I don't think I've seen a Mintshipping story on here~!
So here's one! I hope you like it!
xx
Espa held him so close that he could smell the sweetness on Weevil's lips.
Weevil's lips.
He breathed in the scent and closed his eyes. They were such a pale pink. They were asking to be kissed. The older boy opened his eyes and looked into Weevil's.
Without hesitation he said, "I want to kiss your lips until they're swollen and red."
Weevil felt his breath hitch. His entire body tingled and his flushed face darted to the side.
"Espa, stop it. Stop saying these things to me. We can't do that."
"It's not a matter of can't and can now. It's a matter of need. I need you. I need to feel you. I need to show you how I can love you."
xxx
Weevil Underwood narrowed his eyes and looked at the other minty-haired boy up and down. He knew exactly who this eccentric looking male was. This was Espa Roba the Pseudo-Psychic. He had cheated and defeated Rex Raptor in Battle City, kicking him out of the tournament; attaining Rex's Serpent Night Dragon card as a result.
Weevil's arms were folded against his chest and his lips were pursed into a pout. How dare this imbecile humiliate Rex in such a way? First Joey Wheeler and now some cheating freak.
He huffed at his last thought, aware that his track record didn't exactly display honesty either—but he had his reasons. Weevil was certain this joker had no reasons. He was just an-
…arrogant son of a bitch. Wait until I give him a piece of my mind.
The former Insect Duelist was casually leaned against a wall of the food court they both happened to be in. He adjusted his glasses out of habit and continued to examine Espa Roba. Rex had told him of the stupid, pink, Charlie Brown-esque shirt that Espa wore. Weevil squinted and scoffed. Espa wasn't donning it today. That would have been nice material to use while verbally tearing him apart.
Espa had a duffle bag slung across his body and was waiting in line at the pizzeria. Weevil figured this was the perfect opportunity to approach him. He was seemingly alone.
The smaller boy put on his best smirk and strode over to where Espa Roba was standing in line.
"Weevil Underwood?"
He froze, finding himself staring up at Espa. He couldn't really be psychic, Weevil thought. How does he know me? I was the champion and a laughingstock a while ago… Is that a diaper bag?
"Weevil Underwood, right?"
Weevil widened his eyes and darted them away.
"What?" he snapped.
Espa raised his hands defensively and smiled.
"Nothing! I just recognized you. That's all. From when you won that championship! How'd you wind up doing in Battle City?"
Weevil scowled. "I didn't approach you for small talk, Espa Roba!"
The mint-haired boy tilted his head. "You know my name?" A grin appeared on his face. "Wow! I must be pretty famous!" he mused, laughing to himself.
The shorter of the two did not look as amused. In fact, he looked rather angry. As soon as he opened his mouth to begin the confrontation, he was almost trampled by three children; one of which was carrying a baby.
Weevil stepped back and raised his eyebrows as the infant was handed to Espa.
"Espa! Espa!" one of them cried, "Can I get pepperoni?"
"But I want pineapple!" another argued.
The former Insect Duelist watched as Espa smiled warmly at who just had to be his brothers. He suddenly didn't feel as hostile anymore and he didn't like it. Weevil was on a mission; and it wasn't going to be disrupted by a touching family moment. Certainly their parents would arrive soon and he'd be able to confront Espa the way he had planned.
"We can get half and half, okay guys?"
Weevil jumped as he was poked in the side by one of the Roba brothers.
"Are you one of Espa's friends?" the smaller child asked, smiling an innocent smile. He appeared to have gotten some recent visits from the Tooth Fairy.
Weevil stared down at him, unsure of what to reply. He absolutely had the capability of being quite snide, but this was a child.
Ironically, Espa sensed the awkwardness emitting from the shorter of the two teenagers. He grinned at Weevil, who redirected his wide-eyed glance to the older boy.
"Yeah! He is! Weevil, do you want to join us for some pizza?" Espa offered, breaking the momentary silence. He bounced the infant on his hip, still smiling.
Weevil didn't think his facial expression could express any more confusion.
"U-um… w-well…" he stuttered, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "I suppose I can…"
Espa's grin widened genuinely. He instructed his brothers to take the baby and find a place for all of them to comfortably sit. The siblings excitedly went off on their new mission and left the former duelists alone once again.
Weevil pushed his glasses up and gripped the messenger bag he carried.
"Where are your parents?" he asked.
There was another silence—a different silence. A solemn silence. Weevil immediately regretted his question.
"Dad's on a business trip," Espa replied quickly and quietly.
Weevil nodded, deciding not to pry further.
"I watch them most of the time," Espa continued to Weevil's surprise. "Gotta look out for them, you know? There are lots of bullies out there and we're not exactly a normal bunch."
The shorter boy nodded, completely and truly understanding. He then shifted his eyes to examine his 'target' once more. He takes care of his brothers almost all on his own? I assume there's no mother. He felt impressed and intrigued (albeit frustrated), clenching his fists on the strap of his bag even tighter.
Weevil never met anyone with hair so close to his own. He even liked Espa's eyes, much to his dismay. They were a dark green and sharp, mischievous and innocent all at once. Feeling himself blush, Weevil internally scolded himself and darted his glance to the ground as they moved up in line.
"I know why you approached me." Espa stated with a laugh. "And it didn't take any psychic ability to figure it out,"
Embarrassment washed over Weevil.
Foiled.
He remained quiet, taking an educated guess that Espa would begin speaking again.
"You're friends with Rex, right?"
"I am."
Espa placed a hand on the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly.
"Yeah. I wouldn't blame you for coming to confront me about the whole thing. I cheated, I know—but it was for my brothers. If people thought I was clairvoyant and powerful, they'd leave us alone. I dunno if Rex told you. I mean, I figure he'd know why since he watched my duel with Joey Wheeler…" the taller boy trailed off, directing his bashful smile at Weevil. "That's really loyal of you, though. To come and stand up for your friend."
Weevil knew right then and there that if he did succeed in verbally ripping Espa Roba to shreds he would be a hypocrite in the worst of ways. I'm already a hypocrite; judging him. All people do is judge me and here I am being just as piggish.
As it turns out, Espa did have his reasons—and they were selfless. Weevil scowled at the ground, recalling his own rationale for slipping Parasite Paracide into Joey Wheeler's deck. That obnoxious imbecile contributed to Rex's humiliation in Duelist Kingdom; along with that blonde hussy, of course. But Weevil's issue with her is a different story. Weevil wanted to avenge his friend (and win, thereby impressing Rex as well), albeit he tried in one of the least mature of ways.
He looked back up at Espa as they approached the counter to order the pizza. As he swallowed his pride and opened his mouth to apologize, the employee behind the register cheerfully greeted them and asked for their order.
Espa nodded at Weevil knowingly, his smile becoming a bit more confident.
There was undoubtedly a blush on Weevil's cheeks then.
xxx
Within the next week, Weevil found himself thinking of Espa Roba and his brothers rather frequently. He enjoyed sitting with them in the food court, watching the big family interact. He found it all very endearing. After that, he and Espa exchanged numbers and agreed to hang out sometime again, though Weevil had yet to answer the text messages sent by his new acquaintance.
He was sitting in his backyard by his swimming pool with Rex when he decided to bring up his run-in with the owner of Rex's Serpent Night Dragon.
"I met Espa Roba the other day," he said simply, sipping a glass of lemonade.
Rex looked over, his relaxed expression turning sour.
"You did? Where?"
"The mall. He and his brothers were getting pizza in the food court,"
The brunet raised his eyebrows, surprised. "You went and introduced yourself? That's not like you."
"Well I planned on giving him a piece of my mind, but… that's not how it turned out."
Rex frowned.
"How'd it go then?"
"They asked me to join them, so I did. You didn't tell me that he cheated so his brothers would avoid being tormented at school."
Weevil glanced at Rex with a small smirk. His friend was scowling intently.
"Yeah, isn't he just a frigging hero."
"He's not an awful person, Rex."
"Roba's nothing but a dirty cheat. I don't care what his reasons were. I could have won that damn duel if he didn't cheat."
Weevil redirected his eyes to his glass of lemonade. He never told Rex why he cheated in Battle City. In fact, he never told Rex he cheated in Battle City at all. Almost nothing irritated Rex more than dishonesty and cheating. Weevil didn't want to give Rex any reason to dislike him. Rex was all Weevil had aside from his parents. And Espa now, he supposed; but Rex was most important. He'd always been the most important person to Weevil.
"I don't want you hanging out with that creep. Got it?" Rex snapped, standing up.
Weevil's eyes widened. He stared up at Rex nervously.
"Wh-what? Why not?"
"Because he's not a good person for you to be around."
Weevil frowned deeply. He put his glass on the table and also stood up, clenching his fists at his sides.
"Who are you to tell me who I can be friends with?"
Rex narrowed his eyes at the shorter boy. He didn't even want to admit to himself why, forget admitting it to Weevil. He knew he had no right telling Weevil who to see, but at the same time, he didn't want to lose Weevil to anyone else. Rex wasn't stupid. He knew Espa was perfectly capable of sweeping Weevil away from him—in more ways than one.