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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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[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?

[pidge_out]

Not at all.

[She says that like it should be obvious.]

[shiro2hero]

How'd --

How is it not a surprise?

[pidge_out]

[She smirks a bit.]

Have you seen yourself? I know my brother. He's probably crushed on you since way before Kerberos.

[shiro2hero]

What... really?

[That's -- new. And a little awkward.]

[pidge_out]

[She's speaking from an entirely objective standpoint.]

I wouldn't know for sure, but you could always ask.

Anyway, I'm happy for you both.

[shiro2hero]

That's not -- the kind of thing I want to get into. But --

[But then she goes and says that. And for a second, he's just staring like she revealed some big secret. The last bits of tension just bleeding away.]

[Then you know what?]

[It's hug time.]

That makes me -- I -- [Nope, hugs now.] I was worried about nothing, wasn't I?

[pidge_out]

[Oh, it's hugging time again, is it? As always, PIdge really only allows it because Shiro is one of the few people that are Allowed to do that, and she'll even hug him right back. Because she's glad that Shiro's happily in love with her brother. She's glad that he's happy. He deserves that.] You really were. [She laughs a little, the sound muffled slightly into his shirt.] It was fun to watch you flail about it, though.

[shiro2hero]

[It's absolutely hug time. Squeezing briefly. Because he really, really is happy it all worked out. That she's not angry. That she's happy, too.]

[He really doesn't know what he'd have done if she were angry.]

You were torturing me the whole time. You're something else.

[pidge_out]

Of course I was.

[She squeezes back briefly before pulling away just enough to flash an even brighter grin at him.]

But you should've seen your Pokémon. They were really trying to help you out.