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Raymond’s day starts by rolling up his futon, and stowing it away under his desk. He freshens up, and then walks about five steps out his door to do some yoga on the beach.
On his way out, he pauses by the tulip garden his Resident Representative planted for him. Cross breeding flowers is the newest hobby Raymond has seen his Resident Representative take on since the months he’s moved in, and now the island is practically covered in blooms.
Raymond will admit, he’s not much for gardening. Doesn’t like getting mud on his dress shoes or designer clothes, and plants are far too fickle for him to handle. He said as much to his Resident Rep, the day after he had finished making the fenced patch of tulips right in front of Raymond’s house. Raymond also thought his Rep was aware of this, since the only plants gifted to him had been a succulent, a hardy red mum, and oddly enough, cat grass. But his Rep simply smiled at him, nodding along to what he was saying without protest or disappointment.
Raymond ignores the patch, for the most part, and tries not to feel too guilty about it, since their Resident Representative is his closest friend on the island. At the very least, Raymond tends to the hybrid hyacinths that his Rep planted at the side of his house. The Rep has a habit of planting two to three flowers on the side of everyone’s houses, and Raymond is flattered that his three happen to all be hybrids.
Anyway. Yoga. Raymond walks past his neighbor’s house, and sets up on the flat, black rock in the middle of the beach. Raymond holds his poses to the sound of waves crashing beside him, and when he’s done, returns home to change out of his exercise clothes, and check his emails. His first two emails are from his freelance design job, so he answers his clients and sips at his cup of coffee. Raymond likes tea and coffee equally, but since his boyfriend is obsessed with coffee, he tends to drink more of it, because his boyfriend gifts him blends he creates himself.
Raymond likes the blend he’s drinking now, would prefer it with some cream and sugar since he’s a sweet-tooth, but his boyfriend gets mad if Raymond doesn’t at least sample the coffee blend black first. He finishes the cup, along with his emails, and then sets off to the plaza. Raymond thinks himself friendly enough with the other residents of the island; he hangs out in the plaza with them, sings songs and plays music with them, and occasionally they chat.
…Ok, he’s really only chatted with Cherry and Victoria, and maybe Megan but he really can’t remember. So what if he keeps to himself, while everyone else hangs out at each other’s houses? Once, Cherry pointed the Rep in his direction about his lost novel. That alone touched him.
Raymond passes his neighbor’s house again to get to the bridge between their houses, and thinks about how he’s never actually spoken to him. Raymond knows his neighbor is an older man named Kabuki, and that he’s always dressed in a yukata and mask. He’s grumpy by nature, so Raymond is a bit apprehensive to approach him, in case he’s one of those bigoted old men who would break his kneecaps for being gay.
Thankfully, no one on the island but the Resident Rep knows about his long-distance relationship.
When he reaches the plaza, he finds Rosie and Victoria talking to each other. Lately they’ve been thinking about becoming a pop duo, rather than pursuing solo careers. Raymond thinks they could make it big; Victoria being tall, with sporty, peppy, charm, and Rosie being petite in contrast, all sorts of adorable and playful. They’ve commissioned him to make their debut outfits, but want to design the general idea themselves.
“Raymond!” Victoria cheers when she sees him. “We have sixteen final designs for our pop star idol duo costumes! I’ll bring them over, later!”
Raymond tries not to laugh in disbelief. “S-Sixteen? They…must be very different?” Raymond isn’t sure how he’s going to narrow sixteen to one and satisfy the both of them, but he’ll try.
Rosie shrugs. “You know, sometimes we can’t decide between sequins or silk…”
Looks like Raymond will need to research the best materials for pop star clothing, and make a lot of mock-ups.
“Anyway, you’ll never guess who we were just talking about!” Victoria says.
“Who?” Raymond asks.
“Your neighbor, Kabuki!” Rosie reveals. “I was talking to him all day, yesterday!”
“You were?” Raymond asks.
“Yup!” Rosie chirps. “He’s so much fun!”
“Really?” Raymond asks, letting some disbelief actually seep into his tone this time.
“Fun to manipulate,” Victoria corrects. “You know how Rosie can get about her fandoms. She roped Kabuki into one of them.”
“He was so cute!” Rosie continues. “He asked me about selfies too! Like isn’t he the most charming old man, ever?”
“If you say so…” Raymond says, with an uncomfortable chuckle.
Victoria and Rosie pause. “Don’t you know, Raymond? Isn’t he your next-door neighbor?”
“Uh…” Raymond can’t really find an excuse. Before Benjamin moved out, he was Victoria’s next-door neighbor, and even sent her a gift through the Resident Representative. It’s impossible to picture Victoria without her denim jacket now.
Even Walker, who lives further up the river, makes polite comments about his neighbor, Ken. Which implies he’s actually been inside Ken’s house.
“Um…” Raymond continues, just to fill in the awkward silence.
Victoria and Rosie close in on him. “You’ve never talked to Kabuki? For real?”
Raymond wishes someone would save him from this situation. He’s not exactly ashamed of being a recluse, but even he can acknowledge there’s no point in him being this way when everyone on the island is so kind.
Maybe he’s too used to the city. His whole house screams “civic,” in an almost offensive way. Raymond has a hard time letting go of what he’s used to, sue him.
“Oh, Raymond, I was looking for you,” a voice interrupts, and Raymond turns to see the Resident Representative standing there with them.
“Reppy!” Victoria and Rosie sing together, and he smiles at them with a wave in greeting.
Praise be their Resident Representative, for saving Raymond from Victoria and Rosie’s high-pitched fury! “Yes, what is it?” Raymond asks a bit too eagerly.
He hands Raymond a big envelope, addressed to him. “A letter from Marshal came for you. Got mixed with my mail.”
Raymond can feel Victoria and Rosie’s vulture-like gazes zero in on him. He’s starting to sweat. If they find out…the whole island will know by sunset.
“Who’s Marshal?” Rosie asks innocently, before Raymond can ask their Rep if he has better things to do, so he’ll leave.
Their Rep turns to her and hits the nail on Raymond’s proverbial coffin. “He’s Raymond’s boyfriend. He lives on my friend’s island, another place managed by Nook Inc.”
The thing about Raymond is that he likes to act. He has a portfolio of headshots at the ready. He’s acted with Cherry before on two different scenes. He’s joked about filming their Rep watering his flowers in slow-motion.
He likes to act, so he doesn’t reveal too much of his heart. A tip hard-learned from growing up in the city.
His boyfriend Marshal is definitely most of his heart.
Raymond wants to crumble away right there, so the panic starting in his stomach doesn’t spread.
“A boyfriend!” Victoria practically yells. “How have you never mentioned him, Raymond?”
“It, uh, I guess it just never came up before,” Raymond says, trying hard to keep his voice level. His hands gripping the envelope won’t stop shaking, though.
Rosie jumps up. “How did you two meet!?”
Raymond takes a subtle, deep breath to calm his nerves. “Back when we lived in the city. I stopped in for coffee at the shop he was working as a barista at, because my office was close by.”
Rosie and Victoria squeal in delight. “And?” Victoria prods. “How long have you been together?”
“Over a year,” Raymond admits. “Almost a year and a half now.”
Rosie screams in delight. “You’re still in your honeymoon phase! How kyuuuute!”
Raymond just laughs, shifting his weight. He isn’t sure what else they want to hear. If he’s going to keep being honest, he’s going to say I don’t know about that, because he honestly doesn’t know.
He loves Marshal, that he does know, but lately…he isn’t sure Marshal still loves him. From their phone calls and letters, Marshal seems to be leading a much more colorful life on his island, than Raymond has been leading here. Raymond moved out of the city first too, was the first camper on this island, but Marshal, who moved into his island a month after Raymond settled on his, is so much more social than him.
It’s just sad.
Their Resident Representative blinks at him as Victoria and Rosie continue to hound him. He puts a hand on each of their shoulders. “Girls. Maybe lay off Raymond a bit. He looks overwhelmed.”
Victoria and Rosie turn back to Raymond with twin looks of concern. “Oh no, Raymond we’re so sorry! We were just so excited! We’re happy for you!”
The tightness in Raymond’s stomach lets up. Of course. Of course Victoria and Rosie, the sweetest girls on the island, would just be happy for him. Raymond has to remember not everyone is homophobic by default.
“It’s ok,” Raymond assures them, but he still feels a bit shaky. The Resident Rep offers to take him home, and Raymond follows him gladly.
Victoria and Rosie are talking to each other again, and as Raymond walks away, he hears snippets of their conversation. Something about a plan, but it fades out of his mind at the same time as it fades out of his range of hearing.
***
The next morning, Raymond is woken up by a scream. Well, rather than a scream, it’s really a shriek: high-pitched words yelled shrilly, at a frequency his sleep-addled brain just can’t pick up on. Raymond tumbles out of his futon, and goes straight for his door. He rounds the side of his house, just to see Rosie and Kabuki standing outside of Kabuki’s house.
Rosie is fuming, and then she opens her mouth and shrieks again, “YOU CAN’T KEEP DRESSING LIKE A GRODY OLD MAN, KABUKI!!!”
Raymond covers his mouth so neither of them catch him gaping at this scene. While the fashion designer that Raymond is agrees that Kabuki could stand to diversify his wardrobe, the empathy in him feels bad that Rosie is yelling at him over this, especially because Raymond did see him wear a “konnichiwa” tee the other day. Raymond is also one-hundred and ten percent sure the Resident Rep gave it to him.
Kabuki is spluttering, and in that moment, Rosie sees Raymond. Rosie smiles at him, and Raymond wishes he could crawl back to bed. But it would be too awkward to back away now.
“So that’s why,” Rosie continues, suddenly sweet, “you should pay Raymond a visit! He’s your neighbor, and a fashion designer!”
And then, Kabuki’s eyes are fixed on him, and Raymond can only make out the blue of his irises through the eye holes in his mask. He feels frozen to his spot at the side of his house.
“Isn’t it perfect?” Rosie purrs. “Raymond can design and make you some new clothes to wear.”
Raymond doesn’t exactly remember what happens after that. He thinks he disassociated through the arrangements that Rosie largely facilitated, but he does remember that he’s supposed to go over to Kabuki’s after lunch to take measurements.
Raymond goes through his morning routine robotically, too stiff for his yoga to be useful, and still in a daze even as his phone rings and he answers it without checking the caller I.D.
“Hello?” Raymond says, but immediately pulls the phone away at the loud, enthusiastic voice that answers.
“CIAO! Is this Raymond?” a voice Raymond doesn’t recognize asks.
Raymond is still processing whether this is one of his clients, but then he sees the caller I.D. on his phone’s screen read “Marshmallow ❤” along with a candid photo Raymond took of his Marshal pouting over a breakfast they had together in the past.
A thousand thoughts run through Raymond’s head, the loudest being a soap opera scenario of the girlfriend calling up her man’s side piece and a confrontation breaking out. Oh god, is Marshal cheating on him? Is Raymond actually the side piece?
“Bonjour? Hola? Are you there?” Marshal’s new boyfriend keeps asking, and Raymond just wants to curl up on the floor and cry.
There’s some yelling in the background of the call, the voice getting louder and more recognizable.
“O’HARE! GIVE ME MY PHONE BACK NOW!” Marshal is growling, and there’s some audible struggle, and then Marshal is on the line.
“Ray?” Marshal asks, and Raymond feels palpable relief at his voice. “Sorry, I have to call you back later, ok?”
The line clicks shut, and Raymond just stands there, in disbelief and his heart sinking. Did…did that really happen?
Are he and Marshal going to break up?
Raymond doesn’t realize that time is literally slipping away, sitting at his desk, and just staring at his quiet phone, waiting for something—a call, a text, anything from Marshal—when his phone buzzes with the alarm he set to head to Kabuki’s house.
Raymond jumps at the alarm, but quickly composes himself and shuts it off. When his phone is back in sleep mode, Raymond can see tears collect in the eyes of his reflection.
Kabuki’s house is peaceful. Designed traditional, the smell of incense in the air and the feeling of tatami mats under his knees and feet. Raymond can feel himself zoning out as he works, nerves being soothed by the bubbling sound of the kettle bathtub behind the bamboo partition. He has an open notebook by his knee reserved for his clients, a fresh page for Kabuki that Raymond has started. He takes the inches of Kabuki’s shoulders, jots the number down. Measures Kabuki’s waist, more pencil scratches fill the silence.
Raymond is just finishing taking down the lengths of Kabuki’s legs, thinking overall, the man is surprisingly fit for his age, when he feels a tap at his forehead.
Raymond blinks and looks up, and sees Kabuki staring down at him with the same unreadable, somewhat surly expression his always has, but his hand is raised, with his forefinger out. Raymond guesses that’s the finger that poked him.
“Boy,” Kabuki says, voice deep and rich. Raymond thinks about his father. “You don’t seem to be all here.”
Raymond blinks again, but immediately flushes, ashamed. He’s been so rude! Even if Kabuki is his neighbor, in this situation, he’s his client. Raymond spent years in customer service hell, why are none of his skills showing for it?
“Mr. Kabuki!” Raymond panics. “I’m so sorry sir, I’ve been a bit out of it lately, but that’s no excuse—”
Kabuki taps his forehead again, to silence him. “That’s not what I meant. Relax. I don’t mind.” He pauses, seeming to collect his thoughts. “I know you’re doing this as a favor to Rosie. So, you don’t need to push yourself if you’re feeling unwell.”
Raymond frowns. “But that would be so unprofessional of me…”
Kabuki sighs and moves away, and Raymond thinks he’s going to get kicked out, and then Rosie is going to give him an earful, and he still doesn’t know what’s going on with Marshal—
Kabuki sets a folding table in front of him, and offers a pillow for Raymond to sit on. Raymond takes it on instinct, and sits on it so he doesn’t seem ruder than he’s already been. Kabuki shuffles around his house, reaching under his bonsai shelf to pull out a tea set, and a portable burner stove. Raymond watches him brew tea in silence, afraid to question what’s going on.
Finally, Kabuki pours out two cups of green tea, and pushes one cup towards Raymond. Raymond takes it with a short word of thanks, and watches to steam curl in the air.
Kabuki clears his throat. “Boy, what’s bothering you? I’m old, but maybe my experience can help you.”
“I…” Raymond swallows around the thickness in his throat. “Well, I’m…in a long-distance relationship,” he hedges.
He doesn’t know if Rosie has said anything to Kabuki.
Kabuki nods, taking a sip of his tea. “Young love. I remember the days.”
Raymond takes a sip of his own tea, letting his guard down.
“Rosie tells me you have a boyfriend,” Kabuki continues, and Raymond chokes on his tea.
Raymond is spluttering and coughing, mind going into overdrive, so he doesn’t realize the Kabuki has jumped up and moved behind him, to pat his back.
“Boy, breathe,” Kabuki urges him.
Raymond gulps air like a fish until his lungs aren’t burning. When Kabuki isn’t worried about Raymond going blue in the face anymore, he moves back to his seat across from Raymond.
Raymond takes another nervous sip of tea. “You, uh, you’re not bothered by it?”
Kabuki regards him silently, and Raymond wishes he wasn’t wearing a mask so he could see if he was raising a brow or not.
Kabuki sighs, and Raymond feels his spine go straight. He feels like he’s ten again, and his father is about to lecture him for being wrong.
“Boy, I’ve lived a long time,” Kabuki starts. “I’ve seen a great deal in my years. Met a lot of different people. And I’ve learned that no matter what you do or where you go, no one will ever think the same things you will or lead the same lifestyle you do. So, there’s really no point in getting angry at someone just for being different from you.”
Kabuki lays a comforting, warm hand over Raymond’s on the table. “You don’t have to worry about judgement here.”
Raymond swallows the lump in his throat, tries to wash it down with the tea that’s lukewarm now, and sniffs. “Thanks.”
Kabuki smiles at him, and it’s the first time Raymond has ever seen it. “Why don’t you head home, and I’ll come over tomorrow to talk more about the clothes?”
Raymond nods, gathers his things, and stumbles home, miserable and relieved. He crawls back into the futon he left out.
He pulls out his phone. Still no calls from Marshal.
***
Raymond is working on his computer, when he hears Kabuki knocking at the door. Today, his house is impeccable. Futon stowed away, everything cleaned and dusted, and even Raymond feels immaculate himself.
In the morning, instead of going to the plaza after his daily yoga session, he went to the tailors instead, discussing Kabuki’s measurements and what patterns would suit him with the Able Sisters. Sable even gave him a sample of her traditional patterns, bless her soul.
Raymond is ready. Today he’ll be at his utmost professional, tip-top shape.
“Who’s that?” Kabuki asks, when he comes inside and sees the ridiculous, blown-out, portrait-turned-poster of his boyfriend, Marshal. “A client of yours?”
Raymond blushes furiously, and almost screams. It would make a hell of a lot more sense if the poster was of a client; an idol that Raymond made costumes for or something, but no.
This poster was the bane of existence, the reason the whole island knows about his romance, this poster was the “letter” their Resident Representative handed to him in front of Victoria and Rosie, days ago.
And damn him, even if Raymond is upset and unsure of their relationship, Raymond still loves Marshal, and still wants to see him, so he put the dumb poster up.
Raymond tries to fight his embarrassment back. “No…that’s actually my boyfriend.”
Kabuki squints at the poster. “He looks a bit squirrelly.”
Raymond thinks about how Marshal would have attempted to deck Kabuki if he heard that, so he stays quiet.
Instead, Raymond sets out the samples from Sable, and grabs his notebook. While Kabuki chooses the patterns he likes, Raymond brews some coffee for them. He sets out the cream and sugar, and pours two mugs of coffee for them. Kabuki takes his black, with a cube of brown sugar, so Raymond offers him the coffee pot in case he wants a refill. Raymond gives himself a cube of white and brown sugar each, and a healthy amount of cream on top. They chat over the coffee, Kabuki pointing out the patterns he favors, and Raymond taking note of them in his notebook, to make an order to the tailors later.
When the coffee pot is drained, Kabuki smiles into his empty mug. “That was good coffee, boy. Where did you get it?”
“Oh,” Raymond replies, looking into his own mug. “It’s a blend my boyfriend made. He wants to start his own coffee brand and shop. I can ask him to send some for you.”
“Is coffee what brought you two together?” Kabuki asks.
Raymond looks at him. “How did you know?”
Kabuki nods sagely. “Coffee has a way of bringing people together.”
Raymond snorts. “That sounds so cheesy.” He sets his mug aside with a wistful smile. “But it’s true, in our case.”
Kabuki stays quiet, prompting Raymond to keep going. And normally Raymond wouldn’t, rather make a joke to cut the conversation off, but he feels like reminiscing. If he and Marshal are truly going to break up, he might as well start remembering the good times early.
So Raymond lets himself ramble about how they met. He tells Kabuki about when he was still living in the city, a corporate design slave at the bottom of the ladder, working overtime almost every day at a mediocre wage. After one particularly crushing day in the office, leaving later than everyone else, he was trudging through the streets to the subway station, and found a coffee shop still open. Raymond could barely stand straight, so he thought maybe a coffee break would help carry himself home.
He remembers walking in exhausted, hearing the bell jingle over his head, and a voice calling “Welcome!” over to him. And then Raymond looked up, and suddenly it felt like all the tiredness left his body, to make room for the pounding anticipation of his heart. At the counter was the cutest boy Raymond had ever seen, shorter than him, with pale blond hair swept to one side, and cheeks perpetually blush pink. Raymond had never fallen for someone so fast.
He was so nervous, he just asked for Marshal’s recommendation, and though the coffee was too strong for his taste, the sneaking glances he took at Marshal between sips were completely worth it. After that, Raymond made it habit to visit the coffee shop every time he could; before work, during his breaks, and after work. Raymond would bring his work to the coffee shop too, sketching designs for hours just to spend more time admiring Marshal.
Raymond never expected his crush to get anywhere. Sure, he and Marshal started chatting every time he came in because by then Raymond was their most frequent customer, but Raymond wouldn’t delude himself into thinking someone as cute as Marshal would fall for someone as boring as him. But one day, when Raymond stayed too long, almost until closing time, it started pouring outside. The station wasn’t too far, but Raymond was going to be drenched if he even stepped one foot outside. He recalls thinking he should start carrying a compact umbrella in his briefcase from now on, as he watched the unforgiving rain continue through the window of the café door.
But then Marshal walked up to stand beside him at the door and said, “Might as well close up early.” Raymond looked at him, a question obvious on his face. The natural blush on Marshal’s cheeks seemed to deepen, and he turned away, saying, “Wait here.”
Fifteen minutes later, Marshal came back, in his casual clothes, and holding a large black umbrella. “I’ll walk you to the station.”
Raymond doesn’t actually remember any of the walking, because he was too busy being charmed by Marshal in his casual clothes, something he thought he’d never get to see unless he died and went to heaven. Only when they made it to the station did Raymond notice that Marshal was holding the umbrella high to accommodate Raymond’s height, and that one of his shoulders was soaked.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Marshal asked with rosy cheeks, seeing him off.
Raymond’s heart was squeezing in his chest. “Y-Yeah of course,” he answered, and was on cloud nine the entire ride home.
The week that followed was the same as usual, so Raymond almost thought that rainy walk they had together to the station was a desperate fever dream. But then, one slow night when Raymond was curled in a booth and sketching cozy coat designs, Marshal came over and said, “Hey, wait until closing for me.”
“Sure,” Raymond replied, and didn’t think much of it. But then the shop was empty, half the lights were off, and Marshal was busy behind the counter. Raymond was nodding off, tired from work, and he should have gone home hours ago to actually get a good night’s sleep, but he’d never reject Marshal even if he was on fire.
The sound of a mug being set in front of him woke him with a start, and he blearily looked up at Marshal staring at him. “Here, a new blend I made.”
“Oh thanks,” Raymond mumbled, adjusting his glasses. Marshal must have seen how tired he was and fixed a cup of coffee for him on the house.
Raymond moved to lift the cup, but Marshal stopped him with a hand on his wrist. His blush was taking up his whole face today, and he was frowning. “Look…at the coffee first.”
Raymond blinked at him, but turned his head to look, and he saw that floating on top of the coffee was a heart made out of foam. Raymond examined it. He had never seen Marshal do latte art before.
“It’s cute!” Raymond encouraged. “Are you going to start offering this to customers?” Raymond was flattered that Marshal was asking his opinion on this.
“No,” Marshal answered, going so red that even his ears were flushed. “I’m only doing this for you.”
Raymond stared at him until the gears in his brain started moving, and he was actually able to put two and two together. Then, in an explosion of embarrassed realization, Raymond started blushing and stammering. Marshal grabbed his hand and confessed, and they both blushed even harder. They kept holding hands until the coffee went cold.
“Hmm,” Kabuki hums. “That’s very sweet.”
Raymond still giggles at the memory. “Thanks. I adore him.”
Kabuki gives him a long look. “Then why did you seem so stressed and sad earlier? When you mentioned your boyfriend made the coffee blend.”
“Uh, that’s…” The call from yesterday flashes through his mind. Marshal hasn’t called since either. “It’s nothing. I think, the toll of long-distance is just wearing me down.”
“Alright then.” Kabuki sets his mug down and goes to the door. “I’ll wait for you to come by tomorrow for the fitting.”
When the door clicks shut, Raymond looks back at the poster on his wall, and resists the urge to tear it down.
***
Raymond has rolls of fabric fresh from the tailors, and his sturdy sewing box, each tucked under his arms, when he knocks on Kabuki’s door. Kabuki greets him gruffly, but his mouth is turned up, and lets Raymond in. He has his table out already, so Raymond sets up on it. He opens his sewing box and takes a sewing kit out of it, taking care to place the pincushion in reach. He grabs a roll of fabric, drapes it on Kabuki, takes measurements, applies pins, and makes a few cuts here and there. The real sewing work will be done by Sable, but Raymond can help make her life easier.
Raymond is absorbed in his work, getting to the fourth roll of fabric, when Kabuki reaches down and tilts his head up. “Boy,” Kabuki says, voice laced with concern. “You’re crying.”
“Huh?” Raymond asks, and reaches for his cheeks and finds them wet. “I…” And just like that, a dam inside Raymond breaks, and tears are spilling fast and heavy down his face. “I don’t…!”
Kabuki yanks him to his feet, spins him around, and pushes him towards the door. “Go outside, boy!” he barks. “Stand on the beach and stare at the sun over the sea!”
Raymond is still crying, and now confused, so Kabuki pushes him again. Raymond goes out the door, and does as Kabuki says, afraid Kabuki will actually physically march him outside.
Raymond isn’t actually sure what this is supposed to accomplish. The sun is bright and hot, and glaring off his glasses. And he’s still crying, so everything is blurry at best. The breeze from the waves is nice at least, but he’s worried the salt might ruin his hair.
There’s enough salt on his face from these bitter tears that won’t stop.
Eventually, Kabuki joins him, holding two cups of steaming oolong tea, and offers a cup to Raymond. Raymond takes it, grateful to do something other than squint sadly at the sun, but before he can take a sip, Kabuki pulls out a handkerchief and scrubs his face with it, the same way Raymond’s mother would.
“Listen to me, my boy,” Kabuki says, as he pockets his soggy handkerchief. “Nothing heals a broken heart better than time, distance, and nature. And you have all of that, here.”
Raymond sniffles, staring at his wobbly reflection in the surface of his tea. It looks as pathetic as he feels. “The whole reason I moved to this island was because of him, though!”
Kabuki just gives Raymond his attention, so Raymond keeps going. “I…was fired from my job because my coworkers found out I’m gay…”
Raymond remembers the horrible day he was called into his supervisor’s office, and he was told that just being himself, was making his coworkers uncomfortable enough that it impeded their work. His boss made a great show of being kind, only suggesting that Raymond turn in his resignation, but Raymond was so horrified, he quit immediately.
He went straight to Marshal’s apartment after he collected his things and cried in Marshal’s arms for hours. Eventually he passed out, slept over, and in the morning, Marshal slapped a “Nook Inc.’s Deserted Island Getaway Package” brochure on the table.
“Ray, I think we should do this!” Marshal said, black eyes bright with excitement.
Raymond adjusted his glasses and read the contents. “Marsh…are you sure? I know I was upset last night, but my freelance work can keep me going. We don’t have to make so drastic a change…”
“I’ve been meaning to bring it up,” Marshal admitted. “I can’t keep working as a barista forever. I’ve learned a lot from Brewster, but I think it’s time I branched off and made a name for myself. We can start over on a deserted island, Ray! You can launch your own design line, and I can open my own café!”
Raymond had to admit, after the emotional upheaval of yesterday, starting over somewhere no one knew him sounded really nice. “I can move out of my parents’ house any time, but what about your lease, Marsh?”
Marshal winked at him. “It’ll be up in no time!” Marshal took the brochure back and opened it. “Look, there’s a package that lets you camp on an island first, before deciding to move in.” Marshal laced their fingers together and squeezed Raymond’s hand in his. “Doesn’t that sound nice? Do you want to try it?”
Raymond was, and still is, a sucker for Marshal’s big eyes and blushing cheeks. “Yeah, I’ll try it, and let you know?”
They made the call to Nook Inc. together, and Marshal helped Raymond pack for the trip while Raymond’s parents fussed over him. Marshal drove Raymond to the airport too, and they may have made a scene, making out in the departure gate until it was final call for Raymond to board.
“I gotta go…” Raymond said, tears already in his eyes, and moving his arms from where they had been locked around Marshal’s shoulders.
Marshal squeezed his waist in his arms. “We won’t be apart for long, Ray. I promise.”
Then Raymond made it to their island, was convinced to move in asap by their Resident Representative, and on his flight back to get his move finalized in the city, he called Marshal.
“Marsh, guess what! I’ve decided to move into the island, its name is—”
“Ray, about that,” Marshal cut him off. “I’m actually doing the Mystery Island Tour package right now!”
“Wh…WHAT!?” Raymond screamed, only to get shushed by the other people on the flight.
“I found someone to take over my apartment lease early,” Marshal explained. “And I wanted to do the Mystery Island Tour so I could see if I could locally source ingredients from nearby islands for my café.”
Raymond didn’t know what to say. He felt like he was entering another dimension.
“Don’t worry, Ray, a Resident Representative might find me during the tour, and invite me to live on their island!”
And a Resident Representative did, but it wasn’t Raymond’s. Thankfully, she’s friends with his Rep, or else Raymond thinks he might have just moved back to the city. He tried once, but his Rep made such a sad face and asked him not to go, and Raymond’s heart is so, so weak to the people he cares about.
“I see,” Kabuki says, taking a contemplative sip of tea and watching the horizon.
“I just,” Raymond pauses to take a frantic gulp of tea as he feels the wellspring of tears rush up again. “What happened to him promising me that we wouldn’t be apart for long? I was miserable in the city, but at least I got to see him every day! It’s been months since I’ve seen him now, and…and now someone else is making calls on his phone, and, and, he hasn’t called me in two days! I can’t help but think he’s happier on his own island, without me! I feel like I’m just halfdead, waiting for him to tell me we’re over, and too much of a coward to ask him myself!”
Raymond sobs, and Kabuki pats his back consolingly. “Boy…the trials of love can feel like the hardest in life because they demand so much from you, but they can never break you unless you let them. Sometimes relationships are temporary; it’s an unfortunate fact of life. It’s hard, because he was so important to you, but you’ll learn to live without him again. You might find yourself stronger for it.”
Raymond knows Kabuki is giving him good, rational advice, but it just makes him sob harder. “I don’t want to live without my Marshmallow! I just want him here with me now!”
“What the hell!?” Great, now Raymond is hallucinating Marshal’s voice too. “You old bastard, what are you doing to my boyfriend!?”
Suddenly, there’s a rush of movement behind Raymond, and Kabuki is gone from his side. Raymond sniffles, looks over, and sees Marshal, in the flesh, pale hair and skin being dyed fiery tones by the setting sun, grabbing Kabuki by the collar and ready to swing.
Raymond immediately drops his tea in shock, and lunges to grab Marshal around the waist. “Marsh, no!! What are you doing!?”
“What am I doing? I’m going to beat his ass for making you cry!” Marshal growls and struggles in Raymond’s hold.
Kabuki shakes him off and takes a step back. “Young’uns these days,” he grumbles, fixing his yukata. He looks directly at Marshal. “Boy, don’t be mistaken. The one making Raymond cry is you.”
Marshal deflates in Raymond’s arms. “What?”
Kabuki walks past them, but pauses to scoop his tea cups out of the sand and pat Raymond on the shoulder. “Talk things out with him, son.” Then he walks into his house and shuts the door.
They’re quiet for a few moments, but then Marshal shrugs Raymond’s hold off and straightens up. “Ray, what was that old coot going on about?”
Raymond takes Marshal’s hand and leads him down he beach. They pass his house, and round the tulip garden to sit on the brightly painted tire toys his Resident Representative placed just outside the fence. Raymond takes Marshal’s hands in his, and keeps his eyes trained on them as he recounts everything he’s told Kabuki the last few days.
When Raymond is done, he doesn’t dare look up, too scared to see Marshal’s disappointment, and the inevitable rejection. But Marshal takes his hands back, and Raymond is left looking at his empty palms until he hears a loud sniff.
Raymond’s head snaps up, and he sees Marshal's eyes wide, brimming with tears. Marshal curses under his breath and swipes at his eyes, lower lip wobbling.
“I…I had no idea I was hurting you this much, Ray,” Marshal says.
Raymond may have felt like his heart was breaking before, but now it feels like his heart is truly breaking to pieces. He places a comforting hand on Marshal’s knee. “It’s ok, Marsh. I wasn’t being very vocal with you either…”
“That doesn’t matter!” Marshal scolds, but Raymond knows he’s scolding himself. “I know how you are; I should have known how you would feel! I was just…so wrapped up in myself, my dreams, and I think somewhere along the way I started taking you for granted. You were always a given in my future, I never stopped to think I could make you upset enough to leave me.” Marshal scrubs his face with the back of his sleeve. “I’m such an idiot.”
“Marsh, no,” Raymond soothes, and he wants to hug Marshal tight, but Marshal shakes his head and sits back.
Marshal faces him, the breeze shaking the tulips behind him, and ruffling his hair. His dark eyes are wet, reflecting the golden sun, and his cheeks are red. “Ray, do you want to break up?”
Raymond’s heart drops into his stomach. “No! No, Marshal, why!?”
“Because I make you miserable,” Marshal points out sulkily.
Raymond takes Marshal’s hand in his. “I’ve been upset and confused, and it’s caused me grief, but I still love you, Marshal. I want to stay together no matter what it takes.” Raymond gives him a teary smile. “Even if long-distance really sucks!”
Marshal pulls Raymond into a hug, and it’s awkward; they’re still sitting on the tire toys and their knees bump, but Marshal buries his face in Raymond’s shoulder, and Raymond’s chest feels warm with affection.
“I love you so much, Ray. I promise to treat you better. I’ll make you the happiest in the world, I swear!”
Raymond squeezes Marshal back and laughs. “You do, you do. I never really thought much of myself, but you make me feel precious, Marsh. I promise to try and communicate more with you.”
Marshal lifts his head, stares into Raymond’s eyes, and leans in for a kiss, but Raymond stops him. “Wait. Who’s O’Hare?”
Marshal groans, dropping his head back onto Raymond’s shoulder. “My most annoying, nosy-ass neighbor. He’s a fashion designer too, so he’s been pestering me to meet you. I kept refusing, so he stole my phone, and I couldn’t wait to throttle him for it, so that’s why I hung up so fast that day.” Marshal sighs. “I’ve been planning this surprise trip for weeks, and he kept trying to weasel his way on it to meet you, so I’ve been fending him off these past two days, with no energy to spare to call you. In my head, I knew I was going to see you soon, but I should have considered how you would take my radio silence.”
Marshal lifts Raymond’s hand in his, and kisses the back of it. “Forgive me, Ray?”
Marshal could say anything while looking up at Raymond with his big, dark eyes, and Raymond would forgive him without question. “’Course, Marshmallow.”
Raymond wants this moment to last forever. The two of them curled together comfortably outside his house, by the tulip patch his Resident Representative planted for him, and watching the sun sink below the horizon.
There’s a loud gasp behind them, and they turn to see Rosie standing all the way on the other side of the tulip garden, by Raymond’s front door. Kabuki must have sent her to check up on him.
“EVERYONE COME SEE!” she screams at the top of her lungs. “RAYMOND’S BOYFRIEND IS HERE!!”
They actually do end up seeing everyone, coming out of their houses or stopping what they were doing at Rosie’s voice, as they both run over to the airport together, hands clasped tight and laughing.
They make another scene: an encore of the past in the airport, for the unfortunate audience of Orville and Wilbur as Marshal kisses Raymond up against the card stand, and Raymond doesn’t even care that Orville will have to clean it up if they knock it over.
“I’ll buy you a ticket to my island next,” Marshal promises him as he leaves.
Raymond pulls Marshal back and kisses him a few more times, but Wilbur, fed up, drags Marshal away through the gates and onto his plane.
Raymond, still love-drunk, keeps waving, even as the plane takes off. Orville, disturbed, ends up having to call the Resident Representative to collect Raymond, just to get him out of the airport.