Waiting Game
It's been a month and Teo remains grounded in his bed and over and over you blame yourself (you're the responsible one, you repeat, a nauseating mantra; you could've stopped this). It's been a month and you're not sure if the message you sent reached Katara or not. Now more than ever you wish you had pushed a little harder, been just a little more forward with her, and then maybe you'd know for certain that she was in the South Pole. It's easy enough to steady your heart with the comfort that when she receives the message, she will come help.
Toph asserts that he'll be fine, he wakes up now, doesn't he? Teo echoes her when his eyes are open and laughs when your forehead creases with concern. When Toph is gone and Teo is lost again, The Duke edges his helmet back and admits that he doesn't want Teo more broken than he already is, and Teo keeps falling away from you all, doesn't he? Somehow it irritates you that he feels the same (and a part of you maybe knows why, and it has to do with Teo's hand reaching up to touch your arm).
The Mechanist drifts between Teo's room and his workshop, though there is a significant lack of luster in the models he creates now and his skin pales and stretches and his eyes are so far away. You want to apologize, but you don't know how to word it, exactly. It would be easier if you knew what you were apologizing for.
After the first week Toph stopped telling you to get some rest, so now you don't bother.