backyardbbq | Stupid exorcist bullshit (closed)

Stupid exorcist bullshit (closed)

[December 27th, 1995.

For most exorcists, that night is a horrifying one. All over the world, exorcists of varying rank and prestige suddenly erupt into blue flames without warning. After all is said and done, at least a quarter of the total exorcists everywhere are gone, and those that remain bear burns on their hearts where their friends, co-workers, and loved ones were so suddenly ripped away.

For Shiro, though, that particular night went a bit differently. He had been on a top secret mission, one so secret he couldn't even give Stein the details, beyond "very important" and "I'll be back by New Years, hopefully." once Yuri had hit nine months of being pregnant, Shiro and a few others had ran off to the countryside, to hide somewhere safe and wait for the baby to be born. No phones, no letters, no anything to let Stein know he was alright.

It is actually the third of January, a full week later, when Shiro returns. Whether Stein is at their apartment or not, Shiro opens the door at around 2:30 in the morning. Battered, bruised, and singed on the edges in places, Shiro is definitely in worse shape than he was when he left. He's also carrying two little bundles of joy, which he carefully sets down on the couch before going over to the sliding glass door and propping it open slightly. Then he pulls out a cigarette, lights it, and starts to smoke.

If Stein survived the Blue Night, Shiro is sure he will come and check. Stein has always been a light sleeper, and the smell of smoke would possibly wake him up too. If Stein didn't survive, then Shiro is going to need that nicotine to get through the next couple hours or so.]

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[Stein has discovered a few things about himself since the Blue Night. The first is that despite his teenage record of ten days without sleep, he can only manage six before he collapses. The second is that his imagination is good enough that even though he didn't see Shiro die, he can picture exactly what it must have looked like.

Because of these two factors, Stein is not at home when Shiro comes back. After helping with cleanup, he went straight to his lab and started cutting things open. Anything. It didn't matter what.

Eventually, someone walked in, panicked, and sent him home. He collapsed somewhere in an alley, slept for a few hours, then kept walking home. As much as he wishes someone would try and pick a fight with him, no one is interested in interrupting his walk.

So about twenty minutes after Shiro comes home, Stein opens the door to the apartment. He takes a few steps in, and then realizes something's different.]

Senpai?

Edited (i can format) 2014-05-27 01:45 (UTC)

[At that point Shiro had moved on to a second cigarette, and then a third. The possibility of Stein just not being home hadn't crossed his mind, and when Stein hadn't gotten up to greet him, Shiro assumed the worst. So he was delaying the inevitable by chain-smoking.

He probably would have gone all the way through the pack, if Stein hadn't come home. Shiro was just pulling out a fourth cigarette when the door opened, and he looked over and smiled tiredly at Stein.]

Hey. Welcome home.

[He pushes the cigarette back into the pack, then pockets both the pack and his lighter. Crisis averted, there's no more need to smoke.

And of course he's not going to address the huge "not saying a word for so long after a bunch of people died" elephant in the room. Not until Stein asks, of course.]

[Stein walks over, pulls out his own pack of cigarettes, lights one up, and stares out the window. He's fairly sure that if he actually looks at Shiro, he'll wind up punching the other man.]

You should have called. [No, they're addressing that huge elephant. Stein was too worried to not have this discussion.

Even if Shiro was on a top secret mission, the sheer amount of casualties should have prompted a brief check in.]

What, not even a 'welcome home' smooch?

[He says it half-jokingly, and half because he wants to fill some silence before he has to actually answer Stein's questions. He's still not entirely sure how much he should tell Stein, since some of the stuff that happened is probably secrets he should take to his grave.]

...I wanted to call, but I didn't know if you'd answer. I guess I wanted to see for myself, rather than just hear it second-hand from someone else.

[Not that he would ever admit to it, but he really does love Stein. Twenty years of friendship, fifteen of this strange 'friends with benefits/sometimes lovers/bedpartners' deal going on. If Stein had died, Shiro wanted to be somewhere private to grieve, rather than on a train home.]

Senpai, I thought you were dead. [He has no idea what he feels for Shiro. He wishes that he did, because then he would have a reason for what he's been going through.

The cigarette that he's currently burning through is not the first coping mechanism he decided on. The blood on his black coat is mostly dry, but it's still damp on the edges of his sleeves.]

[Shiro can't see it, what with how dark it is in the apartment (even the streetlights outside only give just enough light for Shiro to make out the expression on Stein's face), but he can smell it. he knows Stein pretty well anyway, so he can guess what he has been doing.

But Shiro doesn't have the patience or the energy to discuss that with him right now. There's other things they need to talk about besides Stein's habit of cutting things up.]

Yeah, well, I'm here now, and very much alive.

[There is a short pause before he speaks again.]

Yuri's dead.

[He doesn't know how much Stein remembers about Yuri, but Shiro had complained about her and her demon-hippie behavior on several occasions.]

[A breath in, then smoke out.]

Is she?

[His voice is flat, held level so that he doesn't completely lose his temper.]

What happened?

Same thing that happened to everyone else on that team, besides myself. She burst into flames, and she and her unborn child burned to death.

[He saw a lot of good men and women die that night. He probably would have died along with them, if not for the fact that his mental defenses are airtight. It's going to take some time for him to fully work through all of that.

After a short pause, he adds a bit more.]

That's the official story I'll be reporting in the morning, at least. Unofficially...

[He glances over at the couch, checking on the boys. They're both still asleep in the traveling bundles, the sword laying on the couch between them.]

How do you feel about being a father?

[Stein hadn't even looked over towards the couch, too focused on Shiro's existence to study anything else.

Now, he follows Shiro's gaze.]

I can't say I'd ever considered it.

[He walks over, crouches down by the couch, and tugs the cloth away from one of the baby's faces. Then the other.]

[The babies are not identical, thankfully, and they can be further told apart by the fact that one of them has several moles on its face.

Shiro stays by the sliding glass door, watching Stein.]

Their mom is dead, their dad is out of the picture, and they have nowhere to go. If you don't want to get involved I'll respect that choice, but I certainly could use the help.

[Shiro's going to be their dad no matter what. He's a little afraid of losing Stein in the process, though. They had never really talked seriously about making a life together, beyond "hey let's be roommates" when they first graduated from the academy. Normally he can guess at what Stein will say about things, but he's flying blind here.]

[It is a massive amount of responsibility, and the fact that Shiro didn't appear to think twice about offering it to Stein is both flattering and more than a little concerning. Stein has never thought of himself as someone who can be trusted with children.]

I'm not going to leave you, senpai.

[They haven't discussed anything, but it's fairly settled in Stein's mind. He's not planning on ever leaving Shiro, especially right after he thought he'd lost the older man forever.]

[Shiro had a feeling Stein would say that. He smiles a little, and then he slides the door shut before stepping over to the couch.

If Stein is staying, then it's as good as settled.]

The one with the moles is Yukio. The other one's Rin. "Snow Man" and "Phosphorous," respectively. Yuri had a sense of humor when she picked out the names.

We could put their cribs and stuff in the second bedroom, you spend most nights in my room anyway.

[Stein grins, tapping Rin on the forehead.]

Did you set yourself on fire, Rin?

[The baby yawns, and Stein just observes, talking to Shiro without looking back at him.]

How much "stuff" did you bring back with you?

Funny you should say that, actually...

[But, stuff first. Then more important details for Stein to know.]

Just the kids, some diapers and formula, and the sword. It's enough for a few more days, but we'll need to go shopping as soon as we can. I should have enough in my account to cover what we need, I haven't spent any of it in the last month.

[He hesitates briefly before speaking again.]

Stein, there is one other thing you should know about them.

[Stein has some vague suspicious, mostly involving that sword. But really, in the long run it won't matter much.]

Between the two of us, we should have enough for anything we need.

[Oh, it definitely will. Which is why Shiro has to say it, even if he is pretty sure Stein just tried to dodge it.]

Two dads, two kids. It'll work out fine.

Though we do need to be careful. Their father is a demon, and a powerful one. Yukio doesn't seem to have inherited any demonic traits, but Rin...well, suffice to say, there's a reason why that sword is tied shut.

[Now, of course, Stein picks up the sword.]

How powerful?

[How does he put this without actually saying the name? Because he doesn't want to draw Satan's attention over there while discussing the newborn boys.]

Let's just say that we're going to be raising little princes of Hell, and that if his powers weren't sealed, Rin would be glowing blue right now.

That means last week's event was their father trying to get to them.

Pretty much. They only stopped when I sealed Rin's powers in the sword.

I'm sure he knows something is up, but I think he can't actually find them if he can't feel their powers. Which is why it's so important that we keep that sword shut, drawing it will unseal his powers.

It would be a good idea to try and find an extra one for Yukio, in case he winds up needing it. [As if swords like that are common.]

I suppose it couldn't hurt to look. Finding an empty demon sword may take time, though.

[At this point, with Rin wiggling a bit next to him, Yukio is waking up too. They're not crying quite yet, as they are more interested in the new voice they are hearing right next to them.

Shiro, however, is already moving into the kitchen to prepare some formula. A week of being solo-parent to these kids has already taught him about the wonders of feeding time.]

Did you know they wake up to eat every couple of hours? And did you know how unbelievably annoying that is?

[He's bellyaching a little because his sleep has been broken by both babies and traveling, and probably will continue to be so for the next few years at the very least.]

We can take turns, senpai. [Stein carefully presses a finger against Rin's palm, and the baby grabs tightly.]

I don't know much about babies, but I'll do some research.

That was the idea behind asking you to be a dad with me.

[That, and Stein is such a huge part of his life. If he's going to have a family, he couldn't imagine it without Stein there.]

You can pick them up if you want, you know.

Not because you thought I would be a positive influence on them?

[Stein has never actually held a baby before. He has no idea how to properly do that, so he'll just keep vaguely poking at them for now. Yukio's grab reflex is just as good as Rin's.]

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WHY HELLO THERE, FELLOW EARLY BIRD

AW YEAH EARLY BIRDS

\o/

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