I don't own the characters. Plot's mine, though (as far as this fic's concerned XP)

Tariki Rania: I never said it was :X notice I said Yamato and Taichi kept their marriage secret. Same goes for Mimi and Sora, and Koushiro and Jyou, as well as their kids. They don't show around, and Ken's kind of the different one in the bunch, as seen in the kiss on the cheek at the end of last chappie. It's not that this world is necessarily tolerant of homosexual and lesbian relationships… I just keep my charas with their heads above the water, and not tell you too much (yet) about difficulties they might have due to their sexuality :) btw, whatever you'll read in the chappie was written before I sat down to answer reviews XP coincidence wanted and you asked about the same thing.

Whoa, long review reply XD next!

Sapphire Luna: come on, since when are my fics that shallow? XD this was only the sixth published chappie :}

Goro-Goro: Daisuke and Ken ARE the main couple in here, but only because Daisuke's THE main chara. Notice that up until the last chappie we've only seen Ken at the soccer game whereas we met Miyako at the second chappie and she and Daisuke got along right off the start. 'Sides, my fic, my call XP no farther comments.

Star: steals your anime while you're fluffing :D

Love = Headache

"That was fun"

Was the first thing said between the two boys once they left the movies. Without a doubt, the second half of the movie was the more enjoyable one, yet not because of the plot or the humor.

"I guess so…"

"Hey, wanna go grab a bite to eat?"

"Um…"

Truth was, he was starving. Anxiety, nervousness and excitement built all through the day and on into the evening, plus the physical effort coming from trying to keep from being molested in the middle of the cinema sure made the boy's already healthy appetite wake up.

"Sure, why not."

It was 10 o'clock when Motomiya Daisuke and Ichijouji Ken headed off for some eating after the movie. The situation had improved greatly after the break, and the two enjoyed a comfy cuddle until just before the lights came on.

'He's not that bad if he keeps his hands to himself… or at least in none strategic areas…'

Daisuke thought, not really minding it when Ken took his hand in his own.

"Where to, then?"

"Anywhere edible will do."

Both blinked at his comment, and the brunette was fast to laugh it off.

"Let's get going and see where we'll get."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Ken said, smiling in a way Daisuke was slowly getting used to. It was a smile which made him feel comfortable even in the middle of the crowded theater hall, letting him know Ken paid attention to no one but him. It made him feel appreciated, wanted… loved… a blush crept to his face as he thought about how… intimate… the smile looked to him… and he looked away as they made their way in search of a meal.

They ended up sitting in a not so secluded food court with burgers and fries in front of them, chatting idly between bites. However, there were only so many jokes Daisuke could pull without feeling too stupid, and the conversation soon passed to more serious issues… personal issues. It might've been not that bad, really… had he been the one to start it.

"I… bet you're wondering why I asked you out."

Ken said after one of the less comfortable silences, one which made Daisuke go off to fetch seconds. It wasn't so much his hunger (though he was still hungry) as his hatred towards such silences.

Daisuke paused for a moment before unwrapping his meal.

"Yeah… the thought… has crossed my mind…"

Ken smiled in a rather sad way, looking at the empty tray in front of him.

"I… because of the game we played, really."

Daisuke nodded, munching on a few French fries. Knowing himself, it was better to keep his mouth filled when the person he was speaking to became half as serious as Ken was.

"Before the game… I heard rumors about you… Odaiba's fiery captain…"

"They call me fiery?!"

He cheered, quickly covering his mouth with his hands to keep anything from falling out. Ken gave half a chuckle and continued.

"At first I thought they were overestimating you, trying to get me excited about the game. Up until now I hardly had any interest in playing… the only reason I play at all is to please my parents…"

An image of Taichi and Yamato came to Daisuke's mind, both of them smiling at him and cheering him on, though he knew they did so for his sake alone. Even if he hadn't had anything else to stand for it, Taichi pretty much kept Daisuke away from soccer until the boy discovered it on his own so that the man won't let his own obsession take over his parental instincts. If that wasn't placing his needs before theirs, he didn't know what was.

That's why he calmed down quite a bit and said nothing stupid even with his mouth empty. That, and the almost non-existent pause in Ken's speech. Almost.

"… I thought my teammates were just scared from playing against you… you hadn't lost at all this season, and I haven't played in games in past years, so the situation then was similar (A/U XP) … so it made sense that they were trying to get me motivated about this game."

Daisuke knew not why. From his experiences with the other boy, Ken had been motivated more than enough… so much that even when he was calm enough to ask Daisuke out, he seemed like a completely different person to the brunette.

"But when I saw you on the field, I just knew. You weren't fiery…"

"Hey…"

"You were burning hotter than the sun."

With a slight blush, Daisuke occupied his mouth with food again, his previous wondering answered without being voiced.

"You were the first one to not get scared and just give up when I started playing. You actually tried to fight me…"

His voice became lower, and somewhat hoarse.

"I must say I found that… really…"

His hands crept towards the middle of the table where they took hold of Daisuke's.

"…exciting."

Daisuke swallowed his food with a gulp, not so much of the contact and the say, but of the look in Ken's eyes.

It was a hungry look, and dangerous at that. He lowered his gaze and tried to calm himself, though he couldn't, not while being stared at like a piece of meat.

"That, that was because…"

An image of a smiling purplette rose before his eyes, and suddenly he felt better… confident… such a familiar feeling his head began to hurt, almost as though she had pounded him.

"…because Miya-kun was there."

Almost instantly the hold on his hands was released, making Daisuke look up to see Ken avoiding his gaze.

"Miya-kun… is that girl, huh?"

And at the tone of his voice, all Daisuke could think about was how Ken changed again, right in front of his eyes.

"Yeah. That's her. That's Miyako."

"What is she to you?"

The jealousy was painfully heard, even though Daisuke knew not where it came from. After all, they were just…

"We're just friends."

"Just?"

He hesitated a minute before correcting himself.

"Best friends."

Ken winced lightly.

"Gimme a break, we grew up together. What was I supposed to do, see her as a stranger since I was five?"

He asked, getting pissed off. However, Ken didn't seem affected. If anything, it had the opposite affect. The godsend seemed to drown more in his own world.

"It must be nice… having friends like that."

Daisuke's eyes widened as there was little to Ken's voice… but incredible pain. He felt compiled to reply.

"Yeah… it is."

"You're so lucky… having friends who accept you and smile and laugh with you…"

Ken having let his eyes show, Daisuke saw in them nothing more than he heard in the boy's voice. He bit his lip, regretting having gotten upset.

"Even my parents only accept me thanks to what I do, not who I am…"

Another moment of silence passed by, and Daisuke was just about to break it by asking… well, anything, when Ken shook his head and looked up with a slight smile, rubbing his eyes. It was obvious he was crying, and Daisuke found himself gawking.

"I, Ichijouji…"

Ken chuckled bitterly before wiping his nose with a handkerchief.

"Come on, Daisuke-kun, we're bloody dating. Call me Ken."

"Ken… Kun…"

"Yes, Dai-kun?"

An unexplained blush rose to tanned cheeks, and the gaze was once again diverted at his now half empty tray.

"No, nothing."

Ken giggled, showing more of his rather feminine side. Daisuke minded not, deeming it 'cute'.

"I'm sorry, I ruined the mood."

He said, passing his hand through his hair. 'Cute' became 'rather beautiful' as the blush deepened.

"No, it, it's ok… I… I feel like I learned a lot about you."

Ken couldn't help but stare, but for Daisuke, it was an improvement. His companion seemed, for probably the first time since they met… human.

"Then… will it be too much for me… to ask Dai-kun… about himself?"

Daisuke grinned, flattered by the sudden attention, and overjoyed by the look in Ken's eyes. He certainly preferred the soft curiosity over the hunger he saw earlier… he tried to suppress a shiver at that thought.

"What would you like to know?!"

After a moment of thought, in which Daisuke deemed Ken more 'cute', the bluette asked away.

"You're adopted, right?"

"Yep."

"But from what I hear, neither your parents have the same last name."

A brown eyebrow was raised.

"Exactly how much did you research about me?"

Ken wouldn't meet his look, and Daisuke sighed, but in a rather amused way.

"My dads…"

From the lack of reaction, Daisuke figured Ken research enough to know about that, too.

"Even I'm not too sure about them. I mean, legally, they're married, but don't tell anyone!"

He hurried to say, and the other nodded.

"Even so, they each kept their own last names. Tai-tou-san once said it's to not make the public suspicious about their relationship, with Yama-tou-san's publicity and all.

That didn't come up at first, though. Yama-tou-san wanted me to have Tai-tou-san's last name, because he's the one who actually did the raising…"

"The mother in the house."

"Something like that, but don't let him catch me agree on that. Or you saying that, for the matter."

Daisuke scratched the back of his head and both laughed, the atmosphere once again bearable.

"But Tai-tou-san refused, saying I was just as much Yama-tou-san's son as I was his… so they just named me in a way that neither will feel left out."

"Because both really are."

"Something like that."

They laughed again.

"That's nice… sounds like you have considerate fathers."

"You bet!"

He chirped, oval blushes on both cheeks. Ken couldn't even get depressed over his own parents, he was too busy adoring the cute scene before him.

"Where're the neko ears?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

"Next question then!"

"Ok…"

At Ken's blush, Daisuke tiled his head and blinked.

"I… I told you my reason for asking you out. What's your excuse for accepting?"

Taking a deep breath, Daisuke crossed his arms and took his time to think about it. Why –had- he gone out with Ken?

"Because everyone wanted me to."

'Shock' wasn't beginning to describe Ken's feeling.

"Because… Everyone…"

"Yeah. For one you were the guy who fouled Miya-Kun. I down right hated you…"

From the look on Ken's face, it was clear the conversation wasn't headed in the direction he hoped it would.

"…but everyone told me it was too good a chance to pass… and you seemed sincere enough about your apology, she'd have killed me had I not have agreed to come! But you know something?"

Ken was already prepared to leave when Daisuke made him the happiest man on Earth.

"I'm glad I came! I'm having a really great time with Ken-kun!"

Seeing the grin on his companion's face, Ken sat still, absolutely flushed.

"Are you ok? You're all red in the face."

"No, I'm fine, I… I enjoy this very much as well."

"See?! Now aren't we both happy she forced me to come."

Pouting a bit, Ken continued with his inquiry.

"You really hold Miyako-san dear to you, don't you?"

"Like I said, she's my bestest of friends."

"So you've said. When did you meet her? 5 years old?"

Remembering all too well, Daisuke rubbed the very spot where she first bonked him.

"Yep."

"Long time."

"Yeah, I know. I can't believe we're still actually talking to each other."

Daisuke chuckled as though from an inside joke, making Ken feel a bit left out… and more jealous than before.

"It only makes sense, if you're really as close as you say you are."

"Yeah, we are. We come to each other about everything."

He said, not once thinking anything he would say might by the wrong thing to say.

"Everything… will you go to her… about our date?"

Daisuke blinked, the question seeming rather idiotic to him.

"Duh. Why shouldn't I? If it was bad, she'd have comforted me. If it's as good as it is, she'd be happy for me."

Ken couldn't help but stare.

"Isn't that a bit selfish of you? Oh, no offense…"

Daisuke chuckled.

"None taken. But it sure shows you don't have many friends. It might seem selfish of me and selfless of her, but I'm just calling in the debt she owes me from when she had to talk to someone about something and she came to me. That's the point about real friends, you can give 'em all you've got, because you'll definitely get it back!"

All through the small monologue, Ken kept on studying Daisuke, mesmerized by the passionate way in which he talked, by the fire in his eyes, and the smile on his lips. He made up his mind to one day have Daisuke speak about him in a similar manner.

Once Daisuke was over, there was a pause which ended with the other going "wow". Daisuke blinked, blushed, and stared at his lap.

"I… I'm saying weird things, aren't I?"

"Not at all. I'm just jealous. You have someone who's so great for you."

"She is… so much that I can't imagine my life without her."

With each word, Ken's decision became more firm.

"I do know one thing, though!"

"Which is?"

Leaning forward dramatically, Daisuke got Ken to do the same.

"It'd be really, -really- boring!"

He grinned again, but Ken didn't give him the reaction he expected, causing Daisuke to blink.

"What if… you had someone to replace her?"

"Huh? Replace… Miya-kun?"

He repeated, not understanding the question. Rather, not wanting to.

"What if… you had someone to support you like that? Someone who'd make sure life won't be boring? Someone who could support you… without ever looking for anything in return?"

"Ke, Ken?"

Truth was, when Ken stood up next to him and pulled him up to his feet, saying the weirdest things he had ever heard, Daisuke was worried, but a part of him also felt excited.

'Is this… how Ken felt?'

"What if…"

Pale hands rested on pale cheeks, bringing brown eyes to gaze into indigo ones.

"You found someone…"

"Ken…"

"Who loved you…"

Brown eyes widened as the taller boy began leaning forward.

"…more than she does?"

Knowing not what to do, all Daisuke could do was take a deep breath… and close his eyes.

-

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-To be Continued-

A/N: Hm… Did they Kiss? –I- sure don't know :D is evil :D