Comfort
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
AN: This is based in the second season. The gang is all around fifteen or so.
"Attention, second-year female students! Please report to the nurse's office for the annual check-up immediately after class."
Alexis read over the message again, sighing and closing her PDA. "Ah, should've seen this coming… it's already a couple of weeks into the second year," she muttered, placing the PDA in her bedside drawer and sliding the drawer shut. "Hopefully it won't take too long… we have Crowler's class today, and everyone knows how much he loves giving homework…"
"Hey Alexis!" Mindy skipped into the room, her own PDA in her hands. "Did you get the message?"
The blonde girl shot her friend a quizzical look. "You came to see me… an hour before class, just to see if I had gotten a message about a yearly check-up?" she questioned. "Of course I did. What are you so excited about, anyways?"
Jasmine entered next, rolling her eyes. "Oh, Mindy's targeted her latest victim. Nothing new."
Alexis sighed, folding her arms. "Who is it this time?"
Mindy promptly turned pink and remained silent. Alexis feigned shock.
"Mindy's quiet? What did you put in her food last night, Jas?"
They both laughed in unison.
"Very funny, Lexi. Come on, let's go!"
She frowned. "Go where? Class doesn't start for another fifty-five minutes. I was thinking of just hanging around here and going through my deck once more."
"Oh, Alexis!" Jasmine let out a sigh. "Stop being so meticulous about your dueling and have some fun! You never act like a girl – you're always so serious about everything. Lighten up! We could go to the beach and scout out some cute guys."
Alexis' eyebrows rose. "No one's at the beach at this time except Atticus."
Both her friends swooned briefly. Alexis rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"Aren't you two over him already? Surely it's pretty obvious that he's never going to settle down."
Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Fine, if not the beach, we can go hang out in the boys' dorm! A lot of them are already awake."
"I don't have a choice, do I?"
"No!" squealed both girls, pulling at their friend's arm. "Let's go!"
"It's almost time for class! Can we leave already?"
"Ssh, Alexis! Look, that guy's coming over! He must be interested!"
Alexis laced her fingers together and exhaled angrily. "I'm not going to miss class just so you can ogle guys," she snapped irritably. Jasmine and Mindy tore their eyes away from the approaching Obelisk Blue boy and exchanged curious glances. Alexis was never this impatient… well, rarely.
"I'm going to class. See you." With that, Alexis turned and walked towards the main building.
Mindy heaved a sigh. "C'mon Jas. She's in a bad mood today, we'd best not leave her side in case some ignorant person questions her and she rips them apart."
Jasmine nodded in agreement, running after her friend. "Alexis! Wait up!" she yelled.
The girl stopped, waiting for her friends to catch up. "What?" she asked, her features softer and calmer. Mindy was breathing hard, clutching her sides.
"I'd only run for you, Alexis," she grumbled, leaning against Jasmine. "Anyways. What's up with you? Why are you so…" She paused, trying to find the right word, "intolerant of everything and everyone today?"
"What?" Alexis blinked at Mindy's words. "Oh, earlier… I'm sorry about that. I guess I just got up on the wrong side of the bed."
Mindy shrugged, accepting her friend's apology, but Jasmine's eyes narrowed.
'There's something you're not telling us,' the auburn-haired girl decided. 'You were never good at lying.'
"Should we get to class now?" Jasmine said aloud. "We've got like, ten minutes."
Alexis blanched. "Yeah, let's go!" She turned and quickly strolled down the well-worn path towards the main building, her deck in one hand, the other hand swinging gently.
Mindy groaned. "Not more running!"
"Good to see you, girls. Just line up right there, this won't take too long…" Fonda Fontaine, the Obelisk Blue girl head and school nurse, tapped a pencil against her clipboard. "All right, seems like you're all here. One by one, please…"
Alexis shifted impatiently near the back of the line. "I don't understand the point of check-ups," she grumbled. "I mean, we can just check our own height and weight and blood pressure and everything at home. Why do we have to do it at school? It just wastes our free time."
Mindy rolled her eyes. "At least Crowler didn't give us homework because of this. I have a feeling Ms. Fontaine instructed him not to." She giggled. "Our blood pressure would probably go up or something."
Jasmine shrugged. "Ms. Fontaine did say it wouldn't take long. Just wait it out, Lex." She frowned. "Hey, speaking of which… you weren't here for last year's check-ups, were you?"
Alexis nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't… didn't they happen on the day before school started, or something?"
"No, they were on the first day. I know you were here, I sat next to you in class…"
Alexis shrugged. "I think I had something to do. Besides, my parents handed in my medical record to Ms. Fontaine. I'd had a physical just before coming here. So no harm done."
"Alexis, dear, you're next! Don't keep us all waiting!" The nurse called. The girl started.
"Oh, sorry Ms. Fontaine," she apologized, stepping through the doorway into the examining room. "Okay, um, what should I do first?"
Ms. Fontaine eyed the girl strangely. "What… oh, yes, you weren't here for last year's check-up, correct? All right, just take off your boots and stand here, yes, right here…"
Alexis stood next to the tall silver rod carved with lines. Ms. Fontaine nodded, noting something down.
"Good, you're nice and tall, step over here next…"
Alexis breathed a faint sigh of irritation as she stepped on the weighing scale. "All right dear, almost done, just a few more…"
The dirty-blonde girl exhaled in relief as Ms. Fontaine finished writing her details in a register. "All right, Alexis, you're free to go," the nurse beamed, flipping through a file. Alexis briskly stepped through the doorway again, signaling for Mindy to go in next.
"Alexis," called Ms. Fontaine. The girl paused, turning slightly.
"Yes, Ms. Fontaine?"
"I just checked the records your parents sent me last year… seems like you are due for a few vaccinations. Nothing major, just two. Why don't you come over after class tomorrow? I'll give them to you before I check the boys."
The Obelisk Blue girl turned pale, fiddling with the edge of her blouse. "Oh, um… I-I don't know, Ms. Fontaine, I might have homework and such…" she stuttered.
"Oh, nonsense. It won't even take two minutes." The school nurse waved Alexis' excuses aside. "Now, I'll see you here at four, all right? Have a nice day, dear!"
"Oh yeah, it'll be wonderful…" the girl muttered. "Hey, listen Jas, I'm gonna head back. See you and Mindy at dinner?"
"Sure, Lex. See you!" The auburn-haired girl waved at her friend, turning back to watch Mindy enter the nurse's examination room.
"I need some fresh air," murmured Alexis, heading towards the beach.
"Hey sissy! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the nurse's office?" Atticus seemed surprised at his sister's appearance. Alexis glared at him.
"How do you know?"
He shrugged. "We got a message too, except it added that our check-ups are tomorrow. Plus, I was sure all the girls must be somewhere! I mean, none of them came running! I was pretty shocked!"
"Shut up, Atty." She smacked his shoulder and sighed. "Turns out I have a couple of shots to take tomorrow."
Atticus' face lost its grin and settled into a look of concern. "You going to be okay?"
"Yeah, I guess. It's been a while since I freaked out like that," she smiled.
Atticus tried to smile back. 'Yeah, like last year,' both thought.
"Anyways, I'm just taking a walk. I'll let you be," she laughed lightly. "See you, Atty. Make sure to keep that head at a manageable size!" And she continued to walk along the shoreline, heading towards the forest.
"It'll be fine… I mean, it's just two shots. Two itty-bitty shots. Nothing to worry about, right? See, you'll be fine. Don't panic, everything will be fine," she chanted quietly to herself. The sand was soft and her boots sunk into it, making walking difficult. With every step, she tugged her foot out of the clutches of the sand, inhaling and exhaling loudly.
"I thought the doctor last year told me I wouldn't need shots for another two or three years," she told herself unhappily. "I hate it when they do that – lie to make you happy. He could probably see how afraid I was. How did he notice?" She paused. "Maybe it was the way I almost welded my hand to the doorknob and wore a really long-sleeved shirt," she sighed.
She slowed her breaths down, trying not to hyperventilate at the thought of the next day. 'You should be ashamed of yourself, worrying like this about something that's good for you,' she silently scolded herself. 'It'll be over quickly. You won't even feel anything.'
"Who am I kidding?" she spoke aloud. "I don't think I'll even be able to sleep tonight… I wish I'd let Atticus smuggle some cold medicine into the Academy last year, when I was sick… and I can't exactly go to Ms. Fontaine and ask for cold medicine, I don't look ill at all…"
"Did someone mention Ms. Fontaine?" came a voice in front of her. Alexis paused, her eyes widening.
"Jaden…?"
"Hey Lex!" The chipper Slifer Red grinned at her. "Hey, were you talking to yourself just now? I never took you for that type, but you know, talking to yourself is really helpful. Especially in an argument, you always know what you're going to say and you can come up with a good comeback!"
Alexis blinked. "Uh, right."
He laughed. "Kidding. So, what brings you to the woods this evening?"
She looked around, surprised at the change in surroundings. "Actually, I was walking on the beach… I guess I kind of wandered in here," she admitted. "What about you? I didn't know you came to the woods."
He shrugged. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Alexis."
She narrowed her eyes playfully. "Really? Pray tell."
He perched himself on a boulder, patting the space next to him. "Only if you spill some secrets too," he smiled. "C'mon. What are the queen of Obelisk Blue's deepest, darkest secrets?"
She laughed, sitting down next to him. "Let's see…" She pondered for a moment. "I like taking pictures of clouds."
Jaden looked at her incredulously. "Seriously? Just taking pictures of them? Why?"
"Hey, it's fun!" she defended herself. "Try it sometime."
He lifted one shoulder sheepishly. "Okay, okay. My turn. I don't actually like the Slifer Red food, I just pretend to."
She raised an eyebrow, amused. "You do a pretty good job of pretending, then! All right, me again." She placed her chin on her palm, clacking her teeth together. "I really, really don't like fruits."
He looked at her quizzically. "Not a big deal, quite a lot of people don't like fruit."
"I mean I really don't like it. I only eat it in the mornings, and that's only because I'm so used to my mom forcing it on me at home." She smiled at the memories. "Yeah, it's not a very big secret, but still…"
He laughed. "Point taken. My turn… my favourite color is really blue."
She giggled. "Oh yes, and like that's a massive secret I was just dying to know."
"Well, most people think it's red, and they think that that's why I stick to Slifer. But it's not. I've always liked blue. It's a very… it's a color full of possibilities. But here, it's Slifer that's full of possibilities. So it's like Slifer is the new blue."
She smiled at his comparison. "I really like cats."
"Cats?" He made a face. "I can't stand them… my mom had a cat once. It ran away. I like dogs more."
"Why, because they're macho?" she scoffed. He frowned slightly.
"Macho? What's that? No, I like dogs because they're loyal. I always wanted a dog…"
She sighed softly. "Forget the macho thing, Jay. And cats can be loyal too, you know, it's a ridiculous stereotype that they're loners. I have one at home, her name is Rine. She's a brown tabby, and she's the sweetest thing in the world."
He scrunched his nose up. "Whatever, Lex. Your turn."
"Hey! I said the cat thing!"
"And I added my part about the dogs. Still your turn."
"That's not fair! You were just adding your opinion!" she protested. Jaden raised his hands above his head in surrender.
"Fine, fine, it's my turn. Hmm… I don't like rain."
She stared at him oddly. "Really? Why?"
He shook his head. "I dunno. I just never liked rain."
"I love the rain… Atty used to think I was crazy because every time it rained, I'd go out and just stand there, face upturned." She laughed quietly. "Then he started joining me. Let me tell you, the way he used to dance…!"
"Your turn," Jaden interrupted, grinning. "And since I said something I didn't like, you have to say something you don't like, too."
"All right, all right. I don't like the color orange."
He blinked. "Wow. That was random."
"No, it's not! I just don't like it. Like you 'just don't like' the rain."
"Fine, fine." He exhaled loudly. "I'm scared of the dark," he admitted.
She smiled. "A lot of people are. I am, too."
Jaden grinned. "Really? Sweet, that makes me feel better, the queen of the Academy's scared of the dark too!" he teased.
She laughed uncomfortably. "Yeah…"
He looked at her earnestly, his brown eyes shining lightly in the gloom. "It's nice, just sitting here with you," he told her. "Just the two of us."
She felt herself go red, her stomach twisting and her skin tingling. "I'mterrifiedofshots," she blurted out. 'Oh my God, did I just say that?'
Jaden cocked his head. "Say what? I didn't catch that."
Alexis took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on her interwoven hands. "I'm terrified of shots," she said slowly. "And… and I have to take two tomorrow." She felt tears pricking the corner of her eyes. "And I don't know what to do, the last time I had to take one, I nearly drove the doctor insane, I'm pretty sure my dad had to hold me down… and I'm so scared, I have this really big phobia of needles and blood and pain."
Jaden watched her as she steadily wore herself out. Finally, she took a deep breath, shaking. "I'm sorry," she said meekly.
"For what?" he asked, surprised. "Don't be sorry. That's what friends are for – to talk to."
Alexis tucked a few strands of loose hair behind one ear, her eyes still on her lap. "Yeah, I guess…"
"Hey, hey, hey. Look at me, Lexi." Alexis frowned, raising her eyes. Jaden's face was only a few inches from hers, and his eyes were serious. "I'm always here for you, okay? Anytime you want to talk or anything, I'm ready. Don't be afraid to say anything to me. I won't tell anyone, promise."
She nodded slightly. "Definitely, Jay." Faintly uncomfortable with being so close to him, she scooted away a little. Jaden's cheeks flushed and he backed away.
"Sorry. I wasn't… invading your personal space or anything, was I?"
Alexis blinked. "Personal space? Oh no, no, it's okay."
"My mom told me never to invade a girl's personal space… back when I was thirteen or so. She gave me this really long talk and then my dad gave me an even longer one." He frowned. "I can't really remember much of it."
Alexis laughed quietly. She had a feeling that she knew exactly what Mr. and Mrs. Yuki had talked to Jaden about.
"Hey, Lex? You know, tomorrow, for your shots? I'll be there."
Her cheeks warmed again. "Thanks, Jaden. That means a lot to me."
"Hey, Alexis! Don't you need to go to the nurse's office?" Jaden looked down at the girl quizzically – class was over for the day, and yet Alexis was at her desk. "C'mon, we can go together."
"Uhh…" Alexis looked a little green. "C-can you tell Ms. Fontaine that I'm not feeling very well? I think I should go rest."
Jaden rolled his eyes, a very uncharacteristic display of irritation. "Lexi, you're not fooling me. Come on, it'll only take a second, I promise," he coaxed. "I'll be right there with you."
Red mixed with the green, and Alexis shakily got to her feet. "I hope you brought iron gloves, cause I'm going to be squeezing pretty tightly," she joked feebly. He smiled.
"That's the Lex I know. Shall we?"
"I'd rather not."
"Too bad!" He grabbed her hand and forcefully yanked her towards the door. "Nurse's office, here we come!"
"Jaden!" she yelled, but he pretended not to hear. She sighed and kept up with him, ignoring the blissful warmth that had begun to spread through her body.
"Stupid hormones," she muttered, her boots clicking on the floor.
"Did you say something?" Jaden asked good-naturedly.
"No, not at all," she lied easily, slipping her hand out of Jaden's. "Let's just get this over with."
"That's the spirit! Kind of, at least."
She smiled tightly. "Very funny, Jay."
"Oh. My. God. I'm not going in there!"
"Alexis, come on. You'll do fine. It's just two tiny shots. You won't feel a thing."
"That's what they always say. And then I can't think from the pain."
"… that's such an exaggeration, Lex."
"It's not! And did you just say 'exaggeration'?"
"Ouch, that hurt right here."
"My arm is going to fall off, isn't it? Or she'll prick my veins and blood will gush out everywhere. I can't believe I let you talk me into this!"
"Alexis! Chill! Your arm is not going to fall off, and Ms. Fontaine will not stab your vein. Are you actually hyperventilating?"
"Of course not! I'm just breathing really fast!"
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"Oh my God. I'm going to die, Jaden! They'll put me in some record book as the only person to die from a vaccination!"
"Stop! Calm down! Take a deep breath!"
"I'm trying!"
"Alexis… oh for goodness' sake…"
"Jaden… what…?"
Alexis couldn't think after that, because Jaden's lips were on hers, and nothing else mattered.
"… Ms. Rhodes? Mr. Yuki?"
They pulled away, both faces bright red. Ms. Fontaine looked more amused than angry. "I do believe that there is a strict 'no public displays of affection' rule at Duel Academy."
Alexis turned pink.
"However, I'll pretend I didn't see this." She chuckled softly, inserting a syringe into a small vial. Alexis averted her eyes, her gaze on Jaden's hand, which was covering her own. He squeezed her hand lightly, and when she met his gaze, he smiled encouragingly.
"This will only take a second…" Alexis felt her skin being swabbed with alcohol, and shivered at the sudden cold. "There, there," Ms. Fontaine murmured, pinching the skin slightly. Alexis closed her eyes and buried her face in Jaden's shoulder.
She felt a small prick, and then another one, before the nurse proclaimed, "All done!"
"It's… done?" She lifted her head, surprised. "Really? I'm done?"
Jaden nodded, grinning. "See, I told you. Nothing happened, did it?"
She stared at her arm in disbelief. There were two small red dots on the surface, and Ms. Fontaine swiftly covered them with band-aids. There was a dull ache in her arm, but no intense pain.
"That's… it?"
"That's it," Jaden assured her. He suddenly turned red again. "And uh, Lex, about earlier… I-I'm sorry, that was totally out of line, I should've… but you were just talking so much, and I…"
Alexis remained quiet for a while, and her cheeks turned red again. "I-I'll see you later, Jay," she finally muttered. Jaden's face fell slightly, as Alexis continued, "Maybe you could come to Obelisk for dinner, or something. I know you love the food there." She offered him a small smile, which he returned.
"Sure! I'm totally there!"
She nodded and began to leave, pausing for a moment at the door. "Good luck with the check-up… and hope that you don't have to take any shots." She laughed softly.
He grinned at her. "No problem – if I do, I know I have the best friend to help me through."
"Best friends," Alexis agreed.
'Best friends… but maybe someday, something more.'
AN: Total cheese, and Alexis was out of character for quite a while. Jaden too. Ah well. If you can struggle through it, I commend you! (I also changed the ending a bit after a few people told me that it was a bit too rushed. I left it a little more open. Is it better this way? Please tell me!)