Queer as Tachi – Chapter 98
It was very late and very dark when Yugi’s friends were finally able to pick themselves up from around the gaming table, after a second helping of dessert to take the edge off any hunger that might have finally returned. Most of them figured it prudent to quit while they were ahead and go home for some well-deserved sleep, since they had work in the morning. Marik grinned smugly at the reminder. “Oh, too bad,” he said in mock sympathy. “I guess Ryo and I will have to think fondly of you all working while we’re snuggled all warm in our bed, sleeping late.”
“Enjoy it while you’ve got it,” Yugi groaned. “I promised I’d take the morning shift tomorrow so Grandpa can rest up after being all busy today.”
“All the better for us to call it a night, then,” Tristan figured, clapping his friend on the back. “Marik and Bakura are the lucky ones, all the rest of us have these things called jobs we have to go to.”
They stood for a moment saying an extended farewell and thank you to Grandpa Muto, who was tickled at being able to entertain guests and please them all with his delicacies, and then Yugi walked them all downstairs to the door to see them out. It took a few minutes for everyone to bundle up in gloves, scarves, and coats, and locate their respective helmets, and then it was time to go. Marik and Bakura said good night first, clasping Yugi’s hands and even leaning in for platonic pecks on the cheek before waving to the others and ducking out into the darkness. Duke and Tristan were a little less cute but no less amiable as they parted, Tristan even snagged Yugi by the shoulders for a manly sort of one-armed hug on the way out the door. Giggling, Yugi wished them a safe drive as well, and reminded everyone one last time that they would get together for New Year’s before closing the door to keep the cold out. Two motorcycles started up one right after the other, and in a flash they were gone, leaving the neighborhood serene once again.
Yugi hopped up the steps and paused to look around, realizing that pretty much everything had been cleared away and taken care of already, there was nothing left for him to do. Grandpa Muto came out of the kitchen, then, wiping his hands dry on a towel. He beamed happily at his grandson. “Well? What do you think? Did I do well?”
“It was awesome, Grandpa. Thank you,” Yugi gushed, coming over to him. “Everybody had a great time.”
“This is getting to be a new tradition for us,” Grandpa noted. “And not a bad one, at that.”
“Yeah. Maybe we’ll have to do it every year.” Yugi chuckled to himself. “Well, since you already cleaned up, I guess all that’s left for me to do is…go to bed!”
“I suppose. You are the one getting up early to open the shop.” Grandpa Muto patted him on the shoulder and walked with him toward the hallway. “I had a fun time, too. Your friends are as entertaining to be around as they ever were.”
“Entertaining, huh?” Yugi grinned. “Interesting choice of words there, Grandpa. I’ll tell them you said so.”
His grandfather grinned back. “It’s just nice to be around adults who don’t take themselves too seriously for once. Since you’re all technically adults, now.” He gave a short laugh. “And I could finally share that exotic wine I was hoarding! Another benefit to all your friends being of age, at last.” At the juncture of the hallways, he patted Yugi’s shoulder once more. “Go get some rest, now. Good night.” His violet eyes twinkled merrily. “And tell Yami I said Merry Christmas.”
Yugi couldn’t help the unabashed grin that filled his face before he turned on his heel and sauntered down the hall to his bedroom. No one had said anything, but they were all pretty sure that he was going to cap off his day with a little extended face-to-face time with his spiritual partner. Yugi, likewise, didn’t bring it up at all, though the promise had been made between them and he was very much looking forward to ending the day this way. He got ready for bed and snuggled down into the blankets, laying the Puzzle next to him on the pillow before closing his eyes to do as he so often did. All he was looking for was a cute, romantic snuggle, and because his partner was so often of the same mind, he knew even as he drifted into the semi-conscious trance that Yami would be eager and willing to provide anything he asked for.
Even though they were planning to stay in most of tomorrow, Bakura and Marik decided to call it a night already, tired and satisfied after a long, happy day and desiring sleep more than anything. They could postpone any real talks about Bakura’s school future until they were both awake, alert, and thinking clearly. Clad in their warmest pajamas, they wrapped themselves in each other’s arms and an extra comforter and bedded down for the night, falling asleep with content smiles on their faces. Conversely, Tristan and Duke sat up for a while, winding down with a casual chat about the presents they had given and gotten while they gradually shucked out of clothing and sprawled lazily out in the bedroom. Both had to work the next day, but neither seemed to be moving towards climbing into bed to sleep. Tristan dropped heavily onto the side of the bed, in t-shirt, jeans, and socks, all rumpled and untucked. “Man,” he remarked, shaking his head. “Can you believe it?”
“What?” Duke wondered as he wormed out of his close-fitting shirt and flung it into the laundry.
“It’s been one year.” Tristan smiled faintly when his partner turned to regard him with a curious look. “One year to the day, since you and I…”
“Yeah, I know.” Duke returned the smile. “Don’t think I haven’t been thinking about it all day.”
Tristan heaved a quiet chuckle under his breath. “I still remember saying it wasn’t anything major, maybe just a fling, we’d see how it played out. And look at us now.”
Duke prowled across the room to him, shirtless and barefoot, and paused before him. “We’ve come a long way. You, especially. I wasn’t sure at all that you were going to be the least little bit interested when I took a chance on you.” He climbed onto the bed and settled himself astride Tristan’s lap, resting one arm over his shoulder. “I just knew I couldn’t let it go any longer. I had to know, one way or the other. The way I felt about you was changing so fast…I needed to either go after it, or forget about it.”
“So you picked Christmas.” Tristan smiled slyly, his brown eyes narrowing. “What, so you could easily remember the anniversary?”
Laughing a little, Duke shook his head, making his ponytail sway. “I’m not so good about anniversaries. I don’t really care about how many days or months or years exactly we’ve been together. Besides…” He tilted his head curiously. “We took a bunch of steps along the way to get to this point, I don’t know if I could pick which one was the important one to celebrate. The day of our first fling, the day we decided to be exclusive, the day we moved in together? You see?”
“Yeah, I get you.” Tristan slid his hands around behind his lover and let them come to rest on his firm ass in tight jeans. “But you know…a little extra romance tonight would be appropriate. All things considered.”
Duke sidled closer, curling both arms around his partner’s neck. “Romance, huh? Looks to me like it’s sex we’re talking about.”
“That too,” Tristan said with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. After a moment, though, the grin faded from his lips, leaving him looking up into Duke’s green eyes with a serious but affectionate expression. “We’ve been through a lot in the past year. Good, bad, and ugly. And after it all, I can sit here and look at you and say…I really do love you. More than ever.” His hands made long, caressing sweeps along Duke’s thighs, which were resting so conveniently astride his lap. “I didn’t think it would ever come to this. Just goes to show – just like my job, there’s all kinds of other things in the world that I never imagined I could go for until they were right in front of me.”
Duke blinked, his flippant smile fading into a coy sort of look. “You took an even bigger chance than I did. I knew what I was going for, but you were completely new to it. In all this time, I’ve done my best to make sure you didn’t regret it.”
“I definitely don’t.” Tristan’s smile returned. “This morning, at my parents’…you were amazing. You were nice to my mom, and polite with everybody else. I know you – usually, people like that treating you like that get your best sarcastic comments and a flip of your hair on your way out the door. But…you made me even more proud to be so in love with you.”
Likewise, his partner smiled again. “You deserve nothing less. I wasn’t gonna be a jerk to your family, even if your brother deserves it. And I mean it – your mom is cool.”
“I think she liked you,” Tristan said optimistically. “All things considered, I could have done a lot worse than a charming, rock-star-handsome guy who owns his own store and created Dungeon Dice Monsters. In her eyes, you’re probably quite the catch.” That made Duke laugh modestly, tilting his head back, but his lover wasn’t finished yet. “You think I wouldn’t notice? Sure, back in the day maybe those were the qualities that made me jealous of you, but now I get to enjoy them. There’s a lot I like about you. You’re independent, and headstrong…”
Green eyes narrowed dubiously. “Headstrong? It that a nice way of saying ‘stubborn?’”
“Maybe,” Tristan smirked. “But you’re your own man. You never needed someone else to make you feel whole, you were always completely happy being yourself. I’ve always admired that. Probably why I wasted half my youth chasing girls and falling short every time – I was pretty insecure. I thought I had to have a girlfriend to be complete, whether in my own eyes or my parents’ or what.” He sobered, a cute sort of helpless look crossing his face. “I guess it took me growing up to realize it shouldn’t be that way…and then along comes the guy I fall for, head over heels.”
Duke smiled to himself for a silent moment, savoring the deluge of compliments, and then turned a gentle, smoldering look on his partner. “Yeah, well…you had a pretty irresistible effect on me, too. I was kinda jealous of you, you know.”
Tristan made a boggled face. “Me?”
Duke shrugged hugely. “You’re that kind of guy that girls totally adore, the cuddly teddy-bear kind. They may say they want a bad boy like me, but deep down, they all want you, someone who’ll take care of them and buy them lots of presents and make them feel all cute and sheltered.”
Tristan rolled his eyes. “Now you tell me.”
“And you were the guy with the friends. Yugi may have forgiven me, and let me hang out with him here and there,” Duke went on, rather ruefully, “but you were his best buddy, part of the inner circle. You guys all had this friendship bond thing that I couldn’t break into no matter how badly I wanted to. I wanted that more than I wanted a girlfriend, or a partner or fuck-buddy or what.”
“Well, you got it,” Tristan noted. “You’re part of the gang, now.”
“I don’t care about being part of the gang.” Duke leaned in and rested his forehead against Tristan’s, so they were eye to eye, nose to nose. The sexy smirk returned to his lips. “You’ve given me everything I wanted, and a few things I didn’t realize I did. I’m no wilting flower, I don’t need somebody to take care of me…” His gaze lowered slightly, as if to Tristan’s lips so close to his, and his voice quieted to a sensual purr. “…but it’s nice to know that you will anyway. And at the end of the day, I’m always going to come upstairs to a guy who knows how to treat me right.”
Tristan’s lips curled into a grin, though his eyes remained locked on the seductive green gaze facing him. “I guess that’s the real meaning of being your partner.”
“And I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Duke finally tilted his head and plunged into the kiss he had been teasing toward, finding his lover eager and responding with equal fervor. His arms around Tristan’s neck tightened, pulling himself further into him, while the hands on his ass pulled him close, grinding him against Tristan’s hips and groin. The raven-haired young man broke off and arched back with a gasp as his partner’s lips wetly roamed his throat and neck instead, spreading warmth across his bare skin. With their romance quota filled and the significant night properly remembered, they could move on to the rest, both of them hungry for it and hoping to waste most of the night at it, no matter what time they had to get up in the morning. They knew, after a year of this, that both would sleep much better if they exhausted themselves first and left each other sated. Sitting entwined so, kissing each other breathless, was only the beginning.
After finishing up dinner at the restaurant, Mai took Joey aside and briefly discussed with him the idea of taking his mother and sister home while she stayed with her own parents for a while to catch up. It wasn’t so much of a discussion as an order, but she needed to assure her fiancé that leaving her there was not a bad idea after all. She knew her mother wanted to talk some more, and try to mend fences, and it would be easier to do if she were alone with them instead of trying to keep a brave face on for Joey’s sake. She even already knew that he was going to react protectively, and did her best to calm his frustration and promise that leaving her behind was not tantamount to being thrown to wolves. She could handle her parents, once she was free of social obligation and tucked away in their hotel room where voices could be safely raised. In the end, Joey reluctantly consented, and took the keys. He drove his mom and Serenity back to their flat, hoping that Mai’s visitation would not take too long and she could, as she claimed, find her own way home later. He kept his cell phone on just in case she called for a ride, but otherwise explained to his family that Mai needed some special time with her parents, so they could go home and make themselves comfortable. Compared to the theatrical drama of Mr. and Mrs. Kujaku, his relationship with his mother looked perfectly healthy, and in fact, the two of them talked more on the drive home than they had in years.
It was fairly early in the evening yet, too soon to go to bed, but Joey didn’t feel like adding more coffee or tea on top of what they’d already had, so when they got back to his place, he just flopped down in the living room and did his best to encourage his family members to join him in relaxing as much as they could. There were things he wanted to ask them about, things he didn’t want to discuss while driving lest an overemotional reaction alter the course of the car, but he gave it some time first. His mother was visibly growing more comfortable relating to him, at last, but he still didn’t want to pounce on her the minute they got in the door. After a bit listening to her and Serenity chatting about nothing in particular, perhaps travel plans or school or something, Joey sat up and settled himself properly in the chair, clasping his hands in his lap and turning his attention to his mother. “Uh…so?” he tried to begin as casually as possible. “Now that you’ve had some time…what do you think?”
Mrs. Kawai gave him a curious look before grasping exactly what he meant. “About Mai?” A glowing smile came into her eyes. “She’s a wonderful girl, Joey. A bit cheeky,” she added with a chuckle, “but so are you. You two seem to fit together very well.”
Joey grinned a little at the caveat. “Yeah, well…that’s kinda what I like about her. She’s independent. Can take care of herself. She always said she’d been on her own for a while, didn’t get along with her parents,” he continued with a wry tone, “but now that I meet ‘em, I can see why. It’s no wonder she decided to go live her own life.”
“Joey,” Serenity mildly scolded. “That’s not very polite.”
“Neither is her dad.” He waved a hand before she could gasp at him. “Sorry, sorry. I’ll keep it to myself.” He returned his gaze to his mother, smiling kindly. “Mai and I got more in common than you’d think. I like that she’s not a spoiled, sheltered brat who lives off her parents’ money. She’s been through a lot, had things pretty rough, but…she made it by herself, she’s strong and brave. Can’t blame me for liking that.”
Mrs. Kawai nodded slowly. “I might say many of the same things about you, son.” Joey blinked at her, allowing her a moment in which to smile even more wistfully and explain. “This day wasn’t just about meeting Mai, it was also so I could get a good look at you, and assure myself that I didn’t completely ruin a promising boy’s life by leaving him with his father. I’m so proud of you, Joey. You’ve turned into such a wonderful young man, more than I could have hoped for.”
Joey’s face flushed bright red. “Ma…” he complained.
“Don’t think that there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think I’d done the wrong thing,” his mom pressed on, taking a deep breath to keep her composure intact, “even though I had no choice. I knew you weren’t going to have it easy, but I hoped somehow, something would happen to put your feet on the right path sooner or later. All I could do was trust that you weren’t like your father after all, that you were smarter than that, could figure things out for yourself and…well, look after yourself. You were always so good to look after Serenity, such a fearless and headstrong boy. I’m so glad to see…after all this time, you’ve come so far. Getting married, becoming a teacher…having a strong group of friends, so I hear,” she added with a nod toward Serenity, who likely had reported every nuance of every visit with Joey over the past few years. “I know no apology will make up for what you must think is the worst thing a parent can do to a child she loves…”
“Ma,” Joey interrupted, just firmly enough to get the word in edgewise. His voice gentled sweetly. “It’s okay, Ma. I don’t blame you. I’m old enough, now, I get why you had to do what you did. Yeah, it hurt,” he admitted, staring at the floor, “but…it always does. There’s no way you can get out of a situation like that without everybody gettin’ hurt. It’s okay.” He lifted brown eyes to his mother’s face. “I don’t hold it against you anymore. Over and done. I’m gettin’ married,” he chuckled. “I gotta put the past behind me and think about the future. No sense rehashing all of that now.”
Mrs. Kawai bravely kept her emotions in check, though her eyes shone and she had to swallow hard. “You know, I believe you’re right. Let’s move forward. I just wanted you to know…” She leaned forward enough to reach him, to set a hand on his wrist as he sat with his clasped hands dangling in front of him. “…how happy it makes me to see what a fine young man you’ve turned out to be.”
Joey smiled broadly, allowing his mother the sentimentality that mothers deserved. “Thanks. I owe it all to my friends – if it weren’t for great guys like Yugi and Tristan, I’d probably still be nothin’ but a dumb punk.” He glanced aside shyly. “It makes me happy to hear you like my fiancé, too.”
“I do.” His mom shared the same smile. “Now I can see why Serenity idolizes her so.”
“Well, it’s not as though I want to be Mai,” Serenity broke in with a giggle. “But she has the most awesome job! And she’s so strong and smart. Maybe that part, I’d like to be like.”
“Strong and smart, or having a cool job?” her brother teased her.
Serenity rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. Their mother chose that moment to casually ask, “You two met at Duelist Kingdom, is that right?”
“Yeah, way back then.” A smirk flashed onto Joey’s face. “Did I ever tell you that the first time we dueled, she tried to cheat?” His mother’s reaction made him want even more to tell the story, his impish grin remaining the whole time. “Well, okay, not so much cheat as psych me out and try to make me think I wasn’t good enough to duel her, kind of an underhanded way to win. But I didn’t fall for it, no way – I saw through her little scheme, and I beat her. She wasn’t all that nice to me,” he added, remembering, “and I have to say, after the first thing she did was insult me and tell Yugi she was gunnin’ for him, I wasn’t all that impressed with her either. But you know…” He glanced across the room to Serenity and shared a knowing look with her. “Wasn’t too long before she was hangin’ out with us. And from then on, even though we had to face each other across a dueling field now and then, she was part of the gang. Not just Yugi’s friend, but my friend too.”
“When did you start liking her, anyway?” Serenity wondered.
“Dunno,” he shrugged. “First time I ever laid eyes on her, I thought she was hot.”
“Joey!”
“That was before she opened her mouth.” He grinned recklessly. “Took me a bit after that to warm back up to her. Really, sis, I don’t know. I can’t really pick a moment that says ‘here’s where I fell in love.’ It just kinda happened.”
Serenity sat back with a tiny sigh, as if lamenting the loss of an opportunity to swoon at him and tell him how romantic it was. His mother chuckled. “Yes, that’s usually the way it happens.”
“Well, what really matters is, you’re together now and that’s not going to change,” Serenity said with a proud nod for her brother. “Mom and I approve, all your friends are behind you. That just leaves a big, fancy wedding! I can’t wait. It’s going to be so awesome.”
It was Joey’s turn to roll his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re into that sort of thing. You can have it, I just got Yugi and Tristan to make sure I show up in my suit on time, and that’s that.”
A confused and curious look swept over Serenity’s features. “That reminds me. I’ve never been to a Western-type wedding before. I already agreed to stand up for Mai, but I don’t really know what that means – what I all have to do for Mai. Do you know, Joey?”
He made a face and shook his head. “Not a thing.”
She pouted at him. “Well, what good are you?”
“Not much,” he freely admitted with a cheery grin. “I haven’t asked, I’ve had my nose in the books for the last four months. Far as I know, I’ll find out when I need to know – or really, when Yugi and Tristan need to know.”
“For the most part, I’m sure you’ll just need to be there with Mai, to help her with her dress and getting ready, Serenity,” their mother tentatively explained. “I don’t know quite what that might entail, but Mai will let you know in due time. Don’t worry.”
“I hope she comes back early, tonight,” Serenity said. “Then I can ask her after she shows me the dresses.” She gave her brother a bright grin and clapped her hands together. “I like this so much better than a traditional wedding! We get beautiful dresses…and I’m sure you guys will look so handsome in your suits. I can’t wait to see Tristan in a suit!”
The mental image conjured up by that statement sent Joey instantly into hysterical laughter, slumped back in his chair. “I’m so glad he and Yugi have to share that torture with me,” he said when he could breathe again. “I won’t be the only one looking dumb.”
“You won’t look dumb,” Serenity protested with a fresh pout. “You’ll look great. I’m sure of it. All three of you will.” A thought occurred to her, then, making her cock her head curiously. “But…what about Duke? You didn’t ask him?”
“Mai and I agreed to keep it to two on each side,” Joey said, sitting back up. “It’s okay. Duke didn’t wanna do it anyway. If he feels really left out I’ll make him an usher or somethin’.”
“Duke,” Mrs. Kawai said thoughtfully, testing out the name. “He’s another of your friends, isn’t he? I think Serenity has talked about him before…”
“Yeah, he’s…” Joey paused, then, his expression going strangely blank. He was about to blithely introduce Duke as Tristan’s boyfriend, remembering at the last minute that while Serenity was aware of it, she hadn’t spoken to him about it for a long time, and his mother did not know at all. The sudden silence was conspicuous, leaving his mother and sister staring at him, waiting for him to finish. It left him with no option except to broach a potentially sensitive topic. “Uhh…Mom…there’s something I gotta tell you about Tristan…and Yugi.” He glanced to his sister. “You haven’t said anything, have you?”
Serenity shook her head solemnly. “No, Joey. I figured it wasn’t something that I ought to run around blabbing to everyone.”
“What is it, Joey?” Mrs. Kawai wondered. “I thought you said earlier that they were doing fine…”
“They are, it’s just…” Joey sighed hard and decided to just come out with it. “You oughta know before you see them, I don’t wanna spring it on you at the wedding like some kind of nasty surprise. Ma…you see, since we got out of school…well, my friends have grown up a lot. And they’ve figured out…for themselves…well…” He bit his lip as he tried to think of the best way to phrase it. “See, Tristan moved in with Duke…because they’re kinda seeing each other. And Yugi’s got a special boyfriend, too.” He swallowed his hesitations and lifted a straight, steady look to his mother’s face. “My friends are gay.”
His mom held his gaze for a long moment, puzzling it out for herself. “Oh,” she said after a long pause. “I-I see…”
“Now, I don’t know what you think of that,” Joey went on in a rush, briefly looking away, “but I really don’t care, as long as everybody can agree not to bring it up or make a fuss over it at the wedding. I care about my friends, every last one of them, and I won’t stand for anyone makin’ trouble for them.”
“It’s all right, Joey.” His mother’s voice was calm and patient. “I don’t take issue with it. It’s…quite a surprise, I will admit,” she continued in an airy tone, “I didn’t realize. But their lives are their own, who your friends are dating is none of my business. Particularly since I don’t really know them very well.” She glanced cautiously toward her daughter. “Except for Serenity speaking very highly of Tristan, and I’m sure she’s mentioned Duke a time or two.”
Joey looked across to his sister, who had grown serious but didn’t look upset at all – a heartening sign. Serenity laced her fingers together and rested her hands in her lap, not looking directly at Joey. “They’re my friends, I care about them too. We’ve been through a lot, together, they’ve both been very good to me and risked their lives for me. It took a little while for it to sink in,” she added, timidly raising her eyes to Joey’s face, “after they told me, but…I’m okay with it now. As long as they’re happy. That’s what matters to me.”
Joey nodded and began to smile again. “They are, Serenity. If you come up for my birthday like we talked about, you can hang out and see that for yourself.”
She gave him one of her trademark cute smiles. “I think I’d like that.”
Joey shifted his gaze warily to his mother, as if to double-check, and received a wise nod. “You don’t have to worry, Joey. I wouldn’t dare make a scene at your wedding for any reason, least of all that. But I’m glad you told me ahead of time, I don’t think that’s a surprise that should be saved for the last minute.”
He nodded again. “They’re not the only ones of my friends who’re gay. I know a few. But I love ‘em all just the same, they’re still great guys I trust my life to. I’m not gonna ask them to pretend to be straight or at least not dating their boyfriends while we’re at the wedding – I want everyone to have a good time and be themselves. It wouldn’t be right, otherwise.”
“Still,” Mrs. Kawai said thoughtfully, “I can think of a few of your relatives that I’m not going to mention that to.”
They were still sitting around talking a little while later when Mai let herself in, mustering a smile for them to put them at ease and confirm that she had made it back safe and sound of her own accord. Rather than call Joey for a ride, she had just taken a taxi home, quickly and easily. She wouldn’t say much about what else she had done or said with her parents despite being thoroughly interrogated, passing it off as “catching up after all this time” and “taking care of some small details for the wedding.” After all this time together, Joey was getting much better at discerning when she was subtly communicating “don’t ask me any more,” and altered course. Mai joined them in the living room and sat in the chair Joey gave up, intending to make up for everything with his mom just in case she was having any second thoughts after meeting the other in-laws. “I don’t intend to make any excuses for them,” she said after broaching the subject tactfully, “but I wanted to apologize if anything my parents said…bothered you. I know it wasn’t the most pleasant of days, but…”
Joey’s mother folded her hands and smiled in her best imitation of grace and politeness. “It’s all right, Mai, you don’t have to worry. I’m sure most of the discomfort came simply from us being from different worlds. Your mother is…” She averted her eyes ceilingward, briefly, as if snatching at a fleeting thought. “…very enthusiastic. It was very generous of them to treat us all to dinner, please give them my deepest thanks. I don’t get treated to such a nice meal very often, you know.”
Joey snorted richly; Mai smirked in obvious amusement. Mrs. Kawai was trying so very hard to find something nice to say about her parents. “I’ll make sure they know,” she assured. “It’s all right, Mrs. Kawai. You don’t have to like them. Considering you’ve seen them as often as I have in the past ten years, I don’t think you have to worry about rubbing shoulders with them at every family gathering from now till forever.”
The older woman smiled even more strongly. “Well, I would never fret about anything like that. I’m sure that, given time, we might get to know each other better…”
Her airy, noncommittal tone trailed off, and after a moment in which their eyes met, both women burst into gentle laughter. “Really,” Mai said after a moment, waving her hand dismissively, while Joey eyed them both in confusion. “I know my parents aren’t the most well-adjusted people in the world, it doesn’t matter to me if anyone… ‘disapproved’ of them. Honestly. As long as we can all make it through the wedding in one piece, after that it’ll be smooth sailing.”
Serenity leaned forward in curiosity. “Mai, how come you don’t have the same last name as them? I thought…well, I was expecting them to be Mr. and Mrs. Valentine…”
Mai smiled slyly, finally slipping back into her usual, relaxed personality. “What kind of a proper last name is ‘Valentine’ anyway?” she teased. “I decided to go by it when I started entering Duel Monsters tournaments and making a name for myself. It’s kind of a stage name. I didn’t want my family name or my parents’ reputation standing in my way, and I certainly didn’t want people to think I was being supported by them while I spent all my time winning tournaments and living it up.” She glanced at Joey; he, at least, already knew this. “I had to get out from under their shadow, and the only way to do that, and really be myself, was to change my name. On the surface, anyway.” She smirked knowingly. “If you make me take out my driver’s license, you’d see it still says ‘Kujaku’ on it.”
Serenity giggled politely behind her hand. “I see. Well, I like Valentine much better, anyway. It fits your personality so well.”
“Mai Valentine is a much cooler person to hang out with, anyway,” Joey offered proudly.
Mrs. Kawai gave her daughter a gentle smile. “Besides, Serenity. Of all people, you should know by now that it isn’t the name you have that makes any difference. Family is still family, and your real friends will love you no matter what name is on your driver’s permit.”
Serenity beamed at her, and then across at Joey. “That’s so true.”
They sat around talking for a little while longer, and Mai finally showed Serenity the pictures of dresses they had been dreaming about all day, but it was starting to get late and reminders of a train schedule to keep in the morning got them to finally stand and stretch and begin to discuss sleeping arrangements. Joey had planned to give up his bed for his mom and sister while Mai took the second bedroom – which had been returned to the status of guest bedroom ever since Joey and Mai’s relationship turned the corner to serious – and he slept on the couch, so as not to freak out his mother by flaunting the fact that they were already sleeping together well before marriage. But Mrs. Kawai wouldn’t hear of it. “What?” she gasped, genuinely astonished when Joey proposed the arrangements. “You don’t have to do that, Joey. It’s perfectly fine, I’ll be happy to take the guest room. Isn’t that what a guest room is for?”
Joey shuffled awkwardly, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, but, Ma…I don’t wanna make you sleep in the guest bed, it’s only a futon…”
“That’s all I sleep on at home.” She gave Mai a twinkling smile over his shoulder. “I’m an old traditionalist.”
“It’s not big enough for both you and Serenity…”
“I can sleep on the couch,” Serenity innocently offered.
“I’m not gonna make you sleep on the couch!”
“Joey,” Mai warned him.
Mrs. Kawai set her hands on her hips, looking like any minute now she was going to break out his full name. “You and your fiancé deserve to sleep in your own bed, together, like you always do,” she said crisply. “I won’t come between you, not over such a little thing. I will be happy with the guest room, so you can stop worrying about it.”
“But…”
She softened and smiled, and patted his shoulder. “I appreciate the polite gesture, Joey. It’s very sweet of you to offer, and to be willing to give up your normal place for me. But I’m serious. You and Mai need to be together. Especially after a day like today. I understand.” She patted him once more and stepped back. “It’s a mom thing. You’ll understand someday. Now, I won’t hear any more about it.”
Joey sagged where he stood, defeated. “Oh, all right,” he grumbled. “But don’t say I didn’t offer. I wanted to make sure you got a good night’s sleep and all.”
“That’s a nearly-new futon in there, Joey,” Mai snorted. “I hardly used it.”
A blush crept across Joey’s cheeks, even reddening his ears. “Uh…yeah, okay, so, let me get the extra pillows and stuff,” he said quickly, raising his voice as if it would avert attention from the thought of how quickly he and Mai had jumped into bed together. “The couch isn’t all that good, Serenity, why don’t you squeeze in with Mom or something…?”
It didn’t take long to get everyone settled, and at last Joey and Mai retreated to the privacy of their room, closing the door discreetly. Exhausted, Joey shucked out of his clothes and plopped onto the bed, wearing only flannel pants to sleep, and let his eyes follow Mai as she meandered back and forth through the room getting ready in her own way. Naturally, she took longer than he did, giving him a chance to silently decompress before chancing a question behind her back. “So,” he said in a wary tone, “what did your father have to say about me after we left?”
Mai glanced over her shoulder while removing her earrings. “I figured you already guessed that he doesn’t like you. Not that he exactly hid it from you.” She turned back to the mirror with a sigh, busying herself with her nighttime preparations. “Nothing specific. I don’t think you should worry about it, though. I don’t care what he thinks, I’m marrying you, and that’s final.”
Joey gazed concernedly at her while she put away her jewelry and began brushing through her long, golden hair. “Yeah, but I’d kinda like to know what I did wrong, at least the way he sees it. So I can be sure not to give him any reason to make a fuss at the wedding.”
Mai waited until she finished brushing her hair and then set both hands on the bureau in front of her, looking down so she wouldn’t catch a glimpse of him in the mirror. “It doesn’t even have anything to do with you, really. It’s all him. He makes snap judgements when he meets people, he doesn’t actually get to know them or anything.” Glaring at the bureau, she straightened up and added, angrily, “He based his opinion of you on your accent, not your actual personality or actions or anything you said.”
Joey’s eyebrows went up. “My accent? What the hell?”
“He said you sound like a street tough,” Mai said unconcernedly, tossing her hair as she turned around to face him. She folded her slender arms and leaned against the bureau. “I said that’s because you were, but you also happen to be a kind, sweet, devoted man with a heart of gold who wants to teach, and you really don’t want to know what we said to each other after that.”
A crooked smile lightened Joey’s features. “At least you stood up to him. I have to say, it was kinda tough sitting there, watching him get the better of you and you not speakin’ up.”
Mai sighed in exasperation and looked sharply away. “I don’t know why he does that to me. You’d think by now I’d know how to handle him and his…arrogant, narrow-minded attitudes. I knew he wouldn’t like you, I didn’t even pretend that I could somehow get him to see why I love you. But you did good.” She lifted her gaze to him, and smiled sincerely. “You didn’t give him any actual, logical reason to dislike you, and you didn’t lose your head. I thought for sure you were going to go for his throat a couple times – and then when my mother asked your mother about your dad!” She clapped a hand to her forehead. “I swear, they can be such idiots! It’s like, being rich and surrounding yourself with the same kind of people robs you of any sense of common decency.”
Joey smirked to himself, thinking of Kaiba at that moment, but decided not to take advantage of a chance to abuse him behind his back. “Yeah, but making a scene wasn’t gonna help anything. I figured, they just don’t get it, I’ll let ‘em say what they want and not give ‘em a reason to hate me. As long as my mom still likes me, I must have done something right.”
“Your mom is a saint,” Mai said wryly. “I don’t know what you were so worried about. She’s great.”
“Yeah…” Joey looked down at his hands fidgeting in his lap. “I never really had anything against her, just the fact that she left and split me and Serenity up. She left me on my own for a long time, but I didn’t exactly go runnin’ to her for help either. Other than that, I can’t say as she’s got any real faults.”
“That’s good.” Mai edged away from the bureau to go change from her camisole to a warm nightgown. “I really am sorry if anything my parents said offended her or Serenity. All I can say is, now you can see why I haven’t had anything to do with them since I left home.”
Joey tilted his head, giving her a plaintive look across the room. “Well, you know. This is kind of a big thing for them, isn’t it?” he said patiently. “I mean, their only child is getting married. That kind of news makes people lose their heads sometimes.” He shrugged. “Your dad’s probably just looking out for his little girl. No one would be good enough for him, you know? He’s just asserting his right to be an overprotective father.”
Mai snorted loudly. “Trust me, it’s been a very long time since either of my parents have looked out for me, in that sense. My father definitely isn’t being overprotective.”
“Just tryin’ to give him the benefit of the doubt…”
“Don’t.” Making sure the bedside lamp was on, she flipped off the main light and collapsed into bed, sitting with her feet off the side. “What you saw is what you get with them, Joey. I would be more concerned if they had hidden everything behind super-polite and friendly masks – then I’d want to know what was up, because those aren’t the Kujakus I know. My father was restraining himself,” she added with a scornful look toward her fiancé, “but only because we were in public. You still got the gist of what he thinks plain enough.”
“Yeah, I definitely gathered that I wasn’t good enough for him.” Joey scowled as he scooted back and turned back the blankets to get into bed. “Just because of my accent, though? That’s so not fair. Not everybody who talks the way I do is stupid or a thug. In case he didn’t notice, my mom still has a little bit of the same accent…” His head whipped instantly toward Mai. “He didn’t insult my mom, did he?”
“No, no. He didn’t really think anything of her either way.” Mai patted him on the arm. “You were the only one he was interested in, and I’m pretty sure he had made up his mind to dislike you even before you opened your mouth, because you’re a duelist and you keep me from putting aside that foolish game and growing up.” She rolled her eyes to indicate that that was more or less a direct quote.
Joey sniffed insolently. “Yeah, well…” He leaned over and kissed her firmly. “He can’t stop us getting married. He can huff around all he wants, it ain’t gonna change my mind.” He then gave his sweetheart a disgruntled look. “Can we not invite our parents to the wedding?”
“No…because they’re paying for it,” she dryly replied. “Besides, you like your mom. I like your mom.”
“Yeah, okay, I meant your parents. But you’re right.”
Mai shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore, it just makes me angrier at them. All you need to know is, after you left, I spent the rest of the time trying to get it across to them that I like the direction my life is going in, and nothing they say or do is going to change it. They can’t even get out of their promise to pay for the wedding because they don’t have any real reason – just that you’re not some rich snob that they can brag to all their society friends about. I’m sure gossiping about your complete lack of class will be much more entertaining for my mother anyway.” She shared a droll look with Joey. “That’s it, though, and I mean it. I’m not going to let my parents ruin my special day. The only thing that matters is that you and I love each other and are in it for the long haul.”
“That’s right,” Joey said smartly, sidling closer and draping an arm lazily over her shoulders as she curled up on the bed and leaned into him. “Just remember. The wedding’s only one day – it’s the marriage that comes after that what matters. I ain’t about to give that up for anything.” He tilted his head for another kiss, and found himself the recipient of several short, cute ones. Then, a grin curved his lips. “What’s the worst they can do, say they won’t pay for it? I seem to remember you sayin’ something about ramen in plastic bowls…”
“Don’t hold me to that,” Mai warned, but with a smirk in her eyes. They melted into a much longer, deeper kiss, and exhausted it fully before finally moving to lie down and get some sleep. Mai reached across to turn out the last light, and then settled herself half on top of Joey, an arm draped over his chest as he lay on his back. After a long, pleasantly quiet moment in the dark, she sighed softly and raised her head a little, as if to try to peer up at him through the concealing darkness. “At least, we have our friends,” she murmured, “who are behind us one hundred percent. It doesn’t matter what relatives think, our friends are our real family and they’re always going to support us.”
“That’s right,” Joey murmured back. “Don’t you forget that for a minute.” He kissed her forehead fondly, and she seemed to take it as the reassurance she needed, for she laid her head on his shoulder and settled down to sleep. Joey held her to his side for a long time, absently stroking his fingers back and forth across her shoulder to lull her to sleep, though his mind remained awake and active for far longer. He had certainly noticed the way Mai’s father had treated him, and sincerely didn’t care, for he had done his best to be a good prospective son-in-law and whatever opinion the man had of him now had nothing to do with him personally. He wasn’t about to try to win over someone who didn’t want to give him a chance. There was only one thing that worried him, yet, and Mai’s comment about their friends brought it back into his mind while she fell asleep beside him. If Mai’s father was such a jerk as to dismiss him merely for being a duelist, to say nothing of a former street punk whose speech was a little rough around the edges, there was no telling how awful he might be upon finding out that Joey’s wedding party was made up of gay men. He didn’t know exactly what Kujaku’s opinion on the subject might be, but people predisposed to disdaining anyone not in their class or tax bracket were not likely to suddenly find a warm, open heart toward members of an ostracized minority such as that. Bringing his gay friends and their respective boyfriends into contact with relatives whose stance on the issue was anywhere from uncertain to downright negative could lead to a volatile situation, and that was the last thing they needed at a wedding. Mr. Kujaku wasn’t the only one; Joey and Mai together had filled the guest list with any number of distant relations whose behavior could not be predicted. Yet, he wasn’t going to ask Yugi or any of the others to hide who they were just for the sake of a false sense of civility – his friends meant the world to him, and he would support their right to love who they loved and be who they were fiercely, even violently. Mai would, too. But he really didn’t want to destroy such an important and special day with a row over bigoted opinions – he knew how much the wedding meant to Mai, even if their lasting relationship was the most important thing. It looked to Joey like there were plenty of things that could disrupt perfection, plenty of opportunities lurking in the shadows to bring about a disaster instead of a happy day to kick off their lifetime together. Too many. And he could just imagine what Yugi would say if something he said or did inadvertently gave rise to one of those opportunities, though the hatred of others would be no fault of his at all. He could see the hurt look in his eyes, the tears, and wondered why all of this love stuff had to be so damn complicated. In the end, Joey determined that it wasn’t the kind of thing he wanted to think about right now, and did his best to banish it from his thoughts, closing his eyes and eventually dropping off to sleep.