[ keigo's honesty with his emotions always tended to result in something embarrassing, whether at his expense or someone else's. in this case, guanshan knew exactly how to fluster keigo and use his own words against him, in a sense. it wasn't that he was ashamed of how he felt, it was more that hearing it repeated back to him in plain words made him realize how emotional for a guy he really was.

the heat of this flooded his face as the fabric of his shirt slid up and over his head, revealing months and months worth of effort he normally might not have endured. muscle, likely more firmed than the last time guanshan laid eyes upon it, touched it, and keigo was oddly embarrassed for that, too. he looked askance as he lifted his hips, teeth working his lower lip with the same nervous energy as he was known for. ]

...yeah. I was. [ it wasn't a moodbreaker, but it did its job to make keigo's voice softer, more genuine. he was hesitant to even express that in his touch, but ultimately he did anyway by sliding his palm over the top of one of guanshan's hands. testing to see if he was real. if any of this was.

dark eyes flicked back, shyness in them, but relief, too. ]

I'm glad I was wrong.