Archive of Our Own ^beta

Shiro is in the middle of checking the itinerary for the Coalition's latest diplomatic meeting on Altea when an out-of-breath Pidge bursts into his office, words tumbling from her mouth so fast it takes Shiro a tick to process them.

"Keith missed his check in."

Shiro's hand freezes on the holoscreen. The itinerary flickers beneath his finger, stuck halfway between pages, but all he can see is Pidge staring at him behind the data, her eyes as wide as her signature round glasses. Atlas hums in the back of his mind, worry bleeding through their connection.

A sliver of dread snakes down his spine.

"When?"

"Two vargas ago. I wouldn't normally come to you so soon but..."

"Keith doesn't miss check-ins."

Pidge shakes her head and holds out the data pad in her hands. "The mission was going fine. He made contact with the weapons dealer twelve vargas ago and was on track to attend a 'showing' with other potential buyers three vargas ago. When he didn't check in at first, I assumed the meeting went long, but..."

Shiro takes the pad and flips through Pidge's notes. He feels Atlas hovering in his mind like someone leaning in to read over his shoulder. The more he reads, the more his connection with Atlas turns into a feedback loop of worry stacked on worry.

When he reaches the final page, the trickling dread turns to solid ice.

With quick-but-sure movements, Shiro brings up the holoscreen again. Atlas whisks away the Coalition notes and replaces them with a map of all BOM and Coalition protectors stationed in the area where Keith was supposed to meet the dealers.

"Do we have anyone in the area who can get eyes on the location?"

"I sent word to Acxa as soon as he failed to check in. She's already on her way."

A notice from Pidge pops up. He taps it, and another dot appears on the map right over the same space station where Keith was supposed to be.

"She was able to wormhole to the station without raising alarms thanks to one of our contacts. I expect to hear from her—" A beep interrupts Pidge's words, and her expression turns hopeful. "It's her!"

The incoming call pops up on Shiro's holo, and Pidge runs around to stand behind Shiro. The bit of hope Shiro felt at Pidge's announcement, however, is dashed the moment Acxa's face pops up on screen. She isn't an emotional person, but the devastation in her eyes is unmistakable.

Shiro's entire body tenses as if waiting for a physical blow. Atlas practically keens.

"It's a bloodbath, Pidge— Oh." Acxa pauses as she realizes Shiro is there. She nods in greeting. "Captain."

"Acxa," Shiro acknowledges. "Did you find any trace of Keith?"

Even over the somewhat spotty connection Acxa's tension is palpable. Her jaw tenses as she nods. Shiro opens his mouth to ask even as he dreads the answer.

Keith can't be dead.

He can't be.

Shiro never got the chance to tell him—

All thoughts fly out of his head as Acxa raises her arm. Her expression is the closest to breaking he's ever seen. And when her hand comes into view, he understands why.

In her open palm rests Keith's Marmoran blade.

*

"Shiro! You can't just leave without notice!"

"Watch me," Shiro growls as he throws his go bag into his personal ship.

Allura catches his arm. "I know you're worried. We all are! But the glow of his blade assures us he's alive, and Acxa and the others are doing everything they can to find him. With the rise in violent groups all over the galaxy over the past deca-phoeb, we need you here. To guide. To lead."

Her pleading expression scratches at his resolve, but it's nowhere near enough to break it. He does regret leaving her in the lurch. Truly. His role as the black paladin often smooths the way for diplomatic agreements at these kinds of events. And the uptick in violence is concerning. It's the reason Keith went undercover as a weapons buyer in the first place — to discover the source.

But there's no way he's not going after Keith.

The Atlas hanger is bustling with the comings and goings of personnel to the surface as they get ready for the diplomatic meetings. Altas hums in the back of his mind, another subtle suggestion that Shiro allows Atlas to simply wormhole to Keith's system. Shiro has already explained to Atlas why that's a bad idea — the Coalition representatives still on board notwithstanding. They won't get far with the locals if they come in guns blazing. Shiro soothes Atlas in his mind and turns his attention to Allura.

"I know. And you're right. Doing the work to ensure the safety of the galaxy is objectively more important than the life of a single person. Normally, I'd agree with you." Shiro licks his lips. "Problem is... I'm done putting the universe before Keith. He—"

Shiro cuts off and rubs a hand over his eyes. Since Pidge burst into his office two vargas ago, he hasn't stopped moving. Between conversations with the Holts and Acxa, he's been desperately organizing and attempting to keep up with any news from his station here on the Atlas.

But he's done with the long-distance waiting. He needs to be out there. He needs to find Keith. Even if Allura is right, he can't take sitting around doing nothing while Keith is in danger.

Allura's grip on his arm softens, and he glances over to find a small, sad smile replacing her pleading look. "Oh. Have you finally realized?"

"Realized what? That he's the love of my life even if he'll never feel the same about me? No, I'm good on that one, actually."

Shiro's heart nearly beats out of his chest as the words spill from his mouth. It's the first time he's said it out loud to anyone, and it hurts more than he expects. Still, there's a hint of relief there, too, like a weight lifting from his shoulders.

Allura blinks several times in rapid succession, confusion creeping into her smile. "No, I meant... Shiro, surely you can't be so oblivious?"

"I don't have time for games, Allura. And I'm going after Keith. It's the least I can do after all the times he saved me."

"Yes! Exactly. Keith is so devoted to you that he crossed the universe multiple times to save you. You can't honestly think he doesn't love—"

Shiro cuts her off with a sigh of frustration. The reminder of all Keith endured because of him stabs like a Marmoran blade through his heart, but it's such a familiar pain that he barely flinches. He gently extracts his arm from her grasp.

"He does. I know he does. Like a brother. He's told me so multiple times. And now he needs me, which means I need to go."

Allura softens, and she nods. "Yes, I... I understand." She looks past him to the ship. "I do wish I could go with you."

Shiro shrugs in return. "You're the queen. Pretty sure you can do whatever you want."

"My many advisors would argue that point. Most vehemently."

A shout of Shiro's name echoes across Atlas' hangar, interrupting their conversation. Shiro frowns and looks past Allura to find Pidge and Hunk standing with Lance, who is bracing a hand on his hip and holding a duffle bag over his shoulder. The Holt-designed cruiser — with a complete defense and weapons suite — begins to glow behind him.

Lance jerks his thumb to the cruiser and yells, "You nerds coming or what? We've got a paladin to save."

Allura gasps and starts for the ship. "Lance, you cannot be serious!" she yells back at him.

"'Course I am, queen of my heart. Keith needs us."

A warm smile blooms over Shiro's face. This is how it's supposed to be. The paladins against the evils of the universe. The show of solidarity doesn't take away the terror that has infiltrated Shiro's system like a virus, but for the first time since the news came through, his nerves settle.

He picks up his duffle and jogs toward the cruiser, instructing Atlas to power down his personal ship. Atlas buzzes in the back of his mind, excitement echoing through their connection. It's something he's had to get used to over the deca-phoebs — the way his and Atlas' emotions can become so easily entangled. Atlas cares about all the crew that live and work within its hull, but it cares more about the paladins simply because Shiro does. And his feelings for Keith...

It took some doing to convince Atlas to keep quiet about that.

If Shiro gets Keith back, though, he's not sure he'll be able to keep up the pretense. For the first time since he accepted his feelings for Keith, Shiro thinks perhaps they would be better off getting things out in the open instead of pining in silence.

"But... the meetings..." Allura is saying as Shiro approaches.

"Have been pushed back for at least a day," Hunk assures her. "Kolivan and Coran are working out the details, and Sal is taking over the catering to keep everyone fed."

Lance waves a hand toward the ship. "So climb aboard, love of my life, and use that Altean magic to pop us across the universe. We've got a friend to save."

A bright smile slowly blooms on Allura's face. She leans up and kisses Lance on the cheek. And then her expression turns positively murderous.

"Alright then. Let's find Keith. And perhaps take down a few evil doers along the way."

Shiro manages to hold back a laugh as she stalks on board, all her previous hesitation gone. He knows she just wants to do what's best for the universe. She's trying to be a good queen and coalition leader, but it's clear this is where she wanted to be all along.

The hope that filled his heart when he saw the paladins gathered together overflows into confident determination. He begins to board with the others but holds back when Pidge stays planted outside the ramp. Shiro frowns and comes to stand beside her.

"Coming along?"

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah. Just waiting for our final... there she is! Now it's time to go."

Shiro follows Pidge's gaze to find Krolia jogging across the hanger much like he had moments ago. She's dressed in full Marmoran gear — suit, sash, and her blade strapped to her hip. The hanger seems smaller just watching her move through it.

Shiro turns to smile at Pidge. She's already looking up at him with her signature smirk.

"They won't know what hit 'em," she says.

Shiro can only hope she's right.

*

Acxa is still on site when they arrive a half varga later thanks to Allura wormholing them directly to the station. Acxa and three other blades under her command meet them at the port and accompany them to the site. As they wind through the darkened streets, she briefs them on all they've discovered so far.

"Unless you paladins can find clues I missed, the location of the supposed 'showing' is a dead end. The weapons smuggling was orchestrated by a galran man, but the owner didn't bother to get a name. And the galran paid for the room in untracked data chips."

"Of course he did," Pidge grumbles as she types something into her pad.

"I thought those weren't allowed," Hunk pipes up.

"Unmarked chips are still accepted in a few places in legitimate Coalition space, but they're the main currency here on the fringes, which means that's also a dead end," Acxa explains. "However, the logs of ships entering and exiting the space port have been far more helpful, and my team has narrowed the possible ships down to three. I've sent teams ahead to track all three ships based on their trajectories when leaving the station. I've sent you the information, Pidge."

"Thanks. I've updated your teams on logical first, second, and third stops based on the data."

Acxa nods as they enter what appears to be a seedy club via a back door. Blades are stationed outside and inside. And the room...

The room is, in fact, covered in blood.

Hunk makes a whimpering sound and immediately turns around to face the door, hand covering his mouth.

Shiro can relate. He doesn't turn away, but his stomach churns with a deep-seated dread he hasn't felt since his first day in the gladiator pits. He's seen far worse than this, of course, but since the end of the war, he's been working with doctors to process his trauma. The upside is that he's far more present and emotionally healthy than almost any other time in his life.

The downside, he's learning, is that the horrors of war no longer cascade off his numb mind like snow off a steep roof.

He takes a deep breath and reminds himself that Acxa found several bodies in the room when she first arrived, but none of them were Keith. A hand on his shoulder helps steady him further, and he turns to find Krolia behind him, her expression tight with worry, though he can tell she's trying to hide it.

She doesn't look at him, but she squeezes his shoulder as she asks Acxa, "Where are the bodies?"

"The local 'authorities' took away the dead to do ID scans," Acxa tells them, "but I'm not confident they'll actually share the results with us. Or even do the scans."

"I'm already on it," Pidge says, already tapping away at her pad.

The tiniest of smiles appears on Acxa's lips before it slips away again. "I figured."

"What about Keith's blade?" Shiro asks, too concerned to be embarrassed by the way his voice trembles. "Where did you find it?"

"One of the enemies had been run through, but from what we could see of the bodies before the authorities took them, several others had similar wounds."

"So he fought back," Lance says in a thoughtful tone, "but still ended up leaving his blade behind."

Krolia shakes her head. "Keith would never leave his blade on purpose. He must've been knocked out or drugged."

Normally, Shiro would agree, but as he locks eyes with Lance, another idea takes shape. The room is almost bare. One table is turned on its side as if people were taking cover behind it, and several overturned chairs of various shapes for various alien species are strewn about the room.

But if this room were meant to hold a display of weapons, there should be more than just one table and a few chairs.

Shiro turns to Acxa. "Can I see his blade?"

Acxa hesitates, but a glance and nod from Krolia has her reaching into the pack strapped across her chest. She pulls out the blade, her hands shaking a bit as she gives it to Shiro.

The blade has reverted to its knife form, and the soft glow of the symbol near the hilt gives Shiro a bit of comfort as he turns it in his hand. But it's the strange new wrap on the hilt that catches his attention. Since accepting his galran heritage, Keith's always kept his blade hilt unwrapped.

His hands begin to tremble. Hope surges through him as he feels around the wrap for something... anything...

"There!" Shiro breathes.

Just under the hilt where the wrap twists around a few times is a small bump, barely distinguishable by his human hand and invisible to the eye. Shiro uses his Altean arm to carefully remove the wrap, revealing a flexible data drive. He jerks his head up, zeroing in on Pidge as his hands fumble with the drive. Pidge darts over and grabs the drive while digging in her bag at the same time. She pulls out a small black box and shoves the drive into one of the many slots.

"What is it?" Allura asks as she leans over Pidge's shoulder.

"One of the drives I gave him to record the meeting." Pidge looks up at Shiro. "That was good thinking. I never would've thought to look for it there."

The box emits a short beep and flashes green. Pidge taps a button on her pad, and they gather around as a video begins to play.

Keith's whisper fills the room. Shiro has to put a hand over his mouth to keep his gasp contained.

"Okay, I'm in. I've wrapped the drive in my blade... and I'm realizing now I probably should've told you about that during my last check in. Fingers crossed nothing goes wrong, huh?"

A voice cuts in, speaking in Galran, and Pidge sets up a vocal recognition scan as they watch Keith and several other supposed "buyers" walk into the room where they all now stand. Another man begins talking, and Pidge sets up another scan. The camera slowly moves around; Keith is clearly attempting to get a good visual on the person talking. A person in front of the camera shifts, and a galran face comes into view.

Pidge sets up another scan, this time for facial features. It gets an immediate hit.

"Barlev, a former general in Zarkon's army. He disappeared when Honerva took over, but clearly he's been working from the shadows," she says.

Krolia hums and taps on her wrist cuff. "Looks like the Blade have had a few sightings lately, most recently near the Argoele system." She frowns. "Which is odd because it's supposedly a non-inhabited system."

Pidge's eyes widen as she plots the course to the system. "One of the ships leaving the space port was headed in that direction. Their route would take them directly through the system."

A moment of silence descends upon the group, leaving only the sounds on the video. A scuffle in the audio draws their attention, and Shiro watches in growing horror as everyone in the room suddenly turns on Keith.

"This was a set up," Shiro whispers just as Keith's voice, garbled by his fighting movements, returns.

"I'm going to leave my blade and try to escape. If you're hearing this, I heard one of them mention a planet named Neroq. Shit!"

Blaster fire passes through the camera's field of view before everything goes blurry. Keith's heavy breathing takes over the audio as he runs. A metallic clang and then the sounds of a thriving nightlife suddenly fill the audio. Shouts come close and loud from behind, but static overtakes the image and sound the farther Keith runs from the receiver.

The last thing they hear is a wet thud, and a deep voice saying, "You're mine now. No one will find you where I'm taking you paladin. You'll tell me all the coalition secrets, or pain will be your new best friend until you die."

The video cuts out, and Shiro feels it as if the string tying him to Keith has been severed. Fear and horror rise up his throat, but he swallows it back as Pidge types something else on her cuff.

"According to blade records, the planet Neroq is in the Argoele system. We have them!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Shiro growls.

He doesn't bother to see if anyone follows him as he books it for the ship.

*

The system is in an otherwise uncharted galaxy. The Blade only noted the presence of galra there because the system was supposed to be a secret stop for their clandestine operations. Now, as they ease into the system, the Holts' newly developed cloaking tech — based on the lions, of course — hiding their presence, Pidge delicately scans for any life. Acxa and her team don't have the cloaking tech installed, so they're waiting a bit further out until the paladins call them in.

Shiro is literally on the edge of his seat, hands clasped in front of him and pressed to his lips. Krolia has already calmed his jittery leg twice, and he's trying hard to keep still as the scans bring up...

Nothing.

He bursts from his seat and starts pacing. "What are we missing?"

"Dunno, man," Hunk says as he helps Pidge with the scans. "All signs point to this system, and Keith mentioned this planet. But..." Hunk taps his chin before typing furiously on the holoscreen. "Maybe the planet is just a way finder? Maybe the base is somewhere else? Maybe... somewhere like—"

A dot pops up near a gas giant on the opposite end of the system. Hunk lets out a whoop.

"Like a space station!"

Shiro breathes out a shaky sigh and claps Hunk on the shoulder. "Good work, Hunk. Pidge, get us as close as you can."

They make their way to a nearby moon, and Hunk and Pidge continue their scans. Just a few seconds in, and Pidge lets out a low whistle.

"What?" Lance asks, hanging over her chair. "What did you find?"

"Weapons. So many weapons." She looks back and locks eyes with Krolia and then Shiro. "Even with Acxa's help, we don't have anywhere near the kind of fire power we'd need to take on that station."

Shiro whirls around, barely biting back a violent curse. He takes a few deep breaths and listens to the conversation continue around him.

"What about the other Blades?" Allura asks.

"Your wormhole power gives us a huge advantage, but they still have to take the long way," Krolia replies. "We're on our own for the time being."

"There's gotta be something we can do." Lance shoves his hands in his hair, a pained expression twisting his face. "You heard that evil galra dude. It's been vargas. They could be hurting him even as we speak."

"Not helping, darling," Allura murmurs.

Shiro looks up to find everyone staring at him. He shakes his head and pushes over to where Pidge and Hunk are still doing scans.

"Can you get a basic layout of the interior?"

"Very basic," Pidge says, though her tone says she's suspicious of the question. "Why?"

"Are there any entry points that a single person could approach without setting off any alarms?" Shiro asks instead of answering her question.

"Shiro—"

"There."

Hunk points to a docking bay that looks like it's built for accepting large shipments. A single ship sits in one of the bays, but the others are empty. The whole docking area is covered with a two-way shield that keeps air in but allows objects like ships to pass through. Whatever they're doing at this station, it must require a lot of raw materials.

He's sure that's important. And he will definitely think more about it later — just as soon as Keith is safe at his side again.

"Good. I'm going in. Pidge get those schematics ready and send th—"

A hand on his chest stops Shiro in his tracks, and he looks around to find Krolia standing in his way. He closes his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before opening his eyes and steeling himself to argue his point. Before he can, however, a wry smile flits over her lips.

"You're not going alone."

"No," Allura says as she connects her helmet to her altean armor. "He's not."

Lance steps up beside her and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Not without us."

Krolia nods at them both before looking back at Shiro with a quirked brow. He shakes his head and huffs a laugh before glancing over a Pidge and Hunk where they sit at the controls.

"Be ready to create a distraction if things go south."

"On it!" they call to him in unison.

Shiro connects his own helmet and looks Krolia, Allura, and finally Lance in the eyes. "Let's go get Keith."

*

Getting in is the easy part. No one is watching the entry port because who would think that four people in space suits and jet packs would come in individually?

No, it's the part that comes after that's the problem.

"Krolia and I will head to the section most likely to be where they're keeping captives," Shiro says on their closed comm link. "You two try to find out what the facility is for."

"How come we all don't get to find Keith?" Lance grumbles.

"Because this is an opportunity we can't pass up," Krolia replies. "We need to find out as much as we can about our enemy." She places a heavy hand on Lance's shoulder. "I'm counting on you and Allura. Be safe, and stay in touch."

"Alright then," Allura says in her most queenly tone. "We'll expect you to keep us updated on your search for Keith as well."

Lance and Allura split off toward the area Pidge designated as most likely to be the station's central hub. A stab of worry cuts through Shiro's single focus on Keith, but he pushes it aside. Both Lance and Allura are strong and capable fighters, and he has other things to think about.

Krolia and Shiro creep along the corridors Pidge has outlined as the safest routes. They still have to dodge patrols, but the conveniently dark gray walls and darkened corners help with that. Shiro is single minded in his forward movement, but Krolia is just as competent, if not more so, than Shiro. She finds corridors and shortcuts that he might've passed up, while he points out likely weak points and guard rotation patterns as they creep toward the part of the ship Pidge had indicated on their maps.

"I should not have allowed Keith to send Kosmo away on another mission," she grumbles. "I knew Keith would be in danger. I should have kept the wolf close."

"You can't blame yourself. That's a dark path. Let's just focus on saving him."

Krolia pauses and then nods at him. Shiro nods back.

As they move into a narrow corridor that's more an access tunnel than a proper hallway, Krolia slips behind him. She's been watching their six, and he's happy to allow her and her superior eyesight to cover them while he keeps his eyes on the brighter hallway ahead. As they pause a few meters back from the intersection to wait for the most recent patrol to pass by, though, Krolia murmurs into their proximity channel.

"You and Keith are close."

And... they've never done this before. Krolia has occasionally given him a few discerning looks that left him sure she could see right through him, especially when he's being overprotective of Keith, but she's never come out and said anything about their relationship. Shiro shifts in his spot, the anxious restlessness in his bones pushing him to move — to find and save the man he loves — but the patrol has decided to take a little chatting break with another group at the end of the hallway they need to slip through. So, he falls back on the easiest response.

"He's my best friend."

It's rote at this point. It's also the truth, if not the whole truth.

As if she can read his thoughts, Krolia asks, "Is that all he is to you?

"Isn't that enough?"

"Of course, if that is, indeed, all it is."

Shiro finally turns back to glance at her. "I've never known you to be so cagey about something. Why now?"

"It's a delicate situation," she says, her tone still neutral but her eyes... She's worried, of course, but under that, she seems perplexed. "I see the way you act around him. And I see the way the others are delicate with you when he is heading into danger or, as now, actually in danger. Keith and Pidge are friends. Her concern is tangible, but when I look at you, I see something deeper. Something almost... frantic."

The thud of Shiro's heart rushes in his ears as he stares at her. He can't deny any of it: the way Allura shushed Lance when he reminded them of the galra's promise of pain and death for Keith, the way the others anticipated Shiro's rush to save Keith on his own and organized a rescue together...

In a way, they all know why, though he doubts anyone but maybe Pidge has consciously figured out how Shiro feels. She'll often sigh at him when he asks her to put extra safety protocols in Keith's ship or install a tracker on his suit (she'd balked at that one — too much risk of it being hacked and used against Keith — but he wishes now he'd tried harder to convince her).

Well, and Allura knows now, too, because Shiro told on himself in Atlas' hangar.

Once again, he's faced with wondering why he continues to hold everything in. Forward might be the only way through because, no matter the outcome, he can't imagine Keith pulling away forever.

"Keith sees me as a brother, and I respect that. But what I feel for him... it isn't a brotherly love."

"You need to tell him."

Shiro licks his lips. "Yeah. I'm figuring that out. It would be better to hear the rejection directly from him. Then maybe we can move forward as stronger friends."

Krolia blinks as if he's said something incomprehensible, but he doesn't have time to dig into it. The patrols at the end of the hall are heading out, leaving their route open for the next five doboshes.

"Let's go," he whispers as he moves forward.

Krolia huffs a quiet laugh. He turns to find her shaking her head.

"What?"

"Later. For now, we need to find Keith."

Shiro has no argument for that.

They sneak through the halls, dodging more patrols while following the general path Pidge outlined for them. The station around them has been a typical galra construction up to this point, all gray metal and purple lights. But as they approach a closed door at the end of a long hallway, the walls lighten to a soft gray and then to a bright, sterile white. The purple shifts to mercury silver. Shiro sidles up to the door and presses the release.

Nothing.

Krolia tries next, hopeful that her galra genetics will override the lock as it used to with the doors on Zarkons ships.

Still nothing.

They take up defensive stances on either side of the door and hail Pidge.

"I think this is the access to where they're holding Keith, but I can't—"

Shiro cuts off as a laser blast hits the pristine wall beside his head. He and Krolia dive to the sides of the hallway, using the archway as cover.

"Intruders! We have intruders on deck 17. Requesting—"

The voice cuts off as Krolia darts out and throws her blade. The enemy falls, but it's too late. A general alert blares from hidden speakers. He shares a look with Krolia before she darts to the end of the hall to retrieve her blade. Shiro tunes into his channel with Pidge and Hunk again.

"Shiro? What's going on!" Pidge asks, concern coating her voice. "The station suddenly went to high alert!"

"They found us. We're up against a locked door. Anything you can do from there?"

"Uhhh... gimme a tick..." she replies.

Hunk's voice cuts in. "I think there's a secondary entrance. You could try that, though it might be locked, too."

Another dot appears on Shiro's visor map. Krolia has taken up a defensive stance at the end of the hall, and he runs to join her just as she starts shooting. He reaches her position, and his heart sinks. They're at one end of a three-way junction, station security coming in from their left. She's taken up the right side of the hallway, so he moves to the left side. He ducks around to shoot off a few blasts while keeping an eye on the hall to their right, which is, so far, still empty.

"Things are about to get messy," Shiro calls out to Pidge and Hunk. "We may need outside support."

No response.

"Pidge? Hunk? What's going on?"

His comm beeps, and he sees an incoming hail from Allura. He answers the ping while taking down a few more enemies.

"Shiro! We've made it to a main security hub, and I've taken over. We need you and Krolia to fall back to the third arch. We're going to close you off from the rest of the station!"

"Copy that! Krolia?"

She gives a quick nod, getting off a few more shots before they both race back to the deeper arch. They take cover on either side, and Shiro alerts Allura that they're in position. The doors whisk shut just as the first blasts come from the end of the hallway. He lets out a long breath and nods at Krolia. She nods back before moving back toward the locked door.

"Thanks Allura. Any chance you could get this door open for us?"

Instead of Allura, Lance responded, "Allura's busy taking out some baddies while I copy their databases, but I can give it a try!"

"Thanks. Have you heard from Pidge or Hunk lately? We lost contact."

"Ah, shit. No. That's not good."

Shiro is about to reply when a massive blast nearly shakes them from their feet. Nothing is damaged, however, so Shiro concludes it must've been a hit on another part of the station. Maybe Pidge and Hunk are creating a distraction? But if they can't get through the door, it's all going to be for nothing.

"Take cover," Krolia calls out.

Shiro does as he's told, but before he can question why, blaster fire rings out. He ducks his head out from behind a support strut and sees a dark mark on the wall around the door controls. The controls themselves, however, are still intact.

Krolia shoots him a wry smile from her position behind another strut closer to the door. "It was worth a try."

"Shiro?" Lance pipes up. "I think I might've found the door controls. Allura's still too busy to help, though, so I think it's gonna be an all or nothing thing."

Shiro closes his eyes and looks back at the door behind them. The faint clanking of metal reaches him through the doors. He glances at Krolia, and she nods. He jogs over to join her at the door.

"I don't think we have much time before they figure out how to open those blast doors anyway. Do it, wait five ticks, and then close them again."

A strange beeping sounds from both doors, and they slide open just as another, bigger blast rocks the station.

And it's then that Shiro feels it — that looming, comforting presence in the back of his mind.

"Atlas?"

A rush of relief mixed with anger blasts through his mind. He feels a hand pulling at him and blinks up at Krolia as she drags him through the doorway.

Then, as suddenly as Atlas pushed into his head, it pulls back, and he can think again. A faint sense of apology and reassurance flows through him, but blaster fire behind him thrusts him back into the moment.

They're through the door. He needs to find Keith.

He barely notices when the door closes again behind them. The walls are so blinding bright white he has to put a filter on his visor to see any definition. They move forward, checking and clearing rooms as they move down the hall.

And...

It's...

"So much blood," Shiro says.

He can hear his own voice breaking, the desperation and fear bleeding through. Krolia lays a hand on his shoulder as he stands in the middle of the most recent room. The blood is pink-ish here, but they've seen blue and black as well. Whoever runs this section of the base has a sadistic streak a light year long.

"Come on," Krolia says with a squeeze to his shoulder. "He's here somewhere. We just have to find him."

Lance's voice cuts through the moment. "Guys, I've been looking at the intake records, and I think I've got him! Three doors down on your right!"

Shiro is moving before Lance finishes speaking. As they rush into the hallway, though, laser blasts force them back into the room.

"Go!" Krolia shouts at him over the blasts. "I'll cover you!"

They move in unison, the two of them laying out cover fire against the enemies at their backs. Krolia digs into her position at the door while Shiro darts from side to side to dodge incoming blasts. He curses as a blast glances off his left shoulder, but he's too close to stop.

One...

Two..

Three!

He slaps the door controls, darts into the room...

And freezes.

Keith is hanging from chains attached to the ceiling, bare except for a thin pair of white pants, his face and arms bloodied. Red blood spatters cover the otherwise white room. In front of him stands a white alien with long, gangly limbs and bulbous head and midsection — an Ovenk. Shiro has only met a few members of the species at Coalition events, the general populace much more secluded and loath to get involved in wider universal politics. He knows a bit about their religion and culture, but nothing about their anatomy or how to fight them.

Keith doesn't appear to have this problem. His legs are twisted around the Ovenk's midsection, and as Shiro watches, the alien's head seems to grow larger.

Shiro looks up.

Locks gazes with Keith.

"Shiro?" Keith breathes in a tone of pure relief.

Then Shiro is moving, a haze of rage covering his vision as he reaches for the Ovenk's gangly limbs just as Keith drops his hold. The Ovenk stumbles, but it's still quick enough to swing at Shiro.

"Watch out for the hook!" Keith rasps.

Shiro dodges, landing a punch with his altean arm directly in two of the Ovenk's six eyes. It screams, but Shiro doesn't let up. This alien dared to touch Keith. To hurt him. It would pay the price.

Silver streaks of blood pour from the alien's eyes, and Shiro punches again, sending the Ovenk flying into the wall. On a table beside where the Ovenk has crumpled into a heaping pile of white limbs are a bunch of wide straps. Shiro roughly turns the alien over and straps its arms and legs together.

"The device in his left pocket," Keith chokes out. "It'll release the chains."

Another blast rumbles under his feet, but Atlas is a reassuring presence in his mind, letting him know that Pidge and Hunk's ship was disabled but they are being brought aboard the Atlas and that the station will soon be under Coalition control.

Shiro roughly digs his hand into the apron around the alien's waist, silver streaks of alien blood running down the plastic-y material and covering the red of Keith's blood spattered over it. The alien moans in pain, but Shiro pays no attention. His fingers curl around the box, and he pulls it from the apron before darting back over to catch Keith as he presses the button.

Keith collapses into Shiro face first, his legs wobbling and arms flopping uselessly at his sides. Shiro throws the box down and uses both arms to rearrange Keith in his hold. Heavy breaths fog the lower part of Shiro's visor, and Shiro gently tightens his hold, his eyes filling with sympathetic tears.

"It's alright, Keith. I've got you. You're safe."

Keith's entire upper body hitches, and Shiro's own tears fall at the broken, graveled words spoken so softly into his armored neck.

"You came. You came for me."

"Of course I came, Keith. What could be more important than you?"

This time, the ragged hitching of breath is accompanied by a soft sob. Shiro's heart breaks, and he opens his mouth to try to comfort Keith... before realizing he can only hear the sobs because the laser fire has stopped. Dread fills his chest as he turns to where he'd dropped his blaster at the door in order to beat the Ovenk senseless with his bare fists.

Not his smartest move. He let his anger overwhelm him, and now he only has his arm, which is busy holding Keith against his chest.

Before he can rearrange Keith and make a grab for the blaster, though, a familiar figure skids to a halt in the doorway. Krolia's face goes from terror to concern so quickly, he barely catches the former. She strides across the room, lifting her hands but hesitating to touch Keith as he continues to sob.

"Oh. Son."

Keith jerks and looks up, his bloody braid twisting and pulling around his neck, tears streaking through the blood on his face. "Mom," he breathes.

He doesn't try to leave Shiro's embrace, but he does push his arm out in a wide, uncoordinated flop to reach for her. Krolia catches his hand but almost lets go when Keith hisses in obvious pain.

"He was chained up, so I think he's still getting blood flow back to his arms," Shiro explains.

"Yeah," Keith says through his tears. "Pins and needles. And damn does it hurt. Everything hurts."

"I know," Shiro soothes. "But we'll get you back on the Atlas and into a healing pod as soon as possible. Until then, can you walk?"

"I..." Keith's voice cuts out. He clears his throat and tries again. "I think so. You brought the Atlas?"

Shiro snorts as Krolia moves to stand on Keith's other side. "Actually, Atlas decided to bring itself."

They wrap Keith's arms around their necks and start for the door. As they pass by the Ovenk's shuddering form, Keith suddenly lashes out with his bare foot, directing a kick to the alien's torso. The Ovenk cries out in pain, and a rush of silver blood coats the floor, covering up more of the red. Keith grunts in approval as he lets Shiro and Krolia move him away.

"Always liked the color silver," he mutters to himself before looking up at Shiro, his eyes dancing over Shiro's face and up to his hair. "'S my favorite. Like starlight."

Shiro shudders at the delirious look in Keith's eyes. He shares a look with Krolia, and they silently pick up the pace.

A voice breaks through the comms just as they make it back to the hallway.

"Do you have him?" Allura asks, her breathless voice soon joined by Lance, Pidge and Hunk asking for an update. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah, he's here and... well, he's got some healing to do, but he's alive."

"'S'that the others?" Keith croaks out.

"Yeah, they insisted on coming with me," Shiro says in a gentle voice. "Something about the bonds of friendship, I think."

Keith snorts and then groans. It's then that Shiro notices the deep cuts all along his chest and sides. A flash of anger takes over, and he viscerally wishes he'd killed the alien instead of tying it up and leaving it for the Coalition security forces to question it.

As they walk, a doorway opens at the end of the hall. All three of them tense up, Krolia and Shiro lifting their blasters, but the pink-striped armor followed by the familiar coalition armor Lance was wearing set them at ease. There's another round of exclaiming, and Shiro can tell from the way Keith tenses up that he's trying to look better than he feels for the others' sakes. Shiro shares another look with Krolia, and they pick up the pace again, practically dragging Keith between them and leaving Allura and Lance to split up and take forward and rearguard positions.

"There's a shuttle bay just down the hall to the right," Pidge says in his ear. "Must be how they bring people in."

"Good to hear from you, Pidge. Atlas said the ship was disabled."

"Yeah, but it's fixable. I'm glad Atlas is here, though."

Shiro looks down at Keith, worry still eating at him. "Me too."

*

Keith protests against the pod, but Shiro manages to coax him into it with a promise he'll be right there waiting when Keith comes out again.

He's spent the majority of the time before Keith's scheduled exit from the pod dealing with the fallout of Atlas' unapproved teludav jump. Sam offers to take the fall, so to speak, but Shiro doesn't want to delay the inevitable. Atlas' sentience is something the Coalition will simply need to accept, and if it's a problem he wants to know now.

Before they return to Coalition space.

The representatives end up devolving into theoreticals and fighting among themselves more than involving Shiro, so when his arm buzzes to remind him of Keith's wake-up schedule, he stands, apologizes for his abrupt departure, and leaves them to continue their discussions. Pidge and Matt have promised to monitor the discussions and ensure they don't try to push something through while he's gone. That's good enough for him.

He breaks into a jog as soon as he leaves his office, and Atlas helps him by holding a lift for him and closing off a busy intersection to let him get through. He knows it's probably not good form to run through your own ship's halls — something about not inciting panic — but everyone on board already knows what's going on. They were, after all, jumped to a barely known system without any kind of warning.

The pod is just beginning its shut-down mode when Shiro slides into the room. The medics look up but most immediately go back to what they were doing, though one does get up to stand by the pod, reading the screens as the pod angles half-way up and dissolves the barrier between them.

Keith groans, his nose scrunching up the way it does when he's annoyed.

It's cute.

Shiro exhales a happy sigh, and Keith's eyes fly open. The grin he throws at Shiro is full of that familiar adoration that always makes Shiro think he's getting away with something. Pulling one over on everyone. Because no one else gets that grin, not even Krolia, and it warms Shiro both inside and out.

Brothers, he reminds himself. Keith thinks of you as a brother.

He swallows hard, though he doesn't have to reach too deep to find a genuine smile. "Hey there. How are you feeling?"

Keith shrugs. "Not too bad, especially considering how bad I felt when I went in."

Shiro grimaces at that. The medic pushes a button and lifts the pod the rest of the way to vertical, and Shiro steps forward to help Keith step out of the pod. With a quick once-over, the medic gives him the usual spiel — drink plenty of water and no heavy training or missions for at least two quintants.

"Thanks for being here," Keith says in a soft tone when the medic finally releases him. "Are the others still around?"

"Oh, yeah. They're eager to see you, but I asked them to stay away for a bit because I thought you might want to get cleaned up and rest before making an appearance. And..." Shiro clears his throat as he steps to Keith's side and wraps an arm around his back to get him walking. "Because I have something I wanted to talk to you about first."

The talk could probably wait until Keith has rested, but Shiro is afraid if he doesn't do it now, he'll lose his nerve. Maybe it's selfish to push, but he needs to get it out in the open as soon as possible.

Keith looks down at where Shiro's hand is settled on his hip before looking up to study Shiro's face. His eyes narrow a bit, but it's not enough to erase the softness in his expression. He finally nods and takes a step forward.

Shiro takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly as they walk side by side out of the med ward.

This is it.

As soon as they're somewhere private, Shiro will spill his guts. Keith will gently reject him, and then they can move forward together.

He thinks.

He hopes.

A transport courtesy of Atlas is waiting for them outside the med ward, and as they sit, Keith falls into his side, leaning against him with a long sigh. The transport beeps a warning before zipping off toward the suite of rooms that belongs to the paladins. Well... former paladins. Since the lions sacrificed themselves to save the nexus of realities, the paladin title is more of a formality than a reality. Still, it's nice to keep everyone together as much as possible, especially with all the different projects and organizations taking up their collective time.

It doesn't register until he's ushering Keith inside that Atlas has dropped them at his room instead of Keith's. Keith doesn't seem to notice or care, though, as he lets Shiro lead him to his shower. Shiro is handing Keith some of his old clothes before he finally seems to register where he is.

"These are yours." He looks around the room. "And this is your bathroom."

"Is... is that okay. Atlas dropped us here, so I figured—"

"Yeah!" Keith almost shouts. He blinks and a tinge of pink colors his pale cheekbones in the bright light. "Uh, I mean, it's fine! I'm good. Here. If you're good?"

Shiro can't help the way his whole body softens at Keith's rambling. "I'm good. Get cleaned up and then we can chat."

"Uh... about the mission, you mean?"

The nervousness in Keith's tone catches Shiro off guard. He shakes his head.

"No, it's... something else. Nothing bad, I promise. At least... I don't think so."

Shiro only notices Keith's tension when it relaxes out of his shoulders at Shiro's words. "Okay. See you in a few doboshes."

True to his word, Keith showers and emerges from the bathroom a few doboshes later, head tilted to the side as he gently towel-dries his long hair, and Shiro feels a surge of possessive heat lick up his spine at the sight of Keith in his clothes. He's cinched up the waist of the soft pants, and the shirt is big on him, though not as big as it might have been during their first year in space. Keith has grown taller and filled out nicely during the past few years, and it only makes Shiro more sure of his decision.

It does no good to pine after someone who will only ever see him as a brother.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Keith asks.

Shiro shakes himself out of his stupor and gestures for Keith to come to the couch where he's been reading through some of Matt and Pidge's reports on the continued talks. He puts down his pad as Keith approaches and sits sideways next to Shiro, one leg pulled up on the seat. Shiro smiles and mimics the position so they're facing each other.

"First, I wanted to ask if you're okay. What I saw... I know you weren't there long, but it's never easy to deal with torture tactics."

Keith opens his mouth, no doubt to deflect, but pauses as he studies Shiro's face again. "I guess you'd know more than most, huh?"

"I'm something of a connaisseur," Shiro jokes.

Keith huffs and shakes his head as he looks down at his hands. "It wasn't great. He kept telling me no one would come for me. That they'd taken me somewhere no one would find me."

"He? Oh, the Ovenk?"

"Right, yeah. His name is Jorek, and he likes what he does. A lot. Don't let the coalition people fall for his lies. He enjoyed every moment of what he did to me. And to others, I assume."

Shiro thinks back to all those rooms full of blood. He shudders and reaches across the back of the couch to squeeze Keith's hand. When he tries to pull away, though, Keith grabs ahold and doesn't let go.

"Sorry. It's just..."

With a swallow, Shiro scoots closer and pulls Keith toward him. Keith's eyes widen a bit, but then he's falling into Shiro, clinging like Shiro is his only connection to reality.

And for the first time since they rescued Keith, Shiro's resolve falters. Maybe now isn't the time. Keith needs comfort and rest, not more things to worry about.

"I'm so happy you came," Keith says into his chest. "I mean, I knew people would come. Pidge and Hunk, probably Lance. Mom. But you're so busy and important these days. I thought—"

"If you thought I wouldn't come for you when you needed me, then I haven't been a very good friend," Shiro says, his voice straining with the effort to keep the self-reproach out of his tone. "As soon as Pidge told me you didn't check in when you were supposed to, all I could think about was finding you."

"Shiro."

Keith pushes his face into Shiro's neck and holds on tighter. And... maybe it's just because Shiro wants it so badly, but something about the movement gives him hope. He imagines he can feel the heat of Keith's blush against his skin. He settles his arms more firmly around Keith's shoulders and rests his head on his crown.

"It's true, though. You're so important to me, Keith. I can't express... No, I mean it's difficult to express, but I want to try. Will you let me?"

"Of course, Shiro."

"Even if it's something uncomfortable?"

Keith pulls back at that. Not far. Not enough to even break Shiro's hold on him. But enough for their gazes to meet. Keith's expression is a little worried, but mostly it's deadly serious. Shiro's heart thuds hard in his chest as Keith tentatively places a hand on the side of his neck.

"You can tell me anything," Keith murmurs. "I want you to."

And... damn. Shiro wants to kiss him so badly. But he can't. Because this is all going to end in awkwardness and probably Shiro's tears later on when he's alone in his bed.

Yet he knows he needs to do this. For his own sake. For the sake of their friendship moving forward.

And because Keith wants him to.

"Okay."

Shiro pulls back because if he doesn't, he's going to kiss Keith anyway and ruin things even more. He grabs Keith's hands and squeezes them. Keith's gaze has shifted into concern, but he sits and waits, clearly used to Shiro's quirks.

Shiro loves him so much it hurts.

He can't draw this out. He won't survive it.

"If I let myself, I'll go into a big long speech — you know me — so I'm just going to say it. Blunt and to the point." They share fluttering smiles, but Keith's expression quickly devolves into concern. Shiro closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before locking gazes with Keith. "For a long time now, I've been in love with you. I know you only see me as a brother, but—mphff!"

Keith surges into Shiro, laying him out on his back against the hard couch cushions as their mouths crash together in a graceless, messy slide. Shiro exhales in shock because...

Keith is on top of him and...

And kissing him.

The shock only lasts as long as it takes for Keith to pull back, a brilliant smile on his face the likes of which Shiro has never seen.

"Really?" he asks, nebulous eyes wide and sparkling. "You mean it?"

"O-of course I mean it, but Keith—"

He's cut off again with another sloppy kiss. The sensation of lips on his is starting to sink in, and he reaches up to angle Keith's head and take control of the kiss, slowing Keith's desperate movements into long pulls interspersed with soft nips. A gasp puffs over Shiro's lips, and he can't hold back his own grin as Keith melts into him.

Keith is on top of him. With damp hair cascading around them like a dark curtain of silk. And he's kissing him.

Clearly Shiro has misread some things.

But he can't very well think about that when Keith is sliding his knees to rest on either side of Shiro's hips, their pelvises grinding together. Keith is as fast a learner of how Shiro likes to be kissed as he is with everything else, and Shiro gradually relinquishes control, letting Keith move and explore, his tongue dipping between Shiro's lips to stroke over the top of his mouth and slide against his tongue. A low moan bursts from his throat as Keith rolls his hips and reveals exactly how into kissing Shiro he is.

Shiro cups Keith's jaw and pushes back just hard enough to break the kiss. They breathe heavily into each other's mouths until Shiro gathers enough brain power to speak.

"Keith?"

"Hmmmm?"

The kiss-drunk look on Keith's face nearly breaks Shiro's resolve, but he steels himself against the alluring expression and swipes his thumbs over Keith's cheeks.

"What changed?"

Keith's nose scrunches up in confusion — adorable — and his gaze finally loses a bit of the glassy, pleasure-drunk haze. "What do you mean? Nothing changed. I've loved you forever. Way earlier than you're probably comfortable hearing about, actually."

Shiro blinks, mouth falling open as he processes this highly unexpected confession. He raises himself up, pushing Keith until he's settled in Shiro's lap before grasping his waist and shaking him a bit.

"But... you said... Keith. You told me I'm your brother."

Keith's eyes widen. "I didn't mean it literally!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know? Here I've been pining away for you for years, and you're telling me I could've had you all this time?"

Keith's eyes widen as his face bursts into a conflagration of bright red. He ducks his head and pushes his face into Shiro's shoulder, a bright but obviously embarrassed laugh breaking past his lips.

"Oh my god. Years?"

Shiro gently cups Keith's jaw and coaxes him up again. "Yes."

A soft smile blooms on Keith's face, his arms wrapping around Shiro's shoulders and long, nimble fingers threading into the hair at the nape of his neck. Shiro's lids flutter at the sensation, and Keith's grin widens.

"I love you back, in case it wasn't clear," he says softly before leaning forward to press a soft kiss to Shiro's lips. He breaks away to kiss across Shiro's cheek and then whisper in his ear, "And you already have me."

Shiro shudders, this time from the cacophony of pleasure shooting down his spine as Keith's lips roam over his face. Electricity sparks over his skin wherever they touch. At the soft press of lips behind his ear, he's both melting into Keith and harder than he's ever been in his life.

"You have me, too," Shiro murmurs. "Whenever you want."

Lips curve against his skin. "How about now?"

"Are you sure? After everything you just went through—"

"After everything, I just want to be touched by someone I love and who loves me back," Keith says with a shy conviction that wipes away all Shiro's doubts.

"How can I say no to that?" Shiro stands from the couch with Keith still wrapped around him. "But not here. This is going to take some time, and I want you to be comfortable."

Keith's full-body shiver is all the reply Shiro needs.

*

They take each other apart gently. Shiro is still reeling from the fact that he gets to have this, that Keith loves him back (not like a brother). And Keith... well, neither of them have had time for much in between saving the universe, and Keith readily admits he's had limited experience.

"I've been with a few people. But nothing ever lasted. It never felt right."

"I will refrain from asking if I know any of them," Shiro says as they strip off each others' shirts.

"Then I'll refrain from telling you," Keith teases.

It will drive him crazy at some point, but right now, all he can think about is the swath of pale skin waiting for his hands and mouth. Keith's breath hitches as Shiro kisses over his collarbones and down his chest, reveling in the newly-healed skin. A few faint, silvered lines streak over his obliques in the dim lighting, and Shiro kisses over them, grateful that he was able to find Keith before anything worse happened.

He reaches the waistband of Keith's borrowed pants and looks up. Keith is watching him with hungry eyes, one hand buried in Shiro's hair, the other gripping his good shoulder.

"Can I?"

Keith bites his lip and nods as he lifts his hips off the mattress. Shiro keeps eye contact and presses a kiss to his hip bone while curling a hand around the waistband and pulling slowly. The scent of his own body wash mixed with a musk that is inherently Keith sends a pulse of heat down his spine. His lips follow the descending fabric, kissing along the thin trail of hair leading down.

The hard line of Keith's cock juts up from where it's caught in the right pant leg, and Shiro's mouth waters as he uncovers the thick base. The grip on Shiro's hair tightens, but it only adds to the heat of the moment.

He slides his lips over hot skin.

Keith curses and bucks his hips, jostling Shiro to the side.

"Sorry," Keith pants. "But... God... You have no idea how many times I've imagined this. It's freaking me out a little that it's actually happening. This is real, right?"

Shiro smiles up at Keith, in awe of how wrecked he looks already, mouth still damp and lips swollen from their kissing, eyes half lidded and black with lust. "Yeah, Keith. This is real." Shiro dips down to press another kiss to the base of Keith's cock. "Want me to continue?"

Keith hisses another curse. "Yeah. Definitely."

It's all the prompting Shiro needs to slide the waistband all the way down Keith's thighs. His cock springs up, average-sized but girthier than Shiro expected.

"Beautiful."

Keith huffs a laugh that turns into a moan as Shiro wraps his hand around Keith's base and swirls his tongue around the tip. The musky scent is stronger now, and a hint of salt bursts across his tongue.

The hand in Shiro's hair is suddenly gone, and he looks up to find Keith breathing heavily and covering his eyes. Concern supersedes desire as Shiro lifts his head and reaches up to place his prosthetic hand over Keith's heart.

"Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah," Keith breathes, though he doesn't uncover his face. "Just... This is already going to be a quick one. If I actually watch you suck my cock, it'll be over even faster."

The concern dissolves with a huff of laughter. "Don't worry," Shiro says in a low tone. "You'll have plenty of other opportunities to watch. I've already decided this is my favorite place in the universe."

Keith barks a laugh even as he shudders. Shiro decides he's done teasing and does what he's been longing to do for years now.

He swallows Keith down until his nose is buried in Keith's pelvis.

Keith shouts and nearly comes up off the bed. Incoherent babbling falls from his lips as Shiro swallows around Keith's cock and then hollows his cheeks as he pulls back. He starts up a rhythm, savoring Keith's sighs and moans, the tight pull of fingers in his hair, and salt on the back of his tongue as Keith gets closer to his end.

True to his words, it's not long before Keith's fingers are tugging at his hair. Shiro speeds up.

"Sh-Shiro! I'm... I'm gonna—"

He cuts himself off with a wanton groan, and Shiro takes all he's given, reveling in the proof of Keith's enjoyment. When Keith falls back to the mattress, Shiro crawls back up his body, reversing his worship of Keith's beautiful body until he hesitates a hair's breadth from Keith's lips.

Keith closes the distance and wraps his arms around Shiro. The kiss is deep and filthy and everything Shiro has ever wanted. He sighs into it, deepening the kiss even as Keith's hand trails down his chest to cup his still-hard cock through his pants. Shiro breaks free with a soft whimper because holy shit Keith's hand is on his cock, and it feels amazing.

"You... you don't have to," he says through panting breaths. "You should get some sleep."

The expression that crosses Keith's face is half exasperation and half fondness. "Shiro. I've wanted to touch your dick for a very long time. Please don't take this away from me."

Their breathless laughter mingles between them, and... this? This is everything. Everything he's dreamed of since he accepted his evolving feelings for Keith.

"I want that, too."

"Yeah?"

"Please."

"I don't suppose I could convince you I'm strong enough for something more?"

Shiro pauses, eyes widening as Keith pulls Shiro's hand down to rest on his ass. "You're sure that wouldn't be too much?"

"Not if I sit back and take it like a good boy."

A groan erupts unbidden from deep in Shiro's chest, and Keith's eyes widen. The grin that follows is positively devilish.

"Oh, you like that, do you?"

"It's... uh... yeah. It's good," Shiro stutters when his brain comes back online.

Keith pulls Shiro in for another kiss, deep and thorough. Then he shucks off the pants still looped around his knees before doing the same for Shiro. When Shiro's hard cock springs free, Keith tries to wrap his hands around it, but Shiro grips his chin and leads him back up for a long kiss.

"I won't last if you touch me like that," he murmurs against Keith's lips. "And you want me to last, don't you?"

Keith hums his agreement, a short happy sound that Shiro treasures just as much as the soft cries and moans of pleasure he coaxes from between those perfect lips as he kisses Keith while grasping and squeezing his pert ass. They take things slow, both of them out of practice, but even so, it takes almost no effort to get Keith to relax. Languid kisses to his mouth and down his neck, a few murmurs of adoration in his ear, and Keith's opening up like a flower, letting Shiro's fingers slide between his cleft and gently stroke over the sensitive skin until Keith is panting into his mouth.

"Please, Shiro."

He licks into Keith's mouth as he digs in his drawer for the lube. He quickly coats his fingers before returning his hand to rub over the tight ring of muscle. Keith throws his head back and gasps, and Shiro takes advantage of the position to suck on Keith's neck. Keith relaxes just enough for Shiro to press a finger inside.

Another gasp, and then Keith's mouth is on his, passionate to the point of frenzy. Their panting breaths fill the room as they break apart and collide again and again, all while Shiro thrusts deeper inside, gently tugging and stretching until he can fit a second finger.

Keith is a more vocal lover than Shiro anticipated, begging and pleading and even praising when Shiro finds that spot deep inside that makes him shudder. Shiro buries his face in Keith's neck as his own pleasure rockets upward at the sight of Keith writhing on his fingers.

Even without Keith's hands on him, he's not going to last long at this rate.

"Ready for me, baby?" Shiro asks as he presses on that bundle of nerves.

"Y-yes," Keith chokes out. "Please."

Shiro withdraws his fingers and kneels on the bed. His cock is leaking from edging himself on Keith's pleasure, but he still pours a bit more lube on his cock, stroking himself as Keith watches through hooded eyes. It's almost surreal to be experiencing something he's been dreaming about for so long. He supposes, they've both been waiting a long time for this, and he's determined to make it good.

He grabs Keith's hips and slides him upward until he's in position. He leans forward, gaze locking with Keith, and...

The first press is bliss. The resistance is enough to send sparks of pleasure up and down Shiro's spine, but not enough that he's worried he's hurting Keith. Even if he were concerned, the look of pure ecstasy on Keith's face would be enough to set him at ease. As it is, he has to close his eyes as he pushes deeper into that tight heat. He only realizes he's been holding his breath when he exhales as he bottoms out.

"Good?" he asks when he finally opens his eyes again.

Keith reaches for him, bringing him down until they're chest to chest. He locks their hands together and breathes, "So good, Shiro. Better than any fantasy. Move for me?"

Shiro readily complies, pulling his hips back and then pushing forward. He sets a slow rhythm at first, but Keith's vocal encouragement between their increasingly sloppy kisses has him picking up the pace. Pleasure snaps over his skin and draws tight between his legs.

"Fuck. Keith. I'm... I'm getting close. Can you touch yourself for me? Wanna feel you come around me."

"Shit. Yeah."

Shiro lifts up on one elbow, enough for Keith to begin stroking to Shiro's rhythm while Shiro reaches down to lift Keith's leg, opening him up even more.

"Yes!" Keith cries. "There. Right there."

It only takes a few more strokes before Keith is gasping and painting stripes over his stomach, and the sensation of Keith clenching around him sends Shiro over the edge.

When his vision clears, he realizes he's collapsed on top of Keith. Instead of complaining, though, Keith is happily humming a soft tune, arms wrapped around Shiro's shoulders as he presses kisses into his damp hairline. Shiro exhales a deep breath and tries to move, but Keith holds him fast.

"Stay for a minute. I wanna savor the moment I finally got Takashi Shirogane to fuck me senseless."

A deep laugh bursts from his chest, but it's more than just a sound of amusement. It's relief and joy and love all wrapped up in a shuddering breath.

"I love you so much," Shiro whispers.

"How competitive will you get if I say I love you more?"

Shiro lifts his head and grins. It's answer enough for Keith to let out a long, delighted laugh.

Shiro has never heard anything more beautiful in his life.

*

The time they had to themselves is more than worth the knowing looks on their friends' faces as they finally show up in the paladin commons several vargas (and a shower and a long nap) later. Shiro is clasping Keith's hand tightly as they enter the room, but he's forced to let go when their friends insist on monopolizing Keith for the first few minutes.

It's understandable. Keith was in grave danger, and the others are happy to see him alive and healthy. Still, Shiro's not sure he's ready to share. He wants to steal Keith away for a movement at least and just rest and relax with him.

When they finally sit, he contents himself with pulling Keith close and pressing a kiss to his temple. Krolia catches his eye and lifts a brow. Shiro blushes and shrugs.

"What's that all about?" Keith asks, catching the interaction.

"Nothing," Krolia lies as she comes up to press a kiss to the top of Keith's head. "I'm glad you two finally found your way to each other."

A significant look passes between mother and son. Shiro can only guess how Krolia must have felt leaving Keith's father behind all those years ago, only to find out that he died. He squeezes Keith a little tighter, well aware of how lucky they were to find Keith in time. Even if the Ovenk drew out the torture, there's no doubt in Shiro's mind that Keith would've eventually died at that sadistic freak's hands.

"Well, this is a rather lovely end to a nasty business," Allura says, her smile directed at Shiro and Keith as she leans against the back of the couch. "I'm very happy for you both."

Shouts of agreement burst from various corners of the room. Pidge cheers from her table where she's got three holoscreens set up around her. Lance cheers the loudest from his spot on the opposite side of the u-shaped couch, but that's only because Hunk is too busy arranging snacks on a tray while wiping away his tears of joy.

Keith looks at Shiro from under his lashes and huffs a shy laugh before nodding at Allura. "Thanks."

She nods back before glancing at Shiro. "Any word on the decision about Atlas' actions?"

"I'm to continue as Captain and do everything in my power to ensure Atlas stays in line. But Atlas will be monitoring the dissenting council members in case they start getting ideas."

Allura sighs. "And I'll do my best to ensure they understand we're all on the same side and have bigger... ummm... what's that human phrase again?"

"Bigger fish to fry," Hunk supplies with a teary smile at her before turning his heart eyes back to Shiro and Keith.

Shiro would find it disconcerting if he weren't now well aware of how long the others had been waiting for them to get together. Apparently Shiro was wrong about a great many things having to do with Keith and their friends.

He's willing to be humbled, though, if it means he gets to keep Keith.

"And on that note, I'm afraid we should be getting back," Allura says.

"We should," Shiro agrees. "We've got even more reasons — and evidence — to get the rest of the Coalition planets on board, especially if the files we found on that station about this so-called New Empire check out."

The others murmur their agreement. In the back of Shiro's mind, Atlas starts a countdown.

"Atlas is jumping back to Altea in ten ticks," he warns.

Allura and Hunk move around to take seats next to Lance. Pidge looks over at them and smiles before diving back into her pad, no doubt still parsing the data from the enemy base. Krolia has taken the seat next to Keith, her hand loosely grasping Keith's in a rare show of casual affection.

The mood is joyful, but a thread of somberness weaves through the room. They've won this round, but there's still more to do to ensure the safety of the universe. It's a never-ending job, but with friends and now his love to share the burden, Shiro has faith they'll succeed in rooting out this new evil.

Keith leans his head on Shiro's shoulder and smiles at him, and Shiro's heart thuds hard in his chest. Nothing in the universe could compare to that smile.

"Whatever happens, we'll get through it together, right?"

"Always," Shiro assures him. "It's you and me to the end of the universe."

Shiro presses a kiss to Keith's soft mouth to a chorus of varying groans and coos. The ship enters the wormhole, a slight shudder the only indication they're on their way.

And as he smiles against Keith's mouth, he takes a moment to truly appreciate the bliss of a moment with the man he loves, who loves him in return.

Truly, nothing could compare to this.