Chapter Text
Tala was sat on the floor of Bryan's room, patiently awaiting his friend's return. He shifted anxiously, fingers playing with the ends of his sleeves, not really sure what to make of Bryan's recent behavior. The two of them had been friends since, well, forever. They'd always been close, whether or not outsiders could tell. Bryan had never hidden anything from Tala. Even though Bryan always tried to solve any personal problems without help, at least Tala would know there was a problem.
"I just hope he's not angry with me." Tala frowned, not liking the thought of his best friend being angry with him. Not that it never happened. It happened often, actually. Usually over stupid things and they'd yell about it and get over it within a day or two. But Bryan's voice was so quiet, almost sad, when Tala found him in the closet. It was definitely not Normal Bryan Behavior. "Maybe...he got rejected..?" Tala glanced at the card lying beside him, the corners bent from the impact it made with the floor. "Didn't even know he was interested in anyone..."
Gingerly, Tala picked it up and began to read. "Ha!" A short laugh escaped him as he read the outside lines. "Wow. That's pretty corny...no wonder if he got turned down, that's intense."
"What's intense?"
"JESUS! Bryan." Tala jumped at Bryan's voice, not having heard him even come up the stairs. "You could knock or something, you know. Are you trying to kill me?" Bryan smirked from the doorway, shaking his head as he entered the room.
"Uh, it is my room we're in you know. I don't think people knock on their own doors." Tala gave him a short glare, clicking his tongue. In his panic, the card had skittered across to the other end of the room and under the bed. He wanted to find it again. "You didn't answer me though. Or were you just talking to yourself again?"
Bryan sat himself in his desk chair, spinning slowly a few times as he watched Tala looking for the card. The redhead was on his hands and knees, checking underneath the few items of furniture.
"I was not talking to myself, I was merely commenting on something." Not under the dresser, or the desk.
"Uh-huh."
"I was! Stop laughing, jerk." Tala sat back up in a huff, glaring at Bryan once again. "So are you going to tell me what's bothering you? Or are you going to continue spinning in that stupid chair until you vomit." Tala rolled his eyes as Bryan only smirked and increased his speed, laughing as Bryan nearly toppled over. "Or fall out of it, I see."
Bryan just frowned, squeezing his eyes shut as he regained his equilibrium. "Ugh. Shut up. Don't let me do that again, Tal. But no, I do need to talk to you. Can you get the door?" He limply gestured, Tala nodding in agreement. The door settled with a soft click, and Tala leaned against it, watching Bryan try to not puke. A soft smile crossed the redhead's face as he watched, happy to see that Bryan wasn't angry.
Since leaving the Abbey, Bryan had slowly grown back into the childish personality Tala had first encountered on the snowy streets of their childhood town. He was still guarded, but had cut back on the menacing threats, and was learning to de-stress without being so violent and aggressive. Video games were a godsend, in Tala's opinion. Bryan smiled a lot more, and laughed, and did dumb things that most guys their age would do. Like spinning in chairs until getting sick. Tala couldn't be happier when he did, because it meant Bryan was healing. Tala could fix just about any physical injuries, but it was the mental and emotional scars he couldn't. It killed him any time Bryan would have a manic episode, any time they argued, any time he was just...unhappy. Hurt. Angry. Tala would give anything to be able to help his friend be happy, but all he could do was sit and watch. Hope that his friendship and company would be enough.
"So...? What's up?" Tala quietly questioned, after the other seemed more or less not sick.
"Mm. Well. You...you saw the card, right?" Tala nodded, tilting his head to the side. "Okay. Uh...good." Bryan's eyes darted around the room, avoiding eye contact with his captain. "...well I meant to give it...to..."
"...to who? Bry why didn't you say you were interested in someone?" Tala pouted, not liking to be left out of the loop. He felt his heart-rate jump, and before he knew it he just started talking, effectively cutting off Bryan's explanation. "I'm kind of hurt, honestly. Did you not trust me to not tell them or something? Is it even someone we know?"
"Tal..."
"Seriously Bryan, I didn't think you even cared about stuff like this..." Tala shook his head, not understanding. Why was he getting so worked up? Was it really even his business? "Why are you so upset? Did you get turned down? And who buys Valentine's cards for someone they aren't even dating...wait are you...?"
"TALA! Stop. Talking. Please." Bryan grabbed Tala by the shoulders, shutting the redhead up. "Just...listen for a minute, okay? You're being ridiculous." Tala blinked, the tension in his small frame slowly receding. Bryan's pale eyes made contact with Tala's for the first time that evening, and he smiled. "Calm down. You're way off base."
Tala took a deep breath and nodded, settling back into a seated position on the floor. "Sorry. I just...got a little carried away. I don't like when you're acting weird." Bryan shook his head laughed, getting another sharp glare out of his captain. "Don't say you aren't! You're being super weird! It bothers me!" The complaints only made Bryan laugh more, and Tala couldn't help but smile at the infectious laughter.
"Haaa...you're funny, Tal. Jeez." Bryan let out a long exhale, catching his breath. "But yeah. I'm sorry for being...weird. I didn't mean to worry you. Especially with that cold of yours."
"I hardly even have a cough, you people worry too much!" Tala threw a crumpled tissue at his friend, reaching for another clean one. "Stop stalling and tell me what's going on!"
"Okay! Okay..."
A long pause filled the room, Bryan mentally steeling himself and looking for the best words. Tala stared at him curiously, impatiently. A small voice in his head started coming up with all sorts of wild assumptions and stories and what-ifs. As Bryan readied himself, Tala chose to ignore the voice and concentrate on his friend. He'd certainly grown a lot in the last two years. There was a time when the tiny captain was taller than him, but now Bryan had caught up - and then some, just over a head taller than the redhead. He was still wiry, but not like Tala. Bryan was strong and had filled out like he should have. Tala remained small and lean. It bothered him at first, but somewhere along the line, he accepted that he was what he was. And besides, it didn't hurt to have two taller people in the house. No tippy-toes or step stools. Tala could just yell for Bryan to help him reach. It made him feel safer somehow too. He'd accidentally fallen asleep on Bryan while watching a movie not too long ago, and woke up to find himself leaning against Bryan's chest, who had unknowingly wrapped an arm around him in his sleep. Tala almost didn't want to get up, he felt so secure and warm. Something that was a rare feeling for him. But to avoid an awkward conversation, he'd quietly excused himself and curled up in his own bed for the rest of the morning. He never did get back to sleep, it felt cold and empty in his room alone, and he almost wished...
"...are you even listening?"
"Huh? Oh my god. Were you talking?" Tala snapped to his senses, gently tapping his face to wake himself up. Was he daydreaming? About Bryan?! His best friend?
"Yeah. I guess it doesn't really matter anyway..." Bryan scoffed, shoving his hands in his hoodie pocket while turning the chair around to face his desk.
Filled with embarrassment and confusion, Tala stood up, grabbing Bryan by the shoulders and turning him back around. "Of course it matters! If something is bugging you, it's going to bug me so just...tell me again! I was daydreaming or something, maybe I do have a fever..." He mumbled, staring apologetically at his friend. "Please. I'm sorry. I spaced out."
Bryan just shrugged, smiling at his friend, who was now wiping at his face with his sleeves. "Stop wrecking your sweater, get another tissue, you dork." He laughed as Tala pouted, snatching another tissue from the box on the floor. "It really wasn't important, Tal. You need to get some sleep if you're spacing out that bad. C'mon, let's go." Standing up, he gently nudged Tala towards the door.
"No! Tell me what's wrong, or I won't sleep at all!" Tala whipped around, frowning at Bryan, hands on his hips, his voice stern but soft. "Tell me, Kuznetsov." Bryan's eyes widened at Tala's sudden tone. All Tala could see was how lovely they looked, along with the smirk that now graced his best friend's lips.
"Hmm." Bryan leaned forward slightly, staring into Tala's bright blue eyes. "I'm figuring out a better way to word it all." Gently, Bryan brought his forehead against Tala's. "You definitely have a fever."
"What are you doing?" Tala's mouth couldn't help but curve into a smile as he shoved Bryan back. "Now you're really being strange...since when are you so caring and motherly? Where is Bryan and what have you done with him?"
Bryan laughed quietly, taking hold of Tala's wrists in each hand. "I've always cared, Tala. About you, anyway. Even if you are dense as an entire pile of rocks." Tala frowned, not understanding. Ducking down, Bryan retrieved the card from beneath the door jamb. "This is for you, idiot."
"Me..?" Tala took the card, raising an eyebrow at Bryan as he glanced over it again. "Are you just trying to be an ass or.."
"Just read it."
Tala nodded, an amused but perplexed look on his face as he did as he was told. "I don't get it. What are you saying? You don't need to..."
"You've done a lot for me Tal, and I honestly don't...want to take you for granted. I mean it. I really care about you, but I don't really do shit for you. I'm cruel, I'm stupid, I'm nuts, I get a kick out of other people's pain. I don't know why you've stuck with me for so long, and helped me so much, but I'd really...like it? If you stuck with me...longer. I really like you, Tala. More...more than a best friend." Bryan frowned, not liking that he sounded so SAPPY. His gaze dropped to the floor, awaiting Tala's reply. Another long pause hung over the room, and Bryan felt like he was suffocating. Just say something!
"...I.." Tala started, not really able to process what just came out of Bryan's mouth. It sounded so...strange. Tala wasn't used to hearing words like these. He couldn't remember the last time he'd even heard them at all. 'Love' had been all but a myth in Tala's mind, but here was his best friend, admitting that he loved him. "Bryan..." Tala's voice was whisper soft, and it cracked with uncertainty.
"Y-yeah?"
"Thanks." Tala smiled up at him, his eyes warm and soft. "I like you a lot too, you know. That's why I keep sticking with you." He laughed. "And you think that I am more dense than a pile of rocks. You may as well be an entire mountain of them."
"...you mean it?" Bryan questioned, having only thought of the worst possible endings to this whole thing. Tala nodded, his smile growing. "So...? You...feel the same." Bryan smiled back, feeling like he could finally breathe again. His whole being felt lighter, he felt happy. A strange feeling for him, one he'd been struggling to find again. It was as though Tala had kept it safe for him the whole time.
"Mhmm." A quiet laugh escaped Tala, who playfully punched his friend - or rather his partner now, in the chest. "I do. I think I might have for a while, but I didn't...notice? This 'feelings' kind of stuff has always been weird."
"No kidding." Bryan snorted, gently taking Tala's fist in his hand, uncurling the thin fingers and entwining them with his own. Tala's hand was smooth and graceful compared to Bryan's, calloused and cracked from the bitter winter weather. Tala's hand was also a lot warmer than he thought it'd be. "So now what...?" He ventured, his grip tightening out of nervousness.
"What do you mean? Didn't we just confess our undying love to one another...?" The redhead batted his eyelashes, pretending to faint against the door. Bryan growled at the dramatics, but Tala spoke before everything came crashing down. "I'm just kidding, Bry. Sort of."
"Sort of?"
"Well...I guess we just...see how things go? I don't know how the other two are going to act about it but -"
"They already know." Bryan groaned. "Ian was the one who badgered me into telling you. Spence knew a long time ago. So don't worry about it." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, and avoided making eye contact with Tala. Those bright blue eyes were glued to him, sparkling with amusement.
"Well. I guess they won't mind if we do this then either." And suddenly, Tala stood up on his toes, softly pecking Bryan's cheek, which changed from a mild pink hue to a very warm red. "Right?" He pulled back slowly, the smile on his face growing as he watched Bryan's green eyes blink rapidly in confusion.
"..." Bryan had been completely stunned.
"So...how about that paper of yours?"