"As I saw my Juliet come graceful down the stairs
It's hard to miss the way her eyes light up the room and still the air
Just feel her lips lock on to every breath I take and breath it in
Do you feel us falling? Cause I feel us falling"

Goodnight Moon - Go Radio

The clinking of glasses echoed through the room as the male Digidestined put final touches on their suits. TK reached under Tai's raised glass, fixing his crooked tie.

"Where would we be without you, TK?" Tai joked, checking his straightened tie one more time in the wall mirror. He took a final sip of the drink in his glass before setting it back down.

TK smirked, fixing his own jacket sleeves after attending to everyone else. "With clip-in ties." He looked up to see his brother roll his eyes, fixing his own jacket. Matt rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the remark.

Today was Joe's wedding and the male Digidestined were getting ready for their roles as groomsmen. It seemed like TK was the only one able to tie a tie amongst the group, so he spent most of the afternoon fixing the other guys' appearance. It was a sunny June day, with minimal clouds and a cool breeze taking some of the heat of the heavy suit jackets away.

The older Digidestined were sharing some scotch, while TK stuck to his water. It had been almost eight months since TK was in rehab, and he had progress well in his recovery. The older men offered to not drink around him, but TK couldn't let them not enjoy the day how they wanted for his sake. After graduation, TK had started to become comfortable around alcohol again. The graduation parties he went to were still filled with the same debauchery and drunkenness that he had grown used to. But he was a different person, and with some help from Kari by his side, he was able to maintain his sobriety while saying goodbye to his high school friends.

Matt nudged his brother, looking around at Joe, Izzy, and Tai sharing a laugh over their scotch glasses. "We should probably start heading out. Guests should be arriving soon and they're gonna want some handsome faces to direct them to their seat."

TK let out a small snort, knowing his brother was just trying to get him away from the liquor. He wouldn't call him out for it, knowing he had no right to confront Matt after the previous year. It was just over a year before that Matt had staged TK's intervention. In retrospect, that wasn't a lot of time for TK to start pushing boundaries. TK nudged back, turning towards the door before waving to the others who were staying. "Yeah, I'm sure some blonde boys are exactly what these people came here to see."

"Hey, we're a rarity around these parts," Matt joked, "Thank Mom for that."

TK rolled his eyes, placing his hands in his pocket as he and his brother walked towards the ceremony. Ever a traditionalist, Joe and his fiancé chose a large church ceremony. White and pale pink flowers simplistically lined the banister and pews along the aisle as the only decor. Guests were already congregating around the foyer, with some of the older guests already taking their seats. The brothers walked over to the guest book, looking at all of the names already signed. TK noticed one wasn't on their yet.

"Looking for Kari?" Matt smirked, noticing his brother's wandering eye.

A heat rushed to TK's cheeks at the mention of her name. He still didn't understand why that happened when someone mentioned Kari like that. After the last year the two young adults had, TK felt like she should be the person he was most comfortable. And she was. But something about how Matt said her name made him feel uneasy. "I'm not. Just looking."

Matt sighed, giving a polite nod to a guest walking over to sign the book. He leaned over, whispering, "Why haven't you told the others about the baby? Weren't you guys supposed to do that after graduation?"

"Matt!" TK whispered through his teeth, trying to put on a polite smile for the older woman signing the book in front of them. Once she left, TK turned to his brother, giving him a harder than friendly shove. "I don't know," he admitted, looking around for anyone familiar to be within earshot. "She didn't want to take attention away from this wedding. I'm just gonna trust her on that."

"You graduated a month ago. It would have died down by now," Matt pointed out.

TK turned to face his brother, anger in his eyes. "I'm going to trust her on that," he repeated, not wishing to continue the topic. "It's not really my secret to tell, anyway. I'm not going to do anything until she wants to." He let out a loud breath, realizing he may have overreacted. He felt in his pocket for his cellphone, knowing his background was still the picture of him and Kari in the hospital after the baby was born. "We'll tell everyone when she's ready. She promised me and I'll hold her to that."

He knew the thought of telling the Digidestined about Matthew scared Kari even months later. Their baby was now seven months old, and from the last email from his adopted parents, he was learning to crawl and was incredibly talkative in gibberish. Those emails always made Kari excited, but TK knew she was still uncomfortable sharing him with the others. Only their own brothers knew about Matthew, despite Kari's promise to tell the others after they graduated. TK knew better than to push her on it.

Matt bit his lip, feeling bad about bringing it up but also knowing his brother was upset about the situation. He knew that TK still blamed himself for the hard decisions the two younger Digidestined had to make. Matt knew how much his brother cared for Kari. Their friendship had bloomed again as they worked to rebuild what they lost in the last year. The two were back to being inseparable, each holding a new trauma in their lives that they would have to deal with together. The other Digidestined had died down on teasing the two forming a relationship, but not without some stern lectures from Matt and Tai. Now, Matt wasn't so sure he was right about how TK felt about the girl.

"Hey TK, can I ask you a question without you getting mad?" Matt asked, nodding at a new guest.

"Therapy has taught me that the answer to that question is perhaps," TK replied, grabbing a new pen from behind the stand to replace the one in the guest's hand that appeared to be dying. "But that won't stop you from asking, so go on."

Matt squinted his eyes at his brother, not sure whether to be glad TK is still consistently going to therapy or upset that he weaponized it against him. "You would tell me if there was something going on between you and Kari, right?"

"Well, I didn't tell you the first time," TK deviously quipped, laughing at his own joke.

"And look where they got you two," Matt replied with just as much fake disdain as TK did.

TK sighed, choosing to ignore Matt's implication. "Matt, there's nothing going on between me and Kari. When we kissed back in November, it meant nothing. It meant nothing then and it means nothing now. We are just friends and that's that."

Before Matt could respond with his doubt as a blush spread across his brother's face, a few more guests came over and the rest of the male Digidestined came out from their room to help greet people. Joe stood in front of the church entryway, shaking everyone's hand that came through. Tai and Izzy joined the brothers around the guest book, making sure that all guests signed in.

A shrill squeak came from the doorway to the church, gathering the attention of everyone in the foyer. TK let out a small laugh at Mimi, watching as she twirled around the foyer gushing about how beautiful everything looked. Sora came over and grabbed her shoulders, quieting her down before more people started starring.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I just love weddings," Mimi gushed, being pulled over to the rest of the Digidestined by Sora. "And this is so beautiful. How could I not react?"

The group laughed and started light pleasantries, trying to calm a nervous Joe down. TK looked around for the younger Digidestined, the ones around his age. "Where are the others?"

"Oh, Davis has Ken, Yolei, and Cody. They should be on their way," Sora answered, turning behind her, looking for someone. "Kari came with us, but I don't know where she is."

Before TK could respond, Matt elbowed his brother's side, getting his attention. The older boy pointed to the staircase leading up to the upper balcony of the church. A pale pink dress, strapless, scattered with dusty pink flowers flowed down to the floor, hanging off the woman trying her best to hold up the bottom to keep from tripping. Her short brown hair was curled in soft ringlets, a gold clip keeping longer bangs from hanging in her face. She was surrounding by the decorated flowers, the colors matching her dress almost perfectly. Her beauty cascaded down the steps, radiating from her subtle pink cheeks and eye makeup. The girl somehow looked both casual and elegant, grabbing everyone's attention with a simple step down the stairs.

"The video camera is ready to go," Kari said from the staircase, raising an eyebrow up at the Digidestined staring at her.

"Hey TK, you dropped something," Tai whispered, pushing TK's agape mouth shut with a single finger.

TK stared at Kari, his face flushed even more than before. His eyes were wide, taking in the woman before him. His heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest, as his pulse raced against his veins in his clammy hands. Tai shut his mouth for him, but it instinctively fell back open. He watched as she walked down the staircase and over to the rest of the Digidestined, not understanding this sudden and intense reaction towards his best friend. She was beautiful and it sparked something in him.

Out of earshot from everyone, he let out a breathy "Fuck."

Matt heard his brother, looking over at his awestruck face. Raising an eyebrow and smirking, he leaned over and cockily whispered, "Still think there's nothing going on there?"

TK nodded politely at the bridesmaid he was set up with, leading her off the dancefloor and back to her seat. The wedding went smoothly, despite Joe's anxieties. The reception was halfway over, with the guests dancing, drinking, and eating their cake. TK sat down next to his brother, letting out an exhausted sigh.

"I didn't lead her at all," TK complained as he slumped down in his seat, staring out at the people still on the dancefloor. "I'm the man; I'm supposed to lead. Mom even made me practice."

Matt couldn't help but let out a hardy laugh at the thought of his mother and brother dancing in the middle of their small apartment. "Well yeah, Mom's gonna want her baby boy to lead. She's trying to groom you into a big, strong man." He reached over to try to ruffle TK's hair.

TK pushed his brother's hand away, fixing his perfectly kept hair back into place. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," he brushed off, looking around the tables. His eyes wandered the room, looking for the dusty pink flowers he had been eyeing all night.

Matt followed where his brother was looking, smirking at what his brother was trying to find. "She's over by her brother," he answered, not needing to ask who TK was looking for. "You haven't spoken to her all night."

"I haven't had a chance to," TK responded, whipping his head around to the head table. Kari had her arms wrapped around the back of Tai's shoulders, leaning over him and smiling as Tai took their picture on her cell phone. "I've been pretty busy being thrown around by a bridesmaid."

Matt sighed, smiling at his brother's dumbfounded gaze. "I don't think that's the reason." He grabbed the back of his brother's seat, turning it to face him. "You have feelings for her, don't you? After all this time?"

TK's bit his bottom lip, embarrassed by the question. He tried to look anywhere than his brother straight in front of him or over to where Kari was standing. It was a thought he had kept to himself for over a year now. Kari had always been his rock, the person he knew he could go to for anything. All of the parties, the alcohol, the sex, the rehab trips; it had always been her, for the best and for the worst.

"Matt, can we not talk about this?' TK asked, trying to push his seat away from his brother. "My feelings for Kari have been something I've been grappling with for a while now. I don't know why it's always her. Why it's her crest attached to mine. Why it was her at all those parties. Why it's been her that stuck around after all I put her through. I don't think that's a solid foundation to start anything on."

Matt grimaced, turning away from his little brother. He felt bad about bringing up those terrible memories, but something told him to keep pushing. "You started your friendship back up on that rocky foundation."

TK's fists clenched up, trying not to think about the rough last year. "I almost died on her twice. She found me near death one of those times. I don't think she could ever love me after that."

"But that doesn't tell me about you," Matt pointed out. He reached over and grabbed his brother's forearm, pulling his attention back to him. "This isn't about how you feel about how she may feel. TK, how do you feel about her?"

The younger brother groaned, reaching over for his glass of water. He chugged the contents, hoping maybe if he drank long enough, his brother would stop pushing him. But he knew the water would run out before Matt's patience with him. He slammed the glass back down on the table, honestly surprised it didn't shatter.

"Okay, so hypothetically, let's say that I do love her," TK responded, staring out into the crowd of people. "What would any of that change? Now is honestly the worst time to even think about the tiniest possibility that Kari may feel the same. I should have known I loved her junior year, when I couldn't stop sleeping with her. Or when she told me she was pregnant. I should have known when she had Matthew. All of these 'should have's don't add up to anything now. If I loved her now, then why couldn't I tell that I loved her then? Why couldn't I have been what she needed me to be?"

"TK," Matt interrupted, leaning against the table to try to get in his brother's peripherals. "You can't dwell on the past if you want to move on."

TK ignored him. "If I was even half of a man, I would have realized how much I loved her, and the three of us would be here today."

Matt winced, hearing the pain in his brother's voice. He knew the adoption weighed heavily on his little brother. Even though TK could rationalize that giving Matthew up was for the best, it still hurt him every now and then. Matt didn't know what to say besides his brother's name, letting him know he was there.

"Before he was born, she cried because we weren't in love. She asked me if we were, and I didn't respond," TK emphasized, clenching his hand around the empty glass. "How could I possibly tell her now, hypothetically, that I'm in love with her when that answer last fall would have saved us a lot of pain?"

TK sighed, shaking his head and swirling the empty glass on the table. "Besides, she's way too fucking good for me. After all I put her through last year, it's a miracle she even talks to me. Just look at her." He pointed his glass in Kari's direction, who was getting Yolei to take some pictures of her and her brother. "Matt, she's most beautiful, selfless, kind-hearted woman I have ever met in my life. Nothing she ever does is wrong, and if it is, she finds the best way to make it right. She found the best adopted parents for Matthew and she practically held my hand through my second rehab stay. She has been my light throughout all of this…" TK dropped the glass, motioned towards his head, "darkness that is still up here."

The younger boy let out a massive breath and placed his hands on the table, pointing to imaginary images on the counter as he rambled. "She's my best friend. There's nothing about her I don't like. I find myself getting lost in her eyes. And her hair is always so fucking soft and shiny. And her smile melts my heart when I find myself getting too cold and distance. And when she grabs my hand, I don't ever want to let go. And she always smells like vanilla. God, I love vanilla. Vanilla is comforting. Vanilla is sweet. Vanilla is classic. I love vanilla so much."

His hands stopped fidgeting on the table, pulling back to the boy's side. "Oh fuck," TK whispered, staring down into his lap. "I'm in love with vanilla."

Matt stared at his brother with a crooked, slightly open-mouth smile. "Come again? In love? Not just love?"

TK shook his head, pulling himself away from his thought. "No, I can't be in love with vanilla. Vanilla is simple and refined, and I am not. I'm more of the remains left in the bottom of the ice cream truck. I don't deserve to have vanilla ever again."

Matt let out a small laugh at his brother's analogy. While incredibly weird, it was getting TK to finally speak up about something Matt knew had been bothering him for a while. "Well, I don't think vanilla is too refined for you," he commented, placing a hand on his brother's knee to get him to look up. "After the route the ice cream truck took last year, I'm pretty sure vanilla would have run out long ago if vanilla was too good for you. The fact that the truck still has vanilla stocked isn't for nothing."

Tk threw his face into his hands, letting out a groan. "Why now? I've been asking myself this question for a year and a half, and I just now figure it out?"

Matt patted his back, trying to comfort his brother, but also incredibly proud of him for admitting, in a roundabout way, how he was feeling. "I'm not gonna tell you what to do," he started, looking over at Kari leaving her brother and heading over to the boys with a concerned look on her face at TK's position. "But she's coming over, and I think you should go get a bowl of vanilla."

"Hey, is everything okay?" Kari asked, bending down to see TK look up. "You feeling okay?"

"Oh, he's feeling great," Matt laughed, earning a hard punch in the arm from his little brother.

"I-I'm fine, Kari," he stammered, giving her a halfhearted smile. In all honesty, his heart was about to jump out of his chest. His head felt light and his thoughts raced a million miles an hour. After figuring out his feelings that had haunted him for 18 long months, he had every right to feel confused and dazed.

"Anyway," Kari unsurely segued, not sure she really wanted to know what was going on between the two men in front of her. "TK, I haven't seen you all night. Dance with me."

Heat rushed to TK's face, not wanting to look over at the excited look Matt surely was doing his best to hide. "Kari, you know I can't dance. I just got thrown around like a rag doll by a small woman in a bridesmaid dress."

Kari rushed behind the table, grabbing TK's hands in hers to pull him up. "Well actually, I know you can dance because we've danced several times, not that I expect you to remember any of them."

His heartbeat sped up faster with her hands in his. His mouth was protesting, but he still allowed her to drag him on to the floor. He looked back to Matt, who was waving a small goodbye as Tai approached the older brother, confused at the sight before him. "Okay, if I can't remember dancing, how do you expect me to dance with you now?"

Kari twirled around, holding TK's hand up above her head to let herself spin. "Because dancing is like riding a bike," she smiled, moving his hands to her hips and then placing hers on his shoulders. "Once you learn, you don't forget."

As Kari began to sway the two, the song changed to a slow, melodic beat. The two young adults slow-danced in the corner of the dancefloor, letting the couples in the room have the rest of the area. As much as he wanted to look at her, TK's eyes kept wandering around the room. After his conversation with Matt, he knew better than to press his luck by looking into her eyes.

"TK, are you mad at me?" Kari asked, squinting at the boy looking over her head. "You haven't said much to me all night. Is it something that I did?"

"No, no," TK rushed, forcing himself to finally look at her. He wouldn't dare blame his stupid emotions on her. "Not at all. Matt and I just had a… dumb conversation."

Kari's lips slightly pouted, not truly buying his excuse. She played along anyway. "Do you want to talk about it? You know I'm always here for you."

TK sighed, continued to sway with her. "It's just… I love vanilla."

"Pardon?" Kari laughed, furrowing her eyebrows at the statement. "Vanilla what?"

"Vanilla everything," TK quickly responded, feeling a cold anxious shake up his spine. "Vanilla is just… the perfect scent. It's subtle, but it really hits you when you need it. It's warm for when you're feeling cold. Vanilla is so delicate and sophisticated and everything I'm not."

The confused look didn't leave Kari's face from TK's explanation. She looked even more worried than when she first went up to him at the table. "Are you okay? Did someone slip something into your drink?"

"What? No!" TK quickly defended, not wanting to Kari to think he broke his sobriety. "No, listen." His hands gripped her waist tighter, pulling her closer to him. Her hands slipped from his shoulders, clasping behind his neck. "With the wedding and the romance and all, I've just… I've been thinking."

Kari's cheeks turned the same color as her dress. "Thinking about what?" she asked.

"How this could have been us," he laughed, letting out a small snort at her confused and embarrassed reaction. "I did ask you marry me, remember?"

Kari laughed into TK's chest. "Yeah, and if I remember correctly, I called you an idiot and then fell asleep."

"Not the worst rejection I've ever had," he joked. TK hoped Kari couldn't hear his heart pounding against his ribcage. She was so close to him and he just joked about marrying her. He pulled her closer, resting his hands on the small of her back. He couldn't get her close enough. The two swayed in silence, taking in each other's presence. He rested his head on top of hers, ruffling her hair enough to waft the smell of vanilla.

"Kari, you're vanilla."

Kari pulled her head away from his chest, just far enough to look into his eyes. Her eyes were glazed in confusion. "What? I'm vanilla? Like… I'm plain?"

TK groaned, tightening his grip on her waist. "No, that's not what I…"

Before he could finish his thought, the song changed to a faster beat. Kari unwrapped her arms from around the back of his neck, pulling away slightly. "TK, are you sure you don't want to talk?"

TK nodded. He removed his hands from her waist and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from their corner. "Come with me." Her hand felt soft in his, as he tried to not shake from nervousness. TK eyed their brothers and the older Digidestined over by the head table. All of their eyes followed the younger pair as they walked towards the lobby. Matt had a knowing smirk, while Tai's face held the same confused look as Kari. TK rolled his eyes and felt his cheeks pinken, worried what the older Digidestined were thinking about the two sneaking off like it was the previous year.

The lobby of the reception hall was decorated with the same white and pale pink flowers as the church. A few people were filing in and out, either going to or returning from cigarette breaks outside of the building. TK found a secluded corner of the open lobby, giving Kari a seat on the one lounge benches. He paced up and down in front of her, occasionally stopping to bite his lip or scratch the back of his head.

"Okay, TK, you're scaring me," Kari admitted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Could this have not waited until tomorrow?"

TK sighed, stopping in front of her. He knew it couldn't wait until the next day, but something in his mind was stopping him from just telling her. "I need to know something, but don't get mad at me for asking."

Kari's eyebrows furrowed. "Okay?"

He quickly sat down next to her, pulling her arms from their crossed position to hold her hands. He let out a quick breath before looking into her confused eyes. "Last year, if we were together, would you have kept Matthew?"

Kari wanted to tear her hands away at the question, but instead they just squeezed his hand intensely. The confusion in her eyes turned to disgust as she looked around the room for anyone within earshot. "TK, what the hell? Someone could hear you," she whispered. Noticing only a gaggle of children running into the lobby and to the hall, she looked back at him. Her face held a mixture of sadness and anger. "Why are you thinking about Matthew right now? This is Joe's wedding. There are other things that should be on your mind. Are you insane?"

Her grip on his hands loosened, giving TK enough time to tighten his grip on hers. "I need you to trust me and just answer me. It'll make sense; I promise."

Kari's angry reaction turned confused, almost sad. "I…" she paused, moving her eyes away. "I don't really know, TK. I still think I made the right decision, and us being together probably wouldn't have changed that. I mean, we were only seventeen."

Kari finally got her hands away from TK's and placed them in her lap, turning to face the lobby instead of her best friend. "Think about it," she started, "If we had been together and we had kept Matthew, it would have been so hectic. Do you know hard it would have been to finish our last semester with a baby? We both barely got by in the fall, you know, with your rehab trips and my… study abroad."

TK nodded in despondent agreement. "No, you're right, Kari."

"If we had Matthew right now, we wouldn't be able to come out here and talk," Kari continued, looking down at her twiddling thumbs. A small smile spread across her lips. "We'd be chasing down a crawling baby all night."

"We wouldn't have to talk," TK muttered under his breath.

Kari turned to face him, pretending she didn't hear what he said. "So yeah. I think giving Matthew up for adoption would have still been the best choice. He's in a happy, stable family and that's all I want for him. Regardless if we were happily together, we couldn't have provided him the stability a baby would need. No amount of love can give that."

Their corner of the lobby turned somber. The two young adults looked towards the lobby, disheartened expressions across their face like always when they talked about the possibilities of raising Matthew themselves. It wasn't the first time they had that conversation, but certainly the first since the baby was born. TK felt like he had been kicked in the stomach but knew that Kari was right. Still, he knew he needed to know that before he continued.

TK reached over and took Kari's hand, interlocking his fingers with hers and giving her a comforting squeeze. "Sorry I made you think about that," he apologized. "I just needed to know."

Kari gulped, trying to push down any sad emotions talking about Matthew brought up. She didn't resist TK's handing, giving it a small squeeze back as a thank-you. Continue to look out at the people walking in and out of the lobby, she asked, "Is that all you've been preoccupied with?"

"What about when we kissed?" TK suddenly asked, not giving Kari time to react from her question. He felt a jump in his hand and cringed at how fast he had asked.

Kari bit the inside of her lip, feeling her cheeks flush. "When we kissed? Like in the hospital?"

"Yeah," TK quickly answered, bracing himself for whatever she may give him. "I know we both kind of decided we weren't going to talk about it right after it happened, but…" he trailed off awkwardly, not knowing how to end his sentence.

Kari let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know, TK. It felt right at the time. But that could literally describe anything we did last year."

Tk's leg started to bounce with anxiety. "But a kiss is a lot different than a sloppy drunken hookup."

Kari let go of TK's hand and turned herself towards him. "Why are you bringing all of this up now?"

TK groaned, throwing his hand in his hands. "Kari, I don't know what's going on. I just need some closure, I guess."

"Closure on what?"

"Closure that there's nothing going on between us, and that nothing will ever happen between us," he blurted out, raising his head from his hands. The two made eye contact, both of their faces becoming pinker than the flowers on Kari's dress. "Kari, I need to know. If I tell you that I love you, will you resent me for not telling you sooner?"

Kari's eyes went wide at TK's confession. Her breathing hitched and her heart raced. The familiar cold swipe of anxiety ran down her spine. She found a shake in her voice that she didn't understand why it was there. "Resent you… for loving me?"

TK shook his head and quickly stood to his feet, wanting to be anywhere but that lobby. He didn't know why he said what he had, nor why he didn't process his words faster. His stomach felt like it had dropped to the floor and he couldn't pick it back up. "You know what, just forget it. It's the past and it's a stupid thing to think of."

As he started to walk away, he felt a tug at his wrist. "Oh no, you don't," Kari said, pulling him to a halt. "You're not going anywhere until we talk this out. I lost three months of you last year; I'm not losing any more."

A shutter ran through TK's body at her mention of his first trip to rehab. It had been the longest either had gone without communicating with each other for years. It was also their personal lowest points in each of their lives. A long exhale shot out his nose as he tried to slow his anxiety-ridden heartbeat, the pills he takes everyday for it not helping in the moment.

"Why do you think I would resent you?" Kari asked, her voice meek and soft, almost hurt that TK would suggest such a thing.

TK turned around, forcing Kari to let go of his wrist. He looked over her, knowing if he looked at her, he wouldn't be able to tell her anything that was going through his mind. "Because if I had just realized all of this sooner, we wouldn't have had any of this mess."

Kari's eyebrow furrowed. "This mess?"

"Like having to give up Matthew. Or even having Matthew in the first place. Or all of our random hookups together," TK started, nodding his head from side to side with each thing listed off. "If I wasn't such an idiot and a dumbass addict, I would have come to my senses so much sooner and I wouldn't have put you through all that mess last year."

Kari shifted her weight slightly, shuffling her body to shake off the uncomfortable feeling of not understanding. "First of all, don't call yourself an idiot and don't call yourself an addict in such a derogatory way." Her arms crossed again, letting him know she meant it. TK was still her best friend and she wouldn't stand for him putting himself down again. "Secondly, what did you come to your senses about?"

TK made the mistake of looking down at her. Her eyes sparkled with fear and worry for the man standing in front of her. He felt horrible for beating around the bush, but the words wouldn't form in his mouth. TK was a writer and usually had a way with words. He could describe himself out of any situation he had every been placed in. But this was his hardest plot point.

He gulped, trying to form the right words but finding only excuses. "Kari, you're vanilla."

Kari's face scrunched up in confusion. "You've said that already. I don't understand what that means."

TK groaned, hating himself for what he just said. "Ugh, Kari, I just…" He purposefully ran a hand through his hair, trying to compose himself by looking down at the ground. "You're vanilla. You're sweet, strong, and comforting. You're a staple. You have this warm and inviting presence that feels like home to me. You're perfect without even trying."

He stopped and looked up at her. A tear formed in her eye, her mouth slightly agape in surprise. TK knew what he did, and he couldn't go back now. He grabbed Kari's hands, holding them in between his own. He forced her to look him in the eyes, making sure she paid attention to what he was saying. "Kari, I love vanilla because it reminds me of you. And…"

Kari's breath stopped, waiting for what TK was going to say. Since entering the lobby, her mind had not stopped racing until this moment. Now it was blank. "And?"

"Kari, I think I'm in love with you."

TK thought his heart stopped beating. Kari didn't respond. She stood in front of him, frozen in surprise. He didn't blame her for being shocked, but he could feel his blood pulsing through his body, hearing his pulse in the back of his ear.

"Kari, listen," TK started, trying to give her some more time to process. "I'm sorry for just figuring it out now. If I had known this whole time, I would have told you before the drunken hookups, before rehab, before Matthew, before today. And if telling you sooner would have changed anything, I would go back in the heartbeat. But I can't. I can't change the past, so I'll do my best to right the future."

Kari finally regained control of her body and closed her mouth. Her head slightly shook, not knowing how to process what her best friend had just told her. "TK, I…" she started, not quite sure what to say.

TK stopped her, feeling a sense of rejection come on. "I know it's a lot to take in. And if you don't know how to answer, I'll give you some time to think about it." He dropped her hands, giving her a small, comforting smile, trying his best to let her know that anything she would say would be alright with him. The smile also masked the uncomfortable sense of anxiety still somehow swelling up across his chest.

"There's no rush, whatever your response may be. I don't have to know tonight, or tomorrow, or even next week. I've waited all this time to come to my senses; I can wait a little longer. But…" TK paused, looking her directly in the eyes, trying to read whatever was going on behind them. "I needed to know you weren't going to hate me for telling you. You deserved to know the truth."

TK gave the brunette, still awestruck where she stood, a curt nod and halfhearted smile before walking towards the reception hall entrance. He couldn't stand there with her anymore, not knowing what she would say. If she didn't know what to say, he wanted to give her time to think about it. It was difficult for him to attempt to change their entire dynamic suddenly. Everything about his life was absolutely backwards; it made sense that his relationship with Kari would be too.

Matt and Tai were talking around the table TK was pulled away from earlier. The other Digidestined were either seated or standing around the two, sharing a laugh and a few drinks. TK knew it would be in his best interest to act normal and talk to Matt later.

"Sorry I'm late. Hope I didn't miss anything too exciting," TK laughed, leaning down behind Matt and Tai's chairs.

The older Digidestined welcomed him into their conversation. Tai looked around, confused as to why TK was alone. "Hey, do you know where my sister is?"

TK shrugged, giving Matt a quick knowing look before responding, "Last I saw her was in the lobby. She might have just needed some air."

Before anyone, a shaky voice behind the table caught their attention. "TK," Kari called. The group turned around, looking at the younger Digidestined. Her lips were pressed tight into a pink pout. She looked upset and her eyes only locked on to TK.

"Ah, fuck," Matt cursed, giving his brother's arm a slight slap. "What did you do?"

TK stood speechless, confused as to why Kari would make a scene in front of the other. He didn't respond and waited for her to make a move next. He didn't know what she was going to call him out on in front of the others, but that anxious feeling turned to horror in his chest.

Kari let out a loud exhale and stepped towards TK. "When we're having a serious conversation, don't you ever leave me again," she warned, a small tinge of hurt dripping from her words. She looked less upset as she finally reached the other younger Digidestined. "Because when you leave me, I can't do this."

Without warning, Kari threw her arms around TK's neck, pushing her body up against his. Their lips connected, their first kiss since the hospital. It felt different than any time before. There was no alcohol or lifechanging experience between them. It was a real first kiss, filled with innocent feelings and pure happiness that sparked inside of the two.

An audible gasp of excitement from the table behind them pulled them away from each other. TK's hand immediately found their way back to Kari's waist, not wanting her to go any farther away. He was in shock, both because Kari initiated the kiss but also because she did so in front of the rest of the Digidestined. Kari's secretive nature this past year would have never pointed towards this happening. TK was surprised but tried to ignore it. She was there, in front of him, letting everyone know she cared for him more than she would let on.

TK smiled down at her, trying to hold back his surprise. "You do realize what you just did, right?" he asked, nodding back to the other Digidestined.

"I don't care," Kari laughed. "Enough secrets. We're hiding enough from them as it is. Why not give them this one?"

TK let out a small laugh, still not fully believing what was happening. "Kari, I don't want you to make this decision because we're all dressed up and in this beautiful place and the mood is just right." His smile faded, trying to hide his excitement. His mouth felt dry, knowing he was saying something that could take all the excitement away. "There won't always be this romantic vibe. I'm not always the easiest to be around. I'm still in recovery. I still have PTSD. I'm not always going to be the best boyfriend, no matter how hard I try, no matter how much I love you. This fairytale is going to have some plot holes. Are you sure you want that?"

"TK, I know, and I want nothing more," Kari stopped him, giving him the biggest smile. Her voice fell to a hush. "I've known how I've felt since twenty-six weeks. That weekend you dropped everything to come be with me after a three-minute phone call, in that bookstore when you bought that book for Matthew, that's when I knew. I can't tell you why, because I don't even know myself. But that book changed everything."

TK's eyes squinting, trying to hold back a laugh. "You're telling me you loved me when I bought Goodnight Moon, a children's book?"

"I fell in love with you when you bought that children's book for our baby, without even thinking about it. You even told me that you didn't know why you bought it; you just needed to," Kari laughed, keeping her voice low in case the other Digidestined where trying to eavesdrop. "That's when I knew that I could love you, and when I knew that I in fact did."

The smile faded as a look of hopefully regret mixed on her face. "That's why I pushed you away that night. I thought that if I told you that I loved you, we wouldn't do what was right. It would have been so much harder to do what was right for him. And how could I come back from that after he was born?"

One of TK's hands left her hip and a cupped the side of her face, pulling up towards his. "Kari, it doesn't matter. We did what we thought was right. Just answer me: did you just love me then, or do love me now?"

Her eyes welled up, looking into TK's concerned face. She knew in her heart her answer and she wasn't going to get tongue-tied like before. "I was doing what was best for Matthew and what I thought was best for you, too. But now I'm going to start doing what I think is best for me." She smiled, feeling a tear roll down her cheek and onto TK's fingers. "And what's best for me is finally telling you how much I love you, then and now. There's nothing stopping me from telling you that I love you. We don't have worry about a baby or party rumors or anything."

She paused, catching her breath from a sharp exhale in surprise at herself. "TK, I think I'm in love with you, too."

TK's heart jumped out of his chest, as a slight laugh of excitement rushed out of his mouth. "You wanna give this a try?"

"More than anything," Kari answered, grabbing TK's hand still placed on the side of her jaw. "We've saved the Digital World plenty of times over. This shouldn't be so hard, right?"

TK stared at her, smiling and dumbfounded at her statement. Before he could think of words to say, he quickly pulled her up towards him and kissed her, deeper and more passionate than the first. The two younger Digidestined were lost in each that they would barely hear their names being called from the table behind them.

"Excuse me!" Tai's voice finally broke through, making TK and Kari pull apart with slight laugh and red faces. They turned around, facing the group of their shocked and giggly friends. Tai, the most shocked of the group, asked, "What just happened?"

TK and Kari looked from the older Digidestined back to each other, trying to hold in a laugh. Kari's face was beet red, finally coming to terms with what she had done in front of their friends. "Okay, who had eighteen?" she asked, reaching over to grab TK's hand.

"We know you guys have a betting pool on us getting together," TK smirked, intertwining his fingers in hers. "Whoever placed money on us being eighteen was right."

"I fucking knew it!" Yolei exclaimed, bouncing up and down behind one of the chairs in excitement.

While the other Digidestined said their congratulations, both of their eyes wandered to their older brothers, waiting for everyone else to finish with the younger Digidestined. TK saw them first, not able to tell if what they were thinking about the whole situation. He turned around and gently tugged on Kari's hand, pulling her away from her conversation and over to their brothers.

"You bit the bullet?" Matt asked, the smallest of smiles on his face.

"Are you mad at us?" Kari asked them both, but mostly towards her own brother.

Tai's shocked expression had faded into one of indifference, though he felt anything but indifferent towards his sister. "Kari, you have thrown me several twists and turns this past year that I wasn't expecting. But this isn't one of them." Tai stood up, a warm smile on his face as he embraced his baby sister.

TK let go of Kari's hand, letting her have her moment with her brother. He turned towards his own, giving him a small shrug.

"I'm not going to hug you for this. I expected you to do this," Matt responded, nodding towards the other set of siblings. TK smirked and rolled his eyes.

Matt stood up from his chair and hugged his brother anyway. "I'm proud of how far you've come," Matt whispered, softly but with the same hint of his normal sternness. "Don't fuck it up again."

TK pulled away, grateful for an amazing brother like Matt but also confused. "Again?" he asked.

Matt grabbed his shoulders forcibly, making his little brother listen. "If she ends up pregnant again before you graduate college, I'm kicking your ass."

"And I'll kick your ass twice, and gather the rest of the Digidestined to help," Tai interrupted, throwing an arm around Matt's shoulder playfully. "Is this the part where we trade siblings and give them the older brother lecture? I don't know; I've only seen this in movies."

Feeling embarrassment rush to his cheeks, TK tried to laugh, but knew both brothers were absolutely serious. "Trust me, I'll kick my own ass, too," he awkwardly laughed, looking over at Kari for backup. "I think we'll probably take things pretty slow this time, just for that fact."

Matt rolled his eyes back at his brother, removing his hands from his shoulders and ruffling his hair. "You say that now, but we all saw your eyes pop out of your head when you first saw her tonight." Matt then scoffed, pushing Tai off of him. "And as for a lecture, I think they know everything we could say," Matt answered, giving Kari a friendly smile. "They're adults now, Tai. After all they've been through, they can handle themselves."

"Yeah," Tai agreed, nodding and smiling at the two younger siblings. "I think you're right."

The four exchanged some more pleasantries before the other brothers step away, giving the two younger siblings time to talk again. Kari clasped her hands together awkwardly, looking around the room. "What do we do now?"

TK shrugged, running his fingers through his hair to give his hands something to do. "I don't know. Tonight went a lot better than I thought it would. I didn't plan it out this far."

Kari laughed, reaching for TK's hand. "Well, there's a dancefloor and a DJ. You could dance with me again."

TK rolled his eyes, letting himself be taken away by her to the dancefloor. Once they got there, TK spun her around before pulling her back closer to him. "You know I'd only dance for you, right?"

"Noted," Kari laughed, loving the spontaneity of the night. Something about being with each other felt right, righter than anything that has happened between the two in the past year and a half. The only other time they had danced together was when they were both incredibly drunk. This time around, honest and sober, they truly felt free from everything: all pressures and worries in their lives felt distant. For the first time in a while, they felt like the teenagers they missed out on being.

"Hey TK," Kari said, standing on her toes to whisper into his ear. "This relationship does have an exception."

"And what is that?" TK asked with a small grin.

"If I catch you doing cocaine again, we're over."

"Noted."

Hello again. Quarantine has made me miss these two, and being stuck inside forced me to write this epilogue that I didn't plan on writing but always thought about doing anyway. I honestly really liked how I ended this story in the last chapter, but I'm a hopeless romantic and needed to write this for myself. Again, I apologize for any spelling errors. I'm very bad at proofreading my own work and have used up a lot of my reading energy with work and grad school.

If you don't like this epilogue and prefer the last chapter, feel free to ignore this ending. This epilogue is 100 percent optional for this story.