Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Rock Show ❯ Cookie Cutter Kid ( Chapter 3 )

Whew~ this one is a little strange for my typical writing style… It was hard to write the girls and it was hard to have Daisuke blow off Takeru so shortly, but that's actually part of his character and something he'd do. Also, there was some awkwardness when IT happened… there wasn't even a comment about how he tasted like cigarettes. >_< I should have put one in. Er, anyway. Even though Daisuke smokes in this and Yamato smokes in other stories I actually don't endorse smoking… cancer is bad. =P

I so wanted to make this Daikeru! *sob*

Hikari yawned loudly as she walked down the hall towards her third hour class. Surrounding her were three of her friends, all jabbering and giggling about the boys in their classes. It was a usual thing to do a daily update on which boy was currently hottest in the school and who was dating which one… usually Hikari would join in, but considering she'd returned home at around 4 last night she was currently too exhausted to care.

"What's wrong with you today, Hikari?" one of the girls brought the conversation to a halt as all three stared at their friend.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Sorry Ginger. I was just up late…" she yawned again, brushing her hair away from her eyes. "I went to a concert with Daisuke last night."

"Whoa, whoa!" another girl screamed, grabbing Hikari by the arm and holding her still in the hallway. "You mean you had a date with Motomiya Daisuke? Good Lord, woman! What are you thinking?"

Blinking curiously, Hikari's eyebrows went down in confusion. "I'm thinking… he's one of my best friends and he asked me to go, so I went?"

"On a date?"

"It wasn't a date, Bria." Hikari pulled her arm away from the other girl and continued walking. The three hurried to keep up. "It was more like we just went as friends."

"Did he kiss you?" the third girl asked.

"Uh, no. I said we were just friends."

"Did he hug you?"

"Not this particular time, no, but I hug him all the time. What are you getting at?"

"Did he hold your hand?"

Hikari stopped and peered at her friends. "I don't know what that has to do with anything, but yeah, he held my hand."

"It was a date," Ginger nodded wisely. "If he held your hand, it was definitely a date."

"Oh please." Hikari started walking again. "He only held my hand so I didn't get lost in the crowd."

"That's what he wanted you to think," Midori pointed out. "Maybe he was just looking for an excuse!"

Rolling her eyes, Hikari turned into her class and took her seat. The three girls sat near to her, and a fourth girl was behind her. The new gossip leaned forwards. "Hey guys, what's news today?"

"Ai, Ai, listen to this! Hikari was on a date with Motomiya Daisuke!" Bria turned around to her.

"A date?"

"It was not a date!" Hikari groaned.

"He held her hand," Midori nodded towards Ai.

"It was just to keep me from getting lost in the crowd!"

Ai squealed. "Motomiya Daisuke and you! Oh man! So are you guys like… a couple now?"

"No! Geez!"

"I really don't think it would be wise for her to date him anyway," Ginger shook her head. "He's too grungy. Certainly not good for her image."

"You guys, I think I can handle picking my own boyfriend."

"I thought you said it wasn't a date," Bria smirked triumphantly.

"I don't know, Daisuke is one of the hottest guys in the school… True that he isn't of the image we're looking for but maybe we can convert him."

"I think maybe we should interview him and all, you know, do the survey."

"Yeah, the survey! Then we'll know if he's worthy."

"Let's do it today, at lunch. No wasting time; we can't afford to let it out that they're dating if he's a lost cause to our conversion."

"You guys, it wasn't a date!" Hikari sighed, helpless as her friends continued to plot and babble.

The bell rang and Hikari left the room without waiting for her friends. She headed straight for her locker and slammed her books in, then shut the door and turned to find the four girls standing there, waiting expectantly. She groaned. "What now?"

"We're going to eat lunch with you and Daisuke."

"No, you aren't. I always eat lunch alone with Daisuke and Takeru. It's tradition."

"New tradition time! We're coming with!" Ginger announced happily.

Hikari rolled her eyes and groaned again. She briefly debated arguing, then shook her head and yawned, turning and leading her friends outside.

The air was chilly and a thunderstorm was threatening overhead, but the entire high school had retreated from the building for lunch anyway. Hikari headed towards the bleachers, noting the two familiar figures sitting. The chattering of her friends behind her almost made her groan again, but she shook her head and climbed up the bleacher steps.

Daisuke and Takeru were talking enthusiastically, caught up in one of their 'you had to be there' moments.

"And then there was that girl with the…"

"With the thing and then she…"

"Oh my God, I can't believe she did that! I mean the whole…"

"She took the whole thing! Less than five minutes! And then that guy-"

"Oh yeah, that one guy with the hair…"

"Yeah! The hair, that one guy! And they went to that place and…"

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Hikari interrupted, and the two turned to greet her, highly amused grins still on their faces until they saw the crowd behind her.

"Uh. The hell?" Takeru raised an eyebrow.

Ginger pushed past Hikari and held out her hand to Daisuke. "Takashima Giringo desu. All my friends call me Ginger. I'm the class president! You are a junior, right? I'm so happy to meet you."

Daisuke stared blankly at her, then flicked his eyes down to her hand. He eyed it for a moment, then glanced at Takeru, then at Hikari, and finally back at her hand. He didn't move to touch it, instead backing up a bit as if it was diseased. "Motomiya Daisuke desu," was all he said.

Hikari sat down next to Takeru. "They wouldn't leave me alone," she whispered.

The blonde nodded in understanding. "You have fun last night?" he grinned. "How was your rock show de-virginizing?"

"It was fun," the brunette grinned back. "I actually made friends with a girl with green hair."

"Very cool. Nice sweatshirt."

"Are you kidding?" a voice interrupted. Both looked up to Bria, who was making a face at Takeru. "Hooded sweatshirts are so winter '99! They went out with wide pants! Whatever!"

Daisuke started coughing viciously, trying to wipe out the laughter that was underlying. He made a point of coughing into his hand to ward off Ginger's insistence on shaking his hand, then wiped his hand on his (wide) jeans, a grin still plastered on his face. "Sorry, sorry, just… I'm allergic to something…"

Takeru mumbled something that sent them both laughing again, and Hikari blushed even though she was giggling. Her friends blinked, looking back and forth at the two boys in confusion. They shrugged and sat down, Ai and Ginger on either side of Daisuke and Midori and Bria behind Hikari.

Suddenly aware of the surrounding preps, Daisuke slid his eyes left, then right. "So, uh. Ginger. Nice, er. Shoes."

"Thanks! So I hear you and Hikari had a date."

"Excuse me?" He turned towards Hikari, one eyebrow twitching down almost accusingly. She shook her head. He turned back to Ginger. "And who told you this?"

"Well, duh, Hikari."

Accusing eye again. Hikari shook her head once more. "No, I said we went to the concert and it wasn't a date. We just went because we're friends."

"Sure, sure," Ai waved a hand at the brunette. "So anyway, do you play sports?"

"He plays soccer," Midori answered for him. "He's the star player." The entire group stared blankly at her, and she blinked. "What? He is! Aren't you?"

"Uh, I guess you could call me that."

"Soccer isn't a real sport," Ginger tossed her hair behind her. "I mean real sports like baseball or basketball."

Daisuke narrowed one eye. "What the hell do you mean that soccer isn't a real sport? What, I suppose cheerleading is?"

"At least cheerleading requires skill," Bria sniffed. "Soccer is just kicking a ball towards a goal. Whoo-hoo. Anyone can do that."

Hikari buried her face in her hands, mortified. Takeru rolled his eyes at Daisuke and shook his head slightly, giving the 'not worth it' sign. Gritting his teeth, the red-haired boy swallowed hard. "Maybe you girls ought to leave."

"You kidding? We just got started!"

"Oh, goody."

"So, you don't play any instruments, do you? Not a band geek, right?"

There was a long pause where Daisuke glanced at the two girls. He sighed. "Matter of fact I play a four-string electric bass and my sister taught me to play piano when I was eight. You have a problem with that? I guess music doesn't require skill, right? Oh fuck me. Let me ask you something. Were you born shallow or was it a learned thing?"

"Learned!" Bria chirped happily. "Anyone can be like us!"

Another long pause. Takeru's mouth twitched in a grin at the girls obliviousness to the insult. Daisuke made a face at his blonde friend. "I think I'm going to vomit."

"Do you really have to wear those clothes? Wouldn't something… well, better fitting be better? You too, Takeru, what's with your style? Are you trying to be all… raver now?" Ai tilted her head.

"Big pants don't make someone a raver," Midori pointed out. Again, the entire group stared at her. "What? They don't! Many styles and groups wear large pants, including punk, grunge, raver, and skater."

"Which one are you trying to be?" Bria asked Takeru with a sniff of disgust.

"Oh, I don't know," the blonde sat back and thought for a minute. "I think I was just trying to be… myself and not some damn label."

"What's the point in that?" Ai blinked.

"My god what is wrong with you people?" Daisuke slammed his head forward onto his knees. "You're so fucking… shallow and dense and oh my god I can't even handle you!" He shoved up to his feet and swiped his bag from the bleachers, pulling it over his shoulder. "I hate people like you. I can no longer stand to be in your vicinity. You are contaminating the oxygen I breathe. I am going to walk away now, and the first girl to follow me gets her goddamn bra snapped, do you understand? And for the record, it was NOT a date." He turned around sharply and stalked off.

Takeru glanced at Hikari, then after his best friend. After a nod from the brunette, he stood and glanced at the girls. "Basically, what he said." Grabbing his own backpack, he leaped off the bleachers and headed off to catch up.

Hikari sighed. "Great job, you guys, great job. That went so well."

"You sure picked one hell of a man," Bria rolled her eyes.

"I don't think I like him much," Ai tapped her chin in thought.

"I don't know, he seems nice enough to me; he just hates shallow people," Midori shrugged. All the girls stared at her. "What?! He does!"

Must… resist… writing… DAIKERU… must… resist… *twitch*

Daisuke growled as Takeru caught up with him. "The fuck do they think they are?"

"Hey, come on. My friends aren't much better," the blonde pointed out.

"Yeah, but at least your friends can manage to carry on a decent conversation with me! What's with them? Soccer isn't a sport my ass! Your friends are at least willing to recognize it."

"My friends like anything that involves breaking a sweat, Dais."

"That's my point! Your friends have some sense. They like me, besides. Those girls seemed to hate me just because I wasn't a shallow dip in the puddle."

Takeru chuckled briefly, then shook his head. "Screw them, the hell do they know anyway?"

Sighing, Daisuke stopped and turned to face Takeru. "You know, as much as I enjoy having a diverse group of friends, sometimes it's a pain in the ass. And no offense to you or anything… seriously, you know you're my best friend and all… but I really think I need to fuck off and be by myself right now. This shit just makes me feel really sick. I think I'm going home."

A flash of pain through blue eyes was quickly covered up with a grin. "Hey, no problem. I understand. I'll like… call you tonight or something."

"I work tonight so it'll be late."

Takeru shrugged and turned around, heading away without another word. The red-haired boy stood there for a moment, staring after him, then turned and headed off on his own way.

Hikari watched this all from the bleachers, although she couldn't hear what was being said, and scowled. It wasn't the first time Daisuke had run into her friends, but for some reason he always seemed a little… disappointed in her after that. Like he was wondering if she was just as shallow as they were. What it had to do with his lack of interest in spending time with Takeru she wasn't sure. What she was sure of was that she was highly disgusted with her friends right now.

Takeru laid flat on the floor, idly trying to do math homework and talk on the phone at the same time. "So what, you mean you think she said it was a date? C'mon, Daisuke, you know Hikari better than that."

"Yeah, I think I do, but why would they have - no, no, wait. Forget I asked that. We're talking about Hikari's little shallow bitchy friends here, of course they'd leap to that conclusion. I don't know. I just wonder why she didn't set them straight."

"I think she was sort of upset that you were so vehemently against it being a date."

Daisuke sighed into the phone and bit off a piece of strawberry pocky. "Takeru, enough with the Hikari likes Daisuke bit, okay? She doesn't. Besides, she's your girl anyway…" Glancing down at the half-finished homework under him, he sighed again. "Did you get twenty three-z for number 7?"

"Yeah. Listen, Dais. I know you think she's all claimed as mine and shit but… she's not. As much as I wish it."

"Well then go get her! Make her yours."

"I don't think she's interested anymore. That's what I mean. I would have asked her out before hand but like… not anymore, now that she's all over you."

"She's not all over me, though! What's the answer to number 9?"

"Eighteen point three-x." Takeru tapped his pencil on the open book idly. "Daisuke, do you like her?"

"Hikari? Do I like Hikari?"

"Yeah, that's what I asked."

There was a long silence on the other end, except for the crunching as Daisuke chewed another piece of pocky. Finally he said, "On number 12, do you take the x to the other side or leave it where it is?"

"You divide it out. Don't dodge my question."

"I wasn't, really… Takeru… I think I might. I mean, she's cute and all. And I get along really well with her. She's like my best friend and all, you know? Sure I like her. But enough to actually date her? I don't really think so."

The blonde scratched his forehead with his pencil. "What number are you on now? I'm on 14 and I think I did it wrong."

"I'm on 15. I got seventeen-y for 14."

"Okay, I did that right then. Or we both did it wrong. Why is it that you'll say yes to any girl who walks your way, but when you actually think you may like a girl you back down?"

Balancing another stick of pocky in his mouth and talking around it, Daisuke shrugged. "I don't know. Fear of rejection I guess? I already told you, she's one of my best friends. I would hate to have it not work out and for me or her or both of us to end up getting hurt."

"I think you need to balance that fear against what you could get out of it if it worked," Takeru made a final mark on his homework as he spoke. "How did your mom react to you leaving school?"

"She didn't care too much. At first she thought I was faking so I went into the bathroom when I got home and made like I was throwin' up and shit… then she made me some tea and put me on the couch and told me to rest up and then she went back to work."

"Good thing she hadn't stayed or you wouldn't have been able to go to work."

"Yeah, I thought that too." Daisuke shut his math workbook and shoved it out of the way, heading out onto the balcony off his room. "You know, I didn't mind when I heard Hikari thought it was a date. I think I actually kind of… liked it? I don't know. I guess you're right about balancing hurt on a good relationship…"

"Hey, of course I'm right." Takeru grabbed a sheet of notebook paper and rolled it up, tossing it through the flimsy mini-basketball hoop hanging off his wall. "So go get her, huh? Oh, by the way. What ever happened to that chick you were dating from chemistry?"

Snorting and switching the cordless phone to his other ear, Daisuke pulled a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket and lit one. He took a long drag and then ashed the cigarette before answering. "She dumped me today. Apparently because I cheated on her by dating Hikari, ha! I had a rather nasty message waiting for me on the answering machine when I got home."

"So then you're single and free to go after Hikari," Takeru lifted an eyebrow.

Daisuke sighed and stared at the burning end of his cancer stick. "Maybe." The sound of a doorbell echoed through the apartment and the red-haired boy turned, shifting the phone to his other ear again. "Someone's at the door. You wanna hang up or just wait a bit?"

"Might as well hang up, I have to get to sleep soon. I have a game tomorrow."

"All right. Good luck on that, I might show up if I have the time written down and shit. Night."

"Night."

Clicking the phone off and grinding out the burning cigarette, Daisuke flung the cordless onto his bed and rushed to get the door before whoever it was impatiently rang the doorbell again.

Hikari grinned at him as he opened the door. "Hello! Is Daisuke-kun able to talk right now?"

"Yeah, he just got back from work a little bit ago," Daisuke leaned on the doorframe and raised an eyebrow at her with a slight smirk. "He had a bad day though, I'm not sure if you'll really want to talk to him right now."

"It's okay, what I have to say is… sort of part of why he's mad."

The boy shrugged slightly. "Eh, suit yourself. Digging your own grave, though, he's a bitch when he's had a bad day. C'mon in." He held the door open for her, then headed back into his room and out onto the balcony again. She followed and sat down next to him.

He slid close to the edge and stuck his legs through the railings, which were wide enough for a small dog to fit through, dangling his bare feet off the edge. "So. Hey."

She smiled again. "Hi. The guy at the door said you had a bad day."

"Yeah, he'd be right."

"Sorry about my friends, Daisuke… they're so… stupid. I tried to tell them it wasn't a date… all I said was that we'd gone to a concert and they started spazzing out. And… I'm sorry that it's all over school now. They also have really big mouths." Hikari shoved her hair behind her ears and stared down at the streets below them through the railing. "Aren't your feet cold?"

"Nah," he gave a tug at his dark blue sweatshirt. "Keeps me warm all over. Hikari, don't apologize for your friends. It isn't your fault; I understand that." He blinked at her and pulled his legs from the rails, turning to face her. "Are you… crying?"

She shook her head and scooted back from him, then nodded. "I just wish my friends weren't so…"

"Stupid? Shallow? Bitchy? Ditzy? Obnoxious?"

"Try all of the above," she choked out a brief laugh. "I don't want to be associated with that. I'm afraid if I even hang around with them anymore people will think I'm the same way."

Daisuke grinned a little, putting a cold hand on her cheek and brushing away a tear with his thumb. "You're funny."

"Funny ha-ha or funny weird?"

"Both," he tilted his head to the side. "People who judge you by those around you without actually taking the time to get to know you aren't important. The ones who matter are those who actually wait to find out what kind of a person you are. And you, Yagami Hikari, are not stupid, shallow, bitchy, ditzy, or obnoxious. At least, not all the time." She choked out another laugh and he grinned. "I kind of understand what you mean about not wanting to be thought of like that though. But really, you can't let other people's opinions bother you. If you worry about that, you'll forget that it's more important to be yourself than what someone else wants you to be."

"Geez, Daisuke," Hikari smiled. "You actually do have a brain through all that hair gel." Amusement sparkled in his eyes and she realized for the first time they were very close - he was so close. Kissably close. Oh God he was so close.

She refused to kiss him.

He kissed her instead.

Her heart was pounding and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to cry. His lips were soft and gentle, dancing across hers in a delicate way she'd never dreamed of. They parted briefly, then brushed together again, then again. He had his hands on her wrists, as if he was afraid of her running away and had to hold her there.

And then as quickly as it started it ended, his eyes snapping open and jerking back from her, clapping a hand over his mouth. "Oh, God!" he mumbled. "Hikari, I'm… I'm so sorry. I didn't… oh, God."

"It - it's okay, Daisuke, I…" she blinked in confusion. What was wrong?

"No no no it's not okay because I'm not supposed to do this and you know I really don't think we should be here and do that and you know," he stopped and took a deep breath, then said, "You have to leave. It's late. I'm tired. Bed soon. You have to leave."

Hikari blinked again, then nodded. "Okay… I understand… I'll let myself out," she rose and backed into his room, then turned away and hurried through the apartment, slamming the door behind her and leaning heavily against it. What had just happened?