[ ...ah. even while stuck in the black lion, shiro was wondering where keith had gone, huh? the pang hits unexpectedly and unexpectedly hard, as keith shuffles his weight from one foot to another, then finally settles for sitting down on his branch. the way shiro trails off on an uncertain 'hm' has keith swinging his legs a little nervously.
of course he wants to know about shiro's experience in the black lion's consciousness, but a part of him's also afraid to ask. either way, it's definitely not an appropriate conversation to have on shiro's birthday. celebrating his life is what they're meant to do and all. ]
It wasn't as bad as it could've been, I guess. Krolia and I had a lot to catch up on. [ to put it mildly. but he doesn't leave shiro guessing for long. there's a beat, and then: ] Finally met my mom.
[ it's faint, but the fondness is audible in keith's tone. he's never said much about it to anyone, convinced as he had been for most of his life that he doesn't need a mother anyway, but of course her absence had left a void filled with questions. of course, he'd told himself those didn't matter either -- I know who I am and all, but it's settled him more than he thought it would to know more about his own history. why is mother had abandoned him before he could even talk. why it'd seemed like his entire family had died with his dad when everyone else had hoards of grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins seemingly just to spite him. hell, understanding krolia had even helped him understand his dad better, too. like why he'd sometimes looked melancholy while looking up at the stars at night.
....but that's not the point. keith clears his throat to ensure his voice comes out steady. ]
no subject
of course he wants to know about shiro's experience in the black lion's consciousness, but a part of him's also afraid to ask. either way, it's definitely not an appropriate conversation to have on shiro's birthday. celebrating his life is what they're meant to do and all. ]
It wasn't as bad as it could've been, I guess. Krolia and I had a lot to catch up on. [ to put it mildly. but he doesn't leave shiro guessing for long. there's a beat, and then: ] Finally met my mom.
[ it's faint, but the fondness is audible in keith's tone. he's never said much about it to anyone, convinced as he had been for most of his life that he doesn't need a mother anyway, but of course her absence had left a void filled with questions. of course, he'd told himself those didn't matter either -- I know who I am and all, but it's settled him more than he thought it would to know more about his own history. why is mother had abandoned him before he could even talk.
why it'd seemed like his entire family had died with his dad when everyone else had hoards of grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins seemingly just to spite him. hell, understanding krolia had even helped him understand his dad better, too. like why he'd sometimes looked melancholy while looking up at the stars at night.
....but that's not the point. keith clears his throat to ensure his voice comes out steady. ]
We talked about you a lot.