Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Téa shifted her shoulders and sighed. She reached out her hand into her magenta tote bag to grab her water bottle. Taking a sip she was startled by someone calling out to her. "Hon!"

Téa choked a little, coughing and turned. "Mai!" She greets, smiling after composing herself.

"What are you doing here?" Mai inquired. There was a tournament outside in the outer part of the stadium. Instead of being out there with the rest of the spectators, Téa was pleasantly seated inside. This stadium was especially made for such tournaments and one of its special features was the building they were currently in. The building was embedded inside of the stadium, taking the place of where seats for fans would have been. Massive windows lined the side of the wall building, looking inward to where the duels were being played. Téa sat on a bench watching Yugi duel another contestant, from indoors.

Téa gave a shy grin. "I just needed a breather, you know?"

Mai nodded. For a moment, she wondered how Téa was able to gain passage into the building. It was really a place for the duelists, like herself, to rest in between matches. Of course, Mai realized right away that for Téa, being the best friend of the reigning King of Games, had its perks.

Téa patted the bench next to her. "Want to come watch with me?"

Mai hesitated a couple of seconds and the obliged, taking a seat next to the brown-haired girl. She studied her friend who was engrossed in watching the duel. Mai, however, wasn't completely focused on the duel. She began to shyly observe Téa's expressions and reactions to the events in the duel, while contemplating about a specific thought that ran through her mind. When Yugi finally won that specific duel match as expected, Téa's face was plastered with a huge grin.

"He won!" Téa exclaimed, her hands clenching excitedly.

Mai smirked, slightly amused."Was there any doubt?"

The brunette blinked."Well, no...not really. But I'm excited for Yugi nevertheless." Téa grinned.

Mai smiled in return, and after a couple of moments felt the need to ask her something that had been bugging her for quite some time. She knew she was being a bit abrupt, but this was killing her on the inside. "You know he's in love with you right?" The older woman asked her, narrowing her eyes slightly, curious to the girl's response.

Téa turned, her cerulean eyes widening in shock. She quickly blinked and looked down, her facial expression turning to something that resembled sorrow. "I know," was her simple reply.

Mai blinked a few times. "You...don't feel the same way?" She could have sworn that...

"I do." Téa declared instantly, lifting her head to meet Mai's gaze.

"Then..?" Mai asked in wonder. "Why don't you go after him? You both clearly have strong feelings for each other. You would make a cute couple..." She pointed out. "You don't think so? Or are your feelings not as strong as his?"

"It's not that..." Téa said softly. She flickered her eyes back to the window, where she saw Yugi waving his hand at fans. Téa smiled gently. "I do care for Yugi. I really do. I just think Yugi needs the chance to realize that and feel the same way for himself."

"Huh?" Mai asked curiously.

Téa tucked a flock of her hair behind her ear. "You see, I love Yugi...for who he is. He doesn't realize that. He's still chasing that idea of becoming a perfect him, a better him. He doesn't realize he's perfect the way he is." Mai nodded, twisting her lips as if still not understanding.

"I can't be in a relationship with him until he realizes that. If we were together, he'd keep second-guessing himself. He'd keep trying to make himself better for me, or trying too hard to make me happy. I know Yugi very well." Téa rubbed her elbows uncomfortably. "I guess I'm partly to blame..." She confessed.

"What do you mean?"

"Atem." She whispered, looking into her violet eyes. "I fell in love with him too." She glanced down."Yugi would try to be more like him- as if trying to fill in his shoes. I don't want him to do that." Téa averted her eyes down once more. "I didn't fall in love with Yugi because of the same reasons as Atem. Yes, many of those qualities overlapped, but I'm fine with Yugi just being himself. That's what I want." She rubbed her arms once more.

She sighed. "Yugi's going to grow and mature and I realize that. That's a part of life. He's matured so much over just the small span of time he spent with the Pharaoh. Now is the time he's going to be on his own and this will be a learning, growing process for him. It's just him now and this is his time to discover himself. He needs this crucial time in his life to build him. I don't want to get in the way of that. " Téa softened, looking up meeting Mai's eyes. " I don't want to distract him... Instead, I'll wait for when he's gained contentment in who he is."

Mai opened her mouth as if to protest, but then quickly she shut it."But how will you know that he's ready?" Mai asked curiously, in a gentle voice.

"Simple..." Téa replied softly. "He'll finally take the initiative to make a move. Then I'll know he's ready. He'll no longer be doubting himself. I know he wants this relationship. " She chuckled a little. "That sounds a little weird saying that. " She bit her lip. "Maybe I was naive before and didn't realize his interest in me because of my own stupidity, but now I know. I know he wants this relationship as badly as I do. He wants to be confident enough to pursue it without any self-doubt. So I'll wait." Téa repeats. "I'll wait until he's ready, because I love him. I'll give him all the time he needs." Téa looked into Mai's violet eyes, her own blue eyes were brimmed with passion.

Mai blinked a couple times. She had gravely underestimated the girl before her...and her love for Yugi. Téa's relationship was a strange one, plagued with shadow magic, ancient spirits and saving the world. Her relationship with Yugi wasn't even an official one, but some day it would be; Mai was sure of that. Yugi and Téa had all the makings of a real relationship even with the weirdness mixed in. Perhaps, that was made it so real. They had faced perils and problems together and stuck by each other. But most of all, was the understanding and desire for one another to grow and become stronger. They put aside their own desires for the betterment of the other. That itself was representative of the love that Yugi and Téa shared.

Someday Mai hoped she could find love like that too-perhaps with a certain shaggy blond haired boy, known for his goofy smiles that would often plaster his face. Someday Mai hoped she could gain the same confidence Yugi wanted, so she too could pursue the relationship she wanted for herself. Until then, she would wait as well. She hoped that the man she had fallen for had the same level of love and patience that Téa had. The truth was, that he did. He would wait for her, just as Téa waited for Yugi.

This one-shot has been sitting in my files for months and months... and months. I sort of gave up on trying to fix it up and get it right. So, I kind of just quickly edited it and here we are! Apologies if it's not up to par. Regardless, I'd love to hear your comments as always.

Thanks for reading!

~Startistica