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It's not a date , he tells himself as he meets up with Keith outside the cafe where they're supposed to be meeting the rest of their friends, but no one else seems to have shown up yet. Because group outings are never dates; there's just too many bodies and voices and personalities, distracting from what should be the focus of a date- the person you were trying to get to know. Not that he needs to get to know Keith- they’ve been friends since high school, when Shiro was assigned as his mentor and undertook the monumental task of prying Keith out of his asocial shell.
It’s not a date, he tells himself when the messages start coming in after they’ve settled at a table with cups of coffee. Lance was called into work, Hunk has to study, Pidge needs to finish a coding project, Allura got roped into helping her uncle Coran with one of his home remodeling plans. They could wait for another night, Shiro suggests. Keith isn’t having it- he wants to see this movie, he’s been looking forward to this all week, he even put in effort to look presentable tonight. And Shiro has been appreciating the results of that effort- the way the soft cotton red shirt skims over Keith’s torso and arms, the way his deep black jeans hug the curves of his ass and hips, the way a lock of hair escapes his low ponytail to curve over his eye. It makes Shiro glad he put effort into his own appearance. He’s glad he went with the decision to don the silvery gray button down shirt, the black vest, the gently faded black jeans, the touch of eyeliner. He looks good, good enough to be seen walking with such a gorgeous person as Keith.
It’s not a date , he tells himself when Keith insists on buying both of their tickets but concedes to allowing Shiro to buy the snacks. Shiro would never allow his date to pay for anything, a deep craving to treat, and even pamper and spoil a bit, that he needs to fill. It makes him feel good, it makes him feel right- and more cynically, it helps him sort through the people who truly appreciate his efforts and those who just want to take advantage of his nature. Not that Keith would ever do that. They’ve been friends long enough that Shiro knows that not only would Keith never take advantage of his generosity, he’d really rather not even be on the receiving end of it, an independent streak a mile wide part of the very foundation of his being.
It’s not a date , he tells himself when their fingers brush together in the popcorn bucket for perhaps the dozenth time. Sure, it’s cliche and cheesy as hell, but Shiro just couldn’t resist the idea of getting a bucket for them to share, Keith simply shrugging and readily agreeing when he suggested it. Keith usually isn’t one for casual touching, but they’ve known each other so long he’s comfortable with physical contact from Shiro. And he doesn’t seem affected by these little touches, but Shiro can’t help the slight stutter of his breath, or the goosebumps racing up his arm each time their skins make contact.
It’s not a date , he tells himself when a particularly intense jump-scare moment makes Keith flinch and clutch onto Shiro’s arm for several moments.
It’s not a date , he tells himself when a heart-wrenching emotional scene has even stoic Keith sniffling and leaning his head on Shiro’s shoulder. He holds his breath as he slips a comforting arm around Keith, who simply leans in closer to him.
It’s not a date , he tells himself when he’s walking Keith back to his apartment and it dawns on him that at some point in their exuberant rehashing of the movie Keith has slipped an arm around his waist while he gestures wildly with his other hand.
It’s not a date , he tells himself as they stand outside Keith’s apartment building, working around to bidding each other good night but reluctant to actually get there, going off on tangents and spouting any random thought that pops into their heads to delay the inevitable.
It’s not a date , he tells himself as they finally fall silent, and he gathers himself to bid goodnight to his friend, just a friend, always just a friend…
It’s not a date , flits through his mind one more time before he’s suddenly startled by insistent hands gripping his shirt and hauling him down to press his lips against Keith’s hot, needy mouth. No thoughts pass through his mind for several moments; he’s too shocked by this unexpected turn of events. Then Keith is releasing him and searching his face for a reaction before dropping his eyes and nervously admitting that he’d asked, begged , their friends to skip out on tonight, so he could be alone with Shiro. So they could have a date.
It was a date , he tells himself as he pulls Keith in for another, deeper kiss.
It was a date , he tells himself as Keith shyly asks if he’s mad that he arranged for a date behind his back, and he shakes his head with a smile and admits just how much he’s been longing to ask Keith out.
It was a date , he tells himself as a blushing Keith musters up the courage to ask if Shiro would like to stay the night and he finds himself nodding and agreeing eagerly, footsteps light with joy as Keith leads him up to his apartment.
It was a date , he tells himself giddily, as they lay together, hands smoothing over each other’s bare skin and kissing softly.
It was a date .