Sharing the same bed
"Wake up, sleepy-head." Tai leaned over, waiting patiently for brown eyes to blink up at him. They were both covered beneath the sheets, and he could only assume that Davis had done that at some point in the night. The younger teen had his arms around him, holding him loosely, lovingly. Tai leaned down, and brushed his lips against his cheek. "Come on, love, wake up."
He sighed when there was no response, and rolled over, being careful of the hand beneath his back. The night had passed quickly, leaving him only slightly rested. He had thought about going back to sleep, but the sun streaming through his window seemed to suggest that he get up. He rolled into a sitting position, deciding to leave Davis in bed. The redhead deserved his slumber after having his mother try to kill herself. As quietly as possible, Tai moved to the edge of the bed and climbed down.
Instead of heading straight to the kitchen to find breakfast, as he normally would, he stopped at the edge of the bed. With a gentle hand, he touched the other teen's cheek, smiling when he turned his head in response. "Sleep well, hon."
The kitchen was empty, and the clock on the microwave read a little past six in the morning. He groaned, leaning against the counter when her realized that it would be at least another hour before anyone else was up. He'd actually have to cook food, since his sister wasn't around to cook for him. He searched through the cupboards, leaving the doors open as he moved around the kitchen. He pulled boxes of cereal onto the counter, placing them so that he could stand back and read the fronts.
"'Corn flakes'. Nope. 'Frosted wheat puffs'. Not in this lifetime. 'Wheat germ flakes'. Gag me. 'Raisin and oatmeal puffs'. Ugh. We have stop mom from doing the shopping. Let's see. Wheat, wheat germ, oatmeal, oat bran, grain puffs." He stepped away from the boxes, and began to sift through the bottom cupboards. After finding multiple cans of spinach and broccoli, he gave up, sitting on the floor in defeat. "I'm going to starve. It's not fair."
"Quit whining, Tai." He looked up at Jun and smiled hopefully. "Yes, I'll make you breakfast. Wake up my brother, and I'll start cooking. There has to be something in this house that's edible."
"Don't count on it. My socks are more edible than the food my mother cooks." She smiled as he left the room, and then turned to clean up the mess he left behind. She was quiet for several minutes, working her way through boxes of food. She had set a pan on the stove in preparation of cooking when she heard soft footsteps in the hall.
"I like to cook. I used to make breakfast for Davis and I, before our mother woke up. He'd do the dishes before they got up, and she wouldn't know. It worked that way, so he could leave without having to listen to her complain about the mess he made, or the food he ate."
"She wasn't very nice to either one of you, was she?" Kari sat down at the table, leaning her elbows on the surface. "But you both loved her, and didn't complain, didn't fight back."
"It's hard." Jun pulled eggs out of the refrigerator. "She was our mother. We were raised to be quiet, and listen to everything she said. No argument, no discussion. What mother said went." She cracked the shell, and poured the egg into the pan. "Davis was always really good at twisting her words, and listening to exactly what he wanted to hear. He never really disobeyed her, but he liked to take liberties with her rules."
"Is that why it seems like she was more harsh to him?" Kari asked quietly.
"Yeah. I was the good daughter. I liked the guy that everyone said I should. I dressed in the clothes she picked out. I read and watched what she said I should. I did my chores, and obeyed the rules, and never caused trouble. So, I became the good child, and Davis was the bad one. They were mean to him, constantly degrading him, knocking him down a few notches."
"I never realized that he had it so bad. He always seemed so cocky." Kari stood up, and pulled a spatula out of a drawer.
"Yeah. That's Davis. He doesn't let things keep him down for long. I used to think that nothing would affect him, and then he started to like guys, and it seemed to trigger something in him. He tried harder in school, concentrated more on his sports and what he said. He's still a bundle of energy, but he's managed to put it to work for him, not against him."
"When did he tell you that he liked guys?" Jun took the spatula, and scrambled the eggs. "I'm assuming that you knew before the dare that he liked Tai."
"Of course. We were at a concert, and I was drooling over Matt, as usual." She spoke simply, with a quiet humor underriding her voice. "I happened to make a comment about how hot he was, and Davis grinned and agreed."
"Oops." Kari laughed. "I can picture it. He had that dreamy expression on his face, as if his mind is lost someplace in the world."
"Exactly, except that I was staring at Matt, and he was staring at a certain brunette that was talking with him. He's liked Tai for quite a while. I think it started when he got over his crush on you, actually. Isn't that about the time that they met?"
Kari nodded, moving to the fridge. "I think so. But that's also the time that he started stalking me, too. Denial?"
"Probably. With Davis, there are times that it's hard to tell."
"Hey, quit knocking Sleeping Beauty." Tai sauntered back in, holding onto the hand of a half-asleep redhead. Davis simply blinked at both females before slumping into a chair, and resting his head on the table.
"It's too early for this crap."
"What crap?" Jun walked over and ruffled his hair. "I'm cooking breakfast, squirt. Wake up, or I'll let Tai eat your half."
"You wouldn't dare." He looked up, brother glaring at sister. She smiled. "You would." He shook his head, scratched it, and then straightened up. "See, I'm awake."
"Glad to see that you've all gathered at the watering hole." Four pair of eyes blinked in confusion at Mr. Kamiya. "You're all here to eat. Present and accounted for, as it were. Never mind."
Kari sighed. "He's been watching all those old American movies. Western and war movies, with lame and clichéd dialogue."
"You're just jealous because he didn't wait to watch them with you." Tai grinned, settling into the chair beside Davis. He leaned forward. "How are you doing?"
Davis regarded him for a moment, and then shrugged. With a quick glance at Kari, he leaned over, and whispered in Tai's ear. "I have a complaint, though. For some odd reason, I woke up alone, with half the covers gone."
Tai laughed, and then kissed his cheek. "Sorry. I'm not used to sharing my bed."
Jun laughed, Kari's eyes widened, and Mrs. Kamiya could be seen in the doorway with an amused expression on her face. "I'm not even going to ask."
Twenty questions
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Tai ran his hand softly through Davis' hair. They had moved into the living room after lunch, and were currently lounging on the couch, Tai leaning against the side, and Davis half lying in his lap, his head against Tai's chest. "What would my baby like to do?"
"Your baby wants to sleep, but it's a little too early in the day for a nap." Mrs. Kamiya was cleaning the apartment, an activity that kept her moving from one end of the apartment to the other. Jun and Kari had left for Yolei's place, in the hopes of finding Jun's best friend. So far, they hadn't been able to reach her by telephone. "Why don't you boys go out some place today? Find a park and stroll through it, or go play soccer. Maybe you could visit Ken."
Davis turned and tilted his head so that he could look up at Tai. "I think she wants us out of the apartment." He smiled slightly, his teeth flashing in his tan face. "I think we should run while we have a chance. Otherwise, she might try to put us to work."
"Now that you mention it..." She eyed them speculatively. The brunette shifted on the couch, and Davis sat up.
"We're going to the park. We'll be back in a couple of hours." He pulled the redhead to his feet, and they gathered up their shoes, put them on, and left.
"Glad to see that you're both rejoining the world." She smiled, and then moved on to the next chore. Tai and Davis moved slowly down the hall, then the stairs, and then through the lobby. Davis had his arm wrapped around Tai's waist, and Tai held him securely around the shoulders. A little old lady in the lobby gave them an odd look as they passed by; they both ignored her.
"So, what are we doing?" Tai glanced up and down the street, and started them in the general direction of the park.
Davis shrugged. "I don't know. What do you want to do?"
"I don't really care. Whatever you want to do is fine with me."
"I'm fine with that."
"So? What are we doing?"
"Whatever you want to do, of course."
"Sure. What is that, again?"
"You know, that thing."
"Oh, right."
"Sounds good."
"Sure." Tai chuckled, hugging the redhead closer to his side. "Remember the time we did that at the amusement park?"
"And Kari and the others all stomped off, and left us?"
"Don't forget about Matt."
"Hey, I didn't think it was funny that he threw a pie in my face, and not yours."
"Well, he was my best friend. You can't expect him to side with the person I'm arguing with, can you?"
"No, but that's beside the point. I'm just glad that Ken was there."
"Why? He didn't do anything."
"Exactly. He didn't laugh at me, either, which is what the rest of you did."
"Sorry." Tai frowned, thinking about something. Brown eyes looked up, and regarded him gently.
"Don't be. It was actually pretty funny." They stopped in their tracks, and Davis reached a hand up to touch Tai's cheek. "Smile."
Tai did, leaning down to kiss his boyfriend. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"You know."
"No, I don't."
"For that?"
"What's that?"
"Think about it."
"I am thinking, and I'm still confused."
"That's because you think too much."
"No, I don't."
"Of course not. And Matt's hair isn't a sign of fascist rule, either."
"What?"
"Never mind."
"What did you say about Matt's hair?" Tai wasn't outraged, just confused.
"Nothing."
"Yes, you did."
"Fine, I did. But I'm not repeating it." Davis grinned and started them walking again.
"Why not?"
"Why not what?"
"Why won't you repeat what you said about his hair?"
"I didn't say anything about his hair, you did."
"No, I..."
"Anyway, I like your hair better."
"Uh...thanks."
"You're welcome."
There was a long silence as they crossed the road, and started toward the commercial center of Odaiba. "You know, I don't think I like this game anymore."
"Why not?"
"Why not what?"
"Why don't you- Man, that's cold."
