It didn’t happen often that Tea got hurt on a mission. That required things to go terribly wrong, whether because the company he was in wasn’t onboard with what was being discussed or because he was dealing with truly feral creatures. He wasn’t usually sent in when things could get violent, but when they did well . . . Don assumed the worst.

Tea leaned on the sink in the restroom. He hadn’t particularly thought about the restroom he had gone into, only that he needed to let his bloody nose drain somehow. The bruise forming around his nose was already so damn imposing there was no way he was going to hide this from Don. Nowadays he couldn’t hide anything from Don, not even the smallest bruise. Depending on the size of the bruise and the location, he might be lucky if Don let it slide with an, “I don’t remember,” in response to its origins. Most days, he wasn’t so lucky.

Most days, he pressed the issue in a very literal sense.

Just a few weeks ago Tea had received a bruise from being shoved roughly into a wall. Contrary to what Don believed, Aiden had not been the one to push him. No, it had been another and it had been a careless move that left Tea leaning uselessly against the wall that time. Aiden had called him an idiot for being in the way, but that had been the extent of their interaction. Tea so rarely saw Aiden now, they barely exchanged any words while on missions aside from the usual banter. It was as if Aiden had dropped the subject of Tea’s partnership with Don entirely.

But Don had not dropped it. He remained convinced Aiden was a problem no matter how many times Tea said he had not attempted any further investigation since whatever conversation had taken place between Don and Aiden years ago.

“I expect a truthful answer, my boy.”

“I’m telling the truth.”

That had meant very little to Don as he inspected the bruise in Tea’s side. Before Tea could say another word, Don had pressed his fingertips into the darkest portion of the bruise hard enough to elicit a cry. The pressure had felt like a spike in his side and he had felt tears forming by the time Don pulled away. “Who did this to you?”

Tea’s answer remained the same no matter how hard Don pressed him: he didn’t know. The true culprit had simply shoved him and run, leaving Aiden to try and yank him back on his feet.

It was for this reason Tea was reluctant to return to Don with a broken nose. Again, it had been an accident. He’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and then he’d gotten an elbow in his face. He was lucky he didn’t feel any dizzier, or else he would have probably passed out. What he really wasn’t looking forward to explaining was that it truly had been Aiden’s elbow that had broken his nose. Even though Aiden had actually apologized (much to Tea’s surprise) and Tea had refused his help, Tea didn’t want to go back to Don like this.

He was shivering just looking at the blood in the sink when the restroom door swung open. “Wrong bathroom, sssssssskinwalker.” Tea jumped at the loud hiss, stepping away from the sink. He moved to cup his nose just in time to keep the blood from splattering on the floor.

He muttered a half, “S’ry,” but didn’t make eye contact. Not until the dark redheaded woman, a recently bonded Knot with a face mask over her nose and mouth, was upon him and reaching for his face. The hiss was a sign of her newly sealed bond with a basilisk, a mean one at that. He made a panicked noise akin to a dog’s whine, his other hand raising to try and push her away.

Only she batted the hand away and ordered, “Lemme look.” Her voice was stern but not loud. He couldn't see her mouth but her eyes were expressive enough. Tentatively he moved his hand away from his face and allowed her access to his nose. Upon seeing it she let out a soft hiss, her eyes narrowing.

“That bad?” he asked quietly.

The Knot hummed. “I’ve ssssseen worsssse, but you definitely need to ssssssee a doctor.” She took one of his hands, holding his index finger between two fingers. “You need to pinch it clossssssssed.” She positioned his fingers below the most swollen part of his nose and to his surprise he didn't wince when she instructed him to squeeze. “Why didn't you go ssstraight to one of the clinicsssss downssstairsss?”

Tea stared at the floor at the question. “Just . . . don't like doctors.” Or people touching him. Don was bad enough. The fact he had allowed her to touch him at all well . . . .

She hadn't done much touching, she'd been quite . . . distant. Even when pulling a paper towel from the dispenser and putting it under his nose to catch the rest of the blood. “No one likessssss doctorsssss. Leassst you're not ssssssscreaming and crying.” She turned the water on and rinsed the blood from the sink before she gestured for Tea to follow her, and again he was grateful she didn't touch his arm or anything. Just trusted him to follow. “How'd that happen anyway?”

“Accident.”

“Aiden rhymesssss with accident.” Tea felt his insides clench. He started to stutter a response, only for her to reassure, “I know it wassss, chill. You're a very wound up negotiator.”

Tea whined as he followed her out to the hall. “Just don't . . . want . . . .”

“Rowan?” Tea's gait slowed to a halt and he was already cold by the time his partner's hand wrapped around his bicep. “What happened?”

Tea went completely silent, unable to respond in any way. This had been what he'd wanted to avoid but . . . well he should have known it was inevitable. “Um . . .,” and still his throat locked. He couldn't even begin to say it was an accident. He was already anticipating Don grabbing his nose later and sending spikes of pain through his head trying to get an answer he'd already given.

What he didn't anticipate was the Knot speaking up. “He tripped and fell down the sssstairssss. Aiden ssssaw but your boy here told him to go away.” Tea glanced at her in shock. “My partner knowssss he’ssss on thin ice.”

“P-partner?” Tea asked.

“He wouldn't tessssst your patience enough to do thissss to him.”

Tea's head was buzzing for a long time. He wasn't sure what was happening, only that there was static in his ears and black dots around his vision.

Maybe he really did have a concussion . . . .

The hand left his bicep. There was a hand on his back guiding him along. Downstairs.

To the clinic.

He blinked and Don wasn't there. He turned to the Knot . . . And muttered, “What just happened?”

“Frogface McGee isssss a real piece of work.”

Tea was confused. “But . . . partner?”

“Yeah, that hothead needssss all the help sssstaying out of trouble he can get. When your ssssupervissssor hass it out for you, it'sssss bessst if the majority isssss there to defend you.” The Knot rolled her eyes. “Aiden issss good at hissssss job, but ssssometimesss being good isssn’t enough to sssstay on sssomeone'sssss good sssside.”

The confusion mounted. “Huh?”

The woman sighed as they stepped on the elevator. “Everyone knowssss your partner hassss a thirty-nine foot sssstick up hisss asssss ssso we've taken it upon ourssselvessss to pick up the sssslack.” She side eyed him. “He'sssss hard on you too?”

Tea paused, careful what to say. As opposed to how he'd been with Aiden. “Only because he . . . he worries about me.” He knew Don would have preferred he said he cared but the word never felt right on his tongue.

“Sure. But mark my wordssss, he'll ssslip up eventually. He may be a decent leader now, but we can tell he’sssss not a hundred percent there.” Tea squinted at her. “You're not a bad Knot, but ssssssourcessss say he only holdssss you back.”

Tea made a noise. Watching the elevator numbers light up as they descended, he murmured in a sort of daze, “I . . . don't think Don means to be so . . . Don.” Tea found it difficult to say more. As far as he'd seen Don had followed every rule and upheld every law. He did everything in his power to keep Tea from being fooled, by anyone. Even Tea himself.

Tea was prone to believing the words of others, even though he knew he shouldn't.

“Maybe. That'sssss why we watch and make sure.”

The elevator doors opened and Tea fell silent. He dropped the conversation entirely, but one question remained. While he could ignore the nagging sensation within to question the woman further on what she meant and how much she knew of Don, he knew that she likely knew about as much as Aiden knew.

Which was a lot, but not too much.

Don and Tea had been very careful since the incident where Aiden questioned him.

But this other question fell from his lips in an instant. “Why do you only hiss on certain words?”

There was a moment of silence as they neared the clinics. Then the hiss dropped entirely. “It's an act. Makes me seem less experienced than I am so no one bugs the shit out of me.” Tea thought about that . . . and admired the thought. “Tell anyone and I'll ssssskin you sssssskinwalker.”

“I won't,” he quickly responded.

“Good.”

“. . . Thank you.”

“Don't mention it.” Tea nodded. “Ever. You owe me babyssssitting for thissss.”

Tea nodded, and somehow felt less taken aback by her actions knowing he would pay for them somehow. He was safe in the assumption she would get something out of helping him, the notion only securing him in his determination to stay quiet and do his job.

Still, there was something surreal in knowing that there was a community within the Red Cord he could never be a part of. He'd always known it was there but . . . he had to push away the desire to be part of it. He knew it would never happen as long as there was Don.

But he was glad Aiden was in it for some reason.