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Judai tapped his foot against the ground idly, drumming his fingers against the steaming coffee mug. He sat back in his chair and glared, poised and ready to strike, though a definite weariness was creeping into his eyes.
"You know, we can just go to bed anytime," Johan called to him from the other side of the room, absent-mindedly turning a bauble over and over in his hands before placing it back on the small red-dorm tree.
"Oh no, not a chance," Judai said with a grin. "this year I am going to be right here when Santa comes down that chimney." He motioned to the fireplace, or rather, the old wood-burning stove that had once served to heat the dorm building.
"You know," Johan told him, walking over and putting a reassuring hand on Judai's shoulder, "most people say that if you stay awake and try and spot Santa, he won't ever arrive."
"Aha, but they didn't have the determination, the spirit and most importantly the coffee supply that I do."
Johan sighed, "Not that there is much coffee in there. I think your mixing is about 90% sugar at this point."
"Sugar helps me focus." Judai said, taking a sip from the mug, his eye twitching ever so slightly.
Johan nodded and smiled, heading over to the window and looking out at the night sky. "Why exactly are you waiting up for him, though? He might not give you your gifts if he finds you awake, you know?"
"Oh it's not the gifts on my mind right now," Judai chuckled darkly. He reached down to the side of his chair and picked up his duel disk, patting it gently. "I'm going to duel Santa Claus."
Johan closed his eyes, turning the thought over in his mind, letting the smile linger on his face for a little while.
"And what makes you think that Santa Claus knows how to play Duel Monsters?"
"Look at all the duellists we've faced in the past, Johan." Judai was nodding to himself as though it were the most sensible thing in the world. "Ancient pharaohs, vampires, tiger-spirits. Does a big red man in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer really seem that out of the ordinary? He's a duellist, mark my words."
"That does make it seem rather more plausible, you've got me there."
The two waited in silence for a while, Judai with his eyes fixed forwards, Johan glancing up at the clouds overhead, silently wishing for snow.
"You know, back home he doesn't come down the chimney." Johan said.
"How does he get in then?"
"Through the front door. He goes from house to house in a big cloak and drops off gifts to each family."
"No flying reindeer?"
"Nope, goes on foot."
"Then how does he get everywhere in one night?"
"The magic of Jul." Johan tapped his nose and winked back to his companion. "Of course, back in North Academy there were a few different variations on the whole thing. Some of us were raised on Christmas Gnomes, or Christmas Man. I remember one of the instructors telling us about the Christmas Goat."
"Like a half-goat-half-santa?"
"It's a," Johan struggled to find the words. "It's a long story. Probably best suited for tomorrow when I've had my sleep."
"What time is it anyway?"
Johan checked his watch. "Late. Still not midnight though."
"Does he have to be here before midnight?"
Johan looked confused for a moment. "Hmm? No, it's just that, you know, growing up it was always the 24th that was the big day. Have the big meal, open the presents. We'd all sit around the tree and wait for the bells to start ringing." He smiled, but his face betrayed a little sadness as he turned back to the window.
"Homesick?" Judai asked, setting his empty mug down.
"Maybe a little."
"Well, how about this. Next year, we'll go to North Academy." Judai had that breathless excitement in his voice that seemed to come with every one of his plans and schemes recently. "I think it'd be good to see the season from your side."
Johan looked to his companion, and the pure earnest look of delight on his face. He nodded, feeling a rise of warmth to his cheeks.
"I'd like that." He said quietly, walking past Judai's chair and giving him another pat on the head as he passed. "But for now, I really need to get my sleep. Do me a favour and don't come to bed too late? And go easy on Santa. He's run off his feet tonight and probably needs a win."
"No promises." Judai announced, filling his mug from the thermos at his side.
Johan chuckled and left.
~
Judai wasn't sure how long he had been asleep for, or even what time it was. A panicked glance out of the window told him that it was still dark, and he could feel the cold despite the many blankets covering him. He looked about himself, but saw no tell-tale signs that his target had entered or exited the building, and he settled back in the chair with a quiet sigh.
He had let himself get too comfortable. He'd taken his eye off the prize. He wouldn't be letting that happen again. He reached for another coffee thermos, the third one of the night, pausing at the strange sound from outside.
Heavy booted footsteps, leading up to the door to the dorm building. They stopped, and a gentle rapping on the door made Judai explode out from his seat. He rushed across the room and flung the door open, revealing a large figure in all red gear. White fur lined the outfit, and a red hat topped a face that was practically covered by a vast white beard.
"Santa?"
"HoHoHo!" The jolly figure announced in a strangely familiar voice. "I heard that there's a young'un here that wants to duel me!"
Judai stood with his mouth agape for a moment before coming to his senses, lifting up his duel disk and grinning.
"And what do you want as your prize for winning?" Santa asked him, hands planted on his hips, his own duel disk ready to go.
"Prize?" Judai raised his eyebrow, "Oh no, this is all about bragging rights! Can you imagine the look on Manjoume's face when I tell him I beat Santa in a duel?"
"HoHo... Ho?" Santa sounded a little perplexed. "Surely there's something you'd want as a prize? Anything at all?"
Judai thought it over for a moment, lightly bouncing on the spot, partly out of excitement and partly to keep the cold at bay.
"Ok, there is one thing you can do." Judai grinned, nodding up at the clouds overhead. "You can make it snow."
"Snow?"
"Yeah, there's someone very important who has been looking forward to seeing it snow. He's been keeping it secret, but I know he wants to see some snow this winter. So if I win, I want you to make it snow."
"I see," Santa's voice was softer now, less jolly and bombastic. "And what makes you think I can make it snow?"
"You can use your jewel powers!"
There was a long pause.
"Wait," Judai frowned, "It was one of those soft Js, wasn't it. Your Yewel powers. Yuul. Yuwil... Your Christmas Goat magic."
"I think I understand." Santa said warily, "I will see what I can do."
Judai activated his duel disk, letting it snap into place. "Alright, Christmas Gnome, let's do this! Duel!"
Santa pulled his arm out in front of himself, activating his own duel disk. It caught on a strand of his white beard, pulling the thread into the mechanism. With the sound of snapping string, the entirety of his beard fell off of his face and landed at his feet, revealing a cleanly shaven face underneath and un-obstructed green eyes.
Judai looked confused for a moment, frowning at the sight before him.
"Johan?"
His companion pulled the hat down, revealing his mess of teal hair, sheepishly grinning as he did so.
"Wait, Johan? You're Santa Claus?"
"No," Johan sighed. "I just figured the best thing to do in this instance was to get myself dressed up so that you could finally duel Santa and get some rest." He popped open a button at the front of his coat to reveal the padding inside by way of example.
"What? Why would you do that?"
"Because I didn't want you to be disappointed."
"What do you mean? Disappointed in what?"
"You know," Johan trailed off, gesturing vaguely with his hands. "You were really excited about getting to duel Santa and I didn't want you to face that he isn't-"
He stopped as a tiny prickle of cold landed against the back of his neck. Both of them looking up, they saw the sky filling with the first snowfall of the winter, a heavy shower of snowflakes cascading around them. A small smile crept across Johan's face, but it was nowhere near the width or intensity of Judai's grin at the sound that followed. Sleigh bells on the night air, rushing overhead, and then the rumble of hooves across the roof of the dorm building. He stared in wonder at a perplexed Johan, before the two of them rushed indoors.
The figure inside stood proud and tall by the old stove, dusting off his red coat straightening his hat.
"HoHoHo!" He announced, his voice reverberating through the timbers of the building. He hefted up a mighty arm, his duel disk activating with a click. He chuckled and winked at the two young men. "Which of you two is Yuki Judai?"