I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.
Chapter One- Third Year Start
Atticus hauled two cans of blue paint to a pulley system, attached them, and then watched them ascend as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. The re-painting of the Obelisk dorm was labor-intensive but it had to be done and Chazz had rallied all of Obelisk to the restoration, saying it was a matter of school pride.
He stepped back to eye the painting. It was coming along nicely. I could slip off for a little bit. I have something I want to do before school starts tomorrow. Or at least before the rally starts. He started to leave when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?" came Alexis' voice.
Atticus turned with his winning smile. "There's something I need to do before tomorrow's rally."
"Flirting is not as important as the re-painting."
"I'm not off to flirt!" he snapped. "I want to find Jaden and tell him something important."
"What is it?"
"Promise not to tell?"
"On my deck, I won't tell."
Atticus licked his lips and slowly exhaled. "I'm in love with Jaden."
Alexis rolled her eyes. "You and pretty much every girl in the school."
"Including you," Atticus pointed out.
"What makes you think Jaden will accept your affections, much less romance?"
"I see your point, but look. This is our last year at Duel Academy. Everyone will split up for his or her own dueling career. I just need to get it out and let him know so I don't regret it for the rest of my life."
"All right, Atti. Go ahead and tell him. Just don't be disappointed if he doesn't reciprocate which is likely to happen."
"Thanks, sis." Atticus left Obelisk and hurried to Slifer. He knew his sister had a point about Jaden's lack of romantic interest but surely now, at seventeen, he had given a little thought to a future that was about more than dueling. I don't want him to give up dueling, he thought. I just want him to think of other things beside dueling and eating.
Atticus appreciated Jaden's easygoing personality when he recovered from his coma back in Jaden's first year. Indeed, he himself tormented Alexis as he had missed being with her. But when he wasn't annoying her, his thoughts kept turning to Jaden.
Last year found Atticus thinking of Jaden more often than not. Granted, Jaden was missing for a time, but when he returned, Atticus still thought of him. He couldn't deny that he was in love with Jaden and needed to tell him.
"Atticus?"
The brunette stopped and turned to see Hassleberry and Syrus, whom he had passed without realizing it. "Hey, guys. Is Jaden sleeping?" He tilted his head at the dorm.
"He's not there," Hassleberry said. "Truesdale and I are lookin' for him."
"Mind if I help?"
"Not at all," Syrus said.
"Great. By the way, Sy, congrats." Atticus indicated the shorter boy's Obelisk uniform.
"Uh, thanks. I got new glasses too."
"Oh, yes. Of course." Atticus thought they looked exactly like what Syrus usually wears, but chose not to say so.
The trio combed the places near Slifer as they moved toward the school. It was Hassleberry who spied Jaden on the roof of the school. The brunette was sitting cross-legged on the roof and seemed to be chatting to thin air. Atticus knew better; though he didn't possess the ability to see Duel Spirits, he knew Jaden did and this gift was another reason why he loved Jaden. He suspected that Chazz had this ability too as he had seen Chazz appearing to yell at nothing. Regardless, Atticus had to speak to Jaden. He didn't care if a group of Duel Spirits were standing there invisible and inaudible to him, he had to tell Jaden.
He rushed inside the school and hurried up the stairs to gain the rooftop. He reached the top to find Jaden still cross-legged and looking over his shoulder at him before looking in the opposite direction and said, "Yup, you were right."
"Who's right and right about what?" Atticus asked as he sat beside Jaden.
"Oh, Dark Panther saw you run into the school and said you were going to come up here."
"Ah. Okay."
"You think I'm crazy, huh? Someone who thinks he can talk to his monsters."
"No. I know you can talk to them. I think it's cool and wish I could talk to mine."
"Yeah?"
"Uh-huh. Chazz talks to his too, right?"
"Mostly, it's the Ojamas. He's got a love-hate relationship with them, you know?"
"I think so. He enjoys dueling with them but not crazy about them off the dueling field."
"Yup, that seems to be the case."
"Speaking of relationships, I want to talk about the one we have, Jaden."
Jaden gave him a puzzled look. "I would think we're friends."
"We are, but over this past year, I found that I…I actually love you. Your easy acceptance of the world around you is charming to me. Your ability to talk to Duel Spirits is, as I said before, cool. I've been wanting to tell you all this for a while. I'll understand if you don't feel the same way but I figured that as this is our last year of school, I had to let you know so I don't regret not saying anything."
There was silence and Atticus wondered if Jaden's monsters were gathered around them and speaking to Jaden. He suspected that they were as Jaden kept glancing all around him. He looked over his shoulders, to his left, and directly in front of him.
Finally, Jaden said, "I'm glad you told me this."
"Yeah? I feel better having gotten it off my chest."
"I imagine." There was a pause and then he added, "Atticus, I love you too."
Atticus perked up. "You do?"
"Yeah. I find you charming and you're easygoing like me. I also feel we have a connection from both of us passing the Gravekeeper's test."
"Yeah. If we hadn't, Camula's tactic of sacrificing our friends' souls wouldn't have been neutralized."
"Good point." Jaden took one of Atticus' hands in his own. "So, where do we go from here?"
"We could hang out together and find other common ground and things we like about each other."
"Sounds good to me."
"Jaden, I want to also let you know that I will never stop loving you, no matter what."
Jaden felt touched by Atticus' vow and chose to give one of his own. "And I promise that no one and nothing will ever come between us. Absolutely no one and nothing."