Oook I just realized I misspelled alpha as alfa in the last chapter... I knew it looked wrong but I couldn't figure out why… Sooo let's just say that's how they spell it here on this planet ok? I grew up on MMPR! That's probably why it looked right and wrong at the same time!
Its short but I feel bad for not doing anything for so long, plus I'm sorta giddy to put this out, plus it's a good cliffhanger point
Right after the banquet dispersed Shiro came back to check on Keith again, no one but the other paladins showed notice of his absence. The other three following him into Keith's assigned room. They all stopped at the sight of an empty and stripped bed. "Keith..?" Shiro jogged further into the room moving towards the open door for the bathroom. The sheets had left a trail towards it, pillows thrown to the other side of the room.
A small shuffle drew his attention to a tinted wall that he assumed was a shower of sorts. A pointed look at the other three told them to keep back while Shiro eased it open. It took a second look from him to make them stop again.
Keith had backed into the far corner still half shifted and looking only slightly more awake. Clearly in a defensive stance, using the wall to keep upright while crouched to sit on the floor, but in a way that was easy to jump back up in an instant. As soon as he saw Shiro, Keith's grip tightened around the Blade in his hand but there was a slight tremble to the rest of his body.
Shiro knelt low, getting even with Keith's level and keeping his voice soft and gentle. "Keith?"
"Don'!" Eyes flashed and the knife raised a little. "S'ay back!" He sounded hoarse and groggy, an edge of fear in his words.
"Ok. Ok I won't move. I'll stay right here and talk alright?" Shiro held his hands up in surrender. Keith's eyes trying to focus on him but not quite managing it.
"..Sh'ro..?"
"Yeah buddy its me. Are you ok? Why were you hiding?"
"I.. I uh.." Keith faltered trying to figure out just that. Blinking through the lingering feeling of sleep. "I don' know.. Jus' feels like I had a bad dream or something.."
"Must have been a heck of a nightmare to get'cha up in this state.." Pidge frowns.
Keith flinched but lowers his knife, his ears drawing flat as well. Shiro crept over placing a soft hand on his shoulder. The tremble picked up at the touch and Shiro drew back again.
Keith didn't like to be touched sometimes. Normally it was directed more at strangers, avoiding physical contact as much as possible. Wary to trust people in the first-place due to past experiences, and unfamiliar contact just bothering Keith's autism in general. Shiro had spent years memorizing all the little tics and triggers as well as ways to handle them.
Shiro and, slowly, the team were exceptions most of the time but there were still phases where Keith preferred to keep distance.
"You're ok now. Come on let's get you back in bed ok? You still look kind of out of it." It took some coaxing but Shiro managed to get the other three to leave and Keith to get back under the sheets, taking a seat on the edge himself.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He wouldn't push if Keith didn't want to.
The younger didn't look like he was going to. Spending a few minutes rubbing his fingers on the familiar handle of his Blade, his shoulders slowly relaxed with the motions. "It was weird… I know someone was talking, but I wasn't paying attention to what they said. Couldn't really. There was this smell that kind of drowned out everything else, I couldn't focus on anything else.. felt heavy and tired.. It was nice but there was something wrong about it too." Keith was getting anxious again fingers griping tighter to his knife. Shiro shifted, kicking off his shoes, until he sat in the bed properly. Keith instantly curling up and pressing against his brother's side.
"I just remember hands.. they kept touching my face, my hair, my ears.. I didn't like it.." Maybe it was the scent thing again but Keith calmed back down after pressing his face against him. Shiro hugs him warmly, the arms much more familiar than the ones in his dream.
Keith had always been sensitive to his environment. Shiro wasn't sure if it was the autism or a Galra thing now. Usually only socializing or frustration overloaded him, too many people and he would drift off towards somewhere quiet, too much frustration and he'd just start yelling. Smells were rare but could sometimes do it though, especially strong overpowering ones like a candle store in the mall, but that reaction had Keith just ran out of it as quick as he was able.
Unable to help himself in paranoia, Shiro leaned into Keith's hair. There was a fading trace of.. something there.. But it was so little it could also have easily been from something around the building or even soap off the sheets. It sort of bothered him, but he couldn't do anything about it now, not with Keith actively reaching for help. So Shiro just hugged him close, pulling the sheets snug around them. His flesh arm holding the red cub protectively to his left side, right hand carding through the purple-black hair leaving it free to fry any intruders that try to come back in.
When he asked them later, Lance had said something about catching a weird smell here or there in passing, Hunk and Pidge hadn't noticed anything.
Well maybe it was just them? Honestly Shiro wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't just his arm Haggar toyed with. (That warped clone image she showed him still gave him nightmares) It was hard tell if there was any difference in his senses compared to before, but he also didn't remember being able to pick out Keith from the others just by the younger standing near enough to him either.
He'd thought about it more than once. He used to pass it off as spikes of adrenaline making him more aware, but when the Blade started to help Keith through his second puberty for lack of a better term, Shiro would notice he could almost follow the exercises they set up to test how potent his senses were and showing him how to use them.
But if it was something only heightened smell could pick up -even one as slight as Shiro's- and get affected by, it should be something to watch out for. Good or bad had yet to be determined. For all he knew it could just be some new allergy Keith had to something on this planet which in turn caused the nightmare. Shiro wasn't one to let his guard down easily.
…..I have started to see art where Shiro gets Black's wings…. WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THIS BEFORE? I LOVE WINGED CHARACTERS! EVEN IF WE ONLY SAW IT A FEW TIMES THAT AND BEING THE BIGGEST ARE BLACK'S UNIQUE TRAITS! So it most likely will show up at some point.
