Keith and Shiro were known throughout the Garrison as the faithful dog and kind owner. You would almost never see one without the other, whether they were walking down the halls, having a meal, or even heading to the showers. They have been inseparable since the day the younger cadet stepped foot in the school's premises. In fact, Shiro had been the first person to welcome him, and is arguably the only person Keith converses with on his own volition.
An argument between the two of them was like a war between gods— a hurricane of destruction that leaves nothing but devastation in its wake, quite literally. When they fought, one refused to say a word to anyone and the other lashed out at anyone unlucky enough to have crossed paths with him. It was something that happened once in a blue moon— an occurrence so rare that the people around them went into panic whenever it happened. Code red, they liked to call it. Luckily, they learned how to channel their emotions in a healthier manner.
In Keith's second year at the Garrison, he'd met Hunk Garrett, a second year who specialized in engineering. He had snuck into the gym one night, hoping to vent out some of his frustration on the sandbags, and insead found Hunk in the locker room, snacking on food that he had probably snuck in. As soon as he had noticed Keith, his face went blue and his body froze up, mid-bite. Keith had raised a brow at him, but shrugged it off and went to get ready. This happened often enough that it had become somewhat of a routine for them to hang out in the gym, Hunk eating food he'd snuck in and Keith working out to destress.
"I don't get why you're so mad at them, dude," Hunk said, taking a large bite out of a burger.
At some point, they'd begun talking, their relationship starting to resemble something like a friendship. They never spoke outside the gym though, mostly because they would never cross paths. They specialized in different areas, after all.
"They're leaving me, Hunk," Keith replied, throwing a rough hit at the target in front of him. The sound of the impact echoed around the room, unintendedly reassuring them that they were the only ones in the gym. "They said that we would go to space together."
"Okay, but isn't this like, their dream?" Keith nodded. "Then you should be happy for them, man. It's amazing that they were chosen to be a part of the Kerberos mission, especially at such a young age."
"I know that," Keith started, "But I can't stand the thought of them going and leaving me alone here." He was breathing heavily, trying to cool himself down after his intense workout with the punching bag. He used a towelette to wipe the sweat from his face, leaving it to hang around his neck as he took a swig from his water bottle.
"I know it's hard, Keith, but you're just gunna have to deal with it. It's not like— "
"No, you don't understand," he cut him off, his head snapping in Hunk's direction. "This person has been with me for the past seven years. They picked me up and helped me get back on my feet when I needed it the most. They're the whole reason I joined the Garrison! If they leave, I'm going to be alone again. I don't…" he faltered, taking a shaky breath, "I don't think I can handle being on my own again."
"As I was saying," Hunk huffed, "They're not going to be gone for forever. It's only for a few years, probably three at most, and it's not like you're going to be completely alone." He flashed a warm smile, "You're welcome to join me and my friends any time, man. They'd be happy to hang out with you."
"What if something goes wrong?" Keith rasped out, as if he didn't hear what his companion had said. "What if a thruster get damaged, and they get stranded in space? What if a meteor crashes into the ship? What if the ship explodes before they even launch?" Keith rambled, enumerating a list of things that could go wrong. "What if Kerberos isn't what we thought it was? What if they get abducted by aliens? What if—" he stopped himself, unsure of whether he could voice his biggest fear out loud, "What if they die out there?"
His voice was rough and uneven, his pitch noticeably higher by the end of it. He was fighting the urge to cry, Hunk noted. He watched as Keith swallowed hard, and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. Despite having known Keith for only a short period of time, Hunk could tell that the fighter pilot disliked displaying his emotions. Seeing Keith this emotional was new to him, but fortunately, comforting someone was not.
He rose to his feet, having finished his food a while back, and made his way to where Keith had settled down on one of the benches. The seat creaked under his weight, but neither of them paid mind to it.
"Keith, my buddy, you're worrying too much," Hunk sighed, "First of all, I'm pretty sure they're running more than a thousand tests on the ship, especially since it's a pretty big mission. That ship should be like, 200% complete and absolutely perfect by the time they're set to launch." He recalled the special lecture they had received about the ship's design and making. "Second of all, the crew was hand picked by the Garrison, so I'm pretty the whole crew consists of only the best in this facility. They should know how to survive out there, if anything does go wrong. They'll be fine, dude."
Keith knew that Hunk was right, but he couldn't stop himself from feeling the way he was. He was both sad and angry that Shiro would be gone for the next two years, gone on a space adventure to one of Pluto's moons. He was scared that he was going to be left alone, like he was after his father had died; he was out right terrified of all the things that could go wrong on this mission; and more than anything, he was disappointed in himself for not being able to be happy for Shiro.
He knew that Shiro loved space— he knew that better than anyone. He'd known it since the day they met in the graveyard, and it was something that he himself loved about Shiro. They would often lay on the roof of his dad's house, gazing up at the stars as Shiro pointed out constellations and told him the history of each one. Sometimes, he would even narrate his own fantasies— stories of getting into a space exploration program, and taking part in a research that would change everything they knew about space. He dreamed of becoming the world's best pilot, and landing a ship on a planet far, far away. He wanted to engrave his name in history, together with the discoveries he would help make.
Being chosen for the Kerberos mission was a step closer to achieving that dream. Keith wished he could be happy for Shiro, but he couldn't bring himself to lie about his feelings. He never could.
"You know, Hunk," Keith sighed, "I think I'm just upset that I won't be by his side when he finally gets to achieves his dreams."
Keith felt the bench shake as his companion laughed, "Man, you really love this guy."
"What? No!" Keith snapped, feeling his cheeks grow hot, "I do not love him that way. Shiro's like a brother to me." His cheeks grew hotter when he realized what he'd said.
Keith had never told Hunk about Shiro. Whenever they talked, he would always make sure not to expose Shiro's identity, using gender-neutral pronouns and never bringing up his name. Hunk seemed to find his slip-up amusing, and he laughed even harder.
"Forget what I said," Keith grumbled, bringing a hand up to rub his heated face.
"It's cool, dude," Hunk breathed out once his laughter subsided, "I knew you were talking about Shiro."
"You knew?!" Keith exclaimed, eyes wide in surprise.
"It's not that hard to figure out who you're always talking about," he shrugged, "Don't you know you two are kind of famous all over campus?"
Keith was speechless. Any word he tried to spit out lodged in his throat, and he could only stare at the bigger man incredulously. He wasn't aware of that, nor the fact that Hunk knew he was talking about Shiro the entire time. He wondered if Hunk knew he was talking about Shiro all those other times, too. The possibility that he did made Keith flush in embarrassment.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your crush," Hunk teased, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"It's not a crush, Hunk," Keith hissed, "He's like an older brother I never had."
Hunk looked at him, unimpressed.
"What?" he barked, uncomfortable with the whole situation.
"Dude, I'm pretty sure most people don't treat their 'older brother'— " he replied, using his fingers to make air quotes, "— the way you treat Shiro."
He received a blank stare, signaling he didn't get what he means.
Sighing, Hunk added, "You sound like a teenage girl about to get separated from the love of her life forever."
Keith gave him a look that screamed wtf. "Where did you even get that idea?" he asked, sounding as if he was still trying to wrap his head around the words being sprung at him.
Hunk snorted, "Look man, it's clear that Shiro is more than just a brother to you. You should sort out your feelings and talk to him."
Keith opened his mouth to respond, but before he could even utter a word, Hunk stood up with a light huff. He yawned, putting a hand over his mouth to hide it has he stretched.
"Also, it's getting kinda late. We should probably sneak back into our rooms before it's time for the guards to do their rounds in this area."
"Y-yeah," Keith stuttered, having lost the will to say anything else on the matter, "You're right."
Without further conversation, the two cleaned up and made sure there wasn't any evidence of their rule-breaking left before slipping out and heading to their respective quarters.
That night, as Keith laid in bed, he recalled what Hunk had said. It was embarrassing to admit, but he knew that Hunk always spoke the truth, especially when it came to relationships. He understood people than Keith did, after all. He truly wanted to be happy for Shiro, and give him all the support he needed. If he thought that Keith needed to rethink his own feelings in order for him to make up with Shiro, then he would gladly do so. He just didn't expect it to be this hard.
He closed his eyes tried to put himself in Shiro's position. He imagined he was someone who loved the stars dearly— someone who talked to the moon every night, and yearned to be in space with them. If an opportunity to be out there with them appeared in front of him, he would take it without hesitation. Nothing would be able to stop him from getting on that ship except… Except what?
His eyes snapped open as his train of thoughts came to a halt. He attempted to imagine his place in Shiro's life, only to come up blank. Just what was he to Shiro? He had no idea. He'd always thought of Shiro as his older brother, so he tried to place himself as Shiro's younger brother
Placing himself back in Shiro's shoes, he tried to imagine himself as the little brother. It was hard paint a picture of them as brothers in his head, partly because Keith knew a little brother wouldn't be able to stop him from going, and mostly because it just felt wrong. He didn't want to be Shiro's little brother. That position didn't have nearly as much of an impact on Shiro's life as he wanted. He wanted to be something more. He wanted—
He shot up, face hot as he realized where his thoughts were heading. It was one thing for someone to say that you're in love with someone who you thought of as your older brother, and it was another to realize that you are, indeed, in love with said person. Realizing that he wanted to be Shiro's lover was like getting slapped in the face— with a brick. It threw him off course, and made him recall the moments he spent with him, the blush on his cheeks slowly creeping up to his neck and ears.
Keith's mind gradually filled itself with thoughts of Shiro. Everything else flew out the window, including the fact that he was angry that Shiro was leaving for Kerberos. He sat there in a daze until the distinct ding of a phone notification brought him out of it. Glancing at his nightstand, where he'd set his phone down earlier, he saw that someone had texted him.
Once he had the phone in his hands, he looked to see that it was Shiro, the man who was apparently the object of his affection, who had texted him. He flushed, thinking about his recent realization. He was tempted not to read it out of embarrassment, but forced himself to read it. He told himself he needed to act as he normally would. His heart dropped upon seeing the words it contained.
I'm sorry. Let's talk about this tomorrow. I don't want to fight.
Keith kicked himself for forgetting that he was in the middle of an argument with Shiro. As much as it pained him to admit, he knew that he was at fault, and he felt guilty that Shiro was the one who had apologized first. He didn't have anything to apologize for. Keith shouldn't have gotten angry at him for pursuing his dreams. He shouldn't have been so selfish.
I'm the one who should be sorry. I'll wait for you outside your room tomorrow morning.
He sighed, deciding to explain why he was upset when they talked the following day.
He set his phone back on his nightstand and laid back down. He closed his eyes, putting himself in Shiro's position once more. A man who loved the stars, a man who had the opportunity to finally be with them, and a man who, hopefully, loved Keith. He recalled the way he'd reacted to the news of Shiro being a part of the Kerberos mission, and regretted it. If Shiro were to come between him and his dreams the way he'd done earlier, he would definitely be hurt. His chest felt heavy with guilt and regret as he imagined how much he must have hurt Shiro that day.
As his eyes grew heavy with tiredness, he promised himself that he would definitely support Shiro going after his dreams, even if he wasn't going to be there to experience it with him.
Author's Note
I didn't really see sheith as a romantic couple until recently. I got into romantic Sheith when one of my favourite artists, lightningstrikes-art (tumblr), started streaming. She makes so many cute and good sheith works, and the people who were watching the stream were super nice, too! My heart somehow got dragged into liking sheith as a couple as well hehe
So this was meant to be short and cute, but as I was writing, it somehow transformed into this! I was so surprised that I wrote this in literally two days, too! Unlike the other works I posted, this one is my most recent. I finished writing it about two weeks ago hehe
I hope you liked it!