a/n: who is AMPED for digimon adventure tri? i've been working on something else but it ended up being hella longer than i expected and i needed to take a break and do something different just for kicks and i kinda liked this so here it is.
The seasons were changing.
I could feel it in the wind on my face as I sat on the cold metal bleachers at my high school's soccer field. The late October sun was hidden by thick grey clouds, forcing me to huddle into my windbreaker as I watched the ball move up and down the field. It was a Sunday afternoon game, the kind of game you only came to if you were a parent or sibling of one of the players. The adrenaline rush that came with the stadium lights of a weekend night was no where to be found; instead, the ball appeared to be lazy, winding its way languidly through the legs of the twelve teenage boys on the field.
I didn't know the reason why I came to these games. No, let me rephrase that. I knew the reason, I just didn't know why. It didn't make any difference and it didn't make any sense. But there I was, every Sunday there was a game, sitting alone in the stands. I had an addiction. I didn't know how else to explain it.
It started innocently enough, but then again, doesn't it always? I had thought, when I sat down for that first time, that I was just bored and had nothing better to do, but I guess the fact that I made sure that no one noticed or knew that I was there should've indicated that I had an ulterior motive. I knew I wasn't just watching the game. I was watching Taichi. Watching and fantasizing.
If I thought about it too much, it made me sick with myself. So I just tried not to think about it.
I couldn't help that he was, quite literally, the most beautiful person I had ever seen in my life. From the first moment I saw him in elementary school I had noticed that I found him incredibly attractive. He was different than the other boys, a little more abrasive and dominating in personality, but with an unexplainable charm that immediately negated any rudeness. Physically, he was irresistibly gorgeous with his wild hair, honey-brown eyes, and his body-oh, god, his flawless body, toned from soccer practice, muscles subtly rippling under his smooth, olive skin.
I use to always scoff at the boys whose hormones took their minds to disgustingly vulgar places.
Apparently I was just a late bloomer.
I shifted in my seat and hoped that no one was watching me too closely. Being a sixteen-year-old male was embarrassingly difficult at times.
Taichi never played as well on Sundays as he did during the weekend night games. I had never asked him why for fear of revealing that I came to watch him, but I assumed he played more for fun than for winning since the stakes were typically lower. Not that it mattered much-he was so good that a poor performance from him was still much better than most.
I watched as he passed the ball across the field to Daisuke. I had noticed that he also seemed to give Daisuke more playing time during these games. Daisuke was only a freshman, but he had gained status on the team from Taichi's advocation. Daisuke still wasn't on the field much, but compared to the other freshman, it was obvious that he was favored. He wasn't bad, either. No where near as good as Taichi, but he definitely surpassed all the other freshman and even a few sophomores.
I took my eyes off Daisuke and found Taichi again. He was falling behind the forwards, ready to pick up the ball if the opposing team's defense tried to kick it back to midfield. I could see beads of sweat glistening on his temple and starting to matte his hair around his sweatband. The look of concentration that he had during the games always drove me crazy. I wished he would look at me like that, sweaty and focused, wanting to-
"Koushiro-kun?" came a loud and sudden voice to my left.
I turned so abruptly I felt my shoulder crack. "Mrs. Yagami?!"
"Good to see you, honey," said Taichi's mother. He definitely got most of his good looks from her. "Great game, today, huh? Are you sitting alone?"
"Oh, um-No," I lied. "I'm-I'm waiting for a friend. He's running late."
"Well, when he gets here, you're both welcome to join my husband and I," she said, smiling again. "I was just on my way to get some snacks-would you like something?"
"No, thank you," I said, politely smiling back.
"Oh, Koushiro-kun, you're sweetest boy. Try and rub off on my son a little more, will you?"
She was walking away before I could respond, completely unaware of her accidental double entendre that had my cheeks burning red.
Busted, I thought. I hoped she wouldn't tell Taichi that she saw me today, but knowing her, she would. Taichi's mom meant well, and I liked her, but she talked a lot.
I decided I should probably go home before I had any more awkward encounters with parents. I stood up, still watching Taichi, took three steps and felt myself suddenly collide head-on with a body.
"Aah!" I stumbled backwards and caught myself before I fell over. A boy with shoulder length dark hair and a scarf was standing in front of me, looking just as bewildered as I felt. "Ken-kun?"
"Koushiro-san?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I just came to watch the rest of the game, I get bored at home on Sundays after I finish my homework," He looked around and noticed that I was alone. "Can I sit with you? Or were you going somewhere?"
"No," I said, "I mean, please. Let's sit."
I sat back down on the bleachers hoping Ken couldn't feel the anxiety radiating off of my body. I was so humiliated at the thought of him finding out that I was perverted enough to come watch Taichi alone and wasn't sure how I could play it off.
"Has it been a good game so far?" He asked.
"Yeah, not bad," I said, shrugging, trying to keep my voice cavalier. "The Sunday ones are usually aren't as exciting, but it's been entertaining to watch."
"Oh, you usually come to these? I didn't know you were that into soccer."
"Um-" I was furious at myself for letting that slip. I really wasn't good at lying. "I'm not, really."
"Then are you here watching Taichi-san?" I couldn't tell if I was just my imagination or if there really was a hint of suspicion in Ken's voice.
"Uh-Yes," I said, hoping I wasn't incriminating myself by admitting that. It was common knowledge that Taichi and I were pretty good friends so it wasn't necessarily abnormal that I would come to watch.
"He's very good. I'm always impressed when I see him play."
"Yeah," I agreed. "He's hoping to get a college scholarship, and I honestly can't imagine why he wouldn't."
"Yeah," said Ken.
We watched as Taichi drove the ball back down the field and kicked it to one of the forwards.
"Daisuke-kun isn't bad either," I said, trying to steer the conversation away from Taichi.
"Mhmm," said Ken, not taking his eyes off the field.
We sat in silence, watching the ball go back and forth.
"Can I ask you a question?" said Ken after a few minutes, tucking one side of his hair behind an ear and looking at me.
"Um-sure," I said.
"Does Taichi-san know you're here?"
My heart stopped in my chest and I could see in his violet eyes that Ken absolutely meant the accusation I was inferring from his question.
"It's-it's not like that," I said, frantically trying to find a way to hide the truth that it very much was exactly like that. "We're friends. I'm just here supporting him, as a friend."
Ken just looked at me, his face filled with understanding, and I knew it was no use.
"Just-Please don't tell anyone," I looked down at my hands. I knew that Ken couldn't read my mind and didn't know the things that I thought about while I watched, but I still felt so ashamed of myself.
"I won't," he promised. "As long as you don't tell about me, either."
"What?" I looked up. "Tell about what?"
Ken suddenly looked embarrassed. "Um, I-"
"GOOOOAAALLLL!" screamed a nearby dad as the stands abruptly exploded into loud cheering. Startled, I looked back at the field. Taichi was squeezing Daisuke into a hug and lifting him off the ground as the rest of the team whooped and high-fived around them.
I looked back at now pink-cheeked Ken who had a sheepish but proud half-smile on his face and everything clicked together in my brain.
"Daisuke-kun?"
Ken nodded. "Honestly, I'm relieved that you're here too. I felt like a stalker."
"Unless we're both stalkers," I said, still feeling guilty.
"Could be," shrugged Ken, balancing his elbow on his knee and resting his chin in his palm.
"Ken-kun!" came Mrs. Yagami's voice again. She was approaching us carrying a paper drink tray with two insulated cups in it. "I didn't know this was the friend you were waiting for, Koushiro-kun! Next time, don't keep him waiting,"
"I promise I won't, Mrs. Yagami," said Ken without missing a beat.
"I know you said you didn't want anything, but it's getting so chilly and I don't want either of you boys getting sick, so I brought you some tea." She handed us the warm cups.
"Thank you, Mrs. Yagami."
"Will I see either of you at our apartment this week? Hikari was very grateful for your help on her science project, Ken-kun, and Taichi talks about you all the time, Koushiro-kun, but I haven't seen you around in a while!"
"He does?"
"Of course! You should sleep over this weekend, if it's alright with your parents, of course. I'm sure Taichi would be very happy if you spent the night!"
Ken sipped loudly on his tea as the blush creeped back up my neck and onto my cheeks.
"I'll ask Taichi-san," I said weakly.
"Great! Have a great day, boys!" she waved and walked away.
"Lucky you," smirked Ken once she was out of earshot.
"Like you and Daisuke have never had a sleepover before," I shot back, still embarrassed.
Ken laughed light heartedly and we went back to watching the game. We sat in silence for a while, each in our own world, watching the game and drinking our tea. Once my embarrassment had subsided, I realized that I liked having Ken there with me. His company was comfortable and the fear and vulnerability I felt previously had been replaced with confidence that my secret was safe with him. In a way, it was even more sick that we would do this together, but I was just glad to have found someone who understood and shared my situation.
"Two minutes left," I said, turning to Ken as the game began coming to a close. "I usually leave around now."
"Why?"
"So I can be genuine when I ask Taichi-san who won tomorrow."
"Wow, Izumi-sempai" said Ken. "You are a genius."
"If you want to call it that," I shrugged, standing up.
We walked together out of the stands, pausing briefly to wave to Daisuke's parents and sister as we passed them.
"So," said Ken, as we reached the street, getting ready to part ways. "Um-same time next Sunday?"
"See you then," I smiled.
