Fluffy Spirits

Chapter 1

«Wake up, Jaden! It's late».
Without many compliments, Jesse approached the window and opened the curtains, squinting when the white-ish light of a snowy day flooded the bedroom.
Seeing that his boyfriend, instead of coming back to life, burrowed deeper under the covers, the teal-haired man moved towards the bed and grabbed the fluffy blanket: «I said, wake up!», he exclaimed, pulling it away with a swift motion.
The blanket almost knocked the lamp on the nightstand, but Jaden had finally opened his golden eyes, so Jesse considered that a win condition.

«Come on, it's not late», Jaden complained, rubbing his eyes. The light coming from outside, even if not really bright, still hurt. «My alarm hasn't even went off».

«Your alarm went off thirty minutes ago. You threw you phone on the ground after shutting it», Jesse said, picking up the device. «I understand you don't have classes, but it's almost noon. Get up and help me pack up for our trip», he added, throwing Jaden his phone before leaving the room.

«Ugh, fine», Jaden conceded, and threw his legs off the side of the bed, turning his back to the window. The brown-haired man scratched his head, and after a long yawn stood up, burrowing his feet in the soft carped covering the floor.
He headed to the bathroom right after checking for eventual damage on his phone, and didn't bother to lock the door.
Sighing, but looking forward to help Jesse in their preparations, Jaden grabbed his toothbrush and brushed energically his teeth, the mint toothpaste freshening his breath.
After that, he stepped into the shower and turned on the water, shivering in the cold air when he got out of its hot steam.

«What do you want for lunch?».
Without bothering to knock, Jesse peeked into the bathroom and whistled at seeing Jaden's naked body, hidden only by a small towel tied around his hips.
He had gotten really well built over the years, and the teal-haired man never complained about it.

Noticing Jesse's blushing face, Jaden put up his most charming expression and approached him: «I wouldn't mind having you for lunch», he whispered, nibbling lasciviously at his earlobe.
Then, however, Jaden laughed and moved away from him, reaching for another towel to dry his hair: «Whatever you make is fine. I'll be down to help you in a bit», he said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips as he left the bathroom, heading back to their bedroom.

«You absolute insufferable tease», Jesse addressed him, flustered, his sped up heartbeat thumping against his chest. «Don't take too long!», he then told him, heading downstairs in the kitchen.
Their tiny kitchen was, as always, a horrible mess of dirty plates and pots, so Jesse sighed and resolved to wash the dishes still in the sink, before placing a skillet on the stove to cook some meat.
Sure, they could go to the blue dormitory and eat there, alongside Obelisk Blue students and staff, but they almost never did that.
Jaden, especially, spent only class hours on proper school ground, before going back to their small but cozy house on the island.
Since Seto's decision to involve Jaden in his Academy teaching program, given his challenging ability with Fusion Monsters, and with Duels in general to a less high level, the young man had started suffering less and less the school atmosphere, mostly because of his experience during the last year.
It was no secret Yubel's spirit, still living inside Jaden thanks to his use of Super Polymerization, had a some kind of involvement in that feeling, but Jaden was happy nonetheless to be able to help teenagers on their way to become professional Duelists.

«You've come a long way, Jay», Jesse muttered to himself, flipping the sizzling meat to avoid burning it.
When the man came to his door, panting, completely covered in dirt and dust and with the brightest smile even on his face, Jesse didn't know what to do. Or think.
The man that knocked at his door, all the way to Finland during a freezing winter, was so different from the reckless boy he was during school times Jesse couldn't even recognize him at first glance.
His hair, longer and wilder, hid more mature shapes and lines, and his former soft hazel eyes had become piercing irises made of gold. At first, Jesse was scared of that apparition, so similar to the stories Axel and Jim told him about the Supreme King, but after seeing Jaden's luminous smile he had to think twice about it.
Jaden had said only his name, and then they unexpectedly kissed, standing in the doorway, half in the cold, half in the warmth of Jesse's house, tangled in a long awaited but never exchanged hug, while Jaden stroke his best friend's fluffy hair.
Jesse smiled at the thought, narrowing his eyes as he started chopping an onion, and burst out giggling when Jaden suddenly hugged him from behind, placing his chin on the man's shoulder.
«Don't just stand there, do something», he scolded him, hinting to the cupboard.