Part of my Christmas special. Everyday a gift, everyday something
different. To open every present, go to my Christmas 2003 page.
~*~*~*~
Three Days Digimon Frontier Virgo
"/Packed my bags, got on the bus, I can't believe it's true! I'm three days from New York City and I'm three days from you!/"
Takuya grinned. His cousin had odd taste in everything. Music especially. But, he had to admit, this TMBG had some good songs. Odd, but good. He was finishing his packing when his cellular phone rang. Automatically he shut off the stereo and reached for the bleating thing. His smiled widened, though, when he read Kouji's name on the screen.
"Hey." He answered.
"/Hey, yourself./"
"What's up?"
"/Just wondering how you're doing./"
"Oh?" He leaned back. Kouji must've gotten back from work a couple hours ago. "Hard day?"
"/Nothing spectacular./"
"There must be a reason why you called." Takuya continued to stuff his bag. Years may go by and he may look and act (debatably) older, but he still didn't understand the purpose of folding clothes. Who cared about wrinkles? That's just for old people and women. "You don't do the 'casual call'."
On the other end of the phone he heard Kouji smirk. "/You didn't call first./"
"I'm supposed to?"
"/You usually do./"
"I get it." Takuya became suddenly evil. "You just missed my voice."
There was a pause. "/..... I have no idea what you're talking about./"
"You wanted to hear me. I know what my voice does to you." He purred into the phone. He could see Kouji shiver in his mind's eye. "You wanted to hear it before you went to bed. That way you can dream about it."
"/Oh, really?/" But Kouji's voice was huskier over the faint crackle of the phone. "/And if you're wrong?/"
"Then I'll just have to go over there and prove that I'm right."
"/What does that have to do with your voice?/"
"I just want you to think about it." He smiled into the phone, arguing with the bag's zipper. "Or rather, I want you to think about me."
"/Hn./" There was a shifting sound as Kouji switched ears. "/When are you coming back./"
"What time is it over there, now?"
"/10 at night./"
"That makes it...." he looked at his watched, remember that it had broken and tried to think. "Uh..."
"/About 8 in the morning. Still haven't gotten the hang of it, have you?/"
"I still have four hours until my designated thinking time. By all rights, I shouldn't be up at this ungodly hour."
"/You do remember I would've already been at work at that 'ungodly' hour every day, right?/"
"You're a morning person. Anytime before 12 is an ungodly hour for me."
"/Of course./"
"Anyway, I'll be back in about three days."
"/Three days?/" He could hear the disappointment in Kouji's voice and had to resist the urge to stroke his phone reassuringly. It wouldn't do to coo at it in attempt to sooth him, it would just get the other annoyed. "/I was hopping you'd be back by Christmas./"
"Why? Got me a present?"
"/You're my present./"
"Oh." Takuya blinked, putting his final piece of luggage with the rest. One suitcase and a carry-on. Not bad, he thought. "Wait, then what's /my/ present?"
"/You'll just have to come and see, won't you?/"
He grinned. "You going to work at the usual time?"
"/No. They have me on another late shift tomorrow. I'll leave you a message on your phone if I can't get a hold of you./"
"All right. I'll call you next chance I get."
"/I miss you./"
"Miss you, too."
~*~*~*~
He stretched out on the couch, contented after dinner. His uncle had insisted that his last meal be spent with entertainment and took him to one of those theme restaurants that were so popular in Manhattan. He checked his watched, cursed at its broken presence again and turned on the TV to look at the time. Still a while to go...
Shifting onto his stomach, Takuya groped for his phone. Lessee... if it was 7 at night in New York, then that must mean it was... Um... His brow furrowed as he thought. One day forward, minus half a day, uh, carry the one.... He managed to get sometime in the afternoon and decided that was close enough.
Turning on his cell phone, it beeped, indicating a message on his voicemail. Kouji. He smiled at the thought.
"/Hey./" He wondered idly if it was odd that all their phone conversations started the same way, then figured it didn't matter. "/Just wanted you to know that I'm only covering two shifts today. I'll be out from 2 to 10. Just give me a call whenever you can. See you soon./"
Takuya blinked. Damn, did that mean he had to know exactly what hour it was in Japan? Curse you, flawed math skills.
Ah well, he thought, I can at least leave a message.
Pressing the well-used speed dial button he lounged thoughtfully. Honestly he really couldn't wait to be back home. New York City was a pretty cool place, certainly, but he had something better waiting for him back in Japan.
The line beeped. "Hey." He told the recorder. "I was hoping I could catch you before you left, but guess I was a bit late, huh? Oh well. Just lettin' you know that I'll probably be on the plane by the time you're off work. Or something, uh..." he thought again. Okay, leaving here, at least 16 hour flight, not including delays, losing a day, um... "So yeah, I'll be seeing you in three days or so." He smiled into the phone. "I'll see you soon."
~*~*~*~
The crowd shuffled off the plane, Takuya with them. He groaned, popping his back as he shifted his bag higher on his shoulder. Ow, that wasn't supposed to do that... Planes, he decided, sucked. A lot. Especially when you had to sit around for that long and smell three disgusting meals and all those bodies... He forced himself to stop thinking about it, his stomach was starting a coup on him.
Pausing at a restroom he splashed cold water on his face to wake him up. Looking at his reflection he wondered idly if Kouji would mind the blonde tips his cousin put in his hair. He shouldn't, Kouji was the one that got an ear piercing- infinitely more permanent.
Speaking of which- he dug into his bag and brought out his phone -lessee if he left a message. As he flipped the keypad open, it rang. Surprised, he answered it before he looked at the name. "Hello?"
"/Hello? What kind of greeting is that?/"
Takuya grinned. Beat him to it, again. "A proper one, I thought."
"/Hm? I really didn't think I'd reach you./"
"You have a good sense of timing."
"/Still at the terminal?/"
"Yeah. Remind me, next time family asks me to visit them overseas to tell them to come visit me in Japan."
"/Will do./"
Takuya excused himself around an elderly couple as he reached for the baggage claim, spotting his luggage through the throngs of people. "What time is it?"
"/About 2, I think./"
"In the morning?" The sky outside was dark and Takuya rolled his eyes. Of course in the morning...
"/Yeah./"
"What're you doing up this early?"
"/Couldn't sleep./"
"How come? You're not doing that insomnia thing again, are you?"
"/No./" Kouji sounded annoyed. He had sleeping problems occasionally, but the doctors always said it was because he worked too hard. Takuya just said it was because Kouji got bored sleeping. And Kouji just denied the entire thing. "/Just thinking about you./"
"Getting a little unnaturally sentimental, aren't you?"
"/Maybe your romanticism rubbed off on me./"
"Don't worry," he smiled, waving down a taxicab, "I'll be home soon."
"/You'll be late. You're always late./"
"Hey, maybe I'll be late just to spite you."
"/That would be something you'd do, yes./"
"Oh yeah? Well maybe this time I'll be early."
"/Yeah right. Like you can make the planes move any faster./"
"You never know." He paused to point the driver in the right direction.
"/Hn. Like /that/ will happen./" There was a pause, but Kouji seemed to want to say something else. "/So,/" he said somewhat uneasily, "/how was New York?/"
"It was pretty cool. Lots of really neat things. You wouldn't believe all the stuff they have, it's amazing! Well, and it's kinda absurd when you think about it. All that stuff in one small area."
"/Kind of like here?/"
"With taller buildings closer together."
"/Sounds awful./"
"Not a place to live, definitely."
He heard Kouji smiling over the phone. "/Was there /anything/ good about it?/" There was something about New York that he didn't like, that made him wary about Takuya going. The bad rep, maybe? Or he was afraid Takuya would've hooked up with someone?
He grinned. "Oh yes."
"/What?/" That worried tone was back again.
"You."
"/Me?/"
"Missed you every moment I was gone. The best thing about New York City was thinking about going back home to you."
There was a snort of laughter, from the sound of it Kouji was more comfortable and relaxed, Takuya could feel the warmth wrapping around himself, as well.
"/I told you, with as much sap as you throw around, it was only a matter of time before it started affecting me./"
"You're a natural romantic. I just woke a sleeping giant is all."
"/And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?/"
"You're not /that/ big."
"/Don't be jealous, Ta-kun./"
He pouted into the phone. "Do you /haveta/ call me that?"
Kouji was grinning. He knew how much Takuya didn't like pet names, neither of them did. "/Only on special occasions./" He shifted again. "/Do you have to go now?/"
"No." He leaned by the window, catching a glance at a passing sign. "Still have some time."
"/Okay./"
"You're not tired, are you?"
"/No./"
"Good."
"/I just miss you./"
For some reason, that just made Takuya melt. "Miss you, too."
"/I can't wait for you to get back./"
"Oh?" The tone of Kouji's voice was different and Takuya found himself sitting up, heart speeding up. He wasn't actually going to.?
"/Un. I have all the messages you left me. Whenever I can't talk to you, I just sit here and listen to them. I love your voice, you know. The way you talk to me, the way you whisper in my ear./" Takuya swallowed into the phone, suddenly remembering how he'd hold Kouji close, the way they moved together. Heat spread flush on his cheeks. "/And now you're blushing, aren't you?/"
He blinked. "Eh?" Then smacked a hand against his head, realizing he'd just been tricked. Kouji always had to play dirty. "I am not." He shot back.
"/Yes you are./"
"Feh."
"/But you're cute when you blush./"
He smiled. Then pouted. "I thought I was cute all the time?"
"/You are. But you like me saying it./" Never before would he have thought someone could know someone else as truly as they knew each other. It almost didn't seem fair at times.
"You still in bed or are you wandering?"
"/In bed./"
"Reading?"
"/Talking to you./"
"Well, obviously. But I mean anything else?"
"/No. Why?/"
"Good, stay there."
"/What for?/"
"Keep my half warm for me."
"/I'm not staying in bed until you get here./"
"Why not?"
"/You'll take forever!/"
"No I won't!"
"/You always do./"
"You're so cruel. You /want/ me to come back to a cold bed?"
"/If it's that cold, I could just warm /you/ up./"
"You promise?"
"/If you're cold./"
"Hm, don't say things like that." He paid the driver then balanced his phone on his shoulder, trying to dig out a tip. "I might just sit outside in the cold in my shorts." Grabbing his things, he slid out the cab, climbing the stairs of the apartment.
"/You do that, I'll just laugh when you catch a cold/."
"You /are/ cruel."
"/I'm just sensible./"
"Laughing at someone's misfortune isn't what I call sensible."
"/It is if it was caused by their being stupid./"
"I'm hurt."
"/Poor thing./"
"I think I need a hug, now."
"/Hurry back and I might give you one./"
"I'll hold you to that." He said as he rang the buzzer. He heard it echo in his phone and Kouji swore. There was a pause, then the muffled sound of pounding feet on carpet and something being jostled painfully- probably by a knee -as someone came charging through the apartment. The door in Takuya's face swung open and Kouji stood there, holding open the door in one hand, phone in the other, held against his ear and a stunned look on his face. His hair dripped across his neck and down his bare chest, the robe open and unsuccessfully trying to hang onto his shoulders. The cold air made the dark haired boy's skin prickle, but all that he seemed to notice was the brunette waving at him.
"So," Takuya grinned as he asked into the phone, "is my half of the bed warm?"
~*~*~*~
Three Days Digimon Frontier Virgo
"/Packed my bags, got on the bus, I can't believe it's true! I'm three days from New York City and I'm three days from you!/"
Takuya grinned. His cousin had odd taste in everything. Music especially. But, he had to admit, this TMBG had some good songs. Odd, but good. He was finishing his packing when his cellular phone rang. Automatically he shut off the stereo and reached for the bleating thing. His smiled widened, though, when he read Kouji's name on the screen.
"Hey." He answered.
"/Hey, yourself./"
"What's up?"
"/Just wondering how you're doing./"
"Oh?" He leaned back. Kouji must've gotten back from work a couple hours ago. "Hard day?"
"/Nothing spectacular./"
"There must be a reason why you called." Takuya continued to stuff his bag. Years may go by and he may look and act (debatably) older, but he still didn't understand the purpose of folding clothes. Who cared about wrinkles? That's just for old people and women. "You don't do the 'casual call'."
On the other end of the phone he heard Kouji smirk. "/You didn't call first./"
"I'm supposed to?"
"/You usually do./"
"I get it." Takuya became suddenly evil. "You just missed my voice."
There was a pause. "/..... I have no idea what you're talking about./"
"You wanted to hear me. I know what my voice does to you." He purred into the phone. He could see Kouji shiver in his mind's eye. "You wanted to hear it before you went to bed. That way you can dream about it."
"/Oh, really?/" But Kouji's voice was huskier over the faint crackle of the phone. "/And if you're wrong?/"
"Then I'll just have to go over there and prove that I'm right."
"/What does that have to do with your voice?/"
"I just want you to think about it." He smiled into the phone, arguing with the bag's zipper. "Or rather, I want you to think about me."
"/Hn./" There was a shifting sound as Kouji switched ears. "/When are you coming back./"
"What time is it over there, now?"
"/10 at night./"
"That makes it...." he looked at his watched, remember that it had broken and tried to think. "Uh..."
"/About 8 in the morning. Still haven't gotten the hang of it, have you?/"
"I still have four hours until my designated thinking time. By all rights, I shouldn't be up at this ungodly hour."
"/You do remember I would've already been at work at that 'ungodly' hour every day, right?/"
"You're a morning person. Anytime before 12 is an ungodly hour for me."
"/Of course./"
"Anyway, I'll be back in about three days."
"/Three days?/" He could hear the disappointment in Kouji's voice and had to resist the urge to stroke his phone reassuringly. It wouldn't do to coo at it in attempt to sooth him, it would just get the other annoyed. "/I was hopping you'd be back by Christmas./"
"Why? Got me a present?"
"/You're my present./"
"Oh." Takuya blinked, putting his final piece of luggage with the rest. One suitcase and a carry-on. Not bad, he thought. "Wait, then what's /my/ present?"
"/You'll just have to come and see, won't you?/"
He grinned. "You going to work at the usual time?"
"/No. They have me on another late shift tomorrow. I'll leave you a message on your phone if I can't get a hold of you./"
"All right. I'll call you next chance I get."
"/I miss you./"
"Miss you, too."
~*~*~*~
He stretched out on the couch, contented after dinner. His uncle had insisted that his last meal be spent with entertainment and took him to one of those theme restaurants that were so popular in Manhattan. He checked his watched, cursed at its broken presence again and turned on the TV to look at the time. Still a while to go...
Shifting onto his stomach, Takuya groped for his phone. Lessee... if it was 7 at night in New York, then that must mean it was... Um... His brow furrowed as he thought. One day forward, minus half a day, uh, carry the one.... He managed to get sometime in the afternoon and decided that was close enough.
Turning on his cell phone, it beeped, indicating a message on his voicemail. Kouji. He smiled at the thought.
"/Hey./" He wondered idly if it was odd that all their phone conversations started the same way, then figured it didn't matter. "/Just wanted you to know that I'm only covering two shifts today. I'll be out from 2 to 10. Just give me a call whenever you can. See you soon./"
Takuya blinked. Damn, did that mean he had to know exactly what hour it was in Japan? Curse you, flawed math skills.
Ah well, he thought, I can at least leave a message.
Pressing the well-used speed dial button he lounged thoughtfully. Honestly he really couldn't wait to be back home. New York City was a pretty cool place, certainly, but he had something better waiting for him back in Japan.
The line beeped. "Hey." He told the recorder. "I was hoping I could catch you before you left, but guess I was a bit late, huh? Oh well. Just lettin' you know that I'll probably be on the plane by the time you're off work. Or something, uh..." he thought again. Okay, leaving here, at least 16 hour flight, not including delays, losing a day, um... "So yeah, I'll be seeing you in three days or so." He smiled into the phone. "I'll see you soon."
~*~*~*~
The crowd shuffled off the plane, Takuya with them. He groaned, popping his back as he shifted his bag higher on his shoulder. Ow, that wasn't supposed to do that... Planes, he decided, sucked. A lot. Especially when you had to sit around for that long and smell three disgusting meals and all those bodies... He forced himself to stop thinking about it, his stomach was starting a coup on him.
Pausing at a restroom he splashed cold water on his face to wake him up. Looking at his reflection he wondered idly if Kouji would mind the blonde tips his cousin put in his hair. He shouldn't, Kouji was the one that got an ear piercing- infinitely more permanent.
Speaking of which- he dug into his bag and brought out his phone -lessee if he left a message. As he flipped the keypad open, it rang. Surprised, he answered it before he looked at the name. "Hello?"
"/Hello? What kind of greeting is that?/"
Takuya grinned. Beat him to it, again. "A proper one, I thought."
"/Hm? I really didn't think I'd reach you./"
"You have a good sense of timing."
"/Still at the terminal?/"
"Yeah. Remind me, next time family asks me to visit them overseas to tell them to come visit me in Japan."
"/Will do./"
Takuya excused himself around an elderly couple as he reached for the baggage claim, spotting his luggage through the throngs of people. "What time is it?"
"/About 2, I think./"
"In the morning?" The sky outside was dark and Takuya rolled his eyes. Of course in the morning...
"/Yeah./"
"What're you doing up this early?"
"/Couldn't sleep./"
"How come? You're not doing that insomnia thing again, are you?"
"/No./" Kouji sounded annoyed. He had sleeping problems occasionally, but the doctors always said it was because he worked too hard. Takuya just said it was because Kouji got bored sleeping. And Kouji just denied the entire thing. "/Just thinking about you./"
"Getting a little unnaturally sentimental, aren't you?"
"/Maybe your romanticism rubbed off on me./"
"Don't worry," he smiled, waving down a taxicab, "I'll be home soon."
"/You'll be late. You're always late./"
"Hey, maybe I'll be late just to spite you."
"/That would be something you'd do, yes./"
"Oh yeah? Well maybe this time I'll be early."
"/Yeah right. Like you can make the planes move any faster./"
"You never know." He paused to point the driver in the right direction.
"/Hn. Like /that/ will happen./" There was a pause, but Kouji seemed to want to say something else. "/So,/" he said somewhat uneasily, "/how was New York?/"
"It was pretty cool. Lots of really neat things. You wouldn't believe all the stuff they have, it's amazing! Well, and it's kinda absurd when you think about it. All that stuff in one small area."
"/Kind of like here?/"
"With taller buildings closer together."
"/Sounds awful./"
"Not a place to live, definitely."
He heard Kouji smiling over the phone. "/Was there /anything/ good about it?/" There was something about New York that he didn't like, that made him wary about Takuya going. The bad rep, maybe? Or he was afraid Takuya would've hooked up with someone?
He grinned. "Oh yes."
"/What?/" That worried tone was back again.
"You."
"/Me?/"
"Missed you every moment I was gone. The best thing about New York City was thinking about going back home to you."
There was a snort of laughter, from the sound of it Kouji was more comfortable and relaxed, Takuya could feel the warmth wrapping around himself, as well.
"/I told you, with as much sap as you throw around, it was only a matter of time before it started affecting me./"
"You're a natural romantic. I just woke a sleeping giant is all."
"/And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?/"
"You're not /that/ big."
"/Don't be jealous, Ta-kun./"
He pouted into the phone. "Do you /haveta/ call me that?"
Kouji was grinning. He knew how much Takuya didn't like pet names, neither of them did. "/Only on special occasions./" He shifted again. "/Do you have to go now?/"
"No." He leaned by the window, catching a glance at a passing sign. "Still have some time."
"/Okay./"
"You're not tired, are you?"
"/No./"
"Good."
"/I just miss you./"
For some reason, that just made Takuya melt. "Miss you, too."
"/I can't wait for you to get back./"
"Oh?" The tone of Kouji's voice was different and Takuya found himself sitting up, heart speeding up. He wasn't actually going to.?
"/Un. I have all the messages you left me. Whenever I can't talk to you, I just sit here and listen to them. I love your voice, you know. The way you talk to me, the way you whisper in my ear./" Takuya swallowed into the phone, suddenly remembering how he'd hold Kouji close, the way they moved together. Heat spread flush on his cheeks. "/And now you're blushing, aren't you?/"
He blinked. "Eh?" Then smacked a hand against his head, realizing he'd just been tricked. Kouji always had to play dirty. "I am not." He shot back.
"/Yes you are./"
"Feh."
"/But you're cute when you blush./"
He smiled. Then pouted. "I thought I was cute all the time?"
"/You are. But you like me saying it./" Never before would he have thought someone could know someone else as truly as they knew each other. It almost didn't seem fair at times.
"You still in bed or are you wandering?"
"/In bed./"
"Reading?"
"/Talking to you./"
"Well, obviously. But I mean anything else?"
"/No. Why?/"
"Good, stay there."
"/What for?/"
"Keep my half warm for me."
"/I'm not staying in bed until you get here./"
"Why not?"
"/You'll take forever!/"
"No I won't!"
"/You always do./"
"You're so cruel. You /want/ me to come back to a cold bed?"
"/If it's that cold, I could just warm /you/ up./"
"You promise?"
"/If you're cold./"
"Hm, don't say things like that." He paid the driver then balanced his phone on his shoulder, trying to dig out a tip. "I might just sit outside in the cold in my shorts." Grabbing his things, he slid out the cab, climbing the stairs of the apartment.
"/You do that, I'll just laugh when you catch a cold/."
"You /are/ cruel."
"/I'm just sensible./"
"Laughing at someone's misfortune isn't what I call sensible."
"/It is if it was caused by their being stupid./"
"I'm hurt."
"/Poor thing./"
"I think I need a hug, now."
"/Hurry back and I might give you one./"
"I'll hold you to that." He said as he rang the buzzer. He heard it echo in his phone and Kouji swore. There was a pause, then the muffled sound of pounding feet on carpet and something being jostled painfully- probably by a knee -as someone came charging through the apartment. The door in Takuya's face swung open and Kouji stood there, holding open the door in one hand, phone in the other, held against his ear and a stunned look on his face. His hair dripped across his neck and down his bare chest, the robe open and unsuccessfully trying to hang onto his shoulders. The cold air made the dark haired boy's skin prickle, but all that he seemed to notice was the brunette waving at him.
"So," Takuya grinned as he asked into the phone, "is my half of the bed warm?"