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She's more adept at technology than she is at reading people, while Keith is stingier than Scrooge with his emotions. But it's no secret to anyone that Keith is hurting right now. Shiro's gone, it's been weeks and no matter how much time he spends searching he's come up empty.
He closes himself off from the others, does the bare minimum of Coalition things, barely eats or sleeps. Everyone else, including Pidge, tries to distract him by pretending everything's normal, but the truth is sometimes she wants to join Keith in his bubble of misery.
Shiro was like a second big brother to her. He made her feel like she had another friend besides Matt, took her seriously when she talked about science and technology, let her cling to him during the difficult first days of Voltron and understood when she wanted to leave for a while.
Go. Be great.
Keith pushes his half-empty plate away, apologizes to Hunk, and leaves the castle. For a split second, he looks like he's about to cry, and Pidge looks away so the others won't see her own tears forming.
"I'm going out for some fresh air," she says, and leaves before anyone can ask if she's okay. She and Keith have a lot in common, she's starting to realize, especially how they hate being pitied. She only tolerated it from her family or Shiro, and now Shiro's gone.
The planet they've landed on is quiet, barren thanks to the Galra. Allura's trying to network with the Olkari and the Balmera to see about restoring it, but for now the quiet gloom suits Pidge just fine. Keith's leaning against a slab of rock, knees hugged to his chest. She can see his shoulders hitch every now and then.
"Hey." She rubs at her eyes. "Mind if I join you?"
He nods a little, barely looking at her. She sits down next to him, glancing up at the skies. Just how many miles of the skies had Keith searched by now? How many more would he have to before he found Shiro?
If he finds Shiro.
She's trying to hold onto some shred of hope, but while Keith's determination fueled it in the beginning she's starting to wonder if maybe it's time to just let go. Give up on him, and her stomach clenches as she lets herself think it. She didn't give up on finding her family, and she knows where Matt is.
But even the most advanced technology can't get a read on Shiro.
His gaze meets hers, and she wants to say something, but how do you comfort a broken friend when you feel like you're breaking, too?
"The stars sure are pretty tonight." Lame, but it's all she can offer. Keith looks towards her with a weak smile.
"When Shiro disappeared the first time, this was the only way I could relax." He moves a little closer. "I was one of the only people who still knew he was out there, and sometimes...sometimes if I concentrated hard enough I could almost see his face. Or feel like he was watching me, telling me not to give up." He shakes his head. "Pretty stupid, huh?"
"No." She reaches for his hand, blinking away tears. "It's beautiful. And..." She swallows. "Maybe he's watching us right now. Wherever he is."
She remembers that fairy tale about how people become stars when they die. She knows it's not scientifically accurate, but sometimes it's more important to have faith, to believe in things beyond facts and logic. If Shiro's really never coming back, he's not gone forever.
Keith takes her hand, squeezing, before he wraps his arm around her. She leans into him, sniffling.
"He's out there."
"I know." He buries his face in her hair, and she feels his tears dripping onto her forehead as her own start to fall.