Title: The Gift
Rating: PG
Notes: Taisuke/ Daichi. I should give OOC warning to all of my characters, just in case. The theme of the fic is based very, very, very lousely on GetBackers. Very lousely. If you like it, review or don't review it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, GetBackers, or any of the characters.
"Heads up, Daisuke."
He swiveled around in his chair and caught a picture of a man, maybe a couple of years older then him. Upon inspection, the man had jetty brown hair like his own and a strange, off-center smile. Daisuke raised an eyebrow at his partner.
"Our next assignment," Ken said, walking around to take a seat next to his partner. "Some rich kid got kidnapped and ransomed, only the parents paid the ransom, but no sign of the guy."
A bubbling feeling of joy ran through him. It had been forever since their last job and god only knew he didn't want to be working as assistant manager at this ramen joint forever. A rich kid meant lots of money, plus they might even be tipped well. He couldn't keep the smile that grew on his face.
"Sweet, you know what this means?"
Ken sent him a look. "I don't want you spending anything before we get it." His voice was a shock of steel. "You got yourself into this mess by your need for ramen and noodles. Look where it got you!"
"Che..." It was true though, he couldn't deny it. Nothing went by his partner. He looked down at the picture; the guy was quite handsome. He might get a little something on the side if he played it well enough. Some people couldn't get enough of the hero-y type of people (that was always the best angle to play it).
"Don't."
Daisuke rolled his eyes. "What's the mystery man's name anyway?"
"Yagami Taichi," Ken said and coughed. "Haven't you heard of him? He's some kind of famous model or something. Posted everywhere. I don't follow those kinds of things, but even I knew that." His cheeks bloomed a nice shade of pink.
"Yeah whatever, Ken. Miyako would kill you if you did follow those kinds of things. You are so whipped."
It was a beautiful thing seeing Ken like this, hands clenched in fists, lovely pink cheeks, gritted teeth, and all. He knew Ken didn't have a come back, they'd been over it hundreds of times. Daisuke just liked to pull his partner's leg every once in a while, it was just so fun to see him like it.
Ken took a deep breath in. "Daisuke?" He stood and planted a hand on his shoulder and pushed back, toppling the red-head over. "Have a nice trip," he said, laughing, as he left the room.
Daisuke groaned, black stops appearing before his eyes. Damn! His hand came up to rub the back of his head. *Vindictive bastard.* The picture of Taichi floated back to his mind.
"We'll be seeing you soon, Tai-chan." He kissed the picture. "Wait up for me, ya hear?"
=The Gift=
A couple days later, Daisuke and Ken walked uptown to the richer part of town. They were to meet with the parents, gather any clues from them, and (most importantly) allow time for Ken to try to pick up any impressions from the apartment as to where he was last seen and such.
Ken was the best psychic in the business (he never got the credit he was due, much to Daisuke's chagrin). By just touching something, he'd be able to see the place Taichi was meaning to go to and from there, they could scout around the area, looking from something suspicious.
The family lived in a high rise apartment that took up a full floor of the building. They were greeted by a footman, who opened the door and smiled at them. Daisuke couldn't keep from staring.
Ken hit him. "Play attention, ADD Poster Child. We're here on a job, not to gawk around and draw attention to ourselves."
Daisuke couldn't help but be fascinated by the thought of having someone's soul purpose to open doors for you. "Could you imagine that kind of job?"
Ken rolled his eyes. They walked up to the elevator and pressed the put button.
"I guess when you get rich, opening doors is a bit too complicated." Daisuke laughed and nudged Ken. "Pull door until there is a space, pass through said door, and look! Door magically closes by itself! My god, the advances of science."
Ken hit the back of his head. Daisuke winced and brought a hand up to cradle the still tender goose egg that had formed there. "Watch it, Ichijouji. I'm still mad at you about that."
The elevator ride was uneventful and they stepped off at the seventeenth floor, arriving in a small walk wall. Ken took the lead and pressed the intercom. "Ichijouji-Motomiya Investigations here to speak with the family."
There was a beep and the door opened, revealing a smiling older man. He opened the door fully and stood to the side. He was wearing a stiff looking suit, with a black and white button up shirt. "The family has been waiting for your arrival, gentlemen. We are ever so pleased that you have made time to visit."
Ken nodded and walked in, followed by Daisuke. The apartment looked big enough to fit four of his in it nicely with lots of room to spare. Ken had said this was just their work apartment and that they had another in the country somewhere. It was hard to believe that people actually lived like this.
A middle-aged man walked out to greet them. He was wearing what looked like casual clothes, brown slacks and a white sweater. He was a handsome man, with a thick head of brown hair and an easy smile that lit up his face, even when he was obviously distraught. *So, this is wear my Taichi got his good looks from.* He hummed and wondered if Taichi would look as good when he got older.
"Yagami-san," Ken was the first to offer his hand. Daisuke followed suit and was met by the mother in the living room. They were offered a seat and tea.
They were entertained by the tearful mother, recounting all that her precious Taichi had done just before he had gone out - to the museum of all places. He was an angel, he never dealt with the wrong crowd (Daisuke had to wonder who would be considered the "wrong crowd"), he was never truant in school, still a virgin, and the list went on.
He kept his laughter to himself and focused on asking as many questions as possible. Ken had gotten up a few minutes into the tirade and ran his hands over anything that looked remotely like it had belonged to the kidnapped man.
"I have no idea who would kidnap him, he's such a -"
Ken's cough broke the woeful wail. "Would you mind if we looked in his room? We need to try to retrace his last steps as much as possible."
The mother nodded and sniffed. "His room is just down the hall, second door on the right."
Daisuke got up and headed down the hall. They came upon the door and was cautious in opening it (you never know what kind of traps things could hid in places like these.) There wasn't anything to be seen or felt, which was good.
The room was large and, well, large. *My whole apartment could fit in this room*, he mused. There was an equally large bed and clothes still strung out across the floor. On one wall sat a computer desk complete with computer and mountains of random papers. There was a walk-in closet on the other wall and another dresser with a large mirror.
It looked normal, just bigger then most people's houses. It made his own hopes diminish just a bit. Okay, maybe he'd not get a relationship (how could he ever hope to support such a boyfriend?) but maybe a good shag. Yes. He nodded to himself. Sex would be good enough.
Ken had gone straight for the dresser, looking around for stray pieces of metal jewelry. Memories were the easiest to get out of metal, especially metal that is carried closest to the body.
Daisuke turned away from the computer and walked over to his partner. Ken had his head bowed, his hands cups. After a moment, he replaced the watch back on the dresser and looked over at him. "Well, he certainly didn't go to the museum."
"Oh?" Daisuke arched a brow.
"I think our person is a party animal. Let's go get dressed. The Paper Moon has our name on it tonight!"
The Paper Moon, eh? One of the ritzier gay dance clubs downtown. *So little Taichi is gay, huh? Maybe there is hope for us after all.* He felt the fire ignite in his heart. *Wait for me, Taichi! We're coming!*
Ken caught his eye and chuckled.
*---*
The club was crowded, even though it was only a Tuesday night. Daisuke felt the familiar thrill of the music fill him and even though this was strictly a business venture, he was going to try to get a dance or two in. At least.
Ken had gone through his computer science degree with one of the bouncers and used that to get them in ahead of the crowd. This was the first time either of them had been to this particular club (not for Daisuke trying; Ken refused to use his contacts unless they were for work.)
A firm arm yanked Daisuke out of the dancing crowd. "We're here to work," Ken hissed. "You, bar, get!" He pointed.
Daisuke sighed and rubbed his temples. "Just once," he said under his breath. He could feel the heated glare on his back as he walked over to the bar. It was a search just to find an empty seat. He ordered a mixed drink and sat back. The bar tender hadn't heard of Taichi, but then she was new to the club.
"Taichi?" Someone shouted over the music, just behind him. A hand was placed on his shoulder as he started to turn around. "Where have you - Oh."
Daisuke got an eyeful of a tall blond, a pout set deep in his face. He was wearing skin tight leather pants and an equally skin tight fishnet shirt. Talk about a walking wet dream. He smiled his most dashing smile. "Sorry. But I am looking for him."
"Oh." The blond sat back on his heels. A blond, a bimbo, what more can a guy ask for? "Well, I haven't seen him either. Not for at least a week."
That caught his attention. Taichi vanished last Tuesday, en route to the 'museum'. Score another point for Ken and his abilities. "So, he was here last week?" A nod. Interesting. Maybe the kidnapping occurred at the club. It seemed like an ideal place.
Daisuke blinked. "Oh, where's my manners? I'm Motomiya Daisuke." He grabbed the blonds' hand. "Daisuke to all my friends." A blinding smile.
A look of almost disgust passed over the other man's face. "Er, Ishida Yamato. Ishida to you."
Daisuke sighed and dropped the hand, watching the blond weave back into the crowd. His legendary charm just wasn't holding up as it had. Then again, maybe it was his height. Shorter men tended to be a turn off to other men, he'd found.
*Ishida Yamato, huh?* He recognized the same. It was another horrifyingly rich kid. He sighed. It was a happy dream to get that close to him and even touch him. He had such smooth skin.
*Oh well*, he thought with a bit of a smile. *Time to get back to work. Ken will want to hear about all this.*
He slide off the chair, drink in hand, and was determined to find his partner. He scouted around the outside of the club with no luck. It seemed weird to picture Ken in the middle of the grinding bunch, but he wouldn't leave without finding Daisuke first.
"Excuse me?" Someone tapped his shoulder. He turned around. A small waitress greeted him with a nervous smile. "Your friend asked me to take you in the back. He said he had something he wanted to show you."
Daisuke nodded. He'd found a lead, thank god. Good ol' Ken coming through to the end. He followed the waitress through the crowd and to back. They exited the main dance follow into a hallway in the back.
She opened a door and motioned for him to enter. It was dark inside, and once Daisuke had stepped in, he had the sinking feeling he'd stepped into a trap.
Something collided with the back of his head and all he saw was black.
*---*
His back was up against something cold and his head hurt like nothing else. He shivered and opened his eyes to small slits. It took a few blinks for him to be able to open them completely.
"Shit..." he muttered under his breath. Ken will be laughing at him for this for weeks.
He looked around. He was trapped in a small room with a little light and two other men. One was that blonde bimbo, Ishida or something. He was leaning up against the wall, eyes closed as if sleeping. His hands were handcuffed and laying in his lap.
He held up his own hands. Handcuffed, of course. *Damn it!*
Another man huddled in a corner. It was almost too dark to see him. "H-Hey," said the man and crawled out of the corner. "Are you awake?"
Daisuke nodded and got an eyeful of the man. It was indeed the Yagami Taichi they were looking for. His brown eyes were huge and scared, his clothes damp from the dripping ceiling. He looked as if he were okay, though. And he was alive, which was another plus.
But he felt compelled to ask anyway, "Yagami Taichi?" The brunette nodded. "Good, we've been looking for you. Your parents sent us."
Taichi sat back and had the grace to look relieved. "You're just in time. They've been saying they mean to kill me."
The blonde started to moan and opened his eyes. Daisuke heard him muttering under his breath, but couldn't quite catch the words.
"You okay?" he called out to the blonde.
Yamato looked up, blue eyes wide, and nodded. He turned his attention to Taichi and a huge smile broke out onto his face. "Where have you been, Tai-kun? I've been looking for you everywhere. Even when to that horrible club you like." He closed his eyes for a second. "I was so worried that something happened to you." He looked as if he was torn between hugging and beating up Taichi.
Taichi's laugh was sheepish. "Well, er, I've been here for the last two weeks. But don't worry, I'm alright."
Daisuke looked between the two and frowned. So they were a couple. That figured. He sniffed. Oh well, that tended to be the story of his love life. There was someone out there for him, he just had to try harder to find him.
"And who are you?" Yamato's question broke him out of his thoughts.
"Er, Motomiya Daisuke of Ichijouji-Daisuke Investigations. We hunt things down that other people have lost."
"So that's why you were looking for Tai-kun earlier?"
Daisuke stood up and ran a hand over the wall. "Yeah," he said over his shoulder. He walked to the door and examined the lock. It was old and rusty, nothing his pocket knife couldn't make quick work off. Now to just get off these cuffs off.
He turned to the others. "Do either of you know how to pick locks?" Blank looks. Of course they wouldn't know. What use would they have to learn it?
Picking locks wasn't something he was terrible at. In fact, the bigger the locks (such as those in doors) he could do in a jiff. And he loved tackling the huge safes, but trying to get at a tiny lock with your wrists cracked. He sighed.
"Can one of you help me?" Taichi nodded and Daisuke walked over to him. He plopped down in front of him, legs crossed. "I need you to find the bobby-pin in my hair." He closed his eyes as tentative fingers ran through his hair.
The fingers messaged his scalped as they searched for the pin. He was afraid that leaned too far into the touch. The fingers stopped, finding the pin, and yanked it out with practice grace.
Daisuke knew he was blushed when he turned around a received it. He kept his eyes turned away and murmured a slight "thank you". The blonde looked a bit disgusted and avoided his own eyes when they raised up to him.
*Jealous? Probably. Don't you, I don't have anything on you. You have nothing to worry about.* The thoughts depressed him, he pushed them aside and focused on the cuffs.
Because the locks were against the inside of his wrist, he jiggled to get the links twisted in the right direction. The pin went in and he jammed it around the lock, looking for the trigger release. It took a minute, but he felt the level press down and the lock gave.
He slid the cuffs off himself and made quick work of the other two. He held a finger up to his lips and said, "Please be as quiet as possible. I'll jiffy this lock open and then we have to get out of here." He lifted his pant leg and slide the small knife out of his shoe.
The lock fell within the first minute. Creaking the door open, they looked around: no one to be seen. So they slid out of the cell and hugged the wall while Daisuke shut the door again.
All the doors down the hall were locked and the lights flickered on and off. There had to be some kind of exit around here. They walked to the end of the hallway and checked the door: it was locked. Daisuke bent down and picked it open.
It opened onto another hallway. Daisuke looked over his shoulder, back down the hallway they had just come from and then to the one ahead of them. The sinking feeling of being lost set into his bones. And it wasn't a good thing to be lost in a place like this.
*Damn it! Where are you, Ken?*
Regardless, they started down the hallway. Taichi pressed close into his side, almost close enough to hear the furious beating of his heart. It was almost too cute. Yamato stay close to the other side of Taichi, lips pressed tightly together and set in a frown.
The door at the end of the hallway was picked open and proved to be some kind of computer room. There was a man sitting in front of the monitors, watching an episode of 'I Love Lucy' and hadn't seen them walk in.
Daisuke grabbed the closest thing at hand, a wireless telephone and smashed it across his skull. The man slumped over. He pushed the man out of the chair and sat down.
There was another side door that seemed to lead down to a huge hall. Daisuke examined the monitors. "Hey! We're still in the Paper Moon!" The bad guys didn't even have the decency to lead them put them in a strange and exotic location. What rip-offs. They deserved to be knocked up for the tackiness.
"And?" Yamato walked up to him, arms crossed.
"I think we can get out to the main floor via that door," he pointed, "but I think it would be best if we could short circuit this place to give us enough time to get out of here." He bit his lip. He hadn't the slightest idea of how to kill this thing.
Taichi coughed and walked up besides him. He exchanged looks with Yamato - the blond was giving him dark looks, he just shrugged him off. "I can short this thing."
Daisuke pushed back in the chair and rolled a foot away. "By all means," he motioned.
Taichi seemed to be nervous. He took a deep breath and placed both hands on the control panel. As he exhaled, the lights on the board flickered and went out. Thirty seconds later, the rest of the place went dark.
"Awesome!" Daisuke exclaimed. "Now, let's get out of the hell hole!"
The door behind them burst open and slammed shut with equal force. Daisuke jumped out of his chair, ready to clobber whoever had rushed it. "Oh, Ken." He lowered his arms.
Ken gave him an amused look. "Going to kill me with a... cordless phone?"
"Heheh." He threw the phone down on the control board. "Took you long enough to get your ass here. What made you notice that I was gone? Or where you too busy on the dance floor."
"I was busy gathering information. Something you obviously didn't feel the need to do!" Ken looked around him and smiled at Taichi. "I see you managed to do something right for once."
Daisuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever." He turned to make his way to the other door when he was greeted by questioning looks of the other two. He paused and gestured to Ken. "This is Ichijouji Ken. My partner who doesn't do anything."
With that, he swung open the door, ignoring Ken's protesting noises. "Come on!"
They walked into an empty warehouse-type room. It was huge, and with the exception of a few boxes, it was empty. They hugged the walls and were halfway to the exit when they heard someone run into the warehouse and blinding lights turned on.
"There they are!"
Daisuke and Ken stopped and whipped around to the direction of the voice. There was a man pointing to him, while other men poured into the room. He gave a look to Ken, who gathered up the men and ran for the back of the warehouse.
Taichi pushed away from Ken. "We aren't leaving you behind! That's just crazy."
*Aw, he's worried about me.* His smile turned a tad silly, because he made himself become serious. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
Taichi didn't look convinced and suddenly Daisuke felt butterfly flit in his stomach. He took a breath, trying to control the blush that threatened to bloom on his cheeks. He caught eyes with his friend. *You better do something about him!*
His response was a mental eye roll.
Ken came around Taichi and patted his shoulder. A look of confusion, followed by one of compliance rolled over his face. He looked at Ken, then back to Daisuke, still wanting to saying something. He just nodded and followed him.
Daisuke turned his attention back to the growing group of men. He threw his head back and laughed. "Do ya'll really think you can stop us?" He walked closer to the group, pausing every once in a while to through glances back to his friends.
He felt satisfied when he couldn't see them anymore.
"All of one against all of us? Now, who's laughing?" some random guy in the crowd pushed his way out, baseball bat in hand. He pounded the end against his open palm.
Daisuke eyed the baseball bat and chuckled. He looked up at the crowd, unable to keep the smile off his face. He held out hand, palm side up, and focused his attention on it. It seemed, for a moment, the world flickered and faded away.
A small flame flickered an inch above his palm. The world faded back in, to show the shocked expressions of the gang.
"Wh-What the fuck?" said someone, taking a step back. The rest of the gang followed suit, suddenly changing direction and heading back into the main section of the building.
"Just want I wanted you do to," Daisuke said, his voice just above a whisper. Tonight was going to be a party.
Daisuke jogged from the burning building twenty minutes later and met up with his partner and the two captives around the curve of the road. The two men had the grace to look both surprised and relieved when he showed up. Ken just rolled his eyes.
"I think this case if officially closed."
*---*
Daisuke followed Taichi into his bedroom, per his request. It was awkward being locked in a room like this with the big haired man and he wasn't sure that he should count his blessings just yet.
Taichi motioned for him to sit on the bed and he turned his back to him. "There's something I wanted to say." His voice was soft, a bit quivering.
*You're madly and truly in love with me? He leaned back on the bed. You want to make with wild monkey sex?* He imagined himself putting an arm around Taichi's shoulder, his gentle squeezing. *"Don't you worry about a thing. I know just want will help you!"*
Taichi turned back to him and looked him dead in the eye, "I saw what you did in the warehouse. The fire. I saw it come out of your hand like that."
Daisuke paled. It had been their most tightly guarded secrets. They were investigators with 'special' powers, but it was never truly known what kind of special powers they had and that's the way they wanted to keep it.
"Yama-kun saw as well."
His heart fell into his stomach. He swallowed loudly. "Er, well, I'm sure you think you saw something, but really, you were tired and cold and disoriented!"
Taichi raised an eyebrow. "No, I know what I saw." He paused for a minute, examining the other for whatever reason. "I can do that kind of thing as well." He bit his lip. "Only... Only with lightening and Yama-kun cam make things move with his hands." He stared straight into Daisuke's eyes, almost pleading with him.
"Okay." *Damn, what a bomb shell. But I should've known, the control grid going out with just a touch?* Somehow it had just faded from his mind. "Makes sense," he said slowly, nodding his head. "The control panel and stuff."
"We never knew there were other people like us, though. We just thought we were freaks."
Gods! He looked so adorable right then, all angsty. Daisuke just wanted to go up and wrap his arms around him. But he settled with shaking his head. "Well, now you know different." A smile graced his face. "Really now. You didn't believe you were such a freak, did you?" The look on Taichi's face was very cute.
Taichi's arms were around his neck the next moment. "Thank you," he said against the curve of Daisuke's neck. He rubbed his cold nose against the warm skin, inhaling deeply.
*There is a god*, was all Daisuke had time to think.
=Epilogue=
Both families were so happy to get their prized kids back that they gave Daisuke and Ken an extra five figure bonus. Daisuke was seeing stars. He wouldn't have to eat Ramen for a long time and could probably even quit his job.
Ken put his foot down right there. The bonus's went straight into the back and Daisuke kept his job. The money was to help the business grow, said Ken. They wouldn't be using it to buy stupid things for themselves.
So here he sat, doing the schedules for the next two weeks. He hated doing schedules like nothing else. They never were right the first time; it was just fate that one of his workers would bitch and make him change the whole thing again. Happened every time.
At least he was sexed and happy and had the memory to keep him going through the tedious work.
"Daisuke?" Ken knocked on the door and leaned against the door frame.
Daisuke twirled in his chair to greet his friend with a dead pan smile. He sighed; although it wasn't his fault he had chosen this job, he could still blame him. "Another job?" he asked after a moment, perking up.
Ken shook his head.
"Then what do I have the honor of your esteemed company for?"
"Daisuke?" A head poked around Ken. Taichi stared at him for a second before smiling. "Ah! I've been looking for you everywhere!"
Daisuke paled and looked at Ken, who held a hand up to his mouth. *The bastard was laughing*, Daisuke realized. *I'll give him something to -*
"Daisuke, met out newest partner." Ken pointed to the smiling Taichi. The brunette was all smiles. "Yamato said he would also love to lend his support as well."
Daisuke looked at Taichi blankly, then back to Ken. He stood. "We can't have them joining us! It's too dangerous. They don't have any clue about the things we go through."
Ken wasn't putting up an argument. He just looked to Taichi.
"Honey... You don't think we can do it? Rich stupid kids? Is that what you think?" Taichi's voice was just above a hiss, his brown eyes narrowed.
"Er, it's not that, Taichi-san. It's just dangerous work and I'm sure you have other things to do." *Honey?* Daisuke edged closer to Ken and leaned over. "He called me 'honey', Ken. Why are you doing this? What did I do to you?"
Taichi sent the little seen an icy glare. "You didn't seem to mind me calling you honey the other night. And don't call me 'Taichi-san'." His face softened. Daisuke felt his resolve weaken at the look. All he seemed able to do was nod.
"Then it's solved?" Taichi stepped closer to Daisuke and pulled him into a light embrace. "Ken-san is right. Someone has to keep you out of harms way, as you seem to love to throw yourself in that direction for god only knows why."
A bright blush bloomed on his face. He knew Ken was having a heyday with this but he couldn't seem to pull away and tell the brunette off. *I'm getting so weak.*
Taichi pulled on his wrist. "Let's go find us some lunch, ne?" That silly happy smile. It made his knees weak.
Ken leaned over to Daisuke, just as he passed, and said, "Now who's whipped?"
The End
Well? Was it decent? I just had to write a Daichi/Taisuke. I couldn't help myself.
Rating: PG
Notes: Taisuke/ Daichi. I should give OOC warning to all of my characters, just in case. The theme of the fic is based very, very, very lousely on GetBackers. Very lousely. If you like it, review or don't review it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, GetBackers, or any of the characters.
"Heads up, Daisuke."
He swiveled around in his chair and caught a picture of a man, maybe a couple of years older then him. Upon inspection, the man had jetty brown hair like his own and a strange, off-center smile. Daisuke raised an eyebrow at his partner.
"Our next assignment," Ken said, walking around to take a seat next to his partner. "Some rich kid got kidnapped and ransomed, only the parents paid the ransom, but no sign of the guy."
A bubbling feeling of joy ran through him. It had been forever since their last job and god only knew he didn't want to be working as assistant manager at this ramen joint forever. A rich kid meant lots of money, plus they might even be tipped well. He couldn't keep the smile that grew on his face.
"Sweet, you know what this means?"
Ken sent him a look. "I don't want you spending anything before we get it." His voice was a shock of steel. "You got yourself into this mess by your need for ramen and noodles. Look where it got you!"
"Che..." It was true though, he couldn't deny it. Nothing went by his partner. He looked down at the picture; the guy was quite handsome. He might get a little something on the side if he played it well enough. Some people couldn't get enough of the hero-y type of people (that was always the best angle to play it).
"Don't."
Daisuke rolled his eyes. "What's the mystery man's name anyway?"
"Yagami Taichi," Ken said and coughed. "Haven't you heard of him? He's some kind of famous model or something. Posted everywhere. I don't follow those kinds of things, but even I knew that." His cheeks bloomed a nice shade of pink.
"Yeah whatever, Ken. Miyako would kill you if you did follow those kinds of things. You are so whipped."
It was a beautiful thing seeing Ken like this, hands clenched in fists, lovely pink cheeks, gritted teeth, and all. He knew Ken didn't have a come back, they'd been over it hundreds of times. Daisuke just liked to pull his partner's leg every once in a while, it was just so fun to see him like it.
Ken took a deep breath in. "Daisuke?" He stood and planted a hand on his shoulder and pushed back, toppling the red-head over. "Have a nice trip," he said, laughing, as he left the room.
Daisuke groaned, black stops appearing before his eyes. Damn! His hand came up to rub the back of his head. *Vindictive bastard.* The picture of Taichi floated back to his mind.
"We'll be seeing you soon, Tai-chan." He kissed the picture. "Wait up for me, ya hear?"
=The Gift=
A couple days later, Daisuke and Ken walked uptown to the richer part of town. They were to meet with the parents, gather any clues from them, and (most importantly) allow time for Ken to try to pick up any impressions from the apartment as to where he was last seen and such.
Ken was the best psychic in the business (he never got the credit he was due, much to Daisuke's chagrin). By just touching something, he'd be able to see the place Taichi was meaning to go to and from there, they could scout around the area, looking from something suspicious.
The family lived in a high rise apartment that took up a full floor of the building. They were greeted by a footman, who opened the door and smiled at them. Daisuke couldn't keep from staring.
Ken hit him. "Play attention, ADD Poster Child. We're here on a job, not to gawk around and draw attention to ourselves."
Daisuke couldn't help but be fascinated by the thought of having someone's soul purpose to open doors for you. "Could you imagine that kind of job?"
Ken rolled his eyes. They walked up to the elevator and pressed the put button.
"I guess when you get rich, opening doors is a bit too complicated." Daisuke laughed and nudged Ken. "Pull door until there is a space, pass through said door, and look! Door magically closes by itself! My god, the advances of science."
Ken hit the back of his head. Daisuke winced and brought a hand up to cradle the still tender goose egg that had formed there. "Watch it, Ichijouji. I'm still mad at you about that."
The elevator ride was uneventful and they stepped off at the seventeenth floor, arriving in a small walk wall. Ken took the lead and pressed the intercom. "Ichijouji-Motomiya Investigations here to speak with the family."
There was a beep and the door opened, revealing a smiling older man. He opened the door fully and stood to the side. He was wearing a stiff looking suit, with a black and white button up shirt. "The family has been waiting for your arrival, gentlemen. We are ever so pleased that you have made time to visit."
Ken nodded and walked in, followed by Daisuke. The apartment looked big enough to fit four of his in it nicely with lots of room to spare. Ken had said this was just their work apartment and that they had another in the country somewhere. It was hard to believe that people actually lived like this.
A middle-aged man walked out to greet them. He was wearing what looked like casual clothes, brown slacks and a white sweater. He was a handsome man, with a thick head of brown hair and an easy smile that lit up his face, even when he was obviously distraught. *So, this is wear my Taichi got his good looks from.* He hummed and wondered if Taichi would look as good when he got older.
"Yagami-san," Ken was the first to offer his hand. Daisuke followed suit and was met by the mother in the living room. They were offered a seat and tea.
They were entertained by the tearful mother, recounting all that her precious Taichi had done just before he had gone out - to the museum of all places. He was an angel, he never dealt with the wrong crowd (Daisuke had to wonder who would be considered the "wrong crowd"), he was never truant in school, still a virgin, and the list went on.
He kept his laughter to himself and focused on asking as many questions as possible. Ken had gotten up a few minutes into the tirade and ran his hands over anything that looked remotely like it had belonged to the kidnapped man.
"I have no idea who would kidnap him, he's such a -"
Ken's cough broke the woeful wail. "Would you mind if we looked in his room? We need to try to retrace his last steps as much as possible."
The mother nodded and sniffed. "His room is just down the hall, second door on the right."
Daisuke got up and headed down the hall. They came upon the door and was cautious in opening it (you never know what kind of traps things could hid in places like these.) There wasn't anything to be seen or felt, which was good.
The room was large and, well, large. *My whole apartment could fit in this room*, he mused. There was an equally large bed and clothes still strung out across the floor. On one wall sat a computer desk complete with computer and mountains of random papers. There was a walk-in closet on the other wall and another dresser with a large mirror.
It looked normal, just bigger then most people's houses. It made his own hopes diminish just a bit. Okay, maybe he'd not get a relationship (how could he ever hope to support such a boyfriend?) but maybe a good shag. Yes. He nodded to himself. Sex would be good enough.
Ken had gone straight for the dresser, looking around for stray pieces of metal jewelry. Memories were the easiest to get out of metal, especially metal that is carried closest to the body.
Daisuke turned away from the computer and walked over to his partner. Ken had his head bowed, his hands cups. After a moment, he replaced the watch back on the dresser and looked over at him. "Well, he certainly didn't go to the museum."
"Oh?" Daisuke arched a brow.
"I think our person is a party animal. Let's go get dressed. The Paper Moon has our name on it tonight!"
The Paper Moon, eh? One of the ritzier gay dance clubs downtown. *So little Taichi is gay, huh? Maybe there is hope for us after all.* He felt the fire ignite in his heart. *Wait for me, Taichi! We're coming!*
Ken caught his eye and chuckled.
*---*
The club was crowded, even though it was only a Tuesday night. Daisuke felt the familiar thrill of the music fill him and even though this was strictly a business venture, he was going to try to get a dance or two in. At least.
Ken had gone through his computer science degree with one of the bouncers and used that to get them in ahead of the crowd. This was the first time either of them had been to this particular club (not for Daisuke trying; Ken refused to use his contacts unless they were for work.)
A firm arm yanked Daisuke out of the dancing crowd. "We're here to work," Ken hissed. "You, bar, get!" He pointed.
Daisuke sighed and rubbed his temples. "Just once," he said under his breath. He could feel the heated glare on his back as he walked over to the bar. It was a search just to find an empty seat. He ordered a mixed drink and sat back. The bar tender hadn't heard of Taichi, but then she was new to the club.
"Taichi?" Someone shouted over the music, just behind him. A hand was placed on his shoulder as he started to turn around. "Where have you - Oh."
Daisuke got an eyeful of a tall blond, a pout set deep in his face. He was wearing skin tight leather pants and an equally skin tight fishnet shirt. Talk about a walking wet dream. He smiled his most dashing smile. "Sorry. But I am looking for him."
"Oh." The blond sat back on his heels. A blond, a bimbo, what more can a guy ask for? "Well, I haven't seen him either. Not for at least a week."
That caught his attention. Taichi vanished last Tuesday, en route to the 'museum'. Score another point for Ken and his abilities. "So, he was here last week?" A nod. Interesting. Maybe the kidnapping occurred at the club. It seemed like an ideal place.
Daisuke blinked. "Oh, where's my manners? I'm Motomiya Daisuke." He grabbed the blonds' hand. "Daisuke to all my friends." A blinding smile.
A look of almost disgust passed over the other man's face. "Er, Ishida Yamato. Ishida to you."
Daisuke sighed and dropped the hand, watching the blond weave back into the crowd. His legendary charm just wasn't holding up as it had. Then again, maybe it was his height. Shorter men tended to be a turn off to other men, he'd found.
*Ishida Yamato, huh?* He recognized the same. It was another horrifyingly rich kid. He sighed. It was a happy dream to get that close to him and even touch him. He had such smooth skin.
*Oh well*, he thought with a bit of a smile. *Time to get back to work. Ken will want to hear about all this.*
He slide off the chair, drink in hand, and was determined to find his partner. He scouted around the outside of the club with no luck. It seemed weird to picture Ken in the middle of the grinding bunch, but he wouldn't leave without finding Daisuke first.
"Excuse me?" Someone tapped his shoulder. He turned around. A small waitress greeted him with a nervous smile. "Your friend asked me to take you in the back. He said he had something he wanted to show you."
Daisuke nodded. He'd found a lead, thank god. Good ol' Ken coming through to the end. He followed the waitress through the crowd and to back. They exited the main dance follow into a hallway in the back.
She opened a door and motioned for him to enter. It was dark inside, and once Daisuke had stepped in, he had the sinking feeling he'd stepped into a trap.
Something collided with the back of his head and all he saw was black.
*---*
His back was up against something cold and his head hurt like nothing else. He shivered and opened his eyes to small slits. It took a few blinks for him to be able to open them completely.
"Shit..." he muttered under his breath. Ken will be laughing at him for this for weeks.
He looked around. He was trapped in a small room with a little light and two other men. One was that blonde bimbo, Ishida or something. He was leaning up against the wall, eyes closed as if sleeping. His hands were handcuffed and laying in his lap.
He held up his own hands. Handcuffed, of course. *Damn it!*
Another man huddled in a corner. It was almost too dark to see him. "H-Hey," said the man and crawled out of the corner. "Are you awake?"
Daisuke nodded and got an eyeful of the man. It was indeed the Yagami Taichi they were looking for. His brown eyes were huge and scared, his clothes damp from the dripping ceiling. He looked as if he were okay, though. And he was alive, which was another plus.
But he felt compelled to ask anyway, "Yagami Taichi?" The brunette nodded. "Good, we've been looking for you. Your parents sent us."
Taichi sat back and had the grace to look relieved. "You're just in time. They've been saying they mean to kill me."
The blonde started to moan and opened his eyes. Daisuke heard him muttering under his breath, but couldn't quite catch the words.
"You okay?" he called out to the blonde.
Yamato looked up, blue eyes wide, and nodded. He turned his attention to Taichi and a huge smile broke out onto his face. "Where have you been, Tai-kun? I've been looking for you everywhere. Even when to that horrible club you like." He closed his eyes for a second. "I was so worried that something happened to you." He looked as if he was torn between hugging and beating up Taichi.
Taichi's laugh was sheepish. "Well, er, I've been here for the last two weeks. But don't worry, I'm alright."
Daisuke looked between the two and frowned. So they were a couple. That figured. He sniffed. Oh well, that tended to be the story of his love life. There was someone out there for him, he just had to try harder to find him.
"And who are you?" Yamato's question broke him out of his thoughts.
"Er, Motomiya Daisuke of Ichijouji-Daisuke Investigations. We hunt things down that other people have lost."
"So that's why you were looking for Tai-kun earlier?"
Daisuke stood up and ran a hand over the wall. "Yeah," he said over his shoulder. He walked to the door and examined the lock. It was old and rusty, nothing his pocket knife couldn't make quick work off. Now to just get off these cuffs off.
He turned to the others. "Do either of you know how to pick locks?" Blank looks. Of course they wouldn't know. What use would they have to learn it?
Picking locks wasn't something he was terrible at. In fact, the bigger the locks (such as those in doors) he could do in a jiff. And he loved tackling the huge safes, but trying to get at a tiny lock with your wrists cracked. He sighed.
"Can one of you help me?" Taichi nodded and Daisuke walked over to him. He plopped down in front of him, legs crossed. "I need you to find the bobby-pin in my hair." He closed his eyes as tentative fingers ran through his hair.
The fingers messaged his scalped as they searched for the pin. He was afraid that leaned too far into the touch. The fingers stopped, finding the pin, and yanked it out with practice grace.
Daisuke knew he was blushed when he turned around a received it. He kept his eyes turned away and murmured a slight "thank you". The blonde looked a bit disgusted and avoided his own eyes when they raised up to him.
*Jealous? Probably. Don't you, I don't have anything on you. You have nothing to worry about.* The thoughts depressed him, he pushed them aside and focused on the cuffs.
Because the locks were against the inside of his wrist, he jiggled to get the links twisted in the right direction. The pin went in and he jammed it around the lock, looking for the trigger release. It took a minute, but he felt the level press down and the lock gave.
He slid the cuffs off himself and made quick work of the other two. He held a finger up to his lips and said, "Please be as quiet as possible. I'll jiffy this lock open and then we have to get out of here." He lifted his pant leg and slide the small knife out of his shoe.
The lock fell within the first minute. Creaking the door open, they looked around: no one to be seen. So they slid out of the cell and hugged the wall while Daisuke shut the door again.
All the doors down the hall were locked and the lights flickered on and off. There had to be some kind of exit around here. They walked to the end of the hallway and checked the door: it was locked. Daisuke bent down and picked it open.
It opened onto another hallway. Daisuke looked over his shoulder, back down the hallway they had just come from and then to the one ahead of them. The sinking feeling of being lost set into his bones. And it wasn't a good thing to be lost in a place like this.
*Damn it! Where are you, Ken?*
Regardless, they started down the hallway. Taichi pressed close into his side, almost close enough to hear the furious beating of his heart. It was almost too cute. Yamato stay close to the other side of Taichi, lips pressed tightly together and set in a frown.
The door at the end of the hallway was picked open and proved to be some kind of computer room. There was a man sitting in front of the monitors, watching an episode of 'I Love Lucy' and hadn't seen them walk in.
Daisuke grabbed the closest thing at hand, a wireless telephone and smashed it across his skull. The man slumped over. He pushed the man out of the chair and sat down.
There was another side door that seemed to lead down to a huge hall. Daisuke examined the monitors. "Hey! We're still in the Paper Moon!" The bad guys didn't even have the decency to lead them put them in a strange and exotic location. What rip-offs. They deserved to be knocked up for the tackiness.
"And?" Yamato walked up to him, arms crossed.
"I think we can get out to the main floor via that door," he pointed, "but I think it would be best if we could short circuit this place to give us enough time to get out of here." He bit his lip. He hadn't the slightest idea of how to kill this thing.
Taichi coughed and walked up besides him. He exchanged looks with Yamato - the blond was giving him dark looks, he just shrugged him off. "I can short this thing."
Daisuke pushed back in the chair and rolled a foot away. "By all means," he motioned.
Taichi seemed to be nervous. He took a deep breath and placed both hands on the control panel. As he exhaled, the lights on the board flickered and went out. Thirty seconds later, the rest of the place went dark.
"Awesome!" Daisuke exclaimed. "Now, let's get out of the hell hole!"
The door behind them burst open and slammed shut with equal force. Daisuke jumped out of his chair, ready to clobber whoever had rushed it. "Oh, Ken." He lowered his arms.
Ken gave him an amused look. "Going to kill me with a... cordless phone?"
"Heheh." He threw the phone down on the control board. "Took you long enough to get your ass here. What made you notice that I was gone? Or where you too busy on the dance floor."
"I was busy gathering information. Something you obviously didn't feel the need to do!" Ken looked around him and smiled at Taichi. "I see you managed to do something right for once."
Daisuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever." He turned to make his way to the other door when he was greeted by questioning looks of the other two. He paused and gestured to Ken. "This is Ichijouji Ken. My partner who doesn't do anything."
With that, he swung open the door, ignoring Ken's protesting noises. "Come on!"
They walked into an empty warehouse-type room. It was huge, and with the exception of a few boxes, it was empty. They hugged the walls and were halfway to the exit when they heard someone run into the warehouse and blinding lights turned on.
"There they are!"
Daisuke and Ken stopped and whipped around to the direction of the voice. There was a man pointing to him, while other men poured into the room. He gave a look to Ken, who gathered up the men and ran for the back of the warehouse.
Taichi pushed away from Ken. "We aren't leaving you behind! That's just crazy."
*Aw, he's worried about me.* His smile turned a tad silly, because he made himself become serious. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
Taichi didn't look convinced and suddenly Daisuke felt butterfly flit in his stomach. He took a breath, trying to control the blush that threatened to bloom on his cheeks. He caught eyes with his friend. *You better do something about him!*
His response was a mental eye roll.
Ken came around Taichi and patted his shoulder. A look of confusion, followed by one of compliance rolled over his face. He looked at Ken, then back to Daisuke, still wanting to saying something. He just nodded and followed him.
Daisuke turned his attention back to the growing group of men. He threw his head back and laughed. "Do ya'll really think you can stop us?" He walked closer to the group, pausing every once in a while to through glances back to his friends.
He felt satisfied when he couldn't see them anymore.
"All of one against all of us? Now, who's laughing?" some random guy in the crowd pushed his way out, baseball bat in hand. He pounded the end against his open palm.
Daisuke eyed the baseball bat and chuckled. He looked up at the crowd, unable to keep the smile off his face. He held out hand, palm side up, and focused his attention on it. It seemed, for a moment, the world flickered and faded away.
A small flame flickered an inch above his palm. The world faded back in, to show the shocked expressions of the gang.
"Wh-What the fuck?" said someone, taking a step back. The rest of the gang followed suit, suddenly changing direction and heading back into the main section of the building.
"Just want I wanted you do to," Daisuke said, his voice just above a whisper. Tonight was going to be a party.
Daisuke jogged from the burning building twenty minutes later and met up with his partner and the two captives around the curve of the road. The two men had the grace to look both surprised and relieved when he showed up. Ken just rolled his eyes.
"I think this case if officially closed."
*---*
Daisuke followed Taichi into his bedroom, per his request. It was awkward being locked in a room like this with the big haired man and he wasn't sure that he should count his blessings just yet.
Taichi motioned for him to sit on the bed and he turned his back to him. "There's something I wanted to say." His voice was soft, a bit quivering.
*You're madly and truly in love with me? He leaned back on the bed. You want to make with wild monkey sex?* He imagined himself putting an arm around Taichi's shoulder, his gentle squeezing. *"Don't you worry about a thing. I know just want will help you!"*
Taichi turned back to him and looked him dead in the eye, "I saw what you did in the warehouse. The fire. I saw it come out of your hand like that."
Daisuke paled. It had been their most tightly guarded secrets. They were investigators with 'special' powers, but it was never truly known what kind of special powers they had and that's the way they wanted to keep it.
"Yama-kun saw as well."
His heart fell into his stomach. He swallowed loudly. "Er, well, I'm sure you think you saw something, but really, you were tired and cold and disoriented!"
Taichi raised an eyebrow. "No, I know what I saw." He paused for a minute, examining the other for whatever reason. "I can do that kind of thing as well." He bit his lip. "Only... Only with lightening and Yama-kun cam make things move with his hands." He stared straight into Daisuke's eyes, almost pleading with him.
"Okay." *Damn, what a bomb shell. But I should've known, the control grid going out with just a touch?* Somehow it had just faded from his mind. "Makes sense," he said slowly, nodding his head. "The control panel and stuff."
"We never knew there were other people like us, though. We just thought we were freaks."
Gods! He looked so adorable right then, all angsty. Daisuke just wanted to go up and wrap his arms around him. But he settled with shaking his head. "Well, now you know different." A smile graced his face. "Really now. You didn't believe you were such a freak, did you?" The look on Taichi's face was very cute.
Taichi's arms were around his neck the next moment. "Thank you," he said against the curve of Daisuke's neck. He rubbed his cold nose against the warm skin, inhaling deeply.
*There is a god*, was all Daisuke had time to think.
=Epilogue=
Both families were so happy to get their prized kids back that they gave Daisuke and Ken an extra five figure bonus. Daisuke was seeing stars. He wouldn't have to eat Ramen for a long time and could probably even quit his job.
Ken put his foot down right there. The bonus's went straight into the back and Daisuke kept his job. The money was to help the business grow, said Ken. They wouldn't be using it to buy stupid things for themselves.
So here he sat, doing the schedules for the next two weeks. He hated doing schedules like nothing else. They never were right the first time; it was just fate that one of his workers would bitch and make him change the whole thing again. Happened every time.
At least he was sexed and happy and had the memory to keep him going through the tedious work.
"Daisuke?" Ken knocked on the door and leaned against the door frame.
Daisuke twirled in his chair to greet his friend with a dead pan smile. He sighed; although it wasn't his fault he had chosen this job, he could still blame him. "Another job?" he asked after a moment, perking up.
Ken shook his head.
"Then what do I have the honor of your esteemed company for?"
"Daisuke?" A head poked around Ken. Taichi stared at him for a second before smiling. "Ah! I've been looking for you everywhere!"
Daisuke paled and looked at Ken, who held a hand up to his mouth. *The bastard was laughing*, Daisuke realized. *I'll give him something to -*
"Daisuke, met out newest partner." Ken pointed to the smiling Taichi. The brunette was all smiles. "Yamato said he would also love to lend his support as well."
Daisuke looked at Taichi blankly, then back to Ken. He stood. "We can't have them joining us! It's too dangerous. They don't have any clue about the things we go through."
Ken wasn't putting up an argument. He just looked to Taichi.
"Honey... You don't think we can do it? Rich stupid kids? Is that what you think?" Taichi's voice was just above a hiss, his brown eyes narrowed.
"Er, it's not that, Taichi-san. It's just dangerous work and I'm sure you have other things to do." *Honey?* Daisuke edged closer to Ken and leaned over. "He called me 'honey', Ken. Why are you doing this? What did I do to you?"
Taichi sent the little seen an icy glare. "You didn't seem to mind me calling you honey the other night. And don't call me 'Taichi-san'." His face softened. Daisuke felt his resolve weaken at the look. All he seemed able to do was nod.
"Then it's solved?" Taichi stepped closer to Daisuke and pulled him into a light embrace. "Ken-san is right. Someone has to keep you out of harms way, as you seem to love to throw yourself in that direction for god only knows why."
A bright blush bloomed on his face. He knew Ken was having a heyday with this but he couldn't seem to pull away and tell the brunette off. *I'm getting so weak.*
Taichi pulled on his wrist. "Let's go find us some lunch, ne?" That silly happy smile. It made his knees weak.
Ken leaned over to Daisuke, just as he passed, and said, "Now who's whipped?"
The End
Well? Was it decent? I just had to write a Daichi/Taisuke. I couldn't help myself.