Splinters

Malyn was still more enthusiastic about Reve’s visit than Tyla was, so he was the one to answer the door. His arms were around Reve the second it was open.

Powerful jealousy rose in Tyla, edging on violent. That wasn't a reasonable reaction, was it? He'd never felt that way before about Malyn showing casual affection for Reve. But wasn’t it justified? Malyn had never hugged Tyla in the entire time they'd known each other. Not even once. Wasn't he right to feel jealous? Tyla bit down on the inside of his cheek until it hurt. No, he wasn’t.

Reve was a whole head shorter than Malyn, so all Tyla could see of him were the slender, black arms that encircled Malyn's waist. Tyla had been confused the first time he'd heard a human referred to as black and discovered they were actually a shade of brown. It was just one of those strange things about humans — black people weren't really black and white people weren't really white.

Reve and Tyla looked as much alike as Tyla and Malyn, which was to say not at all. Tyla had never met a Talan who wasn't slender and lithe, but Reve took it to an extreme. Despite his small frame, however, he had a powerful, commanding presence.

When the hugging was finally over, Reve stepped past Malyn into the room. He gave Tyla a warm smile which Tyla did his best to return. He wasn't sure he succeeded. Malyn brushed some of Reve's long, silver-white hair away from his face and Tyla's forced smile instantly cut off.

Reve sighed lightly and shook his head at Tyla, but the smile didn't fall from his face. "What have you two been up to?"

Malyn, having missed Tyla and Reve's wordless exchange, grinned. "Oh, you know. Killing things, blowing things up, the usual. You?"

"My wonderful job, which would be far more wonderful if people were more willing to listen. Both sides pose difficulty, but I'm not proud to admit that the Talan side have been far more stubborn."

"Old prejudices still refusing to die?" Tyla asked.

Reve hummed an affirmative. "But all of that is pedestrian, hardly news. What I wished to tell you is far more interesting, and far more personal. Look closer. Do you notice anything different about me?"

Malyn tilted his head as he examined Reve, but the question had been for Tyla. What had been altered in Reve was something Malyn couldn't see, something invisible to humans. The change in Reve's magic was subtle, barely noticeable, but it was there. Some of the magic he had within him was not his own.

The smile Tyla mustered up this time was genuine. "Congratulations. Tris?"

Reve inclined his head in confirmation. "The bond between us is in its very early stages, so I'm not surprised you didn't notice. Before long it will be something no Talan will be able to miss."

Reve's tone had been oddly pointed and very much directed at Tyla, though Tyla couldn't figure out why. It didn't make sense for Reve to be critical of Tyla for missing something so subtle. Perhaps he was simply being overly sensitive regarding the matter. The early stages of a bond could cause Talan to become erratic when the issue at hand was their partner.

When Tyla didn't say anything in response, Reve continued talking. "I miss him terribly right now, almost a physical pain. I suspect I won't be able to leave him again like this for quite some time. Hopefully it can be arranged for him to travel with me when I must come into Gaian lands for work."

"I don't see why it couldn't," Malyn said. "The Talan council don't seem to control the movement of their individual citizens, and the Gaians are always happy to see more Talan. Congratulations, Reve. I don't know much about the whole Talan bonding thing, but it's pretty important, isn't it?"

Reve turned his delving stare from Tyla to Malyn. "The most important thing in the world for those experiencing it."

Malyn smiled and patted Reve on the back. "You two make a great couple."

"As do the two of you."

Malyn raised his eyebrows, but didn't actually say anything let alone deny it. An extended pause passed before Tyla realized he probably should have corrected Reve himself, but by then it had been too long to be anything other than awkward.

Malyn was the one to finally break the uncomfortable quiet. "So, anyway, something weird happened that Tyla wanted to ask you about."

"Yes," Tyla said a little too quickly and with a little too much relief. "A couple of days ago, while we were on a mission, Malyn's leg got burnt quite badly. I cleaned it up and put some guyan on it, wrapped it up in a bandage, and by the next morning it was looking much better. Far better than I would have ever expected. And then over the next day or so it just..."

Malyn sat down on Tyla's bed next to him and lifted his leg to show Reve where the burn had been. "Completely gone. I've had burns half that bad that have taken weeks to heal. Tyla doesn't think the salve could have done this."

Reve barely glanced at Malyn's leg, instead keeping his eyes on their faces, assessing them. It made Tyla uncomfortable. "And Tyla can provide no explanation for this?"

Malyn shrugged and shook his head. He was returning Reve's penetrating stare with one of his own, confused and concerned.

"Then I think I should have a talk with him. Alone. Would you care to join me in the bathroom, Tyla?"

"Uhh..." Tyla's eyes shifted between Malyn and Reve. He felt unreasonably afraid. "Yes, okay. Sure."

As soon as Tyla and Reve were in the bathroom with the door shut, Reve threw up a spell to keep all sound from escaping the room, ruling out any chance of Malyn eavesdropping. Something serious was going on, but Tyla couldn't figure out what.

The room was small, so even with Reve leaning against the sink and Tyla leaning against the shower stall on the opposite side of the room, they were still quite close together. Tyla had to angle his head down to look at Reve, but it was no less intimidating than if Reve had towered over him.

Reve let out a long, tired sigh. "I see three possibilities here. The first, which I initially assumed was the case, is that there is something between you and Malyn that you wish to keep private. If that is the case, I can assure it’s not something you can hide from me or any other Talan and would advise you to talk to me about it as you seem to be somewhat confused, but that is up to you.

"The second," Reve continued, "is that it is something you are aware of and Malyn is not. I'm not sure which is more disturbing, that possibility or the final one: that neither of you is aware. Is there something you would like to tell me, Tyla?"

Tyla chewed the inside of his cheek and looked away, no longer able to maintain eye contact with Reve. There was only one thing he could think of that Reve could be referring to. "Okay, yes, I kind of... have a thing for him. I don't know if he'd be receptive to that, though, and I really don't want to do anything that might damage our working relationship, so I really think it's better if he doesn't know. Is that really so unreasonable?"

When Tyla glanced back at Reve nervously, he found Reve's eyes narrowed at him. "Fuck," Reve hissed, swearing for the first time Tyla had ever heard. "You really think that's it, don't you? You think that's the extent of it?"

"Um," was all Tyla could think to say.

Reve rubbed a hand over his face and sagged against the sink. "This is bad, this is really quite, quite bad. You should have seen it, but it can be difficult when it's your own magic — like how you only hear foreign accents, or how familiar smells blend into the background..."

It came all at once, the realisation of what Reve was saying, what he was suggesting. But... no. Tyla hadn't. He would have noticed. Wouldn't he?

Tyla dashed for the door, cracked it open, and looked at Malyn, really looked at him. Malyn gave him a concerned frown, but it wasn't Malyn's face Tyla was interested in. Now that Tyla was looking for it, it was unmissable. Tyla's magic was all over him, permeating him. Not just the tiniest hint of it as there had been of Tris' on Reve, but blatant and copious. Any other Talan would have noticed it at a glance, just as Reve had. Tyla slammed the door shut.

It was perfectly plain, no denying it, but Tyla shook his head anyway. "No. I didn't."

"You did," Reve said, his voice gentler now. "I understand that you didn't mean to, Tyla, but you did. And, although it was unintentional, it is still very wrong. He's human. He has no way of reciprocating or resisting an unwanted bond."

Tyla's legs felt unsteady, so he let himself slide down against the glass wall of the shower to sit on the tiled floor. "But... is it even possible, with a human?"

Reve shrugged. "Evidently. I've always theorised that it would be possible to form a one sided bond with one. Humans and Talan aren't so very different. Humans cannot form their own magic or actively use magic, but there's no reason they can't store it. I'm sorry, I ought to have warned you. I didn't think it would be an issue, since you weren't dating."

When all Tyla did was stare at the floor, Reve sat down next to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It would be less of an issue if it weren't for Malyn's penchant for Talan men. He will be marked with your magic for years, and no Talan will touch him in that time, not even if the situation is explained to them."

"I have to leave, don't I?" Tyla murmured. "It won't go away while I'm here. It'll only get worse and last longer, and be harder for me to ever leave him."

"Yes," Reve said, quiet but firm. "We've caught it soon enough that you should be able to tolerate the separation, though not without a great deal of unpleasantness. You must leave him, and you must do so immediately."

"I love him," Tyla whispered.

"Of course. That is the very issue at hand. But you must leave him."

"I know."

When they left the bathroom Malyn looked between them, confused and concerned. Tyla was visibly upset and Reve was grim. Tyla still felt unsteady on his feet, so he lay down on his bed.

"It was nice seeing you again, Malyn," Reve said, ignoring the unvoiced question on Malyn's face. "Tyla... I'll see you later, yes?"

Tyla nodded and croaked out, "Later."

"Is everything okay?" Malyn asked and then, before either of them could answer, asked, "What happened?"

Reve already had the door to the hall open. "It's best if that conversation happens between you and Tyla, I think. I'll try and visit you again soon, Mal."

Before Malyn could try to get anything more out of him, Reve stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him. For a moment Tyla thought Malyn would go after him and demand more information, but after a few seconds of hesitation he turned back to Tyla. "What's going on?"

Tyla just shook his head, unable to find words to respond. Nothing felt real. He wished none of this was real. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed reality to change.

"Ty, you okay?" Malyn was silent for a moment. "Do I need to go beat Reve up? Or shoot him in the head with an arrow when he's not expecting it, I guess, because the idea of me standing a chance against him in a fair fight is laughable. Not that any fight between him and me would ever be remotely fair..."

"I need to talk to you, but not now." Tyla's throat felt tight and his voice sounded strange to his ears. "Let me think."

"Okay..." Malyn said. "Just so you know, you're scaring me. But okay."

In the end, there wasn't really much for Tyla to think about beyond dwelling on how terrible he was. He would need to leave as soon as possible, go back to Nuuvatu and try to find a way to sever a bond. Time and distance would weaken and eventually shake it, but that could take years. The idea of leaving Malyn marked for that long without his consent made Tyla feel sick. Knowing he would never be able to see Malyn again made him feel even worse, but there was no choice. Tyla loved Malyn too much to even consider allowing this to continue.

Eventually Tyla decided there was no sense in delaying any longer and forced himself to sit up. He wrapped his blanket around his shoulders, a protective shield against the world, and turned to Malyn.

Malyn was sitting on his bed, arms folded on top of his knees, watching Tyla. Maybe he had been for a while, Tyla didn't know. He'd been too busy stewing in his guilt.

"I've done something terrible," Tyla said after a long moment of silence. "I didn't mean to, but that doesn't really help anything."

"Okay, you’re really scaring me now."

Tyla sighed and looked away. "You know how I told you it wasn't possible for you to absorb magic? Well, that wasn't entirely true. Under very specific circumstances, it is entirely possible."

"And I have?" Malyn prompted when Tyla fell silent again.

"Yes.” Tyla shrugged deeper into the blanket. He closed his eyes. “I've accidentally, unintentionally, formed a kind of bond with you, the same kind Reve and Tris have started to form. You've been absorbing magic from me."

Malyn twisted his lips. "That doesn't sound awful, though? I mean, I'm assuming that's what made me heal fast, so isn't that a good thing? Or is it dangerous because I'm human?"

"No, it's not dangerous," Tyla was quick to assure him. "And yes, in that sense I suppose it is beneficial. It's a lot more than that, though.”

When Tyla fell silent, Malyn raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Tyla averted his eyes. It was difficult to continue. “I have essentially claimed you as my own, something that I managed to miss but will be blatantly obvious to any other Talan."

"Claimed me. Okay, that's... a little weird, actually."

"Yes, and entirely inappropriate.” Tyla punctuation his words with a frustrated wave of his arm, then pulled the blanket back over him when it slid off his shoulder. “If you were Talan you would have had defenses — it wouldn't have worked without reciprocation. But you're not, so without your consent and without my awareness I have claimed you and begun using you to store magic. Like a battery."

Malyn muffled a laugh with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry. This probably isn't funny."

Tyla ruthlessly suppressed his urge to stare at Malyn's smiling face. "No other Talan will touch you until it's gone, and it may take years to wear off. I'll try to find a way to cut it off sooner, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to."

Malyn frowned. "Well, that doesn't sound fun."

It was too hot under the blanket, but Tyla pulled it tighter anyway. "I'll go back with Reve tomorrow, so at least it won't get any worse. Hopefully we've caught it in the very early stages."

Malyn wrinkled his nose. "You make it sound like a disease. And, wait... you're leaving?"

Tyla shrugged and the blanket pulled taut across his shoulders. "It's the only way to keep it from sinking in any deeper."

Malyn pursed his lips and shook his head. "No. I can deal with not being able to date Talan anymore. I don't want you to leave."

“This isn't a cost benefit thing, Mal. I have instincts.” Tyla considered leaving it at that, but knew Mal would continue to pursue it until he understood the full extent of it. Tyla rubbed his hand over his eyes. “If I stay I'm going to start getting more and more possessive. Being away from you is going to become increasingly difficult for me. I’m not sure you can possibly comprehend how big of a deal is. I’m not sure I can, either."

Malyn wrapped his arms around his legs. "But I don't want you to leave. I like what we have going."

"Evidently, so do I. Bonding like this... it takes a lot more than proximity."

Despite his misery, Malyn wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "What are you trying to say, Ty?"

Tyla looked down at the bed. He wished it was a joke.

"Oh." Malyn was silent for almost a minute. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Tyla looked back up at Malyn. "Because I liked what we had going."

"Oh," Malyn said again. "I wouldn't have said no, you know. Just for the record."

It was instinctual, the swell of pleasure that rose up in Tyla’s gut, but it sunk just as quickly and left him feeling nauseated. "It's good we didn't. It would have made this whole thing flare up even more."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Yeah."

After another stretch of silence Malyn said, "Couldn't I just go out with you? I mean... I wasn't planning on going anywhere anyway. If I’d known you were interested, I would have... Would it really be so bad?"

Tyla’s heart clenched upon hearing that, but he shook his head. "This isn't just dating, Mal. This is like Talan marriage, only way more intense and biologically enforced. Divorces are rare and messy."

"Fuck," Malyn hissed. He stood up, marched over to Tyla's bed, and wrapped his arms around Tyla. After several minutes he reluctantly pulled back, pecked Tyla on the lips, and then stomped back over to his own bed and curled up on his side facing the wall.

Tyla shut his eyes ran his tongue over his lips, committing Malyn’s taste, the kiss, to memory he knew could only be used for later self torment. He forced himself out of the safety of the blanket and started packing his things.

"I'm sorry," Tyla said when he was done, in place of goodbye. Malyn made a small sound of acknowledgement, but didn't roll over. He'd already said his farewell.