Author: Rae
Title: Indulging the Heart
Rating/summary/notes in the first part
-----~~~~-----
February 14th,
Last night was fun. I don't remember a get-together being so fun, especially when a quarter of the guests weren't around. I'm hoping that Takeru had fun; he hasn't called me yet, and I'm wondering if maybe he and Ken have met up to spend the day together.
My date is tonight. Ten hours and counting down until the mysterious 'he' is supposed to arrive on my doorstep.
I am hoping that it's a certain redheaded goggle-boy.
-----~~~~~-----
The phone rang at seven thirty. Yamato answered it on the third ring.
"Yamato, you won't believe what happened!" Takeru's voice sang from the other end. The older blond blinked, holding the phone away from his ear and shaking his head. His brother kept talking, and Yamato missed a part of what he had said. "…and then he ordered dinner in Greek! Greek, Yamato? How many fifteen-year old guys know how to speak Greek!?"
'I'm guessing one,' Yamato thought. Takeru never gave him a an actual chance to reply as he continued on, going into detail about the restaurant, dinner, and the walk home.
"And he kissed my cheek. I feel like such a girl, but I can't help it!"
"Don't let Hikari hear you say that," Yamato managed, grinning at his brother's excitement.
"You know what I mean, brother! I just…I want to laugh and giggle and sing, and I haven't had breakfast because I can't sit still!"
"Takeru, calm down. You're starting to sound like Daisuke," the older blond warned.
There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and then the sound of Takeru's laughter drifted through. Yamato raised an eyebrow, even though his brother couldn't see him, and wondered what was so funny.
"Anyway," Takeru went on. "He's coming over tonight, and we're going to go to the movies. And he doesn't realize it yet, but -I'm- paying, since he spent a fortune last night on dinner. I swear, a glass of water was five hundred yen by itself. I can't imagine how much the meal cost."
"Don't worry about that, just enjoy the fact that he thought you were worth it," Yamato suggested.
On the other end of the line, Takeru sighed. "Yeah," he said happily, his smile carrying through the phone in his voice. "I have a wonderful boyfriend."
"It sounds that way," Yamato agreed, hoping that the contentment he felt at his brother's happiness carried through the phone. "Are you going to come over here and visit me before you go out tonight?" he asked. He could use the chance to talk to somehow who -wasn't- Daisuke about Daisuke.
To his disappointment, Takeru said, "No. Hikari and I have to finish a project for school, and we planned on getting together for a couple of hours today to go over the details. She's not actually dating anyone, and it's not fair for me to break our plans just because -I- am."
"True," Yamato conceded. "I'll see you this Saturday, right?"
"Yeah. You're coming over for dinner, right? Oh, that was the other thing!" he said suddenly, his voice growing more animated once again. "I forgot to tell you; Mom said that Ken could come for dinner!"
"That's great!"
"Yeah. So, he might be there on Saturday, too. I'll see you later, Yamato. Mom has to use the phone and I have to get my stuff around."
"Later, little brother." Yamato listened until the dial tone came on, and then he hung up the phone.
"What did Takeru have to say?" his father asked. Yamato turned and smiled at him.
"He went on a date last night, he has a date tonight, he has a 'wonderful' boyfriend, and Mom has invited said boyfriend to dinner on Saturday."
"Hm," the man replied nodding. He seemed to take a moment to think before asking Yamato, "And do you have plans for tonight?"
"I have a date," Yamato imparted the information, frowning slightly. "Tai and Daisuke set it up, and haven't bothered to tell me who it is. I'm kind of expecting it to be Daisuke."
"Ah," his father said, sounding as if that explained everything. Yamato smiled. "So, Yamato," his father probed. "What's in the box on the kitchen table?"
"Oh, that," Yamato said, his smile turning into a full-fledged grin. "That's from Daisuke. He said that I couldn't open it until today, and now that it's today, I'm scared of what may be in it."
"This Daisuke, he's the one that's been here a couple of times this week, right?"
"The one that helped me chose my clothes?" Yamato said helpfully. "Yeah, that's him." He sighed, shaking his head. "He's a…an interesting person," Yamato said, at a loss of how exactly to explain Daisuke's appeal. He was saved by his father looking at his watch and announcing that he had to leave.
The apartment seemed empty now that he was by himself, and he wandered into the kitchen and stared at the box with the blue wrapping that sat patiently waiting on the table. He ignored it for a few minutes, until the curiosity overwhelmed him.
The wrapping paper was torn off and deposited back on the table as he stared at the little white box he'd uncovered. Taking a deep breath and forcing himself to go slower, he opened the box, folding the flaps back and looking inside. There was a thin piece of wax paper on top, and he took it off carefully. In the bottom of the box was a chocolate heart.
He took the heart out carefully, making sure to keep the wax paper beneath it between his skin and the chocolate so he wouldn't melt it in his hand. The top of the heart was inscribed with the letters 'MD loves IY', with a heart surrounding it. His heart stopped, and then started beating double time, and he closed his eyes.
-----~~~~~-----
Tai reached up and fixed the collar on Yamato's shirt for the third time. "If you'd leave it alone, it'd be fine," he told the blond firmly, slapping his hands away. "You look fine, wonderful even. Stop fidgetting already!"
Yamato sighed, swatting at Tai's hands again, and stepping back. "I wish you'd stop saying that. I'm fine- not nervous or anything. I have ten minutes and you keep messing up my shirt."
Sitting at the side of the room, Sora sighed as her boyfriend and his best friend started bickering once again. They had stopped by to make sure that Yamato was indeed ready when his date arrived. He had greeted them at the door, dressed, if one discounted the fact that his blue dress-shirt was completely unbuttoned.
They had spent the last thirty minutes with Tai and Yamato arguing over the latter's shirt, socks, and shoes. Sora gave up her position as referee when Tai made the mistake of commenting on Yamato's hair. The blond gave him a dirty look, and proceeded to pelt him with some of the items on his desk, including pens, pencils, and a five pound rock used as a paperweight.
"I give, I give!" Tai said laughingly, holding his hands up in surrender.
The blond gave him a considering look and set his latest projectile, a picture frame, back on the surface of the desk. "Leave the hair out of it," Yamato warned, turning back to the mirror and playing with his collar one last time before being satisfied.
"You do look wonderful," Sora said, wondering why Yamato was being more sensitive about his hair than normal.
"Thank you," said Yamato sincerely, turning to smile at her. "What are you two doing while I'm out tonight with bachelor X?"
"Having dinner at my house," Sora answered, turning her smile to Tai, who grinned back. "Tai even said that he'll cook."
"And you're still going to let him into the apartment, after a threat like that?" Yamato said teasingly. Sora laughed and Tai tried to pout.
"So, Yamato," Tai said, his serious tone breaking the humorous mood suddenly. "What's up with the box on the table? I though you normally tossed the chocolates that your fan girls leave at your door?"
Yamato looked at him, eyes widening as he tried to decide the best way to answer that. He didn't know if Daisuke would appreciate their friends knowing that he'd given him the chocolate. Then again, it was Daisuke, and the boy knew no shame. Finally, he shrugged and tried to appear as calm as possible as he stated, "It wasn't from a fan girl."
"A guy gave you chocolates?" Sora asked, pleasantly surprised at the prospect. Yamato nodded, confirming her guess. "That's very sweet, Yamato. Who was it?"
"Daisuke," he answered, sighing. There was no reason to lie or to avoid the question; they were his friends, they already knew he was gay. What was the worse they could do? They laughed. "What's so funny?" he asked, trying to pout and failing as Tai had done.
"He's had a crush on you forever. It's nice to see that he's being a bit more…direct," Sora finally replied. "He's been so sweet about this date, too. He's gone all out, and has spent so much time trying to make sure that tonight is perfect for you."
'…perfect for you.' Yamato replayed those words in his head for a moment before coming to a decision that had been waiting in the back of his head since morning. "Will you guys do me a favor?" he asked suddenly, surprising them both. They looked at him, at each other, and then back at him before nodding. "If I, um, had something to give to Daisuke, could you guys make sure he gets it? I don't know if I'll see him," though he hoped he would. "And I want him to have it today."
Sora smiled and looked at Tai. The brunette nodded. "Of course, Yamato. What is it?"
"There's a bakery about two blocks from here. I called in an order for a gift for today, and they said they would have it ready. I'll give you the money now, and you just need to make sure that he gets it at some point tonight."
"Sounds like a plan," Tai said. As Yamato left the room, he turned to Sora and grinned mischievously.
"I don't know what you're planning, Yagami Taichi, but don't," she warned.
"Oh, I'm not 'planning' anything. That's all been done for me. I'm just along for the ride," he assured her, his grin widening. She sighed, recognizing the look as one that portended trouble.
-----~~~~~-----
Takeru whistled in appreciation as Daisuke stepped into the lobby of the apartment building. "Nice outfit, hot-stuff," he crowed, leering at his friend. Daisuke paused and raised an eyebrow, saying eloquently with his eyes that he thought Takeru was crazy.
Standing beside his new boyfriend, Ken offered an encouraging smile. "You do look good, Daisuke. That's a nice color on you."
"Thank you," Daisuke said gratefully, resisting the urge to preen nervously. He clenched his hands at his sides to keep them from being run through his hair and tried to grin. It came out as a half-hearted, nervous smile. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked.
"We wanted to make sure that everything went okay," Ken answered. "We're on our way to the movies right now."
"Ah," Daisuke said, nodding wisely. "You guys stopped by to make sure that I didn't chicken out, you mean?"
"You, chicken out?" Takeru said with amazement, acting as if the idea would never have occurred to him. "Nah. We just wanted to make sure that you dressed yourself right. We'd hate to have Yamato's 'fashion coordinator' cause a fashion disaster on his date, you know?"
"Shut up," Daisuke said, rolling his eyes and raising a hand to fix the button at his neck. Either his white shirt was over-starched, or it seemed tight because of the butterflies in his stomach, but he couldn't seem to get entirely comfortable in his outfit. He dropped his arm again, rubbing his fingertips absently against the soft material of his pants.
"Daisuke?" Takeru said suddenly, drawing him out of his reverie. "What's up with the shoes?"
Without looking down, Daisuke grimaced, shrugging awkwardly. "I don't have dress shoes. These were the nicest I had that fit. I didn't remember shoes until I left."
Ken and Takeru looked at his tennis shoes again, noting the fact that, though black, they were hardly formal-wear. They looked up at the same time, their eyes meeting before they turned supportive smiles at Daisuke.
"It looks fine," Ken assured, moving forward to take Daisuke's arm. He started leading the auburn-haired boy to the elevator, and Takeru quickly took up position on his other side.
"You do look nice, Daisuke," Takeru said seriously, reaching forwards to push the call button for the elevator at the same time as Ken. They stopped and smiled at each other before pushing it together.
When the elevator arrived, they shoved Daisuke inside. Ken stepped in long enough to push the floor button, and they both of his friends stepped back and waved at him as the doors slowly closed.
-----~~~~~-----
Sora, Taichi, and Yamato all looked up sharply as someone knocked on the apartment door. As one, they stood up, and then looked at each other and laughed. Yamato sighed, ran his hands down the front of his shirt to smooth it once, and then strode to the door, saying 'please' in his head as he walked.
Swallowing hard, he opened the door, his heart stopping as his eyes met those of the boy on his doorstep. "Daisuke," the name came out with more surprise than he mean to express, especially considering that he had hoped that it was Daisuke.
"Who'd you expect?" Daisuke asked, grinning confidently. "Iori?"
Yamato rolled his eyes and stepped back. "Smart-aleck. Come on in."
"Why don't you come on out?" Daisuke asked instead of entering. He spread his arms wide. "I'm dressed for a night on the town, you're dressed for about the same. What do you say we go see what trouble we can cause?"
Blue eyes quickly scanned Daisuke's outfit, taking in the white shirt that set of his bronzed skin, the black pants that looked too soft to be jeans, but appeared to be designed the same, and the black shoes that looked more comfortable than his own dress-shoes. "Let me grab my coat," he answered finally, his eyes moving back up to meet Daisuke's gaze.
"Okay, then," Daisuke said. As Yamato turned away, he heard the younger boy take a deep breath, and he smiled at the knowledge that Daisuke wasn't as confident as he seemed.
-----~~~~~-----
"Our little boy is growing up," Tai said, sniffling. Sora sighed and leaned against his shoulder as the apartment door shut behind Yamato, leaving them alone in the Ishida apartment. Tai wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her closer, nuzzling his nose into her hair and inhaling deeply. "I love you."
"Just don't do anything mean tonight," she said in return, turning into his embrace as he brought his other arm up to hug her. Against his shoulder, she said, "I love you, too."
"You know-" Tai started. "It's really a shame that Daisuke will get to eat his cookie, but Yamato won't get a chance to eat his chocolate."
Sora was silent for a moment, and then she smiled, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter. "Very true. You'll have to remedy that, yes?"
-----~~~~~-----
Yamato trailed slightly behind Daisuke, considerably curious as to the auburn-haired boy's plans for the night. They were dressed too nicely for a simple movie, but he couldn't imagine Daisuke at a fancy restaurant, either. He had considered asking, but then threw out that idea; the surprise and suspense were half the fun of the evening, and since he had gotten his wish for 'who' his date was, he wasn't particularly worried about 'where' the date would be, or of 'what' it would consist.
After two blocks of walking a bit more quickly than he should have, Daisuke slowed his steps and matched his strides to Yamato's purposely. He grinned at his date, feeling alive and nervous, confident and scared, all at the same time.
"Thank you for the chocolate," Yamato said out of the blue, surprising Daisuke until he remembered what Yamato was talking about.
"You're welcome. I thought about a lot of different things…in the end it just seemed like the best idea. Did you know that there are a thousand different types of picks? Size, hardness, color…" he trailed off, shrugging. "I got lost in the music store before I decided that that probably wasn't the best idea," he admitted, grinning abashedly.
"It was nice," Yamato said approvingly. "I didn't know whether to eat it or keep it."
Daisuke laughed, a faint, pleased flush creeping into his cheeks. "You're supposed to eat it," he told the blond seriously, when his laughter stopped.
-----~~~~~-----
Yamato and Daisuke arrived in front of a large, magnificent looking building, and Daisuke checked the address against a sheet of paper in his pocket before pulling Yamato inside. The foyer of the building was as impressive as the outside, with the lights from chandeliers glowing from gold trim that lined the ceiling, doors, and entryways. They both stopped three feet in, feeling awed and out of place.
"May I help you?" a woman asked as she approached them, her pink ball gown flaring around her feet as she walked with quick strides.
"Um…Motomiya Daisuke, and Ishida Yamato?" Daisuke said uncertainly, feeling more than a little out of his element. He wondered briefly if Ken and Takeru had felt the same the night before when he sent them to a fancy restaurant for dinner.
"Of course!" the woman exclaimed happily, as if she had been expecting them. For the strings that Daisuke had pulled and the favors he had called in, he only thought that fitting. "If you'll follow me, I'll give you brief layout of tonight's activities, their locations, and the general rules of etiquette at the 'Love UU' Valentine Gala."
"'Love UU'," Yamato parroted softly as they followed the woman through crowds of people dressed as fancily as she. Most of the men wore tuxedos, and the women all wore gowns or evening dresses. In spite of the fact that Yamato and Daisuke were 'dressed up', they each felt as if they had worn blue jeans and a T-shirt, they felt that underdressed.
" Love United in Un-prejudice," the woman explained, turning back to smile at them. "It's a gala-event that was started about five years ago. We accept all races, all genders, all couples, all religions, all people. There are few places in the city where you can find restaurants or clubs that accept same-gender couples, or multi-racial couples, unless you wish to visit the extreme of those lifestyles. The UU gala is a moderately formal-" she smiled wider and smoothed her dress, "To extremely formal event, depending on how the individual wishes to dress. There is a door fee, which has already been paid. The fee includes dinner and a comedy show, as well as use of the game room, the pool, the courtyards and grounds outside of the hotel, and non-alcoholic drinks at the bar."
"Wow," Yamato breathed, his mind whirling with all the information.
Daisuke grinned at him, looking extremely proud of himself. "I am the man," he cheered quietly.
"Yes, you are," Yamato agreed, reaching out and taking his hand. Daisuke's expression changed to one of surprise, and then he smiled happily, his cheeks turning a light pink. They continued to follow the woman as she gave them a tour of the grounds so that they could find their way around later.
-----~~~~~-----
An hour later, they were seated in a secluded corner of a conservatory, where food was being brought around by servers in black tuxedos with red bows and cumberbunds. After going through the 'rules of etiquette' for the ball, they had spent twenty minutes wandering around until they found the place where they were serving dinner. Daisuke, or rather, his stomach, had announced rather loudly that it was time to eat, and they had allowed themselves to be led to a table.
Most of the tables seemed to be semi-private, with trees and fancy partitions set up between each to ensure privacy. It allowed Yamato and Daisuke to spend their first date together side by side, continually touching even as they ate. It was mostly reflex, and neither boy really noticed that when they had an idle hand, it would move instinctively to touch the other.
Since they had arrived, they had seen more people, and though some were very elegantly dressed, many others had opted for suits, and semi-formal clothes such as their own. They had gotten over their discomfort of that, and, seeing that most of the other couples paid them no mind when they touched, had grown emboldened that way as well.
When Daisuke took the last bite of food from his plate and put it into his mouth, Yamato took his plate, stacked it on top of his own, and pushed them aside. As soon as the younger boy was done eating, a waiter approached their table.
"Motomiya Daisuke?" he inquired, giving them a small bow. They looked at each other, and then nodded. "We have a package for you, sir." Another waiter came up behind him and sat a thin, square box wrapped in blue paper on the table in front of Daisuke. What it lacked in height it made up for in width and length, being approximately six inches on either side. "From Ishida Yamato."
Yamato smiled, ducking his head when Daisuke looked at him. "For me?" Daisuke asked as the waiter's left.
"For you," he confirmed. He watched as Daisuke carefully unwrapped his gift, lifted the lid of the box off, and then pulled the wax paper that covered it off.
He froze, his eyes going impossibly wide and his jaw dropping. Inside the box lay a heart shaped cookie, outlined in red, with pink lettering in the middle that read, 'IY luvs MD'. He looked up, his eyes lit with a dark flame. "Thank you," Daisuke said, his voice still tinted with surprise. Before Yamato could blink, Daisuke was in his arms, nearly in his lap, hugging him tightly and laughing. "You're wonderful, you know that?" he asked, pressing his face against Yamato's neck.
"I could say the same about you," Yamato returned, holding Daisuke close. After a moment of holding each other in silence, the blond asked, "Does this mean that I've made it to irresistible?"
Daisuke laughed, moving back to his seat and breaking the spell.
Another waiter appeared at their side. "Ishida Yamato?" he asked, holding a small white box in his hands.
"Yes," Yamato answered.
"This is to be delivered to you, compliments of Yagami Taichi and Takenouchi Sora." The waiter deposited the box on the table, bowed, and left. Daisuke and Yamato looked at each other, and then laughed.
"We'll have to thank them later," Daisuke said, taking the small box that had the heart he'd given to Yamato. He pushed the cookie, box and all, towards the blond.
"I should tell him that we're even for the pink hair," Yamato said thoughfully as he watched Daisuke take out the chocolate heart. The younger boy held it up to Yamato's mouth, holding it carefully between his fingers.
Yamato licked his lips, feeling his gut tighten, as well as other parts of his body, as he leaned forward, wrapping teeth and lips around the chocolate and taking a bite. He chewed it, his eyes never leaving Daisuke's gaze as he broke off a piece of the cookie heart in his hand and held it up to Daisuke's mouth. He laughed slightly when Daisuke tried to take the whole thing in one bite, grazing his fingers lightly before settling for biting off half of it instead.
-----~~~~~-----
It took Yamato and Daisuke three hours to make it to the ballroom. They had played games for an hour in the game room, gotten lost in the maze in one of the gardens, had returned to the conservatory for a snack, and had sat for a while listening to the comedy routine before deciding that the poor man on stage was only half as funny as Gomamon.
There was a small orchestra playing on the far side of the room, and the dance floor was full of people. Daisuke cleared his throat, squared his shoulders, and then turned to stare at Yamato. It was a not-too-subtle hint, and Yamato grinned. "Would you care to dance?" he asked the younger boy, holding out his hand.
"Yes, I would," Daisuke answered, accepting his hand with a grin.
His first thought, as he led Daisuke onto the dance floor, was that he hoped that bouncing wasn't Daisuke's only version of dancing. His second was that, after the unexpected, but very amazing date they'd had so far, Daisuke could bounce as much as he wanted.
It was with surprise that Yamato felt Daisuke place a hand on his shoulder the other still gripping his hand. He smiled, placing his free hand on Daisuke's hip and leading him into the dance. It wasn't a perfect dance; even though they both knew the basics, neither had had much practice, and they had certainly never danced that way together.
Daisuke stepped on Yamato's foot, grimacing in apology. A moment later, Yamato stumbled on a turn and he stepped on Daisuke's foot in his effort to right himself. They laughed together, both faces turning light pink.
The music changed tempo, the rhythm slowing down. Yamato drew Daisuke closer, dropping his hand to wrap his arms around Daisuke's torso. The younger boy wrapped his arms around Yamato's shoulders and grinned at him. Together, they shuffled their feet slowly in beat to the music.
Daisuke ducked his head for a moment, unable to help the grin on his face. He wanted to laugh out loud at the wonderful feeling that was coursing through him. When he looked back up, Yamato was smiling at him, his face close. With a swallow, Daisuke began to lean forwards, not really conscious of the action for a moment.
He drew back slightly, stopping himself before kissing the blond. He had wanted to kiss him, had wanted to breach the distance between them very badly, but he didn't want to mess up and do something stupid. He wanted Yamato to initiate the kiss, but he didn't know how to get that point across without opening his mouth, and that could be more disastrous than trying to kiss him.
Yamato stared down at Daisuke, feeling the younger boy's breath against his chin, the warmth of his body pressed close. The blond could sense Daisuke's hesitance, and he wondered at it for a moment as he gazed down at him. Time seemed to stand still, even as dancers spun around them, continuing the dance. Slowly, still in a trance, he brought his arm up and gently brushed his fingertips against Daisuke's cheek.
The hand that had so tenderly caressed Daisuke's cheek now cupped the same, tilting his chin up and leaving him in a better position to be kissed. With a small smile, Yamato leaned down and did exactly that, pressing his lips against the younger boy's mouth.
Daisuke's eyes rolled back into his head before drifting close. He stayed that way, head tilted back, eyes closed, for several moments after Yamato stopped kissing him. When he opened his eyes, they were bright. Yamato only had a moment to lose himself in them before Daisuke was leaning into him again, sealing their lips in another kiss.
-----~~~~~-----
A week ago, I was single and dreading today as if the world would end. Every day since then has brought about surprises and changes, the least of which have occurred in me. I would never have pictured myself walking home on Valentine's Day (or, actually, the morning after), trying to walk in step with Daisuke so that we wouldn't trip over each other, our arms around each other.
A week ago, I would have denied the fact that one fifteen-year old, hyperactive, adorably boisterous troublemaker could have instilled in me a love for a holiday I've dreaded for five years.
Yesterday (or the day before, who's counting?), when he gave me the gift, I was surprised. Valentine's Day is a traditionally female holiday, and yet, here was Daisuke, proud-to-the-point-of-arrogant, and he was placing himself in a 'girl's' role. Except…maybe he had the best idea. We're already breaking gender-roles by liking each other. Why not break a few more rules along the way?
A week ago, I would never have dreamed of kissing one of my guy friends in a ballroom full of people on Valentine's Day. I would never have imagined his lips being so soft, or his eyes so bright when he stared at me. I couldn't have imagined this feeling in my chest--it's like my heart wants to leap out and dance on its own.
I would never have imagined myself so willing to indulge in this feeling, this desire for more. And right now, with Daisuke sleeping on my couch because he insisted on walking me home at three in the morning (and because I refused to let him walk home alone at such a time), I can't imagine having not followed along with this idea from the beginning. There were so many points where a word or an action could have meant that tonight never came about.
I could have kicked him out of my apartment when he came to help me find clothes. If I hadn't spent the day with him, I don't know how I would have reacted to the chocolate. And the following day, when we went shopping, I could've just written his behavior off as too childish. Then there was the hair day from hell. He touched my hair for so long...he made me feel better with that one action than all of Tai's promises that it would wash out. If I hadn't started to think that he liked me, it's possible that it could have taken a very long time for me to realize that I liked him.
Everything's worked out for the best, however. I won't dwell on the stupid things I may have done or said in the past, because only a room away is a boy who is my new boyfriend. Right now, I'm feeling more awake than I should, since I only slept for four hours, and yesterday was a long day. I think I'll go indulge my heart some more, and watch Daisuke sleep…and maybe, just maybe…I'll wake him up.