it's been so long between the words we spoke {OPEN}

[shiro2hero]

Who: Shiro or Shadowmaru & YOU
Where: Various
When: During the Basculegion Swarm
Summary: Open log for Shiro and Shadowmaru's encounters with the Ghost Generating Fish
Rating: PG13 - will update if necessary


Log:

> SHIRO'S THREAD

> SHADOWMARU'S THREAD

If you'd like a custom starter, let me know! PM or redfirelight

Comments

[shiro2hero]

He was trying to -

[take over the empire?]

[Except he doesn't get that much out. There's a fish incoming. And, stunningly, it's not directed at him. Shiro ducks too, out of pure reflex. Only to witness Keith getting SMACKED in the face with the pokemon.]

[Shiro stares.]

[Nebula stares.]

[The fish flops.]

[... someone starts snorting. Or choking. It's a barely stifled sound, and, the longer it goes on, the clearer it becomes that it's Shiro. And he's... laughing. Or trying desperately not to for Keith's sake.]

A-Are you... okay?

[tempredmental]

I uh... [Keith groaned a little, pressing his hands against his face for a moment.] Uuugh... yeah... I'll be okay, just...-

Again, huh?

[He froze. He'd heard that voice this morning before he and Allura had gotten on the road for the day. Again, indeed. He sighed, and lowered his hands with a somewhat sheepish smile on his face.]

Yeah... again... [He sighed.] Hey, Dad.

[shiro2hero]

Sorry - Sorry, I -

[He's trying his best to get that laughter under control. Trying so hard. He's almost totally losing it when... well.]

[Oh.]

[That shuts him up. Almost immediately.]

Your father?

[tempredmental]

[Keith nodded.]

Yeah.

[The man nodded in greeting, with a small casual wave.]

You're Shiro, right?

[See, Shiro? Not all ghosts were bad.]

[shiro2hero]

Yes.

[How does he know Shiro's name, have they met, is this some weird ghost thing - deep breaths. He cannot blow this. It feels so incredibly important to make a good impression here.]

[Even if the man is not actually there. It's important.]

Yes, I am. And it's good to meet you.

[Or what there is of him...]

[tempredmental]

[Definitely a ghost thing. After all, it was from Keith's own thoughts thanks to the dumb fish.]

It's good to meet you, too. [The man smiled, reflecting Keith's softer side, whereas Krolia was Keith's more intense side.] Thank you. For looking out for him when he needed it. [But then...] I'd shake your hand, but Keith an' I learned this morning that apparently I'm not solid. [He grinned a bit. Wait... was that... dad humor???]

[shiro2hero]

That... seems like the opposite of handy.

[Oh god there's two of them.]

But - no, there's no need to thank me. He's always had a lot of potential. I'm just glad I could help him realize it.

[tempredmental]

I definitely wouldn't give a hand to whoever thought of it.

[Eeyup.]

Okay, you guys can stop that now. [Keith just shook his head.]

Seriously, though... you got me out of one of the lowest points in my life. That means a lot to me, Shiro.

[shiro2hero]

Hah. Think we'd better stop before Keith gives us the finger.

[Nope. Not stopping.]

But - I couldn't have done it if you weren't willing to work with me. And look at you now.

[tempredmental]

[Oh... Keith was definitely close to it. He just felt weird doing that around his dad... who just seemed really amused by the whole thing.]

I think he's just embarrassed that we're pointing things out about him.

[A finger joke... oh god... Keith wanted to die.

But Shiro's words to him got him to smile a little bit.]

Honestly, I wasn't at first. But you convinced me to try. [Again... after having been hurt before by people promising to help and then giving up. But Shiro hadn't given up. He helped Keith find a way to trust again.] You make a good argument.

[shiro2hero]

Guess we'd better quit before we get too far out on this limb.

[They're. Really in it now. Keith can absolutely thank certain older Holts for Shiro's joke repertoire.]

I guess I'm just as stubborn as you are. I don't give up when I see potential in a person. And you've always had it to spare.

[tempredmental]

Oh my God... stop.

[Keith's reaction just got a laugh from his father, who then grinned in Shiro's direction. He was so glad that his son didn't miss out on something like this.]

Well, yeah... you are pretty stubborn. [Keith did smirk at that point.] We both are. [He softened.] Thanks.

[shiro2hero]

Sorry... sorry. I learned from Sam Holt - you pick up a lot on missions together.

[But at least there's laughing, here. A smirk from Keith. This is better than expected, actually.]

Hey - any time. Any place. I'm here for you.

[tempredmental]

I think I remember a few times you brought me along. [Honestly, when they were going after the Red Lion and Pidge had said Commander Holt was her father, it had triggered a memory of Matt mentioning something about a sister, but not a brother, and that's how Keith had figured out Pidge was a girl. It hadn't been important at the time, considering they were on a Galra ship and needed to get moving, but Keith figured she had her reasons, and hadn't pushed anyway even after they got back. Mainly because it was around that point that she had decided she wanted to bail to find Sam and Matt and leave Voltron in a lurch, and he hadn't exactly reacted well to that...

Flashback for another time...

Either way, he was still at least a bit amused, albeit tolerant of the two of them. If anything, he could remember finding his dad's jokes funny when he was small enough to appreciate them.

Still... with Shiro's comment about 'any time', Keith gave him a soft smile.]

Same goes to you, you know.

[shiro2hero]

I do remember a lot of groaning...

[And, yeah, honestly, Pidge had probably blown her cover in all kinds of ways that day. Maybe even a little before with the fact she looked almost identical to Matt... at least, with that haircut and the glasses, anyway. Shiro probably should rib her about that. A little.]

[That, and drop more of those terrible jokes within Keith's earshot more often.]

[Because why not?]

Yeah. I know. I'm still working on remembering it.

[tempredmental]

They were definitely groan worthy.

[But, yes... please nudge Pidge about her fail disguise. Keith, though, would be very okay with the lack of those kinds of jokes.

Still, he did smile a little.]

Good.

[But, the important part here was that they'd chased off the spectre of Sendak. Having Keith's dad there was better anyway. The man looked almost relieved to see that Keith had good people in his life that he could care about and be cared about by.]