[ there, he's said it out loud, and now he can't shrink from the thought any longer. he's supposed to obediently report any changes that he notices, any memories he recovers of what's been done to him, but shiro wasn't hatched yesterday. the garrison is interested in what the galra did to him. eagerly, offensively interested. he knows better than to hand them the revelation that he's capable of changing his form, now.

but keith should know what's happening to him. keith is the one person that he knows, bone deep, won't betray his confidence, and maybe talking to keith about it will calm some of the panic he keeps suppressing. shapechanging is only supposed to happen to a dragon in a bonded pair, and after years of exposure to human DNA, or something along those lines. the human scientists were at a loss to explain its specific mechanics, and the dragons themselves didn't have any answers either. it was just something that happened, they said.

shiro is sure it's not something that just happened to him. the galra must have something to do with it, and that frightens him more than anything. only bonded dragons with long-term partners and deep emotional connections have ever been reported to shapeshift.

he doesn't let any of that anxiety into his voice or his manner, huffing over keith's hair to ruffle it into a mess. ]

I'll take a weight handicap, and ask one of the ground crews to put me in harness.

[ he says it like he's doing keith a favor, but the truth is he's uneasy these days about going anywhere without proper equipment for a battle. he doesn't care if it's unfounded paranoia. if anything, anything should happen, he has to be able to fight or flee and carry keith with him. his crew had been on the ground when they were attacked.

which is why he can't even carry the pretense that the harness is a whim, and after a bare second he puts his head down anxiously despite himself. ]

...and you should bring your flying harness. And a weapon. Just in case.