Work Text:
His hands were shaking.
That's a problem, Luce thought wildly.
He slashed a line of scarlet paint onto the wall, leaned in with a stick of charcoal and watched his hands scrawl a line of Sanskrit.
Messy, that's a problem too, and the charcoal snapped as he smacked it against the wall.
His desk screeched hellishly as he dragged it across the room, and papers went flying. He clambered on top of it and continued the sigil onto the ceiling, painting feverishly, stabbing at the plaster.
He finished the text with a ballpoint pen, paint dripping onto his face, a buzzing ache behind his shoulder blades. Music spiked in his ears, a single phrase repeated over and over as it distorted, what was it, Shostakovitch? Faster. Water where was the water. Get down, get the water, drink, climb back up, no time, finish. Space was alive, it danced like sand on a beach, and he got closer, there it was, put the matter itself to work, yes, follow that one follow it in, his hands were shaking-
"Kane?"
Luce spun around, paint slopping down the wall.
Brutus was standing in the doorway, mouth slightly open.
Luce could feel sounds fighting to explode out of him, and with effort, he pushed them down.
"What," he managed. There was a shrillness to his voice, and he hated it.
Brutus cautiously gestured to his phone. "I, uh. I was going to order. Dinner, that is. Curry?"
Pause.
"Kane, what exactly are you doing?"
"Working," snapped Luce.
His hands were shaking.
"On the ceiling?"
Words seemed miles away. Brutus took a step into the room.
"Luce, are you-"
"Get out," he nearly screamed.
"But-"
A sound ripped itself from his throat like a dying animal. He threw the can of paint down, and everything smeared red and he hurled himself off the desk and right up to Brutus' face and Brutus looked scared, Luce could see his eyes widen from where he was floating still somewhere by the ceiling, and that's funny, him being scared of me, he's so much taller-
"Get out-" and Brutus was now backing out the door.
"Okay. I'm gone. I'm- bye, Luce."
Luce slammed the door after him.
His hands were shaking. He stuffed them in his mouth and screamed.