when the pup stubbornly shook his head and refused to look at him, then grabbed his chin, forcing him to face him. "I didn't do it to hurt you! I just… wanted you to pay attention to me."
The younger boy glared at him before resolutely turning his gaze on his forehead, his chest—anywhere there wasn't eye contact with him. "Well ya could've just asked for it! It's surprisingly simple t' get my attention, if ya haven't noticed!"
"That's no way to speak to the man allowing you to spend Christmas with his family," Seto stated, and was pleased to see the blond's angry expression waver anxiously. "Is there something you want to say to me, puppy?"
Joey frowned and looked up at him worriedly. "…Kaiba, I… I'd really like t' stay here for Christmas…" After a few seconds of thought, he added a quiet, "Please."
The brunet smirked and released his chin in favor of trailing his fingers down the younger boy's chest. "Well, puppy, we have a few options."
"Nn!" The younger boy whimpered and bit his bottom lip. "W-what kind of o-options-?"
"Well…" Seto's smirk grew into a smug grin. "You could have your own room near mine. I don't much like that option though—so let's forget I ever mentioned it. Another option is you can stay in my room with me, in my bed, and after dinner tomorrow you let me show you how much I care about you. Or, I could take you up to my room and show you how much I care right now. Take your pick."
"…Are ya sure I can't choose the one where I get my own room?" Joey asked quietly, then sighed when this only earned him a stern glare. "I'll share a room with ya. But no funny business! Ya hear me?!"
"Oh, puppy, there's nothing funny about what I'm going to do to you," the brunet whispered, making him shiver as the warm breath hit his ear. "Nothing funny at all."
"Uh… I… Our cocoa is gonna get cold! Atsushi might get mad—"
"…You make an excellent point. And Atsushi is serious enough that he just might kill me."
"Don't say that with such a serious face, you jerk!"
.-.-.-.-.-.
Seto groaned as he heard someone pounding on his door and lifted a hand to rub his eyes. "What?"
"It's ChristmasChristmasChristmas and I wanna open my presents but I can't do that until you come downstairs so wake up!"
…It appeared Mokuba had really dug into his candy stash. That, or he'd eaten all of the fudge Joey had given him before he crashed so these were the residual sugar spazzes.
"Alright, I'm awake. I'll meet you and Atsushi downstairs in a minute." He took a few moments to rub his eyes, then frowned when he heard a mewl of complaint when he tried to sit up. Looking down in confusion, he wondered if he was still asleep, as he had his puppy curled up against him and many of his dreams had started out that way.
Seto pinched his cheek to make sure he was awake—it hurt, therefore this wasn't a dream. Placing his hand atop the younger boy's mop of hair, he began stroking it gently. He didn't want to wake him up, but he really had no choice; he didn't want Mokuba to pop a blood vessel because he wasn't coming out of his room.
Smiling a little, he pressed a kiss to the blond's forehead before whispering, "Puppy, it's time to wake up."
Joey 'nyew'ed and snuggled closer to him, hiding his face in his chest. "Mm, warm…"
Seto chuckled. "Joey, we need to get up now. If we don't, Mokuba's heart is going to burst, or Atsushi's going to kill him anyway. So please wake up. For me?"
"…" Slowly, the boy's sleepy amber eyes opened, and he turned them to groggily look up at him. "…Kaiba…?"
"I think you're allowed to call me 'Seto' now," the brunet replied, brushing his bangs out of his still-sleepy eyes. "Mokuba wants to open gifts. Would you rather sleep in a little more, or would you like to come downstairs while we open gifts."
Joey blinked up at him tiredly, then scowled and burrowed back under the blankets, huffing. "No!"
Seto smiled a little. "That wasn't a yes or no question, but I think I know what your answer is. I'll come back up to get you for breakfast." He waited a moment for a response, but when he didn't get one, he peeked under the blankets to find his pup had already fallen back to sleep and was cocooned in a few of the blankets. Smiling again, he took the comforter and tucked it around him as well before he got up; he didn't want his puppy to get cold.
.-.-.-.-.-.
"Big brother, where'd this come from?" Mokuba asked, holding up the small branches of mistletoe that had been left abandoned in the living room.
Seto looked up from his phone (where he was rearranging various appointments so he could… date his puppy) and raised an eyebrow. "The card for that should be around here somewhere. Joey and I… got distracted."
"Oh. …So did you guys have sex or something, or…?"
"No, he's not nearly ready for that yet," the brunet sighed. "It'll be a few months, I think. …Not that I won't tease him about it."
Atsushi looked up from the cooking magazine they'd given him to choose a few gifts from. "…If you break his heart, Seto, I'll kill you."
"…Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Mokuba asked after a moment of confusion.
"I like Joey more than I like your brother. …Not that I don't love him. You guys are my cousins; I'm pretty much obligated to love you," he muttered, looking back at his magazine. "What's my spending limit?"
Seto sighed. "Three."
"…Three… hundred?"
"No, stupid, three items. I don't care how expensive they are. Help me spend my money." Seto waved his unconcern away. "And don't worry about killing me because I have no intentions of hurting my puppy."
"…You two are entirely uncaring for each other," Mokuba commented, still stunned by the revelation.
Atsushi scowled. "He called me a prostitute!"
"A candy prostitute! You always bring in some sort of sweet for Mokuba when you visit!" Seto exclaimed defensively. "Besides, it's nothing compared to being called a bull-headed toad with no empathy whatsoever!"
"You called me a candy prostitute!"
"You called me names first!"
"Only because you—"
Joey yawned and rubbed his eyes as he came the last few steps into the room and gave the arguing men a confused stare before turning groggily to the younger boy. "What are they doing?"
"…Fighting about something," Mokuba replied, shrugging carelessly as he burrowed under the tree for his presents from his brother and cousin; since they were usually the first under the tree, they tended to get stuck behind their fans' gifts.
The blond paused. "Oh. …Well, I'm gonna make some breakfast then." So saying, he shuffled back out of the room, tugging at the sleeves of the overly large sweater he'd borrowed from Seto (but totally intended to steal by the end of the day; it was so nice and warm). After a moment of thought, he poked his head back into the living room. "Atsushi?"
The raven-haired man looked toward him momentarily. "Yes, Joey?"
"…Don't get so riled up. Seto's never gonna give up, so just… let him huff 'n' puff, and he'll forget all about it in a few minutes." Joey smiled sweetly. "He's so weird, it's easier to just let him think he won sometimes."
Seto was appalled. "What?!"
"…You think I let ya win some of those arguments 'cause I couldn't think of anything t' say?" The blond tilted his head, then smiled again. "You're so cute when you're oblivious."
As Atsushi and Mokuba giggled as the blond left to go make breakfast and Seto growled and grumbled like the annoyed dragon he was, Joey couldn't help a pleased giggle to himself. Sometimes, poison wasn't for dark purposes. This poisonous plant had been used entirely for good.
(1) I don't know about everyone else, but Christmas mass is usually at midnight on Christmas eve (Christmas morning?). Knowing the Yu-Gi-Oh! gang, they were probably partying until just after eleven. Those party animals. :D