#1
Technically, it shouldn't count as cheating, since technically Yuugo and him were the same person, so well, there was nothing wrong if Yuugo helped him out on a math test he knew was doomed to fail because he had spent the entirety of last night fiddling with his deck, and practicing it against Sora.
It wasn't that he was being lazy per say, only that he knew he had negatives chances of possibly passing, even if he studied all night.
Besides, Yuugo liked math (what a weirdo, who liked math?), so it was almost like hitting two birds with stone! Actually, three since he wasn't condemning his teacher to having to check his mess of a paper if he had done the test himself.
His sound logic doesn't stop him from feeling Yuzu's suspicious gaze digging into him like daggers when the teacher passes out the papers, and he praises: "Very good, Sakaki, you're finally making some effort."
On his paper is a score that he's never gotten before in his entire life. Before he gets a chance to even admire the paper, it's snatched off his desk. "Hey!" Yuuya protests, but winds down once he realizes it's Yuzu.
She's looking over his paper skeptically, and Yuuya thinks he's been meaning to go for a bathroom break, and right about now would be a pretty good time.
Just as he's getting up to do just that, Yuzu promptly pushes him back in his seat. "Yuuya, how did you solve this?" Yuzu asks, pointing to the very last question on the test.
There's a smile on her face as she waits for his answer, but Yuuya very much feels it's a prelude to his incoming death.
"That.." Yuuya starts.
"Yes?"
"You should ask the teacher, he's over there and all!" Yuuya answers brightly. "Wouldn't want to miss this opportunity since we have the papers with us!"
Her smile turns dangerous. "No, Yuuya, I want you to explain it to me."
I told you this was a bad idea, Yuuto unhelpfully reminds in his mind, not bothering to come out and get into the line of fire.
"Not helping," Yuuya mutters, and practically senses the shrug that Yuuto answers with.
"Since Sora mentioned that you two spent the entire night duelling, the night right before the test," Yuzu says. "So, Yuuya did you solve this entire test by yourself?"
Yuuya curses Sora's big mouth in his mind. From the way Yuzu was speaking there was no point in denying it further, but no one had ever called Yuuya sensible before
"Yuzu, who else would've solved it? Besides, I'm sure everyone would've seen if anyone took over for me," Yuuya says, and blinks up innocently at her.
His last play at getting Yuzu off his back fails utterly, instead setting her off. "Do you think I'm stupid?! They don't need to take control to tell you the answers!"
Distantly, he hears the teacher shouting at them to quiet down.
Maybe you should let Yuugo deal with this, Yuuri slyly suggests.
You asshole! Annnnd there was the paper fan coming out, Yuuya knows listening to Yuuri is a bad idea, butβ
Hey, don't you dare Yuuyβ
He shoves Yuugo into the forefront, letting go of control of his body and pushing Yuugo to take over. Technically, Yuugo was at fault too!
Just in time for the deadly paper fan to come in contact with their body.
Yuuya sends up a prayer for Yuugo.
#2
Yuzu doesn't quite think that she used to ever take this long to get dressed. It's alright on the weekdays, when she goes out in her school uniform, but wearing something else other than it?
Having the input of three other people should've made it easier, Yuzu thinks, but it really doesn't. Exactly why the reason she's starting to amass a strange, mismatched collection of clothes.
It's not like their styles are that clashing, not the way the boys are (maybe that's why she hasn't seen Yuuya out of his uniform in a while), but it's enough to make it difficult.
Ruri likes flowy, long dresses that go past her knees, in soft, often pastel or neutral shades. Rin, unexpectedly, is the one vehemently dislikes skirts. Yuzu would've expected it to be Serena, but as far as Serena goes, she only cares if it's simple enough, and prefers dark, muted colors. She also seemed pretty fascinated with gag shirts and whatnot after the discovery of their existence.
Which brings her to her current problem at hand. Yuzu was the one who asked for help on deciding what to wear for her date, but they really weren't getting anywhere.
I still think this would be nice, Ruri says. She is going on a date, she adds.
They'll probably end up duelling and how's she going to do that properly in a sundress? Rin points out.
You don't know that for sure, Ruri argues.
"Maybe I should just go in the usual," Yuzu says.
No! The two girls say as one.
"I have to leave the house in about ten minutes." Yuzu reminds, after flicking her gaze to the clock hanging on the wall. "Serena, what do you think?"
That you need to leave the house like now? That clock is late, did you forget? Serena answers.
Yuzu jumps to her feet, like the vanity's seat she was sitting on was on fire, oh god, how had she forgotten, and why hadn't Serena said anything?!
I thought you knew, Serena says.
Yuzu doesn't answer, instead looking around in a panic, she had to alreadybe done and ready by now, but she wasn't even ready, she hadn't even done her hair, orβ
Calm down, Yuzu, Ruri soothes. Want me to take over?
Yuzu nods, giving her agreement, knowing that Ruri wasn't referring to the usual, because Yuzu had said that it was their body as much as it was hers enough times for them to not ask for permission whenever they wanted to come out. They all understood each other enough to not take control at a wrong time.
She watches as between one blink and the next, blue eyes transform into bright pink ones in the vanity mirror, and she's no longer in control. Ruri is, but in Yuzu's appearance, rather than her own, as it would defeat the purpose of getting her ready if Ruri had taken on her own.
Ruri quickly flits around, getting her dressed in record speed, fixing up her hair, and putting on light makeup, the way Yuzu preferred, and she was out the door before even five minutes were done.
And Yuzu's back in control before she even knows. Yuzu blinks in surprise, before laughing a bit, and giving Ruri her thanks.
They made a pretty good combo.
#3
They fall into a rhythm, a routine of sorts, after a while. Yuuto's generally is in control in the morning, because none of them were morning people, well, Yuuri could've been, but he didn't care enough to get Yuuya to school in time.
But Yuuto's an early riser, an extremely early riser, that they're usually up two or three hours before it's even time for school. Most of that time, if not all, he spends with Kurosaki, talking to him through the duel disk at times, or meeting up with him.
Of course, it's not the only time that does, but it's that time that sticks out in his mind the most. Yuuto doesn't speak much, or maybe it's that his other counterparts speak far more so it seems like that.
Yuugo takes control pretty sporadically, but Yuuya gets used to it, and then he realizes it's not so sporadic, as much as its Yuugo taking control whenever he saw something that really excited him or there was someone he wanted to talk to.
The former used to happen a lot, especially at the very beginning. Which, isn't really surprising when thinks of all of what he saw in the Synchro dimension, and pieces together that Yuugo probably hadn't had the most fulfilling of childhoods.
Yuuri, surprisingly, takes control the least, instead he's the one who comments the most, giving snarky remarks and horrible advice ninety-nine point nine percent of the time.
When he does take control, it's usually at night, when they're not around so many people, Yuuya prods at him to interact with more than only them, because that couldn't be healthy, but his efforts are rather futile.
Still, he's working on it.
The life they have isn't perfect, or anything close to that, by far, but as he watches Yuzu seamlessly switch into Ruri mid step for Ruri to throw herself at her brother who's looking grumpy, it works, and that's enough.
Even if privacy has never been more dead, and every shower he takes feels like he's in some sort of communal hot spring.
Some post-canon drabbles/ficlets to cope with the ending, and this was also posted on my account in archives of our own under the name ariscae before now, in case anyone has already seen it there. Tell me what you think!
