Tai's Birthday by ThatGirl

~chapter two~

The balloon was one of those classic ones, with a big brown basked underneath it. Tai and Matt hopped in and were greeted by a large cheery man with a big belly that was covered with a sweater and a green jacket. On the jacket there was the company's slogan and a nametag.

"Hello, boys!" the man said, patting his stomach a bit. "You look a little shaky." the man let out a small laugh.

"Yeah..." Matt smiled, knowing that it probably looked as fake as one of those tattoos you get with chewing gums.

"So what are your names?"

"I'm Tai and this is Matt", Tai said and read the name on the man's tag. "Michael?"

"Call me Mike."

Mike turned around and pulled a long metal switch, making a great fire-flare flame up from a big engine looking thing that hung down.

Matt's stomach twisted as the hot-air balloon bit by bit lifted from the safe ground.

He pushed himself to look down at his gradually disappearing friends back on the safe ground, who waved at him and Tai.

Matt turned his head to the side where Tai was standing. The brown haired teen beamed as he waved back to the boys and girls on the earth. Matt could have sworn that Tai's grin ran from his left ear all the way to his right one.

The blonde closed his eyes, drawing a shaky breath and trying to focus on anything else but the slightly rocking balloon.

He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. A tickling tingle like feeling was sent down his spine. Matt didn't even need to look up to know who it was. There was only one person who could do that to him.

"Relax, Matt", Tai said softly, "Look. It's beautiful."

Matt opened his eyes, mostly because of the tone Tai had been using when he spoke to him. The thick clouds had cleared a bit. The ones that were left reflected the suns light in a cascade of shimmering orange, lilac, pink and gold. Matt had to admit that Tai had been right. It really was beautiful... If he didn't look down that is. The setting sun's gentle glow shone through the few clouds in the sky, creating thin pillars of light in the air. There was rain in the air, but that only increased the mighty impression.

Tai was almost too caught up with looking at Matt's eyes to notice the soft drops that were landing on his skin. The blonde's azure eyes were glittering in a sapphire shade of blue as he watched the wonders of the sky. Then Tai noticed that his hand still lay on Matt's shoulder. He pulled it away, blushing.

As Tai turned around, he saw that Mike had watched them, one bushy eyebrow arched.

Tai gave the man a somewhat sheepish grin and turned around again.

The sundown seemed to go by faster than it really did and soon, Mike made the hot-air balloon land on the same green field that they had been in at first.

"Well, good luck to you boys", Mike said and grinned knowingly at Tai when the two teens had started to walk away.

"Sure", Tai forced a smile, feeling a blush creeping up his cheeks.

Matt gave both Mike and Tai a quick, confused glance before shrugging it off.

"Um... Shall we go then?" he asked. Tai just nodded a yes. "Thanks for the balloon ride." Matt called to Mike who still stood by the basket, grinning.

"I wonder what made his so happy?" Matt said in a try to break the slightly uncomfortable silence that had settled between him and Tai as they walked through the large grass field.

It surprised him that Tai didn't answer. The wild-haired boy just kept looking down on his feet.

"Something wrong?"

Once again Tai didn't answer.

"Didn't you like the balloon ride?"

Tai opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. Matt stopped walking.

"What's wrong, Taichi?"

A warm bouncy feeling that made him want to beam and jump around grew in Tai's stomach. He struggled hard not to do so. Matt almost never used his full name.

Maybe it was that feeling, or maybe something else, this particular evening or just the air, that made Tai decide it. 'It', meaning The Time. The Time to tell Matt…

"I... There's something I need to tell you," Tai began but then trailed off. Did it have to be so hard? "Um...Uh... It was really nice that you wanted to come with me in that balloon, Matt… I know you don't really like heights," Tai silently cursed himself for being such a coward.

"Don't mention it, Tai. Anything for you," was Matt's reply.

'Anything for you', Tai repeated in his mind. 'Did that mean...?'

"Yama, there's something I need to say to you"

"Again?"

"Uh-huh"

"Spit it out, then"

Tai locked his chocolate eyes with Matt's sapphire ones. He reached out and grabbed Matt's hands, noticing that they were a bit smaller than his own two ones. Matt looked confusedly at their locked hands and then fixed his gaze on Tai's face.

Tai took a deep breath. He opened his mouth slowly, but then, suddenly, all of the word he had wanted to say just disappeared. They evaporated. Vanished. *Poof*, then gone. Again. How many times hadn't he practised on this moment? In his mind, he had memorized every second, every reaction and every expression on Matt's wonderful, flawless face. Why couldn't he do it!?

Tai closed his eyes.

"Tai, you're acting really weird. What is it?" Matt's persistent voice questioned.

"God, I love you, damn it!"

That did not just escape his lips. Tai felt his face heat up. That did not just come out as a yell.

Opening his eyes and seeing a pair of shocked azure eyes, Tai drew yet another deep breath.

Oops.


A/N: Hehe, so how was that? Tell me in your reviews! Pwease? :P

/ThatGirl