[ It takes Matt about half a second longer than it should to realize what Shiro's talking about, but when he does, his expression softens. Not pity, but understanding; he knows a little well what it can be like out there. ]

Come on, Shiro. You know I don't care about that. And if it makes you feel any better, I've got a few extra marks too.

[ He has a feeling they don't really compare to what Shiro's been through; he might not know the details, but he's not stupid. He knows enough about what the Galra are like to hazard some guesses, and that's not a conversation he would ever force Shiro to have. But he also doesn't shy away from action anymore, so he's been in some pretty nasty scrapes himself.

Which gives him a thought. He can joke about pushing Shiro down and stripping him, but ultimately when he moves away, it's to pull off his own shirt instead, so Shiro can see how much he's changed. How he's packed on more muscle, picked up more scars. Maybe its presumptuous to compare, because his differences are... different, but definitely not extreme. But, if he's lucky, it'll help keep them on even ground. It feels strangely exposing, considering he's grown used to wearing long sleeves and a cloak on a near-constant basis, but that doesn't really matter right now. ]