Bruno's POV

Bruno was lying down on the hard, lumpy mattress that was pressing against his broad back. He was staring at the ceiling, eyes unfocused, mind whirring. It was becoming more common for the young bluenette to simply rest on his bed and sort out the myriad of thoughts causing havoc in his brain. Lately, Bruno has realised a startling truth: he had fallen head over heels for none other than Yusei Fudo: the duelist, the engineer, the computer whiz. He had been the one who had outstretched his hand and offered Bruno a place to stay when nobody else would. It was there and then that he knew this boy, this wonderful boy, was different from anybody he had ever met before. Bruno, having felt so lost with himself and his surroundings, immediately felt a sense of comfort in the presence of this young, raven-haired man. Yusei felt like home.

But alas, he was certain that the teen did not reciprocate his feelings. Sure, they were inseparable when they worked on a project and yes sometimes it appeared as though they spoke a foreign language when engaged in a discussion about programming or engines, but this wasn't enough in Bruno's mind to prove that Yusei actually loved him. Yusei most likely saw Bruno as a friend, perhaps even a best friend, and maybe that's all Bruno would ever be. He could continue playing the role of the cheerful pacifist but that didn't necessarily reflect his innermost feelings: desire, sadness, jealousy. Jealousy over the one and only Jack Atlas, Yusei's best friend since childhood. Bruno could see it as plain as day: Jack wanted Yusei, bad. He scrutinised every action, every word spoken by the incredibly tall duelist and he knew without a doubt that the man harboured feelings for Yusei. He would feel pangs of jealousy in his chest every time he saw Jack walk up to Yusei just that little bit too close for them to still be considered 'friends'; he could see the burning lust ignite in Jack's violet eyes while he watched Yusei working (especially when he was covered in grease.) Although Bruno had never seen Yusei flirt with Jack or do anything that would suggest they had some sort of forbidden relationship, he knew that if Yusei had to choose between the two tall men, Jack would win any day. Sure, Bruno and Yusei connected on a level far deeper than Jack ever could, and Bruno also knew that he was much more caring and selfless, but what if Yusei wanted somebody who was exciting, dangerous, passionate... just like Jack? He had no chance. Sooner or later, he would have to finally accept that bitter reality. Bruno sighed and closed his eyes and slept.

Yusei's POV

Working on his duel runner wasn't helping Yusei take his mind off what had happened between him and Jack last night. Everyone had been in bed except for Yusei as he was watching an interview involving Team Unicorn on the TV. Jack too was not in bed but instead out in the town having a few drinks. As the clock approached midnight Yusei was finally going to call it a night before he heard the door open signalling Jack's return. Deciding that it'd be polite to make sure his friend was alright after a long night out, Yusei waited in the lounge room for him to come upstairs. He saw Jack stumbling slightly as he walked up and made his way towards Yusei who was in the kitchen grabbing a last drink of water before bed. As he was turning off the tap he felt a warm body press against his backside and saw two arms on either side of his waist leaning on the bench. He felt a warm rush of air against his neck as well as the pungent smell of alcohol linger in the air around him as Jack slurred:

'Yusei...' Jack tried wrapping his arms around Yusei's waist. The smaller boy turned around, looking at Jack in the eyes as he tried pushing him away. Jack was clearly drunk and Yusei really wasn't in the mood to deal with it.

'Jack, what are you doing? It's about time you go to bed.' As he continued to push against his chest to force him backwards.

But Jack wasn't going to have any of that. Instead he pushed his body closer to Yusei's, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes.

'Oh c'mon Yusei, let's have some fun...' Jack leaned in to kiss Yusei but he vehemently turned his head away. This only seemed to anger the man towering above him.

'What, am I not good enough for you Yusei? Now that you've taken my title as Duel Champion?' This time Jack managed to force his lips onto Yusei's, clumsily sticking his tongue out to take their kiss to the next level.

Yusei just stood there, horrified. What the hell was Jack doing? This didn't feel right, he didn't like Jack in this way, they were just friends – why was Jack doing this! –

To his relief, he felt Jack lift his body off of his and watched him stumble towards his bedroom. He heard Jack mumble, 'I'm not done with you yet Yusei...' leaving the teen feeling even more anxious than before. What on earth had just happened? Yusei was smart enough to know. He had been trying to ignore Jack's suggestive comments and flirty gestures for weeks but now it seemed the blonde had grown more confident in his actions. I need to talk to Jack about this... Yusei decided and with that thought providing him some comfort he let himself fall into another sleep where he dreamed of a certain blue haired man who was so close to him and yet so far.

Bruno swore he had heard something happen in the kitchen last night. He knew Jack had gone out somewhere and Yusei had stayed up late ... Oh god, could something have happened between them? Bruno wondered with a feeling of dread quickly overcoming him. I've never seen Yusei show any sign of affection towards Jack, but then again... He sighed. If Jack had made a move, as if Yusei was going to resist. Well Bruno, I guess you've lost all chance of ever being Yusei's. He made his way down towards the basement to take his mind off things when he saw Yusei already sitting at his computer browsing some images of high-tech duel runner models. Just act like your usual self Bruno, he told himself and put on his usual smile. He leaned over Yusei's shoulder to get a closer look at the images.

I love it when Bruno leans in so close to me... Yusei thought to himself. He heard the bluenette say:

'What are you looking at, Yusei? Are these some new prototypes you've found online?' His voice, it was so comforting.

'Yeah, I've been checking them out, seeing if we can apply some of the characteristics of these models to our duel runners to make them even better.' Bruno decided to kneel on one knee next to Yusei now that a 'nerd talk' had well and truly commenced. They laughed and chatted together, enjoying one another's company like they always did. Yusei couldn't help but notice the sparkle in Bruno's eyes as he grew more excited talking about improving their runners: they were one of a kind, a steel grey, unlike anything he had ever seen before. Polished to perfection just like the components of a duel runner. If only he had the courage to tell Bruno how he really felt.

The two men spent the rest of the afternoon chatting away just as usual. Not once did they notice Jack staring contemptuously at them from on top of the balcony.