A/N (CC): Not sure how often these will actually get put out, we're into Ch4 (and about 5k more words) right now, but here's Ch2!
AFFLICTION
-CH2-
Tai evening was not the greatest as well, his jaw hurt and now he had questions about his best friend he was afraid to ask. He tossed and turned a but in his sleep as he tried to force his active mind to sleep.
The next day started out as uneventful, besides the nice bruising along his jaw that he constantly got asked about. It was a break between classes when he spotted Matt heading out of his class, "Yo! Matt! Wait up!"
Matt paused, turning towards the voice, pulling a sucker out of his mouth, "Nice shiner."
"Not a shiner, shiners are black eyes, duh." He rolled his eyes before he grinned, "Did you forget your phone today? You said you would text me."
He shrugged, "Been busy this morning. You finish your paper?"
His grin faded and he paled a little, eyes widening at Matt, "Oh….shit."
"Nice."
"Shit! I got to go, talk to you later!" He took off for the computer lab, lucky he still had a bit of time before that class.
Matt laughed softly and watched him run off, enjoying his candy for a moment, before he pulled his phone from his pocket, frowning at 14 missed calls from a number he didn't recognize. He shoved it back away and continued on his trek down the hall.
A man stood at the edge of the school grounds, looking up at the second floor classroom, knowing full well Matt was in that class. He frowned, looking down at his own phone and hit redial.
Matt felt his phone buzz again, and pulled it out to look once more. Again? Well, he was on break so he hit the green button and answered, "Ishida."
"Hello?" The voice sounded a bit familiar, "Matt?" The speaker knew very well who it was. "Finally got a hold of you!"
He frowned, "Who is this?"
"You don't remember? You gave me your number last night!"
Last night? His frown grew deeper, he didn't give his number out last night, "I'm sorry, but...who is this?" He asked again.
"You're telling me you can't remember dancing with me last night? How much did you have to drink?"
His eyes widened. Okay, he knew he didn't give the guy his number. Did one of his band…? "I'm sorry, I'm in classes right now, I can't really talk…"
"I'll call back later then! When do you finish class?" The voice was way too excited about the prospect.
"I'm not sure, I'll have things going on after class. Can I just call you back?" Shit, he was so bad at these letting-them-down-gently things. And he'd kill whoever handed out his number. One of his classmates flagged him with their hand that class was resuming soon.
"Well, I'll call you later that, dont worry bout it!" the other voice suddenly sounded a bit disappointed, almost...angry? There was a click and the call ended.
The man looked up again, frowning at the building and turned away, planning on returning later.
Matt stared at his phone screen for a moment,shook his head, and headed back to his classroom, feeling highly unsettled.
Matt stayed after school to watch Tai's soccer practice, sitting in the stands with Izzy and Sora,trying to ignore his phone going off in his pocket for what felt like the millionth time.
Sora was standing, giving a ridiculous cheer for Tai as he played. Tai himself rolling his eyes at the cheer.
He came up to the stands at the end of practice, a bit sweaty and holding the ball, "Yo," He grinned over at them, "having fun watching?"
Always. He watched a ball of sweat track down Tai's cheek before answering, "Meh. Paint drying might be more fun."
Tai rolled his eyes, "I should throw this at you." He held up the soccer ball in a mock threat only to have Sora jump up and wrap her arms around him.
"Mnn, no throwing your balls at Matt..." she smirked a bit, winking at Izzy on the side.
Izzy rolled his eyes and typed something on his laptop.
Matt resisted a childish snicker at the double meaning, but replied, "Do it and you won't live to see graduation." Fuck, there went his phone again. This was getting ridiculous.
Tai laughed, "You know how wrong that sounds Sora?" He couldn't throw the ball even if he wanted to, anyway. "Yo, Matt, we still up for that study session tonight?" He tried to ignore Sora hanging off of him as he tried to make his way to sit next to his redheaded friend.
Izzy snorted, "You? Study?"
Matt glanced at his phone screen and hit the button to send the call to voicemail, "Hm? Oh, yeah, I'll make something if you want food too."
"Pft, I always want food." He managed to wiggle out of Sora's hug and she grinned. He turned to Izzy and rolled his eyes, "Just because I finished that paper just as class was starting does not mean I don't study for tests."\
"I'm amazed you even did that much." Pause, "Matt? You okay?"
"Huh?" he answered distractedly, before looking at Izzy, "Yeah, yeah, fine."
"Watching porn on your phone again?" Tai looked over, trying to see Matt's phone.
"Tai!" Sora reached over, smacking him lightly.
"Tche, please, I'm not you and not in Chemistry class." He retorted.
"Hey! That was an accident! It was attached to an email!" He pursed his lips.
"Whatever you say, hornball." He turned his phone completely off. He'd have to talk to Tai about it later, when everyone else was gone. Maybe the idiot would have an idea of how to handle it, "Go finish your practice."
Izzy glanced at his watch and started putting away his laptop, "It's almost 4:30, I need to go home, message me if you've got questions during your 'studying'." he made quotations in the air with his fingers.
"I gotta get home too, you guys have fun." Sora smirked a bit, Tai remained as clueless as ever to the look as he waved them off and ran back onto the field to wrap up practice.
Matt watched Izzy and Sora's retreat from the stands, then slung his bag over his shoulder. He should probably go as well, and hit the supermarket before the bottomless pit descended on his food supply.
Tai was waiting at Matt's apartment door, having brought a bit of food himself, knowing he was a big eater and Matt was always the one cooking. He knocked on the door and grinned, waiting for the other to answer.
The door swung open and amazing delicious smells spilled out of the apartment.
"Sometimes I think I should just give you a key." Was the blonde's greeting, as he turned and headed back for the kitchen.
"Why, so I can barge in on you at indecent hours?" He teased and made his way to the living room, plopping some food containers on the coffee table, "Mmnn...that smells good...what ya making?" He flopped down on the couch, stretch his body to almost cover the whole thing.
"Some people call it dinner. Don't get comfy, it's almost ready."
"Too late, I'm already comfy, can't you just feed it to me?" He teased.
"Do you want me to pre-chew it for you too?"
"You gonna feed me like a mama bird?" He teased and made kissy lips.
"Only if you ask really nice." A timer went off and he pulled a pan out of the oven and served up two plates. He dug out silverware and brought both plates to the living area, swing them on the coffee table and shoving Tai's feet off the couch so he could sit.
Tai laughed and shifted over so the other had room and took a good sniff of the food, "You'll make someone a good housewife someday." He grabbed the chopsticks and went to dig in.
He snorted, "And you'll make a wonderful couch potato. You're too much work now, I can't imagine 'housewifing' anyone full time."
"At least I bring home the bacon," He grinned, mouth full already and pointed at the food on the table he'd brought with.
"For you to stuff your face with yourself." He moved the lip of the plastic bag worry his own chopsticks to peer inside.
"Hey! I brought stuff you like too! I'm not that selfish!" He gave a pout.
"Watch that lip or I might rip it off." His phone started vibrating on the kitchen counter. He slammed down his chopsticks with a "goddamn it." And rose to go hang the call up.
Tai raised an eyebrow at Matt, "Whats up?" Tai glanced at the cell phone, his grin fading at Matt's anger.
He hit the end call button and muted the phone, bringing it over to show his best friend the screen. 27 missed calls. Since he'd cleared it after school.
"Holy shit dude," he took the phone and looked at it, scrolling to see the number "Who is it?"
"Um..." Right...that other thing. He'd been so angry he forgot, "It's...uh...the guy I was dancing with...last night."
"Oh" He blinked and looked down at the phone. He had not asked Matt anything yet, but it had been on his mind, especially last night. And that was the main reason he had not gotten his paper done the night before.
"He uh.. sounds annoying."
"That's not helpful." He took the phone back, "I never gave him my number. And is been like this, all day."
"Block his number." He took a mouthful of food and stared hard at his plate, not seeming to react much about him dancing with a guy...or maybe he was just trying to hide it.
"I was hoping you'd know how..."
"Here," he reached out for the phone again, swallowing the food in his mouth.
Matt gave it back to him. The phone lit up again in Tai's hand. Matt made another frustrated noise and threw himself back into his seat and shoveled a bite into his mouth, forcing himself to eat.
Tai turned it to voicemail once more, then proceeded to add him to contacts so he could block the number "There, that should stop the creepoid."
"Thanks." He muttered, "I hope so."
He grinned and handed the phone back "Wonder how he got your number."
He frowned, looked at the screen one more time before he tossed it on the table, face down, "I'll kill whoever handed it out."
"Yeah...not cool..." He went a bit silent, eating his food.
He ate in silence for a few moments. Fuck it. "So, uh..." He set his chopsticks down, "I'm gay."
That was that. And now it was out.