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[ video -> voice | un: keith ]

[The video was brief, kind of like that moment when you activated the camera on your phone and forgot it was in selfie mode. The omni shook and rotated, leaving the viewer with a dizzying array of scenery that was kind of blurry and hard to make out. It was dark, though, like the person broadcasting was in a closed room with no lights on.

As the video shifted, glimpses of a person could be seen. A hand... the fingernails-turned-claws bitten down short as if trying to cover the transformation... a burn scar on the right side of a face... dark, almost black, hair with a purple tint, long-ish, shaggy looking, a thin white streak with a extremely slight violet hue to it near the left temple... pale skin... deep cobalt eyes that looked exhausted with dark tired bruises underneath from lack of sleep...]

Shit-...

[And the video was gone. It was just voice now, Keith's voice, but raspier than usual, worn sounding, loaded with regret and guilt and just... sad.]

I um... [He was hesitant. Unsure.] I wanted to... apologize. [His tone faltered, like he was searching for words, having trouble forming them and getting them out.] I... I did a lot of stuff last month. Just um... Yeah. The Reckoning took care of it.

But... if you still want... you know. Fine. I understand. I won't stop you.

[And then the feed shut off.]

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All right, all right...

[He falls quiet for a bit, after that. Waiting for Keith to finish, to work out what he wants to say.]

Panic attack. [He says it as gently as he can. But sincerely.] It happens. Especially here... especially after you've been through a hard time. Or more than one. You're probably going to feel like crud for a while after, that's normal.

Good to know... [And he really did feel horrible. His chest ached, he was exhausted, he felt like he was out of breath.] It really sucked. [Part of him felt like it was vaguely familiar, like from a long a time ago before he met Shiro, from around when his dad had died, but he wasn't sure. That had been a really rough time, and some of it was a bit spotty. The stress and grief had messed a bit with his memories, but he'd been young, too. Handling a trauma like that was a lot for a kid.

Either way, this was pretty darn clear on what had happened and how it felt, and he'd really like to not repeat that again, please... even if he had a feeling it might not be the last in a place like this.]

Sleep, or rest, hydrate... that's about the best thing you can do in the aftermath.

[Only one of which Shiro could ever do. Sleep seemed impossible, even with as tired as those episodes made you. He usually jumped into the next thing until he passed out.]

[Right now, though, it's about Keith, and making sure he gets comfortable.]

Need to go lie down?

[Keith tried to take a deep breath against the ache in his chest, and then nodded.]

Yeah... Yeah, I think I do.

[Hydrate, too... right. So getting some water into himself and hopefully trying to take a nap.]

I just don't know if I can sleep right now.

[There was still a lot going on in his head, and he had a feeling he might not get the kind of sleep he needed.]

That's okay. You don't have to sleep. Just rest.

[Sometimes people can absolutely crash after these times. Sometimes they can't. But laying down, taking it easy and getting your body working again - that's what's important. More than anything.]

Want to come back to the house? Kosmo can help.

[Keith nodded a bit. Yeah. Resting. Just being able to chill out and not think and not have to do anything. That sounded good. But...]

I don't know if I want to deal with anyone else right now.

[Peopling was hard on good days... this was definitely not a good day.]

Okay. That's your call. If you have somewhere to rest here, we can stay. Or... you can use our room, and we'll make sure no one bothers you.

[His and Adam's room. He's absolutely sure that would be all right, and that they could keep things quiet if need be.]

[Heck, his Omen could probably just sit by the door to discourage unwanted visitors.]

Either way, I'll stick around.

[Keith nodded.]

I mean... this is fine, I guess. [The loft. It was quiet, except for the occasional noise from the horses or from Kaltenecker downstairs. It didn't smell great, but it was kind of isolated from other people. It was one of the reasons he'd ended up here.]

I don't know.

[Part of him honestly didn't want to make a decision, either. It felt like too much in the moment. And if Shiro was going to stay...] Whatever's best...? What do you think? [Keith didn't want to force Shiro to be stuck in some smelly barn with him while he wallowed.]

I think... you'd probably be more comfortable in a real bed.

[He says it fairly gently, leaving room for Keith to disagree. It's just his opinion, here. He's not going to force his brother into anything.]

Blanket burrito, raid the tea stash... Picture him sitting outside the door on guard duty, with That Look. If anyone tried to cross him, I'd be stunned.

[That part, definitely is meant to be humorous. Meant to get a little grin out of Keith.]

Hm. [Yeah. It was kind of amusing. And the idea of wrapping up inside a blanket sounded good right about now. After all, it's not like the ones left behind in the barn were in good shape right now. Most of the stuff up there in the loft that was from when Lance was using it as an apartment was kind of musty and moldy by now.]

Okay. [Though, out of deference to Adam, Keith didn't feel right taking their room.] I can use my own room, though. But using Kosmo to sneak in doesn't sound half-bad.

Okay. Deal. We sneak you in with Cosmo, and you bundle up in your room.

[He's absolutely going to hang out in there though. Or just outside. He's got research he can do. Papers to go over. Easy enough to set up there.]

[Still, he doesn't make any move to get up.]

Let me know when you're ready. Until then, we can just stay here.

[Keith nodded.]

Okay. [He gave Kosmo a soft pat, and the wolf shifted to look back at the two of them for a moment before standing.] We can go now.

[As much as Keith didn't want to move, he didn't exactly want to stay, either, so maybe just doing it and heading over there now would be better. At least it wouldn't smell as stale and musty as an old barn loft filled with old and somewhat moldy furniture. Keith moved to get up, taking it slow. He was tired and felt a bit unsteady still, but he managed.]

Let's go then, Kosmo.

[He moves to stand when Keith does, shifting to better support him as he stands. Arm around his shoulders.]

[... Hopefully this teleport won't have the side effects it did back in Deerington. The last thing either of them need is turning up naked.]

[Thankfully not! They arrive in Keith's room still in their clothing! It was a bit of a stretch, not that the barn was that far from the Mouse House, and Kosmo was quite ready to climb on the bed and curl up for a nap. But he made it!

And, really, Keith wasn't far behind on that idea. Curling up on the bed sounded like the perfect idea.]

[Shiro, for his part, sticks around in the room long enough to make sure Keith gets settled. Then ducks out for a minute.]

[He's back with a water bottle, and a couple extra blankets he dragged from somewhere.]

Here. Want me to lock the door behind me? Or want me to stick around?

[Yes, water. That sounded amazing right now. Keith took it immediately and took a long sip. Then, it was time to create that blanket nest because that also sounded amazing right now. Kosmo was quite happy to settle in with the blankets, too, and just be a warm, fuzzy comfort pillow, providing physical contact and pressure to help Keith feel better.

Keith seriously considered the question for a moment, visibly weighing the two options against each other in his head. Making decisions could be hard on a good day, but his head was frazzled, and he was tired. That made it harder.

Eventually, though, he nodded slightly, not looking up at Shiro, yet, but still responding to him.]

I wouldn't mind you staying if you can. [He didn't want Shiro to feel obligated to stay, but just having someone else's presence in the room, someone who understood him and helped him feel safe, would be a comfort right now.] Could we still lock the door, though? [Just Shiro. No one else for a little while longer.]

I can stay.

[An easy answer, that. He can, too. And, once Keith makes his decision, he turns, locking the door. Just like that. No argument, no deliberating. Just to make sure, he sits cross-legged in front of the door, leaning up against it. The only things coming in would have to be paper-thin.]

[... Or his own Omen. Gently manifesting at his side, before the big lioness pads over to the bed. She hops up - lighter than she should be, and settles like a statue at the foot of the bed, golden eyes alert and watchful.]

... She's got your back, too. I'll do some reading, but I'll be right here. Okay?

[Keith nodded, taking a deep, but slightly shaky breath. He took another sip from the bottle, smaller this time, before closing it back up so it wouldn't spill. Putting it aside, he then sort of rolled himself up in the blankets, settling in between the two warm fuzzies that now flanked him. Kosmo shifted just enough to rest his head on Keith's side for that extra pressure.]

Thanks... [It was soft and maybe a bit muffled from the blankets, but Keith appreciated Shiro's quiet and easy support right now.]

Edited 2023-02-08 05:48 (UTC)

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[ video -> voice | un: keith ]

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