Getting a Dream
This was getting annoying. He had already spent a week in Satellite at the new apartment, (if he could call it that, being so little) and he still couldn't have a single peaceful night. It was to be expected, though, as Jaden Yuki had just left his dueling Academy to begin working as a more renounced duelist. The nerves of a new life just starting out and the fact that all of his friends, rivals and known faces and places were behind him just helped at making his nights longer and more difficult.
There was not a sound to be heard anywhere close, as he tossed and turned on his sleep.
Then, there was quiet rusting of pillows and covers, and then gasping.
Suddenly, Jaden woke with a start, panting heavily at the realization that he had been dreaming.
But he became a little alarmed when he realized that it hadn't been a dream about his Duel Academy, or his memories as a student- it had been a nightmare about his present situation.
About his new friend and room-mate, Yusei Fudo.
xXx
The week Jaden first got into Neo Domino, they had met. Upon finding Yusei in the streets, riding around in a rather impressive -and so known around the city- D-Wheel, Jaden couldn't get his eyes off the duelist- after all, he seemed knowledgeable of the city, smart, and though a little intimidating by the frown, a nice and honest person.
And he had guessed right; after following Yusei around by foot with a smile and an offer to talk over lunch about duels and the city due his being a newcomer- and a lost one, to top, he had quickly gained a click and the young man's sympathy.
x
"Um, just a question…" Jaden had sheepishly interrupted while they talked that afternoon, "Somewhere along the lines I just heard "Riding Duel", what's that?"
They were at a small food-stand on the streets, sitting in a high table where the cook slash man in charge was frying various kinds of sea-food at the open. They sat close so that Jaden could ask for whatever he wanted as soon as he saw the man unoccupied.
Yusei's eyes widened just a little at the question. "You're a duelist who doesn't know about Riding Duels?"
Jaden only scratched the back of his head as he laughed nervously in acknowledgement.
"Well… I guess it's understandable since you're neither from here nor Neo Domino." Yusei said, giving Jaden a rather curious look, "But it's still surprising, seeing how it's becoming a standard for tournaments and such, and how much they pass them on the media."
"Yeah, I'm just not too big on that stuff…From the school I went to, we were thought only standing-duels… and I like to just play the card-games live. If anything, I just used the TV for videogames and a few shows…" Jaden admitted, again a little sheepishly. He understood the fact that this was okay for any guy his age, but being with someone as mature as Yusei changed the situation around just a little.
Yusei only nodded curtly, and after just a few seconds, eyed Jaden sternly.
"I guess this means you don't have a D-Wheel, either?"
Jaden sighed, but smiled for himself. "No, but man, that would be so awesome…"
Again, Yusei had only nodded for an answer- Jaden wasn't annoyed by this, but he found it a little odd, given how expressive all the people he knew were; Yusei somehow managed to stand out a lot from them, and it intrigued Jaden to no end.
The meal had ended in being nothing but awkward, opposed to what Jaden had feared, since after talking about the Riding Duels, he had told Yusei about his own duels, and about Duel Academy. They had stayed at the stand for over two hours, talking more than eating- (or at least it seemed that way, because Jaden talked as much as he ate, and Yusei somehow did the same with his little bites and his short answers and questions.)
When they got out, it was already past sunset, and the night covered Satellite. The lights from Neo Domino were as bright as ever, and Jaden couldn't help but to feel dazzled by them, opposed to Yusei's serious and even thoughtful look to the city. After just a minute of looking at Neo Domino from the distance, they had gotten to the place Yusei had parked his D-Wheel at. Jaden thanked Yusei for the company, and began making his way to leave.
"Wait." Yusei called, when Jaden had turned his back on him. "You said you just got here, and by foot."
Jaden only turned his head and eyed him with confusion. "Uh, yeah, I think I did. Why?"
"Do you even have somewhere to stay at?"
"Oh…" Jaden's eyes widened a little. He turned completely to Yusei, and couldn't help but to groan. "Crap, I completely forgot about that! And I don't even know the city that well!"
Before Yusei could even say anything, Jaden was already clutching his shoulders with a rather pained look. "Please tell me you know of somewhere I could stay at!"
"…Shouldn't you have looked up that before even getting here?" Yusei muttered with just a bit of a frown. This only made Jaden look even more pained.
Yusei only sighed before gently shoving Jaden off. He put his red helmet in and hopped into the D-Wheel.
"You can come with me, I guess. There's enough space for one more." He decided.
The second Yusei said this, Jaden could've sworn he felt his own eyes sparkle with utter joy as he threw his fist into the air in a victory signal.
Yes! Not only had he gotten a new acquaintance and guide, he also had a place to stay at and a room-mate! This would be completely amazing!
xXx
Jaden was only sitting on the couch, quiet as ever, as he tried to put the images to his dream in order.
After living together with Yusei for that week, Jaden had just a couple days back insisted at Yusei for some back-story, since he wanted to know his room-mate better. Yusei seemed hesitant, but at the end somehow had come to mention something about marks he had that might bring them trouble in the future, if he planned to stay long. Jaden hadn't understood it all- just bits and pieces of it-, first, there was that 'criminal mark' on his cheek… that one's story seemed way too unfair to him. Just because Yusei was settling things right after the arrogance of a friend. And then there was the other mark, something about a rather powerful Crimson Dragon, and the fact that Yusei was a chosen one to help summon it, and that the mark grew heavy and painful at times…
It certainly didn't look like it to Yusei yet, but Jaden had actually grown a little worried of both of the marks, and he had felt guilty for making Yusei talk about them. Even though he had apologized after Yusei told him about it, Yusei had still shook his head and told him it was no big deal…
But if it wasn't such a big deal, why was it that Yusei seemed to suffer on Jaden's nightmare?
The nightmare had consisted of Jaden just standing by, watching how he imagined the marks were gotten. He could hear his new friend's painful screams, and he couldn't bear to watch him squirm in fear as an impressive dragon flew upon him and slashed his arm.
Jaden's shoulders tensed at the thought of the dream, and the uneasy feeling only served to make his sleepiness go away for good. He got up, threw his jacket and shoes on, and went outside in hopes to get some air.
When Jaden was almost out of the building, he was partly surprised to find Yusei up and working on his D-Wheel.
"Ah, sorry. Was I being loud enough to wake you up?" Yusei quickly said, as he noticed Jaden staring at him from afar.
"N-No, not really." Jaden stammered; doing so in hopes to hide his relief to see Yusei alright in contrary to his nightmare, but his look straightened up when he remembered something. "Hold on, didn't you say you'd work on that upgrade to the D-Wheel tomorrow?"
Yusei only shrugged, and closed a compartment of the motorcycle he was just finishing adjusting. He rubbed his hands in a piece of cloth before answering. "Well, yeah, but when you helped me buy the tools I needed today, I got pretty anxious to work in it, seeing I already had my thoughts in order as to what to do." He looked down, and pulled a milk-bottle from the floor to sip from it. "Besides, I wasn't sleepy at all." He added, to which Jaden only grinned.
"So, what're you doing, anyways?" He asked, as he got closer to the working area, and looked over Yusei's shoulder to see the motorcycle from up close.
"What, didn't I tell you already?"
"Um…" Jaden started, shifting his look, "…I guess you have but I sort of forgot already?" He laughed awkwardly at this.
Yusei only raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry, ha-ha …" Jaden could only say, "Err- anyways, what was this upgrade of yours?" He added, before things could get any more uncomfortable.
"Well, I guess I can't blame you, since I didn't explain it wasn't really an upgrade to my D-Wheel."
"Huh?"
Yusei only moved the motorcycle he had been working on, and Jaden realized for the first time that it wasn't the Yusei-Go. It was exactly like it, yes, but the color was a brighter shade of red. Yusei moved it by the handles and placed it in a way that it was still in front of Jaden.
"Yusei…what's this?"
"Your very own D-Wheel, of course." Yusei said firmly. There was a rather proud hint to his voice.
Jaden's eyes widened, and for one of the first times since he had arrived, he was at the loss of words.
"What…?"
"Ever since you told me you didn't know of Riding Duels and that you didn't have a D-Wheel, that wouldn't stop bothering me," Yusei explained, as he went back to the work area and looked around for something. When he was facing Jaden again, he was holding a helmet that had the same red shade to Jaden's D-Wheel. "And when we had those friendly duels these past days, I saw that you had potential. So I decided I'd do the same I did for my own D-Wheel and put together one for you. "
"Oh, that's right!" Jaden looked up, "You built your own D-Wheel two times already, so this one…"
"It was difficult, but I can safely say it's the third D-Wheel I successfully made." Yusei said, and for a moment, Jaden could've sworn that he was honestly smiling at him.
Surprisingly enough, only now Jaden noticed how rare it was for Yusei to look so satisfied, glad, or happy… He also noticed, for the first time, how nice a smile looked on him. He couldn't help but to smile back as widely as possible.
"This seriously rocks!" Jaden said, completely overjoyed at his brand new D-Wheel, and threw a grateful look at Yusei, before practically hugging the machine, "Thanks a lot!"
Yusei only nodded once, and much to Jaden's relief, he was now completely sure that Yusei was pulling off a small smile.
"Oh, but…" Yusei said, momentarily breaking Jaden out of his complete bliss, "We'll need to try it out. I need to see if it works the same way as the Yusei Go, and then have a few practice-duels with it in case there's anything missing for everyday work."
Immediately, Jaden only pulled off a big grin. "In that case, let me take this baby out for a ride~!"
Yusei gave him only a rather suspicious look.
"Are you sure? Have you even used a regular motorcycle before?" He said.
"Um…" Jaden pressed his lips together in thought and looked up, "No, not really, I don't think so... But I think I've used a regular bike before…?"
Yusei only crossed his arms briefly and squinted his eyes a little. "Okay, right. So you can't use it until you're properly thought how to." He bluntly said.
"Eh? Come on, it can't be that hard!"
"Yes, it can. Far harder than a regular bike, as far as I'm concerned."
Jaden was actually a bit humored to hear Yusei say this, and fought back the use to chuckle; what, was the young genius so talented he didn't even learn how to use a bike or a regular motorbike before the D-Wheel? Damn. The worst part is that he was probably right.
"Okay…then, do you think you could teach me?" Jaden ended up saying. All in hopes of not sounding too needy.
"I was planning to, anyways." Yusei answered, much to Jaden's surprise. He then took his own helmet, put it on, and got on Jaden's D-Wheel. "So let's go, lesson one."
"What, already?" Jaden questioned; eyes a little wide at the sudden action. "Dude, it's the middle of the night!"
"I know, and as much as the city's still seemingly awake, some of the better routes are practically deserted now, seeing how most people are asleep. It's better if you just learn how to ride before anything else." Yusei explained, checking a few things on the motorbike before patting the space behind him. "Aren't you getting on?"
"Uh, sure, okay…" Jaden answered, a little sheepishly. Being any other situation, he would've gotten quickly and without a second thought, but given that it was just going to be a casual ride with Yusei, and on a D-Wheel that was just getting into test, he couldn't help but to feel an itty bit nervous.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Yusei's engineering skills, that was the least concern… it was the nightmare from a while ago that still bothered him.
"Your helmet first, Jaden." Yusei instructed when he saw Jaden about to get into the D-Wheel just as he was.
"Oh, right…" He chuckled, before putting and adjusting it. "Nothing else?"
Yusei shook his head, and Jaden took it as a cue to finally get on the D-Wheel. Yusei had already made space for him, and after sitting, Jaden realized that there was no denying it- the ride was going to be a little awkward for two, given the way D-Wheels were made. There was obvious hesitation before putting his arms around Yusei's waist.
"Um," Yusei started, before turning his head to Jaden. "I'm going to start now; it's going to be a bumpy ride, so you might want to hold on tight. And see what I'm doing, so you can do it yourself later."
There was a pause before Jaden could nod a little nervously. He placed his arms in a way that they held Yusei's whole back,- in a way that resembled a bear-hug a little too much for his nerves-; he was trying his best not to let his head rest in Yusei's back, since he had no idea how Yusei would react to that. Awkwardness starting? You bet.
Yusei started the D-Wheel, and surprisingly enough for Jaden, it wasn't as extremely fast as he had imagined or seen Yusei ride before; it was fast alright, and it was pretty bumpy, but Jaden somehow saw that maybe Yusei was riding slower than usual for him, seeing he was only a newbie at this. The awkwardness was still there, yet partly, almost gone.
As they went, Yusei had been shouting various directions- how he had turned the D-Wheel on, how he was able to change speeds, make his curves, keep the motorbike's balance and etcetera-, but what Jaden was really doing was enjoying the ride, and seeing Satellite for the first time, and through a Riding Duelist's eyes.
In a way, it looked the same as ever, but the passing streets and the lights and sky-scrappers of Neo Domino were even bigger, even more foreign to him than ever. But in a good way; he felt like he'd try and actually pay attention to Yusei later on, because he had decided that becoming a Riding Duelist that could go by Yusei's side to help him out was his new dream- the dream that could probably chase the nightmare away.
"-Which is why you can't make a speed change in a path like that, understood?" Yusei had finished explaining, and by the way he sounded, he had been making that explanation for a while now. Upon getting no answer, he turned his voice just a bit louder, "Hey, are you listening?"
"U-Uh, yeah, I sure am!" Jaden exclaimed, but by the way his tone and arms slightly quivered, Yusei guessed he wasn't at all.
While in another situation Yusei would've probably given a light scold, something just couldn't let him do it this time. Maybe it was because of the fact that Jaden was just a beginner and a newcomer at the whole Riding Duel and at the life in Satellite in general, or maybe it was the fact that he knew that Jaden was probably grinning and laughing as his own distractions without a care in the world, or maybe because back when he had built his very first D-Wheel, the first thing he had ever done when he had learned how to ride it was just to ride across the city, and he fondly remembered how he had just gotten lost and went with it.
So neither of them spoke for a little while. Yusei had gotten on a longer route on purpose, and the speed had gotten from fast to enjoyable, and even more so when had felt the weight of Jaden's head on his back, and when he heard the light snoring he was making.
Yusei found himself smiling at the fact that he really wouldn't mind if Jaden took his time learning, and if he decided to stay longer.
He could use these extra smiles he brought him.
End.
AN: Oh, hi people. :) Guess I never really showed it but...I KINDA LOVE JADENXYUSEI, AKA STARSHIPPING. 83
Odd couple, hm? But you've gotta admit, these two would work awesomely together.
(Any OOCness you might see here? Because I haven't actually watched THAT much of GX, and I just started 5D's. So...don't be harsh on characterization. xD)
That, and the fanart that exists on them goes beyond adorableness. So all of you YGO slashers, get up and go ship them. You will not regret it. x3
Special thanks to mou hitori no boku, seeing she's the biggest fan of this couple out there~ and because she got me into Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's. And to every Starshipper out there! :D
Now, remember, I love you if you review. c: