Notes: For Chii. My girl has a birthday today! My dearest Chii, I know it's not the same situation, but you mentioned your birthday then this baby wrote itself. I love you a ton. Stay safe and awesome!

This references information from Kizuna's promotional material, but contains no actual spoilers.

Homemade

"You're not on antibiotics, are you?" Yamato asked as if he knew the answer. Taichi was not on antibiotics. He'd told Sora as much the three times she'd called.

He was going to make a joke about Yamato's concern, but swallowed it down once he realized concern was not on his mind at all, but a bottle of wine and two cases of beer that he was unpacking from one of the bags they'd brought. He didn't even drink wine.

"Would it have mattered if I were on antibiotics?"

"Probably not."

"It would have mattered," Sora corrected him, but there was no conviction to her voice. When Taichi stared at her one second too long, she added, "we got you food, too."

"Plenty of food," Yamato chimed in, raising two containers of food as if to make a point.

"We knew you couldn't go out so we thought... we thought we could bring the party to you. Happy birthday, Taichi."

He barely suppressed a snort. This birthday was far from happy, and Sora and Yamato's idea of a party differed wildly from his own. But they were there. They'd just shown up at his door, and he'd only gotten out of bed long enough to let them in. He hadn't left his tiny apartment for over a week, and was only now starting to feel better. His head still hurt and his lungs still burned, not too much that he resented the company, but enough to be lethargic and spaced out.

And Sora and Yamato were there. They didn't just get alcohol, but containers full of what he hoped was homemade food. Yamato was unpacking the bags while Sora put everything in the place she deemed right, and Taichi couldn't help but wonder how many times they'd done this in the past, just as silently and in sync.

"This was all you, wasn't it, Sora?" He blurted out, before he became aware of what he was implying. But Yamato only raised his eyebrows, as if to say some of us know how to think about our friends, which was a complex thought to transmit in such a gesture, but leave it to Yamato to drive it home.

"Well, it was not my idea…" Sora had finished putting everything away, but she still wasn't looking at him. "You have never invited us over, after all… and I didn't think you'd feel well enough…"

There was a good reason for that. Bringing girls over after cleaning in a rush was one thing when his apartment was little more than a tiny room, but having visitors… especially Sora, who any second now would start tidying up and sweeping the floors...

No, she was not his mom. As it was, she'd barely felt comfortable enough to push some of his unfolded laundry away to sit at the foot of his bed. Yamato pointedly remained where he stood.

"Sorry about that," Taichi said, not for the first time since they walked in. She waved her hand in a dismissal.

"We dropped by unannounced, and you've been sick. I was honestly expecting worse. We're not bothering you for long anyway-"

"Wait. Should I feel flattered or insulted?" He was looking at Sora, but the question was meant for Yamato.

"That's a compliment," Yamato confirmed. Sora gave her boyfriend a quick glance before her eyes returned to Taichi. Yamato helped himself to the kitchenette's drawers until he found a bottle opener. "Beer, anyone?"

Taichi took a moment too long, so Sora replied first.

"Wine, please."

"You open it," Yamato huffed. Sora rolled her eyes and got up. "Taichi?"

"I think we should eat first."

After he spoke, his friends exchanged a glance and smiled.

"The food is all for you," Sora said softly. "Well, except the cake. We can have that together after you eat."

"We already ate. All that cooking made us hungry."

Oh, so both of them had cooked for him. Taichi grinned, his first real smile in days, and got up. He no longer got dizzy when he stood, and it came to the point he wanted them to stay for longer than it took him to finish his meal.

"It really does feel like my birthday…" He opened the fridge, staring at the boxes that waited for him to reveal their contents. "Is this your way of getting out of buying me a present?"

"Really, Taichi?" Sora sounded amused. "What do you want for your birthday more than... well, not one, but several homemade meals?"

That was a good question. What did he want, that he didn't have? He wanted to feel healthy, and go out, and to catch up on life… but until then...

"I'm glad you're here," he told them, his grin growing wider. "Thank you."