Hello, everyone. Merry-almost-Christmas! :)

I don't write Puzzleshipping often, but this idea crossed my mind and it was too cute to not write, so I truly hope you enjoy it. Have a wonderful Christmas!

Also, this is for Hikari Akiko. She's such a sweetheart, and I wanted to give her this Puzzleshipping fic as a Christmas gift. Merry Christmas to you, darling! You're amazing!

This is based off of the song "Father" by Demi Lovato. It's a very sad yet heartfelt song, and Yugi quotes many of the lyrics here, which I do not own. They belong to the amazing Demi Lovato. (There is also a slight trigger warning due to the vague mention of abuse.)

(And despite the fact that I'm getting the Yu-Gi-Oh manga for Christmas, that doesn't mean I own the whole thing, so don't sue me, please. That wouldn't be very Christmas-y of you lawyers.)

"Dinner's almost ready, Yugi!" His grandfather called, an excited ring to his tone. Yugi smiled at this. Christmas was his grandfather's favorite time of year.

It hadn't always been Yugi's favorite, unlike his grandpa.

He remembered being no older than 7, begging for his father and mother to buy them a Christmas tree. A beautiful, sparkling tree, like all the other families had. Glowing lights and sparkling decorations would adorn it, and a bright, golden star - or perhaps an angel - would grace the top with its presence.

But those were just dreams, not remotely touched by reality.

His mother had been a kind, gentle woman, with auburn hair and sparkling amethyst eyes. She looked nothing like her son, save for the color of her eyes, but they were inseparable, and Yugi had loved her more than anything else in the world.

His father was a bit of a different story.

An alcoholic, much like Joey's father, he was always furious and drunk. Neither Yugi nor his mother dared near him after one of his many visits to the local bar, and it wasn't long before the house smelled of alcohol. The few friends Yugi had were never able to sleepover due to his father's drunkenness, and because of this, the young boys Yugi had befriended left him, angry that what they gave could never be given back.

His mother used to be a feisty, strong woman (although sweet and good-natured). But her husband dampened her spirit, and soon, she was nothing more than a crying, sobbing mess, begging the man not to raise a fist against her or her child. She was only grateful that Yugi hadn't turned to drugs and was still a kind, gentle child, not hardened by what he was going through.

Yugi was never able to truly experience Christmas, or any other Holiday - his birthday included. His mother sometimes managed to sneak out and buy him a cupcake, but that wasn't the norm. He usually went without a celebration, gifts, or cake.

And his friends nowadays wondered why he treasured his birthday parties so much.

But Christmas was what matter most to little Yugi, not his birthday. He'd see other families riding in sleighs and singing merrily, and Christmas lights and Christmas trees were everywhere he glanced.

Everywhere but his household seemed cheery and bright.

And it was all his father's fault.

But, despite all of this, despite all the pain the man had put him and his mother (who had disappeared many years ago and probably lived on her own) through, Yugi couldn't bring himself to hate the man.

And he planned to tell his father that this Christmas.

Walking over to his bed, Yugi sat down, and stared out of his window.

Snow was falling ever so gently, covering the ground and the trees with a beautiful soft blanket. His window was frosty, and had little smiley faces with Atem (the former Pharaoh preferred being called by his own name now) and his own signature next to them.

Yugi smiled at the new Christmas tradition of writing his name with his lover's, and took a deep breath.

"Dad..." he began softly, not noticing Atem entering the room quietly, staring at his hikari with curious eyes. "...I wanted to say that... I always knew you were a troubled man, ever since I was little. I know you wanted to be the perfect father, that perfect husband, whom everyone loves and admires. You did your best..."

Yugi trailed off, frowning. "...or did you." Collecting himself and letting out another deep breath, once again not noticing Atem, he whispered, "I hope that heaven's giving you a second chance, dad, to be the man you always wanted to be. I... I love you, and even if you never told me the same, I know you loved me too. Merry Christmas, dad."

"Yugi..."

The boy whipped around, staring at his yami in surprise. "A... Atem?! What are you doing here?"

Atem blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Well, I was coming to tell you that dinner's ready, but I heard you, and..."

"And?" Yugi smiled slightly at his boyfriend's troubled face. "Atem, I'm not mad at you. Why would I be?"

"Well, I..." The Spirit of the Puzzle blinked confusedly. "...isn't that a private matter? What you were saying, I mean?"

Yugi giggled softly. "Remember when I first told you I loved you, Atem?"

Atem nodded, smiling fondly at the memory.

"Well, one of the things we promised to each other is that we'd tell each other everything. That we'd share each others' burdens. I was... going to tell you, anyway," The tri-color haired boy said the last sentence softly, almost as if he didn't want Atem to hear.

Atem's heart softened, and he strode over to the boy, sitting next to him and wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulder. Yugi glanced at the arm and shook his head, smiling, but Atem only sighed.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Yugi," the former Pharaoh whispered, eyeing his lover sympathetically.

Yugi placed his small hand over Atem's own, a large smile crossing his face.

"It's alright. I'm alright."

"You sure?" Atem asked, smiling back at the boy. It made him smile to see Yugi with such joy sparkling in his beautiful eyes.

"Are you here with me, Atem?" Yugi suddenly asked softly, looking his lover straight in the eye.

"Of course, Yugi. Always," the other youth replied lovingly, tightening his grip ever-so-slightly on Yugi's shoulder.

"Then I'm sure I'm alright. Now let's go have some of that ham, shall we?"

Wasn't that just the sweetest thing?

Anyway, I hope all of my lovely readers enjoyed, and I anticipate seeing you all review my other stories some time. And speaking of reviews, I find it quite rude when people do not review if they enjoyed my work, so please review. I don't mind if you can't speak / type English well or have a disability that hinders your writing skills. It's the thought that counts, and the thought is all that matters to me. :)

Thank you for reading, and have a beautiful Christmas! *blows kiss*