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[businessinfront]

"This is Keith. Leave a message."


( text ⋆ voice ⋆ video )

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[shiro2hero]

i may not have had the energy to make it back to bed after
everything
im sleeping in here

[businessinfront]

[ A minute later, there's a knock on the bathroom door, and Keith peers in with two pillows and a blanket stacked precariously in his arms. ]

This is what I meant by "Shiro fine."

[shiro2hero]

[True to word, he's. Sprawled out in the bathtub. It's too short, which makes his legs poke out one end. While he's wrapped up in a towel, looking like a dude who's spent one hell of a night being sick. Looking up at the ceiling like it's personally offended him.]

I'm not dying.

[YEAH BECAUSE THAT'S REASSURING.]

[businessinfront]

[ Keith thinks, distantly, that he should probably be more concerned about picking up whatever Shiro has by getting this close. On the other hand, it's probably too late, and the house is contaminated anyway. In for a penny, in for a pound.

He crouches by the tub. ]

What would you say if you walked in on me sleeping in the bathtub?

[shiro2hero]

First instinct?

"Which bet is this about?"

[It's one of those lame attempts at humor. One of those morbid jokes intended to brush off the seriousness of the situation. One of those he usually makes when it's him in bad shape.]

Or... "who locked you out of your room".

[businessinfront]

[ Touché. ]

... I guess we're different people.

[ He holds out a pillow a little awkwardly, like he isn't sure whether to hand it to Shiro or try to tuck it behind his head in some kind of TV-motherly gesture he has no idea how to perform in real life. ]

I, uh. Just realized I should have offered to help you to your room instead of. This.

[shiro2hero]

I'm mostly kidding.

[Mostly.]

[The pillow gesture earns a real smile, though. Albeit a weak one. He reaches to take it, opting for metal instead of flesh -- it's less shaky.]

Hey, don't worry. I'm... making this work. Kinda.

[businessinfront]

That's only kinda reassuring.

[shiro2hero]

Better than... not even remotely reassuring?

[businessinfront]

I'm not gonna grade on a curve just because you're sick.

[shiro2hero]

Do I get points for lying down, at least?

[shut up Shiro, no one wants to hear your awful Jokes-slash-Coping Mechanisms.]

[businessinfront]

I guess so. But you're still gonna have to do some extra credit if you want to pass.

[ Keith is doing his best to play along, to sound mildly chastising instead of worried. He's not doing a very good job, though; his voice is tight and he can't stop frowning. ]

[shiro2hero]

You just told a joke.

I'm so proud.

[No, he can tell his teammate is worried. It's easy to tell. So, of course, he's doing his best to lighten the mood. With stupid, continued teasing.]

[businessinfront]

[ That just makes him flustered, which is... better? Maybe. ]

I can be funny.

[shiro2hero]

I know... I know. But it's nice to hear.

[Come on buddy take the compliment.]

[businessinfront]

[ Fine, but he's not going to like it. ]

... Can I get you anything? Besides...

[ All of this bedding. For the tub. ]

[shiro2hero]

I honestly can't think of anything.

[Nothing that won't... reappear... anyway.]

Just -- look after yourself, okay? If you start feeling off, at all...

[Because of course, he's going to be more concerned about everyone else than himself. That's just typical.]

[businessinfront]

I'll... act responsibly. Should probably do the decontamination thing they're talking about, too.

[ Even if he's suspicious about it. ]

[shiro2hero]

Angela seems to think it's safe.

[A pause, before he adds:] She's a friend. A doctor -- she's the one who put my shoulder back together, before you guys got here.

[businessinfront]

Introduce us sometime?

[ A beat, as he realizes. ]

... wait, what happened to your shoulder?

[shiro2hero]

No problem. Probably... going to end up being sooner than later, all things considered.

[He grimaces for a second.]

Remember when you guys got here? The whole sling thing. [His expression gets sheepish.] Guess whatever my arm's made of doesn't extend to my shoulder.

Took a hit too hard and it kind of. Broke.