And for a family, I guess that makes me some kind of space uncle?

[somekindofspaceuncle]

 

[Thread continuations. To avoid unnecessary captchas. And for new threads, too. Feel free to hit up with anything if we already threaded. Or even if we didn't, I'll reply if I've seen you around./ ]

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Hey. I happen to have a break in work rn, and doing various tags. :)

[somekindofspaceuncle]

The hug is mutual all around. Kuro, in a whisper, apologises to Lance, because it's true, he shouldn't have snapped. At all. And he mutters, quietly enough that maybe only Lance and whoever else might be closest might hear, "I'm just, not very much used to being completely and only me, yet, whoever that might be. I'm really sorry."

"Yes, you need to tell us things! Wait, if Kuro's the one who's been here all this time, Shiro, and not you, then, where have you been?? Captured somewhere, or-- I don't even know???" Pidge asks, with confusion giving in to serious concern.

Truth is, to Pidge, since finding the Green Lion and then over time, slowly, Shiro's become sort of like another big brother, though of course never as important as Matt, too.

"But where coul you have been, that we've never heard a thing about you-" Pidge continues, until she trails off. "Wait. You are actually here right now, you're not some hologram or something, Shiro-- no, you're not, we hugged."

She's relieved.

And then Lance registers Pidge's question and Lance's attention turns back to Shiro.

(What, he had some relationship bumps with Kuro, don't blame him for concentrating on Kuro a bit, for now. But now, he actually thinks back to Shiro and all the implications.)

"You-- you've never played in the Voltron show, have you??" Lance asks.

Pidge shots him a look, but Lance doesn't seem ready to back down from asking.

It's not about the Voltron show at all, that's just, well, a measure of time, so to speak. An example of events past, that Shiro's apparently not been around for, as Paladins are now realising. Lance's realising how long Shiro hasn't been here. Which is a bad thing. Though, on the other hand, it's also realising how long Kuro's been here, which is a good thing, for Kuro's sake, and, quiznak, that's all complicated, and it's a good thing they're both here right now, to avoid any such further previously unknown dilemmas! But yeah, the only way he voices that, for now, is said question.

Kuro might understand the intent, at least, maybe, as he quickly nods and then says,

"Shiro's never been on the Voltron show, that's true. But, er, he can be on the next one if Coran ever makes another. Because..."

And Kuro turns to Shiro at that,

"Because, just so you know, people love you during those shows. Really. It's a bit weird and overwhelming, even, but, it's not bad, once you get used to it. Not bad at all."

And then... the matter of Kuro needing rest.

"I don't need rest. I'm rested."

To prove it, he tries to get up. He does so, but collapses, only not collapsing to the ground because Lance and Hunk quickly support him.

Hunk stares at him, and then asks, "Kuro, what are you so scared of?"

Apparently not even thinking of trying to lie, Kuro just replies, smiling softly because he's grateful for the concern, "Resting. Sleeping."

And then Kuro adds, "It's alright, I'm fine, I really am, I don't need to sleep yet. Right, Shiro? Tell them I don't need to sleep yet."

Kuro really needs to sleep soon, he's running purely on adreanaline now and that's almost over, he just doesn't yet accept that he'll take a nap sooner rather than later because his own body will force him to do so.

"I mean, I bet I don't need more than a few hours of sleep every night, it's just natural for me," Kuro adds.

He tries to make it sound like a guess, as if trying to make an impression, in order not to worry his friends that he sleeps soundly every night, normally, but the truth is, he's rarely slept for more than a few hours at a time for the whole time he's been alive so far.

"I'm fine, see?" Kuro says, as he manages to sit up, at least.

"Not to worry, you can cast all your fears away, young man!" Coran shouts, as he enters the room again. "Oh, Allura's with Lotor, she's explaining things to him. But I'm here, to make sure nobody hurts themselves! And that means you, Kuro, don't hurt yourself, you need to rest."

"Altean... lullaby?" Kuro asks, staring at Coran. "I'm not a child - I think."

Kuro now gives a look, a what do I do??? look, to all his paladin friends, well, paladin family really, including Shiro. What do?

"It'll make all your worries go away." Coran says. "My pop's lullabies are the best, for any child that's afraid to sleep because of storms and somesuch, I'd know."

Kuro smiles. Confused, but touched.

"They're probably full of Altean things I wouldn't understand, though, so it'd be wasted on me," Kuro says, next, apparently still not quite willing to rest. But touched. Really.

[everaegis]

Shiro feels better when Kuro apologizes. Sure, it’s supposed to be private, but trying to whisper to someone while everyone’s mushed together in a group hug is not the best way to keep something between two people. But he respects the attempt and thus doesn’t say anything or respond to it. As much as he’d like to give Kuro another encouraging squeeze on the shoulder. Nah, let him have his personal time. As the guy said, it’s a trying time where he’s adjusting to being himself and not whoever else someone wanted him to be.

He leans back from the embrace and gets a little distance again so they can all talk without being pressed so close. Only to blink at the question. Oh right… that. Where he’s been. It’s hard to hold back the truth from her, especially when she looks at him like that. But this crashes into another one of those “future” talks and he’s stuck, trying to figure out if he should explain something ahead of time or not. Memory serves correctly, the final battle with Lotor and the revelation of where “Shiro” has been this entire time isn’t too far off. Throwing something wrench-wise into this timeline could damage it.

Shiro frowns and rubs the side of his head. “That’s… sorry, Pidge, but I can’t remember where I’ve been all this time. I just remember the battle with Zarkon… and then waking up on that station where Kuro found me.” He feels bad for lying, but in the end, that’s just how it has to be for now. Until he and Kuro can work something out. The only way to set this entirely correct is to make his way to the laboratory station where Kuro fought Keith (even if that doesn’t happen this time), and retrieve another clone for the real Shiro of this time to inhabit. He can’t leave… well… himself, stuck alone and drifting in the Black Lion’s consciousness just because he happened to crash this timeline and free Kuro from his fate. Neither Kuro nor Shiro deserve to be trapped in any manner. It’s one hell of a dilemma.

Thankfully Lance is there to throw the topic in another direction and this time it’s Shiro’s turn to look confused. “The Voltron show?” Wait… wait… oooh, those memories are coming back. And so is that gut-dropping sensation because no thank you to that stuff. “Sounds amazing…” he deadpans under his breath. When Kuro talks about his popularity and getting used to weird and overwhelming, Shiro lifts both hands in a show of answer. “Ah, thanks. But I’ll… let you keep doing that, Kuro.” Anything Coran’s running is something he’s wary about jumping into. The man’s great and all, but ever since trying to play “food lion” with that stuff so early on, Shiro’s has reservations. And if Kuro’s hesitating, all the more reason to toss his brother under the proverbial bus and sit this experience out. Thanks for taking one for the family, bro.

Now they can focus on Kuro getting some rest. Which—and he’s not surprised to see this—his brother instantly rejects. And then practically falls over, though Lance and Hunk grab him before he hits the ground. Shiro sighs in relief and quiet exasperation. There’s more Keith in Kuro than Shiro. Then again, Shiro’s pretty stubborn about people wanting to take care of him too, so maybe it’s the same issue. They’re both stubborn and self-reliant and sacrificial. Kuro’s answer about his fears, however, surprise him. Because Shiro tends to be more reserved about his fears. He’s not sure he would’ve answered Hunk like his brother does. Even though that answer ends up kicking the Black Paladin in the heart. Dammit, Haggar… Even now she’s tormenting Kuro. And she’s not even connected to him anymore.

When Kuro turns to him for support, Shiro quietly shakes his head. “No, Kuro. You need to rest. You’re practically running on adrenaline right now. When it wears off, you’re going to crash hard.” And it won’t be pretty. He won’t argue about the “few hours of sleep a night” thing, because that’s true for both of them. But this isn’t a normal day or night or… whatever time it is right now. Not much day/night system out here in space.

Shiro jolts hard when the voice of eternal youth and exuberance blasts into the room. On the one hand, good that Allura’s trying to talk some sense into Lotor; on the other, Shiro doesn’t want the princess anywhere near that man. He’s going to have to talk to her privately. Unless Lotor blows his own cover early. Something for later because there’s a far more pressing emergency right now. And that’s the safety of Kuro’s ears and brain. The last thing he wants is his brother having “Hexus Plexus” blared through his brain in effort to get him sleeping. It drove him and Keith nuts in less than two minutes; it’s that bad. And yes, he’s grateful for Coran offering to tend to Kuro right now, but… no… just… no.

Shiro steps up beside Kuro and offers Coran a small smile. “Thanks, Coran. But I’d really like to help my brother fall asleep… a little more naturally this time.” Actual sleep. Not unconsciousness. Shiro rests his hand on Kuro’s shoulder again, offering a reassuring pat as he looks to him for agreement, then turns to face the other Paladins. “Sorry for cutting out so soon, guys. Forgive me?” He’ll catch up with each of them again later. Right now, Kuro needs to get some rest or else it’s going to be a wreck on his body’s state.

Kuro doesn't yet understand that no one will merge him with Shiro when Kuro is fully alive,

[somekindofspaceuncle]

[That is, with all that happened with magic of accidental time travel, Allura wouldn't do that to a now fully separate and conscious and not dying person, who is now Shiro only as much as he has copies of all Shiro's memories, but that's not quite the same. Not 100% identical person anymore, and also not dying./]



Kuro, barely awake now, because yes, he's close to crashing, nonetheless hears when Shiro replies to Pidge. And he frowns, because that's not truth, and why should he lie to Katie, er, Pidge, didn't.... didn't Shiro say he's in Black, that's why, that's ptobably why Kuro couldn't get into Black's consciousness, into the mindscape, that is. When everyone experienced that whole shared Lion mind space thingy, shared consciousness, 'Shiro'... Kuro.. had experienced nothing. Literally, which is worse than usual nothing. Back then, moments later, Lance helped him realise that, accidentally. Back then... Kuro was wondering npw, if...

Did Black Lion reject me going deeper because Shiro was already there, maybe? Or... did Shiro reject me?

He glances at Shiro. Maybe, at heart, Shiro never wanted to meet him. Never wanted him to live, probably, either, possibly considering him some kind of Galra produced abomination.

But it was different now, surely.

Still, Shiro was, as he said on the station, inside Black. Shiro's spirit was. And... and was going to use Kuro's body as his body, right? With possibly some part of Kuro surviving deep in Shiro's new memories.

But that all meant, for Kuro... death.... didn't it? He was going to die, in some near future, for Shiro.

Somehow, right now, Kuro didn't want that to happen. Was that too selfish of him? But for now he sleepily decides that if it HAS to happen, he'll ask Shiro for a bit more time. Because... he's very glad he got to see Lance, Pidge, Hunk, Allura, and Coran again, but also, he feels he doesn't want to die or even half die or whatever before seeing Keith again, even for a moment. And Shiro's been so understanding all day today, surely he'll grant Kuro that.

Right???

So, for now, there won't be a peep about Shiro's presence in Black Lion from Kuro's mouth, sure.

Maybe I'm too selfish. Shiro, in this time, needs to have a body, and I'm refusing him that...or maybe I'm just tired, of having to give up..., Kuro thinks.

Kuro wonders - maybe if he obeys Shiro, Shiro will let him live a bit longer. That would be nice.

So, when Shiro says Kuro needs rest, instead of protesting, Kuro nods, weakly, as he's almost falling asleep already. All other paladins smile at that, so that's great, too.

They... care. Truly. He's delighted at that. If he must leave them soon, he's at least really happy to see they might like him, even when he's no longer Shiro.

He'll have to thank them, and Coran, and of course, when he's back, Keith (no, he couldn't take for granted that Keith wouldn't be freaked out by his existence, he wasn't just Shiro anymore...) for that, before he will surely have to disappear for good, whenever the day comes when Shiro must be back. In this time.

He nods and tries to make a step, well, he can walk even that tired, but probably only with support. Or he might just fall down face first, otherwise.

Coran seems a bit disappointed that he won't get to sing Kuro best lullabies. Everyone else seems to side with Shiro's decision.

Kuro smiles tiredly, though it's now also tinged with melancholy and longing.

"I'll rest," Kuro says, making up his mind about something, tired as he is, "but only on condition that I can still wake up tomorrow."

"No one will blame you if you sleep for next week!" Lance says, missing the point, or rather, not knowing Kuro's point, but, despite that, almost making Kuro laugh.

Everything hasn't been fake. That's wonderful. Kuro wonders briefly, vaguely, if Lance can teach him how to sparkle.

What? Who wouldn't want to sparkle?

But he's never going to SAY that, that'd be too much.

Anyway...

No merging while he's asleep is what Kuro means, and he hopes Shiro gets that, and grants him that. Even if Shiro, in current time, apparently stuck in Black, surely has more right to live, probably, for many reasons (Kuro spent some of recent moments pondering that, a lot), surely a little delay wouldn't be the end of the world?

Meanwhile, other paladins tell Shiro that sure, they will talk later.

Kuro dozes off, because well, apparently he's run out of adrenaline for now. And maybe he also learned to trust Shiro enough that he trusts Shiro will grant him at least one more day of independent life, so it's okay to fall asleep right now. At home. With family.

Short or not, life could be... good... apparently. And then, he's completely asleep. Nightmares might begin soon, but they haven't yet. Dreamless sleep due to exhaustion.

[everaegis]

His lie to Pidge will be discussed later on. Shiro told Kuro of the truth earlier on simply because he didn’t know where in time they were. Or if they’d even remember anything of it once things moved forward. Does he regret telling the other man? No. But he’ll still want to talk to him at some point to explain some of his misgivings about just opening up about the future with no regard to what could happen.

As for the other aspect of Kuro fearing Shiro hated him and didn’t want him around, well… he doesn’t know how else to make his intentions any clearer. And since Kuro has all of Shiro’s memories, and up until recently had though he was Shiro in his entirety, he should know more than anyone else that Shiro doesn’t hate him. There are very few people that the Black Paladin actually hates. Though Sendak verges very close to that line… in the end, if the Galra had been lying wounded and about to fall to his death, Shiro would have attempted to help him. Might have taken the man begging for help, but he still would’ve reached for him. Haggar and Zarkon, on the other hand… That’s a question Shiro doesn’t really want to ask himself. All things said, however, Kuro should know that Shiro doesn’t hate easily. And certainly doesn’t hate him.

Regarding the other man’s potential death so as to house this time’s Shiro… Again, something Shiro will have to speak to Allura and Kuro about privately. He really doesn’t think Kuro runs any risk of being used for that purpose, now that he’s been freed from Haggar’s control and just started on his new life. But that also means they have to find some way to help Shiro from this time as well. The only way he can think to do that is to procure another clone body from the facility. One that hasn’t yet been activated beyond its normal biological functions. It won’t be easy and Shiro himself feels unnerved about going into that place, seeing so many of himself floating within the violet tanks, and then having to… “pick” one to be the host for his own consciousness from inside Black. Ugh, the idea even now is unsettling, but he’ll have to confront that later. Simply put, Kuro won’t be killed. No matter how many times Shiro has to tell that to his face to get him to maybe almost believe it.

But right now, Shiro’s quickly stepping forward and putting an arm around Kuro’s chest to keep him from falling onto his face, bodily swinging the other man to lean against him. “Okay, big guy. That’s enough excitement for you today.” Shiro gets that “condition” his brother says and part of him wants to heave a sigh and smack him for it. To think the guy still believes Shiro’s going to just sneak up and merge him without a word. Maybe some of that influence of Haggar is still sitting inside him, bringing those kinds of bitter thoughts. It’s disappointing, but Shiro can’t blame him for it. He lets the depressing statement slide and doesn’t rise to it. Kuro’s exhausted and his mind’s frazzled right now. He can be forgiven for having his emotions going all haywire for a while.

Mentally agreeing with Lance’s statement about leaving the other man to rest for as long as he needs, Shiro nods to the other Paladins. “We will. I promise.” Visiting with each one of them. With that, he… decides it’s easier to just scoop Kuro up bridal style and carry him that way, rather than try to get the sleeping man to ride on his back. He leaves the room, carrying his brother with a quiet expression on his face. So many things to think about and ask, plan and talk about, a future unsure and strange, but promising all the same. Walking the halls gives him time to think on a few things, some he wants to dwell on, some he doesn’t. It brings a sense of nostalgia around as well, since in his time, the Castle of Lions had been sacrificed to correct the ruptures in the universe Lotor’s mech had caused. He missed this place… even though he personally hadn’t set foot in these halls in a very long time. It feels strange, since he’d died before the ship was destroyed, but didn’t regain his physical form until after it was gone. Like walking through his own memories.

Even found his room without a problem.

Shiro deftly makes work of Kuro’s armor, but leaves it at that. Doesn’t want the other man waking up in a pair of boxers and nothing else. Awkward… He rests his brother on the bed and fetches a washcloth. Dampens it enough with cool water, then focuses on wiping his brow and face, cleaning the grime and sweat from it. It’s just something he can do for him while he sleeps. Afterwards, Shiro kneels by the side of his bed and rests his head on his folded arm, metal hand holding onto his brother’s. He promised he’d be here with him to watch over his sleep. And that’s exactly what he’s going to do. Even if he ends up falling asleep himself a few hours later.