Warning : Strong language, yaoi
Disclaimer : I don't own Beyblade or any of the characters. The characters you do not recognise are mine and are not to be stolen/used in any story other than my own.
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All I Want : Chapter Three
December 20th
"Bastard… Grrr… Fuck's sake… Go in… You fucking… Shit… Bastard… Argh!"
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present a brand new one-man show, guaranteed to have all the redheads giggling (well, certain to get Tala off on one, anyway), I give you Bryan Kuznetsov with 'Swearing on the Ladder'! Heh, after buying all the stuff yesterday, Marie and I managed to meet up with these pair on the way home and decided they should come to 'help' hanging up decorations and testing lights and all… What I wasn't really expecting was for Bryan to have so much trouble with one string of fairy lights : The woodwork round the top of my living room and hallway has been suffering the wrath of 'crazy-teen-with-hammer-and-nails' who is decidedly getting more and more frustrated by the minute, yet providing Tala and I with more and more entertainment, as he swears and curses loudly at the inanimate objects – They can't hear you Bry. Remind me not to let him anywhere near the Christmas tree. Ever.
Let me explain today's events so far. Right now it has just gone eleven a.m. and it's blowing up a blizzard outside, which is extremely good for Bryan's lungs since he refuses to go out in the snow and I refuse to let him smoke inside. Go blizzard. He and Tala showed up about an hour ago, which was more than impressive since my lazy redheaded friend doesn't tend to drag himself out of bed until midday, and so getting up at nine-ish to help his best friend with house-decorating is good for him and I almost feel honoured, though I still haven't gotten over seeing him in town so early yesterday… He must have had at least six cups of coffee and 20 chocolate bars to help him do such a thing, since he (like me) is a real sucker for both of afore mentioned things. Bryan on the other hand is always out of bed by five in the morning and doesn't usually go to sleep until three-ish the following morning, therefore I am impressed with the fact he is still alive and kicking… Literally. That poor ladder doesn't seem to know what's hit it, but then neither would anybody else who had just been the victim of a swift strike in the side from the surly teen's steel-toe-capped boot. Is it really that difficult to string up Christmas lights?
"Smoke." Man of many words is our Bryan. Tala is still chuckling to himself and watching our friend storm toward my kitchen to exit through the back door into the raging winds outside, the fairy lights still dangling hopelessly from the ceiling rail. I repeat : Is it really that difficult? Anyway, as I was saying, they got here about an hour ago and I knew straight away that today would go very slowly since Tala is in one of his most uncooperative moods, and I don't mean the malicious sort where he'll throw things and try to kill everything in his path, I mean the worst sort, the sort where he will sit and giggle like a child to himself while ignoring any instruction or question that is passed his way – i.e., the annoying sort. For the first half hour since their arrival, both were happy to sit and drink coffee with me and Marie and talk about the general plan of the day while they dried off after their walk in the snow. For the second half hour, Marie, Bryan and I got straight to work with the decorations : Marie and I hanging tinsel in loops across windows and around the doorframes, while Bryan began sorting the lights, testing them and untangling the strings. Now, if you're beginning to wonder where Tala was while we were busy doing all of this, then I will tell you; in simple terms, he was being a lazy fuck. The redhead had decided straight away that he didn't want to help us with decorating (for now anyway, I know for a fact he'll change his mind later then accuse us of leaving him out) but instead, he told us in a sweet, angelic voice that he was going to bake cookies. That wasn't the part that annoyed me, not at all, it was the fact that he added "for you to eat once you've done all the work." … Once we have done all the work. We! So, he is expecting the three of us to do everything while he stands in the kitchen and bakes cookies. Thanks a bundle Tal, you're bloody lovely. Of course, he's not even making them anymore, they're in the oven now but he's still adamant he's "baking and therefore can't help out yet" and so is sitting at the bottom of the stairs, watching us slave away with this really proud smile plastered across his face. Wouldn't you just love a 'friend' like him?
"Tala, get your ass up off those damn stairs and give me a hand!" Well, that's one way of putting it, Marie. It appears to have worked to some degree though, as he is actually standing up and seems to be thinking very hard about whether to obey her or not. He probably will though, like I said – Marie can be very scary when she's angry. Oh, here we go. Tala Mood Swing Number One : Indignant Mode.
"I'm baking." Bollocks are you baking Tal. Oh no… This isn't good, he's doing 'The Pout'. Nobody can say no to that, not even me. Rephrase that, especially me. When in said 'mode', he always pouts, folds his arms and puts on a quiet voice that sounds like a child when his favourite toy has just been taken away from him, then he lets his pout fade and a look of hurt passes over his face and makes everybody feel guilty. He's been doing this since he was about 4 years old, one would have thought that I'd be immune to it by now since I practically grew up with him, but no. What I need is some kind of Tala-repellent, but if I suggest it then I know he'll just make me feel guilty with that look… The one he's doing now, I have to look away otherwise I'll just let him stay sitting on the stair all day. He's not even hurt dammit, he's just a damn good actor!
"You're not baking Tala, you're standing around like a moron." Nice timing Bryan. Our wonderful lilac-haired friend has just returned from his foul pastime outside, yet I don't think said pastime really worked as a stress-reliever since the teen is just as moody and scathing as ever. Sigh. You've simply got to love him (not that he'd care if you didn't). "And your cookies are burning." See? Moody and scathing, just like I said. I feel that was a little bit harsh too considering Tala is overly cooking-proud. Still, it's a well known fact that Bryan is the one person who isn't affected by Tala's "but-I'm-so-innocent-and-adorable" feint, so much that he could probably wrap the redhead around his little finger if he so desired, unlike the rest of the world's population, who the redhead knows he has wrapped around his own little finger. Thinking about it, maybe I should hire Bryan as my own personal 'Tala Repellent'… Or maybe I should stop this thought process as I'm actually starting to feel bad about it, Tala is my best friend after all, no matter how much we get at each other's throats every now and then.
"Burning?" Whoosh! Kami that boy can move when motivated. I already knew that though: I've seen him annoy Bryan, and after doing something like that, you have to be able to move, or you're pretty much as good as dead, because Bryan is just such a friendly chap. Heh, not such a great cook as he thought though, by the sounds of things. Still, I don't smell burning cookies so I hope for everybody's sake that it was just a joke, or Tala will be unbearable for the rest of the day, he's a little too proud at times and gets 'very upset' (i.e. he acts it to get sympathy) if things go wrong, sad as it sounds. You know, I'm getting the feeling it was just a joke, Bryan's got a slightly more sinister frown than usual, so I know he's only playing around. This is about as playful as Bryan gets, if you could call it playful, that is, even though in reality it's more of a spiteful jab at people than actual play – because he gets a kick out of other people's pain. He is the very meaning of 'sadist'.
"Want a hand with the lights?" Much as I try not to, I just can't help but smirk at the image of him practically wrestling the string of fairy lights up on that step ladder, but now of course he thinks I'm just taking the piss, though my question was actually completely sincere. The sadistic glint that he acquired after teasing Tala has disappeared from his eyes and he's now fixing me with a glare that could kill the Devil, I can tell he's trying really hard not to bare his teeth too. He reminds me of some angry wild animal that's about to strike it's prey and rip it to shreds, yet before he does so I may have to remind him that I am his host and possibly the most reliable friend he has, and if he attacks me I won't get him anything for Christmas… But more importantly, Phoenix beats Falcon any day. (Ask anyone)
He just muttered something at me through gritted teeth that sounded suspiciously like 'fuck off', and is still fixing me with his death-glare. It's almost tempting to tease him and tell him how sweet he looks, but I know that the outcome of such an action wouldn't be appreciated by my property and person, or my fairy lights for that matter. Perhaps I should remind myself that he's holding a hammer before I open my mouth, just in case something comes out wrong. Or, since he's decided to go back to putting up (or putting up with) said fairy lights, perhaps I should just keep my mouth closed and let him continue his job like the good friend I am.
Mmm, something smells good…
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"What do you think, guys? Be honest!"
It appears to be lunch break; lunch consisting of partly-burned cookies, courtesy of Tala, a good steaming mug of coffee, courtesy of yours truly, a delicious bowl of pasta, courtesy of Marie, and the sickening stench of smoke while we're trying to eat, courtesy of Bryan. I had to give in about him smoking inside considering the snow has welled up against the doors making it more than difficult to get out the house, and the lilac-haired teen goes into a mood that is disgustingly difficult to cope with unless he has a cigarette at least every twenty minutes, therefore I decided to let him have the utility room to smoke in until the snow clears up, which had better be soon because the smell of that thing is brining back memories and very slowly making me want one. Still, Marie is here and so I must resist, plus the fact that if I did have one I'd probably feel really crap about it afterwards. Tala's giving us all a very expectant look, kind of like a puppy that's waiting to be fed, so I suppose I had better answer his question. To be honest, the cookies aren't half bad, though the other half leaves a lot to be desired. Still, they're edible so I won't bring him down from his fantastically happy mood by telling him that I refuse to eat a second one because they're a bit… Ack; and that was putting it nicely.
"Not bad, Tal." Well restrained Kai. I'm so glad I was nice about it, his pretty blue eyes are now shining with such a pleased light that I want to hug him, he's so cute sometimes. Now I just hope Bryan is as gentle as I was, I hate it when he brings the redhead down for no good reason, it just isn't fair. Telling Tala that something he has tried so hard with is awful and that he shouldn't have bothered is like telling a child their favourite pet has died, but without the endless tears. He's like a child in a lot of ways, despite being nearly eighteen, but I suppose that when someone wasn't really given the chance to have a childhood, as soon as they do have the chance, they take it. That's what Tala has done anyway, and he's really enjoying it. Bryan, on the other hand, doesn't appear to care that he missed out on all the things children take joy in and still dedicates most of his time to beyblading, or walking his dog. I was surprised when Tala first told me that Bryan had bought himself a puppy since he just didn't seem the type of person to want to give so much time to another living creature, but then I understood that he was actually lonely at home (until Tala moved in to a flat a few streets away) and wanted some company day and night, plus it soon dawned on me that he's the type of person that, if he makes a commitment to something, he will stick to it through and through. Speaking of Bryan, it looks like he's about to comment on the cookies so I hope he gives it plenty of thought before he does so, otherwise I'll have to jump in and eat another one of these hideous things.
"Good." One word, but since it was one kind-hearted reply to a very sensitive (acting) person then I am impressed, nice one Bry, Tala will be happy for the rest of the day. "'Nother one." So few words, but damn does he get his point across well, better than I ever did when I was Captain 'Sour Pants' (as Tyson called me) of the Bladebreakers, that's for sure. The surly teen is just holding his hand out unenthusiastically toward the redhead across the table from him, yet it's easy to tell he's expecting it to be filled with more cookies, making Tala smile happily. Woah… On second thoughts, not such a 'nice one Bry', happy Tala is lovely in small doses, but this happy all day? I'm going to need a good stiff drink by the time we've finished decorating this place, I can tell. Apparently, Bryan wasn't even 'just being nice' with that answer either, he's just scoffed another two cookies, shoving them straight down his throat both at once, and they're pretty big cookies too. For a guy who barely eats I'd say he's doing really well, that's three he's had already, and reaching for a fourth. I've also noticed that every time he takes another, Tala's grin grows bigger and bigger, and I'm thinking that maybe he slyly put something in them, but then he wouldn't have eaten any himself since he's really not the type of person to do drugs.
"And so they all sat in peace and quietly sipped their coffee, chomping on the best cookies they have ever tasted…Aww, it just sounds like such a happy ending!" Okay, on second thoughts, maybe there is something in these cookies. I chuckle quietly at Tala while both Bryan and Marie shake their heads, the latter in amusement, the former in exasperation. There's no point getting stressed out at him though, he's too cute and adorable to stay irritated with for long… I think I'm calling Tala cute too often, I hope I don't say it aloud at any point or somebody will get the wrong idea. 'Somebody', no doubt, being Bryan.
"These cookies are good Tala…" I can tell that she secretly feels the same way I do about these cookies. "But I want everyone to finish up now though because we still have a lot to do." That the politest way of saying 'stop stuffing your faces and get to work' that I've ever heard, and it would only be Marie who would have been able to keep her manners long enough to say something like that. Bryan is currently rolling his eyes and trying to shove even more of the half-black cookies down into his apparent bottomless pit of a stomach while Tala is positively beaming about the success of his cooking, and I can tell he's genuinely happy about it because he's actually decided (of his own accord!) to help me clear everything away, which is what I've just started to do. I give him a quick nod of appreciation for his help then carry on swiftly moving these dishes to the side for my house staff to wash up later. I may think about investing in a dishwasher one day, it would save people so much time… Anyway, it looks like we have to get back to work now, tinsel and more lights and star-thingies that hang from the ceiling and such. I doubt Bryan's going to want to 'play' with the lights anymore so it looks like it's my turn. I'll send Tala to the spare room upstairs for extra decorations too, then maybe I can convince him and Bryan to wrap tinsel round the banisters, that would look good.
"Tal, go get the boxes of decorations from the spare room." I say offhandedly while climbing up the ladder to finish off what Bryan started with these lights. He really has done a poor job, but I don't think I have the energy to tell him, since he spent so long cursing at these things and trying really hard to get it right (bless his little woollen socks) that I know he wouldn't refrain himself from chasing me at full speed around my home with some kind of deadly weapon, no doubt the corkscrew on his penknife. I love the way that Tala just obeys me with no questioning (when in the right mood), he's already bounding his way up the stairs on his way to find some interesting décor from the stacks that Marie forced me into buying yesterday. Not entirely sure why we lugged it all up the stairs, but at least I have a half-witted redhead to lug it all back down for me. He's so sweet, bouncing up the stairs, singing Christmas carols…
"Deck the halls with boughs of… Bollocks!"
Tripping over his own foot and hitting his chin on the step below, pouting at Bryan for letting out some evil-sounding noise that I assume was his laugh… Yeah, Tala's just so sweet.
"'Tis the season to be dippy." I sing rather tunefully (if I may say so myself), causing another snigger from Bryan and a piercing glare from the unfortunate redhead. Actually, that was probably uncalled for, my little song, that is; still, the Christmas spirit affects us all in different ways, that's my excuse anyway. On any normal day, of course I wouldn't have been so mean as to laugh at his pain, I would have run straight up there to make sure he was alright… And if you believe that, you'll believe anything.
"I'm going to tell Rei he's unwelcome here and that you don't like him!" Tala shouts, picking himself up and clambering the rest of the way up the stairs. I really doubt he'd do that to me and ruin my entire Christmas, but I'd better do something really nice for him just in case. I'm getting worried, I think the 'Christmas spirit' is really getting to Bryan, he's still laughing. I shoot him a questioning glance but just he shakes his head, smirking.
"It was just the 'deck the halls with boughs of bollocks' that got me." He sniggers. Yes, I was right, Christmas is really getting to Bryan's brain, he isn't thinking straight. It must be really difficult for him to keep all his emotions so negative all the time, I suppose that that would lead anybody to insanity around such an exciting and joyful time of year. Poor guy. Still, I think I'd rather Bryan going a little bit loopy to 'Mister PMS' up there having a giggle fit, because I've witnessed that and it's just plain scary.
Well, better get back to work I suppose, and hope that everything runs smoothly with tree-and-food-shopping tomorrow. I have to remember to buy lots of food, I've never forgotten how much the guys can eat – Especially Tyson, it's a wonder that guy isn't fat. Anyway, I can hear Tala struggling with the boxes upstairs (honestly, they're not that heavy! What is it with my friends?) so I'd say it's definitely time to start hammering nails into the woodwork so I can pretend I didn't hear him calling for help, which he is doing now… Bless. Aren't I a good friend? Sigh.
Heh… Two days until they get here. Two days until I get to see Rei. Two days until all hell is unleashed upon my house and home. Two days, and I can't wait.
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