Chocolates for Change

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, its characters, etc. etc.; I'm just a fan. This particular piece is for mature audiences, but nothing NC-17 or anything.
Author's Note: I'm definitely still working on Ukiyo, but I felt the need to write about a different era in Japan, and something a little sweet and steamy for the upcoming Hallmark holiday. The Russian sweets company, Morozoff, originally marketed Valentine's day in Japan in 1936. It was aimed at foreigners in Japan, supposedly, but after they made their advertisement, many other Japanese companies followed suit. More notes after the story. And fair warning: this is basically PWP. I just needed to get the smut out of my head. Enjoy!

"What on Earth is Valentine's day?"

Two young men stood in front of the Morozoff storefront, puzzling over the advertisement. Give chocolates to profess your love? Why was it necessary to have a special day dedicated to such a simple action? Clearly it was another way for businesses to gain more money. Times were changing rapidly, and many shops were beginning to change their advertising strategy to comply.

The taller of the two stifled a chuckle. "What do you think, Taichi? Will you buy some chocolate to give to someone?"

Rolling his eyes, Taichi gently shoved his best friend at the shoulder. "Stupid. Look at the ad. It's meant for girls to buy chocolates for us."

"Well, that seems entirely one-sided," replied the blonde. He ran his fingers through his soft hair and grinned wickedly at the boy with the mop of brown hair. "But if that's the case, why don't we make a little bet?"

Taichi instantly recognized the mischievous glance and groaned. "Yama, you can't be serious," he complained. "If we have a contest about who gets the most chocolates by the end of the day..."

"What, you think you'll lose?" Yamato was still grinning from ear to ear.

Flushing, Taichi shoved Yamato again, this time with his whole body. Still gently, though. Just enough so that they could touch. "No! That's not it at all. I'm not thrilled that I would have to compete with the guy who gets a love letter in his desk every other week at school," he muttered as Yamato pulled him in a headlock.

"So you do think you'll lose," the blonde teased. "That's fine. We won't do it. If it is like you said, where the girls have to get chocolates for us, then I suppose there isn't much we can do aside from sit and wait."

Taichi shrugged. "I'd rather get it from someone who actually wanted to confess to me, anyway."

The two stopped for a moment, watching bicycles whiz past. They had only been in this world for seventeen years, and yet so much had changed from when they were children. Back then, their parents used to wear kimonos. Now that they were in high school, their fathers wore western suits, and their mothers started wearing scandalous dresses. They were raised to be sensitive about such things; they'd learned to be cautious around the modan-garu, or modern girls. Elder cousins would talk about Tanizaki's novel Naomi in drunken tones, warning each other about the decline of Japan starting with the overly gracious shows at women's legs.

It was too much political talk for them, really. Taichi and Yamato had each other and weren't keen on placing themselves in the middle of the ruckus. Who cares what girls did? They were lucky that both sets of parents weren't sticklers about tradition. The world was a constantly changing specimen. And both of them thought that their mothers were much happier with the newfound freedoms they were given. Why, they learned things in school that their parents would have only dreamed of. Math, science, other languages! It was truly a massive world that neither boy could even begin to imagine. They both wanted to travel to Europe someday to learn as much as they could.

Watching other students traverse back from their after-school studies, the boys turned to the advertisement again. It was in English, one of the languages they had picked up during their studies at school. How many people could read this sign? They weren't sure, but they had the feeling that those remaining in kimonos of the past were the ones who couldn't be bothered with it. They thought of the girls they knew at school who might give them chocolates. "Well, there's Tachikawa, isn't there? She's a modan-garu if I ever saw one," Yamato thought out loud.

"True, but she likes spending money on herself for the most part," Taichi replied with a laugh. "And to be honest, I'm pretty sure that if she got chocolate, it would be for either Kidou or Izumi."

"Ah! You're absolutely right," Yamato agreed. "I'm sure our grandfathers would say it was a total loss. But then again, I'm sure our grandfathers wouldn't want us reading this sign."

The two communicated verbally, of course, but the physical aspect spoke more words than they could ever say. Yamato playfully nudged Taichi this time. "Who would you want a chocolate from? It sounded like you had someone in mind."

Taichi had to stop himself. He almost said out loud, You, of course. But he was the one who read the sign and saw that girls had to do the giving, not the boys. And what was he to do if a boy liked another boy? He bit his lip. The advertisement was stupid. It's just chocolate. It doesn't matter who it comes from as long as it gets to the person they love. That was his opinion, anyway. Not that anyone had asked. That would help clear his mind. Instead of answering, he placed his hand on the small of Yamato's back and led him away from the shop.

"Hey, you don't have to push so hard! If it helps, I have someone in mind," Yamato said with a laugh, eyes twinkling as he looked at his best friend.

"Come on, we've got some studying to do," Taichi muttered, looking right back at him. There was something Yamato wasn't saying, but he knew in time it would come out. There weren't many secrets between the two of them. "Let's go before you confess to the world, loverboy."

The boys spent almost all of their time with each other. They studied together, ate together, went on outings together; and when they weren't together, they were over at each other's houses to be together anyway. The Ishida and Yagami residences had already understood that the boys were inseparable. Once, Yamato's father chuckled at this fact. "Your grandfather, and his father before him, and his father before him, would probably compare the two of you to samurai and their loyal retainers," he teased. "You're joined at the hip more than lovers would be. I bet Natsuko a good amount of money on that."

The boys would laugh back, thinking nothing and everything of it, while they got back to work. They filled the spaces of words they wanted to say with jokes and gestures.

Presently, they were at the Ishida household. Yamato's father was out at work. Schoolwork was strewn about the floor, covering almost every inch of the room. French, English, physics, math, more. Their brains were working at maximum power, and while neither would describe each other as model students, they were very much interested in the topics. There was just too much to swallow. Whenever one would get frustrated, the other would initiate a friendly wrestling match to help. This time around, it was Taichi who couldn't figure out how tides worked. "Need some help?" Yamato inquired, not actually knowing if he could help.

"This is stupid," Taichi moaned in reply. "How is it possible that someone just thought this up?"

"Science is a funny thing," Yamato said, smiling. "If it helps, I'm stuck there, too."

"We're not going to pass this year, are we?"

"Don't be silly."

"I have this sinking feeling that it won't be as perfect as you think it will," Taichi sighed. "I would kill to have a brain as quick as Izumi's."

"Taichi, don't be silly," Yamato repeated as a warning, slowly getting up. Taichi was lying on the ground, covering his face with his arm. There was no way he could defend himself.

"I'm not being silly. I'm being realistic – oof!"

Yamato was on top of him, pinning him down. With a grin, Yamato slid his hands up Taichi's arms, making sure that he was locked in position. "If you say something silly again, we'll have a problem."

Laughing out loud, Taichi struggled from beneath Yamato, eventually throwing the taller boy's balance by pulling his leg against Yamato's knee. It pushed the older boy forward, knocking his full weight onto Taichi. This allowed the big-haired Taichi enough leverage to turn the tables, swinging his opponent so that he was now on top. Triumphantly, he smiled down at Yamato. His heart skipped a beat when Yamato's big blue eyes looked back into his, squinting with a smile of his own.

Now on the receiving end of the match, Yamato took a moment to study his best friend. Having Taichi on top of him had always been a peculiar feeling, but it was never anything bad. But somehow, the advertisement of chocolate and love came to mind again. The closeness they shared was something that they weren't sure was okay to discuss in public, but when it was just the two of them, he had to wonder if he was the only one holding back. At night, one of the few times he was without Taichi, he dreamed of holding him close.

He sometimes wondered if his father mentioned the samurai story because of these feelings. He wondered why his father mentioned it at all; it wasn't as if he told people how he felt about Taichi. He wasn't even sure what he felt, aside from the insatiable need to be beside him.

With a resigned sigh of contentment, Taichi relaxed his grip and rolled off of Yamato, linking their arms together. It was blissful to get away from homework for a bit. The fact that they basically laid down on top of it was even more satisfying, in a way. He grabbed a piece of paper, meant to be an essay on the tides. He placed it on his face and blew as hard as he could, letting it fly into the air and drift back down.

It landed on the kitchen floor. Pouting, Taichi looked at Yamato. With a scowl, the blonde rolled over and crawled to pick it up. As he rose, he noticed a box of chocolates on the kitchen table. "Wha…chocolates?" he wondered aloud.

Curiosity piqued, Taichi got up and followed Yamato into the kitchen. They looked at the box of chocolates, eager to look at the note attached to the top of it. It was a pretty, pink envelope, and upon inspection, it smelled of roses. "Guess someone got to your father right off the bat, huh?" Taichi said with a low whistle.

"Guess so," Yamato murmured, checking to make sure that they were still alone. "Hopefully this isn't sealed."

It was, unfortunately. With a dramatic sigh, the two of them collapsed onto the floor, side by side. "A mystery that's yet to be solved," Yamato breathed, pretending he was a kabuki actor, drawing out every syllable until Taichi slapped a hand on his thigh.

"Hey, hey, no theater talk here, okay? It takes you forever and a day to get a line out."

"Very funny. But I wonder who gave it to him?"

"Someone who knows how to read English, obviously."

"Mother would have made sense, but then again, perhaps not," he replied. A definitive modan garu, she had renounced her last name and went off with his younger brother to another city. It was a bold move, but it was a different kind of Japan, and the hysterics only lasted for a couple of days. Besides, Yamato could still see Takeru, so it didn't make much of a difference to him that he was an Ishida and his brother was a Takaishi.

"Either someone really loves him, or she's just caught up in the hype," Taichi said.

After a pause, they noticed that the box itself wasn't entirely secure. The ribbon was already undone. Mr. Ishida must have come back during the lunch break to drop this off. The boys opened the box gingerly and noticed that the box wasn't entirely full, which must have meant a few pieces had already been consumed. They gave each other a look. "Say, Taichi. I've never had chocolate before. Have you?"

"Why, no, Yamato. What a strange and wonderful question to ask."

"Indeed. Shall we?"

It was a large box of chocolates; thankfully, they were in a case that piled the candies into a massive tower of sweets instead of the segmented kind displayed at Morozoff's. It would be nearly impossible to tell whether a few more pieces were missing. They grabbed a piece each and sat back down, taking in the scent. "I don't think I've ever had anything that smelled this sweet before," Taichi commented, taking a bite out of his piece. "Mmmm…this is fantastic!"

Yamato nibbled at one, his eyes widening in agreement. "Oh, my. I can see why it's supposed to be a gift meant for confessing your love. This is amazing."

As Taichi reached up for another one, Yamato bit his lip. They weren't studying anymore, after all. A little more distraction wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. He thought about the advertisement, which got him thinking about love. It was a topic he didn't visit much since he very rarely paid any mind to it.

He wasn't entirely sure about what love was, but as they grew older, he began noticing little things about Taichi that he hadn't noticed before. The boy was muscular, since he was involved in sports at school. They'd taken baths together since they were children, but he realized that he knew Taichi's skin as well as he knew his own. Considering that his mother had left because she said she was no longer in love with his father, it seemed clear to him that perhaps a man and a woman wasn't necessarily the way it had to be when it came to love. Love was just love.

If that were the case, Yamato should be able to deduce logically that love was love, regardless of external elements. There wouldn't be much scientific evidence to back the claim, of course. Everyone's definition of love was too broad and it varied from person to person; it even varied from day to day for some. He considered the relationships around him. His mother left the family, which should have been forbidden in the first place. His father was now receiving chocolates from an unknown suitor, probably another woman, from the perfume. Someone from school was secretly seeing a foreigner, which was severely looked down upon in that day and age. And here he was, thinking long and hard, and coming to the conclusion that he was already in one of many relationships that must have existed around the globe.

It was no longer a time to remain true to tradition. Times have changed. The world was available to them. And so were other thoughts that would have been looked down upon centuries ago. Those who stayed put were placing themselves at risk for being tossed out by evolution.

Within moments, the boys were kissing. Taichi had placed the chocolate in his mouth, between his teeth, looking to make an inappropriate joke. Yamato took that moment to move up to him, placing his lips over the sweet chocolate and against Taichi's even sweeter lips. Amazingly, there was no resistance. It was as if Taichi had been contemplating the same thing. They bit off their halves of the chocolate, savoring it on their tongues as their lips brushed against one another's, light and hesitant. Spurred by the chocolate, Taichi experimented with pushing further, suddenly feeling much braver.

Breathing heavily through their nostrils, they continued their practice. Neither of them had kissed anyone before. They had nothing to compare it to. But their kiss was sweet and perfect. It made sense. The chocolate on their tongues was a happy addition, and not surprisingly, not the main source of the sweetness. Their closeness was now officially sealed with something more than just nudges and shoves and playful punches.

Their speed was composed and natural. Yamato felt as though he were playing the koto, which he had practiced since childhood. Taichi's mindset was similar to the reactions he'd learned while playing a variety of sports. If he does this, I should do this next, both boys thought, though they weren't entirely sure of what actually came next. They were simply responding to each other in a way that felt right. Yamato shyly opened his mouth, and Taichi obliged, allowing his tongue to explore this region of his best friend that hadn't been open to him before. In response to a muffled moan, Taichi slid his warm hands underneath the crisp, button-up shirt, surprised at how lean Yamato was despite not exercising as much as he did.

Coming up for air, Taichi felt himself flush as he watched Yamato's eyes flutter closed. The movement was erotic, and he couldn't explain why. Perhaps it was because he knew he was the cause of it. Grabbing another piece of chocolate, he positioned himself over Yamato's legs, facing him. He wanted to kiss him again, but there was something else he wanted to feel. He took the chocolate between his fingers and gently pressed it against Yamato's mouth. The taller boy replied in kind by taking the chocolate, chewing it slowly, and kissing Taichi's fingertips as a thank you. One by one, his soft lips lingered over each finger, sending sparks of electricity though Taichi's body. They both felt rigid underneath their western-style pants.

Frenzied, they began unbuttoning their shirts. It was hot, too hot. Once they rid themselves of their tops, they both took a moment to admire each other's bodies. Athletic Taichi had an abdomen like a washboard. Yamato's body was lean and graceful. With ragged breaths, they mustered up enough will power to go slowly. Yamato's fingers were callused from years of playing the koto. The effect it had on Taichi was startling; it was amazing having the contrast of someone so gentle touch him with such rough skin. He groaned, acknowledging the fact that his pants were far from the notion of comfort. "Yama," he begged.

Yamato felt his face go red. "Let's move to the bath," he whispered.

Taichi rose immediately, grabbing hold of Yamato's hand. He didn't want to be far from him for even a few seconds. They stumbled over each other, drunk with chocolate and pure bliss, grinning like fools as they entered the bath.

"Just like when we were kids, right?" Yamato murmured, coming behind Taichi and resting his chin on the boy's shoulder. He ran his hands up and down the brunette's arms tenderly. The whisper at his neck made Taichi bristle with excitement.

"Maybe," Taichi said gruffly, turning around to face Yamato. "But it's a bit different this time. Probably the chocolate."

Smirking, Yamato pressed a kiss onto his lover's neck. "I have the sneaking suspicion that this is not what Valentine's day was meant to be."

Taichi placed his hands on Yamato's cheeks, kissing him fully, their bodies desperate to merge the space between. Certainly, neither of them knew what love was before. But it was terribly clear that it's what they had always had. "I dunno, Yama," he said, kissing a trail up his jawline and nibbling on his ear lobe. "Maybe it is. Maybe that's what the chocolates are supposed to be for. To make it easier to say it."

The steam was quickly rising from the bath, and both boys were down to nothing. Yamato turned his cerulean eyes to Taichi with a smile. "Say what?" he asked, knowing full well what was going to be said.

Instead of replying, Taichi shut the door to the bath, delivering another firm, honest kiss.

An hour or so later, the boys tumbled out. Water had spilled everywhere, and they'd done their best to towel it off. Their faces were red, and they couldn't stop themselves from smiling. Yamato's father was still out. They made their way back to the kitchen, dressed back in their school uniforms, and looked at the open box of chocolates.

"You were saying?" Yamato said, taking a chocolate between his fingers and twirling it around.

Taichi raised his eyebrows, a furious blush across his cheeks. "All that and you still didn't get it, did you?"

"I'll give you this chocolate if you confess."

"What if I just took the chocolate from you?" Taichi said, lazily drawing circles with his fingers on Yamato's arm. "Then you wouldn't get your confession."

"That would just be a shame, wouldn't it? Completely out of the spirit of this new holiday."

"I suppose you're right," Taichi said, grabbing the chocolate out of Yamato's fingers with his teeth. He munched on it for a few terse moments, watching Yamato pout. He swallowed it, finally, and kissed the boy's cheek. "I take back what I said about not passing at school. We'll be fine."

The blonde groaned and punched Taichi's shoulder. Snickering and slicking back his enormous mop of hair, he cleared his throat and looked straight at the boy across from him. His best friend. The one he's been with since as long as he can remember. "Okay. You got me. I confess. I love you. And I think I've been in love with you since forever ago, but it just never occurred to me because it was completely obvious."

"Good, that's better," Yamato said, lifting Taichi's face by the chin and nibbling on his lower lip before kissing him completely. "Because I love you, too."

"Happy Valentine's day," Taichi said, pressing his lips to Yamato's wrist and giving his hand a squeeze.

"And here's to many more."

They gave each other one chocolate each after their confessions, glanced at their homework, and decided that a quick nap would be the way to tackle those problems. For now, though, they made changes in their own world, and they weren't about to take them back. The world was moving fast, and they were ready for it.

The boys were sound asleep in Yamato's room. They hadn't tidied up the living room as much as they should have, and Mr. Ishida mumbled as he walked in, complaining to himself about the mess. It was late, but at least he still had chocolates. That lovely lady from the new tea shop had given it to him as a promotion, and he was excited to have a few more before going to bed. In big strides he went into the kitchen and opened the box. To his dismay, nearly half of the chocolates were gone.

He peeked into Yamato's room, box of chocolates in hand and ready to yell at them, and was surprised but not shocked that the boys were in bed together. They were wrapped around each other like lovers. He chuckled to himself, shutting the door gently. "Samurai and retainer, just as I thought," he murmured, popping chocolates into his mouth one by one. "I should write a letter to Natsuko and tell her I won the bet."

Notes:

1. Modan-garu was a phrase used to describe the "modern girls" of Japan. This trend started with the Meiji restoration, when westernizing became the thing to do.

2. The Meiji period was a time for students to go out and learn about all things non-Japanese. Japan's isolationist period officially ended after the shogunate was renounced, allowing people to travel and information to be shared. The 1930s were still a very turbulent time, however. It is important that Taichi and Yamato weren't involved in politics, as it would have been very likely that they would have been involved in the February 26th Incident (an uprising by young men who rose up, hoping to purge the government). This would have made a much more somber story.

3. Naomi by Tanizaki Junichiro is a book written starting in 1924 as a serial in two magazines. The entire book was published in 1947 when it was popularized both in Japan and the US. It is about a salaryman who is fascinated/obsessed with Naomi, who looks Eurasian and represents everything he wants from the western world. Naomi spurns him at every turn, saying he's too old-fashioned. It's kind of a really painful book to read because the characters are mean, superficial, and in Joji's case, pathetic.

4. Wrestling of the non-sumo variety started appearing in the 1920s in several places around the world. It was more popular after World War II; the "golden age of wrestling" in Japan boomed in the 1940s.

5. Down With Love is one of my favorite movies/books. They reference chocolate as a replacement for love. Chocolate also apparently increases the amount of serotonin in your brain, which is why you tend to get lots of happy feelings afterward. And by happy, I mean both generally and sexually.

6. For those who don't know: Yamato = Matt, Taichi = Tai, Kidou = Joe, Izumi = Izzy, and Natsuko = Yamato's mom.