9

"I realized I'm in love. It's always been right in front of me."

Richelle Mead, "The Indigo Spell"

-Apartment 20-

Mimi smiled, waking up to the feeling of Yamato pressing his lips to her forehead. She let out a long breath, stopping as the sharp pain reminding her of her drinking the night before echoed through her head.

"Oh god why," she pulled the deep blue comforter over her eyes, burrowing beneath the cover to escape any sliver of sunlight, "Yama," her voice muffled by the fabric, "Water please."

Matt tried his best to hold in his laughter, being a little successful. He reached over Mimi, grabbing the glass of water he had put out the night before. He poked her covered body, "Make sure to drink the whole thing… You were refusing it last night," Matt said, rolling his eyes as he remembered Mimi refusing the water as she stumbled around his room, ranting about Sora and Tai and how the two of them were the blindest people she knew.

Mimi slowly crawled out from under the cover, her fingers shakily enclosing around the glass. "Thank you," she muttered, closing her eyes as the water slid down her throat. She finished the glass, rubbing her temples to ease the pain, "Why did I drink? I know how this makes me feel."

Matt nodded, "And talk…" He eyed her, "Mimi, what's going on between Tai and Sora?"

Mimi pursed her lips, shrugging, "Don't know not my business." Matt eyed her carefully, "You seemed to know a lot last night."

The woman let out a fake laugh, "Yama! I was drunk. You know how I get lost in my fantasies when I'm drunk," she sighed dreamily, "How nice would it be if Taichi and Sora did end up together." He better buy it.

"Uh huh…" He still didn't buy it, "Then where is Tai right now?" He knew he was across the hall.

Mimi rubbed her temples again, "Who knoooows. Yama, do you have any Advil?"

"No I think Tai took the last of it after," he quoted, "the most INTENSE workout ever."

Knowing she needed to leave before letting the cat out of the bag, Mimi got out of bed. She swayed on her feet, using the side table to help steady herself, "I bet Sora has some." Matt nodded, "Are you gonna go get some?" He raised an eyebrow.

Mimi nodded, "Yep!' She leaned in, giving him a quick kiss before turning to leave.

"Tell Tai I said hi! Make sure you knock, Mimi!" Matt yelled after her, feeling out of the loop more than ever. Mimi had gone on for at least an hour about the tension between Tai and Sora. Matt listened, trying to piece together Mimi's jumbled words and events.

He stood and headed towards the kitchen to make some toast. "Morning," he said to Izzy.

Izzy glanced up from his laptop, "Morning! You and Meems seem great." He smiled, his attention turning back to his screen.

Matt nodded, walking to Izzy. Slowly, Matt closed the screen to Izzy's laptop. Izzy looked up, confused. "Did you need something, Matt?" Matt nodded slowly, "What's going on between Tai and Sora." He pinned Izzy under his gaze.

Izzy swallowed nervously, his hands giving him away. He wiped his palms on his pants, chuckling nervously as he cleared his throat. "Wh-What are you talking about?" His voice cracked. He tried his best to stay tough when Matt interrogated, but he always found it difficult.

"When I find out what exactly is going on between those two," Matt said in a threatening tone, "and you knew this whole time…" Izzy shook his head, "Hey now! You know I'm always the last to know! Why would it be unfair if I knew first this time? Let me have this win!"

"Ah-ha!" Matt leaned in, "You do know something!"

Izzy fell back out of his chair, scrambling to grab his laptop as he bolted out of the apartment, "I'm getting a coffee! Leave me be!" He jumbled with the doorknob, the sweat on his palms making his hand slip against the metal. Izzy looked back, huffing as he left, leaving Matt to his assumptions.

-Apartment 19-

The sun streamed through the cracks of the light, lavender drapes that hung over the window in Sora's room. She squinted, the light pulling her from her sleep. Sora pushed her body up with her elbows, ignoring the small headache that was a reminder of the night before. Sora shrugs at the small victory, impressed that her body held together. Mimi is probably half dead. The brunette never had a good day following a night out.

Sora gasped in surprise as Tai's sleeping form came into her field of view. He was on his back, his left arm behind his head. Sora smiled softly, glancing at the time. 6:45am.

"Taichi," she whispered, hoping to stir him from his sleep, "Taichi…" She shook his arm softly, chuckling as he groaned.

—

Tai smirked up at Sora as she straddled him with her thighs. She winked down at him, the woman playfully pinning his wrists to the bed.

"Didn't take you to be so assertive," he teased, earning a playful smile and an eye roll from the redhead.

"Oh?" She said, "Do you not like assertive?" Sora giggled as she lowered her lips to his neck. Tai closed his eyes, sighing as he felt the softness of Sora's lips trail up his neck to his lips. She kissed him softly before pulling away.

Tai gazed up at her, admiring how the morning sun kissed her golden skin. He reached up, his fingers brushing her cheek before tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. "I like it when you're assertive." He said, smiling back.

"What?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tai chuckled, "I said…"

—

"— I like it when you're assertive." Tai mumbled.

"Huh?" Sora tilted her head, shaking his shoulder with more force. This was enough to shake Tai out of his dream, somewhere Tai wouldn't mind losing himself to these days.

Tai shook his head, opening his eyes. Sora was propped above him, but nothing like his dream. He looked up at her, confusion knitting his brows together, "What?"

Sora smirked, "You said 'I like it when you're assertive'."

A heat began to crawl up Tai's neck. He shook his head quickly, chuckling nervously as he sat up in bed, "Wh-What? I didn't say that!" He chuckled again, holding his hands up in front of him.

"Mhm," Sora teased, leaning closer to him as her smirk deepened, "What were you dreaming about? You were sighing a lot…" Each detail made his blush deepen, "I think you said my name at one poi-"

"Whoa!" Tai said, interrupting her, "Would you look at the time…" He glanced out of the corner of his eye, "Sora why did you wake me up before 7:00?" He pouted — The boy liked his weekend sleeps.

"Hey!" Sora chuckled, poking his ribs, "You're not getting off that easily."

Tai shook his head, sitting up. He leaned towards Sora, his hand moving to rest on her upper thigh. Sora's breath caught in her throat, her cheeks blushing to match Tai's.

"Want me to…" He leaned closer to whisper, his lips brushing her ear, "Show you what I was dreaming of?" Sora felt nerves and excitement fill her at the thought, butterflies tickling her stomach. She took a deep breath, annoyed that her body let Taichi Kamiya make her feel this nervous.

Tai pulled slightly away from Sora's ear, the playful, teasing energy changing to something more serious. Slowly, Tai began to lean in. The space between his and Sora's lips decreasing at an even pace. Sora moved her hand, caressing Tai's cheek.

"SORA!"

The two jumped in surprise as Mimi's voice echoed through the apartment. Tai let out an annoyed sigh, The universe doesn't want me to kiss her, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Sora gave Tai an apologetic glance, "Taichi I-"

"There you are," Mimi said as she opened the door. She stopped, taking in the scene in front of her, "Oh… You guys really need to work on your timing."

Tai rolled his eyes, "And you really need to work on your knocking."

Mimi waved her hand, dismissing the moment, "Anyway, Sora do you have any Advil? My head is killllling me."

Sora nodded, "I'll grab you some, Meems." Mimi groaned dramatically, leaving to go lie down on the couch with a glass of water. Sora turned back towards Tai, biting her bottom lip softly, "I… Sorry."

Tai winked at her, "One of these days we won't be interrupted." He quickly kissed her cheek before lying down to stretch his arms above his head.

"Maybe if you're lucky, Taichi," Sora said as she stood. She grabbed her blue robe and slipped into it before digging through her drawer for her bottle of Advil. Sora grabbed the pill bottle, giving it a shake. She gave Tai one last smile before leaving to find Mimi.

"Your majesty," Sora muttered as she tossed the pill bottle to Mimi, "Your pills."

Mimi gasped excitedly, "Oh thank you thank you!" Mimi opened the bottle, taking two, "I owe you. Seriously… Sora don't look so annoyed with me." Mimi gazed down at the floor, trying to avoid the stare Sora had her pinned under.

Sora narrowed her eyes before turning towards the kitchen to start some hot water for coffee and tea. Mimi followed, chuckling nervously, "It's not like there won't be other chances, right?"

"Other chances for what?" Tai asked as he left Sora's room, yawning loudly. He joined the two in the kitchen, sitting on a barstool, "Nice to see you're not completely dead this morning." He said to Mimi.

Mimi shot him an annoyed smile, "And here I thought my headache was from the alcohol… Turns out it's just you." That earned a laugh from Tai. Mimi, no matter how she was feeling, always had a comeback.

Sora filled the French press and handed Mimi a hot cup of green tea, "C'mon you two it's not even 8:00."

"Oh I am well aware," Tai said, "I've never seen," Tai glanced at the time, "7:15 on a Sunday morning… Can't say I'm impressed."

Sora passed Tai a cup of coffee. Before she could reply, the front door of the apartment began to creek open slowly. Her attention turned to focus on the door, just in time to watch Matt slowly creep in the apartment.

"What're you…" Sora said as Matt fully entered the apartment, "Yamato, what are you doing?" Tai turned in his seat, coffee cup raised to his lips.

Matt walked slowly to the kitchen, eyeing everyone in the room. "I think the real question here is…" Matt looked between Tai and Sora, "What are you two doing?" Tai and Sora shared a glance, shrugging, "Drinking coffee at 7:17am on a Sunday morning," Sora replied.

"Something has been…" Matt narrowed his eyes, "Different."

Tai cleared his throat, "Like what?"

"Well first of all," Matt said, "Tai is up before 9:00 on a Sunday." Tai, Sora, and Mimi nodded in agreement. "Strange indeed," Sora replied. Mimi chuckled, "Expecting to see a flying pig later."

"Uh huh," Matt said slowly," Second, Izzy knows something that I don't know and Izzy ALWAYS knows things last."

Sora raised an eyebrow, "What does Izzy know? Good for him."

"I-I don't know! That's the thing," Tai swore he saw Matt's eye twitch as he spoke, "Everyone knows something and I don't! It's driving me insane!" Matt threw his hands up.

"Oh Yama," Mimi said, pouting teasingly, "Is it that we all know that your shirt has been inside out since last night?" Matt's eyes widened as he looked down at his shirt. His blue eyes followed along the seam against his arm. His shirt was, in fact, inside out.

"That can't be it," Matt said. He surveyed the room one more time before letting out a frustrated groan, "Whatever. Did Mimi invite you guys to the tree lighting downtown tonight?"

"Sounds cold," Sora said as she buttered a piece of toast.

"Shush Sora it'll be fun," Mimi said as she sipped her tea and placed a cold towel on her forehead, "Taichi can keep you warm."

"See!" Matt interrupts, "That's what I mean. Everyone keeps making those comments about you two," he pointed two fingers at Tai and Sora, "And you two seem… Normal."

"That's because nothing has changed," Tai said with a mouthful of toast.

"Taichi," Sora said, "Don't talk with your mouth full."

Tai rolled his eyes, "See? Same ol' same ol'." He finished his toast, "Yeah we'll go tonight, Meems."

"We?" Sora said. Tai nodded, "If I'm going, you're going, Sor."

Sora sighed, "Fine fine. I need a shower." She finished her coffee and left the others to their kitchen shenanigans.

Tai eyed Matt, "Yamato," he said, "I'll tell you everything that's going on if you eat this spoonful of matcha." Tai smirked, holding a large spoon filled with a hill of matcha powder.

Matt eyed the spoon, shivers crawling up his spine. He hated the green powder… But he craved the knowledge.

"Deal." Matt said as he reached for the spoon. Mimi peaked out of the cold towel, watching in disbelief as her boyfriend slowly brought the spoon to his lips.

"Yama I don't think…" She said, Matt silencing her with a finger.

Matt took a deep breath, saying a mini prayer as he shoved the spoonful into his mouth. He covered his mouth, coughing. Green powder filled his vision as he coughed, his throat dry. Matt closed his eyes, focusing on swallowing.

Tai laughed, watching as Matt tried his best.

Matt finished, sticking his tongue out to prove to Tai he had done it. "Tell me. Tell me now." Matt demanded. He gagged, running for the sink.

Tai nodded slowly, "Great work… Too bad we never shook on it." Tai winked. Matt looked up from the sink, death in his eyes as he focused on his best friend. Catching on to the sheer hate that was radiating from Matt, Tai quickly got up.

"Bye Meems see you tonight," Tai waved as he ran towards the door, his barstool falling behind him. Matt pushed off the sink, running after him. Mimi shook her head, groaning as she finally made it to her bed.

-Downtown Tree Lighting-

Sora sighed, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her long, tan trench coat. If there was anything Sora could say she actually hated, it was cold weather. She burrowed deeper into her coat, half her face buried under her red, knit scarf.

Mimi said she was already outside, Sora cursed herself for believing her, I hate waiting in the cold.

She glanced to her left, eyeing Taichi as he laughed. He reached down, tugging her grey beanie further down her ears. "Cold, Sora?" He teased, his breath visible in the cool, night air. She gave him a playful shove before, blushing as he caught her wrist in his hand.

"Why didn't you bring gloves?" He asked as he trapped Sora's hands between his own, "They're like icicles. You're always too busy looking after everyone else you forget about yourself…" Sora watched as Tai fished around in the pockets of his blue jacket, "So I thought I would look after you," he smiled.

Sora gave him a confused look, her heart melting as he pulled out a pair of gloves she thought she lost last month. She lifted her chin, smiling above her scarf as she slipped her gloves on, "Thank you, Taichi." He smiled back, "You left them in my glove box… Isn't that funny? Actual gloves? In a glove box?"

Sora gave him the satisfaction of a soft laugh before she buried herself back into the warmth of her coat.

"Tai! Sora!" The two looked up, smiling as Jou and Lis waved from the parking lot of the apartment complex. "Are you still waiting for the others? Mimi said they were wai- Whoa!" Before finishing his sentence, Jou slipped on a thin sheet of ice.

Sora gasped, "Jou!" She took off towards him, Lis already offering him a hand, "Are you alright?" Tai looked away to do his best to keep from laughing.

Jou nodded, shaking the snow from his dark hair as Sora and Lis lifted him by his arms. "Yeah… That clear ice will get you," he said, "Thanks." Sora giggled, Lis biting her lip to hold in her laughter.

"Is Jou already slipping on ice?" Mimi said as she exited the stairs, followed by Matt and Izzy, "Are you sure walking is a good idea for you?"

Jou brushed off his pants, "Yes, it's fine. Downtown is right around the corner… Well maybe… No I can't let my clumsy tendencies dictate my life decisions."

"How nice of you to show up to your planned event, Mimi," Tai said, more annoyed that Sora had to stand in the cold longer than necessary.

Mimi smiled, "I would've been here sooner if this one," she pointed to Matt, "wasn't interrogating this one," her finger shifted to Izzy, "like he was the number one suspect on Law and Order."

Flashback

-Apartment 20-

"What is it, Izzy?! I didn't swallow a POUND of matcha powder to find out nothing!" The blonde said as his fists tightened on the fabric of Izzy's button up shirt.

Izzy shook his head as he slowly peeled Matt's fingers from the fabric, "I-I know nothing! Taichi is the one you should be interrogating! You know it's unlucky to share the business of others!" Izzy focused on Mimi. He blinked his eyes, hoping she could read brail. 'S.O.S.'.

Mimi looked at him, her head tilting in confusion, "Izzy…? Matt let him go! He's blinking all weird I think he might be short circuiting!" Mimi forced herself between the two, spreading her arms as she separated them before dragging them out the door. Izzy grabbed his jacket just in time.

Flashback End

-Downtown Tree Lighting-

"Sore loser?" Tai said to Matt, earning him a snowball to the shoulder, "Hey now… Easy does it. You're turning green… Must have been the matcha you downed earlier…"

Sora joined, "Matcha? Yamato, I thought you hated matcha. If I knew you'd changed I would've made you some this morning," she gave him an apologetic smile. Tai snickered, only making the grey cloud of thunder brewing in Matt's head darken.

"Oh no, Sora," Matt said, "I hate matcha more than anything… And Taichi is a close second at the moment." Matt gripped one of Mimi's hands, tugging her into the direction of downtown, "Let's get going before I strangle Tai in the parking lot where the security cameras could catch me."

"Wow he really stomps when he's angry," Izzy said as he joined the others as they walked towards the lighting.

Jou nodded in agreement, "Yeah look at him go… He even walks a little faster."

"Pick up the pace!" Matt shouted over his shoulder. The others jumped in surprise before obeying.

"What did you do, Taichi?" Sora asked. Tai smirked, "Just a little, harmless prank, Sora. Nothing crazy…" Sora shrugged, not wanting to waste her energy on learning more — She needed to focus on staying warm.

The group made their way two more blocks before finally arriving. They found an open spot, the tree in view.

"Alright," Lis said, "The pamphlet said the lighting would happen around 7:00 pm… And we're just in time!"

Mimi squealed excitedly, "Yay! This is my favorite part about the holidays!"

Izzy glanced at her, "I thought putting out the themed throw pillows was your favorite part of the holidays…" Mimi gasped, "Oh my gosh that's what I've been missing this year! Sora… The throw pillows! Where did you store them last year?"

Sora vividly remembered tossing those things into the dumpster and hoping it caught on fire. The throw pillows were far from her favorite decorations. "We had throw pillows? I don't recall…" She said, "Oh look Mimi! Icicle lights!"

Forgetting about the throw pillows almost immediately, Mimi's head whipped towards the lights, "Oh wooooow. Fancy. They must've gotten more donations this year."

Tai leaned down, "Liar." Sora looked up, "If I remember correctly, you were the one that joined me in throwing them into the dumpster from the roof. Should I tell her?"

Tai shook his head, "Nope never mind. Sometimes you gotta tell you little lie. I feel it." He didn't want the wrath of Mimi Tachikawa. He wouldn't wish that upon his worst enemy.

Izzy joined Jou and Lis, "Remember that bet we made yesterday?"

Jou nodded, "The one about who Tai ends up with?"

"Yes that one," Izzy took a deep breath, "Do I still get that money if it happens tonight?"

Jou glanced in Tai and Sora's direction, noting that Tai's arm had somehow made its way around Sora's petite frame, "Absolutely not. That's almost like cheating! Jeez, Izzy. So greedy," Jou teased, "Be happy for your friends."

Izzy's cheeks reddened. Lis chuckled, "Stop teasing him, Jou!" She quickly slipped a five into Izzy's pocket, winking, "Good call," she whispered. Izzy smiled, giving her a small thumbs up.

Tai pulled Sora closer, hoping to ease her shivering, "Want to find somewhere warmer?" He asked. Sora hesitated, not wanting to leave Mimi here. It was her favorite, but Sora was freezing. Sora nodded, "Yeah… I'm freezing."

"Let's go," Tai said, turning to Jou and the others, "We're going to go find hot chocolate. Let Meems know if she ever turns around and breaks from the tree's trance." Lis shot them a thumbs up before rejoining her conversation with Jou and Izzy.

"Is there a place around here that sells hot chocolate?" Sora asked as they escaped the crowd that had gathered. Tai shrugged, "I thought Lucy's would be open." Lucy's was a small cafe diner that Tai and Sora used to study at during their school days. Sora smiled, "Good call. We haven't been there in ages."

As they entered the cafe and ordered their drinks, Sora turned to Tai, "So more than physical attraction, huh?"

Tai did a double take. He did want to talk with her, he was just caught off guard, "Wh-What?" He blinked slowly, grabbing their hot chocolates from the to go counter. He handed Sora hers before they began their longer-than-Sora-would-like walk back to the apartment complex.

"Last night," Sora said before taking a sip of the hot beverage, "You said it was more than physical attraction." Sora raised an eyebrow, knowing Tai's nerves were eating him up right now. She smirked at the thought, Sora loved it when the almighty Tai crumbled under pressure.

"W-Well," Tai took a drink to stall, "I mean yes." He gave her a nervous smile, the knowing look on her face making his nerves work overtime, "Are you still cold, Sor? It's… It's getting hot. Aren't you hot?" He chuckled nervously, unzipping the front of his jacket. C'mon Taichi, he scolded himself, pull yourself together… But it's SORA.

"I mean the hot chocolate helped a little," she muttered into the lid, "But I wouldn't say its unzip your jacket hot…" As Sora spoke, snow began to fall from the sky, "Oh and look at that. It's cold enough to snow." She shifted her attention from the sky back to Tai, who was avoiding her gaze like it was the plague.

"Tai," she said, "Why does this make you so nervous? It's just me." She gave him a reassuring smile.

He sighed, "That's why it makes me so nervous…" Tai stopped walking, turning to face her. If his heart could be harder without killing him, it would. Her cheeks were red from being in the cold, the snow sticking to the ends of her red hair. He hoped the streetlights were dim enough to hide his blush.

"I…" He tried to find the words to describe it. Sora stood in silence, waiting patiently. She knew how Tai worked. How he always needed a few extra seconds to get the perfect sentence together. How he chose his words carefully and meaningfully.

She watched him closely, noting how she hoped this was it — The moment she didn't know she had been craving.

"It's always been you, Sora," he said finally. He closed his eyes, waiting for her to interrupt. All he got was a silent nod, "Yeah, it's always been you. Since I can remember. There was never a moment when I wasn't falling harder for you," Tai didn't stop there, "I just thought being together would ruin our friendship… And then we both started dating other people and I did my best to forget… But I can't forget someone like you."

He took a deep breath, "And I feel so stupid letting you think that night was only physical attraction. It was way more than that."

Tai took a deep breath, taking a second to watch the snow fall. Sora stayed quiet, watching him as he watched the snow, never understanding how she could love someone as much as she loved him… And he felt the same.

"And now I'm going to feel really stupid if you end up not fe-," Tai started.

Sora stood on the tips of her toes, pulling his jacket so his lips met hers. In that moment, Sora forgot it was cold. Tai kissed her back, his arms wrapping around the small of her waist as he pulled her closer.

Sora pulled away, "We missed the tree lighting," she giggled, "I have a confession."

Tai pulled her in for another kiss, "What's your confession?"

"…I hate the tree lighting. It feels really good to get that off of my chest," Sora let out a long sigh. Tai nodded in agreement, "Can't say it's my favorite thing about the winter… I have a confession."

"I have another one," Sora added.

Tai smiled, "How about we confess together."

"Hm…" Sora tapped her chin, pulling away from Tai. She picked up some snow, forming it into a ball, "Alright." She smiled, throwing the snowball at him.

The snow hit Tai in the chest, "How did you make one of those already?" His competitive side kicking in. He quickly gathered snow, making the saddest snowball he had ever seen. He looked up just in time to catch another snowball with his face.

"Sora, c'mon," he said, wiping the snow from his face, "Let me get at least one in!" Sora shook her head, she was just as much, if not more, competitive than him.

"Never!" She threw another one, missing him by a smidge. She laughed, screaming as Tai lunged towards her.

Tai slipped, bringing Sora down with him. The two landed in the fresh snow, laughing harder than they had in awhile. Sora rolled over onto her stomach, adjusting so she could look down on him. Tai stayed on his back, still laughing as he sensed Sora's snow filled hand coming straight for his cheek. He caught her wrist, "Nah I don't think so."

She giggled, "Fine fine. I'll stop… But only because I know how much you hate losing terribly." Tai rolled his eyes, "You're so considerate… And probably freezing! Sora-"

"I love you," she said. She wasn't sure why she chose to tell him then and there, while the wet snow seeped through her coat and the cold nipped at her bones, but something seemed so right.

Tai was speechless. He had dreamed of this moment, wished it to be true many nights. Now that it was happening, he had no words.

"That's my other confession," Sora said, "I love you, Taichi."

"Wow," Tai said. Sora gave him a confused look, "What?"

"It's just…" He said as he began to get up from the snow, pulling Sora up with him, "THE Sora Takenouchi loves me?" He shook his head, "This world really makes no sense." Sora had never blushed deeper.

"I love you too, Sora." He kissed her again, letting the feeling last, "Let's get you home before you freeze to death."