"...I'm sorry, would you mind running that by me one more time?"

Jesse squirmed awkwardly, folding his arms across his chest and feeling a strange desire to shuffle his feet across the floor. He was certain that every ounce of blood in his body was rushing to his face, boiling, and then evaporating through his skin. He had never felt so embarrassed in his life about asking such a simple question, but at the same time he knew that it needed to be answered. He took a deep breath, exhaled, and looked his friend in the eye. "H-How... did you know that... you liked guys?" he repeated, positive he heard his voice rising with each syllable.

Arron gave Jesse a blank stare, unsure of how to answer the question or the reason that brought it up. When Jesse came up to him, just as he was about to go to dinner, and asked to speak with him privately, Arron didn't think much of it; it wasn't unlike Jesse to ask him for advice or help with his deck (the latter of which he had assumed was the reason). So, Arron led Jesse back to the room they shared on the ship and shut the door behind them, each taking a seat on their respective beds. When Jesse didn't take out his deck for Arron to look at, he became confused and asked what he wanted to talk about. What he heard as a response was unsettling to say the least.

Arron blinked several times, finally regaining his composure. "Let's see if I got this right," he said, extending his syllables. "You want to know how I found out I was bi?"

Jesse could no longer speak, but somehow managed to nod in agreement.

Arron crossed his arms, giving Jesse a curious look. "Well... that's not exactly a question I hear all too often; certainly not out of the blue. What brought this up?"

Jesse flinched, feeling his face growing even hotter. "W-Well..." he started as he looked down at his lap shyly. "I went to see Jaden today... and, long story short, we were hugging. And then... I didn't want to let him go. I wanted him to stay in my arms forever, and I could just tell that he felt the same way. I'm not even sure when or if it would have ended if I didn't get bit by Shirley..."

Arron raised an eyebrow at his roommate. "Uh..."

Jesse raised a hand to Arron's face. "Don't ask," he said firmly, lowering his hand once more. "Anyway, the reason I'm asking you this is because... I think I might like Jaden."

Arron's jaw fell slightly limp. "Whoa, seriously?"

Jesse nodded. "Maybe... I don't know for sure. I've never really been interested in guys before, but that was until about an hour ago when I was hugging my best friend for like five minutes outside the Slifer dorm in the cold. I'm just... confused, is all." Jesse looked up from his lap and into Arron's eyes. "That's why I'm talking to you, someone who actually has some experience in this area. How did you first know you were into both guys and girls?"

Arron closed his eyes, letting off a soft hum as he thought. After a few seconds, his eyes opened again and he began to blush. He glanced away as he answered. "I guess... it was when I met you," he said.

Jesse's face continued to flush, but he gave Arron an annoyed and somewhat enraged look and stood up to look over him. "Come on, Arron, I'm being serious here!" he shouted angrily. "If you're not gonna help me, then quit wasting my time!"

Arron stood up as well and grabbed both of Jesse's wrists, looking him squarely in the eye. He had an angry glare in his eye. "I am being serious!" he screamed as he watched Jesse stare back at him with a sense of timidity. "I didn't have a thing for guys before, either. I used to be after every hot girl within sight range, and pay no attention the guys in any way, shape or form. Then, on my first day at North Academy, I saw you, and I thought 'Wow, he's the cutest guy I've ever seen!' And now, I'm going after everyone, regardless of gender. So, thanks a lot, Jesse Anderson, you're the reason I'm bi!"

Any sound in the room suddenly came to an abrupt standstill, as did any movement of either soul. Jesse's eyes were wide open and practically frozen that way, as was his jaw, as he looked into the equally shocked eyes of the man squeezing his wrists to the point that it started to hurt. Soon, there was a look of pain in Arron's eyes and he quickly released Jesse from his vice grip, falling back onto his bed. He buried his face in his hands and leaned against his knees. "Oh my god..." he said, muffled by his hands. "Jesse... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that, I swear."

Jesse took a seat also, but this time taking a seat next to Arron on his bed. "I'm starting to get the feeling that... you flirting with me has more to do with it than just teasing Kenna," he said slowly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Arron lowered his hands and sighed. "You'd be right..." he said, shaking off Jesse's hand. His face began to flush. "It's true that you were the first guy that I had feelings for, but I don't blame you for my being bisexual. That's just who I was meant to be." He gazed longingly into Jesse's eyes. "I thought of a lot of things on the first day we met. I thought you were cute. I thought that you duelled with such a passion, perseverance, and love for the game. I thought that you were the kindest, sweetest, most loveable and respectable person that was every born... That was everything I wanted in a partner, and I didn't care if that partner was male or female."

"I... I never knew..." Jesse said. He couldn't seem to find a better response than that, trying to process the fact that he might have feelings for his best friend and at the same time try deal with the fact that his second best friend had an, apparently, massive crush on him and he never knew about it.

"I didn't know if you were into guys, but I figured that flirting with you wouldn't hurt anyone," Arron continued, leaning backwards with his arms planted behind his back in the bed. "Flirting with Kenna kinda came naturally. Even I don't know how that started, but pretty soon I found myself toying with my 'Alien Mistress' and 'Precious Jewel' on a regular basis, and I liked it that way. It was both fun and satisfying."

Jesse couldn't resist cracking a smile. "By 'fun,' do you mean you're fun or ours?" he asked. "Because I remember the first time you got all cozy with Kenna. I've never seen someone slammed head-first into an iceberg before... from ten feet away."

Arron chuckled softly. "Love hurts," he said jokingly. "Anyway, to answer your question, the moment I knew I was bi was when I realized that there were people from both genders that I wanted to be with, that gender didn't decide who I ended up with. My swing goes both ways and I hope that another swing bumps into me. If Jaden or whatever his name is, is that important to you, you really shouldn't care what's in his pants. You should value him as a partner, not just a dude."

Jesse nodded. "I think I get it now," he said, bringing up and holding a hand over his heart. "To be honest, I've never been drawn to anyone before. I've never wanted to be with anyone or to share my life with them. I wanted to just get through life on my own as quick and painlessly as possible." His hand quickly balled itself into a firm fist, gripping at his vest and his face once again began to turn red. "And then I met Jaden. He changed my entire view of life. He gave me so much strength, and courage, and... he gave me such an amazing friend. That's all I need... I know that I want to be with him now."

Arron smiled warmly, waving around a hand for emphasis. "Then there you have it," he said. "Welcome to the world of the bisexual, we've been eagerly awaiting you. Now, if you want to be in bed with the guy before New Year's, then I suggest getting a move-on."

Jesse's gentle blush quickly changed into an embarrassed glow. "W-WHAT THE- ARRON?!" he screamed, his jaw dropped like a drawbridge.

Arron chuckled, a wide, toothy grin spread across his face. "Sorry, I just had to see that look on your face," he said teasingly, ruffling his hand through Jesse's hair. He threw himself backwards onto the bed with his hands behind his head. "Now go on. I'm just gonna chill out here before I get some dinner. I'll see you later."

Jesse gave Arron a subtle pout, but smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Arron," he said. "This was probably hard to talk about, so I really appreciate it."

Arron shut his eyes and shooed him away with his hands. "Whatever, just get out of here. Go make out with your boyfriend or whatever."

Jesse took the hint and headed for the door. As he was about to shut the door, he took one last look back at Arron; he was still lying down in his bed, not doing or saying a thing. Jesse could tell that Arron might be upset over the fact that he didn't see Arron as anything more than a friend, but his priority at the moment was his sudden epiphany and how was going to deal with it. He wanted to go tell Jaden how he felt. He wanted to hold Jaden in his arms once more. He wanted to hear Jaden say the words "I like you, Jesse, and I want to be with you." So, with one last glance at Arron, he shut the door and ran as fast as he could, his mind set on getting to the Slifer dorm. With any luck, he and Jaden would be locked in a passionate embrace until the School Duel the next day.

Arron sighed as he watched the door slam shut. He had a pained expression, yet he was still smiling weakly. "Jaden Yuki..." he muttered. "You're a lucky guy. You better treat Jesse right."