victory_road | text | anon as possible

Good.

[There's one bright spot to all this -- Jean's too stubborn to walk away.]

It...

[He goes quiet, scrubbing his hands down his face again.]

It doesn't go beyond this conversation. Please? Don't... spread it around. I don't think you will, but I've -- already hurt someone with this.

[Shiro's never walked away from him. ~~Family means no one gets left behind.~~]

... do you want me to come find you? We could talk about this in person.

[Jean sounds affronted when Shiro even suggests that he would spread it around.]

Of course not! I don't go gossiping about other people's private stuff!

Your call.

[He should probably make a decision here, but... you know. It's nice to let go of some control.]

I know you won't gossip. That's not what I mean. But if someone [Like Hunk or Armin or Matt or Keith or-] asks --

We didn't talk about this.

Okay. Where are you right now?

[Jean could send a Pokemon to go find him, or ask Zappy to hack his communicator and track him down that way, but it's easier just to ask.]

Got it. Highly classified. Buried knowledge. Whatever we say stays just between us.

Our room. Matt's not home yet.

[You know, if Jean's comfortable going in there at all.]

I... I appreciate that.

Okay.

[Look, Jean isn't going to be scared away by whatever creepy sex stuff Shiro and Matt are getting up to. He's going to hop off his own bed and trot down the hall, rapping once on the door before opening it and stepping inside.]

Hey.

[Where are you, Shiro? Are you somewhere he can sit next to you?]

[Look the worst thing has been serious sappy cuddling but good. Glad you’re not weirded out having two dads, Jean.]

[Shiro himself is on the bed, leaning back against the headboard. A couple books open across the bed, a bottled milk tea on the nightstand. Europa is rolling across the floor to greet Jean, while Eevee and Luna are flopped all over Shiro’s lap. There are star charts hung up all over the room. (Probably at least one prom photo, too.)]

[He looks up with a little wave as Jean walks in. The circles back under his eyes.]

Hey.

[Two dads? Jean only has one dad! Matt needs to work his way up to dad status.]

[As soon as Jean opens Shiro's door, there's a thump from Jean's room and Fat Ice Dog and Triton come rolling out, rolling around Jean's legs to get to Europa. Hello! Hello, Spheal friend! The door is open and now they are here!]

[Jean glances around, then heads to the bed and climbs up on it. There better be room next to Shiro for him to sit too, or he might have to pointedly bump his bony hip against Shiro's to get him to move over.]

I like the star posters. Those are new, since I was in here last.

[Accept your two dads, Jean!]

[Europa claps excitedly, then joins her buddies in rolling around the floor like fat little orbs of joy. Hello friends!! Look at all the rolling room they have! Without the mattress on the floor from the Arons!]

[... and Shiro may have cracked a smile at the spheal antics, before shifting over to allow Jean more space.]

They're charts. A couple are from Earth -- Matt drew them up for me for my birthday.

[Matt needs to start level grinding if he wants to unlock Achievement: Dad.]

[Jean smiles at the Spheals--there is really nothing better than watching Spheals play--and settles in on the bed next to Shiro, leaning back on the headboard so he can look at the star charts better.]

Is this what the sky looks like from your home?

[Don't think you can distract him with talk about space, Shiro! This is just a temporary diversion!]

[Someday...]

[His attention stays on the spheals for a while, too. It's really good to see them go. A nice, round distraction.]

[But when Jean asks his question, Shiro looks up. Shaking his head.] Not all the time. This one...

[He points up at the nearest one.] That was the sky when I was born. The other is -- it's the day we left for Kerberos.

[Together.]

[Better start battling grass monsters.]

[Jean doesn't pick up on the sappy nature of the second chart, just nodding and looking at them closely.]

How did he remember what the stars were doing then?

[He might. Or he might do something else to win Jean's adoption.]

He didn't. He figured it out -- you can plot the way they move back and forth, if you know where they were at a certain time.

[Well now there's a lot of sap in his voice. And a lot of pride.]

He's a literal genius like that.

... wow.

[Jean is impressed. That sounds like a hell of a lot of math and spacial reasoning that is definitely beyond him. He can do pretty well with where things are in the air, but only on a smaller, more human/titan-sized scale. Leveling it up to stars and planets? Yeah, that's crazy talented.]

Do you ever think back on that time and go, man, I was such a baby, I didn't know ANYTHING back then? Because I do.

[Awkward transition? Awkward transition!]

That was my reaction, too.

[Awe and pride. If it wasn't clear he was stupid in love before now, it sure is in this conversation. Although, he does wish Pidge were here. So she could have this place available to her and her brother. To have... a chance at something normal with her family.]

[And then Jean leaps into another question, and he blinks.]

... think back on what time? When I was actually a baby, or--?

No!

[Jean leans to the side and bumps his shoulder against Shiro's. You dork.]

Before your mission started. Before everything went to shit.

[He is the biggest dork.]

Oh.

I... don't really. Or I didn't. There was too much else to think about.

[Too much to do, really.]

Mmmmmm.

I think about it, sometimes. How I was before. [Jean shakes his head.] I was so dumb, Shiro. So dumb. I didn't understand anything.

[Not that he understands everything now, but he gets a little bit more, he thinks.]

What do you mean "dumb"?

You've never been "dumb" since I've known you.

[He means that too.]

Heh. Thanks.

[Another friendly shoulder nudge for you, Shiro; Jean appreciates that.]

But you didn't know me before. I was... a dumb brat.

I mean it.

[He nudges him right back.]

I've known plenty of people your age and younger. I really doubt you'd be worse.

You never knew me before Trost.

[You know, when his childhood and innocence went up in flames at the ripe old age of fifteen!]

You can ask Armin, Bertolt, or Sasha. They all knew me back then. They'll tell you.

Okay... you're right, there. I didn't know you then.

But I like who I see now. If that's any consolation.

Thanks. I think, sometimes, that I'm turning out okay too.

[Better than he would have at home, that's for sure.]

You've been a big part of that, you know. Just... talking and listening and being around. Being a good example. Talking about some of my shit... it's helped me sort it out in my own head.

[HINT HINT]

You definitely are.

[He can say that for sure. Without hesitation.]

I'm glad I could be here for you. It... means a lot to know I'm doing something right by someone.

[Yeah okay he gets what you mean buddy. But still...]

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