Coran tapped the monitor that regulated the healing pod's occupant's condition. He leaned forward, closely examining the readings.

"He seems to be doing well," he said. "But I have to admit - I think he'll need some more time to recuperate after he wakes up."

"What, like bed rest?" Lance asked. He was leaning over Coran's shoulder, and Hunk knew the word that best described that motion was 'hovering'.

"What is 'bed rest?'" Coran asked, looking over at Lance. The Altean councilor jumped when he realized how close Lance's face was, and they ended up knocking heads. Lance rubbed his forehead and seemed about to glare at Coran, but he saw Pidge's expression that said 'Dude, really?' and he bit back a retort.

"Ow," was all he settled for. Coran just shook his head to clear it and then looked back at the Blue Paladin, his face still questioning.

"Oh - right - " Lance said, about to answer Coran's question, but Pidge cut him off.

""Bed rest" just means you have to stay lying down as much as possible - read books, watch TV, that kind of thing," she said, adjusting her glasses.

"Ah," Coran said, nodding. "Yes, that sounds about right. Just a day or two without too much activity should do the trick. I'm sure he'll be all right, but we need to make sure he's completely recovered before he rejoins you on the training deck, or on missions."

From where he leaned against one of the nearby pods, arms folded over his chest, Shiro let out a breath. "Oh, he is not going to like that," he said. "Keith hates to be confined to quarters."

"Why?" Hunk asked, looking over at Shiro. The Black Paladin shrugged.

"He just likes to be out doing things - training, exploring, stuff like that," he said. "Or at least he did when we were at Garrison together. He had the flu once, during finals time, and it was practically impossible to get him to the nurse."

Shiro snorted in laughter then. "He insisted he was fine right up until he was running a 103 degree fever and almost fell off the stairs on the way to class. Typical behavior for him, really. He just powers through whatever it is until he either accomplishes his goal or falls over. Even then, he hates spending time in his room."

"Wow," Pidge said. "I practically live in my room. Or I would, if I could."

"Tech geniuses," Lance grumbled. Then his face brightened. "Hey! That's it!"

"What's - it?" Pidge inquired, looking over at him. "Lance, you always do this - you have to explain what's going on in your mind. We can't read it like Professor X can."

"Blue can read my mind," Lance said, but his tone was joking. Pidge rolled her eyes as he continued. "Pidge, is there any way for us to get movies - or books - from Earth?"

There was a second's absolute silence in the room before Pidge responded. "You're asking me if I can somehow access Earth entertainment from - literal - lightyears away?"

Lance nodded, looking both thoughtful and excited. "I mean, it's not like we had all our stuff with us when we left, right? But maybe -"

Shiro shook his head. "Lance, that's a good idea - " he said, his tone was more resigned than encouraging, "-but we shouldn't ask Pidge to accomplish the impossible."

Lance seemed a little disappointed at that, and Hunk shrugged, but Pidge grinned.

"Says you," she said, her eyes gleaming with sudden triumph. "For your information, my equipment contains digital copies of everything from TV shows to books to movies to audio files. I've literally got years worth of all things awesome in my storage drive."

It wasn't often the Black Paladin was taken by surprise, but this was one of those rare occasions.

Pidge grinned at his stunned expression before her face altered. "I mean, I can't hack into Earth's satellites or anything from here," she said. "Don't misunderstand me - if I could, I absolutely would have told you all before now. Really, I would have."

Her eyes flicked from one face to another, as if trying to read their expressions. "It's just - it's just I got used to taking all my things with me whenever I went up to the observation deck - just in case I got caught and had to leave without getting the stuff from my room. And - well - " her eyes fell to the floor. "The movies, the books - it's all the stuff Matt and I used to share," she said in a low voice. "It - it made him feel…closer, somehow."

Lance swallowed, unsure of what to say. He was really, really glad Katie had brought entertainment from Earth with her - but he just didn't know what to say to her more personal revelation - that in some heartbreaking, nerdy, digital way, she had been bringing her family with her whenever she searched for her brother and father.

Hunk patted her shoulder. "I understand," he said. "I think we all do."

Lance nodded vigorously then. He looked over at Shiro and realized his friend had gone slightly pale.

*Author's note: One of the shorter stories I wrote a little while back has Shiro and Matt referencing 'Firefly' and 'Serenity' together while they were held captives by the Druids.

I imply here that Shiro is reminded of that event by Pidge's words.

If you would like to read that story, the title is "You Can't Take the Sky From Me."

Shiro's reaction here will make a bit more sense if you've read that other fic.*

"Hey, Shiro - you okay?" Lance asked. He kept his voice low, so the other two Paladins wouldn't hear.

Shiro's eyes suddenly re-focused, and he nodded once, briskly. "Yeah, fine," he said. He took in a deep breath then, the color returning to his face, and then he turned his attention back to the room at large.

"So - Katie - what did you bring?" he asked. Genuine interest showed in his voice, and Lance could see that Shiro was making an effort to push - whatever it the memory had been - out of his mind.

So Lance let the matter be. For now.

Pidge was beginning to list the various shows and entertainment she'd brought with her. When Hunk saw that Coran looked a little bit lost, he suddenly had an idea.

"Wait - what about a movie marathon?!" he said. "Or at least an afternoon - wouldn't that be awesome?!"

Lance pumped a fist in excitement and agreement. "Heck yeah! We can all be nerds together!"

"Filing that under 'sentences I never thought you'd say with a smile on your face'," Pidge muttered under her breath, but she herself was smiling as she said it. Something about their excitement to share in something she and Matt had enjoyed…it was heartwarming.

Space Nerds Unite, she thought. Hey, maybe I could make a banner.

Coran tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, we do have some time to spare. And given that you trained all day yesterday, some down time together might be just the thing!"

Shiro smiled then, and although it was a genuine expression, Hunk could see see an element of tightness around his eyes. Obviously whatever memory had surfaced earlier had deeply shaken him. Hunk made a mental note to see if Shiro wanted to talk about it later.

"Okay," Shiro said. "Let's plan on it. But since Keith will be the one who'll be stuck in bed for the next few days, we'll give him first choice. Sound fair?"

"As long as it isn't 'Twilight'," Pidge muttered.

At Lance's horrified expression and half-stammered "Oh, God, no - you didn't bring that, did you?!", she let out a sound that was half-shriek of outrage and half-bellow of laughter.

"OH MY GOD!" she said, throwing her hands up into the air. "Did you really think I brought - LANCE, YOU ARE DEAD TO ME!"

Hunk laughed so hard at Lance's sputtered responses he had to hold his sides and lean against the wall.

"What?!" Lance shouted over his friend's hysterical howls of laughter. "I didn't - Pidge - come on - Hunk, stop laughing! Shiro, help me!"

Shiro spread his hands wide in a 'sorry, I got nothing' gesture, a genuine smile crossing his face. "You walked right into that one, Lance," Shiro said. The tightness around his eyes had vanished - just like Lance had hoped - though Lance hadn't meant to make Hunk almost convulse from hysterical laughter.

Seeing Coran's completely uncomprehending face, Hunk took pity on the confused councilor and, once he got enough breath back, explained the basic premise to him. Coran didn't really seem to get it, but he shrugged and smiled.

"Well, at least Number 5 has some entertaining media for us to enjoy," he said. "I think Allura and I will take it in turns to watch the bridge - in case the Council 'deigns'" - here he made quotation marks around the word, his voice slightly sarcastic - "to reply by our deadline."

Shiro nodded. "I'll help, if you li-"

Coran shook his head. "No no, I think it would be good for the team to bond like this again. It's been too long since all of you were able to relax together. A few movies sound like just the thing."

Lance shifted his weight again, almost nervously, impatient for Keith to wake up and be back to his usual grumpy self so everything could be normal again.

"Right," he said. "Okay, so - how long until Keith wakes up now?"

Coran checked the readings again. "Just a few more ticks," he said.

Just then, Allura entered the room. She had let her long white hair down. The mice were on her shoulders, cheeping together in what seemed to be pleasant conversation.

"Hello, everyone," she said. "Coran, is it almost time?"

"Yes, Princess," he answered. Allura nodded and turned to face the other Paladins.

"I know we're all very concerned about Keith," she said, "but I don't know if we should all - Shiro, what was the word you used earlier?"

" "Mob"," Shiro said. "I think we shouldn't all crowd around him right when he wakes up."

He smiled over at them all to take any sting out of the words. "Not that the gesture isn't a sweet one - I just think it would be a little overwhelming for him, that's all."

The other three Paladins nodded, and Lance took a few steps back from the pod. "Hey, Shiro," he said, "you've known him the longest - why don't you be the one to - "

"Yeah!" Hunk exclaimed. "I'm sure he'd like that!"

Pidge nodded. "We'll all be over here, just off to the side. He can see us from there."

Shiro glanced over at Coran and Allura, who nodded in agreement.

"Okay," he said, and he came to stand directly in front of the pod, just as the glowing lights that formed its domed top shimmered away.

Keith's eyes suddenly shot open, and he stumbled forwards, looking around in a confused and disoriented manner.

Shiro had seen Keith wake up from nightmares before, while they were roommates at the Garrison. He reached out and grabbed hold of Keith's shoulders, steadying him.

"Whoa, buddy, calm down," Shiro said, making sure to keep his voice even and steady. "It's okay. We're all here. You're all right."

Keith looked up into his face and blinked. Sudden comprehension filled his face.

"Shiro?" he asked, and his voice was confused. "What the - weren't we…on the planet…?"

"Yeah," Shiro said. "We were. But Red took us all back to the Castle. You've been asleep for a little while."

Keith looked around, saw the others. Hunk waved, Pidge shot him a thumbs up, and Lance flapped his arms in what must have been meant as an enthusiastic greeting. Coran was smiling broadly at him in a 'Welcome back!' sort of manner. Allura stepped forward, leaning down a little to look into Keith's face.

"Keith, what is the last thing you remember?" she asked. She made sure she kept her voice friendly, and just a tiny bit curious. She wanted to help Keith sort out where and when he was - not to make Keith feel like he was being interrogated.

Keith shook his head slowly, frowning slightly, trying to sort out the last few flashes of consciousness he'd had.

"Uh…you almost got hit by a cross-bow bolt," he said. "And Red was pissed as hell. That's pretty much the last thing I can remember clearly. But I'm assuming - I mean, it looks like - we made it out just fine…"

He felt Shiro's hands tighten on his shoulders for a second, and looked up to see his friend's face flicker through a range of emotions. Relief, remembered terror, and finally, relief again.

"Yeah, that's what happened," Shiro said. He half-grinned at Keith then, and it was shaky, but genuine. "But I'm pretty sure you quoted 'Serenity' right before you passed out for the last time."

Keith furrowed his brow, thinking. Then his face cleared, and he nodded. "Oh yeah - I think I did."

Shiro let out a breath then. "Okay. Good." He took a hand off of Keith's shoulder and patted him on the arm. "So you do remember giving me white hair," he said, humor showing in his voice.

Keith snorted, a small sound, but a joking one. "Yeah," he said. "Like you don't have enough of that already."

Allura seemed slightly confused, but also happy at Keith's - now much more relaxed - state of mind.

"Well, we are all very glad to have you awake once more," she said, clapping her hands together briskly. "Keith, I know you must be very hungry - I saved you some chocolate chip cookies from yesterday morning."

Keith's eyebrows shot right up into his hair in surprise. "Wait - huh?" he asked, but Shiro was already guiding him to a nearby table, and Pidge was pushing a chair out so he could sit down, and Hunk was shoving a huge plate of - wow, they actually were chocolate chip cookies - towards him. Lance was sitting on the edge of another chair, grinning over at Keith. He seemed to be in a ridiculously good mood.

"Glad to see you're now fully awake, rival," he said, but there was no real edge to his tone. It was more of a teasing jab, and Keith felt a half-smirk cross his face as he sat down.

"Awake enough to eat all these cookies in front of you, at least," he said, and Lance grinned then.

"Ah-ha, but I already had mine!" he said triumphantly. "So I win. Ahahaa!"

Keith just rolled his eyes and began inhaling the cookies. "Wow," he managed after finishing four in just two gigantic bites, table manners be damned. "These are really good - who made them?"

Allura beamed. "I did." She looked over at Shiro, blushed for some reason, and looked away again. "Well - actually - I couldn't have done it without help. I used Hunk's recipe, and Shiro helped me not to burn the kitchen down."

Everyone else laughed at that, and Keith figured there had to be some story behind that. He finished the cookies in record time and chugged down the mug of space juice Coran handed to him. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he looked around at them again.

They all seemed really relieved and glad to see him.

He was glad to see them too.

He didn't know exactly what to say next, though.

Suddenly Pidge was handing him a tablet, telling him to pick something, anything at all, and Keith was confused.

"Uh - what -" he began to ask again, but then Coran explained the situation. Keith took it better than Shiro thought he might. The Red Paladin just let out a resigned breath and accepted the tablet, beginning to look over the different files. Then his face lit up with interest, and he glanced over at Pidge with something that bordered on surprised respect.

"Wow," he said. "Pidge - you've got a lot of great stuff on here - wow -"

Pidge seemed very pleased by his compliment.

"I know," she said, readjusting her glasses in that satisfied way she had. "It is pretty awesome."

"-Sci-Fi-Superheroes-Anime-Fantasty-Action/Adventure-hey, you've got that one!"

Lance and Hunk came and looked over his shoulder, and each made an appreciative noise. "Oh, classic!" Hunk said. Lance nodded emphatically and thumped Pidge's shoulder in a 'well done' sort of manner.

"Can't go wrong with any of these," Lance said. "Hey, Shiro - out of curiosity - for anime - subtitles or dubbed over?"

Shiro grinned. "Well, neither one is _wrong_," he said, "but - subtitles. Every time. At least for me."

"Really?" Hunk asked. "How come?"

Shiro smiled, and it lit up his eyes in a way that Keith rarely saw anymore. "I like hearing it my native language…but there are other reasons, too."

Pidge looked up at Shiro then, eyes gleaming in pleasure. Her hand shot up into the air like she was in class. "Ooh-ooh-may I?" she asked, and he nodded down at her, smiling.

Pidge turned to Hunk then, beaming. "Well - at least for some people - it's mostly personal preference. I have found that there does end up being a significant difference in the pacing of the story, and even in how the phrasing of the lines is delivered. The story stays the same either way - but I just like the feel of the subtitled version better. It somehow feels more...complete. And - "

Here she beamed up at Shiro again, who smiled down at her, clearly enjoying how excited she was," - eventually you can pick up some cool phrases, and it's always fun to use those!"

Still looking over Keith's shoulder, Lance made an interested sound as Keith continued to scroll through the shows and movies available.

"Oooh!" he said, pointing to one at the top of the screen. "That one's fun! It has giant robots fighting monsters! And the robot has a sword!"

Keith shot him a quick grin. "But we did that last week," he said. It took Lance a second to get the joke, but he laughed really hard when he did.

"Nice," he said when he got his breath back. Keith was still smirking as he continued to look through the very many, very wonderful, very nerdy options.

Pidge had great taste.

Finally, Keith ended up choosing a show that he'd seen before - back at the Garrison with Shiro. It was a long show - but Keith swore up and down that it was worth the time investment.

"And - if it's okay with everyone - we'll watch it in subtitles," Keith said. No one protested, and he grinned up at Shiro then, and Shiro knew his friend was looking forward to sharing this time together.

"Sounds great, Keith," Shiro said, returning the smile. He looked over at the other three Paladins, who were talking excitedly about getting some snacks and drinks together, and felt glad that they were looking forward to enjoying something so normal together. It was a nice change of pace.

"Come on," Lance said. "Let's go set up the lounge." He headed out of the door, Hunk and Pidge following him, and Shiro made to follow, but Hunk poked his head back through the door and said, beaming,

"Nah, it's cool, man, how about you find out if Coran has some tasty snacks or something lying around the kitchen? We'll have everything set up by the time you guys get the snacks ready, and bam! We'll be in business!"

As the cheerful Yellow Paladin left the room, he felt himself smiling broadly for the first time in weeks.

They were all going to enjoy some nice, nerdy, quality-team-building-exercise time together.

Come to think of it, this would be the first time all five of them had done something like this together. Last time, Shiro had been in a healing pod, and they'd had to fill him in on how Keith had joined in the accapella kitchen song.

As he began helping Lance and Pidge set up the lounge for the first installment of their anime marathan, Hunk sighed happily to himself.

This was going to be fun.