Voltron: Let Hands Be My Voice
Chapter one
A conversation was being held. Darks eyes scanned the ones involved. No sound reaching his ears, despite the motion of lips among his comrades. Looking from one person to another as their discussion commenced...
"Keith, this is not good." Allura remarked openly. Her eyes bore into his.
"Believe me, I know." The Red Paladin answered, his gaze wandering to the silent Black Paladin.
"It should come back to him, but until it does we've got a big problem on our hands." The Green Paladin piped up.
"And besides how can we function like this?" Hunk's voice had uncertainty painted all over it, like an old painting of unknown origin or value.
"We'll just have to make do." Keith told them.
"And how do you suggest we do that?" Lance questioned, getting in his face. The two often butted heads so that was one thing Shiro could understand, even without his hearing. Seeing their faces heat up, he quickly stood, and put a hand on both their shoulders and drew them away from one another. The two stared but Shiro's actions spoke louder then his words would have.
"I know, you're right Shiro. We need to focus." Keith sighed. The Black Paladin blinked, he wasn't known for reading lips. And discovered he wasn't good at it, turns out.
"And that's another problem." Pidge pressed, frustration building. "We can't even communicate with him!" She extended her hand to Shiro. "He clearly can't understand us." Shiro held his blank stare, further proving her point.
"I know." Keith began, becoming irritated, but was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. Keith turned to face Shiro squarely. The Black Paladin put his hands, palms up, in front of him a shrugging motion. Pidge caught on to what Shiro was trying to tell them. She stepped forward and when Shiro looked down at her. She pointed her ears and then at him. She, then, shrugged and shook her head. Shiro have a nod, showing his understanding of this. Then Pidge went on to other strange motions trying to explain the situation. At that moment Lance, Hunk, Allura, and Coran had all began their own way of interpreting there situation to the Black Paladin. He looked around at them, knowing they were trying to tell him something. He shook his head, signifying his inability to understand them. But everyone continued to mime their explanation, and Pidge dropped her arms to her sides.
"Now what do we do?" She groaned. Sitting down and placing her chin in her hands. Keith, who had been lost in his thoughts, suddenly perked up.
"Guys, quiet!" He ordered firmly. Everyone stopped and Lance and Hunk were froze awkwardly. Then turning to Shiro, Keith began motioning with his fingers and hands. Shaping his hands, fully visible to his silent friend. After a couple minutes he finished. And, to their surprise, Shiro nodded and motioning something short back to him. When Keith turned toward the team, their flabbergasted faces met him.
"What?" The confused Paladin asked, eyebrows raised.
"How did you do that?" Lance breathed.
"Was that sign language?!" Pidge half screamed.
"Yeah,... it was." Keith responded answering her.
"I didn't know Shiro knew sign language." Hunk remarked.
"I'm sorry, what?" Allura and Coran we're both lost. The Princess's question ringing true by their expressions.
"Shiro had an uncle that was deaf, and to talk to him his parents taught him sign language. I learned from him when we hung out all the time on Earth." Keith explained.
"What does that mean?" Allura asked, still lost in translation.
"So sign language is a tool we use back on Earth to talk to people who are deaf. You know, people who can't hear, sometimes you are born with it or become deaf because of an injury or disease. Or an accident, like in Shiro's case." The Green Paladin explained to the two Alteans, pointing over at Shiro again.
"Ohh." And they nodded showing their enlightenment of this explanation. Shiro gestured something to the group again.
"Uhh...what did he say?" Lance asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He said, 'now that we all understand the situation, where do we go from here?'" Keith interpreted. Shiro have a slight nod, confirming this.
"Well..." Pidge began slowly. "I guess we keep going and hope that Shiro's hearing comes back." Keith signed this to Shiro. Shiro responded with more signing.
"Sounds like a plan." Keith relayed the Black Paladin's response.
"But some things have to change." Lance pointed out. "We'll need someone to stay with Shiro all the time, and since Keith is only one of us who can talk to him." He gestured to Keith. Shiro signed at Keith.
"He's just talking about keeping you safe." Keith told him, signing as he spoke. Shiro replied. "No it's not you, it's us." Keith told him.
"Is there a problem?" Allura asked.
"No," Keith replied quickly. "He was just wondering what was going on. What we were talking about."
"Well don't worry, Shiro." Pidge stepped forward. "Keith will keep you in the loop as best he can." After reading Keith's signs, he turned back to Pidge smiling, and motioning one thing.
"I know what that means." Pidge smiled returning a single motion.
"Hey, I thought you didn't know sign language." Lance questioned narrowing his eyes, gazed down his nose at her.
"I don't." Pidge shrugged, pushing Lance away. "I only know a few things. Like 'thank you' and 'you're welcome.' Stuff like that... Small things." Shiro laid a hand on Keith's shoulder and turned him to face him, then motioned something.
"No Shiro." Keith signed as he spoke. "She was just telling me what signs she knows."
"So, how long have you known sign language?" Hunk asked. Keith passed the message to Shiro, who began his story.
"I was taught sign language ever since I was old enough to read." Keith interpreted. "I had to, to be able to talk to my uncle. We told each other stories and jokes. And I told him about my love of space, and my dream to one day go to the Garrison."
"So you're practically an expert." Lance implied. Shiro nodded.
"I learned from my mom and my grandma." Keith read Shiro's fingers as he finished his explanation.
"Well it's getting late. We should get to bed." Allura sighed finally. Keith repeated this to Shiro. Shiro nodded, his fingers taking on different shapes in his response.
"Uhh...what's that now?" Hunk cocked is head to the right slightly and raising the corresponding eyebrow.
"He said 'Allura's right, getting a good night sleep will help us think more clearly tomorrow." Keith told him. "Especially with Zarkon after us."
"Right!" Hunk winked and gave him a thumbs up. And with that the team scattered to their rooms, anxiously awaiting what the next day will bring.
Shiro thrust the Black lion forward, faster and faster plunging toward seemingly nothing. His eyes fixed forward, anger burning deep within his chest. The sound of his own breath, serenading the pounding of his heart. The lion's thrusters blazed, as enemy shots rained down on them. He jerked the handles back and the lion shot up at them. The lasers took them out and Black emerged from the wreckage. Only to hear the other Paladins screaming and calling to him, as two large round objects launched from the beast several yards away from him. They rocketed toward them from either side of him. Shiro, then, thrust the lion forward pulling it around in a vertical circle in avoidance of these devices. But when they collided, it gave birth to an explosion that created sound waves so loud you couldn't hear them, but rather, fell an intense pressure that felt like your eardrums would explode!...
Shiro's eyes shot open as he instinctively thrust himself upright. If he had screamed he wouldn't have known, and he felt his heart pounding rather than heard it. He peered around the darkness, and realized what had happened. Releasing a sigh he laid back down again, but after a while he got this feeling he should go check on something. Unsure of what it was, he still slid out of bed, dressed and headed toward the bridge. To his surprise someone was already there.
"Keith, What are you doing here?" Shiro signed when the Red Paladin looked up.
"Nothing." Keith signed back. "I could say the same about you." His face showing a little concern. "Are you ok?"
"I don't know." Shiro motioned, his expression a little troubled. "I just couldn't sleep for some reason."
"I wouldn't be surprised." Keith gestured sympathetically. "That blast took your hearing. And you rely upon it quite a bit."
"Yeah, But I feel There's more to it." Shiro signed with a sigh. "Like there's something more going on here. And where they got such weapons? It's hard to believe how fast the Galra evolve over time."
"I know what you mean." Keith's eyes dropping to the floor. "The Galra have skills that we, on Earth, could have only dreamed of." He paused before adding. "That's, strangely, one thing I admire about them. Except for what they do with it."
"Do you think that we're not capable of discovering this stuff for ourselves?" Shiro signed, his gaze meeting Keith's.
"I guess we would..." Keith responded, his eyes glazed in uncertainty. "Eventually,... probably when it's too late."
"And why would you think that?" Shiro's eyebrows furrowing tenderly at him.
"Because that's how we know so much now." Keith signed, his fingers showing his increasing agitation. "You of all people should understand that. You AND Sam... and even Matt. Just by being around the Galra the three of you have learned things from them."
"That may be true." Shiro confirmed, coming forward. "But Sam is the smartest man I know, and there are many intelligent people like him, back on Earth. I'm sure that we'd eventually figure it out. And besides, we don't need to worry about what could have happened and focus on what is."
"But how to we do that? What if you've lost your hearing forever?" Keith questioned, his eyes revealing the fear he felt, betraying his usual stoick expression. His then calmly added: "what if you've become your uncle?"
"Keith, we can work through this." Shiro kept his normal calm demeanor. "We just need to-"
"What?! Just what?!" Keith cut him off. Though they were not using words, it still felt like a real argument.
"We can't let our emotions get the better of us." Shiro signed. "We have to stay focused on stopping Zarkon. I don't know how we're going to do it but we'll find a way. I know we will." Keith stared at him, his tense face softening, yet, still showing his uncertainty.
"Ok." His hands jerked when he signed this, displaying his frustration.
"We're almost there." Pidge reported, from her chair. Shiro stood behind her watching what she was doing. Keith was across the room, but within sight of the Black Paladin. Shiro then, seeing something, leaned over and pointed at it.
"It's just an anomaly. Nothing important." Pidge told him. Shiro gazed over at Keith, who repeated Pidge's statement. Shiro signed something and Keith came closer.
"He said, 'but doesn't that look a little suspicious with all the other algorithms presently be emitted here?'" Keith told her. The Green Paladin took another look.
"It's another radio frequency." Pidge reported, a hint of surprise in her tone.
"And what's so surprising about that?" Lance crossed his arms.
"Yeah, I thought they were all algorithms?" Hunk emphasized.
"Because, this frequency isn't like the others." Pidge told them flatly, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "It's unique pulsations are an indication of a distress signal. I just need to adjust some things to figure out where it's coming from." Shiro gestured something her.
"Nice work, Pidge." Keith interpreted. Suddenly an alarm went off and everyone turned. Shiro tentatively followed their gaze, given his situation.
"Oh no." Keith breathed.
Hey Shiro fans, what-up?! So this story was one I just recently came up with. I'm posting it on here to see what you guys think. And it if I should continue it. This story takes place in season two, between 'Shiro's Escape' and 'Greening the Cube.' Anyway hope you annoy it. And again, let me know if I should continue. Thx!!