Rules Were Made to be Broken

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧

lately i've been, i've been thinking
i want you to be happier / i want you to be happier
even though i might not like this, i think that you'll be happier
i want you to be happier
then, only for a minute / i want to change my mind
'cause this just don't feel right to me
i wanna raise your spirits. i want to see you smile.
know that means I'll have to leave.

SONG 6: Just a Friend to You (Meghan Trainor)
—Mondo's perspective
—Obviously enough, this one describes
Mondo's sadness and confusion when
Taka insists that they can't be together,
especially since Taka has already
admitted he has feelings for him.

i loved you from the start, so it breaks my heart
when you say i'm just a friend to you
'cause friends don't do the things we do
everybody knows you love me too
tryin' to be careful with the words i use
i say it cause i'm dying to
i'm so much more than "just a friend" to you.

SONG 7: Need You Now (Lady Antebellum)
—Shared Perspective
—A song about the period of almost no contact
between Taka and Mondo and how painful
it was for both of them to realize how much
they had truly grown to love one another.

picture-perfect memories, scattered all around the floor
reaching for the phone 'cause i can't fight it anymore
and i wonder if i ever cross your mind? for me, it happens all the time
it's a quarter after one, i'm all alone and i need you now
said i wouldn't call but i've lost all control and i need you now
and i don't know how i can do without / i just need you now

SONG 8: Dead and Gone (T.I. and Justin Timberlake)
—Mondo's perspective
—This one's about Mondo's history and his
victory over the past.

no more stress, now i'm straight, now i get and now i take
time to think before I make mistakes just for my family's sake
no regrets, i'm blessed to say the old me's dead and gone away.
oh, i've been traveling down this road too long (too long)
just trying to find my way back home (back home)
the old me's dead and gone / dead and gone

SONG 9: Give Your Heart a Break (Demi Lovato)
—Mondo's perspective
—Fits in during the phone call chapter.
It's about Mondo's feelings being genuine
and about the fact that he has no intention
of hurting Taka.

sunday, you went home alone / there were tears in your eyes
i called your cell phone with my love / but you did not reply
the world is ours if you want it, we can take it if you'd just take my hand
There's no turning back now— baby, try to understand!
don't wanna break your heart, wanna give your heart a break
i know you're scared it's wrong / like you might make a mistake
there's just one life to live and there's no time to wait, to waste,
so let me give your heart a break.

SONG 10: The Great Escape (Boys Like Girls)
—Shared perspective
—Pretty self-explanatory! About Taka saying "fuck it"
and ditching mom and dad during the family dinner
after telling them both off.

tonight will change our lives— it's so good to be by your side
but we'll cry / we won't give up the fight
we'll scream loud at the top of our lungs
and they'll think it's just 'cause we're young
and we'll feel so alive.
throw it away! forget yesterday! we'll make the great escape
we won't hear a word they say— they don't know us anyway
watch it burn / let it die
'cause we are finally free tonight!

SONG 11: There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back (Shawn Mendez)
—Taka's perspective
—Taka quits his job and formally runs away
with Mondo! The sex scene would also fit
right around here, probably.

oh, i've been shaking— i love it when you go crazy
you take all my inhibitions, baby, there's nothing holding me back
you take me places that tear up my reputation
manipulate my decisions, baby, there's nothing holding me back
there's nothing holding me back

SONG 12: The Only Exception (Paramore)
—Taka's perspective
—The first verse is about how heartbroken
Taka's family was after Toranosuke's betrayal
and how it affected his ability to trust in others,
while the chorus is about how he learned to
trust whole-heartedly in Mondo. <3

when i was younger i saw my daddy cry and curse at the wind
he broke his own heart and i watched as he tried to reassemble it
and my mama swore that she would never let herself forget
and that was the day that i promised i would never sing of love if it does not exist.
but, darling — you are the only exception
you are the only exception
you are the only exception
you are the only exception.