Chapter Text
Lui's heart was filled with contentment.
It was nearly six in the evening. The Arctic gusts and crisp gale brushed against his searing skin, offering a sweet relief with a refreshing sensation that one could taste it as heaven. Small droplets of sweat blossomed and speckled across his clammy, exposed skin, only just beginning to dry amid the cool breeze that swept through his training room.
He reached for the water bottle within his grasp, sinking to the ground as he heaved almost on the brink of his capabilities. With a swift twist, he removed the cap and allowed the cool stream of water to quench his undying thirst, soothing his parched throat. It was rejuvenating, a blessing and was surely a reward. He couldn't let himself stop being addicted to the cold taste in his tongue.
But then he did stop. His eyes darted towards the window.
“Are you going to stand there like a gawking loser?” Lui drawled, catching a certain World Champion at the doorstep of his training room, his eyes wide open akin to a deer in headlights on the vast reflection of the window.
The flustered expression, of course, quickly dissipated as it appeared into a soft smile ascending onto his lips. The Luinor blader couldn’t quite imagine how someone like him could be delighted for arriving in his blistering cold estate, but he supposed his presence itself was enough for someone as simple as Valt.
Whatever, there was clearly something the Valtryek blader wanted him to indulge in as Lui observed with narrowed eyes on the surface.
“Oh, was I that recognisable?” Valt asked in a sheepish manner, slowly closing the door shut behind him. It appeared that the blader had become more considerate in his behaviour. Time truly has glided away beneath his feet.
Lui huffed, picking his feet up off the ground he once sat, turning towards his newly arrived guest, “Very much, Valt. But I’m sure you’re not here for any reason.”
Valt hardly stilled in position if it weren't for those twitching hands.
“ Hah ?” He blinked up at him twice.
“Don’t ‘ hah ’ me.” Lui rolled his eyes, as he languidly approached the other. “Spit it out, or else you’re wasting both of our times. Did you get a new student, again? Or are you going to drag me to another local tournament for me to beat up a queue of fools on stage?”
Valt snorted, “That’s some imagination you got there! Sounds like you like me bringing in challengers for you~”
“ Would’ve supposedly liked it if they weren’t all so weak with their bonds. It’s useless trying to fight if they can’t connect with their beys at all.”
“Alright, I understand.” The Vatryek blader resigned with a sigh, their shoulders slumped by the other’s words. “I’ll take your complaints and see if there are better challengers to fit your tastes next time.”
‘ Next time ’, he said. The words rang loud in the blader’s head. It wouldn't have been so abnormal for Valt to be here if it weren't for the fact that he stated ‘ Next time ’.
“You’re not here for arrangements?” Lui’s face contorted into confusion.
Valt seemed to get the gist of the situation as he hurriedly shook both of his hands and head.
“Oh, no. No . I’m here for arrangements! Just… A little bit different than your usual ones.” he said tardly, “And perhaps one that is outside WBBA’s power.”
His string of sentences only built more piles of puzzlement in the Luinor blader’s case, making his brows furrow more at the ambiguous answer he received.
“What are you trying to get at here?”
There could only be so many possibilities now Lui thought. Was there a new enemy on the rise threatening everyone? Was there another dubious illegal project bladers was involved in? An accident about to rope everyone’s lived in? His heart lurched at the many created scenarios running a marathon in his mind, but he could only stand there waiting and watch as Valt remained silent for a rare minute with his pupils dashed away.
“What I’m trying to say is… That, uh,”
Is? Is what ? It was already difficult to getting a straight answer, but trying to listen? His foot was already silently tapping away in a erratic rhythm before his irritation could surface over at any moment. So Lui in order to keep himself in order, he scrutinised Valt's every action, witnessing his avoidance of eye contact and his fingers oddly and consistently rubbing the fabric of his hoodie. Lui was no teenager who would let himself break himself under any heat, but he couldn't also ignore the strain in the air being heavy and congested as they both waited for the crucial words to break the moment putting both of them in a chokehold.
And Valt did that right as Lui wanted.
“ I-I need you to be a babysitter! ”
Right there and then, came an anvil dropped straight down on top of Lui’s skull.
This is not what Lui wanted. The pressure in the room suddenly weighed upon his shoulders had increased tenfold at such a revelation.
Lui couldn’t comprehend what was going on currently in exact detail. Sure, Valt was speaking to him with a rather pallor expression with his wide eyes and quivering hands as a leaf trembling in the wind, funnily enough, perhaps trying to comfort him somehow. Yet those sweet words of his were barely registered inside the confines of the blader’s brain, being entered from one ear to only be exited by the other.
‘ Babysitter ’. That was the word that echoed distortingly in his head, that kept Lui baffled and gave him a newfound headache at such a preposition.
Him, a babysitter? He wanted to cry out a fountain of tears not derived from sadness but from the sheer hilarity of the situation.
Instead, he sighed loudly, rubbing the side of his head as he thought about… About everything that was occurring around him in the past and present. Maybe in the future if he was really to consider the offer.
Just what the hell was Valt thinking?
Lui raised his palm front at the other’s incoherent babbles, magically silencing the Valtriyek blader from spilling out another word with an incomprehensible frozen face.
He rolled his shoulder blades and sat up on his sofa, opposite the rigid World Champion’s seat, with the coffee table segregating them.
“Let’s get this over with. You want me to babysit, yeah?”
“Mhmm.” Valt nodded.
“Request denied. It’s a no .”
“What?!” The other’s jaw dropped to the ground. “Hold it! You didn’t even hear the rest of it!”
Lui scoffed, folding his arms, “ Babysitting ? I’m not interested in dealing with grubby hands, Valt.”
He weakly differed back, “You’re not babysitting babies to be exact.”
This should've ended the argument, but only piqued his interest and betrayed him in the end.
“Who the hell am I babysitting then?”
“Oh, y’know! Your favourite — Dante!”
Lui hummed at the newly disclosed information. Dante Koryu? He was not a bad blader at all, perhaps a little too affectionate but it was tolerable. He’s got good skills as well, making him a great partner to train with.
Perhaps a reunion wouldn’t hurt. However, this was Dante Koryu they were speaking of.
A boy who was practically attached to everyone by the hip bone.
“Dante? Just him ?” Lui asked with a raised brow.
“Well, haha — no. You got the Hizashi twins—“
“Them? Gosh .”
Valt shakily smiled. “And Aiga?”
“ That maniac ?” Lui yelled, making the other wince.
“Yes, but he's not that bad!” Valt grimaced before continuing, “And last but not least is our dear lovely Bel!”
“Our? Our ? Not sure where you're getting ‘lovely’ from, but I'll allow you to indulge in your delusions anyways.”
“ Hey , I’m not being delusional! I’m being as truthful as possible!”
“Yeah, right .” Lui scoffed, he could practically roll his eyes all the way to the back of his head. If someone were to propose the choice of either babysitting 5 maddening babies or 5 grown-up terrorists, he couldn't have given a straight answer.
He resigned to his fate anyway with a soft sigh as he crossed his arms. “Well, isn’t that great? A full house almost. Is Quadra apparently on the list as well?” He drawled.
“Ooh, sounds like you're ready to take on the job!” Valt chuckled, “But nah, she already gets taken care of by her brother so no need for my involvement. But if you really are—
“No.” Lui deadpanned. “Fine, let’s say I’m taking care of 5 maniacs, but where will you be by then?”
“Well I’m actually going overseas with Shu for a long-term WBBA project on behalf of Wakiya but I’ll come back within a week or two!”
Was it too late to cry a river? Lui didn't know, but it would be the perfect time for a tear to slip down his cheek.
No! He thought he couldn't give up for so long now so why now? He couldn't deny however the thought of taking care of those 5 loony toons giving his stomach a few churns.
“Valt,” he carefully started, “do you know who the hell you’re making me oversee?”
“The… Boys?”
“No, you bitch !” Lui clamored, “They're psychopaths ! Moron, do you know what they’re capable of at all?”
“Uhm, I think so. Why?”
“So you think that I should take care of them instead of the mental asylum?” Lui enquired further. The other was about to part their mouth again, but he could stand for the other’s bullshit.
So he cut him off. “No, shut up. I am not in the mood to hear any of your nonsense and bullshit. You’re going to make me lose brain cells.”
“But you asked—“
“Shut,” Lui hissed, “the fuck up.”
Valt pouted, slumping back down in his seat as the other took a breather with one palm holding up his lethargic head by the forehead.
“You. Listen to me,” he whispered darkly, as their eyes locked in place, an instant connection created that enveloped the two from their little own world. It struck fear into Valt's gut, urging him should break the gaze, but the fear of consequences from Lui over his head kept him rooted in his seat.
“Your kids are terrorists, I need you to get your head out of the sand. Aiga’s out here committing felonies like he’s at a basketball match. Dante is out there being an arsonist, constantly free of consequences because of your ‘lovely’ Bel having all the funds he needs and dragging him into his shenanigans. Doesn’t help that the Hizashi twins were cooking and they fed an entire restaurant with fart-sprayed carbonara pasta, putting everyone on the floor.”
Valt opened his mouth and then closed his mouth. And again, he opened his mouth, “Well, that was just a unique Tuesday.”
“No, that’s a usual Tuesday, and I hate Tuesdays.” he seethed out.
“But Lui, I really need your help!” Valt wailed out, standing up so suddenly from his head and lurching forward with pleading eyes it made the other taken back with large eyes. But he stood his ground.
“Think about the arrangement this way! I’ll cover all the expenses, including food, clothes, bills and housing for you and the kids. I’ll also give you a bonus check at the end!”
“Hah, but you’re forgetting there will be expenses that will still cost regardless like my energy and time.” He drawled out.
“Beds? Comfy clothes? Don’t they do the trick?”
“You are unbearable…” he mumbled under his breath with the bridge of his nose pinched. “Not everyone sleeps like a brick.”
“Good thing most of the kids take after me then, ay?” Valt joked around with a small smile, but quickly dropped it as he saw Lui’s glare holes through his head. He sighed, slamming his head down onto the coffee table. “I’m never going to be able to convince you, am I?”
It was only for a moment did Lui faltered in his stance, watching the solemn Valtriyek blader melt into a puddle of his nonexistent tears. He’ll give him some credit because it did tug his heart a bit.
But the preposition of him caring for those 5 gremlins, was it really worth it?
Of course, like Valt always does, he pulled himself up together and sat back on the sofa with a stoic smile and straight back.
“I can't force you to do anything, but I appreciate you gave me some of your insights.” Valt beamed softly, “Can’t lie, they sure are a handful. Someone like you, who is inexperienced, would definitely struggle with that.”
“What.”
Now, that irked him really bad.
“Oh well, it’d be mean of me not to hang out after so long.” He explained coyly, a complete one-eighty degree from his eccentric personality. “So you up for it?”
Lui remained silent for a few minutes, his eyes pulled from the other’s presence onto his lap. Perhaps mulling over his schedule as his brows furrowed deeper. In all honesty, the returned company of the unforgiving silence made his lungs tight but also due to the absent answer from his friend.
Of course, such worries were gone in a snap by the following words:
“I'll take it.”
“That's the spirit!” Valt jumped in his seat, after all it had been long since they had hung out. “So what do you want to do? Eat burgers? Beyblade? Go harass Shu before we both leave Japan? Beyblad—”
“No, I'm talking about babysitting.”
“Augh, that hurt! So mean…”
The blader pouted, nursing his so-called wound on his heart until his face blew out of proportion in full astonishment. “Wait, hold up, the babysitting?! You mean you'll take up the job?”
“Don’t rush into things too quickly,” Lui murmured quietly, yet loud enough for the other to hear. His turned face was partially hidden as his eyes wandered across the living room. “I still need to work on the details if I am going to overwatch these lunatics if you are this desperate.”
Valt hummed in response” Harsh, but alright. When do you want to talk about it? Perhaps tomorrow?”
“No, now.”