thermalwind | Life Aftr IC Inbox

[ He seeks him out, immediately after reading the message. Shiro isn't sure what exactly happened, but he sure can guess.

When he finds him, it's when his hair is white, when he's a little older than twenty-six, with a ring on his finger. ]

Keith. [ His voice is laced through with concern, wound so tightly through his name. ] What happened?

They were full of anger and had someone to hit. [Keith says as he uses his knife to sharpen the end of the wood spear he's been making for at least fifteen minutes. His tone is resigned.]

Same old story with the same old insults. [It hit home. It hit him straight in the oldest of his issues and left him unwilling to fight about it.] I don't want anyone else experiencing that.

[He lays the half-made weapon and his knife aside. Keith raises his head and sighs. But the sight of Shiro, the Shiro he married stamps relief on his face.] I'm...I'll be alright, Takashi. Some things still sting even years later.

[ He hears the resignation, and his heart drops. Shiro takes a seat next to him, and once the knife and weapon are set aside, Shiro pulls him close. Gently, he brushes the hair from his eyes and keeps his hand at his cheek. He can wager a guess what he'd had to hear. The words this body had once spoken while he floated through Black's consciousness, so, so long ago... they echo through his mind. Worthless, worthless, worthless. He doesn't know if that's what had been said.

But all this time, it's still something that stings him to his very core.

He knows that he won't be able to fix things magically. But sometimes, he wishes he could--he wishes he could pull all the hurt from Keith's heart, especially those things buried deep, and bottle them up. Throw them into the vast ocean, bury it on one of the islands that comes and goes, so that it can never touch Keith again.

Shiro knows he can't. What he can do is hold Keith close and help him through it all. ]

You did a good thing, warning everyone else. [ If there's one thing--ha, as if he could really choose--he loves about Keith, it's his heart. ] I just wish you hadn't had to bear the brunt of it.

[ He presses a kiss to Keith's forehead. Even if Keith will be alright... ]

I'm sorry.

They wanted a fight. Not a talk. [The warmth of Shiro's arm around him and the sound of his breathing close to his ear takes the tension out of him. He covers the hand on his cheek with his own rubbing his thumb over the back of Shiro's hand as their eyes meet. Not those words, his violet eyes seem to say.

Farther back. When no one gave him a chance and everyone saw the supposed trouble making monster instead of a boy. Back then, rejection and pain were just part of his daily life. It mixes with the other pain. The pain that they're being messed with again and there's nothing he can do to prevent it. Or the hurt that could come of it.

He leans into Shiro and wraps his arms around him. What could come of it isn't all bad. If they're older than they should be they have a glimpse of what could be. They'll know they can go the distance.]

We know a little more about whatever happened. It's possible they deliberately took away their own memories of it. Or, another god did.

[ He holds Keith close, lips skimming along his forehead, the top of his head. Nothing can pull him away from Keith, especially in this moment when he needs Shiro the most. He kicks himself; he wishes he could have been there. He should have been there, but he can't change the past. He can be here for him, now. ]

I'd say I can't believe that's possible... but here, I'm fairly sure anything is.

[ He doesn't have to like it, though. Sometimes--especially when he was younger and fresh from his Galra imprisonment--he wishes he could take away all those bad memories, too.

Then again... he wouldn't change anything, really. It's all led him here, to Keith, and how can he want to erase all of that? ]

Part of me wants to go confront them. But that probably won't do a thing but make it worse.

We have to play it your way. Carefully and smart. If they're like this and staying in the temple they can't do harm to themselves or us. We don't want to change that.

[He turns in his arms, looking into his eyes and touching one side of Shiro's face. Keith brushes his thumb along his cheek. His voice is calm, measured, the voice he'd long since come to use as his Black Paladin tone it sounds a lot like his mother's. He'd made the judgment call to go alone into that den. He'd been worried about Storyteller and wanted to minimize the risk to others.]

There's enough to deal with out here. ...I've suspected for a while they hid their own memories. Rapsho was dosing themselves with their own Bliss to escape. Harvey probably doesn't remember. ...Storyteller talked about people who lived here but cursed them. ...I think their own people attacked them for some reason.

[ He nods. ]

Maybe once this is over, it'll be easier and better-- [ safer ] --to approach them. Then again, if they don't have their memories...

[ He lets out a breath, but Keith's touch against his cheek is calming. It's frustrating, but they don't want to rush in guns blazing. He wishes it were easier to dig up answers.

Then again, it's rarely that easy.

He's had questions ever since coming here. What Keith says... it makes them come back to the surface. ]

If they attacked Storyteller... what happened to them, in the end? And the people that lived on other islands?

[ It's more just... his voicing his thoughts, but Keith always has good input. So it's for them both, in a way. ]

...there are places on this island with runes and work that barred Storyteller from entering. [It doesn’t paint a pretty picture. But it also doesn’t quite make sense. Storyteller has limits. They can’t see into people who don’t believe in them. Or is he remembering it wrong?]

I want to know why so many turned against their gods. What happened to cause that? They told me once they couldn’t find out and didn’t have much hope a ‘mortal’ could. [Keith snorts as he traces the scar across the bridge of his husband nose.]

We should review what we found while looking into that Overgrowth sickness. We don’t even have to bother anyone. I copied everything everyone shared.

[ Shiro closes his eyes as his husband traces his scar. It feels good, but pretty much any touch from Keith feels good. ]

Yeah? [ He opens his eyes. ] We'll have to do that later.

[ Later, because right now, it's relaxing time. Especially after the situation with Storyteller. ]

[His need to seek out the truth and stop the problems as soon as possible subsides and is set out of the way. It used to be how he dealt with anything, look forward and hunt the problems of the day. He can safely say that never changed...but when he's with Shiro they both can relax and rest.

He hums softly, content as he echoes him.] Later.

Right now, it's just us. [Keith lets himself finally fully relax, running his fingers along Shiro's cheek and down his jaw,] ...thanks, Takashi. We'll figure this out. I know we can.

Us, and with all the privacy in the world.

[ He gently takes his hand and kisses his palm. Even after all this time, he always feels a little giddy when Keith uses his name. ]

Of course we'll figure it out. There's nothing we can't tackle together.

[His heart thuds hard in his chest. Every time Shiro shows him such gentle affection he's as affected by it as he was at the start of their relationship.

Oh screw it. He climbs into his lap and sets his hand on his shoulder, a warm smile spreading across his face.]

You're right. And if we can't figure out on the first try, we'll keep trying. So, other than this what have you been up to?

[ Shiro automatically pulls him even closer, and his answering smile is just as warm. His hands rest at Keith's back, gently rubbing circles. ]

Oh, the usual. Meeting new people, checking up to make sure nothing really weird has happened....

No particular adventures without you, of course.

Life Aftr IC Inbox

after keith's message on the rocks;

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject