18/12/02
Has it really been so long since I last updated this fic? ^^;; To anyone who has been waiting for this to continue; I'm so, so sorry. There's been a culmination of factors that seem to be conspiring to make sure that I just can't write...but can probably be categorised into not enough time and zero inspiration.
I have a stupid amount of work that I'm trying to get done at the moment. I've got a lot of studying and revision to do in preparation for exams I'm going to sit in January, and the learning of the course so I know what the hell I'm meant to be doing. I've also got two major original projects on the go, which eat up a lot of any remaining time. Then I've got a site, which I'm trying to kick into some semblance of order (and considering I know practically zip about html, that isn't so easy). Er, then there's reading/watching anything that I particularly want to read/watch...hey, I need some time to relax! Add into that general tiredness, and the fact that I've just gone down with some winter bug or other...
Oh, and my net connection at home is currently non-operational for some unknown reason. I've borrowed a terminal elsewhere for a moment so that I can update this, as I have no idea when it's going to be fixed.
Um, can you see why I haven't done anything to this in a while? For further details on the lack of inspiration, please see the author's note at the beginning of the second part of LNR(ed.2).
Oh... That reminds me... For anyone who wasn't aware of it, the Yamato's POV companion fic has been started, and has the totally inspired title of 'Late Night Radio (Edition 2)'. ^^;; I'm currently working on producing the third part...which you may want to keep an eye out for because it mentions a rather important piece of information that I've so far neglected to include in this version (this is for a very good reason though ^^).
Bleh. Enough of me talking, I'm sorry to have gone on for so long. Hope you enjoy the latest instalment. ^_^
~
Late Night Radio Pt.4
Conversation over an Early Evening Meal
Taichi emerged from the bathroom a half-hour or so later. He was dressed in a white dressing gown, and was drying his hair with one of the fluffy white towels that appeared to be in abundant supply.
He caught snatches of sound coming from the other room, and followed it to find Yamato sitting on the sofa, remote control in his hand, idly flicking through TV channels. The blonde flashed him a smile when he saw him, and hit the off button.
"Hey Tai, feeling better?"
"Yeah, thanks." he said, moving to sit beside his friend who shifted over a bit to create more room on the sofa. "What were you watching?"
"Huh?"
"The TV. What were you watching?"
"Oh." he shrugged. "Nothing really. Just seeing if there was anything on worth watching whilst I waited for room service to bring our food up." He rolled his eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh.
"There was a problem?"
"Nah, just the usual reaction."
"Right..."
Taichi debated which response to go for; whether to just leave it at that, and pretend that he knew what his friend meant, or to ask for the meaning and actually find out. He decided to opt for the latter option as more productive.
"Er, and what is the usual reaction?"
"Oh!" Yamato exclaimed, and looked a little sheepish. "Sorry, I forgot you wouldn't know. I'm kinda famous y'know-"
"I had noticed." the brunette remarked dryly.
"No need to be sarcastic." the blonde admonished. "Well... It kind of makes doing anything kind of hard at times. Ordering room service for example. It's okay if you get through to the older, or at least more mature, receptionists, but when you get through to the younger, just hired ones..." He groaned, and shook his head despairingly. "Once they find out who I am, they giggle and laugh, and it makes it incredibly hard to get them to do anything after that..."
Taichi laughed gently.
"Poor Yama-chan..."
"Tell me about it." he sighed, burying his face in his friend's shoulder, and making Taichi laugh again as he patted the soft blonde locks.
There was a polite knock at the door just then, and Yamato looked up.
"That's probably out food."
He rose, and was about to walk over to the door when Taichi grabbed hold of his wrist, and he turned to look at the brunette quizzically.
"Tai?"
"Er..." the brunette hesitated, and wondered how to phrase it, and how he possibly have not noticed it until that moment.
"Yeah?"
"Er, you're not changed?"
And he wasn't. Yamato was still dressed only in a fluffy white towel, with a second about his shoulders from drying his still slightly damp hair. The blonde grinned.
"So?"
"Er, so you want to put on some clothes before you open the door?"
"Why bother? It's not like I'm totally indecent or anything."
"I guess..." he muttered reluctantly.
"Besides," Yamato added with a wink as he headed for the door. "I think the maid would be kind of disappointed if I opened the door fully-dressed, don't you?"
Taichi made no reply, but found himself moving automatically out of the line of sight of anyone who stood in the doorway to this suite of rooms. And at the same time he felt an irrational of...what? Jealousy? Jealousy that anyone else should see Yamato dressed as he currently was... But why? Why would he feel that way? It didn't seem to make any sense...
He felt another wave of the possibly jealousy as he heard the blonde laugh at something the unseen maid said. Maybe he felt that way because... Because he and Yamato had only just gotten back in touch after five years apart, and he didn't want anyone interrupting their time together as they had such a lot to catch up on. Yeah... That was it...
There was the faint sound of a pen being used, and the brunette heard the rather audible squeal of delight from the maid from where he stood. His friend laughed again, and there was the sound of a trolley being wheeled further into the room, and then that of the door closing. As Yamato moved back into Taichi's line of vision, pushing the trolley in front of him, the brunette blinked, and stared at the amount of food that the trolley contained.
"Er, Matt?"
"Uh-huh?" the blonde replied, manoeuvring the trolley closer to the table.
"What did you do, clear out the entire kitchen or something?"
"Nah, I'm sure that they have plenty more where this came from!" he laughed, beginning to unload the dishes onto the tabletop. "Hey, don't stand on ceremony, come, sit." He pointed to a chair.
"All this is just for us?" the brunette asked as he obeyed his friend's command, looking about as if expecting the rest of the band to leap out from behind a sofa at any moment.
"Yeah!" Yamato settled into his seat and grabbed a fork, indicating that Taichi should do the same.
"Exactly how hungry are you?"
"I just couldn't decide..."
"What? How hungry you were?"
"No! What to get. So I just ordered a bit of everything. Well, almost everything. They have a lot of choice here."
"No kidding." the brunette replied, eyeing the mass of dished that covered the table before him. The aroma's that rose from them were mouth-watering, and he was having great difficulty trying to decide which one to try first.
"Just dig in." Yamato mumbled around a mouthful of food as Taichi still hesitated. He swallowed. "Or can't you see anything that you like?"
"It's not that..."
"Then what?"
The brunette gave an exaggerated sigh, and pulled a face.
"You've ordered so much, I don't know what to try first!"
The blonde laughed.
"Why don't you just shut your eyes and pick one at random then? They're all good... But then again that may just be my taste."
"What?" he blinked in surprise. "You mean to say that you've tried all of these before?"
"Uh-huh."
"Stay here a lot do you?"
"A few times. You should count yourself lucky."
"Why?"
"Well, if I hadn't, then I really would have had to order a bit of everything they have to offer. This is just a selection of the best I've personally tried."
The brunette eyed the mound of food in front of him again, and began to count.
"You either stay here a lot more than you admit to, or you eat way more than you look like you do." he remarked, indicating his friend's slim frame. His stomach gave a growl then, reminding him how long it had been since he had last eaten anything...but he still had no idea where to start. Sighing, he took Yamato's advice and closing his eyes, he speared something at random. Opening his eyes again, he stared at the morsel on the end of his fork, but only for a moment before he shrugged and popped it in his mouth. It was really rather good.
He began to sample at random then, and decided that he approved in his friend's taste in food. It was only once the worst of his hunger was allayed that he realised what bad company he was being, and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry Matt."
The blonde looked up in surprise.
"Whatever for?"
"I haven't exactly been much good at making conversation have I..."
"Don't worry about it! I was kinda hungry too, in case you hadn't noticed." He indicated the plates closest to him, and Taichi realised that they were empty. They began to eat at a more leisurely pace, resuming conversation, and every now and then Yamato pointing out a particular dish that he felt the brunette ought to try.
"So..." the brunette began. "Why are you still dressed in a towel? You had plenty of time to change..."
"Well..." he said with a seductive purr and a graceful sweep of his long eyelashes. "It was so that you could compliment me on my butt, obviously."
"What?!" Taichi exclaimed...or at least tried to, for half way through he choked on what he was eating.
"Hey..." Yamato leapt to his feet, a concerned look on his face as he proceed to thump the brunette on the back until he coughed up the offending piece of food. "Sorry Tai, I meant it as a joke you know..."
"That's...okay..." he gasped, trying to get his breath back. "I'm...fine... Really." he added as the blonde returned to his place, still looking worried.
"You sure?"
"Uh-huh. So..."
"Yeah?"
"If that was a joke, then what was the real answer?"
"But you already know it!"
"I do?"
"Yeah. I already told you. Room service... The receptionist... Remember? No, I see you don't." he smiled when he looked at Taichi's blank expression. "Young receptionist? Well, she spent so long giggling that once I'd ordered our meal, there simply wasn't time to get changed before you emerged."
"It took you half an hour?"
"About that, yeah."
"Yeeash."
"Tell me about it. So what movie do you want to go see?"
"Uh... What's on?"
"Er..." Yamato rubbed at the back of his neck and grimaced. "You know what? I have absolutely no idea."
"Me neither." Taichi admitted. "So we're just going to have to decide once we get to the cinema!"
"Fair enough."
"You do know where to nearest cinema is don't you?"
"Oh very funny."
"No, seriously! I don't even know where I am currently, so I'm not going to be able to direct us, now am I?"
"You don't know where we are?"
"I fell asleep in the limo, didn't I?"
"So?"
"So I didn't see where we ended up-"
"True."
"-I don't know where we are at all, I don't know which this hotel is..." The brunette continued talking as if he hadn't heard the blonde's interruption. "I don't know what floor we're on, I don't know what the room number is... Hey..." he paused, and thought for a moment. "How did I get up here then?"
Yamato shrugged.
"I carried you."
"You?!"
"No need to sound like that." the blonde remarked mildly, appearing to be carefully studying the spring roll he was holding. The brunette coloured a little, and mumbled an apology, which Yamato accepted with a slight inclination of he head.
"Sorry, it's just that..."
"I don't seem strong enough?"
"No! Not that... Uh... Well, maybe? You are kind of slightly built..."
"Oh?" The blonde looked surprised at that comment.
Taichi, in return, looked confused at the query.
"What?" he asked, not understanding what his friend was so surprised at.
"Uh, never mind." He gave a small headshake to dismiss the matter when the brunette opened his mouth as if to question him further. "Or maybe you're just lighter than you think you are?"
"I don't know about that..."
"Why not?"
"What, with the amount of junk food that I eat?"
"And how much would that be?"
"A lot."
"Ooh, precise."
"Well, I don't know, do I? I've never really bothered to keep count of exactly how many times I've eaten junk food over then twenty-three years of my life so far... What would have been the point in doing that?"
"If you eat so much as to not have the slightest clue..." Yamato rolled his eyes in mock despair. "Then I'd estimate a ton or so."
"That sounds about right."
"Although if your math skills are as lousy as they were in high-school..." he sniggered. "Then the value could actually be a whole lot different."
"Oh, very funny." Taichi sighed, pretending to look hurt.
"Gomen. I just couldn't resist."
"I betcha."
"Although..." the blonde said, giving his friend a critical look that made the brunette feel more than a little self-conscious, and strangely hot considering his current attire. Or rather the lack of it. "It doesn't show at all. Either you have an incredibly efficient metabolism, or you work out a lot."
"An incredibly efficient metabo-what?"
"Metabolism."
"What's that when it's at home."
"It's...er..." He waved a hand abstractly through the air. "You know... Thingy."
"You're no good at doing precise descriptions either!"
"Did I ever claim to be?"
"Did I?"
"Well metabolism is..." he continued, ignoring his friend's rejoinder. "It's a... A biology term, right?"
"Don't ask me!"
"Biology... Yeah, that sounds about right..."
Taichi sniggered, and Yamato gave him a questioning look.
"Do I even want to know?" the blonde asked.
"It's nothing bad!" he protested, and his friend laughed.
"Yeah right."
"No, seriously. What? Do you think that my mind is entirely full of smut or something?"
"Do you really want me to answer that one?"
"On second thought, no, I don't."
"Well, in that case, my answer is-"
"Lalalalaaaaa..." the brunette said loudly, and not particularly tunefully, jamming his hands over his ears, and staring up at the ceiling. The blonde just laughed at him as he continued like that for a while longer before cautiously stopping, and moving his hands away from his ears, and lowering his gaze back down so that he could see his friend's face.
"You stopped?
"I guess so, seeing as you seemed to dislike that idea so much."
"Good."
"If it wasn't smut, then what was it?"
"Well, you know, biology..."
"I knew it!" he crowed. "Smut!"
"No!" he retorted hotly. "Not exactly! And even if it was, which by the way it wasn't, then you're just as bad as me!" He knew perfectly well that he was fighting a losing battle, and that the points he was making were actually going against him, but he was damned if he was going to give up that easily.
"And how do you come to that conclusion?"
"You were in the same class as me."
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"You sat at the back of the class, same as me, and sniggered, and didn't pay a lot of attention, just like me!"
"So? That was then, this is now. I grew out of that stage, whereas you obviously didn't." he smirked.
"Well..." the brunette was temporarily unable to think of a snappy rejoinder and so settled for sticking his tongue out at the blonde.
"Oh yeah, Tai-chan, that is so going to convince me that you've matured."
"Huh."
"It's true!"
"Do you have to be so annoying?"
"Is it my fault that I'm right?"
"Yes!"
"Wrong again! You stop talking bullshit, and I'll stop correcting you."
"When do I ever talk bullshit?"
"All the time."
"I do not!"
"Whatever..."
"Could you be any less convincing?"
"I could try if you like."
"No thanks, if it's all the same to you."
"How did I guess you'd say that?"
"Because you're always right." he muttered sarcastically, but Yamato heard him anyway, and grinned broadly.
"You said it."
"No I didn't! It's not true! I don't believe that at all!"
"Too late, you've said it now, so you can't take it back!"
"Yes I can!"
"No you can't!"
"Says who?"
"Me. And according to you, I'm always right. So there."
"Dear God, what have I started..."
The blonde grinned again, and opened his mouth, but the brunette interrupted before he could speak.
"No, don't say it!"
"Say what?"
"That you're God, and you know exactly what I've started, and that I can't dispute your word, because you're always right!"
"Actually, I wasn't going to say that, but thanks for the idea."
"Nooo..." he moaned, and buried his face in his hands.
"All right, all right... I'll quit teasing you."
"You promise?"
"For now at least."
"How long does 'now' last?"
"Technically? An instant. But in my case as long it takes for me to get bored of it...or until you provide me with something to tease you about again."
"Not long then."
"Possibly not."
"Great."
"Anyway, what's your favourite colour?"
"Huh?"
"It was a simple question, even you should be able to answer it."
"You're teasing me again!"
"Oops."
"So in your case, 'now' was more or less an instant."
"Reckon it must have been at least two seconds."
"Oh the extraordinary length of time. Anyway, thank you so much, I knew exactly what you were asking, for your information, it was just... Where the hell did that question come from?"
"From my brain, via nerve impulses, my vocal chords, and then out of my mouth."
"Oh very funny."
"I thought so."
"I didn't."
"You just don't appreciate me... And there was a point in asking."
"I can't see it."
"You're just blind then. I was asking because if I'm going to be finding you something to wear, it may as well be in a colour that you like, though whether that colour will suit you is another-"
"You have so much confidence in my taste in things, don't you? It's blue."
"A good choice."
"No need to sound so surprised."
"I didn't!"
"No, you didn't..." the brunette said, feeling a little confused.
"All I said was that it was a good colour for you! I mean, it suits your complexion, and works to bring out your eye colour and..." he trailed off, having noticed the odd look Taichi was giving him. "What?"
"Uh, nothing."
"Hmm..."
There was moment of silence.
"You want me to go pick you out something now?" Yamato asked.
"What?" the brunette looked down at the table and was startled to see that every dish was empty except for the faint remains of various sauces. "Hey... Where did all the food go to?"
"You can't still be hungry!"
"I'm not! But we can't have eaten all that, can we?"
"Well, we did."
"Wow."
"Clothes, you want me to go find you some?" the blonde prompted.
"Sure."
Taichi smirked.
"What now?"
"Smut."
"I shouldn't have asked..." Yamato groaned.
"It's not that bad. I was just thinking that it was a good job that this room isn't bugged. Just think of what conclusions people would jump to..."
"What conclusions would they be?" the blonde asked innocently.
"Well, you know... Two guys alone in a hotel room and one of them starts talking about finding the other some clothes to wear..."
"Your point?" Taichi thought that he heard a touch of hostility in the blonde's voice, but looking at his friend's face he could see nothing there but polite interest, an so decided that he must have just imagined it.
"The press would have a field day with it! Can you imagine the headlines? 'Shock horror! Yamato Ishida of the Teenage Wolves caught in hotel room with naked brunette!'"
"Bit long for a headline isn't it?" the blonde asked, now smiling.
"Well... It was only an example wasn't it? They'd have professionals who would be able to do a much better job than me."
"And you're not exactly naked, are you?" he pointed out. "You're wearing a dressing-gown after all."
"Tabloids..." Taichi waved a hand dismissively. "That wouldn't be a problem for them. They're never really too bothered with the truth, are they? And a dressing-gown is not exactly counted as...adequate clothing, is it now?"
"I guess not... So I'd better go get you those clothes! Blue is okay, right?"
"Sure."
Yamato nodded, and rose to his feet. The brunette looked at the table for a moment, and then up at his friend.
"What about all this stuff?"
"What about it?" the blonde shrugged.
"Do we clear it up or what?"
"Nah, we just leave it where it is."
"Bit messy isn't it?"
"It's not for long baka! Jeez Tai, don't you know anything?"
"Again with the teasing."
"It's quite simple, all I do is stop by reception on our way out, and then they'll send someone up to deal with this lot."
"Oh."
"Right." he said, walking quickly to the bedroom door. "Clothes. Or we're never going to get to see this movie if we carry on at this rate." He gave the brunette a wink. "See you in a minute...or however long it takes to find something suitable..."
He vanished from sight then, closing the door quietly behind him, and leaving Taichi for a few minutes to reflect on everything that had been said...
To Be Continued...
~
Hmm... Not sure how good that was...
Could I trouble you for a review, to try and kick my muses back into action? I'd be very grateful...