video; un: shiro

[shiro2hero]

[Oh hi Shiro, long time no see on the network. That's because this is a last-ditch effort. He looks pretty darn not great, despite the fact it's Sleep Season for Warmbloods. Maybe it's the Arena. Maybe it's the River. Something honestly, sincerely traumatic that's happened already.]

[His face is in his hands, hunched over the counter in his kitchen. The omni in front of him. Voice haggard and quiet. Like he has a migraine.]

I will pay... however much anyone wants. For coffee beans. Espresso beans. Don't even have to be cooked. Roasted. Doesn't matter.

[... Or it's caffeine withdrawl.]

Or tea leaves. I don't care.

[Please, he is Suffering.]

Comments

[shiro2hero]

Huh, I didn't know that, actually. I'll have to talk to her about it when I see her next.

[He hadn't known. Granted, he didn't know a lot of people with healing ability. He'd known Allura... but, well.]

Well - if you ever need somewhere to duck out for a bit, we've got a spare couch or two.

[entreats]

[ .. it's a sweet offer. And therefore unsurprising, coming from Shiro.

And though it makes Ange smile a little, it's a complicated smile. ]

Well, I can't.. just leave her to deal with it alone.

[ That's the main problem. ]

We have to be together through the good and the bad, right? Even when it feels like it's close to driving me crazy.

[shiro2hero]

[That gets a smile out of him. Tired, a little sad, but it's still there.]

You're a good partner. Not everyone would stick with someone through dramatic life changes like that.

[hahahah... hah.]

[entreats]

.. it's only natural if you like someone that much, right?

[ Sure, it's not like Ange doesn't know a lot of people just dip out when things get tough, but.. it really does just feel natural to her to stick by someone you care about that much, no matter how hard things get.

It's by that same logic that Ange can't help but fuss about everyone she cares about - Shiro included, hence why she replied in the first place when he isn't exactly looking his best at the moment. ]

No one would want someone that important to suffer by themselves.

[shiro2hero]

[Silence on Shiro's end. It's something they'd tried to work through, something they'd talked about. Ruby having weird new powers isn't even remotely comparable but... the way Ange phrases it is. Sticking by someone important while they suffered. So they weren't alone.]

[The loneliness ghosts through him then, sharp and sudden. Like he'd been sent back to all those years ago. His own fault, he'll say until he runs out of breath to say it with.]

No, they really wouldn't, you're right.

Still - if you two need anything, you know where I am.

[entreats]

[ Ange is quiet for a very brief moment, but then a soft sound escapes her, like a breath that intermingles with a small sound that borders on both fondness and amusement. ]

I think you have a few more problems to deal with right now than that.

[ Please, Shiro. She's not going to make you involve yourself in this while you're struggling with caffeine withdrawl. ]

I'm pretty sure I can just grab a bucket of water and live.

[shiro2hero]

It's not a problem - it's just an offer.

[And a better focus, honestly, than brooding over who isn't here.]

[Or on the way his head is pounding.]

According to Eddie, a 'bucket of water' is what I need too.

[entreats]

[ ... ]

To drink?

[ Those two words sound so confused, since Ange apparently has no idea where that advice was headed. She's never had to deal with anything like this before.

Are you going to drink an entire bucket of water, Shiro? ]