Danke for the much appreciated reviews! I feel so happy! Oh, on a side note, they're all respectively 16, give or take a few months, kies?
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Just a Game
Add this to the Equation
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Recall the mentioning of the million light bulbs brilliantly twinkling above Tala's head?
Yeah, those light bulbs.
Well, it seems that now they shine about ten billion times brighter.
Why you ask?
Aside from the glaringly obvious of Rei sitting quite uncomfortably on his lap, he had another fun-filled idea to add to this 'Most Likely' game.
'It should be quite interesting.'
"Why don't we add a little spice to it?" Tala suggested as he leaned forward, his frosty blue eyes glinting ominously once he rested his chin on top of the neko-jin's right shoulder. With this move, it caused a cute blush to sprout across Drigger's upper cheeks.
'Dammit, I am not blushing! I'm not! No blushing, Rei Kon! Save what's left of your pride!'
"What...kind of 'spice?' " Kenny cautiously inquired, quick to pick up the redhead's underlying meaning, and was asking to confirm it verbally.
Chuckling lowly that Rei felt it, amber eyes widen in horror when the other's free hand was resting on his knee.
'How long do I have to do this!'
"Okay, I dare you to sit on Tala's lap until the game's over!" Mystel grinned underneath his mask.
'That's it!'
As if sensing Rei's train of thoughts, Kai slightly narrowed his eyes, "This is a new game. The Dare's over for Rei."
Blinking quite innocently, Tala smiled so sweetly that could've given you instant cavities with one look his way and responded in a voice that might have well belong to a child, "But I remember Mystel clearly stating to sit on my lap until the game is over. He didn't clarify which game: the Truth or Dare game or the games that we'll be playing all night long."
Everyone stopped writing to shift their questioning gazes to the masked teenager, momentarily forgotten Kenny's question, notably golden orbs that were pleading 'Say it's over! OVER!' to the blond.
Then, if his earnest amber eyes didn't convey that message, the Chinese blader was trying his damn hardest to send his thoughts through the mask and to his brain.
Remember how he said that the two of them were on the same 'wavelength?' How the two of them get along extremely well that they could finish each other's sentences? How the two have share similar situations of having secret crushes within their team?
Wait, he did not just think that. No, he did not.
No.
Rei assumed it was safe to say that the deities above decided to short-circuit their bonds once Mystel said, and the Asian could've sworn the other was smiling underneath the mask, "The games we'll be playing all night."
The Drigger concluded that the other teen will and shall meet kitty's claw once again. Prove to him that kitty's claw is and will forever remain sharp and he shall learn to fear it.
Maybe it'll give Mystel a reason to wear that damn mask. Maybe he should 'accidentally' leak the blond's secret...
Once again, pleasantly pleased with that course of action, and again reminded of Wolborg's insistent presence, Rei eyes involuntarily fell upon cerise orbs.
'Maybe the plan will be put on hold...' He noted how there was a tangible aura of murderous intent emanating from the stoic Captain, leaving exactly a foot and a half radius of space around him. 'And watch what Kai'll do to Tala.'
As soon as his brain registered his action, he quickly shifted to glare deadly daggers at Mystel.
'Damn bastard. He's enjoying every second of pissing me off.' The usually calm and collected Dranzer obviously had his feathers ruffled.
Inwardly, images of miniature Talas were running around throwing colorful confetti in the redhead's mind. Ice blue eyes twinkled with mischief, "Now, for every pieces of paper you get, you have to drink that many in shots."
"Wait a minute!" Older brother instinct took over; Hiro stared at the Wolborg with a disapproving look as a hand gestured to the group, exclaiming, "They're not even of age! And even if they are, where's the alcohol? And even if you do somehow miraculously produce it, I. Won't. Allow. It."
"They are of age," Spencer stated in a rather bored voice, "over here in Russia, anyways." (1)
"And I brought alcohol!" Tala chirped merrily with an eerily strange glint in his eyes, hugging the being in front of him like a teddy bear, whose was rigid in posture in the embrace. Glancing over to the midget in his team, he ordered, "Go get them Ian." He then added with a slight frown, "Too bad it's not Absolut Vodka, then I could've make some excellent martinis and tequilas...Oh, well, have to make due with fruity ones for the 'ladies.' "
Briefly nodding, Ian stood up and hurried out the door. The group heard a surprised squawk from the French and several protests that fell on deaf ears.
While that went on, the most of the teenagers in the group had an owlish expression stamped on their faces before it melted into various degrees of smug smirk and the scratching of pencils on papers were later heard.
"What! Hey---!" Hiro's objection was silenced by Tyson's interjection.
"Everything and anything goes, Hiro! The condition applies to all games!"
"Shouldn't you be saying 'So give it to me now'?" Hillary glared in his direction. "If Rei has to go through with his Dare, maybe you should too?"
"Uh---I---It all depend if Kai wants...me to?" Shooting his Captain his most pitiful look, he hoped it was enough to get him off the hook.
By Kami-sama, most would think the world was ending now with what Kai's response was!
'He's planning to get all of us drunk. Figures.'
"Whatever." He had bigger fish to fry, or in this case, a wolf...
...A very big and bad wolf with the appearance of a cuddly pup...
...Holding liquor.
Correction: holding the neko-jin.
...Tala should die.
Rewind, did he just...? No, of course not. He's only saying that because Tala was grating on his nerves with that superior smirk of his, hugging Rei like some sort of stuff animal...
No, no, no. Dammit, couldn't Ian hurry it up with that liquor? It's been awhile since he last drank but darn it, he's in desperate need to muddle his mind with them now!
Since when did Rei...? No, no, no. He will not look at the Asian blader that way.
NO.
Dammit, why the hell is Ian taking so long!
With that going through his head and subconsciously filling out the papers, he failed to hear a big 'whoop!' from Tyson and a stupid grin on his face that would've normally earned a scathing remark from the slated-hair teen.
'Liquor?' Rei subconsciously gulped; unaware of a devilish smirk that donned Tala's face, and realized without a doubt that he'll probably make a complete idiot out of himself. First and foremost, the Drigger wielder never drank anything containing alcohol. And obviously, that would lead him to his apparent low alcohol tolerance and thus, most likely getting drunk after a shot or two.
Hell, Rei'll even bet half a shot.
On a fruity one, no less!
Yeah, he was that pathetic.
Of course, no one has to know he had low to barely none tolerance for liquor. He just has to find a way out of it...
'Kami-sama, I hope I don't have a lot of papers!' While trying to formulate a plan of sorts, he was scribbling away on the pieces of paper with any nonsense he could come up with.
'So kitty has no tolerance? Hmm...' Momentarily relieving the form in front of him of his arms, Tala had a seemingly thoughtful expression before him, too, jotted down his share on the scraps of papers.
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"I will not allow it!" Oliver tugged on one of the three twelve-pack cases Ian seemed to be carrying with the utmost ease for a guy his stature while his cell phone was wedged between his right cheek and shoulder. "Oh, no, certainly not you, Miss," he said as politely as he could through gritted teeth. "What I meant was, please release Enrique."
Rolling his eyes, Ian tugged on the case, causing the lime-haired teen to jerk forward and drop the perched cell phone. Torn between the cell phone and the liquor case, Oliver reluctantly gave up his hold and swiped up the dropped phone.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Oliver's sweet polite voice contradicted the vicious glare he shot Ian when he smirked and entered the common room. "I see, but that's only because he did that on a Dare..."
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Passing a bottle Mike's Hard Lemonade around to the twenty-seven bladers excluding Enrique and Oliver, most of them stared at it skeptically. Prior to the entrance of Ian, the group had dumped their share of papers in Tyson's cap, filling it to the brim. Figuring Enrique would be saved by Oliver, Hillary let them off the hook of writing and Ian, well, had his hands full of bringing the cases in and fending it off from the French.
"What's so 'Hard' about lemonade?" Robert asked the same exact question on everyone's mind.
"Alcohol, of course," Tala smirked and resumed his 'cuddling' with the kitty who probably blushed from ear to ear if his body heating up said anything. "It's a start for people who haven't tried drinking yet. Something akin to 'entry-level' drinking."
Most furrowed their brows in contemplation, turning the bottle around to give it a good look over.
"Hey, I thought it's a shot?" Johnny blinked.
"I guess we can do gulps now. Big gulps." The redhead had to repress the oncoming chuckle when Rei's body stiffens considerably. "What's wrong, kitty? Afraid you'll get drunk?"
"N-no!"
"Heh, sure."
"Um, guys?" Daichi spoke up after a brief wrestling with Tyson, leaving him a rather large lump on his head, "I'm not even sixteen."
Beating Hiro to the punch, Tala said rather sweetly, "You can be an exception," and shot the elder Granger a pointed 'Do-as-I-say-or-I'll-murder-you' look, who complied rather easily.
No one's going to ruin his night of fun.
Oh no. No one.
Before Kenny can get his protesting in, the group heard the main door open and close followed by a temporary silence and then chattering. Then door to the common room opened.
"Thank goodness you're alright, Enrique!" Oliver was practically doting on the Roman blader who was faintly blushing.
"Hey, you're okay, Enrique!" exclaimed Tyson, struggling to hold his laughter. "What'd they do to you?"
"How should I know? I was out like a rock for half an hour before I came to," was the response as he plopped to the floor next to Johnny followed by Oliver and then shooting Brooklyn a withering glare, "Thanks to Brooklyn, they now think I have a mild case of insanity even after Oliver told them it was done by a Dare." He nodded in thanks when Johnny passed them their bottles.
Stifling their snickers, Hillary cleared her throat, "Alright-y, since everyone's accounted for, let's start!" Plucking the cap from the center of the group, she resumed, "Everyone grabs a piece and put it in the bowl with the name's on it who's most fitting for the title written on the paper," she pointed to the magically appeared small bowls that sat before them. Answering their unasked question, the brunette sighed exasperatedly, "While you guys were writing Kenny, Max and I passed out the bowls. And yes, you didn't notice it because you were too absorbed in writing ridiculous 'Most Likely's'. Anyways, once the cap's empty---"
Tala interjected quite smoothly, "Count up the pieces of papers and starting with, oh, I don't know, Robert, the drinking starts there. Of course, he has to read what's written on the paper."
"What happen if you empty the bottle before you're done?" Emily inquired.
"Don't worry, I brought plenty," an impish smile donned his face.
'Shit.' That single-word was shared among several bladers.
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tbc...
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(1) Let's just go with that okay? Eheh...
Hehe, the alcohol idea is credited to keisan! I was playing with the idea, but was somewhat unsure...xD This fic's so fun to write! Again, million of thanks for the reviews! I'll get around replying them once my busy-body sister allows me enough time on the computer to reply 'em!
SANKYU for reading! Wanna make my day? REVIEW!
