#I'm so glad I remembered the scars and gloves before it was too late | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

redjaybathood · 2 years

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Sort of inspired by the other idea, but Steph actually did die, and she was buried, but three/six months afterwards she came back.

Some bloggers were doing a six months anniversary thing and initially assumed zombie, attacking her hand with a shovel. On the second swing, Steph's hand grabs, it, pushes it into the bloggers stomach and uses it as leverage to get out.

She's very focused on her torso ideally not opening up and spilling her organs out everywhere cos coming back didn't fix 'everything'. She's somewhat hysterical, can't remember what brought her back, but also capable of wheedling a lot of info out of the bloggers, while subtly pulling bits of tombstone off and crushing them into dust.

Finding out the phone was doing a liveblog, she just uses a gust of wind and the crumbled stone to cover her 'escape'. Leaving the guys to run deeper into the graveyard looking for her, while she doubles back, grabs the shovel and leaves, shouting as she disappears into an alleyway "Sorry, East End Girls learn not to follow strangers anywhere!, even for doctors!" before vanishing.

Steph goes to a place she hid one of her old supply staches and uses it t patch herself up and trap an old bomb shelter or basement or what have you.

Meanwhile 'everyone' sees this, or more, lots of people do, there's investigations, plans and naturally Jason & Cass in their respective adventures flip out and race to Gotham. (Shiva & Cain are very upset Cass bailed on their fucked up family adventure with Mad Dog. That was all one thing right?)

Cass's motives are obvious, Jason's is that he knows Ra's will be after her and he is!

Bruce, Tim & Dick are on holiday and so are late to the party.

So, let's see. It's before Bruce dies, so Leslie isn't back in Gotham yet. There's no one in Batcave. Or Clock Tower. Or Batgirl's Cave. That's. Uh... That's okay. Fuck. Ouch. But - never fear! Stephanie can sew, and she can, in fact, sew herself together.

She can't go home, though, because with ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE IN GOTHAM: LOCAL VIGILANTE THE FIRST TO RISE a lot of journalists and just busybodies hound Crystal, asking for a comment.

So. You know. Hiding it is.

She does phone her mom, but. Her mother is crying, afraid to believe, angry that someone possibly playing a prank. It doesn't go so well.

Stephanie goes to the only ally she knows she has in Gotham, still: Catwoman.

"Huh," Selina says, finding her in the living room. "Guess you also have nine lives. Or, eight now, perhaps."

"About that," Steph says. "I kinda can't go home, and with this stupid zombie panic, I can't just roam the streets as Spoiler. Or Robin."

"Oh? So what did you have in mind?"

"I'm so glad you asked!"

So Stephanie becomes Stray. Her costume isn't much like Selina's, though. It's a mask, cat ears, and gloves with metal claws.

If anything, you could say Cheshire could be cited as an influence, but the color scheme and the suit style are different. It's a dark gray jumpsuit that covers all her body to hide the scars but still allows free movement for parkour and fighting.

There are claws in boots, too, so Steph can literally go up a wall if needed.

Batgirl and Red Hood find her pretty much at the same time. It's not that they tracked her down, it's that she's robbing Black Mask's warehouse, where he's keeping the guns and other illicit goods he's planning to fund his operations with. If you take away his money, Black Mask really can't offer much else in a fight. He's pretty pathetic, actually. Steph again congratulates herself on making the right choice not killing him: she doesn't need it to bring him down. It's just her death put something of a hamper on the timeline when she can actually finish him off.

Well, not anymore!

"Smart," says Red Hood.

"You're the literary last person I want approval from, Hood, you didn't have any hangups about killing anyone and still didn't manage to put him down!" She says.

"Okay, this was uncalled for. I had other priorities. Now, do you want my help or not?" Hood says. "You may not like me, or approve of my methods, but I am excellent in robbing Black Mask of valuables and pissing him off."

"Okay," Steph eyes him warily. "You're on probation as my sidekick."

"Sir yes sir!" Hood salutes.

And then shoots a ninja down. Because, it turns out, that's the real reason he came back, to keep her safe from a cult.

"They have the means to resurrect the dead, it's literally fine!" Hood replies when Steph is like: probation is over, you failed.

Steph: "Do I look like I care?"

And then she's attacked again, but now it's by Batgirl, and it's with a hug, not a knife.

"Stephanie," she says. "Is that really?.. I don't understand..."

"Shhh, names in the field!" Stephanie says.

"Come on," Hood says. "I know your name. The whole Gotham knows your name."

"They don't know Stray's name!" Steph argues.

"Like it's so hard to deduce, after you crawled out of your grave and then, a week later, a new crime-fighter appeared. At least I managed to get through my resurrect without being live-streamed."

"Who's the guy?" Stephanie asks Cass, because it's obvious that she's missing something. Like whoah, is she not the only zombie in Gotham?

(if that's what she is; so far, no cravings for brains)

Cass looks at Red Hood and shakes her head.

"I have no idea. And I don't care."

"Okay, that one really hurt. Batman didn't talk about me? Really?"

His shoulders snoop. Steph feels kinda sad about him.

"Alright," she says. "You can come with us. But - no guns, they're loud, and we're trying for stealth."

"Yeah, okay," Hood says. |It's not like I don't have knives. Or aren't as deadly in hand to hand.|

"No deadly force whatsoever," Cass says.

"Try and stop me," Hood grins. "If I don't kill it's because I don't want to. Not because you told me so."

But he does, indeed, refrain from using guns or killing anyone. He says that he doesn't need to, the mission parameters could be achieved without it.

So it goes. They completely devastate Roman Sionis' resources. He can't pay his people. They turn on him. Tragically, Black Mask dies. They were busy saving other people from getting caught in the crossfire, so it's not like they're to blame.

They do round up the rest of False Face Society pretty quick, working together.

And then Batman, Nightwing, and Robin come back.

They're like: "Spoiler! Batgirl! You're working with a known criminal and a killer! We're disappointed in you."

Cass is like: "Not for the first time, for me. I believe everyone can change and redeem themselves. Don't you?"

Stephanie is like: "Well, he didn't actually kill anyone when he was working with us, because my plan was much more superior to his own and could be implemented without any murder. So there."

Red Hood: "Alright, so? I didn't change a bit. I am as I always was. Ruthless and ready to go where you all can't, do what needs to be done. I am. And now is my cue to leave."

Exit stage left.

But! Jason has to stick in Gotham, because League of Shadows is still lurking around. To get Batman and the rest off his back, he decides to just walk into GCPD district and be like: hi, yes, I'm Jason Todd. No, really. No, I really died. No idea. Also no idea. Well, maybe connected to Stephanie Brown - I also crawled out of my grave, it's actually why I found the courage to come back to Gotham, because I am not the only one anymore. Who can testify? I would think my father, Bruce Wayne, could. Or Alfred Pennyworth. Or Dick Grayson. Or Commissioner Gordon's daughter Barbara, she was tutoring me in Math, did you know?

And it's like. What Bruce and the rest of them can do? It is Jason. Denying it's Jason will only raise more questions.

But, also. If Stephanie was the only one to come from beyond the grave, it would be freaky. But now...

Besides, there's also the Court of Owls. They let themselves be known right around the time Jason reveals he's alive. And, what do you know: they're using people who are presumed dead - brainwashed and augmented humans. So, when Batfam uncovers this plot - Jason helps, and he almost doesn't kill anyone here, because in his interest that as many Owls as possible are alive to be dragged into the light of the public eye. To answer in the court of the law, yes, but also, because Jason plans to blame his and Stephanie's resurrection on them.

It works. If all of them, who are in custody, die under mysterious circumstances, who's to blame? Not Jason, he was here reading this book the whole evening.

Look. Batfam doesn't trust him. They are basically certain that he orchestrated the deaths. The irony is, he really isn't responsible. Again, it's in his interest that Owls are alive.

Some of the Talons, who were deprogrammed, weren't as kin on letting them live. Honestly, Jason gets it. So he doesn't say anything and lets everyone, including Cass and Steph who's like: I was rooting for you, how dare you! just believe what they will.

So. With the explanation out in the open, Ra's - maybe he doesn't believe fully in the story Jason is selling, but he's not as keen to waste resources, especially with the uprising in the League, led by his daughters.

Steph patches up things with her mom. Crystal is devastated when she realizes that the girl who called her was really her daughter. But Steph doesn't blame her. Anyway, she couldn't have come home before she figured everything out, so. She shouldn't have even called. "No," Crystal says, "you should have, I should have... "

There's a lot of hugging and crying and it takes time, but then life goes back to normal.

Damian arrives at the Manor. Because the League is going through a rough time, it's safer for him in Gotham. He bosses Jason around because, well, isn't Jason his mother's pet project? One of the reasons the relationship between Mother and Grandfather soured? And he's not even there, fighting with her?

Jason, who was kinda cut off from the League news for a long, long time, is like: what???

So yeah, he's leaving Gotham and going to Talia. It's not like she needed him much, but it's thought that counts, Talia decides. So Jason stays with her until everything is said and done. Ra's dies, Nyssa dies. Talia doesn't.

In Gotham, things move on. Stephanie becomes Batgirl. And also a college student. Bruce dies. Cassandra becomes Batman. Damian becomes Robin. Dick becomes a parent to a ten years old child. Tim becomes obsessed with trying to clone his friend, proving Bruce is in fact alive, and Red Robin.

Jason, when he finds out about Bruce's death, blue-screens for a short while.

"So," Talia asks him. "What are you going to do? I know Bruce left you a message. Are you going back to Gotham? Find out what he had to say to you... Take the mantle of Batman..."

"No," Jason says. "Cass got it covered. And Bruce had all the chances he wanted to say something to me while I was living at the Manor again. But... You know. I made him a promise, once. If something like what happened to me, happened to him, I would have..."

He trails off. Then looks at Talia.

"I guess I have an evil god to kill."

#stephanie brown #jason todd #cassandra cain #asks

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dreamworksworddump · 7 years

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Hello I'm here for the Sheith Royalty + Knight AU

(This was really fun to write. It probably could’ve ended in smut, but I kinda paused it, because you didn’t explicitly ask for it. I can probably finish writing that if you want it. Anyways, thanks for being patient. It takes longer to write these now because my goal is no longer to just finish it, but to end it well. This was 4109 words btw.)

As the youngest of three Princes, Keith could do practically anything that he wanted. It was practically guaranteed that he would never get the crown, so what would it matter if Keith got himself killed in battle, in the name of their country, or in the streets like a beggar, fighting over something as stupid as pride? His father did, apparently. His mother had died in childbirth with him, making him the last royal child that would ever come from his line.

The boy smirks, brown hair falling into his blue eyes. His brown skin is shining with sweat, and his chest heaves with every breath. He’s getting tired, Keith realizes. It’s not like Keith isn’t getting tired too; but for him, this ache in his bones is as familiar as it is welcome. It lets him know that he’s still living, that he still has every reason to finish this.

The boy swings again, his knife creating an arc through the air that completely misses Keith. Keith swings with his left hand, the one holding his knife. The boy dodges it, only to be hit on his pretty face with Keith’s right fist. The boy falls to the ground, and doesn’t get up. He’s won.

The bar watches him warily, smiles displayed wantonly on their faces. Keith stops to grab a mug of beer from one of the observers, and that’s when the boy makes his move. He charges at him, knocking both Keith and the customer to the ground. The customer quickly scurries back and out of the way of their squabble. The boy grabs Keith’s hair and slams his head into the ground, once, twice, before Keith elbows him hard enough to make him let go. He had planned to punch his stomach, but his balance is unsteady, and he ends up toppling them both back to the ground.

The boy sneers. “I’m not gonna let you win.”

Keith doesn’t reply, at least, not verbally.

He holds him by the collar, and punches him again, his fist hitting true in his stomach. It doesn’t slow the boy down for long, as he manages to push Keith off of him, and back onto the floor. He sees the boy pull back his fist, and tries to block his hit.

It doesn’t come.

The boy’s weight is suddenly removed, and the image of his bloody fist replaced with a gloved hand. Keith looks up, and recognises the royal crest on his uniform. He accepts the stranger’s hand, and is pulled up to his feet. The boy is being restrained by the officer’s other hand, Keith notices, and although he’s glaring at him with a look that could kill, he doesn’t resist.

“You shouldn’t be out here.” The officer says disapprovingly. He nods his head at the boy. “You can go. Don’t make me regret it.”

The boy pulls away, and rubs his arm woefully before dashing out of the doors, and back into the rabble of the city. The officer jerks his thumb towards the door. “We should start walking back, sire.”

Keith spits a blob of spit and blood onto the floor and starts walking. “I could’ve handled it myself.”

The officer frowns and follows him out of the bar. “I’m sure you could have, sire, but my purpose is to protect the royal family, which you are a part of.” He speaks the last part in a near whisper, and Keith is glad for his discretion. The last time that Keith’s identity had been found out while he was out in public, his father had forced him to stay in his suites for the better part of a month. While it hadn’t stopped him from sneaking out, it had hindered him and had made it much harder.

Keith leads the way down main street. Merchants are packing up their stalls, and piling their wares into carts to be packed away until the next day. He knows what each one sells and which ones know his secret. These people, these are the ones he’d prefer to be around. They never treat him like glass, ready to break at a moment’s notice. Here, he is equal.

The officer trails behind him silently.

“What’s your name?” Keith asks quietly. Perhaps he can bribe the guard into keeping this to himself. It wouldn’t be the only time that money has saved his ass.

He stands to full attention, garnering the curious looks of the townsfolk. “Takashi Shirogane, sire.”

“What do your friends call you?”

It’s not something that Keith needs to know, or has any right to know, really. It was best not to tangle with those who served you; a well known fact, after his uncle’s affair with the maid servant had been outed to the whole castle. But still, Keith is curious as to if this upright and moral man is human enough to even have a nickname.

“Shiro, Sire.”

Keith leads them past the castle gates to the drainage canal behind the castle. No one ever thinks to secure it, as it looks almost identical to the sewage drain; who but a desperate man would try it?

“Don’t call me ‘Sire’.” Keith says between huffed breaths as he climbs beneath the gate.

Shiro choses to climb over it rather than climb under, as Keith had. He arrives on the other side of the fence with a spotless uniform, while Keith’s clothes are muddied and ripped. “What should I address you as, S-” He cuts himself off with a small smile.

“Call me Keith.” He says as they enter the castle grounds.

OoOoOoOoO

His father rarely makes him come to dinner in the banquet hall. Most of the time, he stays in his suites; out of sight, out of mind. So, it certainly comes as a surprise when Shiro appears at his doorway, a message hovering on his lips, especially so since Shiro is not on his guard roster.

“Yes?” Keith prompts, when Shiro doesn’t say anything. His face is dusted with red that highlight the light silver of the scar running across his face.

“Your father requests your presence at dinner tonight, in approximately one hour.” Shiro says, his eyes fixed on some point behind him.

Keith closes the door. “Thanks.” He says, a little too late.

It’s only then that he realises that his shirt is unbuttoned, and his royal mark, a blue, thumb sized oval above his heart is visible. He closes his shirt, and then unbuttons it fully. He can’t wear peasant clothes to dinner. He sighs and gets dressed properly, before leaving his room. He almost runs into Shiro, who is still standing by the door.

“I am to accompany you to the dinner, S-” He pauses, then corrects his mistake. “Keith.”

Keith pulls at his stiff collar. It’s an annoyingly itchy outfit, and the stupid sleeves aren’t making it any better. He’d happily trade Shiro for his simple tunic and pants, even if they are several sizes too big. “Of course you are.” Keith mutters, straightening up. “My father wouldn’t trust me to walk down the hall by myself.”

“Or perhaps he is afraid of you getting lost.” Shiro replies wryly. Keith snorts.

“Ah yes, that must be it.”

The dining hall’s door looms before them, a huge oak door tall enough for a giant to walk through easily. Keith can hear the quiet chatter of the servants behind it, and the booming voice of his father over them. Keith brushes his hair out of his face, and nods to the doormen, who pull open the doors.

He walks across the hall to his seat, three to the left of his father, only to be told to move.

“Why?” Keith says, as he pushes his seat back in.

His father smiles, and pats the seat next to him. It’s where his brother sits; as the heir to the throne, he gets the honor of sitting beside the king. “Tonight is your night, my son. While you may never rule, you still have every privilege as royalty, and with it, every responsibility.”

Keith sits down, and a servant pushes his chair in. “What does that mean?”

His father doesn’t answer, but instead chooses to take his seat. The grand doors open again, and the lords and ladies of the court stand and bow their heads. Shiro is lost in the crowd. Two women slowly make their way to the king’s table, their unnecessarily fluffy dresses bobbing with each step. Keith recognises the older woman; she’s the queen of one of their allied nations. His drops his gaze to the girl beside her. Her honey brown hair is pulled up, giving the illusion of short hair. Her dress is a pale green, that drips off of her thin shoulders like rain, ending in a skirt that seems to swallow her whole. He remembers her name: Katelyn, or more casually, Katie.

Realization dawns on him.

This isn’t just any dinner; he’s getting betrothed.

His father stands to welcome them. “We welcome you to our humble kingdom, Queen Honoria and Princess Katelyn. Please, take a seat and enjoy the festivities to celebrate the merging of our two kingdoms.”

The Queen nods and smiles cordially, taking the seat to the right of the King. Her daughter sits beside him, where his second brother would normally sit.

“Hi.” The girl says quietly. “It’s nice to meet you, I guess.”

Keith sighs and crosses his arms. His father gives him a look, and he unfolds them. “It’s nice to meet you as well, Princess.” He keeps his gaze in front of him, and searches the peripheral of the room for Shiro. He spots him with the guards on the perimeter of the room.

“Pidge.”

“What?”

“Call me Pidge.” She repeats. “If we’re going to be getting married at some point, we should at least make the most of it. I don’t want this any more than you do.”

Keith relaxes a little. He hadn’t known her well enough to guess that she wouldn’t be the ‘give me a son, now’ kind of chick. His brother’s wife was like that, but then again, his brother actually liked doing the do with women. Inexplicably, his eyes drift back to Shiro. He’s laughing now, saying something to the guard beside him. “So, you won’t mind if we never make children?”

She scrunches up her nose. “I’d prefer it if we didn’t, and I know that you do too. You don’t like the company of the fairer sex.”

Keith starts. “How’d you know?”

She shrugs, and pokes at her chicken. “I don’t like guys like that either. And you keep looking at that guard over there, with the scar and the white hair.”

Keith looks at his plate, and hopes that no one can see the embarrassment on his cheeks. Was he really that obvious? It wasn’t like he was interested in the man; it was just, he was interesting. Shiro was probably how Keith would’ve been if he had’ve been born of a lower rank. It was something that Keith envied, being able to live your life without the scrutiny of the whole world.

Pidge laughs and takes another bite of her chicken. “Gotcha.”

OoOoOoOoOoO

They are set be married in a year, after the second siege of the Galra capital commences. Keith doesn’t mind it so much; at least he knows that it will be a marriage in name only, and that they might actually have a chance of being friends. What Keith does mind, is that his father is putting him on a tighter leash. No more fighting with commoners over stupid slights. No more sneaking out of the castle. Of course, his father knows that this will be impossible to enforce, which has led to this.

Shiro trails behind him as Keith angrily stomps through his suites. Shiro follows him through each room, at first, but after they circle through them twice, he starts to lag. Keith can see the professionalism slowly melt away, as he trails his fingers over the fine silks that cover his bed, and the ornately carved chess pieces displayed haphazardly on his desk. At first he explores discreetly, when he thinks Keith isn’t watching, but he eventually notices that Keith doesn’t care.

He reaches up and pulls a sword from display, and swings it experimentally, before noticing that Keith has moved on to the next room. He jogs and catches up. Keith turns, and pulls his sword from his sheath. “You don’t have to follow me everywhere, Shiro. It’s not like I can escape with you so close by.”

Shiro backs away. “Sorry.” He raises his sword. “I know that you can’t leave, and fight like you want to, but perhaps you’d like to try your best against someone actually trained in the ways of the sword?”

Keith turns and raises a brow. No matter who he had asked, the guards refused to fight him; harming a royal, no matter the circumstances was a death sentence. He wonders if Shiro knows.

“Are you not afraid of being sentenced to death?”

Shiro lowers his sword. “Are you planning to kill me?”

“No.”

Shiro lifts his sword again. “Then, no. I feel safe in your swordfighting abilities and my own; neither of us will be injured enough for death to be required.”

Keith grins. “Great.”

OoOoOoOoO

Keith gets used to Shiro’s presence. He’s not as bad as others could of been, and even lets him out occasionally to experience the town (no fighting, outside of their own sword fights anyways). The date of his marriage is growing nearer, and with it, sentiments of war. The Galra empire is growing, and with it, the resistance is dying. The numerous guards that populate the castle are disappearing, and being sent to war. Many of them don’t return.

It is one month from Keith’s wedding when Shiro is sent away.

No one even bothers to tell Keith; he finds out himself, when he draws his sword and finds a note wrapped around the blade.

Keith,

I’ve been reassigned today. Your father himself chose with whom I will ride. Your bethrothed’s brother, who calls himself ‘Matt’ insisted on fighting, and while his mother has given in, he is not to fight without protection. They say that I know how to deal with a flighty and stubborn Prince. Perhaps I do. I will do my best to protect him; though it will be you that I fight for. I know that you are bad at understanding the subtle, but I must urge you to take this as you will.

When I return, and I promise that I will, you will have been married to Princess Katelyn. I do hope that you get along well, and that you will trust me to protect your family as I have protected you.

I will think of you, when I am in low moral and I will write you, when there is a reprise in battle.

-Your knight, Shirogane

Keith’s first instinct is to crumple the paper, and toss it into the fire, but he knows that burning the words won’t make them any less true. He drops the note, and raise his sword. He doesn’t know what he attacked, not until the feathers stop flying around him, and he finds his sword immobile in the grasp of the thick curtains.

“My Prince?” A voice asks hesitantly.

He turns and drops the sword to the ground with a clatter. In the doorway, Princess Katelyn stands, clutching a stack of books in her arms.

“I should leave.” She says, backing away. He dashes across the room and grabs her arm.

“Stay. I was having a bad day. It’s not your fault, or your problem.”

Katie- sorry, Pidge- still looks like she wants to leave, but she lets him lead her through his bedroom to the second chamber. It holds another bed, one that is relatively untouched, as well as a desk, and a bookshelf of unread books.

He sits on the bed, and she sits beside him. They sit in silence for a moment, but as Pidge starts to open a book, he finds the words to say. “I heard your brother was sent to war.”

“He volunteered.” She mutters angrily. “He didn’t have to, but he volunteered anyways.”

“He has Shiro with him, at least.” Keith offers.

Pidge shakes her head. “Shiro may fight with Matt, but he’s fighting for you.”

Keith stands up in exasperation. The plush silk comforter slides lower on the bed. “He said the same damn thing! What is that even supposed to mean?”

Pidge stares at him like he’s an idiot. “You’re not good at understanding nuanced words, huh?” Keith doesn’t reply. She sighs and lays back on the bed, hands interlocked behind her head. “He likes you, dumbass. And you like him too.”

Keith sputters. “I-I’m not a homosexual.”

She shrugs. “I prefer female company, you prefer male. No big deal, considering that no one’s watching. My brother gets away with it all the time.”

Keith blanches. “He does?”

Pidge sits up. “And you can too. It’s not like I’m gonna stop you.”

He blames Pidge for what happened after. After all, he had never thought about Shiro before, at least not in that way. He had never imagined what it feel like to knot his fingers in Shiro’s hair, and to be pushed against a wall, hands eventually forced over his head as they press their mouths together in a messy attempt at a kiss. Keith blushes and tries to forget.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Shiro returns from war after their marriage. Pidge sleeps in her own bed, and Keith sleeps in his. Her lady-in-waiting often shares her bed, and it is rare that they are separated, except for when they are required to give the illusion of a happily married couple. Keith doesn’t mind; he likes Pidge as a friend who can actually deal with his rebellious nature.

Keith isn’t told about Shiro; he finds out on his own, when he meets Shiro in the halls.

“Excuse me.” Shiro mumbles, not meeting Keith’s eyes. He tries to walk past, but Keith catches his arm and stops him. Except his arm isn’t right.

Keith drops it, and Shiro looks up, shame evident in the way he looks at him. “Shiro, I-I didn’t know you were back.”

“I came back yesterday, sire.” He pulls his sleeve lower over his arm, the one that felt strange. “They demoted me after Matt went missing. Their kingdom has no male heirs now.”

“Does Pidge know?” Keith asks. Pidge had been close to him, that much he knew. It would devastate her to know that he was missing, and most likely dead.

Shiro shakes his head. “Her mother ordered me to tell her. I was on my way there now.”

“I’ll walk with you.” Keith says.

Shiro nods, but doesn’t say anything in reply. Keith respects that; Shiro had always known when to shut up, and Keith had eventually learned when to do the same for him. But as they reached the threshold of Keith’s chambers, Keith frowned. “Do you still feel the same now, as you did when you wrote that letter?”

Shiro doesn’t look at him as he pushes the door open. “That’s irrelevant. You’re married.”

Keith doesn’t have a chance to say anything else, as Shiro strides towards Pidge’s room. The candles are still burning, even though it’s late, and a collection of books are spread out on the comforter. She barely glances up as they enter, and doesn’t acknowledge them except to send her lady away. As the door closes behind her, Pidge closes her book, her finger stuck between it’s pages to hold her place.

“Did you finally decide to tell him?” She asks Keith with a mischievous grin.

Shiro doesn’t react beyond a small smile, which quickly disappears as Keith replies. “I tried to. I guess I’m not the only one who’s not good at understanding the nuanced. But that’s not why I brought him here.” Keith turns to Shiro.

He steps forward, and kneels beside her bed. Pidge looks mildly concerned; she had attempted to get rid of that submissive behavior in her staff. “Your brother is missing, my lady. I was assigned to be his guard, but we were separated after we were captured. The last time that I saw him was before I was sent into the Arena.” He looks up for the first time, and meets her faltering gaze. “I’m sorry.”

Shiro barely has time to catch her as she tumbles to the ground. Keith can do nothing but watch as she sobs, tears staining Shiro’s shirt. As she clutches at his shirt, his sleeve rides up, and Keith realises what was wrong earlier.

His arm, one that used to hold the hilt of a sword as they fought across his bedroom, one that he had imagined holding him close for the most part of the past six months, is no longer there. It’s been replaced with a strange contraption. It’s metal is smooth, except for where it is welded, and he can hear it now; It’s ticking. His wrist and elbow are covered in panels that slide as Pidge lifts his hand.

“They did this to you?” She sniffs.

Shiro nods. “I lost my arm in the Arena. They gave me this as a replacement.”

Pidge pulls away, and her dress is wrinkled. “My mother wants me to sentence you to death. She wants me to blame you.”

Keith flowers. How dare she attempt to kill his guard, who was stolen from him in the first place, to fight in a war that wasn’t even his. Pidge notices Keith’s look, and continues. “I’m not. It’s not your fault.” She looks at Keith, a soft smile on her face. Her eyes are red and puffy, and he wonders if she will ever get over him. “You two should enjoy it while it lasts. Don’t waste time playing around, okay?”

Keith nods, and hugs her. He can’t help but feel how small she is, how little there is of her. He pulls away, and leaves, Shiro following him back into his own room. He tries to head for the door, and Keith doesn’t try to stop him. “I love you, okay?”

Shiro stops, but doesn’t turn around. “You have a wife.”

“And she has a Lady-in-waiting! We’re not exactly trying to produce an heir here!” Keith yells.

Shiro closes the door and turns around, his arms crossed. “You’re a Prince. I’m a soldier, a mere guard who failed to protect another Prince.”

“Like hell if I care. No, wait. I’m your Prince, your superior.” Keith starts. He’s unsure if Shiro will even care that he’s pulling rank. “I order you to stay, to talk about this at least.”

Shiro doesn’t respond, and it only makes Keith angrier. He’s been waiting for Shiro for so long, has only seen him in his dreams, only heard his voice through the few letters that he sent before he disappeared. He’s not going to let Shiro throw this away over something as stupid as their status.

“Please.” He says, his voice breaking.

Shiro turns the lock, and steps over the scattered books and clothing on the floor. He presses one hand to the small of Keith’s back, the other grasping his face. And then the moment that he had been dreaming of ever since he left happened. Shiro leans in, and their lips meet. Shiro feels hot, Keith thinks, like fire on his lips. And then it changes, becomes more feral and less sweet.

Keith’s hands gradually move, from being pressed against his chest, to his shoulders, and then to his hair, to get knotted and tangled in. Shiro moans in surprise, and Keith pulls again, and again until they break away, panting for breath. The brief reprise ends quickly, as Keith pulls him to the bed. Shiro has him pinned beneath his weight, but Keith isn’t crushed by it. It’s comforting, he thinks, as Shiro nips at his throat. Keith tangles his fingers in his hair again, and pulls Shiro’s lips back to Keith’s.

Suddenly, the door slams, surprising the both of them. They both turn, to find the door to Pidge’s room shut tight. Keith hadn’t realised that they had left it open. He blushes as Pidge calls through the door. “At least close the door before going at each other like dogs in heat!”

Shiro opens his mouth to say something, but instead devolves into laughter. Keith presses another kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Sure thing.”

#voltron #voltron fanfiction #voltron shiro #shiro #takashi shirogane #shiro/keith

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