Note: So recently, Nickelodeon have put on Yu-Gi-Oh re-runs (hooray!). It inspired me to write a one shot, and I've been wanting to do a Christmas one for a while now. I know, a Christmas fic in March? Bah, ah well! Enjoy (or not, in case you don't like it...). P.S Please excuse my crap title :]

Snow Time

The whole gang was gathered together in the square at the centre of town: Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Teá, Bakura and Mai. It was the day after Christmas and the entire town was covered in a thick layer of sparkling white snow – which Joey had fallen face-first in more than once. He glared at Tristan, who had been the one who had pushed him in the first place, snow dripping off the end of his nose. They were all laughing at Joey good naturedly and he found he couldn't stay mad at one of his best friends. Joey soon discovered he was laughing along with everyone else and they started to exchange presents. Mai looked surprised.

"You mean I was supposed to buy you all something?" she asked in disbelief, both eyebrows raised under her mass of blonde hair.

"That's kind of the whole point of Christmas, Mai. You give something to those you care about!" said Yugi happily as he swapped gifts with a gleeful Bakura.

"Yeah, it's the time of giving," agreed Teá, her scarf slightly muffling her words. She watched warily as Joey wildly ripped open the present she had just handed to him. Mai remained sceptical.

"Isn't that what Thanksgiving is for?" Yugi chuckled amicably at her as he examined the new Duel Monsters card Bakura had given him.

"Thanksgiving is for being thankful for the things you have," he explained. Tristan and Joey high-fived when they learned they had bought the same bobble hat for each other in different colours, green and blue respectively.

"Hmm, well maybe next year I'll get the hang of it," was Mai's only comment on the matter. The rest of the gang were glad to switch gifts and share their presents with each other; and though Mai didn't admit it, she felt somewhat left out. She stood with her arms folded and her gaze lowered, the presents her friends had given to her hanging loosely from her hand in a plastic bag as she waited for the whole gift ordeal to be over.

After a while, Joey's sister Serenity crossed their path purely by chance and started talking with Tristan. Joey observed them protectively but didn't object when they announced that Tristan was going to walk her back to the apartment she was sharing with her mom while they were in town. The remaining five walked aimlessly around the immediate town for a while before coming back to the square they had met at originally.

It was Yugi who started the snowball fight. One strategically thrown lump of snow at Bakura and it was all over. Bakura retaliated but missed, getting Teá directly in the face. He spluttered and attempted to apologise but it was far too late: Teá returned the favour and hit him with a snowball so hard that he fell backwards into the soft snow. Joey laughed hard at that, and almost choked when a snowball was lobbed right into his wide open mouth.

Coughing, Joey's head darted around for the culprit and his eyes landed on Mai, who was uncharacteristically trying to appear innocent with her hands behind her back and her eyes on the sky. That was a dead give away and Joey smirked to himself as he bent down, scooping up a large handful of snow and forming a ball with it. Before he could even try to throw it in Mai's direction though, Joey was bombarded with snowballs from all directions as Teá, Yugi, Bakura and even Mai ambushed him unexpectedly.

Joey looked like a human snowman when it was all over and after shaking off the majority of the snow, he frowned at Bakura – the person closest to him – and lifted his arm, ready to chuck a snowball at the white-haired boy. Bakura glanced at his watch.

"Oh sorry guys, I didn't realise it had gotten so late. I'd best be off. Ta-ra!" he said, and jogged away. The snowball dejectedly fell from Joey's hand as Yugi and Teá announced they had to go home as well. The fun was over before Joey had even had his chance to toss a single snowball at anyone! This just wasn't fair. He pouted like a puppy as Mai stalked over to him, absent-mindedly dusting some snow from Joey's hair.

"You really are lousy at snowball fights, aren't you Joey?" she teased. Joey snatched her hand away, growling.

"Yous all never gave me a chance!" he complained loudly. "I was cheated!" Mai rolled her eyes and tugged her hand out of Joey's grasp.

"No, you were just too slow." Joey glared intensely at the slightly older female, so full of herself. He really hated her cocky attitude and the way she always thought she was right. Sometimes, Mai made Joey feel so mad. He had also spent forever looking for the perfect present for her – in the end he had opted for a hand mirror, like everyone else – and she hadn't bothered to get him anything at all! Sometimes, he realised just how one-sided their friendship really was.

Mai blinked.

"All this just because I didn't buy you a gift? Jeez, how materialistic of you Joey. And I thought I had an obsession with personal possessions." Joey strained the fact that it was Christmas and what was she, some kind of Scrooge? Mai's facial expression hardened.

"Shut up, Wheeler," she said, and shoved a pile of snow in Joey's mouth for the second time that day. Joey's face conveyed one of surprise: he hadn't even seen her pick up any snow, why was Mai so sly like that and hey, was her face always that close to his?

Mai brought her hands up to Joey's face and pulled his head to hers. Her fingers intertwined in Joey's soft blonde hair for a moment and she kissed him firmly on the cheek, leaving behind a red imprint of her lips. She turned around before she could see Joey's face glow red with embarrassment.

"There's your Christmas present," muttered Mai, as she walked away from a dumbstruck Joey.