Written because I think Tala can bring out a side of Hilary that she doesn't get to use very often, being the team mom and all.

Edited 05/06/2020 - Almost 2400 words added. Same basic plot, but fleshed out. And of course, edited for grammar.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tala, Hilary or the world they belong in, but just like everyone else here, I love to play with things that aren't mine.

The droplets hit her skin and dampened her clothes as she ran through the grassy field. Having discarded her shoes on the sidewalk, she danced under the jets of water.

There was something about running through sprinkles in the cover of darkness that was freeing to Hilary. She felt all her inhibitions fall away. She wasn't a dancer, but she could be as she skipped around. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she with the water sliding off her skin she could convince herself it didn't matter.

For Hilary, this was her secret to enjoy. Until she shared it with someone new.

She eyed that someone standing at the edge of the field next to her shoes. His friendship was not one she had expected. To her, breaking down Kai's walls and being considered a friend was a once in a lifetime thing, never to be repeated. Then when Kai first started bring his sometimes-teammates/sometimes-friends around, all that Hilary hoped for is that they wouldn't outright hate her.

But, over a year ago, when she caught the tall redhead sitting on the porch at Tyson's, long after everyone had retired, she decided to join him on a whim. Kai would have just ignored her. Tala, however, had a few choice words in response to her company.

She was so surprised by the viciousness and how rapidly his words flew, that she could do nothing but laugh.

"You think I'm being funny?"

Hilary pulled herself together. "No, sir. Just never thought I'd meet someone who could take lessons from Kai how to make friends."

He shrugged a shoulder. "Well, I didn't ask you to sit."

"Down boy, no one's challenging you."

"Don't speak to me like I'm your dog,"

"You know what, you gave me a great idea," Hilary stood up, brushing off the back of her pajama bottoms. She grabbed his wrist to pull him up. "You need a break."

She dragged him along, down a few blocks to the park. He barked threats of violence the entire way. Hilary rolled her eyes, because there was no way a girl her size could force him to do anything. He was there because he wanted to be.

Once they were at park, she led him to the open field where she commanded him to lie on his back. He didn't respond well to her request, so she asked again, gently this time. And then, when he still eyed her with distrust, she went first.

He followed a moment later, grumbling about absurd girls and friends and being nice. When he laid back, his head against the soft ground and looked up at the clear night sky, he fell silent.

Hilary held her breath so all she could hear was his light breathing. There were barely any stars to look at, being that they were in the middle of a city, but the world still felt huge.

"What do you think?" She asked after a few minutes.

"I think you brought me to the park like you would a dog,"

Hilary laughed. She bit her lip to keep from teasing him. She didn't know what to expect when she'd been told they'd be staying at Tyson's for a while. She'd watched them during the tournaments, but those where moments of heightened emotion, nothing to base reality on. If it was judged by that alone, anyone could be convinced even Kai was expressive. Which was so fare from the truth, she could laugh about that for days!

Now, despite his many allegations, Hilary did not plan on the sprinklers coming on that night. It wasn't like she had the schedule memorized; it just happened. And when they did, with a sudden click and then water spritzing over the field, Hilary gasped with joy.

Tala cursed with rage.

While Hilary danced around in delight, Tala found his place just outside the water's reach. He stood, watching her and when she caught sight of him, he didn't seem as annoyed as before. In fact, if she was as good at reading facial expressions as she thought, he seemed to be…enjoying himself.

Hilary skipped around until the sprinklers shut off. She knew they only lasted a few minuets at a time, but she felt at least a half-hour had past. She walked up to him, out of breath and soaked to the bone.

Putting her hands on her hips, a move that Tyson had dubbed 'The Hilary', she grinned at him. "See, there's plenty of fun to have here. You just got to let go a little."

His smirk turned into a chuckle.

"What?"

"I just think if you wanted me to see your chest, there are easier ways, you know." His eyes flashed down to emphasis his point, before coming back.

Hilary froze, not because of the cool chill that was starting to seep in, but because she suddenly remembered she was wearing her pajamas and nothing else. Her pajamas, which consisted of a white tank top and pink and white striped cotton shorts.

"In my experience as a world famous beyblader, most girls just lift of their shirts. Some throw their bras, a bold choice. I find you're approach to be very creative."

Hilary crossed her arms over her chest and hunched her shoulders. She wasn't the most well-endowed girl in the Beyblade circuit. That didn't mean she wanted to give anyone a free show.

"Pervert," she called him. "It wasn't on purpose and you know it."

"Hey, I didn't tell you to go running through the water, did I?"

"You could have stopped me!"

"Now where's the fun in that?"

Hilary couldn't believe it. All she wanted was to be nice and make him feel more comfortable in the home of a former opponent. She didn't pretend to know everything that went on before she joined the Bladebreakers, but she knew a good friend was hard to come by and, darn it, she was the definition of a good friend.

But here he was, having a laugh at her expensive.

Well, two could play that game.

"So, are you saying you're so desperate and lonely, you'll use any means necessary to see my chest?"

Tala rolled his eyes, a darker teal than Hilary remembered seeing during the day. Honestly, she wasn't surprised by girls throwing their bras at him. He certainly wasn't difficult to look at.

"Any means necessary? Lady, I didn't do anything to make this happen, you did it to yourself. But to answer your question: Yeah, I saw what was going to happen, and I wasn't going to turn down the opportunity." The words slipped gracefully from his lips, as though he had practiced them. Hilary wondered if he did practice them a lot. He was a world traveler with a following, after all.

Hilary straightened her shoulders, but refused to lower her arms. "That's really rude," she stated, and then turned to walk over to the bench on the sidewalk. Even though it was a warm summer night, her clothes were taking a while to dry and she wasn't ready to take the walk back yet.

"It may be rude, but you can't tell me you're not used to it," Tala followed behind. Hilary fought the urge to move on hand to protect her rear, but was weary to show him she was even bothered by it. "You basically live with only men."

Hilary groaned. She'd heard the all rumors before; being the only girl on the team of relatively attractive young men, it seemed like she had her pick of any one of them. Or, they had her for the picking.

"Very funny, but you know nothing has ever happened with me and any of the guys, and nothing will ever happen. It's not 'men,' it's you. Kai, for example, would never let me embarrass myself this way, just to see my body."

Tala stood in front of her while she sat pouting. "I think you overestimate Kai's self-control,"

Hilary tried not to be too aware of his towering over her. Sure, she knew she was a short-stack compared to him, but that didn't mean she enjoyed him looking at her like he was a wolf ready to have breakfast.

"Oh, what do you know about Kai's self-control? Are you with him all the time? Besides, I'm sure you're wrong. Kai has the more self-control than any one I've ever met, and he wouldn't sacrifice one of his friends for his own interest."

Tala blinked at her, the most serious she'd seen him since he left her in the field. "Are we talking about the same person? Kai Hiwatari, about this tall, gray hair, trust issues?"

"You don't know what you're talking about,"

"No, I think it's you who doesn't know Kai. He would throw you under a bus if it meant getting what he wants."

"Maybe he used to be that way, but not anymore." Hilary nailed him with a glare. She didn't care how Kai used to be, and if this fellow thought he was going to come along and soil Kai's reputation, then he had another thing coming.

Tala got the hint. He sat down next to her on the bench, his long legs stretched out in front of them and crossed at the ankles. Hilary became highly aware of her own bare legs, not as shapely as when she had been training with the team. She curled them up on the bench, folding her arms around them so that there was nothing he could see. It would take even longer for her clothes to dry, but they were almost there anyway, what was a few more minutes with the insufferable man?

"He said you name in his sleep once," Tala said. The way he let the words casually drop, as if he was sharing his favorite meal, told Hilary he thought he was winning this battle.

"So what? It doesn't mean anything,"

"It means he was dreaming about you,"

"One, I never said he was immune to his hormones, just that he had control over his impulses and desires. And two, it's completely normal to dream about the people in your life. In case you haven't noticed, I am his friend."

Tala shook his head. "There's no reasoning with you,"

"No, you're just so determined to bring everyone down to your level. Who even knows what Kai was dreaming about, or even if he remembered it when he woke up? He's never brought anything up to me or treated me differently than anyone else. Therefore, it means nothing."

"Fine, you win; Kai wouldn't have done that."

Hilary wanted to rip at her hair. "It's not even about Kai. It's about you. What you did was mean, and that's what I want you to apologize for."

"Oh, I'm supposed to apologize now? Well, I'm sorry. It was very cruel of me to let you do something I had no control over."

"Shut up! Are you this infuriating to everyone else?"

"Usually."

Hilary was tempted to get up and leave. He'd already seen everything he was going to see; her clothes were almost dry and she really couldn't stand to be near him for another second.

"Just curious, what do you think Kai would do if he were in my situation?"

She couldn't tell if his question was for real or if he was still teasing her. She eyed him closely, but his wolfish grin didn't give anything away.

"He'd give me his jacket," she said, looking pointedly at his orange and blue zip-up currently resting open, revealing a black undershirt.

He looked down and then back at her. "Do you want my jacket?"

She'd be lying if she said she couldn't believe it. He was going to make her ask for it. She had to consider if it was worth her pride just to save a few minutes.

"Yes, please."

"Please, what?"

Hilary gave up. He was nothing like she expected. She didn't think he'd be more annoying that Tyson or that he'd throw better barbs than Kai. Somehow, he was the most toxic mixture of the two.

Resigned, she knew what she had to do. She'd seen the girls that throw themselves at her boys; had mocked them more times than she could count. "Oh please, Tala. You're just so great, and I am so cold. I'd make it worth your while if you'd let me borrow your jacket?"

He seemed pleased, despite her obvious ridicule. "I think you've already made it worth my while," he said as he slipped the object of her request off his shoulders. She took it happily, ignoring his comment and pulled it on her much smaller frame. The sleeves cleared her hands by inches and the bottom touched her thighs.

She stood, finally free of the fear of revealing herself to him again. Turning to thank him, she was surprised to see his expression was neither one sarcastic jeering or annoyance. For once, he seemed to be just at peace.

She was momentarily distracted by his bare arms which stood out starkly against his black shirt. The muscles there where well-developed and defined, and though she was no stranger to physically fit men walking around shirtless, this one she didn't have that kind of relationship with.

Perhaps he had a point about taking advantage of opportunities if they just…happened. However, there were no circumstances under which she'd tell him that.

Hilary adverted her eyes and smiled brightly. "Thanks for finally doing the right thing,"

Tala nodded once and stood, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you planned all this?"

Her smile dropped. Why was he so determined to pick a fight? "And why would I do that?"

"For the pleasure of my company, of course."

Hilary stared at him. If she understood him correctly - and she was pretty smart – he was accusing her of dragging him to the park just so that she could run wild through the sprinklers, stand in front of him in her thin, see-through-when-wet pajamas, argue with him over something so trivial and stupid it would have made Tyson look brilliant, and finally, borrow his jacket, all because he was a delight to be around?

The delusion ran deep with this one.

"Take one too many beyblades to the head, Tala?"

Over a year later, and Hilary wondered how the boy had managed to wiggle his way into her life so deeply.

It started with the jacket. When she woke up the next morning, the boys had already left, much to her surprise. Max explained they had been called back to Russia for some award they'd been nominated for. Something about improving the country's reputation and economy. That made Hilary roll her eyes; how many kids had this guy's poster on their wall? They couldn't have picked a worse role model.

To try and get the jacket back to him, she had to ask Kai for his phone number. She could tell Kai was suspicious and reluctant, and she actually had to show him the jacket before he gave her the number.

His only comment before he past her the slip of paper: "Be careful,"

When she first called, Tala pretended not to know who she was. She threatened to burn the item before he gave in. "Keep it," he said, "I've got plenty more."

She picked at a loose orange thread. "You sure?"

"Yeah, it'll make up for everything."

Having thought over the night again and again, Hilary had come to the conclusion that, ignoring her little accident, she didn't have the absolute worse time trading jabs with him. He definitely was entertaining.

"Maybe you weren't that bad of company,"

"Oh, I meant for everything that's going to happen." When she didn't respond he continued, "I have your number now,"

He sounded playful over the phone, but she could only image the smirk on his face. She believed the fan-girls called it 'roguish.' All she knew, is it didn't spell out good things for her.

And this proved to be true when he came back into town a few months later. He teased her mercilessly about anything and everything he could come up with. She wanted to be annoyed with him, but a small part of her felt like she'd been inducted into some secret club, because with Tala and Kai's approval, came the approval of the others. She found Bryan and Spencer weren't nearly as irritating.

So, with every dig he sent her way, she sent one back. He kept her one her toes, that was for sure. When he went away again, the first few days she felt mournful, as if she lost something. It didn't last long, though, because true to his word, he had her number now.

His biggest struggle was time zones. He loved to ask her about them. Usually in the early hours of her mornings. Mostly, though, he just sent funny pictures of his boys and random, sarcastic thoughts that he knew he couldn't say on camera. She appreciated them.

The second time he returned, he texted her when they landed. The sun was setting over the ocean while she was playing it the waves with some of the other girls. The only thing the message said was a time and location. The location she knew well, but the time…no good could from meeting her roguish, travel-worn friend at that hour.

She met him anyway, convincing herself she had nothing to fear from him anymore. He was sitting on the bench waiting for her. She wanted to ask why he texted; what was so important that he had to call her out, away from their friends.

He lifted a brow when he saw her. "I see you came prepared this time,"

Determined to prevent her last mistake from ever happening again, she had dressed in a black tee-shirt and black denim shorts. He wasn't going to see anything.

"Prepared for what? To be annoyed to death? Yeah, you've got that covered."

She sat next to him on the bench. For a while, they traded stories of everything that had happened since the last time they spoke. One thing was for sure, between the crazy cast of friends they'd assembled and being world travelers, there was never a shortage of stories.

When the sprinklers went off again, Hilary jumped up and slipped off her shoes. "Joining me this time?"

"You wish,"

Hilary shrugged, continuing toward the field. "Have it your way, but you're missing out."

After the water turned off, she returned to the bench, feeling exhilarated from the run. She stopped when she found his jacket sitting in her place.

He glanced at her before looking away. "It's colder tonight. You'd have asked for it anyway,"

"Probably," she said, wrapping it around herself.

"But this one, I want back. And now you owe me."

Hilary couldn't answer. There was something vaguely threatening about owing the intimidating Russian. Didn't stop a thrill from shooting threw her.

They continued meeting at the park. She believed no one knew about their occasional rendezvous, but every once in a while, she'd catch one of the boys, usually Ray or Kai, giving her odd looks.

She'd kill him if she discovered he was gossiping about her. These boys never could keep anything to themselves.

Eventually, Hilary was able to goad him into joining her during her run through the sprinklers. She tried everything, but the only thing he seemed to respond to was outright challenges.

She knew she couldn't out run him. Just like in the beginning when she first dragged him to the park, he only let her because he that's what he wanted. In the same way, she was only able to slip through his grasp because he let it happen.

But hearing his true laughter, not the gravelly laugh he put on for show during a tournament or press conference, but his real, deep laugh, spurred her on. She dodged him in and out of the jet streams coming from the ground.

As the water shut off again, Hilary fell to her knees. "I give, I give,"

Tala pushed her over so that she landed on her back before laying down next to her. While she laid gasping, he was barely out of breath. Years of running had served to benefit him, in more ways than one.

The night was clear again, and there were even some stars out to see. They'd gotten through the frozen winder, warm spring, and now summer was starting to die down. There slight chill nipped at her skin. It wasn't enough to chase her inside, but it made her skin prickle.

She felt alive.

"Tala?" she called out. Though he was right next to her, she'd never knew if he'd answer.

"Yeah," his voice was low. She uncovered this side of him a while ago, and it took her by surprise more than any of his other qualities. Not the quietness, that she had expected, but the contemplativeness that accompanied it. She started to understand why he and Kai got along.

Tala wasn't just a sharp tongue and good looks. He was smart. And when he was being quiet, he was thinking, planning, observing.

"Promise me, no matter what happens, when you finally get a girlfriend, you'll do this with her."

"You think I'm going to get a girlfriend?"

"When you want to," she snorted. "When you're ready to stop playing around."

"I thought this was our thing,"

She waved her hand lazily. "This is just a thing, doesn't have to be our thing. Plus, it's nice and fun, and kinda romantic. I think you should do it with someone special."

"You think this is romantic? Laying in itchy wet grass?"

"No, stupid. The running through the water with no else around and then staring at the night sky lying next to your someone special is the romantic part,"

"Whatever," he said. "Yeah, when I get a girlfriend, I'll run though sprinklers with her."

"And?"

"And then lay next to her while staring at the night sky."

"Good."

They fell into silence after that, both lost to their own thoughts as the world spun towards the morning.

What Hilary didn't tell him is that she was beginning to fear the day he'd find someone else to let into their club. She wasn't quite sure when her crush on the tall redhead started, or even why. But she hoped by putting it out there, having the thought that one day, he'll actually be with someone, she could start to move past it.

What Tala didn't tell her was that he didn't plan on spending his nights at the park with anyone else except her. But he did plan on having a girlfriend very, very soon.

Let me know what you think, if you're a new reader or if you read the first version. Love to hear your thoughts.