Hello, it's me! As promised, here is the sequel/main story that goes along with one degree of separation. If you have not read that yet, you will probably want to! It is only two parts, and only the first part is really super necessary to read this story, but yeah, you probably should go and do that if you haven't yet because otherwise there are a few things that won't make sense.

But enough of that! Here we have the what if story- what if Keith and Shiro had never met, and therefore, Keith never became a paladin? What if he was around for Sendak's invasion? That's the story that I will be telling here, and hopefully it'll be interesting! With that said, I'll see y'all next update~!

flicker

chapter one

the day the earth fell

Wiping sweat off his brow, Keith let out a breath, checking over his work.

He'd noticed that there was a leak in the roof the last time a thunderstorm passed through, and with the day off from Tsuyoshi's shop, he thought he'd finally take the chance to fix it. He didn't have much skill with carpentry, but he'd looked up some things online the last time he was in town, so he thought he'd done a pretty good job.

Hm. Maybe he should swing by town, pick something up. Maybe he could-

A high pitched ringing caught his ears, and for a moment, he couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Glancing behind him, he stared down, pinpointing the source of the sound- it was coming from his father's knife.

Unsheathing it, Keith's brows knit together. The sigil on the hilt had always glowed, for as long as he could remember, but this was the first time it had been so bright that even the bandages couldn't hide it.

"What the-?"

The question barely left his mouth before he had bigger things to worry about.

Rising to his feet, Keith held the knife loosely in one hand, staring up at the sky with wide eyes. Maybe he'd been described as the quiet type, but there wasn't much that could steal his words from him, leaving him completely speechless.

The massive fleet of ships breaking through the clouds just about did it.

At once, his instincts kicked in. He'd seen these ships before. He'd replayed the footage that had been leaked from the Garrison three months prior over and over at this point, looping the sole part where they had displayed images of the would-be invaders from another world.

These were Galra ships.

Sheathing his knife, he didn't stop to question why it had reacted the way it did. There was no time. He doubted he'd be much of a target, isolated away from everything else like he was, but the less of a target he could become, the better.

Not that he wasn't worried about the people in town- but Colleen was at the Garrison, and he knew for a fact that was probably the safest place to be right now. He didn't need their broadcast to tell him that they had been working on some crazy stuff lately- he'd seen it with his own eyes, what with the fact that he lived out here in the desert and all.

Technically, his father's old shack was now Garrison property. Whoops.

He was worried about Tsuyoshi and his wife, their daughter and her family- though he'd met the latter only once or twice. But if he didn't survive this, then he had no hope of checking on them. And something, some instinct, told him that this invasion was not going to go the way the Garrison hoped.

Leaping off the roof, Keith threw open the doors to the shack he'd built. Again, carpentry was not his forte, but it served well enough. Heck, it's ramshackle appearance might just give off the impression that the thing was abandoned, and not basically brand new. Backing his hoverbike into it, he cast a wary eye up towards the horizon.

The ships had started to fire.

Swearing underneath his breath, Keith sprinted for the shack. There was an underground bunker where he could hide- one that he'd never really questioned that much before now, but was now grateful for the existence of. He didn't know why his father had built it, but he was thankful.

Ever since Colleen's broadcast- and he still couldn't believe that it was Colleen who was at the center of all that- he'd taken to stocking it with supplies. Canned food and non-perishable goods, bottled water, alongside a generator and a radio, plus a camp stove and a bedroll, as well as other odds and ends.

Look, if there was one thing his life had taught him, it was to be prepared. So when the news broke that they weren't alone in the universe, he did what he was best at- he prepared.

Just survive. That was the only thing he had to focus on. Just get through this, and then he could think about what he would do next.

Thankfully, he excelled at surviving too.

He'd shoved the couch out of the way and thrown open the door to the bunker when he heard- and felt- the sound of something impacting with the ground outside. It hit the ground hard, enough for him to feel it in his teeth- and against his better instincts, he went to check it out.

A downed fighter, missing a wing.

A Garrison fighter.

Gritting his teeth, Keith looked between it and the bunker. The cockpit was mostly intact, so there was a chance that its pilot could have survived. But every second up here meant a second longer exposed to danger-

-who was he kidding. He went for the fighter.

There was someone inside of it, but he couldn't tell if they were still alive or not. Drawing his knife, Keith jammed it into the cockpit, not pausing to think about the way it cut through it like it were butter. Once he had opened a hole, he sheathed it, grunting as he freed the trapped pilot from his restraints, hauling him out of the fighter.

On instinct, he checked his pulse, verifying that he was still alive. He didn't stop to do anything else, instead slinging his arm over his shoulder and hauling him back into the shack, down into the bunker with him. There were medical supplies in there, so he could treat him if need be.

He got him inside not a second too soon- just as he was about to close the trapdoor that lead to the bunker, the shack shook, a bright flash just outside the window. He didn't know if the fighter had exploded, or if one of the Galra fighters had spotted it, and had decided to fire on it just in case its pilot was still kicking, but that was as good enough a cue for Keith to retreat into the relative safety of the bunker.

He stopped to breathe once he did. It felt like he hadn't done so since he'd spotted the first ship.

Figures he'd be around for Earth's first full scale alien invasion. That was just the kind of luck he had.

The bunker was dark, but it didn't matter much to him. He had excellent night vision, above what he knew he should have. Still, the pilot would probably like a bit of light, so he turned on one of the two battery powered lanterns he had bought, setting it near where he had placed the man.

Right. He should probably check if he was injured.

It's only then, when he finally stopped to look at the pilot, that Keith realized that he recognized him. Just to be sure, he worked their helmet off, but yeah- that's Adam.

They had only met twice, but he kind of stuck out in his memory. He still didn't know what had prompted him to give him that pamphlet, but sometimes Keith still sort of regretted not taking it.

Not now though. Right now he definitely didn't regret it.

Adam groaned, sending Keith back to reality. Setting his helmet aside, he checked him over for any injuries, but with the pressure suit, it was hard to tell. His breathing sounded fine, and there weren't any immediately obvious bloodstains- which didn't mean that he wasn't bleeding, just that if he was, it was likely all internal.

He hoped not, because he was pretty sure he'd be fucked if that were true.

Adam groaned again, and Keith froze. As his eyes flickered open, Keith held his breath, watching as he slowly regained consciousness.

"...where?" Adam croaked.

Turning his head, Adam stared at him in confusion for a long moment- before he jolted upright, way quicker than someone who had just survived being shot down should. Keith opened his mouth to say something, before Adam visibly relaxed, moment of panic seemingly over.

Instead, it transformed into recognition, followed shortly thereafter by confusion. "...Keith?"

At his name, Keith could only blink. Maybe he had remembered Adam, but he didn't expect Adam to remember him. It had almost been three years now since they saw each other last, and in his experience, most of the people who met him generally tried to forget him as quickly as possible.

Running a hand over the back of his head, Adam cast an equally confused look at his surroundings. "Where am I? The last thing I remember was being shot down."

Chewing on his lip, Keith debated what to tell him. If the Earth was being invaded by aliens, he guessed it didn't matter that much that he had been illegally living on Garrison property. It should have been his property anyways.

"You did." Keith told him. "I pulled you from your fighter. We're in an underground bunker right now."

"Right," Adam mumbled, "-underground bunker. Of course."

He didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded.

"I have to-" Adam began, trying to get to his feet, only to let out a sharp hiss, collapsing back on his rear. Nursing his right leg, he let out a grunt of pain. "Okay. Bad idea."

So he was hurt. Frowning, Keith's brows knit together. "What's wrong with your leg?"

"Don't know." Adam admitted. "Hurt like hell when I tried to stand up. Might be broken. Can't tell with the pressure suit on."

"I've got some first aid supplies here." Keith told him.

"Okay, good, that's a start." Adam said. "Think you can help me get this suit off?"

Nodding his head, Keith stood up, crouching down behind Adam. Helping him shed his pressure suit, leaving him in the tank top and pants he wore under it, he winced a little at the sight of his leg. It was already starting to turn weird colors.

Adam hissed. "Definitely broken."

"We can splint it." Keith said, already cracking open the first aid kit, producing bandages. "I know how."

"Any chance you know how to set bones, too?" Adam asked, sounding vaguely hopeful. "I mean... I do, but I'm not wild about doing it to myself."

He did. Coming around, he crouched by Adam's leg, he carefully ran his hands over the length of it, determining what seemed to be out of place. Then, without comment, he quickly set the bones back into their correct locations, leaving Adam to hiss in pain, biting down on his tongue to keep himself from crying out.

"Okay," Adam managed, "-guess you do."

"I'll splint it now." Keith told him, sensing he would appreciate the heads up this time. He... probably should have done that before setting his bone.

He wasn't good at small talk, and taking care of Adam's injuries was more important anyways. Once the leg was braced, he sat back to assess his work. It looked good, but he'd only ever done first aid on himself, and he wasn't exactly a shining example of what a normal human was supposed to be.

Thankfully, Adam was quick to check it over himself. "It's good. Thanks, Keith."

He blinked again at the use of his name, unsure why. "What happened?"

"I'm guessing you saw the ships." Adam said.

"Kind of hard to miss." Keith deadpanned.

Letting out a weak chuckle, Adam heaved a sigh. "Guess Sam was right. All I know is that our whole squadron was sent out against them, and that none of us stood a chance."

Keith tensed a bit at that. "And the Garrison?"

"Sam built something called a particle barrier." Adam supplied. "Last I saw, it was working fine."

Keith let out a slight breath at that. Based on what he knew, if there was any group that had a chance of holding their own against the invaders, it was the Galaxy Garrison. Having them wiped out at the start of the fight would basically seal Earth's fate- especially since this Voltron appeared lost.

There had been a ton of chatter after the leak. He even recognized two of the cadets that had become paladins, though it had taken him a second to recognize Colleen's daughter. But he'd recognized Tsuyoshi's son right away- he had photos of him in his office, after all. He was guessing that the third cadet was Lance McClain, the last of the missing cadets.

Who would have thought they would have gotten shot off into space to fight against evil aliens? It sounded unbelievable, yet Sam Holt's presence lent credibility to the claims.

And now the proof was here, staring them in the face.

For his part, Keith had never doubted it. He didn't know why. It all just sounded right.

It also meant that Colleen's children and Tsuyoshi's son were alive, so that was a good thing, right? He couldn't know for sure. Tsuyoshi had looked relieved the first time he'd come back to work after the leak, but in the ensuing weeks, he'd seen a certain sense of anxiety take its place.

He'd never asked. He never knew what to say.

All he knew was that the Garrison wasn't being very forthcoming with their answers. And that he only knew because he'd overheard a frustrated Tsuyoshi on his phone- it was noteworthy because it was the first and only time he could ever recall him raising his voice.

From the sound of it, nobody actually knew where Voltron was.

"So," Adam's voice broke him out of his thoughts, "-you have a bunker?"

"My dad built it." Keith said absently.

Adam blinked at that. It took him a moment to place why, before he recalled that one of the two encounters he'd had with the Galaxy Garrison pilot had been at the orphanage.

"This used to be my dad's place." Keith hurriedly added. "Before he died."

"Where is here, exactly?" Adam asked. "Because I'm pretty sure that when I went down, I was still over the desert."

"We're in the desert." Keith told him, sitting crosslegged next to Adam. "Maybe three, four miles out from the Garrison."

Adam merely inclined a brow at that. "I thought all the Garrison owned all the property around it for at least seven miles."

"Yeah, well," Keith frowned, "-it was my dad's first."

Adam simply hummed, seeming to accept that. Guess when the world was being invaded by aliens, someone freeloading on military property wasn't exactly the most pressing concern.

"I need to try and contact the Garrison." Adam told him. "Any chance you've got a-?"

Before he could even finish, Keith produced the radio. "I'll just take that as a yes."

Adam tinkered with it for maybe ten minutes to no avail. The radio was obviously working- it was picking up on a few other channels in the area, just not any of the standard Galaxy Garrison frequencies.

Keith watched, eyes narrowed. "Maybe that particle barrier thing you mentioned is getting in the way of the signal?"

Heaving a sigh, Adam set down the transceiver. "Could be. This is a pretty old model, and we didn't exactly get to test the particle barrier before it went up. If I still had my ship, I could probably radio for help, but..."

"It blew up." Keith supplied.

"Right," Adam said, "-so that's out."

"We might be able to use the radio on my hoverbike." Keith noted. "Just... not right now."

"Yeah, god no." Adam agreed. "We're not going out there until they stop firing. Although actually I guess I'm not going much of anywhere, with my leg in the condition its in."

Keith squinted, unable to determine if that was a joke.

They sat in silence for awhile after that, Keith offering Adam a bottle of water. If he was going to have another person around here, he should probably try and get some more. He didn't know how long his running water would stay running, what with the very probable collapse of society as they knew it.

There might be time once the shooting stopped to run into town. He figured these Galra would probably start prepping landing parties once they figured all major resistance was neutralized, but no matter how advanced they were, something like that would take time. He was pretty well stocked, but it never hurt to have extra supplies.

Plus there were people in town he was worried about- Tsuyoshi and his family, the kids from the orphanage. Especially the kids. They didn't have anyone else to turn to.

But until the shooting stopped, they were both stuck here.

The shooting stopped.

Keith noticed it first, lifting his head. At first, Adam simply thought he'd heard something he couldn't, but he quickly realized what caught Keith's attention was not a sound, but the absence of it.

After a few minutes of nothing but silence, Keith rose to his feet, motioning towards the trapdoor with his head. Adam nodded- he didn't like the idea of sending someone who was just barely an adult- if that- out to check, but with his leg the way it was, he didn't have much of a choice.

Keith nodded in turn, his eyes catching the light of the lantern for a split second. He'd been down here with him for what felt like hours now, and even though it probably hadn't actually been that long, it was still long enough for Adam to determine that as strange as that was, it was no illusion.

But they were in the middle of full scale alien invasion. A kid with glowing eyes was the least of his problems.

Keith disappeared up into the... whatever was above ground. He'd been out cold when he had been dragged down here, so he didn't exactly know. A house? Maybe a shed of some kind, that was attached to one. Except he didn't think there were any houses this far out in the desert- there had been one, years ago, but it had been destroyed.

He wasn't even aware he was holding his breath until he let it out, the trapdoor cracking open, one of Keith's booted feet descending back down the ladder. He tossed him something, which Adam caught on instinct, squinting down at the package.

Oh. Potato chips.

"Thought you might be hungry." Keith absently remarked. "Shack's still intact. Your ship's not."

"Shack?" Adam asked, cracking open the bag, idly munching on a chip.

"My dad's. I've kind of been living here since I aged out of the system." Keith supplied, then seemed to almost wince, like he was worried he'd shared too much. "I'm going to head into town while I still have the chance. Do you want me to move you upstairs into the shack, or...?"

"I'll stay down here." Adam replied. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"No," Keith admitted, "-but if I don't do it now, I might not have another chance."

Fair point. He hadn't heard much about the way these Galra conquered planets, but if he had any chance of making it to town and back safely, now was probably his best chance.

"I can try contacting the Garrison." Keith told him. "I'd offer to drive you there, but..."

"Yeah, I'm not sure how well my leg would hold up on a hoverbike." Adam said. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was going for, but Keith still blinked, like he was surprised by it.

He still couldn't believe that the one who had rescued him was Keith Kogane, of all possible people. Adam wasn't the one to believe in fate, but even he was forced to admit that this was one hell of a coincidence.

He hadn't seen the kid since that time at the orphanage, but he did remember him. He'd never showed up at the Garrison, so he could only guess that he had turned down the late entry program. He wondered if he was still working at that same mechanics shop.

Emphasis on the was.

Thinking about Keith inevitably made him think about Takashi. The kid was the focus of one of the last conversations they'd had before he'd launched for Kerberos. When he had first heard about the mission failure, it had struck him that it really was his last conversation with Takashi.

At least it was a better final conversation than breaking up.

Except now Takashi was alive, and was a paladin of Voltron. Its leader, in fact.

Adam... well, he didn't know what to think about that. He'd been trying not to think about it. He'd thought Takashi was dead for so long, that he'd... just trying to wrap his head around the opposite being true proved to be a challenge.

He wasn't sure he was ready to deal with those feelings just yet.

Keith crouched down by the radio, adjusting it a bit. "It's set to my bike's frequency. If something happens-"

"-I'll contact you." Adam finished. "Same goes for you. Be careful."

Keith blinked again, like he hadn't expected him to say that, even though it was the most natural thing in the world under the circumstances. Instead of saying anything, he just wordlessly nodded, disappearing beyond the trapdoor for a second time.

Right. Socially awkward. Got it.

The smell of smoke clung to the air.

It was enough to make his eyes water, its traces stinging. Yanking down his goggles, he secured them over his eyes, blinking a few times to get the smoke out. There were no signs of any Galra ships, but he didn't imagine it would stay that way for long.

He tried to get in touch with the Galaxy Garrison over the radio, but he wasn't able to get through. But even from here, three miles out, he could see what had to be the particle barrier Adam had mentioned- it rose like a dome over the desert.

It reminded him of a cage.

He could go directly to the Garrison. They could probably get an cruiser to transport Adam. But that wasn't his most pressing concern right now. Given time, he could find a way to return Adam to the Garrison, but if he didn't do this supply run now, he might not get another chance.

He wasn't exactly planning on staying with the Garrison himself. Sooner or later, he'd probably just cause trouble for them.

So instead, he turned in the direction of Plaht City.

It had been decimated. There was no other way to describe it. Skyscrapers had collapsed in on themselves, and there were craters where single family homes were located. He shuddered, trying not to think how many had died during the initial assault.

But there were still people alive. He saw them- milling about, looking towards the skies with anxiety, fear. Some of them mumbled as they spotted his hoverbike, but he wasn't the only one on the move- there were others trying to navigate the ruined streets, familiar made strange- almost alien.

Some were trying to leave. Others were trying to help. Everyone was afraid.

When he got to the orphanage, he noticed right away that the back half of the building had collapsed. He swallowed- that wasn't a good sign.

To his surprise, he wasn't the only one there. There were others who had gathered outside of it, some of whom he recognized as volunteers, ones who lived nearby. Hopping off his hoverbike, Keith pulled up his goggles, hurrying to see what was going on.

One of them looked up, and he tried in vain to recall her name. She was new, and mostly dealt with the older kids, so he didn't exactly talk to her that much. But she recognized him- and more importantly he recognized that look in her eyes.

"We can't get in," she hurriedly supplied, "-the door frame is warped, and the windows are blocked by debris. We think the ceiling collapsed on the first floor."

He told her something to the effect of let me try, assessing the door for himself. Drawing his knife, he used it to work the hinges- if it could slice through the cockpit of a Garrison fighter, it could probably cut through them too.

He was right. Sheathing his knife, he was able to pull the door from its frame, tossing it to the side. Dimly, he was aware of people muttering behind him, but he pointedly chose to ignore it. People had talked about him behind his back all his life, this was nothing new.

The first thing that hit him was the scent of blood.

He had to bite down on his lip to keep it from overtaking his senses. It was powerful, but it was largely coming from the back of the house- so if there was anyone in the front end, there was a chance that they might have been saved.

He prayed there was.

Stepping aside, he nodded to the other would be rescuers. They quickly snapped their mouths shut, all setting to work with a grim sense of urgency.

There were twenty three kids residing within the orphanage at last check. They only found eight. He pieced together the story from those who had seen it- that it had been hit by one of the first blasts, that there had been no time for anyone to evacuate.

He felt his blood boil.

Who were these Galra to just... to just do something like this? This wasn't a military base- Plaht City had no offensive capabilities. It wasn't a threat. And yet they had fired on it like it was one, and in the process, they had killed probably dozens, if not hundreds of people.

Including kids.

Including orphans, like him. If he hadn't... if the Galra had attacked just maybe two, three years earlier, this could have been him. He could have died, crushed under rubble.

At some point, he staggered out of the house. He dimly recalled telling someone to take the surviving kids to the Garrison while they still had the chance- that it was safe, probably the safest place they could go. He didn't stick around long enough to see if they agreed.

He just had to get away from there. Away from the overpowering scent of death.

Not that there was much escape from it within the confines of the city. He'd gladly trade it for the scent of smoke.

Navigating roads made unfamiliar, Keith found a hardware store. He grabbed packs of batteries and a flashlight- he didn't need it, but Adam might. Grabbing some jerky and bottled water, he shoved them into the storage compartment of his hoverbike, debating leaving behind some cash, but figured it wouldn't really matter much at this point.

Besides, he wasn't exactly the only one doing it.

There was even more chaos at the grocery store, but he still managed to grab a few things. Mostly non-perishables, a few snacks, just because. He found some more bandages and some disinfectant, and grabbed those as well, as well as some painkillers. Adam hadn't complained, but if his leg was broken, he'd probably appreciate it.

Shoving them all into the storage compartment of his bike, he headed to his last destination- the Garrett family home. Today was their day off, so if his boss was anywhere, it would be at home.

His instincts proved right.

A look of relief washed over Tsuyoshi's features at the sight of him, causing Keith to blink. He didn't think he'd be that worried about him- sure, he'd invited him over to dinner a few times, but Keith thought that was just because he was lonely with his son gone.

Maybe he'd been wrong.

"Glad to see you made it out okay." Tsuyoshi told him.

"I- yeah." Nodding his head, Keith frowned. "You too."

"Think they'll come back?" Tsuyoshi asked, sounding pensive.

"Probably." Keith said. "Where's your wife?"

"Inside, packing." Tsuyoshi reported.

"So you're evacuating?" Keith asked, blinking.

"Something like that." Tsuyoshi told him. "My daughter and her husband took their kids on a trip to California. We can't get in contact with them."

"So you're just... going to try and drive to California." Keith stated. "In the middle of an alien invasion."

"She's my daughter." Tsuyoshi said simply. "I can't leave her."

Yeah. Yeah, that made sense. Especially since the fate of his son, his only other child, was currently unknown. And if the Galra had reached Earth, then the odds for his survival didn't seem good.

But he didn't say that.

"Okay," Keith nodded, "-okay. Good luck."

Tsuyoshi glanced down at him, before resting a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "You could come with us."

"Can't." Keith automatically replied. Even without Adam waiting for him back at the shack, this wasn't something he should invade. They let him into their home, but he wasn't a part of their family.

They were just kind, that was all.

Tsuyoshi frowned, but just gave his shoulder another light squeeze. "Stay safe then. Help yourself to anything you like back at the shop."

Keith blinked, then slowly nodded. "Be safe."

"No promises," Tsuyoshi told him, "-but we'll do our best."

He exchanged some brief words with his wife, before departing. He stopped by the shop for a few minutes, long enough to grab some of the work gloves and some fuel, strapping them to either side of his hoverbike. They might come in handy.

With that done, he left the ruins of Plaht City behind him.

He had just barely gotten his hoverbike pulled into the storage shed before he spotted the first Galra fighter. Hiding himself in the shadow of the shed, he held his breath until it disappeared over the horizon.

It was heading in the direction of Plaht City.

Once he was sure it was gone, he let out a breath. Making haste, he hauled most of the supplies back into the shack, leaving the fuel behind in the shed with his bike. Cracking open the trapdoor, he poked his head down.

Adam stared up at him.

"You're back." He said. "Any luck with the Garrison?"

"None." Keith shook his head. "You want up?"

"Is it safe?" Adam asked.

"For now. I saw a scout ship earlier, but it was headed in the opposite direction." Keith told him.

"They're probably focusing on metropolitan areas." Adam observed, pushing himself to his feet, putting all his weight on his uninjured leg. Slipping down into the bunker, Keith helped him get back above ground- it was hard going, but they managed somehow.

"What's it like out there?" Adam asked.

"It's bad." Keith told him, not seeing any reason to mince his words. "But the Garrison is still standing."

He let out a sigh of relief at that. "Okay. Good. That means we still have a chance."

Keith arched a brow at that. "A chance of what?"

Adam leveled his gaze with that of his own, unblinking. "Of fighting back."