Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ One Step Forward, Two Steps Back ❯ Chapter 5: Cover Up ( Chapter 5 )

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Herme: Hey there! Want a disclaimer? Read the Nonsensual Dialogue then, cuz I ain't saying it all again!

Tommy: Evil.

 

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One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Capítulo Cinco: Cover Up

 

“Two's company, three's a crowd!”

—American Proverb

 

Ken knew, without a doubt, that he would have to see Daisuke at their fourth period. This class was also shared by Takeru and Hikari, though, so they wouldn't be completely alone with each other.

 

Thank the gods…

 

Before this class, Ken only had about a forty-percent chance of seeing Daisuke: Daisuke was always late in the mornings and therefore rushing to class; and he was always slow to pack his stuff up at the end of classes, so passing periods would most likely be clear, as Daisuke would be rushing once again.

 

Ken was right. He only caught a glimpse of Daisuke all morning. Of course, the one time he did happen to catch Daisuke out of the corner of his eye, he'd nearly had a heart attack, but as he predicted, Daisuke was in too much of a rush to even notice the people around him in the crowded hallway.

 

But Ken couldn't hide forever. Before he knew it, The Dreaded Fourth Period arrived. Ken walked slowly towards the classroom, but remembered that if he showed up late it'd be up to *him* to choose where to sit. Feeling timid suddenly, Ken decided that he'd much rather have the ball in Daisuke's court and he sped up his pace. He arrived at the same time as Hikari and Takeru, and a full two minutes before Daisuke.

 

With Takeru and Hikari occupying the double-seat behind him, Ken figured that the only place for Daisuke to sit was beside him…unless…

 

Maybe Daisuke was more upset about Friday night than he let on? OR maybe he was upset at Ken for running out? Ken would have been. But then, how was he supposed to react? Why shouldn't he have left? Daisuke was only going to pretend nothing happened, but then maybe he was just acting calm so they could talk about?

 

**Oh man,** Ken thought to himself. **I really screwed things up, didn't I? I should have—**

 

Ken's worries ground to a halt when he heard Daisuke's voice from behind him.

 

“Hey, Takeru, hey, Hikari, did you do the homework?”

 

**Oh gods!** Ken thought anew. **He IS mad at me and he plans to ignore me forev—**

 

Ken paused when he heard the stool from beside him being pulled out and he turned to see Daisuke sitting himself down in it.

 

“H—hey, Ken,” Daisuke said. “Did you do the homework?”

 

Ken's voice caught in his throat for a moment when his heart decided to fight with it for the space there. “Ah…oh, uh, no.”

 

Daisuke blinked and Ken imagined for a second some unknown emotion behind his eyes. Then there was a sound from behind them.

 

“That's strange,” Hikari said, shifting in her stool, “you always do the homework, Ken.”

 

“Boy,” Takeru said with a laugh, “you guys must have gone *wild* at that sleepover if you didn't do the homework all weekend!”

 

Both Ken and Daisuke blushed. From behind them, both Hikari and Takeru knit their eyebrows in confusion.

 

**Why are they blushing?** Takeru wondered. **Was it something I said?** Takeru tried to remember what it possibly could have been about his comment that could warrant this kind of…wait a minute…

 

Takeru looked back and forth between Daisuke's and Ken's blushing faces as they tried to look at anything under the blue moon besides each other. Sensitivity…check. Embarrassment…check. Nervousness…check. Proximity…?

 

Now Takeru noticed their postures: they were carefully sitting straight and away from each other, as if trying their damnedest not to touch each other. This in itself was a tip off as Daisuke was usually hanging all over Ken. Daisuke always did have that kind of touchy-feely personality.

Takeru sat back and reviewed the entire scenario again. Oh yeah, that seemed familiar… Then, it happened. Ken turned his head and his hair fell forward. There, half hidden by what could only be described as cover-up, was a bright red…hickey. Takeru grinned.

 

“That crazy, huh?” he said then. “You guys must have been up *all night*! What did you guys do?”

 

Takeru relished in their flustered reactions and he laughed inwardly as he listened to them mutter something about food and movies. They stopped suddenly when someone mentioned a card game. Takeru smiled at the pair of them. To be honest, he truly sympathized with them, having known this kind of situation himself once. He knew what if felt like. But don't get him wrong! This wouldn't stop him from having a bit of fun.

 

“You guys will have to tell us all about it later. But here's my homework, the two of you can copy it before the teacher collects it. Better do it at the same time so it'll be quicker. Less time to get caught!”

 

After a brief struggle as to which one of them would take the paper, Takeru enjoyed a twenty-minute awkward show as the two attempted to copy from the paper. Anytime they accidentally brushed up against each other, they sprung apart like frightened cats. From beside him, Hikari watched the show with increasing confusion.

 

Ken thought he'd slowly go mad. Wait, he thought he was already crazy! His insanity was simply reaching higher degrees the longer he sat beside Daisuke. Every time their bodies met, his cheeks seemed to burn with the memory of that night. Muscle memory…or muscle retention? It that was it was called? Just anytime they touched he seemed to recall how Daisuke felt pressed against him. Or how his lips felt against his skin. Damn it all, it seemed his chest had the best long-term memory and he was fairly squirming in his stool, desperate to get away.

 

Today, The Dreaded Fourth Period was the *Longest*, most *Unbearable* class period Ken had ever endured, bar none. By the time the bell rang, both Ken and Daisuke (to everyone's surprise) had packed their bags and left the classroom in record time, barely even nodding a goodbye to Takeru and Hikari.

 

Tuesday wasn't much better. Ken swore Takeru knew something was up. And this just pissed him off…what gave them away? The only thing he could think of was…no, it couldn't be the hickeys on his neck, because at first, Ken carefully applied his mother's expensive cover-up stuff that he stole from her every chance he got until they eventually faded. Hikari, it seemed, had decided that Ken and Daisuke had just had a falling out, and spent most of her time trying to get them to patch it up. Takeru on the other hand seemed to live for nothing more than to be a device that's only mission in life was to goad the two of them. Ken suspected Takeru even enjoyed it.

 

“Honestly, you two,” Hikari said from behind them. “You shouldn't ignore each other like this. Talking it out is the only way to solve everything!”

 

“Yeah, sure,” Takeru put in. “You should just find somewhere quiet, private, to talk things out.”

 

“You guys are best friends,” Hikari continued. “You care for each other and you should remember that.”

 

Takeru laughed. “If you guys care so much, then why don't you marry each other? A nice and cute little bride like Ken would do you good, Daisuke.”

 

Ken was about to respond to this when the Little Voice in the back of his head spoke up. He fell silent, allowing Daisuke to do the arguing for him.

 

**If you and Daisuke DO marry,** Little Voice snickered, **you can just forget about that whole chastity before marriage bit. Premarital sex seems to be the norm for you two.**

 

This led to an intense inner debate on his and Daisuke's moral standing, and whether what Daisuke and he had done could still be considered sex, and if it was really such a big deal in today's society except among older generations.

 

“You're awfully quiet there, Ken,” Takeru suddenly said, snapping Ken out of it.

 

**Damn you, Little Voice, damn you!**

 

By Wednesday, the tension had become insurmountable. Any conversation attempts between them, if not started by Hikari in Peacemaker Mode, or Takeru in Interference Mode, then it was by Davis “Foot-in-Mouth” Motomiya. These attempts quickly fell into silence. No, not silence. They fell into Awkward Silence: a brand of silence all its own and of the worst kind.

 

Especially for Ken. Ken had never been one of those types who could find something fun and easy to fill in the voids when fits of Awkward Silence struck. And boy, was he feeling it now! Damn, if *Daisuke* couldn't find a damn thing to say, then you *knew* the situation was pretty bad. Even in the Digiworld, facing down the ugliest of opponents, he'd always find *something* to say. Not usually up to par with the greatest thinkers of all-time, but *something*!

 

Ken couldn't take it anymore. This wasn't the Digiworld, he couldn't just sick Wormmon on whoever it was making him miserable and have the little Digimon beat the crap out of them. The reminder that he hadn't seen his Digipal in such a long time just made him feel that much more depressed.

 

Halfway to The Dreaded Fourth Period on Thursday, Ken halted all of a sudden-like in the middle of the hallway, drawing complaints of “Hey!” and “What the hell, man?” from fellow students who were about to rear-end him.

 

“I…don't feel well,” he decided aloud, and then he turned around and made his way to the nurse's office.

 

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Inside The Dreaded Fourth Period Classroom, Takeru started as his cell phone began vibrating. Surprised to be getting a call in the middle of class, he pulled it out and secretly read the text message under his desk.

 

—Hey, Im not g2g2 class 2day. Get hw 4 me, k? Dai—

 

“Is he ditching?” Hikari whispered from beside him.

 

“No,” Takeru said, staring at the empty desk in front of them, “he's—no, *they're* running away. From each other.”

 

Hikari blinked. Realization was slowly dawning on her. Takeru's half-mumbled reply had finally helped her put two and two together. Okay…this wasn't like Daisuke at all! Resorting to old-fashioned class ditching just to avoid Ken? She had endured two long years of being showered with Daisuke's determined affection and he had never missed an opportunity to try and…well, anything, really. Talk, walk, be near, breath, whatever with her. So if he was crushing on Ken, why wasn't he using the usual approach? Daisuke always did have that kind of touchy-feely personality.

 

 

Ken she could understand. Ken had always been more of a thinker rather than a doer. Always the quiet one, when he finally did decide to do things, he preferred to do them on his own. It had always been this way. Ken trying to do everything himself, and Daisuke helping him out, whether Ken wanted it or not. So why was this time so different from the others? Maybe…

 

Hikari's eyes widened.

 

Maybe because this wasn't just a crush…Daisuke must really, truly, *actually* love Ken! And Ken must not feel the same way! Maybe Daisuke had already confessed to Ken and was shot down, and now he's desperately trying to cling on to what little friendship is left between them. But it seemed that Ken wasn't allowing it!

 

Hikari gasped.

 

Ohmigods! This was a true life, bishounen, yaoi, angsty romance! Right before her very eyes!

 

Takeru watched her from the corner of his eyes and sighed inwardly, reading her thoughts. **I suppose it's a good thing they didn't show up,** he thought, **if Hikari's going to go into Fangirl Mode. I hope tomorrow is better.**

 

But when final bell rang the next day, neither Daisuke nor Ken had returned to class.

 

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A/N: The Dreaded Fourth Period was, in real life, The Dread Third Period. It was my Civics AP class in twelfth grade. Boy, did I really dread having to go to that class. It was soooo boring!! Well, I hope this story isn't boring you! If it isn't, then I'll see you next chapter! Upcoming: Chapter Six: When Thinking Can Be Toxic.

 

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