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Darius couldn’t remember the last time he saw Talon. It had been several months at least. The last time they had needed a particular problem taken care of by someone’s skill they knew and trusted. Swain had always been more familiar with the Du Couteau family and had more experience handling the type of work they dealt in. Darius was a soldier through and through. If he could not fight a problem on the battlefield or command and compromise verbally, then the task of solving the issue usually fell to Swain or Guile.
Color him surprised to see Talon in his room one night. Darius frowned in the gloom, realizing the assassin had slipped passed his guards. Detecting those that used the shadows was a never ending battle. They would figure out a way to reveal the assassin's sneaky tricks only to find the assassins had new ways to sneak around and avoid detection. Darius' stern and solemn expression was seen through the dim moonlight that pierced through a small crack in the window beside him. He was not pleased to be interrupted that night but Talon seemed determined.
—
He had nothing in particular against the boy, and the few times they had interacted, Darius had liked him well enough. The kid had been good with a knife, and he had always excelled at getting out of scrapes and altercations of all kinds. For whatever reason, Darius had wanted to help him grow stronger. To help him fight through things with his bare hands if he needed to. The kid was eager to learn, recently taken in by Marcus Du Couteau to be an assassin for the empire. While Talon wasn’t as close to Darius as he was to Marcus, the kid came to him to further his knowledge anyway, or so the boy assassin claimed.
Darius had knocked the kid on his ass at one point during a training session. He was almost certain he had cracked his jaw. Instead of tears, the kid’s eyes were filled with one purpose, one instinct- survival. The look on Talon’s face back then recalled memories of his own childhood in Basilich. Scraping by the best he could with nothing but the stone cold streets under his feet and the desire to protect his brother to keep him standing. Darius felt a kinship in that moment and took a greater liking to the boy.
Being a mentor for the young Talon was new for Darius. He had trained hundreds of soldiers, but teaching someone young and naive was a little different. It had been a nice distraction from the usual laborious tasks and duties he had to fulfill. Talon seemed to be full of purpose and had a clear vision of his duty and place under the tutelage of both Darius and Marcus. Those days would not last, and soon Darius was sent to the North to bring the barbarian tribes to heel.
The time he spent in the Freljord had separated them. A whole decade passed and Darius returned to a chaotic time in Noxus. Talon was nowhere to be found at first, and like many families, the Du Couteaus were struggling from losses of all kinds. As a new leader of a fresh government in the wake of Swain’s rebellion, Darius had little time to search for the missing young Du Couteau. The next time they met was when Guile had hired him out of the blue for a job to kill a prince in a neighboring kingdom. Darius had been glad to see Talon alive and well, though they didn’t get a chance to speak privately. Darius noted the expression in the boy’s eyes had changed and that change was both mysterious and worrisome.
—
The room was illuminated by a few flickering candles as Darius lit them, and the silence stretched between the two. Talon staggered and fell to one knee and Darius rose quickly, seeing the signs of injury all too well and knelt beside him to help him up. He didn’t need to say anything, though he could see the unspoken words in Talon’s stormy expression. Darius helped the young man to the bed and sat him down. Talon’s hand was stained red when he lifted it from his side for Darius to tend to.
“I didn’t know what else to do.” Talon's voice broke the silence and was modulated, but Darius could hear the emotion struggling in his voice. “Or where to go. Or who to trust. You were gone.” Talon kept talking. The floodgates began to open as he spoke to his mentor for the first time in over ten years. “Marcus disappeared, the rest of the family was either missing or pursuing their own course of revenge, or settling into their new lives.” He looked away as Darius peeled off the blood soaked clothing. It stuck to his skin around the injury and Darius was as careful as he could, knowing how much it stung. His bare torso revealed the gash in his side. It looked like it could have been a sword or a long dagger. Darius remained silent as he tended to the wound. That only seemed to frustrate the assassin more. “So what happens now? Where do I go? Who do I serve?” His eyes were hard and cold, that change Darius saw before was back and he frowned at Talon, worried.
“You serve Noxus,” Darius’ voice rumbled like gravel as he looked at the wound. He didn’t have all the necessary equipment to deal with the wound properly. He sighed and went to look for bandages and cleaning supplies. He found a small sewing needle and thread with a traveling tailor's kit he used for his clothes on the road by the bedside table. He could sew it shut for now but it would need to be checked regularly so it didn’t get infected. His answer didn’t seem to please Talon as his hands gripped the bed beside him. Darius sighed and knelt back down, placing the supplies on the bed next to Talon and began to sew the wound shut. “You don’t answer to Marcus anymore, that’s true. You are no longer his vassal.” Darius attempted to soothe the turbulent emotions of the young man before him, unsure what exactly Talon wanted to hear. “But you are an important asset to Noxus as a whole. Your skill and strength were recognized for that long ago when Marcus took you in, and the empire benefits greatly from the work you do.” There was a layer of pride in the words Darius spoke, for he felt they were true. Talon didn’t seem to agree.
“Is that ALL I am to you?! An asset? A tool for the empire?” Talon’s voice shook and Darius looked up from his last stitch. Mild surprise crossed his face as tears slid down the boy’s cheeks. “I looked up to you, and even dared to… to care about you, and this is all you have to say after ten years?” His eyes were shining and glossy as he stared hard at the man who’s words twisted in his chest. Talon’s lip trembled and he bit it and looked away with a tisk of frustration.
Darius’ brows furrowed, not understanding where all of this emotion was coming from. Talon had always been a little touchy, but this was more than that. “It was meant to be a compliment. You should be proud of yourself. Many would die to take your place… many have.” Darius continued to clean the wound and dress it as they spoke.
“That’s not the point!” Talon slammed his fist into the bed, and Darius had to wonder where all of his frustration was coming from. He was doing his best to be calm and understanding. He knew this was important to Talon and wanted him to get out his pent up emotions- maybe then they could work on closing the distance between them that had grown over the years. “Don’t you see? I care about you, Darius! I always have, I-” To Darius’ great surprise, Talon closed the distance between them. Literally. The young man had seemed to make some sort of split second decision and grabbed Darius’ face with both hands and crashed his lips against the surprised veteran’s mouth.
It was awkward and forceful at first and Darius kept very still, unsure of how to proceed. He now understood with this act of passion and unrequited feelings, that Talon thought of him more than just a mentor. Darius would have to be pretty stupid not to see that now. Though the question remained on how to proceed. He wasn’t sure if he could feel that way about Talon, and as if the young man could feel the hesitation, he pulled away, panting and full of want and regret. Darius cleared his throat after a few uncomfortable moments “I appreciate-”
“Don’t-.. Just… Don’t.” Talon mumbled and wiped his face. He dressed quickly and Darius watched as he left the way he came, unable to close the growing distance between them.