OTP week 2017
Pairing: Taichi and Yamato (Taiyama)
Prompt: Disney AU
Warning: Contains hetero pairings, so if that makes you uncomfortable, please turn away ;P
A/N: Don't know if I'll leave this as a one-shot or continue… If I do decide to continue, updates will be sparse.
-o-o-o-o-o-
A blond, 17-year old boy slammed the door to his room—if you could call it his room. It was just a computer room with a futon rolled up in the corner.
He ran his hands over his face, then pressed the heels into his closed eyelids. He took three of his planned ten deep breaths before the door was slammed open.
"How dare you walk out on me and even have the nerve to slam the door? Didn't that father of yours teach you any manners? I'm your mother and I took you in! You need to start showing me some respect."
Yamato Ishida dropped his hands, blue eyes scathing. "Show you some respect? I'll start showing you respect when you start treating me like a human being."
Natsuko Takaishi glared at her son from the doorway, ready with a list of all the ways Yamato was disrespecting her and being an ungrateful brat.
"Mum…" Came a new voice from the hallway. "Come back to the dining room, please. Yamato, you as well, please. You spent so long on that dinner. It'll get cold."
"Let it." Was Natsuko's blunt reply. She eyed Yamato for a few more seconds before turning her attention to the younger male, Takeru. "It's pointless to try eating it, when it's not even edible. Come on." She put a hand on his shoulder turning him away from the computer room. She threw a nasty look over her shoulder. "Let's go out for dinner; we can't eat that… gunk."
Takeru's blue eyes looked up innocently. "I think it tastes good."
"Let's go." A firm command.
Takeru threw his brother an apologetic look, but let his mother lead him away.
Yamato stayed stone still, waiting. As soon as he heard the door close, his legs gave out. He was left kneeling on the ground on all fours, fighting back tears.
How dare she?
It hadn't even been a week since…
He put a hand over his mouth.
How dare she?
He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, giving the final battle against his tears his all.
With a deep breath, he stood abruptly, and went over to the corner with the futon. He grabbed his duffle bag, emptying the last miscellaneous items from the bottom of it. Then he started re-packing, taking only the bare necessities.
He didn't want to be here. He was almost done with high school anyway. He wouldn't drop out, no, but he didn't have to keep going from this place.
Half an hour later Yamato was ready—or as ready as one could be on such short notice for such a large, life-changing decision.
The door closed firmly behind him. He'd left his keys inside, but no note.
-o-o-o-
Jou Kido sighed in relief as his shift ended for the evening. He walked down the hall at the back of Arby's fast food restaurant. He pulled off his red apron and grinned in greeting at his co-workers who were starting their shifts.
He always took his time getting changed; his work had showers, which he made full use of. It's not like he didn't have a shower at home, but he felt bad for using so much water there. Water was expensive. It's not like they were poor; they were quite well off, but there were seven of them under the same roof and not everyone had a job. Groceries and electricity were also quite costly.
Finishing his shower, Jou made quick work of getting his casual clothes on. They were nothing special: just a t-shirt and some khaki trousers.
Jou paused at the exit. Would that boy be at the playground again? He shook his head; it wasn't any of his business.
He walked out, heading his usual way home.
The sky was overcast. It had been threatening to rain all day, but it seemed now that the sun was setting, the clouds would see their threat through.
He passed by the playground. The boy was there, in his usual spot under the slide. It probably wouldn't offer too much protection from the rain…
Just keep walking. He told himself, shutting his eyes briefly and shaking his head. Just keep walking; we don't need any more mouths to feed.
He glanced at the boy, who was sleeping in his usual black t-shirt and college trousers. With a heavy sigh, he set one foot in front of the other and started walking—right up to the kid.
"Hey." Jou crouched down and frowned.
The person under the slide wasn't as small as he had appeared from the distance. In fact, he seemed only a few years younger than the 21-year-old Arby's worker.
"Hey." Jou repeated, reaching out to gently prod the young man.
There was no response, so he tried again. Still nothing.
"Hey." Jou grabbed his shoulder, shaking him quite aggressively. "Hey, wake up."
Jou closed his eyes in a silent prayer; he knew he should have left the whole thing well enough alone. Now he was responsible for informing the police of a body in the playground… Why hadn't he just gone straight home?
There was a small groan.
Okay, so maybe he had exaggerated a bit.
"Hey, you alright?" Jou tried again.
Another small groan was his only response.
Frowning, Jou pulled on the shoulder, turning the male onto his back. The face was too pale, yet flushed red. He was sick.
With a muttered: "Why me?" Jou started extracting the man from under the slide. He seemed to be light, but, even so, Jou knew he couldn't carry the man home by himself.
With the man out from under the slide, Jou pulled off his backpack and dug out his mobile phone. He only used it for emergencies as it was an unnecessary sink for money. He speed-dialled two.
He listened to the beeping thrice, before it was picked up.
"Taichi?" Jou asked, not waiting for a reply. "You need to come to the playground, I found someone and he's not doing so well. I need help getting him home."
"Say what?"
"Just come and I'll explain." Jou hung up. Stupid Taichi wasting his money on pointless chatter.
Whilst waiting, Jou inspected the other man. He was blond—dyed?—and quite lanky in frame. He looked like he had lost a significant amount of weight in a short period of time. Maybe he was anorexic? Or had some medical condition. Jou hoped it wasn't cancer…
"Jou!"
The blue-haired male looked up at the approaching brunet.
"That was quick."
Taichi gave him a weird look. "We don't live that far. Besides," He gave a shrug. "I took the shortcut."
Dark eyes widened. "There's a shortcut? Why haven't you mentioned this before?"
Taichi frowned, attention turning to the silent male on the ground. He cocked his head. "Who's he?"
Jou also looked down, brushing a stray bit of hair out of the man's face. "I have no idea, but he's been sleeping in the park for about a week now. He's sick and I can't get him to wake up. We need to get him to ours."
Nodding firmly, Taichi kneeled, looping an arm under the blond's legs, the other arm going under his back. He rose with little difficulty, surprising himself.
"He's not very heavy, is he?"
Jou shouldered his bag again. "No, he might have been on the streets for a few weeks, not eating properly. That, or he has an eating disorder or is chronically ill."
Taichi gave Jou an amused glance. "Are you sure you failed your medical school exams? 'Cause it sounds to me like you know your shit."
Jou frowned. "I'm sure."
Taking the hint, Taichi stayed silent. Even after three years, Jou was still not over his failure. Hence, the walk home—via the shortcut—was spent in silence.
"Get him into bed." Jou commanded, as soon as they had entered their house. "I'll bring the first aid kit."
Nodding, Taichi headed for his room. They didn't have spare beds and Taichi was sure that Jou and Sora would not want the impromptu guest in theirs.
The man still in his arms, Taichi pushed his bedroom door open with a foot. The room itself was quite bare: a desk, patio chair, dresser, and bed. The bed was king-sized, with a double-sized mattress. It wasn't ideal, but it was a place to sleep.
Taichi laid the stranger on the bed, stepping back to stand by the door, arms crossed.
Jou walked into the room and spent ten minutes looking the stranger over, before declaring there was nothing he could actually do for the blond until he woke up.
"Thanks, Jou." Taichi let his arms drop to his sides and walked over to slap a hand on Jou's shoulder. "I can look after him now. You can go rest and I'll let you know when he wakes up."
Jou pushed up his glasses. "Yeah, thanks." He grabbed the first aid kit and left the room.
Taichi released a breath, turning his gaze onto their guest. He decided against the uncomfortable chair and sat, instead, on the edge of the bed.
The blond looked about his age and height. That was as far as their outer-appearance similarities went; otherwise they looked to be polar opposites. Taichi's hair was brown and thick, sticking up in all possible—and even seemingly impossible—directions. In contrast, the other's hair was light blond and silky to the touch. Taichi knew because he was running his fingers through it.
A knock at the door interrupted Taichi's inspection.
"Yes?"
"Taichi?" A young girl with short, light brown hair poked her head in. "Jou told us that you two brought someone home."
"Hikari." Taichi acknowledged. "Yeah. Come on in."
"Come on." Hikari encouraged behind her, as she stepped further in. "It's fine, it's safe."
A rusty-haired boy, about Hikari's height, edged into the room after the girl. He was holding her hand with both of his.
Taichi smiled at Koushiro, motioning with his hand to invite him further in. He did so, hesitantly.
"That's him?" Hikari asked, cocking her head at the man lying in the bed.
"Yeah." Taichi repeated.
Koushiro tugged on Hikari's hand, drawing her attention to him. He whispered something into her ear and she shook her head in response.
"No, I don't think he'll hurt us." She glanced at her older brother. "Right, Taichi?"
Taichi nodded with a reassuring smile. "No, he won't hurt us, I promise."
Satisfied with the answer, Koushiro tugged at Hikari's hand again, though this time to pull her towards the door.
The small girl gave an affirmative nod and turned to her brother. "Right, we're going to go back to what we were doing. We'll see you at dinner."
Taichi nodded and watched the pair leave, then he returned to his observations. Not that there was much he could tell about the man. The blanket was covering most of his frame; only leaving his head exposed.
Taichi wondered what his eyes would look like. Would they be as exotic as his hair? Or did he dye his hair? It didn't look dyed, but maybe he was just that good. Although… Taichi frowned. Even if he was good at covering up the root growth, he would not have been able to do so whilst living on the streets like he obviously had been.
Yeah, Taichi decided, the hair wasn't dyed, since the man had blue eyes to match the exot—wait!
Taichi jumped onto the bed on all fours.
"You're awake!"
The blond cringed at the volume, brows staying furrowed, as he tried to figure out who the other man was.
"I'll get Jou." Taichi informed, making to get up.
"—t."
The brunet paused, one leg off the bed, eyeing the blond curiously.
The blond cleared his throat, or attempted to. He tried speaking again, croaking out: "Wait."
"But I need to get Jou so he can have a look at you."
"…who?"
Then Taichi realised that the blond probably had no idea what was going on. He shook his head at his stupidity.
"Sorry." He sat properly on the bed again, smiling comfortingly. "I'm Taichi, and my friend, Jou, found you in the playground. You're sick. He's—Jou's—a doctor, kind of, so he wants to have a look at you and make sure you're okay."
"Ah."
Taichi took that as permission to get the older male.
Not a minute later, Jou was rushing in with Taichi in tow. The latter, again, settled by the door, leaning into the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
Jou paused a foot from the bed. "Hi."
"Hey." The stranger replied, eyeing the newcomer. He still wasn't sure where he was or what he was doing there. The brunet's explanation hadn't been very clear to his muddled brain.
"How are you feeling?"
Blue eyes stared, their owner not sure how to go about answering that question. It was clear that he wasn't fine, but what was he feeling? How was he feeling? He wasn't sure.
Jou smiled. "Sorry, let's start with: What's your name? I'm Jou and that's Taichi." He pointed over his shoulder.
"I already told him." Taichi pouted.
"Really?" Jou turned to the brunet. "That's surprising, seeing as you always forget to tell people the basic facts."
Taichi had no comeback, so he just stuck his tongue out. Jou chuckled at the response and turned his attention back to the male.
"Yamato." Yamato mumbled.
"Yamato?" Jou confirmed, receiving a nod. "Great. Now I need to take your temperature. Do you want a drink?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned to Taichi, giving him a meaningful glance.
Taichi acknowledged the look with a nod and left the room.
"How long have you been on the streets?" Jou asked, pulling the blanket down, preparing to take Yamato's temperature.
"What day is it?" Yamato asked back.
"Tuesday."
"Oh." Yamato let Jou pull his shirt up and shove the thermometer under his arm. "I didn't miss school, then. I thought…"
Jou frowned, curious about Yamato's train of thought. "You still go to school?"
"Huh?" Yamato's eyes snapped back to attention, though Jou could see they were slightly glazed with fever.
"School, you still go?"
"Oh, yeah, I go. I'm in my final year."
Taichi walked back into the room with a glass of water. He handed it to Yamato, who took it gratefully.
Jou waited until Yamato had downed the water before speaking up again, relieved: "We thought you lived on the streets. I work at the burger place near the playground and I've seen you there almost every night for a week."
Yamato blinked a few times before replying: "I do live on the streets. I've been staying at the playground since last Thursday. Before that I spent a few nights near the library, but the night guards didn't want me there."
"What happened?" Taichi asked, having returned to the wall by the door.
Yamato's attention snapped to Taichi. The chocolate eyes were intense and Yamato found he couldn't look into them for long.
"What do you mean?" Yamato mumbled.
"I mean: What happened to cause you to end up on the streets?"
"Oh."
Yamato paused as the thermometer gave a beep. He watched as Jou removed it and inspected the number on the digital display.
"Thirty eight and six." He read, frowning. "That's not good. But we do have some medicine; that and a good night's rest should clear it up, for the most part. Do you have a headache or feel any pain?"
Yamato shook his head. "No, just tired, I think."
Jou smiled, getting up with a small packet of powdered medicine in hand. He grabbed the glass from the blond.
"I'll go mix this up, be right back."
"So?" Taichi prompted once the two were alone in the room. "What happened?"
"I ran away." Yamato muttered, shifting his position, not looking at the brunet.
"Ran away? When are you planning on returning?"
Yamato threw a glare at Taichi. "Never." He sat up, stilling for the duration of a headrush.
Glass full of medicine, Jou rushed back into the room and was at Yamato's side, pushing him back down. "Ah, don't get up yet."
Yamato resisted Jou's hand on his shoulder, pushing back, intent on getting up. "Let go, I need to leave."
"What?" Jou asked, wide eyes flying form Yamato to Taichi. "Why?"
Yamato paused, still sitting in bed, staring at his lap. "I'm not going back and you can't make me."
Taichi chose that moment to step closer. "We're not going to. That's not what I meant." His tone was soft, as were his eyes. Yamato's stance softened in response.
The hand Jou had on Yamato's shoulder also relaxed, giving a comforting squeeze. "We've all left our homes for one reason or another, so no one here will make you go back."
Yamato's eyes widened at the information, flicking to Taichi. "What?"
Jou and Taichi shared a look, before the brunet came to sit by the pillow, pulling Yamato to lie back down.
Taichi summarised their group: "My parents died in a car crash and me and my sister didn't want a new home. We ran away from the orphanage, taking Koushiro with us. He's autistic, so no one wanted him.
"Jou was kind of disowned for failing to get into medical school on his first try. Sora, like you, ran away because she didn't want to take over her family's business. And Mimi and Meiko were disowned for being lesbian."
Yamato lay in stunned silence, taking in the information. Jou took that moment to hand the medicine over and watched as Yamato drank it, cringing at the taste. The glass was handed back to Jou.
"That's a lot of people."
"Yeah," Taichi grinned, proud of his little group. "Seven of us. You'll make eight, if you want to move in."
Yamato was stunned again.
"A-are you inviting me to live with you?" He looked around incredulously at Jou, who shrugged. "Isn't that too many people under one roof?"
"We've managed." Taichi said with a shrug. "I mean, you obviously don't have a proper place to stay, so you might as well stay with us."
"And since you're still going to school, you probably don't have a job, so you can't even rent a place." Jou added.
Taichi's eyes widened at the new piece of information. He looked down at Yamato. "You're in school?"
"Yeah," Yamato admitted. "Final year of high school." He turned his attention to Jou. "I am looking for part-time work, but no luck yet. Hopefully I'll be able to get a better job after finishing school."
"So you're staying?" Taichi asked eagerly.
Yamato hesitated. On the one hand, he couldn't keep living on the streets and continue to look presentable at school. He could really use a roof over his head, especially now that fall was upon them and winter would be coming. On the other hand, he didn't know these people. He had never been good with people, so he didn't know how he would fare with seven strangers.
Jou sat down by his feet, patting his shin comfortingly. "You don't have to decide right away, you know. We're definitely keeping you here for the next few days, since you're sick, and you can think about what to do during that time."
"Thanks." Yamato nodded. "I really appreciate you two taking care of me and giving me a place to stay."
"Of course." Jou said, getting up. "I'll take this back and see if Sora's home yet. Excuse me."
Jou walked out of Taichi's room, closed the door, and frowned down at the glass.
Jou's head snapped up at a feminine voice: "I heard you and Taichi picked up another stray."
"Sora. Welcome home." He smiled, giving her a quick peck. "I was wondering if you'd be back yet."
"Dinner?" Sora asked with a tired sigh. "Someone else really needs to learn how to cook…" She straightened, leading the way into the kitchen. "So about this new guy?"
"Yamato. He ran away from home, though I don't know why." Jou hesitated. "We kind of invited him to live with us."
Sora stopped, regarding her boyfriend. "Another one? Jou…" She bit her lip.
"He has nowhere to go and is still going to school, so…"
The redhead sighed. "I know, I know. I would feel horrible for sending him back out, but. Jou. We might be struggling with money, come winter. Taichi just quit his job, too, so that's even less money."
"I know, but Yamato's looking for part-time work. And once he graduates, he'll be able to get a better-paying job."
"But will we be able to pay the bills up to that point?"
"I'm worried about that, too, but what else can we do?"
"I'll find work, I promise. I'll even get two jobs, if that's what it takes." Taichi announced, walking into the kitchen. "We can't put him on the streets again." He looked at the woman at the stove. "Please, Sora."
She smiled, looping an apron over her head. "I would never kick him out, but that doesn't stop me from worrying."
"Thanks." Taichi smiled. "By the way, I told him that we always wait for you to get home, since you're the only one that can cook. He said that he knows how, so he can take that chore from you."
Sora's mahogany eyes brightened. "I won't have to cook anymore?" She pulled out a pan. "He's staying."
The two men chuckled before Taichi reached out for the glass.
"Yamato needs more water."
Jou handed the glass to the brunet, who rinsed it before filling it up again. He nodded to the couple and walked back to his room.
Yamato was propped up against the headboard, inspecting the room. Not that there was much to look at, but Taichi didn't mind the lack of items in the room; it meant less cleaning up to do.
"Here you go." Taichi sat down again by Yamato's knees.
"Thanks." Yamato took the offered glass and drank half of it. He lowered it to his lap and stared into the water. "Sorry for being such a bother."
Taichi shook his head with a grin. "You're not a bother at all. I like meeting new people and getting to know them. It's how this place and group came to be."
Yamato turned an inquisitive look to Taichi. "Where, exactly, are we and what's the whole story?"
"Ah, well, the whole story will take a while to tell, but where we are is a bit easier: we're not too far from the playground you were staying at. Five, ten minutes or so, the shortest route. About the house… That you'll probably find out from Mimi. You'll be meeting her and Meiko and everyone else at dinner in a bit."
"Everyone? All seven?"
Laughing, Taichi clarified: "Five, considering that you've already met me and Jou."
"Right…"
Taichi cocked his head at the flushed blond. "Do you not want to meet them? I promise they're all really nice."
"I don't doubt that, but…" Yamato bit his lower lip. "I'm just not very good with people..." Would they all dislike him? Think him weird or unkind?
Taichi shifted closer, inspecting Yamato's face. "What happened to make you run away from home?"
Yamato shook his head slightly. "I just couldn't stand living with my mother; she's always hated me, but it just intensified when I had to move in with her."
"Why did you have to?"
Tears formed in blue eyes, making them glisten. "My…" He paused, drawing in a shaky breath. "He…"
"Your dad?" Taichi deduced.
Taichi was shocked when Yamato burst into tears, though he recovered quickly and wrapped his arms around the thin male. He muttered soothing words into the blond hair, stroking it gently.
After a few minutes of sobbing, Yamato mumbled a: "Sorry."
"Don't be." Taichi muttered, smiling into the hair. "It's okay; I know."
With a gasp, Yamato drew back sharply. "I'm sorry." His face scrunched up in sympathy. "You lost both your parents and here I am, crying, when I only—"
"Don't say that." Taichi reassured. He reached over to wipe the tears away. "My loss happened years ago and I still have Hikari and everyone else. Trust me, I cried a lot when it happened. I'm guessing your father's passing was very recent?"
Yamato nodded. "I only stayed with my mum and Takeru for five days before I left."
"Takeru?"
A small smile actually graced Yamato's face. "My little brother. He's always been nice to me; he was always on my side, even though we lived separately."
"You lived with your dad?"
A nod. "It was cancer."
"I'm sorry."
Another nod, this time in acknowledgement of the sympathy.
The two sat in silence for a minute before Taichi grinned, having found a new direction for their conversation: "Sora wants you to stay, if you take over most of the cooking." That earned a small laugh from Yamato.
There was a quick knock on the door before it opened, revealing a woman, around thirty-ish, holding two dinner plates. Her hair went halfway down her back and it was light brown with streaks of light green. She grinned widely at Yamato.
"Hi! Glad to meet you, I'm Mimi!"
Another woman—black hair, equally long—entered shyly, dark eyes on the floor. "Hi, um, I'm Meiko."
Mimi handed one of the plates to Taichi and plomped onto the floor. She looked up at her girlfriend and patted the ground next to her. With a quick glance at the newest member of their group, Meiko sat on the floor, plate on her lap.
"Yamato," Jou entered, holding two plates, with a redhead in tow. "This is Sora." He made to hand the other plate to Yamato, but Taichi stopped him.
"Wait." Taichi helped Yamato sit up properly and placed the plate Mimi had given him on the blanket-clad lap. Taichi then took the other plate Jou had.
Hikari and Koushiro were the last into the room, staying close to the door. Taichi pointed them out to Yamato and introduced them. Hikari gave Yamato a smile, but Koushiro focussed on his food.
"Well, eat up." Sora indicated to Yamato's plate.
Yamato glanced around at everyone in the room, sitting scattered on the floor. Only he and Taichi were off the floor.
Sora noticed his wandering eyes and smiled. "We're used to eating on the floor; we don't have a dining table. Usually we eat in the living room, but today we chose Taichi's room on account of you being here."
"Sorry for the bother and thanks for the food."
"It's no bother at all." Sora reassured.
"Yeah." Mimi jumped into the conversation, cheery as ever. "Of course we'd help out a runaway in need." She threw Taichi a mischievous look. "How much did Taichi tell you about us?"
"Oh." Yamato stumbled over himself, not really knowing if Taichi had been in the right to share all the information he had.
Mimi giggled brightly. "Oh, don't worry; we're quite open about our stories." She glanced at Meiko. "Did Taichi tell you that Meiko and I work together at a hostess club?"
Yamato's eyes widened at the revelation. Open indeed. "No, he didn't…"
"Well we do. Although Meiko works in the back, cleaning and washing dishes. She's too shy for the floor." Mimi leaned over to peck her girlfriend on the cheek. Meiko turned impossibly red.
Sora jumped in to save the dark-haired woman from further embarrassment. "I'm a bartender. I work the earliest shift, but I still get home quite late and can't make dinner at a reasonable time…"
"I'll be more than happy to take care of dinner and any other chore you want me to." Yamato assured hastily. "I can do just about anything and since I don't have a job after school yet, I'll get back early and can do the chores."
"So you're definitely staying?" Taichi asked, face alight with eagerness.
"Well…" Yamato hedged. "At least for the time being." He looked around the room at everyone. "I really don't want to intrude or be a burden." He looked down at his half-eaten food. "I don't have much money left anymore, and—"
"Don't worry." Taichi interrupted, leaning over to put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about bills or rent—there is no rent, in fact. And bills are mostly taken care of by those working. I quit my job, but I'm looking to get at least one more."
"How come there isn't rent to pay?" Yamato asked, confused.
"This house belongs to me." Mimi answered, piling her empty plate on top of Meiko's that was on top of Sora and Jou's. "It used to belong to my lesbian aunt, who took me and Meiko in when we were disowned. She died of cancer five years ago and left everything to me. She wasn't rich, but had the house."
"Oh." Yamato took a moment to digest the information, feeling Taichi's hand squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. Cancer. Taichi had made the connection, too.
"Um, are you done?" Meiko asked, indicating Yamato's plate, still half full.
"Yeah, sorry, I don't have much of an appetite…"
"Don't worry." Sora said. "I should have realised and given you a smaller portion." Then she followed Meiko out.
Hikari and Koushiro had slipped out as soon as they had finished eating.
"We'll leave you to rest." Jou stood up. "If you need someone to call your school tomorrow, I can take care of it."
Yamato's eyes widened. "I can't go to school tomorrow?"
Jou frowned. "No, I don't think it will be a good idea. Not with that fever."
"But," Yamato protested, sitting up straighter. "You said that I should be fine with a good night's sleep. I'll get that." Jou's frown deepened. "Can I at least try? If I feel even slightly sick tomorrow morning, I'll stay."
"Fine." Jou relented with a sigh.
"Thank you." Yamato smiled and Jou nodded in acknowledgement before leaving to help with the dishes or any other chores that needed to be done.
Yamato slunk back into a lying position, releasing a large breath.
"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Taichi asked, shifting a bit further down the bed, giving Yamato more room. "Meeting everyone, I mean."
"No," Yamato shook his head. "Everyone is really nice and welcoming." He hesitated. "Though Hikari and Koushiro don't seem to like me much. Not that I really blame them…"
"Oh, no; they're just like that. Hikari likes everyone, but Koushiro doesn't like anyone because of his condition. Well, he'll start to like you, but give him time. Lots of time. Koushiro only really talks to Hikari properly; it's been like that ever since the orphanage. They're inseparable."
Yamato attempted to stifle a yawn. Taichi stood, stretching his arms above his head.
"I'll leave you to rest now, okay? Good night, I'll see you—"
"Where are you going to sleep? This is your room, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but don't worry." Taichi turned to face Yamato fully, giving him a reassuring smile. "I can sleep elsewhere."
Yamato frowned. "Can you? Seems to me like this house is kind of full… I shouldn't take over your bed."
"It's fine, really." Taichi brushed his concerns off.
"You don't even have a dining table, I doubt you have spare beds or a couch."
Taichi scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, no, we had to sell both at one point to have enough money to pay the bills."
"Get in here." Yamato said, exasperated, moving over to give Taichi more space.
Taichi's palms came up in front of him in protest. "Oh, no, I'll disturb your sleep. Trust me, I toss and turn in my sleep a lot. You won't be able to get a proper night's sleep if I join you."
"You won't be able to sleep at all if you don't join me."
"Eh, true." Taichi finally relented with a shrug. "I'll just go check on everyone and then be back." He walked over to the door but paused. "Do you want a change of clothes? Mine should fit you…" He went over to his dresser, rummaging through the drawers.
"Ah, sorry, these clothes probably got your bed all dirty…"
Taichi turned with a grin. "Don't worry about it; I was supposed to change the sheets yesterday, but never got round to it. Might as well leave it until tomorrow." He winked at Yamato, who gave a laugh.
Taichi gave the fresh sleepwear to Yamato and left the room.
Carefully, Yamato climbed out of the bed, mindful of the mattress falling short of the bed frame. He glanced at the clothes in his hands: a t-shirt and shorts. They looked and felt comfortable.
As he was getting changed, Yamato couldn't help but allow his mind to wander to the brunet whom he was supposed to share the bed with.
Taichi seemed genuinely nice. His smiles all reached his eyes and he seemed like the class clown. At the same time, though, he clearly had a more serious side to him.
As Yamato climbed back into bed, staying on the side closer to the door, he hummed to himself. He could see himself staying here. At least for a few weeks, until he had his future more figured out.
"Yamato? Are you asleep yet?"
"No, not yet." Though he wasn't far from it.
Taichi edged a few steps into the room, noting the ceiling light was still on. He looked to the bed, noting Yamato huddled up on one half of it. He smiled affectionately at the blond.
"Have you brushed your teeth yet?"
Yamato yawned before answering: "Yeah, at the park's fountain."
Taichi gave him a flat look. "We just had dinner."
"Oh… Right..."
Taichi shook his head. "I'll let you get off this once."
"Thanks." Yamato mumbled back.
Taichi turned off the light, making his way towards the bed. He was glad that he didn't own that much stuff, otherwise it might have been harder to navigate through the room. "Good night, Yamato."
"Night, Taichi."