[ there's a dull ache behind his ribs, but the smile stays on keith's face. it'd be so easy to point out the contradiction -- the same old things that've been plaguing him for weeks about shiro's death and the clone, but that's not the point. keith hadn't meant for what he said to sound maudlin, but if shiro's offering up that reassurance and squeeze, he must've messed that up.

rather than risk ruining the mood of the evening, he instead gives shiro's upper bicep a squeeze back and lets out a soft huff of amusement. ]

You're gonna see it soon enough anyway.

[ "Soon enough" meaning about 300 yards further down. Not a long walk, but the forest is a little dense and picking through the foliage on unpaved terrain while wearing a friend backpack isn't necessarily a picnic either. As they get further into the woods, Keith shifts his gaze lower from the stars to the larger trees. Then, when he spots a glimpse of a sturdy metal frame hidden up in a branch, he grabs Shiro's shoulder, giving it a quick jostle. ]

There!

[ He points a large oak tree with large twisting branches. Supported between two branches on the lower third of the oak close to the trunk is a hoverbike that definitely does not belong there. But lest Shiro think he's seeing things, Keith is already climbing off his back with a grin. ]

We're gonna have to get it down, but happy birthday? [ He laughs and takes a running jump to swing up onto the lowest branch. ]

Would be easier if I had the wolf here, but I think we can manage this.