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Shiro had to admit, there was something else about her he couldn't help but think he was missing.
A familiar heat rose on his cheeks as he thought to himself- since the two had met, there had been a nagging feeling in the back of his head every time the two were even a tad bit close. The pulling had affected his focus, his thought patterns, even his actions. He had shrugged it off and shoved it away at the beginning, assuming it to be the product of a sense of a recognition. The two had previously met before the Kerberos mission, after all, and so perhaps it was only the sense of being grounded to something.
But as time continued on and the two grew closer than before, Shiro acknowledged the fact that when a small thought of being a step of two closer morphed into the idea of holding her in his arms, it was a little more than just wanting to be 'friends.' The Paladin negotiated with himself multiple times in his head. 'This is war, not a time for falling for someone,' He reasoned. 'Besides, she wouldn't think that way about me, would she?"
Shiro pawned over this as the five Paladins rested from a day of training, the five collapsing onto the Altean sofas in the training hanger. They were prompted by Pidge plopping down next to him, her helmet falling beside her and releasing her golden hair from it's casing. He had directed his gaze towards the floor, mouth pressed into a thin line as he desperately tried to redirected his thoughts but failed.
While he droned over his lovesick dilemma, Hunk had conversed with the others that 'Alright, I'm basically of thirst, who wants what from the kitchen?', and risen, folding his hands into his pockets. Shiro, while trapped in the realm of his thoughts, folded his arms across his chest, eyes narrowed. His cemented attention held in it's position as Hunk cleared his throat and repeated his name. The Yellow Paladin shook his head, glancing to Pidge who offered him a small shrug in response as she glanced at their commander.
"He's blanked out," Hunk turned back to Lance and Keith, the latter lounged lazily against the former. The Blue Paladin hummed, propping his feet up where Hunk had previously rested. Shiro didn't hear the response, nor did he speak up when Hunk turned and exited the room through the automatic door.
The Black Paladin eyes flickered away as they caught a glimpse of Pidge's armor as she tucked a strand of wavy hair behind her ear next to him. The color among the white slab of metal filled his mind, cutting off the other thoughts entirely.
It was, of course, green.
Green, he thought, was the color of growth. Green, in itself, was the color of most life on most planets, it's varying shades filling in the leaves and stalks of flowers and vines, the dense foliage of swaying trees in an early spring wind. The bright color reminded him of the thick, sun-warmed grass that was in his mother's garden, the new bloom of a cactus rose outside of the Galaxy Garrison, or the tiny succulents some of the students would sneak into their dorms. Green reminded him of the cool, muddy brooks that coursed through his childhood neighborhood, the sweet, herb-filled taste of tea. Green was the multiple shades he longed for on the months it took to arrive at Kerberos, the only color that seemed completely abandoned while he was in the Galra's hands. Green, in it's most basic form, was life, the beginning of something new and healthy.
And in the past few years, it reminded him of a small, sassy young woman. It brought to mind the softness of Earth-woven sweaters, the smell of not-quite-coffee that whisked around speedily at 2 A.M. The color reminded him of faint laughter, the small clinking of metal-against-metal from late night repairs on machinery, and the soft voices that would comfort him after terrifying memories resurfaced.
Green was, not Pidge Gunderson, but Katie Holt, the girl who smiled and waved as he piloted her family away from her.
Green, he decided, was the calmness of feeling quiet, peaceful, and content.
'Maybe this was what I was missin-'
Shiro was broken forcefully out of his thoughts when his hands were gently molded to encircle a cup, dark chocolate eyes blinking away the numbness previously in them. Glancing up, he caught Pidge bending his hands into place. Meeting her honey tinted eyes, he blushed, clearing his throat as he felt his face burn.
"T-thank you," The Black Paladin stuttered, cursing at himself for being flustered.
She offered him a smile and settled back next to him, crossing her legs and leaning against the sofa's cushion. "You're welcome. It's tea, apparently."
"Ah. Hunk must've read my mind," Shiro nodded, putting the alien cup to his mouth and taking a sip, avoiding the gaze of the Green Lion's Paladin. Instead, he caught the eyes of Lance and Keith, both giving him knowing grins. He fumed at the two silently, hands cupping around the Altean mug tighter than before, his face dusted more intensely with a tint of scarlet. He attempted to hang under his white bangs as he sipped the concoction Hunk constructed.
In all honestly, Shiro knew that seemingly everyone else in the team knew of his affections toward the female Paladin. He could admit to himself, he was a bit obvious with his emotions when he didn't force them down and burry them, which was the norm with the ex-pilot. When flustered or even a bit embarrassed, he could make an absolute fool of himself. It was a wonder that Pidge didn't find out, really.
He sighed, closing his eyes. 'God knows what would happen if she did.'
Since the small revelation of color, he couldn't help but notice that green was everywhere.
It was in the castle, the normally turquoise lights that reflected off of the panels and illuminated the vast hallways of the massive ship flickering a bright, sea-foam glow before changing back. It was in their laundry, the few days they had time to do it, in the form of T-shirts and sweaters and mix-matched socks. It was even in their food, their drinks- mint and sage were slathered across everything! It wasn't much better when she would sleepily stroll past him in the morning, blushing and rubbing her tired eyes with a lazy 'Morning, Shiro', and his face would light on fire and it was just way too cute-
The next few planets they had stopped at to either free or refuel, there was also an inescapable sense of olive and lime, all of the feelings that came along with the vast shades of the lively color. He was tangled in the blue and yellow mix, as if it were vines that bloomed and surrounded Shiro and he didn't have the want to grab a pair of clippers. It surrounded him, like an ocean of growth and liveliness that would swallow him if he let it. He almost did, multiple times; when he'd say something to cheer her up and she smiled at him with her with wide eyes, or after he'd have a ferocious set of night terrors and she'd always somehow be close enough to sense he wasn't okay.
And when he finally realized it was okay to drown in her color was one of those nights.
"... You know, you've never told me your favorite color."
Shiro had his head in her lap, eyes closed as he tried to calm his breathing from awaking only a few minuets ago. His trembling had calmed down to slow shivering, thanks in part to Pidge's quiet attempts at calming him and distracting him from the painful memories that welled up. She was currently running her hands through the white tuft of hair on the top of his head, attempting to stray away from the sensitive topic of his capture.
"I haven't?" He mumbled, his chest rising and falling in a slower, rhythmic pattern. Shiro's mind was running at a thousand miles an hour, desperately trying to convince himself that nothing was wrong, they were safe, and he wouldn't have to fight anyone. He knew he couldn't thank Pidge enough for the comfort he constantly received from her, the endless outpour of support and warmth that came from the Green Paladin. That night, he had woken up in a cold sweat, panting and heaving and crying from the night terror that had taken hold of him. She gently opened the automatic door not a minuet later, sitting on the edge of his bed and began whispering comfort to the Paladin.
"Nope," She offered a small smile, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear as her face flushed. Pidge's eyes gleamed in the violet lamp light, a strange sense of anxiousness awaiting in the pair. "What is it, anyway? I bet it's like orange or something, isn't it?"
'Why are you blushing is a better question,' Shiro thought to himself, folding his hands together over his stomach. He exhaled a small chuckle, recalling the color obsession he had fumbled with for the past few weeks. It took him a minuet to respond, fiddling with his thumbs and attempting to produce an answer. The Black Paladin met her eyes, catching the view of the oversized sweater she usually sported, the purple-tinted green shining as though it was alight source of it's own. He made little attempt to shove the shade away from his mind as he quietly admitted, "... It kinda feels like I've been tangled up in green lately."
He wished he could shrink away as she exhaled sharply and started to laughed, the merry sound that he swore was music now carrying an embarrassed undertone. She stopped the giggling, cheeks redder as she opened her mouth to respond. Like him, it took her a moment; Shiro guessed she was either preparing to make fun of him or thinking her next words out very carefully.
"That's ironic," She mused, hazel eyes finally chasing back to his as she fumbled with his bangs. He raised an eyebrow at her, praying that the next thing that slipped out of her mouth wasn't a smart-ass comment. Shiro batted a cluster of hair that shadowed her eyes, offering a interested look in her upwards direction.
"Why's that?"
Pidge drug her thin digits out of his hair, intertwining them with the hand that moved from his chest. Shiro's breathing hitched in his throat, eyes widening as she squeezed their palms together. The Green Paladin, still smiling and still blushing as if it were a contest, gave an answer so quietly that the Black Paladin almost didn't hear it.
".. I've been surrounded by black."