365 Days of Starshipping (Part 2)

Certification

9/10/19

Judai returned home late at night after another successful event, which had been a bit more interesting this time since it was actually a kind of cook-off - it was super convoluted in how the rules worked, and he never even got to see who he was competing against, but it mattered little because it was one of the more fun jobs he'd had yet. Plus, he'd been informed by Edo later that he'd actually won whatever contest it was that'd happened, so that was nice even if the only thing he got as a prize was bragging rights against someone he didn't even know.

Maybe he'd just ask Edo later if it mattered enough to him for him to remember in a couple days. Otherwise... oh well, no harm done.

As it was though, the greeting he'd called was met with a rather subdued reply by Yusei on the couch, which was a bit worrying. He took a closer look, scrutinizing the way he looked both annoyed and... despondent? He was glaring at his phone lightly but was also slumped over like he'd been defeated or something.

"Are you, uh, okay there Yus?" Judai asked, frowning as he put the leftover food he'd brought back off to the side before making his way to the couch in front of Yusei.

Yusei grumbled a bit at his phone before sighing and reaching up to pull him down to the couch to sit with him, stating, "So they're going to start re-building the original reactor site now - tearing it down, making the new facility, connecting all the other parts as well. However, this means significantly less official work being assigned to me."

"Isn't that like... a good thing in the end?"

"Not in this case, they sent me an email and said that I'll be forced to use my time in classes. Said I needed to get official schooling for duel energy theory and several other things, though they did say they'd pay for it fully at least, but still."

Judai stared at him in surprise before snickering, "Oh boy, so you're being forced to go to school?!"

"If I want to keep my job, then yes, apparently I am," Yusei huffed, letting his phone drop to the coffee table before turning to melt into Judai's arms, "Damn it, I was wondering how long I could go without having to deal with this to be honest. I guess the government finally realized they should probably get me fully certified, officially, even if it's a pain and I'll already know everything they're teaching."

"Is there like, a test you could take to-"

"Nope, that was the very first thing I tried to look up. Fastest possible way I can get a degree is through a fast-track college program provided I show I can do certain things in certain classes."

"Well, look on the bright side," Judai said, pressing a kiss to his cheek and grinning, "you'll have a fixed schedule for a while, and they'll have to bring you back before construction finishes. Think of it as a long vacation?"

"...Judai, how boring are my lecture hall classes going to be?" Yusei asked pointedly, already grimacing a little before he could even answer.

"Boring as hell," Judai snorted, patting him on the head in sympathy, "Good thing is? It's college classes, no one's going to give a shit if you bring your laptop and barely pay attention other than to know when topics change and what homework is due, if there is any in the first place."

Yusei eyed him a little weirdly, which was a bit confusing until he continued to ask in wonder, "Okay, I'll bite - how do you know what college is like?"

"Daitokuji ranted about it a few times back at Duel Academy whenever he sat in with me in class. It was hilarious, but most importantly one of the only times I actually didn't sleep through class."

Yusei chuckled before they both fell into a comfortable silence, Judai slowly starting to unwind after having a relatively long day working. It only took a few minutes for them to end up lying down, one of his arms under Yusei's head and continuing to thread fingers through his hair while Yusei curled up comfortably him in a hug.

"You hungry?" Judai mumbled after realizing he'd been dozing off, having quickly lost track of how much time had passed since they'd lied down, "We can eat then go flake in bed instead of on the couch."

The only response he got was an irritated little mumble and a slight shift in the arms around him that had crawled their way under his shirt slightly for more warmth. Clearly, Yusei was already out like a light, so it fell to him to move them upstairs.

It wasn't a bad thing to have to do at all - in fact, it was kind-of a treat because when he picked up Yusei carefully, ensuring that he didn't jostle him fully awake on accident, the other clutched haphazardly at his jacket without opening his eyes at all; it took all his willpower not to immediately smother his face in kisses at how cute he way.