Disclaimer: T-RATING— like heavy T, like choo choo choo, full steam ahead the Teen Train™ kind of T. You have been warned, children.
A/N: Also…Thank you for all of your kind reviews! This chapter was a b*tch to write. I can't look at it anymore (take it awayyyy). I'd appreciate any more feedback. I actually cut out about 2,000 words of garbage…hoping to incorporate those in future chapters, but we shall see.
Without further ado…
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Ch. 3 – In which Teá lets her hair down
As the echo of the doorbell faded into the buzz of the evening cicadas, Teá Gardner checked her teeth in her phone, straightened her skirt, and patted her hair in the ten seconds it took for Tristan to open the door.
"Look what the cat finally dragged in," said Tristan, appraising her with a raised eyebrow. "You're looking nicer than usual."
Teá smiled without teeth, and decided to take that as compliment. "I always look nice, Tristan. Sorry I'm late. Movie this way?" Her pulse thrumming a little too hard to shake off as pre-film anticipation, she slid off her shoes and walked down the hall, following the noise, and arrived in the living room.
There was only one reasonable spot left in the back. Tiptoeing between a flurry of oversized comforters, pillows, popcorn bowls, colorful candy packs, and soda, she reached the empty nest of blankets in front of the recliner Yugi sat in. He gave her a cheery two-fingered salute. "Hey, Teá."
"Hey, Yugi," she said, her stomach tightening at the sight of the millennium puzzle around his neck. This was not the ideal place to sit if she wanted to see their signal (how could she see it if he was behind her?), and inwardly she cursed herself for being late.
You're all dolled up, Gardner, but the pharaoh might not even show.
Joey turned from the menu screen to look at her. "'Bout time you get here." He grinned. "We almost started without ya."
"Yeah, right." She collapsed in her nest of blankets with a huff. "We'll pause the movie seven times just to let you use the little boy's room."
"No kidding!" said Serenity, biting off her brother's objection. The redhead sat on the couch adjacent to Yugi's recliner, cozy between Duke and now Tristan, who both (unbeknownst to Serenity) shot daggers towards each other with their eyes. "You're looking pretty, Teá. Love the hair. Very cute."
Teá flushed. If only Serenity knew. Her hair—her stupid, stupid hair—was the reason she was late in the first place. She had watched and re-watched that "5 Easy Steps to the Perfect Top Knot" tutorial on YouTube, and all she got out of the deal was a mediocre hair bun and the shame that came with watching a "5 Easy Steps" tutorial ten different times.
She still felt a kind of cute though.
She stuffed a blanket into her lap. "Thanks, Serenity," she said. "So, we ready to start?"
Bakura, sans millennium ring, thank God, raised the remote from his place on the floor. "Ready!"
Someone turned off the lights, and the movie began.
Fifteen minutes in, and Teá could tell she wasn't going to like the film. It wasn't bad, per say, just predictable, and because it was predictable she soon found her mind wandering into dangerous territory.
The pharaoh, staring into her, sucking orange ice cream off his finger, and smirking-
The pharaoh, pulling her in closer, scent intoxicating her senses, until she felt drunk-
The pharaoh, breath hot against her neck, whispering mysterious, exotic nothings into her ear-
Teá swallowed, willing her heartbeat to slow to a steady jackhammer. Right, the movie… concentrate. So there were two lovers, separated by silly circumstances…
Another image flashed before her mind: The pharaoh, leaning against the kotatsu, amethyst eyes locked with hers, lips moving… I already have you down on your knees.
Breathe, Gardner.
Her flush renewed, she rubbed the back of her neck and gave a start as her hair tie snapped with an audible pop, unraveling her locks about her shoulders.
Ugh.
Smoothing her hair out of her face, Teá scanned the floor in front of her, peering into the blackness between pillows and blanket folds and running the swathed ground over with her hands, feeling for the snapped elastic.
Firm hands settled heavily on her shoulders, pulling her backwards.
For a split second, she thought it was Yugi. Can he not see the movie-? She turned back to look at him.
The hands stiffened, turning her about-face, and then dragged her closer so her back settled against the recliner's front, her shoulders snug between Yugi's legs. Or, she realized with a sweeping flush, not-Yugi's legs.
The legs shifted against her shoulders as the owner sat up, and long, deft fingers ran themselves upwards through her hair.
Ok.
Ok, ok, ok. Definitely not Yugi.
The pharaoh proved efficient and quick. His fingers grazed gently across her scalp, along the nape of her neck, pulling her hair up, gathering pieces that fell loose to her shoulders, and pulling those up too.
Teá covered her mouth with her hands as if she could swallow back the mortifying little shudders she gave at his casual contact.
Too soon, the hands paused in her hair, the recliner shifting. A warm breath filled her ear, the smell of spice, a murmured something in a language she could only pretend to understand…. Her blush deepened. How she wished she could understand.
A low chuckle, another suggestive murmur, and his fingers raked upwards through her hair again. There was a movement, then a fiddling, a tightening at the top of her head. A long ribbon of something tickled her shoulder—his armband? He was using his armband?
Somehow the thought made the butterflies swarming in her stomach crescendo into a hurricane.
More tugging, more tightening, her head swaying mildly with the motions, and her hair was tied up and out of her face again, goosebumps raised on her skin.
Teá released a breath in staccato.
His hand still rooted in her top knot, Yami tugged her gently back, leaving her neck—a vital area— completely exposed.
On the tidal waves of another blush, Teá's instincts towards self-preservation kicked into gear. She moved into defense-mode, her shoulder scrunching, protecting her weak spot.
The pharaoh muttered her name, breath tickling the back of her neck, and it was an order, "Teá." She worried her lip, heart pounding so hard she thought it would escape her chest. Again, he spoke her name, this time with a lilt hinting at a long-lost accent, pressing himself closer: "Teá." Hot blood rose to her face, brain fizzling under the heat. The backs of his fingers caressed her cheek. "Teá..."
Her shoulder slipped.
Hell.
The pharaoh took full advantage. He tugged her back, opening the column of her neck to him. Slowly, deliberately, he mapped the contours of her newly exposed neck with his hand, his touch fire against her skin.
She tried and failed not to squirm. It felt amazing.
Traveling downwards, his fingers meandered just beneath the collar of her shirt, skimming along her collarbone, down to the base of her throat. His warm palm hovered there, steady over her heart. It sprinted beneath his touch.
She couldn't take it. "Ph-pharaoh-"she panted, shoulder crumpling again out of instinct.
He inhaled sharply, and moving his hand to press her shoulder down, trailed his lips along her jaw.
Teá stifled a loud gasp, and shuddered from head to foot, which only encouraged him further. He kissed her now, moving down her neck with speed.
Dots danced behind her vision. He pulled at her collar, exposing more skin, more places to put his lips. She couldn't breathe. His lips found her collarbone. She was going to pass out. Was that his tongu- ? She was really going to- A delicate nip-
She passed out.
She came to in what must have been a fraction of a moment. Yami steadied her as she leaned against him, his face etched with confusion and concern in the flickering light of the movie. Upon seeing her open her eyes, he bent down, his expression transformed into an impossible combination of remorseful and smug. He opened his mouth: "….I believe I have defeated you."
Even in the aftermath of his onslaught, Teá was still able to shoot him a look. "The…the battle," she whispered to him fiercely. "Not-"
"Not the war," the pharaoh finished, and smiled. Tucking a stray tress back, he pressed a chaste, apologetic kiss under the hollow of her ear and hummed. It resonated down to her toes. "I like the hair as well," he murmured thickly. "It suits you."
"Gr-Great," mumbled Teá, hiding her burning face in her hands. His lips moved, smiling against her. Her face burned like a beacon.
Did anyone-?
She braved a peek around at her friends between her fingers. The group, sprawled out before her or lounging adjacent from them on the couch crunching popcorn, hadn't noticed a damn thing. It was a small consolation.
Teá pretended to watch the rest of the film, with Yami planting a brief kiss every so often against her neck that sent miniature, pleasurable shockwaves up her spine.
Signal, no signal… She was so, so screwed.