Disclaimer: Once again I don't own the digimon characters. The bandmates I do own, once I figure out if I want to do anything with them.

AN: Oh my teh foofles. You wouldn't believe how fast I got this chapter written. I must have had a demon possessing me because I've never gotten an update out this fast. I didn't even start working on this chapter until last Saturday. Not only did I do this fic, but I'm halfway through another chapter on another fic. Anyways, I hope it meets with everyone's approval. There's a scene in here at the end of the fic that is definitely mature in content and I haven't written anything above kissing in years.

On a side note, please don't expect the next chapter before next month, the next two weeks of my life will be as hectic as usual working on my two other fics and my online HP school.

Warnings: This chapter is definitely rated M for mature content. There be graphic scenes below kiddies, so read with caution. There is not actual sex in the story (yet), however this scene was cutting it a little bit close. The muses told me to though, which is a first because I didn't think I had any. So, to make a long story short, HERE THERE BE LIME.

Chapter Four:

Matt and Kai walked over to the general area that they thought Tai would be at while the others loaded the van back up.

"So, you like him?" Kai asked quietly, noticing how for the rest of the meeting Matt seemed to have his mind elsewhere.

Matt shrugged. "He's okay I guess. Definitely a bit different than what I'm used to."

"So why don't you go for it? You never know, he might be interested. He seems to be the open minded kind of person," Kai waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, he's certainly the open minded kind of person," Matt said with a small smile, "But I don't want to get involved in anything when I'm not planning on sticking around for too long."

Kai shrugged. "So, who ever said you had to stick around? He looks like a nice piece of ass. You don't have to actually be involved with everyone you sleep with."

"And when was the last time I actually slept with someone, even if I was dating them?" Matt asked turning his head to look at Kai.

"Okay, good point. You've got to get over your past some time, Matt. It doesn't make any sense to dwell over little things like that. So a few comments were made about you years ago, even if they were true, which they weren't, it doesn't mean that your life needs to revolve around them," Kai said logically.

Matt just shrugged. "Drop it. I'm not looking for a quick fuck, or a one night stand. Even if I were, my brother is dating his sister. I'm not gonna screw that up for them either. It's not important."

Kai decided to keep his mouth shut, especially since he had just spotted a large group of people in the center of the park, surrounding a ramada.

Matt had also noticed the rather large crowd. He of course easily managed to spot his brother, due to his blond hair, and he recognized Mimi and Sora. There were some people there who he didn't recognize, but he didn't find that surprising since he didn't know many people.

He noticed that most of them were looking up at the roof of the ramada, so he let his gaze travel up to see what everyone was looking at.

Somehow, he wasn't surprised in the least when he saw Tai on the roof of the ramada doing a handstand. Normally, it wouldn't be so dangerous, but the roof was a slanted roof, not a flat roof. He also realized that since it wasn't but one story high, that it wasn't nearly as dangerous as it could have been. Still, if Tai fell and fell wrong, he would probably bruise himself or break something.

He continued on his way, noticing that Kai had a puzzled expression on his face, but ignored it for now.

Mimi and Kari and a couple of other people were yelling at Tai that he was being stupid and to come down, while others (and Matt had spotted Sora) were egging him on to walk across the roof on his hands, instead of just standing in place.

He stopped next to Mimi, who was so intent on watching Tai that she didn't even notice his presence until he cleared his throat, which seemed to startle her.

"What's Tai doing up there?" He asked, sounding casual.

"Oh Sora dared him to do something stupid again, and Tai being Tai just couldn't back down," Mimi said in exasperation.

Matt nodded, before looking up. Tai looked like he was getting ready to actually listen to the bone heads who were telling him to take the dare farther.

"Hey Tai!" he called out, getting the attention of not just Tai, but everyone else. "It's time to go. Everyone's waiting in the van!"

To the surprise of many people, Matt included, Tai obediently put his feet back down onto the top of the ramada, ending his handstand. Climbing down the side of the ramada he slid down one of the posts until his feet hit the ground. Turning to the crowd he gave them a cheeky grin and a wave. "Sorry people! My other public calls!"

A couple people in the crowd were making rude comments, calling him a chicken and such, and Matt could see Tai getting a bit riled up. So he calmly stepped in (with Kai right behind him) and grabbed Tai's arm pulling him away.

"Matt," Tai hissed, "I can't just leave like this. They're saying shit about me."

"Doesn't matter," Matt said. "You promised you'd come with us for now. Not giving into their stupidity won't damage your ego that badly."

Tai just pouted and allowed himself to be led away, while Kai was getting Tai's stuff from a surprised Mimi.

They got in the van and with Tai giving directions, there was no problem finding the restaurant. They ordered food and talked for a while about nothing in particular. Matt was sitting next to Tai, which he would have avoided had Kai not practically pushed the other boy in his lap.

He was also sitting directly opposite of his ex, which was multiplying his discomfort by ten. So, he was unusually quiet for the course of the meal, choosing to put in a word here or there to show that he was paying attention.

Almost two hours later he was more than ready to call it a day. He liked sitting next to Tai, but he didn't like being forced to. He also didn't appreciate his friend going against his wishes, but that was something he could bring up to him in private at a later time.

Luckily, or unluckily as it might have been, Tai's phone rang, interrupting the conversation. After a minute of listening he stood up and grabbed Matt by the arm pulling him up.

"Sorry guys, we gotta go. My dad got back early and we need to go provide an alibi for the siblings. Any way you can swing us back by Matt's place very, very quickly? Like, speed of light quickly?" Tai looked at the group almost pleadingly, trying not to bounce with his nervous energy.

"Why don't I just go back?" Matt asked looking at Tai, as Kai took the keys from Hideki.

"Can't do that my man, if my dad finds out I'm not studying then I'll be in deep shit. I told you he can be a pain."

"Tai, but you've already finished your work. Your sister says you do it every Friday or something. You can't possibly have anything to study! You get like the best grades in the class."

Tai shrugged. "Hey, I know that. You know that. I think the whole world might know that nothing beats my fantastic skills. However, my father doesn't give a shit. So we gotta go, before I don't see the outside of a closet for a week." He grinned while making that statement, but Matt thought he could see a little pleading in Tai's eyes.

He guessed Kai had picked up on it too, because he left their portion of the bill with the other three and started ushering them out of the restaurant.

They made it back to the apartment in what Matt thought had to be record time, and ran up the stairs. Kai had just let them out of the van, saying that he would call Matt later to finish setting up a brief practice schedule and to finalize plans.

They got inside, and saw Kari and TK pacing around the living room, obviously waiting for them to get there. When they saw them both, they broke out into large grins and collapsed on the couch.

"So, exactly what happened," Tai asked, out of breath even though he hadn't done any running.

"Well, dad called my cell phone out of nowhere. Luckily when he asked where you were we gave Jyou the phone and he pretended to be Matt, saying that you were in the restroom. He said he was going to come to the apartment and if we weren't all here that we'd be in trouble." She looked up at Tai carefully. "He said that you would be in big trouble."

Tai shrugged, "It's not anything new."

Kari grimaced and continued, "So Jyou rushed us here in his car, he even broke the speed limit, and we had already called you. We only got here five minutes ago ourselves."

Tai nodded and took control of the situation. "All right then, TK and Kari, go get some stuff for your project and act like you're working on it, out here please, and Matt, could you go grab your books too? Since I don't have mine, I'll tell my dad that I was helping you get caught up since you're new and in doing so, going over the information again to make sure I know it all."

Matt nodded and went to follow Tai's directions, even though he had no idea what the big deal was, or what was going on. Apparently it was a big deal though, and it wasn't the first time that something like this, or similar to this had happened. He also couldn't shake the image of how upset Kari had looked when she said that Tai would be in big trouble.

Even not being completely aware of the situation, he didn't like the look of dismay that she had held.

So he obediently followed Tai's instructions, bringing out his books as well as his writing notebook. He had already finished his homework, so he sat there working on his writing, while they waited for Tai's father.

They spent about ten tense minutes in silence. TK and Kari were shooting nervous glances at each other and Tai was looking at the door in minute intervals. All this made it impossible for Matt to concentrate on his song, so he put the notebook under the table. He really needed to figure out what was going on soon or he was going to go crazy.

There was a loud knock on the door, which caused them all to jump a bit. TK hurried to answer the door, while everyone else was waiting with an air of expectation.

The first thing that Matt noticed about Tai's dad when he walked in was that Tai didn't look very much like him. Tai's hair was lighter, his skin darker and his general appearance seemed more outgoing. Matt could tell with just one look that Tai's father was a strict person, and even worse, a person who was used to always getting his way.

However, he stood, and was about to make an attempt to be a good host, when Tai's father started quizzing them.

"I called here almost 10 times before I called your cell phone Kari. Why didn't anyone answer?"

Oops. They hadn't thought about that aspect of things. Matt could clearly see everyone getting a little panicky and he thought quickly. "Thank you for reminding me, Mr. Yagami." Matt hurried over to the phone and made a small display of fiddling with it. "I had turned the ringer off on the phone because there were a lot of girls from school who kept calling me and it was distracted us from getting any work accomplished." Matt saw Tai's expression lighten in obvious relief.

Tai's father did not look very convinced, but let the question drop. He started asking Matt a series of question, not all of which Matt answered honestly. He had a feeling that if Tai's father found out about his real hobbies, Tai wouldn't be allowed to hang out with him any more.

After a twenty minute question session and showing Tai's father what they had been studying, he seemed to be appeased. However, he told Kari and Tai to hurry and get ready to leave, because they had things that they needed to take care of at home.

So TK and Matt said goodbye to them and closed the door. The experience on the whole left Matt as confused as ever, but he wasn't quite ready to pry further into the whole situation. That didn't mean that he wouldn't ask eventually, but he would mind his own business, for now.

The next week passed quickly for Matt. It had been a while since he had a lot of stuff to accomplish and a very short time to do it in. His days were filled with school, work, homework and band related activities. Often he wouldn't get home from work or practice until late, and then head directly to bed. He spent his lunch hour doing as much of his homework as he could, since he was running out of time during the night to do it.

One thing became very apparent to him that week. There was no way he would be able to continue in the band if he was going to be busy like this all the time. He barely managed in six to eight hours of sleep a night, which for him was a crime. He enjoyed sleeping long hours, as they relaxed him. The less sleep he got, the more he felt depressed (even though he wasn't a depressed person, it was just his body's way of telling him to knock it off), and all around moody and full of angst.

That was probably the reason that he didn't really notice anything going on around him until Friday, the day before his concert. Since it was Friday he wouldn't have to do his homework during lunch, so instead of heading to the library like he had been all week, he went to the cafeteria to find Mimi. He had been ignoring her requests for him to eat with them all week, so he decided that since he had time, he should spend it with his new friends.

Their table in the cafeteria was very easy to spot. It seemed to be the liveliest table in there, even though it wasn't the most active. Matt guessed it was because they all just seemed to generate a huge aura of energy and enthusiasm.

He made his way across the cafeteria with the lunch he had packed for himself and sat in the only free chair, which was next to Tai. He answered all the cheerful hellos that came his way, and tried to ignore Mimi's delighted squeal (really there was no other word for it) at him being there and started talking.

In his conversations with Kai over the last week, he had finally admitted that while he didn't want to make connections that were very deep, he still wanted friends and the people that he had met seemed like the kind of people who generally liked other people. They were a happy, outgoing bunch, which was exactly what Matt needed when he had to unwind.

Throughout the lunch hour Matt noticed that Tai was unusually quiet and asked him what was up. He was surprised when Tai looked at him and saw that his eyes were a bit red and held a glassy look. He also noticed that Tai was a bit pale and seemed to lack energy, even though he had a thousand watt smile on his face.

When he voiced his concern, asking Tai if he was sick Tai waved it away. "Nah, it's nothing like that," he said, with a bit of a laugh in his voice. "I just haven't gotten enough sleep this week because of our soccer preparation."

Mimi rolled her eyes and butted into the conversation. "That's bull and you know it. I bet you haven't gotten more than three or four hours of sleep in the last four days."

"Well, three or four hours a night is all right, if you don't do it for too long," Matt said, thinking about it.

Mimi snorted something that Matt noticed that she did whenever she disagreed with someone. "Yeah, I bet it isn't that bad at all. But with Tai I meant three or four hours of sleep total."

Matt looked skeptically at Mimi, not believing her until he saw Tai's eyes widen. As much as Tai had protested after that, Matt had seen that initial reaction, so it added further to his concern that Tai might be getting sick. He also noticed how right after that Tai easily manipulated the conversation away from himself and by the end of the lunch hour it seemed everyone had forgotten what Mimi had said.

During his next class Matt thought back about the week and all the instances he had talked to Tai. The different pictures in his mind of Tai each day seemed to get progressively worse. What upset him was that he hadn't even noticed it since he was so wrapped up in his own little world. Not that it was really any of his business, right?

He shook his head and ignored that last thought. Even if it wasn't his business, he and Tai were starting to become friends and friends checked up on and helped other friends. Matt decided that he would meet Tai at his locker after school and talk to him to find out what was going on. He wouldn't be able to talk with him long, as he had work almost right after school, but even a little bit should be fine.

So after school, Matt hurried to Tai's locker which wasn't located very far from his last class. After about ten minutes of waiting and no Tai, Matt began to wonder where he was. He remembered that Tai went to the youth center Friday's after school, but surely he would drop his books off first.

He waited another five or so minutes and was just getting ready to leave so that he wouldn't be late for work when Mimi passed him. "Hey Mimi," he called out getting her attention, "Do you know where Tai is?"

Mimi smiled, "He probably had to go straight to soccer practice today. He's skipping the youth center because of the game tomorrow. He'll be at work later tonight though. Speaking of which, aren't you going to be late?"

Matt grimaced, "Probably, but I was waiting for Tai because I needed to talk to him."

"Well come with me, Jyou's picking me up to take me to work, so we'll give you a ride."

Matt grinned and adjusted his backpack on his shoulder, "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Matt managed to make it to work on time and now that he and Mimi were more comfortable around each other, it made work less stressful than it had the previous week. This would be the third shift that they had worked together since then and he was learning to trust in Mimi's abilities. She had an excellent sense for flavor and had even helped him improve a few of the dishes.

It was busy once again, being a Friday night, but Matt enjoyed work as much as he normally did. It always made him forget his exhaustion, thoughts, everything. It was just him and the food and the people enjoying it, which he was grateful for.

He was actually so into his work that he had completely forgotten that he wanted to talk to Tai until Mimi reminded him that it was his break time and that he should eat. He smiled politely and declined, saying that he was already too nervous about his performance tomorrow to eat tonight. So since he wasn't going to eat, Mimi told him that he should go talk to Tai instead.

For once Matt actually was bothered by the fact that work made him forget things. It was important to him to talk to Tai and work had made him forget that. He thanked Mimi and went out into the dining area looking for Tai.

He watched Tai bounce around from table to table for a few minutes, smiling, laughing, chatting and radiating energy. Matt was surprised. This Tai looked nothing like the Tai that he had seen at lunch. Maybe he had skipped soccer practice and had taken a nap? Either way, he looked fine from where Matt was standing.

Tai must have noticed him looking at him because he turned around and spotted him and gave him a small wave. Matt waved back at him and made a motioning gesture with his hands, telling Tai that he wanted to speak with him.

Tai nodded his head and went back to taking the order of the couple he was helping and once he was done he practically bounced over to where Matt was standing. "Heya Matt!" he said enthusiastically.

Up close Matt noticed that perhaps Tai wasn't as energetic as he had originally thought. Sure, the red was gone from his eyes, but he was still a bit pale, and if Matt could read his body language correctly, he was shallow on breath. All signs in his mind of someone who needed some sleep. It still didn't explain why he had so much energy though.

"Hey Tai," Matt smiled at him and decided to be as subtle as he could so that it didn't appear as though he was pushing Tai. "I wanted to wish you luck on your game tomorrow. Make sure you get a lot of sleep, okay? Sleep is supposed to improve performance." There, that should have been subtle enough.

Tai laughed loudly and said, "Yeah, I know. It shouldn't be too hard once I come down from this caffeine high. Never drink four espresso's in a row. It definitely wires you."

Well, that explained where all the energy was coming from. Matt opened his mouth to tell Tai something about too much caffeine being bad for you, but was cut off before he could even start.

"Matt, your break's up," he heard the manager call from his office. Matt closed his mouth and let out a small smile. "Well talk to you later," he said with a small wave.

Tai grinned and nodded, "Thanks man. See you after work!"

Matt watched Tai for a moment, who had gone back to bouncing from table to table before he went back into the kitchen.

Matt's shift ran late that night, since Mimi and Jyou had left a bit early. It left all the cleaning to him, which he didn't mind, but he was kind of tired. He figured though, if he hurried through it he could go home and get a good night sleep before he took off for the concert in the morning. He had told his mom that he was going to stay the night at a friend's house, conveniently leaving out the part about the gig.

His stomach rumbled at him, but he chose to ignore it for now. Actually, he would probably do what he normally did before he had a gig and not eat anything until after the show was over. He always felt better going into a concert not eating before hand. It seemed to calm his nerves and made him feel better about being on stage with people looking at him.

He started thinking about the gig tomorrow and got so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice that someone else was helping him clean, until he backed up a step and bumped into someone, causing him to drop a soup pan on the floor, spilling what was left of its contents.

He turned around quickly to see who he had bumped in to and was surprised to see Tai there. "What are you still doing here?" he asked, still catching his breath from being scared.

"Well, I said I would see you after work and I kinda figured you might want some help. You can't stay too late either, you have that gig tomorrow, right?" Tai said logically.

Matt's eyes narrowed slightly at Tai. "I'm not the one who hasn't been sleeping. You should be at home sleeping. So shoo."

Tai waved him off, "Nah don't worry about it. Even if I were at home right now, I wouldn't be able to get much sleep. My dad wants me to finish a science project before my game tomorrow, but if I finish it all tonight then I won't get any sleep anyways."

"Wait, science project?" Matt asked in confusion. "The one that isn't due until two weeks from now?"

Tai grinned, "Yep that's the one. So with the game tomorrow I decided it would be best if I didn't go home. Dad probably went to pick me up from the youth club and since I was here working instead of there, I'm probably in trouble anyways. So I just won't go home until after the game tomorrow."

"Wait, won't he come to the game?" Matt asked.

"Not a chance," Tai responded, grinning. "My father doesn't like crowds, especially when I'm in the middle of them. It doesn't give him a chance to exert his authority in any way, and it makes him look bad since I'm the star."

"Well, I guess you can help for a bit then Tai," Matt said. Then he waved a dirty dish towel at him, "But you better not stay too long. You don't want to get sick from lack of sleep."

Tai just laughed at him as his response and went over to the stove to start cleaning it.

They cleaned in a comfortable silence for about 20 minutes, until all that was left was to mop the floor. Matt shooed Tai out of the kitchen and grabbed the mop and quickly did the mopping before cleaning the mop and taking one last look to make sure that everything was cleaned and in its proper place.

Then he went into Mr. Tekino's office, as he was still there for the night and let him know that he was done and that he would see him on Monday, since he had the weekend off. He left the restaurant and made sure the door shut and locked securely behind him, and was surprised to see Tai still there waiting for him.

"What are you still doing here?" Matt asked, exasperated.

"Well you know how I'm kinda staying away from my father until after the game tomorrow?" Tai hedged.

Matt nodded.

"Well, I was wondering if I could stay at your place for the night since I didn't plan any further than not going home," Tai said sheepishly with a worried expression on his face.

Matt felt his stomach do little butterfly flips before ignoring it completely. "Well, I guess you could. I don't think my mom would mind all that much. You'd have to leave pretty early though; Hideki is coming to pick me up by noon tomorrow so we have enough time for a practice before the gig."

Matt could not believe this. Tai staying over at his place, as his guest, with no free room available which meant that they'd probably be sleeping in the same bed. Oh boy was he going to need a cold shower when he got home with all the dirty images running through his head.

"Thanks!" Tai said glomping onto Matt. Matt said nothing, wondering why Tai was acting even stranger than normal, but choosing to ignore it for now. Actually, Tai pretty much was hanging off of him for the entire walk back to his apartment, not that he was complaining. It actually felt very comfortable. He hadn't had anyone's arms around him like that in a while and he hadn't realized how much he missed it.

By the time they had reached the apartment door, Matt didn't want to go inside because first it meant that Tai would definitely let go of him, which was for the best since he didn't want to see his mother's reaction to a boy hanging off of him, secondly because it meant that once they reached his room it would be up to Matt's self control to not come on to Tai. Despite what he had told Kai the previous week, he could definitely use some release and he needed to control that urge if he could. If he did anything with Tai, he would have to continue doing it. He knew that being near Tai like that would probably become somewhat of an addiction for him.

Tai must have noticed his hesitation and to Matt's relief and sadness he let go of Matt. Matt contained the sigh that wanted to escape his lips and silently opened the door stepping inside and leaving it so that Tai could close the door after them.

"Matt, is that you?" his mother called from the living room where she was watching something on the television.

"Yes mom. I have Kari's brother with me, if that's okay," he said, walking into the living room. He wrinkled his nose at the strong smell of alcohol. He hadn't even known there was alcohol in the house until that moment.

His mother nodded and waved her hand. "That's fine. Remember, I have some people I want you to meet tomorrow, so just make sure you're cleaned and ready by 2 pm."

Matt stilled and looked at his mom. "Mom, I've been telling you all week that I would be gone this weekend, and that I was leaving at noon tomorrow."

"This is important. My boss is coming over with one of his daughters. I want you to meet them," his mother said not looking at him. "Surely that's more important than going to see your old friends."

"No, it's not," Matt said looking at her like she was crazy. "I've already made plans, they've existed longer than whatever plans you made for me and I'm keeping my word." He grabbed Tai's hand and stormed into his room locking the door. He could hear his mother yelling at him from the other side of the door, but he just turned on his radio to drown out her voice.

"Well that was interesting," Tai said with his eyes wide. "I've never seen your mom act like that."

Matt shrugged, "She doesn't understand the freedom I had when I lived with my dad and she feels the need to control me to fix whatever brainwashing he did to me while I was living with him." He rolled his eyes, "There's too much she doesn't know about me so her opinion doesn't matter too much."

"Actually, I meant the alcohol," Tai said. He changed the topic, "So I'm taking it she doesn't know about your gig tomorrow?"

Matt shook his head. "No she doesn't. She probably wouldn't have let me go if she knew about it. She doesn't think that boys my age should be playing around with bands and things like that. Like I said though, it doesn't matter. She'll probably calm down soon, or go pass out or something. If you want you can grab something out of the kitchen after that."

"Okay then," Tai said flopping down on Matt's bed and putting his hands behind his head. Matt raised his eyebrow at Tai's antics and sat down at the end of the bed.

"So what do you want to do until then?" Matt asked, resting his back against the wall.

"Dunno," Tai said. "Just chill I guess. Got anything good to read?"

"Not really," Matt said, closing his eyes listening to the music.

"Then will you sing some of the songs you're going to do for your concert tomorrow?" Tai asked seeming to think it was nothing out of the ordinary. "I mean, I can't go and I really want to hear what your songs sound like."

Matt didn't know whether to be flattered or suspicious, but decided to go along with Tai's suggestion. "I won't sing them for you but," he got up from the bed and rummaged around in a box pulling out a CD. He popped it in his portable player and handed it to Tai. "That's pretty much from the last concert, which is gonna be a lot like this one. Feel free to listen to it and tell me what you think." He got back on the bed and watched out of the corner of his eye as Tai put the headphones on and pressed play.

The music that was on his radio in his room was comforting and he found himself closing his eyes and relaxing.

Next thing he knew, there was a weight in his lap, which made him open his eyes. He had relaxed so much that he had fallen asleep sitting up. He glanced down to see Tai's head resting in his lap, with Tai looking at him with a thoughtful expression.

"Wha," his voice cracked so he cleared his throat and tried again. "What time is it?"

"Around 3 am," Tai replied softly, still not moving from his position in Matt's lap.

"Why didn't you wake me when I fell asleep? We still need to get food for you," Matt said feeling his eyes start to close again. He realized that he must be exhausted if he was this relaxed, especially with Tai's head in his lap.

"I already ate. Your mom went to bed about an hour and a half ago. She left some food out for you if you want it." He had heard Matt's stomach rumble a couple of times since he had laid his head down in Matt's lap.

"No, that's okay. I'm not hungry," Matt said fidgeting a little to get a bit more comfortable. He was starting to wake up some and with Tai's head where it was, he was worried about any reactions he might have. "Have you slept yet?" He was becoming uncomfortable because Tai was still staring at him with that thoughtful expression.

"Not yet, I wasn't tired, but I'm starting to get a bit sleepy," Tai confessed, moving so that he was lying next to the wall, leaving plenty of room for Matt to lie down.

"Ah, okay then," Matt said standing up and stretching. He removed his shirt and pants, leaving him in only his boxers. He didn't notice Tai's eyes traveling over his body before he politely looked away. Once he was finished, Matt turned to Tai. "Do you need to brush your teeth or anything? I have a spare brush you can use."

Tai nodded and got up and followed Matt to the bathroom. They took care of brushing their teeth and when they went back to the room Tai quickly removed his pants and shirt a crawled back to the spot on the bed near the wall.

Matt crawled in next to him and pulled the covers over them both, lying on his back since Tai had given him plenty of room. Tai was lying on his side, facing Matt.

"You have a wonderful singing voice Matt," Tai said suddenly, causing Matt to open his eyes, which had closed since he was so tired.

"Thank you," he said. "Did you enjoy the CD then?" He felt Tai move closer to him, so close that he was almost resting his head on Matt's shoulder, causing Matt to draw a quick breath in reflexively.

"I liked it a lot," Tai said. "Did you write all of those songs?"

Matt nodded slightly, "Some are a few years old, but most of those are pretty recent."

"You're a passionate person, aren't you?" Tai said. Matt could feel Tai's eyes on him so he kept his eyes on the ceiling forcing himself not to look at Tai's eyes.

"Most people are passionate about things they enjoy. Singing and cooking make me happy. I guess that boils over into what I do. Aren't you the same? You seem very passionate about soccer."

"Can I kiss you?" Tai asked suddenly, causing Matt to finally move his eyes so that they stared into Tai's in shock.

"What? Why?" Matt said in a nervous voice. "I don't really think we should, we're just friends Tai."

"I've been thinking about kissing you all week," Tai moved so that he was propped up on one arm, leaning slightly over Matt's still form. "Haven't you been thinking about it? I've seen the way you look at me. Wouldn't you like to kiss me too?"

Matt swallowed hard, trying to think of all the reasons that he should tell Tai no, but his brain had stopped functioning it seemed, as he had known it would. Instead, his body reacted for him before his mind told it to, lifting a hand up to cup the back of Tai's head and pull him down towards his mouth. "Yeah, I've thought about it."

Tai needed no other invitation as he pressed his lips against Matt's, softly at first, but quickly increasing in pressure. He moved his body slightly, so that more of it was on Matt's, but still kept most of his weight held with his arms, which were on either side of Matt.

Matt had closed his eyes, telling himself that a small kiss wouldn't hurt them. It would appease their curiosity and make them less tense around each other. In the back of his head he knew that was a lie, but that voice was overpowered the second Tai licked his bottom lip, asking for entrance into his mouth.

He shivered lightly at the contact and opened his mouth, his arms moving so that they went around Tai's neck, pulling him down on top of him.

He sighed in contentment into Tai's mouth as their tongues caressed slowly, gently, as though neither of them were in any hurry. They continued to kiss in that slow manner, and Matt could feel a desperate ache starting to form in the pit of his stomach as he began to want more.

As if of their own will, his hands were caressing Tai's back, touching wherever they could reach, enjoying the smoothness of the other boy's skin.

Tai moved against him slightly, moving himself into a position that allowed him a bit more freedom to touch Matt. While his upper body was still mostly in contact with Matt's his lower body was only on one of Matt's legs, leaving most of Matt's body at his disposal. His hand trailed down the side of Matt's neck, and onto his chest rubbing his index finger over one of Matt's nipples.

That action caused Matt to arch slightly, running his hands harder down Tai's back as he deepened their kiss, changing the pace from slow and gently to wanting and needing. It had been so long since he had kissed someone, and even longer since he had kissed someone he had feelings for. He craved more.

Tai kissed him hard, giving one last swipe of his tongue in Matt's mouth, before he tore his mouth away, latching instead onto the side of Matt's neck, his tongue making slow twirling motions there in time with his hand on Matt's nipple.

Matt shivered again, turning his head to the side in an involuntary reflex, letting Tai have better access for whatever he wanted to do. One of his hands lay as though boneless at his side, while the other had lodged itself on the back of Tai's head, running through his short, thick hair.

Tai moved his way down Matt's body and he took the other nipple into his mouth, giving it the same treatment that his hand was doing to the other one.

Matt was so hard he could barely even think, everything was hazy, as if he couldn't see clearly. Every flick of Tai's tongue made him want to push back against that mouth, wanting something more than the gentleness that he was receiving.

Something in his reactions must have clued Tai into what he wanted, or Tai just had supreme natural instincts, because the next thing he knew Tai's teeth were grazing his nipple, and then sucking hard on it, alternating between the two actions, while pinching the other.

He found himself arching into the mouth, trying to increase the pressure as he bit back a moan and gasped out loud instead.

Tai's mouth continued its work for a few minutes, driving Matt crazy. It was amazing that just that little bit, nothing more than just the brushes of foreplay, could make him lose control this badly. He wasn't sure what to attribute it to, but he could feel himself rapidly spiraling towards total submission to what was taking place.

He felt Tai's mouth leave his nipple and work its way back up his chest and neck. His mouth was already open and ready to receive the bruising kiss that he wanted so badly. His eyes had opened back up, the merest hint of blue showing from between the slits of his eyelids. He knew he looked wanton and needy, and was surprised to see the same passion lurking in Tai's chocolate brown eyes before his lips were claimed once again.

The kiss was hard and needy, teeth clanking together more than once, as they vied for dominance in each other's mouths. The hand that was on his nipple left its perch and traveled down his body brushing against the fabric of his boxers, caressing the top of his groin.

Matt moaned and suddenly broke the kiss, turning his head away from Tai, gasping for needed air. "Stop," he said shakily, his head still turned away from Tai.

Tai's hand stilled on his erection and moved higher, cupping Matt's chin and turning his face so that he was looking at him. "What's wrong, Yamato?" His own eyes were dark with passion, and Matt could see his pulse beating against the side of his neck. Matt wasn't sure he had ever seen anything so gorgeous.

He tried to rip his eyes away, before he lost the very last ounce of restraint he had, but Tai held his chin firmly. Instead he licked his lips, which had suddenly become dry. "I...I just don't think we should. It's more than just a kiss."

Tai's eyes narrowed a little as he studied Matt's face and mannerisms and then his expression cleared and he smiled softly. "It might be more than kissing, but you've thought about more than that. It's okay if you want to stop here, I won't mind too much, but I don't want to stop yet. I want to lick you up and suck you down, Yamato. I've thought about you writhing underneath me, coming hard for days now. Is that what you've thought about?"

Matt felt his mouth go dry, just at the images that Tai's words put in his head. He squeezed his eyes shut completely, ignoring the way that Tai's thumb was brushing across his lower lip. "Stop Tai, it's not about what I have or haven't thought about doing with you," he stopped here because he wasn't sure how to explain his words. He wanted Tai, he could admit to that. He was probably already attached to Tai, which would already make it harder when he left. If he went any further with Tai, he wasn't sure he could stop. He would keep coming back for more, which went against what he believed in.

Tai interrupted his thoughts when he spoke softly. "You want this as much as I want it. You want it to mean something, like I want it to. You're frightened about attachment like I am, but more so. You aren't cheap or quick and you probably make your lovers wait forever to be with you, even though you want nothing more than to be with them. Something probably happened in your past to make you that way. You don't have to be afraid with me Matt."

He stopped talking and looked silently at Matt for a minute, his thumb continuing to stroke Matt's lip. The silence made Matt open his eyes and he could see that Tai was trying to communicate something to him with his eyes, but he just couldn't grasp what the message might be.

Tai gave a small sigh and smiled at Matt again. "I'm not going to keep you here and make you mine, but I'm not going to walk away from you if you want to stay. So what do you want, Matt? Do you want to be happy while you can? Or will you keep denying yourself the things that you want just because you're afraid of the possibility of a little pain in the future?"

Matt's eyes widened, "How did you," he was cut off by Tai who spoke again.

"How did I know?" Tai smiled gently, "Matt, you walk around like a wounded puppy that's trying to act like a pack leader. It's not what's important though. The question is do you want me, right now, tomorrow, next week? Because even if we don't do anything right now, I'll still keep coming back. I have a tendency to get what I want and I really want to be with you. If you want months of dating, that's fine. I'll be happy for just that. You're an intriguing person, with an interesting personality. It shines through your music and let's people see who you really are. I've watched you since the moment I met you and I'm very much attracted to the person I see. So what do you want?"

Matt couldn't think and he didn't want to. He knew deep down what Tai was saying, and even though it was poorly said, he understood it. The question was; what did he want? He wasn't sure he would be able to go further without getting lost, but then he realized that if he got lost, he could always ask for directions. He opened his mouth to tell Tai something, anything. The dull ache of need that had been in his stomach earlier was becoming stronger. It wasn't an ache of lust or want; it was an ache of need and perhaps something more.

Before he could say any words though, Tai leaned closer to him again, and spoke softly into his ear, his breath tickling his skin ever so slightly, "Let me love you, Yamato, even just a little bit."

Matt closed his eyes as he felt the last of his resistance fade. He opened his mouth and his tongue darted out, catching the tip of Tai's thumb which was still caressing his lip, before bending his head slightly and bringing it into his mouth so that he could suck slowly on it.

He felt more than saw Tai move his head and raised his eyes to meet Tai's, not stopping this motion of his tongue around Tai's thumb.

Tai let out a shaky breath and wiggled his thumb enough to let Matt know to let it go. Matt complied with the request, giving the digit one last swirl of his tongue before opening his lips slightly, allowing Tai to remove it.

Tai looked at him in all seriousness and asked him again, "May I kiss you, Yamato?"

This time, there was no hesitation in Matt's response, "Yes please."

Tai's lips descended on his once again and this time there was no hesitation in Matt's responses as his lips parted automatically, his tongue already searching out to meet Tai's.

The kiss was hot, sexual in a way the other kisses hadn't been, perhaps because he had been subconsciously holding back before. Tai's hands went back to his earlier ministrations on Matt's nipple, pinching with just enough pressure to be slightly painful.

Matt gasped into Tai's mouth, as his fingernails dug into Tai's shoulder as he arched into the touch.

Tai went slower than the first time, if that was possible, taking the time to tease Matt's bare skin with alternating pinches and caresses, before his hand moved down Matt's body and cupped around his groin.

"I want to touch you Matt," he said against Matt's lips. "Will you let me touch you?"

Matt responded by pushing upward with his pelvic muscles, rubbing himself against Tai's hand.

That was all the response that Tai needed as he slipped his hand beneath the elastic band of Matt's boxers and gave a long, slow stroke, down Matt's length, making him gasp and shudder a bit.

Tai continued kissing him, alternating the strokes of his hand, sometimes making short strokes with a lot of pressure, sometimes making long, feather light strokes. Every once in a while his hand would travel lower, cupping around Matt's testicles and rolling them slightly. Whenever he did that, Matt couldn't help arching. Tai was driving him crazy with want, but still he wanted more.

He squirmed and pushed at Tai slightly with his hands, to indicate that he needed to stop.

Tai did stop, pulling his hand out of Matt's boxers and looking at him as though he were lost, "What's wrong?"

Matt wriggled his hips a little, "I want these off. I want to touch you too."

Tai's lost expression cleared as soon as the words registered in his brain. He gave a large grin and kissed Matt again quickly before rolling off to the side and removing his boxers. Then he helped Matt remove his own boxers before lying down on his side facing Matt.

Matt rolled on his side too, taking a long look at Tai in all his naked glory. He liked what he saw tremendously. Tai had a wonderful form that was defined perfectly with his muscles. His suntan stopped at the line of where his boxers were, making Matt want to lick the different skin tones to see if they tasted as different as they looked.

He scooted closer to Tai and they trailed their hands down each others bodies slowly almost as if they were both hesitating now that they had reached this point.

When Matt's hand reached his goal, he heard Tai give a shuddering breath and plant a kiss against the top of his forehead. He liked the feel of Tai in his hands. He was hard and hot to the touch, the small ridges felt good against his petite hands and it just seemed so right to be here touching Tai like this.

His first few strokes were hesitant, he hadn't touched anyone like this in years, since before his last boyfriend, but he continued on boldly, hoping that everything would come back to him in time. It helped that Tai had also reached down and was stroking him too, which eased Matt's slight discomfort.

Matt tilted his head up so that his mouth brushed against Tai's, and they kissed long and slow, matching the pace at which they were stroking each other.

From there it got very intense, very quickly. He was panting against Tai's lips trying to keep kissing him as the pace of their strokes increased, but found that he couldn't concentrate long enough to do more than shudder against Tai's body at the feelings running through him.

It was Tai who broke them apart again, almost giving Matt a chance to catch his breath when he said, "I want to taste you Yamato. May I taste you?"

Tai's earlier words came to the front of his mind, 'I want to lick you up and suck you down,' and he couldn't respond back he was so turned on. He managed the barest of nods and Tai pushed him onto his back and kissed him again.

Matt wasn't sure how much longer he could last, the sensations were so intense. However, every time so far he felt he was going to lose himself, to reach his breaking point, Tai had backed off just enough so that he could recover and continue on.

So he wasn't surprised this time when Tai kissed him for a while, or when he concentrated on his nipples. It was a new sensation when Tai gently nipped his way down his stomach, causing Matt's stomach muscles to tighten with every nip. Tai moved down, continuing to nip and lick until he was almost at Matt's erection.

At that point, he moved positions so that he was kneeling between Matt's legs, which had moved of their own accord when Tai had moved.

Matt's eyes locked with Tai's eyes as Tai lowered his head and took the tip of Matt's erection into his mouth. Their eyes remained locked as Tai gave a long, slow lick from the base all the way to the top, before his tongue swirled around the tip and closing his mouth around him.

The sensation caused Matt to gasp and clench his hands into the bed sheets to keep from thrusting up and into that hot warmth.

Tai continued to lick and suck on Matt, taking the time to massage his testicles while he was doing it. Everything was becoming too much for Matt and he closed his eyes in an effort to maintain control for a bit longer. He wanted to feel this for a bit longer before he came. The last sight that met his eyes before they closed was of Tai's mouth around him, while Tai stroked himself with his hands.

Matt was panting now, moaning and trying to maintain control of himself, but not quite succeeding. He knew he was pushing further into Tai's mouth with each involuntary thrust of his hips, but he couldn't help himself because it felt too good.

He could feel himself tightening, and was about to tell Tai to stop because he was going to come, when two of Tai's fingers pressed solidly against and into the tight ring of muscle. Without lubrication, the sensation was an overwhelming mixture of pain and pleasure, and Matt opened his eyes, even as he gave a silent scream of pleasure as he spent himself into Tai's mouth.

Tai removed his fingers and moved back up Matt's body. The thumb of the hand that he had used to stroke himself brushed against Matt's parted lips and Matt could feel the moisture that was left in their wake. Matt knew it was Tai's way of telling him that he had enjoyed himself and that he had come. Looking into Tai's eyes Matt licked his lips where Tai's thumb had been.

Seeing that pink tongue dart out, Tai bent down and kissed Matt slowly, savoring the taste before pulling away. He quickly cleaned up the mess they had made with Matt's boxers, and threw his own off the side of the bed too before pulling the covers up around them both.

Matt settled down next to Tai, with his back to Tai's chest and Tai's arm encircling his waist. No words were needed between the two, as each others breathing lulled them both to sleep.

When Matt woke up in the morning he could tell it was early. Glancing at the clock he saw that it was eight in the morning. Feeling the lack of weight in the bed he wondered where Tai was. They couldn't have fallen asleep before four am, possibly even five am, and yet Tai was not there. Sitting up Matt saw that his boxers were no longer on the floor and that Tai's duffle bag was gone. Not only had Tai left, he couldn't have gotten more than four hours of sleep.

A sudden wave of rejection washed over him, before his eyes spotted a note on his desk. Getting out of the bed, he walked naked across the room and picked up the note.

It looked to be hastily written, but he was easily able to decipher the handwriting.

"I had to go to morning practice.
You looked so peaceful sleeping that I didn't
want to wake you. Best of luck with your gig
today and I'll hopefully see you sometime
soon. You were wonderful and I can't wait
to see you again.
Luv,
Tai"

Matt smiled a little to himself, glad to know that he hadn't been deserted and that Tai still wanted to see him again. He couldn't believe what he had done in the early hours of the morning, but maybe, just maybe things would work out on their own.

I just want to say thank you to the few of you who have been reviewing my story. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. So remember all, I love reviews. I enjoy knowing what I did wrong or what I can improve upon.
Missa