A/N: Okay, so this is my first GX fanfiction! It's based off of an OTP Prompt where it takes your OTP three days to make a potato salad (a quote from the cartoon Spongebob Squarepants), and I thought I would give it a try. There will be three chapters, one for each day. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: Sparks
"Oh wow, the weather outside is just gorgeous!" Alexis opened up the windows in the Slifer Red dorm. "We need some fresh air in here." Her blonde hair was tussled and teased by the warm summer wind.
Jaden sat up in bed and set his tattered Elemental Heroes comic book aside. "Why stay in here when we can enjoy the weather outside?"
"Yeah! Let's have a picnic." Syrus smiled. "It'll be fun!"
"Good idea." Jaden hopped out of bed and ran over to his desk to write out a shopping list. "Okay, what do people traditionally eat at a picnic?"
"Sandwiches!" Tyranno shouted out. "Gotta have those towering sandwiches. Especially with lots of bologna and turkey!" He rubbed his stomach hungrily.
"Vegetables are important for a healthy diet." Bastion, who was playing on his TI-84 calculator, nodded.
"Fruit, maybe some apples and bananas." Alexis added.
"No one has mentioned potato salad yet! My family always packed potato salad for outings." Jaden scribbled down some ingredients for potato salad. "All right. That sounds good, right?"
"Right!" Alexis, Tyranno, Bastion, and Syrus confirmed.
Jaden looked over his list. "I'll assign each of us a task for the picnic. I'll be in charge of finding a blanket, basket and plastic ware. Tyranno, you're in charge of the sandwiches—"
"Right on!"
"Syrus, you're gonna get some fruits and veggies with Bastion. And then finally... hey wait a minute, we should invite Chazz! Where is he?" Jaden looked around.
"What are you dorks up to now?" As if on cue, Chazz appeared in the doorway, leaning against the rotting, wooden frame.
"Speaking of the devil himself!" Syrus giggled.
"Can it, dweeb!" Chazz snapped as he strolled in. "So, what are you guys doing? Nothing interesting, I take it." He peered over Jaden's shoulder to take a closer look at the list.
"We're having a picnic! Want to join?" Jaden smiled.
"Why would I ever want to have a picnic with—"
"C'mon Chazz, it'll be fun." Alexis gave a small smile. "Lighten up."
Chazz's demeanor quickly changed 180 degrees when he found out Alexis was going. "Oh, what was I saying? This hot weather is messin' with my head! I'd love to go." His cheeks flushed a bright red and he gave a sheepish smile.
"Yay!" Jaden threw his hands up in the air in celebration, thwacking Chazz in the face. "You can get ingredients for potato salad with Alexis then."
Alexis and Chazz both had shocked reactions, and both turned equally red. "I have to go with...?" They said in unison. Despite their similar reactions, the two students had different tones in their voices. Chazz was ecstatic, and Alexis was... disappointed.
•
"Okay, so what do we need? Do you have a list?" Chazz grabbed a basket at the entrance of the market.
Alexis reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper. "Got a list right here. Jaden found this recipe online." She narrowed her olive-colored eyes to read the small text. "Let's get the main ingredient, potatoes. Can't have potato salad without potatoes!"
They walked side-by-side to the produce section. There, they spotted potatoes and veggies of all kinds.
"The recipe calls for russet potatoes, and we need two pounds. Wanna get those while I get the onions?" Alexis smirked. "Can you handle the task by yourself without my supervision?"
Chazz turned bright red and felt his ears get hot. "Yeah, I'll handle it just fine!" He retorted. He was torn between feeling hurt, and feeling attracted to Alexis' feisty personality. Chazz spun around and stalked off to the stand of potatoes. He angrily started placing individual ones into the basket.
"Hey boss!" Ojama Yellow, one of his several annoying duel spirits, appeared on his shoulder. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Yeh, can we help?" Ojama Black floated off to his left-hand side.
Chazz nearly made mashed potatoes by crushing the one in his hand out of frustration. "I'm getting ingredients for potato salad with Alexis, and NO you can't help!"
"Alexis? The girl you're in loooooove with?" Ojama Yellow teased.
Ojama Green giggled, "It's like a date!"
"Will you kindly piss off?" Chazz swiped at the air in attempt to slap away the duel spirits, but his hand met nothing. "I have a task I need to complete!"
The Ojama Trio all settled down on the potatoes, and stretched out as if they were relaxing on a hot summer day. "Ooh, these potatoes make nice bean bags," Ojama Green shifted from side-to-side, making himself comfortable.
"Get your smelly butt off the potatoes! People eat those you know!" Chazz swiped at them again, but since they were only spirits, his hand ghosted right through and smashed the potatoes, creating a mess.
"I thought you were making potato salad, not mashed potatoes?" Ojama Yellow wondered. Chazz bit his lip and held his tongue. He already made an embarrassment of himself, no need to make the current situation worse.
"Chazz?!" Alexis ran over, holding the bag of white onions in her hands. "Did you... how... why?" She facepalmed, and slowly dragged her hand down her face.
"Heh heh..." Chazz grinned and shook the excess potato off of him. He felt his skin grow hot with embarrassment. "Did you want to continue shopping?"
Alexis smiled. "Why don't you go to the bathroom and clean up, and then we'll continue shopping."
•
The two students finished their shopping and went back to the dorm to cook.
"Okay, first step, gotta wash our hands!" Alexis turned on the faucet and let some warm water trickle over her hands. As she reached for the soap, Chazz's hand brushed over hers. He quickly retracted his arm and allowed her to use the soap first.
"Sorry 'bout that." He blushed. Alexis gave a small smile and continued washing her hands.
After Chazz washed his hands, he asked, "Okay, so now what?"
"We gotta cook the potatoes." Alexis grabbed a large pot, filled it with water, and placed it on the stovetop. "Got the potatoes? Or did you squish them all on the way over here?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Nope!" Chazz put the potatoes in the pot of water. "How long do we boil them for?"
Alexis peered closer at the recipe. "It says here to 'boil the potatoes for fifteen minutes, until they are tender, but firm."
"Fifteen minutes; got it." Chazz cranked the stovetop dial to the appropriate temperature. "So what do we do now?"
"We can go over our decks, I guess." Alexis shrugged with a smile. Chazz liked that idea.
"Sure!" He flinched, he sounded overly excited. Chazz had to play it cool; he couldn't afford to lose Alexis now. The two went back to Chez Chazz and sat on the couch. Alexis sat down first, and Chazz sat down close right beside her, a little too close.
"Ah, I could get real comfortable here," The former Obelisk Blue student stretched his arms, reaching them up high and letting his right arm fall around Alexis.
Alexis was too stunned to say anything. Her heart was racing and she fumbled for her deck, which was in her pocket. She fought the urge to lean into him, to cuddle up close, to feel his warmth, to smell his sweet scent...
Snapping out of her daze, Alexis shoved him off. He landed with his back on the couch. "Nice try, Chazzanova. Not gonna work!"
"What's it going to take for you to fall in love with me?" Chazz laughed, still lying on his back.
Alexis crept over to Chazz, and crawled over him so she was towering overhead. She pinned his arms down and held him to the couch cushions.
"I play hard to get," she winked. "I make the decisions."
"Do you now?" Chazz closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He was so close to getting what he wanted, this scenario played out just like any other of his fantasies.
Alexis leaned in; she wanted to give in to her temptations. What's one kiss going to do? It's not like she was committing to-
"The potatoes!" She shouted, jerking her head up away from Chazz. She scrambled off of him, almost kneeing him in a fragile spot, and darted to the kitchen.
"Aw, dammit!" Chazz growled in frustration. "So close!"
•
"Well the potatoes are mush. Do you think Jaden wanted soup?" Alexis swirled a spoon around the bubbly concoction.
"It smells good...?" Chazz wrinkled his nose. "We gotta go back to the store and buy more potatoes."
"It's too late, the store's closed by now." Alexis grumbled. "We can postpone the picnic to this weekend, the weather's supposed to be nice then too."
Chazz grabbed the pot off the stove and dumped the contents down the large kitchen sink. He rinsed it out with some hot water and placed it off to the side.
"Wanna watch a movie? I suppose you don't have any other plans." He was hoping to recreate the situation they were in before.
Alexis was catching on to his plans. "Hmm, well, I was going to have a spa night with Mindy and Jasmine," She smiled softly. Alexis caught Chazz slouching with disappointment. "But..." Suddenly she noticed his gray eyes glimmer with hope.
"They can spend the night without me."
Chazz tipped his head to the side. "Are you sure?" he stammered. "I-I mean, you don't have to stay..."
"It's no problem! We should just let the other guys know about pushing back the date." Alexis jumped when she heard the door open. "Jaden, is that you?"
Jaden walked in, followed by Syrus, Hasselberry, and Bastion (who was carrying Hasselberry over his shoulder). "Hey Alexis! Hey Chazz! Did you get the potato salad done?"
"No, uh, we didn't keep watch on the potatoes so they turned to mush." Alexis' mind flashed back to when her and Chazz had their little moment on the couch. "We were going to go back to the store tomorrow to get more potatoes. Maybe we could push back the picnic date until this weekend?"
"That's fine, I came over to ask the same thing. Hasselberry ate all the sandwiches as he was making them, so he has a stomachache." Jaden looked over at Hasselberry, whose pained expression told all.
"So what are you guys up to now?" Syrus asked.
"We're gonna watch a movie! Want to join?" Alexis offered with a smile. Chazz looked over at her, his heart sinking low like a rock, so much for any alone time. Those fantasies are going to have to wait.
All the boys rushed over to the couch and all squished in. Hasselberry flopped over all over them, still aching from all those sandwiches.
"What makes you think you all can just come in and sit down like you own the place?! This is Chez Chazz, and I decide who stays here!" Chazz pointed to himself angrily.
"Calm down man, you don't own the dorm," Jaden started munching on popcorn that he found randomly. "You're lucky we took you in, orphaned Obelisk!" He laughed as he ate more popcorn.
"Care to share some with an injured soldier?" Hasselberry reached for the popcorn.
Bastion slapped his hand away. "Absolutely not! All that butter and salt is unhealthy to consume, especially since you are currently suffering from an upset stomach."
Chazz rubbed his temples. Having the geek squad over for an unexpected movie night was giving him a massive headache. Alexis glanced over and noticed his scowl.
"Wanna sit over there?" She pointed to a cushy armchair. "It seems like the couch is kinda full." Alexis looked over at the four boys, who were duking it out for the remaining popcorn.
"KURIBOH, GO IN FOR THE SNEAK ATTACK." Jaden shouted.
Chazz and Alexis sat in the armchair together, and in order for both of them to fit, they had to press closely together. He could feel her body heat seeping into his skin. Maybe the night will go better after all...
•
The movie was over and done with, and it was late at night. The pale moonlight seeped in through the windows as the gang sat in the peaceful, sleepy quiet. No one wanted to get up, and no one wanted to break the silence.
After realizing exactly how late it was, Bastion said, "Well, I suppose I should head back to the Ra Yellow dormitory, it is late after all."
"Yeah, I'm going back to our room too." Syrus stretched and gave a large yawn. "C'mon, Jay." He tapped a snoring Jaden on the shoulder.
Jaden gave a snort and flipped over, burying his face in the couch cushion. Syrus rolled his eyes and dragged Jaden off the couch with all the effort he could muster. Hasselberry was already dragging his feet to the boy's dorm room.
"Good night, soldiers, time to head back to the barracks." He yawned.
Syrus was about to follow Hasselberry when he turned around. "Hey, Alexis, do you need a place to sleep? You can join us if you want. I mean, it's crowded already, but we can find you a spot."
Chazz was about to claim Alexis first, but he was stopped by her hand.
"Thank you, Syrus, but I have arrangements." Alexis smiled. She shot Chazz a knowing glance and raised an eyebrow.
"All right, good night you two." Syrus dragged himself and Jaden into their own dorm, leaving Chazz and Alexis to themselves.
"Um, I suppose you could sleep on the couch then. I'll grab a blanket." Chazz awkwardly got up to fetch a blanket. As much as he dreamed of sleeping with her, it probably wasn't going to happen tonight. Plus he still wasn't sure how she felt about him.
"Are you sure?" Alexis crossed her legs and fidgeted with her hands. She knew of Chazz's feelings for her, but she wasn't sure about giving in to her temptations. Yes, it sounded like a good idea in the here and now, but would she regret it in the morning? She decided to throw caution to the wind and let herself go.
"I'm sure there's plenty of room in your bed. One side for you, one side for me."
Chazz's brain short-circuited. Was she really saying that? Was he dreaming? This couldn't be real! After all his attempts at trying to woo her and win her heart, NOW she wants to sleep with him?! Women work in mysterious ways, he thought to himself.
"Oh yeah, of course." He tried to be smooth and confident. He's finally going to score; with a girl he's had an infatuation with for a long time. It was a dream come true! "If you want to change into pajamas, then you can use the bathroom over there," he pointed to the restroom that was integrated into his dorm, plumbing and all (it was expensive, but worth it. Sharing a bathroom with the likes of Jaden and other Slifer Slackers was something he would not stand for).
"No, it's fine. I'll just strip down here." She pulled off her Obelisk Blue top and skirt, and placed her boots at the end of the bed. "There. All ready for bed."
Chazz had to wipe his sleeve across his face to clean the mess from his sudden bloody nose. He decided to quickly change into his pajamas, which consisted of gray flannel pants and a black t-shirt.
Alexis was already cozy under the covers when he crawled in himself. He fluffed his pillow and laid down, his heart pumping wildly with excitement.
"Aren't you going to be hot?" Alexis' eyes widened. "The Slifer dorm doesn't have air conditioning unlike the Obelisk dorm. And it's early June!"
She had a point. These flannel pants were already sticking to his legs. Ew. Though it could be a ploy to get him to strip down too...
"Why do you ask? Do you want me to remove them?" He slid closer to her, very close.
Alexis stumbled for words. Her mouth became dry and she could feel her skin growing hot. "Um, I'm just concerned for your, uh, comfort." She winced.
"Is that so...?" Chazz surprised himself with how well he was handling the situation. So far, no goof ups. He had to maintain his cool if he wanted any action.
Alexis could feel the hot and heavy tension in the air. She wanted him so badly, but she could still feel the chains of restraint around her. Why was she so torn? I want him, she told herself. Why won't I let myself have this one night?
Fuck it!
She lurched forward and kissed Chazz. Alexis backed off for a second to catch her breath, but before she could process what was going on, she plunged back in and continued the kiss, but this time she wrapped her arms around his body and pulled him in close until there was no space between them.
When they broke apart, Chazz was out of breath and trembling. Beads of sweat dotted his face. He was speechless.
Alexis found herself at a loss for words too. But then she quickly piped up: "Sorry."
"Sorry?!" Chazz gasped. Still shaking, he laughed. "That... that was amazing."
Alexis blushed furiously and was thankful that it was dark. Chazz leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. He remained close to her, and pressed his body against her own.
"So, are you going to take those off? You look awfully hot." Alexis teased the waistband of Chazz's flannel bottoms. He tried to smoothly remove them in one go, but failed miserably. His excitement had him fumbling and slipping. Finally, after much of a struggle, he flung his pants aside. Already, he felt better.
Chazz and Alexis locked themselves into another kiss, and they let their hands wander gently across each other's bodies, feeling the soft curves and contours. Chazz felt drunk on his own ecstasy. He wanted this night to never end!
The two paused to look into each other's eyes. The moonlight reflected off of Alexis' olive brown eyes, making them sparkle. The stars would be jealous of her brightness, he thought lovingly. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.
Alexis could feel that Chazz harbored no feelings of lust (okay, maybe a little), but his actions and feelings were those of love. She placed her head on his chest, and could hear his heartbeat pounding like thunder.
As much as she wanted to kiss him again and resume the energetic passion, Alexis didn't want to move from this spot. It was comfortable, and she felt loved. She felt as if everything was right.
"Are you happy?" Chazz asked her as he ran his fingers through her hair. Alexis didn't hear any of his usual sarcasm or cynicism.
"Yes, yes I am." Alexis smiled and nuzzled herself closer to his chest. She meant it.
"Why were you so against my love before?" Chazz sat up in bed, having Alexis' head slide down his body to rest on his lap. He continued to stroke her hair rhythmically. "You always pushed away my advances, and never showed any interest. Why the sudden change?"
Alexis bit her lip and looked away from Chazz. She felt a sudden wave of embarrassment and a twinge of guilt.
"I denied my feelings, and lied to myself. I wanted to be independent and strong on my own. As a child, I was always associated with my older brother and relied on him for everything. I feared that having a boyfriend would be continuing that." She closed her eyes. "So I pushed away my feelings for any guy. For fear of losing myself."
Chazz paused and twirled her blonde hair around his finger. "You know, I find your independence attractive."
Alexis perked up.
He continued, "I want you to be you, why would I want anything different?" Giving a smile, Chazz picked her up and kissed her cheek. "You can be you, and I'll be me. But we can team up together and combine our strengths." Alexis was taken aback by Chazz's sudden out-of-character. "I like that." Alexis smiled back. She got on her hands and knees and kissed Chazz in return.
Before she could pull away, Chazz grabbed her and pressed his body to hers, continuing the kiss. His stomach was full of butterflies, and his heart fluttered fast with energy.
Taking a breath, he stopped. "So..."
"So...?" Alexis teased.
"So, are we official...?" Chazz's voice trailed off to an unsure squeak.
Alexis laughed loudly, and then covered her mouth with her hand to prevent her laughter from waking the boys next door. "Yes, Chazz, we are." It felt relieving to say that out loud, she could finally admit her feelings for the dark-haired boy.
"Now let's go to bed, it's late," Chazz smiled. "We gotta work on the potato salad tomorrow."
"Right!" Alexis pressed closer to Chazz, and wrapped her arms around him. It was warm, and perfect.
Chazz had never slept so soundly before in his life.