Situated at the end of a corridor almost as luxurious as the entrance hall, the hotel room was nothing special. It was simple, the main colour theme white - thin, white, linen curtains, white bed sheets, white walls. If not for the mahogany desk and beige seats Jaden thought he'd have been blinded by the light that all this white reflected back at him. He looked over at Chazz to check how he was coping, knowing that Chazz was the reason the blue dorm returned to its former navy coloured glory after being white-washed for the functions of the society. However, although he still seemed pale after his nervous breakdown, the colour was returning to Chazz's face, unmoved by the blankness of the room.

As Chazz settled himself on one double bed, the slifer boy settled himself on the other. Splaying his arms against the soft sheets, he let his hair fan out against the bed, relieved to finally have something to rest on that wasn't an elevator floor. Who would have thought that deciding to let his two friends share a room and he himself doubling up with Chazz would have lead to having a bonding moment with his rival. He practically cradled Chazz in his arms!

Lingering on the feeling of Chazz's back against his hand again, he felt his face warm up. It had been roughly ten minutes since he had discovered his feelings, and it was only now that he was realising what they truly meant. It's one thing to know what you feel, and quite another coming to an agreement with them. It was not that he wasn't okay crushing on Chazz, quite on the contrary, he had come to terms with being gay long ago, despite only close friends like Syrus, Hasselberry and Alexis knowing his preferences. Simply put, all that created a slight wrenching feeling in his gut was worry of how Chazz would react if he ever found out.

Looking over at the boy as he thought about this, he was met by the steely gaze of stormy pools. Raising an eyebrow, Chazz leaned back, neither breaking eye contact. The softness from earlier was all but gone, the defences clearly built back up, the pale skin of the boy no whiter than usual. Wrenching in his chest, his heart beat steadily, and he could hear it thrumming in his ears. Was the elevator escapade to be forgotten? If that was what Chazz was intending, Jaden reckoned it wouldn't be successful, not in his mind for a long time. Resurfacing to the front of his memory, the image of the bruise ached as though the bruise had been his and not Chazz's. Clueless. That's what he was about his friend's personal life.

"Why are you staring, slacker?" Had they been sitting, staring at each other's faces for endless moments while Jaden was absorbed in his thoughts? Seeming to be the case, he broke the stare, turning his eyes towards the ceiling, resisting looking back at the boy he knew was still observing him diligently. It was a strange sensation to feel self-conscious, scrutinised by another's sharp eyes. He could still feel his face burning lightly, maybe even more so now that he had been called out. Putting on the most genuine grin he could muster, he laughed before wording a reply.

"You stared back, you know."

Chazz shifted on the bed, clearly not expecting a retort like that, angling the arrow of guilt right back at him. Taking his deck out of his coat pocket, he started to shuffle the cards, potentially trying to distract away from the grave he had begun to dig himself. His grey eyes followed him as Jaden got up to stretch, following him across the room as he walked towards the door. He wasn't obliged to tell Chazz where he was going, and the slight awkward tension beginning to build could easily be dispelled by a few hours separated. And yet...

"Hey Chazz," turning on his heel to face him, Jaden smiled again, secretly hoping in his heart that the answer to his question would be yes. "Do you want to come with into town?"

Chazz seemed to genuinely consider for a moment, seemingly weighing out his options. Shortly, he nodded, slipping his deck back into his pocket as he stood up, before approaching him.

"I could use some fresh air. We're taking the stairs though."

After meeting up at the front lobby of the hotel, having struggled finding the rooms of their friends, the realisation having dawned on Jaden the moment he exited the room that he hadn't the faintest clue what room numbers each of them had, the group strode out into the afternoon sun. Despite everything, the afternoon was still pleasantly warm, the town still filled with groups of people, although it seemed somewhat calmer - perhaps some people who had been out for lunch had returned to work, Jaden mused.

Due to the trip technically being more of a "roam around the city at the school's expense" sort of trip, the students, usually not permitted to wear anything other than their uniforms, for these few days had permission to wear their own clothes. Or, really, as the group had opted, to take their coats off and wear lighter shirts. Except for Chazz. Fully aware that the boy must be baking, Jaden held his tongue, hoping that Chazz's choice to wear a sleeveless top underneath his iconic coat would keep him from boiling over.

As though reading Jaden's mind, Syrus caught the glance his friend was sending towards the taller boy. Misreading the intention horribly, he began to voice his concerns.

"Chazz, aren't you hot in that coat?"

Watching as he stiffened, Jaden felt a pang of compassion for the other. Swallowing, Chazz shook his head, long fingers grasping at the open coat in a gesture of self defence. Scrunching his face up, Chazz ready to make a snide remark, Jaden felt the need to butt in - Chazz was still a relatively new addition to their gaggle, and his hostile nature, no matter what it was influenced by, would probably not lower tensions in the group. Subconsciously putting his body between Chazz and Syrus, Jaden beamed before covering for the other.

"You can't have Chazz without his coat, Sy, " he improvised, eyes accidentally flitting from his best friend's face to that of his rival, noting Chazz was once again studying his features carefully, "It's practically a fundamental part of him now."

Chazz snorted, smirking. "Exactly. And it's The Chazz."

Looking between Alexis and Hasselberry, where both of them shrugged, Syrus sighed, giving in.

"Alright," said the bluenette, "Whatever you say, Jay."

It was obvious to Jaden that his friends weren't particularly pleased about Chazz tagging along on their visit. He was accepted into their group, sure, and it was better than having him be an enemy. But from the looks in their eyes, Jaden could tell they were still sceptical about whether Chazz wanted to be their friend as much as they wanted to be his. It had to be said, that it was very difficult to read Chazz. Try as he might, Jaden hadn't ever quite managed it.

"So where are we all going?" Chazz asked, and Jaden had to wonder whether he wasn't aware of everyone's eyes on him or whether he just chose to ignore it. Either way, everyone seemed relieved by the change of topic, especially Syrus who had felt he had caused the sudden rise in tension moments prior.

"We're going to visit grandpa," Jaden grinned lopsidedly. Raising a brow, Chazz waited for further details, clearly confused about who 'grandpa' was. "Yugi's grandpa."

Blinking repeatedly in further confusion, mouth gaping slightly, Chazz just nodded, shooting a glance at Alexis who shrugged. It would be her first meeting with Solomon Muto as well. Having received this response, the dark haired boy gave in, but Jaden could tell that, despite the trip being a drag to Chazz, he also felt excitement at the prospect of meeting the relative of the biggest legend in Duel Monsters history.

Nevertheless, catching Jaden watching him - this had to be the 5th? 6th time? - he inclined his head, gesturing wanting to have a discreet word. Nodding, Jaden turned to his friends, not paying anymore attention to the two rivals, joking among themselves.

"We'll catch up with you," he called, earning nods and confused expressions from the group, however no one voiced their concerns, deciding they would meet up at the game shop sooner or later.

Pulling him to the side despite being fairly alone, save for the random strangers walking past, casting quizzical glances in their direction, Chazz crossed his arms over his chest. Scanning the ground, his eyes looked lost and confused, as though he had no clue where to begin. As Jaden tried to save him the trouble by speaking first, he held up one finger, stopping him immediately. Whatever Chazz wanted to say had to be said first.

"Look, Jaden," Chazz wasn't meeting his eyes, still focusing solely on the pavement at his feet. "It's not that I don't appreciate it. No, screw it, I don't appreciate it. You don't need to stick up for me to your friends." Their eyes met, grey on brown, neither blinking. In this sort of silent moment, it would be expected to hear a pin drop.

"I know," Chazz continued, breaking their staring contest in favour of closely analysing the rest of Jaden's face as he spoke, "that your friends don't trust me. I get it. But what I don't get is why you're suddenly so obsessed with me. You know nothing about me."

Stunned, Jaden looked at his rival's face dumbfounded. He wasn't obsessed with Chazz. Was he? He thought back to the elevator, then to the hot springs so long ago that Chazz probably didn't remember the occasion, enjoying the memory of Chazz's chest and flat stomach...

Gay, not obsessed. He'd have to talk to Syrus and Hasselberry about this later and get everything off his chest. The two didn't really get it, but when it came to being supportive Jaden couldn't have asked for a better group of friends. Returning to the matter at hand, he grinned, trying to play off the situation as though he hadn't had extremely homosexual thoughts about his rival seconds prior, hoping his goofy grin would do the trick as always.

"Sorry Chazz, I'll let you deal with it next time." Letting out a long sigh, Chazz shook his head, hand running lazily along his shoulder, an ample reminder to Jaden about the state of the smooth, pale skin in the places no one could see. Having no self control, Jaden could help but reach out, brushing the tips of his fingers along the other boy's, resting gently on top of hidden bruises. Shock filling his system, Chazz looked between their hands and Jaden's face, beginning to protest, but was cut off by Jaden's soft tone.

"Life isn't always fun, huh?"

It was out of character, it was sentimental, it was unlike Jaden to utter words such as that. It was easy to tell as much from the searching Chazz did, attempting to understand how the person in front of him, so close Jaden could feel his shaken breath on his face, was the same happy-go-lucky joker. This time their stares carried even more meaning, time stopping still for two young boys who were understanding the truth about the real world, one for for much longer than the other. Chazz's hand shook - or was it his entire body? - under Jaden's touch, his breathing heavy. Worried about another oncoming panic attack, he voiced his concerns for his friend who took his hand off his slowly, fingers tangled for a few lingering seconds before separating, leaving Jaden wishing it had lasted longer. Wishing he hadn't had the chance to experience what holding Chazz's hand felt like through something that hurt him so much.

Speaking honestly, he couldn't even begin to imagine what Chazz was going through. His own life, as far as he could remember, was void of pain and suffering, even dueling to save the world fun. To see someone who didn't share in the carefree attitude towards life, someone who had been hurt by his share, was a new experience for him, and it was a miracle he had a way to react to it.

Finally, Chazz spoke, his voice faltering.

"What would you know about it?"

To Jaden, he looked small, like a vulnerable child, unsure of himself and scared. Awfully, terribly scared. It shattered Jaden's heart. Trying to smile for him, the brunet shrugged, attempting to brush his fingers against Chazz's again as a form of comfort, but missing, the boy's hand tucking itself closer to his chest, clutching at the fabric of his top. How strange it was to see The Chazz, one of the best duelists at Duel Academy, so washed up, like a small boat in the middle of a giant ocean.

Instead of taking his hand, he placed his own gently back on where he knew the marks painted his friend's skin, never looking away from Chazz's face in case he crossed a line. If nothing else, his rival was teaching him a tough lesson, though, as he painfully noted, the lesson was much harder learnt firsthand.

"If you ever need to talk..." he trailed off, looking wistful until he broke off again into one of his radiant smiles. Patting him on the shoulder, Jaden started walking off towards the direction their friends had disappeared in, beckoning for Chazz to join him, yet missing the soft smile on his rival's lips.

Jaden lay awake that night, thinking. It was rare for him to not hit the pillow and doze off in seconds, and yet he couldn't drag his mind away from the boy sleeping peacefully in the bed next to his. Chazz's arm rested lightly on the duvet wrapped snugly around his slim figure, the marks now on full show. Earlier, Jaden had more of a chance to analyse them as the two decided collectively it was too hot a night to sleep in their usual pyjamas, having to make do with vest tops instead.

The meeting with grandpa had been quaint, having stood in front of the man for five minutes first as he tried to remember who they were. Age was clearly starting to affect Solomon Muto, who had still not seen his grandson since the last time the Duel Academy had visited Domino City. Everyone had bought new packs of cards from the man, and he willingly obliged to take everyone on a tour of the sights, despite his memory of the places being lacking and the entire group getting lost on multiple occasions. Still, the trip seemed to soothe Chazz, the experience bringing a twinkle to his eye. It gave Jaden's overactive mind repose.

Looking over at the boy now, he couldn't help but admire him - Chazz was a skilled duelist, and despite not having the best relationship with his cards, he, or at least it seemed that, knew who he was.

"What're you staring at," he heard a mumble, recognising the sleepy version of Chazz's voice with a flutter in his chest. They looked at each other again, Chazz barely keeping his eyes open.

"Just thinking."

"What about?" The reply was slow, weary. It was endearing. Despite himself, Jaden imagined waking up to a sleepy Chazz every morning for the rest of his life. What a life that would be.

As he was about to reply, he heard the light snore from the other bed. Calling out, he affirmed the case : Chazz was asleep. He let out a deep breath; accidentally, his rival had made answering his own question a million times easier. So quietly he barely barely heard himself whisper, he admitted the truth out loud for the first time.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

His only response was a long, gentle sigh as he fell asleep to the sound of his friend's breathing.

So chapter 2 huh? When I wrote chapter 1 I wasn't expecting to write anymore honestly but hey I'm not complaining. I love your feedback and favourites, so make sure to update me on your thoughts on this chapter! Thanks guys.