Frazzleshipping (Jonouchi Katsuya/Rebecca Hopkins)

. . .

This was the absolute last thing that Jonouchi ever wanted to do in his life. He was ready for the snark, for the belittling, for the absolutely horrible experience that was sure to spring from this—he had spent the last three hours preparing himself mentally for the initial put down and joke. But goddamn he was running out of options—

"Oh, sure. Yeah, this does look a little ridiculous...Jesus, what kind of style is he teaching you? No wonder you're having problems. No worries, I totally have time."

Okay, that he was not prepared for.

Rebecca chewed on the end of her pencil, her head smushed in both hands as she stared down at Jonouchi's math textbook.

"Yeah, okay, this is the problem," she said swinging his notebook back towards him. She popped the pencil free and pointed at the problem with the tip. "He wants you to do it in this weird...roundabout way. I'd teach you the easy way, but sometimes professors get really ridiculous about doing it 'their way' so lemme walk you through it."

"R-right," Jonouchi said, fumbling for his own pencil.

He was just glad they were having this tutoring session in his room, and not in public at the library or something. He felt embarrassed enough asking for help from a kid who was four years younger than him with his math homework.

"So this is a mnemonic to help you remember the order to do all the operations in; write at the top of your paper, that always helps me to have it there to reference."

"Oh, wow, yeah, that—that makes a hell of a lot more sense. You should be a teacher."

"Think so?"

Rebecca grinned, stroking her hair between her fingers as though she were preening herself.

"But seriously, thanks, Bex."

"It's not a problem at all! Like I said, I have the time."

"No, I mean, for not, you know, makin' fun of me."

Rebecca cocked her head. She fixed her glasses on her nose, frowning.

"Why would I make fun of you?"

Jonouchi fumbled for a minute, blushing as he looked down at his textbook.

"You know, for not...getting this stuff. I know I'm not super smart..."

"What? No, you definitely have a good foundation, Jonouchi-kun. I mean, once you have the process, you do the problems quickly. You clearly just aren't getting the right instruction."

Jonouchi blushed.

"Wha? Really?"

"Of course," Rebecca said, shrugging. "And so what if you have trouble with math? Everyone's good at things differently. That's why we help each other out, right? Isn't that what you're always saying with your friendship speeches?"

Jonouchi frowned. Then he found himself grinning.

"What, so you actually pay attention to me when I make those?" he said, teasing. "I thought you were always turning up your little genius nose at 'em."

"Who's making fun of who, now?" Rebecca said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry, sorry," Jonouchi said, laughing. "But seriously. Thanks. Lemme return the favor sometime. I dunno what I'm good at that I can help you with, but—"

"Teach me how to punch things," Rebecca said immediately.

Jonouchi looked at her.

"...huh?"

"Teach me how to punch things," she repeated. "Or, at the very least, how to get out of...compromising situations."

There was something about the way that she was wringing her hands in her lap that made Jonouchi's smile fade. He leaned forward.

"Bex, are you okay? Is someone harassing you?"

"N-no," Rebecca said. But Jonouchi stared at her for long enough for a blush to raise over her cheeks. "Oh, all right! It's—it's a guy in my class. He keeps...touching me. Every time I walk up to the front to drop something off. And he tries to corner me after classes too."

Jonouchi felt his chest clench up, and a soft, burning flame start up from the embers at the bottom of his stomach.

"What the fuck?" he said.

"It just...it makes me uncomfortable," Rebecca said quickly. "I mean—I'm the only kid my age in that class, everyone else is college age, and I love the class but I guess I just can't really relate to people older than me and—"

Jonouchi grabbed her hand, and Rebecca stopped babbling—he could see all of a sudden that there were faint tears in her eyes.

He couldn't remember the last time he had wanted to punch something so bad. What the fuck...Rebecca was in an advanced college class, that meant that the guy who was harassing her must be...what? Twenty-two, at least? Rebecca was thirteen for chrissake!

"You," he said, "are about to learn the easiest way to flip a grown man over your shoulder."

Rebecca blinked.

And then a wide grin burst over her face.

"Okay," she said. "But after we finish going over this problem."

"Fine, fine, fine..."

. . .

A/N: That was a cute one! They'd be good friends 3 Next will be Fragileshipping (Yami no Yugi x Ryo)