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[pidge_out]

 


Hey, it's Pidge. Can't answer right now-- Rover quit it! --so leave a message and I'll get back to you when I can.
Rover, what did I say--?!?!

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[shiro2hero]

How was it confusing?

[It was perfectly clear to him!]

[Haunter sighs. Kuro sighs. The ghost actually vanishes for a minute.]

[pidge_out]

[She will not join the chorus of sighing Pokémon. Though she shares their exact feelings.

Maybe she should kick this up a notch.]

Well... I guess you were already pretty close to my dad.

[shiro2hero]

Yes... but your dad. Isn't here.

[Something else has attracted the attention of the pokemon. The big ones anyway. Most of them, except for Blue, duck off the porch and around the side of the house.]

[Over where Haunter can be heard yammering away -- "Gen! Gen gen!"]

[pidge_out]

[Pidge's eyes dart momentarily toward the commotion amongst Shiro's Pokémon, but then settle right back on Shiro. She's naturally curious, but this... awkward talk seems to be very important to Shiro.]

Oh right. So then you mean Matt.

Were you guys not friends before?

[shiro2hero]

[Don't worry Pidge, Blue is sitting here making the same hand motions over and over again. Hoping his trainer will notice and do something about it.]

[He does not.]

No, I mean. We knew each other. But we didn't... know each other.

[Blue sort of melts.]

[pidge_out]

[Pidge is starting to like Blue.]

... "Know each other"..?

[She echoes his own words back at him the way a confused little kid might. Please, do continue to attempt to explain the birds and the bees, Shiro.]

[shiro2hero]

Yes. Do you... you get what I'm trying to say, right?

[Don't look at him with that face. Don't make him do this. Pidge you're smarter than this.]

[Blue makes strangling motions.]

[pidge_out]

[She's going to let her head tilt a little more to the side and work those big puppy eyes the best way she knows how. Matt's nearly immune to them, but they still work on her dad after all these years, so Pidge is banking that they'll work on Shiro.]

[shiro2hero]

[Where is the Voltorb hoard when you need someone to kill you?]

That's... really not an answer, Pidge.

[pidge_out]

[Pidge just gives him a little shrug, then.]

You're being... pretty vague, Shiro.

[shiro2hero]

[Because this isn't an emergency and he's genuinely worried she's going to have a bad reaction.]

[He takes a deep breath.]

I know. But it's something -- it's important and it's delicate...

[Which is exactly when Shiro's pokemon come back. Carrying handmade signs. Most of which are still dripping fingerpaints.]

[There are five of them. Kuro, Green, Yellow, Red and Haunter. Each of their signs has one word. Except the last one. It has an exclamation point. Put together, behind Shiro's back, the signs read, boldly:]


HE'S DATING YOUR BROTHER !

[pidge_out]

[Shiro's Pokémon are too cute. The signs are all perfect. Which is why Pidge is fighting down that smile again for the sake of continuing to troll her friend and team leader. She still can't even believe that he's having a hard time with this.]

If it's important, just tell me what it is. You know you can tell me anything, right?

[shiro2hero]

[She's smarter than this. She's... got to be able to figure this out. Right? She can put these pieces together.]

I know that. If it were anything else... then it wouldn't be an issue.

[Blue glances to where the others are... and then promptly power slides under the signs to gesture at them.]

I'm -- involved with someone. Here.

[pidge_out]

[Oh Shiro. Why can't you be as direct as literally all of your Pokémon.]

Oh. That's good.

[She's dying here. Shiro can probably hear the unspoken And..?]

[shiro2hero]

And... that's all. That's --

[That's not all. But he puts his face in his hands anyway, sort of flopping into one of the porch chairs.]

I don't know why this is so hard to tell you.

[pidge_out]

[The eyebrow. It arches way way up.]

Would it help if you pretended you were telling someone else?

[shiro2hero]

[His pokemon are leaning in so close with their signs, the fingerpaint is about to drip on his dense head.]

Considering the only other person I told out loud was... someone who walked in on us?

Not really.

[Just give him a second to breathe.] It's harder to tell you because I know you better. I value your opinion of me. A lot. And I don't want to do something that would change how you see me.

[pidge_out]

[Don't laugh, Pidge. No matter how funny the thought of Shiro and Matt getting caught in flagrante delicto is, they are both definitely the type to become horrifically traumatized by the embarrassment.

She'll go the route of being nice this time. Take a step closer and lay a hand on his shoulder. Offer a genuine smile.]

Shiro, nothing you could tell me right now will do that. Promise.

[shiro2hero]

[Admittedly, he didn't know what he was expecting. Matt said this was all going to be all right. He trusted him, of course he trusted him. But there was the nagging doubt, the low key concern she'd put on a brave face for her brother and not -- well.]

[It was stupid to worry about. For a split second, when he meets her eye, there's that weary look on his face again. The one that says he's doing too much fretting.]

[He puts his hand over hers.]

Even if I said ... I'm in love with your brother?

[pidge_out]

[Dammit, Shiro. She was going to troll you right until the very end. How dare you give her such a concerned, earnest look and tell her things like that.

Well, she can at least make one last comment to keep him on his toes. And even maintain a mostly straight face as she does.]

..Is that what you're saying?

[shiro2hero]

[Wow, even the pokemon sort of deflate. Dangit, they'd been here to embarrass their trainer and now it's feelings time. So Kuro and Haunter start shoving the others aside.]

[One more deep breath, before he nods.]

Yeah. That's what I'm saying.

[pidge_out]

[Pidge's eyes widen. Her mouth drops open just the slightest bit. Her fingers tense around their place on Shiro's shoulder.]

Oh...


Well, finally.

[And it all goes slack. Even makes way for a little smile.]

I felt like I was pulling your teeth out here.

[shiro2hero]

[You know, in the moment she pulls that little shock stunt, his blood runs cold. Like ice. He's pretty sure his heart just stopped.]

[He shouldn't panic. But so help him, he does right then.]

... finally?

[Confusion clouds over the brief string of aborted panic.]

You knew?

[pidge_out]

[She gives Shiro a truly warm smile.]

I'm also not surprised. At all.

[shiro2hero]

[Please give him a moment to process this.]

...

You're not?