Meeting Martha

                                    

                                          
4/6/19

                          
"Hey, I'm here!" Crow called out, knocking on the door to the orphanage enthusiastically, "I've got some tag-a-longs too!"
                          
Judai took the time while they were waiting to look around the area; surprisingly it wasn't that run-down, and it would seem that some of the buildings had been rebuilt and reinforced, since the area looked relatively new. The orphanage was one such building, as it was solid with a clean front yard and bright, fresh paint covering its walls - clearly when it was being painted the children were allowed to give a hand, since the walls were littered with scribbles and drawings. It made it all seem much more homely and welcoming.
                          
"This was one of the first areas that got rebuilt when they finished the bridge," Yusei explained, noticing Judai's wandering gaze, "It helped that it was relatively close the the bridge, to be honest, though it also helped that having the kids here made it a good place to build a school. It's only about a five minute's walk from here."
                          
"How much have they rebuilt so far?" Judai asked curiously, taking in all the green that was a very stark contrast from the reactor site, which was still very dusty and surrounded on all sides by rubble.

                          
...Huh, that probably was another reason he didn't like the reactor - the area around it reminded him too much of that spirit dimension, with all its ruin and empty, rocky plains.
                          
He felt Yubel soothe him in his mind before he could go too far into those memories.
                          
"They're getting there, rebuilding the entirety of Satellite is a huge project - I'd say about only ten, fifteen percent has actually been completed," Yusei replied with a shrug, though he smiled and continued, "They've actually been pooling most of their resources into getting people healthy again and relocating them to better living spaces, even if temporarily, so that they can do larger chunks of land at a time."
                          
Judai returned the smile, though he didn't have any time to reply before the door was suddenly opened and kids came pouring out, immediately surrounding Crow. They didn't notice him or Yusei yet since they'd opted to stand a bit further behind while they were waiting.
                          
"Crow, it's good to see you!" A woman greeted - that must be Martha then, judging from the hug she pulled Crow into two seconds later while laughing, "And what's this about tag-a-longs?"
                          
"Yusei came as well, and we've got someone new for you to meet," Crow explained, laughing as he got pulled away by eager kids into the house, "Don't hold back on 'em, Martha! I'm counting on you!" His voice faded as he got pulled around the corner, and then there were three.
                          
"Oh? This should be interesting, then," Martha laughed, turning back to them, "It's good to see you, Yusei - nice of you to finally visit this poor woman for once!"
                          
"Ah... sorry about that," Yusei replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Things have been pretty hectic for the last few months."
                          
"Well, I suppose that's alright - I know life can sometimes hit hard and hit fast. You're here now at least," Martha said, a kindly smile forming on her face, "Now, are you going to introduce me to your friend here?"
                          
Judai watched with rapt attention and utter joy at how Yusei's face turned pink and how he was suddenly a stuttering mess. It was different from watching him do this all the other times, since it was from pure shyness and not anything that Judai had done, and it made his chest tighten in adoration.
                          
"T-this is, ah-" Yusei started, clearing his throat to try and regain his composure, "This is my b-boyfriend, Judai. Judai Yuki."
                          
Martha suddenly smiled widely, her excitement and happiness for Yusei clear in her eyes as she turned to look at him, "You got a boyfriend? Nice to meet you Judai, I'm Martha - I suppose he'd have told you already, but I'm pretty much the one who raised Yusei here."
                          
"Nice to meet you too," Judai grinned, almost as widely as she was. Unlike Yusei, he wasn't embarrassed in the slightest - it helped that seeing Yusei so out-of-character had made him feel like he'd drank a whole bunch of energy drinks and was now giddy from the caffeine spike. He shook her hand with a tight grip, winking and saying, "I'm kinda the reason Yusei hasn't come to visit in a while, so go easy on him, okay?"
                          
"Well, if that's the case I suppose I could do that, just this once," Martha teased, sending a wink back, "Ah yes, I can already tell exactly why you two get along - tell me, do you live with him and the other two?"
                          
"Yup! And thank goodness I do, too - did you know they were eating nothing but instant ramen all day, every day?!" Judai exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically, "If I didn't fix their kitchen into being an actual kitchen rather than a ramen storage room, they'd still be eating nothing but that terrible excuse for a food! Even then, I do most of the cooking, though at least Yusei learned to cook and helps me out a lot with prep so I'm not doing it by myself all the time."
                          
"They did what?" Martha replied, also gasping dramatically in horror before pulling a genuinely horrified Yusei into a side-hug, "Well, at least you set them straight. So Yusei's being a good boyfriend to you, at least?"
                          
"Oh he's wonderful," Judai grinned, placing a hand on his face and sighing happily, "He cooked dinner one time when I got back from work without me even having to ask, since my work entailed... well, cooking all day pretty much. And whenever I accidentally injure myself he always insists that I let him properly clean it and bandage it, even if it's something little that'll heal quickly. Oh, and here's something to be proud of- he set alarms for himself to get off the computer and take breaks from his projects so that I wouldn't worry about him while I was gone all day working!"
                          
"That is something to be very proud of! I'm glad at least one of my boys got my 'be a gentleman' teachings through their thick skulls," Martha laughed, patting Yusei roughly on the back before letting him stumble out of her grip, "Well, if any of the boys give you trouble, just tell me, alright? I'll put 'em back in line for you."
                          
"Will do," Judai smiled, giving a mock salute and another wink before asking, "Now, I heard you needed some help? I'm not so great with tech and stuff like that like Yusei is, but I'm pretty good at entertaining kids and cooking."
                          
Martha waved them in with a smile, walking back into the house and answering, "We'll see - it'll be lunch time soon, so you can definitely help me with that. We should probably go rescue Crow for now from the kids though, or else he'll never even get to see the broken lights in the upstairs hallway."
                          
Before following, Judai turned to Yusei and took a good, long look at how completely and utterly flustered he was, committing it to memory. He grabbed his hand, tugging it to get his attention on him before pulling him down suddenly for a kiss.
                          
"...This is the worst idea I've ever had," Yusei breathed a few seconds later, and Judai elatedly prevented him from bringing his hands up to cover his face.
                          
"Aw, I love you too Yusei," Judai teased, tugging on his arms as he headed towards the door, "Now come on, we shouldn't keep anyone waiting."

                          
The glare that got sent his way was thoroughly thwarted by the slight upwards tug on the edge of Yusei's mouth.