#but like. okay. imagine that you are ricardo ortega (lucky you !)

[aro-ortega]

constantly thinking about lonely!ortega

[tinta--writes]

Support

Stole @echoise‘s Keith for a soft Steel/Charge/Sidestep about support and looking after yourself :O

Hospital mention and some moderately panicked thoughts about existential crises, then softness and flowers ;u;

m!Sidestep, m!Ortega, ~1022 words

“You absolute idiot,” the kiss dropped on Ricardo’s forehead made the sharp tone crumble, a malformed tower of concern and irritation in Keith’s mouth. “You dumb-ass shit.” another kiss. “I can’t say I disagree,” Wei took a seat beside him, throwing a frown at Ricardo, who attempted a cheeky grin and little else in his defence. “If it gets me visits from both of you - and free kisses - I don’t see what’s so bad.” “Imagine being able to bypass the visits by just staying with us at the base. In safety.” Keith’s tone was dry and drying up. “Relative safety,” the nerve. “We’d prefer that, Ricardo.” Keith threw Wei a thankful smile.

“You need to look after yourself, y’know. You’re not going to be able to bounce back like this every time.” because mortality stopped its rampage for no-one, not even those lucky enough to receive enhancements or boosts. Not even Keith - a re-gene with an undetermined lifespan - could possibly hope to escape time’s encroachment. No, it was inevitable. Some nights were spent in that knowing terror, clasping Ricardo’s hand in his own, struggling to breathe as the impossibly oppressive nature of the end fried up his nerves. Others passed by in Wei’s arms; shaking, quaking, in the face of the unending blackness. Of the bleak hope of a light thereafter - the theological debate of whether he contained a soul, whether it could be saved. Whether any of them did. Or could. So his fear manifested harshly in the daylight with them both beside him. Did it embolden him? Did they encourage him? A headache crept over Keith’s brow, and his thoughts drifted to coffee in favour of Ricardo’s puzzled frown.

“Are you saying I’m getting old?” was that it? “Please, look at this,” levity, levity, put it away. Put it out. “You’re in a hospital bed,” supplied Wei. Ricardo sobered, “I’m okay - look, this is nothing. I can’t even feel it!” “Because you’re on those stupid painkillers, Ricardo!” Keith looked away, face burning, “And as you grow older, they’ll work less and less until you can’t ignore your own damn body falling apart!” Wei rested his hand over Keith’s, concerned yet silent. “Though at this point it isn’t really yours anymore, is it?”

By all means, Ricardo should have raised his voice in return - said something about Keith’s own ageing physique (no matter the years between them, they were both past their primes and they knew it). But he digested the words, truly stopped to consider them. Keith would have felt flattered in any other context. Finally, Ricardo hazarded, “I don’t like it when the roles are reversed,” he looked at Wei, “For neither of you.” “So you understand that it hurts us, too?” Wei, calm despite the tension hanging between the three of them, attempted a soothing tone. His words warbled, “That we hate seeing you here, like this?” Quiet again, this time for a full minute - hour, day, year, time blended and shook in the gaps between their fingers - then, “I can say I’ll be more careful, but would you believe me?” “Only if you act on it,” Keith finally spoke up again, his face colder, nose numb. “Just try, Ricardo?” A nod, but no more words.

———————————————————————————————————

They only stumbled back to base early the next morning - early enough to look like night, but not so much that the dregs of light from the day before remained in the sky. Ricardo’s instant reaction was to crumble onto one of the sofas in their lounging area, leaving Wei to step into the adjoined kitchen in search for food. And Spoon, apparently, who was up and happy to greet them all despite the late hour.

Keith sat beside Ricardo, inviting his head onto his lap, allowing it to rest there in the gloom. A pause, then his muffled voice pressed into his thigh, “Do you think we wasted it?” “What?” “Time. How long ago could,” he gestured, “this, have been ours?” Keith slid his fingers into Ricardo’s curly hair, finding a small, secret joy in the way his shoulders flexed, then relaxed in response. “We’re here now.” because how could he tear open his chest like that; admit that he, too, allowed that thought to cross his mind far too often? So he soothed and placated instead, knowing not to rub salt in an open, bleeding wound. “It wasn’t wasted if it got us here, I don’t think.”

“Agreed.” Wei returned with coffee in hand - passing it to Keith, knowing better than to proffer it to Ricardo. “We’re all here,” Spoon hopped up onto his lap, “We’re all more or less whole.” he nudged Ricardo with the arm he’d put over Keith’s shoulders. “We’re right where we’re supposed to be.”

———————————————————————————————————

Days passed, and Ricardo recovered just as he’d always done, earning a new scar, a new pile of debt, and the same ageing body. Keith and Wei had alternated in looking after him, though that had mostly consisted of making sure he stayed out of trouble for a few days - harder than it sounded, for sure.

But, despite his irritation at times - his clear restlessness - he thanked them. After the recovery period, he’d shown up at base early, moustache trimmed, and shirt crisp - no wrinkles. A full bouquet of flowers in hand - “Like someone’s died,” Keith’s face felt warm for an entirely different reason this time. Ricardo had offered them both a sheepish smile, letting Keith hold the bouquet, noticing the fond smile and pocketing it in his heart. “Thank you,” but his face was open, “For not letting me be a self-destructive idiot.” his eyes, too. “Just self-destructive,” Keith reached up to offset the jibe with a hand against Ricardo’s cheek, prompting the smile into widening, “You’re still an idiot.” “Our idiot,” the cheesy line sounded awkward in Wei’s mouth, but Ricardo’s beaming grin was worth the sacrifice. “An idiot with a wonderful support system, apparently,” he crowded them into a hug despite the groans - mock-disgust in all its pure joy.