Disclaimer: This authoress does not own Beyblade or any of the respective characters.
Warnings: Language, violence and shonen-ai.
As much as Bryan hated to admit it, Tala was an intriguing creature.
This was his tenth opponent and yet he showed no sign of exhaustion or strain. He simply annihilated them one after the other, first toying with the pathetic specimens and then delivering the final blow with the force of an avalanche. Bryan appreciated those kinds of tactics, but that was not the reason he found the new boy so interesting.
Nor was it the fact that however Bryan looked at it, he ended up at the conclusion that Tala was exceptionally attractive.
The blue eyes that burned with the same intense fury as his flaming red hair were undoubtedly his most striking features. Bryan could have added a whole host of other descriptions for them alone, never mind the rest of his body, but his fascination lay with something entirely different.
He could not actually label it, since he was not quite sure what 'it' was. It was strange enough that he could not take his eyes off the redhead as it was. Whatever 'it' was, it confused and fascinated him at the same time.
With the feigned indifference that made him infamous in the Abbey, Bryan continued to watch the match below. Perhaps it was a waste of his time, but it did not bother him in this case. He had been ordered by Boris to be present and he would remain until it was over. At least it gave him time to ponder 'it'.
So far he had established that it was not due to looks. He did not care for trivial things, though he did notice attractiveness when it was shoved in his face. And it was definitely impossible not to notice when it came to Tala.
Neither was it strength. Bryan had plenty of that and the fact that the redhead did too made no difference. Granted, he also had endurance and maintained his cold exterior throughout a match – all qualities that the falcon held and admired.
Yet that still did not explain 'it'.
He watched through half-closed eyes as Tala impatiently brushed little bits of rubble out of his hair, making even the simple gesture seem elegant and refined. Even being covered in dust and sweat did not detract from his striking figure.
Bryan examined his fighting form more closely as the redhead prepared to unleash a devastating finale, noting every precise detail. From the way his eyes blazed with the strange light emitted from his blade, to the way his body seemed to flow like liquid steel. Admittedly, his technique was flawless. That much was evident from the way he released the attack, slamming his opponent into oblivion with deadly grace and precision.
His opponent, an idiot with more luck than talent, gave a pained shriek before being enveloped in the howling blizzard and Bryan smirked. For being a useless wimp, he deserved much worse.
When the storm died down, Tala was the only one left standing. His opponent lay comatose, surrounded by the shattered remains of his blade.
Slowly, the sound of applauding filled the arena.
"Excellent, Tala!"
The Abbey director was positively exuberant as he hurried across the ruined floor to gloat over his latest recruit, armed with his usual greasy smile. Tala was staring blankly at the unconscious figure but turned to oblige Boris with a satisfied smile. He had performed beyond the highest expectations of the Abbey and knew it.
"That was a superb performance. Really, you have surpassed all expectations, more so than other recruit in the history of the Abbey!"
Tala bent to retrieve his blade, one hand ghosting lovingly over the warm metal before sliding it into his pocket. "Thank you, sir."
Boris seemed unperturbed by the quiet reply and continued on his rant. "No doubt about it, you have a bright future in the blading world, Tala. With your abilities, you will make an excellent addition to the Demolition Boys – no, you will make them unbeatable!"
The redhead only smiled indulgingly at the excessive praise. "I will be sure to do my best, sir."
"Yes, perhaps you even have what it takes to fill the position of team leader – provided, of course, you can continue this winning streak and prove your worth to me."
Above them, a lavender brow lifted fractionally as Bryan finally stirred.
It went unnoticed by Boris and his latest protégée. The director continued in the same vein as before and Tala quickly grew bored with the fake praise being heaped upon him. All this slimy approval was making him feel dirty.
Mercifully, it ended soon enough and Tala was finally dismissed. As he walked towards the exit, his blue eyes grew more and more clouded. Once the door was open, he stepped into the secluded passageway and finally let the façade crack.
Oh god, it hurt. Tala abandoned all pretence and collapsed against the wall, fighting the urge to slide down to the floor completely. Even though he had demolished his opposition, he had been forced to use most of his energy to inflict convincing damage and conceal his own injuries. His gaze flicked down to his arm and he grimaced. The numerous cuts stung like hell and he would have an impressive collection of bruises come tomorrow. But it would all be worth it when he got what he wanted from Boris.
"Impressive, Ivanov."
His head jerked up to see a pale, lavender haired teen staring impassively back at him. Tala took a deep breath, forcing himself upright. "Who…" his voice faltered, but he steeled himself visibly before trying again. "Who the hell are you?" he finally bit out, clenching his fists to keep from shaking.
Those eyes continued to bore into him. "Bryan Kuznetsov. Somebody should have warned you about me by now."
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, someone did. They told me you were a cold, malicious prick." Tala sneered, barely hanging onto the façade by a thread. "Were they right?"
Bryan shrugged, a smirk playing around the corner of his mouth. "Battle me and find out," he answered indifferently. "But since you can barely stand-"
"I could wipe the floor with you right now!" Anger pushed the redhead right up to the other teen but it was a mistake that cost him dearly. He wobbled dangerously and would have fallen if not for the steel grip that clenched around his arm.
"This act is pointless, you know."
Tala blinked, uncomfortably near to the other teens face. "What are you talking about, Kuznetsov?" he demanded heatedly, increasingly aware of his close proximity.
"Pretending to be strong is a waste of time, Ivanov. Boris only sees what he wants to see anyway."
"You think this pretending?" he hissed angrily, flinging off the arm and taking a step backwards. "You watched me battle, I saw you up there in the arena. Did it look like I was pretending?"
"No. But you battled to the best of your ability and pretended it was nothing for you. You do realize Boris is going to have you perform that same little trick over and over again, right? Day and night, until he breaks you. All that talk about captainship was the same cheap stunt he pulls on every new recruit – you have a long way before he even lets you near the team."
"I'm not like them!" he spat furiously, clenching his arm to stop the shaking. "I am anything but weak!"
The falcon regarded the furious redhead intently and smiled. So this was 'it'.
What had intrigued him from the moment he first saw Tala was not good looks or strength. 'It' was a simple thing.
Tala was delicate.
Fragile.
He had proven that he could break others, yet in doing so broke himself. Tala would hurt himself to gain his objective, an interesting trait that Bryan would have liked to push, just to see how far the wolf would go.
It amazed him how Tala could be so paradoxical. He wreathed the arena in destruction, yet here he was: weak as a kitten with the confidence to match. And the vulnerability showed in his eyes, along with a desperate ambition. If he was poetic (which he was definitely not), Bryan might have described him as a delicate flower - a flower of carnage.
That dogged determination even bordered on the realm of stupidity, something Bryan had to nip in the bud now if he was to prevent the redhead from half killing himself in the future just to prove a point to Boris.
"A word of advice, Ivanov."
Tala never flinched as the other teen pushed him up against the wall, pinning him there with both hands on either side of his head. "You'd better not disappoint me," he whispered threateningly. "The Demolition Boys need a captain who can stay strong, not someone who will drive themselves to pieces at the first sign of a challenge. You got that, Ivanov? If you want a future here, this can never happen again."
The blue gaze was hard. "Why are you telling me this, Kuznetsov?" he asked quietly, searching the indifferent eyes. "You have no reason to help me."
Bryan leaned closer, acutely aware that their lips were only inches apart. "Because you confuse me. I hate that you do, yet for some stupid reason I want to know why. And the only way I can do that is to keep you around long enough to find out."
Tala blinked and then laughed derisively. "I guess someone forgot to tell me that the dreaded Bryan Kuznetsov was an idiot as well as-"
The next moment, his scornful words were lost in the pair of surprisingly soft lips that covered his own. His eyes widened and his first reaction to the forceful embrace was to shove him away. The movement sent pain bolting through him and Bryan took advantage of the instant of weakness, instantly deepening the kiss through lips already parted in a gasp. He had him pinned against the wall and his arms propped up the other teen, his body barely having enough energy to keep him awake, let alone standing.
The violent intensity left Tala panting for air and his arms soon encircled the back of the falcon for support, fingertips brushing the soft hair at the nape of his neck.
Bryan broke the kiss as suddenly as he had initiated it and almost shoved himself away from the redhead. Tala hung limply where he was, blue eyes fixed on his as he brushed a hand tentatively over his lips. "Bryan-"
"I am what they say," he said abruptly, a heightened flush on his cheeks the only sign of what had passed between them. "Don't forget that, Ivanov."
Tala watched him walk away, fingertips lingering over his mouth. He wanted to yell at him, curse him, say something, but nothing came out.
Bryan shoved his hands in his pockets as he turned the corner, not giving the frozen redhead a second glance. But he smiled to himself.
"Welcome to the team… Tala."
TBC