Family We Protect

Step Back and Step Forward

It was later that evening when - inevitable as it had been - Keith's confession from earlier came back up in the privacy of his and Shiro's apparently shared quarters (Keith knew he was in no hurry to leave and Shiro didn't seem to mind).

"I want to see it." Shiro murmured.

It was quiet enough that for a moment Keith thought he'd misheard. When it completely registered he had heard right he looked at Shiro in surprise.

Shiro just met his gaze steadily, "I want to see the scar."

Keith nodded his consent. The normal angle he held his wrist kept it hidden, and even the few people who had noticed and bothered to ask he had passed it off as an accidental injury from his youth (the only people to ever ask had been aliens anyways). He held out his flesh arm, wrist up, and watched Shiro trace the long scar running up his forearm with his gaze. He'd lost the once nearly identical scar in place of his prosthetic.

Hesitantly, Shiro held Kieth's arm in his metal hand and traced it with his flesh hand. "You did this because you thought I wasn't coming back." He said softly.

"No Shiro. Please don't go down there. Please don't blame yourself." Keith practically begged.

Shiro shook his head, looking back up at Keith as his fingers lingered and traced, "I know it's not my fault Keith. But that doesn't make it easier to see the evidence. I-I knew you wouldn't lie about that but..."

"Seeing the scar makes it more real." Keith offered and Shiro nodded agreement.

Shiro gave him a soft look, "You don't have to go through this alone anymore. I'm always going to be here for you Keith. No matter what, through the good and bad."

Keith smiled, "That means a lot Shiro. It's the love that goes through the hardest trials and survives that's worth having." He murmured, catching Shiro off guard at the 'love' part. The older forced himself not to think too much of it though. Keith looked at them as brothers. Right?

Keith stared at Shiro, eyes flicking over the older's face and trying to read his mind, but saw the moment Shiro shut down thinking further on the comment. Keith wasn't sure why he did but he couldn't help the slight pang in his chest.

Shiro ran his fingers over the scar one last time, looking at it, before raising it and pressing a gentle kiss to it, sending a shiver down Keith's spine.

"We're going to be okay Keith." He promised.

Keith smiled and, for what might have been the millionth time, he believed every word Shiro said. Because somewhere deep inside him he knew Shiro wouldn't lie to him like that, knew that they would be okay. That, just like he'd always have Shiro's back, the older would always have his back.

Instead of replying with words he'd never been the best at, he just stared into Shiro's eyes - knowing in his core that the older would see his thoughts in his eyes, would know everything he couldn't put into words.

The soft look of understanding in the older's grey gaze told Keith the message had been received.

Shiro looked back down at the scar, a sudden an unexpected bolt of red hot anger going through his core. It had always annoyed him how Adam was so negative about anything even vaguely Keith related - from the very beginning - but to see that Adam had been so cold to Keith when he had to have known how much Keith was hurting was beyond the normal dislike and he couldn't help but be angry.

Surely they had both been hurting after the declaration of his death (at least he'd like to think his former lover would have been hurting some). He isn't surprised Keith didn't go to him for help but for Adam to isolate him so much that it drove him to do what he di.