Note: "Girls Like Girls" by Hayley Kiyoko.
Girls Like Girls
"Mami-san? Welcome!" Madoka answered the door, beaming at her.
Brushing a stray curl back, Mami said, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything…." She set her shoes to the side and followed Madoka into the living room.
"You're always welcome here, Mami-chan," Junko chimed in from her spot on the floor, not taking her eyes off the television. She gestured to the couch behind her, "Take a seat. Madoka's working on her homework, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait if you girls want to hang out."
Madoka pouted, whining, "But it's Friday, Mama. I have all weekend to do it!"
Junko wagged her finger at Madoka, whose shoulders slumped.
"Sorry, Mami-san," she grimaced, "if I don't do my now I probably won't get around to it before Sunday night." She plopped down at the low table, dragging her papers toward her.
"It's alright, Madoka-san," Mami said. She scooted forward and, wringing her hands, continued, "I actually… wanted to talk to Junko-san." She clasped her hands to her chest, bowing her head. "May I, Junko-san?"
"Eh?" Junko turned away from the television. "Of course, Mami-chan! My wisdom is always at the disposal of the younger generation!" She stood and turned off the news program. "Let's talk in my office so we don't disturb Madoka."
Madoka glanced at Mami, a question posed in her expression. Mami flashed her a smile as she walked after the elder Kaname.
Once Junko shut the door, she turned expectantly to Mami, mouth quirked mischievously. Thankfully, she refrained from her usual insinuations.
Alright, this is it. You can do it.
"Well, you see, Junko-san," Mami began, leaning forward, "this is my third year already…." She paused, twisting her fingers. "I'll graduate this fall. That's—with everything going on in my life I just—it never came up, you see, and—" She took a deep breath and looked at the older woman in the eye. "That is to say, I haven't made any plans for after graduation."
Because I thought I was going to die before I could graduate.
Her gaze dropped once again, a blush burning her face.
Junko hummed, prompting Mami to look back up hopefully.
"It's not a bad thing," Junko assured her. Then, with a half-smirk, she added, "To tell the truth, I still don't know what to do with my life."
Mami looked skeptic, making Junko chuckle.
"Ask Madoka," she said, but then she grimaced. "Eh, actually, don't ask Madoka. She'll tell you all sorts of stories and ruin my street cred," Junko winked and Mami laughed despite herself.
Reeling in her train of thought, Junko continued, "Here I am, poring over past currency rates with annoying coworkers and wishing that the boss would hurry up and keel over or at least give me a promotion, and yet! I wouldn't have it any other way."
Questions popped up in Mami's mind, "It's not your dream job, Junko-san? Then… then why would you bother staying?"
Junko shrugged. She rubbed her chin, musing, "Probably because it's a challenge. I can give it my all and thus find reward in conquering it. I never had a dream job, not like Saotome and our classmates, but I had the energy and will to devote myself to anything.
"So, Mami-chan, the only advice I can give you here is that if you don't know what you want to do with your life, then pick something that will at least propel you forward—don't settle for enduring."
Mulling it over, Mami clarified, "Then it's okay if I go to a local college and choose a study plan at random? Ah, rather, not at random… but something that isn't my passion?"
Junko agreed, adding, "You have a talent for cooking, though. Not to say you have to follow it, but there are cooking schools out there. Perhaps you could become a professional chef."
Shaking her head, Mami murmured, "That's more of a therapy for me, a way of making myself and others happy. I think… becoming a professional would take that away from me, you know?"
"Perfectly understandable, Mami-chan," Junko reassured her. "Sometimes it's okay to be selfish."
Clasping her hands, Mami bowed. "Thank you, Junko-san. I'm so relieved," she said, finally letting her racing thoughts and pulse calm down. The tension in her shoulders began to bleed away, though she would probably ask Yuma to give her a massage in the evening.
Pleased, Junko waved away her thanks, saying, "It's definitely a pleasure to help you, Mami-chan. I'm here for all my daughter's friends. The world is all too harsh on youth. If I can help you, I will."
Oh, that's right… that's not all.
This is going to be embarrassing.
"There is one other thing I would like your advice on," Mami started. Even the tips of her ears flushed red as she murmured, "A—a confession."
Junko squealed and slammed her hands on her desk, leaning forward. "Who?" she asked, an almost manic grin on her face.
Leaning back, Mami said, "I'd—I'd rather… not say. M-mostly because, well, she probably won't accept my feelings." Her embarrassment faded as dejection settled in.
No, Kyouko will never accept them, but…. "But I still want to tell her," she declared, momentarily determined.
"'Her'?" Junko echoed, settling back down. Frowning slightly, she said, "Would that happen to have any hand in the possibility of her not reciprocating? Because you're both girls?"
Of course Junko would catch on without any further clues.
Mami nodded, biting her lip.
Junko smacked her fist in her hand and declared, "This calls for a drink! Unfortunately, you're not of age, so we'll have to settle on tea. I'll be just a moment, Mami-chan." With that, she darted out the door.
"What?" Mami asked Junko's vacated seat.
Not a moment later, however, Junko dashed back into the room. "Tell me more," she demanded.
What happened to 'this calls for a drink'?
"Err, there's not much to say…," Mami bowed her head, "we've just been together for so long…. That aside, though, I want to make her happy, and I want her to be happy with me. I can live without her, but why on earth would I want to? Even if it's… unexpected."
Once again, Junko nodded. She empathized, "And that's that."
Tomohisa entered, a tray of tea in his hands. "Junko said to break out the leaves for this special occasion," he said, smiling.
"Thank you, Tomohisa-san. I appreciate it," Mami bowed her head.
He waved his hands in front of him, reassuring her, "Love is a gift we give freely, Mami-chan." With a softer smile towards his wife, Tomohisa left them alone.
Mami echoed, "Love…?" She blushed.
"Stealing kisses from your missus makes you freak out, eh?" Junko joked, but Mami turned even redder than before.
"I-I haven't… not… not with anyone…."
When a minute passed and Mami did not continue, Junko sighed, a fond smile playing on her lips. "I remember when I stood in front of Tomohisa's father and declared that I would marry Tomo with or without his father's approval." She closed her eyes as she recalled, "My face was so red and my hands shook so much, it's a minor miracle old man Kaname didn't dismiss me!"
She passed the cup of tea to Mami before continuing, "I've been crossing all the lines my entire life, Mami-chan. Always stealing the thunder, so to speak, of self-proclaimed princes—on the move, collecting numbers all throughout high school.
"Male, female, it mattered not to them or me. Ah, but those boys. Boys! Some of them were so hard-headed; they couldn't accept that girls like girls just like boys do. Is that what bothers you, Mami-chan?" She peered at the girl over her cup, eyebrow cocked.
Blowing at her tea, Mami shook her head. "Not really. I think, with all that has gone on in my life, I could not care less for what others think of me." She frowned, amending, "Rather, I don't care about strangers and their opinions. I care about her opinion only."
"Ah," Junko nodded, "you think she won't accept a confession from a girl?"
Mami shrugged. She explained, "I'm not sure about her thoughts on the matter… of homosexuality and the like, I mean. She's—was?—Catholic, though her father was excommunicated from the Church following his… ah, alternative sermons." She bit at the inside of her cheek and countered, "But as far as I know she isn't a practicing Catholic."
Still, that doesn't mean she doesn't share their beliefs….
Nodding, Junko drummed her fingers on her desk. She seemed to be deep in thought, for she said nothing the next few minutes.
Feeling even more awkward, Mami sipped at her tea and let her gaze flit across the study of the Kaname family head.
Various papers littered the desk, a half-full glass of something presumably alcoholic sat atop a folder, and a few pictures stood lined up along the left edge—all in all, it looked like anyone's desk.
It was the rest of the study that showcased Junko Kaname's eccentric side.
Replicas of Impressionism paintings adorned the upper half of the wall opposite the door; its lower half showcased childish drawings, complete with frames and arranged with care. She had no doubt those were examples of Madoka's childhood imagination and Tatsuya's current explorations.
Behind the desk, floor-to-ceiling shelves framed a large window. Sculptures of gargoyles leered at Mami from the higher shelves, though regular law school tomes occupied the rest of the shelves. The view outside was of the backyard, where some trees and scattered toys could be seen.
Facing Junko, school awards and company certificates were scattered amongst photos on top of photos—a chocolate-covered Madoka next to a law diploma, an employee of the month award next to Tomohisa in the garden, and so on.
Well, it's not really all that bizarre.
It's the office of a woman who is alive and in love with life, isn't it?
"You need to have a frank conversation with her, Mami-chan," Junko said at last.
Mami jerked back towards her.
Junko leant forward, steeping her fingers under her serious gaze. At the girl's panicked look, she continued gently but sternly, "This is as it is in life, Mami-chan. Sometimes we don't do the things we should because we're scared. We would rather endure suffering that is familiar and 'safe' than summon the courage to go out of our comfort zone.
"Be brave, Mami-chan. Communication is truly the best weapon anyone could ever have—if you know her concerns then you have at least the sliver of a chance to prove her wrong."
Staring down at her reflection in the tea, Mami nodded.
"To those who oppose everything outside heterosexuality," Junko added, "I'd say something along the lines of, 'Don't tell me what I feel—I'm real and I don't feel like boys.' Simple as that, you see." She chuckled, "Though I'd rather just walk up to my crush and say, 'Say your face, hear your name, I gotta get with you'!"
Mami laughed along, shaking her head. "I wouldn't be so forward, Junko-san," she said.
"That's the problem with you girls," Junko groused playfully, "too damn serious." Her eyes twinkled with mischief.
Is she comparing me to Homura? Surely I'm not that stiff!
Junko stood, gesturing to Mami. "C'mon, let's see if Madoka's finished her homework. I'm sure you're tired of little ol' me," she smirked.
"Fishing for compliments, Junko-san?" Mami teased.
There! Even I can joke with adults, sometimes.
Laughing, Junko ushered the girl back to the living room.
Upon seeing them return, Madoka asked, "Is everything alright, Mami-san?" Her entire person radiated concern.
Not for the first time, Mami found herself thankful that she had crossed paths with Madoka Kaname.
"Everything's fine, Madoka-san," Mami said with a genuine smile.
And everything will work out.
/\
A/N: This is the third chapter starting with a G... humph. Also, it's pretty heavy on the conversation again. Anyway, I bet you weren't expecting this! And so soon to the last update, too, though it's a bit short. I finished it up pretty quickly, though, so it might sound awkward in places...? Please comment with any concerns!
~Teddy.
