B-o-n-d-s
Disclaimer: Watching too much Yu-Gi-Oh can make you think you actually own it. But I don't.
Author's NotesA Mai × Joey drabble. Set sometime in the near future, perhaps...I'm not all too familiar with Mai's past – I know her family was rich but she always felt alone and then decided to get away and somehow ended up in Yuugi's gang. But still felt alone and misplaced for some reason. I hope I got the whole loneliness thing right. Correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks!
Free
Joey × Mai
She looked about the, somewhat furnished room, eyeing the coffee table, the sofa and the new curtains critically. After a few moments spent in contemplative silence, pondering if she should, perhaps move the armchair to the opposite side and create more space for the boxes, she sighed heavily, deciding to leave it as it was for the time being. She still needed so many things to make the apartment look presentable and to be able to call it a home.
She looked up, eyeing the ceiling with a frown, noticing dark stains and smudges, some of them even spilling down over the walls. She would have to repaint that, as well. Glancing at the almost empty space across the room that was supposed to be a kitchen someday, she bit her lower lip, noticing the still, unpacked dishes in the boxes that were lying on the kitchen tiles, unorganized. So much work to do...and still, she managed to smile, scanning the room with a satisfied gleam in her eyes, finally finding a decent place to move in. An almost solemn look crossed her features when she remembered how she used to run from place to place, trying to escape her tainted past filled with faux friends, endless sleepless nights and the way she always felt so lonely and abandoned, never really finding comfort in running away and hiding from her inner demons...
She turned around quickly when she heard a rustling sound coming from behind. A moment later, she spotted the figure on the doorway, carrying a huge box with various things sticking out – from wrapped up vases, lamps and figurines to the stunning collection of shoes and one large trophy, she had obviously won at some Duel Monsters tournament. A few tousled bangs stuck out behind the box and then one brown eye followed, narrowed in annoyance.
"Geez, Mai," Joey Wheeler huffed, dangerously tilting back, trying to both hold a box in his hands and look at her at the same time. "What's with all the shoes?"
Mai Valentine grinned evilly in response, telling him to put it on the armchair next to the coffee table. When he groaned, wobbling his way forward and dropped the box on the armchair almost carelessly, she let out a yell, glaring at him when the trophy almost fell out of the box. She caught it in the last moment, patting it almost affectionately. It was, after all, the first trophy she had won and it had a sentimental value. Joey smiled sheepishly, despite the searing pain in his back.
"Sorry," he muttered, absentmindedly brushing a hand through his disheveled bangs. He let out a long breath, his hands resting on his hips as he looked around. He, too, noticed the mess in the kitchen, the lack of carpet in the living room and the unsightly ceiling, wondering briefly how her bathroom and bedroom looked like when he craned his neck aside to glance at a pair of closed doors. He snapped out of his stupor when he heard a clanging sound coming from the kitchen.
"Sit down," Mai spoke after a moment of silence, opening a cupboard to take a glass out. "Make yourself at home."
Joey stared at her for a moment, something about her voice and the way she spoke making him shiver inwardly. He looked around one more time, spotting the sofa behind the coffee table and decided to sit on it. The mattress shifted slightly under him, making him sink into the cushy seat.
Mai came back after a minute, carrying the glass in her hands, careful not to make the soda spill over the brim. She put it in front of him and then sat on the other end of the sofa, next to the huge box.
"Thanks," Joey chimed happily, actually in a need of something to drink. Dragging boxes up the stairs was a tiring job. Mai smiled at him appreciatively, clasping slightly fidgeting hands in her lap. It felt so odd, too odd to sit with him in a freshly bought apartment, after spending so much time away from him...from them all. Curious, she looked at him, making him blink at her questioningly.
"So...where's Yuugi and Tristan and...Tea? I haven't seen anyone of them for a while," she started, her voice unusually soft. She smiled afterwards, redirecting her eyes away from him to look out the open window and at the swaying curtains on the summer breeze. "You were the only I managed to find to help me."
Joey was quiet for a while, before he decided to speak, putting the glass on the table.
"Tea's in America," he said, surprising her and making her look at him in wonder, "and Yuugi went to Egypt with his grandpa." He added, staring at his own reflection in the glass coffee table somewhat solemnly. "Tristan is still here; he works at a restaurant not too far away from your block."
The cheerful grin disappeared slowly from her lips as she stared at him with her lips slightly parted and her eyes slightly wide. So, the invincible gang split up in the end, only crumbles remaining from the once inseparable group of people.
"Oh..." Was the only thing she said; the only thing she could say, anyway. She looked at her hands and at her unpolished nails. She gazed at him sadly when he coughed and broke the tense silence in the room. The doors were still open, enabling them a view at the hall. She stood up and went to close them, returning back to stand behind the armchair. He looked at her and she noticed for the first time how much he had changed. Although with his messy hair he still looked unmistakably like the old Joey Wheeler, his features looked more sharp and serious, his eyes a deeper shade of brown. He was way taller than her now, his shoulders broader. He had grown up. She tore her observing gaze away from him when she noticed him doing the same. She wondered briefly if he though the same about her. She knew she had changed...
She looked inside the box and smiled; stuffing her hand in the jumble of things and watched him raise his eyebrows when she retrieved a red glove he still possessed somewhere at home, as well.
"Duelist Kingdom," she said, waving with the glove almost playfully. "You remember?"
He nodded, grinning at her antics. "I still have mine," he replied, glancing upwards, trying to remember where he had put it. "Ahh...somewhere..."
She threw it at him and he caught it with ease, recalling the tournament very well. After all, they had met on that tournament for the first time.
Her smile softened when she pulled a deck of cards from a plastic bag, all of them carefully tied together. Her Duel Monsters cards... Joey glanced up and smiled. "Still have those, too, huh?"
She nodded almost absentmindedly, patting the back of the card thoughtfully. She sat down next to him, removing the rubber strap around them and lifted the first one, turning it between her fingers. The card was slightly pale and crumpled but they still both recognized the monster on it. The winged woman with claws, Harpy Lady - one of her favorite cards. A soft smile grazed her lips and her eyes lit up. She still felt some kind of connection with the monster, no matter how much time it spent in the box. Joey lifted the other card to reveal Mirror Wall.
"You used to use this one often, too," he said, referring to the card in his hands. She nodded and looked at him, something akin to mischief glinting in her eyes.
"How 'bout a duel, Joey Wheeler?" She asked, making him look at her in surprise. He shook his head after a moment, smirking at her.
"You haven't changed one bit, Mai," he replied and she blinked, her face turning serious.
"Yes, I have," she said firmly, making him blink this time. She lowered her head and stared at the card in her hand. "Yes, I have."
Joey stared at her for a moment before he put the card back on the top of the deck, resting one hand on his knee. He took another sip of his soda and then sighed heavily.
"I guess...everything's changed," he said in a low voice, the atmosphere becoming tense and dark again, making her gaze solemnly at him. He looked at her and felt that familiar fluttering of butterflies in his stomach, could feel the clenching sensation somewhere around his heart that threatened to make him lose his breath. She still looked so beautiful.
She gulped, noticing and recognizing the look in his eyes, uncertain of her own, smothered and forgotten feelings about him. She said to herself that she would never try to revive the past, no matter how tempting it looked like. She sighed heavily, preparing mentally to thank him for his help, deciding that it would only hurt her more if she let the same thing happen again.
"Joey-"
"I missed you, Mai." He interrupted her and she stopped, taking a breath that got stuck in her throat. Her eyes widened, staring almost in fright at his soft ones. She bit her lower lip, shaking her head and letting out a chuckle. "I'm serious, Mai," he ventured, daring to touch her hand with his and she shuddered slightly, not knowing whether to jump at him and hug him till he turns blue or to run away from him and...
...But she had already spent too much time running away...
She let out a nervous laugh, unable to look at him so she stared at his hand instead.
"Mai?" The young man across her asked, sounding concerned and slightly nervous as well. "Is...did I say something wro-"
"No," she said quickly, cutting him off. She raised her head a bit to look at him and blushed when she realized how close he was. She had a sudden urge to scream, get up and run again, but she forced herself to stay put. She had enough of running...enough of hiding and feeling sorry for herself. She had come here to start all over again, to try and build a better future for herself. She was Mai Valentine and Mai Valentine didn't give up on her dreams.
"Mai?" She jerked a bit when she felt his breath on her lips and looked up, startled. He was inches away from her now, his grip tightening on her hand, his expression worried and even slightly hurt. "Are you afraid of me?"
She tried to breathe and say something but she found herself being unable to move. She just wanted something to happen, she wanted him to do something, anything, just to stop the feeling in her chest. It felt like something was building inside, threatening to burst out and she wasn't sure how much more she could take.
"Mai..." He whispered and she closed her eyes, feeling something brush against her skin, his hand hovering over her cheek.
Was she afraid? She was. But she wasn't supposed to be afraid. This was Joey, Joey, the goofy boy who used to make her laugh, and used to make her want to scream at him and kick him so many times.
She didn't want to be afraid...not anymore. She wanted to forget how fear felt like, how loneliness felt like...how she felt like before. She wanted to be free; she wanted so much to feel free...
And if she would let him...would he make her feel free? Could she take a chance? She was, after all, a woman who liked taking risks just to see where that would get her. She was Mai Valentine.
She smiled with a soft 'hmm' and let him kiss her.
The curtains fluttered over the window, making the breeze escape through to play with her hair and shuffle the cards that fell over the table, lying on the floor, scattered and forgotten for a while.
Started – 25/03/2005 ÷ Finished – 29/03/2005
Last words- Ugh...too many cookies eaten, too many pounds gained...holidays always do that to me...Anyway, I hope you liked this. I wrote a short draft of another Joey × Mai but I posted it on my blog because, well – it's slightly lime-ish... ÷blushes÷ I don't know if I should post it on FF-net or not. I don't even know if people would like it. Well, if anyone wants to check it out, check out my bio page for the link.
I'm tired...need...sleep now...
-Alena-