"Jounouchi...."
The blond didn't seem to hear his friend as his eyes looked almost wistfully at the smallest member of the group. Yuugi was laughing embarrassedly as Anzu gently teased him. The girl bent down to whisper something in his ear and his face grew as red as the tips of his hair. "Mou, dame yo, Anzu!" he exclaimed as she laughed.
"Ne, Yuugi," Jounouchi spoke up. "I got some new cards in my deck, maybe this weekend we could--"
"Gomen yo, Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi near grimaced in apology. "Anzu and I are already--"
Honda signed, tuning out the conversation in favor of stabbing at the cafeteria food with his fork. Was Jounouchi that blind? What was this, the 4th time this week the blond had tried to set up a dueling date with Yuugi and gotten turned down? He gave a snort at his own term. As if it weren't any more painfully obvious what Jounouchi was trying for. Even KAIBA had picked up on the blonds pathetic crush on the small duelist, anyone could tell by how the young CEO's insults shifted. Honda scowled again, stabbing into the mystery meat yet again. And the more Jounouchi tried, the more Anzu did her best to prove she'd already won over him, meaning Yuugi more and more was pulling away from the group as his girlfriend took up more and more of his time. "Not like I mind that," Honda muttered to himself. The more time that Anzu spent with Yuugi, the more time Honda got with Jounouchi, even if the boy would talk of near nothing beyond Yuugi and dueling. One of these days, he was just going to---
"Honda-kun? Daijoubu...?"
The boy turned to see Bakura looking at him with concerned eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," he dismissed, turning back to his tray. He gave a small sigh, seeing the now ruined lunch an slightly dented plastic under it. No wonder Bakura was concerned. Briefly he looked over to see if Jounouchi had noticed, but, as usual, the blond was talking cards with Yuugi while Anzu tried to make the smaller boy squirm. "Wasn't hungry and you know how the lunch is," he continued.
Bakura nodded slightly, looking down at his own untouched meal.
Honda looked at him. "How bout you, you okay?" he asked, shifting attention from his frustration over Jounouchi to the paler boy. "You seem kinda... down."
Bakura gave a small embraced smile. "I guess I am..." he said softly, not looking up.
"Anything you want to talk about?"
The boy was quiet a moment before speaking. "There's... this person, that I like, that I have for a while, but that person doesn't seem to realize I exist," he said softly, one finger poking at the napkin on his lap.
Honda nodded. "That definitely tough," he sympathized. "I know how painful it can be."
"Because of Shizuka-chan? I know you liked her..."
Honda paused, then nodded. "Yeah. She never really saw what I was trying to do," he shrugged, poking at his mutilated lunch again. "Damned Otogi," he muttered before looking up at Bakura again. "You have to be forceful to get someone's attention. Subtly just gets completely missed."
Bakura hesitated. "Demo..."
"You like this person?"
The pale haired boy nodded, blushing slightly.
"So do something that'll get you noticed, but in a good way, making an ass out of yourself never works well." He looked over at Jounouchi and made a face.
Bakura was quiet a long moment, then nodded. "Arigatou, Honda-kun," he smiled. "I'll try."
Honda smiled as the boy excused himself from the table, idly wondering who it was the Bakura had a crush on. He found himself watching Jounouchi again as his mind mused on the conversation. He gave a small chuckle at himself. 'Be forceful, eh?' he thought. 'Maybe I should take my own advice...'
The blond didn't seem to hear his friend as his eyes looked almost wistfully at the smallest member of the group. Yuugi was laughing embarrassedly as Anzu gently teased him. The girl bent down to whisper something in his ear and his face grew as red as the tips of his hair. "Mou, dame yo, Anzu!" he exclaimed as she laughed.
"Ne, Yuugi," Jounouchi spoke up. "I got some new cards in my deck, maybe this weekend we could--"
"Gomen yo, Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi near grimaced in apology. "Anzu and I are already--"
Honda signed, tuning out the conversation in favor of stabbing at the cafeteria food with his fork. Was Jounouchi that blind? What was this, the 4th time this week the blond had tried to set up a dueling date with Yuugi and gotten turned down? He gave a snort at his own term. As if it weren't any more painfully obvious what Jounouchi was trying for. Even KAIBA had picked up on the blonds pathetic crush on the small duelist, anyone could tell by how the young CEO's insults shifted. Honda scowled again, stabbing into the mystery meat yet again. And the more Jounouchi tried, the more Anzu did her best to prove she'd already won over him, meaning Yuugi more and more was pulling away from the group as his girlfriend took up more and more of his time. "Not like I mind that," Honda muttered to himself. The more time that Anzu spent with Yuugi, the more time Honda got with Jounouchi, even if the boy would talk of near nothing beyond Yuugi and dueling. One of these days, he was just going to---
"Honda-kun? Daijoubu...?"
The boy turned to see Bakura looking at him with concerned eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," he dismissed, turning back to his tray. He gave a small sigh, seeing the now ruined lunch an slightly dented plastic under it. No wonder Bakura was concerned. Briefly he looked over to see if Jounouchi had noticed, but, as usual, the blond was talking cards with Yuugi while Anzu tried to make the smaller boy squirm. "Wasn't hungry and you know how the lunch is," he continued.
Bakura nodded slightly, looking down at his own untouched meal.
Honda looked at him. "How bout you, you okay?" he asked, shifting attention from his frustration over Jounouchi to the paler boy. "You seem kinda... down."
Bakura gave a small embraced smile. "I guess I am..." he said softly, not looking up.
"Anything you want to talk about?"
The boy was quiet a moment before speaking. "There's... this person, that I like, that I have for a while, but that person doesn't seem to realize I exist," he said softly, one finger poking at the napkin on his lap.
Honda nodded. "That definitely tough," he sympathized. "I know how painful it can be."
"Because of Shizuka-chan? I know you liked her..."
Honda paused, then nodded. "Yeah. She never really saw what I was trying to do," he shrugged, poking at his mutilated lunch again. "Damned Otogi," he muttered before looking up at Bakura again. "You have to be forceful to get someone's attention. Subtly just gets completely missed."
Bakura hesitated. "Demo..."
"You like this person?"
The pale haired boy nodded, blushing slightly.
"So do something that'll get you noticed, but in a good way, making an ass out of yourself never works well." He looked over at Jounouchi and made a face.
Bakura was quiet a long moment, then nodded. "Arigatou, Honda-kun," he smiled. "I'll try."
Honda smiled as the boy excused himself from the table, idly wondering who it was the Bakura had a crush on. He found himself watching Jounouchi again as his mind mused on the conversation. He gave a small chuckle at himself. 'Be forceful, eh?' he thought. 'Maybe I should take my own advice...'