Title: A Hard Day's Night
Author: Nina/technicolornina
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!: GX
Pairing/Characters: Johan, Jyuudai, Kenzan
Word Count: 1 825
Spoilers: Not . . . really? Except for Johan.
Story Rating: PG-13
Story Summary: In which Johan learns that when you do a sleepover, you'd better make sure the boy isn't quite so pretty first.
Notes: N/A
Feedback: I really do appreciate it when I get it, so if you care to make an author happy, please do.
Special Thanks/Dedications: For Higuchimon's birthday. Happy Birthday, dear!

It's been a hard day's night
And I've been working like a dog
It's been a hard day's night
I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you
I find the things that you do
Will make me feel all right.
- "A Hard Day's Night," The Beatles

This wasn't supposed to be this bad of an idea, Johan thought.

At first, it hadn't been; the boy from that syrupy-golden afternoon light on the roof who'd taken his hand and cheerfully confirmed himself as Yuuki Jyuudai had seemed like someone who would be good to know, a strong friend for someone who had very little in the way of human companionship. Then they'd dueled, and Johan had been sure they would be good friends, he and this goofy, enthusiastic duelist with the hero deck.

Then Jyuudai—just Jyuudai, since he'd first laughed a little while Johan fumbled between -san and -kun and then told him not to worry about it—had suggested Johan might like to stay in the Red dorms for a sleepover so he wouldn't be alone in a fancy Obelisk Blue room after spending two years with a roommate at North School, and that was when the shit hit the fan.

It figured, Johan thought, staring up at the support-planks of the upper bunk while Jyuudai rolled over and did not quite snore, that this would happen. He didn't make a habit of finding boys more than just a little cute, especially after knowing them for less than twelve hours, but—who did he think he was fooling? Twelve hours? Thirty seconds, tops. But he was seventeen years old—practically an adult—he could control himself. Could and did, through a trip to the onsen that ended in a splashing contest, sorting through the booster packs he picked up at the convenience store more for reading practice than actual personal use, through the trip out of the dorm to find the person who'd been spying on them . . . and then on the way back to the dorms Jyuudai'd thrown a casual arm over Johan's shoulders and it was all over.

Now he was lying alongside a peacefully sleeping Jyuudai, very wide awake and counting the knotholes in the bed in the hope it would bore him enough to put him to sleep.

It was a very small bed.

Above him, Kenzan rolled over and snored. Johan watched the mattress move under the younger boy's weight and made a mental note to find out the source of the sidelong glance he'd gotten when he'd plunked down on Jyuudai's bed. He was pretty sure he had a good idea, but—

Jyuudai rolled over and threw an arm over Johan's waist.

Johan froze. Jyuudai mumbled something against his shoulder. Johan waited for him to flop back onto his back. Finally he looked at the alarm.

2:14am.

Surely he should be more tired than this. He'd been in the Japanese time zone for three days and he was mostly over the jet lag. Classes started in less than six hours. He needed to sleep . . .

Ruby curled up by his shoulder with a sleepy chitter. Johan leaned his head over, wishing not for the first time that duel spirits were solid. At least having to keep her tail out of his face would have been a welcome distraction.

Jyuudai curled up against his side and mumbled something else Johan didn't catch. Johan tensed again. Jyuudai breathed against his neck.

Just . . . move. Please. Roll over and face the other way.

Through the door, in the bathroom, a faucet dripped, and Jyuudai did not roll over. Johan considered the possibility of trying to sleep on the floor and just telling Jyuudai in the morning that he didn't sleep well in the same bed with someone else, and rejected it. They'd been chatting almost nonstop ever since Cobra's exhibition duel, and Jyuudai already knew Johan had no problem sleeping in the same bed with another boy or, indeed, three other boys with a wet and shivering first-year stuck in the middle to warm up after a fall through thin ice.

He just had a problem sleeping in the same bed with another boy who had gorgeous gold-flecked brown eyes and an absolutely intoxicating smile.

Kenzan snored loudly enough to make Johan jump. Jyuudai rolled onto his back. Johan glanced at the clock. 2:46. Surely, even if he fell asleep now, he'd be okay for classes . . .

Jyuudai's hand brushed his bare wrist.

Maybe if I go back to the Blue dorm and tell him tomorrow I had to get something I forgot . . .

But aside from being a lousy liar, starting a new friendship with dishonesty would be a great way to end up losing it.

So tell him the truth?

No.

Jyuudai rolled over to face the wall. Johan turned to face the room and closed his eyes against the clock telling him he had four hours and two minutes to sleep.

"Johan? Hey, Johan . . . "

Johan decided to pay no attention to Jyuudai murmuring his name over and over—"I'm a bedwetter" was not an acceptable alternative, no matter what—at least until he felt a hand about three inches from very sensitive areas, and then he was very awake.

"What are you doing?" The question came out at least half an octave higher than he would have liked. Jyuudai blinked at him.

"Are you okay?"

"Why?" Johan bit his tongue to keep his voice from shaking.

"You sounded funny. That's all."

"Uh—" Think fast, dumbass. "I'm—a little ticklish. That's all."

"Oh." Jyuudai sat on the foot of the bed to swing his legs over. "Sorry. I just went to the bathroom and when I came back you moved." He paused. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Let me go get the faucet, it's been driving me crazy," Johan answered, sliding out of the bed and heading for the bathroom at the most casual pace he thought he could manage. He washed his hands and face in cold water and yawned, then smiled at his reflection. The duel that afternoon had taken a lot more out of him than duels usually did, but given that he'd been wound up and eager to make landfall since dawn, he wasn't entirely surprised. With the flush cleared out of his face, he thought he might be able to sleep. He double-checked the faucet for drips, then padded back to Jyuudai's room and flopped back into the bed, already half-asleep.

Then Jyuudai put an arm over his waist.

"I'm glad you're here, you know that?" He grinned that fast, quicksilver smile. The moon through the window turned his eyes from chocolate to mahogany in shadow. "It kind of reminds me of something . . . when I was a little kid, I guess."

"Did you do sleepovers often?" Move your arm . . . . please.

Jyuudai shook his head. "Nah. I was in hospital a lot. Then we moved and by the time I met all new people I was on my way here." The pillow above him shifted, and he grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Ruby."

The idea was strange enough to distract Johan from the arm over his waist. In hospital? He never mentioned being sick as a kid . . .

He opened his mouth to comment and realised Jyuudai was already asleep again. He reached for Jyuudai's arm to move and realised his own wouldn't bend that far. At last he sighed and gave up, watching the shadows on Jyuudai's face shift as the moon moved, putting his mouth back into darkness and silvering his eyelashes, instead. They were short, the same syrupy-gold colour as the top layer of his hair, and baby-fine. Johan turned his head in the other direction to look at the clock.

3:47.

Jyuudai moaned quietly in his sleep and murmured something Johan didn't catch. He debated shaking Jyuudai's shoulder, and then Jyuudai rolled over and seemed to find sleep's less dangerous waters again. Johan turned back in the other direction and closed his eyes . . .

And then there was a disgruntled mrrrrrrrrrow, and several pounds of most definitely not declawed cat landed on his side.

Johan groaned as Pharaoh worked his way across the bed, padding back and forth several times before deciding to knead the patch of blanket behind Johan's knee. At last he settled with a short and rusty purr behind Johan's knee.

4:04.

He snuggled back into his pillow. Closed his eyes. Felt a gentle rocking, as though he were still on the boat from Domino City to the island, and took it for a dream . . .

"Hey! Hey, Johan!"

Johan moaned and rolled over. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the clock flashing 12:00.

"Hey, do you have a watch?"

Johan shook his head. Kenzan sighed. "Damn."

Johan rolled over and groped on the nightstand for the PDA he'd been given when the ship landed.

"It's 4:27." Now please let me sleep.

"Can you help me reset the alarm? There was some kind of power surge or something and everything went out. I heard the bang," Kenzan told him, not quite bouncing like a puppy but certainly trying to look as needy as possible.

Johan rolled over and reached for the alarm, finding his way around the buttons by touch. He put it back on the table.

"Night."

Kenzan offered some kind of reply Johan, already on his way back to sleep, did not hear. The creaking of the bunk as Kenzan climbed it kept him only marginally awake.

At least until Jyuudai rolled over and pressed his front against Johan's back, his breath against Johan's neck, murmuring something about painting shoes.

Johan watched the clock.

4:31.

4:57.

5:02.

Jyuudai flopped onto his back. Johan pushed his arm off to one side as rapidly as possible and curled into a tight ball, doing his best to fling himself back into sleep as soon as possible so he could at least sleep for two—

"Hey, Johan! Hey, if you want a shower before we go eat you should get up." Jyuudai shook his shoulder.

Johan glared at the bedside clock.

6:04.

Then he dragged himself out of the bed. "Thanks, Jyuudai."

"No problem. I'm not usually up this early but there's an assembly this morning that Cobra's holding, there was a note on our door," Jyuudai chirped, oblivious to Johan rubbing a hand across sore eyes before dragging himself to the shower. "Don't take too long, the hot water runs out!" he called, as Johan shut the bathroom door.

I am never going to survive today.

Kenzan was gone, already dressed and on his way, when Johan came out fighting with a balky fly. Jyuudai grinned at him, wide-eyed and infectious, as he finally slipped the button and shrugged into the vest he'd left hanging on Jyuudai's desk chair. Jyuudai bounced to his feet.

"Let's get breakfast. Hey, Johan, by the way . . . " he shuffled his feet. Johan glanced over at him, and the grin reappeared.

"Wanna stay again tonight?"