A/N: I just wanna apologise for not updating in forever, but 2017 wasn't a great year for me, especially writing-wise. So anyway, to those who are still interested, I hope you enjoy the chapter (although it's not as long as I expected it to be).
Many thanks to everyone who reviewed the story this year, despite of no update, you are all angels
-x-
The sound of rain could be faintly heard from Yamato's practising studio, the room was built to not allow external sounds to enter the room easily which could only mean that the rain was pouring down stronger than Yamato had expected. His band mates had already left about an hour ago, back when it was still sunny, but he stayed behind wanting to work on a new song in complete silence. Although he hadn't gotten any work done till now since soon after his friends left, Yamato got a call from his mother. His plan had been to ignore all calls and just concentrate on the music but it wasn't often that his mother reached out to him without prior notice. She liked to tread carefully when it came to him or his dad, so if she needed to talk to him at length, she'd decide the date and time beforehand at his convenience. The thought that he could go ahead and ignore the call and apologize later did cross his mind, but he eventually answered the phone, probably right before she would've hung up.
According to his Mom, Takeru and her had gotten into an argument in the morning and now he was acting extremely difficult and she just wasn't getting through to him, which is why she hoped that Yamato would talk to him and maybe help smooth out the situation a little bit. Naturally, he agreed, and after the call instead of working on the song, he could only think about how to pacify Takeru. The argument wasn't something that Yamato hadn't been expecting, their Mom was worried about Takeru entering his entrance-exam year soon without any specific goal in his mind. And when she confronted him about his disinterest in looking at prospective high schools or joining a cram school to work on his weaker subjects, he'd only gotten defensive and ended up blowing up on their mother. Yamato had been meaning to bring this up with his brother too, considering how much time Takeru spent at his place reading or watching movies, but now it had become a touchy subject and Yamato would have to chose his words carefully to make sure that Takeru didn't shut him out either.
With his harmonica laying untouched in his lap and his guitar still lying in it's case, Yamato decided that it was best to call it quits on the extra practice and he might as well go see how Takeru was doing. As he made his way out of the room and towards the exit, the sound of rain got louder and louder, and when he reached the glass doors that opened on to the main street, the grey scenery and the chill in the air only made him feel less excited about the remaining of his day.
He stood there watching the rain fall for sometime, the street was mostly empty with a car or two occasionally speeding by. The Lawson across the street was the only shop which seemed open, their white light dimly reflecting on the pavement, making the raindrops seem silver. Yamato wasn't sure how long he could wait there, he obviously did not have an umbrella but spending another hour here, not being able to concentrate and worrying about Takeru would only make his mood get worse so he decided to make a run for it till the station. Today, of all days, he had decided to use public transport, he wanted to ask what his morning self had been thinking while boarding the train instead of using his bike.
Yamato braced himself, stuffing his phone deep inside his jeans pocket, zipping up his light jacket and tightening his hold on the guitar case in his left hand, he dashed out onto the pavement and started running as fast as he could towards the station. It didn't even take him a minute to realize that this was a bad idea, the rain was hitting his back like needles and he could feel that he'd be completely drenched in the next few minutes if he didn't get out of the rain right now. Every store or establishment he passed was shut, this was not exactly a shopping district, just a street where some families had set up various shops or cafes, the club that his band performed and practised at was also owned by an old couple who loved supporting upcoming musicians.
He thought about turning back and heading for the Lawson opposite the club, but his eyes caught a blinking open sign just a few steps ahead of him. Yamato quickened his pace and without as much as a glance at where he was heading, he burst through the doors of a karaoke place. Shutting the doors behind him, he stood at the entrance, dripping and attempting to catch his breath. He felt his cheeks turn slightly pink as he realized what a mess he must look like to the people inside but as his eyes moved around the empty reception area, he started to let out a sigh of relief, and that's when his eyes landed on the only person sitting on the sofa next to the reception desk, Mimi.
Mimi blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't dreaming, and it really was Yamato-kun standing at the entrance, drenched and out of breath, tightly holding his guitar case in one hand. When his eyes met hers, his cheeks turned completely red and although she wanted to giggle at that, she decided to be a little more helpful considering how exhausted he looked. It had to be some clogs turning backwards in the universe that was suddenly making them run into each other so often. Her day had started out boring, and with nothing much to do, she'd decided to entertain herself with karaoke. Her original plan had included the other girls also, but apparently Sora-chan was recovering from a 'Taichi fiasco' of sorts and just wanted to stay in bed for the day, and Miyako-chan and Hikari-chan seemed to be busy with some school event. So she'd decided to come alone, as long as she could get out of the house for a while she didn't mind.
Her mother had forced her to take an umbrella despite of it being sunny in the morning, but as usual, her mother's intuition had been right, it did indeed start raining crazily as she had remarked in the morning. As she considered her various options, the thought that Yamato-kun was probably umbrella-less and that they would potentially go home together and then he'd borrow her umbrella and meet her again tomorrow to return it, took up pretty much all the space in her head and it took a lot of willpower for Mimi to remind herself that she would actually had to go and talk to him right now for her ideal scenario to play out.
Picking up her bag and fishing through it, she made her way towards him as calmly as she could, without showing her excitement. She was afraid that she would trip on her own feet or accidentally spill all the contents of her bag or do something equally embarrassing, ruining the special moment that was nothing less than a gift from god. Surprisingly her limbs did not fail her, finally grabbing a hold of the mini towel she was looking for in her bag, she pulled it out and slung the bag over her shoulder. As she came to a stop right in front of him, she noticed that Yamato-kun looked equally nervous and that relieved her somewhat and motivated her to feel calmer. She needed to make sure that he was comfortable around her and that could only be done by taking big steps.
She looked up at him, smiling, as reassuringly as she could and raised her hands, using the towel to slowly and cautiously dry his hair. Even wet, Yamato-kun's hair felt as silky as it always looked and she wondered just how much time he spent grooming it. The thought of Yamato-kun standing in front of a mirror and religiously taking care of his hair every morning would've sent her into a fit of giggles, but since he was much taller than her it was taking a lot of effort from Mimi's side to stay on her toes and finish her task. Which is also probably what was keeping her nerves at bay since this was the first time she had ever stood so close to Yamato-kun in her entire life.
One quick glance at his face told her that he was still just as nervous as before, if not more, what with his cheeks turning a deep shade of pink over the lack of distance between them. Mimi could hear her heart thumping loudly in her chest and hoped that Yamato-kun couldn't hear it too. There had always been a sort of wall of tension between them, which neither thought of breaking down, but right now, she had passed right through it and although it felt like her heart would beat right out of her chest, she knew that if they'd always stay wary of this wall, they would get nowhere. She hoped that Yamato-kun would understand too, and stop feeling uncomfortable around her soon.
"It couldn't do much, but hopefully you won't catch a cold," she managed to state as she lowered her hands and took a few steps back, finally putting a comfortable distance between them. She watched as he ran a hand through his hair nervously, his eyes avoided contact as he nodded in response, "You should take your jacket off too..." Mimi added distractedly as she tried to figure out what to do with the now wet towel, as she couldn't put it back in her bag. Spotting a dustbin near the entrance, not too far from where she was standing, she rolled up the towel into a ball and was about to take an aim, when Yamato snatched it from her hands and went over to throw it properly.
"I could've totally made that you know," she pouted, disappointed that he didn't believe in her shooting ability.
He rolled his eyes in response, and Mimi felt that the tension that had settled in the air because of her actions was finally lifted. She noticed that he was no longer blushing, his cheeks were now their usual pale colour and that gave her some confidence. They couldn't both be stuttering idiots at this, she thought, so if Yamato-kun would keep his cool she'd get to play the role of the silly romantic and if he couldn't do it, she'd attempt to stay level-headed, but for her from this point on, there was no turning backwards.
"I-"
Yamato-kun finally decided to speak only to be interrupted by the clerk clearing her throat to catch their attention. Mimi turned around and Yamato looked over her shoulder, the karaoke employee that had been making her wait for the past hour, was now at the reception desk, looking as disinterested as she always did, unaffected by the scowl Yamato-kun threw at her.
"Mimi-san, the machine is now fixed, you can proceed to your room. As you know, you have the room for 2 hours and it's drink all you want," the clerk muttered robotically, shifting all her attention to her phone the minute she stopped talking.
Mimi thanked her, beaming, she linked her arm around the blond's and dragged him inside with her.
There were a lot of thoughts running through Yamato's head as he waited in their room for Mimi to get back with their drinks. He was glad to have some time to himself because he definitely did not want Mimi to be around as he processed everything that had happened in the past ten minutes or so, because he was sure his pale skin would not obey him. She had been standing so close to him with her hands in his hair, he thought, running a hand through his hair again and again as he tried to memorize how it felt to be touched by her. He'd felt her warm breath on his neck for a fleeting moment, sending a jolt through his body and giving him goosebumps which he hoped she hadn't noticed. And she smelled so good, like berries and morning dew, just a whiff was enough to drive him crazy.
You should take off your jacket...
Her words were definitely going to be misinterpreted by his brain in his dreams later, he was sure about that. Yamato was still slightly shocked that he had managed to stay still the entire time and not do something creepy to drive Mimi away, considering where his thoughts had started heading the minute she'd smiled at him. His day hadn't started out so great and he'd ran into her exactly when he'd wanted nothing more than to be left alone, but right now if he had to restart this day he'd change nothing so he could end up in front of her again.
He took a few deep breaths, and rubbed his cheeks, hoping that the colour would fade if he did. He wasn't sure if it worked, but he was able to think more clearly and relax a little. Sure he was going to be alone with Mimi in a room for two hours, and that if she bent forward in the top she was wearing he would totally be able to see her-
The door opened and Mimi entered with a tray in her hand, carrying three glasses of melon soda and a cup, which he presumed had his coffee. The minute he saw the extra glasses, he thought that someone else might be joining them too, so instantly he turned to his aloof self, clearing his mind completely so his face didn't hold any strange expressions. He stood up and took the tray from her hands, setting it down on the table between the two couches and sat down again. Mimi settled herself on the couch across him, instead of sitting next to him.
Yamato was a little disappointed but he tried his best to not let it show on his face as he glanced at her, she was already selecting the songs on the tablet so her attention was focused on that but he could feel her being a little wary of him. Maybe his total silence up until now and frigidness when she was helping him had sent her a wrong message. It wasn't that he wanted her to stay away or maintain some distance between, he had just been taken by surprise, but now he could confidently say that he didn't mind the lack of space of between them at all. He wouldn't be able to bridge the gap by keeping quiet and just expecting Mimi to take initiative every time, he thought, and decided that by the end of the day, he'd make sure that there would be no avoiding eye-contact or feeling nervous between them from now on.
"Can I ask you something?" Yamato cleared his throat, settling his gaze on Mimi.
She looked up from the tablet, nodding with a smile.
"Why are you on a first name basis with a karaoke employee?"
Mimi huffed in annoyance at his question, the smile evaporating into a frown. She started toying
with a lock of her hair and in a meek voice, she answered, "I come here quiet often..."
"Quiet often?" he smirked in reply.
"Fine! Almost every week, satisfied?" she glowered at him, her face now slightly pink, she handed him a mic and the tab indicating that it was his turn to select the songs, daring him to continue this topic.
Yamato thought that it would be fun to provoke her a little more, but he wanted to have a good time and not spend the next two hours cowering in fear from her wrath. He took the tablet and mic from her, their hands touching for the slightest moment, instantly Mimi pulled back and turned her attention to the television screen.
"So you're okay with towel-drying my hair but our hands touch slightly and suddenly I'm the black plague."
He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but it just slipped out from his mouth and now he was pretty sure he had ruined everything. He had always been good at mapping out his actions, so why was it that when it came to Mimi, Yamato wondered, the maps seemed to turn upside-down in no time. He wanted to punch himself for being so careless, when he glanced at her he saw that she was looking down, having folded her hands in her lap she looked like she was searching for the right thing say. A wave of regret washed over Yamato, as he watched her.
He wanted to take back what he had said, he'd wanted to start making her feel comfortable around him and now the exact opposite had happened. But he couldn't help thinking it. When she'd decided to not sit next to him, when she pulled away her hand, it felt like she was running away from him and he didn't want that any more. He wanted her to run to him.
"I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundaries by-"
"No Mimi, that's not what I..." he interrupted her but couldn't himself find words to express what he was feeling. He scratched his head as he mulled over how exactly he was supposed to make her understand that he wanted them to get closer without sounding like a sexual predator.
"I understand if you were uncomfortable with what I did," Mimi muttered again, her expression dulled as her gaze remained lowered. The first song she had selected was now close to ending, he recognized the tune, from her ringtone. He didn't know the song that well, but he knew it was her favourite.
"I wasn't. I was happy that you tried to help," Yamato began, trying to speak as gently as he could, "And that you didn't just leave me outside to be ignored by that reception lady," he added, hoping to get her to smile and to his surprise and relief, it worked. She met his gaze, the dullness lifting from her face.
"I just don't want us to feel like we're walking on needles around each other..." Yamato said, hoping that this would convey everything he wanted her to understand a little simply. And it did, her face lit up immediately and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Me neither." Mimi smiled brightly, it looked like she had been thinking the same thing and she seemed relieved that he'd voiced her concern out. She settled back into her couch a little more comfortably, and picked up the mic she had set down earlier.
The second song was already midway and Yamato felt a little guilty about robbing Mimi of her favourite past-time. He watched as she contemplated starting the song from the middle but then concluded that she would start from the next one. Yamato passed her the tablet, since he had been singing all day, he wasn't in the mood to do it right now. As Mimi picked up one of the soda glasses to take a big gulp, Yamato remembered that he hadn't asked her about who else was joining them.
"Who else is coming?" he asked, wondering if they'll even be able to make it with the rain coming down so hard. Hoping that they don't so he gets to have Mimi to himself for a little while longer.
Mimi looked confused by his question, she scrunched up her eyebrows trying to make sense of it, so Yamato pointed towards the extra glasses, picking up his own cup of coffee, which had gotten slightly cold now.
She looked at the glasses and finally realizing what he was talking about, shook her head lightly, "Oh, those are for me too," she said, "You know, it's so tiring to sing continuously and then it's such a pain to get up and go refresh my drink every half an hour. So I just bring extra glasses in the beginning and then I don't have to get up again and again." she stated, as if it was the most obvious conclusion.
Yamato blinked a few times as he followed what she was saying, and then quickly set down his coffee to burst into laughter.
She was unbelievable.
"It's not funny, I'm sure everyone does that!" Mimi flushed, her face turning scarlet as he continued laughing.
"Pretty sure no one does that." Yamato snickered, he gestured towards the screen and added, "Your song's about to start,"
She scowled at him and then turned around, closing her eyes and holding the mic up, she began singing. He spent the rest of their time there watching her and listening to her. Mimi sang like no one was watching, like she was all alone in the world and the only thing making her happy was the music, and it was beautiful. Yamato had gone for karaoke with Mimi before, but then they'd been surrounded by their friends. He knew she could sing well, but he'd never heard her sing solo, it was always in a group or duet, which is why it never affected him much.
But right now, he swore he could listen to her all day, every day for the rest of his life. She hit all the high notes perfectly, never going off-tune, but also attempted to sing the back-up vocals at the same time which made Yamato laugh. She remembered the lyrics of all the songs she had selected, didn't even need to look at the screen even once. She kept her eyes closed most of the time, a smile or a grin on her face, occasionally she'd open her eyes and meet his gaze, sing to him. In those moments, his heartbeat would get faster and he'd feel every inch of his body wanting to get closer to her. Then she would look away and close her eyes, cheeks slightly pink, smile wider than ever. And he'd take a sip of his coffee and calm himself down.
Throughout the day, he'd been lost and confused over the new song, he couldn't find the tune or the words.
Then, he met Mimi.
She stood so close to him, on her toes, their faces centimetres apart, and she smiled.
And then the song was right in front of him, the melody was ringing in his ears. He wasn't meant to write this song for himself, it was meant for her. He was falling for her, and falling hard.
-x-
A/N: I don't even know what I wrote in this chapter. I had meant to continue from theTaichi and Sora part but I realized that they were the ones sending me into a block, so I focused on my top bitches instead. Reviews are always appreciated, no guarantees on the next update date though.