We're Going Home

12

Kids ~MGMT
Soon, the battle had ended, and the paladins were all landing on the castle. They rushed to each other. All except Keith.

A year? No. Not possible, it couldn't have been more than a few hours. He lagged behind the rest and paced the corridors slowly.

Lance stepped into the room and Pidge ran to him, sobbing. She'd actually grown a bit, but so had Lance. Lance was now a bit taller than Shiro. He'd wait to rub that in until later. Hunk joined into the hug and pulled Shiro in. Alurra and Coran were soon also roped in by Hunk.

"We had hoped it was you. Were your comms down?" Shiro asked, arms folded after backing out of the hug.

"Yeah." Lance's cheeks were red and wet with tears. He'd missed them all so much. "Keith's sort of lagging behind. He's really confused right now. He thinks we were only gone a few hours."

Shiro pursed his lips. "The Galra?"

"Yeah." He glanced back. "Ah! and Pidge, there's someone else for you when he's done throwing up."

"A man after my own stomach." Hunk commented with an awkward chuckle.

Pidge knit her brows and tilted her head. "Only you and Keith were gone." It hadn't registered for her that her dad and brother could still be alive. She'd pretty much blocked out any hope of finding any of them. Even Allura couldn't sense the lions.

Lance couldn't hold back a grin now. She had no idea what she was in for, it made it all the better.

Matt walked in slowly and looked up. He searched the crowd for a moment then focused on her, eyes wide. "Katie!" He said with excitement. It'd been years. Last time he'd seen her she'd had long hair, and was much younger. She was so grown up now, with glasses. Why was she wearing glasses?

Pidge's eyes widened with shock. "Matt?" She asked tentatively. She was afraid that she was wrong, that maybe she was just seeing things after all this time he couldn't just be here. Then she was running, tears springing anew in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her brother and all barriers went down.

He embraced her tightly as tears streaked down his own cheeks. His baby sister, he never thought he'd live to see this day.

Shiro smiled at Matt warmly, it was nice to see his fellow crew mate safe, though he didn't want to interrupt the moment. But the smile was wiped from his face the moment he started to walk towards the group. He walked with a slight limp.

No one else had noticed, but it was there.

Shiro knew why.

His attack had only meant to injure him badly enough to make him unfit for the arena, but it seemed it had lasted. Shiro felt a sick feeling in his stomach. He'd done that. Injured him permanently. He clenched his jaw and looked down.

So, it came as a surprise when Matt limped up to him and embraced him tightly. "I missed you buddy."

Shiro hugged him back but he seemed distant. Keith gave Shiro a small smile when he entered the room.

Keith had taken a detour to his room to change into his old clothes. His neck was a blueish purple from being strangled, but other little purple marks were present on his collar bone and neck. Lance had them too. Shiro connected the dots and narrowed his eyes. What exactly had they been doing there?

Matt let go slowly, and immediately, Pidge was bombarding him with questions.

"Where were you?" She asked, inspecting him. "And dad, where's he?"

Matt had started to answer the first question when she hit him with the second one. He sucked in air sharply and looked at her with tears still lingering in his eyes. He just shook his head.

Pidge bit her lip and nodded solemnly. She had Lance, Keith, and Matt. That was a win. For now, she had to greet Keith. She wouldn't cry, not now.

The crew ran to Keith and the hugging continued. In the middle of the hug, a very confused Keith.

He still didn't understand how they could've been gone for a year. It didn't register, nor make any sense. How could he have forgotten an entire year?

Shiro noticed this and told the others to 'give him some space' and that 'he was going to have a talk with him'. Lively conversation ensued between those who stayed behind as Shiro pulled Keith aside.

Keith's absence left Lance trying his hardest to be like he had been before. But what had he been before?

Okay, I Believe You, but my Tommy Gun Don't ~Brand New
"So, you don't remember any of it?" Shiro asked Keith.

Keith was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, standard rebellious son pose. "Not really. I've had a glimpse or two that I didn't really enjoy."

"The marks on your neck, any idea what those are?" Shiro was gentle with his questions, afraid of how Keith could react. He definitely didn't want Keith to storm off.

"Go ask Matt and Lance, they remember the entire damn thing." He pointed his thumb stiffly back towards the others.

Shiro shook his head, so no go on asking about the other marks. "I'm sorry."

"Judging by the marks on Lance and I, I'm guessing something must've happened, and whoever I was before must've enjoyed it." He huffed. "I- well I don't hate Lance, per se, but it's not like I'd ever-" He trailed off. "I don't know. It really seems to be beating him up, you know?"

"Well if you can't actually ever love him like that again... maybe you should let him know now? It'd be better if you didn't leave him hanging on false hope."

Keith took a step forward. "That's the thing though, I keep seeing these... glimpses, and he's changed, you know? Some part of me thinks that maybe it wouldn't be so bad."

Shiro tilted his head. "So what are you going to do?"

He searched the walls, as if somehow they had encrypted in them the perfect answer for whatever was going on. For why these purple blossoms on him felt so warm, and right, but wrong at the same time. Answers for why he couldn't look at Lance without feeling this horrible yet beautiful swelling in his chest. Like maybe whoever Lance was now? Maybe he could love that Lance. And maybe some part of him had loved the old Lance too. "I don't know."