Yeah here is the normal-length chapter which is a part of the excuse of posting it way too late. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Sadly don't own anything of YGO! GX
Chapter 5: That Smiling Face
"I want to touch that smiling face of yours. Even though I know there is somebody else you wish to be with."
Jaden kept thinking about 'him'. He still wasn't brave enough to confess his feeling, in spite of how close they had been. When he fell asleep, he always saw that bright face, that trademark smile of a blue-haired boy named Jesse. 'Yes, it's fine if he doesn't love me. The fact that we have been good friends is enough for me.' The boy with dark hair thought. 'Yeah, I think it's about time I have to grow up and understand everything. God have given me more than enough. If I ask for more, He'll be really furious.' He continued.
-x-
It had been now three months after Jesse became the brunette's guitar-playing apprentice. Jaden had been a lot closer to Jesse than before, and Jesse had even been acquaintances Jaden's two best friends, Alexis had made a huge collection of pictures –which was taken by Jaden, of course– of Jesse playing –or for some photos, holding– his guitar in every angle that could exist in this rational world, and Syrus had never seen Jaden spacing out sadly.
One day something big happened. Something big and not too good for one of the boys and also the other. It rained. But it wasn't the rain that matter. It was something that happened in the rain.
"Great! It's raining outside so Jesse surely won't come today." Jaden thought while he watched the rain. Suddenly, he realized that there was someone in front of his house. The person he really longed to see, but not outside when it rains heavily. "What the hell do you think you are doing right there, Jesse?!" yelled the brunette. The figure did not answer. He was just… standing still out there in the rain, his face was down for reason Jaden didn't notice yet. "Hey, Jesse!" The dark-haired boy came with an umbrella to see the older boy. However, Jesse didn't react. Just like having something really irritating in his mind. "Jesse, what's wrong?" Jaden asked slowly; hope his crush would answer this time.
"Jaden, we're friends right?" said the Obelisk Blue student, causing Jaden to be surprised by the blue-haired boy's question.
He didn't have any idea what was Jesse up to, but he replied, anyway. "Yeah, we surely are." Jaden stared still as he answered. "What do you mean by that?" The boy in red continued, showing worry on his face.
"Then, may I spend tonight at your place?" Jesse kept asking such questions with low and uncertain tone, convincing Jaden that he was about to hear something not too good. "Just tonight…"
"Of course you may. You're always welcome here. But, please tell me, tell me what's happened? Why all of—"
Jaden hadn't finished his words when the bluish boy cut it out. "My parents… died… traffic accident" said Jesse with firm yet somewhat hesitant tone. That statement went with no anger, sadness, or any emotions. In fact, it didn't sound emotional at all. It seemed like Jesse had got much unbearable pain from knowing it. And the bad news terrified even the brunette. He had thought that it was going to be something quite sad, but he wasn't expecting something like that. It's like something sharp hurt Jaden badly. Something sharp, yet hard and rough. It made Jaden silent for a while before he could think of anything to say right now.
"I'm …really sorry to hear that, Jess."
-x-
Jesse had been in Jaden's dorm. Jaden had also let his friend to have a warm shower, while he was drying –or rather finding out how to dry– the clothes Jesse had worn for a long time in the rain. He figured that the blunette had been standing in the pouring rain for more than half an hour, judging on the condition of his clothes. They weren't only wet, they were soaked.
In the bathroom, Jesse took shower silently. He just stood there motionlessly and let the water poured on him. The pain was clearly too much for him. It was something really unbearable, something hard to accept. He didn't cry, not even letting a drop of tear out of his eyes, knowing that crying wouldn't do him any good.
He had lent some of his clothes for Jesse. Jaden blushed at the sight of his crush wearing his clothes, but then he mentally shook his thought away, trying tell himself that this isn't the best time to think about it.
Now that Jaden had finished making the dinner, they were both eating in the dining room. Jesse seemed to be eating a lot for a person in such a condition, though he didn't talk or make any sign of enjoying or disliking anything. He just had his dinner in a relatively slow motion, without making eye contact or talking about anything. Feeling that he needed to break the silence, Jaden gave it his best to start a conversation with something that would lessen the tense aura surrounding them. However, no matter what kind of talk was made by the younger boy, it only replied by more silence or -occasionally- a kind of uneasy, restless sound Jesse made which was only seem to be either grunt or cough.
Seeing Jesse troubled was the least Jaden like to do. Seeing Jesse lost his parents and got severely in pain was probably something worse. It made Jaden feels so burdened and heaved. It made Jaden feels like being broken down and torn apart. It made guilty feelings inside of the Slifer boy that he couldn't think of any way to get rid of.
In the end, Jaden gave up asking things just to slightly cheer the older boy up, since it's apparently useless at the moment. "Do you like the lasagna? Or at least, can you taste it?" Jaden asked absent-mindedly, not really expecting to hear any answer.
Uncertainly, Jesse nodded a bit. At least, he was giving a much better response this time, though the brown-haired boy didn't really care whether he'd response or not. It was pretty relieving, though, to Jaden just to see the other making gesture to answer him. And also to know –or, at least, believe– that his hand-made lasagna didn't taste real bad.
Jaden sighed softly. "I'm glad you still can taste it. You know what, what makes meal delicious are not the high-quality ingredients, the world-class chef, or the professional cooking methods; but the fact that people you love are eating with you, and the right condition." Jaden tried to calm the older boy down. Noticing that he mentioned 'people you love' and 'eating with', the brunette blushed slightly, then he found it wasn't really helping the situation. "…well, that was what I heard from people."
-x-
Another chapter posted today. Yeah this is the part of the excuse for I must have made you wait for too long. *sniff*
And yeah I know, please don't kill me for making Jesse like that. I don't want to make it like an I-love-him-and-he-loves-me-back-then-I-confess-my-feeling-to-him-and-so-he-is-now-my-boyfriend-and-we-live-happily-ever-after kinda thing. Just hold on a bit with those not-so-happy parts.
If you have enough time to kill, please write kindly any kind of kind review to help me finish up the sixth chapter. It's already written, but I guess there's something missing there and I still don't know what it is. Hopefully your review will inspire me to find that missing link, so it will be finished completely.