Smile
Part Two
by Lethe
Chapter Twenty-Four: I Shall Do All I Can
"It's a beautiful day, oh, yeah…"
Honda grinned as he adjusted his black shirt in the mirror. He, Hiroto Honda, was going on a date! A real, live, date. Of course, he had Yugi and Anzu to thank for that, but he was still in higher spirits than he had been for a long time. If Yugi and Anzu knew them, they had to be cool!
He wondered if she would be attractive. He wondered if he would actually be attracted to her.
Well, no need to rush.
At least it might make him forget Jonouchi for a while.
Maybe it would stop the dreams…
---
A Few Days Before
---
"Honda! Wait up!" yelled Yugi. Honda finally heard him and stopped.
Yugi came to his side, out of breath. "Good… afternoon… Honda!" he panted cheerfully.
"Same to you, bud!" replied Honda. "What's up?"
"Well…" said Yugi shyly. "Glad you asked."
Why did he get the feeling Yugi was about to ask him to do something? He wouldn't be able to resist, and Yugi knew it. He had those annoyingly shiny eyes that were more potent than Kryptonite on the Superman guy, after all…
"Well… Anzu and I were talking, and… uh…"
"Yeah?" said Honda, already trying to raise his mental barriers.
"Uh, how are things between you and Jonouchi?"
Honda sighed. "Same as ever. Just friends. Don't worry about me, though, I've just about gotten over it."
"Really?" said Yugi excitedly.
"Um… yeah…" Honda blinked.
"Great! Because we've set you up with someone on a date! This Friday! I hope you're not busy!"
"Are you kidding?" said Honda.
"Nope!"
"Have I ever told you that you're my best friend in the world?"
Yugi giggled. "So you'll meet them at the café at seven, okay?"
"The café that Jou and Kaiba are always hanging out at, right?"
"That's the
one!"
"So who exactly is this person?"
Yugi grinned and put a finger to his lips. "We want to surprise you."
"Tell me they're good-looking."
"They're good-looking," repeated Yugi dutifully. "Honest!"
"Thanks, Yugi."
-----
The announcement really had come out of the blue, but Honda was thrilled. It was a chance to start over, in a way. To get to know somebody new, that might be… normal. The whole magic thing wasn't bad, but it got kind of taxing after a while. And they might not be a dueling nut… He could imagine her already. Pretty eyes and hair, with a cute laugh and… well, tall, but not too tall… and her you-know-whats would have to be-
His imaginings were interrupted by the ring of the phone. He raced downstairs to answer it.
"H'lo, Honda residence!"
"Hiya Honda! It's 6:45, so I figured you should be going now!"
He looked at his watch. "Shoot! Thanks, Yuug!"
"Good luck!"
Honda hung up the phone and was gone.
---
I should at least have asked Yugi how I would recognize her! Honda berated himself, sitting alone at a table in the café and sipping at a Coke. She could already be here and I wouldn't know it.
Don't worry, she's only five minutes late… five and fifteen seconds… five and a half… damn it! She probably is here!
He got up and looked around. Aha! A girl sitting alone! He sauntered over to her.
"Uh, 'scuse me," he said politely.
She turned to him. "Yes?"
"Are you waiting for someone?"
"What is it to you?"
"Well, uh, my friend Yugi set me up with someone and…"
"Sorry, kid, I'm waiting for my boyfriend."
"Um, I'm sorry," he apologized awkwardly. "Sorry."
Then a head of shiny, dark hair at the next table turned to him. "Did you say Yugi?"
Ah! That must be her! "Yeah, did he…?"
"Yep. You must be my date."
"Pleased to meet you, I'm-" And then Honda recognized her… or rather, him. "Crap! Otogi?!"
He smirked. "That would be me. So, what shall we do first?"
----
"You know, when Yugi said he had gotten a date for me, I kind of thought he meant a girl," grumbled Honda as they stood in line at the theater.
Otogi laughed, tossing his hair for the fifth time over his shoulder. It seemed to be a habit. "What fun would that be?"
Honda frowned slightly and decided not to answer. He hadn't seen Otogi since…
"Mind if I call you Hiroto? You can call me Ryuuji."
"Whatever. Go to hell."
Otogi sighed. "You're a great dancing partner."
"Gee, thanks," replied Honda darkly. "Why don't you go and find some girl?"
"I like dancing with you."
"You? Nah," said Otogi. He smirked. "They say even Honda is much better-looking than you. And I happen to agree."
"Oh," said Otogi undauntedly. "Why aren't you dancing with her, then?"
Honda stopped. His cheeks were burning. I will not cry. I will not cry… "Him," he corrected quietly.
"What about your fangirls?" said Jonouchi, frowning.
"No," said Otogi bluntly. "They're not… my type."
"That's all right," said Otogi. He stepped away from the rail and put his arms around Honda.
"What…?" Honda began to murmur, before Otogi shushed him.
"I like this song," said Otogi. "Dance with me, Hiroto."
"All right…"
"Ryuuji," said Otogi.
"Ryuuji."
Blood rushed to his cheeks as he remembered. They had danced, hadn't they? And Otogi had called him Hiroto. Even his friends didn't call him that.
Man, Yugi was going to have some explaining to do when Honda got back home…
Although…
…Honda might thank him, too.