Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Inspired By ❯ Unpretty ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

*A/N This first story is based off the song Unpretty by TLC. It features Mai with a casual mentioning of Mai/Joey.  There are mentions of emotional abuse, as well as a mentioning of sex.  I don't own any of the characters except for Mai's boyfriend, and the song Unpretty is owned by TLC.

?Be in the position to make me feel so... Damn Unpretty?  -Unpretty TLC

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Mai walked into her private room and sighed.  Without a care, she tossed her bag onto the bed, not bothering to pick up the few items of clothing that had bounced out of her luggage and onto the floor.  Looking around, she was pleased with the space the room came with, unlike other hotels which always left her feeling claustrophobic.  

?first a bath, then bed, its been a long day.?

She thought, making her way over to double check that the suite's door was bolted shut.  Checking through the peephole, she noted no one in the hallway, and the adequate lighting that ensured no shadows for someone to hide in should she have to leave the room for any reason.  

Nodding to herself, she went to her travel bag and pulled out her bathing suit-a modest once piece, cut high to mostly cover her chest.  Grabbing her toiletries, she closed the blinds and turned on the air conditioner to ensure the room would be set to her standards by the time she was ready for bed.  

Glancing at the door one more time, she headed towards the bathroom.

?I'm just glad he didn't decided to follow me here, I need time to think without his opinion?
she muttered to herself, shaking her head to clear it of thoughts of her boyfriend Jack.  

She opened the door to the bathroom, walking and shutting it, turning her back to the mirror and staring at the wall.  Without looking down, she changed quickly into her bathing suit- the only barrier stopping her from seeing herself naked.  Climbing into the shower, she allowed the water to run over her, releasing the tension from her muscles.  She took her time, making sure to get off all of the make up from her face, making sure it all went down the drain.  Finally, she shut off the water and grabbed a towel to dry herself off with.  

She peeked out of the shower and stared at the mirror, making sure she couldn't quite see herself in it.  

?Might as well get it over with? Mai thought, and, taking a big breath she stood squarely in front of the sink and looked at her reflection.  

The first thing she noticed was her hair-as blonde as ever, but lacking its old volume, at 24 Mai had grown tired of her long locks and had chopped her hair into shorter layers.  Her violet eyes looked tired, without the makeup like they were tired of pretending to be happy all the time.  She studied her skin in the mirror, noticing the slight blemishes that she tried to desperately to hide every morning.  The same ones that Jack had pointed out one day, pretending not to notice the hurt in her eyes.  

Mai had always prided herself on her beauty and independence, but after the disaster with Dartz something had changed.  Unable to face her friends and the man-no, the BOY she loved Mai had taken off, dueling and working odd jobs to try to find meaning in her life.  

That was how she had met Jack, she walked into the bookstore he worked at, intending to find a magazine featuring her friends from back home.  After a while of talking she had found out that he owned the bookstore- the 3rd generation of his family to do so.  She began to go in everyday, fascinated by this small town man who always had something interesting to say.  

After a month, he finally asked her out, and she was surprised to find herself hesitating for a moment before saying yes, a voice in the back of her head telling her not to accept, which she had quickly brushed off thinking it was her subconscious nagging her about Joey- At this point she hadn't seen the other duelist in over 2 years, it was time to move on with her life.  

Their first date went well, and soon Mai was spending more time at Jacks then at her own place.  They barely fought, Jack being the time to have a good discussion and compromise, which is why Mai was surprised a few days after they first slept together that Jack handed her a tube of lipstick and told her to try that shade, he thought it would look better on her.  Seeing the look on her face, he backed off immediately, and Mai put the tube down without a second thought, until a few weeks later when she ran out of her favorite lipstick and she decided to try it, much to Jacks pleasure.

 Before she knew it, Jack was changing all kinds of things about her, from her boots to her clothes to encouraging her to try different hairstyles.  Now when he made comment about her, she barely even flinched, and found herself agreeing with the things he said, making it harder to look at herself.  

The kicker had come a week ago on Valentines Day, when Jack had given her a gift certificate for a local surgeon- to have breast implants.  While she had always been a large C, she had used different types of bras to her advantage- knowing how to use what she had to get what she needed.  Now Jack wanted her to have it for real-he had complained to her numerous that her breasts weren't both the same size, and seeing her naked bothered him.  This was in fact the reason Mai had bought the swimsuit, Jack's criticism of her looks had caused her to become self conscious.  

Mai had taken the gift certificate, surprised to note that the surgery was in 2 weeks, after the tournament she had enrolled in.  Mai had left the dinner dazed and confused.  Her natural beauty was important to her, and surgery seemed like the wrong option, even if the was something not 'perfect' about her.  

She looked in the mirror, the bathing suit covering her uneven breasts, and sighed again.  Brushing her teeth quickly, she left the bathroom, grabbing her PJ's so she wouldn't have to watch herself change.  

Pushing her bag off the bed, she climbed in, shutting off the lights, intending to go right to sleep.  After staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, she remembered she forgot to set her alarm and grabbed her phone, not surprised to see a message from her boyfriend wishing her luck and telling her he loved her.  

She smiled at that, turned on the alarm, and went to put her phone down when she noticed another message-from Yugi of all people, telling her that he was at the tournament with Joey and the gang, and they knew she wanted her space but please join them for breakfast in the morning before the games started so they could catch up a little.  She responded in the positive and placed her phone down, smiling a little in anticipation before getting comfortable in the bed.  

She picked her phone up again, resetting her alarm to give herself more time to get ready in the morning-it wouldn't do to not look perfect for breakfast, after all.


I based this fic off the music video for Unpretty, where the boyfriend is trying to get his girlfriend to get implants.  Enjoy this one-shot and see you next time!!