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"There you are."
A smile touched the corner of Keith's mouth as soon as he heard the cheerful voice behind him. He craned his neck slightly to watch Shiro come fully into the room. The door swished shut; just the two of them. That was how Keith preferred it. Even after months together, he still didn't quite consider himself close to the other paladins. Were they friends? Friendly acquaintances? Friends, Keith decided. They were friends, just not close friends. Shiro though, Shiro was far more than a friend.
With a loud sigh and a heavy plop, Shiro settled next to him on the sofa that looked out on the massive bay windows, giving them a breathtaking view of the starscape surrounding them. The galaxy undulated around them in waves of violet, neon green, and dazzling pink, unlike anything they had seen on earth. If he looked long enough, squinted hard enough, Keith swore he could see colors that he never knew existed.
"So," Shiro leaned back against the plush sofa, draping an arm over the back, suspiciously close to Keith's shoulders, "why are you hiding in here? I thought I'd find you training until you dropped, like usual."
He had considered it. "I just wanted some quiet."
"Quiet." Shiro repeated, his tone quizzical.
Keith laughed at the expression the young man gave him when he turned his head to look at him. "I like the quiet. Living alone in the desert suited me just fine."
Shiro didn't know if he liked that comment. There was quiet and then there was isolation, which was what he felt the little desert shack was. He had only spent a few hours in that lonely plot, but that had been enough for him to gain a sense of the place. The fence outside was a deception; there was no one around to keep out, no animals to pen in. The fence, the little porch, the rocking chair one hard knock away from breaking--they were all window dressing, a pretty facade to hide the fact that there was really nothing out there. Nothing but Keith.
The young man cleared his throat gently. "You could live quietly on a farm or in a trailer a bit closer to the city, you know."
Not that it mattered now, so deep in space and with no clear sign that they would return to earth soon, if ever.
Keith shot him a look, not appreciating the suggestion. "I like the desert."
"It's just so...lonely." That was the word Shiro kept landing on.
"So? My dad and I lived out there for years. We never minded it."
But your dad is dead. Wisely, Shiro did not say such aloud. He valued his throat, thank you very much. Keith's father was always a touchy subject, had been for years. Rightfully so, his subconscious chimed in; the beginning of Keith's troubled life started with the death of Mr. Kogane and Keith had not had an easy life from then on. Thankfully, Keith was resilient. He was moody, temperamental, prone to outbursts of anger, but resilient. All those negatives everyone else saw, Shiro understood their root and cause and could help the younger boy overcome.
"It's your birthday." Shiro blurted, trying to move past the awkward moment.
Keith turned back to the display of stars and light. "I know."
"Eighteen now?"
"Yup. A man now. Or...that's what my dad used to say; when I turned 18, I would be a man." He rubbed his palms against the fabric of his pants. "I don't feel any different though. I think the old man was just pulling my leg."
Shiro smiled. "You've been thinking about him. That's nice."
Keith offered a weak smile, decidedly trying not to think of the knife sitting in its holster at his back, a tight band of gauze bandages wound about its hilt. "I always think of him on my birthday. Dad always made a big deal of it. It was just him and I, so we had to celebrate, he would say. But he would never tell me when his birthday was. Weirdo." he laughed fondly.
Shiro stretched out and closed the final bit of distance between his hand and Keith's shoulder, pulling the teen against his side. Keith moved against him easily, at ease the way he never was with anyone else.
"Tell me what you're thinking." Shiro said softly.
There was a beat of silence as Keith sorted out the many thoughts thundering around his head. "I'm thinking about dad." he paused and when he decided it was safe to talk about his father with Shiro, continued. "I'm thinking about all the things he said we would do together. Places we were supposed to go. Big milestones he couldn't wait to see."
"Yeah? Like what?"
A small ache pierced Keith's heart to think on those lost promises. "Like...going to Japan to see his birthplace. Sending me off to university--back when he was sure I was going to go to some smart college and be a big shot. He was always so excited about my future. Wanted to drive me to prom; take me college hunting; teach me to fly; buy me my first beer."
Shiro suddenly cleared his throat, shooting Keith a suspicious look. "Buy you your first beer?"
Keith had the decency to look a tiny bit embarrassed. "First legal beer."
So much he and his dad had missed out on. The loss was more prominent as of late, ever since Ulaz appeared. Whatever his father had been into, whatever the man had known or not known, that did not matter a bit to Keith. He just wanted his father. Nothing hurt more, nothing he had endured since that horrid fire, than knowing he would never see his father or feel the man's engulfing, safe embrace.
He hiccupped and scrubbed at his eyes. Instinctively, he began to pull away, but before he could get far, Keith felt the hand leave his shoulder and grab his waist. He was pulled tight, into a suffocating embrace almost as good as his father's. Shiro's other hand sat at the nape of his neck, rubbing ever so gently for a moment before sliding into his messy hair.
Words were not needed. They had been here before, much to Keith's chagrin. He let Shiro hold him, grounding him with his warm bulk, arms so strong they could rip an opponent in two and yet for Keith they were the gentlest hands he had ever felt. Without hesitation, he leaned his cheek against Shiro's chest, ignoring the painful throb in his chest when he caught a whiff of his father's cologne on the old vest.
How long they stayed that way, Keith was not sure. Long, he thought. Long enough for his muscles to get a tad stiff. But if Shiro was bothered in any way, he did not let on. He pulled away slightly, just far enough to look into Shiro's eyes. The same look was there. That same, soft, smoulder, the look that they had shared in similar embraces since being reunited some weeks ago.
They were different than they had been two years ago. There was a cold stiffness to Shiro now that Keith worried over. Ever the indominable force, never to be put off or put aside, Shiro had changed deeply, somewhere in his core. And who could blame him, after all he saw and was forced to partake in? The new nihilistic nature was understandable. Still, it saddened Keith to see the bright star that was Takashi Shirogane dim so substantially when that brightness was what had drawn him in and saved him all those years ago.
He moved his hand slightly, pressing his palm to Shiro's jaw and that simple touch was all the prompting Shiro needed to lean down and press their lips firmly together.
Kissing was still new for Keith. He had little art in it, being too eager and forceful, smashing their mouths together and then balking in confusion when Shiro pried those same lips apart to slip his tongue in his mouth. He was getting better though and within seconds there was not a bit of space between them. All hands and sloppy mouths, it was perhaps anything but romantic, but for Keith it was perfect.
A soft squeak somehow slipped past his lips, despite them being locked like a vice against Shiro's. He tried not to squirm against the hand that had drifted low on his back, giving his hip a gentle squeeze before dropping even lower and digging into the soft flesh of his backside. Shiro paused and tried to pull away, but Keith refused to allow it, dragging his mouth back to where it belonged and reminding the young man that they were in the middle of something very important.
But kissing was as far as they had gone and were going to go. Even if Keith was willing to let go and see where their relationship could go, Shiro was gun shy. Being around others, being safe was still too novel. Intimacy was at the moment one of the most terrifying things he could face.
All too soon the moment had ended and Shiro had sat back at a safe distance, hand over his mouth, trying to hide his expression. Keith made a face at him, pouting at the imagined gulf between them. There were better places for such activities though; who knew when the others might come spilling into the room in a raucous. They had found several such isolated places during their exploration of the massive castle, rooms upon rooms rarely, if ever, gone into. The paladins had made their home in the rooms closest to the bridge and the training centers, which left a great expanse of castle to make their own secret space.
They sat together in prolonged, comfortable silence until Keith grew restless and hopped to his feet. Shiro looked up in surprise.
"Alright, captain, if you aren't going to take advantage of this mood lighting and scenic view, then I'm going to have to find something better to do."
Shiro's mouth dropped open, a few useless syllables falling out. Reunited a month and he was still at times stunned by Keith's cheekiness. He had almost managed to form words when Keith let out a sweet, light laugh and bound off, out the door and towards the stairwell. A flirtatious glance was cast his way just as the door swished shut on the boy's retreating figure. The invitation was obvious. There was hardly a second of hesitation before Shiro found his feet, leaping up and running to the door to give chase.