Wings of Change | Yuzuru Hanyu

10.

"Do you want to meet my mom?" Yuzuru asked the girl he was holding in his arms.

"Your mom? Zuzu... I'm not sure" Joan was very nervous, she didn't want his mother to hate her, but she knew that there were a lot of cultural differences.

"She is very nice, I promise. And she invited you to dinner"

"Invited me? You told her about me?"

"She saw me wrapping your bracelet, and had to answer a whole bunch of questions because of it"

"Oh..."

"You seem nervous about this, am I pushing too far, too soon?"

"I'm just afraid"

"Afraid? I'm telling you she's nice, you don't have to be afraid of her"

"Afraid she doesn't like me"

"Ah... I see. You shouldn't be worried about that"

"Well, it's very likely I screw up somehow and do something Japanese people might find unpolite. I really have no clue, I know there are a lot of cultural differences..." Joan was rambling by now about all the things that were worrying her and all the possibilities and scenarios she made in her mind.

"She knows you aren't Japanese, she doesn't expect you to act like one. Besides, I know she will love you"

"You seem very sure"

"Me and my mom usually like the same things"

The way he said it brought red to her cheeks, the implications very present.

"But you don't have to come, it's an invitation of course. If you're not comfortable, I will understand" Yuzuru told her.

Joan thought about her options for a short amount of time before making a decision.

"You know what? Sure, I would love to. At least if she doesn't like me, we get that out of the way quickly"

"God, how can you change moods so quickly?" He asked while laughing, the warm tone of his giggles bringing butterflies to her stomach. She realized how much she loved his laugh and just how much this boy had changed her in the past months. It was both scary and exciting to think how much of an effect he had.

They left the park hand in hand in a comfortable silence. They would occasionally look at each other to make sure the other was okay but not many words were uttered in the short walk towards Yuzuru's house.

When they reached their destination, Joan's nerves were starting to get to her, she felt herself shaking a bit, a gentle touch on her shoulder bringing her back to reality.

"You okay?" He asked her "You're shaking, is it the cold?"

"No, no. I'm fine, don't worry about it"

"It should be warmer inside anyways" Yuzu said, taking his key and opening the door. "Tadaima"

Yuzuru removed his shoes and Joan did the same and left them next to the door. The boy looked at her with affection and said a silent Thank you.

"Yuzu" he heard his name being called.

"Okaasan, kochira wa Joan desu. Please speak English, Joan doesn't understand Japanese" Yuzuru said very rapidly" Joan, this is my mom"

"Ah Joan, it's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Yumi. I'm very glad you could make it" the older lady said to Joan with a bit of an accent. The first impression was that this was a very classy, but down-to-earth woman. She seemed quite nice as Yuzuru had described her previously.

"Yumi-san, hajimemashite" Joan said with a bow with the best Japanese she could muster. She could feel Yuzu's eyes on her, a bit widened.

"No no, no need to use honorifics. Just Yumi, please. We are not in Japan after all"

"Thank you for having me. I'm a bit clueless in everything Japanese culture so please forgive me if I do something bad, I'm trying to learn"

"Oh, Joan... Please, sweetheart, don't worry about that at all, I want you to be comfortable here"

"Thank you so much Yumi, you're really nice"

"I try. Shall we go and eat? Do you like Japanese food?"

"She does" Yuzuru answered.

"I didn't ask you, young man"

"I do, very much."

"Great"

They sat at the table and Joan heard the two Japanese say "Itadakimasu"

"What does that mean?" Joan asked them both.

"It means Thank you for the food, we always say it before eating, almost like saying graces"

"Ahh, itadakimasu then" Joan said, bringing a smile to their faces.

They ate slowly doing pauses to talk. Yumi was very interested in knowing the young girl in front of her. It didn't surprise her that she was a skater, she figured the Ice rink was the only place her son could ever meet someone important enough to bring home. It did surprise her to know that Joan planned on becoming a doctor, Yumi figured quite fast that the girl in front of her was actually very smart.

When they finished eating, Joan offered to help clean. A proposal Yumi discarded immediately.
"Why don't you two watch a movie or something? I'll finish here"

"But..."

"It's okay, Joan. I really don't mind, it's quite fast anyway"

"Don't bother, she's stubborn" Yuzuru intervened.

"So it's a family thing then" Joan said, starting to laugh when a pout formed on Yuzuru's face.

"Very funny, come on"

They settled in the living room, spending the next 10 minutes scrolling through Netflix trying to choose a movie. Yumi joined them right after they had just settled on a random action movie.

"I love that one, it's a good choice" They heard Yumi say. "Can I stay or do you want to be alone?"

"Of course, you can stay. You should stay." Joan said before Yuzuru could say anything.

Yumi looked at her son as if asking what he felt about it. Joan only saw a nod with a big smile on his face. The action seemingly reassured his mom, she settled on the other couch in the living room, leaving the two friends with a couch for themselves.

Yuzuru played the movie and joined the young girl on the couch. The distance between them gradually disappeared as the time passed. The Japanese boy could feel their bodies barely touching and all he wanted was to hug her and bring her close. He probably would have if his mother wasn't right there.

His resolve was kept for a long time, but when he felt a sleepy head dropping in his shoulder, the movement of his arms was almost instinctual. He wrapped his arm around her body and brought her close. Eventually, he felt her body dropping a bit more and noticed the girl had fallen asleep. With a smile on his face, he positioned himself a bit more comfortably, doing his best not to wake her up.

Yuzuru saw his mom get up as the credits of the movie started rolling and leave the room, only to return soon after with a blanket in her arms, placing it on top of them.

"I'm going to bed. Good night." Yumi said in their mother tongue. "I like her. Take good care of this girl" he heard her say before leaving the room.

His mother's statement made Yuzuru smile. He knew they would get along.

Sleep started creeping up on him. The young Japanese placed a kiss on Joan's head, muttered a good night, and eventually also fell asleep with her in the warmth of his arms.