Playing Games

Summary: Hikari has been hiding her adult game obscession and learns Yamato Ishida shares the same interests, but is it just for the game, for her, or something else? (Lamest summary ever. Just let the fluff ensue.)

A/N: Yeah, title is totally not stolen from Puppetmon's arc of Adventure in the dub. This fic obviously has nothing to do with games of war, at least. Also, I don't even know where I get the ideas for these stupid things...

Warnings: Some adult content, tons of implied adult content, and lots of fluff and crack.

Pairings: Yakari, Yamakeru, Taishirou (possibly), Takari hints, and very miniscule amounts of Taikari.

[1: Expectations]

"Hikari, are we going to work on that project today? I know I bailed last time, but to be fair, Yamato had a concert and he forced me onto the stage with him..."

The beautiful companion at the young blonde's side brushed back her straight locks of chesnut hair. "Ah, I can't... today."

"Oh, something up?" the boy questioned, his swinging arms coming to a halt. He looked the girl over. She was blushing- there was no hiding it. Takeru hoped it was for him, after all, she had finally declined Daisuke... it's not like she could like anyone else.

"I just have plans with my older brother," Hikari said, bowing her head. She wasn't lying, completely.

"Oh, if you had plans with Taichi, you should have said so sooner. You two don't get to see each other much, what with him away at games all the time."

"Isn't Yamato just the same? Always at rehearsal?" Hikari chuckled as the two continued towards their homes.

"Yeah, I suppose so. He never makes plans with me."

"You just said he took you on stage with him. That sounds amazing to me."

Takeru shrugged, "I-It was, it's just... I mean, we don't do just brother stuff, you know? I think he doesn't know how."

"Ha, maybe you should show him," Hikari suggested, but the forced smile on Takeru's face hinted at something deeper. "...you don't know how either?"

Takeru started to blush, "Uh, well..."

"I wouldn't mind helping you," Hikari offered. "But it will have to wait until tomorrow."

"Really?" Takeru said, closing his eyes. His cheeks still burned. "I'm sorry you have to help me with something so trivial."

"Brothers are not trivial, Takeru," Hikari noted, bouncing her finger across the air. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?"

He nodded as she headed up the stairs. Takeru took a breath and headed back to his home, too.

Hikari tossed down her bags near the door, rushing to her room. As Hikari disappeared into her sanctuary, her mother eyed the girl curiously, "I made snacks, you know! I hope my grateful daughter appreciates them..." Mrs. Yagami sighed, "Oh, that girl and her friends... that's all she cares about now, I suppose."

The girl shut her door. Ever since she had her own room, she had been a bit of a recluse, but she couldn't help it. After sharing your room with Taichi of all people, you would want your own space, too. Still, it was a little ironic that all her time alone was thinking of the older brother that she had mentioned to Takeru. One that wasn't Taichi.

Hikari tossed away one of her many stuffed cats and planted her butt into a now swirling, pink desk chair. She reached over and turned on the monitor as she couldn't turn off her computer or she would lose her place: after about two hours of playing and cycling through numerous options she was finally near the end of the latest visual novel she had plucked from the shelf and staring into the eyes of her double's older brother.

The only thing was... she was a little brother herself. Hikari blushed at the blurred pixels on the screen. At first she had been overly embarassed to enjoy something such as a yaoi game, but the thrill most girls her age shared in the normal yaoi genre had been an obscession even her real older brother knew about. He just didn't know she had found a niche and fallen in it. And couldn't climb out.

She feared he would think the worst: that she felt like that about him like in all the horrible late night anime of the genre, but that was definetly not the case and Hikari stuck out her tongue in disgust at the thought. Besides, she could never be Taichi's little brother, even if she did try on their occasional outings to dress in a more masculine way and poke secret fun at him.

Hikari laughed out loud and then quieted herself. "I should be reading, anyway," she reminded herself and continued through the end of the game, leaving herself anxious and excited. There was only two things that could fix this problem: a little time alone, which was a rare savory thing, or make a trip to the store and pick up another game.

She had tried to order them through the internet once, but her mother had picked up and signed for the package and almost opened it! Hikari couldn't risk that again and so she put on her masculine clothes and headed to the shop across town.

"Damn, can that girl kiss or what?" Yamato hissed with a smile, shaking off the pleasure coursing through his body.

Rabid Fan #532 had just left with the reddest face he had ever seen. He didn't mind making little dreams come true.

"You're pathetic," Yutaka howled, one of the drumsticks digging into his side as he held it. "Why don't you get a real girlfriend?"

The blonde made a face and shrugged. "We're going to be in college next year. I'll settle down with someone then."

"How about that Sora girl?"

Yamato growled, "I may be attracted to red heads but that was it."

"Are you sure you're not completely gay, Yamato?" Takashi said, slinging his guitar over his shoulder. He glanced down at the floor, picking up one of many set lists that hadn't been taken and the slew of yen, flowers, and other trinkets that littered the stage.

"Don't you guys have hovels to crawl into?"

"It's lonely in ours," Takashi pouted, "We like the giant hole you're digging for yourself more."

"Why do you losers want to see me hooked up so bad anyway?" Yamato snapped. He took out a cigarette and glanced down at the many letters on the ground. When he had first started the Teen-Age Wolves five years ago, he had found a letter from someone wishing for an older brother like him. He was still waiting to get another letter, considering that was the only one he had ever returned.

He wasn't proud of his feelings, never had been. Perhaps that was why he had worked so hard to get into this kind of career- so he had excuses. Excuses to stay away from Takeru at any given notice, excuses to look as straight as possible (although he didn't deny either sex to hide from his own ego). Just anything for his little brother not to notice, like Yamato had kept it since they were children.

That was why that letter had hit him so hard in the chest, like a bullet against a kevlar vest.

"Well... after this band is over, don't you want to settle down?" Akira, the pianist, questioned.

"We're not all as lucky as you. Besides, we all wanna see what lucky fan you pick."

"Who says I'm going to pick one of those hormone starved bimbos?" Yamato sighed. Although, Takeru is my biggest fan. Is he a hormone starved bimbo, though... Ugh. The way he acts around Hikari, sure- "Hikari..."

"Oh, is that the girl's name, then?" sneered Yutaka.

Yamato blinked. Had he mumbled her name aloud? "What?"

"Hikari. It's fitting. You need some light in your life."

"That's balls. I'm happy."

"Let me guess, that's why you're always moping around!" cried Akira. "You love this girl, but you can't tell her. You don't want to disappoint all those fans, snrk-"

"Would you shut your ass, already!" Yamato barked, forming a fist in one hand.

"Nah, she's probably taken-"

"She is!" Yamato blurted without thinking. He hadn't even realized what he started until his band mates exchanged glances and smiles. "...hey, look, guys, I'm not interested-"

"Oh, yes you are. Come on. Tell us what she likes."

"I, I don't know-" Takeru...

"That's it. The Teen-Age Spies have a mission," Akira announced, putting his glasses back on from where they had been tucked into his pocket for the concert.

Yamato sighed. "Guys, it's not Hikari- I'm not attracted to her-"

"You're just scared of Taichi," Yutaka said, strolling over with his hands on his hips. "It's Hikari Yagami, right? Who else do you know with that name?"

Yamato frowned. He was slowly becoming more trapped. "Hikari is dating my brother, guys..."

"Oh, the plot thickens," Takashi noted.

"No, she isn't," Yutaka corrected. "Takeru told me last week she hasn't returned his affections... So, now's your chance."

"I won't do that to my brother..." Yamato started the sentence with gusto, but how many times had he told himself that same sentence in a different context?

"How long has he known this girl and said nothing? Longer than you?" Yutaka continued. "Snooze you lose. Yamato, make plans with this girl and we'll hook you up. Before you know it, you'll be married and have kids and calling Taichi your brother-in-law."

Yamato had barely smoked the cigarette in his hand he was too busy trying not to kill his band mates for their ridiculous schemes- ones Yamato always somehow thought up and they had the courage to drag him down and live them. If only they could fix the real scheme he was trying to brew in the back of his mind.

They did have a point... Takeru hadn't asked Hikari out and Yamato knew the younger blonde had gone out of his way to make it a point he loved her. Although Yamato wasn't fond of technically stealing his girl, it wasn't like it was going to work. The young Yagami was attractive, sure, but he would break it off right away after the band realized what he had spent twenty minutes trying to tell them- that he didn't love Hikari. He loved Takeru.

So, how did Yamato handle such a taboo thing all these years? In a very similar manner to Hikari, he had been in the niche long before she ever found it. So, on his way home on the subway, Yamato usually found time to read cell phone novels. He had a few scarce games that attracted his interest at home, but nowhere near the extend Hikari held. After all, the apartment only had a family computer and his father was tech-savvy, even if he lacked suspicion.

Hiroaki had fully accepted his son's sexual preferences... but even Yamato knew he would never accept the extent of those preferences, so he never said anything. God forbid their mother ever knew, he would probably be murdered on the spot.

Little brothers act nothing like this, Yamato sighed, flipping through to another page as the subway neared the apartment complex they stayed in. But... uh, if they did, I wouldn't mind. Sigh.

Yamato shut off his phone and readjusted the weight of his father's bass. The rest of the equiptment had gone to Yutaka's house on the edge of town. Despite living on the edge of society, he actually lived closer to most of their gigs than anyone else and had the most space. Plus, Yamato hated dragging all that back and forth.

As he neared the door, he glanced down at his phone as a familiar ringtone filled his ears. He answered quickly with a "Yello?" as he struggled with the keys.

"Uh, Niisan..."

Yamato dropped his keys, "T-Takeru. How are you?"

"Uh, fine. I just called to talk."

"It's late."

"I know."

"Mom say something?"

Takeru ignored the comment, "Look, I called to talk to you."

"So you've said..." Yamato breathed, finally managing to get the door open. He had spent the last hour reading about all the things he dreamt of Takeru doing to him- things were awkward enough without having to actually function around it. "So talk!"

Takeru was sitting in his living room. The sound of his mother typing in the background eased any hope of her hearing this conversation. "Look, Hikari is going to call you-"

Damn, Yutaka. How bad do you want to see me tied down? "Oh, I know-"

"You do?" Takeru questioned.

"Yeah, I've been expecting her to call."

"Oh... really?"

"Well, apparently she is going to marry me and all," Yamato chuckled, setting down the bass guitar and heading straight to the fridge.

Marry? Takeru questioned. Is this why Hikari... Is that why they are both avoiding me? Oh, God. I... I would have understood... I just... No, he would tell me.

"Takeru, you there?"

"Um, yeah... look, I gotta go. I guess this was stupid."

"Sorry?"

"Bye, Yamato."

Yamato? He called me... The blonde questioned as the line clicked dead. What in the Hell was all that about? Oh... he must be worried about Hikari and I being actually serious... Stupid Yutaka. Yamato sighed. He never called the Takaishi house unless under strict orders from his father or an emergency and he knew things would be fine until tomorrow. Then he could explain the situation to Takeru and punch Yutaka in the dick for causing Takeru pain, even if it was false pain.