Chapter 23

Mizuyah: Secondary characters don't get enough lime light, which is why I like writing some of them. And I'm cosplaying Mariam next year at Manifest. That'll give her some attention for two days. Hard finding pics of her to make the costume though...

Lady Snowblossom: He most certainly is. Oh, and by the way PLEASE UPDATE "I'm a Father"!!! Please, please, please, please, please, please ect ect ect...

MyHeartBleeds: School is bad. But I'm on holiday from Uni at the moment. Heaps of homework though. And you never know what's brooding on the horizon

Bloody Mary: Not every single guy in my fics are gay. It changes from story to story. Just that in this one...

Acey1: Annoying little brother indeed... lets squash him! :D

Werewolf of Fire: A lot of people are totally against Spencer/Ian. Personally, I can understand why. The size and age thing. It's like putting Kevin with Gary... actually, seen that. Worked strangely.

Ashla: I've got one pic of Ian in G-Rev. I want G-Rev too.

animeandraia: It was meant to be cute to break away from the angst. I'm glad it worked.

eyriess: I doubt you needed to hear Tala's ramblings. He'll get more lines later. This fic is really Bryan's story.

Chaco and Lily: This fic is coming to an end, so it's going to get darker. Enjoy the happiness while it lasts

DranzerGirl: I'm jealous. Linkin Park? I love them. And the story tree is growing nicely. I had to prune the Ketsuron limb though. It's getting big and there was a bit that needed cutting out. Looks better now.

lilmatchgirl007: Yes, that's certainly the question. :p

Reiven: My objection to G-Rev Bryan is the grey hair. I adore the green eyes though. I wish I could see the series!!!

Jay Kamiya: They're not stupid at all. You can't pass judgement on someone you barely know, right? I think Spence had one line of dialogue in season one. I wish he had more. He's cool.

Lullaby Lily: Nothing wrong with pointing out nice sentences, and I like the long reviews.

KuronekoHikage: You're not a dork. It's funny!

Ready for a major revelation?

Disclaimer: See first page

"He told you what!?"

Bryan sighed, shaking his head as he stared toward the roof. "I told you that you wouldn't believe me."

"It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that…" Panas winced. "It's… it's sick. That man practically raised you. He's almost like a father. Not to mention… Bryan, how old do you think Boris is? Just an estimate?"

Bryan frowned. "What to you reckon? Somewhere in his 50s? Late 40s at the youngest?"

"That would be my guess." Panas shook his head, letting out a long breath of disbelief. "Any you're not even 19 yet. That's almost 30 years difference."

"Think I don't realise that?" Bryan pulled a face. "What I want to know is when he started liking me."

Panas shuddered. "Actually, I'd rather not know."

"You may have a point."

Panas watched him, eyes narrowing. "So how are you feeling? The rumours I heard said you'd had a heart attack or something."

"I had a heart attack, yes." Bryan shrugged it off. "Killed me too, but Boris revived me. Probably to tell me…"

"Can we change the subject please? It was enough work forcing that little amount of food down, and I need it. I don't feel like throwing it back up."

"Wonderful imagery."

"Oh screw you."

"I thought you wanted a subject change."

Panas glared at him. "Tala's right. You're a jerk."

Bryan tossed him a smirk as Panas turned away, Bryan's smirk sliding as he sighed, eyes distant. Tala… Bryan could remember fondly each and every time Tala called him just that: a jerk. And not too long ago he'd begun calling him a prick as well, something Bryan had jibed him about the first time it had happened, though toward the end Tala had begun to really mean what he said.

That's probably what Tala was thinking about him just then, thinking of what a prick Bryan had been just giving himself up like that. The fact that Bryan had left without first consoling Tala would make it worse. Tala liked to know everything that was going on with his team, so to be left in the dark-

"Where are you, Bry?"

He glanced up, coming out of his revere. "Huh?"

Panas's dark eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Where are you?"

"I'm here, where else?" Bryan lifted his chained hands to emphasise his point. "Not like we can leave."

"I know you're here physically, but where are you mentally?" Panas watched him, eyebrow raising. "You're with him, aren't you?"

Bryan glared at him, then looked away. "We weren't on good terms when I left."

"What do you mean?" Panas ran his gaze over him. "Were you guys fighting?"

"Mm." Bryan sighed, shaking his head. "Had been for a while. We… disagreed over certain aspects of our relationship. He wanted me to change, and I…"

Panas's eyes were soft. "You?"

"I… I wanted him to realize that it was one thing I could not do. That there was more too us than physicality and love."

"Have you made love?"

"No. I felt we weren't ready. He'd been wanting to do it for a long time but… I held us back."

"If you felt you weren't ready then you weren't ready. You did the right thing in not." Panas noted his expression. "There's something more too it, isn't there?"

Bryan stared at a spot in front of him. "I left while he was sleeping. He didn't know I was going. I left him Falborg but that was it."

Panas blinked, it dawning on him what Bryan was saying. "You never said goodbye?"

Bryan didn't move for a long while before he nodded, closing his eyes.

"Holy mother of…" Panas let out a long breath, staring at the wall behind Bryan's head. "I understand why you're distracted. I doubt Boris is going to let us just walk out of here, let alone alive. To have that playing at your subconscious… shit." Panas raised his eyes. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

Bryan gritted his teeth as he let out a long breath, his mind buzzing to find the answer. But then he realised, he already knew the answer. The answer had always been there, obvious to those who knew what to look for. Lavender eyes cracked open, distant yet sincere, rare emotion floating in those lavender orbs.

"I am."

He finally admitted it! Bryan finally admitted he's in love with Tala! Gotta love the timing though. Took him long enough.