Chapter Text
"Proposal"
Shiro really shouldn't have been nervous. It was just Valentine's Day, the most romantic day of the year, and he was pondering what to get his boyfriend. His head still spun at the thought of Keith being his boyfriend.
They had met by chance when Shiro had started recruiting kids for the Garrison. Keith had been an uninterested, quiet boy sitting in the classroom, looking out the window instead of paying attention to Shiro like so many of his classmates. Shiro wasn't sure what drew him to Keith, but once he saw the raw potential Keith possessed, he swore to become a mentor to him. During their time at the Garrison, he and Keith had grown closer, resulting in not only Keith confiding in Shiro but Shiro returning the favor. Keith had been happy for Shiro when he had been chosen for the Kerberos Mission, but deep down, he was devastated but not as devastated as he was when he found out that the Kerberos crew was listed as dead due to pilot error. It had been laughable. Shiro not flying perfectly on such a simple mission? Ha. Keith had known he had to find out what really happened, but all that resulted in was him getting expelled. Keith would always smirk when he remembered the good right hook he gave to Iverson. Last thing he heard as he packed his bags was that Iverson lost the use of his left eye. It served him right, trying to keep the information about Shiro away from Keith. However, that didn't matter as everything worked out in the end. He managed to rescue Shiro when he crashed (with help from three cadets) and they were launched into space by the Blue Lion and became the defenders of the universe, fighting in an intergalactic war they had had no clue about.
During that time, Shiro and Keith were reacquainting themselves with one another. At first, it had been a lingering touch here and there and standing close to one another, but it soon changed to holding hands and Keith leaning against Shiro. The biggest change was sharing a bed. Keith had found out that Shiro had nightmares from his time in the arena and would wake up to see Shiro sitting up in bed, shaking slightly with unfocused eyes and his breaths coming in little pants. Keith would gently and slowly work his hands over Shiro's shoulders, softly calling out to him and using his first name to ground him in the present. It would take several minutes, but Shiro would inevitably turn to Keith and lay back down with Keith's arms around him, hoping to keep the nightmares away.
It was hard when Shiro had vanished from the Black Lion after the fight with Zarkon. Keith was an emotional wreck, especially after having Black Lion choose him over the other Paladins as the new leader. He never wanted the role, even though Shiro believed in him. The little bit of time before they found Shiro was agonizing to Keith. He had gotten less sleep and was eating even less. Then, they found Shiro, but something was still off. The touches were empty, and Keith found himself sleeping alone. It didn't seem Shiro was himself. Keith supposed that could have been from the second imprisonment, but even that sounded like a lame excuse. So, Keith began to distance himself from this not-Shiro. He joined The Blade of Marmora full time and tried not to think about Shiro.
As it turned out, Keith had been right. The Shiro they had found was a clone, and Keith had been forced to fight him. The good news was that Keith found the real Shiro. Shiro had actually died during the battle with Zarkon, but the Black Lion had somehow managed to retain his essence and keep his soul alive within its consciousness. After the big battle against Lotor ended, Allura managed to put Shiro's soul into the clone's body. Then, it was time to fly to Earth to meet up with Sam Holt and retrieve the plans for a new Castle of Lions.
Keith's relationship with Shiro had always taken a backseat to saving the universe, but Shiro was determined to show his boyfriend what he meant to him, especially on this day. He decided on what to get Keith, and when everything was purchased, Shiro sent Keith a message to meet him in front of the Garrison.
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Keith had been trying on the new red uniform the Garrison had issued him, when he received the communique from Shiro. It sounded like Shiro wanted to race hover bikes like they used to. Keith grinned at the idea. He liked that being back on Earth wasn't such a bad thing, especially since Shiro wasn't leaving him alone (most of the time). He threw off the new uniform and put on some comfortable clothes. If he was going to beat Shiro, he might as well be comfortable doing it.
Keith walked out of the Garrison, goggles in hand, to see Shiro standing by two hover bikes, one of which was the red one Keith had inherited from his late father. Keith grinned. "Ready to race, 'Kashi?"
"You know I am, Keith," Shiro returned, pulling the younger man close. They shared a brief kiss before parting to climb aboard their hover bikes. The race through the desert was exhilarating, the wind whipping through their hair. They took the same path Shiro had shown Keith all those years ago; the same path Keith had taken when he rescued Shiro. Shiro had been the first one to dive off the cliff back then, but Keith beat him to it this time, Shiro following soon after.
Once the two men had made it to the end point they previously agreed upon, they slowed their bikes. Keith had won the race, and Shiro couldn't be any prouder of his boyfriend. Shiro hopped off his bike and approached Keith, who was gazing at the nearly setting sun that was turning the sky beautiful combinations of reds, purples, and pinks with a dash of orange. The scene of Keith staring at this amazing scenery with the sunset as a background was almost enough to stall Shiro's brain, but Shiro still had a plan to make this the Valentine's Day Keith would never forget.
When Shiro approached Keith, he smiled and wrapped the dark haired man in another hug. "I never thought I'd be able to see an Earth sunset ever again, but you made that possible, Keith. Thank you."
"I should be thanking you, 'Kashi. You gave my life purpose. I wouldn't be the man I am today without you."
"Then," Shiro pulled out a box from his pocket and bent down on one knee, opening the box. "Will you, Keith Kogane, vow to be by my side forever?"
Keith stared at the ring in the box in his boyfriend's hands. Was he seriously asking Keith to marry him? The ring was absolutely breathtaking. It was a simple onyx band but had three rubies in a diagonal line set in the band. Keith's eyes flicked from the ring back to Shiro's face before Keith gave the only reasonable answer. "Of course, I'll marry you, Takashi!"
Shiro stood up, slipping the ring on his fiancée's finger, before pulling him in for their first kiss as an engaged couple, the sun slowly setting in the background.
Fin