Author: Dragon Radar

Rating: R

Title: Cheater

Summary: Syrus thinks Jaden is cheating on him, which means he has no choice but to leave him. Things aren't what they seem, but will Syrus find out the truth in time to salvage their two-year relationship? Judai/Sho, Yaoi

A/N: This story is set in the future, and I wasn't exactly sure how many years the students attend the Duel Academy. In my universe, they attend until they're nineteen. That means Zane is in his final year, and Syrus and Jaden are both seventeen.

Cheater

Chapter 3

"It was an excellent duel, Syrus," Zane complimented easily. Syrus glanced up at him, not really caring. It wasn't Zane's praise that he wanted. It hadn't even been a full day yet, and he was already wishing Jaden would just apologize. Now that he had taken some of his aggression out on Chazz, he was willing to talk about it, but not willing to be the one that went crawling back to Jaden.

Simultaneously, he was feeling pretty miserable about himself. He knew that he was lacking in a lot of ways. Sure, Jaden said he thought he was smart and funny, but most of the time Syrus just felt like it was lip service. He wished he could be as good looking as Zane or Chazz. He felt certain it was his body that had made Jaden seek out someone else. There was little he could do to change it. He couldn't make himself grow taller, and he ate like a pig – he just never gained weight. Short of plastic surgery, he didn't have many options. Maybe a new haircut?

Now he was just being stupid. A new haircut wasn't going to make his boyfriend come back.

"Earth to Syrus! Hey, I know you're bummed, but maybe going out would lift your spirits? A friend of mine is taking her boat to the mainland tonight. Zane and I are going. Come with us! It will cheer you up," Alexis said brightly.

"Oh, I don't know, Alexis, but thanks for inviting me."

"Of course he won't go. He's going to sit here all night and wait for Jaden to call him so that he can go crawling back to him begging to write his papers for him again," Zane said casually, standing up and pulling on a leather jacket. Syrus stood up angrily, but didn't protest. He merely grabbed his own jean jacket and gestured for the two of them to go first.

Jaden was having difficulties getting into the Obelisk dorm. That was actually an understatement. As if they had all decided that Syrus was one of them now, they refused to let Jaden as far as the parlor. He'd tried to make a break for it, having absolutely no idea where Zane's room was, but he'd been picked up by two big guys and dropped on his ass in the front lawn. He'd tried dueling to get inside, but no one was dumb enough to take him up on his offer. They simply wouldn't let him in. They called him quite a few nasty names as well, as if being booted wasn't embarrassing enough.

He loved Syrus, and he understood that his boyfriend was extremely sensitive, but Syrus had really made him angry by pulling such a stunt without even talking to him. Wasn't he worth at least a face to face break up? Syrus hadn't even called him! Jaden had found out from some gossipy first year! He really thought they were better than that – that they had something special.

The longer he thought about it, the angrier he got with Syrus. Instead of wanting to explain everything and kiss away their arguments, now he wanted to find him to give him a piece of his mind.

It was only luck that he spotted the ship at the docks, and all the Obelisks piling in. The silhouette of Syrus's hair was unmistakable.

There was no way he was going to let Syrus go out partying and hook up with some random guy. He might have been angry, but Syrus was still his.

There was only one person he knew who had a boat. It wasn't going to look good, but he didn't have any other options.

"Let me get this straight. You want me to take you on my boat to stop the guy who humiliated me and kicked me just today? That's a laugh, Jaden."

"Come on, Chazz! I thought we were friends! And it's partially your fault that I don't have a boyfriend anymore. If you hadn't insisted on being so secretive about…"

"Yeah, well, that was the deal. You took a risk and you lost. Go cry on someone else's shoulder," Chazz replied darkly.

"Hey, man, what's the deal? You're being more of a jerk than usual."

Chazz hesitated, then sat down on a nearby bench. Thankfully, Syrus had found Chazz in the gardens and hadn't had to sneak into the Obelisk dorms.

"I just realized that…this whole thing I'm trying to do…it's not going to work out."

"Why not? I wasn't lying when I said he was gay. I mean, it's pretty obvious if you know him well. And he's single, too."

"Yeah, well, he thinks I'm a prick and that's all there is to it. He doesn't know me at all. Today proved that."

"What did Bastion say to you?"

Chazz groaned. He hated when they mentioned names. It made the embarrassment of his situation all too real and mortifying. He hadn't come to grips with his homosexuality very easily, and it was even worse when he discovered he had a crush on a Ra Yellow. Still, he'd been willing to buck his family and pursue Bastion, but he didn't have any idea how to go about it. Naturally, he turned to the only other openly gay couple at school – Jaden and Syrus. It was obvious that Jaden was the one who had started things between them, because Syrus would have never had the guts. One thing led to another and under sworn secrecy, Jaden met up with Chazz to give him advice about relationships and to tell him inside information about Bastion. Chazz thought having an informant was the only way he'd ever be able to approach his crush. Of course, Syrus had eventually seen them together and assumed the worse, because he had absolutely no self-confidence, and now everything was going to hell.

"He asked if I had an affair with you."

"Yeah, so? You told him you didn't, right?"

"No, I didn't tell him! He shouldn't have asked! He should have known I would never – I mean, I've worked so hard to show him that I've changed, and he doesn't give me any credit at all!"

Jaden just rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.

"Chazz, he's not a mind reader. He was giving you a chance to explain yourself. You have to admit, the situation looks bad. He could have just assumed it was all true, but he didn't. That's more than even Syrus did!"

Chazz seemed to think that over, and then he nodded.

"You're right. I have to explain to him."

"Fine, but you can explain on the way to the mainland."

"Alright, you have a deal."

"Oh, no! I'm not making anymore deals with you, Chazz. I've learned my lesson." Both boys grinned at each other, and then hurried to the Ra dorm to find Bastion.

The ship docked and the excited group of students began to jump off.

"Come on, Syrus. Let's go," Alexis encouraged. Syrus was sitting at the bow of the ship, staring gloomily into the water.

"I…I think I'll just stay here. I really don't feel up to it tonight."

Zane just shrugged and took Alexis's arm. "Let him be. As long as he's off the island, he can't go crawling back to Jaden."

Alexis felt a little guilty for leaving Syrus alone, but it was obvious he wanted some space.

"Alright, but we'll be back in a few hours, okay, Syrus?"

"Yeah, sure. Have fun, guys."

He got as comfortable as he could and pulled his jacket closer to his body. The wind coming off the water was getting colder by the minute, but he was feeling too miserable inside to care about how he felt on the outside. He stared into the black shifting water, wondering if he had the courage to jump inside. He'd still never learned to swim, despite all of Jaden's attempts to teach him.

But he couldn't do something like that without at least seeing Jaden one more time.

"Man, I'm pathetic! I bet Jaden isn't sitting at the beach thinking of offing himself! I should have gone with the others. Just because…because Jaden doesn't want me anymore…it's not the end of the world." The words didn't sound very convincing, but he was proud of himself for saying them all the same.

He continued to watch the water for another half hour, until the waves lulled him to sleep slumped over the side of the ship.

"Okay, so you didn't have an affair?" Bastion asked slowly.

"Right. I would never cheat on Syrus. I love Syrus," Jaden asserted simply.

"I knew you did – I admit I had trouble believing it, but then Chazz said.."

"I said that I might as well have done it. Nobody seemed to think I had any honor anyway."

"And when you say 'nobody', you really mean me, don't you?"

Chazz ignored him, focusing on steering the boat instead. Finally, he commented grudgingly, "You're too smart for your own good."

Jaden tried to be extremely quiet, so that the two would finally say what they needed to say to each other.

"What I don't understand is why. Why would my opinion be so important to you, Chazz?"

"Because I…I…like you, alright? I like you. Are you happy now?"

"Wow. That was like pulling teeth!" Jaden joked, unable to resist. Bastion flashed him a grin and then stood up smoothly, despite the rocking of the boat. Chazz's hands were glued to the steering wheel, his eyes staring stubbornly ahead. Bastion came up behind him, encircling him with his arms and grabbing the steering wheel.

"It took you a long time to figure it out, but I'm glad you finally did."

"What? You mean you knew all along?"

"What exactly are you referring to? Do you mean your secret meetings with Jaden, the fact that you had a crush on me, or the fact that you were gay?"

Flustered, Chazz turned abruptly, forgetting Bastion was just behind him. They ended up in a very suggestive position. Chazz turned his face away, embarrassed. His cheeks were bright red. Bastion marveled that someone who talked so big could be so completely inexperienced at seventeen. Of course, he loved that Chazz was such a virgin. After all, there were some things Jaden couldn't teach him without really deserving Syrus's wrath.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew? Why did you let me make a fool out of myself all this time?"

Bastion smirked, slanting his head so that he was almost speaking against Chazz's lips.

"Because I thought the idea of you developing a friendship with Jaden was a good thing, and the advice he was giving you was sound. You may not have noticed it, but everyone's been treating you differently, Chazz. I can name at least five people that have actually shown interest in becoming your actual friends. It was best to let you work things out on your own and change your behavior a bit…well, until Syrus got hurt." Much to Chazz's disappointment, Bastion pulled back to address Jaden.

"I apologize for that, Jaden. I should have stepped in sooner. Then this whole mess might have been avoided. A miscalculation on my part, I'm afraid."

Jaden smiled good-naturedly. "No problem, Bastion. If I can find him, Syrus will listen to reason. After all, that's why pencils have erasers, right?"

"Right," Bastion replied with a smile, turning quickly back to Chazz and kissing him passionately when he was caught off guard. Jaden watched on, realizing it had been over a full day since he'd kissed Syrus. It was a new record – one he fully intended to break at the first opportunity to do so.

At one point, Jaden had to bust up the party as they were about to crash into the dock. Those two sure had a lot of pent up passion! They probably would have gone at it all night if Jaden hadn't interrupted them.

Smirking like a cat that just caught the canary, Bastion sat gracefully down beside Jaden, his eyes shamelessly locked on Chazz's posterior as the other boy steered the ship up behind the only other ship at the dock. Much to Jaden's relief, he could see Syrus sleeping peacefully, illuminated by the dim dock lights.

As Jaden hopped out of the boat, Chazz stared a bit unsurely at Bastion. The other boy, a man really, extended his hand to him confidently, that calculatingly smug look still on his face. Nervously, Chazz placed his smaller hand in Bastion's, not protesting when Bastion pulled him onto his lap, resuming their earlier lip lock.

Jaden actually got a little worried when he saw the blue tinge to Syrus's cheeks and nose.

"Syrus, baby, wake up," he shook the bluenette gently, his anger long gone. All he wanted to do was wrap Syrus up in his arms and make him warm again.

"Wha – J-J-Jaden?" Syrus forced out between chattering teeth.

"What are you doing sitting out here in the cold? You're going to get sick. Here, put on my jacket," Jaden ordered, shrugging it off his shoulders and wrapping it around Syrus's shivering form. He only had on a T-shirt, and the wind was cold, but his own needs had always been far beneath Syrus's in Jaden's mind.

"I…I should have t-t-told you I was l-l-leaving you. I g-g-guess that was a little c-c-c-cowardly of me."

"No, Syrus. What was cowardly was not confronting me. When you saw me talking to Chazz, you should have just asked what was going on. I know you didn't see us kissing or anything, because we never did. I never cheated on you, Syrus. I was helping Chazz figure out his feelings for Bastion. He swore me to secrecy so I didn't tell you, even though I wanted to. I couldn't break my word." Jaden reached forward, expecting Syrus to happily jump into his arms, but he was sorely disappointed when Syrus slipped under his arm and moved away from him.

"That doesn't change what you said. You told Chazz…you t-t-told him you'd have to tell me to j-j-jump off a cliff to get rid of me. You think I'm too c-c-clingy and you use me to do your work for you. It's n-n-not right or f-f-fair."

Now Jaden was starting to get cold, but his teeth weren't chattering yet.

"That was a really bad way to make my point. I didn't intend it the way it sounded. I just meant I was going to have to come up with something elaborate to sneak away next time, that's all. And yes, you are clingy, and I love it. Did it ever occur to you that I cling on you, too? It's because I love you and I love spending time with you. Nobody else makes me feel the way you do. If I wanted to be alone, I'd tell you. It sounds like I'm talking to Alexis right now – not my Syrus."

Alexis and Jaden had dated, very briefly, but her arguments for their breakup had been roughly the same. She thought he was just using her. She had been right. He'd been trying to figure things out at the time, and she was available to experiment on. Syrus, however, was no experiment. He was a permanent fixture in Jaden's life.

"I guess…I guess you're r-r-r-right. She and Z-Z-Zane said I s-s-shouldn't write your papers for you. They m-m-made a big deal about it. I've never r-r-really minded. I l-l-like that you need my h-h-help. I like doing things f-f-for you. You do things I don't like to do for me, too, like the laundry."

Jaden laughed at that, opening his arms a second time.

"Come home, Sy. I've missed you," he confessed quietly. Syrus's beautiful gray eyes filled with tears, and this time Jaden wasn't disappointed. His lover hugged him tightly, practically squeezing the breath out of him.

"I love you, Jaden, more than anything," Syrus half-sobbed into his shirt. Jaden just smiled and kissed the top of his wild blue hair.

"I love you, too. Now let's get back home where it's warm. It's freezing out here!"

"Woah. When did that happen?" Syrus asked, eyeing Chazz and Bastion embracing passionately.

"I told you they had feelings for each other. Bastion knew about it all along, but he wanted Chazz to keep talking to me about it so that he'd figure out his emotions. Now they're together."

"They make a cute couple," Syrus said, half-teasingly, leaning into Jaden's warm embrace.

"I can think of something cuter," Jaden said with a mischievous little smile.

"Oh, really? And who would that be?" Syrus asked a bit breathlessly, walking right into Jaden's trap.

"My Winged Kuriboh, of course!"

Bastion glanced up at the two of them, now kissing sweetly.

"I guess everything worked out then. Let's get back to the island," Bastion nudged Chazz and nodded at Syrus. Chazz grimaced but took a deep breath.

"Hey, Slifer…"

"Chazz," Bastion cut in warningly. Chazz came astoundingly close to pouting, but he managed to keep his attitude.

"Syrus. I…apologize for making Jaden keep a secret from you. It wouldn't have hurt anything if you knew…I guess I was just…well…whatever."

Bastion looked pleased. Syrus grinned sheepishly.

"It's nice of you to apologize, Chazz, but I'm the one that owes you an apology. You and Jaden, both. I should have had more trust in Jaden, and even if you had done something as horrible as stealing him away from me, I should have never embarrassed you like I did. I mean, I kicked you! I'm so sorry! I was just so angry. I've never been that angry before."

"Look, it's no big deal. You were dueling on a whole other level. Anyone would have lost to you. I just wish you'd found Jaden before you found me!"

Jaden laughed, but kissed Syrus's cheek.

"I wish I'd seen you duel, Sy. Sounds like it was a great match!"

"Yeah," he smirked, "I really did kick his ass."

"Syrus!" Jaden exclaimed in surprise. Chazz just stared, looking a bit like a fish out of water. Finally, he thrust his hand towards Syrus.

"You're not as spineless as you let on. I guess I judged you too fast, Syrus."

Syrus shook his hand, still radiating that confidence that seemed newly reborn in him.

"I could say the same to you…about judging you too fast, I mean. Friends?" he asked hopefully. Chazz paused, but he glanced at Bastion and a small smile crept over his face.

"Friends," he agreed.

Syrus borrowed Chazz's cell phone to call Alexis. He told her the abbreviated version of all that had happened as they sped back to the island. She sounded happy enough for him, but he didn't know if it was sincere or not. Personally, Syrus thought that dating Zane had spoiled a bit of Alexis's sweet personality. He also figured she'd never really gotten over being dumped by Jaden. They hadn't been very close after that.

He gave Chazz his phone back and then went to sit in Jaden's lap. The two of them immediately snuggled together, their technique perfected over the two years they'd been together. After watching them for a few moments, Bastion resumed his position standing behind Chazz at the wheel, his arms wrapped around the slightly shorter boy.

"This is nice, huh Jaden?"

"Yeah, I'd say so. It'll be even nicer when we get home. The bunk bed missed you." Syrus blushed, but because of the wind he knew that Chazz and Bastion hadn't overheard.

"I missed the bunk bed…and making love with you. We'll have to catch up. We're a whole day behind."

"And skinny dipping at the beach…though it's really getting too cold for that now."

Syrus pressed his cold lips against Jaden's ear, his jaw and neck.

"I don't know. I bet we could move fast enough to stay warm." Jaden didn't reply, merely gave Syrus butterfly kisses of his own all over the smaller boy's frozen hands. "Jaden?" Syrus asked, almost whispering.

"Hmmm?" his boyfriend replied a bit distractedly. He was really getting into kissing Syrus's hands, watching the heat come back into them as if his kisses were magic.

"When we get home, make love to me, okay?" At the softly spoken request, Jaden nearly came undone.

"Oh, god…yes, Syrus. Until we pass out or the bunk bed collapses."

The bunk bed did, in fact, see quite a bit of action the next few days. Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind both boys had hoped for.

"Jathen…I'm still colth," Syrus moaned, shivering under his heap of blankets. His nose was stuffy and his eyes were red. The school nurse said it was a really bad cold, and there was nothing to do but keep him warm and fill him up with hot soup.

Jaden took his tasks very seriously. Since they were out of blankets, he toed off his shoes and climbed into bed with his sick boyfriend. Syrus weakly embraced him, unknowingly wiping his nose on Jaden's shirt. Jaden made a face that Syrus couldn't see, but he didn't complain. Syrus was just too pitiful at the moment.

"Sy, you know I'm probably going to come down with this, too, now."

"Yeah, I know. I'll take care of you."

Jaden smiled. He had a feeling Syrus would be taking care of him for a long, long time.

A/N: That's the end, folks. Hope you liked it. Someone thought this ended after the last chapter, but I planned it as a trilogy with a happy ending. There was also some confusion over what Bastion was questioning Chazz about. He was asking him if he really slept with Jaden. Chazz was saying that he didn't, but he might as well have because everyone automatically assumed he had. He was angry because Bastion didn't have any faith in him. So, yeah, I hope everyone enjoyed the story. I thought about what this pairing should be called and I've just been calling them "Shodai" fics in my head.