A/N: Woah, this chapter is the longest I've ever written. The second season was supposed to start here, but some other ideas came up in my mind, and so, it will start from the next, definitely.
To Appliepie, thank you once again for the review!
/.../ means talk over phone
Chapter 8
(Parting Ways)
"That freaking woman is staring at me"
Tala rolled his eyes for the hundredth time before giving Bryan an annoyed look.
"For fuck's sake, Bryan. She's not even looking in our direction."
"Are you fucking blind or somethin'? She is clearly giving me those creepy looks again"
Tala sighed, his head was already pounding with the continuous bitching of the other, he was barely suppressing the urge to punch him.
"Will you shut the hell up, you freaky asshole?"
Bryan's eyes turned to his left, glaring murderously at Ian.
"The fuck did you just say, you fucking midget?"
"You heard it, crazy bastard"
"Come here, you little shit"
Tala finally stepped away from where he was leaning against a wall, and stepped in between the two, stopping them from tearing each other's throats apart, which wasn't easy given his slender frame.
This was Spencer's work. He groaned inwardly. How long were they going to take?
They were at the airport at the moment, wanting to say a last goodbye to Kai before he left.
The latter had gone to deal with some issue regarding the delay of his flight, taking Spencer with him. And he was stuck here dealing with these two idiots, who couldn't behave themselves for a single second, lucky blonde…
It would have been better if they had left the two home, but then they'd have risked Bryan killing Ian. He sighed once again.
Ian had gone to his parents for a few days – as some miracle, his family was found when the abbey's details were searched through – and had no clue of what the heck was happening when he came back to find them helping Kai to pack up his things – which weren't much to begin with – and Kai making sure that they had enough money and all the other requirements before he left.
They had sat him down and explained the situation to him before leaving once again and helping Kai.
He had just sat there, a puzzled expression on his face, before he had gone to the bluenette and had asked him to come back soon.
Kai had ruffled his hair affectionately before muttering out a 'as soon as I will be able to' and getting his attention averted by showing all the new games he had bought for him.
The night before, they had all sat down for dinner – which was something they did every day, mind you – but this time, all were quiet. Bryan surprisingly didn't have a word of insult for Ian and Ian didn't have any complain against the food.
Kai had once again apologized, which they had just shrugged off with slight nods, before finishing their dinner.
Bryan was still not too pleased with Kai's decision, but the next day when Tala had asked him if wanted to come to the airport with them to see him off, he had muttered out a 'yes' without any hesitation.
And that is how there they were here, standing like three absolute idiots in the middle of the airport, waiting for Kai and Spencer to come back.
"Fucking finally," the redhead exasperatedly sighed, noticing the two making their way towards them.
"It was some other flight that has been delayed, they announced the wrong the flight no., fucking irresponsible workers," he growled slowly, coming to stand next to Tala.
"When does your flight leave then?"
"Fifteen minutes, I should get going," he said, a tinge of sadness apparent in his voice before he stepped away from the wall and started making his way through the crowd towards his destination.
The others followed him, the bickering between Bryan and Ian ceasing for the moment.
"So, this is it, huh?" Tala said, as they neared giant aeroplane that was going to take the dual-haired boy away from them.
Kai nodded, not knowing what to say.
"Don't forget to call"
"I won't, I'll call you the moment I get there"
Tala nodded.
"Okay then, Tala, my flight waits," he said awkwardly, his voice unusually hesitant.
"Take care, guys," he looked at the other three, Spencer giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder and telling him to take care of his health and eat properly, to which he nodded. Ian went forward and hugged his side, before letting go, telling him once again to come back soon before staring at the floor. Bryan nodded to him, silently sharing his own farewell, not too keen on having physical contact.
Tala was looking down, his gloved hands fidgeting as he tried to deal with the overwhelming pain in his chest.
"Tal"
He looked up slowly, Kai was standing in front of him, looking at him expectantly.
His voice caught in his throat as he stared at the other, not knowing what to say, what to do. He had been dreading this moment, the final time he'd be seeing Kai for a while. Now that that time had finally arrived, he didn't have the slightest idea of what he was supposed to do.
Kai decided for them both and wrapped an arm around him, giving him a one-sided hug before parting and smiling.
"Take care, Tala"
Tala stared at his smiling face and felt his heart clench a bit more at the thought of the other leaving. He threw his self-control and reputation out of the way for the moment and stepped closer to Kai, hugging him tightly, his face resting between the other's neck and shoulder, trying to calm himself as the urge to drag Kai back home and make him change his decision tried to overpower his rational thinking.
Who knew how long it would be before they met again?
He tightened his grip on him, feeling the latter doing the same, before slowly letting go.
Giving him a smile, he squeezed his hands in a soothing manner, whispering out an emotional "Be back soon" before letting go.
Kai nodded and stepped away slowly, making his way towards his flight, his chest convulsing at the thought of being away from them, wanting nothing more than to just run back to them.
He shook his head, he needed to get control of himself, if he became this desperate, it wouldn't be long before he'd be ruined, the world didn't take weak people so nicely, if one wanted to survive, one had to be strong.
But even he couldn't deny the fact that his heart had no problem with being weak if it meant being back with them, being back with Tala…
Tala and the others watched as Kai walked away, his form disappearing among other people before the redhead sat down on the nearest chair he could find, his shoulders slumping as his breathing turned erratic.
"Tala?" Bryan said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I want to go home," he whispered out, his voice on the verge of tears.
They quickly made their way out, getting into a cab, before giving the driver the address and telling him to hurry the hell up.
Bryan sat beside Tala, his arm around the redhead's shoulder, as a gesture of comfort, though the redhead didn't seem to notice it, staring out of the window with dulled eyes.
This was just like before, the first time Kai had left.
His eyes filled with anger, the fucker had once again left the redhead, leaving them to deal with the mess the redhead was sure to become. He didn't mind taking care of Tala, not one bit, but the thought that the reason of Tala's sadness was Kai made him quite enraged.
If it hadn't been for Tala, he would have beaten the hell of that Hiwatari.
He saw no fucking reason to let him enter their lives as he wanted and then leave without a care, but Tala didn't listen. He never listened when it came to Kai. He was too fucking stubborn for that.
The only thing he had been able to get out of him when he had tried to make the redhead think of his choices again, was, "If it had been you in his place, I would've done the same"
He scoffed, as if he would leave his teammates just for the sake of money and a bunch of pigs who didn't know their asses from their elbows.
They were just excuses that Kai had used, after all, they weren't fucking kids. Couldn't they see how his eyes had flickered and panicked when they had asked him why he couldn't stay and finish his studies there, he had been quiet, which meant that he had no reasonable answer. He was just trying to bullshit them.
He had no idea how Tala could have the patience to deal with such a selfish, self-centered and betraying bastard.
No, there must be a reason, Tala was not irrational, he took every decision with a meaningful logic, he couldn't have just listened to Kai's ramblings and agreed. Tala must have had his own reasons.
And what did Kai mean by "I just can't live here, not yet"
Not yet? Then when, was he planning something shady? Were they a part of it, even when they had no idea about it? He'd have to find out.
The car stopped and they made their way out, before entering the warmth of the house, a nice contrast against the chilling cold air outside.
Tala went straight to his room and shut the door with a thud.
They looked at one another.
"I'll go," Bryan stated before taking himself upstairs and opened the redhead's door slightly, entering the room and closing it behind with a soft click.
Tala was sprawled in the middle of the bed, lying on his stomach, his face buried in his crossed arms. He hadn't even bothered to take his shoes or coat off.
Bryan sighed and went to him, sitting down on the bed and shaking him.
"Tala, you okay?"
"Go away," a muffled voice spoke, the tone suspiciously wobbly.
"No fucking way," Bryan said before forcing the redhead to look at him, staring at the tear-filled blue eyes with shock.
Tala felt embarrassed, getting himself out of the other's hold and moving away, lying down on the furthest end of the bed from where Bryan sat.
"Just go Bryan, I'm fine," he whispered, his voice still sounding unusual.
Bryan's eyes filled with anger as he glared at the other, before getting up.
"You're fucking crying, aren't you? And all because of that asshole who left you again. I don't fucking understand you, Tala. It's your own fault for letting him get too close anyways," he spat at him before walking out of the room, slamming the door with a loud thud.
Tala lifted his head from where he had buried it in the pillow, his eyes moistened and his lower lips reddened from biting. He rolled over on his back and stared at the ceiling, his eyes dull and dark, as if they were dead.
Why? Why did life have to be like this? He had become the happiest he had been for a really long time when Kai had finally returned to them, making their diverse yet meaningful family complete again.
Life was finally starting to resemble his dreams, the ones that had been created in the darkness of the abbey.
And once again, Kai had left him…
He wanted to ignore it, but the pain that was slowly yet surely making itself known in his chest was so familiar and so intense that he didn't know whether to cry or scream, smash something down or tear something apart. His hands were twitching, as if they wanted to do something subconsciously, the thought of ripping his hair out getting too obvious to ignore. Instead, he held them up and stared at them, a scar from some beating visible on his left knuckle, making its way down to his wrist.
He didn't want to admit it, but he was feeling betrayed once again. He knew Kai had his reasons for not staying in Russia, but somehow, the thought that there may have been some other way to make it all work, for Kai not to have the need to leave them, was nagging him persistently.
He hoped that somehow it was all a dream and he'd wake up the next day just to find Kai sleeping beside him, erasing all his doubts and pains.
He lowered his hands and put them on his stomach, one over the other, before curling onto his side and staring outside the window.
The snow, that he loved so much, that could calm his nerves almost instantly, at the moment, was doing nothing but adding further to his pain.
Where, at any other time, it would have seemed so bright and lively to him, it now seemed dull and gray, as if the colors had all been washed away from it and only its battered lifeless form was left.
He closed his eyes, mentally cursing Kai for all the things he had done and also the ones that he hadn't. He couldn't believe he had just let Kai go that easily, without any fight or protest.
The way Kai's voice had sounded when he had persuaded him to tell him about his condition, the dullness and misery in it, that Kai had tried so hard to suppress, but that he could feel so clearly, was enough to make him agree to his decision, even if at the end all it did was break his already cracked heart.
He didn't want to see Kai suffer, which was why he had tried so hard to keep the fact hidden that he was so bothered by Kai leaving them. He knew it was not easy for Kai to deal with the past that he had forgotten for so long that it had become some far-off nightmare of some other world, and that now didn't let him take a moment of breath without digging with its venomous and unbearably painful claws into his consciousness.
Kai wouldn't appreciate him saying it out aloud, but he knew Kai was afraid. He was not prepared to deal with such a mess of a life at such young an age, and even though he admitted that they themselves had seen far worse things in their own days in the abbey, Kai just had gone too soft in all those years of being away that he couldn't handle that kind of pain and suffering anymore without crushing under its burden.
Kai had gotten weak, which was the real reason as to why he couldn't live in Russia. The thought of facing his worst nightmares was too much for him to bear, so he had grabbed at the first opportunity that he could use as an excuse to get out of the place that had become something akin to a second hell to him.
He thought they wouldn't notice? Pffft, apparently, they still knew him like the back of their hands…
He didn't want to admit that he was scared in fear of what they may have thought of him, which made Tala wonder if he even did trust them anymore.
He shook his head, Kai trusted them, that's why he had taken the first step towards them to mend the broken bonds, to make the wrongs right, to put the past where it belonged and to create something memorable of the future, but things looked so easy planned in one's minds compared to what they truly were in actual life.
He had told Kai that he wasn't mad at him, and he wasn't, but he had also admitted that he wasn't happy with it, that was why he was here, sulking and brooding in his misery while his mind screamed at him to shut itself down, to stop that flow of hurtful thoughts that came flashing before him without ceasing for a moment.
Whatever things might be, he knew that all he could at the moment was wait, wait for Kai to overcome the terrors that he associated with this land and come back again, and God was he already tired of waiting…
Spencer opened the door softly, still a slight groan could be heard from its hinges, before he stepped inside and closed it behind him.
In the darkness of the room, he could make out a form lying in the middle of the king-sized bed, with the covers all strewn about.
He made his way over to it and flipped the switch for the light on, the room immediately brightening up with a pale yet cold white light.
Tala was lying curled up on the bed, his form shaking from the cold which made Spencer notice that the idiot hadn't turned the heater on, before also noticing the open window which filled the room with cool wafts of wind.
He quickly closed it before turning the heater on, shaking his head when he saw the shoes still on the redhead's feet, his legs dangling halfway from the edge of the bed. He made quick work of taking them off before shifting Tala to a comfortable position, draping the blanket over him.
He leaned down and placed his hand on the pale forehead, checking for any signs of an unwanted fever before sighing in relief as his palm was met with cool skin.
The blue eyes blinked open as he removed his hand before hazily locking onto him.
"Spencer?" the redhead sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before noticing the time. It was 7:19 PM, which meant he had slept mostly throughout the day. He sighed.
"Are you okay, Tal?" the blonde gave him a worried look which he shrugged off with a faint smile.
"Bryan's been out for a long time now, he went a while after we arrived home, he's not picking his phone," Spencer informed him.
He nodded, finally thinking back to the words that had passed between him and the falcon before he had left the room.
"He will come back, Spencer, I'm sure he just needs to be alone," he said, trying to lessen the blonde's anxiety, though his own mind was conjuring up idiotic scenarios of the falcon doing something stupid and getting himself in a mess.
"C'mon then, dinner's ready," Spencer put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly before making his way out of the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
He let out a yawn before getting out of the bed, finally removing the knee length coat and making his way downstairs.
Ian and Spencer sat in their chairs, silently waiting for him to join, the dining table looking oddly empty.
He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Bryan, the annoying voice telling him that the falcon's phone was switched off. He let out a string of curses before sitting himself down on the chair opposite to Spencer's.
"He's not picking again, is he?" Spencer murmured, his voice tired and filled with worry.
"Nyet," he answered, running a hand through his messy red hair.
"Should we start?" Ian asked, a spoon in one hand, looking down at his plate, but not knowing if he should start eating or not when his friends were obviously too worried for their other friend who was being a moody badass bitch once again.
Tala looked at him blankly before nodding and picking up his own spoon.
It was almost midnight now, and Bryan hadn't returned yet, his worry had reached a point where he couldn't handle it anymore, so he put on his coat and shoes, before opening the door and stepping into the cold dark night.
Just then a curse fell on his ears and he sighed with relief.
Bryan emerged from the left side of the street, kicking an empty can to entertain himself, all the while muttering various kinds of profanities.
He looked up when he felt another presence around him and his eyes locked onto his captain standing at the entrance of the house.
He rolled his eyes before passing him and opening the door.
"Care to tell where you were brooding all this time?"
Bryan scoffed darkly.
"As if it matters to you, Ivanov. And anyways, I'm not one for brooding, that's your thing," with that he went inside.
Tala also turned around and went behind him, closing the door before grabbing the falcon's wrist, stopping him in his tracks.
"The fuck do you want?" Bryan snarled at him, yanking his hand away from him and giving him a hateful glare.
"I want you to listen to me," Tala said calmly.
"And what if I don't want to listen to you?" he said blankly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You will have to, because I don't want you to hate Kai"
The bluenette's name brought a darkened expression on Bryan's face.
"Trying to defend your precious Phoenix, aren't ya'?" his tone was filled with a kind of venom that pierced through Tala's heart.
"Oh, you're back?"
They both looked to see Spencer standing at the top of the stairs, Ian behind him, both looking at Bryan, shocked to find him back much earlier than they had expected.
Bryan rolled his eyes and sat down on the couch, feet resting on the coffee table in an arrogant manner, his eyes burning holes into Tala's own.
Tala heaved a sigh before sitting down beside him, keeping some distance between them in case Bryan felt the urge to get violent with him.
Spencer and Ian also came downstairs and sat on the other couch, looking at their captain.
Tala stared at Bryan with an exhausted and defeated look before saying softly, "I know you guys are mad at me because I let Kai go so easily"
Bryan narrowed his eyes.
"It's natural for you to hate him when he just left without a proper explanation"
He looked down at his hands, the same scar peeking from the corner of his wrist reminding him of some far-off forgotten memory.
"And it's not the same for you?" Bryan spat out.
"I know why he left"
Bryan scoffed darkly, "Of course he'd tell you. As if he gives a fuck about us anyways," he pointed his finger at himself and the other two who had sat quiet, emphasizing on the word 'us'.
"He didn't tell me himself. I guessed it, before confronting him, and well, let's just say that I'm pretty good at guessing," although his sarcastic words would have sparkled humor at some other time, now they all were quiet.
"Which means he didn't tell you either, fucking piece of shit. Let me ask you this, Tala, the fuck do you even see in him?"
He removed his legs from the table, putting his elbows on his knees and leaned closer to the other, a lavender eyebrow raised.
Tala's eyes dimmed, his lips forming a thin line as another bitter wave of pain passed through his chest.
He stayed silent, not knowing how to answer such a question. What did he see in Kai? A friend he had lost so long ago, a memory which always made him smile, someone who had mended his broken heart even in the worst of times, someone who had always lighted up that glimmer in his eyes, someone who was a part of his life without which it was dull and empty, someone he relied on when his own feet were not strong enough to support him, someone, who mattered to him more than anyone ever would.
But how was he to explain this all to Bryan?
Bryan was like a brother to him, he didn't want to hurt Bryan by telling him that there was someone else who meant much more to him than the falcon himself.
Of course he loved his teammates, he'd do anything for them, to make them happy, to make their lives better, to see the smiles on their faces, they were his only family, and he made sure to care for them the best he could. But Kai was different.
While his teammates depended on him for everything, seeking his support and comfort, his encouraging words and soothing aura, he never really got the same thing from them in return. He was like a parent taking care of his children, and obviously, the children couldn't take care of him. Even though they tried their hardest to look after him, he didn't let them, he wasn't supposed to. He didn't want them to see someone they looked upto as weak.
But he never had to worry about that with Kai, he could let his guard down in his presence in a way that he hesitated to do in the presence of his teammates – even though they had seen those sides of him too – and let himself be comforted by the Phoenix. Kai was his safe place, his comfort zone, his source of happiness.
How could he say all that to their faces?
"Tal, are you okay?"
He jerked suddenly, pulled violently from his thoughts, just to notice Spencer shaking him gently by the shoulder, his eyes full of concern.
"I'm fine," he let out softly, gathering his voice.
"Are you?" Ian asked, his eyes tracing over the troubled look on the redhead's face.
He nodded before looking hesitantly at Bryan, who was staring at the space in front of him with a foreign look in his smoky eyes.
"We are not mad at you, Tala, and neither do we hate Kai. But we'd definitely do with some explanation," Spencer said to him, his tone gentle, confirming his words that, in fact, he wasn't mad at him.
Tala's eyes widened before he looked down once again.
"So, are you gonna tell us?" Ian let out impatiently.
Tala smiled slightly before starting, "He's not well"
"What?"
"Was he sick?"
"He looked fine to me at the airport"
Tala rolled his eyes, first they wanted him to tell them, and now they were interrupting him.
"Shut the fuck up," Bryan's voice boomed in the spacious room that now fell silent.
He continued, "It's not physical, he has no disease or something, if that was on your mind."
"Then what?"
Ian got a heavy smack on the head though kept quiet when he received a glare immediately after.
"It's his mental state"
They looked at him in confusion.
"He didn't want to admit it, because he thought it would make him look weak, and that we would pity him or something, but he is not dealing too well with the memory gain. He doesn't also want to admit the fact, but he is not strong enough to handle the effect that it is having on his mind. He tries to hide it, but he is clearly struggling."
He looked at Bryan.
"You saw that day, he was having a panic attack, you didn't think once of what might have aroused it?"
"Wasn't it the punches? I thought he had gone soft"
"It was. You were hitting him, and his mind trapped him into some past scene where he was actually being beaten by someone from the abbey, I think – or it could be something else, but that's beside the point – and that caused him to panic. And yes, he has gotten soft, though he'd kill us if we said it straight to his face. All those years outside the abbey made him get accustomed to that easier kind of living, which weakened him, and now, suddenly, all the past trauma is hitting him full force, of course he'd stumble.
I think though, he's done a damn good job at hiding it, or rather, trying to hide it. But he can't really control his nightmares or those sudden attacks, I saw him having one the day we met him in his apartment."
"What?!"
He nodded.
"I had gone to the bathroom, not noticing someone was in there until I saw him sitting down on the floor. He was gasping for breath, his eyes were unfocused, I called him a couple of times, but he didn't seem to listen, so I shook him roughly. He looked like he was going to die. I kept shaking him and calling his name before he finally snapped out of it. He was looking so scared at the moment. He felt like I was going to hurt him, so he quickly rushed out of the bathroom with a speed that was almost impossible when he couldn't even breathe properly a minute ago.
I asked him afterwards, and he shrugged it off, before he got it again a few days ago. That's when I discovered that it happened frequently, even though we didn't notice it before.
His nightmares are also really messed up, guys, the few days I forced him to sleep next to me, I saw how much he suffered in them. It was like it was even more painful to him than the real moment.
I don't know about you all, but I don't think it would have done him any good if he had stayed here, in a place where all of his fears originated from. If he himself hadn't said that he was going to leave, I'd have sooner or later forced him to do so," he finished, his face firm with a decisive air.
Spencer nodded, understanding what the bluenette must have been going through, whatever doubts he had in his mind disappearing at the revelation.
Ian looked confused, still trying to make sense of all the things Tala had told them, gazing silently in front of him.
Bryan's face was as expressionless as ever, his eyes had lost their previous hardness, but they were also blank.
"I wanted him to stay, of course I did, but I didn't want him to suffer even more, so I let him go…" he let out, his voice turning into a mere whisper at the last word.
Bryan looked at him, his eyes slowly softening at the sight of the redhead looking so worn out, tired of all the happenings around him, his form radiating a defeated aura which indicated how much he was struggling through, trying so hard to bear the absence of Kai.
He put a hand on his shoulder after much inner struggle, making Tala look into his eyes.
"I get it, Tala," he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft.
"You aren't mad at Kai anymore?"
A slight shake of a head was his reply.
The icy orbs lost their weariness, and the corners of his lips twitched upwards into a barely seeable smile, before he leaned towards Bryan, and wrapped an arm around him, his spirit lifting at the thought of having the thick air between them diminished.
He looked up at the other two, his smile turning bigger as he read the ease on their faces.
He was feeling much better than before, though Kai's absence still left a bitter sting in his heart, at least Bryan was not hell bent on hating him or Kai anymore.
Bryan awkwardly pulled away from him, making Tala smirk as he pulled him even closer, his face a few inches from the other.
Bryan's eyes looked panicked, which was almost hilarious because he wouldn't be panicked even on seeing the most gruesome scenes, but this affectionate action was unnerving him.
Tala chuckled and let go of him, leaning back into the couch, his posture relaxed and his mind soothed.
Just then a musical tone resounded from his pocket, and he took out the phone, his eyes lighting up on seeing the caller ID.
"It's Kai," he said, as Bryan tried to take a subtle peek at the screen, curious as to what put a smile on the redhead's face.
Tala put it on speaker and held it in his hands.
/"Hello?"/
A deep husky voice spoke up from the other side, which they immediately recognized as the bluenette's.
"Hey, you reached there?" Tala asked softly.
/"Da, I got here a few hours ago"/
"Where are you now?"
/"At Voltaire's mansion, the one closest to the school and furthest from the Granger's dojo, I'll stay here until everything is finalized"/
Tala nodded, forgetting that Kai couldn't see him before asking him again, "Have you eaten anything?"
He could hear Kai's signature 'hn' over the other end which was filled with an amused tone before Kai let out, /"What are you, my mother?"/
Tala's eyebrows deepened into a frown, that fucking brat didn't know how to appreciate care.
He was about to retort back with his own colorful words before Kai spoke again, "Actually, I saw this guy on the airport, and he was shoving food down his throat in a really disgusting way, which reminded me much of Tyson, and that killed my appetite"
Ian snickered slightly, while the other three smirked at Kai's misfortune of having gotten the privilege of seeing the same gross manners of the baseball-capped boy before even actually meeting him.
/"Have you all eaten?"/ Kai asked, his voice breaking their amused spell.
"Yeah"
/"Hn"/
The line went silent before Tala spoke.
"When do you start school then?"
/"What?"/ then pausing a moment, in which they could hear some distant rumbling from Kai's side, he said, /"Hold on for a bit, Tala, – oh no, I wasn't saying that to you. Where? No, tell him there's no need. Just tell him, I don't want to deal with that. Yes. Who the hell does he think he is? I told you there's no need. Da."
There was a frustrated sigh before Kai spoke again, /"Sorry Tala, it was Vladimir."/
"Something wrong?"
/"Just the usual, nothing to worry about."/
Tala nodded, again forgetting Kai couldn't see him before quickly mumbling an "Oh"
/"You wanna know what this freaking school has for an excuse of a uniform?"/
Tala smirked, "What?" already imagining Kai to be fussing over his appearances.
/"It has a green jacket for fuck's sake."/
Tala laughed, while the others suppressed theirs not to let Kai know they were listening in.
/"Really, you'd think that's more of a Bryan's color."/
The said falcon snapped towards the phone, glaring harshly at it as if to set it on fire. Tala put a hand on his mouth just as he was about to taunt back with something at the Phoenix.
"And you're actually going to go along with it?" Tala asked, amusement shining in his crystal eyes.
/"As if I have any other option"/ he mumbled, his voice laced with a hint of annoyance, then quickly added just to irritate the other, /"Not that I'm a creep who wears just orange and white, I can bear that"/
Tala's face turned pink as the others tried hard not to cackle at their childish discussion, before his lips turned into a smirk.
"Not that I am a creep who wears only black and blue, my colors are yet bright, yours are boring," he drawled out the word 'boring' before a 'Fuck you' was sent in reply and his smirk widened.
/"What are the others doing? Asleep, I guess? It would be… 12:34 AM at your place,"/ he said, pausing a little presumably to watch the time and calculate theirs.
"Da"
/"So what are you doing awake?"/
"You said you'd call, so I was waiting for it," he cringed the moment the words left him, sounding so cheesy that he wanted to hide in some corner because of the embarrassment, and to add to that, his teammates were listening to all of their conversation.
'Nice Tala, very fucking nice, way to make an absolute ass of yourself,' he mentally scolded himself before Kai's voice brought him back to reality.
/"I was also wanting to call for a while, but I had to take care of some things first,"/ his voice was light and soft, which meant he was feeling quiet comfortable talking to him.
Tala almost smiled broadly at that, before controlling himself.
/"Is Bryan… Uh- are they mad at me?"/ he said, his voice hesitant, almost dreading the answer.
"Bryan was," he started, before putting a hand once again on the falcon's mouth as he decided to intervene, and continuing, "But not anymore, I told them."
There was silence for a while before, /"Did they-"/
"Nyet, Kai. Don't worry about that. We don't think any less of you because of that. After all, it's not your fault that those things are happening to you," he let out softly.
/"I know, but it's so fucking annoying Tala. Can't I have any fucking control over my own body now? I almost got another when I entered the plane."/
Tala's face turned into a concerned one, a frown appearing on the pale features.
"Are you okay now? Did anything happen there?"
/"No, nothing happened, but there were too many people for my liking, which is not uncommon for me as I've boarded planes so many times before, but this time, it was different. I had half the mind to stay,"/ his voice turned low, that they had to lean in to hear him properly.
"Are you going to see a shrink?" Tala asked.
Another sigh was heard before Kai groaned, /"I don't know Tala, do I? I sure as heck do not want some fucking stranger to nose around in my life. And it's not like I have time for that useless shit anyway."/
Talal hmmed, worried that Kai might put himself in an even worse situation of overworking himself and deteriorate his health, both physically and mentally, messing up his condition even more. But it wasn't like Kai was going to listen to him if he said anything. Stubborn bastard.
"Just take care, Kai. Otherwise we'll have to drag your ass back here with no chances of letting you go back again."
There was an amused snort from the other side, before Kai said, /"Don't worry, Tala, I'm not planning to die, yet. Okay then, get your ass to sleep, I'll call sometime later"/
Tala almost protested to that, not wanting Kai to hang up, but then the thought Kai was also jet lagged, and might need his own rest crossed his mind and he said, "Fine, and don't worry about the guys, they have nothing against you. And oh, Bryan's already missing you," he added, getting a murderous glare from the said teen.
There was a chcukle from the other side before Kai said, /"Kay"/
Tala was about to hang up, when Kai's mocking voice broke through, /"By the way, Tala, I'd appreciate it if you don't put the call on speaker next time"/ before the dual haired boy ended the call himself, leaving Tala flustered and a bit embarrassed.
"What the fuck was that?" he turned to the loud voice, his eyes clashing with Bryan's dangerous ones.
"What?" he said meekly.
"The thing about me fucking missing him. You know you're digging your own grave Tala," the falcon growled, making Tala shrink further into the couch.
A silence washed over them before Ian burst out laughing, all the while muttering something about how Tala's face perfectly resembled a tomato before Bryan and Spencer joined him.
Tala looked up, before glaring accusingly at Bryan, hitting him square on the head before storming upstairs, all the while muttering vulgarities.
He reached his room and threw the door open, the poor thing rattling against its hinges before he slammed it shut again.
His raging mind calmed down slowly as he dropped star-fished on the bed, before a small smile crept on his face.
Thankfully, the foul air between Kai and his teammates had vanished, and now he didn't have to worry about choosing between Kai or them, which would have seemed a problem if they had wanted the bluenette to stay out of their lives, while he himself was willing to do anything to be with him.
He sighed and closed his eyes.
At least, things were turning back to normal…
Thanks for reading!