It was a sunny Sunday and the sky was clear, dotted only by a few white clouds, soft as cream.
"Mom! Where are the drinks?" echoed Taichi's plaintive question.
The Digimon, who were watching the television quietly, turned toward him. A tailed brown woman returned from the balcony with a surprised look on her face.
"I thought I bought them this morning!" she exclaimed.
The son rechecked in the refrigerator and shook his head. The mother sighed, letting out a 'damn'. She took the bag she had left on the sofa and headed for the door.
"I'm going to buy them, then."
The dark-haired girl, who has worked on the kitchen table since that moment, stopped handle with the bowl full of foamy white cream. The exchange between the two had caught her attention.
"Um, Mrs. Yagami ... Do you want me to go?" asked she shyly.
"Oh no, Meiko. Thanks, but you do enough thinking about the cake. I will take care of it. I'll be back soon!"
"OK mom. Bye!" waved off the other guy. Meiko whispered a 'goodbye', making a slight bow with her head.
"Bye, bye!" said the other two Digimon.
As soon as she was gone, Meicoomon and Agumon asked their friends if they needed a hand. Taichi nodded, pointing to the box left on the floor with birthday decorations inside.
"Help me to put some festoons around. Do you need a hand, Meiko?"
She blushed a little and shook her head. She replied that she could take care of it herself. While the others decorated the room for the Hikari's party, Meiko was working on the birthday cake.
She remembered the conversation Mei-chan had with Taichi some time ago: the Digimon boasted about her friend's ability to make great cakes. So when Taichi asked Meiko a hand to cook one for her little sister, she couldn't refuse. And there she was, at Yagami home, cooking a birthday cake.
The oven timer rang and she pulled out two round, yellow bases. They were very soft and their smell was so inviting that send into raptures the others in the room, so they ran to the table.
"Wow, Meiko! It looks delicious!" exclaimed Meicoomon.
"Yes? And I even haven't finished yet …"
"Are you making two cakes?" asked Agumon.
Meiko shook her head.
"Now on this basis I will melt chocolate. Then I will lay on the top another piece of sponge cake and at the end I'll put cream, whipped cream and strawberries."
Meicoomon and Agumon looked at her, eyes shining with excitement as she explained patiently the process. They looked like two small children. Even Taichi looked curious.
"It seems a lot of work. Can I help you?"
She blushed a bit as she thought about how respond. Meanwhile, Agumon teased him by saying that the only reason he wanted to help her, was the hope of eating some leftover of the melted chocolate. Taichi denied instantly. Meiko smiled and said that, if they had already finished with decorations, he could help her out.
After sometime, the two looked happy at the cake. Four hands put them less time to complete it and it looked straight out of a pastry shop. It was a classic cake decorated with cream and strawberries, the words 'Happy Birthday' written on it with chocolate.
"It came really good, you know?" said Taichi satisfied.
"Do you really think that?"
The boy nodded and pulled out a curl of cream with his finger. His eyes sparkled with pleasure as he savored the sweet taste of white cream.
"And it is also delicious!" Exclaimed happily.
"T-Taichi!".
Meiko's voice came out squeaky. She didn't know if she was screaming in terror or for the compliment.
"What?" he asked, sucking the finger full of cream. She became even more red.
"Y-you shouldn't ..."
Taichi followed her gaze toward the cake, with the index still in his mouth. Aside from that little white hole, the circular decoration was perfectly intact.
"I can just redo the wisp, right?" asked casually.
"W-well, yes ..."
After a few moments of silence, on Taichi's face appeared a grin. It wasn't very reassuring for Meiko.
"Then, I'll take some more!"
"W-what? No!"
The girl tried to stop his finger: he wanted to re-dig it in the white decoration. More Taichi tried to approach the cake, more Meiko was trying to defend it with all her forces. They continued to play this catch-hand game, until she was finally able to block respectively his right wrist and left hand. Their little spat drew Agumon's and Meicoomon's attention, who were checking the decorations, sitting on the couch.
"Stop teasing me, please!" Meiko said.
"I'm not teasing you! I want just some cream ..." continued Taichi, whimpering.
"I-I told you that you can not ... You'll ruin the cake!"
"Eh? But we can cover the hole after! Nobody will notice… "
"E-enough, please!"
"I'm hungry ..."
Meiko strongly shook her head and put on a pout between the determined and exasperated. They were now staring at each other, in total silence, blushing. Actually, they noticed the strange situation in which they had driven out.
Taichi wouldn't ever believed that Meiko would become angry for a little taste of cream. On the other side, Meiko wouldn't ever thought she would have to defend a cake from Taichi's hunger. Furthermore, the position in which they had locked their fight, had made them unexpectedly close. Overall, it was a very embarrassing situation.
All of a sudden, Taichi seemed to focus on something else. A slight smirk brightened up his face for a moment. The next, he had already managed to leave a light kiss on the girl's lips.
The two Digimon - who had silently observed the whole scene - covered their eyes with their paws.
"Ah! I don't dare to look!" exclaimed Agumon.
"I-I do not even ..." muttered Meicoomon.
Meiko felt her cheeks burn and then, she let go her grip. Taichi was laughing in his sleeve; he liked watching her beacome red allover her ears, looking so confused and embarrassed. This at least until she began to scream.
"T ... T ... TAICHIII!"
The brown-haired guy was barely able to apologize, before bursting out laughing. The brunette covered her face with her hands.
"P-please, stop making fun of me ..." she mumbled, embarrassed.
"Really, I'm sorry. I just thought you were cute with that pout on your face. Now, can I have some more cream, pretty please?"
Meiko's expression changed from embarrassment to disbelief. He had done all of it only to have another taste of cream? Or was he making fun of her again? Sometimes she just couldn't understand that side of him: it was so... so... "Naughty!".
"Huh?". Taichi looked at her, puzzled.
"Stop being a naughty boy! L-look, it's not a your decision, you know... you'll have to ask the birthday girl in question, if you can take another slice of cake!" she bursted out suddenly.
That serious look, those clenched fists... Taichi knew immediately that she was angry. Or rather that she was nervous. Perhaps he had teased her a bit too much.
"Sorry, sorry. I promise I'll wait until the candles, all right? "
Meiko's eyes softened instantly and nodded slightly. There wasn't much to do, she knew it perfectly well: perhaps he will try to steal the cream again - or maybe, another kiss - at the first opportunity. Meanwhile Taichi was in charge of glasses and cutlery, she took up the pastry bag and remedied the damage suffered on the cake. She noticed something and smiled.
"... You can take the cream that had advanced." whispered shyly, handing the bag.
"Really? Thanks! " smiled the boy heartily.
"And we won't have nothing?" complained the two Digimon in chorus, exceeded the embarrassment of the moment.
"If you want, you can have the advanced melted chocolate over here." said Meiko, indicating the pan. The brown-haired boy turned to her upset.
"What? And you didn't told me anything about it? That's not fair!"
"Why should I have? You like the cream, don't you?".
Meiko gave him an eloquent smile and Taichi blushed, continuing to enjoy the sweet, milk-flavored, cream.