Chapter Text
With Mimi on his arm and Meiko tagging along on Mimi's other side, Yamato moved to the dining room of the house where they were met with an array of food, snacks, and various drinks that filled the table. That was also when a few of the party guests cheered as they recognized him when he walked in. Kota greeted him with an arm around his neck for a side hug, and a few commented on how they were wondering where Yamato had wandered off to since the band had first arrived at the party.
"You guys should know by now," Yamato said with a smile. "I don't like being the center of attention."
There was a roar of laughter along with the blowing of raspberries at his tongue-in-cheek comment.
"Says the front man of the band!" Akemi retorted.
He looked at Mimi and flashed a smile, to which she smiled widely in return. Yamato had grown used to getting attention whenever he knew the moment called for it, and the best way to react was to take it all in stride. Especially that evening, after a great show followed by exciting prospects for his band.
While he grabbed snacks to munch on and a soda to drink, Yamato mingled with nearly everyone after making his way around the room. Some of his schoolmates were there, along with friends of his bandmates and Touma's brother. And with each person he talked to, they were introduced to Mimi and Meiko, both of them being new to the afterparty crowd. Yamato hadn't interacted much with Meiko before, and he noticed her soft-spoken voice and shy nature, but she was cheerful and friendly.
But seeing Mimi talk to these people left Yamato in awe. She had gotten along with them and captured their attention with her animated chatter. He could tell that those who she got to talk to were easily more relaxed the more they got into conversation with each other. It was nice to see Mimi with bright eyes and a big smile, being in her element with her bubbly personality, in contrast to her troubled mood when he hung out with her at school. He could only wish that those who knew her at school would give her a chance and get to know her as the people at this party were now.
At one point, as Yamato and Mimi conversed with a friend from a different band, Yamato noticed from the corner of his eye that Meiko was shifting uncomfortably. He leaned toward her inconspicuously, so as not to break Mimi's conversation.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Well, I didn't wanna be rude," Meiko said, a tinge of hesitation in her voice. "I left my water bottle somewhere and I'm not sure it's a good idea to go back for it."
"I can get you a new one, if you'd like. You never know if someone else drank from it by mistake. Gross, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." Meiko chuckled.
Yamato smiled at her, then turned to Mimi and gave her a light poke at her elbow. "I'm getting more water for Meiko. Do you want anything?"
"You're so sweet, Yama!" she said. "But I think I'm good."
He stared at her. "You're good?"
"I am."
Mimi smiled warmly at him which made him smile back, believing her words.
Yamato headed into the kitchen, where he ran into Kota who held a plastic cup along with a few of his friends gathered around. Yamato had known Kota to drink some beer casually at the afterparties and he didn't make it known, though Yamato noticed by his extra giddy nature that Kota had consumed a good amount. After the group congratulated Yamato on their successes for the night, Kota launched into discussion of the other bands they had performed alongside at the show, and Yamato agreed that they should watch them play at other shows when they had the chance. He was glad that Kota remained his usual self despite drinking from the cup in his hand.
Akemi joined their group, peppy with the beer bottle in his own hand. Surprisingly, Yamato hadn't paid any attention to Touma, whom he knew must have already had a lot to drink from the moment he set foot in the house. From Touma, there was usually a howl of laughter or a cheer that was loud enough to hear across another room. Regardless, Yamato was content being in the moment. Talking and laughing along with others like this was enough for him.
Maybe the fact that he wondered about where Touma had been was enough to change the heard a shout just then, but it did not give off a good sign.
"Stop, Touma!" came a shout.
Yamato turned his head, knowing that the group of people he had been talking to in the kitchen had done the same. It was out of the ordinary to hear her speak so loudly, but Yamato recognized Meiko's voice.
"Come on, Meiko!" Touma shouted back. "I just wanted to talk!"
Yamato sensed trouble in Touma's slurred words. He rushed past the dining room and into the living room, where more people had gathered. There, he found Meiko ripping her hand away from Touma and turning to the side, with Touma reaching for her, his mouth sputtering words that lacked reason.
And there, he saw Mimi, lunging forward to smack her palm hard against Touma's cheek. Touma stumbled to the side, groaning as he clutched his cheek with his hand. Gasps were scattered around the room.
"It's rude to hit people, you know!" Touma said.
"You think that's rude?" Mimi asked, her fiery stare on Touma. "When someone says they don't want to talk to you, that doesn't give you the right to force them to!"
"Wait," Touma said with a smile creeping against his uncovered cheek. "I get it. You did that out of jealousy. Maybe you wanted to talk to me, even when I chose your pretty friend…"
"Is that what you got out of that? There is no way I want to talk to you. Maybe I should show you again what I really want to do-!"
Yamato grabbed Mimi by the wrist from behind her right before she slammed it down. At the same time, a pair of hands held Touma back at either of his elbows to keep him from moving forward. Touma's older brother and another friend had gotten him up and held him back.
"Don't do this, Mimi," Yamato said quietly to her. "I know he's being a jerk, but he's not going to get the message with another smackdown from you."
Mimi lowered her hand after hearing Yamato's voice, but her glare remained toward Touma.
"Ah, the guy who always steals the spotlight," Touma said, stumbling free from those that were holding him.. "And steals the girls. Are you going to steal Meiko from me, too?"
Yamato took a step forward with Mimi standing behind him. "Apologize to them. Mimi and Meiko didn't need any of this from you tonight."
"Like I have anything to apologize for."
As Yamato's eyes flashed, he pummeled his fist into the other side of Touma's cheek. Touma fell backward with his brother to catch him from behind.
Cries and shouts of surprise surrounded them. "Yamato!" Mimi cried softly while Meiko gasped beside her.
"You've had enough to drink for tonight, Touma," Yamato said with a scowl. Then he looked to Touma's brother. "Make sure he doesn't drink any more."
"I think this loser just ended the party anyway," Touma's brother replied, as Touma laughed under his heavy-lidded drunken stupor.
Yamato narrowed his eyes at Touma but knew that he couldn't do anything more to help the situation. Then, when he turned to Meiko, he looked at her, his eyes changing to concern.
"Meiko, are you okay?" he asked. Meiko had her arms wrapped around herself, her eyes averted toward the ground, and Yamato noticed that she was trembling.
"Oh, Meiko…" Mimi said, embracing her. "I'll take you home. I'm calling my driver." She then turned to Yamato. "Did you want a ride home, too?"
Yamato wondered if he should go with them. He wanted to, mainly to make sure that they both were okay by the end of the evening. On the other hand, he knew that Meiko would have wanted to be with a friend she trusted the most, and that she and Mimi would at least be safe by the time they entered Mimi's car.
"I'll hang back here," Yamato decided. "The guys might need some help to clean up."
"Okay. I'll take Meiko outside while we wait for my car to arrive. I know that we both need some fresh air. You should get some, too."
Yamato nodded in agreement. "I'll walk you out, then."
As they walked out first, Yamato remembered something and ran to the kitchen to grab three unopened water bottles before heading outside himself.
He found them standing on the curb, huddled together in the chilly, night air. When he stood at Mimi's side, he nudged her lightly with the water bottle, and held two of them before her.
"I didn't get to fetch one for you before, Meiko," he said. "Sorry about that."
Quietly, Meiko took one while Mimi grabbed the other.
"You're very kind, Yamato," Meiko said softly. "Thank you."
"Thanks, Yama," Mimi said, smiling.
Moments later, Mimi's car pulled up in front of them, and the driver hopped out and opened the passenger door. Mimi gestured for Meiko to go in first, then she faced Yamato, looking up at him with a sad smile.
"Well, tonight was crazy, wasn't it?" she asked.
"I'm sorry it ended the way it did," he replied, but her smile grew wider with her eyes twinkling.
"It wasn't your fault. And I did have fun, despite what happened."
"Good. I'm happy you did. You looked like you were enjoying yourself, too."
Mimi took both of his hands. "Of course, I did! And you know what the best part was?"
"What?" he asked, drawing closer. "That you got to hang out with me?"
"Ooh, Yama, are you finally showing off your ego?"
"Me? Nah…"
Yamato smiled at Mimi as she giggled.
"You're being silly. I like it."
Their faces were mere inches away now. Yamato's eyes locked onto Mimi's stare, her eyes watching him expectantly. In response, Yamato moved closer to close the gap between their lips, pressing his against hers for a kiss. When he pulled back, he watched Mimi open her eyes in a near daze, looking a little breathless as she smiled.
"You're being bold tonight. I like that, too."
"Maybe it's because nobody's really watching us…"
He trailed off, realizing mid-sentence that he might have been wrong. He was wrong, in fact, as he looked over his shoulder to see Kota, Akemi, and a few of their friends looking on with smiles. On their other side next to the car door, Mimi's driver held up his arm to look at the watch on his wrist, while Meiko watched giggling with her hand over her mouth.
Mimi blushed and Yamato felt his own cheeks warm, though they both smiled at each other, their fingers interlocking.
"I should go," Mimi said. "I'll see you on Sunday."
"See you Sunday," Yamato repeated, and, this time being fully aware of the spectators, he pulled Mimi in for one more kiss.
When Sunday arrived, Yamato stood before his mirror. He dressed casually in a casual shirt and jeans. After styling his hair in his usual style, he wondered why it didn't look as good as it normally did. His brows furrowed and he leaned closer to the mirror in an attempt to figure out what had gone wrong.
"I'm heading out," Hiroaki said, after a light knock on Yamato's bathroom door. "I'll be home late. Save some for me if you make enough."
"You got it, Dad," answered Yamato, who moved a part of his hair to one side to look for any improvements to his appearance. He was so focused on his hair, yet as his dad stepped away, he wondered why his dad was more concerned about making sure food was cooked for him rather than Yamato having a girl over.
After a few moments fiddling around more, Yamato groaned and combed his hair with his fingers, putting it back to how he had it at first. It looked fine to him but for the occasion, he was anticipating more than just fine.
A knock came at the door, and Yamato answered. Mimi was at the door, dressed in a white top and pink skirt with a blue cardigan over her outfit. In her hand, she held a plastic shopping bag filled with ingredients.
"So much for surprises, huh?" Yamato said with a smirk.
Mimi giggled. "Is it wrong that I'm such a picky eater?" Then, she gasped. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She grabbed her purse and dug her hand into it. When she pulled it out, she revealed a folded piece of a plain garment.
But Yamato realized it wasn't so plain once she unfolded it and held it out to him. It was an apron with an image of an electric guitar right in the front, surrounded by a few musical notes. The title "Rockstar Chef" was placed underneath the image.
"Isn't it perfect?" Mimi asked with a grin, beaming. Yamato's face fell.
"You want me to wear that?" he asked.
"Come on, it'll only be whenever you cook for me!"
"This might be the only time, then." He took the bag of ingredients with one hand, and reluctantly, the apron in the other, before turning towards the kitchen.
"Yamatooo," she wailed. "You're just saying that. I know you don't mean it!"
He sighed and put the hook of the apron over his head and around his neck, then he tied either string in a bow behind his back. When he turned around to face Mimi, she cried with joy.
"It looks so good! Ah, just look at you!"
She leapt forward and threw her arms around him.
"Well, if you really like it on me, I'll wear it," he said, feeling his grumbling thoughts melt away as she held him. He hugged her back, holding her tight.
"You're the best," she said.
Mimi took a seat as she watched Yamato slice chicken, then peel and slice the vegetables she brought with her.
"Don't slice the carrots too thin," she added as he got to them. "Same with the cucumbers."
She threw in little requests like that here and there, but Yamato didn't mind. This meal was all for her, after all.
"How is Meiko doing, by the way?" Yamato asked.
"She's fine," Mimi replied. "She was really happy to hang out with everyone at the party despite what happened."
"That's good to hear."
"And… Touma? What's going on with him?"
Yamato took a few moments to respond. He hadn't spoken to Touma since the party, nor did he feel like talking to him after what went down.
"I don't know."
"I see."
More silence fell between them, and Yamato continued to cut the vegetables. But from the corner of his eye, he noticed that Mimi was still staring at him.
The short requests from Mimi stopped throughout his preparation. He turned the knob on the stove to heat up the oil in the pan, and threw in the sliced chicken. Once he saw them turning brown, he tossed in the vegetables and the sauce that he knew that Mimi loved.
After tossing the stir fry in the pan, he observed that the dish was nearly finished cooking. It was at that point when Yamato felt Mimi's arms wrap around his sides, and he looked to find her staring at the pan.
"Mmmm, smells yummy," was her next comment.
"Did you want me to add anything more?" he asked, suddenly feeling nervous with her being so close to him, but did his best to keep it cool.
"No. I already know it will taste delicious since you cooked it. I just wanted to be close to you."
Yamato turned the stove off to let the pan cool a bit, while he turned to wrap his arms around her.
"Oh," she said, her tone surprised.
"What is it?" he asked, and Mimi replied with a giggle.
"I didn't think you would react so quickly."
She might have been right. In an earlier time, he would have hesitated with what to do next. Holding her used to be something that he would second-guess himself in doing. Yet, holding her was always what he thought about doing, in any case.
He closed his eyes as he held her in his arms. He found it comforting to stand with her, taking a whiff of her sweet scent, his hand on her back over her long, wavy hair.
"Yamato…" she said, and he felt his heart skip a beat.
"Yes, Mimi?"
"Thank you. For cooking for me."
"Oh, well, you're welcome." Yamato let out a nervous chuckle.
"Not only that. Thank you for wearing my silly apron. And for standing up for Meiko last night. For throwing a punch at Touma - not that I encourage that kind of thing."
"Got it."
"Thank you for standing up for me. And for being there for me. And.. for liking me for who I am."
He heard the smile in her voice, but she pressed herself a little closer, just as he held her a little tighter.
"I love you, Mimi," he said suddenly.
"You- you what?"
The words spilled from his lips as he got caught in the moment. Every spoken word of gratitude from Mimi rang true for him because he wanted to do all of those things. Because he meant what he said.
Mimi pulled away so that they stood face-to-face. She was in shock, and his tongue suddenly caught it in his throat.
"I…" Yamato began, his mouth open as he thought of the next words to say. But what else was there to say? He had just revealed what he truly felt for years, even if it came as a surprise for both of them. He had kept these growing feelings to himself throughout their summer adventure and the years after that; when he failed to tell her before she gave him a kiss on his cheek when she left for New York; and when she returned and spent all of this time with him, even as she stood in front of him now.
What else was there to say, when it was simply worth repeating again?
"Mimi," he said, taking a hold of her hands. "I love you."
Mimi let go of his hands, but only to move forward, grab onto the sides of his cheeks, and press her lips onto his. Yamato stumbled backward, keeping his feet flat to stop from falling, and he gained support to take hold of her hips as he kissed her back. Her kisses were fierce, yet sweet on his lips. It took a moment for Yamato to keep up, but Mimi broke off a kiss at one point to tell him her reply:
"I love you, too."
Yamato kissed Mimi deeply, taking in her sweet breath as her lips matched his pace and she melted into his slow, deep kisses. He held one hand at her back, the other behind her neck. Her hands began to run down his neck and shoulders and around his back, her touch leaving a trail of a tingling sensation, chills all over that encouraged him to kiss her longer. But that was when she pulled away for their eyes to meet again.
He could feel his heart beating against his chest, and when he looked into her glistening brown eyes, both of their faces flushed, he could sense a new feeling from her, something he hadn't noticed before; a yearning feeling he shared with her, but he didn't think they would ever cross that point.
If she hadn't stopped, he would have wanted to cross it with her.
"I came on too strong, didn't I?" she asked, sounding as though she was catching her breath.
"No, Mimi," Yamato said. "We kissed. It's okay."
"I just got caught up in the excitement." She giggled, tilting her head to the side so that her hair fell over her eyes to hide them. "I'm really happy."
"So am I," said Yamato, smiling. He wasn't sure if he was ready, but he didn't want to rush something so newly discovered between them. For now, he truly was happy as he reached his hand toward her hair and parted it to the side to see how beautiful she looked when she smiled back, and he gave her one more kiss before bringing her into his arms once again.
"Thank you for loving me, Yamato."
Yamato made enough food for him and Mimi to have their own bento box the next day, and on the night before, he even set one aside for his dad on the dinner table before he headed to bed.
"I guess it's out in the open now, huh?" Taichi asked on Monday morning as he tapped Yamato's back. "You finally confessed to Mimi. I'm proud of you."
"I've gotta say, I'm proud of you too," Sora said, standing next to Taichi with a smile. "You've been full of bold moves all weekend."
"Can we talk about something else?" Yamato asked in hopes to steer the conversation away from himself.
"Who are we talking about being bold?" Mimi asked, joining Yamato at his side. "Give me all the details!"
Yamato sighed, but then he quickly noticed that Meiko had shown up as well, standing on Mimi's other side.
"You're an amazing person, Yamato," she said. "I can't thank you enough for what you did on Friday."
"Don't mention it, Meiko," he said with a smile.
The group fell silent shortly after as Touma approached them. Yamato watched both Sora's and Mimi's eyes narrow at him, though Meiko took a step back, her shoulders raised.
"Hey, Meiko. Mimi," said Touma. "You probably don't want to talk to me right now, but… I just wanted to say sorry about the way I acted."
Mimi turned to Meiko, who looked Touma straight in the eyes. Yamato recognized her expression - she was thinking about the best way to respond. He must have worn this expression many times himself, but he admired that Meiko was able to look Touma in the face while doing it.
"Thank you," Meiko finally replied.
Yamato registered this as acknowledgement of Touma's apology, and not forgiveness. Touma must have realized this as both Meiko and Mimi were now giving him hard stares. With that, he lowered his head and turned to walk away.
"Touma," Yamato called, causing heads to turn in his direction. Touma turned right back around to face him. "See you at practice later."
Touma raised his hand with acceptance before finally leaving. Yamato knew that he would have to talk to Touma later on. They were still friends and remained in a band together with the same aspirations. Yamato could only hope that Touma would reflect on his actions for his own good.
Despite that, Yamato felt that he made it to the ninth cloud and never wanted to float back to Earth. Knife of Day was at an exciting point in their career. He was on course to make the album of his dreams. He thought about it again during lunch time after eating his bento box, as he rested his head against the lap of the girl of his dreams. She was the girl who stood out to him; the girl whom he loved.
A thought crossed his mind from earlier that day, when Taichi and Sora pestered him about asking Mimi out on a real date. It nearly ruined his moment in that cloud.
"How about karaoke night?" Yamato had pointed out.
"Nope," Taichi replied.
"Inviting her over - yesterday. What about that?"
Sora shook her head. "Take her out this time. Dress nice for her. Have fun."
"What's up, Yamato?" Mimi asked above, as Yamato realized he had let out a loud sigh from the memory.
"Just falling back down to Earth," he said, and he sat up, positioning himself to sit close to her.
"Well, you're with me here, so that has to count for something."
Yamato smiled, realizing how right she was.
"Hey, Mimi."
"Yeah?"
"It might be too early to ask, but…" Yamato let himself take a breath, fighting his nerves. "What are you doing on Friday night? I'm not doing anything, and I don't have plans with the band, so I thought I could… make plans with you…"
Mimi opened her mouth in surprise, then she smiled.
"I thought you'd never ask."
Yamato blinked. "So, is that a yes?"
"Mm-hmm!"
"Okay, it's a date."
He leaned back against the bench, relieved in her answer. Mimi moved to lean against him, but not before sneaking a kiss on his cheek. When he looked at her, she smiled her radiant smile, causing him to smile back. Then, put his arm around her as she snuggled against him, and just like that, he found himself floating back up to the clouds.