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“Say cheese babies!”
“Cheeeeeeeeeeese.”
Snap!
Shiro grinned brightly when his mother’s camera went off for the hundredth time that day. He glanced over at Kuro, noting the annoyed expression on his twin brother’s face. Shiro didn’t know why his brother got so annoyed easily whenever they took pictures. Shiro loved to take pictures so that he could hold onto these memories forever.
“C’mon Ku! Just sm’le and say cheese!” Shiro chirped excitedly. He was quite hyped up on sugar already, and Kuro was no doubt very close behind. He was just a little bit more restrained than Shiro was, but could anyone really blame Shiro? It wasn’t every day that you turned four-years-old and had a big, gigantic birthday party. Plus Shiro always thought that his birthday was extra special because not only was it on a different day each year, Shiro also got to spend his birthday on the same day as Kuro.
The two were closer than any pair of twins out there and shared everything.
Plus two birthdays meant double cake, double presents, and double the games.
That was an added bonus.
“No.” Kuro pouted while crossing his arms over his chest. Their mother and father both sighed but began to reset the camera in hopes for a nice picture today.
“Awww Ku,” Shiro also pouted as he leaned into his brother’s side. “Why not?”
“”S stupid,” Kuro mumbled with a shake of his head. Shiro gasped at his brother’s words, before chancing a glance at their parents to see if they heard him. Luckily, their parents hadn’t heard and Kuro was out of trouble. For now.
“What? You think dis party is stupid?” Shiro asked softly, lower lip trembling. Instantly, upon seeing the sad look on his baby brother’s face, Kuro felt a ton of guilt build up inside of him. He swallowed thickly and quickly wrapped his arms around his brother’s neck.
“No, no. It’s amazing!” Kuro said quickly. “I wuv it. I wuv you!”
Shiro sniffed but nodded into his brother’s shoulder. “What’s stupid then?”
Kuro squirmed in his seat, still holding on tightly to Shiro. By now, Shiro had wrapped his own arms around Kuro and the two brothers were practically pressed up against each other. Of course, being the ever-doting parents that they were, the Shiroganes were taking as many pictures as their camera could allow while reloading it every so often. And they were proudly doing all this, without disrupting their son’s moment.
“Saying cheese.” Kuro finally mumbled, causing Shiro to blink in surprise.
“What?”
“Cheese. Saying cheese. I don’t wike it.” Kuro admitted loud enough for only Shiro to hear and Shiro felt stumped. That wasn’t something that Shiro could fix. Which meant that Kuro wouldn’t be happy. And if Kuro wasn’t happy then how was Shiro ever supposed to be happy?
“Why?” Shiro asked.
“‘Cause. You’re supposed to sm’le ‘cause you wike something.” Kuro explained, while his brother listened to every word. Every now and again Shiro would stroke the back of Kuro’s head. “And I don’t wike cheese.”
That was true. Mommy said it was because Kuro was lactomose and tolerant or something.
“Oh. Well then say what you like! Then you can sm’le!” Shiro cheered happily, bouncing in his seat. Kuro giggled at his brother’s antics before putting on his best thinking face. Shiro was happy to leave his brother to think until their mother turned the camera right to them.
“Okay sweeties! Smile for mommy and daddy!” She beamed from behind the camera while their dad grinned.
“One, two, three!”
“Ch…”
“Takashiiiiiiiii!” Kuro beamed brightly from beside Shiro, causing the entire family to burst into smiles and laughter.
Snap.
x.V.x
“Come on, one last picture Takashi.” Kuro pouted from his brother’s side. “You can go back to moping about Adumb afterward.”
“Kuro,” Shiro warned tightly.
“Seriously, this is the last time that all five of us will be together for a while before we’re all shipped out tomorrow,” Kuro said once more. He didn’t want to have to resort to drastic measures against his brother, but he was ready to pull out the big guns if need be. He would pull out the famous Shirogane puppy eyes if he needed to. He had a few pictures of him and Takashi from when they were kids, that he kept on his pack at all times. He also had a picture of his parents that he kept close to his heart since joining the military.
But after tomorrow, Shiro would begin his work as a special ops unit while Kuro would remain on the front line. The two brothers knew that communication and contact would soon become minimal with Shiro’s new line of work, but Kuro couldn’t be more proud of his baby brother. This was what Shiro had been working towards.
But he wanted one last picture.
Just in case.
“Takashiiiiiiiii.” Kuro whined with a knowing grin. He saw Antok and Ulaz gently bump shoulders with Shiro, earning a half-hearted glare from the younger man. Even Kolivan was grinning in his own way at the group’s antics.
Eventually, Shiro relented.
“Fine.” He sighed, earning a hollar from Kuro and a grin from Ulaz. However, a smile slowly crawled its way onto Shiro’s place. Immediately, Kuro squished up against his brother with Ulaz on one side of him and Kolivan on the other side of Shiro. Antok easily settled behind the group and wrapped his big, beefy arms around them all. Shiro rolled his eyes at Kuro’s red face before Kuro finally held his phone out in front of them.
“Takashi on three!”
“Kuro? Seriously?! No!”
“One, two, three.”
“Kuro!”
“Takashiiiiiiii!”
Snap.
x.V.x
“Right here at the camera boys. One, two, and smile.”
Snap.
Shiro blinked dully from where he had been standing next to the mayor. He barely recalled doing anything when the photographer had asked for a picture of him and the mayor together. There was something about a news story about the daring rescue of one Takashi Shirogane. The special operations captain who had been held captive for months , whom everyone had assumed was dead.
The same man who had lost his brother because the man had tried to rescue Shiro.
The same man who was broken.
Lost.
Alone.
Shiro was drowning after being rescued from his enslavement. He was drowning and there was no surface for him to breathe. He was only sinking deeper and deeper.
He was missing an arm.
He was missing some memories.
He was scared, beaten and tortured.
He was barely holding on.
Shiro knew that his parents were trying to be supportive and helpful to him, and it made him sick to his stomach that he couldn’t even smile for them. He knew they were grieving Kuro just as he was. While their bond would never be the same as a twin bond, they were Kuro’s parents goddamn. Why are you acting like this?
Shiro was still in the hospital, but according to the media he was being released today. He was on suicide watch, but according to everyone else, he was a hero. He was stripped of everything but his hospital clothes, but today he was being honored the purple heart medal. Shiro was allowed nothing because the hospital was aware that a special ops soldier could find a thousand ways to kill himself if he wanted to, but according to everyone else, Shiro was fine.
He was not.
He didn’t know if he ever would be.
“Takashi, how about a picture with your folks?” Shiro numbly looked up at the photographer. When his parents stood up beside him, Shiro couldn’t even manage a smile.
“Alright Takashi, one, two, three!”
Snap.
x.V.x
It was a photograph that captured Shiro’s heart. He was barely twenty-five, unemployed and still living with his parents. Some friends of his parents were over, showing pictures of kids they were potentially looking into adopting. Shiro’s parents had been thrilled and Shiro had vaguely shown interest.
He’d gotten better over the last year.
His parents weren’t afraid that he was going to cut himself with a razor, or drown himself in the shower. His friends weren’t hovering over his back every few seconds. His family could finally breathe. There was still that ever-present hole in Shiro’s heart that would always be there, and sometimes Shiro got beyond sad. Sometimes he still couldn’t function, but according to his therapist, he was getting better.
Slowly and steadily.
Shiro had glanced over at the photographs the couple had spread out over the table with only mild interest. That is until he looked at one photograph piled underneath another one. Gently, he reached over to pick up the photograph and his heart fluttered.
The photo was that of a small Asian baby. With dark black hair and squishy cheeks. His skin was pale and possibly dirty but he had the biggest, bluest eyes that Shiro had ever seen. Shiro thought that he could see the stars in those eyes.
He was so caught up in the photograph that he hadn’t realized his parents and the other couple had stopped talking. Their focus was now on Shiro was who still staring at the photograph in awe.
Thace and his wife nearly burst into tears, at the raw look of joy on Shiro’s face. It was the first time in over a year that either of them had seen Shiro look even remotely interested in something. For a moment, they got a glimpse of their son again. Their son who was terrible at music but could sing a beautiful melody. This was Takashi again.
“Takashi?” Shiro’s mother whispered, afraid that if they interrupted, Shiro would lose this spark of happiness. She was terrified that Shiro would drop the photograph and lose interest forever.
However, when he finally looked away from the photograph to look at his family, that pure look of love and adoration remained. Thace could feel his throat tightening and the familiar sting of tears was just behind his eyes.
“Who is this?” Shiro finally asked shyly. His eyes flickered to the couple and then back to the photograph of the baby in his hand.
“That’s Akira. He’s from Korea, and one of the newest children in their orphanage.” The woman finally said. She was well aware of Shiro’s circumstances and the lives that the Shiroganes had lived. The situation was delicate but something in her told her to push Shiro to this child. Maybe this was what he needed.
“Akira,” Shiro whispered thoughtfully, before turning the photograph around in his hand. He gently thumbed over a worn edge of the photograph.
“He looks like a Keith.” Shiro finally said, and for the first time in a year, Takashi Shirogane smiled.
x.V.x
“How about a selfie for grandma and grandpa? Huh, baby?” Shiro grinned. Strapped to his chest and wiggling as much as a seven-month-old could, Keith blubbered excitedly. Shiro was proud to say after only a month, Keith was beginning to gain a healthy amount of weight. They still had a long way to go before Keith was no longer underweight or suffering from the effects of malnourishment. Still, Shiro liked to have these little victories.
Keith flapped his hands wildly against Shiro’s chest and Shiro laughed brightly.
“I agree. Your grandparents need more selfies!” Shiro conquered before pulling out his phone. As he was getting the camera ready, while playing with one of Keith’s hands, he momentarily paused on his camera roll.
In his phone, he had over 500 photos. Two hundred of them had been from two years ago. Pictures of him, of Kuro. Of his team and friends. Of family barbeques and bar hopping.
However, Shiro had no pictures on his phones for two years. None.
Then Shiro had started taking pictures again. One month ago. Right after Christmas, when Keith had finally come home with Shiro. Shiro slowly scrolled through the phone looking at some of the last pictures he had taken before Keith had entered his life. Shiro had been young. He’d been smiling and crazy. He had no white in his hair or scars on his face, and this Takashi was a carefree, young man.
Now, the most recent pictures of Shiro were of him smiling. Yet, there were scars. His bangs were white and his skin wasn’t as tan. His eyes were strained a bit but the smile on his face was genuine. It was the one thing that he and the older Takashi shared.
His smile had finally come back.
“All thanks to Keith.”
Shiro jerked out of his thoughts when Keith’s hand slapped against his cheek and the baby giggled loudly. Shiro chuckled before nuzzling his face against the baby’s soft, fuzzy head.
“I get it. Time for a selfie!” Shiro laughed. He raised the camera above them, with Keith immediately trying to reach for the shiny new object. Shiro raised his other hand in a lazy salute before smiling.
“Keeeith!”
Snap.
x.V.x
“Daddy Shiro.” Lance piped up one day when Shiro was taking a picture of the small group of friends.
“Yes, Lance?”
“How come you always say Keith when you take pictures?”
“Oh, well because the Ke sound makes you smile in order to say it, so you’re already smiling! And why not just say, Keith? You should say something that makes you smile and Keith always makes me smile because I love him.”
“Oh. That makes sense I guess. Should we say Keith too?”
“If you want Lance.”
“Daddy.” Keith blushed brightly, but he was still smiling. Lance and the others pressed closer to Keith, while Shiro steadied his phone.
“Alright everyone, say Keith on three! One, two, three!”
“Keeeeeeeith!”
Snap.
x.V.x
“Keeeeeeith!”
Snap.
“Oh my god, dad you’re embarrassing. Why?” Keith moaned once the photo had been taken. Shiro still had the habit of saying his name when taking pictures despite Keith being eighteen already. It was a habit that was as old as Keith was and while Keith still found it enduring and adorable, it was incredibly embarrassing out in public.
“Isn’t that my job as a father?” Shiro asked brightly, while Keith shoved his graduation cap at him.
“It’s my graduation. You’re not supposed to embarrass me today.” Keith grumbled playfully when his dad pulled him into another hug.
“I especially get to embarrass you today! You’re all grown up now, and who knows how much longer I have to embarrass you.” Shiro teased. While his tone was playful, Keith could detect a sliver of sadness in his voice. He knew with a heavy heart that he and Shiro were both thinking about his upcoming deployment.
“Okay fine. Way to pull the heart card early.” Keith sighed dramatically before tossing an arm around his dad’s shoulder. He felt Shiro body tremble with laughter beside him, which in turn filled his own chest with bubbling laughter. There were many things he was going to miss while in the military, and his father’s laughter would certainly be one of them.
“Oh! Shiro and Keith, let me take a picture! You both look perfect like that.” Allura beamed, camera already in her hand. Keith and Shiro shared a surprised look with one another before both of them shrugged. With a grin, Keith stuffed his graduation cap on his dad’s head and pulled him in for a tight hug. With a surprised snort, Shiro wrapped his arm around his son and turned to the camera.
“Ready?”
Keith grinned and Shiro beamed. “Keeeeeeeeith.”
Snap.
x.V.x
“Hey dad, how about one last picture?”
“Hmm?”
“Remember what you used to say in order to smile for any picture?”
“...Keeeith.”
"Yeah dad. Keith."
Snap.