I apologise for the wait. I had to write this twice because the original file got corrupted just as I was preparing to upload it. (Argh!) I'm not as happy with it the second time around, but I decided to just upload it rather than agonise over getting it back to its original state. I apologise for being so lazy, but honestly I'm just sick of looking at it!

Paradigm Shift
Chapter 23: Transgression

Tai stared out the window as he approached Tokyo, watching the familiar panorama unfold as he got closer to his city. He rarely got lost in his own thoughts, but now that he had decided to leave his company, he had begun to take in all of the benefits that would go with it.

So far, his day had consisted of him waking up in a suite at the Shangri-La in Hong Kong, riding business class on JAL back to Japan, and taking a private cab from Narita back to Tokyo.

Despite it being the weekend and not having worked all day, he was in a suit as per company policy. It had been custom-made to his exact measurements by hired tailors to fit the managers, and half of his wardrobe was full of these expensive, one-of-a-kind suits that he interchanged for work but didn't actually need.

Before this company, he had had one suit—a graduation gift from his parents—and would have never dreamt of taking a cab from the airport. Even now, these were luxuries he would never dare spend his own money on, yet as he signed the receipt of his five-figure yen bill and put his company card back in his wallet, he realised they were also all perks he had come to expect. In the future, he'd probably have to take the bus or train like anyone else.

It was fine. Since when did he need or care about such things?

He walked into his apartment lobby, suitcase in hand. It was a sight he had grown used to, though he remembered being impressed with it in the beginning. The apartment complex was a new build with a spacious lobby and gold-themed décor.

In the lobby were ornate couches that were more decorative than functional, glass coffee tables between them that looked too pristine to touch. In the years Tai had lived there, he had never seen a single person lounging in that area.

To the side were the day's newspapers from various publications around the world. He always meant to take advantage of these, but he never did. The newspapers were bound by heavy golden scrolls and would require him to sit on said couches to read any of them.

Staff were on hand for what seemed to be singular tasks that could have been spread more efficiently between fewer people. Two suited personnel were behind the enormous marble reception desk to sign guests in, multiple security guards stood by inconspicuously despite how safe his neighbourhood was, and porters waited patiently by the lifts to heed to residents' needs. As far as Tai could tell, their primary role seemed to be pushing lift buttons, something he had felt uncomfortable about in the beginning for the sheer absurdity of it all, though he had since grown used to it. He bowed slightly as the porter pressed the button for the 16th floor for him.

He and Matt could afford to live here because he paid for the majority of their rent, but once he switched jobs, they'd probably have to move out.

He and Matt had often complained that their place was too stuffy and unlike them anyway. He had chosen the place also for its location and amenities, but he could probably find somewhere even more convenient, and the only amenity he really used anyway was the gym. He was always saying they were missing equipment anyway. He wouldn't miss it, he told himself.

He pushed opened the door to his flat and rolled his suitcase inside. His plan was to quickly wash and change before going to see Sora. He had semi-expected her to surprise him at the airport, and he was semi-disappointed when she had not. He sent her another text to tell her he was going to go over. It remained unanswered, right under the messages where he had told her he was taking off and had landed.

"I'm home," he called out.

Matt heeded no response, but Tai could hear the TV and headed for the sitting room, froze when he saw who was on their couch.

He had grown used to the sight of Matt and Mimi being all over each other every time he came home, but in Mimi's place was a once-familiar sight that he had now grown too unaccustomed.

"Hi Taichi," Megumi greeted him with a smile. She had a habit of calling him by his full name, probably a residual effect from calling Matt by his. He had never minded it before, but suddenly it sparked a nerve.

She walked over to him to give him a friendly hug. It had once been a common greeting between the two of them, but Tai didn't return it.

"What the fuck?" Tai reacted bluntly instead, turning to Matt.

Megumi, alarmed, separated herself from Tai's body, then she sauntered back to Matt's side. Matt, who still hadn't spoken, glared at his flatmate hatefully. He had expected Tai to have some sort of snarky backhanded comment, but he had also expected some level of tact.

"Megumi moved back to Japan while you were gone," he told him, skipping all details. "We're back together now."

He and Tai were both yellers. They tended to raise their voices quickly once tested, but even Tai was rendered speechless. He didn't really need to say anything though, for his emotions were written on his face, his tan face that rarely showed additional colour inflamed with anger.

"What about Mimi?" was the next comment he had.

"We broke up," Matt said as calmly as possible, though inside he too was fuming. Megumi was right there. Was it so difficult for Tai to have some consideration?

"So you dumped her for Meg the second she got back?" Tai rephrased for him.

He could feel Megumi retreating further behind him as a function of Tai's aggression. Matt stood in front of her to block her view. "What's wrong with you? Why are you making it sound so cruel?"

"Cruel?" Tai repeated, almost condescendingly. "I'm just reiterating what happened. You want to know what 'cruel' is? 'Cruel' is what she"—he looked pointedly at Megumi—"did to you, and for fuck's sake why are you taking her back?!"

He and Tai used to get into physical brawls when younger, though with adulthood they resorted more often to yelling at each other. However, he found himself stepping forward to shove him backwards upon hearing his words. "Back off, Tai."

Usually quick to retaliate, Tai only glared. "Why? I'm not wrong. The only thing I was wrong about is thinking you were finally progressing. She put you through you hell! She ruined your life! How have you forgotten about that?!"

"Tai, that's enough!" Matt yelled, louder than Tai.

"Fine," Tai huffed, lowering his voice to his usual volume. "But the next time she dumps you again, don't expect me to pick up the pieces." He looked at Megumi. "You have some nerve to show your face here."

Matt stepped forward to grab him, but he realised then that Megumi had at some point also taken a hold of him too. She had probably anticipated a fight and held him back. Tai stormed off to his room.

He turned to Megumi, who appeared stunned. His shirt had creased where her fist held onto him tightly.

He wanted to forget about Tai but found everything too uncalled for. He couldn't just let it go, so he told Megumi to wait and followed Tai to his room.

"What's your problem?" Matt hissed once he shut the door, lowering his voice so she wouldn't hear.

"My problem?" Tai snapped back, seemingly not caring about his own volume. "You're the one who needs to get his head checked. What the hell are you doing back together with Meg?"

"How can you say that when she's all I've ever wanted?"

Tai stared at him.

"What?" Matt asked irritably when he didn't say anything else.

"You're a goddamn joke, Matt. Even I'm tired of you."

Matt didn't understand Tai's reaction. "I wasn't asking for your opinion, and I don't need your approval either. Just mind your own business."

Tai looked annoyed. "Mind my own business? I was the one who had to take care of you for months!"

"Yeah, you were the one who really suffered," Matt shot back sarcastically.

"You're such a shit friend. Get out of my room. I'm going to Sora's."

"I know you took care of me, so you know how much I needed her," Matt tried to reason with him. "You know more than anyone else how much she means to me."

"Get the hell out of my room, Matt."

The physical clash Tai didn't return earlier came in the form of him grabbing Matt by the arm and forcefully pushing him out of his room. Before Matt could say anything back, Tai had already slammed the door in his face. He thought for a second to storm back in, but in the end he decided it wasn't worth it.

He didn't know what he would say to Megumi as we went back to the sitting room, but she must have already thought it through. Once back, she immediately paraphrased the scene he had just missed in their show. She pretended it was interesting, he pretended he cared, and then they both pretended nothing had happened.

Once washed and in more comfortable clothes, Tai took the gift he had brought Sora and left the flat, not bothering to look in Matt's or Megumi's direction. He still couldn't believe them.

His foul mood worsened when he ran into his neighbour, Urara, outside his front door. He pretended not to see her, but she tugged at his sleeve to stop him and nosily ask why she heard Matt yelling the other day. He was scary, she said, so she had been waiting to talk to Tai, since he was more approachable. By the way, could they meet for coffee sometime so he could check her CV to see whether it was strong enough for an entry-level position at his company?

He couldn't get away from that conversation soon enough.

Sora wasn't answering her phone, even though she knew he was returning today. This would usually not bother him, but he found himself growing aggravated with her too. When he arrived at her place, he skipped the lift and decided to take the stairs instead to let off some steam, going up two steps at a time.

Matt was such an idiot.

Sora answered the door, looking both excited and surprised to see him. He realised from her bright greeting that she didn't yet know the reason Mimi hadn't been answering her calls.

"Why haven't you been picking up your phone?" he asked irritably as she gave him a peck. He knew he was projecting his frustration on her, but she didn't seem to catch on.

"Oh, sorry. It's charging in the other room. I forgot you'd already be back."

"You forgot?"

"I mean I thought you were coming back later in the day," she clarified.

"Are you kidding me? I can't believe you forgot! It's like you don't even care—" He spotted the guest in Sora's sitting room from the doorway, and in an instant his annoyance disappeared. "What are you doing here?"

Kari was seated on Sora's couch, holding a cup of tea in her hands. She stood up as she saw Tai, giving him a soft smile. "Hi. You don't look very happy to see me."

He walked over to her to give her a hug hello, though he was still confused.

"Why are you here?"

"Because Sora invited me here," Kari replied calmly. "I was in the neighbourhood and rang her. We just had some tea, and she's showing me some sketches of the kimono she's designing for Mum and me. You didn't tell me she also knows ikebana! She's going to teach me. Isn't that fun?"

Kari spoke so little that he usually had to decipher the bigger meanings behind very few words, but this time he felt she had given him too much information to process at once.

"Is TK here too?" he asked instead, wondering if they were suddenly about to have a family reunion at his girlfriend's place.

"No, he's with his mother and Kouki. I was just stopping by for a little bit." Kari was staring at the bag Tai was holding. "Aw, is that a gift for Sora? That's so sweet!"

He abruptly hid the bag behind him, suddenly apologetic. "Don't worry, I got you and Mum something too. Tea and kimono, huh? Are you leaving soon? I need to talk to my girlfriend."

"Tai!" Sora cried. "You can't just kick people out of my home."

"She's my sister," he pointed out. "I can do what I want."

Kari giggled. "It's okay. I'll let you kick me out—because you two are so cute."

"Yeah, we're adorable. Now go."

"Okay, okay."

She was still giggling as she turned to gather her things. It took forever for her to leave, though it wasn't necessarily due to her speed. Sora gave her a gift bag to take home, along with some swatches to show her mother for the kimono. They discussed the next time they'd see each other, where it would be and what they would do. Tai sat on the couch, impatiently waiting, then waved goodbye as Kari finally walked out, emptily promising to visit home soon.

"Tai!" Sora hissed immediately upon shutting the door. "You are so rude! That's your sister!"

"My sister doesn't care." Tai stood up. He walked over to her and gave her a proper kiss hello. "Why aren't you excited to see me?"

"I am. I just wasn't going to do that in front of Kari."

He frowned. "You know, I've been back for hours. How is it you never checked in on me once during this time?"

"My phone is charging," she reminded him. "You know I don't like checking my phone when I'm with company. It's very rude."

"I think it's rude that you forgot I'd be back today," he grumbled.

"Why are you being so clingy?" she teased him.

"I'm not clingy. I just want you to admit you forgot about me, because that's what you did."

She laughed. "Maybe I forgot it'd be this morning… I thought you were coming back in the afternoon."

"It is the afternoon!"

She reached up to bring him down into a kiss. "Forgive me?"

He pulled away, trying not to smile but failing. "No."

He wanted her to beg for his forgiveness, but instead she shrugged and turned to walk away. He reached out to grab her arm and pulled her back to him. "Okay, I forgive you. Can't you pretend for a little while longer not to hurt my pride?"

She laughed at him, putting her arms around his neck. "You know what your problem is? You're too predictable."

"I prefer to think of it as reliable," he quipped. "I didn't know you and Kari were on terms where you casually invite her over for tea together."

She looked concerned for some reason. "Does it bother you?"

"Why would it bother me? I think it's nice." He sighed. "Though you know, she talks to my mum a lot, so probably my mum will start to invite herself too, and once she gets involved, then there will actually be nothing I can do."

Her concern disappeared, and she smiled. She reached for him again. "You've come a long way, Tai Kamiya."

He wasn't sure what that meant, but he didn't dwell on it, instead following her line of sight to the bag he had set down earlier. "Oh, that's for you."

Fujii was right. He had never seen Sora look so happy in his life. She thanked him, insisted she couldn't accept it, spent ages unwrapping it, modelled it for him as if he could tell how it was supposed to be styled, and then set it aside to kiss him on the couch.

Her tongue was in his mouth, and her legs were around his waist. She was in a flowy skirt now that they were into spring, revealing bare legs that pressed against his torso. He felt like he should take advantage of her rare mood, though he also knew he should probably disclose what had happened. She had been worrying for Mimi all week.

"Sora, I have to tell you something," he groaned, regretting it.

She looked instantly angry, sitting up on his legs. "What did you do."

He frowned, sitting up too so he'd be eye-level with her. "Why do you always assume I did something?"

"Because you always do!" she snapped. "Did you get me this bag because you did something wrong?"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." He frowned, unable to actually follow through with what he had just said. "I got it for you because I thought of you while I was in Hong Kong. Can I tell you something without you automatically assuming I messed up?"

She looked conflicted but apologised. "You're right. I'm sorry, Tai. That wasn't very kind of me."

"No, it was not. I'll let it go because I'm in a good mood with this." He rubbed her legs with his hands. She didn't react. "Anyway, I thought you should know that Matt broke up with Mimi."

He watched the instant transformation in her expression, eyes widening as she audibly gasped.

"That's probably why she was being that way," he added.

"Oh my god, Tai…" She got off him to focus her attention on the conversation, making him regret it more. "Did he say why?"

"Pretty sure it's because he got back together with his ex-girlfriend."

She gasped loudly again. "You're lying."

He shook his head no. She stood up and left the room, coming back in a moment later with her phone to her ear. "She isn't responding."

"Just leave her alone for a bit," he suggested, standing up.

"I can't! How can you say that? She's my friend, and she's all alone, and—"

He took her by the waist, but she was too preoccupied texting to pay any attention to him.

"We should go to her now."

"Now?" he cried in exasperation. "I just got here."

"But she needs us!"

"She definitely doesn't me," Tai muttered, earning him a glare. He cleared his throat. "I mean—we can talk to her when she calls you back. She probably just wants to be alone right now."

"Mimi…" Sora stammered. "I can't believe… How could he just… What an asshole!"

He laughed before he could stop himself.

"Tai, this is not funny."

"I like it when you swear, and it's funny when it's directed at Matt."

"This is not funny!" she hissed, pulling away from him. She actually looked angry with him. "Why don't you take anything seriously, Tai?!"

He was surprised by her outburst.

"Look, I know you want to be there for your friend, but Mimi isn't telling you for a reason. I think you should wait for her to tell you herself, but in the meantime, I thought I should just let you know." He reached for her again. "If she tells you she needs you, you can leave me and go to her right away, but until that happens, can't you just be happy I'm back?"

She softened. "Of course I'm happy you're back, Tai."

He kissed her again, tried to get her back in the mood.

"I just can't believe it!" she cried suddenly, drawing back again. "Poor Mimi!"

Tai sighed loudly. Sora looked annoyed again, so he added, "Honestly, Matt's an idiot. I can never understand him, but I guess he still loves Meg."

"That's his ex-girlfriend's name?"

"Well, I guess she's his girlfriend again, but yeah, her name is Megumi."

Sora shook her head. "I just think it's so terrible. How could he?"

"Yeah, Matt's a shitty guy." He pulled her to him again. "Can we stop talking about him?"

"But don't you think it's sad?" she asked, ignoring him. "Even after how great things were going between him and Mimi, in the end he couldn't get over his first love. I think it's sad that people have to be that way."

He frowned. "You say it like you know."

"I think it's pretty common, don't you?"

"Is it?" His frown deepened. He had personally never felt this. "You aren't talking about yourself, are you?"

"Of course not. Don't be stupid." He didn't say anything, and she looked alarmed. "Tai, what are you thinking?! Stop thinking dumb things. I'm happy with you, even if you drive me crazy."

"I believe you," he said, though she didn't look convinced. "I do!"

"I'm not talking about me," she said defiantly. "I love you."

She reached up to kiss him again, and he decided to let it go. He was reading too much into what was surely just a comment for her friend.

"Then can I ask you for a favour?"

"Hm?"

"Can I spend the night at your place tonight?"

She frowned. "Tai, you know I'm going to say no."

"Ugh, but I have nowhere to go."

"You have your own place, Tai."

"I don't want to be there while Meg is there, plus I kind of got into a fight with Matt and don't want to be around him either."

"Why do you two always fight?"

"I think you and I fight more than he and I do," he joked. He tried to look as pitiful as possible. "Please? I need a break from him, and I swear I'll behave."

"Don't you have other friends?" Sora asked him with a frown.

He frowned too. "Obviously, I have other friends, but I thought of you first. Is that so wrong?"

"I guess when you put it that way, it makes sense…" She looked back at the couch they had just been on. "If you're so desperate, you can spend the night on the couch."

"How about I start on the couch, and then we can see where that goes?"

"No."

He knew he probably shouldn't have joked about it, but her tone was so firm that it offended him.

"You know, you make me sound like I'm some sort of creepy pervert, but contrary to your imagination, I'm quite capable of sleeping in the same bed as you without making a move."

She must have seen his frustration, because she reached out to hug him. Again, it instantly worked to lighten his mood. "Fine, but if you try anything, you're on the couch."

He grinned happily. "Deal, but how many warnings do I get before that happens?"

"I'm serious!"

But he could tell she wasn't actually annoyed, so his good mood stayed in place.

After dinner, Megumi insisted that she needed to go home, even though he pleaded for her to stay.

"I have to go back. I got something for Tai from London."

Matt looked at her oddly for any trace of emotion but couldn't find any. Neither of them had brought up Tai since the incident, even though Matt knew it had probably eaten away at her all day. In some ways, she was better at suppressing her feelings than he was, even though he considered himself more introverted.

"I brought him back a football jersey," she continued. "Kagawa's. You know he was always talking about him."

Matt had never noticed. Tai talked about football often, and Matt would usually filter out those monologues.

"You're going to go back all the way to Ariake to bring back some souvenir you got Tai?" he asked, if only to clarify the situation for himself. She looked to the side, and he followed her trail of sight to his front door. "I doubt Tai is coming back, if that's what you're afraid of."

"I'm not afraid," she countered. "I just don't think he'll like if I'm here is all. He seemed pretty angry."

"Because he's a prick." Matt scowled hatefully. "Don't worry about him. You know how he is. He'll get over it by tomorrow."

Megumi nodded slowly. "I know…"

"He's probably going to spend the night at his girlfriend's place," Matt told her, even though he knew from Tai's complaints that Sora probably wouldn't let him. "Just stay one more night."

"I don't know…" She looked to the door again. "I still can't believe he has a girlfriend though. I thought he hated being in a relationship."

Matt shrugged. "I guess not anymore."

"Maybe it's another Kiko situation," she mused.

It took Matt a second to process who Megumi was referring to. Tai never brought his ex-girlfriend around, so he hadn't even remembered her name until she had just mentioned it.

"I think he actually likes Sora," Matt answered generically.

"Sora," Megumi repeated. "That's a pretty name."

"She's…" He paused, wondering if he should admit it but there was no point hiding it. She was bound to find out eventually. "She's friends with, er…"

"That girl you were seeing?" Megumi finished for him.

Matt nodded, trying to act as nonchalant as her. He was probably failing. She was much better than him at this.

"Did you set Tai up with his girlfriend?"

She looked so unbothered, but that didn't mean anything. Whether she was calm or neurotic on the inside, she could hide nearly every emotion but anger. He could usually tell how she was actually feeling, but this was a situation they had never crossed before.

At the very least, he could tell she wasn't angry.

"Er, no," he admitted. "It was the other way around."

"Tai set you up with that girl?" Megumi clarified for herself, sounding surprised.

"It was more like his girlfriend set me up—but anyway that isn't important." Although she wasn't expressing it, he could tell her feelings were hurt. "You know, Tai actually really hated her. He's probably secretly happy that she won't be around anymore."

"And yet he set you up with her."

"His girlfriend did," Matt repeated. "Meg, it doesn't matter. He was just being a friend to me."

"But he was my friend too," she protested.

It took him a second to process what she had said, and then he wasn't sure how to respond. What she said wasn't untrue, but there was no question that he and Tai had always been closer. They were even technically family, whereas the only reason she was friends with Tai was through association with him.

Anyway, he wasn't about to have any sort of petty argument over who was better mates with Tai. She could have him for all he cared.

"He still is," he told her.

She stood up, her expression changed to that of a smile. "I'm going to go home. I want to bring him his jersey. I was scrambling to buy it before moving back to Japan. I think he'll like it, don't you?"

He stood up too and put his arms around her. "I don't think you should prioritize it. Let's give it to him a bit later once he's cooled off a bit, okay? I know how Tai is, and he isn't going to come back tonight." He nuzzled his head against her neck. "Just stay with me tonight. I can take you back tomorrow."

He felt her hand affectionately stroke the back of his head, and then she pulled away from him to look at him intently.

"What?"

"I'll stay. I only need you anyway. As long as I get to be with you again, I'm happy."

"Too bad you didn't want to shower together," he joked to her from the bathroom as they settled in for the evening.

He came out to see her reaction, but she ignored him, busily rummaging through her wardrobe. She held out a t-shirt to him. It was yellow and had a dinosaur on it. It didn't look like something she'd usually wear.

"You can wear this to bed," she said, holding it up to him.

"I don't sleep with a shirt on," he told her.

"Well, tonight you can," she said back to him. She checked the tag. "It's a men's medium. It'll fit you."

He frowned. "Why do you have a men's t-shirt?"

"Because they're comfortable to lounge in."

He rolled his eyes, stuck his toothbrush back in his mouth as toothpaste muffled his speech. "Yeah right. Whose was it originally?"

She pretended not to hear him, still rummaging. "I don't have any pyjama bottoms for you though. You'll have to go to the convenience store."

"I can sleep in my boxers."

"Aren't those dirty?" she asked him, frowning.

"I changed before I came here. They're clean."

"Gross," She scrunched her nose as she threw her stupid yellow shirt at him. "Who puts on old underwear after a shower?"

"I've showered three times today," he protested as he dressed, then stepped back into the bathroom to rinse.

Sora came in after him. He couldn't help but notice that despite being so unyielding about what he was wearing, she herself had done little to cover herself. She wore a matching set of silky camisole and shorts, lilac with a black lace trim. He wondered whether she always wore things like this, or whether she put it on because he was there.

"Nice pyjamas," he commented, noting the thin material that clung to her body in a way her everyday clothes did not.

"Did you remember to wash your face?" she asked him, not reacting.

"Yes, you heard me take a shower."

She looked at him judgmentally. "Are you one of those guys who uses running water from your hair to wash your face in the shower?"

"Why do you find everything about me so repulsive?" he deadpanned.

She made him rewash his face with something else, then slathered on a line-up of creams on his complexion that he thought was never-ending. He didn't like the texture or the scent but let her do it because she seemed to enjoy it, though he drew a line when she took out a face mask.

"Go to the convenience store and buy new underwear," she told him as he left the bathroom.

He ignored her request and instead jumped on her bed, landing on his back. "Ah, your mattress is really comfortable, Sora."

"Tai!" she screamed, running out.

"I'm clean, and I smell like roses," he reasoned.

"You smell like camellia," she corrected him, pulling on his arm. "I'm serious about the convenience store."

He pet the space next to him with his other hand. There was no way he was leaving after already being in bed. "I'm clean. Stop freaking out, and let's sleep."

She looked annoyed but dropped it, turning off the lights before scurrying under the covers. He had said he wouldn't make a move, but he immediately pulled her in an embrace, turning so that they were facing each other.

"Don't get any ideas," she said to him.

"I'm in a good mood right now, so nothing you say can put me off that right now."

"Why are you in a good mood?"

"Because I've done the impossible and have somehow gotten the notoriously prude Sora Takenouchi in her bed."

"I'm not that prude."

"You could have fooled me." She reached out to hit him, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her even closer to him.

He expected her to struggle but was delighted when she instead threw a leg over him as she reached down to kiss him slowly. His head told him to exercise every drop of discipline he had in him, but his hand was already reaching for the silky material of her shorts.

"Sora?"

"Hm?"

"How angry will you be if I tried to make a move?"

"You'd be wasting your energy," she said into his ear, though she didn't actually get off him the way she usually would. She kissed him again as she hovered over him, and he pressed her back to bring her closer. He felt like he could risk it, but he also didn't want to get in trouble.

As it turned out, his self-restraint was extremely limited, and his hands slipped under her camisole. The fabric was so sheer that he could see the outlines of his fingers under it. She definitely wore it on purpose.

He couldn't believe his luck as she laughed at his touch instead of brushing him off. He stretched his neck upwards to kiss her, moving his hands up too to see whether she'd let him take it off, but she stopped him just as he got a glimpse of her.

"I already told you nothing will happen," she told him, lying back down, smoothing the material of her camisole back over her stomach.

He groaned loudly, falling back on his pillow. "I hate you."

She scooted to him, wrapping her arm across his chest and a leg over his as she shut her eyes. "You don't. I'll see you in the morning, Tai."

He grunted as he settled in too, though he supposed he should have been content that she was cuddling. He placed at arm on her thigh, the other under her neck as she repositioned her head on his shoulder. He risked moving his hand from her thigh further north, and while she didn't stop him, she didn't comment on it either.

As his hand travelled from her bum up her torso, he could feel the palpitations of her heart beat faster. Maybe it already had been beating this frantically, but he could only feel it now that his hand was directly over it.

She was nervous, he realised. He thought they were good nerves until he felt her tense up against him as his fingers skimmed against her chest. She didn't stop him or say anything, but he reconsidered.

How long had it been for her? Was it with that ex-boyfriend of hers? Or whosever shirt he was currently wearing? Were they the same person? It couldn't be. They had broken up so long ago, according to her.

He often complained to her about his sexual frustration, and she had always been quick to reject him verbally. This was the first time he saw a physical reaction, and he realised she wasn't just nervous. He was making her uncomfortable.

He felt a strange sense of shame as he wondered whether she was not saying anything because he had pressured her to a point where she felt she should just let him.

He removed his hand from under her shirt and placed it on top of his stomach, starting to hum off-key as he drummed the fingers on his other hand against her shoulder. He felt her stiff body loosen as she tried not to laugh at him. He was probably off-beat too.

"I was only kidding about hating you," he clarified.

"I know," she murmured back to him, eyes still shut.

"Do you want me to sleep on the couch?"

She shook her head. "No."

"I can. Your couch is pretty comfortable too. I've taken naps there."

Her arm stretched out further to hold him tighter, keeping him in place. "Let's sleep."

He shut his eyes too, even though he wasn't sleepy yet. "Can you make me breakfast tomorrow?"

"Maybe."

"I bet you're beautiful in the morning."

"That isn't going to help your case."

"I bet you're ugly in the morning."

"Go to sleep, Tai."

"I'm just kidding. I'll make breakfast. I probably wake up earlier than you anyway." He hugged her tighter. "Good night, Sora."

She raised her head from his chest to peck his jaw. "Good night."

To his surprise, she actually did wake up earlier than him, and she had breakfast waiting at the dining table when he wandered out of her room. He felt a sudden guilt upon seeing the varied spread she had made. She had probably been up for a while, seeing how put together she was. She had changed from her pyjamas to a flowy floral-print dress, and she looked ready to start the day. He was still wearing yesterday's underwear and her borrowed t-shirt.

"I can make breakfast next time," he offered as he sat down.

"You don't really strike me as a good chef," she teased.

"I'm not, but breakfast is the one meal I do make daily since I get hungry the moment I wake up."

"You look crazy," she told him as she ran her fingers through his hair. "You need a haircut."

"You always think I need a haircut."

"Because you don't go often enough," she said back to him, sitting down too. "Do you like the food?"

He did. Sora's culinary skills were a huge perk of their relationship. He ate everything and took the seconds she offered him. He noticed that she always spent extended time cooking but seemed to enjoy watching him eat over consuming her creations herself.

"Mimi texted me back," she told him as she watched him clean up. He always offered to do the dishes as consolation for her cooking. "Let's go visit her."

"Er, maybe you should," Tai answered slowly. "I'm pretty sure she doesn't want me there."

"That isn't true. I already told her I'm with you, so she's expecting you."

Usually, he wouldn't want to go because consoling heartbroken souls was definitely not his forte, but in this instance it was because he truly felt he shouldn't. He and Mimi had never been on the best of terms, and he certainly wouldn't confide in her had it been the other way around. He reluctantly agreed upon Sora's insistence, though he contended there was little intel he could bring considering he had only seen Matt for all of five minutes since coming back from Hong Kong.

He considered himself a good friend, albeit a bit detached. He felt like he had done what he could do during Matt's heartbreak, but watching Sora's growing concern as they left her flat to go to Mimi's, it was as if Sora herself had been the one who had been dumped. She had a degree of empathy that he himself didn't possess, and he also realised that nothing he said actually helped her.

When they finally reached Mimi's flat, Mimi immediately greeted Sora with a bear hug as she burst into tears, and Sora held her like an older sister as she led her back into her flat. Tai wasn't great with criers in general, but as he was wondering just what he should do, he suddenly felt Mimi's fists at his collar.

"I hate you!" she screamed, wringing him back and forth.

"Hey, I had nothing to do with it!" he protested, taking her hands and trying to remove them before she choked him to death.

"I know, but I can't do this to him, so let me at least take it out on you!" she cried, though she immediately teared up and hugged him too, thanking him for coming. Tai stared at Sora, still unsure of what to do, then awkwardly placed a hand on her back, patting her gently.

Sora made tea while Tai attempted to comfort her in her sitting room, though once he was there, he wished they had traded duties. He just sat patting her shoulder while she didn't say anything, so he was thankful when Sora came back to bring out the dialogue.

Sora sat in the middle, comforting Mimi as she held her hands and hugged her every so often, while he sat back and listened. Mimi went from hysterics to angry stuttering, but from what he could make out, she had tried to maintain some of her pride by breaking up with Matt first, but he had just agreed without even so trying to get an explanation from her or offering one of his own. He had come just to break up with her, she did him a favour by doing it for him, and he probably went home and lived happily ever after.

Sora called Matt a bad word, but Tai didn't laugh this time.

"What is he like at home?" Mimi asked, turning to him. "Does he look happy?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I was only home for a few minutes."

His words made her cry again, and he regretted not making something up. Mimi had always seemed so defiant to him. He didn't even really like her all that much, and he couldn't say they were close. There had been a constant animosity between them, while Matt had been his closest friend for years, but he felt his blood boil for her anyway.

"What is that girl like?" she asked him instead.

He felt like he shouldn't say anything. Megumi had been, despite everything, a large part of his life too. Matt was his closest mate, and she had been an extension of him. He and Matt were so different that they were often at each other's throats, but Megumi was a milder form of her boyfriend who he got along with easily.

Back then, she would come by their flat so often that he would call her the third flatmate, which at the time he hadn't minded. In fact, they often travelled in groups of three, a dynamic they had been comfortable with despite he always being the third wheel. Matt and Megumi had reached a level in their relationship where they didn't act so much like a couple when they were around others, but whenever he felt they would rather be alone, he was always fine to wander off by himself in search of new company.

He had at the time thought of her as a true friend, and of course he could remember the good aspects about her if he tried. She had a sense of humour that complemented his own, an intellect that made him take in her opinions with sincerity, and a sense of maturity and composure that he had always admired.

At the moment, however, he could remember none of these, overcast only by her faults.

She grew too impatient with Matt over trifle subjects, complained too much for too long, and got bossy when things didn't go her way. She was selfish and inflexible and had an emotional incompetence that rivalled Matt's, made all the more obvious when she left him, and again when she came crawling back.

He knew his emotions were creating a persona of her that wasn't fair.

But, he thought, he could name countless people who he found funnier, smarter, and more responsible than her. He couldn't think of a single person more conniving. She had probably calculated everything knowing Matt would take her back.

"She's a bitch, just like Matt," Tai answered finally.

"Tai," Sora warned quietly. "Be constructive."

He frowned. Why? What was the point?

Sora swooped Mimi into another hug. "Mimi, everything will be all right. Don't think about him anymore. He isn't worth it."

"Of course he isn't worth it!" Mimi declared, then lowered her voice to almost a whisper. "He should feel so lucky that he even had someone like me… that I would even look his way…"

Tai would have laughed at her usual arrogance had he not been able to decipher that she herself didn't believe her own words.

He had once watched Matt's dignity shatter in the face of his break-up. The fact he could then turn around and do the same to someone else was beyond his comprehension.

He eventually left to give Sora and Mimi a chance to talk without him being in the way. By the end of it, he wasn't actually contributing much anyway and thought himself redundant.

As he entered the door into his flat, he found Matt scavenging through their TV cupboard with Megumi nowhere to be seen.

"I'm home," Tai announced, even though Matt surely heard the door open.

Matt turned to him, looking upset. "I'm stressed."

"What's wrong now?" He wanted to add "Did Megumi dump you again?" for good measure but held his tongue.

"It's Mimi…"

Tai looked over with mild surprise. Perhaps he wasn't so heartless after all.

"I threw out all of my cigarettes, but I know Mimi hid some here. Have you seen them?"

Tai frowned. "What?"

"I'm trying to quit smoking, but I just want one more, and then I can stop," Matt explained, stretching his arm to check behind a stack of books. "Can you help me? I don't want to buy another pack. I only need one." He looked distraught. "I really am addicted again, aren't I?"

Tai glared at him. "I've been telling you you've been addicted for months, asshole."

Matt was too busy checking the top of the shelf, extending his body as far as it would go while using his fingertips to tap around the area. Tai didn't know why. Mimi was at least a head shorter than him, so if he couldn't reach it, there was no way Mimi could have.

"What made you decide to finally quit?"

"Megumi wants me to."

Tai rolled his eyes, making sure Matt could see. "Well, at least she's good for something."

Matt frowned. "Watch it."

Tai felt no fear at Matt's warning. "She might as well get you a few extra years of living, since she's already taken off so much from your mental health."

He could tell Matt was annoyed but didn't say anything about his comment.

"As well as whatever remained of your self-worth," he added for good measure.

Matt stepped down from the TV shelf, evidently giving up on his hunt, and sighed loudly. "Look, I know you don't agree with it, but what do you want me to do? We're together again. You're going to have to get over it. She went home to pick up some stuff to keep here, but she'll be back in a minute. Let's all talk when she gets back."

"No, thanks. If she's coming over, I'll be in my room."

He wanted to say she wasn't allowed to come over, but he knew that conversation wouldn't get them anywhere.

"So then what? Are you just never going to speak to her again?"

"Not if I don't have to."

"Stop being so stubborn."

"Maybe once you stop being such an idiot."

"Why does it bother you that I'm finally happy again?"

"I'm sorry, are you talking about a specific timeframe? I didn't realise you were so miserable towards the end."

"Is this about Mimi?" Matt asked, reading between the lines. "You didn't even like her. Is it because she's Sora's friend?"

"No, it's because I think you did a shitty thing."

"Since when do you care about my personal life anyway?"

"I've always cared about your stupid personal life," Tai snapped. "In case you forgot, I was there for you too. I was there for you the entire time Megumi wasn't."

"I'm not doubting that, but why are you being so hard on her? She made a mistake, and I'm adult enough to look past one error. I've already forgiven her, so I don't get why she also needs your approval."

"You—" Tai felt his frustration brewing, but the sound of the doorbell made him drop it. "I don't even want to waste my time having this conversation with you anyway. I'll be in my room. I have work to do, so can you two be quiet?"

"Tai—" but Tai cut him off by walking away.

Matt frowned. He had expected Tai to be judgmental but hadn't expected such resentment. He knew Tai though. He was worked up now, but soon he would come to accept it, and everything would return back to normal.

All Matt had to do was not lose his temper on him until then, a task that wouldn't be simple given his current behaviour.

Now he really wanted that cigarette, but the doorbell rang again, and he answered.

30 June 2020

Thank you so much for waiting and also for the lovely reviews! I read and reread them, and they really keep me going. I was surprised how many people foresaw Tai's reaction (what a reliable fellow), but more than that I was shocked just how much Matt instantly became hated! You stupid boy.