10. Bromance and Brooding

Yusei and Jack stood on the dock saying goodbye to their friends. Both of the pair felt a little awkward, but especially Jack, who didn't like elaborate goodbyes at all. Yusei was more uncomfortable than usual because Aki was particularly morose. She pulled him aside to say her private goodbyes as Jack's fan club forced a group hug on him and vied for attention.

"So …" she said. "You're going with him?"

"Yes," he said. It was obvious enough. There was an uncomfortable silence as Aki waited. Why? "Someone has to go with him, you know," he added, finally.

She looked confused. "I don't see why. Or why it has to be you."

"Crow can't take time off and Bruno … well, there's no way Jack would put up with that. He still doesn't completely trust him. You're not going. Anyway, someone has to go along if only to keep the budgets in check. It's probably actually cheaper for two to go, knowing Jack. He has absolutely no money sense at all. It just doesn't register on his radar."

Aki looked skeptical. "That all sounds logical enough," she said. "Everything you say about Jack always does. But no matter what you say, I can't help noticing that you spend an awful lot of time thinking about Jack, or doing things with Jack, or worrying about him … or …" she shook her head. "What I see is a bromance. And I don't think that any romance will ever compete with that bromance. Not for you, anyway."

"Are you … are you breaking up with me?"

"No … but … I don't know where things are headed for us. I feel like we're starting to drift apart. I want to get closer, but whatever I do to try to do that, turbo dueling, whatever, it doesn't seem to help." She sighed. "Maybe it's a good thing that you're going to be away for a while."

"Maybe." They walked back toward the group in silence for a few moments. Yusei didn't like to leave it like that. "I wish I could say something that would make you feel better," he said.

"I don't want to hear lies," she said simply. She reached up as though to kiss him on the cheek and instead whispered in his ear, "Don't worry so much. I don't hate him. It's how you feel. I don't think even he realizes it."

How I … feel?

He stared at her for a moment and wanted to ask her a question he hadn't quite defined, but they had reached their friends.

Jack by now had disengaged from the clutches of Carly, Mikage, and Stephanie, and was now hovering as close to Crow and the twins as he possibly could in hopes that he could avoid a further entanglement. "Are you ready to board?" he asked, hopefully. "I want to check our D-wheels before we get settled."

"That's a good idea," he said. "Let me talk to Crow for one minute and we can get going." He pulled Crow aside. "You're set to go then?"

"Considering that the WRGP has been suspended, I have delivery work full-time. Bruno's covering your repair work. There's not much more we can do to improve the D-wheels before it starts up again anyway, especially with you two out of the picture. Just don't ruin your D-wheels out there, OK?"

"OK, but they'll probably need a tune-up when we get back," Yusei said. But the lay-off was a long one, considering all the damage Placido did. "You need healing, anyway, Crow. This break in the WRGP couldn't have come at a better time. For you and Jack especially."

Or for me.

This will give me some time to figure out where I am with Aki, he thought as he said his final goodbyes to the group.

"Just find that new way of dueling, will you? I really want to put this money to good use, not a pleasure cruise," said Crow.

Jack pulled Yusei free at last, saying, "Let's get out of here." They grabbed their bags and headed up the ramp.

"So what was all that between you and Aki, anyway?" asked Jack, "or should I be asking?"

"It's OK. Frankly, she's a little put out that I came on this trip. She thinks that I spend too much time with you." As he said it, Yusei wondered if he had said too much.

"Really." Jack frowned as though considering things in an entirely new light. "I didn't think that we spent all that much time together. You seem to spend an awful lot of time with Bruno on the D-wheels … or out on repair jobs …"

"… and you spend a lot of time out doing … What is it that you do, anyway?" Yusei had always wondered what Jack did when he disappeared during the day. Was it job hunting? Brooding? Riding? Working out? (He had to maintain that body of his somehow, and Yusei never saw him exercise.)

Jack favored him with a cryptic smile and said, "Oh, this and that."

"Huh." He was ever so happy Crow wasn't standing next to him to hear that particular remark. "Anyway, she thinks I give you priority over her."

"Do you?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"It's a reasonable question. Do you make me a priority?"

"I … I don't think so." But Yusei wasn't sure. When Jack had stormed out, it wouldn't have mattered whether Aki had wanted him to stay or not, he would have followed Jack. He had to make sure Jack was OK. What if things had been reversed? "But you are my best and oldest friend, you know. You're important to me … and I almost lost your friendship. I never want to go through that again. But … I don't think Aki understands that. She called it a bromance."

"Bromance." Jack chuckled.

"What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I always see you with girls trailing after you, but …"

"Oh, you think I should take advantage of some poor girl?"

"Ah, when you put it like that …"

"You know I think highly of this," he indicated the entirety of himself.

"Uh, yes."

"Do you think I'm just going to throw it around lightly?"

"I guess not …" Yusei said.

Jack looked out into the distance, at nothing in particular. "Remember when girls started noticing me?"

"Uh, Jack, girls have been following you around as long as I can remember."

"You've known me since … what was I? Seven? Nine?"

"So?"

The slightest trace of color came to Jack's cheeks. It was true enough. Even then, he attracted attention. "In any case. Early on, I realized that if I paid attention to one of the girls, the other girls would be unhappy." He frowned. "Even stranger, the girl I spent time with seemed to be unhappy too. Sooner or later, I'd say or do something … or they'd say something … Anyway it would upset things." He shrugged.

"You can be difficult, Jack, just ask Crow."

"Are you sure it isn't the girls?" Jack frowned. "And not just girls. Everyone. If you decide to do something nice for someone … say, go to a movie that you wouldn't have gone to or eat at a restaurant that they like, pretty soon they think that you'll be there whenever they want you to be there or do whatever they want … Eventually, you're not the person you were."

"But, Jack, you never change."

"That's right. I won't change … not for some girl, and not for a friend. A real friend doesn't expect you to change who you are for them. You're really one of the few people who seem to accept that." He stopped a moment. "And it's not just what you do, either." He shrugged.

You mean, it's who you are, Jack? They have an idea of who you should be?

"Girls are happier chasing me than being with me, believe me." He looked at Yusei. "In any case, I have more important things to think about right now. Maybe one day I'll be willing to think about romance, but right now I have to concentrate on dueling. I can't be wasting my time on distractions. I have to be the best duelist I can possibly be."

"But, Jack … haven't you … er, don't you ever … I mean … then how do you …"

Yusei stopped himself, but it was too late, the words were already out, hanging awkwardly in the space between them.

"Yusei, are you trying to ask …?" Jack looked at him with surprised amusement. He lowered his voice and eyes as the color rose to his cheeks again. Looking at Yusei through a veil of blond lashes, he said, "If you absolutely must know, I'm self-sufficient."

"You …"

Crow's salacious joke flashed to Yusei's mind—no, worse, an illustrated version of it—causing him to blush as well. Embarrassed, he felt the heat in his cheeks. How had this conversation gotten so far out of hand?

"No distractions," he said shortly. He frowned again. "Really, Yusei. Why are we discussing this? I have more important things to think about."

Speaking of distractions ...

"I'm sorry, Jack, I didn't mean to—"

"It's all right, just don't repeat it to Crow or …"

"No," he said. He couldn't help but think what Aki might think of their conversation as he felt a the heat in his cheeks slowly diminish. "Definitely not. Let's see to our D-wheels."

As they stood looking on with watchful eyes as their D-Wheels were stowed in the hold, Jack said, "You know, you really didn't have to come along just to babysit me."

"I know," Yusei said. "This isn't a babysitting mission to me. You're my friend. I want to see if I can help."

"You're worried about me. I can take care of myself, you know."

"I'm not saying you can't, Jack."

"I'm not so sure that's true."

"Look, I'm not doing anything that I wouldn't do for any other friend. Look how I went out of my way for Kiryu."

"And look how I didn't feel like I had to traipse along on that one."

"Until you did."

"You were way overdue, Yusei! You think I'm just going to let you go missing for days on end? Especially when we have a tournament coming up?"

"Right, Jack. You weren't really worried at all."

"Well, you're always on about how friends work together … I guess I wanted to check to see if things might go a little smoother with my help …" His expression had softened a little, but then he looked at Yusei seriously. "But I don't see how you can help me here. I need to find a new way of fighting, and the way you've found … it's not a way I can follow. The way I fight … I've always believed in power."

"Maybe so … but I always liked to think that power came from something deeper." Your power … your strength … Yusei wished he could do something, but Jack had a point. They were completely different, and so were their dueling strategies. "Think of it as an excuse to see Bommer then. I've been worried about how he's been doing since … you know."

"Especially after you saw what happened with Kiryu?" Jack nodded. "Remember, though, Kiryu didn't have anyone." Before the kids, anyway. Then he caught Yusei's eye with his own mischievous one and smiled. "Just don't let Crow catch you saying anything of the sort. As far as he's concerned, you're helping me out. He's in enough of a snit that I'm going, let alone you."

Yusei chuckled. "You're right about that, Jack."

"Still, you could be getting things accomplished back in Neo Domino City," Jack said. "Instead, you're here, checking the D-wheel storage with me."

"It's nice to have a break, actually."

"I could be doing this on my own."

"Crow did insist that someone come along to watch the budget."

Jack scowled. "I can be economical when I put my mind to it."

"I know. You just don't put your mind to it as often as Crow would like."

That didn't soften Jack's mood or expression much. They stood silently for some time watching the work progress. Finally, Jack observed, "You know, Yusei, you give so much of yourself to your friends. Do you ever do anything for yourself?"

Is that what he was brooding about?

Yusei thought it over. "I like doing things for my friends, Jack. And doing things with them, like we're doing now, with the WRGP. But … yeah … I guess … building my own D-wheel. And …" he hesitated a moment, not liking to bring it up, "coming to Neo Domino City to duel you. That was just for me."

"Hunh." Again Jack seemed to be chewing something over in his mind. Yusei didn't like this brooding. Bad enough that he was brooding about his game. But this other thing reminded him of …

"Jack—"

"Looks like the D-wheels are fine. I need to concentrate on my new strategy," he said, and with that, turned on his heel and strode off. "I'll see you later." Yusei decided it was best not to follow, although he wished he knew what had transpired inside that blond head. Not knowing what to do, he headed to the engine room to talk with the engineer.

Author's Notes:

My mission to post up to a certain point in this story by Christmas continues ...

This started out as three mini-chapters, but I didn't think I wanted to post them that way. Too awkward. Hopefully the flow isn't too bumpy.

Crow's salacious joke: If this has slipped your mind, see Chapter 8.

Jack not liking elaborate goodbyes: You'd think he would, attention hog that he is, but I don't think so because (spoiler) in the anime, he disappears after the WRGP without a goodbye. I think goodbyes remind him of the way he left Satellite, which makes him feel bad.

Bromances: I think we've all seen guys whose friendships with men are more important and deeper than their relationships with women, whether they'd consider a sexual relationship with a man or not (and whether they'd admit it or not). I find it a fascinating phenomenon.

Preview of Chapter 11:

Was the duel really completely over, already, aftermath and all? Maybe they didn't show.

Or … !

Maybe he'd better get down there. Right now.