There has to be an After for Us ~ (shadam / klance)

Chapter 29 - Our After

"I'm so sorry this happened to you," said Shiro squeezing Adam tightly. His composure wasn't regained just yet. He was still crying.

"You're sorry something bad happened... to me?" questioned Adam.

"It wasn't supposed to go this way for you. You were supposed to be happy," cried Shiro.

"Okay, hold up, girl," said Adam, pulling back. "Let's take a seat. Obviously we need to hash some things out."

Adam guided Shiro down to the ground so they could sit crossed legged, their knees touching. It reminded Shiro of when they were younger, sitting up late on Adam's bed, talking. Mohammed's snoring... Reece threatening to put cayenne pepper in their jockstraps if they didn't shut up and sleep already.

"Okay so you're upset that I died," said Adam, pulling Shiro's hand into his lap. "I can relate. You died on me too."

"I...," began Shiro. "Okay, I did feel bad about that," admitted Shiro. "Knowing that you would think I was dead..."

"You know how I'm a little bit psychic?" asked Adam.

"Yeah," said Shiro, rolling his eyes like he always did when Adam claimed to be psychic. He'd long since learned that there was no point in trying to argue Adam out of this belief. But then again... Magic was real so maybe Adam really was a little bit psychic.

"I always had this bad feeling about Kerberos," said Adam, his brown eyes darkening. "That if you went, I'd never see you again..."

This made Shiro start to cry again. "Guess you were right."

"Well, I'm seeing you now, so take that fate," said Adam and snapped his fingers up at the sky. Shiro marveled at how much he'd missed Adam's mannerisms.

"It's so strange," said Adam, getting serious again. "I mourned for you when I thought you'd died on the Kerberos mission. Then Keith ran off and I never heard from him again. I was a hot mess afterwards, but holding it together. Then one day Sam Holt, alive and well, bursts into my office..." Adam started to laugh. "And I could tell he was not supposed to talk to me because I could hear Colleen out in the hall yelling at someone to leave us be... And Sam tells me you're alive and fighting in an intergalactic war in space and Keith's with you and you're both piloting robot lions or whatever. And then he handed me this device that had a video file..."

Shiro remembered recording that message, holding the tiny camera in front of him while he said, "Adam, I'm sorry... for leaving. You probably think I'm dead, but I wanted you to know I'm alive and Keith is with me and... I miss you... I know what you said, but I hope when I do get back to Earth... whenever that may be... that you'll be willing to see me because... I really want to see you." Shiro went to turn off the camera, but he couldn't just leave it there. "I still love you... I'm sorry if you're happy and that's not information you want to have. Maybe I'm selfish for saying it. I just... Life is short and unpredictable and if I've learned anything it's to say what I mean while I have the chance."

"My clone recorded that message," said Shiro. "Although I remember it since I have my clone's memories... Or does my clone have my memories? Am I me or my clone? Geez I don't want to get into this logic loop again. My head turns into an Escher painting every time I try to figure it out."

"You're you, Takashi," said Adam with a kind smile. "I would know. I've always known you better than you know yourself."

Shiro chuckled softly. "If you say so, I believe it." Then he frowned. "You know when I recorded that I actually was dead..."

"It's funny... or maybe not funny at all... when I died," said Adam, "my consciousness arrived in the After and they told me you were actually dead and I searched for you, but you weren't there."