We're Going Home

20

A/N: I've sort of been experimenting with covers and cover art. If you think a certain piece of fan art would make a perfect cover please PM it to me here or on my Instagram account, along with the artist's name so I can give credit. If you make fan art for this fic, PM it to me here or on Instagram and I'll add it into the book as a chapter header. Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

Harder than telling Allura was first accepting the Keith was right. That's why he was so protective of Pidge, because she looked so much like him. And he thought that maybe if he saved her he could save him too.

They would comfort each other, because Pidge knew he hurt. And because Matt would always come home and talk about Shiro and how cute he was, so Pidge always knew, yet she had sworn not to tell.

Shiro, in some ways, had told her too. Not directly, of course, but in his mannerisms. So she knew that his heart ached the same, even if in a different way.

Sometimes they wouldn't say anything. Pidge would just lean her head on his shoulder, and he would wrap a protective arm around her, then they would stare at the wall, and just sit like that while silent tears wrote love letters on their cheeks.

When they did talk, they didn't even say his name. It felt wrong on their lips. The way he left so quickly was like vinegar on their tongues. It was bitter.

"He said he'd come back, at what point do we start looking for him?" Pidge said, breaking the silence.

Shiro shrugged, causing Pidge's head to bob. "I'm sure he's doing great out there."

"I hope so." Pidge closed her eyes.

They felt comfortable around each other, and would sometimes fall asleep sitting that way, and stay asleep until others stumbled across their paths and gently woke them.

Others on the ship tended not to question the bond that the two shared. It was cute and seemed to help them both heal substantially. The more they depended on each other, the less Shiro could feel the presence of the thing that took him over. Of course it was always there, but there was something sort of healing about having to take care of Pidge.

"What happened?" Pidge asked of the bandage around his arm.

Shiro was quiet for another long while, he didn't know whether to tell her. But Pidge was patient, knowing he would answer when he was ready.

"I was tired of hurting people, I just wanted it off me." He said, finally.

"I can understand that." She replied.

Then they were quiet again. But not in any way that was uncomfortable.

"I could fix it, maybe." Pidge commented after a while.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'd just have to peak inside and see exactly how it works and everything then I could basically gut it and change it so that it's my tech, not Galra tech." Pidge thought it over. It would take a little, the technology was immensely complex. They'd probably have to go shopping to get all the materials necessary, but that wouldn't be too hard.

"I'd like that." Shiro's mouth tugged up at the corners.

Instead of getting up to do anything, they just stayed like that, content to not have to do anything for now.

...

Lance slept in Keith's room that night, laying on the floor until Keith insisted he come onto the bed.

They laid there with their legs intertwined, staring at the ceiling. Lance was the first to speak. "So, you don't remember any of it?"

"Bits and pieces come back. But I don't think I could ever feel like I did there." He'd never told a bigger lie in his life. Not the part about the bit and pieces, but rather him never feeling that way again. He already felt that way.

Keith's hands were folded on his chest. Lance was on his side, absently playing with Keith's hair.

Keith liked it, it felt nice.

"It's okay." It wasn't. It very obviously wasn't, but Lance could pretend it was okay because for right now he was next to him and they were close and Lance could pretend everything was like before.

Lance had had an idea for a while, but he had no idea whether it would work or freak Keith out. So he decided it may be better to ask. "I had an idea to help you remember." He told him, his voice low with tiredness.

"Okay?" Keith rolled onto his side, looking up at Lance through his lashes. His lips parted slightly as if readying himself for what Lance was about to say.

"This is dumb, but I had this idea that if we kissed-"

"Nope." Keith cut him off. His heart was pounding in his chest.

"Okay." Lance didn't show disappointment. It wasn't like it would work anyway. "Dumb idea," he muttered.

Keith wanted to tell him that it wasn't that he didn't like Lance. He loved him. Of course he loved him. How could he not? He was funny and beautiful and filled with so much hope even after all the hell he'd seen.

"Goodnight Lance." His voice was small and apologetic.

Lance tugged away and retreated to the other side of the bed. "Goodnight Keith."

...

"Pliers." Pidge held out her hand.

Shiro handed her the pliers and watched intently as she basically rebuilt the inner workings of his arm.

"Screwdriver." She demanded.

He supplied, excited for how this would turn out. He was impatient to get the Galra tech out of his body. He could finally have only his own head space, unoccupied by whoever else was in there.

"Shiro?" Hunk asked, stepping slowly into the room.

Shiro turned around. "Yeah?"

"I have a feeling you may want to see this." He was reluctant to show him, but he had to know at some point.

"Okay? What is it?"

Hunk opened his computer and hit play, explaining each clip as it was played.

This caught Pidge's attention. She stopped in her work and watched them. Once the clips were over Hunk shut his laptop.

"I don't know what it means but..." he shrugged helplessly

Shiro stared at his arm then looked back to Pidge, who'd been working on the new one. It hit him that the way he'd been acting had little to do with his arm, and more to do with this mind. Somehow, DNA-deep, he and Zarkon had combined.

Shiro walked out of the room and started running. He ran all the way to the ship bay and boarded his lion. He then took off with no direction. He was terrified, but he refused to hurt anyone else.

Pidge ran after him but she couldn't keep up. She finally fell to her knees with her hand outstretched. "Don't go, not you too." She whispered as she knelt there holding back tears.