Characters: OOC!Honda, OOC!Katsuya, NPC!Kimiko
Setting: Katsuya's mansion
Rating: G
Summary: Honda randomly stops by to see Katsuya before leaving the country. Talk of Mado and tears follow.


Katsuya cradled his daughter in his arms. He wanted to smile, but...not with so much on his mind. The past few months have been hectic, and thus the singer had no time to be social.

Honda had decided to take a break from packing in order to personally walk Ro to his playmate's house. While he was out, he figured he might as well go see some other people, which was how he soon found himself at Katsuya's. He pressed the buzzer and casually waited to find out if he'd be invited in or not.

"Oh, not now..." Katsuya grumbled to himself. But, he went to the door anyway, to see his friend waiting for him.

"Yo, haven't seen you in awhile," Honda quietly explained as a greeting then shrugged. "Realized I hadn't, figured I should at least stop by before I get too busy to think about it again."

"Thanks, Honda-kun. I was getting lonely." Kimiko looked quizzically at the brown-haired stranger.

"Aww, you shoulda called or stopped by my place or something." Honda blinked at Kimiko, then wiggled his fingers at her. "How old's she now anyways?"

The baby reached her tiny hand towards Honda. "She's almost seven months now. She's getting so big!" Katsuya chirped. "But...I was really busy, you know. I had almost no time to socialize at all." He sighed, wondering if Mado would even remember his face.

Honda shrugged. "Hey, whatever your priorities are. I was just saying, since you said you were getting lonely... That mean you don't want me to leave you and your baby to your together time?"

"Yeah... I'm sorry, Honda-kun. I take too much of your time. You're not mad, are you?"

"Uh, no..." Honda replied slowly, blinking several times. "You don't take too much of my time, considering how rarely I see you after all..."

"Well...that's good to know." He stroked the small child's back. "So, what have you been up to lately?"

Honda sighed and leaned against the door frame. "Working, pestering Mokuba, pestering Mahaado, dealing with my household... I'll be going on a trip with Mahaado, we'll see if I come back more or less stressed about being expected to help fix his life."

"Have you seen Mado-chan lately?" Katsuya asked innocently.

"Pretty sure he was there when I last stopped by Mahaado's shop," Honda replied warily. "...Why?"

"We haven't talked in months," Katsuya replied. "You'd think he'd care about his own husband."

Honda nodded faintly. "...Perhaps you should reorganize your schedule so you have time to call him, if you consider him one of your high priorities. Unlike Mahaado, he knows how to use phones, I know he does."

"I can't always do that," The blonde explained. "I gave Mado-chan a cell phone. He doesn't always answer. I wonder if they're right..."

"I have no clue who 'they' are, so I have no clue if they're right about... whatever it is you're thinking of," Honda answered as patiently as he could. "I'm not sure what other advice I can give you though, since your priorities and way of life have clearly become so different from mine. And I can't go talk to Mado for you or go see what he's doing and report back, so I don't know what I can do for you either."

"I...I..." A tear crept to Katsuya's eye. "I understand..."

"Oi, wha'd I say wrong now?" Honda asked with a sigh, digging into his pocket to see if he had a tissue or handkerchief with him.

"Nothing, nothing..." Katsuya's trembling hand wiped his eye. "I...I just... I'm just worried that he's no longer interested in me. I remember being told that he'd just...leave me for someone else."

"No clue who said that, obviously. And I don't know if he's lost interest in you or not. Certainly hope for your sake that he hasn't, but..." Honda trailed off and gently moved Katsuya's hand out of the way to wipe his tear for him rather than try to continue the statement.

"Oh well. I'll just wait and see for now, preparing for the worst." Katsuya hadn't sounded like this in a long time.

"If there's anything I can do, let me know," Honda said quietly. "Probably not much I'm sure, but I do know first-hand about relationships that don't go as planned."

"Yeah...I will." Katsuya offered Kimiko his neck to snuggle into. "I can't help but think the worst has happened, you know? This isn't the first time he's disappeared like this."

"Can't honestly say I've paid much attention to how much time he's spent at Mahaado's, compared to here. Suppose it has been a lot though, now that I think about it."

"I wish he told me..."

"...Told you what?"

"Where he went." Katsuya sighed. "He rarely tells me anything now... Oh well."

"Oh. I thought everyone knew that he was watching Mahaado's shop while Mahaado's been at the Simon Center." Honda shrugged a little. "Do you tell him everything every day?"

"Yeah, of course I do. I know how he wants to keep me safe." Katsuya looked down.

"Ah. I'm not sure I could stand telling someone everything in my life, and them telling me everything in theirs. Of course, considering my relationship history, I guess that doesn't say much."

"Sorry, Honda-kun, but...maybe... I'm just not feeling all that great..." Tsuya sniffled.

"My cue to leave?" Honda asked. "Or you want me to watch the baby while you take a nap or something?"

"Y-yeah..." Katsuya wiped an eye. "I...I guess I need a nap..."

Honda hadn't expected Katsuya to take him up on the offer of a chance to take a nap, but he certainly wasn't planning to protest it. "How long shall we leave you in piece then?" he asked as he held out his hands to take the baby.

"Just for a few minutes," Katsuya assured, trying to hide the tears. He handed the tired baby to Honda.

"Okay, whatever you want," Honda replied, then focused on comfortably settling Kimiko against himself.

"Th-thanks, Honda-kun, for looking after her for me," Katsuya stammered before making his way to his bedroom to release the tears.

"Ever get the feeling your daddy works too hard, little one?" Honda quietly asked Kimiko as he headed for a chair, having decided they might as well find somewhere comfortable to sit and wait.

Completely unaware of her father's distress, Kimiko babbled softly to the somewhat familiar face. Katsuya couldn't hold back, fearing the worst was happening to him now.