Disclaimer: If you recognize the characters, they aren't mine. Just playing in DreamWorks' sandbox.

Reminder: I'm on Twitter and Tumblr under "avidbeader". Come say hi!


As Matt headed down the hall, he jumped when a door slid open unexpectedly. It revealed Keith, dressed in that red jacket he'd had since their Garrison days and carrying a bag over his shoulder. Keith brightened a little at seeing him.

"Oh, good. I've said goodbye to everyone else and I was hoping I'd see you before I left." He held out one hand and Matt took it. Keith continued, "That was some great work from you all. I'm sure Kolivan will be in touch the next time there's a situation where we can help each other out."

Matt squeezed Keith's hand and let go to clap him on the shoulder. "Sounds good, but can we not do the kamikaze move next time?"

A flash of…something...darkened Keith's expression before he smiled ruefully. "Well, sometimes you don't have a choice. When one life can save thousands? Millions? How many people would have died if Naxzela had blown up?" He shrugged. "And it's not like I'm anything important anymore."

Matt's eyes widened as Keith turned and strode down the hall. The last time he'd heard something like that was Keith's second year at the Garrison. He had been sulking over a debriefing after a simulator run in which he'd killed himself and his crew in a desperate move to salvage a no-win situation. His actions had resulted in the highest survival rate ever for the targets being rescued in that scenario but he had been taken to task for not consulting his team about it. After the debriefing they were in Shiro's apartment as Shiro tried to explain why the instructors had been so harsh.

"I'm not saying what you did was the wrong thing, Keith, but you should have told your team what you were about to do. You're supposed to make decisions together." He raised his hands from his spot on the couch, almost pleading with Keith to see it his way.

Keith continued to pace the room. "Yeah, except as the pilot I'm the one in command of the team and there wasn't time. They'd've argued and the window for moving in would have been lost."

"What if they'd had a better option?"

"There was no other option! I tried to think of anything else but we were completely outnumbered! And I know Tabor and Piñeda. Tabor would have wanted to signal retreat and hope everyone else was good enough to get out of range of the attackers. Piñeda would have tried to hack something to increase our speed or power and it would have taken too long. Ramming the enemy leader into the next jet caused their formation to break and created enough confusion to let everyone else make a clean getaway."

"At the cost of your lives."

"Look, I'm sorry that it meant all three of us dying, but the numbers speak for themselves. Three dead against a hundred sixty-two saved. Iverson said flat-out it was the best result ever. And it's not like I'm important anyway."

"Keith!" Shiro shot to his feet. He grabbed the teen by the shoulders and swung him around. "Yes, you are! You are important! Don't ever say something like that!"

Matt felt his eyebrows shoot for his hair behind his glasses. But Keith looked even more stunned at Shiro's declaration.

Shiro pulled Keith closer, holding him in place just a few inches away. "Promise me. Promise me you'll never consider doing something like that unless there is absolutely no other choice."

Keith's mouth worked soundlessly as he tried to come up with an answer. Finally he lifted his own hands to Shiro's face and Shiro loosened his grip, trailing his hands down Keith's arms.

"I promise, Takashi."

Matt shook his head to bring himself out of the memory. "Hey, Keith?"

Keith stopped and turned. "Yeah?"

"Was there really no other choice, back there?"

Matt expected anger or frustration at being questioned. Instead, Keith's eyes grew sad. He looked down briefly, then back up with that rueful smile again. "Not like I could count on one of our mortal enemies showing up with enough firepower to solve the problem, you know?" He gave a brief wave. "Gotta go. They'll be waiting for me. I promised I wouldn't take long."

"Okay. Talk to you soon, all right?"

Keith nodded and walked away again while Matt watched him go. Once Keith was out of sight, Matt's face hardened and he turned to head for the command center.


Shiro was talking with Pidge and Hunk when Matt entered. He paused, noting that the conversation was just between his sister and the other resident genius while Shiro listened.

"Hey, Shiro! I need to talk to you."

Shiro turned to him and Matt was struck yet again by that tiny sense of different. Two years lost in space, going through stars only knew what kind of hell to lose his arm, of course he would seem different. Matt was different, too. But sometimes it didn't seem like the right kind of different.

"What is it, Matt?"

"Keith's leaving!"

Pidge and Hunk broke off their discussion at the force in Matt's voice. Shiro nodded, as if Matt had told him they expected rain tomorrow. "Yes, he and the Blade need to assess where they can do the most good now that we've taken so much territory from Zarkon."

"Did you at least talk to him?"

Shiro frowned. "We all said goodbye. We'll see him the next time we need to coordinate."

Okay, now the sense of different was more than tiny. Where was the Shiro that always had Keith's back? For that matter, where was the Keith who stuck like glue to Shiro's side? He remembered their very first visit to the launch area for Kerberos, seeing the ship's construction up close, his family and Shiro exploring in growing excitement over the tangible evidence that the mission was really happening. Shiro had brought Keith, the teenage brat who was only a few years older than Katie but already breaking Shiro's records in the simulators. Matt had been surprised at how different Keith was away from his peers. He had looked around the launch area in awe, listening closely to everything Shiro said, with a look of pure longing on his face.

Shiro put a hand to Keith's shoulder and leaned in. In a low voice, Shiro said, "Next time, it'll be both of us. I'll do my part and come back safe. You do your part and be the best pilot in the Garrison when I get back."

Keith smiled before noticing Matt's presence and hunching into himself a bit.

Shiro looked over, saw Matt, and waved. "Matt, come here. I need to introduce you two."

And just like that, Matt had met Shiro's shadow. Slowly over the next two years of preparation, he had discovered some of the Keith that stayed hidden under his surly surface. The Keith that only Shiro knew well.

Now he looked at Shiro in shock. "What the hell? He nearly killed himself out there and you're just going to let him leave with a 'be seeing you'?"

Hunk sat up from his slouch, his feet thudding on the floor. "What do you mean?"

Matt looked at their uncomprehending faces. "Seriously? You didn't know? He was going to ram his fighter into the shield to try and bring it down so we could take out the transmitter!"

Both Pidge and Hunk looked stunned. Pidge let out a breath. "That's what you meant...you yelled at Keith not to do something…"

But Shiro only frowned. "Well, it all worked out. Lotor solved that problem and now we have a new one as we figure out what he wants from us."

Now three shocked faces stared at Shiro. He looked mystified. "What?"

"I can't believe what you just said! This is Keith we're talking about!" Matt shouted. "What happened to 'promise me you'll never do something like that unless there's no other choice'?"

Shiro's brows furrowed, not making the connection. "Look, we're at war here. Sometimes…sometimes sacrifices need to be made."

"And you'll just accept it if Keith sacrifices himself without even trying to find another way?"

And then Matt got support from an unexpected source.

"Or even if there is no other way, not letting it bother you for a single minute?" Pidge hissed. "I heard you! When we attacked Zarkon's command center and Thace was caught and Keith had to infiltrate to take down the defenses? You know, the suicide mission according to Kolivan? You told me to get the cloak up on a pod and I heard you when you said Keith's name! It almost wrecked you to let him go!"

Hunk nodded. "We all heard it, Shiro. What's so different now?"

"I…" Shiro lifted one hand to the side of his head and pressed his fingers into the short hair behind his ear, massaging the spot.

Pidge's eyes narrowed. "Another headache?"

"Yeah."

Since when does Shiro get headaches?

Matt glared at him once more. "Maybe you should get it checked out. Have them search for your heart while they're at it. Because the Shiro I knew would never have let Keith just walk away." He gave Pidge a brief wave and exited the room.


Matt was striding down the hall so fast that he couldn't stop himself when a figure popped out of a room. They collided and Matt grabbed the other's arms to steady them. Then he recognized Lance and let go, remembering the teenager's antipathy toward him.

"Where are you going?" Lance snarled.

Yep, antipathy still there even though Matt had long since calmed down after his initial meeting with Allura. Other than thoroughly enjoying looking at her when they were in the same room.

"Back to the fleet. We need to coordinate supplies to the region around Naxzela."

"That's fine. You go back to your people, Keith goes back to his. Everybody in their little corner."

Matt was walking away but whirled around at that. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Lance flapped a hand at him. "You've got your band of rebels and you're all cozy with them. Keith is with his Galra buddies."

"What are you talking about?"

"You haven't heard? Keith's half-alien. Galra, of course, because the universe has a nasty sense of humor. But naturally he prefers hanging out with them instead of staying where he had responsibilities."

"He...what?"

"Oh, go ask Shiro if you want the details! He was there when Keith found out!" Lance turned and stalked away as Matt stared after him.

How in all the stars could Keith be Galra?


I shouldn't be doing this.

But her fingers danced across the holopanels, shifting from one camera to the next as she followed Shiro's path through the castle halls. He had said he was going to find Coran and ask for a quick medical scan.

But there was something in his voice that told Pidge he was lying. And now that she was thinking about it, really thinking and not just reacting to situations, it felt like that something had been there for a while. Ever since they had found him in that adrift Galra fighter after weeks and weeks, things had been...different. Off. And now that she knew where Matt was and that problem was solved, she could concentrate on why things felt wrong.

Such as Shiro arguing with Keith so much since his return. Sure, they'd had disagreements, but they had always been able to talk them out. And even in the heat of a battle, Shiro had been able to explain his reasoning quickly enough for Keith to come around if he insisted on his option. But now Shiro ordered a whole lot more instead of explaining. And that didn't make sense either, since Keith was supposed to be their leader.

But the minute Shiro was up and around, they had all swung back to him. Even Keith had offered to stay behind that first time and let Shiro return to the Black Lion. Had that been what set the tone? Had that made everyone gravitate back to the old status quo just at the point where they had all begun to feel somewhat confident with Keith leading?

Pidge jerked, realizing she'd lost visual on Shiro as her thoughts drifted. She checked the cameras in the halls near the cryo-room and found nothing. Biting her lip, she brought up the program that let her register life forms in any part of the castle. She had never told Coran or Allura about it, holding it in reserve until a severe enough emergency happened.

There were life forms in the kitchen and Lance's room, almost certainly Hunk and Lance, respectively. There were a large number of moving forms in the cargo area, which were probably Allura or Coran and the Olkari organizing the latest shipment of food and medicines. There was one headed her way, possibly Coran-she needed to turn this thing off-there! She noted the passage near the hangars and swiped to shut the program down.

"Hello, Number Five! What are you up to?"

"Nothing, just watching Matt go."

Coran stepped forward and put a hand to her shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll see him again soon."

"I know," she replied absently and got to her feet. "I'm gonna go tinker with Green a bit. Make sure there's no lingering damage from that gravity field." She darted out, waving as Coran called after her to be on time for dinner.


Keith was halfway to the base when his comm lit up. He tapped the panel and raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw Matt's face.

"Didn't expect to hear from you this soon. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's…" Matt trailed off and looked down for a moment. "No, you know, something might be really wrong. Is there somewhere we can meet and talk?"

Keith checked his position and let out a derisive snicker. "Have you been to the space mall that used to be an Unilu swap moon?"

"Um...no?"

"Sending you the coordinates. There's got to be at least one coffee shop in that place. But ditch your cloak-the security guy has a thing against people who look like pirates."

"I do not look like a pirate!"

Keith rolled his eyes and grinned. "Seriously, if you have any GAC, you could get some fresh clothes while we're there."

Matt shook his head. "Coran let me raid a storage area full of supplies. I think I've got it covered."

An hour later Keith spotted Matt as he approached the central clock. Sure enough, he was wearing what looked like a scaled-back version of Coran's outfit. Keith waved and Matt jogged over to him.

"Okay, that works. Looking good."

"You, too. I can't believe you still have that jacket after all these years." Matt's eyes wandered, taking in the size of the complex. "Have you found a coffee shop?"

"If I'm reading the directory right, there's something like that up on the third floor." Keith led him to the escalators. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Matt bit his lip. "Okay, first...Lance told me something that I don't understand. He said...he said you're...part alien?"

Keith concentrated on stepping off the escalator and led Matt to the next one before replying. "Well, yes. I didn't know growing up, but then things started happening once we were out here." He pointed to his knife, the one he had always carried when off Garrison property. He saw Matt focus on it, realizing that the wrappings that once covered the hilt were gone. "We met a Galra, a member of the Blade of Marmora and the one who helped Shiro escape back to Earth. He was carrying a sword with the same insignia on it and I started trying to find out more. I eventually learned that somewhere on my mother's side I'm part Galra. Got initiated into the Blades along the way."

Matt's eyes were wide with surprise, but, like Shiro, there was no recoil. No revulsion or anger that Keith was part of the race that had treated Matt so cruelly. Keith felt the muscles in his neck and shoulders relax as they stepped off the escalator and started down the hall.

And then Matt's next words knotted them again.

"So, is that why Shiro's different around you now?"

"What? No! He was there! He was there when we found out and he…" Keith felt his throat close, remembering how Shiro had patched him up so carefully, held him when he couldn't keep the tears inside anymore. "He was the only one who didn't let things change at all, not even for an instant."

Matt frowned. "Explain?"

"Everyone else needed time to adjust. I think Pidge was the first to accept it-she started asking about my physiology and wanted to analyze my knife within hours. Lance never really talked to me about it, but he stopped making alien jokes after a couple of days. Hunk was just plain nosy about it all. And Allura…" Keith swallowed, remembering the pain from her rejection. "She avoided me for ages. She just couldn't reconcile me, someone she thought of as a friend, as family, being part of the race that destroyed her entire planet. It took me going off on a deadly mission to get her to talk to me again."

They paused at the entrance to a place that looked like a typical coffeeshop. Matt tilted his head in a perfect echo of Pidge. "Wait, you pulled another kamikaze move? Shiro's the one with the Japanese background, not you! Just how many times have you done this?"

Keith swallowed hard and looked down, unable to meet Matt's eyes. "Um...three or four? It's not like I go in expecting to die!"

"Oh, really? What was your plan for surviving the impact from hitting that shield at ramming speed, then?"

"I...come on, Matt! Millions of lives were at stake!"

Instead of escalating the argument, Matt put a hand on his shoulder and steered him into the shop to get in line. He lowered his voice. "I get that. I get that in the moment you didn't see another way and I get what you're saying. What I don't get is how, after managing to survive it, you and Shiro aren't clinging to one another like magnets and reassuring each other that you've made it through so far. Why isn't he making you explain breaking your promise to him and yelling at you for not even saying goodbye? Why are you here instead of doing everything you can to remind him you survived? If learning that you're partly of the race that enslaved him hasn't driven him away, then what the hell did?"

Keith calmed down as Matt began, hearing the sincerity in the other's voice. And then as he went on, Keith felt a growing chill in his veins. If Matt, who had known them both since before Kerberos, could see just how much things had changed...maybe it wasn't all in Keith's head. He tried to sort out his thoughts as Matt consulted with the barista, who set cups in front of them with a hot liquid that was decidedly blue, glittered, and smelled like chai. They paid up and settled at an empty table.

"It...I think it was after he came back the second time. He was missing for months after vanishing from the Black Lion when we defeated Zarkon. And when we found him he was almost dead. He spent a couple of weeks in his room, not letting anyone else in. I thought he'd be working through his PTSD all over again. Instead he got up, found different clothes, ditched his undercut, and started acting like everything was okay. Even when the Black Lion wouldn't fly for him, he just looked...a bit sad about it.

"Before that second disappearance, he was dealing with recognizable symptoms. I know he had nightmares. He'd zone out in flashbacks, especially in combat. At one point the castle got infected from being powered by a Galra crystal -all of us got attacked by the castle's systems during that little adventure-and he suffered what were possibly hallucinations or possibly a mental probe by a captured Galra officer. Either way it triggered a full-on panic attack."

Matt sat back, staring into his cup. "Stars...I had no idea. He seems so together." He looked back up. "Too together. Even the way he greeted me when I came back with Pidge. Sure, he pulled me into a hug, but then he let go and started talking...cripes, it was a speech. Formal. Like an actor improvising-"

"What a leader should say," Keith finished with him. Goosebumps had broken out on his arms as Keith remembered that first speech Shiro gave when he returned to the command center. And speech was the perfect word. Sure, Shiro had given stirring pep talks in combat before, but this had lacked the energy, the sincerity that Shiro had always conveyed before.

"An actor…" Matt breathed, his brows knit as he considered the possibilities. "Some kind of brainwashing? Do we know whether the Galra have cloning capability?"

Keith inhaled sharply. "Hunk once said something about that arm, that it could be a way to implant false memories into Shiro's brain. When he first came back, that one night we were on Earth before finding the Blue Lion, he said his memories were foggy, that his brain felt scrambled." Keith pressed his hands to his mouth, his mind racing with implications. "But...if that's not Shiro, where is he?"

"And who's in the castle with the team?"


Thank you as always for reading!