Space is quiet and cold and empty.
There was a time when Keith felt like it was an endless graveyard, and then there was a time when he felt like it was full of endless possibilities, whether he wanted to find a place to grow, or a place to hide.
Right now, he feels none of this.
Curled up in the pilot seat of the Black Lion, he stares out into the nothingness in which he canât truly tell any stars apart (hell, heâs not sure which quadrant theyâre in), and he admits silently to himself that he has no idea what heâs feeling.
He glances over his shoulder to where Black has whipped out a second seat to accommodate them; itâs tilted backwards into an almost comfortable position, and Shiro is dozing in it. The sight of his brother is enough for Keith to be able to pick out one emotion from the tangled mess in his head: relief.
(If he dares to think about it, he can pick out the others too, of course. But heâs â not quite there yet. Not ready to deal with guilt, isolation, regret, doubt. Itâs â for now, itâs gotta be good enough that he has his brother, his real brother, right next to him. And that theyâre headed home.)
Keith doesnât really need to pay attention to where theyâre going right now, considering itâs just a straight line for hours and hours on end, course set, no way to jump a wormhole, so he spends a bit just watching Shiro.
Remembering more recent things is easier. Shiroâs mutter of you found me, so fond that Keith almost choked up then and there. Shiroâs weight in his arms. Shiroâs eyes when Keith cut off the armâ no, no, not thinking about that.
Shiroâs expression of vulnerability as they stood in front of Black, the last time I piloted, I â⌠â it strikes Keith again, just like it did back there â Keith pulling Shiro with himself up the ramp like he used to drag his brother with himself when they were getting into trouble (not that Keith was the only one instigating those), donât worry, Iâll do it, and weâre not teleporting, which, by the way, sucks, this is going to take ages, I hate boring long journeys, have I told you that? (He has told Shiro on literally every road trip they went on as kids.) Shiroâs small huff of laughter that meant the entire universe.
Shiroâs heavy gaze on him when Black didnât seem to want to connect with Keith again until he told her it was still for Shiro. Keith shudders a little as he remembers this part, still not clear on what he feels about this particular turn of events. Maybe all this time he could only connect with her because Shiro was also in there? Maybe Keith was never really the Black Paladin? Itâs a thought that â
â he is summarily ripped out of when Shiroâs eyelids flutter, and then his brother is looking at Keith blearily. From the wreckage of his state of mind, Keith scrapes up a smile. âHey, buddy. How are you doing?â