Work Text:
Initially, his mind doesn't actually process what's happening. Not really. It processes the words that leave Lucanis's mouth. It processes the slight, ever so slight, distraught expression on his face as they do. It processes the sharp stinging sensation, as his hand connects with the other man's face. It processes Teia's sharp, horrified gasp. It processes the frantic tone in her apology when she speaks.
"He didn't mean that, Lucanis," she says. And part of Viago wants to fight her on that. He absolutely did mean it. Whatever it is. He still hasn't processed what he's done, not fully.
"It's fine," Lucanis says. He's rubbing at his jaw and he looks more exhausted than usual. The dark circles under his eyes are deeper somehow. His cheek is a mottled red. And then, only then, does Viago fully grasp what he's done. And he realises: he doesn't care.
"You find them," he hisses, more anger leaking into his voice than he intended. He's already done one foolish, impulsive, and practically suicidal thing today. No reason to stop now. He stalks forward and grabs Lucanis by his collar. "You find Asala, because if you dont, First Talon or not, I will end you myself."
"Vi," Teia says. One syllable. One syllable containing layers of warning. A plea for him to regain control over himself before he gets them both into trouble. The problem is, Viago isn't sure he knows how.
Lucanis wraps his hand around Viago's wrist and pulls his hand away from his throat. "We're working on it."
"Work harder."
"Enough," Teia says sharply. "Both of you. We can't afford to be at each others' throats. Not now. And not here. You want to kill each other? Take it outside." And then... something dangerous. "Prove Ivenci right."
That does it. Viago's hand drops to his side. Lucanis rubs at his throat but looks anywhere other than at him.
"That's what I thought," Teia says darkly. She crosses her arms. "Lucanis, you should head back. I'll walk you out."
Lucanis doesn't reply, instead he moves wordlessly towards the exit, towards the eluvian. Teia follows, watching carefully. She waits until they've reached the mirror. And then she speaks.
"Lucanis," she says. "About what happened. About what Vi did."
As though he needs the reminder, she thinks, noting how the sharp angry red on his cheek is already beginning to darken into a bruise.
"I know she named you First Talon," Teia continues. "But if Caterina finds out-"
Lucanis holds up a hand. "It won't be from me," he says. Then he swallows. His lower lip trembles slightly. Teia watches as he clenches a fist, digging his nails into his palm, and the trembling stops. "You should make sure Viago is alright."
"Are you?"
"No," he admits. "If we learn anything I'll send word. Until then... I need to work."
Teia bites the inside of her lower lip. Her ears droop slightly. "You'll find them," she says. "You should get some rest."
"I can't," he says, and Teia is struck by the way his voice breaks. He digs his nails in harder, clinging to his fraying composure as though letting go might kill him. "Don't ask me to rest, Seventh Talon. I can't. I need to work."
Teia swallows. His use of her title over her name is... striking. Worrying. He doesn't do that. No one does that. Not with her. "Alright," she says softly. "But promise me, Lucanis, that you will rest. When you find them."
He makes a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob. It's a brief moment of vulnerability that vanishes just as quickly as it appeared. "When," he says, his voice thick. He sounds disbelieving. It makes her heart hurt.
"When," Teia says firmly. She flashes him a smile. "Have some optimism, Lucanis. It's what Asala would do if you were missing, no?"
"They would have some ridiculous plan for rescue that isn't a plan," Lucanis says.
"Exactly," she says with the same warm smile. "So go. Do what Asala would do. Leap without looking. Find them. We can handle things here, you know that."
He moves towards the mirror without a reply, and then, just before he steps through Teia decides she needs to add one more thing.
"And Lucanis," she says. "When you do find them, show them how you feel."
She turns to leave before he can respond, disappearing back into the Diamond feeling both shaken and bold at once. One crisis dealt with, she moves to find Viago, to deal with the second one.
He hasn't moved from where she left him, and that alone concerns her. "You should sit, Vi," Teia says.
"I'm fine."
She wants to tell him that she knows he isn't. She wants to say that she can already see his balance faltering. And that if she can see it, then it won't be long before it's bad enough that everyone else can too. She wants to say she can already see the way pressure is building behind his eyes. That she can see the slight sway from the dizziness that comes along with his migraines. She wants to point out the way stress contributes to his flares.
But that would require directly acknowledging something they've always... danced around. They don't acknowledge his limitations, not directly. And perhaps... perhaps that's part of their problem. Perhaps it's something they should acknowledge. Perhaps it would be easier on them both if they did. But... now isn't the time to suggest that. So she doesn't. Instead she considers her options. They're... limited. They don't show affection in public, not the way she's considering. Open flirting, absolutely. Acknowledgement of private moments, yes. An occasional brief touch, sure. On rarer occasions... something that lingers. But nothing this... genuine. Nothing this vulnerable. Not in public. It's a boundary between them that neither has been willing to cross, in the same way that the discussion of his limitations is. But while that boundary is one she'll allow to remain, one that Viago will have to make the choice to remove... this one... She shouldn't. She has to.
"For me," she says carefully. "This whole thing... they're important to me as well. If you could..."
One last look at the way Viago is locking minor muscles in place to keep himself from trembling breaks any lingering uncertainty. She takes a step closer. He doesn't move.
A good sign, she thinks. Another step closer. Another chance for him to realise what she's about to do. Another chance to stop her, if the boundary is more important to him than it is to her. Are you going to let me help you? she thinks vaguely. He hasn't, in the past, and it's... caused problems for them. One more step. They're nearly touching now. She's close enough to see the anxious line between his brows, a slight wrinkle that lingers even when he isn't visibly fretting. The one that darkens when he is. He still hasn't moved to stop her. He still doesn't move, even as her arms come up to wrap around him, even as she rests her head against his chest, close enough to hear the anxious fluttering of his heartbeat.
"If you could... sit with me, for a while," she says finally. "I need time to process this." It's not a lie. None of it is. She's not unaffected. Asala is a friend. But she is slightly... further from it. Less likely than either First or Fifth Talon to crumble at it. Viago still hasn't moved, neither to pull away (a rejection, but one she'll understand and accept. He still isn't ready, not for this step) nor an acknowledgement (acceptance? Something else? Teia finds she isn't entirely sure.) "And... I don't wish to be alone with it."
And then... a warm, trembling hand moves to rest against the small of her back. The other to squeeze her elbow slightly.
He doesn't say "thank you". That would be an acknowledgement of what this really is. And that acknowledgement would be a violation of the rules. Or... well, just one rule now, she thinks, if he's allowing this, but still.
"Of course," he says instead. Two words. Two words, but she can hear his voice waver. She closes her eyes for just a moment. When she opens them again she takes a small step back, then takes his hand and guides him away, into a smaller, more private alcove. She takes a seat on a small sofa tucked into the corner. He moves to sit beside her. The motion would look fluid and natural to any onlooker, but to her... it's less sitting and more collapsing.
"He'll find them," she says after a long moment of silence. "You know that." Another long moment of silence. Of watching Viago flex his fingers and fidget with his gloves, and look anywhere except at her. "Vi?" she starts. "Copper for you thoughts?"
He shakes his head.
"Alright," Teia says. She strokes his cheek with her hand. "Do you need anything? I can-"
"Just stay," he says. His voice is thick. She watches carefully, the way he squeezes his eyes shut. The way his throat bobs.
"Of course," she says.
He won't cry, she knows that. He never does. But this... this is close. And wanting her to be there... she's not sure, but this might be the most intimate moment they've had.
Or something close to it.