A/N: All right! These are the last two chapters of the rewrite! The bulk of it will look the same but there are still a lot of changes! I've added almost a thousand extra words to this chapter alone. And I'll post at least one new chapter before I return to writing Black Beauty for a while. I hope to finish up season two or at least get into the meat of it before I come back to WWYD. Enjoy, my lovely little readers!
Although Saiga had interrupted our amorous rendezvous, it would have needed to end soon regardless. He needs to dress and I will absolutely explode if I have to keep looking at his chiseled shirtless body. Yusei is downright drool-worthy.
"Sorry, I should let you get ready. I, uh, I don't know what came over me." I fiddle with the length of my sporty skirt, looking down and facing the doorway. He catches my wrist before I can run away.
"Pinoko. When things are settled, we should talk. I... This wasn't just a kiss to me." He isn't usually shy about eye contact, but his cheeks are as red as I've ever seen them when our gazes meet, his eyes bright and tender. "I really care about you."
I play with the hem more diligently, lowering my gaze with a blush of my own. It's hard to get the words out over the lump in my throat. "I also... care for you. I'll see you later!" Darting from the room, I'm sure to shut the door behind me.
Oh, my stars! What's gotten into me?
The organ in my chest beats against my ribcage, pulsing blood through my veins. My face is red with embarrassment.
A sigh leaves me when I push the front door closed, slumping into it heavily. With some space between us, the moment we had come rushing behind my closed eyelids.
Why did Saiga have to walk in right then? It's like he was biding his time just to be as annoying as possible. I crack open an eye to survey the yard while I'm approached by my good friends from Satellite.
"Pinoko! Is Yusei awake?"
"Is he okay?"
"When will he be out of bed?"
"Was he feeling better?"
The flurry of questions bombards me. I can't stop the warmth from spreading on my face when greeted with the worried looks of our friends. Here they were worried over him and we were busy snogging.
"He, uh. He'll be o-okay. He's, er... he's getting dressed right now." I don't dare to meet a single gaze that's trained on me.
"Okay." Still a kid himself, Rally doesn't yet have the tact of an adult. "Why are you acting so strange?"
"What? I'm not- I'm not being weird about anything! You're being weird!" There is nothing normal about the way I'm reacting and I know it. I finger the cuffs of my shirt, shifting my weight back and forth on my feet. There's a buzz hanging onto me tightly, tingles running through my chest. I haven't yet calmed down from the moment Yusei and I had shared.
"I'm sure Pinoko's nerves were shot just like the rest of us. Being strange is what she does best, anyway." Blitz cracks teasingly, laughing at his own joke.
"No, screaming is what she does best," Taka rebukes, a smile growing on his face at the amiable mood. "I was thinking Crow would never make it here if she was doing her typical act on his D-Wheel."
The relief of knowing that Yusei is all right seems to lend a looseness to their postures.
"That's because I was wracked with worry. How could I be focused on the speed when Yusei was-" I don't finish, blood and jagged metal streaming behind my eyes in the silence. "I'm sorry. You guys are just joking around. I just... I'm still catching up with reality." They smile a little softer. Nervin wraps his arm around my shoulders.
"It's okay. We're all in the same boat," He says, tugging me under his arm in a show of companionship.
Rally jumps, recalling something of import. "Hey, why don't we introduce you to everyone while you're here?" He grasps my hand, tugging me in the direction of the yard. "Everyone is really nice and Rocky is really popular with the kids!"
Orphans climb all over the young dog, his puppy fur shedding the more he's brushed. All the little children are gathered around Rocky, cuddling him and giving him the love he deserves. It seems he was no longer interested in running but instead in laying down in the shade of the house.
There are so many names I can't possibly remember them all. Not long has passed by the time I lose steam, needing to rest my legs and take a seat.
There are logs laid down on the grass to make a perfect bench for Saiga, Blitz, and Taka. Nervin and Rally run off to play with the children and Rocky, leaving me to sit my butt down on a trunk between my old coworkers.
"So, how is he doing?" Saiga asks it almost innocently, yet the look he directs at me is anything but. "He seemed happy to see you, Pinoko." His eyes are narrow, giving me the sense of a sly fox locking in on its prey.
"He-he's doing okay, I think. Martha got him fed and he's been mending overnight. He seems in better health."
I cast my eyes anywhere other than his face, spotting Yusei exiting the house across the yard from us. He gazes at me with a heated look in his eye, glancing away a moment later to walk over to his D-Wheel.
"-noko. Pinoko!" I look to Blitz who repeats my name, his eyes boring into me. "Were you listening?"
"No, sorry... I was just thinking."
"Thinking about Yusei?" Saiga mocks lightly, the encounter he'd stumbled upon the perfect ammo for teasing. He leans his face in his hand, elbow bent on his knee. "He really perked up when he saw you. I assume you guys had fun together, with what I walked in on earlier."
"Stars, Saiga. If you don't drop this and-"
Blitz and Tank don't let Saiga's comment slide, cutting me off once they'd registered his words. As much as I would've liked to move on, the two hook onto the subject like nosy old women.
"What? Saiga, you have to tell!" Taka cries, eyes bugging wide.
"What did you walk in on!?" Blitz leans forward as though getting closer to the man physically will reveal additional information.
The brunette shrugs, closing his eyes with a smug smirk. "Pinoko is the one who needs to kiss and tell, here. Don't ask me for the details."
"I could kill you right now and feel nothing." The look I give him is distinctly unhappy."I never should've trusted you of all people to keep your big mouth shut!" Blitz and Taka have other plans in mind than allowing us to continue our bickering. They turn on me, sandwiching me between them on the log.
"Where do you think you're off to? Spill the beans, Pinoko!"
"Taka, hold her still!"
Getting away from them isn't difficult. I suspect they never intended to keep me but rather to get my mind off of other things. God only knows what they're speaking of in my absence.
There's a lot I need to work through, but my mind is so full. The dark signers, Godwin, the Daedalus Bridge, and now...
My biggest worry is that what Yusei and I share will disrupt the relationship of our friend group. Then again, what do Yusei and I share? In any case, I don't like the idea of going behind Yusei's back to tell everyone what we had done.
Are we a couple? Or something else? Will Yusei be comfortable even putting a label on this? A rush of butterflies fills my stomach realizing what label I would want to use for him.
Boyfriend.
Were I to say it out loud, I wouldn't be able to keep my composure.
What did Yusei want from this? From me? He said we would "talk" later, but was he being literal? He said he cared about me but... I need to push these thoughts away or I'll be glowing pink before I ever make it back inside.
Running up behind me with Nervin at his heels, Rally shouts my name. "Yusei! Are you okay now?" They're dressed differently, having lost their garb to a toll of sorts while delivering the bike I stand near.
"Yes," I say. "What about yourselves?"
"Just caught a little fever!"
"Anyway, how's your D-Wheel?" Nervin asks, leaning to eye the machine at my back. "If you need any parts, we'll rustle up whatever you need."
"I'm sorry for always causing you guys trouble."
"Quit acting like that. We're friends, aren't we?" The blue-haired man shrugs, leaving his hands tucked into his pockets. His white button-down gives him a studious look when paired with the round glasses on his nose. "You can ask us anything."
But even if my D-Wheel is fixed up... That strength of Kiryu's, I can't beat him now.
"Well, maybe..." I have to phrase it carefully, as Rally is in earshot. "Nervin, could I talk with you for a moment?"
He nods, accepting the request easily.
"Well, I'm going to go hang out with Rocky then. Tell me if you need anything, Yusei!" Beaming, he runs off, seeking the companionship of man's best friend.
"Okay, what's going on?" Narrow slits point in my direction, Nervin's gaze probing me for answers. I let out a soft breath.
"Pinoko and I..." I begin, crossing my arms in front of my chest. I keep my voice low. I could honestly use a distraction from the problem with the dark signers, if only for a short while. "We kissed. And I'm thinking, maybe once this whole thing is over... Well, I don't really know."
"What!?" The bespectacled Satellite hisses out in a whisper. "You mean just now?"
"Yeah."
"And? What did you say?"
"I said we would talk and that I care for her." Pinoko is still chatting where she sits with Saiga, Blitz, and Tank on the logs. There is a keen energy about them, yet the yard was peaceful as a whole.
How long had I been waiting for that kiss?
The other Satellite is quiet, chewing over the words. "I don't know. Was she into it?"
It's not the kind of question I'm expecting, but I answer nonetheless. I refuse to meet his gaze, however. "Yes. Very."
"Then I don't see the problem." Nervin shrugs once more, a lift of his shoulders signifying his neutrality. "If you both like each other, go for it."
"That's why I wanted to speak with you." Martha had said I should let my friends help me, but I can't bear to take the plunge. If I can start with small steps like this, I'll eventually be able to lean on them for dire things as well. "I don't... I don't know how. I'm afraid she'll get hurt and I don't want that. If being near me is only going to get her hurt-"
"Hey, now! Don't talk like that, Yusei." Coming to stand at my side, he nudges me with his shoulder. "Pinoko is crazy about you. I'm positive that she wouldn't like what you're implying."
The young woman had left the group of men behind, standing at the border of the tree line. The serene look on her face is enhanced by the ring of light settling around her crown, the rosy tones of her hair coming out in the setting sun. Her fair skin radiates with her brilliant aura.
"You're not wrong," I agree, lowering my gaze to my feet.
"But!" I turn back to the man, fixing him with a questioning stare. "You'd better not do anything uncouth here! There's children running around after all."
"Nervin!" I scold. "It's not about that... I've never felt like this before."
"Sure, but it's still what you want to do. I was once a teenager as well, so I understand the mind of one." He's pushed off the fence we lean upon, readying to walk away. "But that's how girls are... They turn your insides to goo and make you want to keep them safe."
With Nervin gone, I only have myself to turn to. Of course, I know that there could be no hanky panky in Martha's home. There'd be a beating in store for me if she found us in a compromising position.
Regardless, it hadn't been my intention to have an erotic interaction today. The swell in my chest with my arms full of her had propelled me forward. I make it a point to always think through my actions, but this one had been spontaneous and instincual.
My thoughts keep straying. It's been nearly three hours since the kiss, yet it's still on my mind. In my mind, the scene replayed. Vividly.
The taste of her lips, her tongue behind my teeth. I remember the heat of her body under my fingers, the curve of her waist, and the smell of her hair. You need to calm down. Focus.
The D-Wheel desperately needs my attention. Pinoko and I will speak at length once the priorities have been dealt with. Until then, this entanglement we've found ourselves in must take a backseat.
At least inside the house, there is no one to be teasing me about Yusei. All the kids are busy basking in the sun and Dr. Schmitt is likely busy inside the home, the same as I expect the matron to be.
Except that I'm wrong. The older woman stalks the halls, keeping an eye out for chores to be done and children to be wrangled. Martha is much more subtle than the others, but to think she would stay mum about her foster son and I would be foolish. When you least expect it, she makes her move.
"That dog of yours, the kids really love him," She says, joining me in the kitchen. "Scoot over, let me help you wash the potatoes." It's the last of the vegetables that we need to cleanse.
For all that we had gone through in the last two days, the guys need something to raise their spirits. I'd come to her with an offer to make dinner, but she wouldn't allow a guest to "slave over her stove all alone". I check over my shoulder to see her tightening the waist of her apron.
I do as she asks, the both of us able to find a place near the large basin full of unscrubbed tubers. She starts to rinse them under the sink's tap while I brushed the dirt off of the ones that I hand to her.
"Yeah, he's real sweet. I love him, but he's getting so big and I don't think I can drag him around Satellite and Neo Domino anymore." The earthen tones of his coat shine under the light of the sunset. I can see his napping form through the window. One of the younglings has taken to using his stomach as a pillow. "He's a real trooper, though. He loves the kids."
"He's protective of them. I see the same in you." Her statement gives me pause as I hand her the last potato. She smiles in that knowing, motherly way that only a parent can, sunbeams drizzling through her thickly coiled dreads. It makes her look so much younger. "I really can't thank you enough for bringing him to me. Yusei has always been reckless, you know, from the moment he was left in my care! But he doesn't do it without reason."
"Please, don't thank me. If I had left him there, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I'm just glad you were able to fix him up here." We moved along to chopping the potatoes, as well as the other vegetables I'd prepped. Several carrots, onions, and celery stalks sit on Martha's left. "Besides, it was all thanks to Crow. Yusei wouldn't have made it without him.
She lets out a deep belly laugh.
"You have a good soul, Pinoko! Yusei couldn't ask for a better friend or a better sweetheart."
"I don't know what you mean!" My voice is far too high to be convincing. With the root vegetables cleaned, I start filling the large pot on the stove with water for the broth. A plunking noise follows each chicken thigh into the water.
"Ha! I know you aren't trying to fool me. I changed Yusei's diapers, I can tell when he's telling even the whitest lie. And I know what's going on between the two of you. He's never been able to hide anything from me, that won't start now. Come on, then. Let's say you and I get this pot of stew started, eh?"
I'm starting to understand why Crow and Yusei feel how they do about her. She's only known me a day, but it's like being with the mom I'd always wished to have.
She is very much everyone's mother around here.
"Actually Martha, if I could suggest..."
Everyone has a seat at the table that night. Martha and I had cooked up a verifiable feast of stew and side dishes. We have sauteed asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes, collard greens with shallots, and a stew chock full of meat and veggies, too. Martha sits at the head of the table. I am a guest in her home, but I fight her over who will be serving the food. She is already doing so much for us, and I want to show her some gratitude. For one night, I had begged her to please stay off her feet and allow me to serve her dinner.
And yet she still wants to do the dishes.
Martha would never let someone else do all the work, I learn quickly. She's explaining the choices to everyone from her place at the table. We had already prepped full plates for the kids and set their table. All of them were sure to refuse any collard greens or asparagus being offered to them, so only the gang we had traveled here with sat at the main table waiting to be served.
My task is to go around with the container of soup, filling the bowls of any who want it.
As I grow nearer to the duelist with striking blue eyes, I notice him watching me while I serve the others. He answers when they speak to him, but participates little in the dinner table chatter.
"Here's your stew, Blitz." I move between Blitz and Yusei both of whom are seated to Martha's left, the last two yet to be served.
"Oh, thank you, Pinoko." He leans back in his chair, giving me room to ladle him the hot stew. He holds up a palm after two spoonfuls. "Good, thanks."
I turned to the man on my right. "Yusei," I began, looking in his deep, violet eyes, ladle in hand. Not daring to look away, my fingers tightened on the handle of the pot and spoon.
I am honestly thrilled about our talk in the future. The longer I wait, the more excited I get for the inevitable conclusion. Does Yusei even know that he has me wrapped around his little finger?
"Yes, Pinoko?" I blink and come back staring into Yusei's eyes. He is smirking quite smugly at me.
"Uh, your stew?" I say ineloquently, holding up the ladle and pot. He leans back a bit in his chair, eyes tracking me the whole way. I gulp, pouring three ladles of stew into his dish before he holds up his hand to stop me.
"That's the spot."
Phrasing is everything with Yusei, and Yusei knows everything when it comes to phrasing.
That is how it feels in the moment. I am red as the flame we boiled the stew over. I clear my throat and shuffle to my place at the table on Yusei's right. Saiga sits at our end, filling the side of the table opposite Martha. They're grinning at each other, some kind of secret conversation about us no doubt going on at the expense of me and Yusei.
I know they mean well.
Placing the pot back on the stove to stay warm, I return and take my place beside Yusei. Once Martha has ensured everyone says a proper thanks to us for the meal, she allows them all to dig in. Yusei sends me a veritable smile, pearly whites on open display, and proceeds to stuff his pie hole with the hearty meal.
Dinner is amazing, made all the better by the love with which it was prepared and the company in which it was spent.
Yusei had been banned from cleaning anything, as he was recovering from an injury. Knowing he has a full belly and is on the mend helps to relieve me of the stress from the last few days. I think I'll be able to rest easy tonight, knowing that all is well and getting better.
I notice him walking out the door while I dry my hands on a tea towel. The look on his face gives him away, his jaw set in tension. "Yusei?"
I'm about to follow him, but his mother halts my progress. Sharing a look with her, I realize she's telling me that he needs space. I have to let him go.
A/N: Whoo! It feels so good to stretch this writing muscle! I'm feeling kinda weird about the dinner scene when I wrote about the kids's table though. :/ What I'm trying to say in the paragraph is that if they were going around serving the side dishes to the kids then the kids would refuse veggies. So instead they have the tables set with a bowl of stew, and a plate with a serving of every side so that the kids have no choice in the matter. I'm hoping this comes across clearly, so please leave your feelings about the scene in a review or comment! It really helps me out to receive any kind of feedback from you guys!
