Title: A Dozen Hothouse Roses
Author: Rae
Warnings/Pairings: Takori, Daikensuke, Taito, Jyoushiro, Somi, Hiyako.
Note: This is one of X number of parts. But I wanted at least this much out today. I probably won't get a chance to finish it until tomorrow afternoon, or later this week, but at least you can all enjoy the insanity and fluff of what I do have accomplished, right? Right.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit, all for fun. That said, if someone should like to donate money to me, I would be appreciative. My brother-in-law backed into my car. Happy Valentine's Day. ^___^;
*****
Three yards from the goal, Daisuke lost the ball to a defending player. He turned quickly and ran back the way he had come. He intercepted the opposing player and kicked the ball away, taking it back under his control. For a moment, he was aware of interference from someone who he knew -- on an instictive level -- wanted to take the ball from him. He dodged around the person, but they shifted. He kicked the ball forward, let it bounce off surprised shins, and then ran around the obstacle. With a cry of victory, he kicked the ball into the appointed goal.
It rolled through the doorway of room 12-A. Daisuke cheered and turned around, ready to receive the good-natured congratulations of teammates and opponents alike. What greeted him instead was silence, the heavy, oppressive kind that signals a bad turn of events.
Daisuke paused and looked at the guilty faces that were turned to the floor instead of to him. All except one. "Motomiya Daisuke," intoned the principal, "You will follow me to my office." He was standing stiffly to the side of the hall, only a few yards away and in the approximate location of... Daisuke winced and tried to imagine himself bouncing the ball off the principal's leg. It was difficult. About the farthest he got in the image was the principal's angry face and an arm pointed toward the administration office.
Trouble was something Daisuke was familiar with, and it looked like he was about to become personally reacquainted with it shortly. He could have thought of better things to do. Like scrub floors with a tooth brush.
*****
Taichi was an easy going kind of guy. He got along great with just about everyone, was liked by a large number of people, was considered rather popular by most of the school. For the most part, people respected him. He couldn't understand why, with his great personality and following of people, why no one seemed to take his claim on Ishida Yamato seriously. Was it really so hard to believe the blond rocker was his boyfriend? Did making out in the hallway and getting in trouble not twice, not three times, but -four- times not mean anything to them?
Whatever the reason, he was quickly growing tired of having to fend girls off left and right. He was finally doing something about it. Or actually, he was getting people to do something about it. What he was doing was causing a distraction. By the end of the day, everyone in the school would know Yamato was his and there was no chance anyone would be able to ignore the message.
He'd probably end up with the blame for everything, but at least Yamato would be his and only his. It would be worth it.
He tied off the last rope to the doorhandle and smiled in satisfaction. Now he could spend the rest of the lunch hour making out with Yamato. It was indeed a lovely day.
*****
"I wish everyone would just calm down," Takeru said. His voice was somewhat wistful, somewhat whining. It was the day before Valentine's Day and the entire world seemed to be going insane. That morning had been an exercise in insanity as flowers, balloons, and chocolates had been given and receieved. He had been given more than what he thought of as his fair share and the bottom of his locker was piled littered with boxes, popped balloons, and crushed flowers. The ruin hadn't been on purpose, either. He had been trying to make his way to his locker with the haul when a crowd of fangirls had shoved him into the wall, crushing all his gifts between his body and the wall.
Beside him, leaning against the wall and watching as a group of girls giggled at the far end of the hall, Iori nodded. "Monday." The single word was enough to instill hope in the both of them. The group at the end of the hallway kept giving them glances from the corners of their eyes and it seemed they were getting ready to approach. They each had two boxes of candies and a flower -- white carnations this time, Takeru was thankful to note -- and their intended target seemed to be the two of them.
"Is there any place you can think of to sit and wait it out?" the blond asked. They had most of their lunch time left. The cafeteria was to be avoided. It had been decorated in red, pink, and white, and from what Takeru had seen, the sandwiches were heartshape. While not against the holiday, he was a little averse to eating mini-heart turkey sandwiches and drinking pink milk.
"The gym is a plausible solution." The younger boy sounded far calmer than his companion, but there was a noticeable strain around his eyes. When Takeru nodded and pushed away from the wall, Iori fell into step beside him with a quick look at the group of girls. "Faster," he hissed, low voice coming a little roughter than normal. Takeru turned around and realized the group was already starting to come at them.
He quickened his pace and smiled approvingly when Iori did the same. The sound of footsteps behind them was testimony to the girls also speeding up. They'd have to hurry if they were to get away successfully.
There were two doors into the gymnasium. Takeru reached the nearest one in time to see his brother run through the other set. He frowned as the group of fangirls following him tried to push the doors open, but they were blocked from the inside. It took Takeru an extra second to realize their haven was about to be invaded before they'd even had a chance to use it. With determination, he looked at Iori. "Boy's locker room. Quick." Their own group of followers were closing in, and it looked like Yamato's had decided to use their door, as well.
Together, Takeru and Iori pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to trip a moment later as a wire, attached to the doors so it pulled taut when they were open, caught them off guard. Takeru fell and caught himself on his hands. Iori managed to stay upright, but neither one was lucky enough to avoid the splatter of paint as two buckets above the door, balanced -just- so, covered them with white and red paint respectively. The rose buds which floated down over them were an extra nice touch.
*****
"You will stay here, Motomiya-kun. You will not be allowed in the rest of the day's festivities. During your time here, you will compose a letter to the principal, apologizing for your insolent attitude and your rule-breaking. Have a seat, Motomiya-kun." The teacher was cold and aloof as she pointed at the desk where she wanted him to sit.
Daisuke sat, crossed his arms, and pouted. It really wasn't fair. He hadn't really done anything wrong, and for the principal to be so mad over a little misunderstanding was unfair. Playing soccer in the hall had been a good alternative to playing outside. It was cold and wet out there, and it wouldn't have done for them all to get sick. What was wrong with playing soccer in the halls? And hitting the man with the soccer ball had been an accident. It really wasn't fair for him to be in trouble for it. Not fair, not fair, not fair...
If he hadn't been pouting, he would have been surprised at the severity of his punishment. To be forced to miss out on the Valentine's Day activities which were planned for the rest of the day was a rather harsh way to deal with the situation. After-school detention would have been about the right level, or even Saturday detention.
With his lower lip still stuck out, he took out his D-terminal and sent a message to the one person in the world who would sympathize with him.
*****
Taichi tried not to look guilty as he was thrust into a near-empty classroom. There was only one other student in the room, before he entered. Yamato followed behind him. "The two of you will sit on opposite sides of the classrom, Yagami-kun. No talking."
Taking the order to heart, Yamato stalked across the room ahead of him, turned a chair and chair towards the window, and sat down with his back to the room. Yamato was pissed. Taichi sighed and took the nearest desk, which happened to be two away from Daisuke. The door shut.
"What are you guys in for?" Daisuke asked, looking at them curiously. Despite having been stuck in a room by himself, Daisuke didn't look bored. Taichi wondered vaguely if it had anything to do with his hands being stuffed under the desk to hide the object in them.
"Got in trouble," he responded, not really answering the question. His eyes were fixed on Yamato. "It wasn't just my fault, either." He said the second part loudly.
The blond turned around and gave him a dark look. "You're getting all the blame for this one, Yagami. Just keep your hands and ideas to your self, will you?"
Taichi smirked. "It wasn't my hands or ideas that got us in trouble." He wiggled his tongue at Yamato, who snorted and turned back around. Point one for Taichi.
"Um, sure. What were you guys doing this time?" Daisuke was curious, it seemed, and he wasn't about to let them get into an argument yet. At least not until he'd gotten his answers.
"Same old thing," Taichi said flippantly. "Making out in the hall, trying to suck-"
"Shut up!" Yamato broke in, turning to look at Taichi like he was insane. Maybe he was, given that the fire in Yamato's eyes and the way he breathed kind of heavily when he was angry just made Taichi want to bend him backwards over the desk and get back to what they were doing. Oh, yeah. "And wipe that look off your face, you hormone-driven jackass."
Yessiree, Yamato was pissed. Taichi let the smirk fade into a smile. "Is baby in a bad way?" He kept his tone gentle, soft. He could see Daisuke turning his head between them, looking from one to another.
"I'll show you 'in a bad way' in about thirty seconds if you don't knock it off, Taichi." There was definite steel in Yamato's voice, but his eyes had softened just a little. His body was coiled and tense, but Taichi was pretty sure there was more than just anger keeping it that way. He was about to stand up and make his way over to Yamato to see if he couldn't 'sooth' the problem when the door opened again.
"Please have a seat in here, Hida-kun, Takaishi-kun. We'll bring you more towels in a moment and attempt to contact your parents one more time. We have another student trying to find clothes for you." It was a different teacher than the one who had brought Taichi and Yamato to the room who now ushered in two boys in an unusual state of disarray.
Iori's hair and clothes were covered in red paint. Most of his skin was, too, except where he'd managed to wipe some of it off of his face and neck. He looked absolutely pissed off and outraged, and Taichi was pretty sure he was ready to kill the person who had pranked him. Takeru was covered to a similar degree, but in white paint. His hair, covered by the hat, had been relatively untouched by the paint except where it stuck out from under the hat. He didn't look happy, either, but he was a bit more calm than Iori.
Taichi swallowed hard and tried to be casual as he asked, "What happened to you two?"
Yamato was looking at them, too, and then his eyes swung to Taichi and the anger was back in full force.
So much for getting him to unwind. Taichi would be lucky if his boyfriend didn't kill him.
*****
Silence had settled over the little classroom by the time the door opened a fourth time. Takeru and Iori were sitting silently at the front of the room, waiting patiently for clean clothes and a chance to get more of the paint off. Daisuke was working on a rather long message to Ken about what had happened so far that day. Yamato was glaring at the scenery outside, arms crossed and back ram-rod straight, and Taichi was trying to figure out a way to get out of the trouble he was in and the trouble he would be in.
"Inside." That was the principal's voice, sharp and angry. The command was aimed at a group of six students who trudged in single file. Miyako was grinning unrepentantly as she sat down next to Daisuke and flashed him a grin. Hikari sat next to her. She was blushing, but excited.
Mimi was giggling and hanging on Sora's arm as they came through the door together and took a seat towards the back. Jyou followed them, looking upset and talking to himself about ruined scholarships. Last came Koushiro, who looked angry and indignant. No one said a word as they took seats around the room.
The principal stood at the door and gave them all hard looks. "I'm very disappointed in all of you. The faculty and administration wanted today to be a day of festivity for all students, but you..." He paused to count. "You nine have ruined it for yourselves, for each other, and for everyone else. Your punishment is to sit here in this room and think about what you have done. Question your motives and figure out if there could have been a better way. Your parents have already been contacted and will be notified shortly that you will all be staying after school to repair whatever it is you have individually damaged or sullied. For those of you for whom that doesn't apply-" he looked at Daisuke, Taichi, and then Yamato. "You will be given duties so that you may reflect on your errors while you do them."
Takeru raised his hand kind of hesitantly and stood up. "Sir, what about-?"
"Takaishi-kun, you and Hida-kun will be allowed to leave as soon as your parents have returned our calls. We haven't been able to reach them yet. Please be patient, while we work on getting you cleaned up and find out who is responsible for this."
Takeru nodded and sat back down. Iori had calmed down a little, but didn't look happy or relaxed yet.
The principal left, shutting the door behind him and leaving eleven digi-destined alone in a room.
*****
"What did you do?" Taichi looked accusingly at his sister. It was easier to look angry over her getting in trouble than it was to return Yamato's glare. At least Yamato was glaring at him. It was a step up from being ingored and about two away from a fight.
She returned his look with the obvious intent of not answering his question. "What did you do to get in trouble?" For a long moment, they stared at each other, then Taichi made the mistake of looking at Yamato. He slumped in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest, and tilted his head back to stare up at the ceiling.
Hikari's smile, though small, was definitely triumphant.
At the back of the room, Jyou had finally gone silent. Koushiro had pulled a desk closer to him and was talking in a whisper, his hands moving occassionaly to illustrate some point. By the dazed look on Jyou's face, he either wasn't over whatever stunt had landed them in trouble, or he was having trouble comprehending what his boyfriend was saying. To their left, Mimi and Sora had given up all semblances of dignity, maturity, and remorse -- not that that had ever been a problem -- and were busy making out in celebration.
A sudden crow of delight interrupted the silence in the room, and ten pairs of eyes turned to look at Daisuke, who was glowing with a kind of insane pride. "Ha! Message sent." He looked up and realized he'd earned himself an audience with his sudden outburst. "What?"
"What were you doing?" Takeru asked, tilting his head to the side. From his point of view, Daisuke was about the only person in the room who wasn't upset over something. In fact, Daisuke looked to be about the happiest of all of them at the moment.
"I sent a message to Ken to tell him that they'd locked me up for the day." A moment of silence followed that.
"That's it?" Taichi finally asked, turning from his perusal of the ceiling to give Daisuke a disbelieving look. "That's what has you so happy?"
"Well, yeah." Now Daisuke was mildly defensive. "If Ken knows what's happening, he might be able to help me get out of trouble."
More silence, and then Taichi turned his head to look at Yamato. "Because he's a good boyfriend, right?"
Yamato caught his gaze and the tension in the room went up a notch as the temperature dropped. "Of course he is. He's also not the type to get his boyfriend into trouble. Is he?"
"Not that Daisuke would mind, because as long as they were -together- they'd both be happy, wouldn't they?"
"I can't imagine them being in this situation and being anything but pissed at each other, actually," Yamato snarled back, pushing up from his chair. He leaned over the nearest desk and glared at Taichi for all he was worth. "But neither one is the type to involve innocent people in-"
"Excuse me?" Taichi stood up and stalked closer, then leaned over the same desk, putting them nose-to-nose. "You were all fine to go along with it all, until it involved them-" he waved vaguely towards the front of the room. "-and you were more than happy making out with me before you got caught. So, what, I'm great in the meantime, until something goes wrong? Whatever happened to standing by your man through thick and thin, huh?"
For a moment, a majority of the room was sure that was it. The damage to that relationship was done and the fight couldn only get worse from there. Yamato opened his mouth to retort and they held their collective breaths. Taichi wasn't in a mood to listen, however, and instead of letting the blond have his say, he lunged across the desk at Yamato, knocking them both to the floor and making a loud ruckus as they took down not one but two desks in the fall.
As they lay kissing on the floor, the others could only look on in surprise as the fight turned into a make-out session.
"Well, isn't that fascinating?" Nine pair of eyes turned to the doorway to see Ken leaning against the doorframe with an amused air. "You failed to mention this in your message, Daisuke."
Daisuke was across the room instantly, and then there were two sets of people making out on the floor.
*****
"Do you often get the feeling our friends are insane?" Takeru asked softly. Since Ken's arrival -- he still wasn't sure how the genius had shown up within two minutes of Daisuke's message -- things had gradually gotten worse.
Koushiro was trying to hack into the school computer system through an old, obsolete computer in the back of the room. Jyou was sitting beside him, but only because Koushiro had given the rather vague reminder that "A wonderful boyfriend takes many actions against the current controlling regime in order to set right the unjustices of its practices."
"Only if by 'often' you mean daily," Iori answered, voice equally low. They were still sitting alone at the front of the room, largely ignored by everyone else.
Miyako, having decided it was more fun to be a participant than a spectator, had pulled Hikari to the floor and was currently trying to compete with Taich and Yamato and Daisuke and Ken on who could make out the longest. Of course, they were already behind, having started later, but they seemed determined to make up time.
Takeru smiled and turned his head to look at Iori. He reached up and plucked a rose petal from Iori's back, where it had stuck to his shirt because of the paint. The petal had once been white, but was now red on one side. "Things could be worse."
"I guess." Iori's tone and the look he gave Takeru were disbelieving.
"Really, think about it. This is pretty normal, as far as things go. Koushiro is busy on the computer, Daisuke and Ken are... busy with each other. My brother and Taichi are making out. About the only thing out of place are the girls, but tomorrow's a holiday, so that's pretty easily explained."
Mimi giggled and straddled Sora's legs. They were sitting sideways in a desk, and neither one looked like they could possibly be comfortable, but their lips were licked and the rest of the world didn't seem to exist for them any more than it did for the rest of the couples.
"Valentine's Day explains this?" The skeptical tone had given way to horror, and Takeru looked at Iori before following the younger boy's gaze to Daisuke and Ken... both of who had managed to lose their shirts.
He sighed and leaned back against the wall. "You're right. There really is no explanation for the way our friends get."
*****
Daisuke looked around the corner, then pulled his head and shoulders back quickly. "He's at the end of the hallway and he's heading towards the gym," he whispered. Behind him, standing and giving him an amused and tolerant look, was Ken. Next to Ken was bemused Takeru, who really wished his friends hadn't insisted on escorting him to the bathroom. Well, Daisuke had insisted he go along, and then had insisted Ken accompany them.
Takeru shook his head and turned the corner, heading towards the boys' restroom. Daisuke hissed angrily at him, then fell into step next to him, stomping his feet loudly in protest to Takeru's unstealthy method. Takeru ignored him. Ken came up on the other side of him and gave Takeru an apologetic look. "Sorry."
The blond shrugged, used to Daisuke's form of warfare, whether 'silent' or annoyingly loud. He gave Ken a curious look. "How did you get here so quickly?"
Ken looked straight forwards for a moment, a smile lighting on his face. "I was already on my way here when Daisuke send me the message. He just happened to mention the room he was in while he was complaining about getting caught playing soccer -- it's too cold to play outside, you know -- and I just made my way there."
"Ah. He made it easy for you to stalk him, then." Takeru nodded, accepting that explanation for what it was. Ken had the grace to blush.
"He told me the other day that today would be basically wasted, as far as school goes. More partying and socialization than schoolwork. I thought it would be a nice surprise if I came to rescue him from the tedium of everyone else's excitement."
"Please. You were just too hot for me to wait," Daisuke contradicted from Takeru's other side. The blond looked at him, but Daisuke was staring at Ken with a challenging look. "You want me."
"Yes," Ken agreed, nodding and smiling as if the admission were nothing. Takeru was pretty sure he hadn't seen the heat in the gaze Daisuke was directing at him.
"You want to kiss me, and touch me." Daisuke's voice dropped a few notes and took on a rougher edge.
Ken had finally seemed to pick up on hit and he was giving Daisuke an equally heated look. "Yes."
"Now."
"Yes."
"Here."
Then they were no longer on either side of Takeru but were instead against the wall, lips and bodies pressed together. He sighed, shook his head, and finished the trip to the bathroom by himself.
*****
Iori was not happy. When Takeru had asked him if he needed to go to the bathroom and he had answered in the negative, he hadn't expected to be abandoned. While thankful Takeru had managed to at least take Daisuke and Ken with him, he was more than a little upset to be left with the remaining people. Sora and Mimi had finally stopped making out, and Miyako and Hikari were talking on the floor instead of kissing. That was small comfort, however.
"That's it! They cannot keep me out! I will find their files, I will gain control of their system, and then all the computers in this school will me MINE!" Koushiro's loud -- well, yelled -- announcement was followed by a less-than-sane laugh. Jyou sitting beside him, simply sighed and shook his head,. He was about the sanest person in the room other than Iori, but at the moment he was seemingly too involved in Koushiro's plight to be much assistance in maintaining the sanity of the other people in the room.
Left alone at the front of the room, paint drying in his hair and the world going to chaos around him, Iori was really wishing he could take back his refusal and be back in Takeru's company. Of course, he generally preferred to be in Takeru's company than any other place or with any other person.
"Whoo!" Mimi stood up and spun, pink hair flying about her shoulders. She grabbed Sora's arm and tugged the more serious girl out of her chair. Sora let herself be dragged to the door without protest. They stopped in the doorway so Mimi could look in the hallway for teachers. It seemed to be empty, for a second later, the older two girls were gone, leaving seven people in the room.
Iori was no closer to being in rational company than he'd been before.
*****
"So, why haven't you made your move yet?" Daisuke was sitting on the sink in the bathroom while Takeru washed his hands and ignored him. Or tried to ignore him, really. It was kind of hard when Daisuke kept hitting him with the side of his foot.
Takeru kept his mouth shut, knowing answering Daisuke in any manner was simply to encourage him.
"Come -on-, Takeru! Why haven't you jumped him yet? You guys are alone together all the time. It's not like he's got anyone else in mind, and you know the two of you would be so cute together."
"Being 'cute together' is not a logical basis for a relationship." He could have bit his tongue the second he realized he'd spoken aloud. Daisuke hopped down from the sink with a triumpthant cry. Ken, standing against the far well, watched them with an expression of serenity. Takeru really wished he'd stop smiling at his boyfriend and do something about his nosiness... like drag him into the rear stall and finish the make-out session they'd started in the classroom and continued in the hall.
"Admit it, Takeru. You'd really like to kiss him, and hold him, and rub his feet-" Daisuke stopped abruptly as Takeru put a hand over his mouth.
They stared at each other for a moment, silence taking hold of the bathroom for half a minute. Ken watched them, eternally watching and not doing a dang thing to help! Takeru took a deep breath and a step back, his hand dropping to his side. "I respect the friendship I have with Iori. I have no need to have a- a physical relationship to him outside of the gestures of friendship, a-and..." He sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "He looks really nice in white paint."
He couldn't help the goofy smile on his face or the wistfulness in his voice.
"You do realize he's sitting alone in a classroom with a bunch of horny -- or self-righteous -- psychopaths?" Ken asked, speaking up for the first time since he and Daisuke had come into the bathroom.
Takeru looked at Ken, his words not sinking in at first. The genius smiled, a practiced patience behind the curve of his smile. It made sense. He had to be extremely patient to spend the amount with Daisuke he did. Takeru didn't envy him that time or the patience, and at that moment, the latter seemed extremely patronizing.
Ken looked at his wrist, as if checking the time on an invisible watch. "If you go back now, you might be just in time to save his sanity... if it's not too late already."
It sank in then that Takeru had abandoned Iori without realizing it. He ran out the door, barely looking up and down the hall to make sure it was clear. He was still clutching the paper towel he'd used to dry his hands on. Laughing, Daisuke ran after him, though what he was running to or for was unknown.
Author: Rae
Warnings/Pairings: Takori, Daikensuke, Taito, Jyoushiro, Somi, Hiyako.
Note: This is one of X number of parts. But I wanted at least this much out today. I probably won't get a chance to finish it until tomorrow afternoon, or later this week, but at least you can all enjoy the insanity and fluff of what I do have accomplished, right? Right.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit, all for fun. That said, if someone should like to donate money to me, I would be appreciative. My brother-in-law backed into my car. Happy Valentine's Day. ^___^;
*****
Three yards from the goal, Daisuke lost the ball to a defending player. He turned quickly and ran back the way he had come. He intercepted the opposing player and kicked the ball away, taking it back under his control. For a moment, he was aware of interference from someone who he knew -- on an instictive level -- wanted to take the ball from him. He dodged around the person, but they shifted. He kicked the ball forward, let it bounce off surprised shins, and then ran around the obstacle. With a cry of victory, he kicked the ball into the appointed goal.
It rolled through the doorway of room 12-A. Daisuke cheered and turned around, ready to receive the good-natured congratulations of teammates and opponents alike. What greeted him instead was silence, the heavy, oppressive kind that signals a bad turn of events.
Daisuke paused and looked at the guilty faces that were turned to the floor instead of to him. All except one. "Motomiya Daisuke," intoned the principal, "You will follow me to my office." He was standing stiffly to the side of the hall, only a few yards away and in the approximate location of... Daisuke winced and tried to imagine himself bouncing the ball off the principal's leg. It was difficult. About the farthest he got in the image was the principal's angry face and an arm pointed toward the administration office.
Trouble was something Daisuke was familiar with, and it looked like he was about to become personally reacquainted with it shortly. He could have thought of better things to do. Like scrub floors with a tooth brush.
*****
Taichi was an easy going kind of guy. He got along great with just about everyone, was liked by a large number of people, was considered rather popular by most of the school. For the most part, people respected him. He couldn't understand why, with his great personality and following of people, why no one seemed to take his claim on Ishida Yamato seriously. Was it really so hard to believe the blond rocker was his boyfriend? Did making out in the hallway and getting in trouble not twice, not three times, but -four- times not mean anything to them?
Whatever the reason, he was quickly growing tired of having to fend girls off left and right. He was finally doing something about it. Or actually, he was getting people to do something about it. What he was doing was causing a distraction. By the end of the day, everyone in the school would know Yamato was his and there was no chance anyone would be able to ignore the message.
He'd probably end up with the blame for everything, but at least Yamato would be his and only his. It would be worth it.
He tied off the last rope to the doorhandle and smiled in satisfaction. Now he could spend the rest of the lunch hour making out with Yamato. It was indeed a lovely day.
*****
"I wish everyone would just calm down," Takeru said. His voice was somewhat wistful, somewhat whining. It was the day before Valentine's Day and the entire world seemed to be going insane. That morning had been an exercise in insanity as flowers, balloons, and chocolates had been given and receieved. He had been given more than what he thought of as his fair share and the bottom of his locker was piled littered with boxes, popped balloons, and crushed flowers. The ruin hadn't been on purpose, either. He had been trying to make his way to his locker with the haul when a crowd of fangirls had shoved him into the wall, crushing all his gifts between his body and the wall.
Beside him, leaning against the wall and watching as a group of girls giggled at the far end of the hall, Iori nodded. "Monday." The single word was enough to instill hope in the both of them. The group at the end of the hallway kept giving them glances from the corners of their eyes and it seemed they were getting ready to approach. They each had two boxes of candies and a flower -- white carnations this time, Takeru was thankful to note -- and their intended target seemed to be the two of them.
"Is there any place you can think of to sit and wait it out?" the blond asked. They had most of their lunch time left. The cafeteria was to be avoided. It had been decorated in red, pink, and white, and from what Takeru had seen, the sandwiches were heartshape. While not against the holiday, he was a little averse to eating mini-heart turkey sandwiches and drinking pink milk.
"The gym is a plausible solution." The younger boy sounded far calmer than his companion, but there was a noticeable strain around his eyes. When Takeru nodded and pushed away from the wall, Iori fell into step beside him with a quick look at the group of girls. "Faster," he hissed, low voice coming a little roughter than normal. Takeru turned around and realized the group was already starting to come at them.
He quickened his pace and smiled approvingly when Iori did the same. The sound of footsteps behind them was testimony to the girls also speeding up. They'd have to hurry if they were to get away successfully.
There were two doors into the gymnasium. Takeru reached the nearest one in time to see his brother run through the other set. He frowned as the group of fangirls following him tried to push the doors open, but they were blocked from the inside. It took Takeru an extra second to realize their haven was about to be invaded before they'd even had a chance to use it. With determination, he looked at Iori. "Boy's locker room. Quick." Their own group of followers were closing in, and it looked like Yamato's had decided to use their door, as well.
Together, Takeru and Iori pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to trip a moment later as a wire, attached to the doors so it pulled taut when they were open, caught them off guard. Takeru fell and caught himself on his hands. Iori managed to stay upright, but neither one was lucky enough to avoid the splatter of paint as two buckets above the door, balanced -just- so, covered them with white and red paint respectively. The rose buds which floated down over them were an extra nice touch.
*****
"You will stay here, Motomiya-kun. You will not be allowed in the rest of the day's festivities. During your time here, you will compose a letter to the principal, apologizing for your insolent attitude and your rule-breaking. Have a seat, Motomiya-kun." The teacher was cold and aloof as she pointed at the desk where she wanted him to sit.
Daisuke sat, crossed his arms, and pouted. It really wasn't fair. He hadn't really done anything wrong, and for the principal to be so mad over a little misunderstanding was unfair. Playing soccer in the hall had been a good alternative to playing outside. It was cold and wet out there, and it wouldn't have done for them all to get sick. What was wrong with playing soccer in the halls? And hitting the man with the soccer ball had been an accident. It really wasn't fair for him to be in trouble for it. Not fair, not fair, not fair...
If he hadn't been pouting, he would have been surprised at the severity of his punishment. To be forced to miss out on the Valentine's Day activities which were planned for the rest of the day was a rather harsh way to deal with the situation. After-school detention would have been about the right level, or even Saturday detention.
With his lower lip still stuck out, he took out his D-terminal and sent a message to the one person in the world who would sympathize with him.
*****
Taichi tried not to look guilty as he was thrust into a near-empty classroom. There was only one other student in the room, before he entered. Yamato followed behind him. "The two of you will sit on opposite sides of the classrom, Yagami-kun. No talking."
Taking the order to heart, Yamato stalked across the room ahead of him, turned a chair and chair towards the window, and sat down with his back to the room. Yamato was pissed. Taichi sighed and took the nearest desk, which happened to be two away from Daisuke. The door shut.
"What are you guys in for?" Daisuke asked, looking at them curiously. Despite having been stuck in a room by himself, Daisuke didn't look bored. Taichi wondered vaguely if it had anything to do with his hands being stuffed under the desk to hide the object in them.
"Got in trouble," he responded, not really answering the question. His eyes were fixed on Yamato. "It wasn't just my fault, either." He said the second part loudly.
The blond turned around and gave him a dark look. "You're getting all the blame for this one, Yagami. Just keep your hands and ideas to your self, will you?"
Taichi smirked. "It wasn't my hands or ideas that got us in trouble." He wiggled his tongue at Yamato, who snorted and turned back around. Point one for Taichi.
"Um, sure. What were you guys doing this time?" Daisuke was curious, it seemed, and he wasn't about to let them get into an argument yet. At least not until he'd gotten his answers.
"Same old thing," Taichi said flippantly. "Making out in the hall, trying to suck-"
"Shut up!" Yamato broke in, turning to look at Taichi like he was insane. Maybe he was, given that the fire in Yamato's eyes and the way he breathed kind of heavily when he was angry just made Taichi want to bend him backwards over the desk and get back to what they were doing. Oh, yeah. "And wipe that look off your face, you hormone-driven jackass."
Yessiree, Yamato was pissed. Taichi let the smirk fade into a smile. "Is baby in a bad way?" He kept his tone gentle, soft. He could see Daisuke turning his head between them, looking from one to another.
"I'll show you 'in a bad way' in about thirty seconds if you don't knock it off, Taichi." There was definite steel in Yamato's voice, but his eyes had softened just a little. His body was coiled and tense, but Taichi was pretty sure there was more than just anger keeping it that way. He was about to stand up and make his way over to Yamato to see if he couldn't 'sooth' the problem when the door opened again.
"Please have a seat in here, Hida-kun, Takaishi-kun. We'll bring you more towels in a moment and attempt to contact your parents one more time. We have another student trying to find clothes for you." It was a different teacher than the one who had brought Taichi and Yamato to the room who now ushered in two boys in an unusual state of disarray.
Iori's hair and clothes were covered in red paint. Most of his skin was, too, except where he'd managed to wipe some of it off of his face and neck. He looked absolutely pissed off and outraged, and Taichi was pretty sure he was ready to kill the person who had pranked him. Takeru was covered to a similar degree, but in white paint. His hair, covered by the hat, had been relatively untouched by the paint except where it stuck out from under the hat. He didn't look happy, either, but he was a bit more calm than Iori.
Taichi swallowed hard and tried to be casual as he asked, "What happened to you two?"
Yamato was looking at them, too, and then his eyes swung to Taichi and the anger was back in full force.
So much for getting him to unwind. Taichi would be lucky if his boyfriend didn't kill him.
*****
Silence had settled over the little classroom by the time the door opened a fourth time. Takeru and Iori were sitting silently at the front of the room, waiting patiently for clean clothes and a chance to get more of the paint off. Daisuke was working on a rather long message to Ken about what had happened so far that day. Yamato was glaring at the scenery outside, arms crossed and back ram-rod straight, and Taichi was trying to figure out a way to get out of the trouble he was in and the trouble he would be in.
"Inside." That was the principal's voice, sharp and angry. The command was aimed at a group of six students who trudged in single file. Miyako was grinning unrepentantly as she sat down next to Daisuke and flashed him a grin. Hikari sat next to her. She was blushing, but excited.
Mimi was giggling and hanging on Sora's arm as they came through the door together and took a seat towards the back. Jyou followed them, looking upset and talking to himself about ruined scholarships. Last came Koushiro, who looked angry and indignant. No one said a word as they took seats around the room.
The principal stood at the door and gave them all hard looks. "I'm very disappointed in all of you. The faculty and administration wanted today to be a day of festivity for all students, but you..." He paused to count. "You nine have ruined it for yourselves, for each other, and for everyone else. Your punishment is to sit here in this room and think about what you have done. Question your motives and figure out if there could have been a better way. Your parents have already been contacted and will be notified shortly that you will all be staying after school to repair whatever it is you have individually damaged or sullied. For those of you for whom that doesn't apply-" he looked at Daisuke, Taichi, and then Yamato. "You will be given duties so that you may reflect on your errors while you do them."
Takeru raised his hand kind of hesitantly and stood up. "Sir, what about-?"
"Takaishi-kun, you and Hida-kun will be allowed to leave as soon as your parents have returned our calls. We haven't been able to reach them yet. Please be patient, while we work on getting you cleaned up and find out who is responsible for this."
Takeru nodded and sat back down. Iori had calmed down a little, but didn't look happy or relaxed yet.
The principal left, shutting the door behind him and leaving eleven digi-destined alone in a room.
*****
"What did you do?" Taichi looked accusingly at his sister. It was easier to look angry over her getting in trouble than it was to return Yamato's glare. At least Yamato was glaring at him. It was a step up from being ingored and about two away from a fight.
She returned his look with the obvious intent of not answering his question. "What did you do to get in trouble?" For a long moment, they stared at each other, then Taichi made the mistake of looking at Yamato. He slumped in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest, and tilted his head back to stare up at the ceiling.
Hikari's smile, though small, was definitely triumphant.
At the back of the room, Jyou had finally gone silent. Koushiro had pulled a desk closer to him and was talking in a whisper, his hands moving occassionaly to illustrate some point. By the dazed look on Jyou's face, he either wasn't over whatever stunt had landed them in trouble, or he was having trouble comprehending what his boyfriend was saying. To their left, Mimi and Sora had given up all semblances of dignity, maturity, and remorse -- not that that had ever been a problem -- and were busy making out in celebration.
A sudden crow of delight interrupted the silence in the room, and ten pairs of eyes turned to look at Daisuke, who was glowing with a kind of insane pride. "Ha! Message sent." He looked up and realized he'd earned himself an audience with his sudden outburst. "What?"
"What were you doing?" Takeru asked, tilting his head to the side. From his point of view, Daisuke was about the only person in the room who wasn't upset over something. In fact, Daisuke looked to be about the happiest of all of them at the moment.
"I sent a message to Ken to tell him that they'd locked me up for the day." A moment of silence followed that.
"That's it?" Taichi finally asked, turning from his perusal of the ceiling to give Daisuke a disbelieving look. "That's what has you so happy?"
"Well, yeah." Now Daisuke was mildly defensive. "If Ken knows what's happening, he might be able to help me get out of trouble."
More silence, and then Taichi turned his head to look at Yamato. "Because he's a good boyfriend, right?"
Yamato caught his gaze and the tension in the room went up a notch as the temperature dropped. "Of course he is. He's also not the type to get his boyfriend into trouble. Is he?"
"Not that Daisuke would mind, because as long as they were -together- they'd both be happy, wouldn't they?"
"I can't imagine them being in this situation and being anything but pissed at each other, actually," Yamato snarled back, pushing up from his chair. He leaned over the nearest desk and glared at Taichi for all he was worth. "But neither one is the type to involve innocent people in-"
"Excuse me?" Taichi stood up and stalked closer, then leaned over the same desk, putting them nose-to-nose. "You were all fine to go along with it all, until it involved them-" he waved vaguely towards the front of the room. "-and you were more than happy making out with me before you got caught. So, what, I'm great in the meantime, until something goes wrong? Whatever happened to standing by your man through thick and thin, huh?"
For a moment, a majority of the room was sure that was it. The damage to that relationship was done and the fight couldn only get worse from there. Yamato opened his mouth to retort and they held their collective breaths. Taichi wasn't in a mood to listen, however, and instead of letting the blond have his say, he lunged across the desk at Yamato, knocking them both to the floor and making a loud ruckus as they took down not one but two desks in the fall.
As they lay kissing on the floor, the others could only look on in surprise as the fight turned into a make-out session.
"Well, isn't that fascinating?" Nine pair of eyes turned to the doorway to see Ken leaning against the doorframe with an amused air. "You failed to mention this in your message, Daisuke."
Daisuke was across the room instantly, and then there were two sets of people making out on the floor.
*****
"Do you often get the feeling our friends are insane?" Takeru asked softly. Since Ken's arrival -- he still wasn't sure how the genius had shown up within two minutes of Daisuke's message -- things had gradually gotten worse.
Koushiro was trying to hack into the school computer system through an old, obsolete computer in the back of the room. Jyou was sitting beside him, but only because Koushiro had given the rather vague reminder that "A wonderful boyfriend takes many actions against the current controlling regime in order to set right the unjustices of its practices."
"Only if by 'often' you mean daily," Iori answered, voice equally low. They were still sitting alone at the front of the room, largely ignored by everyone else.
Miyako, having decided it was more fun to be a participant than a spectator, had pulled Hikari to the floor and was currently trying to compete with Taich and Yamato and Daisuke and Ken on who could make out the longest. Of course, they were already behind, having started later, but they seemed determined to make up time.
Takeru smiled and turned his head to look at Iori. He reached up and plucked a rose petal from Iori's back, where it had stuck to his shirt because of the paint. The petal had once been white, but was now red on one side. "Things could be worse."
"I guess." Iori's tone and the look he gave Takeru were disbelieving.
"Really, think about it. This is pretty normal, as far as things go. Koushiro is busy on the computer, Daisuke and Ken are... busy with each other. My brother and Taichi are making out. About the only thing out of place are the girls, but tomorrow's a holiday, so that's pretty easily explained."
Mimi giggled and straddled Sora's legs. They were sitting sideways in a desk, and neither one looked like they could possibly be comfortable, but their lips were licked and the rest of the world didn't seem to exist for them any more than it did for the rest of the couples.
"Valentine's Day explains this?" The skeptical tone had given way to horror, and Takeru looked at Iori before following the younger boy's gaze to Daisuke and Ken... both of who had managed to lose their shirts.
He sighed and leaned back against the wall. "You're right. There really is no explanation for the way our friends get."
*****
Daisuke looked around the corner, then pulled his head and shoulders back quickly. "He's at the end of the hallway and he's heading towards the gym," he whispered. Behind him, standing and giving him an amused and tolerant look, was Ken. Next to Ken was bemused Takeru, who really wished his friends hadn't insisted on escorting him to the bathroom. Well, Daisuke had insisted he go along, and then had insisted Ken accompany them.
Takeru shook his head and turned the corner, heading towards the boys' restroom. Daisuke hissed angrily at him, then fell into step next to him, stomping his feet loudly in protest to Takeru's unstealthy method. Takeru ignored him. Ken came up on the other side of him and gave Takeru an apologetic look. "Sorry."
The blond shrugged, used to Daisuke's form of warfare, whether 'silent' or annoyingly loud. He gave Ken a curious look. "How did you get here so quickly?"
Ken looked straight forwards for a moment, a smile lighting on his face. "I was already on my way here when Daisuke send me the message. He just happened to mention the room he was in while he was complaining about getting caught playing soccer -- it's too cold to play outside, you know -- and I just made my way there."
"Ah. He made it easy for you to stalk him, then." Takeru nodded, accepting that explanation for what it was. Ken had the grace to blush.
"He told me the other day that today would be basically wasted, as far as school goes. More partying and socialization than schoolwork. I thought it would be a nice surprise if I came to rescue him from the tedium of everyone else's excitement."
"Please. You were just too hot for me to wait," Daisuke contradicted from Takeru's other side. The blond looked at him, but Daisuke was staring at Ken with a challenging look. "You want me."
"Yes," Ken agreed, nodding and smiling as if the admission were nothing. Takeru was pretty sure he hadn't seen the heat in the gaze Daisuke was directing at him.
"You want to kiss me, and touch me." Daisuke's voice dropped a few notes and took on a rougher edge.
Ken had finally seemed to pick up on hit and he was giving Daisuke an equally heated look. "Yes."
"Now."
"Yes."
"Here."
Then they were no longer on either side of Takeru but were instead against the wall, lips and bodies pressed together. He sighed, shook his head, and finished the trip to the bathroom by himself.
*****
Iori was not happy. When Takeru had asked him if he needed to go to the bathroom and he had answered in the negative, he hadn't expected to be abandoned. While thankful Takeru had managed to at least take Daisuke and Ken with him, he was more than a little upset to be left with the remaining people. Sora and Mimi had finally stopped making out, and Miyako and Hikari were talking on the floor instead of kissing. That was small comfort, however.
"That's it! They cannot keep me out! I will find their files, I will gain control of their system, and then all the computers in this school will me MINE!" Koushiro's loud -- well, yelled -- announcement was followed by a less-than-sane laugh. Jyou sitting beside him, simply sighed and shook his head,. He was about the sanest person in the room other than Iori, but at the moment he was seemingly too involved in Koushiro's plight to be much assistance in maintaining the sanity of the other people in the room.
Left alone at the front of the room, paint drying in his hair and the world going to chaos around him, Iori was really wishing he could take back his refusal and be back in Takeru's company. Of course, he generally preferred to be in Takeru's company than any other place or with any other person.
"Whoo!" Mimi stood up and spun, pink hair flying about her shoulders. She grabbed Sora's arm and tugged the more serious girl out of her chair. Sora let herself be dragged to the door without protest. They stopped in the doorway so Mimi could look in the hallway for teachers. It seemed to be empty, for a second later, the older two girls were gone, leaving seven people in the room.
Iori was no closer to being in rational company than he'd been before.
*****
"So, why haven't you made your move yet?" Daisuke was sitting on the sink in the bathroom while Takeru washed his hands and ignored him. Or tried to ignore him, really. It was kind of hard when Daisuke kept hitting him with the side of his foot.
Takeru kept his mouth shut, knowing answering Daisuke in any manner was simply to encourage him.
"Come -on-, Takeru! Why haven't you jumped him yet? You guys are alone together all the time. It's not like he's got anyone else in mind, and you know the two of you would be so cute together."
"Being 'cute together' is not a logical basis for a relationship." He could have bit his tongue the second he realized he'd spoken aloud. Daisuke hopped down from the sink with a triumpthant cry. Ken, standing against the far well, watched them with an expression of serenity. Takeru really wished he'd stop smiling at his boyfriend and do something about his nosiness... like drag him into the rear stall and finish the make-out session they'd started in the classroom and continued in the hall.
"Admit it, Takeru. You'd really like to kiss him, and hold him, and rub his feet-" Daisuke stopped abruptly as Takeru put a hand over his mouth.
They stared at each other for a moment, silence taking hold of the bathroom for half a minute. Ken watched them, eternally watching and not doing a dang thing to help! Takeru took a deep breath and a step back, his hand dropping to his side. "I respect the friendship I have with Iori. I have no need to have a- a physical relationship to him outside of the gestures of friendship, a-and..." He sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "He looks really nice in white paint."
He couldn't help the goofy smile on his face or the wistfulness in his voice.
"You do realize he's sitting alone in a classroom with a bunch of horny -- or self-righteous -- psychopaths?" Ken asked, speaking up for the first time since he and Daisuke had come into the bathroom.
Takeru looked at Ken, his words not sinking in at first. The genius smiled, a practiced patience behind the curve of his smile. It made sense. He had to be extremely patient to spend the amount with Daisuke he did. Takeru didn't envy him that time or the patience, and at that moment, the latter seemed extremely patronizing.
Ken looked at his wrist, as if checking the time on an invisible watch. "If you go back now, you might be just in time to save his sanity... if it's not too late already."
It sank in then that Takeru had abandoned Iori without realizing it. He ran out the door, barely looking up and down the hall to make sure it was clear. He was still clutching the paper towel he'd used to dry his hands on. Laughing, Daisuke ran after him, though what he was running to or for was unknown.