[ closed ]

[earthshine]

Who: shiro + keith
When: perm log for these idiots
Where: all over
Summary: say, say o playmate from the august tdm. the butcher's camp from the september tdm. quarter pounder from the september event. keith's birthday. hermy the wormy from the december tdm. in the hive from the december event.new year, new you from the january tdm. end of january, references january event.
Warnings:
say, o say o playmate: hallucination, blood, ritualistic sacrifice, claustrophobia.
the butcher's camp: animal death, animal mutilation, both human and animal butchery, implied cannibalism, stripping ( nsfw ).
quarter pounder: blood, animal attack, consumption of human flesh, violence, gore, body horror, potential for severe injury, including puncture wounds and broken bones, potential for choking, potential for animal death.
keith's birthday: boys being stupid.
hermy the wormy: worms, decay, altered mental states/compulsion, emotional corruption, potential for violence, body mutilation, attempted murder.
in the hive: insects/swarms, bites, vomiting, body horror, death ( npcs ), mental and physical trauma
new year, new you: self-doubt, body dysmorphia trauma, cringe talk about sex safety, hook-up culture, body modification ( steroid and synthol oil use ), mention of drug use
end of january: implied animal death, self-doubt, body image issues, body dysmorphia, self-harm, body mutilation, skin burning, drug use mention ( tren steroid ), implied extreme dieting ( starvation & dehydration ), nsfw ( heavy petting and nudity ). reference to shiro's scars.

Comments

[earthshine]

[ the cactus candy company was started in 1942, does keith know that? it’s coming up on eight decades in this reality. in theirs? it’s survived beyond expectation. what candy company – hell, what product – lasts well over a century? currently, in this reality, many other candy companies. it’s surprising to shiro, but apparently not at all unusual, although, shiro suspects that tweaks to recipes have happened over the years. so does he think the prickly pear candy will taste the same here? what is he expecting?

not much of anything, honestly. he can say however, that he hadn’t been expecting keith to hold the candy to his mouth. the motion had been so fluid and smooth, not a hint of doubt in it and while there’s a potent beat of hesitation on shiro’s part, he’s quick to shake free of it. he’s already made keith feel stupid not more than three minutes ago, he’s not about to do it again by plucking the candy from his fingers with anything other than his mouth.

he tells himself to minimize the contact. furthermore, he’ll tell himself his aim is botched and it’s an accident. the accident being how he closes his lips around the whole of the candy and the tips of keith’s fingers. the suckle is barely anything at all, a reflex to ensure he has every drop of sugar, and with that, he pulls back, gaze on keith as the candy sits heavy on his tongue. he takes his time with it, letting the taste bloom as it melts. a few more ticks and he kicks it out to his right cheek, letting it saturate there. ]

Tastes pretty close.

[ he doesn’t actually know. he can’t remember. there are a lot of things he can’t pinpoint about his life; his past life, his real life, the one that takashi shirogane led. forgetting the exact taste of a novelty candy is hardly a thing to get tangled up about, he knows, but it still has him thinking that he hasn’t been home in eons and likely never will.

he seals his lips shut and gives another suck, physically tearing himself from that line of thinking by pitching backward, as though changing positions will change his frame of mind. it doesn’t, of course, but he ends up on his back, staring up at the ceiling as he folds his hands underneath his head. a deep breath, a sigh and then he closes his eyes, forcing a smile that he hopes appears far more care-free than he feels. ]

I can just about feel the Arizona sun on my face, smell the desert air… [ he’s coming up on three years, he realizes. sure, he was technically in arizona for half a day, but he was so discombobulated at the time, that he can hardly remember anything about that experience other than a sparse cabin and the blue lion. heh. amazing how sucking on cactus candy feels a little like home. a beat, a barely there laugh. ] Hear the coyotes yowling.

[ he cracks open one eye, peeking at keith. ] So prepare yourself. You pop one of those in and you'll be hearing them too.

[marmoron]

[ oh...

it shouldn't necessarily come as a surprise when shiro's mouth closes around the tips of his fingers, but keith had imagined it playing out differently. like with shiro biting a cormer of the candy, maybe? instead, keith gets to briefly experience the warmth of his best friend's mouth, a gentle suck and just like that there's a shy little thrum behind his ribs and heat blooming across his cheeks. keith ducks his head, looking down and away at the few granules of sugar starting to dissolve on his fingers.

none of this should be making him blush, but apparently that's not something he can beat down with logic dn reason. at least by now he's worked out that shiro would probably find it gross if he licked his fingers clean, but getting up to wash his hands again feels weirdly excessive. in the end, it's the box of candy still resting on his lap that saves him. keith picks up a second square, turning it over in his fingers while listening to shiro's verdict.

pretty close, huh? ah. but that isn't all. keith watches, curious, as his best friends lies flat on his back, launching into cheesy poetics about home. it'd be easy to call shiro out on it and tease, but the nostalgia for a place and time that's out of reach is just potent enough that there's a second ache behind keith's sternum instead.

he slips the candy into his mouth careful to lick off all the sugar, then goes silent for several beats. it's easy enough to get lost in the memory of the time he first learned you could even make candy out of prickly pear and how his dad had practically slapped his hands away from the cacti by their cabin, but right now? there's someone else keith would rather be thinking about instead.

candy held in his cheek, keith angles to look down at shiro with a playful smile. ]

Like this? [ grinning, he imitates a howl as he pushes down on both of his best friend's shoulders. they haven't wrestled since the accident, but now feels like a great time to start that up again. ]

[earthshine]

[ shiro has a split second to think no way, he won’t, and then that blissful optimism is shattered. awuuu. both eyes are open now, expression wrinkled and pinched and not on the verge of laughter, no. he absolutely abhors that this is charming. not the coyote act itself; again, no. it’s the other part. the knowledge that keith is happy and playful and relaxed. shiro’s always been a bit of a sucker for his best friend when he’s like this. seeing and hearing that joy radiating off of him doesn’t happen nearly enough, especially since kerberos, and it’s – good. so good.

know what else is good? keith’s hands on his shoulders. he can feel his body sinking a little more firmly into the mattress. there’s strength there and it’s a comfort to know it. it’s been a long recovery and while keith was out of the woods after the first couple of frantic hours, shiro’s still been agonizing over him this whole time. he worries, of course he worries; every indication, big or small, that keith is recovering helps shiro breathe that much easier.

… though, he’s not breathing quite so easily here. nothing obvious. no hitch to his breath or stutter in flow, just a vaguely felt heaviness as his gaze briefly skirts down from keith’s eyes, to see how that borrowed shirt hangs. the lean has it falling loose around the collar; it’s not just a peek at a shoulder now, he can just about see down his shirt if he looks.

which he is not doing. nope.

gaze back to keith’s, shiro stares for an extended moment, up until the blink and then cracks a grin. he sucks the candy back to the center of his mouth, flipping it over on his tongue and making a point of catching it between his incisors as he broadens that grin to show all teeth. a slight tightening of those teeth and then release – the candy is back behind them, shoved to the inside pocket of his other cheek as his left hand comes up to grasp keith’s wrist. ]

You lookin’ to start something, punk?

[ is keith truly up for some tussling? that’s the real question. shiro doesn’t want to hurt him. ]

[marmoron]

[ keith laughs -- snorts more like, in some attempt to keep the candy in his mouth, twisting his wrist free. the next motion is smooth, almost practiced as he hoists himself on top of shiro's hips, knees digging in tight to get a decent hip lock going as keith leans forward on his hands, putting more weight into the shoulder pin. ]

You bet I am, sir.

[ mischievous glint bright in his eyes, keith grins a little wider, heart already starting to beat faster with the promise of a good fight. ]

You're out of practice, aren't you?

[ probably not. shiro's not the one who's been on activity restriction for weeks, but accurate shit talking isn't exactly the point here. keith leans into the pin, lying almost chest to chest to keep shiro's back to the mattress. ]

[earthshine]

[ out of practice he says. heh. keith’s an amazing fighter, truly. shiro is continually impressed by his movements, his style, and the way he handles a blade… but he still has a lot to learn. his cockiness will be his downfall. here, it comes in the form of stacking their hips and only restraining his chest to shoulders. shiro’s legs are free. so are his arms.

keith’s light and keith’s small; a roll and hard pin would be easy with the right kind of leverage. it would be obvious too. boring. so he delays for a beat, smacking his lips on an obnoxious swallow of saliva saturated with prickly pear before abruptly moving.

for all his bulk, he’s surprisingly fast. hands grasp keith’s hips and he brings his bent legs up to press his feet to the edge of the bed. that hip stack? mistake. because shiro uses the new leverage to buck his up, more or less bouncing keith into the air. arms tense and he holds keith up just long enough for him to bring his knees in under keith’s spread legs. keith’s ass to shiro’s shins, shiro’s almost tempted to flex his feet at his hamstrings and keep him there just for the fun of it, but…

he rolls to his right and unceremoniously kicks keith off and to the side, more or less resetting the match. that’s right. shiro doesn’t pursue for a pin. instead, he grins and sits up. ]

Might wanna try a different approach this next time.

[ he’ll give keith a freebie. that didn’t count. ]

[marmoron]

[ keith bounces harmlessly on the mattress, managing a rescue roll into a sit up maneuver. maybe he ought to be taking it easy a little while longer -- at least until he's completely greenlit to go back on missions by the clinic staff, but there's no taking it easy when it comes to rough housing with shiro. it feels good in ways it probably shouldn't, getting to grapple and throw around his weight, but since when has keith ever been good at sitting still and being a good boy?

shiro isn't follomwing through for the tuck and pin though, so clearly the old timer's underestimating him a little. ]

You're gonna regret that.

[ keith promises, grin broad and toothy as he slips around shiro's back for his second attempt. arms looping under shiro's arms, keith tries to lock both at the elbows as he scoots up onto his feet from a crouched position. leveraging his entire weight, he pivots his best friend onto his stomach, grappling them into the sheets until he's got one leg pushed between shiro's, and his hips pushing down on shiro's ass. as built as shiro is, it takes some effort to get him exactly how keith wants, but it's all worth it. cheek pressed to the back of shiro's neck, he laughs around the cactus candy in his mouth. ]

Heh. I've got you.

[ a comment that's punctuated with a playful push into the mattress. ]

[earthshine]

[ regret is a strong word, but it is true that shiro does find himself in a predicament. namely, he finds his face to the sheets and a weight bearing down on him, leaving him to wonder if he should have prevented this. because he could have. he could have reacted and done something, rather than grinning while keith struggled to manhandle shiro into the desired position. see, the thing is, that part of him still worries of keith overexerting himself or shiro hurting him. frankly, the fear of accidentally hurting him isn’t new. shiro’s been hesitant for going too hard, too fast ever since he came back to keith changed. the garrison gym days of hitting the mat in a friendly tussling match are long gone. it’s a bit different when there’s alien tech attached to him in lieu of his right arm. alien tech that he still doesn’t understand the full capabilities of.

on the opposite side of this passive, show-me-what-you’ve-got attitude though, shiro’s competitiveness isn’t so easily ignored. actually, he takes that back, forget his. keith’s competitiveness is the more concerning aspect here. if shiro calls it quits for a yield and gives up bragging rights to keith without any real fight, will keith be annoyed? will he say shiro is handling him with kid gloves? that he’s fine?

the strongest part of shiro is still loose. okay, second strongest, seeing as the galra arm is in a class all its own. keith’s trying, shiro knows, but most of keith’s weight is on shiro’s back and hips; he’s got his legs. he could probably dig his face into the bedding as a counterweight and shove his hips up ( again ) to upset keith’s balance enough for shiro to get his knees tucked. it would be an absolute mess of limbs and jerky movements, but he could probably flip.

… and land on keith.

hm. he turns his head to the side and rests his cheek to the comforter, trying to see keith out of the corner of his eye. too low, too far behind – shiro is unsuccessful. he huffs, gnawing on his candy with a brief back an’ forth grinding of his teeth. ]

Seems like it. [ appearances can be misleading though! he grins and shifts his arms, simply testing the strength of keith’s hold – and yeah, okay, this is a better pin than the last one. ] So what are you gonna do with that? Victory howl?

[marmoron]

[ hardy har har, very funny shiro. expression twitching into a brief scowl and tiny pout, keith locks his arms tighter as shiro tests his grip. of course, it hasn't escaped his notice that shiro isn't putting any real effort into wrestling which puts a bit of a damper in keith's enthusiasm here, but he doesn't give up just yet. maybe if he puts shiro into a more uncomfortable position? ]

Hmph. [ grumped very maturely, keith throws out his other leg to firmly straddle both of shiro's thighs, pinning them between his own. ]

Not much of a victory if you're just gonna deadfish.

[ there's another rock forward as keith tries to put more pressure on shiro's shoulders. don't be such a pillowqueen, bruh?? ]

[earthshine]

[ so it’s as he feared: keith doesn’t like victory served up on a silver platter. alright. time to reevaluate his game plan. it’s become a bit more difficult in the last few seconds though. thighs now adequately caged and arms pulled back tighter with a lock at the elbows, right, this is a pickle. ]

Okay, Grumpy.

[ he doesn’t have to see keith’s face to know: he’s probably pouting, isn’t he? in contrast, shiro is still very much grinning. ]

No deadfishing, gotcha. [ a beat and going with this fish joke that isn’t a joke at all: ] How about flop-fishing?

[ shying away from the obvious – and perhaps more damaging – yank of his arms to overpower the grip and backswing with an elbow to clear keith off of him, shiro considers the less effective, but annoying wriggle of his hips. twisting and rocking side to side as best he can underneath and against keith, he’s hoping to upset keith’s balance enough to dislodge his holds.

… but get it? see what he did there? he’s flopping and wriggling and moving like a fish out of water. it’s funny. ]

[marmoron]

[ what the fuck is flop-fishing? it's barely a beat later, and keith doesn't need to ask. he gets his answer as soon as shiro starts rocking his hips from side to side. it shouldn't be distracting, except of course, it is immensely distracting when a particularly frim grind against his cock jolt.

breath hitching immediately, keith's grip on shiro's arms loosens a pinch as reflex dictate he pull back. another second later, still flustered but unwilling to lose over something this stupid, keith jerks back harder on shiro's arms as he pulls himself up to his knees, keeping his thighs pressed to shiro's while keeping his hips clear of further .... ah.... flop-fishing. ]

What kind of technique is this?

[ cheeks feeling warm, keith chances releasing shiro's left arm, and throws his newly freed arm around shiro's belly to keep those hips a little better under control. ]

[earthshine]

[ a ha! it’s working! it’s actually working! keith eases off a portion of his lower half and shiro takes full advantage of that by wriggling and bucking in the newly acquired space. it hurts a bit, honestly, with the increased pull on his arms but if keith thinks that’s going to dissuade shiro, then he’s got another thing coming. ignoring the crick forming in his neck and the tightness in his back being exasperated by locked arms and unnatural movements, shiro grins and huffs and keeps the candy lodged in his cheek as not to accidentally swallow it.

oh. and look at that, he has his arm free.

keith scoops him around the middle and it’s weirdly automatic to arch his lower back, letting his belly rest heavy in that grip as his ass tries to find keith again. to bump him off, of course. ]

The winning kind!

[ two seconds into it and a few twists of his hips, however, and he abruptly changes tactics. his left hand slams to the bedding. his thighs are still being hugged and his belly is currently captive but none of that matters, because shiro has leverage with his arm and all the weight that comes with shoving his upper body back. and over.

over is the damning part. with all the tussling about, they’ve ended close to the foot of the bed and shiro, the ever observant one, is not in this case. the direction he pushes his body in order to roll keith off is toward the end of the bed, so… uh. keith has three options and about a tick to decide: prevent this disaster for the both of them, bail to save himself, or tumble to the floor with shiro. ]

[marmoron]

[ that damning grind against his cock is back, and keith is hyperfocused on not trying to accidentally swallow his cactus candy whole in his flustering. he coughs -- splutters really, in the process of both pushing the candy to his cheek and stifling a more incriminating noise.

the winning kind? no -- god, no. at least not fairly. desperate not to incriminate himself any further, keith lets go of shiro just in time for his best friend to roll. legs still tangled, keith yelps, grabbing onto the sheet as the pair of them twist towards the edge of the bed. ]

Shiro, no!

[ but at that point, it's not shiro who is in control. it's kinetic energy, inertia and then gravity as they roll right off the end of the bed and fall. it's not a long drop, but the fall is additionally cushioned by a nice bed of layers of cheese, sauce and dough. it takes keith half a second to even register what the fuck is crushed under half his ass when he leaps up, mortified. ]

Oh no, your deep dish!

[earthshine]

[ shiro would like to formally retract his earlier comment. the winning kind. right. more like the disastrous kind. hitting the floor hurts. realizing that keith too is hitting the floor hurts worse. but what pain trumps all? slowly easing into a sitting position, grimacing the whole way through and then looking to keith who leaps up to reveal…

oh no indeed.

shiro glances down then, to the ass flattened pizza. keith took out half of it and the other half is… currently under shiro. ignoring the ache in his shoulder that seems to have taken the brunt of the fall, shiro scoots off the mangled box, barely paying attention to the glob of cheese, meat, and pepperoni now splattered along his hip. the mutilation of that beautiful work of art hurts the most and shiro makes a soft, forlorn sound in the back of his throat.

it’s dead. it’s so dead. so completely squashed that it may as well be a pizza pancake at this point. ]

Shit.

[ does this count as him ruining keith’s birthday? he frowns and glances to keith, looking him over, eventually calming when no visible pain or discomfort is found. at least keith seems okay. once more, he looks to the murdered pizza and… heh, manages a small, barely there laugh. ]

… Good thing I ordered a deep dish, huh? [ smiles along this tentative joke. ] Delicious and full of cushion.

[marmoron]

[ there is an inordinate amount of pizza clinging to his pants, but his sphere of concern stops extending towards his own well being the instant shiro makes that forlorn noise. it should be embarrassing then, that keith immediately hunches down to get a look at his best friend's face, arm already outstretched to clasp one shoulder. does he acknowledge the joke? no. instead what comes out of his mouth is a quiet: ]

It's okay, hon- [...eydew? fuck. cutting off mid-word is far from elegant, but that somehow doesn't all that unfitting for the moment. ] You okay? Did the pizza come through for you?

[ asked entirely seriously btw. but next beat the hand travels down shiro's arm towards his hand to help pull him up to his feet. ]

[earthshine]

[ keith may have caught himself… but it’s arguably worse that he does. honeydew is embarrassing, yes. out of place, yes. but it’s familiar. there’s an explanation behind it. here, keith cuts off and all that’s left is hon. hon…? did keith just call him hon? slowly, his brain churns through that confusion and as he’s coaxed to his feet by an incessant tug, shiro drags his gaze from the pizza. keith takes his full attention once shiro is on his feet and there, shiro clings to his hand a tick longer than necessary before letting go. ]

Yeah. [ he’s still got that small smile going, trying to keep the mood light. ] In excess.

[ see? his exhale comes in an amused huff and he twists his hips similarly to what got them into this mess to begin with. only once though and he pauses there, looking down at the pizza bits coating one side of his pelvis. he chews at his candy, piercing it in half and then shakes his head, looking back up. ]

How about you? [ and more seriously: ] Did I hurt you?

[marmoron]

[ there isn't a single piece of this that he likes. seconds ago, they'd been laughing and messing around, and now it's all just mess. he looks at shiro's pizza'd pelvis, but rather than finding anything funny about it, he's stuck hearing that sad noise shiro had made. didn't even get to take a bite out of the pizza he wanted to share, huh? all because ... what? keith wanted to wrestle? expression falling, he bites the inside of his lip and instead twists to survey the damage on his own pants. ]

You didn't hurt me at all, I'm fine. [ nose wrinkling, he sighs and pulls the waistband further away from his hips. speaking quietly, and not meeting shiro's gaze at all, he adds: ] Even if you landed on top of me, I'm not made of glass, y'know.

[ it's difficult. perhaps he should be more grateful fo rhe continued level of concern, but keith doesn't want to feel coddled. ]

Honestly? I'm more upset you didn't get to eat the pizza you were excited about. [ he sighs, again, this time a little more audibly. ] Sorry. I'll order you another one.

[earthshine]

[ the quiet words, the averted gaze – ah, shiro’s offended him in some small way, hasn’t he? the concerned tightness to shiro’s expression softens and while he doesn’t quite go so far as to adopt a chastised expression, there is a reluctance to him that keeps him from arguing his point. he knows keith isn’t made of glass. he knows keith is strong. all of these reassurances come with a but however, and shiro doubts keith wants any reminder of how it hasn’t been too terribly long since he nearly died. forgive him, but shiro can’t quite get over the memory of keith laid-up in one of those clinic beds, high as a kite and looking so, so small.

shiro won’t handle him with kids gloves forever, he promises. he just needs to put more time behind them.

as for the current time, shiro loathes the dip in mood. it’s his own fault, he realizes, but piling on his own sorry will likely do more harm than good to any potential recovery. giving his candy another chew and swallow, he steps closer and… hip checks keith. yes with his pizza side. they’re both already a mess, what’s a little more?

he grins, hoping to encourage a smile from keith. ]

The pizza was for you. [ dumbie, is graciously left off. what’s all this talk about his deep dish and ordering him another pizza? ] If that’s something you still want for your birthday dinner, we can get another one.

[ we as in shiro. he’ll make it work; what’s fifteen more bucks? surely, adi has some errand he can run tomorrow or the day after to replenish his savings. ]

If we do… [ there’s that mischievous glint in his eyes. ] We should answer the door like this. See what kind of face the delivery guy makes.

[marmoron]

[ the hip bonk makes keith take a half step back. next moment, his head's up and he looks at shiro with... not a smile exactly, but something that could tentatively become a smile. ]

Of course I wanna eat pizza with you, deep dish.

[ the words come out a little too earnestly for what amounts to a zero stakes conversation about pizza, but the embarrassment doesn't catch up to keith any time soon. he's entirely sincere in wanting to experience the small things in life that his best friend loves. this reality may not be their earth, but it's the closest they'll have for some time. in some ways, he's reminded a little of the more carefree way they used to hang out around the garrison, chasing after each other in the desert on hoverbikes without dealing with the burden of a space war.

of course, it isn't quite that. at the end of the day, when they go home, they'll be going right back to that war and returning to an earth filled with people that neither of them know how to deel about anymore.

but for now, it's his birthday and keith has the taste of cactus candy on his tongue and pizza on his pants. maybe it's okay to be a little happy about it, huh? expression brightening just a fraction, he returns that hip check. ]

Pie, I mean. [ nope, not letting that go. ] And lisen, if you wanna keep your pants on that long, you go right ahead. I'm taking mine off. [ a beat, then more slyly. ] Though I guess it kinda makes sense that you'd want to stay like this. You and the pie are both pretty cheesy heroes.

[earthshine]

[ deep dish. honeydew. hon… which looking back, was probably meant to be honeydew, huh? either way, shiro’s racking up the nicknames. it startles a laugh out of him, almost a hiccup of surprise. deep dish, of all things to be called. keith is sweet-faced and earnest however, and shiro is weak for it. there is no pushback from shiro, just a crooked smile that curls tentatively the longer keith looks up at him like that.

… which is inevitably ruined with a pie. between the hip bump and pie, shiro’s expression slacks and he sputters instead. but keith’s still talking, coaxing shiro to unwillingly forego his grumbling correction to shuffle through an array of thoughts and emotions. very quickly, in fact. pie: grumble pout. taking his pants off: a mental pause, a hard blink and a silent oh. a sly, ridiculous joke that’s right up there with shiro’s particularly brand of humor: fuck, he’s swelling with pride, amusement, glee… – only for the second pie to catch up with him.

he rolls his eyes and exaggerates it with an accompanying upward tilt and lull of his head. ]

Pizza. [ there’s little point in pretending though; he’s grinning wide. he will, however, issue some swift punishment by hooking his arm around keith’s neck and hauling him in close to his chest for a headlock. keith just said he wasn’t made of glass, right? ]

And no way. It’s weird if I do it alone. [ as opposed to standing side by side with someone else with equally soiled pants. look, shiro isn’t taking one-hundred percent of the delivery guy’s judgment. it’s already going to be bad enough if it’s the same dude that was here not twenty minutes ago. so shiro will be joining the pantless party, thank you, after he makes a phone call, that is.

with that in mind, he lets go of keith, snagging that same hand in keith’s hair to give it a one-two, quick ruffling before he goes about pulling out his phone. ]

So do you want the same thing? Or something different? [ he’s already swiping to his call log, finding the pizza joint’s number at the top. he abruptly abandons that though and points the phone at keith, expression stern. ] And don’t say same because you think that’s what I want.

[marmoron]

[ in no universe should keith ever be pleased about getting caught in a headlock, but here he is all the same. all he can manage is a barely disgruntled: ]

Hey!

[ before he bursts into laughter and a bit of half hearted wriggle and arm raise maneuver to protect his head. the lock doesn't last long enough to keep retaliation on the table, but it's certainly an option for when tromping around doesn't also carry the risk of one of them literally stepping on an already squashed pizza. he straightens up, wavy bird's nest hair wild for a few seconds before he gives his head a quick shake and bangs mostly fall back into place. ]

So what, you'd actually order anchovies and pineapple toppings if I asked?

[ heavy teasing is heavy here. in truth, he was quite happy with the meat lover's selection and does not actually approve of either of those toppings. ]

[earthshine]

[ calling him out; ah, so it’s gonna be like that. keith’s kidding. of course he’s kidding. even so, knowing it’s a joke has no real bearing on shiro’s answer. no matter what, it’d be: ]

Yeah.

[ there are two types of people: those who see pineapple on pizza as sacrilegious and those who don’t care. shiro lands in the second category, though he doesn’t particularly like the topping with a bite of pizza. he’ll pluck off the pineapple wedges and pop them in his mouth though. that’s fine. he figures anchovies could be dealt with the same way, except rather than going into his mouth, they’d go straight into the trash compactor.

still upbeat, still grinning, he turns the phone back toward himself. ] Because… – heh. Don’t make me say it again.

[ it’s your birthday. he's becoming a broken record. ]

[marmoron]

....

[ that isn't how shiro was supposed to respond to that, but the underlying sentiment catches keith just off guard enough that he blinks. is it surprising that shiro would get whatever horrible topping combinatiion that keith asked for on account of his birthday? no. not really. but having the tease lobbed right back at him so effortlessly but with dead accuracy right in the heart still stuns keith into silence for a little longer than it should.

all at once, keith offers up a sheepish smile that expands into outright laughter. suffice to say, he's never really known how to handle his own feelings, and rather than throwing out a more genuine i appreciate you, keith ends up throwing out his arm to muss through shiro's floof to get a nibble at some delayed sweet revenge. ]

I liked your meat pie just fine, dd.

[ he retracts his fingers before shiro can grab his hand and takes a step away from the bed and the pizza. turning around, he unbuttons his pants and pulls the zipper down. ]

No pineapple or anchovies.

[ .... just to make sure there won't be any trolling here. ]

[earthshine]

[ he has a healthy, near-constant, entirely friendly competitive streak going with keith, so whenever he manages to bypass expectation and catch keith off guard in one of their verbal, play fights, shiro gets a swift boost to his smug bank. usually, he quite literally swells with it, which leads to a smirk and a loud ha sounding off in his brain. here, it’s a little less ha and a lot more oh. keith’s not so difficult to read when he forgets to hide. his face has always been expressive and it’s quite something to watch him go from stunned silence, to a small, sheepish smile, expression delighted as he gives into laughter.

oh, indeed.

but shiro’s rudely knocked out of his… whatever, by a hand in his hair and a new nickname…? or not new new; a nickname for his nickname. it takes him a moment to work through it but he does get that dd equals two d’s which translates to deep dish. ha, so very clever, keith. said boy is out of reach by the time shiro remembers he should be tipping the hair war back in his favor. going after him is out of the question a beat later when shiro realizes he’s unzipping his pants.

when keith said he was going to ditch the pants, shiro didn’t realize he meant dropping them right here, right now. a huge oversight on shiro’s part and a foolish one at that. he stripped out of his shirt a handful of minutes ago, it’s not like this is odd in light of that. it’s only that shiro is promptly reminded that keith is wearing his shirt. one that hangs low. roughly mid-thigh.

… he did say that keith has great legs.

he clears his throat and turns his back to keith. ] Okay. An exact replica of our dearly, departed deep dish. Coming right up.

[ placing the order takes less than thirty seconds. there is a brief didn’t you get your previous order that shiro tries to breeze by quickly. of course he gets the person who takes their job seriously. hanging up, he tosses his cell on the bed and… doesn’t chance a glance at keith just yet, instead stepping over toward his hamper, trying to decide if he should also strip down in the middle of his room. ]

Who won by the way? [ it’s been an age, but he finally, finally chews up the last of his candy and swallows. ]

[marmoron]

[ keith shouldn't be snickering while shiro handles the re-order, but he can't help the pinch of schadenfreude over the pizza place giving shiro some harmless grief. careful to try and minimize collateral pizza damage, keith pulls the baggy shirt halfway up his back before pulling his jeans down his hips and wiggling his legs free one at a time. the red boxers he's wearing are briefly visible before keith lets the baggy shirt flop down.

who won? keith huffs in amusement as he bends low to scoop his pants off the floor and turns around, looking triumphant. ]

I won, obviously. Because -- [ and here's shiro's apparently infallible logic for the day. ] It's my birthday.

[ grinning wide, keith pauses to take his phone out of his pocket before turning the pants over to assess the splatter on the back. it is, to nobody's surprise, in dire need of a wash to get the tomato sauce and cheese grime off. frowning, keith lifts up the shirt again to get a look at his boxers just to affirm those are still clean before letting his pants fall into the hamper. ]

No objections I take it?

[ tease offered with a hand clapped on shiro's shoulder, he grins yet again.... and then wrinkles his nose when the lift of his arm makes the shirt slip to the other side to bare his other shoulder. maybe he should just ... get changed into his own clothes, huh. [

shiro's 'oh shit i'm massively gay' icon

[earthshine]

[ shit. keith’s got him there. modesty forgotten in light of having his words thrown back at him, shiro jerks a glance to keith. nothing too bad. it’s just his best friend standing there, digging through his pants for his phone, shiro’s oversized shirt hanging off of his lithe frame. it’s ridiculous. it should be ridiculous. the top half of keith is swallowed up in too much fabric… but then that fabric runs out at his thighs and from there, it’s a long, long way down. how is that kid so much leg? shiro’s got about a head on keith and yet, keith’s legs rival the length of his own – how is that possible?

and why is shiro so intent on noticing this?

i’m not. fuck, now he’s arguing with himself. perhaps that’s part of why he’s so amendable to keith’s teasing. he’s too busy arguing with himself that he can’t take on arguing with someone else: so here. have a headshake. it’s slow in a clearly distracted way and he thinks, unhelpfully, that there are no objections to anything here. not to keith having his way because it’s his birthday and not to keith standing there, right there next to shiro, showing off his great legs.

keith is wrinkling his nose. for a split second, shiro thinks shit, he’s being weird, isn’t he? he’s looked a little too long and keith’s caught on; keith can probably tell the direction of shiro’s thoughts by the heaviness of his gaze and now he’s going to skip the play fighting and actually kick shiro’s ass. except… oh. there’s his shoulder again.

relief floods shiro’s system and he’s drunk on it for a handful of moments, shoulder relaxing under keith’s hand and breath coming out in a tumbling laugh. ]

Gosh, you’re drowning.

[ he lifts his own hand to keith’s naked shoulder. though, they aren’t quite two idiots standing there in his room, clasping shoulders. shiro pinches the edge of that collar and pulls it up, bunching the material to sit it high on keith’s shoulder. as soon as he lets go though, it slides right back down again. another laugh, smile coming to him easily. ]

Obviously you’re smaller than me but guess you’re a lot smaller than me.