Going Polar

Mai and Joey

It was a message! That bastard Duke Devlin didn't even have the nerve to actually talk to him! But of course, that's because he knew he'd never survive!

Joey Wheeler was eating his morning doughnut and drinking some coffee, ready to go to his room and watch some crappy morning TV when he heard the phone ring.

"Aw, Dammit!" he yelled. He dashed up the stairs, juggling the coffee cup and pastry, and trying to get to the living room. He shouted, even though he knew whoever was calling couldn't hear him, "I'm a-comin,' I'm a-comin'!!"

"Hey, 'dis is Joey Wheeler!" shouted his greeting on the answering machine, "leave a message after da beep."

Joey picked up his pace up the steps, spilling coffee all over the staircase and his white shirt. He screamed. "Wait! Wait! Wait!" He tripped on the final step and fell to the ground, flat on his face. The coffee cup was on his head, brown liquid streaming down his hair and face.

"So we'll see you, Joey," said the familiar voice. The person stopped talking; the phone started to beep, signifying the presence of a message.

"Aw, sonova..." he muttered under his breath. He looked around quickly, "And where's my doughnut?" He took the cup off his head; placed it, upside-down, on the table; rustled some coffee out of his hair; and pushed the 'play message' button.

"Hey, Joey, it's Duke Devlin."

What the hell did he want?! Joey groaned, "THIS I spill coffee over my head for?"

"Are you there?" asked Duke. "Well, I have--me and Serenity--have some great news."

"Can I tell him, Duke?" asked the innocent voice of Joey's younger sister, Serenity. "Can I, please?"

"Of course you can," Duke replied. Serenity took the phone from Duke's hands and said into it, "Duke just proposed to me, Joey. I'm getting married! I can't wait to see you! Now we'll be able to see each other all the time!" She giggled. "We'll be sure to call back later, while you're home, so we can talk some more."

"So we'll see you, Joey," said Duke. The message ended. Joey began to scream at the machine, as if Duke could hear them, "You WHAT?! How DARE ya propose to my sista!? Don'tcha gotta ask me for her hand or sumthin'?! Ya dice throwin' BASTARD!" He sank angrily into the seat by the window and stared outside.

His little sister was getting married before he was!

But who would he marry anyway? There was no woman in the world who could ever earn that level of affection from him. Except, of course ... no, he couldn't think about her. She was off God-Knows-Where, possibly never to return.

"Mai," whispered Joey.

The sound of a motorcycle engine roared through the street in front of his house. Joey stuck his head out of the window and screamed, "Hey you, do ya mind? I was deep in ... mental stuff!"

The figure on the bike leapt off. "Mental ... stuff?" asked a strong, feminine voice. "That's a first for you..." the biker pulled off their helmet to reveal long curly blonde hair and violet eyes.

"Isn't it, Joey?" she asked.

"Mai?!" he asked. He hadn't seen Mai Valentine in years. He'd tried to keep himself from thinking about her, ease the pain. If he'd known a single thought would breathe life back into this enigma from his high school days, he would have let those thoughts flourish.

He ran back down the steps and sped outside to her. Shocked, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Your sister is getting married," she said as-a-matter-of-factly in an attempt to change the subject.

"Yeah!" he replied. "I just found out."

"Really?" she asked. "They called me at least three weeks ago."

"Three WEEKS?!" he yelled.

"I suppose they were just scared about what you'd say," Mai offered as solace.

"Whateva," Joey pouted. "Where were you for Yugi and Téa's wedding?"

"My arrangements to get here fell through," she explained. "I really wish I could have been there. Was it beautiful?"

"It was great," he answered. "They had an open shrimp bar, all you can eat!"

"That sounds great," Mai said skeptically.

"So, what'd you come out here for?" he asked. "Just wondering if I killed Duke yet? That's going to be tomorrow, in case you'd like to sell tickets."

"I came to ... see if Kaiba invited you to his wedding," Mai mumbled.

"Kaiba's getting married?!" asked Joey.

"Yes," said Mai. "I suppose he figures if he can't beat Yugi in a duel he can at least beat him in the fancier wedding department."

"That bastard didn't say a word to me! We're all supposed to be at PEACE!!!"

"Tell you what," Mai began, "I'll have you be my plus one."

"That sounds like a date," Joey said.

"Don't flatter yourself, kid," Mai yelled over her shoulder as she trotted back towards the bike. Joey ran after her shouting, "Mai! Hey, Mai!" He cut in front of her and asked, "Where ya going?"

"I'll see you around, Wheeler," she retorted. She pushed past him and got back on the motorcycle, "I've got places to go."

Joey stood in front of her bike and held onto the hood.

"Do you really trust me not to run you over?" she asked.

"Would it kill ya not to run away for once in your life?" he inquired back. "I know you think you're all alone in the world, but you're not. You've got friends who love you ... and me. I've got all the time in the world for you, Mai, but I'm getting kind of impatient here."

She picked up the helmet and started to put it on her head. Suddenly, she stopped and asked, "You mean that?"

"Of course I do!" he replied. "We're friends."

"After that big speech, we better be MORE than FRIENDS," Mai scoffed. She bent over the bike, took Joey's face into her hands, and kissed him.

And though it was some time after the Mutos and the Kaibas and the Taylors and Devlins, Mai and Joey eventually became the Valentine-Wheelers (an attachment that killed Joey a little bit inside each time he heard it).