Okay, I am so sorry for the wait on this one.
I tried a different chapter idea, which didn't work. I couldn't make it work because it was a movie theater idea. Every time I tried, I ended up with me staring at the screen and hating it; I wanted to make it work but couldn't. Then I ended up in an anxiety spiral because a portion of this chapter will be something I haven't written in a few years, and my worrying, if you would like, just aggravated the situation. Seriously there were days I stared at the screen for an hour and I could not get myself to write anything before deleteing it and starting this new version.
That said, I was officially married on August 28th, so yay. The wife and I went to Rose City Comic-Con, where we got autographs, sat in on a few panels, and spent the weekend avoiding Chucky the doll as he is my number one fear, making me anxious for the whole weekend. There were cosplayers and advertisements before panels where I buried my head in my lap and covered my ears, and I even got stuck in the bathroom with a doll because someone brought it in. So, yeah, that was a nightmare turned reality. Damn doll has been killing me and haunting my dreams since I was 4. I hate everything to do with that whole franchise and it's one of the reasons I don't like the Halloween season.
I don't blame the con; they need money to run, but we had fun outside that! Although Amber did get the Con Crud, which I think I'm beginning to come down with, and it's now raining here in the PNW. Fall has officially started!
"Bit of an overload, isn't it," asked Yuzu while she and Mei stood in the line at the bowling alley as the crashing sound of pins occasionally cut out the sounds of the blaring music while people of all ages laughed and talked loudly around them.
"It is," agreed Mei, taking a deep breath while Yuzu's arm encircled her waist and squeezed. "But I've grown used to it between all the birthday parties, parent's days, and our visits to arcades with the kids. Not to mention all the staff parties we attended while you worked for the hotel chain."
"I thought you liked going to those parties," asked Yuzu as they moved a little closer to the counter. Her hand squeezed a little tighter as she watched Mei's glance move between her and the people walking away toward the lanes.
"I did." Mei's voice was soft, and Yuzu could see a slight hint of a smile as she spoke. "Your co-workers were fun, and attending them is why I made more of an effort to socialize with my staff and attend some of the staff parties when our schedules permit. But, you must admit, they can be a little draining."
"Is it because of the atmosphere or the people," asked Yuzu as she carefully moved her hand along Mei's waist, ignoring the people behind them. "Besides, I thought you liked going to those more than the stuff you and I go to for your work?"
"Those are far more draining," said Mei, her cheeks tinged with pink as she tried to ignore Yuzu's attempt to fluster her. "That's not to say I dislike going to your work events. At least at yours, it seems like we're both relaxed, unlike with everything else where we have to make sure everyone is having fun, and I have to do my best to placate every complaint brought before me."
"At least you're not doing it alone anymore." Yuzu pulled Mei tight to her and kissed her cheek, causing the two young women behind them to giggle. "I'm happy you've started asking me or your dad to help take some of the pressure off you. I know I don't do much, but at least some of the older crowd is gone, and people at least act like they want to hear what I have to say."
"You'd be surprised as to how many of them ask if you'll be coming back," replied Mei, smiling as she saw Yuzu's look of confusion.
"You're lying," snorted Yuzu while rolling her eyes. "Mei, I've only gone to two or three since Hayashi-san recommended I go to more than just your annual holiday party. I can't have made that much of an impression."
"I think you have."
As much as she didn't want to, Mei removed Yuzu's hand from her waist and squeezed it.
"They notice a change in me when you and Father are there. They view me as more approachable, and I think they're right."
"Why do you think that?" Yuzu looked at Mei and caught a hint of a pair of snickering girls behind them. "All I'm doing is hanging out."
"I'm not sure," shrugged Mei. "It's just that when you're there, I feel like I can focus more on them, and you help give me confidence, and I know for certain a few of them genuinely enjoy your company. So if you can, I'd like you to come to the next one. A few of my colleagues value your opinion on building clientele since you are more involved personally with your clients than they are."
"Are you sure," asked Yuzu, pressing against Mei, thankful her wife's grip kept her hand from shaking, though it didn't help as much regarding her pulse. "I feel like I'm always putting my foot in my mouth when I talk to them and that they're only tolerating me because of you and Udagawa-san."
"All you need to say is that you're ready to go, and we'll leave. I won't force you to stay," promised Mei, kissing the top of her wife's head, earning them another cute noise from the girls, which stopped the moment they saw Mei glaring at them out of the corner of her eye. "But if you're all right with it, can we wait until we're home to finish this discussion?"
Yuzu nodded, straightened herself up, and smiled at Mei, saying, "Yeah, we can discuss it later. Besides, it's our turn next, and I know you have questions about what's happening with the shoes."
"Well, I'm just curious as to where everyone is getting them," sighed Mei as they approached the desk. "We didn't bring any, and I don't want us to get kicked out."
Yuzu was ready to answer until the man behind the desk greeted them with a smile and said, "Good evening. Is there anything I can help you two with tonight?"
"Uh, yeah," said Yuzu, approaching the desk and holding up her phone with their reservation confirmation. "We had a reservation scheduled, but we're running late. Will we still be able to get in, or will we need to reschedule?"
"Let me take a look," answered the man as he typed the reservation into the computer. "Just so you're aware, it is a Friday, so we are a little busy tonight and have been having some booking issues, but the good news is we can get you in. However, as you are about thirty minutes late, it may take a while before your lane is ready. Is that going to be a problem?"
"How long of a wait," inquired Mei as she stared at the large amounts of shoes behind the host, her brain finally processing where and how they would be getting their first piece of equipment.
"That depends on the people currently using your lane," replied the man politely. "Unfortunately, due to demand, we had to allow someone else to use it, and they are a larger group. But, if they play quickly, the longest you'll wait is maybe half an hour. If they go slower, then maybe an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. But if another lane opens before then, we can let you use that one. But as I said earlier, we are busy tonight, and people are taking their time because of the weekend."
"Is there anything we can do in the meantime," asked Yuzu, getting a little nervous that they'd end up having to call their evening a little earlier than they'd planned since there weren't any movies neither of them wanted to see most of those were packed when they checked for tickets.
"We do have an arcade and a bar," answered the man cheerfully. "They aren't connected, but we have various types of games to choose from, and the bar does have karaoke as well if you are interested in watching that or participating."
"I'd much rather watch," answered Mei quickly. "But if it's all right with you, Yuzu, we can wait a while and see what happens and maybe have a drink or play a few games."
"You're okay with playing video games or hanging out in a bar?"
Yuzu's eyebrow raised in suspicion at Mei's suggestion. While she and Mei had gone out with their friends to the occasional bar, Mei seldom suggested video games to distract herself unless someone else asked her to join in.
"I am," nodded Mei, speaking with such sincerity that Yuzu didn't even bother arguing.
"Okay then," chuckled Yuzu as she pulled her wallet from her bag. "I guess we're staying for a bit. Do we need to pay for extra time now, or will that be added to my card? I'm not sure how this works."
"Your reservation was simply for your time on the lane," answered the man as he handed Yuzu a plastic circle attached to what looked like a clip. "I'm sure you're familiar with these, but if you aren't, this device will let you know when your lane is ready, along with us texting you. Please keep it in sight and on your person as we ask that you return it when you come to get your shoes."
Mei thanked the man and took the disk before attaching it to her bag and took Yuzu's hand before pulling them off to the side and asking, "So what would you like to do first? Games, or would you rather sit at the bar and have a drink?"
"Is that why you were so eager to stay?" Yuzu grinned and tapped Mei's nose, causing Mei's ears to turn red. "You wanted to get me all liquored up?"
"If you having only three drinks is considered 'liquored up,'" huffed Mei as she swatted Yuzu's finger away, "I'm getting off cheap. But no, I didn't want to get you liquored up, nor did I assume you'd want alcohol. I just thought you'd like to sit down somewhere quiet before going back out there. Although I considered having a drink, seeing as how we'd end up wearing shoes that have had god knows how many people's feet in them."
"They clean them," snickered Yuzu, pointing over her shoulder as a woman joined the man with a large cart of used but somewhat pristine shoes and began spraying something inside them before putting them away. "See, they take them somewhere to get cleaned and sanitized, then I think that's a disinfectant she's spraying in them, and then they give them to you."
"Oh." Mei nodded and touched her chin as she thought about what Yuzu had said. "That makes sense, I suppose. However, I'd like to look into buying some if we decide to make this a regular activity. That's possible, isn't it?"
"Didn't you research all of this when we decided to come here," asked Yuzu as she began tugging Mei toward the arcade.
"I...I thought I'd keep it a surprise." Mei played with her hair as she and Yuzu entered the arcade and stopped just shy of running into some kids who were off running toward a large shooting game. "Since we haven't been on a date in so long, especially to a place I've never been before, I wanted to try and figure everything out when we got here. So, I thought it would be fun if you taught me how to play rather than me ruining the evening by already knowing everything about it."
"You wouldn't ruin anything." Yuzu raised her voice a little for Mei to hear her as she looked around. "Besides, I haven't gone bowling since before Udagawa-san and I went into business together, and even then, I wasn't very good, so I'm not sure there's a lot I can teach you."
"Then we'll just learn together," replied Mei, kissing Yuzu's cheek and gesturing toward the games. "Just like you and the kids teach me how to play games or tell me about the things you're interested in, so since we have the time, what would you like to play first?"
Despite her best efforts, Yuzu's mind immediately went into overload at hearing Mei's questions as she tried to find a game for them to play.
Generally, at home, Mei wasn't one for video games. That was usually Yuzu's go-to with the kids, while Mei tended to do puzzles while talking about what they were up to at school or with their friends. But she wasn't against video games; Yuzu used them for the same reasons Mei used her puzzles; it was just that Mei had little interest in them.
Usually, when Yuzu and the kids gamed, Mei would be nearby doing a logic puzzle or a crossword, something she enjoyed doing with the kids as it meant they got to learn something while spending time with Mei. But, when it came to family nights, Mei preferred board games or to sit back and watch Yuzu and the kids play while indulging in her latest book or some work and occasionally got upset when Yuzu and the kids got a little too loud. But she wasn't above joining in when it was a simple game like a racing game, a party game disguised as a board game, or even a side-scrolling platformer.
But those games were getting rarer and rarer and practically non-existent in arcades, and Yuzu knew Mei wasn't a fan of shooting games or one of the large dancing games.
Running her hands through her hair, Yuzu felt like steam was about to erupt from her ears as she tried to find the types of games Mei would play at home.
The problem was that the arcade wasn't designed for the types of games Mei liked. As far as Yuzu knew, puzzle games weren't usually in arcades, nor was the farming simulator game Mei had grown fond of over the years. Going home and playing that would have been easier, as Yuzu knew Mei would ask her to play it if she suggested it, even though Yuzu didn't like playing it all that much.
Sure, it was fun, but the game's monotony got dull for Yuzu's tastes. On top of that, Yuzu grew jealous when Mei gave her in-game wife a gift every in-game morning right in front of her. Yuzu knew it was stupid to feel jealous of a video game character, and she'd been flattered when Mei told her that she'd chosen the woman because she was the closest it had to Yuzu. But Yuzu got the sense that Mei could sense her jealousy because even though Yuzu didn't have a file to take the items to, Mei would always give Yuzu some super rare items as a present every time they played.
Mei somehow had excellent luck with her drops, and while Yuzu didn't play often, she had a couple of small chests tucked away in her tiny cottage filled with all the gifts Mei had given her.
There was also the fact that Yuzu found it incredibly sweet that Mei had named the kids after theirs, which was one of the other reasons Yuzu still joined Mei when she played. Even though the kids were stuck in perpetual childhood while, Mei made the one named Airi wear a horned helmet, and the one called Hideki wore a helmet made out of a coconut.
When Yuzu asked her about it, the only answer Yuzu got was a mischievous smirk from Mei, who said nothing and continued playing and giving Yuzu orders about what their plans for that day were.
Still, Yuzu would rather have played that with Mei than the kids' mining game. When they played that, Mei attempted to turn everything into some lesson about ecology or math or something. Now that Yuzu thought about it, Mei sometimes did the same thing during the farming game about economics and trading. However, she eventually stopped when she noticed the kids were paying more attention to her with their eyes glazed over instead of enjoying the game.
But as she stood in the middle of the arcade with Mei looking to her for advice on what to play, Yuzu felt herself at a loss and knew she was wasting time, and if she didn't come up with a suggestion soon, she ran the risk of upsetting Mei.
"Yuzu," asked Mei as Yuzu scratched her head for what felt like the hundredth time. "Yuzu, are you okay? Do you need to sit down?"
"I'm fine," answered Yuzu, a little sharper than intended. "I'm just...I don't know. I feel like my brain is about to explode."
"What's going on?"
Yuzu felt Mei's hand pull her off into a corner where they could talk without getting in the way.
When they were settled, Mei's hand began running along Yuzu's face, and Yuzu smirked when she saw Mei check her forehead while checking Yuzu's before saying, "You aren't running a fever. Are you tired? Do we need to go home?"
"No." Yuzu took a deep breath and exhaled loudly before removing Mei's hand. "No, we don't need to go home. I was stressing about what we should play. I don't know what people play outside of what we play at home, so I was worried about what to pick because I wanted you to have fun."
"That's very thoughtful of you," said Mei, pressing her hand to Yuzu's cheek. "But why are you stressing out about it? Do you think I'll get mad at you for suggesting something?"
"Maybe." Yuzu pointed at all the games, many of which were too violent for Mei's taste or would tire them out before they even had a chance to bowl. "From what I can tell, most of this stuff is stuff you don't like. So I was trying to think of something you would like. But I wasn't sure what to pick because I didn't know if they had anything like we have at home, so while trying to figure that out, I started to fall into a spiral and couldn't make up my mind and wasted time. I'm sorry."
"I understand," Mei smirked and placed a hand on Yuzu's shoulder and squeezed. "I was worried about coming up here and not knowing what to pick either. That's why I asked you because you usually understand this stuff more than I do. I'm sorry I made that assumption, but I'm fine if you want to play something that interests you since you have more varied tastes than me."
Yuzu noticed a slight glint in Mei's eyes and couldn't help but chuckle as she said, "That's true. But I'd rather wait until we got home to show you how varied they are."
"I would hope so." Mei chuckled and locked her arm with Yuzu's before turning around and pointing at the machines. "Just relax and take your time. Unless you'd rather I pick now, and then you can choose the next one?
"You pick," said Yuzu, running a finger along Mei's arm. "I'll think while we play, and if I can't think of something, we'll look around, and if that doesn't work, we'll sit in the bar and listen to bad karaoke. That work?"
"That's fine with me," said Mei, scanning the room and squeezing Yuzu's arm, feeling a slight tingle shoot up her arm while Yuzu caressed her.
Eventually, something caught Mei's eye, and she began walking, Yuzu following alongside her as they made their way through the crowd and stopped in front of a series of claw machines.
"What about this one," offered Mei, pointing at one holding a bunch of mascot figures. "We can get something for the kids or Mother and Father. I'm sure they'd appreciate it. Oh, Himeko would love that little dog. It looks like Pucchi.
"Then let's try this one," sighed Yuzu in relief, her thoughts settling now that Mei had offered something simple for them to do. "Do you want to go first, or should I?"
"I'll try first," answered Mei, already putting a few hundred yen coins into the machine. "Do you want to try this machine next to me, or should we swap? I'm unsure if there's some sort of etiquette or if we can continue playing. Hideki told me about it once when he brought Airi back home one day, but I can't remember what he said."
Yuzu noticed that Mei had observed the overwhelming number of kids running around compared to the adults.
Deciding to take the machine next to Mei, Yuzu said as she loaded up coins, "I'll try to get something from here. We'll try a different game if we don't win anything in a few turns. Make sure you watch our pager thing, and I'll keep an eye on my phone."
Mei nodded, and after Yuzu dropped her coins, they both hit start on their machines and began to play.
Unfortunately, after spending a thousand yen each, both women walked away empty-handed but smiling at the fact that they had come close to winning a few items before calling it quits.
"I'm pretty sure the next person who goes for that stuffed cheetah is gonna win it," grunted Yuzu as she stretched her arms above her head.
"We could have stayed and won it," suggested Mei as they looked around for another game.
"I doubt we would have," sighed Yuzu, stopping by a machine, loading in a few bills, and grabbing the card it ejected. "Games like that are money sinks, but we can try again the next time we come."
"Already planning our next visit," chuckled Mei while she and Yuzu continued walking.
"Well, we said we were going to check this place out for a reunion, so I think we might need more than one visit to see if everyone will like it for research purposes."
"Of course," said Mei, smiling at Yuzu's excuse before taking Yuzu's hand and pointing at the games, "what do you suggest we try next?"
After Mei asked that, she and Yuzu spent much of their remaining time sampling the other games the arcade offered. Neither of them was very good at the drum game Yuzu had found as it was set up like an entire drum system instead of a Taiko set, and Mei only did marginally better than Yuzu on the piano simulator they found.
When they finished, they both commented on how Airi would have wiped the floor with them and thought bringing her the next time Hideki visited would be fun.
They managed to slip in a racing game where Yuzu flattened Mei, though the younger woman did much better than she had in a long time.
Afterward, they found a section of retro games that seemed more like Mei's speed. She did pretty well and impressed even a few of the younger kids, though Mei got frustrated when, for the second time, a kid commented on her age when they said how good Mei was at "old people's" games.
That killed any mood Mei had for the retro games, and Yuzu suspected that was why Mei suggested they attempt a fighting game.
Yuzu was a little shocked to hear the suggestion and asked if Mei was serious, but she knew it was a dumb question when she saw Mei's frown and clenched jaw. Deciding resistance was futile, Yuzu eventually found a game she thought Mei would like, and they both began playing. Neither was very good, but Yuzu was better, thanks to how often she played with the kids. But Mei held her own and even won a couple of matches, but came out on the losing end despite her narrow victories.
Thankfully, the game managed to get Mei to calm down, but not after scaring a few people when she got frustrated with the controls and began mashing buttons furiously and demanding several rematches before finally admitting defeat.
Once thoroughly beaten, they excused themselves and grabbed a couple of drinks from a vending machine, where they sat in silence for a bit before Mei noticed a photo booth and suggested they go in.
"You sure?" asked Yuzu, pointing at the screen that showed several people who looked like past customers and grinning obnoxiously. "Our pictures might be saved, and if anyone from the academy or a business partner comes in and sees it might make the evening news."
"I'm sure," interrupted Mei, her tone serious as she pulled Yuzu over to a free booth after throwing away their drinks. "And if they see us, so what? I'm here on a date with my wife; I'm not ashamed of who sees us as long as we aren't doing anything inappropriate."
"Okay." Yuzu smiled at the fierceness in Mei's voice and climbed in and shut the door, not surprised to see Mei seated and inspecting the buttons on the screen.
"So what do we do?"
"That depends," answered Yuzu, tapping the card against the screen and draining its remaining funds. "We can just take normal pictures and get them printed, or we can add a bunch of special effects once we're done taking all of the pictures and then get them printed."
"Is that another reason you were worried about us getting seen?" inquired Mei, looking at the scenery options the screen showed her and trying to decide what to do. "It's not like you to worry so much."
"Well, there's that," coughed Yuzu, her cheeks burning as she watched Mei fumble with the screen. "And I'm not ashamed; it's one thing for someone to see us out and having fun. But these pictures could stay on here for a long time, and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable with that possibility. I like this place and could see us coming back, but...I dunno...I guess it's just old insecurities springing back up."
"I understand," answered Mei, looking up from the screen and giving Yuzu a nod. "But to be honest, Yuzu, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind until you said something. I'll be honest: I'm not fond of the idea that our pictures might be saved. But we're here together and having fun, and that supersedes anything anyone might say. But if you don't want to do this, we won't, and we can give our turn to someone else, right?'
"Well, after you said all that, how can I say no," chuckled Yuzu, taking Mei's hand and kissing her cheek before jumping back when a flash came from the camera. "Did you already start it?"
"I think I did," said Mei, frantically looking at Yuzu and then at the countdown. "We have ten seconds; what do we do?"
Without thinking, Yuzu slid up behind Mei, wrapped her arms across her wife's shoulders, rested her chin on Mei's head, and said, "Smile!"
Unfortunately, the booth didn't give them a preview of what they looked like, so without thinking, Yuzu moved out from behind Mei and ordered, "Do something stupid!"
"Stupid, how," asked Mei as Yuzu stood on the bench and began making an odd face and doing a strange pose.
"I don't know," laughed Yuzu before returning to her pose. "Do whatever comes to your mind first."
Thinking quickly, Mei screwed up her face and stuck out her tongue in her best imitation of one of the many faces the kids would make at each other when trying to get the other one to laugh.
"Now, something cute," said Yuzu, sliding down once the countdown began again.
"What about this," said Mei, reaching out and wrapping her arm around Yuzu's neck and holding her close as she pressed her face into Yuzu's hair and kissed it.
"That was...that was good," stammered Yuzu, trying to think of another pose. They were only halfway done, but it was hard for her to come up with anything, especially after what Mei had done.
"Eight seconds, Yuzu," warned Mei, pushing Yuzu to jump up, bend over a little, and position her arms behind her back.
"Here, I'll give you a piggyback," grunted Yuzu as she waved for Mei to climb on.
"But Yuzu, you'll..."
"It's fine, Mei, just hop on."
Muttering something about not wanting to hear Yuzu's complaints about her back hurting, Mei did as Yuzu requested and gasped a little when Yuzu's knees dipped. Luckily Yuzu regained her balance and adjusted her hands, making Mei squeak when she felt Yuzu's hands hastily grab her butt and squeeze, so Mei didn't fall off. Although with how hard Mei was holding onto her shoulders, Yuzu was confident that wouldn't happen even if she let go.
Once the photo was taken, Mei was sure she looked stupid in the picture and didn't waste a second sliding off Yuzu's back and returning to the bench, her face red. At the same time, Yuzu threw herself across Mei's lap, forcing her to hold her up while she draped an arm over her face in a fainting pose.
When the light flashed, the screen signaled them to prepare for their last photo.
Looking down at Yuzu, Mei asked, "What should we do for our last one?"
Not saying anything, Yuzu adjusted herself to sit in Mei's lap, wrapped her arms around her wife's neck, and whispered, "This," before closing her eyes, pressing her forehead to Mei's, and holding her close.
Smiling, Mei mirrored Yuzu, her eyes closed and forehead pressing against Mei's while she held her close.
In the darkness, Yuzu and Mei noticed the bulb's familiar flash and the machine's sound, telling them they could now edit their photos, but they ignored it, enjoying the privacy.
"That was a surprise," said Mei quietly, running her nose along Yuzu's. "I thought you were worried about the pictures being saved?"
"I still am a little," confirmed Yuzu, brushing some hair from Mei's face before kissing her nose. "But once it started happening, I just went into autopilot and started caring more about having fun than what people would see if they saw the pictures. I'm happy I did, but now I'm more worried about how they look."
"Well, if you want to look at them, you're going to have to get off my lap so we can see how they came out."
"Fine," grumbled Yuzu, leaning in and kissing a spot just below Mei's earlobe, making her shiver.
"What was that for," whispered Mei while Yuzu slipped from her lap and began looking at the photos.
"Just my way of saying thanks," hummed Yuzu before giggling at the look of surprise on Mei's face in the piggyback one.
Mei said nothing and instead brushed the spot where Yuzu had kissed and smiled as she asked, "So how do they look? Do you want to do anything to them, or should we leave them as is?"
"I think they look good," said Yuzu, stepping back and waving Mei to the screen. "I mean, the top of our heads got cropped out of two of them, but you can still see our faces. Other than that, I don't think anything's wrong with them. But if you want to draw on them, we can. What do you want to do?"
Moving forward, Mei looked at the pictures and smiled when she saw how good they looked. She expected the camera to be of such low quality that it would have made the editing necessary, but save for the issue Yuzu had told her about; she didn't see any reason to use the extra features.
Although Mei did make a note to ask Yuzu about what she was doing with her arms in their 'silly' photo, and after seeing how odd she looked making her expression, Mei decided she would suggest that she and Yuzu never show that picture to anyone.
After a moment of quiet, Yuzu felt warmth when Mei leaned in, pressed their shoulders together, and said, "I like them as is. Can we print them, or do they email them to us?"
"I think we can do both," said Yuzu, scrolling through the options and frowning when she saw that there would be an extra charge for the email. "They want extra, and we're out on the arcade card; I can try my debit card if you want the digital copies."
"We can try, and if not, I'll put some extra on the card to get the email. I'd hate to lose the originals and not have a backup."
Nodding, Yuzu entered Mei's personal email address, and once it was confirmed, the machine requested payment. Sighing, Yuzu pressed her debit card to the reader, and after a moment, it beeped and thanked her before confirming the pictures had been sent and were printing.
"Got them," said Mei, smiling wide as she checked her email and looked at them. "Thank you for doing this with me, Yuzu."
"No problem."
Unable to resist the look on Mei's face, Yuzu leaned forward and couldn't help smiling when she felt Mei meet her halfway and kiss her softly.
When they parted, Mei's face slipped back into its normal calm appearance, but Yuzu could tell by how she looked at her that Mei was still overjoyed at having the photos.
The joy in Mei's eyes was so evident to Yuzu that it took several moments for her to ask, "So, what next? Wanna get a drink, or do you want to play a few more games?"
Mei opened her mouth to say something, but the buzzer attached to her purse and the messaging system on Yuzu's phone went off, signaling it was time for them to go downstairs.
"I guess that answers that," sighed Mei, grabbing her things, standing up, and moving toward the door. "Will we have time to grab a drink, or should we get our lane first?"
"I think we can get food and drinks delivered," said Yuzu, opening the door for Mei, grabbing the small strip of photos, and handing them to Mei.
Mei thanked her, and Yuzu watched as Mei stared at them for a moment before storing them carefully in her bag before locking arms with Yuzu, holding onto her tightly as they headed downstairs and saying, "If that's the case, then let's get our shoes and head to our lane. I want to see what all the fuss is about."
Despite her curiosity and excitement, Mei still couldn't get over the fact that she would need to wear shoes that several other people had worn before her.
"I'm going to order a pair tomorrow," said Mei, shaking her head at the smell of disinfectant wafting off the shoe. "I don't see how you can handle wearing these."
"Maybe it's because I've worked in the food industry for so long," shrugged Yuzu as she tied her shoes while Mei raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Seriously, you'd be surprised at the things we throw away and how disgusting it can get when people decide it's okay to treat the restaurant worse than they treat their homes."
"I'm not sure about that," countered Mei as she began putting her shoes on. "I've seen some disgusting houses, thanks to Himeko showing off some places she was looking into as rental properties. But I agree people can be incredibly disrespectful when the property isn't theirs. You haven't been having issues with that at the restaurant, have you?"
"Not really," said Yuzu as she walked around, getting a feel for her shoes. "Sometimes it's a sick kid or something like that. But I guess it's just me realizing that people are inherently gross, and there's not much I can do about it."
"You don't think that about me, do you," asked Mei jokingly as she cautiously got to her feet.
She was surprised at how smooth the bottom of the shoes was and realized she would have to be very careful if she was going to avoid slipping and falling.
"Only when you're sick," teased Yuzu as she helped Mei keep her balance. "But then again, everyone is gross when they get sick."
"You have a point," said Mei as she and Yuzu approached the rack and began looking at the balls. "Okay, so do we pick one, or is there some trick to it?"
"I usually just go with one that I feel like I can throw easily and fit my fingers into," said Yuzu, grabbing a ball and handing it to Mei. "Give it a try."
The ball was a bit heavier than Mei thought it would be, and she spun it around in her hands until she finally found three holes and watched as Yuzu picked up another one and began testing it.
"Is that how you're fingers are supposed to go into the ball," asked Mei when she saw Yuzu's middle, ring finger, and thumb go in.
"As far as I know," shrugged Yuzu as she shook her head and put the ball back. "But you gotta be careful because one of my friends in college said that people can break their wrist and fingers if they go with something too heavy or if it doesn't fit their hand right. Why? Are you scared? You can always do what those kids do and roll it with both hands."
Mei looked over at the other lane and watched as some younger kids walked up to the line, put the ball between their legs, and rolled it down the lane before noticing more experienced players throw the ball in more of a pendulum-like manner, and she felt something click in her brain.
"I think I'm starting to get how this works," said Mei as she walked over and began inspecting equipment. "So, from my understanding, I should find one that doesn't cause unnecessary stress to my muscles and wrist but has enough weight so that when I throw it, the ball should leave my hand on its own and use the force I apply to knock down the pins at the other end of the lane?"
"Pretty much," said Yuzu, unsure if that's what was going on but knew that if Mei had reached that conclusion, it was probably the correct one. "But sometimes people try to do weird things and get it to curve and everything. I've never figured it out, so I just try to get it to go straight and knock down as many pins as I can."
"That makes sense," said Mei nodding. "I'm guessing the lane is waxed or polished to remove friction, and since we're new to this, we shouldn't focus on doing anything a more experienced player would do, so our best bet is to focus on the basics. Because if we try to do anything too advanced, we'll hurt ourselves or damage the equipment."
Yuzu chuckled when she heard Mei's declaration, causing Mei's ears to turn red and cover her face.
"I'm sorry," said Mei through her hands as she shook her head. "We're supposed to be here to have fun, and I turned it into something to be analyzed."
"It's fine." Yuzu stepped forward and stroked Mei's head as they spoke. "Don't apologize for being you. Just do what you said and pick a ball that feels right; then we'll order some drinks, put in our names, and get started."
Nodding, Mei went back to looking through the racks and, after six or seven attempts, finally found a ball she felt would work for her.
Once again, she found herself fixated on the holes and shook her head as she set her ball down next to Yuzu's and watched as Yuzu put in their names.
"What was with that look," asked Yuzu after she put in their names and used the accompanying tablet to order a couple of teas. "Did you not like what you picked?"
"It'll serve," sighed Mei as she sat back and took in their surroundings, hoping all the banging wouldn't give her a headache. "I was just worried about the jokes Matsuri and a couple of the others might make if we bring them here."
"What are you talking about?" Yuzu held her hand over what looked like a vent before preparing to roll.
"That." Mei pointed at Yuzu's ring and middle finger. "How your fingers are positioned is what I'm worried about."
Yuzu looked at Mei and then down at her hand, and after a moment, she started chuckling when she finally realized what was bothering Mei.
"Yeah, she'll probably make some stupid crack about it," chuckled Yuzu while shaking her head. "But that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about her influence on you if you made that connection without her being here."
Yuzu watched Mei's face turn a bright red and couldn't resist setting her ball down and heading to where Mei was seated. Crouching down, Yuzu placed her hand just above Mei's knee and gently massaged it.
"What are you doing?" sighed Mei, crossing her arms and turning her head to avoid looking at Yuzu. "I thought we were here to...throw the balls or whatever, not talk."
"I'm just making sure you're okay," said Yuzu, leaning in a little closer to make eye contact while carefully moving her hand slightly up Mei'sthigh before stopping. "I want you to know I was just teasing you a little. I thought it was funny because you're normally not the one to bring stuff like that up."
"Like you didn't think about it either," huffed Mei, turning her gaze back on Yuzu, a mild flush to her cheeks. "Besides, unlike you and some of our other friends, I didn't play those games or read the type of manga Airi found, so where do you think I learned about all that stuff?"
"Well, you had to learn some of the stuff we do from somewhere," teased Yuzu, squeezing a little tighter, making Mei tense up even more.
"This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion," whispered Mei, pulling Yuzu's hand off her leg and shooing her toward the lane. "Just forget I brought it up, and please take your turn. I'd like us to have a little more fun before we head home tonight."
"All right." Yuzu nodded, realizing she probably crossed a line, and took Mei's hand and kissed it. "I'm sorry for pushing, and I'll drop it for now. And you're right, I did think about it, but you're the one that said it, so don't blame me for you having pervy thoughts."
Mei's eyes narrowed at Yuzu, who grinned and ran a finger along Mei's jaw before turning, grabbing her ball, and walking toward the end of the lane.
Despite her efforts to focus more on the other people playing, Mei couldn't help watching Yuzu's stride. She admired how Yuzu's legs flexed and stretched and how her strong arms swung backward before shooting forward, dropping the ball with a dull thud.
Peeking over the monitor, Mei watched as Yuzu took a step back, her feet bouncing in excitement as it rolled toward the pins at an impressive speed before colliding with them with a loud clatter.
"Aww, man," sighed Yuzu, throwing her arms up, disappointed that she'd only managed to knock down four pins. "That blows."
"Why?" asked Mei as Yuzu ran her hand over the small vent again. "It was an impressive throw, Yuzu."
"I'm glad you think so," grumbled Yuzu as her ball popped up and rolled along the rails. "But I wanted to look cool for you by getting a strike on my first turn."
"I thought strikes were bad?"
Yuzu waited while Mei took their order from the server before answering.
"You're thinking baseball," said Yuzu, remembering all the times they'd gone to Reo's games. "In baseball, a strike is when the person with the bat swings and misses, along with a bunch of weird rules I'm forgetting. In bowling, strikes are good. It means you knocked down all the pins, and there are point rules and other names for it when you get multiple in a row."
"And what are those names," asked Mei before sipping her iced tea.
"Beats me." Yuzu shrugged and pointed up at the screen. "I've never gotten more than one or two strikes, so I don't know. Gotten plenty of spares, though."
"Spares?" Mei set her glass down, and Yuzu found herself thinking how cute Mei looked as she tilted her head in confusion. "What's a spare?"
Yuzu took Mei's hand, figuring it would be easier to show her instead of explaining everything. After asking Mei to stand off to the side a little, Yuzu went back and rolled the ball again, and Mei watched as it ended up getting a little bit of an angle to it, but instead of hitting the rest of the pins, she knocked over another three.
"Damn it," sighed Yuzu shrugging and looking back at Mei. "If I'd knocked over the rest of the pins, that would have been a spare and shown up on the screen as half of a large x where a strike would have been a full x."
"I see."
Mei nodded, and as they walked back for her to grab her ball, she asked, "Do spares give you more points?"
"I think so," answered Yuzu, frustrated at not having the answer while she stood near the dispenser and watched Mei again judge the weight of the ball. "I'm pretty sure there's a formula, so if you want to figure it out, I won't stop you."
"I just might," Mei smirked at Yuzu and followed Yuzu's example of running her hand over the vent on the ball return and was surprised to feel a blast of air coming out of it. "So this does work. I thought you were doing it out of some superstition."
"How could I have a superstition for something I rarely do," sighed Yuzu, her frustration slipping out while Mei inspected her hand and then the vent. "It's something you do to make sure your hand doesn't get stuck in the ball or something. Can't we look it up when we get home?"
"Am I upsetting you," asked Mei, looking at Yuzu and setting her ball down before approaching and placing a hand on Yuzu's bicep. "If I am, please tell me. I'm not trying to; I'm only asking you because I'm curious."
"I know." Yuzu took a deep breath and looked down as she tapped the toe of her shoe on the floor. "I know you don't know, and that's not your fault. It's just that you count on me to know stuff like this sometimes, and it sometimes puts a lot of pressure on me, like what happened in the arcade when I couldn't figure out a game for us."
"I'm not expecting you to know the answer, Yuzu." Mei gave Yuzu's arm a reassuring squeeze. "I'm asking because you've done this and I haven't, that's it, and the things you don't know, we can always research together or learn as we go. But I understand I've been asking a lot of you tonight. I shouldn't leave it all up to you, and I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too," replied Yuzu, leaning in to press her head against Mei's momentarily before parting. "I wanted tonight to be perfect for you, and I was beginning to feel like I was letting you down by not having everything planned out or having answers to all your questions and stuff."
"But that's why I've been having so much fun tonight," said Mei, chuckling. "If we'd followed the schedule, we wouldn't have had our dessert. And if we hadn't had our dessert, we wouldn't have been late, which allowed us to go to the arcade and get our pictures, which, next to dinner, has been my favorite part of this evening, so I don't think you've screwed anything up. Besides, I like learning new things with you because when we don't have the answer, it means we're on common ground and can experience new things together."
"I never thought of it like that, and you were pretty cute when you looked at them," said Yuzu, making her and Mei blush. "And I did have a lot of fun up there with you. I was kinda surprised with how into it you got."
"I was just following your lead," said Mei, her heart pounding a little when she saw Yuzu perk up at hearing that. "It was freeing to do something so silly with you without worrying about anyone else. I wish we'd done it sooner, but we did it, and I want more moments like that. So please, allow yourself to relax, and I promise I'll only ask questions if they're essential, deal?"
"Deal." Yuzu nodded and quickly kissed Mei on the forehead before pointing at Mei's ball. "You ready?"
"Not really," said Mei, picking it up and ensuring she had a comfortable grip. "But I've been watching you and the more experienced bowlers and have a general idea of what to do. Do you mind standing up here with me?"
"Sure."
Yuzu stepped off to the side and watched as Mei fumbled momentarily to figure out how to position her feet.
"You want some help," teased Yuzu, causing Mei to quickly stick her tongue out before focusing on the lane.
"I'm fine," countered Mei, her face set with determination, "and I'm going to win, just like I used to do in P.E.."
Rolling her eyes, Yuzu still did her best to send Mei positive vibes and hid her laughter at the awkward way Mei shuffled toward the line, and in Yuzu's amateur opinion, did a reasonably good job on her approach.
But that all came to an end when, on release, Mei let the ball go a moment too late, causing it to hit the ground with a bang, making Mei stumble back, cover her mouth, and shout in surprise as the ball rolled for a few feet before going into the gutter and slowly make its way down the end before disappearing into the return.
"You okay," asked Yuzu, trying to hide her amusement while Mei rushed over to retrieve her ball; her face flooded with embarrassment as a few people looked in their direction before returning to their games.
"I'm fine," growled Mei as she picked up her ball. "That was my first try, and we've only just started. I'm going to get better."
Yuzu said nothing and watched as Mei adjusted herself and managed to adjust her hand, avoiding the previous blunder, and throw the ball accurately enough that it made it to the end of the lane before eventually knocking over a single pin and dropping behind the rest of them.
"Don't say anything," huffed Mei, wandering back over to her chair and taking a long drink of her tea while Yuzu grabbed her ball, walked over to the lane, and rolled it, managing to knock down eight pins before quickly picking up the spare as the last two pins were right next to each other.
Pumping her fist, Yuzu joined a scowling Mei, took a swig of her drink, grinned, and asked, "What was that you said earlier about P.E.?"
"Man, that was harder than I expected," sighed Yuzu, rubbing her shoulder while Mei stood at the sink in the women's bathroom washing her hands.
They had just returned their shoes and had decided to make a pit stop before heading home.
"I feel like my arm is about to fall off."
"Well, you were using a much heavier ball than I was," grumbled Mei as she finally managed to get the last dirt off her hands and dry them. "Maybe next time you should use a lighter ball."
"I'll get used to it," muttered Yuzu as she tried one of the stretching exercises she used each day before work. "Or if you're that worried about it, you could give me a shoulder rub."
"Is that what you want as a prize for winning," quipped Mei, tossing the paper towel playfully at Yuzu before wincing at the cramp that had suddenly formed between her thumb and forefinger. "It's not enough that you beat me in both games, but now you're requesting I massage you?"
"Only if you're offering," grinned Yuzu as she threw away the towel, pulled Mei close to her, and began massaging away the cramp. "Besides, I didn't beat you by much, so don't feel too bad. You did well for your first time, but if we want to start adding prizes, we can."
"And what kind of prizes are you suggesting," inquired Mei, a feeling of relaxation spreading over her as Yuzu massaged her hand.
"Well, stuff like this is definitely on the list," answered Yuzu when she saw Mei's eyes close. "But it can also be something like a meal or a present, depends on what we're feeling and who's with us so we don't say something that can get taken out of context."
"That would be annoying," whispered Mei as she felt Yuzu move from her hand to her forearm and begin working out the knots she already felt starting to form. "But I could get used to this being one of the prizes. What are the limits on it, though?"
"Let's just go with the flow when it comes to that," answered Yuzu, stopping to kiss the top of Mei's hand and then her wrist.
"That's a dangerous way of thinking," chuckled Mei, taking her hand away from Yuzu as they heard a couple of voices begin walking into the bathroom. "Especially since you've been rather handsy tonight. But not something I'm completely against."
Mei turned around and greeted the two women, and they conversed politely about their evening. They were college-age, and both women were there on dates, but only one was seriously interested in the guy she'd be set up with. In contrast, the other woman had come to keep an eye on her friend but was having fun beating everyone else in their group.
They all shared a laugh, and after saying goodbye, Mei was ready to ask Yuzu if they should leave when she felt Yuzu's arms wrap around her waist and her lips against her neck.
"Yuzu," panted Mei, keeping her voice down as she felt Yuzu's teeth on her neck, "what are you doing?"
"Being handsy," answered Yuzu, lifting Mei's shirt a little so her hand could touch Mei's stomach.
She felt Mei shiver a little, decided to test the waters again, kissed the same spot below Mei's ear from earlier, and smirked when she heard Mei whimper.
"What's going on with you," asked Mei, a slight shudder in her voice while her eyes focused on the door, worried about someone walking in and catching them.
"I just felt like holding you," whispered Yuzu, kissing the back of Mei's ear while rubbing Mei's stomach.
"You know, if we get caught, it'll be worse than our pictures in the photo booth," asked Mei, relaxing a little when she realized Yuzu's hands and mouth were staying in places she could easily remove if someone approached.
When she said this, Yuzu's hand left Mei's shirt and joined the other one in wrapping around Mei's waist and squeezing gently while Yuzu asked, "I pushed it, didn't I?"
"Only a bit," answered Mei, reaching up and caressing Yuzu's hair as she felt Yuzu's lips on her neck.
"You're not upset," asked Yuzu, resting her chin on Mei's shoulder, praying that nobody interrupted them.
"No," said Mei, turning around in Yuzu's arms and kissing her. "Quite the opposite. I don't mind you being handsy if we can find a private place, but people are starting to leave, and I don't want us to get caught. Besides, I'd rather we go home where we can have some privacy because once we're home..."
Mei ran a fingernail down Yuzu's cheek and softly bit Yuzu's earlobe before whispering, "You can claim your prize."
Twenty years ago, Mei knew that doing something so bold would have sent Yuzu into a near-catatonic state.
Ten years ago, Yuzu would have blushed and come up with some quip that got Mei to laugh, and the game would continue until one of them gave in and made the first move, which wasn't much different from how they reacted now.
But tonight, Mei saw a familiar fire burn in the back of her wife's eyes and grinned when Yuzu pulled her hand away, gripped it tightly, and led her toward the entrance.
So the "reward" was supposed to be included in this chapter, but I'm still working on it.
Anxiety got to me a little so I'm working through it, thanks for all those who've listened to my BS on social media about it. Sorry if it got annoying. You guys did help me with this and I appreciate every single one of you.
Also for a later chapter, I got a VERY good joke from someone that is inspired by one of the games they play.
I listened to several video game soundtracks on vinyl while writing this, some of which are mentioned in this chapte.