Disclaimer: If you recognize the characters, they aren't mine. Just playing in the sandbox provided by Dreamworks and the "Voltron" production team.

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It was never a question of fault. Blame had been removed from the equation in regard to soulmates for millennia in religious writings. The scientific advances in the last few centuries had identified and measured the soul bond's existence, had upped the odds somewhat on two soulmates finding one another. They had even found a way to break the bond in extreme circumstances, but they had come no closer to predicting which two people would be forever linked.

But Shiro derived a great deal of fun in pretending to blame Matt during those months at the Garrison and the first part of the Kerberos Mission.

Matt had been the one to ask Shiro to act as Professor Hedrick's assistant in the third-level class for hand-to-hand combat. With Rodríguez on leave for his sister's wedding, Hedrick was looking for volunteers among the other junior officers. Matt had assessed the likely possibilities and panicked at the idea that Lawson might do it – the lieutenant knew his stuff but had not developed the knack of demonstrating holds or strikes without going full throttle. So Matt begged Shiro to step up instead and prevent two weeks' worth of bruises and sprains in the class.

Shiro looked at the line of cadets on the mat before him. Most of them looked to be third years, but a few stood out as second years. Matt grinned at him from his spot near the middle. Then Shiro noticed the boy almost at the end of the line.

He was at least a head shorter than anyone else in the group and had a very slim build. Shiro knew that he was likely a second year and wouldn't be in this class if he had not proven to the teachers than he was ready, but he looked younger than even a first-year. Shiro tried to watch without being noticed as the class went through warmups and the boy projected an air of quiet confidence that piqued his interest.

Shiro helped Hedrick demonstrate the first attack and defense of the session. It was a simple one, but very effective at turning the defensive move into a throw if timed well. A few of the cadets seemed to think this move was beneath them and grew restive. Hedrick glared at them, then barked, "So, you think this is easy? Get up here and show me, Monroe!"

The cadet who had been flirting with the girl seated beside him threw a grin at her and got up.

"Let's see if you have this. Shirogane, attack."

Shiro readied himself, then launched. The cadet tried to grab his arm and wrestle him down, but moved too late. Shiro brought his other hand around to grab a shoulder and drop his opponent to the mat. Monroe looked up at him, embarrassed and a little angry.

"What you fail to grasp is that it's timing, not strength. Kogane, I need you up here."

The boy Shiro had noticed jumped to his feet, shoving his heavy dark bangs out of his eyes, and approached as Monroe slunk back to his seat. Hedrick nodded. "Okay, Shirogane. Attack."

Shiro waited while Kogane set himself, then attacked again. Kogane sidestepped at just the right moment and seized his arm through his sweatshirt. But instead of simply letting Shiro's momentum carry him through the attack and past him, Kogane held on and pulled down, then up. Unable to tumble, Shiro quickly adjusted into a breakfall and Kogane let go and backed up, resetting his stance.

As Shiro expected, most of the other cadets were impressed by his loud thump against the mat while Hedrick was impressed by Kogane's performance. "Good job, cadet. That is what this technique is supposed to look like. Pair off and see if you can match him."

Kogane nodded his thanks and held out a hand to help Shiro to his feet. Shiro grasped it, feeling a sudden and strong flash of heat between their palms…

…as something entered his essence and slotted into the place that had always been there for it…

…he was seeing Keith's life flash by, like a movie on fast-forward. His mother simply vanished from his life before he started pre-K. His father died from a virulent bacterial infection when he was seven. The string of foster homes, some good and some bad. Choosing to apply to the Garrison to get out of the system sooner. Maxing out every practical test in the flight school program and gaining entry with a full scholarship…

Shiro felt Keith's hand slipping away and tightened his grip. At some point Matt had moved to his side and was holding him up.

"Shiro? You okay?"

One of the other cadets had jumped forward to catch Keith as his legs seemed to give out. "I think we've got a new soul bond. My sister and her soulmate looked like this when they touched for the first time."

Hedrick looked at the two of them, a little uncertain. "Okay, then. Holt, Southerby, escort them to the infirmary. Let's be sure."

"I'm fine!" Keith insisted.

"Humor me, cadet. You looked pretty out of it there."

Keith swallowed his argument and nodded. "Sir."

Matt and Southerby switched sides so the larger boy could support Shiro and Matt could help Keith. Their progress was slow, as Shiro refused to let go of Keith's hand the entire way.

As a child, after the death of his father, Keith had often fantasized about finding his soulmate. In the bad times, shoved into a foster home that was at best ill-prepared and at worst hostile, he would imagine a girl swooping in to fix everything. She was always old enough to actually be able to do something about his situation and always had eyes so light brown that they shimmered like gold.

As he got older and realized that boys were just as interesting as girls, the fantasies faded into curiosity and idle speculation. The odds dictated that the identity of his soulmate was a moot point anyway. Even though something about the bond itself seemed to draw soulmates into each other's spheres and Terra's population was increasingly mobile, less than a third of the population actually found their soulmate at all, much less at an age young enough to do something about it.

So by the time Keith had gotten accepted into Galaxy Garrison, he was focused on his current situation. Get his education, train to be a pilot, and achieve what freedom he could grasp in flight. Try to touch the stars. He no longer wondered who his other half was or where they were.

And then, out of the blue, he found Takashi Shirogane.

After the infirmary staff checked them over and gave them a clean bill of health, they wandered out into the late afternoon sun. They stood there, side by side, each wondering what to do next.

Funny, Shiro thought. All the media stuff about soulmates makes it sound like you've found your perfect match. No more awkward silences, no more wondering what your partner is feeling.

"Well, Angela Whitaker is a liar." Keith's wry voice broke in.

Shiro glanced at him, startled at the mention of a popular author with a long string of books that portrayed the soul bond turning people into perfect couples. He snorted in laughter. "Was that your feeling or were you sensing me?"

Keith looked up at him and Shiro caught his breath. He had assumed that Keith's eyes were gray, a little lighter than his own, but in the full light they were a rich violet color.

"I think all I was getting from you was a what-the-hell-do-we-do-now feeling, but since that's pretty much where my head is, it could be that we are of one literal mind."

Shiro laughed again. His uncertainty was beginning to fade as he saw the positives of the situation. His newly-discovered soulmate was healthy, very easy on the eyes, and had a sense of humor. They were both part of the Garrison, which meant they were both used to military culture. From what he had gotten in their initial connection, Keith had no family to take into account. In fact, the only downside Shiro could think of was…

"Sorry for asking, but how old are you? You look young for a second-year."

"I'm a first year."

"But you were in the third-level class?"

"They tested me like everyone else." Keith's voice turned a bit defensive.

So much for soulmates being so in tune that they never step on each other's toes. As that old television show would say, myth busted.

"Sorry, it's just really rare for a first-year to be that good in hand-to-hand."

Keith shrugged. "One of my early foster parents got me into martial arts classes. I kept it up as best I could even with moving around a lot. And there were plenty of…real-life lessons."

Shiro's hand went up and gave Keith's shoulder a squeeze almost before he realized he was going to do it. "I'm sorry. So you're how old?"

"Sixteen in a few months."

Fifteen…he's six years younger than me…

Age gaps happened with the soul bond. While the data showed that the majority were within three years of each other's ages, there were millions of soulmates with wider gaps. A gap that was decades apart with the younger still a child was the only guaranteed reason for a separation request to be approved.

"And you?" Keith asked, an edge in his voice. He had obviously picked up on Shiro's unease.

"Twenty-one. I turn twenty-two next February."

"Could be worse." His words were careless but through the bond Shiro could feel Keith rapidly adjusting and deciding that all in all, this was not a bad situation. Shiro stamped down his own worries and smiled.

"Coffee?"

"Sure, but make mine tea. Can't stand coffee."

"That's it, I'm calling this off," Shiro deadpanned and Keith laughed.

Nothing could adequately describe the constant presence of the other in their thoughts and sensations. Shiro and Keith learned control, to focus on one's own surroundings when needed and to relax and let awareness of the other spread through them when possible. They worked to master their reactions if the other had a sudden shift in circumstance after Keith suffering a dislocated shoulder in combat practice caused Shiro to crash in a simulation run.

They spent free time together, eating in the cafeteria and working in the library. The Garrison did not automatically allow soulmates to share quarters, but did shuffle a few cadets so that Keith no longer had a roommate. As a junior officer Shiro had his own apartment, but they made a point not to spend too much time there alone. They did their best to behave like any two close friends in the Garrison would, keeping most displays of affection out of sight, and gradually the gossip machine found new things to talk about. There would be time enough later to fully explore their bond, after Keith finished his training, after Shiro made senior officer, after their six-year age gap was less of an issue to the people around them.

They assumed there would always be time.

Thank you for reading!