Tai: Good news everyone, well sort of. Unfortunately I had a funeral to go to on Friday, and my way of dealing with such emotional occasions is to write, which is where the 'good news' comes in.
I am currently working on Chapter 4, and hope to have it finished sometime in the next couple of days. I'm currently aiming to have at least a chapter and a half finished before I upload a new one at any point in time. I don't want to upload chapters too quickly, as I may need to back track and change things or any other sort of changes. So I'm currently halfway through chapter 4, so you can expect semi-regular updates.
I'm thinking of updating on Mondays NZ time, which largely works out to be Sunday in the US I believe; so roughly a week between updates. I know this one is sooner than a week, but it seems weird to have two complete chapters and half of a third sitting on my laptop. Let me know what you think in a PM or a review, whether a week is too often or not often enough for updates. Anyway...
Advance warning: OOCness incoming.
Also note; I am aware that the legal age in Japan (which, in theory, is where they are) is 20, however in NZ it is 18, same with Russia and a few other places.
Disclaimer: Don't own Beyblade or its characters.
Max and Ray had already settled themselves into the lounge, talking about training that day and how frustrating the past few days had been with only the three of them there to train. It meant one of them was always just watching the other two bladed, and while it was a good way to observe another's style, it was rather boring. The day had continued to get hotter; none of the trio had bothered putting a shirt back on just yet. Undoubtedly it would get very cold later that evening, but for the moment it was rather relaxing to be half clothed.
"I'm glad Kai cancelled training for the afternoon, if it's this hot inside it'd be exhausting out in the sun." the ebony haired male stated, earning a nod of agreement from the blonde.
"If Tyson was training with us we'd probably still be out sweating in the sun." Max agreed, earning a laugh from Ray.
"No you two would be having a break in the shade while Tyson ran laps for missing training." The slate haired male stated as he joined the pair, a bottle of clear liquid in one hand and three glasses in the other. "We've got plenty to mix this with; I get the feeling it might be too strong for you two to drink straight."
"Oh and you can drink it straight fine?" the amber eyed male asked, raising an eyebrow.
The ruby eyed teen grinned. "I'm Russian, I can drink it fine." He stated, laying on a thick Russian accent that caused the pair to laugh loudly. "But seriously, Tala, Bryan, Spencer and I drink together rather frequently. You learn to handle your alcohol quickly with those three."
Both of his companions took several moments to compose themselves, breathing heavily as they finally stopped laughing. "I didn't know you could do that." Max laughed, glancing up at the male.
"Most people don't; the entire Russian team can do it, we choose not to unless there's a really irritating reporter or someone we don't want to talk to."
"I suppose it's a bit like me and the White Tigers speaking Chinese loudly when there's a group of annoying fans." Ray mused, earning a nod from the oldest of the group. "They know we speak English but they don't try and force the issue. I suppose you don't get that sort of luxury, Max."
"Mm, being from an English speaking country has its disadvantages sometimes." The blonde agreed, though his smile hadn't diminished any. "So what are we going to talk about?"
The Russian grinned and poured each of them a small drink of the clear liquid, handing a glass to each of the other males. "I'm open to suggestions." Taking a quick drink from his glass, he watched the pair briefly. "Just sip it, and then you can decide if you want to mix it with anything."
"We could discuss the fact that Kenny and Tyson both have girlfriends, whom they're out on dates with, while the three of us are sitting at home." Ray stated, holding in a laugh as Max coughed, the younger male having tasted his vodka. The blonde stood and headed for the kitchen, clearly keen to heed the older male's advice.
As Max returned to the room with a bottle of lemonade, the neko-jin regretted the giggle that had escaped as he took a sip himself, not fairing much better with the drink and causing the Russian to laugh briefly. "That's a depressing thought. Mr Oblivious and the geek have girlfriends and we're sitting at home keeping each other company."
The statement seemed to strike a note with the sapphire eyed teen as he looked at Kai, the curiosity there almost causing his eyes to shine brighter. "How come we've never seen you with a girl Kai? I've seen the rest of your team happily flirting with fans but you just brush them off."
Ray's attention turned to the ruby eyed male, who clearly registered he wasn't getting out of answering the question. It was similar to when the rest of his team had asked him; they'd easily outnumbered him and had stopped him from leaving his seat. They'd been drinking, and when three stubborn Russians stated 'you're not moving from here', they meant it.
It didn't take long for the youngest of the Russian team to give in, requiring a bathroom break rather urgently. So he'd given in, and the team had been somewhat surprised but they accepted it rather happily. Mostly they were pleased they'd gotten an answer so easily.
Ray and Max on the other hand were more likely to try and tickle the answer from him, or something just as childish, but none the less effective. He let out a sigh; it was too hot to deal with such things. "Tala and Bryan asked me the same thing. Truth is, I'm not interested in girls." He shrugged, finishing off his vodka.
"Seriously?" Ray asked, his eyes narrowed on the male.
"Seriously. Tala still jokes that I need a girlfriend to take care of me, by which he means cooking and cleaning for me. I find it amusing as his last two girlfriends haven't done either." The slate haired male stated with a wry grin, making Max laugh.
"I guess Michael was right then; there's one on every team." Max muttered, drinking his now mixed drink. "So who is it on your team Ray?"
"Wait, what?" Ray asked, bewildered. "One what on every team?"
"Oh one guy on every team that's gay." The blonde smile happily, making the Russian laugh.
"He's right about that. So Ray, which one of the White Tigers is it?" the ruby eyed male grinned, watching Max closely. The blonde had just downed the remainder of his drink, and passed his glass back to Kai. The slate haired male poured both of them another drink and passed the glass back.
"What makes you think there is one on every team? I mean we all know Oliver and Raul are, and Kai, but what about the All Stars, Max? And there's the BEGA team, the Barthez Battalion, the BBA team, Team Psykick and the Saint Shields." Ray argued, avoiding the question. "I doubt you know who it is on all those teams."
"Well I'm not sure about the Saint Shields or Team Psykick, but Mystel and Garland are both gay, Claude's gay, and so am I." Max stated, downing half of the vodka Kai had given him without mixing it with anything.
Ray's jaw dropped while Kai began coughing and spluttering, having been partway through swallowing his drink when the blonde had finished his statement. "Hell, never would've picked you Max." the slate haired male stated, finally catching his breath. "To finish your list, Kane and Ozuma are both gay. I suppose King and Queen are the exception, but they're not really a team."
The ebony haired male was still stunned, even as the blonde and slate haired males discussed it. "I suppose technically the BBA team is excluded, since Kenny and Tyson have girlfriends." Max stated, sipping his drink. "Daichi might be, but otherwise they're out. I suppose it balances out the fact that half of the Bladebreakers are gay."
A loud sigh sounded from Ray. "Three quarters." The male downed his drink and handed the glass to Kai, his amber eyes focused on the floor. "Hell if you two can say it I might as well. Rest of the team doesn't know; I haven't had the heart to tell Mariah."
The trio sat in silence while Kai poured all three of them a drink, ensuring he mixed lemonade with Max and Ray's. He waited quietly for one of the others to speak, and when neither did he let out a sigh. "So we're just three gay guys sitting at home alone, unsupervised, half naked and drinking vodka?"
The statement made Max giggle rather than laugh, possibly due to the amount of vodka he'd already had, and Ray finally looked up, smiling. "Up for going to a straight strip club?"
A moment of serious silence was broken by the trio cracking up laughing, an unfamiliar sound from Kai but something the duo welcomed. "So now what?" the blonde asked, still letting the occasional giggle escape.
"Well we're home alone at the Granger dojo." The neko-jin stated, mischief sparkling in his eyes. "Why don't we go and give Tyson's wardrobe and room a fabulous makeover?" He put extra emphasis on the world fabulous, earning a snicker from both males.
Kai thought for a moment, and the grin they knew to fear from training suddenly surfaced. "We could." He stated, downing the rest of his drink. "Down your drinks boys, we have work to do."
Realising their captain wasn't joking, the pair did as they were told and attempted to stand, each stumbling as they got to their feet. Luckily for both, the slate haired male placed his arms in front of the pair, stopping them from falling over.
"Let's go!" Max cheered, bounding off down the hallway while Ray shook his head with a sigh, the disbelief in his features clear. Kai had gathered the alcohol and glasses, already disappearing off behind the blonde, and the ebony haired male rushed to catch up; he didn't want to be the next target of their makeover.
Entering the world champion's room, he found the wardrobe already open, with blonde happily removing clothes under the watchful eye of their captain, who was busy pouring new drinks. "Ray! Come give me a hand!"
Joining Max at the wardrobe, the pair removed the last of their blue haired teammates clothing and placed it on the bed, glancing over the array of colours. "So how do we decide what we let him keep?" the blue eyed male asked, picking up a yellow shirt and holding it against himself. "Do we just randomly pick things we think look hideous and put them in a pile?"
Kai walked over to the blonde and straightened out the shirt, ensuring it gave a rough estimation of what it would look like on. "Or we can take turns doing what you're doing right now Max and go from there." The slate haired male stated, turning as he felt the warmth of Ray's skin behind him. "What do you think?"
"I'm thinking how did three self-respecting gay men let their teammate get away with wearing a bright yellow shirt for three years?" Ray stated as he reached past Kai, earning a grin from Max. "He's not keeping that."
"It doesn't look too bad with his red jacket or vests, over top of it." The sapphire eyed male defended, earning himself two raised eyebrows. "…you're right, it's horrible and nothing he owns matches it."
"Atta boy Max; don't suppress your inner fashion sense." Kai grinned, tossing the shirt over his shoulder. "Bryan, Tala and Spencer asked me to sort their wardrobes. They complained but they looked substantially better at the world championships."
Each of the trio grabbed one of the male's shirts, Kai firing the first he grabbed over one shoulder without a second thought, receiving frowns from both males. "Green with pink writing on the front; would you keep it?"
Both appeared to agree with the judgement and the pair looked at what they'd each grabbed; a plain black t-shit and similarly styled black one. Both were folded and placed neatly in a pile before Max and Ray were handed a drink each. All three took a sip before returning to criticizing their teammate's wardrobe.
"I can't believe we went out in public with him when he was wearing this." Ray stated, grabbing a familiar piece of red clothing off the bed. It was a long sleeved button-up bright red shirt; a shirt Tyson counted as some of his 'good' clothing. "It looks like something a tango dancer would wear."
"When it's buttoned up maybe, Kai hand me that black singlet." Max stated, pulling on the dark cloth and then sliding the shirt overtop, leaving it open. "It looks fine with something dark underneath when left open."
"Not bad. Not bad at all." Kai smirked, earning a wide grin from Max.
"Just one thing I think we need to do so he'll wear it the right way." Ray agreed, walking over to Max and systematically removing the buttons, along with the remaining thread. "There. Much better."
The trio grinned and the blonde removed the shirt, passing it to Kai who was already waiting with a coat hanger. Both amber and ruby eyes watched as the blonde tugged the singlet back off, although they made themselves busy quickly as the sapphire eyes re-emerged and the blonde handed the cloth to the oldest of the three.
As the slate haired male grabbed a deep green, button-up short sleeved shirt, he frowned. "Has he ever worn this?"
"No, thankfully, it's not his colour." The ebony haired male stated firmly, looking at the cloth. "It's not yours either Kai."
The slate haired male tossed it to the neko-jin, causing him to drop the orange shirt he'd grabbed. "Try it on."
Grumbling, the male slipped it on and moved to do up the buttons. "Well that might explain why he hasn't worn it; no buttons." He stated, fixing the collar. "It's probably more your colour Max."
"Nope, too dark for me; I look white enough as is. It goes rather well with your skin tone Ray." The blonde laughed, grabbing up the orange t-shirt. "This is more my colour."
"And you own pants that aren't orange?" the ebony haired male countered, shaking his head.
"Of course; I have black, green and blue as well."
Kai laughed, shaking his head. "You don't need any more orange, Max." The male flicked through another couple of tops before finding a lilac t-shirt and tossing it to the male. "Try that on."
"It doesn't go with orange!" the blonde defended, losing sight of the slate haired teen as Ray passed between the pair, digging through the shirts some more.
The ruby eyed male shrugged, sipping his vodka. "You can wear it with some black pants; you know it'd be wasted on Tyson." Max looked ready to argue some more, but realising what the third of their group was up to he made a show of giving in and pulled the shirt on.
"And I think it's time you expanded your colour palette to something more than black and dark purple Kai." Ray stated, tossing him a bright blue shirt. "Put that on; no arguing." Finishing his drink, he turned to see Max doing likewise while Kai slipped the shirt on.
"Not bad; it matches your paint." Max grinned, sorting through the remaining couple of shirts. They'd made two evenly sized piles of tops, one of 'he's not wearing that again', and another they'd decided the world champion could keep.
"How did your teammates respond to you clearing out their wardrobes?" Ray asked, settling onto the cleared space on the bed.
"Bryan was furious I threw out everything green he owned, his white pants, and most of his white t-shirts. Spencer lost everything purple; it's not his colour, neither is black, and Tala lost all of the dark colours from his." The slate haired male stated, grinning. "Bryan also lost a fabulous pair of leopard print pants, Spence lost a zebra print jacket and Tala lost his fluffy black boots."
Both males stopped and stared at him, trying to debate which part of the statement was the most unusual. Max was the first to speak up. "Tala had fluffy black boots?"
"Bryan had leopard print pants?" Ray stated, clearly trying to picture the sight. "Did he ever wear them?"
"More often than I'd care to admit." The Russian sighed, shaking his head. "The boots would've stayed if he'd had white or orange ones instead…actually I think he got a new pair after I told him that."
Both males laughed, trying to picture the serious Russian in such boots. "So what are we doing about that pile of pants?" Max asked, glancing at the remaining clothes.
"Toss anything that's not black or blue." Ray stated, already locating several unusually coloured pairs of pants. "Why does he have green pants? Nothing in his wardrobe even comes close to matching them!"
Kai and Max couldn't help but laugh at the comment, making the ebony haired male freeze. "I just said that didn't I?"
"You did, and it's a fair point." Kai smirked, grabbing the last pair of purple pants off the bed. "Go grab some bags to throw that stuff into, then we can get back to talking."
Ray wandered off through the dojo, checking the outer doors were all locked as he went. Reaching the kitchen, he grabbed one of the large plastic rubbish bags and headed back to Tyson's room to find Kai and Max had already folded the clothes into a neat pile. The trio stuffed the items into the bag, tied it shut and headed back to the lounge; Max carrying the vodka and glasses, Kai carrying the now full bag and Ray bringing up the rear.
"So that was a good use of a few hours." The blonde stated, settling down on the couch and returning the vodka to Kai. "What's for dinner?"
With all three settled back onto various pieces of furniture and grasping a fresh drink of vodka, the slate haired male thought for a moment. "We'll order in pizza. Saves us having to cook and it's probably safest at this stage." Although they'd had very little to drink, the captain wasn't willing to risk setting the dojo on fire.
It took a few moments to order the pizza, then the trio sat in silence once more, each wearing a shirt they'd claimed from Tyson's room. It appeared to be Ray's turn to start the conversation, and he looked between the pair. "Kai you've already told the Blitzkrieg Boys?" he questioned, receiving a nod from the Russian. "Max, have you told the All Stars?"
The blonde nodded. "Mmm, during the world championships Rick and Michael were trying to set me up on a date with any girl they could find. I blurted it out and stormed off."
"How did they react?" the ruby eyed male questioned, watching the blonde closely. The sapphire eyed blonde looked down at the glass in his hands, avoiding looking at either male.
The amber eyed male frowned as he watched the younger teen, concerned at how long it was taking him to answer. "Rick…Rick didn't want anything to do with me after that. He just flat out avoided me until Eddie and Michael confronted him about it. The two of them were fine with it; they didn't act any differently." The blonde stated softly, unaware of the concerned glances Kai and Ray were shooting each other. "Emily thought it was great; she finally had someone to talk to boys about."
A knock on the door startled all three, and Kai headed off to answer it, ensuring he grabbed his wallet on the way. Ray meanwhile shifted closer to the blonde and placed a hand gently on the male's arm for comfort.
"You two are on better terms now though, aren't you?" The blonde nodded gently. "That's good, and now you know you've got me and Kai to stand up to him if you need us."
The Russian returned on cue with dinner, and the trio settled down to eat, still continuing to drink vodka as they did so. As they polished off the pizza, Kai glanced at the bottle. "I think it's time we started some serious drinking and some serious getting to know each other." He stated, earning confused looks from both of his companions.
"Serious drinking?"
Tai: Now, I know I have readers, so some more reviews would be nice :P