A/N: Taichi/Sora friendship fic :)
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
"But you promised, Tai." Sora sternly looked at Tai, who wished that he ignored the couple and pretended not to see them at the coffee shop having lunch. Unfortunately his hair had given him away.
Yagami Taichi was on his way to a local coffee shop for a short lunch break, seeking temporary refuge from a rough day at work. Although negotiation was natural for Taichi as an ambassador, it was not an easy job; neither was saying no to Sora when it was her turn to decide what event the three friends should do that week. "Goodbye!" Taichi learned, was not a sufficient answer to Sora's exclamation, "I know, let's go ballroom dancing!"
Taichi scratched his head anxiously. "Look Sor, I really want to, but I've been really busy—"
"No excuses, Tai! You promised you'd take that ballroom dancing class with Yamato and I."
"Yes, I want to go because I want to engage in activities that we both can enjoy to nurture our relationship…" Yamato interjected with a straight face, trying to hide his sarcasm. Taichi stared at him with a confused face, wondering if marriage had reduced his best friend's testosterone levels.
"…I was told I feel this way," Yamato concluded, Sora rolling her eyes.
"Wednesday night, at seven, you better be there Yagami." Taichi nervously chuckled at the threat, hesitant to meet Sora's gaze. He turned to Yamato helplessly, but Yamato shrugged his shoulders in surrender.
"Don't worry, Tai, I'll be there too because I want to engage in activities that we both,"—he plastered a smile to Sora—"can enjoy to nurture our relationship."
The couple turned to leave, Sora tugging Yamato's arm.
"If I knew how to get us out of this, believe me we wouldn't be having this conversation right now," Yamato said through gritted teeth on his way out.
"That comforts me, friend," Taichi glared, suddenly beaming when Sora turned around to say goodbye.
Thursday night came, and Taichi did not show up. It was the third time he missed the group's weekly activity in a row, as his job added more hours into the night. Sora enjoyed dancing with a reluctant Yamato, and him trying to tango with a senior citizen made the night even better. But there was an emptiness among the two that night, Sora wishing that Taichi were there with her laughing at Yamato; Yamato feeling unfulfilled because he could not crack jokes at Taichi that night.
At home, Sora checked her voicemail. She had two unheard messages, one from her assistant, a panicked sob story about how she lost her designs; and one from Taichi, who sounded fatigued and dry.
"Hey, sorry I missed out again. Rough day. Call you later."
He was stressed, nearing his breaking point, Sora worried. Taking some rice balls out of the refrigerator, his favorite, Sora headed for the Tokyo Teleport train station in her red dress and heels, telling a half-asleep Yamato that she was going to find out what was wrong with their friend.
"Sora, husband/wife confidentiality applies for the tango with the old woman," Yamato muttered. Sora giggled, kissing his forehead.
"Make fun of him for me, will you."
"Oh, you bet," Sora exited, smirking.
The train station's clock read 1:53 AM, but by now Taichi was indifferent to time, sitting relaxed on a bench, observing the slowly bustling environment despite the heavy feeling in his eyes. A seat away an elderly man was in a deep sleep, probably drunk Taichi noted; and standing a few feet away a teenage girl was texting on her cell phone before boarding the next train.
Daily life, even in the late hours of the day, always calmed down Taichi after a stressful day at work. Watching Odaiba flow peacefully was a tranquil sight compared to trying to repress the darkness within the digital world. Convinced that no one would find him there in his attempt to flee from a burnout, he was shocked to find a certain red-haired girl, clad in a dress and heels walking towards him.
Sora smiled softly as she stood in front of a surprised Taichi, who gazed back with a "how-did-you-know-I-was-here" look.
She held her palm out, holding a bag of rice balls on her other hand. Taichi could not help but instantly smile as he took her hand and his and twirled her around, before bringing her closer to him. Now Sora was the surprised one as Taichi continued to rock her back and forth in perfect form.
"You said you don't like to dance."
"How did you know I was here?"
"You sneaky Taichi."
"You sneaky Sora."
They grinned at each other.
"It slipped out when we all went drinking that one Thursday," Sora commented, resting her head on Taichi's shoulder.
"You remember things when you're drunk?"
"You losers made me the designated driver."
"It's your fault you didn't make it to the passenger seat," Taichi softly laughed. He could feel Sora rolling her eyes. They continued dancing to their own rhythm, in the middle of the station, ignoring the glances bystanders gave.
"Taichi?"
"Yeah?"
"Relax."
He smiled. It felt good to know that his best friends were watching out for him.
"Hey Sora, why is your assistant over there?" Taichi suddenly pointed behind her, trying to sound concerned. Sora immediately turned around.
"What, why would she—hey!" Sora shouted, realizing she was victim to one of his pranks again, as Taichi quickly snatched the bag of rice balls and sprinted down the station.
"I didn't say you could have all of them!" Sora yelled, chasing after him.
Taichi stopped, bent over with one hand on his knee while he burst with laughter, his mouth full of the pastry. But it was Sora's turn to laugh hysterically as Taichi started coughing. She instantly stopped however, when he stopped coughing, dropping the bag of rice balls, his hand now clutched around his neck; for the five seconds in silence, fear trembled throughout Sora. Her eyes widened in terror, until Taichi's ghastly expression left his face, replaced with his amused one, as he laughed uproariously at his friend's priceless expression.
"You idiot…you idiot Taichi!"
But Sora could not contain herself any longer, giving in to Tai's contagious laughter. Their bellows echoed throughout the whole platform, attracting strange looks in their direction as if they were smoking substances, but they did not care. Who needs drugs when you have your best friend?
A/N: Reviews always appreciated :) Thanks for reading:)
Yoko-mae