~12/25/12~

o/`So I'll spend my Christmas with you

Marik woke up early. The first thing he thought of was that Bakura was here and it was Christmas. He sat up and yawned and stretched. He rubbed his eyed and looked around. Bakura was nowhere in the room.

"Kura..." he called out sleepily. "Where u b at?"

No answer.

"Meh..." He would find him later. He headed for the bathroom to brush his teeth and change and stuff like that. When he was done, he left his room to go have breakfast. As soon as he left the room, he noticed Bakura sitting cross-legged in front of the tree. "Took you long enough to wake up. Come here." He pointed to the chair in front of him that faced the tree.

With no other ideas, he complied and sat in the chair. "What now?"

Bakura said nothing and held his arms out on either side of him. Then he swung them together above his head and his hands met in a loud CLAP!

As soon as he clapped, the tree lights suddenly lit up and the Millenium Ring and Rod glowed, the five points of the Millenium Ring standing up on end like a star.

Marik gasped and beheld the sight wide eyed and opened mouthed. Instead of the boring white bulbs that had been there before, all of them were replaced with purple, yellow, or red lights. Some of them blinked. Some of them faded in and out. Others stayed solidly lit.

Marik jumped when he felt arms wrap around him. Bakura had snuck next to him while he had been looking at the tree. "Bakura... It's beautiful... When-"

"Last night," Bakura answered before the question had been finished. "Merry Christmas," he whispered before turning Marik's face to kiss him. As they kissed, Marik returned the hug.

Bakura broke away first and turned to the tree. He waved a hand at it and the Millenium Items faded and went limp. "Can't keep this up all day," he explained. "That's fine. Hey did you happen to make breakfast?"

"Too much work."

"And the tree wasn't?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't love you that much. Besides I think I have... What was it called? Selective laziness? Yeah that's it!"

"You're full of it."

"Marik... Make breakfast please?"

"Fine." He started to get up.

Bakura pulled him back down. "No wait!"

"What?"

He paused for a moment before answering. "Oh wait nevermind." He removed his arms and let him go.

"Hm..." A bit suspicious but whatever. He went to the kitchen.

.

Meanwhile, Bakura unlocked the door and quietly slipped outside. He closed the door quietly behind him.

He hurried to the stairs and ran up to the fifth floor.

He the door he was heading for was already opened. He walked up to Ryou. "What do you want?"

.

By the time Marik was done, Bakura was already sitting at the table. "Okay seriously were you like the thief king in a past life or something? Or a ninja?"

"Actually Marik, I was exactly that. The Thief King. That is literally what they called me. I even had an army."

"Impressive."

"I know." Marik set down the plate in front of him. Bakura stared at it, then looked at Marik. "What are you having?"

Marik set his plate down.

"Really? Cake for breakfast?"

"Why not? I wanna finish this off before I start the Christmas half." He shoved a forkful in his mouth.

"...It's still weird."

"You shouldn't be talking. Cake this early in the morning is nothing compared your eating and entering habits." He pointed his fork at Bakura as he talked. Then, without warning, he swiped it across his cheek. Bakura tried to dodge but failed, and he now had four purple stripes of frosting going across the side of his face.

He rolled his eyes and pointed to it. "You'd better plan on cleaning this up."

In response, Marik got up and walked over to him, sat on his lap, licked all of the frosting off his face, then got off him and sat back down. "You're welcome," was all he said.

Bakura got a napkin and wiped the saliva off of his face and replied, "Thank you."

"So... Do you plan on telling me where you went while I was busy?"

Damn it! This is the second time... "How did you know I was gone? Did you hear the door open or close?"

"No. I turned around and you were gone. So what were you doing?"

"Ugh..." He got up from the table and walked over to where he had hidden the box, under a couch cushion. "Here," he said, holding it up. "This is for you."

Marik put their empty plates in the sink then walked over to him. "What is that? Another one? Honestly you're spoiling me, which I don't need."

"Hmph... It's not from me."

"Who is it from then? And why do you have it?"

Marik took the box and opened it as Bakura said, "Ryou has waaayy too much free time on his hands."

It was a snow globe. Like the really nice ones that had little flakes in the water instead of those cheap ass little foam things that get blown around by air. And it was handmade. Recently. Inside, there were two people skating together on a frozen lake.

Those two people were Marik and Bakura. The amount of detail in it was astounding. Even the clothes and hair looked just right!

"Wow..." Marik whispered. "This is amazing! Ryou made this? How? It's just so perfect! And detailed." Marik shook it and set it down on the side table, watching the little 'snowflakes' fall. "Does he do stuff like this often?"

"Sort of. He does lots of little projects. He has like a dozen strange and useless- but sometimes creative- hobbies. Apparently this is his latest one."

"Wait... When did he tell you this and why didn't he just bring it here himself?"

"The paint had just finished drying when he told me. I went straight over there."

"How could he have possibly told you if I was with you the whole time?"

"Oh. We have a mind link because we shared a body for such a long time. He just sent me a mental message. Just don't ask me anymore. I don't feel like going into detail about it now."

"That's fine."

"Anyway, he had already been working on this when we came over. He had finished everything up to the lake and the skating figures. All he had to do was shape and paint them, put the water and flakes in, then seal it. After we left, he decided to make the figures look like us... As a tribute to our... relationship..."

"You don't like the fact that he knows..."

"Nope. He's going to bother me about it later unless he gets to you first. And even then he will bring it up a lot."

"Then why are you smiling?"

Bakura was smiling. "Because... I... Well I gave him an honest hug when he showed it to me."

"Awwwwww isn't that nice? You touched Ryou in a caring and non-violent way! And it was a hug! Truly a Christmas miracle!"

"Oh shut up." he lightly punched Marik in the arm. Marik returned the punch.

"Huh... I think because of you I'm starting to not hate him as much."

"Oh stop that! You know you never hated him. And it was the snow globe, not me. Wasn't it?"

"Fine you got me! I'm actually grateful to have him around and blah blah blah. I'm bored!"

"Really now? What I'm not entertaining enough for you?"

"You are. But talking about Ryou is boring. Let's go outside so I can murder you."

"Wait WHAT?!" Marik cried out, suddenly worried.

"I mean challenge you to a snowball fight. Although those two are really the same thing."

"Haha! That's what you think. You're on! But first..."

Marik went back to his room to get something. Bakura tried to watch him from where he sat and see what he was doing.

Marik came back with an envelope. "You're not the only one who likes to spend money on other people," he said as he walked back. "And I refuse to be the only one being spoiled." He held it out. "Here."

Bakura looked at it for a moment before slowly reaching out a hand to take it. He sat down. Marik sat next to him once his hand was emptied.

Bakura slowly opened the envelope. He removed its contents. It was a card.

It had a snowy field on the front and a poem. He read aloud.

"When I think of dull colors I'll never think white/ Because it glitters and glistens and sparkles so bright/ And I'll never fear a snowstorm at night/ Because my heart is warm and you filled it with light" He looked at Marik with an extremely bored expression on his face. "Marik... Not that this isn't nice and poetic and all, but this is extremely cheesy."

"I know. Which is why I spent money on the inside. But I suck at drawing."

Bakura looked back at the card and opened it partially, just enough to see what was there. Inside, on the left, was a cute and not-so-expertly-drawn stick figure drawing of the two of them having an adorable little snowball fight. On the right were the words "Happy Holidays" and a little heart over the i. "I have to say, this is cute."

"Open it more," Marik instructed him.

"Hm?"

"Oh my gosh..." Marik gently opened the card for him. Once it was fully opened, Bakura heard music start playing. In surprise, he close the card. Then he realized that he knew the song playing. He opened it again.

About ten seconds later, the artist started singing. o/`"It's Christmas... And we walk alone..."o/` "M-marik... This..." Bakura was speechless. This was the perfect song for right now. Just perfect.

"I know. I actually did a bit of my own techy thingies with the card. I know how to do that stuff. I heard this song in a store last week and I thought..."

"I also heard this in a store last week."

It was The Christmas Song by Owl City.

As the music played on, they both realized that they must have been in the same store at the same time to have heard the same song. Bakura mentioned it. "I guess fate just made it that way..." Marik commented. "Or something."

Bakura was about to say 'I don't believe in Fate.' But instead, he said, "Well thank Fate for this then..."

o/`"You and I, Met passing by, And now our spirits feel warm"o/`

The song continued. As it played, Marik briefly explained that he had removed the original sound card of just jingle bells and piano music, then replaced it with a sound card of the song that was now playing. He was actually quite good with that kind of stuff.

Bakura quietly sang along with one part. "It's Christmas, And we are in love, With the way that the soft snowflakes kiss us, From far above, The blustery breeze..."

Marik sat there and listened, entranced by he sound. "'Kura... You have a nice singing voice."

"Thanks. I know. If only I could use it as a weapon... Well anyway thank you. I wouldn't normally accept cards from people, especially ones with poems as cheesy as this one. But this is so perfect, I can't possibly not keep it. Also you would probably like hate me or something."

"I wouldn't hate you!" Marik reassured him, drawing him into a hug. "I'd just bother you..." he omitted the words 'In a Ryou-like way', "and ask you why until you keep it."

"That's nice... But anyway..." He closed the card, the song had finished by then. He got up and walked over to the window. "I'll be right back." He put on a sweater and his boots, then left with the card.

Marik sighed and shook his head. Then he got both of their coats from the closet and put on his own. Bakura came back within seconds. "I still don't have my keys," he explained. "And I always have the window open a bit and rigged so anyone besides me that tries to enter gets hurt. Obviously it works because I know what I'm doing."

"Right... If I ever need to commit a bank heist I know who to call."

"Interesting thing. With one of my past hosts I actually did that and got away with it."

"You're just..." Marik shook his head trying to finish the sentence. "I don't even know."

"You can finish that sentence later. But let's go now." He put on his coat while Marik put on his boots.

"Right. Apparently I'm going to die out there."

"You are. It'll be a shame though."

"Hey. I may not be as agile as you, but my aim is just as good."

"Suuuurree," came the sarcastic reply. "We'll see... Let's go."

But there's one more chapter left...