Puck's Flower
By: Kayeth
'Please, please say I'm dreaming.' Davis thought hopelessly, though he kept his expression carefully neutral as the talking around him continued as if he wasn't even there. They were all oblivious that with each careless word, his heart was being rendered into smaller and smaller pieces.
"You guys are perfect for each other!"
"I was waiting for you guys to get together, its about time!"
"No one ever stood a chance against you guys!"
TK and Kari sat at their table, their lunches forgotten as they simply beamed at one another, and replied to some of the comments from the kids crowded around them. It'd been less than two hours since those two had publicly declared themselves a couple, and people and glowing comments alike were following them like a train. Guys that had pestered Kari for dates occasionally and girls that had been wild about TK both crowded around, declaring how this was how it should be.
No one noticed that one person's heart was breaking as he stood in the crowd, forgotten.
Silently, Davis turned away from the two lovebirds, and walked out of the crowd unnoticed, heading for the library. His lunch remained uneaten on the table he'd been sitting at until he'd heard the wonderful news.
No one noticed.
He hid in there, back in the shelves of Fantasy and Science Fiction novels. Once out of the librarian's sight, he slid to the ground, and wrapped his arms around his knees, too numb to even cry.
'They…they didn't even tell me. They just let me find out this way.'
'Why'd they do this to me?'
It was true, it was painfully obvious that TK and Kari liked each other as more than friends, but as long as they hadn't made it official, he had felt like he actually had a chance. As pathetic as that was.
'I've never felt like such a loser.'
He'd never had a chance, just like those kids had said. How could he ever compete with TK, when he'd known Kari since they were eight, been through the Digital World together, both had angel Digimon, and seemed to get along perfectly?
But Kari had never gone and straight out told him she wasn't interested. She'd kept him following her, chasing a hope, a weak one at that, that she would turn around and say she cared.
'She just let me chase her……and now she does this to me…'
A sudden thudding sound snapped him out of his trance, and he looked up to see someone standing there, looking at him.
'Chloe.'
She was standing there, staring at him, expression a mixture of surprise and interest. The thudding noise had been her dropping her four-inch thick book on the ground. As soon as he met her gaze, she looked a bit guilty, and bent over to scoop down her book.
"Sorry," she muttered, wincing sheepishly "I didn't expect anyone back here. Especially not you."
"No need to be sorry." Davis replied sullenly. Chloe scowled at her guest in the library, and turned to find another quiet spot. No need to get involved in-
Whoa. Hold on a second.
"Hey," she turned around, and he looked back up at her, his eyes clearly showing he was not quite present at the moment.
"Weren't you the one who had a crush on that girl they've been talking about-what's her name-Kari?"
Davis scowled angrily at her blunt statement.
"That'd be me. You going to tell me some more about how they're perfect for each other?"
Instead of replying, Chloe plopped down on the ground beside him, setting her book down in her lap as gently as if it was a holy relic.
"Why would I do that? Half the school is already, why waste my breath on it?"
"…."
Chloe clucked her tongue disapprovingly, and opened her book, ignoring his death glare utterly. After about five minutes, Davis finally gave up glaring at her.
"Are you just going to sit there and read?"
She looked up in disinterest.
"Why not? I do it every day. You're an exception to my schedule." With that offhand statement, she returned her attention to her book. Clearly annoyed, Davis looked at the binding of the book, turning his head sideways to read.
" 'The Lord of the Rings' ?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked up, exasperation written on her features.
"Glad you can read, Goggle-boy."
Davis ignored the stinging remark. "Which book are you on?"
" 'The Return of the King'. Why?"
"I like 'The Hobbit' better. Especially Smaug." 'Cause he reminds me of ExVeemon, sorta.'
"You read Tolkien?"
Davis shrugged. "Why not?"
Chloe blinked, then grinned. "All right, I've decided I like you. So….about that problem with Kashi?"
"Kari."
"Whatever."
Davis sighed, and shook his head.
"She's just so…."
"Perfect? Wonderful? Lights up your world every time she looks at you? Turns you into a babbling love-struck fool every time she smiles?"
He looked up sharply.
"How did you know that?"
Chloe sighed and looked down at the ground, her expression melancholy.
"Because David was the same way." She replied softly.
"Was?"
"He's currently dating my best friend, Veronica. Just because I didn't have the guts to tell him straight out that I cared. I just acted like……you."
Davis suppressed a protest at her comparison. So. She'd gone through the same as him. Wasn't that wonderful to know.
"And?"
"And what? Did you think I had a magical solution to both of our problems? I'm not Robin Goodfellow."
"What?"
"Robin Goodfellow. You know, Puck? Midsummer Night's Dream? Shakespeare?!"
"I know who Robin Goodfellow is. I was just surprised you used him as a reference…..heh, the flower sprung from Cupid's arrow could give us both aid, hm?"
Chloe chuckled. "But we don't have the flower, so we just have to make do with what we have, ne?"
"And what do we have to work with?"
"Absolutely nothing. Just this……tell Kari that you care, honestly, and tell her you'll be there for her, regardless whether TK will be or not. Predestined romances don't really exist, ya know. Only in Romeo and Juliet."
Davis snorted. "The kids here could convince me otherwise."
Chloe grimaced. "Scatterbrained twits. They don't even know what they're talking about."
Without warning, the bell chimed.
"Time flies, ne?" Chloe shrugged, and got to her feet. Davis did the same. "I better go, Mrs. Tsuyoba'll skin me alive if I'm late."
"Hey, Chloe?"
Halfway down the bookshelves, she turned back, looking at him inquisitively.
"I'll tell Kari if you tell David, 'kay?"
She looked surprised, then grinned.
"That's a promise, Goggle-boy."
Two Years Later…….
The plain white paper wrapping the Stargazer's Lilly crinkled in the cold breeze, and Davis clutched it closer, shielding it with his jacket. It was February 14, Valentines Day. He was standing at someone's doorstep, just about to knock. Sure, it wasn't a rose, the traditional gift, but this flower had more meaning to it. It was 'Puck's Flower', as it had been dubbed by Chloe.
Funny how dreams come true.
Almost as soon as he knocked, the door was flung open. Kari stood there, her eyes shining, beaming.
"Hi Davis!!" she exclaimed, then caught sight of the flower in his hands. "Oh, it's beautiful!"
"Come on then," he replied playfully "We're supposed to meet Chloe and David at the park in five minutes!"
"Five minutes?!" she whizzed out of sight, and reappeared a moment later with her coat on. "Let's go then!"
He chuckled and handed her the flower, linking his arm in hers.
The happy couple set off towards the park, just about as content as two people could be.
Predestined romances really don't exist……
A/N: Yes, I know that was sappy. And Daikari. I have just asked to be flamed to a little crisp.
J Bring it on.
Unite, all you Daikari supporters (if I'm not the only one)!
And the whole Chloe/David/Veronica thingy, that's a true story. Thankies to my buddy Chloe for letting me use it.