Note: This is set an undetermined amount of time after Duel Academy, but it's been a few years at least.
Disclaimer : I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Truce
A truce was most likely as good as they were ever going to get.
They weren't enemies. There was no feeling of hatred between them.
They weren't even rivals. Jaden loved them both, and they both knew that and had accepted it. There was no need for competition between them. Why would there? Jaden had found a way to love them both, after all these years of trying to find the balance.
They were not enemies or rivals, but they weren't exactly friends either. It was a bit difficult to maintain any positive relationship, since there were still excess hard feelings between the two - feelings that were usually ignored, but occasionally resurfaced, causing bitter glares to be thrown in the other's direction. Although things were better now, occasionally some resentment from the events of Jesse's last school year came out.
If he was honest, Jesse did not really resent Yubel at all, he just didn't trust her. It made him uncomfortable that she had seen so deeply into his emotions and thoughts, when she had possessed his body. She knew more about him than he would have ever told her willingly, and that alone made him slightly edgy around her.
For Yubel, she merely put up with Jesse because she had to. She knew that Jesse made her precious Jaden happy, and so even though she wasn't overly fond of Jesse, she never caused him any trouble. It was easy enough - Jesse made Jaden happy, and his happiness was all she wanted. She knew that she had Jaden's undying love, that nothing would end that. She had no need to fear or envy Jesse - she had what she had always wanted.
/
Usually, Jesse didn't speak much to Yubel. He saw her in the house sometimes - if Jaden was around - but he didn't really talk to her. Their relationship wasn't the sort where the two people involved made small talk for the sake of it. That wasn't to say he hadn't ever spoken with her, but those conversations were mostly one-sided and awkward, so generally a nod of acknowledgement was more than enough.
Unless something was wrong with his lover.
/
Jaden was sick. He had a fever due to a chest infection, one that wasn't serious enough to bother with hospital but was still worrying enough to have him put on bed rest for the duration of the day. Jesse reasoned that the brunette would be fine once the fever broke, and until then, Jaden really just wanted to sleep it off. He was eager to recover, since he preferred to be on the move and helping people, not just lazing in bed.
"Need anything else?" Jesse murmured, gently raking his fingers through the soft locks of his lover's hair.
"No, I'm good" Jaden muttered.
Well, good enough. His cheeks were spotted red with the fever and he was sweating. Still, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. It was just a shame that while his powers - powers he and he alone possessed - could do so much and yet couldn't keep away a simple infection. Ironic, wasn't it?
Jesse smiled at his lover, who had closed his eyes and was attempting to go back to sleep, and got up to walk out of the room. Over their years together, Jesse had learned that when Jaden got sick - which was a rarity - he liked to be left in peace and not pampered.
Before Jesse had gotten the door fully closed, he saw the spirit of Yubel appear at the end of the bed - hazy as any spirit but carrying more power than most. He tensed slightly but otherwise didn't react. He simply closed the door and went into the living room.
She was always there, anyway. She was just protecting Jaden, as usual.
/
Jesse spent half an hour flicking through his deck and listening to some music before he suffered an interruption.
"Turn that down, Jaden's resting."
At the sound of Yubel's voice, Jesse jumped a little. When he turned around, she had a slight smirk on her face. He clicked a button on the stereo to turn it off, wondering why Yubel had come out here to tell him to turn it off instead of just shutting it up herself. She had before.
"Jaden's thirsty" Yubel stated, before going through the archway that led into the kitchen, not waiting for any questions or replies.
Jesse got to his feet. Because this was about Jaden, he didn't hesitate to follow her into the kitchen. He'd have to get the glasses out. Since Jaden had last been here, he had rearranged the kitchen a bit - now the glasses, which had previously been kept in the top left cupboard, were stored in the bottom right cupboard.
He and Jaden were lovers, but they had separate goals and aspirations - and for Jaden, duties. Jesse's goals kept him closer to him, usually; working with his family a lot. Jaden's, though, meant that he had to travel. He went around the globe helping people where he could, and sometimes it took a while. Jaden's most recent trip had taken a full three months and he had been home for only two days.
Just their luck that he would have fallen sick. Must've been the cold weather from where he was helping a person he'd never met before but now knew quite well.
Jesse grabbed a colourless glass from the bottom right cupboard and turned to Yubel. He wondered if she had come out here to tell him to do this for Jaden, or if she had planned to manifest herself physically. A spirit couldn't physically pick up a glass - he wondered if Yubel was able to manifest herself into a physical form so that she could. He didn't know if she could do that, and maybe it was better he didn't. Still, it didn't matter - he was here now, he might as well make himself useful.
He looked over at Yubel.
"Just water?"
The spirit nodded once, and Jesse poured water into the glass.
This was the usual amount of words spoken during one of their odd conversations. They just didn't have all that much to say to each other.
But Jaden did want them to get on. He'd never force them to be friends, but Jesse knew that it would be much easier, on everyone, if he and Yubel got on.
And since her possessing him back in school, she had never harmed him in any way. He'd forgiven her for that one incident. Maybe it was time he learned to trust her. After all, she was a part of Jaden, had been for years, and he trusted Jaden with his life.
Jesse picked up at the glass and looked over at Yubel. She wasn't looking at him, her eyes were focused on the closed door of the bedroom, where Jaden was.
Swallowing both his pride and his decreasing mistrust, he asked, "you okay?"
He wondered if Yubel might ignore him, thinking that it would be an immature thing to do. But Yubel nodded in response.
"Worried about Jaden?" Jesse murmured, knowing that she would hear him.
Well, the least he could do was make an effort. Several years had passed. And they both loved Jaden, after all.
"An infection won't harm him" Yubel said, not looking at Jesse. "He will recover by tomorrow."
Didn't it take a while to recover from a chest infection, Jesse wondered. Well, perhaps it was different for the Supreme King, or maybe due to the powers Yubel's soul gave Jaden. He was able to catch the infection but recovered from it more quickly.
Yubel glanced over at Jesse, arms folded.
"Are you going?" she asked.
He knew that she referred to the water that he was supposed to take in for Jaden, and Jesse nodded. Fingers still closed around the cool glass, he walked over to the bedroom door. He could feel Yubel's eyes on him and wondered why she was out here instead of sitting with Jaden, be it in the bedroom or in his own mind.
He didn't get it.
He stopped with one hand rested on the door handle and turned around to look at Yubel. Her face showed the beginnings of impatience.
Jesse took a deep breath. This would be the best chance he got. He offered Yubel a small smile.
"I've got a duel later" he said offhandedly. "You'll take care of Jaden while I'm gone?"
Yubel's expression was half confused and half amused. Take care of Jaden? Do what she always did, in other words.
But, of course, there was more to it than just that.
It was Jesse's way of trying to trust her.
Or maybe it was a bad attempt at humour, seeing as she was never apart from Jaden and always cared for him.
Or perhaps this was Jesse's way of showing Yubel that he appreciated that she cared for Jaden.
Maybe it was all three. Maybe it was none at all.
Whatever it was, he was trying. She could see his discomfort.
But this was what Jaden wanted: them to get along. If they somehow managed to get along, Jaden would be very happy. And his happiness was her goal.
Yubel nodded.
"I always do" she said plainly.
Jesse paused slightly before smiling again, albeit slightly shakily.
"I know" he whispered.
And then he opened the door and went into Jaden's room, Yubel moving immediately to the brunette's side. For Jaden, they could set their differences aside and present themselves as a united front, their love for him being their similarity, forming themselves a truce that would last their whole lives.
Well. In this lifetime.
Please R&R