DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN DIGIMON OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. I merely decided to use the wonderful premise and write a fanfiction about some of my favorite characters. Carrying on their lives, as a what if and their lives growing up.

A/N: My first attempt at a slash fic; I have loved this couple for a long time and it has taken me forever to come up with the idea. But here is it. TAISHIRO! Digimon is one of my all-time favorite shows in the world and I hope that you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

This has the original Digimon Adventure Digidestined as well as season two. With Digimon Adventure Tri coming out soon, I got inspired.

**Main couple: Taichi "Tai" Kamiya /Koushiro "Izzy" Izumi**

*elements of Yamato "Matt" Ishida/Sora Takenouchi, Joe Kido/Mimi Tachikawa, Takeru "T.K." Takaishi/Hikari "Kari" Kamiya

If you don't like gay fanfiction, well this isn't the story for you that's for sure.

Rated T for now, may change to a rated M later on in the story... stick around to figure it out :)

Tap, tap, tap… tap, tap, tap…

That's all that could be heard in the quiet apartment this late at night. A series of lightning fast taps and clicks, here and there. Every now and then there was a frustrated groan or growl escaping the lips of the young man creating said taps and clicks.

I had just gotten home from a late night jam session with the band, only to come home and find out that my hard-working boyfriend was still, well, working. I swear if he wasn't working for his job, he was working for fun on some project that he set his mind to, and don't get me wrong. I love that he works hard, but sometimes it would just be nice to spend some quality time away from his computer.

I walked into our residence, completely dark except for the office space that was only illuminated by the screen of the computer.

He hadn't heard me yet, or if he had he hadn't acknowledged my presence as I walked up behind him. You could spot that red hair anywhere.

Shuffling over to his form, I decided to cover his eyes. He always hated when I messed up his rhythm, but he was always so damn cute when he got flustered. I couldn't help myself.

His body went rigid immediately at the contact of my tan hands over his dark eyes.

"Tai! I wasn't finish—" I spun his swivel chair around and cut him off with a kiss before his protest could be finalized.

"How long have you been sitting on your computer in the dark?" I asked, hitting the light switch causing the love of my life to cower under the shelter of the hoodie he was sporting of mine.

"A couple hours… you're late." Izzy muttered, lifting his head to allow his eyes to adjust to the brightness. "Band practice run long?"

"Yeah, sorry, Matt made some alterations to two of the songs tonight and we had to practice them for the concert coming up this weekend." I replied, plopping down on the bean bag chair beside my boyfriend who shot me an exasperated look.

"Did the concert get bumped up? I thought it wasn't for another month." The redhead reached over and pulled the sweatband I was wearing around my forehead over my eyes, playfully. I brought the light and he was plunging me into darkness.

I chuckled but nodded. "Nah, you have the time right. The tour starts next month. This is a special concert for Sora. Matt's planning on proposing so he decided to do a small, more private concert at that café we always frequent. Friends and family are invited along with whomever gets their hands on the tickets he puts out for sale."

Izzy glanced over at me, finally lifting the sweatband from my eyes and pulling it off my head completely. He had a questioning look on his face. It wasn't one I was used to, and he had a lot of curious expressions that I have become familiar with over the years.

"What?" I asked, reaching over and making the chair move closer to me with him in it.

"I… it's nothing. Matt must be excited to propose to Sora," He replied, leaning back in the chair and touching the mouse on his computer to keep it active.

There was something he wanted to say and usually he said exactly what was on his mind, so this must be important.

"Yeah, he's excited," I touched his hand to bring his attention to me, "Hey, Iz… what's wrong? You know I worry when you get quiet like this. Tell me, you know you can tell me anything."

The redhead's gaze dropped from mine back up to the computer screen and then slowly found their way back to me.

"Are we ever going to tell our friends about us?" he asked in a small voice.

I certainly wasn't used to that sound. I heaved a gentle sigh and pulled him down onto my lap. It was a question that had been on my mind recently as well.

You see, Izzy and my relationship started off pretty rocky.

After we found out that we were chosen to be Digidestined and our trip to the Digital World and back to our world, meeting our Digimon, and the second batch of Digidestined that brought Davis, Yolei, and Cody into the mix…

Well, he and I just became close. Our entire group was still very close. We were all friends with all the crazy stuff that we've lived through and survived. It had been two years after we saved the Digital World, after life went back to being "normal" that Izzy and I started talking and he confided in me that he was gay.

Afraid of what the other's might say, due to some bad experiences he had in previous years, he was hesitant to say anything to anyone else. It was then that I told him that I was, too. Everyone always thought that I had the biggest crush on Sora while we were growing up, including Izzy, so when I told him that I was just like him… well, he was pretty surprised.

Sora was my friend, but she wasn't really my type.

Despite all of this, him and I got very close. Izzy and I hung out all the time. Since Mimi was traveling with her family a lot, Joe had graduated before us, Sora was always involved in sports, and Matt was way involved in the band he started, it was mostly the two of us. He helped me get through high school. I was a terrible student.

We were graduating together, which thinking back… Izzy could have graduated with Joe, so he held himself back to graduate with me… which makes me smile like a fool of course. He's my sweet computer geek. A brilliant man.

But it was the day of graduation that he and I became and 'us'.

~~Flashback~~

"Ah man! I can't find my cap!" I said rushing around my disheveled room. As usual I had misplaced something important and time was ticking!

We had practiced walking earlier that morning and now it was time to get ready for the official ceremony. And here I couldn't find what I needed!

I let out a frustrated groan and laid back on my bed with a thump.

The door creaked open, revealing my younger sister, Kari, who just giggled at my antics and twirled the exact cap I had been looking for around her pointer finger.

"Looking for this?" she asked with a smile.

"You found it! Where did I put it?" I hopped up and grabbed the cap, hugging her enthusiastically.

She giggled again.

"It almost got washed with your dirty laundry. Mom was about to put it in the washing machine."

I smacked my forehead.

"Damn it. I wouldn't have even thought to look there… and Mom… bless her soul, she wouldn't have thought twice about washing this. Wait, why is she doing laundry at a time like this?! We need to go! Mom!"

I ran out of my bedroom with Kari at my heels, frantically trying to get my mother to understand that we needed to go.

The phone rang and Kari left my side to go and answer it while I urged my mother to go change from her everyday stay-at-home mom attire so that we would be able to get down to the high school.

"Tai, the phone's for you!" Kari's voice shouted from the living room and I trudged over and grabbed the receiver, panic still causing me to be on edge.

"What?" was all I could muster.

The voice on the other end sounded amused.

"Did you lose something, again?" came the familiar voice of my friend Koushiro Izumi, or Izzy.

I let out a sigh, but started laughing despite myself. "Shut up… I lost my cap for like five minutes. Hey are you ready to go?"

"Am I ready? Of course," he stated matter-of-factly, "That's actually why I called. My family wanted to know if we should all go together."

I glanced back at my mother who was now changed and grabbing her purse, as well as finding where she kept the camera, causing me to grin.

"That sounds perfect. We're ready over here… now." I added sheepishly.

He chuckled on the other end of the line. "I wouldn't expect anything less from Taichi Kamiya. See you in the parking lot. Let's meet down there, it will be quicker."

"Did you just call me Taichi?"

"I… uh, n-no, you must be hearing things. Gotta go," was all I heard before the line went dead.

I turned on my heel, eager to see the redhead. He had to have been blushing from the waver in his voice before he got off the phone.

Izzy was not one to get easily flustered, so that just made my day.

"Mom, Dad! We're going to join the Izumi family. Let's go!"

I ushered my family out of my house and we hit the elevator down to the main parking lot of our apartment complex.

The dress code for graduation underneath our cap and gown was similar to our school uniform for the guys. Slacks and dress shirts with a tie, and the girls could wear semi-formal skirt and blouse or a dress under their gowns.

For the past several years, I got several dress code citations for rolling up my sleeves or untucking my shirt or wearing tennis shoes that were not permitted. I tried to be me, while still following the uniform. Eventually they cut the no tennis shoe rule, but I had many a detention for my disheveled look in the past.

Tonight I wasn't much different.

I rolled up the long sleeves of my dress shirt up over my forearms and untucked the shirt from my pants, leaving the gown unzipped until we got there. I had my signature tennis shoes on instead of dress shoes and had my sweatband in my pocket.

I hadn't changed a ton. Was a lot taller than I had been at summer camp seven years ago, and my hair was a bit shorter, but it still spiked in a messy mass a top my head.

The others hadn't changed a ton either. Matt was still just as cool, now an up-and-coming rock star in a band he started thanks to his obsession with music. Sora was the star sports player for girls at our school. Joe was in medical school in college now, and Mimi while still incredibly fashion forward (and with bright pink hair) was focusing on cooking.

Izzy was still the smallest of our group, well in our age group. He was taller than T.K. and Kari. But he definitely lost his boyish features. While still obsessed with computers, Izzy had a shorter haircut that made him look very handsome. His dark eyes could still steal my soul…

We had all matured a lot since we first met, and tonight was a huge step for us.

While we stepped off the elevator, my mother was fussing about my look. Trying to tuck in my shirt and fix my crooked tie.

I swatted her hand away gently. "Stop, stop. This is my aesthetic. Let me be, woman."

I heard Izzy's mother laugh as they came over to join us and smiled, looking over Izzy's pristine, nicely pressed outfit. He was sporting a short sleeve dress shirt… I need to invest in some of those, and gray pinstriped trousers. And today he was actually wearing a bowtie instead of a tie. It suited my little nerd.

Whoa... I shook my head of the thoughts. Izzy and I were just friends. I don't want to jeopardize anything.

"You look like a hot mess!" my mother fussed, but smiled genuinely at the Izumi family, focusing on Izzy. "I mean, look at Izzy he is so polished. You could at least straighten your tie for goodness sake."

A light blush crept up onto both Izzy and my cheeks, for different reasons, and you could see his a little better because of his fair skin.

"Thank you for the compliment, Mrs. Kamiya, but Tai looks very good. It's very… him." Izzy responded, not looking me in the eye and his speech sped up, "I think we need to leave though or we will be late and you will have a hard time finding a spot to sit in the bleachers."

The mothers immediately sprang into action, making the decision to take separate cars, but not in a way that either Izzy or I had expected.

It was Izzy's mother that spoke up first.

"You're right, Izzy. You and Tai need to go. Why don't you take Dad's car and get you both there and signed in?" His mom suggested sweetly.

"The rest of us will follow behind and we will find a spot. I think that we are meeting up with the other parents of your friends." Came my mom's cheerful response.

Kari piped in, "T.K. and Matt's mom should be holding seats for everyone. We all wanted to sit together so we worked it out while you were at the practice today."

Izzy blinked, "You're letting me take Dad's car?"

His father handed over the keys.

I was surprised by our family's actions, but they were all being very sweet. I decided to intervene before Izzy declined the offer which he could sometimes do due to the shock of it all.

"Thank you very much! We will see you there!" I linked my arm in Izzy's and pushed him towards his dad's car before he could protest.

"Uh, yes, thank you! Bye!" He glanced at me as he unlocked the doors. "Do you think they know anything?"

He suddenly asked me as we sat in the car and he pulled out of the parking spot. I waved to them as we hit the main road.

"Do I think they know… what about you? I have no idea… Do your parents know that you're gay?" I asked, looked out the window. It was weird being in the passenger seat. Whenever we hung out, if we drove anywhere it was usually me driving and not him, but this was nice.

The grip he had on the wheel loosened slightly. "Yes, they know. I meant your parents… the others, like our friends maybe."

"My parents don't know about you. They know that I like guys but they've never once said anything about it. Kari knows… she's just sort of intuitive." I looked over at his profile to gauge his reaction.

There was a soft line of a smile on his lips as he drove.

"I told Kari, well, to be accurate, Kari asked and I confirmed her inquiry."

I chuckled and nodded. "Yeah essentially that's what happened when she asked me the same thing. You're not mad?"

"Mad that Kari knows? No, she won't tell anyone. She swore to secrecy. I just… I'm just nervous about losing friends."

His voice became distant.

"You know you're not alone, Iz… I get worried about that too. None of them know about me either," I said, hoping to comfort him, "Don't get me wrong, I think our friends would be pretty accepting. But better be safe than sorry."

My crest was courage, so one day I wanted to find that courage again to come out to the world and not just the little duo him and I had created.

"I think they would be accepting too… It just scares me. I have never had such great friends in my life, and losing everyone would be the worst possible outcome."

I smiled to myself and subconsciously reached over and took his hand.

"One day at a time. They care about Izzy, the man, not his sexuality."

Izzy hit the break at a red light, and glanced down at our hands. His cheeks became a flaming red, almost the hue of his hair.

"Tai…" he began, swallowing back something else, looking incredibly nervous. "You're right… as usual."

Before the thought processed my brain, I leaned over the center console and pressed my lips to the smaller boys' lips.

A honk from behind brought us both back to reality and Izzy hit the gas, and we sat in silence until he pulled into the parking lot at the school that was buzzing with people, both our classmates and families coming to see the graduates alike.

I don't know what possessed me to kiss him… oh wait, yes I do. I figured out long ago that I feel in love with Izzy. I just wanted him to know about it before graduation. Who knows where life was going to take us once we left high school? If I never see him again, I want him to know that I love him.

I glanced at the clock on the dash, waiting for him to say something. We had ten minutes before, as a student graduating, we needed to be checked in and amongst our peers ready to graduate.

He hadn't made a peep and from the side I couldn't tell what his expression was saying.

His head was resting on the steering wheel buried in his arms, and suddenly I felt like maybe I did something wrong. Maybe Izzy didn't feel the same… My gut suddenly lurched unpleasantly at the thought. I had tried to prepare myself for this scenario… but it was a lot harder in person. If he didn't feel the same, I would just be his friend. It would just be difficult. Right now I just needed to know.

"I-izzy?" I cleared my throat softly, my body a bundle of nerves.

His back tensed a little at my breaking the silence, but he didn't look up at me.

"Y…you kissed me…" was barely a whisper coming from his lips and his hand instinctively moved to touch the soft flesh.

I turned in my seat, palms flat on the seat beneath me, between my crossed legs. I leaned forward ever so slightly. "I… yeah, I-I did. I-I'm sorry… I, it just… I like you!" I blurted out.

That caused Izzy's head to turn and him sit up straighter with wide black eyes and heat rushed to my face realizing what I had just confessed.

"You… you what?"

I took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Actually… that's not accurate, and I know you're all about accurate," I looked him in the eyes, leaning into him again. This time he didn't move at all, just watched me with those dark, curious eyes. "I love you."

His breath hitched in his throat and he threw himself into my embrace, causing me to fall back against the car door with him on top of me.

"I love you, too, more than you'll ever know, Tai."

His voice was so soft and sincere, but it was clearer than crystals and to this day rings in my ears.

~~End Flashback~~

Now here we were, three years after graduation I was turning 22 next week and Izzy had just turned 20 recently… dating in secret. From our friends that is. Our families figured us out within a week of us dating and they were very accepting of everything.

Kari and T.K. knew, only because he swore to secrecy as well, and they treat us like they normally would. It was just the rest of the crew that was in the dark. They might have their suspicions but no one has ever said anything to us about it. Dating wasn't a topic that we ever talked about when we hung out with them. And until now it had worked out nicely.

I knew it had to be wearing on Izzy as much as it wore on me. I wanted to tell everybody from the beginning. I like to shout good news from the rooftops. Everyone that knows me knows how loud and outgoing I am. I wanted Izzy to be ready to do that too, though. So both of us have kept our mouths shut.

We became "roommates" a few months after we graduated and got this apartment together, and as far as our friends know he has his space and I have mine. Nobody thought the wiser.

After I carefully pulled Izzy from his chair down onto my lap, his question was repeating itself in my ears. Were we ever going to tell our friends? I still just held him, rubbing small circles on his back.

It wasn't something we talked about often. Looks like now was the time.

"Are you ready to tell them?" I asked, leaning my forehead against his gently.

He was quiet, I'm sure there were countless thoughts rolling around that glorious brain of his causing him more worry and stress than he needed. I cupped his face in my hands and his dark orbs looked deeply into my brown ones.

But that caused him to finally speak.

"I am ready. Sorry it took me so long… I just, I don't know. Courage isn't my thing. I overthink," he said sheepishly, resting his head in the crevice of my shoulder and neck.

I rubbed his back gently, more for the comfort.

"I never wanted you to rush the decision, handsome. As ready as I thought I may have been in the past, I am glad that we waited. We have known our friends a long time… they're like family. So I am hoping that they are going to be as supportive and accepting as our family has been."

Izzy nodded, letting out a small yawn. Looks like my computer geek was finally tired. His sleeping schedule was interesting, some days he didn't sleep at all and some days he slept perfectly fine. Just depended on his stress level.

"I know. But I do think we should tell them soon. For all we know, they might not even be surprised." He responded, saying exactly what I was thinking as he stood up and pulled me to my feet before saving his work. "Let's go to bed."

I wrapped my arms around him and we headed to our bedroom. So, we were making the decision to come out to everyone we knew soon. It was exciting and scary at the same time. I knew Izzy would be full of nerves until it was over with so we would have to just get it over with sooner than later.

"Oh, hey, Matt wanted to know if you would consider being our tech guy for the concert this weekend." I mentioned as I stripped down to my boxers to climb into bed. I almost forgot that he asked me to check.

Izzy walked out of our bathroom in his boxers and pajama pants that he generally liked wearing to bed. He was an icicle and I was a furnace, which worked out perfectly for cuddling.

"Is he willing to pay me this time? Not that I don't mind being the tech guy for free, but it would be nice if there was some sort of payment with it," he smiled as he climbed into bed, adding before I even got the chance to retort, "and more than just sleeping with the drummer. That's a bonus in and of itself."

I just chuckled. "Yes, he is going to pay you what they pay the usual tech guy," pulling him closer to me as we settled into bed together. "That makes you a groupie of sorts, babe."

He just shakes his head while laughing.

"Me? I don't think so… I'm no groupie. I'm dating the drummer, that is a far more important title than groupie."

"True, boyfriend does have a better ring to it," I replied thoughtfully, thinking to myself that the title of husband sounded even more appealing one day. We had talked about marriage and kids and all of it couldn't happen until we came out. So us telling our friends was going to be very important.

Izzy snuggled up to my side, his head tucked against my chest.

"So does husband," he murmured quietly, starting to doze off. "Goodnight, handsome…zzz"

I smiled to myself as I held my lover close, letting sleep take me into dreamland. "Goodnight, babe… I love you."

A few days later, the weekend of the concert, I had headed straight to get a last minute band practice in with Matt, but instead he asked me to go to the jeweler to check on the ring he purchased for Sora.

"I am sure it's perfect for her, Matt. It's not like you don't know her and what she likes, right?" I asked, getting out of the car as I followed him into the jewelry store.

"That's beside the point. I just wanted to show you, and I needed to pick it up anyway. I had it sized." He replied, shaking his head at me.

I chuckled and gave him a sheepish look.

Matt and I still butted heads on a lot of topics; we both have strong personalities, but he is my best friend, aside from Izzy. Joe was always closer to Izzy. They spoke the same intelligent person talk that often went over my head, but I was still close to Joe too. He was a good, reliable friend, of course.

"Just making sure. This is a big commitment." I responded as we walked over to the counter and Matt told them that he was there to pick up and order for Ishida. "Sora Ishida…. Yup, it flows."

Matt's cheeks flushed pink for a moment and he sent me an icy look as the jeweler brought out the ring for him, which he took gratefully and I watched him pay before he walked over and opened the box.

It was a simple design, a platinum gold ring with a square cut diamond and some accent icy pink diamonds on the side, with a heart etched into the design, and the words 'friendship without love is lost' inscribed into the inside.

It made me smile. He was a sweet boyfriend to her and they made a great couple. I liked that he incorporated their crests into the ring.

"Well, what do you think?" Matt asked impatiently, after my long silence.

"It's perfect. I like the inscription. Sora will love it."

He let out a relieved sigh, and smiled.

"I was hoping she would. Thanks. Hey, so are you dating anyone?" He asked as we left the jewelry store.

I blinked, making sure that I heard him correctly. None of them had asked me or Izzy about the dating category for a long time so I just assumed that they figured that we were just single people.

"I am, actually, dating someone." I replied, not wanting to tell just Matt, and I wanted to tell the group of our friends along with Izzy in case he got nervous. "But that's a surprise. I was going to introduce you and the others to them tonight after all the hullabaloo with you and Sora. I don't want to steal your thunder or anything."

"I thought you might be dating someone. You always disappear after practice pretty quick." Matt said with a knowing grin. "I look forward to meeting them. Don't worry about stealing my thunder. I am going to propose to Sora before the concert at dinner with my family and her and her mom. I decided to make that portion an intimate gathering. She doesn't like flashy and I don't want to make her uncomfortable."

I laughed, nodding.

"Good decision. I wouldn't want Sora to accidentally tell you no publically."

Matt shook his head, but laughed too. "Yeah, I had a dream just like that. It's what made me change my mind."

We headed back to band practice in high spirits, seeing familiar faces waiting for us. It had been a while since the entire group had gotten together. The rest of the band actually wasn't there yet so we just decided to hang out with our friends until Matt's dinner plans where we would probably all split up for a few and regroup for the concert.

I hopped out of the car, noticing Izzy's car parked in the lot, but I didn't see him, Yolei, or Joe outside chatting with the rest of the gang.

"Hey, guys," I greeted everyone as Matt and I join the group.

Kari smiled and walks over to hug me. "Hey, Tai. We thought it would be nice to hang out before the concert today. Your bandmates were nice enough to say that they didn't mind coming back later."

Matt chuckled.

"So, in other words, you kicked my bandmates to the curb and we will be doing a short band practice right before the concert," he smiled as Sora walked over to greet him and kissed him gently.

"That's basically how it went down. Where did you two run off to?" Sora asked sweetly.

"I picked Tai up and he was running late as usual," Matt said, sending me a look as Sora turned her head to look at me to play along.

I was always the fall guy with him. But what can I say? It wasn't entirely wrong, just wrong for today. I shrugged and gave a sheepish grin.

"I couldn't find my wallet, sorry we're late." I replied and Sora laughed.

"Always losing something," she smiled as Mimi walked over to join us.

"Who's always losing something?"

"Me, of course," I answered Mimi, smiling, "Are Izzy and the others inside?"

Davis, T.K., and Cody joined us hearing the conversation, happy to be hanging out again.

T.K. was the one who answered me, even though Davis had started to reply, but gave an annoyed glare at T.K. instead and shut his mouth. Ken laughed as he walked out of the recording studio. We usually practiced at the studio that Matt rented space out in for us to be able to jam whenever we wanted.

"Yes, Izzy wanted to set up for the show tonight and Yolei, Joe, and Ken went inside to make sure that they had everything." T.K. said cheerfully. He may have been the baby of the group before, but he had surely matured. And with dating my sister, I had learned a lot more about him over the years and he was basically just a little brother to me.

"Tai, Izzy wanted your help with something inside since you're here now," Ken added, as he walked over to us.

I nodded and carefully excused myself, heading inside. I found Izzy in the recording room and my drum set up in the booth across from it. I entered the room with him.

Joe and Yolei were nowhere to be seen.

"Hi, handsome," I started with a smile.

My boyfriend was furiously typing on his laptop to his side and looked up as I opened the door, greeting me with his beautiful dark orbs and a welcoming smile.

"Well, hello to you too," he stated, moving some of the knobs and pushing some buttons on the board in front of him. "Would you care to help me test the sound?"

"Sure, you want me to play the drums for you?"

"Always," Izzy replied in a sweet way, but he gave me a serious expression also, his plush, dark eyebrows furrowed as he spoke, "I was having trouble hearing your bassist, and I am trying to figure out if it is the cord to his guitar or if it is the mics. Or if it is another problem entirely."

I bent over and kissed his cheek, "Not to worry I will help however I can."

With that I walked into the booth and got situated with my drums, sticks in hand and shot Izzy a thumbs up, noticing that once again today he was wearing one of my hoodies which were just a size or two bigger than him, but it was adorable nonetheless.

"Ready whenever you need me to go," I said into the microphone that connected to the room that Izzy was sitting.

He clicked the button to allow him to speak to me since it was generally one way otherwise.

"Count out and then start. Pick any song."

"Cool," I took a stick in each hand and counted out loud, "1…2…3…4…"

As I started to play the beat to one of Izzy's favorite songs, I noticed that the rest of the gang, including Joe and Yolei, decided to join my boyfriend in the small room, watching me.

It was weird being the only one on this side of the glass. Usually it was Matt, me and the entire rest of the band. A moment later Matt did join me though, and picked up singing the song that I had decided to play with his guitar in hand. I could barely tell from the tint in the glass, but I would bet you anything that my boyfriend was blushing even slightly.

We jammed for a few minutes and stopped after a third song, as Izzy raised his hand and spoke to us from his end of the receiver.

"Perfect. I think I figured out the problem and it won't be a problem at the concert tonight. You can stop now if you want."

I looked at Matt who nodded and I stood up, twirling the drum sticks, placing them in my back pocket as we left the booth.

I opened the door to the recording room and the others were chatting amiably, but most stopped to acknowledge us.

"You sounded really good, I love that song," Mimi said, sitting on the desk beside Izzy. "But honestly this kid is magic."

I smirked internally to her statement. I knew what she meant. He is a genius, and he figured out a problem that a lot of others would have taken much longer to figure out or understand. But he really was magic, in so many ways.

"It's a crowd favorite," I replied, looking at my boyfriend. He glanced at me and just smiled before shooing Mimi away from his computer.

"Hey, don't touch. You'll get the oils from your lotion all over the screen, again." He muttered and she just laughed.

"Oops." She smiled over at Joe who went to stand beside her.

Joe and Mimi had been together for two years and they were happily working and in school. Their relationship had come as a bit of a surprise to some of us, but they were a power couple. He kept her grounded and she helped him loosen up and relax.

We waited for Izzy to finish up some last minute tech work, most of us just catching up and everyone trying to decide what to do before the concert.

I leaned against the wall, half paying attention to the conversations going on around me, but mostly focused on watching Izzy at work. He was a powerhouse when he worked on his computer and I loved watching him type away at his computer. I liked watching the way that his fingers moved and the way that his arms flexed and twitched from impact against the keyboard. He was a lot stronger than he used to be, and much more nimble.

This was his fourth computer and his favorite so far. His original laptop from our days at summer camp went kaput a few summers after that. So he had to save up and buy himself a brand new one for junior high. I accidentally spilled coffee on that one when we moved in together, so I bought him a different one later that day. And the newer one I accidentally dropped into the sink in the kitchen. So needless to say… me and computers aren't friends and he tries to keep me away from them at all costs.

It wasn't until I heard Sora speaking to Izzy that my attention was focused again to the present.

She was standing over by him, holding onto the sleeve of the hoodie he was wearing, curiously. It had been one of my favorites back in high school, and even had my last name and number from my soccer team on the back so it was hard not to guess to whom it belonged.

Izzy was looking up at her, with a sheepish smile, completely forgetting that he was wearing it I'm sure. It had become habitual for him to grab a jacket or sweater of mine from the closet and throw it on whenever he got cold or wanted my scent on something to comfort him.

"Isn't this Tai's?" Sora asked, genuinely curious.

They knew we were roommates, and I know lots of girls who share each other's things, and couples who do that sort of thing, which left us in that category of questioning.

"Uh, yeah…" Izzy replied, pulling his arm back out of her grasp on the sleeve. He glanced at me.

I pushed myself to the standing position at my full height, figuring we may as well spill the beans now instead of waiting any longer.

There were a lot of curious eyes staring at me now, sometimes gazing back in Izzy's direction.

"Izzy and I have been dating for three and a half years. As of graduation night. Now you're up to date." Kari giggled at my bluntness, and Izzy's eyes narrowed slightly at the way I shared the information. It was very much my style.

There was a silence for a moment or two before an eruption of conversations started and our friends rallied around us.

Matt was the first to clearly be heard. "You two are incredibly obvious, you know that, right?"

Izzy raised a brow, uncertain about what he meant by that, but I smiled to myself.

"You knew?" I asked, walking over to Izzy and rubbing his shoulders, as he leaned back into the chair and into my reach.

Matt smiled and nodded his head.

Sora and Mimi did the same.

"We knew, we've all known… you two were pretty close during graduation." Sora said sweetly, happy for us and the confirmation we finally gave them.

"Wait, if you knew, why did no one say anything?" Izzy inquired, shaking his head almost in disbelief.

"You're our friends. Why would we say anything bad about it? You love who you love, it hasn't changed who either of you are." Joe joined the conversation. Good ole reliable Joe.

"Besides, neither of you had said anything, so we didn't just want to assume and one embarrass you, or two make you feel uncomfortable with yourselves. We figured that you would tell us when you were ready and then you could just be yourselves, the way you guys act when it's just you two, except when you're with us too." Matt stated, one hand in his pocket and one around his girlfriend.

Kari smiled at both of us, "We've all talked about it, when you two run off and disappear. I am sorry… I know we were sworn to secrecy. But our friends wanted to make sure you two were happy."

Izzy smiled and shook his head, "Don't apologize. I am grateful for the support. I… before we all met, at summer camp, I didn't have any other friends. The ones I had had, though it had been few, rejected me when I told them that I was gay… and I mean we were ten. It's not like anything happened, but their families were against that sort of thing and they didn't want to be a part of anything of the sort. So… I was afraid to lose you all. You've become more than just my friends, you're my family."

Mimi piped in, "Izzy, you get in your head too much sometimes, sweetie. You have always been our friend, and I think I can speak for the rest of us when I say that you're a part of our families too. I am happy that you and Tai have each other. You make him smarter, and he makes you stronger."

Her words were sincere, and she said it with a wink… that very Mimi wink.

I just chuckled at the almost insult and kissed the top of my boyfriend's head, for the first time in the presence of our friends… and family, we were accepted. We were us. There was nothing in this world that could stop us now.

"He gets cold sometimes, let him be," I smiled, noticing Sora eyeing the jacket. "If you're cold steal your boyfriend's jacket." I stuck my tongue out jokingly.

"Tai!" Izzy shouts, but laughs. "He's not wrong…"

We all laughed together. It felt amazing being honest and open with our friends. It felt even better that they were as supportive and accepting as our families had been. It was perfect.

"So, I don't know about everyone else, I think we should go get lunch to celebrate!" Davis jumped in as the laughter died down.

And none of us complained. Food sounded wonderful. We all agreed and as the group slowly piled out of the cramped recording room, I pulled Izzy up from his chair and kissed him lovingly.

"See, I knew we had good friends," I murmured and he nuzzled his cheek against my chest, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I shouldn't have doubted you when you said that before," he looked up into my eyes, his filled with tears of relief.

I gently reached up and wiped them carefully, catching the tears before they fell down his cheeks.

"Remember, I'm a leader, courage is my thing. Knowledge is yours. You trusted your gut and that is okay. We did this together. And we will keep doing things together. No harm, no foul. I have your back, Izzy."

"I love that about you. You always have," he smiled gently, and kissed me gently, "I've got everything else."

I chuckled.

"That you do. Let's pack up your gear and get lunch with our family."

"I like the sound of that."

A/N: The start of a beautiful relationship! Find out what will happen with Tai and Izzy as they go forward now that they are out and their friends openly know about them as a couple!

Let me know what you think. Comment, reviews are welcome! Please and thank you so much for reading! This is a chapter story, so the next chapter will be coming soon!

Much love,

~Ebony