Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Fandom: Digimon Adventure 02
Title: Loving, Crashing, Falling
Romance: Taichi x Yamato/Yamato x Taichi
Word Count: 2,500||Status: One-shot
Genre: Romance, Supernatural||Rated: R
Challenge: Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, E51, character achieves a target; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #34, 2,500 words; TaiYama/YamaTai Week on Tumblr, prompt #3, balance
Notes: This is an AU.
Summary: Taichi is an angel, watching over a charge of his. Yamato is a demon, who has an entirely different goal in mind. They should be mortal enemies. Neither one completely likes to go by the rules.

"Well, look who's here. You're a little late tonight, aren't you?"

Taichi blew out a breath and shot an annoyed look over at the blond lounging against the wall. "Who asked you?"

"No one has to ask me. That's what's fun about being a demon," Yamato said, blue eyes sparking with all the mischief Taichi expected out of him. "Don't need to be, but they usually end up asking anyway."

"I don't need to know that." Taichi huffed, rolled his eyes, and looked over to where his charge lounged on the bed, tossing a soccer ball, and looking more than a little confused about whatever was going through his mind.

Taichi knew he could read Daisuke's mind to find out, but angels considered that cheating unless necessary and so far it wasn't. He could tell Yamato hadn't done anything to him before Taichi arrived, and without demonic influence to counter, it wasn't necessary.

"He's got a date tomorrow night," Yamato provided. "He's not sure if it's some kind of a trick or not."

As much as the demon liked to play games, his information usually wound up being reliable. Yamato had told him more than once that lying was an art that not enough people practiced and he only bothered when he'd get something out of it. Granted, he was a demon and Taichi knew better than to trust him to tell the truth about lying, but after a thousand years or so, he trusted Yamato.

A little. Sometimes.

But if Daisuke thought it could be a trick, then Taichi knew a little more. "Ichijouji Ken, right?"

"Who else?" Yamato shrugged, his movements dismissive. He'd worked a little on Ken himself, Taichi knew, leading him down many wrong paths. Taichi did what he could to support the other, but his main assignment remained Daisuke.

Sometimes he wondered if demons had it a little easier. Yamato could and did spread his influence to anyone and everyone, while Taichi remained focused on one person at a time.

Taichi glanced at the blond demon, eyes narrowed. "You're not going to have him be stood up, are you?"

"Are you kidding?" Yamato rolled his eyes. "I'm better than that."

Taichi hated double meanings, especially from Yamato. He looked back at Daisuke. Anyone could tell that he didn't completely trust the guy of his dreams asking him out.

Is this something I need to deal with? Free will had its place, but with Yamato's touch whispering into Ken's mind now and then, that gave leeway for Taichi to watch matters with more care.

Warm fingers caressed the back of his neck. "You're working too hard. Like always." Yamato's breath, reeking of brimstone, puffed against Taichi's skin. "Just let them handle it. You can't do everything, you know."

Taichi wanted to move away, but Yamato's arms slid around him, keeping him where he was. Yamato didn't always do this, but when he did, Taichi couldn't always push him away. He'd faced questions about this before and he would again, he knew it.

"What did you do to Ken?" That would tell him if he needed to influence Daisuke in any way. "Don't tell me you didn't do anything, either." He knew Yamato too well.

Yamato chuckled again, his fingers now sliding up under Taichi's shirt, touching his stomach. "I just pointed out to him how attractive Daisuke is. That's all."

Taichi couldn't believe all of that. Not at all. He also decided it was good fortune he didn't need to breathe, not with the way Yamato had begun to kiss down the side of his neck. "Why?"

"I'm a demon, Taichi. What I'm doing is my job."

"What you're doing is kissing my neck," Taichi murmured, shoulders twitching. He kept his wings in when he was on Earth, even though humans couldn't see him or Yamato, but the more Yamato touched him, the more his wings wanted out.

"That, too," Yamato agreed, his tongue now flicking out against the back of Taichi's neck, his hands moving around to run up Taichi's back. "Do you want to stay here? He's not going to do anything fun tonight. The date isn't until tomorrow night."

Taichi hated how tempting Yamato could be. Yamato was just so good at it, especially once he got his hands on Taichi's skin. It shouldn't feel that good. He was an angel. One with a demon for a lover.

A demon who knew him inside and out and knew exactly where and how to touch to encourage him to let things slide just once… maybe twice…

Taichi opened his mouth to protest, to insist that he should check on Ken because if Ken were going to date Daisuke, then he at least had some right to watch over him and make sure nothing wrong happened…

Yamato caught his chin and turned Taichi's head enough so he could press their lips together. Passion spiralled up from Taichi's innermost depths and he leaned more against Yamato, panting even without needing to breathe.

I've got a place we can go. Yamato very seldom touched Taichi's mind, except in situations like this. Let them have their privacy on their date.

It wasn't a bad thought at all. It meant that something - someone - he - would occupy Yamato's attention and he wouldn't be able to put whatever schemes he had in mind for ruining the dawning relationship into effect. And yet, Yamato had to know that, so why would he be offering…

Yamato's lips pressed against one of the points where Taichi's wings would have extended from, sending a shot of raw desire all through the angel. Coherent thought began to bubble away, replaced by arcs of pleasure and desire.

Let's go.

Taichi didn't protest. He didn't think that he knew how to protest, not with Yamato pressing against him. Yamato's wings, as bright gold as his hair, burst into existence to wrap around both of them, blotting out the view of Daisuke and his room. When they opened up again, Taichi recognized where they were: a comfortable apartment bedroom, decorated in shades of blue and gold to match Yamato himself.

They weren't in Hell; he couldn't have gone there unless he Fell. He wasn't a high ranking enough angel to pull that trick off. He thought it was somewhere on Earth, but didn't know just where.

It also ceased to matter as Yamato lowered him onto the bed and ran one hand down the front of Taichi's shirt, watching it part in the wake of his touch. Taichi shivered; to look at him, no one would think that Yamato was a demon at all. He was too beautiful. But seeing him in action, no one could doubt his nature. Now was no exception: he knew just how to stoke Taichi's fires so they raged out of control, and even better, so that Taichi didn't care about the consequences.

Another pass of Yamato's hands turned the shirt into little more than a memory and a dust of ashes that he blew away from Taichi's skin. The angel shivered again at the brush of Yamato's breath against him. If he were human, he knew his heart would've been beating out of control.

Yamato's hands roamed farther downward, disposing of the rest of Taichi's clothes, while his own remained wrapped around in sinful tightness. A needy whimper made its way out of Taichi's mouth, caught a moment later by Yamato's talented lips and tongue. Yamato's kiss tasted of sin and lust and desire and something deeper than all of those that drew Taichi toward him with more intensity than any moth felt for the flame that spelled its death.

He started to reach upward, fingers cupping the side of Yamato's face, but the demon pushed his arm back down.

Let me, his voice whispered through Taichi's mind. Let me do it all, Taichi.

Taichi could only nod. He thought, perhaps, if he pushed a little, Yamato would relent, but he didn't want to. He knew so much of what Yamato could do and he could never quite get enough.

So now Yamato's lips moved from Taichi's to the hollow of his throat, nibbling and sucking there for several long minutes, until there would be no doubt in anyone's mind who left their mark on him. Taichi writhed underneath Yamato, every thought except how good this all felt vanishing from his mind.

Strong hands caressed on Taichi's hips, with Yamato's wings spreading over the both of them. Not to hide them; there wasn't anyone to hide them from here. But forever a reminder to Taichi of where he was and who it was that brought him to these depths of passion and desire.

Taichi knew it was something of a cliche that associated demons with fire, but cliche or not, Yamato's mouth scorched every inch of him with the best of flames, especially as he engulfed Taichi's length.

Not needing to breathe had a lot of good points to it.

Taichi's hands fisted in the blue satin sheets beneath him as Yamato worked his wicked, wicked way with him. Every moment that passed brought him into unknown realms of pleasure.

This wasn't close to their first time - Taichi couldn't remember how often they'd entwined with one another - but something seemed different all the same. Taichi just couldn't figure out what it was and he forgot to care in favor of craving more of what Yamato offered and gave with such abandon.

Somewhere along the line his fingers began to touch bare warm skin instead of Yamato's clothes. He didn't know when or how Yamato got rid of them and didn't care, not so long as he could feel what he wanted now. Yamato moved against him, taking his time, stoking the flames between them higher and higher.

When everything reached its peak, their mutual cries wrapped around one another, hot and wild and wonderful and Taichi's voice rang broken and harsh and fire he'd never dreamed of coursed through him, a different flame than what he'd just experienced, something that scorched him from head to foot and he rolled over, panting, exhausted as he'd never been, and that was wrong, wasn't it, because he wasn't ever tired from sex with Yamato…

Yamato's fingers combed through his hair. "Shh. You'll be all right. You just have to get used to it."

Taichi's shoulders heaved. He couldn't remember being sick in thousands of years, but now his stomach twisted and groaned and a noise he had never made before rolled past his lips.

Again Yamato petted him until he began to calm down and the fire eased, settling down into his bones and muscles. Taichi still didn't feel well. He tried to open his eyes and couldn't find the strength for it.

"You should rest now," Yamato suggested, and Taichi thought that was such a good idea. "I'll explain everything once you wake up." The blond dropped a kiss on Taichi's lips, savoring it. "You still taste the same. Just a bit crispier."

That didn't make sense, but Taichi decided he would work it out when he woke up. He curled up in Yamato's arms, safer than he could ever remember being there, and fell asleep to Yamato's touch on his hair.

Yamato kept Taichi warm within his wings and arms. He knew he'd have to let him go sooner or later but he didn't want to just yet.

I can pretend he likes me a little longer. Just a little.

Because Taichi wouldn't once he woke up and realized what had happened. What Yamato had led him into. What he'd become now.

He'd done his best to make this the culmination of everything they'd ever done together, to craft a situation where Taichi wouldn't suspect a thing.

You were wrong, Taichi. I had a target, too, just like you. Only I wasn't supposed to protect you, like you protected Daisuke.

He should've felt better about this. He'd succeeded where so few of his fellow demons ever had. Yet he couldn't. He didn't feel regret; demons weren't set up for that. But if he could have, he thought he might have, just this once.

Already he could see differences, small as they were. Taichi's skin radiated a different sort of heat now and there was the faintest hint of discomfort between his eyes as the changes continued to work their way through him. Yamato wished there were something he could do to help.

Healing had never been his strength, not even when he'd been an angel himself. All he could do now was watch over Taichi and support him until Taichi wanted nothing more to do with him. It likely wouldn't take long.

Even as a demon Taichi's beauty didn't change, not in Yamato's eyes. A little darker, a little edgier, but still there all the same. Yamato couldn't help but wonder what he would be like, once he got used to the lack of restraints and the burning need to corrupt everything around him.

They could do such great work together. Yamato knew hope usually wasn't much of a demonic trait, but he tried it anyway. Hope that Taichi would care about him still, would want to work together for a new kind of future.

He couldn't even say he was sorry. He wasn't sorry, not for what happened. He'd only been working for it for eons. But now that it had happened, now that Taichi wasn't an angel anymore, that tiny bit of regret tried to wiggle its way into him.

Yamato steeled himself. He would work through whatever Taichi did. Taichi would want revenge, of course. That's what demons did. Taichi would have to learn the ropes and if that included tormenting Yamato, then Yamato would let him do it. It wouldn't be the first time it happened to him, nor would it be the last.

Yamato didn't know how long he sat there, Taichi held close, the angel now a demon, recrafted and transformed from the inside out. But sooner or later Taichi moved in his arms and his eyes began to open, confused and pained and sweet all at the same time. Taichi focused on him and tilted his head.

"Yamato?" His voice held a different quality, one that Yamato could only identify as demonic. Taichi blinked as he heard himself. "Yamato?"

Yamato let himself smile and stole one last kiss. "I have something to tell you, Taichi. And you're not going to like it."

New demons never did. Yamato himself had raged for months when it happened to him. He'd mocked other new demons for their fury when it happened. But now he couldn't bring himself to do it again. Instead, he met Taichi's worried eyes without fear and spoke the fatal words.

"You fell, Taichi. You're not an angel anymore."

The End

Note: Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the story. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.