A/N: Please be warned; slight self-harm ahead so if that bothers you then please turn back now.

Everybody Has Their Weaknesses

Tala sat quietly sobbing on the floor of his dark bedroom, softly rocking back and forth with his knees drawn to his chest, his hands clenched hard over the top of his head.

Tonight was different than most nights. Usually it was Bryan crying on the bedroom floor. He would come home from being out with Kai or his teammates and softly take his friend in his arms, rock him silently, rubbing his hair in soft strokes and he would quiet the silly fears Bryan had and remind him that with Tala by his side, they could conquer any obstacle in the world, like they had so many others.

It was always the same. Bryan lived off the fact that Tala would always be there for him no matter what happened. He depended on that one fact.

But tonight he couldn't play the stronger person. Tonight he couldn't protect and rescue Bryan at all. Because it wasn't Bryan who needed rescuing…it was him.

His sobbing quickly stopped when he heard the front door open and shut in the distance. Quickly his stashed his new favorite object under the mattress, making sure it couldn't be seen and pulled his sleeves down before wiping at his eyes with them. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, holding onto the banister tight as he stared at Bryan where he was shrugging off his jacket to put on the back of the sofa. "Hey Bry."

Bryan turned to him and smiled gently before taking in the sight before him; a frown quickly gracing his flawless icy features. "Tala what's…"

"Promise me." Tala whispered, cutting off Bryan's words in a rush of emotion.

"Promise you what?" Bryan asked, concern and curiosity mixing through his head.

"Promise me…you'll stay."

"Stay where?" Bryan's frown grew more with every step he took towards his friend; and with every step backwards the other took away from him.

The redhead began to dub over slightly, his labored and uncomfortable breathing only making everything more difficult, "Don't leave me. Please."

"Tala why would I…"

"Whatever happens… just please… just don't leave me."

"Okay…I won't. I promise." He assured his friend. He had no reason to ever leave Tala. He needed him. He would always need him; always want him.

Tala started sobbing again, tears flowing freely down his face as he buried it in his arms; a vain attempt to hide himself from the one who knew him only as being someone so strong yet sometimes so fragile like he seemed to be right now.

"Tala…what's wrong?"

Bryan stepped closer to Tala again, now that he had him backed against a wall and knowing that he wouldn't be able to move away from him. He grabbed at Tala's arms, maybe a little too strongly, trying to pull them from his face but quickly released his grasp when he heard Tala's extremely sharp intake of breath and felt some sticky thick substance on his fingers.

"…Tala…" he whispered out, not wanting to believe what he thought to be true.

The redhead slowly pulled his sleeves up, turning his head away in shame as he held out his arms, burying his teary face in his shoulder and allowing it to connect with the hard wall behind him.

Bryan's bottom lip began to tremble slightly as he looked from Tala's arms to his face and back again. "Wha…why…Tala…why would…what happened, have you lost your mind or something?" he stuttered out and the last bit just poured out of him, not knowing how to react. He was regretting that last line, but what else would make him to do something this…stupid? This reckless? For as long as he'd known Tala, he'd been frightened of blades, and that's clearly what did…this.

Tala just wrapped his arms around Bryan's waist and buried his face in his chest, attempting an intake of breath.

"I don't know what to do Tala. Tell me why…what can I do to help you?" he asked wrapping his arms tightly around his friend.

Bryan was lost. He wasn't used to this kind of thing. He hadn't seen Tala like this for a long time now. Yes, Tala had cried around him in the recent past but…he'd never looked like this. Should he call Kai? Should he call the ambulance? Should he call a shrink? Should he scold Tala? Should he comfort him?

"Please…" Tala whispered against his chest.

Bryan embraced Tala even tighter, kissing the top of his head softly before shuffling them closer to the downstairs bathroom. He set the boy on the counter, handing him the box of tissues and watching him wipe his eyes while he picked up a towel and wet it under the tap. He wrapped it around Tala's bleeding arm and then did the same with the other, all the while keeping a close eye on Tala to make sure that he didn't hurt him.

"I want to stop…I want to stop all of this."

Bryan smiled a weak and shaky smile, raising his eyes to look at Tala, "And you will."

"Do you think I'll manage?"

The younger boy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Of course you will."

Tala leant forward slowly, resting his aching head against the front of Bryan's solid strong shoulder. He took a deep breath, "Bry…I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

Bryan grabbed the older boy's shoulders roughly and pushing him away from him and still with caution, "Are you blaming yourself for what happened to me?" Tala avoided his gaze the whole time and Bryan grew frustrated, but just at himself, "Tala stop blaming yourself! I mean it, stop it!" Bryan let go of him and punched the wall, tears streaking down his cheeks, "Just stop it. Stop it."

Everybody has their weaknesses. Tala's is self-loath for anything and everything that happens around him. Bryan's is his guilt. Guilt that he'd never reassured his best friend sooner that nothing was his fault. Guilt that he'd ever brought him into it by telling him. Then again, the weakness of his guilt would eat at him anyway for not telling his best friend what was wrong. And then Tala would still feel the self-loath for not being able to know what was going on, or for not being able to comfort his friend.

"Insincerity is always weakness; sincerity even in error is strength." – George Lewes.

It would all leave them to feel this way, regardless of what they changed. They would always feel it. They'd feel it because it was a weakness, and weaknesses were something that everyone had, regardless of who they were. A weakness was something that no one could ever shake off, for when one weakness is conquered like a fear, another one takes its place.

A/N: Something new I tried. I'm not quite sure how this turned out, I think it's a little choppy; some parts are good but then I'm not all that proud of other parts but I'll leave you all to decide. Please leave a review and let me know how you feel about this. Thanks everyone.