Disclaimer: For all the love I have for Digimon, it is not mine.
A/N: Short chapter because I'm swamped by work. R&R!
It was routine of the brothers to eat dinner together at least once a week and Yamato was never more grateful for it. After sending Natsuhi the photo of him and Sora the night before, she was all he could think about. He knew that he had probably hurt her terribly with that picture…it was just, old habits die hard. He had always shared photos of him and Sora with her before he found out about Natsuhi's feelings…
At that Yamato felt even more miserable, how many times did Natsuhi have to put up with his insensitive messages?
"Aniki, the water's boiling," Takeru commented casually over the kitchen island. Takeru watched the older blond's mechanic actions with a frown. His brother was not usually this preoccupied. At this rate his dinner was going to be ruined. Walking into the kitchen, Takeru grabbed his brother's hand mid-air and switched off the stove. "What's up Aniki, you're not acting like yourself today." He probed.
Yamato put down the packet of pasta with a sigh. He was that obvious after all. He had wanted to talk to Takeru over dinner, but it seems like food will have to take a back-seat for now. "Do you have beer?" Yamato asked.
Takeru walked to the fridge wordlessly, he always kept some for when Yamato came over. The older blonde took after their dad in so many ways, it was sometimes scary. Grabbing the ice-cold can with one hand, Yamato opened the canned beer with practised ease and walked towards the nearest chair, slumping down into it with a sigh.
Takeru followed suit with a can of his own. He wasn't as much of a drinker as his brother, but beer always tastes better when someone's drinking with you. Pulling out a chair for himself, Takeru waited for his brother to start. It never helps to rush his brother into these things, guarded as he was.
"Where should I start," Yamato said with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly as he did. He couldn't possibly just jump head first into the situation. Takeru didn't even know that Natsuhi liked him. 'Love', a voice in his head interjected. 'She loves you.' Oh great, like that made it so much better. Yamato let out yet another sigh, followed by another swig of his beer. "So…there's something you should know about Natsuhi…it's not my place to say but-"
"Natushi-nee is in love with you," Takeru said without blinking an eye.
At that Yamato just stared at his younger brother.
Snickering at his brother's gob-smacked expression, Takeru wondered if Yamato knew that he himself was wearing the same expression just a few hours ago.
Flashback
Takeru and Hikari waited outside the door of Natsuhi's apartment, armed with food and water as per the older female's request. They were supposed to meet at a new café at Aoyama but when Natsuhi picked up the phone 15 minutes after their supposed meeting time, sounding worse for wear, they knew something was up. Sure enough, something was up.
The door creaked open, revealing a dishevelled Natsuhi. "Thanks guys," she said with a weak smile. The iboprufen have kicked in, but she still felt like shit. Her tongue was dry and tasted like cotton, her stomach was queasy and despite the lack of pain, she could still feel the pressure on her head. "Hangover's a bitch." She quipped as she led the teens into her apartment.
Takeru noted the open window as he took in the fading smell of whisky. The humidity coming from the shower also told him that his surrogate sister had taken a quick shower before their arrival. The question now is, what got into her?
"It's Yamato-san isn't it?" Hikari asked as they sat down at the small dining table.
Takeru turned to stare, wide-eyed at his girlfriend at her bluntness. Natsuhi on the other hand merely stopped to look at Hikari before continuing her actions.
"I'm rubbing off you too much," Natsuhi commented as she dug into the bento box they picked up for her. Not denying Hikari's accusation. A large bite of rice and a huge gulp of miso soup later, Natsuhi decided to drop her own bomb. "He knows."
Takeru and Hikari exchanged alarmed glances and then looked back at the girl. "Who?" "What?" Were their simultaneous questions.
Glancing at the couple with tired but amused eyes, Natsuhi couldn't help the smirk that formed as she answered their burning questions. "I confessed to Yamato."
Takeru didn't know his eyes could go so wide.
End Flashback
"Yes, I know, Hikari does too. We actually found out about it before you." Takeru admitted with some guilty pleasure.
Yamato looked at the younger blonde, part of him wanted to ask how he knew, but then decided against it. His silly man-pride could live with not knowing how his younger brother and his girlfriend knew about his best friend's feeligs for him before he did. So instead, Yamato broached the issue at hand. "Yesterday, Sora and I went on a date…well Natsuhi planned the date…"
Takeru sucked in a breath as his brother started on his tale, it looks like dinner is going to have to wait…for a long while.
"I feel really bad that I hurt her, but I can't give her what she wants. I don't love her," Yamato finally finished with a sigh, crushing the empty beer can in his hands.
Takeru looked up from his empty beer can to stare at his brother incredulously. "You don't love her? Nii-san, you sure about that?" Takeru thought back to his brother's lengthy story. He practically lives at Natsuhi-nee's house. He goes to her more than he goes to Taichi for problems in his life. She is the first person he thinks about sharing anything with, and now he's so concerned that he may have upset her that he could not even cook pasta properly.
"Yes, I do, but it's only as a friend, like a sister." Yamato amended. He did have strong feelings for Natsuhi, just not in the way Takeru wished he did.
"As a sister?" The sceptical look in Takeru's eyes grew tenfold. You do not kiss your sister, alcohol or no. Or did his brother already forget that little titbit of information he just confessed to.
"Yes, like a sister," Yamato gritted out. "She's like family you know. I mean I'm myself with her, I know I can always depend on her. I can joke around with her, chill out with her. It's not like what I have with Sora. I don't think about her all day." There is no romance between himself and Natsuhi.
Takeru on the other hand wanted to clobber sense into his big brother. "Okay, question. And answer honestly, I know when you lie. You need to buy me a birthday present, but you don't know what to get, who do you call?"
"Natsuhi…but that's because she knows you better than Sora!" Yamato defended.
Takeru rolled his eyes, that's how his brother wants to play? Fine. "You're stranded somewhere with no money and no food, who do you call for help?"
"Taichi," Yamato stated flatly.
"And the second person?"
"You." Yamato answered irritably.
"Nii-san." Takeru eyed his brother with a narrowed eyes.
"Fine, Natsuhi. Then you. So what, now I'm in love with Taichi?" Yamato asked, annoyed.
Relenting, Takeru sighed. "Okay, bad question. Here's another one. You came up with a new song, who is the first person you send it to?"
"Natsuhi. But that's because she's my bandmate! And Sora isn't into music," Yamato explained, getting agitated with each passing question.
"You just saw the most amazing concert of your life, who do you call to talk about it?" Takeru asked without pause.
"Natsuhi, if she isn't there already. Then I'll call her to rub it in that she missed out on something so awesome. Look this doesn't prove anything besides the fact that Sora and I have different interests. And it's normal for couples to have different interests. You and Hikari have different interests!" Yamato retorted.
"Yea, but she is the first person I want to share most of the things in my life with, even if it's something she isn't interested in, because she understands me." Takeru argued back.
"I share non-musical stuff with Sora!" The older of the two brothers exclaimed defensively.
"Supermarket has Ohrin Apples on sale, first person you tell?" Takeru fired again.
"Natsuhi. Gods Takeru, these are biased questions. First, we both cook, Sora doesn't. Second, I will by the Apples and bring them to Sora. I'm sorry but you've got this all wrong!" Yamato continued to argue.
Sensing that the conversation was getting nowhere, Takeru just sighed, "You really don't know anything about love do you Onii-chan?"
Onii-chan, Takeru only calls him that when he's upset or when things got really serious. Yamato let the aggression bleed out of him."Not all relationships are the same, even Natsuhi agrees. So my relationship with Sora isn't quite the same as the one you and Hikari have, doesn't mean I don't love her." Yamato stated with an air of finality.
"The question isn't whether or not you love Sora, Nii-san. It's whether or not you love Natsuhi-nee..but you know what, never mind. You obviously know the situation better than me. So can we please have dinner now?" Takeru exhaled. He gives up, his brother was just not getting it. If his brother can't look past his stubbornness to see love staring in his face, that is his problem. Takeru only hoped that the plan that he and Hikari came up with will help Natsuhi-nee get noticed by his brother. Because she has been so firmly friendzoned by him, it was almost painful to watch.