@luvvieshe​  wrote  :    ‘  She comes barreling down hallway,  laughter pitch high   &   giggling.  ‘  Jack!!  ’  she practically shrieks.  Immediately throwing form upon tall elder with more force than possible with lithe frame.  Quick she is to cling to his stature,  a chattering chirp from her,  ‘  Happy Birthday!!!  ’  squeals Dueltainer with enthusiasm that rivals her performances.  ‘  What ya wanna do?!  Oh we could duel!  Or do a riding duel!!  It’s your birthday so you choose whatever!  We’re just happy to be here!  ’  ’

dressed down from his  iconic  attire,  jack is reclined on the couch in a flimsy black tank top,  something he would certainly never wear beyond the comfort of a setting as  casual  as the garage.  he isn’t fazed much as yuya comes  crashing  in,  as it’s something he’s very well used to,  by now;  but he does look up when he hears his name,  violet hues opening slightly wider with curiosity.  

before he can question her summons,  though,  she  exclaims  her wish,  perhaps for the entire city to hear.  her words remind him for perhaps the second time today that,  ah,  it is indeed his birthday,  but the sheer  intensity  of her sudden embrace ejects him from his thoughts entirely,  causing his body to tense a little on instinct,  though he relaxes relatively quickly.  it’s just yuya,  after all.  

a short,  breathless laugh comes from jack;  his eyes shutting in  comfortable fondness,  as well as general amusement toward her behaviour.  it never fails to be refreshing,  as it had been  many birthdays  since jack last felt such a youthful radiance in his own soul   —   he had aged  far  too fast,  faster than the years themselves could account for.  

“  thank you,  yuya,  ”  he offers with a potentially  surprising  sense of gratitude honeying his tone,  even if his voice is slightly strained by how she’s squeezing him.  with an effortless strength,  he plucks her away from his middle   &   lets her plop gently onto the cushion beside him,  though a large hand does pat rather  affectionately  through two-toned hair,  despite his demeanour otherwise maintaining its typical  inscrutability.  head tilting with definite interest at the mention of a duel,  a subtle smile causes pale lips to twitch,  and jack agrees,  uncrossing his legs   &   standing from the sofa.

jack  hates  moments like this.  moments where he has to admit that he’s  close  to invincible,  but not  quite  there,  that there are mountainous feats he cannot achieve,  no matter how close he may come.  he swore to himself that he would never let anything happen to yuya,  that he would  destroy  anything that so much as thought about harming her   —   but there were things she had already been through,  before they even met,  things that left permanent scars,  both physical   &   mental.  try as he might,  jack can’t undo those things;  he can’t soak up her pain   &   take it all into his body   &   mind like he absolutely wishes he could.  sometimes yuya would have to hurt,  she would  have  to be in pain,  and jack would have to  watch,  knowing there’s nothing he can do to stop it,  knowing that all he can do is be a shoulder to lean or cry on. 

‘tis nighttime,  everyone but them fast asleep,  likely not to be heard from ’til morning.  he sits with her on the couch,  arms wrapped  protectively  around her,  silent as she comes to terms with whatever  gruesome  vision cursed her formerly sleeping mind.  she’d told him about the nightmare already,  and jack consoled her best he could,  pulling her into his arms   &   against his chest in a rare show of physical affection.  very few people are allowed to be  this  close to him.  it was just a nightmare,  he had told her,  holding her close,  you’re safe.  

and as long as he’s breathing,  she would be.

                                         vibe  wha------  he  doesn’t  have  time  to  process  her  words ,      instead  his  eyes  widen  at  the  aggressive  stand  point ,     watching  in  struck  horror  as  the  pillow  comes  into  view .     it  happens  in  slow  motion ,     like  in  them  movies ,     almost  comical  how  fearful  he  is  of  this  mostly  harmless  assault .   “    woah ,    hold  on ,    wait’da  minute--- !     ”    oof .     he’s  struck  with  power  not  expected  from  the  shorter  female ,     almost  losing  his  balance  entirely . 

@luvvieshe​  wrote  :    ‘  “  we sometimes,  don’t feel like we belong here.  ”   ’

her words elicit a  concerned  gaze,  and a wispy sigh,  the immediate response a shake of his head.  “  don’t ever say that about yourself.  it’s no good to think things like that.  ”  the words aren’t exactly as comforting as they should be,  but he’s trying his best.  he can remember similar sentiments in relation to himself,  after all   —   both from his own mind,  and the mouths of others.  jack had learned through years of  grit   &   hardship that  ‘  belonging  ’  anywhere is unimportant;  it’s just a  luxury  people search for to feel less lonely,  something human nature tells them matters.  the reality he found,  though,  was that any desires can be snuffed out for the sake of surviving,  that meeting the  bare minimum  of basic human need is enough.  so what if he goes insane?  he’ll still be  kicking,  and that’s all he needs to be the  best.

of course,  that’s not the mindset he wants yuya to have.  perhaps it’s hypocritical of him,  but he’d rather her be happy than be successful   —   it seems  important  to her,  after all,  and she doesn’t need to chase after anything he can provide for her.  the life he found himself wanting   &   subsequently told himself to  never want  is the life she deserves,  one of comfort   &   contentment,  pillowed by  love   &   tranquility.  she had already suffered so much in life,  and is still suffering.  jack would do his damnedest to make sure she could have a good life;  lasso  every bad thing  in the universe without a second thought   &   shoulder it for the rest of his life,  if he had to.

“  wherever you  want  to be,  that’s where you belong.  no one can tell you anything else.  you can  make  yourself belong there,  and no one can take that away from you,  yuya.  ”  

@luvvieshe​  wrote  :    ‘  ‘  Jun!  Merry Christmas!  it’s super late but we got held up on political duelist stuff you know    —   ’  she rambles about,  as her form rather abruptly latches onto the taller. Her weight pulling him in slight, whilst a single palm is free holding a present  ( her grin is nearly feral,  dual hues glisten in mirth  )   ‘  anyways,  here you go sugar, unfortunately we can’t stay long enough for you to open it!!  But yeah!!  See you later, Babe!  ’ A peck pon his cheek, and quickly as she does, takes her leave.  ’

she appears as quickly as she  always  does,  and jun had stopped  truly  being startled by it,  by now   —   a moment’s surprise melts easily into an expression of  warmth;  his gladness to see his friend apparent across what’s typically such a solemn or  galled   mien.  he doesn’t get to offer much of a greeting before she starts talking,  seemingly in a rush,  so he listens earnestly,  only noticing the gift she’d brought upon it being offered to him.  heat  rushes  to his face,  warming the flesh beneath his eyes;  a  crystalline  indication of the flustered feelings swirling about his navel.  

“  ah   —   well,   merry christmas,   first off,  ”  he extends in a demure   &   breathless chuckle,  hoping the cold could serve as an excuse concerning the sudden  ripeness  of the apples of his cheeks.  something mellow   &   honeyed spreads in his blood when she latches onto him,  the subtle yet obvious show of affection causing his brain to nearly short circuit,  being that it’s nothing he’s used to,  let alone would  expect.  nevertheless,  a timid arm loops around her waist,  his face surely a festive red by now.  “  uhh,  thanks,  yuya   —   this is   . . .   really sweet.  thank you.  ”  yes,  he  definitely  just thanked her  twice  in a row,  like a babbling idiot.  but that’s okay   —   perhaps he’s just twice as grateful.  

there’s a strange bit of  disappointment  when she has to go,  but jun doesn’t dwell on it too long,  as he’s sure they’ll see each other again,  sooner than later.  a soft smile sweetens the pale boy’s visage,  and he nods,  though he just about  melts  when she calls him  ‘  babe  ’   —   and his frontal lobe fully shuts off the moment she kisses his cheek.  he stands there,  frozen,  hands clasped around the gift she had given as she takes off,  dilated pupils staring off  dazedly  into the recesses of space. 

looks  like  he’d  gotten  carried  away  again.    but  seeing   such  a  cool  looking  dragon  type  monster  just  got  him  all  excited  !    despite  ruby’s  chirping  cries  of  dismay  he’d  rushed  over  without  thinking.    oh  boy ,     looks  like  he  was  about  to  get  an  earful  too.  

he’s  laughing ,     awkward  and  slightly  nervous ,    rubbing  the  back  of  his  head  as  he  hesitantly  smiles  at  the  person  before  him.    he  had  no  excuse ,     no  defense  to  help  his  case ,     aside  from  genuine  honesty.   ❝     sorry  about  that ,     i  guess  i  just  got  excited  is  all.     ❞    sheepish  as  he  was ,     he  beams  with  the  same  enthusiasm  as  he  had  when  he  first  approached.   ❝     i’ve  seen  spirits  before ,     but  not  ones  that  come  to  life  like  that  !   is  she  your  partner  ?   that’s  really  cool  !    i’ve  never  seen  a  monster  like  her  before ,     she  must  be  real  special ,     you  know  !     ❞