Chapter Text
Keith knew he was the only one. He knew that the others would rather be without him. His chest clenched tight when they looked at him, they glared at him, they sneered when he walked into the room. He was tired of all the homes he’s been transferred to, of all the families and people who’ve thrown him aside. He was done.
Being beaten wasn’t a problem, Keith could easily avoid those, but having no safe place or person he could go to was starting to slowly deteriorate any tiny bit of hope he had left, except the words that would appear on his wrist. He would choke on his tears when they would send him to another home for being “too violent or too aggressive”. But the words on his wrist would tell him he's strong and nice as if the person on the other side knew him. There would be families that Keith would think would keep him, but in the end, they would be the same as all the others. He thought one would keep him for being ten years old, but all of them shoved him back into the system.
Keith started bottling everything in, he would burst when fights started against him. Keith felt like he was losing all his humanity, almost becoming a robot. That’s when Shiro found the raven-haired boy. It was almost like the clouds went away or he was given water after being dehydrated for months. Keith was still afraid though, what if Shiro got tired of him? What if Shiro hit him too? Was he going to yell at him? Call him a monster too? Keith shied away from any physical contact Shiro made and flinched when Shiro was able to touch his shoulder or to ruffle his hair.
“Hey, Keith.” Shiro sat down by Keith on the sidewalk outside the high school. He had a large bag filled with random things, one being a large first aid kit. Keith simply knew about it from his continuous fights that would lead to full-on brawls. Shiro had decided that he would always bring it with him after he had seen the aftermath from one of Keith's fights. His lip was split, one of his eyes swelled up, nose bleeding and his arm was awkwardly bent. Keith started fidgeting then, not because he was scared of Shiro, but because of the other students walking out the doors of the school passing them. Some were random faces in a crowd, others were bullies or bystanders not willing to help him.
“What?” Keith turned his head, shying away from the stares from others, looking at Shiro. Someone walked past, nudging Keith hard with their foot. He glared at them and was about to get up until Shiro grabbed his bicep and pulled him back. Keith stumbled back down then slumped over his knees, grumbling about being able to take care of himself.
“Why are you still here? Why aren’t you at a different school if you’re constantly getting into fights? Isn't your dad going to do anything?” Shiro looked Keith over, touching one of Keith’s bruises on his face then to his bloody and beaten knuckles. Keith winced when Shiro applied pressure to a part of his hand, then Shiro started pulling out the ridiculously large first aid kit.
“Cause Dad doesn’t want to, he wants me to ignore the others and toughen up.” Keith shakes his head and sits up. He looks around the almost empty parking lot. One of the cars has it’s hover lights on, slowly draining the proton engine, it’s red and scratched up but still works like a dream. Keith only knows cause it’s Shiro’s, the one he escaped in when Shiro first met him.
The first day Shiro met him, the teacher had everyone do a flying simulation. Takashi Shirogane was one of the representatives sent by Garrison to recruit new students, so the simulation was a test for the students. Everyone else was doing the simulation with trouble and was constantly crashing before the tenth level. Keith stood the farthest away from everyone and stared out at the vast desert plain, watching the high grasses moving with the slight breeze and the crows drifting side to side in the sky.
“Keith Kogane, you’re next.” The teacher glared at Keith, as if telling the raven-haired boy there would be repercussions if he tried anything. Keith stood up and walked silently to the machine. The door opened and the screen on top flashed.
Mike Woogan- lv. 14 - 59.752 minutes
The students excitedly grouped around the boy pointing at the screen and Shiro. Keith rolled his eyes and walked into the machine. He sat in the pilot's seat and grabbed onto the controls. The sounds started and the screen flashed on. Keith automatically went through four levels in the time it took all the other students to go through half of the first. He jerked the controls when the meteorite field started moving, Keith flew through layer after layer shifting the controls slightly avoiding the rocks. He bit his lip when one of the rocks came flying at him but avoided it by diving. When he righted himself, the field only grew larger with harder obstacles and adding bots.
Keith sped up diving and twisting around each of the objects. He fired shots whenever he had the opening, and took unnecessary risks to get the extra bots. He didn’t even care what level he was on, he only wanted to know what was at the ending. The bots became more frantic at firing and Keith only drifted by and shot them blank. It felt too easy, he’d only scratched his wings up a bit and had his weapon system overheat only twice. He wanted a challenge and started rounding the bots to chase him. The bots would fly into the rocks left and right trying to get a shot at him.
Keith finished all of them in seconds. He started feeling smug but pushed it down when one of the wings almost hit a bot. Keith finished more layers and started seeing a thinning to the meteorite field. More bots started appearing trying to take Keith out, but as quick as they came, the faster he shot them down.
Keith finally got to the open area and breathed out relief. The hologram stars brightened and seemed to blink at him. A blue star flashed and hummed at him then mumbling small words and flashing pictures. The blue light fills everything, encompassing the raven-haired boy, then eventually screaming
FIND ME
Keith jerked back and blinked. In an instant, the blue light disappeared and words flashed on the screen: Simulation Complete. His chest felt tight and his eyes were wet with tears. He felt a warmth though, he didn't feel scared or claustrophobic. He felt a deep-rooted sadness, a lonely but hopeful spark.
Keith stood up then walked to the door, wiping at his face, he took a deep breath before placing his hand on the doorknob. He started feeling anxious, a trembling and aching worry, he had finished the simulation. He didn't want then staring at him like he was more of a freak than they already did. Keith took a deep breath and turned the knob. Everyone was staring at him as he stepped out and to the outer side of the large group.
When the machine’s door shut behind him, he finally looked up at the screen. It flashed green then clears all the names and displayed in large letters:
Keith Kogane- Finished - 24.001 minutes
Takashi walked up to Keith and placed his hand on Keith’s arm smiling. The students were still surrounding Mike but instead of whispering excitedly, they were either gaping at him or where sending glares and whispering about the raven-haired boy.
Takashi brought him towards a group of older men. The men had been mumbling about the other students while Keith had been waiting for his turn. But now they were talking hurriedly and stumbling over their words.
“Keith Kogane? We would like to recruit you to become one of our students at the Galaxy Garrison. Free tuition and supplies included, we would recommend you to accept our offer. Our cause at the school is to explore and study space and the unknown. If you're willing, we would like you to start your beginning high school year.” One of the ten administrators speaks after looking Keith over. Takashi smiles down at Keith and nudges his arm, letting go of Keith’s arm in the process. Keith looks at the men and then takes a glimpse behind them.
Five vehicles, two being hover vans/six-passenger vehicle, one being an equipment carrier, the fourth being a soldier unit vehicle, and the last one probably a personal vehicle belonging to one of the administrators or Shiro.
The hover vans would be too difficult to manage an escape and the equipment vehicle would be useless. He didn’t even want to step near the soldiers or the locking mechanisms it contained for anyone without an identification card.
Keith smiles then shove through the group of men. He sprints to the personal vehicle, slipping into it with ease, and powers it on. People start shouting then and a couple of soldiers are almost to him. The vehicle rumbled to life and Keith automatically slams the gas pedal.
The vehicle speeds through the open gates towards the open mass of the desert. He passed his foster home and his fathers’ old shack. His chest clenches when he watches it disappear on the horizon. He passed everything, ending up at an outlook his father had taken him to whenever Keith had cried or shut down.
The sun was just barely setting. This was his favorite time of the day, every animal and person were settling down for the night and the sky changed its colors from bright and yellow to a soft blue then purplish navy color. The moon brightening from its dull state during the morning.
Hands grabbed Keith’s arms and shoved him into another vehicle that shut out any view to the outside. When the vehicle stopped and the doors opened, they were back at the high school. Keith sighed and got out.
Hands shoved the raven-haired boy forward and left him stumbling to get balanced by himself. His teacher yelled at Keith, hitting his leg with a meter stick over and over again. He crumpled to the ground but covered his head.
“Stop! Is this any way to treat a child?! He was scared!” The hitting stopped and silence surrounded Keith like a cage. Hands touched his arm but Keith scrambled back closing his eyes, holding his hands out.
The hands came again but slow and careful. Keith still flinched and there was a quiet gasp, he felt a soft prod to get up and felt himself following the movement up. Keith opened his eyes to Takashi Shirogane, the very man Keith had stolen the car from. Keith raised his hands again to cover his face, but Takashi took it as wanting help up, and Takashi gently grabbed Keith's hands and lifted him.
Keith winced as he stood. His body felt limp as if he had run for miles and miles. He felt his legs give out but didn't do anything to save himself. Takashi must've known he was dropping because he wrapped Keith's arm around his shoulders and held him by his side.
"Mr. Shirogane, you don't have to do this. I deserved everything that I've been given and I don't need your pity." Keith tried pulling his arm back and moving away from the help, but Takashi shook his head and brought Keith around and onto his back.
"Call me Shiro, and don't worry about me pitying you because I don't. Let me help you." Keith nodded his head and slumped onto his back. Takashi Shirogane helping an orphan, that'll look good for his reputation. The raven-haired boy slowly drifted off but jerked awake when Shiro started walking.
"What establishment, school, or business abuses children for wanting to get away from his peer's prejudices. He was being judged the minute he stepped out of the simulation. Don't even try lying to me because you all saw it too. What has he done to any of them?" Shiro was scary, he was calm but furious. He forced everyone's attention without even knowing it. Keith looked down ashamed, everyone would take the teachers side once she told them what Keith would do almost weekly.
As if the teacher had read his mind, she stepped forward.
"Keith Kogane is violent and harmful to all of the students. He hasn't gone one week this school year without getting into a fight with the other students. Some of the students only want to be his friend, but they come back to me all beaten up and bruised. He is a force this school cannot have anymore. Do what you will with him Mr. Shirogane, he isn't part of my class anymore from this point forward." Keith snapped his head up and opened his mouth to beg her not to but Shiro beat him to the punch.
"Are your opinions based on what the students have said or have you seen the start of the fights yourself?" Shiro shakes his head, jostling Keith making him gasp quietly in pain. Keith noticed his leg was starting to swell slightly and there were faint seeps of blood.
Younger Keith had drifted off before he knew what was going to happen to him.
"Keith? Do you want to go on a ride? Come on kiddo, I need some input." Shiro took out an alcohol wipe and started dabbing at Keith's knuckles. Keith tried yanking his hand back but Shiro only gripped his hand harder.
"OW!! SHIRO!!! STOP IT!! THAT HURTS!" Keith squirmed and writhed where he sat but Shiro only held on tighter. Keith stopped moving and let the needle pricks of pain continue, while Shiro brought out a water bottle and poured most of it out on Keith's knuckles.
"It wouldn't hurt as much if you would stop moving and if you would stop getting into fights." Shiro shook his head and finished up cleaning his knuckles out. He started smearing the antibiotic ointment that reminded Keith of rotting eggs. Shiro brought out some bandages and medical tape.
He places the bandages first and then starts wrapping the tape. Keith has watched Shiro bandage his hands, knees, and stomach before. Sometimes Shiro has to wrap up most of Keith's arms and maybe his neck if he's unlucky.
"Has your soulmate said anything about your knuckles?" Shiro was finishing Keith's first hand when he asked.
"I haven't looked. They're usually busy with something else, so I don't need them to worry about me." Keith shook his head and sniffed. In reality, Keith had ignored any writing that appeared. He was worried that his soulmate was annoyed or tired of all of Keith's screw-ups or fights. He didn't want them to think about him enough to spend their time writing to him.
Shiro twisted his arm around, "Well it seems like you're wrong."
Keith looked up and watched the writing appear on his wrist and around his arm. The writing was always in a blue pen or marker. It was in blue paint at one time but had smudged away a couple of minutes later returning in pen. Keith liked watching the flow of the letters, cursive-like letters looping and big in some parts.
What happened today? Are you okay? It looks like your friend is cleaning them up again. But seriously are you okay?
Shiro smiled and started putting the aid kit away. He had his soulmate, who he had already met. Keith pulled out his red pen waiting for his soulmate to stop writing. He had once started writing when his soulmate wasn't done and had a full rant about interrupting from them.
I ran into a wall again, so I beat it up. What else does it look like?
Shiro laughed when he watched Keith write it out in his chicken-scratch handwriting. "You've gotta stop being sarcastic or your arms are going to be covered in blue again."
Keith picked up his backpack and started walking towards Shiro's car, while his soulmate caught on to the sarcasm. Shiro unlocked the car and they both got in. Shiro texted his boyfriend Adam before starting up the car.
Wow really? Man, you must really love staring at the ground. ;p
Keith chuckled, then looked up to see his current foster home. He instantly closed off and stopped smiling. Shiro turned to say goodbye but paused when he saw Keith.
"Only a couple more weeks kiddo. It's almost over, you won't have to worry about them anymore." Shiro touched Keith's shoulder and smiled. Keith nodded his head and opened the door then stepped out. He started towards the front door and could already hear the yelling.