Notes: I wrote this on tumblr a while ago and decided that now was as good a time as any to put it up on FF.N.
'Shimauma' is the Japanese word for 'zebra.' The Japanese word for 'horse' is 'uma,' and is only two characters long (うま), which wouldn't really work for the game being played. 'Shimauma' is four characters long (しまうま), and while that's still one less than the English word "horse," I think it still works well enough (and better than the Japanese names for any other animals with hooves I could think of, all of which had names shorter than 'shimauma'). In my experience there are a couple different ways to play this game—some involve challenge shots, some don't—but the way my friends and I always played it was that you just took turns making shots, and if it was just two people whoever got five baskets first won, and if there were more than two people then it was whoever missed five baskets first was eliminated from the game, and so on and so forth until there were two people left, and then whoever made five baskets won. According to Google my entire childhood was a lie and that's not how you're supposed to play it, but whatever man, that's what I wrote and it's just a game. Just . . . roll with me on this one.
Time Will Tell Who Wins
"I just don't get what you see in him."
"I told you, man. He's a good guy."
"A good guy. Right."
Jounouchi rolled his eyes as Honda took his shot with a little more force than necessary. The basketball smacked against the backboard with a strong enough impact to make the whole hoop shake, and when it bounced off the rim the basket sagged briefly under the weight. Jounouchi waited until the basketball slammed back onto the blacktop before he reached over to get it under his palm, and steered it into a controlled dribble as he and Honda swapped places.
"He is," Jounouchi insisted, and now it was Honda's turn to roll his eyes. "Don't know what it's going to take to make you see that, but it doesn't make it any less true."
"Sure it doesn't," Honda said. Jounouchi planted his feet on the free-throw line, dribbling the ball a few more times before he brought it up above his head. "I'm sure he's a really great guy. No ulterior motives at all."
"Glad we can agree on something."
Honda snorted as Jounouchi took his shot. The basketball circled the rim before it teetered on the edge and fell off the side, and Jounouchi heaved a loud, exaggerated sigh as Honda walked over to get it.
It was only early April, and so the early spring air was still a little nippy, bearing the warning of the chilly vestiges of winter even while bearing the promise of late spring and early summer heat. That day was no exception; in the afternoon after school let out the sun blazed above the cracked basketball court on which the two of them played a simple game of Shimauma, but it was only after they had spent a bit of time playing and working up a sweat that either had felt warm enough to toss their jackets over on the grass.
"You really don't think it's even a little suspicious that he wants to be your friend all of a sudden?" Honda asked, and Jounouchi laced his fingers behind his head as he gave Honda a flat stare. "Not even a little?"
"Considering I'm the one who offered, no," Jounouchi said, and he nodded his head toward the hoop. "Take your shot."
"Yeah, you offered, but he didn't have to accept. He just did. And you don't find that weird?"
"Should I? I mean, come on, we all know I'm the most lovable guy in the school—"
"So in your universe, does 'most lovable' mean 'kind of an asshole?' Because in mine—"
"Dude, whatever, shut up and take your turn."
Honda turned and tossed the ball up at the hoop, where it bounced across the rim and off the other side. He groaned as Jounouchi went to retrieve it.
"No, but seriously, man, it doesn't make sense," Honda said, and Jounouchi blew his bangs up and away from his forehead to get them out of his eyes. "Listen, I think you're a great guy. You know that. But I'm also kind of an asshole. For him to suddenly want to be friends with you—"
"Look, I don't know why he does, okay? But I'm not exactly gonna question a good thing," Jounouchi said, and Honda gave him a skeptical look.
"You sure it's a good thing?"
"For the zillionth time, yes. I'm really sure it's a good thing. I think it's the best damn thing that's happened to me in a long ass time, actually." Jounouchi slammed the basketball against the blacktop with a little more ferocity as he made his way over to the free-throw line again, and Honda folded his arms.
"I don't trust him," he muttered.
"Yeah, I know you don't, and you're being a real asshole to him because of it. Cut it out, would you? 'Cause if you don't knock it off soon I'm gonna have to kick your ass, and I'd really rather not do that."
Honda snorted as Jounouchi lined up his shot. "You couldn't."
"I could," Jounouchi said, and he looked out of the corner of his eye to see Honda watching him—to see that, judging from Honda's expression, Honda knew he meant it. "But I really don't want to."
Honda scoffed as the basketball soured through the air, finally—finally—dropping through the net with a soft swish. Jounouchi grinned as Honda muttered, "Lucky shot."
"Uh-huh, sure. That still makes 'shi-ma' for you, and 'shi' for me," Jounouchi said, as Honda made his way across the court to retrieve the ball.
"For now," Honda said, and Jounouchi shrugged. "But seriously—"
"For fucksake, will you lay off?" Jounouchi said loudly, and Honda scowled at him. "If you'd just give him a chance—"
"Yeah, like I should have given Hirutani a chance, right?" Honda said, and Jounouchi glared at him. "Because your judgment was really sound there."
"Way to throw that in my face," Jounouchi snapped. "Yeah, okay, we all know I was wrong about Hirutani—"
"Understatement."
"—but I was right about you." Honda shut his mouth, his lips pressed together in a thin line, and Jounouchi held out one hand. "I really don't think I'm the worst judge of character on the planet, considering. Now gimme the damn ball."
"It's still my turn," Honda said, and Jounouchi flailed one hand at the hoop to motion for Honda to take his shot, then, before he turned to pace away to the other side of the court. "Look, man . . . I'm just trying to look out for you. What happened before—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Jounouchi said, and he waved off Honda's unspoken apology with one hand. "But you don't need to 'look out for me' in this case. I'm telling you, Yuugi's a good guy."
"You keep saying that," Honda said, "but I'll believe it when I see it."
Jounouchi turned in time to see the basketball hit the rim, wobble precariously on the edge, and then tip just enough to fall through the net. "You're telling me you didn't see it when he defended us from Ushio?"
"I'm telling you I'm not so sure the entire thing wasn't a set-up," Honda said, and since he was closer, he made to retrieve the ball. Jounouchi folded his arms.
"Seriously? What kind of guy would just let the shit get kicked out of him for a set-up? Especially a tiny guy like Yuugi, that had to hurt like a bitch. Ushio's foot alone is practically the size of Yuugi's head." Jounouchi paused, then added, "Well, apart from his hair."
"Dude, I don't know. I'm just saying it's a possibility. What kind of guy wants to be best buds with his former bully?" Honda threw the basketball back at Jounouchi, who caught it with one hand before he tossed it to his other.
"I dunno. Maybe a guy who's lonely?" Honda snorted in disbelief, and Jounouchi added, "What? It's possible. More possible than that whole thing being a set-up, anyway."
"So you say," Honda said.
Jounouchi rolled his eyes. "Man, whatever. Believe what you want. But I'm telling you, you need to get off Yuugi's case. Stop making him carry your books and buy you softcore porn and shit. Be a man and go get it yourself if you really want it."
"Dude, you know I can't do that. My parents watch my wallet like hawks. If I bought anything like that they won't let me see another yen 'til I was twenty."
"Well, that's your problem. Find some other way to get it, then. Either way, leave Yuugi alone," Jounouchi said.
Honda was quiet for a moment, stewing while Jounouchi lined up his shot, and just as Jounouchi was about to make another basket he said, "Maybe he's got a crush on you."
That was just enough to distract Jounouchi, and the basketball bounced plainly off the rim as a result. "Dude, what?" Jounouchi said, and as Honda gave him a look that plainly said he was serious, Jounouchi turned his eyes to the sky. "You're outta your mind, get out of here."
"It's possible," Honda said as he went to retrieve the ball. "I'm just saying, if he's not working some angle with Ushio, maybe he's gay."
"Yeah, and we all know I'm real desirable," Jounouchi said sarcastically.
"Well, you're not my type," Honda said, and Jounouchi snorted, "but maybe you're his."
"Whatever. You're way off base on this one. Yuugi's not into me."
"If you say so."
"I do say so. And what is this, anyway? First you think he's, I don't know, playing me or something, and now you think he's crushing? Why can't you just accept he wants to be friends?"
Honda shrugged. "I'm just throwing possibilities out there. You trust people too easily. For the record, I don't really think he's crushing. Like you said, you're not exactly a prize."
"Thanks."
"But it'd make sense for why he'd want to befriend the guy who was just bullying him the day before, that's all I'm saying." Honda lined up and took his shot, and the basketball swiveled around the rim before it fell through the net. "Ha! That's 'shi-ma-u' now. One more to go."
"One more you're not gonna get," Jounouchi said, and Honda's cocky smirk only served to give him more fire as he jogged over to retrieve the ball. He snatched it out of the air just before it bounced off the court and hit the grass, and as he started to make his way back across the court he said, "Oh, and by the way."
"What?"
Jounouchi spun on the ball of his foot, and without taking the time to aim, he threw the basketball at the hoop. It hit the backboard at just the right angle to smack back against the rim and tumble through the net.
"I don't think you trust people easily enough," he said.