((Hi! Long time no see! I've finally (almost) caught up with Voltron so I thought I'd do a little more torture -ahem – I mean writing on here! This chapter is set somewhere at the beginning of season 7 where the lions are just floating through space! Spoilers if you're not caught up!))
Chapter Seven: Old Wounds
"Wow. I don't think I've ever been this bored in my life… No, wait, yesterday I was this bored."
Lance stretched his long legs onto the console of the red lion and yawned dramatically. The group had been floating slowly through space for almost two weeks since the castle of lions had been sacrificed in order to save the universe from exploding or something (Lance wasn't sure about the details) and the monotonous repetition was starting to get to them.
"I spy with my li-"
"NO!" Pidge cut Hunk's voice off before he could reveal what exactly it was he 'spied', "No more 'I spy', please!"
Hunk huffed, a crackle of static through the comms, "Well then, you think of something to pass the time, braniac."
"Ughh…" beside Lance, Romelle sat crossed legged on the floor of the red lion, resting her chin in her hands. Although a new edition to the team, the Altaen had managed to fit in with the group pretty quickly and felt pretty much at ease with everyone already.
"Wait, what's that?" She pointed out of the viewing window towards a soft pinkish glow in the distance.
"A planet?" Lance asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Looks like it," Keith agreed as he pushed the black lion a little faster towards the object, anything to break the continuous routine they'd been living through.
By his side, Shiro stumbled a little as Black sped up and reached out a non-existent right arm to steady himself, not yet used to the vacant space by his side. When nothing connected with the side of the lion, he realised all too late and body slammed into the cold metal instead. Keith heard the bang and turned to see his best friend sprawled on the floor, a look of annoyance on the older man's scarred face.
"Shiro!" Keith gaped, "Are you okay?" Ever since the black paladin had reawakened in his clone body, Keith had been extra observant of his friend. He hated himself for not realising sooner that it hadn't been the real Shiro and needed to make sure nothing like that ever happened again, even if it did mean babysitting him a little.
Shiro rubbed his neck and Keith noticed his shoulder roll a little as he got back to his feet.
"I'm fine, just a little… clumsy."
'Clumsy' was definitely not a word anyone would have used to describe Shiro at his peek condition and it angered and, if he was being honest with himself, scared him a little that he felt that way. He hadn't felt like that since being on Earth, when the disease in his muscles had caused him to be a little awkward now and then. The memories of that time stung Shiro and he tried to concentrate on something, anything else to tear his mind away from them.
"So it is a planet, huh?"
Now closer to the pink glow, the lions had a better view of the small planet. It seemed to throb with a pink energy, almost like a rhythm, a heartbeat, and Pidge could have sworn she could almost hear the pulsation as they entered its atmosphere.
"Whoa," Lance gawked at the surrounding area as the lions landed with soft thumps on the surface of the planet, huge clouds of pink dust rising into the air as they did so.
The ground was mainly dirt and dust, like a vast pink desert, but there were a couple of gigantic trees dotted around. The trees were so tall and broad that their blue leaves reached through the clouds, the very top impossible to see from the ground. It was as though the trees were so huge that they needed all of the moisture the planet's surface had to offer, hence the cracked, desert-like pink dirt that stretched for miles.
"Atmosphere is breathable," Pidge exclaimed as the group exited the lions and removed their helmets, thankful for some non-recycled air.
"We should let the lions recharge here for a while," Allura patted Blue's jaw and sat down next to Krolia on a fallen tree.
"I'll go and see if I can find anything useful!" Coran declared with a smile, "Maybe there're some secrets hidden in this desolate landscape!"
"I'll come too!" Romelle skipped to his side, followed by the blue wolf and the trio marched off with purpose.
"I suppose someone should go with them and make sure they don't run into trouble," Krolia spoke mostly to herself and got up from the fallen tree unenthusiastically before jogging to catch up with Coran's group.
After building a small fire, the remainder of the group pulled some logs closer to it and gathered around the warmth. They'd taken off their armour as Allura had decided it definitely needed washing after having been worn for weeks and it felt comfortable just chilling out by the fire without worrying about anything in particular. Hunk handed out some smoked fish-like food and they munched silently for a while, simply enjoying one another's company. It was going to be a long journey back to Earth and there was no reason why they couldn't enjoy a little respite now and then, especially as there was usually something sharp and pointy trying to kill them most of the time.
"Do you not like the fish-stuff, Shiro?" Hunk asked as he took another huge bite of his own.
The black paladin hadn't taken even a nibble of the food and was simply sitting staring into the fire, dark eyes almost alight with the flames' reflection. He hadn't even seemed to have heard Hunk's question and continued to stare blankly, a soft pinch between his newly pale eyebrows.
"Err… Shiro?"
Lance, who was sitting on Shiro's right side, waved his hand in front of the taller man's face and Shiro's transfixed gaze was broken. He blinked for a few seconds, as though trying to remember where he was, and then turned to Lance. He'd tried to paint a nonchalant look on his face but instead looked somewhat lost. It didn't go unnoticed by Keith.
"Shiro? You okay?"
"Yeah," Lance smiled but it didn't reach his eyes, "You looked kinda out of it there!"
"I..." Shiro was going to make something up about just being tired but knew his friends would know better. He sighed and looked at his one remaining hand in his lap, "It's just taking some getting used to, you know? Being back."
He felt Keith's hand on his back and turned to look at the red paladin.
"We know, it's alright." Keith smiled warmly and Shiro returned it, ever thankful for his close bonds with the others.
"There's no need to rush into things, Shiro," Allura added, her soothing tones echoing around the circle as the sky darkened.
"Yeah, it's not like we're in a hurry right now anyway," Pidge finished her fish-thing and smiled broadly before wiping crumbs from her face, "Take as long as you need."
"It's not every day you come back from the dead, get put into your evil clone's body - which is missing an arm - and fly through space after a huge explosion," Lance had meant well but it came out in a jumble and earned him a slap on the back of the head from Keith.
Shiro chuckled nonetheless and ruffled Lance's hair, finally feeling somewhat 'normal' for the first time since returning from the astral plain.
It was warm enough on the strange planet to sleep outside and so the group decided to gather round the dwindling fire and sleep together. It didn't get completely dark, a faint pink glow still illuminated the sky somewhat, and so Keith could see when Shiro began to toss and turn in his sleep. The black paladin was lying between a snoring Hunk and Pidge, who was curled up into a ball like a cat, and his long legs were pulled up against his chest. Keith had always been a light sleeper and the squirming of his oldest friend had stirred him easily. He watched as the white-haired man frowned deeply and muttered something unintelligible as he rolled onto his left side. Then all hell broke loose.
Shiro began to flail wildly like something was attacking him in his sleep; his human arm grabbed at the air, missing Pidge by mere inches, and he began to kick violently before sitting upright. His eyes shot open and Keith could see that they were glazed over, like they had been when they were gathered around the fire earlier. A panicked yell from the black paladin opened some more eyes around the camp, although Coran and Hunk continued to snore, oblivious to the ongoing drama.
"Nnn… What the heck is hap-"
Before Pidge could get her bearings, Shiro was on his feet with his arm around her throat. She dangled from his grip, legs flailing and hands clawing at his much stronger one in an attempt to loosen his hold on her neck.
"Pidge!"
Lance was on his feet even before Keith had reacted and managed to peel Shiro's hands from the smallest paladin, who dropped to the ground like a discarded toy. She coughed loudly but seemed okay, just bruised.
"What the hell, Shiro?!" Lance shouted as Keith moved forwards, cautious of the Shiro in front of him.
Although Keith knew the Shiro with them now was indeed the real Shiro, he also remembered his fight with the clone and how much he'd thought he was going to die battling him. The scar on his cheek still throbbed now and then and when he closed his eyes he could still see his best friend's face scowling down at him, trying to kill him. Now was not the time to be hesitant, however, and Keith stepped in front of Shiro, blocking his view of Pidge and Lance.
"Shiro! Stop!"
"I- It's not me! Don't listen to him, Keith!" Shiro swiped at the red paladin wildly but Keith dodged it easily and Shiro grasped at his own face, clawing into his white hair desperately, "I'm here! I- I'm all… alone..."
The words hurt Keith more than a blow from a fist and he flinched away from them, scared of hearing what torture Shiro had been going through for so long.
"Please!" Shiro seemed calmer but tears streamed down his pale cheeks as his voice cracked, "I don't want to be dead. I want to go home… Adam..."
Sensing he was a lot calmer, Keith moved closer to Shiro and placed both hands on the taller man's cheeks. Shiro froze for a moment and then seemed to melt into Keith's touch, finally his eyes seemed to focus on where he was.
"Keith?" he whispered, tears still trickling from his eyes.
"It's me, Shiro. You're safe now. We're all here."
"Keith..." he repeated the word like he was savouring it. He hadn't spoken it for so long it sounded almost foreign to him, "I'm sorry..." Shiro touched the scar on Keith's face and finally his knees gave in. He slumped to the ground, Keith keeping him upright.
"You didn't do this," Keith pressed Shiro's hand firmer against his scarred cheek, "You didn't do anything. You're back now. Where you belong."
A choked cough from Pidge broke the glass bubble the pair were in and Shiro's eyes bulged. He scrambled over to the green paladin and scooped her up in a one-armed hug, squeezing the breath from her.
"I'm so sorry, Pidge! I wasn't myself… I didn't know where I was, I-"
Pidge's hair tickled his face as she shook her head aggressively, "It's okay, don't worry. We understand, Shiro. We love you!" Her last comment even took Pidge by surprise and she blushed slightly as Shiro put her back on her feet.
"It's soppy but it's true," Lance scratched at his jaw absently so as not to meet Shiro's thankful gaze.
"Well, I love you guys too," Shiro mumbled as Hunk suddenly sat upright like someone had poured cold water over him.
"WHAT?! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Hunk bellowed as he jumped to his feet. He looked around for a moment and then sighed, placing a hand on his broad chest, "Oh, thank heavens, I thought I was drowning in a giant trifle!"
"And with that, we should all get back to sleep," Krolia smirked.
The group lay back down, a little closer to one another than before, and before drifting off to sleep, Pidge nudged Lance and whispered,
"Who's Adam?"
Lance shrugged, "No idea."
