[Circumstances. Keith can't judge, no -- as Cian says, it's hard to know. But he does know that even when Shiro had reportedly died on the Kerberos mission or when Shiro had gone missing after their battle with Zarkon that he'd done everything in his power to find him again. Everything and anything.

And he knows Shiro did the same, that Shiro tried his hardest to come back. Keith's never doubted that for a second. It's hard to imagine Shiro failing to get even one message across to him if he'd been missing for thirteen years. Not even being abducted by the Galra kept him away that long. Heck, not even dying kept him quiet for that long.

It's hard not to read into a thirteen year stretch of silence as coming from any other place than cold indifference.

He'll ignore her thanks -- he's already said to stop thanking him. Instead, he glances up, expression more serious.]

It's hard for me to understand something like that. I never accepted it when everyone said my brother had gone missing on a mission. Didn't accept it when he disappeared the second time either. The first time, he was captured by the Galra while he was out on a mission exploring Kerberos. The second time he really did die. Circumstances never stopped us from finding each other again.