Summer in Heartland is unbearable.
June tends to be full of rain, causing July to be humid and hot— a disgusting mess of sweat with air conditioning being little hope.
So when Ryouga wakes up feeling thirsty and sweaty, he knows that yeah, summer has begun.
(This has been in the forecast. He's just chosen to ignore it until now.)
Ryouga cracks an eye open to see it's noon— a welcome change after months of Rio waking him at 10AM so he socializes. Actually, so they all socialize.
(Yuuma says Kotori is the one who helped her be that way.)
Ryouga buries his head in his pillow and tries to go back to sleep.
The cicadas chirp.
Ryouga doesn't move.
Another chirp.
(Where's Rio, anyway?)
Fuck summer.
He sighs and gets up. Turns on the fan as he leaves his room, walks past Alit's and Gilag's open and empty ones, opens the bathroom door—
Thump.
"Watch where you're going." Vector. Complete with bedhead and those rabbit-patterned pajamas Yuuma gave him for his not-birthday.
"Why the fuck do you stand behind the door anyway." Ryouga pushes him to the side, gets his toothbrush and toothpaste and doesn't pay attention to Vector.
Neither of them are morning persons and Ryouga is not up for this shit.
"So where's everyone? Did they go so you finally get your chance to try to kill me?" Vector is smirking (because when is he not), and it pisses Ryouga off.
"Why the hell would I know." He resumes brushing.
"Good thing that I do," Vector sing-songs. "Wanna know?"
Ryouga doesn't wanna give in to the bait but he also he really wants to know, so, "Yeah."
"Where are your manners, Nasch."
"Get lost."
"You're no fun."
No shit, sherlock. Ryouga finishes brushing his teeth and lazily splashes water into his face but with the heat, even that is barely refreshing at all.
"Fine," Vector goes on. "They're on vacation. Without us."
"What."
"Here, Durbe wrote us a note." Vector holds out a piece of paper, filled with Durbe's neat handwriting..
"Us?" Sounds unlikely.
Ryouga skims the thing.
[If this is Vector reading the note, then please deliver it to Nasch. (I wrote him an email with the same text just to be sure.)]
Ryouga doesn't actually check his mails that often, so this could've taken a while.
[Hello, Nasch.
We (me, Merag, Mizael and two of Merag's friends) are on vacation for the rest of summer. We're gonna be in Spain and Italy so if you need us, it might take a while. (I have my D-Pad with me, you can call.)
Since you said no when we asked if you wanna go on a vacation, this probably doesn't come as a surprise.
Alit and Gilag are with Tsukumo Yuuma, adventuring.
I hope you (and Vector?) have a good summer.
Your friend, Durbe
P.S. We left you money in the usual place.]
Ryouga repeats his earlier words, "What."
"Didn't think they'd leave you alone like that, either," Vector laughs. "Maybe they're finally sick of you?"
"Screw you." Ryouga sighs.
But Vector has a point, because the entire last year was a mess of Ryouga somehow trying to sort himself— who he is, who he's with— out and it involved tons and tons of brooding and having to virtually be dragged to social events.
Maybe they are sick of me.
He shakes his head, more to himself than to Vector.
"Hey, Nasch." Vector is making that Shingetsu face. Ew.
"What."
"Are you making breakfast?"
Ryouga just raises an eyebrow.
"I'm hungry."
"Fucking make it yourself." Ryouga stomps off to the kitchen to make breakfast.
For himself.
Ryouga immediately regrets that decision, because Vector just resorts to stealing his food instead.
"I mean, it belongs to all of us anyway."
Ryouga attempts to, well, protect his food, to no avail.
And since he can tell Vector is gonna keep doing this, "—Fine, Vector. You're cleaning, then."
Vector tilts his head. "Oh?"
"You heard me. If you want me to make food, you're cleaning. We take turns on groceries."
"And what if I don't want to?"
"Then there's no food at all."
For a bit, Vector stares at him, as if trying to read his expression for weaknesses.
Then.
"Okay. But only the public rooms."
"Who would voluntarily let you into their room anyway."
Being alone with Vector isn't as bad as it could be.
It's pretty much like it was before Vector chose to kill him. A decade ago or so? Ryouga doesn't know, his memories are too much of a blur.
Animosity, a permanent state of being pissed off, high adrenaline— though the fatigue from the heat is working against that right now— and always having to be wary.
The one difference is that Ryouga is slightly more willing to trust Vector to not backstab him for now.
If only because of Yuuma.
(That being said, Ryouga still doesn't forgive Vector.)
[So you're spending all summer with Vector.] Kaito's typing is as cold as his personality.
[not if i can prevent it
can i crash at ur place?]
Ryouga's done that before, after and before the end.
[You can, but it'd be empty and aircon is off since no one's at home.]
[oh god don't tell me you're on vacation too]
[The first family vacation in 5 years or so. It's freezing.] Kaito sends him a picture that's literally just snow.
[trade /w me] Ryouga answers with a picture of his fan.
[You got Vector. No.]
[fuck you]
From the adjacent room, Ryouga hears Vector's playlist on a stupidly high volume.
(The music isn't even bad. It's just that it's Vector.)
His clothes are clinging to his skin and his headache is a pain and really,
Summer sucks.
Ryouga must be pretty desperate, he thinks, because he goes to text IV on facebook except—
[this thing is almost like destiny leo #venice #fanservice]
The photo this captions belongs to is maybe 30% lion statue and 70% IV but, well, this is IV.
So much for that.
"Vector!"
"What is it, Nasch?" Vector smiles innocently and Ryouga wants to punch the bastard's face.
"You. My files."
"Oh, yeah, I figured you wouldn't mind if I played Tag Force."
"I don't. I do mind you overwriting all decks with fucking Mokey Mokey turbo."
"Oh no, I had no way of knowing." Vector bats his eyelashes.
"Piece of shit."
Aside from minor annoyances, it's relatively quiet alone with Vector.
They take turns on using the consoles in the living room, because them playing anything together voluntarily is unlikely and the one time they did play something together (with the other Barians and Yuuma, of course) was such a disaster that none of them are willing to repeat it.
Overall it's. Less bad than expected.
Ryouga locks his door at night. Vector has picked the lock, but done nothing else.
Ryouga doesn't remember negotiating a truce, so this is probably Yuuma's fault in some way.
The fourth— fifth? Ryouga doesn't keep count, summer feels never-ending when he's stuck at home with Vector— day, he gets woken up by Vector shoving a popsickle in his mouth.
And yes, that is a way to deal with the heat, Vector, also is that from last year because none of us has bought shit yet—
But Ryouga doesn't actually think about that until later, instead he attempts to curse, biting into the popsickle instead, hurting his teeth and immediately spitting the thing out.
"Ew." Vector doesn't move from his spot on Ryouga's legs. "Oi, Nasch. Isn't there a place with air conditioning?"
"I'm not fucking google."
"Nasch~" Vector pouts and a
lso points at that stupid popsickle Ryouga dropped.
Vector is one of the few people who Ryouga is comfortable with getting called 'Nasch' by.
From Durbe, it sounds like code for 'please be the Nasch I know again', which Ryouga doubts is on purpose, but is still bothersome.
From Vector, Ryouga can tell it's a habit and the fact that he'd had over five centuries to learn all the ways to make 'Nasch' sound as annoying as possible.
"Supermarkets, libraries. Government buildings." Ryouga picks the thing up. What a way to wake up.
"Without people."
"Nope."
"Are there swimming pools without people?" Vector doesn't even like water, so the heat must be pretty bad for him, too.
"You can try to break into someone's house, but if you get caught, it's not my fault."
"Not worth it." Vector tilts his head. "Nasch, at least try to help. You want to escape this sweat hell, too."
"Not if it means spending time with you."
A few days later, a postcard from Yuuma arrives.
Well, technically it's a photo used as a postcard.
Of him and Gilag and Alit and Yuuma's parents on some place that looks like a mountain.
The card reads,
[Hello Shark and Vector!
this is the first time I get to send my friends a postcard so I'm really excited!
hope you two are getting along well, shark sis said we shouldn't worry though.
we've been dueling lots! hope you two have been, too (alit says he's never seen you duel)
see you in 3 months!
—Yuuma]
"He thinks we'd duel each other." Vector laughs. "Naive."
"Don't act like you don't like that about him."
"Oi, Vector."
"Yeah?"
"—What the hell are you doing here."
It's 1AM and Ryouga is in the garage, getting on his motorcycle.
(Swimming in Heartland river maybe isn't a smart idea, but it certainly is gonna work against the heat.)
"You packed stuff for swimming and I wouldn't wanna pass up on the opportunity." Vector has his pocket knife ready and pointed at the tire.
"What the actual fuck, Vector."
"I killed you before, why is something like this a surprise?"
He has a point, and Ryouga throws him the spare helmet. "You better have packed already."
"I have."
What.
Ryouga makes a face and lets Vector get on the motorcycle.
Vector is weirdly silent for the entire ride, doesn't seem to mind clinging to Ryouga's jacket.
(Ryouga considered going without one, but he also realized he might stay outside for the entire night.)
"Yuuma must be seriously blind," Vector says when they get off the motorcycle, shrugging off his own jacket.
"What?"
"He said you look cool on your motorcycle, but you're really just brooding as usual."
Ryouga can hear an undertone of displeasure. "How would you know?"
"Over 550 years of having to deal with your stupid face. And even before that."
They change into their swimming clothes as they speak, as no one's watching anyway and after all this time, there's no real shame involved except—
"Oh, that scar." Vector giggles. "You used to have a lot more."
Ryouga tries to not show that this affects him. "Shut up."
(He fails.)
"Given what you looked like after the war, you probably prefer it this way."
"I told you to shut up."
"Make me."
Ryouga lunges at him, no hesitation as they both make unpleasantly sudden contact with the water.
He keeps Vector underwater, lets him struggle— Rio's not around, I could end it here— remembers Yuuma's stupid face and Vector's stupid face when he fell to his death back then—
Before he realizes, his grip weakens and Vector gets out, emerging from the water with loud coughs and a miserable expression.
(It occurs to Ryouga that Vector is actually not too good of a swimmer; not half as used to it as Ryouga is.)
After some more miserable coughing that Ryouga watches with a healthy mix of self-loathing and satisfaction, Vector speaks up again.
"You've become soft, you know."
"What do you—"
"Or maybe you've always been. After all, you kept me around for 550 years despite my nonexistent loyalty." Vector laughs, but it sounds hoarse.
Ryouga submerges, sick of Vector's stupid voice and his stupid insistence on not letting Ryouga forget anything at all.
But at the same time Ryouga feels like himself around Vector, and not like someone who tries to be too many people he can't be anymore.
(This seems like a good reason to not attempt to murder Vector anymore.)
'Find someone who loves you the way you are.' They say.
(Ryouga thinks that's dangerous, since he'd drag them to hell.)
Well, Ryouga found someone who hates him the way he is.
(The feeling's mutual.)
As time moves on, they go from bickering to brooding, staring at the night sky— the stars are easy to spot despite Heartland's neon lights.
Vector speaks up. "You know, Nasch~ You're not very subtle."
"Huh?"
"Playing sad songs on your guitar at night, really? That's cliché even by your standards, Nasch." Vector's shit-eating grin is back.
Ryouga had been aware that Vector was awake at those times, but couldn't be bothered to care enough given the shit Vector does at 5AM. He'd figured the feeling was mutual.
"So what?"
"You're boring when you're brooding. It's been a whole year, get over it."
"What do you know anyway?!"
"Are you saying I'm wrong?" Vector cackles. "If so, your highness, enlighten me as to what is disturbing your sleep— other than guilt."
Ryouga isn't sure whether the river is the best place to be having this conversation at 3AM, whether he should be having this conversation with Vector, whether he should be having this conversation at all; but he figures it's better than nothing and swims along the stream a little before answering.
"Don't you have that problem, too? With Yuuma."
(The irrational fear that Yuuma would prefer to talk to Shark and Shingetsu rather than Ryouga and Vector.)
"Oh?" Vector smirks and follows. "So that's what it was. Honestly, you deserve it."
"And you don't?"
"Of course I do. Then again, has there ever been much of a difference between you and, well, you? I hate you all the same."
Ryouga doesn't reply and instead faces ahead, maybe smiles a little. And maybe it's almost too nice of him to say it, but he does, "Right back at you, asshole."
Vector bursts into a fit of laughter, causing Ryouga to turn around.
"You should hear yourself," Vector chokes out between laughs, "You sounded like when you talk to Yuuma just now."
Ryouga kicks Vector.
When it's 5AM and Ryouga has enough of Vector's annoyances, he agrees to driving home.
Vector mumbles something or other about setting up a camp at the river, and Ryouga reminds him that the o-bots would likely detect it and Vector (mostly Vector) as trash.
The water hasn't been particularly cold, either, so the Heartland river trip thing isn't gonna be worth it in the long run.
At least it was a temporary change.
Vector disappears for a few days after that.
Ryouga doesn't particularly care, because this is Vector, it's what he does.
Ryouga can't do that even when he wants to, and that's the difference between them.
Actually, now he could.
But what's the point? No one's here anyway.
Maybe when Vector comes back.
Three days of chatting and dueling online later, Ryouga decides he has to do something if he doesn't wanna die from boredom and too much contemplating his impulsive attempt to drown Vector.
Cinemas have air conditioning, right?
The online cardshop website advertises the new Duel Monsters movie that has been out for a month.
Why not?
The tickets are on discount for tomorrow, Ryouga's vaguely interested, Yuuma has seen it already and will absolutely annoy him into watching it later if he doesn't now, so he might as well get it over with.
"Are you fucking kidding me."
Seat 32 is taken by the biggest piece of shit in this universe.
"Oh, Nasch. You're here, too?" Vector smirks.
"Move."
Vector pulls up his legs. "I was here first."
"I have a reservation."
"Me, too."
"Then go there?" Ryouga raises an eyebrow.
"The brats took it."
(And of course, Ryouga is fucking late because he wanted the popcorn so there's little choice unless he wants to sit behind said brats where he literally can't see anything.)
So he sits down next to Vector with an exasperated sigh. Vector reaches for the popcorn. Ryouga holds it out of his reach. "Buy some yourself?"
"Nah." Vector gets a hold of the box and steals some popcorn, almost spilling it over both of them in the process. "...What the fuck is that flavor."
"Spicy fish roe."
"You have no taste." Vector pulls a face.
Ryouga smirks.
Somewhere around the 40 minute mark, Vector actually fucking falls asleep.
(Because this is Vector and odds are he hasn't slept in forever.)
Ryouga doesn't bother waking Vector up, just pushes him over so his head doesn't rest on Ryouga's shoulder anymore.
The movie is mediocre, but somewhat enjoyable nonetheless.
He takes a photo of Vector and uploads it to facebook.
[Ryouga K.:
take bets on when he'll wake up]
Four hours after Ryouga has returned home, Vector comes in, too. "Fuck you."
"Any problems?" Ryouga smirks, only looking up from the TV screen to take out his phone and update, [okay he's back now]
He checks the comments. Two from less than ten minutes ago.
[Rio K.:
Ryouga, do you have something to tell us?]
[Vector S.:
nasch didn't wanna go to the movies alone (*´ω｀)o]
Ryouga turns his head to look at Vector. "Aren't you the one who took my seat?"
"How could I have known it's yours, Nasch?" Vector whistles innocently.
"Fuck you."
The next day, he is woken up by cold water all over his body.
His immediate reaction is to curse and lunge forward and he barely misses Vector's stupid face, sadly so.
Vector runs off, with Ryouga chasing him down all the way.
(Ryouga figures he should stop bothering to lock the door since Vector can and will pick the lock when he feels the need to.)
"Nasch, you're a water nerd, right?"
"What the fuck do you want?"
"Go there with me." Vector holds up a 2for1 coupon for a water theme park.
Ryouga raises an eyebrow. "Can't you ask your friends?"
Vector immediately scowls and ignores the question and it occurs to Ryouga that yeah, Vector doesn't have friends other than Yuuma and (not so voluntarily) Alit, does he?
"Just go there alone?" Ryouga vaguely gestures at the kitchen. "The money's there. I could use a break from you."
Vector's still just eyeing him, and then it clicks.
Didn't Shingetsu—
Ryouga starts laughing. "You're actually scared?"
Vector's eyes narrow. "I'm not."
"Alright, I'm going with you. But don't cry later."
Vector doesn't cry, but he squeezes his eyes shut and clings to Ryouga (and somehow still remembers to do it in a way that'll make his nails leave marks).
Ryouga's having the time of his life nonetheless, both because this is totally his thing and also because he gets to see Vector suffer.
It's now that Ryouga also realizes why Vector insisted that Ryouga comes along. These rides have two-people boats and seats and ending up with random people would be the worst.
And then Ryouga sees it.
Sharks.
(Not actually sharks but, shark merch— blow-up sharks are cool, okay—, which he definitely needs, in same the manner in which IV needs anything related to the number 4.)
"You want that?" Vector grins. "Shark nerd."
"Screw you."
"It's for free if you let them take a photo for the facebook page."
Ryouga smirks. "You're coming."
"What."
"I want two."
Unsurprisingly, Ryouga gets recognized because this theme park is sponsored by TCG manufacturers and oh, of course you can have all the merch you want, because who doesn't want pro duelists to not so stealthily advertise for them.
Vector insists on cheesy peace signs and clinging to Ryouga's arm and being obnoxious and Ryouga figures that that's fair since he deserves it.
"I took the liberty to send the photo to Durbe," Vector says afterwards, because when does Vector do anything without being a piece of shit.
(But on the other hand Durbe should not cling to Nasch; Ryouga made a point of avoiding him after they'd settled in, so Durbe finally have a life of his own that isn't devoted to knighthood or Nasch.)
Ryouga sighs exasperatedly. "No reply?"
"No reply." Vector laughs. "I think he regrets going now."
"Who would prefer being with you over... literally anything?"
"You, apparently, since you agreed to this."
Some more rides later, Vector is lying on a bench, motion sick and whining about heat and dizziness and whatnot.
"Nasch, get me water."
"Can you fucking shut up." Ryouga sighs, resting his head on the blow up shark. "Why did you even insist on going here if you're such a wimp?"
"Because it's hot."
Ryouga rolls his eyes. "I don't want you to puke all over me. Let's go home."
"You'll have to carry me."
"What."
As if to emphasize his point, Vector curls up a little more. "I clearly can't walk."
And honestly, with the faces Vector's made on the last ride, Ryouga might believe him for once.
Usually, he'd leave him here anyway, but the idea of having to deal with 'hey, we found your roommate sleeping in our theme park, can you take him home'— or worse, having to deal with Yuuma's 'Shark, why didn't you help him?'— later is bad enough for him to nod.
(That's the reason, probably.)
"I'm dropping you if you try anything stupid."
"How kind of you~"
Ryouga barely resists the urge to punch Vector and lets him climb on.
Vector is light— lighter than Yuuma, even— but still hell to carry because he deliberately makes it hard.
Vector has his chin rested on Ryouga's shoulder and goes on, "Still can't believe you fell for this."
"You should've seen yourself scream." Ryouga doesn't bother looking at him— not that it would be possible in a not-awkward way.
"You're just gullible."
"How about I drop you here then?"
"You wouldn't."
"Is that so?"
Thump.
Ryouga turns around to see Vector on the ground, scowling and holding his head.
Good.
Ryouga smirks. "Don't underestimate me."
For a bit, Ryouga can see Vector mirroring his expression— Vector is so incredibly irritating— then Vector gets up and continues walking (stumbling) forwards.
As they get on Ryouga's motorcycle, Vector asks, "Would you actually have carried me all the way back home?"
"I would've."
"I really can't stand you."
"Good," Ryouga says without thinking. "So, is this the type of thing that got me points back then?"
He'd never bothered to ask before.
"Nah, it was mostly the way you talked and looked at people and kept playing the hero for no reason."
"Not like someone like you would get the feeling of wanting to protect someone."
Vector laughs. "This is the type of shit that I'd give you ten points for."
"You didn't start a new list yet?" Ryouga starts the engine.
"No point. You'd just come back anyway."
[lol Ryouga, did you lose a bet?]
[seriously fuck you rio
youve left me alone with this bastard for like two weeks and now youre texting me?]
[You seem to be enjoying yourself.]
[what]
[You posted pictures of him on Facebook? For the second time now?]
[yes, to mock him]
[Suuuure.]
After that, the days pass faster.
Maybe it's because of the realization that putting up with each other isn't as bad when they can kill time trying to inconvenience each other.
—Maybe it's because it's too hot to invest time in trying to come up with more elaborate plans other than just straight up being as much of a dick as possible.
(Every few weeks, one of them disappears to get a break, and honestly they both clearly need it.)
During the last week, boredom does kick in after all— because the heat is a bit lower and maybe also because they went to so many movies and aquariums and theme parks and haunted houses— and then Vector suggests it, "Let's duel."
Ryouga raises an eyebrow.
A duel with Vector that doesn't involve souls at stake, revenge or anything else. A duel solely for the sake of dueling.
(Ryouga remembers the postcard, 'we've been dueling lots! hope you two have been, too '.)
"Ready to get beaten again?"
"You're the one who'll lose, bastard."
(Vector loses.)
It's another thursday morning and Ryouga finishes showering, just to find that— oh, how funny— his clothes are gone and the floor is covered in soap water and goddamnit, why is Vector so stealthy?
Ryouga carefully takes a step forward and trips.
"Vector!"
About half an hour later, Ryouga— now with his boxers on, at least— is still chasing Vector through the house.
He gets a hold of Vector's pants and pulls, but he didn't account for Vector also pulling his hair, and then they both make sudden and painful contact with the floor.
(This type of shit should be done at the river.)
Ryouga uses the opportunity straddles Vector and, yeah, did he have a plan for this, actually? Hitting Vector is no fun when he's defenseless.
Vector smirks up at him, more than usual, and Ryouga isn't quite sure why. "What."
"I didn't know you're that type of person, Ryouga."
Oh, fuck.
In utter dread, Ryouga slowly turns his head to look at the person who'd spoken to him. "Ri—Rio."
Durbe and Mizael pointedly do not look at the disaster that is about to unfold in front of them; instead they wordlessly walk past them with their travel bags.
Ryouga looks back at Vector who's still smirking and quickly gets up, then he kicks Vector's side once.
"So." Rio says, looking at Vector and Ryouga judgmentally. "Why didn't you tell us you're dating?"
...
"What?!"