#every discovery I made throughout the mission just had my eyes widened the entire time

[artem1sc0re]

My literal live reaction to the ‘Coming Home’ mission in watch dogs legion:

[taetaespeaches]

“Thank you for not giving up three years ago.”

hoseok x reader (or oc) genre: fluff word count: 2.7K

a/n: I’m not even gonna lie, lovelies, this is a bit of a mess lol. But it’s hectic and so is moving into a new place, so I guess it’s fitting? This takes place pretty much where “Wherever we go, we’ll be home” left off. Hobi and Petal/reader are moved in to their new place but they are far from unpacked and yeah. It’s random but I hope you all enjoy, and thanks for reading! :)) 

(brief moments of kookie and poopsie in here as well.) 

p.s. holy shit this is the last fic of the two-week uploads for each member?! What the fuck?? Thanks to everyone who rode this out with and waited for every fic and supported me throughout and ugh I just love you all so much. Thank you, lovelies <3 

TAKING a moment to scan the piles of boxes scattered across the mostly unfurnished apartment, you lifted one of the box flaps before pulling a face of disgust, flipping it back shut. If only the cardboard cubes could unpack themselves.

“You look overwhelmed,” your boyfriend suddenly spoke just moments before his arms loosely wrapped around your shoulders. A kiss was pressed to your cheek bone as you turned to look at him, the man quickly pushing his lips to yours as you turned in his arms, wrapping yours around his waist.

“I think I have too many things,” you thought out loud, Hoseok smiling softly as he shook his head.

“Nah, you just have a lot of things,” he teased, you giggling as you pressed your lips to his once more.

“Remind me, why did we decide to do this to ourselves?” You jokingly complained about the task of unpacking and moving in.

“Mmm,” he hummed in thought. “I think it has something to do with you being obsessed with me and wanting me around all the time,” he smirked.

“Ohhh,” you responded, dragging the word out as you nodded. “Right,” you noted in an unconvinced tone. “Something like that,” you agreed, Hoseok giggling as he pecked your lips a few times quickly.

“We just about have it all unloaded, Jungkook should be able to haul the rest of it up,” he informed you, your eyes widening in surprise, though your response was contained to a simple nod. “I’m gonna go down and check on everything,” he told you, placing a sweet kiss to your nose before stepping away, you allowing him to slip out of your embrace as you watched him leave.

Moving may be an overwhelming task but goddamn that man made it all worth it. Looking around the apartment, with your mind stuck on Hoseok, you decided indefinitely that you would move a million times for him.

Having decided together to replace most of your old furniture with new stuff you picked out together, the space was rather empty, the carboard boxes being the only things filling the room. To make the living area feel more like home, more like you and Hoseok, you were hit with the sudden desire to set out a photo. One particular photo. The first photo you two had ever taken together, which was on your first date at a carnival. Searching the boxes, you tried to find the one that was labeled with ‘picture frames’.

Wandering around the entire living area, you couldn’t seem to find the box anywhere. “Well fuck,” you sighed to yourself, a sudden giggle sounding to the side of the room, your eyes darting to find Jungkook smiling in amusement.

“All good?” He asked, you nodding with a faint smile.

“Have you seen a box with the words ‘picture frames’ on it?” You asked, the man squinting as he thought to himself.

“Uh, no,” he concluded apologetically, still carrying the box in his arms that looked increasingly heavy. “I’m assuming it has picture frames in it,” he smirked, you widening your eyes to feign impression.

“How did you kn-”

“Kookie, are you carrying dishes right now?” Jin’s girlfriend asked him as she stepped into the room from another area of the apartment. Jungkook looked at her with a guilty smile making you giggle lightly. Apparently, he and his accomplice Taehyung had broken almost all of her dishes when helping her to move into her new apartment a few years ago and she was making it her mission to keep the same thing from happening to your own kitchenware.

“Have you been in here this whole time?” You asked her in confusion, the girl looking at you with a serious expression.

“Yeah? You and Hobi are cute,” she noted nonchalantly, you staring at her in disbelief. “I banned you from carrying those,” she reminded Jungkook, the man shooting her a mischievous grin as he walked to the kitchen to place the box on the counter gently.

“I’m redeeming myself,” he informed her before gesturing to the untainted box with a wave of his arm. “Consider me redeemed,” he joked, you lightly chuckling as you looked back to the room, searching for that one specific box among the disarray.

“Is there more to bring up?” The girl asked, you looking back to them to see Jungkook shake his head.

“No, that should be it,” he noted. “Pretty much everyone is gone already. And when I left them your freak and my weirdo were stealing the moving truck keys from Yoongi and threatening to drop it back off at the garage themselves,” he giggled, Jin’s girlfriend smiling as she shook her head.

“Why are they like this?” She asked as you laughed lightly at the thought of them tossing the keys over Yoongi’s head, including him in unwanted game of monkey in the middle.

“Is Hobi down there?” You asked Jungkook, the man shaking his head.

“He went to get you guys dinner,” he informed you, you pulling your eyebrows together in perplexity.

“He did?” You questioned. “We should be buying you all dinner,” you told them guiltily, feeling bad that they had used up most of their day helping you and Hoseok to move. However, both of your friends instantly shook their heads as they started negating your comment in a back and forth that would have seemed rehearsed if you didn’t know better.

“Absolutely not,” the girl told you.

“That’s ridiculous,” Jungkook spoke.

“You already bought lunch,” she said.

“Don’t be silly,” Jungkook finished.

Smiling in amusement at the two, you rolled your eyes. “Ok, well Hobi and I are having you over for dinner soon,” you reminded them as they began making their way to your new front door. “As soon as this place is put together,” you gestured to the mess of yours and Hoseok’s belongings.

“Looking forward to it,” the girl said sweetly as they prepared to exit the apartment. “You’re sure you don’t need help with anything else?” She asked, you shaking your head as you shooed them out.

“You’ve done enough, just go and enjoy your evening.” Looking to Jungkook, you found him smirking, making you eye him skeptically.

“Your dishes should be in good shape, I only dropped them once,” he joked, you instantly laughing at him as Jin’s girlfriend groaned.

“Jungkook,” she warned as he began jogging down the hallway away from her, an adorable but bratty giggle leaving his lips. “Oh, that picture frame box is in your guys’ bedroom,” she informed you, and maybe you should have been surprised by her random intuition and knowledge, but you’d known the girl long enough to know not to question her. Without another word she began running after Jungkook, leaving you as you called out one last thank you.

Shutting the door, you smiled to yourself, a sincere sense of gratitude and happiness settling in as you took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. This was your home. You lived with Hoseok. This was your life.

Hauling a bag stuffed full of blankets, you made your way to the living room as the front door opened, Hoseok stepping inside, his hands full with a pizza box and a… fish bowl?

Cocking your head at him, you set the bag and blanket you pulled out on the floor before slowly walking toward him.

“Petal,” he greeted cheerfully, “I’m home! With food,” he added, nodding his chin down toward the pizza box. “Whoah, home,” he realized the words he spoke as he looked around the room, his eyes landing on you, his gaze full of love and contentment.

“Uh, are we having fish with our pizza?” You asked jokingly, though the man appeared lost in thought as he stared at you fondly.

“I can’t believe we live here together,” he spoke softly, your lips curving up at how cute he was.

“Hoseok,” you called out to pull him from his thoughts, his eyes widening to show his responsiveness. “The fish.”

Your boyfriend followed your gaze downward to the fish bowl with a little gold fish swimming around it. Chuckling at himself, a bashful glow meeting his cheeks, he nodded at it for you to take off the pizza box.

“Well,” he started, you stifling a smile as you held the bowl in your hands in front of your face, looking at the little fish swimming around energetically. “It’s your housewarming gift,” he told you, an endeared laugh leaving your lips.  

“You got me another fish?” You asked, cooing at how fucking cute he was. The combination of his disbelief over the new state of your relationship and living arrangement, along with getting you a new pet goldfish had you wanting to reach out and pepper kisses all across his face.

“I just thought, you know, you loved Luna,” he explained shyly. “I don’t know, a new home, new family member,” he shrugged, you pouting at him as you peered at him from around the fish bowl.

“I did love Luna,” you told him, the man smiling more fondly than ever at you. He won you a fish in a carnival game during that damn first date and it ended up being your flat mate for a year before its eventual passing. You smiled shyly as you thought back to day Hobi came over to visit you only to find you crying at the discovery that your little fish Luna had died while you were at class.

“Why are you so thoughtful?” You asked him, walking to the kitchen counter to set the fish tank down, bending down to continue looking inside the tank. Setting the pizza box on the counterspace next to the fish bowl, Hoseok crouched down with you, both of you peering at the new ‘family member’. So fucking cute.

“What are you thinking for a name?” He asked, you turning toward him as you smiled.

“Maybe,” you thought for a moment, “Yue? Like in Avatar,” you suggested, referring to the princess who sacrificed her life, becoming the spirit of the moon. Looking back to the fish, your boyfriend continued staring at you lovingly.

Leaning toward you, he left a kiss to your cheek, you leaning into the simple gesture of affection. “Is that paying homage to Luna?” He asked, you smiling without looking at him as you stood up, Hoseok looking up at you for a moment. “God, you’re fucking cute,” he told you.

Standing up straight, he grabbed your face between his hands gently, bringing his lips to yours as he kissed you sweetly, the touch lingering as he pulled away. Clasping your hands over his wrists, you ensured he didn’t move his hands away from your face as you looked at him fondly.

“Thank you for this,” you pouted. “I love it,” you referred to the fish. “And you,” you informed him, Hoseok leaning forward once more to kiss your lips slowly and sweetly. “You know, I got you a housewarming present too,” you told him, piquing the man’s interest as his eyes widened. “It’s a bit different than this though,” you gestured to the fish, Hoseok smiling in amusement. Pulling his hands from your face, you left a sweet kiss to the inside of one of his wrists before leaving him to go to the bedroom to retrieve your gift. “We can eat on the rollout mattress,” you called out as you disappeared momentarily into the the bedroom, Hoseok’s eyes landing on the living room floor where you had set out a sleeping pad.

By the time you reentered the living room, Hoseok was seated on the mattress with the box of pizza, his gaze directed to the side of the temporary bed where you had placed the framed photo of you both on your first date. His eyes slowly left the picture to look at you standing a few feet away with a bottle of champagne in one and and a gift bag in the other.

“I figured we should celebrate,” you smiled, Hoseok chuckling as he nodded. “I don’t know where our champagne flutes are, but we can just drink it from the bottle,” you decided as you admired your boyfriend’s stunning smile.

Gesturing to the picture frame sitting on the hardwood floor, he beamed at you. “Do you know how much I love you?” He asked you, you smiling with a nod.

“Yes, Sunshine,” you confirmed, “I do know.” Holding his hands out to gesture for you to join him on the mattress, you handed him the bag. He raised it to his eye level, curious of its contents.  

“Good,” he said simply, lowering the gift to the mattress. “Also, this set up is cute, it feels like a sleepover,” he added, you giggling fondly at the comment. “Except we live here,” he realized once again, both of you smiling excitedly over the fact that you actually lived together.

“Your family is dropping Mickey off tomorrow, right?” You asked suddenly, the man nodding as you took the hand he offered you, allowing him to help you onto your knees, you kneeling next to him. “Good, I miss him,” you said, Hoseok smiling widely.

“I know, me too,” he agreed. “Do you want me to open this?” He asked you, gesturing to the bag, you humming in confirmation. The man wasted no time in pulling the tissue paper out of the way, reaching inside to feel the soft, sheer material. Cocking his head, he lifted his hand out of the bag, the brand-new lingerie set slowly appearing as he held it between his fingertips.

“Oh,” he breathed out, his eyes glued to the pretty white material, embroidered with flowers, the set a lot cuter and daintier than your typical choice. “My god.”

“I thought we could break the place in,” you told him softly before biting your bottom lip.

“This is different,” he noted dumbly, pointing out the stray in your typical choice of sexy undergarments.

“I know,” you smiled. “I thought you’d like it,” you noted, leaning in to place a chaste kiss to his lips.

“Fuck,” he breathed out, causing you to giggle as you kissed his cheek.

“Do you want to eat first?” You teasingly asked, the man giving you an incredulous look as he shoved the pizza box off the mattress until it landed on the wooden floorboards, you laughing as he then rolled atop you, kissing you deeply. Your fingers found themselves tangled up in Hobi’s hair as you kissed him back passionately.

The lingerie didn’t even touch your skin that night, both of you too eager and excited and so fucking in love to bother with getting all dressed up. But each round was perfect as you made love throughout the apartment, taking pizza and champagne breaks between climaxes. And the beautiful thing was that you had endless opportunities to wear that lingerie for Hoseok. Because you actually lived together.

You had a lifetime of possibilities together. Without a single doubt in your mind, you knew moving in together at that exact point in time was the right move to make in your relationship. Three years earlier, you would never have believed a single soul who told you that you would be living with Hoseok. But there you were, celebrating your new home with him, the love of your life, feeling beyond thankful for him and his persistence three years prior.

Exhausted on the rollout mattress, bottle of champagne pressed to your lips as you eyed Hoseok’s nude form, glistening with the sweat of several rounds with you, you chuckled to yourself. The man’s eyes found your own, his hand moving to take the bottle from you.

“What are you laughing at?” He asked fondly before bringing the bottle to his own mouth.

Shaking your head, you moved to straddle the man, his free hand easily wrapping around your lower back. “Just thinking,” you told him just before placing a kiss to his forehead. “Thank you for not giving up three years ago,” you told him, Hobi’s lips slowly curving up into a fond grin.

“Well,” he chuckled bashfully. “The displeasure’s been mine,” he teased, you scrunching your nose as you took the bottle from him again. “You’re still mean, but fuck, I love you,” he playfully told you.

Taking a drink from the bottle, you nodded. “And you’re still obnoxious, but I love you too,” you replied. “So much, Sunshine.”

A lifetime of possibilities with Hoseok was something you’d never take for granted, and you would forever be thanking him for winning you over; for allowing you to fall in love with him.

[kellbellsparkles]

Should’ve been sleeping, but got fixated on writing a one shot prompt of my AU where Matt is the Black Paladin since Shiro was never saved from the Galra and a series of bittersweet events ensues. lol. I hope you all enjoy it. :) 

Lance stared emptily at the occupied healing pod before him. He knew he screwed up; he screwed up big time. Inside was Takashi Shirogane, the very man, hero, and brother that everyone had been combing the galaxy and Galran fleets for the past two years including the year he had been reported missing on Earth. He had been broken and twisted by the Galra, hidden away by Matt Holt and the resistance force that saved him in a secret research facility in hopes of restoring him to the way everyone remembered. The night he made the discovery, he recollected the dreaded fights against the Galra’s champion and the moment everyone thought he had been shot down with great horror. After being confronted by Matt, he took a deep breath and understood how and why Matt made the saddening decision to keep it all to himself.

Months went by with no new results. Lance’s guilt devoured his heart as he watched the other paladins hold onto hope that they’d locate and rescue Shiro one day. He especially felt terrible as he watched Keith, his self-declared rival, the hot-headed mullet samurai, the one he’d come to develop bonding moments with, stay up in the training room and pump himself up for another mission, another possible lead to his only known family’s whereabouts. On every bad day, Keith would come to him and say, “If not for your stupid smile, I don't think I could've made it out here.”

One day, the paladins were tasked with going to a supermarket for additional supplies and first aid for their fight against the Galra. A pink squid-like creature at a single stand promoting a miracle elixir caught Lance’s eye. According to them, the elixir could restore memories, cure illnesses, and heal any injury. From the price on the poster and that there was no proof of the works of the single vial his immediate thought was to walk away. However, he then thought if there were any chances of getting Shiro back, shouldn't he seize them the moment they appeared?

He put down everything he had on the elixir and brought it to Matt that night. He was skeptical like Lance, but they agreed that they had to follow up with whatever shot there was. Carefully, Matt dipped the vial and poured the elixir into Shiro’s mouth. Immediately, it had an effect on him. Their faces rose to the gleeful heavens, believing the miracle elixir to be working, but quickly came crashing down as Shiro let out a loud, gurgly cry and collapsed, suffering from violent seizures. As Matt scrambled to stabilize him, Lance froze and trembled in terror over what he'd possibly done. Suddenly, Shiro’s body let out a great violet wave of quintessence that engulfed the entire facility and shut everything down. Matt swallowed hard and rang for Allura to bring the castle down. Until then, he did everything he could physically to preserve Shiro’s life. As it became fainter on his finger tips, he dove into his chest and mouth harder.

Lance pressed his hand against the healing pod. A week had passed since that traumatic time. If Shiro never emerged from his medical slumber, then Keith would never forgive him. If not for Hunk restraining him, he'd be dead himself for sure. He wished he was as forgiving as Pidge; at first, she scolded Matt for keeping her in the dark when she could've helped, but after losing him once, she couldn't stay angry. Lance leaned his forehead against the glass and began to cry.

“Shiro,” he sobbed. “I'm so sorry. You gotta wake up…. For Keith….”

Whoooosh

Suddenly, there was nothing for him to lean on. He fell face first into Shiro’s chest as his body slumped onto his bottom, sliding against the wall. Lance shuffled to his knees and gasped upon seeing Shiro stirring.

“Oh my god,” he said shakily, bringing his hands to his cheeks. “Shiro?”

At last, the former champion opened his eyes. They were no longer resembled his captor Haggar’s; they returned to their shimmering bronze glory. He hazily stared into Lance’s eyes, fixating him curiously.  Lance clenched his knees to keep himself from hyperventilating. He didn't know what could happen at that very moment: if he'd be fighting for his life or simply shoved out of confusion and fright, so he remained still. He evened his breathing and kept his focus on Shiro. Shiro sat silently, unmoving, his dilated eyes never leaving Lance’s line of sight, not even for a second.

“I heard a ding!”

Coran’s voice echoed cheerfully throughout the infirmary. The calm broken, Shiro let out a yelp and clenched to Lance’s chest tightly. Lance shivered tensely, the sudden contact knocking the air out of his lungs.

“Wait,” he heard Matt say. “Give him space.”

Lance looked over his shoulder and saw everyone staring confusedly at them. Then, he felt Shiro jerking him closer, burying his face deeper into his jacket.

“H-Hey,” Lance stuttered. “It's okay. No one’s going to hurt you.”

Shiro kept still and began to soak Lance’s jacket. At that moment, Lance was struck with a vision of being in the same position with his younger siblings. He'd pat and stroke their heads tenderly for as long as they needed to smile again. Slowly, he brought his right hand and placed it gently on Shiro’s head. The touch alone helped ease his shoulders and relax his hold on Lance. As he brushed his hand through his hair, instinctively, he placed his free hand on Shiro’s back. He felt his breathing slow and return to its original tempo.

“Lance,” Coran said. “Try talking to him.”

Lance leaned his head closer to Shiro’s.

“Hey Shiro,” he said soothingly. “Do you know who you are?”

Shiro raised his head, staring blankly, but directly at Lance.

“Do you know your name?” Lance asked.

Shiro continued to stare, pursing his lips and raising his brows as though he were in deep thought, his eyes bulging as if he was encased in a trance.

“Oh dear,” Lance frowned. He shifted himself and Shiro towards Matt. “Do you know who that is?”

Shiro thrust himself into Lance’s chest again.

“Oh no,” Hunk said sorrowfully. “The elixir made him lose his memory.”

Then, muffled sounds emerged from Shiro’s throat.

“Hey,” Lance said gently. “What's the matter?” He reaches his left hand under Shiro’s chin and lifts his head. “You can tell me.”

Shiro spoke, but what emerged from his mouth was garbled and jumbled. Lance was struck with another vision; a vision of holding his baby siblings for the first time.

“I think he lost more than his memory,” Matt said fearfully.

Everyone looked upon the poor man sadly as he continued to babble. Lance’s stomach churned and quivered; Shiro may not have died, but he had become regressed because of his risky judgement. Before he could drown in his regret, Shiro wrapped his arms around Lance’s neck and nuzzled into his right shoulder. Right away, he held him there in his lap; it was all he could do for him.

“Hmm,” Coran pondered. “I think I know what's happening here.”

Lance’s ears flickered, his head snapping up at Coran.

“You do?” he said.

“Whatever was in that elixir,” Coran began. “It caused a chain reaction with the druid magic pumped into him and sent his nervous system into a frenzy. His brain couldn't handle the chaos, so it showed itself out. And now, since you're the first person he's seen since waking, Lance, you've become his guardian, his protector, or more intimately put, his mother.”

“His mother??” Lance exclaimed. “What??”

“He can't be THAT handicapped!” Pidge cried. “Can he?”

“Isn't that asking too much of Lance?” Hunk questioned, concerned.

“If this is what's become of your missing comrade,” Coran said. “Then this is how it must be. We can pitch in once he's grown used to us.”

“Coran,” Allura chimed. “Are you sure this is wise? He could still be a potential threat.”

“What are you saying, Allura?” Lance said, aghast. “Look at him. Would a potential threat act this scared and helpless?”

“If the Galra had something up their sleeve,” Matt said. “They would've revealed it the moment we put him in the pod.”

“It would've been Sendak all over again,” Hunk added. “But it's not.”

“I know you're concerned, Allura,” Pidge said. “But we can't just abandon him after we spent so long looking for him.”

“And fighting,” Lance whispered sadly to himself.

Allura staggered from the pleading eyes shoving against her. She took a deep breath.

“If the plan is to keep him under twenty-four-seven surveillance,” she said. “Then I have no objections.”

Suddenly, Shiro clenched his legs together and whimpered.

“Shiro?” Lance said worryingly, rubbing his right hand up his spine. “What's wrong?”

Shiro tapped his feet on the floor in response. The desperate rhythm signaled Lance to the problem right away.

“Oh,” he said. “Shoot.” He brought his hands to Shiro’s. “Up we go. Come on.”

Steadily and hurriedly, he taught him to follow his lead and stand on his two feet. Shiro’s knees quaked horribly; he whined and squinted his eyes shut.

“It's gonna be okay,” Lance told him tenderly. “We can make it. Just follow me.”

“Uh oh,” Hunk gasped suddenly.

“Not good,” Pidge said, panicked.

Lance turned his head towards the sudden commotion. His face turned white when he laid his eyes on Keith for the first time since Shiro was admitted into the healing pod. He breathed heavily, his eyes widening greatly, his pupils shrinking.

“Shiro…..”

He took a few steps forward.

“Shiro.”

He hastened his steps, evolving into a sprint.

“Shiro!!”

Hunk leapt in front of him, preparing to grab him, but Keith quickly eluded him having developed sharper reflexes during his solitude. At last, he was here; he wasn't going to let anything stand in between him and Shiro ever again. He stretched out his right arm and made contact with Shiro’s right shoulder.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!”

Shiro screamed and wailed deafening cries. Pidge, Allura, Hunk, and Coran all covered their ears. Keith flinched, nearly falling backward. Shiro collapsed onto the ground, but Lance swooped under him to break his fall. As Shiro tearfully embraced Lance once more, he glared back at his attacker, even bearing his teeth.

Keith tottered, the arm that triggered the outburst receiving the worst of it. He closed his eyes briefly, thinking that he passed out from an excessive training session and was now experiencing lucid nightmares, but when he opened them again, Shiro’s eyes remained the same: frightened, enraged, and blank. Tears began to well in Keith’s eyes.

“Keith,” Lance said heavily.

Keith turned his back and fled from the infirmary. Hunk took it upon himself to chase after him.

“Keith, wait!” he called out. “I can explain! Let's talk about this!”

When both men were out of sight, Shiro lowered his head and sobbed beyond control. A large puddle formed underneath his legs. Lance held him and rocked him through it.

“Shhshhhh” he whispered. “It's okay.”

Promptly, Coran tossed towels and a fresh set of Altean admiral clothes over Lance’s head.

“I don't know how Altean attire compares to human attire,” he said. “But that was the largest uniform I could find.”

While holding Shiro with his right arm, Lance used his left arm to lay out the outfit. Gold and silver buttons and badges illuminated the sky blue suit. The snow white, rubbery, elastic dress pants sparkled so brightly, they rivaled the sun in blinding power.

“Thanks,” Lance said, shielding his eyes. “But I think Shiro needs to wear something more comfortable. In the meanwhile….”

Casually, he swept the noble suit over to the puddle Shiro made.

“Thanks, Coran,” he said with a silly smile.

Everyone blinked in shock over Lance’s sudden action.

“NOOOOOOO!!” Coran shrieked. “You just tinkled on Admiral Starlit Twinkle!! Albeit figuratively, BUT ALSO LITERALLY!! I'm so sorry, Admiral!! You were so good to me appreciating my flamboyant personality, and here I am disrespecting your memory by allowing this to happen!!”

Allura, Pidge, and Matt resisted as best they could, but ultimately, they each let out a laugh. Lance chuckled along as he swaddled Shiro in the towels.

“I'm sure it'll wash out,” Lance said.

Once wrapped in the warm, soft fabric, Shiro ceased his cries. He quickly slipped into the world of slumber once more, snug against Lance’s chest.

“Whew, Lance sighed. “What a day he's had, huh?”

Allura smiled warmly.

“I must say,” she said. “He looks very peaceful.”

“Yeah,” Matt said softly. “For the first time since the whole mess began with Kerberos.”

Lance cradled Shiro closer to him. Tragedy may have fell, but perhaps there was a looming joy waiting to be unveiled. The Galra no longer had a hold on him; he was Lance’s to nurture and witness a new adventure being born.