AN: Hello there. I've rated this 'T', but if anyone thinks it should be rated 'M' instead, do tell me. I think you'll be all right as long as you're fourteen and above. There's no sex or anything . . . just a lot of speculations about it.
Note: The title really has nothing to do with the story . . . 'Love You More' is a song by Racoon. I liked the lyrics "You look like you did before, only prettier / Every day I love you more, and more and more . . .". I'll probably title all my stories after songs, as I can't come up with titles for the life of me. :3
Takenouchi Sora slipped quietly into the guest bedroom of the apartment she lived in with her parents – and, currently, her boyfriend. Ishida Yamato had taken up temporary residence in their home for the duration his father was going to be away in America. Mr. Ishida was there for work-related reasons; something about ongoing negotiations with US television networks regarding affiliates and revenue, and other things Sora didn't quite understand, or care to.
She closed the door behind her gently, and approached the sleeping mass of blond hair partially visible from under the covers of the room's sole bed. She glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table; it read 7:03 a.m.. She drummed her fingers against the surface of the table in an attempt to awaken the boy in slumber.
He stirred but did not wake, moving quite a bit unconsciously, making the covers slide down his upper body. Sora took a moment to admire his strong, broad shoulders, and toned chest. Yamato had always been appearance-conscious, and as he aged he seemed to care more and more about the way he looked. But somehow he never came across as shallow; just elegant, graceful. Gorgeous.
Sora placed a hand on his chest and nudged him gently, this time getting a more animated reaction. He sat up in a panic, almost scaring her, but then seemingly calmed down after a few seconds.
"Sora," he hissed, "I thought you were your mother." He rubbed morning sleep out of his eyes, and gave a soft yawn, stretching his arms. Sora wasn't impressed.
"I don't look anything like my mother!" she hissed in return. "Are you saying I look old, that you'd actually mistake me for my mother?" She challenged him with narrowed eyes. Then she noticed how cute he looked, half-asleep (half-awake?) with bed hair, and her eyes softened and she broke into a small smile.
Yamato smiled in return, half dazed. "You're pretty." It had nothing to do with the topic at hand – well, perhaps it kind of tied in as a counter to 'old', though not really – but it was the first thing that came to mind as he saw her smile.
She blushed faintly, shoving him down onto the bed from his sitting position. "Shut up. We have to get ready for school. I came in to see if you had woken up yet – you know, by yourself? – but apparently not. You so need me, Ishida."
He smiled with laughter etched in his lips. "I do, I do." Grabbing her around her small waist, he pulled her down towards him, and the two began to play-wrestle as Sora struggled to get free. The two were laughing and giggling and getting so carried away that they almost didn't hear the sound of someone clearing their throat. Almost.
It was Sora's mother.
Toshiko looked at the two teenagers, tangled in each others' limbs, with raised eyebrows. "Sora," she began, "I hope you didn't spend the night in here with Yamato –"
"O-of course not, mother!" Sora sputtered. She wasn't stupid, if her parents caught her with Yamato they'd kindly request that he go stay with his mother and brother on the other side of town. "I just came in about five minutes ago to wake him up for school. Honest."
Toshiko surveyed the scene. Her daughter's boyfriend – with raging hormones no doubt at seventeen – did not have a shirt on. Hmm. She pondered that for a while before finally deciding to let it go, nodding her head.
"Okay. I trust you. You two better get ready for school if you don't want to be late."
"Yes Mrs. Takenouchi," Yamato replied respectfully, and Sora nodded. Toshiko left the room and closed the door. Yamato sighed with relief, which did not go unnoticed by Sora. She raised her eyebrows at him.
"She's my mother, not yours. I would have been in more trouble than you!"
"Maybe," Yamato replied. "Uh, Sora . . . how about you go get ready? I'll be out in a bit."
Sora cast suspicious eyes on him, before her lips curved into a smirk. "Did you have a wet dream?" she teased playfully. "Were you thinking about Teletubbies again?"
She couldn't remember exactly how that in-joke had started, but it consisted of her teasing Yamato about having a hormonal-driven obsession with Teletubbies – even though he had never once showed an interest in them, sexual or otherwise. The mere thought that he did was creepy – and thus why Sora found it so hilarious to tease him about. Yamato did not, however.
"Yeah, Ditsy," he said sarcastically.
"You mean Dipsy!" Sora corrected him. Well, apparently Sora was the one who watched Teletubbies. She must've had it on whilst Yamato was over sometime, called him a gay Teletubbie, and it had grown from there. Probably.
"Whatever," Yamato replied, "are you going or what?"
Sora hmph'd, before her eyes began looking suspicious again. The two stared silently at each other for several seconds. Sora's eyes then wandered down Yamato's face, pass his neck, down his chest – and the bed covers obscured the rest. Then it hit her.
"You're naked!" she exclaimed. "That's why you woke up panicked, in case I had been my mother – Yamato! I told you not to sleep in the nude while you're here!"
He looked sheepish. "But clothes make me feel so restrained! I like sleeping in the nude . . ."
"Well I know that," Sora huffed. "But what if my mum or dad come in and see you naked? They'd think you were trying things with me!"
Yamato playfully pouted. "Okay. I won't do it again."
Sora frowned. "I'm serious, Yamato. If you want to stay here until your dad gets back –"
Yamato dropped the pout. "I know, I know. I promise I'll sleep in clothes from now on. Okay?"
"Okay," Sora said, getting off the bed. "Now let's get ready for school. Taichi and Mimi might have to wait for us for a while . . ."
Tachikawa Mimi hummed idly as she waited for her friends. It was several minutes past eight and school started in half an hour, so if Sora and Yamato didn't get their butts down soon – and if Taichi didn't show up for that matter – Mimi was walking without them. Maybe. She sighed.
A smile then etched itself onto her face as a familiar brunet came jogging into her view. "Taichi," she greeted, as he reached her.
"Hey Mimi," Yagami Taichi greeted in return, glancing at the entrance of the apartment complex behind her. "They're not down yet?" he queried, though the answer was obvious.
"They are taking forever," Mimi groaned in reply. "I bet it's Yamato. And his hair. God."
Taichi gave an easy laugh, then nodded his head in agreement. "Probably. Poor Sora." She was usually down by eight on the dot, and Taichi was the one who kept everyone up. In his defence, he did live the farthest away from the school.
"Poor Sora? Poor me! I've been waiting here for at least twenty minutes!" Mimi moaned.
Taichi lifted an eyebrow. "That early, really? Well, it's your own fault for being so nosy."
"Nosy!?" Mimi exclaimed. "What could I possibly be nosy about?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him innocently.
Taichi looked amused. "You want to ask Sora a million questions about how the weekend went with Yamato moved in, right?" It was so obvious.
Mimi stuck her tongue out at him for being right. "Well, as if you're not curious as well," she accused. "I still can't believe Sora's parents actually let Yamato stay with them."
"Yeah, I know. My mum would never let a girlfriend of mine stay over our place," Taichi agreed, "but I'm not curious about the situation. I think it's pretty obvious what Sora and Yamato are up to."
Mimi looked confused. "What are they up to?"
Taichi's expression was plain as he replied. "You know. Sex?"
"WHAT!?" Mimi erupted, then cupped a hand over her mouth.
Taichi smirked at Mimi's outburst as a few people on the sidewalk glanced at them. "A little louder next time, Mimi?"
Mimi gave him a small glare. "Well, I can't believe you said that! As if Sora and Yamato would have sex while living in the same place as her parents! Never mind that; as if Sora and Yamato are actually having sex – period!"
Taichi raised an eyebrow to that last statement. "Mimi, they've been dating for, like, three years."
"So?" Mimi returned defiantly. "Just because they've been dating for a long time doesn't mean they're having sex."
Taichi studied Mimi for a few seconds before clapping a hand onto her shoulders, and then nodding his head at her as if she were a child. "Stay innocent."
Mimi slapped his hand away. "Oh shut up," she retorted, then continued to argue. "If they were having sex I would know. I'm her best friend! She'd tell me. She would." Right?
"Hey, I'm her best friend too, and she hasn't told me –" Taichi remarked, before being cut off by Mimi.
"Yes, but you're a guy. Why would she tell you anything about her sex life?" Mimi rolled her eyes. "I mean – non existent sex life," she corrected herself.
"I'm also Yamato's best friend, and he hasn't told me either," Taichi went on, as if Mimi hadn't spoken. "I think it's just because they're both, you know, private. But I'm sure they're having sex."
"On the basis that they've been going out for three years?" Mimi remarked.
"Well, yes."
". . ."
". . ."
Mimi sighed. "Well, I'm asking Sora!"
"Go ahead, as long as you don't tell her that I'm in any way involved with your probing questions!" Taichi didn't want Sora to think he was a pervert. Well, more perverted than she thought he was, anyway. And he didn't really want to know the details of Sora and Yamato's sex life. Well, unless Yamato wanted to tell him, because then it'd be from another guy's point of view, and not the other way around. That would be okay.
Mimi slapped Taichi's arm for no reason.
"Ow!" Taichi grumbled, rubbing the newly sore area. Except it hadn't really hurt much – he just wanted to make a scene of it. "Somehow I'm not allowed to hit you, but you're allowed to –"
"Hey guys," a voice emerged several feet away from the entrance of the apartment. It was Sora. She had her hand entwined with Yamato's, who was also carrying her school bag as well as his own. "Bickering again?"
"Bickering? Us? Not at all!" Mimi smiled widely. "But let's not dwell on me and Taichi. How were things this weekend?"
"Fine . . ." Sora trailed, glancing at Yamato. "Why?" She knew Mimi had been messaging her cell phone over the weekend, to ask questions about Yamato no doubt, but she had ignored them. Mimi and gossip.
"Oh, well, you know. Yamato's living with you. It's a big deal! It's like you're married. Almost," Mimi nodded her head up and down emphatically.
Yamato quirked an eyebrow at the mention of being married. "Not really . . . I mean, we sleep in different beds – rooms." Mimi and Taichi looked at each other. "So it's not like we're married at all," Yamato continued. "It feels more like we're at a sleep over. Anyway, shouldn't we start walking? We'll be late for school otherwise."
"Oh, right," Mimi blinked, as the four teenagers began walking in the direction of Odaiba High School. Of course, the walk wasn't in silence; not with Mimi and her bubbling curiosity around, certainly. She planned to prod from all angles.
"So what kept you two so long?" Mimi asked. "Yamato, your hair looks suspiciously too perfect." Though the question was asked to indirectly give Mimi more clues to the level of her friends' intimacy, the fact that Yamato's hair was perfect did rule out a morning romp. Mimi blushed lightly at the thought of a 'morning romp', and turned her head ever-so-slightly to conceal her cheeks.
Without missing a beat Yamato replied, "But it's always too perfect, Mimi." Then he realised she was actually accusing him of holding them up. "Hey! I only spent ten minutes on my hair. Ten minutes. It was Sora and her zit cream –" Sora glared at him. "– Um. No. I'm wrong. It was me and my hair," he retracted, receiving a smug smile from Sora.
Taichi laughed at their exchange. "You are totally whipped, man. What did I tell you about Sora? If you end up marrying her you'll be henpecked." His laughter died as Sora turned her glare on him. He coughed. "Only joking, Sor."
Yamato sniggered. "At least she's my girlfriend. She's not even yours and she's got you whipped!"
"Please," Taichi said, then walked a little ahead of them so as not to prolong the discussion. Sora had always been good at scolding both he and Yamato, and for some reason he never challenged her the way he would Yamato.
The other three chuckled, then Mimi asked a seemingly random question. "Yamato, can I see your wallet?" Her open palm was held out expectantly at Yamato.
The blond quirked an eyebrow at her. "What? Why?"
"I just . . . want to see if you still have that dream photo of you and Sora in there," Mimi lied. Taichi had turned his head back to listen when he heard Mimi's question, but now faced forward again, shaking his head lightly with a small smirk. He couldn't believe Mimi was actually asking to see Yamato's wallet so she could find a condom . . .
"Right . . ." Yamato replied, not convinced. "Well, I do. Sora won't let me replace it with a naked photo of Koda Kumi –" His girlfriend jabbed him. "Ow!" Then he continued. "– So you don't have to double-check."
Mimi pouted, dropping her hand to her side. "So mean. Sora, tell him he's mean."
"You're mean," Sora mockingly reprimanded Yamato, who played along, pulling a sad face. Mimi's pout seemed to droop further.
"I'll show you later," Yamato said, having actually felt a bit mean. "We have school now."
Indeed the four had reached the gates of Odaiba High, just in time to hear the school bell.
"Warning bell, I think," Taichi said, glancing at the students; some still chatting, others moving slowly inside the building to their classrooms.
"Sora," Mimi spoke up before the four would disperse, "can you come down to my classroom for lunch?" She'd be able to ask all the questions she wanted.
Sora looked at Yamato to see if he'd mind, as he usually had lunch with her in her classroom. He shrugged. She nodded at Mimi. "Sure."
Mimi broke into a huge grin. "Excellent. I'll see you at lunch. Bye!" The pink-haired girl was quick to dash off.
"Well," Taichi said as Mimi vanished inside the school, "I'll come over your class at lunch then, Yamato."
"Whatever," Yamato replied, as the three began walking inside the school towards their different classrooms, all located in the same area as they were in the same grade.
"So enthusiastic," Taichi said, voice dripping with sarcasm. The three then walked up some stairs and came to a stop at classroom 3-C. "Okay, see you at lunch then," he directed at Yamato. "And I'll see you whenever, I guess, Sora."
Yamato and Sora gave him a small wave, and he disappeared inside. The couple then headed to Sora's classroom, which was next to Taichi's.
"Mimi was acting weird," Yamato remarked, letting go of Sora's hand and giving her back her school bag.
"She's always like that," Sora replied, looking up at her boyfriend. He wore his school uniform jacket buttoned up, with the collar of his white shirt unbuttoned, just like in junior high. And he always looked dashing, no matter how dull the uniform.
He shrugged in return. "I guess. But you're having lunch with her, and not with me." He frowned lightly.
"You didn't say anything," Sora retorted, folding her arms.
"I shrugged!" the blond exclaimed.
"And that means 'no'?" Sora remarked skeptically. "You should have spoken. Besides, I can always just not go, if you're going to whine." She didn't mind either way, really. Though having lunch with Yamato would be nice. Then again, he lived with her now . . . she'd see him all the time. She hoped she wasn't getting clingy.
Yamato looked indignant. "No, that's fine."
Sora looked amused. "Okay." She stood on her tippy-toes to give Yamato a light kiss on the lips. Then with a teasing laugh she added, "See you after school. Don't flirt with Taichi behind my back."
"Ha ha," Yamato replied dryly, as Sora ducked into class 3-B. "Bye, Sora."
And with that he walked the short steps to his own classroom as the final bell rang throughout the school.
It was lunchtime and Mimi was sat at her desk waiting impatiently for Sora to show up. She'd be tapping her fingers against her desk if she didn't care about the damage it would cause to her nails. Instead, she settled for sighing at the door continuously, as her classmates ate and chatted around her at their own desks.
Finally, her auburn-haired friend walked through the classroom door and, catching Mimi's annoyed expression, flashed her a gently apologetic look.
"It takes a while to go down those stairs!" Sora exclaimed, grabbing an empty chair and pulling it up to Mimi's desk, so that the two were face to face. Sora had actually gone to see Yamato first, but Mimi didn't need to know that.
Mimi waved a hand to dismiss the matter. "So – Yamato," she stated. "Tell!"
Sora raised her eyebrows in fake confusion. "Tell what?"
"Soraaa," Mimi groaned, then launched straight into it. "Where does he sleep – I'm assuming the guest bedroom. Are you allowed to talk to him after dark – are your parents being strict? Does he use your bathroom? Does he do his own laundry –" Sora held up a hand to silence Mimi, and looked at her incredulously.
"Mimi, slow down. Am I allowed to talk to him after dark? How ridiculous is that!" Sora exclaimed, hints of laughter evident in her voice. "Of course I am. My parents don't command us to be mutes as soon as the sun goes down."
"Well," Mimi started, feeling slightly insulted, "I think it was a valid question! Do they let him in your room after dark, then?"
"Okay, I get your point," Sora answered. "They do get a bit on-edge when he's in my room at night. My dad knocked on my door on Saturday at 10 p.m in a not-so-subtle way to suggest that Yamato should leave my room. It's a bit annoying."
Mimi raised her eyebrows. "So, you and Yamato . . . you guys spend a lot of nights together?"
Sora wondered if there was a hidden implication in that question, and hesitated before replying. "It's . . . cosy. Being with him at night. It's just cosier than in the day . . . I don't know."
Mimi decided she didn't want to beat around the bush any longer. She stared Sora straight in the eyes and, lowering her voice so she knew for certain that no one else could hear, she uttered the question she had been dying to ask since morning.
"Are you having sex with Yamato?"
Sora blinked.
When Taichi approached Yamato's classroom at lunchtime he found the blond focussed on his small laptop.
"Hey, man," Taichi greeted, sitting down. Yamato glanced at him, grunted a greeting, then averted his eyes back to the computer screen. Taichi bit into his apple. "What'cha doing?"
"Checking my email. Well, my dad emailed me, so I'm writing a reply," Yamato answered, fingers typing away on the keyboard.
His dad had bought him a laptop before leaving on his business trip to America. Yamato would've preferred a new guitar – or maybe a set of drums. Sora had once told him that she found drummers sexier than bassists and lead vocalists. Yamato was sure she was teasing him, but for some reason since, he felt the need to learn the drums to impress her.
Taichi had thought quite a bit about the whole are-they-or-aren't-they having sex issue regarding Sora and Yamato, thanks to Mimi and her antics that morning. Frankly, Taichi didn't like thinking about his friends' sex lives all that much, so he figured the only way it'd go away would be to find out if they were having sex or not. Then he wouldn't have to think about it. Well, that was the plan.
"Do you get porn emails?" was Taichi's chosen line to ease into the sex question.
Yamato stared at his friend with raised eyebrows before answering with sarcasm. "Why, would you like me to forward you some?"
"No," Taichi replied, ignoring his mocking tone, "I was just wondering if you got them as well. I get a tonne of them in my inbox for some reason."
"No," Yamato answered. "Unless you count 'Enlarge Your Penis' emails, I guess."
"Oh," Taichi said with a straight face, "Sora's still sending you those?"
Yamato promptly shoved him off his chair, and Taichi hit the floor laughing. "Idiot," Yamato stated, kicking his friend, then returned his attention to the laptop.
Taichi got up and rubbed his backside, plopping back down on the chair. "Yamato . . ." he started. He tried the indirect approach – which was so not him – so now he figured he might as well skip the direct approach and go further. "I saw you and Sora having sex."
Yamato almost fell off his chair.
That evening Toshiko was doing the laundry, placing clothes in the washing machine after pulling the pockets inside out to check for any forgotten items left in them. She hummed to herself, tuning out the faint noises of the TV in the living room, where Sora and Yamato sat embraced in each others' arms, talking and laughing.
Toshiko was almost done with Yamato's hamper when, after reaching into the back pocket of his school pants to pull it inside out, she felt a small object. Apparently, Yamato was a little absent-minded when it came to making sure his pockets were empty before throwing his clothes into the hamper.
Well, that's what double-checking during laundry was for, Toshiko guessed.
She pulled the object out casually – but almost dropped it as her eyes took in what it was.
An un-opened condom.
AN: 2007.12.01. I've finally written my first Sorato in almost four years! . . . Okay, that was longer than I expected. The chapter, I mean. And not much happened . . . hmm. Well, if you liked it, please review – and I'll update before 2010. Or something . . .