[It had taken some time in their universe to figure out the logistics of traversing realities without causing significant damage to theirs or any they would visit. It simply wasn't meant to be done, but when Shiro awoke and mentioned a world the some of others didn't recall right away, but Hunk had. It sounded familiar to Keith, like he'd heard of it before, but...
Bits and pieces float back in dreams and in images Black shares. Talking to Shiro, Hunk and Lance on an unfamiliar ship, a girl around Pidge's age petting his wolf friend, a girl clinging to him in the middle of a forest where people were slowly losing their minds-- interspersed with low rumbles and the now-familiar storm wrapping around his mind. Nights sitting on Black's head and distantly pondering an entirely different desert...
Pieces of their journey back home had a strange sense of deja vu about them. Like they'd done this before, but others... tiny things had changed. Shiro was more vocal about his memories being a blend that felt both off and right, gave advice more frequently even though he was healing physically still. They talked like equals again and through it all, he tried to fill in why some things felt so familiar.
The rest had come back to Keith at the point where they hit their lowest, just as he was about to fire back at a sore spot of Allura's at the fact he'd left them once. They had this argument before. The fog lifted, and he turned his head to look at her and whatever look was in his eyes got her to stop.
A lot changed after that. He remembered, after all. He and Allura wound up speaking privately after that, and when Lance remembered too, they all worked on the logistics of traveling to different realities without leaving tears in their own and the ones they would visit. After all, an unknown person managed to call them to one, it had to be possible to reverse engineer the process. There was plenty of time as they waited in their hospital beds.
All told, it had been four months in their reality, but the passage of time is a fickle thing. Keith and his mother know that better than anyone, so when they managed to finally pull it off, it surprised him to see that they ended up in a version of Tokyo that wasn't, well. Currently rubble like most major cities in their reality. Lions cloaked well away from city limits, everyone drew straws where they'd go scouting for familiar faces.
And, of course, Keith got the short straw to go scouting in Shibuya. Thankfully they thought ahead and packed some street clothes to change into, though that left lines of communication thin. They'd just have to meet up again later and, hopefully, no one would give Allura too many second glances. It's bad enough that, while he and Shiro both blend in as a part-Japanese-Korean and Japanese respectively, his scar and Shiro's far more fitting and not as unnecessarily bulky fuck you dreamworks new prosthetic and scars are eye catching to say the least.
Shiro reminded him before they all split up that it could help their friends find them. Okay, sure honey. Whatever you say. Though after the first hour or so of searching, Keith's starting to regret his life choices just a little bit of not keeping his Blades communicator behind his ear. So many people in the familiar uniform he'd seen a couple of people wearing... Well, at least he knew whose world it is.]
OKAY ACTUAL TAG TIME
Bits and pieces float back in dreams and in images Black shares. Talking to Shiro, Hunk and Lance on an unfamiliar ship, a girl around Pidge's age petting his wolf friend, a girl clinging to him in the middle of a forest where people were slowly losing their minds-- interspersed with low rumbles and the now-familiar storm wrapping around his mind. Nights sitting on Black's head and distantly pondering an entirely different desert...
Pieces of their journey back home had a strange sense of deja vu about them. Like they'd done this before, but others... tiny things had changed. Shiro was more vocal about his memories being a blend that felt both off and right, gave advice more frequently even though he was healing physically still. They talked like equals again and through it all, he tried to fill in why some things felt so familiar.
The rest had come back to Keith at the point where they hit their lowest, just as he was about to fire back at a sore spot of Allura's at the fact he'd left them once. They had this argument before. The fog lifted, and he turned his head to look at her and whatever look was in his eyes got her to stop.
A lot changed after that. He remembered, after all. He and Allura wound up speaking privately after that, and when Lance remembered too, they all worked on the logistics of traveling to different realities without leaving tears in their own and the ones they would visit. After all, an unknown person managed to call them to one, it had to be possible to reverse engineer the process. There was plenty of time as they waited in their hospital beds.
All told, it had been four months in their reality, but the passage of time is a fickle thing. Keith and his mother know that better than anyone, so when they managed to finally pull it off, it surprised him to see that they ended up in a version of Tokyo that wasn't, well. Currently rubble like most major cities in their reality. Lions cloaked well away from city limits, everyone drew straws where they'd go scouting for familiar faces.
And, of course, Keith got the short straw to go scouting in Shibuya. Thankfully they thought ahead and packed some street clothes to change into, though that left lines of communication thin. They'd just have to meet up again later and, hopefully, no one would give Allura too many second glances. It's bad enough that, while he and Shiro both blend in as a part-Japanese-Korean and Japanese respectively, his scar and Shiro's
far more fitting and not as unnecessarily bulky fuck you dreamworksnew prosthetic and scars are eye catching to say the least.Shiro reminded him before they all split up that it could help their friends find them. Okay, sure honey. Whatever you say. Though after the first hour or so of searching, Keith's starting to regret his life choices just a little bit of not keeping his Blades communicator behind his ear. So many people in the familiar uniform he'd seen a couple of people wearing... Well, at least he knew whose world it is.]