.mysterious.

“Ryan…” he whispers, he too at a loss for words. But for a different reason. He’s made many friends and he has a lot of good friends. But no one else is like Ryan, no one is capable of this, capable of grounding and comforting him. With one last little sniffle he leans forward, still holding Ryan’s hand but now hugging him with one arm.

Resting his forehead on Ryan’s shoulder he takes a few deep breaths before saying anything more. “You make it sound so simple. And I suppose in a way it is… And of course in a way it really, really isn’t. But maybe if I can just get my feelings across they’ll understand. Then again I suppose it’s a bit silly that I’m even worrying about it right now. They haven’t even found a match yet.” He emits a quiet, embarrassed laugh. “It’s only a matter of time before they find one, though. Only a matter of time before I have to speak to them and explain everything.”

    The name whispered made him smile sadly. He stayed still as Aster shifted  forward. A hand of his wrapped around him for a warm embrace. Ryan soon followed in the motion to wrap his strong arms around him too. It was a gentle  and reassuring embrace. A gesture he gave to anyone he cared about.

     “ It’s simple and yet not. ” complicated. It was complicated. It was a simple  thing to go and talk to someone, but the heaviness of it was not so simple. It was too much for him to handle on his own, and Ryan wanted to be there to  take some of that off of him. It must be so hard. He couldn’t even imagine how  heavy this whole thing was for his shoulders.

“I suppose they’re the infamous, energetic and borderline annoying younger sibling type, huh?” Aster asks with a soft chuckle. “There’s a whole lot of interesting archetype for sibling dynamics, isn’t there? My sister definitely fits the protective older sibling archetype. Although I suppose all older siblings feel pressured to look out for their siblings.”

(x)

      ❝oh, of course not.❞ although–he finds the idea intensely tempting. ❝i would never deprive you of such a precious…friend.❞

he wonders if he should have said ‘pet’ instead. the notion that such a small and seemingly helpless creature can be anyone’s friend puzzles him. the creature isn’t like kova, his own lifelong companion. she doesn’t have the same air of fierce independence that kova does–she seems downright helpless, and lotor prefers those who can take care of themselves. it’s clear to him that she can’t hunt, fight, or act as a familiar while an owner performs magic–there’s no way for her and a potential owner to share common interests. the only thing he sees that she has going for her is that she has big eyes, a round body and a soft nose, features that are associated with the concept of ‘cute.’ perhaps humans, like alteans, don’t mind that their little friends can do nothing but sit around and be ‘cute’? he’ll have to ask.

either way, ryan ought to watch carefully. if twix is left alone, lotor might just swallow her down in a moment of weakness.

    His words put him at...ease...somewhat. He knew of this man and what he had done, but Ryan wanted to give him a chance. He wanted to show him  that most humans were trustworthy, that not all of them were horrible or  disgusting. Ryan has seen that part of humanity, and he tried his hardest to  not act in such a way. To show the humanity that was left in humans. 

    “ Please. ” he said softly, olive hues locked with the other’s. Twix shifted in Ryan’s hold, her eyes looked up at Lotor as well. Ryan then dropped his gaze to look down at his beloved animal. Lotor was right. She was his friend, his best companion, a loved one.

“Well, if they are all as resourceful as you’re sister, I’d now what you’d do. You’d lose,” James teases with a soft laugh. They’ve been through so much, between the war, aliens and fighting, he’s had enough negatively in his life to last a few lifetimes.

“I bet she’d like it and kick your butt. Kick all of our butts. The Garrison would be lucky to have her,” James notes with a small smile. “Lucky to have her but hopefully they won’t need her for a while. I think we’ve had enough war and violence. I could go for a good long stretch of peace.”

     “ She would beat me up pretty badly for sure...all those years of me teasing  her, she would want payback. ” he said with a snort of laughter. He adored his younger sisters so much, and he knew they adored him. After their father died, all of them got even closer.

“It was gross. And considering the color it felt a bit like cannibalism,” Aster jokes, wincing at the idea of having to eat food goo again. He’s resolved to eat it only if he’s left with no other choice. 

“Really?” He asks, eyes wide in genuine surprise. “That would be so much fun. It’s not as hard as it sounds, I promise. For instance you know that infamous catcall whistle? Where it’s a short whistle and then a long whistle? That’s a greeting, like, hi, hey or I’m over here. Depends on the context.”

    A small snort came from the pilot at his joke, “ You’re too funny. ” he said  with a shake of his head. A part of him wanted to try the food the paladins  said they had, but he also didn’t want to chance it.

    Ryan tilted his head as he explained a simple greeting, “ Really? ” he was interested. Learning languages was something Ryan liked to do. He knew French fluently, some Spanish, some German, but that was it. He wasn’t comfortable in those languages, but he could strike a small conversation. 

Aster accepts his hand, clinging to it life a lifeline. Remembering what happened, confronting the choice he made and its potential consequences are far from easy. And as much as he wants to hide away and keep his current life safe, he knows  the man’s parents deserve closure. Deserve a say in what is done with their son’s body, the only thing they have left of him…

“They’re going to ask a lot of questions,” he notes with a shaky sigh. “They’re gonna want to know where and when I found him. They’re gonna want to know everything. Sharing everything, remembering everything is gonna hurt. He didn’t last long but I was able to talk with him. I heard his last words and there are memories so deep that they remain even though he’s gone. How would I explain that to them? ‘Oh hi I had enough time to talk to your son but I couldn’t save him then took his body for myself? By the way your son was kidnapped by aliens and treated like an object to be bought and sold. And I’m sorta treating him as an object too by using his body.’ Do I tell them that?” 

Gaze downcast, he holds Ryan’s hand a little tighter. “He was so smart, Ryan. So perceptive. He said to me, ‘you’re trapped too, aren’t you? Let’s set each other free. We don’t both have to die. Set me free and tell my parents I love them.” 

With a loud sniffle, he adds, “he never told me is name or anything. And I didn’t look. I got just so caught up in the war that I forgot. Then I was scared to try. But scared or not I have to do it. When he lost his life I gained mine. I owe him everything.”

    The hold was tighter, but Ryan did not mind it. He let it happen. He wanted  Aster feel better, to know that he was here for him, and that he was not going  to leave anywhere until he was ready. Ryan had come to care for this other. He  was there for him and Ryan was there for him. They helped each other. They  were friends. Close friends. He knew he could trust Aster with anything.

    His head tilted to the side as as he spoke. As he heard the story of how he  came to be, a small frown formed on his lips. It wasn’t out of anger or disgust,  but just out pure...empathy? He could not image, but he could also feel the  other’s hurt. The struggle. It was a little overpowering. 

     “ You two were helping one another out. That’s what you can tell them. It’s  not a lie, you know, ” his voice quiet as he spoke, “ You two wanted to live, and this was the way to do it. The man you helped knew what he was getting into. He just wanted to help out. He wanted to help you just as much as he wanted to help himself. ” 

“Great. More weird special treatments.” He tapped his fingers together on the empty water glass and wiped a bit at a drop that had gathered on the edge where he had been drinking. His head felt really weird after all that coffee and the lack of sleep. The water had cooled him down somewhat already. “I am not sure what is on my mind. nothing, everything? I can’t sort it out properly right now. And this failure to get that machine working is not helping.”

Usually just buckling down and working was something that left him feeling a sense of accomplishment even if there was minimal progress. “I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore. The plans I had before Voltron are not possible anymore. While fighting the Galra and Honerva after that all I could plan for was to survive another day. And now all of this is just… gone. I don’t know what to do.”

He hated this. Hated feeling aimless and in some way useless. “Maybe I should just go bake some cupcakes and focus on something else for a while.”

     The special treatments. Ryan and his team were getting a bit of that  themselves. He wasn’t one who liked a lot of treatment. He liked to be treated  like everyone else. It was only fair. So, really, he could relate somewhat. Still, Hunk and his team was getting more attention. They were Voltron. The team  that helped save the whole universe. Of course the treatment is going to be a lot different than most. For now, all he could do was place a gentle hand on  his shoulder with a light squeeze.

     There was a lot of things that needed to be sorted out. So much emotion  from all that they had went through, and he was sure Hunk and the rest of his team needed some time to just...collect their own thoughts. Hopefully they  can get that break to do just that. It would be food for everyone.

     “ For now, rest. Get your mind off of everything. It’s gonna be a lot easier  said than done, ” Ryan started softly, “ But that’s all you can do for now. A  distraction might be good. ”

“Something tells me that being liked by your sisters would be far from a bad thing,” Aster chuckles, finding Ryan’s laugh both warm and contagious. 

“How many sisters do you have again?” Aster asks, once his chuckle fades. 

     Ryan eyed him with a small smirk, “ That’s what a lot of people say, ” he  then clicked his tongue, “ But, they will bug the hell out of you if you’re not careful. I’m just trying to warn you. ” he said with another soft laugh.

“I love coming either at dawn or dusk and try and catch the daylight over the canyons.” Keith said with a small smile as he looked out onto the rocky canyon cliffs, “I just love how the sunlight bounces off the red cliffs and how the sky contrasts against them in the morning and evening.”

    “I got this. Take a seat.”

Hunk did the same with the bacon, just place it into the pan and let the bacon do its thing. Finally,  after it was done. He placed it on a plate and handed it over to Ryan, “There you go! You can start eating if you want to. Not too crispy, not to rubbery either.”

The Paladin took the coffee and sat down next to him, “How do you feel?”

    Ryan was hesitant for a moment. He wanted to help. He was here for that  reason, but if the other wanted wanted him to sit down then he would. 

     The pilot walked over to the island and slid into one of the seats. The smell  of a fresh breakfast was already filling his nose. He took in a small breath and  let it out slowly. A plate of food was offered over to him, and Ryan took it with a small smile.