"Slow Burn" (def.): an attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time.
-x-
Chapter Ten: The Games that Play Us
-x-
With a mixture of dread, indignation and slight anticipation, Mimi ushered in Friday afternoon.
The chemistry test had gone better than she had expected it to and she was for the lack of a better word, exhausted. Still, the fact that she knew she hadn't failed, put her in a better mood than she would have been.
That plus the fact that she had no choice but to put on a smile because she was expected at practice ten minutes ago.
She knew Sophia and Taylor were going to be on a warpath, since homecoming was tomorrow. She had come to believe that Taylor had some lesser grade from of schizophrenia, with the way the girl cycled through routines…and personalities.
Sometimes, she was all Cheshire grins and backhanded compliments. Other times, she was venom and mirth. Then there were the times that were few and far between, when she was bearable—but just barely.
Today though, she knew it would be something of medusa-like proportions and she prepared herself accordingly.
But instead she was met with a deafening silence, no barking, no screaming, no music.
In fact, the only sound that echoed around the gym was the door shutting behind her.
Strange.
Mimi looked around the room, seeing that only half of the squad seemed to be present. And most of the girls looked as though they were packing their things.
As if practice was over.
That can't be right…
Mimi walked over to a girl named Keiko, a freshmen like herself, a girl barely skin and bones who looked like she could break with just one wrong touch.
"Where is everyone?" Mimi asked.
Keiko shook her head, dark bangs falling in her eyes. "I um, well didn't you hear?" She asked meekly.
Mimi raised a brow.
"Taylor cut the squad in half for homecoming."
Rage coursed through her like her own blood, her eyes practically enlarging double their size. "What does that mean?"
"They only need thirteen girls for the new routine, apparently we were all only learning it in case any of the older girls got sick or hurt or something."
Mimi only saw red.
She had killed herself the past week, taking direction after direction, running her muscles sore, barely sleeping, hardly eating, seeing nothing but the inside of this stupid gym and the disgusting locker room and the decrepit practice field. She had basically driven herself into madness with how hard she had been pushing her mind and body.
And for Taylor, to have known this, to have demanded this, then to arbitrarily she didn't have any use for her.
It was unacceptable.
"You're easily one of the best on the squad, Mimi. Honest. But Taylor said that she's only going to use the seniors because it's their last homecoming. That the rest of us have so many homecomings to cheer at and they were graduating. I mean, I guess it kind of makes sense, doesn't it?"
Mimi didn't bother answering the girl, instead just stalked past all the other freshmen and out on to the field where the girls were doing a dry run of tomorrow's routine.
From the other side she could hear whistles being blown, she turned her gaze to the opposite end where the boys were barely specks in the vast open greenness. She could only make out the coaches by their burgundy polo shirts.
As she approached the sidelines, she steeled herself. She had never had any reason to go head to head with Taylor Fujiyama, not before this. Sure, the girl had been a huge bitch since the moment they met but she was a bitch to everyone. It was nothing Mimi couldn't take anyway.
She had tried the whole nice girl thing, even stayed away from Ryo Akiyama as best she could out of sheet courtesy.
But enough was enough.
She had busted her ass for this, this one stupid game for that one stupid night.
Mimi met Sophia's green eyes and knew the girl could tell she wasn't happy.
Sophia gave Taylor a nod, before jogging over.
"Hey, M." She said nonchalantly. "How's it going?"
"Cut the shit." Mimi said flatly "When were you guys going to tell me I wasn't going to be cheering at homecoming?"
Sophia looked around a little guiltily. "Listen, M. Really, it's nothing personal. You're great, seriously. Best freshmen talent I've seen in a long, long time and you have to know if the other girls weren't graduating you would be right in the showcase with us, it's no secret you're better than a lot of them." She gave her a fake smile and Mimi wanted to smack it off.
Who did they think they were.
But to add insult to injury, there was Zoe freaking Orimoto, smiling her mega watt smile, beaming down at everyone below her at the top of a pyramid.
And Mimi lost it.
"Then what the hell is she doing up there." Her voice was shaking with rage, as she pointed a finger at the blonde in the midst of a basket toss.
"The thing is that Izumi is… well, it's a little bit more complicated with her. We couldn't exclude her, it's different."
"Why? Because Taylor is fucking her brother?" To hell with the damn squad, and their horrible captains and everything else too.
Sophia looked scandalized by her language and Mimi wasn't surprised, they pretended to be debutantes with all their fake class and feigned grace. "It doesn't have to, it has nothing to do with—!" She sputtered, searching for the right words.
"And the fact that her step dad funnels money into athletics like it's his job, right?" She spat. "I'm not an idiot, don't try to play me for one." Everything felt hot, her skin was practically smoking.
She hadn't been this angry in a long time.
Sophia who looked like she had just been slapped, looked over helplessly at Taylor.
The raven haired captain set her amethyst eyes on the brunette in question, a murderous scowl enveloping her otherwise beautiful features.
Mimi squared her shoulders, preparing herself for battle.
Taylor gave some instructions to the girls, before walking over to the pair, hips swaying angrily with each step. "The two of you better have a good reason for this, I don't think I have to even bother with reiterating the fact that homecoming is less than twenty four hours away." She gave Mimi a frosty once-over.
Mimi rolled her eyes, no more Mrs. Nice-Girl. "Funny how you forgot to mention you'd be selecting a squad for it." She said, trying to keep her voice levelled.
"Funny how you thought I'd ever owe you any explanations."
It hurt, to be talked down to with such marked condescension.
But she didn't allow herself to show it. "I wouldn't have killed myself at practice all week if I'd known that I wasn't needed." She said curtly. "Did you ever think that maybe you aren't the only person that cares about this team?"
But it went right over Taylor's head, "Do you think this is up for negotiation, Tachikawa?" Her lip began curling into a sinister smile. "That coming here, throwing a temper tantrum, interrupting practice…would get you your way?" She asked silkily.
And all together, Mimi realized that there was actually no use in furthering this conversation. Taylor reveled in the fact that she had all the control—because ultimately, she did. It didn't matter that she was better than more than half of the girls chosen to be on the team. It didn't matter that she knew every single routine like the back of her hand.
None of it did.
Because in this situation, Taylor had all the power—all the leverage. And nothing anyone did or said mattered.
With a lot of effort, she kept herself from crying out of frustration and humiliation and anger. Instead, just collected her emotions and nodded her head. "You're right, Taylor. It was foolish of me to come here like this, I was just a little sour that I won't get to be on the field during homecoming but it's alright." She wanted to scream about how unfair it all was.
But it wouldn't make a difference.
"Look, M. Seriously you're so great and if the girls weren't graduating it wouldn't be a contest. You'd absolutely be captain material if you keep at the rate you're going." Sophia placated from the side. "I get why you'd be pissed, I would be too. And I'm honestly super sorry about how it all ended up going down—you totally didn't need to be blindsided like this." Her last few statements earned her a hateful glare from her co-captain.
It was so hollow, it was so insincere. Because if Sophia felt all these things and believed them then things wouldn't be the way they are. But no one wanted to stand up to Taylor Fujiyama and it was more than obvious why.
Because she would always win.
And as if the raven haired captain was reading her very thoughts, her amethyst eyes glittered with recognition and a slow smirk began to tug at her mouth.
But Sophia kept her eyes on Mimi, "Really, it wasn't personal." She repeated.
Mimi let out a small laugh, "Right, nothing personal." She waved off. "Wish Zoe luck for me." And with that, she turned away from the pair of captains and headed back towards the Athletic Center.
She knew what her next move was going to be.
Fishing out her cell phone, she scrolled through her messages until she found who she was looking for.
Hey Ryo. About Saturday night—I'm in.
And when Mimi imagined Taylor's face after she saw her leaving the game with Ryo, it brought a smile to her face.
Game on, bitch.
-x-
She wasn't sure where she was going until she got there, all she could feel was her heart stammering out of her chest and her throat closing and her thoughts clouding her mind like a thick fog.
Mimi knew she was spoiled, she knew she had the tendency to be shallow and she knew that she was a little self-absorbed, but she had never been treated this way before. She had a little bit of a princess complex, she was used to just getting everything rather easily.
And at the core of it all, she was used to being the person decliner, never the declinee.
It stung, to be rejected.
And she hated how much.
Because truly there were so many bigger things that mattered, she was so lucky in so many ways. So what she wouldn't get to cheer at some stupid game, what did she really care about soccer anyway? It sucked that she had put so much time and effort into something that ended up amounting to absolutely nothing—but wasn't that life?
You win some, you lose some?
So why did it feel like she would never recover from this.
You do have a flare for the dramatics, Mimi.
She rolled her eyes at herself.
Practically sprinting up the stairs, she didn't bother stopping her pace until she was outside of the familiar door. And unplanned as it was, it only made sense this is where she would end up.
There wasn't anywhere else she could be right now.
Running her tongue over her dry lips, she crouched down onto her hands and knees, fervently searching for the tiny metal object that would allow her inside.
But all she felt were the rough carpeted floor under the mat.
Did he actually move it…?
It was a crushing thought, that Matt disliked the fact that she let herself in so much that he actively decided to change it.
He could have just told her he preferred her to knock, she wouldn't have felt nearly as hurt.
With a long sigh, because jut when she thought the day couldn't really get any worse—it did, she collected herself and rose back to her feet.
"Looking for something?" A cool drawl asked behind her.
Even with all the mixed up emotions she was feeling, his voice was just about the only thing she had wanted to hear.
She wanted to lay into him about taking the key away, for being so rude and not even talking to her about it, but as soon as she turned around to face him, it all just… disappeared.
Really, she didn't have the strength to yell at him, she knew it would only be blowing off steam anyway because what really had her mad was something completely unrelated to him and the key.
One good look at her and his eyes widened, she was upset.
More than that though, she almost looked… heartbroken.
"Mimi, is everything…?" He set the grocery bags he had brought in on the floor, wiping his hands on his pants.
She lifted her down-casted eyes, "Matt I…" She shook her head, "I just had a really bad day is all." Her voice was so small, coming out hoarse like she was trying to hold back tears.
And while he wasn't very good at comforting or that sort of thing, even he knew what he had to do next.
With three easy strides he had closed the distance between them and before she could say anything else he had his strong arms around her tiny fame, pulling her to his chest immediately.
And the second she buried her face into his chest, she couldn't hold it in any longer. The flood gates opened, and everything she had been harboring came pouring out.
Matt rubbed her bag soothingly, tightening his grip on her as his anxiety mounted. The anxiety was coupled with another feeling though.
Fury.
At whoever or whatever made her upset, he could have killed them.
He was protective over his friends, he always had been. It came with the territory, crest of friendship and all. But right now, something else was tearing at his chest and he was unsure of how to categorize it. And he wasn't sure it had everything to do with how much he cared for her as a… friend.
"Come on, Mimi. Let's get you inside." He said softly, running a hand down the back of her hair.
With a few small sniffles, she pulled her face out of his chest, staring embarrassedly at the large wet spot she had left on his shirt. "I'm so sorry, Yama." She sniffled some more. "I didn't mean to ambush you outside of the loft."
"Didn't you though?" He grinned down at her, raising a hand to her face.
As gently as he possibly could, he cupped her cheek with his palm, brushing his thumb underneath her eye.
Mimi felt her spine go rigid at the contact, it wasn't so much the gesture but how much meaning it had felt like he had behind it. So tender and sweet and simple, it made everything feel so much better.
Unconsciously, she leaned into his hand, her eyes shutting and a small sigh escaping through parted lips.
He was exactly who she needed.
And Matt, without really even thinking about it, felt his gaze lowering to those pouty red lips that seemed swollen from all her crying.
A hunger pulsed through and it had nothing to do with an empty stomach. It was something else entirely as he swallowed it down with a dry lump in his throat.
He had to fight the urge to rip his hand away from her face, instead withdrew it calmly before nudging her towards the door.
Wordlessly, he pressed his keys into her hand before turning back to pick up his previously discarded groceries.
Get a hold of yourself, Ishida! What the fuck do you think you're playing at!
Internally admonishing himself all the way inside, he set the groceries on the counter, while Mimi had already kicked off both her shoes in opposite directions before collapsing on the couch.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?"
"Yeah, as soon as you tell me why you decided to move the key out from under the mat."
Confused, he went into the sitting area, she lifted her legs up clearly expecting him to sit on the same couch as her but he opted for the one across.
"What are you talking about?"
Mimi sighed, rolling onto her stomach. "The key, the spare." She rested her chin on a closed fist. "It's gone."
Matt went silent for a few moments, before nodding. "Well that would certainly explain why I ended up finding Tai's keys behind the microwave." He chuckled.
And even better yet, it earned him a few giggles from the melancholy brunette across from him.
Finally, Taichi's stupidity was useful for something.
"I wonder if he'll ever stop being so careless." She said, her mood lightening considerably.
Matt just shook his head, "Well, I showed you mine. Now you show me yours." He stared at her expectantly.
Mimi flipped back onto her back, laying flat across the sofa. "I got cut." She folded her hands over her stomach.
Matt leaned forward on his elbows, resting them on his knees to get a better look at her. "What does that mean?" He asked.
She turned her face. "It's gonna sound so stupid." She mumbled, eyes on him. "It's not even worth—
"Meems, you were so upset. You have to at least tell me why." He said gently. "And whose ass I have to kick to fix it."
Mimi felt herself laugh, "Taylor Fujiyama's." She answered cheekily.
"Ah, that might be problematic."
"Yeah, yeah. You're always all talk, Ishida."
Matt grinned at her, "One day when I show you, you'll eat those words." He said to her, and the gravelly tone of it sent a shiver up her spine.
She was sure he hadn't meant it, but the innuendo left her a little breathless.
Suddenly, she was acutely aware of how the black shirt he was wearing fit across the smooth planes of his chest, his protruding biceps, the way the material glided over his broad shoulders. How his muscles flexed and stretched beneath the fabric at the slightest movement.
She felt the heat rising in her cheeks, as well as pooling somewhere else…
"Well, are you going to tell me what she did?"
Snapping back to reality, she forced her eyes on the ceiling. "Cut me from the routine, for homecoming." She said.
For anyone else, the news would have been anticlimactic. But Matt was actually very well aware of how hard she had been pushing herself this past week, she'd spent all her free time studying with him. He also knew how excited she was to be cheering at the biggest game of the season, and the certain degree of pride she had felt ever since she had made the team.
It sucked to see her so down over it.
"Meems…" he was at a loss, he wasn't sure what to say, how to make her feel better. "She's stupid for that. You deserved that spot, you earned it." He said honestly.
Mimi nodded, "She said it was because it was a thirteen girl routine. Apparently they had to cut it because the girls from Karakura Town are bringing a full roster and it would have just been too messy to have so many cheerleaders out there." It had made sense, most of it. It just didn't make sense that they wouldn't keep her on. "Taylor and Sophia decided that it should be seniors only in the showcase because they were graduating which I guess I could have gotten over a bit easier, if…"
"If what?"
"If Zoe didn't get to stay on instead of me." She couldn't keep the bitterness from creeping into her voice.
Matt let out a sigh before getting up. "Don't let it get to you." He tapped her legs to move them, and he didn't miss the smile that enveloped her face when he sat beside her. "I know it doesn't feel good to be kicked out of something you did so much for. But you should know it wasn't because of lack of talent." Mimi had never been rejected a day in her life, this was a first for her.
Somewhere deep down though, he thought it might be good for her to experience it. So she realized that not everything would come so easily. That sometimes you could do everything right and still not get what you want in the end.
She would be stronger because of this.
Mimi shifted her position, so she was sitting beside him. "I know and I'll be fine. It just wasn't a good feeling to be undermined so easily." She shrugged, before dropping her head onto his shoulder.
He put a hand over hers, "I know, Mimi. I know." He laid his cheek over her soft tresses, wondering when the hell all of this was going to sort itself out.
Even though he had been having such confused feelings about her lately, it felt nice to just be there for her.
Their friendship had been in a state of flux since she had gotten here, this moment gave him a tiny bit of reassurance that it wasn't lost.
That when she was distressed, truly upset, she would still come to him. She still depended on him.
She still needed him.
He had been a support system to her for so long, and her to him—he couldn't imagine losing that.
"Thanks, Matt." He could hear the sleepiness in her voice and knew she was probably exhausted. "You're always… here for me." Her voice tapered off softly.
As her head grew heavier on his shoulder, her body getting limper against his side, he knew she had fallen asleep.
Mimi was his friend, his best friend, and there was no way he could lose that. Nothing was worth it, no fleeting moment of attraction, no sexual gratification could ever be as important as her.
He never wanted to lose her.
And with love, there was always loss.
At least friendship was dependable, it would be there long after his feelings of desire dissipated.
Friendship was reliable.
It was forever.
He internally vowed never to allow himself to go down the road he had been contemplating, Mimi wasn't just some girl, he couldn't afford to mess things up between them because of his libido.
There were plenty of other girls that were much more disposable than she was for that.
It was decided, he would never allow himself to get caught up in those feelings again, he would repress them and stow them away in the deepest recesses of his mind where he wouldn't be able to find it. And for all the ones he couldn't control, he would just ignore.
They were friends and that's all it would ever be.
-x-
The bus of Karakura Town University players arrived later that day, the exact time was unknown because they were rushed onto the practice field by head coach Sosuke Aizen and the brutal athletic training coach Kenpachi Zaraki.
Zaraki was a mountain of a man, his hair sticking out like sharp blades at all ends of his head in a way that made Tai's spikes look tame. He was barking orders, working the boys down to the bone and screaming maniacally about pain and blood and sweat as if it were somehow motivational.
His players seemed to be used to it though, none of them were puking up on the field.
Yet.
Aizen was probably the opposite in every way possible, seemingly soft spoken and for lack of a better word…beautiful. It was as if his eyes glittered and the easy smile on his face was practically blinding. A few strands of silky brown hair fell in front of his warm brown eyes, the rest of it slicked back neatly in a gentlemanly manner. He was observing his men with the intensity of a hawk stalking its prey, however.
The boys were heavily disciplined, running plays as if their lives depended on it, transitioning in and out of formations seamlessly, rotating goalies effortlessly.
Everything was so calculated, their movements practically militaristic in precision and accuracy.
"They're…" Ryo swallowed the dry lump down in his throat.
Tai crossed his arms over his chest, "I know." He said a bit grimly, for the first time sounding a little worried.
The two observed KTU practicing, feeling more and restless as they witnessed Toushiro Hitsugaya block goal after torrid goal. It was as if there were three of him, that was how quickly he was moving.
"For a short kid he's got range." Ryo noted quietly.
"Tch." Tai let out dryly. "Sam's got just as much agility, if not more." The conviction was hollow.
"We have to be prepared, T." Ryo sighed, looking for some kind of reassurance that he wasn't the only one feeling the immense pressure mounting.
This game hanging around his neck like a freaking noose.
"My dad's gonna be at this game. He's bringing all his buddies, they have box seats, man. We can't lose." The desperation was so evident in his voice, it made Tai want to punch his lights out.
It was actually pathetic how hard Ryo tried to please his old man.
Tai stayed silent, seeing a mop of carrot colored hair send the soccer ball sailing towards the goal.
It had been the first one to go in, but just barely.
"Kurosaki's gotten better." He let out through gritted teeth. "He's been training." He admitted in a grudging tone.
Ryo pulled a hand through his brown hair. "You're fucking telling me." He groaned.
They had no chance.
From this distance, all they could hear was Kenpachi blowing his whistle before lumbering onto the field. They had no idea what was being said, but it was clear that the giant was still not happy about something.
A tall, lithe, but bald man came striding onto the field as Kurosaki went and sat down, water bottle to his mouth.
"Madarame." Ryo mentioned under his breath. "Do you know he's had the most red flag violations of any player last season." It was the home opener, they had a full season ahead of them, and all Ryo could think about was how many players Ikkaku Madarame had sidelined due to injuries last year.
"Be on your guard, you know he plays dirty." Was all Tai contributed, eyes narrowed at the player in question.
Thank God he was a senior and this could likely be the last time they would be facing him.
Ryo threw his head back in frustration, apprehension mounting. "We just had to get them for homecoming, didn't we." He was irritated, concerned but most of all, as much as he hated to admit it, he was nervous as hell.
Borderline panicking, really.
Soccer had always been something that came natural to him, his parents had paid for fancy summer camps and professional trainers but he had never needed it. He never felt inadequate, only the opposite. He had always taken pride in his skill and finesse on the field, he had never felt lacking in that respect. Being used to praise and envy.
But right now, it felt like his first pee wee soccer game against a middle school team and he hated it.
It didn't help that Tai was barely acknowledging the fact that they had a real chance of losing this game.
It wasn't long before they were spotted by someone on the other team, it wasn't as if the two had taken any effort in hiding their presence, just allowed enough distance between them and the practicing team so they wouldn't be in the way.
The orange haired scorer jogged over to them, and both Tai and Ryo stood up a little straighter, chest puffing out in typical alpha behavior.
The carrot top stopped in front of them, sweat gleaming along his clearly exerted muscles and dripping down his face.
None other than Ichigo Kurosaki, himself.
"Kamiya, Akiyama." He greeted them both with respect.
Tai just shot his eyebrows up at him with a small nod.
"How's it going, Kurosaki?" Ryo extended a hand forward.
Ichigo took it, "Zaraki's on a tirade, but what else is new." He said easily.
Tai felt his anticipation climbing, feeling increasingly agitated by the fact that Ichigo Kurosaki had a good three inches on him in height and his muscle mass seemed to have increased quite a bit since the last time they had met.
What the hell was this guy eating.
"Did you guys need the field? We had spoken with your headmaster and he had said that it was okay to use the practice field."
"Yeah, it's alright. We're scheduled to practice on the game field anyway." One thing that had gone right was that they had home field advantage and that certainly mattered.
They knew every inch of that turf like they had cultivated it, it was enormously comforting amongst the rest of the uncertainty that hung in the air.
Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, but a voice interrupted him.
When he had appeared, none of the three boys had known, but standing before them in a long white robe over a coach's uniform was Sosuke Aizen, his eyes gleaming mysteriously down at them.
"Hello boys." His voice had a silky drawl.
The air felt instantly oppressive, Ryo and Tai exchanged similar looks.
"Ichigo, have you had a sufficient break?" There was nothing intimidating about his words, but his tone was just a little too calm. "Do you feel like returning to the game?" His voice was so level, velvety soft and soothing.
Ichigo straightened his posture, "Of course, sir." He said immediately. "I know you can't leave Grimmjow out there for too long without someone wanting to punch him in the face." He said humorously.
Aizen gave him a polite chuckle, "He is a rowdy one." He said placidly.
"See you guys tomorrow." And with a short wave, the boy was off sprinting in the opposite direction.
Aizen swept his brown gaze over Ryo and Tai almost simultaneously. "Good luck tomorrow, boys. We hope for a good, clean game." He said smoothly, and with one last glance he was off.
"There is something seriously weird about that guy." Tai shuddered, once the coach was out of hearing distance.
Ryo nodded, "You can say that again." He agreed.
-x-
Tai came back to the loft, running full on restless adrenaline. He wanted to run out the nerves that were quietly settling in his bones, but he knew he would only end up exerting his muscles too much for the game tomorrow. And there was no way he could afford to be at anything less than his best.
Kurosaki had a real way about him, a finesse for keeping the ball away from his competition with intensity and agility. For the first time, Tai felt evenly matched but unlike Ryo he would never mistake that for being out matched.
He would never doubt his own ability.
If he did, for a second if he ever wavered, he wouldn't have anything left.
He had built his entire life around this one thing, he wouldn't underestimate himself, not now or ever.
Tai kicked away the rug with the tip of his shoe, before realizing that the spare key was in his back pocket and not under the mat.
He would really need to find his real pair, soon.
When it turned up missing, the soccer star just shrugged his shoulders before pounding on the door.
Smart money was on a certain brooding blonde being home on this Friday night.
He had never been much of a gambler, but he should have put money on it as he heard Matt's shuffling footsteps coming to the other side of it.
Matt threw open the door, "Kamiya." He nodded, at this point not even surprised that the boy had forgotten his keys.
Tai walked in silently and Matt noted that as unusual because Tai was nothing if not smarmy ninety-nine percent of the time.
Tai took in the dirty plates in the sink and the fact that there was a lipstick stained glass sitting on the counter and put two and two together. "Did I interrupt something?" He filled up a clean glass with water.
Matt rounded the kitchen island. "Physics homework." He rested his elbows on the counter top.
"Ah, so you've taken to wearing lipstick, then."
Matt stared at him confusedly before his eyes fell on the glass. "Mimi." He shrugged off easily. "She had some…thing. Needed to talk."
Tai gave a slow nod, "You should have invited her to stay the night. Get to know that thing a little more…intimately."
Matt blanched outwardly, sticking the brunette with a disgusted look, not so much appalled at the suggestion but instead the greasy tone it was said in.
He ignored the comment just for the sake that Tai was clearly distraught over something. "You're in a mood." He noticed.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I know that's more of your thing but don't worry I won't be making a habit of it. Dark and brooding is still your cornered market."
Matt let out a snort, "Wow, serious mood." He said. "Does it have anything to do with homecoming?"
"Probably everything to do with it."
"Seems like the appearance of Karakura Town has turned everything on its head, hasn't it."
Tai pulled a hand through his hair. "They're good." He admitted gruffly.
It was two words, but Matt understood them clearly.
Tai, high and mighty, never let them see you sweat, never lose, Tai—was scared.
Of what, was still a little unsure though.
"How good?" Matt narrowed his icy eyes at the brunette.
Tai pinched the bridge of his nose. "Really good. Better than any other team I've ever seen." How the hell had this team gotten so good in the span of a year.
He had heard rumblings through the collegiate circuit that it was almost entirely due to the fact that they had switched coaches halfway through last season.
Apparently, Sosuke Aizen had done what no coach could have in the span of six months.
Turn a small town college team into a real threat.
That kind of progress was alarming at best.
"It doesn't help any that Ryo's basically given up."
Matt nodded, understanding a little bit of how Tai must have been feeling. Part of being on a team was knowing that nothing was going to be done alone. All things faced together.
It was about solidarity and brotherhood and all that sentimental jazz.
But when the links were weak, the bonds cracking, the foundation flimsy as floorboards…it was hard to feel confident.
"You've just got to go out there and give it your all, man. These guys are coming into your house trying to take over your homecoming. Show them that it's never going to happen."Matt stuck him with a hard stare.
Tai met his eyes with a new intensity at his words. "It would be easier if my team felt that way. They're a real sorry bunch, right now." He sighed.
"They're going to be fine because you're going to make sure of it. You're going to make them come together because it's who you are." All of a sudden, all her really wanted was to see Kurosaki's orange haired self being dragged up and down the field. "You're a leader, Tai. This is what you do."
"Besides, you can hardly lose to a guy who dyes his hair." Matt smirked.
Tai let out a surprised guffaw. "You think it's boxed?" He laughed.
"Definitely. You seen it up close? No way that's his real hair." Matt chuckled along.
"Yeah, you're right."
Matt walked over to Tai. "Win or lose, man. The match is as good as yours." He clapped the brunette on the shoulder. "We're all gonna be rooting for you."
Tai nodded with appreciation. "Thanks man."
"Oh and by the way." He started. "Mimi wanted me to let you know she's not your rally girl or whatever it is that you guys do, tomorrow. Someone else has your jersey." For some reason, the sentence made him feel lighter.
As if saying it was somehow cathartic.
Releasing something that had been scorching his insides like a gasoline fire.
Tai's eyebrows shot up. "Why's that?" He asked genuinely.
Matt lifted a limp shoulder. "Apparently Taylor Fujiyama cut her from the team for homecoming. Something about not needing her or whatever. Had her pretty down but that's beside the point. I think one of the other girls is going to have it for the night, she just wanted to let you know."
"Taylor's a bitch." Tai said lazily. "Mimi's been running herself ragged this week, she didn't deserve that." He was irritated by this news more than he thought he would be.
But it was a given, his mood was horrible.
Matt just shook his head.
"I can talk to her, I'm sure I'd be able to—
"You should know just as well as I do that wouldn't go over too well with Mimi." Matt grinned.
Mimi had a princess complex, that was for sure. But there was a difference between feeling a sense of entitlement and being a charity case.
She would never want Tai throwing his weight around to get her back into a routine she had been sanctimoniously kicked out of.
Even if it was unjustly.
Tai knew Matt was right, Mimi, out of sheer stubbornness, probably wouldn't go on tomorrow even if hell froze over for her and the devil himself rolled out the red carpet.
When he had seen Tai understood, Matt began walking out of the kitchen. "Don't think about the game, Tai. It's gonna end one way or the other, just hit the field hard." He offered in his retreat.
And without facing the blonde, Tai simply said. "Thanks, man. For always having my back."
-x-
A/N: Awww cue the cutesy bromantic moment between our fave guys. The Matt-Tai friendship is a personal favorite of mine, their dynamic, in my opinion, has such a range that you can kind of cultivate anything out of it. While it is always fun to write them bickering and insulting, I thought this was just as satisfying. This chapter was not so romance oriented, but that was by design. I wanted to shine a little bit more of a spotlight on the mimato friendship so hopefully that came across the way I wanted it to.
Secondly, thank you all so much not only for the reviews (seriously you're all amazing) but for your heartfelt congratulations on my guys have been with me since I was sixteen years old, so it felt so natural sharing something like this with you all. You seriously mean so much to me
Obviously this isn't a BleachxDigi crossover story but these two (maybe three) chapters are going to be. Again, like I said, you don't have to know anything about Bleach for the purpose of this story.
I'm not sure if this needs clearing up, but in soccer red flag violations just mean a foul of some sort, the opposite team gets a penalty kick. The fact that Ryo was saying that about Ikkaku Madarame was to show that he was a pretty violent guy and doesn't really care who gets in his way.
I think I've covered mostly everything but I'm editing at 2am so please forgive me if I've left anything out.
ON TO THE THANK YOU'S!
Kiki: thank you for the review! I hope that this chapter is what you were hoping for! Hope to hear from you soon!
Cancercute: THANK YOU SO MUCH. You know how much I love you and how much I've appreciated your support throughout my entire time on this site. You and sincerefriendship are two of the oldest friends I've had on this site, so I always adore hearing from you! The duet scene was such a fluffy favorite of mine, I just couldn't help myself. I had that song running on a loop as I wrote it because I couldn't think of a thing more fitting. LOL, your Ryo comment (how well you know me :P) I do plan on building his character a bit more and I was hoping to kind of give him a little depth this chapter (subtly) with the mention of his dad. I hope this chapter did the wait justice (though can we all acknowledge that this was kinda timely for me) and I really hope to hear from you soon!
Guest (1): Thank you so much! I appreciate all the love and congrats. If you found indecisive Matt frustrating last chapter, well…I'm sure its even worse in this one, LOL. It's so hard not to write them just together already, like I want to give in and give them a kiss with all the fireworks and passion but I just can't yet! I hope you liked this chapter and I would love to know what you thought of it!
Supernaturalfan17980: Thank you very much for the review, I so appreciated it and I'm really glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I think she decided ;) even if it was majority to spite Taylor. Hope this chapter was worth waiting for, can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!
Guest (2): Thank you for the congratulations, it means so much! It was such a huge moment in my life (of course) so I really appreciate the love. Haha, you know I feel your similar frustrations while writing the chapters because I've never been one to be able to exercise restraint when it comes to writing Mimato angst/romance. But I'm really forcing myself to take this as slow as I can. As for the game, I guess you'll just have to tune into the next chapter to find out ;) Thank you so much for the review, I love hearing what you think about it! I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Angelic Moonlight: Thank you so much! It makes me so happy reading all the warm and fuzzy congratulation messages from you and everyone else. Thank you for your understanding about why I couldn't keep up the two week deal, but I tried my best to get it up as soon as possible. I'm soooo happy you enjoyed the chapter, it was really fun to write, actually. Mimato singing together always tugs at the heartstrings, they're just so cute! I think Matt needs a lot of nudging in the right direction, but we can all hope that he gets it together sooner rather than later! Thank you so much for the review as well as the well wishes, I always love hearing from you and your continued support means the world to me. Hope to hear from you soon!
OnceUponAnOriginal: Thank you so much for the congrats! I really appreciate it I'm serious SO HAPPY that you're liking the story so far, it's actually pretty different from what I usually write so it's new for me but I'm glad I'm not sucking at it LOL. Hopefully this update email finds you well, and I can't wait to hear what you thought about this chapter!
Isabel Black: THANK YOU SO MUCH! You know I love hearing from you and yes, he is my perfect Yamato (mixed with a little bit of Taichi humor and athleticism) I totally agree with you about the disparity between the hit count and review ratio but I've come to accept it. I appreciate everyone's input though because it makes me feel like my hard word isn't wasted. I wish I understood Spanish so I could read some of your work :(
I tried really hard to make the interaction as realistic as possible, I had always imagined Yamato being a bit more aloof and disconnected in any situation so it wasn't too hard to bring that out of him.
LOL—that's so hilarious that your boss caught you grinning at a Mimato scene, girl, we've all been there! The amount of times my mom's come into my room because I'm squealing too loud is too many to count.
Mimi is literally the most shippable character EVER and I plan on giving a bit of depth to Ryo's character.
Haha, jealous-non cool-Yamato will be fun to write (evil laugh)
My reply to your review was probably longer than the review itself, so I'm super sorry you have to read all this but I couldn't help it! Thank you so much for the great review and I hope to hear from you soon!
Angelxchild: THANK YOU! I appreciate the congratulations as well as all your reviews, they're insightful to me :) I honestly just love hearing from everyone who reads the my story just to get their thoughts and opinions on it so I can continue to improve in my writing and grow as an author. I hope this update finds you well and I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Absolutefaith: YAYY another Bleach fan! I love Matsumoto, I think the comedic relief she provides to Bleach is unmatched. I think she's absolutely hilarious. I was actually planning on inserting her into the next chapter, so I hope you'll like her interactions with Tai. Let me know if you want to see anyone else and what you thought of Ichigo and Tai's interaction. I hope you laughed at the last scene where Matt said Ichigo's hair was dyed! I can only imagine the real Ichigo wanting to go bankai on him for saying that. I'm trying to keep the Taiora (will they? Won't they?) ambiguous on purpose, mostly because Tai is so not there and I think Sora of all people definitely knows that better than anyone else. Thank you so much for the congratulations and for the review, I loved reading it. I hope to hear from you very soon!
AND TO EVERYONE WHO FAVORITES, FOLLOWS OR SIMPLY JUST READS ALONG—THANK YOU!
Last order of business and I can end this THREE PAGE LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE.
How do you guys feel about Taylor (and Sophia), I'm not particularly great with OC's so I just want to know how they're being received! And any other questions, concern, concrit you guys have, feel free to let me know!
Until next time!
P.S: I JUST REALIZED THERE WAS NO SORA IN THIS CHAPTER WHATSOEVER! Did anyone miss her/notice?