Disclaimer: Don't own the Yugi-Oh characters.
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It took him two weeks to finally admit that he missed the strange boy who tended to him when he was ill. His own father wouldn't have done as much for him and yet a stranger cared for him. For as long as it lasted anyway.
Jou was currently standing at the corner he had last seen the older boy. He had tried finding the flat again but got lost. He hopped that he'd still meet him waiting here. And if he didn't he had the other alternative; call him. Jou had kept the small piece of paper on which Kanae had written his phone number. But that would be a last resort. He wasn't that desperate.
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"I'm going to miss you during the holydays." Ryou sat on the bed and grabbed a pillow.
"You see me everyday of the week. If you wanted to meet me alone you should just have asked?" Jou kneeled on the mattress, arms on the edge of the bed.
"Baka!" The white haired boy blushed. "I was talking referring to everyone!" Ryou never swore before or at least before Jou started his innuendos which were completely wrong! He liked Bakura dammit!
"Summe break's still great I think."
"What are you talking about?" Yugi asked, walking in the room.
Jou waved a hand in the air. "Depressing things and how Ryou miss me."
"Jou!" Ryou said indignantly.
"Don't worry Ryou, we won't tell anything to Bakura." Yugi winked at say boy.
Ryou's eyes widened. "Not you too!"
"Oh no! I perverted our young and innocent Yugi! Yami's gonna kill me!" Jou put a hand on his forehead and fell on his bed.
"And then you wonder why everyone asks you if you're in the drama club." Yugi sat on the bed. "So…what are you doing in the up coming holidays? I might go to Egypt with my Grandpa and Yami."
"Really? That's great! You'll get to see your mother too." Ryou said excitedly.
"Yeah I know. I kinda miss her to tell the truth."
"That's okay. I miss my dad too. I don't know what I'd do if Bakura wasn't around. That's what I was just telling Jou."
"Yeah but before that we got our exams so you're helping me tomorrow Ryou."
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It took him two weeks to finally admit that he missed the strange boy who tended to him when he was ill. His own father wouldn't have done as much for him and yet a stranger cared for him. For as long as it lasted anyway.
Jou was currently standing at the corner he had last seen the older boy. He had tried finding the flat again but got lost. He hopped that he'd still meet him waiting here. And if he didn't he had the other alternative; call him. Jou had kept the small piece of paper on which Kanae had written his phone number. But that would be a last resort. He wasn't that desperate.
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"Ow…Way to spoil the mood Jou." Ryou wined.
"There's a new arcade opening soon. How about we go there after we're done with our exams?" Yugi asked excitedly.
"I wouldn't mind. I heard about it, it looks promising."
"I can already hear Anzu." Jou's voice got a octave highter. "Boys, do you ever think of other things than games? That's all we ever do when we meet!"
They laughed.
"Well, she must be right at some extent." Ryou shrugged.
"And I wouldn't mind doing something else with her." Yugi had a far away look on his face.
"Pervert!" Both Ryou and Jou shouted at him before exploding in laugher when Yugi turned red.
"That…that's not what I was thinking about!" He blushed even more when they didn't stop. "How…how about we sleep?"
They all got in place, and just before Jou switched the lamp he winked at Yugi.
"Sweet dreams."
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Okay…Now he was desperate! And embarrassed. After waiting for more than two hours, an old woman came out of a flower shop (the one he was standing in front) and asked if he was lost. It took him a good ten minutes to convince that he wasn't lost; and she only let him go because he told her he was waiting for his older brother. Then he just acted like he had the wrong place and that he should have been waiting somewhere over there instead before fleeing.
'Where to go, where to go…' He was walking aimlessly. Friday night wasn't a good night. It often meant that his gang would try to party which always ended with troubles and that his father would come home drunk and with some prostitutes if he got lucky. He was definitely not going home.
He sat down on a bench and sighed. Life was unfair. Why couldn't he do something fun like his friends did during Fridays night? He drew his legs to his chest and plopped his head on his knees.
"My…Is it going to become a habit? You, sleeping on bench and me finding you?"
Jou's head shot up. He knew that voice. "Kanae…-san?"
"The one and only. That you know anyway. And drop the 'san', it doesn't look like something you'd say."
He stuck his tongue out. "Jeez sorry! I was just trying to be polite."
Kanae ruffled his hair. "Hey brat. I brought two pizzas" He showed the bag he had in hand. "but my friend ditched me out at the last minute. Wanna eat with me?"
The blond looked surprised. He wasn't expecting an invitation but he eagerly accepted.
"Well let's go then."
They walked for about ten minutes before reaching the flat. The area looked so great! Now that it wasn't raining and dark, he could see the different little shops and house they passed. And there even was a ground play. He refrained from jumping up and down or giggling. He was thirteen nearly fourteen; he didn't play in those anymore of course.
The two boys entered the flat and took of there shoes.
"I'll get some plates; we'll eat in front of the TV."
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"Jou! Trying paying attention! I don't want to spend my whole afternoon doing history…" Ryou whined. It was the perfect weather outside, sunny with a light wind. Yugi, Anzu, Honda and Otogi were at the park with the Yamis and he was stuck helping Jou. Life was so unfair! And since when did Jou care about marks?
"I don't care. I just don't want to be stuck in summer class."
Oups, Ryou had said the last part aloud. He pouted.
"Ow, Ryou! Don't make that face! Here, I just have to make a plan for my essay and I'll be all done."
"Okay, I'll help you."
They worked a bit more before meeting the others at the park. History was the only subject where Jou was behind. It was also the only subject which required regular work, something he didn't have the time to do. What? He had a busy life! And he wasn't going to spend his summer break in some over heated classroom. He had better plans of how to spend his time! A grin made his way to his lips.
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Time flew by and eventually the summer break came by. Jou had tried to hang out with his new friend as much as possible. Friend? He considered him a friend anyway. He didn't actually know what Kanae thought about him but he had to seem as a friend since he was letting him hang out with him.
And now that summer break was finally here, he planned on passing all his free time with the brown haired boy. He even went as far as to find a part time job in Kanae's neighbor. It had been a long time since he was that happy about holydays. Usually it meant hanging with the gang and avoiding his father as much as possible. Not really funny. He felt a bit depressed, remembering those bad times but quickly pushed it aside. This year was different!
"Obasan! Where do I put that pot?"
"On that space I made on the front shelve and bend the branches!"
Did he say where he was working? At the old woman's flowers shop! She was actually pretty kind and it wasn't even hard to convince her to employ him. She had been looking for someone. Sure he told her he was sixteen but it wasn't like he was lying…He'd eventually turn sixteen just in a few more years.
"Oba-san, what are you doing?" Jou walked up to her after accomplishing his task and leant on the counter, head lying on his arms.
"Cutting the thorns of this rose. I can't sell it like that." She was carefully cutting the thorns of the stem with dexterous hands. It looked easy enough from an outsider point of view.
"Can I do it? Please! Can I?" He asked, already standing up and coming to stay beside her.
She looked at him hesitantly before agreeing. "Be careful, here hold it like that."
Jou carefully took the flower and the thornstripper. The job was already half way done and he was good at using sharp things. He copied the old woman's movement, finding it harder than expected. He was nearly done when his finger fell on a thorn.
"Itai…that hurts…" He whined, looking at his bleeding finger for a second before putting it in his mouth.
She grabbed the rose from his other hand. "Well, it's well done for a first time." She quickly finished it. "Roses are so beautiful that you tend to forget that they can be deadly. Especially red ones."
"Heh? You're exaggerating!" He said taking her words literally. "You can't die from a thorny rose! Look," He said showing his finger, "it's not bleeding anymore!"
"Hai." She smiled, her sad expression vanishing. Who could stay sad when the golden boy was grinning like that? "Here, you can have it."
"Hum…okay…what do you do with it?"
"Give it to a loved one of course!"
"A loved one?" He cocked his head to the side.
"Hai! Now of you go! My conscience won't let me hold such a sweet boy longer during his summer break!" She pushed him gently toward the exit.
"Heh? Thank you obasan!" He waved back before running outside. "See ya tomorrow!"
Jou was currently sitting on the kitchen table, head pillowed on his arms. His gaze wondered to red rose which he had put in the longest glass he could find since Kanae didn't seem to have a vase and filled it with water. His feet were kicking fervently under the table as he waited for the boy to come home. Oh by the way, since he had almost been living in Kanae's house the two last week before the summer break, Kanae had decided to give a key. Now if only Kanae could come.
And because we weren't in a movie, he had to actually wait ten more minutes before hearing the door opening and the usual grumble that followed. Kanae didn't seem to like his job a lot.
Jou got on his feet with lightning speed, grabbed the glass and was standing by the brown haired before he could even get out of his shoes. He pushed the glass in Kanae's face and blurted a quick "for you!". A loved one? That was easy! Kanae was the person he loved the most right know, and if he could have his way he wouldn't change anything. He had never been that happy.
Kanae took the glass from in front his face and looked at the flower. A rose. "You know, he usually it's the person who receives the flower who puts it in a vase."
"Ah…" Jou was at a loss. It really wasn't the response he was expecting. But Kane wouldn't be Kanae if he had answered with a "thank you" like any normal person. "I…I didn't want it to wither."
Kanae kicked of his shoes. "Baka, flowers don't wither that fast." He ruffled Jou's hair as he passed him, depositing the glass on the low table of the living room.
Jou's smile couldn't have been any bigger as he bounced behind the older boy. He was positive that summer break would become his favorite.
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"Ah! My hair!" Yugi shrieked as Honda poured a bottle of water on his head. His hair not resisting the attack, slowly crumbled, spiked disappearing into the dark mass.
"Here, I'll make it all better!" Honda grinned madly before ruffling Yugi's hair.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Yugi was laughing in the friendly attack.
"Yugi's in danger! We shall save him!" Otogi and Jou said in an imitation of knights. They seemed to pop up, one at each side of Honda's before attacking him with their own bottle of water. Honda felt his only spike suffer the same destiny as Yugi's.
"No fair! You're teaming up against me!"
"I'm the only survivor! What will I do?" Jou shouted.
"What…?" Otogi was going to ask him what he meant by that before the last of Jou's water was thrown at him. "Jounouchi Katsuya! You are so dead!"
And so the chase started.
Anzu was laughing at the boys antics sitting next to Yami, while Ryou was talking with Bakura. Yami looked perplexed at the strange game and threw a helpless look at Yugi. He had promised who wouldn't interfere in their game but still…it was hard to only watch when he wanted to help his light.
Yugi walked to his side. "Don't worry Yami, I'm having fun!"
"If you say so…" Yami still looked uncertain though.
"You look cute with your hair down Yugi!" Anzu giggled. "Have a seat."
"Thanks…" Yugi mumbled blushing lightly. He refrained from hiding behind Yami and took a seat beside Anzu watching the others.
By know was laughing under Otogi and Honda's simultaneous attack (since the blond was really fast), getting drenched to the bone. It didn't help that they got him when he was passing the small fountain. Next time he'd have to plan his strategy better.
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A/N: Niah, what did you think? It is a Jou centric fic but I still hope it doesn't come of as boring… :s