"Hey guys," Crow suddenly said. He gestured for Kalin and Jack to join him at the broken walls of their hideout. "You gotta see this." He grinned from ear to ear.
"What is it?" Jack ran over and poked his head over the wall.
"Keep your head down!" Crow half whispered. "Don't make it look like you're looking, but look."
"No way," Kalin gasped. A smile was spreading across his face too.
Jack wrinkled his nose. His lip curled sourly and he turned away to go back to his lone game of solitaire.
"Oh my god, if they start dating?" Crow whispered.
"That would be hilarious," Kalin nodded fervently. "So much teasing."
"We're already going to tease him, but we're getting ahead of ourselves," Crow said, frowning. "Sh, they're almost here!"
He and Kalin ducked down to listen. Their ears ached from the effort of it.
"So I said; I'm sorry, but I'm too old for you. Then she was like; well, I'm four. How old are you?" Yusei was saying. He was talking animatedly, his hands assisting him. Crow and Kalin noticed his eyes were brighter than usual.
Lise was listening closely. She looked healthier than the last time she had attended a meeting, a bit rosier in her cheeks, much more well-rested. It helped that she was smiling for a change. "And you told her you were like, four times her age?" she guessed.
"Yeah," Yusei nodded. "I told her I'm 16, and Annie's face was so serious. I'm pretty sure she was doing the math, so I waited for a second. Then she looks up at me and goes; what about when you're 17?"
Lise burst into laughter. She covered her mouth to hide her snorts, but her body still rocked with them. "Like that would make a difference!"
She missed the giant, toothy grin spreading across Yusei's face. This was much better than yesterday. He'd actually gotten Lise to laugh. "Ladies first?" He gestured to the door to their hideout.
"Sure, sure," Lise said, wiping away a tear. "Oh my god, that's hilarious."
"They're so cute, I'm gonna die," Crow whined.
"Quick, quick, act natural!" Kalin whispered fiercely. "They're coming!" He and Crow threw themselves onto the couch and messed up Jack's solitaire game.
"Hey!" he protested.
"Act natural!" Crow stage whispered a second before Lise and Yusei walked in.
"Hey guys, whatcha doin?" Lise asked, tossing her backpack on the floor by the couch.
"You seem pretty chipper," Kalin noted innocently.
"Why so happy all of a sudden?" Crow chimed in. He and Kalin had to visibly make an effort not to look at each other, or risk bursting into laughter.
Lise shrugged. "I slept well. Are you guys playing something?"
"We could play Shanghai," Yusei suggested.
"Not today. I'm not in the mood. Some of us were trying to playing solitaire," Jack sniffed.
"Why don't we keep Lise's good mood going? Whoever can make her laugh the most wins?"
"I'm not sure I like this game," Lise frowned.
"Can we use tickling?" Yusei raised his hands.
"Touch me again and you lose your hands," Lise immediately threatened.
"Yes ma'am," Yusei backed away.
"Okay, no touching," Kalin instantly agreed. "Lise sit at the Yusei's work table. We'll take turns, and you have three total turns. You win if she laughs so hard she cries."
"Good luck," Lise shook her head as if asking herself why she hung out with a bunch of idiots, but she sat down anyway. "This is so stupid."
Crow sat down across from Lise first. He stared at her and with a straight face went "do you ever lay down for bed really sad, and that one tear leaks out and you're just like 'whoa body, you're sad, but you're not that sad.'"
Lise snickered and snorted a little at that one. "It's funny cuz it's true!"
"I'll take it!" Crow gave her a thumbs up.
Kalin sat down next. "Ready?" He grinned and held up his index finger of his left hand. "Follow my finger with your eyes."
"Okay…"
Kalin moved his finger in zig zags, and placed his right hand on the table in front of him. Lise's eyes darted after the finger like pinballs. He moved his finger in circles and Lise followed it. Then when he got tired of that, Kalin moved his finger back and forth. Eventually Lise's brow was mottled with confusion, but she diligently watched her friend's finger. She didn't notice she was ever so slightly leaning forward.
Then BAM! Kalin's right hand flew and bopped Lise upside the head.
She stared at him in utter surprise, and unexpectedly burst into giggles. "What the fuck was that?"
Kalin shrugged. "Just something I thought I'd try. Won't happen again though."
"Good," Lise snorted. "I'll hit you back next time."
"I thought we weren't allowed to touch her?" Yusei pointed out.
Kalin held up his hands. "I disqualify myself then. Crow, you're up."
Crow scrunched up his face, and stomped his foot like a petulant child. "But I'm too much of a boss ass bitch!"
"That doesn't even make sense!" Lise laughed.
"I'm two for two! Step up!" Crow gave himself a high five.
"You gotta make room for us, dude," Yusei sat down next and blew his bangs out of his eyes. "Um…" His eyes suddenly glittered. "Okay, so you know how that new officer that's built like a fridge keeps calling me pretty boy?"
"Trudge? Yeah," Lise nodded, unsure where he was going with this.
"Well, like, why is that an insult? Call me a pretty boy," Yusei gestured to his chest with his hands. "Call me a pretty boy right now. I wanna be the prettiest boy you've ever seen!"
"The prettiest boy in town!" Lise chuckled, a snort mixed in.
"No! We're losing her!" Crow gasped dramatically.
"Jack, get in on this," Kalin tried to bring his friend over.
"No," Jack said simply.
"Is no an emotion? Because Jack feels it," Lise said.
"Good one," Yusei nodded in approval. He and Lise high fived.
"Crow and Kalin accidently shared a toothbrush for a year," Jack threw out there. He casually picked up a card and put it back down on the table.
"We did?"
"I was not aware of this," Kalin said with the straightest face he could muster.
"Ew," Lise curled her lip in disgust.
"Wrong direction!"
"I thought there was only one direction?" Lise joked.
"No, just no," Kalin shook his head.
"I always look sleep deprived," Yusei said. "Is that hot?"
"I've been told no," Lise smiled, laughing a little bit.
"Let's just take a moment to appreciate bugs are small," Yusei blurted out next.
Lise just shook her head. "True, but not funny."
"Damnit. We're tapped out and she's not crying yet," Kalin crossed his arms. "Jack get over here. It's mandatory now!"
"No."
"Yes."
"Do it! Do it! Do it!" Crow and Lise started chanting.
"Peer pressure, peer pressure," Yusei chanted quietly to Kalin's amusement.
"Fine, if it'll shut you up!" Jack threw his hand of cards bitterly across the floor. He got up to make his way over, and slipped on one of his fallen cards.
Jack fell to the floor spectacularly. His limbs dramatically splaying in every direction. He even slid a few feet.
Lise burst into uncontrollable laughter. Her entire body shook and she couldn't even hold herself up anymore. She fell out of her seat, absorbed in her mirth, she just kept laughing until tears fell.
Kalin walked over and raised Jack's fist like he was a wrestling champion. "The winner!"
Polite applause rang throughout the hideout. Lise joined in when she could breathe again.
"Thanks guys, that was really fun," Lise got up, and brushed herself off.
"Oh, don't thank us," Crow waggled his eyebrows at Yusei and Lise. "Yusei gave us the idea."
Yusei turned pink, and avoided Lise's eyes. Luckily, she was more focused on preparing for their duels that afternoon.
Kalin nudged Yusei with his elbow. "You seem to be getting pretty close to her these days. Anything…special going on?"
"No," Yusei frowned pointedly at Kalin. He shrugged, deliberately trying to play things off casually. "It just occurred to me I didn't really spend much time with her before the Enforcers. When we stopped being kids, we just sort of drifted. I missed talking to her."
"Nothing romantical at all?" Kalin actually sounded a little disappointed.
"No…" Yusei said slowly. He pulled at his collar, the skin around his neck suddenly felt hot. He remembered his dream yesterday, specifically the part when Lise had been about to kiss him. "Besides, she doesn't like me that way."
"You guys coming or what?" Lise slid her duel disk on her arm. She tested it gingerly, fearing it'd still be heavy. "It's so light now! Thanks, Yusei!" She smiled brightly.
"S-sure," Yusei stammered.
Kalin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, absolutely nothing there," he said sarcastically.
"Exactly," Yusei grunted purposefully. He glared at Kalin, looking him right in the eye.
"Exactly," Kalin agreed. "Hurry up slowpoke," he ordered, back in leader mode. "We have a duel gang to destroy."