Standard disclaimers for Digimon: Tamers apply. The title/semi-idea was inspired by the Taproot song of the same name (er, the "I" part, that is). Again, don't own anything other than the storyline; suing would be a rather stupid headache to give yourself, wouldn't it?

Warnings: Shounen ai, bits of fluff, semi-AU since this is speculative after the ending (I guess ^^;). Brief mention of Ryo's time in the quasi-dimension where he met Ken and a slight overtone (weirdly…) of Kendai/Daiken. Brief references to other fandoms (catch 'em if you can!)

A/N: Christmas present 2003 for darling Aphrael. ^__^ ::mwah!::

A/N II: Tamers is not really my thing (I'm more devoured by Adventure and Frontier ^_^;;), but a random comment by darling Aphrael made me decide to make a contribution. So, here you are…a Jenrya/Takato fic in three movements. Hope you like it. I truly do recommend getting your claws on the song "I" by Taproot. It would really help bring along the feeling of this fic if you hear it. …Egads, I'm pimping something not fic and not mine. O.o Medic!

Also, there really isn't much difference between men's' and women's' yukatas except a slight stylistic cut (married vs. unmarried) and colour choices based on age, gender, and marital status.

(Kimi ga kagayaki na . . .)

High school was one of those big, important, earth-shaking things for most students. It was where you 'made' yourself, as parents liked to say. It was where you began to discover your interests, your true personality, your likes and dislikes, your dreams and fears . . . .

Unfortunately, it was also where you began to ask the big questions, such as "Why am I here?" "What is my purpose?" "Are goggles really a necessary hair accessory?" "Why does Ruki seem more masculine than Takato?" "What is the standard velocity of nothing going nowhere?" and, the all important, "Why do I keep wondering what my best friend would look like in a dress?"

Li Jenrya stared morosely out the window of the computer lab, chin pillowed on one hand as he waited for said best friend to join him. Worse, he was waiting for Ryo, Ruki, Juri, Hirokazu, and Kenta as well---which would only serve to further his confusion.

Things had been fine up until a few months ago when darling Shuichon had opened her mouth and mentioned how pretty Takato looked in female yukata during the school's spring festival. It had been a gimmick for the school's soccer team---See the team captain dressed like a girl! Pay one hundred yen to try send him into the dunk tank!

Unfortunately, they forgot to mention the part of "See your best friend, who is quite pretty in a disturbingly androgynous fashion, run around in a skin tight yukata, waving a fan and batting guileless brown eyes at every passer-by!" That had been the part that had first done it in for Jenrya and started him down this nerve-racking path of "do I or don't I" concerning Matsuba Takato.

"Do I even want to know why you're staring out the window with a lovelorn look on your face?"

He whirled around to face Ruki, trying to keep from looking guilty and blushing at the same time. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ruki rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. And wipe the drool off your face before Ryo gets here. If you think I'm*bad when it comes to teasing . . ."

"Right, right." And she was right, much as it pained him to admit it. Ruki was as sharp as a Masamura katana, and she never beat around the bush. He envied her that ability . . . even when he hated her using it against him.

He felt her move closer, standing beside him to gaze out the window as well. "You know . . . I'm serious, Jenrya." Her voice was soft as her fingers came up to press against the glass. She smiled, one finger following the zigzag movements that he, too, was following with confused eyes. "This sighing and staring and mooning has gotten out of hand. You need to figure out what's going on between you two and fix it---Hirokazu and Kenta won't care, and neither will Ryo, really, but it'll break Juri's heart if you and Takato don't reach an understanding of some sort."

He really didn't want to talk about this. "I don't know what you mean, Ruki-san. I thought that Juri-san and Takato had reached an understanding of their own. Aren't they going to the Summer Festival together?"

'Who am I to interfere even if we're all miserable?' went unsaid.

She hit him. He didn't even see it coming, so there was no chance to block the blow. Scowling, he gently touched his jaw; how the hell did she manage to pack so much force into a punch with such a small fist?

Those fists were clutched at her sides as she turned to glare at him. She was pretty, really; lucky Ryo to get the prettiest, toughest, bitchiest girl in school. Her hair had grown long, trailing over her shoulders; the narrowed eyes were lined tastefully with shadow and pencil, and the lips pinched together were a faint berry pink. Even though she was pretty . . . anger suited her, even if Jenrya wasn't completely certain that he deserved to be hit. "Boys are so stupid!"

"What'd I do now?"

Ryo had been unfortunate enough to walk into the room just as Ruki voiced her feelings, and his look was one of utter puppy-bewilderment. He looked warily at his girlfriend, and wondered if he should be apologising or running for his life.

Ruki snorted, waving her hand. "Not you, dummy head. I was talking about this moron over here, who seems to think that denial is the perfect state of existence."

Grinning, Ryo said, "Well, that's good. I was wondering if I needed to call my lawyer and purchase that burial plot after all."

Ruki rolled her eyes but smiled. "Stupid."

Ryo continued to grin, taking a seat at the empty table and propping his legs up, rocking back on two legs. "So why is Chinese Boy-Wonder on trial this time?"

"You mean other than the fact that he's just generally stupid?"

"Well . . . yeah. I need a little more clarification than that if I'm going to get any work done here. I need material, lady of my heart: what'd he do, when, where, what time, who was involved . . . ?"

Clicking her tongue, she went and sat down on the table. "It's not anything like that . . . well, not yet. However, give Jenrya time and he'll manage to screw things up in spectacular fashion."

"I am right here, you know!" Jenrya scowled at both of them, hands clenched as he glared. Really, where did they get off saying such things? If Terriormon had been there . . . .

The tension left him abruptly, and he looked away. Perhaps that was part of it. They'd all been somewhat isolationist before they'd met---and it had been their Digimon that had pulled them together. He, though . . . he'd lived in a world of video games with absolutely no interaction among people other than his family. Terriormon had been the one to break him of that habit, to make him learn how to be social, how to laugh, how to be . . . friends . . . .

He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the rest of their group trickling into the room . . . the brash and loud pair of Hirokazu and Kenta . . . quiet, ever-smiling Juri . . . and shower-wet Takato, who was crouched to look up into his face with a curious expression…

"Whatcha doin'?"

Jenrya's eyes widened, and from the heat he felt in his face, he was blushing as well. "Huh? I . . . uh . . . You see, that is . . . ."

Juri giggled, pigtails dancing against her cheeks as she tipped her head to the side. "You're so silly, Li-san. Hey, Takato-kun, you might give him a bit of room. I think you flustered him."

"Eh, he was probably thinking dirty thoughts anyway," said Kenta with a leer.

Jenrya turned to glare sourly at Kenta, but Hirokazu was already waving a placating hand while the other covered Kenta's mouth. "Hey, hey! Don't mind him, Jenrya---his just in a bad mood because he failed his Classic Japanese exam, that's all."

Ruki snorted. "Oh, and here I thought it was because he hasn't gotten---"

Jenrya's eyes widened, and he noticed that he wasn't he only one who understood the direction of where Ruki's thought was heading. Thankfully Ryo pinched her knee, which caused her to yelp and thus not finish her sentence. Well, Ryo probably wasn't thankful---that pinch earned him a nasty kick in the back of the leg---but the rest of the once-Tamers were. After all, Jenrya at least wasn't looking forward to another question and answer session with Takato on the whys and wherefores of that strange thing known as 'sex.'

After the outburst and commotion from couples, Jenrya looked up to find Ryo, Ruki, Hirokazu, and Kenta all looking around a bit shamefaced, while Juri blushed and looked out the window.

Takato, however, was staring around in bewilderment---and his gaze, eventually, settled on Jenrya. "Hey, Jen-kun, what's going on?"

Something in his chest twitched. Jen-kun. It had been happening a lot more frequently of late, this shortening and familiarising of his name: first it had been Li-san…then Li-kun…then Jenrya-san… When he'd congratulated Takato after last week's soccer game, even a 'Jen-chan' had slipped out of his mouth---and Jenrya didn't know what to make of it.

Jenrya opened his mouth to reply, but Takato's sudden smile and burst of words relieved him of having to answer.

"Ne, ne, did you hear? We won the first set of District games. If we win the second, we play in the city-wide games!"

Summoning up the ghost of a smile, Jenrya said, "That's great." The last game had been yesterday, hadn't it? He'd meant to go, but . . . .

"You're coming, aren't you? It's next weekend, right before the festival. Boy, it's gonna be hard; running from here, catching the bus to the field, getting back here. But I don't feel so bad, because the whole team has to do it. And Jen-kun will be there, right?"

Jenrya made his smile into something a little more serious, a little more sincere. "Of course I'll be there."

"We'll all be there," added Juri, catching his eye and winking.

Her actions made Jenrya frown inwardly. Did Juri know more than she let on? Of course, considering that Ruki and Ryo knew . . . and that Hirokazu and Kenta most likely knew . . . . But didn't Juri have feelings of her own for Takato?

"Do not!"

Jenrya was abruptly brought back to reality by Takato's sudden shout. The goggle-boy was glaring at Hirokazu, arms crossed over his chest, bottom lip stuck out at an angle that indicated a threatening pout.

Hirokazu was laughing, a shaking finger still pointing. "Dude, you do to! You talk so much like a girl!"

"Juri, tell 'Kazu he's being stupid!"

Juri looked torn between giggling herself and helping to defend Takato. "Well . . . you do a little, Takato-kun," she said at last.

Takato moaned, burying his face in his hands. "I knew I needed to quit hanging with Mom so much. Now the guys'll make fun of me, just like you guys. Jen-kun won't want to hang out anymore if everyone's laughing at me all the time!"

Jenrya simply smiled, taking in the escapade, Takato's deliberate melodrama, taking in the people he cared for. Life was a strange thing, he decided. And if he could learn to drop his façade just a little---

"Ne, ne, look! Jen-kun's smiling everyone!"

Their laughter rang through the room, Takato's the most joyous of all. Yes, if he could just learn to drop his façade, what he wanted might actually be within his reach.

(Motto, motto --- me itai de, kokoro itai de, kimochi itai de . . .)

The crowd in the stands was crushing, and Jenrya cringed as yet another giggling fangirl used his shoulders as a springboard to shout her encouragement out onto the field.

"Go, Takato-sama! You're the best!"

The squeals and coos of joy as Takato swept towards the other team's goal was enough to make him nauseous. It also reminded him of why he avoided games most of the time; though Takato seemed to be a 'nobody' of sorts with his friends, he was the heart of their school's athletics program, and had more than his fair share of admirers.

"Hey, Jenrya?"

He looked over at Ryo, who'd nudged his shoulder as he shouted over the noise of the crowd. "Yeah?"

Ryo grinned. "Don't worry about them too much. Takato barely even notices they exist."

"Mmm."

"Remember me telling you about that time I got sucked into the warp into the Digital World? When I was gone for nearly two years?"

"Yeah?"

"It's strange, but . . . . The first kid I really got to know, Ichijouji Ken, played soccer. He said he wasn't really all that good, but he loved to play the game. He told me about watching a game like this once, in his world's Tokyo. It was a district tournament, but it was also the fist time he saw a Digimon---well, he wouldn't realise that till later, and that's a different story. Thing is, there was a boy there, playing the exact same position as Takato. He had the wildest thatch of brown hair Ken had ever seen, and he wore goggles."

Jenrya nodded, smiling as Takato managed to score. The crowd screamed, and Ryo's voice was drowned out for a moment.

"I just think there's a rather strange connection between goggle-boys and being leaders of those destined with Digimon. I mean, I got an e-mail from Ken---"

Jenrya arched an eyebrow. "How the heck do you get an e-mail across parallel dimensions?"

Ryo grinned. "Hell if I know. There are just some things in life you don't question, if you know what I mean. Anyway, Ken went through a bad time of it recently . . . got really messed up. They ended up with a new set of Chosen Children, and it seems that their leader's helped to settle him. Built up his confidence, his self-esteem---built him back up to believe in himself. Kid's name is Motomiya Daisuke . . . dragon-type Digimon, goggle-boy, and a soccer player."

"That is a . . . very strange coincidence," Jenrya said after a moment. He looked back out over the field, watching Takato lock legs with the opposing team's sweeper in a fight over the ball.

"You're kind of our brooding element, Jenrya, you know? You're a lot like Ken. The deep thinker, the contemplator, the loner . . . ."

"Funny, I thought that would apply more to Ruki."

"You know, you're lucky she decided not to come today. You'd be dead for that comment," Ryo told him a little too cheerfully. "And, actually, you're the one who was the most socially withdrawn out of all of us. I didn't really have a choice, what with hopping dimensions like I was. Ruki just hadn't been able to find anyone she liked. Takato always had friends, especially Hirokazu, Kenta, and Juri. Juri's loved by nearly everyone, and Hirokazu and Kenta have each other. You, though . . . ."

Jenrya frowned, looking down at his hands. The crowd screamed once more, and he felt himself being jostled, a leaf tenuously hanging on to its branch.

"Yeah, I get it. I'm the darkness, he's the light."

"Er, well, something like that. All I'm trying to say is . . . I think it's fate. Destiny. Chosen. I think that you and Takato are supposed to happen---just like Ken and his Daisuke."

The final seconds of the game ticked down, and the crowd broke into their last, final cheer of triumph. Jenrya struggled to his feet, still looking at the single person with tousled brown hair and goggles catching the sun, swallowed by his teammates. But then he was raised on shoulders, a god for viewing, and Jenrya's breath caught in his throat.

Takato was smiling---grinning outright like an idiot, as Ruki would have said---but he wasn't looking down at his teammates who were tramping all over the field. He was looking at the stands, waving his arm so wildly it looked about to fall off.

Tentatively, Jenrya raised his hand and waved back.

The grin became a pure smile, bright enough to rival the nova of a sun. And Jenrya knew that his façade was over.

(Demo . . . kimi o daite darou. Zutto.)

It was Summer Festival, and everyone was in high spirits. Hirokazu and Kenta were arguing over whose onigiri had been spicier, and demanding that the girls in the booth attempt to make the spiciest possible. From what Jenrya understood, they were having a contest to see who could eat the most without needing water. It was all rather silly, he thought, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves . . . and, more importantly, each other. He left them to their bickering, and began to explore on his own.

It was amazing, the array of booths that littered the park. Four different high schools had gathered together this year, pooling experience and resources to offer the most to their area. Juri and her fellow cheerleaders, along with a number of the student body leaders, had helped to decorate the trees with lights and ribbons, creating a subtle glow of blues and purples against the backdrop of evening.

He walked up the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, idly smiling at people he knew in passing. Ryo had been right. He knew a lot of people, but he didn't really know them. Truth be told, that was how he liked it; being close to only a handful of people, only a small number allowed to know the 'real him' as the saying went.

There was the Kagemeiou Kendo Club, and they seemed to have drawn a big crowd. Jenrya paused for a moment to watch the demostration, impressed with the fact that the two students were using actual bokken against one another with only light padding. Beside that was their Kyuudo Club, and the demonstrations seemed to be getting a little wild if the whistles and shouts were anything to go by. Jenrya shook his head and continued on.

There was his own school's Shogi Club, where it seemed a heated debate was taking place on who was the best Shogi player. Jenrya listened to names being bandied around, while tiled pieces were slowly moved around the board. It was boring though, and again he began to walk.

There was Kaio's Go Club table, where two boys his age were arguing heatedly, one with longish-black hair and intense green eyes, the other with bleach-blonde bangs and a shirt emblazoned with the number '5.'

"It was too a smart move, Touya!"

"Are you kidding, Shindou? It was the most moronic move I've ever seen! Look at how you left yourself open here."

"Yeah, well, look at how it drew you in here."

The two fell silent, staring down at the board. Eventually they sat back in their seats, looking up, and Jenrya watched. Neither boy said anything else, but there was something about they way they looked at each other. A conveyed "I'm sorry." A promised "Let's still be friends." A potential "We'll keep growing." A daring "We might be more."

It troubled Jenrya at the same time it bolstered him. He and Takato didn't fight like that---not against each other, at least, and not with that intensity. But they still argued: what movie to watch, where to eat, whose house to crash at, who got the better score in social studies. They were competitive but not rivals, and Jenrya thought that he preferred that sort of intensity right now. He didn't need a rival---ever.

All he needed was Takato.

More stands were selling food for various clubs---language clubs, drama clubs, speech clubs, computer clubs, baseball clubs. The list went on, as did the lines of booths and people.

He had to make his way around a potential fight between Kaio's Tennis Club and two boys he didn't recognise. His once-over guess was that they were tennis players as well---they had the bags for it, and wore uniforms that seemed vaguely familiar. He thought he recognised the name of the school vaguely, but they should be on the other side of town if they were from Seishun High School. It looked like things might get ugly.

"Think you guys are pretty high and mighty now, huh? Got your famous Buchou back as a third year, all healed up and whatnot, and your wunderkind prince as a first year, fresh off the Junior High's last winning season. Well, there's no way you'll repeat the Nationals---no way in hell!"

The smaller of the two boys in blue and white sighed, bag slung almost carelessly over his shoulder. "Mada mada da ne . . ."

"I agree," said the taller boy, adjusting his thin, wire-frame spectacles with his middle finger.

Personally, Jenrya thought them both a little intimidating---which seemed a strange thought given that he wasn't intimidated by the soccer team in the least, and soccer had always seemed a much more intense sport in comparison to tennis. However---

"Buchou, this is boring."

Jenrya cringed at the scorn that dripped from the dark-haired boy's voice. The taller one, with flyaway light brown hair nodded, and the two turned to leave.

"Hey, hold on a minute!"

This was going to get ugly. All Jenrya wanted to do was find Takato, and now there was this.

"Waaaah, look out!"

Before any real fighting could break out, though, an errant soccer ball came flying through the air, with a yukata-clad Takato hot on its proverbial heels.

The Seishun players quickly moved to the side, but the Kaio players weren't so lucky; Takato hit them at a dead run, bowling them over without even stopping or stumbling. He dove across the grass, sending girls scattering with screams that seemed equal parts surprise and delight. But Takato caught the ball before it hit, rolling to a sitting position and holding it up for all to see. He smiled sheepishly, placing a hand behind his head. "Sorry!"

The Kaio tennis players didn't seem to find it all that amusing, and the Seishun players had already decided to move on. Before the Kaio players could do anything, though, Ruki had come walking down the path, her arm almost linked with Ryo's, but not quite touching. She was dressed probably the most feminine and formal Jenrya had ever seen, lovely in a pale blue yellow yukata with trailing cloud designs. Her hair was down around her shoulders, light makeup on her face. Despite all of that, all she had to do was arch an eyebrow at the Kaio players and they suddenly decided they had much more interesting things to do.

"Boys," Jenrya heard her mutter with a snort.

Ryo just nodded, smiling. They both turned to Takato, who getting to his feet and brushing himself off. "Nice catch there, boy wonder."

"Heh, thanks." Takato still wore his sheepish grin as he looked down at himself. "Kya, mom's gonna kill me for the grass stains though."

"They're not that bad; you can barely see them."

Jenrya hadn't even realised he'd spoken until all eyes were turned to him. Ruki smirked, Ryo nodded, and Takato . . . .

"Jen-chan!"

There wasn't even a moment to collect and prepare himself before Takato threw himself bodily at Jenrya. Air escaped his lungs, his arms coming up automatically before his mind could register what he was doing. I just hugged Takato.

"Ne, ne, Jen-chan, did you see the game?" Takato stepped back, bouncing eagerly. The soccer ball lay forgotten in the grass. "Eight to four---we're going to the championship!"

"I know. I saw." Great, Jenrya thought, I sound like an automaton. Real smooth.

"Juri said you were coming, but I wasn't sure. Juri says a lot of things, so sometimes I'm not sure if I should believe her. Did you see the soccer club's booth? We picked straws again, but I won this time!" Takato did another little dance. "I didn't have to get wet this time!"

Jenrya nearly choked. Here was Takato, looking impossibly young and joyous in his traditional clothes, watching Jenrya with wide eyes, smiling. He caught movement from the corner of his eye; Ruki was smirking, Ryo winked, and the two of them began to walk away.

". . . and the Kaio kids were really weird, but that's just because their all stuck up, I think."

Jenrya blinked, realising he'd missed part of Takato's rambling. "What?"

Takato put his hands on his hips, pouting slightly. "Mou, Jen-chan, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Jenrya attempted to smile, feeling his heart pounding in his chest.

"I bet you haven't eaten yet, huh? You always go off in your own little world when you're hungry. I noticed that, you know." Takato grabbed his sleeve and began to tug. "Come on, let's eat!"

"But I . . ."

"No buts, we're going! Juri and the other girls have an okonomiyaki stand up there a bit, and it's really good. And Juri'll get mad if we don't stop and see her, and Juri can be scary when she's mad, you know?"

Jenrya broke off further protests, lost in thought as Takato directed him through the crowd. Since when had Takato been observant enough to notice little things like that? His parents always had to make sure he ate, what with spacing out reading or playing video games, or just general daydreaming. But he hadn't thought that Takato, the innocent but hyperactive ball of energy, would notice something as inconsequential a thing as that.

Juri was all smiles and laughter when they managed to find seat around the okonomiyaki booth. "My treat," she said, setting plates in front of them. Jenrya smiled, feeling shy and awkward as she winked once more.

What's with all the winking going on around here? he wondered. But then Takato was regaling him with stories of the game, and he forgot about smiles and winks as he listened.

Evening wore into night, and the crowd began to lessen as students made their way home. Takato left to run and check in with his team, telling Jenrya to 'stay put.' So Jenrya stayed, still feeling awkward.

"You know . . . hiding things and pretending they're okay isn't good for you."

He nodded as Juri came to sit beside him.

"You're a good guy, Li-kun. We all know that."

She touched his hand, and he looked up. "Takato knows that."

"What do you mean?"

She smiled and pulled her hand back. "It means that you don't have to pretend anymore. I've made my peace with Takato-kun, and you need to do the same. I like Takato-kun, but Li-kun likes him more, right?"

She rose, making her way back into the tent. Jenrya frowned down at his hands. Had she really just given him tacit permission to . . . well, to do whatever it was he wanted?

"Jen-chan, let's go! They're going to start the fireworks soon, and the best place to watch is from the bridge!"

Takato once again grabbed his sleeve and began to drag him away. Jenrya stumbled from the stool, bumping into people as he tried to regain his balance. His apologies, though, went mostly unheard as Takato was walking almost too fast to keep up with.

They reached the bridge with only a few more run-ins---more than Jenrya would have liked, but as Takato was doing the leading, he decided to let things slide.

"Ne, ne, look!"

There was another tug on his sleeve as Takato pushed his way through the taller kids to the edge of the bridge, pointing as the first burst erupted in the sky. It blossomed, brilliant white, and fell in trickles like a waterfall.

They stood in silence, shoulders touching, as the display continued. Jenrya put his hands on the bridge railing, smiling. Fireworks really were amazing, and no matter if you knew what they were made from, there was no way to take away from the wonder of watching them light the night.

Sometime during the quiet, a warm hand crept up to cover his. Jenrya was startled until he looked over at Takato. Takato was watching the sky with an almost dreamy expression, and didn't even seem to notice where his hand had wandered. So Jenrya let the matter lay quiet, even though he wondered, and took comfort in the feel of rough and callused skin.

The display came to a close, and Takato's hand didn't move. In fact, when they turned to leave the bridge, Takato's hand was still closed over his own. They were walking together, back towards the lighted path, holding hands.

Li Jenrya smiled.

"Ne, Jen-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For coming to the game, for coming here." Takato smiled at him briefly before looking down at his feet. "I know I probably seem silly when I pester you to come to things like that, but I really like having you there."

"It's . . ." Jenrya stopped what he was about to say, afraid of how Takato would react. 'It's not a big deal,' was what he wanted to say, what his façade would say. But that would mean that Jenrya didn't really care.

And Jenrya did.

"I like going, Takato."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I like . . . I like spending time with you."

The hand over his squeezed slightly in reply.

The silence continued, but it was a comfortable silence. They walked, holding hands, through the aisles of the festival as students were tearing down their booths, and Jenrya was pleased that neither part of him felt self-conscious of that fact.

They continued to walk, through the park to the street. And their feet moved together, in the same direction, synchronised. Left. Right. Left. It echoed the beating of his heart, Jenrya realised, and that felt peaceful as well.

The bakery and Takato's home was in front of them before he knew it. Takato blinked, looking up the face of the building. "Parents out?"

"They went to my aunt's. Thanks."

"For what?"

"Walking me home."

"It's not a---" Jenrya smiled ruefully. "My pleasure, Takato."

"Ne . . . Jen-chan?"

Jenrya turned, finally looking at Takato for the first time since the bridge. Takato smiled, leaned forward, and kissed him so quickly that Jenrya almost didn't register he'd been kissed.

Takato's hand left his as the brunette began to rush inside, but Jenrya grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"I'm sorry!" Takato started to babble, eyes scrunched shut.

"Takato . . ."

One eye slowly opened. "Yeah?"

*And so I end the façade*, Jenrya thought, leaning forward. Lips, chapped but warm. Wet from Takato's nervous chewing. Soft and pliant, moulding oh so nicely.

He pulled back, breath hitching. Takato stared at him, and Jenrya wanted to capture that look of surprise and wonder forever. "Don't ever be sorry."

Takato's smile returned. "All right. Ne, Jen-chan?"

It was hard to resist those lips now that he knew them, now that he knew this was where he belonged. "Yeah?"

"Wanna spend the night?"

Still innocent, and Jenrya wanted nothing more than that; time with his best friend and now his special person, time to get to know each other even more. "Sure."

And so, hand in hand, Jenrya let Takato lead him into the bakery, leaving the discarded façade back on the street to be blown where the gods willed.

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