#f.k.e.o

A GIFT FOR @mighty-trash / @cushfuddled FOR GETTING OLDER

A confidential video from Takashi Shirogane's file. For Keith Kogane's eyes only.

“Hey, Keith” the image of Shiro blurred before focusing up to show him dressed in his gray formals. “It’s me, but, uh, I guess you already know that. Anyway, I… I, uh, sorry I’m no good at this.” When he stands and reaches for the screen, Keith finds himself doing the same.

His fingers are still pressed to the glass when a new picture appears. Shiro’s holding the camera this time rather than sitting across from it. He looks sad. Keith wishes he could be there to make him feel better.

“Alright, let’s try this again,” Shiro manages to smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. Keith knows that look and it’s never led to good news. “So, I’m supposed to make this video and I don’t really know what they want to me to say to you… God, what are you supposed to say when—” Keith hears an intake of breath as the screen blackens from the press of Shiro’s fingers over the lens.

“You can do this, Shiro. Come on,” the words filter through before another image appears. This time Shiro is on the couch in his apartment, there’s barely enough light to see him, but he’s there and not looking at the camera this time. He’d holding a paper, clearly reading from it as he begins. “Hey, Keith, if you’re watching this it means that the Kerberos mission failed and I… well, I died. But I don’t want you to focus on that, okay?”

Shiro looks up from the paper and Keith can practically feel him as if he were in the same room. “You have so much ahead of you and I know this —what happened to me— hurts. It’s going to hurt for a while, but you’re so smart and strong and braver than I could ever be. And after everything you’ve been through you’re still so good. You’re so good, Keith, I can’t get over it. I’m so honored to call you my friend and I just… I know you hate when people try to compliment you, but you deserve compliments. You deserve to know how amazing and special and loved you are, Keith.”

The sentence is punctuated by a half-hearted laugh. “You don’t believe me, I know. But you are, Keith. You are amazing. You are special. And you are loved.” Another sad laugh, splits Shiro’s serious tone before he continues his speech. “I love you so much and this doesn’t change that. It can’t. Energy can’t be destroyed and so you need to know that I’m still around. I’m still rooting for you. And I still love you. I alway will—” A sob wracks through the air just before Keith shuts off the screen, his hands shaking as he shoves away from the monitor.

“How could you?” Keith’s voice wavers as he backs away. “How could you do this to me?”

Keith’s out the door before he knows it, running out of the dormitory building and across campus. He scales the fence, nicking his hands on the barbed wire before he drops off the other side into the hanger where Shiro’s bike still sits.

He’s ten miles into the desert before anyone even knows he’s gone.