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[America Mew Mew] Reunion
Cherry, this wasn't quite the birthday fic I wanted to give you, but alas, maybe I'll learn to give awesomer presents in the future. ♥
Title: Reunion
Fandom: Tokyo Mew Mew
Universe: America Mew Mew
Relationships: Mimi Belmont / Miles Alesci ; Roy Bancroft / Sora Takaishi ; Primrose Wallace / Briar; Sorrel Hidalgo / Panforte; Celsia Archer / Chive; past Ryou/Retasu
Summary: Eight years after AMM, Mimi reflects on how her life has changed, and how much her powers have meant to her.
Notes: I don't know why, but I felt like revisiting this world and allowing y'all to glimpse their future. There have been some retcons, primarily with the characters' cultures: Sorrel is now Hispanic/Latina [and her last name has changed accordingly to 'Hidalgo']; Primrose is black. Considering the story didn't focus on their ethnicities, it changes nothing in the story proper.
Eight years ago, the Mew Mews had saved the world. Hard for Mimi to fathom, considering that her enemies of yesteryear seemed so distant compared to her looming foes - student loans, boyfriend drama, and even familial conflict - that wore her defenses down in college. The older she got, she supposed, the harder the battles would become.
Before she left for her final year at University of Southern California, Ryou sent her a fateful text:
Think we could catch up? Just like old times? Beaumont Flower Shoppe, 7:30 PM? We're gonna get the band back together.
She hadn't worked in the shop since she graduated high school and traveled to college in California. Truthfully, she had kept in loose contact with everyone: Celsia was easiest, because they were closest in age, but the others had been hindered by time and her limited energy. Last she heard, Primrose was a sophomore at famed Esori - Shuugo and Ryou's alma mater - and even Briar had accompanied her there as an "exchange student" from abroad. Nearly everyone knew he was an alien, nor had he bothered to hide it.
"They're going to find out eventually," he had said with a shrug, when she had brought the issue up over Skype. "Why hide that shit?"
"Language, Briar," she had giggled, slightly gawking at the confident young man before her. Eight years ago, if someone had told her that she would love him as the younger brother she never had, she would've tossed something at them. Now, she couldn't fathom life without him (or Chive, for that matter).
He had rolled his eyes at her, yet his lips quirked upwards had betrayed his true emotions. "Whatever. Have fun at USC, you hear? I'll beat up the creeps for you."
She would hold him to that promise. "You might have to get in line. Miles has dibs."
Briar rolled his eyes. "Your boyfriend always has dibs. When're you guys gonna come and hang out with us?"
"Same time you come out to LA," she promised, muffling her laughter as she watched him squirm ever-so-slightly. Behind him, a photograph of him and Primrose stood prominently on his table. Even now, eight years down the line, they were almost inseparable.
Primrose burst onto the screen, ignoring Mimi as she lightly kissed Briar's lips. Briar had awkwardly waved, ending the conversation there. (To be young and in love! Mimi had lost control of her laughter at that point altogether.)
Truthfully, the Internet was her primary means of communication with her old friends. Between everyone's duties, they just didn't have the same level of convenience they once took for granted. Sure, she sometimes texted Chive with strange pictures (just as she reminded Panforte about important Earth holidays), but for the most part, they communicated intermittently, taking weeks at a time off while they sorted their lives. Holding her phone gingerly in her hands, Mimi had hesitated before she had replied:
The second she stepped through the store's front doors, memories flooded through her brain. She inhaled the intoxicating sweet scent of daffodils, roses, orchids, just as the musky scent of the plants' leaves hit her senses; the door chime still signaled her arrival; and Shuugo was standing behind the counter, carefully arranging a bouquet with his bare hands.
Even he had changed in the past eight years, with his light-brown hair neatly trimmed around his ears, and thin, black, square-rimmed glasses around his face as he scrutinized every last flower. He still wore that silly silver crown necklace, though he had bothered to upgrade his fashion from jeans and t-shirts, and instead wore a simple gray linen blazer, dark purple t-shirt with some NYU slogan, and black denim slacks.
Absentmindedly, he had called, "Hang on a sec! I'll be right with you!"
"No need," she said, stuffing her hands in her jeans pockets as she browsed the various arrangements. "I can help myself."
"Mimi?" Shuugo pulled himself away from the counter and rushed to embrace her. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he leaned his head on her shoulder. "Oh man, Meems! How are you?"
She laughed, enjoying his warmth as she pulled herself closer. "I'm good. What about you? How's NYU?"
"Would've been better if you could've tagged along," he teased, letting go and returning to his current arrangement. "My archaeology labs are killing me."
"You were the one who decided to double-major in archaeology and microbiology, don't forget."
He snorted, finalizing the arrangement with a bow before he opened the back door for her. "Fair enough. Everyone else's mostly here. I think we're just waiting on Roy's boyfriend, but he'll come around soon enough."
A couple of years ago, while he was studying abroad, Roy had announced that he was bisexual and that his roommate Sora Takaishi had actually been his partner, not just his long-time friend. Shuugo and Mimi had laughed about it at the time - no wonder Roy hadn't noticed Celsia's raging crush on him! - and yet, Sora had slowly wedged his way into their inner circle.
It had helped that Sora's cousin (in another dimension, no less!) and Shuugo were fast friends, enabling Sora to befriend everyone as if he had always been part of the Mew Project.
Mimi had shrugged at Shuugo as she walked into their old meeting room. "Eh, he'll come when he comes." The Beaumont Flower Shoppe's basement had long since ceased to be a center of supernatural operations, and was primarily used for odds and ends around the business. Ryou and Shuugo had cleared the boxes, making way for their old tables and chairs.
Primrose, Briar, Celsia, and Chive were already sitting at one table, intently playing Settlers of Catan with vivid hand gestures (and in Briar's case, particularly lewd language). In the other corner, Sorrel, Miles, and Panforte were quietly talking, with Sorrel resting her head on her fiance's shoulder.
Every so often, Mimi could catch snippets of Miles' conversation with them. "--Food deserts," Miles was ranting (no doubt about the class privilege his peers had). "The people we help live in freaking food deserts, and no one seems to get that."
Panforte had sighed with disdain. "If those people saw my home..."
"They'll understand eventually," Sorrel had finished for him, gently squeezing Panforte's hand. "It's okay, sweetheart."
Nearby, Ryou, Retasu, and Roy were leaning on the other table, gesturing towards an old map in a language Mimi could barely decipher. The second she stepped into the center of the room, all eyes turned towards her.
Miles gave her a nod of acknowledgement - because they kind of lived together - but everyone else swarmed around her for the largest hugpile she had experienced in years. She laughed, as Primrose nearly knocked over the board game in her rush to hug her "big sis" and Briar (vainly) tried to hold her back.
"Meems!" Retasu's smile was especially contagious. "It's so good to see you again."
"You too, Tasu." Mimi squeezed her old friend's hand tightly. While Retasu had spent a year in the US as an exchange student, the pull of Japan had just been too strong, and Retasu had ultimately decided to remain in Tokyo for her undergraduate studies. Considering that Ryou wanted to pursue a career in genetics and genomics in the US, their relationship had grown rather strained. Last Mimi heard, they had taken a break (relationship speak for 'it's over and we don't want to admit it').
Ryou coughed. Loudly. "Don't suffocate her, guys."
"You just want to hug her," Primrose said, lightly bopping Ryou's nose before she resumed her game.
Ryou let out an appalled laugh, before he went ahead and hugged Mimi anyways. "She knows me too well."
"We all know you too well," Chive said, folding his arms and wrinkling his nose in mock distaste. He had long since discarded his military uniform for a three-piece suit, and even though he wasn't in Congress today, he had dressed up for the occasion. Politics suited him well, Mimi noted, as he held himself much more confidently than when they'd first met. Of course, he had removed the glamor charm that hid his long ears, which were pierced at the bottom in rebellion against the (corrupt) system he had infiltrated. Chive continued, "You're going to be grumpy about this the whole evening, and then Panforte's going to say I told you so, because he did. Multiple times."
Roy struggled to rein in his laughter, instead hiding behind Retasu and resting his head on her shoulders.
Mimi snickered, leaning on Ryou's chest as she glanced at her friends. "You mean he remembered that he and Sorrel weren't the only ones in the room?"
Miles nearly choked on his glass of water, as Sorrel disdainfully scowled in their direction.
"Worth it," Mimi had whispered under her breath.
Halfway through his move, Briar had to say, "So why did you call us together? Must've been something big, if you wanted the whole band."
Especially eight years down the line. Cartellate hadn't waged war against an entire planet; Chive hadn't fully infiltrated Congress; and Miles hadn't given into his "alien" impulses. Nor had any new supernatural threats risen from the destruction they'd left in their wake.
Typically, from all the shoujo manga she'd read, Mimi had expected an encore performance. The Manhattan Mew Mews would always defend their hometown from anything - or anyone - that threatened to ruin their lives. ("I'd even die for you," Celsia had said once, when they'd slept over at Primrose's house. "Well, most of you. Chive's still up for discussion.")
Had Ryou encountered someone that needed a lesson? Or worse, had he encountered a whole group of someones? This was awfully short notice to call everyone, particularly when they were all heading on their own separate paths: Mimi and Miles to USC; Shuugo to NYU; Retasu to her job in Tokyo; Sorrel and Panforte on their world tour coupled with Panforte's Ph.D. research; Primrose and Briar to Esori; and even Celsia at her fancy architecture school. Ryou and Roy were attending graduate school, and Keiichiro had returned to Tokyo to pursue his dream of studying butterflies.
Everyone's shoulders tensed, save for Briar, who hunched over the game board and calmly moved his piece. (The world could end - again - and that kid would've been too engrossed in his games.)
"Not that big," Ryou protested, scratching his cheek. "I... remember the research that was part of the Mew Project? The stuff that helped me get into grad school? I was able to get it published in a magitech journal, and I figured we should celebrate."
Celebrate? Celebrate the eight year anniversary of her transformation into a magical girl? She was almost twenty years old: a far cry from the brash twelve year old who wanted to punch the world anytime it looked at her funny. Her personality had gotten the best of her in high school, and Miles had even ended their relationship over (so-called) differences.
(At the time, she swore that her heart wouldn't heal, because he was supposed to be her one true love, and true love forgave each other's faults, regardless of the circumstances. In hindsight, she should've listened to him more. Relationships, Rinnah Belmont, are a two-way street and deserve to be treated as such.
They had only reunited when they headed off to college. Maturity and age, it seemed, had given their relationship a new lease on life, and Mimi was secretly grateful for her second chance. She still didn't think she had fully deserved it.)
"Wait, actually published?" Miles approached them now, lightly resting an elbow on Ryou's shoulder because he could. "What journal? Magitech itself, or are we talking Alchemia?"
Miles often salivated over scientific journals - especially the ones that were published by the magical world, pouring over their contents and eagerly pointing out new research with each issue. Mimi had long since learned to humor him, even though she understood maybe half a sentence here and there.
"Magitech," Ryou crowed, pushing Miles off him.
"Congratulations," Panforte called, as he and Sorrel held up up their glasses to toast Ryou before they drank.
Miles and Mimi hugged Ryou in celebration regardless. Of course, Ryou had to continue, "They liked my stuff so much that they wanted a sequel to the Mew Project."
"Did you say yes?" Primrose stared at him blankly, nearly dropping her die. "Because um..."
Because none of them wanted to re-live their years as magical girls. Sure, Mimi had enjoyed the power pulsing through her veins, just as she loved the thrill of transforming into someone strong enough to fight the forces of evil.
None of them had enjoyed the years of gene therapy that followed, however. Even with their enhanced magical powers (and the dormant mana running through their veins), Mimi couldn't take another round of the eternal exhaustion and stress - and for God's sake, she lived two thousand miles away from home. Ryou couldn't exactly have her at his beck and call, nor could he rope in a new generation of young girls. (Primrose and Briar would make light work of him if he tried!)
Releasing Ryou, Mimi stepped back and stared at him with hardened eyes, as Miles reluctantly held her in his arms.
Sorrel and Panforte exchanged worried glances; Sorrel even intertwined her fingers with her fiance's, struggling to keep her face even. "Ryou," she began, "I'm not so sure that's a smart--"
"I told them hell no." Ryou's voice was firm yet gentle as he laughed, his gaze falling down on Briar's board game. "We lived through hell once, and we earned our happy ending, so why should we go through it again?"
Roy shrugged. "You know science. If something succeeds once, try it again to make sure it wasn't a fluke."
"You know, I wouldn't mind more enemies. They sure beat impressing my professors," Celsia admitted with a small sigh. (Years of architecture school must've gotten to her psyche, because Mimi would rather take a senior capstone project over this.)
"Hey!" Chive glared at her. "You take that back."
"Or what? You won't sleep with me?" Celsia rolled her eyes at him. "And to think, you chased after me for how long?"
"Far, far too long," Chive confessed, going ahead and lightly kissing his girlfriend. Celsia scooted onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as they forgot about everyone else (and their board game). Primrose snickered softly, moving their pieces when they weren't looking.
Their PDA was karmic justice for Mimi and Mile's sickeningly affectionate middle school relationship, so Mimi just wrinkled her nose and glanced back at a (thoroughly disgusted) Ryou.
"Never thought they'd actually go the distance," Retasu said softly, going ahead and serving everyone some water.
Primrose glanced up at Celsia and Chive, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, everyone predicted me and Briar, and then Sorrel and Panfortie, but those two? Nope, not in a million years."
Chive, still mid-kiss, retorted by giving Primrose the middle finger; she simply rolled her eyes at him.
"Hey, everyone thought Retasu and Ryou would get married. Look how that turned out," Mimi lightly teased.
Ryou, for the most part, furrowed his brow. "I just hope Kyros will be okay."
"Considering my nephew still exists in like, twenty other universes, I think he'll manage," Shuugo called, accepting a glass of water from Retasu.
Mimi's phone vibrated with a single text. Strange: it must've been a college friend, because everyone else in her middle school days was here. She was no stranger to multiple conversations at once (everyone in her generation knew that feeling well!) and yet, whenever she was home, most of her texts came from this inner circle. Maddie & Laine were out of the country this year, taking internships in Europe, and while she adored them and their Skype conversations, they weren't exactly texting friends anymore.
So she reached for her phone and scrolled through her texts, finding a new message from her boyfriend. She smiled at it, then at him as he waved his phone in her face.
His text said: I'm so glad we decided to start over again. I missed this. All of this.
She quickly responded,
The back door opened again, as Sora comfortably slid in and kissed Roy on the lips, and for a moment, all was right again in the world. Maybe she had outgrown her powers - and her duty to the city - but she would never, ever outgrow the friendships she had made here. They were far too dear to her.
Title: Reunion
Fandom: Tokyo Mew Mew
Universe: America Mew Mew
Relationships: Mimi Belmont / Miles Alesci ; Roy Bancroft / Sora Takaishi ; Primrose Wallace / Briar; Sorrel Hidalgo / Panforte; Celsia Archer / Chive; past Ryou/Retasu
Summary: Eight years after AMM, Mimi reflects on how her life has changed, and how much her powers have meant to her.
Notes: I don't know why, but I felt like revisiting this world and allowing y'all to glimpse their future. There have been some retcons, primarily with the characters' cultures: Sorrel is now Hispanic/Latina [and her last name has changed accordingly to 'Hidalgo']; Primrose is black. Considering the story didn't focus on their ethnicities, it changes nothing in the story proper.
Eight years ago, the Mew Mews had saved the world. Hard for Mimi to fathom, considering that her enemies of yesteryear seemed so distant compared to her looming foes - student loans, boyfriend drama, and even familial conflict - that wore her defenses down in college. The older she got, she supposed, the harder the battles would become.
Before she left for her final year at University of Southern California, Ryou sent her a fateful text:
Think we could catch up? Just like old times? Beaumont Flower Shoppe, 7:30 PM? We're gonna get the band back together.
She hadn't worked in the shop since she graduated high school and traveled to college in California. Truthfully, she had kept in loose contact with everyone: Celsia was easiest, because they were closest in age, but the others had been hindered by time and her limited energy. Last she heard, Primrose was a sophomore at famed Esori - Shuugo and Ryou's alma mater - and even Briar had accompanied her there as an "exchange student" from abroad. Nearly everyone knew he was an alien, nor had he bothered to hide it.
"They're going to find out eventually," he had said with a shrug, when she had brought the issue up over Skype. "Why hide that shit?"
"Language, Briar," she had giggled, slightly gawking at the confident young man before her. Eight years ago, if someone had told her that she would love him as the younger brother she never had, she would've tossed something at them. Now, she couldn't fathom life without him (or Chive, for that matter).
He had rolled his eyes at her, yet his lips quirked upwards had betrayed his true emotions. "Whatever. Have fun at USC, you hear? I'll beat up the creeps for you."
She would hold him to that promise. "You might have to get in line. Miles has dibs."
Briar rolled his eyes. "Your boyfriend always has dibs. When're you guys gonna come and hang out with us?"
"Same time you come out to LA," she promised, muffling her laughter as she watched him squirm ever-so-slightly. Behind him, a photograph of him and Primrose stood prominently on his table. Even now, eight years down the line, they were almost inseparable.
Primrose burst onto the screen, ignoring Mimi as she lightly kissed Briar's lips. Briar had awkwardly waved, ending the conversation there. (To be young and in love! Mimi had lost control of her laughter at that point altogether.)
Truthfully, the Internet was her primary means of communication with her old friends. Between everyone's duties, they just didn't have the same level of convenience they once took for granted. Sure, she sometimes texted Chive with strange pictures (just as she reminded Panforte about important Earth holidays), but for the most part, they communicated intermittently, taking weeks at a time off while they sorted their lives. Holding her phone gingerly in her hands, Mimi had hesitated before she had replied:
Okay. I'll see you then. :)
The second she stepped through the store's front doors, memories flooded through her brain. She inhaled the intoxicating sweet scent of daffodils, roses, orchids, just as the musky scent of the plants' leaves hit her senses; the door chime still signaled her arrival; and Shuugo was standing behind the counter, carefully arranging a bouquet with his bare hands.
Even he had changed in the past eight years, with his light-brown hair neatly trimmed around his ears, and thin, black, square-rimmed glasses around his face as he scrutinized every last flower. He still wore that silly silver crown necklace, though he had bothered to upgrade his fashion from jeans and t-shirts, and instead wore a simple gray linen blazer, dark purple t-shirt with some NYU slogan, and black denim slacks.
Absentmindedly, he had called, "Hang on a sec! I'll be right with you!"
"No need," she said, stuffing her hands in her jeans pockets as she browsed the various arrangements. "I can help myself."
"Mimi?" Shuugo pulled himself away from the counter and rushed to embrace her. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he leaned his head on her shoulder. "Oh man, Meems! How are you?"
She laughed, enjoying his warmth as she pulled herself closer. "I'm good. What about you? How's NYU?"
"Would've been better if you could've tagged along," he teased, letting go and returning to his current arrangement. "My archaeology labs are killing me."
"You were the one who decided to double-major in archaeology and microbiology, don't forget."
He snorted, finalizing the arrangement with a bow before he opened the back door for her. "Fair enough. Everyone else's mostly here. I think we're just waiting on Roy's boyfriend, but he'll come around soon enough."
A couple of years ago, while he was studying abroad, Roy had announced that he was bisexual and that his roommate Sora Takaishi had actually been his partner, not just his long-time friend. Shuugo and Mimi had laughed about it at the time - no wonder Roy hadn't noticed Celsia's raging crush on him! - and yet, Sora had slowly wedged his way into their inner circle.
It had helped that Sora's cousin (in another dimension, no less!) and Shuugo were fast friends, enabling Sora to befriend everyone as if he had always been part of the Mew Project.
Mimi had shrugged at Shuugo as she walked into their old meeting room. "Eh, he'll come when he comes." The Beaumont Flower Shoppe's basement had long since ceased to be a center of supernatural operations, and was primarily used for odds and ends around the business. Ryou and Shuugo had cleared the boxes, making way for their old tables and chairs.
Primrose, Briar, Celsia, and Chive were already sitting at one table, intently playing Settlers of Catan with vivid hand gestures (and in Briar's case, particularly lewd language). In the other corner, Sorrel, Miles, and Panforte were quietly talking, with Sorrel resting her head on her fiance's shoulder.
Every so often, Mimi could catch snippets of Miles' conversation with them. "--Food deserts," Miles was ranting (no doubt about the class privilege his peers had). "The people we help live in freaking food deserts, and no one seems to get that."
Panforte had sighed with disdain. "If those people saw my home..."
"They'll understand eventually," Sorrel had finished for him, gently squeezing Panforte's hand. "It's okay, sweetheart."
Nearby, Ryou, Retasu, and Roy were leaning on the other table, gesturing towards an old map in a language Mimi could barely decipher. The second she stepped into the center of the room, all eyes turned towards her.
Miles gave her a nod of acknowledgement - because they kind of lived together - but everyone else swarmed around her for the largest hugpile she had experienced in years. She laughed, as Primrose nearly knocked over the board game in her rush to hug her "big sis" and Briar (vainly) tried to hold her back.
"Meems!" Retasu's smile was especially contagious. "It's so good to see you again."
"You too, Tasu." Mimi squeezed her old friend's hand tightly. While Retasu had spent a year in the US as an exchange student, the pull of Japan had just been too strong, and Retasu had ultimately decided to remain in Tokyo for her undergraduate studies. Considering that Ryou wanted to pursue a career in genetics and genomics in the US, their relationship had grown rather strained. Last Mimi heard, they had taken a break (relationship speak for 'it's over and we don't want to admit it').
Ryou coughed. Loudly. "Don't suffocate her, guys."
"You just want to hug her," Primrose said, lightly bopping Ryou's nose before she resumed her game.
Ryou let out an appalled laugh, before he went ahead and hugged Mimi anyways. "She knows me too well."
"We all know you too well," Chive said, folding his arms and wrinkling his nose in mock distaste. He had long since discarded his military uniform for a three-piece suit, and even though he wasn't in Congress today, he had dressed up for the occasion. Politics suited him well, Mimi noted, as he held himself much more confidently than when they'd first met. Of course, he had removed the glamor charm that hid his long ears, which were pierced at the bottom in rebellion against the (corrupt) system he had infiltrated. Chive continued, "You're going to be grumpy about this the whole evening, and then Panforte's going to say I told you so, because he did. Multiple times."
Roy struggled to rein in his laughter, instead hiding behind Retasu and resting his head on her shoulders.
Mimi snickered, leaning on Ryou's chest as she glanced at her friends. "You mean he remembered that he and Sorrel weren't the only ones in the room?"
Miles nearly choked on his glass of water, as Sorrel disdainfully scowled in their direction.
"Worth it," Mimi had whispered under her breath.
Halfway through his move, Briar had to say, "So why did you call us together? Must've been something big, if you wanted the whole band."
Especially eight years down the line. Cartellate hadn't waged war against an entire planet; Chive hadn't fully infiltrated Congress; and Miles hadn't given into his "alien" impulses. Nor had any new supernatural threats risen from the destruction they'd left in their wake.
Typically, from all the shoujo manga she'd read, Mimi had expected an encore performance. The Manhattan Mew Mews would always defend their hometown from anything - or anyone - that threatened to ruin their lives. ("I'd even die for you," Celsia had said once, when they'd slept over at Primrose's house. "Well, most of you. Chive's still up for discussion.")
Had Ryou encountered someone that needed a lesson? Or worse, had he encountered a whole group of someones? This was awfully short notice to call everyone, particularly when they were all heading on their own separate paths: Mimi and Miles to USC; Shuugo to NYU; Retasu to her job in Tokyo; Sorrel and Panforte on their world tour coupled with Panforte's Ph.D. research; Primrose and Briar to Esori; and even Celsia at her fancy architecture school. Ryou and Roy were attending graduate school, and Keiichiro had returned to Tokyo to pursue his dream of studying butterflies.
Everyone's shoulders tensed, save for Briar, who hunched over the game board and calmly moved his piece. (The world could end - again - and that kid would've been too engrossed in his games.)
"Not that big," Ryou protested, scratching his cheek. "I... remember the research that was part of the Mew Project? The stuff that helped me get into grad school? I was able to get it published in a magitech journal, and I figured we should celebrate."
Celebrate? Celebrate the eight year anniversary of her transformation into a magical girl? She was almost twenty years old: a far cry from the brash twelve year old who wanted to punch the world anytime it looked at her funny. Her personality had gotten the best of her in high school, and Miles had even ended their relationship over (so-called) differences.
(At the time, she swore that her heart wouldn't heal, because he was supposed to be her one true love, and true love forgave each other's faults, regardless of the circumstances. In hindsight, she should've listened to him more. Relationships, Rinnah Belmont, are a two-way street and deserve to be treated as such.
They had only reunited when they headed off to college. Maturity and age, it seemed, had given their relationship a new lease on life, and Mimi was secretly grateful for her second chance. She still didn't think she had fully deserved it.)
"Wait, actually published?" Miles approached them now, lightly resting an elbow on Ryou's shoulder because he could. "What journal? Magitech itself, or are we talking Alchemia?"
Miles often salivated over scientific journals - especially the ones that were published by the magical world, pouring over their contents and eagerly pointing out new research with each issue. Mimi had long since learned to humor him, even though she understood maybe half a sentence here and there.
"Magitech," Ryou crowed, pushing Miles off him.
"Congratulations," Panforte called, as he and Sorrel held up up their glasses to toast Ryou before they drank.
Miles and Mimi hugged Ryou in celebration regardless. Of course, Ryou had to continue, "They liked my stuff so much that they wanted a sequel to the Mew Project."
"Did you say yes?" Primrose stared at him blankly, nearly dropping her die. "Because um..."
Because none of them wanted to re-live their years as magical girls. Sure, Mimi had enjoyed the power pulsing through her veins, just as she loved the thrill of transforming into someone strong enough to fight the forces of evil.
None of them had enjoyed the years of gene therapy that followed, however. Even with their enhanced magical powers (and the dormant mana running through their veins), Mimi couldn't take another round of the eternal exhaustion and stress - and for God's sake, she lived two thousand miles away from home. Ryou couldn't exactly have her at his beck and call, nor could he rope in a new generation of young girls. (Primrose and Briar would make light work of him if he tried!)
Releasing Ryou, Mimi stepped back and stared at him with hardened eyes, as Miles reluctantly held her in his arms.
Sorrel and Panforte exchanged worried glances; Sorrel even intertwined her fingers with her fiance's, struggling to keep her face even. "Ryou," she began, "I'm not so sure that's a smart--"
"I told them hell no." Ryou's voice was firm yet gentle as he laughed, his gaze falling down on Briar's board game. "We lived through hell once, and we earned our happy ending, so why should we go through it again?"
Roy shrugged. "You know science. If something succeeds once, try it again to make sure it wasn't a fluke."
"You know, I wouldn't mind more enemies. They sure beat impressing my professors," Celsia admitted with a small sigh. (Years of architecture school must've gotten to her psyche, because Mimi would rather take a senior capstone project over this.)
"Hey!" Chive glared at her. "You take that back."
"Or what? You won't sleep with me?" Celsia rolled her eyes at him. "And to think, you chased after me for how long?"
"Far, far too long," Chive confessed, going ahead and lightly kissing his girlfriend. Celsia scooted onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as they forgot about everyone else (and their board game). Primrose snickered softly, moving their pieces when they weren't looking.
Their PDA was karmic justice for Mimi and Mile's sickeningly affectionate middle school relationship, so Mimi just wrinkled her nose and glanced back at a (thoroughly disgusted) Ryou.
"Never thought they'd actually go the distance," Retasu said softly, going ahead and serving everyone some water.
Primrose glanced up at Celsia and Chive, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, everyone predicted me and Briar, and then Sorrel and Panfortie, but those two? Nope, not in a million years."
Chive, still mid-kiss, retorted by giving Primrose the middle finger; she simply rolled her eyes at him.
"Hey, everyone thought Retasu and Ryou would get married. Look how that turned out," Mimi lightly teased.
Ryou, for the most part, furrowed his brow. "I just hope Kyros will be okay."
"Considering my nephew still exists in like, twenty other universes, I think he'll manage," Shuugo called, accepting a glass of water from Retasu.
Mimi's phone vibrated with a single text. Strange: it must've been a college friend, because everyone else in her middle school days was here. She was no stranger to multiple conversations at once (everyone in her generation knew that feeling well!) and yet, whenever she was home, most of her texts came from this inner circle. Maddie & Laine were out of the country this year, taking internships in Europe, and while she adored them and their Skype conversations, they weren't exactly texting friends anymore.
So she reached for her phone and scrolled through her texts, finding a new message from her boyfriend. She smiled at it, then at him as he waved his phone in her face.
His text said: I'm so glad we decided to start over again. I missed this. All of this.
She quickly responded,
I missed this too. TBH, I wouldn't have traded it for the world.
The back door opened again, as Sora comfortably slid in and kissed Roy on the lips, and for a moment, all was right again in the world. Maybe she had outgrown her powers - and her duty to the city - but she would never, ever outgrow the friendships she had made here. They were far too dear to her.