Work Text:
Ryou found it difficult to sit still, but he tried the best he could. “Are you almost done?”
“Just another tic,” Romelle said as Ryou felt her comb through his hair and heard another snip. “There, all done,” she declared as she patted his head.
Ryou reached back and felt relief when he no longer felt the long tangled hair. “Thanks for cutting my hair.”
“It’s no problem,” Romelle said as he brushed the loose hairs off from Ryou’s shoulders. “I use to cut my younger brother’s hair all the time.”
“Oh yeah?” Ryou asked as he turned around. “How old is he? Is he my age?”
Romelle’s smile faltered. “He was a few years younger than me, but he passed away not ago.”
Ryou cringed and turned his head away. Why did he say that? Romelle was nice and he made her feel bad. “Sorry,” he muttered.
Romelle’s gaze softened as she patted Ryou’s head. “Nothing to apologize for. There’s no way you could have known.”
Ryou gave a pout as he raised his head. “Yeah, but I should have. I hate not knowing.”
Frankly, there were a lot of things Ryou didn’t know. He had woken up by himself not knowing anything or had anyone to help him. He didn’t know where he came from. He didn’t know how he ended up in space light years away from Earth. He didn’t even know what his real name had been. Granted, he didn’t have time to focus on that. Ryou had been desperate to find food, water, shelter and stay away from wild animals that would eat him, but he had been barely able to do that.
Ryou was certain he heard Coran mumbled that he wouldn't’ have survived much longer if they hadn’t found him. He didn’t like to think about that part.
The only thing Ryou did know was that the paladins were taking care of him and that one of them was related to him.
He got they had their reasons for not telling him everything, but it was still annoying.
Romelle looked ready to say something, but was cut off as Keith approached.
“You two ready?” he asked as his wolf teleported next to him.
“We just finished,” Romelle said as she picked up the scissors. “We should be all set to go.”
The wolf sniffed at Ryou’s hair causing him to giggle before Ryou dug his hands into the wolf’s fur. Going into space was worth it if it meant he could pat a wolf.
“So, we’re really going into space in that cool robot lion?” he asked.
Keith’s eyes softened as he kneeled to him. “Yeah, you excited?”
Ryou nodded. “Are we going to see comets? What about an asteroid or-”
“You’ll see a bunch of stuff,” Keith said as he touched Ryou’s shoulder. “Although, it is going to be a long trip. Just hope hope you don’t find it too dull.”
“I’m going into space? How can I find that dull?” Ryou asked as he beamed.
Keith gave a small smirk as he ruffled Ryou’s hair. He didn’t say much to Ryou, but he liked doing that to him for some reason. Shiro had a habit of it too now Ryou thought of it.
“Guys, come on,” Hunk called out. “We’re losing precious travelling time here.”
“Coming,” Ryou called out as he dashed up to the others. He glanced around and found Shiro with Krolia in front of the Black Lion. “We’re riding with Keith?”
“Yup,” Shiro said as he placed a hand on Ryou’s back and lead him inside. “It might be a bit bumpy during take off, so better brace yourself.”
Ryou nodded, but then frowned as he looked around. “There aren’t any windows?”
“No, the Black Lion weren’t build with them,” Krolia said as she entered with the wolf.
Ryou narrowed his eyes. “So..I can’t look out the window as we take off?”
Shiro chuckled as he kneeled down to his level. “No, but Keith said it would be alright if you sat up front with him so you can watch the take off.”
Ryou grinned and didn’t waste a second before he dashed to the front. Keith was there waiting for him as he was pressing buttons.
“Alright team, time to head out,” Keith said as Ryou stood next to him and Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder.
Within seconds, the lions roared and one by one they began to take off in the air. Ryou clung to Keith’s chair as he felt the Black Lion jolt. Krolia kept him steady by placing a hand on his shoulder and pointed out the window.
“Look,” she said.
Ryou did and gasped as the sky rapidly became less and less blue, until suddenly it all turned black. Soon glitter specks of what only could be stars appeared. Ryou held his breath as an ocean of stars greeted him. It was endless. In every direction there was nothing but blackness and twinkling of bright stars everywhere.
Ryou almost forgot where he was until Shiro patted the top of his head. “Real impressive, isn’t it?”
Ryou nodded as he glanced back. “Were you my age when you first went into space?”
“I wish,” Shiro said as he stared ahead. “Although, it still amazes me whenever I do see it.”
Ryou nodded as he looked back at the stars. Ryou couldn’t stop smiling. Honestly, how could anyone find this boring?
0808080808080808080808080808080808080808080
Four hours later, Ryou was proven wrong. He lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling as he made popping sounds with his mouth. Space travel was suppose to be exciting. How did things turn so mind numbingly dull?
He sighed as he crawled over to where Shiro was and drape over him. “I’m bored.”
Shiro just offered a smile as he looked up from the tablet he was reading. “Hi, bored, I’m Shiro.”
Ryou glared. “That’s not funny.”
Shiro chuckled as he set the tablet down. “It is and you walked right into it.”
Ryou sulked as he crossed his arms. “Shiro, I’m serious.”
“Alright, alright,” Shiro said as he used his one arm to pat Ryou’s head. “Maybe you should take a nap. You do need to rest-”
Ryou growled. “I’m fine.”
Shiro frowned at him. “You did faint yesterday, Kiddo and Coran says you’re still gaining back your strength.”
Ryou sighed. “But I’m not sleepy.” He tugged at his arm. “Come on, isn’t there something to do? I’ve already counted the screws in the wall twenty times.”
Shiro frowned as he grasped his chin. “Well, we could play something like twenty questions?”
Ryou frowned as he glanced up to Shiro. “Okay, first question. What was I doing on that planet?”
Shiro blinked as he tilted his head. “What?”
“I mean did I get kidnapped?” Ryou continued. “Is that why you guys were looking for me?”
Shiro swallowed as he rubbed his neck. “You weren’t kidnapped.”
Ryou narrowed his eyes. “Then how did I end up in space?”
Shiro drummed his fingers against his knee and then smiled at Ryou. “Why don’t we go check on Keith?”
“But, what about-”
“Let’s go,” Shiro said as he gently tugged at his arm and gestured with his head. “I need to check on him anyway.”
Ryou wanted to ask further but sighed as he followed Shiro into the cockpit. Keith was in the same spot where Ryou checked an hour ago. Keith was sitting in his chair with Krolia sitting behind him and the wolf at his side.
He held a concern look as he glanced back. “Something wrong?”
“Nothing major,” Shiro replied as he took a seat. “Ryou’s just a bit bored.”
Ryou slumped over the arm of Keith’s chair. “Aren’t we there yet?”
Keith offered a half smile as he shook his head. “Sorry, but not for five more hours.”
Ryou grumbled as he pressed his forehead into Keith’s chair. “But I’m going crazy here. I got nothing to do.”
Shiro opened his mouth to say something when suddenly Lance’s image appeared on the screen.
“For the record, I’m bored too,” he said as Kaltenecker gave a moo.
“Lance,” Keith replied with a warning glance.
“I’m sorry, but I can only stare at the vastness of space for so long,” Lance replied as he tossed up a hand. “If I don’t do something soon I’m going to fall asleep at the wheel here.”
Keith sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I’m open to ideas?”
Ryou leaned over. “Can we just pull over and go float outside the lions?” He gazed out the window. Floating around like a real astronaut would be awesome.
“No can do,” Shiro said gently. “We don’t have the time.”
“And it’s too dangerous,” Krolia said as the wolf placed his head in her lap. “We would be too vulnerable to attack.”
Lance grasped his chin and snapped his fingers. “Hey, how about Ryou come join me in Red for a bit?”
Ryou blinked and tilted his head. “But we’re not landing for five more hours.”
Lance waved a hand. “No, but if you put on a suit you can just walk on over. It be a short space walk.”
Ryou’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Shiro interjected. “He’s still recovering and he’s not use to being out in space.”
Ryou pouted as he tugged at Shiro’s arm. “Aw, come on! Please, Uncle Shiro! It would be so cool.”
Keith and Lance both blinked confounded. “Uncle?” Keith asked with a raised eyebrow.
Shiro gave a forced laugh. “Um..well, I told him that’s basically what I was to him.”
Ryou stopped tugging and scratched his head. “Should..I not call you that then?”
Shiro blinked and then quickly smiled. “No, no, it’s fine, Kiddo. Just took me by surprise is all.”
Why would it take you by surprise? Ryou thought. You said you were my uncle.
Ryou noticed Keith and Lance exchanged a nod and chewed his bottom lip. There it was again. Ryou did something weird without meaning to. His hands tightened into fists. He hated it. He hated not knowing.
Krolia then stood and patted Ryou’s shoulder. “It wouldn’t take long to walk over to the Red Lion,” she said, “and if he happened to float away it wouldn’t be difficult to catch him with the lions.”
“Yeah, Shiro,” Lance said as he pointed to the cow. “I love Kaltenecker, but he’s the strong silent type. Be nice to have a little human company over here.”
Keith looked to Ryou and then up to Shiro. “It’s probably better he gets a bit of experience in case of emergencies.”
Shiro still didn’t seem convinced, but Ryou clasped his hands together and shot him a pleading look. “Please?” he begged.
Shiro sighed and that was when Ryou knew he caved. “Alright, but you are going to be careful. Understood?”
“I promise,” Ryou said as he raced back. “Are the space suits back here? Where do I walk?”
“Hold your horses,” Shiro called out and looked to Krolia. “Mind giving me a hand?”
“Certainly,” Krolia said as he stood. “In the meantime, Lance can fly closer to the Black Lion.”
Ryou gave a smiled, but he frowned as he turned back ahead. It was getting harder to ignore how much he disliked being left in the dark.
080808080808080808080808080808080808080
The suit they had gotten out for Ryou seemed twice his size until Shiro pressed a button that adjusted to his small size. Something about Altean technology made it easy to have universal clothing.
Lance then flew close to the Black Lion. The walk did end up being a lot shorter than Ryou pictured it would be, but it was still incredible. It felt so surreal to see nothing but space around him. Even more so to have the Red Lion open it’s wide mouth for him to enter.
It could have been his imagination, but Ryou swore he heard the Black Lion give an encouraging growl as he floated himself over and then the Red Lion caught him.
Ryou stumbled as the Red Lion shut it’s mouth and gravity took over, but felt Lance catch him.
“Good job, Ryou,” Lance said as he took him by the hand. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“Yeah,” Ryou said as he removed his helmet. “Do you guys get to do that all the time?”
“Basically, but it’s usually for way more tense situations,” Lance said as he lead the way. “Follow me, I got a seat with your name on it.”
Ryou grinned as they went up to the cockpit. Kaltenecker was sitting farther in the back as they entered. He had been fearful there would have been cow dung to avoid, but was shocked to see none.
“You were expecting a mess, weren’t you?” Lance said with a wink as he sat. “One of the best things about the lions is that they’re self cleaning. Can’t tell you how many times Yellow had to wash out Hunk’s vomit when we first started flying.”
“Oh,” Ryou said as he sat behind Lance. “How..exactly did you guys end up flying robot lions?”
Lance laughed as he had the Red Lion fly to the right. “Oh man, that is a long story. Probably better to save that tale when the others can add in details I’ve forgotten about. Remind me though, and we’ll tell you at dinner.”
“Oh, okay,” Ryou said and then chewed his lip. Lance seemed more chatty than Shiro and Keith were. Maybe he was willing to discuss other things. “Hey, Lance, do you mind if I ask questions?”
“I’m an open book, little buddy,” Lance said as he waved a hand. “Ask away!”
Ryou leaned in closer. “What was I doing on that planet by myself?”
Lance’s smile vanished. His eyes became more serious as he looked back. “What did Shiro tell you?”
“Not much,” Ryou said softly. “I mean, I thought I was abducted like in those old science fiction movies, but he said that didn’t happen. So, what did?”
Lance shut his eyes. “These might be better questions for Shiro or even Keith-”
“But they’re not saying anything,” Ryou said with pout. “I get the feeling they don’t want me asking.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Lance replied as he opened his eyes. “It’s just-”
“Complicated, I know,” Ryou said as he leaned back with a huff, “but it’s driving me nuts.”
Lance’s face was unreadable as he glanced back. They sat in silence until Lance let out a breath of air.
“Well..you see, we were there looking for you,” he started.
Ryou glanced up. “For me?”
Lance scratched his cheek. “How do I say this?” He shook his head and sighed. “Ryou, you remember Earth, right?”
Ryou nodded. “I remember being there but..not a lot of stuff. It’s kind of hazy?”
“And there’s a reason for that,” Lance continued. “See, you’ve actually never been to Earth.”
Ryou’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You were born not far from where we found you,” Lance continued. “You were part of an experiment where some bad people decided to give you dreams of Earth to make you believe you did.”
Ryou dropped his hands into his lap. “But..but why would they do that?”
Lance sucked his air between his teeth. “They..they were hoping they could use you, but Keith and Shiro destroyed the lab so it wasn’t complete. The reason you were on that planet was because that’s where you crashed.”
“Oh,” Ryou said as he frowned as he thought back to all the metal, glass and other debris that had been around him. “Is that were all those broken tubes and everything came from?”
“Yeah,” Lance said with a bitter tone. “We’re so sorry you were by yourself, but we had to stop this guy named Lotor from hurting a lot of people. Once we were able to, we flew there to help anyone we could find.”
“Anyone?” Ryou muttered and then it struck him. “You mean..I wasn’t the only one?”
“No,” Lance said softly, “but you were the only survivor.”
Ryou shook a little. There were others? Should he have helped them? What if they died because he ignored them while surviving on his own? What if it was his fault? What if-
He felt a pair of arms wrap around him and it was only then Ryou realized Lance had left his seat to hug him.
“Sorry,” Lance said he kept hugging. “I know that’s a lot to take in, buddy.”
Ryou returned the hug and pressed his forehead to his chest. “I..Lance, was it my fault that those other people died?”
“No way,” Lance said as he lifted his head. “Trust me, none of what happened was your fault. I swear I’m telling you the truth.”
Ryou sniffled, but wiped his nose as he nodded. “Yeah, okay.” He looked up. “So..will I ever get my original memories back? Where are my parents?”
Lance’s eyes widened slightly as he rubbed his neck. “Your parents..well, that’s a better question for Shiro to answer, but he is your uncle.” He offered a smile as he patted Ryou’s head. “And you don’t have any memories that are missing. You just have to make new ones.”
Ryou lowered his head. “How am I not missing any memories if I don’t remember anything?”
“I know it’s confusing, buddy,” Lance said as he lifted Ryou’s chin up and smiled. “But I promise you’re not alone. Shiro? Me? The others? We’re your family and we’re going to take care of you.”
Ryou nodded as he wrapped his arms around Lance’s neck. “Thanks, Lance.”
Lance hugged back and they remained so until Ryou let go.
“Okay, so how about something fun?” Lance said as he returned to his seat. “How about I tell you a story.”
Ryou wiped his eyes as he placed a hand into his lap. “Okay, but what story?”
Lance grinned as he pointed back. “About how we ended up with Kaltenecker over there from buying him at the space mall.”
Ryou blinked and tilted his head. “There’s a space mall?”
“Oh yeah, and you wouldn’t believe what we found there,” Lance continued.
Ryou gave a small smile as Lance told the story. There were still plenty he didn’t know, but at least he wasn’t alone.
08080808080808080808080808080808080
The rest of the flight went smoothly, although Ryou was itching to run on solid ground when they landed. Flying in a robot ship was awesome, but man did it feel cramp in there after a while.
He asked the paladins on what he could do to help to set up camp, but they all insisted they had it covered.
“But I want to help,” Ryou insisted as he crossed his arms.
“This is adult work,” Shiro said as he kneeled. “You let us worry about it.”
Ryou narrowed his eyes. “But I’m not a little kid, I want to be useful.”
“If that’s the case, then I got the perfect job for you,” Allura stated. The mice peeked over her shoulder and then crawled down her arm as she held out her hands. “Would you mind playing a game of hide and seek with the mice? Normally I play with them, but I need to assist Coran and Krolia.”
Ryou frowned. This felt like they were just trying to distract him, but then the mice all gave him pleading looks and little Chulatt was batting his big eyes at him.
“I guess I could do that,” Ryou said as he held out his hands and the mice climbed into them.
“Just don’t stray too far from camp,” Shiro said. “We don’t want you getting lost.”
“I won’t,” Ryou replied.
“Also,” Keith said as he patted his wolf, “why don’t you let this guy come with you. He’s probably ready for play session too.”
The wolf growled and Ryou giggled as he licked his cheek. “Sure, I’ll play with you,” he replied and ran off.
The mice revealed to be much clever at hiding than Ryou had assumed. Platt was the easiest since he would just look for the comfiest place to nap. Chuchule and Plachu often looked for a place high up off the ground, but Chulatt proved the hardest since he could fit into any hole he found.
Thankfully, Keith’s wolf made it a lot simpler to track them down, but even then there were times it proved to be a challenge.
On the fifth round, Ryou found Platt sleeping on a bed of moss, and both Chuchule and Plachu dangling off a branch. Ryou smiled as all three of them climbed up on the wolf’s back.
“Alright, that just leaves Chulatt,” Ryou declared as he crawled on his knees. “Where would he be hiding?”
He spotted a purple bush not to far away and noticed some of the leaves were rustling.
“There we are,” Ryou whispered as he crawled underneath. “Chulatt, I’m going to-”
“So, was that alright, Shiro?”
Ryou paused. Was that Lance? He raised his head and spied through the leaves. Lance and Shiro were picking up bundles of fallen branches off the ground.
Lance looked anxious as he picked up more branches. “I mean, I wasn’t exactly sure how to explain the whole thing but I didn’t want to lie to him.”
“It sounds like you did fine,” Shiro replied as he handed Lance a large branch. “You came up with a better way to say it than I would have.” He gave a smile. “Thanks for talking to him.”
Lance smiled back briefly and then frowned again. “With that said, Ryou is wondering about his ‘parents’ and I told him that was a better question for you than me.”
Shiro paused and gave a sigh as he rubbed his neck. “I figured he would be, although don’t know the best way to tell him without scaring him.”
Ryou’s eyes widened. Scaring me? What does that mean?
“Yeah, agreed,” Lance said as he picked up the branches. “I don’t think now is the time though, but I wanted to give you a heads up.”
Shiro placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “Thanks, I appreciate it.” He pointed his thumb back to the direction of camp. “Come on, let’s check and see how Hunk is making out with dinner.”
Ryou remained still until they were gone before he gradually crawled back out of the bushes. He mindlessly brushed the leaves out of his hair as thoughts ran through his head.
What’s so scary about my parents? Were they the bad people Lance mentioned? Did they do the experiment and that was why Shiro doesn’t want to talk about them?
A squeak caused Ryou to awake from his thoughts. He glanced down to see Chulatt crawling into his hands.
“Sorry,” he muttered softly, “but I’m not sure I feel like playing anymore.”
Chulatt twitched his nose, then crawled up his arm and nuzzled his cheek. Ryou gave a half smile as he stroked the mouse’s head. “Thanks,” he muttered and didn’t protest when the other mice joined in on the cuddling.
08080808080808080808080808080808080808080
Dinner was ready not long after Ryou returned to camp with the mice and wolf. He sat quietly as Krolia handed over his share of dinner and didn’t bother to listen on the conversation. He rested his head against the palm of his hands as he spun the small vegetables with his fork.
“Ryou, you feeling alright?”
Ryou jumped slightly and looked up to see Keith frowning at him. “Uh..yeah, I’m fine. Why?”
Keith narrowed his eyes. “You’ve barely touched your food.”
Ryou blushed slightly as he forced a smile. “I-it’s nothing, I’m just not hungry.”
From the seat next to him, Shiro frowned as he set down his food and placed a hand on Ryou’s forehead. “You don’t seem to have a fever. Does anything hurt?”
Ryou scowled as he pushed the hand away. “No, and I’m not sick. I just don’t feel like eating.”
Shiro looked doubtful until Pidge cleared her throat. “To be fair, these vegetables are rather bland.”
Hunk sighed as he finished swallowing. “Yeah, not my best work but I have to work with what I got and ration.”
“It would be nice if we were able to pick up some more supplies,” Allura said she read over her tablet. “It will be long journey to Earth.”
“We might be able to,” Krolia said as she looked to Keith. “It’s a bit of a detour, but there should be a small Blade of Marmora base not far from here.”
“Really?” Hunk asked. “We’re kind of in the middle of nowhere. You guys have a base this far out?”
“It’s mainly used as a communication base and a safe house when needed,” Krolia explained, “but there should be some Blades there that can help us.”
Keith grasped his chin. “If anything, it would be worth going to just to contact Kolivan and explain to him what happened.”
Ryou tilted his head and raised his hand. “Um, what’s the Blade of Marmora?”
“They’re Galra space ninjas that help us out,” Lance said as he gave thumbs up. “Don’t worry, they’re on our side.”
Keith shot Lance a glare. “I wouldn’t call them space ninjas.”
Krolia crossed her arms over her chest. “Actually..that was how your father described me, so it’s not that far off.”
“Ha!” Lance said as he pointed his fork in Keith’s direction. “See that? Your mom agrees with me!”
“I’m sorry, but what is a ‘ninja’?” Romelle asked as she looked to Allura.
“An Earth term I believe,” Allura whispered back. “From my understanding it’s similar to an Omockan warrior.”
“Ah, I see,” Romelle said with a nod. “That would make sense.”
Keith sighed before he looked back to Shiro. “Regardless, it does sound like a good idea.”
“Agreed,” he said as he looked to Krolia. “Would they have medical supplies there?”
“They should have at least one medic on hand,” Krolia said.
“Good, then it be worth it for Ryou to get a check up.”
Ryou tossed his hands up in the air. “But I’m not sick.”
“Just as a precaution, kiddo,” Shiro said as he ruffled his hair. “It’s not just you, I could use one too.”
Ryou frowned, but gave a nod. “Fine, but there better not be any needles involved.”
“I feel you there,” Shiro said as he pointed to his plate. “In the meantime, try to eat at least some of your dinner, okay?”
Ryou slumped and stuffed one of vegetables in his mouth and stuck out his tongue. Pidge wasn’t kidding, they were bland.
0808080808080808080808080808080808080808080808080
The flight to the base only took a half a day to fly there. Ryou spent most of the flight riding with Hunk. The Yellow Paladin had argued it was his turn for some company and Ryou liked liking Hunk. He was really funny and was down right gleeful when Ryou told him he loved puns.
Hunk had shot Shiro a grin before they boarded the lions. “So, that something that runs in the family?”
Shiro coughed and for some reason blushed. Again, it felt like there was some kind of secret Ryou wasn’t in on, but he decided to set it aside for now. He and Hunk spent most of the time exchanging jokes or funny stories Hunk had about his past adventures.
Ryou was slightly sad when they reached the base, but Hunk promised he would tell more stories on their next flight.
The Blades made Ryou nervous, but seemed relieved when Voltron appared. Apparently everyone had been searching for them and had feared the worst had occurred. Keith, Krolia, Allura and Shiro went off to contact Kolivan while Ryou waited with the other paladins.
They were gone for a long time. Ryou didn’t have a watch, but it felt close to an hour by the time they finally appeared.
“How did it go?” Pidge asked as she stood.
“As much as expected,” Keith said as the wolf came over to greet him. “Kolivan said he was going to alert the other members of the Collison and tell them to keep an eye out for us as we make it to Earth.”
Lance glanced to Ryou and cleared his throat. “Did you guys tell him everything?”
“Yes,” Krolia said, “that took the longest to explain.” She glanced to Hunk and Pidge. “On that note, the mechanic here said you are welcome to take any spare parts they have here for repairs.”
“Awesome,” Hunk said as he clapped his hands. “Pidge and I have already started to design a new arm for Shiro.”
Pidge nodded as she adjusted her glasses. “Normally we like to spend more time on it, but we figure it was better to at least get something for you to use. At the very least a substitute arm until we can build you a better one.”
Shiro gripped his shoulder where his missing arm was. “Sounds good, also..it probably would be wise to see if you can remove as much of the old arm as possible. Rather not take any chances again.”
Ryou raised an eyebrow, but before he could speak Pidge stood up. “But before that, I better contact Matt. He’s probably worried sick about me.”
“I’ll start gathering up the parts then,” Hunk stated as he stood up.
Keith nodded as he crossed in his arms. “In the meantime, Allura, Romelle and I can go over what we need for supplies.” He looked to Shiro. “And you and Ryou can get those checkups.”
Shiro frowned as he looked to Ryou. “I don’t want Ryou to be by himself though.”
“I’ll with the lad,” Coran voiced as he patted Ryou’s shoulder.
Ryou narrowed his eyes. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“No, of course not,” Coran said as he twirled his mustache “However, I imagine I know a bit more about human biology at this point then the medic on hand.”
“Agreed, and I’ll stick with Shiro for the same reason,” Krolia stated.
“Oh,” Ryou said softly as he rubbed his neck. “Yeah, that makes sense.”
Shiro smiled as he ruffled Ryou’s hair. “It won’t take long promise.”
Ryou nodded as he took Coran’s hand and lead him out of the room.
He was taken down the hall where an unmasked Blade was waiting for him. The room had dim lighting and the shelves were filled with vials, sharp tools and clean syringes waiting to be used. A scanner sat at the far back with a giant examination table in the dead center of the whole room. Ryou was hesitant to enter. He didn’t know why, but the whole setup felt a bit creepy to him. Yet, he felt more calm as Coran touched his shoulder and was suddenly very glad he wasn’t alone.
Then came the tests. They checked his eyes, peeked inside his mouth, listened to his heart rate and the medic kept asking questions during the whole duration. Ryou didn’t mind, expect for the part when he had to take a blood sample. It didn’t hurt too bad, but he winced at the hard pinch and was rubbing his arm afterward.
Ryou kicked his legs over the examination table as Coran and the medic read over the results.
“As far as the tests are concerned you are a healthy young boy,” Corand said with a smile. “There’s nothing for us to worry about.”
“That’s what I keep saying to Shiro,” Ryou muttered as he tapped the toes of his boots together.
“It is quite fascinating,” the medic said as he read over the tablet.
Coran blinked and gave a nod. “Yes, human bodies are rather unique.”
“There’s that,” the medic agreed, “but looking at these results I would have assumed he was a regular child. It never would have crossed my mind he was a clone.”
Ryou’s feet dropped. His face turned pale as he turned to the medic. “W-what did you just say?”
Coran’s face had turned white as if someone had just stabbed him. “Uh.. err, it was just a slip of the tongue, lad. Pay no mind.”
The medic frowned. “I did no such thing. I-”
“Keep quiet,” Coran hissed as the jabbed the medic’s chest with his finger. “Or I’ll shut that mouth for you.”
The medic blinked as Ryou’s heart beated faster. “Did the boy not know?”
Ryou jumped off the table. It..it couldn’t be true. “A clone? Like..like a copy?”
“Of a person, yes. I read the research, but to be able to fully study it is truly-” the medic howled as Coran stomped on his foot.
“That’s enough out of you,” Coran snapped.
Ryou’s eyes widened. Shiro said he was like an uncle. Everyone kept joking when Ryou said something and looked to Shiro. Lance said he had been part of an experiment. Hunk had first called him ‘Shiro’.
“Coran, am I a clone?” he asked as his hands were shaking. “Am I Shiro’s clone? Please, tell me! Is it true?”
The fury left Coran’s eyes and they softened as he turned to Ryou. The Altean’s body became stiff as he shut his eyes. “Yes, yes it’s true.”
Ryou felt cold and gripped his shirt. He..he was a clone? HE WAS A CLONE!
“I don’t understand why you didn’t tell him,” the medic asked in a brisk tone as he rubbed his foot.
The anger came back as Coran seemed ready to punch him. “Because he’s a child! Why, in the name of King Groggery the Infirm, would you believe we should?!”
Ryou breathed heavily. The room felt a lot smaller. The medic had argued back but he didn’t hear what was said. Ryou couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t...he had to get out. He had to get out!
Ryou turned and bolted out the door, ignoring when Coran called out after him. He almost ran into a couple of Blades in the hallway, but he ignored them them. Ryou ran and ran, but he didn’t know where to go. Where could he go? He was just a thing that was created. He had no home!
Somehow, Ryou found himself in the hangar where the lions were kept. Without thinking he ducked inside the Black Lion and didn’t stop until he tucked himself in a corner near the back. It was then Ryou collapsed. He curled up into a ball and felt the tears come as he hugged his knees against his chest.
He was a clone. He was a clone. It explained so much. Why he didn’t remember anything. Why everyone gave him such funny looks. Why no one wanted to tell him the whole story. How could they?
Ryou thought he heard a low rumble as if the Black Lion was attempting to console him, but he assumed he just imagined it. The boy then felt something cold and wet pressed against his cheek. Ryou sobbed as he cracked open an eye. Keith’s wolf stared back as he gave a concerned whine while the mice peeked over from the top of his head. Ryou wanted to tell him he was alright, but all he could do was sob.
The wolf curled himself around Ryou as the mice suddenly jumped and ran off. Ryou turned and buried his face into the wolf’s fur. He didn’t know how long he cried until he heard footsteps.
“Ryou?”
The boy jumped. Hunk stood there with the mice at his feet. Did they bring him here?
“Buddy, what’s wrong?” Hunk asked.
Ryou swallowed a gulp of air. “I know!”
Alarm swept over Hunk’s face. “What?”
“I know, I’m a clone,” Ryou snapped as he scrubbed his eyes with his palm. “The medic told me! I’m Shiro’s clone.”
“Oh, man,” Hunk said as he sat next to him. “Ryou, I’m so sorry.”
“What’s going on?” Pidge asked as she appeared and froze at the sight. “Hunk?”
Hunk sucked the air through his teeth as fury shone in his eyes. “The medic told Ryou he was a clone.”
Pidge choked. “He did what?! Why would he-I’m going to strangle-”
“Commit murder later,” Hunk said as the mice ran over to Pidge. “Go get Shiro.”
Pidge blinked, but then nodded before she ran off.
Ryou hiccuped as he tried to wipe away the tears. “I’m not real,” he muttered. “I’m just an experiment. I’m not-”
Hunk placed his hands on his shoulders. “Ryou, listen,” he said. “There are probably a lot of thoughts swirling around in your head, but right now I just want you to focus on breathing with me.”
Ryou licked his lips as the tears streamed down his cheeks. “I..I don’t know if I can.”
“Sure you can,” Hunk said as took a deep breath. “Breath in your nose, yes like that. Hold and then out through your mouth for six seconds.”
Ryou did as asked and they repeated it several more times. The wolf remained where he was as he wrapped his tail around Ryou. Gradually, his heart beats slowed down and he found it easier to breath.
“Better?” Hunk said.
Ryou hiccuped, but gave a silent nod. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Hunk replied earnestly. “I don’t blame you for freaking out. Anyone would, me especially.”
Ryou chewed his bottom lip. “Was..was anyone ever going to tell me?”
“Eventually, yes,” Hunk said with a frown, “but we were waiting for the right moment. We never meant for you to find out this way.”
Ryou squeezed his eye shut. “I wish I could go back to not knowing.”
Ryou thought he would feel better if he knew, but he was wrong. So wrong.
Suddenly fast paced feet were heard. Shiro appeared with Pidge right behind him. “Ryou?!” Shiro stopped when he locked eyes with the boy. Ryou hastily tried to wipe away the remaining tears, but they wouldn’t stop.
Shiro’s gaze softened as he sat beside him. “Oh, kiddo,” he said as he wrapped an arm around him. “I’m so sorry.”
Ryou stiffened. He should break away and run, but he had no energy left. He suppressed a sob as he buried his face into Shiro’s chest. He felt Hunk pat his back before he heard movement next to him.
“We’ll give you guys some space,” Hunk said.
“Yeah, and I got a Blade I’m going to give some words to,” Pidge declared as she stormed off.
“I’m not helping you hide the body, but I like a chat with him too,” Hunk remarked darkly as they walked off.
Ryou wanted to yell they didn’t have to, but found all he could do was shut his eyes as he felt Shiro’s fingers comb through his hair.
Shiro shushed him. “It’s alright,” he said, “it’s going to be alright.”
“But it’s not,” Ryou said as he forced himself to look up. “I’m not a real person. I’m..I’m just a lab rat.”
“You are not a lab rat,” Shiro said firmly as he wiped his tears. Gingerly, he lifted Ryou’s face upward until they were looking directly into each other’s eyes. “Listen, Ryou, it doesn’t matter how you were born, you are a person. A living breathing human being.”
Ryou shuddered a breath. “But, I was suppose to be a copy of you.”
“Maybe that was the intent, but you’re becoming your own person,” Shiro said as the wolf rest his head in Ryou’s lap. “You’re already a lot more curious then I was at your age. Sure there are similarities, but you’re still young and will grown into whoever you want to be.”
Ryo sighed as he pressed his forehead against Shiro’s chest. “But..why was I made? What was the point?”
Shiro patted his head and gave a tired sigh. “It’s a long story, but to put it briefly you aren’t the first clone we encountered.”
Ryou looked up. “I’m not?”
Shiro shook his head. “I’ll spare you the details, but I went missing and the Galra decided to create a clone of me so he could infiltrate the group with no one realizing it.” He frowned as he reached down to stroke the wolf’s head. “Unlike you though, he was a full adult and had all of my memories. He had no idea he was a clone.”
Ryou’s eyes widened in horror as he swallowed. “What happened to him?”
Shiro grimly shook his head. “He was forced to fight against us and we weren’t able to save him.” He patted Ryou’s shoulder. “The clone facility, where you were made, was destroyed during the fight. The reason we went back was to check to see if there were any other clones we could save.”
“But why?” Ryou asked as he lowered his gaze. “The other clone hurt you.”
“He was a victim,” Shiro said. “I regret we weren’t able to help him, but I wanted to at least save any other clones that remained.”
“And it’s just me,” Ryou concluded as he leaned against Shiro and shivered. “How..how do you know I won’t be made to fight you?”
“You won’t,” Shiro stated as he pointed to his missing arm. “The clone had his arm removed and replaced with a cybernetic one that they controlled him with.”
Ryou blinked as he lifted up his hands and flexed his fingers. “But I have both of my arms.”
“Exactly,” Shiro said softly as he wrapped his hand around Ryou’s. “They hadn’t done that to you yet and that’s probably why you don’t have any of my memories.”
Ryou’s lips formed a tight line. Shiro’s hand felt so huge and warm against his. He was created to be exactly like Shiro? Holding his breath, Ryou looked up. “What’s going to happen to me?”
“Like we told you, we’re going to protect you,” Shiro said softly as he pulled Ryou into a hug. “I’m so sorry you were forced to learn it this way. I should have told you sooner.”
Ryou leaned against him as he ran his fingers through the wolf’s fur. “I doubt I would have taken the truth that much better.”
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t make it right,” Shiro replied as they leaned against the wall. “Do you want to stay here?”
Ryou nodded as he gripped Shiro’s shirt. “Please? I’m not ready to see anyone else yet.”
“Alright,” Shiro said as he patted his head. “I’ll stay with you as long as you want.”
Ryou buried his face back into Shiro’s chest as the wolf gave a lick to his hand. He thought he heard the rumble again, but he didn’t mind. Instead, all that Ryou cared about was feeling safe.
0808080808080808080808080808080808080
They didn’t stay at the base much longer. Once they restocked on supplies, removed the remaining parts of Shiro’s old arm, and Pidge and Hunk collected the spare parts they needed, they took off again. The medic apologized to Ryou, although he was rather skittish. Ryou had a feeling it was due to the murderous glares the others tossed in his direction. The medic was particularly fidgety when Hunk or Pidge were near him.
Hunk offered to let him ride in his lion, but Ryou declined the offer for the time being. He felt like he was being a baby, but he just naturally craved to be near Shrio. Ryou was afraid he hurt Hunk’s feelings, but the Yellow Paladin ruffled his hair and stated he understood.
“I’ll come up with some new jokes for later, okay? Maybe you can even give me a hand with dinner,” Hunk stated before they boarded.
The flight was quiet. Ryou should have been bored, but frankly he was too exhausted to care. He eventually curled up next to Shiro like a cat and shut his eyes.
“You doing alright?” Shiro asked as he patted his back.
Ryou nodded. “Better, but the whole thing is super weird.”
“Can’t argue with that,” Shiro said softly, “but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. I’m glad that I have you around.”
Ryou swallowed as he looked up. “Does that mean it’s still okay if I call you ‘Uncle Shiro’.”
Shiro looked stunned by the question. “Of course you can,” he replied. “You can call me whatever you want.”
Ryou felt some relief at that as he felt Shiro pull a blanket over him. “When we land, I want to help Hunk cook.”
“That’s fine with me,” Shiro said as he smiled. “It’s a long trip, so you’ll probably be a master chef by the time we’re done.”
Ryou gave a small giggle. “I doubt I be much better than you.”
“I burn water,” Shiro remarked, “with Hunk as a teacher you may actually learn how to cook.”
Ryou smiled as he shut his eyes and dozed. There were other questions he should ask, but not today. Today, he would take that nap.