Author's note: Official Taito. Wasn't that sweet? This part covers from late Friday evening, to early morning. The previous chapters covered from early Friday afternoon, when Takeru found Dai, till about...six at night.
Disclaimer: See previous
Warning: Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. Not really. The stereo's broken, remember? And Dai isn't an addict, and Takeru's a virgin, and will stay that way. Maybe /evil grin/.
____________________________
Author: Rae (penname)
Title: Weekend Rain
Content: Takedai, Taito, Yaoi.
"They're sweet, aren't they?" Daisuke watched the couple on the floor until Takeru shut the door. The blonde nodded, his lips curved in a small smile. They had looked so great together, even lying on carpeting in the dark.
"Yeah." He sighed the word as the redhead followed him into the living room. He sat down slowly, his eyes wistful. Daisuke looked at him in concern.
"Earth to TK, earth to TK." He waved a hand in front of his face, until blue eyes turned to him. "Welcome back. I thought we'd lost you for a moment. I don't remember you ever being this wistful when Kari and Cody started dating, or Ken and Yolei, for that matter."
Takeru looked away, his cheeks staining pink. "Yeah, well. It's my brother, you know?" He spoke defensively, refusing to look at his friend.
"Right." Daisuke said it slowly, meaning that he didn't believe that explanation at all. "And Kari's your best friend, and Cody's your Jogress partner. You still didn't sigh over them like you are now."
"That was two years ago, too. I'm a little more sentimental now, okay?" Blue eyes slanted his way. "Why are you trying to analyze this, suddenly?"
"Analyze what?" Daisuke asked with unfeigned confusion. Takeru sighed, letting the conversation slip into silence. The redhead sat beside him, trying to gauge his friends newest expression. He seemed lost in thought, his blue eyes focused on a spot on the wall, as if he had found the world's most interesting object, and couldn't stop staring at it. There was a softness, and a contemplative air about him, that caused Dai to wonder at the thoughs behind the look. "What are you thinking about?"
"Huh?" Startled blue eyes returned to him, again, the thoughtful azure fading into a confused smoky blue. "Sorry, Dai. My mind was wandering."
"I noticed." Dai grinned at him. A small smile answered, but the blonde looked pensive. "I was just going to ask you what you were thinking about."
He tilted his head, expectant and patient. Takeru smiled at the image, thinking back to all the times that Dai had forcibly wrung out most of his secrets. That had been years ago, before they seemed to go their seperate ways. "What do I get for my thoughts? A penny's not enough."
The grin widened at his gentle teasing, whether at his tone, or the joke itself, he wasn't certain. "Tell me your deepest, darkest secret, and I'll tell you mine."
What a prize. He thought that through for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration. With a smirk, he shook his head. "Nope. No deal."
"What?" Dai pretended outrage. "My thoughts are just as much deeper as your's T.P.!"
"Right." Their grins turned into mock-glares. Takeru opened his mouth for a blistering insult, then shut it quickly. "You do realize that we've been arguing like children for most of the day?"
Dai gave him a sheepish grin, and shrugged. "Yeah. You'd think we were still in Elementary school, the way we keep going around." They leaned back against the couch together, trying to think about what to do next. They couldn't very well keep going around in circles like playground rivals. The weekend would drag on forever.
"No video games."
"No television, no radio."
"No board games, 'cuz I'd have to turn on the light in my mom's room."
"No older kids to entertain us, or distract us." They sank deeper into the cushions, exhausting their minds trying to find said entertainment. The clock only read eight o'clock, and it was a Friday night.
"We've already been to the mall, and I don't really want to go back to catch a movie."
"Yeah, they might remember me from earlier, and lock the doors." They giggled at the memory of his department store speech. It was better in memory than they had thought at the time, but it was one they probably wouldn't share with the others. One of those inside jokes, where you stop lamely, and look around, saying 'you had to be there'.
"We could always break in." Takeru suggested lightly. Daisuke gasped in horror.
"The great Takaishi has fallen! Please, tell me that you're an evil clone, and angelic Takeru is hidden in the closet." Takeru laughed, slightly, his eyes clouding over. Daisuke didn't notice immediatly, too wrapped in mirth.
"Is that really how you think of me?" Takeru asked, looking away from his friend. Almost instantly, the laughter died, leaving the room in silence.
"How do you mean?" Dai was confused, to say the least. Talk about mood! He was on the verge of asking the blond if he was having his monthly, when he spoke again.
"As 'innocent, little TK, who does nothing wrong'?" That left the redhead speechless. He opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it again, not knowing what to say. In their earlier banter, Takeru might have accused him of imitating a fish, but there was no teasing remark to lighten the mood.
"Um. Takeru?" Daisuke paused, unable to come up with a way to respond. "Are you okay?"
The blonde stood up quickly, and spun to face him. "When you think of me, what do you think?" Dai digested the question in silence, brown eyes trying to discern the emotions floating across his friends face in quick succession. Worry, anger, sadness, loneliness, hurt, hope, fear. They blended together, warring with each other inside those blue eyes.
After a moment's hesitation, he decided on the full truth. "I haven't got a clue as to how to answer that, TK."
"Takeru." He said it in a jerky fashion, his emotions in tight restraint. A pale hand tapped against his leg in agitation, as if displeased by the answer given him. "We'll try word-association. Miyako."
"Love." He'd play that game.
"Hikari."
"Cody."
"Ken." He fairly snarled the name.
"Wormon."
"Tai."
"Soccer."
"You." More jerky tapping against denim-clad appendage.
"Confused." And he was. How was he supposed to respond, when his normally cheerful, always smiling friend was grilling him like a criminal.
"Me."
"Nuts!" He jumped up, unable to stand being looked down upon. "Chill out, Takeru! You're acting like I'm an enemy, and I'm not, dammit!"
The blonde jerked back, his eyes widening. Daisuke was regretting the force that he had put into his last sentence, fearing for the sudden stillness in the other. "I'm sorry." It was spoken quietly, matching the stunned look on his face.
"Man, are you okay?" He gently touched his shoulder, half expecting him to pull back.
"Yeah." He licked his lips, not quite meeting the brown gaze directed at him with such concern. "Dai, have you ever wanted to tell someone something, that you thought they should already know? Like, it's not a secret, and you haven't tried to hide it, but they just don't seem to get the message?"
"Uh...does Kari count?" The blue eyes flickered, their intensity moving even further away from Dai's face. "Why?"
With a shake of his head, Takeru stepped back, and offered him a little smile. "It's nothing. Just the holidays, you know?"
"Sure, Takeru." It was June. The closest holiday was an American holiday, and he knew that Takeru didn't celebrate the 4th of July. Letting the moment slip, he grinned, trying convey the message that if Takeru didn't want to talk about it, they wouldn't.
"Pickles." That single word broke moment.
"What!?" Brown eyes narrowed.
"What do you think of when you think of pickles?" Takeru smiled at him, waiting for his answer.
"Vomiting."
"Gross." Takeru thought about it for a moment, and then asked the obvious. "Why?"
"When I was little, my family and I went to a fair, the kind with the rides. On the way, my little cousin had eaten a whole jar of pickles. After his fifth time on one of the circular rides, he got of, and threw up on me and Jun."
"I repeat: gross." He shook his head, all traces of his earlier mood swing, gone. He was back to being Takeru, Mr. Hopeful. "I'm going to go get dressed for bed. I'll try to find something that will fit you."
"You mean, you don't want me in my birthday suit?" Takeru just laughed, thankful that his back was turned, and Dai couldn't see his blush. The redhead stayed in the living room, presumably to keep the couch warm. Once in his room, Takeru sat on the bed, and covered his face with his hands.
At that moment, he was half-convinced that fate hated him. He prayed silently for the night to end soon, so that his temptation would be removed. At the same time, he wanted a flood to block all roads leading out, so that he could keep said temptation close by.
"There has to be a god somewhere, laughing at me." He groaned, falling back on his bed.
"It's only me, but thanks for the praise." He lifted his head, smiling at Dai, posing in the doorway. "Do you like me better with my hair up, or down?" They laughed together at his nonsense
"I don't even want to know where that came from."
"Good, 'cuz I wasn't gonna tell'ya." A tan nosed pointed to the ceiling in an imitation of snobbery.
"I can see up your nose." That caused a case of giggles, both boys finding that utterly humorous. Daisuke waited for a little seriousness to return, before regarding his friend with a meditative air.
"You know, Takeru, that I'm not a very...wordy person. I leave that to Ken, and you, and the others." He swallowed before continuing, their gazes locked. "When I think of you, the first thing that pops into my mind is hope, quite frankly. I generally associate everybody by their crests."
He licked his lips, his gaze drifting to the floor. "If I had to describe you to someone, a person that didn't know you, the first thing that would tell them, would be, 'Takeru is the Gilligan-wannabe, with nothing going for him, but hope." Another pause. "But, that's not really how I see you. When I think of you, when I'm trying to be serious, or remembering the way things are, or trying to solve the questions the universe, I tend to bypass certain things."
The break that ensued seemed endless. "I see you as a...a friend. Obviously. You mentioned earlier, about us not hanging out alot, and you're right. But, I've always known, that if I needed a friend to talk to, or a problem I couldn't deal with, that you'd be there. So, I associate you with loyalty. Or, reliability. In truth, I could match you up to all the crest.
Your's, first. Hope, because you always believed that something good would come of everything we did. Even when you doubted, you believed. You doubted your doubts." He laughed. "That's not quite right. Anyways. Light. You are such an optimism, that you lighten people's spirits, and force the darkness out. Cliched: yes. Reliability's done. Knoweledge. You're an intelligent person, Takeru. I've heard you talk to Izzy, and Ken."
He leaned against the doorjamb, his gaze intent on something under the bed. (a/n:dust-bunnies.)
"Kindness. You're always the first to offer what you have, whether you can afford to be without it, or not. Sincerity. I've noticed, like tonight, that when you can't tell the truth, you won't say anything. You'd rather stay silent, than lie. That's hard." He stressed the last word.
"Friendship. You have so many friends, Takeru. Simply because you're a friend to everyone. You don't judge people, you don't turn them away. You accept everyone on their own merits, and that's hard to do."
He finally looked at Takeru, who had sat up on the bed. When he didn't go on, the blonde sighed impatiently. "You're missing two, Dai."
"I know."
__________________________
End note: I am an evil bitch. *grins* You didn't really think that that would be that easy, did you?
Disclaimer: See previous
Warning: Sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll. Not really. The stereo's broken, remember? And Dai isn't an addict, and Takeru's a virgin, and will stay that way. Maybe /evil grin/.
____________________________
Author: Rae (penname)
Title: Weekend Rain
Content: Takedai, Taito, Yaoi.
"They're sweet, aren't they?" Daisuke watched the couple on the floor until Takeru shut the door. The blonde nodded, his lips curved in a small smile. They had looked so great together, even lying on carpeting in the dark.
"Yeah." He sighed the word as the redhead followed him into the living room. He sat down slowly, his eyes wistful. Daisuke looked at him in concern.
"Earth to TK, earth to TK." He waved a hand in front of his face, until blue eyes turned to him. "Welcome back. I thought we'd lost you for a moment. I don't remember you ever being this wistful when Kari and Cody started dating, or Ken and Yolei, for that matter."
Takeru looked away, his cheeks staining pink. "Yeah, well. It's my brother, you know?" He spoke defensively, refusing to look at his friend.
"Right." Daisuke said it slowly, meaning that he didn't believe that explanation at all. "And Kari's your best friend, and Cody's your Jogress partner. You still didn't sigh over them like you are now."
"That was two years ago, too. I'm a little more sentimental now, okay?" Blue eyes slanted his way. "Why are you trying to analyze this, suddenly?"
"Analyze what?" Daisuke asked with unfeigned confusion. Takeru sighed, letting the conversation slip into silence. The redhead sat beside him, trying to gauge his friends newest expression. He seemed lost in thought, his blue eyes focused on a spot on the wall, as if he had found the world's most interesting object, and couldn't stop staring at it. There was a softness, and a contemplative air about him, that caused Dai to wonder at the thoughs behind the look. "What are you thinking about?"
"Huh?" Startled blue eyes returned to him, again, the thoughtful azure fading into a confused smoky blue. "Sorry, Dai. My mind was wandering."
"I noticed." Dai grinned at him. A small smile answered, but the blonde looked pensive. "I was just going to ask you what you were thinking about."
He tilted his head, expectant and patient. Takeru smiled at the image, thinking back to all the times that Dai had forcibly wrung out most of his secrets. That had been years ago, before they seemed to go their seperate ways. "What do I get for my thoughts? A penny's not enough."
The grin widened at his gentle teasing, whether at his tone, or the joke itself, he wasn't certain. "Tell me your deepest, darkest secret, and I'll tell you mine."
What a prize. He thought that through for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration. With a smirk, he shook his head. "Nope. No deal."
"What?" Dai pretended outrage. "My thoughts are just as much deeper as your's T.P.!"
"Right." Their grins turned into mock-glares. Takeru opened his mouth for a blistering insult, then shut it quickly. "You do realize that we've been arguing like children for most of the day?"
Dai gave him a sheepish grin, and shrugged. "Yeah. You'd think we were still in Elementary school, the way we keep going around." They leaned back against the couch together, trying to think about what to do next. They couldn't very well keep going around in circles like playground rivals. The weekend would drag on forever.
"No video games."
"No television, no radio."
"No board games, 'cuz I'd have to turn on the light in my mom's room."
"No older kids to entertain us, or distract us." They sank deeper into the cushions, exhausting their minds trying to find said entertainment. The clock only read eight o'clock, and it was a Friday night.
"We've already been to the mall, and I don't really want to go back to catch a movie."
"Yeah, they might remember me from earlier, and lock the doors." They giggled at the memory of his department store speech. It was better in memory than they had thought at the time, but it was one they probably wouldn't share with the others. One of those inside jokes, where you stop lamely, and look around, saying 'you had to be there'.
"We could always break in." Takeru suggested lightly. Daisuke gasped in horror.
"The great Takaishi has fallen! Please, tell me that you're an evil clone, and angelic Takeru is hidden in the closet." Takeru laughed, slightly, his eyes clouding over. Daisuke didn't notice immediatly, too wrapped in mirth.
"Is that really how you think of me?" Takeru asked, looking away from his friend. Almost instantly, the laughter died, leaving the room in silence.
"How do you mean?" Dai was confused, to say the least. Talk about mood! He was on the verge of asking the blond if he was having his monthly, when he spoke again.
"As 'innocent, little TK, who does nothing wrong'?" That left the redhead speechless. He opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it again, not knowing what to say. In their earlier banter, Takeru might have accused him of imitating a fish, but there was no teasing remark to lighten the mood.
"Um. Takeru?" Daisuke paused, unable to come up with a way to respond. "Are you okay?"
The blonde stood up quickly, and spun to face him. "When you think of me, what do you think?" Dai digested the question in silence, brown eyes trying to discern the emotions floating across his friends face in quick succession. Worry, anger, sadness, loneliness, hurt, hope, fear. They blended together, warring with each other inside those blue eyes.
After a moment's hesitation, he decided on the full truth. "I haven't got a clue as to how to answer that, TK."
"Takeru." He said it in a jerky fashion, his emotions in tight restraint. A pale hand tapped against his leg in agitation, as if displeased by the answer given him. "We'll try word-association. Miyako."
"Love." He'd play that game.
"Hikari."
"Cody."
"Ken." He fairly snarled the name.
"Wormon."
"Tai."
"Soccer."
"You." More jerky tapping against denim-clad appendage.
"Confused." And he was. How was he supposed to respond, when his normally cheerful, always smiling friend was grilling him like a criminal.
"Me."
"Nuts!" He jumped up, unable to stand being looked down upon. "Chill out, Takeru! You're acting like I'm an enemy, and I'm not, dammit!"
The blonde jerked back, his eyes widening. Daisuke was regretting the force that he had put into his last sentence, fearing for the sudden stillness in the other. "I'm sorry." It was spoken quietly, matching the stunned look on his face.
"Man, are you okay?" He gently touched his shoulder, half expecting him to pull back.
"Yeah." He licked his lips, not quite meeting the brown gaze directed at him with such concern. "Dai, have you ever wanted to tell someone something, that you thought they should already know? Like, it's not a secret, and you haven't tried to hide it, but they just don't seem to get the message?"
"Uh...does Kari count?" The blue eyes flickered, their intensity moving even further away from Dai's face. "Why?"
With a shake of his head, Takeru stepped back, and offered him a little smile. "It's nothing. Just the holidays, you know?"
"Sure, Takeru." It was June. The closest holiday was an American holiday, and he knew that Takeru didn't celebrate the 4th of July. Letting the moment slip, he grinned, trying convey the message that if Takeru didn't want to talk about it, they wouldn't.
"Pickles." That single word broke moment.
"What!?" Brown eyes narrowed.
"What do you think of when you think of pickles?" Takeru smiled at him, waiting for his answer.
"Vomiting."
"Gross." Takeru thought about it for a moment, and then asked the obvious. "Why?"
"When I was little, my family and I went to a fair, the kind with the rides. On the way, my little cousin had eaten a whole jar of pickles. After his fifth time on one of the circular rides, he got of, and threw up on me and Jun."
"I repeat: gross." He shook his head, all traces of his earlier mood swing, gone. He was back to being Takeru, Mr. Hopeful. "I'm going to go get dressed for bed. I'll try to find something that will fit you."
"You mean, you don't want me in my birthday suit?" Takeru just laughed, thankful that his back was turned, and Dai couldn't see his blush. The redhead stayed in the living room, presumably to keep the couch warm. Once in his room, Takeru sat on the bed, and covered his face with his hands.
At that moment, he was half-convinced that fate hated him. He prayed silently for the night to end soon, so that his temptation would be removed. At the same time, he wanted a flood to block all roads leading out, so that he could keep said temptation close by.
"There has to be a god somewhere, laughing at me." He groaned, falling back on his bed.
"It's only me, but thanks for the praise." He lifted his head, smiling at Dai, posing in the doorway. "Do you like me better with my hair up, or down?" They laughed together at his nonsense
"I don't even want to know where that came from."
"Good, 'cuz I wasn't gonna tell'ya." A tan nosed pointed to the ceiling in an imitation of snobbery.
"I can see up your nose." That caused a case of giggles, both boys finding that utterly humorous. Daisuke waited for a little seriousness to return, before regarding his friend with a meditative air.
"You know, Takeru, that I'm not a very...wordy person. I leave that to Ken, and you, and the others." He swallowed before continuing, their gazes locked. "When I think of you, the first thing that pops into my mind is hope, quite frankly. I generally associate everybody by their crests."
He licked his lips, his gaze drifting to the floor. "If I had to describe you to someone, a person that didn't know you, the first thing that would tell them, would be, 'Takeru is the Gilligan-wannabe, with nothing going for him, but hope." Another pause. "But, that's not really how I see you. When I think of you, when I'm trying to be serious, or remembering the way things are, or trying to solve the questions the universe, I tend to bypass certain things."
The break that ensued seemed endless. "I see you as a...a friend. Obviously. You mentioned earlier, about us not hanging out alot, and you're right. But, I've always known, that if I needed a friend to talk to, or a problem I couldn't deal with, that you'd be there. So, I associate you with loyalty. Or, reliability. In truth, I could match you up to all the crest.
Your's, first. Hope, because you always believed that something good would come of everything we did. Even when you doubted, you believed. You doubted your doubts." He laughed. "That's not quite right. Anyways. Light. You are such an optimism, that you lighten people's spirits, and force the darkness out. Cliched: yes. Reliability's done. Knoweledge. You're an intelligent person, Takeru. I've heard you talk to Izzy, and Ken."
He leaned against the doorjamb, his gaze intent on something under the bed. (a/n:dust-bunnies.)
"Kindness. You're always the first to offer what you have, whether you can afford to be without it, or not. Sincerity. I've noticed, like tonight, that when you can't tell the truth, you won't say anything. You'd rather stay silent, than lie. That's hard." He stressed the last word.
"Friendship. You have so many friends, Takeru. Simply because you're a friend to everyone. You don't judge people, you don't turn them away. You accept everyone on their own merits, and that's hard to do."
He finally looked at Takeru, who had sat up on the bed. When he didn't go on, the blonde sighed impatiently. "You're missing two, Dai."
"I know."
__________________________
End note: I am an evil bitch. *grins* You didn't really think that that would be that easy, did you?