Hey everyone!

So, everyone coming from my story The Problem with Perfection should know a little about this fic. Basically, it's just a little story about Taka attending his first high school party with Mondo. It's about 28,000 words total, with this chapter mostly just an introduction. The next chapter contains the main bulk of the text, with about 16,000 words, ha. There will be underaged drinking in this story, so beware of that. I also did choose to not use the achieve warnings mostly since there is some mild sexual content between two 16 year olds, but I didn't want to tag underage. But do know that it will be in this story, though it's not really explicit.

For those of you coming from TPWP, you'll see some similarities between these two stories, but I do have a bunch of little differences, just to keep the two stories separate. I also tried to add more canon elements that I got rid of for TPWP, so don't be surprised to see things like that. Like, for instance, I had the school year actually start in April, like happens in Japan... ha.

Enjoy!

Kiyotaka sits on the plush couch in Mondo's room, textbook in his hands as he studies for the history exam their class has in the morning, a mindless action movie playing in the background.

Some may wonder why, exactly, Kiyotaka is doing such a thing when watching movies is just an utter waste of time. Well, he would say, it's a compromise that he and Mondo had made ages ago, back when they first became friends, shortly after the challenge in the sauna that has since completely changed his entire life. While Mondo usually prefers being outside on his hog (as he likes to call it...), he does enjoy wasting time watching movies and television shows from time to time, often inviting Kiyotaka over to watch with him. And while some aren't... bad... most are not at all to his taste, making it a complete waste of his time.

And... yet...

Well.

So, in order to ensure he's not wasting all of his time, Kiyotaka will do his schoolwork while sitting beside Mondo, the biker watching whatever he put on the mid-sized television each room comes with, listening idly as the biker makes blithe comments about whatever is on the screen. It doesn't even bother him much, to tell the truth. He had to learn how to drown out useless noise years ago, since the small apartment his family moved into following his grandfather's fall has very thin walls and he could often hear the loud arguments or music of his neighbors. It made him an expert at studying when senseless noise was playing in the background, truly.

And, despite the waste of time and all that, Kiyotaka must admit that he... he strangely likes these movie nights Mondo asks him to attend every so often. No one else has ever invited him to do such a thing, after all!

And if he's telling the honest truth... he doesn't even know why Mondo continually invites him instead of the many other friends he has, really. Well... perhaps many is too strong a word. He knows that the biker only has two main friends other than himself while at Hope's Peak. Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star who wants to become a musician, and Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer. Both are very opposite people, but both are fairly close to Mondo, in their own ways. It... it honestly would make more sense for Mondo to invite them over to watch movies with him all the time, not 'stick in the mud' Kiyotaka. He's sure even Fujisaki-kun would make a better viewing partner than him, the young programmer surely far better company than he is, especially during movies.

And yet...

And yet.

Kiyotaka feels his entire heart leap as he's ripped from his thoughts when a warm arm wraps around his shoulders, subtly pulling him back against a warm chest, his body tingling all over at the sensation. He looks away from his textbook and into bright lavender eyes, the biker staring at him quite... quite intensely...

"A-ah... i-is there a problem, ky-kyoudai?" Kiyotaka stammers, cheeks blooming bright red at the peculiar look on the biker's face. He flushes even more when he feels warm fingers trail across his temple. It's almost like Mondo is trying to brush back his hair, but that's ridiculous! Kiyotaka always slicks his hair up every morning, spending less than a minute to ensure each strand stays in place before leaving to get breakfast, the most important meal of the day. S-so... so why...

"Ya don't gotta keep on studyin', man. Studyin' so much is gonna make yer brain fry outta yer head or somethin'. Know ya don't like this movie, but I can put on one ya do like, if ya want. Ya like Ghibli, yeah? Can watch one a' those or somethin'..."

Mondo voice is low and rumbling like usual, a hint of concern in it as he looks at him with piercing eyes, seeing everything Kiyotaka has always tried so hard to hide and yet... and yet-

"I- I must study, kyoudai! We are students! Students study! And besides! We have an exam tomorrow, something you, too, should be studying for, my friend!" Kiyotaka exclaims, voice only a little too forceful to hide the way it wants to shake. Mondo snorts, rolling his eyes.

"Shit, man. We already did that... 'member? We spent over an hour at the library earlier goin' over the study guide. We came back here ta relax, man... shit..."

Kiyotaka bites back the automatic response for Mondo to watch his language, knowing that they have another compromise where Mondo could curse as long as they were alone in either of their rooms. It still makes his stomach squirm, but he knows better by now than to press his limits.

Instead, he just shrugs, shoulders tensing as he looks at his textbook, biting his lip even though he knows how horrid a habit it is.

"You can never study too much, kyoudai! The only way to prosper is to make sure you study hard and do all you can to excel in life! If you slack off even a little, then you'll never get anywhere! That's a fact!"

His heart clenches when he hears Mondo sigh softly, something almost sad entering his eyes as he smiles weakly at him. He pulls his arm back, then, and he settles back against the couch, leaving Kiyotaka feeling strangely cold in the mid-spring air.

"I mean... sure, whatever man. If ya say so. But yer wrong 'bout one thing. Ya can study too much. If it prevents ya from bein' able ta relax an' have fun, ev'ry once an' a while? That's too much studyin', Taka. Y'ain't gotta keep pushin' yerself so hard, man. Yer not gonna fall or shit just 'cuz ya decide ta take an evenin' off. But whatever, I'll stop buggin' ya 'bout this now, since I know how ya get 'round exam time. But..."

Mondo trails off at the end of his sentence, moving his eyes to stare blankly at the screen as he absently takes a sip of the sugary soda Kiyotaka has done his best to dissuade the biker from drinking, to sadly no avail. Silence echoes between them after that, Kiyotaka squirming internally, before he can't take it any longer.

"But what, kyoudai?" Kiyotaka finally questions, eyes curious and a little apprehensive as he looks at Mondo, the biker grimacing at his question. Another moment passes before his kyoudai sighs, looking over at Kiyotaka with a strange determination in his eyes. Ah... that never bodes well for him...

"Aw, shit. Fine. The rest a' the class is plannin' on havin' a celebration Friday night, ta celebrate the end a' our first exams a' the year. Gonna happen in Leon's room 'round 8:00 or 9:00 at night. Know ya don't like parties an' shit, but... but, shit, man. Might be good for ya ta get out an' socialize an' all. Can't even say ya gotta study, since we'll have just finished our first exams an' we ain't gonna have anythin' new 'til next week. Can't promise everyone'll do things ta yer level a' morality, but... s-shit, man... if ya think ya can turn off yer Hall Monitor sensibilities fer one night, it... it might be fun, heh... I uh. I'd like ya ta be there... if ya wanna..."

Kiyotaka feels himself freeze at the request, eyes wide as he looks at Mondo, taking in the pink cheeks and the downcast eyes, seeing how strangely anxious Mondo is about this request. But he's not even yelling for once, which is what strikes Kiyotaka the most. He... he always yells when anxious or nervous, yet he knows Kiyotaka doesn't like it, and so he... h-he...

"Will... will there be drinking?" he asks softly, a frown unbidden on his face. He sees Mondo grimace, which answers his question, really...

"Uh... shit. Prolly... but, uh... y'ain't gotta partake. An' I won't either, if ya don't want, I promise. Solidarity an' shit, heh. But, uh, ya can't exactly force the others ta stop. That shit'll just make 'em hate ya. An' I know ya don't want that, heh. So, uh... if ya think ya can handle lettin' 'em do their thing without gettin' on their case 'bout it... might be good fer ya. Gettin' ta know 'em. An' lettin' 'em get ta know ya. Maybe... heh. Maybe ya can make another friend. Be good fer ya..."

Kiyotaka's heart races at the significant look Mondo is giving him, his throat strangely thick. He... he should refuse. In fact, not only should he refuse, but he should also march straight to the headmaster's office and inform Headmaster Kirigiri of the plans Mondo has just told him, since it is decidedly against the rules (and the law!) to drink on the premises, especially while underage! As a Hall Monitor and a Public Morals Committee member, it is his duty to prevent his fellow classmates from making poor choices that will ruin their entire lives, after all!

But...

But...

But... well.

Mondo is right. If he does that, the other students will hate him for ruining their fun. And while he- he usually wouldn't care about things like that, knowing that being upright and moral is far more important than being well liked, he... he can't quite force himself to march out of the room like he knows he should. Not... not when Mondo is looking at him like that, eyes intent, hope clear within them.

Mondo has spent the better part of the last year trying to get Kiyotaka to spend more time with their other classmates in a more casual environment, to mixed results. While he gets along well enough with Fujisaki-kun, Asahina-kun, and Naegi-kun, and sometimes will play Shogi with Ludenberg-kun, he can't say that any of them are really friends. Or that they even like him all that much, to tell the truth... tolerate him and his presence, sure. But like him? Well... only Mondo truly likes him. Only Mondo can not only tolerate his presence, but actually find some measure of enjoyment when being around him, despite everything. Only Mondo...

And Kiyotaka knows it concerns Mondo that he doesn't have any other friends. Knows Mondo worries for him quite a lot, concerned that he spends all of his time studying and doing schoolwork, rarely ever doing anything else. He sees the way Mondo looks at him, small frown on his lips when Kiyotaka declines his invitations to join the other students at their more informal get togethers, not the academic ones he schedules himself, disappointment plain in his lavender eyes. His… his kyoudai is always so very, very concerned about him…

With this in mind, stomach fluttering with the emotion he always firmly refuses to think about, he finds himself nodding slowly, despite everything he knows he should do and say. And, completely despite himself entirely, he feels his heart leap at the sight of Mondo's eyes lighting up with what he knows to be shock and happiness and hope. G-god...

"I- I... I suppose I could find the time, k-kyoudai... I- I can't promise I won't give some strongly worded reminders about personal responsibility and not breaking the law! B-but... but I suppose I can do my best. To, er... relax. For one night. If you... if you'd really like me to..."

It's truly not fair, he thinks desperately to himself, how adorable Mondo looks when he's bright and happy, the expression unrestrained on his face, eyes shining with an internal light. And his laugh... soft and breathy and incredible... it... it's just not fair...

"Holy shit, really?! Hell yeah, kyoudai! Fuck man... I mean, uh... frick. Ya won't regret this, bro, freakin' promise! Know it will be good fer ya ta get out... let yer hair down, heh. Maybe ya'll see that life ain't gotta be only 'bout studyin' an' patrollin' an' shit... freakin' unlikely, but eh. Might."

The way Mondo is grinning at him... wide and unrestrained... you'd think that he'd promised Mondo the world, not just going to a morally dubious high school party. And yet...

And yet.

Kiyotaka quickly returns his focus to his textbook, face bright red for reasons he once again refuses to think on. He can feel Mondo's eyes linger on him for several long, long moments after, causing his cheeks to heat more and more, but eventually the biker looks away, watching his movie with a soft smile on his lips. N-not that Kiyotaka is looking! A-aha...

Well, he thinks in a daze as he stares wide-eyed at his textbook, not taking in a single word. Guess he's going to be going to his first unofficial high school party.

Yay...?

I'll be posting the second chapter tomorrow sometime, so be on the lookout for that. I hope y'all enjoy it! :-D

Fun fact about this story: It originally was going to be part of a fic based on the song Little Miss Perfect, by Taylor Louderman , which Azure Mist did a really cute IshiMondo animatic for on YouTube, if you want to look it up. However, when I was mostly done with this part of it, I realized that this just... didn't fit with that song and how it ends, ha. This whole fic was originally in the middle of that fic, so I just... cut this part out of it and made it it's own story. I likely won't ever finish the "Little Mister Perfect" AU I was going to write, but there are a couple lines in this story that I didn't change from the original, so if you see them, you'll know why I wrote them like that, ha. Anyway, just a fun fact. :-)