awashrpg | #1D2951

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#1D2951

[ It's his first time posting to the forum and Shiro's hex code is a dark blue, easy on the eyes. ]

Hello! I'm Takashi Shirogane (you can call me Shiro for short), back home I'm the captain of the IGF-Atlas. Some of you may know Keith, he's been around the forums a little more than me, we're both from the same world.

When I got here I noticed that the environment changes around the time those "quests" are completed, always after people have worked together toward a goal ... however weird it may be ... and on a side-note, thank you to whoever had enough influence to turn the harbour so colourful. It looks great.

Anyway, my point is that maybe we could all spend a day getting to know each other. I think it's a good idea for us to stay alert with the trees encroaching on the town but it can't hurt for us to come together and see what outcome an en masse meeting has. Maybe any new friendships formed will affect Chroma in a positive way in the future. In my experience team-bonding exercises can only lead to good things, and I think the community could benefit in the long term from a day spent opening up to each other.

So! I'm not suggesting a wild party, but some food definitely wouldn't go amiss. Would anyone be willing to cook for the town? We could work out some games too, like a competition to draw a town flag or figure out a motto, and music would also be great if we have any musicians with us. Whatever you can think of, feel free to suggest it.

I firmly believe that activities which bring us together can only make us stronger.
I look forward to getting to know more of you.

:)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You already have the captain's seat.

[ Keith cracks a small smile as he reminds him of it, an arm slipping around Shiro's waist to hold him. It's humbling, knowing what Shiro would do just to keep him close. ]

And I'm proud of you for that. For everything.

[ None of this has been easy on Shiro, and look at how far he's come. ]

[ Well!! He can't be annoyed with Keith when he's so sweet but he does snort and give him one last steady stare, a smile hinting at he corners of his lips. He holds it at bay a little longer. ]

Please tell me you know how much you mean to me, or I'll worry all night.

Shiro --

[ The thing is, Keith's never thought that much about it, he'd always harbored the assumption that people leave for various reasons, and he'd made his peace with it -- what's the point of expecting more? But then Shiro surprises him with how ardent he is, determined but tender.

It's nothing personal, it's long-seated issues that he has to work through. He falters, brief and uncertain and hating himself for it. ]

I don't want you to worry all night.

[ It strikes him that Keith doesn't know, and that stuns Shiro. Is he so neglectful that he can't even reassure Keith of his feelings? Keith, who loves him so much it scares Shiro sometimes because all he has done, for the most part, is lead him into danger, and how can he possibly ever deserve him? He would like to. More than anything ...

Keeping his hands on Keith's hips to steady him, he sits up with his legs mostly dangling off the curved roof of the boat, the dark sea shining out as far as the eye can see behind the brilliant man sat on his lap. Shiro shakes his head and thread his fingers through Keith's hair, coaxing him closer. ]

I want you to trust me, Keith. Trust me with this ... With you.

[ A glance to Keith's lips is deliberate, swooping back up to hold his gaze. ]

[ It's really not Shiro's fault. None of it is Shiro's fault, not when Keith, out of his own volition, pursues Shiro the way he does. He cups his face, noticing how deliberately the older man looks from his lips up to connect with him, so steady and unwavering that it makes him ache.

He draws close now, heart pounding at the unspoken meaning of it, and his hand comes down to rest over his chest, where his heart is beating. ]

I did tell you I wouldn't be easy. [ He half-jokes, aware of his own many shortcomings as he shakes his head briefly. ] But honestly. I think -- there are some things I should be working on, too.

If I wanted easy, I'd have stayed on Earth to begin with. Or made a move on Lance.

[ ~~Sorry, Lancebro.~~

Every reply means more than it seems, the touch over Shiro's heart and the confession that gives him pause, searching Keith's eyes for the answer. ]

What do you need to work on?

[ Every reply is carefully chosen, because Keith has never really learned to be open with anyone, even if that person is Shiro, and Keith adores him more than anything else in the world. He snorts, gently shoving at him but still staying, his hand still over his heart. Lance, really.

He's thoughtful, considering his answer before he responds, not wanting to give Shiro the wrong impression. ]

I've been alone almost all my life. The people I loved -- love, they've always come and gone, and I'm usually ready for that eventuality.

[ But not, as he finds, Shiro. He remembers him, almost slipping away underneath the glass, how Keith's heart had cracked in that moment, everything in him demanding that Shiro returns to him, and how he felt when those eyes fluttered open and he heard his voice again; the real Shiro. ]

But you... I could never let you go. [ And it's scary. It's scary because it could break him. ]

I'm not going anywhere.

[ Emotionally or otherwise, which is a point. He ought to address that now he's assured him of his feelings. ]

I'm going to be around for a long time, Keith. You won't lose me, I promise.

[ A kiss lands on a scarred cheek, cementing it. Lingering with a nuzzle. ]

[ Keith looks down at him steadily, quietly appreciating Shiro's ardent reassurance, and he closes his eyes when he feels that kiss on his cheek, the sweetness of that nuzzle. ]

I'll hold you to that.

[ His skin tingles where Shiro lingers, and he murmurs, gently rubbing up and down his chest. ]

...You know, you're my first. In everything.

[ A rumble like a purr (or a growl) vibrates under Keith's hands and Shiro's come to rest on his hips again, smoothing up and down his waist. The happiness he feels being wanted by Keith after everything they've been through makes him warm inside, cosy and content as he traces the edges of that scar (evidence of his first and only betrayal, as he sees it) with the tip of his nose, memorising the angle. A few inches more and Keith would have lost an eye, god.

Shiro holds him tighter. ]

You have no idea what that means to me.

[ It does things to him, that growl/purr; it sends a delicious thrill down his spine and makes him bolder, his hand sliding under his shirt now to rest his palm firmly between his pectorals, thumbing along the underside of one.

He brushes over his skin, trailing his lips tentatively over the incredible line of his jaw. It doesn't escape his notice that Shiro is favouring the scar, and he isn't about to let him get away with what he's likely thinking. Half the time he forgets it's there, honestly. ]

You seem to like touching my scar. Everything okay?

Edited 2019-05-04 17:44 (UTC)

[ He stills for a moment, guilty before a laugh huffs under his breath. Trust Keith to call him out and double-take his own actions. ]

You're beautiful, and as much as I hate the fact I put this here [ kissing the curve of Keith's jaw to mirror the treatment Shiro's receiving, only here on the scar ] you're still the most handsome man I've ever seen.

[ Smooth-ro. His smile can probably be felt against Keith's skin. ]

I was just wondering if that's your galra superpower.

Edited 2019-05-04 18:11 (UTC)

I think the scar improves it, really.

[ But Keith can't help but feel ridiculously shy by that generous praise, nuzzling into his eager lips because he likes it. He's searching Shiro out, too, brushing over his scars underneath the shirt. Shiro might be practically brand new under there, but every physical aspect of him still remains the same, hasn't it?

He laughs softly, cheeks warm at the fact that Shiro thinks he's beautiful. And handsome. ]

So you think my superpower is being handsome? Because have you looked into a mirror lately?

[ All his scars are copies of what Honerva documented on his original body, pointless harm caused to the clone to fool himself. Cruel treatment to someone who never needed his arm hacking off just to imitate the body he was grown to mimic. Shiro can't say he ever liked being scarred to begin with but, just like everything else about Kuron, neither of them have had much of a choice. Sometimes he thinks of all the other clones who must have died in the atmosphere when the facility burned up during descent and if he ever woke up in a complete body before it was mutilated. What would that man have thought?

All the weight he's put on has been a matter of survival, regular muscle exchanged for the thickset shape he's had for years now. Being stronger than most aliens wasn't an aesthetic choice. Sometimes he feels so big compared to his weak crumbling emotions, it's almost like lying. The thing is, he can't bear the thought of being out of shape anymore purely because he might need to protect his friends and he can't do that the same size as the guy who piloted that ship to Kerberos. It's all necessity.

Unlike Keith who is naturally gorgeous and lean, corded with strength that isn't built on fear. Shiro runs his hand up the arm of the hand planted under his shirt, kneading Keith's shoulder. ]

I'm glad you like the way I look.

[ God knows, even without the arm business Shiro isn't a blank canvas of beauty. ]

[ Shiro doesn't need to be beautiful to be absolutely magnificent and breathtakingly stunning. Keith knows just how much he's endured, the sheer number of those clones, and what has possibly been done to all of them so as not to arouse suspicions in the clones. He can only barely begin to skim the breadth of the other man's trauma, and he's determined to walk with him for all of it, to process the horrors that had been visited and revisited upon him.

This place here might not be the best place for them, but so far it's a damn sight better than their home at present, giving Shiro time to breathe, to work out what has been consistently shoved to the back of his mind. They might be soldiers, fighters more accustomed to the heat of battle and preparing for upcoming wars, but they're also just humans, and wounds need time to heal.

He looks down at him now, tugging his shirt up so that he can regard the scars the damn witch had given him, anger simmering in the back of his mind. Shiro, of all people, deserves none of this. His fingers track over the lines of his scars, smoothing over ragged tissue of some, and he looks back at him. ]

I love the way you look. But more important is the way you are. You've survived so much, but you're only human. [ He exhales. ] I want you to trust me, too.

I've always trusted you, Keith.

[ He doesn't protest being stared at, hands coming to rest looped around Keith's waist as Shiro lets him explore the scars that identically mimic those he originally gained in the arena. He finds Keith's touch soothing and closes his eyes to better enjoy it, even if the nerves are dead under thicker scars and it feels like being tickled in between them. ]

... You can take the arm off, if you want.

[ What lies under his prosthetic is highly personal but, hell, Ignis already saw it by accident. Keith should be allowed to investigate what's left of Shiro when the illusion of being able-bodied is dropped. He meets Keith's eyes, nodding as if to cement the offer in his own mind. Shrugging too, as it occurs to him Keith may not want to. ]

Or not, it isn't important.

Shiro.

[ He tells him firmly, keeping the shirt shucked up to under his arms as he eyes the prosthetic, then back to his face again -- he knows what it takes for Shiro to ask something like that; he's never out and about without it, and his hand comes to curl over the metal at the edge of it, smoothing over the material. ]

It's important.

[ He continues. ] It's important to me, and to you. You got this far because you're an incredible fighter, and people should know that. This? This just shows you how much you've survived.

[ And it should be a medal of honor. ] Show me how to remove it.

[ Teach him. ]

[ It feels like permission having Keith tell him it matters, that Shiro doesn't need to constantly act as if he isn't bothered by his prosthetic. He doesn't need to be pointlessly strong every second of the day, which is evidently something Keith already knows because how many times has he cradled Shiro at his weakest? He's already seen him at his lowest points. It's a relief.

The Altean arm floats to his side, fingers curling around one of the handles on the roof to secure it, then he uses his other hand to reach around and press his thumb to the indent atop the port. ]

I have to want to take it off ... It responds to my thoughts like the Atlas.

[ The glow on both sockets dims slowly, and he grasps the port as the electromagnetic system powers down, separating from where it adheres to his body. ]

Can you grab the port before it falls off?

[ And into the black ocean below. That would be no fun. ]

[ Oh, this is interesting. Keith carefully comes to brace the port, holding on to it firmly when it releases -- Keith is watching with wonder, full of affection for the man who's showing him the ropes, practically, letting him in because they both know that Shiro's not very good at opening up to people, either.

Well, he's better at it than Keith, but still. He holds him, gently setting it aside -- Kosmo, ever thoughtful, comes to curl protectively around it -- he knows how precious it is to Shiro and Keith both, and he catches the arm, too, before setting his eyes on what is left of it.

The stump of his arm, ripped from him not once, twice, but more than that -- Shiro, forced to be reduced to a plaything but he would never bow, it makes a lump rise in his throat. He reaches out now, fingers lingering inches away from the stump of his shoulder, wanting to touch him but seeking out permission, first. He wants to know that Shiro's comfortable with this. ]

Can I... touch you there?

[ It's odd not to have the top of his arm since he grew so accustomed to it when the galran tech was attached. Now that limb is entirely gone, eaten up by Honerva's corrupted quintessence and turned into a metal weapon, the entire limb surgically removed to leave Shiro entirely armless on his right side. The scars are neat below where the bottom of where his armpit would have been to the shoulder above, the precise work of Earth's surgeons to save as much of him as possible, lines running down where the socket is. It's a little pink from the weight of his prosthetic, light though it is, but that's his fault for running low on balm and oil, either of which he's no longer fussy over using.

His weight tilts without the metal port, so accustomed to having it there, and he curls his remaining hand in the back of Keith's shirt to keep his balance. Kosmo gets a fond look for his good work, too. ]

It's not as hard as it should feel, showing you. [ He couldn't do this with the other Paladins, except maybe Allura. ] Go ahead, it's okay.

[ Keith eases into a smile, his fingers curving over the irritated skin, the pinkness of the socket. He's gentle with him, and makes a note to see if anyone else has oil or balm available and is willing to share. It must not be fun, wearing a heavy thing like that.

He's gripping his waist with his other hand, possessive and pleased -- something about Shiro showing him something this private is intoxicating, and he gives his shoulder a gentle squeeze. ]

You know, whenever you're in this boat, you never have to put it on if you don't want to.

[ He offers, not sure if he's overstepping his boundaries of it's insensitive -- all he wants is to put Shiro at ease, to show him that he can treat this as his own home, too, that Keith could be his home, if he ever wants. ]

I'm not used to having one arm, ironically. [ Hideous as the galran one was, he was essentially whole for longer than he hasn't been since. His smile strengthens when he meets Keith's eyes. ] But I might take you up on that offer anyway, just prepare yourself for a mess.

[ Can he kiss his sweet, beautiful boyfriend on the cheek? Yes, he can. ]

[ Keith's grinning and leaning down, happy to meet him halfway because he's discovered that he quite likes Shiro's kisses, the warmth of his lips on his skin that makes his heart race. ]

You're really gorgeous when you smile.

[ He muses in wonder. ] I mean, not that you aren't already, but.

[ He's gently nudging him now. ] Come on, it's getting dark. Let's go back in.

Flattery? But your seduction technique is already flawless on me, baby.

[ Too distracted with getting up one-armed on the curved roof, he doesn't notice the appelation slipping free so naturally. ]

I'll get the fire going again, shouldn't take long.

[ There it is again, 'baby'. A part of him wonders if that's what he calls Adam, if he loved Adam as much as he loves Keith, but the huge part of him doesn't want to know. He doesn't need to know, right?

He's getting off of him, pulling Shiro's shirt down as Kosmo teleports neatly with Shiro's prosthetic arm and the port, Keith fondly urging him to his feet. ]

So are you gonna cook this evening, too?

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