Warning: SMUT

01: Just One Drink

At the start of her new life, the first thing Sora wanted was a drink.

She sat in a bar, one that her new neighbor recommended to her when she first moved into her apartment earlier that week. She felt a little irresponsible given that she decided to drink on a Sunday night, but she had been waiting for this drink all weekend, and she decided to wait to have one until after she unpacked all of her boxes. It was a sort of treat in her eyes - a declaration for her decision of moving away from home.

It wasn't as though she hated being at home. She loved her parents despite clashing with her mom sometimes, and she loved her friends just as dearly. But moving away gave her the opportunity for a fresh beginning, a life she chose to live on her own and not on the expectations of those around her, and a life where she didn't have to worry for anyone else but herself.

"Make up your mind yet?" asked the bartender once he checked on her.

"How about something sweet?" Sora decided. "But make sure it's strong."

"Ah, sounds just my type."

Sora turned to the new voice at the bar. He sat two chairs away, his brown mop of hair and his lopsided smile first catching her attention.

Not that she wanted to admit it. She shifted her eyes elsewhere, seeing the bartender preparing her drink in her line of sight. She noted the bottle of a fruity liqueur, but with the bottle of rum placed beside it, Sora knew that she could trust this bartender with whatever he whipped up for her.

The brown eyes didn't stop staring. Sora looked in his direction to meet them again. He lifted his pint glass of golden liquid to his lips. She had never met him, but she knew what he was doing: he was waiting for her to approach him. It was like a game he was hoping that she'd play along with him.

She thought about ignoring him. She was picky, but there were a few times she played that game, the last time long enough to evolve into her longest relationship. But with her luck, they all ended the same way: with just another loss and another fracture in her heart. Sora was sick of her losing streak.

"Here you have it - The House Special," said the bartender, setting a short glass with light orange liquid, topped with a thin red straw. "Welcome to the neighborhood."

"Hey, no wonder I haven't seen you before," said the curiously staring patron. "You're new here."

"So I am," Sora replied, trying to avoid his interest from her. She took a sip of the drink, feeling the hint of sweetness mixed with the cool burn of the rum down her throat. The drink was perfect.

"Did you just move here?" the guy asked, and Sora noticed they were now one chair apart instead of two.

"What makes you say that? I could just be visiting this town. The bartender knew it was my first time here."

"Well, a lady isn't going to walk into a bar alone if she was 'just visiting' on a Sunday night."

"Maybe so, but she would if she felt like it."

She stared in front of her while she took another sip, but she could see him laughing from the corner of her eyes. She could tell her sarcasm amused him.

"An area like Jiyugaoka is an odd place to move to," he said. "It's not as crowded and lively as it is in other places in Tokyo."

"Anywhere's better than Odaiba," Sora muttered but instantly regretted it. She had been trying to conceal as much as possible about herself from this stranger. But-

"Odaiba? That's where I'm from!"

"What? No way!" Sora was now looking at him, studying his facial features that were growing more familiar the longer she stared. "Did you go to Odaiba High School?"

"I was on the soccer team!"

"Oh, yeah - the hair! Everyone knew you by your hair."

His face fell at her reaction. "Well, yeah... but I was the team's ace, you know. Everyone remembers me as the best on the team."

"...It was definitely your hair." Sora giggled with the scowl on his face and took another swig of her drink. "What was your name? Ya… Yami…?"

"Yagami. Taichi Yagami."

When Sora turned to him, he wore a smile on his face that looked sincere, and he held his hand out in greeting.

That smile looked good on him.

"Sora Takenouchi." They shook hands, and Sora was the first to loosen her grip and take hers back.

"The name sounds familiar…" Taichi said, studying her face. "Were you on the tennis team?"

"For a year and a half. I dropped out of it in the middle of second year."

"I remember the team was doing really awesome the first half that year."

"Yeah…"

"And you quit because…?"

"I just lost interest," she replied dryly, with the next sip of her drink seeming perfectly timed. Tennis was her next favorite thing after soccer, which was what she had been forbidden to do in the first place. And then, to be forced to give up tennis to join the family festivities for ikebana…

Sora noticed then that Taichi was watching her curiously, possibly with a look of concern. She needed to change the subject. She didn't want anyone's pity tonight.

"I guess you didn't move too far from Odaiba, either," she added with intent to draw attention away from her troubles.

"Yup. It's far enough here to be out on my own. Everyone's busy nowadays, but it's not hard for someone from home to come visit sometime on the weekend."

I should have moved further away from home, she thought.

"...You okay?" Taichi asked with a clearer look of concern.

She must have fallen into her own thoughts again. Getting out of Odaiba was her first step in freedom, but getting out of her new apartment and going to the bar was meant to keep her mind away from the thoughts that troubled her. It's just not working, she thought to herself as she looked down at her drink-her drink.

"I guess the rum is getting to my head faster than I wanted," Sora said with a laugh, lying once again. "You know how that goes."

"You seem like a woman that could hold her alcohol well, so I'm surprised."

Her brows furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sora listened to whatever reasoning Taichi came up with so that she could argue back. He seemed to always have a comeback response, but she kept their banter going.

The bar began to fill up, and with more people taking the seats around them, Taichi gave up his seat for another customer which brought him to the seat right next to Sora's. Sora hardly paid attention to her surroundings, given that there was still the back and forth chatter between her and Taichi. He even made some stupid jokes that made her laugh harder then she thought she would. As cavalier as he seemed, she wouldn't have minded how long their conversation would go on.

Her face fell the moment she realized she was down to the final sip of her drink. She promised herself only one drink - one drink to celebrate her freedom, and then it was time to go home and get ready for the week ahead.

"You sure you don't want another?" Taichi asked. "It'll be on me."

"I shouldn't trouble you with that, Taichi. I probably should head home, anyway…"

"How far do you live from here? Let me walk you home."

"I can walk on my own."

"I can't let you do that."

Sora raised her brow, surprised that he wasn't being self-centered. "Are you worried about me? A total stranger?"

"I'd say that I am. But, I like talking to you. You're very easy to talk to."

She wasn't sure if she liked where this was going. Was he trying to move closer to her? So he was trying to get closer to her all along. The taste in her mouth was bitter with the thought. "Heh, I'm sure you say that a lot."

"Well… I just think you're different."

"Doesn't that make you the same?" she asked, releasing the bitterness in her tone as she moved forward and kept her gaze on him.. She was curious to see his reaction, in which he seemed taken aback, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her.

"I mean, you could say we're strangers, Sora," he said, his voice getting softer, the sound of her name on his lips giving her an odd sensation of chills. "But you could also say we've gotten close pretty quickly…"

That was when Sora realized how close she actually was to Taichi. He hadn't moved at all. She was the one who crossed over to him.

Maybe it wasn't the drink she went to the bar for, after all. She needed a distraction, a real distraction from moving away from home, where she quit the life her mother wanted her to lead; where she cut off her now ex-boyfriend from her life after he broke up with her without a warning. At that point, she wanted Taichi. The drink was a plus.

Her hands felt the roughness of his fingers, which she noticed how gentle his touch was when they first shook hands. Her nose was inches away from his, his lips inviting her to move even closer, and his eyes enticing - perhaps she tasted the bitterness of the rum, as it truly was getting to her head.

She wanted to sit up straight and push herself away from him. Getting even closer to him seemed like a dangerous idea. But she couldn't avoid the muscles in his arms as she grabbed onto them for support, nor could she ignore the whiff of his cologne as she moved away. His eyes were brown and showed his kindness, or some kind of fire, something genuine, or full of desire…

"Wanna get out of here?" were Sora's next words.

"Are you sure?"

Did he have to be so considerate? As though he saw right through her and knew that she wasn't normally this forward to someone she had barely met? Sora couldn't read his expression, but she felt his hands slowly running up her arms which told her that he wasn't expecting her to say otherwise. He must have figured by then, and she knew it, too - that she ended up caught in his game after all, and she decided that she had nothing to lose.

"I'm positive."

His lips curled into a devilish smile.

"Your place or mine?" he asked.

Sora thought of the boxes surrounding her bed at her place. "Yours."

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Taichi kissed her before he unlocked the door to his apartment.

They had already been arm-in-arm on the way there, and the way they talked and laughed together made it feel to her like they've been friends for years. But getting along with him - maybe that was what made it so easy to care less and want more.

And the way he kissed certainly was no different. His lips were soft against hers as he moved them slowly, but he pulled away just as Sora leaned forward. She knew she was caught in his grasp with his hand massaging the back of her neck, and her eyes locked into his gaze as he tempted her to make the next move. With a slow breath, she kissed him back, deepening her kiss while she ran her hands down his chest.

Sora felt his fingers run into her hair, releasing chills down her spine. She heard the click of the door, then noticed Taichi's free hand move to her waist and pulled her to move. When she opened her eyes, she saw that they were walking through the front door without breaking off the kiss. He might've done this move many times, but it was something she wasn't sure she could follow.

"Taichi?" she called before his lips met hers again.

"It's okay," he said between a kiss, and it was as though he knew her concern. "Follow my lead."

Taichi wouldn't have understood unless Sora stumbled over him, something she couldn't let happen, or else she'd ruin the moment. She stopped him, placing her hand on his cheek to grab his attention.

"I'm… I'm afraid I might trip over something."

"I've got a clean floor. It's nothing you need to worry about."

"If you knew me, you'd know that I could trip over my own toes."

He paused and looked as though he thought for a moment.

Did she ruin the moment anyway?

"Okay, then," he said.

Sora then let out a squeal as she was lifted up, her feet hovering above ground. She flailed her arms before wrapping them around his neck as he carried her through his hallway. After a few moments floating in the dark, she felt herself being set down on soft padding, and Taichi took his hand from her bottom, but kept the other around her waist.

"You're okay now," he said, which brought her to open her eyes to see that she had been set down on his bed, and Taichi was laughing. Her heart was pounding from the sudden moment of panic.

"A little warning would have been nice!" she said with a scowl. Her arms were still around his neck, but she watched as Taichi glowered at her reaction.

"Come on, it's better than kissing the floor, right? We were making our way here, anyway. I didn't know what else to think."

That made Sora burst into laughter. Although she didn't expect to become irritated that night, she didn't expect to yell at her potential lover in that way. She wasn't surprised by his defensive response, but she didn't think his guilty expression would make him so charming.

"I don't know if I'll ever forgive you." Sora kicked off her shoes and pulled him by his shoulders for him to join her on his bed. She could tell that he was confused by her change in reaction, but she figured he would forget once she brought his lips for her to kiss, continuing where they left off.

He moved closer to her with his lips kissing back as he held her waist. He was quick to shift back into play, moving his hands around her back, then grasped at her sides with his fingers slipping underneath her shirt. She broke off his kiss and stared into his eyes, taking note of his smile of mischief dancing on his lips. With a smile back, she took her shirt and her jeans, throwing them both away from her. Then, she placed her hands over his to lead them onto the flat of her stomach, setting them free to explore her.

A soft laugh escaped her as his lips tickled her neck. She unbuttoned his dress shirt to get a feel for his muscled chest which was more ravishing than she imagined. There was more that she wanted to feel, more that her hands were desperate to touch. As she unfastened his jeans, she gasped at a sharp sensation that disappeared as quickly as it came, right at her neck where Taichi continued to nibble.

Sora's voice sounded more breathless than she wanted with her body going weak at the feel of his hands gliding against her skin. His lips brushed across the lace of her bra, and his fingers trailed along her chest before moving them away; then, he lifted his head up to her for their lips to reconnect.

Taichi took off his shirt, attracting Sora's hands around his back and drawing her closer to him like a magnet. She couldn't help her kisses with him growing more intense, being caught in his deepening kisses in return, his tongue sneaking into her mouth. Her hands ran wild entangling in his luscious hair, running circles around his rippled abs, trailing down beneath his jeans to feel him hard.

She had already known that the one drink wasn't going to satisfy her thirst, but she desperately wanted to make sure that she could satisfy his.

Sora let out another gasp, this time as she felt a light snap behind her. Taichi's hands slid along her arms, her bra slipping off with them. She had been so entranced by him to even notice. Before she knew it, her arms were curled around his head as she felt the warmth of his lips against her chest.

She hated Taichi for teasing her like this. The smirk on his lips that she caught sight of told her that he was so satisfied with himself listening to her enjoying his moves. But she dared to be convinced that she loved him for being this way, with his mouth on her breasts, and now his fingers trailing up her thighs. Spontaneous and carefree - a little dangerous for her taste. He'd be so bold to go even further.

One gentle stroke from him sent a jolt of excitement through her veins. He was bold and he was dangerous, and with his fingers replaced by the tip of his tongue, Sora knew what it was he wanted to taste. She fell back against his bed, her breathing growing heavier, amazed by how he could make her feel so good. Her fingers massaged the back of his head as she felt him snake his way deep into her, but she couldn't help but worry. Did she have enough to give to him to compete with what he had been giving her? There were plenty of other women at the bar way more attractive than she was. Was he just bored of those that came and went for her just because she was 'new here'?

Was she any different for choosing him?

Sora moaned as his tongue found her weak spot. Taichi lingered there no holds barred, with her tension building, her heat already rising, higher and faster and deeper until a wave of ecstasy crashed through her hips bucking along the ride. That was when she decided then and there to stop worrying about the little things that Taichi might be thinking, to let her mind go blank, and for him to go wild.

And for her to go even wilder.

Taichi climbed over her on the bed just as she sat up. "Have you forgiven me, yet?" Taichi asked, and Sora responded by grabbing his shoulders to kiss his lips in earnest, helplessly moaning at his touch. Then, she rolled him over and pinned him against the bed, a smile curling at her lips as he stared back in surprise.

"I don't forgive that easily; besides, I have yet to punish you," she said, followed by another sensual kiss. Her hands slid down his chest, and further down his already unbuttoned jeans. She noticed his breath hitch a little as her palm slipped between his thighs. "You don't need to be so tense," she added, pushing against the hardness underneath his boxers. "Just relax...Taichi..."

Sora uttered his name in a soft whisper in his ear, and she noticed the goosebumps forming on his neck. She pressed her lips on his ear, then kissed his mouth once again with him being receptive to her tongue, all while her hand continued to massage him. They both kept their eyes open, her fierce gaze on his stare that urged her to keep going. Laughter hummed in her throat as she climbed her way down, letting his boxers slip away with her to be able to return him the favor.

As she licked her lips, she lowered herself and went down on him, a taste she could hardly wait for, and what she began to savor slowly and gently. She listened to Taichi groan as she moved her lips and her tongue. Pure lust washed over her the heavier he sounded as she felt his pulse quickening the faster she moved.

Sora knew what was coming next, and she lifted herself up, just as it was his turn to ride his wave. She lay next to him as she panted along with him, both of their hearts pounding. Her hand rested on his chest on instinct; even as she wanted to care less when she fooled around, somehow as they caught their breath, the thought crossed her mind to check if he wanted to take a break, or to stop all together.

"I want you," Taichi exhaled.

Who was she kidding?

He rolled toward her, grabbing either side of her face to kiss her. Their kisses were quicker, fiercer, satiating. Sora pushed herself against his chest as their lips joined and parted, and Taichi pushed back, running his hands down her back and giving her a squeeze.

She had to laugh between their kisses, knowing that they were fighting for who would be the first to go on top. He laughed with her and held her close to slow down the last kiss, deepening and intensifying her hunger for him.

It got her to lay against her back. She sighed with a small smile and sigh of slight contempt as he lifted her legs up and back. It astounded her to see him flash a smile back that irritated her and aroused her at the same time.

Slowly, he pushed in, making her draw a sharp breath. He leaned forward, staring deep into her eyes the moment he began to thrust, and Sora fell out of her mind and into his trance, ready to ride the wave and drown herself in lustful nirvana with him again and again and again.

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Sora's eyes flew open in the darkness. She had a moment of panic as she thought she would wake up to a sunlit sky at the window, which would have meant she was going to be late on her first day of her new job.

It relieved her to still see a darkened window, but she knew that she was still in a place she didn't belong. She needed to get back to her apartment and wash herself of her dirty deeds from the night before.

Taichi stirred beside her the moment she slid his arm away from her waist.

"Leaving already?" he asked groggily.

"I have to take the train back to my place," Sora replied, sitting on the edge of the bed with half of her naked body covered by the blanket shared between them. "Gotta make good impression to my boss on the first day."

"Are you insane? Sora, do you realize it's only 3 in the morning? The first train doesn't run for another two hours."

"Yeah, but, I just…"

She thought it might have been too cheesy to say aloud, what they both had already known from the beginning. Once she left this apartment, she didn't expect she would ever see him again, and she assumed that he thought the same way. She didn't plan on going to that bar again anytime soon, or doing something like this with another. Perhaps she saw that night not to celebrate her new life, but to bid goodbye to her old one. Drink it away and release all her frustrations before truly starting anew.

The sooner she set foot out of Taichi's apartment, the better.

"You really don't have anywhere else to go, right?" Taichi traced circles over the back of her hand. Sora turned to him to see that he appeared awake, and a smile crept onto his lips.

"You're not being fair."

He was tempting her to stay, and her will to fight it weakened the longer she stared.

"Come here."

"Damn you," she said, a smile forming on her own lips as she crawled back into bed, sliding closer and closer until their lips joined, the touch of his skin on hers igniting her once more.

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Sora was able to make it to work on time.

But it was just barely. Even if she couldn't resist, it was Taichi's fault for keeping her distracted for a while longer. She shrieked as soon as she saw her phone screen read '5:15 am'. Taichi had apologized and offered for her to use his shower, but Sora had known better by that point. Whatever his day job was, he was lucky that he was able to go to work at a later time.

She arrived to work five minutes before her start time, stumbling through the office doors hoping that no one noticed.

A few dozen heads were already turned to her. She stood up straight and straightened the front of her skirt, smiling nervously at the stern staff person that was about to lead her down the hallway.

"I'll be showing you around the office for you to familiarize yourself," the staff person said, wearing a similar style blouse and pencil skirt as she did.

"Yes, ma'am."

"The manager you'll be working with is scheduled to come in in an hour - also new to this office. The other assistants are in the conference room. You can introduce yourself and get acquainted."

Sora had replied with a 'Yes, ma'am' after the first few sentences until she felt like she was repeating herself. She walked into the conference room, bowing with her introduction to her fellow assistants. She then continued to follow the stern employee around, who had later introduced herself as the head office assistant, passing by the copy and print machines and the break room. They even walked along with the row of managers' offices, a blank nameplate at the door of the manager she was meant to work with.

This job seemed easy enough: Bring coffee to the managers, keep the client files organized, print and copy documents, among other mundane tasks that Sora cared less about. It was the first job she was able to grab away from Odaiba. For now, that would have to do.

The head assistant allowed her to take a break, and she wandered into the breakroom, finding the other assistants giggling in hushed voices. They didn't stop even as Sora approached them.

"Didn't you hear, Sora? Your manager's a real hottie," said one of them.

"Is he, really?" Sora replied, although she didn't want to think much of it.

"Wait until you see him," said another. "We had a meeting last week and he sat in with us. He's young and way better looking than the other bosses."

"You don't look too interested, Sora," added the third. "You'll change your mind once you see him. Man, I just want to run my hands in his hair - you never see guys wear their hair that way anymore!"

"Stop! Someone will hear you!"

Sora turned to stare at the assistants giggling feverishly. No way, she thought, highly doubting her own thoughts, there're plenty of other men out there with that kind of hair style...

"And he played soccer in Odaiba - no wonder he looks so hot."

No way. No. Way.

"What was his name again? Ya...mi…?"

"Yagami," Sora said shakily, her voice soft but loud enough for the assistants to turn their heads to her.

"Takenouchi!" the head office assistant called in the breakroom, making everyone jump, with Sora possibly being the hardest. "Yagami-san has just arrived."

To Sora, walking down the hallway felt as though she was walking to her death. She thought that being in denial would help ease her anxiety:

There are other Yagamis in Odaiba that used to play soccer.

Yagami is totally a common name.

His name isn't really Taichi Yagami.

Sora knew she had to admit she was failing miserably at her denial and she was doing it in vain. She approached the office once again and stopped right by the door, this time the nameplate with his name that cemented the confirmation she had feared.

"Yagami-san, your assistant is here," the head assistant announced. Time slowed in her anticipation of his appearance, his leather boot stepping out first, followed by his fluffy brown hair. Her eyes grew wide in horror as he appeared before her in a suit, and his brown eyes meeting hers.

"I'll leave you both to it," said the assistant with her tone unchanged, and she walked away as though she took no notice of the deadly silence that fell behind her trail.

Taichi was frozen in front of Sora, staring at her in shock. She couldn't open her mouth to say something, let alone utter a single word. How neither them knew this was going to happen was baffling to her.

It seemed like hours before Sora heard hushed whispers that rang familiar to her ears. That was when she realized that there were others staring at them, and that she had to act quickly before anyone got an ounce of suspicion about the two of them.

They both had to act quickly.

"So, you're the manager I'll be working with," said Sora in an unnaturally higher voice.

"Uh- That's right," Taichi replied. Sora heard the hint of panic in his voice and she gave him a hard stare. He stared back with a look of confusion as she tried to motion at his hand with her eyes.

Thankfully, it didn't take him too long to understand, although it was longer than Sora wanted. He lifted his hand toward her and flashed a smile.

"Taichi Yagami."

Sora smiled back and raised her hand to shake his. "Sora Takenouchi."

She drew her hand back first, the roughness of his fingers lingering in her thoughts.

The hushed voices and giggles faded behind them, but out of caution, Sora continued with the act. "I look forward to working with you," she added politely with a bow. Then she turned around to set off in the other direction, but she twisted her foot too quickly and she was stumbling for the second time that day.

No one was staring at her this time. No one except Taichi who had broken her fall. What were the chances that she'd be in his arms once again, face to face, so close to his lips, her heart racing at his touch?

"Same here," was all he said before he helped her straighten herself up. No one else saw it but her, the same devilish smile he gave her the night before. She waited until he entered his office and shut the door behind him so that she could set off in the other direction, cautiously this time.

Spontaneous and carefree - a little dangerous for her taste...

She approached the assistants again, all of them huddling around her excitedly and she held her hands up with nervous laughter in hopes to temper their enthusiasm. But no one saw her either, not even the assistants, before she approached them, the curl of her lips from knowing that she was looking forward to living a little dangerously for a while.

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A/N: Thanks for reading! Please let me know how you liked it. This was a plot bunny I had been sitting on for a while, but with the pandemic rattling my brain on my other fics I figured I could use a break to tackle my smaller-scale (*cough* indulgent) ideas.

Much love to my readers, new and old. I can't resist this:

..Stay Warm..
(and safe! xx)