Here it is, part 2 of the If I Fall arc. Shorter than the last one, but just about as dull. I promise though...things are gonna heat up real soon!
"And then he said it was because he loved me."
Sora didn't have to try hard to hide her underwhelming surprise. It was 3:30 in the morning and she, despite her best efforts, was falling asleep. "Yea, that makes sense."
"You mean you knew!?" Mimi flared.
"Well, yea, it's kinda obvious." Sora yawned. "Now you need to talk to Joe and Matt. It looks like you have two different guys who you want two different things from. Goodnight." She terminated the call and threw her phone down, before curling up in a ball on her bed and falling asleep.
Mimi huffed but got to bed as well, tangled with the desires of her heart and the inhibitions of her crest.
-/-
Despite being early in the morning, it was still a hot day in Odaiba. Chip sweat, even though he had grown up in a warmer climate than this. After only a few hours, he could no longer stand the insulation his t-shirt provided and removed it, leaving his well built torso the ability to disperse some of the heat the sun had thrown into his body. The weather station had told him the temperature was thirty two degrees with almost 90% humidity. In the most basic terms: It was damn hot. He calmly took the shovel in his hand and stuck it in the ground next to him, using it to lean on as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He looked at his watch and was upset to read that it was only quarter to ten. He still had two more hours of this heat before he would be allowed to leave. He sighed and took a step back to look around.
He was standing outside the apartment complex in which he lived, which just so happened to be the same one in which Tai and Kari lived. After the first encounter with the new digidestined, Tai had offered to find them a new home; one better than the shack where they had spent their first few months. He found a cheap place in his building and helped the two brothers to secure a lease with the very limited income they could get alone. While the apartment was small, it was big enough for the three of them.
His eyes found a very familiar head of orange hair a little ways down the street, making it's way over to the door of the complex, and smiled to himself. He let out a light whistle- just enough for her to hear- and her head turned his way. She met his smile and moved towards him.
"Well don't you look nice." Chip said as she approached. She was wearing a little, polka-dotted sundress that only went down about mid-thigh and a pair of silver sandals; perfect attire for the heat the town was experiencing. Perfect, but she still blushed at the big man looking her over. It also didn't help that Chip was built like a god and only half clothed. She could see every ripple in every muscle on his chest, his stomach, his arms...every drop of sweat on his bronzed skin...She loved Tai with all her heart and always would, but by God, this man was hot.
Chip smiled still. "Got a date, I'm assuming."
She snapped out of her trance and smiled up at him. "Yes. Tai and I are going to the movies to get out of this heat." She fanned herself with her hand as she spoke.
"Yea, it sure as hell is hot out here." Chip said, wiping his brow with his forearm again as he leaned more on the shovel. Sora took notice of the shovel now and squinted with a questioning brow.
"I thought you were a security guard? Why are you digging holes?"
Chip nodded, smiled and sighed, all while motioning over his shoulder with his thumb, towards the building. "The landlord drops our rent if I help him out. They're expecting new trees out here and I guess I'm the one to break the ground."
"Aw, I'm sorry."
He shrugged. "Don't be. I don't mind the heat that much." He then took her shoulders and turned her towards the building, giving her a light push. "Now go: I don't wanna keep you two lovebirds apart for any longer." She laughed and started walking.
"But..." he started, bringing her attention back to him. "If you wanna come over later...I'm sure Blake and Militamon especially would love some company...I mean...If you want."
She smiled. "I'll talk to Tai."
Chip nodded and watched her walk away, thoughts too painful filling his mind. He shut them out with a sigh and picked up his shovel again and got back to work.
-/-
Footsteps rang down the halls of the apartment as Mimi paced the floor just outside of the Ishida residence. Other than that, the building was docile and silent, everyone either in their apartments, hiding from the heat, or at the park, enjoying it.
But not Mimi. She didn't have the option of hiding from her task, nor the mindset to enjoy it. 'No.' She thought as she paced. 'It has to happen. It's not right to drag him along like this. I just need to cut it off before his feelings get too strong.'
With conviction, she turned and knocked on the door. She could hear his steps approach the door, and one more thought came into her head: 'What if he hates me?'
She loved Matt, really she did, but it never was the love that Sora had for Tai. She had spent so much time building up Matt's image in her mind and when she really got to know him, he wasn't what she had pictured. Not better or worse, so to speak, just not the same. Mimi had seen him as more fantastical, more of a "sweep her off her feet" kind of cool. In reality, Matt was almost too caring. She dreamt him aloof and desirable, almost a prize , but he was much more than that, both to her and himself. Mimi was more or less surprised with their relationship, and it wasn't what she wanted. But it still worried her that someone as important as Matt could possibly hate her for leading him on after what Sora had done. She bit her lower lip and swallowed her tension.
Matt rubbed his eyes with his arm, trying to wipe the sleep from his just woken face. His jungle of blonde strands hung down over his eyes as he stumbled to the doorknob, pulling it open as far as the locking chain would allow. "Mimi? One sec."
She held her breath as the door opened. He invited her in and she slipped carefully through the doorway, never really catching his eye as they walked to the small kitchen table and sat down.
"Want some coffee? Tea? Something?" She shook her head and Matt shrugged, pouring himself a cup of joe. "You're here pretty early. Especially after last night. Something wrong?"
She couldn't answer. She kept staring at the table in front of her, her hands holding one another for support. Matt sipped the coffee and watched her. "Mimi?"
He began to see drops of water splash down on her clenched fists and her head collapsed to the table, unable to bear the weight of her own tears. He quickly set the mug down and ran behind her. He lightly rubbed his left hand up and down her back, leaning down to her right ear and quietly speaking. "What is it, Mimi? What's wrong?"
She just kept crying, and he repeated the phrase and the rubbing until she finally sat up and spoke, with a large sniffle. "Oh Matt, this is so hard to say...but, I... I think we shouldn't see each other anymore..." Another wave of tears hit her and she buckled back to the table.
"What? Why?" Matt was taken aback, but not so much to leave her side. His hand continued to float up and down the fabric of her shirt.
"I'm...really confused...and I don't know what to think...I really just need some time alone to sort this out, but I can't guarantee that I'll want to come back to you at the end.
"You gotta give me more than that, Mimi, I gotta know more about what you're thinking about." His hand stopped.
"I can't tell you. You'll be mad at him."
Matt froze in fearful realization. "Who's he?"
"I can't tell you." He backed away. Anger built in him. He had a pretty good idea of who "he" was. He took a breath and spoke to her.
"Hey, Mimi...could you go to Sora's a bit to gather yourself. I-"
"Sora's with Tai
"Then how bout Kari or Yolei? I just think we have things to think about and need some space to do so."
She whipped her nose and stood up, giving him a big hug. "I'm so sorry." He said nothing. As she was closing the door, she said back, "You'll never be just a friend to me." And with that, she closed the door and slumped away.
-/-
"You want more Spaghettios, M?" Chip called from the kitchen. Militamon's head spun around.
"Um...if Blake doesn't want any more."
Chip looked to his brother, who appeared to be watching tv. "Blake?"
The black hair shook side to side once. Chip nodded and bit his lip, calling Militiamon over. Blake was in one of his thinking moods and would be quiet for a while. He was likely thinking about BlackWarGreymon. They hadn't seen him for a while, but Blake was really excited about the prospect of teaching the dragon. Chip simply plopped the remaining spoonful into Militiamon's bowl before sending him back to the couch.
In an attempt to keep some form of order in a place that could easily fall into chaos, Chip immediately began washing the pot and bowls from diner. He didn't mind too much, and it had to be done. It was mind numbing enough that he was able to think about other things while he worked; things like BlackWarGreymon, and his brother, and Sora...
Lest he become too blissful, there was a knock at their apartment door. As always, he approached the door carefully and opened it a crack before fully committing to opening it. Relieved, he opened it up. It was just Sora and an apparently happy yet still obviously disgruntled Tai.
"So you decided to come by?"
She smiled and nodded. "Mmhm." He backed away from the door and gestured them into the home.
"I apologize for the mess. I was just in the middle of cleaning it up..."
"It's fine," she laughed. For a moment, the three just stood there in silence, Tai growing ever more twitchy.
"Can I get you anything, or something?" Chip asked eventually. "We have water, milk, water..."
She laughed again and relayed it to Tai, who smiled and quietly said he'd have some water, a phrase Chip was aware of. He was already moving to get a glass when Sora said she'd have one two. One glass turned to three as he filled them up and passed them out. "Make yourselves at home." He gestured to the minimal seating available: a small wooden chair and the one open cushion on their small couch. With no hesitation and a smile, Sora took the chair, leaving Tai to squeeze onto the tiny sofa. Sora, Tai, Militaimon and Blake all just sat in silence; the tv was on, but no one was really watching. It was way more awkward than it need to be, and Chip sighed. He brought himself to the floor, as there was no more room and tried to break the silence.
"So how'd the date go?"
"Good. We enjoyed the movie a lot."
Chip smiled genuinely. "That's good to hear." Tai asked something that Chip sort of recognized but he wasn't sure.
"Tai asks if you'd mind telling us how you two got here? To Japan, I mean."
Chip bit his lip again and both Blake and Militiamon's hands tightened around themselves. "I actually would right now." His eyes avoided Sora's. "It's not something any of us would like to bring up right now."
"I'm sorry..." Sora said, relaying it to Tai, who also apologized. "Are you happy here?"
His smile was different this time, more sweet and content than before. "More than I've been in a long time."
Oh boy, well this is about as much as I have written as of now...but I'll try not to be absent for a year before the next update, kay?
Munch out.