Author's Note: In which Tai finally properly settles his debt with Izzy. Okay, so, quick story, guys. I almost deleted the entirety of this small update (it's only about 2,700 words, which, for me, is like a micro chapter). Nothing really happens, other than that we get some interesting dialog between Izzy and Tai (which is something I'm extremely fond of) and some fretting from Joe (which I do personally find entertaining, because I have a weakness for Joe). As far as the plot goes, I could have totally deleted this. I am so, so sorry. But! I wanted to update Four Years, since it's been a while, and I realize that my Shenanigans chapter is going to be looooong. I hope this chapter isn't too disappointing in its "wait this isn't even necessary" ness…

One final announcement! I am working on my tumblr, which will be full of drawings meant to go along with my fanfics. You can find me under the username ahiddenpath. More details on my profile, I guess. Anyway, there will be drawings of Izzy and Amy coming along soon, and eventually the rest of your favorite characters, as well! Please have a look :)

Halloween: Cashing In

It was a bit more crowded than advertised, and it was hot and humid, but as the alcohol finally began to kick in a little, Tai began to feel that the first phase of the partying was shaping into a success. He was surrounded by a mass of bodies, many of them belonging to cute girls in skimpy costumes, and that was a damn good start. He glanced over at Matt and saw a slow, mellow smile, a sign of the beginning of intoxication for him. Sora wore a compelling, mysterious grin beside him, and her eyes were glued to Matt, now watching the fabric draping from his frame, now riveted to his face, now his lips. Tai tore his eyes away with a will, cursing mentally.

By some miracle, Mimi had convinced Joe to dance, or to at least sway slightly in front of her. Tai couldn't hear them, but he watched as she laughed and made a demanding hand motion. Joe sighed and drank deeply from his cup, then grimaced and coughed as if he had taken a shot instead of having a mixed drink.

Everyone seemed happy, except for Amy. Tai frowned as he watched her send Izzy another text. What was this, the third one? "Amy, he probably can't hear his phone going off in all of this," he pointed out, slipping the phone out of her hand. She reached for it, baring her teeth at him deliberately, and he responded in kind. It was a struggle not to smile, as he enjoyed watching her temper rise. It was a rare event that seemed reserved for him, and it pulled him mentally back into their childhood, when she had been far more strong willed and confident.

"You don't like the crowd, right?" he asked, taking hold of her shoulders. She leaned into the touch, moving towards him, and he hoped no one was watching. It was going to be difficult to attract any girls when Amy was acting clingy. "Right. So, stay here with Matt, and I'll find Izzy and bring him back." And then you can mess up his chances of getting a girl tonight, instead of mine.

As callous as the thought was, it was only half serious. If finding Izzy would make her happy, then he would do it. He had no idea why she followed the little nerd around like a puppy, her eagerness playing the role of a wagging tail. Tai enjoyed getting a rise out of Izzy, and he liked the way he spoke bluntly and sometimes displayed a barbed sense of humor. But half of the time, it sounded like he was speaking an alien language when he talked, and he was just so quiet in general... I mean, I like him, but I don't see what the huge deal is. But whatever. If she wants Izzy, I'll find Izzy.

Tai made his way through the crowd, grinning whenever he met a fine feminine eye, loving the way that many of them sparked with approval as he passed. One girl went so far as to wink and lick her lips, and he turned his body so that he brushed her as he went by. His interest was certainly piqued, but Tai had no desire to pursue someone who was so obvious about what she wanted. He really wasn't looking for a drunken one night stand, although he indicated otherwise from time to time for the sake of his man cred. A single experience had been enough to warn him away from them. He failed to acknowledge the tiny voice in his mind explaining that he probably wouldn't have much luck finding anything else here.

At six feet tall, he was able to see over most of the crowd, but the lack of light was making things difficult. Squinting, he made his way into the largest room in the frat house, hoping that numbers would be on his side. He had the good fortune of spotting a head of violently red hair almost immediately, and he identified Izzy pushing his way through the crowd, looking surprisingly intent on his task.

Knowing he had no hope of being heard, Tai tried to intercept Izzy's path, making exaggerated waving motions the whole time. Before long, the movement caught Izzy's eye, and relief spread across his features, which seemed to be set tight in something like discomfort. Izzy made his way over to him, and immediately took hold of his arm when he reached him.

"Dude, I don't need this kind of publicity," Tai joked, shaking himself free. Then he noticed the expression on Izzy's face, and he did a double take. The little redhead looked pale and desperate, and Tai leaned towards him automatically, wondering what in the hell could upset the stoic, deadpan nerd so much. "S'wrong?"

"I need a favor, Tai, and I need you to not ask why." Izzy's eyes fell on his, hard and half wild. Tai felt his brow rise in response, and he had to admit that his interest was piqued. Izzy's hand tightened around his wrist to the point where it almost hurt. He nodded mutely, too stunned to speak.

"I gather that you're in charge of our Halloween activities." Izzy paused, as if waiting for a response, and Tai nodded again. That sounded about right. "I know we haven't been here that long, but I'm in rather desperate need of a relocation. Immediately."

For a moment, Tai's astonishment had him gaping at Izzy, jaw slack and hanging. Izzy's hold tightened further, and the discomfort finally brought him back to himself. "What the hell did you do? You start a fight or something?" That seemed unlikely, but he couldn't think of any other reason to need to disappear from a party.

"I really must emphasize my need of haste," Izzy said, his voice going so high that he sounded like a girl. Despite the strangeness and tenseness of the situation, Tai found himself laughing. Izzy frowned up at him, and his scowl just kept on growing as time passed.

Finally, Izzy brushed past him, and Tai jumped to keep up. Izzy turned his neck enough to speak over his shoulder as he moved. "If you really must know, I had something of a run in with my ex-girlfriend, and I have strong desire to prevent its escalation."

If it were physically possible, Tai's eyebrows probably would have flown right off of his face, potentially landing with a splash in someone's Dixie cup. His brain sputtered pathetically as he tried to process all of that information. "You've had a girlfriend?" he managed at last, and Izzy stopped moving long enough to grace him with the dirtiest, darkest look he had ever seen. His heavy brow was capable of expressing some pretty extreme disapproval, there.

"Are you going to say that you assumed I was homosexual next?" Izzy asked, and Tai felt his jaws snap shut in response. That was a thought that had definitely passed Tai's mind on more than one occasion, but had never lingered there, because he wasn't at all interested in who a boy wanted to get in bed with.

"Do you, ah, do you get that a lot?" The inquiry was made with honest curiosity, and less-than-desirable tact.

Izzy sighed. "I believe it has something to do with my quiet nature and my size, although, of course, neither of those things have any bearing on one's sexual preference." An uncomfortable sound popped out of Tai without his willing it, and, somehow, Izzy's eyes narrowed even further. "I was referring to my height and build, Tai."

"Right, right!" Tai said, laughing awkwardly. "Anyway, you don't have to be so touchy about it. It's not like you are, and even if you were, there's nothing wrong with-"

"I have absolutely no interest in which sex people choose to pursue," Izzy said, cutting him off. "But I do take issue with people assuming that they know my preferences without asking, and even more so with people being spiteful or judgmental about whatever conclusions they reach." He paused for a moment, then sighed, and some of the annoyance dripped off of his face. "Although, now that I consider it, I realize that it's unlikely for you to be intentionally hurtful."

Was that forgiveness or an apology? Tai wondered, but he honestly had no clue. What mattered was that Izzy was dropping this discussion, allowing Tai a chance to move beyond his slip. He shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded towards the nearest corner of the room, then led Izzy there, so they could have a quick discussion. Frankly, leaving now would be inconvenient, as they had only arrived here about forty minutes ago, but if Izzy really needed it... His mind replayed the two times that he had been violent towards the boy following close to his heels, and he frowned at the ceiling. I owe him. I know I do.

Once they reached the corner, which seemed to the only safe place to stop moving, he leaned against one wall and held his arm out to the other, blocking Izzy in and hiding him from view. He bent over to make himself heard, since Izzy was almost an entire foot shorter than him. It looked a little sketchy, he knew, but what could he do?

"So, what's your problem, now?" he asked, and Izzy dropped his forehead into his palm.

"I don't have anything more to say about it. Either we leave as a group now, or I'll go home on my own, but I refuse to stay here and risk some sort of altercation with my drunken ex." He dragged his hand down his face, rubbing his temples along the way, then leaned back into the wall. "I suppose it's your choice," he added, his eyes going unfocused. "For whatever reason, your most intimate group of friends seems to defer to you."

Tai began to drum his fingers against the wall. He wasn't really sure how he always ended up in charge, in everything from soccer to group outings, but it was true that the others were likely to take his lead, and probably without question. There was a time in middle school when Matt challenged his every call, sometimes leading to blows over the stupidest things, but that had worked itself out somehow over the years. And so, what was his call going to be?

"It's true that there isn't enough booze to keep the party going much longer," Tai said slowly, working through his thoughts verbally. "Too many people showing up without bringing something. If we leave now, no one can accuse us of bailing because the party dried up."

"Our absence would hardly be noticed, I can assure you," Izzy pointed out, staring pointedly into the thick, bouncing crowd. Tai nodded automatically.

"Yeah. Yeah. Now might actually be a good time to get out of here, anyway." With that, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted the others: Got Izzy. Let's move on to the next party. This one's about to dry up on us.

There, he thought proudly. A good reason to get out of here, without anyone knowing that Izzy was the one who wanted it.

And he was still congratulating himself on a job well done as his group slipped out of the party.

A Little Later

"So, where are we going, Tai?" Joe asked. He was sounding more than a little skeptical, he knew, but he couldn't seem to help it. Although he hadn't ingested much alcohol yet, he was already having trouble controlling his words and his tone. And let's not even start with my feet. I have no idea what's going on down there, but walking is a lot harder than it normally is. It figures my alcohol tolerance is a joke. Izzy looks fine, and he's half my size!

"I told you, we're going to a friend's apartment. It should be a lot less crowded, he's more picky about who gets drunk in his place, probably because the stuff is all his, I guess." Tai seemed to be having no trouble walking and speaking, but Joe noticed that he was grinning randomly, despite the lack of amusing stimuli. Well, if there were any, Joe didn't notice them; he was too busy shivering and trying to walk.

"So, why the bus?" he asked, rubbing his arms. He had no idea how Mimi could stand it. She was wearing a lot less than him, but she showed no signs of minding the cold. But, then, she was bouncing all around, dragging Amy down the sidewalk in a strange, high energy, meandering dance.

"Uh, because he lives too far to walk, and it's freaking freezing." Tai rose an eyebrow at him, but the disparaging look was completely ruined by his impossibly large smirk.

Joe blew air out from between his lips and hunched over, staring dolefully into the darkness beyond the reach of the streetlight by the bus stop. Who knew what could be lurking beyond its faint yellow glow? "I hope you're sober enough to know which bus we need, and which stop is ours," he said stiffly, trying to vent his discomfort somehow.

"Would you relax, Joe?" Matt asked, making a tsking sound. "Tai can sniff out booze like a blood hound. Halloween is about having fun. You're killing my buzz."

Joe stiffened and frowned, edging away from the blonde boy. He was used to getting this kind of attitude from people, and had been told repeatedly that no one enjoyed listening to his neuroticism. But being spoken to like that still bothered him.

Sora's face appeared as she removed her head from Matt's far shoulder. She was pressed up against him, taking shelter under his cape. "Matt," she said softly, her tone gentle but firm. The visible part of Matt's face tightened, and he tilted his head in consideration.

"Sorry, Joe," he said at last, and, since he sounded sincere (and, amusingly enough, like someone who had just been taken down a peg), Joe nodded and tried to let go of his annoyance.

For a few minutes, everyone was quiet, except for Mimi, who was giggling and trying to convince Amy to sing somewhere on the grass behind them, and Amy, who kept trying to pry herself away from her friend.

"Mimi, your hands are so cold!" Amy complained, her voice rising into a high whine. Joe glanced over at Izzy and found him watching his pseudo girlfriend, his expression distant and unfocused. I wonder what he's thinking, Joe wondered. He hasn't said a word since we left the party. Truth be told, that wasn't very odd for Izzy, who spoke very little in general, particularly when in a group. Even his far-off attitude was normal. When something was on the redhead's mind, he focused on it so completely that his physical presence was about as significant as a lamp's. But even Izzy knew that there was a time and a place for everything, and he usually saved such moments of contemplation for a more private setting. Normally, his eyes would be alert and moving, scanning the environment for information.

Something was eating at his friend, and Joe had no idea what it was. Joe approached him, hoping to quietly ask him what was wrong, but the bus chose that exact moment to pull up to the curb. Of course, Joe thought, sighing as the doors opened. Drunken shouting and laughter immediately poured out, along with the moist heat that seemed to be following them everywhere tonight. Joe called for Mimi and Amy, then kept a surreptitious eye on Izzy, worrying all the while.

Author's Note: Again, I apologize. Pointless update is pointless. But, a few self comments. One, I love how, two chapters ago, Matt commented that he's better with the ladies than Tai, but Tai seems to think he's turning heads left and right. Which of them is right, I wonder? Second, Sora. I would totally be staring at Matt, too, so high fives and all. Third, I wonder why Tai had moments of wondering if Izzy is gay? In case you don't know (and I don't really see a reason why you would), I tend to write dialog in a sort of stream-of-consciousness mode. Sometimes I only write dialog, then come back and add the rest. The conversation with Izzy asking Tai to get everyone out of the first party was one of the ones where I just wrote without thinking, and somehow that line popped out… I thought it was odd, so I kept it (does that sound like the opposite of what I should do, lol?).

Anyway, much more excitement next time, I promise. Specifics: Amy challenges Izzy to a pickup line war. The kids play Kings. Izzy is NOT overjoyed to be reunited with Ryo Hiraki. Mimi discovers the compelling softness of Amy's chest, and Joe's head nearly explodes as a result. And something seems to be building between Sora and Matt…