A/n: This is set post Kizuna.
Pairing: Taiora
Prompt: "Yes, please keep doing that."
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07. A Matter of Strength
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Sora was certain that on most days she didn't mind being the bigger person between her and Taichi. Conceding in irrelevant bickering, always letting him pick the movie for date nights, even going as far as to let him order on her behalf if he was trying to get her to taste a new dish. Some people considered this as her spoiling him, mostly it was Yamato who chided her that she was the only one who didn't take a stand against Taichi's tantrums and that's why he felt so comfortable with acting up around her. But that did not bother Sora, she would rather spend less time arguing and more time laughing along to whatever joke Taichi would crack once he'd had his way.
Or that's what she'd always assumed.
She watched from the corner of her eye, Taichi's attention was fixed on the screen in front of them but she could see the hint of a smug smile tugging at his lips. With his one arm casually draped around her shoulder, he spun the tv remote in the other making Sora's eyes twitch in annoyance. She too turned her attention towards the match playing on the screen, hoping that it would uplift her mood slightly. While Sora was also always gung-ho about cozying up on the couch with Taichi to watch a live EFL match, tonight she had been hoping to catch the premier of a documentary on textile industry. When Sora announced her plan, Taichi locked eyes with her and just for a few minutes there was complete silence in their living room. Then, without a warning he lunged forward and grabbed the remote, quickly putting on the match before Sora could react, laughing in triumph when her face fell.
"You snooze, you lose," he said with a snicker.
"Real mature, Taichi. If this would've been a fair fight-"
"Please, don't make me laugh any harder Sor, as if you'd be able to overpower me." He shook his head in disbelief and settled comfortably on the couch, turning his attention towards the match without a care.
What bothered Sora was not Taichi disregarding her wish to watch the documentary, but him believing that she was weaker than him physically. Their workout routine was almost identical, their diet was similar and they played one hour of soccer every Sunday morning together. So it hurt Sora when Taichi assumed that she would not have been able to win over him in a battle of strength. Even if Taichi's attention had been completely overtaken by the match, this thought kept nagging at her and Sora knew that she had to do something to prove him wrong, that this was one thing she would not allow Taichi to get his way with.
She shifted her gaze from the TV in front of her and instead surveyed their living room. There had to be something around she could use to prove her point to Taichi. In her mind, however, she knew the best way to do it would be arm wrestling, but considering how pleased Taichi looked with himself, she knew he would not take it seriously if she were to suggest it now. She had to think of something else, something that would take Taichi by surprise and he would not be left with any other choice but to agree that Sora was as strong as him. Her eyes landed on the arm that Taichi had draped around her shoulder so callously and a lightbulb went off in her head.
With a smirk playing on her lips, Sora lifted her hands to her head, pretending to fix her short cropped bangs as she kept a steady watch on Taichi from the corner of her eye. Once she was able to make sure that he really was not paying any attention to her at all, in one swift movement Sora grabbed his arm tightly, pulling it over her head and twisting it so she could pin it behind his back. Taichi let out a surprised gasp but it was muffled when she pushed him down face first into the couch with all her might, straddling herself in position on top of his hips as she strengthened her grasp on his pinned arm.
"I'm sorry Taichi, I don't think I heard you correctly the first time," she said, smiling at the back of his head as he squirmed under her hold, "You said something about me not being able to overpower you?"
She heard him attempt to respond but with his face still pressed deep into their couch, it was hard to make out what he was saying. Sora hoped that he was apologising for his comment earlier, but knowing Taichi, she knew that he would just be complaining about how he wasn't prepared and this was cheating or something. She decided to keep this up for just a minute or two more, considering that her point was already proved, with a shake of her head she glanced at the struggling figure of Taichi under her grasp, and suddenly her heart skipped a beat.
It was rare for her to be the one in control during such situations, because mostly Taichi was the one who would take her by surprise and by the time she'd manage to get a hold of her senses, he already had her dancing to his tune. But now, she was presented with a golden opportunity, she had the chance to make him obey to her demands and Sora would be a fool to not take advantage of the situation.
She leaned down, loosening her grip on his arm slightly and letting her free hand run through his thick hair before tracing a line on the nape of his neck with her finger. She felt his body tense under her touch as he stopped his struggle to break free, taking that as a sign for her to continue. Sora let go of his arm and slipped both her hands under his shirt, feeling his skin shudder against her fingertips. She let her hands roam freely across the length of his back, admiring every curve of the muscle slowly and gently.
Another muffled sound reached her ears when she looped her fingers against the hem of his pants, tugging at them in contemplation. She looked up to see Taichi adjusting his face, turning to rest it on his left cheek so he could finally talk.
"Okay, okay, you win." The statement came out in between ragged breaths as he attempted to tilt his face sideways so he could catch a glimpse of her.
"Not good enough." Sora smiled, she had to drag out her moment of glory as much as possible, knowing that she won't get another chance like this for a while now.
"What do you want me to say?"
"That you think I'm just as strong as you," she said, letting her fingers gently brush against his waistline and grinning when he bit his lip in reaction.
"Okay Sora, I think you're just as strong as me. Or stronger even. Either way, I'm sorry."
She expected him to tell her to get off of him now but surprisingly, Taichi made no such demand, in fact his whole body relaxed under her. This confused Sora because her only goal had been to get him to cave and admit that he was wrong about her but she hadn't expected him to give in this easily. She felt a bit disappointed too, because she'd just started to enjoy herself and wanted to see if she was capable of taking this as far as Taichi would without chickening out.
"Thank you, Taichi. As long as you don't forget it," she said, trying not to sound too disappointed when she made to lift her leg from around his torso.
"Wait! What are you doing?" Taichi cried out, propping himself up on his elbows so he could turn his face around and look at her with his big, brown eyes.
"What do you mean? I won, right?"
"Yeah but that doesn't mean we have to stop." His eyes shined bright with excitement as he lay back down without waiting for Sora to respond.
"So you want me to keep going?" Sora asked, still unsure of what exactly was going on in Taichi's head.
"Yes!"
"Hmm. So what is it that you want me to do, Taichi?" She asked again, but this time her voice was low as a playful smile appeared on her face.
"Whatever you were doing before." He sounded impatient, like a child waiting to receive a candy.
"I'm not sure what you mean by that," she said, letting her fingertips brush past the small of his back gently, allowing them to linger close to his skin before pulling away with a smirk when she heard him groan.
Even with her hands by her side, she could feel the heat radiating off his body as he took a few, shallow breaths to maintain his calm. She thought about letting him stew in his impatience for a little while longer, but his heat was contagious and Sora felt her whole body quiver from being touched by his warmth. Lifting his shirt and allowing her hands to slide slowly across his back once more as she leaned down to whisper directly in his ear.
"Is this what you want me to do?"
"Yes, please keep doing that."
When she giggled at the desperation in his tone, her breath tingled against the nape of his neck and she heard Taichi let out a sharp gasp. It didn't take long after that, for him to loose whatever semblance of patience he had shown so far, and Sora found her back being pinned against the couch in no time. Taichi hovered above her, his warm, cocoa eyes now curtained by desire as he stared at her lips. When he bent down, Sora almost closed her eyes in anticipation of the kiss, but she felt his hand slip behind her back and fidget, making her question him with raised eyebrows instead. A minute later Taichi fished out the TV remote from under her, something she had been to preoccupied to even notice was digging into her back, and grinned at her as he tossed it away carelessly. Before Sora could check to see if the remote landed somewhere without breaking, Taichi had already closed the gap between them, pressing his lips against hers as one his one arm snaked around her back and the other cupped her cheek, wiping her mind clean of any thoughts except that of being consumed by him.
The remote and the match playing on TV, the main reason behind the competition, remained promptly forgotten for the rest of the night.
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A/n: Thank you for reading, reviews (of any kind) are always welcome ^ ^
