Disclaimer: characters by Takao Aoki, HUDSON SOFT/TAKARA/HASBRO, BEYBLADE PROJECT, TV TOKYO, Nelvana.

Warning: Fluff, shonen-ai, and random violence. Yay! More on my favorite boys :D

Author's Note: Those of you who know my deviantArt Beyblade gallery may remember two sketches I put up of Beyblade characters as highschoolers (if you don't, come check it out! destinykitty . deviantart .com/art/Bey-High-girls-colorpage-3-117271265). I would like to write multiple scenes from that general brain wave as well as the original story it was meant to accompany, but for now, I have this :)

I'll admit that this is based on an actual incident. I consider myself fairly level-headed (thought I'm actually quite passive-aggressive) and it made me pretty mad, so you can imagine where someone as temperamental as Tala would have issues… heh.

I know the title is lame, but I can't think of a better one right now. And as per the image I referenced earlier, Kai, Rei, and Garland are all girls. And I like Ivanov better than Valkov…

------At Bey High------

by destinykitty

Kiss It Better

There are those who are impossible to read, whose well-controlled emotions are rarely betrayed in an accidental look or word. They are those who can look you in the eye with unnerving intensity and never betray their own thoughts.

One Kai Hiwatari comes to mind.

Then there are those who cannot; those who wear their hearts on their sleeves, who can be read like an open book. Whose emotions can be felt in their intensity by anyone who strays too close. These are the types who show with every motion their joy, anger, frustration.

Tala Ivanov stomped down the halls of Bey High, pinning innocent passers-by with a glare so ferocious that it sent the faint of heart, and anyone concerned for their own safety, scurrying out of his way. Over the malicious curl of his lip, his spiked hair appeared more demonic than usual.

In step with the madman, the like-minded self-proclaimed maniac Bryan Kuznetsov was enjoying the show. Bryan was one of the few people who actually took pleasure in the downswings of the volatile redhead's moods. He enjoyed any situation that resulted in trauma to the general school population and found it almost as amusing to watch others create havoc as to make trouble himself. So when he caught sight of a certain small, fierce bluenette approaching from the opposite direction, his immediate spark of interest in the impending argument was tempered by the likely possibility that Kai would talk Tala down from his towering bad mood, which Bryan had been provoking and worsening all morning.

Tala also recognized the significance of Kai's presence, even through his haze of anger. He took an abrupt turn and knocked several students out of his way as he cut across the hall to avoid her. Bryan followed, as did Kai.

"Hi, Tala," the bluenette greeted. The redhead found himself facing a wall and turned reluctantly toward his friend, grumbling under his breath.

"I heard you weren't doing well today," continued Kai, watching him critically. He did not respond, gazing over her head and down the busy hallway, but she kept an eye on his body language. "Rei said you practically bit her head off this morning."

Tala shoved his hands in the uppermost pockets of his oversized cargo pants, giving a small twitch of one shoulder in answer. She read the unimportance of this incident and probed further. "Did something happen at home?"

Bryan's laugh made Tala's answer unnecessary. "Hah! He's just pissed 'cuz he lost a fight with a towel rack," he relayed with malevolent pleasure.

"Shut up," Tala hissed. "That's not what happened."

"I saw the whole thing," Bryan continued, grinning. "It hooked his hoodie and fell right on his head."

"Bryan!" Tala now looked even more annoyed as the stinging embarrassment of the truth adding insult to injury.

"Bryan, knock it off," Kai warned. Bryan had the audacity to look unimpressed until she mentioned, "Vice-principle Barthez is looking for you, by the way. Something about Garland's locker…?"

"Oh, I forgot about that," Bryan said, his grin becoming slightly softer. Kai raised an eyebrow. "What! I was just—"

As Bryan tried to defend himself to Kai, Tala turned away. He knew Bryan had been purposefully riling him up all morning, but he couldn't help getting annoyed when the silver-haired boy had spent their entire ride to school talking about what a freak he was and how everyone was going to ridicule him when they heard he was such a zombie in the morning that a simple piece of furniture had taken him out. He ran a hand gently up the back of his head, wincing as his fingers met the sore spot on his scalp.

"Hey Tala, look who it is! Maybe your little fairy can kiss it better," Bryan's voice goaded, interrupting an attempt by Kai to reason with the nutcase. Tala looked up to see a short pink-haired boy approaching, his smile of greeting being replaced with a look of hesitant uncertainty.

"Tala?" he ventured, looking cutely concerned. "Are you hurt?"

"It's nothing," Tala replied sulkily. Raul glanced from the determinedly uninterested redhead to the sympathetic bluenette standing close by. Bryan opened his mouth to continue causing trouble but was interrupted as a shout down the hall announced, "Bryan Kuznetsov, I am going to kill you!"

"Ah, there's my little ball of joy," Bryan smirked as Garland stormed into view. "And how is the ice princess this morning?"

"I was fine until I got here this morning and found my locker welded shut! What the hell is wrong with you?" Garland demanded, stabbing a finger at Bryan's coolly unconcerned face.

"Say you'll go out with me and I'll fix it," teased Bryan.

"I wouldn't go out with you if you were the only man left on earth!" she screeched.

"Come on, that's not very nice," he replied, having the audacity to look hurt.

"Don't give me that look, you idiot!"

"Fine," he huffed. Grabbing her by both arms, he pulled Garland against his chest and crushed their lips together. She struggled out of his grip and threw a violent punch at his head, which he barely ducked in time.

He made a run for it and Garland dashed after him down the hall, repeatedly renewing her vow to kill Bryan as he goaded her back about how much she really wanted to chase him.

"Do I want to know?" a sexy voice questioned rhetorically as a tall blond joined them, wrapping his arms around Kai from behind. She looked up to meet his greeting kiss.

A warning bell sounded overhead and Kai vaguely waved goodbye to the remaining couple, Miguel's arm around her shoulders as the pair strolled off in the direction of their first class. Raul looked up at Tala, who was staring away unseeingly.

"Tala? Is… something wrong?"

The redhead sighed deeply; dropping his shoulders in defeat, he finally looked directly at Raul. "Come here," he ordered gently.

Raul happily obeyed, relieved to have Tala's strong arms clasp him snugly to the redhead's body. Closing his eyes, Tala rested his chin on top of Raul's head, squeezing his boyfriend more and more tightly until the tiny boy squeaked.

"Sorry," he murmured, releasing his grip. Raul looked up adoringly, shaking his head.

"No, its ok," he smiled, clinging to Tala's shirt. "Feel better yet?"

"Mm, almost," Tala murmured. Slipping one hand up Raul's back, he tangled his fingers in the boy's two-toned spikes. Raul stretched up on his toes as Tala leaned down over him, pressing their lips together.

Raul lost himself in the heat of the kiss as Tala's lips moved hungrily over his own, until the last bell interrupted them. The smaller pulled back reluctantly, only to find himself trapped by Tala's arms behind his back. "Tala, we're late for class."

The redhead nodded once, a grin slowly growing over his face. "Yup, we're late already." The grin widened as he caught Raul's hand, pulling him down the deserted hallway toward the closest exit. "Come on, let's skip."

"Tala!"

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