DChan87's VLD One-Shots

Keith's Best Birthday

ANOTHER Kallura fic, this one written for Kallura month, but published late, on MY birthday.

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Work on the ATLAS, preparing it for space flight, was going smoothly. And although Keith might not have actually been in charge, no one was around to inspect the ATLAS at this time, meaning he had to do it himself. As disappointed as he was, a job was a job, and it was his job to do an inspection of the ATLAS's problem areas—on-board locations where problems were more likely to occur. The rest of the inspections would be left to people who knew what they were doing, like Shiro or Sam Holt. Fortunately, Keith had enough working knowledge of the ATLAS to be able to make a good, thorough inspection.

With Cosmo in tow, Keith descended into the ATLAS's hangar. Workmen swarmed the ship, looking like ants, because that's what everyone compares it to. Keith checked his data pad, reviewing the problem areas before he actually had to inspect the ship. Sam Holt, Commander Iverson and Coran had all reassured him that he could easily handle this job, and he was certain he could. But this was the first time he was doing this by himself. He was obviously going to be just a little bit nervous. He could make serious mistakes and—

He felt Cosmo nuzzling his left hand. He smiled and pet the dog. He was going to do fine.

The elevator stopped. He stopped off the elevator and met the man in charge of the work. Some of the workers stopped to look at who'd just come by, and then went back to work. The foreman gestured for Keith to follow, Keith nodded and followed the foreman.

The first things Keith inspected were the mecha's joints. Normal wear and tear could be mistaken for critical damage, and vice-versa, but Shiro had left notes for him to refer to when inspecting the joints. Thanks to that, he had could easily tell that the wear and tear in the joints was just that, wear and tear, and nothing else. Now he was confident again, just like the first and second times he flew the Black Lion. Sometimes he did wish that he stayed with the team. He deeply regretted running away from them when they needed him most. But he was never going to do that again. Then he brushed his jacket sleeve just to get his head straight (and make it look like he was brushing some dust off said jacket so he wouldn't look like a crazy person if he smacked his own cheeks).

Thanks to that, the rest of the inspection went by quickly, with Cosmo helping to teleport Keith and the foreman to the problem areas, and smoothly. Even better, the foreman stayed out of the way so Keith could perform the inspection to the best of his ability. Even better, there were no major issues, save for a minor mechanical issue in a vital engine component. He found a small crack in a fuel line leading to the thrusters. It was a small, surface-level crack, but had the potential to get worse if left untreated, like a cavity that the dentist catches early. "I'll get some men on it right away," said the foreman. They found no issues after that one. The ATLAS was in great condition to fly and fight.

"I'll just need your signature," he told the foreman as they left the ship.

"Yeah, sure," the foreman replied. Keith handed the data pad for the foreman to sign. "Oh, by the way, I hear it's your birthday today. Happy birthday."

Keith paused and looked up at the foreman, not angrily, but... perplexed. "Um, thanks?" he replied hesitantly.

"Oh, I'm... really sorry if I offended you."

"You're fine," said Keith. "I just don't care much for my birthday."

"Can't blame you too much," the foreman said, "I guess to some people, it's just a reminder that they'll eventually die."

Keith didn't know if he should laugh at that or not. The foreman appeared to understand that his attempt at dark humor fell flat, and dismissed Keith with a gentle wave of his hand. Then he remembered decorum, snapped to attention and saluted Keith, who saluted back. With that, Keith turned around and left.