Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. I am BROKE.

Summary: Matt is an escort. An ESCORT! Not a hooker, as most people choose to believe. That is until he meets Taichi Yagami and his remaining morals seem to desert him. Taito!

Warnings: Slash, language and SEXUAL SITUATIONS.

Chapter 9 - Nothing but the truth

"Christ Matt, you must be boiling," Sora said the next morning, surveying the blond with growing apprehension as she entered their favourite cafe. Matt was looking even worse than the last time she'd seen him, which really was saying something as he'd been tired and hung-over at the time. His hair was dull and tousled, face white and splotchy, and he was dressed in large baggy clothes, a thick black scarf wrapped tightly round his neck.

"Good morning to you too," the blond replied dully, giving her a small strained smile.

"What's happened?" she asked immediately, seating herself opposite him and giving his arm an encouraging squeeze.

"Nothing," Matt said quietly, shaking his head. "Just had a rough night, that's all."

"Is it about Tai?"

Matt looked up quickly, surprise gracing his features. "How did you know?"

"Oh please, you spent weeks moping about him not talking to you and spent hours ranting about what an idiot he is over the phone. Only he could have this kind of effect on you," Sora explained softly, gaze running up and down his haggard form.

Matt smiled sadly, refusing to look the redhead in the eye. He just couldn't face her sympathetic expression. "I don't even know why he has this kind of effect on me. I don't know why I even care. He's just another client."

"Oh I don't think he's been just another client for a long time Matt," Sora replied knowingly, giving the blond a small pat. "I've just been waiting for you to admit it."

"Well I admitted it to him and he blew me off," Matt said sulkily, crossing his arms and glaring down at the table in anger. "God, why do I have to be such a gullible slut?!"

Sora raised her eyebrows, looking suitably confused. "Gullible slut?"

"Yeah. I liked him and I thought he liked me, so I - well we - you know… God I'm such an idiot! I should of known! I thought he liked me! But he was so nasty! Stupid asshole! I'm such a slut! A gullible slut!" Matt yelped, face flashing from sad to angry to sombre in quick succession.

Sora blinked, eyebrows raised so high they were beginning to disappear under her hair. "I honestly do not understand a word of what you just said."

Matt groaned, burying his head in his arms.

"Have I missed something?" Sora asked. "Why are you a slut? And when was Tai nasty?"

"It's nothing. Just forget it. I am," Matt replied unconvincingly, straightening his back and attempting to regain some of his usual composure.

"Yea I believe you," Sora said sarcastically, ignoring the glare he threw in her direction.

"Look, I'm just going to forget I every met Taichi," the blond said levelly, steeling his shoulders and looking determined. "Let's never speak of him again."

Sora bit her lip and gave an uncertain shrug, eyes widening slightly. "Well OK, if you say so. But Tai -"

"No Sora! I do not want to hear about Tai ever again!" Matt interrupted, banging his fist on the table.

"But Tai -"

"Sora!"

"Ok ok," Sora said hurriedly, starting to grow incredibly flustered. "Just look behind you."

Giving her a quick look of confusion, Matt swivelled on his seat, suddenly coming face to face with a tall and tanned brunette.

Tai.

Matt froze in shock and horror, his heart pounding so loud he could barely hear himself think. He stared at the brunette before him, his mind whirling in confusion. Tai stared back, evidently waiting for Matt's inevitable reaction.

The blond opened his mouth to say something, but could find no words to express the anger and hurt Tai had caused him the night before.

And so Matt did the only thing that he could think of. He picked up his drink of cold water sat on the small table next to him and proceeded to fling it at Tai's head…

'Shit, shit, shit,' Matt thought, inwardly kicking himself.

Marching quickly down the road, the blond fought the urge to turn and check over his shoulder, just in case the brunette had followed him to get revenge. After all Tai hadn't exactly looked pleased about having a drink of water thrown over him. Not that Matt could blame him. It wasn't exactly the most sensible decision he'd ever made.

And to make matters even worse, after he'd thrown it, Matt had just stood and watched in dream like fascination as the water splashed against the brunette's blinking face, causing rivers of water to run down tanned cheeks and drip onto Tai's clean blue shirt. The brunette had then spluttered slightly, jolting Matt from his daydream and causing his common sense to return to him like a hammer to the head.

Throwing a startled Sora an apologetic look, Matt had fled the café in panic, hearing Tai's angry voice shouting for his return.

Cursing himself for his stupidity, the blond couldn't help but wonder what Tai was doing at the café in the first place.

Surely he hadn't come to apologise? Contemplating the pleasant thought for a moment, Matt soon discarded it, knowing Tai was probably too proud to say sorry. It was more likely he had come back for round two, and despite the hurt Tai had caused him, the blond couldn't help the lust that was bubbling inside him at the thought.

However it seemed more probable that Tai had simply gone in the cafe to get a coffee and had accidentally run into the blond.

Trudging up to his apartment and opening his door with a shaky hand, Matt practically threw himself over his threshold and collapsed on his couch, now confident that the brunette hadn't followed him. For some reason the blond couldn't contain the dark disappointment that threatened to overwhelm him at the thought that Tai had not chosen to come after him, despite the fact he knew it was entirely his fault.

Closing his eyes and attempting to fall into a dreamless sleep, Matt jumped a mile when a loud ringing sound echoed through his apartment.

Groaning softy and staggering to his feet, the blond shuffled tiredly to his phone, raising it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Matt! What the hell did you do that for?!" came Sora's high-pitched voice.

Rolling his eyes and letting out a small sigh, the blond attempted nonchalance. "I have no idea what your talking about."

"No idea what I'm talking about?!" Sora practically screeched, so loudly that Matt actually had to hold the phone away from his ear. "You showered Tai in water."

Racking his brains attempting to think of a reasonable excuse for his behaviour, the blond eventually decided that denial would probably be the best policy. "Oh that!" he cried, as though comprehension had just dawned on him. "That wasn't Tai! He was just an ex-boyfriend."

"Don't lie Matt! How many other guys have 5 foot tall hair styles?!"

The blond inwardly cursed, suddenly regretting having told Sora what Tai looked like.

"Besides I spoke to him after you left," Sora continued, ignoring Matt's choke of surprise. "He told me who he was."

"What else did he say?" the blond asked, only partially aware that his voice had taken on a breathless tone.

"Just that he came to talk to you. To apologise I think."

Closing his eyes and attempting to digest what Sora was saying, Matt suddenly had the urge to bang his head against the wall repeatedly. So Tai had come to apologise after all, and he'd fucked it up. Sometimes his own complete and utter idiocy still amazed him.

"Is he mad about the whole drink thing?" Matt asked, somewhat dreading the answer.

"Well I don't think he's exactly happy about it," Sora replied flatly, despite the somewhat pleading tone in Matt's voice.

"What am I going to do?"

"Well I think your going to have to find him, because I don't think Tai's going to approach you again."

Groaning slightly and resting his hand against his head, the blond tried to organise his jumbled thoughts. "I don't know if I want to find him. He was horrible to me yesterday."

"Well I'd make up your mind fast."

"Yeah your right," Matt said slowly, weighing out his options. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to talk."

"Tell me how it goes," Sora said excitedly. "See you tomorrow!"

"Thanks. Bye," the blond replied, hanging up the phone and taking a deep breath. If Tai was big enough to make the first move, he was too.

He went into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, silently wondered how to make himself look presentable. The night before had shaken him so much he hadn't bothered to take a shower and he had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. The last thing he needed in his confrontation with Tai was to look like a zombie.

Splashing cold water over his face and pulling a comb through his rumbled hair, he proceeded to apply a gentle moisturiser to return the glow to his cheeks and gel to return the shine to his golden hair. Pleased that the result was as good as it was going to get, he headed to his bedroom, eager to get out of his baggy clothing.

After he had pulled on a pair of tight black pants and removed his shapeless hoodie, Matt was beginning to feel a lot more like himself, much to his immense relief. It would give him the confidence to sort everything out with Tai at last.

He picked up his keys and headed to the door, wondering where he could look for Tai first.

Tightening the scarf that was still fastened around his neck, Matt swung open the door and stepped onto the doorstep, colliding suddenly with a hard body.

"Tai!" he yelped, his previous confidence evidently having deserted him.

"Hi," the brunette replied awkwardly, hands stuffed in his jeans pockets.

Cringing slightly, Matt noticed the slight limpness of Tai's hair and the damp patches on his shirt, obviously the remainder of their earlier confrontation. He couldn't help but feel slightly guilty, despite the provocation he had endured the night before. He had just been so startled by the brunette's sudden appearance, that he had no idea what to do. Flinging water in the brunette's face had seemed like the only conceivable option.

"Um…hi," Matt replied, once again feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. The brunette's unexpected actions never failed to catch him off guard.

Eyes running over Matt's frozen form, Tai assessed the scarf wrapped around his pale neck and the keys jangling from his hands with a slight frown. "Are you going out?"

The blond shook his head, unable to trust his voice. "I was going to look for you actually."

Tai raised his eyebrows, unsure as to whether or not it was a good thing. "Not to pour another drink over me I hope."

Matt flinched, eyes lowered to the floor. "No, just to apologise for earlier."

"Good," Tai said with a slight smile, "because I came to apologise too."

The blond looked up quickly, his jaw instantly clenching. Although he had been the one very much in the wrong earlier that day, Matt felt that the disastrous events of the night before were solely Tai's fault, and he wasn't going to let the brunette get away with them. Tai had purposely used sex as a tool to hurt him and so Matt sure as hell wasn't going to make apologising easy for him.

"Apologise for what?" the blond asked coolly, despite knowing fully well what the brunette was referring to.

Tai sighed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "Last night. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so horrible."

Matt raised an eyebrow doubtfully.

"Well OK, maybe I did, but I didn't quite have all the facts," the brunette said earnestly, leaning forward to stroke Matt's cheek lightly.

The blond froze, levelling Tai with a unwavering stare. His heart had jumped into his throat and he wasn't sure whether to recoil in anger, or lean into the gentle touch. "So your just apologising because now you know I didn't sleep with Tanaka, not because you treated me horribly?" Matt accused sharply, causing Tai to withdraw his hand.

"Not what I meant," the brunette replied.

"That's what it sounds like! It sounds like if I had slept with Tanaka I would have deserved the treatment you gave me!"

"No. I was just hurt by everything that happened with Tanaka. I'm trying to apologise!" Tai cried in exasperation, evidently noticing the look on Matt's face.

The blond sighed, suddenly tired of arguing. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Look, last night wasn't just about proving a point. I really like you," Tai admitted sheepishly, giving the blond a somewhat shy grin. He shuffled from foot to foot, looking so uncharacteristically bashful that Matt couldn't help but soften. "I really enjoyed what happened."

Matt laughed, glad that some of the tension had been dissolved. "I should hope so," he replied cheekily.

Tai smiled quickly, but soon sobered once more. The blond could tell he was inwardly debating whether to say something, and was obviously nervous about voicing it.

Matt cocked his head curiously to the side, waiting patiently for the brunette to speak through the stretching silence.

Finally Tai took a deep breath and spoke quickly, before he ran out of nerve. "The night you were with Tanaka, if I hadn't of walked in, would you have slept with him?"

Matt glanced up, looking the brunette directly in the eye. He spoke honestly, voice a lot stronger than he'd thought it'd be. "Probably."

Tai sighed, disappointment marring his features. "Well that's all I needed to now. And again, I'm sorry about last night. I'll see you sometime."

Matt opened his mouth in surprise, his speech having once again deserted him.

Tai had already turned around and was beginning to walk away, leaving the blond gaping in his wake.

Matt stood rooted in panic, knowing that if he just let the brunette leave he would sincerely regret it. Gathering his courage and racking his brains for something to say, the blond lurched forwards, grabbing onto Tai's arm.

The brunette turned, looking at Matt expectantly.

Once again blinded by panic, the blond did the only thing he could think of, and sealed Tai's lips in a passionate kiss.

Feeling the brunette instantly respond to his touch, Matt pressed closer, wrapping his arms around Tai's neck and burying his hands in his bushy hair. The blond resisted the urge to moan at the familiar feeling, grateful that the brunette was not pushing him away.

Drawing apart to catch some air, they both stared at the other, each wondering what they should do.

Matt bit his lip, waiting nervously for the brunette to respond.

"Look Matt, I don't think this is a good idea. I've told you before I couldn't be with anyone unfaithful," Tai said, withdrawing slightly but still keeping his arm hooked possessively around Matt's waist.

"I wouldn't be unfaithful," the blond protested, unable to keep the disappointment from his voice. Despite desperately trying to deny it to himself, Matt loved being with the brunette and his work was beginning to feel so trivial in comparison.

"But you'd still be kissing other people and I really can't handle that."

However despite his incessant protests, the brunette was still drawing imaginary circles on Matt's hip with his fingers, eager to slip his hand inside the escort's tight shirt. The brunette leant his head against the other's cheek, nuzzling his hair slightly and trying to resist the urge to pin the blond against the wall.

Groaning in frustration, Tai placed a soft kiss on Matt's jaw line and loosened his scarf, eager to reveal more soft pale skin. Eyebrows raised as he discovered deep red marks scattered down the escort's neck, the brunette felt a jolt of guilt. "Was that me?" he asked, stroking them softly with his finger.

Matt nodded, looking slightly hesitant about the line of questioning.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know I'd mauled you," Tai said with a smile.

The blond laughed, nipping slightly at the brunette's ear. "Don't worry. I wanted you to."

"Oh fuck it!" Tai cried, his self control deserting him. He captured the blond in a searing kiss, pushing their hips together with a desperate intensity.

Matt was just too damn irresistible for his own good.

Tapping his fingers against his thighs impatiently, Matt stood waiting in the drizzling rain, eyes scanning the street for his newest client.

After he and Tai had made-up the previous day, he was eager to spend all of his spare time with the brunette, making up for the time they had wasted. However reality had soon set in and Matt knew he had to get back to work, despite Tai's incessant protests.

The blond had promised with hand-on-heart that he wouldn't so much as kiss the client, much to the brunette's approval, and so here he was, one day later, stood once again waiting in the rain.

Feeling his patience growing short the blond took another look around, eyes assessing the darkened street when a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"Matt Ishida?"

Spinning on a heel and coming face to face with his new client, Matt nearly choked in surprise.

Stood in front of him was none other than Ikato, Tai's bastard of an ex-boyfriend, and the person Tai had hired Matt to make jealous in the first place.

As the blond struggled on the border of speech, a large smirk spread across Ikato's face, evidently having recognised the gaping escort. His eyes travelled over Matt's body with obvious disrespect, hands stuffed casually in the pockets of his jeans as he levelled the blond with a smug stare.

Matt closed his eyes in disbelief, finding only one word to express his complete shock and horror.

"Shit."

To be continued…

A/N I'm sorry about the lateness of this chapter but my computer is having serious issues and keeps spontaneously shutting down. After loosing hours worth of work multiple times, my patience was wearing thin with this chapter, but I finally finished it! It's not to the standard I wanted it to be but I wanted to get it out as quickly as possible.

Thanks for all the reviews, they really kick me into gear! And for the record leaving gasping replies and begging for more is a welcomed encouragement :) (cough butter-eri-fly cough). Thanks for your comments!

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