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Judai swiftly glanced left and right - only when he was sure no one at the party seemed to be paying him any mind did he then swipe a few sandwiches and gobble them down. They were terribly dainty, and he’d have to eat quite a bit to get his fill. He stuffed another in his mouth and was surprised to find it was a variation of the katsu sandwiches the school sold. Johan had mentioned he liked them a lot when the brunet introduced the flavor to him for the first time...Judai would have to tell him about these once the Northern Academia student showed up!
Judai glanced around again, still seeing no sign of the teal-haired boy but he figured the other would have to show up eventually – this fancy party was being held for the transfer students after all.
There was supposed to have been a school-wide ‘Welcome Party’ for the transfer students the day after they arrived, but Cobra’s dis-duel program had been unexpected, and the school found themselves scrambling last minute to accommodate. Classes had to be adjusted to account for even more dueling than usual and students were constantly in and out of the infirmary. All that being the case, it was a bit of a surprise that the ‘Welcome Party’ idea hadn’t just been completely abandoned - especially given the transfer students had already been at Duel Academia almost a month by this point.
Judai’s hand was suddenly grabbed just as he went to reach for another sandwich. When he looked up, he saw Manjoume looking at him with an agitated expression.
“Hey, maybe save some for the rest of the party?” He admonished, looking Judai up and down, “You didn’t even dress up…Would it hurt you to at least wear a suit jacket or something?”
“Heh, I don’t own one. Besides, I didn’t realize I was supposed to dress up…oops!” Judai laughed with a big grin.
“I could lend you one next time.” Fubuki gave a thumbs up as he and Asuka walked over, “Or I could take you out and help you get one? Having a suit is handy you know!”
“Thanks, Fubuki, I’ll keep that in mind for next time…maybe.” Judai scratched the back of his head, “But it’s not exactly my style.”
“I can’t say I picture you as the formal type either.” Asuka giggled as she chimed in.
Judai nodded and agreed, “Yeah, I don’t enjoy these types of parties much – I’m just here for the free food!”
“You could try to be more subtle about it at least.” Manjoume rolled his eyes.
Fubuki put a hand on his chin and grinned, “You have to admit my dear sister looks amazing tonight though…don’t you think, Judai?”
Asuka looked deeply bashful as Judai properly regarded her for the first time. She was in a frilly blue dress and her hair had been styled elaborately.
Judai simply nodded once and smiled.
“You look nice, Asuka!”
Fubuki shamelessly pressed on, seeming to try and squeeze more out of the Osiris Red student, “I chose the dress! It’s suits her, right?”
“Fubuki!” Asuka admonished, looking devastated.
“Yeah, I like the frills…” Judai began but the dress suddenly reminded him of something, “Hey, by any chance have you guys seen-
Judai didn’t get to finish his sentence before Headmaster Samejima appeared with a microphone on stage and welcomed everyone.
“Thank you for all coming here tonight! Even though it’s late, we wanted to properly welcome our special visitors this year!”
On cue, Professor Cobra, Austin O’Brien, Amon Garam and Jim Cook all walked on stage as their names were read. Samejima encouraged everyone to clap after each introduction. Finally, he announced the last name.
“And of course, from Duel Academia’s sister school in Norway, we have, Johan Andersen!”
There was a pause in clapping and confused murmurs as the stage sat empty - Judai found himself having a major case of déjà vu.
“Seems like ’Ghost’ strikes again.” Amon whispered with a small smile, “That boy never shows up to events like this.”
Jim raised an eyebrow at his fellow transfer student but didn’t comment. After a couple minutes with still no appearance from Johan, Samejima chuckled warmly.
“Ah well, knowing Mr. Andersen, I’m sure he’ll turn up unexpectedly at some point.” He smiled and continued, “We’ve been thankful to host the transfer program this year and want everybody to relax tonight as a show of our appreciation. So, everyone, have fun and enjoy the evening!”
Headmaster Samejima then left the stage with the transfer students in tow, followed by clapping and cheering. Judai couldn’t help glancing around.
The party was literally being held at the Obelisk Blue dorm. How could Johan possibly get lost this time? Judai mulled it over and figured that option had to be impossible, but it was strange the Gem Beast duelist managed to miss his introduction – again. Maybe the other was stuck in the crowd somewhere and just didn’t make it to the stage in time?
Judai found himself wandering around the large hall, keeping a keen eye out for a shock of bright teal hair amongst the crowd of students. However, he was too busy looking at hair colors that he didn’t realize he almost drifted onto the dance floor. He only stopped when a small hand tugged on his red jacket.
“Are you going to dance, Aniki? You’d need to find a partner first.”
“Oh, Sho!” Judai regarded his smaller friend, “Nope, I’m not going to dance – just looking for Johan!”
Sho sighed, “Ah, well…I haven’t seen him.”
“Maybe he’s still in his room then?” Judai mused, “I hope he’s feeling alright.”
Brown eyes glanced up at the large staircase across from the dance floor. He was going to head that way when a gentle hand rested on his shoulder.
“If you guys aren’t participating, you should move over a bit. They’ve lined up some ballroom dances for tonight.” Fubuki gently ushered the two back a few steps.
Judai found himself once more with his friends – Manjoume, Asuka, Fubuki and Sho. Standing around them like that, even he had to admit he felt a bit underdressed. Asuka was in her lovely gown and the three boys were all dressed in sharp suits. They blended right in with the students who were all lining up on the dance floor in pairs.
“It seems like they’ve got a DJ for later, but the first half of the evening will be a more fanciful affair.” Fubuki airily elaborated.
Sure enough, the small ensemble of musicians the school hired for the night began playing the first piece shortly after Fubuki’s comment.
Judai watched as the front line of students bowed to their partners across from them and offered out their hands, in a silent request to dance. The second line of students all bowed in return and placed their hands in their respective partners. Now together, the couples began to spin and twirl elegantly in time to the music.
The performance had been a bit mesmerizing at first, but Judai quickly found himself sulking. Crossing the dance floor was the only way to get to the staircase, so he was technically stuck waiting until the dancing wrapped up. He was just about to formulate a plan to try and sneak over anyway when suddenly, the lights in the ballroom flickered and the power went out – stopping everything.
The students all whispered and some even gasped in surprise but Professor Chronos managed to make his way to the stage and quickly announced.
“Everything is alright - something just tripped the breaker, but we should have the lights back up in no time!”
Judai couldn’t help but find the power outage to be a welcome distraction. Like a gust of wind, he slipped effortlessly away from everyone and used the cover of dark to slowly navigate his way through the crowd and sneak up the grand staircase. He wasn’t sure where Johan could be, but he figured Johan’s room would be the most logical place to check first. The transfer students were all set up in some of the nicest rooms in the complex, which Judai supposed made sense - good hospitality and all that.
The rooms were all on the highest floor and were slightly larger in size than the other rooms Judai had seen before. However, what really made them stand out was that each room had a large balcony that faced the ocean. One time, Judai and Johan had spread-out one of Johan’s blankets and spent the afternoon dueling on his balcony. Judai wasn’t big fan of the Obelisk Blue dorms in general, but even he had to admit that had turned out to be a very nice way to spend the day.
After going up what felt like a million stairs, Judai finally found himself making his way down a familiar corridor. The two usually hung out at the Osiris dorms but occasionally, Judai found himself coming here to call on the other. Even if they weren’t hanging out at Johan’s dorm room, sometimes it was just easier for Judai to swing by and pick the other up…better that then leaving things to Johan’s horrible sense of direction. Thankfully, Ruby seemed to be picking up the lay of the land and was starting to be able to get Johan places when Judai wasn’t available - not that there were many times when Judai wasn’t.
Johan had long since told him the need to knock wasn’t necessary. So, with that in mind, Judai put a hand on the doorknob and let himself in. The room was dark, which wasn’t surprising but there was a large beam of moonlight coming from the wide-open balcony doors that illuminated a portion of the room. The curtains were billowing in the slight breeze, and it created a somewhat eerie image. Judai wandered cautiously closer. He found it a bit odd that Johan would just leave the doors open like that.
Unless…
Sure enough, as he inched closer, Judai was greeted by a familiar figure leaning against the balcony railing. Johan’s back was facing him, and he was staring out, seemingly daydreaming.
Judai didn’t want to call out and startle the other. However, he wasn’t sure how to go about getting Johan’s attention any other way. Thankfully, he didn’t have to dwell on what to do for too long before Hane Kuriboh made the decision for him. Judai’s spirit partner seemed to have a condition where he was drawn to Ruby Carbuncle like a magnet and the small spirit instantly made his way over to his purple counterpart.
The Gem Beast duelist laughed as he greeted the fuzzy spirit, “Hi, Hane Kuriboh!” There was even more mirth in his voice as he concluded, “So that must mean…Hey, Judai!”
Johan finally turned around and Judai had to take a moment to catch his breath.
Johan’s teal hair was a near perfect contrast to the deep blue sky – which now, Judai couldn’t help but notice was clear and glittering with stars. Judai was hardly the poetic type but something about how Johan looked when washed in the dark of night with stars twinkling prettily around him and the moon acting as if it were almost a beacon, made the boy look near ethereal.
The brunet could count on one hand the amount of times a person’s beauty had affected him, because he normally wasn’t moved by such things, but Johan had to be one of the most stunning people Judai could recall ever seeing and he was finding himself uncharacteristically captured by it sometimes. Judai’s heart started beating faster in his chest the longer he stared.
He finally realized he had been quiet for longer than he probably should have been and stammered,
“H-hey, Johan!” Judai scratched the back of his neck, hoping to hide the rising blush, “Uh, so…You didn’t dress up either, huh?”
It was true. Johan wasn’t wearing his Duel Academia issued blue vest but otherwise, was in his usual attire. To be fair, Judai supposed Johan’s frilly blouse could be considered dressier than Judai’s black t-shirt and red jacket combo. Johan looked down at himself.
“Oops, were we supposed to?” He asked, raising his eyebrows.
Judai just laughed. “Apparently we both missed the memo!”
Johan offered an apologetic look. “I don’t own anything much dressier than this anyway – it’s not really my style. I prefer more loose fitted stuff.”
Judai’s eyes shone, and he nodded energetically in understanding.
“Well, you and I can just be underdressed together!” He grinned, “Did you skip out on the party because you couldn’t find anything to wear?”
Johan suddenly looked sheepish, “No, that’s not why…”
When Judai gave him a confused look, Johan continued.
“I really like dueling but I’m not a big fan of all the after parties and mingling. These events always come with questions and people trying to pry into my life and stuff.” Johan looked a bit nervous just thinking about it, “Anyway, because of that, I usually pass on things like this…it's not that I don't mean to go but I guess you could say I get cold feet in the end every time.”
Now that Judai thought about it, despite Johan’s shining accolades as a renowned duelist – not many people at Duel Academia seemed to know about him prior to his arrival, which was sort of odd. However, if Johan wasn’t participating in the networking events portion of the dueling world then it made a little more sense why he was flying under the radar. Unless you were really staying on top of the pro circuit, where Johan only participated in the odd tournament in-between attending school, you probably wouldn’t have heard of him.
The fact Johan managed to have somewhat of a reputation at all despite that really spoke to his dueling talent.
Judai nodded, “That’s fair – just because you’re a pro-duelist doesn’t mean people have a right to pry into your personal life. No matter how curious they are about your past.”
“Heh, thanks, Judai. I wish sponsors were more understanding like you!” Emerald eyes shone as Johan raised an eyebrow and teased, “You said that last part like you might be a little curious though maybe?”
The brunet then joined Johan by the balcony railing and stared out at the beautiful scenery in front of them. The ocean breeze was soothing and refreshing.
“Well, of course I’m curious.” Judai admitted honestly, “but it’s only because I want to get to know you better. You’ve hinted a few times that it’s a bit difficult for you to talk about and I don’t want to pry just for curiosity’s sake.”
“I appreciate that.” Johan looked down slightly but was smiling, “I don’t mean to be withholding anything, but I know I’ll share it with you someday…”
Judai looked at the other and gave his signature hand sign, accompanied with a wink.
“Yeah, don’t sweat it. Whenever you want to talk about it with me, I’m here!”
The two smiled at each other and suddenly, lights flickered throughout the dorm and muffled cheering could be heard from downstairs. The only light that came on in Johan’s room was the bedside lamp, so the two were still mostly relying on moonlight as they glanced down to see if they could see anything.
After a time, music started playing again as the band could now see their sheet music once more. The sound carried through the open windows of the first floor and easily made its way up to the two hanging out on the balcony directly above.
Judai recognized the song as the one they had been playing just before the power went out.
“The dance they were doing downstairs looked hard, but a lot of the Obelisk Blue students seem to enjoy it. Do you like ballroom dancing?” He commented.
Johan shook his head, “I’ve never tried!”
“Oh, really?”
“Why? Have you?”
Judai paused for a bit before also shaking his head.
“Uh…no, can’t say I have.” He admitted.
Johan closed his eyes and listened more closely.
“The music sounds nice though, I like orchestras like that. I used to sneak into the concert hall back home sometimes. I can tell they’re playing a waltz number right now!”
Judai blinked, “A waltz…?”
“It’s a kind of dance couples do. It’s a lot of spinning and twirling.” Johan eyes glittered as he explained.
Judai crossed his arms and smirked, “You sure you’ve never danced before…because you sure seem to know a lot.” He teased.
“I swear!” Johan laughed, “I’ve listened to the music lots, and I’ve seen others do it but you kind of need a partner to do a waltz so I’m outta luck there.”
Judai pulled away from the balcony railing and looked thoughtful.
“So…if you had a partner, would you do it?”
Johan responded quicker than Judai had been expecting.
“Yeah, probably! It’d be fun, I think.”
Judai tried hard to remember what the student’s downstairs had been doing, suddenly wishing he had paid better attention. Still, he walked over and reached for Johan’s hand. The former blushed slightly but let himself be pulled in by the other.
“Uh…Judai…?” He questioned hesitantly.
Judai placed his other hand on Johan’s waist and simply instructed, “Come on, let’s waltz!”
Suddenly, he attempted to twirl Johan like he had seen the other dancers doing but when the Gem Beast duelist fell over because he hadn’t been expecting that and tripped over his own feet, both boys paused briefly before breaking out in a fit of laughter.
“My bad – sorry about that.” Judai offered his hand and pulled the other up. After their laughter died down, he noticed the music had stopped. “Oh, the waltz ended? That’s too bad.”
Johan raised his eyebrow and offered, “Well, it sounds like they’re starting up another one?”
Judai smiled and mimicked what he saw the other people doing when they invited someone to dance. He purposely exaggerated it, bowing low and making a show of putting his hand out.
“Will you grant me the fine honor of this waltz, Mr. Andersen?”
Johan couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips, but he did an impromptu bow in response before putting his hand in Judai’s and mockingly batting his eyelashes.
“Why, Mr. Yuki, I would be flattered.”
The two grinned at each other and then resumed the position they had been in before. Despite Judai being the one to take the initiative and lead position, neither of them were particularly leading in the traditional sense. They just spun around and moved together however they wanted.
Johan twirled Judai successfully this time so then Judai spun the other boy right after. They laughed loudly as they did so but kept moving to the music. The tempo was energetic for this waltz, and it suited them perfectly. Despite the chaotic way they were going about things, there was a certain fluidity to their movements - they were in sync, if nothing else. Had the two been versed in the dance properly, they probably could pull it off together quite well.
Johan’s hand slid down a bit from Judai’s shoulder, resting on his bicep instead and he squeezed lightly. Judai looked into sparkling green eyes then and swore he saw something new in them. The gaze was making his heart flutter and Judai couldn't help but wonder if the stars were reflecting in his own eyes like they were reflecting in Johan’s right now. The Gem Beast duelist gave a bright smile and simply exclaimed,
“I never knew dancing could be this fun!”
Feeling a sudden surge of excitement bloom in his chest, Judai griped tighter at Johan’s waist, pulling him in closer as he led them into a few fast and energetic spins.
“Oh yeah? Well, you haven’t seen anything yet!” He announced as they picked up their tempo once more.
They couldn’t help giggling again as the swift motions caused them to feel a bit dizzy and giddy. Judai even titled his head back, he was laughing so loud at points.
The two boys were so caught up in each other that they didn’t even realize they had an audience down below - Johan’s balcony making for a fine stage.
“What are they even doing? Spinning around like that…” Manjoume complained.
Sho looked a little embarrassed for his friend, “Those aren’t your typical dance moves, that’s for sure.”
“That’s true...” Asuka wistfully agreed, “but they make it look really fun, don’t they?”
It seemed no one had anything to say against that. After the song had wrapped up, Johan and Judai stopped but didn’t move away from each other.
“We should go back inside, it’s not polite to spy on them like this.” Fubuki offered and motioned back towards the party.
“Yeah, yeah…” Manjoume grumbled but didn’t disagree as he headed back inside.
Asuka turned to leave as well but when she heard the orchestra starting up a slower waltz number this time, she couldn’t help glancing back up towards the balcony. When she saw the two boys leaning against each other and swaying together slowly, deliberately - more intimately - she gave a small but slightly bittersweet smile.
She whispered to no one in particular.
“I’m glad you were able to enjoy the party in the end, Judai.”