Author's Note: You guys remember Andre from Team Unicorn? Uh, well, I never watched past the Dark Signer Arc, so I have no idea what he's like besides what the Yu-Gi-Oh! Wikia can tell me.
Thus, I made up my own persona for him. Hope you don't mind.
... This chapter was ridiculously fun to write. Like, seriously. Hope you like it as much as I did making it.
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Chapter 5: Competition
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The night of the pre-WRGP party, Yusei hopes that Jack won't make a scene. Of course, it's a bit too much to ask for.
"Jack, you look ridiculous. What on earth are you wearing?"
Jack frowns at Yusei, turning from side to side and looking down at himself. "You don't like it?" he asks, sounding mildly offended.
She pinches the bridge of her nose as Crow interjects, "Jack, there's a damn feather on your hat. Do you seriously see nothing wrong here?"
"Nothing at all. I look great and I know it," Jack replies confidently, brushing invisible dust from his ornate coat and adjusting his already-straight collar. He notices Carly in a corner of the room with her camera angled in their direction, and he smirks for a quick picture before turning back to Crow and saying nonchalantly, "You're jealous, I know. That's alright; it's only natural to be jealous of me."
The rest of Team 5D's is a mix of exasperated and amused. Leo and Luna don't seem to know what to make of the scene, while Akiza leans over and pats Yusei sympathetically on the shoulder. Yusei sighs and gives her a grateful look.
A sudden clamor of voices and snapping cameras emerges from the entrance of the Party Hall, and everyone knows that the paparazzi have finally descended upon the pre-WRGP bash. Jack perks up at their arrival and automatically reaches out towards Yusei.
"Come along, my Queen, the peasants are here to admire us," he says, but Yusei swiftly dodges his arm and backs away.
"Oh no, not this time, Jack," she tells him with a wary look. "I'm not going to be spotted with you dressed like that."
"Why not?" This time, he actually sounds a little hurt, but it's hard to tell if it's feigned or not. "They'll love a picture of us all dressed up."
"I bet they would," she agrees, but she just gestures dismissively towards the approaching mob. "Go on and play, Jack. Have fun."
"... I'll get you later, Fudo. Expect it," Jack vows before striding towards the paparazzi without fear, his arms spread wide. The team can hear him exclaim, "Welcome, friends, to the pre-WRGP gala! I'm Jack Atlas, but I'm sure you already knew that—" before his voice is drowned out by the inevitable clamor of exclamations and questions, reporters shoving microphones and voice recorders in his face as camera people completely surround him. They can't even see him anymore.
Before the paparazzi can spot them as well, 5D's retreats to one of the less-populated party rooms and settles down in a corner booth obstructed by curtains and streamers. It seems safe enough to hide in for the time being, so the group allows themselves to wind down and relax.
"You guys do this all the time?" Crow groans, fiddling with the collar of his button-up before folding his arms atop their satin-covered table. "I feel ridiculous in these church clothes, and it looked like those guys just swallowed Jack whole. Think he'll come out in one piece, or should we start betting on which limb will be torn off first?"
"Ooh, they totally go for the arm!" Leo pipes up, only for his sister to punch him on said appendage. "Ow! Luna...!"
"Don't be dumb, Leo."
"Jack will be fine," Yusei assures the group. "If anything, he's completely in his element; he's probably feeling right at home."
"You really didn't want to get interviewed with him? The reporters are probably asking after you right now," Akiza mentions, and Yusei shakes her head.
"The media is Jack's thing, not mine," she says. She subconsciously plays with a bracelet Akiza let her borrow as she continues, "They're too loud. Too nosy. I like having my peace."
Crow snorts. "I could never imagine you willingly sacrificing yourself to that mess," he says before making a face. "Like hell I'd ever fu—"
Akiza, the nearest to Crow, jabs him in the side with her elbow and whispers, "Kids," to which he quietly replies, "Ah, right." Leo pouts at them while Luna pretends to have heard nothing.
Yusei leans back in her seat and sighs again. She's been doing a lot of sighing since being reunited with Jack, she's noticed. She then murmurs, "... Sometimes I wonder why it had to be Jack that I'm rumored to be dating."
"Well, that's…" Akiza begins to say, but she trails off after spotting something just over Yusei's shoulder. The rest of the team is staring, too, and they look rather surprised. "... Oh."
Yusei frowns, asking, "What's wrong?" before turning around as well.
A well-dressed man with red hair and a fitted waistcoat has come up to their table. He smiles at them genially.
"Hello," he greets with a noticeable Spanish accent. "I apologize for interrupting you all, but I wished to introduce myself: my name is Andre. I'm with Team Unicorn, from Spain."
"Welcome to New Domino, Andre. We're Team 5D's," Yusei says to him, allowing a small smile to form on her lips as she stands up and introduces her teammates. "This is Crow, Luna, Leo, and Akiza. Jack Atlas is with us, too, but he's..."
"... kind of preoccupied at the moment," Crow finishes, and Andre laughs.
"Oh, yes, I noticed when I came in," he says before adding, "Mr. Atlas is quite photogenic, yes?"
Crow snorts at this. He and Andre share a look of amusement before the Spaniard turns back to Yusei.
"And, of course, I know who you are," he tells her, but Yusei puts out her hand anyway.
"Yusei Fudo," she introduces herself.
When he takes her hand, she's fully expecting him to simply shake it, but she's completely taken off-guard when he brings it to his lips and presses a kiss against her knuckles instead.
"The radiant Duel Queen hailing from the slums, yes," Andre replies, holding her hand for a moment longer before allowing it to slip through his fingers. He smiles warmly at her. "I have heard much about you. You are an inspiration, truly."
"… Thank you," Yusei responds in a voice that's much softer than she expects, and she can feel her team's eyes on her. She just knows that Crow is holding back from laughing outright; she makes a mental note to step on his foot with her heels later. "That's very kind of you to say."
"I speak only the truth," Andre tells her with a slight tilt of the head. He smiles at her again and asks, this time with a slight hint of reserve, "... Would it be possible for us to speak privately? I have wanted for some time to meet you, and, ah..." He turns to the rest of 5D's with a sheepish look. "You all would not mind, would you? I understand if you wish to keep your Queen close..."
"Oh, no!" Crow waves at him, dismissing his concerns. He's quite close to letting out his laughter, but he's doing a great job at keeping the urge at bay. "Go on, don't let us keep you!"
At this, Andre turns back to Yusei and inquires, "And you, mi reina? Do you consent?"
He's offered his arm out to her, and Yusei finds herself taking it.
"Alright," she says, and Andre beams.
As the foreign Duelist leads her away, Yusei glances over her shoulder at the team one last time. Crow wriggles his eyebrows suggestively at her, and Akiza has a hand over her mouth that does nothing to hide her obvious smile. Luna seems peaceful, while Leo is pouting harder than ever and looks as if he wants to run after them.
Crow noiselessly mouths, "Gettin' some tonight," and Akiza quickly covers the children's eyes as Yusei discreetly flicks him off.
He responds with a mock scandalized gasp and a hand laid dramatically across his forehead, but Yusei isn't able to counter. She turns her head forward and looks at Andre, who seems ready to speak again.
"You… you are much more beautiful in person, Yusei," he confesses quietly.
Up close, she notices that his eyes are a warm shade of brown, and he has an expression that is open and honest.
"I have heard that mere pictures can never do a lovely woman justice… and I see now that it is quite true."
Yusei's face warms, and she's suddenly unsure of what to say. She eventually settles on, "... It's probably just the fancy dress. I'm hardly ever dressed this well."
Andre seems ready to protest against this, but he remains quiet. The way he looks at her says enough, and Yusei wonders if this is how the rest of their conversation is destined to go.
She doesn't recall a time where anyone has ever spoken to her this way. It is certainly something new.
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When the press has gotten all that Jack is willing to give them, they finally disperse and begin interviewing other partygoers. Jack, completely unruffled and looking nothing like he'd just been mobbed by the paparazzi, straightens his coat anyway and looks around the room for his team. When he doesn't spot them immediately, Jack frowns in irritation.
"Where the hell did they go…?"
He doesn't find them for a while, venturing from room to room; it's the first time that he's annoyed that these events are held in such large and grandiose accommodations. When he does find Team 5D's—stowed away in an obscured corner booth of a mostly empty room and obviously hiding—there is one teammate glaringly missing.
"Where's Yusei?" he asks as he approaches the booth.
"Hey to you, too, Jack," Crow greets dryly, reaching up towards the ceiling with both arms and giving a long stretch. He yawns and says, "Yusei ain't here."
"Obviously," Jack responds, rolling his eyes. "Where is she?"
Akiza and the twins glance at each other with unsure looks on their faces, but Crow holds nothing back. He grins and replies, "She went frolicking with her new boyfriend. Got swept off her feet a while ago, haven't seen her since."
Jack stares. "… What?"
Crow rolls his shoulders and begins to say, "Well, let me educate you: when a man loves a woman—"
"You've heard of Team Unicorn, haven't you, Jack? The world-famous Turbo Dueling team?" Akiza quickly interjects, glaring at Crow and only receiving a smirk in response. When Jack glances at her and nods, she continues, "Well, one of their Duelists, Andre, came and introduced himself earlier. He wanted to talk to Yusei alone, so they went off somewhere. That's all."
"Yeah, but did you see the way he was looking at her?" Crow asks, hands flat on the table. He snickers and says, "He totally wanted in her pants, it was as obvious as—woah, hey, looks like Prince Charming's going on a quest! We'll keep the seats warm while you're gone, yeah?"
Jack pays no attention to him as he stalks away.
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Yusei is alone when he comes across her. Or, rather, they nearly crash into each other as they reach an open archway at the same time.
"Woah, Jack—!" She almost falls over, but Jack wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her upright. Yusei grasps his shoulders as she steadies herself and says, "Where are you running off to? I was just about to get back to the team—"
"Where were you just now?" he interrupts, and she looks at him strangely.
"I was talking with Team Unicorn. They're right over there," she says, gesturing to a trio of men standing together at one side of the room. They are currently being interviewed by an excited Carly. "They're brilliant strategists, you know. Especially Jean. We'll have to be careful when we face them on the track." When Yusei notices him staring intently at them, she adds, "I can introduce you, if you want. They're great people, I'm sure they won't mind—"
"Which one is Andre?"
She blinks. "The red-haired one."
Jack's eyes narrow. He murmurs under his breath, "… His haircut is stupid."
"Jack," Yusei warns. "Don't be rude. Now, come on…"
She tugs at his wrist and leads him back to 5D's table. Jack grumbles lowly about kidnappers and meddlesome interlopers—looping an arm possessively around Yusei's waist and glaring at everyone that approaches—while she pointedly ignores him.
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A lovely photo of Andre and Yusei with their arms linked together and smiling at the camera finds its way onto Carly's blog. Comments left by viewers include, "Oh no, my OTP has been threatened," "Player Three has entered the battlefield," and "A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS."
Yusei clicks her laptop shut and is glad that Jack doesn't really use the Internet for much else besides ordering clothes and special ramen.
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A/N: … Oh, Andre, you charmer. XD
Don't worry, this isn't over yet. Andre will most definitely be back, friends, just wait and see.
So, I think it's reached that point where updates will start to be coming slower. I've only got two completely written out chapters left to post, so I'll be doing some writing in the meantime.
So, once again, thanks for reading! Hope you liked it!