Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh 5D's.
A/N: I finally think I have a direction for this story. Or maybe I'll change my mind. I don't know.
After the incident with the dinner marathon- food so hot Carly and him had to drink three glasses of water just to scarf it down- the girl had the perfect idea on how to conclude the night.
"A movie?"
"Yeah, yeah. A movie! Wouldn't it be cool! I know this movie theater on the other side of town that isn't ridiculously overpriced. What do you say?"
"Sure." He said with a bit of trepidation.
Carly's life was full of spontaneous activities and last minute decisions. Jack learned that within 24 hours of meeting her. He really couldn't say he wanted to break her perfectly random pattern of existence because of his own apprehensions toward civilian life, so he obliged to the mundane outing.
"Then it's settled!" Carly beamed and headed to her room.
Jack stayed in the kitchen. His stomach roiled, and it wasn't just from dinner (which he actually did enjoy despite the spicyness). He didn't really want to see a movie, or rather be seen seeing a movie. It just seemed too common, but hell, he wasn't King anymore, he didn't have to please the masses. Other than for showmanship and the occasional rival he didn't have a holier-than-thou attitude. Still, it seemed strange to join the flocks of a society he had never been a part of and who would either despise him or hound him down because of his fall from celebritydom.
He still remembered their words after he had first met Carly, fierce whispers which demeaned the most fragile and powerful part of himself. His pride. He sneered bitterly at the memory until he realized he was just releasing his anger into the empty space of the kitchen. A refrigerator wasn't a good sparring mate. The sink didn't look too good either.
"Ready to go?" Carly's cheery voice released Jack from his musings. She hadn't changed at all really, donning a light sweater instead of her vest.
"Yeah." He could have changed into something less noticeable than his regular outfit and perhaps he could have avoided the strange stares when they walked out of the building, but he was Jack Atlas and it was part of who he was. He didn't want to become part of the crowd.
Which was what he realized: he wasn't afraid of what they thought of him as. Carly smiled at him, striding gleefully. They walked down block after block until they reached the subway station.
"The subway." Jack stopped in front of the entrance. He never rode a subway in his life. The night was just starting and already becoming full of little surprises.
"Yeah, it would take way too long to get to the other side of town. Actually I used to have a car." Helpless anger pinched her words. Jack wasn't sure if he wanted to know what happened to the car just yet so he saved the topic for another day.
"Let's go in." Even with being new to the subway, he still knew what rush hour was.
Swarms of people rushed in and out and for once Jack was appalled and amazed at the multitudes. So this was urban life, the real and raw urban life that nearly everybody here had to put up with, had to find a way to survive somehow. And then there were people like Jack who helped them get through it, entertained them or used to. And behind those people were people like Carly who helped people like Jack get through it by just being themselves.
"Oh gosh. I forgot about the crowds." Carly gawked. Her ignorance was a virtue. Jack was grateful he had forgotten the crowd's stares as well, had become more concerned about just being able to get trough them and into the station. Carly clutched his arm as they descended into the subterranean world, as if to lead him on some new, exciting adventure.
A/N: Agoraphobia: The fear of crowds. Maybe Jack isn't really afraid of crowds, but he hasn't really contested with them before either.
This one of those short transistion chapters. But the whole story is meant to be short and sweet anyway.