A/N: Sorry for the late update…things aren't the best around my house right now… umm…anyway…this chapter is for "two turtle doves" …Tendershipping…get it? Doves symbolize peace and tenderness… (blushes from rather idiotic pun)Well…anyway…I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: If I owned it then the end of the series would have been a hell of a lot more different! (goes off to sulk)
On the Second Day of Christmas
Red. It was everywhere. Hanging down from the ceiling in gold trimmed crimson ribbons, lane out in a scarlet run way for the passers by to tread upon, it even made up the body of the putrid oversized suit Bakura now wore.
Fat. This hideous red costume made him look fat and old. What kind of society worshiped an over weight old fart who, as jubilantly exclaimed by many, broke into their houses on Christmas night, ate their food and left evidence of his visit in the form of presents all over the victim's homes?! This Santa Claus guy must be a genius! Convincing thousands that his nightly trips to their homes while they slept were perfectly innocent…and even to be looked forward to!
An annoying, overly chipper voice broke into his thoughts "Alright! Which little boy or girl is next!" the same maddening teenager that had stood beside him all day crooned to the snot nosed, whiny little brats all lined up before him. Her cleavage bulged out from the front of her green tube top as leant over to lift one of the little monsters and place them on his lap. The bells dangling form the ends of her crimson and emerald jester's hat jingled infuriatingly as she gave the tike who had now taken to pulling roughly to the ends of Bakura's log white hair an overzealous smile. "Say cheese!" she squeaked in her lame imitation of an elf's voice.
The bulb flashed, blinding the former tomb robber and making colors dance before his eyes. "Santa! Santa!" the germ factory upon his lap squawked once the photo had been taken. "For Christmas I want a cell phone and a lap top and a…" he rattled on merrily about all the extravagant gifts he was looking forward to receiving, most of which were not intended for children his age. Who gave a kindergartener a cell phone?!?!
Bakura fought the urge to grab the spoiled cretin by the collar of his expensive looking shirt and shake some sense into him. His fists clenched as the boy reverted back to tugging at his hair and asking him ridiculous questions.
"Santa…how do reindeer fly? Santa…how do you travel the entire world in one night? Santa…how many elves do you have? Santa…"
It never seemed to end! Finally, after Bakura had just about lost his patience and was ready to kill the brat upon his lap, the slutty elf girl returned and removed the would-be victim. "Alright everybody!" she called as the little monster scampered off to his mother. "Santa will be taking a short break, but he'll be back in half an hour!" The children and parents groaned in equal measure. Some remained in their spots, after all, it had taken them and hour to reach their current positions, but a few others dispersed as soon as the scantily clad teen had finished speaking and the curtains had closed around the podium on which his throne stood.
"Finally!" Bakura whispered to himself, standing up and stretching. "I never thought it would end!"
"Me neither." The girl exhaled, finally dropping her cheery façade and leaning back against his chair. "You need to be back here in twenty five minutes…but you can take off the suite for now." She said, turning around so that he could have some privacy.
Immediately, Bakura ripped the prickly white beard from his face and let his fingers glide over the smooth surface of his chin. Sighing, he quickly unbuttoned the coat and let it drift from his shoulders then slid off the velvety red trousers so that he now just stood in a black t-shirt and jeans.
The girl turned around to face him and a slight blush settled over her cheeks, quickly followed by a suggestive smile. "You look…nice…" she said, blue eyes roving over his now de-costumed form. "Say…you want to go get a bite to eat?" she placed her arms upon the elbows of his throne, her arms pressing together so that her cleavage practically exploded from her top.
Bakura rolled his eyes. He didn't fall for such slatternly tactics. "Sorry." He cut in bluntly, pulling on his black leather jacket. "But you're not my type." Before she could reply, the curtain around them was pulled back and the visitor Bakura had been expecting entered.
"Hey Kura!" Ryou said brightly, his elf's costume slung over the arm that was not raised in welcome. "Oh! Hello Maloney!" the white haired teen said, spotting the reddened faced girl in the corner and waving. "Come on Kura, the others are waiting."
"I'll be right there!" he called over to the boy, noting how the blue shirt Ryou wore accented his slim form quite nicely. He strode over to where Maloney stood; looking as though someone had slapped her in the face. "You see…" he whispered his mouth next to her ear. "…even if I did date girls…" and here he cast her a disdainful glance. "…I would look for someone with a bit more class and who thought enough of themselves not to flaunt their sexuality around in public. I'm not that desperate." And with one parting glance at the furious looking teen, Bakura flicked his mane of white hair over his shoulder and followed Ryou out of the enclosure.
"What was that about?" the white haired teen asked curiously as soon as they had been swallowed by the thronging masses of people that usually filled the mall at this hour.
"Oh…Maloney asked me out…I had to set her straight seeing as I don't date her kind." Bakura cast a sidelong glance at Ryou who seemed to have completely missed the suggestive tone in his voice. The tomb robber sighted, shoving his hands dejectedly into his coat pockets. Would the boy every figure it out?
"Hey look! There they are!" Ryou suddenly called out, pointing to a small group of teens clustered around a table in the food court. He took Bakura's hand, causing a very uncharacteristic blush to paint the former tomb robber's cheeks and led him over to their 'friends'.
The "fearsome five some" all looked up at the sound of Ryou's chipper voice. "Hey guys!" he grinned, dragging Bakura along behind him as he made his way over to their table.
Bakura's gaze immediately found the pharaoh and his brown eyes narrowed, only to be returned with a slightly exasperated crimson stare which puzzled him slightly. As always the former monarch had his arm draped across the shoulders of his little hikari, who had greeted Ryou with equal enthusiasm. How had that baka pharaoh managed to get his light to fall for him?!
Bakura cast his and Ryou's interlocked fingers a dismayed glance that went unseen by all but Yami, who smiled slightly to himself. The tomb robber would be so much happier if he just told Ryou how much he cared about him!
"Hey dude!" Jounouchi said with his usual lopsided grin, ruffling Ryou's already untidy mop of hair.
"How's Santa duty treating you Bakura?" Honda snickered from behind his blonde friend. Bakura fought the urge to lash out and punch the brunette, something he'd wanted to do for a while now.
"Leave him alone Honda." Anzu said with and exasperated sigh, casting the thief a small grin.
Yeah…like he needed the friendship bitch to vouch for him! He returned the grin with a stiff nod and was saved from starting up a conversation as Ryou cut in. "Hey, what are we going to eat? Kura and I have to be back at the set in less than half an hour." the white haired boy grinned, clutching onto the thief's arm and completely oblivious to the pink tint his companion's face had taken.
"Sure…" Yami said slowly, looking between the two teens and smirking to himself. "Why don't you guys go order us something? Bakura and I will man the table."
"Alright!" the group said in unison. Yugi looked up at his other half. "What do you want?" he inquired.
"Oh…" Yami whispered, leaning down and kissing the top of his hikari's head. "Surprise me."
Yugi smiled and followed Ryou and the others who were already half way down to a near by McDonald's.
"So…" the pharaoh smirked once the group had disappeared, leaning with his elbows against the table and casting the tomb robber a knowing looking. "What's going on with you and Ryou?"
"What?!" Bakura answered a bit too quickly. His face turned beet red as he tried and failed to glare back at the chuckling teen. "Nothing! Nothing is going on between my hikari and I!"
"Oh come off it!" Yami cried, rolling his eyes exasperatedly. "Everyone can see that you like him! Well…everyone except Ryou that is…" the former pharaoh grinned at the slightly dismayed look his words placed upon thief's face.
"I have no idea what you're talking about…" Bakura muttered his face downcast and his brown eyes gazing anywhere than at the teen across from him.
"Look…" Yami stated, stepping around the table so that he stood beside the tomb robber, who turned away from him as he advanced. "You have to let him know how you feel about him!"
He and Bakura's gazes lifted to their two hikaris who were laughing a joke Jounouchi had just told.
"When I discovered my feelings for Yugi…" the crimson eyed teen continued as Honda was slapped in the face for throwing a French fry in Anzu's hair. "…I thought he would hate me if I told him or be completely disgusted and just leave! But when I finally confided in him…" a small smile crept onto his face as he reminisced. "…I learned he felt the same way…I've never been happier!"
He turned to look at Bakura whose gaze remained fixedly upon Ryou's white head as he silently listened to Yami's tale. "You have to let him know…" the monarch whispered "…before he finds somebody else." His eyebrows rose suggestively, for, just as the words had passed his lips, a familiar dark haired boy with bright green eyes strolled over to their five friends standing in line. "Otogi seems to have a peculiar interest in Ryou." Yami commented as, after being greeted by everyone, the black haired boy bent over and whispered something in the albino's ear which caused the poor boy the blush several shades of scarlet.
Bakura's fists clenched. "If that sleaze ball touches Ryou I will kill him!"
"Why deal with the hassle of murder when you can just come clean?" Yami said, pushing him forward slightly as the group returned to the table, arms laded with food. "Here's your chance."
"Hey Yami, Kura!" Rou said, placing his bags on the table and gesturing at Otogi. "Look who showed up!" he chirped brightly.
The black haired idiot grinned, taking Ryou's hand and dragging him down into a seat. "Come guys lets eat! I'm starving!" Resisting the urge to shove his drinking straw through Otogi's perfect green eye, Bakura let out a breath and joined the others as they began their meal.
Bakura's eye twitched and his hands fisted around the gaudy red suite he now wore. All through out the meal that bastard Otogi had flirted with Ryou. His Ryou. It had taken every bit of the thief's little self control not to kill the infidel on the spot!
"Umm…Kura? Are you okay?" Ryou asked.
The white haired teen let out a breath as Ryou's sweet voice fell upon his ears. "Yeah…" he smiled slightly. "I'm fine hikari."
"Okay… well…we have to get out there." Ryou said, fastening his green vest and pulling back the curtain that incased Bakura's thrown area. He the shot the former tomb robber a grin before disappearing into the waiting crowd.
Bakura sighed, pulling on his prickly white beer and taking his mantle up upon the thrown.
"Are you ready?" Maloney said bluntly, sticking her head through the curtain.
"Yeah." He sneered back at her.
She shot him a contemptuous glance before drawing the curtains back. Bakura groaned, a line, stretching even farther than the one he had tackled before lunch greeted him.
"Alright kiddies whose next!" Maloney sang, adopting her squeaky elf voice. Immediately the mass of children and parents alike all raised their hands and shouted in a symphony of noise.
Bakura grimaced and turned away as Maloney began prancing around to choose from the waiting crowd. His eyes landed upon Ryou who was giving out Santa shaped chocolates to the people in line. The white haired youth noticed he was looking his way and waved over to where Bakura sat before returning to his work.
At that instant, said teen felt a wait on his lap and turning down to see a small girl who was clutching her teddy bear so closely to her chest it looked as though her entire life depended on it.
"Hello Santa!" she chirped brightly, smiling up at him so that he noticed the trickle of snot slowly oozing down from her nose. Disgusting. "For Christmas I want a pony and a Barbie and a-"
"Yeah, that's nice kid." Bakura cut in bluntly, his eyes having spotted Ryou once more, only this time the slightly shorter teen was being accosted by another dark haired youth. Bakura watched in horror as Otogi plucked a chocolate from Ryou's tray and slipped it seductively into his mouth. He smiled then lifted another to slide smoothly through Ryou's lips.
"He's feeding him! That maggot riddled, tick infested, son of a bitch!" Bakura cried.
Everything went silent. Bakura turned slowly to face the crowd, all of whom were staring at him opened mouthed and wide eyed. After a minute or two the child upon his lap lifted an accusing finger and cried "Santa said the B word!" Then all hell broke loose.
Children began bawling and clutching at their mothers clothing. Parents shouted indignantly up at him, and the devil in his lap began beating her feeble little claws against his coat. "Bad Santa! Bad!" she screeched. Bakura did not notice any of these things however. His eyes were fixed upon Otogi as the dark haired youth lent towards Ryou, his eyes sliding shut and lips slightly puckered.
And Bakura snapped.
The thief stood up so abruptly that he sent the monster tumbling to the steps below. Not that he cared. Quick as a flash he was by Ryou's side and holding Otogi up by the collar of his shirt and shaking him like a rag doll. "Don't you dare lay a filthy finger on my hikari!" the irate tomb robber hissed, his brown eyes burning with furry.
Otogi's green eyes were wide and fearful and he nodded his head fervently at Bakura's words.
"Get the hell out of my sight!" the thief spat, tossing the boy to the ground and watching him scamper away to the safety of the on looking crowd.
"Why did you do that?" Ryou whispered timidly from behind him. He didn't sound angry…just confused.
Bakura rotated around to face his light and took his pale hands in his own. "Ryou…" he whispered, Yami's words running through his mind. "…I've wanted to tell you this for a long time. You see…umm…the thing is…Ra I suck with words."
Ryou cocked his head to the side, brown eyes perplexed. "Just tell me Kura."
And in that instant their gazes met and without thinking, Bakura pulled the other teen forward so that their lips met. It was short, but passionate and the moment they broke apart, Ryou blushed and smiled up at him. "I love you too."
Bakura grinned, leaning forward to nuzzle his nose against his hikari's.
Then the silence was broken as a small voice shrieked "Santa's Gay!!!!!!!"
A/N: The ending fell kind of flat but whatever... I still hope you liked it! It was fun to write! Anyway…please Review!