the clone lives

[whatsacactus]

[It had taken some doing. Finding out what was going on with Shiro had been a surprise for everyone, but Keith had figured some parts out thanks to the time flashes. He'd seen bits and pieces of the future, just enough to piece a string together and follow it back to the team. Keith hadn't wanted to fight Shiro, but after a moment, it was clear he had to at least protect himself. He'd managed to bring him down for the most part. It hurt his heart to see Shiro like this. He doesn't want to fight him. Not here, not now.]

Shiro.... Please.

Comments

[toebeans]

[ The physical contact is nice. Welcome, even. There's no one in the world that Shiro trusts more than Keith and there's basically nothing that could change his mind. ]

Believe me when I say I don't mean to keep making you chase after me.

[ He appreciates it, even if he doesn't mean for that to continually be the situation, Keith chasing after Shiro in increasingly ridiculous situations. Clones. What if things were normal? They met at the Garrison, or out afterward, maybe. It's a nice thought. ]

I promise I'll tell you if I have to leave again.

[whatsacactus]

Even if you don't mean to, I'd still do it. As many times as I have to.

[He gives a gentle squeeze, not thinking much about the words coming out, just that it feels natural. Like he should say it now.]

I love you.

[toebeans]

I know.

[ It terrifies him, knowing that Keith's dedication knows no bounds and is all the worse for how he feels like he doesn't deserve it when he's still dangerous.

I love you. This time there's no question about it, or what it means, or Keith's intent behind it. Shiro shifts as close as he can with a dog between them and squeezes Keith's hand again. ]

I love you, too.

[whatsacactus]

[Keith's heart skips a beat when Shiro shifts close, and altogether stops when he hears those words.

Shiro loves him too. He swallows hard and watches his face. Carefully, Keith curls his fingers around Shiro's to give it a squeeze.]

It's good to have you back, Shiro. I'm... Not sure where to go from here.

[toebeans]

[ Once, he might have hesitated over even thinking those words. Now, they've nearly died - or have died so many times that he knows avoiding it isn't going to do them any good. He'd go to the ends of the universe for Keith and knows that the sentiment is returned - isn't the last few weeks proof of that?

Gently, Shiro curls his fingers around Keith's in turn and huffs out what under normal circumstances would be a laugh. There's nothing particularly funny about the situation but if he doesn't laugh he's not sure what he will do. ]

We'll figure it out together.

[whatsacactus]

You really want to?

[A large part of him is in awe that Shiro feels even close to what Keith feels. That he'd even want to figure it out surprises him. He thumbs along Shiro's knuckles watching his face.]

We don't have to do anything with this if you don't want.

[toebeans]

I really want to.

[ It shouldn't shock him that Keith seems so surprised by this, but that he even asks makes Shiro ache, hating that Keith's led the kind of life where he doesn't expect that to be returned. He doesn't have a spare hand to touch him, but he squeezes the hand he's holding right now, fitting their fingers together. ]

I know. Trust me, Keith.

[whatsacactus]

[He squeezes the hand back, looking Shiro in the eyes.]

Then we will. However you want. [If Shiro wants or needs time to adjust, Keith is willing to give that to him.] How... long did you know?

[toebeans]

[ However you want.

Shiro's realistic; he knows that doesn't include him leaving if he becomes too much of a liability to the team, but he doesn't mention that, instead opting to shift on the cot, glancing between their held hands and Keith's eyes. ]

Somewhere around the time you broke into a secret government facility to rescue me.

[whatsacactus]

[That gets a smirk from him.]

Yeah, blowing up part of a government facility and knocking out government employees is the way to your heart. Should've done it when you were still on Earth the first time.

[He looks down at their hands, thinking about before Kerberos.] Should've seen me take out Iverson.

[toebeans]

I'm a simple man.

[ It could have been anyone else - it could have been Hunk, Pidge and Lance who found him and rescued him, but he's not entirely certain they would have been successful, not with what they were getting into. Keith always had the potential to be a good leader; that was just one of the many forms of proof. ]

No one holds a grudge like he does. They swapped the normal coffee out for decaf once and I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He kept checking the coffee labels for months afterward.

[whatsacactus]

You're right about that.

[Looking back, he's not proud of how he reacted to Iverson. But he doesn't regret it either, not entirely. He carefully raises Shiro's hand, resting the knuckles against his lips.]

I'd fight a lot more for you if I had to.

[toebeans]

[ Oh. Oh.

It's such a minor, simple thing but the pressure of knuckles against his lips is so sweet that he aches, wondering how in the hell he got so lucky to have someone like Keith even remotely interested in him, especially when he's such a mess. Gently, he presses a kiss against them and then shifts a little closer. ]

Think we've both had our fill of fighting so far. We should figure out where we are, and get you checked out.

[whatsacactus]

[There's a warmth that flashes in his chest at the contact, at Shiro scooting closer. It speaks volumes to the words Shiro gave him moments ago.]

There isn't much that we can do for all this. [Looking down at himself, his injuries, both seen and under the armor.] But we can grab some food from what Hunk managed to grab.

[toebeans]

Sounds like a plan.

[ A plan that's easier in theory but in practice, difficult, because it means getting out of bed and Shiro's whole body aches in protest. They need to do it sooner rather than later, though, so gingerly, he sits up after releasing Keith's hand and rubs tiredly at his face. ]

Anything is fine.

[whatsacactus]

[He nods, offering a hand in case Shiro needs it. He had that little contact and is starved for more. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed Shiro until now.

The dog seems excited to be up and moving around though. She lets out a sound sort of a cross between a howl and an otherworldly whine; just from experience, Keith's taken it to mean she's happy or excited.]

Yep, we're going out, girl. Come on.

[toebeans]

[ Shiro gets his legs over the side and gingerly stands without help, but rather than taking the hand, he slides his arm around Keith's shoulders because he doesn't trust himself to stay upright just yet and his balance is shit with the loss of his arm.

At their side, the dog seems happy to be up, but maybe she just needs let out. He'll defer to Keith on that, which apparently does mean going out so Shiro takes a cautious step forward and does his best not to put too much weight onto Keith. ]

Did the princess and Coran know what sort of alien she is?

[whatsacactus]

No, they hadn't seen anything like her.

[His free hand goes to stroke her fur, the other around Shiro's waist to help keep him steady as they walk to the hatch.]

Pretty sure Hunk's gotten experience fixing better stuff than before. [Before you died, he means. The other Shiro probably remembers it.]

[toebeans]

Mhh.

[ It's a contemplative little noise as he does his best not to put his full weight on Keith while still managing to remember one foot in front of the other. When they get there, he leans heavily against the wall, swallowing back nausea. ]

Honestly, anything will be good.

[ Assuming he can keep it down, but he's hopeful. ]

[whatsacactus]

[Whether he wants to put his weight on Keith or not, Keith's happy to help, even leaning his head against Shiro's while they stumble along. He goes at Shiro's pace, lets him rest against the wall when he needs to.]

Maybe something light...

[God he hopes Hunk thought about that. He gets the hatch open and there's dim light; cloud cover helping with that at least so they won't feel blinded coming out.]

Not this second, but think about what else you need. I'll ask around the others for what they have extra of, all right? Take your time.

[toebeans]

[ The itch rises up again, claws at the inside of his head and he hates knowing that he's considering how easy it would be to take Keith down like this. Not terribly easy but he's weaker, here, supporting Shiro. All it'd take is shifting his weight and then --

No. ]

This is enough.

[ He doesn't want to be babied even if he knows that's not what this is. Shuddering out a breath, Shiro gets down the ramp and takes the nearest seat he can, scrubbing his hand over his face, pressing it against his closed eyes. ]

I can keep myself occupied.