traditions
for @shlavidays, day 2
“do you have any holidays on your planet?” shiro asks one night as they curl up on the floor of the bridge, snuggling to keep warm as the metal flooring saps their body heat from under them.
“thousands among different cultures and religions,” slav answers, staring out the massive window before them. the stars surrounding the ship glitter like little lights, and shiro can almost imagine that he’s home again.
“you don’t strike me as a religious man,” shiro says. “since you’re always going on about science.”
“oh, i’m not.” slav barks out a short chuckle. “but in many realities, i am. it’s important to keep in mind those possibilities when paying my respects during the holiday season.”
“how do you celebrate?”
slav snuggles closer to shiro, shivering in the cold. “in my country, there’s a festival at the end of the year where we celebrate the future generations. we theorize about the contributions they’ll make and the technological advancements that we will see in our lifetime, and we give presents to expecting parents.”
shiro hums. “that sounds like something you would enjoy.” he feels slav nod against his chest.
“it’s like predicting alternate realities, but it is instead in this reality. one hundred percent of my predictions have been correct.” he sounds proud of himself, and shiro smiles in spite of himself.
“then what are your predictions for next year?” shiro asks, forcing down the worry that rises in his gut.
slav is quiet for a moment, thinking hard about his response. “zarkon and haggar will be a nuisance for us, and they will have new weapons to use against us. as for lotor…”
shiro brings his arm around slav and presses a finger against slav’s beak. “sh, we’ll have plenty of time for doomsday predictions later. what about the good things?”
“oh,” slav says, going quiet. “hm.”
“can you not think of anything?” shiro asks, and he feels his blood run cold as his stomach drops.
but slav just nuzzles his head into shiro, curling in closer. “there is a ninety-five percent chance that despite the atrocities that face us in the coming year, we will be happy.”
as shiro processes that, a weight lifts off his shoulders and he is lighter than he has been in a while. “i like that,” he says succinctly.
the stars twinkle outside the castleship as they sit there, reveling in the silence of the night. shiro pulls slav even closer to him, knowing that no matter what happens, they’ll be all right. after all, one hundred percent of his predictions come true.














