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call it what you want.

WHO: Keith and Shiro
WHERE: Basically near the residences
WHEN: Mid-March
WHAT: Shiro gets better from picking up the scales, Keith decides that Shiro needs Adult Supervision. Keith is that Adult.
WARNINGS: None! Will warn if anything comes up.

[ Keith's taking no chances once Shiro gets better. They'd figured out it's something about the scales, much to Keith's consternation and dismay, but when the worst of the illness passes and he recovers, one thing is obvious: they need to stick together. There are too many unknowns about this town, and while the people he's met so far have been pretty decent, warm and kind, the paladin knows that they're better off safe than sorry.

There's also the added issue of contacting the rest of the paladins and the garrison, which up until now has proven ultimately impossible. None of the other paladins seem to be here, either, which means that Keith and Shiro are going to be on their own for now. Not that it hasn't happened before; it's just a pain to be separated, although he can't complain much -- Shiro's with him, and Shiro's safe, which is just about all that matters. They can sort the rest out later.

They're exploring today, Keith inspecting the different houses in Ruga as they try to find one that's safe, secure, and not around the rest of the populace should something horrific come for them. He owes Ignis a debt of gratitude for the help he'd rendered Shiro, and Shiro an apology for going along (and maybe encouraging, just a little) with the whole 'Adam' thing, which had largely gone unspoken between them.

As he's critically eyeing an empty house, which is a little on the small and cramped side, he turns to Shiro. ]

You really don't mind us staying together?

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[ More than alarming, it's been a mortifying couple of days for Shiro. Soaked from a stinky well that inspired a brief panic attack, infected by a poisonous scale on a level beyond any sickness previously endured (including that one), and hallucinating Adam of all people over the man who helped nurse him back to health ... Shiro is ready to hide his head in the dirt for a while. That's not an option, not with Keith around (who, embarrassingly, not only witnessed Shiro's hallucinations but similarly to Ignis encouraged them to keep him docile) needing support, and the best option is the simplest: they stick together until they find their footing on this weird alien planet. Strength may not be in numbers with only two of them around but it bodes better generally speaking if one of them isn't worried about the location of the other after dark, so finding somewhere to temporarily call their base becomes the priority.

He isn't too fond of the brick houses, wary of how easily they could crumble under an attack (of anything). Keith distracts him soon enough, replying with an easy answer. ]

I don't mind if you don't. It's better if we share a common spot to which to relocate in an emergency. [ Tempted by the memory of Bluo's streets, he nods ahead. ] Let's keep looking, these old houses look like they'd give me a shiny bump on the forehead every time I tried to use a door.

Yeah.

[ Definitely. They will need a spot to regroup, and this way, Keith would know that Shiro's safe -- he doesn't have to check in on him all the way in another district, right? Staying with Shiro would put him at ease, settle a part of him that bristles whenever he's absent, like something important's missing and it wouldn't be soothed until Shiro's in proximity.

Keith's stopped trying to figure that out a long time ago.

He's smiling faintly when Shiro comments on the size of the houses, feeling an odd sense of anticipation and fondness that he chokes right down. They're rooming together for practicality's sake, that's all. ]

Looks like the houses here aren't great at that. Wanna go look in the blue district? Maybe we can bring something for Ignis later.

[ All good until Ignis is mentioned, then a not-so-subtle twitch takes over Shiro's eye. He rubs the back of his neck, clearing his throat while casually looping their way toward Bluo. ]

Actually, I was thinking I'd give the guy some space. He did take in a stranger without any warning, I wouldn't blame him if he wanted some time to himself after that.

[ In lieu of imploding every time he was near Ignis now, which would be preferable to talking to the poor man that Shiro called Adam and flirted with. God. Could the nearest Paladin please crush Shiro with a lion, stat. ]

Let's not overstay our welcome with him and his friends.

[ It's the elephant in the room, the Ignis thing. It doesn't escape Keith's notice when it comes to Shiro's feelings, and the resemblance to Adam is enough that Keith understands completely, even if it makes his heart clench a little for reasons he doesn't quite know how to explore. ]

Yeah.

[ Okay. If Shiro wants to put some distance between him and the guy, Keith will support him -- Shiro had never said much about Adam, but Keith knows that sometimes relationships are just really complicated, and it can mess you up in plenty of ways. Adam was a good guy, and he feels a fresh wave of guilt. ]

Hey, Shiro. Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... encouraged you, when you were sick.

[ Because the alternative is seeing a crestfallen, disappointed, sick Shiro, and Keith doesn't think he can take all of that at once. ]

I understand, Keith. You both acted in my best interests while I was out of my head, I appreciate that. I really do.

[ Keith was as much a help as Ignis; more, on some level, because it seems to be ingrained that if Shiro is horizontal somewhere, Keith will appear with a smile sooner or later to help pick him up. It shouldn't be an expectation, Shiro knows. It was just ... comforting. Even the fake Adam hadn't managed to inspire that degree of emotion.

Kicking a stone toward the river, he follows its trajectory to walk along the dockside with eyes down. ]

I feel a little stupid for getting sick practically minutes after arriving on a new planet, I guess.

[ If Shiro is horizontal somewhere, Keith will most definitely ride in to the rescue because it's just the way things are -- Shiro has accomplished so many grand and wonderful things on his own, and through his own capabilities earned the right to be captain of the Atlas. Everything he has achieved, he's rightfully earned, and Keith wants nothing more than to help Shiro with achieving his dreams, no matter what.

He stays casually close, surprisingly comfortable despite the strangeness of this place. Registering Shiro's words, he comes up beside him and squeezes his shoulder comfortingly. ]

Hey. You didn't choose to get sick. This place chose to be shitty to you. There's a difference.

[ He nudges a pebble lightly in his direction for Shiro to kick. ]

Does it bother you?

[ A little of the guilt assuages with Keith's reassurance and the pat on his arm even prompts a lopsided smile, pseudo-agreement when Shiro can't argue but doesn't feel right giving up responsibility either. No one forced him to pick up that scale. ]

It bothers me that I wasn't any use when you were in the exact same boat as me, lost and confused. It must have been a worrying situation, you did really well looking out for both of us under pressure.

[ Speaking of boats as Shiro kicks Keith's pebble into the water, the houses floating on the river draw his attention. A whole house on the water like that? It's odd. ]

[ Keith knows that look. Shiro's not fully convinced, but is too polite and considerate to push the matter further -- as far as Keith's concerned, it was an honest mistake, and Shiro's already way too hard on himself as it is. He lets it go, too, because Shiro is incredibly stubborn when he wants to be.

He smiles briefly at that assessment, however, before he gently nudges him. ]

Hey. I've grown up, you know.

[ Keith tells him gently, because he wants Shiro to know, too, that the man can depend on him, that Keith would and could carry them both through whatever is thrown at them. He just isn't great at articulating it -- so he settles on proving it to Shiro as often as he can. He looks over where Shiro is, eyeing the houseboats. ]

There, huh?

I've noticed.

[ It would have been impossible not to notice how much Keith has grown since their time as mutual Paladins. The clone could barely believe his eyes when Keith returned from the spacewhale and it wasn't anything to do with the news he brought with him. All those memories are incorporated into Shiro's now and he has the full scope of Keith's journey toward being a leader, growing into a role that Shiro knew he would surpass him in. Keith was always meant for greater things than anyone else.

Jostling him back with an elbow, the floating houses gain a wrinkled nose a moment later. ]

Putting an actual house on the water like that is begging for trouble, if there was ... Oh. [ There are boats. Canal boats, specifically, moored in their own grey darkness, untouched and uninhabited at a glance. Shiro hops up on the deck of one, ducking his head inside. ] Hello, anyone home?

[ He's noticed. Keith isn't, for all intents and purposes, a teenager anymore -- he's stopped being a kid the day his Pop died, or perhaps even before that, but he's always been chasing after Shiro, wanting to prove that the man's faith in him is not misplaced. He can never fill Shiro's shoes, but he can at least keep from being a massive embarrassment.

And maybe he's sort of succeeded at that. But Shiro's acknowledgement of that makes his heart skip a beat, something unknown curling inside him. He understands Shiro's impressive, tactical mind, of course; when he makes a beeline for the canal boats, Keith is already aware of what he's thinking. He just... well. ]

...You want to go for those boats.

[ Oh, man. Keith follows after him, stifling a sigh because this is just like Shiro, isn't it? The unconventional but more tactically shrewd. The thing looks big enough for one person to live in, possibly, but two? He's on the alert, a hand on the hilt of his blade and ready to strike if anything unfriendly comes at Shiro. Not that he can't defend himself, but it's instinct.

When no one responds, he raises his brows. ]

Think it's abandoned?

[ If only Keith knew a fraction of the pride Shiro has for him. Maybe it ought to be said more often but there never seems to be a time for it, and he's sure Keith knows on some level. That angry boy has grown into a sure and steady young man, he doesn't need Shiro's approval anymore.

His arm lights the way, floating to the end of the boat and illuminating the untouched interior; sparsely furnished but otherwise untouched. ]

I don't think anyone has ever lived here. [ It's got windows overhead that Shiro opens to check they work, another wide set of bay doors at the opposite end to let someone climb up onto the roof. It could be a good defensive position, lots of options for their escape and the ability to barricade up what they don't want.

He turns to Keith as his arm returns, a smile quirking his lips. ] If there's any trouble on the land we could sail off the shore to stay out of it. What do you think, Keith?

I'm definitely on board.

[ If only Shiro knew a fraction of how much Keith cares for him. He doesn't need Shiro to say these things often, some things don't need to be said to be understood -- at least, Keith hopes it's that way with Shiro.

He's watching the arm fly, taking in the illuminated room thoughtfully. ]

It's weird, isn't it? That it's just... here.

[ Not abandoned, just here, like it's been waiting for them, or something. Keith is opening the dark curtains from the windows. It's actually pretty cozy, when you look at it, although it definitely looked smaller from the outside. It's bigger inside, with enough room to maneuver, and the couch looks pretty spacious, if a little dusty.

He's meandering to the little kitchen table by the kitchenette, fascinated. ]

I think it looks good, unless there are things in the water.

[ Heh. ]

Was that a nautical pun?

[ He's proud of it and simultaneously aghast he didn't think of it first. Wandering through the long cabin (good visuals, sight runs straight down the whole boat) he opens cupboards and investigates crannies, all empty and a little dusty. It is a bit unnerving that this place and many other houses stand empty, although there's not much they can do about mourning occupiers they have no chance of knowing existed. Needs must, and needs currently amount to a roof over their heads.

He looks distinctly less fond of the black water outside when Keith mentions critters. Tentacles, Shiro thinks, and shudders. ]

... The sea looks still enough for now.

Yup.

[ Keith looks so tremendously pleased with himself at that pun, and he's grinning with it while he inspects the exits and the roof-window, trusting that Shiro would already have contingencies and strategies in mind -- he can practically see the wheels in the man's head whirring.

He's looking out through the roof-window, climbing up to sit on the edge of it before calling down to Shiro. ]

C'mon up.

[ From here, it's a higher vantage point, and if there's anything that'll have the awful idea of coming up at them, they'll deal with it together. But he doesn't miss Shiro's heartfelt shudder. ] Not a sea person?

[ Following Keith up through the roof involves Shiro wriggling to get his shoulders through the leftover hole, heaving up to sit opposite him and watch their legs dangle. It's good they would have so many emergency exits here, kind of makes him think of what a Marmoran bolt-hole would be like as Keith sticks his nose out of every window like an inquisitive hamster. Seated in the roof together with the bank of Bluo to one side and the silent black sea to the other, it's a reassuring vantage point.

He needs to stop thinking in terms of defense, but. Okay. With a sigh he explains his unease. ]

I never told you about the tentacle crab, did I?

[ Keith's a very badass hamster who's going to make sure that they're safe! He's making space for him, curiously surveying Bluo and its surroundings, looking down at the dark, dark sea underneath them, bland and colorless and altogether just a little unnerving.

But Shiro is here, larger than life and right about to tell him a story about tentacle crabs -- Keith makes a face at that, already imagining just how ugly a tentacle crab would be. ]

Is it on an alien planet?

[ Come tell your hamster a horror story, Shiro. ]

[ Storytime! ]

When I ... when the clone crash-landed on an ice-planet and found the rebels, they saved him — me — from a monster that lived in a lake. I'd stopped to drink and it burst right out of nowhere. [ Wiggling his fingers for effects at Keith. ] Tentacles.

[ Ignoring his switch of identity, blended as they are now. ]

I can't say I'm a fan.

[ Keith doesn't miss it. For the longest time, Shiro's consciousness has been trapped in the Black Lion, and Keith loathes to think about just how lonely and helpless he had probably felt, how he had called and no one -- not even Keith realised.

He bites the inside of his lip, feeling a fresh wave of guilt and empathy and self-recrimination; he should have known sooner, and yet. He looks at Shiro's fingers, then out at the endless water, a lump in his throat.

Shiro is okay now. Shiro, and the clone. His fingers come to scratch absently at the scar on his cheek, one that he wears proudly still. ]

I'm glad they saved you. [ He says after a moment when he looks back at him again, soft but heartfelt. I don't know what I would do without you. ]

[ That soft look sends a sense of ease through him, shoulders slumping as he picks at his pants' leg. ]

Yeah, me too, consdering one of them wanted to eat me.

[ Other things about the ice planet never added up at the time, now sadder in retrospect. Obvious in the wake of a staged escape to send him back to the Paladins with a convincing breakout story. Glancing out over the sea as a frown worries between his brows, he pushes down the urge to talk about it. ]

I'm glad we ended up here together, Keith.

[ There's clearly more he wants to say, and it's maybe fortuituous that Keith's a natural listener -- he's never been one for words, and instead of pushing him on it verbally, Keith gently, quietly invites more of what Shiro intends to hold back.

He never has to hold back, not with Keith. ]

Yeah?

[ Shiro can talk about it all he wants, and Keith will listen. ]

[ There are things Keith shouldn't have to deal with, dark themes that Shiro sometimes feels full of. They've already discussed how Keith has grown up, as if it weren't long made obvious by now, yet Shiro holds back a little from oversharing. The selfish part of him whispers that there is no one else he could possibly speak to about this and Keith would want to know. ]

I don't think I've always done so well on my own. Understatement of the century.

[ Prosthetic fingers ruffle his hair out of his eyes, not wanting it to look like he's hiding from the conversation. ]

[ Shiro takes care of everyone else -- who takes care of him? Keith doesn't see him the way everyone does, even if Keith believes wholly in him. Where the others see a legend, a man worth emulating and following after, he sees all that and more: he sees the man behind what Shiro has earned for himself.

The man, vulnerable and fallible, strong but who needs a hand up now and then. He sees Shiro for who he really is, and he stays by him without question. Keith is patient when it comes to Shiro, and he waits for a few moments before quietly adding: ]

Tell me about it?

[ What harm can memories do? Lips pursed, he grips the edge of the sunroof and hooks his swaying heels together, gaze somewhere around Keith's shoulder as Shiro settles in. ]

Y0XT39. That's what they called the man they let escape, it was his designation. I ... remember being on the table, their murmurs about being suitable for Project Kuron. But ... when I was on that planet I found evidence someone else had been there before me, someone who must have had a weapon like my old arm. Or the actual thing. Markings inside a huge monster's skeleton, cutting it up from the inside-out.

[ Head bowed lower in deep thought, he holds back a shiver as the conclusion is so easily reached in hindsight. ]

I wasn't the first man they sent to take his chances on that planet, but I was the last. [ How many Shiros died in that frozen wasteland, or were devoured by monsters? Distress softens his voice. ] They sent me there to die, over and over, and I ... they always died alone. When I woke up in that well, I know it's stupid but I was ... I was scared again, just for a few minutes until I got out. The man who crashed to that planet didn't want to have to take his chances again.

[ Apparently memories can do a lot of harm, because Keith feels his heart breaking. That old woman has done one hell of a lot of damage to him, physically and otherwise, and the thought of that hag sending all the Shiros over there to die, over and over again, sickens and infuriates him all at once.

And then there's Shiro. This Shiro, his Shiro, who still looks so shaken by it that he can't help but reach out to touch his shoulder, leaning closer in a bid to offer comfort, to remind him that he's not there anymore. But he knows, too, the effects of trauma, and that Shiro needs time to process this, however he can have it. ]

Shiro...

[ The words will haunt him for ages, he just knows. The thought of it already does -- the desperation of all the Shiro's that Keith hadn't saved, clones of him. He squeezes his shoulder briefly, as if his closer proximity could chase away his shiver. And for a moment, he hates this place for reminding Shiro of it. Shiro, and Y0XT39. ]

Shiro -- listen to me. [ He draws himself up, lightly touching his cheek now, so that he'll look at him. Keith is saddened, but determined. Steady. If Shiro needs someone to depend on, then let it be Keith; he can carry them both. ] I won't let you be on your own for that long again. I'll always find you, I promise. Do you remember what I said?

[ As many times as it takes. ]

[ Leaning into the warm hand at his cheek, he covers it with his prosthetic one and gives it a gentle squeeze as he lowers them to their knees, loosely holding on. It's grounding, as ever, to have Keith near. Shiro doesn't want to seem like a complete mess and admit he was scared of the confined dark that also resembled a cell; that would be too much. It's egotistical but he doesn't want to lose Keith's respect. ]

I remember. I remember everything you said.

[ You're my brother. I love you. At the absolute least, Keith is his family. The other Paladins too, but Keith is ... He's Shiro's anchor. The sun that Shiro can only orbit as Keith grows stronger every day. ]

I'm sorry things are never easy for us.

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