Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds

We Need a Little Christmas

By Lucky_Ladybug

Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! This is written for YGO Rare Pair Week 2023. I wanted something very feel-good and happy and decided to write a holiday story even though I knew no one would see it until March. The beautiful illustration was done by Winkle Pickers! As always, Radley is a sweetheart, the way I honestly see him, and I use the localization from the YGO DM dub, so they are in America.

The falling snow past the window greeted Kalin as he stirred. He blinked sleepily, studying the flakes for a moment. In his half-awake state, he almost expected to feel the biting chill of the broken-down apartment complex where the Enforcers had lived. But then he heard a soft mumble and felt the warmth against his side and he came back to the present. He was snug and happy in his bed in Satisfaction Town, and Radley was laying peacefully by his side. They were warm and dry and the elements would not reach them here.

He smiled as he relaxed back into the mattress. This would be their first Christmas together. What would it be like? He had only experienced decent Christmases with the Enforcers. All others had been miserable and unhappy.

Well, one thing he knew was that it would be a very interesting Christmas season. The Bunch, especially Scotch, went all-out for holidays. Scotch had immediately decorated the diner for Christmas the week after Halloween. And now, as Kalin was waking up on Black Friday, the Bunch were all eager for a day of shopping, fun, and seeing the arrival of Santa at the New Domino City mall. Radley, always eager to give them the happiness they sought, was planning on it.

Radley stirred, rolling onto his back. "Hi," he greeted with a sleepy smile.

"Hello," Kalin smiled back.

"Are you ready to experience Black Friday?" Radley chuckled.

"It can't be more havoc-filled than fighting Duel Gangs," Kalin deadpanned.

"Ooh, you might be surprised." Radley sat up, brushing his hair out of his face. "Truthfully, later on in the day, it's really not that bad. I'm sure the mall's gonna be crowded all day, though. Santa doesn't come until late afternoon."

"If it keeps snowing, it might be hard to get to the City," Kalin said.

Radley looked to the window. "The forecast was that it wouldn't snow much until tomorrow, but we'd better be prepared." He got up and went over for a better look.

"How is it?" Kalin asked.

"It's just light for now," Radley said. "If it ends up snowing harder while we're there, we might get stranded in the City. Hopefully there'll be available rooms at a hotel if that happens. We'd better pack overnight bags just in case."

Kalin nodded. "Probably a good idea. Weather is often unpredictable."

"Maybe by next year we'll have our own department store and can have our own Santa arrival celebration," Radley said. His eyes gleamed. "It'll rival the City's."

"Really?" Kalin smiled as he watched his ambitious friend. "The City's is pretty big. I hear they fly Santa in by helicopter and have live reindeer waiting at the mall."

"Even better would be to have him arrive by reindeer-pulled sleigh, even if it's not flying," Radley smirked.

"Wouldn't that only work if there's snow?" Kalin blinked.

"If we don't have any, we can make some," Radley said.

Kalin climbed out of bed. "You think of everything." It was spoken fondly. Being with a competent businessman like Radley was always an adventure.

"I try," Radley smiled.

Kalin walked over to him, studying the light snow out the window. ". . . Do you know what kinds of things the kids might like?" he asked, a bit awkwardly. "I've never been good with gift-giving. . . ."

Radley turned to look at him. "I think you know them better than you think," he said with a smile. "If you went to get their presents today, what would you get?"

Kalin grunted, pondering on it. "Duel Monsters cards for West," he said. "And maybe . . . plant supplies for Nico?"

Radley nodded. "You're on."

Kalin traced the window pane with his finger. "I'd like to get more, though," he said haltingly. "I know they don't have much money. . . ."

"That would be nice," Radley agreed. "But you've gotta tread cautiously there. Jordan wants to feel like he can provide for his kids himself. That was always a big thing with him, wanting to be a hero for the kids." He sighed. "That's why he insisted on dueling for me in the first place."

Kalin leaned back, folding his arms. "That kind of pride was prominent in the Satellite too," he said. "Sometimes pride was all people had to hold on to."

Radley nodded. "A lot of the lost souls here felt the same. Some others had lost even that." He pushed away from the wall. "I was thinking of giving extra tasks and holiday bonuses to Jordan and the other workers who need them, so they can feel like they earned the money to give their families good Christmases."

"That's a good idea," Kalin said in surprise. "Jordan and some of them still aren't fully up to par yet, though. . . ."

"I won't give anyone more than they can handle," Radley promised.

"I know," Kalin said. "You're a good boss."

Radley smiled, running his hand up Kalin's arm. "I'm glad you approve."

Kalin felt a bit of a thrill at the contact. He had been discovering how touch-starved he really was ever since starting to open his heart to Radley, who was a very physically affectionate person. But it didn't seem to be just being touch-starved in general; he liked Radley specifically to touch him. He didn't feel this happy for it to be just anyone.

(The picture link, on Tumblr. Please forgive my struggle to post the link on this site that hates links. After typing that it's on Tumblr, copy and paste this and remove the spaces: winkle-pickers / 745260875584290816 / drawing-a-winter-scene-in-march-for-luckyladybugs )

He curled his arms around Radley's waist and hugged him close. "There's the people who lost loved ones in the mines," he said in concern.

"Yeah." Radley sobered. "For them, I'm hoping to make up boxes of food and gifts for Christmas. Scotch wants to leave the stuff on their porch and say 'From Santa' instead of showing it's from us."

"The homes with kids might like that," Kalin said. "I don't know about adult-only households."

"I'd like to do it for them too, if we do it that way," Radley said. "Adults need the magic of Christmas too." He laid his hands on Kalin's shoulders.

". . . They do," Kalin admitted. "I'm much happier thinking of sharing Christmas with you and the Bunch. Most Christmases were never happy for me, except in the Enforcers."

"And what did you guys do for Christmas?" Radley asked.

"We always spent it with Martha and whatever kids she was looking after," Kalin said. "I wasn't raised by Martha, but she welcomed me in whenever Yusei, Jack, and Crow brought me. It was a warm, happy environment."

Radley smiled. "She sounds like a good woman. I'd like to meet her sometime. I don't know if she'd like me, though. . . ."

"You have a lot in common, actually," Kalin said. "You both took kids in."

"I guess that's true," Radley mused. "She might not see it that way, though. . . . She might be angry with me for the mess in town and blame me for accepting the sunset duels."

"I think she'd be more understanding than that, especially when you only accepted to protect the town and the kids after Malcolm kidnapped them," Kalin said. He brushed the hair away from Radley's right eye. "And when you're someone I love very much." His hand dropped. ". . . She might not accept me, though. Not after the Dark Signer catastrophe."

Radley frowned. "You haven't talked to her at all since then, have you?"

Kalin shook his head. "I'm sure Crow's talked to her and told her how devastated I've been about it now that I'm in my right mind again, but I haven't personally talked to her, no." He let go of Radley and turned away. "I got ahead of myself, thinking of taking you to meet her."

Radley stepped close to him again. "Are you going to talk to her sometime?"

"To say how sorry I am, at least," Kalin said. He sighed. "But I can't hope for forgiveness, not when all her kids were endangered and she fell to the shadows."

Radley placed his hands on Kalin's shoulders again, this time from behind. "Forgiveness is a big part of Christmas," he soothed. "What better time to try?"

Kalin relaxed in the kind grasp. "Maybe I will," he said. "Probably not today, though. . . . We need to focus on what the Bunch is hoping for."

"Yeah, I'm sure they're already raring to go," Radley chuckled. "Let's get breakfast going and try to get an early start to the City. Okay?"

Kalin nodded. "I need to let Yusei know when we're coming in too." And maybe ask him what he thought about approaching Martha.

"Cool. Why don't you do that while I get dressed for the day and see about food?" Radley suggested as he headed for the door.

Kalin reached for his phone. "I think I will."

Yusei smiled when he answered the phone. "Hey, Kalin," he greeted. "How are things going?"

"They're great, Yusei," Kalin smiled back. "Thanksgiving was a feast and the Bunch wants to shop today."

Yusei looked amused. "Well, good luck. You couldn't get me out in the morning hours on Black Friday."

"Not even for technology and tool sales?" Kalin quipped, thinking he sounded quite like Radley.

"Well . . . maybe for that." Yusei couldn't hide the gleam in his eye at the thought.

"Later in the day we'll be at the mall," Kalin said. "Could we meet you there?"

Another smile. "Yeah, I think so. We're bringing the kids to see Santa. Crow's bringing Martha and her kids too."

Kalin hadn't quite expected that. "Martha will be there?" Well, it made sense, really. Now that the City and the Satellite were united at last, there were so many things everyone could take advantage of that they hadn't been able to before. Of course Martha would want the kids to see what the City had to offer now that they could.

Yusei immediately picked up on the trepidation in Kalin's voice. "She wants to see you," he said kindly. "She's been asking how you're doing."

Kalin blinked in bewilderment. "She has? . . . I . . . didn't think she'd want anything to do with me after what I did. . . ."

"She understands you weren't in your right mind as a Dark Signer, or even when you agreed to become a Dark Signer," Yusei said.

Kalin bowed his head. "That's . . . more than I deserve. . . ."

"It's the truth, Kalin," Yusei insisted. He hesitated. "How have you been doing there?"

Kalin could read between the lines of what Yusei was really asking now. "I really am doing a lot better," he said. "Radley is wonderful. He's very kind and understanding and patient now that he knows what was wrong with me in the past."

"Good," Yusei said, relaxing some. "I'm glad."

"I love him," Kalin said. "I wanted to take him to meet Martha, and then I wondered how she would react to me, and he wondered how she would react to him. . . . Does she know anything about him?"

"She read Carly's articles about the town and we told her things too," Yusei said. "I promise it's been nice things. We all said you were happy being with him and she said he must be a special person."

Kalin had to smile, relieved as any remaining weight lifted from his heart. "He is," he said fervently. "He means the world to me."

"We're looking forward to seeing you both," Yusei said. "The Bunch too."

"We'll all be there," Kalin said. "Thank you, Yusei."

He hung up feeling much happier and hopeful. It sounded like a visit with Martha would be a positive experience for both of them, and talking about Radley always made him so very proud. Both he and Yusei had done so much for him and had been in his corner all along. When he had come to Crash Town drowning in his self-hatred and depression, Radley had hired him and had been a bright light all throughout that dark time. Kalin had continually pushed him away, at first thinking he was bad and then wanting to keep him safe if he wasn't. Radley's friendliness and goodness had worked on him in spite of himself, and losing him in the mines had been more than he could bear. To have him back was something he would never take for granted.

Kalin had never questioned his decision to stay on in town after that. He had wanted to build it back up and to look after the kids and Radley. When Radley had healed, they had grown too close to ever think of parting. Not that Kalin had considered it anyway.

He did regret any added sadness and disappointment he might have caused Yusei when he had decided to stay. He had done so much to Yusei through the years, things he would never consider he had paid for in full. But his heart had been with the town after he and Yusei had toppled Lawton's chokehold on it and after he had finally allowed himself to openly care about Radley as he had in his heart for weeks. Yusei had understood. Kalin was needed here, wanted here, loved here . . . and even though Yusei would always mean the world to him too, Yusei's and Kalin's desires and dreams led down different paths. Yusei had needed and wanted to return to the City. That was his home. Kalin's was here, in Satisfaction Town . . . and in Radley's arms.

The delicious smells of breakfast led him to the kitchen. Radley looked up from the stove with a smile. "What did Yusei have to say?" he asked brightly.

"They'll all meet us at the mall," Kalin said. "Martha's coming too." He couldn't keep the awe out of his voice as he continued, "She still cares about me and wants to see me."

"I thought so," Radley smiled. "She really couldn't be otherwise, not with all you told me she is."

"She wants to see you too," Kalin said. "She said you must be a special person." He smiled more. "You are. So very special."

Radley looked bowled over now. "She really said that?" He hurried to remove the pancakes from the hot plate before they could burn. Then the rest of Kalin's words sank in and he smiled again, touched. "That goes for you too." He winked.

Kalin smiled back and walked around him to get the plates out of the cupboard. "I'll walk up to her, apologize for the past even though it could never be good enough, and then say, 'Martha, I want to introduce you to my friend and soulmate, Radley Ramon.'"

Radley followed Kalin to the table. "And I will greet her most graciously and tell her how wonderful you've been, for me, for the town, for everyone." He smiled.

"Sometimes I still wonder how you can feel that way, at least about me being good for you," Kalin said. "I hurt you so much. . . ." He set the table quickly, matter-of-factly.

Radley set the pancakes on the platter in the middle. "You've more than made up for that," he said. "But I have to admit that I wonder how it is that I'm so lucky to be the one graced with your presence instead of you having left to join Yusei. I know you wanted to fix the town, but you also wanted to be with me, and it didn't seem to be just because I was hurt and needed help."

"I was interested almost from the start, but I denied it," Kalin said as they sat down to eat. "You very easily worked your way into my heart. Yusei will always be special to me, but I wanted to stay and explore what might come of our friendship once I accepted I wanted it."

Radley looked happy with that answer. "And we've bonded very closely since then."

"Something I'm grateful for every day," Kalin said.

"So am I," Radley said. "Sometimes it seems almost like a dream and not real."

"After my horrible behavior, it definitely does," Kalin said. "I know I don't deserve any of this. But I'm so thankful I have it."

"And you deserve it," Radley insisted. "We both do."

Kalin, of course, still found that hard to believe about himself. But he appreciated that Radley was so fervent about it.

Breakfast was delicious and thoroughly enjoyed. The Bunch arrived soon after they finished up, raring to go.

"Hey, guys," Radley greeted them.

Scotch was wearing a Santa hat. "Are we ready to shop till we drop?!" he exclaimed.

"Is anyone ready for quite that much shopping?" Radley smirked. "Yes, we're good to go."

"Jordan and the kids are here too!" Scotch said, pointing to the van pulling up.

"Cool," Radley said. They had wanted to invite the kids, and having a van along was certainly the best idea when they planned to make purchases. Motorcycles couldn't store much.

Kalin smiled when Nico and West waved. "Alright," he said. "Let's do this."

The snow had luckily ceased as they made their way through the desert to the City. When they arrived, there were still morning hours left and Scotch wanted to try all his favorite stores in the hopes of snagging some incredible Black Friday deals. They went to a shopping center with several stores he loved and began their journey.

Kalin tensed at the sheer amount of people in Best Buy. Some looked exhausted, while others seemed more than ready to shop and shop. They crowded throughout the store, swarming on various sales and stumbling over and into each other.

"Are the deals really worth it?" Kalin had to ask after sidestepping several collisions only to walk into a display of televisions.

"Some are," Radley mused. "Honestly, though, a surer way of getting what you want is shopping the online deals that pop up all throughout the month now. The problem with that is, it's just not quite as fun as scoring that big deal in person."

"That's debatable," Kalin intoned. "I'm sure I'd find it very fun."

Radley chuckled and patted his shoulder. "I'm sure you would too."

They both jumped when Scotch exclaimed for glee from the toy department and waved what looked like a Super Mario playset. "Yes!"

"I'll admit you could get that same reaction if he found it online, but it's kinda fun seeing him holding the actual product," Radley smiled.

"Does he want that for himself or a kid in town?" Kalin grunted.

"Yes," Radley said with a wink. "Both."

Despite Kalin's grumpiness from his early encounters with other shoppers, those feelings began to fade as he watched Scotch and others finding exciting merchandise. Eventually he was smiling too, enjoying their delight and even finding some of his own when he discovered tech sales he knew Yusei would like.

"Oh, you're getting into the spirit of things, I see," Radley smiled.

Kalin nodded. "I'll get some of this for Yusei," he declared. ". . . If I can figure out what he doesn't already have. . . ."

"Hmm." Radley studied the devices. "I doubt he gives himself time to watch much. Why not get him the Blu-Ray player and then we'll look for some movies or TV shows he might enjoy? Best Buy never has many anymore, but we can check F.Y.E. when Scotch goes there."

"That's an interesting idea," Kalin mused. "He might like science documentaries." He picked up a Blu-Ray player.

"He does seem like that type," Radley agreed. "He might like science-fiction too, but we're probably better off looking at science fact first."

Kalin nodded. "I wonder if science-fiction would appeal to him at all, considering the bizarre problems he had to deal with that most people would think couldn't happen."

"I suppose it's hard to say," Radley mused. "Maybe you could ask Antinomy."

"I might do that," Kalin agreed.

He pondered to himself when Radley moved on to check on the Bunch. Some people were fairly easy to shop for, while others weren't so much. Radley had the money to get pretty much anything he wanted that he didn't already have. What could Kalin get for him? He wanted it to be something special. He knew of some collectible anime figures Radley would like, and he hoped to find some of those at F.Y.E., but he wanted something more too. And he wanted to figure it out himself instead of asking for help. Maybe he would listen in when the Bunch discussed what they were getting and hopefully get more ideas himself.

The other stores were enjoyable to visit too. Scotch was highly enthused when they got to F.Y.E., and it did indeed seem like a collector's paradise. Figures, plush, posters, clothes and accessories, and more, all with pop culture characters, actors, and bands. Kalin managed to snag a couple of the figures he knew Radley wanted, and Scotch saw him, so he would pass along word to the Bunch that Kalin had taken care of that.

"That is so epic!" Scotch gushed to Kalin. "Radley loves those One Piece figures!"

"I know," Kalin said.

"He also loves Eevees!" Scotch said. "Have you seen his big plushie from childhood?!"

"Yeah," Kalin said. "He keeps it on the nightstand."

"We always look for Eevee stuff because we know he likes it!" Scotch said.

"And you do too, don't you?" Kalin remarked.

"Yes! Eevees are so cute!" Scotch gushed.

Kalin had to smirk a bit. Scotch did not seem like someone who would coo over animals, and yet he absolutely was. Aside from Radley himself, he was probably the biggest animal lover of the Bunch.

Suddenly realizing something in the way Scotch had been speaking, he asked, "Are you trying to hint to me what else to get Radley?"

Caught, Scotch flushed. "Well . . . I was just throwing out suggestions," he said. "I mean, this is your first Christmas with us, and I wasn't sure how big you are on gift-giving. . . ."

Kalin shook his head, not sure he wanted to admit that he really had been struggling. "I think I know Radley pretty well by now, but thanks," he said. Then he frowned. Instead of being prideful, should he admit it, especially when Scotch was trying to be nice?

"Yeah, I guess you would," Scotch said, cutting into his thoughts. "Know him well, I mean."

Kalin smiled a bit. "I do, and yet it actually is hard to think of what to give someone who has everything and can get whatever else he wants."

Scotch relaxed, assured now that he hadn't overstepped his bounds. "Whatever you choose, it'll be good!" he insisted. "You might not know gifting, but you know Radley! You'll figure out the perfect things! The figures are great, so you're already on a roll!"

"At least that's something," Kalin said.

"It's everything!" Scotch said. "You know better what to get than I did on my first Christmas with Radley!"

"Do I dare ask?" Kalin grunted.

Before Scotch could reply, Nico and West appeared. "Kalin!" West beamed. "There's so much cool stuff here!"

Kalin had to smile. "There really is," he agreed.

"Is this your first time Christmas shopping?" Nico asked.

"No, but I've never been anywhere this nice to do it," Kalin said.

"We always had fun shopping!" West said. "But there's so many more stores here than we could visit before!"

"Yeah," Kalin said. "That's the same with me." He looked around at the store. "It's a good change."

"I hope there's more fun places after this!" West said.

"Knowing Scotch, there will be," Kalin said.

And Kalin was definitely right. Before it was time for the mall, they visited Target, Walmart, GameStop, and the party store Zurchers. Scotch found treasures everywhere and Kalin had the chance to see much Eevee merchandise. He found himself getting a bit of it for both Scotch and Radley. He had to admit the furry Pokemon was cute.

"This has been some adventure," Radley chuckled as Scotch wandered the aisles in Zurchers and looked at everything.

"Does Scotch ever wear out?" Kalin grunted.

"Not very often," Radley smirked. "He's having too much fun. And it looks like the kids are too." He pointed to where Nico and West were looking at supplies for Duel Monsters and Pokemon themed parties. Jordan was watching them with a fond smile.

"Scotch will probably want to have one of those parties, won't he?" Kalin said.

Scotch appeared and made a beeline for the Pokemon photoshoot props.

"Oh, you can count on it," Radley laughed.

By the time they all headed for the mall, Kalin was growing a bit nervous again. Yusei had assured him everything was okay with Martha, but Kalin still had to wonder if he would handle the conversation alright. How could there really be a good way to say he was sorry for the kinds of atrocities he had committed? Sorry could never be good enough for what he had done to Yusei . . . for what the Dark Signers in general had threatened to do to the Satellite . . . or for how Martha had been swallowed up in the shadows after her horrible fall.

"Are you alright?" Radley asked in concern.

Kalin sighed. "Yeah. . . . I just hope I'll do right by Martha. And by you."

"Hey. . . . It sounds like things are pretty good, according to Yusei," Radley said. "You'll do fine."

"I know I was a good speaker in the Enforcers, rallying the others to fight," Kalin said. "But I was never good at apologizing. I was too full of pride."

"You sure got through to me," Radley said kindly. "Your apologies and your love brought me back from the brink when I'd given up after Malcolm's men tortured me to death."

"Thank God for that," Kalin said.

It was difficult to find a parking spot at the mall, let alone enough for all of them. They had to take any spaces they could and then walk towards the mall to meet again. The eager crowd was gathered near the entrance, watching for Santa's helicopter. Scotch bounded over, claiming a spot at the front edge with the kids. The others swiftly followed, Radley keeping a hand on Kalin's shoulder so they wouldn't get separated.

"Do you see Yusei?" Kalin asked.

"I don't . . . wait, I see his hair," Radley chuckled. "I've never seen anyone else with hair like his. This way." He guided Kalin through the throng until Yusei became visible. All of Team 5Ds and Martha were with him.

Kalin drew a sharp intake of breath. This was it. He reached and clasped Radley's hand as they went over.

"Hey, Kalin, Radley," Yusei smiled. "Is everyone here?"

"Yeah," Kalin said. "Scotch has the others over there." He pointed to the end of the row.

"Great," Yusei said.

The others chorused greetings as well and Martha turned, smiling at Kalin. "Hello, Kalin," she said.

"Hello," Kalin said. This was definitely awkward, but he pressed on. "Martha, I am so sorry about everything. There's no excuse for everything I did, especially hurting Yusei."

"It shouldn't have happened," Martha said, and in her eyes Kalin saw the haunted horrors of that treacherous night, when Yusei had been brought in badly wounded from his fall during his first duel with Kalin. But she pushed it back and smiled as she continued, "I know you feel horrible about it. There's no sense being angry with you as you are now. You are not the same person who came after Yusei that night."

"No, I'm not," Kalin had to agree. "But I still did it. . . ."

"Now, that's all past," Martha said. "You're looking after a whole town and living a good life with this young man." She smiled at Radley too.

He smiled back. "Yes, I'm just crazy about him. The whole town is."

Kalin finally smiled also. "Martha, this is my friend and soulmate, Radley Ramon. Radley, this is a wonderful woman, Martha."

Radley shook Martha's hand. "I'm really glad to meet you," he said. "Kalin speaks so highly of you."

"I've heard many good things about you as well," Martha said.

"Oh? I'm flattered," Radley said honestly with a smile.

"Yusei has talked about how good you are for Kalin," Martha said.

That touched and humbled Radley. "I always try to be," he said.

"From what I see, I agree with Yusei," Martha said. "Kalin seems different than before, in good ways."

"He's certainly more open and affectionate than when I first met him," Radley said with a fond smile. "I'm quite loving the change."

"So am I," Kalin said as he curled his arm around Radley's waist.

The kids suddenly exclaimed with glee. "Santa's coming!"

Everyone came to attention as the helicopter—one of KaibaCorp's, of course—flew over the mall and came in for a landing. Santa stepped out with a jolly smile and happy waves, to a chorus of delighted children and big kids.

Kalin had to watch with a surprised smile. "This is magical," he said.

Radley smiled too. "I told you adults need Christmas magic too."

Kalin hugged him close. He could tell this would be an amazing Christmas season, one of many in his new life.

He was completely looking forward to it.