Author: Dragon Radar

Rating: T, or PG-13

Title: Fixed

Summary: Jaden and Syrus have a terrible fight. Are they ready to give up on each other, or is there still hope for reconciliation? Judai/Sho, Yaoi, One Shot

A/N: The boys are about seventeen in this.

Fixed

"That's bullshit, Jaden, and you know it! Why do you always do this?"

"I'm not the one being stupid, Syrus. You made a fool out of me!"

The argument ended in a fierce glaring contest. Jaden was standing by the window, half looking like he wished he could just jump out of it. Syrus was standing by the door, a half-packed bag dangling from his hand. The bag handles slipped out of his weak grasp and clunked to the floor. Syrus slumped bonelessly against the door frame. These fights took so much out of him, it seemed.

Jaden crossed to the bed and sat down, running his fingers through his brown hair.

"I'm tired of feeling like this, Syrus. What changed?"

Syrus looked sadly across the room and out the window, searching for answers in the ocean beyond.

"I don't know. I guess we just grew up. People change, you know."

"You changed. I stayed the same."

Syrus didn't deny it. "Maybe we should see other people, Jaden."

"Why? Why don't we work anymore? I need answers, Syrus. I need to know if I'm ever going to be able to…move on. I have to know."

Syrus started crying. He was always crying now, or so it seemed to Jaden.

"I guess…I guess I just can't belong to you anymore. I mean, I can't live my entire life in your shadow, Jaden. Maybe I did flirt with that guy. Maybe I just wanted you to see me again."

"You mean…you flirted with that jerk to provoke me?"

"No! There you go again! It's always all about you, isn't it? I flirted with him to make you see that I'm not just your…your…sidekick! I know you love the limelight, and I'm okay with that. You can't help it. But I want to do things with my life, too. You completely take me for granted. I was entered in that competition, too, you know! I was doing pretty good until you came and demanded I come tag team with you," At this point, Jaden began yelling back.

"I didn't demand anything! I just told you…"

"What about my duel? You made me look like I was your bitch, Jaden! But no more. Zane's always telling me that I'll never make something of myself if I'm always following you around. I'm finally starting to listen to him. Is that enough explanation for you?"

"You know what? I'm so sick of hearing about what Zane tells you! Zane also tells you that your feelings are wrong and that you should settle down with some stupid girl!"

"Yeah, well maybe I should!" Jaden had the gall to laugh at him mockingly, as if saying outright he wasn't 'man' enough for a woman.

"Sure, Sy, find a girl that will give it to you in the ass and I'm sure you'll be very happy together."

"Shut up, Jaden! You're just being cruel now!"

"Well maybe next time you won't provoke me! What! Now that you've got it you don't like the attention?" Jaden said harshly, crossing the room and going so far as to push Syrus angrily. Syrus looked a little dumbfounded that Jaden had actually pushed him.

"You – you – bastard!" Syrus roared.

"I'd rather be a bastard than a slut like you," Jaden boomed.

"I'm not a slut! You're the only person I've ever been with, and you know that. I flirt with one guy – who doesn't even give me the time of day, mind you – and now I'm a slut. This from Mr. Popular, who screwed half of the Obelisk Blue girls dormitory before realizing that you were sticking your bits in the wrong place!"

"Is that jealousy I hear?" Jaden shouted back. Syrus just shook his head in disbelief.

"Listen to yourself! You don't even make sense! First you're calling me a slut for flirting, and then you admit to sleeping with all these random bimbos, and then accuse me of being jealous! This is stupid. I'm not arguing with you anymore."

"Yeah, whatever," Jaden spat irritably, dropping onto the bottom bunk heavily. "Go run to your precious big brother and his annoying girlfriend and cry your little heart out about how terrible I am to you. Wouldn't be the first time you go around spreading our personal business all over the place."

"You – Ugh! You're going to regret this later, Jaden! Alexis used to be your friend, and you used to respect my brother, too. Now all you want to do is hang out with Chazz and Bastion and pretend like we're just as happy as they are because you have some stupid rivalry with Chazz, even in this! I'm sick of it! I'm not one of your fucking dueling trophies!"

"Of course not, Syrus. Do you really think I could be that egotistical? No, you're not a trophy."

Syrus paused, his foot half-way out the door. Was Jaden finally seeing sense?

"You said it yourself. You're. My. SIDEKICK!"

"UGH! I HATE YOU, JADEN YUKI! GO TO HELL!" With that, Syrus slammed the door and began to storm down the hall. He made it about half way down before he realized he hadn't grabbed any clothes.

He stopped, sinking down against the wall until he was curled into a tight ball. Someone poked their head out of their dorm and then closed the door again upon spotting him. Syrus heard the person say, "It's just Jaden and Syrus at each other's throats again. I wish they'd just break up already so we could get some sleep around here!"

He started crying helplessly, sobbing into his folded arms. It all just seemed so hopeless. He really didn't want to crash at Zane's again. Each time he did, the pressure his brother put on him to leave Jaden just doubled. Of course, Syrus couldn't help but tell him everything, even knowing he was just giving Zane more ammunition. He knew it was wrong to tell Zane all about what should have been private conversations between himself and Jaden, but when he was upset it was so hard not to let it all out to anyone that was willing to listen. In the old days, his confidante had been Jaden. Now, though, his brother and Alexis were the only two people that stuck by him.

All of the rest of his friends weren't really his. Jaden hogged them just like he did everything else.

He pulled his glasses off and mopped at his eyes with the sleeve of his red jacked – yet another sacrifice for Jaden. He'd been offered a spot in Obelisk Blue, mostly because his brother had made a big deal about it and he'd really pulled his grades up, but Jaden had refused to join Obelisk, too, so he'd stayed behind. Another opportunity wasted because Jaden liked to be the underdog.

Zane had been furious when he found out all of his work had been for nothing. Syrus had changed his mind and wanted to stay a Slifer because of Jaden – always for Jaden. Nothing was ever for Syrus. It was never his victory, never his moment in the sun.

Syrus thought miserably of the guy he'd flirted with at the competition. He had looked stupid, he knew. The truth was that he didn't know how to flirt with anyone. He'd never done it before. He'd fallen in love with Jaden and Jaden had started dating him once he was bored with all his girlfriends. At the time, he'd thought all his dreams were coming true. Now the shambles of their relationship was more like a living nightmare.

The guy had been really good looking and so obviously gay. Syrus had complimented his looks, had simpered over what had honestly been a pretty unimpressive duel. The guy had told him (loudly) that he didn't go for scrawny little school boys. Most of the school had seen it, and those that hadn't soon got the gruesome blow by blow from their friends. Jaden had gotten really red, and then had actually grabbed his arm and hauled him off like he was some sort of misbehaving child. When they returned to the privacy of their dorm, they proceeded to argue about everything they could think of until it was dark outside and they'd missed dinner.

It was quickly becoming their usual routine. Same old, same old.

A hand dropped down on his shoulder. Syrus looked up startled to see the professor of his dorm. His kind, perpetually happy face looked serious for once. Pharaoh, his fat cat, purred at Syrus's feet.

"Oh, hi, Professor. Sorry about the noise…" he trailed off, wishing he wasn't still crying so much.

"Another fight?"

'Lord,' Syrus thought, 'Jaden was right. I really do have a big mouth. Even our teachers know all about us.'

Before he could reply, Jaden appeared as well.

"Yes, Professor, another fight," he flashed an accusing glare at Syrus for almost telling yet another person about their business, "But nothing that an apology won't fix. Come on, Syrus. Stop crying in the hallway. You're causing a scene."

Syrus wanted to slap him. He wanted to kick him and hit him and scream at him in front of everyone.

He got up obediently and followed him back to the room, shooting a hauntingly said, pain filled glance at his professor before disappearing back inside.

Pharaoh mewed plaintively.

"Yes, Pharaoh, I know. There's still hope for them yet, though! We must be optimistic about these things. Young love is never easy."

Syrus would have agreed wholeheartedly.

"You forgot your bag," Jaden said flatly. The two of them stood as if eyeing each other before a fist fight. Syrus vowed that if Jaden raised his voice, scene or no scene, he was slamming the door again and sleeping by the bloody lake if that's what he had to do to get some peace.

Syrus broke the staring contest by picking up the bag. His things had spilled out. He slowly went about re-folding them and packing the bag neatly. He'd probably need it sooner or later.

Suddenly, Jaden's hands filled his vision as he knelt in front of him. They were shaking, and when he spoke, Jaden's voice was full of heartbreak.

"I'm sorry, Syrus. I love you. Please stop packing. I hate seeing you packing."

Cracking on the inside but still keeping his composure, Syrus replied. "Considering you hate seeing me pack, you certainly push me to do it often enough."

Jaden surprised him by doing some crying of his own.

"Stop, please, Syrus. Just stop. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll say it a million times if it will just fix things."

"You can't just fix it by saying the magic words! It's not that simple! We can't fuck and make it all better! You hurt me, Jaden. You hurt me and hurt me until I don't even know why I keep trying with you. Even being alone has to be better than this terrible hurting inside."

"Oh, baby, I know I do, and I'm trying so god-damn hard to stop what we're doing to each other. I'm running out of ideas."

Syrus paused, and something clicked in his head.

"So that's what that was all about last week when I came home to find you lounging on the bed covered in whipped cream. I thought that was kind of weird." Syrus closed his eyes and laughed. "That's your idea of how to fix this? A bottle of whipped cream?"

Jaden pouted, not liking his idea being mocked. It did sound kind of stupid once Syrus put it like that. He'd just wanted to re-kindle the excitement. He'd thought mixing up the bedroom routine might help ease some of the tension.

"Jaden…I don't even know what to say," Syrus confessed, his big gray eyes opening to show they were filled with amusement and pain at the same time. After a few moments spent in silent contemplation of each other, Syrus leaned forward and kissed Jaden's cheek brusquely. "I love you, and I just don't know what to do anymore."

"Do you…do you really want to see other people? Like that Darren guy you hit on today?"

Syrus looked away, picturing the handsome features of Darren…the cruel way he'd been rejected. He could be honest. He knew he'd never find someone better than Jaden. Jaden was handsome and successful and popular. A million times better than that muscle bound thug Darren. If he lost Jaden, he'd probably be lonely for the rest of his life. He knew in his heart Jaden was the best he'd ever have.

"I just want to be happy, Jaden. I'm tired of being the soap opera around here. I'm tired of being laughed at. I'm tired of being teased. Do you remember being fifteen? Can you believe I actually made a raft and wanted to leave school just because of a tag team duel? To be honest, I kind of feel like building that raft right now. I think now I have much better reasons to run away."

Jaden was quiet, then he pushed the bag away from them and pulled Syrus across the gap and into his lap.

"And what about your reason to stay, huh? Don't give up on me yet, Syrus. Remember how we were in that duel? You wanted to quit and I wouldn't let you."

"You always believed in me, even when no one else did. Even when my own brother was ashamed of me."

"I still believe in you, Syrus. I never quit seeing you. I see you everyday, all the time. I see your beautiful eyes and your small hands and how you suck on your bottom lip when you're nervous, and sometimes I want you so badly…"

"I've tried things to fix us, too," Syrus admitted softly.

Jaden smiled against his forehead.

"So that's what that collar and leash thing was all about," Jaden teased. Syrus blushed down to the tips of his toes.

"Not really. I just like letting go of everything for awhile, you know? Letting you do all the thinking."

"It would seem we've tried everything except actually talking to each other."

"But we just end up fighting. I'm so sick of fighting, Jaden."

"Well, we've already fought tonight, so no more of that. I think we should take our clothes off and lie in bed, and just hold each other and talk about things. I could never get mad at you when you're naked and I'm holding you. It's just impossible."

As if a damn had been broken, Syrus broke down sobbing.

"You pushed me!" he finally forced out. Jaden felt a whole new world of guilt.

"That was terribly, terribly wrong of me. You said I'd regret it and I do, baby. I'd give up dueling if I could take it back."

"You…would?" Syrus asked innocently, shocked by the sincere words that were so unexpected.

"Of course I would, Syrus! I love you! I hate myself for hurting you."

Syrus nodded, then pulled himself out of Jaden's arms and began to strip.

"I think your idea is a good one."

Moments later, Jaden lay on his back with Syrus resting his head on his chest.

They talked. They talked until their voices nearly gave out and then they whispered. When they couldn't whisper anymore, because their eyes were so heavy with sleep, they blindly touched each other and communicated through strokes and squeezes. They both fell still and dreamed of exploring each other's bodies until the sun burned in the sky and chased away all the shadows.

Jaden awoke with his throat throbbing and desperate for water. He didn't move to get up, though. Instead, a tan hand nestled into the blue mop of hair resting on his chest. Something was different about them now. He smiled softly, gently caressing Syrus's wild hair.

Something felt fixed.

A/N: I know…I just love making these two suffer and then kiss and make up. I love it since they seem so perfect, I have the crazy urge to make them fight like cats and dogs. Oh well, it makes for a good fic, I hope. If you liked it, leave a review. I certainly enjoy getting them.