It's only until after she stumbles out of the healing pod and into his waiting arms does he allow himself to let out a trembling sigh of relief. It's only until after he crushes her against him with the intention to never let her go does he allow his shoulders to lose the tension in them. It's only until after he feels the heat of her body radiate through her medical jumpsuit and into him does he allow his hands to finally stop shaking. And it's only until after he feels the steady beat of her heart does he allow himself to be grounded in reality.

Shiro breathes in the scent of her hair as he continues to hold her close. His grip on her is tight as if he's trying desperately to hold on to a dream while he's on the brink of twilight just in case none of this is actually real. He doesn't want to take the chance to let her slip through his fingers just like she almost did all those days ago.

"I'm here, Shiro," she answers the question he doesn't realize that he's said aloud. She holds him and she is careful not use too much of her strength. One arm is around his waist and the other is drawing circles in his back as she continues to whisper soothing words into his ear. "I'm here. I'm okay. I'm okay." He doesn't know how much he needs to hear her say those words until they hit him with full force and take his breath away. She's okay.

She's alive.

He lets out another sigh of relief. She had been so close to death. The image of her dying in his arms as he and his team races to get her to safety has circulated through his mind long enough to leave a permanent trail that's too easy to access if he lets his mind wander for too long.

He's reluctant to pull away from her, but he needs to see her face. He needs to see her gorgeous eyes and her smile because he needs something to validate his sanity. Her eyes have life in them as she smiles up at him weakly and it's all the validation he needs before he pulls her into him again.

"Fuck, Allura," he says almost breathless. "What were you thinking?" He doesn't know why he asks her because he already knows the answer.

She closes her eyes as she leans her head on his shoulder. Her grip on him is slightly weaker than it had been just a moment ago. She's exhausted and it shows in her voice. "Had it been you, you wouldn't have survived," she answers truthfully. Humans were so fragile compared to Alteans.

"You could have died."

"But I didn't," she mumbles back tiredly. "I'm here."

Allura feels her legs start to tremble and before they completely give out, she is gently lifted into Shiro's arms. She doesn't reach out to stable herself because she knows that he'll never let her fall. She closes her eyes and leans against his chest so she could listen to the rhythm of his heart and it almost lulls her to sleep. A content sigh leaves her lips before she tries to lean in closer to him. "I missed being in your arms," she confesses.

Shiro smiles down at her. "And I missed having you in them." He carries her over to the medical bed that's already cleared and set up for her. She was expected to wake up today but none of them knew exactly when. He carefully sets her down on the bed and she barely has enough energy to sit up straight by herself.

He makes sure she is steady before he leaves to call the rest of their team down to greet her. If it were up to him, he would have opted to not alert the others but he gave them his word that he'd call as soon as she awakened. He winced as he took the telecom from his ear at the loud, excited scream from Lance. He chuckles at his reaction and he would be lying if he said that he didn't feel the same way.

He pulls up a chair to sit in front of her and he has to look up in order to meet her eyes. "You have about 3 minutes before Lance rangles up the others and gets here. So get mentally prepared for that," he warned her sarcastically, however, there wasn't an ounce of malice in his tone. The others missed her just as much as he did and it would be selfish of him to keep her to himself.

She gives him a small laugh. "I'm sure I can handle it." She pauses to look around the med bay. The dimmed lights of the room tell her it's the middle of the night cycle. She looks back towards Shiro, whose eyes haven't left her, as if he's afraid she'd disappear at any moment. She reaches out a hand and he meets her halfway so she could lace her fingers through his. "How long was I asleep?"

Shiro looks at her for a moment and for a split second he contemplates lying to her but decides against it. "About 4 days, give or take a few hours," he says after a pause.

By instinct, his grip on her tightens when she tries to pull away from him with wide eyes. "4 quintants?!" she half yells in disbelief as she feels the panic rise within her. She was so behind on her work! She still needed to rehearse the speech she had to present at the intergalactic ball they were attending within the next movement. She needed to make sure the teleduv was properly calibrated and of course, and she absolutely had to-

"Well, that's what happens when you get impaled by a three-foot-long blade," he says almost blankly. "Your body needs to rest. Also, if you think we're still going to that party of some sort next week, then Allura, you must be out of your fucking mind." He gives her judging look while he does his best to keep her from standing up and walking away from him. It's not like she would get far anyway because her legs would give out as soon as she puts an ounce of her weight on them.

Shiro has to hold back a smile when she gives him a cute pout. "But Shiro, that speech is extremely important. I need to set a good example for the coalition," she argued.

"You did that when you almost died, Allura," he counters. She gives him a strange look and he continues. "One of the rebels saw what you did and...uh, well, word gets around pretty quickly in space. Half the universe, at least the ones with bad reception, thinks that you're dead. It was seen as a selfless, noble act." Allura doesn't miss the bitter edge to his voice and it causes her to wince.

She looks away from him and focuses her eyes on their interlocked fingers. "Was it that bad?" she asks him quietly. She doesn't remember much, only his panicked voice as he desperately urges her to stay awake.

Her question prompts another image of her limp body to flash through his mind. There was so much blood. He swallows the lump in his throat and nods slowly. "Yeah, it was." He brings her hand to his mouth so his lips can graze over her knuckles. "I honestly don't know how you're still here with us," with me, "but I'm not complaining."

Allura smiles and reaches out to trace along his cheek and he does nothing to resist the temptation to lean into her so he can savor the contact. He missed her so much. Shiro takes another deep breath and he meets her eyes. She knows exactly what he's going to say next.

"Allura…" he starts and again, she averts her eyes but she does not pull away this time. "Promise me you'll never do anything like that ever again?" His voice borders the line between desperation and a plea. His metal hand moves under her chin to firmly make her meet his eyes.

Her eyes shift to his face. From her elevated angle over him and under the bright, concentrated lights that dangle above the bed she sits on, she can finally get a good look at him.

He's an absolute mess.

His hair is unkempt and his forelock looks more grey than silver, his face has stubble along his cheeks and chin that wasn't there before, and his eyes have a slight discoloration under them. He looks sleep deprived and about three steps away from diving headfirst into madness.

She frowns as she continues to take in his appearance. "When was the last time you slept, Shiro?" she asks him slowly. She doesn't answer his question and they are both painfully aware of it.

He winces at the thought of her scolding him for his terrible sleeping habits and suddenly, it's his turn to look away. "The last time I saw you, which was about 4 days ago," he confesses.

"Shiro." It's all she needs to say to convey her anger.

"How can I sleep knowing that you might not wake up?" He hopes his response is enough for her to drop the subject. "And besides, you have me spoiled to the point to where I can't sleep without you beside me."

"No excuses, Shirogane," she scolds him. "Tonight, promise me that you'll get some sleep?"

"Only if you promise me that you'll never put your life in danger like that ever again," he counters quickly.

The weight of the two promises are significantly unequal and it makes Allura scowl. She releases her hand from his hold and brings it to rest on his chest, just over his heart. "Takashi..." The way that she says his name makes his jaw clench and his throat tighten because he can't help but think that he almost never heard her say it again. "As long as your heart continues to beat, there is absolutely nothing I won't do to protect you."

He knows she is a woman of her word and it terrifies him more than anything. There is nothing he can do to stop her once she puts her mind to something and this was no exception. He can only watch and pray it doesn't almost kill her again.

She leans into him again, and he doesn't know if it's because she wants to or if she's just that tired. She places her forehead on his and takes a deep breath. "I can't promise you tomorrow Shiro, but I can promise you today," she tells him as she wraps her arms around his neck.

Just before he can respond, he hears rapid footsteps approach from down the hall. As soon as he puts distance between them, the other paladins, Coran, and the mice make it up to the medical bay. Within seconds, she is bombarded with an embrace from every angle, kisses, and a chorus of squeaks filled with joy. He's a little disheartened that their reunion is cut short but he has to remind himself that he has to share her with the rest of their makeshift family.

He expects there to be shouting followed by joyous laughter, but instead it's the exact opposite as they all embrace her silently. He can tell that Pidge is on the verge of tears and that she's doing her absolute best to get her breathing under control. Lance doesn't look too good, either. One arm is around Pidge, rubbing comforting circles in her back and the other is around Allura. His eyes are closed and Shiro is sure that even if Lance wanted to speak, he wouldn't be able to form the words.

Hunk has no shame about the tears that run down his face. His arms are the longest and he holds them all as tightly as possible and he looks just as tired as Shiro. When Hunk is stressed, Hunk cooks. For all Shiro knows, Hunk probably never the left kitchen since Allura was in recovery. There are probably plenty of sweets in the kitchen waiting for her.

Keith surprises him the most. The dark haired boy was always the one to stay away from physical contact, but he was more than positive that Keith was the first person to crash into her. His hand is threaded into her hair as he holds her close with his chin perched atop her head. He watches as Keith focuses on nothing in particular before he lets out an unsteady breath and closes his eyes and nuzzles into her.

After a moment, one by one, they untangle themselves from one another and release her. They stay silent and Lance has to pull Pidge back slightly so Coran has room to approach her. For a moment, the person she considers a fatherly figure stands there silently as his eyes dissect every part of her. He's usually an expressive man, but now, none of them know what's going through his head. The moment doesn't last long before he takes a step forward to pull her into a deep embrace and she does her best to return it with what little strength she has.

He speaks to her softly in a language none of them can understand. Mere seconds later, she allows tears to roll down her cheeks and buries her face into his chest and no one dares to utter a word. They all want to revel in the realization that Allura is here and that she's alive.

When they pull apart, Coran gives a light kiss to her forehead before he takes out a few tools. After a quick examination to check to see if she's completely healed and if there is any indication of brain damage, Coran escorts her to her room for the night. She doesn't want to be carried, but her legs are the ones calling the shots tonight and she is left with no choice.

Before she is carried out of the room, her eyes meet with Shiro's and a silent agreement is made. He watches her go and before he can return to his own room, for the first time in 4 days, Keith is beside him with his hand on his shoulder. "I told you she'd pull through," he tells Shiro.

Shiro nods his head in return. "Yeah, you did. Thank you, Keith...for helping me keep my head."

"It's not a problem," Keith says. "Now, it's time for you to get some sleep. Do you need to be carried, too?" He was teasing, but the rest of his team have already assembled around him just case he does need to be carried back to his room.

Shiro laughs and shakes his head at his team. "No, I think I got it, guys. It's late, so it's time for everyone, including myself, to get some sleep."

Hunk lifted a finger into the air. "Uh, I'm going to go clean the kitchen, then I'll head to bed."

Shiro shakes his head in disagreement. "No, we'll worry about that in the morning." They were all having trouble coping with Allura's injury. Hunk was the one to make sure that everyone was eating and not driving themselves mad. Now it was time for him to return the favor and made sure Hunk took care of himself. "Get some sleep, Big Guy. You deserve it."

Hunk made a face, "Okay, but if we get space ants, don't blame me," he said as he followed the others back to their respective rooms.

Shiro only smiled before he turned the lights off to the med bay and left towards his room.

.~xXX~.

It's close to an hour later when he hears a light knock at his door. He's not surprised to see Allura standing on the other side but he is surprised to see her leaning heavily on his door frame with trembling legs and ragged breaths. He's immediately in front of her to catch her just as soon as she lets go of the only support that's keeping her standing.

He holds her upright before he bends down slightly to grab ahold of her thighs and lifts her so she can wrap her tired legs around his hips. Her arms coil around his shoulders as she buries her face in the crook of his neck. Her hair is slightly damp and the familiar scent of her flowery shampoo takes over his senses.

"Why do you always continue to put your health in danger because of me?" he asks while he adjusts his grip on her.

"You said so yourself that you couldn't sleep without me by your side." He could practically feel the smile in her voice. "What kind of t'hy'la would I be if I were you left you doomed to another sleepless night? Besides, you were supposed to be in my room once I was out of the shower," she says still out of breath and slightly annoyed.

He smiles before he closes the door with a button and he turns to walk her towards his bed. It's definitely not spacious enough for two but the inconvenience has never stopped them before. "Sorry," he apologizes with a rub to her lower back. Before he ventures to the bed, he maneuvers around to shut off the lights in his room with her still attached to him. "Coran set a soundproof device on your door. I thought you were asleep and didn't want to risk waking you." She makes a displeased sound at being treated like a child but does nothing else to show her irritation.

He tightens his grip on her thighs when he feels her slipping. She is barely holding on to him and he frowns at her obvious lack of strength. The the fact that she made all the way to his room in this condition is a miracle. "Why didn't you call me?" he asks as he hitches her higher.

"Coran took my earrings and the mice were already asleep," she answers tiredly.

When all of the lights are off with the exception of the small lamp over his bed, he moves to lay her down on the mattress. She is reluctant to let go of him and he is grateful because there is no way in hell that he wants to let go of her. It results with her on her back and with him nestled between her thighs. His arms are braced on either side of her so he won't crush her under his weight, even though he knows she'll barely feel the extra pounds regardless of the fact that her frame is petite compared to his.

Neither of them say a word because they don't have to. She could never say a word to him ever again and he'd know exactly what she wants to convey each and every time. His lips crash down to meet hers halfway and it reignites the fire that he thought was extinguished forever. He wants to be gentle but gentle is exactly what Allura isn't going for. She tightens her legs around his hips and arches her body to be closer to his. He rarely denies her anything, so he matches her energy and he pours every ounce of the love he has for her into the kiss.

His lips move from her mouth to the side of her neck and causes her breath to hitch as she bites back a moan. With his metal hand, he squeezes her thigh where he knows she's the most sensitive and it's hard enough to finally entice a moan from her lips. He smiles against her neck because he's gone far too long without the sweet sound. He missed everything about her. The way she smiles. The way she laughs. The way her body feels absolutely perfect under his. It was all too much and at the same time, not nearly enough.

Her delicate hands travel down his chest and it leaves a trail of fire in their wake. Before they find the waistband of his pajama pants, he has to stop himself from grinding down into her because he knows it'll lead to something neither of them have the strength to finish. He's about another moan away from completely losing himself in her. They are both way past the danger zone of exhaustion and if they continue, he doesn't know where it will lead them.

Regretfully, he pulls away from her and he doesn't get far before her hands desperately reach out to hold him close. "Why did you stop?" she asked with a tired pout. He was right to stop because she can barely keep her eyes open at this point.

He almost laughs at her but he knows he looks just as bad. "Because, Allura, you're exhausted. "

She shakes her head. "But we can stil-"

"No we can't and no we're not." His tone told her that the decision was final. And before she gives him another pout, he kisses her again. On her nose. On her cheeks. Just on the underside of her jaw. Anywhere his lips can reach, he kisses her. "Besides," he gives her a wicked smirk. One that promises that he'll make up for cutting her time with him short. "I have a lot of things planned that I want to do to you and I would like it if you were fully awake for it."

She leans up to kiss his lips. "Is that a promise, Takashi?" she asks him slyly, her arms tightening around his neck.

"Absolutely." He leans down to give her more kisses. "I don't plan on letting you leave my bed tomorrow."

She laughs and the action exposes her neck and leaves it vulnerable to Shiro's lips. "But I have things to I need to catch up on!" She barely can get the words out through the fit of giggles. Her eyes start to drift shut but a satisfied smile remains on her face.

Shiro snorts. "Well, that's just too damn bad. Should have thought about that before you decided to be reckless for someone like me." He meant for the remark to come out as a lighthearted joke but it came out as dry and devoid of any humor.

The tone causes her to escape the pull of sleep and she opens her eyes to watch him. Shiro looks at her and he wants to revisit the question he asked of her but he knows he's just wasting his breath on something she will never agree to.

She runs her hands through his hair to comfort him because she knows exactly what's been pacing through his mind for days now. "I'm sorry that I put you through this, Shiro. I really am. However, I meant what I said. There is nothing I won't do to protect you."

Shiro gives a nod and a small smile in return. He rests his head on her chest, the alien rhythm of her heart once again grounds him here. With her in his arms. "Then I hope you know the same goes for me."

She continues to thread her fingers through his messy hair and draw circles on his back. "Then I guess we both just have to be a little more careful, now don't we?" Her voice is almost a whisper and Shiro knows it's time to let her rest. He rolls off of her and almost immediately she's curled into his side. She does nothing to help him pry the blankets from under her because Shiro knows she's too far gone to will her strength back.

When he finally gets the blankets from under her, he covers them both. He then reaches up to turn off the lamp above his bed and it encases the room in darkness. She wraps her arm around his torso and Shiro doesn't know if she's still conscious or not. He kisses her forehead and pulls her in close to him.

It isn't until after her breathing evens out does he allow his eyes to drift shut. It isn't after until she comes back from her dreams to utter a soft, half delusional, "I love you," does he allow a small smile to grace his lips.

"I love you, too, Allura."

It isn't until then, with her in his arms after days of not having her there, does he realize that he can't live a single day without her by his side. Images of her wearing his grandmother's ring replaces the images that have haunted him for days. And the thought of her bearing his name makes his heart sing.

"You promise?" It's barely comprehensible, but he understands her.

And it isn't until then does Shiro realize that he has a lot of planning to do if he's going to make this proposal perfect.

"I promise."