Hey everybody; here's my barely-in-time entry for round one! I've never written Crushshipping before-or Shizuka, for that matter-so this is… well, certainly new. R&R would be much appreciated.
It's late enough that I didn't have time to have it formally betaed. Here's hoping there aren't any horrible mistakes. I'm sorry for the excessive honorifics; they don't translate well.
Pairing: Crushshipping (Honda x Otogi x Shizuka)
Prompt: Yugioh Fanfiction Contest Season 10, Round 1
Word Count: 3,000
Valentine's Day had a nasty habit of sneaking up on Kawai Shizuka, even when it was all her friends ever talked about for weeks leading up. She hadn't had much reason, in recent years, to actually psych herself up for the holiday; the last time she could remember having an actual crush on one of the boys in her class, she'd been ten, and upon reflection, Koushin Matabei really hadn't been her type. Still, that had been a full four years ago, and her friends weren't being lenient about her negligence this year. At least last year she'd had the excuse of a doctor's appointment.
"Shizuka-chan, I can't believe you! I can't!" Fumie complained loudly, lounging against her friend's locker. "It's the most important day for love, and you barely made chocolate for your brother? Come on!"
Shizuka heaved a sigh, rooting through her things in search of what little chocolate she had managed to get her hands on. "I just forgot! The store was almost out by the time I got there," she explained for what felt like the tenth time that day. "I'm seeing him today, I was busy looking forward to that…"
"You should be seeing a boy this weekend, no matter how cool your brother is!" Fumie insisted, in the voice she usually used when she was about to launch into a tirade about how she didn't want to be associated with someone weird. Shizuka tried to ignore her, knowing full well that arguing rarely, if ever, got her anywhere, especially when Fumie was on a roll. "Doesn't he have cool friends? Make chocolate for them! He goes to the same high school as Kaiba Seto, Shizuka-chan! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!"
"I don't think Kaiba-san likes my brother very much, Fumie-chan…"
"But he's rich! You've got a shot at him!"
It was definitely time to ignore her, and Shizuka was relieved when she finally hooked her fingers around the silk drawstring for the little bag she'd put her brother's homemade chocolate in. One bag down; one to go. She bit her lip. "Why do they make these lockers so tall? I always lose everything…"
"I think the point is to have tall boyfriends reach for us. Too bad the boys won't catch on for a few more years," came a voice to her left, and Shizuka glanced over to see her other best friend watching with unconcealed amusement. Bunya Naru stood half a head taller than most of their classmates, and Shizuka wasn't the least bit surprised to see that she'd somehow landed herself a few bags of chocolate over the course of the day; the over-decorated kind that couldn't be intended as friendly.
"Naru-Bun, tell her she's wrong!" Fumie exclaimed, "She isn't listening to me, she should've made chocolate for-"
"For the most eligible bachelor, this side of Japan? I'm sure he'd be thrilled about having another mindless fan," Naru said dryly, earning a somewhat awkward laugh out of Shizuka. Fumie shot a disgruntled look her way, but turned her attention to her phone instead. At least people listened when she texted them. Shizuka somehow doubted that Kaiba would bat an eye, but it was better if Fumie didn't get the idea into her head that she actually knew her brother's self-proclaimed rival, or she'd never hear the end of it.
"Kaiba-san really isn't my type, Fumie-chan," Shizuka insisted, frowning a little. She didn't doubt that the reverse was also true; despite what certain overprotective friends and family members seemed to think, she was relatively plain looking. "I really can't-"
Naru laid a hand on her shoulder, tugging her away from her locker. "I'll dig. You'll mess your uniform up in that old locker, Shizuka-chan," she chided, stepping past her without giving her time to protest. "What are you looking for? You should really clean this thing out, you look like a slob…"
Shizuka laughed uneasily, putting Katsuya's chocolate in the largest available pocket in her school bag. "I'm sorry, Naru-san," she said automatically. "It's up on the top, I think. I put some store-bought chocolates in a red bag, in case my brother's friend is there when I get off the train…"
"I hope they're cheap, Shizuka-chan. You don't want to give high school guys any ideas."
They weren't exactly cheap, but Shizuka shrugged helplessly. Beggars couldn't be choosers, and she really had been heading out too late to do more than hit the nearest convenience store. "I don't think Yuugi-san would get any ideas. It's nothing to worry about!"
Her friends looked less than convinced, but Fumie's lack of interest in the King of Games saved Shizuka from further cross-examination, and it was only a moment more before Naru found what she was looking for. The small bag had somehow managed to fall behind an ugly blue tiki she'd won at the school festival some months prior, and her friend presented both to her with a questioningly raised eyebrow. Shizuka felt her cheeks warm a little with embarrassment.
"Ah… I guess I really should clean it more," she said, maneuvering the chocolates back into her bag. "Thank you, Naru-san! I don't know what I'd do without you!"
That earned her the smile she'd hoped for, and the older girl reached out to muss her hair-barely-before smoothing it back into place. "You'd miss your train to Domino," Naru chided, "But I'll be late to archery if I stay too long. Fumie, are you walking her there?"
"Naru-Bun!" Fumie sounded almost comically horrified at the idea, and she looked up from her phone. "I'm seeing Kaidou-senpai today! I don't have time to go to the train, I need to change first!"
"It's okay," Shizuka insisted, desperate to intervene before Naru could remind Fumie exactly what she thought about her dating a boy just a few months away from starting college. "It's only two blocks, Naru-san. I know the way. And I can call you from Anzu-san's phone when I get to her house."
"See, Naru-Bun? Shizuka-chan'll be fine! She'll call both of us!" Fumie huffed, snapping her mobile shut with a flourish before putting her hands on her hips. Shizuka wasn't entirely surprised by her decision; she didn't think Fumie knew how to ask, but her thinly veiled concern didn't go unnoticed. "You're not her mom, you know!"
That was sure to set Naru off, and Shizuka hurried to withdraw; there was no sense really missing her train, not when her best friends were bound to make up by Saturday night. Try as she might, they were bound to fight; they were too different not to. "I'll see you guys later! Good luck!" she called over her shoulder as she all but fled the scene.
The hall was all but deserted, and she had planned for setbacks, but Shizuka still doubled her pace once she was around the corner. It wasn't often that she got to see her older brother in the first place; Katsuya was busy with high school, and most of his free time was better spent dueling than having to take a train for a few hours to come see her.
But between her mother being out of town for the weekend, and Mazaki Anzu making an excellent impression a few weeks prior, she'd managed to get permission to go to Domino for the weekend, as long as it meant she would be well taken care of and out of trouble. In her mother's mind's eye, that meant 'as far from her no good brother' as possible; in practice, though, Shizuka reasoned that what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, and there wasn't anywhere else she would rather spend a free weekend.
Even if it meant running into some of his weirder friends. Shizuka didn't doubt Katsuya's ability to make good friends-but there was definitely something unsettling about her brother hanging out with a woman well out of high school, no matter how nice Kujaku Mai was. She'd been nothing but sisterly when they had met at the tournament, but she couldn't miss the way her brother looked at the woman, even if she suspected that Mai deliberately ignored most of it. A college woman dating a high school student was just weird.
'I'm starting to think like Naru-san,' she thought, chuckling to herself as she reached the courtyard. It was a chilly February afternoon, and Shizuka could see her breath, so she didn't slow down, instead opting to hug her school bag for extra warmth. Wearing the thin-but-stylish pea coat Fumie had given her over Christmas was all well and good inside, but it did very little good outside. She hoped Anzu's house was a short walk from the train station.
"Shizuka-chan!"
Shizuka looked up sharply at the voice, and almost faltered; Otogi Ryuuji, dressed far more sharply than the last time she'd seen him, was the last person she'd expect to see outside of her middle school, much less running toward her with an elaborately wrapped box of chocolates in hand. "Otogi-san…?" she asked, lowering her schoolbag. Inwardly, she was relieved that Fumie hadn't come with her after all. She'd never hear the end of it if Fumie got the wrong idea-
Or the right idea. The older male was smiling the type of smile Shizuka was used to seeing in magazines; the winning kind that made Fumie weak in the knees, and she wasn't sure whether his cheeks were flushed from the chill or something else. "Otogi-san, how did you…? Did my brother ask you to pick me up?"
He shook his head, then brushed his fringe back into place with practiced ease, and Shizuka wondered how it was possible for an actual human being to move like they did in movies. "Honda and I thought you could use an escort back to Domino," he said smoothly, tipping his head to the side to wink. "It isn't safe for pretty girls to travel alone. Especially on Valentine's Day."
The girl felt her cheeks warm a little at the compliment; she wasn't entirely sure what to say to something like that, but rejecting it outright would have been rude. Especially in the face of her brother's friend doing her a favor. She shook her head. "Ah… Honda-san came too…?"
"He did; he's a little behind. He had to pick something up."
Shizuka wasn't entirely positive, but she thought Otogi's vivid green eyes darkened when he spoke. But his smile didn't falter, and he casually reached for her arm with the practiced ease that must have come with doing that sort of thing a million and one times. She shifted, releasing the handle on her bag to let him tug at her elbow, and was surprised when he pressed the large box of chocolates into her hand.
"Otogi-san…? Why?"
"For Valentine's Day, of course," Otogi said warmly, and it sounded like he wanted to laugh.
"But… boys aren't supposed to give chocolate on Valentine's Day," she protested lamely. More importantly, she hadn't bought enough chocolate to return the favor. The little pyramid-shaped chocolates were so quintessentially Yuugi that she couldn't bring herself to offer them to someone else.
Otogi shook his head. "I spent a few years in China; it goes both ways over there," he said, "Besides, it's a nice surprise, right? I haven't seen you in a while."
"I… I guess so…"
"We ought to get out of here before Honda catches up, Shizuka-chan. I bet we could lose him if we hur-"
"Otogi!"
Shizuka nearly jumped; the hand on her elbow tightened marginally, and she only barely recognized Honda's voice before she saw him coming down the street, looking flushed and annoyed. Under his arm, he too was carrying chocolates-only his had a pink stuffed monkey, covered in heart-polka dots, with its arms wrapped around the box.
"I'm sorry, did you think I would just wait outside while you went to the gift shop?" Otogi asked, grinning almost triumphantly. Honda somehow managed to shoot him a glare while he was catching his breath. "You should've thought about getting Shizuka-chan a gift earlier. I bet it's lopsided."
"Can it, Otogi," Honda snapped, straightening a little and casting a sheepish look Shizua's way. Very abruptly, he looked like someone had cut whatever strings were holding him upright, and he awkwardly turned the plush animal in his hands. "It just looked cute, okay? I don't know if you like this sort of thing, Shizuka-chan…" Honda faltered, looking decidedly embarrassed, but cleared his throat to plow onward. "But I figured… well, it's cute, right?"
"Of course you'd think monkeys were cute, you big ape," Otogi jeered, and to both their surprise, Shizuka ended up giggling; to Otogi's private horror, she took the gift readily.
It was lopsided, and none of the hearts lined up at the seams; and Shizuka could practically hear Naru screaming about it. From the look on Otogi's face, he probably felt the same way. "Thank you, Honda-san!" she said, flashing a smile that brought a decidedly pink flush across the teen's nose. "Fumie-chan was talking about getting this if it was still at the shop after Valentine's Day!"
"Oh?" It was the brunette's turn to smile triumphantly, and Otogi pursed his lips in distaste as his self-proclaimed rival in love practically puffed up. "Well, it's lucky I went; it was the last one." He grinned wolfishly, then leaned forward so that he was nearly nose-to-nose with Otogi. "Shizuka-chan likes monkeys."
"How lucky for you," Otogi drawled, but he was smiling his hundred-watt smile again when he looked down at Shizuka, sliding his hand up to her shoulders and casually steering her away from Honda. "Let's hurry, Shizuka-chan-don't want to miss the train, right?"
"Ah! Right!" Shizuka stammered, hurrying ahead a few paces before turning, opting to walk backwards. They'd stalled long enough that the sidewalk was pretty bare, and she doubted either of her surprise escorts would let her walk into anyone. "Um… Honda-san, did you spend Valentine's in China, too?"
He looked confused; Otogi snickered, and Honda shot him a dirty look before jabbing his side with his elbow. "I… no, I've never been there," he admitted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and narrowly sidestepping in time to avoid Otogi returning his jab. "I just wanted to get you something!"
"I don't have any chocolate for either of you, though…" Shizuka said, frowning a little. There were Yuugi's chocolates, but she couldn't very well divide them between three people. "I'm sorry. If I'd known…"
Somehow, deep down, both boys knew they ought to have expected that. "No! Don't be sorry, Shizuka-chan!" they chorused, "It's fine!"
"We weren't expecting anything," Honda said quickly, hoping to put her at ease. "You don't have to do anything!"
"Well, you could…" Otogi mused, "If you feel that bad, Shizuka-chan… We could celebrate backwards."
The girl paused mid-step to consider. "Backwards?"
"Absolutely!" He grinned, green eyes all but twinkling with mischief. Suspicion was writ plainly across Honda's face, and Otogi blithely ignored it, as usual. What mattered more was that he'd caught up with Shizuka, and he turned her around, draping an arm around her shoulders and continuing. "Since we both gave you chocolate on Valentine's Day, you could return the favor on White Day. If you'd like. We'll ignore the triple return rule."
Of all the crazily inappropriate ideas that could have come out of Otogi's mouth, most of which had rushed through Honda's head fast enough to make it spin, that was arguably the tamest. He let out a sigh, and hurried to keep up as they turned down the next street. Damn Otogi's quick stride.
That was assuming Shizuka wanted to give either of them anything-and somewhere, deep down, Honda almost wished she'd turn him down. He had spent most of the train ride down from Domino bragging about his specially-made-gourmet-French-chocolate that even impressed Anzu. By contrast, Honda hadn't had time to do more than pick out the only affordable, nut-free, unbent box of chocolate left in the store (while assuring the clerk that no, really, he wasn't buying it for the attractive-if-you-like-that-sort-of-thing man waiting outside) before discovering that Otogi had opted to abandon him.
"That sounds… fair?" Shizuka said, visibly relieved. Honda wanted to scream. No, no, Otogi wasn't supposed to earn favor with weird suggestions like that!
"Of course it is! I'm always fair."
"Yeah, right…" Honda muttered, reaching over to pinch Otogi's arm, just out of Shizuka's line of sight. "But if you'd like to do that, Shizuka-chan, I wouldn't mind, either. It'd be sweet of you."
Shizuka giggled; she wasn't sure whether Honda was trying to be funny, but she didn't see a reason to argue. "If Anzu-san can get my mom to agree," she said, smiling sweetly. "Then I could go see my brother next month, too!"
Otogi very nearly faltered when she said that, and Honda took the opportunity to replace his arm around Shizuka's shoulders. "Definitely! I bet Jyounouchi'd love that. You can come up anytime, you know? It's not like he'll have a date."
'You won't, either,' Otogi thought sourly, but he bit his tongue and opted to take revenge by draping his arm over Honda's shoulders, mostly for effect. The brunette's eye twitched, and Otogi's mouth twisted in a smile. He was surprised when Honda didn't shove his arm away; but then, he'd need to let go of Shizuka to do it. "I bet we'll all be free to see you, Shizuka-chan!"
"Oh-that'd be fun!" she said, stumbling a little to keep pace with the both of them. It was hard to keep up when they were both considerably taller. But at least she was warm, sandwiched between them. "I'd like that!"
Honda sighed wistfully. Somehow, this hadn't turned out the way he'd expected. But there was always next year for a shot at normalcy. At least by then Shizuka would be in high school.