Juu56: Finally! Sorry it took so long. Writer's block is a bad thing, and it took a while for that anti-writer's block pen to get here. XD Sankuu, KaTyA!! Okay, well, Merry Christmas, folks, here's your present! (Or Happy Holidays, for those of you who don't celebrate Christmas.) Chapter 10 is here at last. No lemons this chapter, but next chapter…Never know!

I just got back form a chorus concert for my school, so…Yeah. A little tired, so excuse my typos, and just to remind you guys in case you've forgotten for some odd reason, the classic disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue!

Now then, reviews, I love you guys so much, bunches of presents (or well wishes) to:

Burning-Yami-Rain: Thank you! So glad you like! And my Yami doesn't like me either…..I'm crazy too ^_^* And this is for of yours! Sankuu!

Lime Green Jello: No!! Not the plushies!!!!!!!!!! *sob* I feel abused.

Little Kaori solo Yuy-Maxwell: I know. Gotta love the hot chocolate…………O.O Banquet!!

Yuko Demon: I sorry!! Well, this one's up at least. Chap 11.…………Yeah.

Chrono Shadows: I am nuts. And glad you like, and don't you just hate it when dinner's done at just the wrong moment?!

Mika: More!! 'Nother chappie up, finally!!

Invader Zia: Sankuu!!!!!!!

Armanda Rose: I figured Yugi'd hae to stand up to his Yami about something, sometime…..Glad you like!!

KaTyA: I know!!! *giggle* I was very hyper when I wrote that………My Yami didn't' much like it……..Ah well.

Renee the Rabid Squirrel: S/J forever!!

firedraygon97: Banquets are fun….O_O*

animegirl1234: It's up! Finally!!

Lady Kaiba: Gotta love Seto-kun……..^_^

Kou-Andrea: Will you settle for barely civil?

zapid: Glad you read it, glad you liked!! Sankuu!!

Silver Dragon: *sigh* I know. And I'm not really supposed to be up either…….

GSYH: S/J rock!!!!!!!!!!

Yami Tsuki Tenshi: No Marik/Malik. Dub hasn't gotten there yet…………………Stupid dub…….Grr…

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Chapter 10

Yami glared at Yugi, who merely laughed at him. //Why did you volunteer us for this, aibou? I don't wanna go!// He sounded like a whining child even in Yugi's mind, which only made the small one laugh harder.

/Because my teachers aren't giving me any homework for a while since I had that "meltdown", and besides, it would have been rude to refuse. It won't be that bad, and we had two days to ourselves./ Except for school, Yami had absolutely refused to let Yugi out of the house. Yugi had pouted a bit, but then he'd thought of all the wonderfully fun things they could do - and had. Still, they had yet to try a few of them from his little mental list. Ice cream toppings sounded wonderful…Had his grin turned evil? Yami was backing away. That wasn't very nice. It wasn't like he had time to do anything, though. They had to get dressed.

"Come on, Yami. We have to get you into a tux." Yami paled. Oh, Ra help him…May all the gods curse this modern formal wear! Why the hell did it have to have so many damn buttons?! Why not nice, simple zippers? He felt another hard pull on his hand, and reluctantly followed his hikari into the bedroom to don the dreaded tuxedo.

*

//Nuh-uh. No way. You're not going to make me look like a damn penguin!//

/Please,Yami?/

//N…// He hated puppy-dog eyes. //fine. But it'll cost you!// Sighing, Bakura left the ring, only to be glomped by his far too enthusiastic hikari.

"I'll pay you later, I promise." He released a Bakura-like grin, then gave his yami a little kiss. "For now, will that work?"

Bakura grabbed him and kissed him again, hard and passionate, leaving both of them breathless. "That will work for now. But you owe me later!"

Ryou giggled. ""Yes, Yami-koi. Now come on!" Bakura groaned and followed his aibou into the bedroom, steeling himself for the horrible torture of…formal wear.

*

"Why am I doin' this again?" Jou muttered crossly, staring at his bowtie with disgust. Seto smirked and grabbed it, tying it correctly and straightening it.

"Because you love me," he stared arrogantly. "And because if you don't I'll be hounded by every girl there. And because if I don't have a date it'll be some sort of catastrophe. And because-" The pillow hitting his head silenced him quite well. He looked at Jou, who was laughing.

"Get out, go greet people! I'll be ready in a minute." He stood and shoved a startled Seto Kaiba out the door, then shut and locked it.

Seto blinked as he heard the lock click, then scowled at the door. Didn't Jou know that now Seto had to go out and face and greet all those strange business people. Kami, even Seto wasn't as strange as they were!

Jou-koi might argue that point, Seto thought, amusing himself as he walked to the living room to meet his fate.

Yugi, Yami, Bakura, and Ryou were there, Honda had passed, Anzu was busy, and Mai was supposedly on her way. Seto managed barely civil greetings to the four former, and easier small talk with various employees, rivals, and business associates until Jou made his way down the stairs, looking around nervously for his CEO boyfriend. Seto smiled until a disturbing thought floated past - there were other people there. Other people that could potentially be interested in the incredibly handsome - though Seto would die before admitting that - man standing bewildered at the top of the stairs. Seto growled. MY puppy…He practically shoved his way through the crowd to grab his puppy's arm, leading him possessively down to join him in what he had unflatteringly dubbed as the "Greeting of the Odd People". He'd called it worse things in the past.

Taking a break, finally, he grabbed two glasses of champagne, shoving one into Jou's hand, and pressed himself against the wall. "Kami bless manners," he muttered under his breath. "They won't bother us while we're drinking and appear…busy." He latched onto Jou's neck between sips of champagne. Unfortunately, the statement was spoken too soon; a man Seto only vaguely recognized wandered over and began rambling about something or other, obviously expecting them to listen. Seto sighed and glared, but made the appropriate sounds at the appropriate times - somehow without really listening at all - until the man went away, wandering off to go bother some other poor, unsuspecting businessman. Jou laughed at his boyfriends frustrated sigh.

"Yer the one who wanted t' go," he reminded him, still chuckling. Seto smacked him playfully; he could hardly ever stay mad at him, never mind getting there in the first place.

"I have to be here; I'm the host. You're with me because I didn't want to suffer alone." He grinned.

"Gee, thanks." Jou mock-glared at him.

Seto chuckled. "Let's go. Time to continue greeting." He pasted on a rather fake-looking - probably because it was - smile, grabbed Jou's hand, and pulled away from the wall. Jou groaned, pasted on a similar smile, and let himself be pulled along.

*

Yami tugged impatiently at his bowtie, scowling at anyone who came too near. Yugi was trying - unsuccessfully - to get him to move away from the wall.

"Please, Yami?" Shit. Puppy-dog eyes. He hated those.

"Arg! Fine. We'll look for Jounouchi, but that's it, aibou." He snatched away the champagne glass Yugi had been handed and placed it back on the server's tray, glaring. "You're underage. Let's go." He held Yugi so close to his side they could have been surgically attached to one another, and set off.

*

Mai took a sip of her champagne, adjusted her purple evening gown, and tried her best not to look bored as the man in front of her rambled on about some new business deal she knew absolutely nothing about. She wanted to smack him. She didn't.

"Excuse me," she interjected when he took a breath, "but I have to find someone." Not bothering to fill in any more information, she swept off to search for someone - anyone - she knew. Kami help her if this thing didn't end soon!

*

Ryou sighed as Bakura threatened yet another businessman with torture.

"Bakura, that's not really very polite," he chastised gently. "We are guests, after all, and guests shouldn't threaten other guests with torture. I'm sure Kaiba-san wouldn't approve, and this is his house…"

"I'm not threatening them!" the taller one snapped back. "I'm telling them what I'm going to do to them if they don't leave us alone!"

"Yami, you can't torture the guests. Dinner starts in-" he checked his watch "-then minutes. Let's just get some champagne-"

"None for you. You're too young."

"Yami…" he whined.

"No." Bakura grabbed a glass for himself from a serving tray and drained it one gulp. "You're too young."

"But Yami!"

"I've five thousand years old. You're too young."

"Yes Yami." He sighed. "Let's go find Kaiba-san." Still pouting slightly, Ryou dragged his yami off to look for the brunette CEO. It was harder than it sounded.

*

Dinner was announced early, and everyone found each other anyway. Seto had placed - or rather, had servants place - name cards at each seat, placing Jou and his friends closest and his own "enemies", mostly people he just didn't like, farthest from him.

The meal, surprisingly, was a rather pleasant affair. A couple of the newlywed - and some not-so-newlywed - couples were very "lovey-dovey", including Yami and Yugi. Ryou and Bakura were not, though Ryou did seem a little…distracted. The majority of the guests talked business.

At the beginning of dinner, Seto and Jou were in separate chairs eating separate meals; by the middle Seto was filching Jou's food and alternating chewing with kissing, and by the end Jou was in Seto's lap, being fed. A few of Seto's associates blinked in shock before continuing their conversations. The rest just grinned widely and wondered aloud if Seto's new lover would "pull the stick out of Kaiba's ass". Seto simply frowned and went back to feeding his koi.

Jou squirmed. "I can feed myself!" he protested half-heartedly. This was a rathe comfortable position, after all.

"No." Gotta love the monosyllables. Jou pouted at him, but didn't' bother arguing. His eyes scanned the table.

On his and Seto's left, Ryou's eyes were clenched shut and one of Bakura's hands was suspiciously missing; neither was touching their food. No questions as to what was going on there. Beside them - wrinkling her nose slightly - was Mai, picking lightly at her food but apparently far more interested in the cute young man sitting beside her. They were engaged in an animated conversation, though when Seto looked over and noticed he acknowledged that he neither knew nor cared what it was about.

By the time dessert was over, the guests were for the most part more than ready to leave. Jou said goodbye to his friends - Ryou and his yami looked slightly relieved - and said his farewells to Mai, who was leaving for the United States in the morning. She exchanged numbers with the man she'd been speaking with during dinner and climbed into a cab, headed for her hotel. When the last of their guests trailed out the door, Seto shut it with a sigh of relief and a resounding bang then turned to Jou, grinning wickedly.

Translating said grin correctly, Jou set off up the stairs. Seto followed immediately; in this mood, the chase was half the fun.

**************TBC**************

Okay!! Now then, next chapter will have lemon!! Yay!! And I'm writing this note in two minutes, so……BTW, if I've forgotten anyone in reviews, or just skipped over one by accident, let me know, and I'm sorry!!