[ 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]

[ so keith fancies himself a top. frankly, shiro’s a little ashamed of himself for assuming keith one way or another; not very open-minded of him, huh? why’d he think bottom anyway? yeah, good question. because keith is smaller than him. because although he knows keith favors control, he so often listens to shiro and follows his lead. because shiro has always been the one on top, so he’d assumed… he’s hoped…? ]

I dunno.

[ unsurprisingly, he sidesteps the option of honesty. shiro has far too much practice at this sort of thing, but here, his ease in telling half-truths and diverting attention away from subjects he doesn’t want to confront doesn’t hold strong. he’s flustered and caught off guard, causing his voice to come out hastier, expression flighty and nervous.

he doubles down, however, and goes for a shrug of one shoulder, again trying to play up a casual, nothing to see here attitude. ]

I was only guessing. I haven't thought about it or anything.

[ and he’ll immediately go in for another drink of his smoothie, just to excuse any need to continue talking. ]

[marmoron]

[ keith wrinkles his nose, unsure if he's convinced by any shiro's explanation theere if only because he'd sounded so sure initially. then again, why would shiro have dedicated any prior thought to this question anyway? he mumbles. ]

Right.

[ it's a short beat later and he's spelt out the word top in the appropriate position. he gives the cursor another contemplative look befpre glancing across curiously towards shiro. ]

So you're a bottom then?

[ since shiro was defending bottoms and all.... ]

[earthshine]

[ shiro makes the mistake of overindulging in his smoothie. one gulp turns into two and may have very well gone onto a third if keith had kept quiet. but he doesn’t. shiro gets a taste of his own medicine and it comes with a sputter of breath directly into his smoothie, thick globs of chocolatey goodness escaping over the rim. he pulls away, coughs and then wipes the back of his hand across his mouth. ]

No, I’ve never –

[ okay, tmi, he doesn’t need to be that honest. he shuts his mouth, so quickly that his teeth click, and delays, one, two, three beats before breathing heavily out through his nose, trying for a much more composed: ]

I’m a top.

[marmoron]

[ ....and thar she blows. keith moves closer to give shiro a one-two thump on the back to help him through his smoothie inhalation. the concern lifts somewhat a tick later, but then keith has even more to pick through. against his better judgment, he ends up blurting: ]

Never? How come?

[ it's an invasive question -- keith realizes as much a little late, but this whole conversation has been exactly that. invasive. it's why he's never really opened up about anything relating to intimacy, but now that they're here, he figures he mas as well ask. ]

[earthshine]

[ … thanks for the back thump, but perhaps shiro would have rather choked. extreme? arguably so. however, now that his position of choice is being scrutinized, he’s giving his smoothie another look, wondering if he could pull a repeat performance. he purses his lips instead and holds the glass on his thigh, almost to his knee. overdramatic plans of escape aside, shiro knows he can wrinkle his nose at any question, tell keith he doesn’t want to get into it, and keith, being the true friend that he is, would leave it be. but…

he sneaks a glance at keith’s phone screen, frowning at that more so than the question itself. he doesn’t want keith to cut him out of this, so shiro can’t cut him out either; if he wants to keep to stay in the loop of what keith is getting up to in his pursuit of other men, then he has to be open himself. somewhat, at least.

he leans back fully into the cushion, giving another one of those deliberately aloof shrugs once he’s settled. ]

Every guy I’ve been with wanted me to top.

[ and it’s not like shiro didn’t want to top either. it worked to the benefit – and satisfaction – or everyone involved, so he simply never diverted from it. ]

[marmoron]

[ keith mulls that one over in his head. aside from that being a heck of a lof of tmi about adam, it doesn't necessarily sound like shiro's dead set on only topping? the thought ought to be completely irrelevant to keith. correction: it Is irrelevant considering shiro's made it clear where it is that keith stands in his eyes.

inexplicably dejected, but not deterred keith slumps a little lower into the couch, eyes back oh his phone to look at the rest of his profile. all the way at the toop, there's an option to add a selfie and a short blurb about himself that keith is once again stuck on. he tries to think, but his head keeps lopping back to a question. ]

...so you would if you met a guy that wanted you to bottom?

[ keith tries, really tries for nonchalance here. see how personally uninvested he is in the answer, shiro? he eve glances back up to look at the tv screen where dr. sasquatch has finally returned from the unnecessarily long commercial break. ]

[earthshine]

[ yes, shiro does see how personally uninvested keith is in his answer. while keith resumes his sasquatch entertainment, shiro tucks his chin and contemplates his smoothie, rotating his wrist to test the consistency inside the glass. thick as it is, the contents barely move. again, there’s that upwelling of feeling that pushes him ever closer to telling keith to back off but as quickly as it comes, it softens and then disperses. in some small way, it’s almost refreshing to be able to talk about this. it’s been literal years since he’s given sex any real thought. beyond that, it’s a subject that he and keith have mostly avoided, despite being considered best friends for… how long now? aren’t best friends supposed to confide in each other about these sorts of things?

first hurdle out of the way – deciding he isn’t going to tell keith to shove off – shiro is now left with the second: how to answer that. would he bottom? not only if the guy is pushing for him to bottom, but if the guy made him feel safe and secure and garnered enough confidence in shiro that he was actually going to be well taken care of…

shiro can’t picture it. he can’t picture anyone here or back home, who would be capable of understanding shiro’s hang-ups and insecurities. what kind of man, from what kind of background and history, would be able to soothe shiro enough into being that vulnerable? no one, except of course – ]

He’d have to be someone I trust.

[ he sneaks a glance at keith, only to look away not more than two beats later. ]

But yes, I think so? I’m not against trying it at least once.

[ just… no hook-up apps for him. he isn’t built for that, especially now. it would make finding someone willing to top him much easier though. he has a certain look about him, he supposes, one that speaks of authority and masculinity. it’s safe to say that the majority of people would take one look at him and peg him as a top. well, most people excluding, of course, keith.

telling himself to get away from this topic quickly, before he starts drawing more lines back to keith, shiro clears his throat and abruptly changes the subject. ]

How’s it coming now? What do you have left?

[marmoron]

[ as deeply engrossed as keith is in the documentary, his focus doesn't drift away from a 3D map of the world marked with large x's on every major continent that has had reported sightings or folklore relating to large great apes.

they're known by many names. bigfoot. sasquatch. the yeti. yeren. the abominable snowman...

as the voiceover narration speaks, artist renditions of the legends pop up on screen. the designs look distinctly like they were modelled off of last year's unsold halloween costumes. keith snickers, despite himself. fuck. the documentary is actually kind of entertaining, and his focus is starting to genuinely split, rather than just be some feigned show.

of course, once shiro does get to talking though he's back to paying attention. keith glanes over briefly. someone i trust, huh? he keeps his eyes on shiro a bit too long though, and he hastily refouses on his phone before they make accidental eye contact. heart hammering for some godforsaken reason, keith bites the inside of his lip and swallows. ]

Just have the "about me" and the selfie part left.

[ which shouldn't be hard except... ]

I don't know what to put here. I hate talking about myself, you know? p thinking about what he has to offer others, what skills he brings to the table... or bed in this case. hand scrubbing through the back of his head, he sighs. ]

Not like I can say "I'm the Red Paladin" here. [ a beat. ] And I think being honest and saying "I'm a virgin who doesn't want to be a virgin anymore" is too forward.

[earthshine]

[ hates talking about himself, heh, that has shiro puffing out an amused breath and quirking a lopsided smile. yeah, shiro is very much aware of how difficult it can be to get keith to open up. it’s not much of an issue now, of course – this conversation is proof enough in itself – but once upon a time, when he’d been dealing with a shorter, far grumpier version, shiro often found himself comparing keith to a tight-lipped clam. his amusement takes a hit by the end of keith’s lamenting and he finds himself wanting to ask: why does keith not want to be a virgin anymore? why the sudden urgency? why does he seem so intent on simply throwing it away to the first guy who looks at him for more than two seconds? he should ask, he knows he should, because he’s the best friend and the older, more experienced one here, so it’s his duty to make sure keith knows what he’s setting himself up for.

but.

shiro keeps hesitating. so often he’s unafraid in telling keith what he should and shouldn’t do, but now, when it comes to his health and well-being, he’s chickening out from the very real possibility of pissing him off? ]

You could always say you’re ex-juvie. Add a knife emoji too. [ he’s stalling. the humor is forced and the renewed smile strained. ] Some guys are into the bad boy thing.

[ he heaves his weight up from that comfy recline and leans forward to set his glass on the coffee table. hand free, he stays hunched over his lap, elbows coming to rest on his thighs and: ]

But – hey.

[ mustering up his courage to navigate through this possible landmine filled conversation, shiro turns his head to look at keith and then straightens up so he doesn’t have to crane his neck so far. ]

Not to sound patronizing but… are you sure you want to… [ don’t say throw away, don’t say throw away, don’t say – ] … give yourself away to someone you barely know? [ again, he tells himself he’s not invested in keith’s virginity. it’s not like a first time needs to be special or even memorable. it does, however, need to be safe. ]

Afterall, Grindr is more of a, uh… visual shopping experience. [ how it’s categorized as a dating app is a mystery. so that profile blurb? good chance eighty-six percent of users don’t even read it before issuing a swipe. ] A very abrupt one at that.

[marmoron]

[ keith makes a face at the ex-juvie comment, though what comes after has him quirking an eyebrow. are people actually attracted to that kind of thing? not for the first time he can't help feeling weirdly disjointed from the world at large -- like an outsider staring in through the windows at an unfamiliar people and culture.

though. heh. maybe that analogy isn't even that un-apt considering the potential oddity of his biology. now there's something he could put into his "about me" blurb. hi. half alien looking for a good time 🤤 see? emoji and everything. ]

Uh-huh. [ sounding more skeptical about this bad boy thing than convinced. ] I got one.

[ but as he starts to type that out, shiro starts speaking again and his tone is different this time. more serious? keith pauses mid-word and looks over, frowning slightly. the question is .... to be expected all things considered, but keith doesn't have a good way of answering it without immediately stoking shiro's sense of guilt. ]

Well ... yeah. [ awkward as that start is, he doesn't sound flustered per se. ] I've thought about it a lot. Y'know. New year, new me -- all that. [ he sighs, then puts the phone down on the coffee table to shift and actually face shiro. ] I've been doing a lot of thinking, I guess. About what you said about me never putting in enough effort. And maybe you were right. Maybe I really am finding a lot of excuses not to put myself out there.

[ it's all circular, and doesn't actually address the root of the problem. he sighs, turning very slightly red as he looks a little to the left. ]

... And maybe I wanna start the year off with a nice experience. as opposed to the two near death experiences that 2021 ended on. that'd be nice. ] ... Making a good looking guy scream my name from how good it is? Sounds nice.

[earthshine]

[ so shiro set this in motion. aside from the fact that shiro said – and did – a lot of stupid things that night, when he word vomited that whole thing about effort, he didn’t actually mean keith should casually hook-up just because. he’d been trying to build up keith’s confidence; that this kid has it in the bag to get anyone he wants, so he shouldn’t sell himself short. with his delivery completely butchered, however, it’s no wonder keith’s taken it to the extreme by more or less putting together a booty call advertisement.

the unsaid explanation of starting the year off with a nice experience is easy to defer. it settles deep in his brain and shiro is all the more guiltier for it. right. because 2021 was such a clusterfuck, especially october on, so much of every horrible experience keith went through relating back to shiro in some way. failing to protect him with the boars, the insult at the bar, the lie about the kisses, the fucking worm app, the avoidance, the fight in the shower… – all those times shiro’s caught himself thinking maybe about him and keith trying something more than friendship are unearned and inappropriate, simply because shiro’s been a terrible friend, mentor, leader, everything to keith. so what right does he have to even consider himself worthy?

fuck, maybe some random match on the grindr app actually is the better option. no strings attached and no fucking baggage.

mood dipping low, he isn’t put together enough to prevent the grimace. ah well, one good thing about adi’s strict security means, at least, shiro won’t have to hear keith with some guy one room over. ]

Guess so.

[ he tries to force an encouraging smile but it’s so far off the mark that shiro gives up with a turn of his head, once again plucking up his glass so he has something to do with his hands. ]

Do you have everything to… y’know – do this sort of thing safely?

[marmoron]

[ it isn't just shiro's tone that's shifted, it's his demeanor too. keith watches his best friend turn away somewhat abruptly, feeling unsure. did he say too much? share too much about what he wants? he ducks his head looking just a pinch dejected.

but then shiro's moved on to ... what lecture time? that much is familiar territory at least, but keith can't help feeling another sigh coming on. ]

'Course I did. [ brow furrowing, he picks his phone back up and muses over his lil blurb that shiro likely isn't going to be helping him with anymore. ] I'd rather die than catch crabs and have to talk to Strnage about it.

[earthshine]

[ annnnnd back to grimacing. ]

Right. Best to avoid that.

[ being treated for crabs is bad enough. benign treated for crabs by a doctor who dresses like a fortune teller slash wizard is beyond bad. frowning now, he taps his fingers against the glass and tries to steer the conversation away from the ever wonderful topic of stds. ]

It sounds like you have a handle on everything then. [ a pause and a miserable, little thought of guess you don’t need me anymore, huh, in more ways than one, but instead of saying as much and getting to his feet to let keith get to uploading and swiping, shiro backtracks. ]

So what’d you decide on for the blurb?

[marmoron]

[ ... huh. okay, so there's no grand lecture about safe sex forthcoming. shiro isn't going to metamorphose into a sex ed teacher / dad. keith perks up very slightly at first, then wilts as he has to contemplate this goddaamn blurb. the blinking cursor is taunting him, he swears. ]

I don't know.

[ he types out the word "hi" and when that feels too plain, he thumbs through the emoji selection, brows pinching. ]

So far I have hi. And I'm trying to find an emoji that isn't overly excited.

[earthshine]

[ squint. hi? he thought keith said he had something. that’s his grand idea? hi?? plus an moderately excited emoji, whatever that means. ]

… You’re kidding, right?

[ he knows what he said. how grindr is more geared toward window shopping than any extensive ( minimal ) reading, but hi is so pathetically simple that it’d almost be better to leave the section blank.

… actually, on second thought, yes, keith should put a cringey hi. ]

[marmoron]

I'm thinking.

[ grumped as keith muses on the aesthetics of 😊vs🦛. a pinch more accusingly, he adds: ]

And you were supposed to be helping.

[ not judge, which is decidedly what this is all starting to feel like. ]

[earthshine]

[ … bad move. so far, shiro’s been surprisingly docile, mostly due to guilt and a dash of regret that’s left him too tangled up inside to overstep in putting a stop to this show of, frankly, poor judgment. turning it around to accuse shiro of being even the slightest bit unsupportive instantly rubs him the wrong way. he wrinkles his nose and knits his brows in tight, expression turning sour. ]

I have been.

[ it wouldn’t be so bad if it ended there, but the frustration slips further beyond his control and he pushes back with a huff. ]

I can only be expected to do so much in helping you get laid.

[marmoron]

[ .... great. shiro’s gone from judgmental to irritable. keith lacks the poise needed to keep from scrubbing his hand down his face in exaseperation, but he at least keeps his mouth shut. there are at least three different somewhat inflammatory retorts coming to mind, but being incendiary isn’t actually the goal here.

he takes a deep breath, letting it out in an audible and equally deep sigh. ]

Look. I know I’m bad at this.

[ more than bad. terrible might be more apt here, but it’s both awkward and nervewrecking to be putting himself out there for people to scrutinize. if nothing else, he thought maybe shiro could offer a bit of friendly support, but evidently not. but that’s fine because: ]

Don’t help if you don’t want to. I’ll figure it out on my own.

[ really the more disappointing thing here is the fact that intimacy in general is clearly a banned topic from their friendship. ]

[earthshine]

[ the remorse is never too far behind after shiro’s lost his cool. it only hits harder too, when keith maintains his and ends up playing the voice of reason. feeling adequately chastised, shiro hunches into himself and frowns at his smoothie, staying silent for a good stretch. sorry? shiro isn’t good at this either? both are things he should say, but neither come. instead, he eventually sighs, following it up with a soft, somewhat mumbles: ]

I’m going to help.

[ no mention of wanting to, not that this detours shiro in any way. he’s intent on seeing this through for a slew of reasons that, honestly, barely hold up in his head. he’ll take a gulp of his smoothie here and then once again, set it on the coffee table, to then hold his hand out to keith, palm open and fingers curling in the universal gimme. ]

Hand it over. I’ll write something.

[marmoron]

[ so.... he's not irritable? whatever shiro's mood here is, keith doesn't have a good read on it. shiro very clearly doesn't want to be helping considering that begrudging look and posture, but then he's helping anyway? ok.

keith hands the phone over with one eyebrow raised. really, he can infer that shiro thinks this is a bad idea, but morbid curiosity has him wanting to see what shiro wants to write anyway. ]

Okay.

[ his tone ends up slightly guarded, but once he drops the phone into shiro's outstretched palm, he turns to face the tv again. by now, the primatologist has brought out casts of alleged bigfoot prints and forensic dna evidence of alleged bigfoot fur. keith listens for a beat or two, then throws out in afterthought: ]

... nothing crazy though. Don't wanna pull a Tim and draw the attention of some weirdo.

[earthshine]

[ oh. fantastic. shiro hadn’t even thought of that. keith is better at vetting his potentials though, right? he won’t end up entangled with some stalker-esque admirer, right? once again – not that he fully ever stopped – shiro debates the safety of this plan. now it’s not just dealing with asshole guys that has shiro hesitating, it’s the idea of putting one’s identity up on an app in a reality in which they had a fucking disaster with an app not even a full month ago. but hey, what are the chances of that happening twice? the only consolation here is that this app hasn’t been forced on keith. it didn’t pop up on every adi phone; it’s just the same old app that any normal person can download.

… shiro is still somewhat tempted to crush this phone right here, right now in his metal hand.

considering the amount of ground they lost last month and how they’re just beginning to feel in sync with one another again, shiro resists the urge. no sense in bringing up bad memories by violently shattering keith’s replacement phone. don’t smother him, with concern or judgment or anything else; he needs to support keith here and so… – he steels his resolve and tries to do just that. ]

No weirdo bait, got it.

[ it’s an odd feeling to be staring at the cursor blinking there in the empty box, knowing that he’s constructing some opening line that will either help or hinder keith in his goal of dumping his virginity. fuck.

pilot. adrenaline junkie. not looking for anything serious, just a good time. lame.
let’s not pretend you’ve read this. nah.
extremely flexible. wanna see? ugh.
🍑 🍑 🍑 -- er. top, keith said he wants to top.
my default speed is fast but i can’t get rid of this virginity fast enough. help?? no. just. no.

peeking over at keith, he watches him watch this highly informative, truth telling documentary and then looks back to the phone as he taps out a few lines. when he’s done, he stares at it for more ticks than he can keep track of, only to shake free of the staredown by sighing. it’s a bit ridiculous but – ]

Here.

[ he holds the phone over. it reads:

Forget dirty talk.
I only put out for cryptid trivia.
Hit me with your best line ;]

listen. sex and cryptids; shiro doesn’t see how this isn’t appropriate for keith’s profile blurb?? ]

[marmoron]

[ listen, it's fascinating hearing about the genomic sequencing of mystery ape hair from the dakotas? truly riveting stuff. he tears his eyes away from the tv screen when shiro announces he's finished and glances down at the little blurb.

part of him has to wonder if fishing for cryptid pick up lines isn't actually weirdo bait, but it does make him laugh slightly. there are some reasons why this might be concerning in this reality, considering monsters and cryptids here are likely tied to an entity of some sort, but what are the odds of running into a ren 2.0 on grindr anyway?

he huffs somewhat nonchalantly, then tabs up to add a photo of himself. ]

So if someone shoots me a message telling me about the legend of "Bigdick" is that a winner or ...?

[ it's a bad joke, really. keith holds the camera up, smile fading as he sees his face on the screen. god this is awkward. does he smile? pretend he's doing something else? does he even shoot this full frontal or do a side shot? so many choices. he wants to fold his arms, but that'd look stupid with just the one arm, huh? ]

[earthshine]

[ bigdick. that’s so incredibly lame, keith. which is, of course, why shiro exhales heavily on amusement and ends up laughing, despite him wanting so badly not to. the sudden feeling of levity loosens his tongue and he gets carried away with the joke, piling on a: ]

Bold move, to tell you a legend about me in order to get to you.

[ that hunch to his shoulders? gone by the way. he doesn’t even realize he’s done it: straightened his spine and swelled up with some sense of… pride? satisfaction? smugness? all of these options are highly embarrassing and thankfully, shiro is mostly blind to it, because he’s far more focused on giving all his attention to keith’s posing. or lack thereof.

barely any time at all has slipped by; one, two since his quip and his expression softens, voice similarly soothed. ]

Smile. [ a beat. ] You should smile.

[ another pause, one that is marked by shiro, again, losing himself in the moment, words encouraging, albeit slightly wistful. ]

You – look really good when you smile.

[marmoron]

[ keith shoots shiro a curious look at his first comment. the legend of bigdick is a legend about shiro? it's just about the last claim he'd expected to hear, so part of him is entirely convinced he must've misheard. right? probably.

it seems even more likely when shiro's expression grows softer. people don't just make lewd jokes and then get all sweet after, right? still puzzling over what it is that shiro did say then, the instruction to smile shakes him a little off course from his train of thought. but what ends up completely derailing him is the compliment. ]

I do?

[ again, the words are out of his mouth before keith can think better. embarrassment hits a moment later, cheeks betraying him with a light flush. he doesn't mean to parrot like this nor does he mean to fluster, but he can't quite take his eyes off shiro's face. all said, he has to look a little stppid just keeping the phone aloft while being entirely preoccupied with looking at his best friend. trying to course correct, keith clears his throat, and smiles sheepishly. ]

I mean... thanks? [ question mark entirely audible, keith hits the button and the shutter clicks, capturing a rather shy-faced keith. he looks at it, heart hammering and unsure. ]

Is this good, big-- [ fuck, don't say dick don't say dick -- ] guy?

[earthshine]

[ you look really good when you smile is such a minimal compliment and yet, it seems to catch keith completely off guard. like, he’s never thought for even a moment that something like that would be said to him. there’s a sharp twist in the depths of shiro’s chest when keith’s first instinct is to question it and as shiro himself is struck still on a beat of surprise, he ends up on a silent oh, keith, wanting to squeeze his shoulder or even sling his arm around both, just to drive the sentiment home with an of course. but keith is quicker. flush faced, keith clears his throat and moves right along. before long, shiro has a thanks and a picture that… shiro would very much like to see more clearly.

he’s scooting closer, even before keith asks for his opinion. funnily enough, the question has shiro doing the opposite: it has him pausing and looking to keith’s face, rather than the phone. big guy? that’s a new one. shiro keeps a running catalog of keith bestowed nicknames. old timer, honeydew, deep dish, big guy… heh, shiro never pegged keith as the pet name type, but does he have any complaints? none. or at least, none pertaining to what creativities keith comes up with. shiro’s one complaint is that he himself is so far behind and he really ought to begin returning the favor.

he has a feeling cutie is not an appropriate place to start though. it’s the first word that pops into his brain when he resumes scooting, ends up almost thigh to thigh and leaning close to keith, staring at the picture displayed on his phone. soft faced and dusted pink, eyes perfectly framed by that unruly mop of hair that, honest to god, somehow works for keith – yeah, he’s cute. it’s a good picture. not that this helps shiro in any way. what is he supposed to do with the fact that he likes the picture enough to want a copy for himself… while simultaneously wanting to tell keith it’s a dud and he shouldn’t put that up for anyone to see? ]

Yeah. [ so undeniably genuine. ] It’s good.

[ his voice wavers but the stubborn set of his smile does not. be supportive. he’s trying to keep to that but… he said it once and perhaps he should say it again: he doesn’t want to share keith. but this is what keith wants. it might even be what he needs. so shiro can’t – shiro shouldn’t be selfish. he has to be – keith’s friend.

he looks away and to the television. ]

Post it. See if you get any hits.