Author's note: I'm such a whiner. Please enjoy this. I also happen to turn into a little...pervert? I am queen of innuendos!
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"Maybe we should make more tea?" The blonde nodded, and walked to the stove. He put more water on, lost in thought. Somebody banged on the door. Dai answered it, being closer.
Once opened, the door was pushed against the wall by a very wet, and very agitated Ishida Yamato. "Where's Takeru?"
"Kitchen." Matt didn't bother to respond as he pushed past him and ran into the back bedroom. The door slammed shut behind him.
"Where's...Matt?" Tai slumped against the door, trying desperately to catch his breath. He had run three miles in fifteen minutes (a/n: That may not seem like much, but the fastest mile that I've ever heard of was four minutes. To run three miles in fifteen minutes means that the runner has to have a lot of stamina, and motivation) to intercept his friend.
"Bedroom" Tai straightened and nodded. He marched to the door, and twisted the knob. It was locked. Daisuke raised his eyebrows, and glanced at Takeru, whose head was poking into the hallway with interest. The other boy shrugged and ducked back into the kitchen.
"Matt!" The older brunette pounded on the door. He still sounded out of breath. "Open the door!" The only reply was silence. "Open it, or I'll go through it!"
"Um, Tai?" Daisuke asked quietly. "Why don't you calm down, and ask a little nicer?" An odd thought, from the source of the advice, but Tai didn't seem to notice. His idol nodded, and took a deep breath, releasing it in a yawn.
"I didn't get a lot of sleep." He looked at the other boy with chagrin. With another breath, he faced the door. "Matt." He started quietly. "OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" He grinned over his shoulder at Dai, who rolled his eyes. He wasn't the calm type.
"Burn in HELL, Yagami!" Came the muffled reply. Tai hit the door again.
"Tai! If you break that door, my mother will kill you." Takeru stood in the hallway, his arms crossed. Tai glanced at him, and sighed again. "Into the living room." They shuffled past Daisuke, who was watching the whole exchange with amusement. "Will you try talking to Yama? I'll handle Tai."
"Sure." He squared his shoulders and approached the door. He knocked gently. "Matt? Tai's in the other room, Takeru's with him. Can I come in, please?" He sounded calm and reasonable, even to himself.
The door opened silently, and he slipped in, glancing back to make sure that an angry Tai wasn't going to run him over in his haste to get in the room. The hall was empty. He shut the door gently behind him, and leaned back against it.
"Hello, Matt." He spoke quietly, a vast difference from Tai's yelling.
"Davis." The younger teen could hear the musician sniffling, and he could see the tearstains on his cheeks. The only light was from a small lamp on the side table, and it cast more shadows than anything.
"Please, call me Daisuke." He sat next to him on the bed, and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He mumbled something beneath his breath, as his shoulders began to shake from his sobbing.
"What?" Daisuke rubbed his back gently. "I didn't hear that, Matt."
"He -kissed- her!" He pushed off the bed and paced the floor beside the bed. "I saw them in the park. They were talking, and I happened to look down, and when I looked back, she had her arms around his neck, and they were kissing!"
Daisuke was taken aback. For as long as he had known Tai, he would never have thought that he would take advantage of Sora. He doubted it still. "Where were his hands?" Matt looked at him blankly. "Were they around her, or hanging at his sides? If he was kissing her, his arms would have been around her, or gripping her waist. If she was kissing him, and caught him by surprise, then his hands would have been on her arms or shoulders."
"Um...I think that they were on her...shoulders." He said it slowly, pausing in the middle of the floor to remember.
In the living room, Takeru and Tai were sitting on the couch in silence. Finally, Tai sighed, and looked at the younger boy. "I'm pretty sure that the curiosity is killing you right now."
Takeru laughed, and smiled. "Just a little. Matt calls, and then you. And then your both running through the apartment and cussing at each other. That's kind of odd, even for the two of you."
"Sora asked me to meet her in the park, so I did. We've been friends forever, so it wasn't anything unusual. I get there, and she starts crying, telling me how Matt's ignoring her, and doesn't have time for her anymore. A second later, she's telling me she loves me, and trying to jam her tongue down my throat."
Takeru shook his head, his face relaying his disgust. He liked Sora as a friend, but he had never thought that she was good for his brother. "What happened after that?"
"Then I managed to push her away, and I turned around, and there's Matt, running away." Tai slumped back against the couch. "I started to go after him, but Sora wouldn't let go. She gave me a sob story of how she wanted it over between them, but couldn't figure out how to tell him. I listened, called her a 'selfish, overbearing bitch', and left her in the rain."
"Ouch." Takeru pushed his hat back on his head a little farther, and then pulled the brim down again. "I don't think that she'll be running to you for advice anytime soon."
"I don't think so, either. Now, I just have to figure out how to tell Matt that I'm sorry, and it's not my fault. I don't want to lose him over her." He growled in frustration, and slouched farther into the cushions. "I don't know what I'd do without him."
The young blonde looked at him for a moment, thinking something through in his head. With sudden insight, he looked at Tai. "Why haven't you told him that you're in love with him?"
"Because he's been with Sora, duh." Tai rolled his eyes at him, then blinked. "How did you know?" He didn't bother denying it, not after his slipup.
"When you think about it, you haven't exactly taken great pains to hide it. If somebody wanted to look, the clues are all there. I'm surprised that he hasn't figured it out."
"Figured what out?" Dai sat on the arm of the couch, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so.
"Nothing. So?" Taker stood up, and waved his hand in the general direction of Matt.
"He's upset, which is self-evident. But he's thinking, which is good for Tai. He's not quite ready to face you, yet, but give him a bit." Dai slid down next to his older counterpart, grinning as he did so. "Who's the man? With a few well-spoken words, this genius has managed to save both your life, and your friendship." The other two just looked at him.
"Uh, thanks?" Tai just shook his head. "How long should I wait before I go talk to him?"
"How about...now?" Matt looked at them from the hallway. He walked slowly to a chair, and sat down. With a sigh, he met Tai's brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Taichi. I should have had more faith in you, and I shouldn't have run away."
"That's cool, Yama. I'm sorry about today. I wish I could lie, so that everything could be good between you and Sora, but I'm not gonna do that to our friendship. She kissed me. I wasn't expecting it, and I didn't push her away fast enough. I'm sorry."
"If you apologize anymore, Taichi, I'm going to take your temperature." Matt smiled at his lame attempt at lightening the mood. That was normally Tai's job. Takeru took over.
"I think that Mom would object if she were here, since the only thermometer we have is rectal." Three pairs of eyes swung to him, and he smiled blandly at them all. With a shrug, he winked at his brother. "I think you two should take this conversation into another room."
Tai was the first to laugh. "Let's go, Yamato." Matt looked at him for a moment, trying to decide the least embarrassing course of action. Tai didn't give him a chance to think, just grabbed his hand, and pulled him into the back of the apartment with him. "No gutter-thoughts, T.K. We're just talking, so you can keep the thermometer."
Takeru and Tai grinned at each other secretly, a glance that was caught only by Daisuke, since Matt was being dragged away. The older teens disappeared, leaving Takeru once again alone with Daisuke. The blonde was beginning to like that phrase.
Alone with Daisuke. Oh, yeah. He didn't notice the silly grin on his face until Dai pulled the hat off his head, hit him with it, and then dropped it back over his mussed hair. He mock glared at the auburn-haired boy, his blue eyes sparkling.
"What was that for, goggles?" He framed it as half insult, half inquiry.
"You were staring, Gilligan. Didn't your mother ever tell you that that isn't polite?" They were at opposite ends of the couch, grinning like idiots, oblivious to the fact that they were acting like idiots.
"Are you going to teach me manners, Mr. Burping-is-a-sign-of-appreciation? Or will I be taught a lesson from the Master of the Musical Armpit? (a/n: I can see Dai doing that) Or, better yet, will the man who trained Veemon cheesy pickup lines please stand-up."
Daisuke glared at him, unable to come up with a suitable reply. Finally, in a huff from his lack of originality, he stuck his tongue out at Takeru. "My pickup lines weren't that bad."
The blonde laughed, watching as the other teen lookd away. "Really? How about, 'Hey, Gatomon, if the cat's got your tongue, you can use mine'?" Dai blushed, and Takeru laughed harder. "Or, my favorite, 'When the tough get going, why don't you and I stay here, and get naked'?"
The brunette sighed, and looked at Takeru with feigned patience. "Are you going to sit around all night, insulting me, Gilligan, or are we going to find something to do?" The question was innocent enough, but Takeru felt the effect in parts of his body that made him uncomfortable. He could think of some things that would pass the time.
He jumped up, and practically ran to the kitchen, leaving a stunned Daisuke on his couch.
"How about a game of cards, Dai?" He rummaged through a drawer, looking desperately for ideas, ignoring the amount of blood that had vacated his cheeks for...other places.
"Sure. What ya got?" He nearly collided with the shorter teen, having failed to see him enter the room in his anxiety attack. "I can play poker, euchre, rummy, pinochle, canasta, bridge, and old maid. As well as speed, war, and solitaire."
Takeru looked at him, impressed despite himself, at Dai's seeming list of card-playing accomplishments. "Uh, how about..." He trailed off, not able to remember what games that he knew.
"Egyptian Rat-Screw!" He turned to Tai in the doorway. Matt was sitting back in the living room, in his earlier chair. "I know that you both know how to play that!" They agreed, and followed him back into the living room when he grabbed the cards from Takeru, and ran off to join Matt.
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End note: Egyptian Rat Screw is a game that some friends taught me. Basically, you slap at a pile of cards and try to be fastest. It's fun, and kind if interesting. If anyone wants the rules, email me: raegan_1@hotmail.com. Just think of it as a type of screwed up Slap-Jack.
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"Maybe we should make more tea?" The blonde nodded, and walked to the stove. He put more water on, lost in thought. Somebody banged on the door. Dai answered it, being closer.
Once opened, the door was pushed against the wall by a very wet, and very agitated Ishida Yamato. "Where's Takeru?"
"Kitchen." Matt didn't bother to respond as he pushed past him and ran into the back bedroom. The door slammed shut behind him.
"Where's...Matt?" Tai slumped against the door, trying desperately to catch his breath. He had run three miles in fifteen minutes (a/n: That may not seem like much, but the fastest mile that I've ever heard of was four minutes. To run three miles in fifteen minutes means that the runner has to have a lot of stamina, and motivation) to intercept his friend.
"Bedroom" Tai straightened and nodded. He marched to the door, and twisted the knob. It was locked. Daisuke raised his eyebrows, and glanced at Takeru, whose head was poking into the hallway with interest. The other boy shrugged and ducked back into the kitchen.
"Matt!" The older brunette pounded on the door. He still sounded out of breath. "Open the door!" The only reply was silence. "Open it, or I'll go through it!"
"Um, Tai?" Daisuke asked quietly. "Why don't you calm down, and ask a little nicer?" An odd thought, from the source of the advice, but Tai didn't seem to notice. His idol nodded, and took a deep breath, releasing it in a yawn.
"I didn't get a lot of sleep." He looked at the other boy with chagrin. With another breath, he faced the door. "Matt." He started quietly. "OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" He grinned over his shoulder at Dai, who rolled his eyes. He wasn't the calm type.
"Burn in HELL, Yagami!" Came the muffled reply. Tai hit the door again.
"Tai! If you break that door, my mother will kill you." Takeru stood in the hallway, his arms crossed. Tai glanced at him, and sighed again. "Into the living room." They shuffled past Daisuke, who was watching the whole exchange with amusement. "Will you try talking to Yama? I'll handle Tai."
"Sure." He squared his shoulders and approached the door. He knocked gently. "Matt? Tai's in the other room, Takeru's with him. Can I come in, please?" He sounded calm and reasonable, even to himself.
The door opened silently, and he slipped in, glancing back to make sure that an angry Tai wasn't going to run him over in his haste to get in the room. The hall was empty. He shut the door gently behind him, and leaned back against it.
"Hello, Matt." He spoke quietly, a vast difference from Tai's yelling.
"Davis." The younger teen could hear the musician sniffling, and he could see the tearstains on his cheeks. The only light was from a small lamp on the side table, and it cast more shadows than anything.
"Please, call me Daisuke." He sat next to him on the bed, and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He mumbled something beneath his breath, as his shoulders began to shake from his sobbing.
"What?" Daisuke rubbed his back gently. "I didn't hear that, Matt."
"He -kissed- her!" He pushed off the bed and paced the floor beside the bed. "I saw them in the park. They were talking, and I happened to look down, and when I looked back, she had her arms around his neck, and they were kissing!"
Daisuke was taken aback. For as long as he had known Tai, he would never have thought that he would take advantage of Sora. He doubted it still. "Where were his hands?" Matt looked at him blankly. "Were they around her, or hanging at his sides? If he was kissing her, his arms would have been around her, or gripping her waist. If she was kissing him, and caught him by surprise, then his hands would have been on her arms or shoulders."
"Um...I think that they were on her...shoulders." He said it slowly, pausing in the middle of the floor to remember.
In the living room, Takeru and Tai were sitting on the couch in silence. Finally, Tai sighed, and looked at the younger boy. "I'm pretty sure that the curiosity is killing you right now."
Takeru laughed, and smiled. "Just a little. Matt calls, and then you. And then your both running through the apartment and cussing at each other. That's kind of odd, even for the two of you."
"Sora asked me to meet her in the park, so I did. We've been friends forever, so it wasn't anything unusual. I get there, and she starts crying, telling me how Matt's ignoring her, and doesn't have time for her anymore. A second later, she's telling me she loves me, and trying to jam her tongue down my throat."
Takeru shook his head, his face relaying his disgust. He liked Sora as a friend, but he had never thought that she was good for his brother. "What happened after that?"
"Then I managed to push her away, and I turned around, and there's Matt, running away." Tai slumped back against the couch. "I started to go after him, but Sora wouldn't let go. She gave me a sob story of how she wanted it over between them, but couldn't figure out how to tell him. I listened, called her a 'selfish, overbearing bitch', and left her in the rain."
"Ouch." Takeru pushed his hat back on his head a little farther, and then pulled the brim down again. "I don't think that she'll be running to you for advice anytime soon."
"I don't think so, either. Now, I just have to figure out how to tell Matt that I'm sorry, and it's not my fault. I don't want to lose him over her." He growled in frustration, and slouched farther into the cushions. "I don't know what I'd do without him."
The young blonde looked at him for a moment, thinking something through in his head. With sudden insight, he looked at Tai. "Why haven't you told him that you're in love with him?"
"Because he's been with Sora, duh." Tai rolled his eyes at him, then blinked. "How did you know?" He didn't bother denying it, not after his slipup.
"When you think about it, you haven't exactly taken great pains to hide it. If somebody wanted to look, the clues are all there. I'm surprised that he hasn't figured it out."
"Figured what out?" Dai sat on the arm of the couch, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so.
"Nothing. So?" Taker stood up, and waved his hand in the general direction of Matt.
"He's upset, which is self-evident. But he's thinking, which is good for Tai. He's not quite ready to face you, yet, but give him a bit." Dai slid down next to his older counterpart, grinning as he did so. "Who's the man? With a few well-spoken words, this genius has managed to save both your life, and your friendship." The other two just looked at him.
"Uh, thanks?" Tai just shook his head. "How long should I wait before I go talk to him?"
"How about...now?" Matt looked at them from the hallway. He walked slowly to a chair, and sat down. With a sigh, he met Tai's brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Taichi. I should have had more faith in you, and I shouldn't have run away."
"That's cool, Yama. I'm sorry about today. I wish I could lie, so that everything could be good between you and Sora, but I'm not gonna do that to our friendship. She kissed me. I wasn't expecting it, and I didn't push her away fast enough. I'm sorry."
"If you apologize anymore, Taichi, I'm going to take your temperature." Matt smiled at his lame attempt at lightening the mood. That was normally Tai's job. Takeru took over.
"I think that Mom would object if she were here, since the only thermometer we have is rectal." Three pairs of eyes swung to him, and he smiled blandly at them all. With a shrug, he winked at his brother. "I think you two should take this conversation into another room."
Tai was the first to laugh. "Let's go, Yamato." Matt looked at him for a moment, trying to decide the least embarrassing course of action. Tai didn't give him a chance to think, just grabbed his hand, and pulled him into the back of the apartment with him. "No gutter-thoughts, T.K. We're just talking, so you can keep the thermometer."
Takeru and Tai grinned at each other secretly, a glance that was caught only by Daisuke, since Matt was being dragged away. The older teens disappeared, leaving Takeru once again alone with Daisuke. The blonde was beginning to like that phrase.
Alone with Daisuke. Oh, yeah. He didn't notice the silly grin on his face until Dai pulled the hat off his head, hit him with it, and then dropped it back over his mussed hair. He mock glared at the auburn-haired boy, his blue eyes sparkling.
"What was that for, goggles?" He framed it as half insult, half inquiry.
"You were staring, Gilligan. Didn't your mother ever tell you that that isn't polite?" They were at opposite ends of the couch, grinning like idiots, oblivious to the fact that they were acting like idiots.
"Are you going to teach me manners, Mr. Burping-is-a-sign-of-appreciation? Or will I be taught a lesson from the Master of the Musical Armpit? (a/n: I can see Dai doing that) Or, better yet, will the man who trained Veemon cheesy pickup lines please stand-up."
Daisuke glared at him, unable to come up with a suitable reply. Finally, in a huff from his lack of originality, he stuck his tongue out at Takeru. "My pickup lines weren't that bad."
The blonde laughed, watching as the other teen lookd away. "Really? How about, 'Hey, Gatomon, if the cat's got your tongue, you can use mine'?" Dai blushed, and Takeru laughed harder. "Or, my favorite, 'When the tough get going, why don't you and I stay here, and get naked'?"
The brunette sighed, and looked at Takeru with feigned patience. "Are you going to sit around all night, insulting me, Gilligan, or are we going to find something to do?" The question was innocent enough, but Takeru felt the effect in parts of his body that made him uncomfortable. He could think of some things that would pass the time.
He jumped up, and practically ran to the kitchen, leaving a stunned Daisuke on his couch.
"How about a game of cards, Dai?" He rummaged through a drawer, looking desperately for ideas, ignoring the amount of blood that had vacated his cheeks for...other places.
"Sure. What ya got?" He nearly collided with the shorter teen, having failed to see him enter the room in his anxiety attack. "I can play poker, euchre, rummy, pinochle, canasta, bridge, and old maid. As well as speed, war, and solitaire."
Takeru looked at him, impressed despite himself, at Dai's seeming list of card-playing accomplishments. "Uh, how about..." He trailed off, not able to remember what games that he knew.
"Egyptian Rat-Screw!" He turned to Tai in the doorway. Matt was sitting back in the living room, in his earlier chair. "I know that you both know how to play that!" They agreed, and followed him back into the living room when he grabbed the cards from Takeru, and ran off to join Matt.
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End note: Egyptian Rat Screw is a game that some friends taught me. Basically, you slap at a pile of cards and try to be fastest. It's fun, and kind if interesting. If anyone wants the rules, email me: raegan_1@hotmail.com. Just think of it as a type of screwed up Slap-Jack.