Chapter Ten- You are my Sunshine





"Happy Birthday blue eyes."

Matt's eyes opened to see Tai leaning over him smiling his trademark Tai grin. Matt sat up and yawned, stretching his arms over his head.

"How does it feel to be 16?"

"About the same as it felt yesterday when I was 15," Matt replied. He leaned over and gave Tai and quick kiss and scratched his stomach like only a guy would do when they wake up.

"So aren't you excited? It's your sweet 16."

"Not really, I was already sweet." Matt flashed Tai a smile and got up off the couch where he slept every night.

"Yaaammaa..." Tai whined. "Don't you even care?"

"It's no big deal."

"Well it is to me."

Matt turned around and hugged Tai. "I guess I'll be excited if it makes you happy."

"Good."

Then Matt pranced into the bathroom chanting, "Oh yeah! It's my birthday It's my birthday what a great day for my birthday! Woo hoo!" And he closed the door behind him.

"I've never known anybody so sarcastic," Tai groaned.

Later on, Matt was mixing the ingredients for his birthday cake in a large bowl. He stirred cocoa powder in, giving the mixture a deep, chocolatey color.

"You don't have to make your own cake, Matt. My mom said she'll make one for you."

"Yeah, a wheat germ cake with fungus and liver stick frosting, just what I always wanted."

"Well it's not my fault she can't cook." Tai dipped his finger into the bowl and scooped up some cake batter.

"Don't stick your fingers in the food!"

Tai popped his finger into his mouth and sucked off the chocolate. "You don't have to bite my head off."

"You'll contaminate it."

"Whatever you say, JOE"

"So who's coming over later?" Matt asked. He poured the batter into a cake pan and put it into the oven.

"All the older kids, Joe, Izzy, Sora. Kari'll be here of course, but uh..."

"What?"

"Your mom called and said TK can't make it. He's still sick or whatever."

Matt sighed and began washing the dishes he had used. How could he enjoy his birthday knowing what he had done, and knowing TK wasn't going to be there because of it. Even though the family had been split up for years, the boys always managed to see each other on their birthdays. He wasn't going to see his dad today either, he wondered if his father would ever come back. All Matt had now was his surrogate family, who he had come to rely on more than his real one.

That night, the Kamiya family and the older digidestined all gathered in the living room. They had just finished eating Matt's delicious birthday cake (Tai had eaten four slices) and were now ready for Matt to open his gifts.

"You guys didn't really have to get me anything you know," Matt said when he saw the boxes piled up on the coffee table.

"Of course we did Matt so open them!" Tai said. He was leaning against Matt who was sitting in the middle of the couch with Izzy on his other side. Sora had managed to squeeze in on the end of the couch next to Tai, and Joe was perched on the arm next to Izzy. Kari was seated on the floor by Izzy's feet and Tai's mother and father were in the arm chair.

"Yeah, we didn't come all this way for nothing," Joe added.

"Matt, come on and open your presents!" Sora urged.

Matt picked up a medium sized rectangular box first, with pink wrapping paper and a shiny red bow.

"That one's from me," Kari said.

Matt carefully took the paper off without ripping it at all and opened the box.

"Blue oven mitts, Kari that's so sweet. I left my other ones back at my apartment."

"I wouldn't want you to burn your hands." Matt leaned over and gave Kari a kiss on the forehead and she beamed happily.

Matt opened up Izzy's present next, still being careful not to rip any of the wrapping paper.

"Oh thanks Izzy, hair gel." Matt rolled his eyes but then laughed.

"Well I know how much you must use to keep your hair so perfect," Izzy said.

"Yeah, a gallon a day keeps the loose ends away. I think I was running low anyway."

Joe's gift was next, a cook book and a book of guitar and bass tabs.

"Cool Joe, do you know what songs are in this?"

"I think there are over a thousand songs in there."

"Wow, this should really come in handy, thanks." Matt smiled and set the books down on the table with the other gifts he had already opened.

Matt opened up Sora's gift after Joe's. It was a black sweater, and it was one of the softest things Matt had ever felt. He remembered his old sweater had been stained with his own blood from the cuts on his arm.

"Sora, this is really beautiful."

"I knitted it myself."

"You made this? That's amazing." Matt genuinely loved the sweater, and put it on right there.

"Our gift is next Matt," Mrs. Kamiya said. Mr. Kamiya dragged over an exceptionally large box to the couch covered in blue wrapping paper with a large orange bow. The box was long, at least 3 feet, but wasn't very thick. Matt had no clue what it could possibly be.

"You didn't have to get me anything Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya."

"Of course we did Matt, you're like a son to us." Tai's mother said happily.

Matt opened up the box and slid out what was inside. When he saw what the contents were he jumped up off the couch.

"A new bass! Oh my god! This is fantastic!" Matt's eyes lit up with an excitement he hadn't felt in a long time. "This is exactly the one I wanted, how did you know!?"

"A little birdy told them," Tai chimed in, smiling innocently.

He picked it up and pretended to play, kind of trying it out for size.

"Thank you so much!" He set the bass down on the coffee table and gave Tai's mother and father a huge hug.

Now there was only one gift left, Tai's. He had insisted that Matt save it for last, and he now handed Matt a tiny white box with a blue ribbon and a card taped to the top. It said simply, 'To my love'

Matt opened it up and there was another box inside. It had a rounded top and was covered in black velvet. Matt opened the lid to find a beautiful ring. The light bounced off it causing it to shimmer and gleam. Matt lifted the ring out of the box and read the inscription.

"You are my sunshine..." There was also something else written on the inside of the ring, 24K. "Tai, is this...solid gold?"

"Yeah."

Matt seemed to be speechless. He slipped it onto his middle finger and stared at it, it was a perfect fit.

"Tai...I don't know what to say."

"Say you like it."

"I love it, it's the best gift anyone has ever given me." Matt slipped his arms around Tai and pressed his lips to his. When he broke the kiss, Matt whispered in Tai's ear,

"I love you so much Taichi...."

"I love you too Matt, please don't ever leave me."

"I promise," Matt leaned back and pressed his forehead against Tai's and looked into his eyes. "I won't take...your sunshine away."



The others stayed at the Kamiya's apartment for a while and then all returned home. It was evening and Matt and Tai were sitting outside Tai's room on the terrace, looking out at the stars. Matt had his new sweater on and was holding Tai close to him, with a blanket wrapped around them both. Matt was sipping a cup of hot herbal tea.

"Hey...Matt"

"Yeah Tai?"

"I was thinking of...one other thing we could do for your birthday, but only if you want to."

"You mean...." Matt glanced down at Tai, who was looking up at him with pleading eyes.

"I kind of miss it, you know, the feeling of you touching me and everything, but I didn't want to come right out and ask. I was worried you might get mad or something."

"I'd never get mad at you."

"Well uh...do you want to?"

Matt sighed. He wasn't sure if he was ready yet, he knew he wanted to, but wasn't sure he would be able. He had missed it too, being so close to Tai, touching him in every way.

"I want to Tai, I really do."

Matt saw Tai's expression become hopeful for a moment, but then disappointed when his own face become solemn.

"But I can't...I just...can't. I'm sorry Tai."

"Yama..." Tai whimpered and cuddled up against Matt further. Matt pulled the blanket so it was completely surrounding them and kissed the top of Tai's head.

Snowflakes began to fall once again, it was so cold outside. It seemed like the world was stuck in a permanent winter, with no hope of spring ever coming.

Matt set his cup down on the terrace floor and rubbed Tai's back and shoulders, trying to keep him warm. Matt could feel Tai pressed up against his chest, rubbing his face against the soft sweater. His ring glimmered even in the moonlight.

"Mmm... You're really warm Yama."

"Funny...I don't feel warm at all," Matt thought.

"Matt, can you please tell me what's wrong?" Tai gripped onto the sweater and pressed his face further into it.

"Just don't worry about it Tai, I'm fine."

"Matt, don't let it build up inside you. I know how you are, you just let all your feelings keep building up and you'd keep doing that until it killed you if someone didn't make you tell them."

"Tai, I'm telling you, I'll be ok," Matt replied, getting slightly annoyed.

"Matt..."

"What?" he snapped back, thinking Tai was about to begin another round of arguing.

"My feet are cold."

At first Matt just didn't say anything, then he smiled, then he snickered a bit, and before he could do anything to stop himself he was laughing out loud. The sound echoed off the other apartment buildings and bounced back at him.

"What's so funny?"

"You are just too much."

Matt leaned back and began rubbing Tai's feet. The friction between his socks and his skin began to warm him up.

"You don't mind touching my smelly feet?" Tai giggled.

"They are not, your feet are adorable."

"Yours too."

Matt and Tai smirked at each other for a second and soon they were both laughing like crazy.