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It was late at night in the castle.
Keith and Shiro were embracing one another tenderly, laying in bed. Keith's head was resting on Shiro's chest, and Shiro's left arm was wrapped around him. The room felt serene and quiet compared to the battles they'd seen that day. They modified the ceiling of Shiro's room to show the stars outside, the soft twinkling lights lulling them to sleep.
"You know," Shiro said idly, breaking the silence. "Growing up, I wanted nothing more than to see outer space." He shifted, pulling Keith closer. "I remember reading picture books about astronauts and scribbling down bad drawings in marker. I stopped drawing after grade school, and the books eventually turned into fictional novels which turned into textbooks. Still, I always dreamed about touching the stars, and I worked damn hard to make that dream come true."
Keith hummed and pressed a soft kiss to his chest. "And now you've accomplished your dream."
"That's the thing, though. I feel like it's not all it's cracked up to be. As soon as I started calling myself a pilot, it took the magic out of flying and replaced it with science. I kinda miss looking at space like it was a mystery rather than a math problem."
Keith tilted his head up to look at Shiro, his messy bedhead rustling with the movement. "Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"
Shiro breathed out a laugh and smiled almost nostalgically. "Remember what you told me before I left for Kerberos?"
"... You were destined for greatness," Keith murmured, quoting himself.
Shiro smiled softly at the words that still struck his heart to this day. "As much as I love that, no, what you said before it."
Keith wracked his brain, attempting to come up with an answer. "I think I yelled at you for eating my sandwich when you complained about being nauseous before the flight."
Ah, Keith. Ever the charmer with his two distinct personalities. Passionately strong and poetic, and utterly dense and confused.
Shiro cracked up, blowing a raspberry against Keith's cheek, who wrinkled his nose in protest. "You're getting warmer, but after that," he teased.
Keith knitted his brows until he recalled observing the ship from within the Garrison facility, a clear pane of glass separating him and Shiro from getting closer. With a hand pressed against the glass, he turned to Shiro and said:
"You'll finally be able to see the stars up close."
His coarse voice spoke the words as if lost. "Why do you even remember that?"
Shiro looked up at the stars above them. "Because it was like you were confirming my childhood dream."
Keith stared up at the stars with eyes full of wanderlust. Shiro had adapted to the confines of space; Keith still found its vastness overwhelming. "You'd do great regardless. You always do."
"Yes, but I was a lot less nervous after that. The most important person in my life believed in me. When we walked together and I pointed out every nook and cranny on that ship to you, I knew you were right."
3... 2... 1. The rocket’s engines flared. We have liftoff.
Keith blinked away the flashback, trying not to remember his tears. ”I was. You made it, and I was so proud of you. I guess with everything that's happened though, space has been a pretty shitty experience."
"Oh, it has been from the start."
Keith paused. "What?"
Shiro reached out his prosthetic hand, stars gleaming off of the armoured strips of metal at his knuckles. "We broke through the atmosphere and everyone cheered. I was so relieved that we succeeded. But... when I looked out at black empty space, I was terrified.”
"... You never told me this."
"Never had the nerve to until now." Shiro retracted his arm and rested it against Keith's stomach. "When I looked out at that blank space, I saw more stars than I ever had in my life. But I knew that they were just burning balls of gas, and I knew how to calculate the mass of them, and I knew all the constellations they formed by name. I knew so much about the universe, Keith, it was almost numbing.
I looked back. I looked back as soon as I left, and I saw Earth. I knew on that intricate little planet, there was you. I knew that I missed you. I knew that I would be able to navigate space like the back of my hand, but you were still such a mystery to me. And my heart ached for you."
"Shiro..." Keith was left speechless. There was a serene sort of silence as he looked back at his partner. Space was unfamiliar, but Shiro had never changed. Keith knew Shiro like the back of his hand.
Shiro smiled softly at him, and Keith saw stars twinkle in those grey eyes. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Keith's lips, cupping his face with a tender fondness. "You are far more beautiful and captivating to me than any star in this entire universe."
Keith felt something like a supernova ignite within his chest. "I love you." It came out soft the first time, as if he was only just realizing it himself. With determination striking his violet eyes, he kissed Shiro with so much passion, it took his breath away. "I love you," he breathed, with much more confidence and truth.
Shiro gazed at him with pure devotion as he pressed his forehead against Keith's. "I love you too.”
They pressed their bodies closer, as if attempting to bind their souls together. It was amorous and new, yet oh so familiar. Shiro's hands caressed Keith's body, the sturdier form now lacking the untouched youth he once possessed. Keith's fingers traced down the capable muscles and new scars of Shiro's body. Still the same. It was soft and intoxicating, sometimes an overwhelming dream, but it was their love.
The two men paid no mind to the universe above them, for they saw the stars within each other. No matter where they were, they would both always bring out the best in one another. And it was then that the transparency above shut off with a snap of Shiro's fingers. In the blinding darkness, both still only searched for their significant other, regardless of the distance. Keith and Shiro’s relationship was an intimate love written in the stars, destined for greatness.