(Mini vent:) This was meant to be a zine piece, but the head mods and I do not click. 030 Never have, never will probably. They were going to straight out remove a line they deemed was "unnecessarily sexual," even when I confessed that that line mattered to me. (Can you guess which one it was?) I can already tell that they didn't like me, or at least working with me; my absence is a relief probably. I can guess that at least one of them has already mocked me for dropping, lol. It's okay though because I have plenty of people who do understand and actually know me. So this is dedicated to my friends and my regular readers!
Anyway, I did enjoy writing this piece, I wrote this with my Jack coffee fic in mind. :D Love is stored in the (coffee) cup, you guys. Hope you liked this!
[DO NOT REPOST/REUSE MY WORK(S) WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT]
When he awoke that cold winter morning just before dawn and saw the quiet icy fractals on the glass of his bedroom window, he was struck with an idea. It wasn't as mind-blowingly brilliant as constructing that table out of scraps all by himself, but it was almost as close; this idea, Jack knew, was sure to put a smile on everyone's faces, and this time, it was one of his specialties.
He got up out of bed, shivering ever so slightly from the chill in the air, and got himself cleaned up, brushing his teeth and washing his face first. Then he had his morning run to do, and so he put on a pair of gray sweats and a hoodie, heading out. He grabbed a few bills from their emergency funds because where he wanted to go, they didn't do tabs.
Once the garage door clicked closed behind him, Jack set off on his run. The snow beneath his feet which blanketed nearly the whole city crunched beneath every step he made, a rhythmic one-two, one-two as he kept up his form.
It wasn't a clear morning as they'd received some snowfall last night, but there was just clouds today; clouds as white as the snow on earth were scattered over the blue that was the sky, and the air was crisp in the way that the crackle of firewood sounded, bringing back some memories of a time when winter was harsher and yet alive and filled with laughter. He thought back on the dim lights of half finished candles still burning in the night, on worn out picture books with faded colors and tattered edges, and on children gathering around excitedly at the call of a single woman.
Jack didn't hold back a smile, picking up his pace.
Running the block two more times wasn't difficult for him because he did this every morning, with the exception of rain and simply bad weather. He'd timed the number of rounds he went to make up half an hour, and he'd kept to his time ever since he'd moved into Poppo Time with his brothers. Usually, afterwards, he'd go back and get cleaned up and changed for the day.
This morning, however, when he made the last stop at the garage's entrance, he didn't stop; instead, he continued running, diverging from his routine towards the nearby grocery store. It added maybe five more minutes to his run, but he wouldn't have noticed anyway because once he saw the lights on through glass sliding doors, he got giddy.
Still, though there weren't many people around this early, Jack stopped himself from acting like a fool, ignoring the pep in his step as he walked in. He pulled up the hood of his hoodie over his head, a little sweaty. This was meant only to be a quick stop, he didn't have time to meet and greet any fans suddenly.
Reading the signs, he quickly found the aisle he wanted, giving a greeting employee a nod of acknowledgement as he walked by. He took to evening out his breathing as he walked under the artificial lights and temperature of the store. Inside was like a mimic of the atmosphere outside, soft cotton decoration placed over displays subtly like he'd stepped into a wintry wonderland full of food and beverages.
This kind of luxury, this kind of convenience, were much different than when he was a child, and to this day, a small part of him still couldn't believe that this was the way of life for many people growing up. Just not for him, not for his brothers.
It was only when he was standing in front of the cocoa powder that Jack reminded himself that it wasn't like that anymore. That everyone was the same now, even a king like him. Humbled was he, and there was no use looking back for regrets and dreams. So he picked up a single box, the quality not up to par to his standards perhaps with how cheap it was but at least it looked like it'd last a week or so.
Having what he wanted, he turned towards the registers.
He paused.
There was a colorful section of them just by his shoulder, and the ones that caught his eye in particular were fluffy white and soft pink. Just from looking, he could taste sugar scrapping onto his teeth, and he grimaced to himself just a bit as he grabbed a bag of the white-and-pink ones. They weren't for his satisfaction, but he'd use them for his benefit.
He walked his way home, a small plastic bag in hand. It was nice, like a change of scenery, like the sun which was rising up from the horizon from dawn to day. There was no wind, no speed, but there was still him and the world before him, wild and savage.
There was no movement when he arrived back, quietly walking through the garage. Bruno was asleep at the empty side of the room, one of his long legs resting off the cot. (Not even the largest one they could find could fit his whole frame and height, but the amnesiac never complained.) Jack headed up the stairs with light steps and stopped at the kitchen, putting the bag on the kitchen counter before heading to his room to change.
Gone were his gray sweats, and he was in his black tank top and green pants again. It was warmer inside, thankfully.
Then he got to work.
The recipe took no more than ten minutes—boil the milk, add in the powder and sugar, let cool if sensitive to heat. He made a whole pot of it at a time, measuring out to make more than enough for everyone. He made no sound, there was only the stirring of metal against metal and the bubbling of milk. Soon, there was a warmth in the air that smelled of chocolate, bringing back memories yet again; in his ears, he heard a gentle voice tell a story about fairies and dreams.
By the time he'd poured himself a mug, he heard footsteps. He looked over his shoulder when they stepped into the kitchen. None of them had changed, still in their sleepwear and their hair messy from tossing and turning. They hadn't even washed their faces before coming up to join him.
Bruno inhaled pleasantly. "That smells nice," he commented.
"Got some for us?" Yūsei asked with a smile, and he stepped toward the counter.
Jack hummed, reaching in the cabinet for more mugs. He grabbed three by the handles and started pouring some more hot chocolate out. "Here," he said before passing one to Yūsei who accepted it gratefully. He passed another one to Bruno who had followed close behind.
"Thanks!"
Crow came forward as well, eyeing Jack with suspicion. "Jack," he said, tone control but tight. Here it comes. "Where'd you get the mone—"
Rolling his eyes, Jack shoved the last mug into Crow's hands. Then he grabbed the one item he bought for this reason exactly and dropped it into Crow's mug. It fell with a quiet plop, submerging in the hot chocolate before popping back up on the surface, and it revealed its pink, plump toes on its white paw.
Crow gasped, his body almost vibrating as he stared with sparkling eyes. "Meatballs," he whispered in awe, looking up at Yūsei. "Yūsei, Yūsei, look!" He held out his mug to show off his extra treat. "Bruno!"
Yūsei was chuckling. "Yeah, I'm looking, Crow," he said. He didn't resist the urge to poke the paw.
"Cute!" Bruno exclaimed "Jack, can I have one too?"
Jack offered him the whole bag. "Take as many as you want," he said, mentally patting himself on the back. He was correct that these would come in handy. (A grown man asking him for cat paw shaped marshmallows for his hot chocolate was just icing on the cake.)
"Me too!" Crow perked up even more, and he was digging into the bag with Bruno who already put in three marshmallows in his mug.
"The bag might not last the day," Jack muttered to himself as he turned around fully, and took his first sip.
The taste of chocolate filled his mouth, its scent filled his lungs; it was good, subtly sweet and like an embrace. That was what happened when you used Martha's recipes.
He felt a weight leaning against his side, and he looked over. Yūsei was smiling at him over his own mug, his blue eyes saying something without words. Ears had no use in deciphering the message; it could only be felt by the heart, and it felt soft and gentle, caressing like a ghost that found their halcyon days.
Their third stepped in, carrying a brightness in his movement. On one hand, his cup was overfilled to the point it was more marshmallow than chocolate. His other hand, he held behind his back. "Since this was so nice of you," Crow said, nose in the air, "I'll pretend you paid for these all on your own."
Jack huffed, and he was about to argue when he felt someone step on him, hard. Biting his lip, he glanced back at Yūsei who was pretending that it wasn't his foot, digging in his heel.
Don't ruin it.
"Why, thank you," Jack said through gritted teeth, and he was relieved. There was only a dull ache now.
Crow didn't seem to notice, or didn't seem to care; he was smiling, a spark of childish joy in his eyes. He pulled the hand behind his back and popped something in each of Jack's and Yūsei's mugs.
Plop, plop, they went, revealing their pink toe beans, and that made Crow laugh. "One for everyone," he said before turning back to Bruno who was sipping on his mug with a delighted smile.
"Good boy," Yūsei said just loud enough for Jack to hear.
Jack tried not to flush. He wasn't even going to dignify that with a response, taking another sip. "We should go visit Martha again soon," he said after, "and have hot chocolate with everyone."
A small laugh. "That's a wonderful idea. Just like when we were kids."
And that was true, almost. What had brought Jack happiness back then still brought him happiness now—the food, the people—but the times had changed—the circumstances, the opportunities. Winters now were warmer, livelier, gentler.
"No," Jack found himself saying, "it will be even better."
If you're confused about the meatball thing, search up: [Tumblr Japanese toe beans]. It's so cute and funny. ^^ Crow, I love yoooooou.
This piece has been edited to fit the nature of my Kizuna. I held back way too much for this project.
My YGO Tumblr: the-kings-of-games
