Disclaimer: Emphatically not mine.
A/N: I don't write Jounouchi/Mai very often. I'm more of a Mai/Valon fan, but it's for that very reason I decided to give them a go with this fic. I live my fandom life in fear of my preferences becoming prejudices, so sometimes it's good to venture outside my comfort zone. Thanks go to three sources for this story: the pilot episode of Women's Murder Club, a line from Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the song by the same name from Hilary Duff, which I was listening to prior to writing.
Getaway
© Scribbler, April 2010.
Put the pedal down,
Heading out of town,
Got to make a getaway.
The traffic in my brain's
Driving me insane,
This is more than I can take.
You tell me that you love me first,
Then throw your heart into reverse –
I've got to get away
To a place where I can be redefined
Where you're out of sight
And you're out of mind,
But the truth is I can't even say goodbye.
-- from The Getaway by Hilary Duff.
"Here."
Jounouchi startled at the cardboard box that landed in front of him. He actually scooted backwards in his chair, hands raised in a mock jujitsu pose that would have made an actual martial artist laugh. "What the f-?"
"This is for you."
He looked up but didn't drop his hands. "Bwuh?"
"Articulate as ever. Okay, five words is what you can cope with, right? This. Is. For. You." Mai counted off on her fingers, blinked, and then added, "Doofus."
"Jeez, Mai, what is -" Jounouchi registered her face. "-up with you?"
Her face was drawn tighter than a bowstring. Her lips were pursed, cheeks sucked in, and she looked about a hairsbreadth from bolting. Then again, what would he know about her 'about to bolt' tells? Not so long ago he'd thought each and every expression signalled the five seconds he had to grab her before she disappeared into the sunset again. It was fair. Even nuclear attacks gave you a four minute warning.
You couldn't blame a guy for being antsy when it took the love of his life a year to finish finding herself on the open road, another year to finally admit she had unfinished issues with her bloodsucking family, and four months to let you help her make peace with them (he would never forget how tightly she'd clenched his hand when the uncle who stole her trust fund opened his door). During that time Jounouchi had been as supportive as he knew how. The year Mai spent being un-contactable had been hell for both of them, just in different ways. Where she had learned who she was when you stripped away the glitz, glamour and self-defence of her personality, he had learned he had the worst taste in women because he was in love with the ball-busting former biker of the apocalypse who had tried – and succeeded – in stealing his soul and feeding it to a giant lizard. He wasn't going to let her go so easily once she'd returned and plucked up enough courage to come apologise to him.
Except that with Mai, hanging onto her meant easing off, more often than not. She didn't react well to clinginess. Jounouchi supposed it was that whole Strong Independent Woman thing. Or he had until now, that is. He was slowly becoming aware that Mai pushed people away because wanting them was a heartbeat from needing them, and needing things, in her life, almost inevitably meant they were fair game for Fate to take away.
"You said you were going out for Chinese food," Jounouchi said warily.
"I lied," Mai snapped.
"Okay, okay, jeez. What is this thing?"
"Just look at the stupid tags before I change my mind, doofus"
"You know, most people would consider that an insult, not a pet-name." Jounouchi drew the box towards him and glanced at the label. It was faded, as if it had been written a while ago and then stored somewhere hot and airless. "Getaway Box?"
"When you first asked me to move in, this was for if things didn't work out. I've been paying to keep it in a storage locker at Domino Station." Mai shrugged, as if it was no big deal, though her knuckles were white on the edge of the table. "Because it ruins any dramatic exit to have to stop and pack clean underwear."
Jounouchi stared at her. "And you're giving this to me?"
"Yeah." Mai took a deep breath, which she let out slowly, as if gathering her strength. "I don't need it anymore."
The weight and significance of what she'd said took a moment to break its restraints and fall on Jounouchi. When it did, it took another few seconds for his brain to ping to a stop, like a dicky fruit machine desperately looking for the siren to tell him he'd won the jackpot anyway.
"Whoa," he said at last. "I mean … whoa."
"Yeah." Mai, usually so handy with a clever remark, came up with nothing to fill this silence. "Whoa."
He stared at her. She was biting her lower lip. She hadn't done that since the day she put the demons of her past to rest and took him up on his offer to move in together. Mai hated showing weakness, or relying on others, or admitting she might not be as Strong or Independent as she … as she made out …
Oh. Right.
Whoa. Really whoa.
Jounouchi swallowed, gathering his own strength. He raised just one eyebrow at Mai. He could do this. He was mature, whatever his old high school teachers used to say. "So does this mean I get to keep your underwear?"
Mai's fingers unclenched from the table edge. She smiled sharply. "Don't push your luck, doofus."
Fin.
Is this just a detour?
Cause I've got to be sure
That you really mean what you say.
It's so hard to let you in,
Thinking you might slam the brakes again.
-- from The Getaway by Hilary Duff.
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