Yamato tried opening his eyes, but they refused to budge so easily. There was a slightly uncomfortable pounding against his skull, but he was too sleepy to be bothered by it.

These sheets are so soft… Hmm… maybe I'll lie here for a while… Wait, what am I touching? This feels fuzzy… like hair?

Yamato's eyes snapped open. This ceiling isn't mine… my ceiling definitely isn't black. He looked down at one of his hands and found it tangled in a brown mess of hair. Looking closer, he could see that the mess of hair was attached to a shirtless body. Looking down at his own unclothed body, he noticed that his torso was covered by a muscular arm that wasn't his own.

"Shit!" He groaned, not even bothering to keep his voice low. The ache in his head was making itself more apparent. He tried to take a look at his unfamiliar surroundings without moving his body too much. A clock on the desk read 9:45 am. Not again…

The mass next to him began to stir. Yamato realized at this point that he wasn't even sure who he was currently sharing a bed with.

Tired green eyes peered out at him from under the brown hair. Well, that's good… at least the eyes are completely different.

The other male yawned and sat up with a lazy stretch.

"Man, the rumors were true. Yamato Ishida is really something special in bed, even if you were wasted out of your mind." The brunet threw a casual wink in Yamato's direction. "I guess I'm a lucky guy?"

Yamato had no idea what to say to this. Between the nauseous feeling making its way into his stomach and the pain in his head, he couldn't find it in him to be flattered by his reputation at the moment.

"So… what do you say, down for another round, blondie?"

The brown-haired male made an endearing grab for Yamato's waist, just as Yamato found himself jumping out of the bed and frantically searching for his clothes.

"Hey, I'm sorry, uh thanks for last night… but I think I should go. I'm not really feeling that great."

Yamato speedily put on his pants and started buttoning his shirt, which he had found flung across the floor.

The brunet straightened up in the bed. "Hey I was half-joking, you don't have to rush out. We could just get breakfast or something-"

"Sorry again, I really don't think I can. Maybe I'll see you around again, uh," – Yamato remembered that he still didn't know the guy's name- "man."

And with that awkward goodbye, Yamato rushed out of the house, desperate to find his way back to his own bed. Real smooth, Yamato… You can bet he won't be finding you again for a lay. He didn't really care though.

He stumbled onto a street which he quickly recognized as part of the Upper Quarter, and found himself luckily only about a 10-minute walk from his own dorm room.

As he began his walk of shame, memories from the night before were beginning to spill back into his head, as they often did after a night of heavy drinking.

He had been at Cloud 9 again, and he'd had far too many shots, he was certain of that. He didn't quite remember if he had started talking to this guy first or if the guy had made a move on him, but one thing had led to another and, well... things had gotten steamy.

He wasn't really surprised by this course of events, since this wasn't even close to the first time that something similar had happened. In fact, he was more surprised that there was even a gay brunet out there who he hadn't slept with yet. Must be a freshman. Still… he looked way too similar to a certain someone else.

"Dammit." Yamato groaned again as he fumbled with his keys and unlocked his door. He had specifically gone out and drank to forget about that certain someone, not to find a look-alike to bang. How pathetic can I be?

He had just managed to take off his shoes and swallow an aspirin and a full glass of water when he finally thought to check his cell phone.

11 missed calls and 7 new texts.

As if on cue, he heard a loud banging on his door. Please don't let that be who I think it is.

Another knock. Okay, who am I kidding? I know exactly who that is.

Remorsefully, he slowly walked over and swung the door open to face the very person that had (unknowingly) led to his night of drunken misadventures.

"There you are, finally!" Taichi growled, forcing his way into the doorway.

His tall, brown-haired best friend stood with his arms crossed across his chest and a glare on his face. "So, do you mind telling me what exactly you were doing last night that was so important that you missed our Fortune Friday tradition? And that you couldn't respond to any of my phone calls?"

Yamato shifted his eyes to a particularly interesting spot on the dry wall. He really hated lying to Taichi. He imagined it was a similar feeling to lying to your mother, except that he couldn't recall a time when he had talked long enough to his own mother to get a chance to lie to her. So really, Tai was the person he hated lying to most in this world (aside from his little brother, Takeru, maybe).

And yet, you've been lying to him an awful lot lately, haven't you? A nasty voice in his head piped up.

Unfortunately, he had no comeback for the stupid voice in his head, because it was right. He thought back to his first big lie to Taichi, many months ago.

XxXxXxXxXx (flashback)

It had been at the end of the first semester at University while they were just freshmen. Yamato could still remember the exact hallway where they had been standing and the freaked out look from the janitor when he had seen Yamato smashing his fist into the wall after the conversation was over.

"I don't think we should be roommates anymore, Tai." Yamato had said solemnly, barely having the guts to look at Taichi's confused reaction. Yamato hadn't wanted to do this, of course, but he didn't think he could handle it anymore. He was going to spontaneously combust one day soon if he didn't do this.

"What do you mean, Yama?" Taichi had questioned him with wide, clear eyes. "We're great roommates- everyone says it! Besides it's still only halfway through the year and our schedules match up perfectly. And come on," Tai had then proceeded to flash him a wonderful smile, "you know I wouldn't feel as comfortable with anyone else!"

Warmth had bubbled into Yamato's chest at the time, but it was quickly replaced with guilt. Yamato closed his eyes, wanting to tell the idiot how that was exactly the issue. Taichi Yagami was TOO comfortable with him. It was the only explanation for Tai's habit of walking around half-naked at all hours of the day, randomly cuddling with Yamato at night, and being entirely too oblivious to the fact that Yamato always needed a cold shower after their play wrestling matches.

Not to mention that being roommates with Taichi forced Yamato to the brink of depression every night that Taichi wouldn't come back to the room until the next morning.

You see, Taichi hadn't changed much from the days of the Digimon World. He was still the same caring, funny, and loud Taichi. The only difference, really, was that at some point he became aware that as a star athlete who also happened to be nice, he tended to attract a lot of girls. And at some point in his first month of college, he had also discovered that sex was a thing, and that it could be pretty entertaining.

Now all of this really shouldn't have been a huge problem for Yamato, since Taichi never spent much time with those girls anyway. But every time Taichi came home with lipstick smeared on his collar and a goofy look on his face it was like he was shooting a "hey, I'm straight and will never like you" arrow right through Yamato's chest.

Of course, Yamato couldn't explain any of that. So instead, he masked the emotion on his face and searched for another excuse. He should've known Taichi would want a reason. Since when had Taichi ever been good at taking the word 'no' at face value?

"Look, I'm sorry, Tai. But things aren't the same as when we were kids. We're in college now!" At least that was the truth. He tried not to notice how Tai's face fell and added, "Besides, you're too messy and loud for me sometimes!"

He could see Taichi's temper start to flare at the (admittedly dumb) reason. "Oh, so that's what's up now? Yamato, the popular pretty boy musician, is too elite to be roommates with someone messy like me? You never seemed to have a problem with that before college. After all we've been through together… I didn't realize that I wasn't allowed to be myself around you." He said the last part bitterly.

That struck an especially heartbreaking chord with Yamato, simply because of how untrue of a statement it was. He loved that Taichi could be himself around him. Because of that, he got to see glimpses of the amazing parts of Tai that the rest of the world could only imagine. Like, who else knew that the brunet athlete also loved mystery novels, and playing cards, and volunteering at the animal shelter and giving his favorite animals Digimon nicknames?

He glanced warily at the angry face in front of him and quickly recognized where this usual pattern of disagreement would lead them. Taichi probably wouldn't want to give this up without a fight.

"Look, I never said I didn't want to be friends, Tai." He then managed to make his own voice sound even more emotionless. "I just need my own privacy. A little space, OK?" Yamato winced inwardly, realizing he sounded like some evil girlfriend in a telenovela. But one look at the crestfallen shadow in Taichi's eyes, and Yamato realized he had more than succeeded.

Yamato felt like he had committed some type of cardinal sin. Taichi valued his friends above all else. For Yamato to cut him off so suddenly, even for such a simple thing like being roommates, he knew Taichi would feel betrayed. Yamato braced himself for an incoming fist to the face.

A moment of awkward silence passed between the two. He then heard Taichi sigh.

"Sorry, Yamato," –Yamato cringed at Taichi's purposeful use of his full name- "I was probably acting too clingy. I mean, it makes sense that you wouldn't want to be roommates forever. Plus, we'll still hang out, right?" Taichi gave him a weak smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and folded his arms above his head.

Yamato felt awful. Was Taichi some sort of saint or something? Why didn't he have the Crest of Friendship instead of Yamato? Also, what had Yamato done in his past life to deserve a friend like him? Taichi had plenty of other people he could be hanging out with. And those people don't act like total jerks to him for no apparent reason, the voice in his head helpfully added.

"Yes, definitely..." Yamato wanted to say more (something along the lines of I'd actually like to hang out with only you forever), but bit back the words and shoved his hands into his pockets.

He knew that every time he hung out with Taichi, he risked the other boy finding out about his not-so-minor crush. And the more he hung out with him, the more depressed he would get afterwards. But, he couldn't just say no to that face. And secretly, he knew that no matter how much he tried to distance himself, he could never completely stop hanging out with Taichi because he just enjoyed it too much.

Taichi's frown remained, and he studied Yamato's face carefully. As Yamato turned around to leave, Taichi asked quietly, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Yamato, with his back turned to Tai, barely managed to keep his poker face on. He was going to have to lie again, for the second time in less than an hour, and he would have to be convincing this time.

"I'm fine, Taichi," Yamato snapped. "Just because someone doesn't want to be your roommate anymore doesn't mean there's something wrong with them. It's not like everything revolves around you."

He didn't know how Taichi reacted to that statement, but when he looked back again a few moments later the brunet was gone.

It had been one week since the first big lie, and a week since Yamato had packed his bags and left the room (while Taichi had been at soccer practice, of course, because he was a coward). Taichi had a new roommate and even a new lab partner (who happened to be a pretty girl). Everything had gone according to plan. And Yamato felt like shit.

You should be glad. This was the whole purpose of lying to him, right? the ugly voice had reminded him, but it didn't make Yamato feel any better.

Yamato had been hoping that by getting his own room alone, he could finally try and distract himself with other guys. Up until now, he had repressed showing the slightest outward interest in any guys for fear of being found out and Taichi pushing him away. He had been hoping to discover that, surely, Taichi wasn't the only attractive male on this whole campus. Certainly, he should be able to find someone who was actually capable of seeing him as more than a friend and who accepted his sexual preferences.

Unfortunately, at the moment, Yamato still couldn't think about anyone but Taichi, his best friend who he had royally screwed things up with. His best friend who suddenly seemed to be totally content with ignoring Yamato for the rest of eternity.

Yamato briefly wondered if he made a mistake. But no, he had to stop being roommates with Taichi. It was getting dangerous.

He could see the future all played out in his head, like some Shakespearean play.

(Act 1) Sooner or later, Taichi would discover that Yamato's preference leaned towards guys.
(Act 2) Eventually, even someone as dense as Taichi was bound to realize that all of Yamato's stares and blushes weren't natural.
(Act 3) And finally, Taichi would tell Yamato that he just couldn't see him like that and that he no longer wanted to be friends. Or even worse, he would hate Yamato for being the way he is and that would we probably drive Yamato to the river just like poor Ophelia.

Okay, so maybe he was being a little dramatic. Also, he couldn't let things continue the way they were now either. Ever since he met Taichi, the boy had always been a constant rock in Yamato's life, a rock that pulled him out of his shell and made him happy. And now, it had already been a month since Taichi had talked to him and it was entirely Yamato's fault. Hikari had even called Yamato to ask what the hell his problem was. He hated lying to her too.

So, when the next Friday came around, he summoned all of his courage and cornered Taichi after their philosophy class.

"Tai, are you avoiding me?" Yamato frowned when he realized his words came out more accusatory than he intended.

Taichi's eyes widened at being confronted. "No… I've just been busy…" He grabbed his backpack and made a movement towards the door. Yamato blocked him.

"Taichi… you don't have to lie to me." Yes, I know, that's pretty hypocritical coming from my mouth.

Taichi finally looked him in the eyes and shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, you said you wanted space, so I was just giving you what you wanted." His voice lowered slightly, "Whatever it was that I messed up before, I didn't want to mess it up again."

Yamato's heart melted. How can I tell him that it's not his fault without explaining everything… Yamato succeeded in warming his voice this time and tried to ask for forgiveness with his eyes. "I know I said some pretty mean things… things that best friends just shouldn't say... but look…"

Yamato ran his hands through his hair and couldn't seem to put the right words together. What exactly was he trying to do? It's not like he could tell Taichi the truth…

"Look, Taichi, could we maybe get a drink? And make fun of the stupid drunk people at the bars? And then play video games? Just like old times?"

Yamato's hopeful question was met with a weird look from Taichi, like he was battling between two different thoughts. Yamato felt like retreating to a dark spot under a desk. Wow, maybe he's really going to say no. Good job, Yamato, you really fucked this one up. Did you expect him to embrace you with a wet kiss or something just because you apologized?

But by the time Yamato braved another look at Tai, his features had softened and he had a small smile on his face. "Sure, Yama, if that's what you would like. I missed you."

His smile quickly morphed into a smirk. "But please, next time you feel like changing your moods around because it's that time of the month, I don't mind really… but maybe just give me some warning? I have to mentally prepare myself."

Yamato felt immediately elated as the tension dissolved, but he wasn't about to let Taichi have that jab without any consequences. "Oh yeah? Who's the one who's been avoiding me like some shy schoolgirl?"

Taichi just laughed, seemingly unbothered by Yamato's comeback. "Actually, speaking of hanging out… I found this awesome bar the other day. It's called Fortune and the waitresses there love me! We can get free shots!"

Yamato shook his head at how carefree Taichi was able to act. It was as if he forgot about the month of silent treatment they'd been giving each other. But that was so typical Taichi.

"Well… are you coming or are you just going to stand there all day with that creepy look?"

"Shut up!"

And that had been how the tradition of Fortune Fridays had started.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX (end flashback)

They were now second-semester sophomores and, although they had expanded their bar choices to some of the classier ones and would occasionally forgo the idea of drinking altogether in favor of staying inside and watching a movie, they hadn't missed a single "Fortune Friday" with each other.

Actually, that wasn't entirely accurate. They hadn't missed a single Fortune Friday UNTIL yesterday, when Yamato had made the rash decision to skip out without giving Tai a good reason.

He did have a good reason, of course, but it wasn't one that he could tell Taichi. How was he supposed to tell Taichi that he had pretty much turned lifeless when he heard, just the day before, that Tai was dating the pretty blonde in their philosophy class? And from the rumors, it was pretty serious.

He had always known that Taichi would eventually want to get into a real relationship, but now that it actually happened it still felt like a slap in the face and a kick to the stomach.

So instead, the rationale part of his brain told him to ignore Taichi and Fortune Friday and head straight to Cloud 9, the infamous gay bar on campus, and proceed to drink away his problems all night. This was in hopes that when he finally did have to face Tai he would be composed enough to congratulate him properly, and maybe even be able to manage a beautiful fake smile and a solid pat on the back.

Perhaps the rationale side of his brain wasn't very intelligent at all, though, because it had tried to convince him that Taichi wouldn't care about Fortune Fridays anyway now that he had a girlfriend. But now it was Saturday morning and Taichi was at his door seeming to care very much, if his clenched fists and heavy breathing were any indication.

Yamato snapped back to the reality of the current situation.

Taichi was looking at him expectantly, "Well, what is it? And don't give me that bullshit "I'm sick" excuse like you did in the text you sent me yesterday. I replied right away that I would bring you over some ramen, and you never even responded!"

Yamato realized he had to say something. "Taichi… I'm really sorry, I just got caught up in something. I was too busy to respond."

"You. Were. Too. BUSY?!" Taichi started angrily, but then abruptly stopped. Yamato looked up at him. The brunet was now giving him a more calculating look, as if he had just noticed Yamato's hungover appearance and crumpled up dress clothes.

"Wait a second… did you just get home, Yama? You never go out without ironing your clothes." He noticed Taichi's eyes go wide as they fixated on a spot on his neck. "And is that a hickey?!"

Yama clasped his hand over his neck, but it was too late. Shit, my pale skin is always getting me in trouble. He attempted to deny the claim, "You know my skin has allergic reactions easily…" but Taichi was clearly ignoring him. Of course he would be able to easily recognize what a hickey looks like.

Taichi looked as if he was contemplating something. Yamato squeezed his eyes shut. Oh, this is it, he's finally going to find out that his best friend is not only gay, but also a manwhore.

"But, the Yamato I know doesn't just sleep with girls and leave them…" Yamato watched as a variety of expressions flitted across Taichi's face. "Does that mean... you finally got a girlfriend? Is that why you missed Fortune Friday?"

Yamato almost face-palmed. Of all the conclusions to land on, that was what he decided was most likely? Well, it was probably better than any other excuse Yamato could think of at the moment, and maybe it would get him off the hook for missing Friday.

Yamato didn't trust his voice not to betray him so he just nodded slowly, rearranging his face into what he hoped was the look of someone in love and not someone who had just gotten black-out drunk and slept with a total stranger. There's another lie I can add to my growing list.

Taichi looked surprised at the affirmation, but quickly overcame the shock and flashed him a smile. He gave Yamato a wink that made Yamato's heart skip a beat and then proceeded to assault him with questions, "Really? So what lucky girl snatched up Yamato Ishida's heart? Why didn't you tell me? Here I was all this time thinking that Gabumon and music were your only true love!"

No, dumbass, you were my only true love. Yamato's headache was back in full force as Taichi's rambling started to blend together. If he had entertained any hope that Taichi might have the slightest bit of interest in him, it was all crushed at seeing how truly happy Taichi was for him and his "girlfriend". He pushed those depressing thoughts aside for later, as he was now in a predicament. What was he supposed to tell Taichi about this girlfriend who didn't exist?

Distraction was probably the best tactic.

Yamato put his hands on his hips and muttered, "Well, it's not like you told me about your girlfriend, Mr. Popular. I had to hear about it from some dumb cheerleader's mouth in the cafeteria. She was going on and on about how the notorious "lady killer" had finally met his perfect match." Yamato tried to keep his tone light and teasing so as to drown out any of the feelings of disappointment sneaking into his voice, but he wasn't sure if he succeeded.

Guilt flooded Tachi's features. "You heard about Carla? Sorry I meant to tell you- well I wanted to tell you in person so I thought Fortune Friday would be a good time, but then you canceled…"

"So what happened to your goal of sleeping with a different chick every week?" Yamato asked dryly.

Taichi scrunched up his face. "Hey, I'm not that bad! Besides, I was kind of thinking-"

"You mean you're actually capable of thinking?"

"Shut it! Like I was saying, I thought it might be time to get into an actual relationship. I mean sleeping around, it's fun you know, but it didn't really make me as happy anymore. And then I met Carla and she seemed less ditzy and more funny than most of the girls I'd met, so I figured why not?"

Yamato could feel his chest tighten as Taichi praised the girl. Dammit, maybe this wasn't the right distraction tactic.

"Well anyway Taichi, as much as I want to hear the details," –another lie- "I'm feeling kind of tired right now… Long night, you know?"

"I'm sure it was," Taichi said in a suggestive tone while looking over Yamato's clothes. "I'll give you some time to clean up first. And then tonight we celebrate for both of us! I'll try and get the rest of the gang together, too!" He sprinted down the corridor back to his own dorm, not even giving Yamato a chance to respond.

Yamato shut the door and slumped to the ground immediately. How am I going to get out of this one?

Ah...I'm sorry if this was a bit long and drawn out. I swear I started this with a good plot idea and then as I began writing it just took its own direction (blame my crappy writing), but I think I know how I'm going to frame the next few chapters (and it will be more exciting hopefully), so stay tuned.

Anyway, thank you for reading! Let me know what you think of it so far!