Work Text:
"D'you want to take the helm?"
Shiro swallowed hard and took a step back. Keith was looking at him, his dark eyebrows bunched together in a worried expression. They had just finished a morning drill with Krolia, who had now left for the living quarters. She was very adamant that they kept training during their voyage to Earth.
Keith had offered Shiro the pilot seat as soon as they were alone in the cockpit. He had kept his tone deceptively casual, as if this was just routine. But hiding his facial expressions was a skill Keith had never mastered—and secretly, Shiro was thankful for it. Right now, though, Keith's obvious concern wasn't something Shiro wanted to face. Part of him wanted to leave the cockpit entirely. He was getting sweaty and numb.
"She misses you, you know."
It struck Shiro's heart like lightning. He hadn't realized Black was suffering from their separation too.
"I miss her too." Shiro's voice came out shaky and small. He hated it.
"Then, why?" Keith whispered.
Shiro had to look away. Silence stretched uncomfortably. His heart was beating hard, and his head felt as if it were filled with cotton. He had the urge to leave the cockpit again, but he didn't want to leave Keith hanging.
"I don't want to risk getting pulled into the astral plane again," Shiro admitted. Unable to continue this conversation, he stepped through the hatch into the sleeping area. Krolia was there, sitting on her cot, reading something on her holopad. Shiro nodded at her, stripped of his armor, and, once in under-armor, got into his bed. He didn't even have the energy to change into pajamas.
He shoved his face into the pillow, wishing he could push the thoughts out of his head. Memories of finding himself trapped on the astral plane. Of realizing he had died, and left his body behind. That he was stuck there for eternity. Of connecting to Keith through Black, and once, almost reaching all the Paladins, but never getting to actually be with them.
He started counting in his head, desperately trying to divert his mind. He had been taught this technique as a child to deal with the pain and anxiety of his illness, but he had refined it in the Gladiator camps. No, better not think of that either.
Keith stayed in the cockpit a long time. Shiro guessed he was giving him some space. It wasn't always easy to live in such close quarters. Shiro genuinely enjoyed spending time with Keith, getting to know his mother and his space wolf. He just wished to have somewhere to retreat to when he needed to be alone.
Shiro fell asleep before Keith left the cockpit.
"The stars are so clear," Keith said as he sat down beside Shiro. The wolf lay down behind them, keeping them warm against the chilly night. They were making a stop on a small planet. No civilization, but some wildlife. And indeed, the sky was beautiful.
"Sadly, there's no constellation here I can teach you about," Shiro joked. Back then at the Garrison, they had often watched the sky together. Shiro taught Keith about astronomy that way: Keith was more likely to listen like that than in front of a screen.
Keith snorted. "Yeah. But I know you enjoy seeing new skies."
"You got me," Shiro admitted with a smile.
"Hey, Shiro. Sorry for pushing you the other day. About piloting Black."
"Keith… It's fine. You didn't push me. You just offered."
"It's just—I thought you were afraid of her rejecting you. And I knew she wouldn't. I didn't realize…"
Shiro sighed. "Yeah. It's the opposite. Keith, we've been so entangled, I didn't know where I stopped and where she began. If I connected with her for piloting, I'm not sure we could keep things under control. Every day, I can feel the pull, and it scares me."
"I see," Keith said quietly.
Shiro let the silence stretch. He needed to gather his strength for what he was about to announce. "Keith, staying in Black is suffocating right now. I really enjoy traveling with you, but I—I can't…"
The look of betrayal in Keith's face was fleeting but unmistakable. Shiro squeezed Keith's shoulder. He hated to see him so distraught.
"Keith, I can never thank you enough for all that you've done for me. And again, I enjoyed staying with you. But I asked Pidge, and they agreed for me to move into Green with them. We'll still see each other on stops like this one. But I need space from Black, right now."
Keith nodded his head slowly. "I understand."
"Thank you."
They both fell silent again, contemplating these unknown stars.
Keith had been the last Paladin to come back to consciousness, and it had worried Shiro deeply. At first, they didn't know if he would wake up at all. And if he did, there were serious risks of lasting consequences. At least, now that he had woken, the doctors were confident that he'd fully recover.
"Shiro?"
Keith looked so pale, almost as white as the sheets from his hospital bed.
"Yes, Keith?"
"How is Black?"
It wasn't the first time he asked, but the medical team had warned them that it might happen, and that they should be patient if Keith kept asking the same things.
"Like you, she's recovering," Shiro explained. "The fall was brutal for both of you, but she's back online and self-repairing."
"Have you told her that I'm awake?"
"Oh, I'm sure she can sense that."
Keith got agitated, bunching his bedsheets in his hands. "Please, Shiro, can you tell her?"
"I promise, Keith," Shiro replied. He didn't like seeing Keith upset like that. "I promise," he repeated, and his friend seemed to relax a little.
The area where Black had crashed had been cleared, and she was still sitting there, towering over the wrecked buildings. Shiro approached her cautiously. When the Lions were in repair mode, they were usually harder to reach, their minds busy with the process.
"Hey," Shiro said, somewhat awkwardly. Immediately, the Lion's attention shifted to him. But it wasn't as overwhelming as he had worried it would be.
"Keith is awake. He's expected to make a full recovery."
Relief and thankfulness radiated from the Lion.
"You're welcome," Shiro said, and he walked away swiftly. He wasn't used to the connection with Black anymore, and the way it had so naturally fallen into place unsettled him. But at the same time, it had felt like meeting an old friend.
"Great job, everyone. See you next week!"
The cadets came out of the flight simulators, chatting excitedly. Shiro smiled. He always loved it when his students enjoyed the lessons.
He complimented a few of them on their performance as they left, and walked away with a spring in his step. It was his last class of the day, and he was meeting with Keith!
He hadn't seen Keith in months. He had been away on humanitarian missions with the Blades, most often too far away to be reached. Shiro was excited to catch up with him.
As he made his way to the Garrison's landing pad, he could see Black's huge silhouette against the bright sky.
"Shiro!"
Keith jogged towards him, and Shiro opened his arms. Keith came in for the hug, and they held each other for a while.
"Missed you," Shiro said as they untangled themselves from each other. Keith's hair was longer, and there were dark circles under his eyes, but he seemed relaxed and happy.
"It's good to be back," Keith replied, grinning.
The wolf, who had been waiting politely for his turn, joined them and greeted Shiro, pushing his head into Shiro's hand.
"Does he have a name, now?"
Keith looked lovingly at the large predator he had raised.
"He still hasn't told me."
The wolf leaned against Shiro with all his weight, demanding more attention. Shiro petted his back. His gaze caught on Black again.
"Hi, Black," he whispered.
Shiro hadn't expected anything, but the huge robot lowered her head to look at him, and they connected again. It was as if centuries had passed or as if they had never left each other.
"Shiro?"
Shiro blinked, and to his surprise, tears fell from his eyes. He rubbed them away with the back of his hand.
"Sorry. It was just… a lot."
He took a deep breath to gather himself.
"So, your hoverbike is still waiting for you. I have planned a little escapade to the desert. I've got everything ready for a picnic. Are you up for it?"
"You bet!"
Sitting on top of the mesa, Keith and Shiro were watching the sun set over the desert.
"If we wait for a bit, we can study the stars like we used to," Shiro said. It felt nostalgic sitting here with Keith, after all they'd been through. The only difference was the huge space wolf sharing the picnic mat with them. Keith had tinkered with his hoverbike to allow for a safe way to transport his companion.
"Except you don't have much to teach me about the stars anymore, old timer!" Keith joked.
"That's true," Shiro said fondly.
They cradled their enamel mugs, letting the coffee warm their fingers, as the sky lit up with all the colors of dusk.
"Are you coming to the next Coalition meeting?" Keith asked.
"Of course. I'm part of the Earth delegation. We will come on board the Atlas. I was informed that my presence at the meetings was required."
Keith chuckled. "You always act as if you hate those diplomatic meetings, but you'll be in your element."
"To be honest, it's worth it having some weight in those discussions. Our involvement doesn't need to end after the war, and reconstruction is crucial."
"Yeah," Keith agreed. "I just prefer doing it in the field."
"Of course. The Blades are doing such important work."
"I never know how to behave in those Coalition meetings," Keith groaned. "And for some reason, people think that because I'm a Paladin, I should be good at giving speeches."
"You're better than you think at public speaking."
Keith grimaced. "I guess I've got enough practice now. Doesn't mean I like it."
They both laughed.
"All the Paladins will be there," Shiro mused. "It will be nice being reunited."
"Yeah. I hope we can sneak out at some point and have some time for ourselves."
"They usually leave us some slack. You know, for saving the universe."
They exchanged a smile.
Lost in their thoughts, they watched the stars slowly appear. The desert was one of the best places to see them. No light pollution here.
Shiro's thoughts drifted to Black again.
"I didn't realize I missed Black this much," he confided.
Keith turned to him, and Shiro could tell he had his undivided attention. It was a little embarrassing, but Keith was intense like that. They had avoided the topic for so long.
"Sorry if I got a bit emotional back there."
Keith shook his head. "Stop apologizing. And I get it. When I have to leave Black behind, I miss her, even if we are separated for a shorter time. And when I get to see Red again, it's even more so."
"I can imagine."
"The best is when we form Voltron. Didn't expect to miss this."
Shiro's breath caught in his throat. Now that Keith had mentioned it, he desperately longed for it. That feeling of being part of something bigger, that intense connection with the Lions and his fellow Paladins. There was nothing else even close to it.
"Shiro? Everything all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I just realized, I miss it too."
Keith's face softened. "Well. We can make it happen."
"But I don't pilot Black anymore," Shiro protested. "And I wouldn't want to take your place." If they were going to form Voltron, Shiro would want Keith to be part of it, too.
"What if we find some way to pilot Black together?" Keith suggested.
"That would be… amazing, actually."
"And I could keep you safe from the astral plane, if that still bothers you," Keith promised.
"Thank you, Keith. If this is a possibility, I'd like to try."
"And here is your station," Hunk announced, making a big gesture to introduce Black's new piloting station, with two pilot seats and two pairs of commands. "I hope it works," he added nervously, "maybe we should have tried it out before the big night."
They were performing at the Coalition meeting, and indeed, they couldn't afford to fail.
"I trust you, Hunk," Shiro said, admiring the new setup.
"I think our calculations are pretty solid," Pidge assured.
"Well, we should be getting to our own Lions," Lance pointed out. "The crowd is waiting."
"Yeah, get to your Lions," Keith said. "We've got this."
Once they were both ready for flight, Keith turned to Shiro. "Nervous?"
"Maybe."
"It's gonna be great," Keith promised.
Shiro braced himself as he connected with Black, ready to drown in her presence. To his surprise, it wasn't overwhelming at all. Again, this impression of meeting an old friend. It was like coming back to a place you used to live in and realizing it hadn't changed much, and that you still knew all its nooks and crannies.
Piloting with Keith came completely naturally. It reminded Shiro of them training together on the Garrison's flight simulators, before Voltron, before everything.
They fell into an easy formation with the rest of the team. The crowd applauded.
"Shiro, the honor is yours," Keith said as they were preparing to assemble.
Shiro took a long inspiration, trying to steady the beating of his heart: "Everybody, it's time to form Voltron!"
The robots merged into one. The Paladins all laughed, elated by being connected in this way again.
"Oh man, I missed this!" Lance explained.
"I missed it too," Shiro said, quietly. He couldn't believe he was part of this again.