Rebuilding the Bridge

Think Fast

Or something like that

"Don't say you love me
You don't even know me
If you really want me...

"Don't say your heart's in a hurry
It's not like we're going to get married
Give me some time."
-
M2M (Don't Say You Love Me)

Breakfast was the noise of crunchy cereal, spoons clashing against porcelain bowls, and Hikari and Daisuke's laughter at another of Takeru's jokes. Breakfast wasn't Taichi and Yamato laughing along. Rather, both boys ate quietly, glancing uncomfortably at each other every so often.

Hikari noticed this. "Hey guys, what's up?" she asked.

"Nothing," Taichi said quickly. "Hikari... what are you going to tell mom and dad?"

Hikari's lips pursed together. "We're not going to tell them anything."

Taichi nodded amiably. "Okay. Mom and Dad would freak out anyway, and a legal proceeding isn't something we really need. How about friends?"

"I've told everyone that needs to know already," Hikari said dismissively. "Namely Miyako, Mimi, and Sora."

"So is Sora coming over?" Yamato glanced again at Taichi as the brunet said this.

"She said she'd drop by," Hikari said.

Natsuko and Susumu Yagami returned home from their trip to see Natsuko's mother halfway through breakfast. "We're home!" the announced, shutting the door behind them. They grinned when they rounded the corner into their kitchen. "Hi Hikari, hey boys." Susumo gripped his daughter into a bear hug while Taichi got up from his chair and pecked his mother on the cheek.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Yagami," the three guests chorused.

"Hi mom, hi dad." The parents had switched kids, and now Hikari was giving her mom a hug and Taichi was giving his dad a manly hand shake.

"Oh, Yamato, it's so nice to see you again!" Natsuko gushed. "It's been a while since we last saw you!" she took her son's seat next to the blonde boy.

"Uh, yeah, I've been busy..."

"What the—Taichi, what's this?"

"What's wha—ow! Hey Dad, what's the idea?" Taichi gripped his neck protectively, backing away from his father.

"Is that a hickey, son?" Apparently, he had tried poking the bruise that Taichi was now trying to hide.

"Of course it isn't!" Taichi said nervously.

"You shouldn't let girls take advantage of you like that! You should be the one giving out hickeys, not getting them!"

Yamato quickly zoned in on the hand the brunet had clasped over the left side of his neck, proud that he'd left a mark. But Mr. Yagami was being insistent that...

"It was Sora wasn't it? I knew it, she's a headstrong girl, but you have to watch it, or she'll forget who the man in the relationship is!"

"I'm not dating Sora!" Taichi said blushing.

"Oh young love," Natsuko said, sighing at her son's behavior. "Are you two doing a date for White Day?"

"Mom!" But Yamato wasn't listening anymore. Sora, as in Sora Takenouchi?

"How about you Yamato?" Natsuko asked politely. "Do you have any plans for White Day?"

"Actually, I don't have a date, but my band is doing a gig at our regular club that day. Which reminds me... I'm late for practice, and I already missed it yesterday. The boys will be furious..." Yamato stood up from the kitchen table and bowed politely. "Thank you for making me welcome."

"I'll walk him to his car!" Taichi said hurriedly, rushing to Yamato's side. "Come on man."

After the door slammed behind the two of them, Natsuko Yagami said, "Those two are getting along strikingly well, for not having been friends for so long."

"What makes you think they haven't been friends?" Mr. Yagami asked his wife.

"Well, Taichi hasn't mentioned Yamato for a few years now. He used to go on and on about him... So kids, how was your class picnic?"

"Is there anything between you and Sora?" Yamato asked after the elevator doors closed them off from the hallway.

Taichi just stared at Yamato. "You're not taking them seriously, are you?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Yamato grumbled. "I mean, apparently you deemed her worthy of talking to all these years rather than me."

"Yama—what the hell are you talking about? It's different between us. We're—"

"You're what? Different genders? Childhood crushes? Tell me!" Yamato said, turning on Taichi.

"What the hell Yama!" Taichi sighed, frustrated, and pushed Yamato. "Yes, those things too, but she's been my best friend since we were kids, she plays soccer with me, and we live in the same freaking building! It'd be impossible to avoid her if I wanted to, which I don't!"

Yamato shoved him back. "What about me? Why did you want to avoid me?"

"I told you, I thought you were avoiding me! Weren't we fighting over something we wouldn't forgive each other for? I thought that if I left you alone long enough, you'd come back begging to be my friend again!" Another shove.

"So was that all I was to you? Someone you could trail along like that? God Taichi, you don't know how I feel—I think I—"

And then Taichi punched him.

"Don't you say another fucking word," the Yagami hissed. He had Yamato by the collar pushed against the wall. "Don't tell me another sappy line. Yama, it's not you. I can hear it, on the tip of your tongue. That L-word. Don't tell me you love me. It sounds all wrong. I would rather die without hearing those words." He let go of Yamato, still glaring half-heartedly. "It'd be a wonderful way to die."

The doors dinged open, and the realized they were on the ground floor already. "Hey, I was just going up to see Hikari," Sora said, shifting the flower pot she had rested on her hip. Sora smiled at them. "It's nice to see you two talking," she said.

"Sora! Can't you tell that you're ruining our moment?" Taichi asked, whining as he stepped away from Yamato.

While Taichi and Sora began to bicker, Yamato growled and glared at the girl, even though he knew she had done nothing wrong. By the way Taichi's parents had been talking, they were pretty much an engaged already.

"—Yeah, my dad thinks you made this," Taichi said, pointing at the hickey on his neck.

"Typical," she said, rolling her eyes. She noticed Yamato looking at her, so she added some detail for his benefit. "Taichi's parents' and mine all seem to want us to get married." She snorted. "As if. I only want to get married for love. And Taichi? He doesn't even believe in love," she said, shoving at the boy's arm lightly.

"Eheh, Yamato, we should get going now," Taichi said abruptly, grabbing Yamato's arm and attempting to drag him away.

"No, wait a second, I want to hear this, it sounds interesting," Yamato said, glaring at Taichi.

Sora smiled. "This lug here told me back in junior high when our parents started harping on us about each other. He told me, 'I don't use words like love or hate. Not seriously, you know. I mean, I love soccer and I hate Devimon, but in a person to person sense you know, I don't believe in that stuff.' So I asked him what if he did end up wanting to marry me, what would he call that feeling? And he said, 'I hope you never expect me to say those words to you.'"

"Really now," Yamato said, looking at Taichi sidelong. Inside he felt hurt though; if Taichi didn't believe in love, then what the hell did Taichi believe in? It explained why Taichi was so nervous about him saying the L-word though. Then again, Yamato wasn't about to say that in the first place. It'd be crazy, right?

(tbc)

Note: White Day is March 14. A counterpart to Valentine's day.