Title: Wish (7/9)

Author: WhosJeebus

Rating: T

Pairing(s): Joey/Seto, scads of others, & even a few surprises

Beta: Jennie B.

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but if someone wants to give it to
me as a Christmas gift, I certainly won't argue about it...

Summary: Seto won't be home for the holidays, but can Joey's friends
and family manage to show him a holly jolly time, anyway? Sometimes,
Christmas miracleshappen in the most unexpected of ways...

Rant: Wow. I bet no one's in the mood for Christmas stuffs anymore, are they? Deepest apologies for being such a slacker, but I WILL be going back to address my individual reviews some timein the near future. R/L keeps offering me a myriad of distractions, and I am hard pressed to ignore them. Yeah, it's the same old schpiel. I know. Enjoy chapter 7, and expect to see the remaining 2 installments and epilogue over the course of the next week. It's the least I can do to make up for being such a lazy tool. (hugs and glompage galore!)

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Chapter 7:
(2 days 'til Christmas)

Feeling re-energized after the previous night's exploits, Joey eagerly vaulted out of bed the next morning. He made short work of his shower as he washed and dried himself at full speed, happily humming Christmas carols all the while. Once dressed, he bounded down the stairs and into the main kitchen to put on a giant pot of coffee. The aroma would surely lure Mokuba out of his cave, provided that the teen had actually managed to come home from wherever he'd been sneaking off to lately. Keeping one eye out for the younger Kaiba's emergence, he gave the chef and her entire kitchen staff the rest of the week off, turned out the overhead light, and perched himself on a barstool to wait. Soon enough, a tousled, black head appeared around the corner, sniffing the air cautiously. The rest of Mokuba soon followed, as he quietly crept toward the coffee pot, tiptoeing across the linoleum. Wishing he had a safari hat and a net for effect, Joey flipped on the light switch and pounced. Temporarily blinded, his prey blinked rapidly with mounting panic and took a few skittish steps backwards, right into the waiting trap. Joey leapt forward and goosed the topless Mokuba in the ribs, exclaiming triumphantly, "Gotcha!"

"Ahhh! Fuck!" Mokuba whirled around and bumped his hip on the edge of the countertop, bouncing off like a pinball and flailing his arms wildly at his attacker. "Jesus, Mary and... Joey? That had better be you, you asshole!"

"Temper temper! If you keep scowlin' like that, you're gonna get wrinkles..."

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Mokuba placed one hand in the center of his chest and leaned against the sink, breathing heavily.

Joey poured him a cup of coffee to make amends, and gestured for the other boy to have a seat. "I need your help today."

"Sure, I'm game. What's up?"

"Tomorrow's Christmas Eve, and I have to work until six o' clock, so this is my last official day of cooking practice. I need an assistant slash taste tester to help me get ready."

Mokuba turned pale. "Anything but that."

Joey stuck out his tongue. "Don't be a bitch. My culinary skills have greatly improved, and besides, it's lookin' like you, me and your guest of honour are gonna be the only ones in attendance. I'd like to try and make it special anyway, and for that I need you, OK?"

"Alright, fine. Count me in."

Smiling gratefully, Joey asked, "You did straighten things out with your fella, right?"

"Damn, Joey; you sound like you're about eighty years old, " Mokuba snickered. "Heh. 'My fella'. He's so going to crack up about that."

"Just answer the question, smartass."

Mokuba grinned goofily, and from the stars evident in his dark grey eyes, Joey had all the answer he needed. "Yeah, I guess you could say we kissed and made up. And then we groped and made up. And after that we --"

Joey covered his ears with both hands and shook his head furiously. "Not another word! If I don't know any details, then Seto can't torture the information outta me later!"

Blowing Joey a kiss, Mokuba joked, "Oh please. You love it, you big dungeon queen."

"Hey! You're not s'posed to know about all that... stuff." He pondered for a moment. "I could have sworn we were bein' quiet..."

Mokuba slapped his knee and threw his head back, cackling loudly. "I didn't know; I was just guessing! Now I have actual evidence of how pervy you two really are!" Wiping tears from his eyes, he suddenly turned thoughtful. "I have got to rig up a hidden camera or something..."

Blushing furiously, Joey turned his attention to his work, steadily offering up a large variety of appetizers, entrees and desserts for Mokuba's dining pleasure. While not a picky eater himself, the teen had learned plenty about refined taste under the tutelage of his older brother, and most of what Joey presented to him received an enthusiastic green light. They broke for a midday nap, and slept off the huge amount of food they had already consumed, only to gravitate back into the kitchen just a few hours later to begin all over again. By the time the sun had finally set, Joey was sweaty and exhausted, and Mokuba was clutching at his distended belly, moaning piteously. "I'm sooo bloated!"

Beaming with pride, Joey clapped the other boy firmly on the back. "Couldn't have done it without you, Kid. Can I bring you a bucket? Wafer-thin mint?"

Mokuba groaned and covered his mouth with his hand, letting loose with an impressive belch. "You think you're funny, but you're just not." He rested his forehead on the cool surface of the kitchen table, grunting loudly from the effort of bending over that far. "Tell you what; first off, you can fetch me about five pints of Alka-Seltzer, and after that maybe you could roll me into a wheelbarrow and take me up to my room. Then I can die in peace."

Joey rifled through a kitchen drawer and handed over a large container of antacid to the distraught teenager. "You were a big help today, Mokie. I owe you one."

"If you've made me fat, I'll never forgive you," Mokuba called over his shoulder as he slowly padded up the stairs.

Thinking that he might just pull this thing off after all, Joey set about cleaning up the massive amount of dishes he had dirtied, his mind preoccupied with finalizing Sunday's menu. Up to his elbows in soap suds, he was startled out of his reverie when the phone on the wall next to him gave a shrill ring. He quickly dried his hands off and reached to answer it.

"Wheeler's Mortuary, Joey speakin'. You stab 'em, we slab 'em."

Yugi Moto, by now accustomed to his best friend's various idiosyncrasies, excitedly replied on the other end of the line, "Grab your coat and shoes, and get your butt out front, Wheeler. I'm not taking no for an answer. Oh, and be sure to wear warm socks."

Shrugging, Joey shouldered the phone and went in search of his favourite pair of sneakers. "I'm not sayin' no, but do you mind if I ask why? Are we goin' down to the butcher shop to buy the Christmas goose in the window? The one as big as me?"

"Are you drunk? Never mind; it doesn't matter. No questions, just haul ass." Yugi hung up abruptly, leaving Joey confused, but no less cheerful because of it. He ran outside to find Yugi's car parked in the driveway, his diminutive friend's spiky hair barely visible above the steering wheel. He opened the passenger door and hopped in, fastening his seatbelt and ordering, "Punch it, Chewie."

Yugi, and his notorious lead foot, enthusiastically complied, and as they drove through the countryside in relative silence, Joey's curiosity grew by leaps and bounds.

"So... west, is it?"

"I said no questions."

"Just makin' conversation."

"Then make some other kind."

Joey blew out a pent-up breath of air and idly drummed his fingertips on the armrest. They had been on the road for almost an hour, leaving Domino City far behind as they headed up into the surrounding mountains. "You're not draggin' me all the way out here to murder me and dump my corpse in the woods, are you?"

"Maybe."

"Look, if you're still mad about me pantsing you in the mall the other day, I've already apologized about a hundred times. I swear I didn't know that you weren't wearin' a belt, and I promise that I'll never, ever --"

"Seto would chop me into mincemeat and bake me in a pie if I let anything happen to you, so try to relax a little."

Joey slouched down in his seat and muttered, "If you tell me to just go with the flow, then I'm really gonna get nervous..."

Yugi looked over at him inquisitively. "You know, the last time anyone said that to me, I ended up losing my virginity."

"Yeah, that line gets around."

Yugi turned off the main highway and onto a side road, which quickly narrowed into something slightly larger than a two lane dirt track, but not my much. Joey soon began to see wooden fences to either side, as well as various silos and storage buildings along the way, leading him to believe that they were entering the outskirts of a large farm or orchard. As they pulled around a steep bend in the road, their heavily forested surroundings opened up into a clearing, and Joey's eyes beheld a glorious sight. As far as he could see, brightly lit Christmas trees stretched out before him, each one covered in twinkling, colourful lights, and meticulously decorated with hundreds of glittering ornaments. In the distance, tiny figures ice skated on a picture perfect frozen pond, while the moon hung full and bright in the background, illuminating the quaint holiday scene with an unearthly glow. A large, immaculate farmhouse towered above it all on a hill, with a sign out front welcoming visitors to Tanglewood Farm's annual holiday celebration. Joey's mouth hung open in awed surprise, and as soon as Yugi had pulled the car over and parked, the blond leapt out the passenger side door and ran over to drag his friend bodily from the vehicle. He crushed the smaller boy to him in a fierce bear hug, while Yugi flapped his arms and futilely gasped for air.

Unrelenting, Joey whirled Yugi around in a wide arc before depositing him unceremoniously in the nearest snow bank. He stood on tiptoes and made a quick survey of the festive environs, bouncing and pointing like an excited child of half his age. "Damn, Yug'! This place is great! I haven't been ice skatin' since I was a kid! Holy shit! Look over there! They're sellin' popcorn and hot cocoa! Wow! A huge fuckin' bonfire! They're actually roastin' hot dogs and marshmallows! They even have a storyteller! This is so awesome!"

"I read about this place in a magazine last year, and when Seto called and asked me to help cheer you up, this was the first thing that came to mind." Yugi managed to get his feet back under him and stood up, only to have Joey grab his coat sleeve and haul him off toward the skate rental booth. "Joey! I'm glad you're happy, but I need a minute to catch my breath!"

"Time for that later!" Joey called, not breaking his stride. "First, I wanna do everything!"

Yugi paid for two pairs of skates for the evening, kneeling down to properly lace Joey's, as well as his own, after the blond repeatedly whined that he was too impatient to do it for himself. As soon as Yugi was finished with his thankless task, Joey launched himself out onto the frozen surface, pinwheeling his arms for balance and laughing delightedly. He took several spectacular spills right off the bat, doggedly picking himself back up each time and murmuring hasty apologies to his fellow skaters. Yugi, on the other hand, stepped cautiously onto the ice, his hands held behind his back for balance as he took a number of short, mincing strides to get a better feel for the motion. Soon, he was skating literal circles around his friend, and taking no small amount of smug pleasure in doing so.

Wobbling precariously, Joey skated up behind him and grabbed onto the trailing ends of Yugi's red scarf. "Show off."

"You're just jealous." Joey's legs arbitrarily decided to head off in opposite directions, and Yugi was suddenly in danger of being yanked off his feet with him. "Hey now! Don't drag me down too, you big, clumsy jerk!"

"Brings back old times, don't it?"

Yugi made a face. "Ha ha. Here. Come up beside me and take my hand. Yeah, just like that; you've got it now. And try to slow down a little, will you?"

Snickering, Joey commented, "You sound just like Seto in bed."

Yugi blushed and reached up to give his dirty-minded friend a gentle smack in the head. Holding hands and spreading his balance more evenly between the two of them, Joey managed to skate along at a much smoother pace, only occasionally falling prey to the urge to do the splits. "See Joey? You're a fast learner, just like Grandpa always says."

Nodding proudly in agreement, Joey glanced over to find that a bit of the happy light had left his friend's wide, violet eyes. Uh-oh; something was definitely up. "Hey, Yug', is everything OK? Gramps isn't sick or somethin', is he?"

"Oh! No, no... he's as healthy and fit ever! In fact, he's even flying out to Montana with me on Sunday to visit Rebecca and her grandfather. We're going to spend Christmas and New Year's on their horse ranch, and have ourselves a little vacation of sorts."

"That sounds like a blast, and you could both use the downtime. Y'know, it's been awhile since I last saw Rebecca; how's she doin'?"

Yugi arched his eyebrows, giving Joey a penetrating look."I've already talked with Yami and the rest of the gang, so don't think that I don't know what you're up to. I'm not soliciting any advice for the lovelorn, and there's nothing wrong with my relationship that needs fixing, OK?"

Joey held his hands up in feigned indignation, and nearly careened off the edge of the ice before Yugi could grab onto his wrist again. "Thanks, man. I hear where you're comin' from, but 'Becca's my friend too, and you know that I'm shit for keepin' in touch. I'm just curious to find out what she's been up lately. Isn't she about to graduate college this spring?"

Yugi nodded, looking both pleased and apprehensive at the same time. "She's getting her degree in aeronautics, and then she's going into the Air Force this fall."

"No kiddin'?"

Yugi stared down at his skates. "Yeah. They've pretty much guaranteed her any posting she asks for, because they want her as a flight instructor. She's determined to work her way up to test pilot, and from there, I wouldn't be surprised if she wants to become an astronaut. She's talked about it before."

"Dang! How cool is that?"

"I guess..."

Despite all his claims to the contrary, Joey could tell that there was indeed something bothering Yugi, and it appeared that it was somehow linked to his friend's love life, even if he didn't see it that way. "If the whole long distance thing has got you down, then maybe this could be a good thing? She could probably get assigned somewhere closer to Domino, right?"

"That's not really the issue, Joey. I mean, closer would be nice, but we've been doing the long distance relationship dance forever now, and it's worked out just fine. Besides, Rebecca wants to be near her grandfather to help take care of him, so she'll probably wind up staying in Montana -- for a while, anyway. The problem is, I don't want to stay in Domino anymore, but I don't really have a choice in the matter."

Joey frowned. "No choice? That doesn't sound like the Yug' I know."

"Grandpa told me he's planning on retiring for good this summer, and he wants to turn the game shop over to me." He looked up at his friend, tears welling just beneath his long lashes. "As much as I love games and want to make my grandfather happy, it's just not that I want to do with my life, Joey!"

"Oh, hey man... it's alright; don't get all worked up on me here." Joey skated over to the edge of the pond and eased them both down onto an overturned log. "We haven't talked about this for a while, so how about you give me an update to work with. What do you want to do with your life, Yugi? Remember, nothin's set in stone."

Yugi sniffed and wiped at his eyes with his coat sleeve. "Interesting choice of words. All those adventures we had in Egypt, all that fascinating stuff that Ishizu and Yami talk about constantly, even the things that Bakura mentions sometimes... it's made me decide to go back to school and become an archaeologist. At least, I'd like to. I've looked into it, and there are several colleges in Montana with world class archaeology and anthropology programs."

"An astronaut and Indiana Jones," the blond chuckled. "You two will be the very picture of the modern day, jet-settin' couple."

"Don't tease, Joey. It's never going to happen."

Joey gently put his hand on Yugi's shoulder. "You've got to be shittin' me! If anyone would understand you wantin' to become an archaeologist, it's Gramps! He did his own share of globe-trottin' and tomb excavatin' back in the day, y'know!"

"He'd probably be happy for me and give me all the support I needed, just like always, but deep down, he'd still be disappointed. How is that any way to repay him for everything's he done for me? I'm not going to allow the game shop, his life's work, be sold off to some stranger!" Yugi shoved Joey's hand away and attempted to stand, but the other boy reached up and yanked him roughly back down. "Cut it out, Joey! Just forget I even mentioned it, OK?"

Joey held tight to his squirming friend, determined to make him see reason. "No. I can't forget it, and furthermore, I won't. You're bein' stubborn and blind pal, and comin' from me, that's sayin' a lot. Gramps wants you to be happy more than he wants anything else in this world, and if takin' off to school in Montana is what you truly want, then you know he's gonna be behind you all the way -- no ifs, ands, or buts. What you're forgettin' here, is that there's someone else in the picture who's like a grandson to him, too, and if you both want to make sure the store stays in the family, then all you need to do is ask him."

Yugi blinked, perplexed. "Who? Yami? Joey, get real! You can't be suggesting that he'd want to run the game shop in my place?"

"That's exactly what I'm sayin'. He loves doin' it, and honestly, this is probably just what he's been waitin' to hear."

Laughing, Yugi nearly fell backwards off of the log. "That's a good one! The former god-king of Egypt, wearing a name tag and saying, 'thank you, come again!' to bossy customers for the rest of his life! Please. He's only doing it now to save money, and I'm sure he hates every second of it."

Joey's voice was serious, and his tone brooked no argument as he spoke. "Yugi, I don't like to say this very often, but I'm sayin' it now: You need to shut the hell up and listen to me, or I'm gonna wring your scrawny little neck. You're dead wrong, and I'm dead serious. Before gettin' stuck in the puzzle, Yami spent his entire life in ancient Egypt not bein' able to turn around twice without people bowin' and scrapin' and lining up to kiss his feet. He likes the independence of working at the store, and he wants to keep doin' it as long as possible. He's happy, and if you'd pull your head out of your ass for a minute, you'd see that too."

Thinking over Joey's words, Yugi seemed to deliberate with himself for a moment before coming to a decision. "But it just seems so... plebian, for him."

Joey shrugged. "You changed him a lot, Yug'. He's not the pharaoh anymore, and we're not the ones who get to tell him what to do with his life. I think that between the three of you, you'll manage to work something out." He wrapped an arm around Yugi's narrow shoulders and gave him a huge squeeze. "But damn, man! I sure am gonna miss you if you move so far away! I'll tell Seto to keep the Lear jet gassed up and on the runway in case I want to come take you out to a movie."

Yugi returned his friend's hug, and then reached up to give Joey's ear a good, hard twist. "Oww! What'd you do that for?"

"That's for trying to intimidate me. Honestly Joey; you always resort to violence when you don't get your way! I thought you would have grown out of that by now. Threats of bodily harm aside, I see what everyone meant when they told me you'd been playing 'Dr. Love' lately. You're pretty good at it, too." He glanced over Joey's shoulder and gave him a sharp nudge with his elbow. "Speaking of love, don't look now, but those two girls over there are totally checking you out."

"For real? Which ones?"

Yugi gestured by pointing his chin slightly off to the left. "The twins in the matching pink coats." Joey turned around quickly to meet their stares, only to send them skating away in the opposite direction, giggling madly. "I told you not to look!"

"Those two? They were probably about fourteen or so, Yug'! Gimme a break!"

"Joey, look at me. I get hit on by fourteen year-olds all the damn time, and I'm telling you, there's no way in hell those girls are fourteen. They were probably even legal, " he sighed mournfully.

Joey pulled Yugi back up onto his feet and out on the ice once more. "And Mokuba calls me pervy! At least I'm not out on the town chasin' jailbait!"

Yugi was affronted. "I don't chase jailbait; the jailbait chases me."

"Oh, right. Your own girlfriend is barely past the age of consent, you dog."

"I'm just young at heart." Joey released Yugi's hand and skated backwards past the twins, giving them a wink and driving them off into blushing laughter once more. Yugi rolled his eyes, cupping his hands around his mouth and calling, "You're one to talk, you shameless flirt!"

Joey rejoined Yugi on the outside edge, skating leisurely alongside his best friend. When he wasn't concentrating so hard on not falling, the movements seemed to come more naturally to him. "Girls are nice and all, but I like dick just as much, if not more, " Joey said matter-of-factly. "And lemme tell ya, Seto's got one hell of a --"

"Ack! You're venturing into TMI territory! Don't say anything else!"

"What? You said yourself that you've pictured Seto naked before. I figured you were still curious about the real thing."

Yugi stumbled and came perilously close to crash-landing on his head. "Are you mental? When did I ever say that?"

"Don't you remember? When we were on Duelist Kingdom, and I told you about that fucked up dream I had with him in it?" Joey prompted.

"Joey... all I said was that I wanted to know whether or not there was a tattoo of '666' and a pair of cloven hooves hidden under all those layers of clothes."

"Same difference."

They split up and skated independently for a few laps, with Yugi attempting a few graceless spins and figure eights, while Joey played a game of cat and mouse with the giggling girls. The twins packed up to leave soon afterward, but not before the braver of the pair blatantly wrote her phone number down on a slip of paper, and left it lying on one of the nearby benches. Joey skated over and picked it up, giving them a final wave and blowing a kiss over his shoulder.

"I hope Seto finds that phone number in your pocket and kicks your ass."

Joey sailed past the other boy at breakneck speed, curling his fingers into claws and making an exaggerated scratching gesture in the air. "Ooh. Mee-oww."

Yugi caught up to him again, and after a few moments of thoughtful silence, asked hesitantly, "Is it really that big?"

"What? My ass?" Joey twisted around and looked down at himself. "You think so?"

"Don't you ever get tired of driving in the slow lane? I'm talking about Seto's, uh... package."

"Oh." Joey righted himself again and gave Yugi a pointed look. "Ask him yourself sometime. He's convinced that everyone wants him anyway, so it's not like there's any danger of inflatin' his ego any more than it already is. Hell, he might even whip it out and show it to you. You should probably stand clear if he does, though; that thing's liable to put someone's eye out."

"Get serious. You're the one who brought the subject up, and now I'm dying of curiosity." Joey remained infuriatingly mum on the subject, and Yugi ground his teeth in frustration. "At least tell me if it's bigger than yours."

"Hey! When did you ever get a peek at mine, you sicko?"

"Think back for a minute, Joey. Four graduating classes of Domino High School got up close and personal with your Johnson, remember? Surely it's one of your past holiday highlights. You made the splash page in that year's annual, after all."

"Oh. That."

"Yeah, that. What on earth ever possessed you to streak that pep rally in the first place?"

Joey ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I was just so damn proud of winnin' that giant candy cane in the Christmas raffle, but Duke had to go and stick his nose in my business, like he always does. I swear, if he hadn't triple dog dared me, so soon after that TV fiasco, I probably could have kept my cool and ignored him."

"Still, we all managed a nice eyeful around a four foot peppermint stick, so that's surely something to be proud of."

"Yeah, I guess I never thought of it that way... I s'pose it was worth the five day suspension after all." Joey shivered and grasped Yugi's elbow to steer him back toward the exit ramp. "I'm freezin'. How about we get ourselves some hot cocoa and go check out that storyteller?"

"Sure thing. And Joey?"

"Yeah, Yug'?"

"I really like that cute little mole on your butt."

Once Yugi had been captured and sufficiently tickled into submission, the two boys turned in their skates and sat down to warm their hands on Styrofoam cups full of steaming hot cocoa. They shared a bag of popcorn as they avidly listened to several of the storytellers spin their holiday yarns, regaling the crowd with tales both heartwarming and hilarious. Afterward, they meandered through the forest of beautifully decorated Christmas trees and went on a short tour of the antique farmhouse and its tiny gift shop. Joey bought a postcard to give to Seto, wanting to return again next year and experience this magical place with his lover, and he could see the same desire reflected in Yugi's eyes as well. Maybe next Christmas, he could arrange for Yugi and Rebecca to fly in for a visit, and they could all go together. For that matter, he couldn't think of a single member of the gang that wouldn't find this place enchanting, with the possible exception of Bakura. Doubtless, the tomb robber would probably bitch and moan about being dragged along with them, while thoroughly enjoying himself the entire time.

At midnight, Yugi and Joey gathered around the bonfire with the remaining guests, and joined their voices in amongst the carolers as the festivities were closed down for the night. Joey was sorry to have to leave, but he was also dead on his feet. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and the morning brought with it the prospect of another glamorous day in the wide world of retail. Frantic and frustrated last minute shoppers tended to shatter the fragile illusion of holiday peace and good will toward men, but at least he had a stockpile of pleasant memories from tonight to carry with him into the trenches.

He slept through the majority of the long ride home, and the next thing he knew, Yugi was opening up his door and patting his face with one gloved hand. "Joey, wake up. You're home."

He climbed out of the car and yawned tiredly, ruffling his friend's spiky hair with his fingers. "Had a good time tonight, buddy. Thanks for takin' me out there."

"Me too, Joey. Thanks for everything, and Merry Christmas."

"You too."

Inside, Joey quickly undressed and crawled sleepily under the bedcovers, wanting nothing more than a few hours of dreamless rest, but not before he took care of one very important matter. He groped in the pocket of his discarded jeans and pulled out his cell phone, hitting redial and awaiting that familiar voice.

"Joey? Hello? Joey, are you there?"

"S'ry Seto. Must've dozed off while it was still ringin'."

Seto's voice was hypnotic and soothing, and not at all helpful in Joey's current state of exhaustion. "It's late there; you must be tired. Did you have a nice evening?"

"Yeah. I got a phone number off of a pair of hot twins who may or may not be legal, and Yugi thinks the mole on my butt is cute."

Lengthy silence again, broken at last by the sound of a deep sigh. "What exactly are you trying to do to me here, Joey? I'm already starting to see grey hairs in the mirror, you know."

"Bet they look sexy."

"Yeah, they go great with the bags under my eyes, too."

Joey snuggled deeper under the covers, his voice dropping down to barely a whisper. "Gonna take good care of you when you get back home... won't let you work too hard..."

On the other end of the line, Seto swiped a hand across his eyes and stared incredulously at the stray teardrop resting on the tip of his finger. "You always take good care of me Joey. I wish I was there to take care of you, for once."

"S'OK... just miss you so much..." Joey yawned, the remainder of his speech coming out garbled and indecipherable from Seto's end.

"I don't have the words to explain it, Joey, but this is killing me inside. I don't want to be here, but I don't see a way for me not to be here, if that makes any kind of sense. I know you're lying there right now, in that huge bed, all alone, and if I concentrate hard enough, I can practically feel my arms around you." He laughed bitterly. "You might as well be in another galaxy for all the good my overactive imagination does either of us. If it were up to me..." Seto rested his forehead in his hand and took a deep breath. "Who am I kidding? It's not up to me, and I can't stand another damn second of this! I don't have any control over anything that happens here, and if I was any kind of man or lover at all I'd just --" He lurched to his feet, pacing furiously about the confines of his hotel suite like a caged lion. "I'd tell them all to take a flying fuck and hop the nearest plane, boat, rocket or hot air balloon to get back to you. Back to your smile, and your warmth, and your --" A soft, raspy sound could be heard through the earpiece, and Seto paused in the middle of his tirade to listen intently. "Joey? Are you awake?" A gurgling snore was the only response to his question, and Seto smiled to himself as he sat back down on the edge of the bed. "You really did have a good time tonight, didn't you? It takes quite a workout to wear my pup down, so I suppose I should be jealous of Yugi, in a way. He gets to spend time with you during the holidays, hear your laughter, watch your eyes light up with joy and curiosity. But I wonder, does he appreciate the privilege as much as I do? I doubt very much that he does..." Seto tenderly touched the receiver on the phone, imagining in its stead a pair of full lips being caressed by his fingertips. "In any case, you won't remember a word of this in the morning, so I'll simply bid you a fond goodnight. Merry Christmas, Joey. Pleasant dreams." Seto planted a soft, silent kiss to the mouthpiece before replacing it gently on its charger and making his way into the adjacent bathroom. Brusquely, he adjusted his tie in the mirror, and stared balefully at the image of his red-rimmed blue eyes reflected back at him. He looked like hell, he felt like hell, and he honestly couldn't remember ever being this miserable in all his twenty two years.

For just a moment, he experienced a surge of irrational anger. Was this what love was all about? This pain and frustration that caused his chest to ache unbearably and tied his stomach up in constant knots? If so, then love was of no use to him, and he should be feeling resentment instead of loneliness. The moment passed swiftly, however, when he heard the sound of a familiar voice right beside his ear: "You've got it all wrong, Seto. Love's not makin' you feel this way. It's regret, plain and simple. Now what are you gonna do about it?"

The revelation hit him like a blow from a sledgehammer, and he clawed the silk tie from around his neck and flung it to the floor. Lying back on the bed, Seto ignored his limousine driver's tentative knock at the door, and stared resolutely at the blank ceiling above. In Seto's mind, the question of the century had been posed, and he pondered it with fierce determination. Just what, exactly, did he intend to do about it?

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tbc

Author's note:

Items used in this chapter:

(13) Joey running down a hall, naked, carrying a four foot candy cane.

(14) Ice skating under a full moon.

(15) A midnight bonfire.

Word Count:

5651 this chapter / 36556 total thus far