Author's Notes: Keith is 14 in the flashbacks while Shiro is 21. In the present time Keith is 21 and Shiro is 25-26. Keith's time jump is a thing of wonder. This is being written for Sheith Month 2018i (located on Tumblr) but I'm not sure how many of the prompts I'm going to tackle for this story just yet. This chapter encapsulates the prompts "trust" and "dynamics" in one go! Let me know what you guys think. ^^

Keith meandered to the back of the Black Lion where Shiro was still sleeping in the pod. He'd set the lion to autopilot and had needed a break. Krolia had said she would keep an eye on things in case he needed to come back. He may love piloting but Keith had learned that you really could have too much of a good thing.

They'd been traveling together like this for a week now. It had been, in Keith's estimation, an incredibly long week and by the looks of things it was only going to get longer. Ever since Shiro had collapsed in his arms he'd wanted a moment to talk to him privately. The universe was against that, apparently, since he'd been sleeping and 'spiritually healing' according to Coran all this time.

Keith was forced to admit that if anyone needed spiritual healing it was probably the man whose soul had been locked away in a living machine for far too long. Keith had seen the astral plane that Shiro had been forced to reside on and, while it had been beautiful in its way, it had been utterly terrifying.

"You need to get up." Keith could admit he'd never been the most patient of people but he'd calmed down significantly in the two years he'd spent with Krolia. Despite that, he was right back to feeling as impatient as ever. He just wanted to talk to Shiro again like the old days but Shiro had barely stirred since they'd started back toward Earth.

He found himself glaring irrationally at the pod, as though it were to blame for Shiro's predicament as opposed to Zarkon or Haggar or any number of other factors. Admitting defeat, Keith sat in front of the pod and rested his back against it, a silent guardian, and considered everything that had led up to where they were now.

"How about I tell you about my first day at the Garrison? I know, you were there, but it's been so long and, I don't know…" Keith needed something to distract himself with. Even though he'd be listening to the sound of his own voice it was still better than the silence that had engulfed them. He could have talked to Krolia but it didn't answer the craving he felt for Shiro's voice.

"You left an impression though. Unsurprisingly. Anyway…"

It was a regular day in appearance. The skies were blue outside, the temperature warm, and yet everything was ever so slightly off.

Keith suspected the something was him.

He fiddled with the cuff of his uniform's sleeves and looked around the bustling hallway from where he sat in the receptionist's office once more as though that would make his new "mentor" appear.

He'd met him only a few days ago but it felt like a lifetime. His name was Shirogane if Keith remembered correctly but he preferred Shiro. He'd emphasized that a few times during their conversation outside his high school. Previous high school, he mentally corrected. Somehow, in the span of an hour or two, Shiro had convinced him that the Garrison was the place he belonged. That he had a chance to be something there. He hadn't phrased it quite like that but that was how Keith had interpreted the longwinded speech.

What Keith couldn't figure out was how it had worked. It was like he'd cast a spell on him and Keith had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.

He let out a sigh and only barely restrained himself from pacing. The receptionist he was sitting in front of was steadfastly ignoring him now that they had filed his paperwork and sorted out that Shiro was supposed to pick him up for a tour. She was a severe looking woman and Keith already knew she wasn't going to let any disobedience fly. He'd only been waiting for ten minutes but already he was beginning to think this had been a mistake. Shiro had probably forgotten all about him.

Just as he was about to stand up and take his leave (he had enough fare for a bus back to the foster home) the office door burst open.

"Sorry I'm late," Shiro huffed. Keith blinked. He looked exhausted with subtle rings under his eyes and he had a terrible pallor. He was nothing at all like the bright, energetic man from before.

"You gave me quite a scare at that point, you know," Keith voiced to the silent room. "I really thought something terrible had happened to you. Who would be so enthusiastic one day and dead on their feet the next? Of course, at that point I didn't know that was simply the kind of person you are—you're always working too hard…."

"Shiro," the receptionist acknowledged. "This is Keith. I believe he's here because of you." She gave Shiro a meaningful look. Shiro didn't seem to notice but Keith did. He wondered what it was supposed to imply.

"Yes, sorry for the wait. Keith, let's get going." He held an arm out and Keith hastily got out of his seat and picked up his luggage. He didn't have much, just enough to fill a single suitcase. Shiro lightly touched his shoulder and guided him out the door. It was unnecessary, Keith wasn't confused about where he was going, but it was nice. Shiro seemed like the kind of person who would do a lot of unnecessary things in an effort to be nice. Keith wasn't sure how he felt about that. He didn't have any frame of reference.

Once they were in the hallway Shiro briefly double checked his watch. He frowned slightly but then shook his head and offered another smile at Keith.

"Everything all right?" Keith finally asked.

"Just overslept. But it's nothing I want you to worry about; we've got a full day ahead of us, Keith! I'm so glad you decided to join."

"Yeah, um, thanks for the invitation," Keith said awkwardly. Was it really all right for Shiro to be doing anything right now? He looked like he would drop at any moment to Keith.

"Of course," Shiro replied distantly. "Well, I think the first thing we want to do is show you your quarters and get your things put away. That will be over this way."

"All right."

"Also, one thing you'll need to adjust to is how to address a superior officer," Shiro said suddenly as they were walking down the hallway. He mentioned it absentmindedly as though it wasn't the kind of thing that could get Keith into serious trouble but Keith had a sneaking suspicion that was far from the truth.

"Oh, um, how would I…?" Keith was feeling decidedly out of his element. Chains of command had never really been his thing. Why had he agreed to this again?

"You're a cadet, so you'll want to refer to senior officers as 'sir.' We'll go over correct posture and the rest later on. If they're the same rank as you, you can usually get away with being a little more familiar." Shiro's breathing was slightly off but he kept moving at a brisk pace, leaving Keith to wonder if he was imagining the whole thing.

"Ri—Yes, sir," Keith amended.

Shiro gave him a small smile. "There you go. You'll get the hang of it in no time. Trust me, it feels too formal at first but you adjust as you go on."

Keith hoped that was true because right now it felt downright weird.

"Of course, when we're on off hours or it's just the two of us I won't enforce it. I really would prefer you just call me Shiro."

"I still can't believe you spent all that time saying 'call me Shiro' just to turn things around and say 'actually, you're going to want to be a little more formal.'" Keith chuckled softly, the sound echoing slightly around him.

"I know you were just trying to do your job but even now I have a hard time replying to you in any way outside of 'yes, sir' when you give actual orders. Even the other paladins don't do that…." Keith didn't show that kind of respect to anyone else. Sure, he'd made attempts at the Garrison and had managed to get by but the only person he'd wholeheartedly meant it toward had been Shiro himself.

"And here we are," Shiro announced. The hallways were clean and sterile and the door in front of them said "A-30." Shiro covered a cough behind a closed fist while he slid the keycard in with the other. The door slid open and Keith took a tentative step inside.

The quarters were small and contained a bunk bed, dresser, and other basic necessities. It was very tidy.

"We call these the barracks. It's where all cadets reside while they stay at the Garrison," Shiro explained.

"Will I have a roommate?" Keith asked. He didn't particularly like the idea. Shiro seemed to notice the distaste in his voice and chuckled softly.

"Yes, at some point. Currently no one has been assigned to you but you should expect to have one sooner rather than later. What do you think outside of that?"

Outside of that Keith had to admit that this was one of the better setups he'd ever had. He didn't say it to Shiro but only having one roommate, while distasteful, was a vast improvement over how many he'd had at the home.

"I like it," Keith replied softly. "It's … nice." Nice the way Shiro was and about as tidy in appearance, too.

"Excellent. Let's get your things put away. Do you need any help?"

Keith didn't but he found he was reluctant to give Shiro an excuse to leave. He probably wasn't going to, he still had to show Keith around the rest of the Garrison after all, but the thought that he might was suddenly, inexplicably unacceptable. Maybe it was just now dawning on him that he was in a completely foreign environment and that the expectations here were radically different from his previous high school but he found he didn't want to be alone. So far Shiro had been decent company. A little distant at the moment and obviously ill but even so he was more even tempered than most people Keith had known in the past. Maybe it was selfish of him; Shiro was obviously under the weather. He hid it well; if Keith hadn't been familiar with what he normally looked like he probably wouldn't have picked up on it at all but allowing him to show him around the base was surely unkind. And yet…

"I guess I could use a little help," Keith finally said.

Shiro ended up hanging up Keith's shirts in the closet while Keith managed the rest of his clothing and possessions. They did this in silence and Keith tried to resist looking over at Shiro every couple of seconds. He noted that Shiro made sure to smooth out each shirt on the hangar though. Keith barely resisted rolling his eyes. Apparently Shiro liked everything to be just so. He wondered if it was the military training or if he was just like that regardless.

"You won't get much opportunity to wear these," Shiro said suddenly. Keith looked up in consternation. "You'll be in uniform for the entirety of your time here. You'll only get to wear civvies when you're allowed off base."

"A uniform like yours?" Keith supposed that wouldn't be so bad. It was a solid gray color and matched Shiro's eyes nicely. Keith's nose scrunched up. Where had that thought come from?

"No, the cadet's uniform is orange." Because of course it was. Keith just nodded.

After that Shiro explained that there was a communal bathroom down the hall and a cafeteria as well. They took a look at both briefly on their way onwards. Keith wondered why the hallways all felt so claustrophobic.

"Are you sure you're okay to continue giving me a tour?" Keith finally said after Shiro had a severe coughing spree outside the gym. Keith could only let himself be so selfish. "You seem like you need to be in bed."

"You're not wrong," Shiro admitted. "But I want to make sure I do this right. You're the first person I've actually convinced to join, you know? I don't want to leave you hanging. We've just got to cover your class schedule and then I'll rest. Promise."

"You better," Keith muttered irritably, arms crossed. Shiro ruffled his hair with a laugh. The gesture was so unexpected and so randomly affectionate that Keith found himself frozen in place. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had done that or whether anyone ever had. But Shiro was already walking down the hallway, pointing toward a classroom that Keith assumed would be one he'd be attending, that he didn't have any time to analyze the strange thump of his heart.

They stopped their tour at the computer lab. It was a well equipped room though Keith privately admitted to himself he was far more interested in the flight simulator they had taken a look at moments before. Shiro had worn a knowing look as Keith had investigated that particular space top to bottom. Still, it was nice to hear Shiro talk about everything with such gusto even if he did sound incredibly tired.

"I think that should cover most everything for now. You're going to do great, I'm sure of it. And before you ask, yes, I'm going to bed now." Shiro laughed quietly but it did little to improve the wan nature of his skin. "Do you think you can make it back to your quarters?" he added as an afterthought.

"I'll walk you there," Keith said suddenly. Shiro blinked down at him in surprise, clearly unsure what to say to that.

Keith felt his face flush and he crossed his arms defensively. "To your quarters, that is. I'll be able to get back to my own just fine; I'm pretty good with directions and it's only fair that I make sure you get back all right after everything you did for me." The amount of kindness Shiro had shown him was frankly astonishing. But then a thought occurred to Keith. "Wait, do you even live on base?"

"Yes," Shiro replied slowly. "I was given the option to live off base but it wasn't for me—didn't want to bother with the commute. Anyway, I guess it should be fine if you'd like to." Shiro was clearly a little dubious but he also didn't seem to have the willpower to argue with the odd cadet under his care when he would have certainly preferred to sleep for the last hour and a half. "Come on, my quarters are on the other end of the building. Are you sure you'll be able to remember how to get back?"

"Yes," Keith bit out.

Shiro shrugged and they walked together down the long, silent hallways of the Garrison. It was later in the day now and it seemed that everyone had returned to their rooms. Shiro hadn't been kidding when he'd said his quarters were on the other side of the Garrison. Apparently senior officers had their own section entirely and it was far away from cadets. Keith couldn't blame them; some of the cadets he'd seen in passing had clearly been overzealous not to mention loud.

"Is this it?" Keith asked when Shiro stopped in front of one of the doors and fumbled for a keycard in his pockets.

"Yep, this is me."

Shiro's quarters weren't that different from Keith's as it turned out. They were sparse, utilitarian, and the only real difference was that there wasn't a bunk bed in sight. Keith supposed guaranteed privacy was already considered a privilege.

"I'll get you some water," Keith decided. Shiro gave him a strange look but nodded before collapsing on the small couch in the corner and loosened his collar.

Another difference between their rooms was that there was a very small kitchen and bathroom in Shiro's. Keith wondered if Shiro ever bothered to cook. Keith awkwardly filled a cup with tap water from the sink in the kitchen and wondered what he was doing. Shiro was a great guy but he barely knew him. He definitely didn't know him well enough to be inserting himself in his life the way he was right now.

And yet he couldn't convince himself to just go back. Maybe he was lonelier than he thought but having someone vouch for him like that and take the time to see it through was so wildly different from what he was used to that he had to make sure he returned it in kind somehow.

When Keith turned around with cup in hand it was to the sight of Shiro already asleep.

He looked for a place to set the cup in case Shiro woke up later on and then dragged a blanket off the bed and wrapped it around him. Shiro stirred only slightly, deep in slumber. Keith gave a little sigh and left to the silence of his own room.

"And then the next day you apologized and made sure I actually had gotten back like I said I would." Keith smiled to himself. "You were always like that though, reluctant to accept help but always offering it no matter what the situation was. I really don't think I'd be who I am now without you."

Keith was grateful every day that Shiro had taken him under his wing and given him a chance with the Garrison. But more importantly Shiro had given him a chance with him on that day. Keith hadn't realized how presumptuous he'd been until much later. All but demanding to walk a senior officer back to his quarters as though he couldn't do it himself? Yeah, Keith sometimes wondered how Shiro had put up with his fourteen-year-old self. He'd been awkward, rebellious, and utterly unsure of himself. But Shiro had always given him the benefit of the doubt and had always been willing to take the time to talk to him.

Keith wondered if Shiro had needed someone in his corner as much as Keith had. Despite being a star in the Garrison, Shiro had always seemed a little … lonely. As much as Shiro supported him, Keith had ended up taking care of him as well. It was little things back then such as reminding him not to push himself so hard or that sleep was, in fact, something all humans needed.

Taking care of Shiro had gotten a lot harder than simply wrapping him up in a blanket and getting him a glass of water though.

A sigh slipped out from his lips before he could stop himself. He stared upwards and let the silence surround them. Piloting the Black Lion had been harder lately. Keith wondered if it was because Shiro's essence was no longer part of it. Would Keith be able to pilot it at all after Shiro woke up? Would the Black Lion choose Shiro once more? Privately, Keith hoped it would. Shiro had been born to lead and Keith … if Keith had to choose between leadership and Shiro the choice was clear. Even so, the bone-deep exhaustion that refused to leave was proving to be difficult.

"I wish you'd wake up. I miss you; have missed you for two years now. I don't want to lose you again…."

Shiro offered nothing in reply. Of course he isn't, Keith lectured himself. Shiro had just gotten over being dead. Keith needed to be patient.

Patience yields focus.

"I know, I know." Shiro hadn't said anything but he may as well have. Keith knew for a fact it's what he would have said right about now anyway.

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing all right." He stood back up and studied the pod once more. "It just doesn't feel like you're back yet and … soon. We'll talk more soon. I've got all sorts of stories for you when you do." Keith straightened his shoulders and headed back toward the cockpit. He could be stronger a little while longer for Shiro's sake. He'd done it for years now. A few more weeks would be nothing.