[open] REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD

[onemind]

CHARACTERS: EVERYONE
WHERE: Station 72
WHEN: DAY :001
SUMMARY: The Hyrypia away team returns to Station 72.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. Need a warning added? PM this account please!

STATION 72
DAY :001

HOMECOMING
THE STEALTH SHIPS JUMPS AWAY and leaves the brassy marble of Hyrypia, a dismantled war, and a tentatively reunited people behind it. The jump from the universe is nauseating - even with the symbiote's anchoring quality, bodies displace poorly -, but surely it's no competition over the shared relief to be done with that place. There could be happiness. There should be. But surely the quiet prone figures in the back of the ship are a morbid reminder of everything Hyrypia has cost.

This work isn't easy.

Luckily the burden won't be shouldered alone. The moment the stealth ships snaps into the space between spaces, an overwhelming sense of connectivity floods the symbiote mental link. Regardless of how many of your broodmates might remain, it's undeniable that the presence of other Hosts is somehow a relief. Involuntarily or otherwise, taut shoulders relax and anxious nerves smooth. It's fine. You made it. Welcome home.

The sense of comfort only solidifies as the ship penetrates the irregular hull of Station 72, as its engines power down and the landing platform whirs upward to corkscrew the ship back into its rightly place on the hangar deck. 'Tik, tik, tik' whirr the engines as they fade. With the flip of a switch, the boarding ramp's hydraulics kick on and the rear of the ship opens itself -- to waiting faces, likely.

"Thank you for joining us today on the HMS Squid," says Rhan, all smiles and cheer as she unbuckles her safety harness. "Don't forget to take your belongings from where you've stowed them and return your seats to their upright positions, et cetera et cetera."

She gives the assembled away team a last, well practiced wink. "Now unless you really haven't anything better to do, feel free to get the hell off my boat darlings."

---

((OOC Notes: This is the catch-all log for the return to Station 72. If you have any questions, please hit up the FAQ or MOD CONTACT pages!))

NAVIGATION • GAME CALENDAR • MISSION: HYRYPIA • FAQ • MOD CONTACT • GLOSSARY

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

Dorito's BACK | ota

[shiro2hero]

[He wants to scream. Wants to scream until his lungs are raw, because he felt her go. Felt the deaths like a fresh, oozing wound in his chest. The gaping, empty hole left behind too familiar by now. It's hard not to think on it and... remember. Hard not to compare it to seeing her body fall and drop and flung like a broken, lifeless doll like a lifeless broken doll like]

[His Ability had come on again. The anger coming out hard and hot to shove the feelings away and get those remaining through the fight. Regardless of what happened on his end. He'd lived. There are wounds to tend to, blood on his tattered robes and down the side of his face.]

[But he's alive. When others aren't.]

[Again.]


1) Arrival
[When the ship docks, lets them out, it takes the rest of his flagging energy to just collapse on a crate. Too worn down by thought and the sudden empty spaces in all their heads. Not to mention the cuts slashed across his torso, one arching down his cheek from the tip of his scar to his jawline.]

[He'll move. He'll move in a minute. For now... he just wants to close his eyes. There's exhaustion in everything of his -- from the ragged, broken shields to the way he sags in place. Five minutes.]

[Then he'll deal.]


2) 12 hours later...
[It's after crashing, hard. After waking disoriented and dazed and still thinking they're back on that planet. That when he wakes up he'll have to hear more bad news. But there's nothing save the Station. Okay -- okay, good to know.]

[After that, he can either be found in one of the life support areas, finishing patching up the injuries, his hair wet from the shower. There's purpling bruises all over previously scarred skin, but those he can't do much else about.]

[He knows he should be thinking about their next move, about what comes next... but he drifts into cryo anyway. Sitting cross-legged vigil in case anyone opens up their eyes.]

[When he ends up in the kitchen area, it's out of habit, more than anything. He's not really hungry. There's water and some fruit sitting untouched across from him. Eating is an effort. And he's just tired.]

[greentech]

[ Pidge finds him in the kitchen. It's not purely intentional, but she's also bone-tired. Also wanting to find someway to vocalize what just happened to them down there. How it all ended. She doesn't have the energy though. Instead she just drapes herself against his back, arms wrapped around him in a loose hug, cheek pressed to the nape of his neck as she takes slow, deep breaths.

When does it all end? Do they just keep going?

She doesn't really know. ]

[shiro2hero]

[As always, there's the incredible sense of relief that follows her presence nearby. Muscles he didn't realize he was holding tense relax. His arm reaches around to hold onto her in return.]

[Quiet. Just reminding each other they're still here. If anything had happened to her down there...]

Never thought I'd miss fighting Galra.

[It's a weak attempt at breaking the heavy silence. At least, fighting back in their universe, they knew what they were up against. They weren't always stuck in the dark...]

[... they didn't feel losses as keenly as they do, here.]

[greentech]

I wouldn't say I miss it. But it... felt simpler. Like... we knew who they were and what they did and how to fight them. This is... it's like punching the darkness or something.

[ It's frustrating and hard and difficult, especially when people die. Especially when they lose people. It radiates off of her, but it's suffused by his presence. Turned into something lower level, bearable. A sense of belonging. ]

We made it back, though. Right?

[shiro2hero]

Yeah. That's what it feels like, exactly. We knew what we were fighting. We knew... if we knocked out a fleet, it'd tick off Zarkon. Here...?

[Punching the darkness echoes a little. It's true. Right down to the darkness part. Everything about this enemy feels like it's shrouded, somehow. Nothing they do can get through that.]

[But even with that in mind, it's easy to sink into the comfort of her mind at his back. Literally and figuratively.]

Just like always, huh? That must mean you're stuck with me.

[greentech]

I'm not gonna complain about that.

[ Pidge sighs, cheek pressed into his back. She's just going to stay like this for a bit. Let her mind unwind and decompress. Try to figure out where she stands, what comes next. ]

Because that means you're stuck with me, too.

[shiro2hero]

Hah. I don't know of anyone who would.

[Except the bad guys.]

[He's not going to urge her away or hurry her along. This is helping both of them, in a way. Orienting, grounding, sorting out the tangles in his head. Easier to breathe.]

Glad to hear it. Who else would laugh at my stupid jokes?

[greentech]

I mean, Sam does, but that's not the same thing, right?

[ She's teasing.

Mostly.

What they have is totally different and that's fine. But poking fun helps. ]

[shiro2hero]

Sam is legally obligated to laugh at my jokes, thank you.

[It does help. Enough to where he ends up reaching over his head to drag his fingers through her hair.]

[Makeshift older sibling noogie.]

[greentech]

You're not married, there's no legal obligation there.

[ YET. ]

[shiro2hero]

I was... mostly joking. About the legal thing.

[He knows they aren't actually married. And it's not... something they've really talked much about. For a lot of reasons.]

[greentech]

[ Oops. Pidge waves her hand hastily. ]

Uh, so was I, actually - I guess it didn't come off so great-!

[shiro2hero]

It's okay. I'm not upset.

[He's really not. No worries, Pidge. He does turn more somber, though, pulling his hand away from ruffling through her hair.]

You doing all right? After all that back there?

[greentech]

I'm... OK. Which is better than I expected, I guess.

[ Breathe in, breathe out. ]

Could be worse. Right?

[shiro2hero]

Yeah, that's... good to be, all things considered.

[He does crane his neck around, though, trying to see her better.]

It could. And, you know I'm here if you need it.

[greentech]

[ Pidge shrugs and leaves her head resting between his shoulder-blades. He's really going to have to stretch to get a better look. ]

Yeah. I know.

[ There's a long pause. ]

Thanks. For everything.

[shiro2hero]

[Yeah all he can see right there is the top of her head. But he tried.]

Are you sure everything's... okay?

[He's quiet too, for a minute.]

You don't have to thank me. I told you -- I've got your back.

[greentech]

I mean, nothing's OK, but it's the usual level of not-OK things have been since we got here, so... I guess not too bad, all things considered. You know?

[ Just... everything. As per usual. ]

[shiro2hero]

Yeah. Yeah, I get what you mean.

[Nothing's okay. But they're getting stable.]

... And I know you'll tell me if it's ever otherwise. But I've always got to ask.

2 | kitchen

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Sam's been... distracted. Which is one word for "buried deep in the Station trying questionable means to rewrite the programming in Bucky's mind," but, well, close enough. He's preoccupied and not himself enough that he isn't there when Shiro arrives on the Station, because he can't quite make sense of, well, just about anything.

When he realizes that the strength of the connection he feels with Shiro is strong enough that it means that he can't be planetside anymore - when he realizes that his connection with November and Lakshmi is gone, and what that means, but that's something entirely different - Sam emerges, wrapping his connection with Shiro tightly around himself and using it to find Shiro where he's hovering in the kitchen.

He doesn't say anything.

It's not like he needs to, though, when his mind fills Shiro's the moment he comes within range. He'd use crashes, but - it's nothing that sudden or violent, it's more like coming home. When he steps into the kitchen, he unerringly makes his way to Shiro - and slams him up against a wall, pinning his wrists to the metal above his head as he kisses him, mental link swirling around Shiro's with I missed you I missed you I missed you as he presses against him like he's trying to see if they can both occupy the same space at the same time.

As his symbiote ability activates, automatically, healing whatever injuries and fatigue Shiro might have as Sam presses him against the kitchen wall. ]

[shiro2hero]

[It was already feeling a little easier, once he wasn't here alone. Once the familiar minds weren't limited to just Pidge. As much as he couldn't hold back from her, he hated dumping everything onto her shoulders. It wasn't fair to her. So he'd held back. Held it all in. Even when they returned.]

[Except when someone else is there. Someone else is there. Someone else is there.]

[Nothing stops him from turning as he feels Sam step into the room. Turns to meet him, openly as he can, feeling an overwhelming crash of affection and relief from the moment he feels that mind near his again. Someone's still here. Someone is back and he's glad he doesn't need words to tell him how much that means to him right now.]

[The echo of I missed you bounces between them, and the only reason he resists the hold, just for a moment, is because he wants to wrap Sam up in his arms as well. To hold onto him too. To verify how real he is... that it's not like Lakshmi or Lavellan or Keya. It's not like the minds gone dark and cold and left him here the last man standing the only one who got away]

[He's kissing back before he thinks about it, completely and utterly desperate for it.]

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ It's been too long. In hindsight, it hasn't actually been that long, not when you consider everything, but - Sam got used to Shiro always being in his mind, to being able to track their connection down and kiss Shiro whenever the hell he wanted. They've never been separated this long, not since Shiro first came to the Nest.

He doesn't know what it must have been like for Shiro back on the planet - and yet he does, because as soon as their minds twine around each other again, he can pick it up. He can feel the relief that Shiro feels at having someone else there, someone else real and alive and whole. And he can feel Shiro struggle against the hold, can feel why - and he wants it, too, wants to pull Shiro into his arms and let Shiro hold him tight in return, until they can't tell where one of them ends and the other begins, and yet -

And yet he wants this more. Wants to feel Shiro's desperation, the way he kisses back - wants to overwhelm Shiro to the point that he's not thinking about anything else than being back here, with him.

Let me - let me sweetheart, I got you. There's no words there, just a feeling, and Sam crosses Shiro's wrists together so he can hold them against the wall with one hand as he kisses him, letting his other hand push up Shiro's shirt and rest on his stomach.

I got you. ]

[shiro2hero]

[It does feel like it's been too long. Too many days. Like he's been on edge for years and only now realized what it's like not to be constantly hyper-aware of everything around them. Like finally being able to breathe again.]

[Which is ironic, considering his breath is currently coming in rasping, short inhales, while trying to kiss Sam as much and as deeply as he can. He's here. He's back. They made it out of there. He doesn't have to shoulder everything alone anymore. Doesn't have to remember the wrenching feeling of losing other minds while he's here.]

[While he's with Sam.]

[He wouldn't try to get his hands free otherwise, if he didn't want to hold onto him so badly right then, it almost chokes him. Almost makes his eyes sting and the sharp breaths choke in his throat.]

[All right, when that happens, his muscles go tense for totally different reasons, scars and muscle standing out sharply under Sam's hand. And he tries to hook a leg around one of Sam's. To pull him closer still.]

[Don't leave me again.]

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ He doesn't have to push his way into Shiro's mind to be there, to do his best to fill up the emptiness of loss and let it envelop him in turn. Their separation, everything that's happened in between - the aching distance and the shroud of death that hung over their exit from the planet - at least for a little while, they can let it go.

At least for a little while, Sam can let their connection widen so far he can no longer feel the edges of it, until the rest of the Nest is gone and there's nothing but them.

Welcome back, welcome home.

Sam presses closer when Shiro bids, slotting his leg neatly between Shiro's. And then closer still, wedging himself between Shiro's legs. He lets his hand slide down to where Shiro's leg is hooked around his and tugs - not quite hauling Shiro up, but almost, encouraging him to wrap his legs around Sam's waist as he presses him to the wall.

Never, his mind murmurs without saying a word, twining together with Shiro's until their bond flows deeper, burns brighter. Never again, it promises, forgetting that of the two of them, Shiro is the one who will be leaving.

It doesn't matter right now, not when they're so wrapped up in each other that it's hard for Sam to imagine being separated, so he can do his best to forget what it felt like. ]

[shiro2hero]

[Distantly, he's wondering -- if it was this bad to be apart for a mission, what's it going to be like if they manage to get home? How are they going to get through it?]

[But, suddenly, all of that fades. Everything in his head fades out to just Sam. To just the two of them and the feeling of the physical sensation. And he wants to bury himself in it. Bury himself in Sam and their connection. In someone who cares like this. Someone who is still here.]

[He still wants to hold onto him. Wants to cling onto him. His hands are busy, so his legs will have to do. So wrap him up he does. Arching into him and holding on with his legs like this is going to be ripped away at any moment. There's a desperation in every touch. In the bow of his body between wall and Sam.]

[I love you--]

[It's dangerously close to "I need you". He really should tell him how things went. He really should stop and be rational, but no. No, he needs to say other things beforehand.]

[Things that are just as important.]