More~

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's (c) Kazuki Takahashi

Jack was trying new techniques to boost his speed on his personal track when the call came in – Goodwin wanted to see him as a matter of urgency. Slightly puzzled by the odd phrasing of the message, Jack took the lift up to his penthouse suite. He smiled as he saw that Yuusei had left him a small present on the pillow, having slipped out at the crack of dawn. It was a pair of bands like the ones that held his tails, but made from scavenged metal scraps elegantly soldered together, polished to a shine. He knew Yuusei had made them himself.

Touched by the affection in the gesture, he immediately put them on, smiling happily at his reflection in the mirror. They didn't look like dull metal, they looked like fine silver. No one would know.

"You're too skilled with your hands, Yuusei," he murmured smilingly to himself, quickly changing his clothes to ones more appropriate for a meeting rather than his jumpsuit, mentally making a note to make something for Yuusei to thank him.

Arriving at Goodwin's office, he suddenly felt self-conscious at the strange unsettled looks Goodwin and Lazar were giving him.

"What's this about?" He asked, sitting in the chair for once rather than lounging in it.

"Something has come to our attention," Lazar said stiffly, and tossed a metal tube to Jack, who caught it deftly and automatically opened the holographic screen.

When he opened the file he felt his face drain of blood and then flush with it in a strange dizzying cycle, seeing all of his night with Yuusei photographed in excruciating detail – there were even close ups on their faces at the point of orgasm, for heaven's sake.

He calmly looked at them all, giving none more or less time than any others. Curiously, the only thought that flickered through his mind was how good he and Yuusei looked as a couple, how well they fitted and contrasted. When he had seen the last file, he closed the screen and looked up at the other two men.

"You set a photographer on me?" He said neutrally, assuming his best poker face even though his heart was pounding with dread. This could ruin both him and Yuusei for the rest of their lives if it got out.

"We needed to know where you were disappearing off to," Goodwin said in the same tone.

The next few moments were almost painfully awkward as none of them said anything, and they carefully avoided looking at each other for too long.

Deciding to take the offensive, Jack took a deep swallow of water from a carafe on the desk and laced his fingers together, speaking with more poise than he actually felt. "I assume you have questions, or did you call me here just to shove this in my face?"

"Did you throw the duel because of this – dalliance?" Lazar asked sharply.

"No," Jack answered simply. "He won fairly."

"How long has this been going on?"

Jack had to really think back… had it started when they had realised they wanted each other, or when they had actually confessed it? For he felt that on some level they had known what they felt for much longer than they had been able to accept. "Quite a while," he eventually answered, and refused to give a more precise answer because he had none.

The questions went on for over an hour, ranging from the polite – are you both healthy? – to the downright nosy – why do you let him rule you?

Those sort of questions got short, sharp answers that left everyone ruffled and uncomfortable.

"Are we done here?" Jack asked testily after Lazar had asked whether they had been sleeping together in the Satellite.

"Just one more question," Goodwin said, shooting an annoyed glance at Lazar. "Will you end it, now we know? You know that it will ruin both of you, this…"

"This relationship," Jack finished for him calmly. "And no, I won't. We care for each other, and that's that. This is no experiment, no idle curiosity. This is who we are, and we are together."

With that, he got up and left the room proudly, head held high although he really wanted to punch through the walls, duel Lazar and his PI into oblivion and run to Yuusei all at once.

Lazar stumbled into the hallway. "Jack! Wait, there are still things we need to discuss—"

"Are those the only copies?"

Lazar nodded.

"Then destroy them," Jack commanded, and swept into the lift, earning more than a few curious looks.

He went straight back home, sitting for a moment on his bed, which still smelled of that odd mixture of hot metal, leather, and a natural musk that Yuusei seemed to exude. He touched the metal bands fondly and went out to his study, where his videophone was located. He dialled in the pirate frequency Yuusei and his friends used.

Yuusei picked up quickly, his face slightly blurred by his bad transmitter and with a look of surprise. "Jack? What is it?"

Jack smiled faintly at him, seeing how there was a smudge of oily transmission fluid smeared over Yuusei's cheek, cutting across the marker, and how his hair was almost dented, revealing that he had been peering into the innards of his Runner. "Are you alone?"

Yuusei quickly looked around, absently setting down an oily screwdriver. "Yes," he said eventually. "Everyone but Rally is out at the recycling plants, and I think he's in the tunnels now anyway. What is it?" He fondly reached out to touch the screen, leaving a residue on the camera.

Jack couldn't help but smile and reached up to touch his new bands. "Thank you for these, they're really good."

Yuusei beamed with pleasure. "You're welcome, Jack. But you wouldn't risk calling just to thank me – unless…" He hesitated, looking unsure. "Unless you don't want me to come round tonight?"

This time Jack reached out to the screen. "That's not it, I want you to come," he said fondly. "I just have some bad news. Goodwin and Lazar set a PI on me. He has… pictures."

He watched as Yuusei's face grew pale, even under his deep tan. "What's going to happen?" He asked, sounding thoroughly shaken.

"I don't know. I told them to destroy the pictures, but I don't trust them. They might get released to the public. It would be damning."

Yuusei leaned forward, his face coming into sharp focus. "Even if that happens, I don't regret it, Jack. Not one bit, and I never will. You're more important to me than my reputation with the tabloids."

Jack felt a surge of warmth bubble up and leaned in too, placing his hand on the screen. "I don't regret it, either," he replied tenderly, and was rewarded by Yuusei's soft smile and him placing his hand to mirror Jack's, as if they were actually touching.

"If it gets released," Yuusei said after a few moments, "What will you do? Would you stay in the city?"

Jack looked around at his luxurious apartment, then back to Yuusei's face. "I would come back to the Satellite, Yuusei. For you."

Yuusei was about to reply when voices sounded and he whipped his head around in a panic. He hurriedly pressed his hand harder against the screen. "They're back, I have to go. I'll see you later, Jack."

Jack smiled and waved, then hit the Disconnect button.

In the hideout, Rally was crouched behind some discarded boxes, eyes wide as he processed what he had just overheard.

The others called out for Yuusei and he answered he was in the workshop, sounding a little rattled as he wiped the smudges off the communicator screen.

"Hey Yuusei, what're you doing with the screen?" Tank asked.

"Huh?" Yuusei answered distractedly, not looking at them. "I got a squirt of oil on it."

Rally bit his lip, knowing that if he popped up now Yuusei would know he had been eavesdropping, and there was no way to sneak around to join the back of the party without being seen. So he stayed quiet, hoping that once everyone had left he would be able to go. Though given how much time Yuusei spent with his Runner, he might be waiting quite some time.

The others chatted idly with Yuusei, who was plainly distracted and unsettled. They questioned him about it, Nervin in particular, until they saw that he just clammed up when asked and they soon left to make some dinner.

When they were gone, Yuusei sat down heavily and sighed, running an oily hand over his face and smearing it all over himself before he realised, and sighed again. Rally peeked out from behind the box and saw he was staring at the screen as if it might come to life again.

Rally knew this might be his best chance to sneak out, as Yuusei had his back turned to him. He crept out silently, heart pounding. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew Yuusei wanted to have some privacy. He almost made it out until he nudged a certain oily screwdriver, which rattled and clanged into the toolbox; Rally froze as Yuusei jumped and started round, real fear on his face.

As his eyes settled on Rally, he went pale. "How long have you been here, Rally?" he whispered, expression almost panicked.

Rally's eyes moved on their own towards the screen and Yuusei's expression became aghast, and he abruptly turned away, hiding his face and clutching the hammer tightly.

"I… I'm sorry, Yuusei," Rally whispered. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop… I fell asleep out here, and the screen woke me up…"

When Yuusei said nothing, only staring down at the floor to hide his face, Rally ventured to speak again.

"So… you've been meeting Jack in the city?"

He nodded and took a deep breath. "I suppose you'll know soon enough anyway – we were spotted, it can't be long before the oil hits the carburettor. Rally, me and Jack… we've been…" he sighed and hung his head. Rally drew closer, confused and waiting to hear the rest. Yuusei tried another tack. "You know about men and women and babies, right Rally? We taught you that?"

Rally slowly nodded, comprehension beginning to dawn in some corner of his mind.

Yuusei couldn't look at him, humiliation colouring his cheeks. "Well… it's not always men and women who get along, Rally. Me and Jack have been… getting along. Do you understand?"

Rally clapped a hand to his mouth, unable to summon any response to Yuusei's revelation be it verbal or mental.

"Please say something, Rally," Yuusei begged quietly. "Hate us if you want, but please say something."

"But… he took your Runner, and Stardust Dragon. He tied me up and left me to drown." Rally said, slightly incredulous.

"I know, Rally, I know. I know it seems horrible, and wrong, but… it's how we feel. Can you forgive me?"

Rally bit his lip, head spinning. "You really… love each other?"

Yuusei bowed his head again, whispering his reply. "Yes, Rally."

"Then I can forgive you," Rally said awkwardly, knowing Yuusei needed to hear it. Indeed, the man's shoulder's relaxed slightly from their hunched-over posture. "But I still don't understand how…"

"It wasn't something we planned. It just… grew, and we couldn't ignore it."

Rally said quietly, "I'm sorry I eavesdropped, Yuusei. Are you alright?"

He smiled humourlessly, lifting his face a little to glance over at him. "I'll be fine, Rally. Are you alright, knowing this?"

Rally thought back to that expression he had surprised the previous day, the contented look on Yuusei's face. He thought he knew what had sparked it now.

"Are you happy?"

After a moment, a gentle, wondrous smile broke over Yuusei's face and he straightened up. "Yes, I am."

"Then I'm alright with it."

Yuusei looked at him in surprise, shock written all over his face in oily smears.

Rally smiled at him and awkwardly patted his shoulder. "You never really seem happy, Yuusei. If he makes you happy… then I want you to be happy. And I'm alright with it. We Satellites have got to stick together, right?"

Yuusei grinned – something Rally had never seen him do – and put his oily hand over Rally's. "Right."

"I won't tell anyone, Yuusei," Rally smiled. "It'll be our secret, okay?"

"You're the boss," Yuusei smiled. "Now go on – I bet dinner's almost ready. I have to go wash up; I'm filthy!"

Rally darted away then looked back at the doorway, watching Yuusei as he whistled under his breath and set about cleaning up the tools. Yuusei had shocked him to the core with his words, and he tried to reconcile it in his mind; the Yuusei who rarely smiled who had effectively raised him, who had a diffident disposition towards women, though he knew there had been a few; the Yuusei who didn't like to hear about Jack. He tried to settle that Yuusei with the Yuusei he knew now – the happy one, with secrets that would see him outcast if people knew, who had been sleeping with Jack and was apparently in love with him.

It seemed impossible as he watched Yuusei flip a hammer over by the handle and catch it again, whistling. But slowly, it began to make sense. Maybe he had rarely smiled because he was scared of his secret, and maybe there had been few women because he had been pining after Jack.

He had heard stories about that type of man, of course. They were usually twinned with stories of the other type of odd man, who liked to lead children away, especially those who didn't eat all their food.

But Yuusei's no letch, he thought to himself. He had never done anything but protect Rally and his friends with the same intensity he would an injured kitten or a beggar – which Rally had seen him do before.

If he's happy… Rally thought slowly, Then that must be good. He's still my Yuusei, he hasn't changed. This is just all of him. With that he nodded, decision made, and ran off to eat his dinner.