Title: Sforzando

Summary: Exactly how difficult is it to take that next step. That one little foot in front of the other motion that leads to a place beyond the dancing around your best mate where you can just effing kiss him whenever you bloody want to. Taito.

Disclaimer: Dun own it, real bummed.

At this particular moment in time the bed sat quietly in its corner beneath the bookshelf. It's covers were slightly rumpled as if some diligent soul had decided to make the bed but something had occupied it sometime after. There was a stray sock on the floor, forgotten in haste by its owner and a jacket was somehow lodged in between the closed cupboard doors.

Snatches of conversation, at first muffled by the wooden walls, suddenly burst into the room.

"Yamaaaaa. I told you. It's not like it matters." A soccer ball rolled lazily across the room, coming to a standstill under the edge of the bed and a pair of bags became a temporary aerial disaster as they were flung towards the wardrobe.

"Tai. It does matter. Just because you don't care doesn't mean nobody else does." Yamato tore off his school blazer and threw it unceremoniously on the floor, giving it a kick for good measure. "They do it all the time and I'm getting sick of it."

Tai rolled his eyes as he struggled to get his jacket off, pausing with his collar partway over his head to tug at the buttons with the hand he had half way up his sleeve.

"Well, I think it's a bunch of stupid bullshit anyway. Can't you just ignore it?" He paused for a second to take stock of the situation he'd gotten himself into before following Yamato as he marched back out to the lounge room.

The voices continued and there were sounds of a brief tussle before Yamato came storming back into the room with Taichi's jacket. He dropped the offending item next to his own and turned to exit once again but paused in the doorway, frowning.

"Yamato! Don't be such a...." The end of the sentence was cut off as Yamato angrily slammed the frame with his fist and kicked the door closed before stumbling over to the bed and falling face down on top of the covers. He let out a long, low groan, digging his nose into the pillow and scrinching the blankets between his fingers.

Footsteps approached, padding on the hall carpet and pausing just outside the door. Yamato heard Tai's head thud against the wood and an overly dramatic sigh followed.

"Fine Yama. Have it your way. It matters. And I hate it too. You are impossible, you know. I've never met anyone more difficult to cheer up in my entire life." He fumbled with the doorknob and shuffled dejectedly into the room.

"Then why bother?"

Taichi frowned at Yamato as he pushed the door closed again. He stifled a groan then ambled over to the bed to fall face down directly on top of him. He slid an arm underneath Yamato's belly and the other under his chest, dropping his chin hesitantly over Yamato's shoulder so he could mutter directly in his ear.

"Because...."

Yamato twitched his back irritably in a lame attempt to make Taichi get off. When he failed to comply Yamato grumbled mock disagreeably then wriggled around trying to get comfortable. He turned his face to the side to get away from the suffocating blankets only to find his nose buffeted by Taichi's breath, which wasn't exactly the greatest thing at this time in the afternoon. He twitched his shoulder again, trying to make Taichi move, but getting no response, he made no further efforts to dislodge the body pressing him into the covers and instead lay basking in the satisfying warmth of his living blanket.

Fingers gently caressed his side, too firm to tickle but too light to cause anything more than pleasant sensations to ripple through his muscles. He began humming the introduction to one of his older songs and a small smile crept across his face as he felt Taichi's chin digging into his shoulder, asking for an explanation.

"You don't recognise it, do you?" Yamato said mischievously, his smile turning into a full blown grin. "You're so slow Tai. Or do bits of your memory just fall out of your head?"

Taichi crinkled his nose at Yamato's obvious amusement and gave him a sharp jab in the ribs as retaliation.

"No. But look here, your brains leaking out your ear. It's making a puddle underneath your head. Or is that just you drooling."

"I do not drool." Yamato said indignantly, making Taichi laugh.

"Yes you do, drooling Yama."

"Tai." Yamato admonished.

"Yes, drooling Yama."

"Shut up." Yamato buried his nose back in the blankets, reaching down to shift Taichi's arm a little roughly so it wasn't digging into his stomach so much.

"Man." Taichi grumbled. "You muso's are so temperamental."

"Deal or leave." Yamato's muffled voice snapped back.

Taichi closed his eyes and dropped his head onto Yamato's shoulder, tightening his hold around his friends belly. "As if I'd ever leave." He murmured.

There was an extended silence where nothing was heard but the occasional rustle of fabric and the soft breathing of two boys pressed up against each other. The clocks ticking became audible for a brief length of time, then Yamato shifted his head again, glancing out the corner of his eye at Taichi's closed eyes.

"Why Chi?" He whispered, closing his eyes again as Taichi stirred.

"Why what?"

Unsure of exactly what he wanted to say, Yamato decided to defer to an earlier, and safer topic, dismissing his vague discomfit as irrelevant.

"Why do they say things like that?" He sighed.

Taichi lifted his head, studying Yamato's closed expression before shrugging and lying his head back down on Yamato's shoulder. "Weak minded individuals. That's what Sora says."

"It's always Sora with you." Yamato snorted, sticking his nose back in the blankets.

"What can I say?" Taichi grinned. "I admire the girl. She's got brains."

"She's got breasts you mean." He muttered.

Taichi chuckled, digging his nose into the base of Yamato's neck before sliding his hand up between the covers and Yamato's chest until his fingers could massage his collar bone and the muscles around the base of his throat. Yamato turned his head to the side so he could breathe again and began taking long deep breaths as Taichi's hand crept up around his neck until it was buried amongst the hair at the back of his head. With Yamato's face cradled on his forearm, Taichi slowly lifted his head up and began running his fingers gently through the clumps of blonde hair. Yamato began making soft, pleasurable sounds and Taichi watched in fascination as Yamato's lips parted slightly, his face relaxed and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards, a faint blush colouring his cheeks.

Suddenly feeling a little disconcerted by this reaction, Taichi gripped Yamato around the belly and rolled them both over, letting Yamato slide off him until they were lying side by side on the bed.

Taichi studied the familiar light blue ceiling. Its cracks, its faults, its one small spider web, and gently eased his arm out from beneath Yamato's back so he could place both hands beneath his own head.

He squinted his eyes closed so he could only see a blurry version of Yamato sitting up looking slightly disgruntled as he turned to look down at Taichi, a rather bewildered expression flickering across his features. He opened his mouth to say something but shut it again abruptly, flopping back down onto the bed.

"Taichi." Yamato whispered.

Shifting slightly so he could see Yamato out the corner of his eye, Taichi cleared his throat nervously. "Yeah Yama?"

A little smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth. "Take my shoes off."

"Why you little..." With a short snort Taichi leapt on top of Yamato again, tipping the pair of them off the bed and onto the floor. Peals of laughter echoed off the walls and the bookshelves wavered dangerously as the two boys thumped about the room trying to gain the upper hand on each other. The chair toppled over and the soccer ball vacated the desk area in favor of the space beneath the bed as the bundle of wrestling limbs rolled about the floor oblivious to anything but the small world tucked between its middle.

When soft pantings and the occasional exhausted chuckle were the only remains of activity left, they hauled each other up and stumbled back out the bedroom door leaving the bed in further disarray and the sock in such an obscure location that its loss would probably be cursed the following washing day when its mate turned up all on its lonesome.

A/N This piece of Taito was created when a friend and I had a chat over AIM about our mutual fascination with this particularly gorgeous pairing. There can never be enough Taito. They are just way too sexy together.

Her ff. net profile is tooloudturnitdown

A big thankyou to Sparkle Itamashii who RnS'd for me. Glad you are now a mushy pile of goo. Whole point. grin

Hope you enjoy the story.
Pegs little Taito flags into the ground for those kind enough to review