Archive of Our Own ^beta

To say the past few months had been interesting for Carly Carmine would be an understatement. It all started after the Fortune Cup when she tried to get the scoop on Jack Atlas… and somehow ended up falling in love with him. Then there was the whole mess with the Dark Signers, and the fact that she’d become one. Unfortunately, her memory had been wiped so everything she knew came from what others had told her. That said, the whole event did net one positive: she now had a boyfriend.

As it turns out, Jack had fallen for her too. So a few weeks after the whole event was over, he’d shown up at her apartment with a bouquet of roses. He had said, “Carly, I know they took your memories, but they could never take your feelings… and to be honest, I feel the same. You… saw the real me when nobody else could. Would you be willing to go out with me, the real me?”

Of course she accepted his feelings, and the two had gone out for probably the nicest dinner she’d ever had.

Since then Jack had been a staple in her life. He’d come over a few nights a week, they’d have dinner, usually cup ramen, and just relax on her couch watching tv or doing the occasional table top duel. Let it be known, even when there was nobody to see him, Jack would still duel as though it were before a raging crowd. Jack was a dork, but he was her dork.

The door to her apartment opened and Carly spun around to see Jack standing there, a soft smile on his face. She ran over and hugged him, something he happily returned. Carly looked up at Jack and said, “Hey, Jack, how was your day?”

“Better now that I’m here.” Jack answered smugly. He saw Carly blush and his smile grew. After a few moments Carly let go of him and walked over to the couch, patting the seat next to her, inviting him to join.

Jack sat down and swung his arm around Carly, pulling her into his side. He liked having her close… it helped assure him she was still there. He shook his head, the Dark Signers were gone and Carly was by his side, he had nothing to worry about. The two of them sat there for a few moments before Carly snuck her way out of Jack’s grasp and said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry, and good news, I just restocked on cup ramen, including a new limited edition flavor.”

Jack followed his girlfriend into her small kitchen where she was already starting the kettle. In a matter of minutes they had a lovely dinner and were returning to the couch to enjoy it and each other’s company. On the TV they were watching some romance series that Carly loved. Jack would never let Yusei and Crow know this, but he had gotten very interested in it too. Jack looked at the scene on the screen, the protagonist was taking his lover on a motorcycle ride in the moonlight. Then he got an idea. He looked over at Carly, who was happily leaning against him, “Carly?”

Carly spun around to look at Jack, “Yeah, Jack?”

“Would you care to go for a ride with me?”

“A r-ride, like… on your duel runner?” Carly asked nervously.

”Yeah,” Jack answered, “The sun was going down as I was on my way over, and I heard someone saying the moon was supposed to be full tonight, so it’s the perfect night. If you don’t want to I understand, I just wanted to offer.”

Carly thought for a moment, on one hand, she was nervous about riding at such high speeds, but on the other hand, riding with Jack sounded amazing. She swallowed her fear, and said, “Y-yeah, let’s go for it!”

Jack smiled and got up, “Great, make sure you’ve got a good jacket, it can get chilly even in the summer.”

Carly nodded and ran into her bedroom. She found a cheap leather jacket she’d found at a thrift shop, and put it over her usual t-shirt. It wasn’t the best look but it’d have to do. She ran back out to Jack, who had put his jacket back on and was waiting by the door. The two of them headed down to the street where Phoenix Whirlwind was parked. Jack walked ahead and pulled out a helmet and passed it to Carly. She put the helmet on and adjusted her glasses.

Jack offered his hand and guided Carly into her seat, when she was situated, he took his place in front of her. He paused as he felt Carly’s arms wrap around her, he felt a warmth flow through him at the sensation. Then he turned his head and said, “Hold on tight.”

With that Jack revved his runner’s engine and took off down the street. He quickly made his way towards the highway and picked up speed. He turned as best he could to ask Carly, “You okay?”

He felt Carly press up more against his back, and she replied, “Are you kidding, this is so exciting! No wonder you love this!”

Jack smiled and sped up. Soon the moon came into view, and he heard Carly’s sounds of awe. He saw the recently finished centerpiece for the Daedalus Bridge, pulled over, and stopped. He helped Carly out of the runner and the two just sat there, watching the moon and the stars. Carly looked over and said, “Hey, Jack?”

Jack looked over, “Yes, Carly?”

“I… I love you.”

Jack blushed, and said, “I love you too, Carly.

Now it was Carly’s turn to blush, they were simple words, but hearing them made her so happy every time. Carly looked at Jack, who was still blushing from their simple exchange, and decided she wanted more. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in.

Their lips met and the two shared their first kiss right there in the moonlight. Carly felt like she was on top of the world. Jack was a little taken aback, but he knew one thing was certain, he wanted to do that again, and again, and again. The kiss was short but the feelings that were shared through it were unforgettable.

The pair stood there for a few more moments, then got back on Jack’s runner and rode back to Carly’s apartment. As they came to a stop, Carly got another good idea, “Hey, why don’t you stay the night?”

“What?” Jack asked, stunned by her suggestion. Why was he so shocked? He didn’t know but he was so on board with the idea that it didn’t matter.

Carly nodded, ”Yeah, it’s so late at this point, and it’s not a short ride back to your place. Besides, you might accidentally wake Yusei or Crow up when you get back.”

Jack smiled as he helped Carly off the runner, “You make a compelling argument, alright, I’ll stay.”

“Yes!” Carly cheered, and jumped in victory. Once she’d finished her celebration, she adjusted her glasses, and said “Great, then let’s get inside.”

Once they were inside her apartment, Carly walked over to her fridge and asked, “You wanna chill for a little longer before turning in?”

Jack nodded, “I don’t see why not, shall we pick up where we left off before our ride?”

”Yeah,” Carly answered, as she pulled out a couple cups of ice cream and walked over to the couch, where Jack was waiting. She passed him a cup and the two continued their show. After a couple more hours of watching, Carly yawned and said, “Well, we should probably get to sleep.”

Jack nodded and watched as Carly stood up and walked towards her room, she paused at the door and turned back to him, “Well, aren’t you coming?”

Jack froze, why was the idea of sleeping in the same bed as his girlfriend, one he cuddled with on a regular basis, so frightening? Was it something about worrying they’d go too far? Probably, but Carly trusted him, and that should be enough. He stood up and followed behind her. He soon found himself lying on the bed, one of his arms wrapped around Carly, and his mind at ease. He looked over at Carly, who’d taken off her glasses, and asked, “You remember how, even after I’d lost my title, you still called me ‘King?’”

Carly nodded and nuzzled closer, “Yeah, I still think that you’re the King in your own right, even if you don’t officially have the title.”

Jack smiled, “Then if I’m the King, wouldn’t that make you my Queen?”

Carly paused, that line had no right to be that smooth. She kissed Jack, “I guess I am. Just… don’t start calling me that in public, please?”

Jack smiled and pulled Carly closer, “I won’t, I promise.”

“Good,” Carly said as she wrapped an arm across his chest, “then sleep well, my King.”

“You too,” Jack replied as he closed his eyes, “my Queen.”