The Words Left Unsaid
A 'Taken' Digimon 02 Yaoi
by Meimi

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Standard disclaimers apply.

SPOILER WARNING: Spoilers for 02 (that's season 2 for the uninitiated) up to and including the episodes involving the first appearance of the Crest of Kindness.

YAOI WARNING: This is a yaoi fic and contains within it sex and other dirty deeds between two male characters. If this disturbs you in any way PLEASE do not continue reading. And yes, I am sick and twisted, thanks for asking.

Please read my fanfic 'What You Want' before reading this one. That way you'll know what's going on.

Why Kenkeru?: Because I think it's cute, what with Takeru having this whole angel motif and Ken having a demon/fallen angel type motif. And yes, I'm stealing Ajora's line on describing the fascination with this particular pairing.

Why Taken?: Because Ajora is really evil and suggested it for Valentine's Day 2001.

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Takeru hummed a nonsensical tune as he stood in front of the kitchen sink washing off his new set of teacups. His mother had dragged him out shopping the day before, and once he had laid eyes upon the delicate set he just couldn't say no. Their fragile beauty reminded him far too much of a certain someone. The set was carved of crystal, with shimmering rose petals rising up and joining together to make the cup. The handles were vine carvings that twirled down in a curve between a meeting of two of the petals. They were gorgeous and terribly expensive, which had made for a hard argument with his mother to buy them. But buy them he did, and tonight he planned to show them off for the first time to that certain someone they so reminded him of.

Smiling to himself, Takeru finished drying off the last cup as the sound of the doorbell wafted into the kitchen. That would be Yamato here to pick up Patamon for the weekend. Things were still... a little bit tense, and as much as he loved the little digimon, having Patamon there with him wouldn't be a very good idea.

"Patamon! It's time to go," Takeru called out as he padded down the hallway to the front door. He chuckled as he heard the telltale flap of wings coming from the living room. Patamon would stay out of sight until they knew for certain who was at the door.

Takeru fought down a smirk as he opened the door on a rather flustered looking Yamato. From the look of it, his brother had been with Taichi before heading over. Only Taichi could produce that hastily tucked in shirt and rumpled jacket look on his older brother. As much as Jun might have wanted Yamato as her boytoy, she was years too late to even have the most minuscule of chances.

"Wow, you're actually on time," Takeru smirked as Yamato attempted to put on one of his cool acts. "What did you have to bribe Taichi with to get away?"

"No~thing," Yamato grumped as he walked past his brother. Looking around curiously at the empty apartment, he asked, "Where's the Patamon?" He smirked as said digimon flew around the corner from the living room. "Oh, there he is!"

"I'm right here," Patamon giggled as Yamato grabbed him out of the air and started tickling him. He struggled half-heartedly, not really wanting to get away. He was enjoying the extra attention far too much to want that.

Takeru laughed at their roughhousing. He really did appreciate the fact that Yamato thought of Patamon as a friend and not just his little brother's partner. Takeru blanched slightly as Yamato looked over at him and curiously asked, "So where's mom?"

"Um, well..." Takeru trailed off, looking anywhere but at his brother. How to put this so Yamato wouldn't rat him out and ruin everything? Lacing his fingers together nonchalantly, Takeru started off innocently, "She's off on an assignment doing some investigating. You know her journalism and all."

"Uhuh," Yamato answered slowly as he turned around to look at Takeru fully, Patamon tucked under his left arm. Cocking his eyebrow, he asked suspiciously, "And she doesn't get back til when?"

Takeru sighed silently in defeat, the only chance he had had was if Yamato didn't catch on. And since his brother obviously had caught on, it was better to get it over with quick. He was one of the world's worst liar and knew he didn't have a hope in hell of snowballing his brother. "Not until late Sunday night."

"Right," Yamato smirked knowingly. "So it's just gonna be you and whoever it is you're inviting over huh?" Yamato looked down at Patamon thoughtfully, his smirk widening at the possibilities. "It wouldn't be Hikari, otherwise you wouldn't want me to take care of Patamon. Unless of course, Tailmon is staying at home too. Nah, can't be that, Taichi didn't mention anything. It's not one of the others, same deal. One of your 'other' friends hmmm?" He asked suggestively.

"Ya~ma~to, give me a break," Takeru rolled his eyes at his brother's blatant fishing for information on top of the expected teasing. Shaking his finger at them in mock anger, he warned them both off, "For this once, not a word out of either of you. If mom finds out, I'll know who told her."

"You know I'm good," Yamato whined melodramatically, playing it up for all it was worth. "What kinda big brother would I be if I ratted out on my little bro for his cute little slumber party?" Yamato asked cheerfully as he reached over and playfully ruffled Takeru's golden hair.

"Ha ha," Takeru grumbled as he instantly reached up to straighten out his tousled hair. "Look, just get going. I need to hurry up and finish cleaning up the kitchen." Leaning down, he gave Patamon a quick scratch under the chin and smiled fondly. "Have fun. I'll see you on Monday, okay?"

"Okay!" Patamon crowed as Takeru started pushing him and Yamato out the front door. Frowning slightly, he quietly added, "Be careful."

"Be careful?" Yamato mouthed silently, as Takeru closed the front door behind them. Be careful? Takeru was just having a friend over for the night, right? It was just a simple sleepover wasn't it? Weird, Yamato shook his head as he started off towards the elevator. Maybe he could get Patamon to tell him who Takeru was having over after a bit of cajoling and a bribe of food... okay, maybe a couple of bribes of food.

~*~

A good while later, Takeru finished dusting off the living room coffee table. His mother would have been proud of the cleaning job he had done, she also would have been awfully suspicious as to why he was doing it in the first place. He wasn't what could be considered the model of a happy homemaker, he was just... anxious.

He was anxious, more than a bit nervous and not quite sure just what he was going to do. Things had certainly been odd of late, to say the least. And his invitation for Ken to spend the night was a bit out of his league, even with what they had been doing together lately.

The time they spent together was always nice, though sometimes more than a bit tense. Ken rarely talked about anything at all, and when he did it was usually a precursor to something else. Takeru didn't mind that really, Ken seemed to enjoy his company and seemed a bit calmer whenever he was around. Ken's parents certainly seemed to adore him already. And why not? Their precious little boy, Ken's rather sarcastic description of their attention, had a friend now, a friend they could see and talk to. Considering what they knew about their son's past history, which was far less than what Takeru knew, it was no surprise they latched onto anything that might keep their son's interest.

The one aspect of their relationship that basically made their relationship was amazingly easy to get used to, all things considered. Takeru had always thought, been led to believe, that it would happen with Hikari in time. They had been best friends for so long, they were the right age for each other and everybody else loved to point out just what a cute couple they would make together. But Ken kinda changed everything for him. The first time had been one of the most impulsive things he had ever done or been drawn into. And afterwards, it seemed to be one of the very few things that would draw Ken out of the depression. It was always different afterwards, Ken always seemed different afterwards, kinder maybe? He would probably never tell anyone, but he... liked it. Takeru really liked the attention Ken was giving him. Ken never treated him like he was breakable or too goody goody and innocent to understand anything. He loved it, almost to the point where he was starting to crave it. None of the others would ever give him that, they couldn't and probably wouldn't even understand why he wanted it.

But that line of thinking brought him back to the questions that had been bugging him for a little while now. Was he just doing this to help Ken or was it something else now? The possibilities were starting to make themselves known and he wasn't sure why he did anything anymore. Was he just doing it to help Ken in any possible way he could? Or was he starting to actually like Ken? And if that was the case, what did Ken think of him? It was confusing.

Sighing heavily, Takeru flopped down on the couch and buried his face in his hands. His cheeks were flaming hot, and he had to be sporting one of the most incredible blushes in history. He always got like this when he got this far in his thoughts. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to think anymore. And well, he was certainly thinking too much about it all. That much he had at least figured out. It didn't stop him from continuing to think about it though.

Ken, Takeru thought as he leaned back to gaze up at the ceiling. Ken. Ken. Ken. Everything was about Ken now. He hadn't planned it that way, hadn't even thought of it ever getting to this point. But here he was, thinking about Ken and completely and utterly confused about what to do about it.

There was Ken at the door, Takeru thought as he heard a quiet knock waft in from the hallway. And his cheeks were still pretty hot, so he must still be blushing. Great, just great. Chuckling humorlessly at the situation, Takeru hauled himself up off the couch and called out, "Coming!" It was always better to face the music now than later, or at least that's what Yamato was always saying.

Ken felt his lips twist upwards ever so slightly as he heard Takeru call out from inside the apartment. This was different. He'd never gone over to someone's for a sleepover before, never had the time. Lord knows, he didn't know why Takeru had suggested it or why he had agreed to it so easily. It was 'something' though... something... something... something? He wasn't quite sure just what, nor did he have the time to follow up that train of thought as Takeru opened the front door.

Takeru's face was red. How odd. Was he sick or... what? "Takeru, do you have a fever?" Ken found himself asking before he even realized it. He quickly followed up his concern by lifting his left hand up to feel the other boy's forehead for any raise in temperature. Takeru didn't feel hot or anything.

Takeru could actually feel the blood rushing to his head as he blushed even more at Ken's touch. "No no, it's nothing," he blurted out, trying to head Ken off at the pass, so to speak. "Nothing at all."

"Ri~ight," Ken drawled, a smirk dawning across his lips as he figured it out. "You're blushing," he purred as he backed Takeru into the apartment hallway. "Why?"

"It's nothing important," Takeru murmured quietly as he shut the door behind them. He looked up at the amused twinkle in Ken's amethyst eyes and smiled weakly. "Really."

"All right," Ken blinked, the smirk still present. He could always find out later. He did have Takeru all to himself for the entire night. It wouldn't be hard to get the reason for the rosy blush out of the other boy later and knowing Takeru it would certainly prove amusing. "Whatever you say," he agreed quietly as he turned around to get a look at the apartment's living room.

Takeru sighed silently in relief, that had been a lot easier than he had thought it would be. Then again, knowing Ken, he'd probably get asked about the blush again later at the most inopportune time possible. It just wouldn't be Ken if he wasn't pestered again later about it. Oh well, he'd deal with it whenever it came up again. Pushing all thoughts of the blush out of his head, Takeru smiled proudly as he watched Ken give the apartment a calculating once over.

Ken hummed quietly to himself as he looked around at Takeru's home. It looked comfortable, 'homey' even and terribly clean. The other boy must have been nervous or something to get it this sparkling. Takeru just wasn't the type to clean religiously to where it would be this spotless all the time. Nervous about what though? It was an intriguing question. He just had to figure out how to get the answer out of his friend somehow.

Ken felt his mind instantly go numb at the last bit of that thought. Friend? Friend. Friend. Friend. Takeru was his friend? Yes... yes, Takeru must be his 'friend'. How else could he explain the attachment he had developed for the boy? It's not like he had felt this way about anyone else before. So friend must be the proper label to place on it. What else could it be? Smiling pleasantly from that thought, Ken turned around and pointed at the indigo overnight bag slung over his shoulder while he asked, "So where should I put this?"

"Uhm," Takeru had been far too intent on watching Ken to catch the question at first. He blinked dazedly as Ken watched him curiously. A moment later, the content of the question finally registered on his brain, "Oh! Here, let me have it and I'll go drop it off in my room." Takeru laughed nervously as he accepted the proffered bag and zoomed down the hallway.

Ken watched Takeru's retreating back with more than a hint of amusement. If the other boy's reactions were any indication, this was going to turn out to be one hell of night. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he watched Takeru dart into one of the doorways. Instantly a diagram of the apartment began to form in his mind. There was the kitchen and the living/dining room in a straight shot with each other. The bedrooms were lined up with each other on the hallway. Takeru's room wasn't all that far from the front door. It would prove to be a simple retreat if one became necessary... And why was he thinking about 'escaping' Takeru's apartment of all place? Ken sighed tiredly, really he was turning out to be too paranoid for his own good.

Scowling darkly, Ken turned around and walked stiffly into the living room. He didn't need to do this anymore. There was no need for him to devise a plan of retreat from Takeru of all people. Plans of retreat were for the battlefield. They belonged in the world of the Kaiser not Ichijouji Ken... not anymore. He didn't need to do this anymore. So why was he? The Kaiser was the past. The dead and buried past, he didn't belong in the present. Not anymore and never again. Ken gritted his teeth harshly and closed his eyes. Why couldn't he let it go?

Takeru hurriedly returned to find Ken standing in the living room with his back to the hallway. Ken seemed really tense. Tense, yes tense was definitely the word for it. He must be thinking about one of the many, many things he would never talk to Takeru about. Ken was practically a stone wall when he was like this. He refused to burden anyone else with his pain and just kept on hurting. It was one of the really distressing things about Ken that Takeru had yet to figure a way past.

What to do? What to do to get Ken to focus on something else? Takeru thought frantically, discarding most ideas before they had even fully formed. He looked around, hoping to find something that might work because he wasn't coming up with anything quick. He stopped as he caught a glint of light coming from the kitchen. The rose tea cups were glimmering under the fluorescent glow of the kitchen lights. Tea. Perfect, Ken loved tea and it would be the perfect distraction.

"Hey Ken, why don't you make yourself comfortable while I go fix us up some tea?" Takeru suggested as he hurried off into the kitchen to start the water boiling. He smiled as he heard Ken's quiet assent. Good, things would be fine in just a little bit.

Ken shook his head and carefully sat down on the living room couch. He really was starting to obsess over everything a bit too much. It was quite unhealthy for him and anybody who might associate with him. And Takeru was uncomfortable because of it. He did not like that at all. Takeru was the only person he could talk to, if he could ever get up the nerve *to* talk to someone about... everything. He needed to get over 'this'. He needed to act more 'normal', whatever that was, for Takeru's sake if nothing else.

Ken blinked as something out of place intruded upon his senses. There was muffled knocking coming from the front door. Hmm, there was someone at the front door. "Taker~" Ken trailed off as he looked over at his friend in the kitchen. Takeru was quite intent on the task of making tea for them both. He really shouldn't distract the boy. Not paying attention to hot water wasn't a good thing, and what was the harm of him answering the front door in Takeru's stead? Ken briefly toyed with the idea of ignoring it completely as he stood up and walked into the hallway. However, answering the door when someone was knocking was the normal thing to do, right? "Oh, just open the damn door already," Ken muttered darkly to himself as he reached out for the knob.

Ken's eyes widened unconsciously as he pulled the door open to reveal a somewhat rumpled Ishida Yamato. Well genius, this is one hell of a situation you managed to get yourself into, Ken thought mockingly at himself. His mind quickly supplied the perfect word to fit into this type of situation: incendiary.

"Look Takeru, I know you don't like me meddling but~" Yamato trailed off in abject shock as he got a good look at who exactly it was answering the door. "Ichijouji? What the hell?!" He barked out in surprise before catching himself and rushing the younger boy. "What did you do to my brother?" He asked viciously as he pinned Ken up against the wall and wrapped his hands around the former Kaiser's throat.

Ken glared pure anger at the older boy, anger at both himself and Ishida. Stupid of him to allow himself to get into this type of position. Besides, what did Ishida expect him to say when the fool was cutting off his air? But it wasn't too much of a hassle, a well placed kick would get him out of this in no time flat. Then again, if he hurt Ishida, Takeru would be crushed. Shit!

Takeru looked up from the tea kettle as he heard a sizable thump coming from the hallway. A quick glance showed that Ken wasn't sitting on the couch anymore and there was sunlight spilling into the living room from around the area of the front door. And was that Yamato he heard? Oh crap. Takeru darted into the hallway and literally froze for a second at the scene of his brother strangling Ken. "What are you doing?!"

Yamato looked up in surprise at Takeru's outburst, his grip loosening ever so slightly. Ken took the opportunity presented, darted down out of Yamato's hands and took a rather necessary breath before hastily getting out of the older boy's reach.

"Takeru, what is he doing here?" Yamato asked heatedly, gesturing pointedly at Ken as the younger boy edged further away from him and closer to Takeru.

"I invited him?" Takeru asked sarcastically in response. He looked over worriedly at Ken as he heard a slight cough. "Are you okay?" He frowned in concern as Ken's only answer was a jerky nod and a death glare at Yamato. "Just what~" Takeru was halted from anything further by the whistling of the tea kettle from the kitchen. "Dammit!" He swore, earning a shocked look from both Ken and his brother. "Both of you, sit down!" Takeru ground out, pointing at the living room before running off to get the kettle off of the stove.

Ken watched Yamato grudgingly stalk into the living room and settle down on the couch. Lightly rubbing his sore throat, Ken warily joined Ishida, seating himself as far away from Takeru's brother as possible. What now? He asked himself as he caught Ishida eyeing him none too friendly.

"Just exactly what are you doing here?" Yamato hissed out as he watched Ichijouji carefully for any possible threat.

Ken smirked slightly at that. Ishida was really making this far too easy. "I was invited," he stated plainly as he watched the other with growing amusement.

"What the hell do you want with my brother?" Yamato snarled quietly in return. What was Takeru thinking allowing that monster in the apartment?

Ken tilted his head to the side in thought. He was quiet for several seconds, doing his best not to burst out laughing at the entire thing. Smirking maliciously, Ken opted for some of the truth as Ishida's reaction to it would prove most amusing, "He's a good fuck."

"Whaaaat!?!" Yamato yelled in disbelief as he shot to his feet. Ichijouji did not just say that. No way in hell was Takeru that stupid. Was he? Oh god! Yamato took a step forward, quite intent upon wiping that triumphant smirk off of Ichijouji's face one way or another.

"Yamato! Out! Now!" Takeru stalked out of the kitchen and started forcefully pushing his brother towards the front door. "No arguments," he stated flatly as he felt Yamato start to fight against him. Sighing gratefully as he felt his brother relent to his direction, Takeru silently braced himself for what was coming and pushed Yamato the rest of the way out of the apartment, closing the door shut behind them both. "All right, let's have it."

"Takeru, please tell me you are not this stupid," Yamato started off, rubbing his temple and trying to keep himself from blowing up again. This was his baby brother after all. "Tell me you are not involved with... with... with Ichijouji."

Takeru frowned at Yamato's choice of words, "What's so stupid about it?"

"Oh god," Yamato covered his mouth with one hand, feeling somewhat nauseous from it all. This was very bad... very, very bad. "How long?" he asked finally.

"A few days after the camping trip," Takeru answered hesitantly, wondering where his brother was trying to go with that particular question. What did that have to do with anything? "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

Shit! Yamato blinked as he processed this little tidbit of information. He hadn't noticed anything different about Takeru since then. Damn, he should have paid better attention. "Okay. Well okay, that's okay. Just tell him you won't see him anymore. I'm sure he'll leave you alone now that somebody else knows about it."

Takeru rolled his eyes at that. Great, just great. It was gonna go that way then. Fine, he could win this argument, no problem. "No."

"What?" Yamato grimaced, stepping forward to try and shake some sense into his brother. He scowled as Takeru backed away from him. "He's taking advantage of your good nature. Surely you can see that? I'm sure he just doing it to get back at the rest of us."

"I doubt that since I'm the one who approached him first," Takeru supplied, waiting for Yamato's outburst at that bit of information. He was not disappointed.

"Are you nuts?" Yamato barely managed to stop short of yanking out his beloved hair. No way. No way. This was impossible. This was not happening. "What are you thinking?! He's no good! You know that."

"Oh really now? Well then, I guess we could say the same thing about you," Takeru started off viciously. He felt the frustrations and disappointment that he had brushed off once before start to break out of the well constructed cage he had erected around them so long ago. And frankly, at the moment, he didn't care to hold them back. "You know, now that I think about it, what if me or Taichi had been killed while you were off 'pouting' during our battle with the Dark Masters? It really makes you wonder, maybe there would have been an Ishida Yamato, Digimon Kaiser instead."

Yamato felt like he had been turned to stone by the words coming out of Takeru's mouth. He had always thought... always thought that Takeru understood about that. Surely his little brother didn't believe that he had just abandoned them all without a thought for their well being. Looking down into Takeru's flinty gaze, Yamato felt his inside knot up. It was like looking in a mirror distorted with time, it was the exact same expression he had once carried around like a burning brand.

"You know, I really resented you for that, abandoning us simply because you just couldn't accept the fact that you were in love with the same person you had been fighting with the entire time," Takeru continued, letting it spill out finally to get his point across. "You were really lucky the others thought you were worth going after. You were never alone. You had everybody else to help you realize what an absolute selfish idiot you were being. Things would have been a lot different if you had been as alone as you thought you needed to be." Takeru finished quietly, knowing that if Yamato didn't understand by now his brother never would.

Yamato twitched slightly, feeling his neck start to cramp up from the tension. This was... this was... Good god, he had never expected that from Takeru. He had always tried to not think about the possible things that might have happened while he was gone back then. His imagination could really be way too gruesome at times. But he had never thought Takeru had considered them. It was definitely a punch in the gut. He could fix this later though... surely he could fix it. But right now, the main problem was Ichijouji. "Okay Takeru, okay. I think I understand what you're getting at. But why are you with Ichijouji now? He hurt the digimon. He made slaves out of them, and he liked it. Don't you think he's gone a bit beyond the point of no return?"

"No, he just needs some help," Takeru spoke carefully, trying to get out some of what he had spent the past week figuring out. "I'm trying to help him."

"That's... very noble of you," Yamato frowned, feeling somewhat shamed by his brother's ease with saying that. There was still the rather obvious problem though. "But sex? You shouldn't do that with just anybody. You should just do it with somebody... you... care... about," Yamato trailed off uneasily in dawning comprehension as Takeru refused to look at him while he had said that. "Takeru?" he asked hesitantly.

"I don't know," Takeru answered, understanding the unvoiced question far too well. "I just don't know," he said again as he stared down at his feet. He really didn't know what he felt for Ken, it was too confusing.

"Fuck," Yamato let that single word encompass everything he was feeling at the moment. Hell if he knew what Takeru was feeling, though he could probably guess from past experience. "You've really gotten yourself into a mess here." He sighed wearily as Takeru glared up at him. "All right, all right," Yamato tapped his foot nervously on the concrete in thought. "You seriously need to figure this out sooner rather than later. I'm probably going to regret this, but I won't tell any of the others, yet. If he hurts you, all bets are off. And no more Patamon at my place after this weekend. You need somebody around to watch out for you."

"Fine. Are you finished?" Takeru asked flatly. He didn't like being pushed into a corner like this. He sighed as Yamato nodded in answer. "Then just go." He held up his hands to stall off anymore arguments. "No more. I have enough waiting for me inside, thank you very much."

Yamato shook his head at Takeru brushing him off. This entire thing was just beyond belief. "Be careful dammit," he said softly as he reached over to ruffle his little brother's hair. "I'll see you on Monday."

"Yeah," Takeru answered automatically before waving Yamato off towards the elevator. Well, that had been fun. Now came the even better part. Bracing himself for whatever might be waiting for him, Takeru opened the front door and stepped back into the confines of his apartment.

Ken wasn't in the living room. Great, where was he?

There weren't that many places to go in his apartment. Takeru of all people should know this. Thus there were not that many places to check. Even better, he could hear the sink now. Ken must be in the kitchen. Wonderful, might as well get this over with, he thought as he headed purposefully through the living room and into the kitchen. He stopped short though, unsure of how to go about addressing what had happened.

Ken was washing the rose teacups, carefully drying each one with a towel afterwards. "Already finished? That took less time than I thought it would," he mused tonelessly as he finished drying the cup in hand and delicately set it down on the counter. "You must have given a rather convincing argument."

"Yeah, something like that," Takeru supplied uncomfortably. He didn't like the way Ken sounded, not at all. "Look, I~"

"Don't worry about it," Ken cut Takeru off instantly. "It's quite all right. It's to be expected considering who I am," Ken trailed off uncertainly. This was proving to be harder than he had thought it would be. He had been thinking about what had happened ever since the pair had left. He didn't like what he had ended up discovering about himself, not at all.

Really, why had he said that? Because he had wanted to. He should have let Takeru field Ishida and shouldn't have gotten involved in an argument with the older boy. He knew this, but he had still said it anyway. He had goaded Ishida on knowingly. He knew the reaction he was going to get would be explosive. And yet he had still done it, and he had enjoyed it immensely.

He was really getting better about 'things' now wasn't he?

Scowling at his own thoughts, Ken reached down and trailed his fingertip around the rim of the teacup. Glass, simple glass. The tiniest bit of pressure in just the right place would break it. Takeru was much like glass. The tiniest bit of pressure would break Takeru's life into pieces. Shards of glass that would be shards of life. The Kaiser would enjoy applying the pressure, wouldn't be satisfied until Takeru was truly broken. And wasn't he the Kaiser after all? No matter what he did he would always be the Kaiser.

So wasn't it just better to leave the glass behind? Ken pondered this as he withdrew his finger from the teacup. Leave the glass behind while it was still in one piece. That would be better for everyone in the long run now wouldn't it? Yes, that would be better. The glass would still be intact and there would be no mess left behind to clean up after. That would be the best solution for all involved.

Ken smiled sweetly as he looked up at Takeru. "Really, it's all right, it just reminded me of a certain 'problem' I had been forgetting about." He laid the towel down on the counter carefully, noting that his hands were shaking slightly. He really was a fool for getting so attached to something he surely didn't deserve. "I am sorry about upsetting your brother," he flinched ever so slightly from the dark memories that simple word stirred up. Best not to go there ever again.

"It's... all right. We got some things out that should have been taken care of a long time ago," Takeru said hesitantly as he watched Ken. Something was really, really wrong here. He could practically feel it in the air. Something was very wrong with Ken. And he wasn't going to get anything out of Ken unless he asked. So here goes, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just figuring something out. Though, I should have come to this conclusion some time ago," Ken said slowly. This was difficult. But, he needed to get it over with before he changed his mind or slipped back into the much too comfortable reactions of the Kaiser. It would be a disaster either way. "It has been fun and I do appreciate your concern. But I shouldn't take advantage of you anymore, especially if your brother's reaction is any indication of what will happen on down the road." Somehow, Ken managed to force himself to look into Takeru's shocked blue eyes as he continued, "So I guess a goodbye would be better suited to us now."

"No!" Takeru slammed his hand into the wall, blocking Ken's path of retreat.

"What?" Ken blurted out, shocked that Takeru didn't agree with him.

"You are not doing this!" Takeru growled out. No way in hell was he letting Ken walk away from him now.

"How dare you tell me what to do!" Ken snarled in response. He froze instantly afterwards, catching himself too late. What was he saying? That wasn't him... no, it was him, just the him he didn't like anymore.

Takeru closed his eyes, willing himself to calm down. This was not helping things. He needed to be rational to get through to Ken. Grounding himself, he opened his eyes only to witness a near replay of the most hopeless expression he had ever seen on Ken's face. It was just like then and he was starting to finally get a clue. "It's a reflex isn't it? You can't help yourself can you? It comes without you even thinking about it." He gritted his teeth as Ken visibly flinched at his words. He was right.

The Kaiser personality that Ken had built up around himself was so far ingrained into who Ken was that now he basically was Ken's reaction to everyday life. There was no way to separate the two personalities, only suppress one or the other. And Ken just wasn't able to ignore that part of himself, certainly not while he was alone.

Well, Takeru had wanted to help Ken. He wasn't sure how he could help Ken with this in particular, but he was more than willing to try. Sighing, Takeru gently dragged a resistant Ken into his embrace. And Ken was shaking. "You're really upset about this aren't you?" Takeru murmured, not expecting an answer nor receiving one. Shaking his head at this turn of events, he made his way over to the couch and sat them both down.

Absently stroking Ken's hair, Takeru unbuttoned the collar to Ken's school uniform. He scowled at the hints of bruising that came into view. He was seriously going to have to lay into Yamato for that. Smiling sadly, he leaned back, drawing Ken in closer to him and simply waited for the shivering to cease. It was the only thing he could do right now.

It was some time before everything was calm again. Ken was still breathing a bit raggedly from what Takeru could hear though. But the shaking had passed, thankfully. Takeru stroked Ken's hair some more as he asked, "Feeling a little bit better now?"

"No, not particularly," Ken croaked out as he sat up straight, drawing away from Takeru. He took a moment to clear his throat before continuing, "I really do appreciate your concern, but I don't want to hurt you..." Ken trailed off uncertainly as Takeru looked over at him suggestively before leaning in to nibble on his exposed neck. "What are you doing?"

"Distracting you," Takeru mumbled hotly against Ken's skin as he reached over and started dragging Ken closer to him. "Is it working?"

"Ye~s," Ken hissed as Takeru nibbled a trail up to his earlobe. "I really don't think this is the time for this though." Ken managed to get out before Takeru pushed him over onto his back.

"Oh, I think this is the perfect time," Takeru grinned cheerfully as he began to unbutton Ken's jacket. "I want to and you need somebody to show you that you're not a complete and utter bastard. And this is the perfect way to do it," he stated matter of factly as he tugged the jacket out of the way and started working on the shirt underneath. "Besides, I like it and I like you. Two birds with one stone, wouldn't you say?" Takeru asked playfully as he leaned in closer to Ken.

"What?" Ken asked, he was utterly confused. This was really the first time Takeru had ever actually started things. And... Takeru liked him? He didn't manage to get any further in his thoughts as Takeru leaned down to answer him with a long, ardent kiss.

Takeru slowly slid his tongue in between Ken's soft lips, twisting his tongue sensually around Ken's before drawing back. Meanwhile, his hands were quite busy removing the cloth barriers between him and what he truly wanted to touch. This was the first time he'd been 'in charge', so to speak, and he certainly had no intention of disappointing.

Leaning up, Takeru helped rid Ken of both the school jacket and white shirt before shrugging out of his own. Smiling once again, Takeru softly caressed Ken's cheek before placing a single finger for silence over the other boy's lips. "Ah ah ah, mine right now," he whispered before leaning down to place gentle kisses along Ken's throat. He chuckled as he captured Ken's roaming hands, not allowing Ken to do anything but feel what he was doing.

Takeru laughed outright as Ken groaned in frustration, before trailing his tongue down across Ken's chest and claiming the boy's right nipple with his lips. He sucked on it lightly, then teased it with his tongue before sucking on it again. He switched to the left nipple as Ken began to squirm beneath him in growing frustration at not being allowed to do anything.

When he was finally satisfied that he'd driven Ken to the point of frustration necessary for what he had planned, Takeru pressed his body down against Ken's, unconsciously grinding their hips together. "You've never done it the other way have you?" He asked curiously. He wasn't entirely sure about this, but he certainly wanted to give it a try.

"What?" Ken asked in noncomprehension a moment before a blush of understanding painted his cheeks a rosy color. "Oh, well no, not really had the chance. I mean come on, I'm the dominant. Everybody knows that." He looked up suspiciously as Takeru just continued to stare at him in surprise. "What?"

"You're blushing," Takeru stared down in wonder at this literal marvel as it turned an even deeper shade of rose at his husky words. "I think... I like it," he whispered as he leaned down to kiss Ken's reddening skin. Smirking to himself in triumph at producing this little miracle, Takeru trailed down across Ken's cheekbone and gently nuzzled the other boy's ear. "Well do you want to try it the other way?"

Shrugging his acceptance, Ken answered, "Sure why not?" Smirking ever so knowingly, he added, "Besides, you're on top already now anyway." He chuckled as Takeru's cheeks proceeded to swiftly match his own in a rosy, red color. "But," Ken raised his right hand to stop Takeru from continuing to tease his body along. "You're forgetting something."

"I am?" Takeru asked curiously as he tried to think of what it was that Ken would know that he was forgetting. It wasn't Ken, because Ken was very obviously underneath him. After a second more of thinking, it finally dawned on him just what he would need to proceed further along. "Oh yeah, I have to get up for that though." He pouted at that, putting as much of his natural cuteness into it as he possibly could.

"Well then hurry up," Ken crossed his arms over his bare chest to show that he wasn't going to do anything until Takeru went and got it. Raising one eyebrow as Takeru seemed rather adverse to the thought of crawling up off of him, he continued, "I am not a masochist. Go get it."

"All right, all right already," Takeru grumbled as he reluctantly climbed to his feet. Shaking a finger of warning down at Ken, he quickly headed off to his room. "Don't move. I'll be right back."

Ken did a good job of smothering his laughter at Takeru's stern look and resisted the urge to do just that. As contrary a nature as he might have, okay maybe a bit more than just contrary, resisting the urge to move was rather simple, mainly because of the fact that he just didn't feel like moving. Closing his eyes, he waited patiently for Takeru's return. He was terribly tired, but Takeru always had such a refreshing way of exciting him out of his usual depression, among other things.

It was several minutes later, he wasn't quite sure how long as he just didn't care to keep up with the time, that he felt a feather soft caress on his cheek. Opening his eyes slowly, Ken smiled as he looked up at Takeru's concerned expression.

"You're tired," Takeru said worriedly as he gazed down into Ken's cloudy amethyst eyes. "We don't have to if you don't want to."

"I'm always tired," Ken murmured as he leaned up to kiss Takeru for his reply. He smiled as Takeru gently pushed him back down and started to tug off his pants. He chuckled as Takeru pulled his pants all the way off and got a good look at his rather obvious need.

"How is it you are so tired all the time and yet have the energy to produce this?" Takeru asked oh so curiously as he began to slowly stroke Ken's erection.

"What can I say?" Ken snickered madly, "I'm a slave to my own desires." He squirmed and giggled uncontrollably as Takeru lightly tickled his inner thighs. "Stop that!"

"I just can't help myself," Takeru chuckled cheerfully as he leaned down to kiss Ken once again. "You're just so cute when you're like this." He suckled gently across Ken's chin and then down to the other boy's neck as he hastily rid himself of his own shorts and nudged Ken's legs aside for easier access.

"Cute?" Ken asked unbelieving as he watched Takeru pop open the bottle of lubricant and squeeze out a generous amount. "I'm cute~?" He hissed out as Takeru reached down and began to stroke him again.

"Oh definitely," Takeru purred as he slowly stroked Ken's erection while reaching downwards with his other hand. "You have no idea," he murmured as he slid a slick finger into Ken. He smiled as he felt the muscles tense up around his invasion and continued pushing onwards. Thoughtfully, he stroked the tight flesh contracting around his touch and searched for the one place he knew from experience that felt mind numbingly good. "You have no idea just how cute you are like this, and just how much it turns me on," he continued quietly as he watched Ken convulsively claw at the couch and knew he had found his mark.

Takeru stroked Ken for a few more minutes, making quite sure that every little bit of skin was slicked up for what was to come. He had to make perfectly sure that there wasn't a chance of him hurting Ken. Well, asides from the usual uncomfortable sensations at the very beginning, but those never lasted long. Content that Ken was ready, Takeru withdrew his fingers and generously slicked up his own aching hardness. He looked down questioningly as he felt Ken's lower legs loosely wrap around his waist.

Ken nodded at Takeru in growing anticipation and some uncertainty he would never admit to. He ruthlessly crushed the slight hesitation he was feeling about this new twist in things. He was far from anything resembling a blushing virgin and had been for quite a good while now. So why was he feeling uncertain about something like this?

Takeru shook his head in bemusement, recognizing Ken's feelings for what they were even though Ken would never voice them. Patience would never suit this type of situation, not with them. Smiling apologetically at the minor wait, Takeru leaned down over Ken, taking but a moment's time to position himself properly before plunging within the tense body below.

Takeru blinked in amazement as he vaguely heard Ken cry out at his initial thrust before gritting his teeth together at the incredible feel of Ken's muscles contracting around him. Briefly he wondered at how Ken had managed to control himself for so long during their earlier trysts. Groaning deep in his throat, Takeru pushed everything out of his head and slowly began to move.

Ken bit down on his lower lip, trying to stifle off anymore of the unwanted sounds. He hadn't meant to at first, but he just couldn't help it. The sensation of Takeru filling him had just been too surprising for him to stop himself. It had been uncomfortable at the start, but now it was feeling terribly, terribly pleasant. He groaned silently as he felt the searing ache between his legs grow as Takeru thrust deeply into him.

Takeru gasped for air as he watched Ken through narrowed eyes. He could feel Ken's body begin to shudder in time with each thrust of his own body. But Ken was strangely quiet and he found himself wanting, needing to hear that sharp cry again. Feeling his control starting to slip ever so slightly, Takeru reached down and began to roughly stroke Ken in accompaniment to each of his fevered thrusts.

Ken hissed through his teeth, reaching up to lightly scrape his fingernails down Takeru's chest. He was swiftly losing control of his body's reaction to Takeru's ministrations and for once, he didn't really mind. He choked for a single moment as a particular deep thrust sent spots dancing before his eyes. Throwing his head back, he cried out once more as he felt Takeru push him the last little bit of the way beyond the edge of his passion.

Takeru grinned at Ken's hoarse cry even as he felt Ken's shaft pulse within his hand. Gritting his teeth, he grimaced as Ken's muscles tightened like a vise around him. It was more than he had been expecting and it easily knocked loose the last bit of control he had been holding onto. Slumping forward, Takeru barely felt the wet stickiness of Ken's release before his own was shooting off deep within the boy below him.

It was some time before Takeru managed to withdraw himself and flop over to the side, barely managing not to fall completely off the couch. Shakily reaching up to wipe sweat out of his eyes, he wearily asked, "Feeling better now?" He snickered silently as a quiet grunt was the only forthcoming answer. Sighing, Takeru closed his eyes and waited for his pulse to slow down to something resembling normal.

Several more minutes passed before a quiet "Takeru?" intruded upon his senses. He cracked one eye open curiously and looked over at Ken who seemed almost to be sleeping. He blinked the one eye as Ken's lips moved ever so slightly and the question came again, only a bit louder, "Takeru?"

"Yeah?" Takeru drawled out tiredly. Ken had never been the type for much pillow talk, so it must be something important.

"What were you blushing about earlier when I arrived?" Ken asked simply as he tilted his head over to pin Takeru with an amused glare.

"Uhm," Takeru grimaced as he felt his cheeks heat up once again, even with all that they'd just been doing. "Well, it's sorta difficult to explain." He sighed in defeat, no way would Ken let him get off without some kind of answer, and he didn't want to lie. "You," he blurted out lamely.

"Me?" Ken asked instantly in utter surprise. "Why?"

"Because, I think... I like you," Takeru managed to get out as his cheeks heated up even more.

"Why?" Ken asked again in shock as he felt his own cheeks starting to heat up. This was completely unexpected.

"I don't know," Takeru grumbled as he carefully shifted onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "I just do." He blinked in the following silence and wondered just how stupid he was going to get before this was all over. He froze as he felt Ken stir beside him and hoped that he hadn't screwed everything up.

Ken hesitantly leaned over Takeru and frowned at the confusion he was feeling. He knew... knew what that meant, but he didn't know how he felt about it. "Takeru, I don't... I don't know what," he floundered trying to come up with something to say in light of Takeru's confession and not coming up with anything helpful.

Takeru smiled faintly up at Ken, it was starting to get a bit easier to read the other boy now. He could see the confusion and uncertainty lurking within Ken's eyes, even if they didn't show up anywhere else on Ken's face. Sighing he reached up, gently wrapped his arms around Ken and slowly drew him down against him. "It's okay Ken. You don't have to say or do anything."

Ken sighed wearily as he sank down into Takeru's embrace. Maybe there was something, but he just didn't know. And thankfully, he didn't have to figure it all out right now. Snuggling up against Takeru's bare chest he smiled, closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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That was my Valentine's Day fic for 2001. It turned out better than I thought it would. But I'm pretty proud of it, it's a nice way to show just how silly the seme/uke classifications can seem when applied to a real relationship. Hope you liked.