Word Count: 1,683
Keith- Keith didn't feel good.
He felt off.
But maybe it was just him, or- or the mass of people that's come to comfort him after everything was set and done, after everything that's happened out there, in a universe he didn't even know existed, in a world that couldn't be seen.
That the whole universe didn't even know existed.
Maybe it was after they touched down the lions for the last time.
After Blue followed them to Earth, her cockpit empty, the lion's link severed.
After the biggest threat in the universe vanished.
After the entire span of realities broke down to- to a single strand-
Just one strand and then-
And then nothing at all.
Nothing.
And Lance, bright, talkative, optimistic Lance, disappeared, he stepped foot on Earth quieter than Keith had ever seen him before, expression drawn, eyes dull.
Keith didn't think that same teen he'd met all those years ago existed anymore, and-
It- it felt off.
All of it.
And he-
He felt off too.
Keith sat in his room, sunlight streaming through the windows, head blank, his thoughts scrambled, Cosmo sitting at his feet as he tried wrapping his head around what exactly happened all those weeks ago- trying to understand, what went wrong- what- what happened- how he was still standing here today without even a scratch on him- while everyone around him walked on, with no clue that their universe- their reality was snipped away from them with a single swipe-
All of life, just- gone for one moment, one quiznacking moment, everything everyone ever knew about life, about themselves-
Gone.
Before it exploded back into life- everything back into the way it was, the earth spinning back to the way it was, not starting over but starting the same as it had been-
The same-
But- different-
Because-
Well, he- he didn't know because.
He never spoke this.
Never told Krolia the thoughts now taking residence in his head, and after days of not uttering a word, she took him to a local doctor on Garrison property.
The man had said he was in shock, that losing a friend to the final fight of the war was affecting him.
And it was.
Allura had shown him that he could accept himself, that he wasn't the monster he believed himself to be, that people could change, that people, people, beings like you and I could reset- completely change the universe we see in front of us, and we wouldn't even know it.
That they could take it away in the blink of an eye.
And restore it just as fast.
And no one would have a clue it happened.
But he knew it happened.
He was there.
But after all that-
Keith felt- off.
Was- was it always going to be like this from now on?
He- he wasn't sure.
Cosmo whined, jumping up to the bed he was perched on, curling up at his side, and Keith numbly ran his fingers through the animal's fur, the action doing little to calm the ocean of thoughts inside him as he tried to understand it.
Why couldn't he understand it?
He'd seen it with his own eyes, he was there, he'd seen the princess disappear in a brilliant glow of yellow light after everything- everything but one single reality was left, the very bane of existence tied down to a thread that could've snapped at any given moment.
Everything gave way, fading into a single endless sheet of black.
And then-
And the universe shifted back to the way it was.
The way it had been.
The way it had always been-
"Keith?" There was a knock on his door-
Shiro-
"Are you in there?"
He didn't say anything, fingers still going through Cosmo's fur, eyes blank as Shiro let himself in, the door quiet as it shut behind him, a black and white blur coming into his vision as the man knelt down in front of him, brown eyes trying to meet his own.
He didn't move.
Didn't stir.
Why would it matter if he did?
In the world, the universe, realities, did any of it really matter? With how small he was to the universe, how-
"Hey."
For the first time in hours, Keith's thoughts came to a halt, his vision clearing as he caught sight of the scar, the hair, the expression.
Shiro.
"Hey," the man tried again, shifting to kneel on the floor.
Keith knew he'd do that.
"Everything okay? I was walking through and figured I check on you."
Keith blinked.
Shiro frowned, "Are you doing okay?"
Was he?
Was he really, with everything that's happened?
Was he really okay?
His fingers ran robotically through Cosmo's fur again, he blinked.
"Keith."
He looked up to meet the man's eyes, brown orbs radiating worry.
He didn't know what to think.
"Look, I get it, I do, what you went through- what we went through- it was rough, and I understand that-"
"Do you?" He felt his lips move, but he didn't register the sound until Shiro's expression changed, Keith's fingers clenched in his lap, and he actually saw Shiro's face warp into understanding.
Not shock, or anger, he just understood.
"Yes, I do."
"How?" His voice croaked, "How can you understand what we went through? What happened back there? How no one seems to know about it but us? The whole universe disappeared, Shiro and- I-"
His voice broke off in a breathy sob, reaching for his ears, knees digging into his legs, hair brushing across his face.
Was the world always this loud? All the color, and the noise?
Was it all here to begin with?
Did he just not see it till now?
"Keith-"
"I- I don't know, okay? I don't-" he broke off again, teeth clenching.
He didn't know.
He didn't know if he was okay.
The universe of different realities warped him.
He couldn't think without thinking.
He- he couldn't think.
And Keith was scared of the thought that he was the only person in the world who knew about this feeling.
Allura is dead.
Lance might as well be also.
And where was Keith?
All limbs intact, brain swirling, sitting on a bed that wasn't his, in a room that didn't belong to him in a building he distinctly remembered hating years before any of this even began, on a planet that had been on the brink of invasion in a universe that didn't even exist for five full minutes.
No one around him knew what it had been like.
No one.
And-
And-
Keith was broken-
He could feel it.
He- he could feel it.
"Keith," he flinched at the hand on his shoulder, warm and gentle.
In a spark of infinite realities-
There were a million more just like it.
Shiro could exist whole and happy, not scared by the beasts of his past, Altea never could've went to war with the Galra, no planets would've been destroyed, The Blade of Marmora never would've been formed, Keith wouldn't even exist-
"Breathe."
Violet eyes widened.
Shiro-
"Breathe, Keith, only focus on that."
He obeyed, took a shuddering breath in, his chest hurt-
"That's better, now, do it again."
He did, he felt the air rushing into his lungs, filling them up, and deflating when he let the air out-
"Look at me, Keith."
He looked.
Shiro was staring back at him, Keith could feel metal and flesh rest on both his shoulders, his quickened breaths-
"Look at me and breathe, Keith, can you breathe with me?"
He watched Shiro inhale an even, steady breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out again, a slow steady stream of air-
He copied, chest jerking, breath too slow, too shallow-
"Now do it again."
He did, the thoughts in his head slowed for a minute, he took a bigger breath, deeper that time-
"Keep your eyes on me, Keith."
He looked, not realizing he was looking away till Shiro's voice pulled him back.
"Now, breathe," Shiro inhaled, held the breath and exhaled, his eyes never once leaving Keith's.
He breathed, the thoughts receding just the tiniest bit. He did it again, and again-
He could think without thinking.
He wasn't shaking anymore.
His mind was clearer, less jumbled and he sighed.
Cosmo licked his hand.
He watched Shiro smile, the expression soft and relieved, "You with me, buddy?"
Keith bit his lip, taking another breath, and nodded, "Yeah."
The man sighed, "That's good. Look, I- I want you to come with me, we'll rent some hoverbikes, go to the zoo, get something to eat, anything you feel like doing, okay? You want that?"
Keith nodded, clenched fists relaxing ever so slightly, he wanted some fresh air, but- he didn't quite feel like riding-
He was hungry.
"There-" he licked his lips, "there's this restaurant that just opened up in Platt City, i-it's supposed to have a rooftop eating area, could-"
He looked at Shiro, the man nodded, "Yeah?"
"Could we go there?"
Shiro's eyes brightened, and he nodded, a gentle smile on his face as he took his hands off Keith's shoulders relaxing back on his legs a bit, "Yeah, we can go there, do you want to go to the zoo while we're out?"
As childish as the notion was, Keith nodded, the animals were nice, a staple of his childhood, he liked the zoo.
Keith knew Shiro was trying his best to get him back out again, get his mind off what had happened just a few days ago and focus more on what was in front of him. As much as Keith hated to admit it, he was no stranger to panic attacks and a small part of him (a large part, but still small) was grateful the man was taking the time in his already busy schedule for him, it showed Keith just how much the man cared, and Keith had no clue how he could ever make up to him how much he meant to Keith.
"Yeah- yeah, that'd be great."