Dynamics
idea based loosely on LJ comm, 20 truths.
pardon my english. because i haven't written a fic in a LOOOOOng time, much less a neoborg fic. (that - is the understatement of the century) - and I've kinda forgotten how to keep Kai and Tala in-character. (not like I ever grasped their personalities wholly in the first place heh)
it's much shorter here, and lesser truths. imma too lazy. that's self-explanatory, right? XD
Six facts about Kai and Tala. Or how their friendship works, one way or another.
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1. Kai doesn't lie when he says the first person he's come to know of is Tala Ivanov. That's because he was seven year old when memories of his life just sort of got stuck and embedded in his brains. Humans say, there's always a period in your life when you start to remember all sorts of flashbacks from your childhood. That's what happens, Kai guesses. Because when he thinks back and reflects in full retrospective mood, he only remembers things in this order: abbey, abbey, training, Dranzer, get Tala to shut up, training, get Tala out of trouble, training, Dranzer, abbey, tell Tala he's being pathetic, abbey, Dranzer - something like that.
2. Contrary to what Tyson (and Daichi) thinks, Tala actually knows more about Kai than any of them on Team BBA Revolutions. Practically growing up with someone you've known since diapers (plus a few more years down the road) sort of answers the question. And Tala doesn't think Kai is all that almighty, and mysterious, and enigmatic as all his fangirls (and boys) thinks. Tala seriously believes Kai's personality can be summarized into one word : sourpuss.
But Tala doesn't always tell Kai that fact into his face. Problem is, Tala doesn't exactly desire Dranzer's fire flaming Wolborg's ass. Or his hair for that matter.
3. Kai and Tala has some sort of fixed routine every morning. They don't tell each other they know what the other's habits are, no matter how one of them will end up irritating another. Like how Tala always has to have his black coffee (no sugar) fix in the morning, and then discovers the kitchen's run out of water, and Ian's forgotten to stock it up at the supermarket. Tala will get all crappy, and switch into I'm-team-captain-so-Ivanov-says-so mode. Kai's used to death-glaring Tala down anyway on mornings like this.
Whereas for Kai, he always, always has to get his daily newspapers in front of his face, on the kitchen table, before he can bite into his bread crumbs. And he doesn't exactly try any other flavor on his bread other than peanut butter. Kai's a peanut butter person. Tala? Tala eats plain bread. Hard, and toasted. He says he's been through bread days like this in the abbey so often that he's used to it anyway, and if he tries any other flavor, it's 'weird', in his terms.
Kai thinks his friend's taste buds are just plain screwed. But he doesn't tell the redhaired team captain that. He doesn't want to contemplate on the scenario in which Wolborg freezes his Dranzer. Or his hair for that matter.
4. When Kai turns on the TV, he doesn't make any noises. But his eyes are wholly focussed on the twenty players running up and down the green field chasing after a black and white ball. Yes, Kai's favorite program is the sports channel. Beyblading has always been his number one sport. Watching soccer seconds that. Though that is something no one other than Tala ever knows. Kai doesn't appreciate the fact that Tala knows though, because the redhead always has to mock him when his favorite team (which happens to be Chelsea because Kai actually knows the Russian millionaire who owns the team) misses scoring a goal by an inch.
And Tala's a Man Utd fan, Kai believes. Though the team captain will only admit it over his dead body.
Tala watches TV. All the time. He just doesn't have a fixed favorite channel, because when he watches TV, his fingers work out the calories non-stop. They flick from button A to button B because Tala likes to think himself as a restless TV potato couch who can be watching the sports channel one second, to the wrestling entertainment channel the next. Tala only tosses a pillow at the TV screen, when a mushy soap melodramatic opera plays. But he's been cutting down on the habit because Kai's been growing increasingly irritated over that action of his.
5. It's not one of the last facts both know about each other. But Kai takes comfort in knowing that there's only one person he knows of, who can sit by his side all day long under the baking sun, on the green grass of hills, and Kai won't even feel a second of awkwardness of not saying anything. In fact, Tala Ivanov's the only person he's known whom Kai can plop down by the redhead's side, stuff a grass strand between his lips, lean back, and then doze off under the tree. Kai doesn't have to worry about leaving Tala alone to his own thoughts, because he knows the redhead isn't interested in all talks. If there's anyone who likes peace and quiet as much as Kai does, it's Tala. And both simply can sit, and not exchange a single word, for hours and hours under the sun on the green hills.
But Tala does talk sometimes. And Tala knows there are days where Kai wishes to talk. Like how, occasionally, Kai'll simply sit up, rests his palms against the grass, and look out distantly to the lake before them. Then Tala takes it as a sign (though Kai's not conscious of his own body language. But Tala knows anyway. He's Tala. And he's known Kai forever) to cue in the question, "What are you thinking about, Kai?"
Typical "Hn". Snort. Death glare. Scowl. Yadda yadda. Tala's got it memorized. No, he doesn't have to remember. Because he hasn't forgotten, that's all. How can he? He's seen these gestures since he was seven year old. And he's grown up with them since.
So they'll talk. And Tala's the only one who wouldn't laugh (cue in: like Tyson, or Daichi, or Max, or Rei even) when Kai says something really out of sorts and random and uncharacteristic like, "I'm hungry." Because Tala will only smirk that all-knowing team captain Ivanov smirk of his (that Kai Hiwatari has memorized as a trademark feature after all these years), tells Kai he's "pathetic", and then narrows his eyes when his stomach growls out loud too in protest.
That's when Kai rolls his eyes and "Hn" once more. But that doesn't explain, nor hide the slightest curls at the corner of his lips, anyway. In a second, he's up on both feet, and offering Tala a hand.
The redhead replies that burgers sound okay even though he's never eaten one before (no thanks to the abbey), and he reaches out to accept Kai's hand to help himself up.
6. And it's a known fact, anyway. One they don't ever bother mentioning to either, or any other. Because none will understand it like them. And Kai thinks it's not necessary for Tala to know, because he probably knows already. And Tala thinks it's a waste of time to tell Kai, because he knows what both of them know already.
And of course, it's a known fact, and everyone else knows it like them, already.
They can be scowling at each other one second, threatening to freeze and burn each other's hair with their respective Dranzer and Wolborg in the next, then holding a death-glaring competition, or tossing grass strands at each other just for the heck of it...
But in the end,
...they're friends.
owari
on a last note, i miss Kai and Tala!
XD
p.s. and i'm neither a chelsea or man utd fan. so fellow fans (or arch enemies in this case) pls refrain tossing tomato, eggs, potatoes, blah blah, at poor (literally and figuratively) mysterio.
and the fandom needs more kai tala friendship fics around.. grumbles.