[ the brush of fingers across his face at least makes keith look up again. shiro is right, of course, that they do all look out for each other, but depending in each other? no. after what happened at the lighthouse, keith is still digging his heels in when it comes to relying on his teammates to do anything that might get them in trouble. he knows better than to say it, of course. keith isn't so antagonizing as to revisit something they've already argued about, nor is he quite callus enough to say anything to make the dismal look on shiro's face spiral even further.

it's ... weird, honestly. so shiro can concede that they're a team in spirit, though perhaps not in practice. but it's how he presents the idea of him no longer being a leader in saddened tones that makes keith really take pause. does he want to lead? does he not know how to be if he's not leading? brow furrowing, keith holds eye contact for an extended beat. ]

...but you're not?

[ wasn't shiro the one making the most progress on his sentence? or is this about something else entirely? either way, after another beat keith raises his other hand, pressing the palm lightly against a broad shoulder. ]

And you know that even if you aren't leading, that doesn't mean you're not important, right?