The Twelve Days of Christmas

Yuugi gave a huge yawn, allowing his arms to drape across the still sleeping Aldar's chest. This bed felt vastly different than the one he was used to sleeping on. He wanted his other room back. At least on the other bed he and Yami had started to create grooves where they slept every night. And by the Gods, did he like his beds with the grooves in them. So much more comfortable than brand new beds.

So much more.

Yami moved slightly next to him, his muscles starting to stretch just a little. Ruby eyes blinked open and gazed at Yuugi, sleep still evident in their depths.

"Good morning, Yami," Yuugi smiled, leaning in to give him a kiss. He realized that no one, not anyone could get a smile out of him in the mornings. Some of his buddies on the ship he was stationed on even collectively got him a shirt that proclaimed 'Instant Human, just add coffee.'

Apparently, they thought it was much funnier than him.

Suddenly, just as Yuugi's lips touched Yami's, the Aldar Lieutenant broke out in a fit of giggles. Yuugi sighed hard. "Damn, Yami, talk about ruining the moment."

Yami laughed harder.

The Earthen Lieutenant rubbed his face in exasperation. "I'm getting in the shower. I'll see you downstairs." He got up, grabbed his clothes, and was about to step out of the room when an arm wrapped around his waist, and suddenly Yami was leaning on Yuugi for support, still giggling uncontrollably.

"What a beautiful way to start out the day," Yuugi said to himself, but Yami seemed to think that it was hilarious.

Marching down the hall, he went to turn the knob on the bathroom door, but strangely found it locked. "Hey," he complained. "Who the hell's in there?! You know I get first dibbs on the shower every morning!!" He pounded angrily on the door. "Open up!"

The door burst open and a very angry looking Kaiba poked his head out, wrapped up in a towel. "Beat it, Motou! Jou and I have it this morning!"

Yami kept laughing.

"You shut up too, Aldar! Nobody asked you!!!"

Maybe Yami would laugh a lung up?

"Get. Out," Yuugi growled angrily.

"We'll take as damn long as we like," Seto barked back.

"I'll have you court marshaled!" Yuugi threatened. "Get out!"

"No!"

"I don't think so," a voice called from in the bathroom. "I want out of here!" The water in the shower turned off, and a moment later Jou walked out in a towel. "Hey, Yug," he replied. Seto's face immediately softened, starting to follow the Elsarian as he headed towards their room. "Whatever makes you happy, love."

Yuugi almost gagged. Perhaps it was nice that Yami couldn't speak coherently yet. He wasn't ready for sappy conversation. Provocative, yes. Sappy-

Hell. No.

Snarling, Yuugi headed into the bathroom that was now full of steam. Yami giggled at the snarl.

Damn Kaiba. As soon as he was back to normal, Yuugi was going to make his life a living hell. Kaiba was already going to be miserable today, so his antics would have little to no effect.

Yami laughed when Yuugi turned on the shower, and when he used the shampoo, and while he was drying off, and all the way down the stairs into the kitchen.

xxx

Yuugi attempted to growl as he was eating his cereal that morning. Yami's laughing was going to drive him bonkers.

Malik cast his Lieutenant a way glance as he pulled the orange juice out of the fridge. "How has he been this morning, Lieutenant?"

"I can't get him to shut up," Yuugi stated. "What do I do? Can I tell him to keep it down in Estukenteh? Or will that not work?"

The captain looked like he was in deep thought. "Well, you could try, I guess. Of course, a lot of laughter is a good sign. It means that you will have a lot of, umm...how would you Humans put this?" He waved Ishtar over, whispering his dilemma into the Earthen captain's ear. Ishtar laughed. "It mean's you'll have a lot of bedroom time," he guffawed.

Yuugi rubbed his neck, where there was still small evidence of his hickey and multiple bruises. "Splendid." Yami squeezed Yuugi tightly, attempting to muffle his laughter into the Lieutenant's shoulder. "Just splendid."

Jou stumbled into the kitchen looking drained, Kaiba following almost obediently along. "Food," the Elsarian grunted. "Hungry."

"I'll make us something," Seto replied tenderly. "You sit."

Again, Yuugi felt like he needed to leave the room. An emotional Seto Kaiba just didn't seem to register in his mind too well. There were too many times he'd seen that icy gaze demolish enemy ships while launching torpedoes and photonic canons. At least the wretch would be back to normal the next day or the day after at the latest.

Unlike Yami. There were still six days left, not including the one they had already started!!!

Ishtar was biting his fist as Kaiba started to make a very healthy, very bland, very Vulcan breakfast for the both of them, and it was a well known fact that Elsarian taste buds were very different from Vulcan taste buds.

Seto started humming, which in turn started Yami on another laughing fit. Kaiba looked very unhappy at the sound of the chuckling and laughing and sniggering, but Yuugi was beginning to think it rather amusing, too.

How many times had he wanted to laugh his ass off at Kaiba, but held his tongue?

"Shut up, Aldar!!! Your opinion isn't needed!!"

Yami fell to the floor in laughter.

Ishtar was biting his fist so hard he thought it might bleed. Thank god that he ate already, for he was finding that he needed to leave the room just to keep a shred of dignity from leaving him were he to respond to any of this.

A smile began to creep up Jou's face as he watched Yami clutching at his sides. Those things had to be hurting by now.

Yuugi snickered. Who ever said laughter wasn't contagious?

"I got to go," Ishtar grunted, leaving the kitchen quickly. Malik raised an eyebrow curiously when a sudden barking laughter echoed down the halls.

"Will you all put a sock in it??!!" Seto screeched. That was it. Jou started laughing, too. The Vulcan at first began to look betrayed, starring at Jou's smiling face. Did he do something wrong?

His attention, however, was quickly drawn away when Yami sat up, just slightly, and was able to point a finger at him, still laughing all the more. Tears were streaming down his face. "That's it!" Seto cried. "I've had it with you!!!"

Yuugi, seeing the time to leave imminent, grabbed the fruit in front of him, grabbed Yami's hand, and dashed out of the kitchen as fast as he could. Kaiba was currently chasing them with a spatula, but all Yami could do was attempt to keep his sides from collapsing.

Also laughing like a maniac, Yuugi fled up the stairs and dashed down the hallway. Flinging open his bedroom door, he pulled Yami inside and closed it, locking it with a number code from the inside as fast as he could.

Seto started pounding on the door, demanding to be let in. Yami laughed hard, collapsing on the floor and holding his sides. They were starting to ache.

Kaiba didn't make it in. The battering of the door stopped, and Yuugi let out a sigh, sliding against the hard surface as he sunk to the floor.

There was sunlight pouring through the windows on the second floor. The snow was not quite so high up as to cover them up. Minnesota never used to get so much snow, but unfortunately the weather patterns shifted drastically over the past two hundred years.

Summers were hot, and winters were hell.

Yuugi glared at Yami playfully. "You can't get him so mad today. We'll be stuck in this room until tomorrow, without any meals. You better not put a damper on my eating habits!"

Yami chuckled, giving Yuugi a sidelong glance. Yuugi was suddenly reminded of an imp.

"You are the strangest damned race I have ever come across. Vulcans are bossy and logical. Humans are psychotic. Elsarians are trouble makers. Vegarians are mysterious and mystical. But you...I don't know. You people are just weird."

Yami scooted over to Yuugi, wrapped his arms around the smaller Lieutenant, and allowed his laughter to quiet down into Yuugi's chest, smiling.

Damn it. He did it again. He made Yuugi's heart melt.

He sighed, returning the embrace. "Never understand you," Yuugi murmured, gently nipping at Yami's jaw line. The Aldar shuddered a little, squeezed just a little harder, and started to purr.

Yuugi wasn't sure if he wanted to molest Yami or start petting him.

He settled with petting for now. Molestation came a little later...

xxx

Yami was drooling. No, scratch that. He was past drooling, he had the hoover dam spilling past his lips. His laughter had been cut short just before lunch time as Yuugi got the inkling to cook something really good.

He found steaks in the fridge.

Currently, they were sizzling on the stove top, and Yami wouldn't let Yuugi go as he stood there trying to cook them. The Earthen Lieutenant sighed a little, glad that the container of spices wasn't too far out of reach. He was really getting his exercise lately dragging a clinging Aldar with him whenever he went somewhere.

Strange noises were emanating from deep withing Yami's throat as he watched those steaks sizzle and cook. Yuugi was under the distinct impression that he was whimpering, but he couldn't be sure.

"Something smells wonderful."

Yuugi turned his head and saw Captain Malik walk into the kitchen. "I'm making steaks for me and Yami. Can you tell him for me that he's definitely getting some? I think he's whining."

Suddenly it sounded like Malik was making a sound that sounded like a cross between a growl and a whimper himself. "I-inentah metek nu. Melek nahtu ista." He swallowed hard. "There wouldn't happen to be enough of that for me too, now would there?"

Yuugi almost laughed at how pathetic Malik sounded, but Yami beat him to the punch. He squeezed around Yuugi harder, giggling madly. "Caase estenk nut! Melaseh! Metenk atu! Hahahahahahahaha!!!"

Malik looked angry. "Don't you talk to me like that! I'm still your superior officer! I just wanted a little steak, that's all! You should take into account all of the trouble I went through to get us here! I can at least have a bite! Betehb!"

Yami stuck his tongue out at Malik, and continued to laugh. "I take it he got the message that he gets some," Yuugi asked indifferently.

Malik huffed indignantly, pouted, and walked out of the kitchen.

Yami nibbled at Yuugi's earlobe again, purring contentedly. "Istahleh. Petiacue istahleh."

"Yes, I know you love me, now stop distracting me as I cook these. They're almost done." He flipped them both, releasing delicious smells that wafted throughout the kitchen. Yami hummed in delight.

Suddenly, there was a white haired fiend that entered the kitchen. Yuugi stopped dead as he finished putting the steaks onto his and Yami's plates as Bakura entered the small area. "Uh, hello Bakura-san. How are you?"

Addressed snarled madly. "I thought I smelled my steaks. You're not getting those, they're mine."

Yuugi swallowed, looked at Yami whose gaze had not left the delectable meal, and back to Bakura. "You'd better take that up with him." He pointed to Yami.

Bakura got a look of complete rage on his features and began to advance on the drooling Aldar.

Just as a pale hand went to grab the plates a set of very large canines snapped in warning. Yami growled viciously at the caretaker. "They're mine," Bakura yelled.

"Melaseh!" Yami yelled back, brandishing his teeth.

The idle reaching and snapping lasted for nearly five minutes, having the possibility of lasting longer but for the fact that finally, after a very daring reach, Yami drew blood.

"Fuck!" The pale hand retreated, holding it closely to the sweater covered chest. "You bastard! You're going to pay for that!"

"I'd be careful if I were you," Yuugi warned. "They're a newly met race, and therefore protected under federal law. Hurt him, and I'm sure that you won't get steaks for a very, very long time to come." Yuugi was sure that he had just signed his own death warrant, but watched stoic none the less as Bakura started to slowly back away. "Threats do no got unchecked here. Just wait, Motou. As soon as that freak of yours is back to normal, he won't be normal ever again when I get through with him."

"Oh, you mean you're going to make him more human? Have fun! I can't wait to see what happens!"

Bakura yelled in anger as he walked away.

Yuugi sighed heavily, setting their plates down on the table. The steaks might be cold by now. It didn't matter, Yami gave him a deeply satisfying kiss, sat down, drug Yuugi onto his lap, and began to eat. Ah, hell, there probably wasn't much that Bakura could do to him that Yuugi couldn't do right back. Ishtar had been threatening to kill him for years, someone had to pay up on their threats one of these days. Everyone dies eventually, right?

Right?

Yami started giggling again.

xxx

Yami yawned, his giggles starting to diminish as sleep started to overcome him. Malik had been giving the two of them stink eye for the remainder of the day, still very perturbed at not being able to get any steaks that afternoon. Bakura hadn't been seen since, and Ryou only appeared once to look sympathetically at Yami and Yuugi before disappearing again. More fudge had been dropped off.

Jou sighed, resting on the couch as Seto snored on his lap. The Vulcan had been chasing Yami for the past couple of hours, angered that he could not only not catch him, but he also couldn't get him to shut up. It seemed the only time Yami was remotely quiet was when he was holding Yuugi or eating.

Gods, had he enjoyed his lunch.

The clock in the living room chimed as it reached ten o'clock. Yuugi hadn't realized just how late it was. "I'm going to bed," he stated finally.

Jou gave another wearied sigh, rubbing his face. "Will Seto be back to normal tomorrow?"

"For the most part," he replied. "At least, one can only hope. I'm just afraid at what Yami is going to be like tomorrow."

The Elsarian chuckled. "Oh yes....one can only wonder what will happen next. Not that Malik will tell us and warn

us."

Yuugi snorted. "Not bloody likely. I don't think that he's going to talk to me for quite a while. I'll have to take him out to a steak house in order to get back on his good side."

Jou nodded.

"Goodnight, Jou. Hopefully I'll see you in the morning."

"One can only hope." It was taking a strong will power to survive to pull through their Christmas vacation. That was, if one could even call it that. Yuugi was positive that he'd be in the infirmary for a month by the time they got back on the ship. That was going to be his vacation. He stood up, Yami hanging on to him, and stumbled up the stairs.

Well, I hope that you enjoyed the next installment, and just wait until the next stage rolls around...Review? Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top? puppy eyes