Surprise, surprise! Another early update. We pick up from where we left last time, and there's also a retelling of some events from the past chapters in Yoyo's POV…So, here is what I imagine Kyoya's head was like throughout these events :D Hope you enjoy!

Today's songs:

Tyler, the Creator - A Boy Is a Gun

Maroon 5 - Lucky Strike

Ne-Yo - Miss Independent

Mac DeMarco - My Kind of Woman

Arctic Monkeys - 505

Chapter 10 - Habitual Gestures

24th June

Out of all the places Kyoya Tategami expected to wind up in his time working for the WBBA, being straddled by Hikaru wasn't at the top of the rankings. Or in the rankings at all. So, on top of the normal frustrations that came with dealing with Hikaru, it was understandable that Kyoya was flabbergasted by the incident at hand - well, at legs.

Nevertheless, Kyoya had brought this upon himself. Because Kyoya's primary concern — the reason he decided last second to act as a shock-absorbing crash matt — was Hikaru's welfare… for the sake of their continuous training and successful operation, of course. He wasn't about to let the fall from some stupid zip line hinder their progress.

It was beyond frustrating, the way Kyoya was forced to bend over backwards merely to adapt to her.

Kyoya would've called Hikaru the greatest thorn in his side right now, though for someone so tough in every other aspect, she was rather soft in others — at least in the ass — sitting on him like a park bench and breathing deeply like she'd just run a marathon. Why Hikaru was in such a state when she wasn't tired, Kyoya had no idea, but it only made his own heart go off like a jackhammer in his chest.

Before Kyoya could ask her — yes, ask her, because Lady Pretentiousness didn't take orders— to get the hell up, Hikaru broke the silence by saying, " I just need a minute. "

" Does it have to be on top of me? " Kyoya managed to play it off cool, flat on his back and even rested his arms behind his head like a pillow. He held her gaze unabashedly, because there was no funny business involved in this pragmatically advantageous straddle, so he wasn't in a rush to get her off. Although it was getting increasingly difficult to suppress a certain train of thought…

As if Hikaru'd read his mind, that he wasn't that uncomfortable with her on top of him, the bluenette appeared mortified and tried standing up. " Sorry— " Hikaru's stomach lurched, and she clamped a hand over her mouth, leaning forward. For stability, her other hand rested on the most practical help available: Kyoya's chest. Taking a deep breath, she muttered, " I'll get off now. "

Context!, Kyoya mentally kicked the mini demon version of himself who was floating around and imagining scandalous stuff, while Hikaru pushed harder against him, forcing enough power into her trembling arm to raise herself fully up. Kyoya's fingers were gripping the back of his head for a lifeline at this point, otherwise he'd fidget like a kid on a sugar rush.

That's when a realization swept over him - Hikaru was about to barf. What's worse - she almost looked good doing it, so Kyoya couldn't stop staring at her even as he was positively going into cardiac arrest.

And really, how could he stop? Kyoya was still having a hard time accepting how much Hikaru had changed since their early teen years. Her face had grown more angular as she'd lost the last of fat around her cheeks. And while her spiky cerulean hair was still worn in the same disarray as usual, it had grown longer, shadowing her amethyst eyes and giving her a particularly exotic look when combined with her tan skin.

And…Kyoya would never say it out loud, but she made those yoga pants look downright deadly.

Thank fucking God though, Hikaru at last swivelled until she came to a new resting spot that wasn't on top of anyone. She took in a new round of steadying breaths as she lay down next to Kyoya.

She really is trouble…

On Kyoya's extensive and questionable list of adventures, which others frequently referred to as kamikaze records, nothing had made him freak out like this one. Wild jaguars in the jungle? Piece of cake. Bloodthirsty wolves at Wolf Canyon? Old hat. But man, Hikaru straddling his hips almost had him boarding a one-way flight to the other world.

Either that or…another plane was going to take off.

Kyoya turned only to check if Hikaru was still going to puke her guts out, but yet again found it hard to stop looking. She had her eyes closed and hands resting on her stomach, but at least her breathing was less laboured. He watched a small drop of sweat make its way along the line of her neck, and discreetly flicked his tongue out between his lips.

Because they were dry, of course.

After a moment's awkward silence, the greenhead finally averted his gaze and sat up, clearing his throat and asking in a hoarse voice " Your stomach again? "

" Yeah. " Hikaru wheezed, then he heard another intake of breath from the girl," I'll be alright. "

" 'Course, you will," Kyoya told her with deadpanned annoyance for stating the obvious. With him there, of course, she'd be alright.

But Hikaru was in no condition to continue training.

They had to stop and take a break. No more of her throwing up and faltering in mid-stride that made his heart pound and worry flee from him like a Saint Bernard let off the leash. With Hikaru around, Kyoya wasn't on pins and needles about how much better he could be in the time he'd lost by resting. Because she was in desperate need of a reprieve. He couldn't justify it for himself, but Kyoya could be lenient for Hikaru. Hell, he treated her like a fucking princess, literally doted on her spoiled butt.

If it's rest that she needed, rest shall she get.

Hikaru was a complicated paradox in every sense of the word. Kyoya would've said she reminded him of salted caramel - a flavour combination that didn't quite make sense at first, but once tasted, you couldn't help but want more.

But last time he checked a piece of candy couldn't make you go through a hurricane of emotions in a span of an hour.

At first glance, Hikaru had this aloof, prim attitude and acted like nothing could faze her, when in reality she psychoanalysed a lot. She'd mastered the art of hiding her emotions behind a stone face, and one would have to look very closely in order to catch the cues; a bite of her lower lip whenever she was anxious; a tap of her foot whenever she was growing impatient.

Anger was the lone exception to the rule. You'd have to be blind to miss the sharp glare she threw whenever she was pissed off. Hikaru would still try to hide her irritation though, clinging with her very fingernails to her calm facade just so she wouldn't lose her cool and blow her top.

That's why Kyoya felt an immense sense of triumph whenever he managed to get under Hikaru's skin and make her throw a fit. And how could he not? There was a whole beast she was suppressing and knowing that he could make it come out was beyond satisfying. Kyoya was a self-aware thrill-seeker, so adrenaline had to be the source of his addiction to enrage the secretary, he'd reasoned.

Kyoya's current circumstances would've been a bed of roses if that's where it ended, with him poking the bluenette whenever Kyoya wanted to get a rise out of her.

Alas, Hikaru's quiet, professional demeanour was apparently a strictly nine to five thing, and she shrugged it off with the uniform, turning into a troublemaker as soon as she returned home or got comfortable. Kyoya had no idea how it had happened, or why he'd even allowed it to happen in the first place, but it was a fact now - Hikaru was casual with him, treating him like those garbage happy-go-lucky friends of hers. The audacity of it made Kyoya want to unleash Leone and turn this godforsaken shithole to rumble.

What's even worse - the only time when there had been a momentary lapse in Kyoya's judgement, Hikaru had picked up on it like a shark tasting blood in the water and straight up went for the kill, teasing him without an ounce of fear other normal people would've had, wouldn't have dared to do in the first place.

But that's the thing about Hikaru, she wasn't normal.

It perplexed Kyoya to no end, that the typical power he wielded over people by terrifying them into submission wasn't present within Hikaru. With that impressive backbone, she could afford to dig her heels whenever he wanted them to do something, make him compromise, demand things from him, hell, even chastise him for his behaviour, and it was making Kyoya foam at the mouth.

Other than that, combat training with Hikaru went like this: Kyoya shot as far as he believed he could push himself, and Hikaru kept up. Every time, or at least after the first, when she went into complaining mode. Kyoya hated that she did it, but didn't mind that she took a reprimand and did better next time. It meant that Kyoya was hardly slowing down for her, and they were improving together faster.

It shook Kyoya to his core that the disparity — the misunderstanding of intention that seemed built into him and made interacting with most other people so damn difficult — just wasn't there with her. Hikaru responded more and better each time she shut her freaking mouth and let Kyoya show her what he wanted them to do. She grasped it in a way so few people do, at least without making it feel like Kyoya was trying to get blood out of a stone.

On another note, Kyoya had thought beyblade sparring with her would've been a total waste of time, but — as it always was with Hikaru — he was wrong, cause even for a newbie she just kept fucking coming, and it still took the greater half of his reflexes to keep her off him. Hikaru was by no means weak when it came to willpower, and that's where strength really counts.

But she wasn't invincible. Hikaru hadn't outwardly admitted that the reason for which she gave up beyblading had been trauma, but Kyoya had involuntarily pieced it together; that one morning when Kyoya'd heard a thud from her room, which was followed by Hikaru bursting through her room with a sickly pale face, that could only be the look of someone who'd had a nightmare (Kyoya'd seen that exact expression in the mirror after his ordeal in the Wolf Canyon); then the vomiting and lightheadedness during beyblade training; let's not forget the inability to eat certain foods and the scar on her stomach, which confirmed that her condition had been caused by an injury; then there was the force with which that damn bastard had blasted Hikaru through the stadium wall…

Really, it didn't take a genius to figure it out. Kyoya sometimes actually felt bad and had half a mind to cut her some slack, but Hikaru hadn't demanded to quit the beyblade training so far, and Kyoya knew she'd want to if he was pushing her too hard.

In relation to that, things had been...weird since the secretary started beyblading again a few days ago. The more comfortable Hikaru got at beyblading, the more uncomfortable Kyoya got watching her. He didn't know how to handle anger that didn't want to explode into destruction, and he didn't know how to talk to a Hikaru that could beyblade once again and was pretty good at it. He also didn't know what that had to do with anything, but the thought was there, nonetheless.

Moreover, his chest had been performing strange stunts recently, along with the migraines, whenever Kyoya thought of the bluenette's various reactions to the surrounding environment. It didn't matter what setting she was in, any of them caused him to feel odd. Was there something wrong with him? Perhaps stress? It had to be.

The most recent instance being this very afternoon while they were at the supermarket. What Kyoya had witnessed had caused him to clench his jaw so hard that his teeth nearly shattered. In a blink of an eye, a terrible headache had started drilling deep between his eyes. To accompany it was his growing hostility, certain that the source was his partner's annoying penchant for batting eyes and acting all coy at people, who in Kyoya's rightful opinion, were a total waste of time.

For that reason, no, Kyoya didn't have a problem with the locals thinking they were going out. It meant that no one else would even dare to make a move on Hikaru, and Kyoya was more than fine with that. Hikaru had better things to do than going out with some schmuck. She was here to do her job, not fool around and look for a lover.

Upon stumbling across that line of thought, Kyoya's face contorted into a grimace as he strolled mutely with his partner along the main street of the village, his musings continuing.

Boyfriend this, girlfriend that. Why were people making such a huge deal over such a stupid concept? Was it really that great to have a human pet following you around at all hours of the day? The closest experience Kyoya could compare it to was his over-affectionate sidekick Benkei, who tagged along with Kyoya any chance he got, and if this's what courtship was like then, holy shit, Kyoya didn't want anything to do with it.

Women were nothing more than a distraction in his life — they grabbed at you and flirted outrageously, expecting you to fall head over heels for them. As if such thing would work. Rather than wasting time on frivolous matters like relationships, Kyoya always believed that people aspiring to be the best blader should only focus on their goals. He admitted that the logic of romance was perhaps the only thing he didn't understand, but that didn't bother him in the least.

She made him so mad and excited and frustrated, there wasn't a cave big enough in the world to store the screaming Hikaru made Kyoya want to do on a regular basis.

Hikaru was also a weirdo who'd asked him why he was walking her to the hotel instead of continuing with his own training when Kyoya was only doing the obvious thing – right, because he felt like the second he took his eye off Hikaru she would fucking drop from exhaustion, and he wouldn't be there to catch her. It was sensible, practical; she needed to not be a fucking wreck from sparring with him in order to keep training with him. This was all part of the game plan still.

But more than anything, Kyoya couldn't for the life of him understand how Hikaru hadn't accidentally killed herself already when her head was always up in the clouds, or when she was multitasking. Like now, texting on that damn phone and pursing her lips in the way Kyoya'd learnt she did when she was in profound thought.

So the idiot didn't even see the tree she was about to walk into.

Instinct developed in the past week spurred him forward before he was truly cognizant of it, and before Hikaru could bump into the tree, Kyoya placed his palm on Hikaru's forehead to prevent it from happening.

The bluenette stepped back, frigid from astonishment and mouth slightly agape, and looked up at Kyoya with bright eyes.

The voice of reason inside Kyoya tensed and yelled Why the fuck did you do that!? while he glared incredulously at the secretary, as if she had caused him to suddenly lose his marbles. At the very least, it hopefully took the attention away from the flush creeping up his neck as his heart skipped beats and tripped over itself. Nervousness? Now this certainly wasn't normal.

This is getting too weird. Gotta piss her off, and reignite the animosity. Yeah. That'll fix it…

To his credit, the greenhead was able to get his bearings with remarkable speed before Hikaru could even ask why he'd done that. " I was protecting the tree! " Kyoya angrily blurted out to shield his shaky ego. Then he brought his hand to Hikaru's forehead again and pushed hard enough to make her lean backwards a little. " Just like I thought, it's a solid rock. "

Under normal circumstances, Kyoya would've died from embarrassment for giving such a childish response, but it still brought the desired result. Hikaru made a face and bumped his shoulder with her own and then continued down the street, mumbling bitterly " Honestly… "

Kyoya heaved a quiet sigh of relief, and followed her, infinitely glad that the bluenette decided to not dig further into the matter.

Damn it, that was a real gaffe.

A pattern of strange urges had begun to form somewhere along the way. The itch, he'd started to call it, could be minimized and held at a bearable, controllable level. It made him do…illogical and stupid stuff.

And to think that I'd already gotten used to it…yeah, right!

The consistency of these impulses disturbed him. This was becoming far too regular. It might be a source of distraction, and Kyoya had never fancied distractions. He'd have to get rid of such worthless urges.

As the night progressed, the movement of the clouds brought new shades in gentle transitions that made it difficult to discern where one black shade ended and a blue began, though the change was undeniable from Kyoya's viewpoint, which was down on the ground for a change. After all this time they spent surveying the grounds, the pair had pinpointed a time frame in which the sentries would go out to patrol. Naturally, they'd decided to take advantage of it and spare themselves the discomfort of sitting on the branch. It was way more comfortable this way.

But not entirely…

Today might be the day hell froze over, because Kyoya Tategami found himself unable to stand the silence.

Prior to coming here, Kyoya just so happened to notice that Hikaru had been picking listlessly at her dinner and barely eaten at all. She'd also spoken half-heartedly. Her movements were uncharacteristically languid, too.

Now Hikaru sat next to Kyoya, her back hunched, chin resting on her knees and ankles crossed primly. Her features were virtually blank, but there was something sullen and tired about her expression as she drew random doodles with a stick aimlessly.

Something was clearly bothering the bluenette, but she was bottling it up. Another infuriating habit of hers. Kyoya definitely didn't want to pry into her personal life like this, but if her venting out now would prevent the built-up tension inside her from erupting like a bottle of champagne later on, then Kyoya was ready to pick the lesser of two evils.

" What's wrong with you? " Hikaru jolted a bit at Kyoya's question, though there was no need for her to be – her head was just in the clouds still, disoriented.

" Nothing, " his partner answered evasively, and Kyoya didn't buy it even for a second.

" Bullshit, " he labelled accusingly, arms crossed heavily over his chest and his brows cutting a sharp crease over his eyes to show he meant business. " You've been mopey and weird all afternoon. If it's something I did, just tell me. "

Something that might have been shock flickered across Hikaru's face, and she threw a side-long glance at him, as if to check if she'd heard correctly. Another silence ensued before the bluenette resumed making patterns in the soil, looking like a grumpy child that had been denied what it wanted. " I didn't beyblade as well as I wanted to today " Hikaru begrudgingly pointed out at last, no doubt having trouble at admitting the source of her frustration. Much like Kyoya himself, Hikaru didn't take shortcomings well. " I failed. "

So that's what this was about, the lad mused as he closed his eyes to focus on his thoughts better.

As quite an experienced and legendary blader, Kyoya had fought many opponents who'd given him one hell of a challenge and won against him, — which would of course be fixed in due time — and Hikaru hadn't come close to it. Realistically speaking, it wasn't even possible when she hadn't battled at all in the last six years, even more so when one takes her trauma into consideration, something Hikaru herself wasn't doing right now. But Kyoya would be a hypocrite if he judged her for her high standards

Kyoya turned then, eyes locking with Hikaru's, and it suddenly occurred to the greenhead that she might've been one of the few people who didn't shy away from his intensive stare. He'd never been someone to sugarcoat things just for the sake of making someone feel better, and this instance was no exception. Like always, he was going to speak his mind. " At least you care enough to try. "

The bluenette didn't say anything, only stared at him with an expression that was halfway neutral and halfway surprised, as if she hadn't expected this response. Then the corners of her mouth slightly lifted in a knowing way, the tension from before visibly lifting from her shoulders, and got back to being the next unconventional Picasso with a stick.

Satisfied with his good job, Kyoya reckoned he could now truly enjoy the quietness without being on edge.

Or so he thought.

" You know, I appreciate you not going easy on me. "

Kyoya was, quite frankly, confused at her statement or what had led her line of thinking there. Not knowing what to say, he defaulted to, " Why? "

" After Battle Bladers, people treated me like this fragile, damaged thing. They'd stop talking whenever I entered a room and ask how I was doing. And it took a long time for me to get the confidence back to just be myself. " There was a sad, distant note in Hikaru's voice that caused Kyoya to shift into a position that mirrored hers, knees to the chest and arms draped over them. Hikaru paused for a moment to clean up the scribbles of little tornados and waves, though her eyes remained fixed on the ground as she went on. " I've tried training with the others, but they never give it their all, and it really undermines my self-esteem. That's why I'm so glad I get to train with you. Because you don't hold yourself back, and you treat me like an equal. " She turned to face him, her cheek resting on her knees. " Thank you for that, Kyoya, " Hikaru said and gave the brightest and most sincere smile he'd received from anyone in a long time, nothing like that awful plastic smile she usually put up just for the sake of politeness.

Kyoya felt his temperature going up, stomach tying itself in sailor's knots and his heart stuck in his throat. He couldn't hear anything at all over the loud sound of blood rushing through his veins. What alarmed him was that he didn't know why.

It's not like Kyoya had never experienced that type of buzz. Whenever he was beyblading, when he was being pushed to his limits and challenged, he could feel the same rush of adrenaline. But he wasn't battling right now, he wasn't even on the battlefield. So what was the reason behind this reaction?

Kyoya was just in a forest, in the middle of the night, sitting on the cold ground with his partner, who was beaming at him as if he'd given her the stars.

He whipped his head to the side, the slight dusting of pink colouring his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

What the hell was that?!

Maybe it was the way her eyes were sparkling when she smiled, or her dimples or the way his name sounded on her tongue for reasons he refused to acknowledge, much less understand.

Or perhaps it was her willingness to share something so personal, a piece of her mind that she might've not disclosed to others, which was definitely bizarre, to say the least. Not exactly horrible, yet not exactly good either; it's just...different; it made him uneasy; he wished they could go back to only arguing, since anger was a very simple state and something he was so familiar with. But with these stupid, unintended revelations - that were less about words and sentiments and more about bare-bones facts - that seemed to spring up more frequently than Kyoya cared for...it was becoming more and more difficult to just dismiss the bluenette. Hikaru knew shit. And so Kyoya did. But the truth of the matter was Kyoya didn't really want to know shit. He didn't want to buddy up with the secretary. He didn't want to know her sob story, and he wasn't going to tell any of his own less-than-joyous tales. Kyoya simply wasn't seeking that sort of connection.

With anybody.

Especially not with Dollface over there.

Because Kyoya had an objective. A goal to strive towards. He was determined to defeat Gingka or depart this life trying. And nothing - and no one - was going to stand in his way. No bonds to tie him down.

" Che. Whatever, " Kyoya finally grumbled, injecting annoyance into his tone. Somehow, he knew it didn't come out naturally. He should've been mad. He should've scoffed and told her to save these sappy stories for her stupid friends and not bother him with stuff he couldn't care less about.

Instead, Kyoya remained silent and tilted his head up to look at the starry sky.

And he despised it.

He hated it a whole fucking lot.

Just wanted to throw in another unsolicited headcanon of mine - Kyoya is def an ass/thigh type of guy. No, I will not elaborate.

Thank you for reading and hope this mess of a fic managed to amuse you at least a lil bit :D

Cheers!