Work Text:
“So, how did you and Mari-chan meet?”
Stay calm, Yoshiko thinks, remember what Mari told you: the best lies are mostly truth. “We’re part of the same idol group. At our school. Where she’s the chairwoman.” She’s extremely nervous, and she knows Mari’s relatives can tell. Thankfully, they seem to think her nerves are simply caused by meeting her girlfriends parents, and they accept it with barely a raised eyebrow.
Mari’s aunt Aika, her father’s sister, leans forward. She’s a beautiful woman. A model, Mari had told her, and Yoshiko can see why. Her face is already perfect, but it has a dangerous edge to it that makes it even more striking. It also makes her smile absolutely terrifying. “Tell us how you two got together. Mari-chan has hardly told us anything. We didn’t even know your name until she told us you agreed to come with her to visit us.”
Yoshiko laughs nervously. She knows it’s because she hadn’t agreed to be Mari’s pretend-girlfriend until Mari asked her to go to Spain to visit her family, but she can’t let that on. “Um. Well,” she glances at Mari for help, but she only offers a thumbs up beneath the table. Great. Very helpful.
“Well,” Yoshiko starts again, drawing the word out while she thinks of a plausible lie. She glances at Mari again, and thinks the best lies are mostly truth. “I guess, for me, it started when I first saw her. She’s one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met.”
“It must run in the family,” Aika’s husband, and American man with a strong jawline and a name Yoshiko can’t pronounce, gazes lovingly at his wife as he says this. Aika, however, seems much less taken with Yoshiko’s response.
“You’re dating her just because of her looks?” she asks, one eyebrow raised. Clearly she’s doubting Yoshiko’s intentions. Mari had warned her about this, explained that her family might be worried she’s only dating her for her money. Yoshiko gulps. Has she screwed this up already? The weekend’s barely even started.
“Auntie-” Mari’s voice is reproachful. She may have been about to lecture Aika about manners, but Yoshiko will never know.
“Of course not,” she interrupts whatever Mari was about to say, locking eyes with Aika to show how serious she is. “Mari-chan is pretty, yes, but she’s so much more than that. At first I only thought her exterior was beautiful, but then I learned that her personality is beautiful, too.” She doesn’t dare look at Mari right now. That would be way too embarrassing. Facing Aika’s judgmental stare isn’t much better, but now that she’s started she’s determined to pull through.
“She’s kind, and generous, and she’ll do anything to help her friends. Even when everything is going wrong, Mari-chan keeps her head up. She stays optimistic. I admire that about her.” A smile starts to spread over Yoshiko’s face. She doesn’t try to stop it. It’ll only help make this act more convincing. “And she’s hardworking. She manages to be a student and get good grades while also running the school. It’s really impressive. She never even seems to get tired from it, but-”
Here, she hesitates. This doesn’t feel like something she should just blurt out. Then again, Mari told her that she should do whatever she needed to to make their ruse convincing. “But, I know that it’s hard on her. She doesn’t show it to me, and that’s really sad. I want her to rely on me more.”
After her little speech, Aika doesn’t even give her a moment to breathe. “Do you love her?”
Mari shouts auntie! but Yoshiko ignores her. The best lies are mostly truth, she thinks. “No,” she admits, “but I like her a lot. I think I could easily fall in love with her.”
Stunned silence follows her proclamation. To be honest, Yoshiko is equally as surprised as everybody else. She’d… known how she felt, somewhat, but she hadn’t thought she’d be able to just come out and say it.
The silence is broken when Mari flings her arms around Yoshiko and presses a wet kiss against her cheek. “Yoshiko-chan, that’s so sweet!” She pulls back. They lock eyes, and Yoshiko knows: Mari already understands. There’s nothing left for her to say.