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The soft yet still tired chirping of the birds sounded unfamiliar. The wind that caressed his cheek so sweetly felt unfamiliar. The rising sun that slowly started to light up the horizon looked unfamiliar. Everything felt unfamiliar, strange, as if this had not been his home planet. He felt like an alien on earth. Shaking these deep thoughts from his mind, Shiro took a deep breath of the clear and crispy morning air to clear his mind. How long had it been since his last morning run while the Garrison was still asleep? He couldn’t remember; it had been too long ago. It had been his and Adam’s ritual in the early morning; being the first one up, going for a run – too tired to talk, but running anyway. After their breakup he had been running alone, because no matter how his life had changed, he was always running. Any weather. And now? Now he was standing here, staring at the unfamiliar morning sun, hesitant to take the first step. How his life had changed in the last 5 years; how could death, resurrection, a clone body, a war and cats in space make the sun feel unfamiliar on his skin? “Oh, good morning, Captain! I didn’t know you were a runner as well.”Startled Shiro turned around, still a bit blinded by the morning sun. He hadn’t heard anyone approaching, but slowly his eyes recognized the silhouette of another man; he did recognize his voice immediately though.
“Good morning, Curtis. I wouldn’t really call myself a runner, but yes, I used to enjoy running in the morning.”Curtis took a deep breath, “It’s a strange feeling to be back, isn’t it? Everything is kind of unfamiliar. I have been lying in bed for 15 minutes wondering if I should run or not, because nothing feels the same anymore.”Shiro looked surprised at Curtis’ words, but nodded along. “Yeah, everything feels strange after all this time in space. After the…” War. After the long, harsh war. He hesitated to say the word out loud. He wanted to leave it behind so badly. All this suffering, the pain, the memories. “I have only been a part of the crew at the very end”, Curtis said, “Yet I am having troubles adjusting to my old life again. I cannot imagine how hard it is for you, Sir.”Shiro shook his head, “I think that at a certain point it doesn’t matter who had suffered more or less; every single person has to deal with so much sorrow, loss and pain right now, no matter if it is big or small. We are all in the same boat. We are all fighting to take the first steps to go back to our normal lives.” The first steps. If this first step led to a first morning run, would he be able to leave everything behind eventually?“Sounds like the words of a strong man”, Curtis said as he stretched his legs carefully, “You are an inspiration to so many of us.”Shiro smiled sadly, “Thank you for saying this, Curtis. But I do not feel that strong. Actually I feel pretty weak inside. I am just good at hiding it.”“Not all kind of weakness is bad though; it’s what makes us human. Sometimes we do not realize our own strength. Isn't there this saying, once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through. You might feel weak deep inside, but in the moment of truth you have shown your true strength. You have survived the storm; you are strong.”“Sounds like the words of a wise man”, Shiro said smiling at him. Curtis smiled back, a bit flustered yet sincere. “Come on, let’s go”, Shiro suggested, “Or we will still be standing around here by noon.” Yet his legs did not move. Why… just why couldn’t he take the first step? What was he afraid of? His leg just had to move, just one tiny movement… why did he feel so weak?
And all of a sudden Curtis was next to him and without giving it a second thought, he took the first step. Then the second. Then the third. And before he realized it, they had already left the Garrison grounds. They were running silently, to the rhythm of the sound the gravel made under their feet. It was a calm and peaceful run, not too fast, not too slow. The birds were singing, the wind was blowing, the sun was rising; a new day was about to start. A new day on earth. “Thank you, Curtis”, Shiro said to break the silence.“Mmh?”“I couldn’t take the first step. I do not know why, it was like something was holding me back. Without you, I’d probably still be standing in front of the Garrison staring at the sun.”“The first step is always the hardest”, Curtis agreed. Shiro smiled, enjoying how smoothly the run was, now that the first steps had been taken, “Would you go for a run again with me tomorrow morning?”“It would be a great honour, Sir. But am I not too slow for you?”“No, you’re perfect”, Shiro said, still smiling, “But could you call me Shiro when we are not on duty?”“Gladly”, Curtis answered smiling back at him as they continued to run towards the morning sun. One step after another.