Not Part of the Deal

Disclaimer- I do not own the show Yu-gi-oh gx or its characters.

Plot Summary- Atticus and Zane make a bet as to whether or not Zane could charm any man or woman into kissing him. But what happens when Atticus choose Aster as Zane's target?

I crossed on to the docks. The floorboards creaked as I walked over to his yacht. Despite the noise—Aster was too immersed in his book to hear me. This was a bad idea—no, a terrible idea. Why had did I agree to this?

Oh right, for the usual reason—because someone told me I couldn't. Namely Atticus.

I watched him for a minute or so. He really was handsome to look at. His silver hair moved smoothly against his cream-colored skin. His blue dark-aqua eyes followed the words of his story with the fierce determination he often dueled with. The white suit he always wore gently touched every shape and curve of his body—he was certainly more feminine than most men were. But that how I usually liked my men anyway—smaller, younger, and prettier than me.

I wasn't sure what exactly to say to him without seeming too out of it. So—I decided to go with the usual choice. "Hey kid!"

In a bored, tedious matter, he looked down at me— interest sparked in his face when he saw me. "What do you want, Truesdale?"

His tone isn't hostile but it's far from inviting. I can't blame him for that. When was the last time I took a gentle tone with him? Said hello to him rather than a small nod? And really, who else besides Sartorius did he talk to in a friendly manner? He always treated people with respect and good nature—but it didn't seem like he had a lot of close friends. Kind of like how I was when I first came here?

"Permission to board your vessel?" He raised an eyebrow and I shrugged, trying to smile at my own joke. After all, when you're trying to show someone you liked them, you smiled at them, right? He wasn't acting like it was the case.

"Granted, I suppose." He said, closing his book. Not welcoming, but a start. I climbed up the ramp up to his boat. He turned so his back was resting on the rail. "Okay, now what do you want?"

"Can't I say hi to one duel academy's second most prestigious guest without getting the third degree?" I asked innocently. Finally, a smile cracked at his mouth.

He made an 'hmm' sound. "Apparently not—last time I checked, you and I weren't pals."

"Well, anything is a step up from where we were right? No knives to the throat, no snide comments— this is the best conversation we've ever had." Okay Zane, remember a time when you were charming? When girls melted for you? Do that—now. I walked over and very cool like leaned against the rail. I kept my smile small and challenging; giving him a taste to want. His fingers seemed to dance along the edge of his book as he tried to figure me out. I loved the distinct look of interest he had. "What are you reading?"

He looked down and flipped the book in his hand. "To Kill a Mockingbird." Why wasn't I surprised? Any book that discussed the ideals of justice and good vs. evil surely interested the great and noble Aster Phoenix. "Re-reading actually…"

"Good book." I agreed. Aster seemed amused yet again, I frowned. "What?"

"Nothing, I just wasn't aware you were into American classics."

I rolled my eyes. "Believe or not, my parents were both raised in America—even so, it's a pretty widely popular book. That'd be like saying you've never seen Phantom of the Opera because the original book was French or never read a manga because it's Japanese."

He laughed—his voice filled with light and honey. I didn't want to admit how good it sounded. "Oh, so you came here looking for an argument? I shouldn't be surprised." Aster said he pushed himself off the rail. I suppress the intense feeling I had to be snarky. Who would have thought one little conversation would spark so much—annoyance.

"I was just pointing out that you really don't know me all that well…Which is funny, because I don't know that much about you."

Aster turned back. "Funny or… exactly how we wanted it to be?"

"You know what I mean—think of it, this way. Are you and I really meant to be competitors? Or our missing a chance at an alliance here?" I stepped towards him, trying to put a swagger in my step. Something to look a little more…predator. "You're a very curious person after all—there's so much to learn about you."

"Really, what do you want to know?" He asked crossing his arms. The smug look said everything. So much for no knives at the throat—even this simple conversation had become a contest.

That's how he wanted it? Fine. "Are you gay?"

His grin dropped immediately—the book fell from his hand as I reveled in my victory. Zane 1, Aster 0. It wasn't obvious before, it was now that he was. Every straight man I knew would deny the question as soon as it came up—and the ones, who were in fact homosexual, would either freely admit it, or wear a look similar to Aster's. I was one of those rare occasions where the answer was almost always 'Who cares?' because I really didn't. Girls were cute to me—boys were cuter. I still had to wonder if he would deny or admit to it.

He avoided it. "What are you doing here?" I was getting really sick of that question.

"Mine first."

"I asked first!" He practically growled—how childish he could be sometimes. I had to think about this. I could have told him the truth—that Atticus and I had bet on whether or not I could receive a willing and purposeful kiss from him. But that idea seemed—counterproductive. Even if Atticus never found out I told him, Aster's high and mighty dignity wouldn't go for it. No, I couldn't buy a kiss from a Phoenix—I had to earn it.

"I'm here because I like you… I think despite our differences- deep down beyond that compulsive need to be a pain in my ass and those layers of… let's call it, unreasonable paranoia—you're a guy worth getting to know. Does that answer please you?"

He didn't seem angry like I thought that statement would make him. Instead, he looked thoughtful—maybe a little baffled. With a sigh, I leaned down to grab his book. Just as my hands grabbed around the hard cover, he answered. "Yes."

"Yes?" I repeated, standing straight and holding the book out.

He took a deep breath just as his hand grabbed it. "Yes—I'm gay. I'm assuming you are, too?"

"Pretty much." The book drifted from my hand to his. He carefully pulled it back, looking me up and down as if waiting for the attack.

"How exactly, do you suppose we get to know each other better? It took a trip to a different dimension for you to be civil with me, and even then you had your own way of doing things…"

I had to consider this for a moment. Would it be to forward to ask him out? Too out of character? I suppose I always had the advantage of 'not knowing' one another, but at the same time Aster was extremely intelligent. While in the pass he was easy to manipulate, his experiences had taught him how to read people better. He wouldn't be so easy to accept my advances if they seemed non-genuine.

On the other hand, nothing about this was in character and he was just starting to believe that. Maybe it would be more beneficial to try and pass this off as a sudden change rather than a secret thought. My decision was taking too long—so I made one. "How about a date?"

The look of shock returned, only this time he hid it better. He even smiled. "You're joking right?"

"Actually no, I'm not." Aster's smile fell from his face—my own look was too serious to be fake. When putting up a poker face, the usual choice was indifference. I made myself look interested in the outcome but trying to make it look like I didn't care. He would read past one face but both? Most people didn't take the time to analyze but this was a gamble.

"Where would we go? It's not like there's any place here we can go." He stated logically.

"Maybe, but you have a boat and I can get a helicopter—I'm sure you can to. We could go to Domino for a few hours and anything you want to do is fine by me. "

"People would talk…."

I shrugged. "Let them—I could give a rat's ass about what people think and I doubt you do. Unless I'm wrong, and the great Phoenix isn't so invisible after all. It'd be a shame really…it's the only thing that makes me look over how young you are."

I was surprised to find behind the wall, there was a glimmer of … desire? No, more like curiosity. He wanted to say yes, but his trust issues prevented him from doing so. Perhaps rightfully so.

He opened his book to the place he had left off. "I'll think about it…" Well, it wasn't a no. It wasn't a yes either. The end result was the same—contrary to what I had told Atticus, I wasn't an instant charm—and it would be a lot more work than I thought to win over Aster Phoenix.

But I would succeed—no matter how hard it would be; I would get Aster to kiss me.

()

"I'm thinking of buying a new outfit with the money I win from you...Something spiffy. It'd be nice to have it for the weekend; sure you just don't want to pay up now?" Atticus said as we walked the next day after his classes. For the most part, I had just been hanging out—looking for Aster or at least, hoping to hear from him. I was almost afraid he had promised to think about my offer just to get rid of me.

I wasn't so mad about that thought as I was disappointed. Why was that though? It's not like I really wanted to date him; I just needed to prove a point. Aster was obnoxious, and a smart ass… being around him was like water torture to me. This was nothing but a game—a game I would lose unless he contacted me.

I remembered the look in his eye—how close he had been to saying yes. It had to have worked right? "Don't make room in your closest just yet—he hasn't responded yet so the bets not officially done with."

"Oh Zane, Zane, Zane… Be realistic—what could he possibly see in you?" I stopped and glared at Atticus. He shrugged. "Oh come on! I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying—he's a prude. He thinks he's better than everybody, especially the guy formally known as Hell Kaiser."

I shifted in my dark coat. Well—that much was true. "That's exactly why he's interested though. He doesn't understand why I'm so interested in him and he's hungry to find out."

"And what if he bites off more than you're willing to give, hmmm? What if he finds out what you're up to… Or even worse, what if he falls for you?"

All good questions; ones I've considered since the beginning. This wasn't a revenge scheme, as far as I'm concerned, Aster and I made our peace in the alternate dimension. I didn't have some silly idea about how I was going to get back at Aster by breaking his heart. Just the opposite, he'll believe it's anything but love. Even if he develops feelings for me, he'll fight them every step of the way. He'll prevent himself from chasing anything serious—but it was my hope that he'd experiment along the way. "It's not going to happen. Like you said, Aster's a prude—it would mean nothing to him."

Atticus looked behind me and smiled. "Well, speak of the devil…"

I turned and saw Aster walking up to me, eyeing Atticus wearily. I let him come to me. My heart started to thump against my chest but I willed it quiet. This was it. He'd give me his response; yes or no.

"Zane…" Aster said politely. He nodded to Atticus politely. "Atticus… could I speak with you privately for a moment?"

Atticus was going to say no had I not nudged him. His glare casted a dark aura over me but he hesitantly agreed to leave us alone. "I'll just go stand over there."

Aster's eyes followed him as Atticus left the conversation. I cleared his throat to get his attention once more. "So?"

"Yes…" Aster muttered quietly. I leaned forward to make sure I heard correctly. "I'll go out with you… but I have a few conditions."

"Conditions?" I repeated. I asked him out, and he had 'conditions'?

He nodded and started counting them on his fingers. "One—I'm only going out on one date… don't think this is anything romantic either." Okay, so he hadn't bought my spur of moment advances; he was mostly curious about my sudden interest. I could work with that. "Two, I decide where we go, and we're going there via my helicopter— I want to be able to leave if you turn into a complete jackass."

So, he wanted the ability to leave me behind, huh? Blunt but, at least he was honest about it. "Anything else?" I asked.

"One more… " He bit his lip for a moment before continuing. "I don't know what you're up to, or why you asked me out, but if you intend to make a fool out of me, I won't allow it to happen. Not willingly anyway; but you- and I never thought I'd say this about you—you're very smart. Smart enough where I believe you could outwit me."

I was a little surprised to see he thought so much of me. "So you have to promise me, here and now, that you won't talk about our date to anybody…not now, not after, and not to your closest friends. It stays between us, at least until I figure out what your game is."

I raised an eyebrow; I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that he was so paranoid. Pretty much anyone he ever knew had lied to him at some point in his life; Sartorius and The D, just to name a few. And honestly, I would have thought less of him for not being suspicious. Still, this would be a problem. I was by no means a liar, but how could I reclaim my bet if I couldn't reveal the contents of our date?

All the more reason to see sincere I suppose. "Alright, I'm in."