Title: Layers

Association: Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal

Pairing: Ryoga/Yuma

Summary: Ryoga's a little more dense than he'd like to admit. Thankfully Yuma doesn't quite know all his tricks. Maybe this kiddie dance won't be such a disaster after all. Sharkbaitshipping with brief mentions of interest/other minor pairings.

There weren't enough words in the world to describe how utterly awkward Ryoga felt. How had he allowed himself to be talked into this? Didn't he have better things to do on a Saturday night than stand around at some stupid dance for middle schoolers? He was a freshman now, and he paled at the thought of kids from the lower grades recognizing him. He was here solely on the request of one Yuma Tsukumo, but the dance had started nearly an hour ago and the idiot was nowhere to be found. He'd met up with Kotori and Tetsuo upon arrival, the former having asked the larger male to go with her after Yuma had turned her down. Ryoga personally found it rather kind of Kotori to do that. Tetsuo was a good guy; he'd find a girl who could appreciate him one day and look past the physical aspect of their differences.

The three of them had chatted casually before Kotori left to meet a couple of her friends on the dance floor, waving a hasty farewell to her companions. A moment of silence wafted peacefully between the remaining two. Ryoga spoke first.

"So, Kotori then?"

Tetsuo shrugged. "She wasn't who I really wanted to bring along, but the other girl said no. I'm not surprised. Besides, it's not like this is a date or anything."

Ryoga quirked an eyebrow. "You know, my sister came home the other day saying that a guy from the lower grade asked her to this dance. That was you, wasn't it?" A flush of embarrassment on Tetsuo's face confirmed his suspicions. "Well, she would've said yes, but she thought it'd be awkward if both of us were here. Also, she's out of town this weekend."

"You don't have to sugarcoat it, Shark," Tetsuo replied sternly. "If she's not interested, she's not interested. I get it." The larger male's eyes drifted toward the dance floor. "I take it you're waiting for Yuma?"

Ignoring the fact that Tetsuo was quick to change the topic, Ryoga took the bait. "Yeah. I didn't expect him to be early, or even on time. Why didn't he go with Kotori?"

"Said he wanted you to come, but if he agreed to 'go with her', you might get the wrong idea. He didn't want you to think they were going as a couple or anything."

"Why would I think that? Not my business even if they were."

Ryoga was playing it cool, but Tetsuo could clearly see the wave of relief washing over the older male as he absorbed the information. Tetsuo grinned. "Come on, nothing gets past me that easily; you're glad Yuma turned her down and you know it. Anyway, he said you'd get jealous."

Cool blue eyes cut through the conversation like knives. "You're kidding."

"Yuma's not right about much, but I think he hit the nail on the head with that one. You like him, don't you?"

Ryoga froze. He wasn't expecting Tetsuo of all people to be so candid about it. Was he really that obvious?

"You don't know that," Ryoga scoffed, turning his attention to the dance floor as well. "You don't know anything."

Tetsuo laughed. "Say it all you want, Ryoga, but you're not sly. I'm surprised you haven't made a move already. You know he's not into girls, right?"

Ryoga promptly sprayed the younger male with a mouthful of punch. "What?"

Tetsuo looked down with disdain at the red stain splattered on his white dress-shirt. He casually unbuttoned it and tossed it onto the bleachers behind him, revealing a plain white t-shirt underneath. "You heard me. I thought you knew that."

"No!" Ryoga grabbed at Tetsuo's newly-revealed undershirt, pinning the male with his glare. "Why the hell didn't you tell me that sooner?"

"You didn't ask."

A simple reply, but valid just the same. Ryoga met the younger male's neutral stare with a look of guilt. He quickly pulled away. "Sorry," he muttered, scuffing a polished black dress shoe on the equally-polished floor.

"It's cool." Tetsuo elbowed Ryoga gently. "Hey, speak of the devil. Look who just showed."

Ryoga's gaze darted toward the doors of the gym. Kotori had apparently spotted Yuma first, engaging in light-hearted conversation with her dorky classmate as a twinge of envy sparked in the older male's eyes.

"Wow, somebody got all dressed up for this!" Ryoga spun around as a perfectly-manicured hand clamped down on his shoulder. Cathy was standing behind him with an anxious-looking Takashi at her side. The two were wearing complimenting outfits, with Cathy in a formal black gown and Takashi in a classic tux. The neko-girl gave him a Cheshire grin. "You look really nice, Ryoga."

Ryoga blushed without realizing it. He hadn't been anticipating such flattery. "Likewise. Where's Anna at?"

Cathy waved a hand in dismissal. "Couldn't make it. She promised to make it up to me next weekend," she said with a lick of her lips.

Ryoga shuddered internally, but made no indication of it. He nodded in greeting at Takashi, who mouthed an 'I'm sorry' as he returned the gesture. Ryoga knew the blue-haired boy had no more desire to be at this formal than he did and felt a bit more at ease knowing he wasn't the only one hoping to make a hasty retreat. He'd been five minutes shy of storming out in a huff before Yuma showed.

Idiot...You save the world, and somehow you still have all the maturity and timeliness of a five-year-old. Yuma Tsukumo, you are astounding.

And truth be told, he really was. Ryoga admired his friend from across the room, drinking in the lithe figure over the rim of his cup. Yuma was dressed in a black button-up shirt with matching slacks, the opening of his shirt meeting the dip in a sultry dark purple vest. His unnaturally spiky hair was surprisingly slack and tossed over one shoulder in the form of a braid. The pink bangs remained edgy, but somehow still fit with the rest of the ensemble. Ryoga was secretly thankful that Kotori had distracted the younger male; he was all too aware that he was staring at Yuma like a baboon.

"Oh, Class Rep!" Ryoga was pulled from his thoughts by the squeals of Kotori's friends rushing to Takashi's side. Each one grabbed an arm and grinned. "We're so glad you made it! I thought you said you couldn't come?" the blue-haired female inquired, pulling her lips into a pout. Ryoga thought her name might be Sei, but he couldn't be bothered to find out for sure.

Takashi's skin flushed as her brunette friend tugged at his sleeve. Wasn't her name Sarah or something? No, Sacci? "C'mon, Takashi! Come dance with us?" she pleaded, oversized grey eyes brimming with adoration. Before he could even ask Cathy's permission, the matching females dragged him away from the group with arms flailing.

"Guys? A little help here!?"

Takashi's cries were ignored as the remaining three students turned their attention from the scene. Cathy deadpanned.

"That boy has not one, but two females fawning over him and he's being a dweeb. Figures." The gray-haired girl extended a hand to Tetsuo. "Well, what do you say? Wanna be my date since ours ditched us?"

Tetsuo smiled. "None of us technically came here as each other's dates, you know. Well, with one exception." He winked at Ryoga, nodding his head in Yuma's direction. "Might wanna go grab yours before he changes his mind and leaves with Kotori."

A flash of panic sparked in those cobalt eyes as Ryoga pitched his drink and nodded in agreement. "Pff, whatever. Enjoy yourselves," he replied spitefully, jamming his hands in his pockets as he made his way to the entrance.

"So, is that loser finally gonna make a move?" Cathy asked as Tetsuo took her hand, leading her onto the dance floor. "It's about damn time."

"I think so. I hope so anyway." Tetsuo put his hands around Cathy's waist as she placed hers on his shoulders. "Ryoga doesn't know Yuma actually considers him as his date. He honestly thinks Yuma asked him here as 'just a friend'."

Cathy snickered, eying the two with profound interest. "They're both idiots. They deserve each other."

From across the room, Ryoga approached Yuma apprehensively, trying not to intrude on his and Kotori's conversation. Unfortunately, the former of the two had spotted him first, quick to shoot the older male an enthusiastic grin.

"There you are, Shark! I'm so glad you came!" Yuma rushed over and wrapped his arms around Ryoga, pulling the startled male into a tight embrace. Kotori turned her head in detest, but said nothing.

"Get off of me, idiot!" Ryoga pushed his friend off half-heartedly. "Took you long enough. They almost didn't let me in because my…'date' wasn't here." The foreign word stuck to his tongue like glue; this wasn't a date, after all.

But the younger male seemed bound and determined to fool him into thinking otherwise.

Yuma grinned, slinging an arm loosely around the taller boy's waist. He winked. "Sorry I kept you waiting." He turned back to Kotori. "Hey, we'll catch up later, yeah? You're coming over to my place after the dance, right?"

Kotori looked down at her taupe heels, twisting one into the floor absently. Her face appeared knotted with indecision. "Can't. Mom wants me home by ten. I told her you were gonna have an after-party and sleepover, but we have to be up early tomorrow for church." She turned on one foot and waved; Ryoga could've sworn he saw her wink at him as she did. "I'm gonna catch up with the others. Don't have too much fun, you two."

Still acutely aware of the arm around his waist, Ryoga turned to Yuma. "You think she's telling the truth?"

"No." Yuma frowned, pulling Ryoga closer. "She's mad that I asked you to come with me." Catching the concern in the older male's eyes, Yuma nudged him gently. "Hey, don't feel bad! I'm the one who asked you to be here, not vice versa." He nodded in Kotori's direction. "That's my battle to fight; I'll deal with her later."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. Come on, let's dance already!" Yuma took Ryoga by the hand, leading him out onto the gym floor eagerly. Ryoga's nerves peaked when he realized that it was a pop song playing and jerked in the opposite direction. "Hey, what's with you? Let's go!" Yuma tugged harder at the older male, but Ryoga wasn't having it.

"Yuma." Ryoga's tone deepened, desperate to not be dragged out and humiliated this evening. Any reputation he might've had before meeting Yuma had been thoroughly tarnished by this point anyway, but he couldn't stomach the thought of being ridiculed by middle schoolers.

Yuma paused, noting how sweaty Ryoga's hand felt in his and squeezed it. "You're not nervous, are you? You don't really have to dance if you don't want to, but please don't just go stand by the wall and mope. I really want you to have a good time." Yuma grinned as he took his partner's other hand as well. "I do expect you to slow dance with me, though."

Ryoga swallowed hard. He knew Yuma would be insistent, but he hadn't been expecting that kind of a request. Well, no, but you were hoping for it. "You mean…like an actual date would?"

Yuma deadpanned. "Shark, you are my date."

Ryoga's jaw dropped. He opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him completely. His eyebrows couldn't have possibly looked more obscure; he felt fairly confident in their ability to rip right off his face from the shock.

Yuma's eyes widened. "I thought you knew. Guess that was kinda stupid of me not to tell you I was being serious about the whole date thing, huh?" He attempted to release Ryoga's hands, but the older male held on absently. "Ryoga?"

"I'm an idiot," he finally managed, pulling Yuma closer. "This is what Tetsuo was trying to tell me earlier. You…You really wanted me to be here."

"Of course I do." Yuma met Ryoga's starry gaze, standing on his toes to touch his nose to his companion's. "Are you gonna dance with me?"

Ryoga blushed madly, oblivious to the stares of their entire group of friends watching from a distance. Tokonosuke had joined them and rescued Takashi from the dance floor. He appeared to be taking handfuls of money from each. "Of course."

Luck on Ryoga's side, the annoying pop song dissipated, leaving a slow ballad in its wake. He breathed a sigh of relief as he draped his arms around Yuma's waist. Yuma grinned, twining his fingers behind Ryoga's neck.

"Can't escape this time," Yuma smirked, pulling himself close enough to inhale the spicy scent of his date. "You smell amazing."

Ryoga looked around at various other couples on the floor, noting that most of the other students were wrapped up in one another as well. Cathy and Takashi, Kotori and Tetsuo, and even Tokonosuke had someone to dance with. What the hell are they all staring at? Ignoring their faraway expressions, he smiled down at Yuma.

"You do realize I'm headed right back to the bleachers once this song's over, right?"

"That's what you think." Yuma took one of Ryoga's hands in his own, swaying to the soft music and humming the tune. "I'm really glad you're here, you know. I'm sure you'd much rather be at home right now, am I right?" he asked cheekily, as though he had already read the older male's mind.

"Am I really that obvious?" Ryoga muttered as he pulled his partner closer. Yuma's hot breath felt capable of searing his ear off. "You seem to know this song pretty well. Let me show you something you don't know." Ryoga gripped Yuma's hand firmly, slipping his other hand from the younger male's hips to the small of his back. "Follow my lead," he whispered, watching with delight as Yuma's eyes glistened.

Grinning now, Ryoga stepped off with his left foot, encouraging Yuma to follow along. Before he knew it, the champion duelist was being dragged all over the dance floor, twisted and yanked and strung along haphazardly, and was this really even Ryoga? They'd had a few mishaps; Yuma seemed perpetually determined to ruin Ryoga's dress shoes by the end of the night, but the older male didn't seem to mind much. He'd merely laugh and pull his date in one direction or another to get back in step. The two seemed ignorant to the wide array of stares they were getting from other couples.

At the end of the song, Ryoga was near breathless, hovering over a contorted and highly flustered Yuma as sweat beads adorned both their faces. Like a true gentleman, he guided Yuma back to his feet, smirking all the while.

"Wow." Yuma breathed heavily, unaware of the soft red tint at the tips of his ears. "That was...Where did you learn to do that?"

Ryoga released his date and jammed his hands in his pockets, blushing as he turned away. "I...might've picked it up somewhere along the way."

A knowing smile graced the younger male's lips. "You learned that just for tonight, didn't you?" Laughing, Yuma proceeded to pinch Ryoga's cheeks. "You really did that for me. I'm speechless!"

"If you're so speechless, then stop embarrassing me and shut up."

Ryoga looked around quickly before leaning forward, capturing Yuma by the lips. From across the gym, a series of cheers and cries could be heard, along with the loud laughter of Tetsuo as he collected money from Cathy, Kotori, and Takashi.

"Pay up, suckers. Told ya he was gonna do it."

Pulling away, Ryoga glared at their so-called 'group of friends'. "You assholes were taking bets!?"

Tokonosuke approached the two star-crossed teens with a vicious smirk. "Duh! It's about time you dopes figured it out. We've been waiting on you two to pull your heads out of your asses for months!"

Ryoga looked like he was on the verge of popping a blood vessel when Yuma took his hand, and all the red drained from his face in an instant. How the hell does he do that? "Whatever. Take your bets and laugh it up, but that's about as much of a show as you'll be getting out of me tonight."

"Oh yeah?" Cathy slipped fluidly between Yuma and Ryoga, taking the older male by the arm. "You've got a whole line of people wanting to dance with you now, sweetie, and I'm next," she purred, dragging Ryoga away from the others as Yuma burst out laughing.

"Don't have too much fun out there, Shaaku!" he called after the pair, grinning as he waved. Tetsuo came to his side with a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Well, it's about time. So, I take it he wasn't opposed to the whole 'you're actually my date' thing?"

"Not at all!" Yuma couldn't have grinned any wider if he'd tried. His face went aglow at the thought, maroon eyes gleaming with wonder as he watched Ryoga from a distance, who had begrudgingly taken Cathy by the waist and began to dance. "I still can't believe he did that...I never knew he was so good on his feet!"

At this, Tetsuo leaned over and whispered something in Yuma's ear that made his eyes bulge from their sockets and his neatly-braided hair to stand on end. He quickly excused himself, dashing out with his face burning bright. Kotori, who stood at Tetsuo's side for the duration of this, looked to her companion in confusion.

"What the heck was that all about?"

Tetsuo laughed heartily. "Nothing. I just told Yuma to find out next time how good Ryoga is with his hands."

FIN