A/N: I really, really enjoyed writing this. It's a companion piece to "Of Guitar Strings and Blissful Ignorance". It's Yama's side of the story, and his thoughts. I really hope anyone who enjoyed Guitar Strings finds this enjoyable. Read and review, please [:

Disclaimer: Not mine. Dunkin Donuts isn't mine, either.

Of Hot Chocolate and Bliss

One never really realizes how lonely it can be walking by yourself on a crowded street in a bustling city during the winter. Of course, the indication of people implies that there is some form of strange companionship, but it is days like these that make you really think about it; when you know you have someone waiting for you, but you have to wait to enjoy their very presence. There's that empty feeling of knowing you're going to see them, but not being able to have their arm around you in the cold as you make your way to see them, or at least to have a conversation to drive attention away from the icy bitterness of the winter air stinging against exposed skin.

That's where the loneliness kicks in.

As I hurried down the snow and ice ridden streets, I cursed myself, wondering why I decided in the first place to travel so far for simple hot chocolates after getting what I was really after – new guitar strings for Roxie, my guitar. I could have gone to any store along the way to obtain the hot drinks and run back to where my partner was waiting.

I smiled at the thought of my other half and it suddenly occurred to me exactly why I chose to come so far: Dunkin Donuts was his favorite brand of hot chocolate, and I would kill any day to see his bright smile at the sight of his favorite beverage.

Naturally, it never does take much to make Taichi smile. As long as we've known each other, Taichi has always been the goofy, class clown type. Anything could excite him, from sleeping to new manga, but the two things that fire him up the most are food and soccer, soccer and food. I've never seen someone get as excited as he does when it comes to eating and playing his favorite sport.

I continued to think about the little things that made me become so drawn to my Taichi as I continued down the street to my destination. In an effort to try to ignore the sting of cold air, I started a game which Taichi had come up with a couple of weeks ago- "People Watching", as he liked to call it. One thing that no one would ever think about Taichi is that he loves to speculate. Whether he's 'people watching', or if we're at an art museum, or even when we're just relaxing at home, the amount of curiosity in his sometimes thick skull never fails to amaze me. He's always been eager to learn more about people and their behaviors, to better understand the world that surrounds him. When you first meet him, you would never guess it, but once you get to know him like I do, it's one of the only things that stick out along with his loud, obnoxious nature.

Our friends always tell us that we're the perfect couple. They always tell us how we'll be the first to marry, the first to have kids. How we fit together just like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The truth is that, well, they're far from the truth. Taichi and I are certainly nowhere near perfect. As much as I love him, and as much as he loves me back, we're still complete opposites. We always have our share of disagreements and fights, and when it comes to appearances and hobbies, one would think that we were on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. What most people don't understand, though, is the strong connection that we have beyond outer appearances and even the outer layers of our personalities. Ever since we became best friends, I have always seen the real Taichi – the inquisitive, insecure, yet courageous person that I fell for. Our relationship was never a complicated one, but it was always full of the twists and turns that made us who we were. After what we've been through, I can never see us as two separate entities.

I bought my hands together and rubbed them for warmth. My destination was finally within sight; just another two blocks. I hurried the rest of the way until I made it to the doors. I stopped a moment just inside of the doors to rub my flushed and frozen cheeks back to a normal temperature. I was in a strangely giddy mood- I attributed this to thoughts of my partner. I stepped up to the register and ordered the two hot drinks. The girl behind the counter smiled and winked, and I politely smiled back.

"Two hot chocolates. The coldest day of winter so far," The girl started, filling the order. "This is some lucky girl. Must be special." She placed the two cups inside of a bag and handed it to me.

"Yea," I replied, smiling. "He is."

After I received the drinks, I placed them gingerly inside of the larger bag from the music store. Taking a moment to bask in the warmth of the place, I pulled my scarf around my neck and headed back into the brisk city streets.

Heading back to the park seemed to take significantly longer than getting to the Dunkin Donuts. The wind jeered, seemingly cackling at my attempts to walk through the crowded streets. Once I had reached the edge of town by the park, however, the wind died down. Shivering, I looked up and into the park. There was Taichi- sitting cross-legged on the bench where I left him, eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought. He had that determined look in his eyes, and was gripping his arms- probably from being cold. I shook my head and crossed the street into the park. As soon as I had entered the gates, his head sprung up and his eyes met mine. He quickly got up and ran over to me, grabbing one of my bags.

"Yama, where were you? I don't know if you noticed, but it's freezing outside. And you said you were going to buy guitar strings, not the whole music store! I've been free-"

I cut him off, placing my lips on his in a chaste kiss. The tension in his body melted, and he eased into me. I pulled back seconds later and reached into the bag with the drinks, pulling them out. He stared at the drinks in my hand.

"I walked a couple of blocks to get us some hot drinks. I figured you'd be cold."

He took the cup from my hand and I led him back to the bench. I settled the bags next to us and took a sip of the searing hot drink.

"Yama, the closest Dunkin Donuts from this point is thirty blocks away."

I looked over to him. There was a mixture of worry and anger in his chocolate eyes. I smiled slightly, pursed my lips and shrugged.

"I knew that you were probably sitting here freezing your ass off pondering about something, and I knew that you'd probably complain when I came back that you were cold, so I figured I'd save myself the slight headache." I said, jokingly. He moved closer to me, and instinctively I wrapped my arm around his shoulder. I felt him rest his head on my shoulder and take a sip from his cup. I had never thought about it, but at that moment it hit me- this was what bliss was. I had always pondered about true happiness and where to find it. Whether it was in moments or money or people or things. I never was able to grasp the concept fully, until that moment. It was quiet, and the park was like an ice crystal wonderland. There was little activity in the area. Most importantly, I had my lover nestled into my side, happier than a bird with a french fry. I took in the moment, never wanting it to be erased from memory. I chuckled lightly to myself and looked down at him.

"Tai?"

"Yeah, Yama?"

"Try not to sit so long in the cold next time, baka. You should've gotten up and walked around some."

"I realized. I got caught up thinking."

"About?"

He looked at me strangely, and it was then I wished I could read his thoughts.

"I was thinking about guitar strings. That's all."

I looked at him, puzzled. He just continued merrily sipping on his hot chocolate. I shook my head and held him closer, seeping further into our infinite moment.