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The Bishounen Boys

Part 10: "Jupiter"

By Splash

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Oh, life can be a pain. But this should make it all up to you. This chapter's so long it could be a fic all in itself.

Forgot to note a couple chapters before, Jess is also Jesse. She doesn't care which one. :D

This chapter skips around in time. Just try to keep up. ^_^; And many little notes:

-The "trip" is inspired by something my friend had to go through, and the accommodation is quite true... XD

-Jupiter is from Holst's "Planets," and it's a tune you just have to hear. 'Nuff said.

-Not 'nuff said, just kidding. Grab some midi at classicalmidiconnection.com/cmc/holst.html and the tune is in the middle. Too hard to miss.

-Em... IB English is getting to me. My horrible attempt at a common literary device... it's kind of hidden, but it's there.

-Learn to play Euchre page: bright.net/~double/euchre.htm and if you want more, go to ask.com and type in Euchre ^^

-Don't mind the usage of Noah's character (same one as the real one at home), he's got a unique one :D

Sashiburi-"Long time no see"

doushite-Why

There's some random French in here that is pretty irrelevant so I'm not going to bother translating. ^^

*edit Sept. 30* Thanks Kleptomaniac Can Opener for pointing out something I had no idea about. Guess I was a little tired when I wrote that. XD

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~June 5, 2003~

Morning routine. Get up. Head to the bathroom. Plug in the sink. Let the lukewarm water fill up the sink. Dunk head straight into water.

Taichi's bangs soaked up and the tips of untidy hair got swallowed in the liquid. It was the method Taichi used to wake up, even though he hadn't found it working ever since high school.

When he lifted his head from the sink, he remembered something. Memory was a good sign of waking up to him. " Today's the last day of school."

He and Yamato walked together to school again, the last time for several months. Summer break really wouldn't be that long now that he thought about it. Time flew so quickly, even more so when Yamato was around...

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" ... And those who are going into French 3, which should be ALL of you, don't forget to freshen up your language during the summer. You don't want to lose it in the next three months..."

The girl sitting behind Taichi was having great difficulty holding herself back, as she had since the first Bishounen Boys concert. As the winner of the local contest last October, the five boys were given the opportunity to present a concert fully featuring themselves. It was quite natural for the producers to take it...

It had been a tiring year, if not a progressive one. The boys had quickly gained a fan base in their schools, and young people everywhere couldn't take their hands off them.

Every instant was clear in Taichi's head, how many times he had pulled Yamato away from the people in his area. He had done it discreetly, however, pretending that he had something important to show Yamato, or some other excuse. Never had he given room for Yamato to think that his actions were out of jealousy-- no, he rather called it possession...

Taichi's back twitched to the feeling of a teasing finger trailing down his back. That was the last straw. Without turning around, he whispered, " Cut it out, Jess."

Jesse giggled, loud enough only for the teacher to give her a quick strange look. The teacher ignored it afterwards, and continued on. " Since this is our last full day of school..."

Taichi regretted not finding the time to dish out his attitude towards Jesse. He had been occupied with the band and school for the majority of the year. But someday he'd have to do something...

****

They were well-received in their schools, although it didn't affect their social status in a positive way. Admirers and some looking for more than admiration would swarm them at first, and it took quite a while for the people to figure out that they didn't enjoy any of it. Still, there were still persistent ones, still after the Bishounen Boys...

School was livable, and the transition to high school for Taichi and Yamato was all too natural. The band had little effect on their teacher relations since their teachers were all quite ignorant of them, but they didn't suffer from it.

Although, Taichi had issues with some of the teachers. Even after doing a remarkable job scoring several of the winning points in every soccer game for the school (leading them into championship), he still received little recognition from his coach and peers. Yamato was the only one who ever congratulated him. The coach was just like the players... athletic and completely uneducated.

The brunette had spent some time thinking about it in orchestra while the conductor was working on the second violins. It was rare in the school to find someone who was athletic and acedemically successful. But most of the time the athletic ones were just plain stupid in other classes, and the only thing keeping them alive was sports. It seemed outrageous, but Taichi found himself comparing it to prostitution, giving up one's physical self for the future of society's entertainment. Was that a bad thing? He browsed through every viewpoint he could think of... and simply found it ironic that prostitution was looked so down upon. It was a method to make a living. Sports was a method to make a living. What really was the line between sex and sports?

' Meh,' he thought, ' This issue would go well in Yamato's essay.'

And so, the end of the school year drew near, and Taichi was still sitting in French class with his classmates for a final discussion.

" So we'll move onto some future plans," Mrs. Murphy continued. " How many people in this class are going to the Quebec trip this summer?"

Taichi's hand raised lazily like several of the others. The entire French department in the high school was offered a summer trip every year, switching from either Quebec or France. This Quebec only had one week scheduled compared to two weeks in France. Taichi and Yamato had requested to share a room at the hotel they were staying in...

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~June 14, 2003~

The bus they rode was luxurious. There were two nicely decorated chairs on either side of the aisle for every row, but the first thing Taichi noticed were the cup holders... convenient little slots that were secure for drinks... And when he settled in the reclining seat, life was all the better. Already he knew it was going to be a relaxing trip, and not just the bus ride. Yamato plopped on the aisle seat next to him as he started to play with the window shades. Shades!

" Yaaaamato..." he cooed, " they even have microphone plugs for the TV screens..."

" You seem impressed," he replied, settling his backpack under his seat. " I'm really glad you're coming to this trip with me. You and your sports and all..."

Taichi shook his head. " I quit it."

" Huh?" Yamato stared at him like he had grown an extra head.

" I'll be getting busier with the band and I'd rather keep with schoolwork and music..." Taichi said, his mood abruptly changing to a more serious tone.

Yamato opened his mouth slowly, still in disbelief.

" I thought soccer meant so much to you..."

" It did when the people involved meant something to me," he reasoned, " I would never give up the band..."

" The soccer coach... he was somewhat of a helpful guy, but he was also anal most of the time. And there's no one interesting to talk to during practices..."

At that moment Yamato felt something, a pang of some sort. Was it empathy? Or...

" PEOW! Taichi, Yamato, sashiburi! I had no idea you guys would be here! Are you rooming together?"

Daisuke had popped up from behind, Ken peeking with him at his side.

" I didn't even know you took French," Taichi remarked, barely irked from the surprise.

" Well, now you do. Poor Takeru, he takes Spanish. Let's have a fun week in Quebec, ne?"

And what perfect timing, one of the French teachers stepped up at the front of the bus and hushed everyone down. With some announcements of regulations and things of the sort, there was nothing else preventing the bus from leaving.

Ten miles into the drive, Noah suggested that they put in a movie... " Canadian Bacon."

" You'll like this movie," he told the crowd, " Betcha bottom dollah." Oh, he had such great spirit.

The movie consumed a couple hours of entertainment, but it was still a long way to Quebec, and so Noah put in " The Hunt for Red October." Within the first half hour, 70% of the bus was asleep, the remaining men still chattering while the movie was playing. Daisuke leaned on Ken's lazy shoulder as the two dozed off in sleep land. Taichi glanced at them, quite envious of their innocent act... He was getting sleepy as well, and Yamato was no different. And Yamato's shoulder was quite tempting...

He sat there nodding off, in conflict of leaning, or not leaning. " Goddammit, Taichi, stop tearing yourself up like this..." He wondered what was pulling him in.... why he always thought Yamato was remarkable in everything he did, why he always cared for the blonde...

And why he wanted to be so close to him...

Taichi let himself go, unable to keep his head up. He snuggled himself on Yamato's shoulder, sighed casually and dozed off. He didn't even stay awake to notice if Yamato responded...

****

About halfway through the trip, the bus stopped before crossing the Canadian border. They were given a half hour break to shop at the duty-free store or grab a snack. Taichi grabbed a giant bar of Nestle's original Swiss chocolate and wouldn't let it out of his sight until they got back on the bus. In no less than ten minutes after they continued their way, Taichi couldn't resist the urge anymore.

" CHOCOOOOOLAAAATÉEEEEE!" he wailed, ignoring the impending stares around him.

" You mean le chocolat, n'est-ce pas?" one of the French teachers, Madame Blake, commented, nonchalant about the outburst but still cheerful. She knew that it would do no good to admonish someone for being who he/she is. She was great like that.

Some quiet scenes played on the TV screens from " Finding Forrester." Taichi and Yamato had seen the movie before in their English classes, so they knew which parts were boring... not that the movie itself was. Taichi nabbed a square off the 24 squares in the chocolate block, which must of been an inch-by-inch perfect cube. Err, perhaps not perfect, but it was still bulky. He savored the taste, stuffing the entire piece in his mouth and playing with it with his tongue. It energized him, gave him a jolt that chocolate usually did.

He turned to Yamato and offered him a piece.

" No thanks," he replied, " I've never really liked milk chocolate."

' That's strange. Chocolate fudge Pocky doesn't taste much different...'

Disdained, Taichi thought of a different method to get Yamato to have a piece. He looked around at his public scenery and thought better of it and restrained himself. Maybe when the mood was better...

For the rest of the trip, Daisuke and Ken entranced them with bouts of the card game Euchre.

" People outside Michigan just don't play it, but it's such a great game," Noah commented. He and a few others had set up their own group of four people to play the game. " It's our state specialty."

The four Japanese boys had an incredible look of englightenment on their faces as they played the game. They weren't clear on the reason, but they were sure it would make itself known eventually.

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The French students spent their dinner at a fancy restaurant (Yeah first impressions) before checking in the hotel. They had the entire second floor reserved, so they all trotted up the stairs (lazy ones took the elevator) with their luggage. Yamato and Taichi were more on the impatient side and didn't want to wait in the elevator line. Their room was 210, and Taichi was in charge of their entrance key.

" We have the rest of the night to ourselves," Taichi said, immediately burning red once he noticed the underlining of what he said. " Shall we go in?"

" ...Sure."

There was no ceremony as they entered the room, but Yamato was able to collapse onto the sight of the first bed. Taichi opened up his suitcase and stuffed his clothes into a drawer sloppily. Satisfied, he turned around to check on where he was going to sleep...

" Is there another bed?" he queried.

Yamato had his head meshed in the pillow on the bed, which he lifted up. " Mmm..."

" There's only one bed."

Lazily, Yamato mumbled, " So?" as if he had not listened to the context of the statement.

" It's a twin size. Did they not know there were going to be two people per room?"

" The teacher told us there was only going to be one bed..."

" Mrs. Murphy didn't tell our class about that..."

Yamato rolled over to lie on his back. " Oh."

' How the hell can he be so indifferent about this?' Taichi thought, ' Well, perhaps...'

They prepared for the night, washing up in the small bathroom and changing wardrobe. By then, it was already past 10 pm, and they needed to get up early for the next day's activities.

" That was a nice trip," Taichi said idly as he settled onto the bed.

" It's only begun, Taichi," Yamato replied. He had claimed the right side of the bed with his stomach facing up. He preferred sleeping on his back, if not on his left side.

And then there was Taichi who liked to sleep on his right side, especially since hearing from someone that sleeping on the left side was bad for the heart. Maybe he had it mixed up, but... Either way, there was nothing keeping Taichi from being able to watch Yamato sleep. But to do more... to show his affection... to have it returned... could he...?

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~June 16, 2003~

The day afterwards was all tourism and rule-stating. There wasn't much interest in the sight-seeing, but more in the food. They ate breakfast in the hotel, a nice and simple breakfast bar.

" Tu voudrais un croissant? C'est bon, oui?"

" Um, okay..." Yamato answered to the food in front of his face. Before he knew what he was doing, he opened his mouth like a young bird waiting to be fed. Taichi pushed a bite of the croissant inside his mouth, which Yamato chewed thoughtfully.

" Good, ne?" the brunette asked.

" Mmm..." Taichi fed Yamato another piece, but didn't release before Yamato clamped onto his fingers with his lips. Taichi tensed up, but Yamato didn't seem to notice... He stared ahead at his finger, waiting for Yamato to do something, but...

" Oops," the blonde said finally, blurred through the contents in his mouth, " Sorry 'bout that."

" No, it's fine," Taichi replied, taking his fingers out and putting them on his lap. " It's fine..." Yamato smiled shortly and continued chewing.

Unseen to Yamato, he opened and closed a fist with those fingers, as if trying to feel those lips once more... 'I'm such a coward.'

The French student group was then released in the afternoon in a downtown area of the city they were staying in. Their only restriction was everything that was more than obvious and that they had to return to a certain area in three hours. The females cheered for the free shopping time, while the rest decided to have a nice calm time. The middle school boys all went together to an arcade, including Daisuke and Ken. Taichi and Yamato watched them mingle in the crowd of spirited boys.

" The difference of several years is amazing," Yamato commented, seeming somewhat solemn. Taichi gave him an empathic shoulder pat.

" Do you want to get a cup of something at a café, Yama?" the brunette suggested. Yamato had barely nodded when Taichi started heading for the nearing place to settle.

They both settled for hot chocolate even though it was summer, but they tasted amazing either way. They were so good, in fact, Taichi ordered a special cup of just its whipped cream. He thought he could finish it, but even his sweet tooth couldn't match the delicious demands of the indulging, so Yamato finished the remains.

As things calmed after their whipped cream spree (which Taichi had trouble avoiding the suggestive properties of), Yamato started a rather intellectual conversation on the stereotypes of life, and Taichi found himself agreeing with every point.

And what a good time to ask... " Did you ever finish that essay, Yamato?"

The blonde had been yapping with his head on his hand supported by his elbow, staring out the café window, and he turned around to face Taichi. " It was nothing, Taichi."

Taichi just looked at him, waiting for a continuation of the response.

Yamato looked down, took his cup and swirled his empty drink. " It's already complete in my mind... maybe you'll know someday."

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~June 17, 2003~

' Aah, what a bother.' Something was blocking him from getting any sleep, and it was starting to disturb him. As if the original position was stiffening him, he turned to his other side, putting more friction between his lashes to see if it would help. When nothing followed, he substituted the pillow for his arm, the other resting below his chin.

Nope, that position didn't do. Now he just had a headache and was even farther away from the sandman's world of fluffy clouds and jumping sheep. Stuck. That's where he was. He really needed more sleep, he had seemed pretty zombified earlier and didn't want to feel any worse. It sure wouldn't make Yamato any more cheer-

He flickered his eyes open as a sudden impulse that even his own brain cells could not explain. And the white saucers he met up with only got bigger. The restless brunette wasn't stirred by the fact that his roommate was facing his direction since he knew quite well the blonde always slept on that side if he were ever to sleep on any side. But was that the first time he had-

" Um..." Yamato idly lifted a hand to scratch his suddenly itchy ear.

" Yamato... doushite..." despite his desire to finish his question, he was still dead tired, and a little dazed to top it off. Probably high on the stale hotel air conditioning they had left on too high. And just now Taichi realized how chilly it was in the room.

The other revealed signs of calming, finally relieving his itchy ear. He let out a sigh that blew beautifully past Taichi's hand cuddling his chin. " Go back to sleep, baka," Yamato whispered in the silent immobility of the night.

Taichi took some strained effort to focus on his friend's eyes, which actually looked just as weary as his.

" Not with you staring at me like that."

Yamato blinked. In one silky movement, Taichi reached out and grabbed Yamato's open shoulder and gravitated his hair-ridden head closer until the taste buds on his tongue could savor the scent of Yamato's shirt. He puffed out a breathe of relaxation, somehow feeling that he could sleep better in this position.

Inside his mind, Yamato was screaming. But physically, he was afraid he might break something if he moved. The two didn't clash very well; one wanted a change and the other refused to commend it. But finally, the bringer of tiredness dawned on him, as he felt his eyelids grow heavy and somnolent. " I'll just figure out what just happened in the morninthhh...."

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~June 18, 2003~

Taichi was surprised to see Yamato's head nudged against his chest when he awoke. They were in no rush to wake up early that day, so they had several more hours to sleep in... or whatever.

The sun glowed through the small window in the room, creating some sort of heavenly atmosphere vibrating through the clean white sheets. Yamato stirred in his sleep, mumbling something incomprehensible. Perhaps it was just the environment, but he looked particularly angelic...

Most people knew Yamato for being an average good-looking guy, who could sing and play piano and violin. He would never let other people find out about his life at home, though...

It inspired him, the sight of the blonde sleeping and his musings. He hummed the first tune that came to his mind, knowing it might do something... It was in the key of B-flat...

" Jupiter..."

Taichi continued to hum, but he lowered his view to catch Yamato's awakening face, a strange look on his face. And through all that Yamato felt secure... his parents seemed to become nonexistant, his disgust of school, the horrors of the world outside the small hotel room... All that seemed to be was Taichi and him. He could live up to the world with Taichi, find the joys of being...

" So nice..." he uttered when Taichi finished. He was still sleepy, so he slunk back into a more relaxing position, wrapping his arms along Taichi's back.

Taichi's hearbeat paced rapidly, not holding back his reaction of Yamato's embrace. And then... it dawned on him. Why was he paining himself over something that was so obvious? Why hadn't he seen it before? Perhaps he was just avoiding it, denying it... He was afraid of that scrap of uncertainty, the slightest possibility that everything was just a figment of his imagination.

It seemed that Yamato could no longer fall back asleep like him. And Taichi knew... it was the for the same reason that troubled his own mind.

He cast one final reassuring gaze on Yamato, then drew his face closer and kissed him full on the lips.

' There's no denying this moment...'

And Yamato was soon returning the effort, tongues entwining in a clash of sensation. They clung to each other tightly, never wishing to let go. Yamato emitted a small moan, motivating Taichi to turn over so that he was on top of the blonde. They kissed again and again, loving it each time.

Taichi's skin jumped as he felt a hand pull up the back of his shirt frantically. He could sense Yamato's haste, as beautiful as it was, and complied to the unspoken request. He peeled the shirt off over his head, littering it on the side. He received another bout of surprise when he felt Yamato nipping his neck enthusiastically. That alone almost brought Taichi over the edge.

The sheets rustled around them, responding to every movement they made. When Yamato released Taichi's neck, they were immediately compelled to kiss again, as if making up for lost time. And oh, they had much time to make up for...

Yamato felt himself sink lower into the bed, partially from Taichi's weight. Taichi padded small, light kisses trailing down Yamato's chest, then growled quietly at the obstacle. Taichi nearly ripped part of the clothing as it was taken off. With the shirt gone, he continued kissing Yamato... on his shoulder bones, stomach, nipples...

Yamato was anticipating what was being implied through Taichi's actions as he made his way down. But right before the brunette reached the hem of his boxers, he stopped. Taichi simply didn't go on, but looked down at the material for a moment. And then... he turned to face Yamato directly, giving him a clear expression... " We don't have to rush."

And Taichi smiled, gave him a look of pure contentment.

Tears brimmed on the edge of Yamato's eyes, and he released a cry of joy as he went forward to lock Taichi in an embrace.

They stayed like that for several minutes, basking in each other's warmth. The alarm on the bed desk hit 9:00 am, the time they had planned to actually wake up. Perhaps one can only sleep in for so long after 7:30. they had begun to shuffle off the bed when they hear incessant banging on their door. It was Daisuke's style, he rattled off a certain rhythm from his favorite song of theirs, GateI.

Taichi sloppily slipped his shirt back on and opened the door. " Ohayo, Taichi! Pleasant one today, no?"

" We're in Quebec. Tu doit parler français, mais oui?"

Daisuke, a boy of curiosity, glanced inside to see a rather winded, topless Yamato slunking at the edge of the bed. He quirked an eyebrow, but let go of any inquiring thoughts.

" Ken's on his way, he had to call his mom," said Daisuke, " Do you want to come to breakfast with us?"

" Yeah, Daisuke. Just give us a moment. We'll meet up with you at the breakfast bar."

" Hai!" the younger one cheered, then skittered back to his room.

Taichi closed the door behind him, instantly churning a new mood in the air... a silent one.

Yamato seemed to blank out into space, but he turned to speak to Taichi. " I never realized it until now. Why I still felt lost even after the band's success..."

They cast small smiles at each other before Yamato went to dress up. Taichi ventured to the bathroom for his morning routine. And when he plugged in the sink to fill it up with lukewarm water, he kept his head under for a MUCH longer time. So long, he thought he was going to drown until his mind cried for oxygen. He came up gasping, his bangs dripping and cheeks flaring. And he felt so relieved all of a sudden...

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Tsuzuku...

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Nyah, that stanked monkeys. Should I just stop? XD

Oh well. Cheer up a gal who has a horrible cold at the moment with a review? ^^

Splash

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