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Shopping...he'd resorted to this, walking around a mall-for-God's-sake, in a last ditch effort to find inspiration.This is stupid, Kaiba thought viciously, this is *beyond* stupid. He was walking through a mall, an actual mall, with all the jostling, sticky spawns of humanity that entailed. Even Kaiba's unconscious knack of parting the crowd by his dominance would only go so far with desperate holiday shoppers and toddler-laden parents. A grim smile appeared when Kaiba realized he was thinking both Tristan had better appreciate this and Tristan had better *never* find out about this. Christmas was fast approaching, and Christmas meant presents. He didn't really buy personal gifts, the office took care of all his business obligations and that was that. This year though... The smile melted into one of genuine fondness as Seto remembered the muted excitement that colored Tristan's voice the night he'd somehow talked Seto into going to the Kriskrindlemarkt. The man wasn't obvious, but if you knew how to read him it was clear Tristan responded to something about the season with innocent joy. A deep thrill of satisfaction ran through Seto as he realized he did indeed know how to read Tristan that well. However... Reluctantly, Seto had come to the conclusion a week ago that no, regardless of how much Tristan would like one, a '68 GTO wasn't an appropriate gift at this particular time. The fact that Seto had been searching for one for months now was... irrelevant. Searching the web hadn't netted him a better idea, though. He'd gone through a wealth of catalogs and magazines at home, with a sense of increasing desperation. Finally, he'd resorted to this, walking around a mall-for-God's-sake, in a last ditch effort to find inspiration. Not just any present would do, of course. It had to be just right, something personal but not too much, something... What the hell *do* people get their... Seto stopped dead, causing a teen behind him to curse and jump quickly to the side to avoid running into him. Seto barely noticed, being too involved in wondering how to finish that thought. His what? Friend was not even in the right ballpark. Significant other made his lip curl in automatic contempt for the cop-out phrasing. He approached the word lover with caution, veering away at the last minute. While technically correct, it had a world of connotations Seto wasn't sure he wanted to deal with right now. Finally realizing the traffic hazard he was creating when a small child ran smack into his legs, Seto murmured an apology and moved to stand against a plate glass window, still barely cognizant of his surroundings. After long moments of restless, churning thought, Seto realized the word that fit best and relaxed, another genuine smile gracing his face and lighting his eyes. Partner. Tristan's my partner. The thought held a magic and a power all it's own. The mall however... didn't. With the matter settled in his mind, Seto returned once more to awareness of his place in the universe. Specifically his place in the corner of it that contained an overcrowded box of retail tawdryness. Turning with thoughts of escape fresh in his mind, Seto saw it. The perfect present, and he'd been standing in front of it this whole time. With a dawning sense of excitement, Seto went into the store to buy Tristan's present. Back to Sorchafyre's Work E-mail the Author Home |
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