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?

It was fifteen minutes later that I lost him. The crowd had grown by that point, so looking for Aster was now like finding a needle in a haystack. I was afraid this was on purpose.

My flicked my phone out when it vibrated; thinking he had somehow gotten my number. It wasn't Aster, it was Atticus. How's the disaster going? The text message read. I rolled my eyes and started to text back.

Just great…

"Excuse me, Mr. Truesdale?" I looked up to see a uniformed waiter with a trey and some sort of clear liquid drink on it. I raised my eyebrow and nodded. He extended the trey towards me. "This is for you. Compliments of AP."

Well, the good news was he was still around, which met the bet wasn't off. The bad news is when I took the drink; the waiter coughed and held out his hand, which meant I was paying yet again. I handed him a few bills and was immediately given a lone key in return. "Third door down the hall. Thanks."

The waiter split before I could ask him anything. I looked to the back and saw a wide hallway, which was likely my destination. Intrigued, I went to it and followed it to the third door, which then lead me to a set of spiral stairs. I followed the stairs up to a door at the top.

I opened the door; there was a large pool with a steamy mist rising from it. Aster was lying by the pool with his shoes and socks sitting beside him. His feet rested in the water. He was smiling at me as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Guess you found me."

I smirked and walked through the door, shutting it. "Nice hiding spot—got tired of playing tag."

"No, got tired of the crowd. I kind of liked it better when we were alone." He realized what he said and looked away. "Don't get any ideas—I meant I just don't like hanging out in huge crowds. I like my quiet."

So I noticed. I shrugged and walked towards him, leaning down to hand him his drink. "Kind of a weird place to have a pool huh?"

"Well, Duke Devilin's kind of a weird guy. Something of a cradle robber too." He said after taking his drink. I gave him an odd look, to which he laughed. "Seriously. Don't get me wrong, Duke's a great guy, he just likes his dates young."

"Not my place to judge. Truth be told, I like younger too." He snorted. It took me a moment to realize why. It was because I was here with him—a guy four years younger than me. Still technically a kid. It was obvious I liked younger. "I don't know why…just do."

"I know why. It's because you like feeling like the big protector right?" He guessed. I couldn't really disagree with him. "Thing is, I don't need a protector…"

"I know… " Aster looked away again, taking a sip of his drink; this time, it looked like he was trying to hide his smile. Why he would, I wasn't sure. "But sometimes it's just nice to have one."

"I guess so." The way he said it indicated something deeper. A hidden pain that was incredibly personal. And his earlier reaction to me asking about personal stuff made me weary to ask anymore.

I was starting to feel guilty again. I had automatically assumed Aster's early skepticism was because of our past. Now I was starting to wonder if it was his past that was making so hesitant. I had to wonder if my bet with Atticus would make things worse. Which believe it or not, was the last thing I wanted.

Truth was, I was beginning to like Aster. Like him a lot. Perhaps more than I would have cared for. Yeah, I had always had something of an attraction for him; but the annoyance had always outweighed the good feelings. Now that I saw him laid back and actually kind of fun, it made me want to get to know him. To acquire his kiss for more than monetary means. And If he found out about the bet, it would ruin any chance for this to go farther. If I even wanted that…God, it's been awhile since I've been this confused.

My thoughts were interrupted after a few moments. "So, earlier you said you were a virgin in the traditional sense…what did you mean by that?"

His looked up to me, staring intently as if to analyze me. Suddenly, the game was back on. I tried to play it off cool, make him think I wasn't fazed. "Well, let's just say I experimented at Duel Academy…But never went all the way, with either men or women."

"I'm guessing you've kissed both genders?" I nodded. Aster drew his feet from the water and set his empty glass beside him. He crossed his legs. "Zane, why did you ask me out?"

"What kind of question is that?" I said, honestly a bit nervous he had figured out my true motives. It would have been difficult, but he was smart. He could have put enough together.

He leaned forward, his eyes dead-on mine. "Why did you ask me out tonight? You must have known I wouldn't make this easy for you—so why bother with all this when you could have any person you want anytime you want?"

It wasn't a self-put down. It was a legitimate question to help his investigation. We both could have had anyone we desired. The only exception seemed to be one another. Ironic considering the current situation.

The situation was crazy all over. I didn't want to hurt him and that was becoming more and more impossible by the moment. I was tired of feeling guilty for being with him; especially when I liked being with him.

The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them. I was okay with it because technically speaking, it was the truth. "Because I want to kiss you…willingly…" I added remembering the incident at dinner.

He laughed again, shaking his head. "You aren't gonna tell me, are you?"

"It was the truth. Anything to shut you up." I said jokingly, but the look in my eyes had a different effect. Aster's smile faded but someone the emotion wasn't lost. I had expected him to turn away from me, tell me I was stupid or give some form of rejection. Instead, he was leaning in, almost inviting me to kiss him.

My heart was racing—I couldn't believe it. I was going to win the bet. I leaned in too, ready to claim my prize. His hands rested on my shoulders and I closed my eyes, about to touch his lips with mine.

I should have known better. I was jerked to the side and before I could open my eyes I was trusted into the pool, his laughs being the only thing I could hear below the surface. The water was warm and chlorine stung my eyes. I landed at the bottom before fighting my way back to the top. His laughter was louder when I reached the surface.

"That's what you get for telling me to shut up…Zaney." Aster taunted, looking all high and mighty from his place by the pool. I should have been mad but I couldn't bring myself to be so. I laughed along instead.

Besides, two could play at this game. "Geez Phoenix, you're rather unsympathetic. Maybe you should try on my soggy shoes."

Too cocky to really fear it, I grabbed his arm and dragged him into the pool. Aster reemerged in a matter of moments. His gasps became chuckles in a matter of moments before he started splashing me. "You ass!"

"You started it!" I yelled, splashing back. This playful banter went on for several minutes before we climbed out of the pool. I thought this would be the end of the date; us being dripping wet, but Aster surprised me after a moment or so. "Hey, Duke keeps guest rooms here for late tournaments… I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we borrowed one for the night. After all, I think riding home in these clothes would be uncomfortable."

()

The room had two beds decorated and was nicely decorated with a cozy living room area (with a small fire place) attached to the bedroom area and a large bathroom. Included was a pair of pajamas and a nice robe. Deciding to be nice, I allowed him to wear the pajamas and I took the robe; Aster laid our clothes to dry by the fireplace. Unfortunately, I found my phone soaking weak and unresponsive.

"Sorry about that…Try taking the battery out and letting the phone dry and see if that helps." I followed his directions but shrugged.

"It's no big deal. Not like I couldn't buy another." I sat down beside him on one of the beds. It felt odd, being in a room all-alone with him like this. "Sure Duke won't mind us being here?"

"He said I could use one anytime—people are always crashing here anyway. I leave some money here when we leave just to be polite."

"Oh, you mean you'll have me leave money." I rolled my eyes. Aster smiled.

"One of the conditions." He added.

"You know," I realized something after he had said that. "One of the conditions was that this would be our only date."

He bit his lip before he answered. "I…would be willing to let that condition go."

I was shocked. I hadn't been expecting that. I decided to push my luck. "You also said this wasn't anything romantic. Is that condition gone too?"

This time he answered with a heavy sigh. "I don't know, Zane. Hell, I just don't know. This has been a pretty awesome date and…yeah, I kind of like you. More than I did before this date…"

"You liked me before this date?" I asked in a stunned voice. Aster nodded slowly and drew his knees up to his chin.

"I…I really like you Zane, but…. I've been spurned by this sort of thing before."

"With Sartorius?" I guessed. Aster nodded again. "What happened? Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"Yeah you could say that." He said in a cold tone. One hand was digging itself into the blankets before he continued. "He and I were always close, you know. We didn't have many people to count on so it was like….destiny I guess, that we met. Just before the light took him over, he confessed his feelings for me. We were both still young and I was distracted with my father so…I never really told him that I felt the same way. He waited patiently, and in the mean time we'd sometimes sleep—literally not metaphorically—tin the same bed and kiss. It made me a little happier and he was happy, so that was all that mattered."

"Then the light took over, and suddenly, he wasn't the same. I blamed myself, thinking that he was growing distant because of my unwillingness to start a relationship. Then I blamed him for making me dislike him so much. I regained hope after we defeated the light but Sartorius was so guilt ridden and afraid of hurting me again that he told me he didn't want to be with me anymore. He left and by the time he changed his mind and came back, I had already changed mine. I didn't love him like I use to and decided that it was healthier to be friends than boyfriends."

A tear strayed from his eye; he tried to wipe it away before I could see it. I frowned at his obvious pain. "It's so damn hard to be open with people, you know? Because you never know if their serious of if they're going to leave when things get tough. I want to trust you Zane but my senses tell me it's a bad idea…"

"They're probably right." I said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "But…Look, Aster I can't guarantee I'll never hurt you, especially this early in…whatever we have now. But you can't spend your life shutting people out and hoping they never hurt you because then you're just hurting yourself. And, I really do like you a lot so…who knows? Maybe this isn't so crazy after all."

He pulled his knees away and looked up at me. He was thoughtful, trying to make a decision. I wanted to ask him what he was thinking but was interrupted when he leaned in and kissed me on the lips. I was surprised at first, un-reactive but after a moment or so, I closed my eyes and gave into him. It was too sweet to ignore. He had charmed me and now I was more confused than he was.

All this time, I had been afraid of him falling for me. I never once considered it could happen the other way around.

()

I was in such a deep state of sleep; I thought nothing could jar me. That was until my forehead met the hard cover of my phone.

"OW! Jesus Christ…" I opened my eyes and noticed Aster standing at the end of the bed—looking madder than I had ever seen another person in my life. I wasn't sure what could possibly bring him from my arms into this wrath, but the answer was soon found.

"You bastard! I knew you could be cruel but this? This is…this is just crap!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked frantically. I froze when I realized what he meant. Shit….He found out about the bet.

To confirm it, he pointed at my phone. I picked it up off the bed and groaned when I saw the message from Atticus. Found the perfect suit to buy with my winning money! Have you gotten him to smooch yet?

I would never recover from the low feeling in my gut—anymore than I thought Aster would look at me with anything but contempt.

Hey guys! Thanks for being patient. Sorry for the late update, I've had a ton of stuff going on. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!