Hey guys! Liz Inc here with a cute little one-shot featuring Joey and Tea. I can't seem to find too many of these types stories lyin' around, so I figured why not contribute another? Hope ya enjoy!

"talking"

'thoughts'

Rated PG for minor swearing.

Disclaimer: No, as a matter of fact I do not own Yugioh…so? Neither do you!

oOoOoOo

A flash of lightening. A crack of thunder. The falling of rain…

Tears of loss and defeat slowly cascaded down the brunette's pale face as she watched his fading silhouette become one with the darkness. He was leaving her alone to cope with her nagging feelings and aching heart, and he was doing it without saying so much as a goodbye...

Tea trudged despondently down the empty road, her watery blue eyes glued to the wet pavement beneath her. She didn't bother evading the large puddles and pools that blocked her ongoing path, so her clean clothes became dirtied and drenched with muddy water. It's not like she cared though. The only thing that she was able to feel at this point was the emotional pain of rejection…not the cold, not the rain, nothing. It was like all of her senses had become numb…like she had become completely detached from the physical world.

'But why?' she thought grimly as she tightened her grip on her umbrella. 'What had happened back there?' She closed her eyes as his agonizing words ricocheted off the cavernous walls of her aching mind…

"We're friends, Tea, but nothing more."

It just didn't make any sense. She had finally gathered up enough courage to go out on this little venture because she was convinced that he had felt the same. But he didn't…not at all.

Maybe it was because she had waited too long to tell him. Maybe it was because he was already in love with someone else. Or maybe…maybe she had just been trying too damn hard. Heck, did it really even matter anymore? She vigorously shook her head, causing the wet ends of her hair to slap mercilessly against her rosy cheeks. Of course it still mattered. She couldn't just pretend like it had didn't…like she had never fallen in love with him…

With Ryou Bakura.

oOoOoOo

As she entered her apartment, a surge of hot air struck her face, sending warm chills down her spine. She threw her open umbrella and soggy jacket onto the floor and kicked off her shoes, listening intently to the peaceful silence that filled the air. She smiled feebly.

'Ah…the wonders of being home alone. Thank you, Hawaii!'

She then proceeded to change into clean clothes, fill a large bowl to the brim with mint chocolate-chip ice cream, and plop down on the couch. It was only 8:00, so she figured why not drown her sorrows in an oversized bowl of fat and calories while watching a totally overrated soap opera? It was the perfect scenario…

She grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and scrunched her legs up on either side of her, allowing her body to sink back into the soft cushions. She was about to indulge herself in a dainty bite of the minty cream when the telephone began to ring, completely spoiling the moment.

A soft growl emanated from her throat. "Dammit! Why can't everybody just leave me the hell alone? I want to feel bad for myself in peace." She hastily leaned over to grab the phone that was lying on the wooden coffee table in front of her.

"What!" she spat bitterly into the speaker.

"Hey Tea! It's Joey."

He didn't seem to notice the harsh tone in her voice…either that or he was pretending not to. She opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated. She really didn't want to talk right now…

"Tea?"

She frantically searched her mind for some way out of the seemingly inevitable conversation, but alas…she found none. "Uh, yeah. Hi."

He raised a golden brow. "Don't we sound perky. Ya feelin' ok?"

"Never better."

Yeah right. Like he was actually going to actually buy that. He may have been a guy, but he wasn't that stupid. "Ok look, I uh…I think dat I mighta left my sports coat at ya house. Would ya mind if I came and got it?"

Tea's eyelids fluttered as she sourly glanced over at the red and black jacket that lay immobile on her living room table. Did she mind? Yes, as a matter of fact, she did. The only problem was that she'd probably sill mind if he asked her tomorrow, or the next day, or even the day after that…

"It's here…just make it quick, ok?"

"Score! Aw man, I was worried dat my mom had actually thrown it into da trash compactor like she'd been threatenin' ta do for da past 4 years! I mean, what in da world could possibly tempt her ta wanna dispose of it?"

She rolled her eyes. Maybe it was because he refused to wash it now that it had some infamous football player's signature sprawled hastily across its backside. Or maybe it was a baseball player's…

"Ya know it could be worth millions!"

The brunette slowly shook her head. "Right."

"Honestly! I'm being-"

"Yeah, yeah sure. Hey, if I were you though, I'd stop talking and start making your way over here…like now. 'Cause you know I can change my mind just as easily as I made it."

He grinned. Looks like somebody needed a nap. "Ok, I'll be dere in five ta ten minutes, alright?"

"Fine."

"Thanks, Tea."

"Uh-huh…" CLICK.

The second they hung up, Tea threw down the phone, ran into the bathroom, and examined herself in the mirror. Crap…it still looked like she had been crying. Her eyes were puffy and swollen and her cheeks were streaked with dried tears. She turned on the faucet and splashed some water across her face, hoping that it would make her look a bit more presentable. Of course…it didn't. She snarled at her reddened reflection and gave a quick wave of her hand as if to say "screw it."

She placidly rubbed her sore eyes as she dragged her tired body back over towards the couch and sat down, lazily allowing them linger over towards the TV.

Ho-boy.

Looks like things were starting to get disgustingly mushy…

"O-kay!"

She quickly changed the channel and immediately became engrossed in a cheesy talk show. So much in fact, that she had lost track of time. A series of loud knocks sounded at the door.

"It's open!" she called without removing her eyes from the screen. She heard it slowly creak open and close.

"WHOO! Damn, it's freezin' out dere! Why didn'tchya tell me dat it was rainin' out? I got soaked!" He rapidly shook his head back and fourth, causing water to splatter all over the surrounding walls and furniture.

Tea suppressed a smirk. No wonder Kaiba was always calling him a mutt.

"Man, I really shoulda brought my umbrella," he moaned as he ran his hands through his disheveled, blonde hair, squeezing out all of the excess water that wasn't already all over the walls. He noticed that his prized jacket was sitting over by the auburn haired girl, so he slowly began to approach. However, the closer he got, the more evident it became…

Tea…she looked like she was upset about something. Her body seemed stiff and rigid and her face sullen and morose...like she had just recently discovered that she was going to die from some fatal and incurable disease…

Although his hand had been mere centimeters away from retrieving his long-lost signature, the blonde retracted his fingers and changed directions, plopping down on the couch next to the girl so that he could examine her gloomy figure at a closer range. The dim light from the television slowly danced across her pale face, revealing her pursed lips and narrowed eyes that resembled a pale blue sky, swarming with thick black clouds. Yeah…something was definitely wrong, and he doubted that it was just her…well, you know…"time of the month."

He just hated seeing her in melancholic moods like these; almost to a point where they began to affect him. After all, she was Tea Gardner – Pep-Queen Extraordinaire. Moping just wasn't her style…

It didn't suite her.

He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he noticed the full bowl of ice cream that lay virtually untouched in her hands. He grinned. Eh, whatever-the-heck was bothering her could wait a few more seconds… "Hey…you gonna eat dat?"

His friend sighed and handed him the bowl without hesitation. "Help yourself."

"Awesome!" He grabbed it from her hands. "I'm starved! I don't think dat I've eaten for at least an hour!"

She felt a grin gently tug at the corners of her lips, but quickly disposed of it. She was supposed to be in a crappy mood right now. Why did he have to go and ruin that for her? More importantly, WHY WAS HE STILL HERE?

"Hey, I thought I had told you to make it quick," she snapped, giving him a piercing gaze.

He pulled the spoon from his mouth and swallowed. "Hey, hey, hey! No need ta get all mad at me! I'll be leavin' shortly…" He went back to eating, but could still feel her penetrating gaze continue to infiltrate his skull. He sighed. "What, do I not have da right ta spend some quality time wit my best friend?"

As he glanced over at her with his honey-hued eyes, she felt her anger slowly begin to diminish. Him and those stupid eyes of his! She smiled sheepishly and averted her sorrowful gaze back towards the television. "I'm sorry, Joey. I just kinda wanted to be alone tonight…"

He slowly shook his head. Ok…that was enough of this. He set the bowl down on the coffee table and gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"All right Tea. I wanna know what ya problem is and I wanna know now."

A snarl crossed her lips. She just knew that he once he arrived, he wasn't going to leave. "I'm fine Joey."

He frowned. "Your lyin' ta me. Why are ya lyin' ta me?"

"I'm not lying!" she cried, pushing his body away from hers. "I just want to be alone! Can't you see that!"

Yeah, he could see that…so? She had never backed down when he pushed her away, so what made her think that he would? He sighed and wrapped his arm around her again, pulling her body closer to his.

"Sorry, but ya ain't gettin' rid of me dat easily…"

Damn. It looked like he was right, for she suddenly felt her body began to relax in his warm embrace. She bit her lower lip as hot tears consumed her weary eyes. This was all so strange. One moment she was lamenting over the fact that Ryou had rejected her, and in the next she was being comforted by her best friend who was beginning to make her feel like that lonely walk home had never ensued…

"Tea?" he whispered softly, interrupting her thoughts.

"What? I already told you that I'm fine."

"It don't sound like ya fine."

"Well I am."

"Sorry, but I ain't fallin' for dat…"

She felt his hand tenderly lift her chin so that her blue eyes met his brown ones. She bit down on her lip even harder, scrunching up her nose in the process. Should she tell him? Would it help?

"Don't keep it bottled up inside, Tea," he whispered softly as he began to softly caress her delicate skin with the back of his hand. It was extremely soft…so much in fact, that it almost didn't seem real. How could he not have noticed this before? It was so beautiful…breathtaking. He slowly retracted his hand, the lingering feeling of its gentleness still tingling up and down his fingers. How strange…

She shivered. This was rather…unexpected. Maybe she was feeling overly needy…yeah. That had to be it. She couldn't just start having these strange feelings out of nowhere, especially after what had just happened…could she?

"Tea…" His warm breath tickled the side of her neck.

"Y-yes?"

"Tell me…please. I hate seein' ya like dis."

A soft sob emitted from her throat. He was right. She should tell him. Why was she doing this to herself! Somebody wanted to help her cope with all the painful feelings that stung at her soul like a persistent bee…she didn't have to go through it alone…

"It's okay…" he whispered into her ear, wrapping his other arm around her and resting the center of his forehead against the side of hers. "You can tell me…"

Yes…she could tell him. She would tell him. And she did…she finally allowed all the pain and anguish to come pouring out of her, just like rain was from the darkened sky.

oOoOoOo

Tea slowly opened her eyes, only to be blinded by a tremendously bright light. She quickly shut them and pulled her blanket back over her head.

"Turn it off…" she moaned as she rolled over. However, the bed she had been sleeping on was awfully narrow, so she ended up tumbling off the side and landing on the hard floor with a loud thump.

"…Ow."

She slowly sat up, untangled herself from her blanket, and rubbed her tired eyes. It appeared as if she had slept the rest of the night away on the living room couch. She didn't remember doing that, but someone else had because there was a pillow resting atop the cushions, and a warm blanket wrapped protectively around her body.

Joey.

She smiled wanly as she leisurely lifted her body off the floor and plopped back down onto the couch. She remembered what had happened last night…the way he had comforted her, even when she had tried to push him away. She brought her hand to her cheek. It still slightly tingled…weird. Was she still feeling needy? Cause she had never thought of the blonde as more then a friend…had she?

She laughed aloud. Yeah right. Besides, he was probably still in love with 'lil Miss Valentine. She may have placed a larger distance between the two of them, but he would still often talk about her, write her letters, and send her emails, even though she hardly ever answered them…

Her smile slowly faded. Mai…why did he still care about her? She had left him and her hometown behind, just so she could be reunited with her ex-boyfriend whom she had so eloquently claimed, "desperately wanted her back." And the worst part was that Joey was completely unaware of this. She had told him that she was leaving because she wanted to go work on some luxurious cruise ship and travel to places she never knew existed…wait. He didn't know. Joey may have still been in love with a woman who had never really cared for him, let alone loved him…

Just like Ryou had never loved her.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted as she heard the muffled rustling of keys outside her door. She quickly whirled around. Who was that? Her parents weren't supposed to be home for another week or so, and it wasn't like them to leave vacations early. Finally, the door flew open and she was shocked to find her blonde-haired friend standing there with a huge smile on his face.

"Good mornin' sunshine! Didya miss me?"

She gave him a weird look. "Um…yeah. I guess. What are you - hey! Are those my keys?"

"Yup." He had on one of his big, goofy grins and was waving a small, brown paper-bag in the air next to his face. "I borrowed 'em so dat I could get back in dis mornin' afta I bought ya breakfast." He walked over to her and placed the bag it in her lap. It smelled amazing…

She smirked. Now this was interesting…Joey had gone out to get food for someone other than himself. Heh, the next thing ya know, pigs'll be flyin' around outside her window…

"Ok, I want us ta be able ta leave here in half an hour, alright? So ya betta start eatin'…"

Her smirk slowly faded. "Wait, we?" Ok, now he was really starting to scare her.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Yes we! You and I are gonna spend da day together cause I don't want ya ta stay cooped up in dis musty ol' apartment all day, feelin' sorry for yourself. Dat's not only silly, but extremely unhealthy."

Unhealthy? …Right. And this was coming from a guy who spent most of his day in front of the television, playing some gory videogame while viciously snarfing on double-stuffed Oreos…

She thought for a moment. Staying home all day had been her initial plan, but she had never expected someone to do something like this for her…especially him. "I…I don't know what to say."

He smirked. "Ya don't haveta say anythin'." He then pointed to the brown bag. "But you do have to start eatin'! And while ya do, I gotta go get some gas for my car. I'll be back in like twenty minutes, ok?" He then turned around and walked over to the front door, but hesitated before opening it.

"And if ya were wonderin'…why I'm doin' all of dis…" He laughed softly. "Dat's an easy one…it's because you're my friend, Tea, and I care a lot about ya. Besides, ya helped me cope with Mai's departure, and dat is somethin' I'll neva forget…"

Oh yeah…how could she forget?

After Mai had left the country, Serenity received a call that required her to leave home for a few days. But she was really nervous about leaving her heartbroken brother home alone, so Tea had offered to stay with him…three days to be exact. It was hard to watch him cry, and she knew that he didn't like her seeing him that way, but she wouldn't leave him alone no matter how much he protested.

He had needed her then just as much as she needed him now. And as much as she wanted to deny it, it was still true. She did need him now…probably more than anyone else.

"But…" he finally added after a long pause. "Don't think dat I'm doing dis just ta return da favor, cause ya damn well know dat I'd do it anyway."

He began to open the door but stopped as he felt two, small arms encircle his waste, and a soft voice whisper in his ear, "Thank you, Joey."

He grinned. "Ya welcome…" Once she let go, he quickly left the room. He didn't want her to see that he had been blushing, but little did he know…

She had been too.

oOoOoOo

"So, I'm guessin' dat ya liked da movie since ya weren't screamin' like da rest of dem girls in da theater."

She laughed as she popped another fry into her mouth. "That's because I'm not like the other girls."

He laughed too. "Yeah, I know. I'm just kiddin' wit ya…"

After they had left Tea's apartment, Joey had taken her to see "The Grudge." He informed her that horror flicks were the perfect cure for crappy moods since they'd most likely be the only thing that you'd be able to think about for the next few weeks or so after watching them. But once they got there, the two barely even paid attention to it. They were too busy laughing at the guys who were screaming like girls, and laughing at the girls who were hopelessly clinging to them, convinced that it would make the film seem a little less frightening.

After that, the two of them went miniature golfing and Tea managed to just barely claim the victory over her blonde-haired friend by scoring 5 points less than he did. He assured her that he had let her win on that last hole, but she knew better. A guy's pride always came before anything else…

They then proceeded to grab a quick bite to eat and head over to the park where they ran into Yugi, Tristin, Serenity, and Duke. Their first impression of finding the two of them alone together was that they had been out on a date. But once the two of them were finally able to stop laughing, they assured their skeptical friends that they had just been hangin' out, without adding any unnecessary details. Tristin on the other hand, was completely convinced that they were out doing much more than just "hanging out," and started threatening the two of them with a nasty blackmail. That is, until Joey threatened to kick his "sorry ass" in front of Serenity…

That definitely got him to shut up for a while.

After spending a couple more hours with them, the two civilly declined the others' offer to go and hang out at the game shop (which probably rose even more suspicion within Tristin), and went out for an early dinner at a classy little diner, which is where they were at now. And the most amazing part was that Tea hadn't thought about Ryou all day…

Until now.

"But I must admit that the part I did end up watching was pretty damn freaky."

"Nah…I've seen scarier."

"Oh pu-leeze! 'The Ring' so does not count!"

"Who said dat I was talkin' about 'Da Ring'?"

"Oh, come on Joey! First, you wouldn't answer the phone for the next week or so after watching it. Secondly, you unplugged all the televisions in your house and detached their antennas. Thirdly, you attempted to burn all of your unmarked videotapes – ha, I remember how your mom had to draw the line on that one - just in case they happened to be a copy. And we can't forget how you tried to- "

"Alright, alright, I get ya point!" he cried, waving his hand in the air to silence her.

She laughed, bringing her cup up to her mouth. "Good. Just as long as we're clear…"

All of a sudden, Joey's phone began to buzz and dance its way across the table. He glanced down at it. "Wouldya look at dat…" He picked it up and began fumbling with the buttons, a temperate smile forming on his face. "It's a text from Mai…now dis is interestin'. She hardly eva sends me dese…"

Tea merely nodded, trying to look as disinterested as possible. But it was hard for her to just sit back and watch him converse with a girl who was taking advantage of him. She bit her lower lip as she frantically thought of something to say…anything at all…

He sighed and put down his phone. "Ya know…I kinda feel sorry for dat girl."

Wait, what?

She slowly released her lower-lip from her teeth's firm grip and, as a result, her mouth fell agape. She had expected him to say a lot of things about Mai, but that? Millions of questions flooded her brain, but the only one she was actually able to verbalize was, "What did you say?"

He looked up at her and shook his head. "Dat poor girl…she has no idea what she wants outta life. I mean, she's constantly tellin' me how amazin' everytin's goin' for her - it's obvious dat she's seriously insecure - when in reality she's nutin' more den an depressed woman who couldn't figure out right from wrong, even if da answer was handed ta her on a silver platter."

He laughed softly and began to slowly rotate his cup in circles, staring down at his empty plate like it was going to magically replenish itself or something. "Ya know, I tried ta help her out by beginnin' da whole 'letta writin' process' ta show her dat dere was still someone out dere dat cared about her and wanted ta help her out, but she just neva seemed ta get it. I mean, she rarely writes and even when she does, it's all about how much she misses me and wants ta see me. Well, I never saw her make any effort ta come on out here, now did I? No. She expects me ta come ta her. Ya know, it was she who had left me in da first place ta go be wit some other guy dat didn't even loved her, so why da hell should I come crawlin' back ta her, pretendin' like nothin' eva happened?" He lowered his cup and sighed. "No way, man…dere's just no way."

Tea was absolutely speechless. This was not what she had expected to hear. Especially the fact that Joey had known all along…"I was under the impression that she had told you…a lie."

He raised a curious, golden brow. "Ya talkin' about dat cruise ship crap? Yeah…she did. But I ended up findin' out da truth in da end, and, believe it or not, da words had come directly from her mouth."

A look of horror formed on Tea's face. "You mean, she told you that she was leaving you for another guy…to your face?"

"Yeah…right afta I had revealed my true feelin's for her." He glanced back up at the brunette, slowly nodding his head in response to her shocked expression. "And I ain't gonna lie…I was definitely in love wit Mai at a certain point, and I guess dat it was nice of her ta come clean wit me and stuff, but still. Her initial intention was ta leave me thinkin' some skanky ol' lie..."

Tea slowly shook her head as she took another sip of her coke. "It sucks, doesn't it?" She smiled wanly. "To be in love with someone who doesn't/never loved you back."

"Yeah. It does, but so what? In da end, it's dere loss, not ours. I mean, Mai's totally screwed up now - although I'm not sayin' its entirely cause she left me - and as for Ryou…heh. Da poor guy's livin' wit a psychotic spirit. What does dat tell ya? I say issues, man…serious issues." He was relieved when a small laugh escaped his friend's parted lips, because he had half expected her to haul off and slap him.

"But honestly," he continued, "he's got ta be da biggest moron in da whole damn world if he wasn't able ta see what an amazin' woman he was blatantly turnin' down." He smirked, as she raised her brow. "I mean, come on…even I of all people am able ta see it, so it must not be rocket science, right?"

Tea grinned. How articulate… "Then that must make Mai an even bigger moron, cause she ended up leaving the right guy for the wrong one."

He nodded. "Yeah, dat was pretty stupid of her, wasn't it?"

Tea burst out laughing. It was just the way he had said it…

There was a short silence before Joey jumped up from the table and asked, "What do ya say we get da hell outta here?" A huge grin formed on his face. "And leave all our silly mistakes and regrets behind." He extended his hand.

Tea smiled and gladly took it. "That sounds great."

He quickly pulled out his wallet with his free hand and threw some money on the table. "Dere. Dat should cover it…"

She smiled, gently squeezing his hand. "Thank you Joey."

"For what? Its a guy's duty ta pay for da ladies' meal."

She laughed. "Not for paying, you moron! Well, I do appreciate it, but that's not what I meant." She paused for a moment as they exited the restaurant. She then released her hand from his grip, and tenderly wrapped both of her arms around his. "What I meant to say was…thank you for today, Joey. I had a really awesome time and it was mostly 'cause…" She rested her chin on his upper-arm and gazed up at him with a small smile. "I spent it with you."

Geeze, could she have sounded any cornier?

No. Probably not.

He sighed. "Did ya really expect ta get anytin' less outta Joey Wheeler?" She didn't answer him quickly enough, so he finished by saying, "Uh yeah…dat's what I thought."

She laughed and gave him a playful shove. "Joey, you jerk!"

"Wha?" he asked, throwing his arms up in defense.

"You."

"What about me?"

She grinned. "You're a jerk."

"Why am I a jyerk?"

"Cause you just are."

"But why?"

"I think you already know…remember, you're bright enough see the amazing woman in me, so you must be able to see why you're such a jerk. After all, it isn't rocket science." Her grin grew wider.

He pretended to look shocked. "Are you mockin' me?"

"Why, of course I am!" She flashed him a toothy grin. "And ya know what's so great?"

"No…what?"

"That there's absolutely nothing you can do about it."

"Oh, is that what you think?" he asked casually, eyeing her glossy lips.

She laughed as she stopped in front of his car. "Obviously."

He grinned inwardly as she turned her head and flashed him another cute smile. Such a naïve girl. She was completely oblivious to what he was about to do…to what he had wanted to do, ever since that dreary night on her living room couch…

oOoOoOo

The setting sun. The rising moon. An earth-shattering kiss…

One moment she was standing there laughing at him, the next, his soft lips were gently caressing her own. Her eyes widened for a moment as soft shivers ascended her spine. She definitely hadn't seen this coming, but she was irrefutably enjoying it…

She slowly allowed her eyes to close and wrapped both of her arms around his neck, deepening what already felt like an amazing kiss. She never imagined that something so simple and mundane could ever feel this extraordinary; then again, she never imagined that Joey would be the one to make her feel this way.

They parted a couple of minutes later, only because they were both in desperate need of air.

Joey licked his flushed lips and smirked. "Ya know, ya taste pretty damn good…kinda like strawberries."

She laughed. "That would be the lip gloss."

His smirk grew wider. "Is that so?" Without waiting for her to respond, he quickly leaned in and lightly brushed his lips up against hers, allowing them to linger there for a couple of seconds in an effort to tease her before he caused the earth to shatter once more.

She grinned against his mouth. It had only been a single day since her despondent walk home in the rain…since she had been convinced that it would be impossible for her to ever forget about falling in love with that white-haired boy. Now, here she was…kissing Joey, pretending like nothing else in the world mattered…like that petty little crush of hers had never existed. So it was possible to forget…

But who would've ever thought…that they would both be forced to relinquish their old flames, endure the pain of rejection, and pick up the pieces of their shattered hearts, only to discover that they had each other all along…

Isn't it ironic?

oOoOoOo

Yeah! I'm done! And it turned out to be better than I thought it would! And if any of you were wondering why I chose Ryou to play the part of the bastard, it's because I find that most people choose Yami. I just wanted to be a little different, that's all.

Hey, if you guys end up liking this, I'm considering writing a TS or TB one shot as well…and when I say "B" I mean YAMI B!

One more thing: for those of you that are in the process of reading my story, "remember me," the next chapter will be out eventually. I've just been feeling really, really lazy lately…that, and extremely stressed, forming somewhat of a deadly combination.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. If you did, feel free to review!

Bye-bye