A Gentleman's Agreement

A chirping alarm woke Matt on Saturday morning. A growl of protest floated over from Tai's side of the room. By the time Matt found his cell phone and turned off the alarm, the growling had progressed to grumbling.

Matt walked over to Tai and smushed his pillow in his face. "And you wonder why you don't have a girlfriend, dumb ass."

"Neither d'you." Or, at least, that's what Matt thought Tai said.

"But I don't complain about it nonstop," Matt replied. "And recently, I don't mind being single."

Tai shoved the pillow aside and gave him a look of mixed skepticism and grumpiness. "No one likes not having a girlfriend."

Matt stretched his limbs, working the kinks, ignoring Tai's mounting irritation. "Ahhh," he breathed when he was finished. "They do when they find someone interesting."

He regretted the words instantly. Apparently, his filter hadn't woken up yet, leaving his mouth unguarded. Interest lit Tai's eyes, banishing the dregs of drowsiness. He sat up, grinned, and smacked Matt with his pillow.

"About time! You haven't mentioned a girl in forever. Who is it?"

Matt tsked, but panic quickened the beat of his pulse. It's not that he didn't trust Tai, but… Well, Matt was a private person. "It hasn't been that long," he deflected.

"Psh, please." Tai rolled his eyes. Matt hoped that he would go off on a tangent, but alas, he persisted, "Who?"

Matt's shoulders jerked up, and he lowered them by pure force of will. "None of your business."

Tai scowled, but quickly brightened. "Ah, whatever. I'll figure it out. I do know what you mean, though. I haven't met a girl I like as much as Sora in a long time, so it's good that I'm not seeing someone."

A surge of shock hit. Matt had no idea what cue he broadcasted, but Tai's eyes went wide. He hauled himself into a sitting position with more speed than Matt would have thought possible. "Dude, what?"

"What what?" Matt was too overwhelmed to do anything but parrot.

"You like Sora?!" Tai demanded. Dread replaced Matt's stupor as anger ignited Tai's eyes. He knew what it meant when the gold flecks of his iris hardened and shone against the backdrop of brown. Affable, goofy Tai was running on fury- and although he hated to admit it, a pissed Tai was a threat. In middle school, their adolescent tempers sometimes led to stupid fistfights. These days, brawls were rare, since they had matured… And since Matt recognized that Tai's athletic training gave him an advantage now.

Matt longed to leave their room, but that would only move this mess into a public hallway. The best thing to do was to proceed as if this wasn't a big deal. "Hell, yes. Annnnd you like her too. Fantastic."

Needing comfort, Matt grabbed his bass and sat on his bed. He began to play- and soon found that he had made a mistake. "Put that damned thing down," Tai snarled. "This is how it always goes. You play some notes on a guitar-"

"Bass guitar," Matt corrected, hoping to break Tai's train of thought, but he ignored him.

"-and all the girls fall at your feet. Do you know how many girls were your groupies in high school? They wouldn't look at anyone else. I thought that was over now that your band broke up."

"Come on, Tai," Matt said, forcing a grin. "You're giving me too much credit."

Tai blinked, and confusion openly warred with anger on his expressive face. Finally, he fell into that all-too-familiar sullen silence. Matt sighed, wishing that his weak joke had landed better.

But as much as Matt wanted to deflect, Tai had a point. The Teenage Wolves attracted lots of female attention in their school- well, in the few surrounding counties, really. According to widespread complaints from their male peers, this caused a decline in the romantic success of other boys. And sometimes, that attention felt very, very good. But, more often than not, it annoyed Matt, and he certainly never intended to frustrate Tai's love life. He could see why Tai was annoyed, but he wished he wouldn't be so bitter about it.

"Listen," he said quietly, "I was never trying to impress anyone. I just love music. I mean, I'm the bassist. No one is supposed to notice the bassist." He didn't point out that he was also the lead vocalist. No need to dig his own grave.

After a long pause, Tai managed a stiff smile. "I guess they do when it's you." Matt nodded, knowing that the compliment was Tai's way of apologizing. He forced himself to let go of the resentment that his outburst created. One did not have Tai as a best friend without developing a strong capacity for forgiveness and patience.

For a while, the only sound was the meandering of Matt's fingers over his instrument's strings. Finally, Tai shifted, draping his legs over the side of the bed so he faced Matt. "So, uh… You like Sora. I like Sora. How do we handle this?"

"Like adults." Matt spoke with conviction, since this was the only way he would proceed. "She isn't a prize in a claw machine. We aren't going to fight over her like kids."

Tai's eyes went wide, then averted. "I remember that..."

"Remember what?" Matt asked, raising a brow. Tai gave him a look of faint surprise.

"You know. We were little kids, probably eight, and Amy wanted the stuffed dolphin from the claw machine in the mall. We were already mad at each other- dunno why- and we fought over who would win it for her. It got so ridiculous that Amy started crying and ran away, and we had to team up to find her."

Matt stared into space as he scrounged for the memory. "I do remember that…" Their eyes locked, but neither of them said what they were thinking, even though Matt could practically hear it bouncing around in Tai's head.

All those years ago, the one who found Amy curled up behind the giant stuffed giraffe in the kid section of the book store was Matt.

"So," Tai said uncomfortably, breaking the silence. "Uh, how do we do this like adults?"

"Simple. First, we agree not to sabotage each other. Second, whoever she chooses- and she may not want either of us- the other will accept it, and we'll still be friends." Matt stood and extended his hand to Tai. Something about Tai's uncomfortable expression warned Matt that he wasn't quite on the same page. "I'm serious. I have no intention of losing my best friend. If you shake, you can't go back on the terms."

Tai snorted, and temper flashed in his eyes. Matt lifted a brow imperiously, trying to tell Tai that he was already failing to reign himself in. Tai scowled and looked away. "The loser should have some time to sulk. I mean, I know I would need it. Not that I'm going to lose."

Matt sighed. A sulking Tai was a nightmare… But he couldn't force this without taking his feelings into account. "Fine. We'll add an optional sulking period of no longer than a month."

"Then you have a deal," Tai said, grasping Matt's hand with his signature strength and confidence. "Get ready to sulk, pretty boy. At least it will help you write some weepy love songs."

"Ha!" Matt snorted. "I'll start working on a consolation song for you."

They shared fierce smiles, then shook on it. Once their hands separated, Matt stepped back and shifted to a business-like attitude. "Right. I'm asking her to dinner tonight."

Tai blinked, then made a grossed-out face. "Are we supposed to give each other updates? I can't stomach that."

Matt was powerless to stop an evil grin. "A gentleman is always polite about his opening move. After that, you're on your own, boy."

Tai made a sound that was half snort and half snarl, and suddenly, they were both laughing.

XXX

Sora looked up from the dress design in her sketchbook and swiveled her desk chair to face Amy. Her roommate was bent over an enormous textbook, glancing between its glossy pages and the notes on her laptop. Sora wanted to talk to her, but was reluctant to interrupt her studies. Her eyes shifted to her collection of wind chimes hanging from the pipes in the ceiling, and she sighed.

Unfortunately, Amy was not sensitive to such signals. "Umm, Amy?" Sora hazarded. Amy jumped and dropped her pencil. She dove after it and fell head-first towards the floor. Her palms hit the tiles, leaving her hands and feet on the floor and her rear straight upwards, half-pressed against her seat.

"Ahahaha-help!-hahaha!" Amy laughed, and Sora hastened to assist. She grabbed Amy's shoulders and eased her back into a sitting position. "Thanks. I lost my balance."

"Um, no problem." At this point, Sora wasn't sure if Amy had any balance to lose in the first place. "I'm sorry I startled you."

Amy flapped a hand dismissively. "Not your fault. I'm clumsy, and I'd rather laugh than be annoyed about it. Anyway, what's up?" Sora smiled, but her lips straightened when she recalled what she wanted to discuss.

"Your date with Izzy went well, right?"

"It wasn't a date." Amy swiveled her chair in slow circles, then came to a halt and colored. Sora was getting used to that; her roommate had a habit of doing odd things, then realizing it and stopping midway.

Sora swallowed a sigh. She had hoped to hear that Amy's evening had gone swimmingly. This was partially because Sora wished for everyone to be happy, but, although it shamed her to admit it… That wasn't her only motive. "You said you weren't interested in anyone?"

Amy blinked and threaded her fingers through her hair. "I… can't figure out where this is going?"

Sora smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry. It's just, I was talking to Matt last night, and… He's very… I mean…" Sora tried to get some sensible words out, but she ended up babbling, and Amy stared at her like a confused puppy. Then, suddenly, Amy's eyes widened, and her mouth opened into an 'o' shape.

"I once was blind, but now I see!" she cried, laughing. "Yes, Matt is very something! And also very single!" Sora felt herself coloring; she was fairly sure that Amy was seeing clearly.

Sora was worried that she was being as foolish as the high school girls who used to sigh and scream over Matt and his band mates. She was determined to see him as any other boy, and not the handsome, talented musician that he was. And yet, only a week or so had passed since Amy shoved her into Matt's room, and she was already crushing on him.

It really couldn't be helped. Matt had a great sense of humor, he was a gentleman, and he had just the right amount of confidence to seem capable while only occasionally touching on arrogance. In fact, there were only two problems, as far as Sora could tell. The first was that she hadn't spotted his faults yet.

The second was that he seemed awfully fond of Amy.

"Have… you and Matt ever dated?" she asked quietly. "I know it's none of my business…" This was something Sora had worried about ever since she identified Amy as the girl who provided female vocals in one of The Teenage Wolves' songs. That worry strengthened when Matt occasionally told fond stories about her. And if Amy was his type, then Sora was in trouble. Physically, they were nothing alike. Amy was tall, curvy, and soft. She was slim, petite, and athletic.

Sora had no problem with a love interest's past relationships, but if Matt had feelings for someone now, she wanted to know before she lost any pieces of her heart to him.

Amy stared, dumbfounded. Then she stuck her tongue out and sagged forward, as if suddenly deprived of the will to hold herself upright. "Uggghhh," she groaned, standing up and going for her acoustic guitar. She sat on the end of the bed and strummed it, something she seemed to do when in need of comfort. "That's like asking me if I've dated Tai. Yuck! He's like my brother!"

Sora suppressed a chuckle that was half amusement and half relief. "I see… You've known him a long time, then?" Amy nodded, looking a little distracted.

"Uh, yeah, pretty much forever. We went to the same elementary school, starting with kindergarten. He's always been Tai's best friend, and I was kinda clingy with Tai. I think Matt found me annoying, at first?" Sora nodded politely, expecting more information, but Amy went right back to her music. Sora fought the urge to scold Amy for her lack of attention to her conversation partner. That impulse reminded her of her mother, who always told her that she was born maternal- or bossy, depending on the situation.

"So you didn't get along at first?" Sora prodded. Amy shrugged, leaving Sora with nothing but the direct approach, however uncomfortable. But how was she supposed to open this topic? She forced the words out, twirling her hair around a finger and feeling awkward beyond precedent. "I'm sorry- I don't mean to ask you to talk behind Matt's back, but… Does he have any faults?"

Amy made a sound that was half exhalation and half laughter, a loud pffft! "Please! He wouldn't be human if he didn't." She grinned and lifted her pointer finger, looking a bit too delighted to offer up her lifelong friend's foibles. "For one, he's proud- a little arrogant. But usually he's smart enough to keep it under control. Second, he broods. He'll shut himself away from everyone, and all of his bad feelings build until he pops- and we might not even know he's having a problem! Also, and he's like Tai in this, he can go a little nuts worrying about someone he loves, like his brother, Tai, and me."

Amy paused and lowered her hand, which, by Sora's count, wasn't showing the correct number of digits per fault. "I've always wished he would find someone he trusts enough to let in without a fight. It can be so hard to get him to open up. But, as far as I know, none of his romantic relationships got very far..."

Sora nodded, trying to absorb all of this information. She wondered if Amy had any idea how much she was revealing with her meandering way of speaking. Somehow, Sora sensed that her roommate's thoughts were far away, even as she talked to her. "Can I ask what you're thinking about?"

Amy colored and hugged her guitar. "Ehhh... I guess I'm a little preoccupied. Thinking about last night."

"Ah," Sora said, smiling knowingly. "About your date that wasn't a date."

"Sora!" Amy cried, laughing.

"Go on," Sora cajoled, leaning towards Amy. "Gush. I can tell you want to."

"I do not!" Amy's voice went high and tight, but with a tone of lilting, sweeping delight. "I'm sorry. Maybe I do? I dunno. He was so… But I just had a really good time. Nothing to read into."

"Mm-hmm," Sora said, lifting a brow and smiling. She made herself comfortable and leaned back in her chair, waiting for Amy to spill, but a knock on the door had her rising. She pressed an eye to the peephole, then colored and turned to Amy.

"It's Matt!" she hissed. Amy blinked and looked at the digital display of her clock.

"Maybe he wants to go to lunch?" Sora nodded and opened the door, hoping that she didn't look as nervous as she suddenly felt.

And there he stood, with those intense blue eyes trained on hers. She cleared her throat, or, at least, she tried to. "Hello," she managed at last, and Matt produced an easy grin.

"Hey." She stepped back, allowing him inside, and shut the door behind him. "Amy, Tai wanted me to send you down. He needs help with his homework."

"He's actually doing homework?" Amy asked. Sora grinned, not surprised to hear that Tai might take a lax approach to his education. Matt shrugged, and Amy rose and went to the door.

"You bringing the guitar?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Love me, love my guitar," Amy replied, lifting her nose in mock vanity. Matt caught Sora's eye and grinned, and they laughed together. Amy hmphed and swished her hips playfully as she left the room.

Once she was gone, Matt turned to Sora and slid his hands into his pockets. "Is it going okay with her? I know she's a little…" He trailed off, then shrugged.

"She's lovely," Sora said honestly. She couldn't help but like Amy. Something about her bumbling but well-meaning nature tugged at her heart strings. "I have to say, though, I was surprised when I came in the room last night and heard her playing video games with Tai."

Matt blinked, then laughed. "Ah, let me guess. She was cussing like a sailor."

"Well, assuming that sailors have huge vocabularies and throw in references to mythology and literature mid rant, then yes. It was oddly impressive." Sora was grateful to be playful with Matt. It helped her fend off the worst of her nerves.

"The worst is when we play Mario Kart," he said, leaning against the wall. And, just like that, he looked like a picture out of a magazine, trendy and handsome in black jeans and a fitted black tee shirt. "I think the three of us could actually set the air on fire with our language."

"Mario Kart?" Sora echoed, forcing herself to stop staring at him. "I thought that was an innocent game. Some of the kids I babysat when I was in high school played it."

"There may not be anything mature about the gameplay, but, let me tell you, something explodes in your brain when you've been in first the whole race and someone hits you with a blue shell right before the finish line, and then you're lucky to come in fifth." He shook his head, and the spark of amusement in his eyes had Sora stepping closer. He must have noticed, because his smile grew, became a bit more assured.

"Umm… Was there something you needed?" Sora asked. A flicker of frustration sparked when she realized that she was wringing her hands.

Matt froze, and his smile faltered. "Well," he said at last, speaking slowly and with care. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner with me tonight. I don't have a car, but there are some decent places within walking distance."

"Oh?" Sora squeaked. Heat flooded her face, and she fought the urge to hide it with her hands.

Matt stared, then grinned like an idiot. He quickly rearranged his face into a winning smile, and somehow, this display of male pride helped Sora overcome her shock and embarrassment.

"Hmm," she said, tilting her head in consideration. Matt's smile faltered, and her ability to gently put him in his place thrilled her. She let him sweat, because his ego, while somewhat deserved, could clearly benefit from temperance.

"That sounds nice," Sora said at last, blessing her ability to keep her voice level. For a moment, a look of pure, boyish excitement passed Matt's face, and Sora took another step closer to better view it. Then he cleared his throat, and his expression fell into that typical look of cool self-assurance.

"Great," he said. "Do you mind if I have a seat? We can choose where we'd like to go."

"Be my guest." She and Matt crowded around her laptop, looking for a good restaurant. Sora mostly nodded along, unwilling to interrupt the sound of Matt's voice so close to her ear, wondering all the while if this was actually happening.

XXX

A knock on the door had Tai glancing away from his laptop. He stood and opened it, then blinked at Amy, who bounced in his doorway with her guitar strapped over her shoulder.

"Hi?" he said, tilting his head. "What's with the guitar?"

"Never mind the guitar," Amy said, rolling her eyes. She walked by him, plopped on his bed, and started playing her instrument. "Matt sent me down. He said you needed homework help. Are you working on an essay for your English composition class?"

Tai frowned. "The hell is he talking about? I'm not doing homework." He sat on his desk chair and frowned at the guitar. He was so damn sick of the damned things.

Amy stopped playing, stilling the strings with a quick, affectionate pat. An unreasonably large smile overtook her face. "Matt!" she cried, speaking as if he were in the room. "You're such a smooth operator, you jerk! He totally just lied to get me out of my room."

Tai's hands closed around the edge of his desk. Damn him! How did he learn this shit?! Then he recalled that Matt spent high school surrounded by girls, and had doubtlessly picked up on some techniques, even if he only dated one or two girls with anything coming close to seriousness. In contrast, while Tai had picked up physical skills from casual hookups, he didn't have much practice with flirting or romance. He remembered his failed attempt to be alone with Sora last night and cursed. He twitched, fearing that Amy had heard, but her eyes were unfocused, which meant her thoughts were far away.

Tai sighed and drummed his fingers against his desk. He needed to be smarter about this. Matt had a definite edge on him, because Sora liked his music. But he was good at sports, and he knew from her poster collection that she enjoyed them, too. That was part of what made her so attractive. A glance at her legs indicated athleticism, so hopefully, he had found a girl who wouldn't be offended by his tendency to spend half of his life on a field. A glance at the rest of her had him sweating slightly. She was toned and slim, with a gorgeous face and a warm, kind vibe. Plus, her obvious maturity might have a soothing effect on his recklessness, which he was a big enough man to own up to. Barely.

"You said Sora hinted that she wanted someone to play tennis with, right?" Tai asked. Amy hummed dreamily in acknowledgment, so he waved a hand in front of her face to catch her attention, then repeated himself.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, tennis. I'm pretty sure Sora wants me to play with her, but…" Amy fell silent. Normally Tai would have told her to be more social, but this bit of reclusiveness was working in his favor. He grinned without meaning to, and Amy frowned in response. "What's with that look?" she asked. "And why the sudden interest in Sora?"

Tai raised an eyebrow, and he could feel his smile twist into a hungry, shark-like grin, but he couldn't seem to help himself. Amy gasped and smacked him with an open palm, something that made a satisfying noise but didn't actually hurt, a trick from drama club in high school.

"Eww, Tai! Don't be like that!" she cried, and her swatting doubled in severity. "Geez, stupid boys! And, anyway, she likes Matt, so don't get any ideas."

Anger and panic warred, obliterating his easy, teasing vibe. "Did she say that?!" he demanded, wheeling his chair so close to her that their knees collided.

"H-huh?" Amy stuttered, clearly confused by his sudden shift in mood. "Well, no, those words weren't exactly said, but it was implied."

Tai sighed eased back in his chair, allowing his worries to drip away. Amy had probably just misunderstood something, that was all. No need to get worked up.

Amy began to pick at the strings of her guitar, and an idea popped into Tai's bushy head. "Could you teach me to play guitar?"

She snorted and tilted her head. "I've offered to teach you a thousand times. Why now?"

"Just let me see it," Tai snapped, and she sighed and lifted the guitar strap from her shoulder. She handed the instrument over, and he pressed it against his front and scooted his chair back, giving himself some room.

"You should put the strap on," she said, a bit anxiously. Tai frowned and lifted an eyebrow, annoyed by her distrust, and she hugged her torso and fell silent. He took a deep breath and strummed the strings, trying to imitate the easy way that Amy had of stroking them. A horrible twanging resulted, and Amy pressed her palms to her mouth and giggled into them.

Tai tsked and seized the little knobs at the end of the guitar. He knew from watching Amy and Matt that they were for tuning the strings. "This sounds terrible," he said, giving one of them a sharp twist. Amy gasped and half stood, and he could tell that she was trying to scold him, trying to tell him not to do something, and, for some reason, that pissed him off.

"Look, I'm not going to destroy it, okay!" he snarled, drowning out her words with volume. "I'm just trying to get it to sound right." Then he twisted the knob again and ran his fingers down the strings, so annoyed that he used more force than intended.

There was a high-pitched twang, and a white-hot pain sang down Tai's inner right forearm. He cursed and dropped the guitar. It smacked against the metal frame of his bed, then fell to the tile floor, making hollow thudding sounds along the way. Panic exploded as he stared at the instrument lying face-down on the floor. Although it certainly couldn't move on its own, its stillness seemed ominous and heavy.

Tai recalled Amy's pride and happiness when she first showed him her guitar in eighth grade. He remembered her bonding with Matt over their instruments, playing together, establishing more common ground. Every time she learned a new skill or song, she shared it with Tai, who always sat through it, despite his grumblings. When she felt low, he knew she turned to her instrument for comfort, trusting its voice when she couldn't find her own.

And now her faithful instrument was lying on the ground like a corpse.

"Tai!" Amy screamed. He expected her to go ballistic on him, which was what he deserved. But her hands closed around his wrist, pulling his right arm towards her. "You're bleeding!" Her face was white and frantic, and his eyes flashed to his arm in response. Blood was freely dripping.

Amy lifted his arm. "Hold it up," she ordered, and then she straightened, climbed over the bed, and threw open both closets. Fortunately, Matt had the sense to put his first aid kit at eye level, at the very front of a shelf (Tai never found his; it was probably still at home). Amy grabbed it and dumped the contents on his bed. He watched, bemused, as she shoved her hands into a pair of latex gloves and grabbed some gauze. Then she returned to him and held a wad of it against his cut. He hissed at the amount of pressure she applied.

"Sorry," she said, adding her other hand so that there was pressure along the entire length of the wound. "It might take a bit for the bleeding to stop."

"What happened?" Tai tried to push her hands away and take care of the wound himself, but she bared her teeth in such a good imitation of his snarl that he left her alone.

"You turned the tension up too high on one of the strings, and it snapped when you strummed it. The lower strings are nylon wound in copper, so it tore you up pretty good." Somehow, she still didn't seem angry, and Tai was starting to freak out. It was like knowing that a bomb was going to explode, but not knowing when.

"Amy, I'm so sorry. I know how much that guitar means to you. Aren't you going to see if it's…" He stared at the growing red blotches on the gauze. Even that was more appealing than the thought of having broken Amy's instrument.

Amy shook her head. "Yuu-kun's not bleeding. You are. A lot. I'll look at him once you're taken care of."

"Yuu-kun? He?" Oh, God. The guitar has a name. I killed something with a name. He glanced at Amy's face and saw that she was blushing, even though the color had drained from her face. Her fingers closed around his arm with even greater force, and he wished that he hadn't said anything.

There was a long silence, and Tai realized with shock that he felt awkward, a completely foreign emotion between him and Amy. For all of his life, Amy had practically been his shadow, always a step behind him. They had gotten in trouble together, gone on the same vacations, given each other their colds, shared secrets and umbrellas and ice cream cones. This wasn't the first time he had done something to strain their relationship, but it was a matter of degree. He moved his left hand to his knee and squeezed it so hard that it was likely to bruise.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated. "I'll pay for the repairs."

"It's probably fine," she said, smiling shakily. "It's you I'm worried about. You might want to go to the health center when it stops bleeding. I really hope you don't need stitches."

Tai glanced at his arm and sighed. "I've had way worse than this. You're blowing this out of proportion, like always. In fact, I think the bleeding's stopped, lemme take a look."

"Tai- No- Keep the pressure on it," Amy babbled, but he ignored her and pried her fingers off his arm. He peeled back the gauze and was relieved to see that Amy's efforts had stemmed the blood flow.

Amy grabbed his arm and removed the rest of the gauze. "We need to clean it," she said, hauling him out of his room and into the hallway. She opened the nearest bathroom door.

"Amy. Amy! That's the men's room you're about to waltz into."

She froze, then pulled her hand back with a speed suggesting that the door had shocked her. "Oh. Well. Hm. I need to clean your wound, so I guess… Check that no one's at the urinals?"

Tai grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. "In case you've forgotten, I'm an athlete. We get injured a lot. I can handle it."

"But-"

"Amy. Go look at your guitar." He closed the bathroom door in her face. Then he went to the sink and washed the wound carefully, praying that it would remain closed, which it did. The cut was longer and deeper than he would have liked, and it still hurt like a bitch, but it was just a flesh wound.

When he was finished, he returned to his room and found Amy sorting through the bandages in the kit. To his surprise, she still hadn't flipped the guitar over, and he was about to comment on that when she handed him a tube of disinfectant. Sighing, he opened the tube and rubbed the goo down the length of the cut, grimacing at the stinging.

"Let me see it," Amy commanded. Tai held his arm out for inspection. "I guess it doesn't look too bad, but I bet it hurts. Also, none of these bandages are long enough."

"I'll figure something out." Amy nibbled her lower lip. Her eyes danced between the guitar and seemingly random points around the room, and Tai finally understood. "You're afraid to look, aren't you."

For a fraction of a second, her eyes locked on his, and he could see moisture building up there. But her glance drifted away, and she gingerly picked the instrument up, as if to prove him wrong. Her diaphragm expanded as she breathed deeply, and then she turned the guitar towards her. Tai angled himself so that he could see it, but made an effort not to crowd her.

He grimaced when he saw the gouge on the front of the wood. Amy ran her fingers over the strings delicately, and it sounded hellish, even worse than when he tried to play it. "Saddle's out of alignment," she sighed. "But I think a luthier can fix it."

"What about the gouge?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically subdued. Amy managed a weak smile.

"It doesn't look like the soundboard has been compromised. I think the damage is just cosmetic. Yuu-kun's going to be okay." She patted the guitar fondly, then sat it down on his bed. Tai collapsed beside it, relieved but troubled. Amy had kept her guitar lovingly pristine, free from all dings and wear, for five years, and he messed it up in less than five minutes.

Somehow, that said a lot about the two of them.

"I doubt the nearest lu… Luver? Is within walking distance."

"Luthier," Amy corrected, "and probably not. I wonder how I can get to one…"

"Have Izzy drive you."

Amy's eyes narrowed. "Oh, so now it's okay to go somewhere with Izzy, huh?"

"Well, obviously, I'll be going, since I'm paying." Right, like he was going to give that the okay without a fight. Although his tiny, often-ignored voice of reason reminded him that Izzy seemed decent, if standoffish, Tai had a duty to protect Amy. And, these days, his policy was in definite favor of being safe rather than sorry.

Amy produced a long, suffering sigh that started in a high pitch and spiraled to a lower one. "Tai. He's not a chauffeur. Why should he agree to drive me to a guitar repair place?"

"Well, I dunno, just… Bat your eyes at him or something. Maybe he'll say yes, I doubt he gets many girls talking to him, so..." He shrugged.

"Tai!" Amy cried, and her voice, normally so pleasant, sharpened to a razor edge. Tai's jaw fell open as she started to pace. "Izzy is one of the sweetest guys I've met, and any girl would be lucky to have him, and I am not going to flirt with him just to get a favor, and… And… Ugh! Don't be gross!"

"Wait, why are you mad now?" Tai demanded. "You should be mad about the guitar, not about this."

"That was an accident! But you don't get a pass for saying idiotic things." She grabbed her guitar and moved towards the door. Tai threw himself to his feet, hastening to intercept.

"Amy- You're pissed!" Amy very rarely got mad. It was fairly easy to annoy or ruffle her, but true anger? That was like Halley's freaking comet. He would have been proud, if only it wasn't his damned fault.

"Okay," Tai said, holding his hands out. "Okay. I guess I was wrong. Sorry. Just… Are we good?"

Amy took a deep breath and sighed. "Well, the poor quality of your apology non-withstanding… We're always good. Just… Don't insult Izzy." Her anger seemed to seep out of her body before his eyes, and Tai was grateful that it had fled as suddenly as it had come.

"I'll try not to. I mean, guys always rib on each other, you know? I'm not serious. Anyway, let me know when you want to find a repair place, and I'll figure out some way to get us there, even if we have to take a cab, okay?"

There was a long pause, and Amy placed the guitar on his bed. "Hug?" she breathed, and Tai grinned ruefully, recognizing her peace offering. He opened his arms, and she eased into them. "Take care of your arm." He grunted, but offered no comment- which likely prompted her to tease, "Oh, and Sora was looking for a tennis partner last Sunday morning. Maybe you can ask if she needs one tomorrow?"

He felt her cheek straining against his shoulder with the force of her smile. He fought to keep his voice steady. "Uh, yeah. Sure."

"Alright. Then I'm going to get back to my studying. And it wouldn't kill you to do some homework, you know." She pulled away from him and gave him a look, which he deflected with a cocky grin. She sighed dramatically, picked up her guitar, and was gone.

I have got to figure out a way to stop fucking things up, Tai thought as he stared at the closed door.