A/N: Uuuu hey I've actually had IDEAS for this fic ;w; Also I'm not experienced at writing really intimate scenes, but you get a bit of that after so much angst. Ahaha. Enjoy~

From past experience, Jaden knew he wasn't the best at reading others' facial expressions. Sure, those little twitches at the corner of the mouth were obvious indications of mood, but when it came to someone like Yusei, who barely blinked when upset, Jaden was completely unable to detect the other's feelings. He stared and stared at Yusei's face as the dark-haired duelist dismounted his D-wheel, but those deep blue eyes remained so dark, so seemingly expressionless. As Yusei moved closer, reaching out a gloved hand in Jaden's direction, the boy instinctively cringed and backed up a step, both unsure and mildly afraid of Yusei's current emotions.

With a riding duelist's reflexes, the D-wheeler managed to catch Jaden's wrist, the red fabric of the Slifer Red jacket crumpling under his firm grasp. Jaden's heart tripped, skipped a few beats, and crash landed as he felt Yusei's arms drag him into a warm, dusty embrace. The heady smell of motor oil and city air and just Yusei filled up Jaden's senses and overflowed, clouding all of his thoughts. He closed his eyes. A tiny, heated feeling at the back of his mind was trying to get him away from this moment, to tear him away from Yusei a whole second time, to leave and never look back. He fidgeted a little, his arms remaining stiff by his sides. He couldn't make up his mind.

With perfect timing, almost as if he sensed this twitch of discomfort, Yusei placed a few fingers under Jaden's chin and turned his head to face him, Jaden's brown eyes wide in confusion for a minute before the unsaid words hanging in his mouth died in a faint whisper. Yusei's lips were dry and a little cracked, but their warmth was infectious. The nagging feeling in Jaden's mind shriveled and disappeared as he leaned into the kiss, his lips returning Yusei's tender and fluttery little movements. He would have wondered how he could have considered leaving this wonderful feeling behind forever, but at that moment he had decided none of those annoying thoughts were important. The way Yusei held him and kissed him and loved him was so strong, so steady. Yusei was the absence of worry. Yusei was safe.

His feet left the ground. As Yusei's strong arms supported his weight, Jaden latched his arms around his lover's neck, desire rearing its head in the pit of his stomach. Jaden could feel himself being carried through the door of the small wooden house; his eyes flickered open for a split second, and he promptly forgot about the astonished Kiryu he had caught in his peripheral vision.

Yusei's kisses were fuller, deeper, longer. Jaden's body quivered a little as it landed on the makeshift mattress, pinned down by the weight of the other duelist. Months of separation had amplified their desire and robbed them of speech. Yusei's touches were light, hesitant, telling of his worry and relief. Jaden's heart was near bursting. His movements were only responses to Yusei's wordless tales, and his labored breathing and intermittent smiles interrupting each kiss only indications of his joy. To his surprise, his lover released a small chuckle. To his even greater surprise, his own eyes grew shiny and his own vision blurry. Yusei completed him, filled him with heat, ecstasy… love.

The intense desert sunlight shot through the window and penetrated Yusei's eyelids, waking him up from his slumber. He yawned, stretched, and surveyed his surroundings. His cerulean jacket and black shirt were strewn across the floor instead of hugging his torso as they usually were. Yusei pulled out of bed, slightly groggy and not at all himself. He was alone, shirtless, and hungry. At least one of these problems could be solved immediately, he thought, as he reached for the garments on the floor.

A second problem of his was solved as he ventured into the kitchen and found his old friend Kiryu standing by the stove, combating Yusei's third and final problem with a frying pan and some eggs.

"So you're up."

Yusei scratched his head and nodded, working the last bit of sleep out of his eyes. He figured that if Jaden hadn't stepped out of the house for a bit, he'd be in here practically drooling and enjoying the delicious smells of Kiryu's home cooking. Yusei blinked. Where was Jaden anyway?

"Have you seen Jaden around today?"

"Nope," Kiryu replied without turning his head. He slapped a yellow mass of eggs and a piece of bacon on an old, cracked plate and shoved it on the table in front of Yusei.

Yusei sat down awkwardly. He could already feel a little discomfort in the air, which was odd for Kiryu so early in the morning. Both of them remained silent as Kiryu seated himself in the opposite chair. He ate without a word. Yusei simply watched him, concerned, his food untouched. It wasn't like Kiryu to be so quiet; usually he'd be the one to speak first and laugh the loudest, but the Kiryu sitting in front of him seemed to be a whole other person. Or perhaps, Yusei realized with a sinking feeling, his friend was upset with him in some way. "Kiryu…" he began, but he didn't receive any acknowledgement.

He politely cleaned his plate despite his sudden lack of appetite and took the plate to the sink of Kiryu's cramped kitchenette. Kiryu's own plate followed with a clink. "Kiryu, I…"

Without even a goodbye, Kiryu was out the door and gone. Yusei refused to remain alone with his anxious thoughts.

"Alright, Yubel, where are these spirits that need help?"

Jaden was on the move again, running through the dusty streets of Satisfaction Town, worried that he would attract attention or worse, be discovered by Yusei. He figured he couldn't get out of this town without a D-wheel, and he had to find one quickly and head off to Neo Domino as soon as possible. Kiryu had said there weren't any spirits here who needed saving, but Jaden was almost sure there would be some in the sprawling city. However, the key word was "almost". He was getting no response from Yubel's spirit, and it was starting to unsettle his currently vulnerable nerves.

He stopped and crouched in a narrow space between what seemed like a saloon and a shabby motel. "Is there something wrong, Yubel? You're not saying anything." He blinked as he finally heard the spirit stirring.

I don't know, Jaden.

"I haven't seen any yet, not even in Neo Domino when I wasn't looking. Maybe they're all hiding? Have you sensed any nearby?"

I haven't.

He could feel Yubel becoming oddly uncomfortable again. Something was definitely off. "Really, is there something wrong? You've been acting strangely for a while now."

Jaden. There's something I need to tell you.

"Well, what is—"

Their conversation was jarred as the sound of footsteps broke the eerie silence. Jaden squished himself further back into the narrow space and positioned himself behind a trash bin so he could see out the end. He wondered who could be running around this desolate part of town.

What he saw through the sliver of world in front of him was definitely not what he expected. Of all people, it was Kiryu who ran into sight, and he had the wild, desperate look of someone being chased. Even so, the silver-haired man decided to stop in his tracks and turn around, obviously ready to face whatever was pursuing him. Jaden, sensing danger, was about to leap out from behind the bin and offer his help, but the sight of that familiar blue and orange jacket stopped him cold.

Yusei had been chasing Kiryu. Now he was breathing the other man's name as if it was something precious, reaching out to him as if he had some excessive need that could only be satisfied with Kiryu's touch.

Kiryu let out a heavy sigh, took Yusei's hands, and brought the bewildered duelist so close that their noses were nearly touching, and Jaden bet Yusei could feel the other man's labored breath on his neck. "Yusei," Kiryu said, staring directly into the Yusei's alarmed cerulean eyes. He shuddered and leaned forward far enough to make Yusei's weight dependent on Kiryu's arms, which were now wrapped tightly around his waist. "All this time."

Jaden's heart seized up and stopped. All of Kiryu's silvery hair falling delicately around Yusei's face wasn't enough to conceal the fact that he had connected his lips with Yusei's in a rough and passionate kiss, enough to put the already vulnerable Satellite duelist into shock. Jaden sat looking around the trash bin, unable to take his eyes off the scene which seemed to last for an eternity and more and Yusei stood there, unmoving, receiving the kiss politely as Kiryu gave and gave.

Yusei gasped as they pulled apart, but he didn't move or try to wriggle free from Kiryu's embrace. "Kiryu" was the one word he managed to say.

"Yusei… I loved you all this time. Can't you see that?"

"I'm sorry."

Kiryu was indignant. "Don't you understand, Yusei? I saved you, died for you, and now I'm living because of you!"

"Kiryu, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Yusei's eyes were already filling up with tears, the sight of which wrenched Jaden's caution from his mind.

He stepped out from behind the trash bin, shaking, but it was only until too late that he realized he didn't have anything to say. He didn't know anything about Yusei's relationship with Kiryu. His resolve cracked a little as he realized Yusei had probably kept this from him. It wasn't a betrayal so much as just a miscommunication, but the idea of this secret relationship cut into Jaden deeply, clawed at his mind, dug itself deep into his skull.

Yusei had finally turned and noticed Jaden standing up behind the trash bin, frozen in place, a horrified look disfiguring his features. Yusei's body fell backward as Kiryu's hold loosened considerably at the sight of the petrified brunette. He landed hard on the ground, the dust clouding up around his sturdy boots and trusty jacket and those hard-working gloves. He coughed. "Jaden," he said, looking incredibly exhausted.

The heat and pressure building in Jaden's chest was maddening. It was a blur; everything was a mess of colors and sounds and other sensations, but the only thing that really held his attention was this disgusting and unfamiliar feeling crushing his chest and weakening his legs. It wasn't adrenaline, and it wasn't anger. It wasn't sadness. It was some ridiculous sort of indignation that welled up inside him and irrationalized everything he saw until the entire ridiculous scene of Yusei rolling around in the dirt with Kiryu hovering over him melted into a frightening farce, as if the two duelists in front of him were actors on stage who had suddenly fallen out of character in a chaotic mess of emotion.

He took a hesitant step backward. The world spinning around him was jarred by his heel banging against the trash bin and producing a sharp metallic noise which drove right into Jaden's nerves.

He turned and ran without a second thought.