AN: Weeellll Here it is! As I promised ^^ This is one of my fave chappys I think.. well actually everything from this point on is my favourite ^^' Bryan becomes far more involved =)
Red: Yes I do like putting them in awkward situations.. its half the fun ;)
SkyBlueSunShine: Sorry! I forgot about the question ^^' it's pronounced Lee-ka =)
Annonymus reviewer: I'm sorry your disappointed in the lack of Kai.. but the summary does say its about the Demo boys =) If you like Kai read my other two long fics ^^
Oh and note to all who read Never and Ha: I'm starting to like Never again XD Maybe Ha will follow ^^' I'm going to try to get ha out by next Friday, but I'm not sure.. it depends on my finals =)
The next two months passed uneventfully. Mr. Dickenson had seen fit to send them another load of supplies by plane. The helicopter landed in their clearing, unloaded and was gone before any of them knew it. The pilot wouldn't answer any of Liika's questions –she was the only one that asked anything- instead only said "His orders were just to drop off supplies, not to pick anyone up." Liika fumed for a few hours, but got over it quickly. She really was too busy to worry about going home.
That combined with the fact that she was starting to like living with the four boys. Life was never dull, and after the scare of losing her in the woods they started to treat her more like she was one of them instead of an outsider –minus Bryan who actually almost seemed to get worse. It wasn't that he treated her like an outsider exactly, it was just that he seemed even more growly around her. However, there were occasions when the icy barrier that surrounded him melted just slightly and he wasn't so gruff or surly with her.
He even smiled at her once.
True, it was a tiny, almost miniscule smile that could hardly be called a real smile, but it was there, and it wasn't a smirk either. It was a truly amused smile. She knew because his ice colored eyes would lighten slightly. These times were generally when he was trying to teach her something and she would either mess up completely and ridiculously, or caught on right away and beam at him proudly. Liika favoured these moments over any other because it was then that she saw a side of Bryan that he always kept hidden. A side that she liked a great deal.
It wasn't just Bryan that taught her things, though he seemed to have appointed himself her personal instructor in true wilderness survival, feeling that, -explained testily when Ian called him on it- Spencer was far too soft on her and didn't teach her the things she needed to learn. Tala and Ian took her on an extended hunting trip to a river some hours south of their cave to fish. They taught her to fish with out a proper rod, how to set traps and even how to hold the rifle. They of course wouldn't let her actually shoot it as they said that the kick back would more than likely either break her shoulder or send her flying so much that her shot would be incredibly inaccurate. They had also laughed heartily at her when she pouted and whined about the unfair treatment and that Ian was her size yet he was allowed to shoot a rifle. Tala patted her on the head and said, in a rather insulting, coddling voice, "Ian is sturdier than you. Think about it this way, it'd be like Bryan trying to do rhythmic gymnastics. Some body types just aren't meant to do some things." This earned a rather raucous laugh out of all three teens as they pictured the said boy doing rhythmic gymnastics.
Now, well into July –they judged it to be about the third week, but none of them knew for sure – they had settled into a pattern of sorts. Get up, do chores, eat lunch, hang around until it was time to eat dinner, then after dinner, sit around the fire and either tell stories –Liika was enthralled with tales of early Abbey life, before it got nasty- or play games. In his second load of provisions, Mr. D had seen fit to give them a deck of cards and board game. Life was quiet, but not dull completely. They were almost…content.
"Cheat."
Ian cursed violently and grit his teeth, reaching down to pick up the pile of cards that had been growing for quite some time. "I don't know how you know. It's not like you have all the cards in your hand." He muttered, glaring at Liika who smirked back.
"It's not that difficult to tell Ian." Tala said placidly, raising an eyebrow and smirking as well. "She's just counting the cards. Besides, this is a game of luck and chance. There's no skill involved whatsoever."
Ian grumbled, sorting out his now very large hand. "Yeah well, why do I always get the bad luck?!"
The other three players shook their heads, smirking. "What are we at?" Spencer asked, peering at his cards.
"Threes I think." Liika answered, looking around the cave absently as she waited for the Spencer and Tala to take their turns. Her eyes fell on the pale haired Demolition Boy who was sitting against the wall on his bed, his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest. She frowned. He never joined in their games. He merely sat off to the side and either watched or ignored them all. It was slightly disconcerting. Didn't he have any fun…ever?
"Ika, your turn." Tala prompted, poking her in the temple. "Stop day dreaming about Bryan and pay attention."
Liika flushed, shooting a 'shut up' glare at Tala and peeked under her lashes to see if Bryan had noticed.
He had.
He had cracked his eyes open and arched one of his eyebrows. She blushed even harder and coughed uncomfortably. Oh damn this is embarrassing. "Whatever. What are we at?"
Ian snerked, his grin turning evil. "Since you were too busy staring at Bryan, you don't deserve to know what number we're at."
"Gah! I wasn't staring at him!" Liika exclaimed, glaring at all three snickering boys. "I was looking past him."
"There's nothing but the wall behind him."
"So?" She retorted, snorting. "I was staring at the wall. I just thought of something."
Tala and Ian threw each other and Spencer looks then grinned simultaneously and said, "Yeah of Bryan!"
Her face turned fluorescent red and she sputtered for a few moments before huffing in embarrassment. "Shut up the lot of you. I was not staring or looking at Bryan. Just drop it. Go midget boy." She ground out, dropping two cards onto the pile. Only one card left and with perfect luck, it was just the card she needed.
"No way! Cheat!" Ian yelled, narrowing his eyes at her.
She just grinned and reached down, flipping the top two cards over. Two sixes stared back up at them, seemingly mocking Ian who moaned and scooped up the pile. "This is bullshit. You so got lucky that time!"
"Heh." She said, caulking her head haughtily. "Hardly. If you were more perceptive you would realize all I had to do was count up from Spencer, who put down threes. Tala was four, you were five and I was then six."
Ian growled. "Go Spencer."
Spencer smiled a bit and lay down a card, nodding at Tala to indicate his turn. Tala too put down one card. Spencer called cheat and Tala was forced to pick up the three card pile. Lastly Liika, who smiled sweetly, directly at Ian, laid down her last card and dusted off her hands. "Well that's done. Couldn't have been distracted too much, you all lost again."
"Wait, cheat!"
Liika grinned evilly and motioned at the pile. "Pick it up my friend!"
"Oh for fucks sake. This is the most retarded game on the planet!" He exclaimed throwing his massive hand into the middle of the circle. "You cheat, I swear you do."
Tala, Spencer and Liika laughed, shaking their heads at the short teenaged male.
"You can't cheat Ian, the game is designed for you to cheat!" Tala said, snickering loudly.
Spencer smirked, gathering the cards together to shuffle them. "She just gets lucky hands. Extremely lucky hands."
"Hey I can't help it if the card gods think I'm sooo adorable that they have to give me the perfect hand every time!" Liika chirped, batting her eyelashes at the three boys and caulking her head to the side.
There was a moment of silence before Ian and Tala burst out into howling laughter and Spencer laughed as hard as Liika had ever seen him laugh. The loudest two fell over onto their sides, clutching their abdomens and checking tears.
Liika pouted, jamming her arms over her chest. Leaning over she shoved at the red head beside her, attempting to disrupt his boisterous laughing fit. "It's not that funny you know!" She cried, poking at both boys. "I am adorable damn it!"
This only sent them into further fits and it seemed as if they were having troubles breathing between the laughter. Spencer at least had calmed down some and was merely chuckling quietly and grinning. Liika got a really put out look on her face and huffed, her pout intensifying.
Ha. It really wasn't that funny! Stupid, insensitive jerks. She muttered in her mind. Stealing a glance at Bryan she gauged his reaction to the situation, wanting to know if something that could send his teammates into riotous fits of giggles could even move him. She didn't think it would, but she was curious anyway. Needless to say she was stunned with what she found.
Bryan's eyes were still closed, but the look on his face was something akin to sever amusement. His lips were tilted upwards and the normal frown lines that creased his skin were gone.
Well, at least I made him have some sort of reaction that wasn't anger. She thought a little proudly, her heart fluttering a bit. She had gotten through to him…even if it was just a bit.
The laughing had calmed a tiny bit and Liika took the opportunity to try her luck at expressing her extreme displeasure at them laughing at her. "Ok, then, if not adorable delightful?"
More laughing.
"Grr…cute…?"
Even more laughing.
"Oh for the love of… NOT UGLY?!" She screamed, jumping to her feet and throwing her hands up in the air.
The laughing calmed some more so that it was nothing more than chuckles—and in Ian's case—cackling. Tala sat up first and grinned charmingly at her, tugging on the hem of her pants as she puffed up angrily. "Sit down." He cajoled, his grin softening.
Liika glared at him, but nevertheless dropped back down to the ground, still pouting with her arms jammed over her chest. Tala chuckled again and leaned toward her, throwing a brotherly arm around her shoulder and hugging her sideways towards him. "It's not that we think you're ugly Kit," he said, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. "It's just that…we know you…and when we think of you… adorable doesn't come to mind. It's too…sweet for you."
"Yeah, you're mouth is too big!"
Liika paused for a moment, considering this—not with out throwing a glare at Ian first though. "Hrm." She frowned. "What did you call me?"
Tala blinked and the smirked, tugging on her hair. "I called you Kit. Ian came up with it."
Ian snerked, grinning arrogantly. "That's right. Kit is a boy's name, and since you seem to enjoy being a tomboy so much, it suits you."
She thought maybe she should have been offended by it, but for some reason she wasn't. She was quite the opposite in fact, she practically glowed. They cared enough to give her a nickname that wasn't part of her name! Liika laughed, smiling at the boys that sat around her. "I think you're right! It does suit me!"
Ian, Tala and Spencer smiled along with her, while Bryan watched from the wall. He studied her as she laughed and goofed around with his teammates, her face aglow with pleasure and happiness. It was quite something. He had never seen anyone capable of so many emotions in such a short time. She bounced from anger to joy in a second flat and he wondered just how she could do it with out wearing herself out.
Bryan had, some weeks ago, admitted to himself—and only himself—that he actually liked the little Bladebreaker, though he preferred to think of her as one of their team because he despised the rest of the Bladebreakers. However, after he realized that she had changed him, he withdrew more, and became even more caustic on the outside. He knew it hurt her feelings, but he didn't know any other way to deal with his newfound feelings. He had never had someone care about him as she so obviously did. She fussed over him, and the rest of his team, in ways that seemed mind boggling to four boys that had never been coddled a day in their lives. Bryan had the feeling—a very sinking feeling—that the old man had knew what they needed and gave it to them. In the form of a loud, fuming, moody, tiny little woman.
"I think we should play Preference now!"
Liika groaned, shaking her head adamantly. "I'm out!" She proclaimed. There was no way they were getting her to play that devil game!
Ian whined, elbowing her. "Damn, if we have to play your stupid cheating games, then you should play our game!" He said, scowling at her.
Liika shook her head more and shot him a look. "No way," she said. "That game confuses the hell out of me! Remember what happened last time??"
This time Ian cackled, looking decidedly pleased with himself. Oh yes he remembered. She had been horribly terrible at the game, and couldn't seem to grasp the rules to save her life. It had been great. "Don't be such a weakling." He taunted.
"It's not about being a weakling!" Liika exclaimed stubbornly. "I am not getting my ass kicked for your enjoyment. I don't even know how to play properly!"
"You just don't want to lose!"
"You're damn right!"
"Oh so you can dish it out but you can't take it!"
"Ha!-"
Tala rolled his eyes and gathered the cards, handing them to Spencer to sort out into a Preference deck. "That's enough children." He interrupted the argument that was slowly degrading into first grade faces. "Just watch Liika, you'll catch on quickly enough."
"I don't know…"
Ian suddenly had a very very evil idea, and it showed on his face. Smirking he moved his eyes towards his pale haired teammate, then back towards Liika. "I have an idea. Why doesn't Bryan play? I bet she'll learn better then."
Liika blushed instantly and whacked Ian over the head. Damn it, he was such a little pain! "You're such a little jack ass!" She cried, trying not to look at Bryan.
"No I think Ian's right." Tala said suddenly, turning his head to look at Bryan. "Bryan's a master at Preference, if anyone an teach you, he can."
"Really?" Liika asked doubtfully, glancing at Bryan.
"Yes. Bryan, you're playing. She needs someone good to watch. And Ian isn't good." Tala commanded.
Ian complained loudly, but eventually conceded the fact that he was nowhere near the other three's level at the game. Bryan grunted and moved away from the wall, coming over to sit with them so that he could join the three-person card game. Tala moved over so that Bryan was forced to sit directly between him and Liika, much to Liika's slight embarrassment. Lately her feelings towards him had been changing, and while she found herself wanting to spend more and more time in his presence, she also wanted to hide from him. Her cheeks heated up at the mere thought of him…never mind when he sat beside her as close as he was at that moment.
"Pay attention." Bryan commanded, his eyes flickering over her, taking in her glazed eyes and slightly flushed cheeks.
She blinked and laughed nervously. "Sorry." She then paid as close attention as she could with out getting distracted by Bryan's presence and the sheer complexity of the game. It was too mind boggling to even think about. She didn't learn anything.
The game didn't last long. Tala hadn't been kidding when he said Bryan was a master at the game. He had beat Spencer and Tala so badly, and so fast that it went by as a blur. It was amazing because Tala was generally a card game wiz, much like he was a wiz at everything else. He was a flippin' genius. However, Bryan thoroughly owned him at Preference and Liika was a little proud of him for it. It was about time Tala lost at something that took skill.
Tala sighed, not overly surprised that he had lost. Bryan always won. He looked at Liika and raised an eyebrow. "Did you understand the general gist of the game?" He asked.
Liika just laughed, scratching her head. "Not a bloody thing. But it was nice to see you get your ass kicked for once. Good work Bryan!" She sent a bright smile in the pale haired teen's direction.
He looked flustered for a moment before his icy mask slipped back over his face. He shrugged uncaringly and stood, making his way back to his spot against the wall, sitting down and pulling one of his knees up to his chest, making it clear that he was having no more part of the 'fun'.
Liika sighed dramatically, and rolled her shoulders, yawning. "I've had enough of card games for the night I think. Just watching Preference makes my head hurt." She said, crawling over to her bed pallet and flopping down on her stomach next to Bryan. "How you could play that game…it boggles the mind." The words came out no more than a muffle as her face was buried in her pink cased pillow.
"Ahh, I still say you're just a wuss." Ian muttered, poking her in the sides as he sat down on his bed next to her.
She squealed and wriggled away from him, and essentially ended up curled up against Bryan's side. "Away you little monster!"
Ian stared at her for a moment before breaking out into a large, villainous looking smirk. "You're ticklish aren't you?"
She peeked out from her little burrow. "No?"
"Ha ha! You are!" With the proclamation Ian dove at her, ready to tickle her until she admitted his obvious superiority.
Liika screeched and jumped, dodging Ian by moving to scramble over Bryan. However, she only got half way before she slipped on his raised leg and fell face first on to the bed beside him, so that her abdomen was hung over Bryan's now flat lap. She moaned. It always turned out this way.
"Good going klutz!" Ian snickered, stopping short of Bryan. He had no wish to tangle with the bigger boy. Let her do it!
"Stupid little…" Liika muttered, dragging herself up, totally forgetting who she was leaning on. Her hands landed on Bryan's thighs and she turned her head and stuck her tongue out at Ian. "It was your fault!"
It wasn't until the legs beneath her hands shifted that she realized who and what she was leaning against. She froze, blinking rapidly in horror. Slowly she raised her head until she found herself staring into flat icy pools of blue. Laughing nervously—which seemed to be a central theme for her when it concerned Bryan—she clambered off of him and sat back down on her bed, trying to fight the horrible fluttering in her heart. His legs were very toned. Just like the rest of him! A flash of his half naked body from their one night camping escapade danced through her head and she had to swallow the growing lump in her throat. Damn it, she was falling, and falling hard. "Ah…sorry." She murmured, looking away.
Bryan grunted, glaring at both Liika and Ian. He tried to ignore the slight tingles that shot up his legs at her lingering touch. She was affecting him again. He cursed. Jerking himself to his feet, he walked straight out of the cave, giving no excuse or explanation.
Ian raised an eyebrow watching the bigger teen walk out. He wasn't surprised at Bryan's actions—Bryan was Bryan—no what he was interested in was the look on Kit's face as Bryan walked out.
It was priceless.
"You like him don't you?"
Liika blinked, shaking herself from her daze. She was slightly hurt that Bryan had just walked out, but was grateful at the same time. She didn't have to deal with him. Of course she didn't realize the way she had been staring at him as he left.
With eyes full of love.
"Huh?" Liika replied, looking at Ian in confusion. What was he talking about?
"Bryan…you like him, don't you?" Ian asked again, tilting his head to the side.
The shade of red she turned in a second flat was comical. Her eyes became wide and mortified and steam practically poured out of her ears. He couldn't be serious! Where had that come from…??
Liika looked deep with in herself, and in that moment realized what Ian was accusing her of was true.
She liked Bryan Kaminov of the Demolition Boys.
Oh god. How could she have let that happen?? How could she fall for someone like him?? He was an emotionless bastard that couldn't care less about her! Why oh why did she choose him, of all the guys, to fall for? Fate was once again playing a trick on her.
Of course, just that she admitted it to herself, didn't mean that she was going to admit it to anyone else. And she sure as hell wasn't going to admit it to Ian! She'd never live it down, and Bryan—whom could never find out…until she knew for sure that he liked her back—would find out in moments. Ian's mouth was just as big as hers was.
Huffing resentfully, Liika tossed her head, trying desperately to cool her burning face. "I do not." She denied haughtily.
Ian's grin merely grew, his eyes glinting with evil mischief. "Haha! You like Bryan!" He chorused in a sing songy voice, rather loudly.
Her blush intensified and she growled ferally. Oh he was dead now. "Ian-!"
"Kit likes Bryan?"
Liika froze at Tala's intruding voice. Oh God. She was really in for it now! All she could do was pray that Bryan didn't come back in when they were still teasing her about it. Then she would really die.
Ian snickered, glancing up at Tala who decided then would be a good time to join the conversation and sat down on the end of Ian's bed. "You should have seen how she looked at him when he left! It was like how a puppy looks at its master! Complete adoration!"
Tala's eyebrows shot up, a smirk curling his thin lips. "Is that so?" He drawled, his turquoise eyes flickering over her. "Well, well, well, is our little Kit growing up?"
Liika grit her teeth, her agitation and humiliation growing. They were like wolves, they smelt fresh blood a mile away and pounced on it the instant they found it. In this case it was her blood. "Oh go to hell." She snapped turning away from them both and flopping down onto her bed. She didn't want to deal with their crap!
"Awww!" Tala crooned dramatically, flopping himself down right behind Liika and throwing his arms around her, cuddling her close. "My baby sister's got her first crush on a boy!"
She stiffened and twitched. "I'm not your sister!"
"Should we start planning the wedding? I bet Bryan would want a small wedding, you know only close friends…so pretty much us and the priest. Oh! We should notify your little friends…" Ian started thoughtfully, his eyes dancing with laughter.
"Perhaps we should have a big wedding after all…She does have a lot of friends." Spencer put in. Normally he would have stayed out of teasing like this, but it was just too tempting. It was obvious, just from the amount of blushing going on, that their little Kit did in fact like their fourth member.
Liika cried, rolling onto her stomach, away from Tala and clenching her pillow over her head. "Not you too Spencer! I thought that there was at least one nice person living in this cave besides me! Apparently I was wrong!"
"So…when do I get to be an uncle?"
They were dead. She was going to kill each and every one of them—including Bryan because technically he was to blame—and then cremate the bodies so they couldn't be found.
Oh yes, it would be sweet.
How did she manage it? How? In such a short time –only five months- she had managed to worm her way through his rigid shield and make him feel. Something no one had ever managed to do since he had been sent to the Abbey. Of course, he couldn't remember anything before that—he had only been about three—so it didn't really count.
It wasn't just the effect her touch had on his legs only moments before, but the effect her touch had on him in general.
His heart lurched whenever her fingers brushed him.
Bryan stalked back to the cave. He had used the ever deepening feelings as an excuse to get outside and relieve himself, but he had to go back…It was late, and they should sleep. Or that's what he told himself anyway.
However, as he reached to pull back the curtain and enter, he froze, the loud voices reaching his ears.
"My baby sister's got her first crush on a boy!"
"I'm not your sister!"
"Should we start planning the wedding? I bet Bryan would want a small wedding, you know only close friends…so pretty much us and the priest. Oh! We should notify your little friends…"
"Perhaps we should have a big wedding after all…She does have a lot of friends."
What the hell?? His eyes blinked rapidly as his eyebrows furrowed deeply over his eyes. What was going on?? What were they talking about?
"So…when do I get to be an uncle?"
Bryan's eyes widened drastically at Tala's teasing words. Now he really didn't want to know what they were talking about! He needed to end it before it got out of hand. Yanking back the curtain he stalked back into the cave, effectively hushing the teasing.
He ignored the slight heating of his cheeks.
