My first KingCrab fic! This was done for my deviantArt friend IrkenGirl's birthday, and it's set in a bit of an AU, and I hope it's not too OOC. Please tell me what you think! :D
Oh, and I apologise for the rubbish ending.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Pulling away from the engine of his Duel Runner, Yuusei wiped the thin sheen of sweat from his forehead, and pushed his sticky fringe from his eyes. Outside, in the street, the sun bathed every building and nook and cranny in the road in golden coat, blinding those brave enough to venture out into the heat. Looking out of the garage door, Yuusei watched as two young boys ran past, laughing and shouting, toys in their hands. A small smile crept onto his lips as a sense of nostalgia filled him, reminding him of when himself and his best friend Jack were like that. They would play outside all day, rain or shine, just the two of them, running, joking and imagining... Even when Martha, the woman in charge of the orphanage they had lived at, had ordered them inside, a few pet-lips or puppy-eyed glances would give them a roll of the eyes and five more minutes. As the two had grown up, and left both childhood and the orphanage behind, they still spent most of their time together. There was no Yuusei without Jack, and no Jack without Yuusei.
Bringing himself back to the present, Yuusei shook his head sadly, trying to shake out the memories.
'No,'he told himself, 'Not anymore. Jack's busy, he has lots to do, and so do I...'
With that thought, he turned his head back to his Duel Runner, and scanned it up and down. Everything about it was perfect. The engine was shiny with new parts and elbow grease, and in a fine working condition. The body of the Runner was waxed and polished, not a dent or scratch visible anywhere on the red paintwork, which he could clearly see his face in. Even the steering handles were fixed to work even more efficiently than before. He sighed and leaned against the garage wall, his face in his hands.
'Who am I kidding?'he thought in despair, 'I don't have anything to do, I just miss spending time with Jack so much, I make myself think I do...'
It was true that Jack had been spending an awful amount of time away from Yuusei recently. Instead of suggesting that they take the day to ride around New Domino City like he used to, he'd ask their housemate and friend Crow if he wanted to do go and check out a new prototype Duel Runner model with him. This definitely odd for Jack; despite being good friends at heart, him and Crow couldn't go ten minutes without beginning to bicker for bickering's sake, so why he would ask Crow to spend the day with him, alone, was beyond Yuusei. What struck him as even more odd though, was when he asked Bruno, their other housemate and friend, to help him upgrade his Duel Runner. Now, Jack didn't hate Bruno, per se, but he didn't necessarily get on with him either, and the Jack he knew wouldn't go to Bruno without consulting him first. Still, Yuusei had shrugged it off, but then he began to accept offers from Mina, Carly and Stephanie, to go shopping or out to a restaurant with them. Jack had always told him that they were nice girls, but he didn't like them in that way, and found their constant advances a little irritating.
'… that was over a year ago now, though...'Yuusei mused, 'He could have changed his mind...'
Leaning his head back against the wall now, Yuusei scanned the area outside of the garage, half expecting Jack to come bursting in, at full speed on his Duel Runner. But he didn't, of course. He was out with Carly today, or at least, Yuusei thought he was. Jack hardly even spoke to him now, he hadn't a clue about his plans for the week. Plans that probably didn't involve Yuusei.
"It's not like I can blame him though..."Yuusei began, talking to nobody but the empty space of the garage, " I mean, we used to spend practically all of our time together, it's only natural that he'd want to spend time with other people. It still doesn't explain why he's just completely ignoring me now, though..."
Yuusei began to chew his lip as he thought about it again. It had been on his mind since Jack stopped talking to him, whether it was his fault, and he was determined to remember everything he'd said and done with Jack just before they stopped talking. Had he unknowingly said something that could have upset Jack? Or maybe he had done something to annoy him? Or maybe...
"Maybe he found out..."
Yuusei furrowed his eyebrows, trying desperately to remember if he had done anything, anything at all that could have been too obvious. Too obvious of his love for his friend...
Sighing resignedly, Yuusei rubbed his temples. How had he even come to fall for Jack Atlas, anyway? When he had begun to notice how handsome Jack was a few years ago, he never thought it would turn into this...
He chuckled a little. Whoever said love was blissful hadn't felt love like this. Seeing Jack agree to the days out with the girls hadn't been easy to handle, and the first time Jack revealed his plans to have dinner with Mina had came like a punch to the stomach for Yuusei. Who wouldn't be a little shocked at an announcement like that? Yuusei hadn't wasted any tears over the matter though. If Jack liked one of the girls, Yuusei couldn't argue with that, or stop him acting on it. Besides, it wouldn't be the end of the world if he couldn't be with Jack... right?
Yuusei wasn't even sure how long he stood there, his face twisted in thought, chewing away at the insides of his cheeks. It was nearly sunset by the time he was snapped out of it though, by the arrival of Jack on the Wheel of Fortune. Or Misfortune. Whichever worked, really.
Yuusei's eyes followed Jack as he dismounted the Runner and removed his helmet, shaking his head a little to loosen his hair up. As he placed the helmet on the seat of the Runner, he looked up, his eyes meeting Yuusei's for the first time in weeks. His face remained as emotionless as ever though, no smile or greeting offered to the younger of the two men. Yuusei frowned at him, deciding that if Jack wasn't going to make the first move, he would. He needed to know what had gone wrong between them.
"Good evening, Jack,"he began, "Had a nice day?"
The words sounded cold as they left Yuusei's mouth, and he mentally slapped himself for it. He was supposed to be trying to solve any problems Jack had with him, not make them worse.
'It has been over two weeks since we last spoke, though. I can't help it if I'm not any good at talking to him like I used to anymore.'
Jack's face remained nonchalant, and he turned to walk up the stairs to the main apartment.
"'Evening, Yuusei,"he said as he walked, "It was okay, I guess. Carly can be a little clingy though..."
Yuusei stared on incredulously as Jack headed for the door. Two weeks of not speaking to him, and that was all he could say? No explanation at the least? No. Yuusei wouldn't settle for this. He pushed himself off the wall and ran up the stairs after Jack, grabbing the door handle before he could, holding the door shut.
"No, Jack!"he cried, "There has to be more! That can't be all you have to say to me! We haven't spoken in weeks! Why? Did I do something wrong? Is that why you won't talk to me?"
Yuusei pressed his back against the door, his hand still on the handle, stopping Jack from getting in. His amethyst eyes determined as they looked on into Jack's, and the pain and loneliness the separation has caused him were evident too. Jack wasn't going anywhere until he got an answer.
~YGO! 5D'S~
Jack ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply. He couldn't tell Yuusei, he just couldn't... It killed him to see the pain in his eyes, but he needed more time to think, more time to work things out... When he decided that the best plan of action was to eliminate Yuusei from his life for a while, he hadn't planned on it taking this long! Yuusei may not have known it, but Jack missed him awfully as well. Spending time with others wasn't like spending time with Yuusei. Yuusei understood him, and was always there for him. No-one else in the world could compare to Yuusei. No-one else in the world could make him feel the way he does around Yuusei either...
"No, Yuusei,"Jack began, sighing deeply, "You did nothing wrong. I just need some time to think."
"Think about what?"
With that, Jack tried to force Yuusei off the door, desperate to avoid the subject. Grabbing his shoulder, he tugged the younger man off the door, and after several unsuccessful attempts at removing his hand, placed his hand on top of Yuusei's, clamped down on it and twisted the handle. Yuusei hissed as his hand was crushed and twisted by Jack's, but utterly refused to let him go this easily. As Jack swung the door open to go inside, Yuusei threw himself at the taller man, wrapping his arms around him, trying to haul him down the stairs.
"Dammit, Yuusei, let go!"Jack cried, struggling against his human bonds, "What I'm thinking about isn't important, okay?"
"I'm not an idiot, Jack! It has to be important if you can't speak to me at all over it!"Yuusei replied, still trying to get him away from the door.
Jack growled. He couldn't lie to Yuusei, he'd see right through it! But he couldn't tell him the truth either... With his heart hammering in his chest, he gave one last attempt to break from Yuusei's grip. Plying his arms off him, he bolted for the door, making it inside, before turning to close it. It was then, he noticed the lack of struggle from Yuusei. Peering out from behind the door, the sight he was greeted with rendered him useless to shut him out.
"Y-Yuusei..."
"Why Jack? Why can't you talk to me? What do you need to think about?"he screamed, his bottom lip trembling. His eyes were glossy, yet he wasn't crying. The sight, however, shook Jack to the core. He walked out into the garage, slowly, stopping in front of Yuusei, a forlorn expression on his face.
"I-I'm sorry, Yuusei,"he whispered, "I never meant to separate us for this long. I was a fool, I needed time to think, because I... I..."
He couldn't... he couldn't say it, not now...
Yuusei looked up at him, no longer as upset after a few deep breaths. His eyes looked deep into Jack as he asked,
"Why?"
He couldn't deny him. He couldn't deny Yuusei the truth any longer. He couldn't deny himself the truth.
"Because I love you."
~YGO! 5D'S~
Yuusei couldn't believe it. This couldn't be real... surely, a camera crew were about to jump out and reveal this as a trick...
"Y-you what?"
"You heard me, Yuusei,"Jack said quietly, "I love you. I was so confused at first... I wasn't sure what to do, because you were my best friend, so I... so I decided to see if what I felt was genuine... I spent time with other people, to see if it was the same with them, but, it wasn't to be... you're the only one, Yuusei. The only one who makes my heart race, and gives me butterflies by merely thinking about you. The only one who holds my heart."
Yuusei couldn't believe that what he was hearing was true. He tried to make a coherent sentence, but found his mouth was completely dry. So, instead, he did the next best thing. He moved forward and embraced him, burying his head in his chest and laughing a little. Jack, taken by surprise by this, hugged back, albeit a little awkwardly at first, and questioned the laugh. Yuusei could only laugh harder at this.
"Jack, you really are an idiot,"he chuckled, "But I forgive you. And I love you too... my fool..."
The two embraced more fully, Jack kissing Yuusei's forehead, before moving downwards to capture his lips. Their fingers intertwined, and the kiss remained soft and gentle, as the sun set outside, over two new friends-turned-lovers in New Domino City...