#keith and mira are too nice to each other

[hexados-on-a-string]

the only reason hydron didnt live is bc if he was part of the brawler's interdimensional found family, that'd involve him getting a character arc on account of actually having a support system and also the fact that zenoheld is dead and they didn't wanna write that so they just killed off hydron. this lives in my brain though.

[shutupandshipit]

home is where the heart is - Part 2

Summary: Lance pillowed his head against her shoulder, closing his eyes to the rising moon and the stars blanketing the sky. The feeling hadn’t dissipated, only growing with each day that passed as slowly as the previous. “I don’t know, Mama. I really… really don’t. I’m happy to be back, ecstatic, but I spent so long out there and now that I’m back without the others it feels…”

“Solitario?” she supplied, leaning her head against his.

“Yes, a little.”

Pairing: Klance

Rating: T

Chapter: 2/3

Part 1 <- Previous

Next -> Part 3

Masterpost

Author’s note: You can find the Spanish translations on Ao3 at the bottom of Part 2.

Keith and Pidge sulked beneath the shade of a beach tree with arms crossed over their chests, watching the others scramble through the water and sand, laughing wildly. Pidge's mouth turned down irritably. “Sunburns are dumb,” she grumbled.

“Yeah.”

“They're all jerks.”

“Yeah.”

“I'm gonna hit every single one of them.”

“Yeah.”

“Um, Keith, right?” The woman's voice startled the pair out of their pity party, drawing their eyes up and up and up some more to the woman staring earnestly down at them. She was as tall as Lance, and they were even shorter sitting on the ground.

It left Keith a little dizzy.

“Yes?” Keith said, staring back at her. Though her skin was lighter, her hair red and far curlier than Lance, she bore a striking resemblance to him. They couldn't be mistaken for anything but siblings.

Her smile was just as blinding as her brother's. “Oh, good! Katie, do you mind giving us a moment to talk?”

Raising an eyebrow cautiously, Pidge stood. “Sure. Just be sure to tell me everything later. Terrify him. Please. Make my day.” She knocked her fist against Veronica's, running out towards the water despite the scornful reproaches she received from the others.

Veronica settled beside him, her eyes trained on the commotion starting back up in the water. She was silent for a moment, the smile never fading. Finally, she said, “So, you're the guy my baby brother is in love with.”

If there were any possible way to choke on air, Keith would have managed it in that moment. He stiffened, eyes snapping to said brother hanging off of Hunk's bicep like a child on a playground. Heart in his throat, he couldn't find the words to reply.

Lance was not in love with him. He was the last person Lance would ever fall for.

The memory of the night before returned. Lance in his lap before Pidge had burst in. Lance kissing as fiercely as he had always imagined. He doubted his own conviction.

“And you love him too, right?” He remained quiet, but she seemed unfazed by his lack of response. She continued. “It's fine if you don't, really. But,” and suddenly he could feel something that felt very much like a knife pressing gently into his side. The tip was a prick of ice against his burned skin. “If you hurt him, I will kill you. Don't lead him on. He will give everything to you. If he could, he would drag the moon, the sun, and even the stars from the sky to give them to you. He would give you everything. If you take advantage of that, I will kill you. I know how to get rid of a body, and I know people who will help me keep it quiet.” Her tone was easy, genial in its threat. “He's been hurt and let down by too many people before. Each of them seemingly disappeared. They've never found a trace of them. Such a mystery, right?” The knife dug in a little harder. “You will not be the one that breaks him. If you haven't already figured out, he's completely head over heels for you. He was lost when the others showed up, and you didn't follow after them. He became the embodiment of the sun when you turned up.”

She glanced over at him, smile wide and teeth so white and straight that they felt like a threat all on their own. “If you love him too, treasure him. If you don't, don't let him faun over you. If you ever lay a finger on him, cheat on him, abuse him, if you ever do anything to him other than love him, you will become very familiar with my little friend in your side. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” Keith squeaked, forcing his eyes to remain plastered to her face.

“Wonderful!” she chirped, standing and dusting sand from the back of her thighs.

Lance slammed bodily into her, hefting her over his shoulder. He grinned widely, laughing, before his eyes settled on Keith. “Hey, you alright, buddy? You look a little pale.”

Veronica screamed, floundering on his shoulder.

Jumping to his feet, Keith copied Veronica's movements, slapping at the sand sticking to the back of his shorts. “Nothing! Nothing! I'm fine. Perfectly fine. So fine it's a wonder that I'm not fine. We were just having a conversation. A nice, easy conversation.”

Lance narrowed his eyes before pinching the back of Veronica's thigh. She screeched, kicking wildly. “What did you do, Ver? Tell me or I'll keep pinching.”

“Lance, when I get down from here, te voy a patear el culo!” she spit, bucking.

“Were you threatening Keith, you goblin? I told to stop doing that! You always run them away! All of you do!”

Veronica snorted before she sighed and went limp. “Eran indignos. He's fought aliens though. I think he'll be fine with a little threatening. I was just laying down some ground rules. You have to have ground rules, Lance, or there is anarchy. Anarquía!”

Lance rolled his eyes. “You're such a drama llama.” He pinched at the back of her thigh again, but this time she remained still.

Under her breath, she muttered, “You're the drama llama.”

“No more threatening, Veronica. I'm serious.”

“Fine,” she huffed, “I promise, but I can't speak for the rest of the family. I'm sure David will get in there, and Mama! Hell, she'd going to scare the ever living daylights out of him.” Veronica was grinning, and as she pulled an arm free, she ran her fingers through his hair. “Mira esos rizos. Bonito. Te mereces a alguien que te da las estrellas, hermanito,” she cooed.

Glancing over at Keith and cheeks coloring red, Lance turned his head to catch a glimpse of her face. “ El ya tiene. ”

…..

Pidge slammed down hard onto the cushion beside Keith. The floor cried out in protest as the couch slid back a few inches. She slung her arm over his shoulders as Hunk copied her motion on his other side. They bracketed him in, leaning close and sighing contentedly as they watched Lance and Shiro wrestle with Lance's siblings, nieces and nephews on the floor. Matt stood over them, commentateing as Lance rolled Shiro over him as if he weighed only as much as the baby.

“So,” Pidge started all too casually, her fingers pressing into his shoulder in a less than inviting way. His burned shoulder. His very burned shoulder.

He flinched beneath her touch, and her touched eased up as she grinned apologetically.

“So,” Hunk echoed, sliding his eyes over to Keith.

“So?” Keith asked warily.

Hunk hummed, raising an eyebrow as a sly grin twisted up the corners of his mouth, “You and Lance, huh? About time.”

Keith's head snapped around towards Pidge, hissing, “Pidge! We had a deal!”

Her resulting smile was wide and unabashed. “I didn't tell him anything. He figured it out all on his own. You two are so transparent that even a blind person could figure it out.”

Groaning loudly, he sunk deeper into the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him and into the fray. Lance somersaulted over his legs, tugging at his bare foot as he passed. He kicked playfully at him, an unconscious smirk jerking at the corners of his lips.

“Case in point.”

Keith turned narrowed eyes back to Pidge. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means exactly what I said.”

“Look, Keith,” Hunk started before Pidge or he could continue into an argument, mouth pulled taut, “Lance is our best friend, has been for a long time.”

Pidge's mouth mimicked Hunk's, their voices similarly low. “We've seen him be a complete idiot around girls. We've seen him get close to something that could be considered 'having feelings for'.”

“But,” Hunk whispered, “We've never seen him like this. This is... It's uncharted territory, alright? We're not really sure how to help him if something goes awry with you two.”

“We just need to know that you won't hurt him,” Pidge finished, her eyes imploring as they stared at Keith.

He glanced between the two, mouth dry as he said, “Why does everyone think I'm going to hurt him? I don't get it. Do I look like I could hurt Lance on purpose? Like I'm going to?”

“Lance may act tough, but he's got a heart of glass. We need to know that you're not going to break it.” Hunk squeezed his shoulder, everything that he was asking him transmitted in the bulk of his hand.

Keith dropped his eyes to his lap. “I don't think you guys are giving him enough credit. Any of you. Not the two of you. Not his family. But I'm not going to intentionally hurt Lance. I can't promise that I won't do it on accident, though. I've never been good with people. Hurting him it the last thing I want to do,” he whispered, “but you guys also need to remember that he's probably the strongest of us all. He's not some fragile doll. He's been through the same shit we have. He's fought the Galra with us. He's survived capture. He's commanded the team when there was no one there to do it. And anyway, we haven't even talked about this. Us. This thing between us.”

Hunk and Pidge tilted their heads, watching him consideringly then looked to each other. “Interesting.”

Scrubbing her hand through Keith's hair, Pidge laughed as he swatted at her and then was pulled into a crushing hug by Hunk. He gathered her in as well, and she groaned. “That's all we're asking for, Keith,” Hunk said, squeezing them until they began to wheeze.

“Hey, what are we whispering about over here? Why is a Hunk hug fest going on and I'm not in it? It looks cozy. I want it,” Lance said, wiggling into the space Hunk created for him so that he and Keith were nose to nose. He was all but seated in Keith's lap. A grin wider than the horizon spread across Lance's face as he stared at the red rising on Keith's cheeks. “Aw, you're too cute.”

“Lance, if you don't back up right now, I can't say that I won't...” He trailed off, cheeks coloring brighter than before.

The grin somehow widened. “As long as it was good, go ahead because I'm not moving, babe. I'm comfortable.”

Pidge gagged audibly, pushing their faces apart. “Don't be sickening with so many people around! Damn! It's only been a day!”

“I think it's cute,” Hunk said, laughter reverberating through his chest to tremble down Keith's arm.

Lance laughed along with him, licking at Pidge's palm.

She screeched and scrambled from the embrace.

"Lance! Aquí! Help your father and brothers with dinner,” Mrs. McClain said from the doorway to the kitchen, arms crossed across her chest.

Untangling himself from the pretzel they'd become, he popped to his feet. His hair stuck up every which way making him look like a frantic puppy more than a teenage boy. “Si, Mama! Coming.” He turned a sly smile to Keith. “Don't forget about whatever you were planning on doing. For later.”

Pressing his hands over his burning face, Keith growled, “Dammit, Lance.”

Still grinning, he winked before trotting passed his mother to press a quick kiss to her cheek. He disappeared into the kitchen, an uproar beginning immediately on his entrance.

Stepping out of the doorway, Lance's mother let the door swing closed. “Keith, could you come help me in the greenhouse for a moment?” she asked, smiling gently as she pushed her feet into a pair of small pink and white polka-dotted galoshes.

“Yes, ma'am.” Keith stood, shrugging out from beneath Hunk's arms. “Coming.”

They tramped through the sand in relatively comfortable silence, eyes downcast to avoid fallen palm fronds. Holding the door open, Keith followed Lance's mother into the greenhouse. Inside was humid and a kind of quiet that the outside hadn't been. There was no ambient noise from the wind or ocean to keep the white noise at bay. The pair worked diligently, Mrs. McClain giving Keith succinct instructions as needed.

She finally spoke as they dusted off their hands and pushed out into the afternoon light. “Keith, have you ever been in love?”

Startled, Keith paused, looking at her. “No, ma'am. I mean, not romantically.” Swallowing, he shuffled around the armful of vegetables and fruits he held.

She smiled gently, and turned to make her way down to the beach. “Ven. Sit with me a moment. I would like to speak with you. We really haven't spoken since you arrived. I would like to get to know the man my son is smitten with.”

He felt blindsided. He'd never been called a man before.

“Yes, ma'am,” Keith mumbled tentatively, following cautiously after her. He sat beside her on the sand, stretching out his feet for the water to lap at. He dropped his cargo beside him.

“Have you ever come close to loving someone?”

He swallowed. “I think, maybe one time, before I left the Garrison. I'm not sure. That time of my life wasn't... It was hard. It's a little blurry nowadays.”

Her smile was so gentle and so understanding, and he felt the world tilt. Her smile reminded him of another. “Shiro?”

He stayed silent, staring at his toes.

“It's alright. I won't say anything. I've been in love with my best friend before. It only caused me heartache. That's not to say that it isn't okay to be in love with a friend. The person you love should ultimately be you best friend. They should be your confidant and protector. They should be your world.”

“I don't... understand why we're talking about this.”

Lance's mother inhaled deeply, staring out over the water. “My son, Lance, he's a lot like me when I was young. He's outgoing, friendly, flirty. He lusts easily. I don't think he's ever truly been in love before, but that's not for me to say. He's strong, so strong, but matters of the heart are a soft spot for him as they were and are for me. He gives everything he can to the people he loves, and then he gives even more than that.” She looked at Keith then, and he saw Lance in her face and in the blue of her eyes. “I didn't ask you out here to scare or threaten you, Keith. I just need you to know that if you treat him tenderly and treasure him, he will give you the sun, the moon, and the stars. If you treat him harshly... Well, I don't want to see what will happen. I don't want him to become cynical towards love or life, and I also don't want to see him break under the heartache.”

“You didn't though,” Keith blurted, staring back at her.

She tilted her head. “Didn't what?”

“Break. Under the heartache. You... You have a family that loves you. You obviously made it.”

Nodding, she looked out at the changing colors of the sky. “You're right, but there was a long time that I thought I'd never find anyone else. It took me a long time to come back from that. I was lucky enough to have my husband waiting for me on the other side.”

They were quiet for a moment, just watching the indigo crawl across the sky.

“You know, I've never seen my son so taken with someone. I know the others haven't told you, they've been too busy playing big brother and sister, but he was depressed without all of you. He got better when the others arrived, but he wasn't himself until you showed up. His smile is brighter than ever, and the way he looks at you... It's how I still look at my own husband, and how I've seen him look back at me. I need you to know that, Keith, and I need you to know that we are all here for you. All of you have given so much to my son, and you're part of our family now.”

She took his hands between her own, squeezing them gently. “I'm not saying that you will be together forever. I'm not saying that there won't be conflict. There will be. Especially with my son. This relationship is going to be a big force in your lives. I'm not saying the two of you won't break up one day, but what you two have, I can tell it's special even if it's just a foundling. This is important to him, and the way you look at him, I can tell it's at least a little important to you too.”

“He is important to me,” Keith whispered, the words coming out stilted and awkward. He didn't want to be talking about his feelings, wasn't comfortable doing so, but out of everyone who had talked with him, he wanted her to understand. He wanted her to know.

“I know, mijo.” She patted the back of his hand. “He's difficult and he likes to argue,” she started again, and smiled when he snorted, “but he's good and sweet. After everything you all have been through, I just when you to be happy.”

“I-” Keith swallowed, glancing away from her to their clasped hands and then out over the water where the sun had sunk nearly completely behind the horizon. “I don't want Lance to get hurt. I don't know why everyone thinks that's what I'm going to do. I don't want that. I've watched him and all of the others get hurt more times than I ever wished to over out time fighting together.” He grimaced before chuckling under his breath. “If Lance is difficult, then I'm an outright bear to deal with. I guess I'm just so fucked up that people can only see me screwing this up, but... but I think we've kind of learned to work around that and grown used to those parts of each other. I don't want to hurt Lance.” He swallowed again, his throat tight. “I just want him to be happy too. I just want us all to be happy.”

“You don't have to explain yourself to me, Keith.” She pulled him towards her, and he went willingly, allowing her to wrap him in a mother's love. He melted against her, pillowing his head against her shoulder. “Lance told me that you don't have a family. He told me that you only just found your mother.” He stiffened against her. “But I want you to know that's not true anymore. We're your family, even if the two of you don't work out in the end. We'll always be here no matter what you need.” She pulled away, grinning widely. “My husband has always said how he wanted more boys.”

Keith's smile was unconscious, unchecked, and watery. “Thanks, Mrs. McClain.”

“No problem, sweetie. Now, let's get inside. I'm sure my dope of a son has felt our absence by now, and probably figured out that you're getting another talk. Little Pidge told me Veronica already talked to you? Don't worry, she's mostly bark, but when she bites, well...”

He allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, bending to pick up the vegetables and fruit. “Was that supposed to make me feel better about Veronica?” he asked skeptically.

“Not really,” she chirped.

…..

“I'm sorry about my family,” Lance muttered from his bed, staring down at Keith in the dark of the room. On the bed beside him, Hunk snored uproariously.

“Sorry for what?” Keith whispered back, sitting cross legged on the sleeping bag he'd been provided, polishing his knife as he always did to calm himself. He'd never had so many talks in his life. He'd never seen so many people love one person like Lance was loved, and Keith doubted he'd be able to save himself from falling into the same depths that they all swam in. He wasn't sure he cared to save himself from the plunge. Already, he could feel the warm tendrils of acceptance and love wrapping around him, dragging him into Lance's arms and into the hearts of those that surrounded him.

That was something Keith had never had. Not that he could remember anyway. It was addictive. He didn't want to lose it, but he was afraid to allow it to consume him.

Lance picked apathetically at a popped stitch in the worn quilt that tangled around his long legs. “I know that they were dragging you around and threatening you. It's kind of a tradition. We figure if the interested party gets scared off just by the family then they weren't worth it in the first place. I'm just...” He sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired face. “I'm sure they've said a lot of things they shouldn't have. I'm sure you know by now how I feel about you. I'm not very good at hiding my feelings, and my family grabs shit and runs with it. They probably think we're...” He laughed without humor. “We haven't even talked about anything yet.”

Keith rubbed at a spot on his knife before pausing to look up at Lance. “Think we're what?” he prompted after a moment, curious to know what Lance thought. They'd made out the one time. There had been the hallucinogenic planet that he barely remembered. Lance's willingness for physical contact jumbled his mind more than he cared to admit, but he couldn't deny that even he felt something towards the Blue Paladin. There was something between them, something warm and not so new. He just had to figure out what it was.

“I don't know. Like... like my sister and her husband or something. Ready to settle down and adopt 2.5 kids. Ready to end our space adventures and just kick back with our feet in the sand,” he explained grandly before his voice fell back to a whisper, “I think they think that we're... I don't know... I just- I don't know. They think we're something more than what I think we're capable of right now.”

Swallowing, Keith sheathed his knife, pushing it beneath his pillow. “What... what are we right now?”

“What?” Lance asked, startled.

Lifting his eyes, Keith caught Lance's gaze. “What are we right now?” he asked with more conviction.

“We're...” Lance trailed off, pink darkening his cheeks and tips of his ears. Swallowing, he slid to the floor in the darkness, sitting back on his heels for only a moment. “It's easier to show you,” he whispered, leaning forward and pressing their mouths together.

Keith fell into the kiss easily, only putty beneath Lance's more capable hands. His fingers slid up along Lance's cheeks, cupping the back of his neck. “You're such a cliche,” he whispered fondly and pulled Lance back in. Slowly, he was being pushed back onto his makeshift bed, Lance's knee hitching up between his legs. Gasping, Keith pressed a hand to his chest, pushing him away just the barest amount. “Lance, hold on. Hunk-”

“It's fine,” Lance murmured against his ear, breath hot and hands hotter against his skin, “He sleeps through anything. Just be quiet. We don't want to wake the house.”

“Lance-” Keith started, but a gasp slipped passed his lips as Lance's hand slid across his lower stomach.

Lance's lips were curved into a smile against his ear. “We could go to the lions.”

“Lance, shut up. Stop talking. Holy fuck.” Keith pushed against his chest, eyes screwed shut as his mind reeled. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. He knew they needed to talk about something. There was something important from before that they hadn't talked about, and Lance kissing him did not explain anything to him except that Lance wanted him the same way he wanted Lance.

All he wanted to do was touch Lance, bring him closer, allow him to have more of him than anyone he'd ever been with at the Garrison had been allowed. He wanted to kiss him gently and cuddle with him. He wanted to drink coffee with him and just talk.

He at least had the presence of mind to know that all they should be doing right then was talking. There were more things they needed to talk about than he had fingers on his hands. He didn't want to. He'd never been good at talking as the passed day with Lance's family had reminded him. They needed to talk though. So with visible effort, he sat up and pushed Lance away.

“We need to talk, Lance, before we get any further or any deeper. We can't just let everything fester.”

Lance slumped back against his bed, staring into the darkness that was made only darker by the cloudy night sky. “I don't want to talk,” he whispered, fear trembling through his voice, “I don't want to talk about that time. I don't want to remember it. I'm just... I'm just happy you're back.”

“I know. I don't want to either.” Keith stared at him, his lips throbbing and tingling with the memory of Lance's. Swallowing, he stood. “Come on. Let's go talk.”

Lance stared up at him solemnly before accepting his outstretched hand. Pulling himself to his feet, he didn't release Keith's hand. Instead, he brought it to his mouth and pressed his lips to his knuckles, one by one. When he had reached his last knuckle, he lingered, fingers tightening ever so slightly around Keith's. Slowly, he dropped their hands between them, and led the way out of the room. Hunk did not wake up as his bedroom door creaked open and closed. "Do you want something to drink before we get this thing started?" His hands were on the coffee maker, and his eyes were on the coffee grounds, and he was doing his best to keep both to himself even as Keith stood close to him.

“Coffee is fine. We're going to need it, I think.” Keith's voice was close, soft in the cover of darkness and the house's sleeping occupants.

“Right,” Lance murmured, forcing his mind to remain quiet. It was a difficult task. Since Keith had returned, all he'd been able to hear was chanting, 'Home, home, home, home,' and all his body had done was yearn to touch Keith, to pull him close.

His hands worked, and his mind chanted, and his body yearned.

He shuddered, his eyes slipping closed as Keith's fingers brushed against the back of his neck, tangling in the hair that curled at the base of his skull.

“Sorry,” Keith whispered, breathy, “It's just... Your hair is getting long.” He considered pulling his hand back, admonishing his body for indulging in the impulse to touch Lance, but he couldn't. Lance's skin was warm and inviting, beckoning him with olive undertones and deep brown skin tone. If he stared long enough -which he had and he did often- he could see the places where his skin tone didn't quite mix completely. Some patches were lighter than others, some darker, but just barely. Keith wondered if it was because he was biracial. He wondered if Lance's children would be born with the same pattern.

Lance exhaled shakily. “Yeah. I keep forgetting to cut it.”

“It looks good,” Keith told him truthfully, and still truthfully, he continued, “But it looks better short. You don't want to end up with a mullet.”

Laughing, Lance reached around, tangling their fingers together. “Yes, well, that's a given. Not many people can pull off a mullet nowadays, Mr. McMullet.”

It was a wonder, the touching. It was a wonder that they went from not touching each other at all to sharing a simple intimate touch without awkwardness. There was lost time to be made up for, and all of the touches they could have been sharing the entire time were spilling forward.

Smiling to himself, Keith hooked his fingers with Lance's for a moment before pulling back. “Do you want creamer? Well, 'do you have creamer' is probably the better question.”

“Please,” Lance said emphatically, “It's in the fridge door. Top shelf.”

[sugarplease]

Shiro- “Does it bother you?”

          AN:  Happy Birthday, Shiro! This is the first time I have written anything in a long time, but I hope it won’t be the last. Still waiting for an Archive of Our Own account, but wanted to contribute today so... here we are!

-------

             "Shiro!" Upon hearing his name, Shiro glanced around to find that Mira, the resident Doctor whom he was avoiding, was blocking his path. He had just finished training with the gladiator along with Keith at his normal time. As the team started getting used to living together on the Altean spaceship, it was reasonable for everyone to pick up on the others' habits. Really, he should have expected this when he decided to avoid Mira.

               Shiro looked around and found himself making eye contact with Keith as Keith was trying to leave as well. He silently willed for Keith to help him.

               Keith, on the other hand, with his unnaturally well instincts, gave Shiro a look of sympathy. Everyone on the ship knew that when Mira got something in her head, especially if she believed it to be for the good of one of her patients, she was hard to persuade otherwise.

               Shiro, unable to find any way to escape, look down at the irritated Doctor before him. She wasn't smiling like she normally would and from her expression, it could be interpreted that Mira was feeling a mixture of concern and annoyance for Shiro. He could relate to one of those feelings currently though whether at himself or Mira, he was uncertain at this point.

-----

               "Does it bother you?"

               Upon asking, Mira watched as Shiro's eyes widen before darting to the side and finally, closing his expression off. Her hand was reaching out towards his Galran prosthesis, just stopping short of touching it. She was unsure if he would be okay with her touching him and by the way he closed up, she was correct in that assumption.

               Frowning slightly, she tried to control her expression as she felt frustration, exasperation rising in her from Shiro's reaction. This was not unusual for him. He occasionally dodged questions when the subject was about himself. It should have been expected from everything he has been through, but this occurrence was increasing in consistency since the confrontation with Sendak.

               Mira remembered their time being held hostage by Sendak. The others of Team Voltron had tried asking about what had happened to Shiro, Lance, and her after the incident as they knew it was hopeless to ask Shiro who was tightlipped about their time with Sendak. Lance, being unconscious the whole time, could not remember anything about what happened which left Mira being the only person capable and in their hopes, willing, to explain. Mira, though, being used to secrecy from her time of working and studying at the Garrison was the same as Shiro in this regard and refused to recount their experience.

               If she was honest with herself, there were multiple reasons why she didn't tell the others. It didn't matter in this moment, though, as the growing rift that was happening between Shiro and herself since the incident was currently affecting her ability to do her job.

               She retracted her hand back and folded her arms, wrapping them around herself. She was uncomfortable, and frankly impatient, with the situation developing between Shiro and herself. At the Garrison, she didn't have to chase down and plead with her patients to tell her about how they were doing. Here, and with Shiro especially, that is exactly what she had to do. It was always difficult trying to crack Shiro, especially when she was trying to help him.

               "I'm fine, Mira," he responded finally and turned away down the hallway towards the bedrooms. Mira's hand shot out to grab his arm, turning him back towards her. There was a brief hint of annoyance that flashed across his face before disappearing back into the usual guarded expression.

               "Shiro, I'm Team Voltron's doctor," she started, but saw no change in his closed-off expression. "That means I'm your doctor too, Shiro. I have a right to know if your arm is hurting you," she elaborated and slightly pleading. She managed to look up into his eyes as saying this and for that, she was proud. Mira unconsciously stood up taller with this interaction. She was not going to let him avoid this again.

               His expression changed. Eyes widening and mouth slightly agape for a brief second as he realized what she meant in her original question. She wasn't asking if he was okay with the thought of his arm being made by his former captors and their enemy. Mira was asking if it was physically bothering him. He almost wanted to laugh at himself as he felt relieved at the sudden development. He felt his expression soften after the initial shock subsided.

               "I can't feel my fingers if that is what you are asking," he smirked slightly as he opened and closed his fist of the arm in question. He watched as Mira blinked. Her mouth slowly opening slightly and eyebrows raising just a hair. Arms that were once wrapped around herself dropping to her sides.

               Mira was shocked- no, the better word for it would be surprised. She had not expected him to joke with her. It was much more likely for Shiro to just answer the question than joke, and he rarely, if ever, answered questions about himself. She had to shake her mind free though. There was a mission that she was supposed to accomplish here. She was not supposed to get distracted. Patient time was first before...whatever the hell Shiro and Mira were. Was the proper word acquaintances or friends? Maybe they were vaguely friends? It didn't matter in this moment. She could decide that later.

               Mira reset her emotions and thoughts back to doctor mode, but found herself irritated with how he answered- no matter how nice it was to hear Shiro acting like himself again. It was like how he was before Voltron and though they were on good terms then, she doubts that Shiro remembers any of it now. An unidentifiable, but familiar emotion similar to despair filled her gut with this thought.

               Focus, her mind hissed to herself.

               "I meant where your living tissue connects to your arm," she moved closer to him. Her eyes were focused on the area she mentioned and her hand was hovering above that spot. She slowly turned her eyes towards his in a silent question for permission.

               'Can I touch you?' she silently asked. Finding that he didn't move to stop her, she gently placed her hand on where she believed his flesh and the arm made of Galra tech connected.

               He jumped slightly despite the knowledge of the action prior to it happening. Mira had expected this.

               Everyone of the ship was not a touchy-feely bunch except Lance who would sometimes drape himself over others on the couch (namely Hunk, his best friend). There was not much time for bonding on the ship, so no one truly felt comfortable yet showing common displays of affection with the others. Most of Team Voltron outright avoided physical contact with each other unless required to with the exception of Lance, Pidge, and Hunk, of course since those three knew each other the longest.

               It was difficult for her to distinguish exactly where the connection between his prosthesis and his flesh met with his paladin armor blocking her view of the spot. Frowning, she retracted her hand again before looking back up at him.

               "Does it hurt when any pressure is place on it? Or, perhaps, when it is activated?" she asked gently. She could ask a million questions about his Galra arm, but she tried to keep it light. She did not need him running away and avoiding her again- no matter how terrible at it he is.

----

               "Only when it is suppose to rain, Mira," he smiled softly. He could see her bottom lip jutting slight out in a slight pout as her eyebrows scrunched together. Her arms wrapped back around herself unconsciously. She was concerned. Totally in doctor mode, she didn't catch his joke. He started to see her lips moving to make words that his ears could not hear. This was a common habit for the doctor as she tried to work through possible diagnosis and solutions.

               Totally engrossed in her thoughts, Shiro knew that if he wanted to make an escape, now was the time to do so. Shiro could not find it in himself to do so though. He made the joke and wanted to see how long it would take Mira to catch onto it.

               After a minute, he sees Mira's head quickly snap up, eyes ablaze.

               "Shiro! There is no rain in space!" she argued, flustered at what just happened.

                He laughed softly as he tried to hold most of his laughter in. Her cheeks were bright red along with the tips of her ears that were just visible with her hair being pulled back in a ponytail today. She avoided his eyes and was firmly looking off to the side.

               "Were you just going to let me sit there and not tell me?!?" she screeched through her hands that were now covering her face in embarrassment. His laughter is now breaking free, unable to be stopped and stifled anymore.

----

               Hearing the sound of laughter, Mira looked through her hands disregarding her embarrassment at the situation that had just happen.

               Shiro was laughing. Full blown laughing. Bent over with laughter, one hand gripping his side as the other was used to brace himself on the hallway's walls. Mira slowly lowered her hands to her sides. Former embarrassment forgotten as she found herself trying to memorize what was happening.

               Instead, she remembered.

               This was the Shiro she knew before the Kerberos mission. This Shiro, who was serious in front of their superiors, but ultimately laughed so much- was so carefree, in front of friends and teammates. The one who asked her, when she had a concussion- no less(!), to watch his motorcycle while he was gone. The one that secretly had a sweet tooth and the one that would deny having such a thing.

               Mira wanted to cry remembering these things because she knew that only she, alone, remembered these things. She doubted Shiro knew these things as well about himself. It was another thing stripped from him by the Galra empire besides his arm. She would have to see if Hunk could help her make some food that was remotely sweet for Shiro. She would lie and say it was for everyone, of course.

               Sighing softly to shake these feelings, she focused back on Shiro. Shiro, who was laughing still, though not as loudly as he was before. Not knowing when she would hear this sound again, she waited for Shiro to naturally finish laughing rather than trying to pull him out of it early. Once he finished laughing, Mira pulled her face back to normal to try to not reflect the thoughts she just had.

               "So, there is no pain at all?" she asked, hoping her voice was not betraying her emotions. She watched Shiro straighten himself back up and removed his hand from the wall.

               "Everything is fine, Mira," he replied. He was still smiling slightly leftover from his laughing fit he just had. His cheeks slightly red from the action earlier. Mira allowed her expression to soften before replying.

               "I'm glad, Shiro."

 +++++

Bonus: A week later

               After a particularly long day of training, Shiro opens the doors to his living quarters to find a single piece of oddly colored cake sitting on a plate complete with a spork on his bed. Unhappy at the fact that someone had snuck into his room, he walks over to the cake curious at who it is from.

               Finding a note, he quickly scans it front and back for a name to find none. Instead on the note, he finds the words, For your sweet tooth. He doesn't remember such a thing to be true, let alone eating anything sweet. Confused as to how anyone would assume he liked sweets, Shiro mindlessly takes a sporkful of cake to his mouth and tastes the cake.

               Oh, he smiles softly.