A/N: Hey!! I've been taking longer breaks now to update, but guess what, I am trying my best, so please cope. Haha!
Thank you to Elenorhenry, I sent you a PM too, hope you received it. I am thankful for all the compliments, and I hope you keep reading.
And once again, thank you so so much to the Guest (guess you should give me a name I could use to mention you, instead of calling you guest again and again, haha). Now every time I update, I kinda hold my breath to see what you think about it. Last chapter, I thought maybe I had gone too quick in patching things up between the two, but I am happy you liked the fic. I am very grateful that you stick on and read and review every chapter. You are so sweet! 3
Thank you to dophnyxD for reading and following.
Please know that I'm not interested in getting any artworks done for my work, i appreciate yout approach, and i am thankful, but i apologize for disapointing, i am not interested.
Ch 21
(Giving a piece of mind)
The redhead sat on the wooden window sill of his room, the soft rays of sun falling on his face and making it glow.
His calm eyes were peacefully watching the garden below, the beautiful varieties of flowers and the fruitful plants. The summer wind was cool even in the heat of the sun.
He let out a yawn and gazed at the clock, two hours left till Kai got back from school. Today was his last day to school for a few months, and then he'd only appear for the exams.
He hadn't yet told him when he was going back to his old team, as the majority of time since yesterday's patch up had been spent talking about things that had caused all the issues.
Now that he knew a bit more about Voltaire's history, he could understand Kai. No matter how hard he denied, Kai longed for love, the love he had been so ruthlessly deprived of since forever.
He understood why Kai still held that little spike of hope, even though it was so infinitesimally small. After all, he was also human, and all one ever wanted was to be loved.
He tried to hide it in the best ways possible, but Tala could see through it, no matter what. Could see it years before, could see it now, it was almost second nature to understand the complex language that was Kai.
Poor Kai, he still had his friends in all those times, who did Kai have? He just hoped that his current teammates would not judge him, after all, Kai had given them enough value to go back to them even though he had no need to.
He wondered if his team would ever participate in a tournament again. After all, they had bladed their whole lives, and they were more than happy to take a break.
The wound on his head was nothing much serious, but still it had bled a lot, so he felt a little dizzy once in a while. He smirked thinking back to how much Kai had fussed over it.
There was a knock on the door, to which he stood up and went over to open it, finding Vladimir standing there.
"Yes?"
"There's someone downstairs. He's asking for you."
"Who is he?"
Vladimir pursed his lips in an unimpressed way, "He didn't say his name, seemed very impatient to meet you."
'Who the hell?' thought the redhead, following Vladimir downstairs.
He heard him before he saw him, cursing and muttering not too silently as the maid fussed over his muddied shoes making a mess on the recently cleaned floor.
His widened eyes fell on the other standing near the couches, a grouchy expression painted on his features, before the stormy eyes looked up and met his.
"Bryan?!"
"What the fuck took you so long?! I've standing here listening to her bitching for the last fuckin-
An uncontrollable smirk appeared on Tala's lips, as he listened to Bryan's own unadulterated version of 'hello'.
"The fuck you smiling at?"
"I'm over the moon to see you," he let out sarcastically.
Bryan put on one of his disgusted looks and rolled his eyes, before coming up to him and patting him none-too-gently on the back, his eyes falling on the bandage on his forehead.
"This alright?" He thumbed along the edge of the bandaid.
Tala nodded his head, "What are you doing here?"
Bryan shrugged his shoulders before looking around, "Where is he?"
Tala raised an eyebrow, "Kai? He's in school."
Bryan nodded his head.
"Soo?"
"So what?"
"You didn't answer my question!" Tala asked, following Bryan as he started stepping up the stairs.
"This place seems wicked. You reckon he keeps weapons around here somewhere?" He asked, completely oblivious to Vladimir's paling face, who now looked at Tala for an explanation.
The redhead tried to ease the old man's panic, "Oh, he's no harm, you see. He says stupid stuff all the time."
Vladimir, though not too convinced, nodded his head, before their attention was pulled towards the characteristic sound of a vase falling and breaking into pieces.
Tala sweat-dropped and laughed awkwardly before running upstairs, "Bryan!!!"
Said culprit was examining a painting near one end of the hall, the broken vase lying quietly at his feet.
"What are you doing?"
Bryan once again shrugged and went over to another painting, his elbow dangerously close to another fragile decoration.
Tala sighed and pulled his arm, taking him towards his room.
"When's he comin' back?"
"Around four."
Tala closed the door and made Bryan sit down on the neatly made bed, before standing before him and putting his hands on his hips.
Huffing irritatedly at the lack of attention as the Falcon was still busy observing his surroundings, he cleared his throat.
"So let me ask again, what are you doing here?"
Bryan stared back at him, narrowing his eyes, "You're coming back with me"
Tala narrowed his eyes, "Not yet"
"Then I'll stay here."
Bryan crossed his hands behind his head and leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a moment before settling his eyes on Tala again.
"You don't want to come back?" He asked, voice sounding serious for the first time.
Tala sighed and sat down beside him, "It's not that, Bry. Of course I want to come back, but I just don't want to leave Kai alone."
Bryan raised an eyebrow, seemingly knowing something the redhead didn't, before sitting up once again.
"How's he doing now?"
Tala shrugged his shoulders tiredly, "Honestly, I don't know."
A crease formed on the falcon's forehead, "Who else would fucking know?"
An accused expression appeared on the redhead's face, "How would I know when he despises talking about it?!"
"Then what have you been doing these past few days?"
"I- uh-," the redhead stuttered, face turning a light shade of pink in embarrassment.
Seriously, what had he been doing the last few days? Had he actually done anything that could've helped Kai?
He cringed and turned even redder remembering what he had actually done, and how it had been the complete opposite of what he was supposed to do.
"You do need a solid punch thrown right at your face," Bryan stated, bluntly.
Tala would've been infuriated to hear that in some other condition, but knowing he was really at fault, didn't say anything, instead, lowered his eyes, cringing a little more.
"And he needs one too," he said, matter-of-factly.
"What?" The blue eyes widened in disbelief.
"And I'm disappointed you haven't done that yet," he added, once again, matter-of-factly.
The redhead's eyebrows furrowed in anger, "Why the fuck would I hurt him?!"
"Because he doesn't understand otherwise," replied the Falcon, continuing, "All you're good at is treating him like a fucking newborn."
Tala stood up, indignantly, "What the fuck do you mean?!"
"He's not a fucking kid, Tala. He should learn to deal with these fuck-ups himself."
"Do you hear yourself? How can you be so heartless, Bryan? We're the only ones he's trusting and relying on, and if even we-
"Oh, tell yourself that first,Tala."
The redheads' bitter glaring eyes instantly turned into deep regretful ones.
Bryan pulled him down beside him though, before looking him straight in the eyes.
"I am serious, y'know, you need to stop babying him."
He gave him a stern stare, before Tala slowly let out, "I'm not."
"Look Tal, you're not gonna stick with him every fucking second, he needs to know that."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"Tell him to suck it up."
Tala gave Bryan a dirty look before shaking his head, "You need to stop underestimating his condition."
"You make it sound like he's a patient, " Bryan snorted.
The redhead hit him on the head, finally, "And you make him sound like a weakling."
"And isn't he one?"
"No he isn't!"
"You sure defend him a little too much considering you had a fight with him not two days ago."
The two stared each other down with intense glares, before a smirk splayed on Bryan's lips.
Tala's face twisted into an annoyed expression, before he crossed his arms once again, and shoved Bryan down on the bed, "Are you fucking messing with me?"
The smirk turned into an evil grin. Oh he was having fun.
The smirk infuriated the redhead, and he lunged at the Falcon, before, unfortunately for him, his wrists were held in a tight grip, Bryan's grin as he laughed at the other.
Tala wrestled a bit and managed to get one hand free before grabbing onto a pillow and throwing it at Bryan's face, standing himself up on the bed, another pillow in his hand, ready to strike.
Bryan merely dodged the pitiful excuse of a weapon before it was once again shoved at his face, annoying him a little too much.
Soon, pillows were starting to be thrown around, doing no actual harm, but excusing for hits, the two standing on the opposite ends of bed, laughing their heads off while bickering like couples.
And that's how Kai found them.
Hoping for a peaceful evening after a long tiring day, he had walked upstairs already planning to fall asleep the moment he hit the bed, being exhausted for days on end from all the extra work he had to do to make up for his absence.
An eyebrow rising on hearing the commotion, he opened the door to find the two hitting each other with the almost teetering pillows, shouting colorful names at each other, looking like a complete bunch of idiots.
"What the actual fuck?"
They quickly snapped their necks towards him, eyes widening before they threw the pillows and just, stood there sheepishly.
Feeling Kai's stare silently judging them, they awkwardly stepped down the bed before Bryan came up to him and patted him on the shoulder.
"How are ya?"
"What are you doing here?"
Not waiting for an answer, he turned to Tala, "I thought you weren't going back till Monday."
"No, it's not-"
"Could've at least told me," the bluenette said in a cutting voice, before going out of the room.
Tala put a hand on his forehead, before glaring at Bryan, "It's your fucking fault!" He spit out, before running behind Kai.
Left alone, the Falcon rolled his eyes.
Dramatic, both of them were so overdramatic…
Oh god, he thought, just like an old married couple…
"I had no idea either!" Tala yelled in frustration, while Kai just gave him an unreadable stare.
The fact that Kai had interpreted Bryan's arrival as a sign of Tala's departure was not completely false, Bryan had indeed come to get Tala back. But along with that, Kai had also assumed that the redhead knew that Bryan was coming, and that they were going to leave right that instant.
What irked him the most was being kept in the shade, while he completely ignored the part that was sad because he was leaving, not that he would admit it anyways.
Tala watched him expectantly, but getting no response, let out an annoyed sigh and said, "He didn't tell me that he was coming here."
"I don't give a fuck about that," the bluenette hissed out, crossing his arms and leaning his back on the wall, eyes fixed coldly on the opposite wall.
"Then what?!"
"You're leaving!!" He yelled at him, full on glaring the wall down now.
Tala's eyes softened at that, before a small smile tugged at his lips.
Oh, that was it.
But-
The smile turned into a smirk, "Aww, are you gonna miss me?"
His smirk turned into a laugh as Kai made a disgusted face, before looking away, unknown to him, hiding the little blush on his cheeks, before getting himself together and letting out in a slightly croaky voice, "That's not what I fucking mean!"
"You will miss me, right?" The redhead's eyes shone with mirth as he stared at the almost baffled bluenette.
"Like hell I would!" He hissed out.
"Like hell you woul-
"Both your whining is making my ears fucking ring."
The two turned to the intruder, who got an annoyed look from the redhead and a hateful glare from the bluenette.
"The fuck you mean?"
He shrugged his shoulders, turning to Kai, smirking, "I would've expected Tala to be so petty, but you?"
Kai's eyes widened, face twisting into an angry frown.
"Hey!! The fuck you calling petty?" the redhead hit Bryan on the head, which the Falcon again dodged off much to Tala's dismay.
"This" Bryan gestured to the redhead's still raised arm, before rolling his eyes.
"When are you two going back then?"
Tala turned to Kai, "Monday, of course."
"But today's Friday"
"Shut up, Bryan. I'm going on Monday, if you are so impatient, just go back."
"Fucking fine," he let out, murmuring under his breath, "So dramatic, AND petty, so fucking petty."
Tala was about to retort but quieted down as his gaze fell on Vladimir making his way up to them.
"Master Kai, would you come with me for a second?"
Kai nodded and giving them both warning looks, followed him.
"What's he up to now?"
Tala shrugged his shoulders, "It's this company… well I forgot. I hate this business shit anyways." He said, pulling a grossed out look.
"Isn't that old man handling it?"
"Not everything. You really expect Kai to just rely on him?"
"Nah, he's paranoid."
"Don't say that."
'Don't say that,' he murmured sarcastically, rolling his eyes, watching Tala as the other's eyes followed Kai down the hall.
His eyes narrowed, 'If that ain't your precious little phoenix.'
"You fucking shit!!" He hissed out annoyedly at the poor corner of the blanket that had decided not to let go of his foot.
He yanked his foot again and managed to send the whole blanket flying across the room, laughing evilly at its expense.
Stiffling a yawn, he opened the door and slumpily made his way out of the room.
It was all quiet in the mansion, he wondered where Tala and Kai had gone.
Another yawn escaped him as he went down the stairs, spotting Vladimir there and going upto him.
"Where's those bastards?" He let out in a completely neutral tone while stretching his arms and yawning, again.
Vladimir stared at him with shock, "Sorry?"
In his life, he had at uncountable moments witnessed the bluenette swearing, language that seemed damnable to even listen to, but there was always a reason. Kai never spoke much, and when he did, the words were not altogether beautiful, but, there was always a reason.
What reason did this rowdy kid have to just normally symbolize his friends in that way?
'It's the abbey, ' Kai had said last night when he had asked him if the newcomer was, say, sane. He had felt bad, but, well.
He would never understand things as complicated as such. Though Kai was also from the abbey, he did have what you call etiquettes. Tala was also respectful. But,
"Hey, old man, I asked ya' somethin'," Bryan waved his hand in front of his face.
Vladimir, startled, pointed in a direction, "They are in the lawn."
Bryan nodded and sluggishly made his way where he was to find 'the bastards'.
Vladimir's eyes trailing behind the Falcon saddened at once, oh, what misery in the world had these boys endured…
"-and she said to me, you dyed your hair, natural hair can't be that perfect, and I said shove your fucking facts up you-"
Vladimir's eyes trailing behind the Falcon saddened at once, oh, what misery in the world had these boys endured…
"And then she tried to touch my hair, the sick witch- Oh Bryan," he looked up.
Bryan plonked himself down beside him, staring at the wide range of lush greens. Scrunching his nose at the beautiful scenery, which had not impressed him thank you very much, he turned to the redhead still going on and on about his incident.
"-and she still kept bitching about her goddamn facts and, tell me, does my hair look fake?" He asked, ruffling it and showcasing it to the bluenette who after giving a small glance shook his head.
"Exactly! Who the fuck does she think she is?!!"
"Will you fucking stop Tala?"
The redhead turned towards Bryan, an annoyed frown lining his features, "What's your problem?"
Bryan rolled his eyes, and shrugged, before his eyes pointed a glare at the other as he was hit on the head none too gently.
"What the fuck?!"
"You interrupted me!!"
"And what are you?!! Some fucking God?!!"
"I'm the captain!!"
"I don't give a -
Kai rolled his eyes at the completely reckless bantering before looking up as the fuming redhead stomped off inside.
"Fucking dramatic," the Falcon murmured under his breath before spotting Kai looking at him.
"What?!!"
Kai smirked, "You sure act like a married couple."
Bryan scoffed and rolled his eyes, oh he knew who exactly acted like a married couple.
It was strange that Bryan, out of all of them, could pick up on things like that, even if there was nothing to prove him right. Oh well, he thought, I'm a little too cool, I guess.
Finding Bryan smirking weirdly while staring at the ground, Kai frowned, what was he thinking?
He pulled him out of his self-rambling by letting out, "You never answered my question."
"What fucking question?"
"Why are you here?"
Bryan smirked again, mockingly, "Don't flatter yourself. I'm not here for you."
Kai's eyes narrowed.
"I'm here to drag Tala's ass back"
Kai rolled his eyes, "He's not a kid."
Bryan almost rolled his eyes, the two fucking defended each other so fucking much he was sick-
"And neither are you, yet you keep clinging to him."
Kai's eyes flashed with fury and he stood up, his hands forming fists, "I didn't fucking ask him to come here."
"The way you kept whining and crying like a fucking baby over the phone, sure he was to come."
The bluenette grit his teeth, "If your thick head recalls, I stopped picking all your calls anyways," he hissed out.
"And you knew damn well that strategy would work, and he'd come running to you."
Hearing himself be accused in such a way was almost too much for him, he saw red at the instant, his fist flying out towards Bryan.
The Falcon smirked and caught it before it hit its target, twisting the pale arm and standing up so they were face to face.
Kai tugged his arm back but Bryan's grip was stronger, he kept yanking it back though, making Bryan let out an amused smirk.
"So strong, huh?"
The intensifying glare all but amused him even more.
"Tala was right, you really are a fucking baby."
A fist connected with his jaw and his eyes widened. Kai had struck him with his free hand.
He lashed out at him, hitting him square at the nose, a trail of blood now leaking down Kai's face as he toppled down from the impact. Bryan stepped up to him, towering over him, staring at him with an almost disappointed gaze, a frown highlighting it.
"Now tell me Hiwatari, when the hell did you become so pathetically weak?"
Kai wiped the blood off with the back of his hand and made to stand up, but just as he sat up a little, a wave of dizziness crept over him. He caught himself though, blinking his eyes and trying to clear his head.
Bryan kneeled in front of him, "You sure look like you got the fuck beaten out of you."
Kai glared at him, "Don't mess with me, Kuznetsov."
Bryan scoffed, "Or else? What would you do? You can't even stand up."
The jabbing words were hurtful, but Kai didn't let it show, growling under his breath.
Bryan grabbed his collar, "So tell me, what the fuck is wrong with you?"
The bluenette pursed his lips, looking away.
"Fucking say something!!," he jostled him, throwing another punch at Kai, who winced as his jaw started throbbing.
His eyes were filled with such hatred that you'd know he wanted to beat the shit out of the Falcon, but he just wasn't as strong, he acknowledged that, bitterly.
"What the fuck do you want from me?" He yelled at him, tired of the other's actions, "You're here for Tala? Take him with you. I didn't fucking ask him to come here anyways. I know you all fucking hate me. I know I'm a fucking mess. You have no need to rub it all in my face!!!"
He yanked Bryan's hand holding his collar away, glaring at him with hate, and maybe a tinge of sadness.
"Now shut up your whining and listen to me Kai. You really think if I hated you, I'd have let you live after all you've made Tala go through? You and Tala, you both are worse than each other when it comes to being drama queens, aren't ya? Now get the fuck up." He stood up, holding a hand out for Kai, which the other ignored and stayed where he was.
"Didn't you fucking listen to what I said? You think sulking like that is going to solve every fucking thing? One fucking word from someone, and you go hide yourself in a fucking corner like a pathetic scared rat. You think that makes it any better? And what the fuck did Tala say to you that you stopped picking his calls? You think you're so fucking great you can ignore him whenever you fucking want and then use him like you are doing right now? "
Kai stayed quiet, making Bryan even more agitated.
He again hauled him up by the collar, "Answer me, you fucker!!! Why the fucking hell are you so damn pathetic??!!"
Kai wasn't making any effort to get himself out of his grip, just staring at nothing in particular, his body not reacting at all, which concerned Bryan a bit.
He released his collar, resulting in him sitting down limply again, before waving a hand in front of his face, "Kai?"
"Get the fuck away from me," was the slowly murmured reply he got. Kai had not once looked up, just staring at the ground with dull eyes. The blood was still flowing from his nose, and his face had turned a bit red from the impact of the punches, his lip also looked bloodied.
The Falcon, now worried that he was in for a nice big lecture and maybe a few slaps from the redhead for hurting Kai, decided that he had gone too far and now needed to, say, comfort him a little.
The thought made him grimace but he shrugged it off.
"Nah, listen Kai," he let out, gently this time, kneeling beside him once again, "Ya need to pull yourself up" he pat his shoulder none-too-gently.
"I don't know shit bout, you know, whatever it is you got, but be a fucking man Kai," he advised awkwardly, or at least he tried.
Again he got no response, and he sighed, yep, the redhead was going to bite his head off.
"Kai?"
"Fuck off," another weak murmur.
"What the hell are you doing to him?!"
Bryan cringed at the loud voice, hesitantly looking up as the redhead approached them, his eyes fixed on Kai.
"What's wrong?" He let out gently, shaking Kai gently, a frown on his face. Did he have another attack?
His eyes widened as he noticed the trail of blood leaking down the bluenette's nose along with the reddish skin where he had been punched. His eyes immediately went to Bryan, flashing with anger.
"You hit him??!!" He snarled, shoving Bryan away from Kai.
The Falcon sighed, should've known.
"Kai? Hey, get up," he whispered to the bluenette, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, "You need this patched up," he gestured at his nose.
Getting him up, before glaring at Bryan warningly, muttering, "I'll deal with you later," he took the bluenette inside, who was still not responding to whatever Tala was asking him, but still walked beside him.
Bryan sighed. He was pretty shocked that he himself had gotten almost no injury from the bluenette. Whether it was Kai's lack of strength, or was it his mental tiredness, or was it the fact that he looked like he had given up on anything, Bryan had been spared.
But that was the last of his worries, what was worth pondering over was Kai's unresponsiveness towards him, whether it was the words he had said, or the punches he had thrown.
He kind of understood why Tala was treating Kai like that.
He had gone too fragile...
Thanks for reading!