victory_road

[Oh, that is. Not very great news. Armin didn't get to know Romelle very well, but he's known Keith for about a year now. The fact that he's gone home, and so close on the heels of Angel... it's all pretty unfair, isn't it?

But he is also worried. Not about Keith or Romelle or even Angel. That is nothing he can influence, so he is trying very hard to shut down any thought that strays in that direction. Keep focussing on the productive, so he doesn't overwhelm himself. Rather, it's Shiro he worries about. Shiro has always taken the 'loss' (not that either Romelle or Keith are dead as far as Armin knows) pretty hard, and Armin's got a feeling he'll take Keith going back to their world even harder. They were close. And the worst thing is, he is here on Mt Silver where he cannot keep a direct eye on Shiro. Jean is in jail, so he cannot keep an eye on him either. Maybe Krieg, then? Or one of the rest of his team? He's already feeling like Shiro is going to need it, his mind already racing along in contingency plans and what abouts.

But first things first.

He doesn't use text when contacting Shiro. It's a video call he receives, hoping Shiro will reply in kind. It's harder to hide that way.]

I can't check my PC where I am at, but... how are you doing? Are you... [not okay. That is going to be plain and Armin isn't going to give Shiro the easy luxury of replying with an 'I'm fine'.] Are you managing?

Edited 2019-03-10 00:05 (UTC)

[Unfortunately for Armin's incredible effort... text is what comes back. He knows he's hiding. He knows he's avoiding the issue. He just doesn't know what else to do. Not yet. Except go forward.]

[Which is... exactly what he's going to do.]

I'm fine.

[Goddammit Shiro.]

We're backtracking. To Cianwood. So... we're fine.

[Do you see him frown when he receives that text, Shiro? You will because Armin is leaving his camera on.]

It seems to be that if you were really as fine as you are claiming to be, you wouldn't be hiding behind text.

[Do not try and bullshit him, Shiro. Armin can and will call you out.]

[Patience. Focus. Just... keep going forward. Don't let this get under his skin. Keith and Romelle went back to a war. And to something complicated he had never had the courage to ask about.]

[He's here. In this place meant for second chances. He shouldn't be upset -- Keith promised him everything was all right, in the end.]

Text is simpler right now.

[What does Lance say to this? He and Keith weren't too close, being from different timelines and all, not like they should have been, and he didn't know Romelle from a can of paint. But what he does know is how it feels when a friend goes home. It happened to Hunk and Lance felt like a part of him was missing. A part he couldn't just get up and run somewhere to replace it.

With how close Keith and Shiro were, it's got to be the same feeling.]

shit
i'm sorry

[Don't say you're fine, Shiro. Lance knows how easy it is to say that when it's not.]

Shiro. I'm coming after you.

[No request, no options. He's just determined.]

Oh, Shiro...I'm so sorry.

Is there anything I can do?

[Yuuko knows it's no fun at all to find out that someone you know has disappeared.]

It's not your fault.

[Because what else is he supposed to say? What else can he say? He knows what he's not allowed to say, as much as he wants to. That he's fine, that he should be fine, because he's not the one in Romelle's situation. He's not the one sent back to whatever complications he couldn't ask Keith about.]

[He's just the one who couldn't keep them here.]

Just look after the house a while longer. Okay?

I Don't want to take you away from the observatory. Or I don't know

It's not your fault.

[It's sympathy, he knows. But oh well. It's easier just to say. Just to get that out there.]

Tell me how far to Cianwood from Blackthorn?

The observatory can go hang. It worked find before I got here, and it'll be fine now.

You, however, are not fine, and need me. Where are you? And please... stay there until I get there? I don't need to go on a Great Boyfriend Hunt.

Right Okay. As long as you're sure Blackthorn. Still in Blackthorn.

doesn't have to be my fault for me to sympathize

[It's not the time to argue, but Lance isn't going to let Shiro push him away. If anything, Shiro needs support right now and hasn't Shiro supported them all in their respective times of need?]

i will
when i get back

[Because someone isn't at home right now. No, someone is on his way to Cianwood and whenever Shiro deigns to arrive there, Lance will be sitting in front of the gym with Karma Charmeleon, his Charmander, holding a thermos between its ever warm paws.

Gotta keep the coffee hot somehow.]

I know. None of us are at fault. [That includes you, Shiro. Just so you know.]

You can warp from Blackthorn to Mahogany, but it's about ten days from there to Cianwood.

If you're going through Mahogany, you're welcome to stop by my place if you want.

What do you mean?

[But there's no real answer, given that Lance has already left. He's worried. Because of course he's worried. That message sounds ominous enough, in the midst of all this loss. So of course he's going to try calling back.]

[Several times.]

[In fact, he's calling again when he gets himself into Cianwood, looking like death warmed over -- which is what happens when you stop sleeping again -- and just. Stares.]

[Completely speechless.]

I must be halfway there then.

[He's going to completely sidestep the "fault" thing. Because it feels like his fault. It absolutely feels like his fault.]

I appreciate it. Maybe on the way back.

[There's no answer because Lance knows if he announced his plans Shiro would find a way to escape and that's not what Shiro needs right now. He's no Keith or Matt and he wouldn't even begin to try to be, but Shiro can't be alone right now. This, bringing coffee and being physically there, is all Lance can do.

The 'gear rings, but Lance doesn't move to pick it up. Besides, he can see Shiro from where he's camped out and raising a hand to wave, he waits for Shiro to come to him.]

Hey. Brought you some coffee. Figured you needed something hot.

[Damn it. When's the last time this guy slept? He looks worse than ever.]

[He last slept the day they disappeared, that's when. And it's taken him a while to make that announcement. So... you can do the math, Lance, buddy. He also knows he should be moving forward. He should go to meet him.]

[His jaw works. No sound comes out. His legs twitch. But he can't move forward.]

Hey... Lance.

[Hey, that's a start, right? He doesn't seem like he's upset, though. Not for a second. There's just. A lot of feelings here all at once.]

[Math was never one of his strong suits, so he'll pass on that, buddy. He just knows that by the sight of those dark circles it's been more than one sleepless night happening.

If Shiro isn't going to come to him, then Lance will just go to him. Rising up on those long legs, he makes quick work of the space between them with Karma waddling behind him and wraps his arms around this big Dorito dude. Someone needs a hug and it ain't Lance.

He just wishes he could do more than just a hug.]

[He should have guessed the hug was incoming. He knows Lance well enough. But today? Today it catches him off guard. For a few heartbeats, he stands there, in the middle of the street with leaves in his hair and circles under his eyes, stunned.]

[There's a tremor in his shoulders he can't stop.]

[And his arms loop around Lance. Tightly. One hand fisting into his shirt. It doesn't matter that this is all the teen feels like he can do. It doesn't matter in the least. He needs this.]

[He'd never ask for it in a thousand years. But he needs this.]

[Sometimes the hardest part isn't accepting help, but asking for it. Lance knows that all too well himself. It wouldn't be fair to make Shiro put his emotional storm into words when it'll all end in a hug anyway.

He feels the way Shiro trembles and holds on tight, letting Shiro squeeze as hard as he needs to. The words "It'll be okay." rise up in Lance's throat, but he swallows them down, knowing that for the moment, platitudes like that aren't welcome. It'll eventually be okay, just not now. Maybe not for a while.]

[No, it is not okay. It's absolutely not okay. They'd all been... happy. Out on the road. Finally exploring again. He'd admitted some things, Keith admitted some things. Romelle was getting to see a whole world beyond her own and... and...]

[His grip tightens.]

[Lance isn't going anywhere. Lance is still here. Him and Pidge and Hunk and Matt and Armin and Jean and Sasha and... everyone else they've met here. He needs to get it back together. For their sakes.]

Sorry -- I -- don't mean to make a mess.

[It's just raining on his face.]

[As long as it's in his control, Lance will be here. Of course, it's truly not, but he'd like to think that he is, so for the moment, he'll keep that idea in the forefront of his mind. Shiro doesn't need another one of them leaving. Allura has been gone for so long, now Keith and Romelle.

For their sakes? Shiro doesn't have to do anything for their sakes. The nice part about this place is that even if they get sent home, they all get a moment for a second chance at something. Maybe one day it'll be a second chance for Shiro to not take everyone as his personal responsibility, at least Lance hopes so.]

It's cool. It's laundry day anyway.

[Not the first time Lance has gotten snot on his clothes. Do you know how many times his niece and nephew have wiped their crying faces on him? Shiro's no big deal.

Pulling away slightly, but not enough to break the hug, Lance takes a good look at his leader and holds back the frown at what he's seeing. The man needs sleep, a shower, and probably a meal. Lance can help with one of those at least.]

Did you eat today?

Hah. Right.

[Laundry day. Sounds funny. In a dry, "I'm laughing to cope" kind of way. That's how Shiro is. How he's always been. He wants to believe he's in some kind of control, if only so the others don't have to worry. He got the house so they didn't have to worry about housing, refused to take money for that same reason.]

[He wants them all to just be safe. To be able to be happy.]

[How can that happen, if he keeps letting the others disappear?]

I... think so? Probably. [His team wouldn't let him be up and around, otherwise. Would they?]

[While he's debating it, his shadow stretches out a bit, with Haunter's usual broad Gengar smile turned into a big frown. The ghost shakes its head. No, there has been no food today.]

[They all have separate ways of coping, none of them good. Hunk was right when he said they were all anxiety ridden teens. Only Shiro is a bit out of his teens, but he still counts. In the end, they are all capable of taking care of themselves. Mostly, anyway. Shiro shouldn't worry so much about them. They might be under their twenties, but these kids are surprisingly self-sufficient. War will do that to them.

Lance slowly blinks up at Shiro, not believing for a minute Shiro has done anything but make his way to the network. Ah yes, there they go. Thanks Haunter. Remind Lance to toss you a Poffin later.]

You suck at lying. [If Haunter didn't snitch, that "probably" would have given Shiro away. Lance reaches down for the thermos Karma is hopping up to give him and shoves it in the center of Shiro's chest.] Drink this and then we'll get some food in you.

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