…Baby One More Time

"Ugh, I'm so tired," Sora stretched her arms up in the arm and forced herself out of bed. She shuffled her way to the bathroom and pushed the door open.

"Gah! Can I help you?!" Matt gasped.

"What do you mean?! What are you doing here?" Sora exclaimed, staring at Matt.

"I'm trying to handle my business here, obviously. What are you still doing here? Who just goes into the bathroom without knocking?!" Matt yelled.

"Who pees with the door open?!" Sora slammed the door shut.

"It was much better when you weren't my sister!" Matt yelled.

"You're not exactly brother of the year either!" Sora clenched her fists and stomped back to her room.

"If I could, I'd trade both of you for a pet alpaca. Then I could probably ride it to school instead of taking a bus," TK hummed to himself.

"I wonder what they're installing over there," Kari hummed.

"Looks like another sticker booth. As if we needed more of those taking up the corridors," Tai huffed.

"Do people even use sticker booths anymore? Don't we have apps on our phones for that?" Izzy asked.

"Oh my god, you guys! Guess what?!" Mimi ran up to the table excitedly.

"Did you get hired somewhere permanently for good?" Davis asked.

"No, I wish! But seriously, guess what?" Mimi flapped her hands.

"Please, go on," Izzy yawned.

"There's a new sticker booth and it can predict what your kids can look like! Come, someone make a baby with me!" Mimi squealed.

"Uhhh…," TK turned red.

"No offense, but that sounds like the dumbest sticker booth yet," Matt scoffed.

"Come on, you guys aren't fun. Please?" Mimi clasped her hands together.

"I'm late for work," Izzy mumbled into his coffee cup.

"Fine, I volunteer as tribute. Let's get this over with," Tai groaned.

"Yay, you're the best!" Mimi squealed.

"Okay, you know we have to see this," Matt heckled.

"I could stay for a couple of minutes," Izzy remarked.

"Hey, you're pulling my arm out of my socket! I'm coming!" Tai yelled as Mimi dragged him to the photo booth.

"Then hurry up!" Mimi yelled and hopped inside.

"Time to make a baby!"

"Ew, please don't tell me that machine says that every time it takes a photo," Sora winced.

"Only one way to find out," Davis frowned.

"Hey guys, you might want to take another photo. I think this one's a fluke," Matt grabbed the photo that dispensed from the outside of the booth. He held it up to reveal a picture of an ugly baby with patchy, spiky brown hair.

"Oh no, why?" Mimi gasped from the inside of the booth.

"Just take Matt's advice. I don't think the picture printed all the way," Kari frowned.

"Time to make a baby!"

"Someone needs to change that sound," Izzy shuddered.

"Huh. Interesting," Matt frowned as he showed everyone the picture of the second baby, just as ugly the first.

"That doesn't sound good…," Mimi gulped.

"Hey, why don't you get out and let someone else take a spin at it?" Matt shook his head.

"Is something wrong?" Tai stepped out of the booth.

"Possibly," Matt handed Tai the photos.

"Whoa? What the-" Tai exclaimed.

"Oh my god, that's hideous! That is clearly your genes!" Mimi smacked Tai on the arm.

"Hey! Don't be rude! I came to help you out! Whatever happened to a thank you? Which I never received by the way!" Tai yelled.

"Hey Sora, come. Let's see if it's different with two other people," Matt motioned Sora over.

"Okay…," Sora reluctantly hopped into the photo booth.

"Time to make a baby!"

"Whoa, stepsis, what are you doing?" Davis joked.

"Ugh, please don't," TK turned white.

"What? How is your baby cute? Sora get out! I wanna see if Matt's different!" Mimi yelled.

"I've been sought out for my special qualities," Matt poked his head out from the photobooth.

"Whatever. This is just for photographic purposes only," Mimi huffed.

"Time to make a baby!"

"Meems, so I'm thinking the problem is you, not me," Tai haughtily smirked.

"Dobby is a free elf!" Davis heckled.

"Matt, I should have known you can't do the job right! TK, get in here!" Mimi yelled.

"I don't wanna…," TK trembled.

"Just do it," Kari sighed.

"I'm coming," TK whimpered.

"I think I've seen enough, I'm going to work," Izzy shook his head and walked away.

"Let's make a baby!"

"So, Meems…do you know who Hulk Hogan is? Because the baby you made with TK has the same moustache. Impressive," Tai winced.

"Yeah, Mimi… I'm starting to think the problem is you, not any of us," Matt smirked.

"No way! Hit me one more time!" Mimi said.

"What do you mean hit you? This isn't a game of blackjack. You apparently just make ugly babies," Tai made a face.

"No! I still have a couple of you guys to go through! I can prove that it's you that are defective, not me!" Mimi protested.

"Well, I'm the only one left you haven't tried, but don't get mad when the baby is ugly. It'll be your fault," Davis jumped into the booth.

"Let's make a baby!"

"Mimi, just admit it. You're the problem. You just gave birth to Mr. Bean," Matt picked up the latest photo.

"Nooo! That can't be true!" Mimi gasped.

"I'm curious. Davis do you mind?" Kari asked.

"Sure," Davis cleared his throat.

"Let's make a baby!"

"Aww, that's adorable!" Sora picked up the photo.

"What? Oh my god, that's not fair! It is a cute baby!" Mimi whined.

"I like it, I want to keep it. It's cute," Kari smiled at the photo.

"Hey! I still haven't done Izzy, where did he go?" Mimi aggresively said.

"He probably saw what direction this situation was headed in and like the smart guy he was, he went to work instead," Matt smirked.

"I'll get a cute baby somehow….," Mimi grumbled.

"That did not sound threatening at all," Davis gulped.

"Hey girls, what's going on here?" Davis peered over the counter.

"Hey Davis, I think we need to have a itty bitty baby talk," Barbie Q pinched her fingers together.

"Is everything okay?" Davis paused.

"Sooo…we've been trying to come up with some changes to our business and I don't think we'll be able to afford to keep you any longer," Suzie Q sighed.

"What? What do you mean?" Davis shook his head.

"Well, we're actually planning on expanding as a social media presence, and moving out of the mall to save costs. We hired a social media manager who is also experienced in computer stuff, but does take up quite up a bit of our earnings. I hope this will be worth it," Suzie Q said.

"This is something we wanted to do and we weren't sure if it was possible to do until we graduated high school, but the social media manager assured us there's no time like the present," Barbie Q nodded.

"Well, I hope it works out for you. I'm sad I won't be working with you guys anymore," Davis sighed.

"Me too! Trust us, we were considering having you along for the ride, but we don't have the money, and the commute is about an hour long. We couldn't expect you to do that!" Suzie Q said.

"You commute an hour away just to work at a mall?" Davis gasped.

"On the bright side, we do get a lot of our schoolwork done on the train rides there," Barbie Q said.

"Anyways, before we finish packing up, we wanted to give you a little severance package. This is a thank you for sticking by our side throughout these past couple of months," Barbie Q handed Davis a laptop and an envelope.

"You just bought these laptops!" Davis exclaimed.

"We know, but you can keep yours. And there's a little something something in that envelope, so keep that safe until you get to the bank," Suzie Q winked.

"Wow. Who knew this is where we would be, after working at a fried food place," Davis said in awe.

"Isn't it wild?" Barbie Q exclaimed.

"I hope the best for you girls. Good luck with everything," Davis hugged them.

"Thank you! Good luck to you too!" the girls smiled.

"So what's up?" Kari drank from her frappuncino.

"Alright, so how do you deal living with brothers?" Sora huffed.

"What do you mean?" Kari asked.

"Is there anything you do differently that you have to keep in mind as compared to when you are by yourself?" Sora asked.

"I'm not sure I understand. I mean, as a younger sibling, I don't know what it's like to be the only child. What exactly do you need help with?" Kari squinted her eyes.

"I got up one morning and I happened to walk into Matt using the bathroom. And I saw him," Sora turned red.

"Didn't you knock first?" Kari raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't think I had to. The door was open and the lights were off," Sora shrugged.

"He was in the bathroom with the door open?!" Kari gasped.

"And then he had the audacity to yell at me like I was the problem! Hello, there's a door that you could have closed! That signifies that the bathroom is in use!" Sora yelled.

"Yeah, that's on Matt. Tai would never. Actually, no reasonable guy would ever. What about TK? Did you ask him?" Kari asked.

"He was there when it happened and he didn't even tell me Matt was in the bathroom. He was just sitting on the couch reading a book and talking about trading the two of us for a pony or whatever," Sora sighed.

"I mean, if you want to stay over, please let me know. I bet it can't be easy adjusting right now," Kari looked at Sora in pity.

"Thank you so much!" Sora sighed. "On the bright side, Matt mostly stays with his dad on school nights, but I think he's been coming over more often to get under my skin."

"Don't let it show. The novelty will wear off, and he'll stop trying to rile you up. Just imagine, he's not that mature and he potentially has a new sister. That's a immature boy's favorite target. Just ignore it, and he'll go terrorise other girls in the mall in no time," Kari shrugged.

"I guess you're right," Sora sighed.

"Please! I'll give you five dollars if you take a photo with me!" Mimi pleaded to a passerby.

"No thanks," the boy winced and rapidly walked way.

"Great. Mommy loves all of you little failures, but you have to admit, you're not that cute," Mimi sadly looked at her baby photos.

*vroooom*

"Ew…," Mimi wiggled her nose in disgust.

"Hi, I've heard complaints about someone that fits your description disrupting the peace?" Joe hopped off of his scooter and pulled out a notepad.

"No! It's not what you think! Look at this stupid machine! I've taken photos with plenty of people and look!" Mimi handed Joe the photos.

"Is this supposed to be a joke?" Joe winced as he flipped through them.

"No, I'll show you!" Mimi pulled Joe by his shirt and dragged him to the photobooth.

"Let's make a baby!"

"Gah! Just for the record, that's the machine talking, not me!" Joe immediately jumped out of the booth.

"Ugh, see? Look! It looks like a baby swamp monster!" Mimi pulled the new photo out from the dispenser.

"I don't ever want to see that again. I'll go ahead and contact the manufacturer. I suggest you stay away from the machine in the meantime," Joe winced.

"Thank you! Someone believes me," Mimi half-heartedly sighed.

"Hey buddy, do you know what happened to all of those shirts that Mom was gonna donate to the thrift store? You think they'd fit me?" Matt asked.

"You kinda beat Tonya to the punch. Ever since she moved in, the house is definitely less cluttered and much cleaner. It's awesome. I couldn't do it alone. Mom's too messy for one person to handle," TK said.

"Crap…I was talking to some of the seniors and they're thinking about doing an nineties theme. One of the girls says they'd like me to perform, which would be awesome! They see me at the mall, so I guess they like my stuff," Matt shrugged.

"That's great, have you told anyone else yet?" TK smiled.

"I dunno. I don't want anyone roasting me," Matt sighed.

"Matt, I don't think anyone would do that. Everyone would be happy for you, as long as that's what you want," TK flipped through a magazine nonchalantly.

"Speaking of, that's something I wanted to talk to you about as well. So do you have your eyes on a charismatic little brown-haired cutie? And I'm not talking about Kari," Matt smirked.

"No…," TK bit his lip.

"Oooh, it's true! It's okay, personally a bit too annoying for me, but I'll try to tolerate for your sake. So, you want me to be the wingman, or have you tried closing the deal yet?" Matt said.

"I don't need any help. I don't think anything will happen," TK shook his head.

"Come on, you don't know! You know what you need? A nice kick in the pants!" Matt pulled out his phone.

"What are you doing?" TK gasped.

"Sup? Yeah, TK wants to go out with you! Just text me and I'll set up the date since he's too chicken! I'll make sure he shows up, toodles!" Matt hung up.

"Who the hell did you just talk to?" TK squealed.

"Don't worry, Mimi didn't answer so I just left a voicemail. You're welcome," Matt winked.

"What?! I'm not interested in her!" TK gasped.

"Oh…so, how do you delete a voicemail?" Matt bit his lip.

"Unbelievable," TK tossed his magazine and stomped off to his room.

"Sorry, I thought I was helping. Might as well drain the lizard before I leave," Matt grabbed the handle to the bathroom door and opened it.

"Ahhh! What the- occupied! I thought the door was locked!" Sora gasped.

"Whoa, how long have you been in here? You might wanna consider lighting a match," Matt winced.

"Oh my god, please get out!" Sora took off her shoe and threw it at the door.

"Sorry! I'll knock next time!" Matt closed the door and ran out of the apartment.

"Okay, so have you ever had a checking account with us before?" a bank teller asked.

"Well, I give my paychecks to my parents and they put it in a debit card for me to use, but I have a feeling my parents don't actually deposit all of my paycheck onto my card - so I'd rather open up my own account," Davis said.

"Okay, I think that's something we can do. You are of age, so why don't we go ahead and get the process started? Do you have your identification?" the teller asked.

"Well, I only have my school ID and a report card with my address on it - oh, and that's my birth certificate. Is that good?" Davis handed the teller stacks of paper.

"Perfect. You're so prepared," the teller said. "Now do you have any deposits you'd like to make?"

"Just this," Davis placed a paper check and a roll of dollar bills tied up with a rubber band on the counter.

"Thank you. I'll be back," the teller grabbed the items. "Mr. Motomiya, it looks like that we have a total of $12,345.67. Now, we'll have to wait for this check to pass our verificfaction process, but that generally takes about 7-10 business days, so right now, you only have access to the $2,345 and change. Before we proceed, where did you receive this check and why?" the bank teller asked.

"I got it from my old job, it's a severance? I don't know what that means, but they let me go and this is what they gave me," Davis said.

"I have to say that is a very nice severance payout, you don't see anything like that. I hope you find a job just as good or even better down the line. You must be a great person to work with, you'll find something soon. I'll be back with your new debit card and you can be on your way shortly," the bank teller smiled.

"Thank you," Davis bashfully said.

"Matt please, I really don't feel comfortable with this conversation at all! I don't understand how I can or want to help out with Sora's bowel movements," Izzy turned red.

"Okay, so ignore that! I'm trying to get to the point….okay, so I sent a voicemail to Mimi and TK freaked out so I'm wondering can I un-send it?" Matt whirled his fingers in the air frantically.

"Really? That's all you had to say! I didn't need to hear any of this other nonsense. And FYI, have you guys heard of knocking on doors? Sounds like something you guys could do in the Takaishi-Takenouchi household. Quite efficient," Izzy huffed.

"Yeah yeah, we'll start doing that. But can you help out with the voicemail?" Matt asked.

"Matt, this isn't some 90s sitcom where you could magically delete a voicemail sent in error! Once it's sent, it's sent. I'm sorry," Izzy shrugged.

"Wow, thanks for the help…psyche!" Matt stuck his tongue out.

"Speak of the devil, lay low," Izzy muttered.

"If it isn't La Llorona, collecting more babies to drown," Matt muttered.

"Why are all my babies so ugly and everyone else's cuter than mine?" Mimi wailed.

"What did I just tell you?" Izzy groaned.

"It's not fair, I just want a cute baby! The nerdy mall cop took my baby photos to the photobooth company for evidence and they just said it was me, not them. They won't give me my photos back either because they're scared of defamation," Mimi cried and put her head down on the counter.

"Uh, that must have been horrible," Izzy awkwardly paused.

"Hey Meems, change of subject - have you checked your voicemail lately?" Matt asked.

"No," Mimi sighed.

"Okay. Just want to warn you, ignore the one from me! I meant to send it to another girl, but didn't realize it until it was too late!" Matt said.

"I normally put you on the automatic FU list, but now I'm curious," Mimi wiped off her tears and pulled out her phone.

"Me too," Izzy crossed his arms and stood with his feet apart.

"Sup? Yeah, TK wants to go out with you! Just text me and I'll set up the date since he's too chicken! I'll make sure he shows up, toodles!"

"Did TK ask you for help?" Mimi smiled mischievously.

"No…," Matt blushed.

"Maybe it's best if he doesn't," Izzy shook his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Matt's jaw dropped.

"Sup? TK wants to go out with you," Mimi mocked Matt.

"There you go," Izzy shrugged.

"Screw the both of you, you belong together," Matt scoffed.

"i resent that," Izzy looked unamused.

"Don't worry about him, he just sounds big mad," Mimi hummed.

"Hey brat, don't you have any men to harass into making a baby?" Matt flicked Mimi in the head.

"I think I just about asked everyone in the mall," Mimi tapped her chin.

"I'm sorry that didn't work out for you. Well, I think I have inventory to sort out in the back, so I'll see you-"

"Hold the phone! I forgot I haven't tried you yet!" Mimi immediately grabbed on to Izzy's arm.

"What are you doing?" Izzy stiffened his body in surprise.

"I'm not letting you slip through the cracks! Come on! Make a baby with me, pleeeease!" Mimi begged.

"If I were you, I'd do it. This might be the only time a girl says those words to you," Matt smirked.

"Matthew, there's a lot of words I want to say to you right now, but I'll hold off. Fine Mimi, let's get this over with," Izzy walked behind the counter.

"Yes! I'm so excited!" Mimi squealed.

"Hey Angie, I'll be back in two minutes tops!" Izzy yelled.

"Okay," Angie yelled from behind a rack of sunglasses.

"You know I'm coming along. I want to see how this plays out," Matt smirked.

"Of course you do," Izzy huffed.

"Hurry! I'm so excited! I have a good feeling about this one!" Mimi jumped into the photobooth.

"Great," Izzy followed her inside.

"Let's make a baby!"

"Did the picture come out yet?" Mimi excitedly poked her head out of the booth.

"Why don't you take a look?" Matt handed her the photo.

"Oh my god!" Mimi gasped.

"Sorry, I think it's my fault this time," Izzy winced. "I guess it's a spitting image of-"

"She's perfect! Proportionate and perfect! Now Izzy, was that so hard?" Mimi smacked him on the arm.

"Yes," Izzy nodded.

"I'm so happy, thank you!" Mimi excitedly hugged him and skipped away.

"I guess all you need to do to make a girl happy is make a cute baby with her," Matt smirked.

"Please do not recommend that advice to anyone. I'm going back to work," Izzy grunted.

"Kari, you've been my best friend for the longest time," TK sipped at his hot cocoa.

"And you've been my best friend too. Is everything okay?" Kari asked.

"Well, there's been something I've been wanting to tell you. I wanted to tell Matt first since he's my brother, but in all hindsight, he'd probably screw things up further. He wouldn't be doing it on purpose, but still…," TK pressed his lips together.

"I think I've had some thoughts cross my mind, but I wasn't sure. If you don't mind me asking, does it have to do with…you know?" Kari raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, yeah…I'm sorry," TK gently tugged at the back of his head.

"What do you have to apologize for? You didn't do anything wrong," Kari tilted her head to the side.

"I know, but I still feel like I did. It's hard to explain. It feels a little better having you get it, but I don't know if I'm ready to fully come to terms with it yet," TK said.

"What about your mom? Have you talked to her? I bet she would definitely understand what you're going through. She's probably been through it," Kari said.

"I guess that's true. I just don't know if I'm ready for that talk yet," TK nodded.

*taptaptaptap*

"Mom?" Sora walked into the apartment.

"Hey honey," Sora's mom slid a door open and closed.

"New door for the bathroom?" Sora asked.

"Yes. The lock on the old door was broken, so I took it as an opportunity to install a different type of door instead. Sliding door, and the lock works. Less surprises for everyone, hopefully," Sora's mom said.

"Who and what?" Sora pointed at the bathroom.

"I walked in on poor TK. I scared him pretty bad, but in my defense, the door was open and the lights were off. I didn't think anyone was inside," Sora's mom turned red.

"I think we need to have a family meeting where we come up with house rules. As much as a new door is a great improvement, what next?" Sora sighed.

"I guess you have a point. You never know what lies ahead," Sora's mom smiled.