Dog Days // Sheith

Epilogue

It was so damn hot.

Shiro knew this, because Lance had complained about it every five minutes for the past hour. Lance was laid back on the half-dead grass of his backyard, his feet in the paddling pool that he had kicked his little sister out of some time ago. Hunk had dragged one of the chairs down off the back porch, sitting near Lance with his leg stretched out. Pidge was lounging on a blow up pool toy set on the grass, a beer bottle dangling from between her fingers. She looked like she was dying from the heat, her cheeks flushed and her roots damp. She had always fared the worst in the summer, a season that didn't agree with her pale skin and allergies. Hunk and Lance just turned darker shades of brown.

Shiro was sitting among them all, tapping his finger against the mouth of the beer bottle he'd been nursing for a while now, not interested in getting drunk since he had to drive.

"I can't believe summer is almost over." Lance lamented to no one in particular, reaching a hand out to curl it around Hunk's ankle. Pidge had won her bet on them- throughout their surgeries, physical therapy and recovery, the two of them had realized that they had something more than friendship. The first time they had shown up to meet their friends holding hands, Lance had been so red that they feared he would pass out. Pidge had simply nudged Shiro and told him to tell Keith that he owed her twenty bucks. Not much had changed in their behaviour, except for brief kisses here and there.

"You say that like summer ever ends here." Pidge groused, sipping at her beer. "It's gonna be just as hot next month. And the month after that, and the month after that."
"Wasn't just talkin' about the season, nerd." Lance said dryly, rolling his eyes. "Think about where we were this time last year! On the cusp of saving the world. Now the two of you are big time professors."

"We're not professors yet." Shiro pointed out, picking the label off the neck of the beer bottle. "Part-time tutors while we do our papers on the side."

"Bah, technicalities." Lance waved off, letting go of Hunk's ankle to fold both arms under his head. "You're both professors, Keith's out there being an ambassador for peace and unity and all that gay crap. Man."

"What are you two gonna do?" Pidge quirked an eyebrow, shoving her damp bangs back from her face. Lance shrugged a little, glancing up at Hunk.

"I'm workin' with dad for a while and Hunk's gonna study mechanics. After that we wanna get pilot work; go explore space or whatever." Lance said casually, all around a bitten back smile as he and Hunk spared one another a glance. Alright, so some things had changed between them. They had a lot of silent conversations through eye contact and Lance got all dopey and content when he talked about their future plans. Pidge faked a gagging noise and Lance threw one of his flip-flops at her. She ducked. "I was promised space when I signed up for the Garrison, that one little stint isn't going to be it." Shiro snorted a laugh at that, shaking his head.

"I think I've had my fill." He said before he took a swig of his beer, grateful that no one looked at him with sympathy. Consistent therapy had made a difference in him, as well as his preserving mindset. The only thing really pulling at him now was the absence of Keith. They talked over the phone as often as possible, and Shiro saw him on TV occasionally, which was surreal but Shiro felt some pride swell in his chest at the sight of him, and then a sharp stab of longing.

They seemed to always be in this sort of state. Coming together and getting hooked on each other, only to fall away. It had been like that since the moment they met and the three years that followed before Shiro was deployed. It had been more condensed this time last year, and that was almost worse than the long game they were dealing with now. Either way, Shiro just wanted Keith to come home so they could both put down roots finally.