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“You are faring much better today,” Allura emphasizes as she swings down her staff in a nasty cross-block. It deflects Keith’s sword slash and goes straight for his shoulder. Keith quickly reacts and pulls out his dagger with his free hand, barely absorbing some of the impact before the staff end slides down and lands the hit.
Keith immediately pushes away from her and jumps back, panting through the throbbing in his shoulder. That’s definitely gonna bruise later, he thinks as his hands shake violently. That was her strongest attack yet and she’s barely trying.
"Keith, you can do this! Watch your right, you're leaving it wide open!" Shiro is sitting off to the side, watching carefully as the two spar in the center of the training room.
“Shiro is right," and Keith grits his teeth at Allura's agreement, knowing that he's getting sloppy and in front of his brother no less. "I certainly hope that was not your best effort Keith.” She rests her staff on her shoulder, a surprisingly confident grin splitting her face.
The sight infuriates him but it also stirs up a deep-seated thrill in his gut. Something he hasn’t felt in years, since sparring or racing against Shiro before Kerberos. “Just getting warmed up Princess.” He licks off the sweat from his upper lip and returns Allura’s grin, then charges forward as she shifts to defense.
The sounds of metal clanging echo through the training room as sword and dagger meet staff again and again. Keith and Allura exchange an intricate dance of attacks, parries, and blocks, neither one giving the other quarter.
To even a less experienced viewer it would be clear that Allura has the overwhelming advantage. She twirls her staff elegantly, easily brushing off every slash and stab from Keith with almost no effort. Meanwhile, Keith is losing steam and his movements become much sloppier. Despite this, Shiro continues to yell encouragement and advice to him.
They separate again and sweat drips down Keith’s forehead. He’s panting hard and feels his body at its limit. The smart thing to do would be to yield and end their match here. But Keith can’t bring himself to; despite his exhaustion, he’s having way too much fun to stop. And Allura seems to share his sentiments, pleased that he’s lasting as long as he has.
"Shiro," Allura suddenly calls to him. "How is Keith fairing against me, in your eyes?"
His heart races even more, scared of what the answer might be.
"Keith's definitely improving. He's slowly learning your combat style, even if he has a hard time keeping up with your skill."
Keith risks a glance at Shiro and is greeted with an encouraging smile and wave. Both his actions and words are more than enough to cut through his fatigue. In response, he puts away his dagger and grips his Bayard in both hands, the blade parallel to the ground. He shoots forth and aims a forward thrust at her midsection.
It nearly hits, but at the last tic she shifts her body sideways, tucking half the staff under her arm. The other end moves up, then descends with her body. At this point, the arc of her staff seems to travel in slow motion. Keith can hear the whistle of it cutting through the air, even as he overextends. But he's helpless, trapped in her range, and unable to react to her overwhelming speed.
Before he can recover, she smashes her staff into the crook of his neck, her body lowering to one knee with the force of the follow-through. Pain blossoms through his shoulder and chest, powerful enough to silence any screams. As he falls, his head slightly tilts and the last sight he sees is the horrified expression on Shiro's face before everything goes dark.
There’s a snap from his collarbone, most likely subtle to anyone else if they were in the room, but to Allura's Altean ears the sound is disturbing in its clarity. Keith gasps once and his sword reverts into Bayard form before dropping to the floor with a clack. In slow motion, the light from his eyes fades before he collapses to the ground as well.
As Allura watches this scene unfold, she gradually feels herself separate from her body and the world begins to spin just slightly to the left. Her tongue is heavy in her mouth and it takes considerable effort before she can call out his name.
“K-Keith? I—”
Keith is still.
She didn’t think this would happen, she didn’t think she put so much strength in that blow, that humans could handle it anyway. And then it hits her, how little she knows about this race that they’ve only made contact with now after thousands of deca-phoebs.
Allura’s staff clatters to the ground and the wave of guilt that follows nearly crushes her. She reaches out, about to pick him up, before jerking back. Shiro has already risen and is at Keith's side before she can even react properly.
So she backs off instead, and heads for the terminal to contact the bridge where she knows Coran is still working. Waiting is agony, and her mind torments her with the sight of her staff connecting with Keith's shoulder, the disgusting crack of his bone as he falls.
Coran responds with his usual chipper greeting, and looks to be wrestling with several large bundles of wires from some panel. The mice are on the ground, moving around and squeaking at him from various points.
He finally sees Allura’s face and sobers up immediately, dropping everything in his hands. “Take care of things for me, would you?” All but Plachu salute with the latter pouting instead, before they carefully pull at the wires together. “Everything alright Princess?”
Allura hesitates, then relays the situation to him. His expression turns grim at the knowledge of Keith’s injury as she instructs him to prepare a pod.
“Don’t worry Princess, we’ll get Number Four to a pod and heal him in less than a tic! Well, maybe not one tic but a bunch of tics which is still no time at all!” And then he disconnects, leaving Allura in silence.
Her hands tremble, stomach churning with guilt. Keith is injured due to her negligence. She inhales, then exhales, calming herself enough before turning to Shiro, who still hasn't moved. She watches Keith, who's been deathly still this whole time. His breathing is slow and stutters, face pale and still covered in a thin sheen of sweat from their earlier spar.
"Shiro, is Keith alright?"
No answer. Shiro is still looking over Keith's still form but his face is hidden from view. A small detail but one that disturbs Allura.
"Shiro?" She calls again. No answer but now Shiro slowly wraps his arms around Keith's shoulder and waist, bringing him closer to himself.
There's a thick tension in the air and Allura is hesitant to cut through it. But cut through it she must. Keith needs medical attention. "Allow me to help in carrying Keith to the medbay." And she steps toward the pair, ready to lift him.
Shiro's body tenses up and it's thanks to Allura's sharp instincts that she's able to dodge the deadly arc from Shiro's activated arm. As she falls back, the heat radiating from his hand just barely misses her face and nearly singes a piece of her bang.
"What are you—"
He finally looks up, human arm still wrapped around Keith's shoulders and pulled toward him. There's no recognition of her in Shiro's eyes, only hatred of the purest form. His lips are pulled back over his teeth, a hideous snarl that warps his normally kind features. It steals the breath from Allura's lungs and she takes a step back.
Let alone attack her, this is the first time Allura has ever seen Shiro show such open hostility, waves of bloodlust emanating from him. "Shiro? It is me, Princess Allura. I am not here to hurt Keith, I want to help him." She keeps her hands up, displaying her willing helplessness. But he refuses to move.
"Shiro, he needs medical attention." No answer. "If you do not wish me to touch him, at least bring him yourself." No answer.
"Shiro—" she stops, seeing something else on his face that gives her pause.
His eyes begin to water, expression wavering. His head lowers and fat teardrops pool in the corners of his eyes before falling as twin tracks down his face. Drops plop on Keith's forehead and cheeks. "Keith...oh Keith...I-I couldn't save you. I'm so-sorry…" His voice is whisper quiet, lips barely moving as he speaks.
But Allura's Altean ears pick up the words clearly. Her heart plummets and she frantically looks to Keith’s chest, sighing as its rise and fall bring her relief. "Keith is not dead, we just need to—"
Shiro’s head snaps up and the waves of bloodlust return even stronger, his eyes promising a terrible fate if she steps too close. It makes her bristle. What is happening to him? Why does he think Keith is dead, or not recognize her?
With a gasp she recalls his ordeal with the Galra, or at least what little she knows about it. Does, does he believe her to be an enemy then? But why? She is clearly not a Galran soldier.
The door opens and Allura looks up to see Coran coming through, holding the medical supply bag in his arms, a gurney floating behind. "Ah Princess, I was wondering where you were with Number Four. And Number One is here too…" He trails off upon seeing Shiro, who has given Coran his attention. His expression stops Coran in his tracks and he immediately drops the bag of supplies on the floor, putting his hands up. "Oh dear, I see you're in a bit of a mood Number One. It's like I'm with King Alfor in a Barnuvuan pit all over again," and he lets out a steady chuckle.
She nearly sighs at him on the cusp of another story despite the situation. "Coran, please do not move. I do not understand what is wrong but he is currently very dangerous."
Despite the situation, Coran is still a paragon of unbothered, matching Shiro's near feral expression with a look of deep concentration. "Princess, do you remember when we discussed before how some species are more sensitive to trauma?"
Allura raises her eyebrows as she returns Coran's gaze, making sure to keep Shiro in her peripheral vision. "Yes, but what does that have to do with him now?"
"It seems that he's trapped in his Champion self right now, most likely through some sort of trigger. And I'm assuming the trigger is related to Number Four's current state?" He jerks his head to Keith, still cradled and held close to Shiro's body.
She considers it and then recalls that the moment the snap from Keith's bone echoed in the room is when Shiro's demeanor changed. But she had just thought it was his fright then. "When I broke Keith's collarbone by mistake. The injury, its sound, and him passing out must have been this trigger."
Coran regards her, and Allura's guilt twists in her gut again. If only she had been more careful during their match. "Princess. I need you to try something that may sound strange, but is most likely the best way to break him out of this."
Allura nods, willing to try nearly anything at this point.
"Then step forward — not enough to trigger his attack of course! But to get his attention, and quickly yell 'sorry!'"
"That-I, I mean… Nothing else?"
"Nothing else Princess, that should do it."
Blinking, she looks to Shiro and tries not to flinch. His shoulders are hunched, and she hopes he isn't getting more agitated as time passes. Carefully move forward… She glides her foot toward the pair and Shiro immediately snaps to attention. She takes another, and his body coils. Allura does her best to ignore her fear and moves just before the spot she knows he'll retaliate. She takes in a shaky breath, ensuring she stares directly at him.
"I AM SORRY!"
The room is silent and the tension, thick before, is like a storm cloud. It reaches a fever pitch and Shiro's shoulders tighten.
Then suddenly his face releases its snarl. He blinks, and sucks in a trembling breath not unlike Allura prior. "Wha-what? Princess? What's going on? Why did you yell?"
She releases a breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding. Somehow, Coran was right about this. And she’s so thankful that Shiro is back to normal, she never wants to experience that horrible bloodlust from him again. But before she can respond, he seems to feel the weight in his arm and he looks down, only to gasp at Keith's unmoving form.
Coran interrupts before he can speak up. "Not to worry Number One, Number Four is in no danger! But he needs a pod in a hurry, so let us see to it."
Allura's throat suddenly dries when Shiro looks at her, and he nods his head. "Okay, we'll talk once we reach the medbay." And his voice is hoarse but stable. Normal.
"Allow me to help you lie Keith on the gurney."
Shiro hesitates then jerks his head in agreement. The pair carefully wrap their arms under Keith’s legs and back, then stand up carrying him to the gurney. As gentle as they try to be lifting and placing him, the pain of being jostled is apparently too great and Keith wakes up with a gasp, then hisses and groans.
“Sorry buddy. Didn’t mean to hurt you.” As plain as day is his relief, however, at seeing Keith awake and aware.
“S’kay Sh’ro. M’fin…” And he winces, as the pain from slightly moving his shoulder catches up to him. Keith looks to Allura, Shiro, and Coran, who all share expressions of relief with the first two looking exhausted. Moving his mouth is hard, he just wants to sleep again and get away from the pain. But he has to ask. “Ev’ry...thin...ok’y…”
Shiro sniffs and nods. “Yeah, everything is good now.”
This close up, and him finally looking, he sees something wet on his brother’s cheeks. He was crying? But he doesn’t get the chance to ask, as they all move to the medbay and Keith has to focus on not moving his body too much.
They arrive and Shiro dresses him in the cryosuit while Allura and Coran reset the pod. His last sight is Allura’s face, sad and eyes wide, then everything goes black.
Allura stares at Keith's form, still and peaceful as the pod works to heal the break. Her mind replays the events prior. First the sharp sounds of bone snapping as Keith falls and hits the floor. How still his body was, his pale and sweaty face. Shiro crouched over him, the snarl on his lips, his aura screaming death. She fears sleep tonight will not release her from these visions either.
Meanwhile, Coran is examining his vitals, as well as the extent of the damage. It takes a moment, both her and Shiro waiting silently and Allura is afraid to look at him properly.
Once Coran seems to be satisfied, he turns to them. "Luckily it was a clean break, and his bone should heal quickly and with no lasting damage. However," and he taps his datapad, which most likely has his medical information. "The force Allura applied to his shoulder, neck, and collarbone is something only Number Four could have withstood."
Allura is confused at first, and then her mind works to piece everything together. Once it becomes clear, she gasps. "Coran, you do not mean that…" She feels nauseous and finally turns to see Shiro, who's turned sickly white himself.
"I'm afraid so. On a whim, I looked over Number Three's data from his own stay in the pod, as well as past data I collected from One, Two, and Five. And it seems that if it were anyone else, the blow would have gone completely through their bodies. It's fascinating really," and he spends a moment flicking through the pad, unaware of the atmosphere in the room. "According to this, he has denser bones than the rest of you Earthlings. I wonder why that would be the case…"
The guilt is back in full force, gurgling in Allura's gut, threatening to spill over. She wrings her hands and turns to Shiro. "I am deeply sorry for my carelessness. I had no idea Earthlings would be this vulnerable to Altean strength."
Her eyes are closed, afraid to see the anger that should be on his face, so she's shocked to feel a hand on her shoulder. "I know you didn't mean it. I should have been more attentive, and put a stop to things sooner. We just need to be more careful next time, myself included."
She opens her eyes, slightly moist, and nods. "Of course. And I will adjust the training regime as well."
Both Allura and Shiro refuse to leave Keith's side until he heals. The other Paladins will be back shortly anyway, so she'll debrief them here.
Keith becomes aware of himself, and slowly opens his eyes. He takes a moment, then memories flood back and he gasps. Air bubbles from the cryo fluid form from his lips and he searches until he makes eye contact with Shiro and Allura. The fluid drains and the pod releases him, allowing him to step down and forward on shaky legs.
Of course Shiro is ready and wraps his arms around him. His broad chest is comforting as always and Keith leans into the embrace. Then there are another pair of arms wrapping around both of them and Keith startles until he feels fluffy hair against his face. "A-Allura?"
"Keith, I am sorry for my reckless actions. I should have been in more control of my strength."
Keith feels awkward, to say the least. It's bizarre having a Princess apologize to him. "Um, you don't have to worry about it. I should have stopped before it got to that point, so I messed up too."
He feels a light swipe on his head and shouts out a halfhearted "hey!" but Allura continues. "Do not blame yourself for this. You were the injured party, not myself."
"The Princess is right Keith. I should have been more observant too. This isn't your fault."
He huffs, knowing how stubborn these two are, they're never let him share the blame. It’s not like it was pleasant or anything, he doesn't exactly like the feeling of breaking a bone. But still, he did instigate when he knew he was getting sloppy and exhausted.
He pushes away from the two first and they give him a bit of space. He crosses his arms, needing the pressure around his midsection to think. “Guys, I know you mean well but you're kinda babying me here too. I just think we’re, I dunno, too competitive? Maybe, we could like, set a line? Like if one of us,” and Keith knows damn well it’ll be him most likely, but Allura deserves a cop-out too, “is too tired or something…”
“Then we will immediately stop. Excellent idea!” Allura finishes with a clasp of her hands and her jewel eyes shine. “And Shiro, I do believe this is a policy that everyone can adhere to, yes?”
Shiro hums. “Sounds good to me.”
Later that night, Allura tosses and turns in her bed, disturbing the mice enough that they move away to the foot of her bed in a huff. She can’t get the images and sounds out of her mind. She’s sparred with so many before, back in Altea, and has never come close to badly injuring anyone else.
That look of shock in Keith’s eyes when her staff cracks and breaks his collarbone. His gasp of pain, him falling and collapsing on the floor. His body still. Shiro standing over him. The heat of his arm on her face. Tears falling from his cheeks and plopping on Keith’s face. The sorrow as Shiro believes his brother to be dead for that one horrifying moment.
It’s too much for Allura to bear, and in a huff she throws the sheets off her. “Maybe I need to clear my head for a moment. Mice, I will be back shortly.” They squeak out their acknowledgment and she grabs her robe and leaves her bedroom.
In the lounge she spots Keith lying on one of the couches, datapad in hand. It looks as though he’s reading something. Sitting next to Keith is Shiro, who’s speaking softly to him. They both look up as she draws near.
“I did not mean to disturb you two. I was just…” And she can’t bring herself to finish, but they seem to understand despite that.
“Yeah, couldn’t really sleep either. Neither could Shiro.”
Shiro nods in agreement, then pauses for a moment before speaking up. “Princess, could I ask you something?” At her assent, he continues and she braces herself, earlier thoughts beginning to swirl in her mind again. “I, I mean. Earlier today, when Keith was injured. Did I...do something? Like attack you or yell or something?” He sighs and combs his Galra hand through his hair. Keith has already rested the pad on his chest and is listening fully now. “I don’t really remember much, everything’s pretty blurry. But the feelings are there. And I remember feeling angry, and then...sad? I think? Then I heard you yell 'sorry' and I was back.”
Allura sits on the couch opposite them. She looks down and wills herself not to grip on the material of her nightgown. “I am not sure what happened either. But it seems that you went into some sort of trance and believed me to be an enemy.” She holds up a hand when Shiro looks ready to interject. “I know that is not what you actually think but at the time something was definitely wrong. Only when I approached did you attack and only the one time.” Shiro sucks in a breath but doesn’t interrupt otherwise. “But you were clearly protecting Keith, who you believed to be either dead or near death, and even mourned him.
“It was thanks to Coran’s quick thinking that we snapped you out of your trance. I suppose the logic was, enemies do not apologize for their actions.” And she smiles, but there’s little mirth in it.
It’s quiet in the room as the group reflects on what was just said. Surprisingly it’s Keith who speaks up first. “Shiro, you thought I was dead?”
“I’m...not really sure. I don’t recall that, but it does match the sadness I felt. That... could have been mourning.” And here he hesitates, which makes sense considering the morbid topic of Keith’s “death.”
Suddenly a spark of inspiration strikes Allura and she looks up to them. “It might be prudent to speak with Coran in the morning then. He had some knowledge of certain species being more susceptible to trauma. And from what we’ve seen, humans are especially sensitive.”
Shiro looks to argue but slumps over after a moment. “You’re right. At the very least, it could help control whatever happened to me back there. I don’t want to risk hurting any of my comrades again."
He stops here and leans forward, rubbing his face with his human hand. "Also, I remembered something else. That my arm swung out. My right arm. I assume that was the attack you just mentioned?"
Allura doesn't know how to answer without placing blame on him. So she remains silent.
Shiro seems to take it as a confirmation and his face looks pained for a moment. "I’m sorry about attacking you Princess. I should have had better control and instead, I put you and Coran in dange—”
“It is alright. We have already established it was not your fault.”
Things seem pensive again, and Shiro looks between Allura and Keith for a moment before speaking. His words are measured, slow and almost deliberate. “Maybe you should talk to Coran as well. Since what happened back there is still keeping you up as well.”
She finds herself nearly scoffing. “I am perfectly fine thank you. Nothing happened to me at all. In fact, Keith should be the one to discuss things with Coran.” She hopes to at least divert attention enough to derail the whole discussion. After all, she’s the one who harmed Keith. But instead of getting upset, Keith gives her a cheeky grin before sitting up.
“I’ll do it if Allura does.”
She might have miscalculated.
“I mean, I don’t really remember much so I’ll be quick. But you’re doing that thing where you try to cover up how you really feel. And you’re...uh…kinda bad at it.”
“Sorry Princess, but Keith is right.” Shiro’s smile doesn’t look very apologetic.
Allura bristles a bit. She can’t be that bad. One of her most important duties is diplomacy after all. But if even Keith notices something off... And not to mention that these thoughts are already interfering with her sleep, which is unacceptable. “I...suppose I could speak to him for just a spell. Not that I need it of course.”
Keith snorts before lying back down and Shiro gives her a soft thanks. He looks especially relieved and Allura realizes it might be easier for him to open up with someone else there. That and she wonders if Shiro is worried for her as well.
The tension between them is nearly gone, and they all enjoy the peace together for a while longer.