Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“What are those words on your wrist?”

Shiro practically froze at the question, wrist seizing up as his Galra arm grabbed his human flesh to cover them up. It wasn’t that he meant to not cover them up, he was just in a hurry when he woke up that he’d just tossed his vest on and sprinted out the door. One false alarm later here he was, the focus of Allura’s admittedly innocent question. They’d only been in the castle for what Shiro could guess was a handful of weeks, a month tops.

So far everything had gone about as well as it could have given the circumstances. He’d escaped the Galra relatively in one piece, managed to find Voltron which was a group of giant sentient space cats and even pinned Keith down to have a real conversation about them and their future which went as swimmingly as one would imagine.

It wasn’t like she would know that it was generally considered rude and taboo to ask about someone’s soulmark. From what he’d gathered Alteans didn’t have them thus wouldn’t know the social boundaries that come with them.

Luckily it was only those two in the room at the moment.

“They’re my soulmarks,” Shiro said quietly, feeling a bit self conscious, having no sleeve to pull down to cover them he just kept the cool metal of his arm against his skin.

“Soulmarks?” Allura tilted her head in that way that said she didn’t understand humans or their culture.

“They’re supposed to be the first words your soulmate ever says to you,” Shiro explained, “Theoretically the words you say to each other upon meeting should match.”

“Soulmate?” she inquired trying and failing to get a look at his wrist.

“The person you’re destined to be with sort to speak,” Shiro paused. “If you’re religious it’s your God-given other half, the idea that a person’s soul is split into two parts and they find each other in life. The words are a clue to that person.”

“That’s so romantic,” Allura sighed somewhat dreamily. “We had nothing of the sort on Altea.”

“There are romance stories for days on Earth about soulmates,” Shiro grinned a little. “Ask Hunk and Lance about them I’m sure their inner romantics would come out.” She chuckled. “But not all soul pairs are romantic, it depends on the pair and the bond. It’s becoming more socially acceptable to have a platonic bond than it once was but some people still sneer at it.” Mostly older generations that swear by the Christian Bible that soulmates were meant by God to be romantic and anything else was blasphemous, but Shiro didn’t mention that fearing the can of worms he’d be opening with Allura’s questions.

“And what do yours say?” Allura asked eyes wide with wonder. Shiro froze and didn’t answer. “Have I said something wrong?”

“No no,” Shiro assured even if that wasn’t the case. “It’s just on Earth it’s considered rude and invasive to ask directly about someone’s soulmark.”

“My apologies,” Allura immediately went to back track on what she said, falling into her usual overly diplomatic style. “I did not mean to offend."

Shiro couldn’t help but chuckle just a little bit. “It’s ok you didn’t know. Just refrain from asking, any of us. It’s supposed to be something shared with your soulmate and them alone.”

Allura had a mix of a curious and dreamy look on her face.

“Have you met yours?” she quickly moved on.

“Uhh yeah,” Shiro murmured somewhat awkwardly. He didn’t know if he expected her to ask who it was or if even how she’d react to knowing it was Keith. So far their personal bond, or what was left of it, hadn’t effected Voltron or the Paladin Bonds so the assumption was that it didn’t matter.

Even if it did it’s not like Shiro could just erase the fact that Keith was his soulmate, no matter what their current status was. Shiro missed the days before all this where the biggest thing they had to worry about was Keith passing a physics test or Shiro making it to classes and later Officer duties on time. Where they’d planned to get married when Shiro got back and get a house with a picket fence and a dog.

Maybe not literally but the idea was there.

This wasn’t planned, wasn’t factored in. Was his and Keith’s soulmate bond so weak it couldn’t withstand a year separation and a lack of plan for the future? Did Keith even keep the ring Shiro had given him before he left?

“Shiro?”

Allura’s voice brought him back to the present.

“Sorry what was it?”

“I asked if you missed them.” She at least looked amused by his daydreaming, probably under the assumption that he was thinking of the soulmate he left on Earth.

She was only partially right.

“It’s, uh, it’s Keith,” he finally uttered, finding the floor fascinating, letting his grey eyes examine the light blues of the tiling underneath.

She made a silent humming sound. “Is that why you seem much closer to him than the others?”

“Yea, that and I knew him even before all of this,” Shiro shrugged, a small movement. “So even if we weren’t soulmates I’d still probably be closer to him.” He doesn't mention to her that it means his bond with Keith will always be stronger than any he could form with the other. No, not stronger per say, it didn’t discount them, it was just a different sort of bond they couldn’t replicate. He bonded quickly to Katie who he sort of already knew through Matt and had an almost sibling like relationship with.

“You don’t sound sure of that.” Damn Allura and her observations.

“It’s just,” Shiro stopped and took a breath. “He’s been distant since I escaped the Galra and I’m not sure how to bridge the gap, if it’s even something we can fix.”

“Have you tried talking to him?”

Shiro couldn’t help but snort at that. “It’s Keith.”

“Fair enough,” she chuckled. “All the more reason for you to initiate it. If you won’t make the effort why would he?”

She got up from where she had sat next to him on the Bridge, “Give it a try. For all you know he’s trying to ‘bridge this gap’ as you say too.”

She left him back to his thoughts alone. He let his Galra arm drop to his sides and looked at the flesh with the black words that read, ‘ To touch the stars, sir.'

Chapter Text

When Keith joined the Galaxy Garrison he strongly suspected that he would meet his soulmate here. It was almost laughably easy to figure out when his write read ‘ Cadets, what’s your greatest dream? ’ So once he got the acceptance letter from the Galaxy Garrison he was reasonably sure that his soulmate would be there. After all where else would such words come from?

He ignored them though. He’d spent a solid 16 years of his life ignoring the words on his wrists, there was no reason for that to stop now that he was finally achieving the one thing in his life he truly wanted. If he did this than nothing else would matter, not his mother leaving, not his father dying, not all the families he was forced to stay with not wanting him.

He didn’t need his soulmate then and he didn’t need them now.

With this line of thinking he entered into the Garrison, uncaring about anything else but graduating to finally get up to space himself.

Of course actually being there was nothing like he initially thought it would be like. Somewhere he acknowledged that it would be a lot of work and learning before they let the younger classmen anywhere near the simulators, let alone in a real spaceship.

So he trudged through his first year, eyes of the prize the entire time. In the first few months of his first year he finally got to experience the simulator for the first time. He also got to experience Takashi Shirogane for the first time. Only one of these was an expected part of his foreseen future.

The first day of the simulators he met Shiro, he had climbed out of the simulator in his Cadet uniform, the insignia on his shoulder signifying that he was in the final year of the cadet program. Bright eyes and a grin Keith couldn’t help but think he was the most attractive person he’d ever seen in his life.

“Cadets,” he said in a commanding voice that filled the room and spoke of authority but at the same time kindness. “What’s your greatest dream?” Keith froze at the words, looking on with wide eyes as he resisted the urge to grab his wrist to cover his Words through his already covered coat sleeve. Vaguely he heard a few other answers around him with generic answers that anyone would expect to hear from such a question. His eyes dropped to his shoes then slowly drifted up when he felt Senior Cadet Shirogane’s eyes burning into him as if to say ‘Well?’

“To touch the stars, sir,” he mumbled with a semi confident tone.

Shirogane seemed to pause at him with wide eyes as their eyes met as if daring the other to make the first move.

Soon enough Shirogane realized he was still in the middle of a class and all eyes were still on him. He cleared his throat, clearly off kilter from when he entered and continued on, explaining the simulators and their purpose before going off into basic safety instructions as he divided the younger cadets into groups to actually experience the simulator first hand. For all his previous excitement over the simulator, Keith could barely find it in him to be thrilled. He’d just met his soulmate and the only thing he could think now was What happens now? accompanied by a heavy pit of dread settling in his stomach. This wasn’t supposed to happen. His soulmate was supposed to be a mostly forgotten speck in his existence that they could mutually agree that it wouldn’t work out and move on. His soulmate wasn’t supposed to be Takashi Shirogane, Garrison Golden Boy and record breaking-slash-most promising pilot they’d ever seen.  

He remained unfocused for the rest of the class which was a shame really because he spent years looking forward to this. All to be annoyingly ruined by something as trivial as a soulmate. These thoughts continued to plague him until he heard his name being called.

“Sir,” he immediately forced his attention back to Shirogane.

“Your turn,” he said expectantly but not harshly.

The simulation was everything he had dreamed about and more.

He could almost feel being in the air and flying and free. It brought a smile to his face even after he ultimately crashed the thing.

When he crawled out of the pilot’s chair he turned to see Shirogane staring at him with a slightly gawking look on his face. Another instructor had come in at some point and took over, going over other aspects of the simulators and how they worked. Keith just moved himself to the back.

“What?” he snapped with a light glare thrown towards him with narrowed eyes.

“Nothing,” he responded. “Just, that’s the highest someone’s ever scored on the simulator in their first run.”

Oh.

He didn’t think he’d be breaking records here.

“You even beat mine,” Shirogane continued. “Keep that up and one day you’ll be beating out my current scores.” He sent a soft smile Keith’s way.

“I didn’t come here to beat out high scores.” Keith looked at the floor.

“I know you didn’t,” Shiro said simply. Around them the instructor dismissed the class. “Want to get lunch? On me?”

Keith hesitated before nodding. Shiro smiled and Keith swore the room got a little brighter.

When Shiro said lunch he figured he meant the cafeteria. So he wasn’t expecting to find himself in a 50s style diner in town.

“Stacy’s has the best milkshakes for miles,” Shiro said as he practically tossed himself into a red and white booth. Keith sat across from him forcing a smile down.

“I wouldn’t know,” Keith said softly.

Shiro looked at him like he’d grown a second head before shaking his head disapprovingly. “Well you’re going to find out today.”

Keith snorted. “I can but I have nothing to compare them to.”

“Well I’ll just have to take you around to prove my point then.” Shiro paused for a moment. “I’m Takashi Shirogane.” He held out his hand.

“I know?” Keith cocked his head to the side.

“I never formally introduced myself.”

Keith fell silent for a moment. Shiro didn’t say anything nor did he look like he was expecting Keith to say anything immediately.

“Keith.” Keith put his wrist on the table and pulling up his sleeve. Shiro looked at the black words on his wrist and smiled before pulling up his own sleeve.

Confirmation. Those were his words on Shiro’s wrist in his writing. Not that he doubted.

If he believed what people said about soulmates this person, Takashi Shirogane, would be the one person that would never abandon him. That he’d accept Keith as he was, faults and blemishes in all. A perfect half to make a whole.

Keith didn’t believe in fairytales but looking at the words on Shiro’s wrists maybe he could believe in Takashi.

The waitress interrupted them, dropping off their milkshakes, forcing both of them to retract their hands quickly. Keith wasn’t sure if she was oblivious to them or if she was just politely not saying anything but he supposed it didn’t matter in the end.

Shiro barely noticed she’d come and gone if the way he was looking at Keith was any judge of it.

This relationship wouldn’t be perfect by any means. Keith couldn’t wipe away years of abandonment and loneliness just because he met his soulmate.

But maybe after all this he could get his ‘happily ever after’ in the end.