#frozenshipping

[merryfortune]

Cold Desserts

Written for 5 Days of YGO Femslash

Day 5. Canon Divergent | Alternate Universe

Title: Cold Desserts

Ship: Frozenshipping | Olga/Rio

Fandom: ZeXal/Arc V

Rating: T

Word Count: 1,465

Tags: Alternate Universe - Cakeverse, Crossover Pairing, Fork Olga, Cake Rio, Mentor/Mentee, Rivalry, Cannibalism Themes, Implied Unhealthy Relationship

   Synchro summoning was not something that Rio had seen before but it was beautiful, like watching a figure skater on ice, carving it through and causing a flurry in the edge. It made her heart race and she wanted more.

   She wanted to try it for herself and the girl that she was awestruck for, couldn’t wait to help her.

   “The name is Olga,” she said, her voice clipped and accented, “the pleasure is all mine.”

   She held out her hand for Rio to shake and she did. Her hand was firm, how she shook hands was rugged and intimidating but Rio didn’t back down. Even when it felt like Olga was trying to purposefully overpower her. And freeze her. Olga’ hand was as tough as it was cold. Ice cold. And that pleasure that she spoke of, how meeting Rio was all hers, it was equally as formidable.

   Olga was a good if stern teacher, one who punished severely but Rio was an adept student. She learned Synchro summoning quite well from Olga. She was not so soft that a little tongue lashing would scare her. Her ice was formed in fathomless oceans and tempered inside of fire and flames, after all. Soon, she was bringing out monsters enshrined in frost white rims like she was a natural.

   “An abyssal gale blasting through the stars, taking the shape of a devoted swan! I Synchro summon Ice Beast Sygnet Zero Below!” Rio yelled, her chant of battle fierce and icy.

   Olga could only look on in pride as Rio’s spell was cast and her monster was summoned. The creature was what a swan was to the constellation was, coalesced and obscure, harsh angles barricaded in icy armour. It was winged, it was beastly but it was more a soldier than an animal and yet, peculiarly, more a princess than it was a militaristic unit. 

   Olga beamed to see it brought on the field and she couldn’t wait to defeat it. Crush it down and turn it into diamond dust. But, of course, Rio fought back magnificently. She was an excellent duellist in her own right, outside of being a student to Synchro but her native XYZ was better but she was getting there. And she was going to prove it.

   Rio tore through Olga’s defences and against what Olga perceived as all odds, Rio came out on top. But Olga could admit when she was bested and she bowed out as gracefully as she could through gritted teeth - and Rio did notice that her teeth were gritted. 

   “Let me treat you to a meal, as congratulations for your first win using Synchro summoning.” Olga replied, her hospitality masking how she seethed - and Rio heard that in her voice, too.

   “I’d like that.” Rio replied. She shook on it and it did amuse her how handshakes, as cold and firm as they were, were becoming her and Olga’s thing. It was certainly better than the veneer of grace. It was genuine. Even if Rio found it disconcerting.

   They retired for the afternoon at a family-style diner. Rio ordered lunch; Olga ordered dessert. Rio didn’t think much of it as she nibbled on her hot chips and her hamburger patty but as she and Olga chatted idly about this and about that, it did become more prominent to her. Olga’s mannerisms especially.

   It's not that Rio emphasised with the parfait that Olga had ordered, it was more that she sympathised with it. Surely anyone would. It didn’t seem that strange to Rio that anyone might flinch from watching Olga not just eat but devour the parfait. She stabbed the fruit with a fork, cleaned up the custard and ice-cream afterwards with a spoon. She savoured it all and for some reason, it made Rio queasy in her stomach.

   She couldn’t finish her meal but Olga certainly downed her dessert quickly.

   “Are you a habitual sweet tooth?” Rio inquired.

   She wanted to be polite and make conversation as she looked over the battlefield of the table. Her on one side, Olga on the other, her leftovers in the middle and that huge glass all but licked clean. Rio sat prim and proper as she waited for a reply that first came in the form of a cruel smirk.

   “More than that,” Olga confessed, “I am a Fork.”

   “Pardon but what do you mean by that?” Rio asked.

   “There is a condition in my home country of the North, for some reason, certain children are not born with the full range of their taste. Difficult to say why but it makes us stronger, I believe. Fiercer because we are so hungry all the time because all we can eat is sweets but that is not the best way to live, unfortunately.” Olga explained.

   “Oh, that’s awful,” Rio lamented, superficial but Olga merely shrugged, “what does non-sweet food taste like?”

   “Good and common question. Like yellow snow.” Olga replied and she made Rio laugh.

   Rio laughed far too raucously for what a blunt vulgarity like that deserved but Olga didn’t mind. She tried to lick yet more of what remained off her spoon, scraping the absolute dredges of custard, impossible to fully clean with her tongue. She gauged Rio though and her belly rumbled.

   “But there is more to it than that, you know.” Olga added. “I told you it makes us fierce because we are hungrier. That’s why I am a good duellist. Eating after victory can make anything sweet, even your salty potato fries and slimy meat patty.” Olga said.

   She reached over and she fetched a now cold hot chip off Rio’s plate and Rio watched, transfixed, over how much Olga hated the savoury flavour of it. Because she did. Her expression fouled as she had just a bite off half off it, the rest she laden yet again with the impossible scraps of her parfait. She enjoyed that tremendously more than her previous.

   “And certain people,” Olga mused, “are sweet, too. Cakes, we call them.”

   Rio licked her lips and she felt her heart pound. She wasn’t sure why. It didn’t feel like the thrill of first love borne of rivalry, learning the same game. It felt like fear.

   “Are you one of them, Rio?” Olga asked.

   “No…?” Rio replied. “Er, well, I don’t know.” She felt uncomfortable with the question, and with how beady Olga’s eyes were. She felt assessed and studied underneath that sharp, ravenous gaze. “How would I know?” Rio stammered. “I have never heard of such a preposterous thing until before now.”

   Olga rested her chin on her hand, resting her elbow on the table and her gaze softened but it did not become any less salacious. She had her doubts. Even Rio had her own doubts but she refused to back down on her assertion. She had no reason to believe that any of what Olga had said was true. She could be playing a mean game or trick about being a Fork, let alone implying that Rio might very well be a Cake.

   “Are you sure?” Olga asked. Incisive as a knife.

   “Yes.” Rio replied but she wasn’t believed, she could tell and it made her uncomfortable. Again.

   “Do you want to be sure?” Olga asked again, rephrasing her question, licking her lips.

   Rio wanted to reply no but that’s not the word which tumbled out her mouth. Her damnable sense of competition got the best of her. And thus, with one word, she felt hunted. With just a mere, “Yes.”

   “Then tomorrow, when we duel next, do your best to win or else when you lose, you may just get eaten.” Olga warned her. 

   “And if I win?” Rio prompted her.

   “You won’t.” Olga promised her. 

   Already fantasising about what Rio may taste like for she was certain that it would not be of meat. Surely a girl like the one in front of her would taste like shaved ice showered in blue heaven syrup. It just made sense to Olga as she thought about kissing and eating Rio, her mouth watering. And that didn’t escape Rio’s notice and instead, caused her to steel her conviction.

   “Well then, and if I win,” Rio tried again, baring her own teeth, “it will be you who is devoured.”

   Despite her strength of talk - bravado - Rio felt her hand tremble under the table. She knew full well that tomorrow, she would have to duel stupendously or else she really, truly would be eaten. Regardless of if she was sweet or not, and that chord struck deep like a gale blowing a sharp note in the tundra. She was going to prove that the ice she was made of was not flavoured blue raspberry like Olga appeared to be under the impression of.

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] Song of Starting Anew

Saiou's fingers danced elegantly across the keys.  He may well have lost his gifts to see the future - something he struggled to adjust to even now after five years - but he'd focused on his music once he began to be in a position to do so, and he enjoyed creating the greatest beauty that he could.

"That's not too bad," an unfamiliar voice spoke.  He glanced up to see someone lounging in the doorway and blinked towards them.  So far as he knew, he hadn't invited any guests over, nor had Edo or Mizuchi. So what this stranger wanted baffled him.

"Thank you,"  he replied first.  The stranger did look familiar, now that he considered it, but he couldn't place the name at first.  "Might I know who you are and what you're doing in my home?"

The stranger pushed himself off the doorway and strolled in.  His smile was wide and warm and accepting. "We never did really meet at Duel Academia, so I'm not surprised you don't know me."

Hm.  That must by why the face seemed oddly familiar.  He didn't wear an Academia uniform, or anything like it. In point of fact, he wore a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, as if he'd just come from the beach or planned on going there.  The more Saiou considered it, the more he thought he might have seen someone in similar garb around school grounds.  That time wasn't very clear anymore, of course.

When he got close enough, the stranger stuck his hand out.  "Tenjoin Fubuki.  My sister's Tenjoin Asuka and my best friend is Marufuji Ryou."

Oh.  That made a great deal more sense.  Saiou remembered Tenjoin-san and he certainly was aware of Marufuji Ryou, given that he and Edo dated off and on.  They'd had dinner together more than once, and Saiou thought that this elder Tenjoin had been mentioned.

So he carefully rested his hand in the other's and Fubuki pumped it cheerfully.  "Anyway, like I said, you're pretty good.  Mind if I join you?"

Saiou hadn't expected that, either.  But he shifted over.  "Go ahead."  He wasn't certain if this were a good idea, but even though he didn't have the gift of foresight anymore, he didn't think this Tenjoin Fubuki was a threat to anyone.

Fubuki settled next to him, then looked towards him.  "Play something?  I'm not good at playing, at least not piano."  His deep brown eyes twinkled briefly.  "But I am really good at singing."

Saiou considered that briefly, shrugged to himself, then started to play again, the same melody that he'd worked on before.  He'd written it himself, though he'd never bothered writing lyrics for it.  Fubuki listened for a few moments, then started to hum, matching the rhythm effortlessly.  Saiou continued to play, losing himself in the music as he did so often. 

Somewhere in there, Fubuki started to sing, and the lyrics he crafted, apparently off the top of his head, fit the melody almost perfectly.  Saiou's fingers stuttered briefly on the keys, then he recovered himself, listening to both the music he made and what Fubuki made.  He couldn't help but smile at the lyrics; he'd never envisioned them before, and yet they fit as if he'd crated them perosnally.

"Why did you come here?" Saiou asked as the song finally came to an end.  Fubuki looked at him.

"I heard the music,"  he said after a few moments.  "I was coming over to see if Ryou was here, since I wanted to see if he were free to go to a movie with me and Yuusuke."  His eyes lit up.  "You should meet Yuusuke, too, you know.  He knows a lot about that spooky stuff."

Saiou blinked a few times.  He'd met Fujiwara Yuusuke before, if only for a short time, at Yuuki Juudai's graduation ceremony.  They'd spoken briefly and they did exchange e-mails on occasion.

"We've met,"  Saiou said at last, quietly.  "He's an interesting person."  Though truth to tell, Fubuki was equally as interesting, if in a different way.  He'd never seen someone so utterly open in heart and in mind.  Saiou knew very well what he'd done to Fubuki's sister and he regretted it, and all of his actions in those long ago days.  But Fubuki hadn't even mentioned it. 

Fubuki nodded cheerfully before he started talking more about music.   Saiou listened quietly, offering his own comments at various points, but something became very clear as they went along - what Fubuki wasn't talking about.

When Fubuki actually stopped talking for a few minutes, Saiou made an effort of his own.  He'd been wary of what might happen when Fubuki appeared, but now he thought he needed to ask.

"Why don't you say anything about what happened at Duel Academia?  I - I brainwashed your sister.  I know how much you care about her."  He remembered seeing that at the graduation, and having heard a few rumors that he remembered now.  He'd used Manjoume to do it, but he'd had his own hand in matters.

Fubuki stared at him, blinking in confusion, before he laughed.  "Did you really want me to yell in your face about something that happened five years ago?"

Saiou couldn't quite believe that he'd heard that.  There were few days that he didn't at least think about what he'd done and try to make up for it in some fashion.  Creating music was one of those way - creation to counter the destruction he'd sown and wanted to sow.  He wanted to say something but no words came out of his mouth.

Fubuki must have seen something of that surprise in him, since he softened a breath later.  "It's not just that, though.  I mean - you were possessed, right?  The Light of Ruin." 

Saiou nodded quietly.  No matter how long he lived, he'd never forget the clean, sharp presence of that entity inside of himself, in those times before it forced him out and used his body like its own personal puppet.  Even the Darkness of Nihility hadn't done that to him. 

"I know.  I know what it's like."  Fubuki's fingers slipped over the keys randomly, not making music but just touching, quietly.  "You're not the only one who has been possessed, you know."  For a breath he hesitated, then dipped his fingers inside of his coat and pulled out a card, setting it down.

Saiou glanced at it.  He'd never seen this card before but he knew what it was at once.  Darkness hadn't worn that form when it came to him, but it was familiar nevertheless.  "Darkness..."

"Yup.  Long story on there but I had that living in me for a couple of years."  Fubuki regarded it thoughtfully before he picked the card up and put it away. "But I can control it now.  It hasn't bothered me in years.  Sometimes i think it's gone altogether."  He shrugged.  "Point is, I know where you're coming from.  I've done things that I wish I hadn't too." For a few seconds, his eyes were distant, farther away than even a whole other world.  Then they sharpened and refocused, a brilliant smile wreathing his features.  "But you can't let it get you down.  So if you ever want to talk about it, let me know."

In all of his life, Saiou hadn't encountered someone who truly knew.  Edo tried and they were very close indeed, but it wasn't quite the same.  He suspected that Fujiwara had some ideas on the subject, but he'd never properly brought it up.  Those who had been part of the Society of Light - well, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to talk to them about.

Fubuki didn't have any of those problems.  Saiou didn't doubt for a second that he had problems - you didn't spend most of your life being able to read minds and not understand that about people - but Fubuki's issues would be different.  He found himself curious as to what they were - and curious as to a great deal of other things as well.

But for now, he raised his hands and set them on the keys again, this time remembering a different song that he'd created some time ago, and trying to remember all the notes.  Fubuki tilted his head, that same sharp listening expression in his eyes, and they started to create together once again.

The End

Notes: Getting caught up on Rare Pairs Week! I’m going to try to post two more tomorrow, but I can’t be certain.

[iyliss]

Day 7, I had vampire!Fubuki/Saiou as a very minor plot point in a whole different story so I ended up wanting to develop it.

[sevenminutesingxheaven]

Rare Pair Dare? Yeah!

While our first request is being filled (we’re still waiting on responses to a couple others guys - don’t be shy, give it a try) I thought I’d introduce a new section of this blog.  It’s called Rare Pair Dare!

Rare Pair Dare! is like the shipping manifestos of old. Here you can spout forth as to why two or more characters should get together and go bowling. It's no kink meme, there's no prompt or request to fill, it's more just to germinate the seed of an idea inside other writers who might want to plant some wild flowers~

(Partly, mod Six just wants someone to explain why hornetshipping is so popular...)

To kick us off, let’s go with...

FROZENSHIPPING (Saiou/Sartorius & Fubuki/Atticus)

Both have been under the influence of an external force - Fubuki Darkness, Saiou the Light of Ruin - and were part of villainous societies...

...but how they dealt with coming back from that was very different

Fubuki never fell to the Society of Light - how hard would Saiou try before evicting him from the “White” dorm?

Both have sisters they adore and would do anything for, and vice versa. Saiou converts Asuka/Alexis to his cause

Both have young protégés that could be argued to surpass them

Interesting personality dynamics - introvert/extrovert, order/chaos, destiny/willpower, pessimism (or realism)/optimism

Saiou dueled a prince, Fubuki is a prince... of sorts

Saiou is a fortune teller, Fubuki a “magician of love”... Circus AU, anyone?

Example fics - More than Words by Logorrhea, Candlestick by BridgitKiido

Want to give Frozenshipping a go? Drop a request in!

Want to submit a Rare Pair Dare? All you have to do is drop an ask or submission with a few points that connect your chosen characters. Include screenshots or gifs if you want, or a link to That Fic which made you think about a ship in the first place. Want some ideas? Check out “Define rare”!