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apocalypsehowcomm2021-11-29 11:21 pm
marmoron) wrote in apocalypsehowcomm2021-11-29 11:21 pm
[OPEN LOG] Turkey Testicle Festival Open Mingle!
Who: Everyone!
When: Post-Thanksgiving Weekend
Where: Bottoms Up Bar and Tavern
Summary: The annual Turkey Testicle Festival returns to a local Gloucester bar with special events including a turkey testicle eating competition, live music, karaoke … and some unexpected spooks and slaughter themed hallucinations
Warnings: Please put appropriate content warnings in your top levels! General warnings include:
For the festival: Alcohol
For the opt-in aftermath: Slaughterhouses, blood, implied animal cruelty, industrialized slaughter, tactile/auditory/visual hallucinations
Dining & Drinking
The Balls
Live Music
Karaoke
The Aftermath
Notes:
When: Post-Thanksgiving Weekend
Where: Bottoms Up Bar and Tavern
Summary: The annual Turkey Testicle Festival returns to a local Gloucester bar with special events including a turkey testicle eating competition, live music, karaoke … and some unexpected spooks and slaughter themed hallucinations
Warnings: Please put appropriate content warnings in your top levels! General warnings include:
For the festival: Alcohol
For the opt-in aftermath: Slaughterhouses, blood, implied animal cruelty, industrialized slaughter, tactile/auditory/visual hallucinations
Welcome to the Annual Turkey Testicle Festival!
It’s that beloved time of the year, folks! All across the United States, several towns host a much lauded festival called the Turkey Testicle Festival and lucky you, Gloucester just so happens to be one of those special towns that pay tribute to the full glory of the humble turkey. Fliers for the event hosted by the Bottoms Up Bar and Tavern can be seen all around town advertising the momentous occasion. See you there!
Dining & Drinking
Bottoms Up serves up classic American bar foods and offers a wide selection of local beers as well as hard liquors for anyone who wants to get their drink on. Just be sure to provide some kind of ID. Or get someone else to get you a drink -- it’s a party, the bartenders won’t ask so long as you don’t get them in direct trouble. But let’s be real, why are you here eating nachos and chicken wings when you could be eating….
The Balls
Ah yes, the crown jewels of the event, who could forget? Breaded and deep fried to golden brown, crispy perfection these balls are just bursting with flavor! Served with your choice of hot sauce for some spice or creamy white sauce, these delectables are said to taste just like chicken nuggets.
Dare to find out.
Or better yet, join the turkey testicle eating contest! Win glorious prizes such as a twenty dollar gift card to Walmart or a CD signed by Sense of Evan.Please, they have so many CDs nobody seems to want…
Live Music
Looks like a local band is playing for part of the festival. For better or for worse, “Sense of Evan” are a cover and playing all the best meme hits from the likes of Evanescence, Avril Lavigne, Nickelback amongst others. Come jam out to the music, make merry with other festival attendees. Or maybe you’ll just be hanging out by the wall wondering how could this happen to me…..
Karaoke
But just because the live band’s done playing, doesn’t mean the music stops. Nope. Bottoms Up staff have dredged up a karaoke machine! Now it’s your turn to show off your singing chops and wow the crowd! Or conversely break a few eardrums. It’s all in good fun, right?
The Aftermath
…Or maybe it wasn’t all just in good fun after all?
For those who attended the festival , they may wake up the next day with some unwanted side effects. It might start out subtle — the odd sound of a conveyor belt moving along, the occasional electric shock by your neck. Weird bodily and auditory sensations that seem to flit in and out from an entirely different place. But as the day progresses, these strange occurrences seem to become stronger, clearer until the hallucinations really kick in.
Visions of yourself trapped in a steel pen, along with so many others all waiting to be pushed onto a conveyor belt. Perhaps you’re sharing the hallucination with others you recognize, perhaps you’re meant to work together to escape the seemingly endless line of slaughter and industrialized death. One way or another, these hallucinations will last a full day before they gradually taper off in intensity.
Notes:
• The after effects are purely opt-in. You do not have to play with any Slaughter themed elements if your character attends the festival.
• For the slaughterhouse hallucinations, feel free to go ham with the set up. Be as horrible to your characters as you like, please just warn with the appropriate content warnings.
• As per the mod’s notes, characters who choose to investigate Bottom’s Up following this incident, they'll find that the grocery store had a mix-up in their meat order and got something that came off of one of Sable's shipments. The grocery store's usual seller came up short and just bought up what they could find on short notice to cover the holiday rush.
no subject
that'd be the sensible thing to do, presumably.
but damn does he want that easy eject button out of his own head. ]
NO, it's -- [ he sighs, straightening up with an audible sigh. ] ... It's fine. Let's just get back before anything else happens.
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– what else would happen? again, he glances briefly to the bar. ]
… Okay. If you’re sure. [ shiro did want to leave not all that long ago, but he sounds unsure now that he knows keith wants something that is being denied to him. but, agreeing with keith is also something that comes easier, so shiro places the bib on the table and without much pause, pushes himself to his feet.
it’s a bit of a rush. he’s lightheaded in a moment, brow wrinkling and eyes closing as his balance gives to one side, thigh bumping with the table. he’s fine though, really; he’ll say as much as he reopens his eyes and brushes the brief unsteadiness aside. ]
You lead?
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Just focus on walking, ok?
[ he'll handle the navigating part. it goes well for the most part until they pass by the bar and the guy from before, now sitting with his friends, spots keith, points and then the whole group laughs. face burning hot, keith's grip tightens around shiro's wrist. teeth grit, he stars walking a little faster to the door. ]
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there’s a point. then a series of glances. finally, an accumulation of laughter.
– wait.
shiro’s body keeps moving however. the fingers at his wrist are tighter now and shiro follows the silent encouragement to keep walking for two, three more steps before the wait locks into a command, similarly locking shiro’s legs. he abruptly comes to a stop, unbudging even as keith’s pull remains. he narrows his gaze at the group there at the bar, part curious, part – annoyed? he’s too slow-minded to fully grasp what’s going on but he has the inkling that he should dislike it. ]
What’s their deal?
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face cherry red, keith tells the most obvious lie in the lannd: ]
Nothing!
[ and thenn quick turns his face forward again before he accidentally locks eyes with the dude at the bar. the laughter's died down a little, but the snickering chatter has not. for the record, the guy that did the pointing is a blond of average build. if the band getting set up and doing their mic checks isn't too distracting, shiro might just be able to hear a guess the desperado found someone after all! ]
C'mon Shiro, let's just go.
no subject
either way, shiro regards keith with that squinty, suspicious gaze of his for a beat and then, ignoring all else, looks to that amused bunch of men. what did he say? desperado? is that – wait. shiro looks at keith’s hand at his arm, brain chugging through found someone and then all the little details that come falling into place. the point, the bar, the laughter – he’s talking about keith, isn’t he? no, not talking. he’s making fun of keith.
the checks and balances are out of commission: shiro has none right now. so patience, understanding, an inclination to deescalate a situation…? those shining qualities don’t keep shiro’s expression from darkening. ]
Who is that clown? [ clown? nice insult, shiro. he huffs, still unmoved by keith’s plea to get out of here, especially when half a breath later, another piece of the puzzle abruptly snaps into place. he jerks his head to look at keith. hold on; the clown is sitting at the bar. the bar that keith refused to go back to. ]
Is he why you can’t go near the bar?
no subject
of course, shiro isn't exactly being subtle about looking at the guy and his friends at the bar either, so now the conversation shifts as well as some sharp eared fool goes think he's calling you a clown, jeremy, you gonna take that?
god fucking.
keith gives shiro's arm another pull, tone more pleading this time. ]
Shiro. c'mon please--
[ predictably, the boulder doesn't budge. to make matters worse, jeremy snickers and offers over some friendly advice. clown around with that one and you're gonna need testing ]
i hope they get banned, so they can play banned bingo here too.
patience yields focus. no it doesn’t. take a deep breath and count to ten. nah. sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. it isn’t working. why is nothing working? he should be proud of keith. keith is trying to be the bigger man here by ignoring the man’s egging in favor of walking away from a fight that shouldn’t happen. it’s such a long way from where shiro first knew keith; when he used to throw punches and land himself in the garrison’s disciplinary office. hopefully keith learned from that. no, not the part pertaining to his own anger and how to restrain it. hopefully he payed attention to shiro’s methods of calming him down and directing his focus to other areas, because looks like shiro wants to take a page out of keith’s playbook.
he kind of wants to punch the smile off this asshole’s face.
irrational. impulsive. stupid. the desire is all of those things and so is shiro with his system flooded by too much drink. ]
He’s got jokes.
[ the grin that curls is unkind. so is the laugh that he forced out. he jerks his arm out of keith’s grip next and then starts advancing, the snickering of the group dying off. clearly, jeremy and co thought the buffer of feet between them would act as an uncrossable barrier. that’s their mistake, among a whole list of mistakes.
shiro’s steps are, as always it seems, hampered with an inability to follow a straight line, but a slight diversion and following correction do little to diminish the overall presence of a thick, burly man looking altogether ready to make a scene. there’s a pocket of space next to jeremy and shiro bullies right into it, slamming his galra hand down on the bar. ]
C’mon, clown, tell another one. Make us laugh. [ jeremy looks sick. so he’s one of those bullies who pretends to have a set made of steel until someone gives the slightest pushback. hmph, pathetic. though, the fact that shiro is still taller, staring down at jeremy, despite the high set of the stool, probably is more unnerving than shiro is giving it credit for.
oh. and the crack of splintering wood, as shiro squeezes the edge of the bar between his tightening fingers and palm. can't forget that. ]
boys please....
[ shiro slips out of keith's grasp and suddenly the situation goes from mortifying to .... fascinating? that's likely the entirely wrong reaction to be having here, but keith can't help watching with some morbid curiosity as to how this is all going to unfold.
intervening and getting shiro out of the bar is unquestionably the right move here, but seeing their roles reversed is a little surreal. where keith wouldh ave just gone for the less talking, more action route of smashing a fist into jeremy's jaw, shiro goes for a more subtle kind of intimidation, huh? again, nothing about the scene should be cathartic, but maybe his lizard brain likes the way jeremy squirms on his barstool.
jeremy's eyes stay on the bar where the wood is splintering, face slightly pale. his two friends have gone similarly quiet, suddenly looking anywhere but jeremy and shiro-ward. when the jokester manages to find his voice again, his demeanors shifted to ingratiating. listen buddy, i'm all out of jokes. how bout i get you a drink and we forget about this whole thing, huh?
frowning, keith steps forward, largely to keep shiro from having more drink. ]
He'll pass. C'mon, Shiro.
[ keith tugs at a sleeve gently, fixing jeremy with a glare. jereny titters, what are you, his nanny? ]
let shiro defend keith's honor ok
shiro looks down to the fingers tugging at his sleeve, needing the visual to help his rationale along, and then he blinks his gaze up to keith’s face instead. it’s just as before: he wants to follow keith’s lead. he doesn’t mind at all that keith does the speaking for him and all at once, he relaxes, from the tense line of his shoulders down to those squeezing galra fingers. no argument comes and he merely stands there watching keith, just beginning to nod, even as keith is busy glaring at jeremy.
but of course jeremy has to open his damn mouth. ]
He’s not my nanny. [ indignant, shiro takes this, perhaps, too personally and shifts closer to keith, not quite going so far as to stand in front of him in some ridiculous show of shielding him from scrutiny. no. shiro ends up standing very close to keith’s side, now sporting a matching glare. ]
He’s my best friend. [ haughty, defensive… proud? it’s a weird mixture of the lot. jeremy for his part, takes it all in with a raised brow and then an, oh. i see it now. it’s slow but traction picks up and a thread of mockery weaves into his voice. definitely best friends. the two cronies snicker as jeremy lobs a cheeky glance their way but…
shiro doesn’t get it. jeremy is supporting the idea that keith is his best friend, which is… right? good? ]
Yeah. [ one last squint and then shiro is the one taking keith by the hand to lead him away. keith wanted to go. shiro settled the dispute. everything is as it should be: time to find the exit.
by the way, be careful on the way out. there’s maybe a yard between them when shiro pauses and glances back to the man and his friends. apparently, a yard is the magic measurement to have jeremy’s confidence returning. best friend here is itching to get laid. don’t put your back to him too long.
… huh? what’s that supposed to mean? jeremy turns away and shares some kind of congratulatory toast with his friends, the lot of them laughing. shiro gets it the moment they knock back their shots and… well, jeremy should’ve taken his own advice. he shouldn’t have put his back to anyone. the yard is crossed. the shot glasses clink to the bar. and shiro fists the back of jeremy’s shirt. all it takes is one hard yank and jeremy is pulled off his stool. shiro can’t say which sound is more satisfying, that thick skull hitting the floor or the pained groan that follows. ]
Heh. Thought you said you were all outta jokes.
shiro the hero... turning his 2 incher shame face on others
of course they're best friends -- why wouldn't they be best friends? keith has half a mind to demonstrate just how close shiro and him are with a right hook, but then... there's a hand grabbing his.
oh.
the blip of confusion holds for a beat as keith turns his face away from jeremy to look up at shiro curiously. but when shiro starts to walk away, keith decides this is fine. more than fine? he starts to relax visibly the further they get, fingers spreading to gently test if they can be interlaced with shiro's, but ah.....
it's a yard and then he has to hear jeremy's stupid voice and then the warm hand in his is gone. it is genuinely difficult to parse which of those two things is more upsetting in the moment. keith turns and watches shiro hone in like a missile targeted at jeremy's back, then starts catching up just as there's a rough tug and crash as the guy falls backwards onto the ground.
with the band kicking up their second act, the bar doesn't actually go silent. the few people nearest to the bar do stop and stare at the commotion, but nobody besides jeremy's two friends seem particularly outraged. jeremy continues to groan the hell was that for? on the ground, and keith makes the executive decision that he's done talking.
he strides over the rest of the way, stepping on jeremy's outstretched hand on the way. jeremy whimpers and keith steps off. ]
Oops. Didn't see the trash on the ground.
[ is his not-apology. then attention turned fully to shiro, he wraps both arms around his waist. ]
Dunno about you, but I've had enough of this guy's voice. Let's go.
[ it takes a bit of effort, no thanks to the unsteadying effect of the alcohol, but keith hoists shiro up and promptly starts walking out of the bar. ]
no one is safe from shiro's 2 incher shame face. jeremy prolly was a fking 2 incher virgin anyway.
give him a few seconds for the implications to catch up to him.
in the meantime, reflex has him folding his legs up to unhamper keith’s strides and take the strain off his own body from being squeezed in one, long line. legs wrap around keith’s hips, ankles cross down his butt, and arms drape over his shoulders, forearms hugging close along keith’s upper back. it doesn’t feel awkward, despite it certainly looking so to anyone who sees them pass by. shiro is big. there’s a lot of mass to fold up and wrap around keith’s thin frame. shiro is instantly lulled though, finding the feel of keith’s hands and arms beyond comforting.
nonetheless, shiro does take a quick time-out from that pleased haze to shoot one last scathing glare at jeremy.
the distance is growing and soon, the crowd of bodies in the bar will block his view of jeremy slowly picking himself up off the ground. his friends are useless to help and instantly, there’s a mean-spirited ha that sounds off in shiro’s mind. yeah, not everyone can have a friend as wonderful as keith. shiro is lucky, so very lucky to have a best friend like keith. look, he even picked shiro up, when he wasn’t anywhere near the floor like that clown; clearly, keith is leagues above crony one and crony two.
annnnd it’s been a few seconds. ding.
he jerks his head up from where he’d taken to resting his chin on keith’s shoulder, mouth dropping open and eyes widening. ] Woah. Woah. [ he peers down the length of keith’s back, looking at his calves and his heels, one after the other as keith continues to walk along. ]
You’re carrying me. [ disbelief clings to every syllable and while he stays mostly wrapped around keith like a koala, he loosens his arms just enough for him to crane back and stare down at keith’s face straight on. ] You’re – strong. [ and his voice does a curious thing then: it wobbles on the last word, coming out breathy and awed. ]
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outside it's cold again, but this time the winter air has lost some of its punch thanks to having shiro wrapped around his front. keith actually smiles then, happy to continue walking down the street instead of puttig his best friend down like a sensible person. but when shiro straightens up suddenly and blocks up keith's entire field of vision, keith is slow to make any kind of decision on stopping. nope, it's incumbent on the rest of gloucester to get out of his way now. ]
And you're cute. [ is what he blurts out extrmeely ill-advisedly. another beat, then he qualifies hurriedly: ] YOu know.... like a koala?
[ is he helping his case at all? probably not. he keeps walking down to the end of the street, not quiiite realizing he's started to veer a little to the left. the next step he takes solidly pushes shiro's back against a street lamp. ]
no subject
it doesn’t hurt, exactly. surprise is more of the culprit that knocks the wind out of shiro’s lungs. wincing is, unfortunately, a go-to response though and shiro does this with a wrinkled nose, closed eyes, and gritted teeth around a garbled noise.
wha… huh? he blinks open his eyes and tips his head back, glaring up at the street lamp. who the fuck put this street lamp here? annoyed question aside, shiro soon abandons it as a more pressing concern butts in. his expression slacks and he jerks a look back to keith’s face, ignoring the throbbing of his own back to ask a very concerned: ]
You okay?
chimes in a tag late to say shiro could find out when he does his investigative journalism
Shiro!
[ fuck. the fact that his thoughts are still pretty scrambled here is probably why he doesn't do the obvious and try to set shiro down on the ground to survey the damage. instead, keith's caught on a mental loop of fuckfuckfuck over the fact that he doesn't have a third arm to pat down his friend's back. ]
I'm sorry, I'm sorry -- you're so big that I didn't see the -- [ cranes his head up to confirm what the fuck he even walked into: ] -- the lamp. [ gaze lowering to study shiro's face again, he blabs on. ] Is your back hurt? I didn't mean to get you hurt.
[ a beat, a pause, a deep breath. ]
I didn't even mean to get mad at you before. I just -- [ he bites his lip, hanging his head. ] I wanted so badly for you to have a good time, I don't know what happened.
shiro like, wow this light decoration bull's eyed such a small target, that’s impressive.
so the question about his back? shiro gives a little shake of his head, looking at keith with wide, somewhat surprised eyes. keith is still going though and somehow, derails himself from street lamps to bars. oh. keith is talking about their argument at the bar, isn’t he?
again, shiro is shaking his head, seemingly caught perpetuating the movement throughout every word of keith’s explanation. even as keith hangs his head, shiro keeps shaking his for an extended tick and then he remembers how to speak, tacking on almost as soon as keith finishes: ]
I was having a good time! I was with you.
[ similarly to keith, shiro has yet to consider the option of putting his feet to the ground and relieving keith of bearing his weight. instead, he remains koala’d, aside from unwrapping his arms to cup each side of that downturned face. gently, he coaxes keith’s face up, resuming eye contact. here, he stresses: ]
I always have a good time when I’m with you. That’s why… [ he swallows, voice wavering. ] That’s why I don’t wanna share you.
[ with anyone or anything. shiro keeps calling them a team, while simultaneously dubbing himself the leader who is entirely capable of taking care of himself. he also talks about how he loves spending time with keith, only to then encourage him to branch out and nitpick when he doesn’t. he’s confusing, shiro knows he’s confusing, but at the core of it, he wants to do right by keith and not selfishly hoard his time, his attention, and his care.
– also yes, he is still holding keith’s face. ] But I’m your best friend. I’m supposed to support you in finding someone else. [ he’s talking in fragments; he isn’t fully explaining this in a manner that is easy to follow. but in his hazy mind? it all makes sense. ] So that’s what I was doing.
rudolph is like a gps guided laser
it's an entire clusterfuck that's being spewed out at him. messy, contradictory, selfish and confusing and keith's head hurts entirely too much to properly tease any of that out. it doesn't stop that strange beatbeatbeat rhythm of his heart though, beating hard and fast the way it does right before he's about to do something stupid.
they're best friends. and even though he doesn't know a whole lot about friendship and lines and rules, he's still pretty sure this isn't what best friends do. the thought sits uncomfortably in his head until keith kicks it out. ]
I don't want to find anyone else. [ it's said quiet and soft, though there's a determined look in his eyes that doesn't match. ] I'll miss you.
[ he swallows then, eyes closing as he leans in to press his lips to the easiest part of shiro that he can reach: his chin. ]
shiro suddenly inspired to go home and watch rudolph, which is now his fav christmas movie btw
the words themselves are disarming. the kiss is more so; it silences his brain for a solid two seconds, everything so quiet inside himself that the gallop of his heartbeat rings that much louder in his ears. keith pulls away and shiro blinks down at him, once, twice, and then smoothes those hands on either side of his face back, combing through hair as he goes until he clasps the back of his head to haul him back in. shiro goes for easy too. familiar. he’s done this enough times that the flow of movement is confident, without a hint of stilted awkwardness. he presses his lips to keith’s forehead and stays for a long tick that then bleeds into two.
unlike the pecks he’s given after a particularly grueling day for keith or the occasional one snuck in when a goodnight hug has gone on too long and worn down his restraint, shiro doesn’t immediately back off once the pressure of his mouth eases. still close, he whispers the words there, lips brushing every few words against his skin. ]
Don’t wanna miss you anymore either. [ and why he’s stuck close becomes apparent when he presses another kiss to the same spot; one much quicker and more akin to the pecks he’s been doling out in recent weeks. he pulls back then, looking down at keith. the gentleness of his expression is overshadowed by a somberness that now has him looking sad. ]
I did – for the longest time. [ practically a year and a half. the last two-thirds was, of course, the more brutal part. shiro missed a lot of people and a lot of things during captivity. he continually circled through memories to keep himself occupied and perhaps even sane while his life became literal hell. out of everything though, keith seemed to pop up with the most frequency and when he did, kept shiro’s attention the longest. all their shenanigans on garrison grounds, their adventures out into the desert, the dreams they shared, how they could be themselves around each other – there was endless material to revisit and analyze. but mostly, he'd worried and hoped in equal parts. he'd worried that keith would take the failure of kerberos hard but he'd hoped he’d realize he didn’t need shiro in order to succeed and achieve his dreams. beyond that though, he'd worried that the galra would inevitably visit earth but he'd hoped and hoped and hoped that keith would be okay.
it still feels surreal that they’re here together, after everything that’s happened in the last couple of years. ]
Then you found me and… [ gosh, is his voice getting thick? maybe he’s far drunker than he thinks he is. he huffs and breaks out in a smile, hands at the back of keith’s head dropping to refold more securely around him again. shiro follows the motion and hugs himself in, hooking his chin on keith’s shoulder and – not quite nuzzling, but resting his face closer to keith’s neck. mumbles: ]
I’m lucky to have you. [ here. anywhere. as an ally, as a friend, as family. ]
no subject
it's a peace that doesn't last especially long. keith's own head had been stuck in the not-so-distant past of the last hour in the noisy bar and he honestly doesn't follow what shiro's talking about at first when he says don't wanna miss you anymore. hyperbole much over the brief separation during the eating contest much? he smiles though, something a little dopey with fondness ... that is unti something about shiro's tone and expression shifts grey with melancholy and keith lookd up at him looking worried.
i'm right here. and i'm never letting you go.
he thinks the words, feels it feverently down to the marrow in his bones, but then the phrase you found me finally pushes a gear into the right place. compreension has keith briefly looking doe eyed and then... it hurts. the year and a half that shiro had been absent from earth is something keith doesn't remember in its entirety -- days blurring from boredom and loneliness until brief set in and bled the colors out from his life. but that's just one side of it. shiro's side is still a giant mystery, and one that his best friend has only ever voluntarily brought up once since being stuck in this reality.
does keith tense up a little bit? of course he does -- just slightly, his arms tightening a pinch further around shiro's waist. somehow it hurts to think shiro missed him all that time that everyone else had been trying to get keith to accept his best friend and only remaining family was gone forever. swallowing hard, he can't help wishing he had that third arm again to hold shiro that much tighter to his chest. ]
Hey now. You found me first. [ quiet but insistent, keith nuzzles his cheek against the side of shiro's head. ] All those years ago. [ when he was just some scrappy kid staring out windows instead of giving the famous astronaut the time of day. not that finding each other is any kind of competition, but it's good to set the record straight. keith turns his face just enough to whisper into shiro's ear. ]
But you found me and I found you. Let's stop playing hide-and-seek, okay? I want to be by your side always.
no subject
so maybe keith caring so deeply for shiro isn’t something to be celebrated.
that’s a possibility to be debated later, when he’s void of drink and confined in the dark of his bedroom, waiting for dawn to crest as he stares up at his ceiling. at present, shiro is safe from any thought that delves too deep and so, he smiles into keith’s shoulder, breathing out a heh.
does this count as hiding? he grins and tilts his head, not wanting to dislodge keith from breathing close, but also wanting to peek one eye up at him. his fingers curl closer to keith’s nape, gently playing with the flared ends of his hair and – there, okay, he turns his face more, eyes soft and voice earnest. ]
That spot is exclusively yours. [ his right side. his left side. both. any. he’s taking it too literally; he just knows he wants keith forever close. ] It’s where you belong.
[ the look holds, with him staring sweet and hopeful at keith for a long tick, and then there’s another heh, smile curling wider on an upwelling of amusement. ] But I like you at my front too. [ like this, though, he supposes he’s been flush against and wrapped around keith in other scenarios too. ] Never thought I’d like being carried but – this is nice.
[ shiro is, unfortunately, inattentive to the strain he is putting on keith’s arms. ]
no subject
I like how you fit in my arms.
[ a statement that surely any passerby would find hysterical considering shiro absolutely does not look like he should fit draped over keith's more slender frame. the humor, however, is completely lost on keith who is just a little giddy on the tentative success of their outing. ]
But I don't think I can carry you back the whole way like this without bumping into more things. [ which is true enough, but somehow a little easier to own up to than the burn of his arms. ] What if I carried you on my back instead?
no subject
Oh. [ he looks to keith, stares for a beat and then nods. ] Okay.
[ agreement comes easily in his current state. he has no mind for appearing any which way or proving that he’s entirely capable of handling himself. the concept of walking home on his own two feet isn’t occurring to him. he has a ridiculously large blindspot for it and instead, letting keith lead seems to be what he’s favoring tonight. so, with the idea of draping himself over keith’s back taking hold, shiro begins unwrapping the lock of his legs. ]
As long as I’m not too heavy. [ it seems important to say, but it doesn’t come across genuine. it’s empty and reluctant, like it’s offered out of a reflex for politeness, even though it’s quite obvious he doesn’t want keith reconsidering shiro’s size and the amount of blocks left to their apartment.
both feet on the ground now, he stays close to keith, next uncurling his arms to ghost his palms over his shoulders. ] I know you’re – strong. [ again. again he wavers before the word, strong coming out, ironically, weak. as for those moving palms of his? from his shoulders down to his arms, he actually pauses there to grip at keith’s biceps, giving twin approving, tiny squeezes. with shiro’s back to the street lamp, hopefully the majority of his face is left in shadow, because his cheeks are likely flushed and not wholly from the nip in the air either.
he’s in the middle of talking, isn’t he? he seems to remember this after a blatant hiccup in his train of thought and finishes somewhat lamely: ]
But I’m… big. [ precisely; that’s the reason keith gave for wanting to change up how he's carrying shiro. so – what’s shiro trying to accomplish here? frankly, he can’t remember. ]
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Yeah... yeah you are.
[ reaching up, he mirrors shiro's gesture and sets both hands on either bicep. maybe it's weird to be standing outside squeezing each other's arms, but it feels right in the moment and keith wonders if shiro also has a bit of a flutter in his stomach. ...heh. maybe that's just wishful thinking considering his own arms aren't quite as sculpted, but the thought carries him through the moment until a brain cell fires several seconds late. ]
..Big, I mean. Not heavy. [ he blinks, caught again wanting to overexplain but tides the feeling over with another squeeze of bicep before releasing. how to recover.... ] I like that.
[ is this helping? he couldn't say, but he hurriedly takes a few steps fo the side, away from the street lamp and turns his back to shiro, knees slightly bent. glancing over his shoulder, he tacks on: } So climb on?
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oh…
shiro’s already proven that he’s a bit of an emotional drunk and here he proves it so again by going soft-faced and moony in two seconds flat. keith’s already pulled away but that’s okay, shiro is completely caught up in the knowledge that keith likes him this way. big. shiro likes it too or as much as he can considering the why and how he's ended up this way. he’s always liked being big though, even back at the garrison, only in that it made the diagnosis of his disease feel less threatening and the eventual degradation of his body so far away. he likes being big for other reasons too, he thinks, one of which has to do with how he fits against someone in particular. he’s big enough to serve as a mattress for keith. he’s big enough to work as a blanket for keith. he’s big enough that when they share their nightly hug, keith nestles just right under his chin.
size is an important aspect in any relationship. er – friendship.
he narrows his eyes, suddenly lost on where his thoughts have led him. however, before he fumbles too terrible, keith saves him per usual. ]
Right. Okay. [ getting on is easier said than done. last time, shiro didn’t think a thing about his own weight and keith’s size until they were already tangled up in each other. this time, he’s actively trying to be careful in how he settles on keith’s back. he’s also drunk though, so that care only extends so far. inevitably, the gingerness of his leanings end up with him draped all over keith’s back, legs slid into place for keith to hold on. his arms loop around keith’s neck next and finally, shiro settles, laughing softly as a thought occurs to him. ]
Seems like a missed opportunity to not say form Voltron.
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SO what. You're the head and I'm... the arms and legs?
[ not that he actually has use of his arms at the moment. glancing down at shiro's legs straddled around his sides, he gives his best friend's right knee an affectionate rub with his thumb and starts walking down the street towards the adi housing complexes. the town of gloucester is fairly small and quiet -- the latter of which is probably a bit of a mercy as keith grins. ]
Heh. But I guess since you've converged on me, I'm the head.
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