Jaden waits around (Aftermath) (Post-Series)

Jaden looked down at his phone.

He was able to keep up with his friends loves a bit through the group chat they all shared. He talked in it rarely and didn't look in often, but it was often enough that he knew what they were all up to, that they were safe and happy. Well, for the most part. They all still had a lot to recover from, but even barring that, there were some exceptions. Alexis was teaching now. Syrus and Zane were pro duelists. Chumley still had his job at Industrial Illusions. Zane was recovering better every day. Axel and Jim were back to their usual lives.

He was happy knowing that. It was enough. He didn't need to be around them for him to be happy with it; he was on the road a lot with his own life, and the last thing his friends needed was his danger-attracting presence turning things upside-down again. But, well, there were still exceptions. One in particular. It worried him, or at the very least, he was curious.

Jaden shifted his position, sitting on a grassy hill. He looked at his phone again. Took note of the time. Late. Where was he, was everything okay? He probably just got lost, but…

Someone plopped down on the ground next to him.

"Shift ran a few minutes late, sorry," Jesse apologized. He held back a yawn. "Didn't get lost this time, though."

"That's good." Nothing had happened then. Shouldn't have expected it to, but… "So, what's up? You work at a card shop now?" Jaden asked.

Jaden and Jesse hadn't really spoken since Jesse had gotten his current job. It really had been awhile, hadn't it? Too long, perhaps. Jesse was one of the people Jaden worried most about these days.

"That's right," Jesse confirmed. "It's a small place, just three of us including my boss." This time, Jesse couldn't stop the yawn, though he tried to be as discreet as possible. "I've been working a lot of the later shifts lately, guess I'm more tired than I thought. Sorry about that."

"Hey, it's fine, don't worry about it," Jaden told him. "I'm just still hung up on the fact that you're working at the shop at all, really. Didn't think that was your goal when we were in Duel Academy."

"It wasn't," Jesse said quietly. "I mean, I like my job, but this definitely wasn't my dream. Not sure I have one anymore, though."

"So, no plans to go pro then, huh?"

"Not exactly." Jesse moved to sit closer to Jaden. "I mean, I still love duelin'. It helped me meet all the most important people in my life. And I still want to help people who can see duel spirits, too. Help them see they're not alone, or not going crazy. But that last year of school was…pretty intense. I just don't have it in me to duel these days. I need a break, I guess, is all."

With a mumble of "I'm tired and you're a good pillow," Jesse leaned forward so his forehead was resting against Jaden's shoulder.

Jaden sighed. "It was, wasn't it? And that's my fault, isn't it? Sorry."

"Don't you go blaming yourself for things you couldn't control," Jesse told him, the command muffled by Jaden's jacket. "Nightshroud wasn't your fault. You did your best. Everything with Yubel…er, you… Y'all ain't to blame for what the Light of Destruction made y'all do. Everything's fine now. I just need time."

Jaden bit his lip. Jesse, and all his friends, continued insisting that, and while he couldn't agree, he couldn't argue them on it, either. But, "It's more than that. It's… Yubel was my problem to take care of, you know? And I shouldn't have had to drag you into the problem with Nightshroud. You kept picking up my slack, fixing what I wasn't good enough to handle. You were so much better than I was, you still are. If I'd just been better, stronger, you and everyone else would've been safer. You wouldn't have gotten possessed, or dragged into Nightshroud's world. I should've done better. I'm sorry."

At that, Jesse laughed. With a snort, he quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. It's just… I feel the same way about you."

"You do?" Jaden blinked.

"I kept getting into situations I couldn't handle, and you always came to bail me out," Jesse explained. "You kept winning where I kept losing. If I'd put up a better defense against Yubel, maybe you wouldn't have had to save me at all. If I hadn't lost that duel against Nightshroud, I could've stuck around to the end and helped more. I'm constantly comparing myself to you, and you always come out on top. I never would've dreamed you thought I was better than you."

"Wow, I had no idea," Jaden muttered. "Maybe we're both right. Or maybe we're both wrong. Instead of thinking we're better than each other, maybe we should just be equal."

"Maybe we should," Jesse agreed.

They sat in silence for awhile. Before too long, Jaden realized that Jesse had started taking a nap, still leaning against his arm.

He smiled. Everything would be fine after all.