apocalypsehowcomm | (mingle) It must be party time

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(mingle) It must be party time

Who: Ren Amamiya, Wanda Maximoff, you!
When: 12th of September
Where: Good Harbor Beach
Summary: Here's the barbecue log! Eating, playing games, having a bonfire and sleep-over on the beach!
Warnings: Alcohol? Ghost stories?

ɪ. ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ

Congratulations, you've made it to the Good Harbor Beach September barbecue! With the weather cooling, but still pleasant enough, it's a pleasure to have a hangout involving ADI's residents and those who live at Bonnie's. There are still so many people who don't know one another, and many to strengthen bonds with, so the hours your dearest Wanda and Ren spend cooking and flipping and seasoning are nothing but rewarding! Seeing people enjoying themselves is great and it's motivating for them to keep doing these encounters every now and then.

On the menu, we have:
- Burgers;
- Steaks with jacked potato sides;
- Ribs;
- Zucchini-and-Pecorino fritters;
- Several different salads, including ovcharska;
- Aubergine kebabs with charred onion salsa;
- Salmon yakitori;
- Takoyaki;
- Cupcakes
- Apples and honey;
- Cherry dumplings;
- Sarmale filled with rice;
- Bundevara (pumpkin pie);

For drinks, there's a selection of alcohol, as well as coffee, water, tea, and a variety of sodas. Take in the nice view, jump on the ocean, sink your toes in the sand and enjoy yourselves. There aren't any usable tables, but there are several blankets on the floor for your perusal.

ɪɪ. ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴀʀᴛʏ

With bellies full, now it's when the real fun begins. There are a few decks of cards being passed around, as well as one of their single tables now organized to a beer-pong competition. Individually, games such as Never Have I Ever, as well as Truth or Dare can be seen, and those who wish to use their skills for entertaining are more than welcome to do so.

A little bonding here, a little drunken chatting there, this is your time to shine!

ɪɪɪ. ᴀ ʙᴏɴꜰɪʀᴇ

With those who have a curfew to worry about in mind, a bonfire is lit, and a few tents are set around the beach (may have to be shared). If anyone's got a nice story, now it's the time to share it, or perhaps if anyone can play an instrument, it's about time to break it out of its case. The night will be lively until the early hours of the morning, and of course, mindful of those who couldn't stay up this late.

The next morning, everyone will be properly thanked for their attendance and tupperwares will be distributed with leftovers for those who'd like to take some food home, the beach will be cleaned impeccably and everyone will go their own way, hopefully with smiles and a new sense of unity and connection from the amazing night they've just experienced.

ɪᴠ. ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴏᴏᴄ ɴᴏᴛᴇ

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[ hours into the barbeque, after the stars have long since come out and the marshmallows have been broken out around the bonfire, shiro goes looking for keith. he’s seen him plenty this evening, but he lost track of him -- thirty, forty minutes ago? could’ve been an hour now, honestly. now, with him full of s’mores and mostly sober, he picks his way through the mess of chairs and blankets and tables of snacks, food, and booze, until he comes across a beanbag pulled to the outskirts, just far enough that the firelight flickers dimmer.

still enough to see who is in the middle of the beanbag.

keith -- and a very relaxed one at that, judging by the lazy spread of his limbs. not to the mention the humming. hell, how much did he have to drink? there’s two ways to address this. one: sigh and shake his head, get keith home and later address the recklessness of over-drinking in an unfamiliar place. two: accept the amusing sight for what it is and be keith’s friend, rather than his babysitter.

thankfully, shiro goes with the second.

besides, they’re among… friends? possibly. and after everything he’s been through in the past two-ish months, keith deserves a night of kicking back from responsibility. -- even if he is too young to be drinking. ]

Looks like you’ve had a good night. [ he nudges keith’s dangling foot with his calf, smiling. ] How are you feeling there, bud?

[ don't mind keith, he plonked himself down in this enormous bena bag chair fifteen minutes ago and hasn't managed to get back up. and who could blame him really? the seat is soft, cozy and squishes around as he moves. that and the vague refrain of some strange music in his head is all a very out of it boy needs in order to be satisfied.

or well. almost fully satisfied. with shiro sauntering up close to finish off the picturesque view of the beach at night, keith smiles up at him all wide and toothy, lazily lifting up one hand to start a salute. ]

Shiro!

[ he gets to about half salute, then the arm flops right back down. ]

Did you know, you can dance?

[ oh yeah. he’s plastered. shiro tilts his head and catches the corner of his bottom lip with his teeth, muffling the immediate desire to laugh. it’s amusing, just as it’s concerning. yes, concerning; he can’t completely turn off responsible shiro and again, he wonders how much alcohol is in keith’s system to have him stranded in a bean bag.

he’s never given any thought to the persona keith would fit once under the influence. a lot of people might’ve guessed a quiet, moody drunk. the less kind would’ve gone with the angry, violent type. surprise surprise, keith is neither. instead, he’s happy and jubilant and sweet. a bit cute too, if shiro is completely honest. which he is not going to be, because he’s already dealing with dogtown and the mixed bag of emotions associated with that experience. he doesn’t have the headspace left to take on further questionable thoughts.

so he’ll settle on amusing. yeah, keith is simply amusing, lying there with his half-salute and delighted smile. ]

No, I did not. [ he can’t tell if this is drunken chatter or if there is a point behind it. probably the first; he puts more weight on his right foot and rests his hand on that cocked hip. ] How did you decide that?

[ keith laughs -- not quite giggling, but a stone's throw away. ]

The music says so. [ stated like this is as obvious as the color of the sky. ] Can't you hear it?

[ he hums a few bars of the chorus, as he raises his non-saluting hand, fingers outstretched like he wants shiro to grab a hold. ]

I've never danced though. Is it fun?

[ oh, the singing? there’s a group by the fire playing instruments and making up lyrics as they go -- guess the newly formed band has its very first fan. except, keith’s humming doesn’t match the tempo sounding off behind him. it is familiar though. almost sounds like…

huh. keith knows that song?

he stares at that outstretched hand for an extended beat and then goes about taking it in his own. ]

It can be. [ what a ringing endorsement; perhaps shiro isn’t the best person to ask, not when his last experience is years old. he smiles crookedly. ]

I bet you’d be good at it. [ it’s not a forced nicety. he means it. fighting is a bit like dancing afterall. there’s structure to it and an intense awareness for one’s own body, all of which keith has demonstrated countless times now.

… and listen. if nothing else, keith’s got the legs for it. ]

But not as fun as cliff diving, huh?

[ which... well, it doesn't really come as any kind of surprise to keith. those garrison formal dances always looked far too awkward to participate in. still, shiro thinking maybe he'd be good at it makes keith wonder an extra beat longer as he looks at their joined hands.

he'd been ready to pull shiro into the comfy bean bag with him, but actually.... maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be pulled up onto his feet either? ]

Will you show me?

[ the grin comes on fast and it comes on sharp, his amusement altogether potent. ]

Nothing is as fun as cliff diving.

[ though, maybe that’s about to be put to the test. he hesitates, grin growing smaller and then tosses a glance over his shoulder, to eye the silhouettes backdropped by the fire. no one cares, he tells himself. he’s seen enough people making fools of themselves both from booze and from ridiculous party games to now feel less in need of keeping up appearances. besides, when he turns his gaze back to keith…

how is he supposed to say no to that stupidly drunk face?

he breathes out slow, shoulders drooping and he gives himself a mental shake, a smile coming to him. ] Of course I’ll show you. [ he bends down and finds keith’s other hand with his own, squeezing both grips tighter, before he teases: ]

If you can stay on your feet. [ and up. he pulls keith out of the bean bag, hoping keith is altogether stable, despite what his noodle limbs and lazy lounging suggests; he’s ready, of course, to catch if need be. ]

[ nothing, huh? keith grins, but whatever partly there thought he had about faster than light travel through the cosmos is swept off by the lurch and pull as shiro hauls him up onto his feet. ]

Woah-- [ he laughs then, giddy and taking a clumsy step forward to help settle the gentle sway of his balance. it doesn't help much that shirp's chest is apparently determined to be some kind of roadblock here though and the move ends with keith faceplanting a little. what should really then be course corrected with a quick hop back nevr happens, and instead keith peeks up a little sheepishly. ]

..hi. I'm okay. [ is he though? he leans heavily for a moment and then: ] I got this. [ one very large step back, smile a little stupid but enthusiastic. ] Good thing you're not as cushy as the bean bag.

[ that went as well as expected. keith isn’t toppling over a second time though, even with shiro no longer holding on or acting as a support wall. encouraged by this, shiro smiles and thinks, okay, guess they’re going to go through with this afterall. it should be interesting; he’s grown far too accustomed to keith being calculated and precise in his movements due to his obsession with sparring on the castleship. this bumbling, giddy version of keith is so vastly different that shiro is having a difficult time concentrating and not getting caught up in his amusement.

just -- great. he has the growing suspicion that he’s about to have his feet stepped on. many times.

the goofy smile only has shiro’s own smile growing and -- cushy? he laughs. ]

Right. Otherwise you might’ve never come out.

[ keith knows that well though, huh? wasn’t that long ago that keith was cupping his pec and giving it a squeeze, feeling just how hard those toned muscles are. what had keith said? shiro has a body that puts greek statues to shame? heh. shiro acting coy like he doesn’t remember; like he hasn’t all week been looping back to that and everything that came after. not the time to be thinking about it ( again ) though. focus…

he clears his throat and steps right back into keith’s space. ] Okay, dancing. [ he slips his right hand around keith and rests the palm on his lower back, other hand finding keith’s right, to clasp them together. ] Put your hand on my shoulder. [ loose, comfortable, the closed-position should be easy enough for even drunk keith to follow along to, right? ] We’ll start with something you could’ve utilized if you hadn’t been so good at avoiding the Garrison gala nights.

[ oh... ]

Hey, I'd have come out... eventually.

[ don't call him out like this, shirp?? he wasn't stuck in the bean bag, the bean bag was stuck on him, thanks. this is how relativity works, alright? but that bit of protestation doesn't have much staying power as shiro takes his hand and drapes the other around his back. the alcohol's doing a good job keeping keith warm, but the temperature feels a little dialed up. weird. stupid. keith puts his hand on shiro's shoulder as instructed, cheeks pinking slightly as he looks up expectantly. ]

Like this? [ he swallows and briefly ducks eye contact. ] And I wasn't avoiding those, I just...didn't have anyone to go with.

[ which isn't wholly true, mind you. a cadet did ask him that one time, but it was so painfully awkward it's buried deep in keith's repressed memories. ]

[ nods, smiling even as keith ducks his face. ]

Mmhm. [ now, shiro isn’t an expert in this field. he’s decent enough -- or was when it was important to adam -- but he is going to take an extra moment to mentally run through the steps. the box-step is in counts of three, right? frankly, he could probably get away with anything right now; it’s not as though keith, in his inebriated state, will call him out on a botched waltz. still, he wants to make it -- right? good, for keith?

maybe he should start with swaying though? then maybe try steps?

he makes a soft sound in his throat, merely acknowledging keith’s comment and then he pats once at keith’s lower back, deciding that simple may be best here. ] Follow me. Mirror my movements. [ which are hardly anything at all; he quite literally sways side to side on a slow tempo, not even fully lifting a foot out of the sand just yet.

but about before… ]

Did you ever ask someone to go with you?

[ follow those movements? ah, keith can do that. except he'd anticipated actual steps being taken rather than gentle swaying from side to side, so uh... down comes his foot on shiro's. reaction time dulled, he looks down and adds a little belatedly: ]

Oh.... oops. Heh. Sorry.

[ foot comes off and is replanted more firmly on the sand, expression a little sheepish as he sways from side to side. it doesn't match the beat of the song in his head in the slightest, but when the whole world feels like it's swaying right alongside you, it's hard to be too fussed about finding a tempo. grip tightening on shiro's hand, keith leans a little for support and murmurs quietly: ]

Nah, I didn't really wanna do stuff like that back then. Y'know. The whole... [ he looks around left, right, then drops his voice to hushed tones. ] Dating thing. Cuz you know... it's awkward. [ a beat. ] Or...well. I'm awkward. I'm not good with people so I'd just mess it up. At least that's what I figured.

[ and here, he sighs and huffs a laugh. ]

But I dunnno. Maybe I should have put myself out there anyway.

[ fuck, alright, that was his own fault. he started too basic. at least by the time keith looks back up, shiro’s weathered the wince and smoothed out the frown. breathes out heavier and mumbles: ]

It’s fine.

[ he’ll just be tallying off one foot crush on his mental scoreboard. early estimates have him thinking he’ll be suffering at least three more by the end of this dancing lesson. a worthwhile price to pay, he supposes, to be able to feel keith settle into the languidness of their swaying, all the while confessing. a small part of shiro thinks he shouldn’t be prying, even though keith is, in a word, forthcoming. if shiro asks he usually answers in honesty. so it’s -- okay? keith would tell him all of this while sober, probably. it simply hasn’t come up until now; it’s not like it’s some shameful secret.

no big deal, right?

that small part of him isn’t fully convinced, but it doesn’t matter when the larger part of him is curious and eager, all at once realizing that huh, that’s right, he knows nothing about keith’s romantic history. well, other than the obvious. shiro kept pretty close tabs on keith in the beginning of his cadet years -- keith hadn’t given him much of a choice, honestly -- and then in the tail-end, stayed involved due to them being friends. but they never talked about this. did keith even like someone back then? did he crush or pine? or had he seriously talked himself out of liking anyone due to some warped idea that it’d lead only to ruin? ]

Maybe. [ despite his thoughts, he smiles in that crooked, boyish way of his, the look he gets right before he’s going to try for some humor. ] Definitely would’ve been easier to get a date at the Garrison than it is in-between space battles or while preventing an apocalypse.

[ a pause, both in words and in the swaying. ]

… Unless you’re reconsidering and thinking now…

[ he resists the urge to glance toward the bonfire and the number of partygoers scattered around. instead, he resumes his swaying and goes for nonchalant. ]

Is there someone here that makes you want to try putting yourself out there?

[ keith doesn't see the pause in swaying coming and continues to sway right through, throwing them both a little off sync by the time shiro's decided to rejoin. who's leading who again? keith doesn't know, but that's par the course for his current state of mind.

if he's being honest, it's kinda.... weird? odd? talking to shiro about something that isn't world ending. things never used to be that way before kerberos, but in the days since shiro's return to earth it's been nothing but war, genocidal aliens, missions, monsters, fear leeches and somehow talking about something so completely and througholy inconsequential feels.... a lot like it's just asking for a reprimand.

except if a reprimand were forthcoming, it should have come so much earlier in the evening, right? keith furrows his brow, but his thoughts don't get any more coherent than that. closing his eyes, he presses his forehead against shiro's shoulder and murmurs quietly. ]

Kinda. [ muffled into shiro's shirt. unsurprisingly, he feels dizzy saying as much out loud, though that might be better chalked up to the booze. ] But I don't know. I've never had a boyfriend before and ... maybe I wouldn't like it as much if I had one.

[ boyfriend? who said anything about a boyfriend? that’s a wee bit more serious than maybe wanting to put oneself out there for some casual dating. kinda he said; heh, right. this boy must be a real piece of work to get keith saying the b-word.

it’s only at the end of the thought that shiro catches himself and blinks hard, nose wrinkling on a passing twinge of confusion. is he… annoyed? no. of course not. concerned, is what he is. this is a terrible place to consider making attachments beyond what is necessary because of the whole from another reality thing. pretty bleak contingency. he almost says as much. he gets so far as parting his lips and sucking in a breath, but then he hesitates.

it’s a bad idea. don’t get distracted from our mission. there’ll be time for boyfriends when we’re back in our own reality. yeah, if they survive their next battle with the galra and if they ever meet anyone outside of the war. that’s just as bleak, huh? shiro sighs and tightens the curl of his arm, bringing keith in more comfortably as he gently nudges keith’s feet with his own until he gets them spinning in a slow, swaying circle. ]

Or maybe you would. [ like it. keith’s already given up so much of himself to the war and now to this, whatever this is. if some boy’s caught his eye, as ill-advised as it may be, shiro can try to be supportive. ] You won’t know until you give it a shot.

[ keith shuffles a half step closer, twisting his face just enough to rest his cheek against one broad shoulder, face turned towards shiro's collar. it's comfortable like this when he's mostly leaned up against shiro, and the two of them are circling the sand together. briefly, he wonders if this is what the garrison formals were actually like, rather than that horrible cacophony of crappy music and chitchat that he'd depicted it as in his head. he'd never regretted skipping out on all of those while he was there. still doesn't really, but it's.... different somehow looking at formals and dances being part of a closed chapter in his life. ]

Mm.... [ lost in thought and a little lost in the tune playing in his head, keith hums a few bars of the chorus as they sway. give it a shot, shiro says. ...heh. sounds like an actual recipe for disaster, but maybe it's something that'll leave his system if he does? ]

I don't know what I'd say though. And what if I have to flirt? I don't know how to do that either.

Edited (Weh) 2021-09-20 02:46 (UTC)

[ he’s sweet like this. it’s a thought that comes to him suddenly and stubbornly stays despite how much he tries to dislodge it. keith’s drunk and vulnerable, and perhaps shiro’s had it wrong this whole time: maybe he shouldn’t have prompted keith to talk to him about his shy, hidden insecurities. shiro’s in it now though and he doesn’t know how to sever his curiosity enough to backstep out of this conversation. he can’t. he won’t. and that’s a blackmark against his character. still, he has enough courtesy and self-reproach to keep himself from asking the most obvious question: who.

in quick succession, he runs through who he knows keith’s interacted with. jake? can’t be. keith calls shiro an old-timer but jake is one. isn’t he forty or so? old enough to be keith’s dad, technically. what about that tim drake fellow? hell no. the james griffin debacle is enough to sour keith to him forever. who else, who else… shiro happened to see ren -- is that his name? -- sitting with keith earlier. maybe?

not that it matters. even with him holding bff title, it isn’t shiro’s business to know. he’s simply… curious. ]

You’re asking the wrong guy. [ soft laughter. ] I’m no casanova either.

[ good at motivating others, delegating and shooting idle chit-chat, sure, but when it comes to romance and flirting… -- shiro is of the mind that adam and him only happened due to adam’s persistence to overlook shiro’s extreme lack of suave. still spinning them slow, he gets a glimpse of the group over there by the fire, frowning faintly until his steps turn him enough to discourage his looking. he sighs then. ]

Just… you’re a catch, punk. [ he is smiling at least, which comes out in the lightness of his voice. he angles his head and plops his chin down on top of keith’s there nestled against him. briefly. just long enough for a playful knocking and then he lifts off. ] Walk straight up to this guy and ask him to get a drink with you. [ coffee shop drinks or a smoothie bar; shiro is still not condoning the alcohol overconsumption… despite current appearances. ] If you like him, he must be sane and any guy with two brain cells would say yes to you.

[ it's dizzying. whether that's some combination of going round and round in circles or the booze or something else entirely, keith couldn't say but the light, floaty feeling bubbles out of him in a giddy laugh. keith's heard plenty said about him -- disciplinary case, delinquent, waste of time, and trying to reconcile that and apparently being some kind of catch is a little like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

mentally mashing the pieces together, keith missteps and ends up accidentally stepping on shiro's foot again. somehow, that only strikes a funny bone harder and keith stops swayign in favor of laughing and catching his breath. by the time the giggling subsidies a little, keith's cheeks are flushed pink and his smile soft as he gives shiro's hand a squeeze. ]

You mean that literally? [ grinning, he lets go of shiro's hand, pulling back with a teasing lilt. ] Cuz I can run pretty fast.

[ and that's all the warning shiro gets as keith turns on his heel and starts running further down the beach. uncoordinated and stumbling, but running and laughing like this is the funniest joke in the world. ]

[ that’s not -- hey! first keith steps on his foot again, then he ditches shiro in the middle of their makeshift dancefloor? rude. keith gets a marginal headstart both from the element of surprise and shiro still kicking off the pulsing of smooshed toes, but within the next three seconds, shiro gives chase. briefly, he thinks of their adi colleagues but the saving grace here is that even an intoxicated keith knows better than to run through the camp. he’s beelining away and that is good, very good.

it’s partly why he doesn’t grab keith right out of the gate. keith has legs for days and the kind of speed expected from long, lean, and athletic… when he’s sober. shiro really shouldn’t find any amusement out of keith’s stumbling about. he knows he shouldn’t. and yet, he indulges in jogging behind keith for awhile, watching his best friend trip over his own feet and just barely recover, his giggling only growing.

but time runs long and they’re far off from the bonfire, so inevitably, shiro picks up his pace and within seconds, he snatches keith around the waist. arms wound tight around, shiro hugs him in on the abrupt halt of motion and then he throws his weight back, picking up keith as he goes. he spins them: keith’s back to his chest, keith clutched in his arms and shiro pivoting a three-sixty on one foot, it’s a bit sloppy in the sand, but he gets through the motion without incident, ending with him plopping keith’s feet almost exactly in the foot dunes he left behind.

shiro’s laughing now -- has been -- and grinning wide. ]

Caught you. [ easily, in fact. and he’s going to keep catching him, because shiro doesn’t let go. he stalls and relaxes into the hold, straightening up enough to plop his chin on top of keith’s head. ]

[ running feels an awful lot like being strapped into a tilt-a-whirl with the way keith lurches from one foot to the other, zig-zagging further down the coastline. he knows he's not runnign properly, but it's enough to get the wind blowing in his face and hair, and it kind of feels like glorious freedom.

laughter keeps bubbling out of him, even as he almost takes a tumble onto the sand. he shouldn't feel good right about now, but he does -- amazingly, impossibly good as suddenly there's a strong arm hooked around his waist and then his feet are off the ground. keith lets out a whoop of delight as shiro spins him around. keith pedals his feet in the air, laughing throughout the sweep and plant back on the ground. immediately, he raises his arms high above his head, locking them around shiro's neck. another beat to catch his breath and then: ]

Is this what having a boyfriend is like? Cuz I think I could float right about now.

[he tips his head back slightly, bumping the tip of his nose to shiro's jaw. ]

[ who is grabbing who now? seems shiro has acquired a limpet. or maybe a koala. yeah, okay, definitely a koala. those arms are wrapped with surprising firmness, not that shiro is even thinking about pulling free. not yet. but then there’s a comment about boyfriend. is this what it feels like…? it’s a cold dousing of reality and his grin slips, the bump of keith’s nose along his jaw having him suck in a shallow breath.

yes and no; shiro doesn’t know. yes dating someone should usher in the kind of happiness keith is brimming with right now. but no, it should feel different than their friendship. better? more. they’re best friends and immensely close, however, nothing they do together should be likened to boyfriend. they’re not… they don’t…

he nips that thought in the bud and promptly shuts down on it, unwilling to let it flourish. the last thing he needs right now is to get so caught up in his head that he starts thinking about the disaster of dogtown just short of two weeks ago. here, he doesn’t overanalyze. he stubbornly stays the course of carefree and forces himself back into his earlier levity, although he doesn’t quite recapture it in its entirety as he pivots the focus. ]

I think most of that’s from the alcohol.

[ that joyful, floaty feeling? yeah, not because shiro still has his arms wrapped around keith to tuck him into his chest. huffing at his own ridiculousness, shiro goes about loosening his hold, although he doesn’t force himself out of keith’s looped arms, which leaves him to rest his palms on keith’s hips. a beat and then he can’t help a soft, wistful: ]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy. [ or at least, not in a very, very long time. it’s nice. really nice. he just wishes it was authentic and not a result of overconsumption. ]

Huh?

[ keith pauses to consider that, his own grip loosening but still holding around shiro's neck. happiness is a difficult, weird and fleeting feeling -- one that keith tries not to get attached to if only because it tends to make life harder because it always gets violently ripped out of his life.

still, he'd never thought he looked particularly unhappy either. apathetic, maybe. angry, definitely. but not.... like he hasn't enjoyed life per se? the thought sincerely throws him, trying to think back to his last untarnished happy memory.

but frankly, it's hard to think and he doesn't like the heavy nature of this kind of introspection. ]

I was happy. With you. Back in the day.

[ back in the day, like back in their universe when they only had the galra to worry about, rather than unpredictable spooks? or back in the day as in before voltron, before the galra, before kerberos and before the destruction of their once, relatively carefree lives? shiro has the sinking suspicion that it’s the latter. again, the guilt wells up and he regrets not talking to keith about what happened in his absence or even checking up on him more regularly in the castle of lions. leading voltron has taken up so much of his attention, which it should, but neglecting keith, even for the betterment of the universe seems strangely wrong.

pretty ridiculous of him to forgo every opportunity to talk to keith about what matters and then decide to dump it on him now. first it was at mcdonalds, now it’s when keith is drunk -- what is wrong with shiro’s timing? a lot, because this is not the time and already, shiro misses keith’s laughing. ]

I was too. [ a beat. ] And still am, with you. [ he’s trying to reel back the carelessness of before. desperate for it, he keeps talking, part hoping that some chain of words will trigger keith’s delight again. ]

I was happy dancing with you. And chasing you. We could do either of those again. [ he drums his fingers along keith’s hips and then pauses to rest them again, lifting himself a bit to test the grip of keith’s arms around his neck. ] Or you could try to catch me.

[ now that keith's distracted and somewhat lost in his own thoughts, shiro will find that he's easily able to break out of the grip around his neck. keith doesn't even attempt to hold him there, instead letting his arms slowly drop down to his sides.

dancing, chasing -- those had definitely been fun, but there's something else on keith's mind now. something that makes him turn in shiro's grip to face his best friend and look up in earnest. ]

Is it gonna go back to the way it was?

[ more than anything else he's said tonight, it's this that leaves keith feeling exposed and small. ridiculous even. he already knows what the answer to that question is, in the end. life goes on, but it goes on differently. painfully. ]

[ oh keith… -- shiro’s expression says it all. it collapses. one breath to the next, the furrow forms and his brows lower, gaze growing soft and sympathetic, while his lips part on a rush of breath not quite a sigh. the following silence is just as telling. the inopportune heart to heart over happy meals came with its own revelations, mostly in that they might not even survive the war, but while neither of them said it then, they both know there’s no going back even if they win back the universe.

it’s a horrifying thought. and while shiro would argue his next move is purely for keith’s own comfort, shiro largely benefits from it as well. he slips his arms around and tugs keith into his chest. no, into his body, because shiro holds him tight with his arms and then folds into him, shoulders rounding forward, head dipped down and cheek pressed to the side of keith’s head. he encompasses him in that moment and shiro refuses to let go.

so much changes. so much is lost. but. ]

There’s one thing that’s endured. [ a beat, then a softer: ] Us. [ together and apart, their bond has withstood the trials and that’s encouraging. it’s something shiro has continuously drawn strength from, especially lately, now that it’s just the two of them in an unfamiliar time, amongst an array of strangers. he shifts his cheek against keith’s head, seemingly nuzzling for a moment before he breaks the connection by lifting his head. ]

Even if everything else changes, you’ve still got me in your corner, calling you my best friend. [ he’s taken to rubbing his hands along keith’s back, hoping to sooth away some of his distress. ] I know it doesn’t amount to much but it counts for something, right?

wildcard b3 ( bean baggin' boy )

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this icon is purely for the first 2 seconds of this tag.

no no that's shiro's o face

i want you to know. i'm looking up how to block people on dw.

so mean!!

ah. the blocking was unsuccessful.

im offended an attempt was made

the universe just wont let me quit you

the universe is doing you a favor

IS IT? i can't help but notice that i close my eyes 20x more a day than i used to.

listen that's fine. this thread is not.

this thread is an embarrassment to our rp careers.

aren't they alll

WOW. some of them are decent???