Disclaimers on all the characters of Yu-Gi-Oh by Kazuki Takahashi. I don't own any of them (as much as I desire it!) so don't sue me for it.
Happy Valentine's Day to all! Hope you spend the entire day with your loved ones and cherish them!
Three Times, He Tries,
By Winterwing3000
Téa strolled into the bustling morning hallway, greeting fellow classmates with a good morning or a happy valentine's day. She proceeded to her cubby and opened it to change her shoes. As she opened it, she smiled to herself. Small boxes of chocolate and an envelope with her name on it sat on top of her indoor school shoes.
It was without a doubt, from her friends. She had their shares in her back, which she will be giving to them during homeroom period. This tradition during Valentines day came about just last year, nonetheless, she was happy to receive presents from her closest friends.
"Gardner," someone said from behind her.
Téa turned her head and a fleeting look of surprise passed by her face. "Kaiba, good morning," she addressed him, a short smile on her lips.
He nodded in response and looked at her with calm eyes. Seconds passed and an awkward silence fell upon them. Shrugging it off as his inability of being very social, Téa changed her shoes before quickly remembering about something in her bag.
"I have something for you," she told him as she rummaged through her possessions. A look of triumph appeared on her visage as she brought out a clear plastic bag, speckled with white stars, of square chocolate fudge brownies tied with a navy ribbon.
"Here," she held out the small sweet treats. He took them wordlessly. "Happy Valentine's Day, Kaiba."
She smiled again and turned to go but was stopped when he said, "Wait."
"Yeah?" she faced him once more.
He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted when the bell sounded, signaling that it was time for homeroom to start.
"It's nothing," he answered and walked off into the direction of his classroom.
"Okay?" Téa muttered, bewildered at the same time.
Téa seated herself at the designated lunch table by the window where the boys had already claimed with their textbooks and book bags. They regularly went to get lunch together while she sat and waited. She didn't need to wait in line since one of them usually got her share as well.
She stared out the window in boredom, watching as the wind rustled the trees out in the courtyard. Suddenly, a tall shadow loomed over her, forcing her to shift her gaze. It was Kaiba.
"Kaiba?" Téa said, puzzled. She needed to crane her head slightly in order to see his face properly from her seated position. "Do you need something?"
He stared unblinkingly down at her, one hand in his jacket pocket and the other one clenched. A few moments passed and still he produced no form of response.
Téa opened her mouth to ask him if he really needed anything from her, though she has her doubts, but the sudden movement of his hidden hand stopped the words from rolling off of her tongue.
"I," he started, but stopped immediately. His cobalt eyes narrowed slightly and a frown marred his countenance. An inward mental struggle, Téa deduced but also slightly amused.
What ever could have placed Seto Kaiba, the prodigy of their school and genius of the business world, between a rock and a hard place? Or rather, have his tongue tied for so long? Hesitance was—as Téa observed over time—not a vocabulary listed in Kaiba's notebook. Last she checked what he wanted he pretty much got without wasting any sort of dillydallying.
Nevertheless, seeing this new side of him (or was unfamiliar a better word for it?) made her slightly uncomfortable. "Um, do you want to sit?" She gestured to the unoccupied seats—but book and paper cluttered surface—of the round canteen table.
"No," he replied stiffly. "There is something that I…,"
"Hey, Téa!" Her head whipped into the direction of the person calling her.
"We've got the lunch!" Tristan called from a few feet away, two trays of cafeteria lunch balanced in his hands. Joey, Bakura and Yugi walked alongside the formerly mentioned boy, each carrying their own lunches.
"Thanks!" she said in return with a smile and turned back around to apologize to Kaiba. "Sorry about that. What were you saying?"
He took one glance at the direction of the four boys approaching the table then back down to her. "It's nothing," Kaiba said curtly and pivoted on his heels before exiting the canteen.
Joey sat down with an untrusting glare directed at the young CEO's back, although the entire look was thrown off with the turkey sandwich prodding from his mouth. He swallowed and asked, "What did moneybags want, Téa?"
She shrugged, though inwardly curious as Joey was. "No idea."
After all, two times in one day, he approached her. And yet, nothing concrete came from him. This was either an extremely abnormal day for Kaiba or something had happened to him. Perhaps it was the lovey dovey atmosphere of the holiday.
Either way, was it just her or did he seemed to want to tell her something?
"I'll be leaving now," Téa said to her teacher as she finished organizing the files.
The adult thanked her and bid her good evening.
She gathered her belongings and headed down the hallway to change her shoes. As she stepped through the lobby doors, she spotted a figure near the gate of the school entrance.
Curious, she walked over to the person leaning against the brick wall that surrounded the perimeter of the school.
"Kaiba, you're still here?" Téa said in an astonished tone, but not in mockery.
"Hn," he grunted, pushing off of the wall. "You are leaving?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm just about to go home. You?"
He redirected his gaze from her person to the quiet street. "I needed to speak with you."
"Oh, then you want to walk a bit?" Téa suggested, stepping onto the sidewalk and toward the city central direction.
Kaiba inclined his head a bit and they started down the street in amiable silence. The birds flitted overhead, return to their nests and occasionally, cars passed by them. When they continued to walk in quietness, she decided to start the conversation even though it was he who wanted to talk to her. "So, what's this thing you needed to talk to me about?"
He stopped abruptly, forcing her to do the same. Confused, she cocked her head to the side.
"Close your eyes," he demanded all of a sudden.
Her eyes grew wide. "What?"
"Close your eyes," he insisted in what seemed like a desperate tone, but she must be reading too much into his actions and the tone of his voice. Nonetheless, she finally gave in with a sigh and complied with his request.
"Okay, now what?" she asked, a slight unsure frown curved on her lips.
Kaiba said nothing in return. Instead, Téa heard the rustling of clothing and felt long slender fingers wrapping carefully around her left wrist. He leveled her hand so that it was parallel to the ground, palm facing the sky. Suddenly, something solid was pressed into her hand and instinctively, her fingers curled on top of it. It wasn't heavy and the surface felt smooth.
"Can I open my eyes now?" She was curious to find out just what he placed into her hand.
"Count to ten after I let go," he whispered almost inaudibly.
Perplexed, Téa couldn't help but ask, "Why?"
"Just do it," he spoke somewhat irritated.
"Fine…," she acquiesced. She heard him suck in a breath in a hiss-like manner and her entrapped wrist was freed from the prison of his fingers.
One, two, three...
Almost silent footsteps reached her ears and the air around her started to feel a little cold.
Four, five, six, seven…
The temptation to open her eyes became unbearable, but determinedly, Téa rushed out the last three numbers, "Eight, nine, ten!"
Her cerulean eyes glanced down to the object placed in her hand and a surprised expression blossomed on her face.
It was a flat rectangular shimmering gold box. A white satin ribbon was looped around the opposite corners of the box, the bow at the upper left hand corner. A rose, the shade of deep crimson, was trimmed nearly to the bud and was tucked into the knot of the ribbon. However, these things did not compare to the simple white note card slipped into the lower right corner. Her name was written in a neat and simple cursive.
Hesitantly, she lifted the lid from the box and nearly gasped at the object nestled inside.
A string of white pearls curved in a slight upside down arch stared up at her. The natural glow and luster told her that it was purely authentic and not one of those spurious necklaces. It was a simple necklace, nothing intricate or fancy decorating it.
Looking up from her present, Téa's eyes locked onto Seto's, who looked back momentarily in a silent stare with deep hidden meanings.
She held onto his stare, biting her lower lip from indecision. Then, with her mind made up, she quickly jogged over to him, cradling the gift to her chest, the other holding onto the strap of her bag. She stopped at his side, observing as his eyes followed her movements.
"Thank you Kaiba." She gave him a soft look.
He looked away, a tint of red visible on his cheeks, and muttered, "Happy Valentine's Day."
Smiling, she asked sincerely, "Do you want to have some coffee with me?"
Seto paused to think and dipped his head in assent. Téa grinned. "Great! I know this wonderful coffee house. Let's go!"
She carefully deposited her gift into her bag and boldly reached for his right hand, the one that hung limply at his side.
Together, they walked down the street, their joint hands swinging lightly between them.
AN: A Valentine's Day fanfic for Téa and Seto. Poor Seto, he never got his chance until the end of the day. But as they say, third time's a charm! Haha. I feel so happy that I managed to get this done despite the craziness of my current student life. It has been a while since I've actually written for Téa x Seto. It's good to know that I can still keep these two in character, well, most of the time anyway.