earthshine | reparacija ic inbox

[ as always, keith is braced for the worst. it's a habit reinforced by years of negative expectation and then some by all the unfortunate turns their fight with the galra have taken. and maybe to an extent, if he's being honest with himself, the clone hadn't exactly helped either.

but above all else? he knows shiro. and though shiro hasn't said as much outright, there's a good chance that the reason underlying their mutual evasiveness is the omnipresent awareness of the rift between their space-time continuums. there's either a time paradox at play or they're from alternate realities and though keith doesn't have slav's manic fatalism, he knows neither option has particularly favorable conclusions about the meaning of their return home.

and if keith knows that, then shiro knows it too. so forgive him, if he looks a bit guarded while waiting to be gently let down for his own good. a held breath gets expelled with a soff: ]

Huh?

[ as shiro defies expectation. comprehension is a bit slow to catch up, and when it does his smile has the unfortunate timing of synching right up with the end of their minute. though his expression flatlines, his attention never leaves shiro. lon sheremi is a joke and as long as his best friend is going to ignore the guy, then keith is determined to treat him like the joke he deserves to be.

which is to say, naturally as soon as he catches shiro's drift, his eyes brighten with mischief. ]

Oh, you're on.

[ is it inadvisable to be running in stiletto boots? probably. but a mere suggestion of wildly irresponsible shiro raising his recalcitrant head is all the fuel keith needs to run a marathon. the two take off, triggering a loud HEY! that only makes keith wheeze with laughter as he runs after shiro towards the exit.

the race that should have ended once they're outside only continues because an out of breath lon sheremi huffs and puffs his way to the door, opens his fly and lets loose a flying orange thing that keith does not stop to get a better look at.

the race extends all the way to shiro's cube with shiro the victor and keith a close second just two strides behind. he leans heavily against the cube wall, laughing, panting and then coughing to get his words out. ]

Next time, you're the one running in heels.

Edited (The same old reason) 2022-07-08 16:48 (UTC)

[ some small part of shiro may have felt a smidgen of guilt once they started running but then lon sheremi launches a rocket penile at them and shiro is eternally grateful that they aren’t sticking around. the race isn’t a fair one, but it’s good. it has keith laughing and shiro grinning; prison, the war, the everything concerning and baffling of these past years melting away to give way to memories of simpler days. they’ve been competitive for a good portion of their friendship and while a footrace isn’t on par with hoverbikes or sim scores or dancing around each other on a sparring mat, it has shiro’s chest aching with nostalgia.

in the end, they don’t stray much from the garrison, competitive days: shiro wins. shiro’s grin is wide and toothy, the heaviness of his breath doing nothing to dampen the shine of it. ]

And then you’d be forced to carry me. [ a labored laugh and a more mischievous: ] Try to carry me.

[ because hell, if their roles had been reversed and shiro were the one booking it in stilettos, he’s man enough to admit that he’d still be struggling through the communal area right now. ]

I don’t know how you managed that. [ he shakes his head, amused, and ends the shake with gaze forward, attention on the door as he taps his foot close to it, enough for the sensors to read his ankle monitor. ] With that kind of disadvantage and you still keeping up… the victory really ought to go to you. [ a beat and he's definitely cheekier now. ] But nah, I won.

[ the door unlocks and still holding his things, he takes some maneuvering to get the door open. but then he’s kicking it wider with his foot, sidestepping as it swings outward and then stepping inside. there’s a significant change to the layout of shiro’s cube since keith was here last. shiro’s swapped the locations of the table and chairs with his cot and his cot is… actually a bed. a king-sized bed. it’s the only way it would fit in his cube, so – the front room is now the bedroom. shiro, of course, doesn’t think to say anything about it, instead focused on walking over to the counter to put his things down. ]

[ keith rolls his eyes, grin still plastered on his face and ruining any semblance of real exasperation. he enters shiro's cube, completely cavalier in his demeanor inresponse to the challenge. ]

Heh. I could carry you no problem.

[ after all, if he could support his and shiro's combined weights while dangling off a platform, carrying his best friend on his back has to be easy in comparison. ]

I'm pretty strong, I'll have you know.

[ he closes the door behind him, then steps inside. there's still a smirk on his face right up until the moment that he registers the changes. blinking, his features shift into surprise as he looks from the large new bed to shiro, back to the bed. ]

Woah, that's .... huh. When did you get a new bed?

[ a dull thunk from outside makes keith turn to face the wall with a frown, though when there's no further noise, keith dismisses it entirely and instead walks over to join shiro by the counter to set his own clothes down. ]

[ the boots are dropped on the floor but the other items are dumped on the counter. vest, pants, utility belt, glove – excellent, everything made it through the compound sprint. he lifts his head at the question, only to follow keith to a glance toward the wall in almost perfect synchronization as his face too wrinkles with a frown. what was that…? shiro doesn’t dismiss it quite as quickly as keith does; this is his house, his space, and he knows what’s normal and what’s abnormal here. ultimately though, his focus splinters as keith comes to stand close. and soon, just as it has a habit of doing, his attention freely swings to keith entirely, his gaze once again on him.

what were they talking about? oh, right, the bed. ]

Two days ago.

[ he put the request in two weeks ago, actually. apparently, there was confusion surrounding the word king. either way, the aliens managed to get it right and helped him move it in here… after he spent a great deal of credits. he thinks he’s doing alright though; he may not be getting the big bucks with community service check offs all that often, but between his job with maintenance and his regular fuckings with anonymous, he brings in small, yet steady amounts of credits.

he folds the vest in on itself and smooths his palms over it, parting from it with twin pats. ]

I meant to tell you earlier – but I guess I’m telling you now.

[ he laughs gently and then steps around keith, heading toward the bed. he sits down on the edge of it, bending over his knees to start pulling at the laces of his boots. with a carefully crafted nonchalance that isn’t at all him downplaying his investment in hearing keith’s opinion, shiro asks: ]

Do you like it?

[ like shiro, keith does a mental check off of his clothes to make sure nothing's been dropped along the mad dash back to the cube, but the similarities end there as keith is content to leave his jacket and boxers an unfolded mess on the counter and rather unceremoniously lets his boots drop on the floor.

he lingers by the counter for a long moment afterwrwards, merely watching shiro sit on the edge of his enormous bed and lean forward to undo his boot laces. only then does it occur to keith that he's going to have to take his pants off if he wants to do the same and remove the thigh highs, which wouldn't be a problem save for the fact that he hadn't bothered to switch out the jock strap in favor of his boxers back in the dressing room.

but perhaps that's not a problem he should even be bothered with? they are, after all, talking about the bed that shiro's acquired with his credits from bed activities.... presumably to facilitate even more bed activities in some unholy bed loop. unable to know what else to do , keith laughs a little softly and replies just as artificially nonchalantly. ]

I haven't seen a bed this big in ages. You can actually roll without falling off? That's some luxury right there.

[ all of which is true, of course. but again, keith knows shiro and is keenly aware that the guy wouldn't be spending credits on a larger bed for comfort or rolling privileges. no, if he's spent the credits, it means there may be someone he wants to share his bed withm and something about that sparks a tiny knot of tension in his stomach. keith drops eye contact, shyly stepping away from the counter to awkwardly stand at the halfway point between it and the bed. ]

It looks real comfy, Shiro.

[ the cots are standard issue. as far as shiro knows, the available living spaces come with similar furniture; all the container housing, that is. the lone row of large houses up by the park is different. they are a mixed bag of hodgepodge items. so it is possible that keith could have seen a larger bed in the last three months. but he hasn’t. it doesn’t mean much, all things considered, but shiro does duck his chin and smile to himself, helplessly pleased that he has a one-up in some small area.

he gets the laces undone and pulled slack on his right boot, only then looking up as he tugs it off to wiggle his sock-covered toes. keith drops eye contact shortly thereafter, however, shiro doesn’t analyze why, instead looking back to his feet to start on the left boot. ]

It is.

[ fingers pluck and he wriggles his hips as they do, making the mattress shift with his weight. one, two sways from side to side and then he stills as he laughs, grasping at the shoe to give it a yank. ]

But don’t take my word for it, come see for yourself.

[ he drops the boot to the floor and swipes his foot out, knocking both further to the side to clear the space of obstacles. it’s meant as an invitation for keith to come closer. though, the more obvious one is shiro patting the bed next to him, gaze expectant and expression hopeful. ]

[ ....and then it clicks.

kind of. even after the invitation to come sit on the bed is extended, keith wrestles with the inherent egocentrism behind thinking something as bold as shiro got the bed to share with me because ... well, the inherent arrogance implicit in something like that is practically asking to be slapped down.

still, uncertainty softens into something moonier before keith ducks his head and quietly walks over the rest of the way. ]

You're asking me not to trust you. That's a first.

[ teasing, of course. keith grins as he flops down next to shiro. unlike the cot mattress which may as well just be filled with mothballs and paper, this one actually has some decent bounce to it. keith huffs a laugh. ]

Damn. This mattress has some bounce to it. So what prompted you getting this? Back muscles cramping on you, old timer?

[ shiro’s answer is a huffed laugh, grin unhurried, yet growing wider, bit by bit, as the distance dwindles between them. there’s a first time for everything; it’s that kind of day. first porno, first time running from a job, first reverse trust exercise, first – no. keith sharing a bed with shiro isn’t new.

they’ve found themselves in bed together once, twice now? keith sitting next to him hardly counts, but it could be the start of a third. thinking along those lines has shiro warming. the feeling is exasperated into a full-fledged laugh by the end of keith’s teasing, whatever nervousness there could have been suddenly quiet and missing. shiro’s clear-minded; empty of second-guessing and full of honesty, all of it leading to him swaying to the side, knocking his shoulder to keith’s. ]

I was gonna ask you to consider staying over.

[ all out in one go. it’s easier this way: serious, yet not. he has that same flippant, airy tilt to his voice, though, his lapses in the following lull and the next part is, suddenly, not carrying the same teasing. ]

Last time was nice, so I thought, you know… why not get us an actual bed?

[ his expression goes soft, edging closer to shy, and it holds through to the next blink, whereas everything then shifts as he turns his eyes away and tilts his chin up, just so, for a play of haughtiness. ]

Buuuuut you’re right. My old timer back is a fragile thing. I’m gonna need this entire bed to stretch out and find a comfortable position in.

[ one shoulder bump turns into a swooping lurch in keith's stomach. shiro has never said anything to suggest or even imply that the last time they shared a bed together had been unenjoyable, but considering the invitation had never been extended since, keith could at least make the inference that it must not "feel right" to do so again. he'd be lying if he said he hadn't been frustrated with that, and lying even harder if he suggested that he'd fucked some of that out.

but perhaps he's been thinking about everything in the wrong way. maybe shiro hadn't wanted to ask because a cot is a cramped thing to share. guilt flickers to life at the pit of keith's stomach, wondering what shiro would even think if he knew keith had gone to another guy for an outlet. does it even matter? they hadn't exactly set forth expectations for each other, let alone defined what it is that they're working towards outside of some nebulous agreement to just do what "feels right."

pushing the sobering thought out of his head, keith looks up with a smile. ]

Uh-huh. So now you're trying to get me to agree to stay over and milk a free bakrub out of me? Heh. Looks like the deal just keeps getting sweeter and sweeter for you.

[ he grins, reaching across to playfully poke shiro's ribs before flopping backwards with a happy sigh. ]

Do I get something nice if I agree?

[ hey now! keith’s the one who brought shiro’s back into this. shiro is entirely innocent and unassuming… though, now that keith mentions it, if he wouldn't mind tossing in a goodnight back massage, it’s not like shiro is ridiculous enough to turn that down. shiro huffs a playfully scandalized sound to the poke, not that he does anything to try getting away. keith does that for him with a flop and while shiro doesn’t follow after him, he does twist his body, looking back at his best friend.

there are precisely two beats in which everything keeps: keith is sighing happily, shiro is smiling happily, everything is very happy and content. and still, it remains so in the third beat, it’s just shiro ends up laughing. it bubbles out of him loud, the combination of relief and excitement for this bed situation going smoothly, catapulting his mood high. ]

You’re already getting a large, comfy bed out of it, more or less guaranteeing a good night’s sleep.

[ teasing, chiding, shiro rolls his eyes and grins wider, more lopsided by the end of it. he reaches over and pinches at keith’s side. ]

What else could you possibly want, greedy?

[ the question makes keith laugh despite not meaning to. it's just ... for such a playful tease of a question, there are so many answers keith could give, ranging from honest to too honest. he doesn't wriggle away from the pinch of fingers, but he does slap his own hand down over them to keep shiro from pinching any harder. ]

This is greedy, huh.

[ the smile holds, but keith isn't sure what to think. genuinely being greedy with shiro is the last thing he wants, but then how does he articulate havin wants and needs? do his needs even matter when there's an anon who doesn't think he's greedy for having wants? he looks thoughtful for a moment before giving shiro's trapped hand a squeeze and letting it go. ]

...Fine. I'll settle for you telling me if that was the dumbest porn you've ever seen, Miles Long.

[ yes. it’s greedy. unapologetically greedy to lounge across his sheets and make demands, like keith is the one doing shiro the favor by settling. shiro isn’t going to lie to himself; he’s charmed. and for a moment there, when keith’s hand clasps his and squeezes tight, he thinks, maybe, keith will pull him in. all he needs is a hint of a tug and shiro would go. it could be like last time, with shiro stretched beside keith but tipped over him. maybe this time, however, shiro can be bold and arch down to kiss keith soft and sweet, right into the bedding.

a kiss would be something nice, wouldn’t it? that’s what keith had been alluding to, right?

wrong.

keith lets go and if that weren’t disappointing enough, next shiro’s brain is being assaulted with images of large, glittery, dino dicks. baffled at how off the mark his expectations are, shiro hiccups on a laugh, gives his head a good shake, and then, when everything recalibrates, he loses that lost stare and swings hard into amusement. ]

Wait, hold on. [ he’s laughing. it isn’t often that shiro is unreserved with his joy, but it’s genuine in the moment, as he teases right back. ] Let me get this straight… me talking to you about pornos is what you consider nice?

[ his hand is very much his own again and rather than securing its safety by extracting it from keith’s reach, he doubles down to pinch, repeatedly, at keith’s side. ]

You haven’t even agreed to stay over yet, so you shouldn’t be making demands on me anyway.

[ the nerve!! the audacity?! keith chooses to show mercy to shiro's naughty hands and this is the repayment he gets? keith shorts, twisting away from the repeated pinchings. he snags the corner of a pillow case with his fingers, then snatches it up to smash against shiro's side. ]

I'm negotiating my terms of stay. I can make whatever demands I want.

[ he laughs, snapping the pillow back to his front, ready to use it as a shield. ]

If you want to give me something nicer, I'm all ears.

[ shiro scoffs. sorry keith, but that isn’t much of shield, especially not against two strong hands, one of which has metal, locking fingers that grasp tight and rip hard. so keith is welcome to try holding onto the pillow, but shiro’s twisted around now, fully on the bed with his knees down and he’s pulling – yanking – at the pillow to dislodge it from keith’s front. ]

Negotiating the terms by taking my things hostage!

[ he’s still laughing, grin wide. ]

Thieves don’t deserve anything nice.

I'm doing nothing of the sort!

[ but try as he might for indignation, keith is a little too busy laughing and yabking back to sound at all offended by the egregious accusation of hostage kaking. ]

Where do you think we are? Olkarion?

[ snorting, keith demonstrates his point by very abruptly letting go of the "hostage." time to see if shiro bonks himself in the face?? ]

[ keith’s mean. it’s the one resounding thought shiro has in the split second between oh and shit when the opposing force gives. keith’s not a quitter, no matter what may show on the galaxy garrison transcripts, so shiro isn’t anticipating a throw in of the towel just yet. meaning? shiro is, indeed, pulling as hard as he can when keith lets go and yes, the pillow does arch up, slamming straight into shiro’s wide eyes and gasping mouth. ]

Gah!

[ luckily, shiro didn’t just get a king’s sized mattress. his request for a larger bed came with an adequate bedframe, as well as pillows and sheets. so instead of the brick-like pillow of his cot, he’s got a faceful of feather-like plushness.

shiro rebounds rather quickly, in that case. he uncovers his face and keeps the pillow, huffing as he scrambles back across the sheets, putting a bit of distance between them. ]

I’m starting to think it’s too dangerous to have you in my bed. Should I rescind my invitation?

[ … actually, he’s changed his mind. he launches the pillow at keith, aiming for his face. ]

[ okay, so maybe that was a little meanspirited, but the pillow is plusha dn soft, and shiro is obviously a big strong guy who'll recover in 0.02 seconds. keith grins wide as the pillow goes flying backwards to smash shiro in the face, then just about shrieks with laughter when shiro hurls it back in retaliation. keith brings his arms up to shield, laughing as the pillow bounces off. ]

No, I wanna stay. Please, I'll be good. .

[ insofar that his goodness won't be exploited in some vicious counter attack anyway. keith peejs up, still laughing as he scrambles to retrieve the pillow. ]

[ please, i’ll be good. ah. that has such a nice ring to it. briefly, shiro allows himself to bask in the suggestion of it, thinking if only in that miniscule span of time. but then the second runs through itself and shiro is left scoffing. ]

You think I believe that?

[ shiro had just been kicking himself backward, broadening the distance between them. now though, he jerks forward, landing on all fours as he crawls forward, movements rushed in his attempt to beat keith to the pillow. ]

You’re already going for the pillow, you brat.

[ shiro is a poet. ]

[ ineffectually going for the pillow, mind you. with the boots still on, keith hasn't actually dared violate the sanctity of shiro's new bed by climbing up, dirty heels and all, just to snatch up the pillow.

which is to say, shiro easily grabs at the thing first, leaving keith wide open for attack. he smiles, mustering up as much innocence as he can. ]

Well yeah? I didn't want you throwing it at me. You expect me to just lie here defenselessly?

[ oh no, the poetry is contagious. ]

[ pillow successfully reclaimed, shiro holds it in a metal fist and turns, looking to keith. he eyes up that innocent smile, suspicion radiating off of him. without a shadow of a doubt, keith is waiting for him to drop his guard, isn’t he? shiro thinks yes and adjusts his grip, holding the pillow in front of himself between both hands. ]

Yeah.

[ that is what shiro expects, if keith actually wants to play nice and cuddle up tonight. ]

So say it. Say you yield.

[ then maybe they can stop tussling over pillows long enough to figure out what it is they’re doing. ]

[ considering shiro's got quite the solid grip on that pillow, keith can see there's no trust here. he pouts, actually pouts this exaggerated uppity thing with a curl of his lips and folds his arms. ]

Hmph. Put the pillow down first. Then I'll yield as much as you like.

[ shiro would like to point out that keith is still making demands. fortunately, shiro does not point this out. instead, he holds keith’s gaze for two, three agonizingly long beats and then with exaggerated delicacy, places the pillow down on the bedding.

he pulls his hands back and then raises his eyebrows high, punctuating the silent, yet very expectant your turn. ]

[ keith watches as shiro goes through the motions with exaggerated emphasis. it's ridiculous enough that it takes a damn near miracle for keith not to laugh. maybe he would have, if he hadn't started pushing himself up to a sitting position before he's worked out what exactly the plan is.

why is there even a plan anyway? "i yield" is what shiro wanted to hear and keith promised to give him as much. but there's something about the expectant look on shiro's face that draws keith in close. closer, leaving a few scant inches between their faces when he casually bumps shiro's shoulder with his own. ]

I yield.

[ he huffs then, a little helpless in his amusement. ]

And I wanna enjoy your bed properly, but I have to take off my pants to take off the ridiculous boots. Annoying, huh?

[ keith has to know what he’s doing. has to. even if it ends with a shoulder bump, there’s no explanation for the closeness other than the obvious one: keith’s flirting with him. the fact that shiro always comes to this realization in equal measures of surprise and awe is pathetic on so many levels. they’ve talked about this. sure, the momentum hasn’t built beyond the glacier pace of that first day, aside from the occasional surge of bravery that’s earned them two kisses, but.. they’ve talked about this. they both want this, to some degree, it’s just a matter of exploring this attraction and seeing if there’s more to it. if they could be more.

keith says i yield and shiro should chase him. he should snatch the space between them, just like he snatche the victory, and then maybe, kiss number four would do the job and clear the uncertainty between them. but shiro thinks too much. he doesn’t impulsively lean and then the moment is gone, dissipated by keith’s soft huff and playful words. all at once, shiro’s focus shifts, as does his gaze. he actually shifts back slightly and looks to keith’s orange yoga pants.

right. underneath there, keith’s still wearing the thigh highs. shiro knew this, yet didn’t? he was laughing about the heels ten minutes ago. he saw them. he just didn’t think far enough along to be bothered by it. and he is bothered by it, suddenly picturing keith on his bed, yoga pants gone and thigh highs still on. he can’t see himself but he knows his face is telling; he can feel all his infatuation and attraction honeying his expression, making his gaze hazy and faraway, images in his head so cleary distracting him from the present. the knee jerk reaction is to shake his head, downplay his desire and say something flippant, to keep them within the comfortable parameters of their friendship.

but he already chickened out on the kiss. he can’t chicken out on this too. ]

Not really, no. [ he raises his gaze from keith’s thighs, looking to his face and smiling boyishly. ] Not for me.

[ because while shiro is hard pressed to find a list of positives to that whole porno experience, he can admit with certainty that keith, at the very least, didn’t look ridiculous. he should’ve. but the boy’s got legs for days and even clad in black, shiny boots that are almost as long as pants, he somehow made it attractive. so getting a second peek at that? not annoying for shiro.

he laughs in the aftermath, unfortunately falling prey to some self-consciousness. he pushes on though, teasing back: ]

What is annoying is I need to change outta these too. [ he is not sleeping in these safari shorts. they aren’t far off from the size of his boxers, but nonetheless, he’s not sleeping in these. ] Looks like we’re both in for some stripping.

[ keith follows shiro's gaze down to his thighs, but for once doesn't flush. clearly, the problem hasn't been communicated properly if shiro thinks leg being on view is the crux of the issue.

then again, perhaps there isn't an issue at all. keith still can't articulate to himself or anyone else what exactly him and shiro are doing here, but it's not nothing and in that tiny wedge of potential, maybe more glimpses of skin aren't unwarranted or unwanted. maybe it could even be nice to share glimpses without a gaggle of bathhouse women or lon sheremi and crew around? keith rolls his lower lip between his teeth for a beat, then manages a shy smile back. ]

Do you want some privacy? Or ...

[ keith doesn't finish the rest of the question, rather hoping the alternative spells itself out. ]

his baby progress is admirable i suppose

And now in the right thread

noct keith is still having orange booty short shiro dreans tho

i cannot believe i actually tagged the wrong thread. who am i. i'm such a noob rper.

yeah you nub

my shame is eternal

there there one day you shall redeem yourself

you really believe there is hope for me??

a baby amount of hope

still better than nothing!

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it's a new day and i am once again back to needlessly long tags.

you are back in your final form