A/N: Hey everyone. I'm sorry. I haven't been ignoring you on purpose. I promise. I've just been having problems with my laptop and then school started. So yeah... ::sweat drop:: AND like always, forgive grammatical/spelling errors.
Reviewer feedback:
Dark Iced Princess (or anglespuss15?): I'm glad you like this. My primary goal was to make it as realistic as possible.
kellyQ: I still don't know where this is going Taito wise, but I hope you will stay a reader.
Lady Enraged: You are right. This is not exceptional and I am hoping it will get better.
Sillie: Don't worry; it will get better for Yama. But it will get worse before it does. Hehe...
Redvind: Haha, I agree. I don't think Tai minds at all.
YamatoFanGirl: Are Taitos really that bad? (I still am NOT sure if this will turn into a yaoi.) But you're right; the fire is why he dreamt that. Hehe.
Kurochan: Thanks! I hope that I'm pleasing my reviewers.
Windfighter: I love your reviews! So original and they always make me laugh.
Saiko Senshi: Haha. I'm glad I described it well enough for you to feel sick. Not that I'm happy you felt sick. Hmm...I never thought about Yawamoto having a crush on Yama. Hmm...
Alene Deirbre: ::blushes:: Thank you. I was trying to maintain that carefree attitude intact. I'm glad you liked it. And, don't worry; I have plenty planned for our little Mattie. A lot more, believe me.
Dark Willow: I'm updating, I'm updating.
KOI Seracus: Wow. Thank you. I didn't think it was really that good. Heh.
Yamatoforever: Well, I wanted to maintain the story as real as possible. People are usually oblivious to things like that. That's another reason why Tai's the only one that has seen a change in Yamato. Eventually, everyone will start to notice but very slowly. I will tell you guys what happened last year but not until later. But that would be an interesting spin, to have Yamato's apartment burn down...
Yakari Taito: I will be trying to maintain a rigid schedule for my stories. And thank you.
Yamato slowly opened his eyes. He looked wearily around and found metal bars staring at him.
'The heater must be broken.' He thought groggily. He stretched his hand to touch it and immediately pulled it away. 'Damn!'
He looked at his hand but it was just slightly red, nothing severe. He let it fall.
A shiver ran through his spine. He was hungry but at the same time nauseous. He wasn't exactly sure what the stomach pangs were indicating. He looked tiredly around him and spotted the heavy winter blanket a few feet away. He stretched his hand, pulled the cover over his body and closed his eyes in defeat.
'I better eat. I might be hungry...well...at least force myself to stomach some soup...'
Yamato groaned, thinking ahead of the task at hand. He sat up slowly and wrapped the blanket in a cape like fashion. He was very close to just falling back to the dark abyss of sleep but fought stubbornly against it. He yawned once and pushed his dead weight body from the floor. After maintaining a certain level of balance, he shuffled to the refrigerator, opened it, stuck his head inside, and then shut it annoyed. He muttered some profanities and headed to the pantry. He didn't see any soup cans but knew that there were some around. After much probing, he finally emerged with a dusty old can of chicken soup. He placed it near the stove and wobbled around his kitchen for a can opener, pot, and bowl.
He turned on the fire and let the disgustingly pale yellow slop slap against the pot. It emitted a faint almond-like odor. It almost made his stomach turn. He turned his face away but kept stirring the clumpy mixture. He closed his eyes. The rhythmical motion was weighing his eyes and head down. He blinked furiously but it didn't help. He paused the stirring and decided to sit in a nearby chair. He let the spoon lean against the side of the pot and he sat down, with the blanket tight around him. He shivered fiercely and groaned.
"Fuck."
His teeth and jaw clenched from the cold until they began to feel sore.
'I think I might need to buy some medicine.'
He knew that none existed in the house, besides aspirin. He took a deep breath and tried to use momentum to get himself up from the chair. He didn't use enough force and fell back down. Immediately he tried again, and succeeded. He dragged his feet to the entrance door and tried to force them into his shoes. He always liked to tie them tight and today had been no exception. He sighed and leaned down to untie the laces and allow room for his tired feet. It was too much effort to maintain that position and he sank to the floor. He breathed a small sigh and undid one of the shoes with much struggle. He let his right foot slide slowly in. He stared at his pitiful accomplishment and leaned against the wall. He shuddered once and let his eyes slide close.
Tai was racing up the stairs to Yamato's apartment two at a time, as was his custom, with his scarf flailing wildly behind him. He knew Yama would probably be annoyed to see him so soon but he didn't see his best friend very often anymore. His mother had shooed him from their house anyway because she was cleaning before she left for work.
He stopped in front of Yamato's door, pulled out a key chain containing five different keys, picked the correct one and inserted it into the doorknob. It was very common of Tai to appear in Yama's house from time to time randomly, especially when Yamato's father left the city, which was becoming more frequent.
'Yamato won't mind if I slip inside. He's more than likely sleeping and I'll just be watching TV....and eating his food.' He grinned.
He tried to push the door open but something was obstructing its path.
"Huh." He muttered. He tried again and obviously deduced that the object was heavy and large.
"I hope it's not fragile." He stepped back a few feet and rammed the door open. It only budged enough for him to squeeze through.
"What the hell?" He looked behind the door and spotted a blonde thing on the floor. "Oh shit!"
He laughed.
"Sorry Yamato!"
No response.
"Yamato?"
He leaned down after closing the door. "Are you all right? I didn't mean to hit you."
Tai pulled his friend apart from his crumpled heap. He was lying on his back with eyes closed and a blanket wrapped around. He should have been awake after the door beating.
"Oh shit! I must have hit him on the head!" He clutched clumps of his bushy hair. "Shit! I killed my best friend! Fuck! Should I elevate his legs?! Or was it his neck?! What if I slap him? Does that actually work? I knew I should have taken better notes in health class!"
His ranting was interrupted by a delicate groan. He let out a relieved long sigh.
"So he's not dead." He clapped his hands together. "Let's get him out of the entrance."
He grabbed Yamato's feet, ignoring for now the shoe, and pulled the temporarily limp body past the kitchen and across the floor to the edge of the couch.
"Geez, you're heavier than you look."
Now, calming down significantly, Taichi finally was able to focus on his friend's features. 'Mato's face was beet red and had an almost swollen appearance. The beautiful strands of cornflower hair had been darkened and dampened by trespassing condensation from his forehead. His lips were cracked and pale like old pieces of marble. Tai scratched his head. A smell crawled into his nostrils; like burning almonds. He followed the scent to the kitchen and spotted streams of steam emerging from a pot on the kitchen. He turned the stove off and glanced at the bubbling broth.
"Bleh. What the hell is that?" He grabbed the handle, kept the pot at a considerably long distance, and dumped it into the nearby sink. It made a splatting sound as it hit the sink.
He headed back to Yamato. He felt his forehead and it felt slightly warm. He shook his head at Matt's independence.
"Only you would make yourself soup and be getting ready to go out when you're sick. If it was me, I'd be with a little bell calling my mom the entire time."
'I better get him to bed.'
He exhaled loudly and grabbed Yamato's feet one more time. As he proceeded to tug Matt he felt a small jolt.
"What are you doing?" A barely conscious Yamato inquired, very quietly.
Tai let Matt's feet drop.
"I was moving you to your room."
Tai noticed his friend shifting his weight to stand and tried to get Yamato to lean against him but was rejected. Yamato arose alone at a very lethargic speed.
"Aren't you supposed to be at home?" He wanted to sound as normal as possible.
"Yeah, but what better place to hang out than the Ishida residence?"
"Mom kicked you out?" His voice was very harsh and gravelly.
"Yeah." Tai grinned widely. Yamato began to cough very violently and sounded like he was choking. He clasped Tai's shoulder.
"Let me get you some water!"
Yamato shook his head as the fit subsided.
"We're near your bedroom. You can at least lie down and I'll get you some real food."
"No, I'm all right Tai."
"Ishida, for once do as I say."
"No damn it. I'm fine."
"Are you telling me that or yourself?"
Yamato stayed silent.
"Just stop being so stubborn and let's go."
Yamato released Tai and walked himself the few feet to his room. It took much effort and was made very apparent with his slow shuffling. Yamato crossed his arms, in a sly attempt to keep warm, yet was betrayed by his uncontrollable shaking. The blanket had been left behind at the front door. Both boys navigated through piles of laundry, books, papers, and old sheets. The sun was setting and the blinds were shut. Random slivers of light seeped through, lighting chosen places. Shadows were starting to creep up the walls and ceiling to stare at the new inhabitants.
Yamato sat at the edge of his bed, looked at it once dubiously, then at Taichi.
"What?" Tai asked Matt.
"I didn't say anything."
"Well...sleep."
Yamato didn't move but with drooping eyes kept staring.
"I'm not really tired Tai."
"Like hell you aren't. Shut up, lay back, and sleep." Tai pushed his friend backwards, knowing Yamato was too proud to do it himself.
Yamato shuddered at the cool touch of the sheets against his warm skin. Immediately the blankets' claws wrapped themselves around his body and he almost succumbed to slumber completely.
"I'll go see what you have in your kitchen, okay?"
"Yeah..." Yama responded gently with eyes closed.
Tai lingered a few more minutes to keep watch. He stared in amazement that after much debating Yamato was finally permitting himself the luxury of sleep.
"Tai?" He muttered. His eyelids were beginning to flutter.
"Yeah?"
"I dreamt I was on fire."
"What?"
"My mom was there. I was on fire but it was an accident."
"It was just a dream."
"T.K. was mad. And I think the penguins stole my honey."
"What penguins?"
"The ones from the snow."
"Okay buddy, if you say so."
"Hmm..."
Yamato stopped mumbling and his breathing became even and soft. Tai left the dark room to the hallway. He plucked his cell phone from his pocket and called his mother.
"Moshi moshi. Yagami residence."
"Hey mom."
"Hi Tai, are you still at Yamato's?"
"Yeah. Mom, what time are you leaving for work?"
"Right now actually, why?"
"Yamato's sick, and his father's out of town."
"He's sick? Didn't you walk him home today?"
"Yeah I did." He lied quickly. "But he looks really bad now."
"Well, he is my responsibility until his father comes home..."
Silence filled the gap.
"Have him take his own temperature and if it's significantly high, give me a call."
"Okay, but is it all right if I stay here for a bit?"
"But not too late, you still have school tomorrow."
"Don't worry. What time is it now?"
"7 [pm]. And if I don't answer my phone, call Kari and tell her where you are."
"Will do. Bye."
"Don't forget to call her."
"I won't."
Click.
"His fever didn't feel too bad. I'll wait for him to wake up." He put the phone back in his pocket and flopped down on the couch in the living room.
Yamato's room was behind the plaster wall behind his head. He would hear if Mattie woke up. He grabbed the remote and turned on the television.
A loud thump woke Taichi.
"What was that?"
He looked for the remote and turned off the corny action flick. He gathered himself and headed for Yamato's room around the corner.
He saw Yamato groan and twist in the bed. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he began to mumble incoherently, and cough fiercely. Taichi walked over to him and tried to shake him awake.
"Hey," he whispered. "Wake up." He just kept groaning and mumbling.
Tai looked at the clock next to the bed on the nightstand. '10 P.M.' it read.
"Come on man. Wake up," he whispered louder.
He felt Yama's forehead and immediately remove his hand. He began to get panicky.
"Come on Yamato!" He was now yelling and shaking in urgency. Yamato's mumbling stopped. He slowly, and it seemed painfully, opened his eyes.
"Tai?" His gaze would come in and out of focus. His eyes began to constantly wander around. Tai let go of Yamato's shoulders.
"Yamato." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Can I take your temperature?"
No answer.
"Yamato!"
"Hmm? Tai?" He sounded as if he had never used his vocal chords before.
"I need to take your temperature all right?" he said it slowly. Yama didn't seem to acknowledge but Tai needed to keep him awake. He jogged to the bathroom, searched wildly through the medicine cabinet, came back, and inserted it in Yamato's mouth. He would keep dozing off but Tai kept yelling his name.
Finally the thermometer beeped and he checked. '104.2' He needed to do something immediately. The only choice he had was to call his mom.
"I'll be right back Yamato." He stepped out of the muggy room and dialed his mom's cell from his cell. He always paced when on the phone. The phone kept ringing and he was afraid he would get the voicemail.
"Hello?"
"Mom."
"Oh Tai. How's Matt doing?"
"Not well at all."
"What's wrong?"
"He has a high fever and is completely knocked out."
"Oh dear, I won't be home for at least another hour or so. Have you tried getting his fever to go down? How high is it?"
"No I haven't. It's 104."
"We need to get him to a hospital if you can't manage to at least take it down to 101. Grab a wet cloth and place it on his forehead. If he's covered in many blankets, take most of them off. We don't want him overheating. Check to see if they have any aspirin or cold medicines. Make sure it says on the instructions that it's specifically for fever. And if you find a way to wake him up, get him to take a lukewarm bath. Oh, I wish I didn't have to be working so late. And your father always has the worst timing when it comes to out of town trips."
"Thanks mom. I think I can take care of it now."
"Do you have money?"
"Yes."
"Well, I don't think that they'll have any cold medicine knowing the Ishida boys, so go to the store and get some."
"All right. Thanks again mom."
"Call me if he gets worse."
"I will. Bye."
"Bye."
Tai placed the phone back in his jeans' pocket and headed toward the kitchen. He found a small bowl in the sink and filled it with water. He also picked up a small hand towel. He walked back to the bedroom and walked over to Yamato. He placed the towel on his forehead. After a few minutes, Yamato's eyes fluttered open. He looked at him clearly for the first time that night.
"Tai..? What are you doing here?" He still sounded weak.
"Shh. It's all right." Yamato issued a fragile groan. He tried turning away from Tai and pushing the cloth from his forehead. "No, you have to keep it on," he said quietly placing it back. Yamato would mutter something and keep turning away.
This happened for the next 20 minutes or so until, out of exhaustion, Yamato gave up and fell asleep. Tai had taken his temperature beforehand though. But it hadn't gone down. In fact, it went up at least two more decimals. He sat back down in the chair and placed his head in his hands. Yamato was shivering violently. Tai stood up. Originally he had placed at least 5 blankets, but now he threw four of them off. Yamato's teeth began to chatter and he curled up into the fetal position. Tai wanted curl up next to his friend to keep him warm. Anything to help him. Instead he sat down in a chair next to the bed and crossed his arms.
A small buzzing woke him up. Tai lost his balance and fell from his chair.
"Oof. Ow." The cell phone was still ringing. He clumsily took it out. "Hello?"
"Why didn't you answer?"
"Sorry mom. I fell asleep."
"How's Yamato?"
"Last time I checked, his fever went up. But I don't know now."
"Check it and call me back."
"All right."
Click.
Tai yawned loudly. He looked at the bed but found it empty.
"Yamato?! Where are you?!" Fear filled his mind but he ran out of the room. He spotted Yamato grabbing desperately on to a chair in the kitchen. He ran over to his friend and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"I was trying to get something to drink." Yamato explained quietly.
Tai looked down at him. Yamato was close to tears. So much defeat in his eyes, almost pleading to him for help. This must mean that Yamato had no other option left. His pride never allowed him to turn to anyone but himself.
"Let's get you back to bed."
"I-I..." Yamato seemed unsure. "I'm going to get water." He decided.
"Let me help you."
Yamato shook his head.
"Yamato," Tai tried to sound strict. "You're very, very, very ill. Now, we are going back to the room."
"No."
Tai sighed angrily. Yama hated to be told what to do.
"I- I'm getting some water." Yamato feebly pushed Taichi away, which caused absolutely no effect. "Go away." Yamato was now trying to be defiant.
"No Ishida. I will drag you back by your hair if I have to."
Yamato tried to glare icily at his best friend to no avail.
"We ARE going back to your room; I will bring you some water, and then take your temperature AGAIN."
"Tai-" Yamato started to retort. Suddenly he began to sink down.
"Matt?!"
"Tai..." Yamato crumpled entirely. Taichi quickly placed his hands under Matt's arms and almost felt like crying himself.
Meh... I'm not particularly proud of this chapter. But I hope you kinda enjoyed it. I promise, promise, promise the story will start to progress at a faster speed AND I have so much more angst waiting for him.