Title: Solitaire
Summary: Even the 'King of Games' has to lose sometimes…
Rating: PG
Characters: Yami no Yuugi, Yuugi Mutou
Pairings: None
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Yami has a body of his own; mild swearing.

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh! and all related characters are copyright to Kazuki Takahashi. I, the author, am making no profit or money from the posting of this fan-fiction. The inspiration for this fic came from Maiden of the Moon, but the plot is my own.

Author's Note: The first line of this fic came from Maiden of the Moon's collection of Puzzle-shipping drabbles. It sort of hit me in the face and I wrote this whole thing without realizing what I was doing. Credit goes to her for the inspiration.

Solitaire

"One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards."

There was nothing more amusing, Yuugi decided, than watching Yami lose to himself in solitaire. The King of Games lay on his stomach on the living room floor, immersed in a game of solitaire that even Kaiba would have given up on by now. The former pharaoh kept muttering "heart of the cards" before each draw, but it wasn't helping. Yuugi suppressed a giggle as Yami swore at the five of spades he had just pulled from the deck.

"Mou hitori no boku," Yuugi said quietly, making Yami jump a little, "why don't you just start over?"

A scowl crossed Yami's tanned face. "Because, aibou, I refuse to concede defeat."

Yuugi laughed at that. "Yami, you aren't playing against anyone…"

"That doesn't matter! I can't lose!"

Yuugi shook his head at the whiney tone of the other. "I highly doubt restarting a game of solitaire counts as losing, Yami. You sound like Jou at the arcade… you know, right before he spends all his money on that stupid racing game?"

Yami stuck his tongue out at Yuugi, choosing to draw again rather than respond to his jab. He hissed when he realized the card he drew was the seven of diamonds and therefore useless.

Yuugi chuckled as he turned back to the coffee table he was supposed to be cleaning. Grandpa had recently decided that Yuugi should help around the house; cooking, doing laundry, and cleaning. Though he felt sort of like a housewife, Yuugi helped without complaint. His grandpa couldn't do everything after all.

Yuugi rolled his eyes as a string of obscenities in both Japanese and Egyptian burst from his yami's mouth. "Good draw?" he asked sarcastically as he returned to his scrubbing.

"Not funny, aibou…" Yami snapped, too engrossed in his game to even look at his omote.

Finished with his polishing, Yuugi stood and stretched his back. "Yami-mine," he said sweetly, "Jou and Ryou will be here soon. Will you be coming with us or not?"

Yami's crimson eyes darkened as he glared at the jack of clubs in his hand. "No, aibou. I must finish this game…"

Yuugi sighed as he took the cleaning supplies into the kitchen to put away. He returned to the living room and watched with amusement as Yami went through the entire draw pile twice, not pulling a single card he could use but inventing several new insults as he violently drew cards.

Yuugi was about to "accidently" scatter the cards across the floor with his foot when a knock resounded through the house. His face brightened as he opened the door to reveal two of his best friends, Katsuya Jounouchi and Ryou Bakura.

"Hey guys!" he beamed. "Perfect timing! I thought I was going to die of boredom."

"That's not very nice, aibou!" Yami called from the floor. "I'm not that boring…"

"Hey, Yami!" Jounouchi greeted. "How are ya'?"

"Obsessed," Yuugi responded before Yami could.

"Aibou!"

"Well it's true! We're going to BurgerWorld and the arcade, if you decide to join us," Yuugi said as he pulled on his jacket and shoes. "I'll be home by seven otherwise. Don't try too hard on your game, mou hitori no boku…"

Yami grunted, concentrating again on his game.

"Bye!" Yuugi shouted before he closed and locked the front door.

"What's that about, Yuug'?" Jounouchi asked, jerking a thumb over his shoulder to indicate Yami and his card game.

Yuugi rolled his eyes. "I had to clean the house, and Yami was bored, so I told him to play solitaire. Now he refuses to start over, even though there's no chance he can win. He says he can't lose; something about being the King of Games. It's funny in a sort of pathetic way…"

Ryou shook his head. "He's taking his title to the extreme, but there is always a way to win at solitaire. You just have to play the cards right."

"Ryou's right," Jounouchi agreed. "Sometimes it's easier to start over though… Besides, Yami doesn't lose, like, ever…"

A devious grin formed on Yuugi's face. "He does today… I'd like to see him win without this," he said triumphantly, holding up a playing card.

Back at the Game Shop, Yami was seething as he glared at the cards in front of him. "Where in the name of Osiris is that Ra-damned ace of hearts?!"