#joelmei

[mrsmaiselsource]

THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL | It's Comedy or Cabbage

[theycallme-thejackal]

My favorite trope: Joel being forced to witness blissfully happy Midge and Lenny.

Pairing: Joel Maisel & Mei Lin, Lenny Bruce & Midge Maisel Rated T

It's been a tough year.

Mei's residency has her incredibly busy, meaning more often than not, Joel is left home with the baby - or worse, alone. He misses her. He misses his really smart, tough, beautiful wife.

He goes to a comedy club in the hope that it will take his mind off of missing her. Maybe a couple drinks and some laughs will make him feel more like a human and less like a shell. Make him feel less like going to the Button and flirting with the new very cute waitress he hired.

He didn't expect to see his ex-wife with her boyfriend.

He knows Lenny was on tour for a few weeks somewhere out west, but he didn't realize he'd come back already. They're sitting at a table toward the edge of the crowd watching the comics and occasionally whispering to each other, laughing at some of the jokes but not at most. They seem to laugh more with each other than at the comedy on stage.

They look really, really happy.

At one point, Midge lifts her hand, brushing her fingers through Lenny's hair tenderly. It's not like they're necking, but there's something about the affectionate gesture that makes Joel feel like he's intruding on something incredibly private. He looks back toward the stage.

A while later, he sees Lenny cross the room, headed for the john, and Joel finishes his drink, heading the same direction.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asks a few minutes later, entering the bathroom and finding Lenny at the sink.

The comic looks at him in the mirror. Usually Joel would expect him to joke, but Lenny just says, "Shoot."

He takes a deep breath. "How do you do it?" Lenny furrows a brow, and Joel moves to the sink. "You're a pretty famous guy. Women probably flirt with you a lot when you're on tour, right?"

"I wouldn't say a lot, but sure," Lenny answers, grabbing some paper towels and drying his hands.

"How do you..."

"Resist the urge to do a little more than flirt?" The younger man nods slowly. Lenny rubs his jaw in consideration. "If I start talking about your ex-wife, you're not gonna deck me, are you?"

"Just...keep it vague?" Joel requests.

Lenny laughs quietly, tossing the paper towels. "Flirting with other women isn't nearly as fun for me as flirting with Midge. Because I love her. And I'd rather do six months of shows in fucking Siberia than do anything to hurt her. I mean, I kicked dope for her."

"You did that for Midge?" Joel asks, surprised.

"Well partly. She wasn't the only reason. The point is - " Lenny gestures toward Joel " - no roll in the hay, no morphine high, no blonde bombshell or cute cocktail waitress is worth losing the best thing that ever fucking happened to me. Is Mei the best thing that ever happened to you?"

"Yeah, but she's never around! She's always at work, and I - "

"You ever consider talking to her?"

Joel furrows his brow. "What's there to talk about? She works, and I can't - "

"Jesus, Joel, talk to your wife. Tell her you miss her." The older man claps him on the shoulder as he heads for the door. "You'll be surprised by how much easier things get when you actually communicate."

--

"What are you doing here?"

Joel holds up a paper bag. "Thought you might need a pick-me-up," he offers.

Mei smiles, leaning against the nurses' station and taking the bag. She looks inside, and her smile widens at the sight of the spring rolls. "Pork?"

"What am I, an idiot?" Mei quirks her brow teasingly, and Joel shakes his head with a soft laugh. "You got a minute to talk?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just - " He notices the nurses and stops. "Is there somewhere we can talk privately?"

"Sure," she answers, leading him toward the doctors lounge. "What's going on?" She asks, sitting down and opening the bag.

"I miss you," he admits as he takes the seat next to her. "I'm ridiculously proud of you, but I miss you."

Mei sighs. "I miss you too, Joel. This has been a really hard year for us. Residency is kicking my ass."

"I know you miss Charlotte when you're here, but I was thinking maybe the next time you get a couple days in a row we could...I dunno, maybe get out of the city? Just the two of us. Spend some time together..."

His wife exhales, looking a little relieved. "That sounds really great. I love Charlotte, but I could definitely use a couple days off without being woken up by her crying. I'm exhausted."

He smiles. "Okay. Just let me know what your schedule looks like, and we'll plan something. Or I will. Or Ma will."

"Your mother is not planning our romantic, relaxing getaway."

"Then I'll do it," he promises, leaning in and kissing her softly.