Yay! Chapter 8 already! Um.. it's good I hope. Yeah. Not much to say
here... except, please review! Reviewers are getting less and less and the
more reviews I get the more I wanna write! *begs* Please? ^_^;;
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Chapter 8 - Confusion
Koushirou was pouring a martini for himself. It was a nice, quiet evening at home, and he intended to enjoy it. After weeks of long hours at work, he was finally ready to relax. That, of course, was before Taichi came knocking on his door.
"Can I come in? Thanks," Taichi said, pushing by Koushirou and walking into his apartment.
"You know, I'm a bit busy right now, Taichi..."
"You won't believe what happened." Taichi sat on the overstuffed leather couch and sighed deeply.
Resigned to his fate, Koushirou sat across from him in his favorite armchair, and drank his martini. "Oh?"
"...I told him." Taichi hung his head, as the reality of his situation set in.
Koushirou blinked a few times, trying to figure out what the heck Taichi was talking about. "You told your boss to kiss your ass?"
Blinking, Taichi looked at his friend oddly. "No... I told-"
The phone began to ring, cutting Taichi short. "Hang on, OK?" Koushirou crossed the room and picked up the receiver.
"Hai? Moshi moshi?" He stood, blinking for a moment. "He what? ... Yes,... um no, I haven't... talked to Taichi..." He looked across the room and shrugged. "Oh my... Well, no. I mean, yes, I knew, but... Uh huh... okay. I will. Yes. See you, then." Slowly, Koushirou turned to Taichi. "You told Yamato that you love him?"
"Who was that?"
"Mimi-san. I thought you only had a crush on him."
"I did too." Taichi sighed. "I don't know anymore..."
"Well, you'd better figure it out soon, because Yamato and Mimi-san are on their way over here."
"They're WHAT?!" Taichi jumped up.
"Apparently he showed up at her house a mess, and she wanted to bring him over here. She tried cheering him up by showing him her new hat, but it didn't work." Koushirou sweatdropped. "So uh, you'd better think of something to say, or leave."
Taichi thought for a minute. "Actually, can you hear what's going out here from your bedroom?"
"Yeeeeees... why?"
"Well, if I want to know how he *really* feels, I can wait in there and listen in!" Taichi said happily.
"That's eavesdropping, Taichi."
"Yes. Yes, it is. Do you have a better idea?" Taichi scowled.
"I give up. Obviously, I've already been dragged into this damned soap opera life of yours. I might as well get as much entertainment out of it as I can."
***
"Why are we going to see Koushirou, anyway?" Yamato mumbled and looked out the window of the pink Jaguar they were driving in.
"Because, he's a guy, and he's bisexual! So he'll know both sides of the story!" Mimi said happily. "Anyway, he and Taichi are good friends, he might know what's going on!"
Yamato sighed. Going to Mimi's house was the stupidest thing he could have possibly done. Now that she was semi-rich from her job as a food critic, she had matured quite a bit. Working for a living (even when it was a slacker job like food critic) tends to do that to you. She was still Mimi, however, and that meant she had tried to cheer him up by saying things like 'You're not dating Taichi?' and 'Well of course he likes you! Duh! Everyone knew *that*!' The reason he went to see Mimi, out of all of his old friends, was that she was honest and open minded. She wouldn't judge him or freak out. He thought he could get a clearer view on what was happening by talking to her. Instead, he remembered why he had begun avoiding her years ago.
"BY the way..." Mimi said slowly, "don't you think you should've changed?"
Yamato looked down at his yukata and sighed. "Yeah. It is a little cold out here. At least I grabbed my shoes," he said, looking down at his black sneakers.
"YAY! Let's go, then!" Mimi pulled the car over and parked.
"Where are we?" Yamato got out of the car and looked up. "Why are we at the mall?"
"Because we both agree, you need better clothes on!" Mimi said happily, grabbing Yamato's wrist and pulling him behind her.
"I don't have money, Mimi."
"Oh, consider it a donation to the fashion-challenged!" Dragging him into a large department store, Mimi immediately went to the girls' clothing section. "Isn't this CUTE?!" She held up a white tank top with a sparkly pink flower on it.
"I am NOT wearing girls' clothing!" Yamato growled, hoping that no one would see him and recognize him from his band.
"Oh, but it would look so good on you! And here's a matching skirt!" She held up the pink plaid mini skirt to him.
"NO!" Yamato yelled.
"Fiiiiiiiiine." Mimi pouted. "Let's go get you some BORING boys' clothes."
Walking into the men's section, Yamato immediately picked out a black button up shirt and black slacks. "This will do."
"No. Not doing it. I refuse to buy you such a depressing outfit!" Mimi looked as if she was going to cry. "That's horrible! How are you going to turn Taichi on in THAT kind of get-up?!"
"I don't WANT to turn Taichi on!" Yamato blushed at the thought.
"Are you suuuuuuuuuure? You're turning reeeeeeeeeeeed!" Mimi giggled.
"I just want some clothes to wear!" Yamato gritted his teeth.
"Well, at least get something that'll show off your eyes!" Mimi said happily, picking up a blue version of the shirt Yamato wanted. "See?"
"Hmph." Yamato took the shirt dejectedly. "I'm really feeling in more of a black mood today, Mimi."
"Too bad!" Mimi said happily, handing him a pair of jeans. "I can't believe you don't own any jeans! Here."
"That's WAY too expensive! I can't take those!" Yamato looked horrified, glancing at the price tag.
"Oh, whatever!" Mimi took the shirt and jeans and dragged Yamato to the check-out line. "You'll look stunning!"
***
"Hey, Yamato! Haven't seen you in a while!" Koushirou said half- cheerfully. 'There goes my nice relaxing evening.'
"Hi." Yamato slumped onto the couch where Taichi had previously been sitting.
"So, Koushirou-kun, what should we do?" Mimi asked happily, helping herself to his armchair.
Sighing and sitting on the couch next to Yamato, he rolled his eyes. "Well, I think it's more like, 'what should Yamato do'. Anyway, I want to know what happened."
"I had a birthday party for him." Yamato said, seeming half dazed. "There was cake. Then he kissed me."
Mimi and Koushirou blinked in unison. "Oh..." they said.
"Did you kiss back?" Koushirou asked.
"...sort of..." Yamato mumbled.
"So you like him!" Mimi exclaimed.
"No. I'm not gay." Yamato said, suddenly snapping out of his daze. "I'm just not gay! He had no right to do that!" Yamato was getting angry now.
"But you kissed back... how was he to know?" Koushirou said, hoping to prevent Taichi from breaking down in the next room.
"Well... I didn't mean to." Yamato said, stubbornly.
"Are you sure?" Mimi asked slowly. "I mean, I always figured that you and Taichi were perfect for each other!"
"But he said that he *loves* me! Not that he likes me, or anything that easy to handle! He said I couldn't leave because he LOVES me." Yamato hung his head again.
"Oh..." Koushirou mumbled. "Last I heard it was just a crush..."
"What?!" Yamato's head snapped back up. "You knew?!"
"Well... yes. He told me a while ago."
"Why didn't he tell me sooner?!" Yamato yelled.
"I don't get what the big deal is..." Mimi muttered.
"Agh! What does he expect from me?!" Yamato stood and began pacing around the room. "Just to say 'Oh, Taichi! You're right! I love you too!' out of nowhere?!"
In the next room, Taichi winced at hearing those words in such a harsh tone. He forced himself to hold back and not do anything rash, like run into the next room and throw himself at Yamato.
"Well, I'm sure he was hoping that since you kissed him, and didn't hit him or anything, that you're gay..." Mimi said carefully.
"Well, I'm not!"
"Uh huh..." Koushirou mumbled.
"Hey! You don't believe me, do you?!" Yamato was furious, now. "I'll show you! I'll prove I'm not gay!" With that, he left the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
"That went fairly well!" Mimi said happily.
"Sure it did. Come on out, Taichi! He's gone!"
Taichi dragged himself back into the living room, hanging his head low.
Mimi gasped. "Taichi! You were here the whole time?!"
"Yeah," he mumbled.
"So you heard all that?!" Mimi seemed horrified. "That wasn't very nice, listening in on Yamato without his knowing!"
Taichi just sat back on the couch and held his head in his hands. "I can't believe this is happening to me..."
Koushirou awkwardly patted him on the back. "It'll be OK."
Mimi got up and started out the door. "Well, I'd better go give him a ride. I know for a fact he doesn't have anywhere to go." She turned and winked at Taichi. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him for you."
***
"I'm sorry about this..." Yamato muttered as he put the dishes away from the dinner he had prepared for Mimi and himself. "I didn't mean to end up crashing here."
"Oh, it's OK! And by the way, you may want to think of being a professional cook! That was better than most of the restaurants I've eaten at!" Mimi smiled happily.
"Sure." Yamato sighed and sat down in the overstuffed armchair in Mimi's living room. Looking around, he wasn't surprised at the decorations. The furniture was all huge and so soft that it was damned impossible to get out of once you sunk into its plush depths. The pattern on the couch and armchair were one of those floral ones, overly pink and pastel, with giant roses all over the place. The carpet was a deep red, and was the thick, lush kind that just begged for you to sink your toes into it. The windows were huge and had pink, lacy window treatments. All in all, it screamed Mimi.
"Want some hot chocolate?" Mimi called from the kitchen.
"Sure..." Yamato mumbled, trying to ignore the thoughts racing through his head. Coming out of the kitchen with two large mugs, Mimi handed one to Yamato and sat across from him on the couch. "You OK?" Mimi asked, gently.
"Yeah..." Yamato looked down at the hot chocolate and blinked. It was pink. Bright pink hot chocolate. He couldn't help but laugh.
"What? What's so funny?" Mimi started to laugh, too.
"Everything!" Yamato sighed deeply, still smiling. "I should have expected this from you," he said, looking down at his mug. Tasting it carefully, he smiled. "Hey, at least it tastes normal!"
Mimi stuck her tongue out at him. "Of course it tastes good! That's my job!"
"Of course, what was I thinking?" Yamato chuckled.
"You miss him, don't you?" Mimi asked softly.
"Yeah... I wonder if I should have stayed and talked to him, instead of running out. I was just so shocked!" Yamato frowned.
"I... meant your brother. Takeru? The other blond?"
"Oh..." Yamato blushed. "Yeah. I guess I don't see him that often."
"Hikari said that you two really haven't hung out in a long time..." Mimi said, trying to hide her amusement.
"He's just so busy with his own life..." Yamato sighed. "I should call him sometime. Have him come over. Taichi wouldn't mind, I'm sure. After all, they're pretty good friends..."
"You're really broken up about this, aren't you?" Mimi giggled. "You're so cute!"
"Um..." Yamato didn't know what to say.
"The way you two dance around each other is just pathetic, though. It's a good thing Taichi finally spoke up! He was just dying inside from having to hide it..." Mimi sipped her hot chocolate thoughtfully.
"I guess it's good that he told me, then."
"Yes. It is, but you need to give him a response! I mean, if you really aren't gay, and you really aren't interested, you should have just said so! Instead, you left him there wondering!"
"...Truthfully," Yamato stated clearly. "I don't know what I feel."
"So you might...?"
"Yes. Maybe..." Yamato shook his head. "But either way, Taichi is a wonderful person! He's been the best friend I've ever had! I can't risk all that because I *might* be a little attracted to him!" Yamato looked as if he was going to cry. "Anyway, everyone who I've ever opened up to like that has turned away," he whispered.
"Oh, Yamato... you poor thing!" Mimi came over and sat on the arm of the chair, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry. No matter what you do, I know that Taichi will always be there for you."
"I just... need to sleep." Yamato cleared his throat. "I'll be fine after I get some sleep."
"Of course. Come on, I'll show you to the guest room." Mimi stood and led Yamato down a long hallway, and into a large room with a four poster bed. "Is this all right?"
"Geez, you really are rich, aren't you?!" Yamato stared at the lavish room.
Giggling, Mimi turned away. "Sleep well, Yamato! And feel free to stay here as long as you like! This big house could use another life in it for a while!"
Yamato entered the room and closed the door behind him. It was dimly lit, and he immediately began to get tired. He stripped down to his underwear and slipped under the covers of the bed. The sheets were silk, and Yamato felt himself sink into a warm sleepy haze. Still, he didn't feel comfortable. "Damn..." Yamato mumbled. Grabbing one of the extra pillows, he lay it next to him and wrapped his arms around it. "I wonder if Taichi is this soft..." he murmured as he drifted off to sleep.
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Chapter 8 - Confusion
Koushirou was pouring a martini for himself. It was a nice, quiet evening at home, and he intended to enjoy it. After weeks of long hours at work, he was finally ready to relax. That, of course, was before Taichi came knocking on his door.
"Can I come in? Thanks," Taichi said, pushing by Koushirou and walking into his apartment.
"You know, I'm a bit busy right now, Taichi..."
"You won't believe what happened." Taichi sat on the overstuffed leather couch and sighed deeply.
Resigned to his fate, Koushirou sat across from him in his favorite armchair, and drank his martini. "Oh?"
"...I told him." Taichi hung his head, as the reality of his situation set in.
Koushirou blinked a few times, trying to figure out what the heck Taichi was talking about. "You told your boss to kiss your ass?"
Blinking, Taichi looked at his friend oddly. "No... I told-"
The phone began to ring, cutting Taichi short. "Hang on, OK?" Koushirou crossed the room and picked up the receiver.
"Hai? Moshi moshi?" He stood, blinking for a moment. "He what? ... Yes,... um no, I haven't... talked to Taichi..." He looked across the room and shrugged. "Oh my... Well, no. I mean, yes, I knew, but... Uh huh... okay. I will. Yes. See you, then." Slowly, Koushirou turned to Taichi. "You told Yamato that you love him?"
"Who was that?"
"Mimi-san. I thought you only had a crush on him."
"I did too." Taichi sighed. "I don't know anymore..."
"Well, you'd better figure it out soon, because Yamato and Mimi-san are on their way over here."
"They're WHAT?!" Taichi jumped up.
"Apparently he showed up at her house a mess, and she wanted to bring him over here. She tried cheering him up by showing him her new hat, but it didn't work." Koushirou sweatdropped. "So uh, you'd better think of something to say, or leave."
Taichi thought for a minute. "Actually, can you hear what's going out here from your bedroom?"
"Yeeeeees... why?"
"Well, if I want to know how he *really* feels, I can wait in there and listen in!" Taichi said happily.
"That's eavesdropping, Taichi."
"Yes. Yes, it is. Do you have a better idea?" Taichi scowled.
"I give up. Obviously, I've already been dragged into this damned soap opera life of yours. I might as well get as much entertainment out of it as I can."
***
"Why are we going to see Koushirou, anyway?" Yamato mumbled and looked out the window of the pink Jaguar they were driving in.
"Because, he's a guy, and he's bisexual! So he'll know both sides of the story!" Mimi said happily. "Anyway, he and Taichi are good friends, he might know what's going on!"
Yamato sighed. Going to Mimi's house was the stupidest thing he could have possibly done. Now that she was semi-rich from her job as a food critic, she had matured quite a bit. Working for a living (even when it was a slacker job like food critic) tends to do that to you. She was still Mimi, however, and that meant she had tried to cheer him up by saying things like 'You're not dating Taichi?' and 'Well of course he likes you! Duh! Everyone knew *that*!' The reason he went to see Mimi, out of all of his old friends, was that she was honest and open minded. She wouldn't judge him or freak out. He thought he could get a clearer view on what was happening by talking to her. Instead, he remembered why he had begun avoiding her years ago.
"BY the way..." Mimi said slowly, "don't you think you should've changed?"
Yamato looked down at his yukata and sighed. "Yeah. It is a little cold out here. At least I grabbed my shoes," he said, looking down at his black sneakers.
"YAY! Let's go, then!" Mimi pulled the car over and parked.
"Where are we?" Yamato got out of the car and looked up. "Why are we at the mall?"
"Because we both agree, you need better clothes on!" Mimi said happily, grabbing Yamato's wrist and pulling him behind her.
"I don't have money, Mimi."
"Oh, consider it a donation to the fashion-challenged!" Dragging him into a large department store, Mimi immediately went to the girls' clothing section. "Isn't this CUTE?!" She held up a white tank top with a sparkly pink flower on it.
"I am NOT wearing girls' clothing!" Yamato growled, hoping that no one would see him and recognize him from his band.
"Oh, but it would look so good on you! And here's a matching skirt!" She held up the pink plaid mini skirt to him.
"NO!" Yamato yelled.
"Fiiiiiiiiine." Mimi pouted. "Let's go get you some BORING boys' clothes."
Walking into the men's section, Yamato immediately picked out a black button up shirt and black slacks. "This will do."
"No. Not doing it. I refuse to buy you such a depressing outfit!" Mimi looked as if she was going to cry. "That's horrible! How are you going to turn Taichi on in THAT kind of get-up?!"
"I don't WANT to turn Taichi on!" Yamato blushed at the thought.
"Are you suuuuuuuuuure? You're turning reeeeeeeeeeeed!" Mimi giggled.
"I just want some clothes to wear!" Yamato gritted his teeth.
"Well, at least get something that'll show off your eyes!" Mimi said happily, picking up a blue version of the shirt Yamato wanted. "See?"
"Hmph." Yamato took the shirt dejectedly. "I'm really feeling in more of a black mood today, Mimi."
"Too bad!" Mimi said happily, handing him a pair of jeans. "I can't believe you don't own any jeans! Here."
"That's WAY too expensive! I can't take those!" Yamato looked horrified, glancing at the price tag.
"Oh, whatever!" Mimi took the shirt and jeans and dragged Yamato to the check-out line. "You'll look stunning!"
***
"Hey, Yamato! Haven't seen you in a while!" Koushirou said half- cheerfully. 'There goes my nice relaxing evening.'
"Hi." Yamato slumped onto the couch where Taichi had previously been sitting.
"So, Koushirou-kun, what should we do?" Mimi asked happily, helping herself to his armchair.
Sighing and sitting on the couch next to Yamato, he rolled his eyes. "Well, I think it's more like, 'what should Yamato do'. Anyway, I want to know what happened."
"I had a birthday party for him." Yamato said, seeming half dazed. "There was cake. Then he kissed me."
Mimi and Koushirou blinked in unison. "Oh..." they said.
"Did you kiss back?" Koushirou asked.
"...sort of..." Yamato mumbled.
"So you like him!" Mimi exclaimed.
"No. I'm not gay." Yamato said, suddenly snapping out of his daze. "I'm just not gay! He had no right to do that!" Yamato was getting angry now.
"But you kissed back... how was he to know?" Koushirou said, hoping to prevent Taichi from breaking down in the next room.
"Well... I didn't mean to." Yamato said, stubbornly.
"Are you sure?" Mimi asked slowly. "I mean, I always figured that you and Taichi were perfect for each other!"
"But he said that he *loves* me! Not that he likes me, or anything that easy to handle! He said I couldn't leave because he LOVES me." Yamato hung his head again.
"Oh..." Koushirou mumbled. "Last I heard it was just a crush..."
"What?!" Yamato's head snapped back up. "You knew?!"
"Well... yes. He told me a while ago."
"Why didn't he tell me sooner?!" Yamato yelled.
"I don't get what the big deal is..." Mimi muttered.
"Agh! What does he expect from me?!" Yamato stood and began pacing around the room. "Just to say 'Oh, Taichi! You're right! I love you too!' out of nowhere?!"
In the next room, Taichi winced at hearing those words in such a harsh tone. He forced himself to hold back and not do anything rash, like run into the next room and throw himself at Yamato.
"Well, I'm sure he was hoping that since you kissed him, and didn't hit him or anything, that you're gay..." Mimi said carefully.
"Well, I'm not!"
"Uh huh..." Koushirou mumbled.
"Hey! You don't believe me, do you?!" Yamato was furious, now. "I'll show you! I'll prove I'm not gay!" With that, he left the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
"That went fairly well!" Mimi said happily.
"Sure it did. Come on out, Taichi! He's gone!"
Taichi dragged himself back into the living room, hanging his head low.
Mimi gasped. "Taichi! You were here the whole time?!"
"Yeah," he mumbled.
"So you heard all that?!" Mimi seemed horrified. "That wasn't very nice, listening in on Yamato without his knowing!"
Taichi just sat back on the couch and held his head in his hands. "I can't believe this is happening to me..."
Koushirou awkwardly patted him on the back. "It'll be OK."
Mimi got up and started out the door. "Well, I'd better go give him a ride. I know for a fact he doesn't have anywhere to go." She turned and winked at Taichi. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him for you."
***
"I'm sorry about this..." Yamato muttered as he put the dishes away from the dinner he had prepared for Mimi and himself. "I didn't mean to end up crashing here."
"Oh, it's OK! And by the way, you may want to think of being a professional cook! That was better than most of the restaurants I've eaten at!" Mimi smiled happily.
"Sure." Yamato sighed and sat down in the overstuffed armchair in Mimi's living room. Looking around, he wasn't surprised at the decorations. The furniture was all huge and so soft that it was damned impossible to get out of once you sunk into its plush depths. The pattern on the couch and armchair were one of those floral ones, overly pink and pastel, with giant roses all over the place. The carpet was a deep red, and was the thick, lush kind that just begged for you to sink your toes into it. The windows were huge and had pink, lacy window treatments. All in all, it screamed Mimi.
"Want some hot chocolate?" Mimi called from the kitchen.
"Sure..." Yamato mumbled, trying to ignore the thoughts racing through his head. Coming out of the kitchen with two large mugs, Mimi handed one to Yamato and sat across from him on the couch. "You OK?" Mimi asked, gently.
"Yeah..." Yamato looked down at the hot chocolate and blinked. It was pink. Bright pink hot chocolate. He couldn't help but laugh.
"What? What's so funny?" Mimi started to laugh, too.
"Everything!" Yamato sighed deeply, still smiling. "I should have expected this from you," he said, looking down at his mug. Tasting it carefully, he smiled. "Hey, at least it tastes normal!"
Mimi stuck her tongue out at him. "Of course it tastes good! That's my job!"
"Of course, what was I thinking?" Yamato chuckled.
"You miss him, don't you?" Mimi asked softly.
"Yeah... I wonder if I should have stayed and talked to him, instead of running out. I was just so shocked!" Yamato frowned.
"I... meant your brother. Takeru? The other blond?"
"Oh..." Yamato blushed. "Yeah. I guess I don't see him that often."
"Hikari said that you two really haven't hung out in a long time..." Mimi said, trying to hide her amusement.
"He's just so busy with his own life..." Yamato sighed. "I should call him sometime. Have him come over. Taichi wouldn't mind, I'm sure. After all, they're pretty good friends..."
"You're really broken up about this, aren't you?" Mimi giggled. "You're so cute!"
"Um..." Yamato didn't know what to say.
"The way you two dance around each other is just pathetic, though. It's a good thing Taichi finally spoke up! He was just dying inside from having to hide it..." Mimi sipped her hot chocolate thoughtfully.
"I guess it's good that he told me, then."
"Yes. It is, but you need to give him a response! I mean, if you really aren't gay, and you really aren't interested, you should have just said so! Instead, you left him there wondering!"
"...Truthfully," Yamato stated clearly. "I don't know what I feel."
"So you might...?"
"Yes. Maybe..." Yamato shook his head. "But either way, Taichi is a wonderful person! He's been the best friend I've ever had! I can't risk all that because I *might* be a little attracted to him!" Yamato looked as if he was going to cry. "Anyway, everyone who I've ever opened up to like that has turned away," he whispered.
"Oh, Yamato... you poor thing!" Mimi came over and sat on the arm of the chair, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry. No matter what you do, I know that Taichi will always be there for you."
"I just... need to sleep." Yamato cleared his throat. "I'll be fine after I get some sleep."
"Of course. Come on, I'll show you to the guest room." Mimi stood and led Yamato down a long hallway, and into a large room with a four poster bed. "Is this all right?"
"Geez, you really are rich, aren't you?!" Yamato stared at the lavish room.
Giggling, Mimi turned away. "Sleep well, Yamato! And feel free to stay here as long as you like! This big house could use another life in it for a while!"
Yamato entered the room and closed the door behind him. It was dimly lit, and he immediately began to get tired. He stripped down to his underwear and slipped under the covers of the bed. The sheets were silk, and Yamato felt himself sink into a warm sleepy haze. Still, he didn't feel comfortable. "Damn..." Yamato mumbled. Grabbing one of the extra pillows, he lay it next to him and wrapped his arms around it. "I wonder if Taichi is this soft..." he murmured as he drifted off to sleep.