Chapter Text
Upon hearing the door open, Judai immediately popped into Johan’s view, letting out a big grin when he saw him. Johan hardly had time to react as he ran over, wrapped his arms around him, and kissed his lips. ‘Welcome back! Guess what’s for dinner!’ Johan smiled, knowing the answer immediately. Every time he asked that it was always the same thing. Johan was really happy that Judai had learned to cook for them both, but he did wish Judai would improve his range a bit. ‘Hmm...is it a casserole?’ No, of course it isn’t. ‘Nope! Try again!’ Judai grinned. Johan pretended to think his hardest, looking up at the ceiling for a moment to sell it. ‘Is it tempura shrimp?’ He asked. ‘Aww, how’d you know?’ Judai laughed and walked back to the kitchen. Johan dropped his bag on the table, following into the kitchen to make a side dish with some nutritional content.
It had been a few years now since they’d both graduated. Judai had wandered the world by himself for a while, keeping in touch with Johan and his friends via phone, but after much insistence from Johan, Judai eventually decided to move in with him. Johan had become a big part of some international Duel Leagues, so he’d be travelling a lot too, so that way Judai could keep doing his helpful acts and Johan could keep an eye on him. “I know you’ll be fine, but I still worry anyway. You can lean on me, you know? I’ll always protect you. Plus, if anything big happens, we’ll be able to tackle it together! I’ll buy you a lot of shrimp, too.” Johan had sent in a last ditch effort to get Judai to reconsider, and thankfully, he had. When Judai finally arrived on Johan’s doorstep, their embrace felt like it lasted for an eternity.
These days, Johan was a big name international duelist, getting booked for events all around the globe. His skill and the rarity of his deck had made him really popular, especially with kids, who loved Ruby Carbuncle and the cool Dragon. While they traveled, Judai kept his senses keen for any who would be causing trouble, whether it's major threats like the Light of Destruction again, or simple card thieves. Thankfully, nothing major had happened, but he was always happy to help out and protect people. “Oh, if we’re going to be travelling heroes, does that mean we’ll have outfits? Like your HEROES. I want a cool mask and a sword, and a breastplate that looks like my jacket.” Johan laughed. “Well, I hadn’t really had money for anything like that…” Judai looked away shyly, scratching his chin. “I’m only joking, don’t worry.”
And now, here they were, inseparable. Johan made enough money to support them both travelling, while Judai tried his best to stay out of the spotlight, but when your partner shines that bright and that brilliant, it was hard to not become known. Sometimes they’d get asked to do tag duels, or Johan would get noticed when they helped someone. “Wow, you’re that Johan Andersen! And that must make you Judai Yuki!” For the most part, Judai had kept a low profile, though that didn’t stop Johan reminding him how incredible he was.
Today, they were in Venice, and Johan had just won another incredible League match. Judai wanted to celebrate by cooking a nice dinner for them but with his current limited menu options, he had to decide between making shrimp or an omelette. “Shrimp sounds more celebratory, right?” Judai thought to himself while grabbing the ingredients for the batter.
Now, they were both in the kitchen, Johan planting a kiss on Judai’s cheek as he started heating up a pan for a side of fried rice with egg and veggies. “You do need to have some healthy things on the side, or you’re gonna make yourself sick.” Johan smiled, shaking his head. “But we’re celebrating your win, it's okay to be unhealthy while celebrating.” Judai’s grin practically covered his whole face, as infectiously happy as always. “You always say we’re celebrating. If you want to cook with me, you could always just ask.” Johan glanced at Judai from the corner of his eye while cracking an egg. Judai was looking away and blushing, and that massive grin had turned into a shy smile. “...That might be it.” His hand fumbled around until it found Johan’s and gripped it tight. “I love you, Johan.”
“I love you too, Judai. Big hero, saving the world, can’t ask his boyfriend to cook with him. Here, help me chop these up.”
Dinner came out great. Simple, but yum, with lots of nutrients in the rice. Really, with how much love Judai put into cooking those shrimp, they always came out good. Johan dished up some rice, put some shrimp on top, and brought the two places over to the table, where Judai was waiting after washing up. “Itadakima~su!” Judai clapped his hands together and got ready to dig in, but noticed Johan sitting there, head in his hand, just staring at Judai with a smile. “Everything okay?” Judai asked. Johan sat back up, a bit startled. “Oh, yeah, everything’s good! I just...got lost in how beautiful you are when you’re happy. And you’re always happiest when there’s shrimp.” Johan repositioned himself and got ready to eat. “Come on, you know that’s not true, I’m always happiest when you’re here!” Judai grinned again and Johan felt himself go loose. ‘Oh, that smile could light up a room.’ Johan thought to himself before starting to eat too.
“So, congrats on another big win!” Judai said in between chews. “You don’t have to talk it up, it wasn’t a big win or anything.” At Johan’s response, Judai just shook his head. “You’re one of the top ranked duelists in the world, and you just keep winning! They say even Kaiba’s got his eye out for you! You don’t have to be humble here, let me talk you up. It’s my job to talk you up.” Ruby crawled around Johan’s feet and mewed in agreement. “Alright, alright, you two are right, thank you. I’m sure you’d have done just as great though, Judai.” They both smiled. “Once dinner’s done we can clear off this table and find out!”
“Oh, actually, Judai, I’ve been meaning to ask, could you take a look through my deck with me? There’s some changes I’ve been thinking of making and-” Just then, the atmosphere in the room grew cold, the tension frozen in the air. Judai’s eyes, now glowing red and green, were glancing off to the side. “What is it?” Johan asked, suddenly stern. “Trouble. Nearby. Could be bad.” Judai replied, straight to the point, getting up and grabbing his disc and bag. “Mm. I can feel it too, but not as strong as you.” Johan followed, quickly wiping off his hands. “Hey, you’ve had a big day already, you don’t need to come, rest.” Johan just smiled at Judai. “Like I said, it wasn’t a big day. And besides, it might be bad? I’m gonna come keep you safe.” Johan finished slipping on his shoes, and Judai cupped his cheek and kissed him. “Alright, but only if I get to keep you safe too.”
They ran down the streets along the canals, Johan following Judai’s lead, until they came to the scene. Two injured duelists knocked down, and standing over them, two Rare Hunters. “Huh, just a couple of scum Rare Hunters. Guess we brought out the big guns for nothing.” Johan sighed, stepping forward to take the lead with a slight swagger. The Rare Hunters used to be a major threat, but ever since their original leader vanished, they’ve become nothing but straggling thieves in a power vacuum. “‘Just a couple’? Ha, we’re two of the top Rare Hunters! Do you two want to part with your cards as well?” The first Rare Hunter’s expression changed immediately from cocky to terrified as he looked at Judai, his glowing eyes piercing through. “H-hey, wait a minute. You’re...you’re Johan Andersen, right? And that makes you...Yuki Judai!” The second Rare Hunter stepped back, arm shaking. “What’s the matter? Afraid now that you’re going to pay for your theft?” Judai activated his duel disk, Johan quickly following suit, leaving the two Rare Hunters shaking as they began to draw their opening hand.
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“Go! Flare Neos! Burn To Ash!” “Rainbow Dragon! Over The Rainbow!” The two great duelists made quick work of the thieves, a perfect performance by the pair. “Give back the cards you took. All of them. And I never want to see you again. Understood?” Judai ordered, the glow on his eyes returning. Just the aura he surrounded himself with when he was stopping incidents like these must be terrifying for the people who chose the wrong side, but for Johan, it was awe inspiring. He’d been able to watch Judai bring so much good to the world in their travels, leaping at the chance to help people, without even the slightest concern for himself. Too little concern for himself, though, which always brought a stutter to Johan’s heart if Judai was late coming home one day, or mentioned he’d be doing something without thinking to give a location for Johan to come too. Judai could handle himself, Johan knew that, but he’d seen what all that selflessness could do before. ‘He probably thinks the same of me’, Johan thought to himself. But getting to fight alongside him was always incredible. ‘Judai, my boyfriend. Judai, the duelist. Judai, my hero.’
The Rare Hunters dropped the box of cards they’d taken and immediately sprinted off, panting as they went. Judai grabbed the box and took it over to the men, now back on their feet. “Thank you so much, is there anything we can do to pay you back?” One asked. “Don’t mention it, it was nothing, really.” Judai replied with a smile, to which the man nodded and began to leave. “Thank you, Johan. I don’t know if I could’ve done that alone.” Judai said, walking back over to his partner. “Well, I’m glad I was here just in case, but you definitely had that one, no problem.” Johan smiled back. “Maybe neither of us is the best at taking compliments.” Judai laughed, Johan quickly joining in. “Hey, I worked up a bit of a sweat on the run here, do you wanna head back to the hotel and, yknow, share a shower with me?” Judai asked, shyly avoiding eye contact. ‘So much easier to be confident in a duel, I suppose.’ Johan thought, before replying, “Of course, I’d love to.” He put his arm around Judai, gripping his hand tightly, as they made their slow, scenic walk back to where they were staying.
“I’m sorry it’s just a shower we’re sharing, though. I know how much you miss Japanese style bathing together, I tried to find somewhere with a big bath or a hot tub or-” Johan started rambling a bit before Judai rested his head against him. “Hey, it’s okay, shower together is plenty. If we get some spare time, maybe we could go visit some hot springs before we leave Italy.” “That’d be nice, hopefully there’s some time for sightseeing before I get booked somewhere else. Would also be nice if we didn’t have to deal with any more thieves, too.”
The canals were beautiful at night, the dark water reflecting the stars and the moon and the lights shining on the street, but for Judai and Johan, it was just a backdrop. “It’s nice when you get booked in such a romantic place.” Judai said, rubbing his head gently against Johan. “It really is, but when did you start liking the romance so much? Not long ago you’d have been happier just staying in the hotel room and dueling me all night long.” Johan teased. “Well, I still love that too,” Judai laughed, “But I guess getting to see so much of the world with you has made me appreciate it more.”
“I’m glad to hear that, me too. Both appreciating the sights and the dueling because I’ve still got a lot left in me, so I’d love to go all night again!” Johan could feel Judai squeeze down on his hand as he spoke. After all, even now, even in such a stunning location, that was all Judai needed to have a good time: a duel with Johan. And really, that was all Johan wanted too. Just the two of them, letting their spirits fly. “Oh, you’re on! How about winner gets to be little spoon?” Judai said, looking up at Johan with that incredible smile again.
Back at the apartment, Johan quickly gathered up the plates they’d left on the table while Judai got the dishwasher ready. “Oh, look at this,” Judai said, grabbing the bottle of dishwashing liquid and holding it up to Johan, “It says ‘Crystal Clean’.” Judai snickered, and Johan let out a laugh while rolling his eyes. “Are you going to make that joke every time? They all say crystal clean.” Judai nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely. Every time.” Once the plates were set aside, the pair made their way to the bathroom.
Judai always loved watching Johan get undressed. His loose tops really managed to hide how toned he was underneath. The way water flowed over his body was something great, too, how it ran over his firm chest and arms. Johan liked to get in the shower when the water was still heating up, which Judai thought was crazy, but hey, whatever makes him happy. ‘The water feels hotter if you were cold before’ Johan had said. Yeah, but you gotta be cold then. Why not just not be cold? Sometimes, watching Johan in the shower like that, all wet and glistening, made Judai want to just grab his body close and-
“Hey. Earth to Judai. Are you getting in or just standing there?” Judai quickly snapped back to reality, and hopped in, the hot water feeling great but still a bit embarrassed at how long he was just staring at Johan. “What had you zoning out?” Johan asked, pulling up close to Judai, letting the water flow over them both. “Just you.” Judai replied, putting his hand on Johan’s smooth, but firm chest. Johan stretched his arms out, resting them on Judai’s shoulders, “Did it have something to do with these?” Johan had such a smug smile on his face that Judai couldn’t help leaning in and kissing him. “A bit, yeah.”
“Staring into your eyes has me zoning out now, too.” The pair of them stood still in each other’s embrace, silent but the running water, for what Judai wished was an eternity, before Johan shook himself back.
“Oh! What I meant to ask you earlier. I’ve got another duel tomorrow, so I was hoping, when we duel tonight, we could take a moment between each game to look through mine and adjust, is that okay?” Johan asked, and Judai immediately nodded. “Course! If it’s testing for the league, do you want me to play my deck? We could try and make something closer to your opponent’s deck if you’d prefer.”
“Well...if you’d be fine with it, and it’s not too much trouble, that’d be a big help. Thank you, Judai,” Johan smiled, “My hero.” Judai’s blush was mostly hidden by the heat in the steamy shower, but Johan could sense it anyway. Judai always turned to goo at that word from Johan, and ever since discovering this, Johan had wielded it with great precision. “Come on...I’m just helping you test, you’re the one out there winning.”
“We both know you’d be winning too, don’t try that. Besides, all the Crystal Beasts agree, only you can properly help me test this deck.”
“Well...if all of you agree on it…”
“Mhm! You about ready to hop out?” Johan asked, and Judai slumped into his embrace. “Maybe hold me just a bit more.” Johan moved his arms to hold Judai closer and to support his weight a bit better. Judai closed his eyes and rested his head on Johan’s chest, and Johan started to gently rub his back. “You did good today.” Johan said softly, and Judai nuzzled his chest. “Alright, I’m fully recharged now!” Judai yelled, popping back up, “Let’s go play.”
“Okay, okay, silly.”
After a quick dry, Johan changed into some boxers and Judai into a fluffy Winged Kuriboh patterned pajama bottoms. Johan had seen the pajamas in a department store and immediately knew he had to get them for Judai. He’d felt silly wearing them at first, patterned pajamas at his age, but Johan told him it was cute and they did end up being really comfortable, so he wore them from time to time. They got their cards out, and began setting up a deck for Judai to play. Johan’s next opponent was playing Infernoble Knights, a deck focused on Fire Warriors and equipment, so Johan felt he might need something more to help his Crystal Beasts against that.
A few quick games, and a lot of ‘Hm, is there a reason you didn’t play this instead?’ ‘Ah, I was worried about you doing that.’, later, Johan was lying on the couch, head on Judai’s lap, looking through his deck. “Hmm, do you think maybe I should run another Crystal Abundance?” Johan asked, frowning while looking at his ratio of monsters to spells. “That could maybe work, what would you replace?”
“Maybe Crystal Beacon?”
“I don’t know about that, Crystal Beacon did a lot for you. I think your deck might be best as is. Oh, unless…”
“Unless?” Johan asked, his curiosity peaked. “Did you wanna take Neos?” Judai smiled. “Eh? Neos? Won’t you need him tomorrow?” Johan asked, immediately surprised, sitting up in Judai’s lap. “Nah, tomorrow I need to rest, pushed my powers too far today.”
“Would Neos really be okay with that?”
“Course! All my Heroes care about you.”
“Hmm...Rainbow Neos would be really strong...but I don’t know if I have time to tune my deck for it. Maybe another time.” Johan smiled, turning his head to where Judai’s deckbox, “Thank you, Neos!” The deckbox glowed in response to Johan, and Johan grinned. “And thank you, my hero,” Johan said, turning back to Judai, placing a lot of emphasis on the ‘my’ and giving Judai a kiss on the cheek. Judai smiled for a moment but interrupted himself with a yawn and stretched.
“Might be time for bed, I think.” Johan said, getting up off Judai’s lap and smiling at the cute yawn. “Aww, but I wanna duel with you more…” Judai replied, falling sideways onto the couch and looking up at Johan. “Didn’t you say you need to rest? Come on, sleep is good.” Johan held out a hand to Judai to help him up but Judai just said “One more?”. Johan leaned down, put his hands underneath Judai, and lifted him up into the air, making his way to the bedroom. “You can just ask if you want me to carry you to bed, too.” Johan smiled as Judai wrapped his arms around Johan. “This time I really wanted to play one more.” Judai grinned. Johan just shook his head. “Silly.”
Once he got to the side of the bed, Johan leaned down and gently lowered Judai into it. “Alright, winner got to be little spoon, right? So that’s me today.” Johan happily said, hopping into the other side of the bed. “Hey, I said that before I knew you wanted me to test. Not a fair bet. But I’ll let you, anyway.” Judai said, sliding over to Johan and wrapped his arms around his firm body. “Good night, Judai.” Johan said, already feeling safe and cozy in Judai’s embrace. “Good...night, Jo-” Judai passed out before even finishing the sentence, and Johan smiled and closed his eyes. ‘Always pushing himself so hard. But I guess he wouldn’t be the man I love without being such a selfless person.’ Johan thought, as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Dark. Nothing but dark. Screams, too. From where? Can’t see anything. Sounds like the Crystal Beasts. Sounds like Judai. Can’t move. Gotta save my family. Gotta save Judai. I can’t lose them. I can’t lose him. Please, Yubel, stop. Let him go, please. Can’t move. Judai’s screaming. Is Judai losing? I can’t move. I can’t breathe. Please, let me out, I need to save him. Please, Yubel, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I can’t move. I can’t hear Judai. I need to get out. I can’t move. I can’t do anything. I-
Johan sprang back to consciousness. Another nightmare. ‘Had been a while since the last one,’ he thought, ‘so I guess that’s progress.’ It had taken Johan a while to adjust to Yubel being a part of Judai. He knew Judai had forgiven them, and that it wasn’t all Yubel’s fault, but that time spent locked inside Rainbow Dark Dragon, watching his family be abused by Yubel, watching Yubel torture Judai...It was burned into his memory. Seeing Judai’s glowing heterochromia for the first time was painful, and though Yubel mostly keeps to themselves, when they are around, Johan had felt on edge, like he had to be ready to defend himself or Judai at any moment.
One night, stuck in bed, Judai fast asleep and clinging to an unable to sleep Johan, he’d decided to get his answers. “Yubel, are you there?” He asked to the dark empty room. “Hm? You’re calling to me?” Yubel’s feminine voice replied, as they slowly came into form at the edge of the bed, sitting next to Judai. “Do you...do you still have a problem with me? Do I have to defend myself around you?” Johan had asked, a slight quiver in his voice. He didn’t fear Yubel, he never had, he always had absolute faith that he and Judai could defeat them. What he feared now was hurting Judai. “No. You have nothing to worry about with me. I am Judai’s protector, and we are now one. I see all his thoughts and emotions. You’re in a lot of them.” Yubel smiled back. “He loves you. If the one I must protect loves you, I will protect you, too. Anything happening to you would hurt him far too much.” Johan was stunned, but once the shock of hearing it wore off, a wave of relief went over him. “I...thank you, Yubel. That helps a lot to hear. I’ll do my best to protect him, too, don’t worry.” Yubel let out a chuckle. “That, I was never in doubt of. He thinks the same of you, and you two are so similar...was that all? You should get some rest.” Johan nodded. “Yeah. Thank you. I can rest easy now.”
The nightmares hadn’t stopped, though. He could forgive Yubel, and know that the future will be fine, but those memories, that trauma was still there. Unable to help those who had helped him so much. But it was slowly getting better, the nightmares were becoming less frequent, more faint. Judai was here. He’d always be here to protect Johan, and Johan would always be here to protect him.
“Hey, Johan. Are you okay?” Judai asked, piercing the dark and bringing Johan back to the present. He always seemed to have a sixth sense about Johan having a nightmare, something that pulled him out of his sleep to come help. Johan always tried to be quiet, it was just a nightmare, after all, no real danger. Better to let Judai sleep, he’d thought, I’ll be fine. But Judai always woke up, no matter how quiet he was. He’d asked Yubel once, if it was them waking Judai up, but they didn’t know what he was talking about. ‘Just his instinct, I suppose’.
“Johan? Did you have a nightmare?” He asked again. “...Yeah. I’m okay now, though.” Johan slowly replied. “I’m here, okay? I’m right here with you. Everyone’s safe. I’ll make sure of it.” Judai tightened his embrace, and Johan could really appreciate feeling his warmth. A few tears started to fall down Johan’s cheeks. “I love you, Judai. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Johan. I’m right here. Cry as much as you need to, I won’t go anywhere.”
“Thank you. You should go back to sleep, though. You need the rest. I’ll be fine, was just a nightmare.”
“You can lean on me too, Johan, it’s not a one way thing. We support each other, remember?”
“I know, but it’s just a-”
“Shh, it’s okay. Don’t worry. I’ll stay up until I’m sure you’re safe and sound asleep. Let me know if you need any water or anything, I’ll get up and grab it for you.” Judai’s voice was so reassuring and calming, grounding. “Thank you, Judai. I love you.”
“I love you too. Sleep well.”
Seeing Judai’s glowing heterochromia for the first time was painful. It brought back a lot of horrible memories. But they no longer looked like Yubel’s eyes. Now they were just Judai’s.