Work Text:
Japanese camellia, red -- "my destiny is in your hands"; unpretending excellence
****
Every time Shiro left on a flight, he gave Keith a flower.
It was always the same kind of flower, a vibrant red with petals that overlapped like dragon scales. Shiro held it out carefully, his metal hand gentle around the fragile bloom, and his eyes were fixed on Keith’s face.
“Keep it till I get back?” Shiro’s voice was quiet in the smoky hues of dawn.
Keith’s fingers brushed prosthetic ones as he took the flower. “Of course.” As he slipped the stem into the top buttonhole of his uniform, the familiar scent filled his nostrils and he fought to hide a grimace. Every time he smelled this scent, it meant that Shiro was going to be gone for the rest of the day and sometimes longer. It wasn’t a pleasant reminder, but for the look of love on Shiro’s face, Keith would bear any discomfort.
Shiro reached up as if to touch the flower but his hand altered course and cupped Keith’s cheek instead. “I’ll be back tonight. It’s an easy flight; shouldn’t be any delays.”
Keith hummed agreement and shook off the warm laziness that Shiro’s touch inspired in his chest. This wasn’t a Saturday morning, this was a work day and their coworkers were surely watching. The sooner they parted ways and did their jobs, the sooner they could be back in each other’s arms, cuddled on the couch watching old scifi movies all weekend long.
“Be safe out there,” Keith said, voice low, unable to help how his gaze tracked Shiro’s lips as the pilot smiled.
“I promise. I always fly better knowing I’ve got you to guide me home.” The soft smile turned into a wicked grin and Shiro pulled his husband in for a quick kiss that ended all too soon.
“Hotshot,” Keith muttered, faking a scowl, but further conversation was interrupted by a shout across the tarmac.
Pidge, Shiro’s copilot-in-training, was standing at the top of the ladder into the plane. “You two done being mushy? We’ve got passengers here waiting on us!”
“Yeah, yeah.” Keith gave her a dismissive wave and turned back to Shiro. “See you tonight.”
“Love you.”
“Love you.” Even after years married, Keith still felt heat rise to his cheeks every time he said it. But there was hardly time for Shiro to notice the blush as dawn spread in its glory across the sky, tingeing everything red and pink.
Shiro kissed his forehead before heading off to the waiting plane. Pidge had already disappeared back inside but Shiro stopped at the foot of the ladder and turned back one more time. Smiling to himself, Keith waved goodbye, the feel of the kiss still fresh against his skin.
They both had a long day ahead of them -- Shiro was booked for a roundtrip flight that would keep him away until early evening, while Keith had the usual stress and shuffle of directing air traffic in the small airport. At least he knew Shiro would be back tonight; the house always felt so empty when Shiro stayed overnight in another city and Keith had to come home alone. He allowed himself to watch until Shiro boarded the plane and was out of sight before turning to the air control tower, his prison for the day. The scent of the flower ached in his lungs and weighted his feet as he crossed the asphalt and climbed the long stairs to the observation deck.
----
Keith disliked the early morning hours of his job the most. He hated getting up early, hated hurrying through breakfast to make sure neither he nor his husband was late, hated saying goodbye to Shiro and sitting here at the desk counting the six hundred and eighty-four minutes till they’d be together again. He wasn’t sure if calculating the number made it seem like a longer time or a shorter one.
His eyes scanned restlessly over the radar again, but nothing had entered their airspace in over an hour. Only one plane had left after Shiro’s flight, and even that one was routine. The pilots and controllers all knew their jobs so well that the airport practically ran itself. In a town as small as this one, three controllers seemed like overkill and they spent most of the day bored out of their minds and chatting together until the afternoon traffic came in. Or at least, the other two chatted while Keith observed from his desk and did his best not to be dragged into the conversation.
That strategy worked passably well until Hunk yawned and stood up from his desk, announcing that he was going to find some coffee or die trying. That left Keith and Lance on their own for the duration. As much as he stubbornly kept his eyes on the empty radar screen, Keith was aware of the subtle scoot scoot of Lance’s chair as he edged closer.
Finally Keith swiveled around, pulled his headphones down around his neck, and leveled the other man with a dead-eyed gaze. “What.”
“Don’t ‘what’ me, man. I’m just bored.”
“Don’t you have work to be doing?” One of them was supposed to be keeping an eye on things at all times, even if rules around here were pretty lax.
“Nope.” Lance popped the ‘p’. “The sky’s clear as grocery shelves before a snowstorm. Besides, it’s not like anyone can get in under your eagle eyes.”
Keith rolled his eyes and shot another glance at the -- still empty -- scanner. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’s new? Any burning questions in the back of your mind?”
“You bet.” Lance jabbed a finger forward and watched as Keith leaned away and narrowed his eyes. “The flower. What’s up with that? Every day you come to work with that same red flower in your uniform. Is your boyfriend really that unimaginative?”
“Better watch what you say about --”
“Or ohhh I know, did you and he fight and now he’s trying to sweeten you back up? Is it working?”
“Lance, shut up!”
“I wanna know the juicy bits. C’mon, spill.”
“Spill what?” Hunk asked, coming back with a mega cup of coffee that was already half empty. He took a seat at his desk and draped the headphones around his neck, but paid no attention to the screen in favor of looking expectantly at the other two. “You know I love a good piece of gossip.”
“Well Keith here was just going to tell us about how his sweetheart boyfriend is trying to win him back --”
Keith met Lance’s eyes and grinned like a shark. “Actually, he’s my husband.”
“Wait -- husband. What? Who? You mean you’re actually married?!” Lance looked to Hunk for support but the bigger man only raised a calm eyebrow.
“The, uh,” Hunk waved a hand toward Keith, “the wedding ring kinda gave it away.”
Lance blinked and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. “What else have I missed. Next you’ll be telling me Pidge is actually a guy.”
Chuckling, Keith turned back to his workspace and was ready to go back to watching the minutes crawl by until the weekend, when Lance slammed himself upright, startling everyone in the room.
“Wait!” he shouted, accusatory finger inches from Keith’s face. “You’re married to Shiro !”
Keith blinked lazily and let a smirk sprawl across his face. “Yeah?”
“I just...um. Wow. How did I miss that.” Lance dropped back into his chair, propelling himself across the room to his desk while still muttering to himself. “Please tell me if I miss anything else important, okay guys?”
“Sure thing, pal,” Hunk assured him. He picked up his coffee cup and started to take a sip but stopped partway through the motion and stared at Keith. “So why do you always wear the same flower?”
Just like that, the ball was back in his court, only he couldn’t think of a quick answer. He’d asked himself the same question enough times and never come up with anything satisfactory. Was Shiro just being efficient? Was this his favorite flower? Why hadn’t he chosen Keith’s favorite one instead?
Finally he settled for a one-shouldered shrug. “It’s what Shiro always gives me,” he said, which was an answer but not a whole one. But Hunk seemed satisfied and went back to his own work, leaving Keith to switch his focus between the clock and the radar and the red flower that was so familiar that his uniform was always tinged with its scent.
----
“Black Lion flight 108, calling ground control. Ground control, do you copy?” Shiro’s voice sounded so close through his headphones that Keith would swear his husband was sitting right beside him.
“Ground control to Black Lion 108, I copy. You aren’t on the radar yet; is everything okay?”
“Yeah, just calling for course verification.”
So businesslike. Keith smiled and switched the screen to show the long range scanner, where Shiro’s plane was a faint green dot on the edge of the map. “At your current speed, you should be here in eighteen minutes. Is that what you’re seeing?”
“Eighteen minutes, same here. Thanks for checking.”
“No problem. Need anything else?” Keith glanced over at the flight roster. “You’re the only plane in the area tonight so we can stay on the line if you want.”
A teasing smile was audible in Shiro’s voice. “You don’t think that’s abusing the regulations?”
“It’s only you and me here tonight... and Lance and Hunk listening in.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to do my job!” Lance’s voice rang through both the control room and Keith’s headphones. “Not like there’s anything else going on around here.”
“Go talk to Hunk if you want gossip fodder,” Keith snapped. Across the room, Lance took off his headphones and crossed his arms in a huff.
“Settle down and breathe,” Shiro soothed. “I’ll be there soon enough. Sounds like you need a break from work for a few days.”
“Thank goodness it’s the weekend,” Keith muttered, keeping his voice low to prevent being overheard.
“Two whole days to ourselves. I can’t wait to kiss you and -- I’d better stop now, Pidge is giving me the murder-eyes. I’ll call you again when we’re on final approach.”
“All right, see you soon.”
“Copy that.” The radio went silent and Keith could feel his good mood starting to return. It was amazing how just Shiro’s voice could calm him like nothing else. The promise of being together again helped too -- Keith had never been much of a tactile person, but right now his skin was yearning for a hug.
The eighteen minutes crawled by with tortuous slowness. Lance cleaned up his station and clocked out, hesitating by the doorway.
“You two gonna be okay if I leave a bit early? I’ve got a date tonight and I don’t wanna keep her waiting.”
Hunk nodded knowingly. “Allura, right? I hope it goes well for you!”
Keith grunted something and waved his hand in acknowledgment and dismissal. It wouldn’t be long before the night shift came in and he and Hunk could leave too. In the meantime, he pressed the headphones harder against his ears, waiting for the static to abate and Shiro’s voice to ask for landing instructions.
The plane had barely touched down and was still coasting down the end of the runway when Keith stood up and hurriedly set his desk in order.
“Go on, go on, I think I can handle an empty sky by myself,” Hunk said when Keith jittered with impatience but stayed by his station.
“You’re sure?”
“Go give your husband a big ol’ smooch for me.”
Keith blushed a deep red and clung to the small blessing that Lance wasn’t there to add on to the teasing. There was a reason why he preferred to keep his personal life to himself. Muttering an inaudible goodbye to Hunk, Keith all but launched himself out the door and clattered down the stairs, only slowing once he reached outside. The sunset glinted off the tail fin of Shiro’s plane as the silver craft disappeared into its hangar several hundred yards away.
Keith started off toward it at a jog, but a quick beep-beep behind him made him turn around.
A familiar smile greeted him as Shiro leaned out the driver’s window and waved at him. “Where’re you going?”
“To see you.”
“Well here I am.” Shiro held out his arm expansively. “I figured Pidge could put the plane away while I came to see you. Wanna head home?”
The speed with which Keith crossed to the passenger side and sat down was answer enough.
“How come you’re always the one driving?” Keith asked. He worked on untangling his seatbelt as Shiro pulled out of the airport and turned onto the homeward road.
“Being a pilot has its perks.” Shiro spared a moment and a hand to brush against Keith’s cheek. “How was your day?”
“Pretty boring. We had an inspection come through, but everyone passed -- even Lance, which was kind of surprising.”
“Don’t be mean to your colleagues, you’ve got to work with them again on Monday.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. Besides, I wasn’t being mean, I’m just saying that he managed to get all the old coffee cups and food wrappers off his desk in record time. I could use some of that motivation myself sometimes.”
Shiro’s hand drifted over to where Keith’s fists were resting on his knees as he stared out at the darkening landscape. “C’mon, relax. Think of something else for once.”
Keith turned his hand over and grasped Shiro’s, stroking along the knuckles as he finally relaxed back against the seat. “How was your day?” he asked at last when the streetlights along the road gave way to dark trees; they were on the outskirts of town now, almost home.
“Routine. There was some turbulence on the way back that had Pidge worried, but that’s when I called you up. Your voice is so calming when you’re issuing instructions, you know that? Like nothing can happen because you’re so in control. It makes me feel good when I’m flying and you’re in the tower.”
“I...” Keith paused and looked over where Shiro was intent on the road. Shiro hadn’t sounded worried when he’d called earlier, but it had been a bit out of the ordinary. And he’d done it just to hear Keith’s voice? “I love you.”
Shiro looked over, eyes wide in the near-darkness. “I love you too. What brought that up -- you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine.” Keith linked fingers with Shiro’s captive hand. “It’s just... something that needs to be said every so often.”
The prosthetic tightened minutely. “I guess you’re right. I guess doing things without words won’t always get the point across, will it?”
Tilting his head, Keith tried to think of what answer Shiro was looking for, but the headlights shone on the mailbox and then the garage door and they were home.
They went up the front steps together, even though it was too narrow for them to fit side by side without putting arms around each other. Shiro unlocked the front door and they held hands as they crossed the threshold, the same as they had always done since they were married. It wasn’t until they’d taken off their shoes, Shiro hung his pilot’s jacket on the hook by the door, and he turned to help Keith with his uniform that the rhythm faltered.
“Keith.”
He looked up quickly at Shiro’s tone, eyebrows creasing as he took in the confused disappointment in his expression. “Yes?”
“You lost my flower?”
Oh. He’d taken it off for the inspection and never replaced it. Keith turned his face down with a mumbled apology. “I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s okay.” Shiro turned away to hang Keith’s jacket next to his by the door. But simply the fact that he’d noticed at all made it less than okay, and Keith stepped forward to remedy the problem.
“I’m sorry,” he said again, wrapping his arms around Shiro’s middle from behind. “I’ll be more careful from now on, promise.” He leaned up on tiptoes, trying to reach Shiro’s cheek; at last the taller man relented and allowed Keith a quick peck before turning away again.
“Are you mad at me?” Keith asked quietly. He couldn’t fathom why Shiro might be upset over a flower, but the fear remained that he’d somehow messed up.
“No, I’m not mad.” His face was still averted, but at least Shiro sounded sincere. “It just... meant a lot to me to know that you had it.”
Keith buried his face between his husband’s shoulderblades, breathing in deep and finding strength just from Shiro’s presence. “Can you tell me more? I thought it was just a flower. That you were just courting me. I’m sorry.”
Sighing, Shiro turned around in his arms and finally returned the embrace. He rested his cheek against the top of Keith’s head and softly nuzzled into his hair. “The flower is my heart. I give it to you every time I leave, because I feel safe knowing you’re watching out for me.” The metal arm tightened minutely around Keith’s waist and the smaller man hid his face against Shiro’s collarbone. “Sometimes flying scares me. I feel safer knowing my destiny is in your hands. I feel safer knowing your voice will always guide me home and you’ll be waiting for me at the end of the runway.”
“Oh.” Keith felt breathless. “Your heart...”
“Yeah. I know it sounds silly but --”
“But nothing. It’s not silly.” Keith reeled him back in when Shiro started to pull away in embarrassment. “It’s sweet and it means a lot to me too, now that you’ve explained it. But flowers wilt and our love is eternal. How would you feel about finding something a little more permanent?”
Shiro’s left hand linked with Keith’s and rubbed at the gold band there. “More permanent than this?”
Keith kissed him. “Nothing’s more permanent than us. But you like your flowers, so I was thinking of planting something together?”
“Mmm.” Shiro’s eyes slid mostly closed and careful fingers caressed Keith’s cheek. “Then I’ll be able to give you flowers every morning, as many as I can pick.” He returned the kiss before Keith could formulate a reply, and the fervor between them was answer enough.
----
The flower’s scent was almost faded from his uniform by Monday morning. Keith stood on the tarmac, once again kissing his husband goodbye and lingering as long as he could before heading to his station in the control tower. It felt strange not having a red bloom tucked under his chin.
But as he ascended the stairs, he could feel the slight weight of the silver chain and pendant around his neck, the tiny metal flower resting next to his heartbeat. He pressed it through his shirt. Why hadn’t he caught onto this idea before? It was calming knowing that an identical flower hung around Shiro’s neck. No matter how far he flew or how many nights his job kept him away, that would remain constant. It was more intimate than their wedding rings in a way -- more personal, something hidden that only they knew about.
And even more than that, their love was alive and growing, their hearts sheltered in the form of twin camellia bushes that they’d planted flanking the narrow path to their front door.
A white-flowered bush and a red one, side by side close enough to touch. Evergreen, to last through all seasons. Hardy, to weather all storms. Long-lived, their branches twining together over the years until they became completely inseparable and the flowers’ scent hung sweetly around the house and the two that lived therein.