Paradigm Shift
Chapter 14: One Step Forward

Tai's initial reaction had been typical.

Matt had come home to his flat with mixed feelings about the night before. His head throbbing from a headache, he was met with Tai physically assaulting him, grin practically ripping his face, hands clutching Matt's shoulders as he shook him fiercely.

"Shut the fuck up! You did not have sex with Mimi!"

He hated Tai's obnoxiously loud voice. With a passion, he hated it. He wondered how he knew. Mimi had probably told Sora, but considering he had left her place barely an hour ago, it meant she must have spilled the beans immediately. He didn't love that.

"How did you even do it?" he continued to pester.

"It's eight in the morning. Could you pipe down?"

Tai, ever annoyingly the morning person, did the opposite. "I can't believe you told me you'd be fixing your wall or whatever the hell you said, and instead you went out with Mimi! You didn't have to lie to me. It's not like I would have followed you. I don't care that much about you." Tai's massive grin somehow got bigger. "In case you forgot, I totally got with her before you. Remind me if she's any good?"

Matt shoved him into the apartment, causing Tai to laugh hysterically as he stumbled inside. Matt hastily closed the door, even though he didn't think his neighbours were listening or even cared.

"Are you in love with her? Did you cry?"

"Fuck off, Tai."

"Stop being so shy about it. It's just me."

"I'm not being shy about it," Matt snapped, realising a second too late that he was feeding Tai's childishness by letting it affect him.

"You most definitely cried," Tai concluded victoriously. "That's three, Matt. I'm so proud and ashamed at the same time."

Fast-forward a month, and Tai's opinion was much different.

"Have you seen my keys?" Matt asked, entering the living room to solve the case of their mysterious disappearance.

Tai, who was peculiarly half-sitting, half-lying down on the couch, closed his laptop and sat up.

"There you are. Let's talk."

Matt glared at him with suspicion. "Where the hell are my keys, Tai? I'm late."

"I don't know where the hell your keys are. Don't blame me because you're irresponsible," Tai huffed. "Are you late to see Mimi?"

"Yeah," Matt answered distractedly, looking behind the couch.

"You sure are spending a lot of time with her."

Matt ignored him.

"Are you two dating or just fucking around?"

He pushed Tai's legs out of his way, checking beneath the couch.

"I mean do you actually like her, or do you just like the idea of her because you don't want to be alone?"

Matt looked up, glaring. Since when was Tai so curious about literally anything? "Give me my keys, you crazy person."

"I just don't think she's the kind of girl you usually like."

His bottom hit the floor. Tai had always been more stubborn than him, and he knew he wouldn't let anything go once his mind was set on it. "I've only been with one other person."

"Yes, but for over ten years."

"I think I know that a little more about that than you do, Tai," Matt said sarcastically.

"I'm just saying it hasn't been that long since—" He stopped himself to reword what he was going to say. "It's not the end of the world to be single for a minute."

"You're the one who introduced me to her," he pointed out.

"I know that, but I didn't think you'd actually fall for her. I didn't think you guys had anything in common."

He started to stand up again, feeling that he had already given Tai enough information.

"Well, we do, and just because you and Sora move at a snail's pace doesn't mean Mimi and I have to."

"Watch it," Tai growled. He reached for something on the side table. "By the way, you don't mind if I bin this, do you? I've always kind of hated it."

Matt felt his face grow hot with anger as Tai threw a small clock in the air before catching it, then positioned his arms to throw it into the bin.

"Do you reckon I'll make it?"

"Give me that," Matt demanded, snatching it from Tai's hand. The clock was a replica of the astronomical clock in Strasbourg, France, a novelty gift from Megumi during her travels. It was something Tai would have never thought once to keep or bin without an ulterior motive.

"Why are you keeping it? It's garbage. It doesn't even work."

"It still works. It just needs a new battery," he explained, looking away when Tai raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, I have a box so you don't have to keep looking at it."

As he fumbled to open the compartment to dispose of the dead battery, he could feel Tai's gaze on him. He was good at ignoring Tai, so he made every effort not to notice, his undivided attention at the clock.

"You're fucking mental," Tai said finally.

He looked up, glaring too, tired of being judged. "What's so mental about preserving a memory?"

"It's a shitty memory from your shitty ex-girlfriend, that's why."

"I threw almost everything else away," Matt reminded him, a decision during a spout of anger that he now regretted. Strasbourg had been one of Megumi's favourite places on Earth. With his distant roots in France, he had promised he'd go back with her one day. It was a promise they had never fulfilled.

"So throw that away too," Tai said matter-of-factly.

It was a dialogue of the deaf. Matt knew Tai would never understand.

"If you don't give me my keys right now, I swear to God I'll—"

The doorbell cut him off, effectively ending their conversation. Tai got up to answer it, reaching into his pocket and throwing Matt's keys at him.

Sora was at the door. Matt greeted her quickly before rushing out.

He ran to the elevator, fervently pressing the button to the lift with impatience. He looked down at the model clock still in his hand. Unable to trust Tai, he'd put it in his car for now and store it away later.

He knew what Tai was trying to pull, off to play the hero where he was the damsel in distress. He couldn't be more wrong. Mimi brought a welcome change in his life, and it was because of her that he had finally grown disillusioned to his past idea of Megumi. Mimi was showing him a new side of life that he never had before.

He was happy, but it didn't mean he had to let go of everything. It was just a souvenir, and just because he didn't want to throw it away didn't mean he was still in love with her.

"He's nicer to me now," Sora pointed out as she shut the door and locked it. "He speaks to me and everything."

"He's nicer to everyone now," Tai corrected. He slumped back down on the couch. "I guess he really is just the kind of guy who always needs to be with someone. How draining. I'd sooner kill myself."

She hit the side of his head as she sat beside him. "Excuse you, are you forgetting you're in a relationship? What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you're beautiful."

She hit him again. Tai looked down at the laptop on the coffee table, wanting to plug in the battery in case the power ran out and he lost all his effort, but he didn't want Sora to know he had been working.

That, and she was leaning against his arm, clutching it excitedly.

"So? Did you ask him? What did he say?"

He was thinking about spring, when the weather would warm up and there would be little blocking his view of down her shirt. Currently, maroon wool was acting as an infuriatingly opaque barrier.

She slapped his arm. "Tai, this is bigger than your little sexual frustration!"

"Sora," he said seriously, "I don't think you understand. Nothing in this universe, including the universe, is bigger than that right now."

He had once made her cry with this sort of insensitivity, but they had since moved on, on occasion referring to it in joking terms, mostly from him. She didn't appear to mind as long as he too wasn't being serious.

"Tai, just tell me!"

She shook his arm in an attempt to steer the conversation the way she wanted. He groaned. One of the downsides to Sora and Mimi's friendship, aside from their actual friendship, was that they seemed to tell each other everything.

"Tai, focus!"

He sighed. "It's nothing interesting. He said they have a lot in common."

He had failed. Sora had set him out on a mission to gain inside knowledge of Matt's emotions. Instead, he had used his opportunity to call Matt out. It stunned him that neither Matt nor Sora could see that Mimi was being used as a rebound relationship. She had been the first person to slip through his wall of unavailability, but it could have just as well been the girl before or after.

Matt didn't like her. He was just tired of being miserable and had found her in the midst of his romantic desperation.

"See! I knew it!" Sora exclaimed, satisfied with his answer. "Mimi is being so silly. She's used to men throwing themselves at her, so she gets all worked up about Matt because he isn't like that. I keep telling her it's his personality, but she thinks something's wrong with her. Can't you give him a hint or something?"

"I don't know," Tai mumbled. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm leaning more on her side. I'm still wary."

"Stop being so pessimistic," Sora scolded him immediately. "Just because he was in a long relationship doesn't mean he can't move on."

"I know that, but Matt and Meg are different."

She frowned. "Every couple thinks they're different, but people break up and move on with their lives."

His opinion remained unchanged, but he chose to stop for the sake of not getting into a petty argument. He could tell she was getting sensitive, so he flipped on the telly. "So… want to play video games?"

This only managed to change her source of irritation, but he was saved from her scolding when his mobile began to buzz, "Kari Takaishi" lighting up the screen. The name change had been her doing. When she noticed he hadn't changed her surname in his phone, she took the initiative, but he didn't like it. Even though it had been nearly two years now, he was still not used to it. Kamiya was a great last name.

"It's my sister," Tai explained, using that as an excuse as to why he had to pick up right before she would nag. He hit accept and held the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Tai!" Kari squealed happily. She always sounded so astonished when he answered, even though he made it a point to never miss a call from her. "Are you home?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"We're in Shibuya. Do you want to get lunch with us?"

Sora, who was seated so close to him that they touched, looked up. He started to lower the volume on his phone.

"Er, I don't think I can."

Sora started to tug at his shirt. "Why not? We haven't eaten."

"Who's that?" Kari asked from the other line. Without letting him answer, she started to beg. "We haven't seen you since Christmas, and we thought since you live here, you can give us recommendations."

"I can text you some places," Tai countered, putting on his pitying voice. "Today isn't any good for me. What about tomorrow? I can go to Odaiba—"

Sora was getting closer to him. "Tai—"

"—or we can do something tonight," he finished, turning his head to the side.

He could almost see the pout that was inevitably on Kari's face.

"Well, we're just going to stop by to say hi then," she negotiated. "Mum wanted us to drop off food."

"Why doesn't Mum think I can fend for myself? I've been out of the house for nearly a decade," Tai grumbled.

She giggled. "We'll be there soon, okay?"

He didn't answer right away. He wanted to make an excuse but didn't know how he could with Sora practically on top of him.

"Let her come," Sora answered for him, backing up so they weren't so close anymore. "If you want me to stay out of sight, I can."

He put a hand to the receiver. "No, that's not it."

She stood up, walking towards the kitchen. "It's fine, Tai. I get it."

He shouldn't have made it so obvious. It was an honest fact that he didn't want Sora to meet his sister. It meant Kari would tell his mother, and then his mother would never leave him alone.

That being said, he could see the future in which Sora would hate him for it.

He held the phone back to his ear.

"Hello? Tai? Are you there?"

"Fine, come over, but just so you know, I have a guest," Tai said nonchalantly, speaking lowly in case Sora was trying to eavesdrop. "And tell TK his brother is out."

Kari didn't pry, so they hung up, she promising to be there quickly. He took a deep breath, then went to the kitchen where Sora was standing with a glass of water to her mouth.

"My sister is coming over," Tai announced, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Do you want me to leave?" Sora asked resentfully.

"Why would I want you to leave?" Tai asked, acting surprised by the question. "Don't you want to meet my family?"

She must have also known that he originally hadn't wanted to, but it was forgotten with his words. Her face lit up, eyes shining as she smiled. It disappeared almost instantly.

"If you don't want me to…" she trailed off.

He didn't want her to. He felt like his worlds were colliding, which he was usually fine with. He was always first to introduce acquaintances to his family, friends and colleagues, but with her it felt intrusive.

It was a ridiculous thought, yet one that gnawed at him. He could admit he had been noncommittal at best in the past, so the thought of having someone cross all boundaries within his life petrified him.

Yet, not wanting her to get cross with him once again, he insisted the opposite.

They were there within twenty extremely short minutes. Kari was extraordinarily gifted when it came to suppressing her emotions for the sake of being polite, but even she couldn't fully hide her shock when her eyes fell on Sora.

"Oh, hello," she greeted, staring with her large eyes.

"Hi, I'm Sora," she greeted cheerily, stepping up to greet them. "I've heard so much about you two from Tai."

"This is my girlfriend," Tai clarified, even though it was obvious. "Sora, this is Kari, my sister. TK, her husband. Matt's brother."

Sora turned from Kari to TK, who looked less surprised. "You two look so alike."

TK recovered before Kari, greeting Sora pleasantly, then lightly nudging Kari to do the same. TK took his and Kari's coats, hanging them neatly into the cloakroom. Raised by his mother, Tai noticed he was much tidier than his brother.

TK took a large wrapped box and handed it to Tai. "This is from your mother."

Tai took the package to the kitchen, momentarily forgetting that he had left Sora with TK and Kari and immediately regretting it. He rushed back and saw that Sora was rubbing Kari's bulging belly.

"Just one more month to go," Kari was telling her.

"You must be over the moon! Congratulations to you both!"

"We're elated," Kari said, beaming at her husband.

Kari always spoke as "we" instead of "I." It used to bother Tai, as it was as if somewhere along the way she and TK had become one entity. As happy as they were, he couldn't imagine always being part of a brand that turned into something bigger than his own self.

"So how long have you and Tai been dating?" Kari asked her, glancing at Tai from the corner of her eye.

"Around five months now?" Sora guessed, looking at him for confirmation.

He wasn't sure, but it sounded right, so he nodded in agreement.

"How lovely!" Kari exclaimed. "You should have come to our parents' place for Christmas. I know they would have loved to meet you."

He wished Kari could telepathically read his mind, and currently his mind was telling her to be quiet.

"Maybe next Christmas," Sora said with a warm smile.

"You must come by sooner," Kari continued. "We're just in Odaiba, so it isn't that far away."

Sora turned to Tai. "Well, if he's ever up for it, I'd be more than happy to go."

"We'll plan something," Kari decided, grabbing Sora's hands. "Oh, I'm just so delighted for you both!"

His discomfort was surpassed only by his grief.

They started to discuss the upcoming trip to Odaiba between the two of them, much to Tai's disorientation. Kari, with her soft voice that barely carried, was deafening him with each word uttered. He felt himself on the precipice of passing out.

"Let's not get carried away…" he tried to say, but they weren't listening.

TK, who had been mostly quiet, edged towards him.

"Where's Matt?" TK asked.

Tai pried himself away from the stressful conversation between the girls to his brother-in-law. "He's out with his new girlfriend."

TK raised an eyebrow, this piece of news obviously new to him. "Is he?"

"Sora's friend, so be careful," Tai muttered lowly. "But yeah, he's seeing someone."

TK remained silent, until Kari came up to him giddily. Sora too reached for Tai's arm.

"Am I torturing you?" Sora asked him softly with a mischievous grin.

"No, why would you say that?" Tai answered with a grin of his own, albeit a forced one. He wanted to change the subject quickly so turned to his sister. "You said you guys haven't eaten, right? Let's get lunch. My treat."

Kari linked an arm with Sora. "Great idea! I want to hear all the details about you two."

Mimi took him to the last place Megumi would have ever wanted to go.

Even though he thought it was kind of cheesy, Mimi wanted to attend couple cooking classes. He had been embarrassed to even walk into the place, but he had agreed because he could tell she had really wanted it.

She told him that she used to be a terrible cook but after being forced to learn in uni, she fell in love with it. He warned her that he was only doing this now because they were still technically in a new relationship, but he wouldn't be as forgiving in the future. She quipped that she would make him do everything she wanted until then.

"We can buy matching aprons," Mimi said, pointing to the shop just outside the lessons area. It sold the latest cookware and, apparently, what to wear when using them.

"I already have an apron."

She tore her gaze from the clothing to his face, looking surprised. "Really? I've never seen it. What does it look like?"

"It's pink."

She broke into a fit of high-pitched giggles, clinging to his shoulder. "I would pay money to see you in that. Did you buy it because pink is my favourite colour?"

"No, I've had it for years."

Recently, Mimi told him to expand on his responses, disgruntled that they were usually so short. She lowered herself from his shoulders, likely unsatisfied again. Anxious that she might be annoyed with him, he linked his fingers with hers as he explained further.

"It was my mum's. She kind of forgot about it, so I took it because I needed one."

"Hm, that's kind of weird." She stuck her tongue out at him, making him realise that his edginess was for no reason. "You aren't one of those guys who is obsessed with his mother, are you?"

"No. I'm not close with her at all."

She frowned. "That's no good either. Be nice to her. She raised you, mister."

He didn't say anything to that. He had already mentioned that his parents were separated. She must have forgotten, but he didn't mind, as long as she wasn't offended by his brief answers earlier.

He knew he was falling for her quickly.

She was nothing like Megumi, who was more similar to him in personality. Mimi was spontaneous, fun, and passionate, yet there was a mystery to her that he hadn't yet seen.

Now that Tai had pointed it out to him, he couldn't help but wonder whether they actually shared much in common. He wasn't even sure if he knew her. He knew things that made up the outer layer of her, sure, but none of the depth, not life things.

It was perfectly normal. He had only known her a month, so it was natural that they were still in the beginning stages where they were getting to know each other.

After thirteen years, he thought he had done everything imaginable that two people could do, but in just a few short weeks, Mimi dispelled that conviction. She was so different from Megumi that even the most minute things were new to him.

Even now, this cooking class was something he would have never imagined. Megumi was not a terrible cook but a non-existent one, having never learned nor had the desire to learn. Had it not been for him, he was sure her entire diet would be made of readily made meals. That was probably how she was surviving in England right now.

"Matt, try it."

He looked down to see Mimi sticking a finger to his face, laced with the batter that they had made together. He flushed, moving it back down as he looked to see if anyone in the class had seen.

She stuck her finger in her mouth instead, licking off the concoction herself. "Who cares?"

Megumi had rarely partaken in anything too coupley. The most PDA she ever allowed him was the quickest of pecks when nobody was watching or the occasional snog when she was drunk. Mimi kissed him everywhere, and he found it was usually he who had to draw a line when they were being too cringey.

Their differences were endless.

Megumi was a homebody who rarely went out, socialising with new people being a chore for her. Mimi, on the other hand, carefree and free-spirited, thrived in any social situation and often relied on spur-of-the-moment decisions over planned ones.

It wasn't to say Megumi was as reserved as he was. Once she opened up, she became full of wit, even though her sarcastic sense of humour was so different from his that he rarely laughed. She had never been bothered, saying it spawned from his complete lack of one. Mimi too did not make him laugh with her jokes, but she did make him laugh by being herself. Perhaps it was because she was so cheery, but things he did not funny with other people, he thought were funny with her. Mimi was the only person who had ever told him that he laughed too much, notwithstanding that it was always at her.

Another trait of Mimi's he admired was that she pursued her passions. She told him she always knew she would go into fashion, but now that she was in it, she decided she only loved it as a hobby and not as a profession. She was currently putting efforts into cooking, having successfully completed her course at Le Cordon Bleu Tokyo, though she was always looking for ways to polish her skills.

Megumi's biggest talent was her beautiful singing voice, but having refused to go into anything so unpredictable, she let it go to waste. Given the certainty of stability and the chance for happiness, she always chose stability. That sort of mentality had seeped to him too. He wished he could turn back time and reverse decisions he had made because of it.

"Let's go to the theme park soon," Mimi said suddenly. They were waiting for dessert, their final course, to finish, and he hadn't been talking as it baked. He noticed his tendency to be silent also bothered her sometimes.

"A theme park?" he repeated. He hadn't been to one of those in years. They were for children. "Can you ride roller coasters?"

Mimi looked at him strangely, caught off guard by the seemingly random question. "Kind of. I can ride them, but they're scary. Why?"

"My ex hated roller coasters," he answered, just as she guessed, "Your ex can't ride them."

She sighed, then turned to stick her finger back into the batter. A little stunned by her response, he merely stared at her, waiting for her to face him again, which she eventually did when he did not speak.

"Are you sure you're over her, Matt?"

"Of course I am," he answered defiantly. "I'm dating you now, Mimi."

"I want to believe you."

"You mean you don't?" he challenged, offended.

"I want to believe you," she repeated, not making note of his change in attitude. "It's just that you talk about her a lot."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is. You talk about her all the time. Even today, you said your ex would never ask you to take cooking classes, that she can't cook, that she never learned, that she doesn't want to, that you always had to cook for her."

He hadn't realised it. He couldn't believe he had not had the common sense to stop himself.

She winced, stroking his arm but not appearing angry. "See? I know everything about her, and I've never met her. I don't even know her name."

"Her name is—"

"I don't want to know it either," she said, interrupting him with a light squeeze of his forearm. "She's in the past now, right?"

He lowered his head. "Right. I'm sorry."

"I'm not jealous," Mimi clarified. "It's just, you can tone it down. I don't need to know how I compare to her in every single way, Matt."

"I am over her," he told her defiantly.

"I know you are," she said, kissing him to tell him she was fine. "That's the only reason I'm not jealous."

She stuck the batter at him again. This time, he tried it, using a spoon. He overcompensated for his senselessness by exaggerating how delicious it was, which she didn't seem to notice.

Poison.

Megumi was a poison that found a way to seep into every crevice of his existence, whose antidote he failed to find much less administer.

He was angry at himself for still thinking of her. He had thought that since he started seeing Mimi, he hadn't thought of her, but he had just been told otherwise. Evidently, he still thought about her as much as ever, only now as a comparison to Mimi.

He felt horrible, disgusting even.

As he stared into the oven, watching the orange soufflé rise in their ramekins, he tried to convince himself it was because he couldn't believe how perfect he thought Megumi was when there were better girls like Mimi out here. He thought of how restricted he had been in his previous relationship compared to the liberty of this one, trying to force himself to believe it but knowing it wasn't true.

Despite how wonderful Mimi was and how happy she finally made him, he had never been unhappy with Megumi.

She said something. He had gone too long without saying something yet again.

He thought he would hate this, but as Sora and Kari got progressively personal with their stories, he found he was actually okay with the two of them were getting along so well. Granted, Kari got along with everyone, but it was still nice to see Sora get his sister's stamp of approval.

The two girls had been doing most of the talking, while he and TK were more listening and eating. In fact, it was almost like the two of them weren't there, until Sora finally turned to face TK, who sat diagonally from her.

"You and Matt seem quite similar," she noted.

"We can be," TK agreed.

Tai disagreed. He would have stopped the wedding if Kari had chosen someone similar to Matt.

"TK is much more of a normal human being," Tai said loudly. "Matt is high-maintenance, just like his girlfriend."

Sora hit him. "Tai, Mimi's our friend."

He wanted to correct her to say that she was her friend, not his, but he didn't.

"I didn't know he was dating someone," TK stated.

"Why don't you guys tell us anything anymore?" Kari whinged, turning to Tai. "You didn't mention anything about Sora either."

"You guys are too busy being so pregnant," Tai muttered as an excuse.

"I'm not pregnant," TK corrected. "Kari's doing all the work."

Kari petted his stomach affectionately. "No, but you've been the best ever. I couldn't ask for anything more."

"Kill me," Tai grumbled, reaching for the last roll in the breadbasket.

TK and Kari, for as busy as they were being the world's greatest couple, were immensely private and rarely showed romance in public. Tai greatly appreciated this, but even they could slip from time to time.

Sora shushed him, then turned to them, who had already separated. "I think you two are so sweet. I wish Tai were half as romantic as you."

"I'm literally right here," Tai pointed out. Sora smirked at him.

Kari giggled. "Well, I can't say anything about how romantic he can be, and I know I'm biased, but Tai is such an amazing person."

"Is that a fact? I'll have to pry you for details later, see how I compare to his exes." Sora winked at her. "I imagine I have a lot to live up to."

Kari's mouth made an o-shape. "But Tai never brings girls home. My brother isn't like that. You must be really special."

Sora looked pleasantly surprised, and he beamed silently at his sister. She was always so good at putting him in a good light. He could literally murder someone in the most horrific way in front of her face, and she would still find a way to justify him.

He seized the opportunity.

"I told you," Tai emphasised to Sora. "Do you see how your preconceived notions of me have created this utterly unfit image? Tell her, Kar."

"I apologise," Sora mocked back, stealing a piece of his bread from his hand and popping it in her mouth.

Kari giggled, then excused herself to use the toilet. Sora offered to go with her, leaving him alone with his brother-in-law. He took the opportunity to change the topic immediately.

"I've never seen you two fight."

He had never taken notice of this before, but now that he was with Sora, it did strike him as a disconcerting fact. From teenagers to now, he had never seen his sister less than pleased with TK. How did they do it? Was TK that much of a professional boyfriend? Was Sora pickier than Kari? It felt strange to ask his sister, but he didn't mind asking TK. As Kari's significant other for the past decade, he was very much a part of their family.

TK shrugged in response.

"Are you two even real? I feel like you've gone ten years without ever getting into a row. I don't get it."

TK turned his shoulder, likely to make sure Kari was out of earshot. "I don't know what gave you that idea. We definitely fight."

Tai narrowed his eyes. "Why are you fighting with my sister?"

"It's rare," TK corrected himself, "but it's not like we've never gotten into an argument. She's been more emotional lately too. Believe me, we fight."

"You better be losing all of those."

Tai could remember when he had first sat TK down all those years ago. The first words out of his mouth had been, "What makes you think you're good enough for my sister?" TK had been so scared that his usual eloquence had been reduced to unintelligible stutter.

Since then, TK had grown so used to Tai's blind threats that they no longer affected him.

"Why, do you guys fight a lot?" TK asked knowingly.

"No," Tai answered instantly. It was almost true. They had gone a month without a single argument, which he thought was good for the two of them, but with so much unsaid between them, he also thought there were growing frustrations as he couldn't deny they had fought a lot in the beginning.

"So Matt has a girlfriend?" TK changed the subject too, obviously wanting to have asked that earlier but never finding the right timing. Knowing his time was limited until the women came back, he settled on just being frank.

"Don't you talk to him often?" Tai asked.

"Yes, but he hasn't mentioned anyone new." TK raised an eyebrow. "What's with you two and having secret girlfriends?"

He ignored the question, opting to give information on Matt instead. "They just recently started seeing each other. She's this horrible friend of Sora's. I don't like her, but I guess he does." He stopped to correct himself. "Actually, I don't like the way she is, but I like the way she looks. Maybe that's why he likes her too."

"What about Megumi?"

"I guess he thinks he's over her," Tai said with a shrug. "I think he's being rash."

"That's rich coming from you," TK said with a grin.

"I know," Tai agreed, unable to hide his own.

TK slumped in his chair, his tall frame falling below Tai's height. "I guess I'm happy for him…"

"It's unhealthy," Tai said for him, "but this is the first time I've seen him being a somewhat normal human being again, so I'm going to leave him alone for now." Tai nodded into the distance, indicating to him that the women were returning.

"TK, sit up straight," Kari said as she sat down, patting his back until he wasn't slouching anymore. "What were you guys talking about?"

"You," Tai answered, knowing TK was quite bad at lying and not wanting Sora to know they were talking about arguing or his flatmate. It was only a white lie.

"How funny. We were talking about you," Sora told him.

"Did you know Sora's never been to Odaiba?" Kari asked. "I was thinking maybe if you guys come to Odaiba tomorrow, Sora can meet our parents."

Tai leaned back in his chair so Sora couldn't see him, then desperately tried to signal to his sister by pretending to cut his throat.

"Oh," Kari gasped suddenly, stopping herself, but it was too late.

"Shall we?" Sora asked with the same excitement, turning to Tai hopefully.

He froze.

"I, er… tomorrow…?"

TK, surely feeling the encroaching uncomfortable atmosphere, promptly asked for the bill.

Sora and Kari hugged for a long time, gushing over how they must do a girls night together and that they would see each other "very soon." Phone numbers were exchanged, and the pairs finally separated.

Sora looked to be in a good mood as she typed away on her mobile, he peeking over her shoulder to try to see to whom. The sun's glare prevented him from doing so.

"I'm obsessed with your sister," Sora said as she dropped her mobile into her handbag, reaching for his arm to hold onto. "They're so sweet, aren't they? What a dream."

"Yeah."

"TK's surname is different from Matt's," Sora noted.

"Divorced."

"Ahhhh." Sora nodded, stretching the syllable pensively.

She intertwined her fingers with his, squeezing gently as she rested her head to his shoulder. Never one to act like this in public, he was surprised. While he was the one who didn't like to speak of their relationship to close ones, she was the one who didn't like to show off to strangers.

"Thank you for introducing me," she murmured, swinging his hand a little as they walked.

He had never seen her so affectionate, and it was then he realised what he had done.

He had thought by seeing her so often, they had been making progress into their relationship. It hit him then that what he had been trying so hard to avoid—incorporating her into his world outside of just the two of them—was what she actually wanted.

In the time they had been together, he had never introduced her to anyone important in his life aside from Matt. Even then, that had been an inevitability that he dragged out for as long as possible. He supposed a person was beyond just his sole being. There were the people, places, and events that helped shape him, most important being his family.

"You should meet my parents too," he said carefully. "My mum is fussy as all hell, but she and my dad are both great people."

"Slow down," she said, giving him a nudge. "You don't have to pretend you want me to meet them for my sake."

"Tomorrow is out of the question," he admitted, shooting down Kari's proposal, making a mental note to text her to keep quiet from their mother for the time being, "but soon."

Her face lit up brightly, reaching up to kiss him in the middle of the street.

"Are you going to freak out if I ask you to meet my parents too?" she asked as she pulled back. "Even though you refuse to tell anyone about us, I've told them, and they keep asking to meet you."

"You mean go to Kyoto?" he asked, pretending he hadn't heard the second half of what she said. It was difficult not to feel bad, knowing that the entire time he hadn't said anything to his family, she already had to hers.

"I was thinking of visiting them around my birthday next month. It's only if you want to, but you're welcome to come along."

"Sounds fun," he agreed, "but as a warning, your parents will love me."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know. They're pretty conservative."

"Is that why you're such a prude?"

She ignored him. "It's like we're an actual serious couple now."

"If we were serious, you'd sleep with me."

She frowned, pushing him away from her. "I can't believe you're comparing sex to meeting each other's families. What's wrong with you?"

"Deprivation is what's wrong with me."

"Tai, you were doing so well—so well—until just now."

He reached out for her, forcefully bringing her beneath her arm again. "All right. I'll stop. You'll go to Odaiba, I'll go to Kyoto. We'll be the most serious couple of all time. Matt and TK be damned."

She, who had been squirming to be released from his hold, suddenly stopped and looked at him with curiosity.

"You think Matt and Mimi are that serious?"

He blinked, realising she had misunderstood him, which was probably for the better.

"Well, they sleep together, so…"

She pushed him away again, immediately telling him off for his immaturity.

Even though it meant he had to listen to her nag at him for ten straight minutes, he knew she wasn't truly angry.

It was a small sacrifice to make for his slip, as he had actually meant Matt and Megumi.

04 October 2015

This one was a bit rushed to be uploaded, but your reviews were so kind that I wanted to put another chapter up relatively quickly. Thank you, everyone!