Title: In Combination
Universe: Hana Yori Dango
Theme/Topic: N/A
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairing/s: Soujirou, Akira, Yuuki (OT3 vibage?)
Warnings/Spoilers: None I can imagine.
Word Count: 1,399
Summary: Soujirou gets cornered by two rather fearsome foes.
Dedication: Kelly, my HYD2 watching partner. And fellow headdesker for every time Doumyouji and Makino are gross and retarded. LOL
A/N: Drama only! Haha I have no idea about the details of the manga or anime. Though I'm sure if I did I would like Tsukasa more, or something. Maybe. DAMN YOU MATSU JUN. DAMN YOU TO HELL. Also, this is wildly OOC or something, but I feel shcmoopy and kind of stupid and wanting MORE OF THESE THREE after episode ten made me want to throttle something despite not being able to understand 75 of it.
Disclaimer: Not mine, though I wish constantly.
Distribution: Just lemme know.


Akira understands how Soujirou is and backs him up. He always has, ever since they were little.

Yuuki on the other hand, understands how Soujirou can be and pushes him forward. She always has—whether she knows it or not—from the very first moment they met.

Akira loves to laugh.

Just as much, Soujirou suspects, as Yuuki likes to smile.

All in all, the combination of these factors already makes it very, very difficult to say no to either of them when it's just one of them alone. And Soujirou is beginning to learn that it is entirely impossible to say no to them when it's both of them together—as it increasingly is— especially when the pair is hell-bent on trying to convince Soujirou to do something that is quote-un-quote, for his own good.

Needless to say, despite being rich, gorgeous, sensible (well, sensible compared to Tsukasa maybe), and much loved around the world, Nishikado Soujirou's life has become rather difficult as of late, if only due to the fact that these two people are in it—constantly.

Because Akira understands how Soujirou is and knows how to use that to its full potential. He always has, ever since they were little.

While Yuuki understands how Soujirou can be and doesn't let him run away from it no matter how much he might want to at any one given time. Whether she knows it or not, she's made him face himself like that ever since the very first moment they met.

Dangerous enough when each is alone.

Deadly in combination.

Because when Akira laughs at him and Yuuki smiles at him and at the end of the day—despite definitely being the strongest fighter amongst the three of them— Soujirou always winds up losing anyway, no matter how dedicated he'd thought his resolve had been.

"Ne, Nishikado-san, let's go have a picnic in the park," Yuuki suggests today, and looks up at him encouragingly. Her eyes are bright and her cheeks are just a little bit flushed from at the prospect of the idea, and Soujirou already knows just from the way she's talking that she's got the location and the menu half-planned by now as is.

He sighs. "I don't do picnics in the park," he says, and tries to hike up his resolve again. It makes sense too, because he doesn't do picnics in the park. They're terribly uncool and domestic-like and only meant for the absolute schoopiest of old fashioned saps or married men who are already hopelessly bogged down to one person and plan to live out the rest of their lives in bonded, monotonous monogamy. "I've never done picnics in the park," he adds after a moment, just to reinforce his resoluteness on the matter.

"Eh? You haven't?" she gasps, and sounds positively horrified at the announcement. But she recovers quickly—she always does. "Even more reason why you should try one then!" she tells him next, without missing a step.

Well, that just figures.

Soujirou coughs a little then, and averts his gaze so he doesn't have to look into hers. He's halfway ready to state another refusal—outright this time— when a hand claps down on his back companionably.

He doesn't need to turn around to know that Akira is standing behind him and laughing at his stubbornness with his eyes.

"A picnic in the park sounds nice and relaxing," Akira theorizes. "Especially after that stressful presentation you had to give yesterday, ne, Soujirou? Besides, if you go home now the newspaper people will probably be waiting around the front gates to see if they can get more comments on how you thought you did."

Soujirou balks at the thought. Only slightly more than he balks at the fact that Akira—as always—is absolutely right. He eyes them both.

Akira and Yuuki simply share a look.

And that decided (apparently), neither of them even wait for Soujirou's response before Yuuki is calling home to say she'll be out for the rest of the afternoon and Akira is calling a place he knows (that no one else probably knows) where he can get picnic food and supplies delivered within the next hour, no questions asked.

Soujirou sighs to himself when he hears Yuuki tell her mother not to worry, she's with some very nice boys and they'll be eating dinner out, though she'll definitely be back before nine. When he hears that he can't help but wonder when his playboy reputation went all to hell, because it's been a long damned time since anyone has trusted him a whole afternoon unescorted with their precious only daughter.

Akira catches the expression on his best friend's face as he's thinking this and only waggles his eyebrows a little bit—teasingly— while he orders from whatever special place it is that he gets things from, putting in all those very specific requests that he knows are absolutely necessary if this is going to work (because Soujirou doesn't like mayonnaise on his sandwiches and anything baked with green tea powder for dessert is taboo).

Yuuki and Akira hang up their cell phones at exactly the same time a few minutes later and turn to beam at Soujirou in a freaky, almost choreographed sort of way.

Then, without another word, they drag him to the park.

And as they find a nice spot in the shade near where the little kids are playing while their mothers watch over them—Yuuki smiling and Akira laughing— all Nishikado Soujirou can only think to himself while they wait for the food to come is that the two of them make it very hard for a person—as sensible as he might be— to say no.

He wonders what kind of trouble that will bring to the three of them in the future.

But in the meantime, Akira simply squeezes his shoulder and tells him not to worry—it isn't like him.

Yuuki likewise touches his arm and tells him that they'll all have a good time together, so he should stop being stubborn and just smile.

"Exactly as Yuuki-chan said," Akira promises.

"See?" She pokes Soujirou in the side, and he knows he's being tag-teamed but can't do anything about it.

"So smile!" they finish in tandem not a moment later, and it's so ridiculous when they do it like that that Soujirou can't help but comply despite his better judgment.

And when he smiles back at them—half exasperated, half amused, and completely helpless— they both look like they couldn't be happier.

The food comes soon thereafter and as they eat and talk and enjoy the open air right there in the park, Soujirou looks to the person sitting to his right and then to the person sitting at his left and feels oddly comfortable, despite how uncool picnics in the park are for his image. It's okay—anything is okay— he supposes, so long as you're surrounded by the people who care for you more than any one else in this world.

Even if they are kind of manipulative and evil for knowing exactly what to say and how to act to get Soujirou to do whatever it is they want.

Because Akira knows exactly how Soujirou is, and that is how it has always been, ever since they were small.

And Yuuki knows how Soujirou can be if only he tries, has believed in him with every part of her being ever since the moment they met, whether she knows it or not.

As such, Soujirou can't find it in his heart to say no to either of them. Especially not when they're together like this.

Though he is pretty certain (being the sensible young man that he is), that one day in the future, this sort of relationship is going to bring the three of them all kinds of trouble.

But for the moment—under the reassuring glow of their twin smiles—Nishikado Soujirou can't find it in him to worry about the future too much. At least for today.

And just because they said so, too.

He sighs at that and wonders if part of the fact that they're impossible to say no to has something to do with him, as well.

In the meantime, Akira simply laughs and Yuuki just smiles, and Soujirou gets the feeling that they know something he doesn't.

END