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"Ugh, do I really have to?" Keith whines, looking up at Shiro, who swallows another spoonful of cereal.
"It's for the best." He answers with a shrug. "Come on, it won't be that bad."
"Easy for you to say," Keith rolls his eyes, "it's now you who's spending the next two years in braces." Keith sighs, and his pout returns. "Please don't make me go."
Shiro's face softens. He had braces when he was younger, so he can sympathize. But in Keith's case, it's more than some aesthetic problem. If he doesn't get treatment now, it could get much worse when he's older.
So the decision is final.
"I'm sorry buddy," he shrugs, "but you're really gonna have to bite the bullet this time." He gets up and ruffles Keith's hair, before leaving his bowl in the sink. "Hurry up, or we're gonna be late."
*
"So? Show me, what colors did you get?" Shiro starts the car, making his way back to the cabin, with Keith on the passenger seat.
Keith has his arms crossed against his chest, looking down, pouting and showing no intentions of answering whatsoever.
"Come on, you can't be mad at me forever." Shiro chuckles, glancing to his right. He gets a low grunt for an answer. "So you're giving me the silent treatment." He sighs.
Keith looks out the window, watching other cars go by. He really doesn't want to talk to Shiro right now, as childish as it may be. He tries to focus more on the moving view from his window, and less on the foreign feeling of the new braces inside his mouth, and he's able to calm down a little. "You know I really hate you for making me do this, Shiro." He finally says after a while.
"Ah, it's nice to hear you talking again." Shiro parks the car outside the house, and watches Keith leave, closing the door behind him and going inside. He follows him, with relaxed steps, trying to think of a way to make things easier for him. He closes the front door and drops the car keys on the kitchen counter. He hears Keith's bedroom door being closed and locked, and Shiro immediately knows he won't come out for at least a few hours.
It's almost dinner time when he finally sees Keith leaving his room and sitting down in front of thee TV, propping his legs up on the coffee table next to the sofa.
"Look who decided to come out." Shiro comments with a grin, looking away from the article he was reading on his laptop. A quick glance at the watch tells him it's time to start making dinner. "Hey, what do you wanna eat?" Shiro asks in Keith's direction, checking the fridge to start considering options.
"Something soft. My teeth hurt."
Shiro feels momentarily guilty upon hearing this. He knows Keith will be in pain for the next few days, and despite the circumstances, he does feel bad for making him get braces. He turns to the fridge again. "What about some pasta?" He asks, "You think you can eat that?"
"I guess."
"Alright then, pasta it is." Shiro starts making dinner, making sure to cook the pasta a little more than usual to make it as soft as possible for Keith. When it's almost done, Keith sets two plates on the table and sits down, watching as Shiro serves him, before sitting down to start eating.
They're both silent, and Shiro keepts glancing at Keith between bites. He eats slowly and carefully, grimacing in pain every once in a while.
"Do you want me to cook it a bit more?" Shiro offers, "You seem to be struggling a little."
Keith clenches his jaw and rolls his eyes. "No, you'd just ruin it." He answers, and Shiro gets a glimpse of his braces for the first time. "I think I'm gonna study or something, I'm not really hungry." He gets up and heads back to his room again, leaving Shiro to eat alone.
*
"Hey, Keith? Would you come out for a second?"
Keith leaves his room and shuffles towards the living room, not expecting to see Shiro on the sofa, a pile of blankets next to him, holding two bowls of ice cream.
Shiro motions at him to sit down, covering both of their legs with a blanket, and handing Keith one of the bowls.
"How's your mouth feeling?"
"Sore."
Shiro fiddles with the TV remote. "The ice cream should help a little. It's soft and doesn't require much chewing. And the cold numbs the pain. Also I thought you could use some dinner."
Keith lets out a small smile. "Thanks, Shiro." He starts eating, and sighs in relief as he feels the cold taking away the ache.
"So, Back To The Future or Star Wars?
"Star Wars," Keith replies, snuggling closer to Shiro, "we watched Back To The Future two weeks ago when you got sick."
"Fair enough."
The movie starts, and Keith does feel a bit better. His teeth still hurt, his mouth feels weird, and he really doesn't wanna think about classes tomorrow, but late night movies under a blanket with Shiro and ice cream are one of his favorite things in the world.
"So do you still hate me?" Shiro asks after a while.
Keith looks away from the movie to look at Shiro, and then down to his lap.
"I don't hate you." He admits. He does feel bad, especially after Shiro's effort to make him feel better. "I just - I don't like these," he points to his mouth, "sorry for being whiny."
"It's okay. I understand." Shiro puts down his bowl as he finishes. "Did the ice cream help?"
Keith nods. "Yeah, it did."
"I'm glad," Shiro smiles.