Money and Martyrdom

by bed of nails and sandpaper

Yamato left Japan, hoping for a new life in America. But, after five years of living without a family he decides to come home, not realising that the problems he left behind have been waiting for him. AU Taito, Takari and other pairings

4. Chapter 4

Warning, this fic is M for a reason.

Contains underage drinking, mentioning of substance abuse, violence, swearing and "rumpy-pumpy"

Money and Martyrdom

---

"Hey, Yama, watch this!"

With a gleam of baby white teeth and a throw of his head a ten year old boy threw his arms into the air and allowed his bike to cruise down the slight slope of the road, trusting whatever force controlled the air around him to guide his bike safely.

"No hands!"

He cackled and yipped as he began to pick up speed as the decline became steeper. Another boy that looked on from his seat on the edge of the pavement, nearly small enough to swing his legs, jumped up in panic when he saw the wobbling of the bike's handle bars.

"Tai, be careful!"

Thick, dark hair framed plump cheeks that pinched as Taichi's face stretched into a wider smile. He blew kisses at the struck blonde boy who had been waving his hands about in hopes that he could deter the cyclist from crashing into something. Yamato soon discovered that he needn't have bothered trying to warn his friend when he watched the bike roll completely sideways once the front wheel had struck a pothole. Yamato's lungs were brought to their brink at his terrified gasp when he saw the hands that had been so carelessly waving and flailing in play were wrapped around the tanned boy's head as the bicycle fell away from beneath him.

He released a choked scream when Taichi's head hit the pavement and the bike collapsed on top of him.

"Tai!"

As he dashed to the fallen boy he panicked over what to do. His apartment was the closest to them, but his Dad wasn't home, and Taichi's Mum was taking his sister to day care. Taichi still lay there with his hands curled around his head and his bike blanketing him. He was shaking.

"Tai, are you okay?"

Yamato crouched down beside him and shook his shoulders gently. Taichi's shaking became more violent, and his shoulders rumbled where Yamato had placed his hands.

But when he turned over, there was no pain in his expression. He's body had been rattling from laughter and the toothsome grin had held on to his face, hardly deterred by the few droplets of blood that splattered onto his cheeks from the cut on his head. He continued to laugh while Yamato's face, now outraged instead of worried, loomed over him.

"You idiot!"

Yamato smacked him on the shoulder, embarrassed that he had been so concerned. His cheeks were tingling where the blood had surfaced to colour his face. He looked away stubbornly with a tightened jaw.

"I thought you were dead or something."

Wiping the tears from his eyes Taichi sat up and pushed his bike off from on top of him. His smile stayed as he watched his pale companion fish in the pockets of his ripped jeans for the plasters he kept there. They were always of use whenever Taichi was involved in his play. Taichi cringed and squirmed while Yamato wiped away the trail of blood from his face and roughly applied the novelty plaster, wanting to inflict a bit of pain on Taichi as punishment for being so careless. He gave a quick nod in satisfaction and concluded his treatment with another slap to Taichi, this time on his head.

"You're lucky you've got a head like a rock."

He muttered and held his hand out for Taichi to take. Taichi grabbed it and bounced up with much more energy than he looked to possess, especially now that his face was dotted with scratches, and the skin of his knees was slashed and raw. He held tightly to his friend's hand while he reached down with his other hand to pull up his bicycle by the dented handle.

"But it was so fun! It felt like I was flying! You've got to have a go."

With the bike now upright he began rolling it back up the hill, with a struggling Yamato pulling against the grip on his hand.

"No way! A normal person would be dead if they knocked their head like that. I have too much to live for!"

"Shut up, Yama, it's not that bad. I'll hold the bike for you so you don't fall."

"No, Tai! I'm serious!"

Taichi ignored Yamato's complaints. He had always been able to sway his friend into playing along with him, so why would it be any different now? Yama would give in eventually. And he would have fun too. Then, when he got all scratched up, Taichi could put him back together.

"Tai! Let go! I mean it!"

"Stop being such a scaredy cat."

Yamato thrashed his head, throwing about the golden threads of his hair to form a silken cocoon around his head. But other than that he wasn't truly resisting. There was no force to the pulls he made at Taichi's hand on him. In fact, he nearly leant into the other boy's touch as they made their way up the hill. But, for the sake of saving face he pretended to resist. He repeated Taichi's name with every pull.

"Tai!"

His voice became softer, mistier, as if he were fading away.

"Tai!"

The feel of Yamato's arm in Taichi's hand began to soften, and Taichi found himself clenching his own fist, Yamato's arm evaporating into a wisp of smoke. He let go of the bike and let it roll down the hill where it disappeared into a black void.

"Taichi!"

The gravel hill melted away beneath his scuffed trainers and he found himself falling through darkness. But not for long. The impact was onto a soft surface. His whole body jolted.

"Taichi!"

Taichi blinked lazily, first seeing nothing but a hazy smog of colour. But when it began to clear he wished that he had never opened his eyes. There was no road. No bike. No blonde hair. No blue eyes. Just a lumpy green sofa cushion covered his sight. Taichi rubbed the back of his head where he felt his pulse pounding beneath the thick, knotted hair. It was so strange. For a moment he almost thought he could hear...

"Taichi!"

A muted voice and a rhythm of fists pounding on the front door invaded him. He didn't want to answer it. Sleep was reaching for his hand to lead him back to the road of tightly packed apartments on the bumpy hill, where his dented bike lay on the ground waiting for its rider, and a boy, the embodiment of innocence, sat on the curb with a crown upon his head and roses on his cheeks. They were all waiting for him. All he needed to do was close his-

"Taichi, open up! I know you're in there!"

Growling, he pushed up onto his knees and every joint creaked and ached from movement. His sleep had been so solid and deep that not a single nerve had twitched during his slumber. Movement felt foreign. He cringed when he ran his tongue over his dry teeth. Something bitter lingered there that he didn't really want to think about.

An empty can of beer fell off the sofa at the same time as when he stood up and the sound of the aluminium clattering on the wooden floor sounded like war drums to him. With every heavy drop of his feet on the floor he would crush something; an empty can, an extinguished cigarette, a half eaten piece of food, there were even pieces of glass still embedded between the floorboards from the bottle he'd smashed the night before. He couldn't remember how half of the mess had been made.

"Taichi!"

Those fists were thrown against the door again. He felt as though he were inside a drum. He could barely hear the sounds, but he could feel the vibrations in the air surge through him as though he were a buoy upon a reckless wave. He fell against the door and ripped it open.

"What do you want from me?"

He growled before the person at the door even came into focus of his vision.

Sora stood there, startled, midway through bringing her fist upon the door, and far more stunning than Taichi remembered her to be. Her vixen locks hung about her face lazily, and a light powder roofed her amber eyes. She was wearing a dress. He couldn't remember ever seeing her in one before. But it certainly suited her. She was a woman before him now, with curves now grooved into her once innocent and blank body. Had he been asleep long enough for this transition to occur? Or had it happened while he was awake without him realising?

On Sora's mind was something similar, but not nearly as complimentary. Taichi was stunning for an entirely different reason, especially while his shirt was dirty enough to look grey when it had been white when he'd first put it on. She could smell him from a foot away too. She straightened her surprised expression, brushing down the pleats of her dress as though she were brushing off the moment of hesitation.

His bloodshot eyes drooped asymmetrically, like a dozing dog in the summer heat; his skin had dulled as a result of his new nocturnal lifestyle.

"You look like shit."

She said bluntly, as though it wasn't so much a criticism as an obvious fact. He stayed silent, just standing in the doorway staring at her. She looked him dead in his dull orbs and spoke again.

"Smell like it too."

"Can I help you?"

He butted in with an irritated snarl. He was tired, he wanted a shower and a lot of painkillers, and it just seemed like she was standing in his doorway with the intent to humiliate him further.

Sora sighed at his sharp response and rolled her eyes.

"You wouldn't answer your phone, so I came over to tell you that everyone's coming over to my place for drinks tonight and we want you to come."

"I can't."

"Why? Are you busy?"

"No. Hung over."

"Then sober up and drop by. Whether you're drinking or not we want you there."

"I'll think about it."

He waited, leaning against the door, for her to say her goodbyes and leave him so that he could ignore her invitation once again and just go back to sleeping on the sofa. But she didn't do anything of the sort. She just stood there, pulling at the shoulder strap of her dress and swooping her eyes over him. Her lips were twisted almost into a spiral as she bit into the skin of her gums. After a while of Taichi observing Sora observe him, she shook her head with a grunt and pushed past him to get into his apartment. He was too weak and sick to stop her.

"I just can't do it."

She growled and kicked aside the beer cans on the floor. The loud rattle shook Taichi to his bones and he held his head in pain. It felt as though someone was rattling heavy chains against the inner walls of his brain.

He closed the door and stumbled after her while she picked up the cans from the floor.

"Can't do what?"

He asked in a cracking voice that sounded like it belonged to a boy half his age. Sora dropped the cans into the bin, making Taichi flinch again. She kept her face to the living room to observe the mess instead of looking him in the eye.

"I can't leave you alone while you're this pathetic."

Taichi couldn't really take it as an insult. He knew what his condition must look like to her, so her comment was at least justified. He stood by the door, uncertain what to do when Sora stood there with an expression of disapproval wrinkling her still young face.

"Go take a shower, put some clean clothes on and grab your shoes. I'm buying you dinner."

"Dinner? But it's only..."

He looked to the clock set above the small box television he had resting on a stool against the wall. He'd expected it to be no later than two o'clock. The clock said five.

"Oh..."

"Yes, 'oh'. It's five o'clock. I'm giving you thirty minutes to get your stuff together."

He nodded shakily and stumbled to his bedroom, muttering over his shoulder.

"Thanks, Sora."

The young woman watched him struggle to walk until his bedroom door blocked her view when closed. She picked up an empty pizza box from the floor and sighed sadly.

"You must be really hung over to thank me for doing this."

She tossed the box onto the kitchen counter and looked around the room. From her position she could tell thatt it was going to takke much more than a quick visit to make the apartment look livable again.

---

When he was like this some people might think that he was happy. He certainly looked it. When a joke was told he laughed, realistically, and with his whole body. When he looked at someone he met their eyes with his own, and those eyes were bright and awake, no traces of red bleeding into the corners. Every smile stretched wide, every word spoken passed his lips without delay or falter. He was more than willing to engage in physical contact, be it a slap to the back or the simple brush of a hand when someone passed him his drink.

He'd said that he wouldn't drink, but he did anyway. Four beers was nothing to him. Nothing. He was fine if not happier than he would have been if sober. He leant heavily against Sora as he laughed again, jutting against her with his shoulders as they shuddered. The atmosphere had become more nostalgic and conversation had diminished into nothing deeper than recounting old stories.

"And then, there was that time when we camped out next to the highway."

Sora recalled, and they all nodded with distant smiles on their faces. Then, after having another sip of his fifth beer, Taichi butted in.

"Yeah, I remember that Mimi ended up running off home because the car noises gave her a headache."

"You make it sound like I'm a killjoy. You guys were so drunk you probably didn't notice I was even missing."

Mimi pouted and took a sip of her gin and tonic while the others chuckled into their own drinks. A comfortable silence followed, where all of them thought over the old times of underage drinking, water fights, sitting in the park after school when it was still hot, gorging on fast food and taking blurry pictures together on the train.

Sora laughed quietly and ran her fingers through Taichi's hair as she put her wine glass on the coffee table by her feet.

"This is fun. We need to meet up like this more often."

She sighed and leant back into the sofa. Mimi smiled as well and looked over the old faces surrounding her.

"Yeah, I've missed all of you. We haven't all been together like this since-"

She broke off suddenly, and all attention turned to her to finish her sentence. She seemed to be struggling, and looked with a guilty grimace towards Taichi.

"...since..."

"Since Yamato disappeared, right?"

Taichi finished for her. All eyes were turned on him now, each of his friends silently asking if it was alright to continue this conversation. It had been a sensitive topic for a long time. Taichi put his beer on the table next to Sora's glass and pulled himself off of her shoulder.

"If you guys are trying to keep quiet about this for my sake then don't. It's pathetic. His name isn't like some kind of taboo or anything. The last time we all got together was when Yamato was with us. We went to that crappy bar to buy Izzie his first drink."

Izzie, sitting stiffly in the reclining chair in the corner, nodded and clutched his glass of water.

"I remember that. I didn't even want to drink."

Sora laughed, hoping that this story would brighten the mood a bit.

"Teenage rebellion is all a part of growing up. That bartender didn't catch on at all, even though you were shaking so much that he missed the first few times he went to grab the money."

Izzie mumbled shyly and looked towards some dust in the top corner of the room.

Mimi pointed to Izzie with a jesting smirk. The red lipstick on her lips had faded to patches of pink now that most of it was stuck to the rim of her glass.

"So, if you didn't actually want to drink anything that night, how comes you kept going back to the bar? Fancy the bartender, eh? I didn't think hairy biker was your type, Izzie."

Izzie hesitated to answer.

"I was...buying drinks for Yamato. He was short on money that night."

Another silence. This time it wasn't comfortable. It felt forced. Being the one that had said the least so far in the evening, Jyou chose it as his time to speak up.

"That was before he got his second job, wasn't it?"

Mimi gulped down the rest of her drink and spoke up. She sounded like her old self again, with a whining tone to her voice and a volume that demanded the attention of everyone in the room.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I don't want this evening to become some kind of memorial service or anything, but I have to say that...I really miss Yamato."

There were a few nods and mumbled agreements. Taichi held his jaw stiff and crossed his arms, stepping back from the conversation.

"I mean, it's ridiculous that we've been dodging the subject for practically two years now and it's just not fair. No offence, Taichi, but I want to be able to think about how much I miss him without feeling guilty for doing so."

"Why would I take offence to that?"

He said snappily. She furrowed her brows and raised the pitch of her voice, angry that he was fighting back.

"Because it seemed like every time someone even made the suggestion that he existed you would just go into this brooding silence or walk out of the room. Or if you were drunk you'd just go into a fit."

"Well, I'm sorry. But I'm practically sober right now, so if you want to talk about him then go ahead. I won't stop you."

"That's not fair!"

"What? I said you could talk about him!"

"I know, but you said it in a way that's making me feel guilty."

"Is there a way that I can say it that won't make you feel guilty?"

Mimi stopped talking back, sick of Taichi's sarcastic tone. Sora brushed back her hair and edged away from Taichi on the sofa. This was exactly what she had hoped to avoid happening when she invited everyone over. Yamato's name did nothing but upset everyone, especially when Taichi was within earshot.

Taichi rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand, releasing some of the tension in his face with a long, growling exhale.

"How would it make you feel if I was the one that started the conversation?"

Now calm and with the glass she'd been holding safely set on the table, Mimi shook her head. She didn't wanting to raise conflict knowing that Taichi would always get his way when they fought.

"Taichi, I'm really sorry. You don't have to-"

"All your talk about feeling guilty is making me feel guilty. I don't want to deprive you guys of talking about him. I want to be able to think about him too."

He looked off to an empty space and picked up his beer to take another mouthful and set it back on the table. It took him a moment to work up the courage to speak, but the beer helped him along. He leant against his knees with his head resting in the balls of his palms.

"I miss him like fucking crazy...and it hurts sometimes to think about him not being here. But that doesn't mean that I want to stop thinking about him all together."

Sora slowly edged back towards him to rest her arm on his back. He didn't pull away like he usually did when she tried to comfort him.

---

Heavy feet pounded on the soggy carpet; those shots of Sake had already managed to fill the space between his brain and skull. But the night was still so young. There were still so many more drinks to try; songs to dance to; strangers to grope. Every pound of the bass that blasted from the stereo reverberated through his chest. His shoulders jolted with every thrash of the drums, and his knees shaking along with the melody, urging him to move with the song no matter how he resisted. He was on a mission at that moment and no catchy song or flirt of bare flesh could distract him. He'd arrived about twenty minutes ago and he was still looking for anybody that he knew. In the living room there was only a swarm of stale strangers, congregating around a table of free liquor. He'd introduced himself to a couple of them and helped himself to a beer, but he wasn't enjoying himself at all. Yamato was the only reason he'd come to this stupid gathering, and he couldn't find the guy anywhere.

The garden was scattered with groups of people passing round drinks in a circle. It looked almost like a cult ritual of sharing wine, except that instead of robes they all wore ripped sportswear, and the wine was replaced with cheap spirits.

The beating bass from the stereo dulled once he'd stepped out onto the patio. Thinking that he might as well take a break from looking for his friend he drew a cigarette from his pocket and placed it in his lips while scouting the garden for someone he might know. He flicked his thumb over the chequered lighter that Yamato had bought him and deeply inhaled the tobacco smoke, exhaling towards the sky to watch the smoke flutter over the low fence. He wasn't one to smoke normally, but ever since Yamato started he found himself craving one every so often. Perhaps it was because he related the scent to his best friend. After all, he made sure to buy the exact same brand as Yamato.

"Ah, Taichi!"

He heard the voice call from behind him and, finally, a face he recognised emerged from behind the curtain of swaying people in the living room. Shinji stumbled a bit on his way over to him, but other than that he showed no signs of how drunk he really was since he was typically one to start drinking several hours before even deciding to show up to a party.

"Hey, Taiiichi. Wats'up?"

He slurred and swung his arm around Taichi's neck clumsily, not intending to choke him but doing so anyway. Taichi shrugged moodily, still pissed off that he'd been left by himself for so long during the party.

"Nothing. Where's Yama?"

"In the bathroom, helping Yuki. She was this close to throwing up on his shoes."

Taichi cringed back while chuckling at the image that struck him. He didn't particularly mind bodily functions and the fluids that came hand in hand with them, but he knew that a certain blonde, self proclaimed "cool guy" with a girly scream couldn't stand his own spit in his mouth let alone another person's vomit.

"I'm gonna go find him."

Shinji laughed in an obnoxious, overly dramatic way that told of the four beers and bottle of sake that he'd drank before he came. Then, as Taichi threw down his cigarette onto the beer stained patio to go inside, Shinji waddled off into the garden towards a group of people and called back to him with another humorous bout.

"Yami's face was fucking white! You'd of thought that she threw up blood or something."

With a final throw of his head he stumbled off, announcing greetings to fellow young'uns with blank faces and overflowing cups.

Wasting no time to watch the fire of his cigarette dim Taichi marched back indoors, feeling his stomach coil and flop with frustration as he tried to push through the crowd. He might as well have been trying to clear a path through water, as he pushed one person away another fell back. But he found the toilet eventually; the scratched white door that had the word "shitter" written on it in permanent marker by some asshole who thought it was funny.

The door wasn't locked. He turned the knob easily and began to push it open. But before he could peek his head through the crack between the door and its frame it was slammed shut. He barely managed to escape with the end of his nose.

"Occupied!"

Someone announced from the other side of the door with a nervous voice. Embarrassment aside, he was just glad that he recognised the voice and he hadn't been close to intruding a stranger's privacy. He heaved an exaggerated sigh and cupped his hands around his mouth and pressed them to the door, thinking it would amplify his voice or some scientific bullshit like that.

"Yama, it's me! Open up!"

Beneath the layer of bass line, stamping feet and slurred conversations Taichi could hear shuffling coming from the other side of the door, followed by grumbling, rattling, splashing water, and finally a croaky voice asking him to come in, spoken with obvious reluctance.

He opened the door slowly, still silently asking if it was alright to enter after he could hear more splashing liquid that echoed in the toilet bowl. The first thing he saw was the grass stains on Yuki's ass that was raised in his direction as she spat the vomit from behind her bubblegum pink lips. One hand gripped the seat, and the other was lowered to her side to grip on Yamato's arm, which looked paler than normal with the lack of blood flowing through it. He was wedged in the small crease of space between the toilet and the wall of the small bathroom, and not looking too well himself. He waved stiffly with his free hand.

"Hey."

Taichi said over the remaining music that waved in through the door before he shut it behind him. Then he bent around the curve of Yuki's ass to have a look at her grey face.

"Hi, Yuki."

"Hey, Taich-"

She cut off to lurch into the toilet to heave. Nothing came out but Yamato still shivered in disgust and closed his eyes, wishing he was absolutely anywhere else in the world to deter himself from emptying his own stomach.

Seeing that Yamato obviously wasn't handling the situation all too well Taichi decided to step in.

"Do you need me to call your mum, Yuki?"

She shook her head, letting the bleached tips of her hair brush against the toilet seat and hiccupped.

"Sh-She thinks I'm at a slee-sleepover."

"Then you should go upstairs and lie down."

Yamato nudged Taichi's leg with the toe of his trainers to get his attention.

"There were a few couples up there when I went to check, and they got themselves pretty comfortable."

Taichi coughed awkwardly and leant against the door.

"Did she come here with anybody?"

"Yeah. Satsuki. I used Yuki's phone to call her a few times but I didn't get an answer. I left a few messages and texts though."

"Why not go look for her?

Yamato sighed and pointed to Yuki's grip on his arm. If her nails were any longer they would have been ripping into his bones by the looks of it. The skin that her fingers dug into had already changed from pink to white to almost blue. Taichi "aahh'd" in understanding. Yuki in the meantime heaved again and this time something most definitely came out. A flood of chunky, slimy, thick, beige liquid poured down her chin. It seemed impossible for such a...substance to come out of such a delicate little girl. When some splashback formed a puddle between his splayed legs, Yamato covered his mouth and made his own gagging noise. His look to Taichi was of agony. Those dove eyes were begging, 'help me!'

Taichi straightened up and set to being the hero.

"I'll go find Sat-"

He'd intended on rushing out of the bathroom, finding Satsuki, and dragging her back so that she could take Yamato's place looking after Yuki. But when he turned to leave his open mouth became a splinter motel when he got a face full of door. The person from the other side had ruthlessly rammed it open into his teeth.

"Sorry! Is Yuki in there?"

Rubbing his thumb over his aching teeth Taichi backed up into a corner to create enough space for the door to open.

"Yuki!"

A waft of vanilla perfume and a sheet of silky black hair blew through the door and dived towards the young girl heaving over the toilet.

"Ah, Satsuki, thank God you're here."

Taichi heard Yamato sigh and closed the door behind Satsuki so that he might have some space to breathe in the cupboard they called a bathroom. He was crushed back against the closed door, with Yuki's heels digging into his shins while bent over the toilet, Satsuki's shoulder alarmingly close to the...centre region of his lower half, and Yamato, half crushed into the wall, had his feet planted against the door to the left of Taichi's legs.

Satsuki apologised over and over again while she moved around to help Yuki while she threw up. She stepped on Yamato's toe, elbowed Taichi's thigh and almost fell into the toilet when she caught her heel on the corner of Yamato's jacket. Once she got comfortable she spoke to Yamato over Yuki's gagging.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, just drunk, I think. Do you mind if I leave her in your hands now? I don't think I'm much help."

"Y-Yeah, that's fine. Thanks Yamato."

She helped him escape from the claws of Yuki's grip with some gentle coaxing and Yamato let out a pained hiss when he saw the crescent indents on his arm. But then came the hardest part...actually getting out. Taichi could see Yamato calculating how the hell he was going to get up without having to dip has hand into the toilet as a form of leverage. It was funny at first, but when two minutes passed and the poor boy was still stuck he decided it was time do the right thing and help him.

"Need a hand partner?"

Taichi laughed and, without waiting for an answer, grabbed onto Yamato's collar and hauled him up the same way you'd pick up a cat by the scruff of its neck. Yamato was resistant out of embarrassment at first, but once he was on his legs he bashfully muttered a thank you. Taichi opened the door and felt like he could breathe again with the added space and the smell of something other than Yuki's vomit. He stepped out and held the door open to Yamato who spoke to Satsuki as he edged around her.

"If you need any more help I'll be in the garden."

"Thanks, Yamato. Sorry about all of this."

Pulling Yuki's hair away from her dripping mouth, Satsuki then turned to Taichi with a coy smile.

"Bye Taichi. Sorry about hitting you."

"S'okay. Later."

With a salute Taichi closed the door on the two girls gently. Yamato stood at his side rubbing at the marks on his arm in aggravation.

"Well, aren't you ever the gentleman, Yama?"

"Shut up! I tried to escape so many times but she wouldn't let go."

His arm was tingling where the blood was beginning to flow freshly down the passages. Taichi took hold of the pale arm to inspect the marks for himself. They were an angry red now, not suited for such fair skin where they were most prominent.

"Looks like she had claws."

He muttered more to himself because there was no way for Yamato to have heard him over the music coming from the room next to them. Before Yamato could take back his arm Taichi gave him a quick pinch where he was able to grab some skin. With a yelp Yamato shook him off.

"What was that for?"

"I've been calling you for half an hour. Why didn't you answer?"

"You have?"

Shaking off the pain in his arm Yamato used his other hand to dig into his jean pocket. It was empty and his expression revealed that just as much as his quiet curse. He checked the pocket on the opposite side, the pockets at the back, his jacket.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fu-"

After thoroughly shaking out his jacket he turned to Taichi with his face almost as red as the marks on his arm.

"My phone's gone!"

"Seriously? Have you checked all your pockets?"

"Yes! It's gone!"

"Did you drop it? Where were you before?"

"I was outside with Shinji until Yuki came and threw up next to me. Then I just escorted her to the bathroom."

He shivered at the memory and scrubbed imaginary dirt off of his arms.

"Ah, this sucks balls! I bet some jackass picked my pocket."

Beneath the dimmed lights in the hall Yamato's face was almost glowing with red, his veins visibly pulsating in his brow. Taichi carefully placed an arm around his shoulder, as though he were trying to calm a snarling dog.

"Come on, I'm getting you a drink before you burst a blood vessel in your face."

"Shut up!"

Shinji was still in the garden where Taichi had left him, although his posture had deteriorated more with every drink. He was leaning completely on the stranger next to him and his feet shuffled dangerously as he tried to stay upright. As soon as Yamato spotted Shinji amongst the small group of people he was pushing away from Taichi's arm and jogging over to him.

"Shinji! Where's your drink?"

The boy rolled his eyes lazily towards Yamato who was approaching him. Shinji held said 'drink' in his hand, a clear liquid deceptively disguised in a water bottle. No one knew what Shinji had mixed in it. The guy probably didn't even know himself. All anyone knew was that it was dangerously alcoholic, just like any of his other drink mixes. He shakily held it out to the blonde boy who stood next to him.

"It's here. We haven't opened it ye-"

Yamato snatched it from him as soon as he set his eyes on it. He unscrewed the lid with almost violent intent, as though he were wringing a man's neck instead of opening a bottle. He drank it like water, though his tightly clenched eyes revealed that the liquid burned as he poured it down his throat.

"Woah, woah, slow down!"

Taichi pulled it off him before he drank more than half of it. As though the bottle had been sucking him in, when Yamato was relieved of it he flew back as though released from a force. He coughed into his elbow with a maniac's smile and spluttered.

"Oh Shi-it."

"No more for you."

Taichi ordered, brushing off the alcohol that had dropped onto his shirt. Yamato nodded, barely listening, while putting a cigarette between his lips. It looked like he was trying to do an impression of the Godfather when he was lighting it. His face was screwed up in concentration and his jaw clenched to keep the cigarette steady in his mouth while he waved the flame of his lighter over the end.

Taichi lifted the bottle of drink to his nose. Just the smell of it made his eyes water and it reminded him of so many times when he'd woken up smelling much the same, combined with a bit of vomit and sweat for added pungency. He hesitated to raise it to his lips. He knew without needing to think that there was no going back after the first sip. Just a taste of Shinji's drink and he would be laughing and crying for the rest of the night.

"Ah, thank you."

Before Taichi could take a sip Shinji had snatched it. He watched, helplessly licking his lips as Shinji took a few gulps, then passed the bottle onto the next person, then they took a sip and passed it to the next and so forth, until an empty bottle was placed back in his hands.

"You drank the rest of it?"

Yamato laughed next to him with a half burnt cigarette flapping between his lips. Taichi turned, prepared to explain, but his jaw muscles just stopped working all of a sudden. Had he been any more drunk this picture wouldn't have had nearly as dramatic an effect on him. But, being still kind of sober, the sight of the other boy had his tongue rolling out of his mouth.

Yamato was leaning on his own cocked hip looking as though the consumed spirits had already gotten to work on his system. His eyes were hazed and there was a stain of red across his face. It wasn't a particularly attractive colour when combined with his drunken smirk, but...the alcohol soaked t-shirt that rode every dip and arch of his chest, outlining the peaks of his nipples and the valley of his belly button, made that blush seem very different. Almost...sexual.

Taichi choked on whatever noises he'd been trying to make as Yamato took the empty bottle from him, brushing their fingers in the process. Yamato stared through the clear plastic, hunting for any kind of leftovers.

"You asshole, you didn't leave me any."

He laughed and slapped Taichi's shoulder. Taichi pouted and took back the bottle.

"Don't be mean."

He rubbed his shoulder where Yamato hit it. It didn't hurt, but for some reason it felt tingly.

"There are more drinks inside if you want me to get you one."

Yamato shook his head and heavily rested on Taichi's shoulder, one arm curled around Taichi's neck and the other resting on his hip in the small gap of skin between the end of his t-shirt and the start of his jeans.

"Nah, that's okay. If I drink too quickly then I'll just fall asleep."

Taichi coughed and turned away when he felt Yamato's wet shirt brush against his bare arm.

"A-Alright then, about your phone; it could have fallen out of your pocket while you were helping Yuki. Why don't we call it and see if we can hear it?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'm ready when you are."

Taichi fished his own cell phone from his pocket and dialled the first number on his speed dial; Yamato's number. They couldn't hear anything at first, there was too much chatter in the garden. But then a recognisable tune floated towards them; a polyphonic version of a J-Rock song that was obviously Yamato's ringtone. No one else of their generation still owned a phone cheap enough to have a polyphonic ringtone.

Yamato and Taichi listened out for the sound and followed it cautiously, as though it would run away if they came after it too quickly. It wasn't coming from indoors, thank God, but the back of the garden in the corner, where a couple were feeling each other up on the grass.

Yamato, now sufficiently liquored up, threw reason out of a metaphorical window and approached the two.

"Hey!"

The guy rolled over and took only one of his hands out from underneath the girl's dress, not that she really cared, she was barely conscious by the looks of it. Taichi was almost regretting having come up with this plan now. Yamato's eyes were too unsteady to see that this guy was way too old to be at a teenage party...nearly looking like a threat. No matter. Even if they were both sober they'd probably still recklessly face this jackass. They didn't even have an excuse as to why. Taichi and Yamato were just like that, which was why they were perfect company for each other.

Yamato crossed his arms and puffed out his chest as he looked down on the creep.

"My phone is in your pocket."

His tone was sarcastically polite, obvious malice behind the hiss of his words. The man made a voice in his throat and stared up through the wet string that was his overhanging hair.

"Why would I have your phone?"

"I don't know. You could have 'picked it up by accident' or something, but I would like it back please."

"I don't have your phone. Fuck off."

He rolled back over and started making out with the poor girl's chin while she just lazily rolled into it. When the tune from Yamato's phone died down Taichi dialled the number again and, on cue, it rang again. The boys could even see the lit up screen of his phone through the thin back pocket that held it. Yamato nudged the back of the guy's legs firmly with the toe of his sneakers. This time, the guy was actually mad enough to stop molesting the girl and sit upright. Yamato looked him straight in the eye with Taichi supporting him over his shoulder.

"Give me my phone back."

The guy chuckled and stood up, revealing his true height of being...a lot taller than they both expected. Taichi edged a little closer to his friend, prepared to jump to his aid if anything set off. On the other hand, Yamato was unfazed by the guy's size and simply rolled his shoulders, nonchalant.

"What's a little faggot like you going to do about it, huh? You gonna take it from me?"

He laughed and nudged the heel of his palm into Yamato's shoulder.

"If you won't hand it over nicely, then yes, I will take it."

"Give me your best hit, pussy!"

The big guy dived first, looking from afar like a lion pouncing on a gazelle. With a sweep of his arm Yamato knocked away the hands that reached for his neck and with his other hand delivered a swift punch to the guy's jaw. Yamato wasn't particularly strong, but he was damn fast. His punches weren't forceful, but they came rapidly, one after another, and in large quantities, aimed to wear the guy out. In comparison every swing of the larger man's fists and legs were pulsating with raw strength, but they were slow, poorly aimed, and Yamato was able to easily dodge.

A crowd formed suddenly around them, with slurred spurring and shouts being fired at the fighting two. Taichi was one of them, pumping his fist in the air and cheering on his best friend.

"Kick his ass, Yama!"

The larger fighter stumbled for a second when Yamato slammed an elbow into his head. But he recovered freakishly quickly; just a shake of his head and he was completely focused again. Yamato barely had a chance to dodge the next punch, only evading enough for it to land on his shoulder instead of his face. It fucking hurt though. It really fucking hurt. Like someone had slammed a hot iron into his shoulder. After that point, Yamato gave up on looking cool in this fight; no more flashy moves to show off to the onlookers or sly hits to wear down the brute's ego. He fought raw from now on.

After that first punch to his shoulder, Yamato's speed went down by 20%, and he found himself unsuspectingly on the losing side of the fight for a moment. With his shoulder pulling with every movement, Yamato couldn't dodge the punch to his gut, or the one to his cheek that forced his teeth to clamp down on his lip and split the skin. He didn't waste time to spit out the blood that filled his mouth; he swallowed it quickly and set his stance to get back into the fight, and start winning again.

The guy aimed another punch for Yamato's face, not worrying about tactics when brute strength was on his side. But the large man's strategy of having a lack of strategy failed him when Yamato ducked under his outreached arm and threw his own fist into the man's side before continuing around to kick him in the back.

Drunk, or high, and unstable, the man fell forward at the force of Yamato's foot on his back, and Yamato took the advantage and planted a last kick between his shoulder blades to send him fully to the floor. When the man's face smashed into the muddy floor Yamato backed up a bit, worried that he might have given the guy a serious head injury when he didn't instantly get up. He finally moved after a few tense minutes of lying with his nose buried in soil. His shoulders were pulled tensely up to his ears and his fingers clawed at the grass. With a sharp turn of his head he growled and snarled at Yamato.

He had wild eyes; wide, dilated and webbed with red. Taichi panicked. As hurtful as it would be to Yamato's pride, he couldn't let his friend fight alone. This guy was high on something and he'd had enough of whatever he took to make him fight with a murderous intent. The big guy scrambled to his feet and charged at Yamato, not with fists but with talons or claws. Yamato didn't look scared, but that's because he was too proud and drunk to be scared. Taichi hadn't had enough alcohol to dull his inhibitions, so it was lucky that he was just a naturally courageous person or else Yamato may have had his throat mauled off by a drugged up bear.

Taichi leapt in, not caring to wait for an 'opportune moment'. He intercepted the man's lunge with a tackle of his own. Yamato just stared with an open mouth as Taichi threw himself into the man coming towards him, sending him into the floor once again. They tumbling two rolled across the grass, with the surrounding crowd following them in a strict circle.

With strength to match the wild stranger Taichi didn't have to do much to get the upper hand. He pushed the guy's face into the floor and sat on his back, his legs pinning the other guy's legs to the floor. Taichi took the guy's arm and pulled it behind his back, painfully pinning his wrist to his shoulder. There was a bit of struggling at first, but it calmed down when the guy realised that he couldn't move without breaking his arm. With a pleased nod Taichi reached into the back pocket, took out the Yamato's phone and tossed it to Yamato.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

The man beneath Taichi growled and twitched his shoulders in a short attempt to throw Taichi off his back. Still holding onto him tightly Taichi leaned down to talk.

"This fight is over. All we wanted was the phone you took."

Once the item was safely in Yamato's hands Taichi shifted, preparing to release the guy. First he got into a position where he could get up quickly, with his feet planted firmly on the ground but still pushing the guy into the floor with his hands. Then, he let go and jumped back at the same time, grabbing Yamato to drag him away quickly. The crowd parted to let them leave, but reformed around the slouching figure on the grass who was growling quietly.

Taichi sighed and rolled his shoulder where he had tackled the large man. He continued to drag Yamato through the garden and went down the side entrance to the street instead of wading through the still crowded living room. When it was quiet enough to talk Taichi turned to Yamato who was rubbing his own bruised shoulder.

"You good?"

"Yeah."

Yamato wiped at the cut on his lip with his thumb and hissed out a breath through his aching teeth. Yamato wasn't paying attention to where Taichi was dragging him, he was too busy trying to catch his breath and inspecting his phone.

Taichi knew that Yamato wasn't going to thank him. He'd bruised Yamato's pride by helping him. But, at least Taichi knew that deep, deep, deeeeep down Yamato was grateful to him, though he'd never admit it.

Yamato spun the cheap phone around in his hand and pressed a few buttons to check that everything was alright. Then, when he turned it over he twisted his lips in a snarl.

"That son of a bitch. He only had it ten minutes and he was already trying to scratch the inscription off."

Yamato huffed, looking at the back of the phone where 'To Yamato, from Dad' had previously been inscribed. Now it was just covered in shallow scratches; a quick fix for a thief until they could get their hands on a new case or a buyer.

Taichi stopped pulling on his arm for a moment to look at the phone for himself.

"But other than being scratched it's okay, right?"

"Yep. Still working."

Taichi wasn't holding onto him anymore, but they didn't stop walking together, both heading the same direction by instinct; they just subconsciously tried to get away from the overwhelming noise and ended up a few feet down the road from the house.

Yamato pocketed his scratched up phone and rubbed at his shoulder, feeling it tense in pain when he dug his fingers into the edge of the blade of bone. He hissed and tightened his face in a wince as the pain rode the nerves up his shoulder and into his neck, but despite this distraction he still managed to notice Taichi giggling beside him. Yamato looked over to the other boy and, as he'd suspected, Taichi stared back at him with his usual bright smile and glowing eyes that suddenly made him forget the pain. He wasn't trying to hide his chuckles and smiles; he bared all amusement to Yamato.

"What are you laughing at?"

Yamato asked, laughing a bit himself. Taichi shook his head and rubbed a smooth circle on Yamato's back.

"Nothing. It's just that you look so cool when you fight. Reminds me of when we used to fight like that."

Yamato nodded and leant back into Taichi's arm on his back, not caring that his shoulder throbbed when he brushed it against Taichi's, and caring even less when Taichi moved his arms to wrap around his middle section. It was nice to think back on their childhood together. Back then even the smallest brawl would turn into a fist fight, like when they argued over who won a sprint race through the park, or when Taichi ate bits of Yamato's lunch while he wasn't looking.

"It's just a shame that you've gotten so scrawny now. It's no fun when I can beat you so easily."

Taichi sighed jokingly and patted Yamato's flat stomach. Yamato snorted and arched his brow.

"What are you talking about? I'm still strong!"

"You're stringy. You need to put some meat on those bones. You look like one of those frail old lady."

"Oh yeah? Well at least I'm not a shrimp!"

Yamato reached over his shoulder to flick Taichi's forehead. The top of Taichi's head lay just below Yamato's, although his wild hair made this difference in height unnoticeable. At that moment their difference in height was prominent. Taichi had to stand on the balls of his feet to rest his chin on Yamato's shoulder. Taichi blushed and retracted his arms from Yamato's waist.

"What? I'm only three centimetres shorter!"

"Three and a half actually."

"Th-That doesn't matter! Pretty soon I'm going to be towering over you! Then you'll be the shrimp."

"Bring it on, midget."

"I will, string bean!"

Their angry stares didn't last very long. Yamato was the first to break, bursting into obnoxious laughter only seconds before Taichi. Maybe it was the drink, or the fading of the adrenalin in his system, but Yamato and Taichi were comfortable enough to fully hug each other while the laughed, rocking as though they were participating in a clumsy dance. Their chests rumbled against each other and Taichi kept Yamato standing with his arms securely locked around the thin waist. They didn't pull back from the embrace so much as they seemed to reluctantly float apart, Taichi's hand still on Yamato's hip and Yamato's arm still resting behind Taichi's neck.

They both slowly began walking off into the distance, not aiming to go to any specific place. Brushing nonexistent dust off Taichi's shoulder, and still with laughter lingering on his cold lips, Yamato spoke in a cool voice.

"Want to ditch this tea party?"

"Sounds good to me."

"I'm still buzzing though. Want to do something?"

"I just want to sit somewhere warm. I want to talk to you."

Yamato raised his brow and moved his arm around on Taichi's shoulder, not retracting it completely but moving his hand to the back of Taichi's neck.

"Something wrong?"

Taichi blushed and shook his head.

"N-No. It's just that it's been so long since we've just...talked. We're always out somewhere nowadays."

With a relieved sigh and a smile Yamato leant in to touch his temple to Taichi's, bending his back until the discomfort nearly compared to the pleasure of Taichi's presence.

"My Dad's out of town for the week. I've got beers at home, but if you want something stronger we could buy something on the way back."

"Beer's fine."

Taichi ruffled Yamato's hair roughly, causing the boy to splutter in horror and knock him away. Without any kind of word to Shinji or the others they started to walk away from the party; they'd made enough of a dramatic exit to make up for not saying goodbye.

Yamato's apartment wasn't too far, which was one of the main reasons why they had decided to go to the shitty gathering; if it had ended up being a waste then they could just head back to the apartment and play some play station. So they slowly started the walk home together, brushing their shoulders together a few times and keeping a comfortable silence. Yamato would drunkenly chuckle occasionally, and Taichi would laugh as well just because it was infectious.

They hadn't gotten any further than the end of the road when they heard the fast thudding of feet closing in from behind them.

"You little faggot shit! I'll fucking kill you!"

No time to react; no time to block; not even enough time to look surprised. A screaming blur dived out from the darkness of the dimly lit street behind them, covered in mud and bruised. Yamato went from smiling and laughing to being thrown onto the pavement head first with a maniac on top of him.

"Yama!"

The large man threw his hand into Yamato's face, forcing him to slam his head against the pavement. Before he could do it a second time Taichi had grabbed onto his jacket and thrown him off.

"Get the fuck off of him!"

The guy wasn't saying anything, just roaring like a beast with saliva and blood spewing from his mouth, and a face so red it would seem normal if blood were to start flooding from his ears. A group of people began running up to them from the party, Shinji being one of them. They surrounded the maniac and all began wrestling him to the floor, screaming at him. Taichi bid the end of that part of the problem and turned back to Yamato, who he expected to be getting up and preparing to fight again. But Yamato hadn't moved, and Taichi almost threw up at the sight.

"Oh shit, oh fff-"

He dropped beside Yamato's prone body and hovered his hand over Yamato's head, unsure if he should touch him. Yamato's eyes were closed, not in the same delicate way like they were when he slept, but as though they were being forced shut. Taichi just rested his floating hand lightly on Yamato's chest, drawing comfort from the rise and fall of Yamato's breathing.

"Yama, can you hear me?"

He spoke in a hushed tone, searching the closed eyes and gritted teeth for some kind of reaction. Not even a twitch. While Yamato's breathing stayed even and slow beneath Taichi's hand, Taichi's breathing sped up as fear gripped his lungs tightly.

"Ah, shit. Yama."

Taichi whined and rubbed his head harshly, hoping that the friction would stimulate his brain to figure out what the fuck to do. A hand slammed onto his shoulder while he was distracted and for a second he dreaded that the bully had come back for another round. But Shinji's voice in his ear stopped him from throwing his elbow back into whoever was behind him.

"Is he okay?"

Shinji huffed, out of breath from the rush over. Taichi couldn't form words at first, just a gurgle and a mumble of swears. When he finally found his voice his lips quivered.

"N-No! He's-"

"Agh ff-ffuck!"

Yamato croaked with ragged breath, rolling onto his side and curling his arms around his head. Gasping, Taichi laid a hand on Yamato's cheek trying to get his attention.

"Yama? Yama, are you okay?"

He whispered tenderly and rubbed his thumb over Yamato's cheek gently. At the sound of his best friend's comforting voice Yamato turned over onto his back despite the pain of his head. He looked up at Taichi with watery blue eyes, squinting beneath the lamppost lights that glared from overhead.

"Feels like m-my fffuckin' skull'sssbroke."

Yamato stuttered, forcing down any sobs of pain. He took deep breaths, his senses slowly clearing and vision sharpening with every lungful of air. Taichi leaned in closer, paying attention to every detail of Yamato's face and searching for any kind of injury.

"Yama, do you want me to call an ambulance?"

Yamato slowly shook his head, looking up into Taichi's frightened face.

"No...no, I'm fine now. Just take me home."

Shinji made himself known again by patting Taichi on the shoulder and standing back up.

"I'll go get some ice or something."

He muttered before dashing off. Taichi turned back to Yamato, who was shielding his eyes with his forearm.

"I can't take you home yet. I'm calling Jyou. You might have a concussion and I haven't got a fucking clue what to do."

Taichi wriggled around on his knees to find his phone in his pockets. Meanwhile, Yamato pulled himself up onto his elbows, struggling to get up, but Taichi stopped him before long, gently pushing against his chest to keep him lying down.

"Stay down. I don't want your brains falling out."

"My brains aren't going to-"

"Just stay down, you stubborn bastard!"

Taichi shouted; frustrated, angry, panicky. Yamato stopped trying to salvage his pride and lay down quietly on his back while Taichi dialled a familiar number on his phone and lifted it to his ear.

"Jyou, it's Taichi. Sorry for waking you, I've got an emergency...Yeah, Yama hit his head and I don't know what to do...He hit the curb. There's no blood but he was knocked out for a few seconds...yeah...okay...Yama, look into my eyes for a sec."

Taichi held Yamato's chin to lift his face and stared him deeply in the eyes. Yamato felt heat begin to collect in his cheeks and resisted the urge to squirm away in embarrassment at Taichi's thick stare. He looked to be deep in concentration with his dark brows digging in between his soft hazel eyes, and his lips would twitch ever so often as he examined Yamato's pupils. Without breaking eye contact, Taichi began to speak to Jyou again.

"Yeah, his eyes are fine...Have you got a headache?"

"You mean other than where my skull slammed into the floor?"

Yamato laughed and Taichi grunted loudly.

"His attitude's still the same, does that make any difference?...He isn't slurring or anything...Okay, I'll look after him from here. Thanks Jyou. Sleep tight."

"So I'm going to live?"

Taichi pocketed the phone and leant back on his knees.

"Don't know yet. You're not allowed to go to sleep for a while just in case. And if the pain keeps up or you develop the signs of a concussion then I'm getting you to a hospital. Okay?"

"Okay."

With a nod Taichi finally released a sigh of relief, he felt as though he'd just put out a fire or something. The shouts from behind him had quietened completely, convincing him that the trouble had died down and that the crazy asshole was at a safe distance away from Yamato and himself.

"Alright, take my hand. We'll get you up slowly."

Taichi said, holding out his hand. Yamato took it slowly, waiting for some kind of pain or nausea to hit him. He took his time to sit up, making sure that his head wasn't jostled too violently, and Taichi pushed against the small of his back to support him. They took a pause once he was upright.

"Do you feel sick or anything?"

"No."

"Lightheaded?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Okay, let's try standing up now."

Keeping their hands connected Taichi stood up and didn't mind supporting Yamato's weight as the injured boy tried to pull himself up. Yamato used Taichi's hand like a stump on a climbing wall, gripping desperately to it as he tried to lift himself with only the strength in his arms. The rest of his body seemed to be pretty much useless, feeling about as sturdy as a balloon filled with warm water. His knees buckled halfway to standing, and he watched as Taichi's chest came to meet him when he stumbled forward.

"You okay?"

Taichi laughed and tucked his hands beneath Yamato's arms to pull him upright. With an uncomfortable chuckle, sounding more like he was choking than laughing, Yamato replied.

"Yeah, my legs are just a bit shaky."

"Want me to carry you?"

"No, it's okay. We'd look ridiculous. My feet would still touch the floor."

"Stop making fun of my height, asshole."

The comment had no bite to it. Although their talk was light hearted there was still a sort of tension thickening the air around them, keeping the situation serious to a certain degree. After all, Taichi had been frightened for a while back there; a serious kind of fear that he couldn't overcome with jokes and reckless courage like he normally did. Just thinking about Yamato's unmoving form activated Taichi's instincts to curl his arms round Yamato's body and pull him close.

It felt a bit weird, holding a boy that was taller than him like he was frail and small. But there was also something that felt...right. The way that the curve of Yamato's chest fit so well against his own, and his arms rested perfectly upon the groove of Yamato's hips. It felt as though they were wearing each other.

"T-Taichi? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. And you're okay, too. Right?"

"Yeah. I'm okay."

Yamato returned the embrace hesitantly, wondering what he had done to deserve it. He locked his arms behind Taichi's neck and leant into him, no longer questioning the affection but just enjoying it.

Shinji slowly approached the two after a minute, coughing loudly to announce his presence. Yamato and Taichi didn't break completely, but turned sideways to face him. Shinji held out a wrapped towel.

"Here...ice."

Taichi took the bundle and held it to the back of Yamato's head. Yamato hissed at the first contact and took over holding it in place.

"Thanks Shinji. I'm taking Yama home."

Shinji nodded sharply and looked up at Yamato, who was cringing at the feeling of icy water running down his neck from the damp towel.

"You gonna be okay Yami?"

"Yeah, I've got my own little nurse to look after me tonight."

Yamato flicked Taichi in the head with his free hand before wrapping it around his shoulders. Saying nothing, Taichi just rubbed the sore spot, pouting and looking off to the side.

"Alright. Call me tomorrow if you're still breathing and shit."

"Yeah. Will do."

With a salute Shinji dashed off back to what was left at the party. Surprisingly the fight had left people feeling even more energetic; the music had been turned up and shouts and laughter were ringing in the night air.

Taichi rubbed the back of his head and looked up at Yamato.

"S-So...uh...where were we?"

Yamato laughed and held tighter to the towel of ice, struggling to not drop it when his hands were becoming more numb by each passing second.

"I do believe that we were about to escape this fuck festival and have some beers at my place."

"No more beer for you, you alcoholic."

"Yes, nurse."

---

After throwing himself onto his unmade bed Yamato closed his eyes, feeling his world undulate and pulsate around him. Lying on his back didn't feel like a good idea now that he was in the position. The alcohol swayed in his stomach even while he lay motionless. He released a wounded man's moan and held to his head while he turned away from the light that invaded his bedroom from the open door.

"Close the fucking door."

He mumbled, and grabbed onto the warm pillow he rested on top of. Instead of doing what Yamato asked, Taichi turned on the lights and watched as Yamato writhed into the bed sheets as though it burned him.

"You're not supposed to sleep yet, Yama."

"Yeah, yeah."

Taichi chuckled and teasingly kicked the edge of the bed. Yamato rolled over like a disturbed animal, pawing at the air and kicking at the sheets, before settling back to falling asleep again. After squirming so much, Yamato's dirtied and beer soaked shirt had been crumpled and bunched to expose a firm, pale stomach. Taichi could see the angry red of a bruise forming on his right, where he'd heroically taken a punch. But apart from that, he could see nothing but a beautiful surface of pale, creamy silk smoothed over a plane of firm muscle. Taichi licked at his dry lips and lowered himself to sit beside the reclined form of his best friend.

Not a second lingered between the moment that he set his eye upon Yamato's raw and split lips, and when he leant down to claim them with his own. At first Yamato warmed up to the familiarity of Taichi's kiss. The plump yet rough flesh coaxing his own with a firm caress; the flick of a heated tongue on the inside of his upper lip; the callous thumb tracing a gentle curve around his eye while the fingers, smelling of tobacco and the oaky musk of the boy himself, brushed the shell of his ear and found solace in the hair that hung behind it; the warm breath on his cheek.

That bliss ended quickly. After Taichi felt Yamato respond to the kiss his restraint withered, while his lust flourished. A curious hand climbed across Yamato's quivering muscle and dived beneath the moist shirt that clung to his upper half. In shock, Yamato reeled back, finally awakening his limp hands to push Taichi away. His head was pounding, his stomach jumping and his peripheral vision was being slowly cut away by curtains of black that were trying to pull him into sleep. He was getting too comfortable.

He lazily tried to escape from Taichi's lips by moving his face away, but the heated lips only moved to their next target on his person, brushing over the soft of his cheek before landing onto his neck. With a shaky whine Yamato nudged his elbow into the boy above him.

"Fuck off Tai."

Taichi didn't take Yamato's grouchy tone seriously, but removed his hands from under his shirt anyway out of politeness.

"What did I do? You don't usually mind."

He laughed and flicked the sharp nose of his friend playfully, but it wasn't as well received as he'd thought it would be. Yamato grumpily batted his hand away and rolled over and out from underneath Taichi. There he curled up and scratched his chest while grumbling.

"The last thing I need right now is you drunk kissing me. If you're that deprived of action go back to the party and find someone to fuck."

"I'm not deprived."

Yamato snorted sarcastically and turned his head to look at Taichi's red cheeks and pouting lips. It was Taichi's own fault for being embarrassed.

"Don't fake it. You've been trying to make out with me nearly every time we go out recently. It used to be something we'd do only if we were drunk enough to forget about it later."

"That doesn't mean I'm deprived."

Taichi mumbled and looked away with a stubborn clench of his jaw. He shifted around to lie fully on the bed, with his head resting against the headboard. He looked like a child that had been denied a new toy, chewing on his gums and gripping his own arms. For some reason Yamato felt that there was no victory for him in this situation, and it was frustrating. He couldn't relax and live out his horrible headache while Taichi was moping. He spitefully growled and dug his face into the bed sheets while he spoke.

"Why don't you ask out Satsuki? She's had a thing for you for ages, so she'd definitely say yes. That way she's happy that she has you as a boyfriend, and you're happy that you have a hole to fill."

Taichi didn't even bother to look in Yamato's direction. He silently allowed his head to drop back against the wall and loosened the grip of his fingers on his own arms. Yamato hung onto the silence regretfully, expecting an insult, or for Taichi to leave the room completely. But he stayed, and didn't look like he was going to leave the poor boy in peace any time soon.

"You don't mean that, Yama."

Taichi said, confidently and calmly. His voice was smooth and deep in Yamato's ears. With an exhale of defeat Yamato grunted and rolled over onto his back. Taichi had figured him out faster than he'd expected.

"Yeah, you're right. That would be a really shitty thing for you to do and I'd hate you for it."

He didn't even know why he'd said such a thing. He'd just felt this pressure in his chest and blurted it out, angrily thinking of it as a harsh joke. When he rolled his eyes to look over to Taichi, he could see him towering in front of him, muscled arms folded over his filthy white shirt and the dark portals of his eyes peeking down to stare back at him. There was still a tension in his face after Yamato's comment. With a gentle hand Yamato tried to brush away the tension in Taichi's arms while he spoke, thinking it would excuse his hurtful remark.

"But, Tai, the point that I'm getting at is that you should put the alcohol in your system towards making out with someone other than me. I don't need a drunk like you slobbering all over my face right now."

Taichi flinched and laughed quietly to himself before taking hold of Yamato's hand that still brushed his arm. He looked down on his close friend with a cheeky smile; All teeth and gums with pinched eyes.

"Who says I'm drunk?"

Yamato pulled back his hand and widened his eyes.

"You downed half of Shinji's drink mix."

He stated, confused. Taichi only shook his head and smiled more.

"I'm telling you, I'm not drunk. I-"

"Tai, a few gulps of that drink got my head spinning. Now, we both know that I could drink you under the table any time, so considering you had nearly twice as much of that drink as I did I'm surprised that you can even open your eyes right now."

"Okay, okay. I don't doubt that you could easily finish a working man's liquor cabinet, but your skill doesn't matter in this circumstance because I didn't even drink any of that shit. Shinji took it from me before I could have any."

Blue eyes blinked rapidly during a short silence. Then his face fell.

"O-Oh. That would make much more sense. I was almost going to doubt my skill at holding drink for a moment."

Yamato chuckled, only now feeling embarrassed for bragging. But the other boy didn't mind too much. If anything, the clouds of red that now collected in Yamato's pale cheeks were enough to take his attention away from everything else that had happened, or was happening. So, he didn't realise that he had leant in for a kiss until his lips brushed against the warm cushion of Yamato's cheek.

Yamato chuckled, fluttering the soft pedestal where Taichi sat his lips. Then, with a hand to Taichi's forehead, he gently pushed him away and mumbled.

"Get me a cigarette, would you? My lighter's on top of the stereo."

Taichi jumped away at his orders to fulfil his request. He grabbed the almost empty lighter from the speakers on his desk and rummaged around in the top draw, knowing that Yamato would have a stash there. He found a fresh pack and threw them over to the bed, where they landed on Yamato's chest.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

He chimed and sat back on the bed, watching diligently like a trained dog as Yamato unwrapped the plastic cover, broke the seal on the box and placed one white stick between his lips. Then, just as Yamato was about to request for his lighter, Taichi flicked it himself and held the flame before him. Yamato pulled back the blond bangs that hung on his forehead before leaning in to light the end, careful to make sure that his nose didn't catch alight either with the way that he was struggling to sit upright.

"Doesn't your Dad notice the smell in here?"

Taichi pocketed the lighter and leant back against the headboard while Yamato took his first drag and settled back down comfortably as he exhaled.

"He never comes in here."

Yamato sighed, and following his breath came arms of smoke that crawled out through his lips.

"Teenage drama and all that shit; he doesn't really want to get involved with what goes on in my room."

Taichi nodded, understanding. His own mum didn't like to pry too much, thinking that she might stifle him or cause him to rebel more than he was already. Luckily his dad didn't give a shit about stuff like that and butted in whenever he wanted. He'd lived the life, he knew exactly what was going on in the life of a teenage boy. Or, at least...most of it. There were some things that Taichi had to go through by himself, and, looking at his best friend in that moment, he realised this more than ever.

Forgetting to be coy, Taichi kicked his legs and shook his shoulders so that his body would slide down the headboard and he would lie on the bed, intimately close to Yamato. The heavy smoke that wafted into his face wasn't too bad so long as it was accompanied by the warm feeling of Yamato's arm pressing against his own.

Yamato wasn't soft at all, at least not like any of the girls that he'd been as close to. The taller boy didn't do much sport but there was still solid muscle beneath the smooth skin of his arm, and Taichi could feel it all tense when he ran the pads of his fingers up and down the pale limb.

Taichi began to worry when he looked up at Yamato's tired face. His blue eyes blinked in an uneven sequence, and the lit end of his cigarette was drooping dangerously close to the mattress as he became more and more relaxed. No matter how much Taichi wanted to curl around his beautiful friend and fall asleep he knew that he still had a job to do; he had to keep Yamato awake. So he did it in a way that he thought would be most enjoyable.

While Yamato momentarily rested his eyes Taichi stealthy swung his leg over Yamato's hips so that he was straddling him. He twisted his face into a smug grin when Yamato blearily looked up, confused. Although, before he could ask any questions, Taichi occupied those pale lips with his own, holding Yamato's face with both his hands so that he couldn't escape so easily this time.

Taichi's kisses were just like his personality; eager, passionate, but impatient, never lasting too long. He attacked in short bursts of energy, massaging the surface of Yamato's lips and breaking before diving in again to repeat. It helped in keeping Yamato awake if only because it was frustrating that if Taichi was going to kiss him he could at least kiss him properly. Before long he'd had enough and, careful not to set anything on fire with his still lit cigarette, he peeled off one of Taichi's hands from his face and moved back.

"Again with the kissing? I told you to fuck off."

Quietly chuckling, Taichi rested his forearms on either side of Yamato's head and leant in close as he spoke.

"I'm just trying to keep you awake. If you fall asleep you might never wake up."

"Then get me some ice or something. Or better yet, a beer."

"No beer for you. I'm not going to have you ending up like poor Yuki tonight. It's going to have to be good old fashion ice water for you."

Flopping back, Yamato closed his eyes and ignored Taichi's nose that touched his own, and Taichi's thighs that gripped his hips. He worked around their close proximity to put the cigarette to his lips. Then, he released the smoke in his lungs afterwards with a growl, forcing Taichi to move back lest he get it in his eyes.

"Fine. But pass me that mug on your way to the kitchen would you?"

He waved his hand like a spoilt prince at the mug on the desk and stared up at Taichi, waiting for him to move. And so he did, eventually and reluctantly after a short staring contest. Taichi tossed the empty mug on the bed as he left the room.

He knew the layout of Yamato's apartment more than just by heart. It was engraved on his eyelids when he closed his eyes. Even his dreams of the place were frighteningly accurate. He went to the familiar kitchen and without thinking was able to find what he needed; glasses, ice, water, towels. When he came back into the room Yamato was lying on his side, using the mug as an ash tray.

Leaving the glass of water on the table by the bed Taichi handed the towel wrapped ice to Yamato, who mumbled his thanks before holding it to the back of his head. His injury didn't hurt anymore, but the freezing temperature was certainly helping to sober him up, but he was still too numb for the cold to have a massive effect on him. So, he still found himself dozing off every few seconds now that he was free of the adrenalin that had been produced from fighting.

Meanwhile, Taichi was finding it just as difficult to break the silence as it was to keep it. On one hand, the silence between them was making it very difficult for him not to notice Yamato's unintentional errotic display; his shirt was still heavy with moisture and clung to the curves of his torso. He wanted to start up a conversatiion and get rid of some of the tension. But, on the other hand, he wanted to keep quiet to hear Yamato's deep, tired breathing, reminding him that Yamato was still alive. It was such a soothing sound; inhale, exhale, air in, air out. He could even see the rise of Yamato's lungs in his chest...through the wet shirt...that outlined his errect nipples.

Ah God, the sight was just too tempting. He had to calm down.

Without a word Taichi went to Yamato's closet and threw the first clean shirt he saw onto the bed. Then, without any kind of warning he pushed Yamato to the bed and straddled him before pulling at his wet shirt.

Yamato's eyes widened and he began to struggle lightly.

"What are you doing? Oi, watch the fire!"

Yamato quickly switched the lit cigarette into his other hand while Taichi pulled his arm out of the garment.

"I'm changing your shirt. It's all dirty and it doesn't look too comfy."

"If you make me comfortable then I'll fall asleep and die, remember?"

"I'll wake you up before that happens."

"Whatever."

Yamato laughed and laid back down once his shirt had been removed, throwing the towel of ice on the floor that he forgot he'd been holding. The room was cold and the remaining cold water from the ice had soaked into Yamato's hair, making him shiver every few seconds. It was getting more and more difficult to stay awake as he got more comfortable. His body was cold, while the bed covers were so warm, and Taichi was still looming over him like some kind of floating heater. He found his eyes drooping close and in the space that was availabe between his chest and Taichi's he arched his back to stretch, sighing when he felt a pop in his spine, before collapsing back, satisfied.

Meanwhile, Taichi was severely regretting not having thought his idea through to end. He'd wanted to put a clean shirt on to make Yamato look less...sexy. But in order to do that he hadn't realised fully that that involved taking Yamato's old shirt off, revealing his naked torso. This sight was even more torturious than the last. And then when Yamato was arching up to him he could see up close that sensuous curve of his spine and chest.

The fresh shirt lay abandoned beside them, and the dirty one made a disgusting, wet 'splat' as it was thrown onto the wooden floor.

The first thing that Taichi reached for was the slim, pale waist before him; the inward dip was only just prominent enough so that the outward curve of Yamato's pelvis could comfortably rest Taichi's hands. He skimmed his hands up and down the smooth sides of Yamato's torso, marvelling at how beneath the warm skin he could feel the outlines of muscle and bones.

"Tai stop it."

Yamato groaned, tucking his face into his own shoulder and sighing tiredly. He couldn't be bothered to move his arms to physically stop Taichi. So, because there was no force behind Yamato's command or any physical signs of him disliking the contact, Taichi just kept on going. He rubbed his thumbs over Yamato's hip bones a few times before moving his hands north on Yamato's torso, kneading his sides as he went along and digging his fingers into the muscles on his back.

Yamato didn't like it; the way that every place on his body that was touched by Taichi's hands began to heat up, as though Taichi's hands were fire and Yamato's body caught alight with every moment of contact. He was being overwhelmed by the combatting desires to draw Taichi further in and push him away. He didn't know what to do in this situation. Something like this had never happened before. Sure, when Taichi and himself were unhealthily drunk they might kiss to make each other laugh. But he never once suspected that he would be in a situation like this, with Taichi squeezing his bare hips and slowly leaning foreward to plant a kiss on Yamato's centre.

He felt his lungs quiver with every intake of breath when Taichi sensually dragged his moist lips over his naked chest. Yamato dropped his cigarette into the glass of water that Taichi had placed on his bedside and rested his shaking hands on Taichi's shoulders, pushing him away with what little strength he possessed at that moment. His head was pounding, his body was a mix between hot and cold, his bruises were aching; generally just far too irritated to deal with Taichi when he was like this. Taichi sucked on his pale neck and Yamato raised his knees, trying to nudge him away.

"T-Tai, I mean it. Stop-"

Commands were cut short by Taichi's lips. Yamato couldn't help it that, despite being rudely interrupted and forced into it, he leant into that kiss just a bit. It was that warmth that radiated off of Taichi that he so wanted and why he seemed to submit; while they kissed their bodies were pressed the closest and he had could freely take that warmth that soothed him. The gusty night wind and the drying ice water on his neck and hair were his excuses for moving his hands from pushing on Taichi's shoulders to cupping his neck.

But when he felt those very 'Male' hands reaching underneath and behind him, thumbs flicking over the lose top of his jeans, he found his will to resist once more.

"Taichi, stop it!"

Yamato shouted and sat up violently, forcing Taichi to pull back his hands and lean back lest he get headbutted. But before Yamato could continue to tell Taichi off his vision went black and he felt as though his head were hollowed out and filled with helium. He gasped and used his hands to keep his head upright as he felt the feeling fade and a tingle begin behind his eyes.

"Yama!"

Taichi jumped off the bed to stand when he heard Yamato's raw gasp. The blonde boy had his head tucked in his hands and was breathing deeply to calm himself.

"I'm fine. I just sat up too quickly. I think I went blind for a second."

Taichi quickly grabbed Yamato's forearms to move his hands away from his face and looked into his eyes, searching for what Jyou told him to; dilation of pupils, whether he was able to focus, any sign of red...

Meanwhile, Yamato was noticing have very close Taichi was. Their lips and noses would brush while Taichi stared deeply into his eyes and he could taste the alcohol on Taichi's breath. Suddenly there was too much saliva in his mouth, but he dare not swallow for fear of jolting his head and moving even closer to the face in front of him.

"Yama, your cheeks are really warm. Are you sure there's nothing wrong? You might have a fever."

Yamato's eyes widened and he looked away in embarrassment. Taichi could feel his blush. Shit.

"D-Don't worry. I'm just a bit overheated from exercise and shit."

He pushed Taichi away, willing away the heat in his face. Taichi just looked on anxiously, watching Yamato like a tame dog would watch its master. After a while Yamato breathed out with his eyes closed, long, slowly and deeply, feeling the weight return to his body as the dizziness passed. When he opened his eyes Taichi was uncomfortably close, pressing his hands into Yamato's thighs and cooling Yamato's face with his breath. Yamato leant back slightly and questioned his friend's aim. He was being unusally persistent with his affections. Almost to the point that Yamato thought that Taichi might...want to have sex with him...or...something like that.

"What's going on with you, Tai? What are you trying to do?"

He asked softly, almost seeming frightened to Taichi. Taichi looked down at his hands in silence, holding Yamato in suspense for his answer. Within the heavy silence of the room the sound of the two boys' breathing was prominent. Being the sort of person to jump in and think about it later, Taichi was reluctant to speak. He hadn't been wanting to 'do' anything when he'd decided to kiss Yamato. He'd just been attracted and decided to go for it. But he knew that Yamato wouldn't be satisfied by that kind of answer.

His gaze skated over and around Yamato's face as he decided how to reply. Taichi knew that no matter what he said Yamato would probably get all pissy and offended, so why not just be honest? Just tell him out right 'I have no idea what I'm trying to do. But why should that stop us?'. Taichi psyched himself up, ready to talk, but as his eyes moved over to Yamato's ears he found himself blurting out the first thing on his mind instead of what he'd actually intended to say.

"Yama, did you know that you have freckle behind your ear?"

Yamato shook his head and recoiled in confusion. Swept up in the change of topic he found himself reaching for the ear that Taichi had been looking at.

"I do?"

Taichi decided to work with this new angle and set up a new game plan; one that was much more cunning. He smirked almost wickedly and slyly teased.

"Yeah...right here."

Taichi then grabbed hold of the back of Yamato's neck and held him still as he leant in. Taichi buried his nose behind Yamato's ear and touched his lips to the dark freckle sat in the crease between the back of Yamato's ear and his head, where Taichi had always known it to be. Then, from between those lips darted a moist tongue that flicked across the dark mark on pale skin.

Yamato felt something take over his body when that warm muscle swiped across his ear. Something that felt like...hot coffee being poured through his veins; like his stomach was being stretched in a taffy puller. It felt like...pleasure. He couldn't stop the reaction once it had started. His whole body arched into Taichi's, pressing his naked chest against Taichi's clothed one, and his hands went to fist tightly in Taichi's shirt. Then, feeling the prickly sting of pleasure in his sensitive nerves, his throat clamped shut and he released a sharp yet deep moan that ended with a shuddery gasp.

"D-Don't."

Yamato brokenly moaned beneath Taichi's mouth. He nudged Taichi with his elbow to fend him off before shielding his ears with his cupped hands. Taichi was too shocked to laugh at Yamato's reaction. That moan and shiver was way too intense to be caused by mere foreplay. He looked around the room, suddenly feeling too bashful to look Yamato in the eye.

"Well...that reaction was...unexpected..."

"Shut up! My ears are sensitive."

"Is that even possible? You reacted like I was touching your di-"

"Fuck off!"

Yamato was so flustered. His expression looked angry, telling Taichi 'I fucking hate you right now'. But, at the same time, there was this adorable twitch to his lips and pinkened cheeks that were telling Taichi 'please, do that again'. Taichi smiled silently, and by gently stroking the back of Yamato's hands he was able to coax Yamato into removing his hands from his ears. Using a hold on Yamato's wrists he pulled Yamato's hands into his chest.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarass you."

Taichi spoke with a gentle smile and his hold on Yamato's wrsits was just the same; gentle. In Yamato's mind he kept thinking of how he should be feeling uncomfortable or freaked out, like anyone else would if their best friend were so close and looking at them in such a way. And even worse, he didn't even feel weird about not feeling weird. It was all just...ah, such a mess. He hadn't realised that he'd been frowning at the bed spread for about five minutes until Taichi called him back to consciousness.

"Yama?"

And then he looked up into Taichi's eyes, and he saw it; the same look that Taichi had been giving him ever since they met as kids. These were the same eyes that shined even when they were in a dark room, and those plump cheeks still pinched when he gave a smile. Taichi was the same as ever.

When Taichi moved in slowly to kiss him again Yamato didn't resist.

He took it slow to start, practically waiting for Yamato's rejection. He kept the kiss on the surface of Yamato's lips at first. But, when Yamato began to hesitantly push into the kiss, Taichi pushed back tenfold...and with his whole body. Yamato found himself on his back again with little time to notice while Taichi attacked him so passionately with eager lips.

He rested his hands on the small of Taichi's back and tried to keep up with Taichi's energy. Yamato felt hands tugging his hair and gripping his hips, trying to pull him into the body that was hanging over him. Both being the dominant type, they both tried to take control of the kiss; even Yamato who was on the flat of his back and being pushed deeper into the bed as Taichi leant into him. His dislike of being the submissive partner gave him the bravery to move his hands over Taichi's back and shoulders, and he was the first to stroke his tongue over the other's lips. Mouths opened simultaneously for tongues to meet and Taichi inhaled sharply through his nose before breathing out with a moan.

Before long Taichi pulled back slowly, short on breath and breathing in air greedily once their lips were parted. He seasoned Yamato's lips with a few more pecks of his lips before pulling back with an intense look in his eyes.

"Do you like it when we kiss, Yama?"

Yamato looked off to the wall of his bedroom, muttering something like 'shut the fuck up' and hoping that Taichi might not notice the fresh colour in his cheeks. Lucky for him Taichi wasn't particularly interested in his face any more. Instead he was desperately fascinated by the long, pale neck that Yamato had put on show by turning his head. Starting from Yamato's raised collar bone, Taichi ran a thick line with his tongue all the way up the quivering neck and he ended it on his newly discovered favoourite place on Yamato's body; behind his ear. Yamato shivered and curled into Taichi, clamping down his throat onto the moan that had risen in him. His hands gripped Taichi's shirt on reflex when Taichi flicked his tongue over the shell of his ear and whispered hotly.

"I like it when we kiss. A lot."

Yamato gritted his teeth and scowled at the ceiling, deciding that he really hated this bold side of Taichi. No one else would be able to say something so tactless without feeling the least bit shameful about it. Not to mention there was no one else who was so bold as to toy with an Ishida's pride in such a way. Had it been anyone other than Taichi straddling him and groping him, Yamato would have wasted no time in breaking their nose and stamping on their throat.

Distracted by the thought of giving Taichi a good smack when this was all over and he had his strength back, Yamato didn't notice Taichi's advances until his body began to react to them. Taichi's fingers teasingly ran over his nipples, giving them a light flick as he ran his hands over Yamato's chest. Yamato whimpered around the warm lump that had gathered in his throat. With a heavy gulp he could feel that ball of heat glide down his throat, run beneath his chest, rattle around in his stomach before finally falling to join a gathering hardness beneath his jeans.

When Taichi wedged himself between Yamato's legs and nibbled on his neck, Yamato found himself appauled at the realisation of how submissive he was being, simply lying there and allowing Taichi freedom to roam his body. Be it in fighting or in loving, Yamato would never allow himself to be dominated. He grabbed at the downy hairs on the back of Taichi's neck and used them to raise Taichi's face.

Taichi's eyes nearly dropped out of their sockets when he found himself suddenly pulled into a passionate kiss. He hadn't at all expected Yamato to be so eager to kiss him, especially after he had been so intent on refusing him to start with. But, what he had expected obviously didn't matter at all when Yamato was sucking and biting on his lips the same way a sugar-starved child would do with a sweet. Yamato began pulling at his hair when it took too long for him to respond to the kiss.

Taichi quickly caught on to Yamato's games. The way Yamato seemed so focussed on their kissing was a dead give away; a person with normal intentions wouldn't usually be scowling while they were heatedly making out with someone. Taichi kissed back enthusiastically, refusing to be outdone, and slyly tested Yamato's limits to where he allowed to be groped. Taichi stroked along his neck, over his nipples, down to his hips and raced two fingers beneath the loose jeans, just brushing the elastic of his boxers. He felt Yamato's hips twitch and was uncertain whether it was because the other boy wanted him to stop or to go even further.

Yamato was struggling. There was no way he could feel like the dominant one while his legs were practically wrapped around Taichi's waist. As comfortable a position as it was, it was still a bit demeaning. He decided on a new tactic; to get Taichi so riled up that he can't think clearly. Seduce him into submission. Yamato made Taichi nervous when he chuckled through his nose at his own evil scheme, all the while stroking Taichi's tongue with his own.

With a sharp tug to Taichi's hair Yamato shattered the contact of their lips. He slowly dragged his nails down Taichi's shoulder and pressed his thighs tighter together around Taichi's hips. Taichi stared down with heavy eyes while Yamato placed slow, soft kisses around his mouth. Whenever Taichi would try initiate another kiss Yamato would use Taichi's hair like a leash and pull him back. Yamato pulled away slowly after a final kiss. Then, licking at the remaining moisture on his upper lip, Yamato provocatively looked up at Taichi and sighed.

"I like it when we kiss, too."

Taichi gulped and watched Yamato's Adams apple nod as he swallowed the mixture of each other's saliva. Yamato was playing a dangerous game, without even realising it. Instead of being distracted by Yamato's sexual display, Taichi grinned cheekily and leant into Yamato's neck, rubbing his nose against Yamato's ear.

"I know you do."

He laughed, and with that he raised his knee between Yamato's legs to emphasise his point. Yamato gasped. He hadn't realised that he'd started to get hard until he felt the pleasure from Taichi nudging his bulge with his knee. He punched Taichi's shoulder in embarassment.

"Fuck you."

Taichi was barely tickled by Yamato's fist and not at all dissuaded. With a smile he awarded Yamato's adorable attempt at violence with a bite to his ear. That small action stopped any extra remark that Yamato was close to announcing. Taichi lightly chuckled at the barely audible gasp that came from between Yamato's swollen lips. He shifted around clumsily while Yamato was distracted so that his face levelled with Yamato's collar bone. He sucked on the raised bone lightly before looking up to Yamato's face.

"That has to be the fiftieth time you've said that tonight...that and 'shut up'."

Then his face fell back down to place another bite on Yamato's chest, this time just beneath the bone where he was able to capture some flesh between his teeth.

"That's because you're being more annoying than usual."

Yamato groaned and covered his face with his arm, forgetting about his 'tactics' while plump lips and teeth were teasing his skin. Taichi looked up at Yamato's tense expression and placed another kiss on the pale skin, feeling it quiver beneath his lips.

"Really? Even now?"

Yamato grabbed Taichi's face and brought it up to his own.

"Especially now."

Yamato chuckled before diving in for the next intense kiss. This time they skipped going slow and went straight to raw, erotic devouring of each other. Yamato squeezed Taichi's hips with his thighs and ran his hands beneath Taichi's shirt, strangely enjoying the feel of solid, leathery flesh in his hands nearly as much as the soft curves of a girl. He savoured the varying planes of Taichi's body by experimenting with all the different ways to grab, grope and stroke the hills of muscle.

Taichi moved like a wave, finding himself tortured by conflicting wants. He would arch up into Yamato's hands on his back to feel more pressure, but then lean back down when he began to miss the warmth of Yamato's chest touching his own, all the while desperately trying to keep their lips connected. A few moments of this were more than too much; he wanted more pressure, more heat, more contact. Working around Yamato's stubborn hands and their locked lips Taichi clumsily removed his shirt, feeling relief once he had freed his hot skin from its confines.

Without sparing any attention he threw the shirt over his shoulder and lowered himself to rest his whole body against Yamato's, being careful not to wind the other boy by dropping onto him too quickly. The feeling of resting on Yamato's chest felt like resting on a bed of hot silk. Yamato's pale skin rubbed fluidly against his own, as though he and Taichi were two streams of water with nothing stopping them from merging together. The only exceptions of the smooth contact were the swollen twin peaks of each of their chests that would occasionally flick over eachother and scrape against the other's skin.

When Taichi rested his whole length against Yamato he could very clearly feel 'it'; the hardening bulge beneath Yamato's jeans that pressed against his thigh. Instead of being creeped out by the feeling of another boy's erection Taichi felt happy about it. From this sign he knew that Yamato was enjoying this moment just as much as he was. He carefully shifted his leg to press against it and Yamato's mouth vibrated as he hummed into their kiss. That sound, and the quiver of Yamato's lips sent a pang through Taichi's body, like vibrations through a guitar string. His lust overtook his uncertainty and he made the swift decision to take the next step. He balance all of his weight on his knees and right arm in order to reach down with his left hand to the mound of denim between Yamato's legs.

Yamato's outburst of sound was more from shock than arousal this time; a startled 'eep' that was just a bit too high pitched for his liking. He grabbed Taichi's wrist and pulled his hand away before he could do any serious 'damage' to that area.

"W-wait a sec!"

Yamato stuttered around Taichi's lips and turned his face to escape the kiss. Taichi pulled back and stared down at Yamato, heaving his shoulders with his strained struggle for breath. Yamato gulped down a mixture of his own saliva and Taichi's before he began to talk.

"We're...not going to have sex, are we?"

Not knowing the straightforward answer for that Taichi took a short pause before speaking.

"That depends. Do you want to have sex with me?"

"I don't want to put it in your ass, that's disgusting."

"Oi! I wouldn't be taking it up the ass. You would. I'm a seme type of guy."

Yamato looked up at Taichi in shock before giving him a swift punch in the shoulder.

"Don't you know the code about these things? The shorter one is always on the bottom, which is you."

"No, the weaker one is on the bottom, which is you."

Instead of a punch Taichi gave Yamato a solid poke in the shoulder, digging in to a pressure point which made Yamato wince. Yamato growled back in retaliation.

"I told you I'm not weaker!"

Before he could sit up to prove his point Taichi was already on him, slamming his hands onto Yamato's shoulders and effortlessly pinning him to the bed. Yamato kicked out in struggle, flailing his legs and trying to angle his face to bite the hands that held him down while Taichi just laughed as he sat comfortably on Yamato's hips. When Yamato finally handed victory over to Taichi and stopped fighting Taichi's laughter similary began to die down, leaving them in a tense silence. The atmosphere sat on the hair-thin line between sexual and playful, a cough away from tipping in either direction completely.

Yamato looked off to the side, not feeling brave enough to make eye contact while he contemplated what to say. Had their argument run to its end? Should he change the subject? Was it even the right time to say anything at all?

The first thing that came out of his mouth was a sqeak. Then a cough to correct the squeak. And then finally words, with reasonable coherency.

"Any...Anyway, none of this matters since we aren't going to have sex, r-right?"

Taichi made an obscure expression, curling his upper lip and squinting his eyes at Yamato, before lifting his hands off of Yamato's shoulders.

"Yeah...right."

He huffed, feeling a strange tenseness in his chest that bothered him. Still sitting on Yamato's hips Taichi looked off to the wall and tucked his hands under his arms with a frown. Yamato threw up his arms in annoyance and sat up as much as he could.

"Are you seriously going to have a tantrum about this? Because I don't want to have sex with you?"

"I'm not having a tantrum."

Taichi mumbled.

"Yes, you are! And you're being rediculous."

With frustrated eyes Taichi turned to look at Yamato and pushed the boy back down onto the bed by pressing on his chest.

"How am I being rediculous? You turned me down. I'm allowed to be a little upset."

Yamato stared down, shocked, at the hand that was pressing down quite firmly on his chest. The force behind it was unnerving. When he looked up Taichi's face was deadly serious. All signs of humor or lust had been completely wiped away.

"You're serious. You actually want to have sex?...with me?"

"Is that so hard to believe? So many people want to have sex with you already, why is it so shocking that you have another person to add to that list?"

"Because you're different!"

Taichi sighed and took his hand away from Yamato's chest, looking much calmer now if not slightly hurt. He spoke softly.

"You said yourself that you enjoy kissing me."

"Yeah...I did. And I meant it. But kissing and...sleeping together are different things. I've been running on hormones and alcohol for the last ten minutes, but I'm being serious now. I don't want to have sex with you. Especially not right now."

Taichi paused and rubbed his neck, deliberating whether this was one of those times where, with a bit of convincing, Yamato would change his mind.

He gave a low moan of defeat.

"Yeah. Okay."

He then swung his leg over Yamato to lie down next to him and fell completely limp, sprawled in the chaotic position that he had landed in.

Yamato turned to Taichi, feeling unsatisfied with ending the situation just like that. He leant on his elbow and prodded Taichi in the shoulder.

"Didn't you ever think that this might fuck up our friendship?"

Taichi shrugged and looked up with innocent eyes.

"Why would it? We're not getting into a relationship or anything. And even if I don't love you in a 'lover' kind of way, I still love you. I wouldn't take advantage of you, or force you into something. You're my best friend, remember? I would never do something if it ended up hurting you."

Again, no one but Taichi could make a bold confession like that without being the least bit embarrassed. Yamato didn't know if it was because he felt guilt or touched, but he couldn't draw his eyes away from Taichi's gaze. Those glistening brown eyes beneath his bedroom light looked up at him so serenely. Taichi spoke again while Yamato took a long, intense pause.

"Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Yamato huffed and looked down at his hands that were curled up by his chest.

"You're logic is fucked up, Tai."

He mumbled, a little upset that Taichi didn't consider what might happen to their friendship as a result of his careless decision. But, then again, the way Taichi put it made some kind of sense. Their bond was too strong for something as trivial as sexual tension to pull them apart, and it wasn't as though they were using each other; what they might do would still have emotional value, unlike any of the girls that he'd probably done a lot more with.

"I kind of understand where you're coming from, though."

Yamato finally said, stopping Taichi from getting too upset. Taichi looked up Yamato, confused by his sudden lack of dismissal. Taichi watched silently while Yamato kept his eyes low, thinking over what he should do.

On one hand, he felt the attraction between them, there was no doubt about that. His heart was pounding, his body was warm, he felt a pleasant constriction in his gut that connected to the tingling between his legs. There had always been an underlying sexual tension between the two of them. Sometimes it felt like it had been present even while they were still young and innocent. But Yamato had never been as conscious about it as he was now. Never before had there been...'physical evidence' of it. It was things like that that convinced Yamato that nothing would change if they were to simply embrace what they already knew was there. If anything it would achieve a sense of satisfaction that neither of them had truly realised was available to them.

So, willingly, Yamato looked up at Taichi's crooked expression and reached forward.

"Yama? Wha-"

A chaste kiss met Taichi's words. Yamato's eyes were open and boring into his own while their lips held each other. Yamato pulld back as quickly as he had rushed forward, now with a bright colour lingering on his cheeks.

"No sex. But I don't mind fooling around a little. That okay?"

Taichi was speechless for a moment. He looked into the pale face before him, searching for any twitches or slips that would reveal if he was joking or not. But, despite the flush in his cheeks, Yamato's face was completely serious, almost to the point of being innappropriate. After recovering from his daze Taichi's expression transformed completely. His eyes widened, his brow relaxed and his lips pulled into a giddy, open mouthed smile. He threw his arms around Yamato's waist and pulled him close.

"Definitely!"

He laughed and lay a kiss at the nape of Yamato's neck. Before he did anything else Yamato pushed him away a bit to look into his eyes.

"I'm only doing this because I don't fancy shamefully jerking off in the shower later. Got it?"

"Got it."

Taichi dived in again, and was again pushed back.

"And if you go anywhere near my ass hole I'll pull your nuts off."

"Deal. Stop talking."

Yamato could feel the smile on Taichi's lips as they kissed. They were both so desperate to get back into their lusty flow that there was no interval between kisses; no pause for breath. They breathed harshly and unevenly through their noses, fanning the other's cheek with their heated exhales.

Taichi firmly ran his hand from Yamato's ribcage down to his thigh before using his hold to pull Yamato's leg over his hip. Though their bodies weren't in complete contact while they were lying on their sides they were close enough to feel a sense of satisfaction from the other's presence. Their hips came in contact as they shifted and Taichi released a keen whine, rocking his hips forward purposefully to repeat the action.

Eventually he gathered the courage to reach down slowly to the front of Yamato's jeans and felt the need to reassure himself once his fingers touched the cool metal of the zipper. Both he and Yamato were tense and breathless while he tried to feel his way through the process of undoing the button.

Yamato dug his fingers into Taichi's back, trying to distract himself from the obviously male hand that was undressing him. The problem wasn't that he didn't like it; after all, any teenage boy drowning in hormones would enjoy a bit of fondling. The matter was that he'd never had a male partner. He had never even considered having one before. For the first time, in a long time, he felt virginal; inexperienced; anxious about what to do when it came to his partner's pleasure.

Taichi finished lowering the zipper and barely hesitated to pull the denim garment down Yamato's legs. While he still held on to Yamato's thigh that was resting over his hip he was unable to pull the jeans down completely. So, not wanting to compromise their intimate position, he settled with pulling the jeans down enough to expose the top half of Yamato's milky thighs and his pale blue cotton boxers. He dared not look down out of respect for Yamato. He could easily tell that the blond was nervous, and staring at his barely clothed genitals probably wouldn't make that problem any better. So, he just went for it. No time to waste, no time to worry.

He pulled on Yamato's thigh to bring him closer and trapped his hand between their hips, cupping the front of Yamato's boxers gently. Yamato reflexively bit on Taichi's lip and gasped through his nose. He had let his guard down and hadn't been expecting that...boldness of Taichi's to show itself again. Taichi cupped and massaged the shape he felt beneath the thin sheet of cotton, sending dull bursts of pleasure through Yamato. Yamato closed his eyes and allowed his legs to twitch when Taichi made a movement that he enjoyed. But, when he opened them again he saw Taichi before him, his face conquered by defined shadows from the hanging light over his head. The expression that Yamato was so used to seeing on Taichi's face was completely gone and replaced by the glassy eyed gaze of a predator. Yamato found himself excited at the prospect of being the cause of the twitching brow and the swollen lips.

Yamato aggressively dragged his hands down Taichi's back and buried them into the back of his loose jeans, halting them just before his fingers could fully form around the mounds of Taichi's buttocks. Yamato tried to pull down the item of clothing by hooking his index fingers over the waist band and then moving his hands lower on Taichi's body, until both his hands and his jeans sat at the very top of Taichi's thighs. Taichi lifted his lower body off of Yamato enough to unzip his jeans and help remove them. He left them as a pile of denim resting beside him until Yamato kicked them off the bed, annoyed by their presence.

Yamato didn't have any time to observe Taichi's freed body because as soon as it was exposed it was firmly pressed down into his own once again. Taichi's hips found home between Yamato's legs and Taichi's lips fell upon Yamato's cheek. Yamato tightened his legs around Taichi when he felt hot breath fan over his ear. Taichi shifted himself forward and their hips collided. Though it was such a small action, the sensation of them pressed together could have been described as purly erotic. Through the thin undergarments they could each feel each other's form and hardness; the closest they had ever been to each other.

Yamato took in a deep breath to stop from making a noise and wrapped his arms around Taichi's shoulders. Taichi flopped forward slightly and held his hips forward, enjoying the pressure placed on him, and the quiet little noises that Yamato didn't realise he was releasing. Taichi shifted to grind into Yamato and they both shivered with excitement at the pleasure and heat that gathered within them.

With glistening eyes, Yamato looked up at Taichi, unable to hide his heaving breath.

"So...what now?"

Feeling so sure of himself in the moment, Taichi didn't hesitate to answer. He lowly whispered into Yamato's ear,

"This."

before delving beneath the elastic barrier of Yamato's boxers. Yamato flailed in shock; kicking out his legs and digging his nails into Taichi's neck. Taichi didn't really mind the pain though. The fact that Yamato wasn't pushing away was a reward in itself.

Taichi wasn't sure if it was because he'd had a bit to drink, if it was a result of some of the second hand drug smoke he'd inhaled, or if his hormones were clouding his judgement, but he found himself entranced by the feel of Yamato in his hands. The skin was smooth and soft, but when he softly squeezed the organ he could feel the solid core that hardened even further beneath his touch. He could also feel a pulse drumming against his fingers where the blood raced down to meet his hand. Unlike what he'd expected, there were uncountable differences between holding Yamato and holding himself. He became fascinated by the sensation.

He first experimented with pressure, watching Yamato's face carefully for reactions to judge what he liked. Yamato had allowed his head to droop to the side, not wanting to embarrass himself by making eye contact with Taichi. He became super aware of what Taichi's hands were doing as a result of having nothing to occupy his mind with. He could feel Taichi rolling each of his fingers, testing him, forcing him to endure every tiny sensation that only teased, not satisfied. The true torture didn't come until Taichi decided to experiment with movement.

Yamato quickly released one of his hands from Taichi's neck and clamped it over his mouth, smothering the broken whine that he was unable to cage. Taichi had begun to move his hand slowly across his shaft. Yamato blamed the long, dramtic build up for his sensitivity. It would usually take a lot more than just a few strokes for him to start making noises in bed. There'd even been some times where he hadn't made any noises at all. Taichi's cruel pace was bordering on an act of sadism.

His pace remained slow and coordinated even when he sped up a little, keeping Yamato on a metaphorical leash when it came to his sexual satisfaction. However, after watching Yamato writhe and shudder, Taichi found himself suffering from his own lack of action as well. He had never been one that could be considered patient.

"Yama."

He cooed and rested his forhead against Yamato's rising chest.

"Could you...touch me too?"

Yamato admitted to himself that he was hesitant to touch him. Even with the sufficient...distraction. But he was not one to receive one sided satisfaction. He reached forward slowly and dipped his fingers into Taichi's underwear.

Yamato discovered his sense of touch to be heightened when he reached for Taichi. He was highly conscioius of the soft material of Taichi's boxers, the heat that radiated from the skin underneath, and the coarseness of the trail of hair that led down to his manhood. The concoction of adrenalin, hormones and alcohol that tainted Yamato's body helped with the gathering of bravery to finally reach down and confidently grasp Taichi's erection. Yamato quickly thought over what he knew would feel good for Taichi based on his own experiences. Then, despite the difficult angle of his hand, he began to stroke and squeeze, listening carefully to when Taichi's breath would hitch.

Taichi sighed and leant forward to reward Yamato with a kiss, which was returned with great enthusiasm. Taichi began to speed up his hand to match the pace that Yamato had set, not wanting to be the one to finish first. He worked his lips with as much diligence and care as he worked his hand, and Yamato did the same. It became a competition once more; who could last longer, who could kiss with more passion, who could make the other moan?

The sound of breathing in the room became louder and rougher. The two boys took gasping breaths around each others lips, refusing to break the kiss no matter how light headed they felt.

Yamato felt it first. A white flame raged in his gut and an ache tightly clenched around his core, urging his hips forward to meet Taichi's hand. He couldn't think to keep moving his hand or interact with Taichi's kiss. All he could do was curb the violent shudders that he could feel running through him. His body tightened, and he finally allowed himself to moan freely. It was a broken but soft noise, cut short when his throat clamped shut reflexively.

Taichi read the signs and worked harder to bring Yamato over the edge first. He moved his lips across Yamato's face and clamped them over his earlobe, nibbling, sucking and licking while he pumped Yamato to completion. He felt Yamato's organ in his hand pulse and twitch before finally releasing his orgasm into his boxers.

As Yamato's body tensed so did his hand that clasped Taichi's erection, applying a pressure that made Taichi gasp and thrust forward. With Yamato distracted by his own release Taichi found his pleasure in using Yamato's still hand. Taichi put his hand around Yamato's so to hold it in place and thrust into it, panting heavily into Yamato's ear. His orgasm came quickly and with a low groan that made his whole body vibrate against Yamato. Before he settled into his state of bliss Taichi wiped the remains on his hands onto his boxers and pulled Yamato towards him using the creamy thigh that rested over his hip.

Although Yamato was not in the mood for close contact he allowed Taichi to wrap his arms around him. It wasn't the intimacy that he wanted to avoid, but the unbearable heat; Taichi's hot breath fanned his face, his hot chest pressed against his own, and his hot arms completely surrounded him. It felt like he was about to melt or boil. But, on the other hand, there were some things that he enjoyed about the closeness of their bodies; With heightened senses Yamato found Taichi's musky scent even more alluring than usual, and the feeling of having Taichi's heart pounding against him gave Yamato a sense of completion. This was a closeness that he had never experienced before, but now found it painful to think about living without experiencing it ever again. He wrapped his own arms around Taichi's neck and arched into Taichi's painful heat.

After a few moments of rest Taichi breathed tenderly over Yamato's ear and made a short humming sound that substituted a lazy laugh.

"mmm...You sound like a kitten when you come."

He whispered playfully and stroked his hands over Yamato's back. Yamato grumpily pushed Taichi back so that he nearly fell off of the edge of the bed.

"And you sound like a bear on steroids."

Yamato growled, now slightly more awake than he had been. Taichi smiled, enjoying the light hearted atmosphere that surrounded them. Just as he had predicted, nothing had changed. They were still able to joke as usual, and hold each other in innocence. Taichi pinched Yamato's nose and shifted closer to him.

"Oi! I meant what I said as a compliment."

In reply he received a dirty glare from Yamato's tired eyes before the blond growled impatiently.

"Can I go to sleep now?"

"You could, but I'd have to wake you up every two hours."

Yamato slammed his hands onto the mattress.

"Fuuuck. I don't know if it's worth it."

Taichi sat up and leant over Yamato with an excited smile.

"Why not do the fun thing and stay up with me? We could watch a horror movie and make out on the sofa."

Yamato snorted and smirked up at Taichi, his swollen lips stretching accross his face humorously.

"What is this, some kind of date?"

"It's not a proper date until you end up screaming like a girl and jumping into my arms."

"Please. You really think you're better than me at handling scary movies?"

"Why don't we watch some so that you can prove me wrong?"

Yamato chewed on the inner lining of his lips for a few seconds while he thought it over. Then he sighed, and his whole face relaxed along with his body, as though his entire being fell into submission. He opened his eyes with a nod and sat up carefully.

"Fine. Let's do it. I'm going to have a shower first. Might wake me up a bit."

Taichi watched curiously as Yamato pulled up his boxers and dragged himself off of the bed. Yamato braced his hands on his hips and stretched his back on his way over to the dresser. He grabbed his towel and pyjamas, noting at the back of his mind that Taichi was still watching him from the bed. Leaning on his elbows, Taichi mischievously smiled and batted his eyes at Yamato before asking,

"Do you want me to come too? I could wash your back for you."

Yamato hung his towel over his arm and sharply pointed to Taichi like he would a disobedient dog.

"Down, boy."

He laughed, and Taichi took the command in good humour as well, smiling a little wider himself. Yamato shook his head and made his way towards the bedroom door.

"You can clean yourself up in my Dad's bathroom if you want. Just don't make a mess."

As he got up off the bed and pulled up his own boxers, Taichi called out to Yamato who was tiredly making his way down the hall.

"What movie do you want to watch after you clean up then?"

"Anything you want, sweetheart."

Taichi chuckled to himself and flopped back down onto the bed, taking in a deep inhale of Yamato's scent on the pillow along with the dull remains of cigarette smoke that had sunk into the fabric. He didn't feel like getting up just yet. His legs still felt all tingly and the bed was so comfortable and warm. What he wanted to do was pull Yamato onto the bed and fall asleep with his head on Yamato's belly, just like they used to do as kids when they camped out on the floor together.

He eventually found the will to leave the bed when he heard the sound of the shower turn on down the hall.

---

"And rest your chin here please, Mr Ishida."

The contraption looked like something from the film 'Minority Report'. It was a futuristic white metal, with bars that were fitted to hold his head and jaw in place, and all sorts of buttons and screens surrounded it.

"Please, place your chin here, and bite down on this."

He reluctantly slid towards the machine and moved his head so that his chin rested on the bar it was supposed to and his front teeth bit down on a grooved tab. If he wasn't feeling on edge by now, the female dentist worsened his worry when she grabbed the back of his head and pushed him further into the machine, nearly denting the flat of his chin on the bar. Then, she twisted a few knobs and several clamps closed in on his head to hold him in place.

"This will only take a second. Please close your eyes and stay as still as possible. Don't move until I have come back into the room."

She left the room and turned off the lights. He squeezed his eyes shut when he heard the x-ray start to buzz and hum while a silence void of life was layered beneath it. He could sense the machine rotating around his head and tried to focus on anything else to keep his nerves in check.

He'd tried to put off this dentist appointment as long as possible. With the problems he'd been having he was frightened that he'd need braces or something, which was completely unacceptable for a working adult, especially one who's profession was partially dependant on his appearance. After all, he couldn't make good music when his braces would whistle every time he tried to sing.

The machine clicked, the lights were turned on, and the assistant walked back into the room.

"Alright, you can just take a seat back in my room while I look this over."

Yamato pulled out of the small head rest in the x-ray and stalked out of the room, picking up his bag that had been leaning against the wall as he left. He did as she told him to and sat down in the reclined dentist's chair. He fidgeted, bit his nails, rummaged in his bag looking for nothing in particular, but as soon as she walked in he sat back in his chair as though he were completely calm. She sat in her own chair by the computer and brought up the picture of his x-ray on the screen, humming and tutting as she pulled at the mask over the bottom half of her face.

"So...is my jaw broken or something?"

"Nope. Nothing seems to be wrong with the joint, but it is just as I thought."

Yamato sat upright to have a better look while she used her finger to signal to a specific area on the picture.

"Your back teeth have been worn down quite a bit. See that the furthest are shorter than the side few? You've probably been clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth unconsciously."

"But why does it lock up in the morning? I can't even open it enough to drink my coffee."

"Well, your jaw clenches the most while you are asleep, and because of that extra tension you put on the muscles it seizes up in the mornings. It's most likely stress."

Yamato huffed sarcastically.

"Great."

Another ailment apparently caused by stress. Perfect. His body was obviously trying to get the important message across, if it hadn't already done so with the rash on his shoulder; or the aching feet; or the neck pain; or the hand cramps; or the shortness of breath; or the lethargy; or the lack of appetite. No. The body of Yamato Ishida just had to make sure to remind him one more time about this stress that he didn't realise he had. What the hell was there to stress about? It wasn't as though he had a steady job to worry about...or a family.

Yamato leant over his knee and looked at her blankly.

"So, what should I do?"

The dentist kept her professional demeanour, despite being annoyed by his less than grateful response.

"You need to learn to relax if you want to keep your teeth until you get into your thirties. But, for now, I can organise for you to get caps on your back teeth. I'll also take a mould of your teeth for a mouth guard for you to wear at night. These aren't going to solve the problem entirely, but they should fix a few short term problems."

With a sarcastic 'thumbs up' he muttered.

"Thanks."

She nodded and began preparing something at a working space, with her back turned to him so that he couldn't see.

"Now, Mr Ishida, This is going to feel strange, but I need you to stay very still."

Yamato panicked when she turned around, seeing the disgusting plate of gooey, purple, moulding clay that she intended to put in his mouth. He forced himself to open his mouth and she pressed the goo into the roof of his mouth. With his mouth suspended open by her fingers he couldn't stop the drops of saliva that dribbled down the side of his mouth. He cringed, hating the feeling and resisted the desire to throw the dentist off of him and escape.

---

Yamato exhaled tiredly and leant against the front door of his apartment that he had closed behind him. It had been a long day, and it still wasn't even later than six o'clock. All he wanted to do now was curl up on his bed in a bathrobe with a glass of whiskey and a magazine.

"So, what did they say?"

His roommate asked from their sofa, where he sat on his laptop typing some work related document. Yamato dropped his bag by the door and kicked off his loose trainers. He fell down like a dropped doll onto the sofa next to his roommate and leant forward onto his knees lethargically.

"Stress."

He mumbled, rubbing at a shallow crease between his eyes that he had just reently noticed. The other male pulled his glasses off from the end of his nose and turned his shaded blue eyes to Yamato, not looking particularly amused.

"Seriously? Again?"

Yamato folded his arms behind his head and leant back into the back of the leather sofa.

"I'm getting a retainer in a few weeks."

"Where on earth is all this 'stress' coming from? By the way that you're falling apart one would assume that you work in a prison or something."

"It must be a subconscious thing, considering how little I do to cause any kind of stress."

"Maybe it's because this isn't your home country. It can be difficult to integrate; especially if you're by yourself."

Fitting his glasses back onto his nose he turned back to his laptop to continue typing. Yamato answered with a distant look in his eyes directed towards the ceiling.

"Yeah."

Now that he thought about, the second anniversary of his move was coming up in a month or so. Sometimes he'd forget how long it had been; even convincing himself on occasions that he'd been in America all his life.

Yamato shook the thought out of his head quite literally and managed to pull his tired body to standing.

"I'm going to put my pyjamas on."

He mumbled and swayed towards his bedroom. From behind him he heard his roommate mutter about how lazy he was, but he didn't really care. He wasn't used to being on his feet all day.

He rubbed his eyes and flicked on the light switch, revealing his messy bedroom. Lots of half scribbled pieces of music were scattered on the floor, along with clothes that he'd planned to wear but changed his mind and thrown about. He didn't really care too much to clean it up. After all, mess in a bedroom is what gave it 'character'. He stumbled over to the bed to grab his pyjamas from underneath the pillow, but found a curled up ball of pale fur stopping him.

"Ken, I thought I told you to keep Butter out of my room."

He called out to his roommate and tucked his hands under the Abyssinian's belly to pick her up. Having just woken up being suspended in mid air she scrambled around for a moment before jumping backwards to claw at his t-shirt. Yamato chuckled and reached under his pillow to pull out his bedclothes. Then he tucked his arm beneath the squirming cat for her to easily rest on, which she instantly settled into, while he carried her back to the living area.

Ken barely looked up from his laptop screen to answer his previous question.

"She was too persistent. I didn't have the heart to deny her something she wanted so badly."

"But now my pillow's going to be all furry."

"Your cat. Your fault."

"You're so sympathetic."

Yamato snorted sarcastically and leant against the door frame. Butter was fidgeting in his arms, pawing at his shirt and batting at his cheek playfully. He tried to distract her by rubbing under her chin with his finger, but in her now awake and playful mood she began to gnaw at the finger he had stroked her with. Yamato retracted it quickly and tapped her on the nose.

"Oi! Hitobito wo kamu koto ha warui*."

"I don't think she can understand you, Yamato."

"Well she doesn't seem to understand me when I speak English either, so I thought that I might as well give Japanese a try."

Yamato repositioned the wriggling cat in his hands so that he could press his nose to hers.

"I should just get rid of you if you keep ripping up my pillows and biting my fingers all the time."

he told her, almost seeming serious if it weren't for the small cat trying to eat his nose while he was talking. With a sigh he lowered her to the floor where she gave a quick nip to his leg before dashing off back to her sleeping place on Yamato's pillow.

"Have we got any of that Southern Comfort left?"

Yamato asked on his way to the kitchen area to rummage through all the cupboards to find some kind of alcohol. Over the sound of his fingers skating ceaselessly over his laptop keyboard Ken replied.

"You can't mix alcohol with your sleeping pills."

"So I'll drink twice as much to make up for not taking the pills."

Ken stopped typing to give Yamato a long, stern look. When he didn't make any kind of comment Yamato leant over the kitchen counter and spoke again.

"Or, I'll take twice as many sleeping pills to make up for not drinking the alcohol."

"It's in the cupboard above the sink. At least use a glass, please."

"Thanks."

Yamato laughed and fetched the bottle and a short glass. There was no point putting ice in the glass or mixing the alcohol with another drink. He just wanted a few sips to help him wind down. His shoulders were still tense from the ride home on his bike; he'd almost hit an incompetent cab driver who had been oblivious to everything, even after Yamato had screeched to a halt in inch away from his window.

Yamato left his glass on the counter to quickly change into his bedclothes; just some loose pyjama pants and an old band t-shirt that he wasn't particularly fond of. Then, after reuniting himself with his half filled glass of the oak coloured alcohol, Yamato slumped back into the sofa, comfortable enough to just have his drink in silence while Ken caught up on his work. He knew better than to turn on the television while Ken was working. That was precisely how he first experienced the dark haired man's wrath.

Trying harder to relax, Yamato untied his short ponytail and let his head flop backwards over the top of the sofa. He rolled the drink in his hand, taking a sip every few minutes, and tried not to think about the things that needed to be sorted out the next day.

After a little while Ken decided to take his own break and carefully folded his glasses to tuck into his shirt pocket.

"So, when is your next gig?"

He asked and leant back into the sofa like Yamato, only there was still something that seemed too...organised about Ken's position; the way he kept his legs closely tucked together while Yamato's were sprawled out in front of him, and how his shirt barely wrinkled as he slumped back while Yamato's t-shirt was crumpled up above his belly button.

Yamato lazily rolled his eyes over to Ken's direction before taking a swig from his glass and answering.

"Thursday."

"Is the pay good?"

"It's not too bad. Enough to put towards that bass guitar I've been looking at."

Yamato set the glass on the coffee table before continuing.

"The only real down side is that last time I performed there I got a lot of prejudice. It was one of my first performances, so my accent was still really strong."

"Well, it may be different this time. You can hardly tell that English isn't your native language anymore. Besides, they must have thought that you were good if they asked you to come back."

Then, Ken stood up slowly and turned to face the figure sprawled over the sofa.

"You'll be great, as always."

He smiled and put his hands on his hips.

Yamato woke up a bit at Ken's words and scanned his friend's face carefully. Ken's expression seemed sincere, meaning that he hadn't meant his complement to be sarcastic or a joke; something that was kind of rare when it came to Ken saying something complimentary. That's why Yamato found it a bit difficult to answer at first. His humble upbringing was forcing up the urge to reject the praise he'd been given. But he bit his lip, knowing that it would seem insulting to undermine the comment. So, he smiled brightly and raised his glass from the coffee table.

"Thanks, Ken."

Then Yamato swallowed the rest of his glass and put it back on the table. With a nod Ken walked off to his own room to change into his own pyjamas after he began to envy Yamato's comfort. When he came back into the room Yamato was already asleep against the arm of the sofa. His blonde hair was splayed messily over his face, his leg twitched like a dog's, and he snored like a baby.

"Yamato, you will catch a cold if you sleep there."

Yamato barely twitched, deep enough in sleep to be completely dead to the world. With a growl Ken stormed over to the narrow closet on the other side of the room to fetch a blanket. As cute as Yamato was when he was asleep, Ken was angry that the dolt was cluttering up his living room by falling asleep in such a place. After all, he still had work to do, and now he wouuld have to work on his bed like some kind of 'high school brat' doing his homework. He threw the blanket at the sleeping man carelessly, not checking to see if it had landed where it was supposed to; the gesture was just an example of good manners after all. Then he picked up his closed laptop from the coffee table as he circled around the room to his own bedroom.

But, before actually entering the room he stopped beneath the door frame, feeling this niggling urge to look back over his shoulder. And so he did, realising why he had that feeling at the sight of Yamato. The crumpled blanket lay across the sleeping man's feet and dragged onto the floor, not offering him any kind of protection from the night's cold.

Cursing his kind nature Ken tucked the laptop under his arm andd headed back over to Yamato. He picked up the blanket from the floor and shook out any dust and creasees before throwing it over the sofa, now covering the sleeping man up to his shoulders. Sensing an added warmth, a sleeping Yamato curled himself into the folds of the blanket and loosened the hands that had been unconsciously clenching his shirt. With a sigh of amusement Ken tucked the blanket around Yamato's neck and shoulders before brushing the blonde strings of hair away from his face.

"You're the one that's supposed to be tucking me in, idiot. You're the older one."

Yamato answered with a sleepy cough and scratched his chin with his shoulder before settling. Ken backed off into his room to finish off his work in peace.

---

* It's bad to bite people

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over 27,000 words! That's like more than 9 essays worth of writing!

Also I feel as though I've ended the scenes in really odd places, but it's so late right now and I'm desperate to get this posted. So, I'm very sorry that this chapter doesn't flow as well as it should. I improvised most of the writing. I'll probably tighten it up a bit more when I have more time.

Sorry about the awful wait. I'm at Uni now, so there has been all the hassle of finding a place to live and settling in. Independence is frightening, and it's difficult to write in a place that feels strange to me, especially when it comes to writing something so...personal. So I gave myself a bit of time to get comfortable, both in the environment and sorting out my life living alone.

Anyway, I know this is a teensy bit of a filler chapter, but I felt like I needed to tell the history that I had planned out between Yamato and Taichi, and I also wanted to include a bit of smutt before the fic got a bit too depressing. I wanted to show that Taichi and Yamato didn't take their sexual relationship too seriously at first. I also wanted to show that Yamato is a changed person in the 'present time' of this fic. He used to be young, rebellious and laid back to some extent. Infact, I wanted to make it seem like he was more of a party animal than Taichi was to start with. Then I just sandwhiched the flashback inbetween two glimpses of life for Taichi and Yamato nearly two years after Yamato's dissappearance. Basically, this is all important info for the next chapter which I'm hoping will come sooner, but I'm not sure of it. I haven't gotten too much work so far but I have an awful feeling that it's going to pile up.

Thanks to everyone that's stuck by me and reviewed. Even critical reviews have actually helped me a bit in realising what I need to include in this fic.

Hope to hear from you all. Any words are appreciated :)

Bed. Of. Nails. And. Sandpaper