#hotdogshipping | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

merryfortune · 4 months

Text

Mistletoe Memento

Written for the Winter Holiday Bingo

Prompts provided by @sweetspicybingo

Prompt: Mistletoe

Title: Mistletoe Memento

Ship: Hotdogshipping | Shoichi/Yusaku

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,051

Warnings: None

Tags: Age Difference, Fluff, First Kiss, Christmas

“Oh, did you put that up?” Yusaku asked, blinking.

Normally, he would have started this conversation with a “Hello, how are you?” but seeing the teeny tiny anomaly pinned, with a shiny red ribbon, to Shoichi’s food truck was enough to shock out even Yusaku’s most common decencies.

“Kind of.” Shoichi replied as he leaned out over the counter to greet Yusaku. “I hung it up, yes, but I didn’t buy it or anything. Some girl from the visitor information centre was going around and handing out mistletoe as a tourist promotion. She was giving it out to any business who’d give her the time of day.”

“That’s… nice?” Yusaku guessed.

“Yeah.” Shoichi agreed, equally as half-heartedly. Then made more conversation as he pushed a damp rag over his counter, pretending to do work. “Honestly, I just said yes because I felt bad for her. I saw her get turned around from two different places across the plaza.”

“That’s nice of you.” Yusaku agreed.

“I try.” Shoichi guessed. “Like, I dunno if eating hot dogs is an overly romantic thing to do on a date but hey. It looks nice and in the spirit of things.”

“Yeah.” Yusaku murmured.

Then, with that, the usual course of their platitudes resumed. They asked each other about their day, half yelling at one another as Yusaku came around the side of the van. His shift was about to begin and it basically began as soon as he stowed his school bag to the side.

He put on his apron over his school uniform and that was that. They put all chatter aside in taking orders, of which they began to pick up. Lots of people were out and about despite the chilly, December weather. It was absolutely going to snow later, they could all feel it in the air and in their bones. There was simply that cool shimmer and a dark cloud that prophesied it.

Now, despite hot dogs not being the most romantic food to pair with a date, the mistletoe still attracted plenty of attention as Shoichi and Yusaku took their sales. It was oddly to see, between the singles and the fries, the occasional couple who saw the sprig of mistletoe conjoined to the truck and taking full advantage. It was truly in the mood of how much of a couples’ holiday Christmas was.

Even if Christmas wasn’t until tomorrow.

As the afternoon wore on, turning into the evening and then night, Yusaku was thoroughly exhausted by the end of it. Easily one of the busiest periods he had ever worked. He didn’t envy Shoichi who had been manning the stations all day by himself. The till was practically bursting at the seams and they were out of their most common toppings, too, like cheese and onions. It was impressive how much the crowd had eaten and that made the turn all the more jarring when a cast of thousands turned into a cast of none.

It was a bit after eleven when the crowd had thinned and didn’t seem likely to pick up again. Shoichi doubted that the clubs were going to be popping much on Christmas Eve and he could typically bet on drunk people wanting hot dogs after singing, dancing, and drinking the night away but probably not tonight. So, he gave the signal for him and Yusaku could pack it up.

“I’ll drive you home Yusaku.” Shoichi said.

“Thanks, Kusanagi-san.” Yusaku said.

They brought the awning down and turned the grille off. The weather, after so long of staying steady, began to powder just as Shoichi battened down the last hatch. He encouraged Yusaku into the front of the van where Shoichi blasted the heater and Yusaku sat happily in the front seat with him. They drove off and into a light, glittering snow, no less.

Shoichi drove safely through slow traffic. It was pretty congested and so, he and Yusaku got through quite a few songs on the radio together - and some adverts, too. It was the usual mix of top forty pop songs with some carols mixed in. The former was Shoichi’s jam, Yusaku wasn’t a music person but he liked to see Shoichi enjoy himself as he made like a dag and sang out loud to the radio, belting it out.

Cheerful company really did shorten the miles. Not that Yusaku’s apartment was all that far away to begin with. It was walking distance except when it snowed.

“We’re here.” Shoichi said.

He parked out front in the kerbside. A small pile of snow crunched underneath the wheel of the van. Outside Yusaku’s flat, Ai had turned on the porch light ahead of time. The light twinkled a soft yellow. Shoichi used the auto function in his console to open the door on the passenger side for Yusaku but used the handle for himself. They disembarked together.

“Brr, it's cold when the heater’s not on.” Yusaku complained as he stepped outside the van with Shoichi.

“You stay rugged up, yeah?” Shoichi said.

“I will. Promise.” Yusaku said.

They hovered awkwardly at the front of the van and something caught Yusaku’s eye. It was sleek and shiny and red. The ribbon. It was still plastered to the side of the van and Shoichi turned his head to meet where Yusaku was staring - albeit caught off guard.

“Oh, uh, the mistletoe. It's still there.” Shoichi said. “I’d forgotten all about it.”

He sounded like he was lying. Not out of malice, merely nonchalant. Like he was just trying to make things less awkward. Only thing was, it wasn’t working. They had both copped more than above average number of kisses today from different couples amid the sea of the general public. On the forehead, on the cheek, on the lips. The mistletoe had been a hit and it would be lying to say otherwise.

“And we’re both standing under it.” Yusaku pointed out.

“Next to it, more like.” Shoichi said.

“It's tradition, you know.” Yusaku said.

“Yes, Yusaku, I know.” Shoichi retorted.

He sounded huffy but that didn’t fetter Yusaku. His eyes were uniquely and unusually naive. Hopeful.

“Please.” Yusaku quietly insisted.

“Only because it's tradition.” Shoichi said.

Though only because it was tradition felt - and looked - like a whole lot more. They both knew that there was a budding, mutual attraction between each other. Like a spear and shield, like the best of friends, or even like tomato sauce on a frankfurter, they went together perfectly.

Yusaku placed one hand on Shoichi’s breast and his other was enveloped by Shoichi’s palm. It was guided to Shoichi’s hip and for a moment, they were in a pause like a position zero in a dance. It was awkward. Yet it was oh so sweet.

Yusaku had to go on his tip-toes, just slightly and Shoichi held his hand firmer. They were all on their lovely lonesome on the street corner, just the streetlamp and the mistletoe to observe as they inched closer and closer until finally. They kissed,

The cold swirled around them with the beautiful snowdrift. The light twinkled behind them and it was utterly cliche but it truly was magical. It was everything that they had both dreamed for longer than they should have that it would be. Neither could deny the mutual pining between them, soft and ever present but always unspoken.

Every wrong making a right as they kissed. He was too young, he was too old, they were just acquaintances brought together by something horrible and yet. The feelings that they had for one another that existed in the negative space between the sharp edges of their entwined pasts were precious and irreplaceable.

The feel of Yusaku's lips, the scratch of Shoichi’s beard. Little, tiny sensations by the thousands all built up to make six seconds feel like they could last an eternity. It was their first kiss, as a couple, not that they were but for now it felt as though were, and Yusaku’s first kiss as an individual and to him, what a wonderful kiss it was.

He relished every sensation. The feeling of Shoichi’s breath and the way his own hitched as he marvelled in these precious six seconds of the kiss. His heart didn’t race but Yusaku became all too aware of it as he felt the throb of Shoichi’s pulse in his lips as they shared in this mutual intimacy.

It was almost regretful but they did break it off. Tradition didn’t state how long the kiss had to last and they both knew that if it lasted any longer, it would be inadvisable. Yet, Shoichi didn’t let go of Yusaku’s hand that had been on his hip as it slipped back. So, together, they stood on the street’s corner holding hands.

“Sleep tight tonight, Yusaku.” Shoichi said. “Stay warm. And I’ll see you in the new year, yeah?”

“Yeah…” Yusaku murmured.

Shoichi squeezed Yusaku's hand and then finally let go. Yusaku nodded and he was already going to miss the sensation - the weight and the warmth - of Shoichi’s hand on his own. He stepped aside awkwardly and Shoichi glanced at the mistletoe.

“Do you want to keep it?” Shoichi asked as he reached for it.

His fingers grazed the shiny, red ribbon, he played with the dangles and traced along the shape of the tiny, white bulbs that made up the flower of the mistletoe. It looked cheap because of its mass-made origins and oddly out of place against the off-yellow of the truck’s outer shell but there was such fondness in his voice for it.

“Like a memento?” Yusaku asked.

“Yeah, like a memento.” Shoichi replied.

“I’d like that.” Yusaku said.

“I’m glad.” Shoichi murmured.

The mistletoe had been sticky-taped in place, of all things, with a scrunched up bundle behind the main head of the flower. He gently coaxed it off the truck and then tore off the sticky tape. Shoichi took these small actions purposefully and then met Yusaku’s eyes before entrusting him with the little souvenir of a tradition.

“Thanks.” Yusaku said as he covered it with his fingers, wanting to hide it and squirrel it away.

“You enjoy the holidays, yeah, enjoy some days off from school and work, you hear.” Shoichi said.

Yusaku nodded and made a small noise. He wasn’t sure how much enjoyment he would get from pining for Shoichi but they had different schedules. Different family commitments. That sort of thing.

“Okay, now get inside already, don’t wait for me and don’t catch your death either.” Shoichi worried for him.

“Alright, alright, see you later, Ku-Kusanagi-san.” Yusaku said and his voice cracked as he spoke his most valued companion’s name. Not in a bad way, just a teenage boy way.

Shoichi chuckled at his expense and the cold wind blew. It hurried them both along as the idea of lingering toyed with them. It was awkward and bittersweet but that’s just how saying goodbye - even temporarily - went as they turned their backs on one another.

Yusaku heard the kerchunk of the truck's door opening and his heart leapt to his throat. Now or never. It wasn't as good as an I love you or a confession but the words that got caught in his throat were just as good to release his feelings. His chest felt tight as his lips quirked into an unnatural position: a smile. A genuine and whole-hearted smile that was ear to ear and had his eyes crinkling.

Yusaku quickly twisted around and with a rosy face, he announced, "Merry Christmas, Shoichi. See you next year."

Shoichi smiled and gave him a signal through the glass that he had been heard loud and clear. That's all Yusaku needed to be happy. More than happy, even, beyond happy. He then faced forward and heard the engine rumble, he opened the door where Ai and Roboppi greeted him. Shoichi drove off so he could return home to Jin.

The tradition of the mistletoe was a secret for only them. He held onto the mistletoe a little tighter in secret, cherishing the feeling of the leaves and stem digging into his palm. But maybe next Christmas, when Yusaku was just that tiny bit older, it wouldn't be just tradition when they kissed by the mistletoe.

#yugioh #yugioh vrains #vrains #hotdogshipping #sweet and spicy bingo #writing tag #Christmas #Mistletoe Memento #fujiki yusaku #kusanagi shouichi #kusanagi shoichi #age gap cw #long post

5 notes · View notes

merryfortune · 2 years

Text

He was just in the mood to have a pickle, or maybe cause one.

Written for the 100ships Challenge on Dreamwidth

Prompt - #94 Pickle

Title: He was just in the mood to have a pickle, or maybe cause one.

Ship: Hotdogshipping | Shoichi/Yusaku

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains

Word Count: 2,806

Rating: T

Warnings: Underage

Tags: Not Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Secret Relationship, Age Gap, Humour, Set During Season 1

“So yeah,” Shoichi said, slurping down on some lemonade, “that’s the gist of it.”

“Is it good money at least?” Yusaku asked idly.

“Eh, not really.” Shoichi made a vague hand gesture, tilting his drink back and forth making it slosh and Yusaku could hear the ice inside of it clank against each other. “But can’t I do something out of the goodness of my heart? Teenagers are too idealistic these days,” he began to lecture ironically, “they need to know that they can’t all be astronauts and rockstars and footy players. Some of them will become plumbers or like me. A respectable small business owner in the fast food industry.”

Yusaku did his Yusaku laugh hearing that: a wrinkle of his nose and exhale. He would likely never laugh freely for real but damn if Shoichi didn’t feel like a million bucks whenever he could at least get a snort from Yusaku. He smiled.

“Now, I don’t know if I’ll be put in with your class for my spiel or whatever but promise me. We’ll be strangers in the classroom, yeah?” Shoichi said.

“Yeah, totally.” Yusaku lied, thinking about all the times they had made out in the back of the wagon, usually after a talk just like this about how inappropriate their boundaries were but whatever. He glanced down at Ai and Ai immediately picked up what Yusaku was implying in that easy to miss sardonic tone in the two words he had passably grunted.

“Great, well, hopefully we won’t see each other tomorrow.” Shoichi said.

“Yeah, hopefully.” Yusaku agreed and again, that blase agreement was a lie.

“Fantastic, well, talk to you tomorrow afternoon or whenever.” Shoichi said.

“I’d like that.” Yusaku replied and he let Shoichi kiss him goodbye on the cheek.

Yusaku smiled. He liked the feeling of Shoichi’s unshaved face on his own. It made his heart flutter but it was getting late and he didn’t want to impose, even though they were boyfriends. So, he got up and he took his school bag with him. But as soon as he stepped out of the truck, the door closed behind him and therefore soundproofed, Ai popped up out of Yusaku’s Duel Disc and craned his head upwards.

“You have complete intentions of fucking with him tomorrow, don’t you?” Ai asked, gleeful and devious.

“Absolutely.” Yusaku smirked and he kept walking.

Ai cackled to himself upon hearing that. Sometimes, he and Yusaku were more alike than either of them gave him credit for. Not that Ai had intentions of telling Yusaku that, but Ai was glowing with pride when Yusaku got home and his first order of business was assuring he would be in all of Kusanagi’s seminars at school tomorrow. The trail of obfuscation to obscure his hacking truly brought a tear to Ai’s eye and Yusaku was having fun with it, too. It was certainly a lot more low stakes and relaxing compared to all the concealing that he had to do for his identity as Playmaker and his crusade against the Knights of Hanoi.

So, come morning, in his rumpled blazer and crooked tie, Yusaku looked like the cat who got the cream when he sat in the back of the classroom and yet, was still the person that Shoichi made eye contact with as he came in, led by the homeroom teacher. Shoichi swallowed his panic and the way his eyes went wide before he straightened up was all that Yusaku could want. If only Ai could have seen it, he would have been rolling on the floor laughing but on a day like this, it was best to keep the A.I. under lock and key like a prisoner.

Shoichi cleared his throat and he introduced himself to the class. He made a very blatant point of not looking towards the back left corner of the room as he sputtered through his introduction. The teacher, beside him, thankfully chalking it up to the very understandable jitters of having so many judgemental, adolescent eyes on him.

After that, Shoichi segued into bit of his life story and Yusaku felt very included by that. For Shoichi, this was a sea of strangers, they could never possibly dream of what entwined him and Yusaku and so, the half-truths and not quite lies made Yusaku purr as Shoichi explained how his goals had changed over the years. That he had been one of those starry eyed kids who wanted to play soccer on the silver screen, how he had gotten into computers later and why he decided to become a food truck vendor specifically. It was all for his baby brother who was disabled - and traumatised by the very same Incident as Yusaku.

Keeping that in the back of his mind, Shoichi’s story seemed very saccharine. Yusaku didn’t blame him and so, Shoichi made sure to get really into the thicket of his current occupation in his rambling. It might be a cover for some criminal business but he did, very genuinely, have a passion for food and making good food fast and cheaply. He even chucked in a reference to the hot dogs are sandwiches meme to see if he could get a laugh. (He did but it was only Naoki, he mostly caused cringe and groans but he tried, Yusaku could applaud that.)

“Yes, that just about does it, I’m a local small business owner and you, too, kids, and it's great. You’re your own boss, don’t have to get up before eight, and you can involve your friends, too, if you like. And you can be just like me one day if you follow these very simple steps.” Shoichi tried to hock himself like a used vacuum cleaner salesman. “You don’t even have to go to college, there are other pathways into the workforce if academia is not your thing, but I do recommend doing supplemental courses, and your local library has plenty of tutorial videos, too. They were a lifesaver when I was your age.”

Yusaku rolled his eyes. Shoichi was so flustered. His speech was patchy and crackly, he was making big hand gestures and was generally not of his usual laid back demeanour. It was very cute but he was impressing his teacher, somehow. Maybe the other guests were floundering all the same as him or even worse.

Shoichi finished up his spiel by rubbing his hands together and smiling, “Any questions, folks?”

“Yes.” Yusaku said and his hand shot straight up.

The whole class flinched. The Fujiki Yusaku? Raising his hand during class? Unheard of. Completely and utterly unprecedented and unheard of, nigh impossible, too. Even Naoki was sputtering and this was exactly why Yusaku made sure not give Aoi the flick to a different seminar, she would connect the dots but Naoki wouldn’t, even if he tried very hard to.

“Er, yes, go ahead?” Shoichi said, trying very hard to act like he had never seen this teenager before in his life.

“Do you need a library card to check out these resources that were - quote - lifesaving to you?” Yusaku asked, he sounded terribly dull but Shoichi could tell the claws were out. He was being teased.

Meanwhile, the class flinched again. This was also unheard of. Not only had the Fujiki Yusaku put his hand up to ask a question, he had asked the most obvious to answer a question that ought to come with a resounding duh in reply. Even the teacher was bothered by Yusaku’s peculiar behaviour, finding it at least a little odd.

“Not always, depends on if you want to take them home, I guess.” Shoichi replied very politely. “But library cards are typically free, it's not that hard to walk up to the help desk and, er, get help.”

“Thank you.” Yusaku said. He returned his hand down and then turned his head slightly, so he could look out the window. That was more in the style of the facade that he had built up for the classroom, the aberration was gone, all to be forgotten.

A few more questions followed after Yusaku’s. Actual, proper questions, some of which caught Shoichi off guard but he managed. After this section of his seminar, the teacher congratulated him and made him feel very glad that he had never decided to go into teaching.

A glad thought that he very much doubled down on during the second part of his seminar. See, Shoichi thought it was very important to make sure the youth had the skills they needed for adulthood, the biggest one being cooking as most of them were very used to having their parents cooking for them, or so he assumed. So, out of his own back pocket, he had bought the ingredients on mass to make hamburgers from scratch and asked to borrow the school’s home economics room for it. He was given full steam ahead but he kind of wished that he hadn’t now.

At the top of the classroom, Shoichi demonstrated how to make the mince flavouring and other bits of the assembly process of making homemade burgers. It was all pretty easy. No way to go wrong. Oh how Shoichi was wrong.

It started smoothly enough, he did some supervision here and there but so far no major disasters, the cohort was quite obdenient and even seemed to be enjoying the cooking lessons, and then his luck was tested. All because he couldn’t say no to a pair of gorgeous green eyes. Yusaku called his attention over and batted his eyelashes at Shoichi, all whilst feigning that the lid on a jar of pickles was screwed on too tight for him to do it all by himself. And asking his cooking mate Naoki was obviously out of the question.

“Thanks so much, sir.” Yusaku said, a slow drawl to his voice.

“Y-Yeah, no worries.” Shoichi stuttered out. He felt very hot under his collar, feeling as though all eyes were on him as he handed back the jar of now opened pickles back to Yusaku.

Their fingers brushed against one another during the exchange and Shoichi felt his heart skip a beat because of it. It was so small yet terrifyingly salacious. Exactly how Yusaku wanted it. Of course, it was cruel to tease Shoichi and if he played his cards wrong, his greatest ally - and boyfriend - was probably going to be arrested but he couldn’t help himself.

Yusaku then returned to his bay and began cutting up pickles. He was weirdly really in the mood for them. But not quite like this, he was more of a hot dog kind of guy than a burger but whatever, food was food and he didn’t mind sharing with Naoki, either. In fact, felt good to hear that he was pretty good at burger flipping, maybe he should ask for more serious work behind the grill from Shoichi. Maybe later.

And oh how Yusaku pined for later. It was bit of a slog to get through the afternoon seminar that was with a different muppet from a different faction. Shoichi had likely gone and swapped over to one of the other groups, probably the one that Aoi had been shuffled into. Still no matter how long or droning the hours were, they did eventually progress and the final bell rang and Yusaku couldn’t wait to get back somewhere he could be all alone with the boyfriend that he very much should not have for his age.

Yusaku didn’t even consider himself the jealous type but what little he had, he apparently cherished. Just look at Roboppy, some out of order mail by week DIY project of a thing for kids and he loved her like a doll or a pet, keeping her in tip top shape so she could chase dust bunnies in his apartment. So it made more sense to him than he wanted to admit that he wouldn’t like having too many eyes on Shoichi. His Shoichi.

He had seen the occasional flirty customer cross a line or too but brushed it off. Appropriate workplace boundaries and all that, as hypocritical sounding as that was. But that new teacher with pretty red lips and kitten heels got too close at one point during the Q and A section of Shoichi’s seminar, in Yusaku’s opinion. To say nothing of the gaggles of his peers mention just how flattering that goatee was on Shoichi. It was irksome to say the least so Yusaku couldn’t wait to have Shoichi all too himself at his place.

Shoichi’s apartment was much nicer than Yusaku’s. It was bit of a given since he could work all day and make money to have nice things, he had more flexibility and he wanted to be ready for when Jin was well again, too. Though Yusaku had no present interest in ever moving in with Shoichi, for a multitude of reasons, he had made himself very comfortable there. He even had a key and he relished the look of surprise on Shoichi’s face when he got home slightly later than Yusaku and found him in the living room.

Really, Shoichi shouldn’t be surprised. Yusaku had been giving him signals all day, as discreet as he could be but still. This was totally out of character for Yusaku. He set down his groceries and rolled his eyes.

“What’s gotten into you today?” Shoichi asked.

Yusaku mulled it over for a second as he got up from the lounge he had been flitting through the news on and wandered to the kitchen just over the breakfast bar, “I’m just hungry, I think.” he said.

“Clingy, more like it.” Shoichi huffed. “Stupid and petty, too.”

“True.” Yusaku agreed.

Shoichi grunted. He was happy, if bemused, that Yusaku wasn’t denying it, at the very least. But the fact he was feeling cuddly out of nowhere was to be considered as well. Yusaku threaded his arms around Shoichi’s waist and nuzzled the middle of his back with the side of his face. Shoichi sighed as he felt Yusaku’s arms grow tight around him. His fists were firm on the centre of Shoichi’s sternum.

“I’ve wanted to do this all day.” Yusaku confessed quietly, his voice muffled by Shoichi’s jacket.

A smile twitched on Shoichi’s lips, “To be honest, I’ve wanted to touch you all day as well. You can be a real brat at times, flirting so boldly. Really? You couldn’t open the jar of pickles.” Shoichi snorted with sardonic laughter.

“I really couldn’t.” Yusaku defended himself and he cut off the hug there.

“Yeah, sure.” Shoichi sarcastically agreed.

Yusaku tutted to himself and then searched the fridge, “You know, I’m still hungry for them,” he murmured, “a weird craving. Oh good, you still have some here.”

“Don’t just rummage through my fridge.” Shoichi scolded Yusaku playfully but it was too late.

His hands were on the jar and what do you know? He managed to open it just fine and fished out a fat pickle from inside it. He shook off some of the juice and crunched down on the end of it. He then screwed the lid back onto the jar and put it back where he found it, still nibbling on part of the jar. Yusaku then turned around and tilted his head up.

At first, Shoichi wasn’t sure why but he realised quick enough when Yusaku’s expression turned to an impatient frown. Yusaku wanted to be kissed… through the pickle. Shoichi chuckled.

“Like Lady and the Tramp?” he asked.

Yusaku nodded, his teeth sinking precariously into the soft flesh of the pickle. His eyes were very serious. It was cute and silly and exactly up Shoichi’s alley. Fine. He bit into the other end of the pickle and had to try very hard not to choke on the pickle as he swallowed more laughter than it. The resulting kiss was salty and a little spiced but not bad. Bits of the pickle remained on their lips and teeth as they kissed with a fair bit of tongue, really trying to savour the snack they had just shared. Yusaku was all too pleased with the end result. He smiled into the finale of the kiss, open eyed and with a sparkle.

“I liked that.” he whispered smugly, his tangy breath warm on Shoichi’s lips as Shoichi kissed him again.

“Me too,” Shoichi murmured, kissing him roughly and haphazardly, yet so sweetly despite the salty taste, “just stop enticing me in public, kiddo.”

“Won’t happen again, I swear.” Yusaku promised but that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy himself today. Teasing Shoichi was a lot of fun but he wouldn’t make a habit of it, he didn’t like standing out, after all. He was just in the mood to have a pickle, or maybe cause one.

#hotdogshipping #yugioh vrains #vrains #yugioh #kusanagi shoichi #fujiki yusaku #writing tag #100ships challenge #age gap ships are really making my brain go brrr atm

11 notes · View notes