Disclaimer: guess what? I don't own Digimon/gasp/ oh dear oh dear oh dear, whatever shall we do?

"Come on, Tai, you can do it… come onnn," I encouraged, sweating almost as much as Taichi himself. He grunted and strained and panted until finally, finally, he lifted his left leg. It trembled in the air for only a moment before he had to let it fall but it was something. The triumph in his eyes shone and he turned his head, grinning.

"I did it, didn't I?" he asked breathlessly, "I really did it."

"Yep, you sure did and before you know it, you'll be walking again." I clapped him on the back and allowed him another few moments to savor his victory. "Now, for your other leg."

"Aw, come on, Yamato," he whined rather unattractively, "we've done quite enough for the day. I swear you worked me harder today than you ever have. I'm exhausted, not to mention starving."

"Well, you've come so far, you might as well work on your other leg too. We wouldn't want to be lopsided, would we?" I quirked an eyebrow at him and he shook his head, acquiescing defeat. "Look, I promise I'll take you to that new restaurant down the block if you can make the same progress with your right leg. My treat."

"Ooh, the Thai place?" his eyes lit up and he broke eye contact with me to stare hard at his leg, as if willing it to move. Within thirty minutes, he was moving both legs and whooping raucously over his victory.

"You know, I swear, I ought to just bribe you with food every time I want you to do something. Don't you think of anything else?" I asked, placing him back in his chair.

"Hmph," he pouted, "I just like eating, that's all."

"Gotta watch out, Tai. If you keep eating so much, you'll wake up one day and find that you've swelled like a great balloon."

"Very funny, Yamato. Now can we go eat? I'm starving," he shifted anxiously in his wheelchair and I shook my head at his one-track thinking but walked him outside into the cool night. We had established a comfortable camaraderie and were slowly inching forward into a real friendship. I liked to think of it as a…cautious meeting of two wounded animals, each wondering whether the other would be harm or help. Ecstatic as I was to have actually made a friend on my own, I was more than a bit wary about what it might mean for me. I had been hurt more than once before and was not in a real rush to feel that again.

At the restaurant, we laughed and made small talk but mostly tried to ignore the gaggle of waitresses who appeared to be extremely interested in the both of us. They whispered, pointed, stared, and giggled whenever we did or said anything. When one of them approached us to take our orders, she blushed deeply when I opened my mouth and scurried away before Taichi could even say a word. He waved rather sarcastically at them and, turning an even brighter shade of red, the same waitress walked over to take his order.

"Geez, you would think they'd never seen a guy before," I whispered, leaning closer over the table to avoid being overheard. He did the same and nodded, grinning conspiratorially. "Obviously they've never met anyone as good looking as me," he said, waggling his eyebrows. I laughed and pretended to blush, fluttering my eyelashes.

"Oh, gods, I've never seen such a hot, handsome football player in my life," I said, mimicking a fan I'd once encountered. Taichi responded in the same breathy tones.

"And you are the sexiest physical therapist that I've ever had the fortune to meet." We caught each other's eye and then burst into fits of hysterical laughter. I had never laughed so hard before and, for some reason, I knew it had nothing to do with our jokes being funny and everything to do with Tai. Our food came at that moment and we both dug in with a voracity that only males can possess. Once, we both paused and, at the same exact moment, went for the other person's plate with our chopsticks to steal food.

"Hey! Leave my food alone!" Taichi swatted at my chopsticks with his free hand, while trying to snag a piece of shrimp with his own pair.

"Shut up and take your own advice," I smiled smugly as I popped some of his noodles into my mouth. He made a face at me but it brightened to a smile when I held up the shrimp he'd been attempting to steal. "Here, open your mouth." He obeyed and I dropped it in. He chewed thoughtfully, then choked and spluttered, spraying the table with bits of half-chewed shrimp.

"Shit, that's—spicy!" he yelped, gulping down his glass of water and then reaching for mine.

"Tai, drinking water won't help. It only dilutes the taste. Here," I summoned a waiter and requested a soda, which was brought almost immediately, "drink this. Sugar cuts the burning." His eyes watering, he gulped down the soda and let out a stifled belch. "Better?"

"How the hell can you stand that stuff?" he asked, wrinkling his nose in distaste as I mopped up the mess he'd made.

"It's good, Tai. You're just a wuss," I raised an eyebrow in challenge and his mouth dropped open in outrage.

"I am not!" he protested, voice rising alarmingly to a shrill squeak.

"Whatever you say, Tai, whatever you say." His face turned a bright cherry red and he opened his mouth again to retort, then decided better and closed it. "Ah, you're learning, I see. Good, good, you're getting smarter." I knew I was being a smartass but it was fun and he took it all in good humor. After we had paid our bill and as we were heading out the door, I distinctly heard one of the waitresses sigh to another,

"Oh, if only they weren't so in love. Too bad all the cute ones have to be gay." Apparently, Taichi heard it too because he turned around and glared at them. Knowing that she'd been heard, the waitress rushed to appease him, "I mean, it's not that I have a problem with—your love for one another. Not at all, in fact, I think it's really cute." He laughed suddenly and then looked at me, an impish grin on his face.

"Yamato, darling, can you hurry? I have a new chocolate sauce I want you to try—on. You're going to look absolutely scrumptious in it!" His warm hand grabbed mine and he winked almost imperceptibly. Catching onto his game, I grinned and ruffled his hair.

"You are so naughty!" I giggled and then knelt beside him to breathe in his ear, "But you know, all that chocolate's gonna be messy. You're gonna help me—lick it all up, right?" I stood quickly, noting with pleasure that the waitress now looked as if she was about to implode, and we hurried away, both of us shaking with silent laughter.

"Do we really look like a couple?" he asked once we'd calmed down. "It doesn't make sense. We're just friends, after all."

"I know, Tai, but what we did back there certainly didn't help your image of being completely straight, you know."

"My image? What about your image? Don't you care if people think you're gay?" He tilted his head to the side, as he always did when he was thinking hard about something. "I mean, doesn't it bother you when someone mistakes you as being a homosexual?"

I froze, not knowing what to say. Of course it didn't bother me if someone thought I was gay because I was. Well, bisexual, but still… Taichi's friendship meant a lot to me but I didn't want to risk scaring him away.

"Uh, why should I be bothered?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't notice the way I'd dodged the question.

"I dunno," he shrugged, "I guess it's just a blow to my pride when someone thinks I'm gay. I mean, come on, if they think I'm gay, that means I act—feminine and whatever."

"That's not true, it's just a stereotype. But, this is a subject for a different day. You up for some ice cream?"

"Hm, much as I would love that, my dad will kill me if I'm late. He's been in a bad mood for the past few days and I'm not doing anything to piss him off even more."

"Okay, let's go." I helped him inside the car and then we were off. He was brooding on the road, his good mood from earlier just evaporated. "Tai? Something bothering you?" He looked up and I was struck by the muted pain in those deep brown eyes.

"It's nothing new," he muttered sadly. "Just the same old shit." I pulled over and parked the car in order to give him my full attention.

"You know that you can talk to me if you need to, right? I'm always willing to listen."

"No, it's okay, Yamato. Thanks, though." He sighed heavily and bowed his head. Knowing when to back off, I restarted the car and pulled into the driveway of the apartment complex in which he lived. "G'night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Um, hey, can I come with you?" It worried me to see him looking so down, especially after another day of successful therapy. He looked grateful but said nothing, which I took as consent, and got into the elevator with him. When the doors slid open, I heard a distinct shouting.

"How dare you say that about your own child? He's not useless! He's your child, that should be fucking good enough for you!"

"Shut up, you little bitch. I gave you this beautiful apartment, those clothes on your back… hell, I even fucking provided for the hospital bills of that little bastard and this is how you repay me? Is that the thanks I get?" The dull sound of flesh on flesh and then the door swung open to reveal the pretty woman I had seen at the hospital. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy and her face was streaked with tears, her right cheek a bright red from the slap.

"Taichi!" she gasped, and stopped in her tracks. "I—I didn't know you would be coming home so early. Your father and I were just having a little discussion. Nothing to worry about," she forced a smile and, with some effort, turned and went to stand in the doorway, beckoning him inside. "Come in then. Have you eaten?" He shook his head silently and I was amazed at the restraint his mother was showing in her attempt to shield Tai from her troubles.

"Hi Mum. Don't worry about me, I've eaten already," Taichi's tone was flat though I could tell that he was desperately trying to keep in his anger.

"I should go, Tai, I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" I smiled encouragingly and then left, hearing the door close. It wasn't very dark yet and the night was warm so I headed to the park and wandered through the trees until I'd found my haven. Kicking off my shoes, I climbed the biggest tree as far as I could, relishing the way the wind tickled my face. The whole place was just as still and as peaceful as when I'd last visited it, as if it was waiting specifically for me. Taichi had liked it and I made a mental note to myself to bring him out here again.

Taichi. My brain clicked into overdrive and I shook my head. His was a formidable burden and I saw what it cost him to reign in his hot-headed temper in the effort to protect his sister and mother. I had done the same with Takeru and, though at times it was nearly physically impossible to control my anger, my protectiveness had given me something to hold on to, a goal that I had to keep pursuing, no matter the cost. I was not unhappy that my parents were no longer in my life and I would be lying if I said that I wished my relationship with them had been on better terms. It amazed me, sometimes, when I looked back to the miserable days I spent living under their roof, that they could possibly be my parents. I had my mother's light coloring and the shape of her eyes but the shape of my features were my father's, if somewhat softened on me. That was all the similarity that was noticeable to me; I was their biological child but they were not my parents. Takeru was my younger brother but I raised him to the best of my abilities, even as I was still trying to sort out my own shit. I watched my parents and hated the way they conducted themselves, the way they treated us, their children, and I learned from that. I was the opposite of everything they represented (or at least I hoped I was) and I was damned if I wasn't able to raise my brother with those morals. Taichi seemed to have a similar relationship with his sister, if not for the fact that he was not raising her as I had my brother. I grinned suddenly, imagining what he would do if Kari found herself a boyfriend. His temper and his care for her, demonstrated in the few interactions I had witnessed, would not make a good combination, should she decide to introduce him to any boy. I saw myself reflected in him and I didn't know if it scared me or if that only made me want to be there for him as no one had been there for me.

The next day, he refused to look up when I arrived to bring him to his classes. In the car, I snuck a glance and noticed a conspicuous bruise on the left side of his face. It spread from around his eye, to his nose and cheek, almost to his chin.

"Where'd you get that bruise, Tai?" I asked quietly, knowing that the answer he gave would not be the truth.

"I—I ran into a door. It's nothing," he whispered, sounding almost in tears.

"I'm not a fool, Tai. You didn't run into a door." There was a sudden sound, as if he had choked back a sob. "What really happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled.

"Taichi, I can't help you if you won't talk to me. I want to help, I really do. But I need you to tell me what happened. You know that you can get out of that house, right?"

"Yamato, I have nowhere else to go! I can't get a job because no employer wants to deal with a cripple, and I can't afford to pay rent on an apartment! My father would disown me and—that would cut me off from Kari and my mother and—it's not that bad, anyway."

"He's broken your arm, Taichi! And, you don't have to move out by yourself. If you need, you can stay with me. I've got a good-sized house and it gets lonely at night. The spare bedroom is huge and comfortable and—that way, you'd be closer to school and we could work longer and more privately on your therapy. It's a good arrangement if you can put up with me but, then again, I'm not that bad of a housemate."

"No, Yamato. Thanks for the offer but I'll be fine." He paused fearfully, then turned to look at me. "Please don't tell anyone, Yamato. Please? He would kill me if he found out I'd told you. Just pretend that I ran into a door. I'm clumsy with this cast and the wheelchair and everything. Just—don't tell anybody."

"It goes against my better judgment, Tai, but—if you say so, then that's that. I guess I'll just have to worry about you." I attempted a grin but it fell flat. "Anyway, Tai, if you're up to it, we could have an extra session tonight? I'm not doing anything and frankly, I'd rather be helping you than writing my term paper."

"Yeah, I'd like that."

After class, I was rushing to meet him ten minutes after his class ended. As I stuffed my books into the already-filled bag slung on my shoulder, I looked up to see him waiting for me, craning his neck. I was going toward him from the side, so he hadn't seen me yet when a burly man approached him, his face a mask of disgust and anger. I slowed my pace, not knowing whether this was a personal issue or not and if he wanted to handle it alone or not. Somewhere deep inside of me, a feeling told me that I should at least be close by, in case anything got out of hand; the man looked like he meant business.

"You little bastard!" He backhanded Tai across the face. "I have done nothing but care for you since the day you were born, I have provided you with a roof over your head, clothes on your back, and everything that you own. And this is how you repay me? By becoming a fucking faggot? I might've known, you were always a bit strange. No, I refuse to have a homosexual for a son. If you ever set foot in my house again, I will not hesitate to call the police for trespassing and breaking-and-entering." He slapped Taichi again, so hard, this time, that he fell from the wheelchair. Tai looked up and I could see, from my vantage point, the look of abject terror on his face. Not stopping to think, I dropped my bag and rushed in front of him, between him and the man, who had just raised a fist to hit Tai again.

"Hello. Is there anything the matter? Perhaps I should call a security guard to assist you?" I asked, with a bright smile. He stared at me and then curled his lip.

"No, I was just having a few words with this—creature. I'm through with him now." Turning briskly on his heel, the man marched away and disappeared into the crowd. With him gone, I turned my attention to Tai but not before I caught sight of the curious crowd that had gathered.

"What're you all looking at?" I growled. "Come to stare at someone else's humiliation? How would you like to have something like that happen to you?" Looking somewhat shamed, the onlookers turned and hurried away. When everyone had gone, I turned to Tai and kneeled down.

"Tai? Tai-chan? Are you alright? He didn't break anything, did he?" I put my hand to his chin and gently lifted his face.

"No. No, I'm fine. He's done worse before," Tai whispered. He looked up suddenly and leaned forward urgently, his hands clutching my shirt. "What am I gonna do now, Yamato? Where am I gonna go? What—how am I gonna afford a place?"

"Well, my offer didn't go away in the last few hours. You can just stay with me."

"Are—are you sure? I won't be too much trouble?"

"Of course not, what're friends for? Come on, let's go home, shall we?"

"Thank you," the whisper was barely heard but I smiled and squeezed his shoulder before gathering up our books and beginning to head home, all thought of the extra therapy session gone. At the house, I got him situated in his new room, the size of which seemed to awe him. Leaving him to explore his new surroundings, I went to the kitchen to prepare something for us to eat when I heard a crash and a thud, followed by what sounded like a cry of pain.

Upon entering the room, I stopped immediately; millions of tiny shards of glass were strewn on the floor and, judging from the puddle of water and flowers, had come from a glass vase that a friend had once given me. Tai was kneeling awkwardly on the floor with his legs sprawled out beneath him. He was muttering frantically, trying to sweep up the shards with his hand, seeming not to notice the cuts he was subsequently causing himself and the blood that he was smearing on the wood. I tip-toed my way through the hazardous maze of glass and grabbed his wrists to stop him from doing any more harm. It was then that he noticed me but he didn't put up a fight. He just let me pick him up, bring him to the bathroom, and clean his wounds. He didn't even flinch when I was forced to dig pieces of glass from his flesh.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked quietly, as I tended to his hands.

"I'm sorry, I bumped into the bureau and the vase tipped over and—I'm really sorry, Yamato. I didn't mean to break it or anything. And—it's not even been thirty minutes in your home and I've already gone and made a mess of things."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I break things all the time. It happens, Tai. But, next time you break glass, ask me for a dustpan and broom so you don't cut yourself like this, okay?" I held up his hand and examined the palm. The skin had all but been shredded and I hadn't even gotten all the glass out. Once I'd gotten him completely bandaged, I decided to forgo cooking and ordered out instead. Tai was quiet and didn't eat much; neither of us did.

"Yamato," he began, setting his food down on the table. "Why—why does he hate me so much?" He swallowed audibly and I scooted closer to him. "Why can't he just love me for who I am? Why—why—why can't I just p-please h-im?" his voice hitched painfully and he began to sob. Looking at him, I was almost overwhelmed with the urge to cry with him so I wrapped my arms around him, bringing him close, and rocked him gently.

No more words were spoken. The silence that fell down around us was broken only by his sobs and I held him to me until he had cried out all his pain. Both of us were exhausted and I noticed that his eyes were drooping before I, again, picked him up. This time, he snuggled closer to me and his arms wrapped around my neck, his face burying itself into my shoulder. I brought him to his room and lay him in his bed, unbuckling his belt and taking it off since it couldn't be comfortable to sleep with a belt on. As I left the room and turned off the light, I barely heard his last words to me before he fell asleep, words that caused my stomach to clench and my heart to flutter with hope, a feeling I hadn't felt for a very long time.

"G'night, Yama. I…love…you."

A/N: Good? Bad? Review please/looks at readers with a big smile/ I've established my favorite nickname for Yama-chan (Yay!) so REVIEW!