Stargazing (Starshipping)

2: Fine

"I've asked this before, but...how did you become so smart?" Jaden asked, holding a cup of hot chocolate close to his chest.

He leaned against the wall of the garage, watching his partner at work. It was late in the evening, the stars being hidden by the street lamps that adorned the city. Yusei had taken a while to answer, his mind being too focused on the task at hand. He hardly heard Jaden.

"Hm...I had smart parents. I didn't learn from them, though."

"How did you know they were smart?"

"I was told of their greatness."

"Hm. But then...if you didn't learn from them, how did you manage to be so intelligent?"

There was a pause. Yusei gave a shrug, and the topic was dropped. Yusei went back to tinkering, and Jaden went back to watching him. There was no reason to talk about anything again, and Jaden was content with watching his partner anyway.

Jaden brought the cup of hot chocolate to his lips to take a sip, but then refrained from doing so. He looked into it, staring at the murky brown colour. He swore he saw something in it...that was more than enough to put him off. He immediately went outside to dump it.

He opened the front door and felt the cool, night air bite at his limbs. It was cold enough to send a chill down your spine, but not exactly cold enough to make goosebumps apparent quite yet. Jaden hadn't seen this place in the winter before, and he wondered if when he and his partner found their own little crib, if they would have snow.

Jaden slowly tipped the contents of his cup into a grate in the ground, noting that what he saw inside of it was a fly. He almost gagged. If he hadn't noticed that he would've probably swallowed a fly. How disgusting.

Jaden hadn't realised how much time he spent out there. His initial plan was to dump the contents of the cup outside, but he ended up just standing there, observing. His eyes fixated on the empty sky above him. Nothing but stars and endless constellations, and yet it was so empty and lifeless at the same time. Jaden forgot that he didn't like thinking about the inevitable.

He felt warm arms wrap around him, and he was forced to look up. Jaden smiled at his partner, unable to remember what he was so pensive about a few seconds ago.

"You've been out here for a while..." Yusei murmured, resting his chin gently on Jaden's head, "are you doing okay?"

Jaden subconsciously ignored the smell of oil, "I'm fine...just looking at the stars..."

"At least no star can shine brighter than you~" Yusei would whisper into his ear, sending a pleasurable feeling down Jaden's spine.

"Do you want to get into my pants, or what?"

Both Jaden and Yusei were sent into a fit of laughter and giggles, Jaden twirling to face his other with a mischievous grin.

"So what if I did, Mr. Yuki?"

"Hmm~ I don't know. I might let you in if you ask politely~"

They both snorted, their laughter reverberating around the streets. It was a light-hearted sound, shining through the darkness of the night and making the brightest of street lamps seem like they were fuelled by oil.

~*~

"I've noticed something."

"Hm? What's that?"

"Your breathing...it's been awfully unstable lately."

"Oh, don't worry about it."

"How can I not worry about one of the things keeping you alive?"

"Good point..."

A small change in direction turned their gaze from their stars to their world. The wind began to pick up, blowing the two bodies huddled under the galaxy closer to each other. They were seeking warmth and shelter in each other's arms.

They both saw two very different, but beautiful worlds. Distinct features that only the other would know, these worlds were inseparable.

"If your breathing is becoming a problem...you should see someone about it..." A subtle take on guidance.

"I'll go...don't worry about it..." The guidance was taken.

~*~

"Did you hear the news this morning?"

It was the morning after the night before. Jaden and Yusei were casually talking, as Yusei didn't have to leave early today. In response to his partner, Jaden blinked, confused that he would even bother to ask him such a question.

"Yeah, I did, actually. You were listening to it whilst I was half awake...I didn't quite catch what it said, though." 

Yusei wasn't really surprised, "I assumed you were asleep. Well, apparently, people are becoming infected with strange diseases. It's becoming widespread."

"Wait, where did it start?" Jaden folded his arms across his chest, a perplexed but inquisitive expression lying dormant on his face.

"Somewhere in the west abroad. According to the news, a lot of the human population has died recently over there. There hasn't been an outbreak of a 'zombie apocalypse' or anything like that," Yusei paused, trying to remind himself of what the radio had told him, "just...a lot of deaths."

"So it's like the plague?"

"I would assume so."

Jaden sighed, patting the seat next to him. He felt the need for his partner to be near him when discussing depressing topics - Yusei was like a comforting pillow to lean on in times of need, but never just a shoulder to cry on.

It didn't take long for the scent of oil to invade Jaden's personal bubble. Yusei plopped down beside him, gripping his hand gently. All Jaden could feel was the tough skin over his, somehow still managing to be comforting, despite the roughness.

"I feel like you need moisturiser..." Jaden teased.

"I wouldn't object to you buying it for me."

"There's a birthday present sorted!" 

Yusei snorted, "Is that so?"

"Nah," Jaden turned, angling himself so he could lightly peck his partner's cheek, "I wouldn't torture you like that."

"It wouldn't be so much torturing as it would be...smart gift giving?" 

"Me? Do something smart?"

Yusei rolled his eyes, earning a soft chuckle from Jaden, but it soon turned into a struggle. He coughed into his hand, regaining his breath in a matter of seconds.

"Do you need-"

"No, no...I'm fine."

"...If you say so."

Jaden smiled weakly at his partner, leaning on him and murmuring gently, "Everything's fine."