-x-
Chapter 6: Mistakes We Knew We Were Making
You'll die trying to live this down,
You might as well forget it,
Still I'm convinced,
Wondering what if is the worst thing there is
-x-
The air smells salty like the ocean, the waves are gently crashing against the shore, the sun is setting, painting the sky vivid oranges and pinks. It's calm, everything is quiet and as she stares over at him, she realizes nothing has ever been this perfect. Almost like a dream…
"Mimi." He whispers.
"Hm?"
"Mimi…" His voice is a little louder, but not any less soothing.
"Mhm?"
"Mimi…" And her eyes open up to him, no longer on a beach but with him nonetheless.
She lifts her head up, instantly regretting it. By falling asleep on the armchair they had occupied a few hours ago, she's given herself a terrible neck ache. "What time is?" She sees the sun barely rising into the sky.
"Maybe a little past six." He says softly, running his fingers up and down her arm.
She pulls the blanket on them a little further up her body, her eyes focusing around the room. Most of their friends had gone home at various interludes through out the night. All that remained were Mimi, Matt, Zoe and Ken, Davis and his girlfriend and Ryo. Mimi wasn't sure exactly when they'd all fallen asleep, but at the moment she desperately wishes it could have been on a bed.
She rubs the back of her neck, "Can we go sleep a little more?" She asks, pouting up at him.
He really wants to say no, mostly because they need to get to Tokyo early enough to plan the rest of their day. But then he looks down at her, her hazel eyes practically begging and he just can't refuse.
"An hour." He gives in.
Her face breaks out into a sleepy smile. "Yay." She says groggily.
He kisses her forehead, "Get up." He says, lightly smacking her butt.
Mimi stifles a yawn behind her hand, before stretching her arms. Slowly, she gets off his lap, stretching out her complaining back. She eyes the armchair in distaste, "That." She points to the offending object. "Was a bad idea."
Matt shrugs a shoulder. "You were passed out. And I was way to tired to carry you, anywhere."
Mimi gives him a rueful look. "So now I'm fat?"
He shakes his head, "Nah, just dead weight when you're asleep." He grins, lifting himself off the chair.
She makes a face.
He grabs her hand, threading his fingers through her delicate ones. "Come on." He tugs her forward.
Her eyes fall on Zoe and Ken, the couple in peaceful slumber across the couch. For a second, she lets her heart ache for them, because as much as she had tried to assure Zoe the night before that things would be okay, if she was honest with herself she knew they wouldn't be.
Some things were too big to get over, no matter how hard a person tried
He leads her into Ken's vacant bedroom, where the bed is already made. Mimi slinks under the covers gratefully, feeling tired all over again the second her head hits the pillow. She shrugs out of her jeans under the comforter and kicks them to the floor. She waits as Matt pulls off his t-shirt before coming to bed.
She runs a hand over his chest down and then over his abs. "You know, if this record exec is a girl, you could get a deal just by taking your shirt off." She smiles cheekily up at him.
Matt gives a quiet laugh. "Probably. I'm pretty hot."
Mimi rolls her eyes. "You were supposed to say something like, it's for my eyes only." She swats his shoulder.
"Well, if push comes to shove…" He shrugs innocently.
"I've created a monster." She laughs.
He turns to his side, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You should come with me, once we take care of the business, me and you can walk around Tokyo. See the city and stuff." He suggests.
Mimi's eyes light up, it's the invitation she's been waiting for. Not that she could accept, still it warms her just thinking that he offered.
"This is your shot, I want you to have it."
He trails his fingers over her bare thighs. "It would be so much better with you there." He says softly, his voice gravelly and low.
She shivers under his touch, the feeling of his rough fingertips over her skin. "I want to, but I know you guys need to do this for yourselves." She closes her eyes against his chest. "Besides, I wouldn't want you cutting short rehearsals and losing your focus on my account." She cares about him a lot more than she could ever care about anything else. It's as if her world revolves around his very being and she could never do anything to compromise his happiness.
He's the most important part of her world. He's practically her whole world.
His other hand reaches out to tilt her chin up, carefully, he puts his lips over hers. He kisses her long and hard, because he needs to remember exactly how she feels right now. He's never been more in love with her than he is right now and for some reason he feels like it won't even be this simple again. Probably because everything would change soon enough.
"I love you." He breathes across her lips.
And when she smiles at him, he swears there's nothing more beautiful. "I love you, Yamato." Her eyes glimmering with happiness.
He pulls her to his chest, crushing her against him. "And I love it when we're happy." She says, her voice muffled by his skin.
He chuckles into her soft brown hair. "Me too, babe." He agrees, leading him to wonder why there couldn't be happy more often.
It really wasn't so hard to just be together.
Mimi wiggles out of his hold, stretching a long bare leg over his waist. Slowly, she slides on top of him, perching herself just a little below his abdomen. Immediately, she feels him harden just a little against her, she smirks down at him wickedly.
She runs her hands over his upper body.
He looks at her, surprised. "Sudden." He mentions, rubbing his hands over her soft thighs. "Not that I'm complaining." He adds.
"Why would you?" She asks, leaning her face inches away from his.
His hands travel to her butt, "You know, I might have to stretch that hour limit."
She spills a few kisses over his jaw, "That might be wise." Her voice is raspy and sensual in his ear.
But his hands only get as far as under her shirt when the door creaks open. Instantly, Mimi shrieks off of him.
"Woah. Dude!" Ken jumps back out of the door to his own room.
Matt groans, throwing his head back against the pillow. "Fucking Ichijoji." He growls.
"Why does this always happen to us?" Mimi stifles a laugh behind her hand.
"It's funny to you?" He turns to face her.
Her giggles turn into full blown laughter as she nods. "Your face." She gets out between her obnoxious laughs.
He shakes his head, a smile creeping onto his face as well. "Well, is this funny?" He hovers over her, tickling a her ribs.
She laughs even more uncontrollably, writhing under his grasp. "Stop, stop. Okay, I'm sorry!" She squeals, trying to fight off his hands.
"Who's laughing now?"
"Still me." She gets out, biting his shoulder.
"Did you bite me!" He yelps.
Mimi continues to laugh. "Yeap." She says unabashedly.
He shakes his head, "Great, now how am I supposed to impress the big record executives? You've blemished my best asset." He says playfully.
She taps her chin. "Um…I can always call in, tell 'em how good you are in bed?" She suggests innocently. "You know, provide a character deposition."
"Yeah? You want some of that magic right now?"
She lets out another squeal when he grabs her hips pulling her into his lap. "Oh yeah, totally. Take me now." She throws her arms around his neck.
He's just about to open his mouth to respond when a knock interrupts him, "Yeah?" Mimi calls.
Zoe peeks her head in, hands over her eyes. "Um…Are you guys in the middle of something that's going to scar me—
"You can open your eyes, Barbie, we're decent." Mimi giggles. "Well, sort of." She adds, glancing down at her scantily clad appearance.
Slowly, she lowers her hand, peeking an eye open. "Okay, see. This is kind of scarring." She gestures a hand to their current position.
Mimi rolls her eyes.
"What's the matter, Zoe?" Matt asks, as he lets Mimi out of his grasp.
"Um, well apparently you've totally creeped out my boyfriend, so he sent me in here to inform the two of you that everyone is ready…to go." She says a bit awkwardly.
Matt pulls a hand through his hair. "Okay, we'll be down in a few minutes."
Zoe lets out a relieved breath. "Okay, cool. Just…um, I guess make sure it's a few minutes. The guys are kinda pissed at you." She gives them a smile, before making a quick exit.
Matt rolls out of the bed, his eyes searching for his discarded t-shirt. "You packed everything?" Mimi asks from her place in the covers.
He nods, grabbing his shirt off the floor. "You'll be okay, right?" In all of his excitement over the band's good fortune, he'd all but forgotten about the conflict with mom.
Unfortunately, Mimi hadn't, though she had become very good at putting her own problems aside from him.
She gives him a smile. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She tries to sound convincing.
He knows she's lying, "You're sure you don't wanna go home, maybe work things out?" He pulls his shirt over his head. "I could drive you?"
She shakes her head. "No way." She says firmly. "That woman is vile and she needs to understand what she's doing is wrong." She maintains.
He turns to face her, hands in his pockets. "She's your mom, Meems." He says quietly. "No matter what, she's always gonna be your mom."
Mimi runs a hand through her hair. "Yeah, I guess. But right now, I don't care. I'm tired of apologizing for our relationship, Matt. And I thought you might feel the same way." She crosses her arms over her chest.
He keeps a steady blue gaze on her, "I do. But no matter how I feel about your mom, I still want you to be okay with her." He leans against the mattress.
"You're never gonna get it, okay? So just forget about it."
He walks around the bed, standing in front of her. "Maybe I won't, but I really don't want you feeling shitty about this." He puts a hand over her knee.
"It isn't your problem." She looks away.
Matt frowns, "That's not true."
"Seriously, Matt. I appreciate all this new-found concern you have for me, but it's unnecessary. I'm fine." She says shortly, her voice suddenly cold.
He backs away a couple of steps. "I'm just trying to be here for you." He defends.
Mimi shrugs a shoulder. "So don't, okay? Because I don't need you to."
He puts his palms up on either side of him, "Fine. I give up." He sighs.
She nods. "Great, hand me my jeans?" She points to the rumpled garment near his feet.
He gives her a disappointed look, before picking them up. "Here." He hands them to her.
She slides out of bed, pulling them on. "Look, I didn't mean to be a bitch." She rubs a hand over her face. "I'm tired and crabby and I'm gonna miss you."
"It's okay."
Mimi nods, "Good." She smiles.
He fingers her belt-loops, pulling her to him. "I know you don't wanna hear this, Meems. But I really think this thing with your mom is fixable, so maybe if she reaches out, you should give her a chance." He says softly, his voice tickling her ear.
She lays her head against his chest, for a second just immersing herself in him. "I'll think about it." She says, her voice small and unsure.
And they stay like that for just a few more minutes, because it's a fleeting semblance of peace they haven't had in a while.
Boy, I think about it every night and day
I'm addicted, wanna jump inside your love
I wouldn't wanna have it any other…way
I'm addicted and I just can't get enough
I just can't get enough…
-x-
"Are you okay?" Sora asks, peering over the magazine she's reading.
The brunette across from her doesn't answer, just continues to pensively flick nail polish onto her toes.
Sora clears her throat, reaching a finger out to poke the brunette. "Hey." She says louder this time.
"Hm?" She finally get a response.
"Just asking if you're okay." Sora repeats herself. "You've been in a mood since he left, just wondering if that's all there is to it, Meems." She explains.
Mimi eyes the pink nail polish bottle, twirling it around with her fingers. Finally, she sighs. "It isn't about him. I can go a few days with out Matt, I won't fall into a depression." She says dryly.
Sora raises a suspicious eyebrow. "So if that's not it, then what is?" She wonders.
Mimi heaves another sigh, staring at her half done toes, before setting the bottle aside. "This thing with my mother." She admits begrudgingly.
Sora puts her magazine to the side immediately.
"I hate that what she says gets to me." She says, gaze still on her feet.
Sora sits up, crossing her legs Indian style. "Like what?" She presses.
Mimi runs a few fingers down the length of her hair. "Like that I'm making a huge mistake investing in Matt. That he'll eventually leave me or ch…" She swallows thickly, she hates saying this part out loud. "Cheat on me again." She spits the word out as if its poison on her tongue.
Sora just listens patiently as Mimi continues.
"And as much as I hate the things that she says, sometimes I can't help but wonder if she's right." She fights back the tears. "She's my mother, somewhere deep down inside of her, she has to be saying these things for a reason. She has to, ultimately, in some way, want what's best for me…right?" She stares up at Sora, hazel eyes pleading with the redhead to say something remotely encouraging.
But for the first time, Sora's at a loss of what to say. Usually, emotional heart to hearts were her forte, but today…well this just seems a little out of her area of expertise. Her own mother had died several years prior, back when she was still in grade school. And she would be lying if she said she wasn't more than a little biased when it came to conversations like these.
Because no matter how much she loved Matt and no matter how badly she wanted to be on his side, Sora would always wish her mother back more. And truth be told, she would put her own mother above everyone else. So how could she not give Mimi the same advice?
But at the same time, how could she tell Mimi to trust her mother, with out completely betraying her friendship with Matt.
Sensing her redheaded friend's discomfort, Mimi immediately drew back. "I'm, I'm sorry Sora. I didn't mean to dump this on you, I know that this is a little too close for comfort and I don't really know what I was thinking—
Sora waves away her rambling. "Mimi, you know I love you. And I love Matt." She starts off.
The brunette nods.
"And as much as I think you're mom can be wrong sometimes, I do think she has your best interests at heart." She says firmly. "No mother could ever intentionally harm their own child, if she says certain things that make you feel bad, I'm sure she doesn't mean them maliciously." She continues honestly.
Mimi opens her mouth to disagree, but Sora continues to speak.
"That being said, I don't know exactly what went on between you two and what she said. Knowing Milene, it couldn't have been pretty, but I also think she probably didn't mean it." Sora smiles. "She worries and she probably always will, coz I guess…that's what moms do." Her voice cracks a little, a melancholy expression on her face.
Mimi reaches a hand to cover the redhead's.
Sora shakes her head. "What I mean is, just apologize to her. Make things right, regardless of what happens, you'll always need your mom. Whether she says it or not, I'm sure she'll always be on your side."
Mimi wants to protest, she wants to argue, tell Sora that this isn't her mother they were talking about, it was Milene—the woman who didn't have a supportive bone in her body. But as quickly as the urge came, it left, because Mimi realized something very crucial.
As horrible as her mother could be sometimes, she was still there. And that was more than Sora could say for herself.
The brunette knew what she had to do.
-x-
Sitting still had never been Yamato Ishida's strong suit. He could do just about anything else, but it was when someone asked him to do nothing that he'd become agitated. Putting his fate in someone else's hand, watching someone toy with his future, it's something he can barely stand.
So sitting in that circular room, on the plush armchair, surrounded by his band mates, he'd never felt more out of his element. And as familiar melodies float through the air, his own voice reaching his ears, he can't help but want to be anywhere else but here.
Davis nudges his fidgeting leg, and Matt realizes he's physically manifesting his growing frustration. Immediately, he stops shaking.
How long is this freaking demo anyway?
And the damn record executive with his face blank and emotionless, impossible to read.
Finally, the song ends, and he lets out the breath he'd been holding.
At least the judging part is over, and he can't be happier. Because putting his life's work on display like that, it was like cutting a vein open and letting it bleed. So raw, so real, his inner most feelings come to life only to be mounted on some imaginary pedestal for everyone to critique.
All of a sudden, he's insecure. Because this is one of the biggest record labels in Japan, this man had so many singers and song writers just like him and better come in and out o this office everyday. What did he have that is so much better than them?
He wasn't even sure if he wanted this at all.
Surely that means he doesn't deserve it, right?
Wrong.
"That was great!" Ryan Lang claps his hands together, Matt's attention snaps back up.
All four boys look beyond surprise.
"The song itself is real catchy, the melody is soft and uncomplicated and for the first time in a long time, I actually heard meaning in the lyrics." He continues his praise. "Vocals were pitchy at times, but I'm sure you'll work on that."
They all hang on bated breath, waiting for him to finish.
"But…as good as it was, and it was good. There's…there's something missing." He snaps his fingers together, as if trying to recollect something. "I mean, there's just something that isn't feeling right, it's…incomplete." He sighs.
"Well, Mr. Lang. What, what can we do?" Ryo is the first to speak.
The man just shrugs a shoulder. "I can't really place my finger on it, but I feel like aside from the pitch issues, the vocals are…lacking."
Matt takes that one straight to heart. "And what's wrong with them?" He asks flatly.
He and Ken were the only vocals on the track, it had to be one of them.
"Nothing is wrong. They were fine." He says, "But in case you guys didn't know, fine doesn't really cut it in the music business, not anymore at least. The only way "fine" is remotely acceptable, is if you're a five foot six blonde we can put in skimpy outfits and tasteless music videos." He says flippantly.
"So basically if you're not Brittany Spears, you can't make it?" Davis raises his eyebrows in disbelief.
Lang looks a little offended, he opens his mouth to answer when Ryo gracefully cuts in. "We have other songs, maybe it was just that one you didn't like?" He suggest eagerly.
The other three boys shoot him deadly looks, why is he being such a sell out?
But the record executive just shakes his head, "No."
"Any suggestions on what we should do better?" Ken asks diplomatically.
The man rubs his chin, clearly in deep thought.
A minute or two goes by before he speaks. "Try putting a girl in the band."
All four mouths drop open.
"For sex appeal?" Matt snorts, crossing his arms over his chest.
The many just chuckles. "You four are good looking enough to appeal to our female fan base a few times over." He reassures. "No, because I have a hunch that that's what's missing from the vocals."
Matt opens his mouth to protest before he even gives the idea a chance, but just as he's about argue, he thinks about it. A girl could be exactly what the band needs, female vocal accompaniment could really be what's missing.
After all, this man is a professional for a reason. He hasn't made it this far making bad decisions. And Matt may not agree with some of what he has to say, he knew that Lang was probably right.
He looks at his friends for any sort of consensus. When they all silently nod, answering the question Matt didn't need to ask, he runs a hand through his hair.
"We'll try it out with a girl."
If Lang is pleased, he doesn't show it. He just looks like he had been expecting such an answer. "Great." he says lazily. "And when you've got a clean enough demo, come back." He starts thumbing through his iphone.
"How's a month from today sound?" He asks, looking at the four young faces in his office.
They all nod.
"Great. So I'll see you guys back in Tokyo in a month. Thanks for coming out, boys. It was a pleasure."
-x-
The car's quiet, the ride to the hotel much less loud than the ride to the studio. They're all pensive, lost in their own thoughts about how to greaten their chances at being signed.
"Mimi's got a decent set of lungs." Ryo mentions from the front seat.
"Hell no." Matt growls immediately from the driver's side.
"Well why the hell not?" Davis asks, a little annoyed that Matt didn't even entertain the idea
"And she's at all the practices, knows all the songs." Ken chimes in.
Matt shakes his head tightly. "No." He says, his voice low and threatening.
Ryo shakes his head. "You're being stubborn, Mimi's a fine singer, we only need her for back up vocals, she won't steal any of your thunder." Ryo nudges him playfully. "Besides, she's ridiculously hot. She'll look real good up there—
"That's exactly why she won't be in the band." Matt barks. "You really think I want thousands of assholes just like you staring at my girlfriend?" He demands.
Ryo gives him an offended look. "What are you implying?" He asks angrily.
Matt just snorts in response.
Davis gives an exasperated sigh. "Matt, you're being a little rash about this. We're not saying it has to be Mimi, we're just saying think about it." He intervenes.
But Matt wasn't budging on this. "Mimi is my girlfriend. And after everything we've been through, this is the last thing I want to come between us right now." They were finally in a good enough place to move forward, didn't his bandmates get that?
"No one's taking that away from you, man." Ryo says in annoyance. "Shit, when'd you become sucha drama queen."
Matt sends him a piercing blue glare. "You're so close to getting the shit kicked out of you, Akiyama. Then we'll see who the drama queen is." He hisses.
"Ken, bro. Say something."
Ken just shakes his head. "I can't." He says simply. "I may not agree with him all the time, but I kind of get where Matt is coming from. If it were Zoe up there, prancing around in short shorts and a tube top, I don't think I'd be comfortable with it either." He says honestly.
Davis just pulls a frustrated hand through his hair.
Ryo hit's the back of his head against his seat. "So what are we gonna do, hold open auditions?" He asks distastefully.
They all groan at the thought of that.
All of Odaiba's female population would be trying out, holding open auditions would be suicide. Sifting through all the crap would take forever, none of them would have any free time to do anything.
"How about your sister, Rye?"
Ryo shrugs a shoulder, "She's all right, I guess." He says indifferently. "But she's sixteen…"
"Yeah, that might not really work." Ken agrees. "She wouldn't really appeal to the masses."
"Two words, guys. Justin. Beiber." Davis says with a grin.
Matt lets out a laugh. "Coz that's really the type of fan base our music wants to reach." He says.
Ryo gives a small chuckle at that too. "Besides, poor girl has sucha huge crush on Mattie, she'd probably get stage fright and faint before the show ever starts." He jokes.
They all laugh.
"All right, Jenny's out."
"There is one girl…" Ryo starts. "She's practically perfect. Great voice, awesome body, she's no one's girlfriend…" He says, giving Matt a cutting glare.
Matt remains indifferent.
"So, who is it then?" Davis asks excitedly. "And bro, why didn't you suggest her before!"
Ryo opens his mouth, but pauses.
"What's with the dramatics, Rye?" Ken asks quietly.
The drummer just sighs. "Coz I doubt you'll like it." He speaks directly to Matt.
Matt raises his eyebrows, that statement piquing his curiosity.
Davis is the first to make the connection, "Oh…dude, that's just…" He's at a loss for words. "She is perfect though, she's exactly what our band is about."
Matt narrows his eyes, looking from Davis to Ryo. "Who could it possibly be?" He demanded. "I mean, any girl has to be better than my girlfriend, so I doubt I'll be—
"Mai Valentine." They both interrupt together.
And at the mention of her name, Matt's blood runs cold.
And all our sins,
Come back to haunt us in the end,
To hang around and tap us on the shoulder,
And smile silent, it's all implied.
-x-
A/n: So…it didn't take two years this time! How was it? I know it's a bit of a filler and that kind of sucks, but things are about to get a lot more interesting from here, promise! The story has kind of been building up to this point.
A few words on: "Mai Valentine"
Well, I'm not gonna go into who she is in regards to this story or what her connection is to Matt, that's all a secret till next time (though, you guys are all such smarty pants, I'm sure you'll figure it out ;) Anyway, first of all she doesn't belong to me (FF, that's my disclaimer!), she is a character from the show Yu-Gi-Oh and that's where I took her from (if you don't know who she is, just put it in Google Images to see what she looks like), her personality is also similar to what it was in Yu-Gi-Oh, she's kind of a badass, hot girl, who doesn't really care for authority.
Other stuff I don't own…
The song used in this chapter is by a band called Straylight Run named Mistakes We Knew We Were Making.
And also, Just Can't Get Enough by the Black Eyed Peas.
I'm trying to remember if there's anything I forgot…but I don't think so. Even if I did, it's kind of too late now, huh?
Anyway! I hope you enjoyed this, sorry if my author's note bored you to death, and I hope you liked it enough to leave me a review. I'd love to hear all your thoughts about how I can make this better, or what you would like to see happen or if you have any characters from other shows you'd like to see make a guest appearance (I'll try to work them in) anything at all.
As always, thanks for reading, you are all lovely and I hope you enjoyed it!
Till next time!
-Chris.