Honda walked down the street to Jou's house and knocked on the door. "You alive?" he called out, leaning against the doorframe.

Jounouchi, who had been asleep before then, slowly walked to the doorway. He was still quite weak from his cold.

Honda waited impatiently for the door to open. When it finally did, he looked Jou over. "Er, don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look so good. Sorry, did I wake you up?" He shuffled nervously, not sure if he should walk in or not.

"I know..." Jounouchi coughed. "I was asleep before, but..." He blushed. "I'd still be happy to let you in..."

"Oh. I can leave or stay, whichever you'd like." Honda looked away. "I guess since I already woke you up, I might as well stay for a little while."

"Okay..." Jounouchi stepped from the doorway. "Um... I'm really sorry that you had to wait... It must be a pain for you to go visit me, huh...?" He looked down sheepishly.

Honda looked up in surprise. "Huh? What makes you say that?" He got the feeling he had missed an important step in the blonde's train of thought.

"Um, well... I..." It was all so embarrassing. Honda was Jounouchi's best friend, so it would have been no big deal if he visited his house once in a while. But now that Jounouchi had developed new feelings for Honda, this would have felt like heaven, if not for the fact that half of his hair was missing.

Honda walked in and pushed the door shut behind him. "Am I supposed to stand here trying to guess what's bothering you?" He sighed and stared at the ceiling. "Is it about...Anzu saying you talk in your sleep?"

Jounouchi blushed furiously. He certainly had a dream on the night of Anzu's barber spree. And a very um, pleasurable dream at that. Had he talked in his sleep? He wondered what he had said. Jounouchi hoped he hadn't confessed anything too personal. "Um... to tell you the truth, Honda..." Jounouchi replied. "I... don't want you to be so worried about me... But, I knew you would..." He sighed. "But, I'm still very happy that you came. Thank you."

"Oh, okay." Honda shifted his gaze from the ceiling to Jou's face. "I'll try not to worry then. And you're welcome, even though I don't mind coming to visit you. Have you been getting lots of rest so you'll feel better?" He fought back the urge to say any more, for fear of sounding overly worried.

"Not really," Jounouchi replied. "I went to school yesterday, because we had a test. I did okay, but the teacher sent me home." He sniffed. "Only today have I been getting rest." His cheeks reddened even more, if that were possible. "I... missed you... a little bit..." Jounouchi then sneezed. "...Sorry..."

Honda gave him a small smile. "Silly, how do you expect to get better if you don't rest?" he teased as he stepped closer. "C'mon, you should lay down. I'll stay with you for a little while, if you like."

And so Jounouchi led Honda into his room. Jounouchi's headache was so intense, and coupled with the butterflies in his stomach, he felt especially uneasy. By the door, he almost tripped on the floor, grabbing the doorknob at the last minute.

Honda instinctively reached out to catch Jou, stopping himself before he touched the blonde. "Careful, we want you to get to bed in one piece." He pulled his hand back, unsure about what to do.

Jounouchi's pulse quickened. He swallowed hard as he opened the door. Rest would have definitely been the best thing to do as of now. Jounouchi then let Honda inside and sat on his bed. He looked down, flushing nervously, and taking a few small glances at his friend.

Honda walked in and glanced around the room, looking for a place to sit. He quickly decided the floor was probably the best choice. He plopped down and looked up at Jou on the bed. "Now what? You wanna talk or something?"

"Yeah," answered Jou. "I... didn't really want to lie down first until I talked with you, even though I should be resting right now..." He smiled shyly. "Um... do you really want to sit on the floor? It's not all that comfortable."

"I'm fine sitting here, unless you have a better suggestion," Honda replied with a shrug. "I didn't realize talking to me was so important to you, though." He looked away, hoping he wasn't blushing.

"W-well, I, uh..." Jou stammered. If he had his glasses on, he'd notice the faint pink tint on Honda's cheeks, and seeing them would make him blush even more than he was right now. "Do you... mind if I lie down...?" Jou asked. "You can sit on the bed if you want. I promise I won't fall asleep."

"Nah, I don't mind. Go ahead and lie down." Honda scooted closer, debating if he should take Jou's offer. After a few moments of thinking, he moved to sit on the foot of the bed. "So, what'd ya want to talk about?"

Jou climbed in the covers, but sat up. He vacillated between several topics, weaving out the ones he found too embarrassing or personal. Finally, Jou spoke. "...Did you get a kitty yet...?" He smiled.

Honda shook his head. "I've been so busy looking for a new place to live that I haven't gotten one yet. I really hope the one I wanted is still there when I get a chance to go by Ryou's." He happened to look over and see that Jou was sitting up. "Hey, I thought you were planning on lying down."

"Oh..." Jou's eyes darted nervously. "But, I wanted to listen to you..." He looked down embarrassedly. Jou then reached over to the dresser by the bed. "Maybe I'd be a better listener if I put these on," he said, putting the pair of glasses on his face." He turned to Honda. "It would be nice to have a kitty. You seemed to really want one..."

Honda wasn't sure what glasses had to do with listening, but he figured it would be better if he didn't ask. "Yeah, I do really want it. I haven't heard anyone else say that they got it, so I guess there's still time. Hm, maybe I should head over there later today and make sure." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Er, sorry, guess I'm rambling a little."

"No, it's all right." Jou shook his head. "I was just thinking, that... maybe if you got one, I'd come over to play with it... Er, not that I'm using you or anything. I'd never use you!" He coughed, then sighed deeply. "I guess that when I'm better... maybe... we could take a trip to Ryou's together, and see if it's still there..." Jou looked down and fidgeted with his hands.

"Yeah, if I get one of the kittens, I'll definitely let you come over and play with it. Or I could bring it over here for a little while, if you like." Honda grinned and laughed. "Here I am getting all excited about the possibility of getting a kitten before I even know if I'll be able to get it. What else did you want to talk about?"

Jou's eyes sparkled. Kittens were so cute and fun to talk about! But, now it was time for a new topic. "...I haven't seen you since... that night." He muttered. "Honda? Have you been okay? I mean, I know about all the stuff that's been going on, but... are you sure you're not hurt or anything?"

Honda stared at Jou for several moments. "I-I'm not sure what you're talking about," he replied quietly as he shook his head slowly without looking away. "I get really confused when it feels like everyone knows something I don't."

"Um, well, I know that you're usually at the mall and stuff." Jou smiled. "I... just want to be sure that you're not getting into fights or anything that's dangerous..."

"Nah, I'm fine. I haven't been getting into fights or anything like that." Honda smiled. "Heh, and here you were telling me not to worry about you so much."

"Um... I do tend to worry a lot... especially about you." Jou blushed, realizing what he had just said. "I... just don't like placing a burden on other people's lives... even though sometimes," he said, looking into Honda's eyes "I feel like I want to be rescued."

"...Rescued?" Honda said slowly, staring at Jou. He chewed on his lower lip, trying to figure out what Jou was saying. "W-why?" His thoughts raced yet didn't make any sense.

Rapidly, Jou's secret thoughts were being revealed. He surely didn't want Honda to find out about his dream to finally meet his Prince Charming. "Uh, well, um..." Jou had to make something up, and fast. But at the last moment, he realized he couldn't run away. "Well, I know I can do things on my own, but sometimes, I just... feel so helpless... even if so many people around me are suffering."

Honda looked away and stared at the floor. "I think everyone feels like that at some point. Some people just feel it more often than others. Don't let it get to you too much, okay?" Honda considered giving a Jou a smile, but he didn't think he could manage even a small one. "Just...don't think like that too much if you can help it, I don't want..." He trailed off, unsure what to say next.

Jou waited attentively for Honda's next word. "...Okay," Jou finally said. "But... that's... just how I am sometimes. But... I guess I'm worrying you a lot, too, huh...?" He held back a few tears. "I'm sorry..."

"I know, I know, that's why I said 'if you can help it'. I do it too sometimes, so I guess I kinda know what that's like." Honda glanced over and saw the tears in Jou's eye. "Dammit, I didn't mean to make you cry." He frowned and leaned over to wipe away the tears threatening to spill over.

"N-no... it-it's not your fault..." Jou blushed and widened his eyes at the contact Honda's hand and his face made. "I-I... I'm sorry, Honda..." Jou frowned, letting some of the tears fall freely. "I... want to be stronger... just for you..." he said, meeting the concerned pair of brown eyes.

Honda started brushing the tears away, then pulled back as Jou's words sunk in. "For...me?" He shook his head, feeling extremely confused. "Why?"

"You're always telling me to be strong," Jou replied, with a small smile. "To not worry what people think of me, to have more confidence in myself... And, Honda... I..." Jou fought back the urges to tell his best friend how he really felt. "I... really do care about you. I want to see you proud of me."

Honda looked away again in embarrassment. "I didn't know you actually listened to an idiot like me."

"I don't think you're an idiot," said Jou. "It's just like when you told me that I wasn't ugly. Hair grows back, and I can still make myself cute again." He put a hand to his chest. "You may do crazy things sometimes, but... I don't find you stupid or anything." He coughed once again, this time, rather violently.

Honda jumped and stared at Jou. "D-do you need some medicine? Have you been to a doctor?"

"I-I'm sorry..." Jou murmured weakly. "I... I just... need to rest..." He slowly let himself fall on his bed. "You're willing to get medicine for me...? You're... so nice..." Jou smiled, closing his eyes.

"Do you have medicine here or do I have to go to the store for you?"

"I... don't have any as of yet... They were out of the kind I need..." Jou coughed even worse than before. He groaned, for there was pain in his head.

"What do you need? I'll go to the store and bring it back for you."

"The liquid kind... the one for..." He paused and took a breath. "...fever, coughs, sneezing, and stuffy noses..." Jou shut his eyes tightly, hoping that all his pain would end soon.

"O-okay. I'll go now, and I'll come back after I get it. If you're asleep...I'll figure something out."

"Th-thank you, Honda... You're... so... nice..."

"Er, right. Get some rest, okay?" Honda patted Jou's shoulder, and walked out of the room.

As soon as the door was shut, Jou mouthed, "I love you", then fell asleep.