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At the age of twenty-five, Shiro has already faced, in order:
a degenerative illness that risks to paralize him entirely
depite said illness, he became the youngest pilot of the Garrison
and the first to reach the far corner of the solar sistem
just to be kidnapped by an evil alien empire
and survived an entire year of fights and scientific experiment
escaping from the evil empire
returning into space with a group of inexpert cadets with a spaceship that has the form of a Blue Lion
Despite all those, Shiro finds himself still able to be amazed of everything space has to offer: in that moment, what it looks like an ancient palace of an ancient alien civilization that was incredible evolved from a scientific point of view. Like Atlantide, but bigger and in space.
He’s loving every moment of it.
“Hey! What is it?” Lance exclaims, with his high-pitcher voice. “Watch out!” Despite being totally useless, he places himself in front of Allura to protect her. She looks annoyed, while Hunk moves behind her.
From the floor of what it seems the control room of the castle, a culumn erupts. Cold smoke whistles from the base, to reveal a glass door, that opens with a screeching sound. Blinking and grunting, a figure walks outside the column.
The most beatiful man Shiro’s ever seen appears. White long hair, big violet eyes with long dark eyeslash, delicate features in his face with two red marks behind his eyes, elf pointed ears, and he wears a elegand blue and white tunic, like a fairy tales prince.
The man blinks again at them, and Lance does a tentative steps in his direction.
In a second, the man lands Lance with a well-placed kick on the chest, and then he keeps him on the ground, the foot steadly pleaced on Lance’s neck.
“Who the quiznack are you, and where is Queen Krolia?”
Shiro may be definitely in love.
Prince Keith and his advisor Kolivan are the only survivers of Altea, a planet that was destroyes 10.000 years ago by the same empire that took Shiro prisoner. Shiro doesn’t expect to be turned into a defender of the universe, but he surely doesn’t mind it.
It has a nice ring, to be honest.
He isn’t too knee of having cadets fight with him, but they don’t have much choice, as Keith clarifies enough when Sendak appears with his ultimatum. Also, he’s a fighter.
“We’ll stay, and we’ll fight,” he states. “The universe needs us.”
“Well, first of all, speak for yourself, you don’t even pilot a lion,” Lance protests. “And, if you haven’t notice, we’re two lions short.”
“The Red Lion is on Sendak’s ship. We may recover it.”
“And how do you plan to do this? Slipping inside that scary guy’s ship?”
Keith turns to Allura. “Can you do it?” he asks. “You’re the Red Paladin, it’s your responsability get your lion.”
Allura ignores Lance’s protests and nods slights. But she’s a little tense, so Shiro places a hand on her shoulder. “You won’t be alone,” he assures her.
“Do you have a plan?” Keith inquires.
“I do.”
“Well, then.” Keith turns his back at them and places his hands on the castle’s control: the castle springs to life.
Shiro is firmly convinced Keith isn’t a bad person. But he’s a prince, probably instructed how a certain type of behaviour. Kolivan looks like the most strictly advisor of all time, after all. Keith is extremely blunt, both in espressing his disappointment and in pretending something from the Paladins.
And losing his sentire civilization definitely doesn’t help Keith into being the most social persona around: he’s strictly focused on defeating Zarkon and, as much as Shiro agrees with it, not having a second to relax may become tiring.
And he’s firmy convinced that, as a team, they need to ger along.
Unfortunately, Keith’s attitude clashes a lot against Lance’s paranoid, and Hunk, as good friend, sides with him.
Pidge is mostly fine, but she doesn’t like the way Keith underestimates her feelings about his father and brother only because the universe is more important and everyone needs to make sacrifices.
Allura, since he lost her parents at a very young age, is probably the one that understands Keith’s situation better, yet even her becomes annoyed from time to time.
As the leader of the team, Shiro feels is his responsability to bring peace in the group, and Kolivan seems to expect that too. Yet, it isn’t easy: Shiro understands Keith to some extend, but they’re not friend enough for Shiro to try and speak with him. Also, the fact that Shiro has probably the huge crush ever (which is bad, because, again, intergalatic war against an evil empire) and that Keith is a magical prince coming out directly from Shiro’s dreams don’t help.
While reflecting on the best course of action, Shiro finds himself in the lions’ hangar. Even at Garrison, the hangar has always relaxed him as a familiar place. He doesn’t expect to find Keith there.
He’s in front of the Black Lion. Slowly, he lifts a hand and, with a second of hesitation, he places it on the magnetic shield. It trembles a little, but doesn’t turn down. Keith’s hand becomes a fist who smashes with a little frustration on the shield.
As Shiro walks near, the Black Lion lowers his shield, and Keith takes a step fowards.
“Prince Keith.”
Keith startles. “Shiro. I didn’t see your coming.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you,” he says, with a smile. “I though you were in the training room.”
“I got tired of it,” Keith scoffs, and it was a lie.
One, Keith never gets tired of training, Shiro has seen him in the past days and he appreciates the way he put all himself in getting stronger (Shiro’s appreciation is only a mental one, he hasn’t definitely look at him because it’s the only moment Keith lets himself go, with a more confortable very tight suit and with the sweats and the red cheeks that definitely doesn’t make him more attractive).
Second, because Keith is a very bad liar.
“Did you pilot a lion, once?” Shiro asks instead, ingnoring the lie.
“Never.” Keith shakes his head. “My mother, the Queen… she used to be the Red Paladin. Maybe I would be her successor, but then the war happened, and, well.”
“Would you like to have a try?” Shiro nods at the Black Lion that, in aswer, opens his mouth to let them on board.
“It would be reckless from our part,” Keith murmurs, uncertain. “The Black Lion is too much important for the destine of the universe…”
“We won’t get too far from the castle, and Pidge already checked we are in a safe area.” Shiro takes two step fowards and gestures at Keith to follow him. “Come on.”
A small smile appears on Keith’s face as he decides to go fro Shiro’s idea. Shiro tries, very hard, to focus on piloting and not in the way Keith’s body leans against the pilot chair and how his armi s dangerously near Shiro’s one. But, at the same, he tries very hard to show off a little his ability as a pilot: it’s been a long time since he made dangerous stunt with the hoverbike in the desert.
Keith’s mouth is half open and his violet eyes shine. “I wish I can pilot like this.”
“You can’t?” Shiro asks.
“I can, but not like this.” Disappointment is in Keith’s voice. “Before the war, my mother preffered for me to focus on altean alchemy, because she said I have a very uncommon quintessence sensibility. And she was right, I suppose, but I also liked piloting more…”
“You’re still on time,” Shiro assures him. “You’re already piloting the castle, and that’s very important for us. And then, once we defeate Zarkon, I will show you more.”
Keith smiles softly, then his expression sadness a little. “I wish I was like you.”
“A prisoner of the Galra, forced to fight for their entertainment?” Shiro jokes. “Strange dreams, but I don’t judge.”
“Not that,” Keith’s expression doesn’t falter at Shiro’s black humor. “I mean… being a leader.” He sighs. “I was taught to be decisive, strong, when it comes to give orders. But I see the way the other look at me. And I don’t know how to change that.”
As Shiro suspects, Keith suffers for the situation too.
“But you… They’ll follow you around without a question,” Keith continues. “You’re the epitome of a good leader. Black chose well.”
Oh, so that was the reason Keith was in front of the Lion. He wanted to see if he can be a good leader, and the results don’t increase his already low consideration of himself.
“I don’t think you’re a bad leader,” Shiro murmurs. “There is a reason for this situation.”
“Which is?”
“They’re kids coming from a very far planet, with not progress experience of alien life. Everything here is new for them, and also they’re fighting in a space war for the sake of the universe. They’re overwhelmed.”
“I understand this,” Keith says. “I wouldn’t never asked them if I have another choices. But the lions…” He takes an annoyed sigh. “Take Lance, for example. Blue chose him specifically, but he isn’t such a good pilot. He’s over the top about it. He needs to learn how to focus on situation. A bad take can lead all the team to death.”
“I agree with you,” Shiro nods, “but you can’t tell him like that. He’ll only feel you’re doing it to make him feel bad because you’re better than him.”
“But I-” Keith tries to protest.
“You’re a space prince from an ancient super-technology alien civilization, able to restore an entire planet with his magic,” Shiro points out, with an amused smile. “Why do you think he calls you Prince Charming? In their eyes you came directly from a terran fairy tale.”
For a long minute, Keith remains silent, his look towards the Black Lion’s windows. “I’m not like that,” he says at least. “Altean alchemy isn’t magic. But I can see why you may think like this.” And he looks at Shiro with his deep, and big, and violet eyes…
“How can I do it? Teach me.”
“Well, you may try being a little more… like them?” Shiro proposes, turning his head a little bit from him. “Even if you slept for 10.000 years, you’re still young just like them, right?”
“Based on Altean/Terran conversion, I’m around ninteen years old.”
“See, just two years apart. They should be able to understand you a little better if you try to be their friend.”
“Friends…” Keith murmurs. “That would be nice. Except Kolivan, I don’t have anyone anymore.”
“You have us now.” And Shiro’s hand ends up on Keith’s shoulder.
“Thank you,” Keith says. Then, totally ignoring any form of personal space, he rubs his fingers on Shiro’s white floof of hair. “We can be friend even if you’re older, right?”
“Hey!” Shiro protests, with a little pout, and it’s grateful it gives him the excuse to gets a little bit farer from Keith’s face. “I’m not that old.”
And then Keith does something beautiful: he laughs. Shiro looks in awe at the crystal amused sound and the way it makes Keith even more beautiful than usually.
“I know, I was joking,” he says. “But I have Lance making fun of my hair long enough.” And his pointed finger rolls around one of his lock and Shiro swallows.
“Your hair are beautiful,” he says without thinking, and inside he dies a little bit. Keith stops his finger, eyes a little wide opens, and his cheeks turns more of the color of his altean marks.
Kolivan calls from the castle to free Shiro from their misery.
They reach the main deck of the ship to discuss their next course of action. “Where’s prince Keith?” Shiro asks to Kolivan, the only one waiting for them.
“He’s coming. It was doing something,” and by the tone, it was something he doesn’t approve.
“He woke us up at five but he can be late,” Lance complains, as he lets himself fall on his chair, arm crossed. “That’s unfair.”
“I woke up at five too,” Keith says, entering the room. “But I apologize for my delay. I didn’t realize this clothes were so difficult to make.”
They all look at him incredulous, Shiro’s mouth is unwaring opened. “What the quiznak…” Lance exhaled.
Keith looks like a Terran, with raven hair and blue eyes, no marks and normal ears. He also wears Terran clothes, like a pair of jeans and a too short red jacket.
“Alteans are a camaleontic race,” Kolivan explains. “We can turn our body to imitate other races, that’s the reasons we’re good diplomats.”
“I realized it must be hard for you be so far from your home,” Keith says. “I hope this will help you feel a little better. Even if Kolivan doesn’t agree.”
And Kolivan huffes a second, before turning himself into a very big and scary Terran.
“That’s very nice of you,” Allura says, while the others sink Keith in questions about how the transformation works. It gives Shiro the time to recover from the shock and then from his disaster moment, and also the time to wonder if he will find Keith so attractive even if he turns into a Galra.
(Spoiler: he will).
(It’s almost tempted to ask him to do it.)
(He doesn’t, because he’s a functional leader)
“Okay, guys, that’s enough,” he says when he gains back enough cell brain for not stuttering in awe, because that will be embarrassing. “We have works to do.”
Everyone nod and take their seat. Keith smiles in Shiro’s direction.
“It wasn’t what I had in mind when I talked to you about being more like that,” Shiro says, amused.
“I know. But after all, we alteans used to do this in the past to put people at ease, so I feel it may be a good start.”
“I didn’t mean it wasn’t. Just… surprising.” Shiro clears a little his voice. The Terran attire made clearer that Keith, despite being slender and small, has a very nice body too. A very nice ass Shiro isn’t absolutely checking out.
“I hope my hair are still beautiful,” Keith whispers, enough low so Kolivan won’t be able to hear him. He isn’t looking at Shiro, but he can imagine the pink on his cheeks.
At that point, Shiro is sure that won’t be Zarkon to kill him, but the heart attack that Keith keeps giving him, completely unaware of it.
“They are,” Shiro still manages to say, with hoarse voice.
And since they are risking their life daily against an evil space emperor, well, having a crush on a gorgeous and brave space prince who’s leading them in the battle doesn’t sound so bad after all.
“You are.”
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