Saturday mornings were Shiro's favourite time of the week. One of the perks of being a faculty member at the Garrison was off base accommodation. His apartment wasn't much to look at, just a one bedroom place in a slightly run down building but it was infinitely better than living in the Garrison's barracks. At least he had some privacy. Matt was still a cadet when they started dating. As a senior cadet he had weekend leave privileges. Most of the other students used theirs to go home to their families or go partying with friends who lived near the base. No-one asked too many questions, so on Friday nights he'd pack a bag and head off to Shiro's place.
Their relationship was taboo on so many levels. Shiro was a flight instructor and Matt was a student on the science track. They never really met except during mission simulator training, but it was still considered an improper relationship and Shiro could get suspended for fraternization even if Matt was legally an adult. The other issue was that they were both men. Even though humanity was now a space faring species some of the old ways were yet to change especially in the Garrison. In the past they used a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy where you could be gay but not openly so. The discrimination was more insidious these days consisting mostly of whispers, rumours and shunning of openly gay cadets. Shiro never wanted that for Matt. He could physically defend himself but Matt was already a target for being too smart and not fitting into the macho culture of the Garrison. They both agreed that they would keep their relationship a secret until after graduation and until Matt could tell his family about his sexual orientation. It was only right to tell them first before the news became public knowledge.
But none of that mattered now it was Saturday morning; they were sleeping in and soaking in the warmth of each other's bodies and the early morning sunshine. Shiro wrapped his arms tightly around the smaller man's body. Pulling their bodies together and nuzzling his face in the nape of Matt's neck. It was so warm and so comforting. He wished they could stay like this forever. He planted a kiss on the crook of Matt's neck and sighed his name, "Hmmm…Matt…" He had not fully opened his eyes when he felt Matt pushing him away. "Matt, baby…" he questioned sleepily, as Matt started thrashing about wildly trying to escape the powerful grip of his arms. Shiro thought Matt might be having a nightmare. "Shiro, Shiro!" the voice called out frantically. A sudden realization struck Shiro. He wasn't in his apartment he was in his room in the Castle of Lions. The body in his arms was too small to be Matt's, the voice too high pitched. He opened his eyes to a manic Pidge trying to escape the grasp of his Galra tech arm. He let go of her as if he had just been scalded by her touch and she tumbled out of his bed.
Her eyes were wide with surprise and Shiro stammered out an apology. "I'm sorry Katie, I must have been having a dream…are you okay, I didn't hurt you did I?" Pidge shook her head "I'm okay. I'm sorry for disturbing you last night. I'm just going to go now" She practically bolted out of the room. Shiro wanted to call out to her but he didn't. What would he say to her, how could he explain why he acted that way with her? Maybe it was better that she had run out. Shiro sat back down on the crumpled be sheets with his head in his hands. Despite the rude awakening and the awkward moment with Pidge, that was still the best night's sleep he'd had in a long time. It was probably the first time since his memories returned that he had a good dream about Matt. He didn't think it was possible but he missed him more than ever before.
Pidge avoided Shiro for the rest of the day which was more than a little awkward for everyone but at least they didn't notice that Shiro couldn't even look Pidge in the eye. The others assumed the two paladins were still at odds with each other over the previous day's argument. After breakfast it was time for the chore roster. Coran had very quickly realised that taking care of the five paladins and princess Allura was too much for him to handle alone. So a roster was drawn up. Each day a different pair was assigned to clean the common areas and each paladin would be responsible for cleaning their own rooms. Lance and Keith were paired together much to their annoyance and Coran's amusement. Pidge and Hunk were the next team, followed by Shiro on his own and Coran with princess Allura. The paladins were extra careful to leave the communal spaces tidy when it was Shiro's turn to clean and Coran did most of the actual work while the princess hung out with her little mouse friends. It was Lance and Keith's turn today and they bickered all the way to the kitchen. Pidge invited Hunk to the training deck to practice her hand to hand combat skills under his supervision. Hunk wasn't surprised after what happened with the Galra droids Pidge would want to improve her skills and regain a little confidence. He was however surprised that Pidge had asked him instead of Shiro. Shiro was the best at hand to hand combat, hell with his Galra arm he was practically unstoppable but the look Pidge gave him made him feel like the two still hadn't made up yet.
On the training deck Hunk was giving Pidge pointers as she fought a training robot. Pidge was quick and the grappling function of her Bayard meant that she had quickly subdued the robot. "That's great Pidge! do you want to try again with two robots this time?" "Sure" Pidge responded "but first I have a question to ask you…" "Fire away" Hunk replied. "This is kind of awkward but…what does it mean when a guy moans another guy's name?" Hunk's mouth just hung open for a few seconds while Pidge looked at him earnestly. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry you heard that. I told Keith and Lance a dozen times to keep it down. You see sometimes when two people like each other…I know it doesn't always look that way but they do like each other at least I think they do…" Hunk's voice was trailing off while he rubbed the back of his head. Pidge looked at him confused by his rambling. "I didn't mean them" She spoke in a hushed tone. "Who else could you mean?" Hunk asked. "I'm talking about Shiro, Shiro kept repeating my brother, Matt's name in his sleep" Hunk thought about it for a moment. "Well that's a little different. They were on the Kerberos mission together right? Maybe Shiro was having a dream about the mission or about when they were captured along with your dad." Hunk didn't ask why Pidge was in Shiro's room while he was sleeping. Pidge could hack any door in the Castle so it wasn't a crazy idea that she could have just let herself in. Strange, but not implausible. Pidge considered Hunk's possible explanation. It made sense logically but it still didn't explain why he held her like that and kissed her. It felt intimate, definitely more than skinship between teammates or even close friends. She couldn't be sure until she spoke to Shiro again. She wanted answers that only he or Matt could give and Matt wasn't here. She resolved to go to Shiro's room later that night to talk and figure out what happened, between the two of them and between him and Matt.
Shiro was going through his usual night routine. He would work out until he was exhausted, take a shower and pass out in bed. Exercise usually relaxed him and helped him clear his mind but not tonight. The entire day had been uncomfortable. Pidge was avoiding him. She stuck by Hunk's side all day give him little opportunity to speak with her in private. Had she told Hunk he wondered. Most likely not or he was sure the yellow paladin would have kicked his door down and confronted him by now. Shiro was painfully aware how many lines he had crossed. He had inappropriately touched the youngest member of his team. Despite the circumstances that they found themselves in; as paladins of Voltron tasked with defending the universe; Pidge was only 14 years old and his boyfriend's younger sister. What would Matt think of him if he knew? The thought made him sick to his stomach. It was genuinely an accident but he needed to apologise sincerely and accept responsibility. As soon as he got the chance he would speak to Pidge again and explain his actions more clearly. He didn't want her to be afraid of him or worry that something like that might happen again. If she was still unhappy he would encourage her to speak to Allura. That could result in him losing his command but it was the right thing to do for Pidge's sake. His mind and his heart were too clouded with guilt to continue exercising so he grabbed his gear to take a shower before bed. He was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was quite late and he was sure everyone was in bed by now. Opening his door he was once again face to face with Pidge. He invited her inside, placing his shower thing on the table. Pidge meekly stepped inside and sat down on the bed. "We need to talk about this morning…" Shiro started.
"Pidge, Katie I'm very sorry." Shiro pulled a chair from the desk in the corner and placed it next to the bed. He wanted to sit closer to her without spooking her. "I never meant to touch you like that. No one should do that without your permission. It was an accident and I hope that you can forgive me. It will never happen again so please don't avoid me. Please don't be afraid of me…" His shoulders slumped forward with his elbows on his thighs. He lowered his head in contrition. This was all he could say the rest would be up to Pidge. Pidge reached out for his human hand and squeezed it lightly. "I understand." Pidge responded. "I'm not afraid of you. It's just when I woke up and felt the metal of your arm against me; it took me back to that mission and the Galra droids attacking me. I panicked and then you wouldn't let go…" Pidge's voice wavered a little. "But once I realized it was you, it was okay. I wasn't afraid anymore, but you were still asleep and then you pushed your…body against me and kissed me. That was confusing". Pidge's face went a little pink but the look on Shiro's face couldn't hide the fact that he was mortified. He was going to hell for sure, if the other paladins ever found out they'd send him there themselves. "But that's not what's been bothering me all day. While you were sleeping you said Matt's name, more than once and the way you said it…I just want to know…what was Matt to you?"
Shiro leaned back into the chair letting go of Pidge's hand. This turn in the conversation was something he wasn't expecting. What should he say? This was a talk Matt should have had with her himself but he wasn't here now. Shiro didn't want to lie to Katie not when he was trying to regain her trust. He didn't have much time to think about this. The silence hung heavily in the air between them. Shiro decided he would answer her truthfully but leave out any details that weren't relevant or were too personal. He ran his hand over his face and through his tuft of white hair. Finally Shiro replied "We were in a relationship". "Like friends or more?" Pidge asked. "We were dating". "Wait, what?" She blinked and shook her head. "So…you, you like guys and Matt, he likes guys too? And you two like each other?" Pidge expressed her disbelief. Sure, her brother never really talked about girls but that's no something you talked about with your little sister. But he never said anything about being gay. "Did my dad know?" was her next question. "No, Sam didn't know. We were going to tell him after the Kerberos Mission. I wanted him to get to know me first as a person before finding out I was seeing his son. I didn't want him to think of me as just some older guy taking advantage of Matt." Shiro hadn't meant to add the last part but it was the first time that he had expressed those feelings in so long they just sort of rushed out. "I loved Matt…I mean I still love him. I want you to know that." All of this was a lot for her to take in. She herself was no stranger to secrets. Pidge Gunderson doesn't even exist. She falsified documents to gain admission to the Garrison base after she was banned for trespassing. She even hid her gender for over a year to avoid suspicion. She couldn't fault Shiro or Matt for their secrets without taking responsibility for her own. She wished Matt was here. She wanted to hear it from him too, that he loved Shiro back. That would make all of this les weird. "So…what are you thinking?" Shiro dared himself to ask. If this went badly Matt would be crushed, he and Katie were extremely close. It would also affect their relationship and the entire team Voltron. Pidge swallowed her uncertainty. "I love Matt and nothing will ever change that. I wish he felt comfortable enough to tell me earlier but that doesn't matter now. I care about you too Shiro, you're someone I respect and admire. When we rescue Matt and my dad, just know that both of you have my full support." She moved closer to hug him and he did the same. An important person in Matt's life had accepted their relationship.
He held her close for a moment when out of the blue Pidge sniffed him. "I think you could use a shower" she laughed as she scrunched up her nose. "I was on my way to get one when you showed up" Shiro retorted. She pushed him away playfully. "Okay, okay I'm going now". He grabbed his shower things off the table. "You can close the door behind you when you leave. Goodnight Katie." Shiro exited the room and Pidge flopped backwards onto the bed. She laid there staring at the ceiling. "Shiro and Matt, Matt and Shiro" It was still hard for her to believe. She tried to imagine them together but it quickly turned into Shiro in a tuxedo and Matt in a wedding dress. The thought made her laugh out loud. Maybe they'd get married one day but Matt probably wouldn't wear a dress. She was getting sleepy again. Maybe it was something about being in Shiro's room. She felt safe here, safer even than her own room. He had rescued her from the Galra droids and he worried about her feelings. A brand new thought formed in her mind. What if she and Shiro teamed up to rescue her family? She had the tech know-how and the stealth mode Lion to get them onto another Galra ship. Shiro was a warrior, a one man army with his Galra tech arm and he could unlock doors just as easily as Rover. And the number one reason it could work is that they both had a person that they loved; albeit in different ways, whose life was on the line. Shiro and she would be "Team Matt". It was a silly name she thought to herself as sleep finally claimed her.
Shiro returned to his room after his shower. He was wearing grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt with a towel slung over one shoulder. He was exhausted and looking forward to his bed. His door slid open and fast asleep on his bed was Katie. Her t-shirt had pulled up slightly exposing her stomach. He covered her with a blanket and made sure to tuck her in. He then lay next to her, this time on top of the blankets. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of the previous morning's events. He probably should have woken her up and sent he back to her own room but she was sleeping so peacefully. It reassured him that she had forgiven him and she definitely wasn't afraid of him. She wouldn't have stayed if she was. He also didn't mind sharing his bed with her. She didn't take up much space and after all she did look a lot like Matt.