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This planet hates the Galra.
Of course they did.
Keith wishes he would have actually said something sooner to someone. He had noticed the side stares, he had seen the sneers and the glares and the words that bordered on angry, passive aggressive enough to get away. He figured they were being that way with all of them being mad that they had been under the Galra's hand this long.
Angry that Voltron hadn’t been around to protect them.
Oh how he'd been so stupid. How he’d been so so so stupid not to see the fact that they knew. They had known the whole time just who he was.
"Let's take him now," one of the aliens hisses as they wave their hand at him, sharp claws out, "We can decide what to do with him later."
The building shakes as the sounds of battle rings around them. Flakes of stone crackles, falling onto them as they all stand there. Keith rests on his side, front limbs cuffed to each other awkwardly, arms hooked to legs. He can't even shout for the others, since his mouth is restrained with some type of leather collar thing. Muzzle, it’s a muzzle of some sort. It blocks his mouth from moving, holding in any sound he wishes to create, no matter how loud.
He'd been jumped, right in the middle of a mission. Backstabbed so quickly...
God, he should have seen it coming, especially since they had insisted that the team split up their paladins. God, he should have just followed Shiro's plan to have two teams. But he hadn't. He felt guilty enough being Galra. He didn't want to aggravate the troubled people more. God, he should have agreed with Shiro. He really should have.
His side was aching, his shoulder feeling disconnected from his body. His Blade of Marmora trial left his arm sore and the aliens hitting it didn't help. He might have been bleeding, but he can't move it. It hangs limply, damaged and wounded too much to shift.
"It'll look like the Galra took him," another pointed out as they step closer to him. He glares at them, but none pay him any attention, "The other paladins will never know otherwise."
Keith hisses, fear spiking. They're not wrong. It's not like they were close before this whole journey-into-space-via-Blue-Lion thing. Only he and Shiro were close friends, the others just there because they had to be. But now...now that he was Galra...they'd never notice. They'd probably not even care. Allura would probably be excited to lose him from the team.
A spark of pain races through his chest at that. It hurts to breathe, in a figurative sense.
"You are right," another nods before staring at him. The ceiling shakes again as the sounds from his helmet echo from inches to his right. His helmet had been yanked off at the same time that he had been cuffed, this side muted so no one could hear them. He could hear the sounds of blasts outside, the team yelling at him and fighting for their lives. Keith growls angrily, moving himself a bit. His arm drags on him as he scoots to the side by inches.
“Keith!”
“What the fuck! Where is he?”
“Hunk! To your left!”
“Ahhh! Someone! They’re going to hit Yellow again! We’re not going to last much longer! I’m...I’m gonna be sick!”
“Lance! Shoot your lasers! Pidge, get their opening blocked!” Comes Shiro’s voice, ever so the leader, “Keith! Where are you, buddy! Answer me, please! Keith!”
Hands in his hair stop him as they snap his head up to their faces. Keith lets out a whine of misery as they crowd around him. His hand digs into the floor, wanting to get to his helmet. His team needs him. Shiro needs him.
"Silly, Galra boy," one hisses, gripping his chin sharply, "Thought you could fool us with your blood. Disguised to look like the other paladins, but we know. You hold their blood. It’s disgusting. You hold a monster within, and we will show you that. You cannot hide."
"Say good night, little Galra," another chuckles before he grabs something, a syringe filled with black liquid. Keith tries to fight. He needs to get free, but they must notice since the one holding his hair pulls harder. His head is shoved to the side, the needle stabbed into his neck before he's released. Keith feels a burn creep from his throat through his body, leaving him pawing at the ground to get away. He wants Shiro. He wants Pidge, or Hunk, or Lance, or Coran, or even Allura. He only gets an inch before his vision goes black.
…..
"Holy shit," Shiro can hear Pidge in the distance as he walks out of Black. The youngest is rubbing her sweaty face, blinking as she stood with the other two, "That was one of the most intense battles we've ever had."
"Yeah," Hunk nods, "Did they get stronger than before or something? I mean, man, they kinda seemed...I don't know...prepared for us."
"Who cares?" Lance grins, waving it off as he stretches his arms out, "We won. They're gone. Another planet saved!"
Shiro rolls his eyes. Of course Lance would be saying that. But then again, they deserved it, especially after that hard fight. He had been so sure that at least one of them was going to crash their lion. There were several times he thought he was going to crash Black. Heck, even Black thought so too.
He turns back to the conversation.
"Yeah," Lance stares into the distance with annoyance all over his face, "Like mullet was any help. I needed his help back there but did he show? Nooo...he didn't. Probably off doing who knows what with his sneaky ninja Galra whatever he does."
Shiro frowns. That wasn't Keith. The younger man would never run off and leave them in danger like this. Something happened, it had to have.
“None of you have heard from him?” He asks with a concerned look. The three glance at him, brows going up in confusion before shaking their heads, “When was the last time you heard anything from him?”
“Uhhh…” Hunk blinks before rubbing his head, “I actually don’t know...I was kind of focused on piloting Yellow and not uhhh...dying.”
“I think I heard him during the battle,” Pidge frowns before pulling up her holopad, replaying something. They can all hear the sounds of fights in the distance, which was likely the distraction that they used. Shiro and Hunk had been out in the fight while Lance, Pidge, and Keith had snuck inside to get the prisoners out. Shiro frowns, knowing that the prisoners from Keith’s section got out. He had seen them fleeing the building, most in bad conditions but moving under their own power. He didn’t recall Keith coming out, and it was proven when he glances to the side. The Red Lion sits on her haunches, face blank and unlit.
The sound shifts, the sounds getting louder as they get close. He can hear whispers and the noise of doors rattling. He hears Keith saying something about the others getting the other cages open while he works on this one. The others confirm it, going away as Keith unlocks the doors, likely by his DNA since the Galra had used the scanners there. He hears the prisoners rushing out by Keith and then…
A tiny yelp before a crash goes out. The video crackles before stopping, the only sounds coming from it is their helmets. They all glance at each other, faces pale before Pidge types something.
“I can’t pull up Keith’s video film,” she scowls before typing faster. A minute passes before she hisses, “I can’t locate his armor.”
“How is that possible?” Hunk frowns, rubbing his helmet, “I mean, it emits a specific element that they don’t have here.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” the Green Paladin stares at him before showing her screen, all blank though they can see their armor and that of the castle up in the atmosphere, “I can’t detect his armor at all. Either something’s interfering with my scanner or…”
“Or?” Lance frowns, blinking at her, “What?”
“Or Keith’s been captured by the Galra who fled,” Pidge continues as she gazes upward, right where the aliens had fled through the sky back to their bases. They could still see the machines, so Shiro felt a spark of hope rush through him.
“We can get there in time,” he shouts out before bolting for the Black Lion and rushing forward. The others all follow, springing up as they race after the ships. They’re just a bit away when the ships start to glow. Shiro’s heart slams into his chest as he yanks the yoke further in, going as fast as he could. But…
It’s no use.
The ships disappear, teleporting themselves away. Shiro yells out, trying to get there in time, to no avail. He glares into the distance, gripping Black’s yokes before sighing and turning back.
“We need to find him,” Shiro scowls softly before rubbing his face, “Come on. We’ll ask what happened and get to the castle to get Keith back.”
“Alright.”
“Sounds good.”
“We’ll find him.”
He sure hopes so.
…..
Keith woke to a buzzing brain and shaky limbs.
He huffs, waking up some as he stretches out. His arm was much better, though it was still sore as hell. He’s no longer in cuffs, but his armor has been stripped from his body. It takes a moment for him to realize that he is actually in a new outfit, one that left him fairly exposed. His arms and legs are out, the thing split into two pieces. One covers his chest, just enough to carve around him. The other covers his hips, showing off more than he was comfortable with. It was black and…
There was something on his neck. Keith quickly grabs it up in his hand, feeling a collar there. He rubs his digits along it, hoping to find a break in it or divots or something. But the collar is solid all around. It has a hook in the back, but it doesn't seem to go to anything.
“He’s awake,” someone speaks from the door of his cell, cutting him off from his inspection. Keith glances up, glaring at the smirking alien, “Took you long enough. Thought you were going to take a nap for another day.”
Wait…his mind takes a moment to understand...
Another day…
Keith gets up, pushing himself against the wall. If it’s been a whole day already...that could be bad. He's been here too long already.
"Hah, they bought it," the alien grins at him, messing with something at the door, "The other paladins bought it that you went with the Galra scum. We even convinced them that you went traitor, gone over to the dark side. Didn't even take them long to accept it. They looked so sure that you joined them."
"Shut up," Keith growls before he curls up. The chill of the cell burns his skin, leaving him cold, "They'll figure it out. Shiro won't fall for-"
He quickly snaps his mouth shut, having overspoke. Shit. Shit. Shit…
"Ohhh," the alien grins at him as another wanders up behind him. She's dragging something in her hold, whatever it is making some noise. He doesn't know if it's not a person, but it sounds too small to be, "The Black Paladin. He held out for a moment before giving up. Looks like no one will come to rescue you, Galra."
"I brought it for you," the woman grunts before she yanks on something, the thing in her hold going quiet, "It nearly got me a few times. Sure we need to put it in there with him?"
"Oh, you worried for the little scum?"
"Nah," she smirks back, "Just the poor ketigy's."
"Poor ketigy," the man snickers before he grabs something Keith can't see, "But we must test out his blood-thirstiness. All Galra are the same, testing on our people. They starve them, beat them. Now, we will do it back onto them. Release it inside with him."
The door slides open, something white getting shoved into the cell before it slides shut. The thing gets up, moving around agitatedly before stomping a foot. Keith stares at it, becoming hyper-focused on the thing.
It looks almost like a cat, but mixed with a kangaroo. It's back legs are large and its tail is thick. It's got darker grey markings like those of a tabby cat, but somehow, he notices it has flat teeth.
Its scent is...alluring. It smells like...food? His stomach hisses at him as his gaze narrows onto it. Said thing growls at him, but its leg is damaged, a noticeable limp there. Keith tenses anyway, feeling ready to attack at any moment. He creeps closer, not caring about the louder growl that comes from it. The closer he gets, the more everything grows hazy in his mind. He starts to disconnect, needing something to eat. He needs to kill, needs to destroy, needs…
He jerks back, heart racing as he scoots to the back of the cell. He doesn't know what his head is doing. He’s not killing the thing. He doesn’t want to eat it. He just needed to stay away from it.
Too bad it didn’t feel the same way, coming closer after a minute. Keith could feel himself falling apart the closer it came. It was weak...it didn’t deserve to live...it was going to di-
He moved back some again, getting far enough away to be free of those thoughts. He scoots back to the side of the cell, where he can’t go any further. The alien outside snickers before muttering something, tapping something. Keith somehow feels the collar shift. A second later, he's being drug across the floor closer to the animal.
Hungry. He's so so so hungry. He wants to kill it, shred its guts like the piece of steak it is and claim it as his. He wants it crawling away in pain before he goes for the kill. He wants-
He jerks again, pushing away. He has to stop. This isn't him. He's not this way.
Too bad the animal doesn't get the note. As soon as he starts fighting to get away, the thing charges at him. Sharp claws rake at his face, cutting from his eye to jaw. He yelps in pain as strong feet kick him back into the wall. He slams into it, smashing to the floor where he curls up.
"Stop being a coward, little Galra," one snarls before a shock jolts through Keith's neck and chest. Keith cries out, pawing at the device. At the same time, the animal runs up at him, tail snapping at him. He doesn't move in time, the thick appendage practically punching his jaw. Something snaps, making Keith let out a choked sob.
It's too much. It hurts. He's scared. He wants home. He wants Shiro. He wants the others. He wants-
He screams as something tears into his old shoulder wound. His eyes snap to the beast who readies itself for another attack. Everything turns red as his heart beats fast.
Before he's aware of it, he's on top of the thing. He snarls at it with a low growl, vision sharpening. He can see every hair on it, can smell its fear and pain as his own claws rip into it. He loses track of time after that, but the next time he's aware, he's still hurt.
The animal is long gone. It is shredded beyond reason, skin torn and bones snapped. Its neck is brutally slashed out, almost disconnected from its body. Keith's jaw hurts much more now, and he can taste blood.
It's not his.
"So you do have some fight in you, little Galra," the alien speaks up with a grin. He leans against the bars, smirking at Keith, "We'll be back. In the meantime, at least you have a snack."
The man laughs as he and the women disappear, both of their laughter ringing through his cell. Keith glares, arms around himself. He can feel all the blood drying, crusting up under his nails and skin. His wounds still bleed a bit, some blood dripping into his eye, making him blink rapidly to clear it. It doesn't work. His shoulder is still leaking out blood, dripping down his front to the floor. His jaw hurts much more now, clearly strained or broken.
He moves far away from the animal's corpse, no longer feeling the need to kill. Whatever they drugged him with is cruel and leaves him aching and bone-chillingly empty. He feels sick though, as he tastes and smells the blood in his mouth, on him. He doesn't expect the first gag, but soon, he's throwing up. What little he has in his stomach comes up, mostly blood from the dead animal. He hacks it up, throwing up on the cell floor violently until he can't breathe anymore. Panic grips him as he chokes on another gag, nothing coming up. His head hurts, his stomach is in pain, he feels a bit dizzy, and he can't stop. He makes the effort to stop, which has him lying on the dirty floor, curling up in the far corner.
He wants Shiro. He feels so sick still, he wants...needs arms around him. He would kill for it.
He slides into a restless sleep.
…..
Shiro rubs his face as the tracker shows up empty. They're all sitting on the bridge, trying desperately to track Keith down. So far, they hadn't found anything. It's been two whole days, but there are no messages left for them. There's no Galra gloating about having the Red Paladin. There's...just nothing. It's disturbing.
"I still can't find his armor," Pidge frowns deeply, typing away, "Either they dumped it somewhere I can't track or…"
She breaks off, face going serious. Shiro gazes at her, brow raising in surprise and curiosity.
"What if he's not on the Galra ship?" Pidge goes on, "What if...what if we were betrayed?"
"What?" Lance frowns, "Why would they betray us? We helped free them!"
"Because Keith is Galra," Allura speaks up, voice soft, "They must have known somehow. Pidge-"
"I'm on it," the youngest pulls up the recording, "I'm going to remove the distracting audio like our battle and the fleeing prisoners."
She does. Their shouts disappear along with the clashes of the opening cell doors and the running feet. All they hear is silence for a moment before the yelp rings out. A moment later, they hear muffled voices. Pidge frowns, messing with something before it turns up.
"Let's take him now," a voice hisses, "We can decide what to do with him later."
“It'll look like the Galra took him," another states, "The other paladins will never know otherwise."
They all glance at each other, eyes widening. The aliens hadn’t been wrong. They had thought it was the Galra. They should have seen it coming. Shiro should have seen it.
"Silly, Galra boy," one growls as they listen in with their hearts racing, "Thought you could fool us with your blood. Disguised to look like the other paladins, but we know. You hold their blood. It’s disgusting. You hold a monster within, and we will show you that. You cannot hide."
"Say good night, little Galra," another says before the feed cuts out.
“Pidge,” Shiro stands tall, “Track his helmet. It must be on the planet we were just at. Lance, Hunk, suit up. We’re going to need to be ready for a battle. We don’t know what state Keith will be in when we get to him. Coran, we probably will need a pod for Keith. And Allura, can you wormhole us back?”
“I can try,” Allura nods before she looks down in guilt, “Though it took us nearly a day just to get out here with a wormhole.”
“It’s okay,” Shiro nods, “Everything takes time. Let’s just make sure we retrieve Keith and get him out of there.”
“Yeah,” Hunk nods with a worried look, “Who knows what they are doing to him in there. What if they tortured him? Wait, what if...you don’t think he’s dead? He can’t be dead, right?”
“Considering the fact that Red hasn’t gotten mad yet,” Shiro speaks up, remembering the Blade trials and the lion attacking after Keith had slid into a vision coma for a bit. It was safe to say that Keith was safe for now. Shiro couldn’t help but worry though, “He’s alive. But we have to hurry to get to him. We need a battle plan if we want to rescue him alive.”
“I’ll get working on that,” Pidge glances at him, golden eyes worried too.
“Okay, team,” Shiro nods, “Let’s get our Red Paladin back.”
…..
Keith’s been abandoned.
As far as he’s aware, it’s been days. By now, the dead animal stinks like death. For some reason, there’s no flies or anything hanging on it, but it still makes the whole cell smell terrible. Keith still lies on the far side of the cell, blood caked on his hands and face. His jaw refuses to work right, and every time he moves it slightly, fire burns through his head. He’s pretty sure that his shoulder is infected, since the room also smells like it. If he glances to the side, he can see yellow pus along the wound. He’s tried a few times to clean it with the little bit of clothing he had on, but it’s too skin tight to move or take off. His claws are gone, so he can’t cut it off.
He shivers deeply before his fingers twitch.
He’s been abandoned here for days.
The last time anyone entered his cell, was shortly after the fight. They had come in, pinning him to the wall before injecting more of the liquid stuff. This one felt different, more powerful and long lasting. Even now, his toes tingle and his spine hurts. He can feel the very tip of the bloodlust. Inside, he itches for something to tear up, something to destroy.
He’s been abandoned.
His team isn’t going to find him. He couldn’t let himself hope. They all hate him, so why would they even want to come get him? Even Shiro…
Keith blinks away tears.
Shiro promised. He promised to never give up on Keith. Keith...he had to believe it. Shiro would save him. He just...Keith didn’t want Shiro getting hurt to do so. He’s been through enough. He didn’t need to get hurt by anyone else.
Another shiver runs through him. The floor once felt cool but now it’s too warm. He’s likely got a fever. He’s dehydrated too, lips dry as the desert. He’s tried to drink some of the animal’s blood, knowing it was the only source of water. But a few minutes after he had tried, he had coughed it all back up, stomach burning and body hurting.
He lies there.
He drifts off into an uneasy sleep. It’s a choppy sleep, one that leaves him exhausted and broken. He swears he feels arms around him, someone sturdy lying at his back. He feels safe when it happens, like he’s being bundled in warmth and comfort. He wants it to be Shiro, holding him this close. He wants Shiro to run his fingers through his hair, mutter soft nothings to him as he cuddles near. He just...wants soft stuff. He just wants Shiro.
But he wakes alone.
A long whine leaves him as he comes to. It’s too cold. He’s too cold. He feels like he’s dying, maybe he is. It hurts. His jaw is swollen, cuts burning hotly. He wants to die. It should be wrong to think that, but he hurts and no one is coming. No one wants him. No one cares.
The foster families made that clear. The home made that clear. The Garrison made that clear.
His team...the team made that clear.
He’s Galra. Everyone hates the Galra. He hates the Galra, for hurting his best friend. Shiro...hates him?
“Never,” he swears he hears Shiro’s voice, softer than ever as a hand rubs over his uninjured side of his face, “I will never hate you, Keith. I love you, buddy.”
But when he opens his eyes, he doesn’t see Shiro. It’s just an empty cell with the deteriorating animal. He hurts more. His body burns. He’s so tired. He wants Shiro. He wants his best friend.
He sleeps.
…..
“The Red Lion is trying to break out of her hangar!”
Shiro jolts as he races to the hangars. Sure enough, Red thrashes against the doors, growling lowly before snarling, paw swiping out. Her tail smacks into the wall, barely missing Shiro’s head. The human backs up, bangs flying through the air. It's taken them a full day to make it to the planet, and Red had gone crazy as soon as they entered the atmosphere.
'Fire-sister feels pain,' Black whispers worriedly in his mind, 'Her paladin is hurt and sick. Gravely ill with something. Must follow.'
Shiro agrees.
"Open the hangar!"
"What!"
"Shiro!"
"We're doing what now!"
"Why!"
"Shiro?" Allura's voice interrupts their panic, "Is that wise?"
"Red will find Keith faster than we can," Shiro watches her panic more, a louder growl coming out, "It's bare down there. We know no civilians will get caught in this. Keith's in trouble, I know it."
A moment of silence echoes around them before Allura agrees too.
"Alright," she nods, or rather Shiro assumes that she does, "But you must get inside Black before we do. You may need all the lions."
"Thank you, princess."
…..
Keith wakes to figures standing above him. He can't tell who they are, just shadows. There are four of them, talking to each other.
"Disgusting little slime ball," one whispers with sharp white eyes, "Waste of space."
"Monster," another snarls, its claws settling over Keith's face, wracking pain from eye to broken jaw, "Just how Galra are you? Was your grandmother Galra? Your mother? Only monsters crave blood. Only monsters bleed purple. And you are a monster."
Keith whimpers before trying to move away. Before he can, someone holds onto his neck, preventing him from going anywhere.
"Where do you think you're going, little demonling?" They hiss with sharp teeth, white eyes narrowed in anger, "You're broken. Worthless. Your parents abandoned you, just like your team! They don't care about you, the worthless orphan boy."
"'S not 'rue," Keith cries out brokenly, hand reaching out but never quite touching the shadow, "They'll 'ome. 'ey will."
"We're all you have left," the fourth states from above him, gripping his bruised and battered jaw, "You're going to die down here. And what's better, is you're going to die alone."
The shadow moves away, its companions leaving too. Keith whines in pain before he grabs out, claws digging into the wrist of the shadow. Said shadow stops, turning slowly before something snaps at his shoulder. He arches as agony goes through him. When he opens his eyes, the fourth shadow is practically on top of him, claws in his shoulder.
"What are you going to do about it, little Galra?" They laugh wickedly, "No one is coming. Give up on yourself. Give up and the pain will cease."
"Nev-ver," Keith growls shakily.
"Then you've chosen to be alone," the shadow grins darkly, fangs extending. The whole shadow seems to shake and shift until it looks like a shadow of…
"'Ro," Keith calls out.
"You've chosen to be alone," shadow Shiro sneers, teeth gleaming, "Goodbye, Keith."
And then all four start for the cell door. Keith's too weak to get up and follow.
They're leaving. His team is leaving him. He's alone. He's alone.
A broken wail leaves him, not at all sounding human. Keith doesn't notice it over the pain. He sees his fingertips have turned back to blunt points, but he doesn't care as he starts to dig into the wound on his shoulder. Something hot and sticky comes out, and he sees red and yellow before he passes out again.
…..
They're underground. As far as Shiro can tell, it's some type of bunker. He shivers as they pass another cell. It's empty, but the image leaves him cold. It's too much like his time as a prisoner.
"Shiro," a voice pulls him out of his thoughts as he glances at a worried Lance who is carefully holding onto his elbow, "Look, we can go find him. If this is too much, we get it."
"Yeah, man," Hunk nods, "We can go on ahead."
"Yeah," Pidge agrees, glancing at her projector screen, "I'm not getting any signatures of anything alive here for guards or anything. It's like they all left."
"Thank you," Shiro smiles at them before he sighs, "But I have to do this. I made a promise to Keith long ago, and I intend on keeping it. We don't know what state he is in."
The three nod, accepting his choice. They all make their way to the deepest cell. There's nothing to greet them but utter eerie silence. It's weird. It's...unsettling.
"This is the last cell," Pidge states as they get close, "He has to be in here."
"Uhhh, guys," Hunk frowns before he winces, "What is that smell?"
"Uhhh…" Lance squints before his eyes widen, "Ew, it smells like something dead. Wait, it's not...It's not Keith, right?"
"One way to tell," Shiro hisses softly before cutting off the lock on the door, the metal swinging open. Inside lies a mangled mess of some type of animal, blood long since dried and bones snapped apart. It's not Keith, luckily. The dead carcass is in the middle of the cell, but there's another smell under all of its stench. Shiro knows it intimately from his time in the Galra arena cells.
Infection.
There's another clump in the far back of the room. It's clearly a person, limbs long and pale. They are wrapped around their body, shivering weakly. From here, Shiro sees the infected shoulder, one that houses a very familiar scar.
"Keith," he calls out, hurrying forward carefully, "Keith."
A hiss echoes around the room, making Shiro pause. Brows moving down, he frowns as the noise gets louder. Before he can move, he sees Keith shake. Through black strands of hair, he sees glowing yellow eyes, irises slits as fangs become exposed to them as Keith growls this time.
"I uhhh...what's going on?" Hunk asks worriedly, "Is he going Galra or something?"
"I think...they injected him with something," Pidge speaks up, pointing towards Keith's neck, which has a large bruise, "Maybe it's making his Galra side go crazy."
As if to prove her point, Keith growls deeper this time before staggering to his feet. With his body exposed, they all gulp as they see the dried blood along his clawed fingers and over his mouth. He growls again, jaw not working the way it needs to.
"Keith, it's okay," Shiro tries to soothe the younger as he stumbles forward, strange eyes locked onto him with a predatory gleam, "Let's go home to the castle. We'll heal you."
Keith doesn't speak, at least not in words. He growls a bit before it trails off into a grumbling hiss. His claws seem to sharpen as he continues to stare straight at Shiro with those sharp eyes.
"Mullet?" Lance tries, bayard turning into a gun as he holds it with a hesitant uncertainty, not wanting to attack, "You better be playing around. Time to snap out of it."
Keith's eyes don't look away from their target. Instead, he seems to get more aggressive and agitated as he stalks forward like a frustrated and hurt panther. A loud snarl is all the warning they get before Keith leaps at Shiro.
He barely dodges in time, not completely prepared for the action. It's only his instincts from his time as the Champion that allows him to dart to the side. Claws snap at him as well as fangs. Memories press on his brain but he refuses to let himself have a flashback.
Keith, however, doesn't have such restraints. He snarls again before hissing louder, something like a rumbling set of…
Shiro ducks the fist that flies over his head. Backing up, he flinches as he hears crunching. He must have accidentally walked on the dead animal carcass.
The noise seems to make Keith pause for a moment though, eyes narrowing. Shiro frowns before hearing another grumbling sound. It's almost like...morse code-
"Pidge!" He shouts before crunching a few more bones. Keith flinches, head tilting just the slightly in curiosity like a cat studying his movement, "Translate what he's saying."
"But he's not saying anything!" She yells before raising her bayard cautiously. Keith doesn't look her way, eyes only on Shiro, "And he's not speaking morse code...unless...shit…"
She types away on her holopad quickly, eyes skimming something quickly before she pulls something up. Her eyes widen even more.
"He's speaking the most ancient form of Galran," she says with a frown, "They used this in their younger days, back when they were a hunting people. They soon dropped this to adapt their language to what eventually became what we know today, but they still have the hidden instincts for it. Translation in now!"
"Leave," came a heavy voice through her machine as Keith hisses again, "Go. Now. Leave."
"What?" Hunk asks with confused eyes, "Why is he saying to leave?"
"Leave," Keith hisses again before stepping closer, eyes sharp as ever. Shiro can see a hidden shine of fear there, "Now. Angry. Hungry. Go. Hurry. Now."
"Wait," Lance blinks, "Whatever they gave you is making you feel angry and hungry at...what?"
"You," Keith growls before coming closer again, "No. Control. Hurt. You. Leave. Now."
"I'm not leaving you," Shiro shakes his head, "I promised I'd never give up on you, and I won't."
"Leave. Now," Keith hisses louder before inching forward, "Don't. Want. Hurt. You. Never. Can't. Stop. Hurts."
"I know it hurts," Shiro says back, "But I won't leave you. I've done it before and I won't do it again."
"Not," Keith rasps out with a barely held back whimpering whine, "Not. Fault. You. My. Fault."
Shiro's heart breaks as he puts his hands out.
"Keith," his voice is thick with sadness, "None of it was ever your fault. I didn't leave on the Kerberos mission because of you. I didn't leave at the Marmora base and I never would have. That wasn't me, Keith. I will never leave you for such a small thing as wanting to find out who your mom is."
That gets a reaction from the other who snarls loudly, practically spitting in anger and frustration.
"Don't. Want. Mother," he hisses before coming closer, threateningly close. Shiro doesn't budge, "Left. Me. Just. Like. Everyone."
Shiro notices the flinches the younger three get. They don't know Keith's past, or his abandonment issues. They don't know how badly their reaction to Keith's Galra reveal had hurt him. They had pulled away, at least in Keith's eyes. They had left for him something he couldn't control, just like all the foster homes and the Garrison and the home.
Keith was too much for most people.
Too much fire. Too much emotion. Too much everything.
"Hey," Shiro smiles softly before moving closer. Keith nearly jumps in surprise, barely restricting himself from bolting at him. His limbs shake as his fists clench, "Remember when we took that trip out to the cliffs? It was the first time I met you-"
"Stole," Keith growls before huffing and glancing down in shame, a small whine leaving, "Car."
"Yeah, after you stole my car," Shiro says it without a hint of resentment. He was never angry at Keith for doing that, just confused on why he would jeopardize his own future like that. Obviously, Shiro learned why, "You told me about your dad. How he was a firefighter, bravest person you ever knew...that he wouldn't listen to anyone…"
Keith goes silent.
"He never left you, Keith," Shiro frowns before sighing, about to reveal something to the others that a normal-acting Keith would not want. It could be the only way to get his best friend back, "Not willingly. I remember what you told me about him. How he'd stare at the stars with this lovestruck gaze even though there was a dip of sadness there. He was remembering the person he loved. How your dad would twirl you around in the air like you were a fighter jet, making all the noises. How he was there whenever you got a scraped knee from playing in the desert. How he took you to the fire station when he could, letting you ride in the fire trucks and wear his firefighting jacket."
Keith frowns, eyes growing suspiciously shiny. A moment later, he snaps again, face angry as he lunges for Shiro who twists in time, accidentally stepping on the dead animal again, getting a flinch from the younger.
"Stupid. Stubborn," Keith growls before inching forward again, like a cat stalking a mouse, eyes narrowed, "Died. Can't. Not. You. Too. Not. Again."
"I never died, Keith," Shiro smiles fondly, "You saved me, you know that, right? You got me free from the Garrison. You got Black to rescue me from those alien lizard beasts. You fought Zarkon to save me, to save the Black Lion."
"Your. Lion," Keith growls and it's the most Keith-like thing he's said the whole conversation, "Save. Always. Many. Times. Takes."
A moment of silence echoes around them all before Keith huffs and snarls again. It sounds different than the other ones he's said. The translator doesn't quite catch it. Keith notices, hackles raising as he growls louder, jaw opening fully. Shiro winces when he sees that it doesn't sit right, likely broken. That has to hurt like a bitch.
"I. Love. You," Keith snarls before he starts to shake more, like he's high on caffeine and has the jitters. Shiro's stomach plunges as Keith steps closer, "More. Brother. Sorry. Sorry."
Shiro is so stunned that he doesn't have time to duck as 160 pounds of enraged half-Galra hit him. He flies back, smashing into the cell bars with a clang. Pain streaks up his spine and head as Keith lands on top of his hips, holding him down. Luckily, his helmet and armor shield him. Unfortunately, Keith's face is about an inch from his own, clawed hands holding his wrists down tightly. Sharp fangs flash at him as the other snarls again, slit eyes bearing into his. A bit of saliva drops onto Shiro's nose as Keith growls again, shifting a bit.
"What do we do?" Hunk shouts nervously in the background, "What do we do! Guys! Hello!"
"Can't you shock him!" Lance screams at Pidge, "Knock him out!"
"I could hit Shiro!"
Shiro focuses back onto Keith. The other looks ready to bite him, rip him to shreds. Claws dig into his palms, cutting right through the gloves as the older winces in pain. The other's eyes narrow further before he snaps at Shiro's throat, going for the kill.
Shiro's going to die. He knows it, has known for years now. He almost did in the arena. But now...he won't be able to tell Keith how he feels. Keith will blame himself for this. Will hate himself for this.
He blurts out the only thing he can.
"I love you too!"
No bite comes. He blinks, feeling those fangs dangerously close to his neck, just poking into the jugular vein enough to make him bleed. But slit eyes stare up at him, despite the angle Keith's head is turned. It's as if Keith is listening but doesn't quite believe him.
“I love you,” he says once again, genuine and sure, a weight behind every word he utters breathlessly, “Platonically, romantically, and everywhere in between. You’ve grown in my eyes, Keith. I used to see myself in you, you know. Lonely, needing someone to back your corner. But now...Now you’re strong enough on your own two feet. You don’t really need my help anymore.”
A growl comes from the other whose teeth dig in a bit more. Shiro just laughs.
“You don’t need my help, but I still want to help,” he answers back before he grins softly, “You’re not a little kid anymore. Remember when you said that to me before I decided to go on the Kerberos mission? You weren’t a kid then and you are not one now. I...I want to prove that I really love you, like you do me.”
Keith blinks, releasing his hold slightly. It only encourages Shiro to go on.
“Come back to me, Keith,” he breathes out softly, “Come back. I know you’re in there. I won’t leave until I can take you home with me. You can do it. You’re not alone.”
Keith growls slightly before a long whine comes out. His eyes flicker rapidly, like a light about to blow out on itself. Shiro waits as the younger stays frozen in place, eyes flashing wildly. A moment later, they die down to the normal white, irises returning to their full orbs. His claws settle back to normal fingernails as his fangs shrink down some, though they do not return to their normal canine size that they were before, and an added tooth on each side stays.
“Sh-shiro?” Keith mutters tiredly, blinking, “Shi-ro?”
“That’s the Keith I remember,” Shiro grins before holding the other close, making sure he doesn’t collapse, “You’re okay.”
“I…” The younger frowns before shaking his head, “You...do?”
“Yeah, I love you,” Shiro nods before holding his hand to Keith’s blood-crusted cheek, “Always will.”
And then he presses in for a kiss. The other stiffens up, and Shiro is about to pull away. Had he misjudged so badly? What if he was doing something Keith didn’t really want? But then hands are gripping his own, tugging him in further before a new sound comes through. It’s not a growl or grunt or hiss or whine or anything like that…
It’s a purr.
“Does that…” Shiro blinks before tilting his head, “Does that mean you’re happy?”
“I think so?” Keith asks just as cluelessly, “I’ve never done that before.”
“Must be the drug they gave you,” Pidge speaks up as they both glance at her, forgetting that the team had been there the whole time, “Your teeth are still fangs...kind of.”
“Oh,” Keith blinks before looking down, “I...sorry...that you had to see that…”
“Nope! No! Nuh uh!” Lance shouts, hands waving around as Keith’s eyes bolt up to him in shock, “It wasn’t your fault, mullet. Besides, it takes a lot more than some glowy eyes and sharp teeth to scare us off, right, guys?”
“Ditto,” Hunk nods before rubbing his head nervously at Keith’s stare, “Okay, I was kind of scared at first, but not now. You’re our friend, man.”
“Friend?” Keith says it like he can’t believe it.
“Yeah,” Pidge nods, “Duh. I...I’m sorry for the way that we treated you when you found out you were Galra...we just...didn’t know how to react. The Galra were all bad guys at that point besides the BOM but...we didn’t know what to think. We’re sorry.”
“Yeah.”
“Me too.”
“Wow,” Keith stares with wide eyes before his face settles into something of a teasing smirk, “Who knew that Lance could apologize?”
“Hey! I so can apolog-” The younger stops before grinning, “He’s back, guys! Keith’s back!”
“I never left,” Keith rolls his eyes, “But thanks, guys.”
“No problem,” Hunk grins before shaking his head, “But we might want to get back to the castle before Allura and Coran send in an army. They’re just as worried about you as we were.”
“I…” Keith shoots them a startled look, one that Shiro hates to see in these types of contexts, as if Keith is surprised that people care about him, “Okay. I think I need a shower when I get back.”
“And a pod,” Shiro stares Keith down for a long second before holding onto his shoulders, careful of the right one, “Your shoulder is infected. You might have other injuries too. But first…”
Shiro turns on his arm, lifting his fingers to the metal band around Keith’s throat. The digits melt straight through it without hesitation, snapping the thing off of his best friend.
“Now we can get back,” he smiles before feeling Keith lean on him more, clearly exhausted, “Need me to carry you or…”
“Sure,” Keith nods, “Just...tired. Gonna sleep.”
True to his word, he passes out into Shiro’s arms. The others shout in fear but Shiro just chuckles softly before lifting him up carefully.
“He’ll be okay,” he calms the others, “It’s not the first time I’ve seen him pass out from exhaustion. Let’s get back home.”
And they do.