#shifics

Vector is obnoxious. He was obnoxious when he showed up after Yuuma brought everyone back, he was obnoxious when he moved into the room next to Ryouga’s without permission, and he’s still obnoxious when he digs his nails into Ryouga’s jacket as Ryouga revs up the engine.

“Nasch, go faster.”

“I just started driving, asshole.”

“Nasch.” Vector isn’t wearing a helmet- because the guy seeks death as much as death sought him before- and Ryouga can feel Vector’s mouth twisting into a pout on his back.

“I can throw you off, too.”

“You wouldn’t. Yuuma would be sad.”

“If I tell him I took the trash out, he won’t get it.” Ryouga does drive faster, if only because on Halloween night, traffic is awful and who has time to wait that long?

Vector giggles- “If it was me, I’d say ‘the trash can isn’t here, sorry’.”

“I’ll throw you off.” There’s a turn in the road, and Ryouga accelerates, taking some level of satisfaction in how Vector panics and grips onto him.

“You’re a terrible person, do you know that?” Vector sounds like he’s eaten something sour.

“Not as terrible as you.”

“Not a very high standard.”

“I forgot you take this as a compliment.” Ryouga sighs.

“I do. That said… This sure is cold.” Vector makes a shivering motion and Ryouga wants to make a comment about not enjoying being accidentally or intentionally groped, but instead-

“Your fault for going as your ace monster.”

“You’re literally wearing armor.”

Ryouga would go on about how actual armor and cosplay armor differ, but he’s proud of this costume and also not having this argument. “You have an actual staff.”

“You have a lance. Your point?”

“The lance can kill you, the staff can’t kill me.”

Vector laughs. “Wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

(Of course, they left the bigger props at Yuuma’s house, because Yuuma insisted that everyone, no exceptions, goes as their ace monsters. Vector somehow roped Yuuma into going as Hope Ray V and Ryouga is still mad.)

“You can try. Assuming you survive this.” Ryouga goes over the speed limit, because when doesn’t he.

Kaito, Ryouga thinks, is an asshole.

Of course, that isn’t news, much like it isn’t news that having a race inside a corn maze against a guy who has a sentient super robot can’t go well.

(’I won’t need to fly,’ said Kaito, the confident bastard.)

Did it stop Ryouga from suggesting it anyway? No.

Did it stop him from taking his motorcycle to the corn maze? No.

Did he forget Orbital 7 can transform into a motorcycle, too? Yes.

So what Ryouga did, of course, was to drive through the maze.

…Except he still doesn’t know where the exit is, and Kaito is sitting behind him.

“Kaito. What the hell. How did you get here.”

“Yuuma kidnapped Orbital to give you an advantage,” Kaito says evenly in his dumb Galaxy-Eyes inspired outfit.

That doesn’t explain how he got on Ryouga’s motorcycle and it reeks of an excuse.

Ryouga rolls his eyes, barely paying attention to the direction…

“Ryouga, what the fuck.”

…and almost drives into a Vector-looking pumpkin that someone (Rio, most likely) put there.

Kaito has his hands on the brakes, or rather, on Ryouga’s hands on the brakes.

Ryouga scowls. “We could’ve run it over.”

“Was that your intention?”

“No, but I wouldn’t have minded.”

“As usual.” 

Ryouga can’t see Kaito’s face, but he’s sure Kaito gave him a dismissive look.

“Did you have too much of that pumpkin spice cocktail?” Ryouga drives in circles, looking for the exit.

“Maybe.”

“Is that why you agreed to wearing the wings, too?”

(The Galaxy-Eyes wings with tons of LEDs in them.)

“Maybe.”

Ryouga smirks. “Are you a lightw-”

Kaito punches Ryouga and they run over a V-looking pumpkin.

“I’m not a lightweight. If anything, you are.”

“What?”

“You’re so drunk, you agreed to wearing Vector’s clothes. You will never be able to wash that off.”

Kaito has a point. Ryouga feels a bit nauseous now, and he lets go of the brakes, letting Kaito do the work.

Kaito smirks. “Who’s the lightweight now?”

“It’s-”

“Both of you.” That’s Rio, from the exit, accompanied by Haruto and Vector.

Vector’s wearing Ryouga’s clothes and… a cape that suspiciously looks like-

“Where the hell did you-”

“I bought one. Looks like the one you had, doesn’t it?” Vector laughs.

“Vec-”

“You can argue later.” Kaito gets off the motorcycle and sprints out of the maze. “Anyway. I won.”

“That’s not how it works,” Ryouga says, but he also never made an effort to push Kaito off the motorcycle and Vector is smirking and Haruto is-

“Hey, nii-san, can I upload the video of you two flirting?”

“Haruto.”

“Nii-san.”