Author's notes:  Well, I finally finished it!  Anyone still reading it? 
Anyone still remember it?  In case you don't, I'm more than willing to
send the previous parts to anyone who requests them.  This was beta read
by Rayamon (without whom my fics would be a lot worse than they are). 
Anyway, sorry for the wait for this part.  I hope it was worth it.  And,
as always, I _desparately_ crave feedback!  Drop me a line and tell me
what you thought of it!

Warnings:  yaoi, mild violence, language

Disclaimer:  I think we're all pretty clear on the difference between
owning something and writing fanfiction about something.  If anyone
actually thinks I own anything of value, you and reality need to meet.


Matt's Secret part 4/4
by pulsar (pulsar03@juno.com)


	About forty-five minutes after Matt’s arrival, Matt and Tai are pacing
nervously as Kari tries to calm them down.

	“I can’t believe you convinced me to tell them!  This is crazy!  We
can’t do this!  Call them and cancel!”

	“Tai, stop freaking out!  You’re gonna make Matt nervous!”

	“I already am!”

	They all jump at the knock on the door.  Matt and Tai freeze like deer
caught in headlights, their eyes wide as saucers.  Kari stifles a laugh
at their expressions and goes to answer the door.  Tai and Matt try try
to regain control of their bodily functions.

	“Hey, Kari,” Sora greets her.

	“Hi!  Come on in!”  Kari steps away from the door so the girls can
enter.  Tai and Matt walk into the hallway where the girls are.  Mimi
pointedly ignores Matt.  Sora and Kari look at the boys expectantly.

	“Well?” Sora prompts.

	Tai and Matt look at each other, each silently commanding the other to
speak.  All five of them stand there in silence, the girls expecting
answers and the boys too afraid to give them any.

	“You guys -” Kari begins.

	Matt interrupts.  “I’m gay.”

	“What?!” Sora exclaims in surprise.  Mimi is too shocked to respond.

	Matt clears his throat.  “I’m gay,” he repeats.

	Mimi faints.  Taichi catches her in time to keep her skull from
connecting with the floor.

	“This looks like my exit cue...”  Kari slips out the door, the others
not even noticing that she is leaving because they are too wrapped up in
dealing with this plot twist in the story of their lives.

	“Gay?” Sora questions, her eyes widening in shock.

	“As in homosexual.  Not attracted to women.  That kind of gay.”

	She moves her lips as if to speak, but only manages to make various
confused "Uh" type noises.  After stuttering for a few moments, she takes
a deep breath and tries again.  “Gay?” she asks again, unable to grasp
the notion.

	“Feeling rather articulate today, aren’t we, Sora?”

	She shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts.  It seems to work. 
“I just can’t believe it.  I never thought...”

	“Join the club,” grunts Tai, trying to lug Mimi into the living room so
he can set her down.  “I had no idea until yesterday.”

	Sora and Yamato follow him into the living room.  Taichi puts Mimi on
the couch and sits in a chair.  Sora sits on the couch next to Mimi. 
Yamato remains standing.

	As Taichi’s words truly register in her brain, she gets a confused look.
 “Wait... yesterday?  When you called, you said you hadn’t spoken to him
yet!”  Her glance turns accusatory.

	Taichi sweatdrops.  “Um...”  He looks to Yamato for help.

	“We’ll explain everything when Mimi wakes up.”  As if on cue, she begins
to sit up.  Taichi and Yamato look at each other and sweatdrop.

	“What happened?..,” she asks groggily, holding her head in her hands.

	“Well,... I came out and you fainted,” Matt explains.  It takes a moment
for his words to register fully.

	“WHAT?!!!!” she screams as the news sinks in.  Sora winces and covers up
her ear.

	“Damn, she screams loud,” Sora thinks.  “Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to
sit next to her....”

	“I’m gay,” he calmly repeats.  “I’m sorry, Mimi.  I wanted to be in love
with you.  But I couldn’t...  I do care for you, but... only as a friend.
 I’m sorry.”

	Mimi grips the edge of the couch so tightly her knuckles turn white. 
Her body shakes with unshed tears and she clenches her jaw, refusing to
sob.  Straining to control her emotions, she chokes out, “Why?”

	Matt shrugs.  “It’s just the way I am.”

	“How long?” Mimi forces out, still not letting herself cry.

	Matt sighs.  “I don’t know.  I think, deep down, I always knew.”

	Mimi laughs bitterly.  “And you never thought to let me in on this
little secret of yours?!”

	“Mimi, I’m sorry.  There’s no excuse for me not telling you, and I can’t
blame you if you hate me -”

	“IF?!” she interrupts angrily.

	“I’m sorry, Mimi.  And I know that no matter how many apologies I make,
you may never forgive me.  But I had to tell you.  You deserve the
truth.”

	"The whole truth.”  Taichi stands up and walks over to the couch.  Sora
scoots to one side and Taichi sits between her and Mimi.

	“Mimi...  Yamato and I are in love.”

	Sora is stunned into silence yet again.  Mimi makes a choked sobbing
noise.  She closes her eyes and breathes a few shuddery breaths, still
straining to control herself.

	“You bastard,” she whispers, barely audible.  Her tone is harsh and
venomous and yet weak and pain-filled, ripping right into Taichi’s heart.

	“We’re sorry, Mimi.  We didn’t mean to hurt you,” he whispers
soothingly, pulling her into a gentle hug.

	“Don’t touch me!” she screams, hitting him.  “You bastard!” she screams
at him, hitting him again.  “You stole him from me!”  Taichi is too
shocked by her actions to block her pounding fists.  She continues
screaming at him, accentuating each word with a punch.

	“Mimi!” Yamato exclaims, shocked at the normally peaceful girl’s sudden
violence.

	Abruptly, she stops hitting Taichi and lunges at Yamato.  “You asshole!”
she screams, punching him repeatedly.  “You complete asshole!  I hate
you!  I hate you!  I hate you!  I hate you!  Fucking faggot!  I hate
you!”  Yamato stands there and just lets her hit him.  When her fist
connects with his nose and blood spurts forth, it doesn’t even register
in his mind.  Her words are much more damaging than anything she could
physically do to him.

	Mimi raises her fists to hit him again but stops when she notices his
blood on her knuckles.  She stares at her hands, unable to believe what
she has just done to one of her oldest friends.  Tears welling up in her
eyes, a strangled sob escaping from her throat, she runs from the
apartment.

	Matt, Tai, and Sora remain motionless, frozen by the shock of Mimi’s
violence.  Tai is the first to move.  He grabs some tissues and helps
Matt clean his face.

	“You okay, Yama?” asks Taichi, gently wiping away some of the blood.

	“I’ve felt better,” he replies dryly, pinching the bridge of his nose to
ebb the flow of blood.

	Sora stands and moves closer to them.  Matt takes a half-step backwards.

	“Are you gonna hit me too?” he asks warily.

	Sora chuckles and shakes her head no.  “Y’know, I’d never really
considered the possibility that you’d end up together... thought looking
back on it, I can’t believe I never noticed.”

	They stare at her blankly.  “Noticed what?” Matt asks.  “Up until a few
days ago, even I wasn’t completely sure!”

	Sora laughs.  “Your hormones were!”  She notices that they seem
confused.  “Oh come on!  In the digiworld, you guys couldn’t keep your
hands off each other!”

	“We were eleven!” Tai exclaims.

	“So?” replies Sora.

	Tai blushes slightly.  “Sora, we were fighting.”

	“Because you didn’t know how to truly express your feelings.”

	“So you’re actually cool with us being a couple?” Matt asks.

	Sora nods.  “I know some people are down on homosexuality, but I
personally can’t see anything wrong with it.  It’s hard to find someone
you can love, and it’s nearly impossible to find someone who loves you
back.  If you find someone you love who loves you in return, why should
anything else matter?  Race, religion, gender... those things mean
nothing to the heart.  The heart only knows love.”  Sora pulls them both
into a warm embrace.  “So follow your heart, and fuck what everybody else
thinks.”

	Sora turns to leave, but Matt stops her, gently grabbing her arm.  She
turns to face him.

	“Thanks, Sora... for understanding.”

	She laughs.  “Well, I didn’t have the crest of love for nothing!”  She
grabs Mimi’s purse, since in her haste, Mimi had left it behind.  “I’d
better go after her, make sure she’s all right.”

	Tai and Matt nod.  Sora leaves, shutting the door behind her.

	“Is your nose okay, Yama?”

	“Well, it still hurts a little.”  He gives Tai a playful smile.  “Will
you kiss it and make it better?”

	Tai gives him a roguish grin in return.  “Can I kiss more than your
nose?”

	Matt laughs.  “Watch what you’re saying - you’ll make it start bleeding
again!”

	“Well, can I?”

	“Do you really need to ask?”

~fin~