This was supposed to be about how Kaiba broke under the strain of being alone, having finally managed to alienate everyone else. Christmas Eve without Mokuba was going to be the final straw. But it's hard to write the emotions of someone who never allows himself to feel any. So I had to bring someone more expressive in as well, and he sort of took over. He does that.

As goes without saying, I have no claim at all on Yu-Gi-Oh.

The story:

Seagrams 7 wasn't much good for drowning your sorrows, Pegasus thought, looking at the glass in front of him. He should be reaching the oblivion stage by now, and yet he remained distressingly clear-headed. Perhaps he'd built up too much tolerance over the years.

"It's Christmas Eve," he thought, "All over Japan people are celebrating with their loved ones:" he sighed, "Sharing Christmas cake with their children," another sigh, "Or cuddling up with their sweethearts. And I have no one.

"You'd think I'd be used to it -- All those years I spent alone after Cyndia died. But then -- Matthew was there -- I got used to having someone around --" The thought of dear, good Matthew, the loyal bodyguard who had shared so many years with him -- Whom he had married in a High Church Episcopal ceremony in Vermont, three years before, made the tears come. He tried to blink them back, and one rolled down his cheek.

"Oh God, Matthew," he thought, "Why did you have to die? Steroids -- Who'd have thought a drug you used in college could kill you 30 years later! Was your heart really weakened, all those years I knew you? Funny -- I always thought your heart was the strongest thing about you!"

He buried his face in his hands. It hurt so much! The pain tore at him. How was he ever going to bear it? He couldn't even hold a tournament and steal people's souls for a distraction this time -- The kids weren't playing Duel Monsters much any more. And he'd promised Ryuji not to build nefarious schemes around any of his games.

Lucky Ryuji: He'd be spending Christmas Eve with Hiroto as usual, no doubt. They made such a cute couple -- At least SOMEONE he knew seemed to have managed a happily ever after! -- And Jounuchi was probably in Kyushu with -- With whoever it was he was with these days. Since he'd moved South and gone into politics, Pegasus didn't keep in touch with him much. And Yugi was still on that archaeological dig in Egypt, wasn't he? -- He probably didn't even care that it was Christmas Eve.

Pegasus raised his head, and lifted one hand to summon the bartender. As he looked down the bar, he saw someone else he knew:

"Seto Kaiba!" he walked down to greet him. "I never would have expected to see you here -- tonight!"

"Why? You have a lock on this bar?" Kaiba scowled at him.

"I thought you'd be with Mokuba "

"Mokuba's living in Tokyo with Anzu Masaki."

"No kidding! Mokuba and Anzu? Good for him!" Pegasus sat down on the barstool next to Kaiba's. "Are they happy?"

"I don't know." Kaiba glared at him, "Why do you care?"

"I dunno -- One likes to hear news about old friends." Pegasus studied the man next to him. He seemed sad -- Unusual for Kaiba, who was usually nothing but angry. "What's bothering you?"

Wordlessly, Kaiba shoved an envelope toward him. An engraved card inside read "Noburo and Keiko Masaki wish to invite you to the wedding of their daughter Anzu and Mokuba Kaiba, to be held on June 21st, 2---."

"A wedding?"

"Right after Mokuba's 18th birthday -- They had to time it like that, since I wouldn't give my consent."

"This is what's bothering you?" Pegasus gestured with the invitation, "The wedding?"

Kaiba stared down at the bar.

"Doesn't it ever get to you, Pegasus," he burst out at last, "Don't you ever think that you're the only guy who's alone in this whole damn town? That everyone has someone to be with except you?"

"I thought that was why you were supposed to drink -- So you WOULDN'T feel that."

"Hmph -- Doesn't work too well then." Kaiba turned his glass around and around in his hands. The ice cubes clinked together.

Pegasus sat silently with him.

"It doesn't usually bother me," Kaiba said at last, "I mean -- I've got KaibaCorp -- We're doing pretty well -- Solid Vision III just came out this Fall -- For home use. I think we're going to have record profit levels again this year."

"Good --"

"But I don't know -- Tonight -- It's Christmas Eve -- It's the first year I haven't been with Mokuba -- I just --"

"You just felt depressed?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Kaiba was still turning his glass in his hands. The ice had practically melted. "I don't know if I can take this any more. This totally stinks, y'know? I mean -- I've still got New Year's to get through. Hell, it's only --" He looked at the wall clock, ""It's only 8:15. I still have tonight!" He signaled for another drink, but the bartender seemed to have abandoned them. He was way at the other end of the bar, serving chocolate martinis to three girls in short skirts.

"So what are you going to do tonight, Pegasus?"

"I dunno -- Get blind drunk, go home. Be miserable -- Same as always. You?"

Kaiba glanced toward the bartender -- Still busy. "Maybe it's a good thing I saw someone I know," he said thoughtfully, "Even if it did have to be you -- I was seriously thinking of killing myself tonight, Pegasus."

"Kaiba! -- No!" Involuntarily, Pegasus put his hand on Kaiba's arm -- He shook it off.

"Why the hell shouldn't I?" he demanded, "What's the point of staying around? There's no one left -- They've all moved away, except for me and you. They don't need me at work any more -- KaibaCorp practically runs itself --"
"If anyone should die it should be me," Pegasus told him, "I'm way more useless than you."

"Maybe we both should."

"There's an idea --" Pegasus got that playful glitter in his eye as he spoke, "Why don't we? Let's pick our method right now --"

"I've got a gun --" Kaiba couldn't hold back a grin.

"OK, OK," Pegasus gestured with his hands, talking excitedly, "Here's our plan -- I'll shoot myself first, and then I'll give the gun to you --"
"That won't work."

"OK fine -- YOU shoot YOURSELF first, and then you give -- No, no," he shook his head, "That won't work either. How about --" he thought for a moment, "How about I shoot you, and --"

"Why don't we forget about the gun? We'll do something else."

"Pills?"

"Who has THAT many pills?"

"I do -- But they're all at home." He thought. "I think there's some rope in the trunk of my car --"

"That will do --We'll take it back to my place and fasten it to something --"

"Have you got something to fasten it to?" Pegasus asked helpfully, "I've got exposed beams in the Grand Dining Hall."

"Oh shut up -- You've got everything. I'm sure there's something at my place that we can use."

"You really think this is the right method? Because I could think of some others if you wanted -- I hadn't even mentioned jumping off a cliff yet."

"You're just saying that one to get me back to your place."

Kaiba looked at Pegasus for a long moment. "You never get any older, do you?" he said.

"Is that a nice way of saying I never grow up?"

"You know, you don't have to go home alone tonight," Kaiba said, "Come home with me, Pegasus."

"Am I hearing you right? YOU'RE asking ME?"

"It's not impossible, you know." Still staring at Pegasus, "Remember the old days -- You used to have that huge crush on me?"

"Used to?" Pegasus' smile was just a little bit tense, "I wouldn't exactly throw you out of bed for eating crackers now, Kaiba."

"Well then --"

"OK!" All smiles, Pegasus jumped off the barstool and grabbed his coat.

They paid and left.

"You know, you're awfully cute," Pegasus dropped a kiss on Kaiba's nose as the cab drove off, "I don't think there's anyone in Domino City as cute as you are," Another kiss hit his right eyebrow, "Especially when you're mad," Another on his lips, "And you're always mad, aren't you? Pegasus put his arms around Kaiba and began kissing him properly.

"Stop that!" Kaiba tried to pull away. "We're not that far from my apartment."

Pegasus laughed.

"Stop unbuttoning my shirt!" he swatted at Pegasus' hands.

"Afraid the driver will see?" Pegasus slipped his hands inside the open shirt. "He's seen worse, I'm sure." He kissed Kaiba again.

Kaiba kissed him back. He ran his hands through Pegasus' long, silvery hair. It felt good.

"You really live here all by yourself?" Pegasus looked around the apartment critically.

"What's the matter with it?" Architecture Today said it reinterprets Japanese traditions for the era of the global neighborhood."

"Looks to me like it belongs to a guy who spends half his nights sleeping on a couch in his office." Pegasus went down the hall, looking in all the doors. "Hmm -- home office here -- Ooh, nice computer! Where'd you get it? -- Here's the bathroom -- You should put the seat down, you oaf -- Don't you ever have girls over? -- Here's the closet -- Oh good, here's the bedroom!"

He tossed his coat onto a chair and flopped down on the bed.

"This is comfy. C'mon, join me --" he patted the spot next to him.

Kaiba sat down. "Take your shoes off." He said, undoing his own.

Pegasus slipped his off unconcernedly. He stretched out on the bed, arms folded under his head, and stared up at the ceiling.

"Well, you've got a pretty nice place here," he said, "Kind of lonely, though, if you ask me."
"Oh -- Mr. Private Island is going to talk to me about lonliness!" Kaiba stretched out next to him.

Pegasus slid one arm out from under his head and pulled him close.

"What this place needs," he said, "is someone around to keep you company." He stroked Kaiba's hair with his other hand. "Now, I'm not much good at keeping the mice away, ' he went on, "but I'm pretty good at warming up big cold empty beds.

"Take tonight for instance: You've only got --" he checked his watch, "45 minutes of Christmas Eve left. And I'd be glad to keep you company on New Years and the Emperor's birthday --"

"The Emperor's birthday was the 23rd -- stupid!"

"I meant next year. And… And when the cherry blossoms bloom, and uh --" as if he wasn't thinking what he was doing, he started unfastening Kaiba's pants, "Oh -- And Memorial Day, and Thanksgiving --"

"Those are American holidays --" Kaiba cuddled closer, enjoying Pegasus' company more than he liked to admit.

"Great -- I'll keep you company on all the American holidays too!" Pegasus kissed him, "And the Lithuanian ones, and the Somali ones, and the Azerbaijani ones --"

"That's not a real country." Kaiba objected, his voice muffled by Pegasus' shirt.

"Is too." Pegasus sat up. "Let me take this shirt off -- And the jacket. Oh, just look at the wrinkles, will you? I'll be rumpled tomorrow, that's for sure!" He leaned on his elbow and studied Kaiba. "Aren't you uncomfortable in so many clothes?"

Kaiba sat up and shrugged off his jacket and shirt. Pegasus laid them carefully on top of his own.

"Where was I?" he said, grabbing Kaiba and running teasing fingers down into his pants, "Oh yes -- And the Icelandic ones, and the Filipino ones --"

"Pegasus, shut up!"

"M-kay." As they rolled on the bed together, skin against skin, "I'm good at being quiet, you know. I'll start being quiet right now, shall I? And you tell me how long you want me to keep on -- Oh, am I allowed to make any noise when I come?"

"Pegasus -- Shut up quietly."