Friendship On The Rocks;
Tyson, Kai & Max.
"Last night was another great night."
Registering the sound of his best friend crunch on his cereal without a care in the world, the Granger pushed away his bacon sandwich and sighed heavily – He was struggling to keep his cool and it was starting to show within the tension in the atmosphere, it was rough and at breaking point.
That's when Max finally couldn't take anymore, placed down his spoon and swallowed the last of his Crunchy Nut Cereal. He lifted his sea blue eyes to his best friend's riled face and leaned across the table to wave in front of Tyson.
"You okay there buddy? You look like you could rip someone's head clean off." The blond American spoke and cracked a weak smile. "Who has upset you now?"
"What time did you get in last night Max?" Tyson replied bluntly and sat back on his chair with his toned arms folded.
Max blinked and then sat up straight. "Uh…" He paused to think about it. "Too be honest I don't quite remember. It must have been like 3am. Why?" He was now clicking on to the fact that the Dragoon holder was upset with him.
Tyson's brown pupils narrowed and a twitch left his figure. "And I suppose you've added another girl to your list huh?" A faint dry and sarcastic smirk appeared over the champions dry lips. "I bet that list is longer than the Bible now." He really wasn't in a good mood this morning – especially as his grandfather had bollocked him last night for Max coming home so late and disturbing everyone.
His jaw flew open speechlessly and he stopped breathing for short moment. "What is up with you Tyson!? You usually don't mind me talking about my one night stands." Max was so confused.
"Tell me, did you wear protection with this one? Or did you give in to the adrenaline rush?"
"You seriously need to calm down. I'd be a fool to sleep with someone if I didn't know the consequence. Jeez you are being such an ass!" Max then stood up from the table and glared down to his best friend. "It's my life Tyson. I'm a big boy now and I can look after myself!"
Under threat because Max was now above him and talking down to him, the Granger then rose to his feet and growled impatiently. He couldn't believe what his best friend had transformed into – what went wrong?! They always promised to wait for the right girl while they were growing up. But instead the Draciel holder just back tracked and gave into the thrill.
"You are a child with a big boys toy Max." Tyson by now was pointing in his face. "You've lost your dignity and your self-respect! I never had a problem until the other day you said – 'I don't agree with the word 'whore'. Now I can see why, it's because you are afraid of being categorised as one!"
Max closed his eye lids and felt his heart skip an unhealthy beat. "You are supposed to be my friend…" He was interrupted by the honesty of Tyson.
"I am a good friend Max. But you can't expect me to keep defending you and fluffing you like everything is okay when it's not! You could get a girl pregnant or catch something disgusting! What do you expect me to say then? Oh, well done buddy!"
"Oh shut up Tyson." Max then slammed the chair under the table and stormed out the dojo kitchen. "I swear sometimes he just doesn't think before he speaks!"
Sadly it was true – Tyson never really thought before he spoke and sometimes it really got him into trouble. But the one thing that everyone knew about the Granger was the fact he was a friend who was a one in a million. The type of guy who would walk away from everything if it was to prove his friends he loved the bones of them, despite they did stupid things sometimes.
But just as Tyson sat back down at the table to allow his heavy head to fall into his hands, another familiar figure walked into the kitchen. He did his best to ignore the tension in the atmosphere, but it started to get on his nerves. And not only that – Kai loved to stir up the drama by giving someone the honesty they deserved
"Do I want to know?"
Tyson nodded a no and closed his eyes to try and blank out that throbbing headache that was sneaking up to his forehead. "No you don't." He mumbled, refusing to look at the rival who was foraging for food.
The blue haired Russian then closed the fridge and began to pour himself a glass of orange juice. "I saw Max walk off like a spoilt child. I'm guessing it had something to do with you judging by the state you're in." He smirked and turned around to watch the Dragoon holder react to the statement.
"Kai." Tyson then sat up straight and opened his eyes to reveal his confused facial expression. "Why are you being nosy for once?"
Shrugging like a stubborn naughty child who had no answer to the question, Kai then sat down at the table facing Tyson and traced his thumb around the edge of the glass. "Because we have a serious match tomorrow and I don't think bitching at each other is going to pay off." The captain said in a un-emotional tone.
He lowered his hands off the table and sat them in his lap. "Bitching? Kai I told him to his face that sleeping with girls unprotected is unacceptable." Tyson confessed what the Dranzer holder had been waiting to hear without even knowing it. Oh how gullible the champion was sometimes.
Kai then reached across the table to grab Tyson's bacon sandwich that was going cold. This clearly was a serious issue, especially if Tyson wasn't touching his food. Pft, like the Hiwatari was going to waste it – he loved bacon.
"Who cares. If he wants to go and shag girls then leave him to it Tyson." Kai then took a bite into the sandwich and then looked he was impressed. "All you can do is say – 'I told you so' when he's stranded with some crying kid and a sti."
"But Kai, I'm trying to open his eyes…"
"He clearly knows what he's doing Tyson." Kai swallowed his mouthful. "Besides, it's not your job to accept it or not. So get over it and focus on that match for tomorrow. If you don't man up, I'll let Max take your place in the ring against Tala."
Tyson's confused expression then faded into a shocked blank stare. He realised the lone-wolf was right, why should he care what Max was up to? Tyson had to focus on his career and give Kai a reason to keep hating him by protecting his world champion title.
"Oh Kai. I love you too." Tyson burst out laughing and reached out his hand to grab the plate of bacon sandwich back. "By the way, did your mother ever teach you not to take what's yours?" He then reached over to snatch the bacon sandwich out his rivals hand too and stuffed that into his big mouth. "Later Kai!"
Watching the chewed up food fly out Tyson's mouth, Kai bit down on his lower lip and twitched. "You are a Moran Tyson." The Hiwatari rolled his maroon eyes and sipped his orange juice. He should have known that that sandwich was going to leave Tyson any longer.
Later after digesting the food and making room for more, the world champion leaned against Max's room with a warm smile on his face and a spark in his brown eyes. It tore Tyson's heart to see the sulk on his friends pale face, but he knew that the Draciel holder was thinking about what had been said earlier too. Tyson never was that brutally honest unless he'd bottled something up over time.
"Look, I never meant to upset you. I wasn't thinking straight. It's just that I know you know better than this and it's confused me over time."
"You never think Tyson. I guess I've learnt to take it on the chin over time but that event earlier was too painful to not take it to heart or personal."
A sigh left the champion's dry throat as he sat down on the ground beside his best friend. He daring lifted his arm to wrap it around the Tate's arm. "I know I'm a pain in the ass, but I will admit that. But that doesn't mean I don't think the world of you. I should Max, because I care." He paused to laugh faintly.
The blonde American perked up and nodded. "I guess so. But Tyson, I'm happy…"
"Max I want to see you happy. But just be careful, that's all I'm saying." Tyson winked and pulled him into a man hug. "You know I never see wrong in my friends eyes."
That's when the smile finally appeared on Max's dry lips too and that frustration building up in his figure finally disappeared. "You're lucky we are close man because I'd have done a Kai on you." He laughed too and hugged his friend back in return.
A/N: We all have that friend who slips down the wrong road for a while, but as time heals, you learn to love them for who they are because they are the same person you grew up with – it's just they've expanded their horizons as a human being. But for me, I'd steal back a bacon sandwich too! – Lots of love XOAnn13OX aka LittleAGranger.