[Open] Back in Black

[padadin]

Who: Shiro and you
Broadcast: Yes!
Action: Also yes (Blameless)
When: Saturday morning

1. Friday night - closed to Kate - action

[He leaves the same way he showed up in the Marsiva: with the blink of an eye, a poof. Time passes at home - a long time in fact, long and awful, and his memories of the fleet never visit him there. So when he finally returns (again, in the same way, just a poof) those two set of memories collapse, leaving him a bit shaken, and with a chill running through his body under his armor (which he's wearing right now, helmet included).

He doesn't realize where he is at first - doesn't notice that the place he's landed on it's too soft, doesn't notice the presence of a woman and a dog next to him. At first he just sits up on the bed and cries out--]

Guys! Keith!

[And it's then, sitting up and letting his eyes meet something else than a ceiling, that he realizes he's not in Voltron anymore.]

What-- [He takes his helmet off, showing his new haircut, and looks around, giving his mind a moment to put the memories together. Hard to do when he finally turns and sees her, though. His eyes widen and his heart skips a beat.] ...Kate?

2. Saturday morning - open - video (or action if you want)

[Ah yes, a video broadcast, which is... not what Shiro intended. He's trying for just voice here, but we all know Atroma. If someone is getting glitched, then that's getting recorded. Gotta take care of those ratings! So when the video starts, Shiro isn't looking at the screen of the communicator resting on the sink, he's looking at himself in the mirror, a little frown on his face. He's only wearing a white tanktop, which shows some of the scars and gashes on his shoulders and muscled arms (or more like arm), and his hair is... well. Different, to say the least.]

Good morning, fleet. This is Shiro. Me and my team came back last night. I wanted to rest before talking to everyone but-- [A sigh.] I don't think Atroma likes it when I take breaks. [To be fair, the universe doesn't like it when Shiro takes breaks. He looks down at the strands of hair in his hand (it seems he's tried to cut it with no luck) and throws them in a bin before picking up the communicator and leaving the bathroom. Sorry for the awkward angle there!] Has anyone ever tried to counter or stop an augment glitch before? Can it be done?

[He doubts it, but can't hurt to ask. Back in the hallway, there's something waiting for him - or more like someone. A someone that barks, and Shiro's expression finally softens before he crouches to pick up certain ball of black and purple fur.]

I suppose not all gifts are that bad if-- [Just like that, the feed is suddenly off. Guess who thinks the communicator is a chewing toy?]

Comments

[ladybro]

[ -- kate's curled up on her side, cozy in her pajamas, but she's far from asleep. the light in her quarters is dim and soft and just illuminating enough to read by. she has a book propped open between her fingers and a pillow folded under her head. whatever she's reading, it's hardly earthly in origin. some dense high-brow lit piece picked up on a planet ages, ages, ages ago. truth be told, it's her third time trying to get through it. it reminds her of a thick russian novel in all its complexity, which is usually right up kate's street, except it's harder when you barely understand the alien nuance.

but there's nothing nuanced at all about a sudden shout behind her shoulder and -- futzing hell, she replies, and sits bolt upright beside... ] Shiro?

[ shiro. lucky, who up until now was curled up in a ball at the foot of the bed, suddenly stretches up onto four paws and bull-charges his way toward the blameless's other captain. it's hard to say whether he misses the man, or whether he's concerned about the sudden stranger in his hawkeye's bed. ]

You're back -- [ helpful, kate. she looks at him, stunned, while trying to sit up, keep her balance, and haul lucky back by his collar all at once. her messy bun flops while she shakes her head in disbelief. ]

[padadin]

[It takes him a moment to respond, because if someone can shake all his memories, it sure is her. Almost a year here plus around a year of being away collapse and gosh.

He's missed her. So much.

He isn't sure how that feeling is even forming, considering he didn't have his fleet memories at home, but it's there and he accepts it, the sight of her being even more welcome for that reason and helping scare the last chill away.]

...I am back. I-- I went home. It was... so long. Many months. I think maybe a year. So much happened. Kate, I--

[A gloved hand reaches out, as if to confirm she's real, but at the last second he goes for Lucky's head to calm him down. He doesn't know where she stands, after all, because--]

How long was I gone here? Is my team okay?

[As far as he knows, she could've gotten a new co-captain by now.]

[ladybro]

[ it occurs to her late (too late, really) to finally haul her ass out of bed and stand up. she's in long lounge pants and a loose tank -- nothing fancy, nothing notable, nothing beyond comfortable.

she touches her forehead with a pair of fingers, scratching idly as she considers what's happened. it's not the first time she's witnessed something like this. but it is the first time she's witnessed it from so close a proximity. kate exhales. ]

I -- I don't know. [ she answers the question about his team first. a flood of strange relief fighting with concern. ] They disappeared when you did. As far as I know, they haven't returned.

[ yet. that's an important distinction. ]

[padadin]

[She's standing up from her-- oh. OOOOH yeah this is awkward. Shiro hurries to stand up too, blushing a bit as he mumbles a sorry and moves to rest his body against a wall.]

I see. [That's... news, he supposes. He isn't sure if good or bad, so he better not think about it too hard.] I'll text them in a moment then.

[Because he just saw them, and he still isn't sure how to feel about them being dragged here again. How he feels about himself being dragged here again. He's needed at home but... here is Kate, and it'd be extremely dumb of him not to admit how happy he is to see her again. So his team can wait one more moment and he can do a little selfish thing for a change. She's good at making him do that.]

And how long have we be gone? Has it been months here too?

[Because he can't tell from her reaction. She's shocked, of course, so he needs to wait... but he's nervous.]

[ladybro]

Four days, more like.

[ she barely registers his blush, his mumble, his awkwardness. she's not embarrassed; she never was. and kate knows there's a bigger conversation to be had here. one that goes beyond the fact that she's in her pajamas, that he turned up in her bed, that lucky still seems inclined to make quiet unsettled boffs in the back of his throat. ]

Almost five. [ jesus. ] Have you really lived months? Oh my God, is everything alright?

[padadin]

That's not even a week. Such a big difference...

[A metal hand reaches up to rub his forehead - he knows time passes different here, that's The Fleet 101. But living through it is a whole different deal. Kate's calm and casual in her room and that tells Shiro that at least it's been quiet five days. He didn't abandon his co-captain in the middle of a crisis. Thank god for small favors.

He nods at her question, his hands tightening on his helmet. They've been very hard months, and he wants to unload for sure, but he doesn't think that's something you do just like that in this situation. "Yes, hi, I just showed up in your bedroom after a week, let me tell you how much my life sucks". Nah.]

Everything is... still war. Still complicated. But we're alive, and we took back one third of Zarkon's empire. [He sounds tired, oh so tired, obviously having gone through more shit, but Shiro is gonna Shiro, so he tries to "lighten the mood" in that dumb way of his. He offers a little smile.] Unless you mean my haircut, then I'll let you be the judge of that.