#polarshipping

Had it been only a year ago? When a lanky young man with sandy blond hair and a jawline laced with peach fuzz had given her a run for her money? Guess so. The fellow was far more formidable than that weaselly little imp who called himself “Dinosaur”. And he carried himself in a far more appealing way, his green jacket left open to reveal a white t-shirt that didn’t hide the contour of his muscles. His fox-like smirk. Talk about a looker. And he’d seen right through her aroma tactics.

Yes, the truth was, Kujaku Mai had no psychic powers, and she could not see through cards or even read minds. If she could, she would not have called his name, low and husky, placing a manicured hand on his shoulder and said,

“We can be friends tonight and enemies tomorrow. Have a drink with me?” She’d imagined spending a simple evening pinned beneath this stranger. A typical evening with a typical man she’d never see again.

The young man’s eyes had gone round, betraying his cool composition. Standing this close, Mai was now aware of his height. She was not an incredibly tall woman; her boots generously lent her a few centimetres. With them on, she could look him right in the eyes. His hazel eyes that wondered, maybe not as subtly as he realised, to her open jacket and low-cut corset. It was momentary, but she noticed. She’d packed this outfit and thrown it on for this particular trip, knowing it would have a certain effect, not to mention it was chic. Of course, he was a man after all, and his species was all the same. Which is why she was startled when he sighed and pulled back from her touch.

Even more taken aback when he finally said, out of he corner of his mouth, “Can’t drink. Not old enough.”

Her hand had fallen dumbly to her side once he told her his age.

The echo of his footsteps as he walked off, hands in his pockets, was hushed compared to the thump, thump, thump of her heart.

‘Well, that was a little embarrassing, ’ she mused. But it happened to the best of beautiful women in the shark-infested waters that were the dating world. And Kujaku Mai could not read minds, not even her own. Lying to yourself enough will do that.

Not long after, she’d learn his name from passing chatter, Jounouchi. Jounouchi Katsuya.

Mai didn’t expect to see Jounouchi after that, and certainly didn't anticipate meeting his friends from school. So camping with them at that gaudy Duelist Kingdom was also unexpected, especially for a woman who was both a loner and not outdoorsy.

Over time, she’d gotten to know the gang: kind Mutou Yugi, feisty Mazaki Anzu, patient Hiroto Honda, and even appreciated them. And that yankee, Jounouchi…

There was something about him. Just…something a little different. His confidence and bravado when he duelled. His complexion that was a half shade darker than hers. His undershirt that was a little too small. When they lay on the grass after hours to look at the stars, his shirt rode up just a little bit, and she could see his navel and the outline of his pelvis. She just watched him, laughing at jokes that were so immature but made her giggle like she was a schoolgirl again. Listened to embellished tales about his time in a gang. It was okay if she just watched. Just looked.

As Jounouchi told it, one starry night after their friends had hit the hay, he was in this competition for his little sister. Every last yen was for her life-changing eye surgery.

“My ma,” he’d confided, “Shizuka says she’s got two jobs, but it's not enough.”

Mai rolled over on her side to face him. “And your dad?”

“Old guy’s an addict. No use.” He answered matter-of-factly.

He reminded her of the Light card, King’s Knight, virtuous and noble, especially compared to her base quest for fortune. She wonders if family is what gives someone nobility.

Suddenly, Jounouchi’s finger gently swiped below her eye. She hadn't even realised she had shed a tear.

Where had the time gone? They’d been to Battle City together, and that was a few weeks, tops. She’d met his beloved little sister, whose eyes he’d saved. The two of them even hit it off. She did not think she’d see him after that, braced herself for it even. But here the two of them were now, a year older.

By next year, she’d be a Christmas Cake. And he still wouldn’t be finished with high school.

***

Mai had a few friends from work, enough to count on one hand at least, whom she could hang out with. Shop, shoot the shit about whatever it was stable women her age fancied. But these cafe get-togethers with Jounouchi were the highlight of her day every time they happened. He always got a berry parfait and a hot matcha, lamented that the meal was “unmanly” before wolfing it down. Everytime.

“I wouldn’t be caught dead chowing on something like this in my gang days.” He said between bites.

Mai giggled behind her powder pink teacup, but Jounouchi paid her no mind, engrossed in his sugary treat. He also didn't seem to notice the spot of cream on the corner of his lip. A man who was a messy eater was typically a no-go. It meant he wasn't packing a silver spoon. But it was endearing when Jounouchi enjoyed his “unmanly” snacks. She wondered if anyone else got to see him do it.

Without thinking, she reached forward and thumbed it away, as if she were tending to a small child.

Jounouchi blinked wordlessly at her, his face red. Soon hers matched the hue.

“What are you, my ma?” He finally asked, with not nearly enough sarcasm for Mai’s liking.

Mai glowered at him. It was time for the bill anyways. She paid.

They exited the cafe, out into the streets of Domino City, the air brisk as autumn gave way to winter. She hadn’t said anything about being cold, nor did she shiver, clattering her teeth would be unbecoming after all, and god forbid she mess up her lipstick. Maybe it was the gooseflesh on her exposed skin that gave her away.

Jounouchi shuffled out of his blazer, wordlessly, and slipped it around Mai’s bare shoulders. Startled, she momentarily froze in the middle of the sidewalk. At the orphanage, a coat, an unfashionable hand-me-down, was always forced over her head, accompanied by a fierce scolding for not putting it on herself. She'd never forget the excruciating sensation of velcro getting ripped through her untamed curls.

The tender gesture from this boy was unfamiliar, and given the circumstances, she was hesitant to welcome it. Against the advice of the little voice in the back of her head, she hugged the blazer close and smiled warmly at Jounouchi.

“Sorry, I can’t change the weather,” Jounouchi grumbled out the side of his mouth. He shoved his hands into his pockets and slumped his shoulders just a bit. He was clearly a little chilly and trying not to show it

For reasons Mai couldn't articulate, this pained her. She didn't mind using men; she barely saw them as people. They were tools…in a few senses of the word. She’d take a man’s jacket without a second thought. His savings. His Duel Monster cards. So why…

Her hands, now mostly swallowed by blue sleeves, wrapped around the boy’s arm to pull him close.

“Mai..?” Jounouchi half asked, half laughed. There was a nervous aftertaste to his tone that she’d never heard out of him before.

Walking down the street like this, they had to be a sight to behold.

“I just don’t want you to catch a cold.” She replied, trying to convince them both.

***

At the moment, Mai’s fridge was a little on the scant side. Five eggs. A mandarin orange. A third’s eaten Tupperware of penne arrabiata. And one can of Sapporo.

“Bingo!” Mai snatched up the sole beverage triumphantly. It was chilled to perfection, and the condensation was pleasant against her fingertips, just what she needed after a gruelling evening of overtime. She yanked open the nearby drawer, expecting to find her harpy claw bottle opener…

Mai let out an exacerbated huff at the sight of the empty drawer. How many times had she told herself to put things back where they belonged when she was done with them, so this didn't happen?

She was ready to tear apart her one-bedroom suite for the sake of her after-work booze when there was a tap at her front door. Then another. And a few more after that.

Mai craned her neck in the direction of the entrance, perplexed. She hadn’t planned any dates for tonight. If it was the landlord, she must be late on rent, not that that was unusual.

“Nothing the Harpy Lady can’t charm her way out of”, Mai snickered, undoing the top two buttons of her pyjama top. “Coming!” She dropped her beverage off on the counter, prepared her best ‘I’ll have your money in a few days’ smile, swung the door open and- froze.

“Hey, Mai.”

Jounouchi Katsuya stood in her doorway, hands in pockets, blonde hair darkened by the rain. His lip was cut, but his right eye was worse, bruised and slightly swollen.

“Oh my god,” Mai whispered, covering her mouth, “What…what happened?”

“Can I come in?”

Before Mai could answer, he stepped past her, slipping off his sneakers, and she instinctively shut the door behind him.

This time, she’s firmer, crossing her arms “Jounouchi, you need to tell me what happened to you.”

Jounouchi meandered around her kitchen, halting when he noticed the forgotten Sapporo. “Got into a fight with my old man. Bastard said he would have paid for Shizuka’s surgery if I gave him the chance to hit the jackpot. Pay off his debts.”

Mai uncrossed her arms and approached him, slowly, as if dealing with a cornered puppy, “Your old man…did you guys fight?”

“That bastard has no right to talk about Shizuka.” he pulled a crude metal object out of his pocket and used it to crack open the beer. Mai’s jaw dropped as he took a sizable swig.

“H-Hey!” She darted over to him and snatched the drink from his hands “You cannot have that, you’re too-” The words caught in her throat as her chest collided with his side.

Jounouchi rolled his eyes, but his cheeks had taken up pink. “Whatever.”

Mai placed the half-drunk beer back on the table, where it would likely fall flat.

She took a much-needed deep breath. “You came over so I could help you, right?” I have a first aid kit in my room, come on.”

Jounouchi didn't reply, but Mai could hear his sullen footsteps behind her as she walked into her bedroom. He said nothing as he plopped down on the edge of her bed. She thanked her lucky stars that today was one of the days she made her bed before leaving for work and that her modest plush collection is organised.

“Do you and your dad fight a lot? Like physically?” Mai retrieved the kit from the bedside drawer and was bent toward him with an alcohol drenched cotton ball in one hand and a cold pack in the other. She didn't have a clue what she was doing, but knew enough about blood to know that it didn't belong outside the body. Generally. So she dabbed his lip first.

“Only when he gets drunker than usual,l” Jounouchi explains after a few seconds, “that's when the guy really gets mean.” Then a half lip grin appeared on his face, “But I got him back good, trust me.”

Mai sighs, but couldn't help but smirk back. That was the Jounouchi she knew, not someone to bail without getting a few blows of his own in. “Here,” She handed him the cold pack, “put this on your shiner.”

“Thanks, you know, for everything”, he muttered

“It’s the least I can do,” She said, nearly kneeling at his knees”, and between you and me, that kit is probably expired, so I’m not sure how effective all this stuff is. I should probably take you to the clinic-”

“It’s not just that!” Jounouchi shook his head, “You…It’s like I’ve known you for a year, right? But it's like I’ve known you longer than anybody else. Even Honda. It’s like…It’s like you actually give a shit about a guy like me. Like, really give a shit. ”

Mai pressed her lips together. Something was rising inside her, hot like bile, like she was about to vomit up roses, thorns and all. She rose to her feet again, but this time Jounouchi joined her, dropping the cold pack to the floor. “If I could fly, I’d take you away,” is what she managed to get out. She wasn't sure what it meant, but it's what she would have wanted to hear at his age from a worker at the orphanage or some older man she'd put blind faith in. Then she pulled him in. It’s not the first time they’d hugged; she’d hugged all of his friends, in fact, but they had never hugged alone.

When Mai pulled away, she noticed the peculiar look on the boy’s reddened face. That was when she remembered her shirt was practically half unbuttoned. “Um,” she babbled.

He stares at her with an undecipherable thoughtfulness.

“Jounouchi I…”

She didn't get to say what she was going to say because he kissed her. It tasted like blood and disinfectant and the Sapporo he had drunk. It was sloppy and unrefined, too.

Whatever inhibition or boundaries she’d been holding together the past twelve months dissolved in an instant. She couldn't say she was just looking. She couldn't say he was just her friend. Because Jounouchi Katsuya kissed her, and she didn't stop him. Because she stuck her knee between his legs and her tongue into his mouth and guided him back onto the bed.

Jounouchi clung to Mai’s waist for dear life when the kiss finally broke, his face nestled in her exposed chest. “I want you,” he whispered to her bosom.

Mai stroked his hair with shaking hands, “No, you don't.”

“Mai, I'm serious.”

“Listen to me, Jounouchi,” She cupped his face with her hands and forced their eyes to lock. “If we do something like this, things are going to change…Do you understand?”

He nodded. Then he pulled one of the quivering hands from his face and kissed each knuckle softly. She stopped shaking. There was no going back.

To Mai’s surprise, he moved out from under her, taking her former position at the foot of the bed. She watched, starstruck, as he pulled his blue and white T-shirt over his head, exposing his top half to her for the first time. He was not grotesquely ripped, but she could compare him to something lovingly sculpted, muscular with hints of fat in the right places.

“What are you doing?” Mai asked, not sure if she could believe her eyes. When was the last time a man, a creature of such selfish habit, offered this?

“Can you bend your legs and scooch back?” He asks sheepishly.

She obliges, and Jounouchi peeled off her pyjama shorts before planting his face between her splayed legs, allowing her thighs to rest atop his broad shoulders.

Mai braced herself for the first sweep of his tongue. It wasn't particularly gentle, she wasn't sure if Jounouchi was even capable of being gentle, but somehow she didn't mind. He devoured her like he duelled, fast and aggressive. Once his tongue found her clit she could no longer keep her composer, grabbing the nearest giant Kuriboh plush to groan into.

Jounouchi pulled back and gazed up at her “How do you feel?”

“I’m ready”, Mai says between pants, legs weak and sex throbbing. She knew about the dirty VHS tapes he and Honda used to make poor Yugi procure for them, but could he have really learned cunnilingus from one of those bootlegs? The idea was far-fetched. The skill must have come from a past fling.

“Do you have a rubber?” His jeans are almost off, and she can see how hard he is already through his white undershorts.

“No, but I’m on the pill. Are you clean?”

He glances down but doesn't reply.

Mai sits up, alarmed, “Jounouchi?”

“It’s my first time, okay?”

The world seemed to come to a screeching halt. Her lips moved and so did his, but there was no sound. Their bodies moved.

How long ago was her first time? Ten years? Eleven? She couldn't conjure up that man’s face if she wanted to. She had been so young. So young.

What had she done?

Jounouchi Katsuya was inside her now, and she wrapped her arms around him tighter than she had any man as she cried out his name, afraid that if she let go, he would disappear like vapour. In turn, his thrusts were frantic, and his pace was uneven. But she could not get enough of him, of this boy, like the morning needed the sun.

“Fuck,” Jounouchi breathes, “I’m about to come, Mai, I’m about to…about to…”

She wastes no time wrapping her legs around him, securing him in place. “Shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you. Just relax.”

With a few spasms of his hips, Jounouchi finishes in Mai’s arms. They’re both panting heavily, hearts pounding, it all nearly synchronised. Eventually, she allowed him to roll off her.

In no time at all, the breathing evens, the afterglow dims, and the silence that follows is like a three-ton blanket.

It's Mai who breaks the quiet, “Jounouchi?”

“Yeah?”

Okay, he was still there. He was real, and what had happened really did happen.

“Mai?”

“Yes?”

“Can I stay here till tomorrow?” He was relaxed, tracing the outline of her breast with his finger.

She told him of course, and that she didn't want him walking home alone at this time of night. It was the responsible thing to say.

But she did not know what would happen tomorrow.