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Taako is lost in his book. The fireplace crackles, sending light at an odd angle that makes his veil look like a halo. Lup is prodding at the fire with a poker, muttering something about apprenticeships. Kravitz taps his fingers against his knee restlessly, and Taako shifts.
There’s about one centimeter between their legs.
Lup stands abruptly, stretching her arms above her head and yawning. “Ugh, I need some sleep... You two, play nice.” Taako mutters something about dreams and waves her off, still engrossed in his book, some long, confusing text on geometry’s relationship with alchemy. Kravitz bows his head, unwilling to interrupt the silence even more.
They’re in the lobby of an inn on the outskirts of Central, where Lup has struck up a friendship with the owner and gained access to a backroad leading straight to headquarters. Taako is working his way through the library’s entire stock methodically, while Kravitz tries to acclimate to Amestrian cities. There are less formalities here than in Xing, but more unspoken rules, so he’s taken to studying other people’s behavior.
Somehow, it’s less awkward when it’s just him and Taako. Kravitz takes a deep breath, noticing Taako’s hand sitting on his lap. It twitches every few minutes, causing odd ripples in the fabric of his glove.
Kravitz isn’t sure why he thinks it’s a good idea to grab it. Taako is tense when he does, but Taako is always tense, even in a calm place like this. Despite the stiffness of his arm, Taako squeezes Kravitz’s hand.
“God, you really are skin and bones,” Kravitz mutters. He can practically feel each joint in Taako’s hand as he squeezes.
“Shut up, or I’m taking it back.” Kravitz has never seen Taako smile, but it must be lovely, from the way it shows in his voice.
“It’s because you don’t eat, you know,” and Taako has already sighed and shifted to give Kravitz what he assumes is a ‘this again?’ look, but his attention is off of the book and on Kravitz, “and you cover up all your skin, so you aren’t getting your vitamins. I can’t believe you haven’t wasted away already.”
“Well, I’ve made it this far, I think I’ll be just fine.” Taako leans back against the couch cushions without letting go of Kravitz’s hand.
“So, um... What are you reading, anyways?”
“Oh!” Taako slips his hand out of Kravitz’s and adjusts his glove before adjusting his book. He flips through the pages until he finds a diagram that he probably thinks is beginner-level alchemy and points to it. “So, uh, I’m reading about how different shapes or numbers affect alchemy in different disciplines. Like, see this circle?” Kravitz doesn’t get a chance to respond, and already feels lost. “See, it’s mostly centered around the number three, representing, you know, the different forms of matter, its really basic stuff, a general-purpose circle for changing certain materials into other shapes and forms, and the triangles are pointing inwards, but in this other circle, see...”
Kravitz does not see.
“...See, it’s like the inverse, and it can reverse the, uh... You didn’t expect me to answer, did you?” Kravitz can feel the disappointment in Taako’s voice like a marble firmly lodged in his throat.
“No! No, I wanted to hear about it. I mean, I don’t understand it, but you get so passionate about it, and it makes me feel, you know, more like I ‘get’ alchemy? Even though I don’t. Also, I like your voice.” Kravitz twitches nervously.
“That’s sweet. And, you know, I like your voice too– not that ridiculous Amestrian accent, obviously, your real voice, we sound nothing like you think we do.”
Kravitz can’t stop himself from blurting, “Can I kiss you?” Taako jolts a bit, visibly tensed.
“No! I– I mean, I, uh– I have– busy– I– I have to go.”
Taako leaves his book, and Kravitz doesn’t know what to say. Behind him, he hears glass clink. The bartender has stopped cleaning dishes to say, “That’s rough, buddy. You gonna chase ‘im?”
Kravitz hates that he has an audience. His face burns, and he doesn’t turn back to face the bartender. “No. I... I’ll give him some time.”
“Riiiight. Suit yourself, I guess.” The tap behind Kravitz turns on again, and the bartender goes back to his cleaning. Kravitz sinks into the cushions, hopefully deep enough to be absorbed by them. Just to spite him, Taako’s huge textbook slides down toward him, landing in his lap. The pages got turned somehow when Taako stood, and a page about laws regarding alchemy stares back at him. The one thing about alchemy he understands. Of course.
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Kravitz sighs. His face has cooled, his hands have stopped shaking, and the book that slid into his lap is a lot heavier than Taako makes it look. He manages to squirm out from between the cushions of the couch and push the book aside. Taako normally reads when he’s alone, and he left his book, but he won’t want to see Kravitz. Lup takes a while to fall asleep, though– Maybe she could bring Taako his book?
Kravitz stands and stretches. He suddenly feels a wave of exhaustion sweep over him, but continues to stand. He can sleep when the book is safe with Lup or Taako.
When he reaches Lup’s room, he hesitates before knocking. Maybe she’s asleep. Maybe he doesn’t have to tell her what he did. He slowly turns the knob, hoping to slide the book in, close the door, and make a run for his own room.
It doesn’t happen, because he notices a second figure in the room. The overhead lights are still on, and Lup is sitting on the edge of her bed, one arm around Taako. Or... Something dressed like Taako, because the thing her arm is wrapped around is a carefully constructed wooden mannequin dressed in the clothes Taako was wearing just an hour before. Taako’s veil and gloves sit next to it, and Kravitz sees intricately crafted fingers with joints and padding attached. Only, somebody forgot to give Taako a face. A flat expanse is where Taako’s veil normally hangs.
And then it turns its head to the door, and it becomes painfully clear that this is Taako. A rusty brown stain in the shape of a perfect circle adorns his forehead, and Kravitz remembers the first time he saw Lup’s arm.
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Lup stood in the middle of the street, barely shrouded by a cloud of dust. Her bright red robe had fallen to the ground, and her eyes burned in a way Kravitz had never seen before. Light glinted off of something silvery in her right hand... No, the light was glinting off of her hand itself. She raised both arms in front of herself and clapped. Kravitz barely saw the screws and tubes her arm was composed of before the wave of force her hands produced made him black out.
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“We... We made a miscalculation. Years ago. I lost an arm and a leg. Barry here fixed me up.” Lup gestures vaguely in the direction of the boy fiddling with the screws in her elbow. “He really did us both a solid.”
“Against my own will,” the boy mutters. He must be close to their age, by the way his voice cracks. “I still think it’s ridiculous that you keep putting yourselves in these situations... How many times are you planning to blow this elbow off, anyways?”
“As many as it takes. We have to keep moving, or... I can’t forgive myself if this was all for nothing.” Lup is staring determinedly at a wall. Barry sighs and puts a hand on her shoulder.
“Just be more careful, okay? Please?” Lup doesn’t answer him. Instead, she gives him a peck on the cheek.
Kravitz does his best not to stare.
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“Taako...” Both twins are looking at him now. Kravitz is lost for words, but the other two seem to be just as lost. Taako’s body shudders a bit. It’s what happens when he sounds like he’s going to cry... Is this how he cries? Did he make Taako cry? “I... I’m so sorry.”
The room is still silent. Kravitz carefully sets the book on the dresser, steps into the hall, and closes the door.
No wonder Taako kept his space.