Brief here, further explanations at the end!
WARNING: Language; gay themes; AU
Rated T for safety; really more K+
Word Count: 2,715
I don't own YGO:GX, there would be a lot more shirtless boy scenes if I did.


Chazz Princeton had always considered himself to be an intellectual. An intelligent one, at that. Such talent for thought ought to be nurtured, he presumed, so he always made time to himself for contemplation. For the past few weeks, he chose for this alone time to fall right after some business classes his family had signed him up for. And luckily, a nice park was located only two blocks away from the college at which the classes took place.

Although Chazz had seen better parks, this one met his standards. Grass covered the whole park, leaving no inconsistent bare patches of earth. There was a fountain, but no large lake where annoying ducks or geese could flock around. And there were plenty of trees—not enough that your vision was handicapped, but that perfect amount that added just enough shade. Needless to say, it made a great thinking area.

A big oak tree usually served as Chazz's shade and support as he wrote about his day and his thoughts on it, a habit he'd picked up from so many designated thinking days. It was not a diary, or journal, or anything so girly. Chazz thought that the notes would help him with a memoir or an autobiography that he would publish in a few years, when he was rich, famous, and powerful. And that was exactly where Chazz was and what he was doing on the afternoon of May 6th. Chazz would later look on the day fondly. He was, however, quite irritated at the time.

It had begun as a day like any other. An exquisite breakfast from his family's live-in chef followed by some time spent reading books in his late mother's library. A driver drove him to his classes and he listened carefully, being sure to understand and take notes. Chazz then leisurely walked to short distance to his park. The air was cool, but Chazz's black pants, hair, and trench coat soaked up the harsh sunlight, making him uncomfortably warm. His turtleneck sweater was dark purple and thick enough that it, too, added to his body temperature. He quickened his pace.

Upon getting to the park he gracefully sat beneath the shady oak tree and took a deep breath, relieved at the temperature drop. He closed his eyes as he exhaled, leaning against the tree's trunk. Chazz had become fond of the tree in all the time he spent against it.

He spent a few minutes thinking, as that's what this time was designated for. He thought over what had happened in the morning, in class, and on his way there. He pulled out a worn notebook and began jotting down notes of his day, of the comments he had on it. Yes, it had been an ordinary day like any other. Until this very moment.

Because at this very moment, Chazz hadn't noticed a ball flying straight for his head. He also, unfortunately, had learned to tune out distant noises, like the voices yelling at him to look out, or the scrambling sound of feet running towards him. At this moment, a ball hit the side of his face, effectively knocking him over and out.

Chazz wasn't out for very long. But the seconds he'd been out were enough for someone to run over to him. Chazz opened his eyes, squinting. Someone was talking to him. He felt hands behind him, pulling him up. The person gently laid him back against the tree. More awake now, Chazz tried to pay attention to the person.

"—t, so it could be pretty bad," He (having a better look at the person, Chazz could tell he was a boy) was saying, "I had someone call an ambulance."

Chazz slowly blinked again, trying to process the new information. He wanted to think about it, but it was difficult. This wasn't really something he'd ever had a problem with, and it was a weird feeling. Instead, Chazz merely looked at the boy speaking to him.

A young man, maybe teen, knelt before him. His face was a little too close, but it allowed Chazz to notice details he might not have otherwise. Like the guy's brown eyes. 'Like chocolate,' Chazz thought, 'I want some chocolate.' The person's hair was brown, too, but it was two different shades. His skin was tan, evidence of spending time in the sun.

Chazz finally felt like he could say something, so he was about to, but instead turned his head to the side and threw up. Even with his fuzzy mind, he still felt extremely disgusted and wanted to go brush his teeth immediately. He felt like throwing up again from the taste in his mouth.

"Yikes. Good thing we called an ambulance already." Oh yeah, the boy. Chazz turned to look at him again. How had he gotten there so fast? Was he the person who kicked the ball? And wait, they called an ambulance?

In any case, the ambulance soon arrived and took Chazz away.


A concussion. Great.

After conducting some tests, Chazz had been diagnosed with a mild concussion (who the heck kicks a ball that hard, anyway?) and the doctors told him he needed a lot of rest. It took two weeks of rest. Two weeks of being kept in the house, two weeks a freaking out over every little things, two weeks of headaches...

The Princeton family had a personal doctor visit to give him a final check up. Chazz could've cried with joy when he was given the okay to be active again. He didn't, because that would have been silly and unmanly, but he had enough happy emotions to. Chazz absolutely needed to get out of the house. His first thought, naturally, was the park.

He grabbed his notebook filled with memoir notes, which he was told he clutched tightly the whole way to the hospital from the park. It had been his constant companion these past days. Looking back, Chazz could tell his perspective had changed a little while under the effects of his concussion. Especially his thoughts about that boy—those were weird, and decidedly not going in any published records.

Chazz left his trench coat at home, but wore the same purple sweater he'd wore that one fateful day. He wasn't wearing the same pants, but the ones he wore were still black. Chazz couldn't be sure why he'd chosen to be so similar to before. He just had.

He reached the tree, finally, and slid down the trunk. In the back of his mind he worried about getting bark rubbed off on him, but appreciated the moment too much to care. It had been too long. But before Chazz could truly relax and think, a familiar figure ran up to him.

"Hey!" The boy from before waved and sat down facing him. Chazz was slightly annoyed, but was still in a good mood about the park so instead of being rude, he took advantage of this opportunity.

"Are you the one who kicked that ball?" The boy's eyes widened and he paused. It wasn't much longer until he was smiling once again and answering.

"No. The people who did aren't usually here." Okay. Wait, but then—

"How did you get to me so fast? After I was hit, I mean." The boy laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, looking to the side.

"You were about to get hit. I just kinda noticed..." Chazz sighed. Something seemed... off. But it didn't really matter, he supposed.

"Thanks, I guess." The boy's face lit up.

"No problem! I'm Jaden Yuki." He held out his hand, with a ridiculous smile on his face. It was large enough that Chazz found himself with a smile of his own, which he quickly transformed into a smirk.

"Chazz Princeton." He reached out and shook Jaden's hand.


The two became fast friends. Well, they became fast one-sided conversation friends, as mostly Chazz sat and wrote and Jaden made mindless chatter about this and that. Occasionally, Jaden would say something that Chazz had to comment on, and sometimes it would spark a whole debate between the two. Or Jaden would ask questions that Chazz answered, or Jaden would say something so passionately that Chazz looked at him like he was really seeing him.

Eventually, Chazz questioned Jaden about The Incident (as he'd come to think of it). He waited until the time was right. But Chazz had never truly forgotten about the fact that Jaden had stepped around the truth a bit.

"Jaden."

"Hmm?" Jaden politely answered, but didn't look up from what he was doing. Drawing, if the charcoal in his hand was any indication. Chazz had since learned that Jaden was an art student, though he didn't show Chazz many drawings. He always claimed they weren't good enough to show. 'Yet!' He'd always add, and begin once again concentrating on his paper. Chazz smiled, lost in his thoughts. Jaden's ambition was one trait that really impressed Chazz. Jaden didn't want to rise up in the world or anything, but he did strive to be the best at what he did—it was admirable.

In fact, Chazz generally disliked pulling Jaden from his work. But not today.

"No, Jaden, look at me." Jaden reluctantly looked up, pouting slightly. Jaden could pull it off, surprisingly enough, looking quite cute—that is, little kid cute. Not like, teenager cute. Why would Chazz even think like that?

"Well?" Chazz frowned. He figured that he must've rubbed off on Jaden, at least a little, sometime in their park visits. Jaden had always been snarky when pulled away from work, but never insolent. Chazz was torn between pride in his influence and regret in making Jaden more impolite.

"What really happened when I got that concussion?" Jaden tilted his head to the side, like a dog. 'No, he's more like a puppy,' Chazz mused.

"You were hit with a soccer ball. Then you passed out. You already know all this." Jaden stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back, staying half sat-up using his arms straight out behind him. He was diagonal to Chazz, a formation they always settled into.

"I don't mean an overview, I mean why you noticed the incident in the first place, especially now that I know you mostly draw at the park and don't pay attention to your surroundings. And why you talked to me afterward. The answer you gave before was... insufficient." A troubled look flashed across Jaden's face—an odd occurrence for him. But he answered.

"I talked to you after because I was worried! Even I know that hitting your head is bad. And I noticed because... uh, I was drawing you." The sheepish grin on his face also appeared slightly apologetic. Chazz didn't know why he'd feel that way.

"Why were you drawing me?" Chazz wasn't really sure if he should ask, but hey, why the hell not?

"Uhh... You're aesthetically proportionate? And..." Jaden mumbled, too quietly for Chazz to hear. Chazz figured he'd already come this far.

"What was that?" He was grinning, he knew, but he couldn't help it. Jaden's head was down and his cheeks were flushed; he was too flustered for Chazz to not be having fun with this.

"I said you're cute!" Jaden blurted. Chazz just stared, at a loss for words at this point.

"Well, not really cute," Jaden continued, "More... Elegant? Classy? Beautiful." At Chazz's continued silence, he frantically rambled, "But I mean, it's just 'cause I'm an artist, y'know? We notice things like that. I swear it wasn't creepy or anything, it was just—"

"Can I see it?" Chazz interrupted Jaden's babbling. Jaden, caught off guard, blinked once. Twice.

"Uh, what?" Chazz rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"The portrait you were drawing! Can I see it?" Jaden bit his bottom lip, like he wanted to say no, but wordlessly turned the pages of his sketch pad and extended his arm to Chazz. Chazz had to move up to get it.

The drawing was... surprisingly decent. Chazz was looking at himself, and it was really interesting. But hey, he was an interesting guy. The only thing disconcerting was how sullen he looked. Chazz studied this Other Chazz. He didn't feel like he'd changed much. He frowned.

Chazz felt something partially touching the left side of his back, warmth radiating onto him. Jaden's voice was soft in his ear.

"You don't like it?" He hadn't even known Jaden had moved. But instead of flinching at the physical contact or being annoyed at the abruptness of it or that Jaden was essentially reading over his shoulder, Chazz leaned back a little and closed his eyes, settling himself against Jaden. Jaden was always so irritatingly warm. Irritating, of course, because Chazz could never reach a temperature higher than freezing while Jaden achieved it without doing anything. Chazz opened his eyes.

"No. It's decent. I'm just different in real life." Jaden laughed at this.

"No you're not. This is just old." Chazz furrowed his brow in annoyed confusion.

"It's not even four months ago." Jaden just laughed again and whispered, incredibly close to Chazz's ear,

"Turn the page." And Chazz did. He was shocked to find another drawing of him. Instead of studying it like he had the previous one, he flipped the page again. Another drawing of him. The sketches were signed and dated; he started paying more attention to the dates rather than the details of the drawings themselves. There was one for almost everyday since their unconventional friendship.

"Is this..." Chazz finally spoke, still turning pages, "What you do everyday?" Chazz felt rather than saw Jaden's shrug.

"When I'm at the park. I have a different sketchbook for other places."

Chazz looked through a few more pages, seeing himself everyday at the park in similar positions but different every picture. It reminded him of his notebook, just a visual version. The coolest thing was seeing the drawings improve as he went on. Chazz never realized artists got better so quickly. Though Jaden had been good, his later drawings were amazing.

Something Chazz noticed that... irked him was the obvious change in his mood. While at first he'd been annoyed at the drawing's frown, now he realized his drawing self was becoming happier. He finally got to today's half finished sketch. It was still messy, but Chazz could tell he was smiling. It was weird. Looking at a drawing of himself so happy. But what had changed from that first day to now?

Oh, duh. Chazz turned his neck so he was looking at Jaden. Jaden was still looking at the sketchbook.

"So, that's the end." Jaden said.

"Mmmm." Chazz had a small smile on his face.

"What do you think? They're awesome, right?" Jaden grinned childishly. He looked at Chazz; their faces ending up ridiculously close, making it extremely easy for Chazz to barely move and kiss Jaden on the lips. It was soft and short, Chazz wasn't aiming to make out or anything. It was only to introduce a point. And from Jaden's eager response it seemed to be well received. Chazz pulled back.

"Thank you." Jaden grinned at him. And when Jaden finished that day's drawing, Chazz ripped it out of the sketchbook to keep it for himself, as well as the one from May 6th. The perfect reminder.


AN: At 2,715 words this is my longest published fanfiction, beating Half of a Score by 285 words! (Because I'm horrible and all I write are one shots xD) I apologize if this is OC or terribly edited, this is an idea that got stuck in my head on the 4th and I started writing it yesterday (the 6th, the date in the story I would edit out if I had time) and I just had to end it today. I'm gonna be swamped with exams this whole week and I really need to start studying so I just wrote this so I could actually focus on studying. If I had a lot of time I would make this a two or three shot, but I just can't right now. I might make a short connecting ficlet next week when the worst exams are through, though.
And as a quick note - I've only known one person who's had a concussion before and she doesn't really talk about it so I tried to do some research on them but if there's anything wild and crazy I'm sorry!
In any case! What did you think? Please review!
Lovelovelove ,
-Cenoha