written by Atlantis
© 2004
A rather beautiful piece, if I do say so myself. Hope you'll appreciate it the way my friends and I did.
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it.
Rating: K because you can't find a scratch on this baby!
Téa smoothed her dress once more, biting at her bottom lip as she surveyed herself in the mirror. She looked perfect but she was still so damn nervous! Could she go through with it? She'd never done anything of this magnitude before and little butterflies sprouted and began beating their little wings inside of her stomach.
Turning around, she looked over her shoulder and saw the back of her dress, the elaborate design of the material and the way it threaded up the back. She had never loved an item of clothing so much as she loved this dress. Her hair was even done up, half twisted elaborately and the other half laying over her shoulders and back in small ringlets. A deep breath escaped from her chest when she realized she had been holding it in.
"Téa?" The young woman turned from the mirror, startled.
"Yes?"
"It's time." Blinking furiously and nodding, Téa made her way to the doorway where an older man took her arm and began leading her down a hallway. She gave him a shaky smile and he reassured her with a wizened grin and a pat on the arm that was threaded through his. As she and the older man reached a large doorway, she could feel eyes cover her from head to toe as everyone in the massive room turned to watch her enter. A blush stained her cheeks and her eyes fell to the floor.
As she walked up the center towards the front of the room she saw out of the corner of her eye her best friends. Joey waved to her and had his arm secured around Mai's waist, who winked. Tristan and Serenity were a few rows further up and they gave her encouraging smiles, their fingers interlaced, which made Téa smile. Bakura stood next to them and his head was tilted with that trademark smile of his. Yugi was further up and he gave her two thumbs-up as well as a big grin. Téa laughed. The butterflies were disintegrating at an alarming rate. So caught up was she in her inner thoughts that she didn't realize she had reached the steps which she was to stand on. A man's voice spoke and she heard him through her haze and gave an affirmative, both vocally and with a nod. Her eyes opened dreamily.
And she nearly screamed. Her eyes went to the man a few steps above her who shook his head regretfully and then to an older woman off to the side who shrugged her shoulders in disbelief. Téa couldn't believe it. On the best day of her life the man who was supposed to share it with her wasn't there! Well, then, she'd have to resort to drastic measures. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and spied Mokuba who stood happily, grinning cheekily up at her and next to him...
Téa stomped down the steps, careful not to trip on the hem of her dress and took a firm hold of Seto Kaiba's forearm and pulled him up the steps with her.
"Quick, say 'I do'," she barked at him.
"I do?"
Téa's eyes turned to the older man still at the top of the steps and he nodded.
"Good. I now pronounce you - or should I say, may I present to you, Domino High, your Best Looking Seniors of this year!" the principal declared, throwing a handful of gaudy confetti over the two teens. Téa breathed a sigh of relief and looked to Kaiba who was glaring daggers at her and had his arms folded menacingly. "And now, to get this dance started, let's let these two have the dance floor first." A slow beat started in the background and everyone made sure to give the two plenty of space but Kaiba had to be given a push by the principal in Téa's direction before taking her into his arms and stonily stepping to the music.
"Aww come on, it's not that bad," Téa laughed.
"I don't find this amusing, Gardner," he bit out. She rolled her eyes at him.
"I wasn't going to get that thing all by myself. And besides, it really was your title fair and square. The votes said so. You beat every other senior guy in our class by over a hundred votes. You were just too stuck on yourself to do something fun, even for tradition," she told him, her attitude reflected not only in her words but her eyes as well. "I guess its actually a good thing Duke, the infamous runner-up, didn't show up today."
"I never asked to be voted for," he ground out, stopping their dance so that they just stood in the middle of the dance floor not moving. He watched the brunette shake her head and mumble something under her breath before she moved her hands up to hold onto either side of his face and lean up to kiss him on the lips, fleetingly.
"Just play along Kaiba. This'll be a day that'll go down in Domino High's history."
Stunned and feeling a slight tingling in his lips, Seto managed to ask, "Why?" to which Téa answered, "We're the first couple voted as Best Looking Seniors that haven't been an actual couple." Then she winked.
Finished. I know, I know, I'm a stinker. You've been set up. I couldn't help it, it was just too good of a setup. Plus, it was a challenge over at the live journal community. Couldn't pass it up.
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As this is a clearly labeled one-shot, my Panda and I reserve the right to mock those who demand updates, more chapters, and/or sequels. Don't be silly.