bakerstreet | thursday pic prompt

[He thinks, for however long she's going to be in his life, he's never going to have to wonder what's going through her mind or what she's feeling.

It's a trait he needs in people he keeps close to himself.

But it still drags at him, watching the way her face changes, watching the thoughts fly over her face

watching the way she thinks of him change.

Gentle, he reaches out and his fingertips touch her chin. It's his human hand so he knows his fingers will feel warm even under the glove he's wearing. His voice is gentle, soft as he asks:]

You calling me short now, driver?

[ His gesture garners a quiet gasp from onlookers; Hana finds herself startled, too, and it begs her to look back up at him. His hand definitely feels warm. It only takes a short moment of them in that position for her to snap back to her usual, spunky self, at which point she smirks at him. ]

No way. You're still stupid tall, Shiro.

And why are you calling me driver, huh?

[A part of him would like to think that what the rest of the people in the small shop think doesn't matter to him. Only Hana's reaction matters.

But another part of him wouldn't mind if news of the gesture got out. Because maybe that would warn the other boys away from her.

That's too far ahead of themselves though and he didn't touch her for any reason but for her alone and he lets everyone else fade from his thoughts. Because - only Hana's reaction really does matter and the one she gives him is -

is pure Hana as far as he can tell.

It brings his own grin back. And it lets the tightening bands around his chest relax again so he can breath. His thumb brushes her chin and then he pulls his hand back and takes another spoonful of the dessert.]

Good. You had me worried there for a tick. [He takes a moment to shovel the spoonful in his mouth and eat it before answering:] Driver. It's military slang I picked up at the Garrison. Means 'pilot'. And that pink rabbit of yours definitely qualifies you as a pilot.

[ The news might also send D.Va's collective set of guardians at Overwatch on a manhunt for Shiro, but if Hana thought about it she'd be confident that Shiro could take the heat if it ever came to that.

For now, though, she quirks a brow once he pulls away, still not entirely sure what that was about just now but having a vague feeling that he did it to get her to focus on what they're doing now rather than her failing to recognize him from the start. And... she doesn't mind. He hadn't recognized her at first either, but when he did he still treated her as Hana and not D.Va. She should try to do the same for him. To that end, she picks up her spoon once more and digs into the dessert, letting herself relax and smile at him again. ]

I am a pilot, thank you! [ and not to brag but totally to brag-- ] The number one, too.

Though... my pink rabbit's a tiny mech compared to yours, isn't it? The Black Lion.

[His smile spreads at her bragging but - if its the truth there's nothing wrong with stating the fact. He was the top flight pilot and pretending otherwise would have been silly. Now he's - whatever he is. And he's not the type to try to knock someone down a peg when he knows from experience they had to work their tail off to get there in the first place. As far as he can tell - she is the top pilot, in both Overwatch and the Korean military -

and possibly in video games though he doesn't really follow that culture that much.

And he feels strangely proud as if its something he has any right to be proud about that she's so highly ranked.

He just wished it didn't come with people trying to kill her in any way other than via pixels vs. pixels...]

Black. [His smile changes, becomes something... proud and content and whole and sunrise warm and for just a second his eyes lose their focus on her.] He's amazing. [His eyes focus back on her and his smile is for her now.] And yeah, he's huge. I've never flown anything like him. It's completely immersive. [He pleased sound as he takes another bite and chews before adding:] You'd probably understand it better than most pilots. It's not flying a machine, its being a part of one. I think your pink rabbit must be a lot like that from the looks of your piloting. You almost have to be an extension instead of a driver to get it to move the way it can.

[ Definitely in video games.

And definitely not for the first time today, Hana thinks that he really does have a nice smile. And now, knowing that he's been through a lot with having been on the Kerberos mission and being gone for a year and coming back-- it's a bit of a wonder at how easily he seems to be smiling. (Of course, she has no sense that she's played a role in that at all.)

Hana leans back with a thoughtful look, spoon still her mouth as she's enjoying the treat, though she pulls it out just enough to be able to talk. ]

Mmhmm, I get it. My MEKA fits me just right, and it responds to everything I do the way it needs to, but... yeah. It does feel like an extension of me! [ Another thoughtful pause, then she goes on, ] Those mechs used to be unmanned drones, you know. It took a lot of practice for me to get it to move like that.

[Shiro's always interested in other people's flight experiences. No two are ever the same and its' always fascinating to hear how they're alike and yet different from his own.

He's also missed in a lot, in the time he's been gone. Overwatch was history when he'd left and now it was reactivated and very mobile again. He's got a lot of catching up to do.

He just hopes he has the time.

So he leans forward a little in his seat, elbows resting on the table and simply asks:]

Tell me? How you ended up with your rabbit. How you ended up in Overwatch. Just - tell me about you.

[ She reaches over to push her spoon into a pile of ice remaining in their bowl before shoving her hands into the pockets of the jacket she's wearing, sinking down in her seat a little, generally being the picture of terrible posture as her expression takes on a more solemn note. If Shiro's been gone for a year and this is his first time back, then it figures that he might not know so much about what's been happening. He wouldn't know why the Korean military had to draft pro-gamers into the military. And truth is, he chose the perfect day to come and visit Korea. Lantern Festival aside, today it's... not under attack. ]

Well... Before all of this, I was a pro-gamer. [ Here, she manages a little smile. ] One of the best around, actually! But there's a huge Omnic that goes around this part of the world... destroying everything. Every time they found a way to beat it, it would come back later stronger and smarter. Kind of like in the movies, I guess? So the military had to find pilots who could pilot the mechs and try and outsmart it.

[ She pulls a hand out of a pocket to point at herself. ] And that's where I come in! Overwatch, though, that's pretty new. When I was growing up it was already falling apart, but... I think the world needs them again. They asked me to join. And now here I am!

[He senses the shift in tone and adds his spoon to the bowl. They managed to do a pretty decent amount of damage to the dessert and he's full. He can focus on her and his eyebrows come down and he rests his crossed arms on the table and listens.

His team is aware of the Omnic situation - but its spotty. There's the official reports - but Shiro knows from experience how truthful those can be. And there are the stories they're getting from their families and friends. And there's what they've managed to see. But its all parts of a patchwork, too much going on too fast and a large gap of time for them to try to fill in. So far, they haven't done anything. Voltron would be a huge asset - but he can't belong to one planet. Or one group of beings on one planet either. Fighting the Galra is easy when it comes to knowing who your enemy is but here...

Not to mention the fact that, even as separate lions, Voltron really isn't low on the level of damage a fight with them does.

And there's the fact that they'll need to leave soon, no matter how much they'd like to pretend otherwise. And if they sweep in and change the balance of things - its just going to make more of a mess when they're called away.

It's a difficult position to be in and one that none of them are really happy with but -

but at the moment it seems like the only thing they can do.

So he listens to Hana because she's boots on the ground. She knows better than any official report what's really going on. And - she's on the front line. He doesn't underestimate what that means.]

A lot's happened since I've been gone. [An understatement but what else can he call it?] Two Special Forces positions. That's a lot to maintain. [There's so much he wants to talk about - and that's not something that two soldiers that don't know each other would do on a first meeting.] You must not get a lot of sleep.

[ Hana was never that good with her sleep schedule. She'd always stay up playing video games; now she just stays up because sometimes it keeps the bad dreams away and other times she's so jetlagged that it's impossible. Other times she's on alert. But when she would be able to sleep in before, nowadays there's always something or other to be done. At length, she just gives another shrug. ]

I'm pretty used to not sleeping. [ And it evidently doesn't get in the way of her attitude. ] But it's okay! It's a huge deal being part of Overwatch. And keeping my home safe.

[Shiro understands lack of sleep. Both from work... and because of work. Among other things. So he simply hums to show he understands and focuses on the rest. His smile is real even if its a different kind of smile.

Being able to protect what you love is important. That's worth any price. Sounds like I'm more lucky than I realized that you actually had free time to plow into me earlier.

[ After a moment of contemplation, she moves to straighten her posture in her chair before leaning forward, resting her chin on a hand and picking up her spoon again, although she sticks to chiseling away at a clump of ice for now. Hana... she accepted the role of becoming a MEKA pilot because it had been presented to her like a prize of sorts for being successful in her gaming, but the longer she keeps at it, the more she realizes the same thing that Shiro's said--being able to protect what you love is important. And so many people are counting on her to do that now that she's proven herself capable.

The thought makes her smile. It's a cautious, almost subdued thing, but it's there, and it brightens after hearing the rest of what Shiro says. ]

True! And getting to have patbingsu with me? That's special treatment! You better keep it a secret or all my fans are gonna get jealous.

Special treatment, hm?

[He could push. There's a great deal about what she does that he's still curious about but most of what he's curious about is personal and they don't know each other well enough for that. Yet. He can always ask Pidge if he's got any questions that aren't personal. Though - it's a two edged sword. Because there's a fifty fifty chance Pidge will tell the others if he goes snooping into Hana's records too much. So he lets it slide for the moment, focuses on the way her smile brightens and how he wants her to remember that part about spending time with him.]

I think I like the sound of that.

Good! You better.

[ Though Hana probably wouldn't admit it, she feels pretty lucky that she just happened to walk right into Shiro, too. What are the odds she'd walk into a someone who's basically a legend? She takes another scoop of ice cream and ice and red bean paste and lets herself enjoy it for a moment before she chimes in again. ]

What about you? What's it like being so far out in space? It must be so cool.

[He realizes, with the logical part of him that never really shuts off, that this should be a one time thing. A chance meeting that makes an interesting story and brings a smile and that's as far as it should ever go. He's not exactly in a position to ask for anything else from anyone and he's really not sure he should anyway. Not until he clears up some of the mess inside his head at least.

And that's not counting the fact he might not make it out of all of this alive.

So he realizes all of that.

And he realizes that he'd really like to get the special treatment again from her. Often.

He inhales and sits back a little in his seat but its not a withdraw. It's just a gathering. He's just spent the last year in alien captivity, trapped in space with no hope of home. And before that it had been the trip out to Pluto which had taken months. After that, it had been less than a day dirtside before he was back in space and so far across the galaxy that he wasn't even sure anyone knew what earth was. He should be sick of being in space by now. But - ]

It's full of light. You don't think it, going up. You think its just stars and all the darkness between the stars but - the first time you look, really look, that darkness between the stars... its full of stars too. And their darkness is full of stars. And it just goes on forever. And you never see the same thing twice. No star is the same. No planet is the same. They all share traits but - they're all their own. It's like... a love song. That just goes on forever and sings in different voices and its not a love song between people. It's a love song to life...

[He comes back with another inhale and sits forward to rest his elbows on the table again, eyes focusing back on her and he smiles, a little crooked, reaching out to take a spoonful of the dessert.] So - yeah. Very cool.

[ Hana could never even pretend to understand what must be going through Shiro's mind after what he's been through. What she knows that he's been through, which is little compared to what he's actually been through. But she can manage a smile at him as she listens, attention undivided on him, even when her phone has undoubtedly been lighting up with messages all throughout their conversation. She even nods along, because the picture he paints with his words is pretty vivid and she can almost imagine herself being right there, too.

Although... all the stuff about love songs, that widens her smile, almost like she's trying not to laugh. And to give her credit, she does manage to just smile quietly at him with a goofy grin after he finishes talking for about three seconds until she bursts into a giggle. ]

That's super cheesy, Shiro! [ Not that she's complaining. She's merely pointing it out and in fact, her tone is very much a teasing one. ]

[He should have seen it coming from the look on her face but it always takes him just a few extra ticks to shake his head out of space and her giggle has him raising his eyebrows at her. His lips are already starting to curve again though, just from the pure happy sound of her giggle itself and when she says why - ]

ah -

[His own laugh is an exhale and he grins back at her, a little lopsided but unrepentant.]

Looks like you've discovered one of my fatal flaws. I can get super cheesy when I'm talking about something beautiful.

[ Even though Hana's shaking her head, she's still on the tail end of her giggle fit. She doesn't mind how cheesy his description of space was. If she were to put a fine point to it, there's just something romantic about being out in space. Apart from it being super extra awesome cool, anyway.

Once she's calmed a little, or as much as someone like Hana can, she rests her chin on her palms again with her elbows on the table, fingers framing the sides of her face and she sighs wistfully with another slight pout on her lips. Still, she doesn't sound sad--just day-dreamy. ]

I'm kind of jealous. Going to space sounds so awesome, even if you described it really cheesy.

[Poetry is in Shiro's blood, even if the skill with it never made it down to him and when it comes to explaining something that deserves poetry, he can't seem to be analytical. For him being in space has always been about the feeling of it, so much more than anything technical. He can't, and won't, apologize for it. Luckily it doesn't seem to have thrown her so much as pleased her and that -

he can live with that.

He recognizes the shift in her voice though and folds his arms, leaning them both on the table as well. It puts them closer together but - they're talking about dreams now. It's all right to be closer when sharing dreams.]

I've worked my whole life to reach the stars. It was all I ever wanted, from the time I was just a little kid. And the secret I realized when I finally did... it was worth it. It really is awesome. I've never found anything like it. If you get the chance - take it. Your soul will never be entirely yours again.

Whoa, that's deep.

[ again with a teasing tone. When she says what she says next, it's in a way where she's simply telling the truth rather than sounding bitter, but-- ]

I don't think people would like it if I ran off to into space.

[ She chuckles a little, too, as if to diffuse the statement. She's needed here. More than by the military or by Overwatch, people need her here. More than being a gamer-turned-pilot, she's become a symbol of courage and hope for people.

Though if somehow, some way there ever was a chance, she would totally take it. ]

[He doesn't withdraw his statement. It's something you have to experience personally. But - your soul fills up with the vast quiet of space when you're out there and - you really aren't the same after that. She can tease -

but he still hopes one day she gets the chance to feel it herself.

It seems forward, and perhaps a little too much like Lance, to offer to take her himself. Though - Black could do that, easily. Except... they've just met. He'd like to take her but - it's personal. Going into space is personal for him. Almost intimate. Too much for a first meeting, no matter how much he enjoys her company.

Though... if there's a next time... and a time after that...

Impulsive he reaches out and touches her arm, fingers curling for a moment. He refuses to brush it off despite the chuckle and his eyes hold hers.]

If you can't go now - don't dismiss the chance that you won't be able to later. Life never runs in a straight line. If you want the chance, you'll make it. Someone like you doesn't stay static.

[ Her eyes widen when she feels his hand on her arm, and quickly she looks up to find his gazed fixed intently on her. Boy, are the onlookers having a blast with this, but she doesn't even notice them.

Hana would never have thought of the possibility that going into space would be as simple as hitching a ride with Shiro. Right now, it still feels like they're from two completely different worlds. They might as well be.

But... her lips draw into a thin line as he speaks. Serious conversations--especially ones about the future--aren't Hana's forte, so it takes her a bit to respond and to process what he says. ]

... Yeah. You're right. [ The corner of her lips curl in a small smile. ] But you'd better watch out if I do make it to outer space. I'll race you!

[Light and laughing is more than welcome but - he's glad to see it when she shifts gears, even if she does pause over it. He - doesn't want just the light and laughing side of her. Not without the rest. He's not sure he's supposed to be hoping for so much in someone he's just met.

He still feels the need for it when she gives it to him.

So his own smile is slow and growing and reaches up to fill his eyes, something quiet and proud and exactly there with her in the moment.]

Good. [He means it completely and his thumb strokes her arm before his hand retreats back to his own elbow. And the smile shifts back into the bright easiness they had before. Glad for the previous moment but not about to force it to stay past its time.] I'll look forward to it. Just be aware I won't go easy on you!

[ With that same bright easiness, she full-on smirks. ]

Challenge accepted.

[ Maybe someday she'll have a space mecha to pilot, too. Her MEKA unit couldn't be used out there without some modifications, she imagines, but now he's got her imagining the possibilities and--well, they're fun to think about.

She looks down at their bowl of dessert, by now largely done with, before she looks back up at him. ]

Wanna head back to the festival?

[Her grins at her acceptance of the challenge. He wouldn't expect any less from her.

And he expects she'll find her way in to space too, before too long, if that's what she really wants. She's young, probably only a year or two older than some of his paladins, but she's already come so far. That kind of drive will get her even further as she goes.

She really will give him a run for it.

At her question, he looks up, face mild and asks:]

Together?

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bunnyhopped - 2016-09-30 17:40 (UTC) - Expand

thursday pic prompt

(it's too late. I've already fallen in love with the fan art)

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