Chapter Text
Making his way to the training room the black paladin keep thinking about the shouts that he heared last night after everyone went to their rooms.
While the fights between the altean prince and Keith has become something common for them since they came to the castle (but for what he could see they were mostly because one of them was trying to protect the other, not that any of them would admit it) he had the feeling that this time it was different. A part of him had wanted to search for Keith after the fight but he learned for pasts experiences that the royal guard wouldn’t be found unless he wanted to.
Shiro carefully walked around the hallway, looking for a certain alien that according to Pidge has been stalking them. While he didn’t believe that he was planning to do anything bad to the team (he got the feeling that he was just feeling lonely and wanted to be around someone) he promised that he would talk to him about his habit of lurk around the shadows…
Knowing that he spend most of his time inside the training room he decided to start there. Remembering the way he disposed the gladiators one after another he couldn’t help but frown a little. He didn’t know what it was, but there was something on his combat style that felt wrong.
Not finding him where he thought he would be or in any of the rooms he has searched ‘till now the black paladin wondered where he could be. The castle was too big and Keith knew it better than him. He was about to give up when he noticed Lance appearing to a corner holding a blanket and looking to the sides before sneaking inside the projection room.
“Okay. That’s not suspicious at all”. Thought the black paladin. Peeking inside he see the Altean prince grapping the blanket around a lump and arraigned it to cover it almost completely (Shiro thought he catch a mop of black before the blanket blocked his sight but he wasn't sure), then the blue paladin sit beside the lump and activate the projector bringing the universe back to life. But at contrary of the other times someone catch him Lance didn’t zoomed to Altea but to another planet.
“Tell me about this place”. The prince asked in a quiet tone. From inside the blankets Keith voice came in a whisper.
“We stopped there coming back home. I wanted to see some ruins believing that it was dad’s birth planet…” They stay like that for a long while, Lance asking about this or that planet and Keith’s answering with an anecdote or something he hear happened there. After a while the prince caught sight of him and after telling Keith that he needed to go to the bathroom and would come back quickly he make his way to him.
Without a word Lance just gives him a signal to follow him. Once they were far enough to not be heard the alteans turn around glaring at him.
“Not today”.
“Come again?”
“You hear me; whatever you need from him can wait ‘till tomorrow”. He insisted crossing his arms. “Leave him alone”.
“I wasn’t going to do anything after see him like that”. Shiro admitted taken aback for his protectiveness. The only times that he see them together and without argue was during lunch and that was because neither of them said anything to the other. “Is he okay?” Asked worried, Keith may not be a paladin but he was one of them.
“Keith’s one of the strongest persons that I know”. The prince confessed surprising his fellow paladin. “And he will never be okay anymore. None of us would. But today is a hard day for him, more than the rest”. Then Lance make his way back to his oldest friend. Before he disappeared Shiro ask him what day today was supposed to be.
“Today was supposed to be Kryoum birthday”.
He try to be more careful with him after that, knowing that he needed time to mourn in peace and he wouldn’t want to anyone see him like that. Slowly but surely Keith start to interact more with the rest to the team even if his interactions with the princess where still strained sometimes. Honestly Shiro was more than a little confused about what kind of relationship those two had but he knew it wasn’t his place to ask.
Standing in front of Keith’s door Shiro decided to ask him if he wanted to have a friendly spar before breakfast. At first he refused but after he told him that their matches were actually helping him to keep focused during a fight the teen was more willing to train together. Decision made he step into his room to talk to the little guard…
Checking on the radar that there was no other ship close the galra guard watched through the window the planet below him. It was ironical that the wormhole brought him here, that was one of the last planets he traveled with his family before his father’s illness make him impossible leave their home. Running a hand through his dark purple hair and hoping that this decision wouldn’t came back to bite his ass later Keith set his course to the planet of choice.