Just Meeting Up With James

Mary was working hard with the latest craft courtesy of her sewing machine and the various materials she was able to get her hands on. By the time she finished her latest costume that could fit her frame, she heard a friend of hers being let into the house and coming up the stairs.

"Hey, Mary! Sorry I was sick for the day, but I just came by to say happy birthday," the friend told her.

"Thanks a lot, Riley. I appreciate it," Mary responded.

Riley gave Mary a small present and Mary opened it to reveal a fuzzy scarf folded up. Mary hugged Riley and put the scarf around the neck of her costume.

"Looks like you're ready to get a scholarship for Parsons," Riley joked.

"Hey, with skills from that school. I'll be sble to improve my costumes in no time," Mary claimed while putting on her costume.

"I've gotta know, though, what got you interested in making these monster costumes, anyway?"

Mary finished putting on her costume and looked over to her friend. She figured it might be fair to explain herself since she could trust Riley with a secret and since she didn't think anyone would really believe her.

"I'll be honest, whenever I put on costumes like this, it makes it easier for me to meet up with a friend of mine every year, especially since my first costume courtesy of him and another friend consisted of a mop, some lights, and chair fabric."

Mary smiled at the memory and Riley caught it.

"Ooh, is this a special friend of yours?"

"Well, he's special in one way, but since I'm 18 this year, I hope he sees me as special in another way," Mary answered with a blush.

Mary went to a drawer and pulled out a folder. She opened it and looked over the letters she received from him over the years. Though time functioned differently for both of them, they still found time to write letters to each other in between visits.

After a while of nostalgia, she checked the time on her phone before going to her closet door. When she opened the closet door, they were both greeted by the sight of a large room, something that shocked Riley, but not Mary.

"Is this still in your closet?" Riley asked while stunned.

"It's a long story, but we have an alarm set so that I can come through here every year to see that friend until it's time to come back. Just don't tell anyone, not even my mother," Mary responded while heading through the closet.

"What am I supposed to say if she asks, though?"

"Just tell her I'm meeting up with my friend James."

She closed the door and felt clever with the statement since it wasn't technically a lie. Speaking of James, she hoped that Sulley wouldn't be too busy or too tough to find. As she was walking around blending in with the rest of the monsters, she couldn't help but think of what she said to Riley.

She knew for years that she trusted Sulley and enjoyed his company, but it wasn't until she visited him when she was 16 that she noticed dancing in her heart whenever she so much as thought of Sulley. She thought it was normal for people her age until she noticed that Sulley was the only one who sparked such a feeling. Even as the two exchanged letters back and forth, Mary thought it would be best not to bring it up until she was legally an adult. She may have lost the ability to use her laughs for electricity (as far as she knew), but at least she had the freedom to discuss her thoughts with Sulley without feeling icky.

As she was lost in her thoughts, she bumped into someone's arm and quickly apologized as a reflex. Pretty soon, the mystery monster turned around to tell her it was okay and, as soon as she focused on who the monster was, she smiled.

"Kitty?" she said with the knowledge he'd recognize her due to the use of her old nickname for him.

Sulley froze and smiled down at her.

"Boo! You made it!" he responded before they shared a hug.

He wished her a happy birthday before walking around with her for a while in the factory.

"So, how do you feel about sushi?" he asked her.

"Honestly, I haven't really had it before, but I can imagine it's different here than in my neck of the woods," she answered.

"Well, if you're up for it, I was thinking we could grab a bite at Harryhausen's and catch up a little more over sushi," he explained.

She didn't object to the idea, but struggled to come up with why the name sounded familiar.

By the time evening came, Mike and Celia were out on a date, so Sulley and Mary were free to grab sushi. When they first arrived, it took a while of looking around the inside of the restaurant for Mary to get a better idea of why it was so familiar to him.

"We were here when I first went through the closet, right?" she whispered.

"That's right. I figured it would be significant to come here since it's a special birthday for you," he answered.

When they were at a table, memories came into her head from that night years ago. They talked about how things were in each other's lives and she occasionally forgot that they weren't out as more than friends. When their dinner arrived, it took some time for Mary to adjust to the appearance, but she liked it and the taste of the sushi and even paid for a to-go box with the intention of eating it once she returned home.

Pretty soon, they took a walk to Sulley's apartment since Mike intended to spend the night with Celia and they continued to talk about things from the company to college and possible intentions for the future. As they got to the apartment, Mary put her to-go box in the fridge and carefully removed her costume, thus revealing her clothes she wore that day, and put it in Sulley's room before meeting up with him to see a movie in the living room. She made sure not to laugh too much at certain points by occasionally focusing on other thoughts.

When the screen occasionally went black, she would remember that she was in a world where she was the odd one out. However, every time she came back for a visit, being around Sulley made her feel like she belonged somewhere. She wanted to think that Mike made her feel less abnormal, too, but she didn't see him as often and the two thought he would freak out if he found out about the visits even though, according to Sulley, Mike was the one who repaired the door and allowed them to see each other again.

"Hey, Sulley? Have you ever thought of whom you'd want to be in a relationship with?"

"Honestly? I haven't really thought of that, not even in college. My family was even more concerned about me being a prodigy. However, I think there's one girl that I know that stands out to me."

Mary looked down, but she couldn't help but feel hopeful.

"What's this girl like?"

"Well, she's much younger than me, but she's still an adult. She was as cute as a button and became brave when we first knew each other. As time went on, she became creative, beautiful, funny, and fantastic to be around. Even when I spend time with her, the knowledge of how different she and I are would just blow away. I just hope she feels the same way I feel for her."

The description made Mary smile. She stroked Sulley's arm while looking up at him and responded, "Something tells me you mean just as much to her". It wasn't long before they looked each other in the eyes and steadily closed the gap between them. Mary imagined kissing Sulley was somewhat different than kissing a guy with a beard, but she didn't care. She shifted herself onto Sulley's lap and he held her close as the kiss grew more passionate as if they waited too long for it to happen. They only got as far as making out with Mary in her pants and bra as Sulley groped her back while moaning to her soft moans before she fell asleep. Sulley smiled and carried her into his bedroom and placed her on one side of his bed before going to the other side and holding her close. He felt glad that it was a lie that a human touch was toxic since, otherwise, he wouldn't have had such a great experience he wouldn't mind repeating.

The next morning, they woke up close to each other and proceeded to take advantage of the time they had left together before she'd eventually get back to her door. They continued to chat and enjoy each other's company, but they found the freedom to be closer to one another before and as they were making their way to the company.

Before Sulley met up with Mike at his station, he brought Mary to her door and they looked at each other.

"Do you think, maybe...we can try seeing each other more than once a year my time again?" she nervously asked.

"Once we get a better idea on how time functions for both of us, sure. It would be great to see you more often," he answered honestly.

Even though she was in her costume, Sully could tell Mary was smiling. They held hands and were about to experience their second kiss, but she rushed through her door when they heard someone nearly enter the room.

It was late by the time Mary carefully removed her costume and lied down on her bed and giggled to herself. She heard the door open and sighed in relief as she saw Riley enter the bedroom.

"Hey, Mary. So, I'm guessing you had a great visit with 'James'?" Riley stated.

"More than great, actually," she giggled, "I think we might try to see each other more often."