Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal
Title: Learning How To Hug
Romance: Mizael x Vector
Word Count: 1,119||Status: One-shot
Genre: Romance, Humor||Rated: PG-13
Challenge: Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, section D, prompt #36, write in the humor genre; Written for the One Ship Boot Camp, prompt #50, hug
Notes: This takes place sometime before 'Shingetsu Rei' makes himself known to Yuuma.
Summary: Vector has to practice being human. Being human involves many strange things, not the least of which is the concept of a hug. And he has to practice with someone.

Sooner or later, they were going to have to do something about the Astral World, the Astral Messenger, and every other problem that fettered their world. Mizael knew Durbe had plans of some kind, but their current leader hadn't yet seen fit to tell him what those were.

What worried him just a fraction more was that Vector had plans and that he had absolutely no idea of what they were. If it weren't for the fact it was Vector at all, he might not have guessed. But Vector gave himself away in tiny clues, mostly involving not being around and giggling softly at times when he was around. He could've been plotting nothing more annoying than hiding all of their cloaks. But Mizael didn't think so.

"Mizael?" Stone-tipped fingers pricked at his side and Mizael smacked at them without thinking. It was only Vector. Annoying, but not someone he cared about offending. "That's not a good way to say hello to someone."

Mizael pulled himself to his feet and stared coldly at the other Barian. "Why would I want to say hello to you in the first place?" Wasn't it annoying enough that they existed in the same world?

Vector giggled in that way he had that would've made Mizael's skin crawl if he wasn't made of living rock. In point of fact, it went a long way toward doing that anyway.

When he didn't seem inclined to say anything that would've possibly interested Mizael, the golden Barian took a step away. "If all you wanted was to bother me, you succeeded." He looked forward to the day they no longer had to work with Vector. It couldn't come soon enough.

Vector's hand closed around his arm. Mizael wondered just what it would take to cut the hand off. So tempting.

"I have a question for you." Vector even sounded serious for a moment or two. Mizael didn't think it would last. He made a motion with his free hand for the other to get moving. "It's more of a request. I want you to hug me. And I want to hug you back."

Mizael did not have the mouth that humans did. He frowned anyway. "You want what?" He wondered if he'd somehow dozed off and was in the middle of a very realistic bad dream. That made more sense than the thought of Vector bringing up hugging.

A low laugh rippled outward. "Oh, if you could see your face!" Vector gestured wildly at Mizael for a few seconds before turning serious again. "Anyway, I'm working on something and I need to learn how to hug people."

"What are you working on?" Mizael had many centuries of practice in not trusting Vector any farther than he could throw him. He wasn't certain he would trust him as far as he could throw him, for that matter.

Vector waved his hand again, dismissing all of Mizael's worries. Or trying to; Mizael did not let his worries be dismissed all that easily. "It's nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about. All I need is a couple of hugs. Maybe more, it depends on how fast I get it down pat."

Mizael tilted his head, looking Vector up and down. Hugging wasn't something Barians did all that often. He'd seen Nasch and Merag do it to one another long ago, and he knew for a fact Nasch and Durbe did far, far more than hug in those days as well. At least Vector wasn't asking for that.

But it would involve touching Vector, which was something Mizael didn't have a habit of doing.

"Why ask me?"

Vector held out his fingertips. "Because Durbe would ask even more questions than you." He pulled one finger down. "Because Alit annoys me." A second finger. "Because Gilag is even more annoying than Alit." The third finger. He stared at the other two and closed them. "Oh, and Nasch and Merag are gone." He spread his fingers out again. "So, you're the only one left, really."

Mizael fought back the urge to do something extremely violent. His only reason for resisting it was because he knew Durbe wouldn't approve. They'd lost two of their number already. There was no need to lose more. Even if it was Vector.

"Fine." He didn't have to like it. He knew that he wouldn't like it. But it would get Vector away from him and it likely wouldn't take all that long.

Vector nodded, stepping closer to him and looking him up and down, hints of curiosity sparking in the depths of his eyes. Mizael looked back at him; how did one hug, anyway? It involved arms being around each other. He might as well start with that.

He leaned forward and awkwardly placed his arms around Vector, moving them so that he wasn't actually touching Vector's wings. He hated to mention it, or even to think it, but he'd always liked those wings. They reminded him of dragons, and dragons made him very happy.

Thankfully the reminder wasn't strong enough so that Vector made him happy. That would've been going too far.

Vector's arms settled around him, loosely at first, then tightening. Moment by moment they tightened more, until Mizael started to shift back.

"I don't think you're supposed to hug that much," he muttered. The feel of Vector's arms around him was something it would take getting used to, and he didn't think he really wanted to get used to it. Whatever scheme Vector had in mind could probably work just as well without this. Assuming Vector actually had a scheme and wasn't just lying to him.

Frankly, he wouldn't put it past Vector to have this whole 'hug' thing be the scheme in itself, with the goal of it just being to annoy him. Vector had come up with more ridiculous ideas and with less purpose behind them.

"Sorry." Vector's voice really wasn't suited for apologies. Mizael didn't think he was even trying. His arms didn't exactly tighten, but the grip shifted so it was more comfortable. "Is this better?"

It was, really. Mizael made a somewhat noncommittal noise. "Is that enough of a hug for your 'lesson'?"

"For now," Vector replied, but he didn't move away. "I'll need some more later, though. Got to get it down just perfect."

Mizael stepped away from him, letting his arms drop. Vector was, like all of them, cool stone, and yet there'd been something extremely strange about being that close to him. He didn't entirely know how to describe it, only that it felt...not as wrong as he'd thought it would? He almost wanted to go find someone else to hug, just to test the difference. To know if it was hugging in general or hugging Vector.

Vector chuckled, twitching his wings as if to settle them back into place. "I'll see you around, then, Mizael. For our next lesson."

Mizael turned away and left without another word. Whatever Vector had in mind, he did not want to know anything about it. It would probably be better for all of them if he didn't.

It would certainly be better for his peace of mind.

The End