Title: Detour

Association: Beyblade

Pairing: Tala/Bryan, TalBry

Short Summary: Ironically, the only place to go from here is...up. Hurt/comfort fic, set after Season One. Implied YuBo? Perhaps.

Full Summary: For all their shortcomings in the World Championships, Ian is ripped away from the rest of the Demolition Boys in the cruelest of manners. With Tala now overwhelmed by all the guilt from having failed his youngest teammate, can Bryan show him that there's still something left worth sticking around for?

AN: Here it is, as promised! The ending is...not what I had originally planned? Um, I guess I didn't really have an ending planned for this one. I knew it wasn't gonna be totally sappy, because that'd be wayyyy too lame on a story about the Demolition Boys, but yeah, different-ish? I don't know what the fuck I'm getting at here. Angsty at first I suppose, then transforms into a hurt/comfort fic, and then romance, and then...mock humor? Pretty much a fanfiction salad here. Oh well, YuBo has long been a favorite pairing of mine, and you can interpret the ending to this however, but this is for myself and the other fans of this couple. Oh, and I prefer to use YuBo instead of TalBry, even though the names in this are English. It just sounds better.

Oh, and the title? Didn't come up with it until the story was finished. I figured the ending was unplanned and unexpected, so the title should reflect that. Hence the fitting/unfitting name for this fanfiction.

Enjoy, dearies. ^-^

Disclaimer: Know what? I DO own these bitches. I'm keeping them, at least these two, and errybody else can suck it.

Detour

"Hey captain," Bryan strode his way into the dingy kitchen with a newspaper in hand, crushing it tightly with his fist as he yanked out a chair and took his seat, "Wanna take a guess as to what I found this morning?"

"No," Tala, who had been staring out the window for over an hour and sipping on coffee, placed the mug down and bore his icy irises into Bryan's. The iron eyes of the falcon gave the frustrated redhead little room for protest. Calm, opaque, and deadly serious. They failed to match Bryan's sarcastic nature at times. "I'd rather you just tell me and not waste my time."

"Tch, guess somebody hasn't had enough coffee yet; you sound like Kai," A dark glare told Bryan to shut up. Its power was magnified by the circles beneath Tala's eyes. " Whatever, I'm out, here," A large hand tossed the crumpled papers in front of Tala and Bryan stood once more, deciding it best to leave his leader be. Another hand, thin and scraggly, snatched the pile up as intense eyes quickly scanned the article on the front page. All he needed to see was the picture to know the problem. Bryan was already on his way out when from behind him, a chair slammed against the cabinets behind it and the same bony hand seized his wrist. A raised gray eyebrow and a "Hmm?" soon followed.

Tala shook violently, his grip on Bryan as rickety as a drunkard's, and yet so powerful that he could feel Bryan's pulse through his fingers. The tone was uneven, breath shaky, and words chopped so badly that they scarcely formed, "W-why...W-why d-didn't-"

Bryan shook Tala off and placed hands on his shoulders, stabilizing the soon-to-blow Russian from unleashing his fury. "Tala, you've got to calm down. Fuck, you think this is bad? This is only the beginning. It's going to get worse, and the tabloids are gonna gobble this shit up faster and better than the girl next door. You have to remember that."

"I don't give a shit!" Tala broke from Bryan's strong hold on him and pointed a finger accusingly at his teammate, "How fucking dare you waltz in here like that and throw that fucking article down like it's already old news and think it's gonna do anything other than piss me off? He's fucking dead, Bryan! Ian's dead because of us and you act like it's a god-damn joke, like it never fucking mattered! Don't you get it, you stupid, apathetic moron? We're all we've got! We're all we've ever fucking had!"

And from there, he self-destructed. Tala's anger at himself and at Bryan for letting Ian get caught up in their over-the-top world mutated into dozens upon dozens of tears. They streamed carelessly down his face as the room silenced.

It had happened two weeks ago, just before Boris escaped the country and just a day after the World Tournament. Balkov had taken Ian and tortured him down in the chambers one last time, abusing him thoroughly while his teammates were bound together and forced to watch the events unfold before them. It was Ian who had taken the fall for the team's loss, even though it had been Bryan and Tala who had lost the match. His older teammates watched with horror as his condition deteriorated, his screams of anguish dying out and his body succumbing to blood loss, losing consciousness once his heart could no longer compensate. His skin paled visibly and not long afterward, he soon went into shock.

Tala and Bryan had no new scars to show from this hour-long spectacle. No, Boris would never allow that again. The three older members of the Demolition Boys had been taking the plunge for Ian for years, but it was time for the youngest member to earn his share of the beatings that the others had long endured. He was just too small to take it, his body mostly unaccustomed to the trauma of physical abuse. It tore Tala to pieces. The wolf had made it his solemn duty to win any and all matches, if not for his own sake, then for the sake of his team. His pack, what have you. Especially Ian.

The ice covering the lake in his eyes shattered and his frustrations and anger came out with unstoppable vehemence. Tala went blind with rage and pushed past his bulky teammate to grab the nearest object and hurl it across the room. First it was the coffee mug, then a dirty plate left on the table, and lastly, Ian's beyblade. Each object made contact with the far wall in the living room of the apartment, having been hurled out of the kitchen effortlessly, and burst upon impact. The red devil screamed loud curses, all of his livid words directed at Bryan as his voice pierced through the off-white walls. He continued to seethe, breathing heavily and clenching his fists so that his knuckles turned sickly pale and discolored. His jaw was clenched as well, and the tears never-ending. He fell silent once more. Bryan had seen all of this far too many times.

But for the first time ever, he didn't know exactly how it would turn out.

Bryan stood quietly with his arms crossed, his concern for his captain masked by a façade of indifference. He knew better than to say anything until spoken to; Boris had made that life-lesson perfectly clear many times before. Sometimes Tala had to be handled in the same manner. His temper wasn't easily tamed, and so it was always best to let him handle it in his own way, even at the expense of others. Bryan always got the worst of it. When Tala lashed out, everyone else backed off. But never Bryan. He had to be there to make sure no one else felt that wrath because no one else could handle Tala the way he could. No, he didn't exactly have the biggest ego in the world to show for being the constant target of Tala's insults, but he was the only one who both he and Tala knew could put up with it.

And Tala knew he was a monster. Hell, he was scarcely even a human after all the modifications Boris had done to him. He knew he was a beast and a tyrant and hardly bearable, but through it all, Bryan endured. He had been there every time Tala broke and knew what to expect. Tala forgot this at times. He had been led to believe that Bryan didn't care, and this was one of the things he admired most about his stoic teammate. With Bryan, Tala believed that he didn't have to watch his words or hide who he really was because nothing he said would ever hurt the gray-haired enigma. But sometimes he would wonder. And some days he would kill to know exactly what ran through Bryan's mind at times like these.

His words were choked off and his breathing still deep, and his words quickly escalated into screams once more, but he had to know. "H-...How do you stand me, Bryan? Why do you let me say these things? Can't you s-see how fucking horrible I am to you?"

Bryan, who had been waiting out the shit-storm with his eyes closed, snapped them open and drilled a tired, defeated look into his captain. Tala had never seen that look before. The slate orbs of his long-time co-captain gave off an ominous feel, an oppression crushing him with its sheer weight. "I'm not sure about any of it, really. I just do," Bryan came up behind the tense redhead and in an unexpected gesture, placed his hands over Tala's own. His rough palms and calloused fingers brought warmth to the delicate white fists beneath them as they entwined. Tala's grip loosened to allow Bryan's digits to crush the mismatched hands together. He'd never noticed just how truly powerful the falcon was before. "Admit it, you'd get one sentence out on somebody else and they'd look about like you do right now. They wouldn't understand that..." Bryan leaned in close, his chest now pressed to Tala's back and his chin now resting on a sharp collar bone. His words were whispered like a promise. "...it's just the way you are."

Tala's heart rate picked up speed as he felt Bryan's through his ribcage, slow and steady like a mallet to a bass drum that seemed to reverberate throughout the rest of his body. He had never in his entire life felt so inclusive before. So...complete.

Bryan could feel Tala shiver in his grasp and the cool clamminess of his hands as he exchanged endless body heat with his teammate. He could sense excitement and anticipation in his captain, feelings that had been abandoned by both parties long before the two of them had ever met.

"Bryan...why are you always here?" Tala's thin bangs danced before his bloodshot eyes upon exhalation.

"That's a question I can answer," Bryan's breath made contact with the skin directly behind Tala's ear, his arms closing the space between them. "Because you need me. Even if you've never thought it before in your whole entire life, it's reality. I'm here because it's where I belong. The rest is history, Tala. When we made that pact on the streets, you thought I forgot about it. But I never forget. I've lived by those words since the day we met."

"You...you remembered? But I thought-," Tala's eyes widened as he felt himself immobilized by Bryan's iron grip, "-I thought none of it mattered once we came to the abbey. I thought-,"

"-I didn't care?" The words dripped almost maliciously from Bryan's tongue, "Now that's just being stupid on your part. I've always cared. I don't really know how to prove that.." Bryan turned Tala towards him, his silver eyes gleaming with an unfamiliar zeal despite the small frown on his face. "...but it's gotta be true. How else would I be able to tolerate you all these years?"

"Bryan," Tala reached up with both hands, tangling one in Bryan's thick, messy hair and the other cupping his protruding jaw and back of his ear, "You know me better than anyone. And after all this time," Thin, bony fingers massaged their way through fields of gray, "-I still can't say I know you at all. Just when I think I've got you all figured out, you spring something new on me. I can't believe I've been so fucking stupid all this time. So fucking-"

"-blind?" Tala nodded and a playful smirk stretched across Bryan's serious face, eyes narrowing with the promise of a challenge. "Well then...allow me to open your eyes for you."

A polar collision consumed Tala as their lips crashed together, his sharp tongue and dominant nature both suppressed by Bryan's brute strength. Who would've known his detached co-captain was actually better at something other than following orders? After all the years of wondering where Bryan's priorities truly lied, Tala had his answer. They resided here with him, in this dank little apartment they now called home. Because when all else had been lost, Bryan had picked up the pieces and taken charge. Much like now, with his gray eyes gushing liquidity silver, a lust previously undefined as he pressed Tala back against the wall, leaving no room for escape.

As if Tala ever wanted it in the first place.

Fighting back for control of the situation, Tala plunged his tongue deep into Bryan's cursing cavern, blocking out any and all words that might've surfaced at this reaction. Bryan had spoken, and Bryan's words were worth their weight in gold. He'd certainly delivered; Tala's eyes had never been so wide in his life. And for the first time in almost ten years, Tala came to the understanding that he had recovered not only the reason, but the will to live. With that, his lids slid shut.

Bryan pinned Tala's arms tightly against the wall as he regained ascendancy, daring himself to steal the damn breath he lacked straight out of his captain's mouth. Tala tasted delicious, all warm and saccharine from the coffee. Like a toffee-flavored candy, hard and slightly bitter, but irresistible all the same. Bryan had a certain tang as well. Tala grimaced as his tongue detected the unique tartness of orange juice, which overpowered his calm blend of hazelnut creamer and pure cane sugar. His head twisted to the side and broke the link between them.

"...Bastard," Tala spat hatefully, not wanting to give away the last chunk of his sanity just yet. "Should've known you drank the last of the fucking orange juice."

"No I didn't," Bryan smirked, his devilish grin matching his clipped tone perfectly, "I saw it was past its expiration date and took a drink to test it out. Tasted fine, but I still didn't trust it, so I pitched it."

"Hn, always watching out for me, huh?" Tala looked up to pair his gaze with Bryan's. His eyes were still in horrendous shape from crying and lack of sleep, but he ignored it. Bryan, however, didn't. He released Tala and lifted a thumb to his cheek to wipe away the now dried traces of tears. Before Tala had a chance to spit out anymore hateful remarks, Bryan headed toward the door once more, leaving his stunned captain in his wake. "Hey, wait! Where do you think you're going?"

The heavy wooden door was opened, letting in an arctic draft that chilled both Russians to the core. The wicked smile never left Bryan's face. "Isn't it obvious? I'm off to get more orange juice!"

Tala's jaw dropped as the door shut. It was quickly followed by a long string of shouted curses.

And Bryan snickered on his way down the stairs, left satisfied knowing that his captain would always have something worth waiting around for.

FIN

So, worst YuBo story ever written? Yep, I've got that. But for real? Some reviews might encourage me to quickly type and post other shittily written atrocities for my amusement and your enjoyment. I plan on trying a new style of writing with the next one-shot I sink my teeth into, so be prepared.

Oh, and if you do decide to review, if you catch any typos, please let me know so I won't look like a total retard. Kthxbai!