synopsychic | (no subject)

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."

Matt brightens a bit, grinning. "Hey, point me at the library, and I'll be a happy scientist." He takes a deep breath, feeling comfortable for the first time in ages. Shiro's here, and everything's going to be alright. He might be able to relax and heal for once.

"I never said I didn't like it. In fact, I rather appreciate having a buff boyfriend." Not that it's the only thing, but Matt has to teas a bit.

Shiro's steps stutter to a halt and he stares at Matt. "You... still want to go out with me? After all of that? Matt... Are you sure? I hurt you! Pretty badly!"

Matt freezes, looking more than a bit scared. "You did what you had to, Shiro. I mean, I know I'm a mess and broken, and you might not want me anymore, but I..." He takes a breath. "The hope that everyone was wrong and you weren't dead was what got me through some days. You're a part of me, Shiro, and of course I still want to be with you, if you'll have me."

"I... Of course I will. Stars, Matthew, I hoped, but I never really thought that you would want me back. I figured that you'd be scared of me at the very least." He turns to face Matt properly, carefully taking both his hands. "I don't know why you're not."

"I couldn't be afraid of you, Shiro." Matt's expression looks like Shiro just told him he has three heads. "No matter what. It's just not possible. I... never really let you go to want you back, though."

"Oh," Shiro says weakly. This is all very different than what he had imagined. He tries to laugh it off. "You always did have more faith in me than I did." He searches Matt's face. "You're sure. After everything that's happened, all that I did to you, you really want this."

"Of course I do! We're stronger together, Takashi. Don't you remember that?" A bit of his panic threatens to come back. "Why are you so uncertain about it all? I mean, if you don't want me anymore, I'll deal, but I know all you did what what you believed you had to."

"I remember. Sorry, Matt." He rubs the back of his neck uneasily. "Too much time to think of all the ways it could go wrong, I guess." He smiles. "Don't mind me. I missed you. I'm just glad you're here."

I appreciate you

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