Disclaimer: I do not own this story, anime, manga, etc. Created for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 2

"Thanks for shopping at Kame. I hope your brother likes the cards. Oh! And give him this." Yugi slipped one of the glossy flyers from under the register into the bag. "It's about the world tournament next month. It's going to be live on TV."

The girl who had been to the game shop to buy Christmas gifts thanked him cutely and flounced out, wrapping her scarf back around her face. The holiday was just days away, and cold winter had finally set in, with scattered flurries drifting through the air almost every day. With the regional tournament over, Yugi had been able to turn his attention completely to the store and the holidays, as Grandpa Muto had scheduled them for some serious work hours to sell as much gaming paraphernalia as possible before they closed for Christmas Day. Accordingly, things had been very busy, enough to keep Yugi's mind off the tournament or any fears that the spirit of the Millennium Ring may be using this opportunity and Ryou Bakura's desire to play for fun to get close enough to Yugi to force him to duel for the Puzzle in later rounds. In the back of his mind, Yugi was discussing an idea with his spiritual partner about maybe taking a trip to Kyoto to watch the national finals, just in case, but for now he didn't have to worry about it. There were much more interesting things to do, like plan what to do for Christmas.

Happily, the next full moon fell on Christmas Day, so Yugi had been planning for well over a month to do something involving friends and family, since he was going to get to spend the holiday with his embodied lover. Now that he and his friends were adults with their own lives, Yugi thought perhaps it would be nice to have dinner with everyone who would not likely be spending time with their own families, such as Joey and Mai, Tristan, maybe Bakura. He still had a few calls to make, but Joey and Mai were already on board. Grandpa was excited by the prospect, it had been a while since he'd gotten to host a party. While Yugi manned the shop that day, his grandfather was upstairs either cleaning or going through recipe books, and Yugi wasn't sure which one was more out of character. He had his own hands full, as the late afternoon hours when kids were out of school were upon him. He barely had time to run to the back room and get another box of Duel Monsters booster packs to refill the display when the door chimed again, making him instinctively look up with a "Welcome to Kame" prepared. Then he saw who it was and tossed aside the cards to run up for a hug. "Téa!"

A year and a half and shorter hairstyle didn't change Téa one bit. "Yugi!" she chirped back, holding out her arms to catch him and hug him.

"You're home!" Yugi noticed, stepping back and holding her at arm's length to inspect her. "Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since we've seen each other!"

"I know," she said, "far too long. I had to stay in school over the summer, though, I ended up in that play, and well…"

"I know," Yugi sighed. "At least I've gotten all your emails, and all your pictures. It's no substitute for having you here, though."

Téa smiled. "Yeah, I know, my parents said the same thing."

Now that the greeting had been accomplished, Yugi went back to the counter and picked up the box of booster packs. "It's good to see you. Your hair is way shorter than it was in the last pictures you sent me."

"Oh…yeah." Téa ruffled a hand through her hair. "I had to keep it long for dance classes, since we're supposed to be able to tie our hair up, but…I like this a lot better. And I'm not in any productions this winter, so…I can do what I want for a bit." She watched him open the box and start putting booster packs into the big Duel Monsters display. "Wow, you really are working hard, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Yugi admitted with a laugh over his shoulder. "Grandpa's got me on long hours for the holidays. It's okay…" He extended an arm, indicating the shop as a whole. "Half of this is mine, now. Or will be when I come of age, anyway. So I gotta put in a serious effort and act like a store owner."

Téa smiled sweetly at him. "You really are growing up."

Yugi laughed again. "Not that much. Oh, hey!" He set aside the empty box and turned to her. "What are you doing on Christmas? Do you have any family obligations or anything?"

"Uh…I don't know, yet. I'd have to ask." She cocked her head curiously. "Why? What's up?"

"Well, it's the full moon, so Yami will be out of the Puzzle," he began to explain. "So Grandpa and I agreed, it would be fun to have everybody over, have a big dinner and hang out. Joey and Mai are already coming, and I'm pretty sure Tristan will come, I just have to call Duke and Bakura yet. You're welcome to come, too, if your family doesn't mind you ditching them," he offered.

"Oo! Well, I'll have to talk to my parents, but I'm sure it'll be all right with them," Téa responded. "After all, it's you guys. They know how much I've been dying to see all of you again."

"And I know everybody can't wait to see you, too!" Yugi enthused. "It would be so nice to get together with you on Christmas, so we can all hear all about school and New York and stuff."

The door chimed with the entry of several schoolkids, so Yugi retreated behind the counter and Téa followed him in order to keep talking. "Maybe I can bring the pictures I took just this month in the city. The Christmas decorations over there are so pretty. I have some shots of the tree at Rockefeller Center! And sometime, you have to tell me more about this tournament," she said, nodded toward the poster by the display with the undeniably sexy shot of Yami Yugi glaring over his cards. "You and Joey both are going, that's so cool."

"Pegasus told me the final round is going to be on TV in the States, too," Yugi gushed, leaning on the counter to talk to her. "I'm sure it'll probably be really late at night or something, but you should find out when it's on and watch it."

"Really? Yeah, I will! I'm sure at least one of you guys is going to make it all the way to the final round."

"Here…" Yugi fished out another flyer and handed it over. "It's too late to enter, but this has the information on when it is in January. So you can look for what time it's on."

Téa folded the flyer and put it in her purse, just as a couple of the kids came up to the counter to purchase some trading cards. Yugi dealt quickly with them, but just as they left, more customers came in. Téa smiled helplessly. "I guess I came at a bad time, huh?"

"Well, school's out for the day," Yugi suggested. "So yeah, this is kind of our busy time. So…" He folded his arms on the counter and tried to relax again. "How did your finals go?"

"Oh, not too bad," Téa replied. "It's tough to study and keep up with rehearsals at the same time, but I think I did all right."

"Excuse me," a man interrupted them, coming up to Yugi. "My son is looking for this game, I've never heard of it…can you help me?"

"Oh, sure…" Yugi took the piece of paper from the customer and glanced at it. "Yeah, we have that. It's a popular new board game. Here…"

He started around the counter to go and take the game off the shelf to show the man, forcing Téa to step out of the way again. She tried to smile, but then just sighed and waited for him to finish up and return to the register. "You're really busy," she noticed, "I should get out of the way."

"No, it's okay…" Yugi started to say.

"No, no. You're working, I shouldn't interrupt." She mustered up her happy smile again and gave him a little wave. "I'll talk to my parents but I'm sure I'll be able to come on Christmas."

"Okay! Great!" Yugi smiled and waved back. "I'll see you then! Give me a call when you know for sure, okay?"

"I will." Swinging her purse over her shoulder, Téa shuffled past the customers crowding the little shop and breezed out the door.

Yugi spent a lot of time on the phone over the next few days, fielding responses from his friends and trying to get a hold of others. He left a couple of messages for Bakura, but never got a response. Duke claimed to have something else to do, but said he would think about it and if he was able to get away, he'd show up fashionably late. Téa did call the day after her visit to say that her parents were okay with her spending the holiday with her friends, agreeing with her that she deserved to see them and catch them all up on her life. A couple of days beforehand, Joey called Yugi to ask if Serenity could come along. "Well, of course!" Yugi replied. "Why would I say no to that?"

"Well, I didn't know if you had too many people invited already or what," Joey said sheepishly. "Cool, thanks Yug."

"So she's going to be in town again?"

"Yeah, she convinced my mom to let her come and spend this Christmas with her big brother," Joey said modestly. "So you get three for the price of two. As long as me and Mai are gonna be there, we have to bring her along."

"There's no 'have to' about it," Yugi smirked. "Of course Serenity should come to the party. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Yeah…just don't tell Duke or Tristan," Joey grumbled.

At the end of a long, busy Christmas Eve, after he had finally finished his work and settled the register for the day, Yugi flopped onto his bed with a tired but happy sigh. In just a couple of hours he would have Yami again, ready to kick off what looked to be twenty-four hours of fun, friends, food, and warm, fuzzy feelings all around. Work had exhausted him, but it was a good kind of tired, because the shop had made a lot of money that day and could easily justify being closed for Christmas so the Mutos could celebrate with friends and family. In exchange for Yugi working most of the later shift by himself, Grandpa sent him to go relax in his room until time for the ritual, while he finished straightening up the living room and setting up the kitchen for the morning's experiments. Yugi only rested for a little bit, though, as he had some gifts squirreled away in the closet to wrap up so that once Yami was out of the Puzzle, he would have Yugi's complete and undivided attention.

Sequestered in the dark and quiet of his room, Yugi performed the ritual as he had so many times before, enduring the same drain to his energy as before, forcing himself one more time to stay alert enough to complete the incantation and let the ritual do its work no matter what it did to him. Yami opened his eyes to find Yugi sprawled out on the floor a couple of feet from where he had started, eyes closed and face slack with unconsciousness. The pharaoh rushed to help, picking Yugi up in his arms and holding him, calling to him, touching his face, brushing back his hair. Yugi did not respond. Yami fumbled to press fingertips to his lover's neck, assuring himself that Yugi was not in grave danger, but then curled his arms around him and held him still, holding his own breath in order to feel Yugi's whisper across his face. After a moment he realized he was trembling, but not from worry – from cold. He hadn't given a thought to himself upon finding Yugi unconscious. Laying his young love back down on the floor, Yami swiftly yanked the bathrobe off the bed and pulled it on, wrapping and tying it properly before resuming his vigil. A pained look crossed Yami's face as he picked Yugi up again and stroked his cheek, waiting for a response. How much longer do I wait? he fretted internally. At what point does this become a serious condition that I have to do something about? I can't leave him like this. Yugi…please…

At that moment, Yugi took a deeper breath, and his eyes fluttered open. He blinked a few times to get his bearings, and then realizing where he was, closed his eyes to avoid the pain in those looking back at him. "It happened again," he noted. "Didn't it?"

"Are you all right?" Yami pressed. "You were out for several minutes this time. How do you feel?"

Yugi groaned and laid his head against Yami's shoulder. "Just tired," he murmured. "Like I need a few minutes to rest before I try to do anything strenuous like…get up."

Yami combed fingers through his lover's hair and kissed him on the forehead. "Then rest," he implored in a quiet tone. "It's late, it's time for you to go to bed. I won't ask anything more of you tonight than to sleep with you."

"Okay," Yugi sighed, not willing to protest. Once or twice he could have passed off as an anomaly, but this was beginning to be an unpleasant routine. "It's been a long day," he added as if to explain his failure to withstand the ritual's power. "I'll be fine if I just get some sleep." A faint smile crossed his lips. "After all, I want to be well-rested for tomorrow. We have a lot to do."

"Yes, I know." Yami helped him up and sat him on the side of the bed, going to Yugi's dresser to pick out two sets of pajamas for them to change into. "Here, you'd better take these. It's cold in here."

"I know," Yugi murmured, accepting the pajamas. "Grandpa's keeping the heat down a little, to save a little money just in case. 'S okay…" His grin became a little stronger. "We'll rely on good old-fashioned body heat to keep warm."

Yami chuckled back. "Indeed, we will." He turned back the covers for Yugi, and slid in first before opening his arms and letting Yugi crawl in beside him. Yugi snuggled up against him as Yami wrapped the blankets around both of them, closing them into a warm cocoon where they could be together like they wanted. Though he looked tired, Yugi was smiling already even as he laid his head on his partner's chest and fastened his arms around him, nestling down for a cozy night together. Yami stroked his hair, and then whispered "good night" and curled his arms tightly around Yugi, enfolding him to his chest. They were so close together that the pharaoh could bury his face in his young love's hair and breathe deeply of his scent. Yugi heaved a long, contented sigh and went limp, falling asleep within minutes.

Neither of the sleeping boys heard Grandpa Muto cluttering around the house in the morning as he hummed happily to himself while fixing some coffee and setting out some gifts for both Yugi and Yami next to the little tin statue of a Christmas tree that passed for their holiday home décor. Behind the closed door, only the sun peeking from a break in the clouds caused the pharaoh to stir first and open his eyes to figure out just which body part belonging to whom was jabbing him in the side. It was, in fact, the Millennium Puzzle, which he pried out from between them and moved aside. Doing so freed Yugi to slump against him even more closely, and in his sleep, he tightened an arm around his lover's torso and mumbled something incoherent. Yami sighed deeply, lying still for a few minutes before realizing he was hopelessly awake and wondering whether he should disturb Yugi yet. He was thrilled as always to be able to feel the warmth and weight of Yugi's body against his, to nuzzle his cheek and lips against Yugi's forehead and feel the softness of his skin, contrasted to the wiry texture of his hair. The longer he laid there reveling in the sensations, the more he became aware that the rest of his body was waking up, responding to his mind's explorations. Even though he was just holding Yugi and letting him sleep, Yami couldn't stop thinking about how much he loved this young man, how beautiful and tender and adorable he was, and doing so was making him hard. Realizing it made him blush, but he couldn't do anything about it with Yugi slumped on top of him this way. He felt Yugi stir, and held his breath for fear that he had woken his partner, but Yugi's hand slid further down around his waist, as if he were making himself more comfortable. But then, the hand kept going – down into the waistband of Yami's pajama pants, following his skin, until it found the growing erection and closed gently around it. The pharaoh sucked in his breath sharply, and then gave a muted chuckle as the touch on his body stroked ever so softly. "You're not asleep, are you?" he murmured.

"Mmmm…no…" Yugi's head shifted, and his eyes peeped open just enough to give his lover a hazy smile. "Neither are you, I see."

"Yes…well…" Yami tried to say, blushing again.

Yugi giggled under his breath. "I didn't know pharaohs could have morning erections too…"

Yami breathed a purr of delight as Yugi caressed him lovingly inside his pants. "They can when they're thinking about how much they want to ravish the sweet young man in their arms."

"Hmm…maybe I should do something about that." Yugi opened his eyes fully and tilted his head to smirk up at Yami. "Since it's my fault anyway. Maybe this'll help us get through the day, hmm?"

Yami threaded his fingers through Yugi's hair, laying his head back in rapture at the feel of Yugi's hand delicately tracing up and down his length. "We'll have to make it quick, though," he murmured, beginning to breathe a little harder. "We need to be up and dressed very soon to help…ahh…."

Yugi stroked him a bit more firmly. "You're already up," he said insolently. Yami laughed. Yugi stretched to kiss him on the cheek, and then the lips, savoring a nice, long kiss before breaking it to whisper, "Merry Christmas."

More than half an hour later, Grandpa Muto was about to rap on Yugi's bedroom door when it opened in front of him, and two slender young men gave a start to find him there. "We're up, we're up!" Yugi insisted, holding his bathrobe a little more discreetly closed. "Can we have a few minutes to shower first?"

"Go on," Grandpa encouraged, backing out of the way so the two of them could dart quickly out into the hall. "Pretty soon I'm going to need your help in the kitchen, Yugi. Don't take too long in there."

"We won't," his grandson promised with a wink and a grin.

People wouldn't be arriving until about one in the afternoon, with the planned "dinner" at around two, so there was still plenty of time to be cooking and arranging before the first guests showed up, plus a little extra time for exchanging gifts. Yami watched in surprise and wonder as Yugi brought out the wrapped boxes from his room and set them with those already on the living room table with the tree-shaped centerpiece. "Did you get me a gift?" he asked while Yugi poked through the ones Grandpa had left.

"Of course I did," Yugi replied, grinning as he found the ones for him. "It's Christmas! Everybody gets presents!"

Yami's eyes darkened. "I…didn't get you anything. I couldn't…"

"Oh, it's okay." Yugi glanced back at him, and upon seeing the crestfallen look on his lover's face, hopped up and went to him, hugging him. "Don't be upset, Yami," he whispered with his cheek resting on Yami's chest. "It's okay. I didn't expect you to be able to get me something. All I want from you is your presence here, and I have that. You know what?" He nuzzled his partner affectionately. "I know something you can do for me. And you don't have to run out and buy anything."

"Oh?" Yami put his arms around his lover, giving him an attentive look.

"You know those promises we made on the ring back in July?" Yugi laid his left hand on Yami's chest, so they could both see the ring in question right in front of them, and stroked his chest ever-so-gently. "I don't know if you caught me thinking about it lately, but I was hoping maybe you'd be willing to repeat them in front of witnesses. So all our friends can share in it."

Yami smiled sweetly down at him. "Repeating the promises won't make them any more permanent, Yugi," he cautioned. "And all of our friends already know what that ring means between us."

"Not all of them," Yugi said thoughtfully. "I actually never did tell Téa about it. I didn't know what she'd say, having me email that news to her out of the blue. And Serenity doesn't really get it yet. It would be new enough to some of them." He laid his head back down again. "I just want to share with them how happy I am, how happy you make me. I love my friends and even though we made the promises between us alone, as a special moment…it's time to share it with them."

"Very well, Yugi," Yami said with some humor. "My gift to you will be to share our promises with our friends. I wish there were more I could do, that's such a small trifle."

"It's not small," Yugi assured, "not to me. It means a lot."

"Anything for you." Yami kissed his forehead and let him go. "Over dinner, then? At a tactful moment, I don't want to shock Téa if you haven't told her yet."

"Probably. That sounds good." Grandpa Muto came into the room, then, drying his hands on a dishtowel, making Yugi perk up brightly. "Is it time, Grandpa?"

"I don't see why not," Grandpa shrugged. "You want to do this now before everyone shows up?"

"Well, we have to clear the table either way," Yugi pointed out. "May as well."

Yugi and his grandfather didn't usually go overboard on each other as it was, and this year with so much of their financial situation doubtful for so long, they imposed even stricter limits on themselves. Yet, there were still a few packages to swap, and both of them had gotten Yami something of his own, something he could keep all to himself and not have to share with Yugi. Most of it was clothing, but Yugi had gone out one day and asked the pharaoh to turn his attention elsewhere so he could buy him some jewelry, which he now gave with a cute little smile. It was a silver necklace with an ankh pendant, which Yugi hoped would be as suitable as an Eye of Ra or the Millennium Puzzle for Yami to wear when he was outside the Puzzle. "The ankh is a symbol of life, you know," Grandpa added for their knowledge.

"Life…" Yami fingered the pendant and immediately took it out of the box to put on. "It's perfect, Yugi. Thank you." He bestowed a kiss on his love's waiting lips, making him giggle.

The three of them sat and lingered over the gifts for a short while, while Grandpa finished his coffee, but shortly afterward the house became a blur of activity in order to get everything prepared in time. Yami figured he wouldn't be very useful in the kitchen, so he undertook the task of rearranging the furniture to clear room around the table for everyone and then setting it for dinner. Grandpa was in charge of cooking, with Yugi's help, though he kept dashing in and out of the kitchen to oversee Yami at the same time. The phone rang around noon, and Yami glanced up as Yugi darted past him to snatch it up, a towel over his shoulder and his sleeves pushed up. "Hm? Oh! Hi Duke!" he crowed into the phone upon hearing who it was. "Well…sure, of course you're still invited. It would be great to have you here. You had a change of plans?" Yugi smiled as he listened, and Yami smiled to watch him. "All right. Yeah, everyone's coming around one. I'm up to my elbows in the kitchen, Yami will be here to let you in. Um…let me think." He glanced toward the table, his eyes roving across the place settings as if to count them. "Counting Grandpa, eight people…why? Ha, of course! All right, then. See you in a little bit."

Yami raised an eyebrow as Yugi hung up the phone. "Why did Duke change his mind?"

"I don't know," Yugi shrugged. "He just said plans had changed and he was free, so he wanted to know if he could still come." He scratched thoughtfully at his chin. "I wonder if he got wind of Serenity's last-minute invitation?"

"You haven't told anybody that," Yami pointed out, "and I'm sure Joey wouldn't have mentioned it."

"Yeah. Oh well, it doesn't matter. I'm glad he's coming, it'll be fun! Oh, but now you have to rearrange the table again to add another place setting."

Yami rolled his eyes and sighed. "Very well. Show me what you want…"

It seemed to the pharaoh that nothing would be ready on time, but he was proven blissfully wrong as Yugi breezed out of the kitchen just before people began to arrive, declaring that dinner was on track and he needed to go change his sweater because he had spilled something on it. While he did so, the doorbell rang, but Yami was the only one left free to answer it. He stepped downstairs to open the door to Joey, Mai, and Serenity, all bundled up in their winter coats and mittens. It was easy for Yami to relax around that group, to properly invite them inside, help hang up their coats, and say a few pleasantries to Serenity as he escorted them upstairs. Joey took a deep breath upon entering the living room. "Man, smells great!" he exclaimed. "What's for dinner?"

"I don't know," Yami laughed. "They wouldn't let me in the kitchen."

"Yeah, I can't see you cooking anyway." Joey looked around. "Where's your other half?"

"Changing his shirt."

"Joey!" Yugi came around the corner from the hallway just then and pounced on his friends. For a few minutes the living room was full of raucous noise as everyone shared greetings, holiday wishes, and talk of food, but then Yugi had to go back to the kitchen to get an update. "Can I get everybody something to drink?" he added on his way through.

"Nah, I'm all right," Joey said.

"Coffee's fine for me," Mai suggested.

"Is there anything I can do, Yugi?" Yami added helpfully.

"No…" Yugi grinned at him before disappearing through the door. "Just entertain our guests until I can get back out there. You're doing fine."

"Fine…" Yami glanced at his friends and tried to smile. "Well?"

"Eh, don't worry." Joey slung an arm around the pharaoh's slender shoulders. "It's not like you're mingling with strangers. It's just the bunch of us hanging out like usual, except for the big dinner part."

"And the presents." Serenity offered something wrapped in gold foil paper. "I brought something for Yugi! Well, I guess you and Yugi both."

"Why…thank you…" Yami took the gift and smiled kindly. "Yugi has some gifts for everyone, too, but I think we're waiting until after dinner to exchange them. I'll put this with them."

"Sure!" Serenity clasped her hands behind her back and bounced happily. "So who else are we waiting for?"

"Well, Duke just called," the pharaoh replied as he set Serenity's gift with the small boxes and envelopes Yugi had set up with the tin tree on a side table. "He's on his way, apparently whatever other plans he had fell through. Tristan is coming, as is Téa. I think that's it, though."

"Yugi couldn't get a hold of Bakura?" Joey asked.

Yami shook his head. "No, he never returned Yugi's messages."

"I hope he's not still freaked out over what happened at the regional tournament."

"It's hard to say."

Yugi had returned with coffee for Mai and spiced cider for anyone else who wanted some when the doorbell chimed again, so Yami did his duty and went down to let Tristan in. "Hey, it's the pharaoh!" he noticed as he stepped in out of the cold. "What's up, man?"

"Hello, Tristan," Yami said warmly, shaking the offered hand. He saw the motorcycle helmet tucked under Tristan's arm and nodded toward it. "Isn't it a little cold to be riding today?"

"Naw, it's not bad," Tristan assured, putting the helmet on the shelf where others had stashed their mittens and gloves before taking off his leather jacket. "As long as it's not snowing, I'm okay."

"Well, come inside and get warmed up," Yami encouraged, leading the way. "Yugi is trying to be a good host and getting hot drinks for everyone."

"Oo! Well, I can't pass that up, can I?" Tristan grinned. At the top of the stairs, he stopped short to see Serenity standing with Mai looking over some of the photos on Yugi's bookshelf, but recovered quickly and went to Yugi instead. "Hey there, Yug! Merry Christmas, man."

"Merry Christmas, Tristan," Yugi said with a beaming smile. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Beats sitting alone in my flat all day." Tristan rubbed his hands together. "Your boyfriend mentioned something hot to drink…"

"Oh yeah! Let me go get you a cup. Grandpa decided to try some apple cider thing he got a recipe for online, it's really good." Yugi bounced away through the kitchen door, after which they could all hear Grandpa call out a collective greeting for everyone who had arrived and a promise that he would be with them shortly. Everyone laughed.

By the time Téa and Duke showed up, the latter looking rather windblown and rosy-cheeked from the cold, Yami had managed to pull Yugi permanently out of the kitchen, and even Grandpa Muto was out hanging with the kids while dinner finished cooking. Everything was nearly ready, and he didn't need to stand in the kitchen and watch the rice steam. Everyone brought along handfuls of small boxes for later gift exchange, so Yugi piled them all by the metal tree and said they could wait for dessert-time – food would come first. No one had the slightest argument to that. Téa also brought along books of photos from her past year and a half living and going to school in New York City, so the gang passed the time until dinner was ready flipping through photos and asking Téa how the States differed from home and how school was going. Noticing that Yugi was still in and out of the kitchen in an overly hyper attempt to keep everyone refreshed and happy, Yami grabbed him the next time he passed and dragged him to a seat on the couch, where they could curl up together and page through one of the photo albums of New York City landmarks. Being as they hadn't seen each other in forever, Téa and Serenity sat and chatted enthusiastically as only a couple of girls could, while the guys stood around talking about the tournament at Duke's so Tristan could catch up on what he had missed for having to work that day. "Bakura, no kidding," he said with some interest. "Man, talk about people you haven't seen for a long time."

"Actually, I've seen quite a bit of Bakura lately," Yugi said, looking up from the pictures in his lap. "I…oh, wait. I didn't tell you guys about that."

Duke and Tristan looked at him oddly. "About what?" Tristan asked.

"Well…it's not the sort of story to be told right now," Yugi said sheepishly, shrinking back into the safety of Yami's arms. "Just…you know about the whole thing with the Millennium Items. He was involved with that, because of the Ring."

"Oh, I get you," Duke nodded. "Well, in that case, yeah. You probably have seen a lot more of him. You didn't invite him today?"

"I tried to!" Yugi insisted. "I called him a few times but I could never get a hold of him. It's kind of unfortunate," he sighed. "I don't know a lot about his family and his past but I get that he's not very close to them. He's probably alone on Christmas, and he doesn't have to be."

"It's all right," Yami assured him. "You did your best to invite him."

"All right, kids!" Grandpa Muto announced. "Dinnertime! Yugi, can I have your help again?"

Yugi bounced up from the couch and rushed to assist, as the others put away the photos and clustered around the table to find a place. Everything was set so nicely, and Yugi and his grandpa now filled the table with hot dishes providing a variety of meal choices sure to stuff even Joey and Tristan. There was minimal jockeying for position, and very quickly everyone was settled down kneeling at the low table and already digging in. First, though, Grandpa Muto made them stop so he could raise a toast. "It won't take long," he said sternly, as Mai slapped Joey's reaching hand, making him retreat from the rice. Joey cringed and shrank back, pouting, though he picked up his glass to join in. Solomon looked around the table of youngsters and smiled. "To friends," he said simply. "Yugi and I have had a very long and difficult year, but all of you have been there for us, and for that, we thank you."

"Friends," the others chorused, raising their glasses. That was the signal to begin dinner, so hands attacked serving spoons from all sides.

The Muto house was filled with warmth and laughter that afternoon, as food was passed around, drinks were poured, friends laughed and filled each other in on interesting stories that hadn't been shared yet. Grandpa sat at the head of the table, mostly listening but also gladly telling Téa of his trip to England as long as she was sitting at his right hand. Yami and Yugi sat on the other side, next to each other, unable to flirt with each other as long as they were holding utensils and shoving food into their mouths. Mai and Tristan both sat at corners of the opposite end of the table, sandwiched between friends and having a wonderful time. Joey laughed with Yugi on one side and made cute faces at his girlfriend on the other. Yami spent most of dinner silently observing everyone, though with a smile on his lips and laughter in his eyes, since he had the benefit of all of his friends being near to him and in such good moods. He seemed to be the only one noticing that even though he sat right next to Serenity, Duke was not fawning over her as usual. He was caught up in trading teasing barbs and jokes with Joey across from him and Tristan beside him at the corner of the table. There was so much for them all to talk about, even though most of them had hung out just one month ago at Mai's surprise party, making for a noisy and energetic dinner. Before too long some of them began to get full, and sat back with their drinks to talk and laugh, while Joey and Tristan went in for thirds. There was dessert to come, too, but that didn't deter the brawny boys with the bottomless stomachs. Mai leaned an elbow on the table and swirled her glass of wine casually (she and Grandpa were the only ones drinking, of course) as she turned her attention to Yugi. "So, what's the plan, kiddo?" she said with a gentle tease. "Dessert first, or gifts?"

"I don't know." Yugi smiled around the table. "What's everyone else's preference?"

"Oh, I'm so full," Serenity exclaimed. "Everything was so good. Maybe we should open gifts first…"

"And make room for dessert," Tristan agreed.

"What have you got for dessert?" Téa asked.

Yugi beamed. "Strawberry cake, and a chocolate mousse kind of thing. We bought those," he confessed with a laugh. "There was enough to do and I didn't want to screw up dessert."

"Of course not," Mai retorted. "You should never screw up dessert. Even if the rest of the dinner sucks, you still have to have dessert and everyone will be happy. Not that it sucked," she quickly added, gesturing with her glass toward Grandpa across the table. "It was fabulous, Mr. Muto. Thank you."

"My pleasure," Grandpa nodded.

"Yeah, it was great," Serenity gushed. "You're such a good cook!"

Grandpa's cheeks appeared to color with a blush. "Oh, go on."

"As long as Gramps did the cooking, and not Yugi," Joey teased after another mouthful.

"Hey!" Yugi protested. "I'm not that bad!"

"Yeah, if it's soba. How hard is it to mess up boiling noodles?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell us?" Mai said flippantly toward him. Joey flushed red, and everyone laughed.

"Well," Yami broke in after the laughter faded, "if we're exchanging gifts, would you permit Yugi and I to go first?" He glanced at his lover and shared a smile. "We had our time earlier today, but I promised to give my gift to him in front of our friends."

"Yeah, sure," Joey said for all of them with a shrug. "What's so special?"

Yami laid a hand over Yugi's, clasping it delicately. "Most of you already know about the ring Yugi wears, which we gave essentially to each other this summer," he began, glancing to where Yugi's left hand rested on the table. "But when we made our promises to each other over it, we did so in privacy, without anyone to witness it."

"Yeah, but you ran right out and showed it off to, well, everybody," Joey snorted.

"I only just saw it last month at the party," Serenity reminded her brother.

"He didn't show me right away," Duke pouted.

"Ring?" Téa sat forward and peered, and sure enough, there was a silver band on Yugi's fourth finger. He bashfully held out his hand to show her, spinning the band with his thumb until the characters for "eternity" were visible on top. She blinked at it for a few silent moments before sitting back. "Wow. I didn't know you two were that serious," she said with obvious restraint.

"I…may have forgotten to mention it," Yugi stammered. "I know I was really excited but there was so much going on…"

"He didn't tell me till I saw it on his hand," Duke put in aloofly. "Because you didn't have it at your birthday party, I would have remembered that."

"No, we got it just after that," Yugi explained. "Well, it's not like I saw you as often as I do Joey – and we had Kaiba lurking around here all the time anyway."

"It's for that reason," Yami said, steering things back around to where he had started, "that Yugi and I wish to repeat the promises we made to each other, in front of all of you. So you can serve as witnesses, that our bond is true." He shared a look with Yugi again, as the table quieted around them. "There's no way two such as us in our odd situation can ever perform any other kind of binding ceremony, this is the best we can do. You have all shared in our lives, and been there for us since I was reawakened into this world…" The pharaoh glanced around at all of his friends, the people who meant so much to him now. Yugi's request to call this his gift finally made sense. "We want to share it with you. And I hope that if anything were to come between us, we'll have you to remind us of our promises."

His announcement was met with a brief moment of silence, and then smiles all around. "You betcha," Joey said. "You're one of the guys, Yami…you always have been. It's the least we can do."

Yugi looked around at their smiling faces; Serenity's eyes were shining with joyful tears, and even Téa gave him a weak smile. "Thanks, guys," he breathed. "Yami means a lot to me, and so does the way you've all accepted him. Not just as a disembodied pharaoh," he added with a coy look at his lover, which was met with a grin. "But as my soulmate. I know that making our promises all over again won't make them any stronger or somehow magically change things, but it's a part of our life that we want to share with the rest of you."

"Go ahead, Yugi," Grandpa said quietly, nodding. "We're honored to witness this for you."

Yugi shyly turned to face his partner, as they still knelt on the floor beside the table, and placed his hands in Yami's. Each met the other's gaze, and both smiled warmly. "Is it all right if I can't remember exactly how I worded it last summer?" Yami wondered.

Yugi giggled. "As long as it's close enough."

"Of course." Yami squeezed his hands gently. "Yugi…I promise to love you and cherish you forever, to protect you with my soul and keep you safe from any danger, natural or spiritual. I promise our bond will last for eternity, I won't break it or go back on it. I choose to stay with you, take care of you, be strong for you, but also to let you into my heart, to let myself be weak before you, to let myself need you." His eyes softened with an emotional smile. "I promise not to hold back from you, to hurt you or shut you out, for as much as you give to me, I will give back. It's your light that keeps me strong and pure, that banishes the darkness in my soul. For this reason, I promise you eternity, Yugi. I promise you my very heart and soul, everything that I am, now. I may not be able to stand before you like this and hold your hands in mine every day, but I will always be with you, sharing everything with you, good and bad. We are partners, and always will be. I love you. I love you with all my soul."

Smiling tenderly, Yugi held his gaze and gave a happy little sigh before choosing his own words. "Yami," he began softly, "I promise you my whole heart and soul, my mind and my body. I am for you alone, no one else will ever come between us. You've always been my friend, but you're so much more. I promise to love you, and keep you safe, and share everything with you, from my happiest triumphs to my darkest fears. I promise to never break our bond or push you away, and to keep you safe within my heart as well as within the Puzzle. I promise not to let anything take you away from me, I'll fight to the end no matter how stupid it seems, because I don't want to ever be without you. You've given me so much, all I can give in return is everything. All of me. I love you so much, I won't ever stop loving you no matter what happens to us. This is my promise…to be with you for eternity. Soul to soul." He faltered, smiled, and then leaned up to kiss his partner. At that, several around the table applauded, making them break away from each other and blush.

"Oh, that's so beautiful," Serenity breathed.

"Thanks…" Yugi shifted to face all his friends around the table again, though Yami refused to let go of his hand now. "All of you. Thank you for being here. And for being such good friends. I know I wouldn't make it through this world without you."

"Right back atcha," Joey said with as much seriousness as he could possibly give. "You mean the world to all of us, Yug."

The others murmured affirmation. Yugi blinked back his emotions and gave them a cheerful laugh. "Thanks, guys. All right! Who's up for the real gifts that you can tear the paper off of?"

With giggles and smiles, they all agreed it was time. Grandpa Muto made sure everyone who needed a drink refilled got their wish while Yugi hopped up and retrieved the collection of small boxes and cards from the side table, getting some help from Duke when he realized there were too many for one boy to carry. Everyone had brought a small something, as they were close enough friends that swapping chocolates and candy or cards was enough of a gift to mark the occasion. Those who were even closer, like Yugi, Joey, and Tristan, had something extra to share. The dinner was Yugi's main gift to his friends, but he still got Joey something extra special, had cards for Mai and Duke, and a cute enameled keychain of the Dark Magician Girl for Téa – a brand new item that had just come out to promote Duel Monsters, he claimed. Duke had managed to bring something for everyone, too, for which Yugi teased him about asking on the phone how many people were going to be there. "Hey, I wasn't going to leave anyone out," Duke insisted with a cool smile. "I know it's not much, but…it's my way of saying Merry Christmas."

"Well, you can't really go wrong with chocolate," Téa offered.

"Dude, this card rocks," Joey suddenly interrupted. "Thanks, Duke."

"No problem." Duke grinned across at him. "Figured it would come in handy."

"Sure will. Awesome!" Joey gestured at Yugi with the corner of the card. "You watch out in the tournament, boy. I'm gonna hit you with everything I've got."

"What is it? Can I see? Ooo!" Yugi nodded his approval. "Very nice. A Red Eyes Black Chick."

"Hey, this is pretty neat," Tristan said, then, as he pulled a tiny figurine out of his box. "Wait a minute…is this that super-rare Dice Monster you were telling me about?"

Duke coiled a lock of his black hair casually around a finger, pretending to be all aloof. "Yup. What can I say? I'm the game designer. I can get free copies of anything I want."

"Dude…" Tristan examined the trinket closely, his eyes lighting up. "Now I'm gonna have to really learn the game seriously. This is sweet, thanks."

"Thanks, Duke," Serenity added, leaning over to give him a peck on the cheek in return for the chocolates. That was all he had gotten the girls, the duelists got cards. Joey glared across at him briefly, but Duke just shrugged off her generous affection and assured her it was all right that she hadn't gotten him anything. "Well, Yugi said you weren't coming," she tried to explain. "I'm glad you changed your mind, though."

Téa had brought everyone something from New York, large or small, which they all thought very cool since none of them were likely to get there themselves anytime soon. Yugi was still admiring his gift when Serenity handed him her wrapped gift across the table, prompting him to open it with Yami's help, since the pharaoh was just sitting there quietly watching. Curious, Yami took it at Yugi's offer and delicately unwrapped the gold foil paper, revealing a picture frame. The frame itself wasn't anything fancy, but it was the photo inside that was the gift. Yugi sat up with a happy start. "Oh! It's the picture I asked you to take of us at Mai's party last month! Thanks, Serenity – you didn't have to frame it like that!"

"I thought it would be a nice gift," Serenity suggested. "I really like how the picture came out."

"Yeah, it's really nice. This is just what I wanted…a good picture of me and Yami together." He caught Téa looking across with some curiosity, and bashfully turned the frame around so she could see it.

"Well, there you have it," Yami said with some finality. "In case anyone doubts my existence. You have photographic evidence."

"Aww, look at you guys," Joey teased them, looking over Yugi's shoulder. "So cute it'll make your teeth hurt."

Once they had exhausted the pile of presents, Yugi and Yami got up to fetch dessert, and everyone sat around the table for even longer lingering over the sweets and admiring their gifts. Yugi was so full that he could only finish half of his strawberry cake, but he picked at it over the course of the time they all sat at the table, comfortably nestled against Yami with the pharaoh's hand entwined with his. Yami remained rather quiet, observing, being himself around the chattery bunch of friends. As long as he could sit there with Yugi, holding his hand and enjoying his closeness, he needed nothing else – though the chocolate was a nice addition. Yugi was still enthusiastically chatting with Joey and Tristan, though some part of him remained aware of his partner's presence, for he kept their fingers firmly entangled and absently stroked Yami's fingers with his thumb. At last, they were all full enough to want to stand up and walk it off, and several of his friends offered to Yugi to help clear the table. The party wasn't over, Yugi assured, everyone was welcome to stay as late as they liked and play games. Together with his grandfather, Mai, Téa, and Yami, they cleaned everything up and started some of the dishes, leaving the others to hang around in the living room to talk, drink, and play with their gifts. Eventually, Grandpa shooed Yugi out of the kitchen to go entertain his friends, assuring him that everything was under control and as the host, his place was not doing dishes in the kitchen. Everyone else had already gathered in the living room to have fun, and Yami was currently over in the corner talking privately to Duke. It didn't look serious, though, as both were holding drinks and nodding to each other. Yugi let them be for a moment as he gave Serenity a hug of thanks for the framed photo, assuring her that it meant a lot to him to have.

"So you didn't know she was coming," Yami was saying to Duke in a quiet tone.

"Nope, it was a complete surprise," Duke assured him. "It doesn't matter. I'm here to hang out with everyone, not any one person."

"Well, we're glad you decided to come after all," Yami smiled. "If you don't mind me asking, what did change your mind? I believe I recall Yugi hearing you say you might have plans."

Duke looked away from him, heaving a small sigh. "Well, I thought I would," he said in a put-upon tone. "I wasn't completely honest with Yugi…but I was kind of holding out hope that I might have been able to make family plans." His disgruntled look became a glare, directed at the floor. "I wanted to get together with my mom, but…she and her new boyfriend took off on some jet-setting vacation and didn't even tell me. She knew it was the holiday and didn't even bother to call."

"Duke…" Yami stared, unsettled. "That's terrible."

Duke shrugged stiffly. "Not really. By now I kind of expect it. It was pretty silly of me to hope that maybe this once she'd remember to call her son." He shook his head. "It's all right. My family's been kind of estranged ever since my dad's been gone. I try to concentrate on my shop and my life. I'm a big kid, I can take care of myself."

"You don't have to hide it from us," Yami said with a shake of his head. "Your friends will understand. We care about you, you're always welcome among us." He glanced at the others in the room, all looking happy and bright, especially Yugi as he wove a path through them on his way over to collect his boyfriend. "You don't have to put up a front for us. None of those here will look down on you for having a rough family life."

"I know," Duke sighed. "I know there are others here who've had it worse. I just didn't want to be a selfish whiner in front of them. What up, Yugi?" he added as his friend came up to them.

"Just wanted to see if anybody's up for a game," Yugi suggested. "Not Duel Monsters – something we can all play."

"Yeah, sure. Bring it on."

"Do I count?" Yami wondered.

"Of course you do." Yugi put an arm around him. "You don't have to always sit back and watch me. You can play, too. In fact, I demand that you play!"

"All right," Yami laughed. "Even though watching you is one of my favorite things to do?"

"Nice view, huh?" Duke teased him. The pharaoh merely grinned.

Yugi found a board game in the closet that several of them could play, though Mai sat back and watched with another glass of wine in hand, and Téa decided she made a better spectator so she could cheer on her friends like old times. One full game passed, with Yami coming out as a very surprised winner, prompting Tristan, Joey, and Duke to demand a rematch. At that point, Téa stood up and brushed down her skirt. "Actually, guys, it's getting kind of late for me," she said with some regret. "My parents wanted me to be home so they could see me, too."

"Aww, you're going to go?" Yugi pouted. "Already?"

"Yeah, I think so. It's okay – blame my parents. I had a really good time, though." She smiled around at everybody. "It was so good to see all of you."

They all said likewise in some form or another, offering that they should get together again before her winter break was over and she had to fly back to the States, maybe for coffee or out some night to have fun like they used to. Yugi stood and helped her collect her photo albums. "I'll walk you to the door," he said kindly. "You guys, go on ahead without me. I'm not the one you want a rematch against." He smirked at Yami. "Think you can handle it without me?"

"I'll try," the pharaoh said wryly, brushing a hand surreptitiously along his lover's back. "Téa, it was good to see you again. I'm glad we had this chance."

"Yeah, you take care of yourself, pharaoh. I mean Yami," she said in return as he raised a finger to correct her. "And take good care of Yugi."

"I promise." Yami bobbed his head in a deferential bow toward her.

Everyone else said their farewells and gave hugs, and then Yugi followed Téa to the stairs and down to the door, holding the photo books for her while she got her coat and gloves. Only then, where no one else could overhear or interrupt, she suddenly cornered him with a hard look. "I'm sorry, Yugi," she said firmly. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but I have to say it. I'm leaving early for other reasons. It's really uncomfortable for me to be here – around you and Yami."

Yugi stared at her for a moment, astonished. "W-what?" he managed after finding his voice again. "I don't understand. You knew we were together. You knew he'd be here."

"Yugi…" Téa sighed, dropping her arms to her sides before she could even put on her gloves. "I thought by now you would have gotten a reality check."

"Reality check!"

"Back when I saw you together for the first time, when you just started with this ritual to give him a body," she tried to explain, "I…I thought it was just a phase. I thought you would realize in time how difficult and ridiculous it is to try to maintain that kind of relationship, with an ancient spirit who has no real body." Her eyes saddened. "I thought you would grow out of it by now."

A scowl flashed quickly through Yugi's eyes. "A phase?" he repeated. "You thought my relationship with Yami was nothing more than a juvenile phase that I had to grow out of? Téa!" Rather than get angry, he wilted sadly, his violet eyes wide and watery. "I thought you were one of my closest friends. How could you say something like that to me?"

Téa stepped back from him, surprised by his emotional reaction. "I am, Yugi," she insisted, "I always have been. That's why I…I'm just looking out for you, so you don't get hurt. I don't want to see what it'll do to you when you realize you're just clinging to a fantasy and you can never have a lasting relationship with him. Everybody else up there…they just don't want to hurt your feelings so they wouldn't say anything."

"How do you know?" Anger returned to Yugi's eyes, furrowing his brow. "Have you spoken with the others behind my back? Do they say something different to you in emails or on the phone than they say to my face?"

"Well, no," Téa hurriedly answered before he could start doubting his friends. "I'm just saying…"

"This isn't a fantasy," Yugi said bluntly. "Yami and I have been soulmates since long before the ritual ever came into the picture. I know what it might look like, but you know as much as anybody how real Yami is, he's not some figment of my imagination or something. If that were the case then yes, I would probably be a pretty disturbed kid," he said curtly, "but it's not. He's a man just like any other, the only difference is, he had his soul trapped in a Millennium Item several thousand years ago and hasn't been able to live out the life he was born with until now." He shook his head furiously. "Why are you bringing this up now? You've had plenty of time to say something to me, we email every week and I know I've gushed to you about the things Yami and I have done, like when he got me roses on my birthday and stuff."

"I didn't know until I saw you face to face again, with him, just how serious you were about this," Téa said, her voice still edged with a firm tone bordering on spite. "It can't possibly go on, Yugi. You should realize that by now. This ritual is just giving you false hope, he can't live a life one month at a time any more than you can. You need to be with someone you can grow old with, in the real world."

"Like you?" Yugi wore a hard glare now, and he thrust out the photo albums for her to take from him. "It's too late for you start acting jealous now, Téa. You had three years to make a move on me and you never did. That's all in our past – I belong with Yami. I love him, deeply, more than I can possibly find words to describe."

Téa backed away even more, her face flushing crimson. "I'm not…jealous!" she tried to protest, though with a little too much vehemence to be convincing. "I'm just trying to look out for you, even if it takes a little tough love."

"We've been over this," Yugi noted. "A long time ago. Before I fell in love with Yami. You said you just wanted to be friends. And then, when you met him face to face, you told me you were okay with it, that if I gave you a little time to accept it, you'd understand and won't act all weird on me." He frowned uncertainly. "So what is this?"

"I just don't want to see you make a mistake," Téa cried, trying hard to keep her voice down. The partygoers upstairs were laughing too loud to have heard it, anyway. "If you won't listen to me, at least understand that it really hurts me to see you with him. I care about you, but I can't be around you if it makes me uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Téa," Yugi said more softly, though still with an angry edge. "No amount of pouting about it is going to change things. The past is over, you have to accept that this is who I am, now, and who I love. The others do. I trust them all completely, especially Joey, and he's never said anything to me about this relationship being wrong." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I don't blame you for being uncomfortable and jealous, it's only natural. But I'm sorry you can't put it past you after all this time and stay and hang out with your friends."

"I'm sorry, too," Téa said. "I can't just let it go, that's just the way I am. I think it's better off for both of us if I just go home now, and let everyone else think it's because my parents want me home early."

"I don't want you to leave angry," Yugi quickly added. "You're my friend, Téa. All this time apart hasn't changed that, I still care about you as a friend. Yami does, too. He likes you. We've been looking forward to hanging out with you, since your schooling kept you away so long."

"Sorry…Yugi…" Téa tucked her photo books under her arm and opened the door. "I'll try to call you before I have to leave for the States again, to say bye. Don't be mad at me, but…just…please. Think about what I said."

Yugi gave no indication whether he would or he wouldn't, his eyes hard but swimming with emotion deep inside. "Bye, Téa. I'll talk to you later."

"Merry Christmas," she added morosely under her breath as she ducked out the door and closed it firmly behind her.

Giving a huge sigh, Yugi stood there a minute or two longer, eyes closed, trying to maintain his composure lest everyone realize immediately upon his return that something had happened. At least Yami was up there playing, not in his mind, and couldn't share his observations about what Téa had said. Once he felt certain he could put on a straight face, Yugi climbed up the stairs and returned to the party, coming around the corner to find the pharaoh eagerly bent over the table with Tristan, Joey, Duke, and Serenity, all of them laughing and carrying on about some move Tristan had just successfully made in the game. It was such a beautiful, natural sight, Yugi couldn't help but smile as he beheld it. He could put the upsetting encounter behind him for a little while and enjoy his friends, but after they all left later, he knew he would need to speak with Yami about it. He couldn't let the ritual day expire without his lover's comfort and advice.