Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm glad to know Sora had her fans, because for a while, it seemed to me that nearly all the feedback for her was not positive!
Paradigm Shift
Chapter 30: Dream
"Surprise! Happy birthday!"
He gave a mixed reaction of both glee and grimace, exaggerated so the audience surrounding him could feel satisfied.
He had just gotten out of one meeting to find that his last had been cancelled. Considering himself lucky, he had prepared to leave work early, only to walk into his office to find his colleagues wearing paper party hats and plastic celebratory sunglasses against the glaring ceiling lights. He jumped a bit as he heard two bottles of champagne pop open simultaneously on either side of his ear.
It was tradition amongst the younger staff to decorate desks whenever a birthday came around, but because he had his own office, he had come into work that morning to see balloons and streamers cluttering nearly the entire room.
Shima and Fujii had boasted to him earlier that they had come in early to set everything, and throughout the day his colleagues dropped by to wish him a happy birthday and feed him way too much birthday cake.
"You said you had plans, but the least you can do is have a drink with us before you go, right?" Shima asked, appearing beside him with two glasses of champagne in hands. "What's so exclusive that we aren't invited?"
For as far back as he could remember, he had always thrown a big party for this birthday, inviting pretty much everyone he had ever met in his life. This year, however, he had decided to have a quiet night in with Sora. She said she would do the planning, and that all he would have to do is show up on time, which, given that his last meeting had just gotten cancelled, was feasible.
He did have a bit of time and readily took the glass from his mate. Even if he wasn't going to throw an actual party, having a chill after-work drink with his colleagues was a nice gesture. He eyed the clock to keep track of the time as he mingled, allowing himself the one glass of champagne but no more of the birthday cake. He had already eaten three that day, and Sora would kill him if he went to dinner with a spoiled appetite.
He was loudly challenging an elaborate story Shima was telling when the door to his office opened. He thought perhaps they were receiving a noise complaint, but it was just his assistant. She made her way to him and told him in a hushed whisper, "Mrs Kari Takaishi is on the phone for you."
Every time anyone referred to his sister as Mrs Takaishi, it made him feel weird, but today he was more surprised that she was calling his office number. She never did.
Confused, he exited his noisy office and picked up from his assistant's desk.
"Hello? Kari?" he said into the receiver.
"Hey Tai! Sorry, am I interrupting work? I tried to call your mobile, but you weren't picking up."
"Oh, I didn't hear it," Tai muttered, checking his pockets and realising his phone was not there. Where had he put it? "Sorry. What's up?"
"Happy birthday!"
He let out a low chuckle. "That's what was so urgent?"
"Yes," she said with a giggle of her own. "I heard you were getting out on time today, so I wanted to make sure to catch you before you leave. Do you have plans after work?"
He began to feel bad, anticipating the imminent rejection he'd have to give his sister.
"Er, yeah, I do."
Rather than sound disappointed, she started to giggle more. "Well, come to Odaiba for a surprise."
He groaned. "Are Mum and Dad trying to throw me a surprise party? I'm too old for that, and besides I can't. I'm meeting Sora tonight."
"But Sora's in Odaiba!"
He was confused, but Kari didn't offer him much in explanation, only telling him to hurry and get on his way because everyone was waiting for him.
He hung up and thanked his assistant for letting him use her phone, then went back into his office trying to remember where he had put his own. He found it in a drawer, vaguely remembering he had put it on silent and thrown it inside because the constant messages kept distracting him when he needed to concentrate on leaving on time.
He had missed calls and unread text messages from various people in his life wishing him a happy birthday, but he scrolled to see whether Sora had texted him since he had put it away. She hadn't, though Kari had indeed both called and texted him with what she had said over the phone.
In that moment, he got a new message from his flatmate.
'Happy birthday. Are you coming home tonight?'
He opened it to respond, not realising that he didn't actually answer his question.
'I guess I'm going to Odaiba. You and Meg should come too if you want. I think TK is there.'
He had extended the invitation knowing Matt would decline, and within moments he did just that.
'I'll see you tomorrow,' it read. Then, he added, 'Your friends keep coming by with gifts.'
He felt a bit bad, seeing all of the unanswered messages on his phone from friends, knowing they were wishing him a happy birthday and likely asking what he was up to. It wasn't that he was actively trying to ignore them; he had just needed to concentrate to get out on time.
For as far back as he could remember, he had thrown big parties for his birthday. He didn't even particularly care for the day itself. It was more that he simply enjoyed having the company of his friends gathered in one place, and a birthday was a perfect excuse to bring them together.
This time last year, he had thrown a party at his flat, much to Matt's vexation. Matt had gotten so fed up with the length and boisterousness of the party that he had gone and left to sleep at Megumi's sometime in the night, not that Tai had been concerned with his flatmate's wellbeing. No, instead, he had been snogging the neighbour who then turned out to be too young for him, then, striking out elsewhere, ended up crawling back to Sonoka, who he had otherwise been avoiding that entire night.
When he thought back to how that was only a year ago, it was crazy to him. He never truly felt any bit older during his birthdays, but perhaps he could see where he had matured a bit.
TK answered the door.
"Come on in," he greeted with a welcoming grin, as if it were his own home. "Happy birthday."
Not that he didn't appreciate seeing his brother-in-law, but he thought it odd. Surely, when it came to the list of people supposedly in this household who wanted to see him, TK didn't rank above his mother or girlfriend.
Stepping inside, he grew more confused. It seemed to be just TK and his father, who was holding Kouki.
"It's the boys club," TK joked, swooping down to take his baby back. He tickled his round tummy, to which Kouki did not respond.
"Where is everyone?" Tai asked, confused.
"Nice to see you too," his father deadpanned.
Tai laughed, knowing he was kidding, and TK offered him an explanation.
"The women are in the master bedroom, but you should probably knock first."
Not understanding what he meant, he did so anyway.
"Can I come in?" he asked against the door, hearing muffled speaking from the other side. He heard what he thought was a sign of affirmation, so he opened the door to see Sora holding a measuring tape around Kari's waist.
His mother had already reached him. "Hi baby. Happy birthday!"
"Oh right, happy birthday!" his father said belatedly from the living room, as if he had only just remembered.
His mother frowned disapprovingly. "Like father, like son."
He chuckled, not having minded.
"Oh, look how handsome you look. Just look at your hair," his mother cooed. "Sora, dear, were you able to get him to cut it? He won't listen to his mother, but at least he'll listen to his girlfriend."
He thought too many people were commenting on his hair. It wasn't like it was that incredible of a feat for him to crop it.
"What are you doing?" he asked no one in particular, doing his round of hugs hello and allowing his mother to fuss over his work shirt that he knew wasn't unkempt and his hair that probably was.
"Last minute fittings," Sora explained to him, squirming away when he tried to hold her by the waist. Before he could say anything in protest, she had turned her attention back to his sister. "Kari, I can't believe you gave birth earlier this year. You're so tiny."
"Your waist is back to normal already because you're still young," his mother concluded.
"And good genes," Kari added to make her feel better.
He was still staring at Sora. "I didn't know you were going to be here."
"Tai Kamiya, I will have you know that your wonderful girlfriend took the day off work to help me make food for your birthday!" his mother revealed, as if accusing him of some wrongdoing.
He bit his tongue just in time to not joke about how the meal will be better if Sora helped with it, knowing he would only hurt his mother's feelings and possibly upset Kari too, who thought he poked way too much fun at her sometimes.
"Kari was here too," Sora added.
"I was mostly taking care of Kouki," Kari said quickly. "I didn't do much work."
He turned to Sora. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to be here?"
"Your mother said you like surprise birthday parties," she answered.
Tai held in a laugh, again to spare his mother's feelings. This was something he had liked as a child that she still thought carried twenty years into the future.
"I do," he said to his mother, to which she beamed.
"Oh, Sora, you are such a darling," his mother gushed. "You know, Tai hasn't come home for his birthday in eight years, but you managed to get him to do it."
"How do you remember the exact number of years?" he asked incredulously. He had a hunch that she had made it up.
"Because a mother always remembers when their children last visit, and it isn't like you visit so frequently that it's difficult for me to keep track," she said to ignite his guilty conscience.
He smiled innocently at her, and true to form, she looked at him as if she had already forgiven him.
"How on earth were you able to find someone as wonderful as Sora anyway? She is just so perfect, dear."
"Are you saying I'm not good enough for her?" he muttered sarcastically, as Sora immediately tried to refute her claims.
"She's only saying that because you're here now," Sora told him, looking flustered. "Just a second ago, she was telling me about all of your accomplishments."
"He got into Waseda on a football scholarship, you know," his mother bragged. "Tai looks like he doesn't try, but he is actually quite talented and clever. He was always so involved in school, and he did quite well in university too. He had a double major and graduated with—"
"Mum, stop."
His mother only ever bragged about his academic accomplishments, of which he didn't actually think he had many, but that was because once he became an adult, she became more unaware of what he was doing. Currently, the only details of his work that she knew of were on the business card that had given her. She didn't actually understand what he did, though the title and company were enough to impress her friends.
Even though he had just interrupted her, his mother beamed at him. "Well, I think I'll get dinner ready now that you're here. I'm not actually being helpful to Sora right now."
"I can help," he offered.
She looked shocked. "Sora, you must stay forever. You taught Tai how to actually help out!"
"Stop making me look bad!" he protested.
"But you're our guest of honour," Kari joked. Explaining to Sora, she added, "Because he never come by. We had to lure him with you."
"That's not true," he objected, even though it was. "I'm going to help you, Mum, because otherwise TK will, and then you'll actually replace me with him."
Sora gave him a small smile, seeing right through him. "Well, we'll only need a few more minutes to finish up, but you do have to leave because Kari has to change."
Together, he and his mother left the room and went into the kitchen. As expected, TK got up to lend a hand, though his mother insisted that Tai would be more than enough.
"What can I do?" he asked once inside the kitchen. "Do you need me to get something from a high cupboard?"
"TK already helped me with that," she said nonchalantly. "He got here before you, and he's taller."
He frowned. He knew she didn't mean anything by it, but his mother had begun comparing them ever since TK joined the family, becoming even worse once Kouki came along and fulfilled her wish of becoming a grandmother.
"At this point, why don't you just ask him to be your son instead?"
She ignored his pettiness and placed a ladle in his hands. "Could you give that pot a stir instead?"
"Why, yes, I can," he agreed. Opening the lid, he gave it a sniff and recognised it as something that had been made by either Sora or Kari. He suddenly became extremely hungry and went to taste it.
"Tai, are you going to marry Sora?"
He choked on the hot liquid still in his mouth.
"You need to chew, honey," his mother said, passing him a napkin as if she had nothing to do with it.
He wiped his mouth and looked down to make sure he hadn't spat on his shirt. "Mum, for the love of god, don't ask me things like that."
"Ask you things like what?" she asked defensively, as if perfectly innocent, before launching into a tirade because she thought he wasn't taking his life seriously.
Whenever his mother got like this, he'd just let her have a go without really fighting back, so he stood and listened to her admonishment. She stopped only when Sora and Kari came out of the room, her displeasure disintegrating into happiness at the sight.
Kari made a beeline for Kouki, scooping him out of TK's lap and nuzzling him against her cheek, while Sora came into the kitchen after spotting him. She dodged his mother's persistence to rest and relax, instead taking the ladle still in his hand and nudging him aside.
"I already stirred it," he told her proudly.
She stirred it again anyway, examining the contents carefully. "You need to make sure the potatoes don't stick to the bottom."
He nudged her and opened his mouth. "Give me a bite."
"Wait for dinner."
"But I'm hungry," he griped, pressing up against her. She looked at him like he was insane.
With one hand, she pushed him away by the stomach and with the other she picked up a piece of potato and hurriedly wedged it in his mouth, glaring when he sucked on her thumb.
"Stop," she mouthed to him with a warning look, but he only bobbed his eyebrows and grinned, pretending his mouth wasn't on fire.
She pushed him further away, then turned to his mother to tell her that the stew was done and that she could help with anything else. Disappointed that he had been pushed out of the conversation, he sauntered into the living room again.
"I've been kicked out," he said, sitting right by Kari. He held his arms out, wanting his turn to hold Kouki. Kari gladly handed him over, and Kouki only squirmed slightly before settling onto his lap, using his thighs as a backrest.
"It's because you never help out, so your mother doesn't know what to do with you when you offer," his father replied. "Stop trying to impress Sora by pretending to be helpful."
TK and Kari were laughing at him, but he ignored them, bouncing Kouki in his lap. "You're the only one on my side."
As if understanding, he made a whinging noise and rolled off his lap, landing on Kari and using his tiny fists to clutch her shirt as she balanced him again.
"You traitor," he accused Kouki, who paid him no mind. "Nobody in this family cares about me."
Kari looked at him piteously, then placed Kouki back on his lap as she stood up. "I'm going to help Mum."
"Don't bother. Mum kicked me out," he told her again.
"She won't kick me out," Kari assured teasingly, walking away.
"Because she's actually helpful," his father added as explanation. TK chortled, much to his annoyance, and it seemed to him Kouki did too.
Sora nudged him away because he had put his hand on her thigh from under the table. He figured despite her exasperation, she wouldn't actually shout at him when they were in front of his family.
Even he thought it was too mean for him to point out that Sora's food was better than his mother's, so he made sure to try a bit of everything. In reality, despite always making fun of her for it, he didn't hate his mother's cooking. He had grown up with it, after all.
"By the way," he brought up as he put food in his mouth, "Sora here won a companywide competition recently." He looked at his mother and sister in feigned sternness. "You two are getting kimono from the best designer in her company. It's an honour."
He couldn't tell whether Sora was giving him a look because of what he had said or because he was talking with his mouth full. He gave her a pat on her thigh in response, and she pinched him.
Her annoyance lasted seconds, transforming immediately when his family reacted. Even he was surprised by his family's interest, his mother and sister seemingly more excited for her than he had been, Sora's face growing redder as they complimented her and asked to see her submission.
Even TK contributed, asking inquisitive questions that for a moment irked Tai. His parents were often teasing him to be more like from TK, which he had always thought was light-hearted deprecation in the way his family worked, though he supposed there was some truth. TK was always genuinely interested in everyone's activities, which had been a nice addition to their family because his mother was the kind of person who wanted to know about every second of everyone's days. She wanted to know what happened the morning, afternoon, evening of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so forth. He himself wasn't one to divulge into minute details, and Kari was a woman of few words, but TK was happy to have his mother coddle him, and their mother loved him for it.
Even now, whereas his mother and sister had only asked about her actual win, TK had asked Sora how the qualifying development even began. He eyed them jealously as she explained the entire process to him, TK looking as if he had never been more interested in anything else in his life. After she finished, he was interested to know how she got into the industry in the first place.
He caught his father shaking his head knowingly at him.
"Maybe you can learn a thing or two from him," his father joked.
TK looked over at them, having heard. "You can always ask me if you're in a rut, Tai."
"No thanks," he grumbled, annoyed by how smug TK looked but unable to actually say anything against his character. He pettily considered giving TK a light bullying later.
Catching on, Sora teased him too. "At least someone is curious."
"I'm very curious," Tai snapped, now offended. "Just because he says all the right things doesn't mean he's more curious than I am."
Sora looked at him like he was absurd, and TK light-heartedly agreed that nobody could be more interested than Tai. Even he was a little embarrassed for himself when suddenly the lights turned off.
Kari, who he hadn't even realised had gotten up, came back into the dining area holding a lit birthday cake, and everyone began singing happy birthday. Nobody in his family was a gifted singer, so Sora and TK were the best, TK flustering Kari by wordlessly making fun of her for being off-key.
It was childish and reminiscent of his primary school years, but once they had stopped singing, he blew out the candles while everyone clapped.
"What did you wish for?" his mother prodded, beaming at him.
"Your good health," he answered, when in reality he had again forgotten to make a wish the same way he did every year.
"Sora made this cake," Kari told him. "Isn't it too pretty to be homemade?"
He was genuinely touched, but when he said this to Sora, she thought he was kidding and brushed it off like it wasn't a big deal.
"I'm serious," he said, even though she didn't take him seriously. He rarely ever took pictures, but it seemed a shame to cut into it, so he took a picture of the cake on his phone. This was a mistake, however, as his mother instantly took his interest and escalated it into what he could only describe as a photoshoot, insisting that she take a picture of him holding it too, and then another with Sora. This was a small tolerance that he didn't mind humouring, though he wondered whether Sora found it overbearing.
Presents came next, Sora getting him a cologne she liked. He rarely wore scents but sprayed some on his neck and tried to get her to smell it, which only served to make her look at him like he was insane again.
His mother, bless her heart, had given him a set of essentials, tightly packing a box of underwear, towels, pyjamas, socks, and a tie.
"Mum, I'm not moving house," he joked. He held in the urge to say he'd keep his new pyjamas at Sora's, because he thought Sora would actually murder him.
His father had signed the card included in his mother's present. TK and Kari had gotten him a wallet and a new dress shirt, though TK revealed he had wanted to get him the new Xbox. Kari wouldn't let him.
"I'd have preferred the Xbox," he joked, only to have his mother shake her head and ask just how old was he that he was still playing videogames.
"Oh, and this is from Kouki," Kari said, giving him another wrapped package. He opened it to see a "World's Greatest Uncle" mug, making him laugh.
"Thanks Kouki," he said to the baby, patting his plump belly with a finger. "I've been needing a new mug for the office."
"Sorry, but we got Matt one too," TK said with a smile, handing him an identically wrapped package. "Do you mind giving it to him? We don't want to play favourites, and you know my brother would only get jealous."
Tai accepted the messenger gift, though he doubted Matt would use it.
On the behest of his mother, they took more photos even though he didn't think the occasion called for it. First was of him and Sora, then of just her and Sora so that she could show her friends how beautiful her son's girlfriend was.
"I can't believe you don't want me in this picture," Tai complained from behind Kari, who was taking the shot as always. "I'm your son."
Kari giggled. "Mum has plenty of photos of you, but she's been bragging to her friends so much about Sora that she needs photographic evidence."
His mother looked unfrazzled. "You two might be teasing me, but the same way you and TK are so proud every time Kouki rolls over, that's how I feel about my two babies."
"Well, neither of your babies are in frame," Tai pointed out, earning a pointed look from Sora to stop provoking her.
"Tai Kamiya, all this time I've had to give excuse after excuse as to why you wouldn't settle down, and now that I've finally gained that bragging right, don't you get sarcastic with me." She turned to Sora with an apologetic smile. "Don't mind him. I need to show everyone at the wedding how beautiful you are."
He watched as Sora turned pink, then turned to Kari, who was talking to him.
"You should come to the wedding too, Tai. Senri said she invited you."
"No way," Tai shot down. He turned to Sora. "Mum tried to set me up with her once. Wouldn't that be awkward?"
His mother turned pink herself and shushed him. "You don't need to bring it up. In any case, you found someone better all by yourself."
"Maybe I should go to the wedding just to tell Senri you said that," he teased.
"I wonder why it is that you can't just not say anything," his mother replied.
"Be nice," Kari whispered to him.
"Okay, okay," he assured, saying a quick apology to his mother. "Anyone want to watch football? Sora and I were going to watch the match tonight."
Sora pinched him, not realising that this was tradition in his household anyway. Due to his own achievements in the sport, his entire family loved football. His father and sister agreed excitedly.
"Of course. Everyone go ahead. I'm just going to clean a bit," his mother agreed.
"I'll help you, Mum," Kari offered.
His sense of guilt activated, he changed his mind and offered to clean with Sora instead. When his mother refused, he accused her for being unable to read the room.
"I just want some time alone with my girlfriend, Mum. Accept my excuse, and go rest."
Sora insisted on the same, and they gathered all of the dishes into the kitchen.
"Sorry for hitting on you in front of my family," he whispered to her once they were out of sight.
She frowned. "If you know I don't like it, then why do you do it?"
"Because it's my birthday," he answered. He pecked her frowning lips, then laughed. "You're much prettier than Senri."
"That doesn't give me much confidence."
"Now you know how I feel every time you tell me I'm better looking than Dr Joe."
"Stop bringing up Joe," she hissed, then turned on the faucet. "Do you want to wash or dry?"
"I'll wash," he offered, knowing she preferred to dry.
The living room offered a view into the kitchen, so just in case his mother was peeking, they cleaned in relative silence. Kari came in as a spy at one point, thought she insisted it was only to get another slice of cake.
When they finished, they joined his family to watch the football match, he and his father getting too animated over it.
There wasn't enough space on the couch for all seven of them, so he sat on the floor in front of Sora, getting his back kicked whenever he'd lean against her legs for support. TK was on the floor too, rocking Kouki, strange in his eyes even now because TK was still just Matt's kid brother to him.
While everyone showed varying degrees of investment in the match, his mother couldn't care less. She stayed, however, because she was very invested in family time. His mother's boredom eventually got the best of her, however, and she leaned to make chitchat with Sora, who she probably guessed would be the least to complain about her talking over the game.
He tried to keep one ear on their conversation, just in case his mother would impose, even though he trusted Sora would be able to deflect a lot more discreetly than he could.
He looked up when he realised they were discussing meeting up.
Sora looked down at him, seeing that he was eavesdropping.
"Your mother and sister are coming to my studio next week to do a final fitting," she explained to him, her hand still on his shoulder.
"We can get dinner afterwards," Kari suggested excitedly.
"Why am I not invited?" he asked.
"Because it's girls' night," his mother said with a giggle. "You can come if you want to, dear."
He frowned.
"Even Kouki wasn't invited," TK offered jokingly beside him. "If you want, you can join our boys' night, but so far it's just me tending after Kouki while he eats, poos, and cries."
"I'd honestly rather join girls' night."
He looked over at Kouki's crib, who he had thought was asleep but was merely lying there, his bright blue eyes staring off at his surroundings.
"His newborn hair is falling out, and his new hair is growing in," Kari said, leaning down to run her fingers through his thin, sparse hair. At his mother's touch, Kouki finally showed some reaction and giggled. "Isn't it so cute?"
He wasn't sure if he'd call it cute as much as it was funny, but he agreed for Kari's sake.
"His hair is growing out to look more like mine now," TK bragged, lowering his head by Kouki's so that Tai could see both side-by-side. Indeed, Kouki's previously minky brown hair now seemed closer to TK's blond.
"It might get darker again as it grows," Kari pointed out.
"He already looks more like you. Let me have this," TK begged, as if it were her choice. His father's head close to his face, Kouki reached out to yank a tuft of TK's hair, with Kari quickly coming to his rescue at TK's sudden cry.
"He looks like both of us," Kari corrected him nicely as she dusted off the part of TK's head that Kouki had grabbed.
Sora giggled. "You two are so cute."
"We know," TK joked, making Tai roll his eyes.
"Sora, would you like to see pictures from their wedding?" his mother asked excitedly.
Tai held in a sigh. At this point, he had memorised Kari's wedding photos because his mother had poured over them so much, but Sora accepted happily. Not interested, he turned back to the match, though he still kept an ear on them out of anxiety.
His mother thought it was a shame that Sora couldn't have been there. It had been the most gorgeous wedding, and she wasted no time pointing out that Tai seemed to have been the only one who had come without a date.
He turned to her. "Mum, aren't you glad now? Otherwise, there'd be some other girl in those pictures ruining the photo."
"You should have met Sora earlier," she corrected.
He rolled his eyes and turned back to the TV. His mother went on about the venue and the flowers, interrupting herself because she had heard from Kari that Sora had started teaching her ikebana. She seemed to point out every guest in the photo, and just as he was feeling sorry for his girlfriend, he heard his mother say,
"You know Matt, of course. Oh, by the way, TK, I heard from your mother that Matt got back together with his girlfriend. I'm happy for them. She is so lovely, isn't she?"
He turned around from the floor, making a mental note to himself to mention Sora's connection with Matt's ex to his mother later.
"Yes, they're back together," TK answered pleasantly.
"Have you met her yet, Sora?" his mother asked carefreely.
"I have," Sora answered, her tone neutral.
His mother giggled. "I've only met her a few times myself, but she is so smart and polite. She reminds me of you, dear. I'm so certain you two could become best of friends, just like Tai and Matt. You know, they've been dating a long time, so probably they'll be next to get married, but after that it'll be Tai's turn. Oh! Since you're such a talented designer, maybe Matt and Megumi can ask you for advice on her wedding dress—"
"Mum," Tai interrupted angrily, though he knew he shouldn't get annoyed with her for not knowing.
"Okay, okay. I'll stop hinting," she said, misunderstanding him. She gazed at the photo again. "It's too bad Matt isn't here. He is such a beautiful looking boy, isn't he?"
Tai rolled his eyes. "What about this boy?"
"Well, it's just that Matt and TK are so pretty," she said with a giggle, also giving TK a pat on the shoulder. "Kouki is going to grow up so handsome, just like his father."
"I think you're handsome, Tai," TK offered teasingly, which made him scowl.
Everyone thought TK was so humble, but Tai didn't think so. He noticed for example that TK would never turn down a compliment, and he seemed to bask in his mother's affection for him. She was always bragging to her friends about her children, but he bet she bragged just as much about TK.
He missed the days when TK was more careful around him. He was now far too comfortable for his liking.
"He already inherited these," Kari teased, pinching the flesh of TK's face.
"Are you trying to say I have chubby cheeks?" TK asked with a smile. "I'm offended."
His mother frowned at Tai. "All I ask is for you to be half as happy as TK and Kari."
"Mum, if I tried to pinch Sora's cheeks, she would hit me."
Sora glared at him.
"What?" he asked innocently, knowing she was powerless to say anything in front of his family. To annoy her further, he reached out and pinched her cheek.
He felt a hard slap on his back. His mother had hit him.
"I'm sure it's because you did something wrong," she snapped at him. "Isn't that right, Sora?"
He felt betrayed, while Sora shyly rejected his mothers claim.
"Now I know where you get this from," she teased him, tapping her own lips with her finger.
"Actually, he gets his wisecracks from his father," his mother assured. "Imagine being married to one and raising another! That may be you one day, Sora. When it happens, you're always welcome to come to me for advice."
He hated his mother sometimes and showed his discontent by glaring at her.
Sora politely laughed. TK and Kari glanced at each other. His father pretended not to have heard a thing.
"Let's change the subject," he suggested loudly, knowing he lacked as much tact as his mother.
"What? Poor Kouki is all by his lonesome. I'm sure he wants another baby in the family to play with," his mother retorted, acting perfectly innocent, though she switched her attention to TK. "Have you decided on the age gap between Kouki and the next?"
Tai supposed as he listened to TK's polite laugh and diplomatic non-answer that those two also had to go through their own dose of their mother's over-affection. Living so nearby, it was probably a lot more frequent too.
Kari was the one who finally managed to successfully change the topic, from the overly uncomfortable to a slightly less uncomfortable one in that she thought it would be fun to go on a double date. He hated the idea, but it was enough to make his mother move on. Sora looked as excited as Kari, and while TK looked unbothered either way, Tai suspected he wasn't necessarily jumping over backwards to go on a double date with him either.
He knew he hadn't made things all too smooth for TK in the beginning, and while he would never admit it aloud, he knew he still tended to randomly put TK in his place. It wasn't on purpose though. He had only noticed himself when Matt called him out on it one year.
"What do you think?" he asked TK dully.
"Sounds fun," he answered neutrally, sparking a nerve.
As if understanding that it had, TK laughed. TK had a way of responding where he never actually said anything wrong and would hold a perfectly kind disposition, so if Tai called him out for being annoying, it would only be him who'd be perceived as the bad guy.
He turned his head to the side so that nobody could see him swearing TK under his breath. Whether it was the older or younger one, both Takaishi-Ishida brothers were so capable of getting on his last nerve. In fact, he thought, at least Matt was openly annoying. Whenever he butt heads with Matt, it was easy for him to come out on top, but with TK he was constantly losing, no thanks in part to his mother's adoration of him from her lack of ability to see past TK's mind games.
At the very least, his sister seemed to know this about her husband, she calling him out from time to time while TK feigned innocence.
His father turned to the two of them, having not contributed to the conversation yet.
"To think I'd see the day where you go on a double date with your sister. That sounds hilarious."
After hours at his parents' place, he thought he had done the visit justice, but his mother looked at him as if he had just insulted her when he said he and Sora ought to go. After a bit of disputing, she reluctantly agreed, though she successfully manage to guilt TK and Kari to stay longer, insisting they should wait until at least Kouki woke up so as not to disturb him.
He was amazed by TK and Kari's perseverance and also thankful because it meant his mother was less hurt by his departure.
"You drove, didn't you, Tai?" his mother asked him. "Make sure you drive Sora all the way home."
"Gee, thanks for the suggestion, Mum. The thought hadn't crossed my mind."
She hugged him despite his attitude, then hugged Sora too.
"Remember to help her with all of her belongings too," she added for good measure, even though he had already picked up two large canvas bags off the floor. Sora, who usually didn't carry much, had huge bags with her today. When she offered to help, he made a big show of how he didn't need it to avoid his mother's scolding.
He had picked them up too soon, however, for his mother, Sora, and Kari spent several minutes discussing when and where they would meet next week, whether they should get dinner before or after the fitting. He set everything back down on the ground, earning a glare from Sora because she thought he was rudely trying to drop a hint when in fact they had just gotten too heavy.
His mother said goodbye again, grabbing his face and reminding him to do essential things like eat and sleep before telling him how much she loved him.
"Love you too," he muttered quickly, opening the door and grabbing Sora's belongings off the floor again. "Mum, we should really get going. Bye everyone!"
"Remember to call!" his mother reminded him.
"You're so mean to your mother," Sora said disapprovingly once they had finally closed the front door.
"I am not mean to my mother, and why did you bring so much stuff anyway?" he asked irritably, readjusting his grip on her bags.
"I thought we were trying not to pick unnecessary fights."
"I'm not trying to pick a fight. I'm asking you a legitimate question," he mumbled. "Why do you think everything is a fight?"
"Because your tone is abrasive, that's why," she said, pulling on the bags that he had carefully balanced. "Here, give me something to carry then."
"You're going to make me drop everything."
She frowned at him for his attitude but didn't comment on it, instead holding the lift doors for him. Feeling bad for having snapped at her, he gave himself some temporary relief by setting her belongings down and used a free arm to bring her to him. Her body was tense and she was still frowning, so he exaggerated a pout, and she struggled to hide her smile.
"I carried everything here without a problem," she said to him, "and it wasn't like I forced you to carry it. You're the one who insisted."
"I know. I'm sorry I snapped at you," he offered, trying to look as remorseful as he could. "I'm in a mood because my mum drives me crazy."
She glared at him, though he could tell she appreciated his apology. "You're a grown man. Stop blaming your mother for your problems."
He laughed, pressing his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry. Let me off easily today?"
The lift doors opened, and Sora reached down to pick up more of her things.
"I can handle it!" he contended.
"I'm stronger than you," she quipped, walking out before him. "And I complain less too."
He ran out after her, still insisting that he could carry everything, that it wasn't actually due to the weight but the awkward shape of the large bags, but she ignored him the entire way to his car.
Sora helped open the boot for him, and he placed everything inside. Her bags in his car, he turned and put his arms around her. She struggled against him.
"I'm sorry I tried to pick a fight," he said innocently.
"Hmph."
He pouted again.
"I thought we were also trying not to latch onto tiny disputes to avoid unnecessary escalations," he reminded her.
She sighed, pushing her hand against his face. "I am trying, but you're really good at irritating people, you know that?"
He laughed and lowered her hand from his face, then leaned down and kissed her, it being their first all day. Perhaps because she had wanted it too—or because they were in an empty carpark—she put her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
The carpark wasn't actually empty, however, for they were interrupted by a neighbour, a friend of his mother who he had known since he was a child. He didn't really mind that she had seen them, but Sora turned bright red, pulling on the back of his shirt to tell him to wrap it up as he made idle chit-chat.
"You're so awkward," he teased once his neighbour had gone. He was certain his mother would know about this encounter within the next thirty seconds.
She didn't reply, instead getting in the passenger seat and closing the door to tell him to hurry up. He laughed as he got in the car too, then leaned to kiss her again.
"My windows are tinted," he told her, though she pushed his face away and told him to drive.
Despite the blunder, she seemed in a good mood, excitedly detailing the prior events of the day which she had already told him back at his parents' place. He wanted to tease her but didn't, grateful that she had not only taken work off for him but had endured a full day with his excitable family.
"I feel honoured that they'd even want to wear my design instead of getting some established brand. You know, I offered to get them kimono on discount from my company, but your family insisted they wanted one from me instead. Isn't that so nice?"
She was beaming, which made him smile too.
"Your family is so fun. I really like them."
He grinned, sneaking a peek at her at a red light. "Well, as made obvious, they really like you too. They can be a bit much, but I love them."
"You're just too impatient," she countered.
"I'm impatient?" he asked incredulously. "You're impatient."
She looked at him in a way that made him realise how childish he sounded. He cleared his throat and pretended not to notice. In all honesty, he had to admit that Sora was far more patient than he was, even if he was more patient with her than she with him.
Embarrassed, he puckered his lips to hint to her to kiss him, but she only told him that the light was green again.
"You're no fun."
She ignored him and sighed contently. "I don't remember the last time my parents and I sat around just to watch TV together. I think it's great how loving and open your family is."
"If you could call it that. I couldn't even pay attention because I was too busy being stressed that my mum was overwhelming you."
"She wasn't," she assured. "She loves you very much. Kari too. I've always wanted a sibling."
"I got lucky," he agreed. "Some people get the short end of the stick, like TK."
Sora smiled warmly, not commenting on his jab. "I can tell you grew up in a loving environment. What a dream."
"Yeah…" he agreed, then frowned wondering if she was hinting at something else. "You didn't?"
"No, it's not like that," she amended quickly, looking alarmed. "I love my parents, and we all get along. We're just not as close-knit like your family. It's different."
"We're so close-knit that my mum is still throwing me surprise birthday parties at this age," he joked.
"She and Kari were both bragging about you all day."
"They do like to exaggerate my achievements," Tai mused with a chuckle. "They were probably just trying to get you to like me."
"Well, it backfired. The way they talked about you, I can't help but be underwhelmed by the real thing."
"Get out of my car."
She laughed and reached out to hold his hand, though he pettily tried to shoo it away. To his dismay, she actually did withdraw it, so he threw his hand out to hold hers again.
"The world won't stop spinning if you pretend to like me every once in a while," he remarked.
He saw her smirk from the corner of his eye, she squeezing his hand though she didn't comment.
When they pulled into her apartment complex, he offered to help carry her bags up, complaining to her again that she had put her entire studio in his car. They once again bickered as they made their way to her flat, though his attention drifted once inside. He wanted to stay and needed to make an excuse as to why he should.
"I'm thirsty," he said to her.
She laughed knowingly and invited him in before giving him a glass of water. Once he had safely situated himself on the couch, she came over with a shopping bag that he recognised she had carried from his car. It had the brand of those designers that his mother liked on it.
"This is your gift from Mimi," she said, holding it out to him. "She says happy birthday."
"Mimi cares about me enough to give me a birthday gift?"
"You're rude," she scolded, and he stood up so he could look inside the bag.
It was a shirt in something that was very much not his style, alongside a handwritten card that wished him a happy birthday and stated that she was helping to improve his horrendous sense of style.
He laughed as he checked the tag. "I'm impressed she guessed my size."
"Of course I told her your size," Sora told him, looking annoyed that he had thought otherwise.
Ashamed now that he still didn't know hers, he poked his finger at the nape of her neck to check her dress size, but she walked away before he could see, coming back instead with a long cylindrical card box that looked like it had been shipped.
"Another present?" he asked excitedly.
"From my parents."
"Your parents got me a gift?" he asked incredulously. He had only met them once.
"Yes, they do ask about you often." She gave him the card box, which had been sent from Kyoto. It was a hand drawn kakejiku of flowers, painted by her mother. He had no idea where in his flat he would put it, but he thanked her for it anyway. He offered to call them, thinking it was the polite thing to do, but Sora looked stressed at the thought, so they agreed she would merely pass along his gratitude.
"I have something else for you."
"This is the best birthday ever," he joked. "Keep them coming."
She stared at him, looking a bit nervous, and he grew excited as he thought perhaps she was about to tell him that she would sleep with him. He tried to hide his delight and anticipation, which he was glad to have done when she went into her room and came out with another shopping bag.
"I didn't want to give it to you in front of your family, in case they found me excessive," she said, giving the bag to him.
"Stop thinking my family will judge you. They only judge me," he assured, peeking inside. "Kimono?"
"It's a yukata," she corrected. "It's summer, and I noticed you don't have one. Since I was making kimono for your mother and sister, I thought I'd make something for you too. Your birthday just happened to coincide with the timing."
He thought of making a joke, but she looked rather embarrassed, so instead he thanked her and tried it on over his work clothes. In fact, he did own a yukata, buried somewhere in his wardrobe, but it was old, and this one was much nicer.
"How do I look?" he asked, spinning once for fun.
She smiled at his antics but began to inspect whether it actually fit him properly.
"Tell me I look good."
She held up the seams at the shoulder, examining them.
"Tell me I look good."
She sighed. "Tai, stop fidgeting."
"Tell me I look good."
"You look good," she caved, saying it without emotion.
He laughed at her, then wiggled his shoulders so she'd stop scrutinise over the details. "A Sora Takenouchi original, all for me."
She tried to hide her smile, though it turned to horror when she saw him open her card that he belatedly found at the bottom of the bag.
"Read it later!" she cried, turning red.
"I want to read it now," he complained.
"No, it's embarrassing. Read it later."
He smirked haughtily. "Did you write me a love letter? Do you like me that much?"
"No!" she snapped, grabbing it from him.
He was surprised when she wouldn't give it back. She said she'd give it to him when he'd leave so that he couldn't make fun of her to her face, even when he swore that he wouldn't. At first teasing, he dropped it when she actually looked embarrassed.
He wanted to stay the night, but he felt like she would feel pressured into agreeing because it was his birthday, so he took his cue.
"Well, I should get going," he chirped as he took off his yukata, folding it messily and putting it back in his bag. He held the bag to her. "Put the card inside, so I can read it when I get home."
She crossed her arms, smirking knowingly.
"You're in a rush," she teased. "It's a Friday."
"It is, but you know Matt's in love with me. He'll definitely want to wish me a happy birthday in person."
"I'm pretty sure Matt doesn't like you that much," she said, draping her arms around his neck. "I'm pretty sure I like you more."
She reached up to kiss him.
"Stay the night," she said to him, pulling away slightly. "You don't have to pretend like you don't want to."
"I'm trying to be considerate," he protested, though inside he was thrilled.
She rolled her eyes at him. "You're not that good at pretending."
He happily accepted her mockery of him, and they decided to get ready for bed. Sora slept quite a bit earlier than he did, though the difference in bedtime had dwindled over the months as they adjusted to each other's schedules.
They took turns showering, and he thought he'd wear the new pyjamas he had gotten for his birthday. She refused to let him, thinking it was gross that he'd wear anything new without washing them first. She said they could do laundry together tomorrow.
"Exciting," he deadpanned. "Are you sure you don't want to do it now so I have the most exhilarating birthday ever?"
She ignored him for being annoying, handing him his usual pyjamas before changing into her own. Sora had never really cared when he changed in front of her, but somewhere along the way she minded less for herself too.
The first time he spent the night, she had worn something silky and lacy. He had wondered at the time whether she always did and suspected she had only worn it for his sake, and the more often he spent the night at her place, the more he was convinced it had indeed been for show.
She seemed far more likely to wear comfortable clothes to bed, though to him it mattered little. He watched as she changed from her dress to a cotton cami and shorts. With her back to him, his eyes travelled down the length of her bare back as she put on her top, then up her legs as she pulled cotton shorts over her underwear.
He pretended to be reading something on his phone when she had finished and turned to him, even though she probably knew he had been looking. He felt her get in bed beside him, then felt her cuddle against him, her face in his shirt.
He suddenly had a thought, making him frown.
"Is this stupid dinosaur shirt Dr Joe's?"
She looked up at him oddly. "Where did that come from?"
"It was, wasn't it?" he demanded.
She gave an unclear answer while holding a straight face. It had originally been a shirt he had received as a poorly given gift, but he had kept it in his dresser without ever wearing it, so she took it to lounge in it.
He was frowning when she had finished explaining, and she laughed at him. "You look angry."
"I am angry!" he snapped, even though he wasn't.
"I mean, it was Joe's based on a technicality, but he never wore it, so it's just mine."
He was grumbling nothing under his breath, which made her laugh more.
"You can bin it if you hate it that much."
He grumbled again, though it was only for show so that it wouldn't look like he had given in too quickly. Actually, he had grown attached to it. It was much softer than most of his other t-shirts.
"Or just take it off."
He pretended to be aghast at the suggestion. "I'll be half naked. Can you deal with it?"
"You're the one who always complains that you don't like sleeping with a shirt on. Besides, it's not like your body does anything for me. Stop being so conceited."
He knew she was only saying it in jest the way she always did, but his pride was damaged anyway.
"It's fine," he mumbled, closing his eyes. "Let's go to sleep."
"Are your feelings hurt?" she teased.
"No, I'm just tired," he replied, not opening his eyes.
"Your feelings are hurt!" she called out, laughing at him.
"They aren't."
"…"
He opened one eye, curious by her silence and found her face hovering over his.
"I'm sorry," she said to him. "I actually do like you with your shirt off."
He instantly grinned. "You do? Why?"
Even in the dark, he could see her turn pink. He found her so funny.
"Why?" he pressed again when she wouldn't answer.
"Shut up, Tai."
"Just say it. You think I'm so hot."
"Don't you have any shame? How can you say those words about yourself from your own mouth?"
"Well, you don't say them to me, so I end up having to compliment myself, that's why. This body is the one thing I'm confident about."
"The one thing?" she cried incredulously, rolling her eyes. "I can't tell whether you're joking or delusional."
"Do you think my body is better than Dr Joe's?"
"Stop bringing up Joe!" she snapped, hitting him once on the chest with her fist, her strength enough to make him cough once. He had exaggerated it, but she looked like she felt bad and bent down to kiss him. This was normal that they'd kiss before falling asleep, but his senses perked when he felt her hands slide under his shirt, gliding up his stomach and chest before taking the shirt off for him.
Feeling like anything he'd say would make her stop, he instead just let her do what she pleased as she trailed kisses up his torso. He wondered whether he was allowed to do the same, before his thoughts escalated once again into thinking that maybe she really was going to sleep with him on account of it being his birthday.
Too excited, he reached for her, biting down on her lip and positioning her on top of him, one arm holding her while the other was deciding where to start.
She pulled away slightly.
"Tai, do you want to have sex?" she asked, staring directly at him.
He stared back at her, feeling like this was a trick question.
"I mean… the answer to that is always going to be yes…"
"You look like you're expecting it." He blinked and tried to look less obvious. She looked into his eyes. "Will you be disappointed if I tell you I don't want to?"
"No…"
She looked like she didn't believe him. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." He frowned, trying to hide his disappointment. "Don't make me out to be so perverted."
"I wasn't trying to imply that," she said with a soft laugh. "I just feel bad."
"There's nothing to feel bad about…"
"Your face tells me differently, Tai."
"Damn it, face. Giving away my secrets." He laughed. "Don't feel bad. I'll feel worse if you have pity sex with me. I don't mind just kissing. I like that too."
"Do you?"
She reached down to kiss him again, and he had just rolled her over to his side to take over when the moment was broken by his phone vibrating loudly against the bedside table. Once would have been fine, but it went off repeatedly, and she finally put a hand to his chest and pushed him away.
"Go check it," she told him.
Cursing under his breath, he grabbed his phone off the nightstand, wondering who the hell had the audacity to message him so many times in a row.
His irritation disappeared realising it was his mother sending him the photos from earlier that evening. She was sending each one individually because she probably didn't know how to send them in bulk.
He sighed and let out a chuckle as he resituated himself, beckoning Sora over with his arm. She snuggled against his chest as he showed her the photos.
"These turned out well," she commented.
"I used to be my mother's favourite out of the womb, but it looks like I've been bumped down to fifth after Kouki, Kari, TK, and now you. Can you at least beat TK? I'm still mad at him for stealing my spot."
She pulled herself up slightly to kiss him quiet, and once they had finished looking at each one, he read the text at the end. His mother admitted that she hadn't sent the pictures directly to Sora because she doesn't want to bother her, so could he pass along the photos to her himself?
With Sora watching, he texted back that Sora wouldn't care, along with screenshotted instructions on how to group pictures together so that they sent all at once.
A moment later, Sora's phone rang with the same pictures, neatly contained in one bulked message.
They laughed about it, and Sora started to draft a reply to his mother. He felt bad looking at his short responses to his mother because in contrast Sora seemed to be writing a novel to her.
When she had finished, he took her phone from her hand and put it beside his on the nightstand.
"Give me attention," he complained.
"How am I supposed to beat TK if I ignore your mother's text messages?" she teased, though she complied.
It was the first birthday he had had in a long time that was so chill. He was used to large parties, evidence of his misspent youth forgotten by the time he'd wake up with a hangover the next morning. He didn't actually regret those days, having enjoyed them, but he remembered when he'd look at his more settled friends and pity them for having what he had at the time found boring and unfulfilling. He felt he understood them now.
He finished reading the text message he had just received from Tai.
"Tai's going to his parents' for his birthday," he announced to Megumi. She was seated across the room at the bar, tuner in hand as she attempted to tune his bass.
She looked at him in mild surprise. "Oh?"
"I guess he wants to keep it lowkey this year," Matt interpreted with a shrug, sitting down in the empty stool beside her. He took the tuner from her hand and attached it to headstock for her.
"I didn't know Tai was capable of keeping anything lowkey," Megumi remarked with a laugh.
"I guess he's getting older too. He invited us to join them since TK'll be over, but I thought it'd be weird."
She strummed the A string. He could tell it was sharp by ear, but she needed to check the tuner to check for herself.
"It would be," she agreed.
She had met Tai's parents a number of times, especially leading up to TK's wedding when he had made her go with him to their increased number of family meetings. Tai's parents were very nice and hospitable, but he thought it was still too many degrees of separation for even himself, much less for her.
"Tai is kind of amazing, isn't he?" Megumi mused, checking the note again after adjusting the string. It was still sharp. "He just invites everyone everywhere."
Seeing her struggle, he leaned over to loosen the string for her, getting it down to the A.
"Bragger," she accused, moving to the next one.
"Tuning is only supposed to take a second."
"I'm still learning," she protested. "Don't help me. I'm going to get the next one myself. Let's see… It's supposed to be…" She looked at him for help.
"D," he answered.
"D," she said a millisecond after him, as if she hadn't needed him for the answer.
He smirked a bit, which she pretended not to see.
"You know, it was already tuned. You're the one who messed it up by moving the pegs."
"I'm practising," she objected.
"You said you were going to learn three months ago, but you've only just begun to learn how to tune it. I don't think you're actually progressing, Meg."
She ignored him. The D was sharp too, and she accidentally turned the peg the wrong way to raise it to an E before realising her mistake. He forced himself to keep a straight face, though he knew better than to comment. She possessed some musical knowledge from childhood music lessons, though she had never pursued it to the same degree he had. Her aspirations had always been on the more practical side, and it seemed a great waste to him, as she had been gifted with a beautiful singing voice with no drive to use it outside of singing in the car. He remembered trying to convince her to sing in his band in their youth, which she never once accepted, not even as a guest.
He watched patiently as she managed to get the string from a D-sharp to a D-flat but somehow always missing the natural.
He left her side as he heard the doorbell ring again, using the video intercom to check who it was.
"He sure has a lot of friends," Megumi commented without looking up from what she was doing. "You're like his butler."
He shot her a look, knowing she had said it to irk him, then let Tai's visitors in. He waited the minute or so for them to take the lift from the lobby up to their flat door, and then he went through the same spiel he had been repeating since he got back from work. Tai was not home, nor did he have plans to throw a party, but if they left their name, he'd be sure to tell him they dropped by. They had a gift for him, so he placed the wrapped package at the side of the room where a small pile had started to form.
As soon as he had closed the door, Megumi commented, "Tai has more friends than I know people."
"Probably more than both of us combined," he agreed, going over to her to sit beside her again. "Actually, what I realised while you were in London is that I don't really have very many friends at all."
Megumi didn't say anything, only looking down at his bass again. He reached over to pluck the D string with his finger to confirm she had finally managed to get it to the D, slightly flat, but definitely closer to the D than D-flat. He moved the peg slightly to get it perfectly in tune. He plucked the last string. She had tuned that one properly.
"Good job."
"I can't tell whether you're just making fun of me," she said haughtily, taking the tuner off his bass. "Now…" She frowned as she looked down at the fretboard. "I forgot all the fingerings."
He suppressed a laugh and moved her finger for her. "The F is literally the next fret down. You just have to move it down by one. That's all you have to remember."
"F you, Yamato."
"I'm not making fun of you, you know."
"You are," she said back to him. "Just because you're keeping a straight face doesn't mean I can't tell."
He let out a guilty chortle, then moved her fingers with his, pressing on each fret with both of their fingertips as he went up the scale.
"Did you get that?" he asked her when he was done.
She nodded, then repeated the scale back to him with relative ease.
"A natural," he complimented, leaning over to press his lips against the side of her head. "Practise that first, and then we can move on."
He listened as she struggled to repeat the scale, though she was slowly but surely making progress. He pulled out a blank sheet of manuscript paper and started to dot some notes on it to test her later.
"Yamato."
"Hm?" he asked, still focused on the paper.
"…"
Her silence made him look up. "What is it?"
Her lips, naturally straight to perfectly conceal emotion, tightened.
"Even if you didn't have many friends, Tai still took care of you, right? TK too?"
After asking, she immediately looked down, seemingly immersed in the strings.
"Why are you trying to make it sound like you have so many friends?" he asked, trying to lighten the tone. He hadn't intended to make her feel guilty.
She gave him a small smile. "I only ever need a few friends."
"Like me?"
"Right now, you're my only friend," she joked. "I've spent all my time back with you."
"You're making it sound like I'm holding you hostage. You can see your other friends."
She set his bass on top of the bar counter and slid onto his lap. "I don't want to."
He put his hand on the back of her head and brought her in for a kiss, broken only when the doorbell rang again.
"For heaven's sake," he mumbled, moving her off him so that he could get the door again. "I hate being Tai's flatmate sometimes."
"Ask the doorman to keep the packages for him," she suggested, but this time it came not from the lobby but from their front door.
He opened it to see a familiar face. It was their next-door neighbour, a girl with whom he rarely spoke aside from politely acknowledging her whenever they ran into each other. He knew, however, that she was friendly with Tai.
"Hi Matt," she greeted.
"Hello," he returned, not remembering her name.
He tried not to notice that she was peeking her head into his home, her long, straight black hair falling from her back to hang loosely as she cricked her neck. He tried to block her view, her curiosity making him uncomfortable. Whether she noticed this, he couldn't tell.
"Is Tai here?" she asked, still looking into his flat.
"Afraid not. Can I take a message?"
She pulled herself up again and stared at him with bright, blue eyes. "It's his birthday today, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"I thought he'd be having a celebration, so I wanted to drop by. I got him a gift."
He looked back towards his living room, remembering then that the TV had been last year's present from her to him.
"I'm sorry. He's celebrating his birthday this year with his girlfriend," he said.
She looked surprised, as if it was news to her that Tai had a girlfriend at all. "Oh, well, do you mind passing this along to him?"
She looked down at the floor, and he followed her line of sight to a wrapped package by her feet. He expected her to hand it to him, but she made no indication to move, so he bent down to pick up the surprisingly heavy box. He then assured her that he'd let her know she stopped by before using his foot to close the door.
"Isn't that your neighbour who keeps trying to get into Tai's company?" Megumi asked him in a low whisper once she had gone.
He set the new gift down with the rest of the items. It landed in a loud thud that made him hope that he hadn't just broken whatever was inside.
"Does she?" he asked, slightly fatigued from carrying it. "I just know they hooked up because she bought us a TV."
"I'm pretty sure she bought you guys a TV to get Tai to refer her to his company," Megumi reminded him. She looked at the package. "I wonder what's inside. Ask him whether we can open this one."
"You ask him," he said in rejection, though he doubted Tai would care.
"I'm kidding, but I am curious." She shook it gently, as if that'd help. "What did you get him?"
"TK told me he and Kari might get him the new Xbox, so I got him a videogame."
"You two are children," she accused.
"It's what he likes, not me."
"You're definitely going to play it with him."
Not having a good enough response to her accusation, he instead laughed and approached her from behind, slinking his body over hers and nearly making her land on Tai's gift from their neighbour. He tried to kiss her neck, but she shrugged him off and began to rearrange the boxes in front of her.
"What are you doing?"
"Making it look nice for when Taichi gets home. You just threw everything on the floor. It looks messy."
Matt rolled his eyes. "You know Tai isn't going to even notice, so why do it?"
"Because it's his birthday." She stuck an arm out to him. "Bring me yours too. I'll put our gifts in the front."
Lazy, but not having a reason to object, he went to his room to get the game. Actually, Tai had specifically requested it from him earlier when he had asked him what he wanted. He had ordered it online, and it was still in its delivery box.
As expected, Megumi reprimanded him for his lack of effort and insisted that she at least wrap it for him, even though he counter-insisted that Tai preferred his presents unwrapped because in a practical sense they were easier to open.
She didn't care and went on a hunt for wrapping paper which he knew did not exist within his flat, which then escalated to them going to the nearest store to buy some.
"I thought you wanted to spend the night learning how to play my bass," he reminded her as she scrolled through the various wrapping paper in the shop. His words fell on deaf ears.
"What about this one?" she asked, holding up a roll that was a mix of brushed metallic crimson and copper. "He likes these colours, and you guys can reuse what's left over for Christmas."
It was fine with him, and while he thought that this was all they were going to get, she suddenly had the idea to decorate the entire flat for Tai's birthday. He at first declined but eventually had to agree when he couldn't think of a better reason aside from just not wanting to do it.
"This is unnecessary," he complained as she unlocked the door to his flat, opening it for him as he was carrying a bag of party supplies in each hand. She was holding a cake they had bought from a fancy bakery on the way back.
"It's his birthday," she reminded him, setting the cake on the bar where his bass still lay. "We should do something nice for him."
He continued to insist that Tai would not be grateful, but she called him a complainer and made him blow the balloons to make him stop. His pride damaged, he didn't say anything when he started to get sore.
"Doesn't your mouth hurt?" she asked first when he set down what felt like his hundredth balloon.
He stretched his jaw. "I'm fine."
"Poor baby." She walked over and massaged his cheeks with her hands.
"That hurts more than these balloons do," he said, even though it didn't. He wanted to take a break, but she only offered to trade duties with him, and he found himself attempting to hang streamers on their walls.
"Don't fall," she warned, monitoring him as he balanced himself on one of his dining table chairs.
His jaw felt better, but now his arms hurt from hanging streamers around the perimeter of their living room. When he was finished, she started to hand him balloons to tape on the wall too. While at first upset that he was putting in so much effort for something they'd take down tomorrow, he found that once he stopped complaining, it wasn't really all that bad.
In fact, it almost felt like it was their home that they were decorating.
Megumi had bought decorations in colours she thought Tai would prefer, but he wondered what a home they would share together would look like. They shared similarities in personalities but not in style. For example, the walls, bedsheets, and curtains in his room were a navy, while his furniture matched in a dark walnut wood. Megumi found it too gloomy, though she admitted it looked cool. In contrast, her old flat had been all white and grey, which he found too washed out, though he admitted it had been airy.
In a shared home, they'd probably compromise. He cared less about interior décor—in fact, he didn't care at all—so likely he'd let her have her way, setting his darker furniture aside for an office or something else out of the way.
Then again, did she even have any home items left?
"What happened to all your furniture?" he asked her.
She looked up at him quizzically, confused by the random question. "What furniture?"
"From your old flat in Tokyo."
"Oh…" Realising what he meant, she shrugged. "I gave some away and got rid of the rest. Why?"
"I don't know. I was just thinking about what you're going to do when you move out of your parents' place."
She shrugged again. "Buy new ones, I guess. Maybe I should get Victorian style furniture. That'd be pretty."
"Sounds expensive and impractical," he commented. Everything he owned was in a modern style.
"What do you care?" she teased. "It'll be my home."
He thought about bringing up the possibility of living together but decided against it, not ready for such a conversation when Megumi herself seemed to be in no rush to move out of her parents'.
"Let's stop," he said instead, stepping down from the chair he had been standing on. "My arms hurt."
"It looks too desolate to stop now," Megumi protested, pointing at the three balloons that hung against one corner of the room and the empty corner beside it.
"He won't notice," Matt assured. "Besides, don't you think we're babying him? This is probably why he's the way he is."
"I guess…" she agreed, but she took the balloon he was holding into her own hand and stood on the chair he was just on to put it up herself. "He's like our child."
Her words made a sudden anxiety sweep through him.
Megumi didn't even like children, but for some reason she had never entertained the idea that she could live the rest of her life without them. Her logic was that she was sure she'd love her own.
Nearly every major fight they had ever had was over their disagreement over their future. Megumi had always made it clear to him that she wanted to get married and have children, while he had always made it clear to her that he never wanted either. Recently, his mind had slowly changed about children—at least, he thought it was—but definitely not marriage. Under no circumstance did he ever want it.
Whenever they got onto this topic, the argument would become intense debates that would last for hours. They would start off with just a bit of disagreeing before blowing up into full-fledged fights, escalating to hurtful words until one of them would finally be pushed too far. She would either cry—like the time he told her she'd make a terrible mother because she only ever thought about herself—or he would walk away—like the time she said it was no wonder a monster like him drove his parents apart. At the point when one of them realised they had said too much, they would apologise and make up out of guilt, though neither would actually change their mind, merely setting the topic aside for the next year.
He could tell he was being paranoid and that her actual meaning ended at the context of their current decoration endeavour, but because they had a nearly 100% fighting rate whenever they did talk about it, he said something to steer her completely away.
"What about the helium balloons?" he asked in sudden earnestness, pointing to the door where they floated against the ceiling. She looked over, seemingly having forgotten about them too.
"This was a mistake," Megumi finally conceded, putting her arms around his neck as she hopped from the chair to his back before standing back on the ground. "I regret it."
Despite losing her own inspiration, they went ahead to finish. By the end, even he was semi-proud of what they had accomplished, considering neither of them were very good at decorating. He could already imagine Tai's response.
"What is this?" he'd say with mild gratitude, his reaction not worth the effort they had put into it.
He looked around the mess in his living room. There was decorative material strewn about, as well as containers from the delivery food they had gotten in between scattered on his coffee table. His bass and tuner were still on top of the bar, long forgotten.
Exhausted, they called it a night and cleaned what they could before heading off to bed. Despite being so drained from what was in his opinion a waste of their Friday night, they also took advantage of the fact that Tai wasn't home and slept together.
It wasn't until recently that he realised how much of a blessing Tai's old lifestyle had been. Back then, Tai was rarely home, so it was like he didn't exist but in small pockets. Now that he saw him much more often, his thoughts had changed. Tai seemed to always be around, whether he wanted to be alone with Megumi or even just wanted to use the toilet in peace. He still liked him, but he was beginning to outgrow having a flatmate, and the idea of breaking his lease early became ever more tantalising.
Beside him, Megumi was drifting off to sleep. She made a sleepy noise as he cuddled up against her, his nose in her hair as he too fell into a slumber.
When he woke up in his dream, he was in a different home—one which he shared with Megumi, and in the span of eight hours, he lived a year.
In the mornings, they took turns abusing the snooze button and got ready for work together. In the evenings, he taught her bass. In the weekends, they blissfully wasted time lounging in her impractical new furniture.
They talked to the point where she thought it was a mischaracterisation that people thought he was a man of few words. They laughed to the point where they couldn't breathe and had tears in their eyes. They bickered over trivial matters that seemed to resolve themselves. They cried, though even in his dream, he wasn't sure why.
The details didn't matter though, because in this world, he could start and end the day with the one he loved.
11 April 2021
I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this, but Kouki's name is a play on the crests of Hope (希望, kibou) & Light (光, hikari or kou). There are quite a few of these play on words in the Digimon canon too.
I also rewatched Kizuna recently, and I guess I had made a lucky guess with Waseda. In the movie, this actually turns out to be Tai's university. You guys can also reimagine Megumi as the girl who sits by Matt in his class. She's quite similar to how I imagined her.