Disclaimer: I do not own any of
the characters presented here and am not making any profit off of
this whatsoever.
Story Title: This Time, It's Me
Chapter
Title: Getting To Know You
Story Word Count:
34,116
Chapter Word Count: 3,799
Rated:
PG-13
Romance: Honda x Anzu
Notes: This takes
place a few months after the Ceremonial Duel, in the closing weeks of
their third year of high school. Comments and criticism gratefully
accepted.
Summary: As Valentine's Day draws near, Anzu
wavers between just sticking to her obligations, or stepping away to
follow the call of her heart.
Anzu looked down at her drink and tried to think of where they should begin. "So..." This was so much harder than she'd ever imagined. Finally she made a decision. "You wanted to walk me home..."
"Yeah." Honda nodded a little. He didn't seem all that much more eager to meet her eyes than she was to meet his. "It...I..." She had never known him to be quite so tongue-tied. "I wanted to just say it to you."
"So why didn't you?" She took a quiet drink, and hoped the answer would be something she didn't want to smack him for.
"Because for as long as we've known each other, you've liked Yuugi," Honda told her simply. She almost hit him anyway, even though the reason was probably the best she could've thought of. "I didn't want to step in the way, you know. He's the best thing that ever happened. There's no way I could've done something to get him mad at me. At us. Whatever."
Anzu was the last person who would have disagreed with this. "Yeah. I do like him." She turned slightly to look at Honda, and wasn't surprised to find he was fascinated with the traffic going up and down the street. "He's probably the best friend I'll ever have."
He didn't move an inch. "Me too. That's why I talked to him about it a while back. Before you started working at that place, really."
That wasn't really what she'd been expecting to hear. "You did?" The guys had know about it, and Yuugi had kept it from her? There was going to be some yelling sooner or later, somewhere or other. How had he managed to pull that one off?
"Yeah." He looked at her a little, the faintest hint of a smile going around his lips. "He said it was up to you what happened."
She tightened her grip on her cup. "Oh." Figuring out what to think from here was a little difficult. She hated feeling like she was some kind of an object where people had to agree on what was going to happen to her, where they had to talk about it beforehand. On the other hand, she knew Honda would never have so much as breathed near her if Yuugi hadn't...well, given his permission, so to speak. It was a guy thing.
They'd known. She couldn't get over that, not right now, anyway. They'd been planning on what he did to get her attention. It worked, didn't it? That was beside the point. She knew she should feel hurt and angry, maybe even not talk to them for a while. On the whole, she didn't want to, though.
It wasn't as if she hadn't considered giving Jounouchi advice on how to tell Mai he liked her, after all, or wondered if there were something she could do sometimes for the rest of them if they ever liked someone. She'd never really thought about it would feel for that someone, though, to know that people were plotting about their life behind their back.
Why weren't things ever as easy in real life as they were in fiction? If someone were scripting their adventures, she probably would already have dated someone, more than once, and maybe even be plotting to go to the same college together. It would be easy, simple, and neat. Too bad things like that just didn't happen for real. They'd already had their out of this world adventure.
"So, if you don't want me to walk you home or anything else like that anymore, just let me know, and I won't." Honda spoke in a quick rush, and Anzu blinked. Had she been spacing out? She didn't think he'd said anything else while she'd been lost in her own thoughts.
From the way he was looking at her, she didn't think he had. She looked back down at her drink and took another sip. "I don't know," she said at last. Her gaze darted back quickly, and she winced to see the look of hurt that flashed so quickly through his eyes.
"All right," he said quickly and finished off his drink in two huge swallows. "When you do know, let me know." He was within a second or two of leaving, even though he hadn't moved from his seat.
"Wait," Anzu spoke before she thought, and didn't care this time. Impulsive or not, she wasn't going to just let him leave like that. He looked at her and she plunged forward. "I didn't say I didn't want you to do it, either."
Honda frowned, baffled. "Huh?" was his eloquent reply. "Don't mess with my head, Anzu."
"I said, I didn't say I didn't want you to walk me home. So you don't have to go leaving right now. I'm not even ready to go home yet," she said it quietly and firmly. It was all true, every word. She wanted to think about this so much more, but not at home. How could she know if she wanted him to walk her home if he wasn't even there to do it?
"So what do you want to do?"
She closed her eyes and drank a little more, wanting the answer to be found somewhere when she opened her eyes. Perhaps someone was watching out for her somewhere, because the answer was there. "I want to spend more time with you. We've barely had a chance to talk for all that long lately."
He froze, just as neatly and cleanly as possible, and she managed to stop herself from laughing. She might've thought someone had turned him into a realistic ice statue, if it were possible. He worked out a few words. "You want to what?"
"Spend more time with you." To finalize it, she pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed her home number. "Mom? It's me. I'm off work, but I'm going to be hanging out for a while before I come home."
"Just take care of yourself," her mother's voice came through the receiver. "Are you going to be home for dinner?"
"Probably. If something changes, I'll let you know," Anzu told her. Once they'd made their farewells, Anzu turned off the phone and stuck it back in her purse.
Honda's attention hadn't lifted from her during the call. "You're serious?" Bafflement saturated his voice. "You're really serious?"
"Yes, I am serious." She looked at him intently. "Let's get it straight. You like me." He nodded. "Not just as a friend, and not just only as a friend." He nodded a second time. "I like you. Not just as a friend and not only as a friend. So, since there are no objections from anyone who should object, and you've done the guy thing and gotten 'permission' to like me from Yuugi...what do you want to do today?"
He blinked a few times and fidgeted. "Oh. Um." He couldn't have made it more clear that he hadn't expected something like this if he were wearing a sign declaring that fact to the world. "If we're not going to get you home, then maybe we could go somewhere else?"
Well, of all the things she could like him for, being a genius apparently wasn't one of them. That was fine. She'd known a couple of geniuses and the weren't all that wonderful when it came to dating. She considered a few places that they could make it there and back to before she would have to be home for dinner.
"How about a movie?" she finally suggested. There were a few that would be done before then, and it would give them time to talk a little. No one ever said they actually had to watch it, after all. That was what rental shops were for.
"All right. I think Chains of Memory is playing," Honda suggested. Anzu tried to remember if she'd heard anything about that one, then nodded. It was some kind of silly romantic comedy, she thought. She hadn't paid too much attention to the previews when they'd come on television. Then she blinked a little.
"I would have thought you'd want to see that imported western that all the guys have been raving about..." As soon as the words left her mouth, Honda did something she would never have thought to see short of him talking about Miho again: he blushed.
"Yeah, well, I've already seen that," He protested as quickly as he could. She kind of doubted she should believe him, though. "I saw it with the guys about a week or so ago, for his birthday."
"All right." This was not the time to try and find out the truth, since it didn't really matter. She knew they had went somewhere for the blond's birthday, after all. She hadn't been able to go, but Jounouchi had went on and on about how good it was. She glanced around and spied a newspaper stand across the road; it should have the most current movie times there so they'd know if they had to hurry or not. "Ready to go?"
"Ready." Honda was on his feet as quickly as she was. It was a little difficult getting out of the coffee shop, since there were still several other people who were doing their best to get in, but they made it over to the stand without too many troubles.
Anzu shivered a little as they headed down the street once they'd checked out the movie times. The paper itself was currently tucked under Honda's arm, since he'd paid for it. He'd mentioned something about looking for a part time job in there once school was out. Perhaps he just didn't want to take the chance of her temper going off again and the newspaper being used to damage him somehow. She would have been offended.
There were so many more damage-causing things she could use instead of a mere newspaper.
"Cold?"
And she was beginning to consider looking for some of them. "Just a little. It's February." The storm might have cleared off, but there was still enough of a nip in the air to make her wish she'd brought her thicker jacket with her. It was all right for a quick walk home. At least the theater wasn't all that far off, and she hoped it would be warmer there than it was out here.
Before she could utter another word, she found Honda wrapping her in his own warm jacket. She sputtered and tried to get out of it. "You're going to freeze!" she declared. What was he thinking?
"I'll be fine," he waved it off with a casual flip of a hand. "We're almost there, anyway."
Of all the guys she knew, she would have to start liking the one that had to be the most bone-headed. Maybe that said something about her. If it did, it wasn't something she was all that eager to explore. All she could do now was just hurry along to the theater, make certain she didn't fall anywhere on any random patches of ice, and really hope it was a lot warmer in there. She didn't want Honda to start having a cold shoulder before they'd even had a real and solid date.
Which this wasn't, really. Not as far as she was concerned. This was just them spending an afternoon at the movies. She'd done it with the guys before. She'd even done it with just Yuugi before. It couldn't really be a date, though. Dates happened in other ways. This was something to decide if she would like to go on a date with him. A pre-date? A practice date? Something like that.
At any rate, the theater loomed ahead of them, and it looked as if they weren't the only people to decide this was a good idea as well. Anzu stifled a laugh, or tried to; first the coffee shop was thickly crowded and now here? Well, this was Japan. She couldn't bring herself to be surprised there were people virtually anywhere that she looked.
"You all right?" Honda looked over at her, and she nodded quickly. Maybe she hadn't stopped the chuckle the way she thought she had.
"I just had a funny thought, that's all. It's nothing much." She wasn't sure if she wanted to explain, but he didn't ask for any, so she let it slide. "Let's get in line."
She thought she saw one or two people from school ahead of her, but no one noticed the two of them were there. That was fine with her. This practice date was for them, and that was it. So far, so good, she grinned to herself as Honda paid for the tickets and they started inside. She wasn't really hungry, but despite the chill, the prospect of a cold soda was suddenly appealing as they moved to the refreshments area.
"What do you want?" Honda asked as they examined the offerings. She was suddenly glad they weren't with all of their friends. Jounouchi could make an entire meal out of theater food, and had been known to do so more than once. He ate more than most people breathed at times. Being there with just Honda was going to be more interesting than she'd first suspected, she hoped.
"Just a drink," she decided. She wasn't even all that thirsty, not after their trip to the coffee shop, but Honda was getting popcorn, and that would probably change things in a hurry.
Once they had everything they needed, they entered the theater and settled down a few rows from the back. The lights were still on, and the other people gathering to see this chattered quietly back and forth. Anzu got herself comfortable, sipping a little on her soda, then looked over at Honda.
"Does this feel weird?" she asked quietly, wanting to get things started somehow. This was almost as bad as it had been back in the coffee shop. How could people just do things like this? She'd never really gotten much beyond thinking of how to get someone's attention. What happened when she had it was all but unknown territory. Things had ended so badly with the Pharaoh...if one could even say they'd begun, which she didn't think was even close to true. And she'd never been able to bring herself to take these steps with Yuugi.
Maybe if I had, I wouldn't be this nervous. It was a regret, but one she could live with. Everyone had to start somewhere, and she would've been like this with him, which could have made things even worse between them. It was really better that they stayed friends, and she knew he agreed. He hadn't said as much, but everything they'd talked about the night before had made it very plain.
She didn't doubt that he hurt some over the whole thing. He wouldn't be human if he didn't, and Yuugi was probably the most human human she'd ever met. But he would never even try to force her to care about him in any way she wasn't comfortable with, and she knew he'd be the first to wish her and Honda the best, no matter what happened.
All of that passed through her mind in less than a heartbeat, which was quite good, as it meant Honda didn't have to wait for her to finish thinking it before he answered. Such was the magic of thought.
"A little." He gulped down his own soda and eyed her with a hint of nervousness. "This isn't a date, is it?"
She was glad she'd already thought about that. "No, I don't think so. Not yet, anyway." She stole some of his popcorn and tossed it in her mouth. "I think it's a pre-date. A kind of practice. To see if we really want to."
"Oh. Right. All right." Honda accepted that as easily as if she'd said she thought there should be more salt in the popcorn, and took some of said popcorn for himself.
Anzu relaxed into the seat a little, realizing only then that she still had his jacket on. She wanted to give it back, but now that she thought about it, it was nice and warm around her shoulders. It was too big for her, of course, but that just meant there was more of it for her to sink into. She'd give it back once they got back to her place, or better still, when they left here. He was going to need it.
The theater darkened slowly, and the first previews began to play on the wide white screen. Anzu tried to remember more of what the movie was supposed to be about, and kept coming up blank. She wished now she'd paid a little more attention to the advertisements, and leaned over to Honda. "What's going on in this thing, anyway?" She couldn't say she expected him to know. He'd probably just grabbed the name out of thin air, figuring she would like it. Did he have a lot to learn.
"That guy there," Honda whispered in her ear, "is going to get kidnapped shortly by the villains. Their master of disguise is going to replace him and take over his life, for revenge for some things that happened a few years ago." He flashed a quick grin at her and turned his attention back to the screen, clearly not intending to say another word about the plot.
Anzu tried hard not to snicker. It didn't really sound too much like what she'd thought it would be about, but previews and movies were often two different things. This could be interesting.
And it did seem as if she had a lot to learn about Honda as well, she realized. He'd answered as easily as if he'd seen this movie before, enough to know it by heart. She glanced back at him a few times as the movie progressed, and wasn't surprised to see his lips moving along silently with the words as the actors spoke. She grinned mischievously to herself and during a quiet few moments, leaned over towards him again. "So how many times have you seen this?"
Only the fact the theater was as dark as it was kept her from being certain he was blushing again. The blackmail she could have over him if she really wanted to! Jounouchi would never leave him be if he knew that was all it would take to get his tough friend blushing. She liked it, though. She'd never known he had a sensitive side like this. It was very, very cute.
"This is the third time," he whispered back to her at last, and she nodded. It really wasn't that bad of a movie. It would have been a lot more boring just to walk home and seal herself up in her room for the rest of the day. She needed to be out with people more than she needed rest at the moment.
As the movie came to an end, with the two leads safely wrapped up in one another's arms and the forces of evil vanquished for yet another day, Anzu finished the last of her soda and got to her feet. She couldn't believe how relaxed she felt as she and Honda started out of the theater. This had been exactly what she needed, instead of yet more work and school.
"Did you have a good time?" Honda asked a few minutes later as they wended their way back home. It was too late in the day to do much else, despite the fact she would have gladly thought up a dozen or more things to do if they had had the time.
"Yeah, I did. Better than I hoped." She smiled at him, and her heart warmed to see him smiling back. There was something unutterably sweet about one of his smiles, more than likely because she saw them so rarely. There was the wild grin he got when he was ready to go into a fight, or the way he had looked when something spectacular happened to one of their friends, like Jounouchi actually doing decently in a tournament or Yuugi winning one, but this was different. It was more personal. She wondered if anyone else had ever seen him look like this, and found herself hoping that they hadn't. She wanted to keep this all to herself, no matter how selfish the thought was.
"So..." Honda hesitated, then shook his head, the smile shifting into something more ordinary. She wondered if she could ask him to bring it back. She missed it already. "When do you work again?"
"Tuesday. Same time as usual." She grinned at him warmly. "Think you can be there to walk me home?"
"I think I can." He shivered some, and she started to shrug her way out of his jacket. "Anzu...it's still cold..."
"Right," she agreed, handing it over to him. "Which is why you're going to put that on. You've still got to walk home, and I'm almost there. Remember?"
She tightened her own jacket around herself as they walked, shooting glares at him until he pulled his on and zipped it up. Boys. What would they do without someone to think for them?
Her house was right ahead. The time had flown by. She hadn't even noticed when they'd passed the Game Shop, and she usually used that for a mental landmark. Which reminded her, she was going to have to do something to get back at them all for knowing and not telling her. Maybe it was childish, but it would also be fun. She'd think of something, somehow.
As they came to a stop on her doorstep, Honda looked at her again. "I guess I'll see you Monday, then," he said. "Glad you enjoyed yourself."
"So am I." What were you supposed to do when something like this came? If it had been a date, she might've considered a kiss or something, but with a practice date, what happened? Certainly not a practice kiss. And not with her parents probably hovering on the other side of the door, waiting for her! Dinner wouldn't be for at least another half-hour, but they were parents. Finding her in embarrassing situations was part of what they did.
She drew her lips into a small, but sincere smile. "Bye, Honda."
"Bye, Anzu." He hesitated for a moment or two, then waved and started on his way. As she had when he'd first walked her home, she stood watching until he was gone. Yeah. I think this is going to work.
Now if things only went that well when they had a real date...
To Be Continued
