Chapter Text
Year 1
– France -
After leaving Italy, Judai and Johan set their eyes on France, particularly Paris. A certain friend of theirs had reached out and asked if the two happened to be in the area around the time of the annual Dueling Expo event held in the city each year. The Expo lasted for an entire week and showcased new cards and duel technology. Industrial Illusions and Kaiba Corp always saved big announcements in anticipation for the Expo each year. The event also hosted many prolific duels and more than a few duelist celebrities were guaranteed on the roster each year. One such duelist happened to be an acquaintance.
“Hey, Edo!” Judai called out energetically as he waved.
Edo Phoenix had been waiting for them outside at a quaint café and his intense blue eyes practically lit up when he recognized the voice. Judai and Johan were still wearing their usual school uniform attire and they made for quite a contrast to Edo’s sharp grey suit and silver tie ensemble. He looked like he had just come back from a very important business meeting.
Edo glanced up from his small coffee cup and regarded the two as they approached.
“Hello, Judai, Johan.” He greeted politely, “How was your trip here?”
Judai scratched at his nose but was smiling big.
“Well, Johan initially got on the wrong train at one of our connections, so we almost went to Austria instead but it was pretty uneventful aside from that.” Judai gave a thumbs up, “Thankfully I can speak French now, so we got it sorted quickly!”
Johan was also cheerful despite being called out and he grinned.
“I don’t think it’s quite as simple as that, but it's been really handy so you won't see me complaining.”
Judai’s new skill first appeared in Rome, when the two needed to ask for directions. Judai had surprised Johan by fluently speaking Italian. Then, it happened again not too long after at the train station when Judai successfully read their tickets and spoke to the rail staff in near perfect French. When Johan bugged him about it, Judai didn’t even seem to notice he had been speaking or reading another language. It was like he had a filter that just auto translated everything for him as needed. Judai’s powers were surprising them almost everyday with something new.
Edo was going to comment on that but something dangling off Johan’s bright blue backpack caught his eye.
“Oh, that’s a neat Kuriboh keychain.” He pointed out. “Did you get it at one of the vendors across the street?”
Edo motioned to the giant outdoor market that was currently operating. There were various stalls selling all kinds of dueling related goods and trinkets in celebration of the Expo event.
“Oh, no, no! I found this years ago.” Johan quickly explained as he took off his backpack and placed it in a spare chair.
“Ah, I see now that one eye is completely wiped off and it also has a bald spot?” Edo observed, looking more unimpressed as he inspected the keychain closer, “Seems like it’s been through a lot…”
“Yeah, you could say that.” Judai admitted as he practically fell into the chair beside Johan, arms dangling over the back. “But it’s like a good luck charm for us.”
Edo hummed in thought and took a sip from his cup before commenting,
“It takes more than a fluffy keychain to garner good luck I’m afraid.” He noted absently. “Fate is inevitable after all. No charm can change that - we all have our own purposes in life to see through.”
Judai noticed Johan tense up beside him right away, so he gently pressed his leg up against the Gem Beast duelists in a subtle gesture of comfort. He should have anticipated that the subject of fate might come up in a chat with Edo Phoenix.
Since the recent incident with Paradox, Johan had been a bit stressed out. Judai had tried asking him about it but the other would just brush him off or try to play like it was nothing, which wasn’t usually like Johan at all. Judai would have to bug him again later but for now he figured he could at least try to move the topic onto something less uncomfortable.
“After everything, you should know that fate isn’t necessarily predestined.” Judai simply commented before switching gears, “So, we saw you’ll be doing an exhibition match for the Expo this weekend!”
Blue eyes closed and Edo smiled, catching on easily to Judai’s obvious attempt at changing the course of the discussion. He didn’t seem to mind it much though since he happily jumped on it.
“That’s right, but you guys should really be participating too.” Edo met the two sets of confused eyes staring back at him, “Is it true that neither of you are planning on joining the pro-circuit at all?”
His question was initially answered by silence as Johan and Judai looked at each other briefly. Judai eventually spoke up and answered for them.
“We talked about maybe participating in tournaments occasionally, but we’re not interested in joining permanently or anything…” He leaned back further in his chair, rocking it as he fidgeted.
Edo just crossed his legs, looking disappointed.
“You both have some of the rarest decks in existence.” He began, “It’s such a shame for the Elemental Heroes and the Gem Beasts…keeping them hidden away from the world like that.”
Johan smiled awkwardly.
“Well, if it helps, the spirits who reside in our decks don’t see it that way.”
Undeterred, Edo continued his pitch.
“You two are exceptional duelists – Johan, Pegasus ranked you as 5th best in the world and Judai, I don’t doubt you’d be up there as well. You guys should reconsider. You’re in your prime right now – there’s no use wasting any time in starting your dueling careers.”
“I plan to be in my prime for awhile yet.” Judai grinned. “There’s no rush, Johan and I are enjoying helping people first!”
Johan scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish.
“Not that we’ve helped anyone yet...”
“We just started! You only graduated last week!” Judai was quick to remind him.
Edo sighed, finally starting to look a bit exasperated.
“Traveling after graduation is fine and all but the pro-circuit-
“Okay, okay I think they get it – you can lay off them for a bit.”
Edo had been cut-off mid sentence, and everyone glanced towards the offender. They were greeted by a scowling set of onyx eyes as Manjoume Jun pulled up a spare chair and joined them unannounced. He had what looked like a gift bag hanging casually over his shoulder and he placed it unceremoniously on the table.
“Ah, Manjoume.” Edo airily regarded him, “At this rate, I thought you wouldn’t make it.”
Manjoume was also dressed in a rich looking suit. Unsurprisingly, it was black. He crossed his arms, looking indifferent.
“Time was just tight is all.” He huffed as he looked at Edo. “And what about you? They’re going to think you just invited them here so you could bait them into joining the pro leagues.”
Edo picked up his cup again and took a delicate sip.
“I was just curious. There’s no harm in asking.”
Manjoume snorted but left it at that. With there finally being a lull in the two businessmen’s bickering, Judai spoke up cheerily.
“Hey, Manjoume! I’m glad you could make it.”
Johan nodded in agreement.
“I didn’t think we’d bump into anyone from Duel Academia so soon, what brings you to Paris?”
Manjoume occupied himself with brushing off invisible dust on his sleeve as he answered.
“I’m here on business actually. There’s a pitch for some new duel tech being revealed in a private event at the Expo and the Manjoume Group was invited by Kaiba Corp as a possible investor. My family wants me to look into it.”
Edo grinned and chimed in.
“Yes, I’ll be attending that presentation as well. Kaiba Corp wants to scope out if there’s any interest in taking this research into full production.”
Manjoume looked thoughtful.
“The brief description we were given sounds interesting. I’m curious to hear how they managed to harness and then store so much -
Manjoume stopped that thought as Edo stomped on his foot – hard. The man in the grey suit stated simply.
“It’s still highly confidential at this stage. A very limited group of people are allowed to know about it so we should probably mind what we say?”
His voice made is sound like he was making a gentle suggestion, but his eyes were piercing as they glared at the man in the black suit beside him. Manjoume even pulled away slightly.
“Awe, come on. You guys should give us a small hint at least!” Judai pleaded.
“Sorry, Judai. Getting on Kaiba Corps bad side isn’t something I plan on doing. If this presentation to investors goes well, you’ll probably hear about it in the coming years.”
Judai looked absolutely crestfallen.
“Years? That’s so long…”
“Well, time tends to fly by faster than you think. You’ll blink and another year has gone by.” Edo noted.
“Still…” Judai pouted.
Manjoume sighed and shoved the giftbag he had placed on the table towards the two travelers.
“Maybe this will stop your sulking.” He offered with no further explanation.
When the two made no motion to open the bag, Manjoume grumbled.
“Judai mentioned you’d be traveling together so we all wanted to get you guys something. It’s from everyone back at Duel Academia.”
Brown eyes lit up and Judai looked at Johan.
“Let’s open it together?”
Johan smiled and nodded.
Judai unceremoniously flung the tissue paper from the bag after which, Johan more delicately unwrapped the two boxes that were inside.
Both had awestruck expressions when they realized what the gifts were.
Manjoume looked away, seeming unimpressed but he was blushing slightly.
“You guys can drink your cocoa on the road now.” He muttered.
Inside the boxes were two travel mugs – one red and one purple. Shape wise, they looked like regular mugs, but these were made of stainless steel and had leak proof lids. Obviously, they would be well insulated and more durable for a life of travel.
When onyx eyes finally glanced back over and noticed the two were acting like they had just won the lottery, he quickly blurted out,
“It’s a pretty small gift all things considered – you guys don’t need to be so over-the-top about it!”
The two duelists who were beaming as they inspected the colorful mugs seemed to disagree.
“But it really is perfect, thanks Manjoume!” Judai exclaimed, “The only problem is now that we aren’t at Duel Academia anymore, Johan drinks coffee instead. It’s so gross…”
Judai made a near-theatrical display of grimacing and stuck out his tongue.
“Yes, thank you, Manjoume! I’ll be sure to text everyone else as well, it’s very thoughtful of you guys!” Johan promised. He then turned to the dramatic man beside him and lightly admonished, “And don’t be like that, Judai…I can appreciate that you don’t like coffee but the fact that I do doesn’t really affect you.”
“It does affect me, actually!” Judai quickly disagreed as he crossed his arms, looking unnecessarily serious about the matter. “I prefer kisses after cocoa – coffee tastes too bitter.”
He said the statement simply and with not a hint of embarrassment. Johan, on the other hand, turned bright red and seemed completely at a loss on how to rebound from that admission.
Manjoume also appeared frozen as his brain processed that new bit of information, but Edo just politely coughed into his hand as he stood before commenting.
“Well, Manjoume and I need some time to prepare for that presentation we talked about. Apologies for calling this short.” He motioned towards the street vendors, “You two should go enjoy yourselves. You know what they say Paris is the city of after all - I suppose it’s made for couples like you.”
Two sets of eyes just stared blankly at him.
“Uh...what kind of city is Paris?” Judai asked.
Johan looked as though he were genuinely trying to figure it out.
“The Dueling Expo is one of the biggest dueling events in Europe each year…so maybe it’s the ‘City of Dueling’?” He offered.
Judai’s eyes lit up and he grinned.
“Gotcha! That must be it.” He gave his signature hand sign, “Thanks Edo, we’ll be sure to duel lots while we’re here, but we kinda do that anywhere already!”
Edo lifted the back of his hand to his mouth again but this time he was trying to contain a laugh. Manjoume didn’t bother hiding his utter exasperation.
“Not everything is about dueling!” He scoffed in near disbelief, “You two ‘duel idiots’ really do deserve each other!”
“Yes, it appears that way.” Edo agreed before tugging on Manjoume’s sleeve, urging him to stand as well. “We should part ways here for now - safe travels you two!”
“Thanks, you guys as well!” Johan gave a small smile.
Edo had been turning to leave but he regarded the Gem Beast duelist one last time instead.
“You know, people still tend to meet their fate on the road they take trying to avoid it. The only difference is that the path getting there may be altered.” He stated, pointedly. “That being said, it’s best not to stress about it. Fate is fate and there’s no use trying to escape it. My humble advice lately is to live each day as you want and to treasure every moment.”
Blue eyes shone like they were keeping a secret, but the pro duelist only wrapped up by giving a firm nod in farewell before finally taking his leave. Johan didn’t even get a chance to respond. Judai glanced at Johan and grabbed his elbow, decisively leading them towards the market across the street.
--
The two went their separate ways for a time as they browsed the market. Due to the Expo, many vendors were selling things such as deck holders and duel disk accessories. Johan gazed at them but wasn’t really paying attention. Edo’s words weren’t making him feel any better and his stomach was twisting in knots. The pro-duelist’s opinion was eerily similar to what Paradox had said to Johan as well...
“You should know that your fate always remains the same - no matter how many times Yuki Judai manages to prolong it…My advice would be to enjoy these remaining quiet years.”
Both made it sound like fate was inevitable and that time was limited. It made Johan feel ill.
He jumped slightly when a voice was suddenly in his ear.
“Hey, are you doing okay?”
Johan turned to his side and saw big brown eyes gazing back at him. He tried to smile.
“Y-yeah, why do you ask?”
Judai poked Johan’s cheek, right where his smile was twitching and exclaimed.
“You know you’re a horrible liar, right?” He pulled his finger away and more gently noted, “You don’t look so good either, you’re kinda pale.”
“The chat with Edo just left me feeling a bit exhausted, I guess.” Johan acknowledged as he started walking towards the exit for the market. “There’s a lot to think about…”
Judai kept one arm hidden behind his back as he followed.
“There’s nothing to think about in my opinion!”
Johan just looked at him and raised an eyebrow, so Judai offered a smile and continued.
“We’re together now and the entire world is in front of us! I feel like we can do just about anything…and whatever that ends up being is up to us.” His smile got even bigger, “Doesn’t that feel pretty amazing?”
Johan knew that was true and that he should be more excited.
“No, you’re right.” He agreed and he let out a sigh, “Sorry I’ve been so on edge lately, the stuff with Paradox really got to me. It still feels surreal.”
Judai lightly bumped into him, their shoulders pressed against each other slightly as they walked.
“I wish you’d tell me why it’s been affecting you so much.” He said quietly but his eyes were boring into Johan with a burning intensity.
The teal-haired man swallowed. Judai had asked him about it a few times by this point, but he could never bring himself to explain. He felt torn on whether he should share what Paradox said or not. As Judai looked on at him in concern, Johan ultimately decided he should at least share some of what was on his mind.
“I can’t help but feel like time is so fragile all of a sudden.” He blurted out, “It’s like I’m watching all the sand fall through an hourglass and I can’t stop it. We just started on this new adventure and…I guess I’m afraid of running out of time too soon.”
Judai was silent for a bit as he pondered what Johan said.
“I was afraid too, at first.” Judai admitted, “I almost didn’t ask you to come along with me because I was worried about keeping you safe and I thought that being apart would actually be the best way to do that.”
“Y-yeah…” Johan stuttered as he recalled that evening at the docks of Duel Academia.
“But ultimately, I decided that being together would be best – we can look out for each other that way.” Judai bumped into Johan again but kept close this time, “The Paradox situation only confirmed that. I wish I had been there when he came to take Rainbow Dragon.”
“I wish you had been there too.” Johan agreed, looking slightly regretful.
Judai firmly nodded.
“As long as we’re together, we don’t need to worry. We’ll keep each other safe, and we can have as much time as we want – forever even!”
Johan was used to Judai’s youthful optimism, but his own tone was skeptical this time.
“Forever, huh?” He remarked.
“You mentioned an hourglass…” Judai mused, “If that’s the case and time runs out, then I’ll just have to keep flipping the hourglass over, so we have more!”
It seemed simple when put like that – that was how an hourglass worked, in a way. However, Johan knew that was also naïve.
“I don’t think time works that way though. You can’t just keep extending it forever.” The Gem Beast duelist commented.
“Hey, you’re the one who compared time to an hourglass first.” Judai poked at him, “And besides, I have more experience regarding how time works than you do. Recent experience, even!”
“I guess…” Johan smiled a little. Judai’s confident attitude regarding the whole thing was finally having some effect.
“Yeah, so just leave it to me. Don’t stress about it!” Judai offered somewhat flippantly.
Johan decided to leave it there. Judai kept uncovering new powers as he needed them almost every day at this point. So, who was to say that he wouldn’t someday discover mysterious time altering abilities if he so chose?
It shouldn’t have, but the thought made Johan chuckle a little despite everything. Judai was such an enigma that you just had to take it in stride sometimes. Looking at things that way did make Johan’s worries feel a bit less intimidating.
“Okay, I’ll leave it to you.” The teal-haired man conceded as he reflected, “I feel like I’ve been relying on you a lot since we started traveling together. I’m usually more confident than this – I’ll try to be more positive and get back to my usual self.”
Judai wrapped one arm around the other.
“I miss your confidence but you can't be confident all the time either. When you’re feeling exhausted or overwhelmed, lean on me and I’ll pick up the slack! You’ve done it for me more times than I can count – I want you to be able to rely on me in these moments too.”
Johan felt his eyes start to water, but he brought an arm up to his face and quickly stopped them.
“Thanks, Judai. I don’t deserve you…” He said.
Judai smiled brightly.
“Well, sorry to break it to you but even Manjoume just confirmed it…I think we deserve each other.”
Johan met deep brown eyes and felt a warmth bloom in his chest.
“Yeah...we do, don’t we?”
The Gem Beast duelist laughed then but it still sounded watery. Now that they were out of the bustling market and on a quieter side street, Judai moved in front of him and whipped out the surprise he had been hiding behind his back all this time.
“Alright, no more tears!” He presented a single red rose with over-the-top flair as he proposed his suggestion. “How about we start this journey over? Let’s make this our new beginning.”
Johan couldn’t contain his delight as he accepted the flower and the proposal.
“I’d like that.” He agreed, smiling as he smelled the flower, “Where do you keep finding these? Are you going to get me one in every city or something?”
He was joking but his eyes were now brightly glowing and filled with mirth. Judai seemed to find it contagious.
“Maybe I will!” He proclaimed.
Green eyes peeked out coyly at Judai from over red petals as Johan twirled the rose.
“Then I’ll just have to make sure to return each gift in kind, won’t I?”
Judai just smirked as Johan leaned over and captured his lips in a soft kiss.
They kept grinning at each other after they pulled away and Judai seemed relieved to see the sparkle still glittering in mint green eyes. His own brown ones were gleaming with a bit of mischief.
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t return Manjoume’s gift ‘in kind’…that only applies when I give you gifts, alright?” He teased.
“Judai!”
Johan pushed his partner lightly but was laughing too. After they calmed down a bit, Judai reached out his hand.
“Well then, shall we go see if we can find anyone here who might need our help?” He offered.
After carefully tucking the rose away in his backpack so that it was secure but the bloom was still safely poking out, Johan took Judai’s hand and gripped it tight.
“Yes!” He simply replied, swinging their arms slightly.
Whatever fate had in store for them, Johan knew he would at least face it with Judai by his side. This new adventure was only just beginning and Johan planned to make the most of it.
--
It was evening and the two had just finished setting up their tent for the first time. It had been somewhat of a struggle but both agreed that they couldn’t really afford to stay in hotels all the time, so they’d opted to camp when that option was available to them. The night was warm so Judai laid out on the grass, spreading his arms out wide.
“That took forever!” He complained.
Johan joined him and offered a small smile.
“It’ll get easier now that we know what to do.”
Judai brought up his arms and rested his head on them as he gazed upwards. The sky was surprisingly clear and he couldn’t help but stare as the moon shone over them.
“Yeah, you’re right.” He let out a puff of air and smiled. “It’s our first night together camping outdoors like this, we couldn’t have asked for clearer skies.”
Johan hummed next to him. A comfortable silence settled between them for a time as the couple stargazed, enjoying the calm of the night. The stars twinkled like tiny gems above them. The quiet was broken when Johan softly spoke up.
“The moon is beautiful tonight."
Judai turned to his left and realized that Johan had been staring at him as he said those words. The other’s mint green eyes held such a tender expression and it made a warmth instantly bloom in Judai’s chest. Feeling compelled, Judai rolled over and easily placed an arm on either side of Johan. He looked down momentarily and took in the soft blush on his partner’s face as the other smiled up at him. Judai was sporting one of his own and his eyes never left Johan's when he whispered,
“It is beautiful.”
Then, he leaned down, bringing their lips together in a loving kiss. Johan tilted his chin, allowing for his partner to come in even closer and Judai couldn’t hold back the contented hum that escaped from the back of his throat.
He pulled away, staying close and brushing their noses once before pressing a lingering kiss to Johan’s forehead. In this moment, everything felt so right and Judai's heart was soaring. By the tent, he spotted the red rose peeking out through Johan’s bag and he glanced back at Johan who was beaming up at him.
For the first time in ages, Judai truly felt excited for the future. There was so much to look forward to and he couldn’t wait.
His expression must have betrayed him because Johan’s smile also widened and he titled his chin up in an unspoken question. Judai knew right away what the other wanted and in that moment, he realized he’d never be able to deny the other in this way. When their lips came together again, a soft sigh escaped Judai’s lips and he felt himself surrender completely to the peacefulness of this moment.
As they kissed under the moons serene glow, one thought reverberated through Judai’s mind on repeat.
I love you. I love you so much. I could never accept a world that didn't have you in it.