A/N:Really sorry this took so long to get out
Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live.
"Are you ready to go Honoka?" Umi asked as she approached Honoka with Eli by her side.
It was a Friday after practice just a few days after Eli and Umi had started dating. The first years, Kotori, and Nico had already left. Leaving Honoka and Nozomi together with the new couple.
"Where are we going?" Honoka questioned, she wasn't really sure what Umi meant.
"Your grades on our last exam weren't very good you know. So, we are going to have a study session tonight."
This took Honoka a little off guard. She wasn't entirely sure why Umi would want to spend her Friday night tutoring her.
"What about Eli-chan? it's your first weekend as a couple. Wouldn't you guys rather spend it going out together on a date or something?"
Honoka questioned slightly bitter. Getting a few small blushes from the couple before Eli spoke up.
"Yes, we would like to spend our Friday night together. But I promised Alisa that I would help her with her schoolwork tonight."
"Eli and I already talked about it, and we thought you could come over to as well. We thought we could have a group study session with the four of us." Umi told Honoka.
"O-Oh, well I wouldn't want to impose on you Eli-chan." Honoka told them while looking down at the ground
Honoka knew that wasn't really the reason she didn't want to study with them. She just didn't want to spend her Friday night around Eli and Umi together. Sure Alisa would be there, but spending a whole night together with the couple would be to much. No matter how much progress she had made with her feelings over the last few days.
"It wouldn't be any trouble Honoka. I'm sure Alisa would be happy to see you as well." Eli told her with a small smile.
Honoka didn't answer and looked away, trying to avoid giving an answer. She thought it would be rude to simply turn them down, but she really didn't want to go.
Nozomi had been watching the whole exchange and was starting to feel sorry for Honoka. She noticed the Honoka was really uncomfortable and wanted to get out. Nozomi decided that she would give the girl some help. She made her way over to the three and put her hand on Honoka's shoulder.
"Are you ready to go Honoka-chan?" Nozomi asked with a large smile, getting questioning looks from all three.
"Huh?" That was all Honoka could really say, but she was relieved to have someone else in on the conversation.
"Don't tell me you forgot Honoka-chan."
Honoka remained silent and simply kept staring at Nozomi urging her to go on.
"You don't remember?" Honoka shook her head. "This morning before school started, you asked me to come over and help you study tonight." As Nozomi finished she gave Honoka a small smirk.
Honoka's eyes went wide as she finally realized what Nozomi was doing for her.
"I'm sorry Nozomi-chan I must have forgot." As she said this she than looked over to the couple. "I'm sorry you two, but it looks like I already made plans with Nozomi-chan for the night."
"Are you sure you're alright with this Nozomi? Honoka can be a handful when I try and help her study." Umi said while Honoka gave a silent pout.
"I think it will be alright. I can think a few punishments if she gets off track."
Honoka paled slightly at the thought of punishment from Nozomi.
"Well as long as you know what you're getting yourself into Nozomi." Umi said before giving a stern look to Honoka. "You better not cause her any trouble Honoka."
"Don't worry so much Umi-chan. Now you two go and have fun together."
Eli and Umi gave their goodbyes and left. Leaving Honoka and Nozomi alone on the roof.
Honoka let out a large sigh as the couple left and flashed a large smile at Nozomi.
"Thanks a lot Nozomi-chan. I know I wouldn't be able to spend a whole night around those two together."
"You looked like you were having a hard time so I figured I would help a friend out." Nozomi started to make her way toward the door to leave. "Well I think I'm going to head home as well. Bye Honoka-chan."
Before Nozomi could reach the door she felt something tug at her shoulder. She turned to see Honoka with a hand on her shoulder. Honoka was looking down and was noticeably nervous.
"What is it Honoka-chan?"
"Well, you see." As Honoka talked she was looking at the ground while nervously wringing her hands together. "I may have almost failed our last exam. So I might actually need some help studying for the next one."
"And you want me to help you study tonight?"
"Please Nozomi-chan! I'll do anything. I don't want to get another bad grade and have Umi-chan get mad at me again."
Nozomi saw the desperation in Honoka's eyes and knew that she couldn't turn her down.
"Alright, you win. I can help you study tonight." Honoka was about to let out a big cheer but was stopped as Nozomi continued. "But you have to make sure that you stay focused when I tell you to. If what Umi-chan says is true, you've always been a handful when she helped you try and study."
"You've got it Nozomi-chan. I'll try to be on my best behavior tonight."
"Let's get going then."
With that Honoka and Nozomi left the school and started to make their way to Honoka's home.
On the way, Nozomi tried asking Honoka all of the subjects and areas she would need help with. Honoka never really gave a straight answer and simply told her that she needed help studying. Nozomi could tell that Honoka meant she needed help with everything, this was going to be a long night.
When they arrived at Honoka's home Nozomi quickly gave her greetings to her parents and Yukiho. After, both Honoka and Nozomi made their way into Honoka's room where they were going to begin the nights studies.
"Before we start I'm going to go get us some tea and snacks." Honoka said while Nozomi took a seat at the table in the center of the room.
As Honoka left, Nozomi began to look around the room. She had been here once before but had never really gotten much of a look at Honoka's room. A few things caught her eye, like the large bookcase full of different manga and novels, or the dinosaur plushy sitting on her bed. What caught her attention the most was a well worn book sitting on the table in front of her with Honoka's name in large poorly written letters across the cover.
Nozomi knew it would be rude to start to go through Honoka's things when she wasn't around, but she was a naturally curious person. She grabbed the book from the table in front of her and opened it. Inside the book were pages full of different stickers. Each page was decorated from top to bottom with colorful stickers of various shapes and sizes. She continued to flip through the pages and was amazed at the sheer number of different stickers that Honoka had collected over the years.
As Nozomi continued to flip through the pages she couldn't help but let a small smile cross her face. It was a childish hobby for Honoka to have. Collecting stickers was something that elementary schoolers did, not second year high school students. Yet to Nozomi, it seemed somewhat fitting for Honoka to collect all these bright and colorful things to look at.
Nozomi continued flipping through the book as she heard Honoka slide open the door to her room with a tray of tea and sweets in her hand. Nozomi looked up from the book and saw the horrified look on Honoka's face. It was obvious that she hadn't wanted Nozomi to see that.
"Where did you find that book?" Honoka asked not moving from the door way.
"It was just sitting here on the table."
"I thought I put that away this morning." Honoka muttered as she moved to the table and set the tray down
"I didn't know you liked stickers so much Honoka-chan." Nozomi couldn't suppress her snicker.
Honoka's face grew red as she reached over the table and took the sticker book out of Nozomi's hands.
"I didn't tell anyone because it's embarrassing. Collecting stickers is such a childish hobby don't you think?"
"Yes." Honoka grew even more embarrassed at Nozomi's quick answer. "But I think it suits you."
Honoka tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean by that."
"I just think it's cute." Nozomi gave Honoka a small smile causing her to feel even more embarrassment. "But I have to ask. How many people know about your little sticker collection?" Nozomi wondered if maybe this was some secret that Honoka didn't want to let anyone in on.
"Well, Umi-chan is the only other person who knows. She actually got me that book a long time ago when we first started becoming friends." Honoka seemed to have a nostalgic look in her eye as she thought back to those days.
"Why would Umi-chan get you a sticker book of all things?" Nozomi was genuinely curious. It seemed like such an odd gift from someone so serious all the time.
Honoka's face took on an oddly wistful look as she began to recall her time with Umi when they were young.
"You know Umi-chan is always so serious about things, right?" Nozomi nodded. "Well she has always been that way, even when we were little kids. She would always make sure everything was proper and in order, she scolded me a lot when we were little too." Honoka looked at the worn book in her hand. "She got me this as some kind of repayment after she spent the night at my house for the first time. I told her she didn't have to, but she wouldn't listen. She told me it would be good for me to have a nice slow hobby like collecting stickers. That maybe it would help me be more focused with things."
Nozomi noticed Honoka's eyes begin to gloss over a bit with tears. It seemed obvious that this book meant a lot to Honoka and seemed like a symbol of her close relationship with Umi. Nozomi thoughts were stopped as Honoka continued her story.
"Umi-chan would always get me new stickers, or would help me organize them so they looked nice. Even when we were in middle school and into high school, if the two us were alone we would almost always go through the new stickers I got. Or she would bring me new ones that we would add to the book. She never made fun of me, or called me childish for liking the stickers so much. She'd always giver her opinion on new stickers I got. This book was like our little secret, to me it was always like a symbol of our friendship." Honoka finished with a wistful smile spread across her face
Nozomi sat in silence as Honoka ended her story. She had never seen Honoka talk about something so seriously before. It made it clear to her just how much her friendship with Umi meant to her, and also probably how much she loved her as well.
"That book must be very important to you Honoka-chan." Honoka smiled at Nozomi and nodded. "Do you mind if I ask why you had it sitting out in the open than?"
Honoka didn't immediately respond and bit her bottom lip. Could she tell Nozomi the reason it was out, and the reason why she had been going through the sticker book so often lately? Would Nozomi think less of her if she knew the reason? Honoka immediately dismissed that thought. Nozomi would never do something like that, if anything she would understand best.
"Well I guess ever since Umi-chan and Eli-chan started dating I've been going through it sometimes. I know it's kinda dumb, because me and Umi-chan are still friends we can still do stuff like get new stickers and stuff. But I just know that now we won't be as close anymore, and that book always brings back some of my favorite memories of with her. It reminds me of just how much I loved her."
Nozomi noticed the tears beginning to form again in Honoka's eyes. She understood why, the book was obviously very sentimental and meant a lot to the girl, but she didn't want to see her cry so she decided to step in.
"I've got an idea Honoka-chan." Honoka looked up from the book and urged Nozomi to continue. "How about you and I start a new book, and fill it with new stickers? It can be a special book just for the two of us." Nozomi finished with her best smile.
Sure it wasn't something your average girl her age would want to do. But seeing how much Honoka cared about that book and those stickers made Nozomi want to make those kinds of memories with someone. Eli was the only person who had ever gotten close enough to share those kinds of deep memories with, and they did, but Nozomi thought maybe it was time to let someone else get that close, and who better than a girl in the same situation as her.
Honoka didn't answer immediately and thought about the proposal. That book and those stickers meant so much to her. Would getting another one with Nozomi weaken the importance of the book with Umi? Honoka knew that it wouldn't, she knew that this was the perfect time to start to make new memories that she could cherish.
"You really mean it?"
"Yep. I think it would be kinda cute to have our own personal sticker book."
"You wouldn't be embarrassed by it or anything?" Honoka asked.
"Well I might be a little embarrassed to let people know. Just like you were when I found out." At that Honoka let out a small laugh and slightly blushed. "But it's obvious how much that book means to you. So I want to make memories like that with a friend."
Honoka got up and gave Nozomi a tight hug."Yep lets fill a new book up with all sorts of different things."
Nozomi didn't respond and simply enjoyed the hug. It wasn't often that she found someone she would be willing to open up to.
The two separated and Honoka sat back down.
"Alright, now it's time to get serious Honoka-chan. Get out all your textbooks and homework we need to go over. I think we will start with your history homework."
Honoka let out a loud groan, but she did as she was told and began taking out all of her school materials.
The rest of the evening was spent studying and going over all of the things Honoka needed to know for her next group of exams. At times it wasn't be easy for Nozomi to keep Honoka on track and focused, but a good mixture of offering breaks and the threat of punishment if she stopped kept the girl on track for most of the night. Nozomi couldn't help but find herself enjoying the time that she was spending with Honoka. She always considered her a good friend, as she did with every member of Muse, but she had never really spent much time alone with Honoka like she was now. She found herself smiling more often than usual and didn't mind Honoka's antics, if anything she found them endearing.
Honoka had been struggling keeping on track with her studies like normal, but being with Nozomi was different from usual. When she would study with Umi and Kotori it was like a balancing act between the two of them. Kotori would be the one to offer breaks and keep her spirits up, while Umi would be strict and make sure she stayed focused and didn't slack off to much. To Honoka, Nozomi was like the best of both of worlds. Nozomi would be strict at times and knew how to motivate her, but she also knew when to give her a break to make sure she didn't get burnt out by studying to much. Honoka found herself wondering if maybe this could become a regular thing for the two of them.
They continued to study for a few hours until Honoka just couldn't take it anymore and dropped her head onto the table.
"I'm done. No more please." Honoka never took her face off the table as she called out.
"Well this seems like as good a place as any to stop. Good work today Honoka-chan." Nozomi said while giving the girl a few pats on the head as congratulation. "It's getting pretty late so I should probably start heading home anyway."
"Will you be alright walking home by yourself?" Honoka asked as she lifted her head from the table.
"I should be fine." Nozomi said while gathering her things getting ready to leave.
"Thanks a lot for helping me study today Nozomi-chan. You really saved me." Honoka grew noticeably nervous before she continued. "You know I really liked studying with you today. So I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me study more often?"
"Sure Honoka-chan. I actually had a lot of fun today helping you."
Honoka wasn't sure but that made her face flush red, and she couldn't really give an answer.
"Well I think I should head home. It's getting pretty late." Nozomi said while getting up and heading towards the door.
Honoka was able to compose herself enough to respond. "Don't forget that we have to go pick out a book some time this weekend."
"Just call me and let me know whenever you want to go." Nozomi opened the door to Honoka's room. "Good night Honoka-chan."
"Good night Nozomi-chan. And thanks a lot for helping me today." Honoka gave Nozomi a big smile which Nozomi returned as she left the room.
When Nozomi left, Honoka got up and flopped onto her bed letting out a happy sigh. She couldn't wait to spend more time with Nozomi this weekend.
As Nozomi made her way back to her apartment she couldn't help but smile. She knew that Honoka was someone she could let get close to her, just like she had with Eli. Only this time she hoped that it wouldn't involve any of the heartbreak.
A/N: A whole lotta stickers. Once again I want to apologize for this chapter taking so long. I've been really swamped with work and stuff toward the end of the semester, and it looks like it's gonna keep up til the end of next week so I'm not sure when you guys can expect the chapter, sorry.
Anyway about this chapter, I'm really not sure where it came from. I wanted to write the first big HonoNozo moments so I hope I did that well. I also have no idea why the sticker thing became as big a thing as it did, but their ya go.
As always let me know what you thought or what you might like to see. Also if I don't reply to your review right away I apologize in advance.
Chapter Album – The Way I See It by Raphael Saadiq
