AN: I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has favd and followed this story. And a special thanks to everyone who left a comment (ESPECIALLY YOU, RANGERGIRL3) each comment absolutely made my day!
Just a quick note, this story was written as part of the Volton Gen Mini Bang, so there's art that goes with this chapter! You can check it out by opening this story on A03 - I'm also Cocopops1995 over there :)
Please enjoy the last chapter!
Shiro stepped out of the pod and had only a moment to savour the feeling of being back in the Castle for the first time in over a month. He smiled as he heard his lion purring happily in the back of his mind. He wanted Shiro to come see him soon, but he also understood that the other paladins would want to see Shiro first, so he would be patient. For now.
Shiro promised he would go see Black as soon as he could.
Then a door slid open and the first person he saw was Keith, running towards him. Shiro smiled and opened his arms - and was nearly knocked over by the force of Keith's hug. Shiro could tell just how worried Keith had been, and just how much Keith had missed him from the force of his hug alone.
"Don't ever do that again!" Keith hissed in Shiro's ear.
Shiro could hear the barely suppressed emotion behind Keith's words. He responded by tightening his arms around Keith.
"I missed you, too." Shiro answered.
And that was all he could get out before he actually was knocked over by the rest of the paladins who had finally reached him and evidently decided that they wanted in on the hugging too. They collapsed into a pile of laughing, crying, warm bodies.
Shiro's heart was warmed by their enthusiastic response to his return, but he soon began to run out of air.
"Guys… can't… breathe." He managed to gasp out from underneath the pile of paladins.
As soon as the others let him up, Allura and Coran were the next to greet him. Allura by pulling him into a tight hug. Coran by putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly as he said: "It's good to have you back, Number 1."
The other paladins were all talking over each other. Asking him questions about what happened to him, where he was, why he was taking orders from Matt (that one was definitely Pidge) and what the heck he was doing fighting an entire fleet of pirates in such a tiny, dinged up fighter pod.
Shiro chuckled and held up his hand to get them to quiet down. "Guys, I promise I'll explain everything later. But first, let's get back to the Rebel base, okay?"
They all looked like they wanted to ask more questions, Pidge especially, but then Keith spoke up.
"Shiro's right, guys. We're kind of in the open now. It will be better to talk when we're in a safer spot." He said.
Shiro felt another surge of pride in his chest as he watched the others nod in agreement, even if they still didn't look happy about it. It was good to know that now there was someone else they would actually listen to. He made a mental note to tell Keith exactly how proud he was later.
Shiro turned to Allura and held out his Galra prosthetic. "The coordinates are on here."
He did not miss the almost simultaneous eyebrow raise that everyone did at that and shrugged. "When I told Matt about Ulaz putting coordinates in it he thought it was a great idea."
Pidge grinned and rolled her eyes, "Of course he did. Come on, let's get those coordinates. The faster we get to this Rebel base, the better."
By the time they reached the Balmera's airspace, Shiro had explained most of what happened from when he'd woken up on the Galra prison supply ship to when he'd escaped with Rolo and Nyma.
Hunk snorted, "I'm surprised they didn't turn you over the moment they had the chance."
"They're good people." Shiro said defensively, "Anyway, then we got picked up by Matt and his guys. He'll kill me if I tell you the rest of the story without him, though."
"Is - is my dad there too?" Pidge asked, wringing her hands nervously.
Shiro's heart clenched at the hopeful look in her eyes. He hated to be the one to break the news to her, but he couldn't very well leave her without an answer now that she had asked.
He shook his head and laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly, "Matt said that he and your dad got separated. He's been searching for your dad ever since he got out."
Pidge's face fell, and Shiro couldn't stand the sudden heartbroken look that had replaced the hope in her features.
"Hey," he said, pulling her in for another hug, "Now that you have Matt back, the two of you can work together to find your dad! Together, you'll find your dad in no time. You'll see."
She nodded, but kept her arms wrapped around him. He was content to let her hold him for as long as she needed.
When they landed on the Balmera, everyone was as amazed by it's sheer beauty as Shiro had been. Coran had actual tears in his eyes because this was what a Balmera should look like.
Matt and Drozan were waiting for them when they stepped out of the Castle.
Pidge, who had been sticking relatively close to Shiro, broke into a sprint, headed straight for her brother. Matt dropped to his knees and caught her in waiting arms. They both sank down, Matt sitting down and pulling his sister into his lap, and just held one another. Shiro could see both their shoulders shaking as they cried.
He stopped a few meters away, allowing them a private family moment.
Drozan seemed to have the same idea and walked up to Shiro.
Shiro noted a mistiness to Drozan's eyes and remembered that the man had lost his own brother not too long ago. Seeing Matt reunited with his sister couldn't have been easy for Drozan.
Once Drozan reached him, Shiro placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and then introduced him to the rest of Team Voltron.
Matt and Pidge joined them not long after. Matt had his one arm slung over Pidge's shoulders, and she had both of hers wrapped around his waist.
Once they reached Shiro and the others, Matt swept his free arm out in a welcoming gesture and said: "Welcome to the Balmera; home of the Rebel Alliance!"
There was a moment of silence before both Matt and Shiro burst out laughing at the four, incredulous faces of the paladins staring back at Matt.
"Y-you can't be serious." Hunk stammered, "You're not serious, right? I mean you guys are laughing. Obviously you're not serious."
"Oh, he's serious alright." Shiro answered with a grin, having calmed somewhat.
"No way." Lance said, and looked like he wanted to say more but then they were joined by Leia, who enthusiastically introduced herself.
Both Lance and Hunk looked like they might faint when they heard her name.
Keith didn't seem to be capable of doing much more than just shaking his head in a mixture of bewilderment and awe.
When Matt asked how Team Voltron had known that the Rebels needed help, Pidge excitedly explained that they had picked Matt's signal out a few vargas ago and they had been on their way to find him when they had intercepted the distress signal from the trading moon. So they'd stopped to help. They hadn't been expecting to find anyone already fighting the pirates.
Matt ruffled Pidge's hair and had the biggest proud big brother smile Shiro had ever seen on his face. "That's my Katie."
Pidge grinned and squeezed her brother tighter.
Shiro smiled warmly at them, but then noticed that Allura was sending him her patented "We need to talk." look. He sent a slight nod back in response and quirked an eyebrow, silently asking if it was something that needed to be discussed right now. Her features softened slightly and she shook her head slightly. It could wait for now. Shiro nodded once more. They'd talk about it later.
Shiro could tell from her expression that whatever she wanted to talk to him about would not be good news. But he refused to dwell on what it might be right then.
For now, he was happy. He'd been reunited with his team. With his family. And he wasn't about to let anything ruin it for him.
He watched Keith approach Drozan and ask about the blue alien's sword. Lance and Hunk were already in deep conversation with Leia about something, and Pidge and Matt also deep in conversation with each other.
Shiro had been reunited with his family, yes, but now Shiro realised too that his family had grown.
As he stood there on the glittering hills of a healthy Balmera, with the Castle of Lions standing tall and proud behind him; his lion purring happily in the back of his mind; and surrounded by his ever growing family; Shiro smiled.
