(A/N: Alright, before reading on, I really have to say a few things. And if you don't read this and end up not liking my fic for whatever reason, it's your own fault!
First off, yes, this fic deals with self mutilation. And I know it's a touchy subject and even if you don't like that kind of thing in a fic, PLEASE still give this a chance. That's really not what this whole fic is about. I want to get something straight right now: there will be no gory details, emo-ness, and other things you probably think of when you think of cutting. So forget the stupid generalizations for just a second. This fanfiction is told from a different POV and for the most part will much more lighthearted than I'm sure everyone is expecting.
Secondly, the fic generally has a serious tone to it, but the first two chapters are rather humorous. So even if you can't possibly read about what's in here, at least give the first two chapters a chance. I really didn't write this for nothing.
And just so no one is confused, Honda has a nephew named Georgie. He appears early in the manga, I believe it's in volume 4. And most of the time he was seen smashing his face in Anzu's boobs.)
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Warnings: Nothing yet.
Chapter 1
The early morning sun poured generously through the clear glass windows that lined the walls of room 2-B at Domino High School, which was greatly welcomed by all of the students. Not just because the brilliant rays were something that allowed the students to take their minds off all the busyness and frustration that high school brought along with it, but also because the chill of autumn was beginning to set in, so everyone was grateful for the little extra warmth. Everyone, it would seem, except for the tall, brunette teenager known as Honda Hiroto, who was sitting in his chair with his torso sprawled out across the surface of his desk and his face pressed firmly into the crook of his arm. He stayed in that position and refused to move, not really seeming to care that three of his friends, Jounouchi Katsuya, Mutou Yuugi, and Mazaki Anzu, were standing in a semicircle around his desk, impatiently waiting for him to get over his problem so he wouldn't put a damper on such a perfectly good day.
"I'm dead!" Honda moaned, which ended up as a soft muffling sound considering that his face was smashed into the arm of his blue uniform.
Jounouchi crossed his arms and scowled down at his friend. "Jeez, Honda, you whine too much," he said, quickly becoming annoyed with Honda's behavior. "Suck it up! Come on, man, you're acting like this is some really big thing."
Honda slowly slid his arm away from his face and let it fall limply at his side. He shifted his hazel eyes up to Jounouchi, but still kept his head on the top of his desk.
"I'm dead," he repeated, this time a little slower, hoping that he would be able to get his point to fully sink into Jounouchi's mind. The only thing it did, though, was succeed in making the blonde even more frustrated.
"I don't wanna deal with this all day, Honda," Jounouchi growled threateningly, "So you better knock it off before lunch or I'll-"
"I'm sure it won't be that bad, Honda-kun," Yuugi interrupted, trying his best to be comforting even though it appeared from the look on Honda's face that his efforts were fruitless. It was obvious that they were getting nowhere. No matter what anyone said, Honda was going to sulk around all day, meaning that the beautiful day that awaited them just outside the brick building of Domino High would most definitely go to waste.
"Yuugi's right," Anzu agreed. "It's just babysitting. You've done it before, right?"
Honda raised his head a few inches from his desk. "Well, yeah, but that was only for a few hours. This time neesan is going to be gone for a whole week," he said, emphasizing the last word as if it meant all of eternity rather than just seven days. "The weather is about to get really crappy anyway. Honestly, who goes on vacation at this time of year?"
"Obviously your sister does," Jounouchi answered with a shrug that was anything but compassionate, so Yuugi decided to do what Jounouchi wouldn't.
"But you said that your sister was only going to be gone for a week, right Honda-kun? That's not that long," Yuugi offered hopefully.
Honda glanced up at Yuugi, but there was still the same sullen look in his eyes. "The longest I've ever babysat Georgie for was for a day. And I was practically dead by the time he got picked up. If I can barely take even one day, how am I supposed to handle him for a whole week? That kid's a little demon!"
"Well, I'm not going to argue with you there," Jounouchi said with a smirk, and neither Yuugi nor Anzu made any effort whatsoever to disagree.
Honda looked back down at his desk and frowned. "Yeah, thanks for the support," he muttered sarcastically.
"Hey, lighten up, Honda, I was just joking," Jounouchi said, walking over to his friend and giving him a quick nudge in the shoulder with his elbow. "Besides, it won't be that bad because we'll all help you out," he added, suddenly going from irritated to supportive without any indication. But this didn't surprise anyone, since Jounouchi had a tendency to do that sort of thing when he was around Honda. The spike-haired boy seemed to be able to influence his best friend's mood more than anyone else ever could.
"Hey, wait, I didn't agree to anything like that," Anzu said uneasily, taking a step backwards as if Jounouchi had suggested that they all try to learn how to fly by jumping off the school building.
Yuugi cocked his head to the side. "What's wrong, Anzu?" he asked, puzzled as to why his friend was acting so strangely all of a sudden, especially since she usually jumped at the chance to help someone in need.
"Well, unless Georgie completely flipped his attitude around since the last time we saw him, then you can count me out," she replied. Memories from the time when she first had the "pleasure" to meet Georgie seeped into her thoughts and she grimaced. She shook her head a few times in an effort to relieve her mind from the sudden unwanted reminiscence before saying, "That kid seems to have a bad habit of putting his face and hands where they don't belong."
Honda laughed slightly, which was the first lighthearted thing that he had done all day. Jounouchi and Yuugi looked at each other and smiled, hoping that their friend's despondent mood was finally starting to clear up.
"That was kind of a long time ago, Anzu. Now Georgie's more destructive than perverted," he said. "Even though that's probably worse for me."
Anzu thought about her options for a moment before shaking her head again. "No offense, Honda, but I still don't think I can take your word for it. Even if he has changed, I doubt it would be by very much. I don't want his grabby little fingers within ten feet of me."
"Okay…then I guess Anzu's out," Jounouchi said, "But me and Yuugi will still give you a hand, right, Yuuge?"
"Well, actually, Jounouchi-kun, I can't do anything this weekend. Jiichan is going to be gone for a few days and I have to watch the game shop for him," Yuugi replied with a disappointed frown. "I guess if you guys really need help, you could bring Georgie over to the shop, but if he's as destructive as Honda-kun says…"
"That's okay, Yuugi, I think Jounouchi and I can handle him," Honda said quickly, imagining all the damages that would be caused if his rambunctious nephew got his hands on anything that was in the Kame Game Shop. He was supposed to be earning money for this job, and he didn't want to spend it on replacements for all the torn cards, broken games, and anything else that he would be responsible for if he decided to take Georgie by Yuugi's house.
"Well, I guess it's just you and me, buddy," Jounouchi announced, nudging Honda in the shoulder again.
Honda forced a weak smile, suddenly realizing that having Jounouchi over as help might not be that generous of an offer after all. The carefree blonde may have had good intentions, but Honda was unsure of what might happen when he was put in charge of another human life. And if Jounouchi happened to slip and say one of the curse words that he was oh so very fond of, Honda would never hear the end of it. He couldn't even fathom what his sister would do to him if Georgie told her "Go to hell" or "Suck my dick."
"So, when's the kid coming over?" Jounouchi asked.
Honda sighed quietly. "Tomorrow."
Ding Dong
Honda groaned as the annoying ring of his doorbell echoed through the apartment. He attempted to open his eyes, but when they refused to go any farther than halfway, he gave up and laid his head back onto his pillow.
Ding Dong
Once again, Honda attempted to wake himself up, but to no avail. His eyes were too tired and his limbs too heavy that there was no way he was going to haul himself off of his comfortable mattress. Maybe whoever it was who was ringing the doorbell would go away soon.
Ding Dong Ding Dong
Honda growled in annoyance and tried to silence the ringing that was now reverberating throughout his head. Didn't these people get it? No one was home. At least not mentally, anyway.
Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Dong
"Argh!" Honda yelled angrily. He wanted to go back to sleep, but there was no way that he'd be able to with the doorbell waking him up every five seconds. He rolled over to look at the digital clock that he kept next to his bed. He squinted his eyes at the tiny illuminated numbers, and it took a second for his eyes to fully focus so he could make out the time, which was 7:00.
"Wha?" Honda said groggily as he stared blankly at the little flashing numbers in front of his face. "Who the hell would be coming over at seven in the morning? Jou doesn't even get up until noon."
He was about to lay his head back down when a sudden thought popped into his mind.
"Seven…that time sounds sort of familiar. But what would I have to do at seven in the morning?" He yawned, but stopped when the rest of his thought fully materialized in his head. "Wait…today is…Sunday…CRAP!"
Honda jumped off of his bed so fast that he knocked the digital clock off his table and sent it crashing to the floor. But Honda didn't stop to pick it up as he continued his dash to the door with the incessant ringing of the doorbell serving as a constant reminder that he'd better get there this very instant, even though he knew that no matter how fast he ran it was already too late.
Honda opened the door to his apartment, bracing himself for the reprimanding he was about to receive in a matter of seconds. Just as he expected, a young woman was standing in the doorway, and judging from the scowl on her face, she definitely wasn't happy. She wore a thin lavender sweater and a long white skirt, which were colors that sharply contrasted with her current mood. In her arms she held a small child, who was dressed in pajamas that resembled some sort of animal. Honda always thought that it looked like a cross between a panda and a dog, but he had never been able to figure out for sure. Next to her rested several bags the size of suitcases, each with their own brightly colored label reading clothes, toys, and other such words.
"It's about time you opened the door," she said impatiently. She eyed Honda, who was wearing only a thin white t-shirt and his blue boxers. "What were you doing? Sleeping? I'm already late as it is and you promised me that you would be up by seven."
"Sorry, neesan," Honda said with a yawn as he felt his eyes suddenly growing heavy again now that all the excitement of his sprint to the door was over. Seven AM was definitely too early to get up on a Sunday.
Honda's sister let out an exasperated sigh. "Hiroto, you really shouldn't be so lazy," she scolded. "I'd thought that you'd at least be awake and possibly even dressed when you had to take on a responsibility, but I guess I was wrong. I bet you stayed up all night and were planning to sleep in until three in the afternoon, weren't you?"
"No," Honda started and was about to continue, but suddenly lost his train of thought and his balance in one split second as the child was thrust into his arms. He took a step backwards and quickly regained his footing just as his sister began picking up the giant bags and tossing them at Honda's feet.
"You should probably know everything that you have to do, but I'll go over it all one more time just to make sure," she said, opening her explanation that would no doubt be filled with information that was obvious, wouldn't be followed, or would be forgotten the second his sister left the doorway. "Now, Georgie already had his breakfast, but he should be ready for lunch at about noon or one and you should feed him dinner at about six. He should probably get to bed around seven or eight, but he might give you a little trouble with that. And make sure you…Hiroto, are you listening to me?" she asked after she noticed that Honda had been nodding his head mechanically with his eyes closed ever since she had begun speaking.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Heard every word," Honda assured her, though she didn't find his words very convincing, especially considering that neither of his eyes were fully open, and one was even slightly more open than the other one.
"You better have," she said tonelessly as she tightened the short brown hair in her ponytail. "Because you know what will happen to you if something happens to my son."
Honda nodded as his sister leaned in the doorway and planted a small kiss on the top of the child's forehead. "Bye bye, Georgie-chan. I'll be back in one week," she said sweetly as she turned and began to make her way down the stairs.
"Bye, neesan," Honda called after her.
"Bye, Hiroto," she called back over her shoulder. "Have fun."
"Oh, yeah, I'll be sure to. It'll be a blast," Honda said sarcastically through clenched teeth once his sister was out of hearing distance. He closed the door with his foot before looking down at the kid in his arms, trying to figure out what to do next. When nothing came to him, he put the child down on the sky blue duffel bag marked "clothes" and slowly left for the living room.
"Hiroto! I get to see you for a whole week!" Georgie squealed excitedly. He slid himself off the duffel bag and followed close behind his uncle into the next room.
Honda grunted in response and fell backwards onto the nearest couch, where he gave into his fatigue and promptly fell asleep. A small smile graced his lips as he relaxed his body and sunk comfortably into the plushy green cushions. Georgie watched his sleeping form for a minute, waiting for something to happen. But when nothing did, the chubby little toddler instantly became irritable.
"Hiroto!" Georgie screamed in the teen's ear, causing Honda to cringe. "I wanna play!"
"No!" Honda whined. These were two of the many reasons why Honda couldn't stand to babysit his nephew: the kid was up way too early in the morning and he was a parasite for attention. With a groan, Honda rolled over so that his back was facing Georgie. He couldn't take this, at least not for a few more hours. "Time for sleep now," he said as coherently as possible as he once again felt sleep begin to overtake him.
Georgie puffed out his cheeks, extremely dissatisfied with how he was being treated at the moment. "But I'm not tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired!" he wailed, stamping his tiny feet against the floor. But since they were covered with the pajamas, the sound was significantly muffled. Besides, that was the least of Honda's concerns. He was more interested in finding a way to shut up the kid's mouth so he could get to work on salvaging what he could of his personally recommended fifteen hours of sleep that he got on weekends. But this was proving to be a much more difficult task than he had previously expected. No matter how much he tried not to pay attention, he was unable to tune out the child's shrill screams. And the more he was ignored, the more Georgie whined.
"I wanna play NOW, Hiroto! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!"
"I can't take this," Honda growled as he curled up closer to the back of the couch. What he wouldn't give for a pillow to shove over his head right about now. That would be sufficient in drowning out at least some of the unwanted noise. But to his surprise, that item was no longer needed as the room unexpectedly fell silent. Honda wasn't about to complain, though, and sunk back into the soft cushions of the couch. Maybe he could actually get a little more sleep after all.
Meanwhile, Georgie had toddled off into the living room and to the pile of large duffel bags that were still strewn across the entrance of the apartment. He grasped his tiny fingers around the zipper of the sky blue bag that Honda had laid him on earlier and pulled, but the annoying little piece of metal wouldn't budge. He yanked on it again and again, becoming more and more frustrated until he finally heard the soft zipping sound and looked to see what kind of contents the big blue bag contained. But an aggravated frown appeared on the boy's face when he pulled out a few t-shirts and realized that the bag held nothing more than his clothing.
Easily losing interest with this bag, he quickly moved on to the next, this one a pale yellow color. It took a few attempts to open this one too, but it was well worth the effort when the zipper slid back and a mess of toys spilled out onto the floor. Georgie smiled deviously as he sifted through the pile before retrieving a rather large plastic giraffe that was more or less about half his size and returned to the living room, where Honda continued to take advantage of the sudden onset of peace and quiet. This quickly came to an end, though, as Georgie arrived at the couch, standing next to his sleeping uncle with the toy giraffe raised above his head.
"Play NOW!" Georgie screamed again as he brought the giraffe down, whacking the object as hard as he could against the back of Honda's skull.
Honda instantly shot up with a yelp, causing Georgie to jump backwards in surprise. "OW!!! Son of a-!!!" Honda yelled loudly as he gripped his hand to the back of his head where he had just been attacked. Honda scowled down at the child in front of him, who was wearing a blank innocent look on his face. But that soon changed as a smile slowly spread across his face.
"Now you're up!" Georgie yelled triumphantly, throwing his plastic weapon behind him and waving his stubby arms in the air. "Now you can play with me!"
"Yeah, how convenient," Honda grumbled as he continued to rub the sore spot on his skull. That was definitely going to hurt for the rest of the week.
"I wanna play a game now!" Georgie ordered, already halfway to his bag of opened toys. "We're going to play with this!"
Honda's eyes narrowed at the spot where Georgie had spilled his toys. The kid hadn't even been there five minutes and there was already a mess to clean up. Honda let out a long sigh as he watched Georgie pick through the array of plastic animals and toy cars.
"This is going to be a long week," he said glumly.
(A/N: So there you have it. It's funny, right? At least I thought it was funny...
Chappie two will be posted soon. But in the meantime, don't forget to review!
And for anyone who cares, I've also posted four other YGO fics today if you wanna check them out!)