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"Is there anyone more dumber than you, Bryan?"
"Piss off, midget! This ain't your business, and that's not even a word!"
"Bryan, calm down. Ian, go sit, and shut your gob. I swear, you two behave like children, sometimes!"
"But, Spencer!" Ian protests, but the big blond knits his brows together, and the scowl puts Ian back into his chair. The shortest member of the Demolition Boys crosses his arms and pouts, fuming, but silently so.
Spencer refrains from sighing, and massages his forehead with one of his big hands. Ian is being quite unpleasant about it, but he certainly is not wrong. For all his harsh forthrightness, the Wyborg's master has caught the point of the matter: Bryan, usually the most straightforward and frank of them all, is now stalling and procrastinating. It's like he himself, in the first place, doubts the success of his mission, and that is very unlike of him.
Bryan is a stubborn, ruthless bastard. He is a violent, too prone to pick a fight before looking for possible explanations. He is also loyal, and self-confident but in a way that is respectful of his teammates and friends, and he always speaks his mind. He's not one for mental games, and often ends up being the target of Tala's ones, exactly for his own scarce inclination.
And yet, despite all this, the truth is that, either Bryan is suddenly playing a damn fine mind game, or he's turned into the most dumb idiot who has ever walked on Earth.
"Bryan..." he starts, tired eyes addressing his best friend and teammate: "Ian was a bit too straightforward, but he's right, and you know it" he calmly states, staring into the grayish aqua orbs: "Why did you do that? No, better, why did you not do that, why did you not tell Tala?" He clarifies.
Bryan bats his lashes, and then does something so un-Bryan-like, that Ian and Spencer shares a very dumbstruck look: he averts his eyes first, and blushes.
Slightly. But undeniably so. Bryan. Blushes.
'How did this happen?' Ian asks himself, silently staring, words failing him for maybe the first time. Not even an insult comes to his mind.
'How did we get to this?' Spencer wonders, looking at his friend and made speechless by those red cheeks.
Bryan sighs and shakes his head. Regaining some composure, he turns once again to his teammates, looking a bit more his usual self.
"I just couldn't, ok? He was talking to a girl" he tries explaining.
"For fuck's sake, Bryan!" Ian exclaims, recovering from his shock induced silence: "it's Tala!" he whines, stressing the name, desperate to make his point: "he's always talking to some girl, and, when he's not, it's because he's fucking them!"
"You shouldn't wait for the moment when there are no girls around Talks, Bryan" Spencer adds, handling this a bit better than poor, frustrated Ian: "Just tell him. You know he's into you. He knows it, you know it, we know it. Hell, Kai was here for, how long, a week? And still he thought that you two were already dating!"
"If only..." Ian mutters, facepalming himself, and earning a sympathetic snort from Spencer.
Bryan shakes his head: "I couldn't, ok? What if he changes his mind? What if he decides to switch back to women? Hell, what if I decide to switch back to women! How do I tell him that?"
"You could start by trying with your mouth" a sarcastic, cold voice pipes in.
The three boys all jump, startled by hearing their captain's voice. They turn, and, indeed, there Tala is, standing on the doorway with hands on his hips, his face an unreadable mask. When he smirks, it's his typical fury-induced smirk, not a mirth-induced one: "Talking, I mean" he adds.
Bryan, frozen, just stares, unable to even swallow the gulp of saliva forming in his mouth. Ian's jaw goes comically down to the floor. Shaking his head just slightly, Tala moves to the side of the door. He tilts his head pointing to it, and orders: "out".
Ian bolts out of the room, followed by an equally hurrying Spencer. Both are furiously wondering how high are the stakes that Bryan gets killed by an angry Tala. They know that the possibility is way more likely than Bryan getting a happy ending.
Tala, still facing the open door, closes it, lingering a moment with his hand on the knob. When he turns, he pins Bryan with such an angry glare, that the Falcon wishes he left, too.
"You're worse than a fucking woman" Tala starts, barely reigning in his fury. They all know that, despite being the master of an ice bitbeast, Tala is all but cold-tempered. His angry fits are famous, and infamous, and very very dangerous. Bryan, silent, manages to swallow.
"And, in case you were wondering, that is not a compliment" Tala adds, his eyes widening for just a second.
That is the signal that makes Bryan start to sweat. Because he knows his captain, and has learned to read his body language. And he knows that Tala does that eyes-trick only when he is positively bristling.
He is doomed.
Bryan flinches, without realizing.
Tala's hands creep up to his hips again. An even worse sign. Bryan knows he is a dead man. No chance of survival. Added to the eyes-thing, it's an omen of impending doom. Oh fuck, he is screwed.
"How long?" Tala asks.
Why is Tala waiting? It looks like he's trying to control himself. This might give Bryan a chance. Maybe. Or is this a mind game of his? Asking Bryan questions until he breaks and has an heart attack, or both?
Voice as monotone as he can muster it, Bryan asks: "How long what?"
"How long have you been trying to tell me that you were into me. How fucking long would have you kept on waiting?" Tala clarifies.
Bryan is happy that his captain is still attempting at reigning in his fury. So very happy.
Still, he wishes he didn't ask. Swallowing, he sets for the honest answer. He knows fully well that Tala is not going to like it, and that is probably going to burst the redhead's bubble of straining self-control. Hell hath no fury like a pissed off Tala.
"Since we kicked out Boris" he starts, keeping his voice leveled: "Since we took the abbey from him. Since the night we got drunk and you told us you wouldn't mind dating a guy"
Bryan knows that confessing, in cases like the one he is currently in, is not going to help him. On the contrary, it's like committing suicide.
Tala. Is. Mad.
He's so mad that Bryan can see his hands clenching on his hips, like he's trying so hard not to start pummeling Bryan to the floor. And, Bryan supposes that he can kind of understand why.
The thing is: Bryan is twenty years old, now. Tala himself, as Ian, is eighteen, and Spencer is the oldest of them all, just a couple of months older than Bryan. They have 'freed' the abbey from Boris Balkov two years ago. The night he had just mentioned to Tala had been two years prior.
He tries to think of anything that could help his case, like, explaining to his captain that they have been really busy. After all, they had to take care of the children in the abbey. Back then, he and Spencer were the only two of age, and that have taken its toll: responsibilities were expected to be taken. Well, that's not entirely true, since Tala, even at sixteen years old, has been managing the whole procedures like he was in charge even from a legal point of view. The abbey has been transformed into a beyblading school, with Mr. Dickinson as official headmaster, only to the moment Tala became of age. Since a few months ago, Tala has taken the lead of the school also from a legal, formal perspective. There is no way Bryan can tell him that he has never confessed his feelings because of a lack of time.
If he did say that, Tala would kill him.
Especially because it suits him, leading the school, and teaching. Tala has taken the abbey from a very sad institution to a place where the remaining kids (only around 15) are really happy to stay and learn about beyblading. But it's also hard, and demanding, and frustrating. And Tala will kill him, if Bryan says something like being too busy to confess, because nobody has ever been busier than Tala. And still Tala has found the time to tell Bryan what he wanted.
In the other hand, in those same two years Tala has been dating girls after girls, changing them like they were clothes. Never finding the right one has grown to frustrate him, since, after all, there was just so much that sex could make up for. Tala was looking for something serious, and couldn't find it, and so, on a very drunken night, he has told them that he would love to try with a guy, since it would probably click easier. But, he has said, he didn't trust anyone that much… expect maybe someone who has grown up with him.
Everyone understood that he was hinting at Bryan. Even Bryan himself had. It was a damn clear message for the Falcon blader to step out, and sweep his captain off his feet.
But, for those two long years, Bryan has hesitated.
"Two years?" Tala bristles.
There's nothing Bryan can do, but stare him, ashamed, and nod.
"For the same idiotic reasons you were bitching about before?" the redhead asks.
Tala does the eyes thing again, bright blue orbs widening for a fraction of a second. To say that he's fuming, it's a real understatement.
"Tell me, Bryan. Am I not your captain?"
Amazed at how calm Tala is still trying to be, Bryan licks his lips and nods.
"Enough with the nodding!" the captain snaps: "Use your fucking voice and answer me" he orders.
"You are" Bryan says.
"Am I not your friend?" Tala goes on, taking one step closer to the Falcon. The taller boy is still sitting in the chair, so currently he is the one on a lower position. Coupled with the redhead's fury, that's quite intimidating, even if Bryan knows he's taller than his captain, and can physically defend himself
"You are" Bryan answers again.
"But you were too afraid to talk to me. Why? Am I some moody bitch, do I look like some kind of psychopath to you, Bryan?"
Boy, is Tala mad.
And he is moody, but now is really not the best moment to point out that. Especially because the bitch part, or the psychopath one, definitely are not true.
"No" Bryan answers.
"Then you better explain to me why the fuck you're threating me as one. You spent two years, knowing that I was waiting for you to make a move, cowering like some fucking idiot. Why? You knew I like you. You know I would never force you to stay with me, if you didn't want me. Have I ever given you any reason to believe otherwise?!"
Tala ends up shouting, but there is a strange look in his eyes. He looks hurt, and this is the moment Bryan snaps too.
"And what about if you change your mind?!" he asks, angry and worried, because, fuck, is Tala hurt? Because of him?
"How could I!" Tala shouts or asks.
"How would I know! You've been sleeping with so many women I'm surprised when they last a week! Why should I be any different!" Bryan remarks, shouting as well, and not caring if he's showing how hurt he is.
"I would never walk out on you, you idiotic piece of shit! I love you!" Tala confesses, shouting.
Stunned silence follows.
Tala blushes slightly, but he holds his ground. Talking about feelings, and love in particular, is still very new for the Demolition Boys, but he doesn't intend to back down on this one.
Bryan, on the other hand, is gaping like a fish, too shocked.
"I thought… I thought you just wanted to experiment" he mutters, echoing Tala's past words.
Tala sighs.
"I wanted to" he confesses, his hands still on his hips, but sliding a tad lower: "but I could never just experiment with you. I want to be with you. I love you. I..." he lowers his voice to barely more than a whisper: "I've been in love with you even before all those women. I was afraid to tell you, and then, after telling you I wanted to try it with a man… I thought you just didn't want me"
Bryan is still too shocked to help his reaction: "How could I ever not want you?" he honestly asks.
"How could I ever tire of you?" Tala echoes him, as honest as the older teen.
Bryan lets out a small chuckle, shaking his head. When he lifts it, Tala is looking at him with a small smile that mirrors his own.
He's still not sure about this, and he's pretty sure that Ian and Spencer have found a way to spy on them, but. Fuck it, fuck them, fuck all. He's been waiting for two years, and Tala is staring at him, smiling, hands finally abandoning the feared position.
"Come here" Bryan says, and for once he's the one who's giving the orders, and Tala obeys. With the redhead in front of him, so close their legs are touching, he grabs those slender hips and drags his captain down. Tala is forced to sit on Bryan's thighs, legs open wide, and he grabs instinctively at Bryan's strong shoulders. The blush on his cheeks, and the wanting stare in the blue eyes, are too much for Bryan, who sends a big 'fuck you' to all that has bothered him till that very moment.
He kisses Tala, and Tala kisses back.
His good smell, masculine and wild and so not feminine despite some of his traits, hits Bryan's nose. It lingers in it, overwhelming him and preventing him to smell anything but Tala. The hard body pressing against his chest is slim and smaller than his own,and yet so solid. Tala's lips are pressed against Bryan's, moving to taste him and test the new boundaries. Tala is way more of an expert in this field, and Bryan, for at least the first seconds, allows his captain free reign. Then, demanding action, the Falborg's master opens his mouth and pushes his tongue on Tala's bottom lip. The redhead sighs and his pale hands slips through Bryan's hair. He lets his tongue dance with Bryan's, breathing labored from his nose.
The door slams open, and Ian and Spencer are clapping, twin set of maniac grins on their faces. Bryan and Tala startle, and blush, but then the captain grabs a very heavy book from the table and barely misses Ian.
"Out!" he yells.
Obediently, but still laughing, the two retreat, closing the door.
Tala turns back to Bryan, wicked smile on his lips: "So" he purrs: "where were we?"
Bryan smirks, grabs Tala's head, and goes back to kiss Tala some more.