Consequence Chapter 03: Implications

Author's Note: I didn't actually intend to write this third part until about halfway through the previous chapter. At that point I couldn't resist.

Daisuke mashed the buttons of his video game controller from his position on the floor, a fierce glare making its way across his face. His character ducked down and punched at the enemy fighter in front of him, but the attack was immediately dodged and followed up by a swift kick to the face from his opponent. Daisuke groaned and tried his maneuver again, but he was met with the exact same outcome as before. His health bar was now halfway depleted, while his enemy's was hardly even touched.

"So..." Ken began with a sarcastic grin on his face. He was lying down on his back with his head in Daisuke's lap, the second game controller held loosely in his hands. He was only vaguely looking over at the screen, which only served to irritate Daisuke further. "You have to not get hit," Ken continued with a cheeky tone, his smirk not fading in the slightest.

Daisuke flashed a glare down at his boyfriend before returning to the game. His character rushed forward and leapt through the air toward Ken's, who was clad in a black martial arts uniform, while Daisuke's was in white. Ken's fighter ducked away from the kick, and when Daisuke landed beside him and started punching furiously, Ken sidestepped and leapt away from each and every attack. Daisuke couldn't help but growl with frustration at the outcome of their game.

Curse Ken for being so good… It was totally unfair! He hardly even liked video games, so why did he have to get all the natural talent?! It was especially frustrating given that Ken only played them in order to make Daisuke happy. Jun certainly wouldn't play any of his two-player games with him, and neither would his parents. Most of the others weren't all that into such things either, with the exception of Taichi. Unfortunately though, he was so busy with college these days that Daisuke didn't get to see him as much.

"You should probably hit me sometimes too," Ken started up again, his voice cocky and alight with mirth as he adjusted his position. He was sitting up a bit more now, with his head leaning against Daisuke's stomach so that he could see the screen better. "Not getting hit is a good start, but it won't win the game, ya know?"

"No way," Daisuke focused at the television, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he rested his elbows on Ken's shoulders. "I had no idea."

"Yeah," Ken smiled as his character began striking repeatedly even as Daisuke tried his best to avoid the hits. Ken seemed to be trying to hold back his laughter as best he could, though a few snickers still made their way out. "Basically the opposite of what you're doing."

"Oh wow," Daisuke bit his lip and tried not to laugh at his boyfriend's teasing. They did this anytime they got competitive and one of them was clearly losing. Daisuke would have done the exact same if their positions were switched, though he'd never admit it out loud. "Thanks," he said as he rolled his eyes, leaning forward a bit to try and get more in the zone. He could do this… Focus! He could still win this stupid game if for no more reason than to defend his dignity!

"You'rewelcome," Ken laughed outright as his character jumped over Daisuke's and kicked him in the back, sending him rolling to the ground. "No, no, see, you weren't listening!" Ken glanced up at him and grinned for a moment before turning back to the TV. "You have to not get hit, that's the first step! We just talked about this!"

"Five," Daisuke smirked even while his character's health dropped to twenty percent. When Ken gave him a questioning little hum, Daisuke continued. "Oh you know what I mean. That's five remarks now." That sneaky weasel probably thought he hadn't been counting!

Ken gasped with fake astonishment. "Oh no! Five?!"

"Six," Daisuke said as he stared at the screen, finally managing to hit Ken's character with a combination of attacks. It didn't last long though; almost immediately he was thrown to the ground again. Daisuke groaned and squinted to try and focus better while his character stood back up, only to be kicked back down to his hands and knees.

"Whatever will I do?!" Ken giggled as his character locked Daisuke's in a chokehold.

"Seven," Daisuke hissed, mashing down on the buttons once again, though even he knew it was pointless now.

Ken laughed as soon as he finished off Daisuke and won the game. He looked up at him with another cheeky smile. "Hey, you did great."

"Eight!"

There was a loud gasp and a squeak as Ken was suddenly tickled by Daisuke, who had straddled over him to get the upper hand.

"One…!" Daisuke began counting as he continued his assault, Ken squirming around and failing at escaping. Of course he probably could have gotten away if he'd really wanted to, and even Daisuke knew it. Ken didn't know martial arts the way he used to back in the day, but he certainly hadn't forgotten everything. He could flip the other boy over his head from his current position without too much trouble, but really… where was the fun in that? Tickling each other was half the game.

As Daisuke got closer to the end of his countdown, he began prolonging the time between each number. When three seconds passed between 'six' and 'seven,' Ken started tickling him back. Daisuke gasped and grit his teeth, but he managed to stay firm. He squirmed a bit, but his bitterness about losing helped him stay strong.

Before a clear victor could be named, the timer they'd set up on the coffee table for when the dishwasher would be done started going off. Daisuke stopped and glared over at it. He could have sworn it hadn't even been a half hour yet, let alone sixty minutes! But then again, playing video games had always been that way…

"I guess… I'll go easy on you…" Ken giggled breathlessly and panted for air, and Daisuke couldn't deny that his boyfriend's messy hair and flushed cheeks were quite attractive. "Better get those dishes done…"

"Oh you just wait," Daisuke shook his head as he stood up and made his way into the kitchen. He opened up the dishwasher and began putting everything back in its proper place. He was nearly done with all the chores now, having been working on them steadily over the weekend to make up for leaving Ken alone with Jun. No matter how annoying some of the housework had been, he still upheld that it had been worth it. Jun was bad enough on a normal day, but she was especially needy when she was sick! Just thinking about it stressed him out…

Daisuke shook his head and forced the terrifying thoughts away. Once he was done putting everything back, he smiled and stretched his arms above his head, finally done with the last of the work.

"You're forgiven now," Ken said as he wrapped his arms around Daisuke's waist from behind, and rested his head on his shoulder. Daisuke smiled, and after a moment or two he turned around so that they were facing each other. He leaned his back against the kitchen counter and gave Ken a soft kiss on the lips. He hadn't intended for it to be more than a quick peck, but the warmth of the other boy left him lingering. Ken seemed to be doing the same thing.

Daisuke let his arms rest loosely around Ken's hips as he pressed his mouth against his boyfriend's more firmly. His motions were slow, not trying to instigate anything more physical than what they were already doing. Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji would be home any minute now, and he doubted Ken would allow anything like that to happen if there was a possibility of someone catching them. Sometimes Daisuke wished that Ken was more adventurous, but then again, it's not like he wanted Mrs. Ichijouji to know about their sex life… Sweet, kind, Mrs. Ichijouji… Having her find out that they were together was one thing, but the fine details?

Awkward.

With a sigh of content and without breaking the contact, Daisuke started combing his fingers through Ken's hair. He already knew the other boy would get all stressed out if it wasn't tidied up before his parents got home. Ken had become highly paranoid lately that everyone was suspicious of their relationship. He even though Jun knew they were together! Ken never seemed to have a reason for it other than just knowing, or it being hard to explain. Daisuke thought he was being ridiculous.

And besides all that, Daisuke also didn't care who knew. The entire world could find out they were together, their friends and families included, and he'd be fine. Let them judge! But… he knew he just had to be patient and go at Ken's speed.

Ken hummed softly against his lips, pulling back for just a moment before pressing back into it. Daisuke was quite surprised when his boyfriend reached up and started loosening his uniform tie, his warm hands tickling Daisuke's neck a bit. Once it was hanging down more openly, Ken started kissing his exposed collar bone. Daisuke kept one of his hands in his boyfriend's hair and moved the other down to the small of his back with, a lustful sigh escaping his throat.

Another hum from Ken only spurred him forward, the vibrations sending shivers up his spine. Daisuke groaned and pulled him up against his chest, his skin starting to feel hot.

The sound of a key turning in the front door was about the same as having a bucket of ice water poured over them. Ken immediately leapt back and began quickly straightening his clothes and brushing out his hair, Daisuke's hands having mussed it all up again in the heat of the moment. Daisuke just sighed and did the same thing, cursing his bad luck as he tightened up his tie with practiced speed. First the video game, and now this… They really needed to get their own place.

While they could potentially move out as soon as they graduated High School in just a few more months, trying to juggle both college and work at the same time sounded extremely stressful. He'd have to get a job in order to afford the rent, and Taichi was one of many examples of why that was a problem. Based on the stories he'd been told, Daisuke really doubted that he was cut out for that much multitasking. He'd have virtually no social life! In fact, Taichi had ended up quitting his part time job over the last week because of that very reason.

But if he could somehow manage both, then he'd have Ken all to himself…

Daisuke's thoughts were cut off as soon as the door opened and Mrs. Ichijouji stepped inside, her husband following closely behind. He was surprised, however, to find his own parents and Jun coming in shortly after them. Everyone had grocery bags in their hands as they kicked off their shoes and then made their way into the kitchen, Jun closing the door behind them. Ken's parents set their bags down on the counter while Daisuke's placed theirs on the kitchen table.

He hadn't heard anything about his family coming over that day. He thought he was supposed to take the train home? Not that he minded getting a ride instead!

"Ken-chan," Mrs. Ichijouji smiled at her son as she turned to face him. "We got lunch with Daisuke-kun's family on our way home! It was a very last second thing, but they decided to just follow us home and pick him up since they were already out and about anyway. Oh, and aunt Rina-san says hi! She asked all sorts of questions about which college you'll be going to."

"I'll give her a call later, mama," Ken smiled as his demeanor shifted away from the teasing boyfriend that had been standing there just a moment ago, into something deceptively innocent. "It's nice to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Motomiya. You as well, Jun-san." While the Motomiyas beamed at Ken's polite words, Daisuke just wanted to gag… Everyone thought he was so pure, but Daisuke knew the truth! Honestly, if getting attention from strangers didn't make Ken so anxious, he could have been a fantastic actor!

Nevertheless, Daisuke bowed as well and tried to be on his best behavior around his boyfriend's parents. "It's nice to see you!" he said to them.

"You too, Daisuke-kun," Mr. Ichijouji nodded and started taking the food out of the grocery bags. "Did you boys have a fun weekend?"

"Yes, papa," Ken said without so much as a hitch in his voice at the mention of their weekend activities, or the slightest trace of nervousness on his face. He was way too good at that… Daisuke was the worst at lying! It was totally unfair! Why'd he have to go and get the worst genes ever? Anytime he lied or had to keep a secret, he-

"Daisuke, did you get your homework done?" Mr. Motomiya crossed his arms and gave his son a stern look, seeming to already be expecting an answer that he wouldn't like. It was widely known that Daisuke was struggling to pass his history class, and now everyone was on him about it all the time. It was super annoying! He didn't care if it was 'super easy, and most people had gone over that stuff already,' it was hard for him, damn it!

But as far as the question went, hah! His dad was about it eat his words, because he'd totally done… his…!

"H-Homework…?" Daisuke stammered and tried his absolute best not to blush at the question. He was pretty sure he was failing miserably though... He couldn't help but think about the circumstances of that history video, and it just… Oh jeez…! "Y-Yeah! Homework, yeah! We, uh… We did… something. I mean, if something is homework, then yes!"

Crap, crap, crap!

Ken turned around and gave him a look, his eyebrows furrowing just a bit as he stared at him intently. Aside from Jun, everyone else was looking at Daisuke and didn't appear to notice Ken's obvious urging. Jun frowned for some reason though, her eyes flashing back and forth between them. Weirdo…

Daisuke gulped and tried again. "Yes, I did my homework."

"Awe, sweetie…" Mrs. Ichijouji gave him a soft smile. "Are you nervous because you didn't understand it very well?"

"No, no, it's fine!" Daisuke quickly shook his head and put his hands up. He really didn't want to keep talking about this subject! He'd never get out of it if he kept acting so suspiciously though! "I think I figured it all out in the end. Ken helped me with it, so I'm sure it's great!" Daisuke gave a big grin and rubbed the back of his head. There! That was fine, right? He'd just needed a minute to gather himself was all it was. And he needed to stop jittering so much! If he could just stop doing that…!

Daisuke's mother headed back out into the living room to pick up his practice exam, which was lying on the coffee table next to his history video. It didn't have the same questions on it that his actual test would have when they took it on Monday, but it supposedly helped to check your knowledge. Daisuke really hadn't wanted to do it, but Ken had insisted that it would be a productive way of waiting for the washing machine to get done. Daisuke still disagreed.

While Ken's parents began putting the groceries away, Mrs. Motomiya continued to scan over the paper with focused eyes. Now that Daisuke thought about it, he recalled his father mentioning once that she'd always loved history when she was a kid. Apparently it had been his mother's favorite subject back in school. Daisuke wasn't entirely sure why he felt so nervous about her reading over his answers. At least Ken seemed to be feeling better as he pulled a bunch of iced teas out of the fridge and began passing them around to their guests with many well-mannered bows.

Once everyone had a drink in hand, Ken opened his own and took a sip, not seeming all that concerned with the conversation anymore.

"Daisuke, you did great!" Mrs. Motomiya gleamed as she held out the paper proudly in her hand. "I'm certain they're all correct! Ken dear, what in the world did you do to get Daisuke to study so well?! He never-!"

Mrs. Motomiya didn't get a chance to continue with her question. Loud coughing and sputtering as Ken choked on his iced tea drew in everyone's attention. His face was beet red, and while Daisuke had no doubts as to why that was, it was clear from the bewildered expressions on everyone else's faces that they weren't following.

Daisuke felt his face heat up almost instantly, and his heart rate followed quickly behind it. If anyone really was as suspicious of them being together as Ken had claimed, then this was not helping! To his dismay, Jun immediately sent a strange look their way. She was looking over at Ken with a curious expression on her face, as though she was trying to read him for something. Oh no… Had Ken been right?! Maybe she really was suspicious! He could not let her figure this out! There was no worse person to discover their secret than Motomiya Jun. She'd tell everyone, and then she'd tell even more people after that!

Ken managed to regain some control eventually, but the color of his cheeks hadn't faded in the slightest. Even with his hair hanging down, Daisuke could still see the glow on his face.

"Oh, you know, we just studied!" Daisuke smiled brightly and tried to stand in a more relaxed position, even while his fingers twitched with nervousness. "That's all!"

"But you never study!" Mrs. Motomiya pressed her point.

"Yeah…" Jun crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "How did Ken get you to sit down and pay attention?"

"He, um… He…" Daisuke felt himself clench up more as everyone turned to look at him, but especially at his sister's expression. It was as though she already knew the answer, and was just testing him to see if he'd say it or not. What should he do? What should he say?! The longer he took trying to figure it out, the worse he looked! He didn't want to break his promise to Ken that they wouldn't come out until the time was right, but he didn't know how to get out of this situation anymore! "He…" Daisuke tried again. "He, um… He's very persuasive?"

With a sigh and a shrug, Mrs. Motomiya seemed to concede the point. She likely didn't want to keep trying to decode Daisuke's purposely vague remarks. Jun, however, stared at Daisuke in response with quickly widening eyes. Her gaze flashed back and forth between him and Ken once again, but it only lasted a moment before she froze. At first Daisuke wasn't sure why, until he turned to see what she was looking at. His eyes met with Ken's, and even he felt a chill shoot up his spine.

The expression on Ken's face was something else entirely - both pleasant and calm, and yet somehow seething with implied warning at the same time. His eyes were sharp and focused at Jun while their parents' attention was locked onto her and Daisuke, and his firm posture helped him stand as tall as he possibly could. He managed to surpass Jun's height by a noticeable amount, and it made Daisuke feel incredibly small under such a gaze. Based on the way Jun wilted, so did she.

"Well," Mr. Motomiya spoke up after a moment, "At any rate, feel free to help him study like whenever you like, Ken!"

Jun's trance was lost immediately as she snorted and began cackling, though she desperately tried to cover her mouth to stifle the sound. Daisuke blanched beside her, unable to stop himself from looking over at their parents. They were watching her with bewildered expressions on their faces, including Ken's mother and father, which hopefully meant that they still hadn't caught on. Ken had a hand over his face and seemed to be taking in deep breaths.

Daisuke tried to think fast. He was afraid that anything he said would only make things worse, but he couldn't let it continue like this either. Ken didn't look good at all. He was getting more and more pale every second. He needed to get the attention away from this subject before Ken had a full blown anxiety attack or something! He could… He could, um…!

"Ken?" Mr. Ichijouji asked, to Daisuke's dismay, and he turned to face his son. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes!" Ken immediately dropped his hand, his eyes widening at the question. "I'm fine!"

"Are you sure?" Mr. Ichijouji pressed with a frown on his face. "You're acting strangely."

Ken froze up beneath his father's gaze. The color drained from his face, and his energy seemed to fall away through the floor. His shoulders visibly sank, and Daisuke could tell that his hands were shaking a bit – hopefully not enough for anyone else to notice. Ken had always hoped that his family would support them, and had tried to believe that he'd be able to tell them about their relationship one day. It was the opinion of the Motomiya family that Ken had feared most of all, supposedly.

However, Daisuke was getting the feeling that actually having his father asking about it face to face, Ken was starting to feel very differently. His resolve was clearly crumbling, and fear was taking over. Daisuke bit his lip as his hands started to twitch again, along with his arms. Mr. Ichijouji looked so serious, with his gaze so sharp and intense... Would he be upset about them being together? For the first time since they'd gotten together, Daisuke was starting to second guess if Ken's father was ready to hear the truth.

Daisuke started to sweat. What if Mr. Ichijouji decided that he was a bad influence on Ken or something? What kind of consequences would that put on their relationship?

Jun suddenly stepped in front of Ken, effectively cutting off Daisuke's train of thought.

"Awe, you don't look like you feel good!" Jun put a hand on his forehead. Her tone of voice was strange… Was she acting? "Did I get you sick?! I'm sorry, Ken! You should definitely go lay down! Here, let me help you!" Jun quickly grabbed Ken's arm and pulled him out of the room, her movements rushed as she avoided eye contact with anyone else. Ken obeyed and let her lead him away without a word of complaint.

Everyone was quiet for a moment or two as they stared after them. Daisuke was speechless, the fear finally draining from his stiff shoulders. Maybe he'd been too hard on Jun lately… He really owed her for that!

"I'm… gonna go grab my stuff!" Daisuke turned around and quickly bowed to both his and Ken's parents, and then followed after Ken and his sister without waiting for a response. As soon as he reached Ken's room, he stepped inside and shut the door behind him, his heart still pounding in his chest from how close they'd come to being found out. He never would have thought he'd feel nervous about it, but…

"Jun?" Daisuke asked as he turned around, and found her standing in front of the dresser beside a paper-white Ken. "Look," he continued, walking over to the two of them. "Jun, please… don't tell them, okay?"

"Jeez, Daisuke," Jun rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I know we fight a lot, but I'm not that mean!"

Daisuke breathed a sigh of relief, though there was still a part of him that was nervous about it. His sister was easily the worst at keeping secrets out of everyone he knew. Even if she meant well and fully intended to not say something, there had been times where she'd slipped up anyway. But he supposed this was the best he could ask for, and it wasn't like he'd been doing any better out there himself. If not for her, he really didn't know if they would have managed to get out of that situation or not. He'd just have to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Jun-san, thank you," Ken said with a weak voice. His posture was stiff and he was holding his stomach with his arms. "I sincerely appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it," she said with a shake of her head as she walked over to the door. "Just hurry up, Daisuke. It'll look even worse if you take forever."

As soon as Jun left the room and shut the door, Ken walked over and hugged Daisuke. He gasped at the sudden embrace, but returned the gesture just a moment later. Daisuke sighed at the way Ken's arms seemed to shiver slightly. That must have really freaked him out…

"I'm sorry," Ken rested his head on Daisuke's shoulder, his grip tightening around his torso. "I thought I was ready… I thought I could tell my family." He chuckled sadly and shook his head, "I tried to convince myself to just take a leaf out of your book and ignore my fears the way you always do. Maybe if I told myself enough times that everything would be fine, then it would be. But as soon as I saw my dad looking at me like that, I just…" Ken trailed off and clenched up, seeming to struggle with his words.

"It's alright," Daisuke shook his head. "It was pretty intense."

"He's just really serious a lot of the time," Ken sighed, and he seemed to relax a bit finally. "He's very old fashioned."

Daisuke nodded. He knew that Ken's parents were super traditional, but it was something that he could only really understand in theory. His own family was nothing even remotely close to 'typical,' and he didn't know how to deal with families that weren't loud and rambunctious like his own. He knew he needed to just leave it up to Ken, and he'd handle his own side of it, but it wasn't easy. Sometimes he had the urge to just reach out and hold Ken's hand, even though their parents were right there. He'd nearly kissed him once while Ken's father was nearby, and it was only because Ken had realized what he was doing that he'd been able to avoid the contact before it was too late.

They'd had a very serious conversation about affection after that, and where it was appropriate…

"I just can't believe how close that was!" Ken ran his hands through his hair and took a step back, sighing loudly. He was clearly stressed… "I was totally frozen, I couldn't even speak! If you hadn't managed to talk enough to keep their attention, and if Jun hadn't intervened when she did..."

"Hey …" Daisuke gave Ken a quick kiss on the forehead. "Let's not worry about it anymore, okay? We'll figure it out. If it takes a long time, then that's fine."

Ken nodded, "Right, I'm sorry." He took a deep breath, and it finally seemed to help him calm down a bit. "I'll be alright now. I'll just act like I'm feeling sick for the rest of the night."

"Alright," Daisuke smiled and grabbed his backpack off the floor. Before he left, he gave Ken one last kiss. Just like before though, he'd meant for it to be quick but he suddenly found his legs unable to move. Ken lingered, and he found himself doing the same. He tossed his backpack over his shoulder so he could wrap his arms around Ken's waist and pull him closer. He wanted nothing more than to stay like that for a while longer, but in the back of his mind he knew that he couldn't.

With a sigh of disappointment, Daisuke managed to pull away after a bit. "I'd better get going."

Ken sighed as well, and with all the same hints of sadness. "Yeah, you should."

Daisuke left a quick peck on Ken's cheek, and this time he was able to leave the room without getting sucked into the heat of it again. As he packed up and got ready to leave, he looked over at his parents, and then over at Ken's. One day he and Ken would reach the point where they could tell their families about their relationship – he was sure of it. Until then though, he was content enough with how things were.

… He just needed to stop being such a terrible actor in the meantime.