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Yugi was never particularly fond of cold weather, he found the sky was too grey and lacked a particular shade of happiness that was brought in the warmer months. Though he had to admit it was more the ice than anything else, the boy was never the most stable, so more than often he would find himself slipping on ice, tripping over snow banks and ending up covered in the freezing stuff with a sore behind. He’d more often than not come home with soaked, frozen clothes and having to sit in the bath just to warm himself up again, his fingers and toes tended to freeze quite easily in the chilly outdoors. Sure enough, he’d earned quite a dislike of the season.
The past year had been quite different than the rest though, it had been Yami’s first time experiencing snow, and it really opened the boy’s eyes to what a wonder the holiday season could be. Their time had been filled with skating, sledding and snowball fights; the latter causing a few people to look at Yugi in a weird way, usually people didn’t throw snowballs with such fun by themselves. Fondly looking back, the boy remembered the best part of the whole season was exhaustedly arriving home after a fun-filled day to enjoy warm hot chocolate with Yami and watch the snow fall, the spirit excitingly pointing out each snow flake that managed to fall close enough for him to notice all the details. ‘Nothing like sand’ the once mighty Pharaoh had said, Yugi couldn’t help but chuckle.
It was odd to think about a time before the two had given up hiding their hidden feelings from each other. Now that Yugi thought about it even the way they had acted around each other seemed obviously more than platonic, he was surprised he hadn’t noticed it all sooner. It didn’t really matter all that much now, he decided, they were beyond being so secretive about it now, confessions said and done and were now wandering down the cold, icy streets of Domino, hand in hand. Not obvious enough for people to think the boy was strange, but the contact was there for the both of them.
Their holiday had been quite different from last year, that was for sure. Skating and sledding had been abandoned for star gazing with hot drinks and building gingerbread houses. There was also the cuddling and small kisses, of which Yugi couldn’t help but flush just at the thought.
“It’s chilly...” The smaller boy mused, attempting to pull himself out of his previous thoughts as he looked towards the pale sky, his breath fogging with each word.
It was just towards the end of January, the air only seeming to get colder, even with his jacket and scarf the short boy had a hard time keeping warm. In his hands were groceries to bring home containing ingredients for dinner, just walking home from the trip, when Yami let go of the boy’s hand and stopped for a moment, something catching his eye. Stopping, he turned to see what it was and took a few steps before standing beside his partner, who’s eyes were fixed upon a display covered with reds, pinks and the sweet promise of chocolate inside.
Of course! Valentine’s Day was coming soon. The date had never had a huge impression on him, he’d never really received chocolates from anyone asides from perhaps Tea, but as much as he may have wanted them to be otherwise at the time, he was pretty sure they were chocolates given out of obligation. Considering she gave the same chocolates to Joey and Tristan his assumptions had been confirmed. Though, this year would different wouldn’t it...?
“Yugi... Why is everywhere decorated with reds and hearts? Is it some sort of post-Christmas celebration?” Yugi almost slapped his hand to his head. Of course, similarly to how they didn’t have snow or Christmas in Egypt, there was no way the Pharaoh would know anything about Valentine’s Day. Last year he must’ve just let it slip by as he usually did every year, but now it meant something... Possibly.
“Sort of...” He began as Yami leaned closer to the glass, examining the different shaped boxes. “Although, this holiday is more aimed towards a certain group of people instead of the majority. It’s called Valentine’s Day.”
“Ah? What does it have to do with all these red shades? Are they symbolism for blood?” Yami looked curiously while the other almost keeled over laughing.
“Of course you of all people would go immediately to that assumption. No, it’s a day where you celebrate the one who you um... Love.” The smaller boy looked down at his shoes, suddenly feeling quite shy. “You usually show it in a way by giving them chocolates, here in Japan we have Valentine’s Day which is where girls give the boys they like chocolates and White Day is when the boys usually return the favour. You could consider it a special day to show you especially care, it’s just a day that most like to display how much they love someone the most. A lot of people may go overboard but it’s never really been a big deal.” The boy shook his head as though the whole thing was nonchalant. Why was he so nervous? He wasn’t a girl so how would Valentine’s Day even work for the two of them? Now that he thought about it he wouldn’t mind making some chocolates for Yami for Valentine’s Day and then switching over so he could taste them...
“That sounds ridiculous.” Yugi froze in place for a moment, not quite catching what the other boy had said. Was that really how he felt...? Downcast, Yugi immediately tossed away the idea he had previously. So much for the chocolate thing... Making sure he heard Yami right, he opened his mouth to speak again.
“Oh... Yeah I guess it kind of is a silly tradition, haha! We can do anything else that day, we don’t even have to hang out if yo-”
“Why do I need a specific day to share my feelings with my loved one? I would hope that I could express everyday how much I loved them. I would want to shower them with gifts every single day if I were able. If it made you happy and made you realize how much you meant to me...” Yami turned to the red-faced boy now, smirking softly. “I would send you chocolates every single day.” Yugi blinked before immediately shoving his face down into the top of his coat, attempting to hide his face and blush from the spirit’s grinning face. Yami, looking rather pleased with himself, hooked his arm around his partner’s before wandering back down the street towards their home.
“Are you still cold, partner?” The Pharaoh inquired smugly. The smaller boy only shook his head before grasping the other’s hand, feeling a little more confident than usual.
“No. Not one bit.”