They stared at each other for another few moments. Neither said a word more, Jaden smiling awkwardly at the other. He could feel his face burning. Clearing his throat, he tried to speak, but Chazz had let out a deep groan as he shrugged off his drenched coat, hanging it on the back of a chair. Having done this, he began to pull up his shirt, the material clinging to his skin. It was at this point Jaden caught himself staring, his eyes darting quickly away and to his bag, kneeling down to find his swimming trunks.

He finally found them, tucked in between the rest of his clothes. He had made a right mess of luggage in his search, however at least now he could go into the sea without soaking the rest of his attire. The shirt he wore before would not be wearable for the rest of the trip; he could tell the salt was already beginning to harden the fabric. He shuddered, glad to have actually remembered to pack spares.

As he looked up, his eyes met Chazz's, who, startled, looked away, holding a fresh, black top with 3/4 sleeves. Jaden smiled understandingly at him, the unexplained bruising as apparent as it had been before the summer break. It was a shame that he wouldn't join the rest of their friends in the fun, but he couldn't blame him. He could just try to include him as best as he could. Figuring that's why Chazz had been staring at him, the boy probably embarrassed of not being able to take part, Jaden walked up to him, placing a hand on his bare shoulder and beginning to grin as wide as his skin would allow him.

"It's alright, Chazz. I'm sure no one would judge you either way, but I'll try my best to make sure you have a good time this holiday too!"

A light blush powdered Chazz's face. Jaden couldn't possibly tell what the other boy could be embarrassed about. If anything, he felt he should be the one blushing. Yet, it felt so easy to put everything aside for his friend. He glanced again briefly at the bruises, before once again looking Chazz in the eyes with a determined smile.

"I'll see you out there."

He had let Chazz use the bathroom to get changed, knowing he would probably somehow end up being quicker in putting on his swimming shorts than Chazz would be peeling off his soaked jeans, and was soon racing out of the hut. The sand burned his feet for the first few moments he stepped on it, before the pain subsided, his soles getting used to the temperature. From a distance, he could see Alexis sprawled on a towel next to Zane, the two of them busy chatting. He couldn't be sure, but he thought Alexis' face looked scrunched up, as though she were complaining about something but he couldn't be sure, his vision not good enough to make her out completely. Meanwhile, Syrus and Hassleberry were waist-deep in the water, running around as though with unlimited energy. It seemed to Jaden like they were having a great time until he got closer, analysing the situation as Hassleberry chasing after Syrus, who was trying his best to get away. Hassleberry probably didn't mean any harm at all, Jaden mused, but he doubted Syrus cared about the good intentions. However, before he could run up to the two of them, he heard his name called out from the opposite direction. Turning his head, he saw Zane motioning for him to come over, Alexis smiling beside him though it didn't reach her eyes.

Jogging up to them, he stopped just before their declared stations, putting on as bright a smile as he could in an attempt to cheer up the girl from whatever was bothering her.

"Hey, guys! What's up?"

Alexis patted the space next to her on the towel and he took his seat, feeling the sand shift under his weight. He looked between his two friends expectantly, waiting for someone to tell him what they wanted to talk about. Alexis kept up her fake smile for a few moments more before her facade shattered, her face falling as she let out a long sigh and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Why is he here?" She finally asked in a low voice. This puzzled Jaden.

"Who?"

"Chazz." He felt completely thrown off by this answer. He had known his friends weren't best fond of Chazz, however he hadn't expected such a negative reaction towards the Princeton boy.

"I invited him."

Alexis let out a long groan in response, laying her head on her knees but still looking at him.

"I thought we were all getting along."

"We were- are, but it's... Awkward." Finishing the sentence, she buried her face in his knees before muttering one last barely audible sentence. "Why can't he just take no for an answer?"

Jaden looked at Zane, whose features remained neutral. He shrugged sympathetically, as though trying to communicate 'this is on you, buddy'. After a moment, Jaden put his arm around Alexis' shoulders, rubbing her arm a little in comfort.

"It's fine, Lex, I promise. Do you want me to talk to him about it?"

She looked up at this, brows furrowed deeply in thought.

"He keeps asking me over and over even though I keep telling him I'm not interested. Atticus egging him on doesn't help either, but what makes you think that he'd listen to you?" She bit her lip, looking out at the waves. "It's me he has his stupid crush on and yet he doesn't listen to what I have to say."

Jaden couldn't help but think back to the elevator where Chazz shared a deep fear he had never revealed to anyone before, or even just now in the cabin, the bruises on his body on full display despite Jaden's presence. Somehow, Jaden had been lucky enough to, purely by chance, be let in on things Chazz had never spoken to anybody about. Those moments had to have meant something to Chazz too, right?

"Trust me, Alexis. I know I can get through to Chazz."

She shook her head in resignation, smiling gently as she did so. She seemed to genuinely mean the smile this time, pulling at Jaden's heartstrings. He loved it when he managed to make his friends smile, it always felt like a little victory.

"Thank you Jaden, I really appreciate it."

It was at this point that Zane nudged Jaden on the shoulder, drawing his attention away from Alexis and towards where he was pointing. Jaden's heart stammered. Roughly halfway between the cabin and where they were sat stood Chazz, a towel slung over his arm, jeans replaced with knee-length shorts. He was staring right at them, motionless, and Jaden couldn't help but feel like he had committed some grave crime with the way he was being analysed by those storm grey eyes.

Suddenly, Chazz turned on his heel, first walking slowly before picking up the pace significantly as he ran back to the hut. Jaden could barely control himself as he leapt up onto his feet, only stopping for a moment to shout a quick goodbye to Alexis and Zane as he rushed after the other.

Within moments he reached the door to their room, stopping momentarily to catch his breath. Straightening up, he rapped on the door, putting his ear to the warm wood.

"Chazz? You okay in there?" When he didn't hear a response, he tried the door knob. The door didn't budge, staying securely closed against his strength. Without second thought, he ran around the building - he remembered there were windows in their room. Hopefully one of them would be unlocked.

He had almost began to lose hope when he saw a fluttering from around the corner. A piece of light curtain bellowed gently in his sight and he headed straight for it, readying himself to vault. Running up, he jumped, grabbing onto the side of the windowsill and pulling himself up and through the open window, almost fumbling his landing.

Looking around, the room seemed empty. He was about to call out when he heard a light sob from the corner of the room between the door and a wardrobe. Taking a closer look, he saw him, black coat back on despite its current wetness, the collar obscuring his face.

He moved a step closer, a hand subconsciously reaching forward towards his friend, despite the fact he knew he couldn't possibly reach him from all the way across the room. It was just instinct, attempting to shorten the distance between him and the ebony haired boy. However, as he took the step, Chazz stiffened.

"Get lost, slacker," the command was said hoarsely, and all it made Jaden wish to do is get closer. He understood the command perfectly, but it was as though his entire body moved on its own, taking further steps instead of backing away. Before he knew it, he was at Chazz's side, arms beginning to wrap around his shoulders in an attempt at a comforting embrace. Quickly, Chazz slapped his arms away, looking at him with tear tracks staining his face.

"Don't touch me."

He obeyed, letting his hands rest on the floor in front of him. They never broke eye contact, Chazz's furrowed brows quivering as he tried to stop himself crying any more than he already had. Jaden could not for the life of him figure out what had shaken Chazz up so much that he had been reduced from a fairly decent mood by Chazz standards to a shaking, sobbing wreck.

"You should have told me." Chazz looked down at his knitted fingers, unable to look directly at Jaden as he spoke while in this state. His words, however didn't make much sense in Jaden's head as he bent a little to try and get a look at Chazz's face.

"Told you what, Chazz?"

The boy looked at him incredulously, as though Jaden was being an actual idiot in his confusion. He knew he could be oblivious, but Chazz wasn't giving him much to go on. Before he spoke, Chazz moved his head to the side, shielding his expression.

"About you and Alexis."

"What about us?"

"Don't 'what about us' me!" Chazz's head spun round, eyes portraying genuine hurt. "The fact you're dating!"

Jaden almost fell over. He felt both completely astounded and like he was about to burst into tears with laughter. The latter emotion won over, and within a few seconds the boy was clutching his hurting sides, Chazz looking at him in flabbergasted confusion.

"What's so funny, slacker?"

Jaden took a few deep breaths, sitting up and wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. He looked at Chazz, whose dark eyes were focused solely on him, and couldn't help but smile at how ridiculous the situation was.

"Where do you get these ideas from, Chazz?" He shook his head, chuckling again. "Me and Alexis? Dating?"

Blinking a few times, Chazz continued to look completely dumbstruck.

"But... You had your arm around her."

Staring at him incredulously, his laughing fit now over, Jaden shook his head. He ran his hand through his hair, smiling at Chazz.

"I was just comforting her. That's what friends do, Chazz."

They both looked away, Jaden gazing at the ceiling while the other looked at his intertwined fingers, clearly embarrassed. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Chazz rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands, returning to his usual composure. He glanced up at Jaden, eyes like a stormy sky, taking a deep breath before speaking again.

"Are you sure you're not lying to spare my feelings, slacker?" His voice was uncertain, Jaden noticed. He shook his head. While it hurt that Chazz was so smitten with Alexis, he found it quite endearing that the boy was a ball of nerves for his crush. Then he remembered his conversation with Alexis herself and frowned, looking down at the floor.

"Chazz... Now might not be the best time but..." he cut himself off, unsure about how to proceed while hurting Chazz as little as possible. He could feel those cool, grey eyes studying his face, expectantly waiting for his next words. When Jaden struggled to think of his next words, he felt the impatience as Chazz muttered under his breath.

"What is it, Jaden?"

It was his name again. It shouldn't have affected him to hear his name as much as it did. It somehow sounded different when Chazz said it. It was probably his lovesick heart making unnecessary assumptions, but when did Jaden Yuki ever care about rhyme or reason. He shifted, accidentally getting marginally closer to Chazz, their arms brushing against each other as he turned to look at him directly. He had to do this for both his friends' sakes. Wanting to smile but not wanting to seem insincere, he kept himself in check as he began.

"The reason this whole mess happened was because Alexis wanted me to talk to you." He took a momentary pause, noting how Chazz gazed at him, unblinking. He seemed frozen, anxiously waiting for the rest of the speech. "She... She doesn't like you like that Chazz. But you just don't listen. It sucks to not have your feelings reciprocated, I get that, but you have to let her go for both your sakes." He smiled, trying to seem reassuring, but didn't feel like it had the desired effect for neither him nor Chazz. The latter looked away, running his forearm against his eyes and leaving it to rest there for a few moments.

"No need to look so pleased with yourself, slacker." His voice quivered, and Jaden could see a tear trailing down from under his arm, still obscuring his eyes. Finally he let it drop, letting out a long sigh as his body fell against Jaden's, his head resting on his shoulder.

Initially, Jaden felt stunned, his heart hammering in his chest, so loudly he worried the boy would hear it. Slowly, he relaxed, raising a hand to gently stroke Chazz's hair. It felt incredibly soft under his fingers, the effect apparently not entirely styling on Chazz's behalf but potentially more of a bedhead that the boy never bothered to sort out and instead turned into his look. The thought made him chuckle, and he felt the other shift against him in response as he continued the repetitive motion.

"Don't you dare tell anyone else about this."

This was the second occasion in a very short space of time that Chazz had really let himself be vulnerable around Jaden. He seemed so small as Jaden looked down at him, basically cradled by his own arm.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

They had sat together for another few moments before they got up, Chazz looking almost back to his normal self, and rejoined the group. Chazz pretended nothing happened in front of everyone else, and Jaden did his best to do the same, enjoying the rest of the day and the sea to the fullest. It was only his preexisting preoccupation with Chazz that kept him noticing how, even though they were sat together, Chazz avoided looking at Alexis.

The day came to a close, and the boys headed back to their hut, Jaden hugging Alexis goodnight before they parted. Syrus and Hassleberry walked in front of him, arguing about something in Duel Monsters that Jaden couldn't quite make out from the slight distance, choosing to stay at Chazz's side. The boy had seemed fine during the rest of the afternoon, but Chazz was good at acting the part of a Princeton. However, who knew what he was really feeling underneath his holier than thou facade. Jaden didn't want to risk it.

They walked slowly side by side, their friends getting progressively further and further away. When they were no longer within earshot, Chazz shot him a glance.

"You're free to geek out with your dork friends, you know. I'm not here to be babied." Letting out a laugh, Jaden shrugged, beaming at him.

"I know. Just thought you could use a friend."

They had reached the hut entrance, and Chazz looked like he was about to open the door when he hesitated, long, slender fingers resting on the handle of the door. What followed was a moment which Jaden could never be sure whether it happened or not. Because in that short moment, he could have sworn he heard a quiet mumble before the door opened and Chazz entered their accommodation. He stayed outside for a moment, a smile slowly lighting up his features as he whispered two words.

"You're welcome."

Sharing a bed with Chazz was as distracting as he had imagined it would be. He had gotten used to Syrus and Hassleberry's breathing over his time sharing a room with them. But Chazz was different. He lay next to him, radiating more heat than Jaden had ever thought was possible. He thought again to the way Chazz's hair felt under his fingertips, soft and tangled. Surely it wouldn't hurt to touch it again, he thought, almost subconsciously reaching out to touch a lock of dark hair on the pillow beside him.

He must have accidentally pulled on a bit of the hair as he felt Chazz stiffen under his touch. He stayed silent, hand still on the pillow, accidentally holding his breath. At last, quietly, softly, he heard Chazz whisper.

"What are you doing?" Jaden's breath hitched in his throat, hand pulling back as he felt Chazz beginning to turn. In the darkness, he could see Chazz, his eyes looking directly into his.

"Your hair feels so soft," Jaden finally whispered, their gazes still meeting. They stayed silent for a moment, Jaden just about able to make out the frown on the other's face.

"No one's ever done that before."

"I'm sorry, Chazz. I won't do it again if-"

"No. I... I didn't hate it." The words sounded like they took a lifetime of effort to say, and once more Jaden felt stunned to have witnessed a side of Chazz Princeton he had never seen before.

He didn't hate his touch, huh?

Holding onto that thought, he fell asleep.

Sorry for the long wait! I started university in September and have been very, very busy. But it's finally here!

Thank you to Dark Interval for their lovely review! It really gave me the motivation to finish working on this chapter. Hope you like it!