He had been glancing over at me all night, and he was a fool to think I didn't notice it. Taichi had come to the party with some girl from his university, but he was barely paying any attention to her. I'd heard through the grapevine that he'd only brought her on account of my bringing a date anyways- not that that worked out. Yamato had insisted that I bring someone to, in his words, what was going to be a "huge party", so I asked one of my closer friends from school. He got sick, and luckily so. Although the party was larger, I knew enough people to not feel weird without someone by my side all night.

I leaned my lower back against the table behind me as I took another sip of my drink, the warm alcohol rushing down my throat. Over the rim of my cup I peered back at him. His date was trying to get him to dance with her, but he didn't look too enthusiastic about it. Taichi had never been good at dancing, and this girl was finding out the hard way. I laughed at the way his feet mixed themselves up, then realized I was staring and looked away. I tried to focus on something else, like the flickering lights or how loud the music was, but I couldn't help glancing back at the two. Were they getting closer? Was he putting his hands on her hips? Did she pull him into her?

"Sora?"

I nearly let my cup slip from my hand. "Er, yeah?"

Yamato walked over to me and looked at me skeptically. "What are you doing over here by yourself?" He nudged my shoulder and laughed.

I rolled my eyes and laughed as well. "Nothing, just laughing at all these people who can't dance."

"You mean Taichi?" Yamato moved next to me, leaned down to my level, and peered through the dance floor at the brunette. "Ay, look at him go, will ya?"

I rolled my eyes again, choosing to take another sip of my drink instead of responding. The cup was empty now so I placed it on the table behind me and stretched my arms behind my back, trying to look preoccupied.

"Don't tell me you're bored." Yamato asked teasingly. "I throw the best parties in all of Odaiba! How could you be bored?"

"Now, that's a stretch."

"Oh, come on." Yamato nudged me again, looking from me, to Taichi, then back at me again. "Here, what do you say we share a dance?"

"Yamato, I-" I tried to decline, but he'd already spoken up again.

"Just as friends! Come on, it'll be fun!" He winked at me mischievously before grabbing my arm and pulling me onto the dance floor. I could feel Taichi's eyes following us the entire way.

I've never really been the best dancer either, but I felt ridiculous on my feet as my drink kicked in. Yamato spun me around and the room moved more quickly than it should have, pulling some laughter out of me. I smiled and pretended to curtsy as Yamato pulled me back into him. He placed one hand on my back, just over my shoulder, and the other on my side as we swayed to the music together. Taichi and I caught each other's gaze for a second as I peered over Yamato's shoulder, but I didn't have time to do anything before the blonde decided to swirl me around again. I didn't laugh this time, though. I could hear Taichi's footsteps over everything else.

Yamato pulled me in again just in time for me to see the brunette walking towards us, and judging from how confused his date looked, it looked like he'd set his course on us without giving her any notice. Yamato hadn't noticed him approaching yet though, and he didn't notice until Taichi put one of his hands on the blonde's shoulder.

"Are you making a fool of yourself in front of enough girls tonight, Yamato?"

The blonde spun around, saw him, and laughed. "Ay, look who it is. Perfect timing, too! I've got a party to attend to."

Yamato walked off and left the two of us, but not before giving me a playful wink. I waved goodbye; Taichi grumbled something.

"Are you having fun?" I asked the brunette, speaking loudly so he could hear me over the music.

He peered down at me and smirked. "Not as much as you, apparently."

"What do you mean?"

He laughed. "You're drunk."

"Am not!"

"Come on, Sora." He reached out and ruffled my hair. "How many have you had?"

"Taichi!" I exclaimed, trying to push his hand away. However, all I succeeded in was knocking myself off balance.

All Taichi did was laugh. "Come on, come with me so I can get another beer. It looks like I've got to play catch up."

Happy at the opportunity to leave the dance floor, I tagged along, but as I walked next to him I noticed that I was paying attention to things that I never payed attention to while sober. Why hadn't I noticed just how warm his skin looked, or how built his arms were? Why had I never realized how sculpted his chest looked in his favorite white V-neck, the shirt he was sporting tonight? Why had I never realized the slight hint of want that took over his gaze when he looked at me in this lighting?

Taichi picked up a beer from the table and cracked it open, leaning his head back to take a sip. I watched the veins in his neck pulse as he downed the liquid, realizing too late that I should have let my gaze stare somewhere else instead of at him.

Taichi narrowed his eyes at me before leaning up against the wall and dropping his hand to his side. "So Ishida tried his moves on you?"

I copied him and leaned up against the wall as well, shaking my head. I bit my lip and looked up at him. Even when he was slouched against the wall he was a good few inches taller than me. "He didn't try anything, Taichi."

"Are you sure? I saw his hands going a little low…"

"You were watching us?"

"I just noticed!"

"Whatever."

"He… he didn't try anything though, right?"

"Why would he?"

Taichi put his beer to his lips and took another swig of it, taking a moment to swallow before he answered. "I don't know. Why wouldn't he try anything on a pretty girl? He's Yamato." The brunette dropped his hand again and smirked.

"You know," I said lowly, not amused, "I think you're more drunk than you're letting on."

"I'm not!" Taichi protested, raising his hands above his head. "Not yet at least." He took another sip.

I knew he was lying. Maybe he wasn't as drunk as he could have been, but he couldn't have been in his right mind to say that, right? At least not seriously. Taichi used to call me 'pretty' all the time when we were little kids, but only because he knew it pissed me off. Now though, it sounded different. There was a gruffness behind the word, a sense of lust, like he would have rather growled it quietly at me when we were alone, when we were-

"You alright?"

"What?" I blinked and shook my head, nervous about how long I'd dazed out for. "I'm just-"

"Drunk." Taichi stood up straight from the wall and turned himself so he was angled towards me.

"Eh, baka, I told you I'm not drunk!"

"Whatever you say." Taichi laughed before finishing off his beer. He walked over to a table to place it down and then came back, this time stopping in front of me. Something about this suddenly felt off, different. There was a tension in the air that I'd never felt between us before. Taichi was standing close to me, but I noticed it. I never noticed it before. I could smell his cologne with a hint of spring grass underneath it, and I could feel the heat coming off his skin. The way he stood over me made me feel like if he just leaned down, he could-

"Sora?"

"What?" I blinked again. Really?! I'd dazed out a second time?

"Did you hear me?"

"I- what?"

"Sora." Taichi chuckled my name and leaned into me a little more. "What's gotten into you tonight?"

"Me?" I asked, leaning in as well. I'm not exactly sure why, but it felt like I was being pulled. "I'm not the one who's acting weird!"

"Come on, Sora," Taichi laughed again, teasing me. He stuck his tongue out to make it seem like he was kidding. "Look at those glazed over eyes of yours that you've been undressing me with all night."

It didn't feel like he was kidding. I got nervous suddenly, because although he was joking, it was true. Whether it was the alcohol or not, I'd had the urge to pull off that v-neck of his all night. Of course, I would never say that, so I tried to be typical Sora. "Eh?! Taichi! What are you talking about! You're-"

I was going to call him crazy, but he cut me off. "The one that's been staring at you?" He asked, leaning in closer still.

He wasn't kidding. I'd never heard Taichi talk like that, besides when he was joking, but I wanted to hear more. "You… you…" I stuttered.

"I have." He gave me yet another smirk as he looked down at me.

Instantly, I felt my face flush with warmth. I knew I was blushing, and hard. I needed to create a cover for myself, for how flustered I was. "Taichi, come on, really, how many have you had tonight?"

He looked down at me. He was still wearing that smirk, and he bit his bottom lip a little. The music started to fade in the background, and all I could focus on was him. His eyes softened and intensified at the same time as he watched me react, as if he couldn't control his emotions. Those brown orbs of his made mine shudder. Taichi leaned forward still, so he could place both his hands on the wall on either side of me. His voice was low and husky as he whispered in my ear, "Let's go somewhere else. Follow my lead."

And in an instant I couldn't feel his presence anymore. The thick air around him was replaced with air that totally lacked the tension of before. I blinked and he rounded a corner, out of the kitchen now. He was heading down the hall. I shook my head back and forth and followed him, hypnotized by the way he walked. Eventually he stopped by a closed door and jiggle the handle. It was locked, apparently, but Taichi didn't look defeated. He reached up over top of the door and pulled off a small key.

"Taichi, what are you doing?" I asked, my voice quiet. I knew very well what he was doing, but I still couldn't believe it.

"Unlocking the door." The boy said simply. "Yamato's an idiot if he thinks he can keep me out of a locked room."

I quickly looked over my shoulder and was relieved when I didn't see anyone watching us, but I looked too soon. The moment Taichi and I walked inside the door, Yamato came around the corner.

"Did you just see that?!" He exclaimed to a pink-haired girl standing next to him.

"Taichi and Sora?" She asked, her eyes widening and a small grin forming on her face.

"In my room!" He shouted, nearly jumping forwards. However, the girl grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back towards her.

"Don't even think about breaking that up, Yamato!" She scolded him.

"But- Mimi!"

Behind the closed door though, Taichi and I were oblivious about what was going on with the rest of the party. They didn't care though. The moment I stepped inside and shut the door, Tai walked up to me and pushed me up against it. Out bodies weren't touching yet, but he was close enough. I felt my short breaths hitting his skin as he lowered his face to mine. Taichi pressed his forehead up against mine and stared at me for a moment, letting one hand brush through my hair. His breath smelled like alcohol, but so did mine.

The darkness behind him gave him a mysterious look as his eyes piereced through me, exploring every feature of mine that he wanted. "Sora.." he sighed, gripping my hair slightly harder. He let his other hand caress my cheek now as he pulled his forehead back to get a good look. His eyes wandered up and down and he bit his lip again. I couldn't see much more than that. I didn't know what to say, either, so we stayed like that for a few moments as the music pulsed quietly in the background.

"Is the door locked?" He asked suddenly, snapping himself out of his trance. I shakily felt behind me, having to feel around for a moment for the doorknob.

"It is now." I replied, my heartbeat quickening to an all-time high, wondering if this was it. Over and over in my mind, all I could think about was how I hoped this was actually happening.

He stopped biting his lip and suddenly his face was near mine again, our bodies pressed together. Taichi let his lips hover over mine for a moment, teasing me as my own lips parted.

"Good." He whispered, just before putting his mouth on mine. Both his hands gripped my cheeks as he kissed me, pushing me up against the door.

And I didn't stay up against the door for long. We made it to the bed. And the floor. And Yamato really has no reason to be happy with us, but I don't have a strong recollection of what went on. All I know is we both woke up the next morning in each other's arms. And even though the night was over too fast, and even though it didn't feel real in the moment, it all hit me as the first thing I smelled was a mixture of alcohol and Taichi's cologne.

I nudged the boy gently, hoping he wouldn't have any regrets about the previous night once he woke. I didn't think he would though. I certainly didn't. Taichi didn't stir though- he was out cold. I decided to get up and use the bathroom, and see where Yamato was. It wasn't hard finding Yamato- he was passed out against the wall across from his door. I supposed Tai and I would both hear about this later. But nothing could bring me down, not after a night like that. Not after thinking about what could be coming next.

I hope you enjoyed this quick story I did. I'm working on updating some of my larger stories, but I haven't really been inspired lately. I wrote this to try and get myself in the writing mood again, and I'm happy to report that it worked! Any reviews would be nice and encouraging. Sorry for the end bit here as well- I know it's a bit rushed but I ran out of ideas, and I'm really excited to update my other stories again. Hopefully you all liked this for the most part though!

surflilu.

*Note- (Added 1/5) I'm adding this because of two reviews I received and a conversation I had with one of the commenters. Please keep in mind that this story is from SORA's point of view, especially when thinking about the OC I created that came to the party originally with Taichi. People complained that the OC didn't 'react properly', but all of her actions are left up to speculation. She could have gone home on her own, or she could still be at Yamato's the next morning, waiting to yell at Taichi. I don't know. I didn't think it was a big deal, because the story doesn't focus on her. Once again, because this story is from Sora's perspective, she doesn't play a big role in this exact plot. If the story were to be continued, perhaps she would, but I have no intention of adding onto this one-shot. Therefore, the detail wasn't needed. I hope that clears things up for any of you who were upset that the character didn't act the way you wanted her to. Please remember she's a product of my mind, and for all you know, she could have been a friend of Tai's that knew he had feelings for Sora all along, and was happy that he had the chance to go off with her. She's vague for a reason. Thanks, surflilu.