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Keith is a force to be reckoned with. This is the impression Shiro is pleasantly surprised to find is true when the newest Blade joins the rank, and his squad. Kolivan believed it would be good for Keith to spend time around a seasoned Blade who excels in calm rational and not being emotionally driven.
If only he knew.
Shiro could admit that when he was told of the Red Paladin joining the Blades, he had been a little starstruck. Everyone had their eyes on the Paladins of Voltron, and he was no different. It was an honor to work alongside them. However, he found himself empathizing with Keith’s inner turmoil of discovering he was part Galra. Their race wasn’t known for their peaceful ways, hadn’t for ten-thousand years.
Keith’s initial trials had been rough. It took all of Shiro’s restraint and self-discipline to stop himself from requesting Kolivan stop the trial. It wasn’t his place to meddle. He did, however, slip into the infirmary where the healing pods were, just to check in on their newest member, if only from a distance. Kolivan didn’t have to know about that.
Despite Keith’s hot-headed personality (as the blue paladin put it), he’d proven to be good at maintaining a cool head. Usually. He tended to act out when he felt the need to protect a fellow blade. Or when he felt their target deserved a well earned punch. Both, of course, would sometimes gain him a reprimand from Kolivan, but overall Keith was reliable, trustworthy, and an incredibly skilled fighter.
Okay so maybe he’s still a little starstruck. But only a bit.
Throughout Keith’s time with the Blades, they’d gotten to know the other a little more with each mission. Shiro noted how Keith tended to keep to himself, guarding himself from the start. Whether or not that stemmed from necessity to survive the war he was literally thrown into or from past experiences, Shiro wasn’t sure. Regardless, he was sure to give the paladin his space when it seemed he needed it, not being one to invade personal boundaries. In turn, Keith was always there to pull Shiro out of whatever rut he was in. It shocked him how acutely Keith could gauge his feelings, despite their faces being masked.
“You’re very expressive. Even with the mask on. I’m...not explaining myself very well, but I can tell by how you hold yourself.” Keith had told him once, even though Shiro hadn’t verbally asked.
“Didn’t realize I was so expressive. Guess I’ll have to work on that.” he chuckled. Keith just shrugged and looked away.
“It’s not necessarily a bad thing. Not like I’m any better.”
“Better than I am, at least. Maybe I could learn a thing or two from you.”
Keith scoffed. “Sure.”
They continued to tiptoe around each other, sharing small, subtle interactions which steadily shaped their shared comradery into friendship. Especially after one gruesome mission where Shiro was injured protecting Keith from a particularly determined Galra sentry. Keith stayed by Shiro’s healing pod every chance he got, face wrought with worry and guilt.
“It’s not your fault,” he’d tried reassuring the young blade once he came out.
Keith shook his head, “You wouldn’t have had to be in there if I had reacted quicker. You didn’t need to risk saving me.”
“I wanted to.” Shiro said after a long pause. Keith finally glanced up to meet Shiro’s gaze.
“Why? Isn’t ‘Knowledge or Death’ the way of the Blades?”
“Not to me.”
Not when it’s you.
Keith hardly strayed far from Shiro after that.
----------
“Is everything okay? Is Voltron needed?” Keith asks, his voice laced with caution when the Paladins showed up on his comm. Shiro turned from where he’d been doing cool down stretches Keith had shown him after one of their sparring sessions left him particularly sore.
Although the team had been supportive of Keith’s desire to become more involved with the Blades, they still needed him to pilot the red lion to form Voltron on occasion, which Shiro supposed would explain the red paladin’s alertness.
“Yes, of course! We’d have contacted you sooner if that were the case.” Allura assured.
“Then?”
“Thanks to recent intel gathered from your work with the Blades, we’ve managed to create multiple simulations of potential battle sequences for a final showdown with Zarkon,” Pidge grins. “This call is us telling you to get your butt over here so we can go over them together.”
“That’s great! But why can’t we just go over them now?”
“There’s a lot of them, so it would take a while to narrow them down and flesh out. This way we can get it done in one go and not worry about you having to take off for another mission in the middle of a call.” The group collectively nod as Pidge adjusts their glasses. Keith opens his mouth to argue, but finds Pidge is right. He agrees with a resigned sigh.
“Awesome! If it helps, you can bring that Blade member you’re always hanging with.” Hunk chimes in. Shiro’s ears perk up.
“You mean Shiro?”
“Yeah, who else would I be talking about?”
“Regris, Antok, Ilun, Vrek, Kolivan-”
“Okay, well I don’t know who any of them are since we don’t usually go on missions with the Blades. Except for Kolivan.” Hunk points out with a slight eye roll.
“Which is why you should bring this Shiro guy!” Lance chimes in, popping on screen all of a sudden. “You guys seem to be friends—which is impressive by itself—and if anything he could totally validate my battle plan.”
“For the last time, we are not signaling our presence with a ‘special Lancey Lance siren call’, nor planting flags with your face throughout Zarkon’s ship with whatever a confetti cannon is!” Allura scolds, looking close to smacking him.
“The confetti is for afterwards at the victory party!” Lance cries, indignant as the two begin to bicker. Pidge and Hunk just look into the camera.
“See what we’ve been dealing with?” Pidge says, followed by a sigh from Hunk. Keith rubs his head, already anticipating the antics and headaches that’ll no doubt bombard him. Shiro can’t help the small laugh that escapes him. The sound attracts Lance’s attention.
“Laughter? Wait, are you with someone right now?” Keith’s shoulders stiffen ever so slightly.
“You are, aren’t you? Is it Shiro? Hey Shiro!” Lance calls from the comm, “Tell ninja mullet to drag you over here! I need backup!”
“Shut up, Lance!” Keith growls.
“Think of the awesomeness this Zarkon take down could have with laser guns! The laser guns, Shiro!” Keith groans, wishing he could mute Lance specifically.
“I wouldn’t mind accompanying you.” Shiro says quietly, shooting Keith a smile. Keith groans again, hiding his face behind his hands.
“You sure?” He mumbles back loud enough for only Shiro to hear.
“I’m sure.”
Keith peers at him from the side judgingly. Shiro gives him a sweet, placating smile, the action seemingly convincing Keith, and-oh? His face has gone slightly red, Shiro realizes.
Keith heaves a sigh.
“We’ll head over soon.”
----------
“Keith? Are you okay?” Shiro asks as they walk through the castle halls. Keith had kept to himself for most of the day’s journey to the Castle of Lions, which wasn’t particularly unusual, although the air of unease between them was new.
“Hmm?” Keith looks back at Shiro, momentarily snapping out of his thoughts. “Oh. Uh. Yeah, everything’s great.”
“Keith,” Shiro places his hand on Keith’s shoulder, effectively halting him. Keith relaxes slightly, the small shift in his demeanor easing Shiro. “I won’t force you to say or do anything you don’t want, but if you’re not in the right headspace, we could always try and reschedule. I’m sure they’d understand.” Keith blinks, and Shiro wonders how such a suggestion could catch him off guard.
“...Thanks, but it’s really nothing. Just personal nerves, I guess.”
“Okay.” Shiro gives Keith’s shoulder a light squeeze before continuing to walk. Keith is still quiet, but he doesn’t seem as bothered as before. Shiro silently hopes his presence wasn’t the cause for Keith’s discomfort. He could confidently say now that they were friends, but maybe there were still some boundaries that were too early to tip toe over. Like meeting the paladins.
He was aware of Princess Allura’s bias against the Galra, but to his understanding, she had worked past her prejudice thanks to Keith. But what of the others? Would they be hesitant or apprehensive around him? Was that what worried Keith?
Great. Now he was stressing himself over nothing. At least he hoped it was nothing. He exhaled slowly, choosing to focus on his surroundings instead. Keith remained on his right side, the smaller keeping up with his strides. The walls were lined with vibrant blue light, its glow helping calm Shiro a bit. He followed the light with his eyes down to the end of the hall where the Paladins would be, noticing a sudden onslaught of color.
“What are all of those for?” Shiro asks, gesturing to the varying shades of pink streamers and suspiciously heart shaped paper that appear the closer they get to the cockpit.
“Wait…” Keith says, pausing at the sight. His head whips towards the decor, suspicious. He inspects the offending pink paper, face scrunched adorably. Shiro’s glad he has his mask up, effectively hiding the endeared look on his face. Keith squints at the door, body set to go in blades swinging. Shiro tilts his head slightly, curious as to what the decorations could possibly mean and why the Paladins would hang them up if Keith would take offence to them.
“Keith?” Shiro asks. Keith ignores him, striding up to the door in a huff. It slides open.
“What’s with-” A blast of pink from a confetti popper cuts him off.
“Happy Valentines day!” The paladins cry, trapping Keith in a group hug. Keith sputters, taken aback from their surprise attack. Shiro steps back, blinking in surprise, watching as Keith tries and fails to wriggle out of their hold. The cockpit is also decked out with paper hearts and streamers, as well as a table that has a variety of sweets and food.
“What the-guys, you know I’m not a hugger!” He manages to say, although it’s a little difficult squished tightly between Hunk and Allura.
“Or so you say,” Pidge says, managing to wriggle in between Hunk and Allura away to move Keith’s arms so they wrap around them in a hug, “But for today, you will be.” They smile. Keith stares at them. They all look back with looks varying from happy smiles to puppy dog eyes. Keith groans, ducking his head and huffing a soft laugh of defeat, giving Pidge’s head an affectionate ruffle.
“...Missed you guys too.”
“Aww, see Lance? Told you he missed us.” Hunk preens, nudging the blue paladin. Lance scoffs and waves his hand in the air flippantly.
“As if. But he did show up, so maybe there is a heart in our lone wolf after all.” Lance grins at Keith’s unamused glare.
“Did you guys seriously lie to me about having plans for defeating Zarkon just to celebrate valentines day?”
“No, we do have them,” Coran says, setting the used confetti popper aside, “but the Paladins got nostalgic for their homes, and after Hunk and Pidge calculated where we’d be in your planet’s rotation around the sun, they wanted to take part in one of your recent holidays.”
“It sounded fun!” Allura beams, clapping her hands together in excitement.
“Plus, you’re part of our family, so of course we wanted to include you.” Pidge says matter-of-factly. Keith looks at them, quiet.
“It might not be much, or make much sense to celebrate this particular holiday, but...I don’t know man, it just felt like a good idea to take a break from all this ‘saving the universe’ stuff and spend some time off together, y’know?” Hunk says, turning around and grabbing a platter full of heart shaped sugar cookies, “Besides, I kinda missed all of this stuff.” He smiles wistfully. Lance gives Hunk a hug, nabbing a cookie or two afterwards. Hunks laughs, pleased at the praise Lance sings about the cookies. The others move to snack on the available sweets Hunk made, and it’s then that they notice the looming presence at the door.
“Oh! You brought Shiro!” Coran smiles, walking over to where Shiro is. He extends his hand in friendly greeting, “It’s nice to meet you, Shiro! Thank you for looking after number 4 and taking him under your wing.”
Shiro stares at Coran’s hand. “The honor is mine,” Shiro says, accepting the handshake, “You do mean Keith, correct?”
“Oh yes! I’ve ranked the paladins by height, hence why I call Keith number 4. Isn’t that right, number 4?” He grins, turning towards Keith.
“I see,” Shiro chuckles, “Interesting to see he’s considered short on his human side, too.”
“Hey! I’m-...you!” Keith sputters indignantly as Coran laughs.
“I like this one! You have an excellent taste in friends, number 4.” Coran leads Shiro closer to mingle with the rest of the group. Keith crosses his arms with a huff. He’s trying not to pout, and Shiro once again finds himself charmed. Keith may not be the most outwardly expressive with his affections, or the best at letting loose, but Shiro can clearly see how much he missed the Paladins. Just being in their presence had eased Keith. It warms him to see his fellow Blade at peace. Such a thing is to be cherished for as long as they can in this war.
The other paladins introduce themselves to Shiro, and he finds himself feeling genuinely welcomed into their group. His heart tightens with emotion, the feeling of community bittersweet. It wasn’t as if the Blades didn’t care for each other to an extent, but with the grave risks they faced on a daily basis in the midst of an intergalactic war, it was hard to let bonds form. Galra were emotional creatures. Losing someone close to them, be they kin or not, it felt like a death sentence.
“It’s nice to finally meet you all in person,” Shiro says as the group settles.
“Likewise.” Allura smiles. Shiro relaxes a little more, relieved to find he needn’t have worried. The Paladins are kind and accepting. They’re also very energetic and inquisitive, Lance in particular being the most physically expressive in a comedic sense as he regales them with tales of their latest adventures. It’s a nice change of pace from the grim stoicism he’s grown used to.
Shiro lowers his mask to sample one of the treats on the platter Hunk offers him, opting for what the yellow Paladin calls a cupcake. He wouldn’t normally reveal his face in an attempt to keep his identity secret, but seeing how they all know who he is and that he’s part of a secret rebel organization, Shiro supposes he can break protocol. He trusts them; he trusts Keith. Besides, he’s curious as to what earth food is like.
They all watch as Shiro takes a bite. His eyes widen as the sugar hits his tongue. The texture of the pastry is perfectly spongy, it’s fluffy and light, and the frosting is heavenly. His ears perk up and flick happily as he closes his eyes in delight. He’s never had anything like it.
“Wow...this is amazing! I’ve never had anything like it!” Shiro stares at the confection in awe. “Hunk, you made this?”
“Yup! I had to get a little creative with what we have here in the castle since we don’t have any earth ingredients, but what I’ve made comes pretty close.” Hunk smiles with pride.
“If all the food is like this, then I’m definitely spending time exploring earth once this is over.” Shiro finishes his cupcake with a pleased hum, reaching to try another sweet.
“I don’t know, I’m pretty sure it’d be hard to top Hunk’s cooking. Unless my mom makes us a hero’s welcome home dinner.” Lance says. He grows quiet, a little somber as he nibbles on a cookie. In fact, they all do. Shiro’s ears droop.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lower the mood.” Shiro apologizes.
Lance shakes his head. “Nah, don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. I just get a little homesick sometimes.” Pidge leans against Lance as he smiles wistfully. “But! I have no doubt we’ll be home soon!” And just like that, the mood lifts a little bit.
“Yeah, we will! We’ll figure out how to do it quickly and efficiently and kick Zarkon’s ass!” Pidge lifts a fist in the air in determination. They turn to Keith, “Don’t worry, Keith, we’ll get around to sharing and reviewing our battle plans with you and Shiro soon.”
Keith nods. “Sounds good.”
Pidge grins. “Great! Now come on, tell me all about your endeavors as a Blade!” As Keith gets roped into socializing, Shiro wanders over to Hunk.
“So, what exactly is this holiday you’re celebrating?” He asks. He figures the yellow Paladin would be the best choice to ask, considering Lance and Pidge are occupied and Allura and Coran are new to this as well.
Hunk blinks, “Keith hasn’t mentioned anything about life on earth?”
Shiro shakes his head, “We’re mainly focused on whatever mission Kolivan assigns us. The times we have talked about earth were usually about its terrain and what activities he used to do, not so much holidays or earth customs. It’s all new to me.”
“Oh! Well, to keep it simple, Valentine’s day is a time where we show our appreciation to those we love and care about. It’s usually associated with romance, but it can be platonic too.”
“I see,” Shiro looks to where Keith is with the others. “Is it usually done in a group setting like this?”
“Sometimes? Again, most people use this opportunity to confess their romantic feelings to someone in private, or if they’re already dating they might just have a special outing like a dinner or something. But since it’s just the seven of us, we’re spending time together. I guess this could be considered a singles party?” Hunk looks up, contemplating for a bit before shrugging, “Point is, I’m just glad we’re all still here for each other and having some fun.”
“Yeah...it’s nice.” Shiro agrees.
----------
“That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” Shiro teases as Keith leads him to the room Allura prepared for him. They spent a majority of the visit catching up with Keith and getting to know Shiro, they were only to go over two of their plans before retiring for the night.
“I feel like I should be asking you that.” Keith chuckles.
Shiro shrugs. “We might not have been able to go through all of their plans, but I had a good time getting to know them.”
“I’m glad.” Keith smiles. He stops by one of the doors, stepping aside as he presents the room to Shiro. “This one’s all yours, buddy.” Shiro thanks him, but pauses in the doorway.
“Shiro?”
“I’d like to give you something, if that’s alright.” He says after a moment. He grips the frame tightly, heart pounding.
Keith blinks. “What? Why?”
“From what I understand, Valentine’s is a time to show your love and appreciation for those you care about. I’d like to do that for you.”
Keith blushes a deep red . “Y-you don’t have to…”
“I want to. You deserve to be loved and appreciated.” Shiro breathes. “I might not have much now, but I’ll think of something. Until then…” He leans forward, giving Keith’s forehead an affectionate nuzzle with his own. He hears Keith suck in a breath, heat radiating off his face. Shiro rumbles happily, deciding to be bold and pressing a light kiss against his cheek. He pulls back with a soft smile.
“Goodnight, Keith.”
Shiro closes the door and slides down once he’s alone. He can’t believe he did that oh sweet space goddess where did that come from-
There’s a knock on the door.
Shiro runs a hand down his face, letting out a quiet groan. It’s probably Keith, which means he may have crossed a line. Damn his impulse.
“Well, there’s no point in ignoring him.” Shiro says to himself. He takes a deep breath, composing himself and quelling his pounding heart before standing up and opening the door. Sure enough, Keith is still standing there, red faced and with his brows furrowed.
He definitely went too far.
“Yes?” Shiro asks quietly. Keith stares up at him, starting and stopping his words.
“Keith, if I went too far, I’m sor-” he’s cut off mid apology by Keith, a finger over his lips. It’s quite impressive, considering their height difference. Out of habit, he lowers himself to be closer to Keith.
“It’s not. You just.” Keith flounders, hands moving awkwardly as he tries to explain himself. He growls, running his hands through his hair. “I suck at this, okay? I’m not experienced. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Shiro laughs nervously, “I don’t either.” He says honestly. He’s completely lost with where Keith is trying to go with this. At least he isn’t getting sucker punched, he’ll take that win.
Keith relaxes a little, though not by much. He huffs in disbelief, slowly devolving into laughter. “Screw it.” That’s the only warning Shiro gets before being pulled into a proper kiss.
Proper is an understatement. It’s far from perfect, what with Shiro bent at an awkward angle with his lips mashed against Keith’s in a closed kiss, but his tenacity and softness make up for it.
It’s over as quickly as it started, Keith pulling away once he feels his point has been made. He’s avoiding Shiro’s stunned gaze, arms crossed tightly like he usually does when he’s nervous or defensive.
“So...yeah. I. Yeah.” Keith says, flustered. He turns away, eager to head to his room, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He nods and walks off, shoulders hunched. Shiro is left standing in his doorway, processing the last 30 seconds.
Keith kissed him. Holy shit.
He couldn’t wait for tomorrow.