The training droids didn’t move quite as smoothly as they used to after Jira took their heads off and ran her pole through their chests. Hunk had done his best to repair them, but they needed another look before functioning normally again. Keith smiled to himself, accepting that he had himself to blame for them being destroyed. He was so stubborn then; that fight seemed so long ago. He was so angry at Jira when they had that argument, but he felt foolish when he looked back and realized that he was angry for being called out by her. He tried to justify what he said to Lance by thinking he was just calling Lance out like Jira had to him, but it was that familiar stubbornness coming back with a vengeance. He didn’t regret what he said to Lance, but mostly because Lance said hurtful things himself.

Sure, Keith had been called a loner before, but the way Lance said it was what really stung. It reminded Keith that it was that persona that helped him push people away, and even though he was trying with Jira, he knew it would be easier for him to shut her out. He hated that Lance could recognize that; he wondered who else had seen him interact with Jira and notice that he was still closing himself off. Being defensive about that caused him to say some hurtful things back to Lance, though he was being honest. Keith also knew was speaking out of some jealousy; even if Lance was leading Viltri on, it was clear that they were attracted to each other and had most likely talked about their feelings at some point. Keith hadn’t even gotten that far. He just felt like a coward who couldn’t tell Jira how he really felt about her.

Keith sheathed his blade and leaned against the wall in the training deck. The droids stood silently beside him, waiting for him to make another move. Thinking over his time at Eioa, Keith knew he needed to do something soon. He wouldn’t be here for much longer, and he still hadn’t talked to Jira about joining the Blade. She dodged his questioning before, and then with everything happening with Shiro, it didn’t seem to be the right time. A part of him felt selfish for wanting her to join; if she did, he wouldn’t have to worry about leaving Eioa. But he knew that she had always wanted to leave Eioa for more, so why not join the Blade? Though, all this thinking about the Blade was just an excuse to put off telling Jira about his feelings. It was a convenient distraction.

He wiped sweat from his forehead and looked up when he heard the door on the training deck open. His heart leapt into his throat when he saw Jira step through, wearing a dark tank top and slim pants tucked into boots.

“Jira-” he said hoarsely, standing up straight and already feeling nervous. “When did you get off your shift?”

“Just barely,” she grinned. “I was gonna take a shower, but I figured I better get some training in.”

“You’re not gonna train with Rixel?”

“No, I’ve been avoiding him. He’s been working us to death lately, so I figured I’d do some easy training by coming and finding you.” She smirked at him, which put him more at ease with her teasing.

“To be fair, you didn’t technically win last time. You didn’t pin me.”

“True. But I don’t doubt my ability to do so.” She unclipped her pole and extended it. “So you up for round two?”

“Fine,” Keith said lightly, but his heart was pounding. “... But new rules this time. I pin and disarm you, you have to tell me why you’re hesitant about joining the Blade. If you pin and disarm me, it’s your secret to keep.”

Jira’s eyes grew wide with surprise, but she managed to crack a smile. “... Okay… best two out of three?”

“Sure.” Keith unsheathed his blade and swung it a few times to warm up. Jira twirled the polearm with impressive speed, but didn’t release the blades at the tip. She set the end on the ground and waited for Keith to make the first move. He decided it was best to approach cautiously since she had taken the initiative when they fought before. She had more range than him, but he could use his speed to his advantage, deciding to strike her non dominant side. Keith extended the blade and approached her left side, striking low and fast. Jira was quick to react, however, using the momentum of his blade to push him aside and come up behind him. She playfully pushed Keith in the back with the end of her pole.

“You’re pretty fast,” Keith said, smiling to himself. He whipped around and swung, their weapons clashing.

“Well, I’ve probably been training a lot longer than you have,” Jira smiled, her eyes shining intensely. Keith felt sloppier than usual as they sparred, equating it to the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about how Lance called him out earlier this morning. Jira was right here and they were alone, he had every opportunity to say something. Though, seeing her skillfully swing a weapon at him left him a bit more apprehensive than usual.

“How did you know I was here, anyway?” He asked as their weapons met again. Jira had extended her blades on her pole, catching them on Keith’s own blade. The two metals grinded together and Jira swiftly lunged to the side, pulling both the pole and blade down to the ground. Keith quickly recovered and rolled along the ground with the downward motion. Jira didn’t hesitant and whipped the pole across Keith as soon as he landed, knocking it hard against his blade. A tremor of pain vibrated up his arm, but he managed to hold on to his weapon. He stood up and managed to get out of the way before Jira could catch him again.

“I saw Pidge on my way over here, and asked her.” Jira eagerly struck first this time and Keith cursed to himself when he realized she was pressing him into a corner. “She said you and Lance got into an argument and that this is where you’d most likely be.”

Keith faltered a moment, embarrassed that Pidge had told her. Jira took that hesitation and attacked ruthlessly, pushing him closer to the wall. She retracted the blades on her pole and pushed the end into his chest. Turning the polearm at a sharp angle, she smacked it down on his wrist again, causing him to drop his blade. Pushing her body weight against the pole, she caught the back of Keith’s legs and swept his feet out from underneath him. His head hit the floor hard, his eyes rolling back for a moment and he shook his head to clear his vision. She had him pinned to the ground, kneeling over him with her left foot pressing down on his right arm. He reached over with his free hand and grabbed her ankle, but with a vicious grin, she released the blades on her weapon, just barely scraping against his neck. He felt the warm release of blood on his skin and he froze, keeping a keen eye on the sharp blades in front of his face.

Sweat had started to coat her forehead, but Jira looked at Keith triumphantly, unwilling to release him. “You lose focus too quickly,” she smirked. “Something on your mind?”

Keith chuckled nervously, his left arm starting to lose feeling underneath her boot. “Did Pidge tell you what we argued about?”

“... No,” Jira said cautiously, leaning down closer to him. “What was it about?”

“Nothing important,” he lied. Jira narrowed her eyes and brought the tip of the pole down to his chest.

“You’re not a very good liar.” She carefully pressed the blades into him, enough to where he could feel the sting against his shirt, but not enough to cause him to bleed. He slowly released his hand from her ankle and she eyed him as he set his free arm down at his side.

“You must really not want to talk about the Blade, huh?” She was taking this sparring a lot more serious than he anticipated. “Or do all of your trainings involve making your opponents bleed?”

“Can’t handle it? I get that you train with droids with Voltron, but I would have thought that things were a little more tough with the Blade.”

“If you’re curious, I’m sure you could ask Kolivan about it. I’m sure he’d love to tell you more about the Blade,” Keith said smugly. Jira scoffed, but amusement flashed in her eyes. She retracted the blades again and moved her foot off of his arm, now just keeling over him. Keith waited on the ground, letting the blood flow back into his arm and trying to catch his breath. Jira finally moved her polearm off of him and let it hung at her side.

“I don’t need to ask Kolivan anything,” she huffed, wiping her forehead with her left hand. “Besides, you haven’t pinned me, so we’re not talking about this-”

Keith took her brief moment of distraction and grabbed her around the hips. He pulled her down and used her momentum of trying not to fall on him to roll over on top of her. He grasped at her wrists before she could use her polearm and pressed them down on the floor above her head. Jira’s eye grew wide again and her mouth fell open slightly and Keith tightened his grip.

“Let go,” Keith hissed, a bit shocked that he had managed to pull it off, but the element of surprise seemed to work in his favor.

“But you don’t even have your weapon-”

“We didn’t make any rule saying you had to have one to disarm and pin the other.”

Jira frowned and released her weapon and Keith slid her hands down away from it and closer to her neck. Her hair was starting to come out of its braid and loose strands stuck to her skin, plastered by sweat. Keith was close enough now to see how heavy her breathing was, mirroring his own; his eyes followed her loose hair strands over to the scar that now framed her collarbone, and to her chest which was rising and falling rapidly against his. He glanced down, spotting that he had positioned himself between her legs; something that he hadn’t thought through when making his attack. Keith blinked slowly, embarrassment flushing his face. He looked back at Jira who was so painfully close to him, he hadn’t expected to be in this position. His hands were suddenly clammy against her burning skin and he was tempted to let go. He relaxed his grip and blinked again, unsure of where to go from here.

“... So this makes us tied,” Jira said, thankfully breaking the silence. Keith nodded and cleared his throat, trying not to think about how close they were pressed together. “I was not expecting that move, I’ll give you that.” She let out a tense laugh, breaking their eye contact and glancing away from him.

She let out a heavy sigh. “... Even though I’ll win the next round,” She laughed again and looked back at him. “... I’ll still tell you.” Eyes locked on Keith, her expression reminded him of when they spoke at the tree after their fight. She carried a quiet confidence about her that Keith was still trying to make sense of and he wished he had it himself. Instead, all he could think about was how he wanted to be closer to her; to kiss and hold her. His thoughts raced, like a dam that had finally burst, no longer holding back the feelings that he had been able to keep at bay. Keith let go of her wrists but he kept himself propped up on his elbows by her head, though he didn’t know what to do next.

Jira slowly moved her arms down and rested her hands on Keith’s chest, still not breaking eye contact with him. He swallowed a nervous lump in his throat, unable to speak; he knew anything he would say would probably sound stupid anyway. He had never done this before and had never felt more out of his element. Keith bit his bottom lip anxiously and moved Jira’s hair off her neck with trembling fingers. He braced his hand against her warm skin, focusing on her mouth. He brought his head down and prayed that he wouldn’t make a fool out of himself. Jira clung to his shirt, and pulled him to her, guiding him closer.

Keith closed his eyes when he heard the unmistakable sound of the doors of the training deck open. He whipped his head up to see Shiro standing at the doorway, already backing away from them.

“Sorry! I’ll just uh-” He looked everywhere but at Keith and Jira. Jira pushed Keith off of her and he scrambled to his feet, his entire body shaking with humiliation . She then hopped to her feet as well after grabbing her polearm, and made it a point to not look at Keith.

“It-it’s okay,” she said. Keith could see from the corner of his eye that she was looking down at the ground and trying to smooth out her braid.

“Right…” Shiro looked to Keith, his face red. Keith would have been okay with crawling in a hole to die after Shiro showed up. There was no way he could get away with hiding from him now. It was probably the reason Shiro came to the training room; to talk to Keith about Jira and no he had no choice but to tell him the truth after what he saw.

“I uh…” Shiro cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. “I actually came here to talk to you… if that’s okay?” He asked Jira. She snapped her head up to look up at him, but tried to play it off casually.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, her voice faint. She finally glanced at Keith, looking just as embarrassed as he felt, probably mortified that she didn’t get to leave. Keith quickly grabbed his blade off the ground and hurried past Shiro who was still at the doorway.

“Don’t go too far,” Shiro whispered to him as he passed.

“Okay,” Keith managed, barely finding his voice. He left Shiro and Jira alone, grateful to be away from Shiro’s watchful eye, but hating himself that he didn’t have the chance to kiss Jira.

Coran spotted him at the end of the hall and stopped briefly. “Are you alright, Keith?” He asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

“... I’ve been better.”

**************

Jira was still hot with embarrassment after Keith left the training deck. She was grateful, however, that her skin tone didn't give away her humiliation like it did with some of the paladins with lighter skin. Regardless, it was clear that Shiro could sense her embarrassment as he stood across the room from her.

“I, um, just wanted to thank you,” he said as he walked towards her. His face was still burning red, but he approached her confidently.

“Thank me?” Jira furrowed her brow.

Shiro gave her a warm smile. It was easy to see why he meant so much to the other paladins. “If it weren’t for you, I don’t know when I would have come back…if I would have come back.”

“Oh...” Jira hadn’t considered the fact that Shiro still could have been stuck wherever he was. She thought the Shiro she read was the real one, but considering it now, the result of her reading the clone left everyone with a lot more than they bargained for. On one hand, Shiro was alive and safe. But on the other hand, Zarkon’s influence felt much closer to them than they initially thought. It was impossible to tell what else the empire was up to at the moment. “You’re welcome,” Jira said. “But it was Allura’s idea. She was really worried about you.”

Shiro’s expression softened when she mentioned Allura. “I know…” he smiled again. “I also came here to see if you would do me a favor.”

“What’s up?”

“Could you read me?” Shiro’s gentle expression hardened, showing worry in his mature face. “I know you don’t know me very well, but… I need to be sure. I don’t want to hurt anyone. And I need to know that I’m not subject to anymore of Zarkon’s schemes…. Can you help me?”

“Of course,” Jira breathed. She wasn’t quite used to someone she didn’t know well wanting her to use her ability on them. Growing up, some people kept their distance when they discovered what she could do; she was used to others pushing her away in order to keep their secrets safe. It wasn’t until she joined the Elites that she found a place to use her ability and feel like she wasn’t a burden on others. It was surprising to her that the paladins trusted her so much, but she loved that they did.

Shiro stepped in closer to her and waited for Jira to act. He tensed up when she laid a hand on his arm, but she held it there until he relaxed. Jira was overwhelmed with a comforting sense of security as soon as she touched him.

“What is it?” Shiro asked, still nervous.

“Just that you want to reconnect with everyone,” Jira said carefully, gathering her thoughts. “You really care about them.” She smiled. “And you want to make sure your connection with the Black Lion still stands… and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to find out what happened to you.” She looked at him with concern. “... Just be careful with that.”

Shiro nodded firmly. “Anything else?”

Jira’s face grew warm again; Shiro was planning on talking to Keith after this. She had seen him say something to Keith on his way out, but they were too far away for her to hear what was said. She opted to not mention that specifically, but she searched for anything else that she could read about Shiro. Allura’s face and name flashed in her head, and Jira swiftly dropped her hand from Shiro’s arm, feeling too intrusive into his thoughts.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, worry and stress creeping back into his eyes.

“It’s nothing, I-”

“I need to know. Whatever it is, please tell me.”

“It’s nothing bad, it’s just uh…” Jira’s eyes shifted back to him apprehensively. “Just… Good luck with Allura.”

“Oh.” Shiro’s cheeks burned a deeper red, something Jira was starting to find endearing of humans. She laughed, releasing some of the tension between them.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry, but you just had a very strong intention to talk to her about… something.” She gave him an amused grin. Though she didn’t know Shiro well, it was clear that he didn’t talk about this sort of thing often. It was odd to see such a man get nervous over anything.

“I guess if you were to read me, I should have been expecting that to happen,” Shiro said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“When are you thinking of telling her?”

“Hmm…” Shiro laughed softly. “I don’t know... Things are just a bit… unpredictable at the moment.”

“Yeah, a little bit.” Jira shuffled her feet. She didn’t want to be caught in the middle of whatever was going on between them and she didn’t think Allura had said anything to Shiro yet. She also didn’t want Shiro to take this opportunity to bring up Keith. “But things will work out,” Jira smiled, trying to look for a way out of the conversation.

“I hope so… but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to the others.”

“Absolutely!” Jira said hurriedly. “They need to hear it from you.”

Shiro smiled, finally looking relieved since coming to see her. “Thanks. And thank you for helping me. I gotta go, so I’ll leave if you want to finish your training.” He turned slightly away from her. “And uh… sorry again for interrupting-”

“Don’t be, it’s okay, really,” Jira stumbled over her words, wishing more than anything that she could leave. “We didn’t actually- I mean, nothing happened so… yeah, so no worries.” She tried to sound convincing, but knew it was too late. Shiro laughed, slightly uncomfortable.

“I’ll take your word for it,” he said, starting to walk towards the door. He paused once he got to the doorway. “It’s just… Keith’s a good kid. So I hope things work out for you, too.”

***********************

Shiro was hoping to find Keith waiting for him outside the training deck, but he knew Keith better than that to think he’d stick around. He had never seen Keith so flustered before so he wouldn’t be too surprised if he had gone somewhere to hide. It was strange to Shiro, who had spent so much time around the other paladins, to see them continuing on with their lives. They were all maturing and seemed so grown up since the last time he saw them, Shiro was desperately trying to play catch up. His life had been on pause for months, he was still scrambling to feel like he had settled back into his position in Voltron; his position with his friends.

Rounding a corner, Shiro saw Coran approach him from down the hall. The Altean’s moustache twitched when he smiled, and the wrinkles around his eyes scrunched as he looked at Shiro.

“Good Morning, Shiro!” Coran said happily. “What have you been up to today?” He stopped abruptly once he got closer and squinted at Shiro. “Your face is redder than a than Quayworian Dimmlersnout! And that's saying something! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Shiro said, still regretting that he had walked in on Keith and Jira.

“I feel like this castle has been in a tizzy for the last several days. There’s been a lot of excitement with everything that’s happened… how are you doing?”

“Better than I thought I would,” Shiro said, though he wasn’t actually sure if that was the truth. It was different than when he was first captured by the Galra, but the adjustment wasn’t any less disorienting.

“Well that’s good, isn’t it? Just don’t overexert yourself.”

“I’m trying not to…” As much as he appreciated everyone being so worried about him, it was a bit tiring. Maybe because he knew he wasn’t following their advice and relaxing. “Um, have you seen Keith?”

“I spotted him coming out of the training deck just recently. Not too soon before you came out, actually. He seemed quite jittery… and red in the face too- do I need to take a look at the ventilation in there? Are we not getting enough air?” He asked, suddenly looking frantic.

“No,” Shiro laughed softly, trying to calm Coran. “Keith was just… exercising. Look, I just need to talk to him- and Lance. I guess they got into an argument earlier this morning.”

“I knew he was lying…” Coran said ominously.

“... Right. I told Keith I wanted to talk to him, but he didn’t wait for me out here.”

“Why did you go in there if it wasn’t to talk to Keith?” Coran asked, pointing to the doors of the training deck.

“I needed to talk to Jira. She was there with him.”

Coran’s eye lit up and a smile quickly spread across his face. “Well it’s been an eventful morning for Keith, hasn’t it?”

“Do you have any idea where he was headed?”

“Hmm,” Coran scratched his chin. “Well if he were upset after an argument, the training deck would be the best place to find him… but if he was already there, and it sounds like he’s avoiding you, I would be willing to wager he left the castle.”

“And I don’t really know the area well enough yet. Is there anywhere isolated around here that you think he’d go?”

“I’d check his room at the barracks first… if that doesn’t do the trick, then maybe check the Fountain?”

“That’s the hot springs, right?”

Coran nodded.

“What about Lance, have you seen him around?”

“Hmm, well I noticed he usually goes down to see the Blue Lion when he wants alone time, but he may have gone somewhere a little more isolated. Wouldn’t be a bad place to start though.”

“Thanks, Coran,” Shiro smiled.

“You’re welcome!” He started to walk away, but stopped and grinned at Shiro. “You know, I’d recommend you visit the Fountain for yourself. Not only is it beautiful, but it’s quiet, relaxing, and isolated… I think spending some time there would do you some good, whether or not you have company.”

Something about Coran’s smile made Shiro uneasy and he immediately thought of Allura. If Coran knew something, he was doing a good job of being cryptic about it.

“I’ll uh, try and keep that in mind,” Shiro said. “Thanks again.”

After not finding Keith in his room at the barracks, Shiro borrowed a hoverbike and got directions to the Fountain from Jinx. The cooler temperature at the Fountain was welcoming after being in the hot jungle down at the Kafa. Shiro spotted Keith in the largest pool, his back facing him. He called Keith’s name, causing Keith to jump and slump lower into the water.

“Hey… Shiro,” Keith said quietly, not looking at him as he neared the water. Shiro sat down on a boulder next to the pool and crossed his arms.

“Keith, are you okay? This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I said to not go too far.”

“I know. I just needed to clear my head...”

“... So is now a good time, or…?”

“No, it’s fine.” Keith pulled himself out of the water and sat on the edge with his legs still dangling in. “I can only avoid you for so long.”

“So I’m guessing that you avoiding me has something to do Jira and your fight with Lance?”

Keith shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Well,” Shiro struggled with where to start, seeing as Keith would be reluctant to openly share with him. “What is going with you and Jira? Are you two-”

“No,” Keith said quickly.

“But you do like her… and that wasn’t a question,” Shiro added with a laugh.

Keith laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, I do.”

“Then why go through all this trouble to not talk to me about it?”

“I don’t know, I just…” Keith looked away from Shiro. “It’s just kind of… embarrassing. For me. I don’t know what I’m doing with this whole relationship… thing. And I knew you’d want to talk about it and I haven’t said anything to anyone.”

“Have you talked to Jira?”

“Not yet…”

Shiro smiled. “Well I wouldn’t be too worried about her not feeling the same way, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“It’s not that.” Keith looked back at Shiro, his eyes wide. “I think she might want to join the Blade, and I want her to, but… doesn’t that make me seem selfish if I want her to?”

“Ah, well… are you wanting her to join so you can still be close to her or are you wanting her to join because you support her decision to do what she thinks is best?”

Keith furrowed his brow and sighed. “Is it bad that it’s both?”

“No, it’s not,” Shiro laughed. “But if you haven’t talked to her about joining, you should. She’d want to know you support her in making that decision.”

“Yeah… This means I should probably apologize to Lance too, huh?” Keith grumbled.

“From what Hunk told me, what you said seemed kinda hurtful…”

“I was only being honest-”

“You’ve always been one to be honest, but I’m sure Lance has been going through a hard time too. Maybe give him the benefit of the doubt?”

“I’ll try,” Keith said begrudgingly. “... sorry I skipped out and left the castle.”

“It’s okay,” Shiro grinned. “You know, I kinda like this Keith. You’ve always been so focused on the mission, it’s fun seeing you all flustered when it comes to a girl.”

“Knock it off,” Keith rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t hide a smile.

Shiro stood up and enjoyed the cool weather. He was grateful that Keith hadn’t shut him out completely. After Keith believed he had killed him, Shiro worried that Keith would take it too hard and not forgive himself. But Shiro was happy to find that Keith had made himself comfortable with the others while here on Eioa; It was a bittersweet reminder that the paladins had grown without Shiro while he was gone.