Archive of Our Own ^beta

Addison Wright was not someone that was known to back out of tricky situations. She was quick witted, reliable, and very rarely was she so afraid of things that she had to make a quick exit.

She survived an entire war, helped fight on Earth to bring about the end of the Galra reign, and was brave enough to actually look Shiro in the eye once they finally had a moment together. Which was far more terrifying than Addie realized it would be.

Looking at Shiro and seeing all the parts of her that have changed.. White hair, more scars than Addie wanted to process, missing an arm, then having a new mechanized arm. This was one of the most scary things that Addie had ever done in her entire life, and she got blown up in a fighter jet when the Galra first attacked.

Of course, Addie has her own changes alongside Shiro’s. She used to keep her hair long, styled carefully each day, but now she keeps it in what can best be described as a wolf cut. Easier to manage, harder for her enemies to use her hair as something to grab onto. Which they did on more than one occasion, hence why Addie finally had to make the decision to cut it.

Addie has her own scars to match Shiro’s. There is a one that spreads over the right side of her face from the explosion, there are plenty scattered along her arms and legs, and she has one long scar across her stomach from when one of the Galra sentries' swords cut a deep gash into her. Looking back, Addie is not sure how she survived that war.

But here she is, alive, looking at herself in a full body mirror, wearing one of the most gorgeous dresses she has ever seen.

The original plan, back in the pre-war days, was that the wedding would be more “traditional”. Addie and Shiro would both wear white dresses that their respective family helped pick out, their hair would be done up all pretty, they would both be wearing makeup (at least a light amount, which Addie fought hard to get approved by her parents). Everything would be formal, because that is what they thought they needed to do.

Honestly, Shiro didn’t even really see the point in having an actual wedding back then. They could just go get married, it didn’t need to be this giant event that called a ton of attention to them.

After thinking that the love of your life died, spending years apart, fighting in an intergalactic war, and somehow managing to patch up a relationship that left off the way theirs did.. A wedding was the least they could do to celebrate their marriage. 

Their wedding was being paid for entirely by outside sources, not a single penny was coming out of Addie or Shiro’s pockets. The old versions of themselves would have taken this as a sign to spend as little as possible. They wouldn’t have wanted to inconvenience anyone. 

The new versions of themselves took this to mean they needed to go all out. Open bar, their dream dresses, whichever venue they wanted, the most beautiful decorations, and specialized gifts for everyone in their wedding party. 

The wedding party was also able to get whatever they wanted to wear, as long as it fit the color scheme, with this money. Shiro and Addie were very excited to have an endless supply of money to use however they wanted (they, of course, realistically knew that the money was not an endless supply.. The choice of actually using this money however they wanted was one they came to after several long discussions with each other, their surviving family, and Iverson, who was the one organizing the money for them). 

Addie sometimes still struggles to recognize the woman in the mirror as her. She moves the same way that Addie does, has her hair styled.. But it doesn’t feel like her. The version of her that she knew for so long. Wide eyed, full of hope and longing for a future she thought was written out so clearly in front of her. Addie feels an overwhelming wave of sadness hit her when she thinks about how much she used to love living, how much faith she had that everything would be alright.

It’s not that Addie is unhappy with where she is right now, she knows that this is the best case scenario after all of the shit that she went through. She has her fiance and Keira, for a start. She is alive . 

She is alive.

Gently, Addie places her hand against the mirror, cherishing the cool feel of the glass against her skin. She is okay. Everything is okay.

But if everything is okay, then why does she want to run as far away from this wedding hall as she can?

Addie begins forcing herself to take long, deep breaths. She steps away from the mirror, no longer being able to meet her own eye, and paces the length of the room as she shakes her hands in front of her chest, hoping that the feelings creeping into her bloodstream can be washed away with enough movement.

For years, Addie has been yearning for a day that she might be able to marry Shiro. Her hope that Shiro was still alive, that she was going to come home someday, is one of the only things that got her through the war. And while they did attempt to move slower with everything once they agreed to try again, neither of them had the strength to hold back. 

They spent so much time apart, both of them fearing that the other was dead or that they would never be able to talk things out. Those were Addie’s last words, more or less, and they haunted Shiro the entire time she was in space. Once they were together again, able to hear the other's heartbeat, neither Addie or Shiro wanted to go through the horrific feeling of fearing what the other person felt.

Despite all of this, Addie is still afraid. She is afraid that she will walk out there and that Shiro will have changed her mind. She is afraid that, somehow, there will be yet another tragedy that throws the entire course of their lives off kilter again. Worst of all, Addie is afraid that she will go out there and that the wedding goes perfectly. 

Nothing in Addie’s life has gone over easy since the day Shiro told her that she wanted to go to Kerberos. How can she expect that, somehow, everything will turn out how they planned? And even if it isn’t everything that turns out, it feels like even half is impossible.

Before Addie can continue to spiral, there is a light knock on the door to her room as Lana walks inside. 

“Hi, Addie. How are you feeling?” Lana asks with a soft smile. She walks up to Addie and takes her hands, leading her over to a couch in the room.

“Are you asking a question you know the answer for?” Addie allows Lana to guide her despite her question.

“Mm, possibly. I might have came here to check in on you because someone else is panicking and threatening to jump out the window so she can run away,” Lana says as she tucks a strand of hair behind Addie’s ear, “We haven’t heard anything from you since you asked us to leave the room earlier. Keira and I thought it would be.. a good idea to make sure that you were still in the building.”

Addie laughs quietly and leans onto Lana, “Is Takashi anxious?”

“She has said several times that she might be about to walk down the aisle and either faint or run away. She isn’t sure which one is more likely. Keira is bringing her back down.”

“How is that going?”

“I think she is forgetting the difference between a pep talk and a military speech,” Lana smiles more, “It sounds like Keira is doing drills with Shiro. For a few minutes Keira kept asking ‘ Did you die multiple times but manage to still technically survive a war just to run away from your girlfriend at the aisle? ’ and Shiro had to respond like someone being questioned by, like, a sergeant.”

“Did that… help Takashi?”

“You know, I couldn’t really tell.”

“I don’t understand those two.. I don’t think I ever will,” Addie sighs and looks at Lana, “Do you have a pep talk or a military speech for me?”

“If you are asking if I’m going to make you drop and give me twenty, the answer is no. But if you want.. some kind words, then I can do that.”

“I’d like that,” Addie glances at a clock on the wall and breathes out slowly.

Lana frowns slightly before adjusting a few of Addie’s stray hairs. She grabs both of Addie’s hands and her smile comes back.

“Shiro loves you. You love Shiro. Being scared right now, that’s real. There is a giant crowd of people that are going to watch you and your girl get married, that is terrifying. But Addison, you survived a fucking war against an alien race! You and Shiro were able to make amends after all that time. There is no other way that this was going to go. You are going to go out there and you are going to marry that woman. Just don’t let her catch a whiff of your fear, she might run away if she senses you are afraid, too.”

Addie laughs.

“Keira is doing her best to make sure that Shiro won’t dash. I have to make sure you also won’t.”

“If Takashi and I both run, what happens then?”

“Everyone gets a little angry but then takes advantage of the free bar. I’ve heard you’ve got a great DJ.”

“Right, a great DJ by the name of ‘Mix Master Pidgerton’. I definitely trust that they will run the DJ stand with responsibility,” Addie scoffs, but the smile spreading across her face betrays her attempt to sound upset.

“It’s better than Matt having full control over it. At least Pidge won’t play anything too bad. Probably..”

Addie breathes out slowly then asks, “How much longer?”

“Not much.”

“Do you have a specific number?”

“Nah, Keira told me a time to tell you but I forgot it. It’s chill, Keira will get us when it’s time. We have to get all lined up outside the doors.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve been to a wedding,” Addie says. She starts anxiously tapping her fingers against Lana’s hands.

“Yeah, I think that’s the case for most people. It took a long time to rebuild.. There wasn’t really the time to be planning massive weddings. I think this is the first really big one since before the war. At least in this area.. I’ve seen headlines talking about this shit, Addie! Everyone wants to know about the ex-leader of Voltron and current Captain of the IGF-Atlas. People were placing bets about who would start crying first.”

“In the media? Or in our friend group?”

“Caught me, that one was in our friend group. The other stuff is true, though. This seems to be boosting the public's morale, in a weird way. I’ve seen a few things talking about how helpful it is seeing one of the Paladins of Voltron be able to move on with her life and not let the war keep her down,” Lana adjusts Addie’s earrings to make sure they are resting properly.

“How is that helpful?”

“If Shiro can do it, after everything she has been through, then some people are taking that to mean they can too. Beating the hopeless feeling of knowing things will never be the same as before by remembering that there will be things worth living for in the future, in this new world.”

“Ah. I suppose that makes sense.”

Lana stands up, pulling Addie along with her, “You need to go marry your hot girlfriend or someone else will. She is one of the most eligible bachelorettes in the entire universe! Well, in the sense that she is unmarried. For now! That will be fixed within the hour, I think.”

“You think,” Addie repeats.

“Yep! I’ll go ask Keira. She will know, because she told me the time. I just didn’t pay attention.”

Lana walks to the door, Addie trailing behind her. Just as Lana reaches for the doorknob, the door swings open and Keira is standing outside.

“Lana! I told you to have Addie ready and in the line up by 12:45!”

“Did you?”

“Yes! As you were leaving I said ‘Lana make sure Adds is by the wedding party in the hallway by 12:45 so we can get everyone organized’ and you said ‘yes ma’am!’ then left.”

“Ohhh…”

Keira rolls her eyes and grabs Addie’s hand, pulling her towards the rest of the wedding party. 

Addie is hoping that this will be the only thing that goes wrong today..

—

Addison Shirogane-Wright has never been happier in her entire life. Her chair is as close to Shiro’s as it can be, legs dangling over her wife’s (wife’s!!) own legs. Despite having had nothing to drink, Addie feels absolutely elated, giddy as hell, giggling over every small thing. 

She can tell Shiro feels the same, she has had a smile plastered onto her face since the moment they left the altar. Addie finds it hard to take her eyes off of Shiro, all she wants to do is study the pale orange dress covered in shimmering stars that looks so beautiful on her wife. A dress that, incidentally, nearly matches the lilac one that Addie picked out also with stars. The word ‘soulmates’ is what crossed Addie’s mind when she first saw Shiro begin to walk down the aisle toward her.

The room is noisy, Addie hears scattered laughter and conversations full of life. 

“Thanks for not running away, Takashi,” Addie says as she picks up Shiro’s left hand to admire the wedding ring, “Lana told me you were considering leaving the hall.”

Shiro looks at Addie, blushing slightly, “She told me that what happened in that room stayed in that room..”

“She lied to you, my love. You tried to jump out the window?”

“No, I didn’t try to, I was just considering it. There is a massive difference between those two.”

“Keira said you had a leg out of the window at one point.”

“That doesn’t equal jumping out of the window! Keira wouldn’t let me back to the window after she pulled me back in..”

“Takashi, you are.. so adorable.”

“You didn’t try to jump out a window? This was terrifying! I’ve fought in literal gladiator arenas, but facing you at the altar was more scary to me.”

“That cannot be true.”

“It is!”

Addie is about to respond when, from somewhere in the room, the resonate sound of some sort of metal tapping glass distracts her. Shiro and Addie both glance around the room, trying to find the source.

Lana stands near the middle of the room, a giant grin on her face. She has a glass of what appears to be some sort of champagne in one hand and an empty glass in the other. Keira is holding a spoon, still sitting down. Supposedly starting the toasts is a two woman job now..

“Hii! Oh my god, this is so exciting. Okay, okay, so I was– or am? I am Addie’s.. best man? What..”

Keira whispers something to Lana and her eyes light up.

“I am Addie’s maid of honor! I was kind of weirded out when I found out that Ms. Shirogane was dating Ms. Wright, because I never knew that when we were cadets at the Garrison, it’s whatever. I don’t know how that never came up in conversation over the several years we were in space together, Shiro, but I suppose I will forgive you.”

Shiro laughs quietly and whispers to Addie, “Someone found the free bar..”

“You think?” Addie whispers back, smiling.

“Shiro! You are, like, the coolest person ever. You are so cool. You are a big part of the reason that I am where I am today! Like, if you weren’t the face for the Garrison back when I was bored out of my skull and trying to get away from the school I had been in, then I probably would have stayed there. But you were like.. A woman! Dude, I had never really seen a woman be the face of some kind of science thing, y’know? So when I saw that you were doing it then I was like oh wow! I also can!”

Keira hides her face in her hand, shoulders shaking as she tries to suppress laughter. Addie can tell Shiro is doing the same.

“You are like a real badass, like, a for realsies girl boss. Thanks Shiro for being cool and having a hot wife now! Also thanks for, like, finding Keira and shit, because now I also have a hot wife! Or.. A hot girlfriend.. Hell yeah! Addie, I love you! You are so awesome and you were always my second favorite teacher, because the first one was Shiro, you know how it is. I love my best friends and my hot girlfriend! Wahoo!!” 

Lana fist pumps the air as she does a small hop, wobbling in her heels. Keira helps Lana sit down then leans over to Honey, hopefully telling her to make sure the bartender only serves Lana water for the rest of the night..

Keira looks across the room to Shiro and Addie, raising an eyebrow. Shiro shrugs. Keira visibly sighs then stands up.

“Okay, my turn. I’m Keira, Shiro’s sister who stood by her at the ceremony. Uh, I agree with everything Lana said. She is well-spoken, as per usual.. But I would also like to add more about Addie specifically,” Keira crosses her arms and clears her throat, “Yeah, so.. When I first met you, I was kind of scared of you because I didn’t want anything to fuck up the first sense of family I have had since I was very young. But Shiro told me I had to be nice to you because she really liked you.”

Addie smiles and lays her head on Shiro’s arm. 

“And eventually, I also realized that you were cool. Shiro is like my.. big sister who is super serious and makes sure I am on top of shit, but you were the cool big sister who would sneak me snacks in the middle of the night and lowkey help me cheat on some assignments. I know you have.. worried that our family, the three of us, is less important than before, because there have been so many changes and I got expelled and you felt bad since you also were struggling when Shiro went missing..”

“Lovely subject matter for our wedding,” Shiro says, loud enough for the room to hear her. Keira playfully glares and flips off Shiro.

“Shut up girl kisser. Anyway, I am so glad that the three of us are all together again. I missed my annoying parents. And even if I cringe and say that I hate gay people.. I hope you both know how happy I am that we are all alive, that you two were able to figure everything out. This room is proof that humanity is so much more resilient than we give ourselves credit for. Love is neverending, that is an emotion that we take with us to the grave. And.. I’m happy you two have that.”

Addie looks at Shiro and whispers, “I am too.” 

—

If Addie had to describe how she feels in one word, it would be ‘unsettled’. Realistically, she knows that everything is packed up and ready to be moved. She knows that the moving company is going to be here on time. She knows that everything is going to be perfectly fine.

But she also knows that this is one of the biggest changes she will go through during her entire life. This change has been a long time coming, Addie and Shiro just had to be brave enough to take this final step. They have outgrown their apartment at the Garrison, they know it is time to move.

Yet, there is something so bittersweet about leaving the housing they have been in for the entire time they have been dating. Something painful about watching the apartment go from having so much life to being… bare. The space is no longer theirs, and it feels odd.

Their new house was an amazing upgrade, though that isn’t saying much because their apartment at the Garrison wasn’t that nice. But there is a backyard with a garden and a room with built-in bookshelves and so much space compared to what they’ve been working with. 

If they ever wanted to host someone while at the Garrison, their visitor would have to sleep on their couch or get overnight lodging in one of the guest apartments. And while this is something that normal people do all the time, Addie and Shiro have more friends than they know what to do with and that usually means having more than one person visiting at a time.

Now they have enough guest bedrooms for at least three people, and that’s if no one slept in the same room. 

And their bed is massive! Large enough to comfortably hold both of the quite tall women and several of their friends when they are having movie night. Or, at least, Addie assumes this is the case considering they haven’t actually hosted a movie night yet. But the bed is huge, it will fit everyone, except Kosmo… 

That’s okay, though, because they even got Kosmo a special bed to sleep in! Everyone accounted for!

Keira and Lana told them to relax, take a breather, and that they will take care of the moving. The smaller items can get put away later by Shiro and Addie, but Keira, Lana, and whoever else they managed to wrangle can deal with making sure furniture is in the correct rooms and spots.

All they need to do is show up around 5pm. After that, the house will be theirs until they call upon the help of Keira and her crew.

Addie is rushing Shiro into the car way before the time they actually need to be leaving, but Shiro finds her wife’s enthusiasm so sweet that she can’t argue with her. 

They pull into the driveway of the house at 4:30. Addie kills the engine and looks at Shiro.

“We are a little early,” Addie mumbles.

“Yes, we are. That’s alright, though. We can talk about.. our plans for the house!”

“We need more plants for the windowsills. And I don’t think we have enough books to fill up those bookshelves, so I think we should splurge on books.”

“I like that idea. We should plan what we want to do with the garden. Do we want to plant any trees? There are so many choices..”

“A tree could be cute! We can do research on this later. I am filing this conversation away in a drawer to be remembered someday.”

“I am looking forward to sleeping in a bed that is big enough to fit both of us without issue. It’s hard being tall..”

“It really is. The doorways are pretty high up in this house, so there will be no concern of us hitting our heads on anything. I am so excited to go in there..”

Shiro smiles, “Very soon..”

“Takashi, can I do the cliche thing where I carry you into the house?”

“Seriously?”

Addie nods, “Yeah! It would be fun! Then we can tour the house, make sure everything is in order.”

“I really hope at least our bedroom is in one piece. I want to be able to sleep on that bed. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“The kitchen also, hopefully, will be ready for us. I am looking forward to making our first dinner.”

“Maybe we can start our tour in the kitchen and end in our room? Just to, you know, make sure everything is ready.”

Addie gently pushes Shiro’s shoulder and grins, “Alright, Takashi. If you insist..”