He had it right. This entire time, he'd had the correct answer written down. There it was, staring him right in the face and stabbing him right through the heart with guilt as he slowly realized he'd been reading the answer to the example question with the same number that was in the column right next to the assignment answers. Even he didn't understand how he'd made that mistake.

Yusei felt caught between laughing and crying at his own stupidity. How was he even going to explain this to Judai? Especially after what he'd just said. There was no way he could just walk back in and tell him their whole fight was for naught because he misread the answer in the back and fell down a slippery slope of panic over his grades. That was even stretching it. His math grade was fairly secure. He'd just made a few common errors on the midterm. There was no reason for him to be worried about it, or for him to have snapped at Judai like that. Just thinking about it and what he should do to apologize for it made his stomach twist uncomfortably. Maybe he should just give Judai some space. That would give himself some time as well to think it through and figure out the best way to tell him he was sorry.

He settled more comfortably at his desk and finished his assignment, purposefully leaving from the garage to repair the engine. He hadn't even gone back inside to tell Martha he was heading out or to pick up the food he'd set aside for himself earlier that day. Not that it mattered. He didn't feel hungry at all.

Not even working on the engine did anything to lift the weight he felt. In fact, despite taking the long way home, when he pulled back into the driveway, the cold, heavy twist in his stomach had only gotten worse. The anxiety almost had Yusei convinced he should consider sleeping in the garage on the floor, but that ridiculous notion was thrown out the window when Martha opened the door and scolded him for not warning her he wasn't going to be home for dinner.

"What am I supposed to think when you vanish like that and Judai doesn't even know where you went? He mentioned a job but didn't say where." Martha stepped out into the garage and pulled him into the house by his arm, ever the motherly figure no matter how old they got. "You could have gotten into an accident and I would never find out unless Crow dragged your broken body to the Doctor's place again."

"I-I'm sorry. I was caught up in my homework and had to leave. I forgot to leave a note." The half-truth still felt more like a lie to Yusei when it came to her, but he still did his best to play it off as more of the truth half than the lie.

Martha did give him a hard once over though, and those narrowed eyes never missed a thing. He was an open book and he knew it. "I'm glad you're alright. You've seemed stressed lately. I was worried. Your food's still in the fridge. Try to eat something before you go to bed."

"Thanks, Martha," Yusei smiled halfheartedly, glad to be off the hook with her at least and made sure to take off and leave his boots by the door.

He found Judai sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone. Immediately, he wanted to apologize, but he didn't know where to start and that twist in his stomach seemed to take all the words from him.

"Oh, you're back. Did you fix that engine?" Judai asked, smiling up at him as if they hadn't been arguing before he left. It was almost eerie in Yusei's opinion, and it somehow made his guilt triple. "Still have time to watch something, or did you not finish that assignment?"

"Yeah, I fixed it, and no. I finished that before I left. I have time. Just… let me go take a shower first, okay? I'm kind of filthy." He wasn't sure if he was the only one struggling to breathe through the thick tension in the air, but if Judai wanted to play like everything was fine for now, maybe he could play along and ignore that feeling of warning. He didn't necessarily want to cause a scene in front of Martha either.

Showering sometimes helped him clear his head, but it only seemed to muddle it further this time. He didn't understand why Judai was behaving the way he was. Shouldn't he still be mad at him?

Yusei sat down warily in his usual place on the couch, curled into the corner once he was done with his shower. He looked for his usual blanket, not expecting or really wanting to take advantage of Judai's constant body heat only to find his blanket was nowhere to be seen in the living room. Had he moved it elsewhere because he'd gotten so used to Judai's presence or had Judai hidden it? Was this his way of getting back at him for what he'd said? If so, then he supposed he didn't have much of a choice but to put up with being a little cold, especially after Judai pressed play on whatever he wanted to watch with him.

The movie itself turned out to be a rather interesting hero action movie that Yusei would have considered an older classic, but looking at the date of release, for Judai it must have been new or at least from his timeline. He wished he could have enjoyed it more though. It was hard to focus around the guilt.

"Man, I didn't get to see this before I left to come here. It was just coming out." Judai remarked as the credits rolled, that unnervingly happy smile still in place. "Thanks for watching it with me. Remember not to stay up too late. I'm gonna head to bed though. I need some sleep. After all, dueling won't get me out of work tomorrow."

If Yusei felt cold before, he was frozen in place now. "Judai…" The words got caught in his throat however as Judai fixed him with a golden stare before leaving to their room. He hadn't even noticed he was holding his breath until the other was gone and he was left trying to remember how to breathe.

"Whatever happened between you two, go apologize. Maybe it's not entirely your fault, maybe it's not entirely his, but if you boys go to bed angry or upset with each other, I'll make you both scrape the snow and ice off the sidewalk with those small car windshield scrapers until you make up." Martha spoke up from the kitchen, busy preparing a desert she was going to bring by the orphanage for the holidays.

"Yes, Martha," Yusei didn't really need to be told or threatened at all.

He still had only had a vague idea of what to say though and Pharaoh definitely didn't help. The normally lazy, sleeping fat cat had hissed at him immediately when he entered the room and made him jerk back a little in surprise. Somehow, the cat was just as upset with him as he assumed Judai was.

"Judai?" He called out, sitting down on his bed after he was sure Pharaoh wasn't going to take a swipe at him as well. "Listen, I don't know if you're awake or not-"

"I am." Judai interrupted, not moving from his place facing the wall.

"Oh…" He took a deep breath before starting to speak again. "Judai, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said half those things to you. My grades aren't your problem and I shouldn't have said what I did before I left, let alone just walk off on you. It was stupid of me. I hadn't even gotten that problem wrong at all. I had just misread the answer in the back. There's no excuse for what I said. I'm sorry… How can I make it up to you?"

Judai didn't say anything for a long time, leaving Yusei to stare at the back of his head in silent anxiety which only grew with the pause. Was what he said not good enough? He was about to ask what Judai wanted from him again when the other took a deep breath and rolled over to face him.

"Yusei…" Judai explained as he sat up and held out his arms. "Come here."

"What?" He had to have been kidding. He wanted a hug? Now of all times?

All Judai did was stay still and keep his arms out, waiting silently for him to comply. Depending on how Yusei responded would tell him all he needed to know about whether or not the other was truly sorry, or if his words were just for show. He already knew Yusei meant what he said. That much was obvious. The man was an open book in that regard, but Judai wanted more from him.

Yusei was hesitant, but he got up from his bed and sat beside Judai instead, eyeing him suspiciously. It was almost cute in Yubel's opinion. In an instant, Judai wrapped his around him in a painfully tight grip, squeezing him until he started to protest. He brought a hand up to pet the other's spikey hair but paused a moment when the other flinched at the contact.

Judai shook his head and let out a sigh. "I can't believe I have to use punishment cuddles with you like I do Pharaoh." He said, almost sounding amused as he continued to hold him close and stroke his hair until Yusei started to relax, the suspicion in those blue eyes turning to confusion. Judai didn't explain himself further just yet, putting his hand at the back of Yusei's head so he couldn't pull or jerk away as he kissed his forehead. "Silly mechanic… Your grades are my problem when they worry you this much. I'm more upset that you've been lying to me about school going well and that you haven't talked to me about it rather than you storming out or getting mad at me over different school philosophies. I am upset about what you said, but it's not like it's untrue. I slept through every class and never turned in any assignments until the instructors threatened to kick me out otherwise. The only reason they didn't completely fail me was because I was one of the best duelists there, if not the best."

He went back to simply holding Yusei to himself, silently hoping that one day such displays of affection from him would be seen as a reward rather than a punishment. He really wanted to know why Yusei seemed to hate being touched so much. He'd never once made a move to harm the other before nor had he seen Martha do so, but Yusei still flinched or tensed at every initial touch and seemed to expect to be hurt. That was unfortunately a problem to face another day. Maybe when Yusei was less stressed and tense and Judai was less mad at him.

"Please, talk to me. Why have you been lying? Why didn't you tell me you were struggling? I ask how your day went everyday…" Judai pressed, drawing back just enough to look him in the eyes.

Yusei wanted to shrink into himself and vanish. He really didn't think leaving out his school troubles was lying. "I didn't want you or Martha worrying about me and feeling guilty or trying to control more. You've already put in place that curfew. I don't want to lose our dates on Saturday too because you think you're distracting me."

"You really hate the curfew, don't you?" Judai already knew the answer to that. Yusei had been quite upset with him after the conclusion of that duel, but he'd still honored it.

"Yes. I can't get anywhere near as much done as I was before, and half the time, I'll admit, I'm not even asleep, Judai. I'm just…laying there. Staring at the ceiling or the wall." Or you. He mentally added. He understood and knew why Judai had insisted on it, and he had lost that duel fair and square, but it was becoming a bigger and bigger obstacle to him managing everything he wanted to.

"Well, I won't lift it, but maybe we can work something out instead. Like…maybe so long as you're in bed by that time, you can still do homework or study until…1 am. Is that fair?" Judai offered, trying to find a happy medium with the other that might relieve some of the stress he was under.

Yusei thought about this for a moment before counteroffering, "3am."

"1:30."

"2:45."

"2am and that's my final offer or it's no deal and curfew stands as it is." Judai said firmly, eyes flickering gold as he held Yusei by his chin. "Deal?"

He could tell he wasn't going to get any further in negotiations there, and at least it wasn't nothing starting at midnight. Two more hours. He might be able to work with that. ". . .deal."

Judai kept his hand under his chin though he relaxed his grip a little, and it was only then that Yusei took notice of how truly close they were. There was barely a breath's space between them, and he was very nearly in the other's lap with how tightly he'd been pulled to him. The want for space and small desire for less space were at war in his mind and since he couldn't look away, he closed his eyes and waited in darkness for the other's next move.

"Don't be like that, Stardust. Look at me. I'm not going to do anything. You know that. I just want you to look at me and tell me why you were so stressed out tonight. It couldn't have just been about the curfew." Judai insisted, rubbing his cheek with his thumb.

Reluctantly, Yusei slowly opened his eyes and looked up at him, swearing he could have seen the other's eyes flicker red and green this time. Maybe he needed to get his eyes checked or maybe Judai's power had similar effects to the Crimson dragon's on him. He didn't see any point in trying to dodge Judai's question. He had the feeling he would know immediately if he tried to lie. "I…was worried we weren't spending enough time together. Not just sitting on the couch while I do my homework, but actually being with you. I know Jack's girlfriend Carly gets upset when he's more focused on his deck and the next tournament than her and I've heard some of my classmates are having problems in their relationships because either they're not spending enough time with their partner or their partner is ignoring them. I… I don't want you to feel like I'm ignoring you. We only really do things together on Saturday. Otherwise, I'm distracted or gone altogether. The problem is, I can't think of anything I can do to change how things have been without school or work suffering."

The want for more space won out, and Yusei finally managed to pull away from Judai and sit a little bit from him so they weren't touching anymore. While colder without the extra body heat, he was more comfortable and able to breathe properly at last.

"Yusei… Is that really what this was all about?" Judai asked, his eyes wide in surprise, like he was expecting something much more. He even started to laugh a little, shaking his head. "That's what's got you so worked up? I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh, but I was honestly expecting you to say something more serious was bothering you like you were being bullied at school. Yusei, I promise you haven't been ignoring me. You've been busy, and so have I since I started working a more regular job. I would have said something if I felt like I was being ignored. Well, it's more likely I'd have done something to demand your attention like steal your laptop, if I'm being perfectly honest."

"Don't you dare touch it." Yusei immediately interrupted, always quick to defend that piece of his life. That and his runner, but he tended to be more lenient about that.

"I know, I know, Stardust. I'd prefer to keep my hands attached to my body where they belong." Judai shook his head, almost reaching over to ruffle Yusei's hair, but he stopped himself and instead rested his hand in the space between them. "I'm perfectly happy just sitting on the couch with you. That still counts as spending time together in my book. I'll be selfish about your time after you graduate, okay?"

Yusei was conflicted about that answer. On the one hand, he was relieved Judai didn't feel like he wasn't as important as his studies, but at the same time on the other hand, he almost wanted him to be upset about how little time they'd spent together. Maybe, it wasn't Judai who he was worried about being upset. Maybe, it was more that he himself was upset about it. He wanted to spend more time with Judai, but he couldn't and that made his jaw tighten in frustration.

"I guess," he mumbled, rubbing his arm. At least Judai was content with this for now. Maybe he could be too.

Now Judai didn't know what he did wrong. Even Yubel could only shrug at him and shake their head.

'He wants you to be upset about it.' Haou huffed from his time out corner in Judai's head. 'He doesn't feel justified in being upset about it himself. He wants you to be angry about it for him. So, he can feel bad with a reason. Honestly, it's such a childish move. Why are we even still here? I thought you were done having pointless crushes. We shouldn't be staying in one place for this long. You know that.'

"Shut. Up. Haou." Judai mentally hissed back, shoving the other deeper into his subconscious and hoping he'd actually stay there for longer than a few minutes this time.

"You don't like it, do you? How little time we've been spending together, that is." Judai pressed, smiling a little when Yusei shook his head.

"No… I would almost rather spend time with you than work on school and study." He admitted, looking down at his lap and playing with a loose string he found there. "I know I shouldn't say that, and that I shouldn't put school aside since we really will have all the time in the world after I graduate, but…still, it's frustrating. I want to do this right. It's been a long time since I've felt like this about anyone and had those feeling reciprocated or been able to pursue them. I'm not ready for this to end, and I don't want to make a mistake."

"Hey," Judai reached over and took Yusei's hand in his, squeezing just a little to get him to look up at him. "Making mistakes is exactly what this is all about. You don't have to do this perfectly right. You don't expect me to do this perfectly. Do you? Don't expect it of yourself. I like you, Yusei. Mistakes and all. I'm not going anywhere, and this isn't going to end without a fight from both of us to make it work first. Okay? Besides, if it ends, it's not the end of the world. We'll still always be friends and we'll always support each other. That bond can't be broken, and you'd better believe it."

Yusei returned the grip on his hand and seemed to be searching for any hint of deceit in his eyes. Apparently satisfied with what he found, though, he smiled and nodded, letting out a soft sigh of relief. "Okay… I like you too, Judai."

"Promise?" Judai asked, letting go of his hand to hold up his pinky.

"Haha, I promise." Yusei interlocked their pinkies and shook on it with him, amusement clear at the childish action. "It's pretty late now. We should get some sleep."

Judai glanced at the clock and nodded. "You're right. It's way past your bedtime, even by the new curfew rules."

"Yeah, yeah, goodnight Judai," Yusei huffed, moment gone and rolling his eyes now as he got up and went back to his bed.

Yusei snuggled in under the covers, shivering a little at how cold they were compared to the warm body he'd just been forcefully held against. At least, he did feel a bit better about things and there was a warm feeling settling in his chest, thawing out that cold twist that had dominated his gut before.

"Goodnight, Stardust," Judai called out, settling down into his own bed.

"Goodnight, Kuriboh,"

Kitana: Yusei's touch aversion will be a lengthy discussion for them that I just couldn't reasonably fit in this chapter. Soon though, very soon. I love make ups almost as much as I love angst. (this is a lie. I love angst more)

As always, thank you for reading, favoriting/following and reviewing! It honestly makes my day and I sit around beaming for hours on end and showing off your comments to my poor friends who are honestly very done with me. LoL (jk, they love me)

Questions about Until the End of Time? You can reach me on my tumblr: kitana-lunara