Not Part of the Deal
Disclaimer- I do not own the show Yu-gi-oh gx or its characters.
Plot Summary- Atticus and Zane make a bet as to whether or not Zane could charm any man or woman into kissing him. But what happens when Atticus choose Aster as Zane's target?
We had made the date for the next night. Aster only told me to meet him at the docks, and to arrive around 8 at night. I didn't much care for the puppet like games, but I had to admit, I was excited to play games with the silver haired boy.
Now the only problem was finding a proper outfit.
My outfits had always been very plain and drone. Even my Hell Kaiser clothing wasn't very pleasing to the eye. In any normal circumstance, I'd tell my critics to go to hell, but the idea was to impress Aster, not scare him away. But my closet was filled with only dark things, and my old clothing didn't strike the image I wanted to preserve. I needed something suave and stylish, that was also cool and me. I never once thought I'd be going through my suitcase, looking for something to wear.
"Oh god, Zane, are you taking someone out or going to your funeral?" Okay then, no suit jacket—I shoved it back in my bag and sighed. Atticus tsked as he rose from the bed. "Here, why don't I just go pick something from my closet?"
I shot him an odd look. "Why would you help me?"
"Because friends don't let other friends dress like idiots on their first date, duh? Plus, you're going to lose regardless of how you dress—letting you embarrass yourself would just be adding insult to injury." Atticus tapped my nose in that annoying, confident manner. I pulled my head away from it. "You're welcome."
As I watched him leave, it was hard to believe that there was ever a time when I loved him. It was true; he was good looking, charismatic, fantastic smile. I shivered; wonderful smile.
But we were kids then. Kids who were naïve. Kids who grew up. Kids who had and lost crushes within a short time. He wasn't my type anymore, and I wasn't his.
I took a quick shower and was drying my hair with a towel when Atticus came back; with more than a shirt or two I noticed.
"Here, it's going to be a little small, but you can make it work with that one jacket of yours." He didn't toss me anything elegant or even crazy—just a white dress shirt.
I didn't argue with him—he knew better than I did about these things. I drew out a pair of underwear and tan dress pants and put them on. "What jacket? The trench coat?"
He rolled his eyes as his attention turned to his other things—colognes, I discovered. "No, the black leather one you're mom bought you. You came here from visiting them, so I'm sure you have it."
Damn, he knew me too well. I was about to slip the shirt on when Atticus stopped me, taking the cap off of one of his colognes. "Hold on... let me spray under the shirt and then again over…"
"Not too much," I warned. Atticus agreed silently and sprayed light clouds over my body. I slipped the oddly warm shirt over my body—he had cleaned and ironed recently. He probably knew I would need his help. As I buttoned it, I realized he was right; the shirt was a bit small, but not really in a bad way. It pulled against my shoulders and chest, making my muscles more visible, but it was loose enough around the stomach that I wouldn't look like some middle-aged man in denial about his weight. I reached into the bag and pulled out the leather coat with many pockets—a little too cliché for my taste, but I guess it would do its work.
Atticus sprayed one more time and looked me up and down. He made a clicking noise with his tongue. "I'm a genius. Too bad my work will be for nothing." He popped the cap back on the cologne and smiled. "And remember, he has to kiss you, not the other way around—and be easy on him. He's just a kid."
A hint of guilt settled in my stomach—something I haven't felt since my transformation. No matter how I looked at this—I was taking advantage of him. Whether he liked me or otherwise.
I could only hope he'd stay resilient—and not do something stupid like love me.
()
"You're late." I said when Aster emerged from his yacht. My expression kept in place, but his appearance shocked me—I wasn't sure if it was because he looked stunning or if it was because he was out of his suit.
He was wearing a crimson top with an open dress shirt (black to accidently off set my white—Atticus would love it). He was wearing black cargo pants that were held by a black belt with a silver phoenix shaped buckle—a second belt, which had silver studs and a matching color, drifted just off his waist outside of the loops. It was so casual, I'm almost glad the leather jacket off-set the formal shirt I was wearing. And while most of what he was wearing, I could see him wearing in his free time, he uncharacteristically had three or four necklaces on, each one with a separate charm I couldn't quite make out.
He shrugged and made his way down the ramp. "Just by a few minutes. I had trouble getting some things around. The look in your eyes tell me you don't mind."
Had I been staring at him? I was so entranced, I didn't even notice. I averted my eyes as he stood face to face with me. "So, shall we go then?"
When I finally looked back, Aster had a smile on his face. I offered him my hand so I could lead him but he brushed past it; choosing to play hard to get. "I suppose, it is a forty-five minute trip to Domino after all."
I retracted my hand and smiled; let the games begin.
()
"Reservation for two, please…Under A.P." The waiter gave us both a big smile—like it was every day two casually dressed professional duelists, strolled into a fancy restaurant and insisted on being seated under an abbreviated name. I had to wonder if this was a popular place among the proleagues. I wouldn't know because the higher ups were usually too afraid to publicly socialize with me.
"Of course, of course! Right this way! We have the table set up exactly where you requested, sir. I assume you'll be having your usual?" We followed the waiter to the back of the restaurant—away from the other couples and candle light conversations.
Our table was comfortable seating in the corner, near the huge roaring fire place. "Sounds good to me."
"Very good." The waiter answered, pulling out the chair for Aster. He sat down and motioned for him to grab my chair. I shook my head and handled my own seating arrangement. "And what will you be having sir?"
"I'll have what he's having." I answered simply. The waiter nodded as he poured water into both our glasses.
"Excellent, I'll have someone bring you two some bread while you wait, and let me know if you need anything else." I watched as he back away slowly, as if Aster was a god. I waited until he was out of sight to laugh.
"Come here often?"
Aster shrugged as poured a sugar packet into his water. "I should say so—I own it."
"Really?" I asked, watching as he swirled his water with a spoon.
"Sartorius said it was a good investment—and so far it has been, but I think it's because I really have little to nothing to do with it. I can't cook to save my life."
"Nor can I; ask Syrus." I leaned my chin against my hand and tried to look friendly, even though my stomach was ripping itself into knots. I could tell it was awkward for him too. His spoon clinked and clicked against the glass but he continued stirring it, watching me with his careful gaze. "Might I make a suggestion?"
"Go for it…" He said, finally taking his spoon away so he could take a sip. I watched with amusement as he gulped down half his glass in a single swig. It was all I could do to keep from laughing.
"How about we ask each other questions about one another? So we can get to know each other?" Faster that is—it was also a good way to pass the time without seeming lazy.
"Me first?" I shrugged.
"If you wish." He leaned back in his chair and 'hummed".
"Alright… When did you first read To Kill a Mocking Bird?" Geez, Phoenix, not too personal.
I shrugged. "Pretty early on…7th year, I think. My mother wanted me to read it—she thought it was a good book about morals and justice."He nodded, seemingly pleased with that answer. "It's my turn—how did you find out you were gay?"
Aster bit his lip for a moment, unsure of how to answer. He balanced his chair back to the floor. "All my life, I wasn't very interested in girls—even when I got older. I thought maybe it was because my focus was so much on my dad but…Someone proved otherwise."
"Really?" I wondered, surprised at just how interested I was to hear that. "And who was that?"
"Nah-ah… It's my turn now." Aster said in a teasing matter. It was obvious that he was becoming comfortable once again. With a naughty smile, he asked me. "Are you a virgin?"
Well, he crossed right over the color spectrum didn't he? He went from white to black with one jump—I wasn't sure if I should be scared or impressed?
Even more confusing, how should I answer the question. "In the traditional sense, yes… "I could tell he wanted to ask more, but was restricted by our rules. I like the look of annoyance he had at the current situation. "Now then, who was this 'someone' who proved to you, that you were gay?"
He put a finger to his lips; our food had arrived. The ecstatic waiter brought us two identical plates of beef fillet with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans. Aster pleasantly thanked the waiter and willed him away after assuring him multiple times we needed nothing more. "Well?" I asked while cutting my beef fillet apart.
He sighed. "I'm trying to eat, can't we just put this stupid game aside?"
"Are you really that embarrassed by them?" He narrowed his eyes. "Look, I answered your question so…"
"Sartorius." He whispered at last. My fork dropped from my hand—I wasn't sure why—he was the only person I knew close enough to Aster for there to be any sort of relationship. I guess I had just figured their relationship was more kin related than romantic. "Sartorius and I never dated but…. We kissed and in a way, I loved him."
Maybe still, I noticed the sorrow-filled look in my eyes. If that was the case, I may have lost the bet. "So why are you here with me then?"
"Well, obviously, it didn't work out, did it?" He snapped suddenly. Aster backed his chair up, standing from the table. Shit—I had a crisis.
I reached my hand out to grab his wrist. He tried to pull it back, but I stood too so I could whisper in his ear. "Do you intend on making a scene?"
"Only if you do!" Aster growled. "I knew this was a bad idea…what are you trying to do? Find out as much about me as you can? So you can make me pay for what happened to you?"
"What? No! I was just trying to get to know you."
"Bull shit." I shook my head; it couldn't end like this. I didn't want it to end like this. Believe or not, up until this point I was actually enjoying myself. I was enjoying him. I could sense the progress I was making too; no I was in too deep to let it go down like this.
I made a decision; a quick and irrational one, but I made one none the less. My hope was to not only convince him to stay, but to also compel him to believe that there wasn't any hidden agenda. And there was only one way to do it, or so I thought.
I pulled against his wrist, sending him forward— and as I intended, his lips crashed against mine.
Hey guys, glad everyone is enjoying the new story! I'm kind of trying to mix the beliefs I held about the characters in Fun and Games while trying to mix some new ideas. Thank you so much for the reviews and support and I hope you continue to like what I write!