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Shiro took a deep breath, feeling the chilly air settle heavily into his lungs, and hung up the communicator. “Okay, Coran says he has our location pinned and they’re on their way, but since Allura is out on a mission with Pidge and Hunk, they can’t wormhole to us. He says it could take five to seven vargas to reach us.”
“Then we will just have to wait.” Kolivan nodded to himself as he continued poking around in the ruined engine of their ship. They had underestimated the strength of the storms that blew across the icy surface of the planet Ikazayirihs and the abnormalities it would cause in air pressure, and now they were crashed on a frozen, isolated, uninhabited planet with a ship two ticks from falling apart. Five to seven vargas wasn’t long, objectively, but with the temperatures… it was a bit worrying.
Shiro looked around the ruined hold of the ship. Boxes had flown off the walls, debris and spare tools scattered everywhere… He dug through the rubble until he located the emergency kit Coran had insisted on outfitting every one of their ships with, even the small pods. Inside were a few MREs, water, iodine tablets, a blanket, a first aid kit… luckily neither he nor Kolivan had been injured in the crash other than a few bumps and bruises, and hopefully the food would hold them out until the Castle-Ship could reach them. As for the blanket…
Shiro glanced at Kolivan, holding the warm blanket in his shaking hands. It was well-below freezing outside, and hardly above it inside. They didn’t know how long their back-up generators would last, so they had turned off all unnecessary power systems, leaving them in darkness other than the flashlight Kolivan was holding as he examined the engine. He didn’t seem to be very bothered by the temperature, though. “A-are you cold?” Shiro asked.
“I am fine.” Kolivan replied. “My fur protects me from the cold quite well.”
“Hm.” Shiro considered the blanket in his hands. God, he wanted it, but there was only one, and he didn’t want to deprive Kolivan if it turned out he needed it…
Kolivan turned around to look at him and seemed to hear his unspoken thoughts. “Use the blanket, Shiro. You must keep yourself warm.”
Shiro nodded, knowing he was right. He unrolled the thin blanket and pulled it around his shoulders, sighing at even the little bit more warmth it offered him. Not knowing what else they could do, he sat down on the bench and leaned back against the wall, tucking the blanket around him. Even through the blanket, the wall was cold under his back. He bit his lip to stop the chattering of his teeth as the cold seeped into his bones.
Kolivan replaced the panel back on the engine with a sigh and got to his feet. “The engine is irreparable, and we have no hope of replacing the wing let alone getting this craft to fly again. We will just have to wait.” He joined Shiro on the bench, not touching but close enough for Shiro to feel the subtle heat radiating from him. Shiro desperately wanted to close the distance between them and feel that warmth for himself, but he knew that was unprofessional. He pulled the blanket tighter around him, a full-bodied shiver rippling through him at the draft of cold air let in by the tiny movement.
“Y-you’re sure you’re n-not cold at-t all?” Shiro hated how much his voice shook, but he was helpless to stop his teeth from chattering.
Kolivan was silent for a long minute. “I am beginning to grow a bit cold.” He admitted. Shiro started to unwrap the blanket from around his shoulders, intending to give it to him, but Kolivan hissed. “Do not even think of it, Shiro. You need that more than I.”
“B-but now we both n-need it.” Shiro frowned, but he had to admit he was loathe to give up the blanket.
Kolivan let out a thoughtful rumble. He shifted to sit cross-legged. “Come. We will keep each other warm with body heat.”
Shiro hesitated, fearing how awkward the situation could get, but he really didn’t want to die of hypothermia here. He was embarrassed by the blush on his cheeks, but the warmth of them did feel good. Determined not to overthink it, Shiro climbed into Kolivan’s lap and sat chest to chest with him, legs around his waist, and he opened his blanket-wings and wrapped them around Kolivan’s back to keep his core warm. Arms wrapped around his own back like bands of warmth and Shiro let out a shuddery sigh against Kolivan’s chest, a puff of white breath materializing in front of him like the ghost of his last bit of shame for this situation. Already, he felt warmer, and it seemed more possible to make it until Coran could rescue them.
Kolivan ducked his head to press his cold nose into the crook of Shiro’s neck. “Why do humans not have fur?” He asked quietly.
Shiro let out a soft laugh. “I’m not sure. Humans used to be more covered in fur, but we evolved over thousands of years to replace with with thinner body hair. I think it had to do with defending against parasites or something.” He nosed against the soft purple and red fur coating Kolivan’s neck above his suit collar. “Kinda wished we didn’t, now. Or at the very least, that I kept my hair longer.”
“Is that why you changed it from the style before?” Kolivan asked, running a hand over the back of Shiro’s head. Shiro shivered, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold or the contact.
“Yeah, the shaved sides and back were great in the desert where the Galaxy Garrison was located.” Shiro said. “But space is… cold. The Castle of Lions is chilly at best. My head often got cold. So when my hair got longer and I cut it to be more manageable, I didn’t bother shaving the undercut.” He sighed. “I don’t think people like the new look very much, though.”
“Your comfort is more important than what they think.” Kolivan told him. “Your head-fur is yours to do with what you want.”
Shiro hummed thoughtfully and rested his cheek against Kolivan’s shoulder.
“For what it’s worth, I think it looks quite nice.” Kolivan added quietly.
Shiro smiled against his fur and hugged him a little tighter. “Thanks.”