Pairing: Yugi X Seto (Rivalshipping)

Warning: If you don't like yaoi then press the back button in the top left corner of your screen.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Only this plot.

A/N: So, again this was supposed to be a one shot but I always get carried away with typing! (I'm much better typing a story...) Let me know if you liked it so I know to update it! =)

Enjoy!

The silent tears that streamed down his cheeks only made him feel benumbed in the below freezing weather. The once green, lively park filled with beautiful white, purple, and blue Aster's along with the maple orange leaves of fall were gone. Now all that remained were bare trees with strangled limbs casted upwards at the clouded grey sky that dropped white flakes to the ground, they covered the grass, plants, benches, and pathways. Some had even landed on the small boy curled up on the hard wooden bench. That small boy happened to be Yugi Moto.

December had struck Domino city, bringing with it a snow storm. Now was the perfect time to cuddle up at home in front of the fireplace with a warm fuzzy blanket or lover to spend all day indoors. Yugi couldn't say he agreed. If anything he found sitting on a frozen bench in the middle of the snow covered park much better than being back at the game shop.

He use to not think that. He use to love being there, spending time with his best friend Joey playing video games all day until their brains rotted. Now things like that were just fond memories he could reply in his head when there was nothing else for him to do. When he thought of all the games and laughs he'd once played and had in that place his eyes filled with tears of sorrow and regret. Much like they were now, but the tears he cried now were of only sadness.

His life that had once been filled with love, fun, and care was now broken. Shattered into millions of pieces that could never be found again. The care may still reside along with his friends but Yugi could no longer feel it. He often felt cold, numb, and so alone. These things never would have described him a few short months ago but a lot can change for someone in that time. Sometimes good things happened like getting promoted at work, getting married, or maybe finally having enough money to move out of a ratty apartment. For Yugi nothing good had come from those months.

They drove him slowly down the road of the lonely and scared, it had happened so fast that it felt like the event that diminished his life happened yesterday or maybe a week ago. He knew that in fact it happened three months ago. When something tremendous happens in someone's life either it be good or bad you see them slowly change, but only for a short time until they are back to their normal selves. Yugi made that change, but didn't return to being his happy, go lucky self. His closest friends Joey, Tristan, and Tea didn't notice this change. Maybe it was because every time Yugi saw them he pretended to be fine. He pretended to be the old him. Plastering on a fake smile so that they didn't worry about him. He was glad they didn't know. He would hate to be a burden on his friends.

His friends knew that he was still a little shaken up from the past months with always starting the conversation like "How are you feeling Yugi?" or "Are you doing ok today Yugi?" At first these questions didn't bother him very much as he knew that his friends just cared for him, but after they were asked every single time Yugi's pretend smile came into play to reassure them he was "Never better." He hated lying to his friends but that was the only thing he could do at this point. He'd dug himself into a deep hole with no way to climb out unless he spilled his guts to all of them.

Yugi knew the speech "That's what friends are for." by heart since Tea was always preaching it to him. She was right, his friends were there for him if he needed them but sometimes things were better left unsaid. Though keeping his feelings to himself and when no one was around crying about them wasn't exactly a very ideal thing to do but what did it matter now anyways? Three months ago Yugi's grandpa had died of old age and it had killed him inside. Knowing that he was gone forever and never coming back was the most heart wrenching thing what could ever happen to him. He had thought that Atem's departure five years ago was bad but he had eventually come to terms with it a few weeks later.

This was different. His grandpa was his role model, the one who helped him with homework when he had been in high school and taught him so many great things. He had also given Yugi the puzzle which led him to meeting Atem, Joey, Tristan, Tea, and all the other people he knew today. Now with him gone the game shop felt like a prison. He almost hated it now, there were too many memories inside that place. So many times Yugi had considered selling it but something in his heart kept him from it. He knew he needed to move on and selling the game shop was the first step, but he couldn't.

Yugi couldn't let go of his grandpa. He refused too. So now three months later at the age twenty one, six days away from Christmas sat Yugi on a park bench crying over his deceased grandpa. How much more pathetic could he get? To make matters even worse for Yugi all his friends were gone for the holiday, off visiting cousins and relatives for Christmas. He was totally alone. He didn't want to call them in case he was interrupting time with their families so the only thing he could do was try to keep himself busy. Which as anyone could tell right now was not working out so well. Though tomorrow he had to get up at seven am for work at the local coffee shop that had hired him out of desperation. On countless occasions he'd been incredibly close to getting fired from mixing up orders, breaking one of the espresso machines, breaking mixing glasses, and sometimes falling asleep while on his shift.

The only reason he wasn't was because everyone else who had been applying for the job was way worse than him. They fell under either had a felony or too many tattoos and piercings. He'd only been employed there about five months but after his grandpa passed it was hard to focus on anything. Often times he would have to take early breaks to go into the bathroom to cry, it wasn't like he could help that his emotions always got the better of him. He always tried his best to forget about it as he worked but even his best efforts were in vein. He just couldn't get it off his mind.

When his grandpa died he felt like a part of him had died too. He suddenly started feeling so lonely. He'd often wake up in the middle of the night and begin to cry knowing that he was all alone in the game shop. His heart sometimes would clench and knot up so much that he could barely breathe and it scared him. He didn't know how much longer he could take living like this. Forever living in the memories of his grandpa, unable to move on with his life, and being sorrow stricken.

There was only one thing that made him smile anymore, besides cute puppy dogs. He knew that what made him smile would never return any of that feeling to him, but he couldn't help it. Something about his tall, thin structure made Yugi's heart beat a little faster and the deepness of his blue eyes always found a way to make that old smile return to his lips. This one person, the only person who could make him smile was cold, uncaring, cruel, egotistic, self centered, and emotionless but Yugi looked past all those things. He'd been so determined to find a way to go up and speak with him without it being strange but it always resorted to Yugi mindlessly gazing out the window as he passed by the coffee shop on his way to Kaiba Corporation where he was the CEO.

Not once had he walked inside or even looked at the coffee shop, he was so focused that his eyes barely strayed from his path ahead. One day Yugi had been outside sweeping when the brunette passed by him. Yugi's mouth had opened to say something but his voice instantly dried up and before he knew it the CEO was far out of ear shot. Every day Yugi worked he hoped that maybe by some slight chance he would come into the coffee shop to order something. Even speaking to him so briefly would make his week.

He knew that it would never happen though. He didn't know why he was so hung up on him when there would never be any sort of return of the emotions he felt towards the CEO. His life was dedicated to his machines and computers not to some stupid, short, pathetic excuse for a boy. He hated filling himself up with false hope that maybe he felt the same way or that maybe he would come in just to talk with Yugi.

Yugi was scared, scared to talk to him and become friends then with any luck something more to just have it taken away from him like his grandpa. He didn't know if he could bring anyone into his life anymore. He was afraid that if he fell too deep then something were to happened he'd be lost. He couldn't handle losing someone else, especially not the man he was in love with.

Love was such a strong word to Yugi, it meant so many things and he had always felt it many years ago when his friends and Atem were always there for him. Now it was gone. The love in his life just disappeared, it snapped in half just like his heart. He didn't know If he could truly say he was in love with Seto Kaiba when he no longer had it, but Yugi told himself that he loved him. He knew deep down that he did but he was unsure if to trust it. Love was like something he craved for yet wanted to stay away from, he wanted to feel love again but didn't want it to die. He wanted Seto to return his feelings but he also wanted him to keep them away.

To simplify this, his mind was split in two. One half wanted to bring love back into his life and wanted to start it with Seto then the other half wanted to keep love out so never to get hurt again. To make everything worse was that he was stuck in the middle, he felt for both sides but didn't know which one would make him happy again. Easily he could stay away from love and never become close to anyone the rest of his life but that wouldn't make him very happy. Then if he chose to return love he knew that if it was ripped away again that he wouldn't be able to handle it. Was the risk really worth it?

Yugi didn't know. He didn't know what to feel anymore or how to feel it. He almost felt like his life was over, like the rest of it would be spent alone. He didn't want that, but what else could he do? Eventually he'd drive his friends away with his constant sadness and like Seto would ever in a million years care for him. He hadn't even spoken to the man for five years, the last time Yugi recalled was after Atem was gone. Then that was it. Obviously Seto didn't feel anything towards him, he probably liked the separation from Yugi. He never liked him very much anyways. Yugi just wished, somewhere deep down in his cold heart that he did care for him, like him, or even just want to speak with him again. Maybe he might even love him, but that was almost going too far because Yugi knew that it wasn't true. He knew Seto would never love him, he didn't love anything.

Yugi slowly sat up on the iced over bench, he rose up his hands seeing the tips of his fingers were turning blue. If he stayed out here any longer then he'd get hypothermia. He sluggishly rose off the bench, hearing the snow crunch under his shoes. Yugi wiped his eyes as best he could from the tears he'd shed then started his journey to another harsh night of loneliness.

xXxXx

He had stuffed his hands into the pockets of his grey coat to keep them from freezing anymore while his legs brought him closer to the game shop. He stared at the snow covered ground as he walked, not wanting to lay eyes on anything that could make him begin to sob again. His heart felt so empty like he'd never be happy again, like this was destined to be the rest of his life. Walking back and forth to work in the morning and the still, lifeless game shop he once loved. He wanted to bring those times back when he was carefree and playing his favorite game, Duel monsters.

Yugi couldn't even look at his deck now. There were too many memories, his grandpa had given him most of the cards in his deck. He felt like It was just yesterday he was dueling to save his grandpa from Pegasus and now all together he was gone. He had told himself many times that his grandpa was in a better place now but he couldn't really make himself believe that. How did he really know if he was? It's not like his grandpa could send him a postcard from where ever he was at.

Why couldn't he just let go? Why wouldn't his heart let him? His grandpa had meant the world to him, he was the last of any living relatives he had and the only one who was really always there for him, like to make him feel better when he had a rough day at school. Atem had helped him a lot when he was with him but after he was gone his grandpa had taken over and now there wasn't anyone to help him, to make him laugh or smile. The things that had once made him happy no longer did, they lost their meaning and luster and now Yugi didn't even know why he had them anymore but he couldn't part with them because of the memories they held.

Yugi finally looked up from the ground to the snow coated game shop, he could see some spots on the game shop were still snow free like the sides and some patches on the roof. While he approached it his eyes gazed over it, and it was almost instantly that he felt his eyes brim with more tears. tonight was just going to be like every other night, he would cry himself to sleep then wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare or because he felt tears streaming down his cheeks and have to repeat the process of crying himself to sleep. Then in the morning get up at six am to get ready and leave for work. He did the same thing every day except the Saturday's and Sunday's he had off which were spent doing things like he'd done today. Staying away from the game shop even if it meant freezing outside.

Even with his job he didn't get paid enough to be able to pay all of the bills for water and electricity, he even took the longest shifts and that still wasn't enough money. Not to mention the bill for just living there always took half of his pay. Often times he had to skip out on meals just so he could save money, it was a sad life but it was what he had to do to keep the shop. His friends had no idea of his financial standings and he didn't want them to know. If they did they were sure to help but Yugi didn't want them too. He wanted to make his own money and be able to pay for himself, not have his friends do it for him.

When he was in front of the frosted over door he grabbed the key from his pocket and slowly brought it out to unlock the door. Once opened he quickly walked inside and almost slammed the door behind him. The game shop was no longer really a game shop, he'd closed it once his grandpa had died. He'd left everything exactly how his grandpa had and didn't plan on changing anything about it. After he locked the door behind him he strode lazily over to the counter and placed the key down on it then moved to the stairs and trekked up them. Once he'd made it through the silent halls into his room he tore off his coat throwing it onto the floor, if he ever felt in the mood he'd pick it up to put it away. Yugi fell down on his bed and laid there with his face stuffed in his pillow to hush his cries of sadness. Without looking he pulled his shoes off, tossing them somewhere random. He grabbed the comforter from underneath him to pull up over his body.

Yugi didn't feel like changing into anything more comfortable, he was going to end up waking up in a few more hours anyways. He didn't even look to see what time it was when he came in, he didn't need to know it. When his alarm clock went off was when he'd get up and go to work even if that was thirteen hours later.

xXxXx

*Beep, Beep, Beep!*

*Beep, Beep, Be-!*

Yugi hit his annoying alarm to shut it up as he slowly opened his eyes from a totally sleepless night. Not once had he fallen asleep, the tears in his eyes hadn't let up all night until about four am. He was incredibly tired but he had to get up. Missing a day of work wouldn't help him at all it would only put him in more jeopardy of losing this place. Yugi carelessly shoved away the comforter around him and got resentfully out of bed slowly so his muscles could wake up. When on his feet he walked to his wooden wardrobe, ignoring the cracking noise's his feet were making from being just woken up. He pulled it open to grab a pair of black pair of jeans and a white button up shirt, he didn't have a uniform for work only a black apron that he kept at work and took home when it needed to be washed.

He left the wardrobe open since he'd be coming back to it, Yugi walked out of his room to the small bathroom located a little farther down the hall. He walked inside it, turned on the lights and squinted since his eyes were adjusted to darkness still. After some time his eyes could see clearly enough to place his clothes down on the counter he then walked over to the tub, got down on his knees to screw closed the bathtub drain. Once done he grabbed hold of the warm water valve to turn it so that water was now rushing out of the faucet, it would take a few minutes for the water to fill up half the tub so he took his time heading back to his room.

When in his room again Yugi walked back to the open wardrobe to grab a pair of boxers and socks. This time he closed it once he had the clothing and returned to the bathroom. He didn't close the bathroom door all the way since he was the only one here, he tossed his boxers and socks to his other clothing items he then slowly stripped himself of his clothes, placing them on the closed toilet seat. Yugi came in front of the tub, the water wasn't half way up yet but he couldn't be late for work so he stuck his foot in the warm water the feel tingled up his spine, almost actually making him feel a little relaxed. Yugi then got into the tub and slowly slid down into it, the warm water on his skin was nice but he still felt cold inside.

Yugi sighed as he reached for the soap and started to scrub himself, finding it a little tedious since he just wanted this to be over with. He did enjoy baths and showers, it was nice to be clean but it was the effect they had on you. Normally it would be nice to be able to get away from everyone else and have some time alone like how most people think when taking a shower or bath, but to Yugi it only made him remember how alone he was. How alone he'd been for three months. He already spent most of his time in his head anyways he didn't really like anymore. Luckily most of his baths or shower were very quick since he was in a rush to get done before six forty which was when he left to head to work. So he was more focused on what he was doing then thinking about anything.

xXxXx

After his bath and dressing he was back in his room at six thirty-five putting on his black and white sneakers. Once slipped on and tied he grabbed his wallet from his desk, stuffing it into his back pocket. He normally would buy something at the coffee shop to eat if he didn't feel like making something for himself. Before leaving he put on his black choker, black studded belt, a dark grey scarf and the warmest coat he had which was just as grey as his scarf. He quickly glanced out the window in front of his desk seeing the window seal outside lined with snow, the flurries were still falling from the sky covering the sidewalks and roads below.

Yugi backed away from the window and exited his room. He walked down stairs into the once was shop, grabbing the key on his way to the door. He unlocked the front door and walked out into the below twenty snowy weather. After locking the door behind him he began his walk towards the coffee shop that was at least ten minutes away, since he was walking so fast it might only take six or seven. He may have been wearing his warmest coat but he was still freezing cold.

The snowflakes as he walked landed on him and melted very quickly, but if they touched the ground they unnoticeably started to build up until there was at least four inches of snow on the ground. Snow use to be one of his favorite things, last year he'd spent all the snow days with Joey going around and pelting people they knew with unexpected snowballs. Yugi remembered one time Joey had hit Mai in the face with a snowball and it melted all of her makeup off. They'd laughed about it forever until Mai came over and slapped Joey for it. Then another time him and Joey had gotten Tristan right as he got out of his car, they'd had to run almost three blocks just to get away from him. Yugi missed those simple things, he'd probably never do anything like that again.

Something else that he was dreading was Christmas. If he said that to someone else they would probably think he was insane, but it was true. He didn't want to think about how almost everyone else would be spending it with their families and Yugi would be all alone probably trying to sleep all day so he could avoid the tears that would inevitability come.

Yugi tried to walk a little faster as he started passing shops with sale signs saying that they were "30% off everything" obviously to attract the Christmas shoppers. He didn't plan on doing anything like that. He would if he only had the money to. He'd love to be able to go out and shop for his friends but he had to put all the money he earned to the bills. Even though he could barely pay them as it is. Maybe he'd get lucky and his boss would raise his pay or give him some kind of bonus for the holiday. Lately Yugi hadn't been that lucky though. He was going to feel so horrible when his friends would come back and they'd all have presents for him but he would have nothing for them in return.

He didn't know what he was going to do if he couldn't pay for the game shop anymore. He'd feel like a burden if he asked to move in with Joey or Tristan even though they'd probably let him. He did have his high school diploma but he didn't plan and really doing anything with it, he didn't really want a job in the first place but who did? Unless it was being an artist. All during his high school years he didn't know what he wanted to do and he still didn't. There was just nothing that interested him. His grandpa use to ask him about it all the time but Yugi always said the same thing. "No idea."

Yugi now saw the coffee shop in his view, it wasn't anything fancy but it gave you a comfortable feel which was what they were supposed to do. They didn't open until seven thirty but he had to show up early to help set up a little bit, most was already done when he got there so if he was lucky he wouldn't have to at all. The shop was painted chocolate brown with green olive looking drapes that hung on the other side of the windows. With the weather so cold it was always when they had the best business, everyone was coming it to get cups of coffee or hot chocolate. At first Yugi's shift required him to make it but his manager quickly learned that he was no good at it. So that was why he was on the cash register now.

After passing a few more shops and crossing the street he was pushing open the door to the coffee shop, the normal chime of the bell came and he walked into the shop. He always had enjoyed this place, it was the perfect place to work. There were six tables with two or three chairs at each, some had a newspaper on it, others had small incased candles. There was always the smell of cinnamon in the air as soon as you walked in, it had been stronger lately due to how many people wanted lattés and coffee with cinnamon in them. The walls were painted the same color as outside and the floor was light hard wood. The counter was in the back and stretched from one side of the wall to the other, behind it was the coffee machines, the supplies to make the coffee, some breakfast foods like bagels, the cash register, and an open doorway that led to the backroom.

Yugi walked past the tables and to the counter, he went past the push away entrance and right as he turned almost fell over someone who was putting sugar, vanilla, and chocolate filled containers into the cabinet.

They looked at him and smiled. "Good morning Yugi-san!"

"Morning Shou." Yugi replied back to the younger. He was about eighteen and had started working at the coffee shop about a month ago. He was really good with machines so he was always the one making the coffee's plus he learned extremely fast. You could tell him how to do something and he would get it done without even asking any questions. He was about 5'5 which was a few inches taller than Yugi, he was very pale with white hair that had red streaks in it. Most of his bangs covered his eyes so most couldn't tell they were grey. He was very nice, Yugi never had a problem with him but he could be very teasing without even realizing it. Sometimes things would just get out of hand.

He continued putting things away as Yugi walked around him. "Buying from here again?" He questioned.

"Yeah." Yugi said while grabbing a bagel from one of the baskets on the counter then pulling his wallet out of his back pocket to put two dollars into the cash register. Yugi put his wallet back then turned to walk into the backroom. He had to go past many boxes of supplies before getting to the door that was where most of the employs waited before working hours. He walked in and was surprised not to see anyone in it, him and Shou must be the only ones working today. This room was kind of just like a break room expect it looked almost more like a living room. The walls were painted a light brown and the carpet was beige, there were two brown leather couches sitting in front of each other and a glass coffee table was in the middle. There was a door on the other side of the room that led to the bathroom and on the left side of the room was a small kitchen where most had their lunch breaks.

Yugi walked to the coffee table and put his bagel down, he then went back to the door which next to it had about eight hooks. The hooks each had a black apron with a name tag on it. Yugi saw that all of them were still there expect Shou's. Yugi took down his apron and took it over to the couch, he tossed it down then removed his warm coat that felt like it was strangling him now and the grey scarf around his neck. He placed them on the hook where his apron had been then back to the couch, grabbing the black cloth, tying the first part around his lower back then throwing the other part over his head. When he had it on, Yugi smoothed it out and picked what looked like cookie crumbs off of it, probably from Friday when it seemed every single person that came in wanted a cookie.

He sat down on the couch to take the bagel in his hands, he unwrapped it from the plastic wrap and began to take steady bites of it. He laid back on the couch and tried his best to hope that today would be a good day. What he mostly looked forward to when coming to work was being able to gaze out the window at about eight and see the attractive brunette walk by. Maybe that was the real reason he even got up to come here. Just to get about a five second glimpse of him walk by and hope that maybe one of these days he would come in. He knew it wouldn't happen but it never hurt to hope.

The door to the break room opened and Shou popped his head in. "Hey… Do you mind opening without me? I just realized that I left the stove on at my place and I rather not have another explosion…" He asked. Giving Yugi an sheepish expression.

"No I don't mind. Just hurry back please, you know I can barely make coffee and this place is a mad house by nine." Yugi told him while taking a bite of his bagel.

Shou nodded. "Arigato Yugi-san, I will try to hurry!" He was then gone before Yugi could say anything more.

Yugi hoped that he wasn't gone too long so no one came in and wanted coffee or they'd be here awhile. Yugi did know how to make it but the machines didn't like him very much.

Suddenly the door opened again and Shou was back, obviously he hadn't already gone back home. "I forgot to ask, could you finish sorting the sugar, chocolate, and vanilla boxes out there? I've gotten most of them done." He asked politely.

"Sure." Yugi said, giving him one of his now famous fake smiles.

Shou smiled back then left.

Yugi took the next four or five minutes to finish his bagel and throw away the plastic wrap in the trash. He exited the break room, walked through the backroom, and into the coffee shop. He looked to the small boxes Shou had been putting away, noticing that there were about fifteen left to store. Yugi glanced to the clock right above the door, seeing as it was seven twenty-five it wouldn't hurt to open five minutes early. He wanted to do it now so that he wouldn't forget to turn the open sign on. He walked past the counter entrance to the door, next to it were three switches two of them turned on the lights that had already been on when Yugi walked in, the third turned the red closed sign to the green and open. He simply flipped the switch and the color instantly changed.

He walked back behind the counter and sat down on the floor where Shou had been sitting a few minutes before. He then picked up the first small box and read it, the side said "Sugar." Yugi looked into the cabinet and saw on the left side the stacked little containers that all said sugar. He placed the box with them then grabbed the next one, read it, and placed it where it needed to be.

After a good ten minutes of doing that Yugi had accidentally knocked over all the vanilla boxes and was putting them back when he heard someone come into the shop, it was either Shou or a costumer. He really hoped it was Shou. When the service bell on the counter rung Yugi mentally sighed, so it was a customer.

"I'll be right with you." Yugi said while stacking the boxes as quickly as he could.

When he heard them start to tap their foot impatiently Yugi felt a little pressured to hurry up and finish. He soon just shoved the boxes in and closed the cabinet doors, he heard them tumble around inside but he couldn't worry about it much right now. He clearly had an impatient costumer. Yugi stood up and wiped his hands off on his apron, having gotten some sugar on him. He walked in front of the counter and looked up at the costumer.

"What would you…" Yugi trailed as he saw who was standing on the other side of the counter. He had to be dreaming. This wasn't actually happening was it? The CEO, Seto Kaiba was standing before him looking clearly in a hurry. His eyes narrowed for a moment while gazing at Yugi but quickly returned to the look of impatience. Yugi instantly felt his mouth dry up, he didn't remember how stunningly handsome he was until he was staring at him. By the look on his face he barely even seemed to care that Yugi was standing before him, but he couldn't let that discourage him. This had to be some sort of sign. Everyday Seto walked by this place and not once had he come in, but here he was. Standing before Yugi who was too dumbstruck to continue on with his sentence.

When he growled out of frustration and turned to leave Yugi quickly shook his head to snap him back into reality. "Wait! I'm sorry… it's just been such a long time since I've seen you." Yugi almost shouted at him.

Seto stopped. Yugi thought that he was just going to leave but he turned his head to look at Yugi out of the corner of his eye. "I want a vanilla coffee in less than five minutes." He stated while moving to sit down at one of the tables and placing his silver brief case down on top of the table.

Yugi nodded at him the turned and stared at the coffee machine. He was now faced with a problem, he didn't remember how to make one. The pressure on him and his crush walking in and demanding coffee from him was so much that it wiped his brain of how to make coffee. He really wished that Shou was here. He hit his head a few times in some kind of hope that it would help him remember.

After about five hits on the head he felt it start to come back to him. Yugi dashed to the cabinet and opened it, remembering that Seto had asked for a vanilla coffee. Luckily he'd been stacking them earlier or he wouldn't of known where they were. When all the boxes spilled out onto him he really regretted just shoving them inside. He was now covered in sugar, vanilla, and chocolate powder. Yugi just did his best to try and ignore it as he searched the for a box that was half decent enough to use. Luckily after a few seconds he was able to find one.

"Is there Wi-Fi?" Seto asked impatiently.

"Uh… Yeah I think so." Yugi replied back. Mentally hitting himself for how stupid he sounded.

Yugi stood up and did his best to brush away all the powders on him, he glanced up for a mere second and was a little relived to see that Seto wasn't looking at him. Instead at the laptop that was now in front of him. Yugi gazed back down at the box of vanilla in his hands and sighed. Now what?

xXxXx

Yugi had finally figured out how to make a cup of coffee after finding the recipe for it stuck inside one of the crowded cabinets. He hadn't been looking at the clock at all but he was proud to say that he was able to make it in under five minutes. He quickly brought it over to Seto, his heart beating so fast that he wouldn't be surprised if it burst out of his chest. When standing next to him he stared at his face longingly, if only he knew how Yugi felt about him then maybe he'd feel the same way.

Seto barely even glanced at Yugi when he held out his hand for the coffee.

Yugi was so nervous as he held out his hands to place the coffee in his hand, He tried to keep from shaking but it was so hard. Seto was so handsome, Yugi felt like he was about to melt any second.

He then did the stupidest thing ever.

Yugi dropped the coffee before he got to Seto's hand, causing it to hit the table and break. The coffee spilled all over the table and hit Seto's laptop, it sparked then the screen went black. Yugi's eyes instantly widened when he realized what he had just done.

"Kaiba! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" Yugi cried. Seeing as the CEO's face changed from emotionless to furious, Yugi stepped back slightly having a feeling he was about to receive his wrath. He felt absolutely horrible that he had just ruined Seto's laptop and whatever he could have been working on was now gone.

Seto looked to Yugi with blazing enraged eyes. His fist's bundled as he stood up from the chair and looked like he was about to strangle Yugi. "You… You stupid, insolent, brat! Look what you've done to my laptop! The software I was working on is now destroyed!" He snarled furiously at the cowering Yugi.

"I-I'm… sorry… I didn't mean too…" Yugi felt tears well in his eyes as he stared at the angered face of the brunette. Why didn't Seto understand that he hadn't meant too?

Seto growled loudly while closing the coffee stained laptop and tossing it carelessly into his brief case on the floor and stomping it closed with his foot. He then picked it up off the ground and gave Yugi a heartless glare. "Your just as pathetic as I remember you being." With that he turned and left without looking back or saying another word.

When the door closed Yugi continued to stare at it like Seto would come back and apologize for everything he said, but he wasn't. Seto didn't apologize to anyone. He felt the tears that had welled in his eyes start to fall as his body crumpled under the sorrow of being yelled at by someone he thought he loved. What had he been thinking? Why did he even like him in the first place? Yugi wished he knew the answers to those questions, but something Seto said was true. He was pathetic. He always had been and it took one mistake to show it. Yugi squeezed his eyes shut as more tears fell from his red rimmed eyes, when he opened them a loud whimper and gasp for breath escaped his lips.

As fast as he could he ran back to the counter, through the backroom, and in the break room. He then collapsed onto the couch as his body shook in pain. Why couldn't anything in his life go right anymore? First Atem leaving, then his grandpa dying, and now being yelled at and hated by the only person who could make him feel like himself again. The sign of Seto walking into the shop in the first place was clear now, him and Seto were never meant to be. Yugi would forever be alone. The sadness he felt right now was almost too unbearable to contain, he just wanted to crawl in a hole and slowly die. That was obviously his destiny and he should just embrace it.

There was so much water in his eyes he couldn't see straight anymore. The things in front of him were just blurry shapes, over his cries of aguish he almost didn't hear Shou walk in.

"Yugi-san! What's wrong!" He asked worriedly while coming over to the couch and kneeling down in front of it.

Yugi turned away from him, not wanting Shou to see him cry. Not like it matter though, it wasn't like he couldn't hear it. Every time he took a breath his breathing hitched in his chest and felt like he was suffocating.

"Talk to me, I want to help." He said while placing a gentle hand on Yugi's back.

Right now Shou was reminding Yugi so much of Atem, he would be doing the exact same thing if he saw Yugi crying. This fact just made everything so much worse. His tears streamed faster down his cheeks and he clenched his hands together while another whimper found its way past his lips.

"Please Yugi-san. Talking always makes me feel better when I'm upset." He reassured him.

"I-I... did something so… stupid.. and- and now it's over…" Yugi breathed out while another pain filled sob coursed through his veins.

"What? Did you break one of the coffee machines? Because I'd be ok with taking the blame for it so you don't lose your job." He told Yugi. Sounding completely honest.

"No… I didn't b-break a machine… I made someone I thought I loved… hate me!" Yugi cried out the last part, feeling it tear into his heart. If Seto didn't hate Yugi before then he sure as hell hated him now, he would probably never speak to him again. Yugi felt like such an idiot or In Seto's words he was a stupid, insolent, brat.

"What happened? Have a fight with a boyfriend?" He questioned. Sounding even more worried. Shou was aware of Yugi's sexual orientation since he was also the same as Yugi.

"This guy… I really, really like came in… and asked me to make him a cup of coffee… but instead I just ruin his laptop and he calls me a stupid, insolent brat!" Yugi shuttered at the heart wrenching things that had left his mouth. They almost sounded worse when he said them.

"Yugi-san… that doesn't sound like someone you should be going after…" Shou advised a little wearily.

"I k-know… but I can't help it! I just… I love him Shou…" Yugi admitted. Even after those hurtful things Seto said and all of this forlorn crying Yugi knew that deep down he still was in love with Seto and he knew exactly why.

"But, if he's saying such mean things to you then how could you still love him? I know that if my boyfriend ever said those things to me I'd probably never want to see him again…" Shout said a little sadly. Like thinking about it happening hurt him.

"He's the only one who can make me smile anymore. He's the reason I get up and come here… Just so I can get a glimpse of him. We may have been rivals years ago… But I don't want to be anymore, I want him to love me…" Yugi's breath hitched many times while he spoke but those things needed to be said because they were the truth. He was finally spilling his heart to someone. Even if he didn't know them for very long and it felt sort of good. Yugi sat up and wiped his eyes while Shou looked at him intently. "I feel like he's my last chance at being happy… But I might have ruined it…"

"Could I ask who we're talking about? Maybe I know him." Shou said while moving to sit next to Yugi on the couch.

Yugi turned more towards Shou, his tears were subsided for the moment. "You know him, everyone knows him." Yugi said as he sniffled a little bit. "His name is Seto Kaiba."

Shou took on a look of surprise. "Him! I thought you two were rivals?" Shou said sounding just as surprised as his face looked.

"Yeah… years ago, but I don't want to be his rival." Yugi told him again.

"Mmm… Well Yugi-san, I don't really know what to say. I would think him being a pretty hard guy to get along with. I can tell you now not to expect him come knocking on your door with flowers saying he's sorry." He suddenly put a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "But I don't want you to give up. If you think he's the one then you should keep in mind that he's just good at throwing insults but I'm sure if you can manage past that you'll be where you want to be." He reassured him.

Yugi almost smiled at that. Shou was right, he shouldn't give up. "Thank you Shou. I won't give up on him." He said.

Shou removed his hand off Yugi's shoulder. "Great!" He said while standing up, then looking between the door and Yugi. "You look pretty worn out, how about I take over your shift for today?" He asked while going over to the door.

"You don't have to do that." Yugi said. Even though it would be kind of nice to sleep in the break room since he didn't get any sleep last night.

"Yes I do. You look like your about to pass out, it's no trouble! I can work the cash register and coffee machines faster than anyone." Shou stated.

That was true, Shou was the fastest when it came to making coffee and taking orders at the same time. He could probably work without needing any help. "Alright… Thank you." Yugi told him.

Shou nodded. "Of course Yugi-san!" He opened the door, about to leave when he faced Yugi again. "Is there anything you want?" He questioned curiously.

"Hmmm… Tea?" He asked a little sheepishly.

Shou chuckled. "Green?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, I'll get it once I clean up a few mess's and help the costumers." He said while heading out the door.

"Oh wait!" Yugi called to him.

Shou turned back towards Yugi and rose an eyebrow.

"I noticed that no one else has showed up, were we the only ones that had shifts today?" Yugi asked curiously.

He frowned slightly. "Oh yeah. Mr. Watanabe told me last night that me and you would be having to work a little longer but we'll get extra pay. Everyone else is out of town for Christmas and we were the only ones who weren't." He said while then smiling slightly. "But you don't have to worry about it! I'll work your shift and you can just relax back here."

"Are you sure…? If you want you could take some of my pay." Yugi said even though the extra money would really help him. He didn't want to be rude and plus he wasn't even really earning it.

"No! I don't mind at all. You need the rest Yugi-san I can tell." Shou explained while then exiting the room before Yugi could say anymore.

Yugi let out a huge sigh of relief. Shou had no idea how grateful Yugi was to him right now. After everything that's happened today he could use time to attempt to relax without thinking about his grandpa or Seto. He'd cried enough for the past three months, he needed just one day where he could try to be happy or have something good happen to him. So far today hadn't been very great, but he felt like it was turning around. Shou was being very understanding and kind about his feelings and offering to take over his shift was something he never thought the teen would do.

He knew that Shou probably had more of a life then he did. What Yugi had heard was that he had a boyfriend, which Yugi couldn't help but feel a little jealous over. Obviously he rather come home and not be dead tired from working the register and machines and be able to spend time with his boyfriend without falling asleep. Yugi now felt like he had been wrong about saying that Shou was teasing. He remembered when the teen had started working here he was always playing jokes on everyone, one of them getting someone fired. He never thought that he would be doing such kind things for him like taking over his shift without some of Yugi's extra pay or listen to him while he cried. Maybe he wasn't really as alone as he thought before, maybe friends were just right under his noise but he never stopped to realize it.

After about fifteen minutes of Yugi processing thoughts Shou came back in with a white cup, the smell of the tea instantly wafted into the air.

Yugi looked to Shou who placed the tea on the coffee table then smiled at Yugi. "Still doing ok? If you want you could go home, I won't tell Mr. Watanabe." He said with a wink.

"I couldn't leave you here alone. I'd feel bad." He also didn't want to go home to the empty game shop. He enjoyed being around others or at least being able to hear them.

Shou chuckled. "I wouldn't be alone! The costumers always keep me company by complaining on how their coffee is cold or it was so hot it burnt their tongue blah, blah, blah…" He rolled his eyes after his sentence.

"I still think I'll stay here, it's better than home." Yugi admitted while picking up the cup from the table and nodded a silent thank you to Shou.

"Alright… If your sure…" He trailed while walking backwards to the door. Before leaving his eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Yugi-san! I almost forgot to ask!" He was suddenly sitting next to Yugi so fast he couldn't even blink twice.

Yugi took a small sip of the tea, it was perfect. Not too hot or cold and tasted amazing like always. "What?" Yugi asked as he turned slightly towards the all of a sudden over excited white haired boy.

"Are you going to the Christmas festival tonight? I hear it's supposed to be better than the last few years!" Shou almost shouted at Yugi. You could barely see his grey eyes shimmer behind the wild bangs of white and red that covered most of his eyes.

Yugi hadn't even been aware there was one. He'd never heard of it so he shook his head slowly. "No. To be honest I didn't even know there was one."

Shou gasped. "You didn't! How could you not! They set up the most amazing Christmas lights all over the park, not very many people show up since it's a little late but it's worth the trip. Every year they crease to amaze me with how much effort they put into making it so festive."

"Wow. That sounds really cool, what time does it start?" Yugi took another small sip of tea while his eyes trained on Shou.

"Right when we get off. Eight pm." He said while scooting a little bit off the seat. "I've been going there every year with my boyfriend and we love it. The volunteers are all so nice, but you gotta be careful when walking around…" Shou trailed while a smile creeped on his lips. "They tend to always find a way to put you under the mistletoe with your lover… it's sure happened to me a few times." He said with a small laugh.

"What happens if your alone?" Yugi questioned. He didn't want to go there if he did and end up having to kiss some stranger.

Shou shrugged. "Not sure. I've never been alone or seen anyone alone when I went. I think they only go for the couples."

"Mmm. That makes sense." Yugi said as his eyes fell down into his tea. What he wouldn't give to go to something like that with Seto and get lucky enough to kiss him. That was not going to happen though. Probably never, Seto hated Yugi now. He would be lucky to ever talk to him again.

"Yeah…" He trailed while standing up. "Well I better get back to the counter, I've been lucky. So far there haven't been very many customers, but there the complainers." He said while flashing Yugi a smile then quickly exiting the break room.

Yugi thought over everything Shou said, maybe on his walk home he could check the festival out. With the description Shou had given him it sounded like a fun place to go for a little Christmas spirit. He still couldn't believe he'd never heard of it, maybe it was new. Though he had said that him and his boyfriend go there every year so that must mean that it wasn't that new. Maybe just a few years old. The only thing he was worried about was the mistletoe thing, he didn't want to kiss anyone. Unless it was a certain tall brunette.

He sighed while some of the steam from the tea blew into his face. He didn't know what he was going to do about Seto. If he didn't work out what happened then he'd feel horrible for the rest of his life. He needed to know how Yugi felt about him, even if he just laughed. Sometimes you had to take risks even if it would most likely end in embarrassment and humiliation.