A/N: Based on Taylor Swift's "Begin Again"...this is set sometime before the movie. Tadashi x Honey Lemon!

Gracie stared at her reflection in the mirror, taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment. Coming out of a bad relationship was one thing, but moving on to a different relationship was another. She had met Tadashi Hamada at SFIT a few months ago, and they were good friends, yes, but she'd been close friends with Josh, her ex-boyfriend, as well; so perhaps that didn't really matter. She let her eyes travel quickly over her appearance to make sure she was ready to go. Pink sundress. White polka-dot leggings. Pink platform heels...hm. She considered changing to sandals for a moment, but decided against it. If this kid wanted to date her, he'd have to deal with her heels sooner or later. Josh had constantly harassed her about her heels; said she didn't need to wear them, but she liked them. Releasing her deep breath, she grabbed her smartphone and earbuds. She wasn't driving; she was just a couple of blocks away from the Lucky Cat Cafe, so she could listen as she walked. Josh had never really enjoyed her eclectic taste in music, but Josh was in the past, so maybe she needed to forget about him and his sharp opinions. She opened her apartment door, but then turned around and dashed back in to grab her suede, tan purse, and then hurried out the door.

As she walked down the three floors of her apartment complex, she chewed the lipstick off of her lips. Maybe this was a mistake. She loved spending time with Tadashi, yes, but maybe it was best to leave their friendship as is. She couldn't bear the thought of losing a friend as spectacular as Tadashi. Even his little brother, Hiro...she took a deep breath and jumped in surprise when her phone vibrated in her hand. Maybe he'd decided against the date, too! Fumbling to check her phone, the text was from Tadashi, but simply read: We still on?
She checked the time on her phone as she stepped outside in the darkness. Shoot! She was ten minutes late already!
Texting so fast her long, slim fingers practically tangled up in knots, she answered him. Yes! Sorry! Running late! Be there in a few minutes! She cranked the volume on her earbuds up more and broke into a jog. Yes, she could jog in platform heels. She could run if she wanted to. Yet another thing to be teased about, but she typically laughed that off. Because how many people can run in platform heels without falling? She considered it a talent.

She wasn't paying attention to what was in front of her when she rounded the corner to the entrance of the Lucky Cat. Therefore, she ran directly into a shorter person and nearly bowled them over, falling herself. And to her horror, it was, of course, Tadashi Hamada. Her date.
"Tadashi! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, grabbing his shoulders to keep him from falling.
He was laughing, though. "That's fine, Honey." No, he wasn't calling her that as an endearment. Honey Lemon was her nickname at SFIT, thanks to Freddie - their mascot person. "Ready to get a sugar rush? My aunt made an assortment of stuff. She's a little.." he trailed off and laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "A little excited. Maybe we should've gone to a different restaurant."
"Oh, no! That's fine!" she smiled, her bubbly personality surfacing as her nervousness subsided. She impulsively reached to kiss both of his cheeks, a customary greeting in her family, and Tadashi turned to open the door so he could hide the blush creeping up his cheekbones.

"Is that Gracie? Ohh!" Aunt Cass bustled away from the counter she was cleaning, dishrag still in hand. "Hi! I've heard a lot about you!"
"You have?" Honey clasped her hands behind her back and glanced towards Tadashi, who was still red in the face. "Oh!"
"All good things," she laughed. "It's good to meet you! I'll stay out of you guys' hair."
Tadashi loosed a sigh of relief, composing himself. "Our table?" he gestured towards the table for two...which Aunt Cass had decorated with a center candle, which was flickering despite the light that was still on in the cafe. Oh, geez. He cleared his throat and held the chair out for Gracie.
"Oh! Thank you," she smiled - did she really ever stop smiling, he wondered - and sat primly, crossing her legs and setting her purse down beside her chair legs.
Aunt Cass brought out hot wings and salad. "Feel free to snack on pastries, too - free of charge. Stuff yourselves!" she said, hurrying back to the kitchen.
Tadashi gestured with a wing, leaning to whisper, "That's why I think I shoulda taken you somewhere else. Sorry."
She shook her head. "No! It's fine. Your aunt is so nice! I think it's really sweet that you invited me to your aunt's cafe, actually."
"Ah, you're just saying that," he grinned.
"No, I'm not, I promise! And if we're starting this date off by apologizing, I suppose I should apologize for being so late!"
He shook his head. "Did you walk?"
"Jogged, yeah," she grabbed a wing from the plastic basket.
"In those heels?" he asked, wide-eyed.

Red flag. Maybe? She nodded. "Yes," she said, filling her mouth with lettuce so she couldn't say anything more.
His thick eyebrows shot up. "That's actually pretty admirable. That's probably pretty tricky."
"If you get used to it, it isn't," she swallowed. "So you don't have an issue with my heels?"
"No. Why would I? It's your choice, what you want to wear on your feet. Now me, I prefer off-brand sneakers, which not many people probably like." he joked, crossing a leg over the other to display his shoe.
She laughed. "You're funny. Where's the younger Hamada? I thought he'd be hanging around, spying on his big brother."
Tadashi glanced around. This was news to him. Hiro would never miss a chance to gather ammunition to tease him at a later date. "Huh. He's probably got homework...a twelve year old as a junior in high school is pretty intense, I'd wager."
"Wow!" Honey exclaimed. "I knew you said he was smart, but that's impressive."
"Yeah...he's pretty great," Tadashi grinned, but then changed the subject. "Do you have any siblings? You never talk about them if you do."
"No," Honey shook her head. "Lone child. I bet having a little brother's pretty cool."
He nodded. "I wouldn't trade him for anything." he gestured to her cell phone, which was still connected to her earbuds. "Did you hear that band's new album yet? I know the band's name, but it's Spanish and I know I'll botch it if I say it," he laughed.
She giggled. "Yes, I did! I downloaded it as soon as it came out."
"At midnight?" he asked.
"Yes. Actually, it was 12:01, but close enough, right? My Internet decided to slow down, or I would've had it at midnight on the dot."
Tadashi burst out laughing. "Close enough. Is it good?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed, dropping her fork and clasping her hands at her chest. "Here, here, here, lemme play it! Well..do you want to?"
"Of course," he nodded, and she bit her lip to hide a smile as she pulled the album up on her phone.

They had a spectacular time, but all too soon, it was time to go.
"Chem essay calls," Gracie sighed. "Thank you for this. It was so much fun!"
"Thank you," he smiled, following her to the cafe door. "I'll walk you home."
"Oh, no, that's fine," she smiled. "I'm sure you have work too."
"Which I can do as soon as I come back," he said, adjusting his cap on his head. "I don't feel comfortable letting you walk home alone when it's nearly midnight."
He had a point, so she let him. She was grateful, of course! As they walked, she chewed her lip and thought. Should she bring up Josh? Did people typically bring up their exes on first dates? Did he need to know about Josh? As she was considering this, he spoke up.
"Christmas is coming up next month. If you don't have anyone else around to celebrate with, you should come over," he said quickly.
She smiled in mild surprise. She did have family, yes, but they were in a different country - right now, either England or Spain..depending on where her father's job had taken them in the past month since she'd last talked to her family. "I'd love to! But...I don't want to intrude. I'm sure holidays are special in the Hamada household," she said.
"Yeah, but we literally just sit around and watch movies. Specifically Rudolph, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. Yes, geniuses can watch kids' movies, too," he said.
She laughed. "It sounds really fun. It's a plan, then! If it's okay with your aunt and Hiro, though."
"Trust me," he waved it off. "Cass would just be beside herself. And Hiro, I'm sure, might try to prank you or something, but he'll be chill. He's been wanting to meet you anyway."
She let her smile broaden, and she almost missed a step as she traveled up them to the entrance of her apartment complex. "Well, thank you."
He cleared his throat. "W-was this date a success? This is the first date I've ever asked anyone out on, so.." he trailed off, his eyebrows rising in a silent question.
She set a hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek quickly. "Yes. It was perfect!"
"Then...what's next Saturday look like?" he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "Um, uh, yes. I mean, if you want!"
Tadashi laughed. "Okay. We'll work out the details later, I guess?"
"Okay," she smiled. "Good night. Thank you for everything!"
"Thank you," he nodded. " 'Night. See you at SFIT tomorrow."
She waved before hurrying inside the complex. And then she raced up the three flights of stairs to her apartment so she could lie on her bed and think.
Tadashi shook his head, smiling as he walked back to the cafe - slash - the Hamada house, wondering how she managed to be so amazing.