Moving In

"I can't believe I have this much crap," Tai muttered as he pulled another box out of the trunk of his family's car. Kari, his younger sister, smiled and shook her head.

"I warned you that you were packing too much." Tai tsked, but couldn't bring himself to initiate a sibling spat. He would miss Kari desperately while he was at college, but of course he hadn't told her that.

He stared at his new dorm, shielding his eyes against the glaring sun. It was an old brick building that looked decent from the outside, but left something to be desired from within. The communal bathrooms featured cramped shower stalls offering translucent curtains for privacy, with no separate area to change. The hallways and social areas smelled of dudes and microwavable food. The dorm rooms themselves were tiny, with walls composed of painted cinder blocks, like the ones in his elementary school. There were exposed pipes in the ceiling. Tai had glanced into a girl's room earlier and found wet bras and panties hanging from them to dry. His mouth twisted into a grin without his willing it.

He placed the box in the yellow cart he had borrowed from the dorm. It was full, so he squared his shoulders and pushed it up the ramp, relishing the sensation of his muscles working. He applied more force than he meant to, causing the cart to jerk towards the building's entrance. Someone opened the door from the inside at just the wrong moment, and the cart collided with it, pushing it backwards. There was a muffled exclamation of pain from the other side.

Crap! I think I knocked a girl over! Tai pushed the cart onto the landing so he could get around it, then grabbed the door and pulled it back. A boy sat on the floor, wincing and cradling his forehead with both hands.

Tai grabbed the stranger's arm and hauled him to his feet. "I'm so sorry, man!" The boy lowered his hands, giving Tai a clear view of his face. He had black eyes set beneath heavy brows. The top of his violently red hair only reached Tai's chest. An impressive bruise was already blooming on his forehead.

"Quite alright," he replied through clenched teeth. Tai felt his brow rise. That seemed like a British thing to say, but he had an American accent. High voice, short, scrawny, and posh? Poor bastard. Must be terrible with the ladies.

"How bad is it?" Tai asked, shifting guiltily. "I have a first aid kit somewhere in this mess…"

"No need. Mine is already unpacked." The pain must have been bad, because the boy retreated into the dorm lobby instead of continuing on his way outside. Tai sighed, then dragged his cart inside and pushed it out of the way.

"My name's Tai," he said, extending a hand to him. "Third floor. I'll find a way to make this up to you, alright?" The boy paled, probably wondering if future contact with him would cause more injuries, but he shook his hand anyway.

"I'm Isaac, but I'm called Izzy. Fifth floor." Tai fought to keep his expression from shifting. Izzy was such a cutesy nickname. Sticking with Isaac would serve him better, but Tai vaguely knew better than to say so.

"I'll see you around, Izzy. I'm sorry." Izzy nodded and wandered to the elevator. Tai waited for the next one under the pretense of talking to Kari, who had slipped inside and watched the encounter from the tattered sofa in the corner of the lobby.

"Tai," she sighed as she approached him. "Really?" He crossed his arms and stared down at her.

"It was an accident. I'll do something nice for him." Kari raised a delicate brow and pushed the elevator call button. When it arrived, they stood aside for the girl pushing a cart out, then entered. Tai hit the round 3 button.

"Listen," Kari said. "While it's just the two of us… I'm really going to miss you. Promise to call me lots?"

A lump formed in Tai's throat. He coughed to clear it away as the elevator lurched up. "I will. Every day, if you want."

Despite the tears in her eyes, Kari grinned. "Maybe not that much," she quipped, and Tai managed a faint laugh. He pulled his sister into a hug.

"Be careful, alright? Don't let TK get fresh with you. Or Davis. Or anyone else. I will personally kick the boy's ass if he does." Tai and Kari had always been close, and while he was eager for college, he wasn't sure what to think of their separation.

"I can take care of myself, but thanks. You'll watch out for Amy, right?"

Tai sucked in a quick breath. "Y-yeah. Of course. You know I will."

Kari pulled back enough to look at him, her expression concerned. "Tai- I wasn't blaming you at all. I'm just…" She sighed and plopped her face against his shoulder. "I'm worried."

Without meaning to, Tai hugged her harder. "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her."

Kari smiled and squeezed him back, somehow almost matching his strength. "I love you. Have fun here, okay?"

"Sure. I- Me, too." The elevator beeped, and Tai pulled away from Kari as the doors opened. He pushed his cart down the hallway and opened the door to his room. His eyes fell on Matt, his roommate and best friend. Matt's father and his brother, TK, were straightening up his side of the room.

"Hey, man," Matt said, glancing up from tucking his sheets around his bed. TK grinned at Kari, and she entwined her fingers and smiled back. Tai fixed him with a death glare, but TK failed to react. Tai begrudgingly gave him some respect and left him alone.

"You guys weren't here a second ago," Tai said. Tai's parents were loading his clothes into his closet and drawers. Kari moved to TK and started chatting with him in an undertone. The tiny room was far too small for all of these people, and everyone kept bumping into each other.

Matt nodded and tugged on the sheet. "Yeah, we went to lunch. Listen, my bass is in the corner, okay? Do me a favor and don't destroy it." A muscle ticked in Tai's forehead.

"What do you think I'm gonna do, toss it out the window?" he asked, rolling his eyes. Kari giggled, and Tai knew she was going to say something about the incident with Izzy. He hastened to cut her off, speaking far too loudly. "I see it, don't get your underwear in a bunch." Matt snorted, and happily, the topic was dropped.

The group went about the move-in process with no further hitches. It was almost dinner time when everything was moved in and put away. Tai's father suggested that they grab Amy and get something to eat, so Tai asked his family to wait in the car while he looked for her.

Amy lived on the fourth floor, the only all girl's floor in the building, by her request. Tai took the stairs and knocked on her door, and a blond girl opened it. Her blue eyes passed up and down his body, sparking with approval and interest. Tai gave her an easy, arrogant smile, enjoying a chance to flirt. He introduced himself as Amy's cousin, chatted a bit, then moved into the room. Amy sat at her desk, staring at an open biology text.

"Amy," Tai sighed, snapping the book shut. "No. Save it for when classes start next Monday."

Amy opted to ignore his advice- generally a good call, even Tai could admit that. "What's up, Tai?"

"Do you wanna grab dinner with Kari, my parents, and me?"

"Sounds great!" Her voice seemed to float with relief. She selected a pair of shoes from the closet, shoved her feet into them, and lifted her purse from a hook on the wall. "See you later, Sarah!"

"Uh, are you that hungry?" Tai asked. Amy sighed and wrapped her arms around herself, but remained quiet until they were away from her room.

"It's just… Sarah. I've been trying to get to know her, but I'm not getting anywhere. She seems to like adrenaline sports and parties. We don't have anything in common, and I feel like she's already decided I'm boring?" Amy gave herself a quick, supportive squeeze. "Maybe I'm just being neurotic."

What could Tai say? Amy was an introverted, studious nerdlet. They didn't have much in common themselves, other than video games. There was a long pause, and Tai sensed her agitation growing as her body tensed. Eventually, she muttered, "Tai, she doesn't read." Something about the way she said it was damning, and Tai fought to keep his face straight.

"Well, neither do I. We get along." He patted her shoulder, then tried to talk himself out of worrying about Amy's roommate. One of his older friends from his high school soccer team had warned him that new roommates often went through a honeymoon phase, where they got along because of the novelty of the situation. That polite behavior could erode over time, sometimes exploding violently before the middle of the semester. This was only the first day, and Amy and Sarah already seemed a little at odds.

"Yes, well. I don't have to live with you," Amy teased. Tai snorted and ruffled her long, dark brown hair, mussing it up at the roots. She sighed and broke away from him, finger-combing her hair with annoyed vigor. Tai couldn't fight the huge grin that followed. Tormenting Amy and Kari was one of his favorite activities.

Amy paused when they stepped outside, and Tai followed her gaze to their dormitory building. "What's up?"

"This is really happening," Amy murmured. "My mom went home already. Your family is going to go home soon. And then… we'll still be here. And I mean, I've been dreaming of going to college and leaving my house for years. But now that it's happening…" She turned back to him, looking so lost and bewildered that she suddenly seemed much younger.

Tai took a deep breath and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I know it's scary. It's okay to be scared. But it'll be alright, and Matt and I are here, yeah?"

Amy smiled, but Tai saw the strain in her eyes. "Yes, I know. And I'm here for you- not that you need it."

Tai stood in silence. He wished he knew how to tell her that he needed her just as much as she needed him, but he couldn't bring himself to say something so mushy. Instead, he put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the car, where his family waited.

"We're going to have a good time here," he said. "So don't worry."

She nodded, and he hoped his prediction would become a reality.

About this story

Four Years is an AU story set in an American college. I selected this setting because I wanted to write a college story, and I have no experience with what college is like in Japan. I will be using the dub first names and avoiding last names. Also, in this AU, Tai, Matt, Sora, Izzy, Mimi, and Joe are all the same age (college freshman). TK and Kari are three years younger than them, so right now they are sophomores in high school. Characterizations are a blend of English dub and original Japanese, but leaning towards English dub.

The story has a lot of OCs, since it takes place on a college campus. Except for Amy, most of them are minor characters meant to fill out the campus and create a more realistic environment.

Four Years is rated M for eventual sexual scenes. They are spread out and not very common, but they are there, so please be aware. Couples include: Izzy x OC, Sora x Matt, Mimi x Joe, some Kari x TK, eventual Tai x ?.

I commissioned the cover art from Burbiart on Tumblr. I have a tumblr for sharing my writing and digimon fandom goodness! Check me out (also ahiddenpath)!

Thanks very much for reading! I hope you enjoy Four Years.