A/N: I know I always make the characters go to the mall but…this is different. Yes, it's kind of cracky. It might be a little bit OOC. But I'm not afraid to demean myself in order to be funny once in awhile. I wanted to write something lighthearted. I missed writing humor. So, here it is, MOAR badfic for the world to enjoy. -.- Oh, and I used English names in this one because it just sounds weird to write a crackish story using Japanese names since they seem more serious…

Disclaimer: I do not own GX.

The alarm clock's ear-splitting ringing disrupted the tranquility of the dorm room. Normally, this noise would continue for quite some time, until Syrus or Hassleberry turned it off. However, today was different. A certain Slifer had plans for how to spend his day off.

He jumped out of bed immediately, grinning and stripping quickly. He was excited. This was going to be a great day! Not only was the new edition of his favorite video game series coming out, but there were also some new card releases too! And he was getting the privilege of going to the mall with his best friend, Jesse Andersen. The whole idea--video games, dueling, and Jesse all mixed together--made him giddy with delight. Hurriedly, he scrambled to pull his clothes over his head.

"Jaden?" Syrus peered over the edge of the bed, confused, "What are you doing up so early? Don't you like to sleep in until noon?"

"But today's different," Jaden protested, grabbing some money from his drawer and stuffing it into his pocket, "Jesse and I are going to go to the mall to buy the new video game! Anything you want?"

Syrus shook his head. "No, thanks. Be careful though…I heard there was someone breaking into the mall at night. So don't stay late." He sank back into the covers, jealous over the idea of his crush spending the day with Jesse. He felt replaced.

"Well, all right then," Jaden said, scratching his head a little, looking puzzled, "I'll see you later. Bye!" Having said that, he rushed out the door, almost forgetting to close it.

He practically jumped down the stairs and burst into the Slifer cafeteria, where he'd agreed to meet Jesse for breakfast. The latter was already there, sitting in front of a tray of rice and eggs. He grinned when he saw Jaden coming in, and raised a hand in friendly greeting.

"Hey, Jay!" He called out, "How's it goin'?"

"Pretty good," Jaden answered, breathless. He took a seat and began to shovel food in his mouth. Between swallows, he asked, "How about you?"

"I'm doing great!" Jesse exclaimed enthusiastically. It was apparent that he was just as excited as Jaden. "But, ya know, maybe you should slow down. You don't want to choke." He chuckled softly. "It's called chewing."

"I know," Jaden protested, "But I want to leave the Academy island as quickly as possible! Do you have the boat ready?"

"Yup," Jesse replied, before taking a mouthful of rice, "Everything's all ready to go."

"Hurry, Jes!" Jaden prodded, having already inhaled his entire breakfast, "We're already late. We won't be first in line, but that's all right. As long as we get a copy!"

"Ok, Ok," Jesse laughed as Jaden dragged him away from the table, taking a final bite of his breakfast.

The two boys practically ran to the dock. The dew made the grass and their shoes slippery, so they kept almost falling over. But they didn't care. In fact, they turned it into some sort of game. It started when Jaden fell into Jesse by accident and almost knocked him over. Then, Jesse pushed Jaden and the game escalated. They stumbled to the dock, laughing.

Both boys leapt into the small motorboat, then Jaden untied it from the dock. They sped through the choppy waters, chattering away. It was a rather pleasant morning, actually. Since they were so excited, they weren't very tired, so they noticed the details a little bit more. The sun still cast a golden and orange glow, which caused the surface of the ocean to shimmer and reflect amber.

Jaden sighed contentedly and dropped his hand in the water, watching it disrupt the flow of the water by the boat. The water was cool, but not in a displeasing way. He stared down more intently, trying to see if any fish might swim past the boat. He watched the water until they slowed down and stopped at another dock. Jesse tied the boat and paid the man watching over the harbor. Then, he gestured for Jaden to follow him.

It was only a brisk walk ten minute walk to the subway. They got their tickets and boarded, still talking about what cards they were going to get. The people around them were too polite to tell them to quiet down, but their annoyance was apparent. The two teens were by far too energetic and rambunctious.

"--so then I can upgrade my deck and maybe they'll have some more Elemental Heroes out which will make it even BETTER!" Jaden ranted to Jesse.

The teal haired boy simply grinned and nodded, listening to Jaden's perpetual talking. Though sometimes, when Jaden gasped for air, he was able to get a word or two in. That's how one had to act when Jaden was excited.

"Well, I've been hoping to pick up a few spells or traps myself," Jesse told him, "Though what I'd really like is to see those rare cards with my own eyes. Maybe we'll even get to touch them! Not like we have enough money to buy them…"

"I sure wish we did. Maybe if we combine our money and share it--!" Jaden thought aloud.

"Nah, we want the game, too, remember? Besides…I have to go back to North Academy in a few months…and then what will we do with it?" He looked a little sad as he said this.

Jaden's smile faded considerably. "Oh, that's right. Well, you can have it to remember me by." He beamed at the taller boy.

Jesse laughed softly. "There's no way I could ever forget you, Jay. You're my best friend."

Just as Jaden was about to respond to this, the train came to a screeching halt. He lost his balance and fell against the transfer student's chest, having to grab him around the waist a little to steady himself. Their noses brushed and their faces turned rather pink.

"S-sorry!" Jaden quickly straightened up, his face growing redder.

"Don't worry about it," Jesse assured him. Then, glancing out the window, "Oh, I think we're at our stop now. Come on!" This time, it was he who grabbed Jaden's wrist and dragged him out into the station.

People milled around, talking on cell phones, looking at the schedule, and rushing to get on the train before it left again. The two boys had to fight their way through the crowd before breaking free into the fresh air. The sidewalk was almost no better, but at least they were closer to their destination.

To keep from getting separated, Jesse grabbed Jaden's hand as he plowed through the crowd. The two teens weaved in and out of the hordes of people, gripping hands tightly. They didn't really think about it until they'd reached the parking lot of the mall. That was when they glanced down and noticed they were still holding hands.

"Sorry," Jesse apologized, looking sheepish as he let Jaden's hand go and blushed.

Jaden just nodded as though to tell him it was all right, his face turning red as well. Still, he didn't think much of it. He was much more focused on getting his video game and new cards.

The mall was sparsely populated since it was still fairly early in the morning. There were a few shoppers here and there, ambling along. The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted from the nearby food court, along with the scent of cinnamon buns. It made Jaden hungry. He decided to buy something to eat after they got their games.

They hurried to a store which sold video games. There was a small line, but it wasn't too long. It only took several minutes of waiting before they each had a copy of the coveted game. By then, the line at the counter had lengthened, but they didn't mind waiting. That gave them a few minutes to talk.

"So, we're going to play when we get back?" Jaden asked, excitedly waving the game in the air.

Jesse nodded. "Of course! It's goin' to be great! Just you and me and a video game all day long."

"Don't forget the snacks," Jaden pointed out, grinning, "This is going to be a blast! I wonder if we can even unlock the secret levels…"

"Probably not today," Jesse told him, laughing. He draped an arm around Jaden's shoulders and grinned wider. "But I'm sure we'll figure it out soon. We've been waiting for it long enough."

Jaden merely draped his arm around the other boy's shoulders as well and squeezed. It was great to have Jesse as a best friend. Too bad the boy would be leaving for North Academy in a few months. A few months weren't enough to do all they'd planned! They still needed to go deep sea diving and look for the fabled treasure chest of Duel Monsters cards! Or, at least snorkeling…Not to mention they hadn't gone rock climbing on the cliffs. There was so much they had left to do…Jaden couldn't bear to think of losing his absolute closest friend.

They paid for their purchases, then left the store, slinging their arms around each other again. Jaden glanced over at Jesse a bit worriedly. Sea green eyes met his chocolate gaze. The other boy's expression changed from one of content to surprise.

"What's the matter, Jay?"

"I'm just not ready to let you go," Jaden sighed, "I don't want you to leave for North Academy. I want you to stay with me. And then this summer, you could come over to my house and we could have a blast!"

Jesse smiled a little. "Aw, I want to stay with you too. But I have friends at North Academy that want me to go back. And I don't know if I could spend the summer with you…my place is too far away…We live too far apart, I mean."

Jaden gave him puppy eyes, "Do you think you could try?"

Jesse finally relented. "All right, all right. I'll see if I can stay with you for the summer. Not like I would've been too happy living by myself anyway."

Satisfied for the moment, Jaden squeezed Jesse closer to him. Then, the two walked into the card shop, ready to pick out some new additions for their decks. Not only did they buy some traps and spells, but they also managed to snag a few rare cards. Not the ultra rare ones, though. They could only stare at those through the glass case.

They spent a long time looking through the inventory. Finally, they left and wandered around the mall, walking around over and over again, just talking and enjoying each others' company. They didn't even seem to notice that it was getting later.

"So," Jaden asked, catching a whiff of the heavenly aroma of cinnamon buns, "Do you want to get something to eat? Just a little snack? I'm starving."

"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry myself," Jesse admitted, "I guess a snack wouldn't hurt. It doesn't sound half bad."

Ten minutes later, the two boys sat in the middle of the food court, wrappers littering the table. By then, they'd eaten quite a bit, and were pretty sleepy. Not only had they gotten up earlier than usual, but they'd done more walking than usual. They were, truth be told, exhausted.

"I wish there was someplace we could lie down…" Jaden yawned, stretching a bit.

"Yeah." Jesse glanced around at the surrounding stores. Then, an idea popped into his mind. Why, it was genius! He pointed to a Select Comfort bedding store. "Let's go in there and pretend to be testing the merchandise. But we'll just go take a little nap instead! No one can get mad at us if they think their product is that good to put us to sleep immediately. Why would they chase 'customers' off, anyway?"

Jaden's eyes lit up. "You know," He said, linking arms with Jesse and walking towards the store, "That's the best idea you've had all day."

The manager paid them no attention as they crept in, innocently poking the mattresses and acting interested. They felt on the beds for a few moments, then slipped behind a large bin of pillows, where there was another bed set up behind it. Both boys looked relieved. They climbed on it and lay down. Seeing a control, Jaden curiously picked it up and pressed a few buttons. The bed began to vibrate.

"H-hey, J-Jess, check it ou-out!" Jaden said, grinning, "It's a m-massager b-bed!"

"I've n-never h-heard of that in m-my life." Jesse laughed softly, "But it's v-very comfort-table."

Jesse's eyelids drooped. He yawned, then felt something hit his chest. Glancing down, he saw that Jaden was already half asleep and snuggled against him. Smiling tiredly, he relaxed and closed his eyes.

Soon, both boys were snoring away, completely oblivious to the world around them. Customers frowned at them, but didn't disturb them for fear of what they might find out. Some of them were a little bit afraid as to why two boys were cuddled up on a vibrating bed like that…For whatever the reason, though, none of the employees said anything to them. Perhaps they thought they might purchase something. Or maybe it was because they were so quiet. And, due to the fact that they were so silent, everyone rather forgot they were there. The customers soon trickled out of the store as it grew late, and the employees began to close up.

"I'm tired," a man complained to his co-worker, "It's been a long day. Let's just lock up and go home."

"Agreed," The other man said, pulling bars down over the front entrance and locking the doors.

The two employees went out the back way, turning the lights off as they did. They didn't notice the two teens that remained inside, fast asleep.

It was rather some time later that Jesse woke up. He glanced around, confused. Why was his bed vibrating? Since when was the room so dark? And something smelled funny…sort of like plastic wrap. Sitting up, he remembered that they had been in the mall. And then, seeing the darkened rooms and the bars over the windows, he realized that they'd been locked in. Frantically, he shook Jaden, trying to wake him up.

"Mmm, Jesse," Jaden moaned, still half asleep.

Jesse cringed. Something about the way Jaden said that just bothered him. He wondered what sort of dream Jaden had had for his voice to contain that seductive quality to it. "Um, Jay, we have a bit of a problem…"

"What?" Jaden yawned and stretched, sitting up and rubbing his hair. Then, he opened his eyes and looked around. "J-Jesse?"

"Um…we're…stuck…" Jesse said weakly, "For the night…unless security finds us."

"But then we'd be dead!" Jaden panicked, "Because if security finds us, then they'll think we're the mall crooks!"

"Th-the MALL crooks?" Jesse asked, his eyes widening, "Uh-oh…We're screwed!"

"No, just be quiet…maybe we can hide," Jaden hissed, dropping his voice to a hoarse whisper.

At that moment, there was the sound of something crashing to the floor from the back. The two boys grabbed each others' arms, trying to restrain their rapid breathing. They dug their fingers harder into one another's arms, eyes widening in fear.

Moving closer to Jesse, Jaden whispered in his ear, "Maybe he's friendly?"

"I don't think so," Jesse hissed, pulling Jaden closer as he began to quiver a little, "Just be quiet…"

They listened intently, their eyes darting around the store. Deathly silence met their ears. Then, they heard a very light tapping from the back room. They tightened their grip on each other.

"Do…do you think we could duel them?" Jaden whispered in Jesse's ear, almost inaudible.

"I don't think he's a duelist…" Jesse said, swallowing hard.

They fell silent again. Time ticked by painfully slow. Neither of them dared to move for what felt like five hours. Then, Jaden slowly started to get up.

"Where are you going?" Jesse hissed, trying to grab the back of Jaden's jacket.

The brunette held a finger to his lips, then whispered, "We need to set up a trap to catch the mall crook. I think he might be in the store right now."

"Now?" Jesse asked, his emerald eyes widening, "Damn…"

"Come on," Jaden coaxed, tugging at Jesse's hand.

The teal haired boy reluctantly stood, yet didn't let Jaden's hand go. They peered around the bin of pillows and scanned the room. Well, it didn't seem like there was anyone in the store area yet. So, Jaden stepped out cautiously, dragging Jesse with him. He pulled his hand from Jesse's, much to the other's dismay. Then, he started yanking pillows down from the display. Handing them to Jesse, he bit his lip and told him what they should do.

"We're going to catch the mall crook," He whispered, "So take these pillows, and set them near the door over there, so he'll trip on them and get stuck in them…But first, take these cords from the controls and stretch them across the doorway. I'll do the same for the front."

Jesse merely nodded, his breaths coming quicker. He got on his hands and knees and crawled behind the counter, taking some cords from the controllers. Then, he used some tape he found and taped the cords across the doorway, making sure they were taunt and discreet enough. Jaden did the same to the front entrance.

"Now what?" Jesse asked softly, crawling back over to Jaden.

Jaden bit his lip and looked around the store. Jesse did the same, trying to help Jaden brainstorm. Finally, the transfer student had an idea. He pointed to some empty plastic packaging under the counter.

"We could catch the thief in that, if we attach it to each door of the counter and stretch it across. He'll fall right into it."

"Ok," Jaden agreed, helping the other boy stretch the plastic wrap over the counter, "I hope this works. I'm a little afraid it won't."

"What else can we do?" Jesse asked, grinning weakly, "I mean, we don't really know what we're up against…"

"True," Jaden admitted, then, in a more alarmed tone, "Hey, Jes, you all right?"

Jesse looked up. To Jaden's surprise, the other boy was smiling, his eyes sparkling in the dim moonlight that trickled in from the skylight outside the store, "Are you kidding? I'm scared but…I'm having fun too."

Jaden just grinned and nodded in eager agreement. However, their fun did not last long. There was a dull thud from the back, then the door started to open. Jaden meant to leap on the other side of the counter away from the door, but then he panicked. Instead, he stood and started to head for the back of the store. Jesse reached out to grab him and yank him back down. Unfortunately, he pulled to hard, and Jaden came crashing down to the floor. On his way down, his hand caught in the telephone cord, and he brought that down with him as well. There was a loud bang as the phone hit the linoleum and smashed into a thousand bits. The two boys stared at the obliterated phone, then at each other, their eyes huge as saucers.

"Oops," Jaden whispered.

Jesse smacked himself in the forehead. "Sorry…"

The back door flew open. The two boys couldn't contain themselves. They screamed and leapt up, running around in a frightened frenzy. In a hugely disastrous attempt to be heroic, they grabbed a mattress off a bed, and flung it on the intruder. There was a groan, followed by a curse. The mattress started to amble towards them. They grabbed each other's hands and leapt clean over the mattress, only to get tangled up in the broken cords that the thief had partially ripped from the door when entering. They tried to untangle themselves, only to become all the more wound up. The cords bound their legs together and they fell backwards. Thankfully, the mattress clad thief was there to break their fall. A string of curses erupted from the mattress.

"Take that, you dirty rotten thief!" Jaden shouted, whilst rolling upon the mattress in what an onlooker might think to be an epileptic panic attack.

"Yeah, that's right!" Jesse yelled, bouncing up and down on the mattress each time the crook tried to stand.

"Why, you little shrimps!" The man screamed, his arms flying out from below the mattress and flailing about like a windmill.

They managed to elude his arms for awhile. But then, he managed to snag Jesse's arm. The teal haired boy jumped and tried to tear away.

"I'll get you, you little bastard!" The crook shouted, waving a knife in the air.

"He IS the mall crook!" Jaden wailed, grabbing a pillow that lay nearby and beating on the hand, managing to shield Jesse from the sharp blow.

Unfortunately, he let his guard down and forgot about the other arm. In the matter of three seconds, the man had Jaden by the throat. Jaden flailed, trying to escape. In the meantime, Jesse looked around the store desperately, trying to find anything he could use to beat the crook with. Finally, he resorted to using the broken telephone. He seized the mouthpiece and beat the burglar's hand with it.

"Get off of him, you freak!"

The man's hand only tightened. Jaden made a croaking noise, still struggling and beating on him with the pillow. Said pillow was beginning to shred from the knife, and feathers were flying everywhere. It almost looked like it was snowing. Jesse sneezed a few times as he leaned over the counter, feeling on the hard surface, trying to find something to use as a weapon. Seeing that Jaden's shield had been torn to strips of fabric, Jesse moved quickly. He grabbed the computer monitor from the desk and hurled it at the mattress. It nearly knocked poor Jaden in the head. Thankfully, he ducked in time. At the same moment, the crook managed to get his ski-masked face out of the mattress, only to be met by the computer screen. He screamed.

Jesse yanked Jaden off the mattress. The thief struggled for a minute, then chucked the computer screen towards the two boys. They both ducked , causing it to crash against the wall and smash into bits. That was when Jaden had a 'brilliant' idea. Grasping Jesse's hand tighter, he leapt over the man--who was getting to his feet as well--and hurried behind the bin of pillows. He began shoving it with his shoulder. Jesse's eyes lit up at this sight. Soon, he joined Jaden. Together, they shoved the bin down on top of the already beaten crook. He cursed at them again, then flung his knife at them. Jaden had to shove Jesse to the ground to keep him from being hit.

At this point, the criminal produced a gun. They weren't quite sure what to do then. Panicked, they began to rush around the store, trying to find a way out, or a way to call for help. Their cell phones were of no use. They didn't have any signals. So they did the only thing they COULD do: scream for help and run around to try to avoid being shot.

Thankfully for them, they were quick on their feet, and the crook was not a very good aim. He kept missing and cursing at them. In reality, their panicking was actually aiding them. As they ran around, they managed to crash into things, and each other, causing a chain reaction. The shelves fell down on each other like dominoes, finally trapping the crook beneath it. The gun slid across the floor out of the man's reach.

"We did it!" Jaden cheered.

"What's going on in here?" A voice asked.

A light shone on the two startled teens. The security guard had finally heard the commotion and come to check it out. They grinned sheepishly at him as he surveyed the mess and the thief--who was out cold. After a long silence, he sighed.

"Well, you managed to catch the criminal," He muttered, "I suppose you deserve a reward for that."

Jesse and Jaden grinned at each other.

"But…" He sighed again, "You caused quite a lot of damage here…And you weren't supposed to be here anyway. You two are in big trouble. I suppose you don't have to go to jail, but you'll have to pay a huge fine."

"But," Jaden protested, "That never happened in Scooby!"

"That's a cartoon, kid," The guard grunted, "Welcome to the real world. Now come on."

Jesse and Jaden groaned. However, they followed the guard out, once he'd handcuffed the thief and called police.

"Um, Jes?"

"Yeah?" Jesse grinned sheepishly.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault. But thanks for saving me." He smiled weakly.

"Hey, no problem. Thank you too! And it's all right. It's not all your fault. It's my fault for suggesting this. But, who cares. I had so much fun tonight, even though we could've gotten killed. I mean, I finally got to help you take down the bad guy!" Jesse laughed, rubbing the back of his hair.

"I guess so," Jaden agreed, grinning widely, "I had fun with you too."

"Um, Jay?" Jesse looked a bit uncertain as they sat on a bench outside the security guard's office.

"Yeah?"

Jesse blushed. "Even when I leave Duel Academy, I'm still going to call you and stuff, you know that, right?"

Jaden smiled. "Really? So we're going to keep in touch?"

"Of course!" Jesse grinned at him.

Jaden blinked, staring into his eyes for a minute. Then, he boldly reached out and seized the other boy's hand, squeezing it tightly. The latter blushed deeply and squeezed back.

"Yep," Jaden sighed contentedly, leaning against Jesse and laying his head down on the other boy's shoulder, "It's going to be all right as long as you and I face the music together."

Jesse merely nodded and put his arm around the brunette's shoulders. "No one can tear us apart," He agreed.

"No matter what?" Jaden asked, looking hopeful.

"Jay, we're going to stick together forever," Jesse assured him, "Even if it does mean our asses are in serious trouble. I got your back."

They smiled at each other, then stood as they were called into the office, their arms around each other. Sure, they might be in trouble, but at least they would have each other to get through it. Besides, it was not every day that they got to have so much fun taking the bad guy down. It was all worth it in the end.

A/N: Ok, crackish. But I couldn't resist. It was too much fun. Well, I hope you enjoyed, even if they seemed a little too cheery/scared/hyper. XP