Characters: Honda and Katsuya
Setting: Domino City Park
Rating: PG
Summary: The boys randomly meet up, talk about life. Fluff and more concern for Honda's lack of self-esteem.


Honda flopped down on the grass near the duck pond, his current favorite location. He was only just now getting his brain around everything that had happened recently, as well as everyone's reactions. He idly wondered what he was supposed to do now. Eventually, he supposed, he'd have to see if he would be needing to find a new place to live. He was fairly certain that he would be needing a new job, since it felt too awkward to go back to the mansion right now. But enough thinking, at least for now. He sighed and stared up at the sky, smiling at the chance for a relatively peaceful day.

Katsuya took a stroll around the park, deep in thought. He wanted to meet the new Anzu at the arcade today, but first, he wanted to collect himself. The fact that all of his friends were in shock that Mokuba was Shadow all along disturbed him. Katsuya worried especially about Honda. Why did he need to go off into his own little world so often? And what was it for this time? With a slight turn of his head, it just so happened that Katsuya saw Honda. Putting a hand to his pained chest, he approached him timidly.

Honda heard someone walking several feet away, but didn't think much of it. He was in a park, there were plenty of people around, no big deal. As the footsteps came closer, however, they caught his attention. He glanced over to see who was approaching. When he saw Katsuya, he smiled at him and sat up straighter. "Hey," he responded with a small wave.

"Um, hi..." greeted Katsuya. "Are you feeling any better...?" As his eyes darted around, he thought of the time that he and Honda spent in the exact place several weeks earlier. It felt so nice... No, no, no! Katsuya held his head and tried his best to keep himself from blushing. Honda was just a friend now. Romantic thoughts were strictly forbidden.

"Yeah, I'm feeling a little better. Everything's just really strange right now, but I'm sure it'll get better soon." Honda glanced away and fought down his own slight blush when he realized how much time he'd been spending alone with his friend recently. "So, um, you wanna sit here with me?" he looked nervously at Katsuya from the corner of his eye and patted the grass beside him. "Don't have Sevikir with me for you to pet, though."

"It's okay," Katsuya replied smilingly, just before sitting down next to his friend. "Things always have to get better. Or, we'll all be sad forever. I don't want that to happen..." his amber-brown eyes met Honda's hazel-brown. "I know I'm worrying too much, um, especially about you, but... it's over, and we're all safe, right? That's what means the most to me right now."

"Yeah, you're right. Things have to get better, that's just the way the world works." Honda shifted nervously, but didn't break the eye contact. "I think it's all over. And I guess we're as safe as we were before, what with Anzu probably still running around insulting half of Domino. Er, you know what I mean." He lowered his gaze. "If I didn't say it before, thanks for caring about me. Even if I don't understand why the hell you do."

"If no one cares about you, then I guess... someone has to..." Katsuya looked down shyly. "You're my friend, and... you do so many things for me... Do you care about you...?"

Honda looked up quickly. "No, no, I didn't mean it like that." He shook his head slightly, even though his friend wasn't watching. "People care about me... or at least I assume they do. And I'm glad they do, even if I don't really understand why." He looked away and stared at the ducks instead. "Of course I care about myself, it'd be pretty pathetic if I didn't," he muttered. "Anyways," he turned back to his friend but didn't meet his eyes, "what would you rather talk about?"

"I'd... rather talk about... why you don't understand why," Katsuya responded quietly. "I... I know you don't talk about your feelings too much, and... now I know that... sometimes, you go off in your own little world when things get too hard, and I can be like that, too... It's just like when I break down and cry when I'm frustrated or when someone hurts me..." Taking a quick glance at Honda, Katsuya then said, "But, you don't really have to if you don't want to... I... just want you to know that... I'm... here for you..."

Honda got very still and his smile slipped. "Um... thanks?" He looked to the ducks swimming in the pond. "I'm trying to work through everything instead of just pushing it aside, I really am. It's... it's hard for me, that's all." He glanced over at Katsuya hesitantly before snapping back to watching the ducks. "So, what did you want to say? About that first part, the why of it. Or any of it, I guess. I'll try talking it through with you, if you think it'll help."

"I know you can do it, Honda-kun," Katsuya sighed. "I believe in you. Sometimes people just unconditionally care. And, sometimes, they want to repay a favor that you gave them." Katsuya turned himself to his friend. "If you make someone smile, then I don't see why they wouldn't want you to have the same smile." he retreated back to his previous position; holding his knees in his arms. "And... I guess that's all I have to say... I hope you're um, at least thinking about it... are you...? Of course you are... Um... I really am glad you're feeling okay. And, you didn't even have to go to the hospital, did you...?"

Honda silently thought about what Katsuya was saying for several moments before realizing that he probably wanted a response. "Hm? No, no, I didn't have to go to the hospital," he said as he continued staring off, still thinking about everything else his friend had said. "Huh, I guess I never really stopped to think about it that way. Guess there's a lot I haven't been thinking about til recently." It made sense, put that way. Honda had some uncertainty, but the words helped. "So, um, how have you been dealing with, ya know, everything recently?" He figured the vague question was the best way to start again.

"Umm... I was... shocked. Just... shocked. I mostly worried about you, though. Last night, I couldn't sleep. I thought about whether or not you really were okay, and about what was happening to Mokuba... and... I was too afraid of the dark to sleep... I had to take a nap in school." Katsuya took a deep breath before continuing more calmly. "But, then I remembered that there would be good and new things that happen after bad things, like I said before. And... I'm finally gonna be meeting the nice Anzu!" He beamed, letting himself fall back on the grass.

Honda pushed down his first impulse to ask more about his reaction. Instead he tried to focus on the good that was happening. "Oh, right, Anzu is coming back, that's good. I'm glad things are getting better." Honda glanced over and was amused to see Katsuya laying next to him. He turned to face his friend and smiled down at him. "Any word yet about Shizuka?"

"Nuh uh," Katsuya responded sadly. "I've been calling her and she hasn't said anything... I really do miss her..." The smile suddenly returned to his face. "But, if I do get to see her again, I'm going to give her a big hug!" He rolled to his side, facing Honda again, giggling. "I know I will. It always helps to have hope."

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll like that. I hope she comes to Domino soon." Honda's smile widened at the thought of seeing the girl again and at seeing his friend so happy. "Maybe when she does, a bunch of us could go hang out or something. I know I'd like that." He leaned back to lay on the grass too. "So, what else to talk about? Hm, are you going to the Thanksgiving thing Ryou's wanting to do?"

Katsuya nodded cheerfully. "I don't really know what to bring, though. I... thought I would bring cake or ice cream... I looked up American Thanksgiving traditions online, and maybe I should bring sweet potatoes. I'm not a really good cook, though." He cast his eyes down disappointedly. "Maybe I should just stick to bringing pop and cups, the stuff people usually have already..."

Maybe laying down next to Katsuya wasn't the best choice, since it seemed to be making it difficult for Honda to think properly. He watched his friend, trying to keep his mind on the topic. "I'm sure Ryou will appreciate whatever you decide to bring. Cake and ice cream are both good things to have. And I'm sure you'd do fine at making sweet potatoes. Or if you decide to bring drinks, then that's one less thing for them to worry about getting from the store. To be honest, I don't know what I'd bring either." He glanced away. "Then again, I'm not even sure if I'll go or not."

Katsuya rose slightly, supporting himself on his hands and arms. "Why not?" he asked. He lowered himself back down on the ground. "Well, that's okay. I guess it's no big deal if you can come or not. I can always see you any time, unless... you're moving again... But I don't think you are, right?"

"I hope not." Honda shook his head and sat up again. "I don't think I'm moving. I just... just don't know how awkward it will be to keep living in the same house as Rishid. But I'm sure once I work up the courage to go talk to him, everything'll work out just fine." He gave Katsuya a small smile. "Don't worry, even if I end up moving, I'm sure it won't be too far away. Still, I really hope I don't."

"You've never talked to Mr. Ishtar? He might be a nice guy... Well, I think he looks a little scary... But... I guess... if you let him talk to you, then he could be really nice..." Katsuya sat up as well and put out his right hand, but stopped himself before he could touch Honda's shoulder. "I really hope you don't move, either. I... just don't want to have to worry about you..." He pulled his hand back and cast his head down once again. "To tell you the truth... I... don't like feeling alone." Looking up at Honda's eyes, Katsuya then assured, "But, I guess I won't feel too lonely if you're gone. I'll still have my other friends, won't I...?"

Honda blinked a few times, trying to work through what Katsuya was saying. "Wait, wait, wait. Back up, okay? First off, of course I've talked to Rishid, just not since before... before the unmasking and all. I'm sure I'm just making things seem worse in my mind, I'm sure things with him and the house and all that will work out just fine. And even if things don't work out with him, I'll find somewhere else in Domino to live, so you can scale back to just a general worry for my well-being." He swallowed and stared back into his friend's eyes. "I don't plan on leaving Domino any time soon, okay? And, like you said, you have all your other friends too, so you don't need to feel like you're ever really alone." He bit his lip, wondering whether he should hug Katsuya.

Katsuya blushed sheepishly. "Well, okay... um... I guess he's a bit upset about the unmasking, too..." He subconsciously leaned closer to Honda. "And, I guess I kinda jumped to conclusions; I'm sorry... Let's just focus on our time together. And... um... I know that sometimes, you feel alone, too, and... um..." Katsuya was now only a few inches away from Honda's face. "I know I've told you this before, but... you're never really alone. No one really is..."

Honda nodded, not wanting to break eye contact with Katsuya. "Th-thanks for reminding me." He could swear he could taste the other boy's breath between them, feel it on his skin. If Katsuya was any closer, they would practically be kissing. Honda tried to will that thought out of his mind, but no luck. "N-now... now what?" Honda tried to think of something, anything else, but his mind was blank. Aside from a fleeting thought about the possibility that he might be blushing and/or trembling slightly, the only thing he could think of was the blond's proximity.

Once Katsuya realized how close he was to his friend with the beautiful eyes, he instantly backed away. He hugged his knees, feeling his heart race. "It... it's... n-no problem..." Katsuya stammered. "I... I j-just... l-like to see people happy... Th-that's all..." He mentally kicked himself for making Honda uncomfortable, yet being too cowardly to hug him.

"Um, y-yeah," Honda said shakily, trying to get his breathing back under control again. "H-happy people are good." He swallowed and looked away, hoping he wasn't blushing. "So, um, didn't you say something about you going to meet with Anzu, the one who just got back into town? Maybe... maybe I should let you go do that now."

Darn, thinking about cheering Honda up made Katsuya completely forget about seeing his new friend! "Oh, no! That's right! I'm really, really late!" He stood up quickly and lingered at Honda for a few moments. "Um... I hope to see you again, soon..." Katsuya blushed and bit his lower lip.

Honda stood as well and looked over at his friend. "I'm sure she won't mind, since I doubt we've been sitting here all that long." After a moment’s indecision, he threw an arm loosely around Katsuya's shoulders and pulled him into a quick friendly hug. "Yeah, I'll see you later." He released his friend and started to leave, then turned around. "Oh, and tell her I want a chance to hang out with her, okay?"

After a few seconds of speechlessness, Katsuya finally managed to utter, "Y...yeah! Um... I will, Honda-kun...! Bye!" With a good feeling, he turned to leave to see his new friend.

Honda smiled as he watched Katsuya leave, then headed for the park entrance himself. Life was definitely looking up.