Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

     Compared to his younger self, Keith had grown and matured a lot. He was better at picking his battles. He could work with others. He was even better about opening up and expression his feelings.

     But old habits died hard.

     And Keith had years of practice in bottling up his affections for Shiro.

     Every beaming grin, every beautiful laugh, every brush of skin shook Keith to the core, but he saved those moments to remember in the middle of the night, when the halls were dark and empty and the stars twinkled through his window. Keith would always love Shiro with every fiber of his being, but he was content with their friendship. He would rather have Shiro in his life at all then to risk everything for something as trivial as dates and kisses and cuddles...

     Keith shook his head to clear his mind, finally throwing his blankets off and getting out of bed. Kosmo flashed before him, Keith's blade in his mouth. An amused huff left the paladin's lips. He took his blade from the cosmic wolf and began to dress for the day.

     It's not like Shiro was the only form of love in Keith's life. He had his mom and the Blades, not to mention the other paladins and the Alteans. He was also making friends among the other Garrison personnel, including the MFE pilots, after he had cleared the air with James.

     Keith threw open the doors of his quarters and marched into the hall with a small smile on his lips and Kosmo beside him.

     His life was good.

     "Just shoot me."

     Pidge gave Keith a sympathetic look. "Meeting didn't go well?"

     "Honestly?" Keith replied as he sat beside her at the cafeteria table, setting his tray down with a loud clunk. "I don't know. It seems like we're at a stalemate with the Gerdi, but Shiro seems optimistic."

     "Between the two of you, I'm sure you'll get the alliance," Pidge reassured him. She offered him an apple slice, which he accepted with a grateful smile.

     "KEEEEEEEITH!"

     Keith had no time to react as a blur of pink barrelled into him, knocking the breath out of his lungs. Strong arms wrapped around his neck, and a high voice squealed into his ears.

     "Hi, Romelle," Pidge said to the Altean.

     "Pidge! Hello!" Romelle beamed at the green paladin, letting go of Keith and leaning around him to speak to Pidge. "It's so good to see you! We should hang out more. Do some girl stuff!"

     "Uh, yeah. Girl stuff."

     "Did you need something, Romelle?" Keith interjected. 

     Romelle pouted at him and placed her hands on the table to lean against it. "Can't I just say hi? I never get to see you anymore!"

     Keith grimaced. "Sorry, Romelle. I'll try to be better."

     "Thank you! Anyways, I wanted to let you know that I'll be watching your fight with the Atlas today. Aren't you excited?" Romelle bounced up and down, eyes sparkling. 

     "Are we excited to fight a giant robot bigger than our giant robot, piloted by the man who knows our fighting styles the best and can practically read our leader's mind?" Pidge spoke up, "Not exactly."

     Keith said, "It's not really a fight, just a training session. But Pidge is right. Excited isn't really the word I would use."

     "Well, I think you're going to win," Romelle informed them as if the opposite wasn't even an option. She pushed off of the table and stood up straight. "I'll see you guys later! Oh! And Keith, your mom said that if you don't spend this weekend at the shack, she's going to skin you."

     Keith winced. "Duly noted. Goodbye, Romelle."

     "Goodbye!" With that, the Altean left as quickly as she had arrived. 

     "We're going to be destroyed," Pidge stated before shoving instant mashed potatoes into her mouth.

      It went a lot better than Keith would have even dared to hope.

     Taking advantage of Voltron's smaller size and greater speed, they were able to lure the Atlas into a compromising position, outsmarting Shiro at the last second. The Atlas got stuck between two cliffs, and Voltron was able to go in for the mock kill. Retrieving the Atlas, however, was proving to be rather difficult, and Keith was pretty sure that he had angered the Garrison officers.

     He considered it part of their retribution for "pilot error".

     Keith couldn't keep the grin off of his face as he walked into the hanger. Pidge and Hunk were high-fiving, and Lance and Allura were laughing and bumping shoulders. Keith leaned against the wall, still smiling, waiting for the Atlas crew to return. 

     Time passed slowly, and Keith found himself growing impatient, foot tapping repeatedly on the ground. He knew that seeing Shiro's proud smile would be the highlight of his week and the only thing that would get him through the meetings spanning the next few days.

     Finally, the Atlas crew arrived. Keith forced himself to stay relaxed as Shiro entered the room. Shiro's eyes met Keith's, and Keith was surprised to see in them a steely seriousness. The muscles in Shiro's face were tense, and his fists were clenched tight. Keith felt the smile slip off of his face as he pushed off the wall. The room gradually fell silent as Shiro marched towards Keith with large strides.

     "Shiro...?" Keith spoke his name as a question, taking a step back as Shiro invaded his space. Keith was pressed against the wall, and Shiro loomed over him.

     Large hands, one warm and one cool, rose to gently cradle Keith's face. "You're amazing," Shiro breathed, the sound echoing across the silent room.

     "Shiro?" Keith repeated, not sure what else to say.

     "I'm sorry."

     "For wha-"

     Dry lips captured Keith's, cutting off his words.

     A day later, and Keith was still in shock, certain that he must be stuck in some kind of comma and that he would one day wake up for it to have all been a dream. 

     But fate wasn't that cruel to him.

     "Are you ready for your first date with Shiro?" Romelle asked, applying the last of the hair gel to keep Keith's hair in place. "Stop moving!"

     Keith scowled, but he stopped fidgeting. "Absolutely not."

     Romelle took a step back. "Done." She squealed. "You look amazing!"

     Keith glared at her, eyes narrowed with incredulous doubt.

     "She's right, you know." Krolia walked into the room, smiling proud. "You look quite striking. Your father would be proud."

     Keith's mouth melted into a warm smile. "Thank you, Mom." He stood and gave her a kiss on the cheek before walking to the door. Romelle handed him his jacket and tilted her cheek towards him. Keith rolled his eyes before giving her a quick peck.

     He met Shiro in the hanger, where the hoverbikes were stored. Keith recognized Shiro's signs of nervous immediately: shifting feet, no eye contact, and pursed lips. Before Shiro could say a word, Keith rushed by him and hopped onto a hoverbike. "Race you, old timer."

     Shiro's laughter filled the air behind him as Keith shot out of the hanger, and for once, Keith looked forward to the future. 

Chapter Text

     Keith tore open the package, foil crinkling loudly in the empty room. After breaking off a rectangle, he popped a piece of dark chocolate into his mouth, the bitter sweet treat melting on his tongue. Keith leaned back, and his chair tipped towards the ground as his content hum filled the room.

     Kosmo popped into the room with a flash. Keith reached out to greet his pet with a rub behind the ears. The wolf's blue tail wagged back and forth in rapid succession. Kosmo stood up on his hind legs and put his large front paws on Keith's shoulders. A long, warm tongue slathered half of Keith's face with slober, and the black paladin laughed.

     Deeper laughs joined his own, so Keith peaked around the huge canine. Shiro was leaning against the door frame of their shared office, an amused and fond smile lighting his face.

     "Hey." Keith's smile grew, threatening to overwhelm his features.

      "Hey," Shiro echoed, taking a seat at his desk but spinning the chair to face Keith. He noticed the candy in Keith's hand, and his eyebrows went up in interest, but they immediately went back down in an apprehensive glare. "Is that...?"

     Keith schooled his expression. "Of course."

     Shiro turned away, facing his desk. "Heathen."

     Keith's lips twitched into a small smile despite himself. "You just have poor taste."

     "I have poor taste?" Shiro asked, his voice going up an octave with genuine incredulousness. "You're the one who eats that...that..."

     "That what?" Keith urged. 

     "That disgrace to chocolate," Shiro replied with firmly.

     Keith snorted. "Disgrace to chocolate? Shiro, it's just a little less sweet than milk chocolate."

     "Disgrace," Shiro stated with finality. He turned towards his desk and picked up a stack of papers as well as a pen. 

     "Whatever you say," Keith conceded, popping another piece of dark chocolate into his mouth with a smirk.

     Kosmo, tired of being ignored, carefully grabbed the chocolate bar between his jaws and slipped it out of Keith's hand. Before the paladin could say anything, the wolf disappeared in a flash.

     The two men stared at the space the wolf had once occupied. Then Keith vividly cursed. "We have to find him. I don't know how toxic chocolate is for his species."

     "Alright," Shiro replied, abandoning the paper work and standing up, "But how do we do that?"

     Keith pursed his lips. "I'm not sure. We could run through Garrison until we stumble upon him, but that would take too long, even with the two of us."

     "We could ask around and see if anyone has seen him to narrow it down," Shiro suggested, "or is there any way you can track him?"

     "No-" Keith paused, brows furrowed. "Well, on our way to Earth, where we found Kolivan, I was able to track the druid..."

     "Can you do it again?"

     "I think so." Keith frowned. "But I had to really focus, and I dont think I'll be able to cover a large area."

     "I could guide you?" Shiro offered.

     Keith shifted, frantic worry twisting his insides. "It'll take too long." He racked his brain for another idea, but the image of his wolf sick and alone crowded his mind.

     "I could...carry you?"

     Keith stared at Shiro, eyes wide in surprise. Shiro's expression remained neutral, but his reddening cheeks gave him away. Keith weighed his options, debating between his pride and his wolf for only a second.

     "Okay."

     Shiro nodded. He walked forward and swooped Keith into his arms, carrying him princess style. He looked down at Keith, eyes soft. Shiro's lips were turned upward in such a lovestruck smile, that it made Keith blush.

     "Hi," Shiro whispered. 

     "Hi," Keith whispered back with a shy smile. Shiro continued to stare at him, and Keith finally prompted, "Kosmo?"

     Shiro jolted, shaking his head. "Right, Kosmo." Shiro existed the room and began to jog down the hall.

    Being pressed against Shiro's chest was very distracting, and Keith had to consciously resist the urge to run his hand across Shiro's muscles. Keith took a deep breath and cleared his mind. Slowly, lights flickered to life behind his eyelids, as the quintessence of those in the area was revealed to him. He let the dimmer lights fade out of focus, and he searched for the brighter forms that represented quintessence sensitive life forms. At one point they passed an Altean, but Keith wasn't able to distinguish which it was.

     Energy began to collect towards his right. Keith threw out his hand and shouted, "There!"

     Shiro dutifully changed course and jogged towards the direction Keith was pointing. Ignoring the stares around him, Keith jumped out of Shiro's arms and ran the rest of the way. He arrived just as Kosmo appeared.

      Keith immediately latched onto his pet, grabbing Kosmo's jaw and prying it open. There was no chocolate bar.

     "Is he okay?" Shiro gasped, chest heaving.

     "The chocolate's gone. Either he ate it or left it wherever he disappeared to." Keith leaned forward, pressing his nose into blue fur and inhaling deeply. "Why do you smell like smoke?"

     "Now what?" Shiro asked. 

     "I think we should take him to the medical bay, just in case," Keith decided, still keeping a firm hold on Kosmo.

     "You think he could teleport us there?" Shiro begged, "I'm a little winded."