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The first time Aki had stolen Yusei’s jacket, it was hanging off a nearby chair, and Aki simply grabbed it without thinking twice. She pulled his jacket around her, inhaling deeply. It smelled of gasoline, black coffee, of something stale she couldn’t really identify, and something so uniquely Yusei that she found it difficult to explain when pressed. It was thick, and warm. She wondered how Yusei stood wearing this all the time, even during warmer weather. It was nice now, however, as it was fairly cold in Neo Domino tonight and Crow seemed to hate turning up the heater. Last time Aki tried to turn it up, Crow reacted like her father might. Yusei was busy, and Aki settled in on the couch, slowly falling asleep in the stolen jacket. Yusei did not comment on her theft as he carried her up to bed.
The second time Aki stole Yusei’s jacket was more deliberate. It was the first time they slept together, and Aki woke up in his bed. All the emotions she’d put off last night now came to her in full force, wondering what this would mean for their friendship. He was deep in slumber for once, and Aki couldn’t help but notice how much younger he looked while he slept. Or really, it was more like he, for once, appeared his age. It was as if he’d never known the weight of the world. A blush came across her face as she remembered his hands sure upon her body, wondering if he’d ever do that to her again. Was he just blowing off steam as the WRGP approached? He’d been working such long nights to prepare, and Aki wasn’t sure where they stood now.
She quietly slipped out of the bed, her bare feet padding across his wooden floor to where her clothes were. She pulled them back on, her gaze kept on the blue of his jacket. And since she did not know when she’d be this close to Yusei again, she pulled his jacket on and inhaled the scent of it. Again, it smelled of gasoline and black coffee, but she now recognized the stale scent to be cigarettes. And still, there was that smell that was uniquely Yusei’s, buried underneath the aftershave he wore. She pulled the jacket on, taking it with her.
She hadn’t intended on returning the jacket, but when she had, Yusei had seemed distracted. He barely even remarked on Aki having stolen his jacket and holding it hostage for a few weeks. Granted, he was easier to distract these days. Recently, Ghost showed up, he’d been fixated on trying to figure out a strategy that didn’t rely on Synchros. Aki found that with Yusei so distracted, he barely seemed to notice her pitiful attempts at seduction. Thus, the third time Aki stole Yusei’s jacket, she’d worn only it while sitting in his bed. Her bluntness worked better than her previous attempts, and Yusei had remarked how much he liked her new look.
Aki replayed it over in her head as his hands seared his touch onto her flesh, as his lips claimed hers, and as he became one with her. Desperation was beginning to sink in for Aki, and she needed more of him. And she was desperate to know if he saw her as simply a friend he liked to fuck, or if he cared about her beyond that. Aki knew she was being greedy, but she didn’t care. But she would not be the first to break first. Aki had already spent so much of her life being destructive, and she would not be destructive anymore.
She left his jacket hanging on the chair as she slipped out of his room in the morning, well aware that she was already running late for school as she did so. Her mind was occupied the entire day trying to think about what it meant for them if they’d done this twice now. Both times, Yusei had seemed so much more relaxed, so much more at ease. And then everything came crashing down when she’d gone back to Yusei’s for another hit only to discover someone new there. Aki knew it was stupid to get jealous when she and Yusei were never established to even be anything, but she did. She stormed off, and she was angrier still when Yusei did not notice.
When rationality returned, she was almost embarrassed by the display. Months passed by again, turning to winter. It gave her a good reason to steal Yusei’s jacket for the fourth time, but this time it seemed almost like he wanted her to. He had that “I know something you don’t know” smirk on his face when he saw her, noting the stolen jacket. And when Aki offered to return it, Yusei refused, stating that it looked better on her. And finally, in his stolen jacket, it came pouring out: all the repressed feelings she’d been putting off demanded to be felt.
And it was in his stolen jacket that Aki finally knew where she stood with Yusei: to him, she was the most important person in the world, she was his best friend, and he was deeply, madly, impossibly in love with her. Aki couldn’t possibly express her jubilation in the moment, so she settled for pulling him for a deep kiss. And then his jacket fell to the floor, forgotten as he pulled her towards his bedroom.
Dating Yusei had been as easy as being his best friend, and Aki felt secure in her relationship with Yusei. The only real change was her father now demanding that Yusei not come over unless they were home - something that went ignored by both her and Yusei. And it was during this period that Aki stole Yusei’s jacket for the fifth time, keeping it in her room with no intention of returning it this time. The future that was in front of them seemed bright, and it’d been easy to say yes when Yusei finally asked her to marry him.
And it was all this that Aki was reflecting upon as Yusei spun her around, surprising her with how capable he was at dancing. Before she could ask him where he’d learned to dance like that, he instead asked her to follow him into the garden. The venue’s rose garden guaranteed privacy, and it was partly why they’d picked it. The full moon’s light was the only light source, and Aki was grateful for that. The two of them were guaranteed their privacy. The autumn air was chilly in the sleeveless dress Aki had picked, and when she shivered, Yusei slipped off his suit jacket and put it around her shoulders. Aki flushed as she pulled it in closer to her. It smelled exactly like Yusei.