"Slow Burn" (def): An attraction for someone that is not instant, but grows over time.
-x-
Chapter Four: Ch-Ch-Changes
-x-
"That's a really nasty habit, Yamato."
She hardly ever used his first name.
He dropped it to the floor, "Sorry, Mimi." He stamped it out with his foot for emphasis.
Had it been anyone else, he probably would have lit another one literally out of spite. That pesky rebellious nature of his always seemed to rear its ugly head in situations where his choices were being judged.
But then there were her eyes and the way she pursed her lips with a twinge of disappointment…
There were seldom things that bothered Mimi Tachikawa. So when her tone suggested she was slightly unhappy with something, he had this instinct to try and fix it.
It was annoying, that urge to want to make things better for her. Annoying and confusing, because he couldn't really give a damn about anyone else's feelings in regards to his actions, unless of course they were directly affecting them somehow.
But with her, it was different. Somehow, some way, it had become different.
She sat down on the bench beside him, "Why?" She questioned, wrinkling her nose a little for he sake of being dramatic.
He fought the urge to grin, "Why what?"
"Why do you, how did you even…" Yamato had always been just a little "too cool" from the day she had met him. In an effortless way though, much like his messy blonde hair and icy blue eyes.
That aura of carelessness basically exuded off him, it was just his nature.
But she never took him to be one to pick up a habit just for the sake of it being "trendy" or "cool"—he just didn't operate that way.
"Stress, I guess." He had a tough major. "I don't know." It wasn't something he was entirely proud of or something he condoned, but he didn't hide it either.
Like any other vice, it just was.
She simply nodded, didn't say much else, seemingly satisfied for now by not only his answer but also by his attempt to placate her by putting it out when she expressed her distaste.
"Anyway, I made the team." She said breezily.
He felt like lighting another cigarette.
"Did you?" He deadpanned.
"Don't sound so exuberant, please." She rolled her eyes. "It would just kill you to be supportive, huh?"
"I don't see the appeal, but if it makes you happy then I'm..." He stopped for a second. "happy for you."
"Sora hated it." Mimi continued, "She made it, they picked her coz I mean she's super athletic and totally beautiful, so why wouldn't they. But she said she won't join." She finished with a small pout.
Matt felt his face break into a small smile at her childish dejection. "You'll make more friends this way." He had to try really hard not to say "I told you so" but it was pretty much a given that Sora Takenouchi would not be partaking in anything that involved prancing around, screaming her head off or wearing a midriff-miniskirt combo.
"I suppose so." She flipped her hair over her shoulder.
"So, how was the Calc quiz?" He asked.
She shrugged a shoulder, "I knew some of them, like the ones we went over." She chewed her lip. "I guess we'll see on Friday."
"I'm sure you did fine."
"Whatever, it's over. No use in talking about it." She was flippant, but he could tell this was going to bother her, not in an all-consuming way but instead in that annoyingly, just beneath the surface way, until Friday when she would find out her mark.
"So, Zoe is on the team." She mentioned casually.
Matt nodded, "That's nice. At least you know someone." He offered.
"I don't know how to feel about it though." She said pensively, there was something about her initial interaction with the blonde that still left a bad taste in her mouth.
They had gotten along fine enough at the loft, after a few glasses of wine it was easy to pal around with anyone.
While the girl had been more than forthcoming at try outs, almost overly nice to the point where it was starting become less and less believable. There was something that just didn't settle the right way with her…
Maybe it was the blonde's mega-watt smile or how she tumbled across the mat like she weighed five pounds soaking wet.
Regardless, whatever it was, it made Mimi want to tread very cautiously when it came to her.
"I think she seems nice enough." By which what he really meant was he thought she was hot.
But that was all there was to it.
Zoe Orimoto was beautiful and Matt Ishida would have to be blind or have an aversion to the female gender not to think so.
Mimi blew up a strand of her hair, "I guess." She grumbled. "How are things with you?" She asked because she tended to be a tad self-absorbed sometimes.
She knew that about herself, unfortunate effect of living in a Mimi-bubble.
She was fortunate enough to have found people who looked past that little flaw though.
"I'm okay, Meems." He said with a small smile, in a tone he hardly regarded anyone in.
She'd always kind of been prioritized, treated like a princess by default because she was one of the younger ones of their group and because going from a life of luxury and lavishness to dirt sleeping bags and open fire dinners, the adjustment was the hardest for her..
It was easy to lose patience with Mimi, but he had built up a tolerance over time.
"Okay, vague." She rolled her eyes. "I mean like how are you?" She asked again. "I feel like we hardly ever talk anymore, Matt." There it was, back again, her too adorable for words pouted out bottom lip.
"Ironic, isn't it?"
"And you know how much I don't appreciate irony." In fact, she hated it.
Irony was too bitter for her.
He chuckled, "I think we just don't talk as much because there isn't much to talk about anymore." Their lives had almost seamlessly intertwined.
They went places together, studied together, took meals together, had the same friends. The adjustment was practically unnoticeable.
"I don't like the sound of that." She warned. "I want us to always be close."
"And we will be."
"Do you promise?"
His initial, innate reaction was to nod yes. To tell her she was worrying for nothing, as usual. That she had too much time on her hands and she was just being silly.
But something caused a delay in his reaction, and he hesitated for the briefest of seconds.
It was in that moment that she chose to look in his eyes, and he knew she sensed the reluctance because there was a slight look of sadness that passed through her own.
Still, he shook his head. "Of course I promise, Mimi." He said smoothly, as if there hadn't been even a moment lapse between her question and his answer.
She didn't look convinced, not even in the slightest, but she didn't say anything. Which was so unlike her, but he understood it all the same.
"I promise too." She said, he voice unsure and barely above a whisper.
He pressed a kiss into the side of her head, a tender display of affection which he hardly ever showed to anyone.
But there was something about a melancholy Mimi that made anyone want to give her a hug and cheer her back up.
Luckily, Mimi wasn't a hard girl to please.
"Wanna get ice cream?"
Her face lit up like a Christmas tree.
-x-
The celebration was meant to be kept small, just the team and few friends at the soccer house. They were explicitly told by the coach to keep the debauchery to a minimum.
But if there was one thing that would take Tai Kamiya right out of the "party mood" it was seeing his baby sister, his little ball of sunshine surrounded by soccer players and frat boys.
He had barely stepped foot into the soccer house when he made a beeline for the petite brunette. "What are you doing here?" He asked her, in a tone he reserved just for her.
Kari just raised an eyebrow. "Hello to you too, brother." She said with a smirk.
Tai wasn't amused. "I mean it, twerp. What are you doing here?" He asked her again.
"Celebrating my boyfriend's first college win, is that a crime?" She placed her hands on her delicate hips, staring up at her brother through defiant caramel eyes.
Boyfriend, he almost outwardly blanched at the word.
Davis and Kari had been together close to a year now, and Tai still chose to ignore their union. He hated thinking of his teammate and friend with his hands all over his sister on his down time.
It was easy to pretend like Kari and Davis weren't a thing because Kari was all the way in Odaiba. But right now, when she was in his face, wearing a top he thought was a little too revealing and shorts he wished were longer… well, it was next to impossible to overlook.
"I didn't know you were coming up."
"Do I have to tell you?"
"Yes, if you're visiting my college, a phone call would be nice."
"Didn't know you owned Tokyo University, Tai. I'll be sure to put that on my applications next year."
"It's just weird, Kari." He said pointedly.
Her eyes softened, "Yeah, I get that." She told him. "But I mean… is it really so bad?"
He hated her puppy dog eyes, "It's not comfortable." He stated. "I don't want to see any PDA and you need to change the shirt."
She knitted her eyebrows, he could see the beginning of an argument forming in her mind.
He held up a hand, "You didn't even tell me you were visiting, Kar." He said. "And by the way, it was my win too."
She felt a little guilty, "Alright, I'm sorry." She conceded. "Congratulations, I saw the whole thing on t.v. You were amazing, Tai."
Tai grinned a little, "It was a good game." He admitted.
"Miracle save at the end." But she wasn't surprised in the least, it was what he did.
She had always been his number one supporter, loudest cheerleader, biggest fan and his harshest critic.
If there was one person in the world he trusted with his very best interests, it was the young woman standing in front of him. He knew there would never be a day where Kari would want anything less than the very best for him.
"I'm still texting Sora about the shirt." He said. "I should really talk to Ryo about not to letting you in here next time." He muttered as an afterthought.
Kari sighed, maybe the top was a little too low cut anyway. And if it would make Tai less overbearing for the night, she would take it. "Sure." She chose to ignore the under the breath comment about her being banned from the soccer house.
"And you're sleeping at the loft tonight, Hikari." His tone changed from playful to authoritative in seconds. "I hope you didn't think any differently." So he wouldn't bring a girl home tonight, it wasn't the end of the world.
Because there was no way in hell he would ever let his baby sister spend the night at an all boys house with his teammates, no way, not on his watch.
Kari felt a light blush creep up her neck, "Okay Tai." She said in a small, slightly embarrassed voice.
While she had thought maybe she would spend the night with Davis at the house, she knew it was highly unlikely.
Davis appeared with two drinks in his hand, "Hey, Tai. " He said sheepishly. "How's it going man?" He handed a cup to Kari, dipping his head to place a kiss on her cheek.
Even though Tai had technically given him the green light to date Kari before he ever asked her out, there was an air of awkwardness that appeared when the subject was broached. Right now, with the three of them, it was practically palpable.
"I've got my eyes on you, Motomiya. No fucking funny business." He growled, taking the other cup from his young doppleganger, before walking away.
"Ignore him." Kari said with a roll of her eyes, "I'm excited about being here with you." She reached up and put her arms around his neck.
He bent down and placed a delicate kiss on her lips, "Happy to have you here, babe." He said with a soft smile. "You look beautiful, if I haven't already told you."
"Only a hundred times since you've picked me up." She winked.
"Not nearly enough then."
"My, my. Someone's got game, since when?" She kinked a playful eyebrow.
"You're with a college man, now. I've become more suave—more smooth in my time—
Kari put a hand over his mouth, "You're ruining it." She laughed.
He grinned behind her hand, littering her palm with wet kisses until she let go.
-x-
Sora walked into the house, Mimi in tow, after receiving a cryptic text from Tai about bringing an extra shirt. She didn't question it though because Tai was weird and he made weird requests all the time.
"Glad to see you again, Sora." The charming goalie said behind her.
Sora held back her smile, before turning around. "Sam, how are you." She gave him a friendly hug.
"Mimi, lovely as usual."
Mimi just nodded, "Good game." She said.
Sam frowned a little, "Not one of my best, but I assure you better games are ahead." He said smoothly.
"I could have sworn my younger brother had accompanied you?"
"Him and Matt are just…." Mimi trailed off, she wasn't suer where the duo had sped off to.
Though Sam had a knowing look on his face, "Well, how lucky for me I get to host not one but two beautiful ladies." He extended an elbow to Mimi. "Shall we get some drinks then?" He suggested.
Mimi and Sora exchanged glances, "Lead the way." Sora said with a smile.
"Kari!" Sora yelped as they got into the kitchen.
Kari turned around, before flinging herself at the redhead. "Sora!" She said immersing herself in a hug with the girl who had always been like an older sister to her. "You look amazing, I missed you!"
Sora hugged back with just as much enthusiasm. "Me! Look at you!" She backed away. "Since when are you allowed to look this hot!" She complimented.
"Since never, apparently." Kari said dryly.
Sora nodded, "I take it the shirt was for you." She said with half a smile.
Kari rolled her eyes, "Do you even know my brother. Of course it was for me." She sighed.
"Hey Davis." Mimi waived to the boy who was towering over his tiny girlfriend.
It was only next to six foot tall Davis that Mimi noticed how small little Kari actually was. All skin and bones and barely five feet tall.
"Mimi."
"Hey, Kari."
She was enveloped in a warm hug shortly after that, "You look great, I missed you." She murmured honestly.
Kari and Sora slipped easily into an enthusiastic conversation involving mutual interest in the other's life in the weeks since they had seen each other and old inside jokes. One which Mimi could only offer a few nods and polite smiles because she just hadn't been around for any of those memories.
And she knew that Sora and Kari weren't trying to leave her out or even knew that she wasn't participating because they couldn't help it. It was just one of those things she knew she would have to get used to eventually.
"Hey" She felt a light touch on her shoulder.
She turned around to face a familiar set of blue eyes, "Hi." She said with a small smile.
He nodded his head towards a quieter corner, she instinctively followed him, sipping on her drink as they went. Mimi chuckled at the sight of Tai already in the midst of a keg stand, while his teammates cheered him on in typical male fashion, hooting and hollering away.
"You looked a little lost." He mentioned.
Mimi nodded, "You know what they say about the face of home and all that." She said easily.
"And changed it has." He agreed. "But you're not the same either."
"Where were you before? I didn't see you when I walked in." Tai and Matt were sort of joined at the hip, she just sort of got used to seeing one with the other.
Matt shrugged a shoulder, "I was around, I guess you just weren't looking in the right places." He said, the ghost of a grin dancing on his lips.
"Don't mistaken my curiosity for interest, Ishida."
"Way to just crush a man's heart, Mimi."
Mimi stuck out her tongue, "As if." She said, adding a "pfft" at the end for emphasis.
They stayed quiet for a bit, sipping on their drinks as they looked around the party. The silence was comfortable as it always was between them because they had grown accustomed to bouts of non-conversation during the time they had spent speaking solely over the phone.
Mimi remembered holding her breath in those instances, wondering which stretch of silence would be the time Matt would choose to take his leave. She never wanted him to hang up, especially at the beginning, when all that tethered her to home was his voice.
She looked at him, through the corner of a hazel eye, internally appreciating all he had been for her in the past few years. Sometimes, she thought she didn't give him enough credit for keeping her in touch with all the things that went on back home. But other times, she thought he probably didn't even realize what he'd done for her
Or how much he meant.
"You know." Mimi started, her eyes on Kari and Davis. "I always thought she would end up with your brother." She jutted her chin out towards the pair of brunettes, the male trying his hardest to coax his girlfriend into a dance.
Matt chuckled, "Things never to work out the way we imagine, huh?" He said. "I mean people always thought I'd end up with Sora, out of some reverse oedipal complex."
"What? Because of the lack of motherly presence in your life?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Something along those lines, yes." And at the beginning when they had first returned from the digital world, he really missed Sora.
He even thought it was because he might be in love with her.
But sooner rather than later he realized that missing was more because he missed her warmth, her energy, her compassion and her nature. The way she could say a few things, mutter some assurances and they would all feel better.
Exactly the way a mother would.
He understood an attachment like that could never be healthy or enough to build a stable relationship upon.
Once his life began to feel like his life again, he never really revisited the Sora subject.
"You liked her." Mimi stated as if a revelation had just dawned on her.
Matt shook his head, "Of course not." He said, because admitting to Mimi that he once had a thing for Sora was kind of embarrassing and felt a little too awkward.
It was one thing venting to her about a nameless faceless girl she had never met. But Sora, for all intents and purposes her best friend, Sora, that was a whole different subject entirely.
One he wasn't prepared to tackle in the slightest.
"You did, you must have."
"You would know if I had, Mimi."
He wished he had never brought up the conversation at all, he should have let her prattle on about Hikari and Daisuke's relationship for the rest of the night… it would have been better than this.
Mimi let a slow smirk envelop her face, "I can see right through you, Ishida. You were into her." She said smugly.
Matt wiped his hands down his shirt, "Think what you want." He said coolly.
Mimi rolled her eyes, "Anyway, like I was saying." She changed the subject. "I always thought Kari and TK would…"
"Teeks has had the same girlfriend since middle school. They're pretty steady." She was a nice girl and from the limited interactions Matt had had with her, she seemed like she had a good head on her shoulders.
But he didn't see TK all the much since he started university, let alone his significant other, so really he wasn't sure of anything.
"Really?" She asked, eyebrows raised. "That Aeris girl you once told me about?" She asked, vaguely recalling a conversation about TK and his beau when they first began dating.
Matt looked slightly impressed by her memory, he hadn't talked of TK's love life often, "Yes, that's her." He nodded.
"Is she pretty?"
"She is."
Mimi nodded, "Well good, TK deserves a nice, pretty girl." She said, satisfied.
"Don't we all." Matt murmured.
"Shouldn't be too hard for a stud like you." Mimi winked.
Matt gave a short laugh, "Oh you've got something under your eye." He noticed, a tiny little hair resting on the groove between her eye and cheekbone.
She tried flicking it off, missing it every time.
"Stop, I'll get it."
He reached his thumb over to her, gently sweeping it across the cheek as he removed the eyelash from her face.
She was acutely aware of every part of him in the moment, how the slightly rough pad of his thumb felt against her soft skin. How intently his eyes settled on her face as he did it. The way his breathing became a little sharper, a little faster, at the contact. How even with the music blaring and people talking, she could hear his heart beat speeding up. The way he smelled, how had she never noticed how luxurious that smell was.
And then she met his eyes, as his fingers reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
There was something about that moment that made Mimi flush, with embarrassment or something else, she wasn't sure. Because there was something in that gesture that felt different. Not like a chaste kiss on the cheek, or a comforting embrace when she was feeling down. That moment felt...
Intimate.
And all the implications that went along with that word was what she couldn't shake.
"Hey Ishida." A voice caused Matt immediately drop his hand from where it had been.
He cut his eyes to look above Mimi's head, where Ryo Akiyama stood, a stupid grin plastered on his face.
The blonde stood up a little straighter, "Ryo." He greeted with a head nod.
"If you aren't in the middle of something, I was hoping to borrow the lovely Miss Tachikawa?" He asked hopefully.
Matt looked from the soccer star to his friend, "Mimi?" He asked, in a tone that implied that he couldn't care less about what Ryo wanted.
Was she okay with him cutting in?
The brunette looked conflicted, as she thought about the decision she was going to make.
"Just a minute or so of your time, I feel like maybe I was too hammered or something last time and you got the wrong impression."
Mimi sighed, "Sure, why not." She caved.
Besides, the air between her and Matt felt a little too tense right now anyway.
Matt just nodded, bearing no expression except for the slight downturn of the corners of his lips. Without another word, he walked away from the pair.
"So, Z tells me you're on the cheerleading team?"
"I am."
"You know, the soccer players and cheerleaders tend to end up spending a lot of time together. Fundraisers, pep rallies, etc."
"I'd assumed as much."
"So then, I mean by default, it seems like we'll be spending a lot of time together."
Mimi sighed, "I guess so." She said.
"Listen, I'm sorry about the whole superstar motif, I guess I let it go to my head and I'm just not used to talking to girls who don't really give a shit about my skill with a ball." He apologized humbly.
And Mimi was a little impressed because she wasn't really expecting him to sound so sincere. "It's okay, Ryo. I did give you a bit of a hard time." She said with a smile.
She was fully expecting him to be a douche so she would be able to blow him off, but right now, with his cute little grin and his sweet apology, that was looking to be a bit harder to do.
"So how about we start this thing over." He gestured between them. "Hi, I'm Ryo Akiyama." He extended a hand forward.
Mimi took it, "Mimi Tachikawa, good to meet you." She played along.
"Mimi, what a pretty name."
"Just two syllable—
"Nope. We're starting over, it's cheating if you recycle old conversations." He cut her off playfully.
"Yes, but if we are truly starting over then technically it's as if the past conversations never happened so really how can I recycle something that never existed?" She kinked an eyebrow.
"Fancy little loophole you got there, councilor. But I gotta warn you princess, I don't take losing well."
"Oh, I would have never known." She chuckled.
"Yes, well. I know this perfect body would lead you to think I have a perfect—
"You're doing it again…" Mimi said with a roll of her eyes, still keeping the light mood though.
"Oh boy, you're not going to make this easy are you?" Ryo laughed.
"Not even in the slightest."
"It's okay, I never liked easy anyway."
Mimi gave him a side-eyed glance, "I'm sure that's not entirely true." She said coyly.
Ryo raised his eyebrows, "Cheeky." He mentioned with a small smirk. "So tell me, what kind of hoops do I have to jump through to get a date out of you?" He asked frankly.
Mimi, a little taken aback by his forwardness, stumbled around her speech for a moment. "No hoops." She said, when she regained her composure. "But I mean, can't we try being friends first?" She suggested.
"Friends, huh?"
Mimi nodded, "Yeah, I mean. You know, get to know each other and all that." She elaborated. "Besides, you might find I'm completely boring and not even remotely your type."
"Oh, I highly doubt that."
"But seriously. Friends?"
He looked thoughtful as he considered the offer. "Alright, Tachikawa. You've got yourself a deal." He decided.
Mimi looked triumphant, "Great." She beamed.
And boy was she beautiful when she smiled like that.
"Should, should we shake on it?" He tried to remain un-enamored by her, realizing how incredibly embarrassing it would be if he was reduced to a blubbering pile of mush at the sight of a smile.
"I think we can hug on it." Mimi winked.
Ryo took the offer, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her into a strong embrace. Mimi couldn't help but notice the definition of the arms wrapped around her, or how sculpted the abs were she was pressed up against.
If there was one thing that was undeniable about Ryo Akiyama, it was that he was incredibly physically attractive. Everything from his perfectly imperfect brown hair, to his pretty green eyes, to that marvel of a body.
She figured the hug lasted a little longer than it should have and she also knew she was in a decent amount of trouble when she realized she had to literally force herself out of his arms.
"Thanks for giving me another shot, princess."
Mimi rolled her eyes at the all too adequate nickname everyone seemed to have given her. "Maybe I wrote you off a little too quickly." She said grudgingly.
Ryo laughed, "Maybe." He said. "Anyway, I'll see ya."
Mimi nodded and held up a hand to wave.
From the corner of her eye she could see a familiar pair of blue eyes watching her every few seconds, before diverting their gaze back.
She wondered what it was about Ryo that made Matt just so uncomfortable…
-x-
This author's note is a bit longer because it contains a bunch of belated thank you's for the awesome reviews you guys left me! So if you want to read those, they're at the end!
A/N: Well, there you go. I know this was a bit of a late update but I had appendicitis. Yeah, Appendifuckingcitis. Really sucked.
Anyways, hopefully you guys liked the chapter and I would love to know what you guys think of this so far. I feel like the setting of this chapter was a bit repetitive but hopefully the dialogue wasn't. I'm building it up slow and it's also a college fic so the settings are kind of limited as to where and when. However, if you guys have any ideas on what you'd like to see happen, or specific scenes I would love to hear them!
Soooo I feel like I make Yamato a smoker a lot in my fics, lol, I don't know why that is but it was recently brought to my attention that it's been a bit of a trend with me. And I have absolutely not idea why that is but for some reason, it like fits his personality in my opinion. That said, I put that scene up there with Mimi because I want to be pretty clear that I do NOT support/condone the act of smoking cigarettes (or anything else really, but especially cigarettes) in any way, shape of form.
Okay, also I mentioned TK's girlfriend, if you want to know who I had in mind, it's Aeris (Aerith) Gainsborough from FF7. She doesn't matter too much in the context of this story but you might see her in later chapters, here and there.
Ummm, let's see. I'm not sure if I'm forgetting anything but if I have, just let me know!
Okay, well. That was it. Again, reviews are absolutely always appreciated and encouraged. I'd love to know if you're interested in my writing and this story as a whole. So drop me something, it'll make my day.
Here are some shout out's and thank you's for the wonderful reviews you guys leave! I appreciate them more than I can convey:
Reniel Moza: Aww! Yes, I am back and I am so glad you've read and enjoyed my fics. I appreciate the kind words and hope to hear from you soon!
Guest: thank you so much! I am continuing it
Silentuser: A pioneer! That is such a wonderful compliment and I am so humbled! Thank you! And as for being called an inspiration, you are just too kind, I'm honestly blushing. Thank you so much for the review and as for ChemoCC, I'm definitely going to try to update the problem with that fic is that I wrote it in high school and I am so not in high school anymore so the perspective is kind of a skewed. I'm going to honestly give it a shot though!
Guest (2): Thank you and as for Chemistry *see above*
Mimic shalle: Haha, I actually wasn't aware of Tri until very recently, if it's sorato heavy I doubt I'll watch it because I honestly just can't with them. Thank you, I'm glad you like the premise I also thought college would be a fun setting for our favorite foursome, very fitting, especially for my version of soccer stud, chick magnet Tai ;)
Cancercute: hey girl, thanks for the review and your interest in the story. You've always been a huge support for all my stories so your reviews mean the world. But, I'm not the author for One Stolen Night, that's thislittlelady (formerly paochicute) who is one of my favorite authors, such a big fan of hers and I also hope she updates soon
Kimi: Thank you for reviewing each chapter, your support means so much to me and I really appreciate it. And thank you so much for you words of encouragement, I can't be grateful enough. Hope you liked this chapter and I look forward to hearing from you so so soon!
Guest (3): I also love Tai, I think he's super fun to write because not only does it kind of come easily for me but I think he is such a versatile character, there is so much more flexibility with Tai than some of the others. You can do a lot with him without it being OoC.
A-Longtime-Fan: Aww your words make me melt. I gotta tell ya, when people compliment P.O I literally have the hugest grin on my face because that story really was like my baby. I started it when I was so young and so new to the site and the response I got for it was overwhelming. And to hear that people still read it is so wonderful I can't even describe the feeling. So thank you, so much. I turned you on to mimato! I'm honored, truly and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Closet Libra: Thank you so much for the support! I look forward to hearing what you thought of this chapter!
Guest-23: Thank you! Hope you're still reading and like this new chapter!
Guest: five times?! That's amazing and I am so grateful to you that you enjoyed my work that much. Truly I am so incredibly humbled and amazed by the encouragement and support I receive from everyone on here. Thank you so much and I hope this next chapter finds you well.
Scripturiens: Aww, that's okay I appreciate the time people take out to review my work in any capacity so I really am very grateful. I do love the Mimi-Yamato relationship in any form and they are really fun for me to write regardless of their relationship. The friendship area is one I have barely just dabbled in, usually opting for the romance angle but it has been super challenging but fun so far. It's not that Mimi is awkward, or at least that's not what I was meaning to convey, it's more that she and Matt have had very limited physical interaction before this so it's a transition period. More so for her than him because Matt is just always so cool lol. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and I look forward to hearing from you
Soojinah: Aww, you are too kind. Really. I am so thankful for the support, I actually love your Digimon Reboot story (shameless plug, everyone go read it if you haven't!) I think it's hilarious with just enough action and romance. I wish you'd update that one already! College was my best four years too so I kind of get to relive it vicariously through these guys, haha. Tai is the best to write, I take so many liberties with him that I otherwise wouldn't with other characters. I love writing Sora and Mimi as friends because I think it's easy to write them as rivals and I'm just a sucker for solidarity and girl power. Thank you so much for the welcome back and I really appreciate the encouragement and positivity. Hope liked this chapter and hope to hear from you soon
Happy Reading!