Chapter Text
“Countdown to Bali!!” Mimi exclaims excitedly, slapping a pile of flyers onto the picnic table, in a park somewhere between all of their homes, where she and the rest of the Chosen are hanging out for the afternoon. She sits on the bench, her white, billowy tank top cascading down as she settles on a seat next to Sora.
Sora chuckles and grabs one of the papers. “What’s this?” she asks.
“Excursions! Things to do around the resort. I took the liberty of planning our itinerary, but there are other options — Taichi, look! Apparently the surf is good nearby,” Mimi shoves a piece of paper in front of his face as Taichi moves his gaze away from a bunch of kids kicking a soccer ball nearby. The thud of the ball and the laughter carry across the park. He reluctantly grabs the piece of paper.
It’s warm outside, and the group is enjoying their last month of summer before university starts for Taichi, Sora, and Yamato. For Mimi and Koushiro, this is the last summer before their senior year, and for Jyou, before his second year of pre-med.
The younger Chosen are already on a summer vacation together, which inspired Mimi to plan this trip at full speed.
“I’m just looking forward to lying around and doing nothing all day.” Jyou replies as he pops a piece of fried chicken into his mouth.
“Same. After everything that happened – and with entrance exams coming up – I’m ready to actually turn off my brain for a minute,” Koushiro adds.
“Oh really? Can you do that?” Mimi grins.
“For a minute.” Koushiro replies cheekily to her.
“Hmmm,” Taichi buzzes as he puts the paper back down. “Yamato – is there anything you want to do while we’re there?” he turns his head and stretches his legs out underneath the table, accidentally bumping his thigh against Yamato’s.
Yamato looks up, then at the group, noticing the touch. It’s been a while since they’ve all been together as a group. Everyone’s been so busy – so much studying, entrance exams, graduation, working part-time jobs to save extra money. Taichi and Yamato respectively moving out and into their own apartments closer to their universities. After the Meicoomon event last summer, life just came after everyone so fast that they forgot to look up — or at each other.
Time and again, before they moved out of their parents’ homes in Odaiba, Taichi and Yamato would pop by each other’s places to say hi, grab coffee, or get ice cream. Something, as if they were trying to hold onto some of their past, knowing this would most likely be the last time they would live so close to one another. Sometimes their hangouts ended up back at each other’s houses, watching movies or just being in each other’s rooms. Sometimes they were brief and more like check-ins – at least on Yamato’s part. He would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit he had also been worried about Taichi for most of the year.
Something about seeing your closest friend fall through a large, explosive hole and come back from the dead unexpectedly would do that to you. To anyone, he believes. Even now, the memory made his stomach knot.
Taichi never said much about it beyond retelling the basics: finding Daisuke and the others in eerie, glass pods, Nishijima’s sacrifice, and suddenly ending up back in Tokyo for the final battle. A play-by-play and nothing more.
But Yamato knew it traumatized him. It traumatized all of them -- though Taichi more than anyone, had kept people at arm’s length while he processed.
Which is why Mimi was able to finagle an online campaign that scored them an all-expense-paid vacation abroad as a sort of “job well done” from the government. Recognition was overdue – after all, they’ve been saving the world for almost a decade, forcing them to live so many lives before their 18th birthdays.
The younger Chosen went first, enjoying their holiday in Hawaii for two weeks. And now it was Taichi’s group next, off to Bali – in a villa resort where they could all be together for at least a week (not two, because they ‘had adult responsibilities’ to tend to).
Yamato runs a hand through his hair, shifting in his seat. His thigh brushes Taichi’s again – this time deliberately. Taichi glances at him, but Yamato avoids his gaze.
“Maybe moped around the island. I don’t know. I might be just okay lazing around the pool too,” he replies.
“Well, we can decide when we get there. The most important thing is that we are actually going. Together,” Mimi says as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. "Our flight is at 8:00 AM tomorrow, everyone make sure to meet at–”
“5:00 AM in Narita, we know.” Taichi interrupts with a smile.
“Hmph! Taichi you – don’t forget your passport and make sure to pack at least one nice dinner outfit okay?” Mimi huffs.
“Hey hey hey, I won’t be late, I promise,” he says.
“Reminder – my brother can pick up all of us and drive us, just make sure to meet in front of the station we agreed on,” Jyou says.
“Oh, actually, don’t worry about me. I have a late shift tonight. I’ll just go by myself to the airport,” Taichi says.
“What, why?” Everyone asks, incredulously, as if they have not been talking about going together as a group for the last few weeks.
“Taichi, the trains aren’t even running that early in the morning. This is the only way.” Yamato says, looking at him intently. “What’s going on?” he thinks.
“I have it figured out. Don’t worry about me. Seriously guys. I have to work this shift and it ends at 2:00 AM tonight. I’m already packed, so I figured I would just leave straight from work.” Taichi’s job at the pachinko parlor near his home has been seriously understaffed, and he figures any extra money is good money nowadays. Living alone made that very apparent.
“What are you talking about? How the hell are you going to hitch a ride at that hour to Narita? Taxi? That’s like ¥30,000. What’s the point in working if you’re just going to be spending that money?” Yamato asks, instantly annoyed. Annoyed because Taichi is working at that god-forsaken place. Annoyed because Taichi is choosing to work until late hours of the night. Annoyed because Taichi is just getting over a cold from a few days ago, that he only found out about on the last day of recovery. Annoyed because, no matter how much he hated to admit it, he still expects more from Taichi. Wants more from him.
“Obviously not, genius, I was going to hitch a ride with someone from work going that way. Or if that doesn’t work, go to one of the hotels nearby and jump on the limousine bus. There’s one I found leaving at 3:30 AM. It’s fine.” Taichi replies, trying to get his point across, already feeling exasperated from this conversation.
Taichi gulps from his Pocari Sweat, coughs, and rubs his throat.
“Hitch a ride? From who?”
“None of your business.”
“From who?” Yamato clenches his fist.
“Why do you care so much? It’s one of my managers from work - she lives that way and offered,”
“What the fuck, Taichi? You don’t think that feels sketch?”
Mimi, Sora, Koushiro, and Jyou watch this impending argument start to bloom and let out a collective sigh. A sign of what’s to come on this trip, it seems. But then again, it’s Yamato and Taichi. They just needed to get under each other’s skin. And this tension they have all felt since last year – they were all ready to squash it, hopefully with this trip. That unless they didn’t kill each other first. Something was bound to happen.
“Yamato, what’s your deal? Why do you care? Either way, I’m getting there early,”
“Because you’re working at a pachinko parlor with people who are like double your age. Be smart about this,”
“I am smart. I have a ride. End of story,”
“In the middle of the night!!”
“Now, now, guys, calm down. Yamato, it sounds okay? Taichi might even get there earlier than us, which is what we hoped for and more!” Jyou exclaims.
“Heyyyy. And see?!” Taichi asks, gesturing towards Jyou.
Yamato exhales sharply, shaking his head. “I don’t like it,” he mumbles. He hates how he cares so much. Hates that Taichi was going to possibly spend quiet hours with someone else — a woman he didn’t even know. Not that he’d ever admit that either.
“Jesus Christ, if it bothers you this much, I’ll just hop on the limousine bus. Whatever.” Taichi says, averting his gaze and shoving his legs towards Yamato underneath the table and then away, this time deliberately. Pointedly.
Taichi stands up, and Yamato grimaces at the loss of touch, though feeling relieved about the bus. Taichi clears his throat again, hands rubbing his neck.
“I’m going. I’ll see you all tomorrow bright and early.” Taichi says, waving a hand while walking away.
“Bye Taichi-san.” Koushiro says while Jyou waves.
“Taichi! Passport!” Mimi yells.
“Bye Taichi…” Sora says as she waves, then shoots an annoyed look at Yamato, “Go apologize right now.”
Yamato rolls his eyes and gets up. “Thanks for the food today. I’ll see you all tomorrow morning.” And with that, he runs to catch up with Taichi.
The group left behind sighs again.
“Oh my god, those two.” Sora says, putting a hand to her forehead.
“If I’m putting a number on this based on statistics, I predict they’ll argue once every other day. About 5.5 times total.” Koushiro states.
“Well, that’s what the drinks will be for,” Mimi says with a sparkle in her eye. “Maybe we can get those two to FINALLY admit it this time.”
“Admit what?” Jyou asks innocently.
Sora giggles.
“Taichi! Wait!” Yamato calls, catching up.
Taichi looks dumbfounded at Yamato as he runs up to him. “Yamato? Look, it’s fine – I’ve already decided to just take the bus,”
“Ugh just stop,” Yamato grabs his shoulder. “I’m sorry, okay. I’m just worried. Three days ago, you told me you had a fever and now you’re working until this god-awful hour and –,”
Taichi softens his look on Yamato and holds his forearm. “It’s fine. I get it. I’m all better now too,” he says with a soft smile, lowering Yamato’s arm and briefly squeezing his hand before letting go. Yamato resists the urge to grab it back.
“Let me bring you home. My moped’s right over there,”
Taichi hesitates. For all of the years they’ve known each other, Taichi and Yamato have always maintained a closeness together. But after last summer, something had started to shift. They became closer than before, if that was even possible. Without saying it out loud, it was impossible not to exist in each other’s orbit. He inhales a breath and then replies, “Sure, thank you. That'd be great.”
Yamato lives on the opposite side of town, but he doesn’t care.
It was hard enough living further away from each other. The least they could do is steal moments like this – even in silence, zipping through the busy Tokyo streets on Yamato’s moped, neon lights streaking past.
And it took everything in Taichi’s willpower not to rest his head against Yamato’s back.