Friendship Antics

[madimpossibledreamer]

To my friends.
~Dreamer~

Main Points:
Yugioh Legacy!verse, part of the Phantom Tournament
Chapter Summary: The gang gets silly.
Word Count: 1084
Rating: teen

 

            Hours later, Joey and Tristan finally come and find them.
            “You didn’t eat all the food?” Yugi asks mildly, but Tristan and Joey still cringe a little.
            “Nah, we were generous and left some for you,” Tristan replies as casually as he can manage.
            “Good.”  And with that, the air of authority melts away, as Yugi smiles and gestures at the other chairs or the carpet.  “Have a seat.”
            “Watcha doin’?” Joey asks, leaning in closer and frowning at the screen, showing a long list of Fairy monsters on one side and a few card names on the other.  “Dat doesn’ look like one of your decks, Yuge.”
            “That’s because it’s the start of Téa’s,” he answers proudly, and that’s something, new, too, the idea that Yugi might be proud of her.
            “All right!” Tristan yells with enthusiasm, and holds up a hand to high five her, but Joey beats him to it with a bone-crushing hug.
            She turns to Yugi.  “A little help here?”  But he’s too busy giggling, eyes crinkled up, to come to her aid.
            Mai rolls her eyes.  “Get off her, you cavemen.”
            Joey gets off only to ruffle Mai’s hair.  “Aww, was someone feelin’ a little left out?  Don’ worry, it’s just a friendship thing.”
            “And I’m pretty sure I said this before, but I didn’t really have any before all of you.”  Mai states it casually and then notices the stricken look on all their faces.  “Obviously I have some now.”
            “Well, it is easier to stay in contact when you leave forwarding information,” Yugi states almost apologetically.
            Mai throws back her head and laughs.  “I get it.  Guess I’ll need Téa’s help to find the cutest phone to buy with my latest winnings.”  She winks, and Téa grins back.  “And I’m going to give my number to everyone.  I want to show off that I’m friends with the King of Games,” to which Yugi turns a little pink, “…and hear all the juicy details about your relationship with little Yugi,” to which Yugi blushes a deep crimson, “…and just you try not calling me, Joey Wheeler.”
            “No ma’am,” Joey squeaks, color matching Yugi’s face.  “I like livin’.”
            The blond smiles like a queen, considering the matter settled.
            “What happened to your old deck, though, Téa?” Tristan asks, and Mai stares at her.
            “You mean, you had a deck?  Not the one you used against me in Duelist Kingdom?”
            It’s Téa’s turn to look a little embarrassed.  “I actually had a couple but…I’ve kind of lost track of them over the years.  That was kind of my back-up one.  It’s fun, but yeah, I know, it’s not the best deck ever.  I didn’t think I’d actually be dueling, and we didn’t have much time to make it to the boat and hide, so…”
            “Yeah, she managed to beat me,” Joey stated proudly, before turning to her, thoughtful.  “Dat was before I’d figured out dat I should have spell an’ trap cards, though.”
            “You are not a shark, and there is no blood in the water,” Téa states firmly.
            “Come on, are you scared?” Joey taunted a little, and she feels her blood rising.
            “Oooh, you.  I am not scared of anyone!”  She thinks about that for a moment, then adds, “Except maybe Yami Bakura, and Evil Marik.”
            Joey’s making one of his creepy faces, and Yugi steps in, a little annoyed.  “I’m interested to duel against her too, but I’m going to emphasize that these are friendly matches.”
            It’s not quite the support she was looking for, so she’s tempted to tease him.  “Well, besides, all of my previous decks were all given to me by Yugi.  He’s helping me out, but it’s my first time making a deck, so I’m sure it’ll be interesting and different.”
            The eyes turn to Yugi, and Joey looks a little shocked.  “You mean…all dose years ago, you were makin’ decks thinkin’ of her.”  The creepy grin’s back.  “I can see it now—lovesick Yugi, sittin’ in his room, selectin’ the cutest cards so he can watch her smile…”
            Yugi coughs, but his blond friend doesn’t seem to notice.
            “…Didja try to make it competitive?  Or didja want her to respect your ability, jus’ ‘cause dat was one of da things you were good at…”
            The cough, this time, is far from amused and has all the power of the Pharaoh behind it.  Joey falls silent, and Yugi continues, gentle steel in his voice.  “I didn’t know how to make a competitive deck at the time, or are you forgetting that my usual deck was put together by my Grandpa, who had won several tournaments before?”  Mai’s gaping, so he adds with an ironic smile, “…Of course, I’ve learned since then.  But I…I’ve always understood how to put together a deck with a soul, or how a deck wants to be played.  I didn’t need to cheat, Joey.  But before you’d become the duelist you are today, before everything we’ve gone through, Téa was the one who came closest to beating me, and I loved her for it.”
            The room is silent for a bit, and then Valentine states thoughtfully into the quiet, “Given that I came pretty close to beating you in the tournament, now I really want to duel you, Téa.”
            “I’ll need a deck first,” she points out cheerfully, and then realizes.  “Oh, Yugi, I should have Dark Magician Girl for good luck.”
            “I’d probably have to ask Kaiba for one,” he replies thoughtfully, adding it to the list.  “It’s super rare and I’m pretty sure it was short printed, too.  Like most of the cards Pegasus thought were pretty powerful.”  He smiles at her shyly.  “If all else fails, I’ll give you mine, but I’d feel better knowing you have your own around.”
            “Sorry, guys, I got a little carried away.”  Joey actually sounds apologetic, and Yugi leaves the sternness in his gaze for a moment longer before smiling.
            “Yes, you did, but that’s how you are.  I mean, not all of the time, but you don’t always think before you speak.” He looks away.  “It might’ve been embarrassing, and maybe a little mean, but is it weird of me to have missed that anyway?”
            He’s trying not to let them see him cry, Téa realizes, and exchanges a look with the others, before they all jump him, even Mai, surprisingly enough.  He falls over giggling.  “S-stop, get off,” he protests, but he’s beaming from ear to ear.