Keith sobbed softly, laughing slightly. Then suddenly he pulled back... and punched Shiro right in the jaw! "Where were you!?"

Shiro cradled his jaw "Ow. Not the welcome i was expecting from my brother"

"Why did you leave?! You told me that you wouldn't leave me and the very next you do just that!" He yelled, chest heaving with anger. "I didn't leave Keith! Not on my own anyway. I didn't have gear or anything!" He said back.

"Than what happened to you?!" He said, losing some of his fire as his tears overflowed.

"My lion teleported me because I was so worried for you." Shiro begins to say quieter to try and calm Keith. He reached for Keith but Keith backed away, too confused, scared and upset.

"Keith, I kinda was worried you'd kill me like you said." Shiro rubbed his neck nervously. "I might." Keith said, staring wounded at Shiro, though not meaning it. "I can only imagine what you thought and how I might have hurt you

"What happened?" he asked softly. Shiro looks a little puzzled at the question. "How did Black do that to you?"

"No idea. I have no clue but i woke up on a planet on the beach." Shiro chuckles at how he reacted. Keith spasms and Shiro raises an eyebrow, "What happened to you?" Keith waved the question off. "So... you didn't leave me?"

"Not on purpose Keith. I'd never leave you on purpose." Shiro said walking closer and putting a hand on Keith's shoulder, "Why would I leave my brother?"

Keith shrugged lightly. "Others have left. You could have too." He said, moving to hug Shiro again. Shiro hugs Keith close and he rubs his back "I missed you and worried a lot. But i left the crew in good hands. I would never leave you by free will." Keith scoffed. "Good hands? I almost got myself killed and I made Allura hate me more than ever."

Shiro pulled back and looked at him, "What did you do? Please tell me you didn't further endanger yourself? Wait... of course you did" Shiro said looking up slightly. Keith smiled a little. "Of course. Not that I did it on purpose exactly. I took a blast that was meant for Lance."

'I best ask someone else how bad it was' Shiro thought to himself and he sighed "Keith, why do you do that?"

"It's what us leaders do." Keith said, punching Shiro's shoulder lightly. Shiro chuckled a little, "Right fellow leader." And he punches him back,"you happier that I am back now? Will you let me go anywhere ever again?" Shiro joked. "Hmm... Probably not." Keith said, smiling again. A slight spasm ran up his leg, but he hid it well as he held his leg still, pushing his foot against the ground. "There is that award winning smile" Shiro smiled, not noticing the spaz. Shiro is happy to be back home and with Keith healthy.

"Come on, we should tell everyone you're back." Keith said. "Allura will be very glad not to have to deal with me anymore." Shiro nods but kinda wants time alone with Keith, figuring he will get it soon, planning for later that evening. They head to the main room where all halls adjoin. The instant they walked into the main room where everyone had gathered, Pidge screeched and flung herself at Shiro. "Shiro!" He catches her and smiles "Hey Pidge, everyone" The rest of the crew moved closer and smiles and laughs are shared, Keith beside Shiro through it all not wanting to let go. After a very long while and an announcement that they were canceling training in celebration for Shiro's return, everyone dispersed, Keith sticking with Shiro.

Shiro puts an arm around Keith's shoulders "Where to bud?" Keith leaned into Shiro's side. "Anywhere so long as you don't leave again."

"You were scared I would assume? You haven't been this rattled since I left for the Kerboros Mission"

"You disappeared /again/, Shiro. Of course, I was scared."

"And with no contact either. *sigh* Sorry brother." He says raking a hand through his hair "I love how we both are paladins." Keith smiled. "Yeah, me too."

"Now you don't disappear" Shiro said seriously. "How did the crew treat you as the leader?" Shiro genuinely wanted to know so if he needed to address issues then he could. Keith shrugged. "In battle they listened just fine, but in the castle they didn't."

"No? Like when?" Shiro raised an eyebrow. "Like, we were going to search the nearby planets and Allura convinced everyone that I should stay behind." He mumbled bitterly. "So you had the biggest problem with Allura. Makes sense. Well, i hoped you took her suggestion into account. Likely she knew something."

"She knew I got hit in battle twice. That's all she cared to know." Shiro nods, "How did you react when you heard the decision?" Shiro was asking a lot of questions. "Pidge was the one who told me, I reasoned with her. I tried to reason with Allura, but I guess I got a bit carried away." Shiro simply nods and they sit down in Keith's room. "Anything else I should know?

Keith shrugged under Shiro's arm around his shoulder. "I don't think so." He said, but a second later a spasm that he couldn't suppress trembled his body. "What was that Keith?" Shiro said removing his arm "I think that was something else" His eyes got wide and Keith kicked himself mentally that he didn't suppress that one, Keith made a placating gesture. "Hey, it's fine. It's just a side effect from the blast I took. But I'll be fine, Shiro."

"How bad was it?" Keith thinks 'I can't tell him, but to lie to Shiro?' "Not that bad." He said vaguely. "I blacked out for a few minutes, but I went in the pod, so no damage done."

"Obviously damage if you have repercussions through muscle spasms. Keith? Are you telling me the whole truth?" Shiro asks looking at Keith with worry on his face. Keith fidgeted slightly, "The blast wasn't the usual kind. More like an electricity blast." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, I kinda got electrocuted..." Shiro's eyes widened, "Electrocuted? Keith, it isn't small." He reprimanded him slightly. "Well, it's not like it matters. I went in the pod and I feel fine." Shiro rolls his eyes internally, "Just be careful."

"I'm fine, Shiro. Really." Keith said. "Don't worry, okay?" Shiro nodded "If I worry I might get teleported." He chuckles lightly. "You better not." Keith said, glaring at Shiro warningly. "One time was enough."

"Would you punch me again?"

"Probably."

Shiro is semi-glad that he hasn't hit him again since earlier. "Now can we drop that subject?" Keith asked, giving Shiro a slight pleading look. Shiro nods "For now" he says firmly. Keith smiled. "Good." He said with a small sigh.

They sat in silence for a while just looking. "You wouldn't imagine the planet I was on"

"Tell me about it." Keith said, remembering when Shiro would make up stories of far away planets when they were younger. Shiro describes the sand, weird animal, and the tremendous sky along with other things he had noticed. Keith smiled through the story and leaned back on his elbows. Keith closed his eyes as Shiro painted a beautiful scene in his head. "It sounds cool." He said, yawning softly. "It was scary being without a plan, but yeah. It felt weird. Remember the stories I'd tell you when you were little? Or when you were scared and I told you about a superhero of the universe?" Shiro said playfully and leans back too.

Keith laughed softly. "Yeah. I remember listening to you while we stargazed in the backyard." He said, grinning at Shiro. "Back at the house. Yeah, long time ago, before you went to the Garrison. I remember your face when I'd teach you something new about stars" Shiro smiled and looked over at Keith. "Yeah. I think that's why I took to you so fast when you adopted me. Because we both liked the stars." He said, yawning again. "Are you tired Keith?" Shiro asks smiling, "A little." Keith said with another yawn. "Haven't been sleeping well."

Shiro nods "I am sure. Want me to stay? Or go?" Keith smiled, "Stay. I'm not losing you again." Shiro smiles and pats his head "Alright. Just like little six year old Keith, slept with me in my room for months" he smirked,

Keith stuck his tongue out at Shiro. "I was seven, you dork." He grumbled, laying on his side.

Shiro laughs at Keith's reaction, "Fine seven. But still you wouldn't sleep in your room for months" Keith shrugged lightly. "I spent three years in an orphanage. I think I had a right to be clingy."

"I know Keith. I had no problem with it. I liked it." Shiro said. "Mm. Me too." Keith said, eyes slowly blinking. " you're the only person that never left me... of free will that is."

"I had an idea how much it hurt to have people leave you. I was not going to do that to you poor guy." Shiro's smile fell off. Keith nodded drowsily. "Thanks, Takashi." He whispered, eyes finally closing as he fell asleep. Shiro's smile returned and he rubbed Keith's head gently to let him know he was there and laid down himself.

Keith smiled in his sleep and curled up against his brother. His body spasmed violently against him. At one point Keith kicked Shiro in his sleep in his stomach with Keith's knee. Shiro wakes slightly and pulls Keith close to stop the spasms. Keith's body trembled against Shiro in a light tremor before settling down again. They sleep soundly close together like years ago.

The next morning Shiro woke as Keith spasmed again. Shiro groaned slightly and opened his eyes watching Keith spaz. Shiro rubbed his head, Keith groaned slightly as his body calmed down, the spasms seeming to get worse. Shiro thought to himself, 'how do we get rid of those or at least keep them manageable?' He tries to keep Keith asleep since he knows the insomnia battles Keith fights and how hard Keith has been put under pressure by Shiro's absence. Keith woke up a while later with a light spasm. His head throbbed as he awoke, 'Another side effect? Or just a headache?' Shiro was dozing next to him having awakened a lot that night.

Keith carefully moved away, heading to the bathroom to splash water on his face. He tries to rid his headache that is plaguing him, 'Why didn't the pod solve this?' He thinks to himself, He sighed and decided maybe getting his mind off it would help. He grabbed his jacket and headed to the training room. As Keith trains the spasms mess him up and he can hardly fight like he used to. He stopped a training sequence halfway through, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. Before he knew what happened he blacked out. He woke up with Shiro's worried face in his line of sight and Shiro saying his name softly "Keith, keith please be okay." Keith rolled his head to the side, still throbbing. "Shiro?"

"Keith! Oh thank god you are okay..." Shiro lets out a sigh of relief and brushes Keith's bangs out of his face. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said, spasming lightly as he got up. "You sure you want to get up? You were unconscious all of a sudden Keith." Shiro asks warningly. Keith smiled for Shiro's benefit. "I'm fine, Shiro. I just got knocked out while I was training and the safety lock was on so the sequence stopped." He covered smoothly. Shiro nodded and helped him up. "Thanks for letting me sleep. I kept waking up last night."

"Really? Why? You weren't having nightmares again were you?" Keith asked worriedly. Shiro bit his lip, it was true. Yes there were the spasms Keith had wrecked but Shiro's PTSD hurt him often. "Yeah but no big deal, you also kicked me a couple times" he said trying to steer clear of dreams. "Oh. Sorry about that." Keith said, but wouldn't let Shiro get off so easily. "But, seriously. Do you need to talk?" Shiro shrugged, "What is there to talk about?" Keith shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever it is that you dreamt about, I guess." Shiro begins to tell his dream a little vaguely cause he doesn't want to burden Keith more "and then they shocked me for torture. I felt the shocks, I think it was your spasms, but it was scary. They were relentless. I didn't know why they had to but they did it anyway." Shiro continued and he saw Keith's face change a little.

Keith's face morphed into a deep concerned look, his eyes holding slight pity and fear. "Oh, Shiro... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to relive that in your dream." Shiro shrugged "Just about every dream little brother." He turns back to Keith, "Are you sure you are okay? I don't like it."

"I'm fine." Keith said, brushing aside any thought for himself, not wanting to burden Shiro with anything more. "You know, any time you need to you can talk to me if you're having more nightmares."

"Same here Kogane. Remember that" Shiro smiles. Keith smiled back and nodded. "Right. Time for breakfast?" Shiro nods and decides to watch Keith for weird behavior. They go in the dining room and they smile to the crew "Hey everyone." They sat down to eat, Keith sitting next to Shiro, of course. Now and then Shiro could see him suppressing light spasms.

"What did people think of Keith as a leader?" Shiro asked everyone so they could air their dirty-laundry with Keith. Keith sank slightly lower in his seat, dreading this conversation. Of course, Allura was the first one up.

"He didn't listen to me Shiro! He didn't let me help or suggest anything and he lost that ugly temper in front of everyone." She crossed her arms and glared at Keith. Shiro nodded and waited. Keith rolled his eyes, but didn't bother hashing this out again. Surprisingly, Lance came to his defense. "Actually..." He said with a hesitant glance in Allura's direction. "Keith was a pretty good leader. A bit hot headed, but he took his duty seriously. Heck, he saved my butt from that blast!". Keith sent Lance a grateful look and Lance smiled, Pidge smiles, "Yeah. He directed everyone calmly 99 percent of the time" Keith smiled a little. "Thanks, guys." He said quietly, barely restraining himself from throwing a triumphant smirk at Allura.

They nodded in his direction smiling and Shiro looked around the table, "Anything else?" Allura stayed silent, deciding the odds were against her. Shiro smiles and watches Keith still as they carry on breakfast. Keith felt happier than he had in days, Shiro was back and apparently he was a better leader than he thought, minus Allura. "Good job Keith" Shiro said to Keith next to him, Keith grinned at Shiro. "Thanks, Takashi." He whispered, looking at his goo. Keith tries to eat his goo but it tastes disgusting and he tries to wash it down, a couple spasms come through but he tries to suppress them. He finished his goo, making a face as he swallowed the last bite. He got up to put the bowl away, pausing in front of the sink. Lance heads in too, "Bet you are excited that Shiro is back huh?"

Keith blinked, looking up at Lance. "Uh, yeah. Sure..." He furrowed his brow, putting the bowl in the sink slowly. "What is wrong?" Lance asked him watching, "Aren't you Excited? It is your foster-brother"

"Yeah, of course I am. Sorry, just preoccupied." He mumbled, taking the bowl back out of the sink. Lance watched Keith, "Kogane? You are acting really weird. It does not take this long to put a dish in a sink." Lance made a face. Keith stared at Lance, making a slight, oh! expression. 'That's right... That's what I was doing.' He put the bowl in the sink again and patted Lance on the shoulder. "Come on, time to train."