synopsychic | (no subject)

I am positive you aren't dead. [It's been what's kept him hopeful. He's seen the footage. Not going to let himself believe otherwise. ] Ok, I'm going to go radio-silent for a bit, but I will be there as fast as I can. Stay right there for me.

But... you're dead. How would you know if I am or not?

[He stays where he is, though, standing on the top of the saucer, looking thin, weak, and more than a bit scared.]

[Shiro looks his reflection right in the eyes. ]

Because I am not dead. I escaped the Galra, Matt. And I found friends. Allies. We're going to take down Zarkon and his empire. We're been fighting him ever since I escaped. I don't know what they told you, but I am still alive, and I am going to find you and get you home safely. And I'm going to come get you now and bring you to a safe, quiet place where we can talk. I'm not going to hurt you, and neither is anyone else.

[Or so help him he will put someone in the floor. ]

You're not? You're... out there somewhere?

[It's the most of a sliver of hope he's had in quite a long while.]

Someone needs to take that asshat down. Won't be me. I'm not exactly useful in that regard.

I'm alive, and I'm looking for you. So just... hang on for me. I'll be right there.

[The visuals vanish, along with Shiro's voice, while he uses everything in his power to get himself to Matt as fast as he can. ]

I'll be here, Shiro. I'd wait forever for you.

[And wait he does, standing on the top of the saucer.]

Leaving aside the fact that 'I'd wait forever for you' seems very strange to be coming out of the mouth of someone he got kidnapped by hostile aliens, maimed, and then abandoned, Shiro finds that it is extremely helpful to be able to listen to Matt's voice on the network. It keeps him focused. Makes him more and more certain that this isn't a dream or a hallucination.

Which makes it so much easier to believe when he jets up above the fog again and spots an auburn head atop a saucer. It's a good thing Altean energy lasts a lot longer than Earth's because he burns it hot and long getting over there.

"Matt!" Landing a few meters away, he pelts to the saucer and vaults onto the stupid rim, holding up his hands for Matt to take. "Hey, it's me, it's going to be ok."

"Shiro!" Matt all but runs over, throwing his arms around his friend. He's shaking, still in his slave rags, and much thinner than when Shiro last saw him, but he's still Matt, still the same dork as he was.

"It's so good to see you. I've missed you so much, and they said you were dead. Not just the Galra, the other slaves too."

The sight of him strikes deep at Shiro's heart, but he doesn't have time for guilt and grief - there's a young man flying at his chest.

"Oomph!" Usually he's pretty good at staying upright, but the saucer rocks and sends them head over tail onto the ground. Shiro's laughing, though, automatically sheltering Matt's head and neck and holding him as close as he can.

"Stars, Matt, I've missed you too. You have no idea. Are you hurt? How long has it been since..." His voice hitches and he reroutes. "Since we parted?"

Matt's startled, but he wraps his arms around Shiro, just letting the other man hold him. It feels so right, so comfortable, and he sighs, just a tiny bit.

"Sorry about that. I didn't really think about the instability of this thing." He smiles up at Shiro, then buries his face in his shoulder. "I'm fine. Nothing really of note." Other than the massive scarring on his back, and a new bit of ink. He thinks for a moment, shrugging his thin shoulders. "I don't know how long it's been. A while. I lost track of days."

Shiro helps them sit up, but he doesn't push Matt away, letting him decide if he wants to sit in Shiro's lap. "Ok. First thing you should know is that this is liminal space. A kind of pocket universe, I think, between other universes." He sighs and mutters, "I hate string theory."

Without really thinking, Matt climbs into Shiro's lap and just stays there, curled up and trying not to shake. "Space between spaces. I get it. There were always old stories of strange places on Earth that people called Liminal Spaces. Mostly highway rest stops. Or gas stations in the middle of nowhere."

Shiro's heart hammers against the inside of his breastplate, and he can't help but smile, a small, private, goofy smile, as he cradles Matt close and strokes his arm. "Yeah... Only this one's bigger and doesn't take the same shape twice. It sounds like you met one of the people running this place. Everyone seems to have come face to face with at least one of them once. Whatever else they can do, they seem to be able to reach across time and pull people from different parts of the same timestream or from parallel universes."

He hesitates and his voice goes softer, gentler. "So for me... I'd estimate that it's been about two years since we last saw each other."

"Yeah. I... really don't know much about the one I met. She said she has a lot of names. And she's one of seventeen that are, twenty-one that were, and many that came before. Something like that." He takes a breath and shrugs, curling up even more.

"I lost track of time. It's hard to know how long it's been when you're constantly going to different planets with different rotations and orbits. It's been... a while."

"Yeah... It's ok. You're safe now. I'd like to stay with you, if that's okay," Shiro says quietly. "If not, that's ok too. There's plenty of room here for you to be by yourself or with other people."

"No!" It comes out much more panicked than he means it to. "Don't go. I've had enough of being alone. I just... I missed you. And I know that you've probably moved on, and that's ok, because you deserve to be happy, but I missed you so much it was like my heart was ripped apart, and I was just numb...."

"Hey, woah! Woah, Matt, no, it's okay, it's ok. Take a deep breath for me? Look at me. Look at my face. I'm here." He lifts Matt's hand to his cheek. "Same old stupid Shiro putting his foot in his mouth. I'm not going anywhere if you don't want me to. There is no place I'd rather be than right here with you. I promise."

"You're not stupid. Never stupid." He takes a shaky breath, calming down. His hand on Shiro's cheek is steadying and comforting. "I'm sorry. I... think I've become even more fragile. I'll get better. I promise. It's just... been a while."

"You've been through a lot. Don't push yourself, ok? You'll heal at your own pace, and I'll help as much as I can. Maybe we can help each other." He reluctantly lets go of Matt's hand. "Is it ok if we get up and start walking? Or do you need to sit a little bit longer?" He doesn't like being out in the open under the fog with inexpert pilots all over the place.

"I want to help you. I'm sure you've been through a lot too, and I know you. You're too noble to tell anyone you're hurting, so you stuff all of your problems down." He slowly peels himself out of Shiro's lap, standing up. "No, I'm fine. In fact, I think I'd rather not be in such an... open space. Are there like... indoor places around here somewhere?"

Shiro snorts as he stands up. "Noble my backside. But yeah, there's one place that does stay stable for some reason. People call it The Workshop, but it feels more like a combination cafe and inn. A buffet and common area downstairs and then a free-for-all claim your own room set of bedroom suites with shared bathrooms upstairs. I grabbed one half of an empty pair, and I thought maybe you could take the key for the other half. Then you can have your own space, but you can always come into my room if you want and we don't have to worry about sharing with strangers."

Reorienting himself is weird in the fog, and he hops up on the saucer rim for a moment. "Ah. That way. Ok. Ready?"

"That sounds good. I, um, probably won't be in the other room much, but we could use it for storage? Not that I have anything to store right now, or really anything at all, but, um. Maybe I can get some things to store?" He appreciates not having to share with strangers, though.

As Shiro finds his way, he nods. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Maybe we can get someone to combine them into one room for us or change part of it into a living room or something. We'll just pretend we're back at the dorms."

Hopping down, he tentatively offers Matt his hand.

"A living room sounds good. Maybe if there are such things around a video game machine or some books or something." He manages a small smirk. "Or training equipment for you, Mister Muscles." He can see that even through the armor.

He hops down as well, taking Shiro's hand without hesitation. Yes. Good. This is right.

"You know, I bet people could make video games or bring them back from visits to other worlds, and I know there are books about. One section of the workshop seems to be a library tower." He has to smile, taking Matt's hand for the first time in years. He may not care for this whole business, but he is grateful, at least, for this. If only Katie could be here too.

He leads the way through the mists toward the spotlight he'd marked. "Hey, I didn't ask for muscles. They came with the territory."

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Acti--who are we kidding it's prose because I suck at action but you know what I mean

Works for me.

I appreciate you

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