Chapter Text
“Lion’s Roar, Lion’s Roar. Report to launch bay.” Controller Iverson’s voice crackled urgently over the loudspeakers in the training center. Two rangers, both stretching down on the mats, looked up at each other as he continued. “Movement in the breach. Category 3, code name Scavenger. Prepare for immediate launch.”
Keith was the first to break eye contact, turning his head to look at the nearest holo-screen and getting to his feet. Shiro followed after him and the pair studied the screen as they pulled on the jackets they’d discarded before starting their workout. Scavenger’s trajectory had it going towards Seattle, with expected landfall in three hours.
“Are they sure this one’s a three?” Shiro commented, looking at the rendered model of the kaiju. “It looks a lot bigger than normal.”
“What? Are you scared?” Keith asked him, giving his shoulder a shove.
“Repeat. Lion’s Roar, report to launch bay and prepare for immediate launch.” Iverson’s voice echoed again over the loudspeaker and Shiro turned away from the screen.
“Not on your life,” he said over his shoulder, already a couple of yards ahead of his brother.
Keith caught up to him in half a dozen strides, and they quickly fell into sync as they left the training center and made their way to the launch bay. Another launch announcement, that time for Lion’s Pride, echoed through the corridors as they went.
Even without her head attached, Lion’s Roar stood at a massive height of 230 feet, and as Keith and Shiro arrived in in the launch bay, they immediately stepped into an elevator by her feet. It rose quickly, and Keith smiled as they passed by her left arm, where the weathered black paint was decorated with five red lion’s heads.
“They’ll have to add number six after tonight,” he commented, and Shiro grinned beside him. “We’ll be legendary defenders of the world.”
“You shouldn’t get too cocky, Keith,” Shiro chided, but the smile didn’t fall. “But I do hope you’re right.”
They lapsed into silence as the elevator continued to rise, finally coming to a stop after another fifty feet. The safety bar lifted to let them into the prep room and the jaeger techs immediately set to work, helping the pair of rangers get into their drivesuits. It was only a matter of minutes before Keith was following Shiro into the conn-pod inside the head of Lion’s Roar and the door was closed behind them.
Together, they connect to their control rigs and start the preparations to begin the drift.
“Good evening, rangers,” Controller Iverson greeted through the radio as their systems booted and came online. “It’s a rough one out there tonight. The weather’s bad and looks to be getting worse, so be careful out there.”
“Are you sure this one’s just a cat three?” Shiro asked him.
“It is,” Iverson responded. “Sam triple checked it. It’s a big son of a bitch, but it’s definitely a three. We’re going to have Pride at the miracle mile in case you need backup. They’re suiting up now.”
“Good, they can watch us get our sixth kill,” Keith commented. Even outside of the drift, he could practically feel Shiro smiling beside him.
“Put your money where your mouth is, Kogane,” Iverson told him. “Starting the drift sequence.” Keith closed his eyes, waiting for the jerking feeling that always came with entering the drift. “Three…two…one.”
It felt like being jerked backwards into a pool, even if his body never moved. The first few times he and Shiro had drifted, he’d almost been pulled in by the snippets of memories that rushed between their joined minds. More of them were shared than separate, thanks to spending most of a lifetime together as brothers. Maybe that’s what made it easier for them to not “chase the rabbit” as it was often called. After a couple years of practice, it was second nature to them.
“Link established, holding steady,” Iverson confirmed. “Prepare to drop.”
Keith and Shiro tensed up at the same moment, just seconds before the supports holding the jaeger’s head released and they plummeted downwards. Fifty feet down, their fall was cushioned by the hydraulics in Lion’s Roar’s shoulders, designed to catch and secure the head with minimum impact. In seconds, they were securely attached and the transport platforms started rolling forward. The hangar doors opened to pouring rain.
“Woah, Iverson wasn’t kidding,” Shiro commented. “It’s bad out here.”
“Hopefully the visibility will improve farther out,” Keith replied. “If not…”
“Infrared.” They said it together. A look to their right showed Lion’s Pride powering up, and it wouldn’t be long before the second jaeger was following them out of the hangar doors.
Once Lion’s Roar was clear of the hangar, Keith and Shiro heard a loud clang that confirmed the long, thick cables attached to the transport helicopters had been attached and locked into place. Just moments later, they and the jaeger were being hoisted high up into the air.
Keith and Shiro were mostly silent as they waited to reach the drop point, but Keith could feel his brother’s unease. Their hope that the storm would be less severe as they got farther out had ended the moment it had instead gotten worse. The rain was coming down so hard that it could be heard over the noise of the jaeger’s machinery, and some of the waves were so high that they touched the feet of the massive robot as the helicopters struggled to continue piloting forward.
“Bastards picked a really shitty night for this, didn’t they?” Coran’s voice crackled over the radio system.
“Iverson, are you sure we shouldn’t be headed out there as well?” Alfor asked. “In these conditions, two might be better than one.”
“The Marshall wants you at the miracle mile, so that’s where you need to stay, Pride,” Iverson responded.
“Don’t worry, Alfor,” Keith told him. “We’ll be just fine.”
“Ten seconds to drop,” Iverson told them. “Scavenger is a mile out from your position and is moving fast.”
“Then I’d say it’s time we slowed it down,” Shiro responded. Keith could still hear the concern in his voice, but he could also feel his brother’s anticipation. All three of the jaegers in the Voltron Unit had five kills, and even if it was only for a little while, they’d be the first to get their sixth.
“Detaching in three, two, one.” On Iverson’s count, the helicopters released their hold on Lion’s Roar all at once, and Keith and Shiro braced themselves for the landing. The impact with the water created a small wave, but it didn’t begin to compare to the monstrous waves that surrounded them. Normally, the water would come up around the jaeger’s waist, but with the storm, waves were reaching as far up as the shoulders.
“Fighting this thing in this weather is not going to be easy,” Shiro commented as he and Keith raised their arms simultaneously to shield the face of Lion’s Roar as a wave crashed into their front. “Visibility is little to none and every single one of these waves threatens to push us off balance.
“Let’s switch it to infrared,” Keith suggested. “That’ll help us see it coming.” Shiro nodded and reached up to adjust the display on the control panel in front of him. Immediately, their direct view through the jaeger’s visor was overlaid with an infrared display.
“Half a mile and closing,” Iverson announced. “You should be able to see it any minute now.”
“It’s on our radar, but no visual yet,” Keith responded.
Another minute passed, and still there was no sign of the kaiju aside from the mass on their radar that showed it getting closer. The brothers exchanged a glance and a nod, and in two fluid motions, they activated their dual chain swords and settled into a defensive stance.
The rain thundered against the metal of Lion’s Roar as they waited, looking for some sign of Scavenger.
“I don’t understand,” Keith commented. “Scanners say it’s right on top of us. Why isn’t the infrared picking anything up?”
“You don’t think-” Shiro cut into a yell as something slammed into the front of Lion’s Roar, toppling them backwards and into the water.
“Iverson, this thing can change its body temperature!” Keith shouted. He knew exactly what Shiro had been thinking before they were hit, and the hunch was right.
On his right side, Keith could see Shiro frantically working the controls to turn off the infrared sensors, and the moment he finished, they could immediately see the massive kaiju that had slammed them down onto their back. One of its front legs had their right arm pinned down, the claws digging in. Its strength bent and pierced the metal with a metallic screech.
“Keith!” Shiro shouted. “Left sword!” Keith nodded and together, they thrust the sword at the end of their left arm into the side of the kaiju, just above the heavy armor that covered its chest and stomach. It screamed out in pain as the blade left its body, rearing back and giving them room to swing at it again. They clipped one of its legs, and it flailed backwards in pain. Taking their chance, the brothers rolled into a standing position, and Lion’s Roar rose back to its full height.
Even through the storm, they could fully see the kaiju now. Much like the rendering they’d seen back at the shatterdome, it had a hooked beak and great leathery wings attached to its front legs.
“We need to aim for the wings,” he told Shiro. “Keep it from getting airborne.”
“Our right arm is damaged, but functioning,” Shiro reported quickly. “Let’s return the favor.”
The kaiju lunged at them again, but they were ready this time and with two quick strikes, they severed Scavenger’s arm at the elbow and tore a gaping hole in its wing on the same side. However, the attack did not stop the monster completely and it latched onto their right arm again with its beaked mouth. As it bit down, they realized it had teeth just in time for it to bite through completely. Shiro cried out in pain as Lion’s Roar’s right arm was torn clean off, but he grit his teeth and pushed past it as he and Keith began charging the plasma cannon.
The kaiju backed off as it spotted the glow of the cannon, taking its prize with it. Lion’s Roar turned to the right, keeping the left arm in front as they turned with the monster that had begun to circle them.
“You’d better shoot that thing before it comes at you again,” Iverson advised over the radio.
“It’s almost charged,” Shiro responded. “Just a few more seconds.”
Outside, the kaiju roared and snarled at them, dropping the jaeger’s arm into the water as it started to advance for a third time.
“Now!” Keith shouted. They fired the plasma cannon with three successive blasts. Each one slammed into the kaiju’s armored chest with a bright blue blast, cracking it open and making the monster reel back once more. “Let’s end this, Shiro.”
At his side, Shiro nodded and the brothers disengaged the plasma cannon in favor of their remaining sword. The kaiju was still reeling from the cannon, and they charged at it in three long strides. With one final thrust, they slammed the sword into its chest with enough force to fully impale it. Scavenger screamed in agony, flailing out blindly with its claws. The first strike glanced off of Lion’s Roar’s shoulder, but the second slammed into the head. The razor-sharp claws pierced the metal seemingly with ease, and suddenly alarms went off all around the two rangers as the conn-pod was breached.
The crushing blow took out a chunk of the right side of the head, and Shiro shouted as his control rig was torn off and sent flying across the pod. Keith yelled after him as he landed among twisted metal and was quickly buried by the debris from the damage.
One final blow hit Lion’s Roar in the side, but no damage was done as Scavenger collapsed into the water at the jaeger’s feet.
“Kaiju signature is gone,” Iverson said into Keith’s ear after a moment of silence. He’d continued to speak, but Keith had stopped listening the moment he’d gotten confirmation that the kaiju was dead and was all but ripping himself out of the rig. He threw himself down onto the floor of the conn-pod once he was free and ran across to the other side, where Shiro was buried in debris.
“Shiro!” he shouted as he slid down in front of the pile. His brother’s leg was sticking out from a pile of metal and Keith yanked off his helmet before beginning to try to unbury the rest of him. His hair was quickly soaked from the rain that now poured into the conn-pod, and a jagged piece of metal tore a gash into his cheek, but he hardly noticed as he threw and shoved metal to the side as quickly as he could. He repeated Shiro’s name several more times before he finally was able to uncover his head and shoulders. Carefully, he pulled off his now cracked helmet and set it to the side.
“Shiro, can you hear me?” he asked frantically. Shiro’s head jerked in a slight nod and his eyes slowly opened.
“Keith, you’re bleeding,” he said slowly. “Are you alright?”
“You aren’t the one who should be asking that question,” Keith snapped at him, continuing to move things off of his brother. “Are you hurt?”
“My arm is pinned,” Shiro told him. “I think it’s been impaled on something as well. I can feel blood in my suit.”
“It might just be the rain,” Keith offered, looking to console the both of them, but Shiro shook his head and Keith’s movements got a little more frantic.
“Be careful,” Shiro warned. “The debris might shift if you move it the wrong way.” Keith nodded and forced himself to slow down.
“Help should be here soon,” he said, unsure if he was reassuring himself, Shiro, or the both of them. The weather was still bad, and he had no idea how far out the choppers were. With much of the smaller debris cleared away, he started trying to shift one of the larger hunks of metal that had landed on Shiro.
He’d barely lifted it half a foot before Shiro yelled for him to stop and Keith froze in place, scared to even move the debris back to its original place.
“What now, Shiro?” Keith asked frantically.
“Just put it down,” Shiro told him. “It pushed on the metal in my arm, that’s all. It’ll retract if you put it back down.”
“That’s all?”
“I’m trying to get you to calm down. Just breathe, Keith. The choppers are coming and we’ll both be fine.”
“You’re seriously injured and you want me to calm down?” Keith almost laughed as he looked up through the ragged hole that was torn in the head of Lion’s Roar, hoping to see spotlights from the choppers, or to at least hear them approaching. When he saw nothing, he looked back to Shiro and slowly lowered the debris he’d been trying to life.
“You freaking out isn’t going to help us right now, so yes,” Shiro said once he was finished. “There’s nothing else you can do right now, so just wait for the choppers and the medical team.”
Keith muttered something unintelligible, but it was clear that he was frustrated as he moved to retrieve the helmet he’d all but thrown across the conn-pod.
“Iverson, where the hell are the choppers?” he snapped as soon as he’d shoved it back onto his head. “Shiro’s injured!”
“They’re two minutes out,” Iverson responded. “They had to move away from the worst of the storm. How bad is it?”
“I can’t see the injury, but he says his arm is impaled,” Keith told him. He walked back towards Shiro as he spoke, sitting down by his brother so he could take the hand of the arm he’d managed to uncover.
“Hang tight, Ranger. Don’t try to do anything else until the med team arrives.”
“I know.” Keith pulled the helmet off again and set it beside him. “They’re two minutes out, Shiro. Help is coming.” He squeezed Shiro’s hand as he spoke.
“That’s good to hear,” Shiro said slowly. “I’m not sure how much blood I’ve lost, but it feels like a lot.”
“Just keep your eyes open,” Keith said quickly as he realized that Shiro was nearing unconsciousness. “Keep talking to me until they get here. Talk about anything.”
“How mad do you think Adam is going to be?” Shiro asked. “He’s always so worried that I’m going to get hurt.”
“He’s not going to be angry at you.” It was most likely a lie, but they both knew that. Shiro and his fiancé almost never fought, but when they did it was always something to do with the Ranger Program. “It’ll be me he’s angry at, for letting you get hurt. He’s going to spoil you rotten until you get better.”
“Breakfast in bed sounds nice,” Shiro offered in comment, and Keith smiled.
“He might even cook for you. Whatever you want.”
“French toast and bacon.”
They talked until finally Keith could hear the choppers over the sound of the rain and a spotlight from one of them shone down on the pair of brothers. In a matter of seconds, members of the medical team were down in the conn-pod, instructing Keith to help them as they worked to pull Shiro the rest of the way out of the debris.
The medical team had no tools capable of cutting through the metal that had impaled Shiro’s arm, and they were forced to pull it out. Seeing the wound, Keith wanted to throw up. The hole it Shiro’s arm was massive, and it looked like there was little muscle left to connect it to his shoulder. It was at that point that Shiro finally fainted, and the team rushed to bind the injury as best they could before he lost any more blood. They lifted him up into the chopper, and Keith followed behind them.
As the helicopter began to fly back toward the shatterdome, Keith seated himself on the floor beside a bench where Shiro lay prone. One of the medics handed him gauze and a cold compress to help stop the bleeding on his cheek, and he pressed it against the gash. Shiro was still unconscious, but Keith could see where blood was already beginning to soak the bandages that covered the wound.
“Is he going to be alright?” Keith asked the medic who’d handed him the gauze.
“He should be,” the man responded after a pause. “It’s the arm we’re worried about. We can’t do anything more until we get him to the med bay, but the damage appears to be pretty extensive.”
Keith swore under his breath, looking back at his brother.
“You have to get better,” he told him. “I can’t stand the thought of not having you beside me. No one else can be my partner.” He didn’t expect a response, and there wasn’t one.
Aside from the chatter from the radio and the occasional response from the pilots, the chopper was mostly silent as they flew back to the shatterdome. They were met by another team of medics as they landed, and Shiro was quickly moved onto a stretcher. Keith moved to follow as they rushed him off towards the medical bay, but he was stopped by Marshall Sanda, standing beneath an umbrella to shield herself from the rain that still hadn’t even begun to let up.
“Let them do what they need to do, ranger. You’ll only be in their way,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “In the meantime, you need to change and debrief. You can get that cut looked at afterward.”
Keith looked from her to the stretcher that was moving farther and farther away. He wanted nothing more than to stay by his brother’s side, but the Marshall was right and so he nodded and started walking towards the hangar. He paused when he heard Lion’s Roar thud onto waiting transport platforms, and the damaged jaeger started to roll inside as well.
Lion’s Pride had returned as soon as Scavenger’s death had been confirmed, and Coran and Alfor were waiting for Keith just inside the doors of the hangar.
“What happened?” Coran asked, tossing a towel to Keith as he spoke. Keith caught it and wiped some of the water from his face. It came away with a little bit of blood from his cut, but the bleeding had mostly subsided.
“We killed it, but it took a chunk of Roar’s head along with it,” he told them. “Shiro got thrown and his arm was hurt when he hit the debris.”
“He’s going to be okay, though, right?”
“I hope so. I don’t know what I’ll do if…” Keith’s voice trailed off, and he cleared his throat abruptly. “He’ll be fine. I need to go get changed and debrief.”
Coran opened his mount like he was going to say something more, but Alfor gave him a look and he closed it again. Keith gave him a grateful look and left them behind to head for his quarters.
As he changed into fresh clothes, Keith steeled himself in preparation for seeing Adam. If his brother’s fiancé didn’t already know that Shiro had been hurt, he would soon, and Keith would be the one to deal with the initial fallout. It was only luck that Keith didn’t run into him before reaching the conference room, but his luck ran out as the debriefing ended and he made his way towards the medical bay.
Adam was waiting outside of the med bay, looking stressed and angry enough to hit someone. The second he spotted Keith, he was storming towards him.
“What happened?” He demanded. “All anyone will tell me is that Takeshi is injured. They won’t even let me in to see him. And now you show up looking like you’ve been in a knife fight. Why aren’t you in there with him?”
“Marshall’s orders,” Keith said quickly. “She wanted me to debrief first. Stay out of the medics’ way.”
“Since when do you follow orders?”
“Since I didn’t want to get in the way of the people who are trying to help Shiro!” Keith snapped. Adam backed off a step as he did, looking like he was about to shout something back at him, but he was interrupted by the door to the medical bay opening.
“You two need to either be quiet or move your shouting match elsewhere,” a medic told them, standing in the doorway. “This is a hospital and there are sick people in here need rest.”
“I’m sorry,” Adam said quickly, suddenly looking sheepish.
“I don’t need apologies. I just need you to be quiet,” the medic responded. He looked down at a clipboard in his hands and back up at Keith. “Ranger Kogane, please come inside so we can take care of that cut.”
“Is my brother okay?” Keith asked, not moving from where he stood near Adam. “Has he woken up?”
“Not yet, I’m afraid. We’ll update you on everything inside.” He stepped further out into the hall, holding the door open.
Keith glanced at Adam and gave him a slight nod before walking towards the door. Adam was right behind him, and when the medic looked like he was going to protest, the look Keith gave him was enough to make him think twice.
They were met by a doctor, who immediately ushered Keith towards one of the examination tables to get the gash on his face looked at.
“Is Takeshi alright?” Adam asked him. The doctor glanced at him once before looking back to his task.
“He’s been in surgery for the last hour or so,” he responded, dabbing Keith’s cut with disinfectant. “He came out not long ago, but they had to put him under again in the process and he hasn’t woken up yet. That’s all I know right now.
Adam stayed with Keith as he was given stitches and as the doctor told him that it would still likely scar. Once he was finished, the doctor left to go see if there was any more news on Shiro.
It was a female doctor who returned, holding a tablet that she glanced at before stopping by the table Keith still sat on.
“Ranger Kogane. Mr. Walsh,” she began. “I’m Dr. Honerva. I’m sorry for the wait. Ranger Shirogane is still unconscious due to the anesthesia, but he should wake up soon.”
“Can we see him?” Adam asked quickly.
“You can, but I need you to listen to me first,” she responded. “Please sit down, Mr. Walsh.”
Keith looked from her to Adam, whose expression was quickly becoming panicked. Still, he listened to the doctor and sat in the chair beside the exam table.
“Thank you,” Dr. Honerva said. She glanced back at the tablet before continuing. “The damage to Ranger Shirogane’s arm was extensive. The shrapnel all but shredded his upper arm to the point of being irreparable.”
“What are you saying?” Keith asked. He’d seen he wound, but had still dared to hope that it looked worse than it actually was. Now, he realized, it was worse than that.
“We were unable to save his arm,” she confirmed. Keith dropped his head into his hands, ignoring the sharp sting of pain as he hit his cut. “It is unlikely that he will ever be able to pilot a jaeger again.”
“That’s what you care about?” Adam all but yelled. “His job? He lost his arm and all you say is that he won’t be able to do his job anymore?”
“Adam,” Keith murmured, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not her fault. Just…I don’t know. Try to breath. That’s what Shiro would say.”
“And I’d probably hit him for it,” Adam snapped at him. “He’s always trying to act like everything is fine and will be okay, but now it’s not fine. I’ve told him over and over to be careful, not to take too many risks, but he never listens and now it’s cost him everything.” He shook as he started cry, and Keith squeeze his shoulder. It was the only thing he could think to do.
“Can we see him?” he asked Dr. Honerva again. “We should be there when he wakes up.” She nodded and gestured for them to follow her. Keith hopped down from the table quickly, but he waited for Adam to stand before going after the doctor. The door to the room she led them to was closed, but it opened once she scanned the ID card around her neck.
Inside, laid on his back in a hospital bed, was Shiro. His eyes were still closed, and Keith could hear the steady beeping of the machine monitoring his heartbeat and other vitals. For the moment, he looked peaceful, but there was no ignoring the bandaging that covered his shoulder at the joint where his arm should have been.
“Once he has fully healed from the procedure, we’ll work to provide him with a prosthetic as soon as possible,” Dr. Honerva explained. “Jaeger technology has helped us make amazing strides in that line of medical work, so it will be almost like he never lost the real one in terms of functionality.”
“How long will that be?” Adam asked.
“A month or so,” she told him. “Possibly more. We’ll have to keep him here for at least a few days to monitor him and watch for any signs of infection, and after that he’ll need weekly check-ups so we can keep an eye on his progress.” She checked her watch and her tablet once again. “Now, I have other patients to check on, so I will leave the two of you with him. I only ask that you keep it down.”
“We will,” Keith assured her, and she nodded towards him before leaving the room. The door closed behind her, and both Keith and Adam stood there in silence for a long moment. “Are you okay?” Keith asked quietly. Adam hadn’t taken his eyes off of Shiro since they first saw him.
“No.” It was terse, and Adam took a deep breath as he moved to sit in the chair placed beside Shiro’s hospital bed. He took Shiro’s hand and squeezed it before continuing to talk.
“No matter how much I hate that he’s always throwing himself into danger, I never wanted to be right.” He finally turned his eyes away from Shiro’s face, looking instead towards Keith. “He loves being a ranger. He loves piloting that jaeger with you more than just about anything and now he’ll never get to do it again.”
“He’s alive,” Keith said. “That’s what matters. He’s alive and that means that he still gets to spend the rest of his life with you. That’s all he’ll care about.”
“How do you know?” Adam asked. “What if he thinks I wanted this to happen?”
“I’d never think that.”
Both of their heads shot up at the sound of Shiro’s voice. It was rough, and his words were slurred from the anesthesia and medication he was on, but his grey eyes were open and slowly moving between his fiancé and his brother.
“Takashi.” Adam’s voice cracked as he said his name, and he barely took the time to stand before lurching forward to hug him. “I’m so glad you’re awake.”
“I wish I could say how long I was out,” he replied.
“A few hours,” Keith supplied. He took a couple of steps closer, but kept back a couple of yards to give Adam room.
“Are you alright, Keith? You were bleeding before,” Shiro asked.
Keith almost started laughing. Only Shiro would be in a hospital bed, somewhere in the area of high on painkillers, asking about someone else.
“I’m alright,” he replied instead. “You should be more worried about yourself. Since you’re the one in the hospital bed.”
That was when Shiro’s eyes finally landed on where his arm had once been. Adam squeezed his hand as he stared, and both he and Keith waited for him to say something.
“I guess it was worse than I’d realized.” The words came after a long moment of silence. “What did they tell you?”
“Dr. Honerva said that they’ll be able to give you a prosthetic once you’ve recovered from the surgery,” Adam told him. “But it’s going to take some time. A month or so.”
Shiro nodded to himself as Adam explained, looking down at where their hands were still joined. Keith could tell that he was doing his best to keep himself calm, probably more for Adam’s sake than his own. As it was, Adam seemed to be barely holding it together and Keith decided that it would be best for him to leave them alone for a little while.
He took a few steps forward, reaching the end of the bed. Adam shifted back a little and Keith moved closer so he could give his brother a hug.
“I’m going to leave you two alone for a bit,” he said as he pulled away and stepped back towards the door.
“Keith, you don’t have to leave,” Shiro told him, but Keith shook his head. His brother frowned, but gave him a slight nod.
“I’m hungry anyway,” Keith continued. “We were supposed to eat dinner after our workout and big, bad, and ugly didn’t let that happen. I’ll bring back some food if the doctor will let me.”
He slipped out the door without another word, stopping on his way out of the medical bay only to ask if Shiro could eat regular food. Once he had approval from Dr. Honerva, he left and made his way for the mess hall. He knew he’d likely be intercepted by the other pilots at some point, but Adam and Shiro needed some time alone, and he needed time to process everything on his own.