Shiro Nodded, Listening Intently As She Spoke, Blue-grey Eyes Full Of Wonder And Amazement At The Sheer

Shiro nodded, listening intently as she spoke, blue-grey eyes full of wonder and amazement at the sheer technological advancements that had gone into making her. He'd only seen inorganic beings like her in lab settings or on Galra ships. The thought of those ships sent a cold chill down his spine, and he quickly shook it away.

"You're not Galra tech, then?" He had to ask, had to be sure. His mind was swimming with possibilities. What if he'd brought Galra tech onto the ATLAS, what if he'd doomed them all, oh stars what if he'd messed up everything they'd worked so hard for just because he wanted to save an android. At the mention of the Blades of Marmora he calmed slightly, but only slightly. Heart racing, mind spinning, he stared blankly, eyes glassing over.

Please be on our side, he pleaded, mentally, unsure what he'd do with himself if he'd managed to doom everything in one act of so-called kindness. He was spiraling, and fast. Just because she'd been looking for the families of Blades didn't mean she wasn't out to get them. Just because she was under rubble after the Galra attacked didn't mean she wasn't one of them. His ears rang, heart thudding like war drums in his chest.

Shiro bit at the inside of his cheek, trying to snap himself back to reality, to try and pull himself back to the present. Pain usually worked. Nothing major, just a bit of a shock to his system, but he couldn't move, he could only sit there and half listen to her talk because of the thudding of his heart and the rushing of blood in his ears. He was panicking.

❝ i need you to take a breath. ❞

He was panicking. Plain and simple, he was freaking out. Keith's eyes screwed shut and his hands curled into tight fists at his sides. The world was too loud, too close, too much. Everything was too much. He was trembling, his body reacting to the over firing of his mind. His ears rang, his heart hammered in his chest, threatening to break past it's visceral cage.

"I'm trying," he managed, taking in a shaking breath. "Trying..." Another. He crumbled, dropping to the floor and huddling himself into a ball. The smaller he was, the less the world could see him, the less the world could get to him. He just needed quiet, he just needed the world to stop being so loud, so close, so difficult...

Keith took in a shaking breath again, knees tucked close to his chest, arms wrapped tightly around them. It felt like everything was starting to cave in around him.

Low key (read: high key uwu) obsessed with the Mark X Keith stuff going on right now.

;; uwu I'm glad you're enjoying it as much as I am, anon. @kyujosha and I are gonna write much, much more of it in the future. :> Just you wait and see~

❝ what do you want me to say? ❞

Keith could feel the tears burning in his eyes before he even turned around to face Mark, his hands firmly on top of his suitcase. The sob that tore from his throat was strained, trying to hold it back no longer working. He turned, finally, tears breaking past and running down pale cheeks in shimmering rivulets.

"I wanted you to tell me not to go."

It was barely audible. There was no turning back now, he had to leave - had to go back to the Galaxy Garrison and who knows where next. He had a duty to fulfill and it meant leaving Mark here alone in the little farmhouse. The walls still smelled of fresh paint, the floors still shone from being cleaned for the first time since he was a child. He was going to miss this place, but he was going to miss Mark all the more.

"I don't know where they'll send me... I could be gone a really long time."

Keith took a few tentative steps forward, towards Mark, and took his hands into their own. They traced their thumbs over Mark's knuckles, smiling sadly.

"I'll come back, though... for you. For this. For the life we've made."

It was then that Keith dropped to one knee, pulling a small black box from his pocket.

"Markus Grayson... You have made me happier than anyone else in this wild, wild world. I can't think of anyone that I would rather spend the rest of my life with than you. Will you marry me?"

overwatch 2 starters

more to be added !

❝ umm…you need aim training. ❞   ❝ if we do this right, they won’t even know what happened. ❞   ❝ can’t change the world by following all the rules. ❞   ❝ somebody has to stand up for the people. ❞   ❝ i’ll find my own path. ❞   ❝ if anybody asks, i was never here. ❞ ❝ seeking progress by sowing chaos is like planting a tree in a volcano. ❞ ❝ i was born to rule. ❞ ❝ do you remember that night? dancing until dawn. ❞ ❝ you have an intense gaze. ❞ ❝ when i look at you, i see pure unadulterated chaos. ❞   ❝ someone has to do the dirty work. ❞   ❝ you’re too good with that gun to waste it on a life of crime. ❞ ❝ i’ve taken naps harder than you. ❞ ❝ why seek answers when we do not know the question? ❞ ❝ i warned you. should have listened. ❞ ❝ i could not bear being the man they’d made of me. ❞ ❝ there’ll be consequences for that. ❞ ❝ forgive me. my mind has been…turbulent, lately. ❞ ❝ you’re either braver or dumber than you look to come back here. ❞ ❝ here’s the plan: do what i do, listen to what i say, and don’t screw this up. ❞   ❝ you remind me of myself when i was younger. ❞   ❝ licked my wounds. let’s go. ❞ ❝ honor is all i have left. ❞ ❝ i have a feeling we’re going to get along. ❞ ❝ i expect better from you. ❞ ❝ i don’t want to talk about it. ❞ ❝ you count on me, i count on you. ❞ ❝ you only lose if you stay down. ❞ ❝ dark clouds gather on the horizon. a storm is coming. ❞ ❝ eh…i’ve got plenty of teeth left. ❞ ❝ we can still be friends, right? ❞ ❝ look at the state of the world. something has to change. ❞   ❝ i’m just getting started. ❞   ❝ you know better than to turn your back on me. ❞ ❝ heh, did i scare you? ❞ ❝ if they won’t quit, neither will i. ❞ ❝ make sure you’re ready. who knows what we’ll find out there. ❞ ❝ talk to the hand. ❞ ❝ i’ve done things i’m not proud of. time to start making up for it. ❞   ❝ i love a good brawl. ❞   ❝ hm…why does this place feel familiar? ❞ ❝ don’t you ever wanna settle down? ❞   ❝ you can’t escape death. ❞   ❝ watch your step. it’s a long way down. ❞ ❝ meh, that party was boring. ❞ ❝ what’s right isn’t always legal. ❞ ❝ you know better than to show your face around here. ❞ ❝ my throne is where i say it is. ❞   ❝ i do not cower in the presence of evil. ❞ ❝ you’re not on my level. ❞   ❝ a friend told me that you’re getting rusty. ❞ ❝ i’m trying. please, be patient with me. ❞ ❝ did you eat the last slice of pie? i was saving it for later. ❞ ❝ i craft my own arrows. each one. ❞   ❝ pain means you’re alive! until it doesn’t. ❞   ❝ every time i need a laugh, i look at your search history. ❞   ❝ looks like somebody wants the death penalty. ❞ ❝ i don’t give up that easily. ❞   ❝ anger made you stronger. ❞ ❝ if you screw this up, i’ll kill you myself. ❞ ❝ someone always cares. you must simply seek them out. ❞ ❝ you are spending your life walking a lonely road. ❞ ❝ must you be so relaxed? we depend on you! ❞ ❝ try not to look too relieved. ❞   ❝ it is not unlike you to disappear without warning. ❞ ❝ you were being rude. ❞   ❝ you know, anger management classes might help you with that temper. ❞ ❝ what seems like magic is sometimes science we don’t yet understand. ❞ ❝ yes, let’s discuss morality. and hypocrisy while we’re at it. ❞ ❝ dead weight gets left behind. ❞ ❝ i still feel that final blow from yesterday’s training. ❞ ❝ i have always been bound to my duty. now, i have nothing. ❞ ❝ you care too much about how your family perceives you. ❞ ❝ you know i’m not going to tell you. ❞ ❝ clear head. sharp eyes. ❞ ❝ are you planning to whine the whole time…again? ❞ ❝ it was not easy, living in your shadow. ❞ ❝ do you know what happened to the last man i trusted? ❞ ❝ you’re less handsome when you talk. ❞ ❝ such confidence! let’s hope it’s not unfounded. ❞ ❝ do not speak to me unless you wish to lose an eye. ❞ ❝ everything’s a game to you. ❞ ❝ you stand for everything wrong in this world. ❞ ❝ i’m the best. that’s all you need to know. ❞ ❝ you were truly fearsome in your prime. ❞ ❝ you’ve been distant lately. ❞ ❝ one day, you’ll pay for all the crimes you’ve committed. ❞ ❝ working with you has always made me sick. ❞ ❝ ooh…is the little birdie finally leaving her cage? ❞ ❝ it’s called personal space. ❞   ❝ same saccharine tongue, same empty head. ❞ ❝ i assure you, we are nothing alike. ❞ ❝ something smells foul. is it you? ❞ ❝ quit being so humble. nothing work with being proud of your work. ❞ ❝ all you need for battle is your heart and your head. ❞ ❝ plan to win, or expect to lose. ❞ ❝ how can you live with yourself? so many people have died because of you. ❞ ❝ i’ll be watching your back out there. ❞ ❝ you’re cuter up close. ❞ ❝ i don’t need your pity. ❞ ❝ there’s no easy way to say this: i read your poetry folder. ❞ ❝ yeah, we’re gonna need reinforcements. ❞   ❝ i never miss my mark. ❞   ❝ i gave you a chance, and you wasted it. ❞ ❝ i’ve always liked being the underdog. ❞ ❝ we could have had a beautiful partnership… ❞ ❝ any words of wisdom before the battle starts? ❞ ❝ don’t be so hard on yourself. ❞ ❝ didn’t i say i’d rip your tongue out if i ever saw you again? ❞ ❝ true tacticians do not plan. they act and force others to react. ❞ ❝ i’m not giving up on you. ❞ ❝ your voice, ever sonorous, is like a gentle waterfall upon my ears. ❞ ❝ rage is your weakness. ❞ ❝ just looking for something we might have in common… ❞ ❝ you’ll feel that one tomorrow. ❞   ❝ the path shapes you. the spirits perfect you. ❞   ❝ i’m not relaxed. i just make everything look easy. ❞ ❝ you have an admirable peace about you. ❞ ❝ do you hear yourself? ugh, you’re the worst. ❞ ❝ pondering anything unusual? dangerous? ❞ ❝ flattery will get you the grave. ❞ ❝ ain’t easy, is it? being in charge of killers and madmen. ❞ ❝ there is nothing to that name but pain. ❞ ❝ your weapons are impressive, but you lack the strength to wield them. ❞

❝ heh, did i scare you? ❞

There was paint on his face when he turned around, startled and laughing. There was paint all over him, really, he looked a mess, but it was all well worth it. Keith hopped down off the step stool and wrapped his arms around Mark, beaming.

"You startled me...I'm pretty sure there's a difference," he teased, pressing a kiss to the end of Mark's nose. He'd been working almost all day on painting this room. This single little room that would one day down the line house the light of their life and they didn't even know it yet. They'd both planned on using it as a guest bedroom.

Keith took a half step back, hands still resting on Mark's shoulders for a brief moment. "Well, what do you think?" He'd nearly finished the last of the walls, a brilliant shade of pale teal as an accent wall on the otherwise off white color scheme.