A/n: lol. Okay, due to popular consensus ! And, don't forget, Tristan still in the same house. Poor Tristan…..

Disclaimer: I don't own anything copyrighted or already taken.

"talking"

thoughts, emphasis

First Reaction: Bad

Too late, Tea realized what he was going to do. "W-w-wait!" He was already too close. Her hands shot up to ward him off at arm's length as she hurriedly thought of a way to get out of this, to buy some time. But then he surprised her, by stretching his neck out anyway, and managing to catch her softly on the lips anyway. She froze, but had waited too long for this moment. The hands at his shoulders slid up to settle at the back of his neck to cradle his face as he pulled her closer by the waist, so their stomachs pressed together, and the kiss went on..... and on….

%%%%%%5

Meanwhile, back in another room, Tristan shouted, "Aw, man!" as a controller smashed across the room. Tea's little brother had left out a a brand new PS2 game, Super Smash Suckas, out and it had gotten his attention. Resident Evil's Jill Valentine victoriously swung her .36 automatic rifle over the head of Zelda's Link. "You Lose."

Hey……I never noticed before, but…..Jill looks like Tea and Link looks like Joey….!…."Aw, shoot!" Tristan got up and a hurry and hustle out of the door of the playroom. So caught up in the video game, he had totally forgot they were out there, waiting for their "orders." Sorry, guys, I---?!?!?!?!"

Ew! Gross! Ew! Gross! Ew! Gross! Ew! Gross! Ew! Gross! Ew! Gross! Ew! Gross! Ew! Gross! Ew! Gross! Ew!

"My eyes! They burn!" Tristan went straight home…..shooting through the back door, with a bang.......

%%%%%%%%

BANG!

At that, Joey and Tea broke apart with a tearing snap and a blink. Who pulled away first, it could not be certain, but they stood staring at each other in confusion, shock, and equal wariness, neither speaking.. ......everything that had just happened....it seemed unreal. At least, to her.

Finally, he spoke first, rubbing his nose in a thoughtful manner. "Welp…..dat one was definitely betta dan da first one. ......yup.....definitely."

Her voice was suddenly found. "Oh yes and u-use that husky voice...... on your date. Ahem." Still feeling the effects, Tea stepped around him and went unsteadily to the window, were it was dark, keeping silent.

He followed her with his eyes for a moment, then uttered a sigh that seemed to have come from deep within the caverns of his heart. "Oh, no, yer not gonna run from me again! Tea….talk ta me..... we're friends, rememba?"

"I know," she answered ultra softly, the streetlight from outside lit her, illuminating her soft brown hair's outline as she stared down at the sill as he came up behind her.

"Mebbe dat was a bad choice of words," he amended. "What I meant was, I know we both have feelings fer each other…." Joey stared at the back of her slightly downcast head. "Admit it awready.."

Admit? Admit to what? I don't have to admit nothing, if I don't want to! Tea's shoulders stiffened in irritation, as she bit her lip down on the words, not wanting not hurt his feelings. "W-who said t-that...?"

"I know ya do….ya wouldn't have kissed me like dat if ya didn't."

The last word ended as a whisper. Tea turned around, her sweater flaring a little as she whirled around. "Yes! Okay! So I do! So?" She stomped past him to the other corner, feeling all the blood rush up to her face."

"So…..now we have ta talk," he said, after she stomped away from the window to look at the wall. Then she looked at him, incredulously, finally.

"We can't. You have to go.....now."

"Doan worry, I'll go after. First, we gotta talk." He said unrelentingly. "What are we gonna do 'bout dis?"

"Do?" she repeated, her tone holding the edge of a scoff. "We don't 'do' anything, that's what we 'do.'"

"What--whatta ya mean, we don't do anyding? Just pretend it neva happened, or what?"

"Yes!" she declared.

He stared, getting dizzy following her as she began to pace around. "Well, ahm not gonna do it. I can't just ferget it---! Maybe ya c'n, but I can't." He paused, and grabbed her shoulders, to make her stop pacing around like a hamster gone mad, awready! and tried to think of ways to convince her, to listen. "I like you. An' you like me."

"Look, Joey." She interrupted, her steely blue gaze meeting his again, cold and determined. "You. Like. Someone. Else. And I like someone else, too. And that's all there is to it!"

What she said was true. "But…..we like each otha, too. An' da difference is...... we both know it."

Her tone softened as his plaintive plea. "It's best…… if….we stay as friends."

He wasn't listening, thinking there was something else unsaid. "Why? I'd treat ya right!" He paused, anger and frustration building up. "Am…..I too stupid for ya to be ya boyfriend? Not good-lookin' enough?"

"No, no…." Tea sighed and breathed through her nose hard, as she said the old cliche. "It's not you. It's me. .....I'd be a horrible girlfriend. I'd get jealous..... when any girl even looked at you twice. You …deserve better, that's all." She released him and went to the window once again. "You deserve the best…."

I know…..but the 'best' doesn't want me….He bit down angrily on the words, though. It seemed she had thought this through many times before in the past, but she was being so stubborn!

"You deserve.....someone beautiful, and rich." Tea was saying, down cast. "You deserve….someone like--someone like her," Tea said with full conviction, flinging an arm towards a stack of magazines on the center table, her voice a mumble. Joey followed her arm to a picture with a pretty blonde on the cover, modeling a green fringe gown. His eyes went back to Tea's folded form.

"Not a Plain Jane…like me." Tea whispered, finishing her speech, her voice barely above audible as she stared down at her collar.

After a silence, where his mouth opened a few times, but no sound came out. "C'mon, Taye…yer not bad looking. I bet ya could be pretty if ya fix yerself up like dat girl. But ya doan have to, cause I like ya jest da way ya are." He didn't even blink, his eyes were so set on hers. "Besides, I b'leive in inner beauty, too! I doan want some who's just beautiful just on the outside, ya know! I'm not dat shallow!"

"Yes, you do. You're a boy; you can't help it," Tea said matter - of - factly, throwing up a hand in the air to emphasize her point. "Remember, when you first saw Mai? On the Duel Kingdom boat to Pegasus' Island? Your eyes nearly popped out and your jaw went through the floor. I saw it. I saw you!"

"Well, I---" He tried to think of an excuse or tack an explanation for that, but only stood scratching his head, sheepishly, while she continued.

"Yours ......and Yugi's." Tea reflected on what she how hurt she had felt then, smaller than an ant and twice as jealous. "So don't say that, don't lie. I know it's true: boys want looks. They want someone who's 'hot'. So, there you go; I'm going to help get you Mai, so obviously, we can't be together."

He scratched his head at an nonexistent itch, just realizing something. "Was dat why ya were so grumpy about, back den….?" He stopped scratching. "Makes sense......!"

"I'm just saying, don't complicate things!" She looked like she might burst into tears and managed to collect herself with an effort. "You should go. My parents'll be here soon." After collection, Tea turned back and forced a smile. "You understand.......right, Joey?"

He looked at her for a last time, his jaw set and squared. "….Not really." With that, he bent down and scooped up his jacket, glaring, and then, whirled and stomped out the door.

She watched, standing still long after the door had slammed, then silently went over to it. I won't cry…..I won't….She slid down the front of it, tears streaming. Unbeknownstly, he was leaning on the other side, but staring upwards.

%%%%oh, so sad &%%%%%%%

Tuesday morning. At recess, happy students were chatting or playing duel monsters, a futuristic card game. "And that's what happened when I got back from my trip to the moon, ladies," Duke Devillin, Domino's Ladies Man, was saying to his fangirls, who giggled and cooed appreciatively. He grinned and looked up as two blue-uniforms came slowly in homeroom.

It was Tristan and Joey. Nothing unusual there, thought Duke, knowing the two pal-ed around, except one thing was noticeable, especially against to merry faces of people graduating. They both seemed unaware of the other: Tristan looked haunted, and Joey looked miserable. They both sat down at their seats, staring into different spaces, in different directions.

Highly intrigued, Duke excused himself, and took a closer look. Hm, which one? Joey looked completely, utterly miserable, but then again, he always looked so. Probably just lost a game to someone. Again.

Tristan, on the other hand, had never had a haunted, glazed look. He was the school's tough guy. Nothing ever shook him up. Definitely more interesting. Duke took a backwards seat in front of said tall brown haired guy. "Hey, man. What's up! You look like you've seen a ghost."

Tristan muttered something under his breath. Duke leaned closer to hear. It sounded like, "Tea…..Joey……making out ….kissing…"

"WHAT? Tea and Joey were WHAT?!" Duke said loudly, making everyone turn around. Except for Joey, who was sleeping in his arms. A train could've passed through, and he would've never noticed. "I CAN'T hear YOU!"

"Sshh!!" With a look over his shoulder, Tristan grabbed the ponytail, arrogant dice boy and hustled him out of the classroom, out of earshot. Throwing him against the wall, he said, "I saw….them. They were kissing!!!"

Duke's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, briefly. Then he looked perfect and calm again. "Tris, Tris, my man," Duke said, in an annoyingly calm voice. "I must've been someone else! Think about it. Joey likes Mai, right? Well, there's no possible way this would've happened, then. It must've been some one else kissing Tea."

"Who else, dummy." Tristan sounded hopeful and scoffing at the same time. It was a blond guy!

"I dunno...." Duke twirled his hair absently, thinking. "Isn't her dad blond?"

"And why would she be kissing her dad.......?!"

"Because.....she wuvs 'im?" Duke shrugged. "Calm down, dude! What're you so freaked out about, anyway?" It's like he never saw two people kiss or something!

"It's the way they were----!" Tristan said, recalling, shuddering. "This was no innocent kiss--! They were like--." Here, Tristan slapped his palms together and made a grinding motion. Duke blinked, then sniggered.

"Oh, man.....that is rich....." He slapped his thigh, guffawing loudly.

"Excuse me. Boys?"

"......" Both turned around, guilty as if caught stealing form the cookie jar.

"Might you know where I can find Joseph?" Mai's sultry voice chimed from behind them.

"Uh, yeah, t-there," they both pointed to inside the classroom. She waved and they watched her walk away, miniskirt swinging saucily, and winking and smiling at every boy that passed, making one swallow his gum and another jam his finger in his locker.

"You.....think she heard us?" Tristan whispered in a hushed voice.

"Maybe. Probably. Come on," Duke said, grabbing a still-haunted-looking Tristan. "Let's have some fun....heh heh heh."

To Be Continued....

A/n: Looks like Tea predicted right about Tristan's reaction. The first time I saw YuGiOh! I was like, "Look it's Link!" because of his green jacket and blond hair. Lol, anyway, review.