Hey you guys. So, back to the story:
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We were at dinner and we'd just sat down at last. We ordered our drinks and were left to idly chitchat until the waitress returned.
"So, how's school?" Matt ask, barely contained his grin.
"It's fine," T.K. said with an annoyed smirk "and yes, we all know you're in college now. You can wipe that grin off your face."
Matt stopped grinning, but it was replaced with a tight smirk.
As T.K. and Matt continued to joke, Tai sat there with a rather convincing smile, as though nothing was wrong and everything was as it should be. Tai turned from the brothers to his sister. His face dropped as he saw Kari staring at him with a deeply serious expression. It was look that told Tai 'I know what you did' vibe, but knowing that she couldn't he realised it was a 'What have you done?' face. Tai's shocked eyes revealed that Kari was right to be suspicious. Tai tried to look away, but his eyes were constantly being drawn to the accusatory chocolate pupils and then repelled by their intense gaze.
Though Matt and T.K. didn't seem to notice the tension between the two Kamiya siblings, Tai occasionally saw cracks in T.K.'s character; small glances filled with guilt, lapses in concentration, nothing you'd notice if you weren't looking. However, Tai was looking, if not staring, and he saw everything and every time he looked back to Kari, she seemed to notice as well and looked at Tai as though she was beginning to put the pieces together. Though there was no expression of sudden realisation on her face, Tai was becoming increasingly worried about whatever Kari was working out.
The food came and the conversation was still being essentially monopolised by the two brothers. The pastas and pizzas were devoured hungrily, though Kari could've killed the cow with her stare as she gracefully sucked up her bolognese. If Tai wasn't in character, he probably would've hidden under his calzone.
Other than that, dinner ran smoothly. Except when the check came. For the first few seconds, they all just looked at it as though they'd forgotten that food cost money and this place wasn't cheap. Being polite, Tai said he'd take the check, but Matt intervened complaining that he'd dragged Tai out, so he should pay. Tai agreed, but followed the logic back to Kari, who didn't want to pay but she would've. Then T.K. Intersected, saying that he'd pay in Kari's stead. Kari got a little defensive. Only a few days before, she'd read one of her mother's books. 'The Female Eunuch' it was a translated British book about feminism and Kari had taken to heart. She demanded that if she should pay, she would pay. Fight for herself. T.K., like any man in his situation, didn't know what to say. Pay for her - undermine her self-reliance. Let her pay - seem cheap. It was a lose-lose situation and Matt was loving every second of it. He could barely contain himself, as he began to giggle hopelessly. When everybody looked at him, he stopped but couldn't stop smirking at the memory.
Long story short, they split the check and they each paid for themselves. They left the restaurant and got into Tai's car. The drive back was quiet, though comfortable. Tai was constantly checking the rear-view mirror, if it wasn't Kari staring back at him, it was T.K.'s slightly sad expression.
When they finally reached the Kamiya residence, Tai offered to drive Matt back to his dad's and T.K. to his Mum's.
"Actually, I'm not going back to my dad's," Matt said.
"I'm not going to my mum's either," T.K. said.
"Oh?" Tai asked "where are you going then? Not cheating on me I hope?"
Matt chuckled.
"As much as I would love to sleep with all my gay fans, I only ever sleep with this one annoying lunatic," Matt taunted "but he's such a diehard fan, I thought I'd throw him a couple dates."
"Oh? What's he like?" Tai asked.
"Uh, cute. Big brown hair, brown eyes, sporty. Big head. Loud," Matt listed "I think he knows Kari."
"Sounds like a great guy," Tai nodded.
"Nah. He sucks," Matt poked Tai in the back of the head.
"Matt! There are children in the car," Tai retorted.
"And that's where I cut in," Kari stated "Matt, are you guys going?"
"I'll show you," Matt smiled and jumped out of the car. T.K. swiftly followed with a smile on his face. Tai and Kari looked at each other confused, they then followed the two blondes into their apartment building.
The two blondes ran into the elevator and closed the doors just before the brunettes got there. Tai and Kari watched the numbers rise.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
They reached the Kamiya's floor.
7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Stop.
Top floor.
They'd reached the too floor. A few seconds later the elevator began to drop again. They continued to watch the digital display roll down the numbers.
3. 2. 1. G.
The door opened. Standing in the middle of the small compartment was a sign on a post.
What are you waiting for?
Tai and Kari looked at each other before stepping in. Tai pushed the 11 button until it was dimly illuminated. The elevator then began to move up. The floors passed quickly, but not fast enough to stop Kari from saying:
"I won't forget."
Tai wasn't even surprised, he was more surprised that she hadn't shed light on the truth already. Perhaps her keen insight was finally beginning to dull. Unlikely.
The elevator rang at the 11th floor and the doors opened. There was short corridor with only a single door opposite to the elevator.
Kari and Tai looked to each other confused. They then walked up to the door and Tai knocked. The door swung open to a dark room, it was impossible to tell how big or small it was. They stepped through slowly, then as soon as Kari was completely inside the room, behind Tai-
Bang!
Crackle!
The lights snapped on and Matt and T.K. stood in front of both of them, party poppers in hand and multicoloured confetti falling down over the brunette heads. Two and Kari jumped at the sudden appearance of their boyfriends.
Behind the blondes was a large banner that read:
New Apartment!
Tai and Kari remained staring at the image before them for a moment, until Tai was finally calm enough to say his piece.
"Y'know," he began "throwing yourselves a new apartment party is kinda sad."
"Ah! My boyfriend, always the life of the party," Matt huffed, putting his arm around Tai "raising everyone's spirits and doing away with inadequacies."
"How did you guys afford this place?" Kari went to hold T.K.'s hands as she looked around the room "I saw this place on sale and looked around. 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, nice living room, great city views, decent kitchen and...expensive. This place cost more money than either ever had a hope of seeing. Where'd you get this kind of money? Even if your band has a sold out concert, that's not an income compatible with the kind of rent on this place."
"Yeah. Did you have rich uncle who died?" Tai asked.
"And why does it have to be an uncle?" Kari raised her eyebrow "it could've just as easily been an aunt."
"So, by your own logic, it could've been an aunt, but also an uncle," Tai explained "it just so happens that I said uncle."
"Ugh, you just don't understand," Kari huffed. The boys laughed.
Matt and T.K. showed them around.
First was the master bedroom, which Matt had claimed; shown by his bass case, posters, video games and general mess.
Matt's room was accompanied by his books, games, basketball and hoop and skateboard.
There was the plain spare bedroom (most likely to be used as a guest room).
Kitchen, wasn't big wasn't small, allowed movement just not flamboyance.
Balcony with a dazzling city view.
And then they finally settled into the open living room. It held a large couch and two chairs facing towards a decent sized television.
"This place is amazing," Kari admired, sitting both comfortably and coyly on T.K.'s lap "I may just move in."
"Hold it, I already called dibs," Tai grinned, his face testing in Matt's lap on the couch "rent-free."
"Doesn't count," Kari said flatly "but that does bring me back to my question, how are you guys affording this? Matt's band is on the verge of breakup, T.K.'s broke and none of you have the intelligence or dexterity to rob a bank."
"Only words of compliment as usual," Matt sighed "the truth is; I've started doing work for JAXA. They offered to pay for my livings until training begins and they let me choose my residence."
"They even let me stay with him," T.K. added smiling.
They continued the conversation in that general direction; what kind of training Matt was doing, how their parents were about it, how they were considering letting Gabumon join the training. But eventually, Tai and Kari had to return their own apartment 5 floors down.
They walked in and Tai stretched through his fatigue.
"Our place seems so unglamorous now," Tai commented.
Kari slammed her keys on the table.
"What the hell was dinner?" she asked seriously "I can't definitely say what it was but ,from the way you and T.K. were acting, you'd probably hidden a murder better. So, what was it?"
Tai was caught between a rock and a hard place; tell her nothing or a lie and she would quickly castrate him for information, but tell the truth and he was headed for castration regardless.
Being with a man had never been such a plus, no matter what he did his children weren't being born one way or another.
"Tai, you're my big brother, but if you don't tell me I don't know what I'll do," Kari warned, her eyes hidden.
Tai took a breath.
"Kari, you deserve to know," Tai breathed and opened his mouth "T.K. and I, we-we..."
Knock. Knock.
They both looked at the door, Tai quickly went to open it. Standing in the hallway was Matt.
"Matt, what's up? Did you need something?" Tai asked, slightly concerned.
"Yeah," Matt looked up "you."
Tai was surprised at Matt's forwardness; granted that neither of them were shy, it's just that Kari was in the room and they'd always kept control around her.
"Matt, Kari is right there," Tai nudged.
Matt leaned in and whispered something that made Tai stand upright.
"Kari go to your room," Tai ordered "we'll talk in the morning. I promise, just go."
Kari didn't bother fight her brother's hormones, though she was reluctant to simply follow orders, she remembered the first rule of empowerment:
'Do something because you want to, what other people want or say is irrelevant.'
And at this moment, Kari was tired, Matt was evidently horny and Tai was trying to escape. So, Kari left, but morning wasn't far off.
Tai turned back to Matt.
"So, we're you serious?" Tai asked "about the y'know."
Matt smirked, he bit his lip seductively, took a hold of Tai's hand and began to lightly tug him out of the apartment and towards the elevator. Matt hit the 11 button and soon afterwards the cosy box began to ascend. Matt held his face mere inches from Tai's, hinting that he was going in for kiss, but never quite.
The bell dinged and Matt pulled Tai out of the elevator and into his apartment without a hint of hesitation. They began to kiss passionately as Matt dragged him through to the master bedroom. They slammed against the door, lost in the haze of lust.
"Wait," Tai whispered "what about T.K.?"
Matt seemed to ignore the question as he pushed open the door. He turned Tai around and began to lift up his shirt from behind.
Tai was distracted, but he quickly allowed his eyes to follow to directly in front of him. There, tangled in Matt's deliciously creamy bed sheets, was T.K. looking more lustrous and desirable than ever.
"T.K.!" Tai yelled.
Pause.
"...are you naked?"
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Hehe cliffhanger!
Ja Ne
Xxx