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Chapter Text

Ulaz was waiting.

It had been many upon many movements since he had freed the Champion...since he had freed Shiro. On his way into hiding, he had heard that all five lions had been found by the newest team of Voltron. Princess Allura and her advisor were alive, the only Alteans alive besides Prince Lotor who had not been seen in centuries. All five had formed Voltron, taking down Sendak's ship.

Ulaz could not risk going out into the public eye much. He had a price on his head no doubt. Those who cross Zarkon rarely lived to tell the tale, but he had been aware of that when he set the human free. He had been aware of that since he first picked up his blade and made an oath to serve Marmora, the goddess of knowledge and protection. It was no easy or safe path, but it was one well worth it.

On his latest trip to a moon trading system nearby to grab some equipment, he heard the news.

One of the paladins were taken. The Red Paladin to be specific. He had been captured in a battle, removed from his lion and imprisoned. The lion had not been taken, for the rest had gotten it out of the Empire's hands, but it no longer ran without its paladin. Voltron was down it's right arm, and Ulaz merely stared in silence for a moment. He understood the irony of it, for Voltron was literally down a right-hand paladin. And what's worse, the lion would not accept anyone else. Rumors ran rampant of the team trying to become a pilot for her. But the Red Lion rejected the princess and the Blue Paladin. She went out into space, searching for her lost paladin.

Ulaz nearly jumped in surprise as the lights in the base flashed. He had been in his head so much he had not noticed the things going off at first. Pulling up the screen, he could see an object - a ship - plowing for his location. Upon closer inspection, it was an Empire fighter jet, one obviously running on little energy. The lights were flickering and they were shifting to a brighter red before going dull. As it got closer, the wing started to tip downward, sending the machine spiraling through space. Ulaz watched in shock as the thing entered right into the gateway of the pocket dimension. No one should know it was here unless they were given very specific coordinates.

He didn't have time to think as the ship crashed straight into the platform holding the gravity generator. The electricity flicked off for a second before coming back on, keeping the base hidden. The ship skidded across the metal before coming to a stop just feet from the edge. Smoke billowed past the destroyed metal and electronics.

Ulaz snapped his hood up before moving down to investigate. He kept his blade right in his hand, readying himself for an attack of some sort. It could very well be an Empire scout searching for his head. He could not be sure.

When he got to the door, he paused. Though other pops and bangs echoed within the ship, he heard a strange noise came from inside, like someone was pawing at the door helplessly. Another higher-pitched sound rang out, sounding every bit like a kit in distress. Ulaz didn't even think after that. He quickly wedged his weapon into the dented door, peeling the metal in on itself. When the gap was big enough, smoke piled out as he dove inside carefully.

Like he predicted, someone was on the floor, curled up and shaking. He couldn't see much of them, but he knew there were two legs and two arms on them. The kit was choking on air as they cried out in pain and confusion. Ulaz leaped forward, pulling the younger to his chest before rushing out of the machine. He had barely gotten feet away when the thing self-destructed, incinerating itself into nothingness.

He quickly rushed to the nearest sealed in area so the young one could breathe. Sitting down on the floor, he rested the much smaller on the metal floor.

"What are you doing way out here by yourself?" Ulaz muttered softly as he finally gazed at the kit. He almost gasped in shock. The younger looked a lot like Shiro. His skin was peach pale and his glazed eyes had white sclera, although his eyes were unmistakably colored like Ulaz's suit. His hair was pitch black and thick, long enough to go just past his upper shoulders. Round ears peeked out of that hair, curved like Shiro's had been. But…

Something was happening. The younger was grasping his side in pain, moving around agitatedly like everything hurt. His right side was rapidly changing color, the skin going purple. He was wearing the prisoner clothing just like those Shiro had on. Before Ulaz could move, the younger latched onto his forearm with his right hand, making another choked, pained noise before tensing. Ulaz stared right at the limb.

The witch. She was trying to replace Shiro with a new Champion. The arm was missing at roughly the same spot as the human, a newer model. Spider-webbed cracks of glowing red flowed along the seams of his arm as claws made from plasma dug into his reinforced arm guard.

No wonder the kit had crashed. He was being forced to change into another form. Considering how it was going, he must have been half-Galra, half-human. Ulaz held onto the other, making sure he didn't harm himself as the transformation took place. He could not stop it now. He could only wait it out.

Purple crawled over his skin and up his neck. It washed over his chin, ignoring the large scar on his right cheek as scared eyes vaguely watched his face, the kit even more panicked. Ulaz could only mutter soft nothings as the other arched in agony, mouth open in a scream where no sound came out. His ears sharpened out, tip and lobe getting shaped to a point. Slowly, his eyes flickered from white to yellow as the orbs shrank down. He continued to choke on a silent cry, teeth sharpening into fangs as even the inside of his mouth changed to purple, flooding out the pink.

The arm sparked more, getting even hotter. The younger twisted onto his left side, trying to tug his activated arm to his chest as his leg kicked out in pain. Ulaz quickly snatched up the limb, knowing the younger would cut himself open and kill himself if those claws hit him. His gaze snapped to the side as something moved along the kit's backside. Knowing that he must have been gaining a tail, Ulaz used his knife to cut a hole into the dirty cloth. Sure enough, a tail came free, growing before his eyes.

Glancing back up, he watched as black locks faded to crystal white. The color spread throughout his hair as it got a bit thicker. As the wave of magic and transformation slid over his left side, a darker stripe of skin sat on his cheek that looked to be in the same shape as the scar. Said stripe curled back down his neck some, disappearing where he could not see. At the same time, claws came over his left hand, sharp as his teeth and equal to those on the mechanical hand.

Speaking of the hand, the whole palm was now aglow with energy like Shiro’s, only a bright scarlet instead of violet.

A tail wrapped around his wrist, clearly needing something to hold onto. It was shaped much like someone Ulaz knew in their headquarters. A small tuft of white hair split into two. Interestingly, a few sharp-looking spikes emerged from the younger's skin, poking into his suit before they slid back into his flesh. Possibly a defense mechanism.

Pretty soon, the kit settled down, going slack in his arms. The younger's prosthetic was still glowing, so Ulaz twisted his nails into the nearly-invisible seam holding the panel, pulling it open before messing with a small wire. After nothing happened, he snapped it apart with his blade.

He remembered seeing this model in action. It was only a prototype at the time, obviously well tested now if the witch was using it on the kit but it still would cut any connection the witch may have had. The hand cooled off, darkening as the younger stared at him exhaustedly. Fear and pain were still in his eyes as he shivered slightly, tail pressing on his wrist tightly, spikes coming out while digging into his wrist.

"S-sh," the young one panted softly before tipping his head to the side, eyes sliding around as if searching for something, "S-sh."

"What is it, kit?" Ulaz asked quietly, brushing a hand on his scarred cheek.

"Sh'ro," the kit's eyes rested on him, irises going back to being big. There were tears gathering in his eyes, "Shiro?"

"He will come," the older spoke softly before carefully picking up the kit, "You need to rest, kit."

The younger stared at him for a moment as if trying to understand what he was saying. The other's nose wrinkled adorably before his tail relaxed a bit. He soon fell asleep in the older's arms. Ulaz wandered his way back into the base, going to his bed. It was the only sleeping space in all of the base. This base was a single outpost, yet a vital one. They could not let it fall into Zarkon's hands.

He gently placed the sleeping kit into his bed, covering him with his thin blankets. The younger let out a sigh before falling into a deeper sleep, tail curled into the fabric. An object grabbed his attention as the blanket shifted. There in the kit's tail sat a very familiar blade. How the younger had gotten it in without Ulaz knowing was beyond him.

Ulaz watched him for a moment before turning away to go to the monitor. The kit would sleep for a bit.

Staring at the screen, he sighed silently.

Krolia. This was Krolia's son. That was Krolia's dagger. The kit was a perfect carbon copy save the white hair and tail...she had told him nearly 18 years ago that she left her kit on Earth. But he had never imagined he'd run across said kit, and never like this. The younger had clearly been sent to the pits and experimented with. Last he remembered, the last to have that type of arm...well, their brain melted on itself. He had a feeling that would not be happening to the kit. Somehow, the kit had found their hidden base, by himself without any help. It was no wonder the witch was interested in him.

He returned to his duties.

When Shiro showed, he would send a message to his leader. Kolivan would no doubt be fond of this one if the team were to not accept him.

…..

9 months, 17 days, 18 hours…

Nine and a half months since they had lost Keith. Shiro glanced around at the crystals floating through space. This was where he would meet Ulaz. Or...at least the coordinates where he was to meet him. As his team pointed out, there was no one here. There was no base...nothing but xanthorium crystals.

"I say we leave," Allura insisted from her control center, "This is clearly a waste of time."

"Yeah," Pidge stared at her screen, "I have to agree. There's no sign of anyone here. He must have given us the wrong coordinates."

"No," Shiro protested before watching the crystals, "There's more to this. I can feel it. We're missing something."

They all sat in silence for a moment. Shiro was in mid-thought when the alarms started blasting loudly, red lights flashing wildly.

"Intruder in the castle!" Coran screamed as he pulled up a screen. A black-covered person darted down the halls with speed and agility, going from one camera to the next quickly.

"Let's stop whoever that is," Shiro spoke up as he started for the door, "But only capture them. We need to know why they're here."

"And how they got in," Allura scowled as she typed on her console, "They're on the third floor!"

Shiro rushed out of there. The team and Alteans were currently on the fifth floor and it was likely the person would climb their way up. Hopefully he could stop them on the fourth floor. He could hear Coran in his ear, announcing the others finding the intruder but never catching him. Shiro ran through the halls, staying silent. His thoughts began to wander.

Keith.

Everything came back to Keith. To his missing best friend. Shiro knew exactly what the Galra were capable of. He knew what monsters they were. And Keith had been caught by them, nine and a half months ago. He missed the younger. He could almost picture him being here now, taking on the intruder recklessly, diving headstrong right at the person, unwilling to give in. He had always been like that, a flame nearly impossible to touch. And Shiro wanted Keith to rise like he deserved. Keith could be better than him.

He wanted him back.

But he may not even be alive anymore. The thought killed Shiro and kept him up at night. He hadn’t been able to protect Keith.

"Oh! And our Green Paladin is down again!" Coran shouted excitedly as if he were a broadcaster of a sports game, "Numbers Two and Three are down for the count! Oh what shall we ever do!"

Shiro rolled his eyes at the oldest Altean's antics before running forward, arm lit up and burning. The intruder seemed to notice him at the same time, sword weapon coming for his head. Shiro ducked a bit before placing his glowing fingers below the other's neck. At the same time, the other's knife dug a bit into his own neck.

They were at a standstill. One move and they'd both slash each other's throats.

That is until the taller backed off. Shiro watched as the person's hood dropped, revealing Ulaz. His hand fell to his side and cooled off.

"Ulaz?" He choked out incredulously, happiness flooding him at the sight of his rescuer. No one got a chance to speak, however, as Allura rushed up and slammed the Galra into the wall.

"Who are you!" She yelled, pressing down on his chest plate, "What are you doing in my castle!"

"Princess, it's Ulaz," Shiro grabbed her arm just enough for her to let go, "He's the one who set me free."

"I detected a ship was nearby," the other nodded, "And I came to investigate. I'm quite glad to see you again, Shiro."

"Same here," Shiro grinned before turning to the others, "I think we should take this conversation to the lounge. There's still so much I need to ask Ulaz."

He turned back to the Galra.

"I'm kind of having trouble with my memories," Shiro smiled sheepishly, hand dragging over his undercut, "But I remembered you saved me. Thank you."

"It was the only thing I could do," Ulaz nodded before a smile came to his face, "And I am glad I did so. Word has spread wide that the five lions were in good hands."

"You're flattery will not work here," the princess interrupted with a frown, "And you will tell us what we wish to know."

"Of course, princess," Ulaz bowed just the slightest, holding out his hands, "And I assume you'll want to handcuff me."

"You are quite right," she snapped on the glowing blue cuffs before marching out of the hall, "And we're going to handcuff your feet too. I am not taking any chances."

They all walk down to the lounge. Shiro pretends not to hear Pidge, Lance, and Hunk whispering in the background.

They get to talking with the man. They find out there is a portable pocket dimension before them and though the others don't trust Ulaz, they watch as they enter it. Where no base was before, one appeared now, a tiny little thing floating there. The technology geniuses (aka Hunk and Pidge) freak out about it. Everyone else is still unsatisfied.

"If it is alright, I wish to take you back to my base," Ulaz watched them all with a calculating stare as if trying to figure something out, "I have important information that will help you on your journey."

"I do not trust this at all," Allura snarled back, looking just about as furious as she ever could be, "For all we know, you may have a trap planted there."

"You're assumptions are very reasonable, princess," the Galra nodded before he looked straight at her, "But I harbor no ill will against you or your crew. I am the only one on the base, along with an injured kit."

Shiro raised his brows as Allura's expression changed instantly. She looked confused and lost, like she didn't know if he was lying or if she wished to believe he was telling the truth. Coran had much the same expression on his face on the screen. 'Kit' seemed to be an important word here.

"And dare tell why...why is a kit in such a place?" Allura demanded before crossing her arms, "Why is that one not somewhere safer?"

"He only showed up to my base quintants ago," Ulaz responded back before sighing, "And I fear he was on death's door. I simply cannot leave him alone long, princess. You may hate us Galra, but never forget that we do have deeply rooted instincts to care for our young. Although he is around your age, he is very much a child in our culture."

"I…" Allura stared for a moment, visibly torn before she nodded, "Alright. You can take the Green Lion."

"Thank you," Ulaz nodded before Allura unlocked the cuffs with a scowl.

"If there is an attack," Allura glared, "We will know you contacted someone."

Ulaz didn’t say anything, only nodded before rubbing his wrists as the other cuffs were unlocked. The man stayed silent as they all marched to the Green Lion’s hangar, save for Lance who said he’d stick back to “protect the princess.” They climbed their way up the ramp before taking off and flying to the base. On the way, they asked if there were good Galra. Ulaz explained that not all the Galra agreed with Zarkon and that most of them had thought expanding would make everyone prosper. But like he said...dictators only wanted power, and Zarkon was just that...a dictator.

Soon, they entered the base, leaving Green behind. Once they got inside, they let their helmets open a bit, breathing in oxygen-safe air.

“If you will excuse me for a short moment,” Ulaz spoke before heading towards another room, “I shall check up on the kit first.”

And then he disappeared into the room.

“Kit?” Pidge squinted for a second, “Have you heard of this before, Shiro?”

“No?” Shiro blinked before shaking his head, “Not that I can think of. But that makes sense because if a kit is considered a kid then they shouldn’t be anywhere near the arena.”

“Man,” Hunk sighed before blinking, “He did say he was our age, didn’t he? I wonder how he’s doing?”

“He is quite alright right now,” they all jumped as the Blade member stood behind them, raising his brow, “He is still asleep right now. He needs all the rest he can get to recover from his wounds. But thank you for asking.”

“Oh,” Pidge stated before her eyes skated to the large computer in front, “Hey, do you...could you help me find my family? They were also taken when Shiro was.”

“Hmmm…” Ulaz blinked before going to the control panel, messing with it, “I do recall two other humans along with Shiro, but I never interacted with them. I do not know where they could possibly be right now, but I shall give you some data I’ve collected. Perhaps you’ll be able to find them from it.”

Pidge sent him a small smile.

“And we must also go to my leader,” Ulaz typed something into the computer, “He will be glad that Voltron lives. We sorely need allies in this battle.”

“And we need someone on the inside,” Shiro agreed before he frowned, heart heavy, “Ulaz?”

“Yes, Shiro?” The man peered at him for a moment, “What is it?”

“I know you rescued me and you probably haven’t been in an Empire base in all this time but...I was wondering if you knew where our teammate went. Keith got captured nine and a half months ago, and I can’t seem to find him. I’ve searched but...do you happen to know where he i-”

A strange noise behind them interrupted him as he twirled on his feet. Another younger Galra stood by the doorway to the room, shaking visibly as snow white hair covered his face. He made another strange sound before collapsing to the floor on his right side, back to them so all they could see was a tail with white fluff on it. The other was in too big clothing, likely Ulaz’s, that seemed to make him look all that much smaller.

He was clearly struggling to get back up, shaking like he was freezing cold. He couldn't get past rising to his elbows and Shiro felt concern flash through him as the other let out a pain-filled cry.

“Kit!” Ulaz called out before rushing over to the other, taking him into his arms as if he weighed nothing. The younger curled up slightly, making a different sound this time, “You must stay in bed for now. You are injured and sick.”

And then the man went back into the room, Shiro strolled to the doorway, along with his team, looking inside as Ulaz covered the other up. He could see the tail grabbing onto the older’s wrist as if begging him to stay.

“I know, kit,” the older sighed softly before brushing his other hand through the younger’s hair, getting a content sigh back, “But I must man the station. There can be an attack at any moment.”

The younger sighed again before slowly uncurling his tail, body scrunching up until they couldn't even see his hair. The older Galra stared for a moment before standing up, a frown on his lips as he moved towards them. He looked like he was in thought.

"Is...is he alright?" Pidge asked with concerned eyes, "What happened to him?"

"Nothing good," Ulaz responded back with a serious face. He turned towards Shiro, "I'm sure you can find a kinship with him."

Shiro didn't have time to ponder what he meant because the alarms went off at that moment. A screen popped up, showing another one of those machines.

"Oh no! It's one of those beasts...robots," Hunk spoke nervously, "Robeasts!"

"It's heading for us."

"Hold on," Shiro stated calmly while watching the robeast come closer, "Maybe it doesn't know we're here."

And then they are proven wrong when the thing blasts through the gateway. Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk all rush to Green, climbing in to fly out of there to the castle. Once there, they get to their own lions to take on the beast.

Even on a normal day, they'd have problems with this one. With the Red Lion out of commission, they're having even less luck. They can't form Voltron and they're getting smacked around. The robeast keeps taking in the crystals, using them to power the beams hitting the castle and them.

"Hunk!"

Shiro watches as the younger's lion is thrashed to the side, flickering dead for a moment.

"Uhhh!" His voice cracks through, "Guys! I can't move!"

The robeast opens its jaws to hit Yellow with the beam when Ulaz's ship blasts it, making the machine screech and shot up, hitting crystals that explode.

"Ulaz!" Shiro grinned, "How do we stop it?"

"I have a plan, but you may need to pick us up after I put it into action," and then zipped his base straight for the thing's mouth.

"Ulaz!" Shiro shouted as the feed cut out, the ship still barreling for the weapon. A moment passed before a loud roar comes over them all, a red spot darting towards the two. It attached itself to the back of the ship for ten seconds before flying away. The base struck the beast, pushing it back as it shakes and flashes. Before their eyes, it explodes, taking out a circle of the floating objects around it.

“Holy crap!” Pidge shouted in surprise and awe, “He used the base’s gravity generator to open a pocket dimension within the robeast! Why didn’t we think of that! That’s genius.”

"Ulaz!" Shiro messed with his screen, pulling up the one from Red's seat. Ulaz was standing beside it with the other Galra practically in his lap, obviously still hurt, "Are you two okay?"

"We are alive," the man insisted before sighing, "But I can not say much for the kit. He is very ill. He should not have strained himself by attempting to pilot the lion right now."

Shiro was shocked for a second. Red had accepted someone new? But...she had not opened for anyone but him and that was only because he begged to come along with her in her searches. Shiro had made a promise years ago, and he was determined to keep it. Still wanted to keep it...the lion accepting someone new felt like a blow to the sternum because it meant she had given up on Keith? Was Keith dead? He couldn’t be dead. Shiro had survived a year as their prisoner! And Keith was strong! He had to be okay.

He had to be.

"We'll get him into a pod," Shiro nodded as his thoughts evaporated before he heard Black rumble softly, "I will make sure of it. We'll meet you in the hangar."

And then he took off for his lion's home. Touching down, he raced to the Red Lion just as it touched down. The rest of the group appeared as the two Galra walked down the ramp - or rather stumbled off of the ramp. Ulaz was practically carrying the younger who was dragging his feet, trying to move but too exhausted to. He didn't seem to be bleeding from anywhere, but his eyes were drooping enough to make him look dead on his feet.

All Shiro could stare at was the prosthetic arm on the younger. It looked so much like his but with dark veins where the seams were. There was a scar along the younger's cheek, one that was not an accident. There were bound to be more scars that the too-large shirt covered.

That's what Ulaz meant by kinship. The arena…

They had thrown a kit into the place that haunted Shiro still. They had forced him to fight for his life and took his arm. And...Shiro was freaked out. Why was his arm gone in the same place as Shiro's? The witch had been mad the last time he saw her.

“I made you stronger and this is how you repay me!” Her voice screeched in his head as his breath got caught in his throat remembering what she had said, “You are weak! Your successor is looking promising, such a fighter! It took movements to break him, but he is finally stronger than you! Your weak and disposable, Black Paladin! You will not last! My newest warrior will see to it to remove your head!”

Cold dread and fear hit his stomach.

Was she trying to replace him by hurting someone else? And a Galra at that. Shiro had not seen any Galra as prisoners. And he highly doubted even the most loyal of soldiers would sign up for this willingly.

That was the problem...this person...wasn’t a soldier. If Ulaz was right, he was technically a kid in the Galras’ eyes. And they had willing hurt him just to make a new Champion. Shiro wanted to march to the nearest base and destroy something.

"I do not feel comfortable healing a Galra," Allura spoke up from her spot behind them, "And I will not allow a Galra to pilot the Red Lion."

Shiro went up to the two, going to the injured Galra's right side. The younger’s tail curled onto his wrist as he helped brace him. A small whine left him as he shifted enough for his head to rest against Shiro's flesh shoulder. White hair fell onto his chest, dirty with old sweat and dried blood.

“I would like to clean him up before he enters a pod,” Ulaz spoke softly as they started for the door, most of the weigh on Shiro, “I have not had the chance to give him a bath since there was no shower on my base.”

“Come with me, we can use my room for that,” Shiro nodded towards the bunks they were staying in. He turned back to his team, “We’ll be right over to the pods after this.”

“We’ll have them ready, my boy,” Coran nodded at him as the rest agreed. Allura merely looked away angrily, arms crossed, “Get him cleaned up.”

“Will do,” Shiro grinned back before leading the way to his room. Neither of them said anything as they made their way through endless halls. Every now and then, the one between them made a sound, wrapping his tail around Shiro’s metal wrist tightly as if he didn’t want the older to disappear. Shiro stayed quiet about that as they got to his door. Opening it, Shiro led them to the bathroom door before looking at Ulaz, “I...do you want me to leave? I can come back later.”

“No,” Ulaz gazed at him with something in his eye, a look that he had been sending the man earlier, “I would appreciate it if you stayed. I think Kit wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Sure enough, the other’s tail tugged on him. A soft whine left the other before he pressed his head to his chest, letting out a smaller whine. Shiro relented as he carefully brushed his metal fingers through those locks. He was...oddly getting attached to the other…

“Cold’s on the left, hot on the right,” he pointed out to Ulaz as the older started the shower. Shiro quickly took off his own outer armor, knowing the undersuit was waterproof. He started to remove the younger Galra’s clothing, slipping the bigger fabric over his limbs. All too soon, the other was completely naked and on display. Shiro stared at the scars littered along the younger’s violet skin.

They looked so much like his own. He hated that. There were slashes along his chest and some on his flesh arm. There were cuts and stab wounds and burns and things that only Shiro could truly understand the origin of. Over the younger’s stomach, there was a long straight mark from rib to rib as if he had been cut open surgically. A few more of those marks were on him from his neck down to his lower legs. The tail was interestingly scar free though.

“Let’s get him into the shower,” Ulaz interrupted him as he blinked back to reality, “As you know, the arm is waterproof.”

“I got him,” Shiro spoke after a second, bracing the other with a hand behind his knees and behind his shoulders, “I got him.”

Shiro rested the other into the shower, shifting the shower head so that it was flexible, reaching wherever he wanted it to. He carefully began soaking the other’s hair, making sure none of the water got into his face. The water turned light brown, going down the drain as Ulaz handed him a scrubber from the shelf, some soap already on it, smelling like cherry blossoms, something Shiro had found comforting from the Altean supplies on board back when they first entered the castle. Keith had liked it too, saying it reminded him of Shiro. Apparently, this Galra felt the same because he relaxed a bit, tail loosening some.

Shiro scrubbed softly at the other’s skin. Dirt and grime came off, leaving behind smooth purple. Shiro began on his face, getting the gunk off on there before moving down to his neck. He could see twin stripes that came from his neck up to his cheeks, although the scarred one didn’t hold the same color from jaw and up. Shiro cleaned lower, knowing just how refreshing a warm shower could be after months of cold twenty-second ones. He gently washed the other’s tail, watching as little spikes came out of the skin when he brushed against the added appendage. The fluff on the end went both ways even more as dirt left it. Shiro cleaned up his hips and lower, making sure to keep his touch light as he worked his way down the other’s thighs. Soon enough, he was rubbing at the spot right below the other’s left knee. Shiro stared at a spot that was a little bit lighter than the rest of the skin there. Brushing water over the area, he nearly froze.

It looked almost like…

But…

Only Keith had a mark like that. He had shown the older it when they were back in the Garrison and Shiro had joked that it looked like a lion standing proud, probably roaring at the stars. It was a birthmark.

The same birthmark.

He had the design and color memorized, something he would think of back in the cells.

It was the same birthmark.

Shiro stared at it in shock. Did that mean? Maybe the birthmark was more common than they had thought? Maybe...but that made no sense. This was a Galra…

But Keith did say his mother had never been there. The Blue Lion had been on Earth. It was possible that a Galra had been to Earth. Keith’s dad had lived in the middle of nowhere, and from what Shiro could remember hearing, Keith said that his firefighter friends had no idea he was even with anyone until he showed up with a baby boy in his arms, proud smile on his face as he showed Keith to the others. If she had been a tall purple alien, it’s no wonder why no one knew.

But that would mean…

“Keith,” Shiro choked out as he quickly brushed snow white bangs from the younger’s forehead. The wet hair moved all the way back, exposing the part of his face Shiro had yet to see. There was a familiar sharp nose, thick brows, and thick eyelashes. Those eyes opened slowly, gazing up at him half-lidded.

Grey-purple eyes.

Like the galaxies.

It was Keith. The Galra before him was Keith. How the hell had he not known? He should have seen it. You never came out the same as when you went into the arena.

“Sh-sh-iro?” Keith croaked out softly, watching him with wet eyes, “Dr-dream?”

God, Shiro felt like this was a dream. Holy shit. Keith was here, saved by the man who had saved him. Keith was alive! Keith was also tortured in ways that Shiro had been desperate for him to never suffer from. Before he dwell on that and risk scaring Keith, he carefully grabbed the other into a hug.

“Keith,” he sobbed out before pressing his hand to the other’s soaked head, holding it to his shoulder, “Keith. It’s not a dream. You’re back home. You’re home. You’re back with me. You’re safe.”

The younger let out another sound before curling up around him as best he could with what little energy he had. His tail trailed along Shiro’s shoulder down to his prosthetic as if making sure he was real and there. Shiro did the same, brushing his hands over the other’s back to remind himself that yes - Keith was real and here and alive - before he slowly pushed himself away from the younger who let out a soft cry.

“Hey, I’m not going anywhere, buddy,” Shiro whispered softly before he noticed that some time when they were hugging, Ulaz had shut off the shower. The older only handed him one of the large towels, smiling knowingly. Shiro narrowed his eyes for a second, promising himself that he would ask the Galra why the hell he didn’t tell them this was Keith. But for now, he turned to the other, taking the towel in hand and patting the younger down with it as he scooped him up. He quickly settled the younger into his bunk, drying him off before pushing his covers over the other who seemed to fall asleep, tail curled around his hand again.

Shiro quickly pulled out his phone-device thing Pidge had made a few months back before giving her a call.

“Pidge, I need a pod suit for him,” he gazed back down at Keith who twitched in his sleep, fingers moving just slightly, “And I need you to grab Hunk and Lance before you come here. There’s something you need to know.”

And then he hung up, quickly setting behind the other, resting his head on his lap. A moment passed before Ulaz leaned against the wall opposite of them.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I did not mean to deceive you, Shiro,” the older sighed softly before looking at Keith, “I only wished to know if you would care for him as a Galra. When I found him, he looked like you. He looked human. But something the witch did transformed that, made him switch to his Galra side. I did not want to see him be rejected for being something he could not control. But I am happy to see that you paladins were all concerned without knowing it was him. Even the Alteans shifted their anger a bit when they heard he is a kit.”

“But Keith’s an adult,” Shiro frowned as he gazed down at the other, “How could he be a kit?”

“Time measures differently in our people,” Ulaz shrugged slightly, “I have no exact time equivalent, but us Galra live longer lives than you humans. Where your highest may live to 100, we live ten times that if unaided by quintessence. Alteans have also lived long lives.”

“Keith’s 19,” the human blinked, “Wait, is that why he’s making those noises?”

“That is kit instinct, something that all of our younger use especially if they can’t communicate any other way,” the man nodded at the younger, “I fear he is still weak from the turning and his previous wounds. We both know they were never healed correctly.”

Shiro did know that. Some of his own scars were so rigid that they felt like sandpaper, jagged and dark pink. The ones on his shoulder where the worst, rough and horrible feeling where the metal joined flesh. He had the feeling that it was the same for his best friend too.

A knock interrupted them as both gazed up at the door.

“Show time, I guess,” Shiro stated before speaking a bit louder, “Come on, guys.”

The door opened, showing the three youngest before them. Pidge was in the middle with Hunk to her left and Lance on her right. Lance was the one holding the pod suit, the material white with dark grey on the elbows and sides.

“So what did you want to tell us?” Hunk asked before gazing at Keith, whose hair now covered some of his face, “He’s looking a lot better...er, cleaner, I guess. And he’s kinda cute. Right, guys? Look at his white hair, it’s so fluffy!”

“It’s Keith,” Shiro spoke before he could figure a more elegant way to say it. The others raised their brows at him in confusion. The older simply sighed quietly before brushing the other’s hair back. The others gasped in shock as Shiro kept his eyes on the sleeping one in his arms.

“Keith?” Lance gulped before wincing, “Like mullet? That Keith? Like...Keith who has a temper Keith?”

“Duh,” Pidge glared at him, something off in her voice, “What other Keith would he be talking about?”

“Wait…” Hunk frowned before stepping closer, “This is Keith? He looks so different. So...Galra? He’s purple with white hair and oh my god! Are those fangs! Look at those little fangs!”

Shiro glanced down to see that Hunk was right. A pair of twin fangs hung out of his mouth as the younger shifted a little, letting out a small sigh. A moment passed before his eyes opened, glancing around with unfocused eyes before they slid up to Shiro’s.

“Sh’ro?” Keith asked softly, tail holding tighter, “Others?”

“Yeah, the rest of the team is here,” Shiro reassured the younger who gazed at each other them, looking a bit scared, “Hey, shhh...They’re not mad about you being Galra.”

“Yeah, man,” Lance grinned, chest poking out a bit, “I can totally still beat you at the bots. You’re gonna have to catch up.”

“It’s a bit to take in,” Hunk laughed nervously before standing even closer, “But I’ll get there. And we already know you’re purple! And you got a tail! And tiny fangs! You’re just...so cute, man!”

“Th’nks, big guy,” Keith smiled softly at the late teen before gazing at Lance too, “Sure. Gonna...gonna still beat you.”

“Oh no!” Lance scoffed in mock horror, “You can’t!”

“Sure,” Keith snickered softly before another small sound came from him as he grabbed his right side. Shiro felt fear fly through his body at that. There hadn’t been an open wound.

“Keith!” Shiro called out before pressing his own hand to the other’s side. He didn’t feel anything broken or damaged. But then again, that meant nothing when it came to the witch who played mind games on others and messed with them like they were puppets, “What’s wrong?”

“H’rts,” the younger panted as some sweat littered his face, “Fire.”

“He was gripping the same spot when I found him,” Ulaz spoke up as the younger rested his head against Shiro’s thigh, “I think it would be best to get him in the pod now. We never can be sure what the witch has done to him.”

“We’ll uhhh…” Hunk glanced around for a moment, “We’ll give you some privacy to...you know, change him. I’ll just go bake some stuff. Ulaz, just meet me in the kitchen to help me figure out some stuff for Keith, ‘kay?”

And then he was gone. Lance followed him out with something about taste-testing the food he would make and Pidge...she was pretty silent the whole time. She was gazing at Keith with a strange look like she was still processing everything. Shiro couldn’t blame her because it was her family who had been taken and was still missing by the very people here now. Her closest new family members in space just was revealed as being part of the race to hurt her loved ones.

“Pidge,” Shiro called to her and she nearly jumped in fright, golden eyes gazing up at him, “You okay?”

“I...yeah,” she nodded before looking away, eyes shining, “I’m going...I’m going to go look for Matt and dad. Tell…tell me if something changes with him?”

“Of course,” Shiro grinned back, worry digging into the pit of his stomach. He hoped that she didn’t feel as if Keith had done anything wrong. He just...had to give her some time. They all needed some time to digest what they had learned. He knew that they’d all get there soon, even Allura. They were all friends and family, despite the lack of blood-relation. They all had each other’s backs, and he’d expect no different.

“It’s going to be okay, Keith,” Shiro hummed softly, brushing the other’s hair around for a moment, feeling as the younger relaxed, pain gone for now, “You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna make it.”

It was time to get the younger into a pod.

Chapter Text

"Well," Shiro gazed up at the oldest Altean as he messed with Keith's pod, "I have good and bad news."

"Okay…" Hunk frowned before taking up a freshly-baked cookie into his hand, "Is there something we should be worried about?"

"Good news is that this is, in fact, our young missing boy and he is at least part-Galra. All of his wounds have been healed and he should be out in a half a varga," the man sobered, messing with his mustache, "The bad news is that his arm isn't connected right."

"Oh that's good," Lance started before his eyes widened, "Wait! What! What do you mean his arm isn't connected right?"

"It is as I said," the older man gazed at the pod before pulling up a picture of the mechanical arm. The picture showed wires made from glowing threads and most met up in a straight, clean line. However, a few were bunched and twisted like a hyperactive kitten had tangled a ball of string and the owner never bothered to take the knots out, "His arm, like Shiro's, uses quintessence to function. That's why Shiro doesn't ever need to plug it into any energy sources and what makes him so tired after using it. It also helps with basic functions like just moving the arm. From the scans I took from Shiro in the pod last time, his arm is using a normal amount of life force."

"Is that why I can still feel with it?" Shiro wondered as he stared at his limb, palm up, "It feels the same as my arm before but...I don't feel pain in it. Temperatures and texture are there."

"Yes, that is a perfect example," the older nodded before he gazed back at Keith's scan, "We all naturally have quintessence spread throughout our body, but Keith's seems to be leaking and pooling into a spot on his body, specifically his right side. The build-up is what's causing the pain, even though there is no wound. Too much in his right side could technically cause a block in the rest of the flow."

"So basically we're waiting for Keith to have a heart attack, but with quintessence," Pidge spoke as she grimaced, fingers typing quickly, "How do we stop that? Physical heart attacks are different than this."

"We can probably treat it much the same way," Coran acknowledged with brows down in thought, "Strain and stress on his life force will make it worse. I don't know if his use of his arm also speeds up the process, but I would say it's a safe bet. We could also theoretically stiffen off the quintessence draining in his side. Shiro, my boy, I hate to ask but when was your prosthetic put on?"

Shiro blinked. He honestly didn't know when it had been. Time was messy and incoherent when he was a prisoner. He tried marking off days like all those movies showed, but he never knew when one day began and another ended. He only knew about being a prisoner for a year because the younger three had mentioned it in Keith's shack.

"Honestly, I have no clue," he smiled sheepishly while rubbing his undercut, "It's hard to keep track of time there."

"6 months," Ulaz responded from the other side of the room, "Shiro's arm was placed at the halfway mark of his time there."

"Hmmm...I assume I know why Keith's is all wrong," the Altean frowned, "You were likely chosen by the witch. But they had 6 months to perfect the connection between your arm and your body. I do not think our dear Keith was given the same opportunity."

"The witch likely got bold," Ulaz spoke as he stepped close, inspecting the image, "She figured she had it all figured out based on your model, Shiro. She was basing it off of a human. A pure human. Kit is not."

"So then…" Shiro frowned before feeling his stomach flip, "Are the cuts on his stomach and neck…"

"Likely," Ulaz sighed before closing his eyes, "The witch only realized her mistake too late."

"But she's not that sloppy," Shiro scowled as he clenched his fist, arm whirring softly, "I remember when she put mine on, she was stating something about making sure the connection fit. She's had ten thousand years to perfect this."

"Fail safe," Pidge interrupted them as they all faced her. She looked a bit numb where she sat, eyes staring at her computer but unfocused, "She knew what she was doing."

"What do you mean?" Hunk questioned as he moved closer, pressing to her side carefully, "Pidge...you're scaring me."

"From what Altean I do know, the pod said the cuts were over eight months old but his arm scars are about six months old," she glared at her screen, "She figured out he was Galra long before she put the arm on."

"How would this be a fail safe?" Lance asked incredulously with crossed arms, but he did move to her other side, "And why doesn't Shiro have it too?"

"It's a fail safe because given enough time, Keith would get sick enough he'd have to somehow get help. She's likely the only one who could have taken some of the strain off. He had to go to her to live, and she could control what he did," her eyes narrowed before finding Shiro's own, "And she did have a fail safe on Shiro's arm. When we went to get Red, Shiro's arm was hurting him the first time it activated."

Shiro remembered that. He had fallen to his knees, overcome with agony and breathlessness as the arm came on. Everything around him had gone silent for a moment, as if he'd forever be trapped in that world of pain and nothingness. But the feeling lightened off quickly, leaving him able to fight and take out the bots cornering them.

"But…" Shiro paused as he gazed at his limb, "It never did that again. I only feel tired anymore, and only if I overdo it."

"Something must have changed it," Ulaz responded before he placed his hand before the other's mechanical one. Shiro waited a moment before nodding, allowing the Galra to take his arm in his hand, "The witch always keeps a strict hand on her Champions. There is no reason you should not be experiencing that every time you use your arm when she does not want you to. You evaded her, and she would activate that fail safe."

"And that's why Keith's is set up that way," Pidge acknowledged as she gritted her teeth in anger, "I don't even know if there's a way to fix this. And if there is, it's going to take time and energy we don't have."

Silence greeted them as they all thought about that. Essentially, Keith was dying just from having his arm there, but if it was anything to go by off of his, removing it would kill him too. Wellllll fuck...

"Could Black be helping Shiro?" Hunk asked quietly as they glanced his way, "I mean, our lions help us in weird ways. Maybe Black is blocking the trigger so the fail safe doesn't work?"

Black rumbled in his head, sending him pictures of Keith's shack. A few flashes lit up his vision before he was sitting up on a bed. Keith was by his side, inspecting his arm like it was interesting but yet horrible. Shiro desperately hoped he was looking at it that way because Keith understood how much suffering Shiro had gone through with the arm and not because the arm scared him. The longer the vision went on, the more he seemed to be drawn to Shiro's arm. He pressed his hands to the seams, to his palm.

"Can you...can you feel it?" He had asked quietly. Shiro had thought he meant if he could feel Keith's hand, but...something rumbled in his mind. Black was trying to tell him something.

A different rumble came across his mind, feeling like flames in a fireplace. Shiro quickly let it in, getting another rumble from Red. Soon, his vision was different.

He was looking through Keith's eyes. He watched as the younger's hand pressed to his arm. He felt...something there that he hadn't as himself. It was on the edge of his being, like how a forgotten memory that was just about to come into mind felt. It felt like something was pulling on him, leading him to his arm.

"Can you…" Keith's voice paused for a moment, "Can you feel it?"

The feeling was there, stronger. It felt almost like a heartbeat, like an ocean wave, like a flame flickering in the wind. Shiro let himself just feel it. It felt like unfiltered energy…

"For some reason, I was drawn to this place. It's like something...some energy was telling me to search."

Shiro came back to himself right after. The others were gazing at him with worry in their eyes, not crowding around him but almost to that point.

"I don't think it was Black who did it," he stared over at Keith's pod, "I think it was Keith."

"Wait...Keith? How would Keith be able to do that?" Hunk asked before squinting slightly, rubbing his chin in thought, "He did find the Blue Lion by himself, which is filled with quintessence if Yellow's anything to go by. And he did seem kinda attached to your arm for a bit...which yeah...also has quintessence. And he found Red on his own in a cruiser ship and you know how confusing those halls are. And Red does have an insanely high amount of quintessence…"

"Are you saying that he's sensitive to quintessence?" Allura asked from the doorway. Shiro blinked over at her, surprised that none of them had noticed her sooner, "That should not be possible. Only few people have been able to use quintessence, much less actively feel it without meaning to."

"Our princess is correct," Coran stared at Keith's pod, "Only certain people can feel life forces. As you know, we Alteans naturally can feel organic quintessence. The Olkari do something similar, feeling and communicating with technology and plant quintessence. There are others too but listing them off would take a bit."

"So maybe Keith's Galra parent is part Altean," Lance raised a brow.

"As far as I'm aware," Ulaz shook his head, "His mother is full Galra. She has been with the Blade of Marmora since her birth. But...I think her lineage is different. Back when the Galra were under Zarkon's command as a good ruler, no one had glowing eyes. But once Zarkon's soul was corrupted, he had his soldiers use refined quintessence. With enough of it, blood lines gained the same, even if they do not use it themselves."

"That's a lot of quintessence used...or potent quintessence…" Lance muttered.

"A few families refused to use such methods," Ulaz went on, brow twisted down a bit, "Somehow they evaded punishment. Our organization is based off of the legend of Marmora, one of the legends saying that she outright refused the refined quintessence."

"Marmora?" Coran asked while blinking, "I swear I've heard that somewhere. Mar...mo...ra…"

"Perhaps we should get Kit out of the pod before I explain," Ulaz looked at the screen of the pod, "He is bound to have questions."

"Good plan," the oldest Altean grinned as he glanced at the same spot, "Oh, he's 'bout to come out wobbly as a fretter on its birthday."

And then the pod dissolved. Shiro dove forward, catching the younger before he could slam into the floor. The smaller made a sound before pressing on his arms, trying to get up. Shiro helped him, getting him to sit down by his side.

"Shiro?" Keith wheezed softly as his eyes found him, chin pressed to his shoulder, "What?"

"You're back," Shiro smiled fondly back at the other, "We had to get you into a pod."

"Oh," Keith blinked before flexing his right hand a bit before humming softly, "It doesn't hurt as much anymore."

"We figured out that your arm is somehow collecting quintessence into your side," Hunk spoke from in front of them. Keith gazed at him, "How you doing, man?"

"Okay," Keith shrugged before gazing over everyone in the crowd. Shiro could see Allura glaring at Keith, which got a flinch from the younger who looked away quickly, "So what are you talking about?"

"Something about Marmora something or someone," Lance stated with a small shrug, "Ulaz wanted to wait for you to wake up."

"As I said before, Marmora was what our group is based on,” Ulaz explained before sitting on the floor before Keith and Shiro, keeping his eyes on the one next to him, “She has been known as the Goddess of Knowledge and Protection. As the legends say, she had capabilities no one could match, and ones very few had ever seen. Our organization was named in honor of her. When we become official members of the Blade, we make an oath to fight in her name, assisting her in her mission.”

“Wait…” Hunk blinked before grabbing another cookie, “Wait...How old is the Blade of Marmora? Because on Earth, legends usually take centuries to form to create some type of organization like this.”

“From our records,” Ulaz paused in thought, “It seems we were an organization long before Zarkon took the throne. We were just not named that yet.”

“Oh!” Coran grinned after a second, making them all look at him as he typed something on the computer, displaying something on the screen. It showed a storybook-looking picture, “I remember now! The Goddess Marmora! She was not part of our culture, but I had learned of her from some of my closest Galran friends before the war broke out. Marmora was a Galra stated to be one of the strongest warriors. It’s said that a civil war broke out on the planet of Daibazaal, long before Zarkon’s time. Multiple factions took over and were fighting in the largest battle when Marmora stepped into the middle of it and stopped everyone from waging any more war. It was rumored that from that day on, peace reigned among the Galra.”

“Until Zarkon,” Allura spoke up, huffing slightly before crossing her arms, looking to be in thought.

“Until Zarkon, yes,” Coran nodded before he sighed. He quickly pulled up a picture of a woman Galra on the screen. There was no color, as it was merely a monochromatic painting turned digital. The woman had sharp ears, stripes on her cheeks, long white hair woven into a braid at her throat, and a fierce look on her face. If Shiro saw her in life now, he’d imagine fire burning in her orbs. She was in a dress that oddly looked very similar to Ulaz’s suit, and she had a tail with a split in it. If he looked at it enough, he swore he could see little spikes along the tail. Shiro blinked at the little mark on her left shoulder, one that looked just like Keith’s…

“What was this from?” Ulaz asked as he gazed at the picture.

“It came from one of the historians on Daibazaal,” Coran stared at the screen before glancing at the older Galra, “He loaned to me so I could make a copy for the Castle’s system. I’m somewhat shocked it survived the crystal swap when Sendak invaded. Why?”

“We have a portrait in our headquarters like this,” he stared at it, and though he had no irises, Shiro could swear he was staring down at something in the picture before his eyes widened, “But the blade she carries...it is not in ours.”

Shiro glanced at the picture. Sure enough, there sat a dagger in the woman’s hand, small enough that most would not have noticed it, although it looked a bit big in her hand. The blade was short with two edges, a stone in the middle with a symbol he had seen on the Blade’s own weapon.

“This was one of the official portraits of her back when she was a big thing,” Coran nodded before raising a brow, “I highly doubt anyone believes in her nowadays, besides your group.”

“Why are you asking, Ulaz?” Shiro wondered as he saw Keith and Ulaz exchange glances, eyes big, “What’s up?”

“I have the blade with me now,” the man spoke softly after a moment, producing the very same knife from behind his back, holding it out to them. Keith made a small noise at his side, reaching out for it with clawed digits, “But it is not mine.”

As soon as Keith got his fingers on it, a happier sound left him as he curled up around the blade loosely, holding it in his arms like it might disappear. His tail was once again wrapped around Shiro’s wrist.

“Keith?”

The younger didn’t say anything, only sent him a lost look.

“Well…” Hunk frowned before staring at the picture and back, “Now that you brought that up...Dang, Keith, you look just like her, man. I don’t know if that’s cool or creepy.”

“But that would imply that she was real,” Pidge spoke suddenly as she twisted her computer for them all to see, “I’ve been searching through all the data I've collected from the Galra databases and there is nowhere a mythical Galra woman is listed. Aren’t the Galra all about battling and being warriors? Because she should be somewhere in here.”

“It is true that we Galra have a culture of war and violence,” Ulaz frowned for a moment before shaking his head, “But that is not all we know.”

Shiro tried to pretend he didn’t hear the snort that came from Allura’s direction. Everyone else was leaning in, completely engaged in Ulaz's story.

“We are a social people who rely on touch and action,” he went on with a grim stare, “A kit relies on both heavily, especially when they are young. When they do not get that balance they need, they can become aggressive or withdrawn and obedient. I fear that many of the newer generations are purposely being raised this way, in order to bring out these traits. We are a naturally nurturing people to our young, and it is so we can stop that from happening. But the last ten thousand years have upset that, making those who serve unable and unlikely to question what they are being told to do and making them trigger happy.”

Shiro frowned in thought.

Kits who didn’t get the touch and action they needed became aggressive or withdrawn. That...That sadly explained Keith’s behavior at the Garrison. He was easy to snap at others around him, though he usually had to be provoked first. And when he wasn’t ready to burst on a whim, he was with his own company, walls up like a castle and unwilling to socialize with others. Shiro had understood how hard it was to be around people.

Looking back on it, it made sense. From what he knew about his best friend’s past, Keith was not given much of either of those two things growing up. He was often neglected in the foster homes and touch just...didn’t exist for him. And everyone who took him in were all talk and no action, giving up on him shortly after. Shiro had noticed how Keith had changed dramatically from when he first met him to the time of the Kerberos launch. He was calmer, more patient, and confident in himself. He thought it had just been Keith coming into himself, maturing under his own force.

But now he gets it.

Keith did mature on his own, but he needed Shiro’s help to get there. All those days of shoulder touches and sparring and dragging the younger into hugs that he melted into weren’t just a well-loved gesture for the smaller. They were a needed thing, something akin to needing air to breathe. Skin hunger...Shiro had heard of it, and after his time with the Galra, he understood it better. When you go months without some type of contact, it starts to wear you down and make you need some. You get starved for some type of physical contact with something, with someone. It didn’t matter if that touch was good or unkind. Touch was much better than no touch at all. And...Keith had been with the Galra for months…

Shiro snapped his eyes over to the younger who had yet to say anything. He was still pressed around the blade and making a small repeated sound. It took a moment for the older to realize that he was rocking just the slightest, thumb brushing along his fingers in a way that was such an old habit, Shiro would know it from anywhere.

Keith was distressed.

To be honest, Shiro would be going out of his mind at this point if he were in Keith’s shoes. He literally lost his best friend, got booted from the one place he stayed longer than a year, got dragged into space to find aliens were real, got captured and hurt by the same people who hurt his friend, found out he was part of said people, and now was finding out that he may or may not have an ancestor who was of the legends and had fabled ‘capabilities.’

“Hey, it’s okay, Keith,” Shiro stated calmly the other who didn’t look at him, “I’m here for you. Just...just rest on me, okay? I know it’s a lot to take in.”

Another sound left the younger before Shiro gently pressed his hand to the other’s shoulder. Like a puppet cut from its string, Keith sagged against his side, continuing the noise while rubbing his hand against the man’s jacket. His tail curled even more, spikes coming out as he buried his face into his shoulder. Shiro frowned before understanding that Keith needed something to ground himself to this moment.

Shiro didn’t think, he just did what felt right. He took the younger into a hug, making sure that the other could tuck himself into his neck. The other pressed right to him, not releasing the blade or his wrist and Shiro didn’t pay it any mind as he ran his fingers through white hair, holding onto the younger. The noise went on, but started to slow a bit second by second.

“Awww!” Hunk smiled at them with tears coming to his eyes, “I can’t be left out of this, guys!”

And then Shiro and Keith were squished into a hug pile. Shiro could feel Pidge by his right side, skinny elbows poking into his ribs. Lance was behind Keith somewhere, laughing something out as his hands brushed against Shiro’s chest. Hunk was on his left, tears falling all over them as he practically hugged them with a death grip. Even Coran had joined in, off to Lance’s other side, orange hair too vibrant to be anything else.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Allura leaving the room.

And apparently Keith did too because a sad sound came from him.

“It’ll be fine,” Shiro pressed his hand behind his neck, running mechanical fingers through thick hair - Shiro noted how it was thicker than before - before brushing his thumbs over sharp ears, “She’ll come around. She just needs some time. We all do, including you.”

The younger nuzzled into his neck, letting out a small hum of happiness before a loud noise nearly made all of them jump. Keith wriggled against him slightly, suddenly looking sheepish, eyes looking up at him like a startled puppy.

It had been Keith’s stomach that made that sound.

“Quiznak!” Lance scoffed before poking Keith’s tummy lightly, “You’re gonna give us all a heart attack, mullet.”

“Sorry,” the younger spoke before blinking, eyes sliding to Hunk, “Hey, big guy, got some meat we can have?”

“Well, duh,” he smirked back, “I got lots of foods stocked. Ulaz even helped me figure out what ones to use for you. Said jackitim meat is the best thing on this side of the universe.”

“It is no lie,” Ulaz grinned softly at them, “A member at headquarters makes the best jackitim steaks you’ll ever try. Kinda surprising if you meet Antok.”

“Oh, man!” Hunk had stars in his eyes now, “I gotta meet this guy now! We gotta trade recipes.”

"He'll be more than fascinated to do the same," Ulaz nodded before he sighed, "I think food would be a great idea right now. Unfortunately, I must miss out on this meal to check over some data. I'll see you paladins later. Make sure he eats something, Yellow Paladin of Voltron."

"Duh," Hunk rolled his eyes before grinning, "I'm going to stuff him full. Oh, and call me Hunk. Titles are...weird, you know? I don't exactly look around when someone calls out Yellow Paladin…"

"Alright, Hunk, thank you," the older smiled back before he turned back to Shiro, "Shiro, when you get Kit to sleep, I wish to speak to you about your lion."

"Okay," Shiro nodded before the group broke up some, starting to move away to march to the kitchen. The Galra quickly turned and left, going the opposite way of the kitchen.

“I best be going on my way too,” Coran grinned before he followed the Galra out of the door, “Ulaz! I wished to ask you something!”

And then it was quiet in the room for three seconds before another rumble went through the air.

"We better get Keith fed," Pidge teased softly before grinning, a bit more relaxed than before, "You're beginning to sound just like the lions now."

"Heh...thanks," Keith spoke with a tiny grin, "I'm...kind of hungry."

"Oh," Lance wrapped one arm around Keith's shoulders, ignoring the flinch he got before pulling him to his feet and waving around energetically, "Hunk's dishes will make you go back for thirds and fourths when you're not hungry. You're gonna eat like ten."

Shiro rolled his eyes at the other for the saying but grinned nonetheless. Keith didn't seem to take Lance's side hug in a bad way, and Shiro was extremely glad that the other three were willing to help Keith.

"I know that," Keith swatted the other with his tail as they all started making their way to the kitchen, "I've had a few meals of his. Like that first one we chowed down before we met the little Arusian guy."

"Hey, he remembers!" Lance stated dramatically with a grin, "But seriously, you're gonna eat at least two servings. Like...you're not going to be able to not eat that much."

"After all the prisoner goo I've had, I'll probably think I'm dead after eating his food," Keith blinked for a moment before sighing, "But at least the fighter jet I stole had some kind of...protein bar...thing that tasted okay but dry...You okay over there, big guy?"

Shiro glanced at the other teen who looked ready to cry again.

"I'm going to make the best meal ever just for you, man," Hunk scowled before narrowing his eyes, "Taste is just as important as nutrition and those guys stink at both."

"I…" Keith blinked for a moment before Shiro was semi-alarmed to see that the younger was starting to tear up. Keith pressed his wrist to his eyes trying to dry it away but failing as more came. A small whine came from him, "S'rry. S'rry."

Shiro wasn't having it. Even before he was taken, Keith always apologized for things that weren't his fault. And Shiro understood because Keith got easily overwhelmed sometimes when he was stressed or scared and fell back into that pattern. Just like how with his Galra transformation, he was making a lot more noises that could cue them in on how he was doing.

"Hey, it's okay to cry, Keith," Shiro stood in front of the other who still refused to remove his arm from his face, "Everyone deals with it differently."

"Yeah," Hunk stated from behind Shiro, "I'd be balling my eyes if I were in your shoes...and then I'd be asking for a hug or two and time to cook and relax in the kitchen."

"I'd probably be in denial," Pidge spoke up with a morose tone, "Probably would stick to my computer. Oh, geez...no wonder you all wonder if I'm part robot...uh...no offense to you two about that."

Shiro nearly snickered at that.

"I'd be terrified," Lance interrupted with a small, serious voice, "I know I brag a lot but under all that I'd be scared for my life. We don't know what happened to you, Shiro's probably knows a bit, but we...we're here for you."

"You're...You're not gonna make fun of me?" Keith asked cautiously, in a way that hurt all of them with his hesitation and fear, "I deserve it after g-getting myself caught. And...for…"

Keith trailed off after that, muttering too quietly to understand.

"Keith?"

"For being Galra," Keith scrunched up his shoulders, removing his arm from his face. His eyes were more yellow than before, tears sliding down his face, "I didn't know. Thought I was human...but I'm not. Please don’t be mad. I'm s'rry. S'rry."

Shiro could see his meltdown coming. He grabbed the younger into another hug, making sure he was cushioned on his shoulder. He could feel the other’s tail wrapping around his wrist once again. His shoulder was beginning to get wet with tears but he only held onto the other before staring over at the other three who gave him sad looks back.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Shiro rubbed his back softly, “We’re not mad. It wasn’t your fault they got the drop on us. It’s not your fault you got caught. And it’s definitely not your fault that you never knew you were Galra. None of us knew. Now we can help you. Keith, we want to help. I want to help. You remember when you rescued me at the Garrison? The night I crashed back to Earth?”

“Ye’h,” Keith stated softly.

“I think I felt the same way,” Shiro confessed as the younger gazed at him with surprised eyes, “I was so happy to see you when I woke up but then the guilt hit. What if I lead them to you? To Earth? And...And I lost my crew...lost my arm...I felt terrible because I should have stopped it. If I hadn’t taken the mission, they’d still be around. None of us would probably be in space now…”

The unspoken ‘you wouldn’t have been captured and hurt because of me dragging you into space’ hung heavy around them.

“Not…” Keith paused for a second, tail gripping a bit more like a squeeze of a hand, “Not your fault.”

“But…” Shiro stared at Keith. How was it not his fault? He felt like he failed his best friend by having him come to space, by being unable to protect him from capture. From-

“Oh my god,” Pidge interrupted them both as they were pulled out of their own space, looking over at her, “Just agree that it’s neither of your fault and move on. I swear you’d stay there all day and try to do some weird reverse compliment thing where you just keep saying which one of you deserves the blame most. No wonder you two are the leaders of the team. I’ll stick with being the tech master.”

“Ditto,” Hunk nodded before chuckling sheepishly, “I agree with Pidge. You really gotta stop blaming yourselves, guys.”

“What they said,” Lance agreed with a nod, “Can we go get some food now? I’m going to starve to death before we get to the kitchen!”

“We’re coming,” Shiro snickered softly, taking Keith’s hand in his with a smile back to the younger, “We’re all hungry now.”

Keith only grinned back quietly, not fighting the hold as his tail stayed wrapped around the same hand. They all wandered down to the kitchen. As Hunk promised, it was the best meal he had made yet, and Keith actually ate two and a half servings before deciding that he was full. Before long, the other was beginning to doze off, tail starting to loosen before the younger would bolt back to awareness and tighten it again. Shiro finally gave up all pretenses of being engaged in the three’s conversation once Keith did it again for the twelth time, nearly toppling off of his seat, eyes half closed in sleep.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Shiro chuckled as Keith made an irritated sound at the back of his throat, scrunching up his nose before flopping back onto him. Shiro just barely caught him by the shoulders before rolling his eyes, “Keith, you’re going to break something and then you’ll have to go into the pod again.”

“You got...me,” the other gazed up at him, white hair over his face and eyelashes. Shiro couldn’t help but stare into those depths of purple for a bit. The younger yawning pulled him away from his staring, a small flush coming to his face at both watching Keith for too long and that the younger still had that much faith that he would catch him, “T’red. Kitty says to sleep.”

“Well, you better go to sleep then,” Shiro grinned back fondly as the smaller relaxed some, “We’ll be here when you wake.”

And then Keith fell asleep right after, snuggling into his chest. The older only laughed softly before taking him up into his arms.

“I’m taking this one to his room.”

“I’ll check in on him later,” Pidge spoke up as she poked a waffle-looking thing, “In case he wakes up.”

“Yeah, you go have fun with whatever Ulaz wanted to tell you,” Lance grinned before he picked up some definitely-not-pork bacon, “We’ll watch him. Maybe we can move the portable gaming system in there.”

“Lance,” Shiro’s eye twitched slightly as he sighed lightly, “Keith needs some sleep.”

“Relax, Shiro,” Lance huffed before he pointed said definitely-not-pork bacon at him, “I wasn’t going to blare it. And maybe mullet would like to play. Oh! We should totally have a sleepover party sometime.”

“Ohhh! I’ll make some cupcakes and stuff,” Hunk grinned before squinting, “Junk food if I can figure out how to make it taste somewhat like Earth food. Desserts are still tasting funky for some reason.”

“And we can watch a movie,” Pidge smirked happily with a grin that would scare Shiro under any other circumstances, “I still need to get the subtitles working on the Altean movies. Or I can steal a Galran one.”

“I bet they have the best action movies! And we can hoard all of the blankets in the castle!” Lance grinned before pumping his fist in the air, “It’s gonna be the softest pile ever.”

Shiro left them to their planning as he took Keith to his room. Once inside, he quickly changed the younger into his shirt and pants like he used to wear to bed all the time. The shirt was a little tighter since Keith had somehow gotten a bit more muscles and width to his shoulders, the area more defined than before. Shiro was glad the younger was asleep so he wouldn’t see the older forcing himself not to stare.

“Come on, Shiro,” he muttered to himself as he made a hole in the pants for the other’s tail. He also moved the knife out of the younger’s hands, placing it under the other’s pillow, somewhere he knew Keith would automatically reach for when he woke up, “You gotta stop staring at him. He’s here and real. You’re making this really obvious.”

He watched the other for a moment longer before leaving the room. It didn’t take long to get to Black’s hangar, which is where the Blade was at. He was sitting to the side, messing with his suit’s holoprojector. Black rumbled in his mind for a moment, which he grinned back at before settling next to the larger Galra. A little bit of unease creeped into his bones at the aspect of sitting so near to someone who looked like the ones who hurt him, but he was prepared for that.

“So what did you want to talk about?”

“Zarkon,” Ulaz frowned before gazing over at his lion, “And how he’s tracking you.”

“Tracking me?” Shiro choked out as Black gave him a concerned nudge, “What? How?”

And then it hit him...he gazed down at his arm. Was that how they knew where they were all the time? Was it Shiro himself? Were they tracking his arm? He couldn’t exactly remove the thing. But he didn’t want to put his team in danger...well, more danger than they normally faced. They just got Keith back, they didn’t need to lose someone else or let Keith slip from their grasp again.

“No,” Ulaz interrupted his thoughts, making him look up at the other, “I assume Kit removed any tracking capabilities when he killed the fail safe.”

But then...Shiro gazed up at his lion who rumbled apologetically, a few pictures flashing through her mind. Some of Zarkon, looking younger and happy with yellow eyes, face unscarred. He noticed the small feeling along their link, one of warmth and regret as the image flashed to one of the Galra standing there careless of the fear and pain he brought among others with his dead violet-coated eyes as fire blazed in the distance, smoke drifting through the air around him.

“Oh, Black,” he frowned sadly at the other who only rumbled back the same regret as before, “It’s okay. It’s not your fault...Was...Was Zarkon your first paladin?”

The question made something in him want to hurl. The man abused his power. Black deserved better. The universe deserved better. The man thought he was privileged enough to still have access to this sentient being. To control her.

“It has been said that the Red Lion is not the only one that is stubborn when it comes to her paladins,” Ulaz spoke from the side before Shiro looked at him, “Yes, Zarkon was her first and previous paladin. She is likely having a hard time moving on. She still wants the man she once knew, the one who was not unlike Kit, in many ways. But he is gone, a former shell of himself. Shiro, you must connect to the Black Lion more if you are to block that connect and cut his ties to her. It’s going to take both of you to do so, but I know you can.”

“Thank you,” Shiro grinned at the other before getting to his feet, “I guess now’s as good a time as any. Can you tell the others what I’m doing so they don’t get worried, Ulaz?”

Black seemed to agree with doing some bonding now because she lowered her jaw to allow him in. He climbed the ramp, glancing back at the Galra who nodded at him, smiling. Shiro sent back a small wave before moving into the cockpit, sitting in the chair.

“Okay. Just me and you, Black,” he murmured under his breath, feeling her presence around himself as the screens lit up, “Let’s figure this out.”

Black rumbled in his head, playing off Keith’s voice saying ‘patience yields focus’ and he laughed fondly as the lion seemed to do the same.

“Of course you know how I feel about Keith,” Shiro snorted softly before grabbing the yokes, “Anyway, down to business. I have the feeling you want to show me something.”

Black roared loudly before his vision went white.

Chapter Text

The next time he's aware of what's happening, Black's flying them through space faster than he's gone before except for the day Keith was taken. Shiro starts feeling freaked out because how did they leave the castle. He's unsure where his lion is taking him and it throws him for a loop, panic flaring through his chest.

People taking him places out of his control scares him badly. That's how he ended up in the arena. That's how he spent a whole year being shepherded wherever the witch or Zarkon wanted him to be, leading to pain and misery. That's also how everyone at the Garrison handled him, treating him like he couldn't do his own planning just because he had a muscular disease.

He didn't like not having control anymore.

"Black! Stop!" He shouted as they dashed past a moon and blurred stars, "Come on! Slow down!"

She didn't respond, only flying onward. His unease grew as he grabbed the yokes - which he had let go of at some point - and yanked on them sharply, heart in his throat. Nothing changed.

"Black, stop now! That's an order," Shiro accidentally slipped back into his officer mindset, desperately needing someone, something to just listen to him for once, "Stop! Hold on! Black! Quit it!"

He was starting to really panic. Where was the lion taking him! What if they ended up somewhere bad! What if...what if they ended back with them! Shiro couldn't go back. Shiro wouldn't go back. He wouldn't be a weapon at their disposal ever again! He couldn't...he won't…

A small rumble reached him, bringing everything back to clarity. He was hunched over in his seat, breathing erratically as his heart pounded out of his chest. Traces of fright ran through him as he tried to slow down his breathing but couldn't.

Panic attack.

Well...great. Great way to start this bonding trip.

Another rumble echoed around him, one of an apologetic nature. Black...Black was trying to comfort him. He finally caught his breath, slowly calming with each flow of his lion. He could breathe again. He felt better. He was fine. He could...Black wouldn't hurt him. Black wouldn't take him anywhere bad. She'd never send him back to that place.

Another wave of shame and regret hit him.

"Black, it's okay," Shiro smiled softly before wincing, "I know you didn't know that would set me off. I just…"

Shiro paused for a moment before deciding to confess one of his fears.

"I just hate not having some type of control," he finally spoke, "It's only led to terrible things when I don't. I didn't mean to get bossy. It's just hard for me to sit back and allow something to just...happen."

His memories flash in his mind. Of being led to the arena and forced to kill for entertainment. Being dragged out there injured with a bleeding wound on his nose, taken to the infirmary for a patch that hurt more than the fight. Being yanked to the one room he'd rather die than step foot into, druids and their cloaks waving in an invisible wind. Being forced to go to every doctor appointment even though he knew it was pointless. They had said there was no cure, no hope.

Black rumbled again, with an understanding purr in his mind as he came back to her. A second later, he glanced out the window to see a destroyed planet. The place is trashed, a giant hole in the middle of it, chunks creeping around it as if they were natural-made satellites. It was someone's home before though, that much could see.

"Wait," it hit him as his voice came out softer, "This used to be your home. This used to be Daibazaal and you lived here with Zarkon, didn't you?"

The lion rumbled happily with a morose undertone there. Another flash came over his eyes, one showing something - possibly a meteor - crashing to the ground. He watched as Zarkon and...King Alfor stood there as smoke and flames curled into the sky. The next one showed Alfor working on the lions, Black in the background.

"Oh, King Alfor made you from the comet," Shiro came out of the vision as he gazed back at the planet, which was whole. It was shaped strange with reddish land and a pinkish atmosphere, "And you chose Zarkon to be your first paladin. But...why?"

The lion poked at him, showing him a picture of Keith, one before he had been caught. A rumble came through before she played his voice asking 'why me?'

"Why did I choose to help Keith?" The lion rumbled in agreement, "Well...He was lonely. He needed a friend, someone to rely on. I saw the potential in him when no one else cared to look. Keith's bright and smart, an excellent fighter, and stubborn as they come but he's also incredibly loyal."

Black rumbled again as if asking him for more.

"And I needed a friend, someone who could see through what the Garrison painted me as," Shiro stared at the planet in thought, "And Keith was that. He never went crazy over me breaking some type of record. He didn't go overboard when others did. He never stopped me from doing reckless things and he never protested when I chose to chase my dreams, even when it meant I was going to Kerberos for a year. He was just...there. A breath of fresh air."

Another picture of Zarkon appeared, a smile on his face as he kindly greeted a Galran citizen. He watched as the large Galra stood before the Black Lion, proud but gentle as Black let him in. He was nothing like the tyrant of today. He saw as they flew in perfect harmony, zipping through the air. Her wings flew out, glowing bright blue as they phased through three ships, them blowing up a few seconds after impact. He stared in awe at the move, something he had not done so far.

"You needed the same," Shiro breathed out slowly, "You were lonely and new to being a lion. Zarkon was kind and strong and a good leader. But...Black, he's not anymore. That man you cared about so much, he...he became a monster. He's hurt so many people. He's destroyed families. He's ruined planet all for more power. He died the day he was corrupted."

Black practically whined at that, huffing before growling. It felt almost like she was trying to slash her claws through his mind. He could feel devastation crawling off her in waves. She screamed out with an angry voice, one of a random woman in his memory. 'What do you know of heartbreak!'

Shiro didn't say any words. He instead closed his eyes, remembering all his pain and heartache. He played when he got his diagnosis at nineteen, how they said there was no hope, he had less than a decade, they said, as his world came crashing down. He showed how he was denied missions because of that disease even though he was the most qualified pilot in all of the Garrison fighter pilot history, despite the young age. He showed his breakup with Adam, how the ultimatum was made and how he cried himself to sleep that night, wanting so badly to call the mission off and spend what time he had with the one he had been thinking of proposing to. He played the moment when Sam and Matt were each taken away from him and then he showed his arm. He remembered as the limb was removed while he was aware. He broadcasted the pain and the hatred he felt to be a weapon for the Empire.

And as all things spiral back to Keith, he saw when Keith was captured. He saw as the Red Lion was pulled into the tractor beam. He relived as he raced for the machine, getting it out and realizing too late that Keith was not inside. He watched as he spent months searching for his best friend, from galaxy to galaxy and base to base, only to come back empty-handed and filled with guilt and emotional pain. The heartache of training and realizing that Keith was not there to rib him with another ‘Old Timer’ comment. That he very well could be dead while Shiro was forced to move on to Voltron and its missions.

"I may not be alive as long as you have," Shiro began as the lion quieted down, "And I didn't go through what you did. But I know pain. I know what it's like having to leave someone and not wanting to. I know guilt, everywhere I turn. It was my fault Adam and I didn't work out. I should have held him closer, did things better, been better. It's my fault Sam and Matt were taken and that we don't know where either are. If I had been smarter, Pidge wouldn't be without her family. And I've killed so many helpless people in the arena, ones who were in the same position I was. And Keith…"

Shiro paused. His guilt soared at the thought of how he failed his best friend so badly.

"I ruined everything for him, Black. I never wanted to hurt him," he sighed softly, "I was the one he crashed his career for, I just know it. I dragged him into space because Blue said to go through a wormhole. I wasn't able to save him from the fate I dreaded the most. It's all my fault. I don’t see how he could even bother to be around me. How he can even be in the same room as me after all that."

For a moment, Black was silent. The quiet dragged on Shiro as he rubbed his nose where the scar was. And then she suddenly spoke in Professor Montgomery's voice saying, 'You sure do love placing the blame on yourself, Cadet Shirogane. Look, it was no one's fault. Everyone got hurt, but that doesn't make it your fault. Now get up, and be strong. Blaming yourself isn’t going to get you anything but lost time. You can sit here and wallow, or you can own up to your mistakes and learn from them. Which will it be, cadet?'

Shiro chuckled softly before he gripped the yokes.

"I'm trying," Shiro nodded, "It's just hard for me. I'm the leader, so I feel like I'm responsible for everyone. I just...I'll get there, with help. With you and my team and the others and Keith. He's always telling me to believe in myself more."

Shiro laughed quietly.

"Wonder where he got that from?"

'I will never give up on you,' his voice spoke as Black rumbled, 'But more importantly, you can't give up on yourself.'

"Yeah, sometimes I forget that," Shiro smiled before silence sat down between them. The screen outside showed the destroyed planet again. A good minute passed before he finally spoke, "Black, I hate saying it, but all Zarkon sees you or me as is a weapon. He will hurt you. He will use you."

'How is that different from what you're doing now?' Black spat back at him in an angry voice of one of his old classmates, 'You were just ordering us around like slaves.'

"I…" Shiro's voice got caught in his throat, "I don't know. I'm sorry that I did that. You're no machine to be controlled. I never ever want to be like Zarkon."

And as if his name summoned him, Shiro heard a deep chuckle from him. A deep chill ran down his spine, as if he had been plunged into icy water and left to drown. Something slammed into him with a force that knocked his breath out of him and made him see stars.

When he finally woke up enough, he saw that actual stars were around him, purple with scarlet patches. He couldn't feel Black anymore. Fear settled into his body, his lightweight body. A large eclipse sat above him in the sky, black with streaks of light coming from it. If he had time to digest it, he’d say it was beautiful and serene. But he couldn’t focus on that as his mind slid to dark places.

Was he dead? Is this what being dead was like? Being stuck here? Was he stuck here? For how long? What if-

"You were foolish to try taking my place in the Black Lion, Champion," Zarkon's voice spoke loudly as he twisted to see the man standing there in full armor. His mouth was up in a grin, teeth sharp and eyes glowing purple, "And now I will take it back. You are too weak to be in such a powerful weapon."

"You…" Shiro glared at him, "You don't get to pilot her. You don't get to degrade me. We're out of your control now."

"You will never be out of my command," Zarkon stepped closer threateningly yet slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, "The lion clearly hasn't chosen you in all this time. It still answers to me. It will never chose you."

Shiro refused to say anything.

"And you know it," the larger chuckled wickedly before coming closer, "I will end you here and the Black Lion shall be mine shortly. If you die on this realm, you cease to exist on the physical one."

"Yeah, well you're not going to get her. I won't let it happen," Shiro glared, "She’s more than some weapon. If you were a paladin, you’d see that. But you’re no paladin. You’ll never be a paladin again!”

Zarkon’s eyes widened before he launched himself at Shiro with a roar. Shiro raised both arms, not able to do anything else in that span of time. The bigger’s fist punched him as he cried out, pain lacing his front as he was flung backwards. He gazed up to see the other giving chase. Shiro quickly ducked under the next punch, avoiding a kick to the stomach as he punched out with his mechanical hand, turning it on. The appendage did light up more purple compared to the purple coating his body anyway. His hit only grazed the other’s armor, not doing much.

“You are weak!” Zarkon shouted as they continued their brittle dance, punching and kicking, getting some hits on both sides, “The Black Lion cannot be commanded by such a weakling. You cannot take my place as the leader!”

A punch landed on his forearm, sending him flying back as he dug his feet into the ground. Anger flared through his body as he hissed at the older Galra.

“No one commands the Black Lion!” He growled as he braced himself for another attack. The larger flew at him and he punched...air. The Galra seemed to phase straight through his fist, untouched and unharmed. Before he could think, the other slammed into his back, tossing him way further than should have been possible. He tumbled to the rocky ground, getting cuts and scrapes as he slid to a stop. He twisted around before seeing the man form behind him. He ducked out of the way of a kick before racing forward, rushing after the forming blur of purple. He jumped up higher than possible, arching his hand down in a blur of light. The other escaped again before Shiro snapped his head up, seeing the other free-falling towards him.

“You dare lecture me!” The man screamed as he slammed right into Shiro. The younger gasped in surprise before agony slapped into his sternum. He swore he felt the ground around him fracture and if he were in his body, that move would have gravely injured him. As it was, he was unable to pull up the energy to move.

A large clawed hand gripped his throat, pulling more pain to his chest and back. He bit back a cry as the other gripped harder, lifting him clear off his feet. His arms went to the hand, unable to pull the appendage off of him as air began to get cut off. He coughed as his leg kicked out, but it didn’t even come close to hitting the monster as a bit of black littered the edge of his vision.

“Only the powerful can command such a thing,” Zarkon glared at him, a smug tilt to his lips as he tightened his hold, “And you are not powerful. You have fallen. My witch made you strong and you denied yourself the chance. You don’t deserve to control such a magnificent beast.”

“You’ve forgotten what’s most important…” Shiro choked out as he glared at the other. His hand lit up as he finally understood. He finally got what was missing between him and Black, what would forever be missing between Zarkon and her, “Between a lion and its paladin. It’s not about power…”

Shiro could feel Black now, growing stronger in him like a whirling tornado. His statement mattered to her as much as it did him. He could do this.

“It’s about earning each other’s trust!” Shiro spat out as the lion rumbled a long purr in his mind.

“Trust has nothing to do with it,” the other snarled at him, looking bored as could be, “The lion is mine forever. You cannot stop me.”

“I can’t,” Shiro coughed out as the other gripped harder, nearly cutting off all air to his lungs, “But we can.”

And then Black crashed to the ground before them, growling loudly as her blaster started up, air roaring around them. Shiro felt the exact moment the other Galra dropped him in shock, and he lashed out, shoving the man further to the side before jumping forward with a cough as fresh air hit his lungs. Zarkon screamed in anger and pain as a burst of blue slammed into him before everything faded back into existence. Shiro was once again in the pilot seat, hands and body relaxed.

“Good job, Black,” he praised the lion who sent back the feeling, “You saved me.”

‘It’s about trust,’ his voice echoed back softly as his lion grumbled at him.

“Yeah,” Shiro grinned back before he shook his head, “I’m sorry I didn’t before. But I will now. I know you have my back, and you’re just as hurt as me. But we have to work together if we want to succeed. I can’t be Zarkon, and I don’t want to be, but I do want to be here for you. I don’t want to command you. That’s wrong. But...I want to work with you, as an equal, if you’ll have me.”

The lion rumbled back before she purred, wrapping around his mind like a gentle breeze. He let out a gentle laugh as he grabbed the yokes a little tighter.

“So...ready to go home?”

The lion rumbled again before the planet faded before him, returning back to the hangar before him. He gasped in awe, blinking as he stared at the scene.

“Woah,” he stared with wide eyes, “We never left, did we?”

Black chuckled softly in his mind.

“Oh, you can do more than what we’ve unlocked, can’t you?”

Again she rumbled with a soft snicker. Shiro just sat there in shock because who knew what these lions could do. Geez, no wonder they were the strongest thing out there. And no wonder Zarkon was afraid of them having the lions with them. Black rumbled again, bits of worry in her undertone.

“It’s okay,” Shiro brushed his hand over the dashboard before him, “I won’t let him get you. We won’t let him get us again.”

The lion agreed with a protective growl. Shiro smiled before letting out a sigh of relief. He could feel Black’s energy thrumming through his body again, better than ever before. It was as if his soul was combined with hers, almost unable to be distinguished from his own. It felt nice, safe and warm. It felt like chasing the stars, back whenever he had free moments where he didn’t have to pilot and could just...be.

An alarm broke him out of his short-lived peace.

“Paladins, get to your lions!” Allura called out as she appeared on his screen, looking angry beyond relief, “Zarkon has found us again! I knew we could not trust them.”

The other four screens popped up, showing all the paladins in their lions, including a fifth screen. Keith was sitting there, looking a bit tired but awake enough. His tail was behind him, inside the black undersuit and moving around agitatedly as he scowled slightly.

“That’s not very fair, Allura,” Shiro narrowed his eyes at the Altean, “It was Black and I who accidentally led them here. Zarkon’s been pulling on his connection the whole time because he was the last paladin, wasn’t he?”

The others gasped in shock. Keith didn’t seem to be surprised like the other three, so he had probably seen Zarkon holding the black bayard at some point in his imprisonment and put two and two together. He was insanely observant like that.

“But...you..what! How!” Her eyes widened in shock before she glared, “You’re lying. You’re covering for them.”

“Well, think whatever you will, I can’t change that,” Shiro frowned at her, knowing she was just in shock and hurting as she should be. It was understandable, but she didn’t need to do it, “But right now, we need to focus on this battle. Black and I cut most of his connection, we’ll snap off the rest of it out there. And we will talk about this, princess. You can’t just leave out information we need to know. Next time, someone could get killed because of it.”

And then he turned to the other four just as the castle shook.

“Let’s get out there,” he encouraged them all, “Distract them long enough for Allura to get a wormhole up and running. I’m going after Zarkon to finish the connection off.”

“Got it.”

“We got your back, man!”

“I’m going to have some fun! Time for the cloaking device again!”

“Shiro,” Keith’s voice was soft as he gazed at him. The other looked worried, biting his lip before he sighed, “Be careful, okay?”

“Always,” Shiro laughed just as softly, sending him a grin, “And be careful too.”

“Yes, sir,” the younger nodded before he sent a small smirk back. All the screens muted down some as Shiro launched himself and Black out of the hangar. Spiraling upward, he could feel the other four around him as he raced for the giant Galra headquarters.

“Form jaw blade!”

The knife formed in Black’s mouth as they flew by dozens of fighters, all exploding behind him. He yanked on the yoke, twisting around and taking out another few before rushing forward. He gazed around before seeing the man coming out of the ship, in a suit of some sort. He was no match in size against the lion, but he stood proud on the ship.

“Let’s do this, Black,” Shiro snarled as he rushed forward. His lion agreed, letting out a roar as they flew to the man. Along the way, they smashed more ships, taking out a large trail of them as they zipped forward.

The feeling gripped them again as they both froze slightly. Ice poured on them as the purple in the ship turned reddish like poison. The screen flickered between the Voltron symbol of purple and the Empire one of red. Zarkon’s presence rang around him as he gritted his teeth.

‘You are still a fool!’ Zarkon growled as they both struggled, fighting his hold, screens glitching more as time went on. Pressure slammed into Shiro’s mind, feeling like claws. This time, they weren’t from Black, ‘No mere human shall pilot such a weapon. Release it to me. Give in!’

“Never!” Shiro yelled back before pain flared in his mind, sending him spinning as Black crashed to the ship’s surface.

‘You are weak,’ the man chuckled as he stepped forward, black bayard shifting in a wicked gleam of purple. It changed to a long whip weapon as Shiro yanked on the yoke. Both barely ducked out of the way as heat rushed by them, blade slamming into the ship’s hull with a loud crackle. Rolling to the side, they evaded another attack but didn’t see the one coming from the other direction. With a cry of pain, both slid back as everything blurred a bit.

“Shiro!” Keith’s voice called out with fright in his voice just as a streak of red flashed by in his periphery. He could see the other as the lion roared loudly, eyes flashing brightly as both screamed. A light shone across both before some type of gun blaster sat on the lion’s back. A beam of intense energy rushed from it, flying straight for Zarkon who pulled up a shield just in time, the beam splitting and cracking deeply into the ship’s shell, “You’re not touching him!”

And then Keith launched himself again at him, shooting another beam. The larger ducked in time, the blast going too far out, completely destroying the outer ring of metal on the ship. Shiro watched as the bayard shifted, becoming a blade as the Galra jumped into the air, jetpack propelling him forward straight for Keith’s lion.

“Keith!”

The lion whipped around just in time for the weapon to slam into them. Both cried out in pain before slamming into the metal. With Zarkon’s attention on his best friend, he could feel himself able to pull out of his control. Black rumbled in his head.

“Foolish!” The Galra yelled out, no longer through their connection but easily heard from outside Black as he dove for Keith, “I suppose even half-breeds fight like the Galra! You are no match for a true warrior! And once I’m finished with you, I will crush the Champion!”

“Keith!” Shiro screamed out as Black roared in his head for Red. Both jumped up, refusing to let this be the last. They lost them once, they would never lose them again! With a large roar, they flew straight at the man. The Galra turned to them, true shock running through what little was left of the bond as both snarled, “You will not hurt them again! You don’t deserve to pilot this lion! You don’t deserve to touch any of us!”

And then their wings folded out, glowing bright as both he and his lion became one. With one final burst of anger and frustration, they slid on by the monster, phasing straight through him like he was nothing but weak air. The plane they had been in earlier appeared, Zarkon showing up as they rushed at him. Shiro grabbed the bayard in his hand, sliding past him as the man shouted out in pain.

“Paladins! We have to go!” Allura yelled as Shiro caught his breath for one second, “I have a wormhole created, but we have to leave now. We don’t want another incident like last time.”

“Shiro!” Keith shouted in his ear, the Red Lion barely twitching, “I can’t move!”

“I got you, buddy!” Shiro yelled back before swooping down, picking up Red in his...Black’s jaws as they both flew out of there. Before five seconds were up, they over inside the castle’s shield, just touching down as the machine tipped its way into the blue wormhole. A burst behind them had Shiro snapping his attention to the bottom of Zarkon’s ship. One the platform like before, Shiro could see the witch falling down as a beam of dark energy raced to them.

“Allura!” Lance shouted in fear, “We need to get in there now!”

“Oh my god!” Hunk anxiously cried, “We’re gonna die! We’re gonna die!”

“We can’t go through another corrupted wormhole thing again!” Pidge glared as the energy came closer, looking about ready to hit them, “We got lucky last time that Shiro and I were together on a peaceful trash planet and Hunk and Lance were with each other! This time we could all be sent somewhere else!”

“I know!” The princess screamed in frustration before the ship went faster, “I’d like to see you try to fly this castle by yourself! Ahhh!”

The strange feeling of entering a wormhole came over them as the portal slipped over their tail end. The thing closed completely just as the energy leapt for them. If Shiro wasn’t imagining it, he could hear the witch cry out in anger as they sped off to some new part of the universe. No one dared to breath for a long moment until the castle came out of the other side, whole and untainted. They could hear something collapsing in the background.

“Princess!” Coran shouted as the screen showed him catching the other and checking her over.

“Coran,” Shiro stared, brow down in concern, “Is she okay?”

“Yes,” the older breathed out softly, “I’m afraid she just used too much energy too quickly. She just needs to recharge and rest. We should be safe in this part of the galaxy, if he cannot track us from the Black Lion anymore.”

“Okay. He can’t. Black and I made sure of that,” Shiro nodded before he blinked, feeling the weight in his right hand. Glancing down, his eyes widened as the bayard shrank down from a gnarly glowing weapon to a black bayard not unlike the other four, “We got the black bayard back.”

“You mean you got your bayard back,” Keith interrupted, his screen popping up with a grin on his lips. Shiro only smiled back, holding up the bayard as if proving that he had it, “Oh my god, Shiro. You’re like a little kid.”

“Hey, I can’t help it,” Shiro teased back before laughing, “I feel like a little kid honestly. It feels...whole.”

“I bet,” Keith snickered back before glancing to the side, probably listening to his lion before his eyes skated back up to Shiro’s, “Kitty says that Black’s feeling the same. You really did bond with her.”

“Of course,” Shiro grinned back. Black rumbled in his mind, sending him a picture of them when they had been bonding earlier with a picture of Keith. Shiro gripped the yokes as his face turned red. Hopefully the other wouldn’t notice, “Blackkkkk…”

Said lion just chuckled before lowering her jaw.

“Oh my god, this war won’t kill me, you will,” Shiro groaned as he stood up. Before long, he brushed his hand to the dashboard again, “Thanks, Black. I’m honored you chose me as your paladin.”

Black rumbled back softly.

“And I’ll meet you guys in the lounge after I get a shower,” Shiro grinned at the team before stretching and yawning, “This paladin stuff is hard work. I’m exhausted.”

“Me too!”

“Hey! We can have that sleepover now!”

“Oh! That’s perfect!”

“I think a sleepover would be nice! Whatever that is! I want to join in on this Earthly tradition! I’m sure the princess would love it too once she awakes!”

“Well, then it’s settled,” Shiro grinned at them, “Tonight’s a sleepover.”

The others cheered excitedly. From the corner of his eye, he could see Keith grinning back, just listening to them all celebrate. It was obvious by the gleam in his eyes that he was enjoying this moment, not bothering to break it with speech. Shiro only smiled back at the other, watching as he blinked and grinned softer than before. A rumble came from Black again, with a teasing poke to it.

“Okay, okay,” Shiro raised both hands as all the screens went black, “I’ll go take a shower now.”

‘Don’t get lost on the way to the shower,’ a random voice teased him, Black chuckling softly as he scoffed.

“Black!” Shiro rubbed his face, “Oh my god, you’re worse than a mom. I’m going, I’m going.”

Black only purred before going completely offline, leaving him in pitch blackness.

“Very funny,” he stated flatly before his eyes adjusted enough to see the exit. He started for the spot, “I’ll be back.”

And then he left, stepping out of the lion to get a shower.

Chapter Text

When Shiro got finished with his shower, he stood under the warm spray of water for a minute longer. It felt so good on his aching body. Zarkon hadn’t been kidding when he said that dying in the...astral?...plane would kill you in real life. He ached everywhere and his throat felt a little weird. It wasn’t bruised or anything, but it felt sore still. The water seemed to be helping, or the sensation was just fading. He didn’t know which it was.

Resting his forehead to the wet wall, he turned off the shower. The room was still steamy so Shiro took a moment to relax without the risk of an alarm going off. It had been forever since he wasn't running around doing something. Since the Kerberos mission went south, he's been rushing into everything. He's been fighting against his captors, the other prisoners, himself, and now this giant 10,000-year war. It was nice to just...breathe.

Soon enough, he grabbed a towel and dried himself off. He had worn his casual clothes in the battle, but luckily there were some pajamas stocked in his pull-out closet. He decided to compromise by picking out a white tank top and softer black pants. He put on the black paladin robe that Lance insisted they wear. He gazed at the little lion slippers that were part of the outfit, brow raised at things. They were oddly cute and comfortable-looking, black with little yellow ear-horns and golden eyes. A tiny red nose sat on the end of it and the shoes were in his size.

"Here goes nothing, I guess," Shiro blinked before shrugging, putting them on. They were comfortable. He could feel Black at the edge of his mind, laughing at him as he stared at the shoes, "Yeah, I know. Who even made these things?"

The lion rumbled at him before an image of Coran showed up being all enthusiastic saying, 'Coranic, you know...like mechanic but Coranic!'

Shiro snorted silently before gazing at the shoes again. It made sense that the man made them. If so, he seriously had a talent in sewing because the shoes were sturdy but soft and warm. No wonder Lance wore them at every turn.

Shiro sighed softly as he headed for the kitchen. Maybe Hunk needed some help moving food to the lounge. He probably made enough food for a small army, so it was the least he could do to help out. When he got to the kitchen, Hunk was there muttering something about food goo and gross. Shiro stared at the other who kept talking for a moment before noticing him there.

"Oh! Hey, Shiro!" The younger grinned before he practically tossed a cupcake into his hand, "I need you to test it. Keith said it tasted good, but I don't know if Galra have different taste buds. Keith and Ulaz seem to like the weird cabbage-looking plant thing we have but let me tell, it was disgusting, man. I swear I am never eating that again. I'm sparing you the pain, man."

Shiro raised a brow before glancing at the dessert in his left fist. It was regular sized, a dark purple in color with red frosting and sprinkles of some sort. Shiro smelled it quickly, not sensing anything out of the ordinary. Taking a bite, he watched as Hunk stared intensely at his face. It tasted pretty good, like coffee cake but with less coffee and more sugar. He hummed softly before eating the rest.

"Shiro, you're scaring me," Hunk began to sweat nervously, toying with a spoon nearby, "You don't look so enthused."

Shiro waited another minute before actually responding back with a grin.

"It tastes good, Hunk, promise," he laughed as the other relaxed back against the counter, "I'm just messing with you. What were you shooting for this time?"

"I think carrot cake…" Hunk frowned in thought as he ate a crumb or two, "But it tastes like coffee cake. Oh well, still yummy."

"So do you need any help?" Shiro asked before glancing around. The kitchen was a mess, but it was clearly just cleaned up. There were cupcakes everywhere on the white tables and most were sitting in boxes, "I can help carry them."

"Yes!" Hunk grinned excitedly before grabbing a few big jugs of some type of drink, "I made some space lemonade. Also got some space ice tea. Can you get those three boxes?"

"Got them," Shiro nodded as he grabbed all three, looking at the other three in confusion, "What about those ones?"

"Oh, Keith's getting them."

"I'm getting what?" Keith's voice spoke behind them as they both looked over at him. He was dressed in pajamas like Shiro was, with his grey t-shirt and a pair of red pants on. The outer robe was like Shiro’s but scarlet instead. Much to Shiro’s surprise and amusement, Keith was wearing the lion slippers too. His tail wiggled around as the younger raised his brow, “Uhhh...What?”

“You just surprised us, man,” Hunk came out of it first, elbowing Shiro in side as the older grinned back, finally glancing away from the other’s feet, “Can you get the other three boxes?”

“Oh, uhhh...yeah,” Keith stated awkwardly for a minute before grabbing them. He gazed at each box before squinting at Shiro’s own, making the older wonder what he was up to, “Hunk, what’s in mine?”

“You did catch that!” Hunk stared with stars in his eyes, “Ulaz said you’d probably be smelling things better now. It’s some popcorn! Three different types actually.”

“They smell interesting,” Keith grinned back before bumping Shiro’s shoulder a bit, looking at him, “And Shiro has the cupcakes?”

“Yep,” Shiro answered back before holding the container up some, “Just like old times.”

“Oh?” Hunk looked between them before he grabbed another jug. He quickly put the other two on floating plate nearby. The thing must have been strong enough because the plate didn’t sink or tip any. The other teen was suddenly turned their way with an excited look, “Old times?”

“Yeah,” Keith smiled before his tail curled around Shiro’s wrist again, making the older wonder if it was a conscious action or just his body seeking some type of contact with something else around it. If it was because of skin hunger, that made sense, “We used to sneak out cupcakes and popcorn to the roof sometimes.”

“I’m the one who got the cupcakes,” Shiro grinned fondly, thinking back to those days when he was just becoming friends with the defensive cadet. They would go up to the roof to stargaze when they could and snacks were always a welcome, “Since I had access to them every two weeks. Keith got the popcorn...from somewhere. You never did tell me where they came from.”

“Got them from a store nearby,” Keith shrugged before laughing quietly, “Usually ran out to get them right before.”

“Well, the messy appearances make sense now,” Shiro deadpanned as he remembered the cadet rushing up to the roof, hair a nest of tangles and out of breath at nearly every instance they had popcorn, “I thought that you fell out of a tree or something.”

“Very funny,” Keith rolled his eyes, “There weren’t any trees at the Garrison to climb and fall out of in the first place.”

“Well then you fell out of your bed,” Shiro teased back before he could see Hunk watching them in the corner of his eye. He turned his head, giving him a confused look. Keith joined him with the same expression.

“Don’t mind me any,” Hunk waved his hands out in front of himself, “Just listening to you two being mushy together. Sounds like you had fun.”

“Yeah, we did,” Shiro nodded before rubbing his undercut sheepishly, “The cupcakes were always crappy but we didn’t care.”

“Ohhh, those cupcakes,” Hunk’s nose wrinkled as he mock gagged, “How are you not dead from those? They’re terrible.”

“You had them how?” Keith wondered with a raised brow.

“Ugh...Veronica,” Hunk shrugged before seeing Keith’s lost look, “Oh, uhhh...Lance’s older sister. She’s a junior officer now, and she snuck in some for us one time. I almost died eating it. So dry and brick-hard.”

“Meh, these look much better, Hunk,” Shiro grinned back at the other who blushed just the slightest, happy at the compliment, “I think we should get these to the others. They’re likely to be wanting to know where we are right now.”

“Oh, yeah,” Hunk agreed before gently pushing the plate in Keith’s direction. The other looked at it before blinking, causing Hunk to facepalm before snickering, “Oh, sorry. I get so used to talking to Yellow in my head that I sometimes don’t say them out loud. Can you grab this one with your tail? These plates hover along so you won’t notice, but they’re uhhh...not so good at driving themselves around the halls…”

“Sure, big guy,” Keith nodded before his tail dropped from Shiro’s wrist, making the spot feel a bit colder as the half-Galra wrapped it around the underside of the plate, “Need all the practice I can get with using it.”

“Ohhh! How does your tail work?” Hunk asked as they started for the lounge. Shiro walked alongside the two, watching them as they talked, “I’ve always wondered what a tail would feel like but I can’t exactly ask any animals back at home because...well, communication issues.”

“It’s weird?” Keith scowled for a moment, bring the tray around closer to him, “It’s like an extra arm but extended past my tailbone? Like...I know it’s there but I kinda don’t? Just...Just know that I can feel if someone touches it but I’m not always aware it’s there. It’s more flexible than an arm, but...I don’t know...it’s hard to explain.”

“No pressure,” Hunk shrugged as they walked on, “I was just super curious. You’re the first person I’ve been able to ask since...you know, everyone else we’ve met either wants to kill us or I’m just not sure if it’s rude to ask?”

“That would be a fun way to ruin an alliance,” Shiro chuckled softly as he shook his head, “Probably a good thing you haven’t asked.”

“I know, right!” Hunk grinned before opening the door to the lounge, “That’s why I was all ‘I should ask Keith because he has a tail and he’s an awesome guy who won’t murder me in my sleep.’ Wait...you won’t, right?”

Keith blinked at him, making a strange noise at the back of his throat, likely just confused.

“Nah, you’re too adorable to murder anyone in their sleep,” Hunk grinned before his face turned serious, “But then again, they always say that it’s the cute ones who will take you out.”

Keith made another weird noise.

“I agree, buddy,” Hunk patted his shoulder, “I can take those from here.”

Shiro held back his laughter as the younger took up the six boxes and placed them along the floor. As soon as the Yellow Paladin was across the room, he cracked. A long wheeze came from him as he practically folded in half.

"Shiro, it's not funny," Keith whined softly before bumping his foot against Shiro's leg, "I'm not cute."

"You kind of are," Shiro grinned back before he shrugged, hoping his face wasn’t as red as it suddenly felt, “You look like a cat…”

“I don’t even have cat ears,” the younger sighed softly before his tail latched onto his arm again. Somehow, Shiro didn’t mind that at all as the other tugged him into the room. The older could see the rest of the paladins rushing around in an elated frenzy. Pillows and blankets were scattered around the room - Shiro almost fell over at the sheer amount because since when did the castle have so many - and the couches didn’t look like they were there. Blankets of all sorts reached to the ceiling, coming together in a tent that looked comfy, the inside filled with fluffy piles of cloth.

A pillow/blanket fort.

“Oh, hey, Shiro!” Lance grinned at him before his eyes shifted to Keith, “Mullet!”

“I don’t have a mullet either,” Keith grumbled before crossing his arms, face serious in a pout, “You guys are clearly seeing things.”

“You’re not seeing enough,” Lance spoke back before grabbing another blanket, tossing it into place somewhere to his left without looking. Shiro raised a brow at the action and the younger only smirked back, “Relax. I got this under control. My family and I used to have the best sleepover parties. I can make a pillow fort in my sleep.”

“Do you need any help?” Shiro couldn’t help but ask, seeing the pile of blankets not yet spread about yet, “You look like you still have quite a few left.”

“Nah, like I said, I got this,” Lance waved him off before throwing another one to the right, “You two just chill. You deserve it.”

“Who are you and where is Lance?” Keith asked with a tilted head, just as surprised as Shiro, “You’re being insanely nice.”

“Because I’m nice to my friends,” Lance grinned before pausing, looking straight at Keith, “And you’re my friend.”

“I am?” Keith asked with a small sound leaving him, head tilting even more, “Since when? I’m pretty sure I dreamt up a lot of stuff while I was a prisoner but...uhhh...not that.”

“Since we found Blue and came to space,” the teen frowned for a second, dark blue eyes sad, “I’ve...been a jerk, and I’m sorry. I didn’t help you at all by poking fun at you. I...just…”

He paused for a minute, messing with the blanket in his hand before finally looking at Keith again.

“I was jealous and took it out on you,” the other confessed after a minute.

“Jealous?” Keith’s voice went high-pitched as a weird squeak left him, “Why would you be jealous?”

“You’ve always been better at everything,” Lance scowled before softening up some, “You were a better pilot than me. You’re a wicked fighter. Heck, you found Blue before I even became her pilot. I just…”

“Lance…” Keith started but the other shook his head.

“After you were gone, we were worried sick,” Lance spoke softly, telling a truth that even Shiro didn’t know, “We lost the Red Lion and our friend. And I realized that I was being a jerk and that I might not see you ever again and I felt like an idiot because of what I did. I noticed too late that you never really pushed back when I said mean shit, and I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” Keith sighed softly, “There’s no reason to be jealous of me, Lance. You’re already pretty cool yourself. You flew Blue without knowing how to. You know how to shoot a gun better than I ever came. Trust me, I can’t hit shit with a gun.”

“Says the guy who can throw a knife like it’s a bullet,” Lance rolled his eyes playfully before sniffling. Shiro just watched it all unfold as the younger jumped at Keith, pulling him into a hug before seeming to realize who he was hugging, pulling back, “You probably don’t like...I mean…”

“I’m fine with hugs, Lance,” Keith rolled his eyes this time, pulling the other back into theirs, “I like hugs.”

Liked was an understatement, Shiro almost stated out loud but didn’t.

“Hey, we good?” Lance asked after a minute.

“We’re good,” Keith grinned back before he flicked him on the forehead with his finger, getting a yelp as Lance groaned and rubbed the area, “Now.”

“Ow!” He narrowed his eyes before shaking his head, “Okay. I deserve that. I’m still going to give you crap, you know that, right?”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Keith smirked back before he glanced around, “Seriously, what do you guys need help with?”

“We’re almost done,” Pidge’s voice spoke somewhere to their left. All three of them turned to see her head peeking out behind a panel on the wall. The youngest had a screw driver or something in her mouth, glaring at something inside the panel before muttering, “Freaking stupid wall output...to input...subtitles…”

“Uh, Pidge?”

“I’m fine,” she glanced at them all before twisting a wire and grinning as the screen suddenly had a few letters at the bottom. When she saw them, she groaned loudly, plopping her head against the wall, “Noooo…How do I change it from Altean to English?”

“I think I can be of some assistance with that, Number Five!” A chipper voice spoke behind them as Coran stood a few feet behind them. Allura stood off to the side, looking completely unsure about what was going on, but at least she was with them. Shiro figured the oldest Altean must have convinced her to stay. He noticed that she was pointedly avoiding looking at Keith, but Shiro let it slip by. There was only so much he could do to make her accept that they had a Galra teammate, “You didn’t plug the pogongos into the suretins! The titles won’t work with the language decoder unless you do.”

“Oh, duh,” Pidge facepalmed before digging into the wires, “I’m an idiot.”

Shiro highly doubted that. She clearly knew what parts Coran had been speaking of. Shiro had no clue what a ‘pogongo’ or a ‘suretin’ was. From the looks of the others, they had no idea either. For a second, nothing happened and then the subtitles switched to English.

“You figured out how to get it working!” Hunk grinned at them, quickly pressing Pidge into a hug which she protested at first before settling down, “You are a genius!”

“Coran helped,” she grumbled before relaxing into the hug, “He knows the thing.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Number Five,” Coran smiled as he grabbed the panel, popping it back on seamlessly, “You nearly had it on your own.”

She grinned at him happily.

“Hey, guys,” Hunk frowned for a moment, glancing around, “We’re missing someone.”

They could hear some squeaks from the floor. Glancing down, they watched as the four mice ran across white floor, climbing Allura’s dress and hopping once on her shoulders.

“Hey, little guys,” she grinned at them as they waved back, “Come to join the party?”

They made some more noise before settling down into the collar of her nightgown.

“As much as I like the mice,” Hunk blinked before staring at the door, “I wasn’t talking about them...Hey, Ulaz!”

The other Galra suddenly poked his head into the doorway, looking them all over before blinking in confusion. Shiro almost laughed at the gesture that looked so much like Keith’s own.

“Yes, Hunk?”

“You gotta join us?”

“For what?” The older raised a brow in confusion.

“For our sleepover, man,” Hunk grinned widely before seeing the confused expression still plastered over the other’s face, “Wait...Have you never had a sleepover before?”

“I assume not?” Ulaz frowned after a moment, “Is that...bad?”

“No!” Lance shouted suddenly before darting forward, pulling on the other’s wrist and leading him into the room, “We just gotta make sure this is the best sleepover ever. We can show you what it is.”

“Alright,” the older man nodded before sitting down where Lance placed him, patting the blankets, “Hmmm...it is...soft.”

“Do you ever not wear that suit?” Hunk asked as he raised a brow, “Sleepovers are great in soft clothing.”

“I do have other clothes?” Shiro snickered at his tone, “And the plating comes off of this. The undersuit is quite comfortable.”

“No way that can be comfortable,” Lance scoffed with crossed arms, “Our undersuits are not comfy at all and we’re Paladins of Voltron so…”

And then he poked the material.

“Holy quiznak!” He nearly fell back in shock, “It is weirdly soft.”

“Huh?” Keith tilted his head before poking the suit and making a strange noise, “Lance is right.”

“Wait...what did you say?”

“Oh my god, Lance,” Keith rolled his eyes before sitting down next to the other Galra. His tail pulled on Shiro’s arm enough that he got the message, also sitting down on Keith’s other side, “I said you were wrong.”

“I think I heard otherwise,” the other began and Shiro sighed, knowing they could go back and forth for hours, “You said I wa-”

“So what are we doing first?” The older interrupted.

“Well, we are getting his armor off first,” Pidge stared at the oldest Galra for a moment before she blinked, “And then…”

“We braid hair!” Lance shouted excitedly with wide eyes, “It was a big tradition in my family. We braided Rachel and momma’s hair and Veronica’s before she cut it super short! Hey, princess?”

Said Altean gazed at him with a wary look on her face.

“Yes?”

“Can I braid your hair?” He asked with a soft voice, one that seemed to knock the princess off her feet, “I’ve never seen you with one.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Hunk agreed. Pidge nodded back too.

“I…” Allura paused for a moment, hand to her chest before she nodded along, “Alright. I would be okay with that.”

“Thanks, princess,” the other grinned before patting a spot on the other side of the fort, “I got the perfect braid in mind. I’m a pro at this, trust me. Lancey Lance will save the day.”

“I suppose so,” she rolled her eyes before sighing and sitting down on the spot, “Just be careful.”

“Anything for my princess,” Lance grinned before sitting down behind her. Shiro gazed back over to the Blade member who had removed the armor in the time the two had their conversation. All that was left was the grey undersuit now.

“Hey, I wanna mess with your hair, Pidge,” Hunk smiled at the youngest who scowled. He suddenly gave her his puppy eyes, “Pleaseeee…”

“Guh, fine,” Pidge caved after a moment, “No braiding it though.”

“Will do,” Hunk saluted her before they both sat down between the two groups. Coran chose to sit down near his younger charge, messing with a bunch of her white hair.

Shiro turned his attention to the two Galra by his side. He watched as Ulaz run his fingers through Keith’s hair, getting a content hum from him. The older combed his claws through thick hair like he knew just what he was doing.

“We do have some members who braid their hair,” Ulaz grinned softly as Keith leaned against him, “Our leader does his in the Marmora style, but Kit’s hair is not quite long enough for such a braid.”

“You do really name everything after Marmora, don’t you?” Shiro smiled fondly before pressing closer to his best friend who peeked at him from the corner of his eye, face melting even more than before. By now, the younger was practically pressed to the other’s chest, happy as he could be, “So how are we braiding it?”

“We can do something like this,” Ulaz bit his lip before taking Keith’s front bang in his hand, separating it into its own groups. He braided it in a big braid before pulling it to the left side. The older paused for a second, looking at Shiro before gently guiding his hands to the younger’s hair, “I did the main braid, but we always make smaller ones so our hair doesn’t get into our face. Would you like to learn how?”

“Sure,” Shiro stated breathlessly as Keith made a sound, sliding a bit to the side, resting on Shiro more than he had on Ulaz. The older showed him how to braid smaller braids, which Shiro focused on. There was something domestic in the action that calmed him down. He weaved strands around each other, noting that Keith’s tail was still wrapped around his wrist. Before long, Shiro got lost in the moment, just enjoying this while he could. He loved this, just slowing down to take it all in. The little side curls were tucked into their own braids, staying neatly at his ears. The rest was left alone to sit where it normally did.

Keith looked amazing. He was lying with his head to the older’s chest, ear pressed to his heart. Shiro was happy to see the other looking so relaxed and content against him, something he has bound to not have experienced in over nine months, if not longer. His tail was still in the same spot, but not as tight as before. His face was softer than before, lines gone and unpained.

“Is he...purring?” Someone asked as Shiro blinked, pulled out of his staring enough to notice that he did feel a slight rumble against his chest. The younger was actually making a soft noise against him, doing exactly that. Purring.

“The sign of a healthy and happy kit,” Ulaz grinned before pushing up a blanket to the younger’s chest, getting a small break in the purring before Keith went on. Shiro was unsure if he was sleeping or not yet, “Even hybrids have the ability, especially when they are surrounded by people they trust. That is why we care for our young. Hearing them purr is a treasured thing. Have you not heard it before?”

Shiro knew they hadn’t. Keith likely didn’t have anyone to do this around. No one had cared enough to actually spend time with him before Shiro had met him and he doesn’t remember the younger doing that. He didn’t like the implications to that. The younger curled up a bit, somehow tucking the blanket around himself before settling down again.

“Hmmm…” Ulaz frowned sadly before sighing, “That is most unfortunate. Kits need this for their health. As I said before, we are a social people and being deprived of touch is harmful in multiple ways.”

“Harmful?” Pidge asked softly from the side, but Shiro did not remove his eyes from his best friend, “What?”

Shiro could already guess those harms before the older man began.

“Every kit yearns for touch,” Ulaz spoke softly, brushing his hand over Keith’s hair, getting more of a purr, “But those denied it will have problems. I assume his father took good care of him, however long that may have been, or we would not have him here today. The first few years of a Galra kit’s life are vital for touch. Our young have a high risk of meeting death if not.”

The others looked sad at that. Shiro could see Allura listening in, staring at Ulaz with a strange look. It was much like when the older had first claimed he had a kit on his base. She seemed to be thinking hard as the older went on.

“He must not have gotten much, if any after a certain period,” Ulaz sighed softly, “Those who remain touchless will become depressed and withdrawn, having a hard time connecting to others. They also can have lots of problems understanding their own emotions. We as people feel our emotions like a fire, and anything creating problems can mess up the whole system. It makes our young confused and scared. They can be unsure how to ask for the touch they need.”

“Oh,” Hunk wiped his eyes, “We are such terrible friends. We should have asked if he wanted hugs before.”

“Yeah, he melted into the one I gave earlier,” Lance nodded as he held onto Allura’s hair, “I just...I don’t know…”

“Shit,” Pidge frowned, “I’m an asshole. I thought...I didn’t think he wanted to be touched. He just always seemed so…”

“Distant?” Shiro spoke for her instead, giving her an understanding look, “He can’t help it. Back when we were at the Garrison, I had to initiate all the touches. I saw the younger and thought that he looked a bit...sad. Lonely…”

He does remember it all. How the other had never asked for anything, much less any type of touch. He had been a skinny, tiny thing back then, clearly needing more food and attention. He had acted stunned the first time Shiro actually held onto any part of him, back when he got Keith out of juvie. That had just been a touch to the shoulder blades to steer him to the door, but Shiro would never forget the look the younger had given him.

“It took months for me to even be able to put my hand on his shoulder,” Shiro grinned back fondly, watching the younger who purred on, “And another few months for our hugs to work. We made an agreement that we’d grab each other’s hand first. If Keith pulled out of it, I’d leave it alone. If Keith stayed, I hugged him. He…”

Shiro sighed softly as he brushed his own fingers through his friend’s hair this time, careful to not hit the braids.

“He has a hard time asking for anything,” Shiro confessed, hoping the younger didn’t mind him saying this, “Keith’s been raised on the bare minimum most of his life. Sometimes, he barely got enough to survive much less anything he needed emotionally.”

“Are you saying?” Pidge frowned before her eyes watered, “That’s so unfair. My family could be annoying at times, but they always cared for me. And Hunk and Lance’s families are really great from the way they speak about them. How...how can someone do that? How can someone just neglect someone they’re supposed to care for? That's child abuse.”

“Because they didn’t care enough,” Shiro frowned before swallowing thickly, “Why do you think Keith’s always crossing his arms?”

“I thought he was being all emo,” Lance frowned softly, “Trying to be all scary and tough.”

“Sadly, you’re not even close,” Shiro laughed weakly, feeling morose for his best friend. Even he himself had not understood why Keith stood like that for the longest time. At every turn, he stood hunched in on himself with stiff arms and a wanting look on his face. It wasn't until he ran across an article on the internet that he understood anyway, “He self-hugs. He wants touch but he's so uncomfortable asking for it. Keith's been taught that he shouldn't expect to have what he wants...what he needs. That what he gets is all he should want."

"That's horrible," Lance frowned as he gazed at the sleeping - Shiro knew he had to be sleeping now - half-Galra resting on Shiro's chest, "I wish he could have been around my family. Momma always told us to ask for what we want. She's never told us we had to just accept things."

"Is that…" Hunk frowned before sniffling, "Is that why Keith just...accepts things people say? I mean, I was there when James called him a cheater and he didn't even say anything until you and his parents were mentioned."

"They're a...sore subject," Shiro winced. That was an understatement too. Keith's dad's death still cut Keith deeply and his mother never being there left him with issues, "And that's a story for Keith to tell you guys, if he ever feels ready to."

The others seemed to agree. Not even Allura seemed ready to argue. No one said anything for a moment. Suddenly, a tiny noise came from Keith who shifted. Shiro gazed down at him to see sleep-heavy eyes opening slightly. The younger looked around for a second before yawning, his tail hair fluffing up a bit as he stretched a bit.

"Sh'ro?" Keith asked softly before he blinked, seeing everyone else's expressions, "I...you okay? What happened?"

"We are just sad," Ulaz spoke gently as dark eyes gazed at him, white brows turning down, "No kit should be ignored or turned away."

"Oh," Keith stared for a moment before a low keen left him, "Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing, my boy?" Coran spoke up for the first time in awhile, "You have done nothing wrong."

"Made you guys sad," Keith shrugged before gazing at his hands, "Sorry."

"Hey," Lance frowned from above them - since when did he get up? - as he shook his head, "Don't apologize. We're allowed to be scared or mad or sad on your behalf, samurai. We care about you."

"Yeah, you're our friend," Pidge spoke from their other side, face fierce, "And we should be saying sorry. We want to be better friends now. You…"

A moment of silence echoed around them.

"You're my brother," Pidge finally spoke softly, eyes watering up. Shiro could see the shocked look on Keith's face, "Maybe not by blood, but you’re as much my brother as Matt is. We’re a family up here, the seven of us. I was scared when you were taken. It was like losing my dad and brother all over. Only this time, I was there. I could have stopped this if I had just moved forward. I...I don’t want to lose another member of my family.”

Keith made a strange noise before his tail unwrapped from Shiro’s wrist, darting out to Pidge’s and grabbing her. Before she could blink, he pulled her down to his side before quickly hugging her. The blonde sent him a startled look, golden eyes wide as ever. The white-haired teen starting making some type of strange noise mixed with a purr, something that shouldn’t have settled anyone but was working for Shiro and Pidge too. Before long, the smallest was hugging Keith back, face to his shoulder.

“Family?” Keith finally spoke up after everyone calmed a bit, “We’re…”

“Yeah, who else would we be making a pillow fort with?” Pidge asked softly before squeezing him tighter, “But we’re serious. If you feel like you want a hug or anything, just reach out? We’re here and we’re going to try more. We should have seen it before. We’re sorry, Keith.”

“It’s okay,” Keith grinned at her before poking her nose with his tail, “I’m not mad. It’s...a change. And I probably won’t come to you right away…”

“But we’ll be waiting,” Lance smiled, hands on his hips, “We just need to do whatever it is you and Shiro are always saying. Focus yields patience.”

“Patience yields focus,” Keith rolled his eyes, but the grin stayed, “I almost thought you had it.”

“Hey, I was so close, mullet!” The younger sighed dramatically before he plopped down, resting his head on the other’s thigh, “Now you gotta be my pillow.”

“Oh my god, Lance, you’re heavy,” Keith groaned playfully before he smirked back, resting back onto Shiro who blinked. He usually saw that smirk when Keith was up to something, “And I have Shiro for a pillow and he’s so much better. Plus, he clearly doesn’t mind me being here.”

Shiro’s world turned fire hot at the statement. His brain stopped at the younger’s words when they really shouldn’t have. A choked sound left him as he blinked, breath temporarily locked in his chest. Holy crap...Why was he reacting like this now? He hadn’t before? Wait...he hadn’t, right? Right?

“I think you broke Shiro, man,” Hunk broke him out of his internal panicking. Keith made a hissing sound which had the younger raising his hands with a nervous laugh, “Don’t bite my head off. I’m just pointing out the facts.”

“Keith,” Shiro finally spoke up, hoping his voice didn’t crack, “Play nice. Hunk’s our friend.”

“For now,” Keith breathed out, staring at the other for a long moment before snickering, “Relax, big guy. I’m not going to do anything. Too cute to murder anyone in their sleep, remember?”

“Oh, now I’m starting to doubt that,” Hunk laughed again, but more sure this time as he sat down by Keith, Lance’s shoulder on his leg, “I think I’ll sleep with one eye open tonight.”

“That’s literally not going to help you,” Pidge rolled her eyes, “He has claws, teeth, and a tail. I’m pretty sure he could get rid of you any time in the night if he wanted to.”

“If he wanted to,” Hunk pointed his finger, “And Keith doesn’t want to. He wouldn’t do that, right, buddy? You like me, right?”

“Who doesn’t?” Keith snorted softly before he glanced around, “We starting the movie yet? Was I asleep that long?”

“You were out for like...ten minutes tops,” Pidge grinned before pressing a button nearby. The screen popped up, already playing the beginning of the movie, an Altean standing up on a table of some sort, “And we’re just starting now.”

“Oh, I remember this movie!” Coran grinned, settling down at their side just inches from Shiro’s unoccupied side, “It is quite the comedy! Why Alfor and I would bust a lung at the actors’ antics in this.”

“Well, let’s watch it already,” Lance grinned, a bubble of energy, “I wanna bust a lung.”

“Yeah,” Hunk agreed before he spoke more. Shiro didn’t bother paying attention to what he was saying, instead looking over at Allura who was still where she had been sitting the whole time. She looked sad for some reason, and a bit reluctant to join them. A moment passed before she silently got up and moved to Coran’s side. When her eyes met Shiro’s, he saw emotions in those cool blue eyes that he thought he could understand. The other quickly glanced away, turning her attention to the screen. He could see that the woman wasn’t really listening to it, likely still thinking.

She’d get there eventually.

Shiro turned his own attention back to his best friend. Keith was resting to his chest again, the points of his ear pressing into his front a bit. His white hair pooled around him and Shiro smiled fondly as they all settled down, everyone cuddling someone. He was so glad Keith was back with them, and things looked to be getting better with everyone.

He was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It always did.

But for now, he could enjoy this.

For now, they had each other.

Chapter Text

Shiro swears he remembers training being...easier before. Maybe it's because their dynamic has changed yet again. They were one at some point but not now that Keith was back. Their first training day was terrible when they got to the Castle. They couldn't form Voltron on command for anything except life-or-death situations. This training was going even worse. Maybe it's because Shiro feels a little clueless about his bayard…

"Shiro, you were supposed to get that bot," the princess sighed softly as she stepped up to his side, "What is the matter?"

"I don't know," Shiro frowned as he stared at the bayard in his hand. In the past varga, the thing would not change into anything for him. There wasn't even a single burst of light from the device. He was kind of feeling sad about that, "I don't know how to activate my bayard."

"What?" Allura demanded with wide eyes, "Why not?"

"Maybe I broke it when I got back from Zarkon," Shiro frowned as he tried again. He stood there, calling forth for something to happen. Nothing, "How do you guys use yours?"

The other four exchanged unsure looks. They all had their bayards in weapon forms already. Even Keith had his out, sword of red and white in his left hand much like Shiro was.

"Uhhh…you know, I don't actually know now that you ask," Hunk frowned before scratching his head, "I've never had problems with my bayard before. Sorry, man."

"Yeah, same here," Lance agreed before smirking, "I mean, I'm naturally talented at this stuff."

Shiro almost rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I think none of us had any problems," Pidge stared at her green taser, ignoring the Blue Paladin's remark, "It just formed for us as soon as we tried."

"Maybe Black can help?"

Keith's voice had them all turning to him. Shiro tilted his head, silently telling him to go on. Keith did after a hesitant minute.

"When I first activated my bayard, it felt...weird? Like my own energy was going into it," Keith explained as he watched his bayard glow red and shrink down, "I didn't think anything of it because it wasn't very noticeable and I didn't know about quintessence at the time. But I can still feel it. And Red seems to be guiding me? Using it is easier now and I can feel her quintessence there. I…"

Keith paused, nose scrunched up as he glanced at each of them, even Allura for a millisecond before he stepped closer to Shiro, until he was nearly to his chest. The younger stared at his black bayard for a long second, eyes narrowed before he looked up at him.

"I think Black is helping," he blinked, "Her quintessence is there."

"So you're saying Shiro's the one having issues?" Lance asked with a raised brow, "Why?"

"I'm not saying it's all on Shiro," Keith spat back before taking a deep breath. Shiro placed his hand on the younger's shoulder, "I just know that Black is helping but Shiro's having a hard time with it on his end."

"That makes no sense whatever," Allura spoke up as she scowled, "Shiro's arm is made to work from quintessence. His bayard is used the same way as his hand when he activates it."

"Yeah, but Shiro uses his arm differently," Keith stared at his own arm. They couldn't see it through the layer of armor, but they all knew, "When I use mine, it's not like the bayard. The only reason I can still use my bayard is because I got used to it before I got my arm. Shiro's had his for over a year and he's never had the chance to use his bayard yet."

"And who's fault is that?" Allura spat back, looking every bit an angry warrior in her battle suit.

"Zarkon," Pidge spoke up with a flat face, "Just Zarkon. He's the one who had it."

"Yeah," Hunk nodded, "It's not like Keith stole it from us and you know it. You said it was lost with it's previous paladin."

"I…" The princess stumbled over her words, "It was stolen!"

"By its paladin," Shiro frowned at her as her face became shocked, "Yes, I know. I wouldn't exactly call that stealing. Zarkon was the first paladin, wasn't he? The Black Paladin before me."

"I…"

"He did use the bayard really well," Pidge stared at her own in thought, "He changed it from a sword to a shield like it was nothing. How'd he do that? Could we do that?"

"We're missing the big picture," Keith interrupted with a scowl that turned somewhat scared, "Did you guys see the bayard? Did you see how it was glowing purple and formed weird? He still had a bit of Black's quintessence but his felt...bad."

"Bad?" Shiro questioned as the younger nodded, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know…" Keith crossed his arms like he was feeling a cold chill up his spine, "I didn't like it. I saw it during the matches, and it...it feels like it's calling to me like Blue did but...it's twisted. It feels like I'm going to drown in thick oil."

The imagery made Shiro cringe. That sounded horrible.

"Well, in any case," Allura frowned as she sighed, "We should get back to training. Shiro, I still think it would be best to work on your bayard. Go through it again."

And then she stepped out of the training area. Shiro gazed at the doorway. The younger Altean had been quiet lately and snappy at nearly everyone. She was pushing them all hard recently, maybe more so than the first days of training.

There was nothing Shiro could do but wait it out. He couldn’t make Allura like Keith again. He couldn’t make her see the Blade as something good and important to their mission. He couldn’t make her be nice to everyone. It was something she had to figure out herself.

Hopefully she’d figure it out soon - before someone got seriously hurt.

The bots started up again, eyes flashing blue as five of them surrounded them. They all got into their stance, back-to-back to protect each other. Shiro knew Keith was on his right and Pidge on his left. Before any of them could think, the bots bolted at them. He heard the clang as bayard met metal. He glared at his own opponent, watching as it wandered up to him, taking its sweet time while everyone else fought theirs.

Shiro tried to activate the bayard. He focused on the weapon, telling it to turn into a sword or a gun or something. He avoided a punch to the face as he screamed silently inside as his bayard stayed dormant. Ducking out of the way, Shiro slid across the floor before coming up on all fours. He glared at the bayard which just sat in his hand, mocking him. He could hear the bot coming for him, small clanks on the floor. Shiro glared at the machine, about ready to use his own arm to dismantle it when his chest suddenly felt heavy. Ice cold shivers ran down his back as he suddenly was back there.

He was in the middle of a match.

His opponent was ready to kill him, spear about to cut into his neck at an angle that would surely kill him. His limbs locked up as his breath was punched from his chest. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think.

He was going to die. He was going to die.

“Shiro!”

One moment, he was waiting for a spear to slash through his throat, the next he was panting unevenly as Keith jumped in front of him. The younger launched himself at the bot, right arm lighting up like Shiro’s. Red hot plasma claws grew from the appendage, slicing into the bot as it sparked, blue turning black as the machine died off.

Keith was instantly at his side, bayard back to its pocket on the suit and his hand pressed to Shiro’s side. Shiro eyes stayed on the bot, watching as the machine slid apart where Keith’s claws had cut clear through it, leaving it in a pile of six or so pieces on the floor. He stared in shock at it, taking it in before moving his eyes back to Keith who was saying something, lips moving.

No noise came for a moment.

“...hear me?” Keith’s voice finally filtered into his ears, just over the beating of his heart as galaxy eyes gazed at him with worry deep in those orbs, “Shiro...breathe. Come back to me. That’s it. You’re okay. You’re gonna be fine.”

He blinked as he looked around. He was on all of his limbs, bent over with hands and knees to the floor. His flesh felt hot but he was dripping with sweat, the liquid sliding down his face to the floor. He wasn't hurt but he could feel something wet in his eyes. He quickly sat down, pulling the helmet off before smearing his wrist against his face. His chest was working like normal again.

His hand came away free of blood.

Oh...he was crying. Ohhhhhh…

"Shiro?"

Shiro gazed at his best friend. The other sat by his side, ever the loyal guardian. Shiro only sent him a shaky smile before resting his forehead against Keith's armored shoulder.

"Keith," Allura's voice came from Shiro's left side, sounding deeply unsatisfied, "You simply cannot keep jumping in front of Shiro every time he faces someone. He's going to have to face his own battles."

"I won't quit," Keith warned her, voice like steel, "Shiro needs me."

"Shiro needs you?" The other scoffed with irritation in her voice, "What if your teammates need you? What if Pidge or Hunk or Lance were under attack? I don't exactly see you jumping in their path, now do I?"

"Allura…" Hunk started but she cut him off.

"No, I seem to be the only one asking this," Shiro peeked out from his spot on Keith's shoulder, seeing icy blue eyes twitching a bit, "He's going to jeopardize our missions doing that. He just carelessly tosses himself in harm's way if it means Shiro's going to get a small bruise. I want to bet that's what got him captured in the first place. Too busy being Shiro's body guard that he didn't watch who he was running into."

"Hey, that's not fair," Lance protested, brows down, "It could have been any of us who were caught."

"But it was not, was it?" Allura scowled with crossed arms, "I'm honestly surprised he's made it this far on these...these reckless endeavors!"

"I won't stop," Keith growled slightly before Shiro felt claws on his back, just below the jetpack as Keith's tail wrapped along his ankle, "Not when it comes to Shiro. I can't...I won't let him be in pain again."

"And why is that?" The princess glared, "Don't you know you're playing favorites on a team who needs you equally. Voltron is not formed because you pay attention to Shiro all the time."

"That's cruel, Allura," Pidge spoke up, eyes hard, "What do you want him to do? Sit back and watch Shiro get hurt?"

"Yes!" Allura yelled in frustration, face going red with anger, "Because maybe then Shiro will be able to use his bayard instead of being babied at every single hit!"

Shiro froze. He never felt like Keith was babying him. Keith always let him make his own decisions. He never told him not to go to Kerberos. He never said to not drive off cliffs. He never claimed that Shiro couldn't do something because of his disease. Keith was not invalidating him by protecting him.

Did Shiro wish Keith would be more cautious before jumping to protect him? Did he wish he never had this much trauma so he wouldn't need protecting? Yes, but Keith was just Keith. He was fire, all act now and think later. There have been dozens of times that Keith's mindset had saved them both from flash hits. Shiro wouldn't have it any other way.

"I don't baby Shiro," Keith hissed softly before holding him tighter, "And I know I play favorites with him but I'm not going to stop. He's my best friend. I know you hate the idea and think Galra can't care about anyone but themselves, but if it's a choice between Shiro and anything else, I will pick him every time."

"Yeah, well, I think you're being selfish like every other Galra," Allura huffed, but yet her voice wobbled slightly, "Zarkon chased after Black. Sendak almost took the castle twice! And you're too selfish by always attaching yourself to Shiro!"

"I don't care," Keith spat back, eyes more fierce than before. Tension hung thick over them all, "Maybe I am selfish! But Shiro's the only one who's never given up on me! He's been there for me since I was fifteen, alone without anyone who cared. He saw a broken kid who got into way too many fights and actually fucking listened to him. He's been through hell and back and I can't just abandon him. I don't care if something happens to me, I'm not letting anyone hurt him again. Let's just…"

Keith literally growled this time, trying to get ahold of his anger. Shiro quickly grabbed onto his tail, letting the appendage wrap around his mechanical hand to better ground himself. A long wounded whine left Keith before he sighed softly.

"You know what, nevermind," Keith scowled before he stood up, face defeated, "Since I'm just like every Galra out there, what does it matter? I'm never going to be good enough for you to accept me. Join the rest of Galra who hate me too for being a fucking half-breed, it's a long list. I don't fucking care anymore. Let's just get this training over with."

And then he went to the other side of the room, tail waving around agitatedly as some sounds left him. The younger started to pace around. At the same time, Allura marched out of the room, probably going to the control center.

"You should work on your mind meld," her voice came over them as they all gazed up where they knew her to be, "Can't fall apart because someone can't keep it together."

Shiro shook his head, getting up and putting the argument to rest.

"No," he huffed before shaking his head again, "None of us are in the mode, princess. We'll all be causing problems for the rest if we do."

"Fine," she sighed before she spoke sternly, "But you're doing the maze."

"Alright," Shiro agreed, knowing Allura was far too angry to let it go. He glanced at the other three standing there. All of them had sour expressions on their faces.

"Pidge," Allura spoke up, "You'll go first and Lance will guide you."

"Still not my princess," the youngest grumbled under her breath before stalking to the center of the room. Shiro quickly strolled to Keith's side, gently rubbing at his neck, the one spot that he could reach. The younger growled again before he sighed, allowing the older to tug him off to the side with the others. Lance started off on telling the youngest where the electric walls were, but Shiro ignored him in favor of watching the younger beside him. Keith was looking a bit dazed, fists clenched tightly as they shook slightly. His tail was doing its own thing, moving up and down in angry circles. Shiro winced, knowing Keith would get a kink soon if he kept it up.

"You okay?" Shiro whispered softly, hoping Keith would answer honestly.

"I'm fine," Keith shrugged before he sighed tiredly, "I'm...I'll be fine."

"I'm here for you," Shiro reassured the younger with a smile, "And...thank you for helping me."

"Always, Shiro," Keith shot him an incredulous look like he couldn't fathom Shiro just wanting to thank him, "I was serious. You've never given up on me, and I won't give up on you either."

"We're a mess," Shiro laughed quietly before he frowned. Keith was looking at the maze with an anxious stare, "If you can't do the maze, you can wait. I get it."

"I just…" Keith paused before flinching as Pidge grazed the electric field, "I don't like this. The gladiator I can fight. The mind meld I can handle. This...I don’t know…”

“What’s wrong with the maze?” Shiro asked with unease dipping into his stomach. It took a lot for Keith to say that he was uncomfortable, even to Shiro, “Keith, if there's something that can trigger you, I'd like to know. Please?"

"I…" Keith hesitated before frowning, "She used lightning."

Shiro blinked in confusion. She? Used lightning? He was about to ask Keith what he meant when Allura called out, saying it was Hunk's turn to guide Shiro through the maze. Shiro frowned for a moment, debating on whether he should stick back and find out more from Keith when the younger man shook his head. Shiro's brows scrunched down but he didn't say anything as he moved to the middle of the maze.

It took all of his concentration to follow Hunk's orders, so he had no time to ponder Keith's words. He followed the younger's instructions, only bumping the wall twice. It honestly wasn't zapping him very much. Allura seemed to have it on a lower setting. Maybe she was trying to make up for earlier.

Shiro got done in five minutes. Hunk kept apologizing for getting the directions mixed up, but he just said that Hunk did a good job.

“Pidge,” Allura spoke, “You will guide Keith through the maze.”

The youngest nodded as Keith started for the center. Shiro could see his fists were clenched and that he was tense. He had half a mind to call it off but knew that it wouldn’t go well with either Keith or Allura. Once Keith got to the middle, the walls came up for a second before turning invisible. Even from here, Shiro could see the other rubbing his thumb over his fingers. More unease settled into his stomach as Pidge started to instruct the other.

“Keith, you just need to take three normal-sized steps forward,” the Green Paladin began softly, sharing a look with Shiro who sent her back a tiny shrug and wince, “Just three steps forward. You got this?”

“Y-yeah,” the other responded, sounding completely unsure of that, “Got i-it…”

“Just three steps,” Pidge spoke up, counting each step as Keith moved forward, “One...that’s good. Two...You can do it...Keith, can you take another step? One more step.”

Keith didn’t. Keith got to the second step and refused to move anymore. From Shiro’s angle, he could see the younger shaking softly, face a paler purple than before. There was a slight daze again to his eyes, face a little blank as he finally took another step forward…

Only to get zapped.

The Red Paladin cried out in shock, hunching over as a pained sound left him. Shiro could see that while the younger did move forward, he had also moved too far to the right, accidentally hitting the doorway to the next tunnel. Pidge seemed worried even more now along with the other two who sent him looks. He paid attention to his best friend, who was beginning to freak out a lot on the maze’s floor.

Keith was breathing hard, sweat coming off of his face. He was still hunched over, making distressed noises as his tail stood stock still. Shiro recognised the signs of a flashback in the other as he quickly grabbed the comm from Pidge.

“Keith, it’s okay,” he tried to soothe the other over, “You’re safe. You’re back with us. Nothing bad is happening to you. Keith.”

The younger didn’t seem to hear him. Shiro stood there as he saw the instant Keith shifted, going from dazed to alive with fire under his skin. Shiro felt something deep within him slam dread across his whole body as he nearly facepalmed. Of course.

Keith wouldn’t have the reaction Shiro had to his own flashbacks. Where Shiro locked up and froze, Keith fought like no other. His first instinct was to fight, to get whatever was harming him out of the way. He had always been that way, swiping punches at anyone at the Garrison. He learned quickly that more good came from some type of physical action than none at all.

If you took the fight to them, they couldn't start it with you. You had the upper hand in what way it fell.

"She used lightning."

Shiro's mind crashed just remembering Keith's statement. Oh no. The witch had used her electricity on the younger. Shiro had been lucky to mostly avoid that when he had been in her hold. He remembered the shocks still as her druids stood nearby, ready to assist her with more lightning, dark and twisted. He remembered the pain as the electricity ran through him, leaving him shaking and breathless.

If Keith had been exposed to that often, which Shiro had to guess from his reaction, the maze was a horrible idea no matter what setting it was on. Fuck...He should have listened to his gut in the first place.

“Allura! Turn it off!” He shouted as loud as he could, seeing Keith starting to fight more. There would be no pulling him out of his head right now. Not with words, and likely not with anything else if they didn’t stop it now, “Keith! You’re okay! Allura!”

“I’m trying!” Her voice came from the speaker as the maze itself crackled ominously, “It’s not working!”

“You better not be fucking around with us!” Pidge shouted as she raced for the control room, “You hate Keith, we get it!”

“I’m not messing with it!” Allura’s voice sounded genuinely scared and lost, “It won’t turn off! Something’s wrong with it! It was working just fine before this!”

Shiro quickly tossed down the headset before turning to the other two.

“Is there any way we can shut the thing down between the three of us?”

“Uhhh...no,” Hunk frowned with a nervous look around, “We can’t see the walls-”

“Yeah, not happening,” Lance showed them the broken tablet which was glitching out, “I hope the castle’s not still haunted. How do we get Keith out?”

“I don’t know,” Shiro glanced back at him friend who was looking around wildly, tense as ever, “But we better do it quick.”

Keith let out another cry as he smacked into the wall again. Shiro’s heart broke at the sound as the younger grew more panicked, glaring every which way before his eyes narrowed on the area that had once been the open doorway. The younger darted for the spot, taking a sharp right turn right after. The older almost had a heart attack as he ducked down another path as if he could tell where the walls were. Shiro tracked Keith with his eyes, watching as he came to a sudden stop at the edge of the training area. The younger twisted around wildly before turning to the side.

Dead end.

Shiro darted for the other side of the maze wall. It took a few seconds, and before he got there, he could hear Keith screaming in pain. When he finally got close, he could see that Keith had his hand lit up again, claws digging into the wall’s side. The whole maze rippled with electricity, converging where Keith had his claws scratching the surface. The younger was twitching a bit, face feral as he dug harder into the field.

“Shut off!” Pidge yelled in the distance, a loud crack following after, “Stupid fucking machine! Turn off!”

Keith pushed harder yet, arching a bit as he bit back another scream at the flow of electricity. The walls were visible now, a strange red color that matched Keith’s own. Bits of lightning jumped from the spot, flying around carelessly before dying off.

“Pidge!” Allura’s voice rang out, “Try that there! Now!”

Keith let out another cry, one that became even louder than before. At this point, Shiro could see the electricity flicking around the younger's armor, dancing around him. He had the feeling that something was holding off a lot of the current or otherwise Keith would be dead.

“Got it!” The Green Paladin shouted back before the maze suddenly died off, the room becoming silent. Keith’s weight overshifted with the lack of anything to hold him up and he went tumbling the floor with a smaller cry, curling up as he twitched rapidly. Shiro could practically smell burning hair and flesh, and he wasn’t sure how much that was his imagination, his memory, or real.

“Keith, man!” Hunk rushed to other and Shiro’s chest exploded, already knowing just what would happen.

“Hunk! GET BACK NOW!”

The younger just barely heard him before yelping as plasma claws almost cut off his head. The Yellow Paladin fell back, quickly rushing back to their side as Keith stood up, tail lashing from side to side. He could hear Pidge and Allura running over to them, but he only had eyes for his best friend.

The younger was panicking still, eyes the size of pins. The look on his face was a desperate animalistic one, one Shiro remembered well from his time in the arena. Keith was stuck in fight mode, and when that happens, it’s life or death to him. He was on guard against them, like they were opponents he had to face. Because his brain actually thought they were enemies right now. He couldn’t recognize any of them right now.

God, Shiro knew just how that felt.

“We can’t talk him out of it,” Shiro tensed up, holding his hands up before stepping just a bit closer to Keith who growled, backing up, “He’s stuck in that mindset. We have to coax him out of it. Keith...it’s okay. You’re okay.”

Keith paused, head tilting before he gazed over Shiro’s shoulder, eyes somehow going even smaller before he hissed loudly. The younger was clenching his side now, right arm in front of himself for protection. He stepped back, eyes roaming everywhere before they came back to the same spot. Before anyone could breathe, the other’s bayard formed in his hand, turning into a small blade instead of a sword. With a shout, Keith threw the weapon straight at them. The blade spun as they all dove out of the way. He could tell that the younger had done it that way on purpose. He wanted them to scatter, to make them leave a path open. Shiro twisted to his right and could see Keith getting ready to run by them in their distraction.

He jumped at the other, taking the younger by surprise and knocking him to the floor. They were both limp for a second before Keith growled and started fighting him, claws coming close to his face, heat licking at him. Both rolled one over the other, trying to get the advantage. The Black Paladin never realized how strong Keith was until this point, since the younger was keeping up with him without a drop of exhaustion or strain in his movements. With a lucky push over, Shiro quickly grabbed at both of his wrists, pinning them back down with his mechanical hand, practically sitting on top of Keith to ensure he didn’t use his legs to kick him. The younger’s tail wrapped around his wrist, tugging unevenly as the smaller started panting wildly.

“Keith, you’re okay,” Shiro frowned as the younger made a sad, long whining sound, “It’s me, Shiro. You’re not back there. Keith.”

“Can’t...hurts...stop…” Keith gasped out while staring at him blankly, eyes watering up. His voice was raspy and lower than normal, likely due to whatever was happening to his eyes. Shiro’s heart ached for his best friend because for all he knew, he could be seeing Shiro as the witch, “I’ll be good...please...leave me alone…hurts...”

A moment passed before the younger starting fighting even harder than before. Shiro was taken off guard when the other’s tail grabbed his bangs and yanked as the younger’s flesh hand got free. Slight pain tug down into the roots of his hair.

“Shiro!”

Someone shouted but he couldn’t care to figure who had called out. He watched as the claws raced for flesh. Not his skin, but for Keith’s own. The younger’s sharp nails dug into his neck, right by the chest plate collar. Luckily, the undersuit was strong enough that his nails didn’t cut into the skin, only left red marks. The younger cried out, dropping the limb when it got him nowhere seconds after.

“Stop...hurts…” The younger panted thickly, breathing going even faster than before, “Sorry...Sorry...Sh’ro...Shiro!”

And then he went still, making a tiny distressed sound every few seconds. His irises were still tiny little dots, more slits than ovals at this point and his teeth even sharper as he laid there. Shiro cautiously let him go, wincing when the other stayed perfectly stiff in place, one arm over his head and the other on his right side. Some time in the scuffle, his arm had went dark again. Keith didn’t react, only kept staring and making that small sound over and over again. His tail would flick every time he made the noise, but other than that, there was nothing.

It was creeping Shiro out.

What was happening? Why was it happening?

“Hunk...get Ulaz…” Voices spoke behind him, but he couldn’t pay attention as Keith stayed in the same state, barely moving and not with them at that moment. His glazed eyes proved it.

“Keith,” Shiro frowned deeply before he held onto the other’s shoulders. The smaller was stiff as if his muscles had been turned to ice. Shiro tugged on the other, noticing that he seemed to resist movement at first before giving in and moving a bit. It all felt so off, the movements...waxy. Waxy was the best thing he could call it, slow and uncoordinated. Keith just followed wherever Shiro put him, which at this point was so that he was sitting up more. A moment passed before he brought both wrists to the other’s lap, brows down when Keith didn’t move at all, even though the position had to be uncomfortable. He stayed right where he was.

“What is going on?” Ulaz’s voice boomed through the training area as Shiro glanced over at the man. Some type of small hope fluttered in his chest because the older surely must know what was wrong with Keith. What had triggered this...state, “I have heard Kit was...acting strange.”

“He’s been in this state for a few minutes now,” Pidge spoke up, voice worried, “It looks like catatonia.”

“That is because it is,” Ulaz muttered once he saw Keith. The younger Galra only continued the noise as he sat there, immobile, “Kits have a natural defense system of coping mechanisms. First, they are likely to fight. There is a reason our motto is ‘victory or death,’ after all. We are some of the most well-known fighters. We all live for action in fighting. But if a kit finds no success with that...”

The older knelt down by Shiro’s side, carefully pressing the other into a more comfortable position than before. The younger’s tail bumped Shiro’s leg, making Shiro move closer unknowingly. He wanted to help him.

How could he help him?

“Then they look for other ways out. We Galra are a strong people, hardly able to admit defeat,” Ulaz explained as he watched the other, making some type of soothing sound to hopefully get Keith back to normal, “But kits...they may be headstrong, but even the most stubborn kit will cave.”

“Other ways out?” Lance frowned before he grabbed onto Hunk, “You mean like…”

“Yes, even that,” Ulaz sighed softly before brushing a thumb through Keith’s hair, still gaining no response. He must have noticed the blooming red scratches on the younger’s neck, “A last ditch effort if a kit is in a lot of pain and under lots of stress. If they see no other way out, they’ll take this one. Whatever triggered this must have been terrible because kits do not jump so quickly to such an answer.”

“Haggar…” Shiro spoke up, seeing the rest looking at him. He ignored them in favor of carefully grabbing onto Keith’s hand. It was kind of cool and stiff, “She did something to him. Something with lightning. Probably often…”

Ulaz flinched before his face turned grim.

“The witch does much with her lightning,” he sighed before making some more sounds again, “It is a wonder that he is still here before us. I have tended to those injured by being her play things. Hardly anyone makes it out of there alive, much less can act remotely like themselves. Perhaps Kit was counteracting the witch’s lightning, since she does manipulate dark energy and quintessence.”

“Oh man, and the whole maze was filled with lightning,” Hunk scowled as he quickly hugged Lance to his side, “But why is he all...statue-like? It’s kind of weird and creepy?”

“Because that is nearly the last stage,” Ulaz stared over at the bigger teen before turning his head back to Keith, “This is when a kit hits their catatonic state, staying as still and quiet as possible. If death shall come, at least it should not hurt. He likely will not remember anything happening now, and his mind...it is unlikely to be with us. He is almost completely disconnected from his body.”

“How…” Allura spoke up, swallowing thickly, looking a bit pale. Shiro couldn’t even find any pity for her right now, even though it had clearly been an accident, “How long will he be like this?”

“It is hard to say,” the older frowned in thought for a moment before he carefully pushed Keith to Shiro’s lap, getting a confused look from him, “I merely wish for you to hold onto him. Perhaps him knowing his deepest trusted friend is nearby will shake him from it.”

“I...will it help?” Shiro couldn’t help but ask. He didn’t get a reply from the man, but instead one from Keith who muttered something under his breath. Shiro blinked before he pressed his hand to the other’s chest, looking over at him, “Keith?”

“Keith,” the younger repeated softly, looking up at him this time. His gaze wasn’t very clear, but at least Keith seemed to have his eyes on him. Shiro grinned happily, glad the other seemed to do something other than just stare forward.

“You okay?”

“You…” Keith paused before his brows moved down a bit, “Okay?”

“I’m okay,” Shiro answered back before he frowned slightly. Keith’s responses seemed slow and automatic, like he was just repeating what he heard. He was proven correct when the younger did just that.

“I’m okay,” he responded back a bit later, voice kind of dull. Shiro looked over at Ulaz who was watching them intensely.

“The catatonia seems to be lightening, if by a little,” the older messed with his wrist computer, “It could last quintants or even movements, but from what I’ve seen so far, it’ll likely be a few vargas.”

“Is there anything we can give him to help?”

“If we were at headquarters, we could,” Ulaz sighed before standing, “We have the medication there, though we have no kits on base. We’ve run across kits before who needed it, some older than Kit.”

“And we cannot just…” Allura’s brows were down in confusion, frown on her lips, “Make some ourselves?”

“No,” he shook his head, face serious, “It is made through a specific way. Some ingredients are only safe for Galra. Some can only be found by us. The Empire cares little for the mental health of their warriors. We, however, do care very much. We cannot afford to lose the numbers we have, and certainly not when they can be treated.”

“Oh,” the princess stared at Keith for a moment, with what Shiro knew was bound to be regret, “I see.”

“You see,” Ulaz stared at her, lip turned down before he sighed even louder, “It is to my understanding that Kit was pushed to this level of stress because of your actions, yes?”

“Yes,” Allura spoke after a moment, looking every bit like a kicked puppy. Shiro had never seen the look before on her in the year he'd known her. Something in Ulaz’s face softened at that.

“I understand, princess,” Ulaz nodded before he bowed just slightly, stepping closer to Shiro and Keith. He moved his arms to silently convince Shiro to pick the younger up. Shiro did so without a word, watching the conversation go down, “It is hard to lose one’s family to war. War is never fair to anyone, but never forget. During war, the first to suffer under a dictatorship is the people. The Empire washes their young in propaganda and makes sure they don’t think otherwise. You are either strong or dead when it comes to them. There is no middle ground. They have nowhere to turn if they do defect, unless they join us, but we are little more than a rumor. Death is much more kind to those caught. You all may think prisoners have it worse, but hybrids have it just as bad. Your paladin was both.”

“Both,” Keith muttered just loud enough for all of them to hear. The younger’s tail swayed slightly against Shiro’s leg as he stared at the older’s chest, “Half-breeds are mutts."

"What?" Pidge frowned as her eyes watered, "Why is he saying that?"

"It's part of the catatonia," Ulaz stared at her for a moment, "He is just saying things he has heard others say. Likely from his time with them. It can be present things said and past things."

"Things," Keith muttered out loud, making a small noise, "Lots of things."

"How do we help him?" Hunk asked quietly as they all took that in, "There must be some way to help…"

"You could make a nest," Ulaz responded back before he sighed, "A kit has to come out of it themselves but they are more likely to do so with those they trust near and surrounded by warmth. Speaking to him may help him."

"Okay," Lance nodded, "Get him in a big cuddle pile and we'll be okay. Got it."

"Got it," Keith repeated softly before he became silent again.

"And do not be alarmed if some of the symptoms last even longer," the oldest Galra nodded at them, "Kits who come out of it may have selective muteness for a bit, possibly quintants later. It is very difficult to come out of it once they reach this point. But...I feel he will get there with you four by his side."

Shiro held Keith tighter at the statement. The younger only huffed slightly, continuing to stare with a blank look. The other three looked determined by their sides.

"Princess, I suggest you figure out who you should be hating," Ulaz stared at the young woman who crossed her arms with a wince, "Who has wronged you. Because Kit surely hasn't. As a princess, you have been told not to let your anger blind you. You know the acts of many are not the acts of one nor vice versa. You may think I am being harsh, but my leader will not be afraid to tell you that, so it is my duty to also say so, to give you a fair warning. We protect our kits, whether blood or not. Keep that in mind for your thoughts later. You’ll no doubt be thinking of much soon."

And then the tallest was gone. He disappeared like a shadow into the night, like a ghost going invisible.

"Let's get Keith to a nest," Shiro whispered to the others, seeing the princess staring out into space. He pretended not to see the drops of water coming from her eyes as he steered the rest of them out.

Allura needed to work out whatever was happening. He had the feeling that she was not mad at Keith, not really. She was angry at Zarkon and the Galra of old. For turning and throwing away a good friendship. She was probably just afraid the same would happen with this generation. With Keith and the Blade.

Shiro shook himself out of his head as he held Keith better. The younger was nosing at his throat like he used to do in their hugs. He didn't seem much more aware, but he did rest his tail to the older's wrist. The small sound only left his lips every now and then. Dark eyes still gazed unblinkingly at his chest, but it was clear he was fighting his way back to the surface.

Before long, they settled into a pile of blankets, covering Keith up as the younger made a brief purring sound. He didn't fall asleep, but he did relax a bit, arms going soft.

"I got you, buddy," Shiro held him closer, pressing his forehead to Keith's temple, "We got you. You're safe. You'll never be alone again. We need you. I need you."

Chapter Text

Days later, Ulaz stood on the bridge, waiting for the others to show up. Coran had called a meeting of some sort, something having come up. Ulaz gazed over at the team who were standing near each other, Kit in the middle of their loose circle. The older Galra had noticed that the four had become protective of their fifth, spending quality time with him and doing exactly what Ulaz said they should have. In fact, he had even visited the younger when he figured the others needed a quick break.

Hunk, Pidge, and Lance had all been concerned about their friend but throughout it all, Shiro had been the one who refused to leave Keith’s side except for bathroom and shower breaks. He had stuck to the younger’s side like glue, unwilling to leave as the younger slowly came out of the catatonic state. The human had been kind and patient, muttering to the other about everything he could, from racing hoverbikes to betting that Kit would kick his butt in their next sparring match. He gently made sure that the smaller ate the food the Yellow Paladin brought them. Ulaz grinned even now at the gesture.

It was, after all, the gesture of either a caretaker doting on their kit, or...a mate with their loved one. And Ulaz highly doubted the other saw Kit as a kit.

Oh, Ulaz had noticed. He could see the way they gravitied to each other, like planets orbiting a central star. He noticed that the younger latched onto the older at every moment, often unconsciously as his tail wrapped around his wrist. He saw how the older human always looked out for the younger, how he was always there, an ever silent-but-by-his-side companion. How both were fiercely protective of one another on the battlefield, and how both made time for each other. He’s barely been with them for a movement and he could already see it.

They had a bond that Ulaz so rarely saw these days, maybe even more so than the one he shared with his own mate.

But Ulaz expected it. He was, after all, Krolia’s boy.

He did not only have her looks, but her attitude. And Ulaz knew Krolia, since she had helped train him. That attitude was...bound to get him into trouble, no doubt, but Ulaz would be there to help him.

He not only owed it to Krolia, but he was genuinely attached to the young kit at this point. Possibly the first moment he saw the other injured and frightened.

“So I called all of you here today for a very important meeting!” Coran grinned from the front of the room. Ulaz blinked at the energy the man put in his speech. It seemed to be a normal thing for him, “As you have noticed, we have been in this section of the universe for the past few quintants! Sadly, we are not here on our own want!”

“Uhhh...aren’t we here so Keith and Allura can recover?” Pidge asked, brow raised in confusion, “We’re not expecting anyone to find us here, especially after Shiro and Black worked things out.”

“Well, we were here for that purpose, but not now,” the older man blinked for a moment, “We happen to need more scultrite.”

“Scultrite?” Lance squinted, “Is this like the Balmera crystals or something?"

"Oh no, my dear boy!" Coran grinned before pulling up a map of the castle. A section pulled up with a tunnel and holes that looked quite like a- "Scultrite is a material we use for the teleduv! Without the teleduv, we're not wormholing anywhere!"

"Oh crap," Hunk frown before rubbing both hands nervously, "That means we're sitting ducks, man"

"Ducks?" Coran blinked, face blank. Ulaz had just as much a clue was a 'duck' was as he did.

"Yeah," Pidge nodded with, brows moving down, "A bird with a flat beak and webbed feet."

"Oh! You mean du-flax," Coran shouted excitedly before he settled down, "But yes. Without the teleduv working, there is no wormholing anywhere. Next time we get cornered like mice trapped by cats-"

"We'll be quiznaked," Lance interrupted as the orange-haired Altean gave him a glare. Ulaz did not know if it was because he had spoken up before the man finished or that he used this word 'quiznak' that way. Likely both, "I'm just saying."

"Focus, everyone," Shiro spoke from the side. The human was standing with his hand to Kit's shoulder, likely grounding him. Ulaz quickly glanced over the other who was quiet, less likely to meet anyone's eyes, "Where can we get this scultrite?"

"Uhhh...yes…" Coran frowned for a moment as if he needed to remember what they were saying, "There's no place that we can get it from besides...possibly the moon trading post nearby! Unilus often have such things, even though there are so...few reasons to these days.”

Ulaz understood what was unsaid. That there were no Alteans to have a reason for them. It was, after all, Altean tech that ran on the material. As far as he was aware, no other people used scultrite, not even the Empire. As for how his organization knew of it, it had been passed down among members who remembered the Alteans. Some had been personal members aboard even the ship the team of seven now called home. They had known of the basic functions like teleduvs and their resident engineer also was very knowledgeable of such tech once they coordinated with him.

But then again…

Slav was just a genius...if strange…

“There’s a moon trading mall nearby, as I said!” Coran’s voice broke him out of his thoughts as the older man grinned, “And this calls for a trip! I have the perfect disguises! These places were run by pirates, after all!”

Ulaz nearly snorted at that. Nearly…

Oh Marmora...these Alteans were so far out-of-date and not thinking of it. No space malls were like they were 10,000 years ago. Where they used to bargain, now they were calmer, more...commercial. And that was the last time Ulaz had been in one, nearly seven phoebes ago. They were no doubt changed still even since then.

But he wasn’t going to tell them yet…

And then the man pulled out a set of clothes from somewhere in the wall. Ulaz raised a brow as the others all exclaimed in shock. There were blurs of dull colors, masks and plating all around.

“You just have a set of weird clothes sitting inside the wall?” The Blue Paladin screamed in surprise, waving his hands around, “What the quiznak!”

“You keep using that word wrong, my boy,” Coran stared at him flatly, “And yes, I do. We can’t just store clothes in our rooms, that’s a bunch of hoshpolsh! What do you do if you need a pair of neflacks in a pinch?”

“Uhhh…” Kit raised his brows, face scrunched in confusion and frustration as a small sound left him, “Can we...just...not wear...them?”

Ulaz frowned. The younger was still having problems with his speech after leaving his catatonic state. Besides being comfortable around Shiro enough that he could mostly speak like normal, he was somewhat having problems around the other paladins. Ulaz noticed that the smaller was far more likely to be mute around the Alteans, especially the princess, unable to speak at all. The older Galra could not blame him.

As much as he understood her, that could not dissuade a Galra’s natural instincts. She had proved her anger overtook her other concerns, and Kit was caught up in the center of it. His body was unable to trust her right now, and it was showing with the lack of speech.

The older Altean must have noticed because he smiled and continued on the conversation like normal, as if the younger had not just had a battle with getting his words out.

"We must," the man nodded, crossing his arms proudly before a picture showed up of him - a much younger him - running from an outraged ulilu with a full bag, "Why I remember how last time I was at the swap shop, I ended up giving away three quarters of my shipment of lango in exchange for a used pogo oscillator!"

"Father…" Allura spoke up softly, a tiny grin on her face, "Father was not happy with that at all. I was a little girl at the time and I remember him scolding you for two whole vargas."

"Ah! But we did get a good laugh!" The other grinned, smirking before calming some, "But to answer Number Four's question, we must."

"Because...Galra?" Keith asked cautiously, head tilted ever-so-slightly as a sad noise left him, "Can stay...here…"

"What?" Coran frowned before his eyes widened, "Oh no, my dear boy! I was talking about the pirate suits because that's how all dress up in those places! I had not even thought of your Galra side!”

Ulaz couldn’t let it go on. Not when he knew that he had answers to their problems. And yes, the older Altean’s way of dressing them up was a problem. Being a spy meant you came to understand the common wear of places. It’s much harder to find someone in plain disguise than one that sticks out like a sore thumb, after all. And right now, the older was not thinking of the current time.

“You will not need your pirate suits,” he spoke up, getting the others’ attention as he stepped closer to the youngest Galra who frowned, “No mall goers dress that way now. Pirates are few and far between. You will only call attention to yourselves if you do.”

Coran looked sad for a moment, head down before he sighed and pushed the clothes back into the wall like a child told they were not getting a cookie. Ulaz only grinned at the action, knowing it was likely that the man was not mad at all.

“But...I’m still Galra,” Kit spoke softly, gazing from him to the ground and back up, “Won’t...trouble?”

“No, Kit,” Ulaz shook his head before placing his own hand on the shoulder that was not occupied by the Black Paladin’s own, hoping it could offer some comfort, “The moon trading bases are neutral zones. No one will look twice at you for being Galra. In fact, many of these places hold Galra within them, whether they work there or just shop. You will not need to be disguised.”

“But...uhhh…” Hunk frowned, “I’m super glad and all that Keith can come with but aren’t we forgetting that he’s a...you know, fugitive? Aren’t they going to be looking for him?”

“And what about Shiro?” Pidge asked with raised brows, “He’s also on the run, remember? Won’t going into a mall tell them where we are?”

“It is possible that someone could recognize you,” Ulaz nodded at her before shaking his head, “But it is unlikely anyone will. The mall near us is far enough out that it probably does not see many people, but gets plenty of strange people are around to not attract attention. As for Kit…”

He stopped for a moment before turning to the younger, making a reassuring sound. The other calmed a bit, relaxing slightly before letting out his own sound.

“The witch did not see him in his Galra form,” the older grinned back before making another sound, “And why would they search in a group of humans? Shiro was the past Champion, but those who pay attention to the matches are mostly part of the military force. As long as you both hide your arm, I cannot see why you cannot have a good time.”

“Then it’s decided!” Coran smiled widely, arms out, “We will go!”

“I want to come with,” Allura frowned softly before grinning, scooting closer to the older Altean with sparkles in her eyes, “I want something sparkly!”

“Yeah!” Lance shouted from her other side, looking at Coran the same way, “I wanna get something sparkly for Allura!”

“But-”

“She’s gotta join us,” Pidge shrugged before she stood on the other side of the Blue Paladin, “As much as I’m annoyed at her, she deserves to come with.”

“But she’s a princess,” Coran frowned, “She’s safer here.”

“Coran, we get your concern, man,” Hunk spoke up before he waved his hands in front of him, “But she’s tough. I’m pretty sure she can toss the five of us paladins without breaking a sweat.”

“Yes, but the castle,” the older continued with a skeptical look, “We must have someone here to guard it in case of an attack.”

“I would be happy to stay back to watch the ship,” Ulaz spoke as he crossed his arms, seeing straight through the other’s excuses, “You will have a few vargas inside without problems.”

“But-”

“She’s proven herself more than capable,” Shiro reassured the other man with a soft grin, “If Keith and I can go in, I don’t see why she can’t.”

“Yes, but…” Coran’s brows moved down, “The moon trading post is no place for a princess.”

“She can’t…” Kit spoke softly, stuttering over his words. He made a small hurt sound for a second once he noticed their eyes on him. Ulaz noticed the Black Paladin giving the other’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. The princess did not say anything, only stood there with both hands together, seeming somewhat resigned. The younger took a deep breath in before speaking again, “Make her own...decisions if we tell her...what she can’t do...She’s smart and…”

Kit paused for a moment, brows down in frustration.

“Can’t see why...not,” he went on before letting out a long breath, “Shiro...Shiro taught me that. No one believed in me...back at the Garrison, but...he gave me the chance I needed. I wouldn’t be here if not and...we gotta take...risks?”

Allura looked absolutely shocked at that, like she could not comprehend why Kit would be defending her. Ulaz understood the feeling, since the younger had no reason to speak up. But...he got the feeling that Kit didn’t let personal things interfere with his decisions, not when it came to small things like race.

Not unless it involved Shiro to some degree...and speaking of Shiro...

Ulaz almost snickered as he snuck a glance at the tallest human. The man was not surprised at all, sending the younger a knowing look that bordered on pure fondness. Like he knew he would speak up against it.

It still amazed Ulaz how much the two trusted each other explicitly. It was in the way they looked at each other. In their voices. In their touch.

"Alright, I suppose she could come with…" Coran trailed off for a bit before nodding, "You six are more than correct. She is more than capable. I just...I merely worry about your safety, princess. Your father left me to watch over you."

"I know," the younger grinned softly, "But I will be fine. I'm not a helpless child."

"You are not," the older agreed before clapping, "We can go now! We'll take the pod in and be back in six vargas time!"

"And I will guard the castle while you are gone," Ulaz agreed with a nod. He turned to the younger Galra, "Try to have a good time. If you need me, contact me through this."

Ulaz removed a small Blade communicator. It was inconspicuous enough to not call attention to it, only a little black thing. In Kit's hands, it seemed a bit bigger, just small enough to sit in one hand.

"Just press the middle if you need help," Ulaz responded as the younger raised a brow, "It will only work for a fellow Galra, and I have already encoded your DNA sequence.”

“Thanks,” Kit grinned up at him, face more relaxed in the past few quintants before a small purr left him, “Thanks.”

“It is no problem,” Ulaz smiled back, watching the younger, “You should have a good time now, I’ll be here when you seven return.”

“Hey, Ulaz,” Shiro spoke up as they others began to leave. The older turned to him, seeing as Kit stood off to the side, head tilted in concern. Shiro only grinned back before gently shooing him out to the others. He came back to Ulaz’s side, “Is there anything you want me to grab for you? I figured since you’ve been so much help to us that we could repay you in some way.”

For a few seconds, he’s completely taken off guard. Shiro wished to get him something...that was unexpected.

He could see more and more why Kit gravitated towards this human. Not only was he kind, but he was thoughtful, always trying to include others in activities. Ulaz could feel his heart warm at such a gesture.

“I have all that I could want here,” the other responded before he frowned a bit, “However, I would not be opposed to Hunk grabbing some food, especially some that would be nutritious for Kit and me. As you know, the food goo is not so helpful for our system.”

“Alright, we can do that,” Shiro grinned up at him, nodding before waving at him, going for the door. He paused for a moment, glancing back, “Ulaz?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“It is my pleasure,” Ulaz nodded back seriously, “Now go spend some time with your friends. I think Kit would most appreciate it.”

…..

Shiro gazed up at the large space.

They were all inside the mall, and it looked just like any Earth one. There were shoppers milling around, window shopping and going about their business. He could see food courts and tech shops and spas and even a laser tag room? Shiro wasn’t sure of the last one, but whatever it was looked amazing. Maybe it was a gym?

“I’m going to search for those disks,” Coran spoke up with a determined expression, “And do some bargaining. Princess, you should come with me.”

“I can for a bit, I suppose,” she shrugged from under her pink shawl, a disguise they had for her to at least hide her dress, “I can see what you did back when you and father were running around.”

“I’m going to check out the technology!” Pidge grinned before yanking on Lance’s wrist, earning a startled yelp from him, “And Lance is coming with! Maybe there’s something Earth-like here.”

“Why am I coming with you!”

“Because we’re doing the buddy system,” the younger deadpanned before she rolled her eyes, “Seriously, what else will you be doing?”

“Hey, the spa looks great,” Lance scoffed but didn’t fight the youngest who began dragging him away, “I want to go get a face mask. Maybe they have even better ingredients than what the castle has.”

“Yeah, yeah, later,” Pidge grinned widely as her eyes spied something out of the nearest window, “Ohhh! Look at that!”

And then both disappeared into the shop.

“I’ll just…” Hunk smiled nervously before pointing backwards, “I’m going to explore.”

“You going to be okay by yourself?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” the other scoffed softly, waving his hand out, “I’m the leg of Voltron, I’m fine. I want to look into some engineering stuff and then food.”

“Ulaz wanted you to grab some food that he and Keith can have,” Shiro quickly told the other who nodded back, “He said that the food goo isn’t very nutritious for them.”

“Oh, yeah, I was wondering after the last time Keith made a face at it,” the other grinned, “I’ll grab you some food, man. I’ll make sure that it’s healthy and safe for you. Maybe I can find some sweets too.”

“Thanks...big guy,” Keith breathed out from his side, staring over at the larger with soft eyes. Shiro thought the look was oddly cute along with the fact that he was practically hugging Shiro’s flesh hand, tail clenching the wrist again, “Can you make cinnamon rolls?”

“Ohhhh yesss,” Hunk grinned widely, “Those are the best! I’ll have to!”

The larger dove at the smaller, grabbing him into a hug before rushing off, disappearing around the corner. Shiro laughed as the younger made a confused but happy sound.

“He’s really friendly,” Shiro snickered before running his hand over the other’s back, getting a tiny purr back, “But he wouldn’t be our Yellow Paladin if not.”

“Yeah,” Keith nodded before blinking at a store window, “Want to look inside? It can be like old times, right?”

Shiro glanced through the window to see that it was a clothing store of some sort, along with other interesting crafts inside. They didn’t need any new clothes, thanks to the cloth maker on the castle and the outfits they were currently wearing. Coran had decked them both up in weird jackets that included a glove with the right sleeve, hiding their arms. As long as they didn’t activate them, they would be fine. Keith’s was red and black, the jacket more crop-top than Shiro’s own black one.

Honestly, they kind of looked good on them both.

“Looking around?” Shiro tilted his head before grinning, holding out his hand, “Of course. You always commented the dumbest stuff on the items. I think it’s hilarious.”

“I’m sure you do,” Keith nodded before stepping inside, the larger following him, “You’re weird like that.”

“I am,” Shiro grinned back before stopping at a scarlet bow, pointing at it, “Think I can get this on Black? Maybe I can climb out of the hatch on her head and put it up there on her ear.”

“No,” Keith scoffed before his tail slapped his arm, “What the heck? The bow isn’t going to even show up. Besides, her nose is already red.”

“Dang, you’re right,” Shiro sighed before getting an idea. He quickly put the bow on top of Keith’s head, tying the strings up below his hair, “There you go. It looks cute on you though.”

The other’s eyes widened in shock before a happy sound left his throat. Shiro grinned as Keith’s tail curled up some, probably a sign that he was truly happy. Damn, he was going to have to ask Ulaz for an explanation of what the different sounds Keith made mean. The younger rolled his eyes after that, quickly taking the bow off before placing it back on the rack.

“Lance would never let me live it down if he saw me in that,” he shook his head before his eyes instantly went to something on the shelf to the side, the display that housed things other than clothing, “What’s this?”

“Oh!” An alien wandered up to them, eyes wide with a big smile on her face. Her magenta eyes were practically sparkling as her bright pink hair flopped onto her forehead, “That would be our drawing kit! It comes with three simple pieces!”

She took out three things; a red-tinted sketchbook, a black pen, and an equally-black bracelet.

“This uses a mix of traditional and digital techniques,” she explained as she took up the sketchbook, flipping through the blank pages, “You can change the opacity of the pages to allow tracing. You can use erasers and layers any time you want within each drawing on a page. And you never have to worry about it breaking! These sheets are extremely durable and flexible.”

As if to prove her point, she twisted a page. It flexed like plastic but didn’t crease or wrinkle at all. Shiro almost laughed as he heard his best friend make a sound by his side, half in awe and half in want. Keith was an artist at heart, always up for doodling and creating something. Shiro wasn’t shocked at all by his amazement in the device.

“How…” Keith blinked before calming down some, face going a little bit blank, “How does it turn on?”

“It turns on with quintessence!” She raised a brow when they both stared back in shock, “What? It’s not only the Galra themselves who use the stuff. This is the cleanest power source out there, and better yet! This drawing kit needs not use any outside quintessence. It can key onto the one who wants to start it, powering up. Here, how about you try it, handsome.”

It took Shiro a moment to realize that she was talking to him. Blinking at the name, he took the book without a second thought. It felt smooth and slick.

“Uhhh...how do you turn it on?”

“That’s what this bracelet is for,” she removed the thing from it’s display, to which it turned into a headset - which honestly looked like the mind meld bands they used - that was black with white lines on the back, a dark crystal on the front with a blue centerpiece, “It’s a headset that channels your quintessence into the pad. You’ll never run out of power with this drawing pad! Give it a try. Just concentrate.”

Shiro took the thing, placing it on his head with a raised brow. The alien nodded at him, and he could feel Keith’s tail on his wrist.

He hoped this thing didn’t fry his brains.

He focused on it, watching as the pad lit up, dark sheets now a lighter red. The pen next to it gained the same color on the tip of the drawing part.

“And this pen can change into any drawing thing you could want!” The woman smiled before pressing it into his hands, “Try it out. Call for a paintbrush.”

Shiro did, imaging a paintbrush in the pen’s place. With a small glow, the device shifted into a paintbrush with individual bristles and everything. He could feel Keith vibrating from his side, and he didn’t have to look to see the younger’s amazed face.

This thing was the perfect gift for Keith.

“It’s one of the latest models,” the alien grinned before taking the three objects back in hand, “And that would be at a price of eight-hundred GAC.”

Shiro blinked. Oh…

Oh wait…

They didn’t have any money.

Keith practically deflated by his side. Shiro snuck a glance his way, seeing the disappointed expression he held before his walls went up, face more neutral. Shiro hated that, the idea that Keith was used to this. If someone told him no, he didn’t protest. He didn’t fight. He just...accepted that he wasn’t going to be able to have it.

Nope. Shiro was not having it. Keith deserved to have something nice sometimes, and this was one of those times. If it meant that Shiro had to find some way to make some money super quickly, he would.

“We’ll look around and come back,” Shiro stated kindly to the alien before guiding Keith out of the shop. The younger didn’t look all that affected, but Shiro knew different. He could see it in the tense line of his shoulders and feel it in the way that his tail tightened and loosened every so often.

“Oh, dang,” Lance’s voice called out over them as they both gazed to their left, “You guys are so slow! Pidge and I’ve been to the other end of the mall and back already!”

Shiro blinked as he saw a coin in Pidge’s hand. He had a feeling that it was whatever this GAC currency was, and he wasn’t going to ask how they got it. He would need their help, after all.

“Hey, Keith,” he redirected the younger to another window where some strange furniture sat, “I’m going to talk to Lance and Pidge real quick.”

“Okay?” The younger stated with confused eyes before shrugging and turning to the window, looking around a bit. Shiro zipped over to the other two giving him identical looks.

“Don’t give me that look,” Shiro raised a brow, “I need your help.”

“With what?”

“Well, I saw the perfect gift for Keith but I don’t have any GAC,” Shiro grinned before rubbing his undercut sheepishly, “It costs around 800 GAC, but I know Keith would love it.”

“We’ll help you,” Lance grinned before smirking, “Gotta get your boyfriend something awesome, Imma right?”

Shiro’s brain took a second to realize what he said before his face burned hotter than ever before.

“Lance,” he glared at the other who snickered. God, why was he even friends with him, "Just help me, please."

"Hah ha," the other laughed before shrugging, "We got your back, oh blushing leader."

"Oh my god," Shiro rubbed his face, cheeks flushed still, "Seriously. I just want to get Keith something nice. Can I just have some GAC?"

He pouted, crossing his arms. The other two looked shocked before they nodded.

Oh, yeah...Shiro had a reputation as the leader. They never saw him like this before. None of them except for Keith.

"You don't have to give us those puppy eyes," Pidge interrupted as Shiro continued, "But we're not blind. You're going to have to address your feelings at some point."

"Yeah…" Shiro squinted before shaking his head, holding out his hand, "No. I'll stay where I'm at, being by Keith's side."

Black rumbled in his head, almost like a laugh before Keith's voice came through, 'Sure, Old Timer.'

"What is this?" Shiro questioned as he waved his arms a bit, "Is it gang-up-on-Shiro-and-his-feelings day?"

His lion rumbled happily before she brushed against his mind like a cat rubbing its head against someone's leg. Shiro sighed before smiling and holding out his hand again. The youngest among them gave him some of the coins.

"We got enough for you to get that," she grinned softly, adjusting his glasses, "We're just giving you crap."

"I know," Shiro grinned back before rubbing his head again, "Could you also...distract Keith? I don't want him along with or he'll never accept his gift if he sees me get it. Besides, he needs to spend some time with you guys too."

"Ohhh!" Lance nodded before he laughed, "I think we saw a knife stand here. I'll just drag mullet down there."

The other must not have been joking because he suddenly rushed over to Keith, yanking on his wrist and running off towards the other side of the mall. Keith let out a startled yelp before staring at Lance, letting him drag him away with a confused chirp. The ebony-haired teen turned to Shiro with raised brows, clearly confused and stunned. Shiro just shrugged back at him for a moment before they both disappeared around the corner.

“I’d ask if I should go with them,” Pidge blinked before she shook her head, “But they’re fine. I’m coming with you.”

“Awww, but I thought you weren’t using the buddy system,” Shiro teased back and snickered as the younger’s eye twitched, “You said it.”

“Very mature, Shirogane,” she glared at him before sticking out her tongue, “First one to the store wins!”

And then she was gone. Shiro sputtered before taking off after her.

“Hey!” He shouted as he began to catch up, “Not fair!”

“Your legs aren’t fair!” Pidge yelled back, “They’re too long! Some people have short legs and arms, you know!”

“You don’t even know what store you’re going to,” Shiro responded back, watching as the younger stopped with a groan, bending over as she huffed. He quickly rushed up to her side before laughing, “You missed it by five stores, Pidge.”

“Well, you could have told me that,” the Green Paladin grumbled under her breath before taking off again for the place, “Catch up!”

“And I thought Keith would be the death of me,” Shiro rolled his eyes before taking off after her. Like he said, the store was literally five shops down. They both stepped inside to see the alien standing nearby, talking with another customer. It took a moment, but she noticed them as soon as she turned around.

“Well, well, handsome,” she grinned before her pink eyes slid to Pidge and back, “Brought in a new buddy, I see. I bet you still want that drawing kit.”

“Yes,” Shiro nodded back before holding out the amount Pidge gave him, “I thought it over and decided to get it.”

“Hmmm…” She counted the coins out before frowning, “The drawing pad costs eight-hundred thirty GAC. You’re short thirty.”

“Yeah, nice try,” Shiro frowned back at her with narrowed eyes, feeling just a bit irritated, “You quoted eight-hundred sharp.”

“Damn,” the woman laughed before putting the coins away and handing the bag over after putting in each item with her extra arms, “Smart and delectable. Too bad you’re with the Galra guy, but oh well. You win some, you lose some.”

“I...what?” Shiro sputtered before sighing, rubbing his face, “Why does everyone assume we’re a thing?”

“You were eyeing each other,” the lady raised a brow as Shiro gave her a shrug, “And you just bought him a fancy newest-model drawing kit that he had starry eyes for.”

“I didn’t say tha-”

“Look, either you’re some type of sugar daddy or you’re in love,” she glared at him, waving her two pairs of arms around, “I don’t care. I just sell this stuff. Just get this to the pretty boy and stop clogging up my shop with these gushy feelings, please.”

“I...okay?” Shiro stepped outside the store with a blank blink. Pidge came up behind him, not even trying to hold back her laughter.

“Oh my god,” she snickered even louder, wiping her eyes as Shiro stared at the drawing kit, “You’re dense for such a ‘smart and delectable’ and ‘handsome’ guy.”

“Oh shut up,” Shiro pouted back before sighing. Pidge settled down at that moment, looking over at him.

“You are, right?”

Shiro tilted his head in confusion.

“In love with Keith,” Pidge went on with a soft look, golden eyes watching him, “I remember Matt saying stuff about some cadet following you around all the time and hanging out with you more and more.”

“Matt talked about us?”

“Yeah, duh,” she rolled her eyes, giving him a slight punch to the arm, “It’s kind of hard to miss it. You were in the background of our family pics.”

Shiro raised a brow. Thinking back, he did remember the four taking pictures with their dog, Bae Bae, at the launch site. Shiro had been leading Keith around, showing him the ship with a hand on his shoulder, already dreading not being near him for a year. But he never thought that they had accidentally snuck their way into the photos.

He had just been spending the day with his closest friend.

“Yeah, well,” Shiro shrugged, “We’ve always been like this. I just...I didn’t realize how much I cared for him until he got captured. How much my feelings had changed. He’s not some cadet I found out in the desert anymore. He’s my best friend, and...I don’t want to hurt him, especially if he doesn’t see me that way.”

“Oh trust me,” Pidge grinned back, almost impishly, “I’m absolutely sure he feels the same way.”

“What?” Shiro turned to her, watching her carefully, “Why would you say that?”

“Because he’s glued to your side,” Pidge gave him a flat stare, “He’s been wrapping his tail around your arm all the time. He gets soft with you. Do you know how much it takes to make him laugh when he isn’t around you?”

“Uh...no?”

“Yeah, neither do I because we haven’t seen it yet in the months we’ve known him, and even this week.”

“Oh,” Shiro blinked before he tilted his head, chest flaring with something, “Ohhh…”

“Yeah, oh,” the younger rolled her eyes before grabbing his wrist, “Now come on, we gotta go find them. By now, Lance probably touched the wrong thing and got killed.”

“More like he got stabbed by the vendor,” Shiro snarked back at her before shrugging.

“Or Keith stabbed him himself.”

“Hey, Keith’s not that bad-”

“I’m not that bad what?”

Shiro jumped, turning around. Both Red and Blue Paladins stood behind him. Lance seemed alive enough, only holding his (undamaged) hand to his chest.

“Uhhh...nothing,” Shiro smiled sheepishly before rubbing his head, “How did the knife stand go?”

“Kind of boring, honestly,” Keith shrugged before coming to his side and glancing around, “There wasn’t much there. The guy who ran the place was weird though. Tried to take my knife.”

“And I had to reassure him that our buddy here didn’t steal it,” Lance scoffed before holding his hand closer, “And then the guy quiznaking dropped a heavy sword on my hand!”

“It wasn’t that heavy,” Keith rolled his eyes, “You’re just not that strong.”

“‘You’re just not that strong’,” Lance mocked back in a high-pitched voice, “Tell that to my smashed hand. Not everyone has Galra strength.”

“Yeah, well-”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Shiro grunted before he shook his head, “Some things never change. Has anyone seen Hunk, Allura, or Coran?”

“I am here,” Allura’s voice interrupted them all as they glanced to the side, “I snuck away from Coran when he wasn’t looking. And I found Hunk along the way.”

“Hey!” Lance grinned widely, “Now that we’re all together, I say we go to the spa!”

“Meh, sure.”

“Why not?”

“If you say so.”

“Let’s go.”

“If it’ll make you shut up.”

“Very funny, mullet.”

So that’s what they did. The spa was interesting, and somewhat relaxing. They all got face masks and their nails done and everything. Shiro had a good time watching Keith’s hair fluff up at the treatment, the younger purring softly. They got done with that and then they all went to a restaurant where they all got roped into making food for eternity by a Galra named Sal. Luckily, Hunk was a good enough chef to get them out of there. Shiro was a bit miffed that the others didn’t think Shiro himself could cook but he let it go, knowing that they were working with alien ingredients. With the other teen, they finally got done, able to take a break and eat some of the food he prepared.

It was good. Really good.

“How much time do we have?” Lance squinted before raising a brow, “I still want to go get that game.”

“Killbot!” Pidge grinned, eyes sparkling, “There’s an Earth store over there and they have Earth games!”

“I guess we can go over ther-”

The two were already gone before he finished his sentence. All of them chased after the two, arriving at a store with an alien who looked oddly like the stereotypical one that humans often had in shows back on Earth. The two paladins were already at the desk, getting some things Shiro couldn’t see. Before his eyes, he watched the alien give them a ‘Kaltenecker.’

A cow.

A cow on a hovering plate.

A. Cow.

“Got something shiny for you, princess,” Lance grinned before presenting the Altean a brooch pin. It was shaped with a comb, so that she could put the brooch in her hair. The main part was sparkling with gems of dark pink, looking to be shaped into a daylily, “It just reminded me of those juniberry flowers you showed us. I know...I know you miss them, and this looks so much like them.”

“I…” Allura stared at the other with wide eyes. They started to water some as she sent him a grateful smile back, “Thank you, Lance. It is perfect.”

“Any time, Allura,” Lance grinned back softly before placing the brooch into her hair on the left side. The flower gem looked pretty in her white hair. Shiro could practically see the hearts in his eyes, and he raised his brow.

Looks like he wasn’t the only one smitten with a fellow friend.

“Let’s go,” Keith groaned before grabbing onto Shiro’s wrist once again with his added appendage, a few of his spikes popping out before going away, “It’s been six hours.”

Shiro glanced to the side at the clock. Oh, it had been. They all agreed to it, leaving with the cow in tow. They just got down the stairs when they saw Coran running out of a shop. Another alien chased after him, yelling about something as they all shared looks with one another.

“Coran,” Allura sighed for a moment, “What have you done?”

And then they rushed out of there, hopping onto the cow who flew over the rail. Shiro’s eyes widened as Keith’s tail yanked him onto the mammal with him, right snug to his back as Hunk sat behind him, barely on the cow as Allura, Pidge, and Lance sat in the front by its shoulders.

“You get back here!”

“No take backs!” Coran laughed, shooting the other alien a wave before jumping into the air. Seconds passed before Keith reached his hand out, giving the older a boost onto the platform that zipped out of the mall. From this angle, Shiro could see him holding into round blue disks.

“That bargaining only took six vargas!” The man grinned as they flew to the exit. They passed a mall cop who just stared at them with wide eyes, another Galra. Soon enough, they were out of the mall. They all left the cow’s back.

“What is that?” Keith asked as he tilted his head, pointing his tail at Shiro’s bag. The older just grinned before pulling out the sketchbook as the younger gasped, “You...you got this?”

“Of course, I did,” Shiro breathed out softly before grinning at Keith, “Everyone helped out, so you can think of it as a gift from us all.”

“I...thank you,” Keith grinned for a second before quickly moving to the side, eyes wide and gazing at something to the other side. Shiro glanced to the same spot to see that an old Galra woman was walking towards them. Maybe she had them mixed up with someone else because there was a spark in her eyes as she hobbled up to them. Shiro automatically tensed along with Keith as they both waited, neutral grounds be damned.

They both knew that even the oldest opponents could kill you in the blink of an eye.

The woman nearly bumped into Keith before stopping, eyes going wide with a happy grin. She was missing a tooth or two, with red markings on her face and a pair of fuzzy large side ears that looked a bit like her hair. That hair extended out into a bushy, frizzy mess that could probably have hidden a bird’s nest. She had a flat nose with a rectangular face and even with the hunch in her back, she was as tall as Shiro himself.

“Marmora, dearie!” She grinned at Keith more before she patted his shoulder, “It’s been a few millennia! Where have you been, ‘Mora! You said you’d help me out with the tooca cake!”

“Uh...what?”

“And I see you’ve found your blade again!” She tilted her head, staring behind Keith’s back where his double-edged knife sat, “Where did you drop it, dearie!”

Keith make a confused sound. Shiro blinked as he stepped forward, not touching the woman but ready to protect Keith.

“Who are you?”

“Kits these days, wanting to know who I am and forgetting who I am,” she gazed down at her wrist, where a black watch sat before she huffed and stared back at him this time, “Zorakah! You look a bit different! Maybe my memory’s going downhill but I clearly remember you being more purple! Or were you an Altean...that explains if you were purple too...Alteans are all about blending in and you were as peace-loving as ever.”

“I...what?” Shiro choked out. What was she talking about? He wasn’t Altean or purple? Did she think he was a Galra? But that made no sense. He was human and clearly not purple. She seemed so sure that he was someone else.

He wanted answers. Either this woman was crazy or she was telling the truth somehow...

“Oh, busy, busy,” the woman waved them off, “I must go right now, but you two will know where to find me when you need me, darlings!”

And then she was running into the mall with a speed that didn’t seem possible of an old woman. Both of them stared after her for a long minute.

“Did she just…”

“I don’t know...maybe?”

“I think we need to get some sleep,” Shiro groaned before he turned to the side, noticing that Keith was holding a tiny bag now, “What is that?”

"I uhhh...got you something,” Keith grinned before pressing the bag into his hand, “They had some interesting toys.”

Shiro raised his brows before pulling out a little Black Lion figure. The real Black Lion snickered at him in his head as he adjusted the fake’s arm, its tiny claws scraping at air. Shiro laughed at the figure before feeling more in there. Reaching in, he pulled out a mini-Keith figure that was standing in their paladin suits, in his human form.

“I figured that you would want those,” Keith grinned at him before his tail rubbed against his fingers, “I know how much Black means to you.”

“Thank you,” Shiro grinned back before noticing there were two more lumps in the bag. He pulled out a mini him and a Red Lion too. He glanced at the younger who was blushing slightly, face going a bit darker. Shiro smirked at him, “Couldn’t help put get a matching set?”

“It came with it,” Keith huffed silently before grabbing up the lion and the little Shiro in his tail before holding it close to his chest, “I’m not going to let that slip away. Besides, Kitty is the best.”

Shiro nodded back at him.

“She is,” he laughed before grabbing up the other two in his hands, accidentally hitting a button on the top of its head. A tiny roar left the lion, “Oh my gosh. She roars! Keith, my lion roars!”

“Well, I hope so,” Keith snickered, rolling his eyes, “She’s your lion.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Hey, you two ever going to get into the pod?” Lance stuck his head out of the side as Shiro’s head snapped to the side, “We got Kaltenecker-”

“What kind of name is Kaltenecker?” Coran asked from inside the pod, his voice a bit muffled, “You have no originally.”

“Her name is Kaltenecker and I will die before you call her anything else,” Lance snapped back before plopping his face against the white metal of the pod, “Just get in here.”

“We better go before Lance takes on Coran,” Shiro snickered as he held onto the two figures in his hand.

“Yeah,” Keith grinned back, eyes shining with happiness before he put his sketchbook and the toys away in his bag, “Let’s go.”