"Slow Burn" (def): An attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time.
-x-
Chapter Three: A New Normal
-x-
Why Tai was taking Freshmen Literature was beyond her, but in some ways it made sense because knowing him he either just didn't pass the first time around or didn't bother taking it. Either way, it was a coincidence when he strode into the lecture, only about a week and a half late.
He whistled to his seat, before catching Mimi's eye, with half a grin he changed directions and opted for the open seat beside her.
Mimi inwardly sighed, not because she minded Tai's company but more because she wasn't sure how being in class with the brunette would work out for her. He was a bit distracting when he wanted to be.
He looked as though he had literally rolled out of bed and it was noon, clad in a pair of loose red shorts and grey t-shirt that had TU Soccer written around a soccer ball, his usual cleats on his feet.
"What'd I miss?" he whispered.
"Oh only just about five lectures."
"Wow, well that's a personal best." He said, digging through his backpack. "Usually I show up about seven classes in." He mentioned, grabbing a beat up notebook and a chewed up pen, placing them on the small pull over desk.
Mimi just nodded, trying to get across to him that she was paying attention.
"So how'd you like the party Friday?" He asked.
"It wasn't bad." She answered.
Tai nodded, "I had a great time." He said with a face splitting grin.
"Seemed like it." She muttered.
"Seems like you gave Rye a pretty hard time though." He said conversationally. "Kudos. The guy can be real arrogant sometimes, yaknow?"
"Yes, and you would be an expert on that sort of thing, wouldn't you?"
"Ouch, you wound me."
"Unlikely."
Tai chuckled, "Not a bad guy once you get to know him." He stretched his arms above his head. "Real monster on the field." He folded his hands behind his head.
"Listen, Tai. As much as I love—
"Miss." The professor called out, his eyes set right now Mimi.
Everyone in the class turned around to look at her, and she shrank in her seat. "Y-yes." Her face reddened, inwardly cursing Tai over and over for putting her in this position.
"Since you and your friend are feeling so chatty, why don't you tell me your thoughts on what we've been discussed."
Mimi swallowed thickly. "Um, on what we've been reading, sir?" She asked meekly.
He gave her a hard stare, barely nodding.
"Yes, how about a basic comparison between Clytemnestra and Penelope?"
Mimi cleared her throat, "Well, they both have husbands who have been called to fight in the Trojan War, sir." She stated.
"Yes, them and almost all of Greece. What else?"
Mimi sat up a bit straighter in her seat, "Well, while Penelope was patiently awaiting Odysseus's return, rejecting suitor after suitor, forever believing that her husband would come back to her. Clytemnestra on the other hand, had long since taken a lover and the two began plotting Agamemnon's demise." She felt her confidence returning to her.
"Furthermore because of these stark differences, in modern analysis' of both works of literature, Penelope is always painted as the good wife, while Clytemnestra whose husband not only sacrificed their oldest daughter to the sea but also brought home a concubine, is always portrayed to be the villain." She finished.
The professor looked impressed, Tai looked impressed and Mimi herself was a bit impressed. She raised her chin up, nose in the air and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Very good." The professor said grudgingly. "What about you, number seven. Do you have anything to add?"
Tai just laughed, "No, sir. I think Mimi here just about covered it for the both of us." He said unashamedly.
The professor just shook his head, "Win that game against the Lions tomorrow and we'll call it even, ." He instructed.
"Always."
And Mimi just scoffed, rolling her eyes, because this was just so typical of Tai's life. Made her wish she had actually gotten into sports as a kid because maybe then she wouldn't have to put up with situations like this either. She could just coast through life on a soccer ball.
Once class ended, Tai waited at the door for Mimi as she got her things. "Hey, so I'm sorry you had to get put on the spot like that." He scratched the back of his neck.
She hated his boyish charm, because it was so hard to stay mad at him. "Yeah, it's fine. You're lucky I pay attention." She nudged him playfully.
"Gonna come to the game tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I um, I thought I would." She answered.
"Great, I've got tickets, field seats so don't bother buying them." He told her. "I'll just give 'em to Matt."
Mimi's eyes widened, she hadn't even thought of buying tickets. "Oh wow, you sure?" She asked.
Tai nodded, " 'course." He said with a grin that literally hurt to look at because it was so damn cute. "I think you'll have fun."
"Thanks, Tai. I really appreciate that." She smiled.
"Ah, it's nothing. Besides, you've never been to one of my games before… so the honor is all mine, Miss Tachikawa." He sent a wink in her direction and Mimi swore she felt her heart flutter.
She couldn't believe this was the same Tai who once went six days without showering.
The walk lulled into a bit of an awkward silence, the only sound between them being the shuffling of their feet. "So, you got another class after this?" He asked.
Mimi shook her head, "This was my last one." She told him.
"Jeez, how early are your classes?" He asked through wide brown eyes.
Mimi giggled softly, "Nine to one." She said with a shrug. "Gives me the day to myself."
Tai shook his head, "No way, I literally had to struggle to get to this one on time." He gestured behind him.
"So you going back to your dorm now or something?" He asked conversationally, to avoid another awkward silence.
"No, I told Matt I'd meet him at the library."
"Well, why don't you let me walk you?" He suggested.
"Sure."
"So you and Matt, is that like a… thing?"
"Nope, not a thing. We're just friends, strictly platonic." Mimi wondered if that was so hard to imagine nowadays, a girl and a boy over the age of twelve being only friends.
The look on Tai's face told her it obviously was. "So Ishida's never made a move on you, like ever?" He asked, the disbelief evident in his eyes.
Mimi blanched, "No, Tai." She lightly shoved his shoulder. "We don't work like that. 'Sides, up until like two weeks ago I was across the globe, kinda hard to make a move on someone via skype." She rolled her eyes.
"Oh yeah, forgot about that." He pulled a hand through his brown hair, which no longer stuck up haphazardly but instead fell shaggily past his ears. "Well, give it time."
Mimi made a face, "Defintiely not." She assured him.
"Never say never, princess."
"Trust me, Tai. In this case, never is never."
"Listen, I've seen girls drop like flies with one broody look from Yamato. If you are of the female species, you are not immune."
Mimi let out a long sigh, "You are still as stubborn as I remember." She mentioned.
"I'm nothing if not consistent." He winked down at her.
But he was, most things about Tai were pretty predictable mostly because he had a rather simple existence. Kari, Soccer, Friends, Girls. That was, in no particular order, the list of things that Taichi Kamiya cared about.
And he very much preferred it that way.
"So are you and that blonde girl a thing now?" Mimi inquired, more to change the subject than anything else.
Tai laughed, "Oh jeez, Catherine?" He asked. "No way. That was more of a one night thing. Maybe two nights if I'm super drunk. But never more than that." Tai was a strict non-repeater. There were too many women for him to limit his options in such a manner.
"Ew."
"You asked."
"I know and I really shouldn't have."
"Mimi." A familiar voice called out behind her. "Kamiya." He greeted, giving Tai a handshake hug thing that boys did.
"Hey, Matt."
"Alright, Meems. I'm gonna head to study hall, because the coach will have my head if I'm late the day before my game." He told her. "Matt, I'll see you back at the loft?"
Matt nodded.
"Catch you guys later." He said with a wave, before jogging over to a couple of his teammates.
"Would you believe that Tai is in my Freshmen Lit class?"
"Actually, I have no trouble at all believing that."
-x-
"We've gone through it like a million times, Matt. I just don't get it." Mimi pouted, "I don't have a math brain like yours." She dropped her head on the Calculus textbook she currently hated with a burning passion.
"You'll get it." Matt said, with an amount of patience that reserved for no one, well except Mimi, but that was because if he didn't then he would drive himself insane. "Look, this is just intro level stuff anyway—
"So you mean to tell me it gets harder!" She practically cried. "I'm done, I'm dropping this class. What do I need calculus for anyway." She slammed her book shut out of frustration.
Matt sighed, "Alright, come on." He encouraged her.
Mimi shook her head, "No way, let's go in your room and listen to music. That always brings my anxiety down a few notches." She suggested.
"If you insist." Matt shrugged. "But don't blame me tomorrow when you have a quiz and you can't tell slope from cosine."
"Shush."
The loft wasn't huge or anything, it wasn't particularly clean either, but it got the job done. Yamato and Tai liked it just fine, they both had their own rooms, regardless of how small or meager, and they didn't have to abide by the rules of the dormitory which was a bigger advantage. They'd only moved in a few weeks ago, so it wasn't completely furnished yet but neither boys cared too much for that, so long as they had a bed and a working lock on their bedroom doors.
"Did you and Tai room together freshmen year?" Mimi asked, sitting down on Matt's bed.
He nodded, "Yeah and it was a nightmare at the beginning, remember?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Oh right." She said thoughtfully. "I forgot, so much went on last year." She recused herself. "Brought home a lot of girls, huh?"
"A ton. It was like a revolving door of cheerleaders." He said, shaking his head. "It's so much better now that he's got his own room and I've got mine."
"It was nice of Sora to decline off campus housing so we could live together." Mimi mentioned. "I miss her, think we could call her over?"
Matt laughed, "I mean, I guess. Even though we were supposed to be studying." He reminded her.
"Yeah but that got boring so quickly."
"Studying isn't supposed to be fun, Meems."
Mimi opened her mouth to argue, when they heard a door slam shut.
Matt checked his watch, as a barrage of masculine voices entered the apartment.
"Yo, Matt!" Tai's voice resounded around the loft. "Hey, I know you're home. I mean where else would you be! Come out and hang with us, bro. I've got a surpr— He stopped midsentence when he threw open the door to Matt's bedroom.
Tai stood at the threshold, the look on his face a mix between apologetic and admiring, "Never mind then…" He made to grab the door handle. "I'll just see you two in the morning." He waggled his eyebrows such an obnoxious manner that it made Mimi drop her face into her hands. "I'll put a sock on the door for you, man—
Matt stuck him with a hard blue glare. "Don't be a dick, Tai. You know it's not like that." He said defensively.
A little too defensively, and Mimi wasn't sure why that kind of bothered her. Like his tone suggested that he would rather be eating a live cockroach than want to be in the kind of compromising position that Tai was clearly eluding to, with her.
She didn't want Matt to think of her that way, she just didn't like the idea of him being repulsed by her either.
She hated feeling so foreign to the relationship she had with Matt, as if there were times where she didn't really know where they stood with each other. Some parts of their friendship just seemed so much easier when she was away.
"Listen. You know our motto, no shame in my game."
"That's your motto, Tai."
"Look, I was just gonna invite you to hang. A couple guys from the team are here, we're gonna kick back for a bit." He said. "But obviously you're otherwise disposed, so I will let you get back to that."
"It's indisposed, you idiot." Matt squeezed the bridge of his nose. "And we'll be out in a second."
"We… will?" Mimi spoke for the first time since Tai had walked in.
"I mean, if you want. Or we could just study back on campus if you—
Mimi shook her head, "No, let's go." She decided. "You lead the way, Taichi." She said in a tone that was chillingly polite.
She hated Tai for making things momentarily weird between her and Matt.
Outside, in the sparse living area were three other boys besides Tai himself and a girl, most specifically, Zoe.
Of course.
Mimi resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
Especially when the annoyingly pretty blonde's equally annoyingly pretty blue eyes practically lit up like a damn Christmas tree at the sight of Matt.
It wasn't that she was jealous, because she wasn't. It was more that Matt was her ride home and she didn't know anyone else well enough to impose on them. She hated the idea of awkwardly third wheeling it the whole night.
She recognized two of the boys there as Sam and, a grinning like an idiot, Ryo. The other boy, looked like a shorter, younger version of Tai.
He looked so familiar…
"Mimi."
"Davis!" Daisuke Motomiya, of course.
The boy had basically been in love with her when he was twelve.
Now he was obsessed with Kari and they were the cutest thing to happen to social media since kitten videos.
"Wait, but how are you… Aren't you like TK's age?" Mimi asked, mentioning Matt's younger brother who was still in high school.
"TU wanted me to play for them, so I kind of got my high school to fast track me a year so I could get outta there." He had never been all that smart, but he knew how to put his head to something and work for it.
Mimi hugged the younger boy and he eagerly hugged her back.
"Hey Matt, how's it going?"
Matt nodded, "It's alright." He nodded his head towards the other two boys. "Sam, Akiyama." He gave them a short a wave.
"Hey Matt." Zoe said demurely, her eyelashes fluttering. "Hi Mimi, it's nice to see you again." She said politely, getting up from her seat.
"Beer! We need beer."
"Chill, Tai. We've got a game tomorrow." Ryo said and for the first time Mimi heard him actually sound serious.
"Relax, Rye. One beer isn't going to give anyone a hangover." Tai waved off.
"It's never just one beer though, T." Ryo argued. "Come on, we've gotta have our head in the game—
"Chill out, Akiyama. I'm good." Tai cut him off, popping the cap off his beer. "Anyone else?"
"As the team captain I should probably abstain." Senior and star goalie Sam Ichijoji stated.
"Matt?"
Matt sighed, "Sure, toss one this way." He opened out his hands.
"My man! This is why you're always my best friend."
"Thanks Tai, I needed that reassurance today."
"DM?"
Ryo cut Davis a glare, "Don't think about it Freshie." He said warningly. "T, what part of Game. Tomorrow. Do you know understand?" He seethed.
Tai ignored the boy again, "Mimi, beer?" He asked with a small grin.
The brunette made a face, she wasn't partial to beer, but she knew if she was going to get through the evening she would need some kind of buzz.
She opened her mouth to grudgingly affirm, when Zoe spoke up. "I've got wine." She stepped in. "No one needs your beer, Tai." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.
"Careful with that Orimoto, I don't know where it's been."
Zoe ignored his crude comment, "It's in Ryo's car, wanna come down with me?" She asked.
It took Mimi a second to realize the blonde was talking to her, "Uh, sure." She said, sounding anything but sure.
Was this girl taking her down to the reception-less parking garage to kill her?
"Great." She smiled. "Rye, keys?" She held out a hand, palm up, to her step brother.
Ryo patted down his pockets as Zoe tapped her foot impatiently. He finally found them the pocket of his Adidas zip up. "Here." He tossed them to her.
"Come on, Mimi."
The rode the elevator down in silence, both girls on their phones. "So listen." Zoe started, when the elevator made a "ding" sound signifying they had reached their floor.
Mimi looked up from her iPhone.
"Maybe we got off on the wrong foot, sometimes I can be a little bit of a bitch without meaning it." The blonde continued. "Ryo says my demeanor can be 'off putting' and well, that wasn't my intention. So I guess I just wanted to apologize."
Mimi nodded wearily. "Sure. It's fine." She said. "But can I asked, why the change of heart?" Coz last time she'd seen the blonde it was as if she couldn't give less about what anyone thought of her.
"Well, you're obviously really good friends with Matt and Tai, and Tai and Ryo are practically glued to each other, you would think." She stopped to roll her eyes. "And I mean, Ryo's my brother so I … I guess I figured we'd be running into each other a lot." She said with a shrug.
"Keen observation."
"Okay… well, I just thought I'd apologize if I stepped on your toes."
Mimi let out a sigh. "It's fine. I'm not the most forthcoming of people so I guess we can call it even." She gave the girl a smile.
Zoe smiled back, "Great. So I've got a confession." Mimi's heart dropped at that statement.
"What…?"
"There's no wine in the car" She said with a light giggle. "But I thought we could go get some, if you're down for the ride?"
"Won't Ryo get mad you're taking his car?"
Zoe laughed, "Probably. But Ryo doesn't have to know." She winked.
Mimi raised an eyebrow, "Well in that case, lead the way… Barbie." She said, walking around to the passenger side of the black sports car.
Which sports car, she was unsure, but it was two doors and the seating was leather so Mimi wasn't complaining.
"You know, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."
And Mimi probably wouldn't go that far just yet, but it was a good place to begin.
-x-
"Oh! And it's another goal for number Seven, Taichi Kamiya!" The announcer's voice boomed through the stadium. "I gotta tell ya, folks, this is a game!"
It was tied, three goals to three, as the Tokyo University Tigers called a timeout.
"Shit, Tai is good, isn't he?" Mimi said to Sora who was at her right.
Sora nodded, "If there is one thing that Tai will always take seriously, its soccer." She said knowingly.
And Mimi could clearly see that.
The referee blew the whistle, allowing the game to continue as both sets of players came back on the field.
"Number three Jiro Yamada of the Lions brings it up the field, you can see Ichijoji looking anxious now. Yamada has been the only Lions player that has scored on the Senior goalie all game."
Mimi had never thought of herself as a "sports" person, she was never all that interested in the games or the competitive nature of it all, believing that it garnered more hostility than anything else. But tonight, she felt it.
There was something so different about the game tonight, the way that the entire school seemed so united behind their soccer team, everyone consumed by a singular goal—literally & figuratively. The air was charged, the tension was palpable.
"Jiro Yamada is the player to watch, people, and this was definitely his coming out party. His sharp tenacity and agility seems to be of no match for our normally speedy Tigers offense." The announcer said excitedly. "And Yamada has a lane to the goal, clear of defenders, this is his shot and he knows he has to take it now with Akiyama fast on his heels."
"And there goes the ball! I gotta tell you, this is boy has to be the potential to be the Freshmen Standout of the year."
The crowd, including Mimi Sora and Matt waited on bated breath as the ball seemed to soar through the air in slow motion.
The kick was high, the ball going towards the top corner of the goal that was the most difficult to defend. Sam jumped for it, the tip of his middle finger just barely grazing the ball. But it was enough to tip it out of the net.
The entire stadium let out a collective sigh, as noise makers and blow horns resounded around, in cohesion with the sound of hundreds of fans on their feet, screaming and clapping.
"And a beautiful save by Ichijoji! The Tigers aren't out of the game yet!"
"Wonder boy, Sam." Mimi elbowed Sora with a wink.
Sora just rolled her eyes, as she continued to cheer.
"Yamada with the ball again, he's taking it back up the field, he has a clear open lane and this boy does not miss twice—oh the ball is kicked out from under him by Akiyama!" Ryo took possession of the ball as Jiro Yamada fell to the ground.
A whistle blew, stopping all the players in their tracks. "It looks like the refs are going to review that play, seems like Akiyama might have used unnecessary force on that play."
Mimi looked at Matt, "Is that right? Did that happen?" She asked, she had absolutely no idea.
Matt furrowed his brows, "No." He said, in clear irritation at the call. "It was a clean steal." He said honestly.
"The Tigers could be looking at a penalty for what most would consider Akiyama's game saving maneuver."
She saw Tai gesticulating wildly with his arms as his coach motioned for the wild haired boy to calm down, they didn't need another flag for player misconduct while they were at it.
"The refs are at an impasse, with Henri Lang convinced that there was a missed call on the field but the other two seem to be sticking to the original call which was a fair steal."
The game would be over if the Lions were awarded a penalty kick considering it would be awarded to Jiro Yamada who had missed one goal all game. And there definitely wasn't enough time on the clock for the Tigers to make up a whole goal.
Finally, the main ref came back on the field, waving his arms down.
The crowd erupted into a mass of cheers and screams and Mimi figured that must mean that it was still Tiger ball.
"It seems that by popular decision, the ball will be given back to Tigers but must be taken up from midfield!"
There was a collective groan heard through the stadium as the cheering turned to jeering very quickly.
But the Tigers were not to be deterred, the boys coming back on the field with renewed vigor and strength.
"Number four brings it up the field, he's trying to find an opening as Yamada starts closing in on him—
Ryo kicked the ball out a millisecond before Jiro Yamada caught up to him, the ball sailing out towards right field which was littered with Lions players.
"Oh and a desperate kick by number four sends the ball wayward into Lions territory, this could be the end, folks—TAI KAMIYA WITH THE BALL!"
"Somehow, golden boy Tai Kamiya managed to find an opening quick enough for number four to get to him."
Mimi didn't realize she had gotten up on her feet until she was yelling through cupped hands. Beside her, Matt and Sora were screaming just as ridiculously as Tai began running the ball towards the Lions goalie.
"There's the kick!"
Once again, the stadium and all its hundreds of people went quiet, the ball floating towards the goal. The kick was low causing the Lions goalie to dive towards it his arms reaching out towards the projection of the ball.
But he was just an inch or two off, as it whizzed right past his ear and into the goal.
The Tigers had won.
-x-
"I think I'm gonna go to try outs."
"For?"
"Cheerleading."
Mimi and Sora were getting ready for class, exchanging small talk as they did.
"Hm, really?"
The brunette nodded, "I mean I think it'll be a nice way to get involved. Besides, I was a cheerleader for all four years in high school and while I kind of hated it at the end, I miss it now."
Sora just nodded, grabbing a light cardigan from her closet.
"Will you tryout with me?"
"Cheerleading?"
Mimi gave an exasperated sigh, "Yes, Sora. Obviously, cheerleading." She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
Sora looked at her as though she had grown a second head, "Meems, seriously?" She asked, raising a strawberry blonde eyebrow. "Do I look like a cheerleader to you?" She gestured at her appearance.
"I mean no one looks like a cheerleader. But I think you'd be good at it, hell you're probably more athletic than anyone on that team. And anyway, it'll give us something to do together." She pulled out the pout.
"Mimi, do I seem like the type to jump around in a skirt screaming about a sport I'm not playing?" She asked frankly. "Last time I've ever even worn a skirt was my tennis tournament in high school, if that even counts as one."
"Okay, look its not about the skirt. Its about pride and unity and all that crap they really try to sell you on during freshmen orientation." She walked up to the redhead. "And if you hate it you can quit, promise. I'm just asking you to try." She held her hands up, begging.
Sora let out a heavy sigh without saying anything.
"Please? Pleeeeeease!"
Sora made a show of rolling heer eyes, "I'm gonna hate it." She said warningly.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She threw her arms around the redhead gratefully.
Sora patted the brunette's back reluctantly, "Yeah, yeah." She said, a small smile cropping up on her face.
The courtyard was always packed on Wednesdays between twelve pm and one pm, it was the only time that no classes were allowed to be in session due to Student Activities Hour.
"Sora, a cheerleader?"
"Yes, Matt. That's what I said." Mimi shook her head, "Why is everyone so shocked by that?"
"I mean… have you met Sora?" He said, as if the rest was self explanantory.
"I have and I think she might enjoy it."
"Yeah, I doubt it but you have fun with that."
Mimi shoved his shoulder, "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother sharing things with you." She said with a small frown.
"I do too."
"Rude."
"So basically, if you make it—
"When, I make it." Mimi amended.
"Right, whatever. When you're on the team, you'd basically be cheering for… Tai."
Mimi thought about it for a second, "Well, yeah. I guess. But not specifically or anything. Besides, from what I've heard about the soccer team at TU they're supposed to be the best collegiate team in Japan. Can't be so horrible cheering for them." She said with a shrug.
"No I'm sure it won't be, The soccer players are treated like superstars though, you'd be one of those doe-eyed, drooling, have me I'm yours, type of girls." He mentioned. "All obsessed and airheaded."
Mimi gave him a look of exasperation, "Okay, if I'm not like that now, why would my personality change because I'm on the damn cheerleading team?" She kinked a perfectly arched brow. "I just wanna do it because I like being a part of something."
"So join the drama club, that would actually be useful for your major."
"You know Matt, I love you and all but would it just kill you to be supportive sometimes?" And with that he grabbed her books off the bench they were sitting on and left.
Matt just shook his head, sometimes she could be so sensitive.
-x-
He hated the fact that the idea of Mimi cheerleading annoyed him, but it really did. Annoyed him so much that he barely spoke to the brunette the whole day because every time she texted him, he just wanted to chuck his phone out of the window.
What was the most irritating about it was that he wasn't even all that sure what it was about the whole thing that annoyed him the most. The fact that she'd be cheering for those stupid douchebag soccer guys, prancing around in a tiny midriff outfit or the fact that she would attract so much unwarranted male attention it could literally made his head spin.
Rationally, he knew, those were not good enough reasons to actually get that annoyed over. He didn't have feelings for Mimi, he was just so protective over her. He was always concerned about her, even now that she was on the same campus as him, he still worried about her.
She was just so… innocent, in so many ways.
He sat on the steps to the Physics building, they were wide and marble and overlooked the gardens and it was a place he liked to come to think sometimes.
"Ishida?"
Matt turned around to see the face of one of his good friends, Ken Ichijoji.
Matt just gave a short nod.
Ken took a seat beside the blonde, "What are you doing here?" He asked.
Matt shrugged a shoulder, "I got out of my lab early, I'm waiting for Tai so we can go home." He answered.
They often carpooled to campus, but Matt always regretted coming on days where the brunette had practice.
"Why do you seem like you just had someone tell you your dog died?" He asked, as he watched the blonde fish out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
Matt shrugged a shoulder, "Stressed, I guess." He said, popping a cigarette between his lips. "Adjustment after summer break is always weird." He admitted, as he lit the stick.
He offered the pack to the raven haired boy beside him wordlessly, Ken shook his head. "I hear your pen pal moved here?" Ken was pretty removed from the group in general, choosing to stick with his own friends who were all academically inclined to harder classes and more rigorous course loads.
He wasn't one to attend parties or go to nightclubs, preferring to work on assignments or play video games in his spare time.
But he always kept in contact with Matt, not just because of their involvement with the band but because he actually got along with the blonde. Their personalities were introverted and similar.
He understood Matt on a very basic, instinctual level and vice versa.
"Mimi?" Matt asked.
Ken nodded.
"Yea, she's here." He answered.
Ken looked pensive for a few minutes, "Do you… have feelings for her?" He asked thoughtfully.
Matt raised his eye brow, blowing smoke out of his mouth. "Of course not." He said immediately. "It's never been that way between Mimi and I."
"Perhaps not before, she was in another country after all." Ken said. "But now… well, things wouldn't be as hard or complicated, would they?"
Matt shook his head, "It isn't like that, Ichijoji." He maintained. "I'd never jeopardize our friendship that way." He said honestly, because he wouldn't.
It had taken a lot of time for him to become as comfortable as he was with the brutnette. He had never allowed himself to open up that way to anyone and he knew that was partially because she was so far away.
It was easier to talk about feelings and such when you couldn't actually see the person.
He knew she felt the same, there was no way she would want to risk their friendship for some unresolved feelings or raging hormones.
Mimi was beautiful, there was no denying it. He knew that if he let his mind go there for even a second, the sexual attraction would be inevitable. But he needed her as his friend a lot more than he needed her as anything else.
She was too important, too special to ever be anything less than one of the most valuable people in his life.
He couldn't imagine a day where he wouldn't have her as his confidante.
Ken rubbed a hand over his cropped hair, "I just mean to say that perhaps sort out anything you might feel before things start to get messy." He finished with a small smile.
Matt just shook his head, "I appreciate it, man." He said sincerely. "But we're good."
And he meant it, he just knew he had to get used to having her around physically and not just emotionally. There would be an adjustment period, but he was positive they would get through it and find a new normal for themselves.
They just had to.
He couldn't lose her.
-x-
A/N: Hi!
Thank you all for all the overwhelming support and encouragement it means the world to me, you guys are honestly the best readers and I'm so happy to be writing for this fandom again. I'm also trying to be better about updating, so hopefully that come across as well.
Honestly, to all my reviewers you're amazing. I literally can't help but have the biggest smile on my face when I read your comments, it really makes writing so much better. I promise to have personal replies in my next author's note, I'm just a bit rushed at the moment.
I just had a quick question for you all—I've noticed a lot of inquiries about my previous work and if I'll be updating or not, to be honest I don't really have an answer. So if you could do me a favor and in your review also just tell me which of my old stories (any/all) you would like updated (as in would actually read and review) and I will definitely think about how I would go about it.
I would really really appreciate the input, it would help me out a lot!
Aside from that, you're all the most wonderful people ever and I hope to hear from you very soon!