Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

-x-x-

I close my eyes, then I drift away, into the magic night I softly say.

A silent prayer, like dreamers do, then I fall asleep to dream my dreams of you.

-Roy Orbison

Brisk cold air brushed against his skin, leaving the tiny hairs on his arms standing on edge. He shivered and licked his dry, cracked lips.

Immediately, he felt a heavy jacket draped on his shoulders. It had a black wool body with gold bands instead of white, a traditional stand up collar, and white leather set in sleeves. On the jacket's front left side were the letters “VH,” bold and gold to represent their school. It was a size bigger than him but the scent of the owner was strong. He inhaled the scent with a deep breath. The right side of the jacket had the owner’s nickname written in a golden script. He found himself tracing every curve with his fingers.

Anyone in their town could recognize the varsity jacket. Even from a distance, the large white numbers on the back stood out against the black wool. Only one person had the right to wear the numbers “01.”

Only one and he was smiling right at him.

He couldn’t help but to smile back.

The owner chuckled, pulling the jacket closer together to make it cozier for him. “I'm tempted to let you keep it. It looks so good on you.”

“I don’t think it’s possible for the captain of the football varsity team to give his jacket away,” he replied as he slipped his arms through the sleeves and buttoned it up.

He raised an eyebrow, “It’s mine. Why wouldn’t you want it?”

“Well...It stinks.” He pulled the top of the jacket up, covering his mouth. Again he breathed in the scent. It was stronger now.

“Then take it off,” the owner said as he rolled his eyes and sighed.

“No, I like it.” He closed his eyes. “It smells of you, Shiro.”

“I’d rather have it smell like you instead.”

“That’s gross,” he commented with a tiny smile.

“Same thing,” Shiro embraced him from behind, wrapping his arms around his waist. He kissed the back of his head.

He found himself smiling more, eyes still closed as he melted into Shiro’s embrace. The feeling of his body against his gave him more warmth than the jacket ever did. A jacket would only amount to being a symbol of their friendship, but he was hungry for more.

Things like holding hands while dancing through the park next to their school, a picnic in the middle of the football field after practice, or even a date at the annual Altea carnival coming soon.

He longed to be something more than friends, a bond even stronger than being like brothers. He wanted to be his lover; his unconditional partner.

A sudden breeze rushed up against him, causing his hair to flutter and he shielded his eyes. But when he opened them, he found himself alone and the jacket on his body wasn’t the same. Now it was red with white bands and his own name was written in golden script instead of Shiro’s. There was no way he could be dating him, especially when he’s the co-captain of Voltron High’s soccer team, the lifelong rival of anyone who reigns over the football jocks.

And from what he understands, Takashi Shirogane hated his guts.

-x-x-

The beeping sound of his alarm made him open his eyes. He rolled over to turn off the alarm on his phone and checked the time. It was only 6:00 A.M. but he needed to leave early for morning practice before school started at nine.

As he started his morning routine, he slowly recalled the details of his recurring dream. Ever since they returned from winter break, he found himself dreaming of Shiro. They shared all of their classes and even the same lunch break. Their fields were on opposite sides of the school, but the showers were in between. It was tradition for the captains of both teams to hate each other due to football being the more popular sport and cheerleaders while soccer was an international sensation with an older history.

Plus with them sharing showers, it wasn’t odd for a couple of banters to turn into actual fights. Ever since the school was founded, the two teams could never truly get along.

And yet here he was, dreaming of the captain he was supposed to despise. He just had to develop a crush on the upperclassman that’s going to graduate in four months and then leave for a university. 

Chapter Text

-x-x-

“Keith…”

“Mhm...Shiro…”

The sensation of the other’s breath against his left cheek made him sigh. Slowly the person’s lips hovered higher to whisper in his ear, “You’re going to be late for school.”

Keith opened his eyes, seeing only the white ceiling of his room and an empty spot beside him. This time he sighed for real. Once again he dreamt about Shiro, this time it left an empty pit in his stomach as the left side of his face felt colder than his right.

When he rolled over to check his phone, the charging light was still red for it was only 4:00 A.M. He woke up 2 hours earlier than usual. It seemed that as each day passes, his dreams become more domestic and his sleep lessens. Great.

Still, falling back to sleep would only cause him to dream again or lie awake until his alarm disturbs his analysis of why he keeps thinking of his rival. Instead, Keith found it much more productive to take a hot shower to wake up his senses. He could muse all he wanted but it won’t help him at all.

Thankfully, Keith could easily maneuver around the school in order to avoid Shiro. He got Pidge, his best friend and manager of the soccer team to do some digging and they easily found out Shiro’s entire schedule. In order to receive the details, Keith had to tell them why. Even if he didn’t fess up the info up front, he knew Pidge would have figured it out eventually.

In fact, they already knew.

Now all Keith had to do was follow Pidge’s specific instructions and as long as Shiro didn’t change his habits on a whim, Keith should be butterfly free.

As Keith slowly got ready, he mentally prepared for the day to come since his entire plan would need to be adjusted for today. After all, tomorrow was the day of the carnival and he needed to decide what to do about his job at the kissing booth… right across from Shiro.

-x-x-

“Alright, everyone,” Keith stood in the back of the clubroom next to blank white erase boards and his co-captain Lance. He glared at the team, the lack of sleep slowly getting to him. “Tomorrow is the annual Altea carnival and our time to beat the football team.”

Most of them rejoiced, except for Pidge and Lance whom squinted at their fiery captain. Lance cleared his throat to calm them down, “Everyone has a job to do today. I’m going to be manning the dunk tank while Pidge works at the sharpshooting range. And Keith--,”

They all looked at Keith whom looked as if his soul was ejecting from his body as he faced the whiteboard.

“—has to compete with the football captain in the traditional kissing booth bet.”

“…Hey, Lance?” Pidge glanced over the clipboard in their hands and glanced at Keith with concern. “Since you’re the captain too, can’t you just replace Keith?”

Lance glanced at Keith who was now pressing his head against the whiteboard, softly banging it. He then pulled Pidge to the side, his arm across their shoulder in order to whisper in their ear. “Of course, but he always forgets that we are. Plus, he either tries to fight or run away from Shiro and I want to see what happens.”

“Oh so you noticed,” they said as Lance gave them a “duh” look. “Make sure to get as many pics as you can, okay?”

Lance touched his right hand’s pointer finger and thumb together, “Okay.”

“Oh right, Lance?” Pidge asked. “What’s the kissing booth bet?”

“Ah, right I forgot to explain. Well, the kissing booth is the booth in the carnival where a person sits at a table and people give tickets to kiss them for about 3 seconds.” Lance said matter of factly. “Because of the long standing rivalry between the captains of the football and soccer teams, it makes sense that it would be applied to any events we share. In an older generation the two captains replaced the mainly women role of the booth in order to see who was more popular. Last year the football team won since Shiro was elected the captain as a junior. Now it’s our turn. Plus, we get to kiss as many people as we want. It’s a win-win situation in my opinion.”

Ever since the two sports were played at Voltron High, they hated each other. Many countries in the world call soccer “football” and it still irritate them that the sport in America means throwing a football. What irritated them more was how thanks to the build of the football team, they tended to be more popular and it frustrated them all. Despite the captains of the teams being “Paladins of Voltron,” the black paladin of the football team was the most recognizable. They all wore varsity jackets with their corresponding color. Shiro uses black while Keith is red, Lance is blue, Hunk (vice-captain of football team) is yellow, and since Pidge is an important member (and Keith’s best friend) they use green.

“I don’t really see it as a win-win, but...I do enjoy seeing Keith all riled up,” Pidge admitted.

“Me too, Pidge,” Lance sighed, “Me too.”

-x-x-

“Keith.”

“Shiro…”

“Keith!”

Keith opened his eyes with a jolt, feeling as if he was kicked in the shin. As he wiped the sleep from his eyes and yawned, he remembered he was eating in the school cafeteria with Pidge and Lance whom were sitting across from him. The pain in his shin settled in and he glared at his 15 year old best friend and co-captain. “Couldn’t be gentle?”

Pidge rolled their eyes, “I said your name multiple times and you wouldn’t get up despite mumbling in your sleep; it’s your fault not mine.”

“...What did I even say?” Keith asked and yawned once more, tears falling from his eyes as he stretched his tired body.

Pidge grinned, “Not telling.”

“Pidge—,”

Another student walked into his arms at that exact moment and stumbled back. He glared at Keith, “Dude, what the hell?”

“Ah, my bad,” Keith apologized, but the dude didn’t move on.

“Oh, you’re that guy,” he said with disdain as he finally noticed the red varsity jacket with the school’s lion mascot on the back. “Next time watch what you’re doing.”

Keith raised an eyebrow, “Whatever, man.”

Before the guy could continue further, they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. He turned around and basically shrunk as he saw someone with short black undercut with a white forelock. The gold bands of his black jacket stood out, the only one out of the five that had the color. He stood with his arms crossed and his face stern. The guy gulped, “Captain…”

Shiro stared at the guy for a few seconds, making his teammate sweat. “What’s going on here?”

“Just this guy was stretching and he almost knocked my food—,”

“Guy?” Shiro asked before he glanced over his shoulder and let his subordinate slip away before anything started. People in the cafeteria stopped as they watched two of the school’s paladins have a stare off. Their cell phones were already in their hands. They weren’t going to miss the chance for another fight between the two. “Oh, it’s rare to see you here, Kogane.”

“I like to eat after all, Shirogane,” Keith replied and added, “Or else I’d die.”

The corners of Shiro’s mouth lifted as he leaned forward, his hand flat on the cafeteria table. He was only inches away from Keith’s left cheek now and with full eye contact he said, “I’d like it if you died.”

The entire cafeteria gasped, Lance was absolutely losing it until Keith stood up and stepped away from the bench. Pidge and Lance looked at each other and quickly got up from their seats and walked around the table before Keith did something stupid.

Too late.

Keith slapped Shiro across the face before he could say another word. They stared at each other for a few seconds, not processing what happened until they heard Coran, their Vice Principal call both of their names.

“Shiro and Keith! Come to the Principal’s office right this instant!”

As the two dragged their feet to the office, keeping a distance from each other, the cafeteria quietly waited. When the three were out of sight, the room erupted in gossip and tried to explain what just happened.

Pidge sighed and looked at Lance for reassurance. Yet Lance was looking at where the two had stood. A large guy with a yellow varsity jacket with black bands and the guy who started everything walked towards them.

“Sorry guys, this kid is a first year and heard all about the rivalry between the teams. They’re not supposed to talk about it but they do it whenever Shiro isn’t around,” Hunk said. He made the freshman apologize before letting him run away again. “So, what happened this time?”

Lance stretched is back and frowned. “Shiro told Keith to die, basically.”

Hunk shook his head, “Why are they like this?”

“I have no idea,” Lance replied.

“Hmm,” Pidge scratched their chin before smiling slyly. “Guys, I think I might have a plan.”

Lance smirked, “Oh? Do tell, Pidge.”

-x-x-

Keith and Shiro sat in the chairs in front of the principal’s desk. Their backs were straight and their bodies rigid, but their faces were aloof. They avoided each other’s gaze as Principal Allura sat back in her big black office chair, left leg resting on the other.

She uncrossed her arms and placed her hands, clasped, on the desk. She sighed, “Why is it that whenever you two are involved something happens?”

Shiro started to talk, but Allura wasn’t finished.

“You two are excellent, bright students and the ones representing our school in team sports. Is it because of that idiotic rivalry your upperclassmen gossiped about? You two are the only ones that still call their ‘rival’ by their last name too. If this happens again I’m going to have to suspend you and make you do detention,” she said.

Keith was the one to speak this time, “Don’t worry, Ms. Principal, we won’t fight again.”

Allura smiled, “Good. I’d hate to suspend your team activities especially since tomorrow is the Altea Carnival and a lot of people are looking forward to it. You two can go now and please make sure to behave.”

Keith nodded and stood, “Thank you for your time.”

Shiro stood and repeated the same words and turned to go to Keith and apologize, but Allura cleared her throat. “Yes, Ms. Principal?”

Allura smiled even more than before, “I’d like it if you died, hmm?”

“How…?” Shiro asked.

“Everyone posted videos to the school website. I’m going to have it all be taken down so don’t worry, but you need to be careful about what you say. Keith Kogane is quite hot headed around you,” she said.

Shiro rubbed his cheek that Keith slapped, “Don’t I know it.”

“Good luck.”

“Thank you,” Shiro walked out of her office and towards his next class. When he walked a few feet away, he noticed Keith leaning against the wall next to a water fountain.

“Shirogane,” Keith said once he heard Shiro’s footsteps. He almost walked towards him, but hesitated, remembering to keep a distance. “I’m, uh, sorry about your face.”

“Don’t worry, I’m used to it,” Shiro replied instinctively.

Keith bit his lip, remembering the first time he hit Shiro, although that time was truly an accident. It was actually very similar to this time though, oddly. “Sorry about that time too….”

“Hey, Kogane…?” Shiro asked as the silence became too deafening.

“Yeah…?” Keith asked.

“I hope you don’t do the kissing booth challenge tomorrow,” he said. This time he was the one that walked away before the other could say a word.

When Shiro was completely gone, Keith decided to drink from the water fountain to calm down. “That guy...he definitely thinks I won’t win. Well then...challenge accepted, Shiro.”

For the rest of the day, Keith fumed about his argument with Shiro. He was quite heated from the challenge and only when he was lying down, trying to sleep did he finally process what happened. He came to the conclusion that Shiro really does hate his guts.

-x-x-

That night, Keith didn’t dream at all. Perhaps it was his mind’s way of pitying him.

As his alarm began to ring, he sat on the edge of his bed. His stomach was doing flips and he just knew today wasn’t going to go well. But he willed his feet to move because he wasn’t going to let some silly crush stop him from winning the most tickets today.

After all, the team that wins would get to donate their profit to the charity of their choice. He wanted nothing more than to donate to the Boys and Girls Club he was a member of when he was kid. It was where he learned soccer and he wouldn’t be the same person today without them.

When Keith arrived to the Carnival, there was still 30 minutes until people would be let in. The first person to greet him was Pidge and the Principal whom were standing inside the gates.

“Hey, Keith,” Pidge greeted him.

“Hey,” Keith smiled. “Hello, Ms. Principal.”

“Hello, Mr. Kogane,” she replied. “You can just head to the kissing booth; Mr. Shirogane is there already.”

“Yay…” Keith said unenthusiastically and trudged towards the booth.

Most of the colorful tents were already set up and vendors were preparing to sell carnival food like funnel cakes and hot dogs. There were cut out standees for people to take pictures with, a few game booths, a petting zoo for the kids, and even a clown ready to make balloon animals. There were also rides ranging from a carousel, spinning teacups, the kind that drop you from tall heights, the chair ride, and even some roller coasters. The only ride he was kind of eager for wasn’t really a ride, but he planned on going in the Ferris Wheel around sunset so he could see the beautiful clouds glow with different colors. All in all, this was the biggest carnival in the area and people from other towns would come here every year too.

When the huge booth came into view, Keith groaned. There was an abundance of hearts and kissy lips on every square inch of the sign. Rather than a booth, it was more like a theater. On the stage, there were four chairs. Two of them were on the left facing each other and the other two were on the right. Lance, Hunk, and Shiro were all on one side, chatting away. Keith wiped his hands on the back of his jeans before they noticed his presence.

“Keith!” Hunk was the first to greet him, giving him a big hug after he walked up the ramp to the stage, “How you feeling?”

Keith shrugged and smiled, “Not half bad.”

“That’s pretty good then,” Hunk smiled.

Shiro and Lance looked at the two chatting and then looked at each other.

“Guess he only hates you, huh?” Lance jokingly said.

Shiro squinted at him and Lance immediately looked away, whistling.

Eventually it was time for the carnival to open and Lance and Hunk had to leave for their respective games. Only 10 minutes in and people were already lining up at the numerous rides. It was awkward as the two avoided eye contact while waiting for customers to come.

“So, uh…” Keith was the first to break the silence as people finally made their way towards their side of the carnival. “Does your face hurt?”

Shiro shook his head, a wry smile on his lips. “The pain already faded away.”

Keith exhaled slowly, “I’m glad.”

Once customers recognized who were at the kissing booth, people practically flocked to them. The two sat on the outside chairs while their guests sat on the inside, making it easier for them to get up and leave. The line for Shiro was slightly longer than for Keith.

While the customers waited behind the chain in front of the ramp, Shiro waved to Keith and smiled. “Good luck, Kogane.”

Keith’s mouth opened and closed, he was too surprised and none of his words wanted to come out. He didn’t understand why Shiro was being so nice right now. In the past, the captains at the kissing booth would never speak and if they did, there was always bickering. Yet Shiro just wished him luck. Maybe watching him kiss someone else wouldn’t be as bad. Just as both of their customers came to sit down, Keith smiled at Shiro from across the stage. “Thanks, Shiro.”

His customer sat down in front of him with a smile, but Shiro’s eyes were focused on Keith. His eyes widened as he watched Keith greet the girl sitting in front of him.

Keith glanced at Shiro, their eyes meeting for just a second. He mustered a tiny smile, his eyes slightly wet before he closed them and leaned forward, the girl immediately doing the same.

Suddenly, Shiro stood up.

“Shiro, what are you—?” Keith stopped only centimeters from the girl’s lips as Shiro walked towards him, the floorboards creaking from his heavy steps.

Shiro grabbed Keith’s wrist and yanked him away from the girl. Without looking at either of the girls who sat waiting for their kiss, Shiro walked down the exit ramp with a confused Keith in tow.

Hunk and Lance, whom were supposed to be manning their own booths, were really just watching at the spot where the line started. They fist bumped and grinned at each other once Shiro ran away with Keith. They quickly took Shiro and Keith’s place and tried to calm down the people who were waiting. Some of the people in the line left, but a lot remained. The line was always diverse; they weren’t discriminatory towards who’d want a kiss from them.

-x-x-

“Shirogane…? What are you doing?” Keith asked as carnival goers were looking at them. He tugged the opposite way, trying to pull Shiro’s hand off of his wrist. “Shiro, let go of me!”

Shiro stopped next to the dunk tank that Lance was supposed to be in charge of. He let go of his wrist, “I’m sorry.”

Keith huffed and massaged it since Shiro’s grip was strong, “Why did you do that? Was it payback for the slap?”

“That’s not!” Shiro looked at Keith’s hand, his wrist was slightly pink. He looked down. “It’s just that…That was the first time you ever called me ‘Shiro’…”

“Sorry, I was distracted…it won’t happen again,” Keith confessed.

Shiro shook his head, “I…liked it.”

Keith’s eyes widened and Shiro’s mouth twitched.

“I mean that, uh, well…” Shiro stammered. “We don’t have to follow that old tradition anyway…Keith.”

Keith turned away, his lips folded inward as if he bit a sour lemon. He tried not to smile as all he wanted to do was collapse on the ground, tucking in his knees to stop himself from screaming. He took a deep breath, controlling himself, “Alright…if you say so, Shiro.”

Shiro closed his eyes and when he opened them he smiled brighter than Keith ever saw before. He blinked, blinded by his beauty. “Well, what do you want to do now? Lance and Hunk must have taken our spots by now.”

“Ah,” Keith completely forgot about the booth but noticed the empty dunk tank behind Shiro. “I guess one of us has to replace Lance then. I’ll do it.”

Before Keith could try to get into the dunk tank, one of the soccer players came to tell him that he was the substitute for Lance. He looked between the two of them and leaned towards Keith to whisper at him. “Are you two friends now?”

Keith looked at Shiro whom just smiled at him and he nodded. It wasn’t even lunch time yet and today was already looking great. “I guess we are.”

The two walked away before the member got into the dunk tank, not sure where to go.

“How about we get something to eat…Maybe a funnel cake?” Shiro suggested.

At first Keith was going to question why there was a ‘we’ in that sentence, but he decided to just go along with it and enjoy this closeness while it lasts. He nodded, “Sure.”

The two went around the carnival, eating any food that called out to them with the delicious scents. Not once did they leave each other’s sides except to use the bathroom. Yet even when Keith came out, expecting Shiro to have left him alone, he stood next to a tent across from the restrooms and waved him over while still holding the large cotton candy on a stick in his hand. Today was the best day ever.

“Oh, look!” Keith pointed at a robotic black lion. “It looks like the one on your jacket!”

Shiro grinned, “There’s a red one too.”

When the two looked at all the stuffed animals, they realized that they were all lions. They had red, black, green, blue, and yellow lions. When they looked at the sign, it said “Voltron High Paladins” and the two looked amused.

“Guess we’re mascots now?” Shiro laughed.

There were two toy guns on the counter and someone popped up from below the counter. “Would you two like to play?”

“Pidge!” Keith exclaimed. They looked at him and wiggled their eyebrows and Keith’s face warmed up. “Shut up.”

“Hmm,” Shiro looked at them, clearly not understanding what was going on. “Well?”

Keith gave Pidge the ticket and grabbed the toy gun. He grinned, “You’re on.”

Shiro grinned and gave Pidge his ticket. They both aimed for the bottles towards the back of the booth and shot them in one go.

Pidge grabbed a black and a red lion and handed them to their respective owners. “Here you go, Keith, Shiro.”

Keith won the small red lion while Shiro won the big black one. Keith only got two bottles while Shiro hit all three. He was slightly disappointed that his aim sucks in comparison.

Seeing how Keith frowned, Shiro took the red lion from him and replaced it with the black one. “I was going to give you mine anyway, but I’ll keep this one in return, okay?”

Keith looked at him and then at the black lion. It reminded him so much of Shiro that he beamed and hugged it, forgetting that the guy himself was standing in front of him.

Pidge quietly took pictures of Keith and Shiro holding the other’s lion in different perspectives and lighting.

“So…where do you want to go next?” Shiro smiled, rubbing the back of his head. “It’s almost time for the sun to go down.”

“Can we go on the ferris wheel?” Keith asked, his voice full of hope. He would try to get more lions but he was sure they’d get in trouble by Pidge or someone else.

Shiro covered his smile as Shiro looked at him with bright, twinkling eyes. “Anything you want, Keith.”

He could barely keep up as Keith was the one that held his wrist this time and he didn’t look like he minded it one bit.

-x-x-

Chapter Text

-x-x-

As the sun began to lower, the line for the Ferris wheel grew longer. People who stood in line were paired up, standing close to each other and often hugging or holding hands. Sundown was the perfect time for couples to ride the Ferris wheel since the sky would be an array of colors.

Keith and Shiro waited patiently in the crowd full of public displays of affection for their turn on the slow ride. They were both still holding the stuffed lions and Keith watched as Shiro kept playing with the red lion’s ears every time the people in front of them would touch each other. He tilted his head and looked at him, “You okay, Shiro?”

“Me?” Shiro looked at Keith, making the lion look at him too and smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you okay though, Keith?”

Keith nodded and used both of his arms to hold the black lion in front of him, hugging it tightly. He finally took a good look around them and noticed that there were a lot of people matched up. It took a couple of seconds for him to realize that the Ferris wheel was a romantic ride. He got too excited when he noticed the time and wanted to share the sunset with Shiro. “Ah…I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable.”

Shiro pursed his lips, “Why do you say that?”

Keith gestured at the people around them using the black lion, majority of them were lovey dovey at the moment.

“I don’t mind,” he assured him.

“Hm,” Keith nodded, his arms tightening around the stuffed animal.

Shiro pushed the white part of his hair back with his right hand and chuckled. “It will be the first time for me.”

“First time for what…?” Keith immediately asked. “Wait…It’s your first time on a Ferris wheel?”

“Yeah,” Shiro confessed. “I’ve never gotten the chance to ride one. I guess I was waiting for a special moment.”

Keith licked his lips, feeling parched. The black lion felt heavier in his arms, but he tried to hold it with his right arm anyways as the left rested. Shiro must have been waiting to go on it with someone he loves. Maybe he even planned on going on a date with someone else one day. “We can leave—,”

With a smile full of warmth, Shiro shook his head. His right arm was on his side now as well and Keith couldn’t help but notice that their hands were really close to touching. It was almost too much for him. “I only want to ride the Ferris wheel with you, Keith.”

Keith’s face heated up and he instinctively lifted the black lion up with both hands to cover his face. “Thanks.”

Shiro rubbed the back of his head and turned to the left side.

The two waited in silence for a couple of minutes before they got to the front of the line. They gave the man their tickets and went into the same cabin. On the outside, the cabin was round and had a flat bottom. It was difficult to see the color of it, but it was a dark blue hue. The sides were curved windows, making it easier to see outside. There were two seats, one on each side of the cabin. Keith stepped in first and sit down, placing his lion on his lap.

Instantly, Shiro sat beside him and Keith jumped up slightly, shaking the cabin. “Sorry, I’ll move.”

“No.” Rather than have him move, Keith grabbed both of their lions and placed them on the other seat, facing the window so they could look outside too. “I was just a bit surprised.”

As the Ferris wheel climbed up, they were close to the top. There wasn’t much to see yet since the sun sets on the other side. Keith sat facing the window, his legs tucked underneath him. He gazed outside, pointing at all the nearby buildings and the carnival booths excitedly. He would look at Shiro, whom only smiled back at him in return. There was no need for them to start a conversation; all they needed to do was enjoy the situation.

When they arrived to the highest point of the Ferris wheel, Keith quickly moved to the other side and handed the lions to Shiro. They arrived just in time; the sun was inching towards the horizon and would be below it by the time they got to the ground.

While Keith gushed over the sights, Shiro slowly took out his phone and showed it to him. “Is it okay to take pictures?” He asked.

Keith looked at him and nodded, “Only if you send them to Pidge too.”

Shiro smiled and nodded, taking pictures of Keith posing. He actually smiled in them and Shiro took tons of photos, although Keith didn’t know the actual amount. The two took some together and while Shiro wasn’t looking, Keith took pictures of him on his phone as well.

All of the images were beautiful, the colors of the sky shone on their faces. The shadows changed and each image was different as the sun quickly fell and they couldn’t see it anymore. Their faces in the photos reflected the pink and orange hues of the last rays from the sun. It wasn’t long before the sky completely darkened, the scenery behind them was already night.

Slowly, the two turned away from the finished show and felt the silence grow. Shiro was the first to break it. “I’m really glad I got to ride the Ferris wheel with you, Keith. If you didn’t bring me, I wouldn’t have gotten to ride it at all. This...is probably my last time at this carnival for a long time.”

Keith faced Shiro whose eyes were full of an emotion he couldn’t quite understand. He looked happy, but at the same time he could tell he wasn’t satisfied. Shiro was clearly talking about his graduation. Keith didn’t know where exactly Shiro planned to study for university, but with his resume, it could be anywhere. Feeling sad, he looked down at the lions that sat on Shiro’s lap. He could barely see the front of the black varsity jacket he wore. Keith glanced at the now cleared sky outside the window and he smiled softly. “…One last time.”

“Huh?” Shiro asked, his eyes widening as Keith looked back at him, his eyes wet.

“Let’s ride it again, one last time.”

Shiro smiled at Keith and the two sat quietly in the cabin, going around the wheel once more. It was a comforting silence and the two felt closer than they ever did before.

-x-x-

That night when Keith finally went to bed, he slept with the black lion tucked in beside him. The scent on it reminded him of Shiro and he held it close to him even as he dreamt. Instead of a silent rest or dreams of possibilities, Keith dreamt about what became true. He was now friends with the enemy and he fell for him even more.

Chapter Text

This year, Valentine's Day falls on a Tuesday. It's only a week away and what happened at the carnival still weighed on Keith's mind. It will be Shiro’s last Valentine's Day with him.

Despite never telling Shiro he likes him, Keith had a strong urge to celebrate the event with him. Never in his life did he celebrate the day for romance, but he wanted to show initiative for once.

He wouldn't do anything too obvious; no big stuffed animal or a quiet stargazing date. Something like giving him chocolates can just be a friendly gesture. It's not weird. High school students do it all the time.

Plus, he already enlisted Hunk for help. Hunk was so ecstatic that Keith felt his back give out from the embrace.

During Home Ec. Hunk would use their free time to plan what to make. One of Keith and Shiro’s mutual interests is their love for space. Astronomy 101 was actually Voltron High's first dual credit course offered by the local community college. He knew they would begin the course after the return from Winter break, but it didn’t start until Wednesday after the Carnival. The class is on Wednesday and Friday during their last period so he was shocked to see the students who were allowed to enroll. The two of them along with Hunk and Lance take the class. Pidge would too if they weren't a sophomore. Juniors take up most of the class, but Shiro got to be one of the few seniors in there.

Thankfully, the class focuses on the concepts of the universe rather than the mathematic elements. They learn about topics like how the planets orbit around the sun. They learned about things like the different classifications of suns and what black holes are. There's a lot of studying required, but it's an enjoyable class that he gets to see Shiro every day in.

On the first day of class, he was quite excited and ran down campus in order to get to his astronomy class. He was one of the first few there despite other students being in the same building. The classroom had 20 desks; 5 columns and 4 rows. He decided to sit in the first column of the 3rd row.

While he unpacked the required materials, he didn't notice the person who stood beside his desk, facing the other way as they unpacked. He had a habit of ignoring people by not looking at their face. It wasn't until the person crouched down next to his desk did he recognize the familiar tuff of white hair did he react. He jumped slightly because out of all the free desks, Shiro chose the one on the right of his.

Keith inhaled deeply and exhaled a shaky breath. "S-Shiro, what are you doing here?"

Shiro took out a galaxy themed spiral notebook from his backpack and a pencil case with the school's mascot on it. He smirked as if it wasn't already obvious, "There's no way I'm missing an astronomy class. I'm surprised to see you here, Keith."

"I really enjoy space related things," Keith admitted.

"In that case maybe we should pair up for weekly study sessions together," Shiro suggested. "Alone."

If Keith had been drinking water he would've spit it out, "That...sounds like a good idea."

"It's a date then," Shiro said right before their astronomy professor came in and welcomed them to the semester long course.

-x-x-

Now that they shared a class and weren't enemies anymore, Keith hoped they were friends now. He didn't care about being more than that. But he felt they were still only acquaintances.

"So, let me get this straight," Hunk started as the two planned the first attempt at the V-Day chocolates the next day in Home Economics. "Not that you are."

"What?" Keith squinted at Hunk whom just continued like normal. "I hate that I can't argue. I love to argue."

Hunk snickered, "That's common knowledge. Everyone in the school knows that, Keith."

Keith clicked his tongue, "I really want to do something planet themed."

"Galaxy stuff are definitely popular right now so not a bad choice," Hunk said. He took out his phone to look at YouTube videos for recipes. "We could do a mirror cake."

"Hmm, I want something more normal. A mirror cake seems too much."

"What's not great about a cake? I'm surprised you even know what a mirror cake is."

"Shut up, Hunk."

Hunk continued browsing, "Maybe galaxy and planet cake pops? It's round and looks more like chocolates you would receive."

Keith looked at Hunk's phone and his face brightened, "That's perfect! Thank you, Hunk!"

Hunk grinned and pulled up his sleeves, "We're going to make the best cake pops for you and Shiro’s date."

"It's not a date!" Keith shot back.

The two of them shrunk when they realized everyone's eyes were on them. They ultimately decided to do the cake pop test at Hunk's home since his dad is a chef and his mom is a baker. Both are professionals. They'd have more of the materials than Keith's place.

It wasn't difficult to follow the recipe since the YouTube channel made it easy to follow. But since it was his gift, Keith wanted to paint the cake pops himself using the candy melts. Whenever the lady brought up Uranus, he was glad that Hunk was the cooking expert and not Lance or Pidge. Pidge's still upset over Pluto after all.

On Valentine's Day, Keith was nervous. He made sure they would have a study session over the homework assignment so he could share the galaxy with him.

The Home Ec. teacher is so kind that he would teach everyone how to make simple chocolates but they were allowed to do their own projects. Keith decided to do all of the steps on his own while Hunk taught other people how to make different cake pops (not teaching them how to make the galaxy ones since it's Keith's special day.)

For the entire period, Keith worked diligently and it turned out to be the best batch so far. He was really excited to give them to Shiro after school.

The rest of the day went quickly. Even through all of the usually obnoxious heart shaped balloons and the red, white, and pink color schemes, he was happy. He was almost happy enough to prance around.

Pidge, Hunk, and Lance all sighed as Keith continuously smiled to himself during lunch time.

"He's literally the moon orbiting Earth," Pidge said in between bites of a sandwich. "It's gross. Imagine how they'd be if they started dating."

Lance made exclaimed in disgust.

Hunk chuckled, "If only."

Both Pidge and Lance looked at him and Hunk smiled. "What? I love love."

Once Keith finished his food, he said his goodbyes and quickly went to his next class. He wanted to finish school as fast as possible to spend his time with Shiro.

When the last class finally ended, Keith gathered his things with haste. Before other students could start leaving, Shiro was already outside the door next to the wall. He was out of Keith's sight, but he knew he was there.

Everyone that turned around the corner was surprised. Many gushed at the sight of the hot captain.

"Hey, Shiro," Keith smiled at him after the room cleared enough for Shiro to step inside, "Ready to study?

"Mhm."

"Can we make a stop first?" He asked.

The two headed towards the Home Ec. room talking about the homework. They already completed a test before and next month would be their mid-term. Keith was slightly more nervous than Shiro, but he was comforted by Shiro telling him that "Patience yields focus." He started to calm down instantly.

"So what do you have to show me?" Shiro asked as Keith told him to close his eyes as he grabbed the treat.

Keith smiler as he placed the galaxy themed Styrofoam with the cake pops pushed in. He placed them in front of Shiro on top of the desk. "Okay, you can look."

Just as Shiro opened his eyes, Keith took a picture with his phone. The two decided that just between them, they could take pictures at any time without asking (as long as it was something they would feel no shame showing Pidge.)

"Keith this is..." Shiro trailed off, looking at the pops from different angles. He stared at them for a long time and closed his eyes, forming a fist with his right hand next to his stomach. He looked like he could be tearing but Keith glossed over it.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Shiro."

"Did you do this yourself?" He asked. "They're too beautiful to eat, Keith."

"I did this batch by myself but Hunk helped me a lot."

"I need to let Hunk off running drills for a month."

"Huh?" Keith asked.

Shiro shook his head, "Nothing nothing. Did you take any pictures of it?"

"Not many," Keith said.

Shiro took Keith's phone and took a bunch of pictures from different angles (not noticing that all the pictures from before were only him) and also had Keith pose with his creation. Lastly, the two took a selfie and Keith sent it to all of the Paladins.

As the two dug in and studied, they couldn't stop smiling. When they finished, the two cleaned up and Shiro decided to keep the Styrofoam and put it in his bag.

Now, the two faced each other, ready to part ways. Shiro pointed to Keith's lips and chuckled, "You've got some cake on you."

"Oh?" Keith tried to get it off but it wouldn't.

"Here," Shiro wiped it off with his thumb and smiled. "There."

"T-Thanks, Shiro."

Shiro shook his head. "I should be thanking you for the Valentine's Day gift, Keith. About that...."

Keith grinned and pushed up his back pack strap on his right shoulder. "I just really wanted to thank you for everything. I'm really content now that we're friends."

Shiro looked down, fixing his own bag strap. "I see. I'm really glad we're friends too, Keith."

The two stood awkwardly until Shiro look surprised and took his phone out of his pants' pocket. "Ah, I'm sorry, Keith but I really have to go."

"Okay," Keith barely whispered before Shiro turned and walked away. He waved him goodbye until his figure was out of sight.

Did he do something wrong?

-x-x-

Chapter Text

In the middle of the night, Keith laid awake in his room. He tossed and turned on the bed, kicking the sheets off despite the cold air. Ever since Valentine’s Day Shiro has avoided him. Anyone he tries to talk to would dismiss his claims, saying that he greets him whenever their eyes meet and that during astronomy Shiro would talk to him as much as he talks to other classmates. But none of it made him feel better because more than a month has already passed.

Now his dreams started again. Instead of blissful dreams from an unrequited love, Keith was stuck dreaming of their end.

As he laid awake, the space in front of his eyes became darker as his eyes grew heavy. He could barely keep them open as he didn’t want to sleep, but eventually his body won and he fell into a deep slumber.

He was now in the middle of the school’s football field. Students and their families surrounded him, their eyes wet and their smiles wide. Full of pride the parents took hundreds of pictures to capture their children’s accomplishment. The high school students stood proudly, holding up their diploma in their black gowns and hats. Many of the students held balloons or floaties around their waist to embrace the much needed summer vacation. Even those with only one parent there for them were happy. Their friend’s parents lei’d them, even if they only had one or two compared to the others they didn’t look sad at all.

Layers of leis rested on their shoulders, some so high that half of the student’s face hid beneath the fresh plumerias and wrapped candies. Some were even adorned with money, folded into origami shapes to shower them with wealth for their success.

He looked down at the plastic bag in his hands, a simple ribbon lei tucked inside. He had braided the lei himself, using Shiro’s gold and black colors from his varsity jacket.

Then, he searched the crowd and noticed people gathering next to the bright yellow goal posts on the other end of the field. He licked his lips and made his way through the sea of people, dodging and avoiding people left and right. He ignored anyone that noticed his red varsity jacket, focusing on one thing only.

When he got to the large crowd, he squeezed through the gaps until he got to the front where someone was offering a thick purple flower lei to a student he couldn’t see. There, Takashi Shirogane stood in his hat and gown, leis draping on his arms because his neck was already hidden beneath the many leis.

Keith stood behind a person holding a candy lei, fidgeting as he waited for his turn.

When the person moved out of his way, Keith smiled as their eyes met. But, his smile faltered as Shiro looked at him; the same smile he showed to everyone else was disappeared.

Shiro continued to stare at him, his face emotionless as if his presence was unwelcomed. As Keith held up the long black and yellow ribbon lei, a smile finally appeared.

But that smile wasn’t what he wanted to see as he whispered a hoarse “Congratulations, Shiro,”as he handed him the lei, where Shiro put it beside all the others on his right arm.

Shiro patted his shoulder with that same polite smile still on his face, “Thanks, Keith.”

And as he turned around to let the next person go, Keith’s own smile distorted the farther he walked away. His eyes welled up with tears that quickly overflowed, dampening his shirt as he left the field. The sobs that escaped his lips was drowned out by the constant laughing and cheers of the crowd.

Now he knew for sure. They would never be more than friends.

-x-x-

Keith awoke from his dream, eyes wet and his shirt smelling of the tears he shed in his sleep. His eyes would be puffy in the morning, but he didn’t care. He rolled over onto his left side and his eyes caught the black and yellow ribbon lei draped on a hook on the wall beside his bedroom door.

As he stared at the lei, his nose scrunched up and a sob escaped his lips. He muffled his loud cries into his black lion. Even after he fell asleep, he couldn’t let go of him. He couldn’t let go of Shiro.

Chapter Text

-x-x-

When Keith finally awoke, he could hear loud noises. One source was his cell phone that continued to vibrate and the other was the loud knocking that echoed through his one bedroom apartment. From the constant banging that only grew louder; he knew it would be pointless to check his phone. He stood and the world around him shifted. He rubbed his eyes as he dragged his feet towards the noise.

Before he could fully open the door, an angry shorty pushed him aside. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting?!”

He closed the door behind him and yawned, “Huh? Oh, it’s you, Pidge.”

“Huh? Oh, it’s you, Pidge?” They repeated with their hands on their hips and a squint of their eyes. “I’ve been waiting outside for thirty minutes banging on your door and calling your cell phone and all you can say to me is ‘Oh, it’s you, Pidge?’ like it’s nothing?”

Keith blinked at them owlishly, scratching his stomach. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

Pidge finally gave him a good look and sighed. They calmed down, but only a little. “You do realize that you missed school today, right?”

“Huh?” Keith blinked a few more times before he finally looked up at the analog clock placed on the wall above his fridge. “Oh.”

Pidge stretched to place their hand on Keith’s forehead, “You’re not sick, but your eyes are puffy. Did you cry?”

Keith rubbed the back of his head, averting his gaze. He must have slept through his alarm or turned it off and went back to sleep. He would definitely get an earful tomorrow. He decided not to answer and headed into the kitchen to make a bowl of chocolate cereal instead. “How was school?”

“It was boooooring since you weren’t there,” Pidge whined as they placed their things on the couch and followed him. They sat on a stool in front of the counter bar while Keith stood on the other side, eating his cereal while standing up. “Lance was pretty upset that you stuck him with the team for the day when he was supposed to show off his ‘guns’ to anyone that would come by.”

“Hmm,” Keith continued to eat his cereal without a problem.

“During lunch Hunk asked what happened to you and Shiro—,”

“Shiro?” Keith suddenly perked up only to stuff his mouth full of cereal and barely got out: “What...about...him?”

Pidge squinted at him with a knowing look, “Nothing, really.”

Keith gripped his spoon tightly before he dropped it on the counter. He slurped up the milk in his bowl in one go and then slammed it down in the sink behind him. “So he didn’t even care?”

Pidge’s eyes widened slightly and then they sighed, “That’s not what I meant Keith... wow you really need to get out man. You don’t look good.”

“I am perfectly fine, Pidge!” Keith yelled. He took a few deep breaths, turned around to Pidge, and frowned. “I didn’t mean to yell at you, Pidge. I’m sorry.”

“No problem, but why do you look like you’re going to cry?” Pidge asked. “This isn’t like you, Keith. Are you in love with Shiro or something?”

“I…” Keith hung his head and nodded, “I don’t understand it myself.”

“You finally admitted it!” Pidge jumped off the stool and twirled. “I win the bet!”

“Bet…?” Keith asked. He arched a brow and glowered at them. “What bet?”

Pidge pursed their lips, “Nothing....Anyways, let’s go!”

“Go where?”

Without replying, Pidge was already pushing him out of the kitchen and towards his bedroom. “Stop dallying and go change. We have plans!”

“Plans…? Pidge I can’t go out looking like this,” Keith said as he gestured to his puffy eyes. He didn’t cry often but when he did he hated it. It made him feel like he needed glasses to make up for his loss in eyesight.

Pidge smirked, “You look fine, just change your clothes and grab some things.”

“But I don’t want to go—,”

“Too bad. You didn’t go to school today so if you’re going to skip you should skip like any other teenager. Let’s hit the mall!”

Keith groaned as Pidge pushed him in and closed the door in his face. He knew Pidge had a sneaky plan up their sleeves but he couldn’t argue. He only lived twenty minutes away from the mall anyways, so he could easily return home if he gets bored. Plus, a change of space might help him clear his mind.

Boy was he wrong.

-x-x-

The first thing they did once they arrived to the mall was hit the game shop on the first level. While Pidge looked excitedly at all the games available, Keith just walked around and looked at anything that was interesting. Most of his game knowledge was on Pokemon and anything Pidge would force him to play, like Smash or Mario Kart.

In his free time he enjoyed reading, especially books related to fantasy or space so he only liked games he could bullshit and play casually since he spent most of his time playing soccer, training, or doing homework.

Without realizing it, he already walked around the store twice and Pidge was still holding the same two games in their hands, wondering which would make the best purchase here and now considering the price, availability, and the amount of gameplay. Knowing Pidge, they’d probably end up choosing both or neither since it would end up being too hard to pick only one.

“Hey, Pidge? I’m going to check out the bookstore,” Keith said from the opening of the store. Pidge just nodded and flicked their wrist, telling him to just go already. He rolled his eyes and walked out of the store, heading to the right side of the mall. The bookstore was all the way at the end so he just wandered, looking into any of the interesting store windows until he reached his destination.

The bookstore was wide and it included anything that’s currently trending. He made a beeline to his favorite areas. He checked the current young adult novels, then the sports section on soccer, and lastly the science area. Science is fun in general, but he really wanted to see the astronomy section. He already owned a large book on the Hubble space telescope and enjoyed looking at the different nebulas and pictures from it. There was so much information in the book that he still hasn’t finished it. It was so precious that he wanted to absorb the information carefully.

The first book to catch his eye was one that was recommended by his astronomy professor. He beamed and reached to grab it, only for another hand to take it first. He ignored them and reached for the copy next to it instead.

“Keith?”

He turned to face them, his eyes widening “Shiro?”

“Ah, I took your book didn’t I?” He asked and Keith nodded. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s not a problem,” Keith brushed his apology away in his mind and opened the copy in his hand. The two read in silence. At first he just wanted to ignore his presence or else he would be reminded of what happened on Valentine’s Day and the dream he had last night. His eyes weren’t as puffy anymore, but he grew tired faster. As the two stood there reading, they moved to the same side of the aisle and the distance between them shortened each time someone passed by. Before they knew it, they now faced each other, their shoulders and books touching.

Shiro was the first to look up, “How about we buy them and sit down somewhere else to read?”

“Sure,” he agreed. He looked at the back of the book for the cost and cringed. “I didn’t think I would buy anything but food so I didn’t bring enough.”

“Well…” Shiro hummed thoughtfully. “I’ll buy my copy and we can read it together.”

It was more of a statement rather than a suggestion, but Keith really didn’t see any negatives. He pouted, “Fine but only until I can buy one for myself.”

Shiro laughed, “Of course...only if you let me buy you dinner.”

Keith froze, his cheeks heating up. “That’s not really an equal exchange.”

“It is if it’s a date,” Shiro said wistfully.

“A date…” He felt a lump in his throat. “As in one between…?”

Shiro smiled, “Between friends of course.”

“Of course…” Keith looked away in an attempt to hide his frown as Shiro walked to the entrance of the bookstore to purchase the book. He stopped as he watched Shiro smile at the bookstore employee with the same polite one he just received, “Of course.”

Unbeknownst to the two of them, they were being watched. Keith was so focused on Shiro that he didn’t hear Lance, Hunk, and Pidge collectively groan at Shiro’s words.

“How the hell is it a date between friends, Shiro?” Lance rolled his eyes. “These two are so stupid.”

Pidge glared daggers at them, planning their demise if their relationship doesn’t progress after today. “Shiro is the stupid one this time, stupid Shiro.”

Hunk nodded in agreement, “Hopefully he picks somewhere with good food to treat Keith or else I’m not his friend anymore.”

Keith whipped his head to the side, feeling eyes on him. Before he could investigate, Shiro patted his shoulder with a charming smile on his face. “Did you get the book?”

“Yeah, you ready? I have the perfect place in mind.”

He nodded and the two headed towards the place Shiro wanted to visit with the three following from a short distance.

Instead of going straight to a fast food place, Shiro made a stop at a costume shop. He pulled in a reluctant Keith with a laugh. They looked at the different costumes with amusement. Shiro even tried on a black tux with a cape and a white mask while Keith was looking at a white katana. He turned around when he heard a cough and saw Shiro down on one knee, offering him a fake red rose. Keith tried to muffle his laughter, but couldn’t as the store manager scolded them and forced Shiro to take it off immediately. They left as quickly as possible, running out of the store hand in hand.

They didn’t notice the three figures next to the changing rooms that wore: small black glasses and blue goggles on their head; a white hockey like mask with four holes, two orange stripes, and a horn on the forehead; and one with orange triangle glasses, a black gas mask, and a black head wrap.

When they got a good distance away, the two finally slowed down, only stopping when they got a few more stores away. They looked down at their hands and then at each other. Keith was the first to laugh as he pointed at the bag in Shiro’s other hand, “You should really return that.”

“I don’t need to,” Shiro said as he took out the rose from the bag that had the book in it and offered it to him once again. “I bought it when you weren’t looking.”

“O-Oh,” Keith smiled as he wiped away the tears in the corners of his eyes. He took the rose, his cheeks only a tad lighter than the rose, “T-Thanks, Shiro. Now where to next…? I’d prefer it if I didn’t get into trouble.”

Shiro grinned, “Well it is getting close to dinner time so we should get to that place I mentioned before night falls.”

Right as they exited the mall, they were met with a downpour of rain and Shiro’s grin disappeared.

“Uh…how about we just go to my place instead?”  Keith suggested as Shiro’s plans were completely ruined. “How about you order some pizza and we can watch a movie together?”

Shiro’s face brightened immediately when Keith suggested his place. “We can order some calzones too.”

“Sounds like a date,” Keith beamed. They smiled at each other until he turned to go back inside. “We should buy an umbrella first.”

“Mhmm smart,” Shiro commented happily. “I was just gonna run it.”

Keith rolled his eyes, “How can we share the book if it gets water damage?”

“Cute and smart,” Shiro whispered.

“What was that?” Keith asked as he headed into the nearest store with umbrellas.

Shiro coughed, “Nothing.”

Outside the mall, the three stood under a large black umbrella with Pidge in the middle and the other two on the sides. Despite getting his exposed shoulder wet, Hunk was grinning from ear to ear, “He wants calzones. I’m so proud of him.”

“They’re on their own now; we can’t just sneak into Keith’s apartment!” Lance grumbled. He didn’t mind the rain since he enjoyed it.

Pidge on the other hand was safe from the rain and cackled, “Keith will tell me. He always tells me.”

“O…kay…” The two said, feeling unsafe all of a sudden.

-x-x-

When they reached Keith’s apartment, the two were slightly wet since they protected the bag like their lives depended on it. They stepped into Keith’s apartment and Keith rushed to get some fresh towels but only found one. He offered it to Shiro with an apologetic smile, “Sorry, I was supposed to wash clothes after waking up before I left for school, but I slept in and then Pidge made me go to the mall.”

“Well it could have been rained on so I think it worked out so thank you,” Shiro replied before sneezing.

“Oh man. You need to change before you catch a cold—,” Keith said frantically. Since he didn’t wash clothes he only had a few clean ones left.

“I-I’m fine,” Shiro said, sneezing two more times. “You don’t need to go through all that trouble for me.”

Before he could say another excuse, Keith ran into his room to find something for Shiro to wear. It took him a couple of minutes to return with a large white shirt and black basketball shorts. “These are the only things I think will fit you…”

Shiro’s lips formed a thin line as he looked back and forth between the clothes and Keith’s body. “They’re great. Thank you, Keith.”

“You’re welcome,” he smiled back. “So what do you want to order?”

After Shiro changed his clothese, Keith put them into the dryer only since Shiro didn’t want him to go through the trouble of washing it. They decided to use Shiro’s phone to order one large pepperoni pizza, two calzones, and brownies since Shiro also has a sweet tooth. While waiting on the couch, he took the contents out of the bag they brought. He placed the rose on top of Keith’s coffee table and the two discussed the book, but not before they made sure it didn’t get wet.

It took a bit longer than usual for the food to arrive, but Shiro gave the delivery guy a $10 tip for his hard work. Shiro was surprised by the amount of red pepper flakes Keith sprinkled on just one slice of pizza and Keith arched a brow when Shiro only finished one slice and half of a calzone while Keith ate two of both. They enjoyed a martial arts movie as they ate, eventually huddling underneath a thick throw blanket as the movie progressed. Keith couldn’t help but notice the way Shiro’s nipples were noticeable through the white shirt. He had to focus really hard on the movie so he wouldn’t act on the urge to poke them. It was a long two hours.

Before they realized it, it was already 8 P.M. and Shiro needed to go home. He was going to take the bus, but Keith offered to drop him off using his red motorcycle. He wouldn’t let Shiro refuse and while Shiro changed into his now dry clothes, Keith grabbed his back pack, a spare black helmet, and his red varsity jacket. He pushed them into Shiro’s arms, “It can get pretty cold at night and I don’t want your cold to get worse.”

Shiro huffed as he put the book into the black back pack, “I don’t have a cold but I see your point.”

Keith rolled his eyes and scoffed, “You’ll catch one if you’re not careful. Also…where do you live?”

Luckily the rain had stopped. Keith locked up his apartment and led Shiro to the parking lot in front of the apartments to his red Kawasaki motorcycle. He placed his red helmet on his head and stretched his leg over the motorcycle and waited for Shiro to sit on it behind him. Shiro hesitated for a second, but Keith pushed up his visor to gaze at Shiro. “Trust me; it’s better than walking home in puddles.”

Shiro nodded and took a deep breath and sat behind Keith. He placed his arms around Keith’s waist and he put his key in the ignition and switched it. They quickly rode towards Shiro’s house that turned out to be near the high school. Since it rained, Keith made sure to adhere to the speed limit and drove more carefully than he ever did. He didn’t want Shiro’s first motorcycle experience to be bad. He would never forgive himself if Shiro got hurt because of him.

When they arrived, Keith parked outside the gates of Shiro’s home and let him off. Shiro took the book out of the back pack and handed it back to him.

He couldn’t stop grinning, “That was really fun.”

“I’m glad,” Keith grinned back.

“We should have another date sometime,” Shiro said nonchalantly.

“I’d like that,” Keith agreed as he put the back pack on.

“Well,” Shiro took a step backwards, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Keith.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow too, Shiro.”

Right as Keith was about to put his helmet back on, Pidge’s words from before reminded him that there isn’t always going to be a tomorrow. In less than two months, Shiro would be graduating in the middle of May. He still didn’t know where Shiro would be studying for college; he could end up on the other side of the country. If he doesn’t tell him his feelings now, he could be wasting his only chance. “Shiro—!”

“Yeah?” Shiro asked. He was already at the door, ready to put the key in.

Keith took his key out of the motorcycle and ran to Shiro. His mind was a mess as he tried to get the words right. “Shiro…I need to tell you something.”

“What’s wrong, Keith?”

“You’re…you’re graduating in May!” Keith suddenly shouted. “And I’m really going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too buddy,” Shiro smiled.

Keith pushed him roughly against the door, his hands lingering on his chest. “That’s not what I mean! I…I take it back.”

“You take what back?” Shiro asked as he stopped, but he didn’t turn around.

“I…can't just dally around anymore.” Keith tightened his hold on him. “I thought I was content with just being friends with you, but I was wrong...you can never be just a friend or even a brother to me. You're so much more.”

“I can’t make you love me when you don’t, but…I don’t think I live this lie anymore, Shiro…I like you…”

“Keith…” Shiro whispered. “I…”

He looked down at Shiro’s hands which tightened into a fist and then looked up at him, “…Shiro?”

Shiro’s face looked like he was in pain as he looked away. “Keith I don’t…”

“Oh…” Keith felt like it was raining again, but the only rain that fell were from his eyes. He stepped away from Shiro and licked his lips. “I’m really…sorry to have bothered you then. I’m just going to go home.”

He quickly ran back to his motorcycle and without even looking at Shiro, he drove away.

-x-x-

When he got home, he called Pidge to come over and told them everything in detail. He cried so much that he couldn’t muster up the energy to even consider going to school for the next few days. It wasn’t until the week after did he find out that Shiro stopped going to school.

Everyone just assumed Shiro would return like normal, that it must have been just a cold or something. But another month passed and then May began. The teachers assured everyone that he was fine and well but family things came up so it would be a while to return. No one even knew if he’d be able to walk on graduation day at that point. Shiro didn’t even have any social media accounts so they had no way to check on him. It was as if he disappeared.

Without any other hints as to his disappearance, Keith had no one else to blame; only himself.

Chapter Text

 Two months gradually passed and there was still no sign or word from Shiro. At first, Keith was ill with worry, but now he was calm as graduation day approached. He still suffers whenever he thinks of Shiro’s absence, but it would only get better with time. And he’s had a lot of time.

It was now graduation day. Attendance wasn’t necessary, but he attended to accompany the gang anyways. Watching as family and friends of the seniors walk onto the track surrounding the football field only made him wonder what he was doing there. The only senior he really bonded with was Shiro and no one was sure if he was coming or not. After most of the bleachers became full, the students walked onto the track where rows of chairs were placed. A podium on the right stood beside some plans with the school’s logo on it. Rows of chairs placed behind the podium quickly filled as the school’s faculty sat down. Principal Allura and Vice-Principal Coran walked to the podium at the edge of the grass. They said their congratulations to all the seniors present and announced that the Valedictorian Takashi Shirogane might not be able to attend. A wave of worry and gossip washed over the audience.

Once people around them began to theorize the reason behind his absence, Keith decided it’s too much for him. He stood up and flashed a smile at Pidge, “I’m sorry, I think I’m gonna go home. There’s no one I want to wait for.”

“You’re sure? What about the lei?” Pidge asked.

Keith only smiled more as he put his backpack on, “I don’t think he would want it anyway. I’ll see you guys later.”

They watched as Keith moved towards the stairs, apologizing to everyone that has to move their feet to let him pass. Pidge grumbled loudly, their hands tightened into fists. “I swear I’m going to hit Shiro when I see him.”

“Oh yeah me too,” Lance agreed.

Hunk huffed, “I’m not going to give him his college care package now.”

“Dude, seriously? You made a care package?” Lance asks.

Pidge frowns, “I was sure he would be here today and sweep Keith off his feet.”

“Oh yeah he totally will,” Hunk said as he pointed to the metal fence next to the PE classrooms. “Look that’s him getting out of the car.”

Just as Hunk said, Shiro ran out of a parked car on the main road in his black cap and gown. He dashed to the track and field. Instead of going straight to the faculty or the podium, he ran to the bleachers to stop Keith from stepping off the stairs. “Keith, I—”

Keith stopped; the person in front of him was just like the one in his dreams. Standing there with a graduation cap and gown, but instead it was like their roles were reversed. He glared at him, “Shiro, move.”

Shiro flinched from his harsh tone, but he shook his head, “I need to tell you something.”

He scoffed, “What is there to say? You rejected me. That’s it, end of story. You go to college and I stay here.”

Shiro sighed, “I didn’t reject you, Keith.”

From the back of the bleachers, Pidge’s voice echoed, “Oh yeah? You told him, ‘I don’t…’ you big stupid football jock!”

“Thank you, Pidge,” Keith nods in agreement. “See even Pidge knows what you said you big muscular jock.”

“Muscular…” Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. “Keith, I was going to say ‘I don’t…like you, I love you’ but then my throat got itchy and before I could finish my sentence you ran away…”

By now everyone’s eyes were on them and Keith’s face was bright red, both from anger and embarrassment. “That doesn’t explain your absence, Shiro! You just disappeared and it scared me…what if you got hurt…”

His eyes were wet now and Shiro caressed his cheek, wiping the tears with his thumb. “You’re angry.”

“Of course I am, idiot,” Keith struggled as he forced himself not to give in and lean into his palm. “You left.”

“Technically you left me first,” Shiro said, earning glares from everyone else. “But I didn’t reject you, Keith.”

Keith stepped away from him, “Silence is enough of an answer and you were gone for two months. What else was I supposed to think?”

“You’re right…I got a cold and then my parents decided it was time to visit colleges before summer vacation started. I wanted to call you, but…I realized too late that I never got your phone number.”

“You could have asked Hunk; he has mine.”

Shiro cocked his head to the side thoughtfully, “You’re right, again.”

“I decided that before I confess my feelings, I should properly consider my future. I don’t want to force you into a long distance relationship since not everyone can handle one, Keith. I wanted to make sure I was prepared since you’ll still be in high school. What if I choose somewhere far away and I can only see you two times a year…?”

“That’s something we would need to decide together ,” Keith offered.

“I know, but I’m an adult, Keith and a year difference is huge when it comes to high school and college…” he trailed off. “I don’t believe that we should make life changing decisions just after confessing to each other. I don’t want to force you into anything or making rash decisions. I wanted to think about us thoroughly. What if you decide to study somewhere across the country?”

Keith listened to him and was surprised by how much thought he put into this. He was so consumed by his unrequited feelings and last chance that he never considered a future where Shiro actually liked him back. What if they really did agree to go out but found out that under the stress of long distance, their relationship is short lived? “So…Where have you decided to go?”

“Altea University since it’s close and they’re giving me more of a deal compared to all of the other colleges. The campus is great and I can commute from home and…see you too.”

“Well I do agree that Altea University is good and it’s my first choice too, but, Shiro…there’s one flaw in your plan,” Keith said as he poked Shiro’s buff chest. “You haven’t confessed to me yet.”

“Right…” Shiro chuckled. “Keith…I don’t just like you. I love you and I have for a while now.”

“You have?”

He nodded. “It took a small push for me to fall for you completely and from what I can tell…I fell first.”

Keith inhaled a sharp breath, “Then why didn’t you just say so…”

Shiro smiled wryly, “You kept hitting me.”

“Good point.”

“Kiss him already!” Lance shouted from the bleachers.

“Shut up, Lance I’m getting to it!” Keith glared at him. “But first—”

Shiro watched as Keith took off his backpack and put his hand inside. He showed him a black and yellow ribbon lei and stretched to put it around his neck. The two smile widely at each other and Keith kisses him first.

The crowd all cheered loudly as the two shared their first kiss. Coran coughed into the microphone in order to get them to stop. “Are you ready to give your speech now, Valedictorian?”

The two separated, their faces a bright pink. Shiro laughed awkwardly, “Y-Yes, I’m sorry.”

Keith walked back up to the top of the bleachers, getting claps from the people he passed by as Shiro stood at the podium. When Keith sat down next to Pidge, the other three all ruffled his hair, happy that the two are finally together. They watched happily as Shiro delivered a beautiful prepared speech and cheered loudly when it was his turn to accept his diploma at the end of the service.

The moment family and friends could see their loved ones, Keith calmly walked down the bleachers towards Shiro. A crowd already formed around him just like in his dreams. He hesitated.

Before his fight or flight response could kick in, Shiro noticed him standing outside the ring of people and walked towards him. Keith froze like an ice statue and couldn’t move as Shiro placed his graduation cap on his head and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you, Keith.”

Keith touched his cheek as if he was finally woken from his dream and smiled back, “I love you too, Takashi.”

Unlike in his dreams where he would have to wait to lei Shiro, reality was actually the opposite. Instead, Shiro was the one who came first and Keith was upset that he couldn’t lei him again.

“That’s not fair…” Shiro covered his mouth with his palm as Keith said his first name for the first time. “What am I supposed to use for you? Ah…I love you more, baby.”

Keith’s face lit up and he covered his mouth too, “You’re worse than I am.”

“Good,” Shiro grinned and gasped as Pidge punched him in the back. “What was that for?”

Pidge huffed, glaring daggers at him with a thick killing intent, “Next time you make Keith cry I’m going to make it so you can’t run away.”

“Guys, you know that there are people still waiting to congratulate Shiro right? Oh…wait nope they’re gone,” Hunk said as he walked up towards them through the dispersed crowd. “Oh well at least now we can congratulate you instead.”

“Thanks, guys,” Shiro smiled, wrapping his arm around Keith’s waist.

“Wait, Shiro you shouldn’t—” Lance called out, but it was too late.

Keith wrapped his arm around Shiro’s waist too and smiled up at him. “You were saying, Lance?”

“Wow, huh,” Lance was at a loss of words. “I really expected this to happen like that time last year.”

“Oh you mean that time Keith knocked me out?” Shiro said, fondly. “Good times.”

“What?” Everyone looked at him with mixed emotions on their faces.

Shiro coughed, “What?”

Graduation ended without a problem and their relationship progressed nicely. With today’s technology and the fact that the two went from “enemies” to lovers, they already knew they could deal with any issues they would have. They still fought once in a while, but it was usually over stupid stuff like who ate the last of the cereal or who would wash the dishes. However by the time summer vacation was over and his senior year began, Keith realized he missed a very important detail. Shiro never did return his varsity jacket.

-x-x-