[ for all the lessons shiro’s mentored keith through, he’s glad there’s one thing keith hasn’t picked up from him. keith isn’t a bullshitter. shiro isn’t exactly one either, but he does rely heavily on white lies and diversion tactics to skirt the truth when a conversation leans heavily into personal matters. his justification is that it makes things easier, not just for himself, but for everyone unfortunate enough to be caught up in it. keith is too sincere for that. more than that, he’s too brave to cower behind carefully crafted words.
he’s rambling now. he’s working through what he means as he’s saying it and even if keith hadn’t told him to wait, shiro would have been helpless to do anything other than that, because the earnestness to set things right is a little awe-inspiring. by the end of it, shiro feels the loss of that gaze again and he feels humbled. look at the two of them; both so tangled up in their own heads about wanting to make the other one happy. it’d be funny if it weren’t equally distressing. something this simple shouldn't be so complicated, so why is it?
the question needs answering but shiro’s already falling to old habits. shiro does what he always does: shies away from picking too deeply at the real issue and sugarcoats it with a flippant voice. ]
I’m a difficult case. [ so not keith’s fault. it’s said like a joke, his smile wry. it’s only afterwards that he thinks, stupid, that isn’t the way to answer that. grimacing, he tilts his foot against keith’s, ignoring the knock of those ankle monitors. ] But there’s no one better at it than you.
[ a little reluctantly, he tugs his hand out of keith’s grip and lets go, only so he slip his arm around him, hand pressed to his back. ]
For the record? [ and he holds him in. they were already close, so there isn’t much space to gain, but the anchoring of his arm has him feeling warmer and feeling nervous, like this might be too bold. nonetheless: ] I’m happy right now and it’s all your doing.
no subject
he’s rambling now. he’s working through what he means as he’s saying it and even if keith hadn’t told him to wait, shiro would have been helpless to do anything other than that, because the earnestness to set things right is a little awe-inspiring. by the end of it, shiro feels the loss of that gaze again and he feels humbled. look at the two of them; both so tangled up in their own heads about wanting to make the other one happy. it’d be funny if it weren’t equally distressing. something this simple shouldn't be so complicated, so why is it?
the question needs answering but shiro’s already falling to old habits. shiro does what he always does: shies away from picking too deeply at the real issue and sugarcoats it with a flippant voice. ]
I’m a difficult case. [ so not keith’s fault. it’s said like a joke, his smile wry. it’s only afterwards that he thinks, stupid, that isn’t the way to answer that. grimacing, he tilts his foot against keith’s, ignoring the knock of those ankle monitors. ] But there’s no one better at it than you.
[ a little reluctantly, he tugs his hand out of keith’s grip and lets go, only so he slip his arm around him, hand pressed to his back. ]
For the record? [ and he holds him in. they were already close, so there isn’t much space to gain, but the anchoring of his arm has him feeling warmer and feeling nervous, like this might be too bold. nonetheless: ] I’m happy right now and it’s all your doing.