Oh my, I'm so sorry this took so long! I honestly didn't think I was ever going to be able to finish this chapter, but the sweet reviews and the extra motivation from 50cyg (thank you!) certainly helped. If it's any consolation (it's probably not), this is longer than the other chapters!

Taichi's POV - earlier that night

Taichi wound his way down his patented secret route to Yamato's dorm. He had calculated that it was at least three minutes faster than taking the main roads. Taichi loved getting to places in the fastest way possible in general, but particularly so for Yamato's place (because it meant getting access to Yamato's cooking three minutes faster).

On this specific night, Taichi was walking more quickly than usual. He was also whistling loudly (and out-of-tune, based on the looks he was getting, but he didn't really care), which was a sure sign that he was excited about something.

He held in his hand two black tickets that had the name of a band, Banished Lions, sketched into them in some artistic way. Taichi didn't really understand what was so great about the band, but he happened to know that Yamato was a huge fan of them (or at least he was guessing so, based on the three shirts and two posters he had of them).

He couldn't wait to see Yamato's reaction when he told him how the tickets managed to fall into his lap. Even better, the concert was on a Friday so it was a perfect idea for Fortune Friday. Plus, Carla already knew Taichi was busy on Fridays. He's so going to owe me after this. Well, maybe we'll be even because last month he saved my ass by picking out the perfect gift for Hikari.

"Ya-ma-to~!" He called whimsically through Yamato's door when he finally got there.

He was expecting Yamato to appear at the door with a guitar in his hand and his bangs clipped up (his usual attire for a lazy weekend), so after about seven seconds with no response, he started getting impatient.

He knocked loudly on the door, before pulling out his phone. Maybe he's in the shower or something…

He was about to text the blond, when he suddenly remembered something important. Taichi smacked himself in the face. "Shit, I totally forgot he told me he was going to be busy. He told me yesterday he was going to visit his girlfriend tonight."

He sighed at the unfortunate change of events and cursed his temperamental memory before deciding to turn back. "I guess I'll just have to show him another time." Distracted as he was, he accidentally bumped into someone who was walking by in the hallway as he turned around.

"Sorry-" They both said at the same time and looked up at each other.

Taichi saw something akin to recognition flash in the other boy's eyes, but Taichi couldn't for the life of him remember meeting a guy with dark green hair anywhere.

The other boy spoke to him in a rather friendly tone and pointed at Yamato's door. "Looking for Yamato, by any chance?"

Taichi was a little taken aback. This guy is either a mind reader or he is also friends with Yamato and just happens to live around here. Probably the second one, but you can never be too sure.

"Yeah I was actually… Are you a friend of his?"

"Yes, my name's Kyo. Nice to meet you!" He held out a hand to shake. "And you're Taichi Yagami if I'm not mistaken?"

Taichi didn't think it was actually possible for people's eyes to twinkle outside of novels, but he could've sworn Kyo's eyes just twinkled.

"Yes, that's me. How did you-"

"Anyone that's watched a uni soccer game would recognize you! Besides, Yamato sometimes mentions you."

"Ohh, that makes sense." Taichi nodded happily. He better have mentioned me, I'm his best friend!

"Anyway," Taichi explained, "If you're looking for him too, he's actually not there tonight. He said he was going to visit his girlfriend so he probably won't be back for a while."

Again, Taichi might have been going a little crazy but he thought he saw a nearly imperceptible smile tugging at the corners of Kyo's mouth. Yamato's friend is a little weird.

"Oh okay. I wasn't actually looking for him, I just happen to live down the hall."

A few moments of silence passed between the two. Kyo could have kept walking down the hallway but he appeared more interested in standing here with Taichi. It wasn't necessarily awkward, but Taichi nonetheless felt the need to find a topic to fill the void.

"Yeah, actually," Taichi started animatedly, holding up the tickets in his hand. "I just managed to score these tickets to a band he likes so I really wanted to tell him about them in person! I'm sure he's going to be so psyched."

Kyo's eyes softened as he looked at Taichi's glowing face, and he suddenly looked thoughtful.

"You know," Kyo started somewhat reluctantly. "I think he told me where he was going if you wanted to stop by to show him." He checked through his phone for a moment. "Yeah, I think he said he was going to be at Cloud 9."

"Cloud 9? Wait... Isn't that a gay bar? Are you sure?" Taichi questioned incredulously.

Kyo's pleasant demeanor changed drastically. "Is there something wrong with that?" He said sharply.

Taichi raised his hands defensively. "Oh, no, I didn't mean that there was anything wrong with gay bars in general! I was just wondering why he would take his girlfriend to a gay bar? Well I guess there are a lot of girls that like going to gay bars… but not usually as a date spot…" Taichi trailed off. Shit, I must have offended him.

But Kyo visibly relaxed at his explanation. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to jump to conclusions. You're right… that would be a weird date spot. But I'm sure that's the place he said." Kyo seemed like he was choosing his words carefully. "Maybe when you find him you can talk some sense into him."

"Yeah, I might have to save the date. He can be a bit clueless when it comes to these kinds of things," Taichi commented and they both laughed. "Anyway, thanks for the heads up. See you around!"

Cloud 9 was just a short bus ride away, and although Taichi didn't generally frequent that area of campus he was still familiar with how to get there. He decided it might be better to let Yamato know he was coming, so he shot him a quick text. "Hey, I've got a surprise for you! So, I hope you don't mind me crashing your date for a bit"

He took the fact that he didn't receive a response from Yamato to be a sign that the date was going well.

He stood in line outside the building briefly, hearing the muffled sounds of louder music being played inside. When he got to the bouncer he flashed his ID at the bouncer who then directed him to a cashier to pay the entrance cover.

He had heard before that drinks were generally cheaper at gay bars, so even though they charged for entering it was still worth it. Taichi peered into the bar (actually it looked more like a club) as he fished out a 5 dollar bill and handed it to the cashier.

His first thought was, wow, there were some flexible people dancing in here which was followed closely by the realization that it would be very difficult to find anyone in here.

But he'd only taken a step forward into the bar when a flash of blond from the front of the bar caught his attention.

This blond guy had long legs and a frame that almost looked like Yamato's.

But it couldn't be Yamato.

It couldn't be Yamato because he wasn't with a girl. It also couldn't be Yamato because Taichi was almost certain that this blond was flirting with the black-haired male beside him. Which couldn't be Yamato.

Taichi watched with mounting curiosity as the Yamato doppelganger leaned drunkenly toward the other man, when suddenly the two were attached to each other, in the midst of the steamiest make-out session Taichi had ever seen in public.

Unable to tear himself away from the sight, Taichi's eyes recognized a familiar jawline (though it was half-obstructed by the other's face), familiar hands that were gripping tightly onto black hair, and familiar pale skin that appeared to glow under the lights of the club.

Unfortunately, his brain didn't seem to be able to catch up with the sight that was clearly spelled out in front of him.

I need to find the real Yamato. Why can't I move?

Taichi was still rooted to the same spot when suddenly the blond jerked away from the kiss. Taichi suddenly wanted nothing more than to run away, as if he had seen something he wasn't supposed to. But his legs refused to cooperate, and the blond had turned around to look at him. Taichi's pulse quickened.

There was no room for doubt. That is definitely Yamato. No one else has eyes like that.

The room froze and his brain went blank.

Why would he-? Taichi tried to make sense of the unfolding scene. After a few failed attempts of doing so, he settled on the one clear thought on his head: I need to get out of here.

In a desperate effort, he finally willed his legs to move him out of the bar. The second his feet hit the pavement outside, he ran.

Yamato's POV

"Shit!" Yamato quickly stood up only to stumble back down into his seat in horror as his brain went into overdrive. Oh shit, oh shit, SHIT. What had Taichi, of all people, been doing here? Taichi's shocked expression flashed in his head again. What was he thinking now? Would he even want to look at me right now?

"What's going on?" The disgruntled voice of Etzuo to his side snapped Yamato out of his shock.

Yamato brought a hand over his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. What the hell am I still doing here? I need to talk to him. He slapped a twenty onto the bar top and proceeded to make his way out of the bar as fast as he could, almost running into several people in the process.

The cool air outside did little to calm Yamato's wildly beating heart, though it did clear any remnants of his buzz. He searched frantically from one side of the street to the other for a glimpse of the brown-haired boy.

Shit, how did he disappear?

Yamato's thoughts scampered in every direction. How fitting it was that the one person he'd been trying to keep it a secret from, Taichi, would be the first one to find out. How was it that years of lying could be completely undone with a single moment? Did that mean that years of friendship could also be undone that quickly?

Consumed by his own despair, Yamato hardly realized as his legs subconsciously led him to the entrance of a park. Caniti Park was a campus playground that Yamato and Taichi had frequented often when they first got to university. They no longer visited together (this was largely Yamato's fault), but it was still one of Yamato's favorite places to relax.

He took a few steps into the park before he felt someone else's presence. A few moments later he caught sight of Taichi sitting on the bench in the corner. Apparently he wasn't the only one who came here to unwind.

One glance at Taichi's face, including the fading bruises around his eye, sent a fresh wave of nausea rolling through Yamato. He got that black eye protecting your reputation, you idiot, and now he found out that you were a fag all along.

Every fiber in his body was pulling him in the opposite direction, shouting at him to run away from what would likely be an inevitable heartbreak, but he strengthened his resolve and took another step forward. I can't keep running away from this. It's not fair to Taichi.

Even in his terror-stricken state, Yamato was able to appreciate how far Taichi had come from when they were younger at controlling his emotions. An innocent passerby may have thought that Taichi was just relaxing on the bench. Unfortunately, Yamato knew better. Taichi's jaw was pulled tight. His eyebrows were slightly creased. Emotion was rippling just below the muscles that stretched taut over his skin.

Too quickly Yamato had already reached Taichi.

"Taichi, I, I mean, we need to-"

All the courage Yamato had mustered up shriveled away as Taichi looked up at him with darkened eyes and an emotionless face.

"What are you doing here?" The voice that came out was cold, so cold Yamato could barely associate it with the beautiful mouth it emerged from.

The air between Taichi and Yamato was so thick that Yamato was struggling to breathe properly.

"Taichi, I'm… here because we need to talk."

Taichi stared off to the side with a distant look in his eyes. "Sorry for interrupting you earlier."

Neither of them were moving, but Yamato felt as if Taichi was slipping farther and farther away from him every second.

Why was Taichi apologizing?! I'm the one who should be apologizing!

Before Yamato could say anything, Taichi continued talking in that foreign voice. "I had something to show you, but it probably wasn't even important anyway." Taichi's hands clenched tighter around what appeared to be two black objects crumpled in his fists.

Something was extremely wrong. This wasn't normal for Taichi fights. Yamato didn't know what he had expected instead from the other, but this sure as hell wasn't it. Taichi was the type of person to let his anger out immediately, not passively. Somehow, Taichi's blunted reaction hurt even worse than his explosive anger.

If he was being honest, it was the fact that he couldn't read Taichi that unnerved him more than anything else. He had always been able to read Taichi's every movement in the past. Was it possible that the worst-case scenario really was true, and things between him and Taichi had been irreparably damaged? Would this be how Taichi would act towards him forever?

Yamato, suddenly irrationally filled with rage, ran up to the other. "Cut the bullshit, Taichi!" He grabbed the front of Taichi's shirt and shook him to his feet. "Just spit it out already if you hate me! Why are you acting like we barely know each other? Why won't you tell me how you feel? Think I can't handle it?"

There was another second of painstaking silence before Taichi finally snapped.

"I FEEL LIKE A FUCKING IDIOT, THAT'S WHY!" Taichi shouted with enough ferocity that Yamato automatically let go of his shirt. His voice was now filled with raw emotion. "You're annoyed by not knowing how I feel? That should be my line!"

Yamato's next words caught in his throat as his stomach churned with guilt.

Taichi turned away and pulled at his own hair with a sort of desperate frustration. "Why does some green-haired stranger know more about MY best friend than me?" He looked back into Yamato's eyes with that same ferocity. "Since when did I become the last person you could talk to?"

He had known that Taichi was upset. But seeing Taichi's pained expression and knowing that he had caused it enveloped Yamato in a suffocating feeling he couldn't quite describe.

"That's not it, I was just worried that-"

Taichi cut him off, his voice escalating with every word. "If you think for one second that I'm mad about you being gay or bi or whatever, you're dead wrong. And I honestly can't believe- that after all we've been through- that you would think I would be."

Yamato struggled to find the words that could explain himself. Of course I didn't think that. Deep down, Yamato knew Taichi would never be the kind of person that would judge any of his friends for something like that. That was one of the many things he loved about him. "I didn't think you'd be mad. I just didn't want to ruin our relationship. You matter so much to me-"

"If that's what you really think, you've got some way of showing it." Taichi bit out as he advanced towards Yamato. "Don't think I haven't noticed. You're always distancing yourself from me." Yamato flinched at the accusation. Taichi's eyes were burning into him. They were filled with so many emotions, but Yamato could easily pick them out. Hurt. Betrayal. Frustration. "You make it impossible to get to know the real you. It's been like this ever since we were kids. I just can't believe you wouldn't trust me with this. Have you ever even trusted me?"

Yamato never imagined that his actions were having such a negative impact on Taichi. Have I been the clueless one all this time?

"I do trust you Taichi! Of course I've always trusted you! It's just… it's not as if you could understand how it feels! You grew up in a perfect home with two perfect parents, and all you have to do is walk into a room and everyone loves you! Sometimes it feels like the fact that you're even friends with someone as imperfect as me is some kind of fluke!"

Taichi finally did punch him. Yamato actually found the physical sting of it to be a welcome distraction to the mounting emotional pain that he was unable to release.

"Do you even hear yourself, Yamato? Do you really think I've always had everything perfect? You know better than anyone else that that's bullshit! I'm not a perfect leader. I can't always handle the pressure. That's why I lean on you. And I worry all the time –about not being good enough, and about you guys. Did you ever stop to wonder how worried I was about you?"

The guilt was overwhelming. "I know that! " Yamato exclaimed as it threatened to overcome him. "Do you think I wanted to keep this from you? I lied because I didn't want you to worry. Do you think I like being not normal?" Tears made their way down his face without his consent and he didn't even bother to wipe them away. "I didn't ask to be this way, this weird!"

Yamato felt drained as the words left him. He didn't want to fight with Taichi anymore.

Taichi raised his hand toward Yamato once more and Yamato braced himself to be decked again. But before he knew it, he was being pulled forward into a light embrace.

Yamato felt his nerves relax instantaneously, as if there was something tranquilizing about the feeling of Taichi's warmth. Taichi had a strange way of always being able to recognize when Yamato was at his breaking point.

When Taichi began talking again, it was in a much softer tone. "Yamato, I don't think you're weird." Taichi said gently. "Please don't call yourself weird." He pulled away from Yamato and gripped him firmly by the shoulders, trying to etch the words into Yamato's conscience. "There's nothing wrong with you."

Yamato privately disagreed with him. There were a number of things wrong with him. For example, how empty he felt when Taichi pulled away and how he wanted nothing more than to demand that Taichi hold him again and never let go. But even worse than that… "I've been an impossibly shitty friend to you, Taichi. You should hate me for this."

"Yama, I don't hate you! Just, god damn-" Yamato could see annoyance flare up in Taichi's face again, before he pinched the bridge of his nose to calm down. "-can you please stop hiding things from me?

Yamato felt compelled to nod, even knowing that there was no way he could ever tell Taichi the complete truth.

"That's all I was asking! It really hurts me to see you shut yourself away." The strain in his voice told Yamato it was true.

"Taichi…" Yamato realized he sounded pathetic, but he needed to hear it. "Even after this… Does that mean you still want to be friends?"

Taichi looked appalled at the question. "Of course, you idiot. You could never get rid of me that easily." His anger had dispersed as quickly as it had appeared. The brunet seemed incapable of holding a grudge, for which Yamato was eternally grateful.

Yamato gave him a watery smile. His body, which had been running on a sole energy source of anxiety mixed with fear, finally relaxed after he heard Taichi's words. He collapsed into the grass.

Taichi looked a little concerned as he sat next to Yamato with a soft plop.

"You okay?"

"I'm okay… I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have met you, Taichi." Yamato replied honestly.

Yamato was surprised when Taichi actually looked flustered. But he recovered quickly.

"Yes, you definitely are. But really… I think we're both lucky to have each other." Yamato's heartbeat sped up. Taichi probably didn't even realize how much his words affected Yamato.

Before they knew it, the two were just lying on their backs in the grass with their eyes closed. Just like the good old days.

Taichi voiced out loud what Yamato had been thinking. "Lying here like this… It feels like we're not that different from when we were kids, right?"

Not that different… except for my massive crush on you. But who knows, that probably existed back then too. "Yeah, you still punch like a kid." Yamato replied jokingly, reaching up to touch the area where Taichi had hit him. "Do you not gain any upper body strength playing soccer?"

He heard Taichi snort to the left of him. "You're just lucky I was holding back. Since now I know I'll have not only an army of fangirls but also fanboys and ex-boyfriends chasing me down if I do anything to your face."

Yamato laughed out of relief. If Taichi could casually joke about his sexuality, he probably couldn't be that upset.

"So…" Taichi's voice took on a more serious tone. Maybe he had spoken too soon. "How long have you known about, uh, the liking guys thing?"

Yamato panicked at first, forgetting that his cover had already been blown earlier. Calm down, Yamato. He has no way of knowing that you like him. Just don't act awkward.

"I mean it's not like it's a big deal," Taichi added quickly, possibly sensing Yamato's discomfort. "I was just wondering."

Yamato exhaled. "Deep inside, I've probably known about it for a long time. Maybe since high school. I think I started to realize when I was with Sora."

Yamato expected a snarky comment from Taichi about this and looked over at him but Taichi just nodded, his expression devoid of any judgment.

"But it took me a while to really admit it to myself." With every word he spoke, Yamato actually felt himself getting lighter. It had been so long since he had been able to just be himself. "It wasn't until last year that I completely accepted that it was the way I was, and then I started to meet other people just like me and things started making sense."

Taichi sighed. "Now I feel guilty for always trying to set you up with girls. I really wish you just told me Yamato. Did you even tell anyone?"

"Out of the Chosen… no."

"Not even Takeru?"

"Nope, not even him." Taichi appeared to lighten up a little at that, presumably because he was the first one to know out of their friends. "You remember how your teammates reacted right? It's not exactly something I wanted everyone to find out about. The only people who really know are other people in the gay community."

Yamato heard rustling and when he peeked one of his eyes open he saw Taichi was sitting up, looking at him intently.

"So was that black-haired guy back at Cloud 9 your boyfriend? Won't he be looking for you?" Taichi sounded nonchalant, but there was an unquestionable burning curiosity in his eyes.

Yamato's face turned bright red as he remembered the rather compromising situation he had been in when Taichi caught him. It was even more embarrassing that he barely even knew the guy. A lie came to Yamato's lips automatically, but he fought it away.

"He wasn't my boyfriend… To tell you the truth, I've never even met him before tonight."

Taichi gave him a disbelieving look that clearly said "that's not what it looked like."

Yamato just folded his arms up under his head. "What? It's true! I mean, it probably also happened because I had a little too much to drink." Which was because of you, but of course I can't tell you that.

"I don't like it," Taichi said shortly. He crossed his arms across his chest. "You didn't even know who he was!"

Was Taichi pouting? It sounded like he was pouting. Yamato had to force his eyes shut because he surely wouldn't be able to handle that face. It should be illegal to be that adorable.

Instead he said pointedly, "Taichi, it's not any different from when you pick up a random cute girl at a bar. Gay people are allowed to have sex too."

Apparently that thought hadn't crossed Taichi's mind because it was his turn to become bright red. It was a sight Yamato hadn't seen before, and he found he rather enjoyed it.

"I guess that's true…" Taichi opened his mouth and closed it again, apparently trying to reconcile things in his head. He finally let out a little huff. "I know this is probably bigoted of me, but it just feels like you should be more careful since it's a guy. He could have been taking advantage of you!"

"That's not fair, and you know it." Taichi at least had the decency to look embarrassed when Yamato looked up at him. "That guy wasn't dangerous. If anything, he was definitely less harmful than that one crazy girl you brought home who stole two pairs of your underwear and a pair of mine before she left."

Taichi sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Okay, you got me there. I'm sorry… It's just a lot to swallow at one time, you know." Taichi was being his completely honest and, as usual, oblivious self. If only Yamato's mind was as innocent.

Yamato propped himself up on one elbow and looked at Taichi. He still looked slightly put out. I wonder what he's thinking about.

"You're not really okay with me being like this are you?" Yamato questioned. It may have been too much to expect Taichi to be completely okay with Yamato's sexuality instantaneously. It was probably one thing to be okay with people being gay, in general, but a totally different thing to find out your best friend of many years was gay and having it sprung upon you in person.

"It's okay if you're not used to it." Yamato added understandingly.

But Taichi fervently denied Yamato's claim. "I'm totally okay with it! In fact, to prove to you just how okay I am with it, I'm coming with you next time you go to a gay bar."

"Taichi you don't have to do-"

"No, I want to, really!"

"Why would you want to?"

"Well this whole time you've been going to straight bars with me when you've been gay and I didn't even know it! So it's only fair that I accompany you to a gay bar! Besides, it's not like it matters to me what kind of bar it is as long as they serve drinks."

Yamato sighed and gave in. Taichi was almost impossible to argue with when he fixated on something, and Yamato had learned long ago to pick his battles. Also, he still felt guilty (and probably would for a very long time) about hurting Taichi. "Alright, I'll let you know the next time I go."

Taichi glanced over at Yamato. "You're not lying to me are you?"

Yamato rolled his eyes, but recognized that it was a fair question given his track record. "I'm not lying, Taichi."

"Good." Taichi flashed that brilliant smile of his and it made Yamato's heart skip a beat.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

It had been two days since Saturday night and Yamato was on his way to get lunch with Taichi, which was a good indication that Yamato's worst fears had not come true and he and Taichi were still as close as ever. They may actually have been closer than ever because Yamato had finally lowered his guard around the other.

As he got closer to the restaurant, Yamato's eyes narrowed as he spotted a different friend of his.

Yamato walked up to an unsuspecting Kyo and punched him straight in the gut. Not hard enough to send him to the hospital (which is what he really wanted to do), but hard enough to make a point. "You bastard! What was the big idea telling Taichi where I was that night?"

Kyo rubbed his stomach ruefully. "I'm sorry! I texted you right after to give you a heads up, but I didn't know you'd be too busy sticking your tongue down another guy's throat to check your phone! I thought maybe it would be an easy way to get the ball rolling with letting him know who you really were."

"Are you seriously crazy? That was probably the worst way to tell him who I really was!"

"Like I said, I thought you would just be hanging out there, not making out with someone. Also," Kyo said, more seriously than Yamato had ever seen him before. "I had to say something. You should've seen the way he talks about you Yamato. There's no way that someone like that would have hated you. In fact, I have a hard time believing someone like that doesn't like you."

"Not this again, Kyo-"

"And besides that, I've seen the way you've been beating yourself up about having to lie to him." Kyo continued. "And I'm also the one who has to put up with seeing you sleep around endlessly, when I know you're really just doing it to fill the emptiness inside of you. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but I really did it because I cared about you."

It hit Yamato at that moment that he may have been extremely ignorant of all the people in his life who cared about him and wanted to help him. Thinking about it more, he did have a lot to appreciate.

"Well," Kyo added, "It was mostly that, but also I couldn't really help myself. You know, he's really got the cutest eyes when he's excited."

Yamato forgot the part about being appreciative and punched Kyo in the shoulder. "Don't you dare get any ideas!"

"I was kidding! Well, sort of."

Yamato glared at him, but before he could threaten him again he caught a glimpse of a familiar brown mass of hair down the street and promptly shoved Kyo into the nearest doorway, which happened to be a bathroom.

"Hey, what are you-"

"You stay in there!"

Yamato turned around to see Taichi waving at him.

"Hey Taichi!"

"Hey, weren't you just with your green-haired friend?"

"No, I mean yeah, he -um- had to go to the bathroom. Anyway, we should probably get going to lunch… I'm starving!"

Taichi hesitated and pointed towards the bathroom. "Er, shouldn't we wait for your friend?"

"No, that's okay, he'll be fine." Yamato kept walking down the street.

"If you say so…" Taichi followed after Yamato, understandably confused about the whole situation.

They took seats across from each other in Taichi's favorite ramen place. Yamato's pocket was vibrating insistently, so he opened up his phone to check his texts.

Kyo: What the hell was that about?

Yamato wasted no time in typing out a reply.

Yamato: "You're staying away from him. Also, I just decided that I still haven't forgiven you for blowing my cover."

Kyo: :(You just want alone time with Taichi~

Yamato: Shut. Up.

When Yamato looked up again, Taichi was in deep thought looking at him, or past him, he wasn't quite sure.

"Did you already pick out what you're getting?" Yamato's voice startled Taichi a bit, who then looked down at the menu like he hadn't even seen it there.

"Haven't looked… but I'll probably get what I always get."

Yamato shook his head. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that variety is the spice of life?"

Taichi grinned. "What can I say? I know what I like." Yamato could've sworn his voice dropped an octave when he said the second half. God, he has no idea how sexy he is.

Yamato bit his lip as he distracted himself with the menu before he gave himself away. If he had been looking up, he would've seen the way Taichi's eyes were immediately drawn to the action.

After they both gave their orders to the waitress, they chatted for a while about classes and about how a few of the other Chosen were actually planning on paying them a visit soon.

When the food finally arrived, Yamato decided that now was as good of a time as ever to broach the subject. He'd made a promise to be truthful, after all.

"Are you free Thursday night?" Yamato inquired. His stomach lurched nervously when he thought about how much it sounded like he was asking Taichi on a date.

Taichi stopped slurping on his ramen and looked thoughtful. "Hm, I think Carla said she was busy that night. I probably won't be doing anything. Why?"

"Well, there's this gay bar that I usually go to and they're having half-off taco and tequila night on Thursday. I thought maybe you'd want-"

"I'm totally coming with." Taichi interrupted excitedly.

Yamato tried to talk him out of it. He didn't want Taichi coming just because he felt like he had to. "You don't really have to come if you don't want to. I mean, sometimes those nights attract a more straight crowd, but I don't know if there will be many girls."

"I don't care about that. Besides, there are tacos." Taichi's eyes shone brightly and Yamato knew it was a lost cause.

"Alright, just try not to embarrass me."

Taichi just smiled cheekily. "I can't guarantee anything, Yamato."

Ooo, I wonder what Taichi is thinking? I'm a bit excited for the next few chapters, that is once I can finally overcome enough writer's block to get them finished.

In the meantime, please let me know what you think! I hope no one hates me for torturing the characters so (it's only out of love for these two)