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"Did I miss something?"
For once, Jaden arrives to class on time, only to see a small crowd forming around Chazz. Who leans back in his chair, hands behind his head and feet resting on his desk, not batting an eye at endless chatter.
Sitting down beside Syrus, Jaden studies him from afar, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation. It's mostly unintelligible, aside from snippets such as, "I can't believe you actually did it, Chazz," and, "I didn't take you for a rebel."
Which further piques Jaden's curiosity. Yet, when he locks eyes with Chazz, the latter turns away with a scornful expression. His outfit hasn't changed, nor has his hair; nothing stands out of place.
"Oh," Syrus speaks up, glancing at the crowd before resuming reading his textbook. "Chazz got a tongue piercing. No idea how he got his parents to agree, you think he did it himself?"
Jaden's heart jumps into his throat. Syrus' words replay in his head like a broken record, trapping him in a daze as he gawks at Chazz, who flashes a proud grin at someone else. Then, as if hearing his thoughts, he sticks his tongue out.
Albeit difficult to see from afar, embedded in the centre of his tongue is a small, silver bead. Out of everyone, Chazz is the last person anyone would've expected to get a piercing, let alone one on his tongue. From the corner of his eye, he glimpses at Jaden and that flabbergasted expression on his face, eyes wide and mouth agape.
Rather than glare or make a snarky comment, he leans too far back in his chair and hits the floor, silencing his curious classmates. Jaden looks away as well, knuckles resting against his lips as his mind struggles to process the sight.
Chazz has a tongue piercing.
Syrus side-eyes him, and attempts to speak but is silenced by Mr. Crowler starting the class. Reluctantly swallowing his words, he glances at Chazz, whose crowd has returned to their seats, exposing him to prying eyes.
Hand over his mouth, he glares at his desk, cheeks dusted pink; and it's enough for Syrus to know this'll be a long, excruciating day. It's better to get it over with; so, tearing off a page corner from his notebook, he scribbles a message and slides it to Jaden.
Except he pays it no attention, too busy staring at the whiteboard. His eyes are half-lidded and unfocused, appearing on the verge of falling asleep. Syrus wants to scream, but instead, he shakes Jaden's shoulder and whispers his name, silently praying Crowler won't catch on. Although, detention might save him from this nightmare.
It takes a couple attempts, but he breaks Jaden out of his trance. Albeit a little dazed, he picks up the note, and it reads; "Do you like Chazz or something?"
Lifting his head, he stares dumbfounded at Syrus. "Of course I like Chazz, he's my friend."
Sighing, Syrus drops his head onto his notebook, wondering what he did to deserve this.
For the remainder of class, Jaden doesn't pay attention. Which isn't uncommon, but he isn't dozing off like usual. He keeps glancing over his shoulder at Chazz, no matter how many times Crowler or Syrus try to get his attention; their voices fall flat, as does everything else, reduced to background noise.
Everything except Chazz, writing down notes while utterly unaware of his staring. Jaden's mouth hangs agapes, as if he wants to say something, but his mind is blank. But in the blink of an eye, a million questions run through his head, too fast to process.
Did it hurt? Does it still hurt — what does it feel like? Chazz has probably been asked the same questions a million times, but he needs to know, to see it up close. Out of mere curiosity, he's never met anyone with a piercing before.
But as soon as class is dismissed, Chazz is gone, lost within the swarm of students. No problem, they'll run into each other soon enough.
Following Syrus out of class, the two head to the cafeteria and soon enough bump into Alexis, deciding to share a table together. Although their conversation starts off as complaints over homework, and discussing duel monsters; it ends up delving into another, unrelated topic. Alexis simply mentioned Chazz's new, ridiculous piercing, and it went downhill from there.
Really, really fast.
"Come on, Jaden, it's obvious! Everyone knows," Alexis claims, stirring the ice in her cold drink with a straw. "Well, everyone except Chazz."
Syrus nods. They have to be exaggerating, reading into things too much; because Chazz isn't treated any differently than them. Suffocating hugs, arms slung over shoulders and ruffling hair is shared between all friends, along with motivational speeches and longing gazes.
Hence, Chazz is nothing more than another friend lumped together with the rest. Yet, for some reason, Syrus is convinced otherwise. His face with genuine concern, he tells Jaden, "It's fine if you do. Chazz can be… a jerk, like, a lot — but he's sort of different towards you? In his own way."
Jaden laughs. "What?"
Sure, they butted heads a lot in the beginning — even if it'd been one-sided. But Chazz's snarky insults never held any real weight, weakening as time went on. Which is fine, it never particularly bothered him in the first place; they wouldn't be friends otherwise.
But Chazz is like that towards everyone; people just don't pick up on it at first. Genuine concern is hidden within scolding and frustrated remarks, and when he lightly pokes fun at someone — it's taken as typical banter or friendly teasing.
Syrus should understand, he's been on the receiving end, and enjoys teasing him back. His and Chazz's friendship isn't any different. Can't they see that?
He shakes his head. "You guys are reading too much into this. What makes my relationship with him different from any of you?"
Syrus and Alexis exchange unamused looks, then direct their attention back at him and say in unison, "His piercing."
His heart skips a beat, but it doesn't mean anything. Maintaining a calm expression, he talks with his mouth partially full of food. "So I said his piercing looks cool. So what? I'm sure plenty of people did! Didn't you see the swarm of students?"
Chazz seemed to be enjoying the attention, too — and good for him. He deserves it, honestly, it's a surprise it doesn't happen more often. While he's overheard a couple whispered compliments between classmates, it's less than he initially expected.
"He's a good looking guy, that's just a fact," he states casually, shrugging his shoulders and taking another bite of food. He doesn't bat an eye at Syrus' and Alexis' jaw dropped expressions, at a complete loss for words. Which is ridiculous, because he could ask any student in their year level, and they'd agree with him.
Right?
"Oh? What have I missed?"
Their conversation comes to a halt at Bastion's arrival, looming over Alexis. He pulls out a chair beside her, and sits down, eagerly awaiting answers. Reluctant glances are thrown around, until Alexis bites the bullet, bluntly speaking loud and clear.
"Jaden has a huge crush on Chazz and won't admit it."
"I do not!" Jaden quickly clarifies, nearly tipping his chair. He looks between them all, then clears his throat and regains a calm composure. "You guys are overreacting. I just think his piercing is cool," he claims, leaning back in his chair and taking a long sip of his drink. Though his eyes are closed, he's not blind to everyone's unamused expressions.
Besides, he doesn't have time for romance when Crowler is constantly on his back, anticipating every opportunity to dump more homework and detention on him. Why does he need to worry over kisses and dates when he could feel the rush of duelling, which never gets told no matter how many times he wins or loses.
Dating is a fickle thing, and in his opinion, far too complicated in comparison. Devising duelling strategies is the easiest part of life. When he's not deciding who to challenge next, he's hanging out with his friends in a group — and that's close enough to dating.
Lost in his own thoughts, he's oblivious to approaching footsteps, until a voice says, "What's got you so flustered?"
It damn near explodes his heart, causing him to topple backwards on his chair and hit the floor. Through his strands of brown hair, he sees a familiar face peering down at him, eyebrow raised. He doesn't look any different, and yet Jaden feels heat rise to his cheeks.
Scrambling to his feet, he laughs. "What do you mean?"
Chazz narrows his eyes. "You're acting weird. I don't like it," he says, scrunching his face up in disgust. It pierces Jaden's heart like a sharpened blade, yet he flashes a typical grin, picking up his chair and collapsing onto it.
"Me? Weird? No clue what you're talking 'bout, Chazz." Ignoring scrutinising gazes from his friends and Chazz, which quicken his heartbeat, he resumes eating. One downfall to attending a prestigious academy is not being able to go home, and be alone.
Syrus is his roommate, and nothing stops literally everyone else from barging into his dorm whenever they feel like it. He could run to the very ends of the earth, and somehow, they'd still manage to find him. Sometimes it's sweet; but in this predicament, it's more of a nightmare.
"Right…" Eyes wandering to his friends, Chazz expects an explanation or two; but receives silence instead. But as soon as Jaden's heartbeat returns to a steady pace, Bastion decides to send it into overdrive by saying,
"Is it true you got a tongue piercing?"
Rendered a sputtering mess, Chazz crosses his arms over his chests, and it's sort of cute how easily embarrassed he is. "So what if I did?"
Piercings, especially facial ones, are normally reserved for delinquents or punks; hence why Jaden hasn't met anyone else with one. But Chazz is the furthest thing from a rebel; although he has done some questionable things in the past. He lacks the intimidation value and toughness of one.
It's like comparing a pomeranian to a doberman. If appearing more intimidating had been his intention, it's fallen flat. Something's changed, however. So tiny and easy to miss — or, it used to be.
Alexis sighs, shaking her head. "Crowler's gonna have a heart attack when he finds out. Piercings are literally prohibited."
"Come on, Alexis. It's not that big of a deal."
"If you say so, don't come crying to me when you get in trouble."
Eyes darting between them, Jaden bites the inside of his cheek, then leans forward, resting his chin on his palm and eyes sparkling, says; "I think it suits you!"
Against the endless chatter of the cafeteria, their table falls silent. Chazz doesn't say a word, yet he's the loudest of them all, lips parted to expose his piercing. Which will undoubtedly haunt Jaden tonight, and probably tomorrow night, too. Although, it'd be more of a dream than a nightmare.
The silence wraps around his throat, forcing his words out in an attempt to lessen its grip. "Think I should get one? Then we'd be matching."
It takes a second, but Chazz's stunned expression breaks, and he scoffs. "You'd look ridiculous, and I wouldn't want to match with you." Lips pulled back in a snarl and eyes narrowed, it allows Jaden to breathe again.
"Aw, why not? Just think about it!"
They bicker back and forth, and it's not even questionable anymore. Anyone would see Chazz's mouth curving into the tiniest smile, and the fondness in his eyes — except for Jaden, who is too busy laughing at his threats that fall flat. If it hadn't dragged out so long, it'd be entertaining.
Syrus pulls a face, one a child would make at their parents' acting lovey dovey. "Get a room, you two."
Chazz's head whips around so fast, Jaden's sure he heard it crack. His eyes burn holes through Syrus' face, who slinks in his chair, chuckling nervously. "What did you say?"
He's about to tear Syrus apart limb by limb, when Alexis redirects his attention to her. "I mean, you two do act like a married couple."
Chazz's jaw drops to the floor. Previously gripping Jaden by the shoulders, he lets go and trips over his own words, unable to utter a coherent sentence. It'd be hilarious, if Jaden weren't equally embarrassed, silently conveying his panic to Alexis by looking her dead in the eye.
She has to notice, but digs their hole deeper without remorse. "You can't tell?"
"No!" They shout in unison.
As if things couldn't get any worse, Bastion chimes in. "Truthfully, I thought you two were dating for a while, until someone told me otherwise."
Jaden's attempts at resolving the situation, as he's abruptly cut off by Chazz talking loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear. A couple people turn their heads, intrigued by the escalating commotion, and he wishes he were anywhere else but here.
"Me and him?! You have to be crazy! It's tiring enough being his friend, you think I'd really want him as a boyfriend?!"
Everyone nods. For a few seconds, Chazz is rendered speechless, granting a fleeting moment of peace. His face has turned a deep red, and at this rate he'll never want to talk, let alone go near Jaden ever again.
"No, no — you've got it all wrong!" He points an accusing finger at Jaden. "Me and that, that slacker aren't together! Tell them, Jaden!"
All eyes land on him, both friends and curious strangers from a distance. It should be easy to answer, but the words are caught in his throat. Hands raised in surrender, he stares at Chazz's lips, wondering how they'd feel against his. "Uh… maybe?"
Crap.
"What?" Chazz chokes out, arm falling to his side. "What do you mean maybe?"
People are staring, many remaining after the bell for class rings out. Slowly backing away, Jaden laughs. "Wow, would you look at that! Guess I better head to class!" Leaving no time for questions, he turns on his heel — narrowly avoiding Chazz's grasp, and makes a run for it.
Through swarms of students, he sprints in the opposite direction of class. It'd be walking straight into a trap, so he hides inside the bathroom instead. Which is thankfully empty, allowing him to slide down the wall and sit on the floor, fingers entangled in his hair.
Everyone's gonna be hunting him down. It's fine, he can brush it off and continue denying their accusations, ignoring this morning's memory replaying in his mind. He doesn't actually have a crush on Chazz, he just blurted out the wrong words, a simple slip-up. They'll understand.
His feelings towards Chazz are entirely platonic.
Aren't they?
No more than a couple minutes go by, when the door creaks open. He expects an unfamiliar face, preparing a basic excuse that dies in his mouth. The person slides in, closing the door behind him.
"There you are, slacker." Chazz looms over him, hands in his jacket pockets and an unreadable expression etched onto his face. It's worse than his usual scowl or glare. "You're not even in class, why run off?"
"I, uh… got lost?"
"Wrong answer." His voice is equally hard to decipher. He crouches down, and their faces are mere inches. Jaden's light brown skin conceals his blush, but his expression should be a dead giveaway. "What did you mean by 'maybe' earlier? Did you not hear what I said, or…"
Jaden should look away — but he can't, eyes drifting between Chazz's stern eyes and his pursed lips. It's better to get it over with, like ripping off a bandaid. "Or… maybe you're actually kinda cute and dating isn't such a bad idea?"
He says it like a joke, mouth twitching into a smile.
"You're kidding."
He winces at the harsh tone, pressing his back against the wall. If he pushes past Chazz, then he could flee out the door — but where would he go? There's nowhere Chazz can't follow him.
His expression softening, Chazz repeats himself in a quieter voice. "You're kidding, right?"
Smile drooping, Jaden looks him dead in the eye. "Am I?"
Grabbed by the collar of his shirt, he's yanked forward and their noses practically touch. Chazz's breath tickles his skin, his piercing is unmistakable as he comes close to shouting. "Don't play dumb! Are you telling the truth or-"
Jaden grabs a fistful of his hair, and leans forward to smash their lips together. It's rough, their teeth clashing, and Chazz freezes up. Slowly, his hands drop to Jaden's legs, and he reciprocates the kiss.
Fingers tangled in his hair, Jaden turns his head and deepens the kiss, brushing his tongue against Chazz's piercing before he's forced to pull away for air. He lets go, falling back against the wall with a satisfied grin on his face. "Uh, does that answer your question?"
In the most beautiful way possible, Chazz is awestruck, having fallen back omto his hands. Eyes blown wide, his brain takes a second to catch up; and when it does, he covers his face in his hands and mumbles, "I hate you."
It's the cutest thing Jaden has ever seen, he can't help grinning ear to ear. "Mm, I'd beg to differ."
His friends are never gonna let him live this down. It won't change their relationship too much, right? Aside from the occasional kisses, and he supposes more affectionate acts than towards his friends. It might take some getting used to, but the kissing? He can do plenty of that. He glides his tongue against his teeth, already wanting to go again; to taste the silver in his mouth.
"So, why did you get a piercing, anyways?"
That of all things, catches Chazz off guard. Although his face partially concealed by his hand, it doesn't hide his saddened expression. he stares "Just... felt like it, I guess."
Leaning forward, Jaden smiles. Then, as soon as Chazz removes his hand to look at him, he pecks him on the lips. "Well, I like it."
He doesn't remember the last time Chazz smiled like he does now, a short moment of bliss that quickly fades. Scoffing, Chazz pushes his face away, but the smallest smile lingers. "Whatever."