#*splosion* Ryou: ‘I’m okay!’

[void-tiger]

Writer Nonnie abd I like the implication that Ryou just doesn't know or probably care if he has eyebrows at any given moment. They probably grow out just fine but since he's always working and 70% of the time it includes explosions it's probably patchy like that mechanic guy from ATLA.

Right???

From Engineer!Ryou fanon I just get the impression that he’s a worse walking disaster than either Holt Sibling. Cue ‘splosions.

Shiro: “nO. You do not need quintessence-enhanced rocket fuel, Ry!”

Ryou: “It’s fiiine, Taks! I already ran the similations.”

Shiro: “Simulators aren’t the same thing!”

So...he just forgets to notice if his eyebrows are part of his face or not xD

He probably has also cosplayed as ATLAB Guy or Gaara at least once when dragged to Space!ComicCon by Shiro and Jiro. Jiro called dibs on Strider!Aragorn. Shiro’s living it up as Vash the Stampede and absolutely humiliating both his younger siblings

[braincoins]

@breezycheezyart

“You’re sure you’ll be okay?”

“Takashi,” Ryou said, folding his arms and trying to give his twin the look his father - their father, he reminded himself, he was still trying to get better about doing that - would have given, “are you worried about me or the kid?”

“Both.”

He sighed and unfolded his arms so he could clap a hand on Takashi’s shoulder. “We’ll be fine.”

“I’m not used to you reassuring me,” he admitted.

Ryou couldn’t help chuckling thinly at that. “One of the first things I did when I got to the colony was look after the kids.” With help, but he left that out. He knew now that it had been a test, that the Alteans who had been helping him had been watching him as much as helping him watch the kids. They’d wanted to see how he treated them, what his base personality was like without the programming Haggar had done to him.

“It’s just that Alfor can be a handful...”

“We’ll. Be. Fine,” he said again. He patted his twin’s shoulder. (It was easier to think of Takashi as his twin than to think of shared parents or experiences, because that all just reminded him that he had this man’s memories, not memories of his own.) “Enjoy your quality time with your princess. You both deserve the break.”

“Yeah. Yeah, okay, you’re right.” A smile forced itself onto Takashi’s face. “You’re right, it’ll be... everything will be great. I hope you both have a great time tonight.”

“I hope you two have a great time tonight. Go spoil her rotten.”

The smile eased into something less tense and Takashi turned to leave, then half-turned back. “Remember what I said about the peanut butter.”

“GO,” Ryou told him with a laugh, making a shooing motion with his hand.

And Takashi left.

---

The Altean colony had been a perfect place to suggest for a “date night.” She still wasn’t sure why it was called that, but she wasn’t going to quibble over words when she had a night with her knight... well, paladin.

Hunk had packed them a picnic dinner, Keith had scouted out a perfect place to set it up: high up on a cliff, overlooking a valley lush with flowers, and Pidge had cobbled together a small speaker that played music Lance had selected for them from a list Coran had given him. It was a warm night with a breeze just cool enough to keep them from overheating, and the moons of Oriande were fat and lazy in the sky amongst the twinkling stars.

They ate and drank well, talked on matters both trivial and deep, and laughed together at inside jokes. Allura felt a peaceful contentment settle into her body, and made sure to share her happiness with Takashi through numerous nuzzles, cuddles, snuggles, and, of course, kisses. She almost didn’t want the night to end.

They took their time strolling back to the colony, hand in hand in companionable silence. She basked in the quietude: no screaming toddler or angry Coalition members to disturb her. Alfor should be asleep by now, she thought as they wound through the streets, so we should be able to just pick him up and take him back aboard the Castle and tuck him in. Then I can take Takashi to bed as well... She was looking forward to it.

The door to Ryou’s house opened upon recognizing Shiro - it did that sometimes, even when Ryou was already inside and the door systems should have recognized that; the DNA match was too close and it confused things - and the two of them walked in...

...to find Ryou dangling Alfor upside down by his ankles. The toddler was shrieking happily and his face was absolutely covered in what looked like peanut butter. His face and some of his onesie, for that matter. Toys were strewn about and the Black Lion plushie was on Ryou’s head.

He looked up as they entered. “Oh, hi. You two have a good time?” If he was aware of the chaos around him - or their shock at seeing it - he didn’t show it.

“What happened here?” Shiro asked.

“Huh? Nothing much. We’ve just been having a good time.”

“I told you about the peanut butter.”

“What? It’s not like he’s allergic to it. Let the kid make a mess now and then.”

“MESH!” Alfor declared.

Ryou responded by swinging his nephew around by the ankles some, causing more happy (and shrill) shrieking. After a few swings, Ryou swung him back upright, catching him up into a hug.The Black Lion plushie fell off his head and onto Alfor, who grabbed it up and promptly smeared peanut butter on it in the process of hugging it to him.

“We had fun,” was all Ryou said.

Allura exhaled and began to round up the toys they’d brought with them. “I had thought you would play with one or two toys and we were simply giving you an assortment,” she said as she gathered them into her arms. “I didn’t expect...”

“A toy-splosion,” Shiro finished for her.

“We played with ALL the toys.”

“ALL DA TOYS!” Alfor declared. Ryou blew a raspberry on the only clean part of the toddler’s cheek, earning more giggles.

“I’m surprised he’s still awake,” Allura commented mildly, depositing the first armload into the basket they’d brought.

“He’ll drop right off when you get him back to the Castle,” Ryou predicted. “I go for the ‘wear them out’ approach. Won’t you, Alfor?” he asked the boy. “You’ll go right to sleep!”

“SEEP,” Alfor repeated.

“See?”

And then Alfor opened his mouth and said a word that neither Shiro nor Allura had ever heard him say before. She stopped what she was doing to stare at her darling, innocent child.

“Please tell me he’s trying to say ‘fork’ for some reason,” Shiro said.

Ryou looked sheepish. “I... might have accidentally... I tripped and fell at one point...”

“Because you left toys scattered everywhere,” Allura commented.

“...and it just came out.”

Alfor said it again, because he was the center of attention when he said it, and he apparently liked that.

Shiro sighed. “I’m going to get a dishtowel to wipe him off.”

“You’re not angry?”

“I... don’t even know what I am.” He hurried to the kitchen area.

“We are grateful for your looking after our son tonight,” Allura rushed to reassure him. “But perhaps next time you should invite Romelle over to babysit with you?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Ryou agreed. “She’d love the chance to spoil Alfor.”

“And maybe she’ll keep you from cursing around a toddler who loves to repeat words.”

Alfor said it again, louder.

“Sleep time, buddy,” Shiro said, reaching over with a toweled hand to start the de-peanut-buttering process. “Sleep.”

“SEEP,” Alfor agreed before thrusting the Black Lion at his father.

Shiro had to hastily put the towel between himself and the messy toy. “Yes, we’re going back to the Castle to sleep.”

“CASSLE.”

Allura looked up from her toy wrangling and couldn’t help smiling. Okay, so the evening had ended on... an unexpected note. But everyone she cared about was happy and healthy and if they also happened to be a bit peanut butter-covered, well, she could handle that.