6A/N: There is just one thing you need to do kind visitor, while reading this. Roll with it. Roll with all of it. Thank you and please enjoy! :D
Special thanks must go to my good friend TTY7-chan, who helped me out through the more difficult parts of this story. I would like to inform the audience that I would totally buy her some non-suspicious candy as a thanks if I wasn't such a cheap person. Thanks a bunch! :D
Yusei Fudo had had a very difficult day.
One would think that after defeating Rex Goodwin and the King of the Underworld in a Duel, saving the world from turning into Hell on Earth in the process, the young heroes would get a rest and duel just for the fun of it, not for the sake of humanity. Not to say that Yusei didn't have his own goals and dreams, things that he planned to achieve no matter the cost, but was it so wrong to just want to rest for a while?
In his humble, low-class opinion, it was a perfectly reasonable request.
As he took the last turn to reach his apartment, he couldn't help but think of one of those traveling agency advertisements, where the beaches were a brilliant blue and beautiful, bikini-clad ladies served drinks with wide smiles. Unbidden, the image of Akiza clad in one of those bikinis came to his mind.
No. No such thoughts. No. he repeated to himself as he walked the final steps. Focus Yusei. You are not some pervert. Go get some rest before it's time to bring in more of… Jack's… stuff… what the hell?
Yusei raised an eyebrow at the image of none other than the one and only Carly Carmine trying to pick the lock to his apartment.
I am going to regret asking.
"What are you doing?" he asked the glasses-wearing brunette dryly.
"Hush you idiot, I am trying to concentrate! I must be out of here before Yusei… comes…"
As if just realizing what she was saying, the would-be reporter turned her head around slowly, her face the personification of guilt. "Oh! Uh… hey there… Yus… nice weather huh?"
Yus...? And what's with the mustache?
The Signer simply raised his eyebrow higher. He knew that Carly would be unable to stand against the Glare for too long.
He was right.
"I am so, so, so, so sorry Yusei!" the girl, much to his surprise, broke down sobbing. "I am so sorry I had no other choice please forgive me waaaahhhhh!"
I am not mentally equipped to deal with this.
"Carly, it's okay, calm down! Just… just tell me what you were doing."
The brunette took a few calming breaths, as her hands fell to her sides in defeat. Yusei noticed two horribly mutilated paperclips in her fists, which she had clearly believed capable of opening the door to his apartment.
"I just… I, you know, what happened then… with Jack, I…" Carly stopped talking for a moment, trying to regain control of her voice. Yusei's eyes softened.
Akiza –don'tthinkofthebikini, don'tthinkofthebikini, don'tthinkofthebikini- had told him that Carly held no memories of her duel with Jack during her time as a Dark Signer. Jack himself had been less than willing to talk about it, but Yusei could tell, by the look in his friend's eyes how dear he held that experience, no matter how terrible it must have been. He had looked devastated, however there had been something different about him, about the way he had carried himself and even in the way he had dueled. The determination shining in his eyes had told Yusei a lot about what that duel had meant to his old friend. And while Jack, after learning that Carly could not remember their duel or her time as a Dark Signer at all, had decided to never discuss it again, Yusei had noticed the content look in his eyes whenever Carly would come around, no matter how he tried to sound like his usual, grumpy self.
"I just wanted to make it up to him… you know?"
Even so…
"That does not explain why you are trying to break into my house." he told her patiently. Carly became flustered once more and began stuttering an answer. This is getting ridiculous. "Carly. Calm down, I am not going to eat you. Just tell me what you were trying to do."
Carly sighed. "Well, I… I wanted to make it up to Jack and uh… well, you see, I am broke and I really cannot use any of my savings because then I will be really broke and I thought… um…"
"…Were you trying to rob my house for cash?"
"…No…?"
Yusei raised the eyebrow again.
"Yes, okay? Yes! I thought that with the prize money you could afford it, but then again I wasn't going to take everything… just a little bit… that I could sell…"
"Something that you could sell?"
"Yeah, uh, you see I am broke and I really cannot use any-"
"Alright, alright." Yusei sighed. "How much do you need?"
"I…am not sure."
"What did you plan on taking?"
The reporter blushed scarlet. "The TV."
Yusei looked at her incredulously. "The TV?"
Carly bit her lip. "And the computer…?"
Yusei blinked. "Did you mean to build him a golden statue?"
"No! I just… oh forget it! I don't want your stupid electronics anyway!" the flustered brunette tried to get past him, paperclips clutched tightly in her fists. Yusei sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I am sorry. Here." He removed his bank card from his jacket pocket. "Use as much as you need, to a reasonable extent. Just bring the card back in one peace."
To his amusement, Carly looked up at him with stars in her eyes.
"Thank you Yusei! I'll guard it as if it was my own child!"
"Uh, I don't think-" he began, but Carly was already out of sight. Putting a hand behind his head, he stared towards the direction she had taken.
She really did look cute though.
He was still amused with the whole ordeal as he entered the house, slightly shaking his head at the brunette's antics. To his horror however, the image of Akiza in a bikini returned with a vengeance, only for it to now include Carly with an equally small swimsuit.
Oh for the love of…
Carly Carmine was not having an easy day.
The need to apologize to Jack for all the trouble she had caused him during the fight against the Dark Signers, by being one of them no less, was eating away at her, but what could she do? She retained no memory of the period she had spent as a servant of the Earthbound Immortals, so she found that a simple apology would be dull and meaningless. She felt terrible for standing in his way, in all of their ways, of supporting those who would take away everything beautiful from this world. But, as always, the blonde was dominating her thoughts. She had targeted him and had almost killed him.
And yet, while she believed that events had played out as they had been described to her, she couldn't bring herself to feel as mortified as she should. It sounded like someone else's story and so she couldn't apologize properly, not like this. So she had decided she would allow her actions to speak for themselves.
Carly Carmine had come up with a brilliant plan.
She would get into his house, she would clean up a bit and cook him a nice dinner. She had downloaded a few recipes and had concluded in what she believed to be a very good menu. Now, she wasn't exactly the greatest of chefs, but she was certain she would manage.
For safety sake though, she printed the recipes. Just to avoid breaking her most important possession.
And now for step number one.
Carly Carmine was in dire need for cash. Thinking over it for a while, she slowly came up with a plan. It is risky, she had thought, but if it succeeds… and besides, it's not like Yusei won't be able to replace it all with the prize money.
Yes. It was perfect. She just needed one more thing.
What do my little Fortune Fairies have to tell me about this?
She shuffled her deck with newfound energy and drew a card.
As Carly entered Jack's apartment, her groceries securely in her arms, she promised herself that she would never, ever allow herself to recall this day prior to her entering the apartment of her target. She looked around curiously, taking in the interior of the house. It was relatively clean and, barring a thin layer of dust, in a good condition.
She made her way to the kitchen, noticing a few boxes here and there, but deciding not to pry too much. After all, she was going to clean a little while the chicken marinated, so it wasn't like she couldn't take her time in checking things in more detail.
For cleaning purposes only of course.
Placing her shopping bags on the counter, she began taking out the stuff from inside and putting them into piles of things that she could remember she would need for each dish… and another pile for what she couldn't remember what to do with. Eventually she sighed in resignation and placed everything in one big pile, only taking away what needed to be put in the fridge. As she finished, it dawned on her that she should probably do something about the door.
Said door was hanging open, the key mechanism well and truly destroyed. Her paperclips had served her here about as well as they had in Yusei's house. So, in a moment of frustration, she decided enough was enough and kicked the door out of the way.
There were few things that could stand against the power of love and the door to Jack's house wasn't one of them.
Carly thought for a bit, before walking into the living room, where she had spotted the boxes. Picking one up carefully, she shut the door and placed the box behind it to keep it so. She inspected her work with a frown.
It's not perfect, but it should do just fine. Now, where would the cleaning products be…? No, no wait! The chicken first! Yes! Priorities Carly!
The kitchen was a simple one, with a refrigerator and a stove, along with a coffee machine and finally a round kitchen table with four chairs. A few utensils in the drawer and instant ramen stuffed in various cupboards. Carly had begun the day assuming that Jack's fridge was empty and had created her shopping list accordingly and she was now grateful for it. She took the prints of the recipes out of her bag and opened them to the main course.
So… first, to marinate the chicken. No, first to pound it.
Carly searched around and, as she had half expected, found no mallet. Well. I guess I will just have to improvise then.
Searching around for a while, she had almost given up on finding something appropriate when she noticed the butter box. Could work…
Grabbing it, the brunette raised her hand and brought the box down on the first chicken breast with all her strength.
Fortune Fairy En.
Carly looked at the red little fairy in slight disappointment.
A level two monster, which meant that her day wouldn't be what she needed it to: absolutely perfect. Not that it was bad luck exactly- but in order for her plan to succeed the way she wanted it to, everything had to go down smoothly.
I guess I will just have to be extra careful today.
Things were definitely not going her way this time around. It almost seemed as if everything was moving in slow motion, as the chicken breast slipped from the counter the moment the box made contact and fell towards the floor. Carly leaped in the air to catch it, only to fall on her stomach, her glasses breaking in the process. For a second, the brunette remained in shock, trying to understand what had taken place.
"My glasses…" she whispered in horror. While she wasn't blind without them per se, doing things would be… challenging.
I cannot let a silly setback like that get in the way. This is my apology to Jack- no matter what, it will be perfect.
With determination in her eyes, Carly picked the cursed chicken breast from her hair and stood up. The expression on her face should probably be enough to convince the meat to just pound itself into shape, but as things stood, the reporter calmly used the butter box to do her business, with no further accidents. She took out a bowl and put in some olive oil, oregano, a tiny bit of white wine and finally salt and pepper. In the end she also added the chicken breasts.
"Very well. Now, how long should I leave it in…" she muttered, as she narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the letters. Frowning, she bent over slowly, her nose almost touching the prints. "Fifty minutes… that is a bit long, isn't it?"
She had skimmed through the recipe the previous night and she couldn't recall that part. But then again she hadn't been particularly thorough either, so it wasn't that unbelievable. Shrugging, she put the bowl in the fridge and quickly proceeded to mix the bread crumbs, the Parmesan and the… ground cinnamon? Shaking her head she read that part again, only to come up with the same result. Deciding to stop questioning everything, she proceeded to follow the instructions in preparation for the frying of the chicken.
Yusei had been kind enough to allow her to use his bank card and Carly was dancing inside. Only until she was half-way to the bank did she realize that she never stayed around to ask for his PIN code. Sighing, she turned around and walked the way to his apartment. She knocked on the door, only for the one behind it to turn out to be none other than a shirtless Jack Atlas. Carly felt her blood-pressure sky-rocketing.
"Carly? What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised. Then his eyes narrowed. "What's with the mustache?"
"H-H-Hey there Jack! H-How's it going?" she asked lamely, trying to cover her nosebleed with her hand. "I-Is Yusei home?"
Jack studied her with an unreadable expression. "Yeah. Let me get him for you." He shut the door in her face and Carly took advantage of his absence to wipe all the blood off of her face, tear the fake moustache off and patiently waited for Yusei to come out.
Said person was already making his way down the hallway the moment he heard Carly's voice, ignoring Jack's questioning glare as he passed him by. He had deduced that Jack was unaware of the bespectacled reporter's plans and hadn't mentioned to his friend of her earlier… visit. He also knew that the girl had, in her giddiness, forgotten all about the PIN code she would need to actually get the money. "Can I help you Carly?"
"You know only you-" she stopped abruptly as she noticed Jack standing right behind Yusei, his hands crossed in front of his very much still naked chest. This time Carly was prepared for it however and calmly brought the handkerchief in front of her nose to prevent further blood loss. "Could we speak in private?"
"Of course. Follow me please."
As Carly followed Yusei to his room, she could feel Jack's eyes burning holes in her back. She tried to ignore it as best as she could, but that did not mean that she did not sigh in relief once the door closed shut behind her.
"I forgot-"
"The PIN, yes. Here." Yusei quickly scribbled the code on a piece of paper and handed it over.
"Thanks! And uh, sorry for the trouble!" she apologized, clutching the paper.
"Don't mention it."
"By the way, if you could do me another tiny little favor… say, keep him around for a bit longer, say-"
"Until eight, maybe a bit later. Sorry, it is the best I can do without actively pinning him down." he explained, rubbing the back of his head.
"That would be perfect! Thanks, you are the best!" she yelled enthusiastically, with a grin splitting her face in two.
"If you need anything else-"
"I'll call you!" she yelled from the end of the hallway, already gone.
How does she keep doing that…?
Yusei walked out of his room, only to find Jack staring at him in a very creepy way and Crow shaking his head.
"Uh…"
"Five minutes." Jack simply said, turning on his heel and exiting the house, presumably to get dressed and get his Duel Runner running.
Crow waited for Jack to go away before giving Yusei a piece of his mind.
"What are you doing Yusei? What happened to the Bro Code man?"
"The Bro Code?" asked Yusei confused.
"Carly? Really Yusei? How could you do this?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Should Jack date Akiza then? How would that feel to you, huh?"
Date Akiza?
The image of a bikini-clad Akiza in a beautiful beach filled his mind completely, only this time, her smile was directed not to him, but to Jack. Yusei felt an unreasonable urge to punch the blonde in the face. With a metal pipe. That was when it dawned on him what Crow was really telling him.
"You've got it all wrong! Let me explain!"
"By all means, let me call Jack and-"
"NO! Jack absolutely must not learn a thing!"
Crow narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you sure you are not violating the Code?"
Yusei sighed. As he lowered his voice and explained to Crow the mission Carly had placed upon his shoulders, along with the 'why', a very disconcerting glint appeared in Crow's eyes.
"Fudo! Don't make me drag you down here by the hair!" Jack called from outside. Yusei looked at Crow almost pleadingly. The latter grinned.
"Oh, don't you worry old buddy. I've got your back."
Somehow, this made Yusei feel like he had just committed a grievous error in judgment.
"Fudo!"
"Coming!"
After the vegetables had been chopped and the meat was marinating safely in the fridge, Carly proceeded to look for some house-cleaning products. After finding the kitchen empty, she passed the living room and followed the hallway down to the bathroom door. Carefully opening the door, she checked under the basin and voila! Picking the appropriate product, she left the bathroom and went back to the kitchen, picked a towel out of the drawer and moved on to the living room.
Mostly everything was packed away, with only a coffee table and comfortable-looking couch decorating the room. Humming a song, she wiped the dust off the table and fluffed the couch pillows.
There must be a vacuum somewhere around… she thought with a frown.
As she started to leave the living room, however, she caught a distinct smell.
Is that… bug spray?
The terrible realization dawned on her slowly as the brunette grabbed the product she had used to clean the dust. It had a bright green color, just like the product she used to keep her car clean, but by focusing more on the letters she could now clearly see the difference.
"You… you idiot!" she yelled at herself, slapping her face with both hands. Carly moved to quickly open the windows, to let in some fresh air, however in her haste she tripped over her feet and landed face-first on the wooden coffee table. She waited for the dizziness to subside a bit, before standing up with a groan of pain. She could feel the splinters in her skin more than she would have liked with every move she made and it really-
Wait a minute… splinters…? Oh no.
Carly looked down at the table in horror. Somehow her fall had managed to break it neatly in half. She stared at the disaster in her hands for a full minute before it fully sank in, at which point, she snapped.
"WAHHHHHHHH! I've really done it this time!" she cried loudly, pulling her hair. "How am I even going to fix this?!"
Looking around frantically, she spotted the duct tape that was holding the many boxes around her closed. Well, not "spotted", not really. But even with her blurred vision, the silver row on top and around of the brown boxes was enough of an indicator of its function that the desperate girl held onto as a last hope of salvation. The reporter began tearing at the boxes, looking for something she could use to cover up the huge crack… and the fact that the table had been split in half. She didn't need it to be a permanent solution anyhow- just something that would last the night. She opened boxes and emptied them from their contents, looking for a table cloth, or a really large towel or anything really. By that point, she would gladly use one of Jack's beloved trench coats to cover up this catastrophe. However, after opening every single box in the living room and the hallway, finding not a single article of clothing or even a bloody bath towel, she decided that enough was enough and began devising a more permanent plan.
Twenty minutes into it and she had already ruled out burning and throwing it out the window. Sitting on the couch, brainstorming on how to deal with this new, sudden and unwelcome development, she decided on two things. Moving the table away from a position where the damage was obvious and pretending she never saw it before in her life was the best course of action in this situation. That and she should really buy a couch like that when she became a famous reporter with an actual house.
With a sigh, Carly got off the couch and began dragging the first piece of what once was a very troublesome coffee table.
"And now! Stardust Dragon, destroy his Life Points! Cosmic Flare!"
Yusei: 200 LP
Jack: 0 LP
Yusei brought his Duel Runner to a halt and looked back at Jack, who removed his helmet.
"I think that is enough." the blonde duelist said as he got off his own Duel Runner. "Two out of three for you today, but don't think I will go easy on you tomorrow, Yusei. Be prepared to lose that title soon."
"But Jack, it was three out of three!"
"Fine! Three out of three. Happy?"
"Wait, where are you going?"
"I am behind on packing. I should get back home and-"
"No!" I promised Carly! I must keep him here! It's still only five thirty!
Jack raised an eyebrow at Yusei, obviously expecting an explanation.
"Um… I thought you might want to give it one more try? Let's have another two out of three!"
"As tempting as the offer is, no. I told you, I need to get on with packing up. You could come over and help if you'd like."
What do I do? I can't let him go! "What's up Jack? Tired of losing?" I am doing this for you old friend. Please forgive me.
Jack's body went unnaturally still as he slowly turned his head to glare at Yusei. He swallowed and tried to grin at the blonde, but it came out more as if his facial muscles had suffered through a terrible disease. Carly better appreciate what I am doing here.
"You will get your match champion. This time I will trample you beneath my wheels!"
Yusei put on his helmet and smirked. "We will see about that."
"Let's duel!"
"Phew. That should do nicely."
Carly inspected her work. One half of the table that once decorated Jack's living room was now behind his bed, while the rest was shoved behind the opened boxes in the hallway. It was considerably heavier than it looked, which forced Carly to participate in a nice work-out that wasn't actually nice at all. In fact it was horrible. By the end of it her back was aching mighty terribly, that it was. In the name of lo- apologizing, I must not falter.
That was around the time her phone alarm went off.
"Aaaah! Six! It's already six!" she yelled in horror and rushed into the kitchen, completely forgetting about any rest. She pulled out the chicken, the vegetables and the ingredients for the desert. She made her way back to the counter, dangerously balancing everything into one big pile in her arms. After giving it a bit of thought she shoved everything regarding the main dish in a corner and began chopping the apples for the desert with the speed of light. Checking with her prints, she mixed baking soda, salt and ground basil, along with a bit of pepper and twenty cups of sugar. Then, she proceeded to throw in some olive oil and the chopped apples, along with the walnuts and finally, the eggs and vanilla. Or at least so the reporter thought. In her haste, the brunette had grabbed the first white tube within sight, resulting in the already considerably messed-up apple pie mix to now include two teaspoons of mozzarella. Mixing everything in the larger bowl she could find until it was a slightly greenish blend, she proceeded to batter the pan and spill the bowl's contents inside. Finally, she set the oven to preheat to 230 ˚C. She checked the time. It was six forty five.
"I just hope Yusei will be able to keep him out of here…" she muttered desperate. This was not going according to plan.
"For the sixth time! Cosmic Flare!"
Yusei: 1800 LP
Jack: 0 LP
Jack shielded his eyes as, once more, Stardust Dragon reduced his Life points to nothing.
"Alright, that's it. I am going home."
"Already?"
Jack glared back at his childhood friend. "As. I. Said. Time to go home."
Yusei checked his watch: six forty five. An hour more. Then I can sleep with my conscious clear. "Are you up for another?"
"No."
"I… uh… can help you pack, if you'd like. Just give me a few minutes to uh… shower and change clothes and do my laundry and we can be on our way."
"Seriously?"
"…Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Are you trying to keep me from going home?" the blonde demanded, narrowing his eyes at the other duelist.
"Ah, well…"
"See you tomorrow."
I am sorry Carly, I did the best I could. It's on you from now on.
Yusei's phone rang just as he finished his mental apology. Checking the caller's ID, Yusei took the call.
"Crow."
"Is Jack leaving?"
"Yeah… I am afraid Jack will be returning home earlier than I promised Carly he would, so I really need to warn-"
"Say no more! Crow's got you buddy, but you better take cover! Nothing shall stop love from finding Jack!" The line went dead.
Take cover?
Before Yusei had enough time to finish that thought, his front door exploded. He immediately fell to the floor, covering his head. Debris fell all around him as the front of the house collapsed. In the far off distance, he could hear someone laughing and someone else cursing. As everything settled down, Yusei raised his head carefully and gasped in horror.
"My house…"
The entire front of the house had been completely destroyed. Standing up slowly, Yusei could see what once was a simple yet wide hallway now completely in ruins, the front door gone and probably in orbit, judging from the force of the blast. As he looked on in shock, a hand suddenly came out from beneath a pile of debris from the ceiling, followed by none other than a very angry Jack Atlas, with his trademark trench coat ripped and his eyes dangerously wide.
"What is the meaning of this?" the blonde demanded angrily, a sentiment that, as the shock slowly faded, Yusei began to share. Crow was approaching with a wide grin that showed all of his teeth, his eyes strangely dilated in their sockets. Chuckles were spilling from his mouth.
"What do you say guys? This is my homemade anti –theft system! Nothing can go through the front door the moment I activate the motion sensors. Pretty sweet, huh?"
"If my Duel Runner has so much as a scratch…" Jack threatened, with a cold dread filling Yusei at the mere idea of the Duel Runner he had built with the help of his friends being harmed.
"No worries, I had them moved! But you still haven't told me your opinion Jack! From a scale of one to ten, with one being the lowest and ten being the highest, how safe do you feel?"
"Have you gone daft?"
"Crow, you could have killed us!"
"Oh, don't be such babies!"
"Why would you even try that! None of us is a thief and you should know that very well!"
"Well." Yusei interrupted. "You do remember stealing my Stardust Dragon and my Duel Runner, right?"
Jack glared. "I said I was sorry."
"Yeah, yeah, no problem, I was just saying…" Yusei turned to Crow. "Speaking of problems, how come you never mentioned explosives in front of the house? Didn't you think it is something we should know?"
"Ahaha… you see, I didn't think it was that important. Besides, it wasn't meant for you and I only activate the sensors during the night so…"
Yusei gave him the Glare. Everyone broke under the Glare.
"Fine! I put them there for safety, but then I lost the detonator and-"
"You lost the detonator?"
"Only for a while!"
The former champion sighed. "Anyway. I am going home. And I will really think about ever setting a single toe in this place." He finished, looking pointedly at Crow, who merely smiled innocently and nodded. While Jack had his back turned, Yusei pointed at his wrist and then shook his head negatively.
Still only seven. We need to keep him here for a little bit more.
Crow nodded once and, throwing his arms open as if to hug him, moved on to Jack. "Where do you think you are going buddy? I have something very important that I need your professional opinion on."
"I sincerely doubt that."
"You doubt that I need your professional opinion?"
"I doubt that there is anything 'important' going on in your life."
Crow ignored the comment and, putting a hand on Jack's back, guided him back into what was standing of Yusei's apartment. "So, you see, I recently found out that as far as men's fashion goes, mustaches are all the rage…"
Yusei pinched the bridge of his nose in a rare show of desperation. This was going to be a long hour indeed.
Meanwhile, back in Jack's apartment, a very distraught Carly Carmine was trying to reseal all the boxes she had opened in her quest to eliminate all traces of a certain incident. The pie was baking and she had to let a bit more time pass before she could get on with her chicken parmesan, so she decided to clean up what was left of the living room. Opening the window as far as it would go to make the smell of the bug spray go away, she searched the place for duct tape. How is it even possible that there is no duct tape in this place? He is moving!
Resisting the urge to crawl in a corner and die, Carly tidied the place up as best as she possibly could, double-checking the hallway stack to ensure that the other half of the coffee table was safely inconspicuous in its hiding location.
Finding nothing more to do, she returned to the kitchen once more, cleaning up the counter and taking out dishes and cutlery to set the table. It was a simple job that allowed her to relax as she worked… until the smell coming from the oven hit her nostrils. She inhaled the scent before a worried look settled on her face.
I don't think this is how an apple pie should smell…
Carefully approaching the oven, she opened it just enough for the heat to not hit her in the face, however with her glasses out of the picture, it was no good. She could hardly make out the pan, however the smell coming off of it had her understandably worried. Trying to keep the feeling of impending doom from overtaking her, she shut the oven and took a few calming breaths.
I followed the recipe word for word. I don't really know how to bake, maybe this is how it always smells before it is ready… yes, yes, that must be it. I will just get on with the rest and stop worrying needlessly is what I'll do. This must not go wrong, otherwise I will blow my chance to apologize to Jack properly and-
The reporter shook her head. I cannot think like that. It will go just fine.
With renewed determination and slightly shaky legs, Carly took out another pan and the bread crumb mix for the chicken and began working, concentrating hard to ignoring the smells that became all the more strange as time passed.
"-and this is why I always thought that an imperial beard would look really good on Yusei, especially considering that the camera makes his face look a bit more chubby than it actually is." Crow finished, looking at Jack expectantly.
This is getting out of hand.
…
Does my face really look that chubby on camera?
"Enough! I've had enough of this!" Jack yelled, his nostrils flaring as he stared at Crow with a look of pure rage. Yusei couldn't really blame the blonde for snapping. Crow had taken "nonsensical" to a whole new level in his first three sentences- and he and Jack had spent the last twenty minutes listening to everything that came out of his mouth in regards to mustaches, molecular destabilization of the frog ecosystem because of the mass production of cheddar cheese –which Yusei was convinced was not even a thing-, Crow's theory about how one of them was related to the long-since dead president of the Kaiba corporation and his secret lover whom he had met during a tournament in the legendary Duelist Kingdom –complete with "discreet" coughs of Jack's name- and finally how much Yusei would benefit from a beard. Which he wouldn't.
"Something wrong?" Crow inquired, trying to look innocent. In Yusei's opinion it looked more like a delinquent who had just set the school on fire.
"You two have been trying to stop me from going home for the entire evening and I will know why!"
The blonde's furious gaze was nothing to laugh at and Yusei found himself at the receiving end of it. Unintentionally, the black-haired duelist checked the time. Seven thirty. Just thirty more minutes. "What are you talking about Jack? We've done nothing of the sort."
"The idiot blew up the house!"
"Hey! Who are you calling an idiot you moron! And I told you! It was an anti-theft measure!"
"Bollocks! I demand to know what the bloody hell is going on, right this instant!"
"Jack, calm down!"
"I will not "calm down"! I don't know what the hell you think you can hide from me, but I am finding out! I'm out of h-".
Jack Atlas never quite got to finish that sentence.
Yusei stared in horror at his fallen friend and comrade, before falling on his knees and shaking him carefully. "Jack?"
"Who's the idiot now, you idiot!" Crow yelled triumphantly. The red-head was brandishing a metal pipe, a means to achieve his goal of delaying the former champion, as well as extracting a little bit of personal revenge. Neither sentiment of accomplishment was shared by his other childhood friend.
The silence stretched on for a full minute before Crow broke it. "I will fetch a shovel." And he turned around to do just that, as a groan escaped the unconscious duelist's mouth. "Or not."
Yusei's death glare forced the spiky-haired man to cower back. "Help me put him on the couch and fetch some ice. And if he won't wake up within the next thirty minutes in as good condition as possible, I will personally run you over with your own Duel Runner." The threat had been delivered with a calm and cold voice, one that Crow had never heard his friend use before. Nodding once, he went into the kitchen to do what he was asked.
I should probably not tell him about the basement then.
Carly was exhausted, but relatively satisfied with herself. The chicken was all but ready, the time for the pie to finish baking was almost up and the house was clean. Well, the kitchen and the living room were, anyway. The smell of the bug spray had gone out completely as well, so she didn't really have to worry about Jack finding out about that. As for the coffee table… she was putting her money on being out of here when he did find out.
She gave an appreciative look around once more. She had taken advantage of Yusei's kindness with non-too heavy a heart and bought a nice table-cloth, along with a pair of candles, which she had lit.
Almost like a date, she thought to herself, placing her hands at her cheeks, blushing furiously. Stay on target Carly. You must stay on target.
She checked her watch one more time: eight o'clock.
I should remember to thank Yusei, although I cannot imagine it was too difficult to keep Jack there with Duel Monsters… but all the same.
With a satisfied nod, Carly Carmine continued to pretend nothing smelled funny and that everything was going to go as she had planned.
A perfect d-apology dinner. A/N: Will Crow need that shovel? Do apple pies really smell that way? Stay tuned in for the next and final chapter! :D