Author: Rae

Title: Indulging the Heart

Rating/summary/notes in the first part

------~~~~~-----

February 12th,

I have a better idea today of what I want from this holiday. And all hints, clues, and other innuendos would seem to indicate that I can get exactly that. I only have to make clear what I want.

Sora called a little bit ago to let me know that everyone is getting together tomorrow. A little pre-holiday party. No gifts, or anything, just a get-together between friends. And, as these parties have typically gone every year, there -will- be gifts, even they're small. For the past three years running, each of the girls have handed out a chocolate to each of the male destined in honor of our friendship. And on White Day, we guys reciprocate.

It somehow works out. They have to spend more, given that we (us males) outnumber them, but in exchange for their sacrifice, they get back twice as much as they give. Actually, maybe that doesn't work out. Last year, I remember Sora complaining that all the chocolate was going to make her either fat or sick.

Note to self: find an alternative to chocolate.

-----~~~~~-----

Daisuke climbed slowly up the stairs, his feet heavy on the steps. Beside him, keeping pace and a steady silence, was Takeru. They had run into each other in the lobby, and had decided to walk up together. So far, the young blond had said nothing of Daisuke's rather sluggish ascent.

He did, however, notice the item in Daisuke's hands. "Pants?" he said the one word like a question, his eyes skimming Daisuke's face.

"Yeah," the redhead said softly, his right hand tightening over the material. "Your brother didn't have anything really decent for a date, and I figured that since I helped ruin his last good pair, I'd replace them."

"That's nice of you," Takeru said carefully, frowning at Daisuke's lifeless tone. "What's wrong?"

Brown eyes met blue, and the owner of the first shrugged. "I'm hoping that if I can just convince myself that I'm tired or bored, I'll manage to keep a hold on my mouth and actions, and not make a total fool of myself." He frowned as they reached the correct landing and stepped into the hallway. Almost as an afterthought, he mumbled, "Again."

"You know," Takeru started conversationally. "My brother doesn't seem to think you're as much of a dork as you'd like to think he does."

They came to a stop in front of the door to the Ishida apartment. Daisuke gave Takeru a funny look, wondering if he had spoken with his brother the night before. "What?"

The blond chuckled and laughed, digging in his pants pocket for his key. "Despite the fact that you -act- like a dork around him, and the fact that you -are- a dork, my brother doesn't really think so little of you. I'd say that he even respects and likes you."

The auburn-haired teen rolled his eyes and huffed out a breath. "Whatever. The day I get your brother's respect is the day I get to see -him- make a fool of himself." He sighed, watching as Takeru sorted through a bunch of keys. "Will you hurry it up? I've got about five minutes before my cereal rush kicks in, and then there will be no stopping the sugar rush for a good three hours.

"Why would you eat cereal at this time of the day?" Takeru asked, finally selecting a key and trying it in the lock. It didn't fit, and he started searching again.

Daisuke looked at his wrist before remember that he wasn't wearing a watch, and then shrugged. "It's a good afternoon snack. I have cereal twice a day, every day." He sighed, snatching the keys from Takeru. He flipped through them quickly, finally chose one at random, and shoved it into the lock. A flick of his wrist opened the door, and he smirked at Takeru. "Am I good, or am I good?"

"You're dead!" They both turned sharply at the sound of Yamato's yell, catching sight of the him just as he fell to the floor with a loud thud. "And when I get up, I'll be able to kill you," Yamato continued with a groan. He hadn't noticed the two in the doorway, and he didn't see them until they were inside with the door shut. "Oh, great," he groaned, rolling onto his stomach and hiding his face in his arms.

Tai stepped out of the living room and stood over his best friend, snickering. Yamato was dressed only in a tank top and a pair of boxers, an outfit not suitable for wearing anywhere but to bed in such cold weather. Both articles of clothing were covered with little red hearts, and his hair was an interesting shade of pink.

"I hate you," Yamato muttered into his arms, the words aimed at Tai. He refused to lift his head even as he heard his brother and Daisuke take their shoes off. "Takeru? Brother mine? Please kill him," he asked pleadingly. He felt fingers stroke through his hair, and he sighed. "It's horrible, isn't it?"

Yamato sighed again, enjoying the feeling of having his head rubbed.

"It washes out!" Tai said with exasperation. He sighed and stomped back towards the bathroom. "If you would read the instructions like I told you to, you'd be showering, not whining on your floor."

"If I had been given the instructions before I unknowingly put it in my hair, I wouldn't be in this problem in the first place, because it wouldn't have happened!" he yelled back angrily, finally pushing himself onto his knees so that he could glare at Tai. His view was obstructed by Daisuke, who offered him a small smile as he continued to play with Yamato's hair.

"Pink is -not- your color," the boy who still had auburn hair stated helpfully, his lips twitching.

"You think?" Yamato returned sarcastically, staring at Daisuke without realizing. They were kneeling so close it would have been difficult to find something else to look at, and he truly had no desire to look away.

"At least your eyebrows are still blond," Daisuke said helpfully, finally pulling his hand back. He grinned. "And it matches your clothes. It's fashionable. As your coordinator, I would know."

The smile that Yamato graced him with was less than grateful. "Daisuke, if we weren't friends, you would be hurting right now." Gathering as much dignity as he could, he stood up and walked to the bathroom, his head held high. There was a laugh that sounded to Daisuke like it was from Tai, and it turned quickly to a pained grunt.

"Man, that was mean!" Tai said. Daisuke and Takeru looked at each other.

"I told you so," Takeru said smartly.

"Told me what?" Daisuke asked.

The blond simply grinned wider. "That he respected you." He leaned closer. "And that he liked you."

"How do you figure that he likes me?" Daisuke muttered, looking in the direction of the bathroom.

"Um, the fact that he chose to vent his anger on Tai and not on you, despite the fact that you were closer?" Takeru pointed out, smiling.

-----~~~~~-----

I was never meant to have pink hair, and I'm doubly grateful that at this moment I am -still- a blond. The temporary hair-dye that Tai though would be funny to slip into my hair gel only lasted through two rinses. I think, when I get revenge, I'll go with a permanent color. An eye for an eye, and hair for hair…

Sora and Tai are going out for dinner on Valentine's Day. I guess that Tai set it up the day they started going out. He's a better boyfriend than I would ever have given him credit for being. So far, he's managed to outdo my efforts on my best days, and he's not even -trying-.

That may have been the problem, though. I did try very hard to be a good boyfriend. I know that they say that you have to work at a relationship to make it work, but loving someone should never seem like it takes effort. And if I had ever thought about relationships like I do now, I would have realized how wrong Sora and I were for each other

But everything works for the best. Takeru told me that today. He seems a lot happier, which is nice. Of course, that could be because he and Daisuke are planning a surprise on Ken for Valentine's Day. I didn't have to do anything about that situation after all. It's nice to know that my brother has such a nice friend to help him out.

What am I saying? Nice friend? Daisuke, who was chasing him around with the same bottle of hair-dye that found it's way into my hair-gel? Daisuke, who has only once said his name right? Daisuke, who has fought both for him and with him?

I remember him when he was just an arrogant, loud-mouthed pain in the neck. I was ready to throw him off the side of a mountain just for a little peace and quiet. But, really, I don't think he's changed half as much as my attitude and feelings about him have changed

And after today, feeling him touch the pink mess that my hair had become, I think I'm starting to like these changes more and more.

-----~~~~~-----

"Are you sure that this is what Sora meant when she said that we should 'fix the lights'? Koushiro asked doubtfully. Miyako snorted, taking the electrical cord from his hands as he continued to stare at the mess of wires on the wall.

"Yes, I'm sure," she answered with a brusque nod. "Just set it up on an automatic timer, and we'll call it good, okay?"

The redhead smiled and nodded. "Of course, boss," he responded seriously. He ignored the way Miyako narrowed her eyes at him.

"Hey, guys, do you really think-" Jyou stopped in mid-sentence as he stepped into the room and saw the lights. "Is that supposed to be-?"

"Yes," Miyako giggled, stepping away from the wall so that she could get a better look at her handiwork. After a moment, she titled her head and smiled. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Lovely," both of the guys agreed. They looked at each other and smiled.

The girl gave a look of disgust. "If you two are going to get all lovey, I'm out of here. I need to stop by Iori's and make sure that he's walking with me tomorrow. You two -can- manage to keep your hands to yourselves long enough to finish up, right?"

They both nodded, their cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

She gathered her coat and things together, and headed for the door, but not before turning around to grin at them. "Have I told you guys that you're cute together?" she asked.

"Yes," Jyou said, nodding and turning away.

"Repeatedly," Koushiro agreed, smiling slightly as he started setting the timer for the lights. "And then you tell us that if we get 'mushy', you're going to lock us in a closet. And either of those things have yet to happen."

"What can I say? You guys are so boring, I'm hoping to spur you into action by mentioning it," she said slyly. Koushiro looked up, and they smiled at each other. "Take good care of him, right? And don't let him try to unplug anything just because it might not be 'safe'."

She shut the door softly behind her, and Jyou returned. He squatted down and leaned over his boyfriend's shoulder, one hand gently resting on the redhead's side. "How long did it take her to make it?" he asked, gesturing to the design on the wall. It was the Crest of Love, created out of red, white, and pink lights.

"Only about four hours. She went through hearts, cupid, and actual words before she settled on that," Koushiro replied, leaning back slightly as he continued his work.

Jyou pressed a tender kiss to his temple, and then rested his chin on the redhead's shoulder. "Sora will like it," he said decisively, looking up as the lights went out. "You have the timer set?" he asked, assuming that that was why the lights were off.

Koushiro was silent, his body stilled. After a moment, he turned his head, face pinched. "She's going to kill me."

Five minutes later, they were out the door, their coats in their hands as they discussed the nearest place to buy a bunch of colored lights.

-----~~~~~-----

Daisuke sighed gustily, flopping onto his back on Ken's bed. "He's so cute, you know that?"

"Mmhmm," Ken mumbled an agreement.

"Even with pink hair, he's more than nice to look at. And in those clothes! I don't know how Tai managed to get him into that outfit, but I'd pay good money if he could do it again." He turned his head and grinned at Ken. "He's even cute when he's mad."

"Mmhm," came the mumbled reply.

Daisuke turned his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Do you think fate is playing a joke on me? Making the guy that I like gay? At least, when he was dating Sora, it wasn't that -I- wasn't his type, but guys weren't. And now…Do you think he could like me?"

"I think it's very possible that he could return your feelings," Ken replied, his gaze never leaving the book he was reading.

"Really?" Daisuke asked hopefully, turning onto his side and staring at the side of Ken's head. "Really really?"

Ken sighed and looked up finally, marking his place in his book with a finger. "Daisuke, you're wonderful, you're attractive, and he's single. Unless he's madly in love with someone else, and you said Takeru doesn't even think that's likely, then there is no reason why -you- can not be the person he falls in love with."

"I guess you're right," Daisuke said, rolling back onto his back. "Tak-" he cut off abruptly and sighed. "I'm running out of names for that boy."

"That's what happens when you spend years coming up with variations. I can't understand why you just don't pick one or two and stay with them."

"Because it's more fun to invent new ones every time!" Daisuke said cheekily.

Ken chuckled and shook his head. "Maybe it's time to start using his name, then. After all, if you start dating his brother, Yamato might get mad if you won't address his brother correctly."

"Well, that, and it would probably be nice if I called my best friend's boyfriend by name, too," Daisuke said with a grin. He was satisfied to see a flush creep up Ken's face, and his grin widened. "You know, if tomorrow works out…"

"If tomorrow works out the way it's supposed to, I will never doubt one of your plans again," Ken promised.

"Dude, you've never doubted my plans before, why would you start now," Daisuke said. He stopped and looked at Ken considering. "If you've ever doubted me, I -don't- want to know about it."

"I've never doubted you, Daisuke," Ken assured warmly, smiling at his friend.

"Good," Daisuke said. He shifted again, this time so that he was laying perpendicular to Ken, his legs lying across the backs of Ken's legs. "Ken?"

"Yes, Daisuke?" Ken tilted his head patiently.

"Will you do me a favor?"

"Of course," Ken agreed without hesitation, curiosity spurred by his best friend's tone.

Daisuke looked at him, brown eyes very serious. "Will you teach me to dance?"

"As opposed to bouncing?" Ken questioned teasingly. He regretted his small joke as Daisuke sighed and returned to watching the shadows on the ceiling. "Of course, Daisuke. I'd be more than happy to teach you whenever you want to learn."

"Like now?" Daisuke said hopefully, face eager.

"Like now."

If either boy noticed that the time was nearing midnight, he said nothing.

I -will- be posting on V-day, no fear! FF.net will be down, but the latest part is available at my site. http://www.baseofoperation.org

Or, you can visit the page for the story itself: http://www.baseofoperation.org/raegan_indulgingheart.html