-x-
Chapter Two: Happiness Feels a lot Like Sorrow
Happiness damn near destroys you
Breaks your faith to pieces on the floor
So you tell yourself, that's probably enough for now
Happiness has a violent roar
-x-
His knock came at her window around midnight, late as usual. But she doesn't protest when he lets himself into her room. A teddy bear in one hand and an apology in his pocket. "I'm sorry." He says the second her eyes reach his.
She turns her gaze to the opposing wall, a familiar scowl on her tired face.
He steps closer, kneeling beside her bed. "Hey, come on." He takes her chin and brings her to face him. "I said I was sorry." He repeats, tickling her nose with the stuffed bear's.
She holds back a smile, feeling her resolve cracking already. "What can I do? Huh?" He asks, his brooding blue eyes staring into hers.
She resists the urge to touch his face, holding out just a little bit longer. "I love you." He murmurs into her ear.
And that shatters it, the way he says those words. Making him sound more sincere than anyone she's ever heard, that's always how he gets her.
She leans up and kisses him, momentarily catching him by surprise.
After a second he reaches his palm out and closes it over her cheek, stroking her skin with his thumb. "Stay with me tonight?" She asks softly. "Please?" She adds.
At this time, he wouldn't refuse her a thing. "But your parents?" He asks as just a formality.
She shrugs a shoulder. "My door's always locked." She answers, tangling her fingers in his hair. "Please?" She asks again.
"Lemme close the window." He leans down to kiss her forehead before getting off his knees. She watches him walk across the room, her eyes on him intently.
"Where do you want me to put this?" He gestures to the teddy bear tucked under his arm.
"Next to the other ones, on my shelf." She nods towards the masses congregated above her computer table. All from him.
"Do I really screw up that much?" He scoffs, reaching to set it on top of all the others.
"Yeap. And you're also that predictable"
"You should be glad, Ken just shows up with a condom and a dandelion when he apologizes to Zoe"
Mimi rolls her eyes. "Yeah, why don't you try that some time? You'd be climbing right back out of my window."
He shakes his head. "You take me for granted." He says playfully, pulling off his t-shirt and throwing it to the ground.
She shrugs a shoulder. "Yeah maybe" She smiles. "P.S, why'd it take you so long to come around? I mean, it's midnight." She points out.
"Had shit to do babe" He unbuckles his jeans and lets them fall to the floor before kicking them next to his shirt. "Anyway, I was going to come around eight but you were at Sora's." He explains, walking over to "his" side of her bed.
He climbs in next to her in his usual sleeping attire, boxers. "How'd you know?" She asks, immediately laying her head on his chest.
"I called, had to talk to your mom." He groans. "She told me you were sleeping over there and not to bother you."
She reaches up to kiss his cheek. "You came anyway?" She asks, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
He rolls his eyes to the side. "It's not a big deal." He plays off.
She disagrees. "It is. You love me." She teases, kissing his cheek a few times in a row.
He can't help but smile. "Okay, all right. Get over it." He sighs.
"I love you too" She nuzzles her cheek against his bare chest, completely forgetting about the conversation she had with Sora just a couple of hours ago. "Never leave me" She blinks up at him.
He kisses her hair. "Never" He whispers, trailing his fingers along her arm.
-x-
Her parents are long gone by the time they wake up. Her father to work her mother to the club to gossip with the girls.
He wakes up first, her flimsy, girly curtains doing nothing to keep the offending sunlight out of his eyes. He shields his vision with his hand before slipping his arm out from under her. She stirs for a minute before curling into her side. He turns over to check the time, her Hello Kitty alarm clock flashes 10:48 a.m.
He runs a hand through his hair, it's too late to go to school now. Not that he minds, there's no place in the world he'd rather be then Odaiba Preparatory for the Elite. The name just screams condescension and oppression. And he was never one for authority, probably why her mother never did like him.
She begins to wake up, her eyes fluttering beneath their lids. She can always feel when he's awake. She stretches her arms over her head, still in mid-sleep. Even in her barely conscious state, she reaches her hand to touch his bicep. "What time is it?" She jolts up suddenly.
He chuckles at her sudden emission. "Too late to go to school" He smirks, turning over to face her.
"Matt…we can not skip today." Mimi knows she doesn't mean a word of it. "My mother will kill me if she gets another call from the school" She complains.
He shrugs. "But look at it this way, by the time you get ready it'll be like eleven and then what's the point in even going?" He reasons.
She pretends to think about it. "I guess you're right" She giggles, climbing on top of him. "But for the record, I used to be such a wholesome little girl before I met you." She jokes.
He kisses her cheek. "Yeah? I don't think so." He contradicts. "You were the girl who wore make up and began shortening her skirt in the seventh grade." He says.
She rolls her eyes. "Well you were the boy starting fights and smoking marijuana. Still are" She retorts. "And I'd be lying if it wasn't sexy." She says huskily, lining his jaw with wet kisses. "So sexy." She repeats.
He runs his fingers over the inside of her leg. "Hm. Well, if its that appealing, maybe I'll start fights and smoke weed more often." He teases, letting his fingers slide through her chestnut glazed locks.
"Okay, in moderation." She winks as he flips them over. "Hey!" She squeals making a face up at him.
He pins her wrists above her head playfully. "You're cute, you know that?" He asks genuinely, kissing her mouth.
"Cute?" She wrinkles her nose. "A puppy is cute, "Endless Love" is cute, me? I think I'm a little more than cute" She pouts.
"But sometimes you're just really adorable." He justifies.
"Like a sister, that kind of cute?" She asks ruefully.
He makes a face and shakes his head. "No, definitely not that kind of cute. It would be absolutely disgusting if I felt the way I do about a sister." He emphasizes.
She reaches her hand up to tangle her fingers in his soft blonde hair. "Good. Coz I think once you see what I have on under this…" She pauses to tug at her too short night gown. "You'd never use that word again" She grins wickedly.
His eyes meet hers. "Really?" He raises his eye brows in anticipation.
She nods fervently. "Yeap." She lifts herself up and leans against her elbows before tugging her gown over her head. She balls it up and throws it over her bed post before settling underneath him.
His eyes pan the length of her body slowly before latching his lips onto her neck, slowly trailing his tongue along the her neck, sprawling kisses on every inch of her skin. "I mean it this time, no hickeys." She manages to breathe out. "I'm getting tired of hiding them from my mother."
"Fine" He mutters distractedly, his lips traveling down to her collar bone. His hand slips underneath her back, fiddling with the hook of her bra.
Mimi hooks a finger into the waistband of his boxers as his lips travel lower.
He's finally unclasped her bra when she grabs his hand. "Wait, did you hear that?" She asks, sitting up slightly.
He looks up and towards the door, after a second of silence he replies. "No, it was nothing." He says indifferently, kissing her lips.
She shakes her head and chalks it up to bad hearing until she hears it again. A dull thump and then the murmur of a voice.
She shakes his shoulder. "No, shh, listen." She instructs.
This time, he hears it. "What is that?" Matt asks, balancing his weight on his hands so he's hovering above her.
She lifts up on to her elbows. "I dunno. But do you think we should check it out?" She asks, her voice bordering on fearful.
"Fuck." He groans in aggravation, lifting off of her. "No. you stay here, I'm gonna check it out." He answers, getting off her bed.
"No, I'm coming with you." She says defiantly, following him to her closet.
He opens her closet door. "No, you're not." He says sternly, beginning to sift through her possessions.
"Yes I am" She says pointedly. "And what are you doing in there? Are you planning on scaring who ever it is with my red pumps?" She asks sarcastically.
"You're not coming and I'm looking for something." Comes his muffled reply.
She rolls her eyes. "Matt. Stop. And what could you possibly be—
He leans out of the closet with a bat in his hand. "How'd that get in there?" She asks, utterly shocked.
"Tai put it in here last summer, remember when there was that neighborhood—
"Stalker scare, right." She finishes.
He nods curtly. "Stay here, I'll be back." He instructs.
She shakes her head. "Nope. Stop being a macho chauvinist for a second and let me come with you." She reaches to grab her robe.
"Chauvinist, big word for such a tiny girl. Now can you spell it?" He asks, clearly mocking her.
"Your sarcasm is neither appreciated nor required." She glares as she follows him to the door.
He puts a finger to his lips as he slowly opens the door. "Stay behind me, okay?" He whispers sternly, grabbing her hand.
She puts her free hand on his back, following closely behind him as they creep out of the room. The voice getting more and more recognizable with each step they climb down. Finally, Mimi realizes who the voice belongs to. "Oh my God! My mother!" She squeals.
Matt's hand flies out to cover her mouth. "Shit, Mimi. She already fuckin' banned me from the house, she'll probably call the—
"Mimi? Mimi, is that you?" Her mother's voice calls from the living room.
"Go, go!" She pushes him back up the stairs.
"Where?" Matt demands.
"Baby, the closet. Under the bed. The bathroom. Anywhere but here!" She hisses as she hears the footsteps of her mother coming closer.
Matt darts up the stairs as Mrs. Tachikawa calls for her daughter again. "Mimi, is that you?" She asks again.
Mimi makes sure Matt is in her room before answering. "Yeah, it is" She calls, her heart racing out of her chest.
Her mother appears at the bottom of the stairs. "Mimi, why are you home?" She asks disapprovingly.
Mimi runs a nervous hand through her hair. "Uh, well. I wasn't feeling too well this morning." She lies horribly.
Milene "Milly" Tachikawa stares at her daughter skeptically. "You were fine last night. When you went to Sora's house and that derelict called here looking for you." She says her voice cold.
Mimi knows if she wasn't so anxious she'd be rolling her eyes. "Well, I think I have the stomach flu." She says, not bothering to lie properly.
Milly sighs. "Well, whatever the case may be, I suppose it's a good thing you're home." She says.
Mimi's eye brows shoot up. "It is?" She asks warily.
"Yes, because I need to know what to do with your room." She explains.
"What?" Mimi asks confusedly. "What are you talking about?"
Milly gives an exasperated sigh. "Do you listen to a word that I say? I swear it's like I'm raising a deaf." She says in annoyance. "We're re-doing your room, per your request; you needed more closet space, yes?" She asks slowly.
Finally, she's up to speed. "Right, right. Well, okay so what do you need me for?" She asks, still not clear on that part.
Her mother climbs up the stairs. "Let's just go to your room and finish this conversation there. I need to get the workers here by tomorrow." She says briskly, walking past Mimi.
Panic sets in the second her mother comes to the top of the stairs. With her heart beating in her ears and her hands shaking like Jell-O, Mimi races up the steps to try and stop her mother from going into her room. "Wait, let's just talk out here." She says quickly, trying to step in front of her mother and the door.
Her mom gives her a weird look. "No. It will be much more efficient if you could just tell me what you want to keep and what you need to fix." She says as if Mimi's suggestion had been ridiculous. "Now, move. We don't have all day; I have the entire house to cover." She tries to usher Mimi aside.
The brunette feels the dread rising in her chest. "B-but it's a mess, just give me a minute to clean it up then." She's practically pleading.
"I've seen your room at its worse, Mimi" She says seriously. "What's wrong with you today? You're acting so peculiar." She notices, moving her daughter aside.
Oh god, this is it. Matt is going to get caught in her room and she'd never be able to see him again. Maybe if she's honest with her mom, she'd take that into account. "Wait Mom, I need to—
It's too late, she shoves open the door. Mimi closes her eyes and winces, preparing herself for the hell to pay.
"Are you coming or are you just going to stand there?" Milly asks flatly.
Her eyes open suddenly, as she surveys her room. To her astonishment, Matt is nowhere in sight. She lets out a deep breath in relief.
"I'm coming." Mimi announces as she steps in her room, a renewed calm washing over her.
"So you want this painted, right?" Milly asks, gesturing around to the hot pink walls.
Mimi nods her head. "Definitely. I've out grown of my middle school pink craze." She decides. "I want a nice crème for my walls, a deep maroon for my door and some brilliant maroon curtains." She explains.
Her mother looks around, picturing how that would look. "And a nice maroon and beige bedspread? She suggests.
"Sounds good." There is only one thing Mimi and her mother have in common, and that's their sense of style.
She bobs her head up and down. "Good. And your bathroom? Any work in there?" She asks.
Mimi shakes her head. "It will match my room once it's done." She waives off.
"Okay, let's have a look in the closet then."
Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Matt must be hiding in there if he isn't in the room. "No, the closet is fine!" Mimi exclaims.
Milly turns to her. "What are you talking about? You've been complaining about the lack of space for ages!" She reminds her. "You're acting so funny today, you really must be sick."
"No, I was just too lazy to clean it. Now that I have, it's fine, really." Mimi stresses.
Her mother isn't buying it. "Let me have a look." She says strictly.
Mimi puts her face in her hands and hopes to God that Matt has suddenly become a magician because he's going to need one hell of a disappearing act to get out of this one.
Milly fling the door of the crowded closet open and flicks on the light. To Mimi's utmost surprise, Matt isn't in there anywhere. Its official, my boyfriend is a vampire…she grins.
"You were right Mimi, this place is really small." She wrinkles her nose to emphasize her dislike. "I mean, it's a wonder you even have half your shoes in here." She observes.
Mimi wipes the bead of sweat that had formed on her brow before answering, "Yeah, I know." She agrees distractedly.
"You definitely need this to be bigger, right?" She asks, turning the light off and closing the door.
"Yeap." She answers.
Milly nods definitively. "Okay. That's that then." She says. "Oh and Mimi, you should really close that window, it's dangerous to have it open like that. All kinds of scum could crawl in." She strides across the room to shut the window.
Mimi realizes how Matt made his great escape. She represses a giggle.
"And what is this doing here? I didn't even know you like baseball." Milly picks the bat up off the floor and examines it.
Mimi laughs. "No, Tai put that in there in case I ever needed to "protect" myself." She clarifies.
Milly raises an eye brow. "Ah, the Yagami boy, it's such a good thing he wants to look out for you. He's a nice boy, comes from a great family. And he's much better than that hoodlum you decide to spend your time with." She says suggestively. "You know, you two swore you'd marry each other when you were—
"Five years old and our wedding rings were ring pops." Mimi interrupts. "I've heard the story too many times." She says dully.
"Fair enough. But you and him would look so good together, much better than you and Matt." She shrugs innocently.
"Mom, stop. Whether you like it or not I am with Matt." Mimi says icily. "So. Get. Over it."
Milly sighs. "Mimi." She starts patiently. "The Ishidas may be a prominent family in this town but their name is besmirched with scandal. Between Kasuke's affair with his secretary and Yamato's constant problem with authority, they're infamous. I just don't want that hindering your—
"Mom, I mean it. You can ban him from this house but you can't ban him from my life." She cuts her off sharply. "I love him and if you can't deal with that then you don't have to deal with me." She glares at her.
She shakes her head in disappointment. "All right. I give up." She raises her hand up as a sign of surrender. "But just remember that when this ends in misery and you've thrown away everything, you won't have anyone to blame but yourself." She says cryptically.
"We've been together this long haven't we?" Mimi shoots back.
Milly turns to leave. "You've been in high school so far, Mimi. Once you get out into the real world, you'll realize it's not so easy." She frowns. "Mark my words. In the end, he's going to leave you and you won't have a shred of credibility left to your name. At that point, I will say I told you so." And with that she left Mimi alone in her room.
Mimi forces back tears as the sting of her mother's words sets in. How could someone who's always supposed to be there for her, say such horrible things? But then again, Milene had never been supportive of a single decision Mimi's made in her life, so why should this one be any different.
Taking a deep breath, she let all thoughts of her mother out of her head. Knowing in her heart that she couldn't be more wrong.
-x-
"I love you M, but your mom is a bitch!" Zoe gripes after hearing Mimi recount the events of the morning over the phone.
Mimi sighs. "I know. And the worse part is she doesn't care."
"Now with that said, I hate to say this but she does kind of have a point." Zoe says timidly.
"What?! You can not be serious!" Mimi says, completely appalled.
"Just hear me out, M—ah hold on, getting another call." She pauses for a moment to check her other line. "Mimi, it's Sora, I'm gonna put it through." Zoe says, talking in her usual fast manner.
Mimi's steadily fuming as Zoe joins the calls, how dare her best friend agree with her horrible hag of a mother! "You were saying, Z. I mean, you better have a good explanation for actually taking my mother's side!" Mimi warns menacingly.
"Wait, you agreed with Milene on something?" Sora asked, just as horrified as Mimi had been. "Were you abducted by aliens?" Sora asks cautiously.
"Ugh, Mimi, I just meant that, Matt isn't the most reliable of guys." Zoe starts. "I mean, you guys break up every other weekend and he's kind of an ass, so maybe you should just…think about—
"No." Mimi says sharply. "Zoe, don't even go there, please."
"Yeah, Z. Matt loves Mimi." Sora pipes up.
Mimi runs a tired hand over her face. "You know him, Z. He is how he is and I love him. If you were really my best friend, you'd realize that." Mimi says quietly.
"Okay, I'm sorry. Look, I didn't mean to upset you and maybe I'm over reacting." Zoe apologizes. "But, Mimi, you're my best friend; I love you like a sister and I don't want you to ever get hurt. That's all." She goes on to say.
"I appreciate that, Z. But agreeing with my mother?"
Sora laughs. "That's a day I thought I'd never see. When someone can actually consent with Milene Tachikawa. Jeez, Zoe."
Zoe rolls her ocean blue eyes in the privacy of her room. "All right, all right. Can I plead momentary insanity?" She quips.
Mimi lets out a giggle. "Sure. We'll call it a lapse in good judgment." She concurs.
"Is your mom still trying to pair you with Tai?" Sora asks on a different note
"Oh yeah, you know that "nice Yagami boy" who would look so much better with me than Matt." Mimi says, sarcasm dripping from her tongue. "She's such a freakin' witch."
"And I thought your mother always liked Matt." Sora jokes.
"It's Milene. She doesn't like anyone." Mimi points out.
Zoe laughs this time. "That's so true."
"Anyway, I'm gonna try Matt again. His phone was off last time I called." Mimi informs the pair.
Zoe doesn't voice her concerns on the matter, even though she feels as though Matt is avoiding Mimi's calls on purpose. As he's done numerous times before. "Okay" The blonde chirps.
"Sure thing, M." Sora says.
"But girls, let's do a movie/pizza/slumber party night, sometime soon?" Mimi asks. "I am in desperate need of some real girl time." She complains.
"This weekend?" Sora proposes.
"It's a plan." Zoe finalizes.
"Great. We'll invite Kari?" Mimi adds.
"Duh, and possibly Yolie too." Sora chimes in.
"More the merrier" Mimi says passively.
"Here, here." Zoe says heartily.
Mimi smiles. "Okay, see you both tomorrow." She says dismissively.
"You got it, chick." Zoe says.
"Of course." Sora inputs. "Bye Meems, Bye Z." She gets in before hanging up the phone.
"Bye Meems." Zoe mimics Sora before clicking of the phone.
Mimi ends that call before scrolling through her address book. She stops at his name and contemplates calling in.
Ultimately, she decides that a fourth phone call would be way desperate and opts for a text instead.
Hey…it's me. If your mad, please just say so. Stop ignoring me though; I hate it when you do that!
-Mimi.
-x-
"You should just call her." Tai suggests as he watches Matt check another message from his girlfriend.
Matt runs a hand through his hair. "I know, but I dunno what to say. I mean I feel like such a pansy, I actually climbed out of her window because I was afraid of her mother." He groans.
Tai laughs. "That's pretty weak. But you know what; Mimi's mother is seriously scary." Tai sympathizes.
Matt catches it. "Still though." He takes a few steps back before throwing it to his friend. "She really hates me."
"Wear it like a badge of honor my friend, it's not easy to get special hate from Milene." Tai grins.
Matt considers this. "That is true." He nods. "But she does like you." He says.
"Yeah, I don't have any idea why. I don't think it's "like" really, I think it's more of a lesser of two evils thing." He corrects. "Though, it's probably because her and my mom have been "friends" for a while." Tai shrugs, tossing the football towards the blonde.
"Being friends with that lady, I dunno how your mom isn't institutionalized yet." Matt shakes his head.
"I dunno man, but you have to look at it this way. No matter how bad you think you may have it, that's Mimi's mother, ya know?" Tai says insightfully. "You have to understand that it's rough enough for a girl to go through that, the least her boyfriend can do is be there for her." Tai says soberly.
Matt stares at him, a little impresses. "Wow Tai…that was—
Tai stops him by raising a hand. "I know, I can be deep." He says mystically.
"Okay, that just killed it." Matt laughs. "But I guess you're…right." Matt hates admitting it.
"Wait, what was that?" Tai puts a hand to his ear. "I didn't quite catch the last part, mind repeating it?" He asks theatrically.
"Shut it, Yagami. I won't hesitate to punch you." Matt fishes his cell phone out of his pocket.
"You talk so big for a guy who's afraid of his girlfriend's mom." Tai jests.
Matt ignores him as he holds his phone to his ear. It rings three times before an answer.
"Hello?" Her voice sounds almost confused.
"Hey." Matt greets simply.
"Hi. Where are you?" She asks immediately.
Matt walks towards a bench. "At the park, with Taichi. We're just hanging out." He informs her. "Are you okay?" He asks, slightly hesitant.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She says softly. "But, I'm sorry about the whole thing with my mom. I didn't know she'd come home…" She trails off.
"It isn't your fault." He assures her. "What did she want anyway?" He asks more out of compulsion than interest.
"To ask me what I wanted my new room to look like." She says facetiously, sparing him the latter half of the conversation.
"Ah, because your old one is so last year." He plays along.
"Exactly." Mimi giggles.
Matt subconsciously smiles. "At least you're getting that closet you've been bitching about for the past three months." He says brightly.
"Yeah. I can finally take half my wardrobe out of you room now." She responds.
"Awe, and I was just getting used to having your dresses in there. My closet will be so empty with out them." He says sardonically.
Mimi sighs dramatically. "You are just so incredibly charming, you know that?" She mocks. "I can see why my mother adores you."
"You're so endearing, Mimi."
"Matt! Are you gonna get off the phone anytime soon, you girl!" Tai calls from across the park. "I'm about to leave!" He yells.
Matt pretends not to hear him. "Go hang out with Tai." Mimi prompts.
"You sure? Coz I'd rather talk to you." He chuckles, he knows he's laying it on a bit thick.
Mimi rolls her eyes. "Yeah right, you liar. Call me later, though?" She requests.
"We'll see. You coming to see me play tomorrow night, right?" He asks hopefully.
She thinks this is a bit of a dumb question. "Obviously. It's your first show, why would I miss it? She asks back. "I'm not you, I actually care about the things you care about."
He disregards her words, not wanting to start a fight. "You know I wouldn't be able to play a note with out you there." He says a bit too sweetly for his usual taste.
"Okay, Romeo." She laughs. "You know, you being in a rock band does nothing to help my mother's impression of you." She says lightly.
"What, the one about me being a… what does she call me? A derelict?" He forces back a laugh. "Now why would my being in a band give her that impression?"
"Oh, I dunno."
"Okay, Mimi. Tai's about ready to hit me so—
"Go, go." She urges him. "I'll talk to you later."
Matt gives Tai the finger before saying. "All right, I love you."
"Love you too, Bye."
He hangs up the phone and shoves it back in his pocket before jogging back towards Tai.
"Took you long enough." He scoffs. "What did you girls talk about? How you're looking a little fat in your new jeans and your feelings?" He teases.
Matt shoves him. "Listen, at least my girlfriend can actually stand to have a conversation with me." He shoots back.
Tai laughs. "Yeah, yeah. Don't act all high and mighty, we all know you and Mimi are due in for a break up any time now." He ribs.
Matt wishes he could say that it isn't true but he can't, it would sound silly to even try to argue with that. Truth is, they could all set their watches by Matt and Mimi's break ups and it was a cycle they'd yet to break.
But it couldn't go on like that forever, one way or the other something's gotta give. Hopefully, in the end, Mimi's mother won't be right.
-x-
A/N: Voila! Chapter Two up in such a timely manner. And wasn't it long? I had fun writing this chapter, it came together fairly easily. If you guys are getting a sense of foreboding, it's intentional. Haha, but that's all I'm gonna say. I've got big plans for this one, big, big plans.
Hopefully, you all liked it!
Allusions: "Endless Love" is a movie. The vampire thing, I'd like to think of it as a reference to Twilight, mostly because Mimi grins as she thinks about it. I3Twilight!
Other Credit: Chapter title is a line from a song by The Fray called Happiness. It's actually a very different look at what happiness really is and it made a lot of sense, to me anyway. Listen to it, as I suggest about every song I use. If I can broaden one person's musical vocabulary, it'll all be worth it. Jk.
Okay, Drop a review Everyone please! If you read the story then I'd love to hear your thoughts! Lol.
Ciao.
-Chris