backyardbbq | call me out RP post

[He pulls a cigarette out of the pack in his jacket pocket, lights it, tries to decide what he's going to say next. It's not like he's never thought of an answer for the question, but he's never had to test it out in vivo.]

They were going to use me somewhere. [They always had, since he was a kid who could see demons and who tore open the barn cats while his parents pretended he was going to be fine.]

And I thought... I could try and make things easier for all of you. [That's how it has started. At some point, it had just become too horrible to leave.]

[Shiro manages to keep the sarcasm inside this time, but the look on his face is clear enough to show that he doubts that. Did Stein make things easier? Maybe, to some of the kids. It was a little easier to put up with the tests and the sense of hopelessness that went along with being a science experiment when there was an adult there that actually might give half-a-damn. But at the same time, that flicker of light in the darkness probably made the inevitable even worse.

A fate Shiro had just barely missed by about 9 months.]

So instead of staying, you grabbed me and ran. Why? What changed?

I realized I couldn't shut it down, or get all of you out. [A slow realization, one he'd only come to after spending too many sleepless nights trying to figure out why the constant driving need in the back of his mind kept shifting from homicidal to suicidal. He just couldn't keep doing that anymore, couldn't live with himself.

Shiro deserves the truth, but not untempered honesty.]

I had the resources to get one of you out,

So you chose me.

[It's not a direct accusation, but. Well. Shiro's one of hundreds. Stein could have picked any of them. Hell, he SHOULD have picked one of the younger ones. They could have grown up being slightly less messed up, maybe.

But he won't ask that unspoken 'why'. He's not so sure he even wants to know the answer to that. No matter what Stein says, Shiro will probably find something negative about it.]

They'll kill us both if they catch us, you know. I mean, I was already gonna die, so it's not much of a change for me. But you're tossing away a lot for the sake of one person who isn't even a 'person'.

[YEAH UH. That's another thing that's drilled into those kids too: they're not people, they don't have the rights people do.]

That's right. [What he's responding to... isn't exactly clear there. All of it, probably.

He fixes Shiro with a look, green eyes intense and focused despite his clear exhaustion.]

So you'd better do a damn good job of living.

[After a short pause, Shiro rolls over onto his stomach (towards Stein, putting the two of them a little closer) and props his chin up with his hands.]

And how do I do that, exactly?

[Another twitch of a smile, self-depreciating and tired.]

Do you really think I would have any idea? [Look at the mess he's made of his entire life, Shiro. He wouldn't be here if he had any idea how to do things right.]

It's pretty lofty of you, to demand that from me when you don't know how to do it yourself.

[Maybe they're just both failures at being human and should accept that. Or maybe they should stick together and try to figure out this whole 'living' thing. Two minds are better than one, right?]

You're half my age, you have time to figure it out. [And, if they're lucky, if they're the luckiest people in the entire world, Stein will actually be able to get Shiro out from under Mephisto's thumb and give the boy the chance to figure out how to live.]

Don't say that like you're an old man.

[Sure, Stein is probably in his thirties. Much older than Shiro, at the very least. But he's not old and as scary as this whole 'running from the order' thing is, it would be a million times worse if Stein weren't here.]

[That wasn't an exaggeration, Stein's almost forty and he feels a hell of a lot older, aged by everything he's seen and done. He's lived too long, longer than he ever expected.]

Flattery will get you nowhere, kid. [He says, even though he knows Shiro was just stating a fact.]

I'm being serious!

[And he's a little annoyed at Stein being cheeky.]

Don't even think about dying on me, I wouldn't know where to go or what to do.

[Shiro's annoyance just gets more of a smile (smirk, really) from Stein. The next few months are going to be interesting.]

Oh, don't worry, I'm not planning on dying of old age before I get you settled.

[He's not planning on sticking around either. He'll set Shiro up somewhere, give him a place and a job and enough support to be safe, and then leave.]

You better not! I'd starve.

[No really, he would. He has no concept of money and can't cook. If he didn't starve then he would end up poisoning himself instead.

Also he's. Scooting a bit closer to Stein now. Gradual trust~]

Where are we going anyway?

You'd figure something out. Humans are amazingly resilient. [He says, his smirk softening somewhat, from both Shiro's comment and that scoot. He isn't going to move at all, just keep sitting and smoking until he's gotten the kid tamed enough for sudden movements.]

But since I'm not planning on dying, I'm working on getting us on a boat to Australia. We have to keep moving until we've shaken them off. Just putting distance between us isn't going to be enough, we have to take a convoluted path. And since you don't have a passport and I can't use mine, it's not going to be a comfortable trip.

[He's like a nervous cat. You have to let him come to you.]

Australia? Aren't there giant spiders there?

[He has a basic knowledge of geography, thank you very much.]

And what, are we going by boat?

Right on both counts. [He says, with something that should be a grin if he weren't so exhausted.]

I've got an old friend with a lot of experience hiding kids when demons want to find them. She'll be able to give us some help and a place to stay for a week or two before we head out again.

Edited 2018-02-11 18:13 (UTC)

Yeah? Who is she?

[Shiro is curious now! Well he was always curious, but he wants to find out more about these people Stein knows.]

I'll tell you after we go back inside, [Stein says, standing slowly.] You've been out in the sun too long already, you're starting to burn.

[Shiro's group wasn't exactly designed to go outside without being augmented by demonic healing, and Stein isn't looking forward to how much he's going to have to monitor the boy's sun exposure.]

[Yeah, that's going to be a problem in Australia especially. Even a little bit of sun is turning this boy's cheeks pink.

Speaking of which, Shiro is blinking a little and looking confused.]

Burn?

That's right. [And Stein taps a finger against his own cheeks.] Do you feel your cheeks starting to feel warm? They might sting a bit as well. That's your skin telling you to find some shade. You'll need to remember to wear long sleeves and pants when you go outside, as well as a hat. There's a lotion you can apply to protect your skin as well, but you'll need to reapply it frequently.

[There's something he's forgetting...]

Oh, also, you may need sunglasses to deal with bright light. How's your vision right now? [Stein doesn't remember how photosensitive Shiro is, but albinism generally leads to problems seeing in bright lights.] Your eyes might not be able to handle the light, so let me know if it's too bright, if things look washed out or lack contrast, or if you're having any other trouble seeing.

[Shiro reaches up and touches his cheek with a hand. Yep, it feels warm to the touch. But he was only out here for what, thirty minutes? if that. And it didn't feel like the sun was hurting him.

He did notice that the sun was pretty bright, though. Luckily there were clouds that it hid behind at times, making it so he could see outside, but sometimes he did have to close his eyes to protect it from the brightness.]

You mean it's not supposed to be like that? All bright and hard to see, except when the sun's behind a cloud.

For you, it's normal. There were a few errors that cropped up as a result of the process, and your batch wound up with a benign genetic abnormality. It's a condition called albinism, a lack of pigmentation throughout your body. Your skin burns more easily because it lacks protective pigment and your eyes are photosensitive because the irises aren't dark enough to block light. I'll have to do some research to determine the best way for you to manage it. It's not fatal or progressive, it's just going to be something you deal with.

[He offers a hand to help Shiro up of the grass. He's expecting refusal, but it's still polite to offer.]

[That sure was a lot of science-talk to basically say 'genetics fucked you over'.

And Shiro is regarding that hand with caution. He's still very skittish, and probably will be for some time. But Stein is helping him, right? Stein did just sacrifice everything for his sake. Even if Shiro thinks Stein chose wrong, that he should have picked one of the other kids to save, the fact still remains that Stein is trying to help. So maybe Shiro should give him a chance.

After a moment of internal debate, he finally takes Shiro's hand and pulls himself to his feet.]

It shouldn't be any harder to deal with than everything else, right? So I'll manage.

[Up until he gets his first real sunburn, that is.

Also be prepared for motion sickness on that boat ride.]

[Shiro if you think that was a lot of science talk just wait until Stein stops giving the most basic, dumbed-down explanations possible.]

[He helps the boy up, and let's go of that hand as soon as possible afterwards, walking inside and assuming Shiro will follow. After a brief explanation of who they're going to meet in Australia (a friend of Stein's, someone he worked with as an exorcist, a good person, and someone he's very clearly fond of despite the sadly nostalgic expression he wears when he talks about her), and an application of some aloe to Shiro's face, the two of them turn in early to get some sleep (or, Shiro gets some sleep while Stein continues to work out a plan).

They leave well before dawn the next morning, walking under the cover of darkness until they manage to hitch a ride to the next town, where Stein grabs more protective gear for Shiro (including a slightly floppy sun hat) and then hitchhiking their way to the coast. It takes two days, giving Shiro his first experience sleeping outside and seeing the stars, as well as a lot of other firsts.

Their boat is... sketchy to put it mildly. It's an old tramp freighter, headed to Australia with a cargo of mixed goods. Their passage is unlisted and none of the freighter's crew comments on their secretive arrival. There isn't a cabin for them, just a single mattress shoved behind massive boxes in the hold.

Stein is... less than impressed with the accommodations, but he drops down onto the small mattress anyway.]

I need to sleep. [That's been obvious for a while now. He hasn't slept at all in six days, minus a few moments of unintentional drifting off, and he's been barely functional for the past two days, despite his normal endless reserves of energy.]

Wake me up if you need something.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

timeskip