Archive of Our Own ^beta

Hunk Garrett was looking at the faded, yellowed text on a newspaper, caught up in his memories. Putting the box he had found the paper in aside, he sat down heavily on the couch. The box rattled a little, frames with pictures from a happier time moving about. Hunk traced the words, quietly muttering to himself. His breath stilled when he read the date. It was the fifth of January. Already seven years ago, he thought to himself. He remembered meeting Shiro for the first time. That was even longer ago. Carefully, so as to not damage the fragile article, he put it back on the table and looked at the image of the horrible car crash. He’d never been there live, but the news spread like a wildfire through the college…

…”HUNK!!!” Lance yelled when he stormed into the technician lab. An angry hiss from Pidge helped silence him immediately and have the thin brunette freeze up while Hunk looked up, a questioning look on his face.

“P..Pidge!… I didn’t know you’d be here…” Lance whispered, almost scared and voice suddenly raw with emotion. That got Pidge’s attention.

“Why? What’s wrong? Shouldn’t I be here?”

Lance paled visibly.

“I.. uh… didn’t want to be the one to break the news to you...”

“What news?”

Hunk watched Lance slowly walking towards them and forcing Pidge to sit down. Lance had a look on his face that Hunk didn’t recognize. It was… solemn. Whatever Lance had to tell, it wasn’t going to be good.

“Uhm… There was an accident, a bad one. Shiro and Keith were in it. They… uh.. they tried to avoid a child that had run onto the street… and lost control due to the snow. Pidge…. I.. I’m so sorry. But Keith didn’t make it.”

Hunk’s pen fell out of his hand and clattered onto the floor. It was a horrible sound that pierced through the silence.

“No way, Keith can’t be dead. I was on the phone with him only half an hour ago!” Pidge suddenly growled at Lance and pushed him away from her. “How dare you talk such bullshit?!” she continued, her voice rising further and getting higher.

Lance grabbed their arms.

“It’s no joke!” he argued and shook them. Pidge shook her hand, suddenly shaking from head to toe.

“NO! NO!! NO !!!” she screamed and tears started to fall. Hunk and Lance rushed to support her.

Keith Kogane had been Pidge’s first and best friend. They grew up together as neighbors. Keith, as an orphan lived in the orphanage that stood in the same road that Pidge lived in. Her older brother Matt was working as a volunteer in the orphanage, and thus allowed to take Keith home every so often so that he and Pidge could play together. They bonded well and went to the same school. They were as close as non-soulmates could be.

Once at school, Keith meet Shiro and they fell in love. Only later did they discover that they were soulmates, sharing the same mark in form of a small colored galaxy on their right shoulder blade. They moved in together as soon as Keith turned eighteen. He was a year older than Pidge, but due to Pidge’s intelligence, she was able to jump grades and join Keith in college.

That was were Hunk, Lance and Pidge met. They quickly became close friends. Pidge gradually spent more time with them, sometimes Keith was there too. They didn’t meet Shiro a lot, he was a stellar sophomore – sharing top grades with Keith, both having a bright future ahead of them. They wanted to go to space. To go and see the galaxy they had etched into their skin as soul mark for real. Hunk had been surprised when Keith one day walked up to him and thanked him for being there for Pidge. He admitted that he’d been feeling guilty for dividing his time to accommodate both Shiro and Pidge. Hunk had laughed and given him a hug. Which was very awkward for both of them. He had promised to take care of Pidge.

However, this wasn’t how he had imagined that he would need to take care of Pidge.

Hunk stood by her side, brother Matt on the other, and held her hand as the coffin was slowly being lowered into the earth. Pidge had no tears left to give. It had been a week since Keith’s death. Since Keith had no relatives, the state paid for the funeral – making the coffin the simplest there could be. The pastor had originally planned on reading ten sentences before Pidge had aggressively handed him a sheet full of what made Keith great, infuriating and overall sorely missed. The words partly reflected her anger at Keith for leaving her.

Lance stood close, holding up an umbrella for them. It was pouring down, small droplets of warm water falling onto the muddy grass before converging to form puddles. It was only the trio, Pidge’s parents, and a few college students and professors. Keith didn’t have a lot of friends. He didn’t have a lot of people who would grieve for him.

Pidge had told Hunk that she would grieve twice as much to show Keith in heaven that he will be missed. That he shouldn’t have left her alone.

Shiro wasn’t there. Even though he had survived the crash, he was badly injured and still in the hospital. No visitors besides his parents were allowed. The weeks passed, and eventually, the world forgot about Keith.

Everyone moved on.

Except Pidge.

Except Shiro.

Hunk was in the lab, tinkering with some parts and humming to himself, simply enjoying the quiet. Pidge was at home, faking sick for reasons he would soon find out. Lance had a different class, so Hunk had to pass the time by himself.

When the door opened, he didn’t think anything. It was probably Lance who decided to skip. That’s why, when there was only silence, Hunk looked up to make sure that the door really had opened. His jaw dropped open.

“Shiro?!” he whispered quietly, both surprised and shocked. Shiro looked at him and smiled faintly.

“Hey Hunk”, came the murmured reply.

“Pidge is not here if you’re looking for her.”

Shiro blinked and then sighed. “I figured as much. Apparently, Matt told her that I would return to college today.”

“Oh…”

Now it made sense why Pidge wasn’t there. Pidge had resorted to hating Shiro and blaming him for the death of Keith because the elder man was behind the wheel. Hunk had mixed feelings about that. It was an accident, and Shiro was probably feeling bad enough as it is. Not to mention that Shiro and Keith had been soulmates.

Shiro looked nervous, as if unsure if being here really was right. He looked uncomfortable, rubbing at his right arm. That’s when Hunk noticed the jacket’s sloppy movements and swallowed another gasp. Shiro looked older, the hair having turned partly white.

Hunk, in a twisted sort of blessing, was glad not to have met his soulmate. The bond intensified once the soulmates meet, the general rule being that the deeper the bond, the more emotions are shared between them. It was a known fact that people had been driven into madness when their partner died violently because they’d feel it and share the pain and last emotions. Hunk, never meeting his, didn’t feel anything, or at least, he couldn’t remember.

Keith and Shiro had been particularly close, even for soulmates. With Shiro absent for so long, many wondered if they’d ever see him again or if he hadn’t withstood the psychological repercussions. Seeing Shiro’s missing arm filled Hunk with a sense of dread and relief. It was probably just the healing of the arm that had taken so long. He was probably alright, Hunk thought. Shiro had always been strong, reliable. Almost like a second dad. The group and his friends had always teased him.
But seeing how Shiro was avoiding eye contact, Hunk realised that Shiro was a broken man. He stood in the door, shoulders hunched, making himself small. No pride left to keep him upright. He was no longer the strong man he used to be because there was no Keith to steady him, to get angry for, and with him, when Shiro holds back too much.

“Do you want to sit down? If you don’t know where to go you can stay with me” Hunk offered, trying a gentle smile and already pulled one of the chairs up.

Shiro looked at him in surprise and nodded after a while. He walked towards him and awkwardly sat on the chair. He used his left arm to support himself on the table.

Hunk continued to tinker with his newest invention and gave Shiro all the silence he needed. He seemed to at least appreciate it. Or rather, he didn’t know what sensible thing he could possibly say or talk about. It all seemed too raw.
School? A reminder of what he had missed.
Home? A reminder of who was missing.
Future? A reminder of who wouldn’t be there with him.

“Thanks for letting me stay and not asking any questions.”

“It’s not like I don’t have any, but I know how awful some questions can be”, admitted Hunk.

“What are you working on?” Shiro asked instead.

“Oh, this? This is a molecular splitting device designed to cut metal fragments. It allows making an uneven surface smooth even on a nanoscopic level.”

“Huh, that’s pretty cool.”

Hunk blushed and grinned. “Thanks. I guess it is. I can’t wait to finish it.”

Shiro lips curved into a small smile, infected by Hunk’s enthusiasm.

Hunk lowered his tools after a few minutes.

“Seriously though, how are you holding up Shiro? I know we don’t know each other very well but we’ve been worrying. What about your arm? You’ve been gone for half a year. Didn’t they fit you with a prosthetic?”

Shiro blanched a little at the sudden onslaught of questions and Hunk immediately regretted asking any of them.

“You don’t have to answer…”

“They didn’t work. I tried some prosthetics but they felt alien. I couldn’t move well enough to be comfortable with them. And… I think I’ve been holding up well so far. I didn’t jump off a bridge yet.”

Now it was Hunk’s turn to pale. “Do me a favour and avoid jumping off bridges, now that you told me. Actually don’t kill yourself at all. It won’t solve anything.”

“I could be with Keith again…”

“But he wouldn’t appreciate you killing himself, I’m sure of that!” Hunk sternly scolded, further emphasising his point by banging his screwdriver onto the table.

Shiro flinched and remained quiet.

“I’m sorry.”

Hunk stared at Shiro, not believing what he was witnessing.

“Don’t you have a therapist?” he asked.

“I’ve had a therapist every day for the last fucking six-months!” Shiro suddenly snapped.

“And it didn’t help at all! She told me I needed to get out, return to my life and to stop hiding. It would help me cope. But all that is happening is that I keep seeing Keith around every corner! I see the looks that everyone is giving me, avoiding me, pretending to be best friends. Only Matt actually bothered to come. Pidge hates me, she even pretends to be sick so she won’t have to meet me. How is that supposed to make me feel?” he ranted in a mixture of anger and sadness.

Hunk watched him, trying to think of something good to say.

“Hey, how about me n’ Lance talk to her and convince her to meet with you? You guys seriously need to have a talk.”

Shiro raised his eyebrow doubtfully and huffed.

“She won’t want to bother.”

“Buddy, you never know until you try. Stop putting the idea off before even considering it properly.”

~Few days later…

Lance was immediately on board the idea and decided to not prepare Pidge at all. He simply dragged her into the tech lab where Hunk and Shiro were waiting. As soon as she spotted Shiro, she saw red.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” she yelled at Lance and hit him. “How can you do this to me, you traitor?! I told you that I don’t want to see him! EVER!!!”

She tried pushing her way out of the room, but Hunk moved to block her.

“We’re sorry, I thought Lance would at least prepare you. But please, you need to talk to Shiro. For… closure. You can’t spend your life hating him. And he needs to be able to apologise.”

“Apologise? He can’t bring Keith back!”

“And he doesn’t need to! It’s not like he killed him!”

Pidge marched towards Shiro, who remained standing, and pulled on his right sleeve in order to pull him down for a slapping. But she froze, realising there was no arm to pull on.

Hunk winced and Shiro’s face remained expressionless.

When both remained quiet, Hunk spoke up. “You aren’t the only one who lost someone or something.”

Pidge remained quiet and stared at the missing arm.

She was torn between thinking that he deserved it, but angry at herself at the same time for actually thinking that. Nobody deserved losing a limb. The thought of losing an arm, disabling her and thus restricting her love for tinkering… She wouldn’t be able to bear it. But she was supposed to be angry. For what and at who even? At Shiro? At herself? Hunk was right, she realised. She wasn’t the only one who had lost something. And she knew it from day one. But it was easier to be angry at someone.

Hunk placed his hands on Pidge’s shoulders and gave her a nudge. She frowned and then looked up at Shiro who seemed to realise that he was safe.

“I’m sorry Pidge, for everything. If I could turn back time, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Anything to have Keith back. He was young, and his life hard enough. He deserved more time, more happiness”, Shiro quietly alleged.

Pidge nodded somberly.

“He did, he deserved none of this… I… I really miss him” she admitted and closed her eyes as tears threatened to blur her sight.

Shiro tentatively placed his remaining arm over her shoulder and pulled her close into a soft hug.

“So do I… I really do.”

Pidge wrapped her arm around his to make up for the missing contact and they remained like that.

Both Hunk and Lance looked first at each other, and then away. They felt like intruders.

“I’m.. sorry for faulting you, I know it’s not your fault. I was just… I feel so lost. Matt is terrible at video games, Hunk avoids combat and Lance stays at a distance. My techniques are all fucked up”, she cursed while Hunk and Lance complained from the back of the room with a “hey!”. Shiro appreciated that she was trying to lighten the mood, it meant a lot to him. He gave her a small smile.

“I’m not that bad at video games, Keith made me practice with him to keep up with you.”

“I knew it! I knew he couldn’t just suddenly get so good!” Pidge exclaimed and the chuckled.

“You could… come over some time if you want?”

Shiro nodded.

“I’d like that.”

Hunk could barely contain his grin. Seeing the two of them making up and renewing their friendship flooded him with relief. Now Pidge would come to college again and Shiro would be more at ease.

~

Hunk was walking towards the tech lab when Shiro was suddenly by his side. Hunk jumped five metres into the air and yelped.

“Jesus! Don’t scare me like that!”

Shiro chuckled.

“I’m sorry, I’ll make sure to announce myself next time. My lecture got cancelled and I’m trying to kill some time before my next one, mind if I join you in your lab?”

“No problem, come along. Pidge will be there shortly too. She’s making the software to my cutter.”

“Huh, cool She knows how to do her stuff, right?”

“Yeah, she’s great.”

Pidge was already there when they entered, much to Hunk’s surprise.

“Hey Pidge, don’t you still have class?”

“Hey Hunk, Shiro. I skipped it, I already know the contents anyway.”

“Pidge”, Hunk scolded but she shrugged him off.

“How come I only ever see you two in there? Isn’t this college property?” Shiro intervened and looked curiously.

“It’s because it’s our club room and we changed it for our needs. “

“But doesn’t a club have to consist of at least five people?”

“We are five. Pidge, me, Lance, honourable member Keith and you.”

Shiro stopped in his tracks.

“Me ?!”

“Yeah, Keith kinda signed you up when we were short of one member” Pidge admitted with a sly grin.

Shiro suddenly felt both very betrayed and proud of his boyfriend.

“Oh… Okay. If that works.”

“Anyway!” Pidge declared. “I’ve had this idea and I couldn’t wait to try it out. But I need your help, Hunk, to make it work.”

Cursing himself for his curiosity, Hunk inched closer. “What idea?”

“To make a prosthetic for Shiro.”

Shiro’s eyes widened.

… Sudden realisation dawned upon him.

“What ?!”

Pidge looked up from her computer.

“You heard me. If these idiots in the hospital couldn’t make it, we’ll make you one.”

Hunk put his hand into his chin, crossing the other arm.

“But it’ll need a lot of material, the metal needs to be able to move smoothly. We need the wiring and we need it to actually be able to connect to the nerve to enable movement. I could probably acquire the stuff but I’ll need to cut and trim it to size accordingly. Can you make the tech needed for sensing and movement?”

Pidge nodded.

“Already on it. And what are you worried about? With our molecular cutter, we’ll be able to make the smoothest elements. It should be able to purr like a cat if you make the motor. We should include hydraulics to give the arm extra strength.”

“That’s a great idea!” Hunk exclaimed. Both had totally forgotten Shiro who sat down.

“Are you… really going to make an arm for me?” he inquired.

“Looks like it.” Pidge grinned like a Cheshire-cat and Hunk couldn’t believe that Pidge hated Shiro up until yesterday. She was a phenomenon.

Shiro looked at the two of them, not quite believing what they had promised. After all, not even the state-of-the-art hospital had been able to help him. How were two college students going to do it? Both of them had the skills, both of them were amazing in their hobbies. But could he really trust them with his arm?

He thought of Keith and chuckled. Keith would have trusted them in a heartbeat. Maybe he should just do the same. It would either fail and he’d have no arm, or he’d have no arm at all.

During the next couple of days, Hunk and Pidge finished their work on the molecular cutting device, which Pidge lovingly named “Rover001”.

Shiro visited the tech lab every day to watch either their progress, to pass the time waiting for the next lecture or to just study. Hunk and Pidge worked mostly quietly. It calmed him down. Especially Hunk radiated peace and even brought cookies every second day. Shiro found them delicious and decided it wasn’t too bad when he started to gain weight because of them. He had lost some kilos after the accident. If cookies were his way back to his normal weight, then so be it. He wouldn’t mind and the physician would be pleased too.

Around three weeks after the molecular device was finished, Hunk was in the tech lab on his own when Shiro entered.

“Good morning, no Pidge today?” Shiro greeted and placed the three cups of coffee onto the table - far away from anything electric.

Hunk looked up and smiled.

“G’morning Shiro. Yeah, I sent her home”, he yawned and put a hand in front of his mouth.

Shiro glanced at his watch.

“You… sent her home at eight-thirty in the morning?”

“Yeah, we didn’t leave yesterday. We had a really good breakthrough. A medical professor that Pidge’s father Dr. Gunderson knows, sent his research on neurotransmitters. We skimmed through it and it’s great! It really helped us understand how to connect the arm to your neurones. We started working on a blueprint. But I need your measurements first. Could I measure your arm?” Hunk quickly explained and had already pulled out the measuring tape.

Shiro blinked and nodded.

“Uh, yeah.. go ahead.”

Hunk walked towards him and inspected his arm.

“Could you.. uh, take off your shirt? Or at least slip one arm out?” Hunk winced at his own poor choice of wording.

Shiro froze just long enough for Hunk to notice it. Then he nodded and slipped his arm out of the sleeve, not stripping completely.

Hunk carefully took measurements of Shiro’s arm, ignoring the scars. At least he tried to. He couldn’t help but wonder if they were from the accident.

Shiro remained quiet throughout the ordeal, actively trying to avoid eye contact. The whole procedure was clearly making the older man uncomfortable. Hunk tried to hurry up and jotted his measurings down.

“Okay, ready”, he whispered afterwards.

Shiro looked up and couldn’t get into his sleeve fast enough. He let out a breath that both hadn’t realised he’d held.

“With these measurements, I’m going to order the parts. Is there a specific colour you’d like your arm to have? Skin-coloured or metal? Dark, light?”

Shiro rose his eyebrows.

“Are you asking me what I want my arm to look like, besides functioning?”

“Of course. You have the choice. We can try to make it appear as human as possible or put hippie flowers all over it if you wish to do so. We could even add a small jetpack to your elbow. You know, in case you ever need to punch someone reaaally hard. It’ll give the punch more oomph!”

Shiro had to laugh at that. Both imagined Shiro with an arm that screamed hippie from am mile away and the uncomfortable situation from before was forgotten.

“I hope I won’t be punching anyone so no, I don’t need a jetpack.”

“Aaaw…” Hunk tried hard not to sound disappointed.

Shiro grinned and rubbed at his stump.

“I want everyone to see the metal arm. Don’t hide it under fake skin.”

Hunk nodded and made quick notes.

Shiro watched him and a grin spread across his face. “But do you know what would be cool?”

Hunk looked up. “No, what?”

“You could install speakers and an MP3-Player. I could walk around and play ‘Eye of the tiger’ or ‘Karma Chameleon’ whenever I want.”

Hunk stared at him and then burst out laughing.

“From the eighties? Jesus. I’m making an arm for an eighties nerd.”

Shiro chuckled innocently.

“It was just an idea.”

“Yeah right, no way. I’m not doing that.”

~

Shiro and Hunk continued to meet in the lab, often with Pidge, sometimes without. Since it was their tech lab, they always had access to it, even during the holidays. Shiro stayed true to his promise and visited Pidge at home. Hunk, Lance, Matt, Shiro and Pidge battled each other playing various board- and video games. Shiro was at a bit of a disadvantage, using the controller with only one hand. But with some practice, he soon got the gist of it and played just as good as the rest of them.

The three of them gradually grew closer and only now did Shiro understand why it had been so important for Keith to stay in close contact with his friends. Shiro had often been jealous. Now he wished that he’d have been with them, instead of studying or focusing on the future. Shiro secretly vowed to live more in the present than the future. Relationships are more important than money and awards. Besides, he really did enjoy spending time with Hunk. The big bear grounded him, calmed his thoughts and gave Shiro the feeling of being appreciated. Hunk didn’t handle Shiro with care, he was always honest – like Keith, and he needed that honestly. He burst out laughing every time he met Hunk in the morning only to be greeted with a “You look like shit, man”.

Hunk too, liked the change he was seeing in Shiro. After three months had passed since measuring the arm, he’d gotten Shiro to open up a bit more. He appreciated the older man’s interest in both his arm and Hunk. Shiro would often sit quietly at the table, asking the occasional question or two and seem genuinely interested.
It was at around that time, that the first prototype of the arm was finished and Hunk needed to fit it onto the stump. The purpose was to compare the measurements and check it if would actually fit. They had also found a doctor, thanks to Pidge’s dad, who was willing to surgically connect the arm. Shiro sent everyone out of the lab when it was time for the fitting. He wouldn’t take off his shirt in front of anyone but Hunk. It made him feel both exclusive and excited. Anxiety rolled in his stomach.

Hunk had only ever seen the scars so far, he hadn’t seen the remainder of Shiro’s arm. So when Shiro took his shirt off, Hunk couldn’t help but gasp.

It looked ugly. The stump war dark red and appeared raw even though the skin was healed. The keloid scars had a very disfiguring appearance and Hunk understood why Shiro was too shy to show it. Hunk looked up when he realised that Shiro was watching him.

‘It’s disgusting, isn’t it?”

Hunk swallowed.

“I can’t say it’s beautiful, but it doesn’t change who you are.”

“A crippled man?”

“A man who’s picked himself back up after being crippled. I’m trying to give you the chance to grasp life to the fullest and with both hands again”, he told Shiro who didn’t reply.
Hunk gently placed his hand on Shiro’s shoulder and noticed the faded mark on Shiro’s back. It must have looked beautiful, just like Keith’s did. The colours had been vibrant and Keith made sure that the skin was flawless and showed it off to everyone on a regular basis.

Hunk grabbed the prosthetic. It reflected the luminous ceiling lights. He very carefully placed it onto Shiro’s arm who didn’t flinch. The scar tissue left no room for sensory intake, Shiro didn’t feel anything there.

Hunk did notice the look of wonder on Shiro’s face though, when he looked down at what could be his arm. Hunk measured the gaps and again, jotted down plenty of notes. He couldn’t wait to see Shiro’s face when he would have his actual, functioning arm. The risk of not actually being able to make a functioning arm, and the fear of disappointed Shiro was pushed into the darkest corner of his mind.

Some days later, when Pidge and Hunk had completed the future arm’s prototype with all the correct measurings, they tried activating it by connecting it to a helmet that would read the brain’s signals for movement.

The arm combusted, the smoke strong enough for the fire alarm to wail.

Their failure forced them to build two more prototypes until it functioned without a hitch. From that prototype, they built the actual arm and Shiro grew increasingly nervous.


Eventually, a date was set for the operation that would connect Shiro to his new arm. By now, it had been over ten months since the accident. Shiro’s been with them for nearly five months.

Hunk was feeling nauseous when he waited with Hunk in his hospital room.

“You’ll make it…”, Hunk promised and grabbed Shiro’s hand, admiring his soft skin.

Shiro looked down at their hands and smiled a little, rubbing his thumb softly over Hunk’s hand.

“Thanks to your hard work.”

“Pidge did work on it too.”

“Yeah, I know. And I appreciate that it was her idea, but you did the building. You did the whole supporting when I was freaking out when you took measurements.”

Hunk blushed a little. Pidge coughed quietly, reminding them of her presence.

“I…”

He was interrupted when the nurse entered the room.

“Mr. Shirogane? We’ll be taking you to the operation now.”

Shiro rose and settled into his bed.

“Okay…”, he whispered and closed his eyes. Then he looked at Hunk.

“Please be there when I wake up. I don’t want to be alone like last time…”

“I promise I’ll be there. Sweet dreams”, he teased with a kind grin.

Shiro chuckled and was rolled out of the room.

Hunk looked at Pidge, who suggestively raised her eyebrows.

“What was that?” Pidge asked.

“What was what?”

“You like him.”

“He’s become a good friend.”

“I mean love-like.”

“NO, I don’t. I mean yes, but as friends. He’s not my soulmate.

“So what? You both don’t have one anymore. Go for it”, she stabbed.

Hunk paled a little.

“I… no. He’s still hurting, just like you. He had Keith, the perfect boyfriend. I can’t step in his footsteps.”

“Then stop pining, it’s revolting to look at”, Pidge complained - before hugging Hunk.

“Actually, it is painful to look at. Hunk, you deserve happiness… so.. does Shiro. A new arm won’t bring back his happiness, just his functionality. He needs someone who he can lean on. And he already leans on you. You two are the closest. He trusts you.”

“But trusting is not loving…”

“Hunk you can be so dumb sometimes”, Pidge growled and ruffled his brown hair.


When Shiro woke up, Hunk was, just as promised, by his side. He quietly groaned as pain surged throbbed through his right arm. He felt Hunk’s hand, smelled his musk over the sterile hospital stench and relaxed, falling asleep again.

The next time he woke up, Hunk war still there; this time asleep, his head was on his bed and he snored quietly.

Shiro chuckled a little and then coughed. His throat was dry from the anaesthetic and he was thirsty like hell. He was still dazed, only slowly realising where he really was and what had occurred. His head snapped to his right shoulder, eyes nearly bulging out when he saw the metallic arm, attached to his stump. From the looks of it, the surgery had been successful. Now if only he could move a fing-

Shiro jolted upright when his pinky, his metallic pinky, actually moved. The movement startled Hunk awake who blinked drowsily.”Shiro? OH! Shiro! You’re awake!”

Shiro gaped at his finger and suddenly felt nauseous.
He threw up a second later.

Hunk gawked at him and panicked, calling for the nurse and trying to calm Shiro down by rubbing his back.

The nurse gave Shiro a medication to calm his stomach down, and changed the bedsheet.

“H..hunk…”

“Yes?” he replied, a bit scared that Shiro will throw up again.

“It.. works…”

“What?”

“The hand. I.. can move it…”; he whispered and slowly lifted his arm. It felt weak and hurt because his shoulder- and arm muscles weren’t as strong as before, but the arm did what he wanted. He had an arm. Shiro had a functioning arm.

Tears flooded his eyes and Shiro started to cry. Tears of happiness and relief. He pulled Hunk into a hug with his real arm and sobbed quietly.

Hunk was happy too and messaged Pidge as soon as he had the chance too. The reply came seconds later, a mass of exclamation marks and smiley emoticons.

Shiro was allowed to leave the hospital three days later. The arm was healing just fine and the connection between the prosthetic and the muscles solid enough. He wasn’t allowed to lift anything that was heavier than one kilogramme, but for now he didn’t need to.

He had daily physiotherapy to strengthen the arm’s muscles and to learn to cope with his strength. Shiro was astounded at what the prosthetics allowed him to do. He was able to actually feel with his new hand. He could even differentiate between hot and cold, sensors telling him the approximate temperature of whatever he was touching. He visited the lab daily. Both Hunk and Pidge continued to monitor the arm and check if everything was working fine.

The two had risen up to be stars, their prosthetic featured in some of the most renown medical magazines and forums, earning praise from all over the world. They received countless offers to sell their invention. Instead of selling it, they made plans to open up their own company for medical prosthetics as soon as they’d finish university. With the help of Pidge’s father and a hugely successful, still ongoing, crowdfunding event, they would have enough to actually succeed. Pidge had already applied for a patent, naming their future company “Voltron” as suggested by the crowdfunding biggest supporter, Allura.

Hunk was hugely proud of Pidge’s and his prosthetic.

Around two weeks later, Hunk received a call from Shiro that would mark the beginning of their relationships’ change

“Hi, sorry to bother you but I need your help, something is wrong with my arm. But don’t bring Pidge. Here’s my address:

Hunk looked up at what was Shiro’s apartment or rather, what used to be Keith’s and Shiro’s apartment. It was his first time in this part of the city. It was a quiet neighbourhood, the houses and roads looked clean. The buildings were mainly small, designed to fit three to five families. Shiro’s apartment was the same.

Currently, the evening sun was slowly settling down. The whole road was engulfed in a bright orange glow, reflecting off the many windows in the street, and blinding Hunk. He had to squint to be able to check the address that Shiro had told him. He was at the right house, he confirmed and checked the names on the tags, next to the entrance door. The name tags next to the bells implied that up to three families could live there. But then again, only one nametag was actually visible.

Shiro(Ko)gane

Hunk swallowed. Apparently Shiro hadn’t thought it necessary to change the name tag. Pidge was wrong. He’d never have a chance with Shiro. Idly, he wondered what could be wrong with the arm and rang the door bell. Shiro didn’t send a lot of specifics in his message. It didn’t take long for the door to open.

Shiro stood in front of him, pale, a black tank top sticking onto his glistening, sweaty skin. His eyes were unfocused and that scared Hunk a bit.

“I came as fast as I could…” Hunk began an looked at Shiro’s left arm when it rattled. It was shaking, and Hunk wondered if perhaps the nerves were overstimulated.

“Come in…” Shiro whispered and moved to the side to let him in. He closed the door and wiped away his sweat on his forehead using the tank top. The right arm hung uselessly by his side, still shaking uncontrollably.

Hunk let himself be lead into the living room. A small smile spread across his face. It looked very Asian. It had sliding doors and a kotatsu Hunk realised. Almost traditional but with American hints here and there. It looked like home and very cosy at first. And yet… a framed picture of Keith and Shiro that hung on the wall caught Hunk’s attention. Its glass was broken. So were many of the other frames. It filled Hunk with a sense of dread. Shiro had been so happy lately. He had laughed, smiled and been how he’d been before the accident. Of course there had been moments of sadness. But nobody would have guessed that this was Shiro’s home. A ruin, filled with remnants of a life that no longer existed.

Shiro sat on the floor, next to the low table and placed his trembling metal arm on top of it. He was very quiet.

Hunk sat down next to him.

“Hey buddy… When did the trembling start?” he carefully asked as he opened the arm’s hatch to check for any visible malfunctions. Shiro had asked specifically for Hunk to come alone, without Pidge. He wasn’t sure if he could fix it on his own but he would certainly try. Shiro didn’t want Pidge to see any of this. Heck, he hadn’t even let Pidge see his scars. But Hunk couldn’t see anything wrong with it on the first sight. He ran a quick scan which confirmed his assumption. Technically, the arm was functioning perfectly.

“It started after I woke up from my nap. I… had a nightmare”, Shiro admitted and closed his eyes. The trembling became stronger at that and Hunk placed his hand onto Shiro’s.

“I think that it is possible that the arm is reacting to the stress of the nightmare. Maybe, if you calmed down, it’ll improve. You still look pretty spooked to me.”

Shiro actually snorted at that. It almost sounded malicious.

“Calm down? Jesus, Hunk! I’m dealing with my daily nightmares and the ghost of Keith’s scream just before his body crumbled in on itself, lifeless!”

Hunk’s eyes widened, shocked at Shiro’s sudden outburst. He opened his mouth, but Shiro continued.

“He shielded me! He could have survived if he had just stayed in his damn seat. But he undid his seatbelt, cut mine with his knife, pulled me down and covered me with his body. It happened so fast I hardly even realised any of that.

“I don’t even remember being pulled free from underneath him.

“I only remember the suffering. His pain when the debris crushed his windpipe.“

Hunk swallowed audibly.

“The feeling of suddenly having no air supply, you can’t even breath through the pain, only choking instead. My mind was getting fuzzy, panic settling in but it was probably his. I don’t KNOW. I kept hearing my name in my head. If I was alright, begging, hoping I was alive. The pain searing through both our minds because my arm was disconnected. My body moved and I felt the elation coming from Keith when his dying body realised that I was alive. The feeling of having done everything right, that he was able to protect me. I felt his regret. He knew he wouldn’t make it. I felt how sorry he was to leave me alone. He thought of the orphanage, his unknown parents – if he even deserved to have such a long life. If his purpose had been to protect me. He thought of his best friend Pidge whom he thought of like a little sister. I felt his last dying breath. I didn’t hear my own screaming when my shoulder started to burn with pain. It was my fading mark. Everything I had left of Keith was fading.

“They later told me that the car had overturned and crashed into a little shop. The roof didn’t hold and collapsed onto the car, bending the roof, splitting it – crushing him, Keith, trapping and tearing off my arm.
“How am I supposed to calm down at that?!“

Shiro choked and stared at the wall, too afraid to close his eyes, shaking uncontrollably. Hunk didn’t interrupt him. He was just listening. Hunk was good at listening even though Shiro’s sentences didn’t always make sense, since was just in too much pain. He just wanted to let everything out. And Hunk let him, listening, crying quietly, because it was too much pain for one to bear alone.

He pulled Shiro close when the latter finished his rant, letting the older man bury his face into his chest.

“You don’t have to force yourself to talk about it…”

“I.. I can’t keep it all in anymore… It’s like it’s killing me from the inside… Knowing what his last thoughts were… I feel like it is my duty to make sure everyone knows what he felt about them. It’s something only I can do. I’m the only one who… who knows what he wanted. No testament can do that. He doesn’t even have one. Who would expect to die at that age? And… Hunk, you’re the only one I can talk to about this… You’re the only one who seems to understand me. The therapist doesn’t know any of this, she wouldn’t understand and just repeat the five stages of grief again…”

Hunk slowly started caressing Shiro’s back, murmuring quiet whispers of reassurance. He was well aware of the intimacy that he was creating. But it felt right, so he didn’t let go.

“While I’m sure that Keith would appreciate you telling everyone what he felt, it’s not your duty and I’m sure it wasn’t his intention to make you feel that way. I’ll always be there to listen, Shiro, but you need to rest now… You’re exhausted and hurting. I’m here and will stay until you wake up.”

“You may be right… but… it should have been me, not him… you know… today marks one year since he died…” he murmured quietly.

Shiro wrapped both his arms around Hunk, leaning into the touch. Slowly, very slowly, giving in to his fatigue he closed his eyes and fell asleep. The arm’s trembling receded, although it didn’t stop.

Hunk closed his eyes, trying to imagine the pain that Shiro must go through. It’s been a year since the accident, but it still haunted Shiro every night. He still blamed himself. It wasn’t fair.

Shiro was walking down a snow coated road, his breath visible in the cold air. Small flakes of ice were still falling from the sky, landing on his shoulders, neck, and head. He didn’t mind, though. His body didn’t feel cold. No, Shiro felt warm, happy even. He wished it was summer. He wanted the whole world to see the galaxy on his back. Fondly placing his arm on his shoulder he continued onwards.

Turning around the corner, he froze. The road was no stranger to him. Looking at the scene in front of him felt… unreal. Police cars, firetrucks, ambulances and a lot of people were scrambling around a shop which had smoke coming out of it. In the middle lay his car. He was being carried out of it on a stretcher, into one of the ambulances. Another body was carried out a short while later.

Keith.

Shiro started running towards the body.

“KEITH!” he yelled and tried to push the people away from him when they tried to pull up the zipper of the black plastic bag Keith was in. Shiro walked straight through them.

“NO! He isn’t dead! NO!” Shiro shouted, tears falling into the snow, melting it little by little.

“It’s useless.” a tired voice said behind him. Shiro whirled around.

Keith.

Keith, dressed in his black pants and shirt despite the snow, walked up to Shiro and engulfed him into a hug. “I’m sorry for causing you so much grief Takashi. But you have to stop. You can’t let this continue. You’re destroying yourself. Please, move forward.”

”How could I? How can I move forward in a world you’re no longer in?” Shiro wailed and the grip on Keith’s shoulders hurt his own fingers while Keith looked unfazed.

“The mark may have faded, but it’s still there. I’m here, watching over you. Always Takashi. But I want you, no, I need you to be happy”, he urged and lifted his hand, slowly caressing it along Shiro’s jawline.

Shiro pressed forward and locked lips with Keith’s. Closing his eyes, he felt heat rushing through his body. Keith complied, responding to the kiss and wrapping his arms around him. Both knowing that it’d be the last time they would ever embrace each other like that. So they savoured it.

The snow melted away, the scenery surrounding them fading until they were in Shiro’s room. Balance failing, they dropped onto the bed, Keith on top of him. Only now did they release the kiss.

“You have to be happy Shiro”, he whispered breathlessly. Shiro remembered how much he loved that sound, that voice, the huskiness in it.

“Then stay! Don’t ever let me wake up”, he begged, trying to plead with Keith.

“I cannot. I will always watch over you, protect and miss you. But I am not alive anymore. You are though, and you have a long life ahead. You need to forgive and stop tormenting yourself.”

Shiro stared up into Keith’s beautiful violet eyes.

“I… I don’t know how…” he whispered, tears threatening to spill free.

“That’s why I’m here…” Keith replied and turned Shiro onto his back in one swift motion. He pulled up Shiro’s shirt until he found what he was looking for. The shoulder blade where the faded, but currently glowing galaxy lay ingrained into Shiro’s skin and soul.

“Keith!? What are you doing?”

Bending down, he placed a kiss on it and Shiro felt a shiver rock through his body. Feeling his prosthetic vibrate, he turned to look at it just in time to see a yellow glow just above it, on his skin. It was bright, but Shiro couldn’t look away.

A new mark was forming on his skin. A small moving lion, yellow and with a red-tipped tail. It looked Shiro in the eyes and then proceed to lie down and curl it on himself. The tail flicking lazily in front of him. Hot waves coursed through his body, causing his breath to stutter.

A sob escaped him when he realized what Keith was doing.

“Keith… stop! No, please… I can’t… I can’t…” he sobbed.

Keith lifted himself from Shiro and stroked his hair.

“sh… It’s all right. Remember: I love you, Shiro. I am so grateful to have met you. I’ll always be there, watching over you. But this is goodbye for now. Tell Pidge I’m sorry and that I miss her snarky attitude.” he whispered and stood up. Shiro was too exhausted to do the same but he tried anyway.

“Keith…! I’m sorry! And… thank you…”

Keith’s lips curved into a warm smile as his body slowly turned transparent and faded… leaving behind small sparkly stars and swirling galaxies that slowly vanished into thin air.

Shiro jolted awake, almost falling off the couch if it weren’t for Hunk’s strong grip, holding him tight.

“T..thanks..”, Shiro whispered, feeling still very shaken from his dream. It felt real. Way too real.

When Hunk didn’t reply, Shiro looked up, worried - and pinched his eyebrows at Hunk’s scared look.

“Hunk?”

The bigger man flinched and stared at him.

“Shiro I… I think I saw a ghost…” he whispered quietly.

“What? Wait, did.. did you see Keith?!” he inquired and his eyes widened when Hunk nodded.

“Did he talk to you?”

“Not much but…” Hunk fell silent and lifted his left arm to his right shoulder.

Shiro followed his movement. When Hunk pulled down his sleeve and revealed the yellow lion, Shiro gasped. “You…” he trailed off and slowly stood up. He then pulled up his sleeve and revealed the very same lion.

Both men stared at each other, Shiro being the first to look away.

“Hey man, I…” Hunk started and stood up. He wasn’t as tall as Shiro but could look him well enough in the eyes.

“Look at me. I’m not sure how that happened or if what I saw was real. But… from the looks of it… you’re my soulmate. And I honestly… couldn’t be any happier about that”, he admitted, drawing Shiro's attention back to him.

“Hunk…”

“Let me finish, please. Shiro, I’ve spent nearly every day with you ever since you returned to college. I built an arm for you, together with Pidge, and got to know you pretty well. I’m not good with words, I’m not subtle and not always the gentle giant everyone makes me out to be. I love cooking, I love eating, I love my tech, and I very much like as in love-like you. “

The admission hung quietly in the room.

Shiro remained silent, letting the atmosphere grow heavier by the second.

Hunk felt his cheeks blush and his palms starting to sweat. Fear of rejection started restricting his breathing. He suddenly felt terrified. He was afraid of losing Shiro – or vice versa? Hunk realised then, that it was Shiro’s fear too that he was feeling. It was his soulmates feelings that he was experiencing for the very first time. And as uncomfortable his fear was, Hunk was suddenly desperatly wishing for his soulmate to accept him.

“I am half a machine” Shiro evaded all of a sudden.

“I am your creator. I don’t mind”, Hunk tried to coax, getting a laugh out of his new soulmate.

“That sounds awful.”

“Technically I’m the Dad and Pidge the Mum.”

“Ugh, stop it”, Shiro laughed and then sobered up again.

Then, as if given an invisible push, Shiro suddenly stumbled forward and straight into his arms. Hunk quickly wrapped them around him and held Shiro tight.

“So… what do you say, buddy?”

Shiro sighed, a smile slowly forming despite the pained expression.

“I… Thank you, Hunk. We’ll… I’ll make it work, because, you know, I like you too. You’re not that hard to love either…” he whispered quietly.

Hunk’s growing smile outshined the sun. “YES!”, he yelled loud enough for both to wince, but he didn’t really care, because he couldn’t put into words the joy that he felt. When he had seen Keith, or rather, when Keith gave him a pat on the arm – marking him with the yellow lion – he was worried about what Keith would say. But Keith hadn’t talked a lot, he did thank him for taking care of Shiro though. Then he had disappeared and Shiro woke up just seconds later.

Keith had given Hunk a new soul mark. He’d given Hunk a new soulmate. He’d given Hunk a chance to love and be loved like everyone else.

Hunk would never be able to thank him enough. And from the looks of Shiro’s smile, he was feeling the same happiness.

“You know what Hunk? You were wrong.”

“With what?”

“Keith does want me to relay a message.”

Hunk chuckled.

“Pidge’ll never believe you.”

“I have a feeling that Keith will make sure that she get’s it.”

“Oh hey, look, your arm. It stopped shaking!”

“You’re right. Huh.” Shiro laughed quietly and gently, ever so careful, clasped their hands together.

When the lock on the door turned, Hunk hastened to put the newspaper back into the box, shoving it far away from him and grabbing a different one.

Shiro entered the living room a split second later, grinning when he saw Hunk unpacking one of the many moving boxes.

“Hey, I’m home.”

“Hey, welcome home my stellar pilot”, Hunk greeted, face flushed from almost getting caught.

“Woah, you unpacked a lot already” Shiro praised and glanced around. “I think can almost recognise the living room” he joked and Hunk laughed. Shiro took off his Garrisonjacket, stretching afterwards.

Hunk stood up and gave Shiro a tender kiss, catching him by surprise. He then closed his eyes and melted into Hunk’s strong grasp, shoulders with their marks touching and warming both their hearts.

“I think I can almost recognize our home…”, Hunk whispered into Shiro’s ear when their lips separated.

He grinned watching Shiro’s cheeks flush a bright red.

Yes. This felt right.

This was their home.

They would grow old and live happily, perhaps even adopt a kid or two. Shiro would make a great dad, Hunk was sure of that. He’d even reduce his hours at Voltron to have more time for them. Pidge would manage without them for a while. Keith would continue to watch over them. He gave them their blessing all those years ago after all.

This was how it was meant to be. This is how it will be. This was their happily ever after.