Thank you to all who favored my story. I appreciate you clicking that favorite button, because that lets me know people are reading and waiting for more. I'm so glad someone likes this so far!

Did everyone watch the first Digimon Tri movie? I did, and...there is quite a bit of Koumi aka Koushiro/Mimi. But that's cool. I honestly like Koushiro with either Taichi or Mimi, so I'm keeping on with this story for those of you who are ONLY Taishiro fans.

I also want to apologize for not updating as soon as I wanted. I just recently found out that my heart condition has taken a turn for the worst, and I might need surgery again. I've been very depressed about it, so not much has gotten done. But I'm more at peace with it now, and I want to keep writing this.

Hope you all like it.

Chapter Three: Green Tea Buzz

Avoiding Koushiro all week had been brutal, but Taichi knew it had to be done. He had to cure himself of these…feelings. His heart continued to break as he noticed how worried and upset Koushiro gradually seemed to get, but he couldn't let him know. What would he think?

The last exchanged messages really hurt him deeply. When Taichi received a text at two in the morning, he was a little shocked that it was Koushiro, and he was even more disgusted with himself when he read the younger boy's question: Did I do something wrong? When Taichi read that, he couldn't help but respond as soon as his fingers could type the words correctly. He had to let his friend know that he didn't do a damn thing wrong. It was his own fault. He didn't sleep at all that night and actually fought the urge to cry. He was so upset and angry with himself. He made Koushiro feel horrible, and it made him sick.

He didn't want to avoid him, but he needed to. Every time he saw the redhead in the hallways or in class, he told himself that it was just until he could crush his feelings for him. He thought it would go away the more he distanced himself, but it only grew stronger. It hurt, and he knew it hurt Koushiro more. If he could only tell him, but that was out of the question.

On Friday night Taichi found himself tagging along with Yamato and Sora to a party that one of his fellow futbol mates was throwing. He didn't even know what kind of party it was, but he didn't care about finding out. He just wanted to go to get his mind off of his troubles. He thought if they had beer, he would drink some to clear his mind. He drank before, but never with Koushiro. Drinking was more of a pastime with his futbol buddies and Yamato.

On the way there, Sora and Yamato obviously noticed their friend's poor disposition all week, which is why they invited him. They tried to keep conversation and pep going on the way there, but they were quite unsuccessful. The boy's home wasn't far, but Taichi felt that the walk took hours, maybe due to his agonizing thoughts.

When they entered the party, they had to wade through all of their fellow peers. The party was large, and thankfully Toshi had the room to host it in the penthouse suite. He actually forgot Toshi was sort of rich until then. Taichi noticed many teenagers drinking, and he desperately tried to find the source of it. He lost Sora and Yamato quickly, but he made his way to the kitchen to find Toshi drinking with a couple of other guys.

The host held up the can of beer, "Yagami! Grab one. I wondered if you were gonna show up."

Taichi took a can from one of the three coolers on the kitchen floor and popped open the tab. "Sora actually invited me along," he told his teammate.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't know if you would even want to show up," Toshi told him honestly.

Taichi offered a laugh, "I like parties! I like people!" He gestured the can at him, "thanks, man." He didn't hesitate to walk out into the living room where everyone was mingling.

An older girl, maybe a college student stood up on the couch and held up her fruity alcohol. She had a tiara on her head, a short dress, and messy black hair. "Is this the saddest party or what?! Come on, people. Toshi! Toshi! Come put on some music! How are you going to throw me a birthday without playing some music! Toshi!"

Taichi quickly figured out that this girl was Toshi's older sister, and this was actually a birthday party for her. He thought about how the two of them had very lenient parents to leave them the entire place for this. But he tried to let his mind be free and clear. He drank the rest of his beverage and went back for another to drink until he felt better.

Alcohol gave him a strange feeling, but it was a good feeling…well…sort of. He felt good, but he felt bad that he was doing wrong. He was sure his parents would destroy him if they found out. Yet, he shook away those bad feelings (all of them), and had a good time with his friends. He joined in dancing, he laughed with Sora and Yamato, and he even did karaoke with random people. It was fun.

He didn't even have an idea of what day it was after a long time. He didn't know what he was doing or how many beers he drank. Everything started merging together and swirling into some kind of color show. He was drowsy but still ready to party. He was happy, because he thought nothing. The best part of drinking was that he could consciously understand that he was happy.

At some point he barely noticed that he was headed for the door. He could feel something on his arm, but he didn't question it. He had enough issue trying to walk, and his mind could only focus on one thing at a time. He was suddenly cold after watching his feet walk for a while. He was outside. The chill felt good on his hot face. He had his coat on. Someone walked with him, but he was a little more worried with feeling kind of dizzy. He assumed it was Yamato, so he knew it was cool if he did what he needed to do.

"Hang on," he slurred out. "I gotta be ah gonna lose it." He instantly halted and turned to throw up everything he ate the past six hours onto the snow beside the sidewalk. He didn't notice he was swaying as he finished. He could feel someone still holding onto him, and he spoke again, "gotta sis down now." He felt kind of gross, but the last time he drank was with Yamato, so he knew he wouldn't care. In fact, Yamato was a bigger lightweight last time than he.

His butt hit a bus bench; thankfully no one was around. "Jus' give me a minute," he slurred as he held his head. He groaned, hating that he was going to have a headache. It wasn't fun anymore, and now all he wanted was a shower. He sat there for what seemed like a second, but he knew it was more than a few minutes.

Then something metal touched the back of his hand. He slipped his hands from his head and looked up to see a can of green tea. He reached for it and took a sip. He blinked a few times and opened his mouth to ask Yamato why he gave him green tea of all things, but when he looked up, he didn't see Yamato.

It was Koushiro…

Koushiro was wearing his fleece hoodie with a cold, flushed face. He looked worried out of his mind, but he stood very sturdy as if he were sober. Of course he was! He was…he was Koushiro. He probably never even thought of drinking. He was so innocent to things like that, which made Taichi think of how adorable he was.

Taichi's eyes were wide as he stared into those deep dark hues looking back at him. His breath was lost in his throat, and he couldn't say a word. No, he could. He let one word slip, and he hated himself for it. "Koushiro…" he murmured, feeling the weight of heartache. Why did it have to be him? Just seeing the younger boy in his time of drunken dizziness made him want him more. He wanted to tell him everything, and the alcohol in his blood would surly allow it. But he couldn't; he had to restrain the urge to scoop up his friend and kiss him. Wait…now he wanted to kiss him?!

Koushiro's eyes softened as he heard his given name from his best friend. He could feel his throat burning, but he tried to keep his emotion at bay. "I am trying to walk you home," he told him.

"Who called you?" Taichi slurred hastily.

"No one called me. I watched you drink and cut up for hours," Koushiro told him with a frown. "You probably don't even recall my switching one of your cans with a cola, so you wouldn't get alcohol poisoning."

"Wha?" Taichi hissed. "At the party?"

"Yeah, I was there when you arrived," Koushiro muttered.

Taichi's brow furrowed. The can of green tea slipped from his hand; it fell to the ground with a clank and leaked profusely on the sidewalk. He had to leave. He had to go far away from this endearing person. His heart felt like it was full of bricks as he fought the urge to tell him everything. He was in pain. He was in such agony.

"Tai," Koushiro started gently as he put his hands onto his friend's shoulders.

In a jerking motion, Taichi flung his arms out to push the younger boy away, but he accidentally hit his friend.

Koushiro stumbling back and pressed his fingers against his chin, where Taichi hit rather roughly. His emotion couldn't be controlled any longer, and tears filled his eyes. "Please, don't hate me, Taichi!" he cried out desperately.

Taichi sprung from the bench, not to run, but to pull the younger boy to him. He wrapped his arms around his friend, squeezing him tightly, feeling his warmth. One of his hands gripped the younger's hoodie while the other cradled his head. "Don' ever say that again!" Taichi choked out sadly. "I'm sorry, Koushiro. I'm so sorry." He was so drunk; otherwise he would've just ran.

The redhead never had such an emotional encounter since his parents confronted him about knowing about his adoption. Even his first parting with Tentomon wasn't as upsetting. This was so deep and scary. He knew his parents and Tentomon would always be there and love him, but Taichi had no real connection or obligation to stay. He could lose his friend, and he didn't know how to prevent that.

"It's not your fault," Taichi whispered to him.

Koushiro winced as Taichi's grip progressed into a strangle hold. "Tai…" he murmured when tears fell from his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he cried…

"I'm horrible," Taichi whimpered as he pulled back a bit to look at the younger's face. He gaped, feeling all the more awful. "Please, please, don' cry," he begged before removing his hand from Koushiro's back and using it to wipe his tears shakily.

The younger boy only stared at him, frozen by confusion. He didn't understand what was happening, but he wanted to help. He wanted to do everything he could for his friend.

Taichi let him go all together, knowing that he had to. He had to push back those urges to hold him. His crush for Koushiro was already so strong and grew even stronger as he stood there with him. He backed up a step and slipped on the icy sidewalk. In a matter of milliseconds, he was in pain on the ground. He winced rolling onto his right side and groaning.

Koushiro dropped to his knees when his friend fell clumsily. He put his hands onto the older boy's chest, "Tai! Are you okay?"

Taichi was now embarrassed, and he hid his face into his hands, "no. No, I want to just disappear!"

Koushiro wiped his eyes before speaking again, "my parents are at the cinema by now. Spend the night with me."

Taichi flinched and looked up at him slowly. What did he just ask? Did he hear correctly?

"Your parents would be furious if you showed up at home like this. You can stay at my house, and no one will see you in such a state," Koushiro told him quickly. He wiped his eyes as he stood back up and held his hands out to his friend. "Come on." Koushiro wasn't a proud person, and he was willing to forgive all the ignoring if it meant that he could fix things between them. He hoped that it was enough to win his friend over once more.

Taichi stared up at him for a moment before mumbling, "I can't…"

"Get up!" Koushiro snapped angrily. He was desperate to do this for him, to make everything go back to the way it was. If he could just persuade Taichi to like him again, it would be alright. He would forgive everything. He just needed his friend back.

The older boy flinched at the tone but did as he was told. He knew that Koushiro could snap, but he hadn't heard such a fierce voice from him since they were in the Digital World. He couldn't really grasp what happened in the next ten minutes. Koushiro helped him walk, and they didn't speak. Koushiro's apartment building also had an elevator, so they took advantage of it.

By the time they entered the Izumi residence, Taichi felt a little better. He was still a bit dizzy, but he wasn't sick anymore. He knew that it would be wise to use the shower to avoid spreading the smell of alcohol. Koushiro gave him a change of clothes and a plastic bag to store his worn clothes to keep the smell masked.

Taichi couldn't believe his bad luck as he stood in the shower. The steam and heat felt amazing, but he also felt…aroused. After he was clean, he let the shower run cold until he was calm. His feelings were like cancer; he now lusted after his best friend. He hated himself so much. Out of the goodness of Koushiro's heart, he brought him into his home and made sure he was okay, and all Taichi did was think horrid, dirty things about him.

As he dried off and dressed the thought about one question he'd been wrestling with: was he gay? He never thought of himself as a homosexual, but it was apparently true since he felt so strongly for the redheaded teenager. But then again, they were teenagers…maybe he was just hormonal and confused? No, this was something more than lust. He knew that lust was just a new and small part of it. He deeply cared for Koushiro, wanted him to be happy, lov…. No, he couldn't admit the 'L' word to himself. If Koushiro ever found out, he would hate him. He would think that their friendship was a farce, something to step on to get to him. He couldn't let it end like that. End… Did it have to end? What was he saying?

He did his best to calm down and level his head, but he was still buzzed. He exited the bathroom with his worn clothes in the plastic bag. Koushiro's clothes didn't fit him perfectly, since the younger was so much shorter and thinner. Taichi donned a soft cotton shirt and loose shorts that both smelled of Koushiro. The clothes he wore touched Koushiro's naked body at one time- NOPE! That was bad. He shook those thoughts away just in time to meet the younger boy in the living room.

Koushiro walked up to him and held out a sleeve of round crackers. He didn't look his friend in the eye but spoke in a small voice, "to absorb the alcohol."

Taichi frowned, knowing that he messed up so badly. He took the crackers, "th-thanks…"

"I called your mother, told her you were staying over. She asked why you didn't call, and I told her you were taking a quick shower and possibly forgot to do it. Since I am a responsible person, I did what I thought I should do and contact her just in case," he explained like some sort of stern robot. After that he turned away to go towards his room.

"Izzy," Taichi started sadly, "look…I'm sorry."

Koushiro hesitantly responded, "for what?"

Taichi mumbled lowly, "for hitting you on accident…"

"Maybe we shouldn't be friends anymore," Koushiro said almost instantly after. His heart was now chipped into a small pebble. His best friend, the only real human friend he had, couldn't even apologize for ignoring him?

Taichi's heart hitched as he stared at the boy. He could hear all of the deeply seeded anguish. "Izzy-"

"Then you won't have to worry about if I'm okay with not talking to you," Koushiro told him, still not looking at him. "I don't want to bother you anymore, Tai." It was true; he didn't want to be troublesome. He also didn't want to seem like a despairing loser, even though he truly was.

"That's not-" he started.

Koushiro cut him off again, "I don't care!" His voice trembled, "I'm grateful for you being nice to me, but I have to just stop this already. I want to get this out in the open so there will be no more assumptions or worry or uncertainty. I want to know for sure that we are not as close, so after tonight, I would rather just communicate when we have to about the Digital World-"

Taichi grabbed his arm, dropping the crackers in order to have a free hand. "Stop it!" he snapped desperately. He pulled him closer, "I told you it's me! I mean that. I'm not trying to blow you off or try to make you feel better about this. I'm ignoring you, okay?! I'm avoiding you, Izzy!"

Koushiro stared at him in shock, "w-why? What did I do?"

"Nothing, you're wonderful," he answered truthfully. He bit his lip before continuing, "I want you to trust me about this, okay? I just… I'm dealing with something that I can't tell you about."

"You can tell me anything," Koushiro told him in a breathless tone. "I can help you-"

"You can't!" Taichi snapped as tears filled his eyes. He let his friend go and sniffled as he backed up. "You can't…"

Koushiro could see the torment his friend was going through, and he not only felt regret for not being there for him but a bit of disappointment that he wasn't someone Taichi could tell his secret to. He understood, though; he probably wasn't a secret-sharing friend to him. His dark eyes lowered as he spoke as gently and non-robotic as he could, "okay…"

Taichi's eyes only projected more sadness and remorse.

"I left a blanket on the couch for you," he mumbled quietly. "I'm going to bed."

The older boy was left to watch the redhead walk to his room and shut the door behind him. Taichi couldn't believe how horrid he made his dear friend feel, but he accepted the blame. He wanted to jump off of a building, and that was saying so much given the fact he was the courageous Yagami Taichi.

His eyes lowered to the plastic bag he held, containing his clothes. His head turned to look at the fallen sleeve of crackers. It was an opened sleeve, so they were scattered about the carpet. He didn't know what else to do but kneel and begin picking them up. Every cracker was crumbled and wedged between carpet fibers, symbolic of the shattered pieces of his heart.

He didn't know what time it was when he began cleaning the mess. He had no idea when he finally settled on the couch and drifted off to sleep. The alcohol helped him to avoid staying awake and hating himself.

He only recalled wondering if Koushiro was alright when he woke up. The morning flooded the living room like a ultra-bright digi-volution. He didn't want to greet the day—a day that would start things totally differently for his friend.

"Did I wake you?" Kae's voice asked in concern.

Taichi lifted to sit up on the couch and groggily looked to see her standing in the living room with a feather duster, "oh, no." He smiled nervously, "sorry about crashing here without asking you."

Kae smiled ever so sweetly; it seemed to be her only mood. "You know there is no issue, Tai honey. We love having you over. I suppose you forgot your sleeping bag and had to take the couch?"

He got up and began folding the blanket, "y-yeah. It was a spur of the moment thing. I should really get home."

"You don't want to wait for Izzy to wake?" she asked blankly as she glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's only eight twenty-one."

His heart was a brick again, steadily sinking into a bottomless quicksand. "Well, I didn't actually get approval from my mom to stay over last night, and I think I should hurry home and ask forgiveness."

Kae's weakness and gullible mind were always swayed by a young person's respect for their elders. "Well, I hope you come over again soon, Tai. Please say hello to your mother for me?"

He nodded with a forced grin as he gathered his things and left the living room. He passed by his friend's room, wondering if he was really asleep, hoping that he did get some shut-eye. It was Saturday, so they didn't have school, which meant he could always rest when he got home.

He slipped on his shoes and headed out of their home. The winds were freezing, and he realized that he forgot his coat, but he couldn't remember what happened to it the night before. He didn't want to ask Koushiro's mother, because she would likely get suspicious that he forgot where he dropped it. He didn't want to risk it, so he managed without.

It was snowy, and all he wore was the shirt and shorts Koushirio lent him. He could still smell his friend on them, and it made him want to bury his face into the fabric, maybe preserve it somehow. He selfishly didn't want to give the garments back, because he wanted a piece of Koushiro. He wanted it, because…he was very worried that he would never be close to his friend ever again.

He hugged his dirty clothes in the plastic bag and thought about what he said the night before. He couldn't remember most of the night at all, only flashes of the party and the fact that Koushiro escorted him to his home. He remembered showering and grabbing his friend's arm to stop him from leaving. He didn't recall what all he said to him, but he was aware that he didn't confess anything.

The clearest image in his mind, though, was those beautiful dark eyes welling with tears. He made his best friend cry last night, and he couldn't feel worse. His chest actually hurt from thinking about it. He wondered if he was going to have a heart attack from what he did.

He was going to lose him; he just knew it.

When he finally got home, his father was standing at the kitchen counter, sipping a mug of coffee. The man's eyes widened as he saw his son's attire, "Taichi! You are going to catch your death!" Susumu was a simple man; he enjoyed his family, hated his job, and had a history with alcohol (aka the genetic source to Taichi's fascination with it). This day was no exception to his main concerns as a parent as he was clearly appalled that his teenage son would actually venture off in winter weather with only shorts and a shirt for protection.

Taichi sighed, "yeah, yeah…"

The man watched his son remove his shoes and groggily tread towards his room. "Something the matter, son?" he asked as he arched his brow.

Before Taichi could say anything, his mother Yuuko rushed out of her room with a coat and her purse. She halted before him and grabbed his face to kiss his forehead—even though he was as tall as she now, "take care of your sister! We are going shopping!" She gasped, "Tai, your face is freezing. Go warm up before you catch your death."

Taichi nodded a second before his mother rushed around him and began hounding her husband to hurry up with his coffee. Taichi listened to Yuuko remind the man that she waited for weeks for him to get time to go shopping with her and that she wasn't going to let him waste the day with lazing around.

Entering his and Kari's room, he saw his sister laying on her bottom bunk of their beds with a magazine and three school books. She had her history book opened, but it was obviously taking a back burner to her magazine. She looked up to see her brother in a very sad state of woe. She could tell these things about people, especially him. She sat up in a hurry, "Tai, what's wrong?"

He really wished more than ever that they had separate rooms, but the apartment was a two-bedroom deal. He was left with his side of the room which was pretty messy and disorganized, bunk beds, and his sister's side of the room, which was filled with mostly pink things. He sighed heavily, knowing he couldn't hide anything from her, "just down in the dumps. Nothing to really freak out over." The plastic bag was tossed towards their hamper.

"You sure?" she asked worriedly as he sat at the desk he used for his homework. He leaned back in the chair and didn't say another word. She watched him stare off into nothingness, and she was a little annoyed that she would have to pry it out of him. "Brother, you've been really off the past week. Just tell me what's the matter."

He frowned, trying to ignore her.

She slipped off of her bed and stepped closer, "you had a fight with Izzy, didn't you?"

He flinched, and sadly it was visible.

"I knew it!" she huffed. "You did have a fight. Do you think I don't notice that you don't talk to him at school or even walk with him anymore? Just last week you both walked ahead of me, and you mentioned that I was being a pest for wanting to tag along for snacks-"

"Leave me alone!" Taichi snapped abruptly.

His sister flinched that time; her worry filled her to the rim. There was no way she would leave him alone now, and she knew he understood it. She walked up to him and cautiously hugged his neck from behind the chair. She rested her head on his and murmured gently, "let me help, okay… I don't like seeing you so upset all the time."

He couldn't deny that his sister's hugs always felt so comforting. He knew that if he told her something, she would take it to her grave if that's what he wanted. Her loyalty to him was more than anyone could describe. He was her big brother; no matter if they argued or pressed each other's buttons, she would always look up to him and want to please him.

"Come on, Tai," she urged as they both heard the front door to their apartment open and close, along with their mother calling for them to behave while they were alone. There was no one to interrupt or eavesdrop on them. If he told his secret to her, it would be as safe as it could be. "I won't tell anyone," she reassured him.

"I know you won't," he mumbled quietly.

She didn't let him go or even make a move to remove her warmth from him. His skin was like ice, and she knew his heart probably felt the same way, too. "Then just tell me," she said. "Something is really wrong with you, and I want to know. This week you've been so moody, and I even heard you crying the other night."

He wanted to defend himself, saying he wasn't crying, that it was only sniffling, but he didn't. He knew that he wouldn't be able to walk away from her unless he started a fight with her. He didn't want someone else angry with him. Hikari would accept him and his secret; that much he knew. He trusted her that much. "It's something really weird," he murmured sadly.

She shook her head, "well I knew that much. You are the king of weird, you know."

He scoffed at her tiny joke, but it didn't make him feel better. Then he recalled something she possessed. He eyed her cautiously, "Kari…you know that manga you and your friends were going gaga over last time they stayed over?"

"Which one?" she asked blankly . She had become an avid reader of manga with her friends since a few years ago.

"You know, the…yaoi one," he muttered.

"Oh, yeah. Tai, I read a good bit of those, you know. And I like the term shonen-ai. It just sounds sweeter-" she started.

"Whatever," he sighed as he pushed her away carefully and stood up. He paced to their bunk beds and agonized over it a bit more.

She watched him with soft eyes, "what about it?"

"Do you read that genre to like…get a laugh or what?" he asked quietly.

She didn't know why he was asking such a thing. "My friends and I like the stories," she answered.

"But they're gay," he blurted out.

She shrugged, "yeah, but I think it's cute. Are you angry because of that?"

He paced around like a worried hen.

"Tai…do you want to read them, too? Is that why-" she started blankly.

"No, Kari, I don't want to…wait… Yeah!" he began nodding, "give me one. Let me read it."

She was a bit confused over the shift in conversation, but she obliged. She stepped to the side of the desk where her schoolbag sat on the floor and began digging through it.

Taichi was nervous; he really didn't know what to think of his own sexuality. He didn't know if it would be okay with everyone he knew, but seeing how his sister accepted gay culture so easily, he had to try to be…alright with it.

"I have these; my friend has my other one," Hikari said as she walked to her brother with two books. She held them up in his face. One of them had a boy on the cover dressed as some sort of Edo era monk with another guy standing behind him dressed in a samurai outfit. The other book had two teen boys holding hands, both dressed in school uniforms.

He hesitantly took the one that resembled modern times and winced as he opened it. It was a manga of course, but he wasn't met with crude porn like he thought he would see. It was actually a story with nicely drawn panels and dialogue. He blinked, flipping through it to the last page.

Hikari snatched it from him, "Taichi!"

"What?!" he snapped abruptly.

"Look; if you really want to read these, you can't flip to the ending. You have to read the whole story to actually get it, because this one has a very complicated story."

"Complicated story…" Taichi muttered at her in disbelief.

"Would you read the end of any other manga right away?" she asked.

"I guess not," he sighed.

She gave in and handed both books to him, "it's kind of random that you want to get into BL, Tai. This isn't a prank, is it?"

"No, it's not a prank," he mumbled, tossing the books onto his top bunk. "I'm going to eat and shower and then read them. I need my full concentration."

She was a little more worried about him. He needed his full concentration to read shonen-ai? She really wondered what was going on with him. She knew by the way he had been acting lately that he had a serious trouble on his mind, but now he sort of shoved it aside. Maybe this had to do with his issue. She had no idea what it could be other than he was trying to develop some apathy of some kind for people who were gay or read that kind of material. Maybe he was curious? She gasped as he left the room, wondering if maybe he was having curious thoughts. She smirked, putting her hands together, thinking about her favorite BL otp. She could introduce him to so much!

When I first wrote this chapter, I wanted to do more than just Taichi moping at the end, so Hikari having a fondness for yaoi popped into my head. I think it really would be a genre she would read as she seems like the type to be in favor or all love and squee over sweet relationships.

The next chapter will set up the main plot.

So please either favorite this story or review it if you like it. Also if you want to point out any errors, I'd appreciate it.

I will update sooner, promise.