Wings of Home (Voltron: Legendary Defender/One Day at a Time 2017 Crossover)

Freakishly

The water in his boots made a squelching sound as headed inside with Schneider. He watched the building's landlord put away his rain gear by tossing it into his apartment before following Keith down the stairs to Shiro's apartment. As Keith walked, he left a trail of water and Schneider let out a sigh of frustration. He nearly crashed into two other youth but kept his eyes on the ground.

"Hey. You're the guy who gave Lance the shiner."

Keith's eyes darted up. His mouth twisted slightly at seeing Lance's two cousins standing there looking at them. The girl waved her hands ecstatically. "We got soaked. Mom is going to be so pissed."

Schneider tilted his head back slightly. "Yeah. I don't think that's something to be proud of Elena."

The girl let out a squeal and hurried into the apartment nearby while her brother shrugged his shoulders indicating this was normal. Keith simply stared after them as someone started yelling in Spanish, but he heard Lance's voice. Keith started down the next flight of stairs while cringing; he recognized the tone of voice as the tone Lance used when he mocked people. He arrived on the ground floor and Schneider knocked on the door.

Shiro opened up the door with a look of worry on his face. His jaw dropped as his dark eyes looked down at Keith who was leaving a puddle just outside of the door. "Really?"

"Sorry." Keith ducked under Shiro's arm into the entryway of the apartment. He shivered slightly while Shiro looked out at the person outside the door.

"Sorry about that."

"No big deal." Schneider waved and headed off so he might clean up the trail of water Keith left.

Shiro looked down at the puddle now forming in the entrance way and closed the door. A sigh escaped his lips as his calloused hands reached out and tugged at Keith's jacket. Normally, Keith would protest but his eyes focused in on the kitchen.

"Shiro! I made dinner!"

"Seriously. It's just instant ramen. Big whoop."

"Be nice Ryo."

"I'd have made something else, but Keith wanted to surprise you by making dinner while you were picking Ryo up from the airport."

"Not a big deal Adam."

"Next time I babysit..."

"I'm not a baby..."

"Yes, you are."

"Watch your kid brother, I'll teach him something a little more complicated."

While Keith could cook a few simple meals from a box Adam never got to teaching Keith some of the things he would have liked to. Keith felt his shirt yanked up and over his head making him let out a yelp.

"Sorry, but you're soaking wet and were just standing there." Shiro touched Keith's cheek lightly with the back of his hand. "If we don't get you warmed up, you'll end up getting sick."

"So?"

"So? You're not invincible Keith."

"I know that."

"Yet you don't care if you get sick?"

Keith's mouth twisted into a frown. He honestly didn't care if he got sick. "No, but..." There was something he did care about. "I..."

"I don't want an excuse, Keith."

"I was just going to say I do care that it upsets you when I get sick. I care that it upsets you when I get in trouble." Keith felt Shiro take his chin in his calloused hand in order that Keith might look Shiro in the eye.

"The fact you don't care about yourself honestly worries me." Shiro took a deep breath. "I've told you that you're amazing, right? And you could do anything you set your mind to if you just believe in yourself?"

"Yeah." A smile spread across Keith's face.

Shiro patted Keith's bare shoulder. "Then get yourself into a hot shower. Don't make me finish stripping you down and don't make me dump you into a hot bath."

"Okay. Okay. I'm not twelve anymore."

His cold cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but the hot shower did nothing to wash away the feeling. Eventually, he stepped out only to realize he'd not taken a change of clothes in with him. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and headed towards the room he shared with Ryo only to find the door was locked. Keith's eyes widened as he attempted pulling the door open.

"Ryo! Let me in! I don't have any dry clothes out here!" Ryo didn't unlock the door and Keith started banging on the door. "Come on!"

"Seriously..." Shiro walked over from making dinner.

Keith swallowed and looked him in the eye before looking down at his bare feet. "Sorry."

"Not you." Shiro knocked on the door. "Ryo, open up. I am not amused by this at all." Keith watched as Ryo opened up the door, but found himself looking at the ground upon seeing the look of disgust on Ryo's face. Shiro pointed at the floor. "Out. Now."

Ryo rolled his eyes before stepping out of the bedroom he shared with Keith. Despite closing the door behind him Keith could still hear the two arguing. Instead of getting dressed Keith slunk down to the floor and buried his face in his arms.

"Keith?"

A chill ran down Keith's spine. He found himself freezing up as he felt someone wrap their soft arms around his neck to gently hug him, and yet he couldn't see their hands in front of his chest. In the back of his mind, he knew he recognized the voice.

"Don't cry."

Keith stood up as he heard her voice again. He quickly pulled on some clothes and headed out to the main room. Shiro and Ryo both stopped speaking when the door opened. Keith pulled the chair at the table away as it scraped the floor and sat down. He let his head hang, so he didn't have to look either Shiro or Ryo in the eye, but his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"What's wrong with you?"

Keith's entire body tensed up and his hands slammed down onto the table top. He found himself looking Ryo in the eye. "What's wrong? Everything wrong with me! I'm a freak!"

As Keith walked back to the room he shared with Ryo he heard Shiro use a chiding tone with Ryo. Keith plopped onto the bottom bunk of his bed and found himself curling up. He didn't dare look up as he heard her voice again or feel her touch. Instead, he heard Ryo come in and place a blanket over him. "Shiro and I had a talk." Keith froze. "And he's right. I'll try to be more careful in how I say things from now on, so sorry."