A/n: This is set post Tri but before Kizuna.

Pairing: Mimato

Prompt: "coming back for another kiss"

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02. Karaoke Me Red

- x -

Two pairs of eyes were sharply fixed on a tiny screen that hung on the wall in front of them. Currently, the display was swirling digits around to the noise of a drumroll and both the occupants of the dimly lit karaoke room stood with bated breath, waiting for the score to appear.

Mimi clutched onto the mic in her hand as she followed the numbers rolling around on the screen diligently. She had already scored a 100 on her song performance so there was no need for her to worry so much unless her opponent too ended up getting the same score, which meant another intense face off and she couldn't be sure if she'd manage to hit all the high notes once again. She sneaked a glance at Yamato from the corner of her eye. He too was holding onto his mic tightly, as if that itself would make him score full points. His brow was furrowed into a deep frown and his jaw was set sternly like this was a matter of life and death for him.

Mimi had always known that he was very proud of his singing skills, which is why she at first, she had hesitated to take up this challenge.

The two ran into each other at a record shop after school earlier this evening, coincidentally they were purchasing the same album. Yamato had raised a surprised eyebrow at seeing Mimi's interest in this particular band but he didn't make any condescending comments about it. While they waited in the payment line, Mimi decided to question him about his favourite songs by the band, and of course, that's where the coincidence ended. All the songs that Mimi enjoyed were the ones Yamato disliked and vice versa, so it didn't take too long for their conversation to become heated. Eventually, it moved on from the topic of the band to their musical tastes in general and since they happened to cross a karaoke place on their way to the train station, Yamato suggested that they test out who's better at singing by having a little match over their favourite songs by the band they both liked.

Mimi knew that for her singing was a hobby, not a skill she was trained in, so it wouldn't be wise for her to go up against Yamato, who had a few years of experience singing live. But he looked so smug with that lopsided smile which he rarely showed, as if he'd won the contest even before it began that here was no other choice for Mimi but to accept his challenge. She was going to make him realise that her taste in music was just as good and just because he'd been in a band for a few years, he was no expert in this field.

From the minute they'd entered the karaoke room, the tension in the air had made her skin tingle but she managed to get a hold of her nerves as soon as she started to sing. She poured every bit of her energy into the song, she channelled the frustration she'd felt through the evening every time she couldn't get the last word in during their argument because Yamato always had a dry remark up his sleeve, every time he managed to prove her statement wrong by quickly looking up the correct fact or just how annoyed he made her by following her around despite not agreeing to a single word she'd said all evening.

What did he even want from her, was the question that plagued her mind, if he thought her way of picking a good song was so wrong, then why didn't he just leave her alone and go home?

Mimi took every emotion from those bottled up questions and poured it into her song, which resulted in her scoring full points. She'd jumped up and down with excitement as Yamato sat there stunned, his mouth hanging open while he stared at the result on the screen. But the bewilderment only lasted a minute and he quickly pulled himself together, starting his own song right away.

When she heard him sing, the burst of joy she'd felt from scoring a 100 faded pretty quickly. But still, Mimi found it very hard to feel down while listening to Yamato's voice, the smooth yet deep tone had a gravitational pull of its own that sucked her attention away from everything else and for the few minutes that his performance dominated the room, she even forgot all about their little contest.

But finally, he finished his song and very ambitiously turned to face the screen, awaiting his score. At that moment, Mimi too was able to break out of her trance and she stood up from her seat to come to terms with whatever the final result of this competition would be.

The karaoke machine did its little gig where it made all the numbers roll around the screen like a roulette and after a full minute of the useless dramatics, Yamato's score was displayed.

97.

Mimi blinked twice in confusion, then she rubbed her eyes and stared at the display again.

97.

"I won!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and began to jump again, this time almost high enough for her head to hit the ceiling.

Yamato stood still, his face a picture of utter disbelief as his eyes continued to look at the number displayed on the screen.

"I won! You lost! I'm a way better singer than you!" Mimi announced loudly and happily to a non-existent audience. The last bit must have hurt Yamato's pride way more than the score itself because he quickly broke out of the stupor and glared daggers at her.

"This doesn't prove you're a better singer than me."

"Of course it does, I got a full score-"

"Karaoke is very different from actual, live singing." Yamato threw the mic he was holding onto the couch behind him, folding his arms across his chest defensively, "If we entered a real singing contest, I'm sure I'll fare much better than you."

"Sounds like something a loser would say," Mimi said, bending down to put the mic in her hand on the table between them gently, as any dignified winner would.

"I'm not a loser-"

"You scored less than me, the parameters for winning this contest that you decided on was a higher score, ergo, you are a loser."

It felt so satisfying to finally watch Yamato struggle to respond to her that Mimi let this little moment of giddiness take control over her completely.

"And since the only reason you could've lost is because you didn't sing as well as I did, that makes me a better singer than you."

She watched as he attempted to think of a perfect response, he opened and closed his mouth a few times before grumbling incoherently to himself. The sight of him being at a loss for words should've been enough for Mimi, but somehow she kept craving for more. It was only fair, she justified it to herself, Yamato had spent the entire evening getting on her nerves by being pompous, the least he could do to pay her back was show some humility for a change.

"Anyway since I am now the better singer out of the two of us-"

"You are not a better singer than me-"

"Denial isn't a good thing, Yamato san, just admit that you lost to me and I am now a better singer than you."

"Will you stop saying that?"

His loud voice did break Mimi's confidence slightly but the sight of him looking absolutely livid because she'd won fair and square only made her feel more contented by the feat she had pulled off and she decided, that she wouldn't stop talking about it till Yamato's ears fell off from being tired of hearing it. So Mimi met his glare with a determined look of her own, her lips curving slyly upwards into a smirk as she folded her arms and challenged him with a raised eyebrow.

"Make me."

The words sounded so simple to her then, she had no idea that they would lead to something so intense.

At first, Yamato's mood didn't change but then she watched as his face softened and eyes widened, as if an idea had popped up in his head. He squared his shoulders and met her smug posture with a conceited smile of his own, "Try and say that one more time. I dare you."

"I'm a way better sing-"

Mimi didn't get any time to register what happened next.

Before she could finish her sentence, Yamato leaned across the table and cupped her chin in one hand, for a second he met her eyes, a mysterious glint flashed across his blue eyes telling her that this game, she had lost.

He pressed his lips against hers and Mimi felt her whole body freeze at his touch.

Her mind went blank as he gently caressed her lips with his own. It surprised her that despite the tension between them, he was still soft with his touch, slowly and delicately melting away the shock that had frozen her. Her toes curled inside her shoes when his hand moved above her chin and his palm pressed against her cheek, filling her with a kind of warmth that she had never felt before. At her side, Mimi felt her hands twitch, she wanted to reach forward with them and grab something, anything that would make sure that she would never lose the fuzzy feeling that had ignited in her chest, but after brushing his tongue against her lips once, Yamato suddenly pulled himself away.

The silence that settled over them was more deafening than Mimi's performance from earlier.

She stood with her hands half raised, lips partially open and eyes still fluttered closed, ready to allow him to delve deeper into her. But as soon as the warmth disappeared from around her, Mimi's eyes opened with a start. She looked at Yamato, who had now taken a step back, and saw that his face was as red as her skin felt, a hand had shot up to cover his mouth, which seemed like a feeble attempt to keep himself from kissing her again. She frowned as she noticed the confused look on his face like he couldn't believe he'd just done something like that, he looked guilty and conflicted about what he should do next.

"I'm sorry Mimi, that was way out of line-"

But Mimi wasn't listening to a word he'd said.

She could feel her skin ache for the warmth that Yamato had carried with his touch, she could feel her heart beat faster every moment she spent apart from him, she could feel the walls of the room closing in on her, the air wrapping itself around her body, begging her to go to him or else she'd be swallowed by the emptiness that surrounded her.

So she stepped onto the table as Yamato stared at her in bewilderment, he opened his mouth to say something again but Mimi had already made up her mind. She bent down and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt with both hands, bringing his face towards her so she could crash her lips against his.

Yamato didn't push her away however, even if he had considered this a mistake a minute ago, as soon as Mimi's lips touched his, he snaked an arm around her waist and lifted her off the table with ease, setting her down on the floor so he could bring her closer into him. She let go of his collar as soon as he pushed his tongue into her mouth through her lips, instead her hands raked through his silky hair, grabbing onto a few locks as Yamato tasted every inch of her mouth. While Mimi still felt her body heat up with delight the longer they stayed pressed up against one another, this kiss was nothing like the one they had shared earlier, it was filled with the need to know just how far they could take things before common sense took over.

And that was just another battle which neither Mimi nor Yamato was willing to lose.

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A/n: And the winner is ~ Mimato shippers ~ You're welcome besties! Thank you for reading, reviews are always appreciated.