[ okay. he probably could have eased into this with a more comforting flare. between keith’s dismal oh and the startled look upon his face, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that shiro’s making this exceedingly more difficult than it needs to be. remedy tactic number one: take keith’s hands in his. remedy tactic number two: smile encouragingly. ]

Yeah. Everything is fine.

[ everything is not fine. he’s freaking out. there’s a clatter in his chest and a sweatiness to his nape. he’s far too warm in the face, too, which is only aiding in that overheated, panicky feeling zipping through him. he draws a breath, trying to steady his composure. ]

It’s just… okay.

[ it’s so easy. one sentence, two sentences max and he could clear this up: i’m the anonymous penpal you used to meet up with at the house up by the pool, i’m sorry i just figured it out myself, hence the reaction to your dick, which is lovely by the way. instead, he mucks it up by trying to gently lay the groundwork of the revelation. ]

I’ve wanted you for a long time. I fought it for just as long because I’m a bit of a fool. But even then, I used to fantasize about you when I was with someone else. When we were together, I’d like to pretend that he was you. But it turns out I didn’t need to pretend.

[ he gives his hands twin squeezes, not at all comprehending that he isn’t making any sort of sense. ]

He was you.