Well, it's been a long journey, but it's finally over. Here is the very last chapter of cosmic dust! Right now, I have no immediate plans to continue this series, though there are some ideas that I might want to tackle in the future, they're still pretty vague at this point. This, from the start, was always a journey meant to ending with the forming of Voltron, so if I write anything else, it'll be extra! I hope everyone enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it, and that the ending doesn't disappoint!

There might be no next time, but as always, thank you.

cosmic dust

chapter thirty five

voltron

"I want to know about my mother."

Thace didn't look up as Keith entered. He knew by his scent that he was the one who had come, even before he had spoken a word. It had taken him some time to speak, the young half-Galra merely lingering by the door for several doboshes first.

"What do you want to know?" Thace asked.

Behind him, Keith froze. For a tick, he said nothing, then faintly, Thace could make out the sound of him shifting his feet, the sound of fabric rubbing against leather. "I didn't think you'd tell me."

"There is much I can't." Thace confessed. "Your mother is away on a deep cover mission. I cannot risk compromising her position."

"Oh," without even needing to look back, he sensed that Keith frowned, "-I understand."

"But," Thace continued, "-what I can tell you, I will. Come, sit."

Keith hesitated for a few more ticks, before he slowly made his way towards him. He sat some distance away from him, like he was either too afraid or too nervous to get any closer. Both were understandable. His experience with the Galra had been wholly unpleasant until now, so he could not blame him for being hesitant to be alone with him.

His original orders had been to kill him, after all.

He had changed his mind at the last possible tick, when he first lay eyes upon him. He'd felt pity for the boy, of course, for Krolia's son that she would never get to know. But Haggar had made a dangerous weapon out of him, one that she would eventually break and use to wreck havoc on the universe. The safest option was to ensure his swift death.

He still was unsure what made him choose otherwise. Perhaps the wheels of fate were already in motion, and he was simply a cog with which the red lion used to reach its paladin. He was grateful for his choice now, but in the ensuing movements he had been filled with doubt, wondering if he had truly done the right thing. Kolivan had been angry with him, but had eventually relented- now that the boy was free, it would be cruel to hunt him down just to kill him.

Besides, no one had expected him to bond with the red lion. Least of all the boy, who didn't even know the nature of what it was that he had stolen.

There was an irony in that. Zarkon had sent many Galra to the red lion, in the hopes that one of them would be able to bond with it, but no one ever had. How fitting then, that perhaps the only Galra in the cosmos that was unaware of what the red lion was and what it meant would be the one to get it to drop its barrier.

"Your mother has been with the Blade of Marmora for nearly as long as I have." Thace stated. "Longer, even, if only by a few deca-phoebs. She has been many things, but most relevant to your story is that she was once a scout, sent to track down the remaining lions. On the surface, she was doing it for the sake of the Galra Empire, but the truth was that she was doing it for us. Not to expose them, but to protect them."

"My dad had a lot of information on the blue lion at the s- at our house." Keith said, seeming to quickly correct himself. "I just didn't know about it until I went back home."

Thace looked up, studying him for a moment. "What of your father? Was he not-"

"He's dead." Keith's words were curt. "He died when I was still young."

Thace frowned, wanting to say that he was still very young indeed. But he had come to understand that for his father's people, Keith was on the cusp of adulthood. Not quite one yet- still a child even to the humans in many respects- but also a bit more distant from childish things than the other paladins.

"I am sorry." Thace said truthfully, for he was. The war had yet to rob him of his ability to feel loss, even that which was not his own. "If your mother had known-"

"She would have what?" Keith asked, suddenly sounding angry. "Come for me?"

"Yes." Thace said resolutely.

Keith frowned, his anger vanishing, quickly replaced by something that was harder to discern. "She didn't, though."

Suddenly, Thace sensed that he wasn't referring to his father's death, but to events more recent. Turning his head, he gazed out the window of the observation deck, stars moving by slowly at the almost leisurely speed the Castle was moving at.

"She didn't know." Thace confessed. "Our leader felt that telling her would be too risky."

"Risky?" Keith asked. "Why?"

Thace turned his head, looking him in the eyes. "Because she would tear Central Command apart just to find you."

Keith blinked, staring at him like that hadn't been the answer he'd expected. Galra eyes, much like his own, that had become corrupted by quintessence exposure over time. He knew they had not always been as such- Krolia possessed visible pupils still, and beyond that, he had come to learn that Keith had once had a life as a human, back on his home planet. He had been changed, his form twisted by Haggar.

Just like the Galra people as a whole, he doubted he could ever truly go back.

"She would do that?" Keith asked.

"She would." Thace said, thinking of Krolia- namely, how furious she would be with Kolivan when she learned the truth. "She has always been fiercely protective."

Keith bit his lip, looking away again. "How did you... how did you know I was her son?"

"Your blade." Thace told him, his hand resting on the hilt of his own. Like the knife Keith held, his own had been transformed into a smaller form so that he could hide it easier. Though he didn't need to hide it any longer, it had simply become something of a habit after all those deca-phoebs of living undercover. "Each member of the Blade of Marmora carries one. They receive it once they clear their trials, bonding with their blade. Each takes on a unique shape and is infused with the Blade's life energy."

Keith frowned, drawing Krolia's knife, turning it over in his hands. One finger traced the glowing mark on its hilt, the symbol of the Blade of Marmora. There was hope in those eyes, faint and wary, like it had been betrayed too much and too often for him to truly be willing to put any faith into it.

"While the blade still glows," Thace carefully continued, "-your mother still lives."

Keith's finger froze in place, partially concealing the glowing mark. It hovered there for a full tick, before he drew his hand away completely, abruptly sheathing the blade. He ducked his head, so that his bangs concealed his eyes, and with it, the bulk of his expression.

"I should probably thank you for freeing me." Keith half-whispered after a few long ticks of silence, effectively putting an end to their previous conversation. "I don't think I ever did."

The words stabbed Thace with a surge of guilt, but he didn't let it show on his face. He would take the secret of his real orders on that day to his grave, if possible.

"I did what needed to be done." Thace said simply. "Is that all?"

Keith nodded, rising to his feet. "Yeah. That's all."

He left then, without so much as another word. Once he was alone on the observation deck again, Thace exhaled. As much as he wished he could reunite mother and son, he didn't know if that would be for the best. Krolia's mission aside, Keith clearly wasn't ready for it. There was also no small part of him that was loathe to be the first Blade in the line of fire of Krolia's fury once she found out the truth.

Because without a doubt, she would be.

No one had spoken to Krolia about her son, but it was not hard to guess that she had left him behind on his father's planet in hopes that he would remain safe there. She had miscalculated, but in ways that no one could have anticipated- those few phoebs of living on the very fringes of human society on Earth, waiting for Keith to make his next move had proved it to be a very peaceful planet. No one had any reason to think otherwise.

She would be furious- but not only with himself and Kolivan. No, if he knew Krolia, the bulk of her fury would be directed internally, towards herself, for allowing her son to be put in harm's way.

But the rest of that fury- the rest would be directed solely towards Haggar. Whether it would be enough to burn the witch to cinders remained to be seen.

How fitting, Thace thought, that her child had become the guardian of fire.

He was surprised to find that his feet carried him not to the red lion's hangar, or even to the training deck, but instead to the lounge.

He was less surprised to find that it was already occupied.

"Keith!" Pidge waved him over. "How'd it go with Coran?"

Keith gave her a faint smile, making his way over towards where she was sitting with Matt. He exchanged a brief look with Lance and Hunk as he passed by them, noting that only Shiro and the Alteans were missing. Allura and Coran were probably still busy, and he guessed Shiro might not be feeling up to socializing too much just yet.

"Went fine." Keith told her. "Apparently I'm perfectly healthy for a Galra my age."

Pidge crinkled her nose at that. "Weird. I mean, it's good, but it's weird."

"Yeah, how does that even work?" Matt asked. "I mean, you've got a crystal for a heart."

Keith gave Matt a blank look even as he took a seat next to him. "How should I know?"

"It's your heart." Pidge pointed out.

"That's fair." Keith admitted. "But you try keeping track of how your body works after its been experimented on by an evil space witch."

"Point taken." Pidge said.

Keith smiled, for once feeling almost strangely at home in his own skin. He never could have imagined that he'd ever be at the stage where he could joke about what was done to him so easily, and truthfully... part of him still just wanted to clam up and not talk about it. But there was something almost freeing about doing so, like talking about it made it normal somehow.

It wasn't. It would never be. He knew that all too well. But sometimes... sometimes it was nice to pretend otherwise.

"So did he give you any advice on how to deal with those ugly bags under your eyes?" Lance piped up from across the room. "Because I don't know if you've noticed, but they're pretty bad."

Keith shot Lance a glare. He didn't sense any real malevolence in his words, but he couldn't be sure. "You try not sleeping for three odd years or so and see how great you look."

"Alright, fair point." Lance admitted, holding up his hands. "I can admit when I'm wrong."

"Besides, I think they look better." Hunk said. "That circlet thing Coran gave you must have worked."

Keith squinted, wondering how Hunk knew about that, but quickly decided it didn't matter. Pretty much nothing about him was a secret anymore, save for a few things that were still only shared between himself and Shiro. Strangely enough, it didn't feel as bad as he thought it would.

He could trust these people, he realized. In the back of his mind, the red lion purred, the sensation she sent him akin to a smug I told you so.

He huffed, even though he knew he couldn't say anything back. So maybe he should have listened to her from the start- but how was he supposed to know? Trust wasn't something that came easily to him- and for good reason. Just getting to this stage had taken way longer than it should have.

"Yeah," Keith finally said, giving Hunk a faint smile, "-I guess it did."

"Well I, for one, am glad." Hunk beamed. He was looking a little better than he had been himself, so he must have worked out whatever it was that had been bothering him. "I mean, it couldn't have been easy, not being able to sleep and all. And for so long!"

"If we ever get back to Earth, I think I know a few audio textbooks that could knock just about anyone out." Matt joked. "Actually, maybe we should just go back to get them now. Broadcast them over the loudspeaker system on Galra ships."

Keith snorted. "What, do you think the Galra will just fall asleep?"

"Yeah, and why were you listening to boring audio textbooks in the first place?" Lance asked.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." Matt said, with a waggle of his brow.

"Actually, you know what?" Lance asked. "I'm not really that interested."

Matt huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Fine, be that way. I guess not all of us can have cool and mysterious secrets."

Keith blinked, for a second not even realizing that Matt was talking about him. Brow furrowing, he stared at him in confusion. "I don't think there's anything cool or mysterious about being a human komar."

He blinked a bit as the word human left his lips. Thinking back on it, it was the first time he'd really thought of himself as such since his appearance had begun to change. It still felt a little strange to him, but it came a little easier now.

"Keith, you've been an enigma for practically the entire time I've known you." Pidge pointed out, then squinted, a slight frown crossing her face as his own expression remained relatively blank. "Wait- did you seriously never notice?"

"Uh," Keith frowned, "-I mean, not really? I wasn't trying to be enigmatic."

Sure, he knew Pidge had joked about it sometimes, but he thought she was just kidding. He didn't think she was actually being serious.

"You know what?" Pidge asked. "Somehow I'm not even surprised."

Keith just huffed, wondering if he should be offended by that. The tide of the conversation quickly changed, moving away from him and onto other subjects. He let it wash over him, content to contribute only when someone asked him for his opinion. He guessed Pidge was right about one thing- he wasn't exactly the most socially adept person out there. Years spent lost in the foster system combined with years spent as a Galra captive had taken their toll on his social skills, which really hadn't been all that great in the first place.

He wondered if that was because he was part Galra. He barely even knew what it meant to be Galra, outside of what he'd seen from the Empire. He'd never stopped to give it any thought, beyond regret that he had any Galra blood. But maybe with Thace around, he could get a glimpse of what the Galra were really like.

That... didn't sound too bad, actually.

Maybe he could eventually inquire further about the Blade of Marmora. He was certain Allura would, once things were more settled. Maybe they would even be able to strike up an alliance with them. They would probably be an invaluable asset in taking down the Galra Empire, another strong ally in the fight, alongside Te-Osh's band of borderland rebels.

Maybe he'd even get to meet his mom.

He still didn't know how he felt about that. Part of him wanted to believe what Thace had told him, that his mother really would go to those lengths for him. But the pain from all those years growing up without her wasn't going to go away overnight, no matter how much reassurance he got that she actually loved him.

At least he knew for sure now that she wasn't some evil Galra. That provided him with a little bit of comfort.

But even without her, he still had family, both old and new. He'd found Shiro, and now he had Pidge and Matt. Back on Earth, Colleen was waiting for him too, alongside her own children. In what felt like the blink of an eye, he'd gained a second older brother, a little sister, and an aunt. Somewhere out there was his mother, who maybe one day would even become his mom.

Maybe.

Looking up at the paladins, Keith felt a faint smile touch his lips. For once his future, which had always been so clouded, actually felt a bit certain- and maybe even bright.

From the moment he woke, Shiro could sense a buzz in the air.

It was enough to energize him after a long night of poor sleep. His dreams were still haunted by the Champion's memories, when they weren't being troubled by those from his time in the arenas. The combination of the two didn't exactly make for very favorable sleeping conditions, and he was this close to asking Coran if he could maybe get one of those circlets for himself. It had seemed to do wonders for Keith, the deep bags under his eyes a bit lighter that morning as they met for breakfast.

He caught his gaze from across the table, giving him a faint smile. Shiro returned it, once again marveling at just how strong his brother really was. He shouldn't have to be, he knew. But he was glad that he was.

"Paladins," Allura cleared her throat, waiting until all conversation had stopped before she continued, "-I have an announcement to make."

Everyone watched her in silent anticipation. He was pretty sure he knew what the announcement was- they all did- but he still found himself holding his breath, waiting for Allura to actually say it.

"As you know, the black lion remains sleeping." Allura said, rising to her feet, as if she were about to make a grand speech. "Today, we change that."

She locked eyes with him, and once again, Shiro was struck by the sheer determination and resolve that he found there. It was a testament to the princess' strength, that she could keep going like this after having lost essentially everything. He'd been broken for weeks after he'd received his diagnosis- without help from his family, he didn't know if he would have ever been able to rebound from it the way he had.

"We are going to wake the black lion."

Instantly, the table burst into chatter. He remained silent, as did Keith- though he did shoot him another quick grin. Matt reached over and patted him on the back, saying something along the lines about how he would reluctantly concede the job of black paladin to him. Shiro just snorted, even if for a second, he couldn't help but wonder if Matt actually would be the better candidate.

Then the black lion roared in his mind, the loudest he'd ever heard it.

No, it said, you.

And well... who was he to dispute an ancient, sentient warship? If the black lion said that he was its paladin, then it must be true, even if he didn't fully understand it himself.

Lifting his head, he looked up at Allura, meeting her eyes. "When do we start?"

"Alright girl," Keith hummed, resting a hand on the red lion's dashboard, "-you ready for this?"

The red lion purred in response, and he could feel her dash growing warm under his hands. Not enough to burn- just enough to be pleasantly comfortable, her presence as steady and reassuring as the campfires his father used to make during dark, moonless nights, when not even the stars were out. He had nearly forgotten all about them until now- about how they would used to toast marshmallows over them, making smores that were often half-burnt. His father would sing songs, always ending the night with a strange tune that he never could understand, and had never heard anywhere since.

He suddenly wondered if they had been songs from his mother.

The thought stuck with him. For so long, he thought the only thing that his mother had left behind for him was her knife, a weapon of war... but maybe she had left more than that. Something more gentle, kinder.

Maybe she had sung the songs to him, when he'd still bein the cradle. Maybe that was where his father had learned them from, continuing to sing them even after she was gone. To give him a piece of his mother's heritage that wasn't just violence and anger, but music, soft and beautiful.

Maybe he did want to meet her- just a little.

Closing his eyes, Keith drew in a long breath. Slowly removing his hand from Red's dash, he exhaled. Instead of trying to banish the memory, he clung to it fast- Red had shown him this, he realized, dug it up from the depths of his memory for a reason.

Fire didn't just burn.

"Yeah," Keith opened his eyes, taking firm hold of the red lion's controls, "-I'm ready too."

"Are you sure I'm allowed to be here?"

"Green wouldn't have let you in if you weren't." Pidge said to her brother. "Besides, I want you here."

Green purred in response to her claim, and Pidge couldn't help but smile. The only reason she had even gotten this far out into space was out of her desire to find her missing family. Having Matt in the green lion with her on what would hopefully be a momentous occasion only felt right.

She just wished their father could be here too.

But Keith was right- they wouldn't quit looking for him. He had to be out there somewhere, and as long as she believed that, she felt like she could move forward.

As if sensing her thoughts, Matt rested a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find him."

Nodding, Pidge glanced up towards him, a faint hint of a smile touching her lips. "That's what everyone keeps telling me."

"That's how you know it's true." Matt grinned.

Pidge huffed, shaking her head slightly as she reached out to touch Green's controls. Even the lion felt as if it were encouraging her to continue her quest. Her family might be the reason she had gotten this far out into space, but it had been the support of those around her that had gotten her this far in her quest- both the old and the new.

She would find her father. She would bring him home, safe and sound- and while she was at it, she would tear down the Galra Empire, so that no one could ever suffer like she had.

Or worse, she thought, thinking of Allura.

"I know." Pidge said, to the both of them. "And thanks."

"So, Blue, you ready to go?"

Lance beamed as he slid into the pilot's seat, hearing Blue's purr of anticipation in his head almost before he even sat down. A lot of things had happened in the short time since he'd become a paladin, but absolutely none of it dampened just how thrilled he was to be able to pilot the blue lion. There was something between the two of them that just clicked, and he thought he understood a little better now what Allura meant when she was going on about the whole chosen paladin thing.

And now Hunk was a paladin too! Saving the universe with his best buddy- could it get any better than that?

His smile faltered a little- thinking of Hunk made him think of home, of his family. He tried to downplay it, but he really did miss them. Sure, he'd left to protect them, but they didn't know that. He knew that Pidge's mom had promised to get in touch with them, but what if they didn't believe her? What if the Garrison lied and told them he'd been abducted, or worse?

Just before his thoughts could take any more of a downward spiral, the blue lion nudged at a memory that had lain half-forgotten. Right before they had left Earth, Pidge had told him that she and Coran had rigged up a way to contact her mother from anywhere in space. With everything that had happened, it had almost slipped his mind.

He let out the breath he'd been holding. Maybe after they formed this Voltron thing, he could ask her if he could use it. Pidge's mom hadn't given off the impression as being the type to flake off on her promises, but it still wouldn't hurt to ask.

Who knew? Maybe they could even find a way for him to talk to his parents. Maybe not to Veronica though- or Rachel, for that matter. They'd be pissed.

"Thanks Blue. I appreciate the reminder." Lance said, stroking his lion like he would an actual cat. "See? This is why we were made for each other."

"Hey, Yellow. I'll try to launch a little better this time, I promise."

Hunk's nerves faded a bit as he picked up on the yellow lion's steady encouragement. At least his lion seemed to believe in his abilities, even if he really didn't. Maybe he should take Lance up on that offer of flying lessons.

Or maybe he could just ask Shiro, now that they had sort of worked things out between the two of them. He still felt bad about having shot him, but if Shiro himself said it was okay, and that he was even grateful he'd done it, well, it just didn't make much sense to keep beating himself up over it.

And- no offense to Lance- is just made more sense to ask the guy who was a certifiable legend for his help rather than someone who, you know, crashed the simulator on the regular. Don't get him wrong- having Lance here with him was great, really, he didn't know what he would do without him- but the choice was still pretty clear.

Lessons or not, he still couldn't help but worry that he'd just hold everyone back. In response to that, Yellow purred his reassurances again, which he tried to take to heart. The yellow lion wouldn't have chosen him if he didn't think he was up to the task, right? Sure, maybe he wasn't all that great of a pilot now, but later-

-okay, so maybe later he still wouldn't be a great pilot. But he'd at least be a decent pilot. And he knew he was a damn good engineer- not to mention a damn good cook. And after having eaten one plate of food goo too many, he realized that was something that this Castle sorely needed. He wasn't going to judge Altea's culinary traditions based solely on their space travel rations, but man, that stuff was bad.

The yellow lion almost seemed to chuckle, sending him a flash of memory. An alien wearing yellow and white armor- armor a lot like his, actually, complaining about the exact same thing. There was a touch of melancholy to the memory- even without the armor, he'd have probably been able to put two and two together.

"That's your original paladin?" Hunk asked. "He seems like a fun guy."

The yellow lion purred in agreement, but it was a sad sound. Frowning, Hunk reached out, stroking one of the lion's panels. Maybe he was the least confident in his role as a paladin, but that didn't mean he was any less resolved to do what was right.

"Don't worry." Hunk promised. "We'll make sure he didn't die in vain."

Allura waited with baited breath as she watched the lions enter the hangar, one by one. Coran stood by her side, a bracing hand on her shoulder, which she greatly appreciated. She was confident that everything would go as planned, but that would quite honestly be a first for them. Thus far, nothing had truly gone as planned.

If everything had, her father would still be here with her, and they wouldn't even need to find new paladins for all the lions. They would all still be alive, only more somber after having to defeat one who had once been one of their number.

She looked over towards where Shiro stood. He was alone in front of the massive door that sealed off the black lion's hangar. If he was nervous at all, she couldn't tell.

Allura looked away, watching as the last lion entered- the yellow lion. Hunk's landing was less than perfect, but it was better than it had been, and he took up his place next to the green lion. She had not told them where to land their lions, but they arranged themselves in the proper order regardless, perhaps guided by their lions.

She looked towards Shiro again. He was clad in the armor of the black paladin, though she had regretfully been unable to give him the black bayard. Zarkon had been buried with it, and so he still possessed it. It was a fact that made her uneasy, making her wonder if his connection to the black lion was truly gone. Surely so long as he possessed the bayard, there was always the possibility that he might be able to take it back.

She tried to comfort herself with the fact that the black lion had chosen Shiro as its new paladin. While it had not yet truly been made official, she had felt their link herself- and indeed, she had even enabled it.

"It'll be alright, princess," Coran reassured her, "-you just have to believe."

"I know." Allura said, closing her eyes and taking a deep, calming breath, before she opened them once more, looking back towards Coran. "This is what father would have wanted. For us to carry on his legacy, and to correct the mistakes of the past."

She only hoped it would be enough.

Patience yields focus.

His usual mantra bubbled up in his head, unbidden, as he stood before the black lion's hangar. He could feel it from within, still half-slumbering. With each lion that landed in the hangar, it slowly became more awake, its presence more pronounced in his mind.

The paladin armor that the princess had given him felt nothing like the armor he'd worn during his time as a Champion. It had never truly felt as if it had fit right. The fit only got worse once he came back to his own mind, free of Haggar's control at which point the modified lieutenant's armor had felt heavy and wrong. Truthfully, he'd been almost loathe to put on another set of armor after that, but in the end, he had donned what had been given to him.

He was glad he had.

It fit perfectly, even when it came to his right arm. It clenched subconsciously at his side, but he didn't shudder away from it- not this time. It was a symbol of everything that he had been as the Champion, but now it was his. Haggar had given it to him to turn him into even more of a weapon, but now he would use that weapon against her and the Galra Empire, and make them suffer ten times over for all the suffering they had made him inflict.

And he would do that with the black lion.

Once the last lion landed, the door to the black lion's hangar slowly began to open. His eyes widened as he saw it for the first time- more regal and majestic than anything he could have possibly imagined, and more massive than any of the other lions.

When it woke, it felt strangely like an old friend. It roared for all to hear, and the lions roared back, almost in chorus. At the same time, he felt the black lion's roar vibrate through his very being, down to his core, and for a second, all he could do was stare up at it in awe. Their connection, once relatively faint, began to blossom, and before he knew it, it felt as if it had always been there, taking up the space formerly occupied by Haggar.

There had been no mistake. This was his lion.

As the black lion lowered itself, Shiro strode forward. There was confidence in his steps, feeling a confidence in himself that he nearly thought he'd lost. Somehow, the black lion managed to bring it all back. By the time he found himself in its cockpit, he felt a little more like his old self, the way he used to feel, before Haggar had tampered with his mind.

Once seated, he simply let the black lion's energy wash over him, taking it all in. It wasn't just his energy- for the black lion was a him, he instinctively sensed- but he could feel the energy from the other four lions as well. Even fainter, but still very present, was the energy of the paladins, one of whom was already deeply familiar to him in spite of never having actually felt it before.

He reached out to it, at the same time Keith reached out to him. They met there, assessing each other in this strange new way for what felt like an eternity, but in truth, probably wasn't longer than a few seconds. He took it all in- both the familiar and the unfamiliar, and that which felt as if it was somewhere in between. Haggar's quintessence, which had never fully settled into him was keenly prominent at first, but soon faded, suppressed by quintessence that was purely, unmistakably, Keith.

He slowly pulled away from him, reaching out to touch Pidge next. She was less familiar, but still known to him, and everything he saw there was exactly as he expected. Lance and Hunk were less known to him, and yet still somehow strangely familiar, as if he had known them all his life, in spite of only meeting them just a few days ago.

He felt Allura too, just differently. She was more distant, not connected in quite the same way. He didn't feel Coran or Thace, though he knew they were both present.

Slowly exhaling, Shiro opened his eyes. With great care, he laid his hands on the black lion's controls, and slowly but surely, raised it up.

This was his lion. He was its paladin.

"Alright team," Shiro began, almost instinctively knowing what to do, "-let's form Voltron."