written for the zexal fanwork marathon. the prompt was "Shark trying to still maintain his bad boy image, but failing miserably because he now hangs out with Durbe who is the nerdiest of nerd students." and i tried
"Have you considered?" Ryoga asks when they're sitting together in the cafeteria. There aren't many other students there besides both of them, since they've got a free period and most of the other people, including their friends, don't, so Ryoga thinks it might be the right time to address this certain thing. He glances at Durbe and puts his mobile into his pocket after making sure that nobody important (aka Yuma) texted him.
"Considered what, Nasch?"
Durbe looks up from the book he has read, obviously not sure what he's talking about. With his glasses on, Durbe looks like a completely different person to him, doesn't look like the former knight and friend he used to be to Nasch, now Ryoga. But the way he says 'Nasch', his voice full of passion and his eyes lightening up, revealing the fire of the warrior Durbe used to be, makes it really hard for Ryoga to remind him that he isn't Nasch any more.
Because the name 'Nasch' meant something to Durbe and to him, while the name 'Ryoga' just sounded hollow and cold in Durbe's voice.
"Have you considered acting less, I don't know, nerdy?"
"Nerdy?" Shutting his book, Durbe gives him one of those puzzled looks. "What does that mean, my friend?"
"Voluntary reading those books about history or whatever, reminding the teachers to give us homework and so on. That's nerdy. And you should also stop showing so many signs of affection towards me when we're at school, or generally in public. People will talk."
Durbe gives Ryoga that look, the kind of look that doesn't actually fit into the definition of a pout, because it's Durbe and Durbe never pouts, because he's not a child and would never even think of behaving childish, but then he's also not a real adult, at least not what an adult in the twenty-first century is supposed to be, so it's maybe just half a pout ... or something.
"What's wrong about people talking?"
Ryoga intuitively rolls his eyes, because he knows when it's about those human things, it's always easier to just directly blurt out everything, since his companions won't understand it otherwise. Sometimes, he likes to think Yuma went through the same issues with Astral, but then remembers Astral never went to school, so it was probably way easier with him.
"Unlike you, I've got this thing called reputation – and you're ruining it!"
Which is a bit rude and while being rude to Yuma is okay and being rude to Rio is normal, being rude to Durbe is not something that usually happens, because Durbe is Durbe, and being rude to him is simply impossible.
Durbe himself seems to be rather confused by now and, hey, Ryoga's actually rather used to his sister and his friends (aka Yuma) ruining his reputation, isn't he, so he might as well –
Ryoga just simply decides to better not bring this topic up again.