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“You’ll find someone, I’m sure.”
Tala blinked, body jerking slightly at the sudden voice at his side.
Mariah was standing next to him, arms folded behind her back and looking at him with something akin to… sympathy? What for? And more importantly, how had he not noticed her approaching him? Was he that absorbed in his own thoughts?
… Right. He had gotten lost in said thoughts watching two certain people from across the stadium.
The Blitzkrieg Boys and White Tigers, along with a handful of foreign teams he didn’t quite recognize, had been invited to Japan for an exhibition-style tournament. No championship titles or trophies on the line, just a chance to show off their skills and take on Bladers they otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to in an official setting. And once that was over and the guests had cleared out, most of the teams had stuck around to catch up or have some practice matches against anyone they were interested in fighting but didn’t get the chance to during the exhibition.
Not being acquainted with any of the teams aside from the Bladebreakers and White Tigers, Tala and his teammates had moved to the sidelines. At least, they tried to. But Spencer got dragged away by Max and Ian ran off to harass some unsuspecting Italian team. Bryan had disappeared somewhere, though Tala vaguely remembered him mumbling something about finding a drink.
(Vaguely, he hoped he wasn’t looking for alcohol. While he didn’t mind Bryan drinking at home, it would be best to avoid any problems while overseas.)
So, left alone with his thoughts, Tala turned his attention to something he hadn’t really notice before.
Ray and Kai sat in the stands on the other side of the stadium. Kai was holding a tablet, the light of the screen illuminating his pale face. Ray was pressed against his side, one arm thrown over his shoulders while the other lay haphazardly across Kai’s lap, eyes half-lidded as if he was falling asleep, earbuds blinking with low battery.
If either of them noticed him staring, they didn’t acknowledge it. Or maybe they were so caught up in what they were doing. Kai analyzing stats, Ray fighting off the exhaustion of a fourteen hour flight – he had come from New York with Max, and Tala vaguely remembered Max telling Spencer they just barely made it in time for the exhibition – and tuning out the rest of the noisy stadium.
After several minutes of what seemed to be silence for them, Kai tapped Ray on the arm, though whatever he said Tala couldn’t hear over the crowd. Ray lazily lifted his head, and he saw Kai reach for the side of his head before placing a hand against his own ear, and Tala realized he had taken one of the earbuds for himself. He chuckled at Kai’s grimace – it was probably a sickeningly upbeat pop idol song, he mentioned before that Ray liked those.
Despite his obvious disdain for the song, Kai didn’t seem to ask for it to be changed, instead returning to his tablet and tapping the screen, probably scrolling through profiles. Ray had also closed his eyes, shoulders shifting ever so slightly, and Tala briefly marveled at his ability to sleep in that position.
Like a true cat.
It was only then that he tore his eyes away, feeling slightly intrusive. He knew they were in a relationship; Kai had only briefly mentioned it, but Ray was much more open about his affections, so it wasn’t like they could hide it even if they wanted to. As such, he felt like he was watching something too… intimate.
And that was when Mariah arrived.
The pink-haired girl stood next to him, head tilted and looking at him with something akin to… sympathy? For what?
“... I’m not sure I understand what you’re talking about.” He said, turning to face her fully. Max had told him before that he should face people properly when he spoke to them.
After five years, he was still struggling to close the gap.
Perhaps she expected him to brush her off, because Mariah took a step back, eyes widening slightly. But once she realized he was giving her his full attention, she smiled again, though her brows were furrowed in confusion.
“O-Oh, I just mean, you know, don’t get too down about it?” She said, fidgeting slightly. “I was there once, so I kinda get what it feels like.”
His confusion only grew, until he saw her glancing between him and the stands, and her words finally registered.
“I… think you may be misunderstanding something.” He said. Mariah looked at him blankly before her cheeks went pink and she openly looked back and forth.
“Um, you mean you don’t–”
“I do not have romantic feelings for either of them, no.” he said, hoping he didn’t sound too blunt. Assuming that was what she thought this situation was.
From the way her blush deepened, it seemed he was right.
“Oh. OH. Oh I’m so sorry, I thought– you were staring at them so much–”
He held up a hand, not so much to silence her as it was to calm her down and show he took no offense.
“I was… just curious.” He said, looking back up at the stands. At some point it seemed Ray had slid off Kai’s shoulder and onto his lap, and Kai was using his head as a sort of cushion for his tablet. “How it is. How it happens.”
Mariah gave him an odd look.
“You mean… dating?”
“Yes.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out Tala had zero experience in that department. Even when Kai had told him about his relationship with Ray, it had taken him a while to process what it meant and why it was such a big deal.
Years of being raised as what basically equated to a soldier would do that to you. He was happy for Kai, moving past that.
“Well…” Mariah started, following his gaze with a tiny smile. “You could always ask. I don’t know about Kai, but Ray’s pretty open about this stuff, at least with us. Since you’re Kai’s friend I don’t think he’ll mind telling you.”
Ask… would it really be okay? Spencer’s watched a few romance anime that Max recommended and he’s always seen the characters react badly to questions about their relationships.
But this wasn’t an anime. Ray was a real person, a nice real person, who only occasionally made jabs at their past, and usually directed towards Bryan (rightfully so, though Tala would never admit it out loud).
It was worth trying.
“Thank you for the suggestion. I’ll see if I can talk to him later.” Mariah smiled widely, a toothy, catlike smile, and he almost smiled back before another thought occurred to him. “You said you’ve “been there before”, were you and Ray–”
“No.” She cut him off, and her smile turned sad. “No, it never got there.”
She turned her gaze downwards and sighed.
“Maybe I just missed my chance, or maybe we weren’t meant to be, but what matters is Ray is happy where he is, and I can accept that.”
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then raised her head and looked Tala in the eyes–
–then gave him a sharp smack on the shoulder, grinning again.
“So, even if it’s not like I thought, my statement still stands! There’s someone out there for you too, it’ll just take some time.”
Tala rubbed his arm, having fought back the urge to dodge and return the strike. He knew she wasn’t trying to hurt him, it was something friends did, though he isn’t sure if she meant for it to be so hard.
“Thank you.” He said. Then, after a moment of thought, he added: “You too. I’m sure there’s someone out there for you. You’re very charming.”
The pink returned to Mariah’s cheeks, but before she could say anything, a booming voice called out.
“Mariah!” Lee stood several feet away, waving at his sister. “Gary’s getting a stomach ache from overeating again so we’re heading back to the hotel! You coming?”
“Yeah, I’ll be right there!” She called back. She turned back to Tala and patted him on the shoulder. “It was nice talking to you. And don’t chicken out, ask Ray! It’s good to learn this stuff.”
She ran off, leaving Tala with a sore shoulder and something to think about.
.
“You and Kai are dating, right?”
Ray froze, hand halfway up with another slice of tangerine. He blinked twice before popping the citrus into his mouth.
“Yeah.” He said after swallowing. He reached for another tangerine and began peeling it, and Tala was pretty sure that was his fourth one in the past twenty minutes.
I thought cats hated citrus , he thought to himself, but shook his head. Ray raised an eyebrow.
“Something wrong?” He asked, grabbing the knife after a failed attempt at breaking the peel with his nails. “You didn’t seem bothered by it when Kai told you before–”
“No, that’s not it.” Tala cut him off before a misunderstanding could form. “I was just thinking of something else.”
“In the middle of asking me a question? Alright.”
While Ray continued to peel his tangerine, Tala thought back to his conversation with Mariah that afternoon. Would he really not mind?
They had maybe an hour before Kai and the others returned and the dojo would be too noisy for them to properly talk. He and Ray were only alone because Ray decided to take a nap and Tala wanted to go through with his promise to Mariah.
“How did it… happen?”
There. He asked. And he managed not to flinch when Ray looked back at him.
“Oh, is that what you wanted to know?” Ray stared at him for a whole two and a half seconds before going back to his fruit. “It’s nothing special. I’ve always been really bad at handling my emotions when I get upset, and Kai is the only one that’s really tried to help me instead of fighting me.”
Tala couldn’t really see it himself, but looking back at Kai’s interactions with his teammates, he understood a little. He always seemed to play the big brother role to Max and Kenny, and was always the one to reel Tyson in when he would get a little too excited. With Ray… well, Tala has seen first-hand their relationship dynamic. He’s also heard stories about Ray’s moments of poor self-esteem – he was quick to bounce back, but only with the right words, apparently.
But that didn’t completely answer his question.
“But how did it happen? I mean–” He paused to think over his question. “How did you two–”
“Oh.” Ray seemed to understand at “how”, and laughed lightly. “It wasn’t anything special. One day I was really upset and I locked myself up in my room, wouldn’t let anyone in all day. You know what Kai did?”
Tala shook his head.
“Dumbass climbed in through the window.” He laughed loudly, and Tala couldn’t help but let his mouth fall open in surprise. “He was really mad and gave me an earful, said I was overreacting and yeah, I was, but I guess he really didn’t like how I wasn’t even trying to fix things.”
He was done peeling the tangerine, but didn't take it apart, turning it around in his hands instead.
“He ended up saying a lot of things that didn’t really have anything to do with the situation, and I guess that’s where it happened? It just kinda… went from there.” He hummed. “To be honest I never really liked guys before then. But when he was saying all that stuff my brain just started filling in all the blanks and I thought, oh hey, I think I like this guy too, if that’s what he’s trying to tell me.”
Maybe it was because he wasn’t there to witness what happened, but he couldn’t wrap his head around it. Ray didn’t like boys at first? But he likes Kai? They’ve been dating for two years now and they seemed quite taken with each other, so he couldn’t imagine them not being together. But at the same time, he knew that if he was the Tala from five years ago, he wouldn’t be able to see Kai in a relationship at all.
We’ve all grown up .
“So–” Ray said, distracting Tala from the way his stomach twisted oddly. “That’s the story. Any other questions?”
“Yes.” Tala said a little too quickly, and even Ray seemed taken aback, though he regained his composure within seconds. “Has… how are things? Right now?”
“Right now? Well, I’m feeling a little awkward being asked a bunch of questions about my love life.” Ray said, glancing away. Tala opened his mouth to apologize, but Ray just laughed, waving a hand. “I’m joking.”
He broke the tangerine in half, handing one to Tala. The red-haired boy took it, staring at it for a few seconds before tearing off a slice.
“Things are fine.” Ray said finally, after eating his own half. “Nothing’s really changed, actually. I mean, we hold hands and do couple-y stuff, but other than that, Kai is still one of my best friends. We can still talk about the things we always have, we still fight over dumb stuff, but for the most part we’re still us.”
He paused for a second, the smile slipping from his face and being replaced with a more contemplative look, but only for a second.
“Honestly, I’m glad nothing’s changed. I always thought if I got a girlfriend we’d be more into couple things, but with Kai I can just be myself, and he doesn’t treat me any differently.” Then he grinned bashfully, a look Tala didn’t often see on him. “Though it was kinda awkward at first, since you know, we’d been good friends for like four years. It took some time to figure out we didn’t have to change.”
Didn’t have to…
Tala rolled the words around in his head for a good few seconds, and when he looked back up, he noticed Ray was looking at him fondly, cheek resting against the knuckles of his right hand.
“What is it?” He couldn’t help but ask, touching his cheek to see if there was something on his face. Not that he’d be able to tell.
“Nothing. Just wondering why you asked is all.”
Oh. Right, he never did explain that.
“I was… curious.” He said. “I’m not too sure exactly, but watching you and Kai, I think I started growing curious about relationships. You don’t see many of them with how I grew up.”
Ray hummed.
“I guess that makes sense. You guys are growing up well.”
Tala was fairly certain Ray was younger than him, but in that moment, he felt like a child that was seconds away from getting his head pat by his grandfather.
“... If it means anything,” He started, and Ray tilted his head. “You two seem happy.”
Ray held his gaze once again, and Tala couldn’t help but feel like he was looking into his soul.
“Thank you.” He said finally. “That means a lot.”
.
“—And that’s what we talked about.”
The door had slammed open seconds after Tala and Ray had finished their conversation, and seeing Ray was awake and it was getting late, the teams opted to say good night and meet back up the next day, leaving Kai and Ray to return to their apartment.
“That’s… surprising.” Kai said, not looking up from the pot he was stirring. Ray sat on the couch, another tangerine in hand half-peeled. “He didn’t make you uncomfortable, did he?”
“Noo, not at all.” Ray said, tossing the citrus back and forth in his hands. “I was more than happy to talk to him. It’s not often I get to, and it seemed to really help him.”
“Hm.”
A few minutes of silence passed, with the occasional clinking sound coming from the kitchen. Ray counted down in his head before standing up, taking the tangerine with him and walking over to the window that separated their living room and kitchen. He leaned against the bar.
“He said we looked happy.”
“Hm.” Kai didn’t look up from the pot, glaring as he ran the strainer across the top.
“I am. Are you?”
“Of course I am.”
“Oh good!” Ray grinned. “Because if you weren’t I-”
“Would kick my ass?” Kai laughed.
“No, I’d hop on a plane back to Hong Kong, run to Mariah in tears and cry about how I’ve been gaslit into thinking I’ve been in a happy relationship for two years, then she will come back here and kick your ass. Then Lee will arrive two weeks later to do the same because that’s how long it’ll take for him to realize why I’ve taken over the couch.”
“... God I can absolutely see that happening. Good thing I’m in a happy relationship, and have been for two years.”
“As you should be.”
.
It was two days later, the day before they set to return to Russia. The White Tigers were leaving the same day, so the three teams had gathered in the stadium for some left minute training matches.
At least, that was the plan.
Until he ran into Max, looking absolutely furious and swearing under his breath.
“Tala!” The blonde– no, he wasn’t blonde right now, he’d stopped bleaching his hair once he started going to school full-time again. Something about hearing horror disciplinary committees and not wanting to write essays, but he wasn’t sure what any of that meant.
Either way, it was strange seeing him with his dad’s brown hair. Although it didn’t detract from his looks, and he still had plenty of fans.
Hm…
As he contemplated that thought, Max approached him. Thankfully, the anger in his eyes didn’t seem to be directed at Tala.
“Have you seen Kevin?” He asked, looking up and down the hallway. Tala shook his head, his team had just arrived and he was waiting for Ian outside the bathroom when he’d caught sight of Max. “Okay… if you see him can you give me a call? Maybe tail him or, even better, grab him? I really need to have a talk with him.”
“What happened?” Tala asked. It was rare for Max to be this angry. He usually brushed off heckling and insults pretty well, and was usually there after Kai when Tyson needed calming down, though he preferred to let Tyson say his piece before stepping in.
Max made a bit of a grumbling sound before he answered.
“He hit Ray with some water balloons.” He said. “We were in the middle of warming up and he set up some trap that dumped a bunch of them on Ray when he passed through the entrance. Kai had to drive him home since he was soaked, and we don’t know how long it’ll take them to get back.”
That was… more extreme than Tala expected. He knew there was some bad blood between Ray and the White Tigers, but it seemed as if that had all passed since their first reunion five years ago and having Ray on their team again for a while.
Apparently one of them hadn’t quite moved on.
Max sighed, blowing his bangs out of his face in frustration.
“I get that he’s still kinda bitter that Ray chose to stay here in Japan, but that doesn’t give him any right to harass him like that!” He growled. “It’s pretty cold today too, what’s he gonna do if Ray gets sick?!”
Tala wanted to point out that in that scenario, Kevin would most definitely receive a temporary ban for harassment, but he also wondered if the security cameras even caught him setting up his water balloon trap.
“I’ll help you look.” He said. He was sure Ian could make his way to the stadium on his own. “If that’s okay.”
“Really? If it’s not a problem then yeah, I’d appreciate the help.”
They set off down the hallway Max had been heading towards before Tala arrived. The red-head sent a quick text to his teammates saying to keep an eye out for Kevin, though he wasn’t sure if they would do anything. Spencer maybe, though he and Bryan were most likely already in the stadium. Maybe Ian would take a quick look around on the way, if only to be a bother to Kevin.
After about fifteen minutes of casual conversation, a thought occurred to Tala.
“How are your parents?”
Max visibly jumped at the question. It was probably surprising, seeing as Tala never asked him personal questions. Despite the fact that the Bladebreakers and Blitzkrieg Boys had become close, Max was probably the one he interacted with the least, with the blonde– brunette preferring the company of Spencer and occasionally Bryan (surprisingly).
So maybe the question wasn’t very appropriate. Despite this, Max gave him a friendly smile.
“They’re doing good!” He said cheerfully. “Mom plans on coming over for Christmas, and Emily is coming with her.”
Tala nodded. Although they didn’t talk much, he’d heard bits and pieces about how Max’s parents were separated but still in contact. And as for Max–
“You’re staying in Japan until you finish college, right?” He asked. Kai had mentioned it off-handedly one day on the phone.
“Yeah. I plan on taking a few science courses so that when I go back to work in the lab with mom, at least I know what I’m doing.” He scratched his cheek bashfully. “Ray’s always trying to scare me with stories about entrance exams but I think he just sucks at tests so he had a harder time.”
Tala snorted unintentionally. Although Ray was definitely wise, he wasn’t too surprised to hear he had trouble studying. Ray always seemed like the type of person to do better when doing rather than watching , and that included reading theories and formulas in a textbook.
“He even said it doesn’t matter what course he takes since even if his ‘blading career falls through, he can just fall back on cooking since he already has a resume from all the places he worked before back in Hong Kong.” Max huffed in annoyance.
“At least he has a contingency plan.”
“I don’t know if you can even call it that…”
A few seconds of silence passed as they continued checking rooms and under whatever furniture they assumed kevin would fit under, before Max spoke up again.
“So like, why did you ask?”
“Huh?”
Maybe it was because he’d started focusing on looking for the young Tiger, but Max’s question caught him off guard. Max didn’t look up from where he was crouched on the ground, looking under a bench.
“About my parents. I don’t think I ever mentioned them to you, so I was wondering why you were curious.”
He supposed he should have learned from his conversation with Ray the other day, to lead with the reason for his questions. So might as well come out with it.
“I was curious.” He said, which got Max to actually turn his head to look at him. “I… heard your parents weren’t together, so I was wondering about their relationship. With each other, and you.”
In this instance, maybe “relationship” was a bit of a broad term. He couldn’t say he had a “relationship” with either of his parents, for obvious reasons, but any time he heard Max talk about his, he always seemed so happy. Even before this whole “learning about relationships” phase of his started, he’d been curious.
“Oh.” Max blinked. Then he seemed to think something over before nodding to himself and standing up. “Let’s check down that hallway next. We can keep talking while we move.”
Tala nodded, following him around the corner as Max adjusted his jacket.
“We all get along pretty well.” He said. “I mean, obviously there were, and absolutely still are, some problems, but we’re mostly past them. Heck, when Emily and I started dating, they were really supportive, though mom took a bit to come around because of the distance.”
He only vaguely knew that Max was in a relationship, but he’d never heard the details. His thoughts from earlier came to mind.
“How does she feel about your… fans?” He asked, and he was a little surprised at how openly curious he sounded. He was going to apologize for being pushy, but Max hummed.
“Hmm, I don’t think she really minds? We’re basically celebrities now, so I think she understands. Besides, I don’t mind any of her fans, and it’s not like either of us are flirting around.”
The “anymore” went unsaid, as Tala vaguely remembered Tyson making jokes about Max being quite the flirt when they were younger. He wondered if being in a relationship changed anything about that.
Ray said he and Kai didn’t change. Tala thought, remembering their conversation from a few days ago. Does that mean it varies from person to person?
“Um, hey.” Max’s voice snapped him from his thoughts. “Actually, I have a confession. A few days ago, you and Ray stayed at the dojo, right?”
Tala furrowed his brows, but nodded. Everyone knew that.
“Well… I actually got back sooner than everyone. I had plans to help my dad at the shop the next day so I was going to turn in early, but I left my backpack at the dojo, so I came back to get it. I think like, ten minutes before the others arrived?” Max was starting to look around awkwardly now, scratching the back of his head. “Uh, I kinda heard you guys talking. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I swear!”
Max waved his hands in a panic, but Tala waved him off.
“It’s fine. Ray was the one talking about more personal stuff, so you should probably tell him this.” Max rolled his eyes.
“It’s not like he said anything I haven’t already heard…” He mumbled, then looked back at Tala. “But no, I mean, I heard you mention that you wanted to learn more about relationships. So like, when you asked about my parents, I kinda had a feeling it was like that.”
Oh. So that’s what that look from earlier was – he was deciding if he wanted to contribute to Tala’s strange new fascination.
“Oh.” He repeated outwardly. “I see. Thank you for your consideration.”
“No problem, man.” Max said with a grin. “I mean, I’m not really as open as Ray so I don’t think I really want to talk about me and Emily, but if it’s just this much I hope it can help you.”
“That’s not a problem, I understand. You’ve helped me plenty.”
“Glad I could–”
He was cut off by the sound of something falling and a yelp, coming from a room a few feet ahead to their left. They exchanged glances, and moved in.
Tala would never forget how they found Kevin attempting to climb into the vents by stacking a bunch of empty cardboard boxes. And he would especially never forget Max’s face as he proceeded to lecture the boy.
Max was probably the scariest person he’s ever seen when angry.
.
About two months after they returned home to Russia, Tala found himself in an odd scenario.
“You need me to… call Ray?”
Spencer stood awkwardly in front of him. The sight of a person with his frame shuffling his feet shyly was an odd one, but Tala didn’t feel the need to mention it.
“... I need his help with something.” Spencer said, but he didn’t continue, instead refusing to meet Tala’s eyes.
“I’m going to need more to go on than that…”
Before he could push for more details, Bryan and Ian poked their heads into the living room from the hallway. Although Bryan looked like he couldn’t care less, he was being dragged by the arm by Ian, who seemed excited.
“What’s going on?” He asked, snickering when Bryan shook him off but didn’t leave. Tala sighed, realizing immediately there was no getting rid of them now.
“Spencer wants me to call Ray to help him with something.” He said. Spencer looked slightly betrayed, but Tala hoped he would get over it quickly and realize there was nothing he could do about it. He may have been the captain in the stadium, but they were equals in this house. Ian could make any excuse to stay in the living room while they spoke, and if they moved to one of their bedrooms to talk, that would only tell him something is going on.
Hiding it was arguably a worse option than outright telling him.
Spencer most likely knew this, because he just closed his eyes in frustration, not even opening when Bryan spoke up.
“Why not just call him yourself? We all have his contacts, I think.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s only because you harassed him for it all those years ago.”
“That’s not true. He gave it to Tala willingly.”
Actually, Kai was the one that gave him Ray’s number. They’d been out one day and Kai’s phone had died right when he needed to make a call, and he suggested just saving Ray’s number for emergencies. Tala supposed he told Ray the same thing, since he didn’t seem surprised at all when Tala called him, so he probably had his number already.
He didn’t actually know the others had his contacts. Maybe Bryan found out they were talking and wanted in on it.
So that brought them back to Bryan’s question.
“... I’ve never called him before.” Spencer said, finally opening his eyes to glare at Bryan. “I sometimes text Max, but I’ve never had the need to contact Ray for anything.
“Well now’s your chance!” Ian said, patting him on the arm. “Ray’s nice, he’ll help you! Remember that time we went to the arcade with the Bladebreakers? Even though I made a kid cry, he still treated me to pizza and soda!”
“Sorry, you did what–”
“And I wasn’t invited–”
Spencer and Bryan met eyes before looking back at Ian, who backed up sheepishly. Tala ran a hand down his face.
“Why do you need Ray?” He asked simply. There were a number of things he could be asking, but there were other people he could ask too.
Spencer glanced away.
“It’s… kind of personal.” He said.
“Ray has a boyfriend.” Ian piped up, and Spencer placed a hand on his head, pressing down on it.
“I know that. It’s about someone he knows.”
“Kai has a boyfriend.”
“Shut up, Bryan.”
The room proceeded to erupt into chaos, and Tala considered going back to his chair and returning to his book, but he knew they would only follow him. Time to reel them in.
“Spencer, please just tell me why you need me to call Ray.” He said tiredly. There, he said please. Spencer was a nice guy, surely that would get through to him.
It did. The larger male finally stopped trying to grind Ian into the floorboards and swatted Bryan’s hand away when he tried to do the same. He opened his mouth, closed it, then sighed loudly.
“I… think I’ve developed feelings for a female friend of his.”
A beat passed.
The room erupted into a different kind of chaos.
“Wait really?!” Ian shrieked, freeing himself from Spencer’s grip before he could really put him through the ground. “Wait, is it Mariah? She’s Ray’s only girl friend, right?”
“Phrasing, Ian.” Spencer said through clenched teeth, though his cheeks were beginning to turn pink.
“There was a space between “girl” and “friend”!”
“What, it’s just for a crush… here I was hoping you were picking a fight with someone and needed backup or something.” Bryan said dryly.
“It’s not “just” a crush!”
Tala cleared his throat, forcing everyone’s attention back to him.
“Okay, I understand the situation now. But why not call Ray yourself? He’d probably prefer to hear it from you than me.” Spencer scratched the back of his head.
“You’re closer to him than the rest of us. Can’t you at least open up the conversation for me?”
“No, I think he’d really…” Tala wasn’t sure if Spencer would understand that Ray would most likely want to hear from the man himself, especially since it concerns one of his best friends. In the first place, why did Spencer like Mariah?
He asked as much. Spencer looked like he was fighting back the embarrassment, but it still showed through the coloron his cheeks.
“W-Well, remember when we were in Japan for the exhibition match a few months ago?” He said awkwardly, to which Tala nodded. “Well, while I was doing some maintenance on Seaborg, I cut my hand on some damaged parts. It wasn’t really bad but it was bleeding, and I couldn’t find our first aid kit–”
Tala had a vague memory of seeing Ian rushing off with said kit, and he glanced at Ian to see him not making eye contact with anyone. He’d have to ask what happened later.
“–and when I was about to call one of you over, Mariah came up and asked what was wrong.” He was starting to look less awkward now, almost happy. “When I showed her the wound she immediately ran to get her team’s kit and fixed me up. A lot more thorough than any of us would have done too.”
None of them could deny that. Most likely if he’d called any of them, they could have simply poured some water on the cut and bandaged it, ignoring the other supplies in the kit entirely.
“She was just… really nice. She was a little snippy because I got hurt, but I could tell she wasn’t trying to be mean. She’s very charming.” He finished. Then he looked Tala in the eyes. “This isn’t just a whim, by the way. I thought this over carefully. That’s why I wanted to talk to Ray and ask him for advice.”
“ Sure, I don’t mind. ”
The sudden fifth voice startled all of them, except Bryan, who was holding up his phone with a rather annoyed expression. On the screen was a familiar messaging app – the one Max had recommended for keeping in contact without worrying about international fees – and a contact photo that looked nothing like a cat Tala would associate with Ray, but he supposed Bryan just used the first image of a cat he could find.
“You guys just kept talking and talking. Someone had to do something.” He said, and Tala had to admit he didn’t expect Bryan of all people to be the one to make the call.
On the other end of the call, Ray laughed.
“ Well, it sounds like you’re taking it seriously, so I won’t get in your way. Though keep in mind that it’s still up to Mariah in the end.”
Spencer nodded slowly, turning to face the phone as if he was really face-to-face with Ray.
“Oh, and I will have to tell Lee about this.” Spencer winced. “And he’ll probably tell Gary and Kevin, so watch out for those two. I think Lee will be okay with it if you talk to him a little, but Kevin can be kinda…”
Tala thought back to two months ago, when he roamed the halls with Max to find Kevin and tell him off for his prank. Although the boy looked remorseful, he wasn’t sure if that was because Max was right there and very angry , or if he felt genuinely bad.
Well, they’d find out next time they ran into the White Tigers, he supposed.
“ I’ll send you some dessert recipes she likes so you can try making those, giving someone a present is always a good way to start a conversation .” Ray continued. “ In return, give me some recipes from Russia, okay? I wanna try making some for Kai, it seems like he misses the food there. ”
“Of course!” Spencer said. “Thank you, I’ll get them to you right away.”
“ There’s no rush! ” Ray laughed. “ Good luck though, you’re gonna need it .”
The call dropped, and Bryan pocketed his phone before making to leave the room. He took two steps before he paused, turned around to grab Ian by the back of his shirt, and dragged him out. Ian made his displeasure clear.
Spencer sighed.
“I’m sorry for the trouble.” He said, turning to face Tala fully. Spencer always faced whoever he was talking to.
“Don’t worry about it. Though I’m surprised Bryan took the initiative like that.”
“He’s been trying, I think. He drinks less too.”
“Hm.”
They stood in silence for a second before Spencer sighed, rolling his shoulders.
“Well, I’ll let you get back to your book.” He said, turning towards the door. Before he could move, Tala spoke up.
“Hey, Spencer.” He started. Spencer stopped, then turned again. “This is going to be an odd question, but…”
“Yeah?”
“... What does it feel like?” He said. At Spencer’s blank look, he continued. “Being in love, I mean. Or to have a crush.”
Spencer blinked, and Tala didn’t blame him. He didn’t exactly tell the team about the conversations he’d had with Ray and Max, but it wasn’t like it involved them until now.
“Well…” Spencer rubbed his chin. “I’d say… it’s like being constipated, but in the heart.”
“... Being constipated in the heart.”
“Yes.”
Tala gave him a look that he hoped conveyed how unhelpful that was, and Spencer shrugged.
“That’s just how it is.” At that, Tala sighed and shook his head.
“Maybe don’t tell Mariah you feel constipated in the heart when you think about her. I don’t think it’ll go over well.”
“I-I won’t say that!”
He huffed out a laugh as Spencer stomped off, grabbing his book and sitting back down on the couch. Then he remembered the last conversation he had with Mariah.
“ I’m sure there’s someone out there for you. You’re very charming. ”
He didn’t think anything would actually come of the comment, but he was glad either way.
.
It wasn’t until the end of March of the next year that they were back in Japan. Tyson had invited them, saying something about watching flowers and a picnic and “You guys probably haven’t seen anything like this in Russia, right?”
Tala did have to admit the cherry blossom trees were a nice sight. Though he could have gone without the alcohol being passed around among the adults. Hilary had assured him that he didn’t have to join in, though he did see Bryan watching with a strange expression.
After the festivities – was that what they were? That’s what it felt like – they were dragged back to the dojo by Kai, who helpfully reminded Tyson and Max that graduation was coming up and while Max had already passed his exam, Tyson still had one coming up and “just because you don’t have to be in class right now doesn’t mean you shouldn’t study.”
Ray looked like he wanted to say something, but a single look from Kai was all it took to keep him quiet.
I suppose when it comes to school work, Ray isn’t one to talk . Tala remembered Max’s comments the year before.
“As if having Hilary nag me about our exams wasn’t bad enough…” Tyson grumbled, to which Max laughed.
“It’s not a bad thing, you need the motivation!” He said, patting the other boy on the back. “You guys are going to the same college, right?”
“Yeah, somehow…” He looked up at Kai, who was highlighting some things in a reference book, and Ray, who was absolutely not touching the reference books and instead reading one of the many Chinese novels Mariah had passed along last year. “Can’t you guys give me any advice? You go to this school don’t you, Ray?”
“Yup. Entrance exams were awful.” He said distractedly. “Opening that email was the most terrifying moment of my life.”
“I thought the most terrifying moment of your life was when Bryan tried to kill you.”
“That is a close second because I survived.”
Tala was very glad Bryan wasn’t around to hear that – he might have taken offense to it. Thankfully the others were back at the hotel to get some more sleep, seeing as they’d arrived in the middle of the night and were dragged out of the hotel earlier than they would have liked.
“It’s almost lunch time, it’s not early!”
“It is when you land at 4am, Granger.”
He would have gone back with them, if not for the fact that Spencer was still a little nervous to talk to Ray and asked Tala to get the book Ray wanted to give him in his place. It was only pure willpower keeping him awake now.
Well, if they’re making jokes about it I guess that’s a good sign. He thought, watching Ray’s expression for any signs of resentment. Ray seemed to notice and gave him a small smile.
“I’m surprised Hilary isn’t going for a better school though.” Max said. Then he added, “Er, no offense, Ray.”
“None taken. I picked this school because I heard the exam was easy.”
“And was it.” Kai asked flatly.
Ray didn’t answer.
Tyson groaned loudly. Then his phone buzzed next to him, the screen lighting up with a notification. He grabbed it before Max could snatch it.
“It’s just Hilary. She’s making sure I’m actually studying and not goofing off.” He said, typing up a reply before setting his phone back on the floor, screen down this time.
“Aww, she’s worried about you.”
“She’s too nosy! Of course I’m gonna study, I wanna pass!”
“That’s why she’s being nosy! She wants to help!”
“ Well I don’t need help .”
“I call bull there, Tyson, considering you’re looking at my exam sheet from when I passed.” Ray said, flipping to another page. “Not that it’ll help much, since the questions will be different.”
“Seriously?!”
As someone who never went to school, Tala couldn’t quite understand where they were coming from. He’d skimmed one of the many reference books littering the dojo floor, but although they thought a lot of things in the Abbey, he didn’t understand the concept of multiplying letters and turning them into numbers.
Tyson’s phone buzzed again. Max grinned.
“It’s probably Hilary again.”
“I knoooow–” He grabbed his phone, turning the screen on again and unlocking it.
“And he still answers…”
Tala watched Tyson’s face. Rather than angry, he seemed to be mildly annoyed, and from the reactions of the other three this seemed to be a common occurrence.
“I’m not sure I understand… if you don’t like this girl, why do you let her bother you so much?” He finally asked. Max laughed.
“Sometimes you can like a person and still bicker with them. I mean, Kai and Ray fight all the time.”
“It’s true.” They both said, not looking up from their respective activities.
“Though in Tyson’s case, he’s what we in Japan call a tsu–”
“ Don’t you dare say it Max .”
“ But it’s true Tyson .”
Tsu…?
Considering Tyson’s reaction, Tala wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
“If you wanna gossip about someone why don’t you guys talk about how Ming Ming’s been sending Daichi a ton of presents and he can’t get a clue?” Tyson snarked, tossing his book aside and grabbed another, turning to the first page and grabbing a pencil. It seemed to be a workbook.
“I heard about that, some magazine was talking about how she’s been buying a ton of bread from that bakery downtown, but hasn’t she been sending it here?” Ray asked. Tyson rolled his eyes.
“She was sending him stuff like clothes at first, but since he either wears the same thing all the time or rips them all, I think she realized food was the best bet.” Max said for him. “Though we might have passed along some advice through her manager after the third delivery. Poor guy…”
Tala hummed. He knew Ming Ming through association, though he never spoke to her face to face. Daichi, he knew a little better – the boy was always jumping onto Spencer and climbing him like a tree. Even after his growth spurt.
“So… this girl likes Daichi, but he doesn’t realize it?”
“Yeah, basically.” Max shrugged. “Meanwhile Tyson and Hilary are just too stubborn–”
“Why’d you have to bring it back to me?!” Before Tyson could continue, hit phone buzzed again, effectively stealing his attention.
Ray mumbled something under his breath. Tyson dropped his phone.
“I am not –”
.
Tala eventually found himself back in Russia a week later, sitting at the table in the kitchen. He HAD been reading, this time a manga Tyson had recommended to him right before he left – he wasn’t sure yet how to go about returning it or if he was expected to – when a scene between some of the characters caught his attention.
“So there’s a romance plot…” He mumbled. It had been a surprise, since the manga seemed to be very heavy on action and violence. It wasn’t anything extravagant, just the lead protagonist promising his love interest that he’d protect her no matter what happened. He’s seen this in other books, manga or novels, but it wasn’t until recently that they started making an impression on him.
I wonder what Tyson thought of this scene, since he reads this , he thought, remembering what Max had said during their study session. How did the author feel when they wrote this?
Despite the fact that he’d talked to quite a few people, he felt like he was still missing something.
While he contemplated this, Bryan walked in, waving at him as he made his way to the fridge.
“Reading?” He asked, grabbing some fish left over from last night’s dinner. He threw the plate in the microwave and hit a random number, and Tala hoped he wouldn’t end up burning the kitchen down.
“Yeah. Tyson’s recommendation.”
“Oh.”
While the microwave ran, Bryan walked over to the sink and grabbed a glass from the drying rack, still full of dishes none of them have bothered to put away yet. Then he walked over to the cupboard above it, throwing it open and reaching inside.
Tala didn’t look to see what he was grabbing, though he did notice Bryan pause, glance at Tala, then the bottle in his hand, before putting the bottle back and shutting the cupboard. He made his way back to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of soda instead.
“He’s been trying.” Spencer had said. Though Tala didn’t know if it was due to his own aversion to alcohol or reasons only Bryan would know, he was grateful either way.
The microwave beeped after two minutes. Bryan flicked it open, hissing when he attempted to grab the still hot plate, pulling his sleeve over his hand and gripping it at the very edge.
Surprisingly, he placed his food and drink on the table, taking the seat across from Tala.
“So what’s it about?” He asked, grabbing his fork and taking a bite. Tala let the book flip closed and turned it over, skimming the summary.
“It’s an action manga where the main character joins a rebellion army in order to overthrow a corrupt monarchy.”
“Classic.” Bryan said, taking a swig of his soda. He’d left the empty glass on the counter.
“Hm.”
They sat in silence while Bryan continued his meal and Tala flipped through the manga, not really reading it.
“So…” Bryan started, and Tala let go of the cover, letting it fall shut once again. “You’ve been talking to them a lot, huh? The Bladebreakers.”
“Have I?” He didn’t realize it, but he HAD been messaging Kai and Ray more often, and had gotten the occasional text from Max that he never seemed to expect responses to, just pictures of animals and weird bugs he found outside. “I guess. They’ve been… helping me with some things.”
“‘Things’?”
“Just some stuff I’ve been thinking about lately. Nothing really important.”
“Must be pretty important if you guys are still talking about it.”
Tala tapped his fingers against the table, thinking. Maybe it was because the Bladebreakers were responsible for their departure from the Abbey, so they felt obligated to help re-integrate them into society – and he had to admit, even after five years he didn’t feel any closer understanding the world around him – but he did acknowledge how much effort they’re put into helping him understand people and relationships.
Kai and Ray were still best friends even after they started dating, and the stability seemed to be the main draw for them. Max seemed to be following in his parents footsteps in both work and relationships, and despite the distance his parents still cared for each other very much. Spencer was making good progress befriending Mariah, it seemed like they were in consistent contact now, and Spencer was very happy about it. Tyson and Hilary seemed to have a complicated relationship, but their words and actions tended to contradict each other, though the others insisted that it was completely normal for some people. Daichi seemed completely unaware of Ming Ming’s affections for him.
But watching other people, hearing their stories, was entirely different from experiencing it himself. And there was a fairly low chance of that happening any time soon, especially with how secluded they still were.
“Maybe we should participate in some local tournaments.” He said, slightly lost in thought. Bryan raised an eyebrow.
“That’s pretty sudden. Are we even allowed?”
“I don’t think there’s any rules against it, and we can always participate as individuals, not as a team.”
A lot of new rules were being integrated into the WBBA, including rumors of splitting the championships by age, which seemed to be rather well received since not everyone wanted to see a nine-year-old get destroyed by someone in their late twenties.
Not everyone … He thought, glancing at Bryan, who was rising from his chair to toss his plate and fork into the sink. Tala shook his head. No, I’m sure even he has his boundaries, at least nowadays .
“Well,” Bryan said, and Tala had expected him to have already left. “If you, y’know, need someone to talk to about it, we’re all here. I’m here. I don’t mind listening.”
“... That’s surprising coming from you.” He replied, to which Bryan snorted.
“You’re not the only one that’s been getting free therapy from those weirdos. Max won’t let me land in Japan without watching at least one cat video, and Ray really knows how to twist your arm when he wants something.”
“He uses “you almost killed me” a lot, doesn’t he.”
“Absolutely. And I don’t blame him, it’s great blackmail.” Bryan smirked, and Tala shook his head with a smile, then jumped when Bryan patted him roughly on the back.
“I’m probably not the best guy to talk to about this stuff, and I definitely won’t give valuable input, but I have ears.”
He stopped talking, just staring, as if waiting for a reply. Tala furrowed his brows.
“You mean you can listen.”
“That’s what I said.”
It wasn’t, but he supposed it’s the thought that counts.
Turning back to his book and opening it to the beginning, he nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”