Can't Hurt to Ask – Chapter 3 : Like and Love
Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh or any deliberate/accidental references to anything else.
Note: Note the "complete" status. This is the last chapter, EVER, and I'm not changing my mind or writing a sequel or "updat plz"ing. Enjoy!
On Monday, the Student Council opened ticket sales. These would run all week, and then the dance was on Saturday. Melanie was one of the class officers in the small booth in the lobby, selling the tickets and, in the process, learning all the new romance gossip.
"Did you know that Troy is going out with Julianna?" she grinned as Téa stepped up.
"I didn't," the brunette responded, rolling her eyes and laughing. "I wonder how long this one will last."
"I bet they break up during the dance," Melanie predicted mischievously. Téa poked her in the shoulder.
"Stop gossiping and sell me a ticket," she joked, her eyes dancing.
"Sure thing, girl," Melanie responded, reaching for the roll, but hesitated before ripping one off. "Singles or couples?" she questioned, although pretty sure of the answer.
Téa began to reply, but an arm descended to her right, and a body settled in on her left. "A couple ticket, of course," the low, almost growling voice belonging to the body said.
She turned her head and immediately caught her breath. Seto eyed her, blue eyes boring into blue eyes, but neither of them said anything. Melanie, bless her, didn't say anything either, but quickly scribbled out the ticket. Seto tossed a bill onto the table, and Melanie hastily scrambled to get him his change. He picked that and the ticket up with his left hand, leaving his right arm leaning against the table and locking Téa into place. She had the distinct feeling that she was being tested.
Okay, note to self: Do not break into giggles.
Seto broke eye contact and glanced down, reading the ticket. "Starts at seven," he said, lifting his head to look at her again. "I'll pick you up at a quarter of." Mutely, Téa nodded. He stepped away, and she felt a cold rush of air hit her body.
Note to self: Do not jump him right now, no matter how warm and cozy he would feel to hug.
Who would have ever thought that Seto Kaiba was warm and cozy?
Note to self: Remember first note to self! No laughing!
"Be on time," he added, and it might have been rude if Téa hadn't been expecting it. She nodded, and somehow, forced herself to be the first one to walk away. He inclined his head toward her in farewell, and she repeated the gesture, and walked very calmly down the hallway. She headed calmly into an empty classroom, and sat calmly down, and a few seconds later Melanie came charging breathless into the room.
Then Téa buried her head in her friend's shoulder and screamed, and then dissolved into giggles.
"Hey- Serenity?" Téa questioned, twirling the phone cord between her fingers. "How are you?"
"Hi there, Téa!" the other girl responded happily. "I just got home from school; I'm doing great. It's good to hear from you again."
"Well, I figured that we'd get to see each other at the dance," Téa said, smiling into the receiver. "I heard the news."
Somehow, she knew that Serenity's face was bright red on the other end. "Oh- yes," she said, coughing discreetly. "Yes, well…"
"Do you have a dress yet?" Téa asked, sparing her the embarrassment of discussing Yugi again.
"Oh wow, I almost forgot. No, I don't- my mom and I were both busy this weekend. I meant to go after school on Wednesday."
"Do you want to go together?" Téa asked hesitantly. "I don't know if you had any special plans…"
"Oh, I'd love to!" Serenity burst exuberantly. "That would be so great. You don't mind? Really? Is Wednesday good for you?"
"Wednesday's fine," Téa assured her. "Do you want to meet at the mall- say, three-thirty or so?"
"That's great," came Serenity's quick response. "Although- are you sure the mall is the best place to go?"
"I said meet at the mall," Téa grinned. "We can hit a couple stores, but you're right- it's not the best place to find dresses. But there are, on the other hand, several of my favorite boutiques within walking distance…"
"I'm in," Serenity giggled from the other end. "Oh, this'll be so much fun!"
"It will be," Téa agreed.
"…Did you mention if you were going with someone?" Serenity asked curiously. "It just occurred to me that I thought you'd be going with Yugi, if anyone…"
"Definitely not with Yugi," Téa emphasized. "He's all yours, girl." She heard a choke, and muffled snorts from the other end, and smiled into the receiver, still fiddling with the cord. She rearranged herself on the comfortable couch. "But, since you mention it… I do happen to have a date." An excited gasp came floating out of the earpiece. "You remember Seto Kaiba, right?"
"Black would look great on you," Serenity said doubtfully, holding up a swatch of cloth to Téa's skin. "But…"
"It's so overdone," Téa agreed before the redhead had a chance to say anything. "I was thinking classic blue. You can't go wrong with that."
"Especially with your eyes," Serenity said thoughtfully, tapping a nail to her chin. "But I wonder…" She grabbed a nearby sweater off a table and held it up. It was a deep blue, almost purple. "This looks good," she said encouragingly. "It makes your eyes look more violet."
"Not too violet, I hope," Téa giggled, taking the sweater and holding it in front of a mirror. Serenity was right; it was a flattering color. "Now if only I could find a dress like this," she said, folding it neatly. "That color, I mean."
"Actually, a whole dress like that might be overkill," Serenity mused. "We'll have to see what turns up."
"What were you thinking about for yourself?" Téa questioned. "Light or dark colors, first of all?"
"Light," Serenity responded hesitantly. "I was thinking pastels."
"That'd be nice," Téa said encouragingly. "You know, now that we know what we want, whatd'ya say we hit the boutiques?"
"Onward, then," Serenity grinned, linking her arm with Téa's. The two girls headed out of the mall, into the warm spring day, and strolled companionably to the closest store.
"So. Were you happy when Yugi invited you to the dance?" Téa asked innocently. She nearly lost her balance and toppled over when Serenity stopped dead. "Whoa! Hey, Serenity, you're just lucky we're not in the middle of the street!"
"Téa," Serenity whispered, turning to face her and digging her fingers into the older girl's arm. Téa's eyebrows raised; she could read Serenity's face. This was something the other girl had wanted to say for a long time. "I was so happy I thought I was going to die," Serenity continued in a low voice, her eyes wide. "I really almost fainted."
Téa let out a low whistle. She half-expected Serenity to be blushing, but the redhead's cheeks were pale, almost white. Serenity looked shell-shocked, like she just realized what had happened. "I had no idea you liked Yugi so much," Téa commented.
"Oh- Yugi. I mean, Yugi's awesome. But have you ever noticed he sometimes… goes funny? Not funny," she added hastily when Téa looked at her curiously. "I mean different. His whole attitude changes. He gets all stiff, and formal, and strong and determined… and adorable…" she trailed off.
"Oh, I know what you mean," Téa said softly. "Has Joey told you about the Millennium Puzzle?"
"It's true then?" Serenity asked in a rush. "The story about the Pharaoh? That's the boy who sometimes takes over Yugi's body? When he duels? And when we're all in danger?"
"It's true, all right," Téa said, laughing ironically. "C'mon." She tugged at Serenity's arm. "I think you've heard it all before, but I'll re-explain while we go searching for a killer dress…"
Téa had spent most of Saturday – okay, most of the week – picturing an unbearably agonizing ten-minute ride to the dance in dead, oppressing silence with Seto Kaiba. Alone with him in his car? With his icy glare and stiff posture? She would have a nervous breakdown.
But it wasn't awkward in the way she feared. Although, typically, she didn't even get a gruff 'You look nice' out of him until they were almost at the school, he did speak.
"Good evening," he'd greeted her parents, albeit rather stiffly. He'd shaken hands with her father, posed with Téa for a picture taken by her mother; then the Gardners disappeared as Téa had beseeched them to. The pair made their way to the car, where Seto presented Téa with a white-rose corsage (and did she spot him blushing?), and they settled in the backseat while the hidden driver began the short trek to the school.
And then Seto delivered the longest speech she'd ever heard pass his lips that didn't involve Duel Monsters or power or how he was better than Yami.
"You understood that I meant 'yes', right?" he asked, leaning forward.
Téa really didn't want to deliver an undignified 'Huh?', and spoil the mood. She blinked at him, and cocked her head to the side.
"When you asked me to the dance. I didn't respond at the time, but obviously I meant 'yes'," Seto clarified.
"Oh." She wet her lips nervously. "I guess you did… because here we are, right?"
"Obviously." He leaned back. Real nice. "Do you know why I said yes?"
Okay, so joking with him isn't the best strategy. Then again… I have to be light-hearted, because that's just who I am. And if I really like him, I owe it to Kaiba to show him that. I have to be honest with myself as well as him.
"I assumed it was because I was so charming," she kidded lightly, feeling vindicated when the corners of his mouth relaxed into a half-smile. "And because you couldn't bear to break my heart."
"I enjoy breaking hearts," he said in a deadpan. For a moment, she was startled; unbidden images of sobbing fangirls came to mind, along with a whimpering Joey wearing that silly dog costume. But then Téa looked at him again, and he was smiling. Amazing.
He was joking back.
"You're an interesting person," he said, in another deadpan, but this time staring at her intensely. "I'm not going to live my life under a rock – no matter what people say about me, I am mostly human." (No way – was he joking again?) "But I'm not going to waste my time either. And something tells me that spending an evening with you wouldn't be a waste of my time."
When Téa found her breath, she joked weakly, "That's the highest praise I've ever received."
"That's the highest praise I've ever given," Seto shot back. They both laughed, Téa somewhat breathlessly. He reached over, like he was going to pick up her hand – but then the limo slid to a smooth stop. "We're here," he said, somewhat reluctantly.
That was when he muttered, sounding almost embarrassed, "By the way, you look nice."
Téa's dress was black at first glance, but if your eyes lingered for more than a second it appeared deep blue or green. Her large, exuberant eyes seemed to shift color along with the fabric and she looked more than just 'nice'. But she appreciated the guts Seto Kaiba had shown to say that; and consequentially none of the other compliments she received lifted her heart quite so much.
"Lookin' good, Téa!"
"Oh, honey, I love your dress!" Melanie shot her a quick wink, then spun away with her date.
"Awesome!" Miho whispered, although Téa had a feeling she was referring to Seto and not the way Téa looked.
Someone let loose a piercing wolf-whistle behind her. Both Téa and Seto spun around, ready to slug whoever had done that, but Téa relaxed when she caught sight of a beaming Joey. "Hey there!" she said, going as if to hug him. But as he lifted his arms, she changed her mind, and sent him a friendly punch in the shoulder instead. "How're you doing?" she asked sweetly, daring him to punch her back.
Joey rolled his eyes, rubbing his arm. "Fine, you win that round, Téa. Nice to see you too." His eyes shifted warily to Seto, who was eyeing him back with equal trepidation. "Hey, Moneybags."
"Mutt," Seto snapped.
Someone tapped the blonde on the shoulder. "Hey, Joey, wanna dance?"
"Sure," he said quickly, flashing a farewell wink at Téa and hurrying to escape Seto. Next to her, Téa felt her date relax.
"Nervous?" she teased, without even thinking about it.
"I don't do so well in social situations," he responded wryly. On impulse, Téa grabbed his hand. "Want to dance?" she offered. "Or do you want to get a drink first?"
She saw Seto's eyes travel, longingly, over to the nice safe refreshments table where they could sit safely away from the music and moving bodies. But then he looked back at her, and took a deep breath. "Let's dance," he said, with visible determination.
Téa's face broke out into a smile. So sweet… she thought dreamily, as they carefully merged onto the dance floor. She helped him position his arms, but Seto was surprisingly good at dancing and fell into the motions easily. I bet he has to practice for all those formal dinners at KaibaCorp, she thought briefly. Plus, he's a fast learner in general.
She felt occasional surprised looks shot at her, and especially Seto – "so he's finally broken out of his shell", someone across the room joked – but decided to mostly concentrate on not fainting.
Where Tea had gone with an alluring dark dress, Serenity had opted (with the older girl's advice) to go for a pale, creamy dress with modest lining but a form-fitting figure. She entered with Yugi – Yami, really – looking around for a familiar face. She spotted her brother, dancing with a large group of people, including Tristan. She waved, but Joey didn't see her.
"Would you like to dance over to him?" Yami offered, looking down at her gently and holding out a hand. Her cheeks went hot and she nodded wordlessly. Serenity carefully, carefully, stepped into his arms and began dancing to the light music playing in the background. Like Téa, she was concentrating very hard on staying coherent, acutely aware of her… date. God he's my date, Serenity thought wildly. Good thing Joey doesn't know how happy I am right now or I have a feeling I'd be on a leash… She could feel Yami staring at her, could see his wide smile out of the corner of her eye, but was too thrilled and terrified to look up. She stared intently at his shoulder, alternately biting her lip and forcing herself to stop.
Serenity had no idea that Yami's blissful happiness was enough to rival hers. Yugi, watching his partner and sensing his emotions, was shocked to find out how much he cared for Joey's younger sister. 'Wow!' he sent to Yami, but his friend was completely lost in his own thoughts.
Serenity had such an animated face, Yami mused. It was a lucky thing for him, too, because otherwise he might have wasted a lot of time being nervous and wondering if she felt the same way. But though she tried to suppress the nervous glee flickering across her features, he could tell that she did, in fact, feel the same way.
Now to let her know, Yami thought with relief. Snaking his arms just a little bit tighter around her, he leaned down and murmured in her ear, "I'm glad Joey suggested this. I wouldn't have known how to approach you."
A terrific blush sprouted from Serenity's neck and crept across her face. Looking at Yami, and seeing his fond amusement, she pulled herself together enough to reply. "What, the King of Games not know how to do something?" she teased. "You probably could have just challenged me to a duel."
"No no no," Yami replied, shaking his head. "Duels and romance should never go together. After all, that would mean that Seto Kaiba has been watching me from afar for quite a while, and I refuse to believe that."
A giggle bubbled out from Serenity's lips. "They should never go together?" she asked innocently. "Well, that's too bad, because I've been looking for a good teacher to spend some quality time with-"
"Oh, I never say never," Yami said quickly.
He pulled her slightly closer, and she willingly snuggled in. "Should we go find Joey now?" she asked after a pause, somewhat reluctantly.
"Don't be nervous," Yami assured her. "He already gave me The Talk."
"He- he what? Oh, no-" Serenity rolled her eyes and theatrically pounded her head. "Ohh, Joey, when I get my hands on you-"
Yami chuckled and grabbed her hands. "He and I have been friends for a long time," he assured her. "It'll be okay."
Their eyes met; each drew a quick breath. "Yes, everything will be," Serenity whispered, smiling shyly.
"Shall we get a drink?" Téa asked for the second time that night – but not, as before, to give Seto a way out. This time it was because she was tired and thirsty from nearly an hour of spinning around the floor with her surprisingly energetic date, and she wanted a break.
Seto eyed her up and down, sending pleasurable tingles down her spine. "Hot?" he asked, with a small smirk, noting her flushed skin and the pleased gleam in her eyes.
Téa laughed, feeling daring. "Who is?" she joked, grabbing his hand and leading him to the refreshment table. He stopped her reach and poured her a cup of punch himself. The perfect gentleman, she thought with mild wonderment. When I first met him, I never would have known.
She took a sip of punch, and as she lowered the cup, she caught Seto looking at her with an intensity that made her start a little. A miracle again – he slowly smiled at her, and her heart skipped a beat. She smiled back, open and warm as always.
He suddenly reached out and snagged her cup, putting hers and his back on the table. "It's a slow song," he said as the music changed tempo. "Finally. I've been waiting for a decent one all night."
Téa was mildly shocked, but perfectly willing to go along, as he steered her out on the dance floor. He brought her up against his body, and she relaxed into him, surprised at how comfortable he was. So it wasn't that stupid a crush all along, she thought ironically. Who would have guessed that this would turn out so… right?
She wondered if he would kiss her, but pushed that hope firmly from his mind. It was their first date – if you could call it that – and they were surrounded by people. Seto Kaiba was notoriously private, not to mention cautious and methodical.
A shift of his stance – she lifted her head slightly – and suddenly his lips were firmly on hers, his hands clasped around her waist.
She forgot that he was also confident, that he liked to take action, and that he was also smart enough to recognize a good thing when it walked up to you and asked you on a date.
Téa kissed back.