#Sheith thread
When they come back to Earth, but Adam is still alive

It happens when Shiro steps out of the Green Lion, Pidge is right behind him and he chats with them, just happy to be back home. It even smells exactly the same as he remembers, dirt, dried grass and the-

- smell of the engines from the Garrison standing by to pick them up. After this long in the vastness of space, it’s nice to feel the sun on his skin, he just wishes he could be barefoot and feel sand between his toes too.

It’s just a few of them, his old people from the Garrison, all dressed in grey, and there in the middle, stands Adam. The man still looks the same, sandy hair, dark skin and thin glasses, his expression seems to be a mix of “horrified”, “relief” and “disbelief”, his eyes-

roaming on Shiro’s body. Well, Shiro IS larger now. Quite a bit more than he was, and he has white hair AND, he’s missing an arm, maybe he looks older. He really doesn’t know, but Adam seems to see things differently than everybody else around him and Shiro isn’t sure-

-it’s a good thing.

It doesn’t take long for Shiro to be proven right as Adam starts to appear everywhere and anywhere he goes. He’s part of all the meetings, crosses his path in the corridors, in the cafeteria, at the gym, it’s concerning really.

Adam proceeds to follow Shiro around, trying to flirt and seduce him into getting back together. He tries to convince him on how he was right, how Shiro should know now to take care of himself, that he was lucky to still be alive and nobody knew how far the sickness was now.

But Shiro knows, the clone body isn’t sick, it’s absolutely healthy. The disease is gone. However, explaining to Adam how he died technically twice and came back to be transferred in a body not his own, is a can of worms the Black Paladin is NOT willing to open up.

Shiro is also just NOT INTERESTED, but he doesn't know how to tell the man. He was worried, at some point, about his friend. He had left him back there and gone, but now his mind was full of war and Keith.

Keith.

KeithKeithKeithKeithKeith.

It takes Shiro a week to go see Lance, and he begs the Blue Paladin to do something about it. He just doesn’t want to deal with this shit and he doesn't want Keith to notice it, even if they are just -best buddies- and Keith loves him as a -brother-.

That single thought makes Shiro’s heart clench every time, so he tries to not think about it.

Lance gives Shiro a thumbs up, after the Black Paladin talks on and on about the situation and Keith and Adam.
He pats Shiro's shoulder, a smile stretching-

-on his face, and says: "I've got this, Shiro."
Clearly, he already has a plan. Usually, Shiro would be worried, since the Sharp Shooter is a BIT of an eccentric, and his plans aren’t always the best ones… but he’s way passed caring. He is a free man, he’s been over Adam-

-for years now and refuses to step back into the dead relationship. His only failure is not being able to do something about it out of fear of hurting the people he loves.

To be honest, Shiro is terrified to be alone again. Something else that makes his heart clench a whole-

different way, and yet again, tries not to think about.

So, at the news, Shiro gives a heavy sigh of relief, thanks Lance and proceeds with his day.

He endures Adam following him around like a newly born chick knowing full well that Lance will take care of it and at this-

-point, doesn't give a damn how he does it, just that it happens.
While he walks through the Paladin quarters, at around 9pm, Adam is still following him, berating him for not having dinner or taking care of his health.

Shiro stops in front of his door, feeling a headache-

-coming on. So maybe Lance DIDN’T have a plan, or maybe Shiro just isn’t PATIENT anymore.

Whatever it is, he’s officially fed up being treated like a child.

Damn it.

He turns around and opens his mouth, about to snap, knowing it will stop Adam's endless chatter, when he hears the door to his room hiss open.
Adam immediately goes silent, his eyes widening. He gapes, his cheeks flushing a deep crimson.

Shiro raises an eyebrow, surprised, and-

-looks over his shoulder, curious.
What now?

And there he sees the most beautiful vision.

It's Keith.

Keith in one of his too large shirts, JUST one of his shirts. It stops mid thigh- Shiro wonders if he has underwear underneath- and falls off one shoulder. His hair is a dark curly mess and his cheeks have a nice rosy tint, as he leans his head against the door frame.

Shiro must have turned every shade of red in existence, because Keith’s mouth stretches into a knowing smile, as he blatantly ignores Adam's presence.

"There you are, Babe," he says to Shiro, his tone laced with honey and salacious intent.

A canine peaks out at the corner of his lips, and Shiro is so gone for this man.

His best friend.
The man that loves him... as a brother...?

Keith steps forward, grabs Shiro by the wrist and pulls him into the room, the smile never leaving his beautiful face.

He then wraps his arms around Shiro's waist and leans against his chest, and the Black Paladin reacts almost mechanically, hugging back.

“God, he’s so tiny,” Shiro thinks.
Even with just one arm, Keith fits just right against him. He wants to squeeze him tighter, but he’s unsure of what he’s allowed to do.

Then, and only then does Keith seem to notice Adam.

He hums.
"Hey Adam <3," he says softly and the door whooshes shut.

***
More later <3

More #Sheith
Here we go!
***

Shiro stares at the door, his arm still wrapped around Keith’s smaller shoulders. His fingers twitch in the anticipation of the Red Paladin pulling away.
Surprisingly, he doesn’t.

So… Shiro starts counting.

1…
2…
3…

“Hey,” Keith’s voice is a whisper, rough around the edges. The sound vibrates against Shiro’s chest as the younger man’s cheek stays pressed stubbornly against it. It’s a soothing pressure, one Shiro longs for so much more than he anticipated.

“Hi,” Shiro answers breathlessly.

He’s unsure what to do. He knows what he WANTS to do, but is aware of how he’s not allowed to do it.
Keith, after all, has been off limits all his life. First he had a fiancée, then Keith was too young, and war, death, and all the fighting.

Shiro knows without a doubt that the current reason is the one that actually hurts the most.

“Shiro, you’re my brother, I love you.”

It was a fleeting memory, it usually grazed the edge of his consciousness when he was spacing out. Often, bringing Shiro crashing back into-

-reality with the sudden understanding that he was a killing machine. He had even invaded the body of a clone to survive, like a parasite.

So there it was: Keith was an angel, who loved him like a brother, while Shiro was a monster, who loved him back, but with so much passion he couldn’t breathe.

Shiro stares at the door for a beat too long, letting his conflicting feelings clash in his mind with a sharp-

-voracity, dying down almost instantly. When he finally looks down, his gaze locking on Keith, who is looking back at him up through his thick eyelashes, the war in his mind is a distant memory.

Fuck.
It was unfair how beautiful Keith was. So unfair.

Keith’s lips quirk up at the corner, playful, happy, untainted by all the worries that plague Shiro daily.
“Heard you needed a rescue. You okay?” His question, however, is laced with bits of worry, it makes Shiro want to lie. But he doesn’t.

Shiro sighs heavily.
“Yeah, Adam is… being insistent. I didn’t know what to do.”
He can’t help but bend forward, his forehead dropping on Keith’s shoulder.

Keith chuckles softly, his hands sliding up Shiro’s back and petting him gently.

“Insistent,” Keith spits the word like it’s an insult and rolls his eyes with too much frustration peaking through.
“You’re too nice about it, and I can’t believe you asked LANCE for help.”

He pouts.

“Shit, that’s really cute,” Shiro thinks.

Keith snorts loudly. “I mean, seriously, he asked me to come here, be naked on your sofa and call you Daddy, among OTHER things.”

Shiro tenses up at the word -Daddy-.
Oh… my God… no. NOPE. Right, asking Lance was DEFINITELY a bad idea.
Shit shit shit.

Keith just laughs through it.
“Now, I’m sure Lance had the BEST of intentions, but you’re lucky I can tell when an idea goes too far.”
It's not that he doesn't WANT Keith to stay in his arms, it's just... he's already counted to 120 and Keith hasn't moved.

Maybe it's because Shiro is preventing him from moving and now that he’s thought it he feels ill at ease about it.

Shiro grimaces, straightening up, sliding his arm off Keith's shoulders and pats his arm.
"Yeah... I guess I... huh... owe you one?"

Keith lets him, several emotions flickering in his too round eyes as he listens to Shiro. He takes a step back, pulling one hand off and pats Shiro gently on his hip, shaking his head.

"Of course not, didn't I tell you I'd always save you? Even if it's from EAGER suitors who can't take a no for an answer."
He smirks, tilting his head to the side.

Shiro watches mesmerized as Keith's curls slide along his cheekbone, tracing a perfect pattern he wants to follow-

-lovingly with his lips. The younger man's hair looks so soft, longer than it used to be when he was young, the Black Paladin felt the NEED building in his heart to just kiss him. He even thinks about the salty taste of his skin, the softness of his lips and-

-and how he might be able to push his tongue into...

Ah.

But.
That’s... inappropriate.

His eyes flicker up and he starts when he realizes Keith has stopped talking and is just watching him, his expression fond.

Shit.

"Huh... yes?" Shiro stammers.
He laughs nervously. "Yes huh... suitors might be... too strong a word."

Keith shakes his head.

He sighs loudly and turns on his toes, walking towards Shiro's kitchen. "You hungry?"

Shiro watches him go, and quickly follows, almost tripping on his feet. "Yeah, but... it's fine. It's late."

Keith scoffs as he sets utensils on the table for one person.

He points at the chair.
"Sit," he says strongly and raises an eyebrow, expectant.

When Shiro steps forward to follow the order, Keith grins, satisfied, and spins around walking to the stove. As he bends forward, Shiro’s shirt slides slowly up the back of his thighs and stops-

-right under the perfect globes of his ass.

No underwear in sight.

Shiro swallows thickly and bodily forces himself to look away.

Don’tthinkaboutitdon’tthinkaboutitdontthinkaboutit

He jumps when a plate is set on the table in front of him, and he looks down.
“I got you mac and cheese from the cafeteria. Sorry, I didn’t have time to cook,” Keith says as he sits on the table and crosses his too long legs.

Sitting like this, Keith is towering over Shiro and… oh boy... wasn’t that -something- to think about.

Shiro stares up, eyes wide.
“Thanks… you didn’t have to...”

Keith’s eyes crinkle at the corner, his smile stretching wider.
“I wanted to. So eat.”
Shiro nods and takes a bite.

Satisfied, Keith slides off the table and saunters towards the bathroom, humming happily.
“So since I’ll be staying here for a while, I’m borrowing your shower.”
He enters the bathroom and closes the door.

Shiro sputters, dropping his fork in the plate of macaroni, making-

-a bit of a mess as bits of orange bounce around the table.
“STAYING? What do you mean…!?”

Wait. Why are you complaining Shirogane? You’ll get to LIVE with Keith.

The door opens again and Keith walks out. He stops at the end of the corridor, still partly in the darkness, his eyes reflecting the kitchen’s light eerily.
“Now Shiro, did you really think Adam would be satisfied with a SINGLE TIME when he saw me in your clothes?”

He raises an eyebrow.
“You said -he’s insistent-, so I’ll be your boyfriend for a while.”

(yooooo #FAKEDATING )

He spins back around like his reply explains everything. The shirt is fluttering as he walks right back into the bathroom. It leaves Shiro stunned.

“I’ll be your boyfriend for a while.”

His reaction is a bit too late, a bit too-

-slow, as he suddenly stands up, pushing the chair back.
“Keith…!!!!”

“Yeah?” The younger man answers from the bathroom.

“Are you…” serious. Are you SERIOUS?! Dating?!

Keith leans his head back out, puzzled.
“Am I what?”

Shiro swallows again, seeing how his shirt just falls off Keith’s shoulder and he can see the perfect lines of Keith’s collarbones. How beautiful he is, with his wild eyes, lightly tanned skin and perfectly toned body.

That’s where his brain to mouth filter decides to fail miserably.
“...are you… even… wearing underwear under that?”

Keith blinks rapidly at the question, straightens up, visibly surprised.

He then smirks wickedly, grabbing the edge of the shirt like he means to take it off.
“Wouldn’t you like to know…” He says playfully and disappears in the bathroom leaving Shiro with his messy macaroni, and the clear impression that he has made a major ass of himself.

***
More Later 8D

#Sheith #FakeDating
Here we go again! =D

***

A chuckle, a bit like a wind chime, wakes Shiro up by tickling his ear. “Come on Shiro, it’s time to wake up.” Keith's voice is soft, warm and Shiro wants to hear it every single morning for the rest of his days.

A life without Keith was unthinkable, and the Black Paladin understood that if Keith realized the depth of his feelings, he would leave Earth and never come back. He would go and make an even greater man of himself with the Blades of Marmora and…

Shiro was pathetic.

An egoist.

Shiro always tried to face his darker thoughts and desires, but when light fingers brushed through his hair at 6 in the morning, it was hard to not be greedy. Leaning into the touch was a bit too easy, and felt absolutely natural, especially since his thoughts-

-were still incoherent.

He wanted Keith to himself at all times, even if it kept him from making the world a better place. It was this dark spot in his mind, this violent NEED to own all of Keith; to pull away at times, just so that the younger man would claw his way right-

right back into his heart with a desperation that always made Shiro fuzzy and warm inside.

Eventually cracking his eyes open, Shiro is met with purple eyes and a bright smile. “Hi there, morning,” Keith says softly, his expression soft and beautiful.

It makes Shiro’s breath catch in his throat and his face sink a little deeper into his pillow.

“...morning,” Shiro replies, words muffled.

The blaze on his cheek, at this instant, must be NEON, because Keith is right there, in his bed, with his… whatever… all of it is absolutely perfect and Shiro is WEEEAAK!

Shiro wasn’t sure how committed Keith was to this -fake dating- idea.

He was certain the disaster that he was would either suffer terribly, or fully take advantage of it. There was no guide to how blessed or doomed Shiro should feel in the end, but to him, it was obvious: Keith would find out about his deepest secret.

He was desperately in love with Keith and that simple fact would ruin absolutely everything.

Sliding off the bed almost immediately, satisfied that Shiro is awake, Keith spins around and walks out of the room with a wink.

“Up! Shower? Breakfast?” He says/asks as he leaves, clearly not expecting an answer.

Slowly pulling himself up, Shiro brushes his hand through the tangled mess of his short hair. “Yeah, ok,” he answers to nobody.

Right. He remembers now, this is a thing.

Keith is staying with him for a while, because Shiro was too much of a doormat to voice out his grievances with Adam. He smooths his white hair down and reaches for his pad, hoping that reading his schedule might slow the beat of his heart to a respectable rhythm.

The orange light flickers on and he sees the number of messages waiting for him to read, messages from his team, personal PMs, emails, notes and more. “Sounds like a busy day,” he mumbles, opening his schedule. Thankfully, all his meetings are in the morning, which will leave-

-him time to do paperwork in the afternoon.

He hears Keith walk around as he revises his notes, especially about Sam Holt’s Atlas project which has been going strong for a long time. He reads for less than 5 minutes before the pad gets suddenly yanked out of his fingers.

Shiro squawks loudly, looking up at Keith standing over him in his new Garrison uniform. The red, replacing the ugly orange he had to suffer for the last week, is an improvement.

“Keith! I was reading my schedule...!” Shiro whines.
Keith tuts, shaking his head.

He waves the pad around, and raises an eyebrow when Shiro extends his arm to grab it.
“Don’t lie. We both know your hours are long enough and it’s 6am. It can definitely wait.”

Keith smiles softly while backing away, grinning. “Besides, I made bacon. Come eat before it’s cold. Your -boyfriend- has no tolerance for wasted food,” he says laughing.

Shiro slides his legs off the bed, turning away from Keith as his face starts to burn an even deeper shade of neon.

His boyfriend.

Yeah, that’s going to be a problem.

Because he wants this so badly.

“Ok ok, I’m up. I’m up,” Shiro grumpily answers. Well, grumpy no, more like a -you caught me red handed and stopped me from being an ass, and even called yourself my boyfriend and omg I am going to DIE of happy, painful need- type of answer.

Taking a shower and putting on his own new uniform takes less than 15 minutes, especially since he leaves the long dress shirt opened. The bodysuit he wears under it is so much like the Paladin’s uniform, Shiro feels more comfortable in it than he actually thought possible.

He walks out of the bedroom fiddling with his ID tag inside his breast pocket.

“Ah and here he comes. You…” The rest of Keith’s sentence sort of hangs in the air between them as Shiro enters the kitchen. It makes the Black Paladin look up, puzzled.

He’s immediately faced with Keith’s stare. His eyes seem to flash yellow for a short moment, before he smiles wide.

There’s also this twitch of his fingers Shiro can’t quite place it, a strange pause. Whatever it is, Keith shakes out of it almost immediately.

“... I made coffee. Want some now or for later?”

Shiro drops himself in his chair, eyeing the breakfast in front of him: Eggs, bacon, bread and a strange alien vegetable he doesn’t recognize. Or is it a fruit? “Later. This is really a lot, you didn’t have to-

-do this. I mean, I usually get a muffin from the cafeteria.”

Keith scoffs. “Like I’m going to let THAT happen ever again. How do you even keep all those muscles when you don’t eat properly? You are an impossibility, Shirogane.”

Shiro shrugs, while he takes a large bite of bacon. His eyes close at the taste. All those months in space eating space goo, to come back to Earth and content himself with muffins, coffee and mac and cheese was clearly a bad decision.

He doesn’t know where Keith learned to cook, but he could really get used to this. “This is delicious. Thanks Keith.”

Keith grins happily. “You’re welcome.”

There’s no clear description of how the rest of Shiro’s morning passes. Belly full of homemade food, Keith walks him to the first meeting. Their shoulders brush as they both make their way to the conference room, their conversation so inconsequential, he only remembers-

-the light touch of Keith against his body.

Usually, Shiro wouldn’t think much about it, shoulders knocking being on the -Keith’s casual touches list- he has in the back of his brain.

But the situation being what it is, it now makes him nervous and, apparently, forgetful as he can’t recall a single word they exchanged since they stepped out.

Today, he notices only the gestures: the hand on his back when he’s sitting down, the smile he gets when the Red Paladin gives him his coffee (2 milk and 4 sugars, just the way he likes it), how Keith’s thumb slides along his collar to straighten it out, all signs-

-he had never really payed attention to before.

But now he’s so aware of them, they sting.

Shiro’s cheeks blaze when Keith turns to Allura, exchanging a few words, both laughing at an inside joke. It’s even WORSE when the older man catches Lance watching him.

The Sharpshooter waggles his eyebrows at him, grinning happily, like he’s won some prize (he hasn’t! D=).

Shiro’s eyes narrow, his finger tapping on the large table as a clear warning of how Lance isn’t allowed to extrapolate and spread rumors.

Well. Maybe not so clear a message.

Or does he look like he’s sulking?

He must be, since Lance’s answer is a loud cackle. He leans towards Pidge and Hunk, whom he whispers to, making them both stare back at Shiro in turn, giving him thumbs up.

He’s about to loudly protest, when Romelle joins them in their gossiping, when he’s stopped brutally by Keith’s arm wrapping itself around his neck as he sits on the table, a little too close for comfort.

He’s unsure what this new habit of Keith is, sitting on tables, but looking up at his crush rattles Shiro so strongly he has to grip the edge of his chair so his sanity doesn’t fade out of his new body.

“I have to go, apparently Coran is dealing with quintessence related problems and my sensitivity to it will save him from -shrivelling up like a bekpinan mloom-, whatever that means.”

The younger man leans forward, pressing their cheeks together at such an angle that about 90% percent of the room probably think they are kissing. Hell, for half a heartbeat, Shiro is certain they actually will. They don’t, but it’s a very very close call, leaving him with-

-the distinct impression that he’s been had. Shiro feels a sense of loss so deep, his stomach clenches painfully.

“Let me read your notes later,” Keith whispers.

When Keith pulls away, the entire room is pretending to ignore them, except for the other Paladins, Lance faking a swoon as Hunk catches him dramatically, and Adam who is so visibly angry, he’s vibrating.

Adam’s glare is piercing and Shiro isn’t sure if he’s supposed to feel bad, or as uncaring as he currently is.

Shiro looks back up at Keith and grins, nervousness twisting his smile ever so slightly. “Of course, I’ll see you later.”

Keith’s fingers slide lightly along Shiro’s jaw as he stands up, his expression a little too soft. “Later then,” he says.

Then, he walks to the door and gives a two finger salute to Adam before casually exiting the room.

Shiro is positive the last time he’s seen Adam this angry was when they last talked about Kerberos, and OH- how does he not give a SINGLE FUCK about it.

Taking a sip of his coffee, the Black Paladin raises a questioning eyebrow at Adam, then proceeds to ignore him as he slowly turns to Iverson who’s been sitting beside him, silent. Shiro smiles. “Good morning Sir, lovely day, isn’t it?”

The look he’s given back from the commander, is nothing close to the most unimpressed silent response he’s ever received.

***
Ouf, and that's it for now