Keith quotes Shiro all the time. His favorite is “Patience Yields Focus” but he has never uttered the full quote.
“Patience yields focus and fish!“
Shiro looks at a frustrated Keith holding his quite fishing pole. They drove out an hour from the Garrison so they can work on Keith’s flight lessons. Despite seeing the back of the vehicle packed with: fishing poles, a bucket of worms and a tackle box, he still had no idea. That on an early Saturday morning, he would be knee deep in a river trying to catch breakfast. Fishing. This guy. Top pilot of the Galaxy Garrison was a fishing pro.
Shiro had already caught 3 big fish and Keith was lucky to have even have his hook twitch for a second.
“You would have probably caught at least one earlier if you didn’t keep moving to a different spot every 10 min.”
“….Why didn’t you tell me we were going fishing?” He was reeling in his line. The outdoors filled him with peace, but his empty hook taunted him. Hunting for a deer to him was second nature. You can see the deer and take a shot. Fishing was a matter of bumping into each other and hoping that you can reel it in time. Not very efficient.
“Because the element of surprise can put the pressure on focus.”
“But it sure makes my patience non-existent…”
“Besides, looked like you could use a break. I heard you haven’t been working with your new team that well.”
Keith castes his fresh baited line out. He released his breath, but he tensed back up. The complete opposite of his slack line.
“They’re not quick enough.”
“Or you just don’t consider teamwork involves you even when you’re a part of it.” Shiro’s line jerked and pulled. He didn’t make a move to reel it in.
“Okay, now your just rubbing it in!”
“Need a bigger one. Gonna make some mean grilled fish tacos after this.” The sun started to peak through the tops of the mountains. Shiro craned his neck to feel the warmth.
“Keith, I know you’ve been on your own for a while before the Garrison. Taking orders from strangers, working in groups and you always seem on edge even by yourself. Your last flight simulation ended with one of your crew members crying.”
Keith’s eyes looked distant. Maybe Shiro was bringing up too much.
“I…the mission was starting to fail because he couldn’t give the right coordinates.”
“Have you considered not scaring him? He only starts to falter when you raise your voice the moment you think he took a second too long. He double checks his work, and tries to correct himself, but you’ve already lost your patience.” Shiro’s eyes scanned the ripples of water started by a gust of wind. The fish underneath rustled with the change in current, and calmed down just as the gust stopped.
“I apologized after class. He was in the stairway between classes. As soon as he saw me, he tried to run away. Even when I was apologizing, he looked like he was trying to get away from me.” The scared look in his eye wasn’t something new to Keith, and neither was the guilt. He didn’t know how he gonna face him Monday.
“You did the right thing. He might realize you’re not such a hard ass. You can be an intimidating guy when you get riled up. Sometimes, I think, you even wanna deck me when I correct your trajectory.”
“You fly too much in the lines.”
“That’s okay, its get the job done efficiently.” Another strong breeze passes by, but it moves Shiro’s line, enough to convince a fish to take its chance on a moving target.
“Woah!” Shiro’s line kept jerking around, and he released some of it to get his catch to ease up. Eventually once it calmed down, he started to reel it back in. It only took a minute before Shiro lipped his fish to give Keith a show. A mean looking son of gun.
“With that mean mug, i’m gonna name him Keith!” his laugh caused the fish to struggle. Even once inside the container, one can hear it splashing around. Keith remained unamused.
“Can we go now?” His line got snagged again.
“Yeah, you did pretty good for your first time.” If looks could kill, Shiro would have been roadkill. “You didn’t catch any fish, but you humored me. You kept at it. You got out of bed by four am. Plus, you had enough practice casting your line for next week!”
“No way in hell am I coming back! I’d rather clean the runway.”
“You had fun at my expense…”
“Come on, the next fish you catch you name it after me and be even!”
“I’m gonna feed it to a bear.”
“So its set! Come on, lets get cleaned up. We need to be back before the commune kitchen gets too busy. Got to enjoy the fish fresh.”
They gathered the bait, rods, fish and overalls all into the back of the truck. The sun was just about done rising from the clouds. Shiro drank in the last of the sunrise. Keith drank the last of the cold coffee.
“How did you know about this place?”
“Commander Holt actually. He took a morning drive out to clear head on a project he was working on. Got lost, and found this place. Says this place can clear the mind. He took me out here when I told him I fish. What you think?”
“Fish aside, its nice.” Clean air, a quite stream and it does have a calm energy.
“I need to come out here more often before I get too caught up in the Kerberos mission prep in a few months. Wont have time between training and press meetings.”
“I’ll fish out here while you’re gone.”
“No. Lets go.” Shiro was the annoyed one now.
“Fish Keith will be the first one on the grill.”
“Good, I hate him, and I’m hungry.” That got both of them to laugh. The truck engine started, and they were on their way back.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you fish.”
“I’m not really hiding it.”
“I’ll take it to the grave.”
“You’re embarrassed aren’t you?”
“’Patience yields focus’ just sounds better.”
“Pffft He also says you’re dimples are deep enough to eat cereal in.”
“He says you’re a big dork!”
“….He doesn’t say that..He is nice…He calls me sir”
“At least that’s only thing he calls you.”
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