A/N: This came to me completely out of the blue. It is a short one-shot that takes place eight years after the end of the "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters" series. It's centered around a chance meeting between Tea Gardner and Weevil Underwood. Not romantic though. Just a tiny bit thought-provoking. This may get another part added if people actually like it but, for now, it's a one-shot.

I actually wrote this about a year ago, back when I used the English dub names and personas of the characters. I am only now finally uploading it.

Beneath the overcast sky, Tea Gardner made her way between the crowds through the thoroughfare en route to the subway station. It had been years since she'd last seen her old friends Yugi, Joey, and Tristan. Tristan, now engaged to Serenity Wheeler, was training to become a soldier while Joey, after finishing college, was hoping to become a chef, but he'd been traveling around a lot for a while. So, Tea hardly got to see him much. He called her once every month or so though. Tea was certain that he spent most of his spare time calling his sister actually, which pleased Tea just fine. And Yugi, well, the situation with the Pharaoh had left such a mark on him that he had began to follow his grandfather's footsteps and become an archaeologist. Tea got postcards from him sometimes. He still dueled in his spare time though, and he still held his old title: "King of Games." It just hadn't been that important as of late. And Tea understood why – after all, no one really had time for card games anymore. No one but Kaiba, of course. It was what the guy made a living off of. Supposedly, he'd even started a school for Duel Monsters. This person was also someone whom Tea no longer saw much of. She wasn't too displeased about this though.

And yet, there were times when Tea wouldn't have even minded Kaiba's company. It had gotten lonely for her since she and her friends had all separated and Tea was the only one left still living in Domino City. She had graduated from college and now worked as a bank teller, hoping to raise enough money to eventually do something she enjoyed. As a matter of fact, she was on her way to work now. Hair pulled back in a bun, she was wearing a cotton white blouse beneath a dark blue suit jacket along with matching pencil skirt, stockings, and pumps. Ignoring her attire, Tea hadn't really changed much since the old tournaments though. She was still her old, friendly self. She was still considered to be "cute" and got a few pleased looks as she walked towards the gates for the subway car that would take her to her daily grind.

It was bound to be an average day, she believed. But, as Miss Gardner turned a corner, her eyes landed on a very familiar man who was being carried by the same current of hurried workers. He wore large, round, glasses with simple frames. His aqua-marine hair was in a bowl cut.

No. Tea thought after doing a double-take. Could it really be…?

Whether it was or not, he didn't seem to notice her and continued to walk in the same unorganized row off to her side, with a few people between them. He was tall, slim, and wore a black business suit. He absent-mindedly swung a closed umbrella in one hand and carried a suitcase in the other. There was no doubt about it: once the glare left his glasses, two frozen, blue, eyes were clearly visible. It had to be none other than Weevil Underwood, likely on the way to an occupation of his own. He had a look in his eyes that indicated he was on auto-pilot, like just about every other person on the way to work. He wasn't paying much atention to anything in this world.

Tea would wonder for the rest of her life what had convinced her to approach this old unpleasant acquaintance of hers. Maybe it was because she was a sociable person whose friends were far off. She was lonely and she really wouldn't have minded company of any sort. The cat at home didn't always count. And, besides, for better or worse, this was a person she knew. So, without hesitating any further, Tea suddenly went against the current and found her way to the Japanese national champion of Duel Monsters.

"Hello, Weevil!" She blurted, trying to avoid his eyes as he blinked and turned to her. Now getting a slightly better look at him, she was a little surprised to see that his appearance had improved. He still wasn't particularly handsome, possibly because he still wore huge glasses and a somewhat silly hair cut. However he was also no longer so unappealing as he had been eight years earlier. Perhaps this was because his eyes didn't seem so unnaturally shaped in relation to his face and his bowl cut looked like it fit his head a little more than it had years past.

Despite how he changed though, he was still Weevil. He raised an eye brow after examining her in return as they were now walking side-by-side.

"Tea." He let out a rather ragged, if faintly amazed, sigh. "You haven't changed one bit. So, tell me – what in the world did you wish to lecture me about, after eight years?" His voice had changed more than his appearance. The once scratchy, high-pitched, voice had become soft, smooth, and clipped. His tone when he spoke to her was cold, mildly interested, and the slightest bit condescending. It was almost intimidating actually.

Oh, he definitely hadn't forgotten about her. And she obviously hadn't left a good impression.

"I didn't want to lecture you. I just wanted to talk." Tea hadn't been certain whether Weevil was being sarcastic or joking bitterly. But, she wanted to make it clear that she meant no ill will.

"Really?" Weevil actually sounded surprised and a little amused. "And why is that?"

Why is that? Tea asked herself. Really, it was a good question.

"I don't know…I guess it's sort've nice to see a familiar face after so long." She mumbled as they drew nearer to where people were paying the fare for the subway.

"Wow, Tea." Weevil chuckled. "This is the biggest surprise I've gotten all year – Someone who hated me actually wants to talk to me. Well, this won't be awkward at all..." He'd become even more sarcastic over time. How was that possible?

"Could you stop with the attitude?" Tea shot back. "I just want to talk to someone that I know."

"Oh…I get it." Weevil sighed and shook his head before turning to Tea with a familiar smirk. "You haven't seen your old friends in a while, right? Yugi, Wheeler, and that other person? And now you're just happy to see someone you once knew…Well, of course I mean, 'knew', in the loosest sense of the word. But is that it?"

He got it, right on the nose. And it frustrated Tea to no end.

"Can't you just be happy to have someone to talk to?" She hissed. "You obviously have no real friends."

There was a long pause as Weevil and Tea paid the fare and made their way onto the subway car.

"You know, it's supposed to rain soon." Weevil suddenly changed the subject. "You do have an umbrella, don't you?"

"Well, no," Tea admitted. It was really a blunder, when she thought about it. The weather forecast had said there'd be rain, yet she'd forgotten to prepare. Her eyes enviously flickered over to Weevil's closed umbrella before they stepped into the subway car and made their way to the back. It was extremely crowded but this, thankfully, wasn't Tokyo. The two had a few inches of breathing room as they stood together.

"That's too bad," Weevil replied mildly. There was another long pause before he cleared his throat rather awkwardly and brought up another subject. "So, how has Yugi been? Or have you really not heard from him?"

"He's been all right," Tea answered with a shrug. "He's an archaeologist, now. I get postcards from him, sometimes."

"Oh." Weevil seemed to lose interest. Another awkward pause settled between them. "I have to stay on this subway car for half an hour."

"So do I," Tea admitted grimly.

"If you want to talk to me, you'd best come up with something to talk about." Weevil raised a brow. "Wouldn't that make sense?"

"Yes!" Tea sighed and bit her lip before blurting out, "So, how have you and Rex been?"

"Oh, that old partner-in-crime of mine?" The meaning was practically literal and they both knew it. "Honestly, I haven't seen or heard from him for seven years. Maybe a little longer."

"Really? But weren't you two friends?" Tea blinked. Sure, she could understand not seeing a friend for a long time. But, wouldn't they at least try to stay in touch?

"Oh, we were hardly what I would call 'friends'. Rex was more like an accomplice." Weevil shook his head. "With that little comment you made earlier about my not having friends, I thought you'd know that. But, to answer the other part of your question, my life's been tolerable enough."

Tea frowned, deciding to change the subject again.

"So, do you take this subway car to work every day?"

"Yes, actually." Weevil nodded, clearly happy about this new route of conversation. "I manage a bank near the other side of Domino, though I just got a shift change. So, I'm going in earlier from today onwards."

"Uh, really?" Tea felt a sudden chill. "Would it happen to be, um, the Domino City Bank?"

"Yes, that one." Weevil replied with a shrug.

Tea gulped. That was the one she worked at. The only reason she hadn't seen him was probably because she had been going in early and he'd been coming later for a long time. But this was going to be different from now on. Talking to Weevil on the way to work for one day wouldn't be that bad. But, now, she'd probably have to see him at work too. And, of course, there was the obvious issue of his being a manager...

Ohhhhh…Jeez. She thought. Problems on the horizon.

"To be honest though, I'm hoping to build up enough funds to study as an entomologist…" Weevil added, sighing.

"An entomologist? Is that a scientist who studies insects?" She was happy when he changed the subject again. Tea did not want to give Weevil early satisfaction knowing that he was higher up than her at work. She'd be his employee. Yikes.

Weevil blinked before turning to her in surprise.

"You got it." He laughed, his mood improving greatly. "People don't usually know what that is! I find it amusing that you knew. If you say you're a chemist, biologist, physicist, or archaeologist, then people know what you are. If you say you're an entomologist, then people usually have no idea what you're talking about. It's gotten to the point where some entomologists just start calling themselves, 'insectologists' or 'arachnologists' because they don't have to explain it so much."

Tea smiled weakly.

"I can understand that." Okay, the truth was that it had been a guess mainly stemming from the fact that she remembered Weevil liking bugs. But she actually felt good impressing him the way she just had.

However, Weevil apparently read her expression. He chuckled quietly.

"Or did you, perhaps, just guess?" He adjusted his glasses. Tea simply looked up at him for a short while.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It was obviously an educated guess anyway." He sighed. It occurred to them both that they did, indeed, know each other a little. In some very twisted sense of the word at least. "So, what do you do for a living?"

Oh no.

"I work at a bank." She muttered, hoping he wouldn't pry further.

"Well, isn't that a coincidence." Weevil smirked. "And, with the route that this subway station is on, combined with your obvious discomfort, I would guess you work at the bank I manage!" He laughed.

Tea's jaw dropped. She'd almost forgotten how clever Weevil had been.

"Ah! That look tells me that I got it right." Weevil flashed a familiar grin. "That makes me your boss."

"Ugh." Tea shook her head. "Did you have to put it like that?"

"If you have to ask, yes!" Weevil laughed again. "It feels unbelievably good to say it! Now, if I were to choose, I could give you lectures, yes? How very ironic."

"You're going make my job a living Hell, aren't you, Weevil?" Tea sighed.

There was a pause, and then a low chuckle.

"Not at all. What kind of boss do you think I am?" He was smiling and adjusting his glasses. Tea actually would have found it vaguely charming, had she not built up the preconception that Weevil was anything but charming.

"A cruel, selfish, one," Tea plainly answered from experience. "One who's willing to do anything to get what he wants."

"And exactly what would I be gaining from making your work life Hell?"

"Satisfaction? Amusement?"

"I would also most likely lose an employee." Weevil pointed out, quirking a brow. "Possibly a valuable one at that. I don't know if you've forgotten my positive traits, Tea, but I'm not an idiot. Not like that ridiculous friend of yours – Wheeler."

"Hey! Watch your mouth, Bug Boy." Ah, the old nickname. "He's my friend." Tea narrowed her eyes at the former insect duelist.

"Ha. Honestly, Miss Gardner, I believe you should be the one watching her mouth." His voice lowered an octave. "Or, at the very least, keep the attitude on the subway car. At work, I am your boss. Remember that. I can't give you special treatment just because we have a history. Oh, and cut the 'Bug Boy' treatment. It's not my name and it never has been."

Tea pursed her lips, but nodded nonetheless. She wasn't used to treating Weevil with such respect, but she would probably have to do so if she wanted to keep her job.

"…Actually, if you must know, 'Bug Boy' is a name I only allow my family to use for me," Weevil admitted. "You get the idea. Also, I'm assuming you're not stupid enough to call me anything other than 'Mr. Underwood' at work?"

Tea nodded again, not sure what to say to that.

"Oh, and," Weevil cleared his throat rather uncomfortably. "I apologize for bad-mouthing Wheeler in front of you. It was rather impolite of me to do so. You are my employee after all…"

Tea turned to him, blinking a few times. An apology from Weevil Underwood? Eight years. Could that make so much of a difference?

"Apology accepted," she paused and then added, "Mr. Underwood." Tea showed a small smile. The truth was that she no longer felt like she was talking to Weevil Underwood. She felt more like she was talking to her boss. This unnerved her and made her feel small somehow. But he quickly squashed this feeling when he laughed lightly and said,

"For goodness' sake, Tea! You can stop talking to me like an employee would. Save it till we get to the work place." He gave a fairly pleasant, if awkward and rarely used, smile.

Surprised, Tea responded with her own awkward smile.

"All right, then." It felt like thin ice talking to this guy. And yet, as the two changed the subject again and began to discuss daily life, their pets, time spent over the past years, hobbies, and family, the atmosphere wasn't nearly as volatile as it would have been had they been talking eight years earlier. Though there was still a tense air between them, it seemed as if their previous mutual dislike, disgust, and animosity had faded with the years. Now, there was only a bitter, dry, background in their minds in respect to each other. And as the conversation continued, even that stayed, for the most part, where it belonged: in the background.

If only the atmosphere outside the subway were as dry as that though. As the car made its scheduled stop, both Miss Gardner and Mr. Underwood exited the station in comfortable silence to be welcomed by a heavy rain that would have drenched the un-prepared, umbrella-less, Tea on a quick run to work.

Would have, indeed, had Weevil not opened his own umbrella to shelter them both as they continued to walk together through the downpour. This act earned at first a shocked expression, and then a genuine smile. The umbrella holder responded by questioning what kind of person she thought he was. Did she really expect him to just leave a decent lady to be soaked, when she was his employee no less? Perhaps she did. But then again, she reminded herself that she didn't really know Weevil. Tea knew him even less now than she had eight years ago, it occurred to her. The same occurred to him.

So, what could you call these two people? Strangers in that they knew hardly anything of each other? Enemies who found a strange comfort in seeing someone that they knew after so long? Formerly unpleasant acquaintances? Allies in loneliness, though neither would openly admit it? An employer and his employee with a potential for some sort of relationship?

Or, perhaps, all of the above and more? There is doubt as to whether or not these two know it themselves. But, whatever they are, they will have many subway trips, many rainy days, and much umbrella sharing to decide on their own.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please tell me what you think if you have the time.