Champagne Lips
Mr. Dickinson's parties had become the most anticipated events of the year. Between his shindigs for Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's everyone that could afford it was trying to get an invite. There was no other opportunities for amateur beybladers not only to party by the sides of their favorite "pros" but to battle them and get some tips. And all of the proceeds for the event went to charity so it was a good time to be had all around.
But there were a few people who took that a little too far, which wasn't too hard to imagine. Mr. Dickinson put a little too much faith in his guests when he put any and all alcohol on tap. Anyone had access to it and it all went on his own tab.
"I want you all to have a good time," Mr. Dickinson explained when his guests saw the varieties and selections of food and alcohol that was being served that night. Flutes of champagne and the reddest of wines sat in circles on trays that were being passed around by servers while mini quiches, bacon-wrapped chicken bits, egg rolls, and shrimp cocktails were being passed around by others. It didn't take long for Tyson to allow himself to indulge in everything that he set his sights on.
However, he was not the only one.
"What's with heels anyway? Why do girls have to wear them all the time? They're annoying! They make my feet hurt! I don't want to wear these!" Crystal's words slurred as she lazily reached down to remove the slingback shoes that her feet had been strapped into for the past hour. It was a sight to see her attempting to walk in them before but watching her now was almost sad. Her once graceful balance was replaced with two left feet. "I hate these." Once she managed to get the shoes off she threw them away from her as best as she could. They laded only two feet away. "I don't like this dress either," she announced, reaching behind her head to tug at the knot on her neck.
"Crys, come on, you have to keep your clothes on," Hilary commented, slapping Crystal's hands away from her neck. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "You can't get undressed here."
"Why nooooot?" Crystal whined, her slurred words getting lost in the loud music that was being pumped throughout the ballroom that Mr. Dickinson had rented for the occasion. On the large screen at the back of the room the time was counting down to mark the New Year. The latest music videos played in the background of the countdown clock.
"Because we're in public and you don't want anything getting out that you don't want out there," Hilary replied. Crystal slowly stuck her tongue out between her lips and blew at her. Hilary sighed and rubbed her face this time. "How may drinks have you had?"
"I dunno. This many!" Crystal spread her arms out wide to show quantity in the space of her arms before she dissolved into giggles. "Your face…is so funny!" Still chuckling, she turned to her drink that sat on the table with a straw in it. Sticking out her tongue, she tried to wrap her lips around the straw but she couldn't get it to work which only made her laugh harder.
Hilary shifted her hands to rub at her temples as she blew out a breath. New Year's was about fun but not this much fun. She felt horrible letting her friend wander around without checking in on her but she was distracted by the festivities and the music and a certain navy haired blader that looked good in his suit. (Rented of course. He, Kenny, Max, and Ray got theirs from a store while Kai opted for one that he had "lying around" or so he said.)
"Okay, let's get you some water," Hilary said, grasping Crystal's hands and tried to pull the girl to her feet.
"Nooo," Crystal whined, slipping her hand out of Hilary's. "I don't want water. Don't worry about me. I'm…fiiiiine. You." She pointed in Hilary's direction. "You need to go find Tyson. You need to kiss him. You do. Then you two can stop fighting and be happy."
Hilary blinked rapidly. Her lips twitched as she tried to find something to say in response to that but nothing came. Her cheeks burned red and she rubbed her red-painted lips together for something to do. Her ruby eyes turned to the packed ballroom. Couples were dancing to the loud music playing, talking in corners or at tables and the rest were shouting at each other as beyblades spun in a dish. Even if she could see her friends from there she couldn't just leave Crystal behind.
Pulling her cell phone out of her purse, she used her thumb to type out a quick text and sent it. As she waited for it to be responded to she had to slap Crystal's hands away from trying to grab another champagne flute from a server that passed by. By the time her rescuer came by, Hilary almost had to physical restrain Crystal from getting up.
"Kai, can you help?" Hilary asked, huffing a breath to blow her now displaced hair out of her face. "I can't hold her much longer."
Kai's intense gaze swept from Crystal's unfocused eyes to her lazy smile to her broken down doll-like posture as she sat in her chair. His eyebrows twitched and then she sighed, pinching his nose. "Go ahead, I got her," he told Hilary. He didn't need to say it twice. She practically bolted as soon as the words left his mouth. He grunted. He didn't get the power that Tyson had over her but he wasn't going to question it. It wasn't his business and he didn't necessarily care that much. Anything to keep them from arguing.
He didn't need another headache.
"Kai, you always come to rescue me," Crystal commented once her eyes focused on Kai long enough to recognize him. "You're so nice. Not scary like Tyson always says. Someone scary won't wear an earring." She pointed to the black earring nestled in his left earlobe. "It looks really good on you, by the way." Her head flopped back onto her arm that lay across the table which had become the only thing that was holding her up at that point.
Kai glanced at his cell phone screen and then put it back into his pocket. He then grasped her free arm and gave it a tug. "Up," he ordered. "We're going home."
"No!" she protested, yanking her arm back. "The night's not done yet. I want to see the ball drop."
"You're not going to see the ball drop," Kai said firmly. "You're going home and you're going to sleep. You're in no condition to be here."
Crystal lifted her head and did her best to sit up in her chair, which took her a few minutes longer than it would have for a normal functioning person. She turned her mouth down to a pout and directed it at him. "I'm fine!" she stated. "I'm fine. I want to be here."
Kai crouched until they were eye to eye. She held his gaze as best as she could though she swayed backwards and forwards as she stared back at him. Finally he reached out to poke her shoulder. She leaned backwards in her seat almost as if a large gust of wind was trying to knock her over, despite him barely poking her. "Nope, you're leaving," he stated, standing at full height. The countdown began in the background.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
"No!" Crystal braced her palms on the table and chair and got to her feet. Her backless Chinese-silk inspired halter dress flared out at her waist as she stood. The slit in the side revealed that she was standing tall on her bare feet. "I'm not going. I want to be with my friends."
"You can barely stand up," he pointed out, grabbing her by the elbow to keep her from outright falling over as she tried to walk away from him. It was like she had lost the use of her legs completely. "You're going home."
Seven.
Six.
Five.
"Just wait until the new year. Please?" She fluttered her eyelashes and deepened her pout, lifting her chin for him to get the full effect. "It's only five more seconds."
He pressed his lips together and turned his eyes over to the large clock on the wall. She took that as him agreeing with her for he didn't try to make her leave at that point. The shouting of the numbers got louder the closer it got to midnight. The anticipation and excitement in the room built and grew until it swallowed everyone in the room.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
With a loud burst of "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" from the audience the series of zeros on the large screen blinked different colors in rapid succession as images of fireworks burst behind it in the black space. Multi-colored confetti fell from the ceiling, bathing the party attendees in little scraps of paper. Glasses clinked together and sparkling cider was consumed as the New Year hit.
But all of that was ignored, pushed aside even, when Crystal's lips met Kai's. She had to stand on her tiptoes and hold onto the back of his neck to bring him close but when their lips touched neither moved. They stood still in that moment, taking everything in as the seconds ticked into the New Year. Their hearts beat in a similar stuttering rhythm in their chests. Their lips, with a lingering taste of champagne, melded together like puzzle pieces lining up.
Just like initiating the kiss, Crystal was the one to pull away. The cool floor on her bare feet made a shiver roll up her spine, or was it the heat that she swore she could still feel on her mouth? Her eyelids fluttered open and he eyes locked with Kai's. He stared back at her. She didn't see annoyance, frustration, or any of the other default emotions that Kai held on his face. Instead it was replaced with something she hadn't seen before. Something that made her smile at him.
And then she promptly puked on his shoes.
a/n - First post of 2015! Happy New Year everyone! To celebrate I decided to post a story that reveals the results of the poll up on my page. The one asking who you wanted Crystal paired with in my Crouching Tiger series. Kai won with 12 votes, Ray was in second with 6, Max got 4, and Lee got 0 (no surprises there :P). I do have to give a shoutout to ShiningHeart of ThunderClan because if it weren't for her pointing out Kai/Crystal I never would have noticed it or fallen in love with the idea of them together. So, this is me officially saying look out for them in CT II: Yin and Yang. It'll be interesting! Please read and review!