He couldn't quite place a finger on it, but the way Shiro looked at him, it made him raise his eyebrows and duck under part way, smile still playing at the edges of his mouth. It was a little nervous tick of his. It made him look innocent and tempting and cute. Cute, as if anything as depressing as him could be. He wasn't able to figure out what he wanted out of it, this focused attention and admiration, but to get closer to this creature and be looked at like that, like he was the most intriguing specimen someone ever laid eyes on, it.. well, it was certainly a new kind of feeling, and Keith wanted more of it. Needed more of it. "Alright, Keys is fine for now," he grinned, laughing a bit and teasing Shiro before he straightened up, smile leaving his face and replaced by a neutral expression as he thought of something else they could do together. He would have made the same clicking sound of frustration if he could, because he didn't know where to begin.

So far, he knew the merman's name, and memorized all of his physical attributes, from the way Keith's nails would scratch against Shiro's rough skin and the way he looked when he laughed and felt at peace, to the warm eyes that always seemed to be staring at him. But he still needed so much more than that to think of his new friend, and he'd only just begun to consider asking to take care of his wounds when the mer dived down in a blink of an eye, a small splashing sound being heard when he slid under the surface of the water. Since it was nighttime, Keith couldn't see him properly. He made out slight movements under the water, and he pulled his leg only a little to the top, the same idiotic part of him still screaming at him that this was a trip, that it had to be a trap. All those kind looks and curious stares. He was quickly proved wrong however, when Shiro's tail came up and splashed clumsily, and Keith only slightly covered his face. 

That was the closest he ever could get himself to go with water. Just silent admiration, like watching a crush from afar. 

Keith caught sight of the makeshift fin though, covered in kelp and plastic. It wasn't a bad idea. No, really, it was actually very creative. This man was smart. Yet he couldn't help but pity him and want to lift off this pain, and he couldn't even begin to guess the reason behind all of those injuries. It sent a shiver down his spine. But, for now, he banished those thoughts and focused on the present. He didn't care to state the plain; he was going to take care of Shiro, there was no question nor discussion. He only slightly reeled back when the merman came up once more, rocks in his arms and dropping them on the wood, clinking and thumping against the surface. He raised an eyebrow, already beginning to wonder if this was another gift, before he stopped himself. He needed to learn to depend on the way Shiro tried to explain things, for once in his life cease jumping to conclusions on his own. Strange. It was almost akin to intimate trust.

He watched with intent as those gills worked their function. The amount of rocks was absolutely ridiculous. He leaned forward a bit closer and saw that they were different. In colors, shapes and sizes, and he immediately realized Shiro was trying to speak to him using a form of communication he thought would bring them together. Keith couldn't promise anything, but he made a silent oath to try his best, because all it did was bring a curious look and an intrigued smile on the creature's face. That beautiful, otherworldly face. "Uh.. snow?" he asked when Shiro brought up the cold white stone, tilting his head to the right, trying to understand. Soon, the warm, yellow rock came to replace it, and Keith narrowed his eyes a little more. "Sun? Oh!" He began to nod vigorously. 

"Summer and winter. Hm, I understand." He nodded one last time with a faint smile before he began to count the rocks in his head quickly, his eyes darting over them and trying to make sense of it. "26 winters, 27 summers.. that's how old you are, right?" He asked, so sure about the answer that he didn't stare up at him for long, and instead enthusiastically began to subtract 6 rocks from winter and 6 rocks from summer, until he was left with 20 winters and 21 summers, and he grinned up at Shiro, already enjoying this method of communication as he leaned back again, eyes on his reaction.