A/N: Ok, I know that I teased y'all last chapter. I'm sorry about that. But it WAS too long. D: And I was tired. XD Anyway, here's the second part of the scene. Don't keeeeel me! XDD

Disclaimer: I does nawt own GX. C:


Chapter 9:

Jesse pushed Jaden down to the bed, causing the springs to creak loudly in protest. Jaden grinned, his face turning red at the action. For a moment, he lay there with his dark hair spread across the snowy pillow like a fan. Then, he gently pushed Jesse away from him, so he could have some room to sit up straight.

Jesse looked at him questioningly. Why was he sitting up all of the sudden? He was a little disappointed, but supposed it didn't really matter in the end. If Jaden wanted to take it slow, then he'd be happy with it. He'd be happy with anything the brunet gave him. Though, he had to admit, he'd be a little miffed if the other boy just dropped everything and walked away.

"I hope you don't mind," Jaden muttered, leaning over and taking Jesse's cheek in his hand before kissing his lips.

In response, the teal-haired duelist closed his eyes and reciprocated the pressure. He silently pondered everything as he and Jaden kissed. Then, leaning back, he stared into the Slifer's rich chocolate eyes. "I don't mind. In fact, I'm kind of glad you care enough to take it slow," He admitted.

It was true. As much as he'd have liked to have gone all the way immediately, it would have left him feeling a little strange. He supposed it was better in the end to go about it in this way.

"Ah, good," Jaden's facial features drooped in relief, and a contented smile tugged his lips upwards. "Though, I don't mean to make you miserable by teasing you too much." He leaned over and once again captured Jesse's lips in a kiss.

By then, Jesse was feeling a little dizzy. He kept his hands firmly planted in the mattress, watching Jaden's every move. Every then and again his gaze would drop down…lower…but he tried to keep his eyes on the other's face as much as possible. It was appreciated, of course.

Slowly, Jaden crawled over to him, tilting his head a little to one side. He looked off to the side, as though in deep thought. Then, seeming to have made a decision, he climbed onto Jesse's lap, placing one leg on either side of him. He took care not to sit too close. In fact, he only perched himself on the other boy's knees. But it caused Jesse's face to go all red anyway.

"J-Jaden…" He gasped, licking his lips nervously, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Jaden said, a little quieter than usual.

This worried Jesse. Was Jaden really all right with this? Or was he having second thoughts? Jesse pushed Jaden's chin up with a finger, forcing him to look up. Dark brown met a dazzling sea green gaze. Jaden caught his breath in his throat at the sight.

"Are you sure?" Jesse repeated, watching his face carefully.

Nodding, Jaden replied, "Of course I am!" He clasped his arms around the transfer student's neck, before pressing their foreheads together. "I love you…" He whispered, another smile twitching at the edge of his mouth.

Unable to resist, Jesse kissed the corner of his mouth. Jaden blushed, but kept grinning in that same self-assured way he did. Seeing that the other did rather seem all right with it, Jesse relaxed. "I love you too," He murmured, gently touching his thumb to Jaden's silky cheek, "but I don't know how far to go."

"Like I said before, we'll do whatever comes naturally to us. Don't worry. We'll both know when the time's right." Jaden gave his neck a little squeeze, as though to reassure him.

"If you say so…" Jesse reluctantly agreed, though he silently wondered to himself, "But where do I start?" He looked at Jaden for some indication.

Jaden gave no indication other than to move up a little farther on Jesse's lap. The teal-haired duelist's face burned, his eyes fixated on Jaden's hips. He wanted…to touch…every bit of Jaden…so badly. Perhaps it was all right to do so then. After all, Jaden had told him he could later and it was later at that moment.

Pushing away any qualms he had about it, Jesse placed a hand on Jaden's stomach before moving it slowly down. He watched in delight as the brunet shivered violently at the contact, growing visibly more aroused. He felt his own arousal ache and throb a little more, and silently wished that Jaden would tend to it. But, he said nothing about it, just tried to keep it slow as Jaden had wanted.

His hand fell under Jaden's waist, so close to that once forbidden area that he was almost touching it. Glancing up into Jaden's eyes, he noticed that they were hazed over in want. This was all the encouragement he needed. He moved his hand a little more down, and felt the tip brush against his palm.

The sensation of bare skin brushing against that previously untouched part of him was almost too much for the brunet to bear. His eyes widened slightly and he parted his lips as though to speak. Only, nothing came out but a soft groan. When Jesse moved his hand over it again, it sent such a shock of heated pleasure up his spine. He clung to his boyfriend's neck tightly, pressing his forehead harder against the other's and closing his eyes. His breaths began to come in faster puffs on Jesse's face.

The Crystal Beast duelist really liked how it was making Jaden react. He kept running his sweaty palm slowly over the tip, in a circular motion, watching as Jaden's brow crinkled in passion and pleasure. He smiled to himself as he carefully grasped his fingers around the head of it, and gave a gentle squeeze.

"Is this Ok?" He asked, his eyes half-closing and gleaming in the dark, "Or do you want me to stop?" He was part teasing, part serious.

Jaden glanced up to meet his gaze. His face was already flushed, his hair sticking to his forehead. Swallowing hard, he tried to comprehend the question and respond. "Um…yeah…it's…fine…"

Jesse paused for a moment, leaning his face closer into Jaden's. The Slifer looked at him curiously and opened his mouth, but Jesse gave him no time to speak. Instead, he pressed his lips to Jaden's, then again, and again. He finally began to run his fingers up and down Jaden's length again, melting their mouths together and forcing his tongue in. Jaden moaned against the wet muscle probing his mouth; his body began to tremble. Feeling this combined with Jaden's throbbing member in his hand and his bare skin, Jesse almost lost it.

"Jaden…" He whined, unable to help himself. He buried his face in the brunet's neck, kissing it and running the tip of his tongue up and down it. "Oh…God…please…" His words were almost incomprehensible due to the ragged breaths that separated them.

"You need me?" Jaden asked, gingerly brushing his lips to Jesse's slightly parted ones.

"Yeah…" Jesse breathed, allowing their lips to bump again.

Grinning weakly, Jaden put his hand on Jesse's chest. He couldn't help but laugh at the way the other violently shivered in response. A glare was sent in his direction. Jesse did not appreciate him being such a tease when he was in so much pain. And Jaden knew he was…That was just plain cruel.

Even worse, Jaden did not tend to the neglected area right away. Instead, he took his time tracing designs around Jesse's nipples, purposely avoiding touching them directly. It was almost too much to bear. Maybe he was in the mood for playing around and Jesse hadn't minded it at first, but by this point, he just wanted to be taken care of. He gave Jaden pleading eyes.

"You can be so mean," He groaned, dropping his chin almost to his chest and panting.

"I'll make up for it!" Jaden insisted, nuzzling the teal-haired duelist's neck.

He finally let his fingertips brush against Jesse's nipples. He arched into the touch, letting his head tilt back slightly. Jaden rubbed them for a few minutes, increasing the pace steadily. The friction caused them to harden quickly, and served only to arouse him further. And Jaden only made it even worse when he leaned down and dragged his tongue across them, leaving a wet trail of saliva across Jesse's chest.

"Ah! Jaden!" Jesse squeezed his eyes shut and began to rub Jaden's erection faster, as though it would somehow relieve his own.

This freaked Jaden out a little. He gripped Jesse's wrist, stopping him, and looked at him with concerned eyes. "That feels really good," He told Jesse, "But I don't want to go too fast. I'm sorry I'm teasing you. I don't entirely mean it like that…I just want to experiment and get comfortable doing these kinds of things with you. If you can't handle it…please let me know so we can stop." His dark brown eyes searched Jesse's mint ones, serious for once.

Blushing in embarrassment, Jesse nodded feebly. He hadn't been able to control himself, had he? He had just assumed it would be all right… "I'm sorry," He muttered, his eyes dropping.

"It's Ok," Jaden assured him, pecking him on the lips, "I just want to make sure that you'll be able to hold back if I…return the favor...even if it's only a little bit, I want you to be able to handle it."

Jesse nodded again, finding that all his energy had been drained out of him. It was taking a lot of self-control. "I understand. I'll do my best."

"Ok…" Jaden hesitated, then continued. "I'll trust you."

Even though Jaden wasn't sure, he wanted to continue anyway, and he did want to return the favor. He knew that Jesse would stop if he said to. So, he moved his hand slowly down Jesse's body, from his chest to his stomach and gradually lower. His hand stopped and hovered over Jesse's member, as though he were trying to decide whether or not it was time yet. Just seeing this made the North Academy student's heart nearly leap out of his chest. His eyes widened slightly, his breaths coming faster. Slowly, Jaden curled his fingers around it, holding loosely.

Unable to suppress it, a little moan escaped Jesse's lips. His face flushed as Jaden gripped more firmly and confidently. The two glanced up into each other's eyes for assurance, then, Jaden began to move his hand up and down Jesse's length. A few strangled moans were released on Jesse's behalf, and he was momentarily unable to focus on anything but the sparking pleasure he was receiving. It finally dawned on him that he was still holding Jaden's member. Deciding that it was all right to stimulate him again, he began to move his hand almost in time with Jaden's.

As they did this, they each sunk into a one-armed embrace, their bodies melting together. They kept their foreheads pressed closely together, their eyes locked. Jaden moved up closer on Jesse's lap so that their erections were almost touching. He clung tighter to the teal-haired's neck, kissing him gently every so often on the lips.

"Un, Jaden," Jesse squeezed his eyes shut again, his breaths leaving his body in painfully harsh gasps, "This feels so good…I love you…so much…"

"I…love you…too…" Jaden panted, moving his hand faster along Jesse's length.

"I want…more…so…bad…" Jesse admitted, swallowing hard, "Oh, God, I can't stand it…"

He crashed his lips to Jaden's in a searing kiss, holding him tighter around the neck and entangling his long fingers in the dark locks. The two boys engaged in the passionate kiss, their tongues forcing their way into each other's mouths and battling. The two hot, wet muscles bumped and slid over each other, as their owners fought for dominance. Neither would relinquish and neither won. Nevertheless, Jesse was unknowingly leaning over further and further, causing them to finally topple over on the bed, Jaden on his back and Jesse over him.

"Oh…p-plea…se…" Jesse groaned, slightly turning his head so that he had broken the kiss. He ignored the string of saliva that fell against their cheeks. "I…need…Ah…"

He felt Jaden's hot, sweaty skin against his own, and felt the other's warm hair sticking to his cheek. He turned his head again to look into Jaden's chocolate eyes, his face still close enough for their noses to be touching.

"Please…let me…" He gasped, his eyes half-closing, "Please…let me…make…love to…you…" As he struggled to get the words out, he moved his hand slowly down from Jaden's length towards his bottom. "I need…to…please…do me…" All sense had been washed clean out of his head. He was not thinking anymore. He was driven by passion, instinct, love, lust.

Jaden shivered vigorously when he felt Jesse's hand gently caressing the back of his leg. "I…I…"

Jesse did not give him a chance to finish. He shoved his mouth against the other's, hard. He let his tongue drift out and lick at the lips, his hand moving slowly in a circular motion on the other's bottom. After a moment, his hand moved again around to the inside of Jaden's leg, which he caressed with equal tenderness. Jaden moaned into the kiss, his eyes rolling back in his head.

Jesse just felt as though he were completely incapable of holding back any longer. He wanted to show his love for the brunet by going all the way. He found himself starting to lower down on top of Jaden and had just about lain all the way on him before the other grabbed his shoulders. The Slifer pulled his mouth from Jesse's and gave his shoulders a little push.

It took his hazed-over mind a moment to comprehend the action. Finally, it dawned on him that Jaden wanted him to sit up. He blinked and gazed down at the other, whose eyes were regarding him apologetically. Slowly, Jesse sat up, still in a daze. Jaden came up with him, and sat on his lap again, wrapping his arms around his neck.

Nothing was said. Jaden did not admonish him nor did he tell him to stop. He showed that it was all right by trailing a few open-mouthed kisses down Jesse's neck, and gently toying with his length again. It finally clicked in the teal-haired duelist's mind that Jaden was willing to do this much, but did not want to go all the way yet. His face flushed in embarrassment, and he carefully began stroking Jaden's length as well, mentally kicking himself. It was a wonder that Jaden was even letting him continue this at all!

Maybe, just maybe, Jaden wanted to give him another chance.

Several quiet moments passed as they took their time stroking each other. Soon, Jesse had forgotten about his embarrassment for the pleasure. Every time that Jaden's hand moved on him, his body involuntarily jolted, and small noises caught in his throat. It was aching a lot more, then, begging for release. And as Jaden's nimble fingers seemed to accidentally bump the most sensitive spots, Jesse began to find it difficult to focus on reeling himself in. His own strokes began to quicken again, causing Jaden to twitch and moan softly into his shoulder, where he had his face buried. Jesse smiled despite himself, finding the noises to be rather cute. He slipped his free arm around Jaden's back, placing his hand tenderly on the shoulder-blade and rubbing it lovingly. Leaning down, he kissed Jaden on the top of the head. He felt Jaden's lips against his skin as they curved into a smile. It made him happy to think that the brunet was content.

Unknowingly, he began to squeeze a little firmer. Not to the point that it would hurt. It was rather quite the opposite. Jaden twitched violently a few times, his moans growing a bit louder and more strangled. He leaned back in Jesse's arm, as though hardly able to hold himself up, and let his head loll from one side to the other. He seemed to be allowing himself to indulge in it, and Jesse was beginning to hope that maybe they would get somewhere with this. After all, Jaden was beginning to reciprocate the firm grasp and gentle pressure. The tight, knotted ball deep within him was beginning to get all the more uncomfortable, and he was anticipating the relief that was sure to come soon.

Just as he felt as though he hardly could stand it anymore, and just as he felt he might explode into Jaden's hand, the brunet stopped, and suddenly grasped Jesse's hand, preventing him from moving anymore. The two sat there, panting and covered in cold sweat, trembling vigorously. Jesse was inwardly pleading for Jaden to continue—he really did feel like he was about to die—but he knew better than to say anything. At the same time, he was a little concerned. Was something wrong? He tried to ignore the painful throbbing in his lower body.

"Are…" He took a moment to gulp air as he tried to regain control of his breathing and calm his heart rate down. "Are…you…Ok?"

Jaden kept looking down at their hands for a moment, his expression unreadable. His shaggy hair was sticking to his forehead and covering his face. And Jesse could not see his mouth because of the dark. He leaned in Jaden's face and nudged his forehead a little with his nose and mouth, as though he were both trying to force him to look up and trying to kiss him. Pulling back, he waited for a response, though he didn't really get one.

"Hey, Jaden…" Jesse bit his lip, patting him on the back a little, "Something…wrong?"

Jaden mumbled something and turned his head to the side, trying his best not to look at the other boy. By this point, Jesse was really getting worried. What could be wrong? Was it something he had done?

"What is it?" He pressed, tearing his wrist from Jaden's grasp so he could wrap both arms tightly around the brunet. He pressed the boy close to his chest, holding him in a secure embrace. Whatever it was, Jaden was obviously feeling bad. He really hoped he hadn't done anything wrong. All he could do was try to assure him.

Jaden leaned against Jesse for a moment, allowing the hug. Then, he slowly sat up and pushed Jesse's arms gently away. "I'm sorry," He mumbled, "I just…don't want to do this anymore."

Jesse blinked, surprised. "Why?!" It came out a little more upset than he had anticipated. He cringed inwardly.

Glancing over his shoulder with a regretful gaze, Jaden replied, "Because it doesn't feel right…not now…I did want to try that but I think we went a little too far." He rooted up under the covers and curled up a little, holding the blankets close to his lithe body as though to hide himself. Then, he finally admitted, "I'm sorry…I guess I'm just embarrassed." His dark eyes slid to the side again, his expression slightly reminiscent of a pout.

Jesse was silent for a moment as he took this information in. Then, he crawled over to Jaden, leaning over him slightly. "Hey, it's Ok. I understand. I'm just sorry that I kinda…forced myself on you."

Jaden glanced up at him, still looking troubled. "Yeah…you did. It's Ok. I just guess…I wasn't as ready as I thought I was. Now I feel bad." He buried his face in the blanket, not daring to meet Jesse's gaze. "I'm sorry," He mumbled into the sheets, "I really am. I'll be over it by tomorrow. I just…need some time to think right now. About everything."

"Well, Ok…" Jesse agreed reluctantly. He shifted slightly, then, asked uneasily, "Are you sure that's all? I mean, if you want to talk…" He bit his lip, trailing off.

"Maybe later," Jaden muttered, "I just want to go to sleep now."

"Ok…" Jesse was really not liking the way this was going. He was getting this sick feeling in his stomach…and it was not just from being so worked up, either. "Do you want me to go away?"

"No," Jaden shook his head. "I want you to sleep with me. I'm not dropping you or anything. I just don't feel good."

"Um…Ok…"

Jesse slowly crawled under the covers and flopped down beside Jaden. He lay on his stomach, his cheek rested against his muscular arm, and looked at the boy next to him. Jaden kept his back to him, still curled up tightly. Jesse couldn't help but feel even worse seeing that. Not to mention awkward. Feeling a little melancholy and worried that he might've chased Jaden off, he snuggled up against the other's warm back and sighed heavily. He noticed that Jaden stiffened at the initial contact. This bothered him too. He refrained from putting his arms around the Slifer, but he did rest his hands on his arms. Eventually, Jaden did relax and melted against his body.

Jesse toyed with a lock of dark brown hair that had fallen across Jaden's shoulder, and kissed the tip of his ear. He didn't know if he should say something or not. But, judging by the way Jaden was acting, he supposed not. He just gingerly rubbed Jaden's arm and shoulder, thinking about how nice it felt to snuggle up against the other and feel his warm, bare skin brushing his own.

Though, he couldn't ignore the way it made his body cry out for more. He was still very worked up from what they had done, and he wondered if Jaden was feeling the same way. He tried to push it to the back of his mind, knowing he would have to go to sleep. Glancing back over at Jaden, he tried to discern whether or not he was already asleep or not. And, judging by the way his body was still slightly tense, he decided that he wasn't.

He lay still for the longest time, feeling hot and sweaty and uncomfortable. He felt as though everything was a pain and he just wanted to move. He felt the need to toss and turn. And a small part of him was urging that he get up and take care of that persistent aching in his lower body. But he had too much pride at the moment. Doing that would just be…so…humiliating. And for some reason, he felt as though it would be like a slap in the face to Jaden. If he found out, that was. After all, that would be saying that he cared too much for that, right? He wasn't sure and he was irritated with himself for thinking about it so much, but all he knew was that he shouldn't do it.

After awhile, he noticed that Jaden's breathing had seemed to even out, and his body relaxed considerably. He knew he should have been happy because then Jaden would be more willing to talk when he woke up, but instead, his first thought was 'Oh, great.' Perhaps he was wishing he could do the same. Perhaps he had been hoping that Jaden would change his mind. All the same, as soon as he had thought so, he wanted to smack himself.

Feeling miserable and concerned and unhappy, he rested his chin on Jaden's shoulder and tried to settle down. But he just couldn't put his mind to rest. He was too uneasy. And he couldn't help but be sort of ticked at Jaden. He was trying really hard not to be. It made him feel guilty. He was feeling too much at once, and it kind of was making him sick. Sighing, he closed his eyes and tried again to relax.

It was going to be a long night…


Somehow, Jesse did manage to get to sleep at some point, because when he opened his eyes, light was streaming in across his pillow. Feeling groggy and a little bit cranky because he was so tired, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, feeling a dull headache coming on. He stretched and blinked, looking around. Where was Jaden? The spot next to him was unmade, the covers disheveled, but it was cold. He felt that same pang in the depths of his stomach. What if…?

He jumped up out of bed so quickly it made his head spin. But that didn't matter. He almost fell over as he ignored it and turned to seize his clothes, which were lying on a nearby chair. How long had Jaden been gone, anyway? And what time was it? It barely occurred to him to look at the clock. Though, when he did, he felt a little bit relieved and a little upset. It was about the time he usually got up. But…Jaden…

If the bed was cold then he had been up for a long time. And Jaden never got up early.

What was going on?

Cursing to himself as he tugged the zipper of his pants up, he wondered if he should try calling the other boy. Then again, it might just be best to try to find him. So, he hurriedly finished pulling his boots on and rushed for the door. He almost forgot to grab his bag but remembered just as he was about to leave.

The whole time, he had this feeling deep inside of him, panicking, demanding that he go find Jaden. Why was he getting so worked up, anyway? For all he knew, Jaden had just wanted to get to breakfast early. But…ever since the Viper incident, Jesse had been extra-careful with him.

"Shit…" Jesse muttered as he tripped over a rock in his path. He really was out of it that morning. How late had they stayed up, anyway? He was pretty sure the last time he'd looked at the clock it had been around four. He felt really awful that morning.

It took longer than he had wanted to reach the Slifer dorm. Mostly because he kept tripping over things or crashing into things. He was pretty sure that if anyone saw him—which he was sure someone did—he or she must've thought that he looked like an idiot. And he sort of did…

He finally burst into the Slifer dorm's cafeteria. Syrus and Hassleberry looked up at him questioningly as he hurried over to their table.

"Have you guys seen Jaden?!"

"Uhhh…" the two boys looked at each other for a minute, then back at him.

"Well, yeah, sort of," Hassleberry finally answered, rubbing the back of his head.

"He did come in here for awhile," Syrus agreed, "He sat with us and ate."

"But then he left," Hassleberry finished, glancing down at the table, "He said something about sitting in the classroom."

"That's weird," Jesse mumbled, blinking. Since when did Jaden want to go to class? Or maybe he wanted to talk to someone there?

"Yeah, who knows what he's up to," Syrus sighed, picking at his food. "He seemed a little off today. Like he had something bothering him."

"Well, I'll go talk to him," Jesse assured them, "So don't worry." He forced a smile, feeling like a hypocrite because he was worried.

Without another word, he turned and hurried out. The whole way towards the main building, he tried to come up with something he should say to Jaden, but kept drawing a blank. What could he say, anyway? Everything was so awkward…Well, he might as well try.

When he found Jaden sitting in his classroom, he felt that same pang of worry spring up from deep within him. The Slifer was sitting at his desk, absentmindedly doodling on a sheet of notebook paper, his chin propped in his hand. His brow was furrowed slightly in frustration, though he kept trying to push it back. Slowly, Jesse ascended the steps. Jaden did not even seem to notice his presence.

As he drew closer, he saw that Jaden was doodling pictures of his favorite duel monsters. This made him feel a little bad. Jaden always seemed to do things like this whenever he was upset. He took comfort in his monsters. Though, Jesse momentarily wondered why he wasn't dueling instead.

Clearing his throat a little, Jesse took the seat next to him. "Um…hey…"

Jaden glanced up and smiled wanly. "Hi…"

There was a moment of awkward silence. Jaden lowered his head a little more and scribbled more vigorously. Jesse toyed with his thumbs for a moment, trying to come up with something to say.

"Um…" He paused, trying to force something, anything, to be said. "Are you…Ok?"

Jaden looked up again and propped his chin in his hand, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a little sigh. "Yeah…I just…I don't know."

"Still…regretting…?" Jesse trailed off, not wanting to bring it up again.

"Yeah…"

Silence.

"I'm sorry…" Jesse shifted a little in his seat, uncomfortable.

"It's not your fault. I just…really thought…" Jaden grinned weakly, almost even sadly, "I'm sorry too. I don't know what's wrong with me. I thought I wanted it but…now I'm wondering if I just want to take a step back instead. I don't know if I'll ever want to go that far."

So…he had admitted it…Jesse could not help but feel alarmed. He swallowed quickly, and licked his lips. What could he say? He felt so guilty by that point.

"Oh…Well…that's Ok." He forced a smile, though his lips twitched when stretched like that. "I'll agree to whatever you want. No pressure, Ok?"

Jaden glanced over at him warily, then shut his notebook. "Jes," He looked into those green eyes, sincerity in his own. "You don't have to pretend. I want you to be honest with me like I'm honest with you."

Jesse's smile faded. "Oh, I guess you're right." He pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them. "Well, I reckon that it'll just have to be all right," He said slowly, thoughtfully, "It's not gonna make me love you any less. And I just want you to be happy. I don't want it to be miserable."

"But you're ready to do more…" Jaden blinked and looked at him expectantly.

"Huh?" Jesse looked a little surprised at this sudden statement. "Oh, well, yeah…but…I can wait..."

"Can you do without?" Jaden tilted his head a bit to one side. "I mean, would you stay with me even if you knew we would never go…all the way?"

"Well, yeah, of course I would," Jesse replied, "Though, I would be disappointed." He thought for a moment, then asked, "You're not going to do that, are you?"

Jaden looked a little freaked out and a little trapped for a moment. Jesse felt bad for saying that when he saw Jaden's dark eyes all wide. He opened his mouth to take it back, but nothing came out.

"I knew it! That's all you care about!"

This really took him aback. He stared at Jaden with huge eyes. "Jay? What the hell…?"
Jaden glanced over at his shocked expression for a moment. Then, much to Jesse's confusion, he busted out laughing. "Man, Jes, you should've seen your face. I'm sorry…I couldn't help it." He snickered into his hand.

Jesse could've melted into a puddle in his seat. "Thanks a lot…" He groaned. He felt all weak.

Still chuckling softly, Jaden leaned over and brushed his lips to Jesse's cheek. "Sorry. I couldn't help it. But to answer your question…I probably won't. I might change my mind later. I just don't want to do that now." He hooked his arm around Jesse's neck and smiled. "Hey, don't look so upset. Cheer up. I just got a little freaked out. Who knows? It might not even be that long."

"Ok…" Jesse let his head drop on Jaden's shoulder, still shaken up. "And, Jay?"

"Yeah?" Jaden rested his cheek against the top of Jesse's hair.

"Please don't ever do that again. You scared me to death."

Jaden just grinned and held up two fingers. "Hey, what can I say? It was getting too serious and I hated that so I had to break up the mood somehow, come on. You should know me better than that." He hooked Jesse's head in his arm and gave him a playful noogie. "And, seriously, you need to stop worrying so much. You're not being yourself."

"I guess you're right." Jesse grinned up at him, grabbing onto his arm.

"So what do you say we have a duel, huh? Come on, it'll cheer you up!" Jaden poked the other boy's cheek, seeming to have bounced back to his normal demeanor.

"Well, Ok." Jesse agreed. He didn't really feel too well at the moment but a duel wouldn't hurt, anyway. Besides, if it would make Jaden more comfortable then he was all for it.

However, the problem still lingered in the back of his mind, and he was wondering what he should do. If he was ready to move on and Jaden wasn't…What was he to do? He knew he should wait and he wanted to wait for Jaden to be ready but…

Maybe he should talk to someone who knew about this kind of thing. Maybe someone could help him sort his feelings out. But for the time being, he pushed it aside and enjoyed the duel. However, there was an obvious difference in the way that he and Jaden thought about their relationship, and no amount of waving it off would make it go away. It was about to make their lives quite difficult. And not just because of Jaden's reluctance to go further. It went much deeper than that…And a certain someone was aware of this. Perhaps it would come to an advantage later. But for the time being…waiting was all that could be done.


A/N: NO, NO ONE'S GOING TO TRY TO TEAR THEM APART. DX It's something else…You won't know until I get to it. DX And sorry about Jesse's characterization. It is made of PHAIL. T.T I'll try to do better with him later. BAW. And sorry about making Jaden trick Jesse but I COULDN'T HELP IT I HAD TO DO IT! DX Um but I like this chapter otherwise. D: I think. But ya I'ma get to some of the other things I have to do…like going back to that duel I'm writing. :) But right now I'm gonna take a break from the computer because I feel so damn sick. DX My stomach is killing me. T.T