**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)

After dinner had ended, Mai had ushered their guests to the living room, insistent on pulling out the childhood albums of her two pride and joys. Shiro joined them, ready to keep the peace and stop her from showing Curtis, Keith, and Krolia any photos that were deemed too embarrassing. Unwilling to suffer through that new round of torture, Mari hid in the kitchen with their father, helping him to put the food away and load the dishes into the washer. Kage lounged on the counter near the cooling stove while Kosmo gnawed on a hunk of chicken, watching the two humans work.

Mari moved back and forth from the dining room to the kitchen, bringing in dirty dishes and leftovers. "It's weird, having her act so…" She paused, waving a hand frustratedly in the air as she searched for the right words. "...calm. Normal towards me. Like how moms are actually supposed to treat their kids."

Taiki stood in front of the sink, having taken the less mobile job of rinsing the plates and utensils. "She was a mess when you disappeared. She constantly hounded the police and the Garrison for information. She was always crying…I've never seen her so fragile before," he said, slowly and cautiously, an unmistakable hint of sadness in his voice. "You don't know what you have until it's gone – I think she started to realize that. Deep down, I think she finally admitted she'd mistreated you too, that what she did was wrong. And now that you're back, this is her way of trying to make up for it."

Mari snorted. "I don't know if she expects me to forgive her or what, but that certainly doesn't undo the years of hell she put me through." She dropped a plate into the sink with a little too much force, the heavy ceramic clanging loudly against the metal bottom. She sighed, slumping against the counter and glaring at the floor. "She didn't even apologize."

"It's not right, but some people will never say sorry, no matter what you do or say to them. We've both had enough arguments with her to know." Taiki's frown was grim but his tone was sympathetic. "You don't have to forgive her, but don't let her past actions hold you down. Don't let yourself dwell on the past. You won't be able to move forward otherwise."

"I'm not. I'm really trying to let it go," she insisted. "But…it's so hard. I don't want to get reeled in just to get hurt again."

She rested her head against his shoulder and Taiki let her lean into him. He planted a kiss on her forehead and dried his hands before pulling her in for a hug.

"I know, baby," he murmured. "Just take your time. Don't push yourself."

Mari nodded, soaking in her father's steady warmth and relaxing presence. They stood there like that for several peaceful moments before pulling away and resuming their after-dinner clean up.

"If it's any consolation, I'm proud of you too," Taiki said, dragging his attention away from the dishes to cast her a small and truthful smile. "You're doing what you love and making the universe a better place. I'm glad you finally found your people."

She rewarded him with a grateful grin of her own. "Thanks, Dad."

"Keith is a nice young man, too," he noted, glancing briefly at Kosmo as he perked up at the mention of his human. "He seems to understand you and what you've been through."

Wrapping up the last of the leftovers in tinfoil, Mari shrugged. "We've still got a long way to go, though," she confessed.

"That's true," Taiki agreed. "But he cherishes you and treats you as an equal. He's willing to stick by your side and learn more about you, just as you are with him."

She raised a quizzical brow as she moved the food to the fridge. "You got all that just from our dinner conversation?"

He threw her a knowing smirk. "It's in his eyes," he explained. "The way you two look at each other, it's almost like you're lovesick puppies."

She involuntarily cringed, the heat rushing to her cheeks. "It's that obvious?"

He nodded. "You're in what's called the 'honeymoon phase' of dating."

"Ugh…That's embarrassing."

Taiki chuckled. "As long as you're happy with him, then that's all that matters."

Mari sighed, smiling to herself in silent agreement. By the time they had finally finished with the dishes and had cleaned up the kitchen, Kosmo had consumed the rest of his supper. His eyes were locked on Kage as he dangled his black tail over the counter edge, swishing it hypnotically back and forth. Whether he was purposely taunting the cosmic canine or was simply lost in his blissful snooze, unaware of the larger predator eyeing him, Mari couldn't tell. Either way, she wouldn't have Kage teasing Kosmo, lest one of them wound up hurt. Scooping up the old cat, she moved him out of sight and deposited him on the cat tree before returning to the kitchen to give the wolf some much needed pets. Kosmo leaned into her touch, pleased with her decision.

His ears perked seconds before Keith appeared in the doorway. He immediately padded over to his human, allowing the paladin to ruffle his fluffy head.

"Congrats on surviving dinner," Mari said, straightening to her full height. "How were the baby albums?"

"Cute," Keith said. He stifled a teasing smirk before turning to her father. "Dinner was great, by the way, Mister Shirogane."

Taiki nodded. "I'm glad to hear it."

"My mom's heading back to the Garrison with Curtis now," he said, glancing in the direction of the front door.

Taiki hummed as he took up his cane. "I'll go see them off," he decided, and he tenderly squeezed his daughter's shoulder before excusing himself. He disappeared into the hallway, leaving the two young adults alone while he bid their guests farewell.

Mari absentmindedly pressed the creases from her shirt, brushing off stray strands of wolf and cat fur. "You're not going with them?"

A shy smile tugged at the corners of Keith's lips. "Actually…I was thinking you and I could go out and do something. Just the two of us." At Kosmo's indignant whine, he softly added, "And you too, buddy."

A curious excitement began to rise within her. "Well, the night's still young," she said, casually casting a glimpse at the clock hanging on the wall. "What were you thinking?"

A trip to the cemetery in the dark didn't even make it onto Mari's list of possible date ideas. Despite her confusion, and hint of disappointment, she didn't question Keith as he parked his borrowed Garrison vehicle in front of the locked gates.

"This has to be the edgiest thing you've ever done," she muttered after Kosmo teleported them to the other side of the iron fence.

"We're just visiting someone," he assured her with a playful roll of his eyes. "It won't take long."

He led the way down the rows and rows of gravestones, bringing her to the section that housed the larger ones intended for familial use. It had been four years since she'd last been here, but even now in the darkness, she recognized the names on the stones and their familiar designs. Before she knew it, they had reached the Shirogane Family grave.

She stared at it, taking in the empty vases on each side and the names carved into the stone. 'Takashi Shirogane' and its accompanying dates had been buffed out sometime in the past four years. Her name had, thankfully, never been etched in. But other names remained, their owners long gone, including their grandfather's – 'Kai Shirogane.'

Mari's heart clenched upon seeing it. "Ojiisan…"

"I thought you might want to see him before we leave tomorrow," Keith quietly elaborated. "Since it's been a while, and we don't know when we'll be back."

She hesitated and crouched down before the grave, contemplating on what to say. "Hi, ojiisan. It's me, Mari," she finally began. "This is Keith and Kosmo."

"Hello," he murmured and Kosmo flicked his tail.

"I know it's been a while since I last visited. I hope you weren't too freaked out when Mom and Dad carved Takashi's name on here," she said, letting out a half-hearted chuckle. "You wouldn't believe the stuff we got into these last four years. We went to space and got caught up in a universal war…I could talk to you about it for hours. Oh, but don't worry, Takashi and I are both doing well."

She paused, pulling her gaze up to the clear skies. With the cemetery still fairly close to the city, only a few twinkling dots could be seen above them.

"I'm a pilot now, just like I said I would be. The stars look even more amazing up close. I hope you can see them where you are." Her eyes stung as she brought her attention back to the stone. "I miss you a lot. Please watch over us on our journey tomorrow. I love you."

There was a beat of silence and she took a shaky breath to steady herself. When she was ready, she stood, her chest tight and her face warm. No tears fell though as she gave Keith a small smile.

"Thank you for bringing me here. I really appreciate it," she said, feeling light and content. "How'd you know my family grave was here?"

"Shiro took me here once." He looked over the rows of stones that seemed to stretch on forever into the darkness behind them. "My dad's buried on the other side of the lot."

"Can I meet him?" she tentatively asked.

When his eyes met hers, they were almost childlike. Open. Honest. Happy, but with an unshakable sadness lingering around the edges. "I think he'd like that."

It took them several minutes to walk to the other side of the cemetery, but Keith seemed to know exactly where he was going. He'd no doubt been here countless times, visiting the only family he'd known in his youth. When he brought them to a halt, it was in front of a single stone set near the edge of the lot. The name engraved on it read 'Heith Kogane.'

"Hi, Dad. I'm back," Keith greeted. "And I brought Mari."

"You've told him about me already?"

"I may have mentioned you when I swung by earlier," he shrugged. "I told him we're dating."

A prideful blush rose to her cheeks, suddenly nervous as she knelt down before the grave marker. "Hello, sir. I'm Mariko Shirogane," she introduced herself. "You've raised a good kid. Really, Keith's such a wonderful person. Thank you for loving him and taking care of him."

Behind her, Keith shifted from foot to foot, embarrassed. He said nothing though as she stood once more.

"I didn't realize you were so young when you lost him," she said, quietly taking note of the dates inscribed on the rock. "What happened?"

There was a long pause from him. "He was a firefighter. He ran back into a burning building trying to save someone trapped inside. They survived, but he…didn't."

His expression was stony, recalling the memories as if they'd happened yesterday. He stared hard at the grave, and Mari's heart throbbed with guilt for having asked. "I'm so sorry…"

He let out a soft sigh, but didn't say anything. She silently, hesitantly, sought his hand, giving it a light squeeze. He squeezed hers back. They stood there for a while, listening to the faint rustling of the warm breeze passing through the tree leaves.

"I used to be jealous of you," Mari said finally, breaking their silence. "I thought you had everything I wanted. Freedom. Skill. An early education at the Garrison. My brother's awe and attention. I despised you without even knowing you or what you'd been through. …I'm sorry for that."

Keith shook his head. "It's okay. I was jealous of you too," he admitted. "You had a family and friends. People liked you. You had a relatively normal childhood. And Shiro was your actual brother. He told you everything, he saw you often, he trusted you more than anyone else. And I hated that. A lot. So I'm sorry too."

A hint of a chuckle bubbled in her throat. "Too bad we were such stubborn brats. Maybe we could've been friends earlier."

The corner of his mouth turned up. "Guess it doesn't matter much now though," he said, knowingly swinging their interlocked hands back and forth. There was another pause before he asked, "You up for going to one more place?"

"Absolutely."

Now, a joyride along the makeshift drift track in the desert canyons was more like it. Thanks to the invasion, the regular drivers and onlookers had been scared away from the spot, not that they had been legally permitted to be there in the first place. Not another soul was in sight, leaving the course empty and free for use.

They took turns pushing the Garrison car to its higher speeds, timing each other as they streamed through the course and back. It had been years since Mari had tried her hand at the track. The first time she'd tried, it had been such a challenge just making it through without crashing, let alone nailing the abrupt turns and curves. But now, it was a piece of cake, absolutely nothing compared to flying an advanced alien ship through space.

Still, it was fun racing against Keith. Screaming and laughing like a couple of giddy and mischievous teens up to no good, they went back and forth, vying for the shortest time. Poor Kosmo was forced to be the backseat passenger throughout it all, unbothered by the dangerous vehicle speeds, but bored nonetheless as the silly humans zipped to and fro on the same path. It wasn't until they spotted the flashing red and blue lights of an approaching police car on the horizon that they promptly vacated the track. The last thing they needed was to get arrested the night before the big launch.

They cruised through the desert for a while, enjoying the freedom of the empty roads. The further they drove from the city, the clearer the skies became, revealing the dazzling display of stars and planets above.

When Keith turned onto an older road, bringing them to a secluded property, the landscape turned familiar again. A few fences and green trees were scattered here and there, and sitting in the distance was his little house, beaten and worn, but still standing after all this time.

"I can't believe this place survived the Galra attack," Mari murmured as they parked and hopped out of the car.

"It's not exactly a big and threatening target," Keith pointed out, leading the way with Kosmo to the front door.

"True." She followed after them. "Whatever happened to your hoverbike? Did someone snag it during the invasion?"

"The Garrison took it after we left Earth. I asked them to hold onto it until we come back."

They stepped onto the porch, the wood creaking beneath their feet. Keith unlocked the door and they entered. Except for the new cobwebs and the thick layer of dust that blanketed everything, the house was just as they had left it the day they'd ventured out with Lance, Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro in search of the Blue Lion. Their research, Keith's posters, his books, crummy couch, thrown-together table, and old machinery were all still here, untouched.

Kosmo sniffed at their surroundings curiously, sneezing and shaking his fur of disturbed dust every once and a while. Mari stood before the massive bulletin board where their photos, sticky notes, maps, and star charts had been pinned. There were even more sitting in binders and in boxes on the floor. It had taken them hours upon hours to compile and decipher all of it. But those long and late nights had been more than worth it. She moved over to the couch to sit, only to think better of it at the sight of the grime coating the cushions.

"I'll have to clean this place up later," Keith decided, noticing her look of dismay. He paused before slowly adding, "I was thinking about building a house next door. Once the war is over."

She raised a brow at him, this new consideration surprising her. "You want to live all the way out here again?"

"I did grow up here," he reminded her. "There used to be a house here anyway. A real house."

"What? Where?"

Keith crouched down next to the table. He reached under it and pulled out a thin album from beneath a stack of books. Flipping through several pages, he pulled out a photo and gestured for her to follow him outside. They stood on the edge of the porch, facing a lone tree with an old tire swing tied to one of its branches. He held out the photo for her to see – it showed a man with dark hair and a strong build who was proudly holding up a young and beaming Keith. The two of them were posing in front of an old two-story house.

"It used to be there," Keith said, pointing to the flat empty space that sat between them and the tree. "It was in my dad's family for generations. But it was getting too old and starting to develop some serious maintenance issues. He said the last straw was when I almost fell through the upstairs floorboards." A huff of a chuckle escaped his lips as he remembered the event. "So he decided to start over from scratch. Same design, just new materials. Had the whole place taken down and was ready to build a new home for us. …But the fire happened before he could get all the contracts settled, and I was taken away. Now there's just an empty lot."

He regarded the land, that same empty melancholy lingering in his gaze at the thought of what could've been with his dad. Mari was quiet for a long moment, absorbing this new bit of information about his past. She carefully sat down, her legs dangling off the edge of the porch.

"Well, you certainly can't keep living in a shed for the rest of your life. And it's good that this place is so close to the Garrison," she said finally. She looked up at him, granting him a supportive smile. "If you want to build a house here, I say go for it. You can finish what your dad started and turn this place into a real home again."

Keith blinked, pulled out of the past and the never-ending possibilities of 'what ifs.' His expression seemed to relax a bit, his eyes brightening as he looked back at her. Then he sat down so close next to her, their thighs nearly touched. Kosmo promptly lounged next to his human, watching the tire swing as it swayed in a gentle breeze.

"I know you don't want to think that far into the future – I don't either," Keith began, slow but sure. "But, if you want…there will always be a home for you here."

His words held a vulnerable yet calming warmth, his walls lowering with the weight of their deeper implication. He wouldn't let her be alone again. Whatever paths they chose to take in their lives, he'd always be there for her, now and in the future.

"Thank you," she said, unable to hide her glowing smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

A pleasant silence settled between them, drawing their attention up to the sky. It was painted in deep blues and purples, every inch flecked with countless twinkling stars. The canyon walls and distant mountains were silhouetted far on the horizon, framing the celestial display above.

"It's so peaceful here. I forgot how pretty Earth's sky can be," Mari reflected. "It wouldn't be bad to live out here."

Keith hummed in agreement. "Yeah."

"I'm almost sad it's back to work mode tomorrow," she said, her heart falling at the thought that such tranquility was fleeting. "Jumping right back into the mess of war."

"It'll be for the last time. We'll end it once and for all." He averted his gaze back to Earth once more to focus on her. "But right now, I just want to enjoy this moment."

She stared at him, drawn in by the fiery light in his eyes. A soothing heat blossomed in her chest and rose to her cheeks.

"Have I ever told you that you have very pretty eyes?" she wondered, her inquiry sounding unintentionally small and shy.

A tiny smirk played on his lips. "Nope," he murmured, leaning in closer.

"Well, you do." She didn't move, her heart on the verge of bursting forth from her chest. "Have I told you your smile makes my heart race?

"Not once."

"It does. It's racing right now. You can probably hear it."

A breath of a laugh escaped him. Their foreheads were almost touching now. A thin line of space remained between them, nervous but energized with anticipation.

"Can I ask you something?" Keith asked, his voice just a whisper.

"Yes," she barely uttered, afraid to shatter the stillness enveloping them.

"Can I kiss you?"

The giddy bubble expanding inside of her nearly burst. Surprise and excitement threatened to steal her voice away and she swallowed, her mouth going suddenly dry.

"Yes."

And then, just like that, the distance was closed between them. Keith's lips pressed against hers, clumsy but soft and full. She could feel the heat emanating from him, and her head went blank, the rest of the world disappearing until it was just the two of them. A warm and sparkling sensation coursed through her body, like tiny starbursts were exploding within her. When he finally pulled away, it left her with lingering tingles dancing across her lips.

Neither of them said anything for a long moment, their fuzzy minds gradually clearing as they processed the intimate experience. The dim blue light of the Quintessence Rings on their fingers seemed to glow brighter with the fast and rhythmic beating of their hearts.

Keith was the first to speak. "How – How was it?" he stammered, struggling and failing to remain nonchalant.

"It was great," she blurted, almost a little too quickly in her overflowing joy. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the fluttering feeling in her stomach. "How was it for you?"

"I liked it," he replied without even a hint of hesitancy. "A lot."

She smiled, glad she hadn't screwed it up. "Was that your first kiss?"

"Yeah." The corners of his mouth quirked up as he found her hand and laced his fingers with hers. "Thanks for making it special."

Her grin widened. "Thank you for asking for permission."

"Of course."

He playfully tapped his shoulder against hers and she tenderly nudged him back. Together, they watched the night sky for hours in all its quiet beauty until it was time to go home.

**Check out my tumblr to see some cool art: pufftheninja