A/N: Second chapter. Phew. And I thought they'd get shorter! This one just kept growing and growing - it was about to go over 4000 words, but I figured I'd better cut back, so some of the plot will spill over into the next chapter.
And unfortunately, that is pretty much all this chapter is - plot, with a great big slab of sappy fluff at the beginning. Blame AtheneMiranda, she wanted it...
Speaking of which, she and Persephone (of Darkened Sunrise fame) are in line for major, major thanks. Not only did they give me a haven for a week in which to write the biggest part of this, but they (by virtue of being a pair of silly, fluffy, ridiculously kawaii onnas) actually gave me the idea for the first half of this chapter. Thanks loads, you two.
Disclaimer: Despite Tai and Matt existing as independent entities within my head, the rest of Digimon does not belong to me. Although whoever it does belong to certainly doesn't deserve or appreciate them.
Warning: Typical sappy shounen-ai stuff here. Nothing beyond kissing (which is why the rating remains PG-13), although lemon will follow in the next chapter (some of you people have no impatience! Honestly...)
Please review? So I can get that lovely fluffy warm feeling from knowing that people actually read this stuff? You'll get the lemon faster if you do...






"So..." He looks at me from underneath his lashes, through the veil of trailing hair. "What d'you want to do for the rest of the day?"
I stretch luxuriously on the wonderfully soft sofa. "Koi, I don't know about you, but I am shattered. If we do anything today, it has to be," I tick off on my fingers, "non-strenuous, quiet and relaxing."
"Mountain climbing?" he grins. "Sky-diving? Bungee jumping?"
I swat ineffectually at him - I can't quite reach him from where I'm sitting. "Baka. Why can't we just...oh, I don't know, go for a walk in the park or something?"
"Fair enough." He closes his book and pushes out of his chair, then offers me a hand.
"I'm not incapable, you know," I grumble - but as if to prove that pride goes before a fall, I overbalance while trying to get up and hit the floor with a thud.
He laughs and reaches down, closing his fingers around my wrist. I look up at him, getting for a second the perfect view of his face surrounded by golden hair, and I remind myself for the thousandth time how lucky I am to have this beautiful boy as my boyfriend.
He hoists me to my feet, dusting me off slightly. "OK then. Get your shoes on."
"Are you going to tie them for me, too?" I ask him, and he punches me good-naturedly.
"Baka."
I poke him. "Hey! I'm the brains of this relationship, remember?"
He grabs me by the arm, pulling me into a fierce, unexpected hug. "So what does that make me?"
My eyes are bare inches away from his lovely deep blue ones; our lips are almost touching, so close I can feel his breath; his hair falls over half his face, almost obscuring one eye with a sun-drenched waterfall of gold.
What can I say? "Definitely the beauty..." is all I manage to get out before he closes the last distance and presses his soft lips against mine. "Mmm..."

* * * * *

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Um...mind telling me what the bread's for?"
"You'll see." I slip my hand into his, interlacing our fingers - and I don't care who sees it. He apparently feels the same way, for he gives me a reassuring squeeze.
I use that link to pull him to the left at the next fork in the path. "This way."
He looks at me quizzically. "But that way's a dead end - there's nothing down there but the - "
" - duck pond," I finish, grinning and flourishing the loaf of bread.
His face falls. "Oh no. You cannot be serious."
"What?" He's stopped walking, and I tug on his hand.
He resists, leaning back slightly. "There is no way you are getting me to feed the ducks."
"But Yamaaa..."
"Don't do that. Don't try and sound ingratiatingly cute and pathetic."
I stick my lower lip out. "Please? For me?"
He wavers for a second, and I take the opportunity to bring his hand to my lips and kiss it gently. His skin is soft against my lips; I can feel every rise and hollow, and there's the very faintest tang of salt.
He glares at me over his knuckles. "All right, all right. I'll come and watch you feed the scummy ducks."
I smile at him, tugging gently on his hand again until he - reluctantly - resumes walking. "Smile," I order him, and when he doesn't I lean in and give him the very quickest of pecks on the cheek.
I don't know if what that elicits can be called a smile - it's definitely in the running for Yama's Minimal Expression Of The Week - but it'll have to do.

* * * * *

"Aww, look at the cute little fluffy ducklings!"
Matt rolls his eyes at me. "Ugh. Do you have any idea how sickening you sound?"
I glare at him. "But they're adorable!"
He throws up his hands in frustration. "They're ducks! They have no purpose other than to laze around and eat scraps that people throw to them!"
"Sounds like someone else I know." I chuck a piece of bread at where he lies on the grass. "And at least they know how to open their mouths and catch," I add mischievously as it bounces off his nose.
He glares at me sceptically. "You're lying."
"No, I'm not - look!" I toss a piece out over the pond and my favourite duck snaps it out of the air before it can land. "See?"
For the first time, I can see interest on his face, even though he tries to hide it. "Fluke."
By way of answer, I throw another morsel, and again the clever little creature catches it and gulps it down. It's got bolder now and has come within two feet of me. I rip off one edge of the crust from the bread and dangle it in the air. The duck regards me suspiciously for a moment, then sidles up and grabs it out of my hand.
I look round to see Matt watching me open-mouthed, and I grin at him. "They're cleverer than you think."
Trying to look nonchalant and uninterested, he gets to his feet and saunters down to the edge of the pond. The ducks shy away, but I throw them a little more bread and they soon forget their fear in the squabble for food.
He crouches down beside me. "Go on, then, let's have a piece."
"I thought feeding scummy ducks was below cool rock stars such as you," I tease him gently, giving him a piece of bread. He glowers at me, but starts tearing his bread up. For a few minutes we sit in companionable silence, while around us cute fluffy ducklings compete with full-grown adult ducks for the food.
Suddenly, he grabs my arm. "There! Look at that one! What's that?"
I squint, following his outstretched arm. He's pointing at a smallish duck with a deep chestnut head, black neck and pale grey body. It takes me a minute to recall.
"It's...um...it's a pochard," I eventually remember. He makes a suitably impressed noise, then within seconds he's pointing at another one.
"And that?"
This time it's a very small duck, with a brown head and a striking green stripe across its eye. I don't have to think to remember this one. "That's a teal."
He nudges me. "Listen to you, Mr Ornithologist! Since when did you know everything about birds?"
"Oh," I shrug, "just did some reading one day when I was bored. You know."
He tucks his hair back behind his ear, a movement that I swear he has a patent on, and holds out his hand to the closest duck, a small piece of bread nestled in his palm. I marvel at how gentle and careful he is - then I catch myself, and remind myself that this is Matt we're talking about. He's perfect. Not to mention mine, and I thank the stars for him every day.
Right now, all I want to do is jump on him and push him backwards onto the grass and kiss him, long and slow. I reach automatically down into the bread bag - and catch my breath as his hand meets mine. I abandon all thought of going for a piece of bread as his fingers twine around mine, stroking and interlacing with mine in an intricate dance that leaves me breathless.
He smiles at me as his fingers continue this tender dance, and I lean in to press my lips against his. He lets my tongue in, and I can taste coffee and cream and wintergreen (must be his toothpaste) and him...

It's a long time before my lips are my own again. He pushes me gently back down into the soft grass, never letting our mouths part. I can hardly concentrate with his tongue working its delicious magic inside my mouth, but I manage to trail my hand through his hair, loving the feel of its softness running through my fingers. My other hand is still clasped in his, another point of contact with him, love flowing between us as he kisses me. Incredible warmth surges through me, making me shiver as my reactions once again confirm what I've known all along - I love him.
The grass behind my head is yielding yet slightly spiky as he pushes forward, exploring every inch of my mouth with his tongue. I stroke his back as he tilts my chin to allow him better access; I slip my spare hand up inside his T-shirt and explore his body. His shirt is light and loose, leaving plenty of room for me to tease his warm skin, tracing fingertips over his stomach and up his chest.
He finally pulls back, and we take simultaneous breaths of much-needed oxygen. His hair falls over his perfect face, obscuring one eye and giving him a lovely mysterious look. I reach up with the hand he just relinquished, stroking his cheek; he turns into my hand, nuzzling and kissing it while making the most adorable noises.
"Not here."
I grin up at him. "What, you'll do it on the top of a mountain in the freezing rain but not next to a duckpond?!"
He blushes. "It's...a little too public."
I nod understandingly. "Oh, of course. And we wouldn't want to spoil the poor little fluffy ducklings' innocence now, would we?"
He glares. "I told you not to call them that."
My finger traces down and across his lips, wiping away the frown. "Is my beautiful, fluffy, adorable Yama getting jealous?"
"Baka." He kisses my finger tenderly.
"That's a yes, then?"
We get interrupted by a sudden hissing noise from somewhere off to our right. He reluctantly rolls off me, and I crane round to see what all the fuss is about.
Oh, crap. There, not five feet away from me, is a rather angry-looking swan, wings outspread, hissing like a burst gas pipe.
"We must be near the nest," I whisper to Matt. "We need to get out of here."
"You go," he whispers back. "I'll hold it off."
I grab him. "Don't be stupid. It could break your arm."
He looks at me fiercely. "Rather mine than yours."
The swan looks from one to the other of us, obviously not quite sure which of us is the greatest threat. I take the chance to scrabble across the grass and grab the bread, then drag out a slice whole and fling it at the bird. Its neck whips round, following the movement, and I snatch at Matt's sleeve and drag him off.

Somehow the flight turns into a simple headlong race, both of us running simply for the joy of it, laughing and sprinting as we try to outdo one another.
Of course, with his long legs he manages to keep up with me despite my soccer training, and it's pretty much neck-and-neck all the way to the park gates. Just before we get there, though, he puts on a spurt, grabs my arm and swings me round. No sooner have I registered that the thing pressing into my back is a tree trunk when he leans forward and proceeds to kiss me so hard and so deeply that I see stars.
"Well," he murmurs when we've both got our breathing back under control, "what do we do when we get home?"
I grin at him. "I've already got an idea. TK's been outlawed as Prime Target, right?"
"Right..." he says tentatively.
"So we ought to be working on Ken instead, right?"
"With you so far."
"So," I poke him playfully, "why don't we just invite him round to, I don't know, watch a video or something, and then pump him for information?"
His eyes light up. "Perfect. I've got just the video."

He digs around for a few minutes when we get back to his house, and eventually comes up with a nondescript-looking video tape, which he chucks at me. I field it clumsily and look at the label.
"Minority Report? How on earth did you get this? It's not supposed to be out for weeks!"
He shrugs. "Friend of Dad's works in the films section of the local newspaper, and he got sent this as a preview tape."
I smile. "Fantastic."

We eventually manage to get everything ready - popcorn, crisps, various other snacks (hey, a guy has to eat, right?), and of course the video. Although Matt can't quite seem to work out why the VCR keeps spitting the tape back out at him...
"Kuso!"
I can't help chuckling at him as he forces it back in for the seventh time. This position gives me the perfect opportunity to check out his lovely backside - and it is indeed lovely. One of the best-looking parts of him, in fact...
I smile inwardly, at the same time surreptitiously pressing the 'eject' button on the remote control. I wonder how long it'll take him to realise?...
He swears again, loudly, then grabs the tape and shakes it vigorously. "I can't tell what's wrong with the damn thing!" He shoves it back into the VCR, while I sit back and admire the black-denim-clad view. Maybe once more would be pushing it?
Ah well. If it means I get to see more of his gorgeous bum... I stab the button once more, and obediently the cassette makes its eighth appearance.
However, this time he's more than a little suspicious. I think I went too far. He swings round, raking his hair angrily out of his eyes.
"Hey!"
I put on my best 'innocent' face. "What?"
He marches up to me and grabs the remote control. "It was you all along, wasn't it?"
I can't help myself - I have to laugh. It's the lovely angry look on his face that does it.
He glares, growls, then glomps me and proceeds to pummel me. "You git!"
"I had good reason!" I shout, trying to fend him off.
"Go on then," he challenges, and I blush.
"Um...I was checking out your arse."
For a second he looks like he doesn't know whether to be flattered or annoyed. Then he decides, and continues to batter me. We wrestle for a few delicious minutes, then he pulls away, panting.
I chuckle. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're really cute when you're angry?"
Without warning, he dives back onto me, grabs my face in both hands, and kisses me. I gasp as he plunders my mouth with his tongue, and then we both eep simultaneously as the doorbell rings. He pulls away, desperately patting his hair back into place, while I struggle to rebutton my shirt where his wandering hands had been doing something distinctly naughty.
We catch each other's eyes, and I laugh nervously. "Hey, it's only Ken, right? He already knows."
Matt grins equally apprehensively. "Right, right. I...guess I'm not used to this."
I leave him to fix his hair while I go over and open the door to a rather impatient-looking Ken. "Hey, Ken, come on in. How are you?"
"Fine thanks," he says quietly, regarding me from beneath his long, dark hair. "You weren't at the meet."
"The meet?" Belatedly, my brain remembers that we were meant to meet over at Izzy's today. About six hours ago. Kuso. "Oh yeah, the meet. Well, we..."
"Got lumbered with TK's chores while he got to go off and spend time with you lot," finishes Matt, with more than a touch of bitterness.
"I'll forgive you," Ken says, but despite the joke his voice is still quieter than usual, even for him. Hm. Maybe this whole thing with TK is more of a problem for him than we thought. Oh well, at least we have good news for him - the object of his affections definitely feels the same way. (We checked that earlier - all it took was a quick phone call from Matt, which raised no more than the faintest tinge of guilt at disobeying Mr Ishida. Those two would make far too cute a couple to pass up. Anyway, it turns out that TK has indeed liked Ken, in fact for over a year. He's just been too scared to do anything about it).

Matt sticks the video on and then we make ourselves comfortable on the sofa. Having got over our initial nerves, we snuggle up reasonably close - within easy kissing distance, should the fancy take us. Ken picks a seat not far away, but only perches on the edge of it, looking slightly uncomfortable.
The tape goes through the usual fifteen minutes of adverts on high speed (Matt never did have any patience), and we finally get to the good stuff. The special effects are stunning right from the word go, as well as the suspense - there's even an attempted (and quite graphic) murder in the first few minutes.
Then we settle down into good old plot, and Matt takes the opportunity to drop a few artless hints.
"So did TK make it to the meet today?"
Ken starts, and I can hear Matt chuckle almost noiselessly. Guilt. Strike one. "Uh...yeah, yeah, I think so. Why?" Paranoia. Strike two.
"Just wondering. Did he seem OK?"
"Of course. Why, shouldn't he be?" Defensiveness. Strike three. Two more, Kenny boy, and you're out.
"Well, he seemed a bit out of sorts this morning." Matt leans nearer, conspiratorially. "To tell you the truth, I think he's got a bit of a crush on someone."
"Re-really?" Ken goes pale pink - embarrassment. Strike four. One to go.
"Yeah," Matt continues, leaning back into the chair. "I wondered why he'd been going over to Kari's so often recently."
The look of naked jealously on Ken's face is more than enough to convince me that the fifth strike has been bowled and he's out for a duck. I can't take it any more - just the expression on his face makes me crack up. What's worse is that it's self-reinforcing - when I start to snigger softly, Matt starts to chuckle. I in turn giggle at him, and before we know what's happening we're both helpless with laughter.
Throughout it all, Ken just sits there stiffly, trying to retain what's left of his dignity. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, come on, Ken," Matt manages in between laughs, "it's so obvious that you have a major crush on my brother!"
The pale pink we saw before reappears, and is then quickly overtaken by a rush of bright red seconds before Ken turns his face away angrily.
Oops. I touch Matt's arm to tell him I'll take this part, then push off from the sofa and go and kneel down beside Ken. Wow. Never thought I'd be the one who ends up doing the diplomatic part.
"Ken...it's OK." OK, not exactly original, but it'll do.
He looks at me, tears already forming in the corners of his eyes. "Easy for you to say."
"No, it's not like that...what I meant was..." Stupid idiot. Maybe you'd better just tell him now and get it over with. "TK likes you too."
At that he turns away again. "Don't bother."
"It's true. He does, honest." Yes, I sound trite, but what else can I say?
"You're kidding." My heart lifts - thank god. There's a note of hope in his voice.
"No, no I'm not." I put my hand on his shoulder, pulling him gently around to face me. "TK likes you too."
He drops his head. "I can't think why."
I ignore that. "The next question is - what're you going to do about it?"
He shrugs. "Wait for him to do something? If he really does like me, that is."
"He does." Wake up, you thick-headed little sod! You've been mooning over each other for ages! "You just have to tell him."
"...OK."
"Is that OK as in 'I will' or OK as in 'I'm just saying that to get you off my back'?"
He smiles humourlessly at me. "Listen, you just found out I'm gay. Cut me some slack." He sighs. "All right. If it means that much to you, I'll tell him."
"No," Matt cuts in, and I have to stop myself from jumping - I'd almost forgotten he was there. "Don't do it just because we tell you to. Do it because you like him, and he likes you."
"Whatever."
I have to refrain from hitting him. "For gods' sake, Ken. Why won't you tell him?"
He gives me a calculating look. "Because I don't know if I can trust you."
Fair enough. I take Matt's hand. "All right. I swear, as I love Matt Ishida with all my heart, that TK Takaishi likes you."
Matt's mouth drops open and Ken smiles slightly. I'm going to get it for that one later. Ken shakes his head. "OK, OK. I believe you." He chuckles. "Shut your mouth, Matt. It's not a pretty sight. Yes, I...like TK, and yes, you've proven to me that he likes me back. So, tomorrow morning I'll catch him before school and tell him. If I'm brave enough."
I cover his hand with mine. "You will be. It takes a lot, but it's worth it. Right, Matt?"
My boyfriend squeezes my hand. "Right."
Unexpectedly, Ken leans forward and envelops both of us in a hesitant hug. "...Thanks. Both of you."
"That's OK. Really."

Matt...
Jesus, my subconscious remarks, you'd've thought you could spend a few hours without him. What are you, joined at the hip?
Shut up. It's our first night apart since the day I sang that song on the beach, and I miss him already. True, it's only been a couple of hours, but already I miss his lovely warm blue eyes, his soft hair - as well as all the little things he does. I miss his kisses and caresses, his quiet words, his subdued laughter when he does something I particularly like and I can't help but make that little purring noise he loves.
Oh, sod it. It's my life. So what if I sound like a love-struck teenager? I am a love-struck teenager!
I pick up the phone and quickly dial his number - his mobile number. After all, it's gone ten o'clock - I don't want to wake up the whole house.
He answers after a minute, sounding slightly sleepy but no less cheerful. "Hey."
"Hey yourself. Don't I even get a 'hi, darling'?"
"Why, hello, my little sweetiepie, my darling, precious little Tai," he teases, and I chuckle.
"All right. No need to be sarky. I just wanted to talk to you."
He sighs. "I know. I miss you already."
"I miss you too."
For a moment neither of us says anything - but it's a nice, companionable kind of silence. Much better than the silence when I'm alone in my room and he's so far away.
"I love you."
Silence again at his end - I don't think he was expecting that. Then his voice comes back, full of warmth and emotion and - is he crying?
"I love you too."
All of a sudden I feel all warm and happy. Just to know that he loves me means a lot.
I hear someone moving around outside, and I drop my voice to a whisper. "I think I might've woken someone up. I'd better go. See you tomorrow?"
"Sure, Tai-chan," he murmurs. "First day back at school for TK and Ken - makes you glad we get an inset day, ne? Maybe tomorrow you can come over and we'll wait for TK to come home and spill..."
"I'd like that. Night, Matt."
"Night, love."