#sheithfest

4- Distance

3 billion miles. The current distance between the Earth and Kerberos. Keith thought about that number often, while watching the stars in the clear sky of the desert. He wished this was a distance he could cover with his hoverbike. He knew Shiro was out there, possibly in danger. He refused to believe he was dead.

After being kicked out of the Garrison, his last chance to go to space seemed to have vanished. Sometimes he thought of stealing a spacecraft from the Garrison; he knew that even if he managed to pull it off, he wouldn’t go far alone.

5- Sunset / sunrises

Shiro was clutching his side, which was both burning and feeling numb, a strange sensation. He felt his consciousness slip away, and he knew he wouldn’t survive for long on that desert planet; not hurt like he was. He could only hope Keith would outlive him long enough for the rest of the team to rescue him. The young paladin was resourceful and resilient, so Shiro trusted him to survive. He would be a great leader, and Shiro’s only regret was to not being able to witness it.

It seemed like a fitting end, watching the sunset alone with Keith.

6- Monsters & Mana

“Thanks for saving me again”, said Jiro.

“Always”, answered Thunderstorm Darkness. “You have done the same for me.”

“Of course I did.” answered Jiro, softly. They shared a long hug.

“Pleaaase stop flirting with your characters.” complained Pidge.

“Wha… what? They’re not flirting!” protested Keith.

“They’re just friends.” added Shiro nervously. “They help each other.”

“Sure, like you and Keith are just friends, I guess” replied Pidge, the sarcasm in her voice thick enough to cut with a knife.

“Well, yeah.” replied Keith, tone deaf as always for that kind of things.

Hunk grunted. Coran let out a long sigh.

7- Drunk dialing / wrong number

“I missed you, Shiro. I’m glad to be back.” admitted Keith.

“Keith, please don’t use the Atlas’ general hailing frequency for personal communication.”

It was Veronica, not Shiro, on the screen. Despite her formal tone, he could see her grin. Behind her, Acxa was rolling her eyes, Curtis was blushing, and Iverson was looking purposefully away.

“Good to have you back, Keith” answered Shiro warmly, undisturbed by his crew.

Keith didn’t get it either. What he had said wasn’t that bad, after all.

“It’s not what you say, it’s the way you say it”, Hunk had once tried to explain.

8- Battle / fight

Seeing Keith getting beaten up during the first part of the trials had been hard enough. Shiro had ground his teeth and held back for Keith's sake. This was Keith's choice, and Shiro didn't want to stand in his way. It still felt like dying inside watching his friend get hurt.

Seeing Keith unconscious on the ground while Shiro's image was used against him had been too far. Now they were using Keith's trauma about his parents, and that was unacceptable. Even Red was furious. Shiro would fight the entire Blade of Marmora to get Keith out of their claws.

9-Pining / Mutual pining

“I think... I always loved him. From the beginning,“ admitted Keith, thoughtfully. “At the time, I didn't really understand it, but...” He trailed off.

“Maybe you should tell him?” suggested Romelle.

Keith let out a breathless laugh. “No. He doesn't see me like that.”

“Hu. Are you sure?” replied Romelle, dubiously.

---

“I know I shouldn't see him that way”, Shiro tried to explain to Matt. “To him, I'm some kind of big brother, he trusts me. If he knew what I feel for him, it would ruin our friendship.”

“Are you serious?!” growled Matt, slamming his beer on the bar.

10-Denial

“Sooo… how was your date?” Pidge's carefully casual tone was a trap.

Shiro realized he was still holding Keith's hand and swiftly let it go. “P...Pidge! It wasn't a date.”

“Yeeaaah, right. So what were you doing?” It was going to be difficult to get out of this discussion if Hunk paired up with Pidge. It didn't help that Keith was leaving all the defense to Shiro, arms crossed and expression sulky.

“We. Were looking for resources.”

“Did you find any?” Hunk retorted.

“Not really.”

“Maybe you'd find more in daylight.” insinuated Pidge. “But I'm sure the stars were pretty.”

11- Cooking

One night, at the Garrison, Keith noticed a burning smell in the air. He hurried down the corridor. Dark clouds of smoke were crowding under the ceiling, and Keith’s heart jumped in his throat.

He teared a fire extinguisher off the wall and sprinted in direction of the kitchen, where the smoke was coming from.

Inside, the smoke was so dense you could hardly see; his eyes were watering and he started to cough.

“I’m so sorry!” exclaimed Shiro as he opened a window. “I was trying to make mac-and-cheese”.  In the sink, a blackened plate was all that remained.

12- Confessions

Seeing Keith in his hospital bed was jarring. He was uncharacteristically quiet in his sleep. On his pale cheek, the scar stood out blatantly.

Keith suddenly became agitated. Shiro was starting to worry, but Keith opened his eyes, saw him, and calmed instantly.

“Shiro...”

“Keith… I’m sorry.”

Keith blinked, confused. “For what?”

Shiro hesitated. He brushed Keith’s scar. “For hurting you.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Keith frowned. “You remember what I told you?”

“That I was your brother.”

Keith scoffed. “That I love you. Not really...as a brother.”

“I love you too.” replied Shiro, before realizing what he was saying.

13- Astral Plane

Time didn’t really exist, on the astral plane. Shiro didn’t know how long he had been there. Both dead, and existing here, in this strange place. Sometimes, he felt himself dissolve in the lion’s consciousness, aside from when he was in contact with the team. When the team formed Voltron, or when they had called out to him, he felt more solid. He felt the most like he was existing when Keith was piloting Black, of course. He tried so many times to reach out to Keith.

When Keith finally joined him on the astral plane, Shiro felt alive again.

14- Soulmates

Black was the only one to know Shiro and Keith had held hands in the astral plane. The only one, because they had not realized it. And they had no idea of the implications, either. Of two souls touching, directly. Not in a fight, but out of love. The way Keith had so easily reached the astral plane through his connection with Shiro. The way Shiro had been able to materialize enough to put his hand on his shoulder. How they had held hands afterward. Black already knew they were soulmates. But how could they still be unaware of it?

15- Festivities

When the war ended, there were festivities for weeks all through the universe. Keith could understand this. But in big cities, it implied lots of excited people in the streets. Too bad that, for diplomatic reasons, they often ended up in big cities. And the team always wanted to enjoy the festivities once the formalities were over.

And now, he had lost Shiro. They were walking together, and suddenly, he wasn’t there anymore.

Shiro came back, holding two pastries. Keith let out a relieved sigh. “I hate crowds.” he grumbled.

“Should we go home?”

“No. It’s fine if you’re here.”

16- Overworked

“I thought that meeting would never end,” confessed Shiro.

Keith sighed. “Yeah. And I still have paperwork due tomorrow...”

“I know, me too...” Shiro checked Matt’s last message on his phone. “You know what? The team is chilling in the rec. room, we could join them and work there.”

“We won’t get any work done.”

“We could give it a try!”

“Fine”

–

“Told you we wouldn’t work!”

“Well, it’s late, but let’s try to get it done now!”

–

“Are… Are those the Captain of the Atlas and the Leader of Voltron cuddling on the couch?”

“Shhh. Don’t wake them up.”

17- Waking up together

When waking up, Shiro was startled to find arms around him; he was lost for a moment, before recognizing Keith. He remembered his nightmares, and how Keith had heard his panic from his  room -the Castle’s walls were not exactly soundproof. Keith had come and helped Shiro calm down. They must have fallen asleep together.

Keith was still sleeping, snoring softly. Shiro brushed his dark hair away from his forehead. Keith moved slightly, but didn’t wake up. Shiro smiled. He still marveled that, after all that happened, he had Keith at his side again, even so far away from home.

18- Folklore, myths & legends

Do you know the legend of Voltron?

Of course you do. The Robot that freed the Universe.

But, do you know about it’s pilots? No? Let me tell you of two of them, then. Let me tell the tale of the Black Paladins, who both piloted the Black Lion, head of Voltron. Let me tell you about their love, that was stronger than death itself. Let me tell you about how fate tried over and over to separate them, and how they always found each other again. Let me tell you how their love saved us. Gather around, and listen.

19- Fist dates / blind dates

It was the early hours of the morning, and most of the wedding guests had gone. Only their closest friends remained – the paladins, Matt, Romelle… They were watching the sunrise together, quietly sipping the fresh juices a waiter had brought them. Keith was a little hungover, but the headache didn’t matter: he was greeting the morning with his husband.

“What I always wondered was… when did you two start dating?” asked Lance.

“After the war” said Keith.

“No, we already dated on Clear Day, remember?” replied Shiro.

“That was a date?”

“I’m pretty sure you were dating before” stated Allura.

20- Shenanigans with Kosmo

Kosmo was was really good at guessing Keith’s moods. And he had his own ways of helping him out when his spirits were not so high. Frequently, it involved Shiro.

–

“Hi Keith!” said Shiro when a grumpy, half asleep Keith was teleported in the training room.

“Hi Keith!” said Shiro when an exhausted, sweaty Keith in training gear was teleported in the middle of a Garrison meeting.

“Hi Keith” said Shiro when a brooding Keith was teleported beside him on the couch.

“Goodnight, Keith”, whispered Shiro when a fast asleep Keith still in his uniform was teleported into their bed.

21- fix-it

“Be with the ones you love”, Shiro had advised. And Keith had panicked. He had hugged his mom, and had hidden in the desert. Well, if you can “hide” on top of a giant mechanical lion.

Shiro was busy with Garrison business, and Keith didn’t want to bother him. They still hadn’t  talked about what had happened at the clone facility, and he wasn’t sure if Shiro had understood what Keith really meant- or even if he remembered.

Keith’s heart jumped when he heard a hoverbike approaching.

“You’re here”, he whispered when Shiro joined him.

“Of course” answered Shiro softly.

22-seasonal

“What's that?”

“Takoyaki. Just try it.”

Shiro scoffed when Keith's eyes widened in surprise while tasting the food; he hastily went for more. It didn't help that he looked ridiculously cute in a yukata; Shiro was glad he had convinced him to wear one. “I knew you'd like this.”

They walked in silence for a moment.

“Did you… enjoy these summer festivals when you lived here?” wondered Keith.

“Yes, I loved them! My Granddad always took me. Good memories.” Keith nodded. Shiro continued. “Thank you for coming. It's good to make new memories with you.”

“Thank you for inviting me.”

23- canon alternate reality

When Sven opened his eyes, he recognized the space hospital. Slav was curled up, asleep on a nearby chair. In the other chair was…

“Sven!” exclaimed Akira. His desperate tone as well as the worried curve of his brow made guilt  tighten Sven’s throat. “I came as soon as I heard!”

“I’m sorry. I’m fine!” Sven exclaimed.

“No, you’re not! You’ve been shot!”

“I had to protect Lance!”

Akira blinked, and looked even more concerned. “Lance wasn’t with you.”

“Not this Lance.” He chuckled at Akira’s puzzled expression. “You wouldn’t believe what happened to us.”

“Well, you’d better tell me.”

24-Monsters

Waking up after a transformation was always painful and scary; even more so for Keith when he found himself lying on dry leaves in the forest rather than in the basement where he usually secured himself for the full moon. But Shiro being there too… that had to be the worst ever.

Despite the horror of Shiro knowing the truth about him, Keith’s first reflex was to hide as much as he could in the cover he was rolled in -before realizing that Shiro had to be the one who wrapped his naked body in it in the first place.

25-Rockband AU

The group had been less than enthusiastic about taking Keith in as a second guitarist, but Shiro was convinced of Keith’s talent, and he had been right. The young punk was a diamond in the raw, and since he joined the group, their popularity was off the charts.