Requester: 50cyg

Prompt: "Who gave you that black eye?" – Taichi and Yamato

"Who gave you that black eye?"

Rolling his eyes, Yamato turned around and marched the other way down the street. Taichi followed.

"Seriously, who was it?"

Again, Yamato ignored the brunet and turned down yet another street.

"Come on, Yamato, tell me."

Yamato was forced to a stop as a brick wall came into view. A dead end.

Silently admitting defeat, Yamato turned—almost in a bored manner—to face his boyfriend.

"Yama?" Taichi brought a hand up to gently touch the corner of Yamato's eye. "Tell me who gave this to you."

"Sora."

Silence followed by a bewildered: "Sora?"

"Sora."

Taichi blinked rapidly in succession, hand having fallen back to his side.

"But… Why would Sora punch you?"

Shaking his head in an amused fashion, Yamato pushed past Taichi and started making his way back towards the main street and his original destination: the convenience store.

"Nobody said that she punched me."

Taichi rushed to catch up with the blond, falling into step beside him.

"But you said that Sora gave you that black eye."

"Yes."

Taichi gave Yamato an expectant look, which the blond ignored in favour of grabbing a shopping basket.

"Will you be joining dad and me for dinner tonight?"

"Thanks."

Yamato nodded in acknowledgement of the acceptance and moved to the fresh vegetable section. Taichi stayed a few steps behind, watching the blond pick out things on his mental shopping list. As much as he wanted to badger his boyfriend about the black eye, he knew better than to pursue the conversation in the store. Instead, he occupied himself by trying to figure out what Yamato had planned for dinner. Not that it ever really worked, since the blond had a way of always surprising him with the end result.

An hour later the two boys were making their way to the apartment complex Yamato and his father lived in.

Taichi cast a sideways glance at Yamato.

"So?"

"So what?"

"About that eye."

"It was an accident."

Taichi almost missed a step, hastily moving his feet to correct his footing.

"How does someone hit someone else by accident?"

"I told you she didn't hit me."

Taichi stopped and so did Yamato. They stood facing each other on the street, ignoring the passersby that gave them odd looks.

"Could you, please, for once, stop being so cryptic and tell me what happened?"

With a sigh, Yamato motioned for Taichi to keep moving. They continued their journey.

"Remember how I went to help Sora with her garden yesterday?"

Taichi nodded. Sora had asked him, too, but he had bluntly told her he didn't want to help and that had been the end of that conversation.

"Well, we were moving this really big rock. Not a lot; just trying to budge it about a foot closer to the fence."

"And the neighbour got mad at you and punched you?"

Yamato threw Taichi an annoyed look. "This is why we have so many misunderstandings; you never let me finish!"

"Okay, okay." Taichi placed his hands in front of himself, as if to fend off the mounting wrath. "Please continue." He grinned charmingly, earning a shy smile in return.

"Anyway, we were pushing the rock and managed to get it to the right spot. But then, as Sora was starting to stand, my foot slipped on the mud and I started falling. We bumped heads. Well, more like I smacked my face into the top of Sora's head."

Taichi stopped again, frozen in amazement. He blinked a few times, face blank. His right hand came up to face-level, palm facing down, whilst his left hand turned palm up. The hands moved, one up the other down, and met in the middle in a smack.

Yamato looked a bit uncomfortable, eyes flitting from one spot on the ground to another. "That's the gist of it, yeah."

Taichi burst out laughing; he clutched at his stomach, doubling over whilst trying to get a sufficient amount of air into his lungs.

Passersby gave them strange looks again, and Yamato shifted in embarrassment. He switched the groceries from one hand to the other, glancing at his apartment complex, visible just down the road.

"Taichi?" He tried, quiet enough to not draw even more attention to them, but loud enough for Taichi to hear him over his laughing. "Taichi, we really should get going…" He eyed his building again.

"Right." Taichi said, still chuckling. "Let's…" He burst into laughter again.

Frustrated, Yamato grabbed Taichi's bicep and proceeded to drag him to the complex.

Upon entering the apartment, Yamato released Taichi and marched into the kitchen. He needed to get the groceries into the right cupboards.

"Oh, come on, Yamato." Taichi followed the blond into the kitchen, finally over his laughing fit. "I'm sorry, but it's just so funny. Sora gave you a black eye!"

Yamato braced himself against the kitchen counter and released a large breath.

"This is why I didn't tell you."

Still looking amused, Taichi walked up behind Yamato, hugging him from behind and burying his face in the back of Yamato's head.

"I'm sorry for laughing at you…"

"…but I have to admit, it's funny?"

Taichi gave a squeeze. "Exactly." He pecked Yamato's shoulder, then looked over it. "Whatcha cooking?"

Yamato chuckled, gently shoving an elbow into Taichi's stomach. "Food. Now go sit down and wait."

"Ah, you're no fun."

Taichi made to go sit at the table, but a hand on his wrist stopped him.

"I may not be fun, but I can cook. Very well, I might add." Yamato kissed Taichi before the other had time to protest the first point.

With a grin, Taichi went to sit down at the kitchen table. He watched Yamato move about, fiddling with a pen that had been on the table.

A key turned in the lock of the front door. A set of heavy footsteps entered, the door closed, and a tired voice called out:

"I'm home, Yamato. Hello, Taichi."

Oddly eagar, Taichi jumped from the chair, disappearing into the short hall to greet Hiroaki.

"Sora gave Yamato a black eye."

Yamato slapped his face with the hand not holding a knife.

"So I heard. How's it look today?"

"Black."

The two brunets entered the kitchen and Yamato threw a smile at his father.

"Welcome home. I'm just making dinner, so go get washed up."

"Sure." Hiroaki said, then gave Taichi a smug look. "Trust me, it will get even darker than that."

"Dad." A warning.

"You know it will. Remember that time you fell on th—"

"Thank you." Yamato forced out through gritted teeth, turning a glare on Hiroaki. "I remember. Now go get washed or I'm putting so much chili in this that your mouth will burn for the rest of the month."

"Right, right." Hiroaki chuckled and left the kitchen.

Taichi's eyes moved from where Hiroaki had been to Yamato's back. He bit his lower lip lightly.

"The time you fell on the what?"

Within a second, Yamato had slammed his knife down and turned his death glare on his boyfriend.

"No."

Taichi's hands were in front of him in a defensive gesture and his foot took half a step back.

"Okay, okay. Clearly not something you find amusing, even to this day."

Deflating noticeably, Yamato returned to his cooking. The silence reigned as Yamato put some of the ingredients into a wok.

"I do find it amusing, since it's been years, but I think my current bruise is enough embarrassment for this month. I'll tell you some other time."

"Month?"

"At least. Maybe more."

Taichi's face scrunched up in sympathy. Then it brightened.

"I know!"

"I don't want to know." Some more vegetables went into the wok.

"No, seriously, we need to come up with a badass story for that bruise."

"No."

"Come on, why not?"

"Because I don't want to spread any stupid rumours. I just want the bruise to disappear and be forgotten."

"It won't be for a month." Taichi returned to his earlier seat at the table. "You can't exactly cover something like that up."

Yamato pulled out plates, chopsticks, and glasses, placing them in a pile on the table. Taichi took his cue and set them in the right places.

Hiroaki returned, sniffing the air cautiously.

"We avoided the onslaught of chili?" He semi-whispered to Taichi and took a seat across from the teen.

Taichi just grinned and Yamato threw an amused look over his shoulder as he stirred the food.

Hiroaki propped his elbow on the table, placing his chin into his palm. His other hand played with a chopstick, in a similar fashion to how Taichi had been toying with the pen earlier.

"Who'd you think it was?"

Taichi's eyes moved from Yamato's back to Hiroaki. He shrugged, expression indifferent.

"Didn't really speculate. Would have beaten anyone up."

Hiroaki gave a bark of laughter and Yamato turned around, wok and trivet in hand.

"You do realise that I'd have beaten the same anyone to death, right?"

"Not to death. I just mean that I'd have let them recover from your beating and then beat them again."

Shaking his head, Yamato sat in his chair and pushed the spatula Taichi's way. Guests first.

"Not Sora, though."

"No, definitely not Sora. We don't touch Sora." Taichi agreed, shaking his head vigorously.

Hiroaki took the offered spatula from Taichi.

"As the adult, I should probably say something about violence not solving anything, but I won't." He passed the spatula on, taking note of the surprised looks. "I'd probably have beaten this 'anyone' up, too."

Yamato's hand came up to cover his face, muffling his chuckles. Taichi gave a cheer, clapping his hands.

"Boys, boys. There will be no beating anyone up since it was an accident." He slapped his hands together. "Let's eat!"