Chapter Text
Ro wakes up warm.
He’s in bed, Shiro’s arm slung over his side and their legs are tangled together and, despite the way his neck is cramping, it feels kind of perfect. Shiro makes some sort of snuffly noise behind him, rousing slowly, and Ro twists over onto his back to look at him.
“M’rning,” Shiro mumbles, check still smashed into the pillow. His lids are drooping lazily, but beneath his lashes his eyes are already bright, pleased, content.
Ro’s lips twitch and he lets them curl up in a fond smile. “Morning. Sleep well?”
Shiro hums, arm tightening around Ro’s waist and snuggling close. “You should just— move in. Sleep better when you’re here.”
Ro can’t help the way his heart rate speeds up at that, but he chuckles and presses a kiss to Shiro’s forehead. “Little fast, don’t you think?”
“Don’t care,” Shiro replies, soft and sleepy, lips dragging and catching against Ro’s t-shirt. It’s unbearably sweet, so intimate and trusting. “You’re in here most nights anyway.”
“Hmmm,” Ro says, grinning. “I’ll have to think about it.”
Shiro pinches his hip and then levers himself up off the bed before Ro can do more than yelp in surprise. “That’s as good as a yes,” he says, grinning back. He looks sleep-rumpled and delighted, and Ro briefly entertains the idea that this is something he could have every morning. Then Shiro adds, “Come on, there’s something I want to do before breakfast.”
Ro gets up right away in compliance, but nips Shiro on the shoulder and dashes ahead of him to get to the shower first in retaliation for the pinch, laughing at Shiro’s muttered curses.
~~~
Ro doesn’t protest or even ask any questions all the way through the hallways and into the Lions’ hangars, not until Shiro tries to pull him up the gangplank into Black’s mouth. He metaphorically and literally digs his heels in, shaking his head when Shiro turns around with a questioning look on his face.
“I don’t—” he starts, swallowing thickly and dropping his gaze. “What are you trying to do, Shiro?”
It’s silent for a second, and then Ro’s arm slackens as Shiro walks closer to him, squeezing his hand reassuringly. “I know it’s going to be hard for you, but you two need to talk,” Shiro says, soft and apologetic. “I wouldn’t even come with if I didn’t have to, I know this is private. But it’s too hard for Black to reach you, so I’m here to translate. We don’t have to do it today if you’re not ready, though, there’s no deadline.”
Ro lifts his eyes, searching Shiro’s expression and finding only sincerity and patience. His steadiness is reassuring and Ro inhales deeply, letting the tension out of his shoulders and wrangling up a wry smile. “No time like the present, right?”
Shiro’s hand tightens briefly around his again and he gives Ro a small smile of his own before turning back up the ramp, pulling Ro along behind him.
Inside, Ro looks around and tries to ignore the tightening in his chest, trailing a reverent hand over the violet lights running through the walls as they come into the cockpit. It’s been a while; he wasn’t sure he’d ever be back in here.
“You should sit,” Shiro says, dropping Ro’s hand and nodding at the pilot’s chair.
Ro walks forward half in a daze, hands falling without his say so onto the back of the seat and gripping until his knuckles turn white. He runs them down the side of the chair as he walks around and lowers himself into the seat, reaching out and dancing his fingertips over the controls. His eyes prickle with heat and he pulls away before he can latch on, sinking back into the chair.
This isn’t his anymore .
Ro closes his eyes and swallows, breathing deeply. The thought is intrusive and painful, but it isn’t wrong. But that doesn’t mean that Shiro’s wrong either. Ro can do this — one last conversation, a chance to say goodbye, and then he’ll let it go.
“Hey,” he says, eyes still closed, head bent low. “It’s been a while.”
It’s silent for a long moment, a listening silence, and then Shiro speaks, soft and as unobtrusive as he can be in the silent cabin. “She says to ask.”
Ro huffs. “Ask what?”
Silence again, for a breath. “What you asked before.”
Ro’s heart clenches, fists tightening on the armrests. “She already answered me. What’s the point in asking again?”
A pause, then, “She says you didn’t understand. Not completely.”
Ro wants to snipe, to bite back with angry words, but it won’t help. Instead he forces himself to breathe deeply and listen . “Okay. What didn’t I understand?”
“Your quintessence is… different. But… not that it’s not like mine, because it is, but not.” Shiro groans, and Ro opens his eyes to see Shiro tugging at his fringe in mild frustration. “Sorry,” he says, lips curling wryly. “It’s not always easy to figure out what she means, even when whatever she sends is clear.”
Ro nods. The memories he has are sharp enough that he understands what Shiro means, though he's never technically experienced it himself. The Lions don’t really communicate with language, so it’s no wonder Ro probably didn’t understand what Black meant with the blurry barrier between them on top of the usual challenges of communicating with her.
“Try again, Black,” Shiro murmurs, and falls silent, listening again for a minute.
And then, “ Oh. Okay, I think I understand.” He opens his eyes and locks his gaze with Ro’s, looking brighter and happier than he did even when he woke up earlier. “You remember that quintessence is a reflection of your inner qualities as a person, right?” he asks.
Ro nods.
“Okay. Your quintessence is similar to mine — it would have to be, considering everything — but not only is it a little different in essence , it’s also different in quantity . You don’t have as much of it,” Shiro says, and his gaze is willing Ro to understand.
And Ro… well, he’s pretty sure he does, but he doesn’t know why Shiro looks so happy.
“I think I get it,” Ro says, running a hand through his hair. “Black requires the most quintessence out of all the Lions and I don’t have enough of it or the right kind.”
“No, Ro,” Shiro says, shaking his head and reaching out to lay his hand over Ro’s. “You’ve only got it half right. You can fly Black. You know that, Ro, you were doing it for months. You just can’t speak as clearly with her and you can’t keep it up for long. It drains you, and Black can’t work at full strength. But you can be her pilot. You can be one of her Paladins, just like Keith still is.”
Ro stares up at Shiro, heart in his throat. “You mean—”
“Yes,” Shiro says, nodding emphatically. “Ro, you’re still a Paladin.”
Shiro gets blurry in front of him as Ro’s lower lip trembles and his eyes well up with tears. He ducks his head, crying freely as he twists his hand to snatch Shiro’s and squeeze tightly. “You’re serious?”
“Yeah, Ro. I’m serious,” Shiro says, voice soft, but bright with happiness. “You’re a Paladin of Voltron.”
Ro can’t stop an incredulous laugh from bursting from his lips, lifting his face and grinning madly at Shiro’s obvious delight and relief. “I’m— I’m a Paladin. I’m still a Paladin! I’m on the team!”
Shiro nods, squeezing his hand again. “And it’s not just Black. Your quintessence is just different enough to be compatible with another Lion,” he says, eyes sparkling.
Ro’s eyes widen, mouth falling open. It takes a moment to get his voice working again. “You can’t be serious.”
Shiro grins. “It’s news to me, too, but according to Black we’re all compatible with at least a couple of Lions. Apparently, we forced ourselves to jump ahead in the bonding process with my disappearance, but at least we won’t have to worry about being down a pilot anymore, especially if we can ever convince Keith to come back.”
Ro chuckles, pulling his hand out of Shiro’s grasp to wipe the drying tears off his face. “You think telling him this would be enough?”
“Probably not while the Blade is still tracking that new quintessence,” Shiro shrugs. “But it’s worth a shot. You wanna get everyone together and tell them all at once?”
“Yeah,” Ro says, and as Shiro turns to lead the way out, Ro finally curls his fingers around Black’s controls, for once not feeling guilty or ashamed or like he’s desperately clinging to her. It just feels like home . “Thank you,” he whispers to her, meaning it more than he’ll ever be able to say with mere words.
Shiro laughs and calls back, “She says ’You’re welcome!’”
Grinning, Ro hurries to catch up with Shiro and they head off to find the others — Ro’s team, his family, his fellow Paladins — gathering everyone on the bridge and delighting at the shocked expressions on their faces. But maybe the best part of the whole reveal is when Allura turns to Ro, hands folded demurely, but with a bright, easy smile on her face, and says with absolute sincerity, “Welcome to the team, Ro.”
Or maybe the best part is when everyone dives toward him for a triumphant, heartfelt hug immediately after.
Ro’s not sure, but he has time to figure it out. He’s not going anywhere, after all.
He’s home.