AN: I really am doing this because I couldn't stand Kenzan's dub name and his character and ugh. Also because I'm just more used to the Japanese names now and am more comfortable writing with them. Y'know it's kinda funny, rewriting this first part here is actually pretty much how I feel. It's almost summer vacation for me- last year of public school. I gots senioritis real bad. Anyway, enjoy.
It was so close.
So. Close.
The promise of summer vacation in all its euphoric, carefree glory was so alluring and so very nearly concrete that if he were to reach out, he might be able to grasp it...
'If I didn't have to worry about those fricken tests!'
Judai groaned to himself, head resting on the desk in front of him, sheltered in relative darkness by his arms which were attempting to block out the classroom around him.
'How on Earth am I gonna swing this one?' he implored silently of himself.
It was impossible! He had gotten a test review, and it took only a quick glance over the damned thing to tell he knew very little- or at the very least didn't recall any of the topics covered.
"Ugh..." he groaned to himself for the umpteenth time that week.
This wasn't happening. He couldn't fail!
If he failed, he'd be a grade behind, or at the worst never admitted back into Duel Academy at all!
At that thought, panic shot through his already present sense of dread.
If he couldn't come back to Duel Academy... he'd not only be stuck in the empty house his parents never frequented, going through boring days at a boring school all by himself, but he'd hardly see any one of the amazing friends he'd made this year! Shou, Asuka, Kenzan, Misawa, Manjyome...
... Manjyome.
His heartbeat sped up at the thought of his surly, unwilling friend. He'd probably never talk to Manjyome again... There would be no reason for him too. In fact, even if he tried to get in touch with the other duelist, Manjyome would probably ignore him. He really hated that idea.
'Man I wished I had tried harder- even just a little!' he thought woefully. In the background, class droned on, and time was ticking down to the moment he'd have to pay for his indolence.
He was roused out of his bout of uncharacteristic brooding by a flick to his ear and a whispered: "Dropout, wake the hell up, you can't afford to get in trouble this late in the year."
Judai lifted his messy head of brown hair up to turn around and eye the one who had spoken with his own notable amount of skepticism. "Does it really matter at this point...?" the Osiris red pouted.
He was feeling quite down, and though normally it never got to him, harsh words from from the black Osiris were just not what he needed at that moment.
So, he was understandably quite taken aback when what came out of Manjyome's mouth was hardly derogatory at all.
"Tch, of course it matters. If you flunk out, there won't be anyone worth dueling left in this school. I may even just quit out of boredom with you gone..."
Judai blinked. "... Say what?" He was genuinely surprised. Manjyome wanted him around?
At this prospect, the confusing flutter of his heart returned.
But, like a mirage, the strange compliment dissipated when the ex-Obelisk huffed and, with an eyeroll said harshly, "You heard me! Or did I stutter? Now pay attention to Chronos, you dumbass..."
'Pah, figures he can't be nice for more than three seconds...' Judai thought as he grudgingly turned around to face the lecture.
But the brunette couldn't help but dwell on what the sulky black-haired teen sitting behind him had said.- if it had actually happened and Judai hadn't imagined it.
The realization that Manjyome appreciated Judai's presence in his life- that Judai was worth more to him than the average person- sent a strange giddiness rushing through the inattentive brunette. Judai couldn't begin to understand why he was reacting this way. 'It's no biggie, really. Friends are supposed to want each other around!'
But this was the first time Judai could recall of an instance where Manjyome was the one wanting HIM around. The Osiris red had always felt it to be the other way around- him chasing Manjyome.
And so he dismissed the strange fluttering of his heart as a mere excitement that Manjyome admitted to seeing him as a friend. Not some irrational joy over the black Osiris's seemingly express wishes that Jaden stay at the school... Or that it seemed he liked having Judai around enough to mention such a thing outright to him. Not because he was secretly hoping that Manjyome really did want him around because he himself wanted to be around Manjyome quite a bit... Right?
'Ah whatever... at least he said something nice. That alone's a big deal, 'specially after I implied he was a... what was it again...?'
And as his thoughts branched off into several unrelated tangents, Judai proceeded to blissfully ignore the rest of the lecture.
'Ugh why did I even say that?' a certain black haired teen mused internally.
'It's not like it's even true! I wouldn't care less if that idiot flunked out!' he had already promised himself he wouldn't care. He didn't care about anyone! 'It'd be one less slacker that this school would have to deal with!'
Yet even as he tried to convince himself that it had been a mere impulsive moment brought on by his poor night's sleep the past few nights, he was swamped with doubt that any of what he was saying to himself was true.
He sighed out loud. Ok, So maybe he did enjoy Judai's company... A tiny bit.
Now what to do about it...
Well obviously, the moron needed some help if he was gonna have any chance at passing. And according to the absurd drop in his stomach at the thought of Judai being gone next year that slacker very much needed to stay... 'You could help him' came the suggestion from somewhere in his mind. At first, Manjyome dismissed it as ridiculous, buy the more he thought about class without that snoring, fluffy head in front of him...
Well... How hard would it be to just do one more nice thing?
Tutor Judai.
...
Oh what was wrong with him...?
"So... If... You..." Jaden was stooped over a packet of stapled papers- the review- eyebrows furrowed, concentrating with all his might.
"if you...?" Shou prompted gently.
"We're eating dinner, doofus, shouldn't you be inhaling some Osiris cuisine right about now?"
Manjyome sighed at his rival. As much as he wanted Judai to pass (yes, he had finally admitted to himself he secretly liked having him around), this was getting real old real fast.
"But Manjyooomeee I neeeeed to study!" Judai whined, eliciting a scoff from the black-clad teen, who was at his usual seat at his table for one. "Thunder. And this isn't studying, This is interrupting all our dinners every other minute to ask for answers."
Judai sighed, so flippantly it was almost a huff and he discarded the review packet. "Well whaddaya want me to do, then?"
"Well..." here it was: he was going to be nice to Judai. Again. Was this going to be a trend...?
"Maybe if you could find someone to... Help you out on your-er, their own time, that'd be unanimously preferable to you ruining dinner..."
Ok maybe not so nice after all, but he was Manjyome Thunder. Nice wasn't easy for him.
"But who has the patience to tutor this numbskull? No offense, Aniki" put in Kenzan, causing Judai's lips to pull into that pout of his.
"Well..." Manjyome began, a smirk forming on his lips. Who they asked? Well who better than-
"Well it's definitely not Manjyome, that's for sure!" Shou piped in, cutting off the ebony haired teen before he could finish his sentence and causing his smirk to turn into a scowl. "Well actually I-" "Well what about Misawa?" Kenzan interjected yet again, sparking even more hostility from the ex-Obelisk.
"He'd tutor you, Aniki!" Shou added on.
"Or if you idiots would-"
"You think so...?" Judai asked sounding so hopeful it caused a pang of an awful, bitter, hateful feeling to bubble up in the ebony haired teen towards his Ra Yellow peer.
'Ugh I never knew being nice was so hard... No wonder I never do it!' But if Manjyome was frustrated then, it was no match for the fuse that blew when none other than the aforementioned "tutor" walked in with a "good evening, everyone!"
"Well speak of the devil!" Kenzan exclaimed jovially.
Manjyome was doing his best not to explode. Must EVERYTHING go wrong?
Miswa raised an eyebrow, silently bidding them to elaborate. "Well ya see..." Shou began, "Aniki's in serious jeopardy of failing his exams..."
"Ah. Hardly a surprise... " said Misawa amusedly.
At this, Judai opened his mouth to retaliate, but was cut off by his other roommate.
"Well we were wondering if you could help him out some..." Kenzan added on.
"Well I'd be more than happy to help you out, old friend" Misawa said, smiling.
Manjyome felt his jaw clench. 'Oh of course you would!' he thought sardonically.
"Uh... Well... " Judai tried, but before he could even get out another word, his younger-brother-friend-duo exclaimed with "Great!"s and "Awesome!"s, yet again interrupting the brunette.
And did it ever piss Manjyome off.
Judai had obviously been trying to say something, and they just cut him off! Or worse, didn't even notice. They were his friends, weren't they? Weren't your friends supposed to notice stuff like that?
"Well now that that's decided, where would you like to study, Judai?" the cool voice of Misawa sounded.
"How 'bout nowhere?" Manjyome finally cut through their chatter snappishly, eliciting rather hostile glares from everyone, excluding Jaden, who then, after the momentary silence interceded sheepishly: "Uh well... To be honest I never DID actually agree on anything... You guys just kinda..." he trailed off and finished his sentence with a little gesture of his hands.
Manjyome suddenly stood up and huffed: "Exactly. If you bozos had paid one ounce of attention to your friend here, you would have noticed that he's been trying to speak for the past ten minutes!"
The slightly open mouthed stare of thankful incredulity that Jaden was fixing on him did not escape his notice, and he felt a wicked sense of accomplishment that he had seen what the others ignored, and moreover in confirmation that he had been right about it. Connecting eyes with his rival briefly, and reading the appreciation in them-he allowed a tiny, knowing half smile. It was almost as if they were privy to some private joke- an event that had occurred only between the two of them.
But despite Judai's appreciation, he was piping mad. Why was everyone so stupid- every THING so difficult! He turned away from Judai, as if to leave, and said icily:
"Misawa, did you ever consider even for a second that maybe Judai doesn't WANT you to tutor him? Kind of presumptuous on your part, doncha think?"
Misawa's brow furrowed and he frowned as he said "I beg your pardon...?"
He merely shot an outwardly cool(for internally he was raging) smirk over his shoulder continued;
"You know for people who are supposed to be best buddies, you sure are being inconsiderate..."
And it was hardly a second before Judai's acolytes turned on him, jumping to the defense of their Ra yellow compatriot. "You have no room to talk about being inconsiderate, saurus!" Kenzan retaliated.
Manjyome felt something snap. Was this the payoff for trying to be nice? To make an effort? All he wanted to do was offer his help for once! Maybe change something in his rotten life for the better- but no!
Oh he was so having NONE of it.
He laughed a harsh, bitter laugh.
"Oh that's right, how stupid of me to forget that I'm the sociopath!" he said with biting sarcasm. His anger had escalated from a petty hot headedness at his simple bad luck, and refined into a sour, stinging buzz in his mind.
It would be one thing if what he had been about to do wasn't so far outside his comfort zone- but to be not only dismissed, but then shot down simply because they had a preconceived notion of who he was? It was unfair! Did Judai think of him like this as well? Sure, he was an asshole, but if this was what he would have to deal with trying to make friends...
'Then I'd rather just be alone'
He felt a tug on his sleeve
"Manjyome...?" sounded Judai's voice, sounding concerned and kind and placating. "It's not a big deal, really!" he said, finally managing to hold all of their attentions.
Manjyome blinked down at Judai.
Judai: the reason for all the indecisiveness he had been feeling- the cause for all this doubt. If it weren't for this idiot's constant pestering and cheerfulness- his annoying chatter and attempts to constantly include Manjyome in everything under the sun, he'd still be sure of himself!
"Not to you..." he mumbled, perhaps giving away much more than he really wanted to.
"Oh, c'mon! Hah, no point in getting all worked up over who has to struggle through teaching a moron like me!" he laughed happily.
...
And Manjyome couldn't help but crack. He scoffed, anger fizzling out as he smacked Judai over the head "Psh, got that right!"
If it weren't for Judai...
"Oww! Haha you butt!"
He really would be all alone...
His face broke into a half smile as he joked:"Psh Misawa's crazy to wanna tutor you!"
"Yeah probably..." Judai actually agreed with a nod.
"But I guess..." he sighed heavily before mumbling "Well I guess that makes me kinda crazy too..."
"Huhwaahh?" Judai blinked, dumbfounded. Manjyome sighed again. "I-I could tutor you also... if you want... since I'm staying in your room and all..." he mumbled into the table. God he hated how hot his cheeks felt.
It was quiet for what felt to Manjyome like forever.
Then...
"... Sure" Judai said with a slow-spreading grin. "That's really nice of you, too, Manjyome!"
Manjyome blinked once. Twice.
"Wait, really?" He honestly couldn't believe it. But Judai's lighthearted laughter obliterated any sense of doubt he had. "Yeah, sure. I mean if you went through all that effort what kinda friend would I be to say no?"
Shit. Shitshitshit his face felt hot.
"Y-yeah..."
"But uh..." Judai scratched his cheek with an index finger. "You gotta promise to be patient, k? I'm kinda slow, ya know..."
And just like that, and perhaps for the first time in his life, regardless of Judai's previous efforts, Manjyome felt included- important to someone just for being there and being him.
For the first time... He truly felt as though someone's friendship mattered to him.
And for the first time in a long time... he smiled a genuine smile.
"Sure..."
And of course, Judai only smiled back.
Needless to say the other members of the table were shocked silent.
And Manjyome was glad of that as he and Judai left the cafeteria side by side.
AN: Wow I used to be able to write so much better than now XD haha anyway, just lemme know if I missed a name somewhere, that'll be helpful. Also reviews are nice. Like I see how many people click on this story ya know, and very few actually review... sadface.
But I digress!
