Tai woke up in a cold sweat. He had never been so scared of a nightmare in his life.

He glanced around quickly, trying to see where the others were. He counted them off in his head, making sure they were all there.

Tai sighed as he saw the empty place next to TK. Matt had gone off somewhere again.

‘It figures…’ Tai thought cynically.

A cold wind blew against Tai, making him shiver. He coughed a little, it hurt his lungs to do so and he felt a little bit dizzy.

Tai had just gotten over a bad case of pneumonia a few days ago. He had been sick for almost a month and with no doctors or antibiotics to help him, he almost didn’t make it.

Tai stood shakily and began walking off into the forest to look for the bearer of Friendship.

He was careful as he left not to wake anyone. If they knew he was up, he was done for. Kari would never let him out of her sight again.

He walked for about 20 minutes with no luck in finding Matt. He was beginning to feel very weak.

‘I have to find him.’ Tai thought.

He leaned against a tree for support and promptly collapsed against it.

"Tai!"

Tai heard the voice right before his world turned to blackness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tai? Tai, can you hear me? Taichi, you have to wake up."

"Ugh…I’m up, I’m up…."

Tai woke to a cool cloth on his forehead and a very worried Yamato standing over him.

"Can you hear me Tai? Are you alright?" Matt asked as he placed his hand on Tai’s slightly flushed cheek.

Tai reached up and put his hand over Matt’s.

"I’m okay, Matt. Don’t worry. I’m fine."

Mat gripped Tai’s hand tighter in his.

"Are you sure?"

"I’m sure." Tai reassured the distraught blonde as he sat up. "I just over did it a little bit."

Matt looked at Tai disappointedly.

"You’re not supposed to be walking yet." He grumbled. "Why were you up?"

"I was looking for you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you." Tai pulled his knees to his chest and clasped his hands around them tightly. "When I woke up you were gone and I…I got worried."

Matt smiled.

"Where were you anyway?"

The smile vanished.

"I was here, at the lake. I was just thinking." Matt’s voice trailed off a little bit.

"About what?"

"You." Matt said as he plopped down in front of Tai.

"Me?" There was a glimmer of hope in his voice. "Why? What about?"

Matt sighed.

"I don’t know…Just, when you were sick." Matt looked down and busied himself with the task of rearranging the dirt at his feet. "We…we almost lost you Tai…"

Tai could hear the genuine sadness in Matt’s voice.

"But, I’m alright now Matt. You don’t have to keep worrying about it."

"I know, but…I mean you stopped breathing Taichi…" his voice dropped to a whisper. "You…you died…"

They were silent for a moment, but then Matt spoke up.

"Why were you looking for me?"

"Huh?" Tai was caught off guard by the sudden change of subject.

"I said, why were you looking for me?"

"Oh," Tai looked back down to the ground. "It was nothing….really…"

Matt moved so he was sitting beside Tai.

"It’s not nothing. I can see it in your eyes. What’s wrong Taichi?"

Tai looked into Matt’s deep blue eyes, filled with so much warmth that it totally erased the coldness of the night.

"I just…I had that dream again…" Tai spoke timidly.

Matt cringed.

"Oh, Taichi. I’m so sorry." He wrapped a comforting arm around the brown-haired boy’s shoulders. "I thought those had gone away."

"They had, but lately they just keep coming back to me." Tai’s voice began to break. "I just…I’m so sick of them…I’m so sick of being scared of going to sleep and being miserable when I wake up…"

Tai looked into Matt’s eyes, pleading for help.

"I can’t take it anymore."

Tai closed his eyes and Matt pulled him closer.

"I’m here Taichi." Matt whispered soothingly. "I’ll never leave you. None of us will."

Matt knew Tai was terrified of being left alone. He couldn’t stand it, it horrified him. That’s what all the nightmares were about. Being left alone, being abandoned as though no one cared about him.

Tai couldn’t respond as his body shook from his sobs of pain and sorrow.

Matt hated to see Tai suffer like this. He didn’t know what to do to help him…so his instincts took over.

Matt placed a gentle hand on Tai’s face and tilted it up towards him. He kissed Tai softly on the lips. To his immense surprise, Tai didn’t pull away. In fact, he returned Matt’s act of love.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until Matt severed the kiss and allowed Tai to rest back in his arms.

"I love you Matt."

Matt was shocked at first and then relaxed.

"I love you too Tai."

Matt couldn’t believe it. How long had he been in love with Tai? Weeks? Months? Years? And yet he never said anything because he was afraid of rejection, afraid of ruining their friendship.

But just then, he had seen what Tai needed and his mind went blank, totally eliminating all logical processes and allowing his heart to take over. What had seemed so impossible a moment before, was suddenly so simple.

"I never thought you could love me like I loved you." Tai’s words jolted Matt out of his trance. "I thought for sure that you would hate me. Never speak to me again…that you would leave."

Tai was crying again. Matt let his heart lead once again and took his love’s lips against his own.

He kissed Tai softly at first, then harder, with much more passion. He began pressing Tai gently to the ground, never breaking the kiss.

Matt laid himself on top of Taichi and ran his hands under the fabric of his shirt, feeling the baby soft skin beneath his fingers.

Then Matt’s thoughts returned. ‘What am I doing?’

He pulled away from Taichi abruptly.

‘What was I thinking?!’ he scolded himself. ‘He trusts me and I start like this? …Real bright Yamato…’

Matt took a break from kicking himself and let his eyes settle on Tai. He was sitting up next to Matt, crying harder than Matt had ever seen.

‘Shit. He probably hates me now.’

"What did I do?"

Matt was surprised when he heard Tai’s broken voice speaking to him. He thought he did something wrong?

"What do you mean?"

"You pulled away. You stopped. I must have done something to upset you…"

"No, not at all." Matt frantically scrambled to convince Tai. "It was nothing you did. I just…I thought it was too much for you…" Matt looked at the ground dejectedly. "You’re still so weak…I thought you might have been confused. I didn’t…I didn’t want to take advantage of you…"

Tai looked up at Matt. A look of complete shock splattered across his face. Then a tiny, shy smile.

"I’m not confused Matt…I love you. I need you." Tai began to move closer to Matt. "I was well capable of stopping you if I had wanted to." Tai smiled, waiting for Matt’s reply.

He took the bait.

"Oh, really?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Really."

Matt began to kiss Tai’s bottom lip, nibbling a little.

Tai let out a soft moan and leaned back onto the ground, bringing Matt with him.

The blonde stopped for a moment when he noticed that he was laying on top of Tai once again.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Tai smiled sweetly at his love.

"I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life."

Matt smiled too as he looked at his angel lying under him. Was it possible that a more perfect creature was ever born? Tai was everything. Everything he needed or would ever need. He bent down to kiss his soft lips once more.

Matt gently began to undress Tai and Tai did the same for him, neither of them ever breaking the kiss.

Soon, the last articles of their clothing were removed and they lay against each other with no barriers between them.

"Are you sure Taichi?" Matt asked once again.

"Don’t worry Matt. I’m positive. I need you here with me."

Matt captured Tai’s lips in yet another kiss as he nestled himself between the smaller boys’ legs. He brushed up against the inside of Tai’s thighs, causing him to moan.

Matt placed gentle kisses along Tai’s neck and moved to his chest. Gradually he made his way lower.

Matt stopped as a bit of realization struck him. He had no way of easing the pain for Tai. He knew Tai was a virgin and it would hurt him terribly when Matt penetrated him.

"Taichi, you…it’s going to hurt pretty badly Tai." He gazed into the hazel depths of his love. "I don’t want to hurt you…"

"I won’t break Matt, I promise. I’ll be okay."

Matt sighed.

"I just…maybe we shouldn’t. I mean, you’re still so weak from being sick, what if you got worse?"

Tai thought he would cry at the level of love he heard contained in Matt’s voice.

"Do you want to do this? Because I know that I love you and if you want to do this, I have no objections whatsoever." Tai raised an eyebrow at Matt seductively. "But, if you really don’t want to…"

"I…" Matt could never lie when he looked at Tai. "Yeah, I do."

Tai smiled.

"Then don’t worry. It’ll be alright."

When Matt hesitated once again, Tai took a bit of initiative. He leaned forward and pressed Matt to the ground on his back.

Tai grinned mischievously. Matt caught on and rolled them over so that he was on top once again, grinning himself.

"I’ll try to be gentle Tai." Matt promised.

"I know you’d never hurt me on purpose Yamato."

It felt good to have Tai trust him like this; Matt had never had that level of trust from anyone before.

Matt moved down and gently spread Tai’s legs apart. After one last questioning look to Tai, Matt positioned himself and slowly eased himself inside.

Tai gasped and Matt looked up in alarm.

"Tai!?"

Beads of sweat were apparent on Tai’s face. His eyes were closed tightly in pain.

"I-I'm ok-ay Matt…Don’t…don’t worry. It’s going away."

The pain was actually much worse than Tai was letting on, but he would never let Matt know that. He would worry too much.

"Do you want to stop?" Matt asked as he caressed Tai’s face.

"No, I’m okay now."

Matt began to slide himself in more. He was half way in when he heard a slight whimper from Tai. It was obvious he was trying to suppress it.

Before Matt could speak, Tai beat him to it.

"Don’t stop Yamato." He ground out.

Matt could see that he was hurting Tai, but his instincts, along with Tai’s permission propelled him to keep going.

He pushed himself in farther. He loved the feeling of Tai’s body.

Matt went in even deeper as Tai tried to control a scream. The pain was near unbearable, but Tai didn’t want to stop. Matt felt so good buried deep inside him, it was bliss.

Matt finally stopped pushing as he embedded himself in Tai as far as he could. He laid down on Tai, pressing every inch of his body against Tai’s. He brought a hand up to Tai’s face and began to brush his hair from his face, trying to ease his pain with touch.

It worked almost immediately. Tai’s eyes opened and looked at Matt.

"God, I love you…" Matt whispered.

Tai breathed deeply for a moment before responding.

"I love you too Matt…"

Tai kissed Matt with more passion than either had as of yet exhibited.

Matt kept the kiss locked as he began to move inside of Taichi. He drew himself out slowly and then re-entered. Tai gasped in the blue-eyed boy’s mouth as their tongues danced with each other.

"Am I hurting you?" Matt questioned, breaking away from Tai.

Tai smiled and again found Matt’s lips.

"Not at all, love."

Matt went in and out of Tai, slowly at first, but soon he picked up speed. With Tai’s silent permission, he began plunging himself in harder. Moving faster and deeper with every thrust.

"God Matt…" Tai mumbled as he threw his head back and moaned in pleasure.

Matt enjoyed making Tai feel like that. All he ever wanted was to make Tai feel good. He moved in deeper and harder still.

Matt suddenly came inside of Tai, causing the boy to moan loudly in pleasure, coming himself.

Matt pulled out of Tai and promptly collapsed on top of his lover.

"You all right Taichi?" he asked after awhile.

Tai smiled, still trying to catch his breath.

"Oh, yeah. I’m fine."

Matt chuckled a little and turned them both so that they were laying on their sides looking at one another.

"Ashiteru, Yamato."

Matt smiled at the amount of emotion expressed in those two words.

"Ashiteru, Taichi."

Matt reached over and got a quilt that he had brought with him, draping it over both of their bodies.

"I will always be here for you Taichi. Never ever forget that."

Matt stroked Tai’s hair and saw tears form in the smaller boy’s eyes.

"I know you will Yamato."

Tai snuggled up closer and pressed his head against Matt’s chest.

Matt noticed Tai was shivering and pulled the blanket closer around him.

Tai fell asleep, first.

"Always."

Yamato mumbled before sleep claimed him.

They fell asleep like that. Wrapped in the safety of one another’s arms.

The End.