takashi shirogane (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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sheidiocy2025-04-18 05:12 pm
earthshine) wrote in sheidiocy2025-04-18 05:12 pm
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space con is a very educational experience
[ adam has impeccable timing. in other words, it's a catastrophe.
it isn't at first. he and keith are in santa monica, with sun, beach, and a march heatwave that has graciously granted them warm weather. it's space symposium this weekend; they've had this on the books long enough that even an overly eventful birthday – and the awkwardness that's followed – can't keep them from following through. the fact that galaxy garrison is sponsoring the trip helps with the incentive.
shiro's speech goes well. the crowd seemed engaged and eager to hear him monologue about his flights, as well as the future endeavors of galaxy garrison. keith even gave him a smile every time shiro sought him out among the many faces. so – success. yeah. it sets the tone for the rest of the afternoon and it feels good, normal even, to check out the booths with keith. like old times. like before a fake marriage certificate and promise after promise, all sealed with distinctly unplatonic kisses. they spend most of the day there, sitting in on other speeches, meeting people, visiting exhibits; it’s late afternoon and quickly approaching dinner when they decide to head out. the hotel is a walkable, eight blocks away, with restaurants along the way, one of which they’ll surely hit for pick-up, to take back to the room.
but then adam calls. and shiro, idiot that he is, picks up.
as far as shiro is concerned, the engagement is off. the relationship, too, honestly. adam insists that shiro isn’t thinking straight; that he’s stressed out and confused, getting cold feet over what’s best for him. because apparently he does that: he always fights what’s best for him. shiro didn’t tell adam about what happened on his birthday. not the long drawn out details. he even left out keith’s name when he confessed to having kissed someone else. adam guessed keith right away and it all deteriorated from there. he’s surprised, actually, that adam hasn’t been ringing him constantly, just to be a firm presence as shiro is out of state with the so-called usurper. adam says something over the phone along those lines and shiro sighs, telling him it’s not like that…
and it’s right around then that keith bolts.
fucking hell. stunned for two precious seconds, shiro then gives chase because seriously, what the fuck, keith? ] Gotta go. [ and whether or not adam is accepting of that, shiro doesn’t care. he ends the call and pockets his phone, closing in on keith… except keith beats him across the street on a yellow light and shiro skids to the stop as the side traffic begins moving. he tracks keith as best he can, watching him head down the slope near the pier that’ll take him to the sand. the light changes and then shiro is running across, following to where he last saw keith.
the pathway opens to a boardwalk that runs along the sand. at first glance, shiro thinks playground, but upon closer inspection, he realizes it’s an array of fitness equipment: pull-up bars, rope-climbing, rings, balance bars. the last one is where he spots a familiar someone. vaguely annoyed by keith’s antics, shiro takes an extra pause, to breathe and relax, hoping to avoid making things worse. he succeeds, somewhat, but there is still a trace of exasperation in his voice when he walks over, rounding the balance bar to see keith from the front. ] What was that all about?
it isn't at first. he and keith are in santa monica, with sun, beach, and a march heatwave that has graciously granted them warm weather. it's space symposium this weekend; they've had this on the books long enough that even an overly eventful birthday – and the awkwardness that's followed – can't keep them from following through. the fact that galaxy garrison is sponsoring the trip helps with the incentive.
shiro's speech goes well. the crowd seemed engaged and eager to hear him monologue about his flights, as well as the future endeavors of galaxy garrison. keith even gave him a smile every time shiro sought him out among the many faces. so – success. yeah. it sets the tone for the rest of the afternoon and it feels good, normal even, to check out the booths with keith. like old times. like before a fake marriage certificate and promise after promise, all sealed with distinctly unplatonic kisses. they spend most of the day there, sitting in on other speeches, meeting people, visiting exhibits; it’s late afternoon and quickly approaching dinner when they decide to head out. the hotel is a walkable, eight blocks away, with restaurants along the way, one of which they’ll surely hit for pick-up, to take back to the room.
but then adam calls. and shiro, idiot that he is, picks up.
as far as shiro is concerned, the engagement is off. the relationship, too, honestly. adam insists that shiro isn’t thinking straight; that he’s stressed out and confused, getting cold feet over what’s best for him. because apparently he does that: he always fights what’s best for him. shiro didn’t tell adam about what happened on his birthday. not the long drawn out details. he even left out keith’s name when he confessed to having kissed someone else. adam guessed keith right away and it all deteriorated from there. he’s surprised, actually, that adam hasn’t been ringing him constantly, just to be a firm presence as shiro is out of state with the so-called usurper. adam says something over the phone along those lines and shiro sighs, telling him it’s not like that…
and it’s right around then that keith bolts.
fucking hell. stunned for two precious seconds, shiro then gives chase because seriously, what the fuck, keith? ] Gotta go. [ and whether or not adam is accepting of that, shiro doesn’t care. he ends the call and pockets his phone, closing in on keith… except keith beats him across the street on a yellow light and shiro skids to the stop as the side traffic begins moving. he tracks keith as best he can, watching him head down the slope near the pier that’ll take him to the sand. the light changes and then shiro is running across, following to where he last saw keith.
the pathway opens to a boardwalk that runs along the sand. at first glance, shiro thinks playground, but upon closer inspection, he realizes it’s an array of fitness equipment: pull-up bars, rope-climbing, rings, balance bars. the last one is where he spots a familiar someone. vaguely annoyed by keith’s antics, shiro takes an extra pause, to breathe and relax, hoping to avoid making things worse. he succeeds, somewhat, but there is still a trace of exasperation in his voice when he walks over, rounding the balance bar to see keith from the front. ] What was that all about?
AFTER A YEAR OF TALKING ABOUT IT LOL
it doesn’t help that keith won’t look at him. he looks through him, seemingly determined to block shiro out, despite all the strings shiro pulled to have galaxy garrison allow keith to accompany him on this trip. the ungratefulness makes him sigh. loudly. ]
Right. [ there’s a mocking edge to it. he stares down at keith, watching his eyes that still refuse to meet him. ] Because why would I care that you run off without a word?
[ they’re in an unfamiliar city in an entirely different state. approaching dusk, too. yes, he’s certain keith can take care of himself to a point, but he’s shiro’s responsibility, as well as his closest, most cherished friend. so – ]
It’s not like your safety matters to me. [ he crosses his arms over his chest, his frown exuding disappointment and disapproval. ] Glad to know that’s what you think of me.
it's like the mmon landing
You know I can take care of myself.
[ the words come out more flat than recalcitrant, like keith doesn't expect shiro to believe him. hell, keith isn't sure he believes it himself anymore. at least when he first joined galaxy garrison, keith had been convinced he could handle everything on his own, but how many times has he gone to shiro for help since setting foot on the base?
not just when he's nursing a fresh black eye, or dealing with angry superior officers -- it's with the small things too, like tryign to find a private refuge in shiro's shower.
silently furious with himself, keith bites the inside of his lip before finally peeking up at his best friend. ]
And you know that's not what I think of you. You know just as well as I do that I wasn't thinking.
i'm guessing that's moon
he forgave keith immediately, the day he stole the galaxy garrison loaned jeep and landed himself in juvie, and that was before he even knew him. now, months into their friendship, shiro rationalizes and excuses behavior that should get a reprimand. a fragment of his annoyance remains, fueled by the stress he’s been harboring on and off for weeks now, but for the most part, his voice loses that hard edge, coming out softer, with a twinge of defeat. ]
No, you weren’t. [ thinking. arms dropping from that defensive fold across his chest, shiro sighs to punctuate the point and then moves aside. a turn puts him in the right position to plop his ass down on the balance bar beside keith, a gap of a few inches remaining between them. ] I wasn’t, either.
[ he’ll share the blame. is it warranted? maybe, maybe not. keith did overreact, there is no arguing that, but shiro can compromise and admit that – ]
I shouldn’t have answered the call. [ because it was never going to lead to anything good. he can’t really say why he did, either. habit? it wasn’t so long ago that he would have loved to have adam checking in, congratulating him on making a speech at a big event like this, further advancing his career. that’s the thing, though. the adam of before wouldn’t have only praised shiro’s efforts. he would have found a way to belittle them; to curb shiro’s expectations of where his career is going.
he shouldn’t travel so much. shouldn’t try to be so much. his astroexplorer days are nearing an end.
he frowns at his lap, giving his head a shake and then lifting his gaze to look over at keith. ] I don’t always do the right thing, but you can’t just run off like that, okay? We’re here together, so let’s stick together.
yes that was supposed to be moon, my typos continue to be atrocious
i wasn't either.
caught off guard, keith looks up again with eyes too round to keep up a believable charade of defiance. go figure that shiro refuses to be like anyone else in his life, huh? but with his best friend now moving to take a seat beside him on the balance beam, it takes some real effort on keith's part not to keep staring, but it's like trying to defy the gravitational al pull of the sun.
the real sun, of course, is starting to set over the pacific,casting gold and pink hues over the horizon like a scene ripped right out of some cheesy romance film. still, the sky and the glittering reflection off the water have nothing on the sight of shiro's hand just a few inches away for keith to grab.
heart aching, keith clears his throat and forces himself to look forward again, now watching with an unfocused look in his eyes as the guy puts on a show of grunting as he hoists himself up and above the bars.
if nothing else, it's nice hearing shiro call anything about adam a wrong decision, but a hollowness that has lodged itself behind keith's sternum keeps him from feeling anything close to vindication. if anything,it feels.. ]
.. yeah. We can stick together. [ a beat, then more wistfully s keith lets out a quiet sigh. ] I just.. wish being together didn't feel so far apart.
ROFL my decoder must always remain ready
yeah. we can stick together.
attention returning to keith, shiro puts the peacocking dude out of mind, and tries his best to right his frown into something more neutral. his attempt tips too far the other way and instead of a frown, he teeters toward a look more regretful than mad. it’s that damn soft spot of his. he hates seeing keith so… defeated? resigned to disappointment? as his mentor or even as his best friend, it isn’t shiro’s responsibility to ensure keith’s happiness every hour of the day, especially when keith has acted out, but obligated or not, shiro wants better for keith. which is, paradoxically, part of the problem, because he knows precisely what would make keith happy right now. and shiro isn’t going to give him that.
at least not right now…?
shiro sighs, still undecided, still uncertain of how to even begin to unpack everything that’s happened in the past weeks and more so, what keith is willing to offer if shiro simply gives the go ahead. he can, however, shift marginally closer and bump his shoulder to that smaller, slightly hunched one. ] Hey. [ he leans down, just a little, putting him closer to keith’s level, and while his mouth isn’t twisted up in a smile, there is an encouraging lift to his eyes. ]
I know things between us have felt… off lately. [ understatement, really; he pushes on. ] But I’m right here. And I’m always going to be right here. [ being his mentor, his best friend, his support. he lifts his hand and holds it palm up, silently offering for keith to take it. he’s here, he just needs keith to meet him halfway, rather than pulling these stunts. ]