Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: Everything is going to start coming together soon and, in my opinion anyway, the chapters are going to get more interesting!

My Best Friend's Girlfriend

Chapter 18: Falling Through the Cracks

Tai Kamiya

Tai peeked around the corner of the hallway and let out a sigh when he spotted Matt standing next to his locker. They had made plans to meet there earlier that morning, but the sight of Matt's golden head did not bring a smile to his face. As much as he hated to admit it, he had been secretly hoping that Matt would not show up. It would have given him the perfect excuse to avoid having to explain to his best friend why he had lied about his soccer game. Somehow, after his talk with Mimi, he had managed to avoid seeing Matt for the rest of the day, but now it looked as if his luck had finally run out.

I wonder how Matt will react when he finds out that Mimi's in love with him.

After a brief hesitation, he made his way over to his best friend's side. Matt looked up at the sound of his footsteps and watched him silently. The blond's face was completely expressionless, and his eyes were dark. Tai managed a weak smile and frowned when Matt did not return it.

I thought Mimi said he wanted to repair our friendship. It sure doesn't look like it. None of this is making any sense. If he doesn't want to speak to me, then why did he agree to come to my apartment in the first place?

"Hey, Matt," he said softly, making an effort to start a conversation between them.

Matt crossed his arms and slowly stepped away from the lockers. "Are you ready to go? I've been waiting here for ten minutes!"

Tai flinched and quickly looked away from Matt's cold, blue eyes. "Yes," he mumbled. "I just have to grab the rest of my homework."

He opened the door to his locker and pulled out his math textbook. His hands were trembling, and it took several trys to shove the thing into his backpack. Matt's silence was making him nervous. He could feel the blond's eyes on his back, and the sensation was not exactly a pleasant one.

I wish he would say something. This lack of communication between us is driving me insane. I can almost see the wall Matt has built up around himself. If this keeps up, I'll be begging him to start yelling at me! I'd rather see him throw a temper tantrum than keep his feelings bottled up inside.

"Will you hurry up?" Matt snapped.

Tai quickly shoved the rest of his homework into his backpack and closed his locker door. "Let's go," he said quietly.

They started down the hallway towards the front doors of the school in silence. Tai glanced at Matt out of the corners of his eyes and felt his heart sink. Matt no longer looked like a walking corpse. The blank expression on his face had been replaced with a bitter smile, and his eyes were flashing with anger. He looked like he wanted to hit somebody.

Well, at least he's showing some emotion now. What's it going to take to make him see that he doesn't need to hide things from me? He's my best friend. I would never hurt him, and I would never throw his feelings back in his face.

They stepped out onto the school grounds, and Tai found himself gazing up at a cloudy, grey sky. It matched his mood. "Um...Matt? How come you didn't sit with us at lunch today?" he asked.

They started down the street towards his apartment, and he kept his eyes on the sidewalk. He did not want Matt to see that he was nervous.

Matt shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to look back at the school. "I was in the music room," he said quietly.

Tai looked up at him and frowned. "Were you working on that song you were writing this morning?"

Matt shrugged and did not reply. The anger had faded from his eyes, and once again, he seemed to be lacking a soul. Tai knew it was in there somewhere, but he was afraid the blond had buried it so deep that he might not be able to find it again.

How will he and Sora be able to handle the news about Mimi? Will it bring them closer together or completely tear them apart?

Matt started to fiddle with the silver bracelet on his wrist and turned to stare at a group of kids who were playing in the park next to the sidewalk. They looked like they were having a really good time. It reminded him of the way things used to be between himself and Matt. The blond had never made life easy for him, but things had still been a lot more simple back then than they were now. It seemed the older they got, the more confusing their relationship became. If only there was a way to turn back time and fix all of the mistakes he had made. Maybe then his friendship with Matt would still have a chance to survive.

No! I'm not going to let our friendship crumble into dust! I love Sora, but I love Matt, too, and I'm not going to lose either one of them! I don't know what's going to happen between Mimi and Sora, but I'll do everything I can to protect Matt from the pain that comes with two women loving the same man and two men loving the same woman. I might be in love with Sora, but I'm not going to let her and Matt hurt each other, and if Mimi and Sora even think about breaking off their friendship, they're going to have to deal with me!

"Hey, Matt?"

Matt looked up at him, and he gently wrapped his fingers around the blond's wrist. His hand connected with the silver bracelet on Matt's arm, and it's cool surface began to grow warm against his skin. If only a hug could warm Matt's heart the way a simple touch could warm the surface of a bracelet.

Matt jumped at his sudden gesture of affection, and a soft gasp escaped the blond's lips. Tai smiled at the look on his friend's face and felt a sudden spark of hope in his heart. Matt's eyes were glued to the bracelet, and he seemed unable to look away from it.

Tai gently placed a hand on the blond's shoulder, and Matt finally looked up at him.

"Do you ever take it off?" he whispered.

Matt's cheeks turned pink, and the blond yanked his arm out of Tai's grip.

"Matt-"

"No," Matt whispered, his voice trembling. He covered the bracelet with his hand and pulled his arm against his chest.

Tai raised his eyebrows and studied Matt's face. Why is he acting so weird? I've never seen so much fear in his eyes before. Is he afraid I'll take the bracelet back from him or something?

"Good," he said softly. "I'd be insulted if you did."

Matt blushed and quickly turned his face away. "I think we've stood out here long enough. Let's get inside before it starts to rain."

Tai glanced over his friend's shoulder and was surprised to find that they had reached his apartment already. He had been so absorbed in their conversation that he had not even realized how far they had walked. A large drop of rain landed on his nose, and he gave Matt a sheepish look. "Sorry. I get distracted easily."

A small smile slipped across Matt's face, and the blond rolled his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know! Hurry up. It's getting cold out here."

Tai quickly fished out his key, and they entered the building. They started down the hallway in silence, and by the time they reached his apartment, the rain was falling in a steady rhythm, and they could hear it pounding against the roof of the building.

When they entered the apartment, silence greeted them. Kari was hanging out with the rest of the younger Digidestined, and his parents were visiting with friends. He could not have planned it better if he had tried. He loved his family, but that did not mean he wanted them around when Matt finally decided to ask him about his recent psychotic behaviour.

"Come on. Let's go in the living room. You can help me with my homework. Did you want something to eat?"

"No, I'm fine," Matt said quietly.

Tai motioned for Matt to follow him, and they sat down next to each other on the floor in the living room. He spread his textbooks out in front of him and turned to gaze into Matt's icy, blue eyes.

"If you would do your work in class, you wouldn't have so much homework," Matt pointed out.

Tai set his math textbook aside and placed a hand on the blond's arm. "Matt, why did you want to come over here today?"

The colour drained from Matt's face, and his sapphire eyes darted nervously around the room. "What kind of a question is that?" he snapped. "Am I not allowed to hang out with my best friend anymore?"

"Of course you are," he said softly. "I just didn't think you'd want to hang out with me after what I did to you."

Matt's mouth fell open in surprise, and the blond's eyes widened in shock. Obviously Matt had not been expecting him to admit to the fact that he had lied about his soccer game earlier.

Matt's mouth fell open, but no sound came out.

"Mimi told me all about what had happened between you and Tomo yesterday," Tai said softly.

He hesitated and slowly pulled Matt into his arms.

Matt's eyes began to sparkle with emotion, and his hands started to shake. "Tai..."

Poor Mimi. This must have been the worst day of her life. I hope you don't end up hurting her, Matt. It's not her fault. She didn't mean for any of this to happen. If you want to blame someone, blame me. I'm the one who fell in love with your girlfriend. I'm the one who has ruined everything...

Matt choked back the words he had been trying to say, and sudden tears filled his dark blue eyes. "Tai-"

I'm not going to let him push me away anymore!

He could feel Matt trying to pull away from him, but he held the blond tightly against his chest and closed his eyes. "No, Matt," he whispered. "I don't want to talk about me. I want to talk about Sora..."