Burnt Out {A Hero!AU Sheith Fanfiction}

A Stupid Mistake

"For the last time, Shiro: no! We're not going to take this one. Just let the police handle it. End of story."

Shiro groaned, hanging his head backwards, rolling eyes pointed up towards the roof of his car. "Why the hell not, Matt?" he asked, exasperated. "We're on a roll! Why break the streak? Especially with where they're hitting next? It's too close to home just to ignore."

Matt mumbled something indecipherable on the other end of the call, his gibberish-like grumblings humming through the speakers of Shiro's car. "When is the last time you slept Shiro?" he cried, his voice tight with impatience and, if Shiro had been listening correctly, a hint of nervous concern. "Ever since you went to go talk to Lotor you've been nonstop! You work all day and then we work all night. When you're not doing any of that you're going to dinner with Curtis or hanging out with Keith. We know nothing about this guy setting up your trap, and you are a dying battery. That's why I'm saying no. End of story."

Shiro gave an annoyed scoff, shaking his head bitterly as he formed an argument -- pulling together what few straggling points he could to get Matt off of his back.

They had been arguing about it for what had to be days by then. With Lotor's help, Matt had gotten in deep to the Galra's secret servers and mission plans. It was perfect -- every website and every link and ever server brought them a few more step ahead of the twisted mafia of murderers and their Emperor. It was an endless supply of dates and addresses and heists and members. Shiro had been going after the more financial branches of the Galra's operations, trying to take them out with repetitive blows at their weak spots until he could get his hands on Red again. Over the past week or so, Shiro had taken down two drug dealings, had turned in four known human traffickers, and he stopped about three assassinations that were going to be carried out by lowerlife Galra members.

He was taking such a relentless approach for a multitude of reasons -- the biggest being his plot to take the whole Galran operation down, of course. But the smaller, more strategic reason was simple: he really just wanted to poke the bear. He wanted Red to come after him. He wanted them to set another trap. Shiro and Matt would know it right away, and then they would get the drop on their fiery little friend. Catch him, unmask him, question him, and then right along onto phase two of taking down the empire.

The only problem with their plan, as it seemed, was that the Galra seemed to forget about the Red Flame in their trap making. Instead of the RF there normally was on all of Red's mission statements, Matt and Shiro's handy little server told them there was someone else on duty to deal with the Black Paladin Friday night at the Shirogane Technology and Health building.

S.

The Galra's plan was simple. S would rob Shiro's building of their prosthetic designs, making it out to be any regular heist, but he was really only making such a bold appearance at such a popular building to draw the Black Paladin into his web. Their plan was flawed, however. They didn't know Shiro had access to all of their chatter and secrecy.

They also didn't know that it was the Black Paladin's turf they were messing with.

"I have to do this, Matt," Shiro said, easing his car to a stop at the red light. He was driving home from work, hoping to get to his apartment quick to suit up for the night. Matt, however, was stuck at the lab -- working on some technological medicine prototypes that they had finally gotten the funding for. He had called him to ask if he could man the mission at work, and Matt had simply gone off on him. "This is my building he's threatening. My guards. My designs. My money."

"Which is all the more reason not to go. Do you want people to start tying Takashi Shirogane and the Black Paladin together?." Matt's voice was stern and harsh over the speakers. When Shiro didn't answer though, he gave a soft sigh and spoke again -- much softer. "Shiro, man, I'm worried about you. Your eyes are so dark lately. You haven't been this obsessed since that whole conspiracy with your parents." There was a heavy moment of silence. That phase of Shiro's life was starting to come up in his conversations a lot more than he wanted it to.