Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron. But if I did, wouldn't that be so cool? I could go into space and everything...

A/N who's ready for some angst? Because I sure am.

"Keith, look out!"

He swerved to the right, ducking underneath the laser bullet barrage and snagging his blade from the floor. He rolled on his side, dodging another wave of bullets, and moved to strike the sentries in front of them. The other Paladins were behind him, battling more sentries and Galra soldiers as they advanced to the interior of the storage base. The mission was simple: the Blade of Marmora was to infiltrate and identify the cargo inside the base. Then Voltron was to arrive and extract the shipment and bring it to the Central Command Base of the Coalition.

Unfortunately, the cargo that had been delivered was concentrated quintessence, and there were four Druids there converting it into the tainted type the Galra used in their fleets.

Keith was quick to destroy the sentries guarding the room, but he and Kolivan were soon outnumbered by Galra soldiers and were on the run. When the Paladins of Voltron arrived, it was a blessing. Keith was always happy to see his comrades, and more so than ever in that moment. Had they not been in a life or death situation, he would have gladly hugged all of them.

Now, he was almost into the conversion chamber, only two guards between him and the door, and he was ready to push forward. He struck one with a stunning mine and the other was swiftly kicked in the head, and he was almost at the door when-

"We gotta get out of here!"

Lance's voice rang over the chaos behind him and Keith barely had a second to react before all of the doors opened and the Druids were facing all of them with their hands raised. Keith was familiar with their magic - it was what brought forth his curiosity of his own heritage after his body reacted to the dark energy they conjured. And he was not to willing to clash with it again.

"Everyone, retreat!"

Kolivan's voice echoed in his ears, a hollow sound compared to his breathing and the thumping of his blood as it rushed through his veins. He turned on his heels, quick to help his friends as they fled and made to the one exit in the ceiling where they had dropped in. Shiro and Pidge were the first ones out, followed quickly by Lance, Hunk, and Kolivan. Keith's eyes widened when he didn't see Allura with them, then he skidded to a stop to see her still grappling with a soldier on the other side of the room. Keith then drew his blade and threw it, striking the solider right in the shoulder and causing him to let the Princess go.

In a split second, the widening of her eyes told Keith that the Druids were done charging their attack and they were the target. In his Blade of Marmora armor, he had no shield. He had his sword and his wits, and now he was defenseless.

A barrier of black energy encased the entire facility, trapping in the other Paladins and Kolivan and forcing them back down into the chamber. Keith raced to the fallen Galra and pulled his blade out, then moved to Allura's side. The second they both moved towards the team, bolts of black magic rained down throughout the chamber, striking everyone and forcing them to pull up their shields. Allura had hers overhead, but Keith was not covered.

Strike after strike of the tainted energy hit him, seeping into his body and burning him from the inside out.

"Keith!"

He stumbled, but kept running towards the group, ready to defend the Paladins as they made to escape once more. His vision blurred, his body convulsed, and the sensation of being burned alive was all he could feel. He tripped and landed on his face, his arms too weak and his body too heavy as it continually was struck by the black lightning. His body spasmed again, the pain rippling through him as he writhed on the floor and cried out in shock. He tried crawling to his friends, but his body just didn't want to listen. His fingers shook and his body trembled, all while his vision blurred even more and doubled and spun.

He heard his name being shouted again, and the distinct rumble of destruction around him, then he saw Shiro and Kolivan both race to him and reach down to lift him up. Above, he could see the Red and Black Lions attacking the barrier, breaking it apart and giving them an escape path. The pain ripped through him again, causing him to retch and start seizing in his comrades's arms. He heard a muffled shout, drowned in the ringing in his ears, and he managed to lift his head as they took off towards the Lions.

In front of him was Allura, and even though his vision was unfocused and dizzying, he could see her clearly. And when he met her eyes he saw fear and concern written plainly on her face. As another spasm of pain hit him, he cried out and his vision started to swim and his mind became foggy and clouded. But even through it all, he could clearly hear her cry of terror and the stricken look on her face as he finally blacked out.

They flew into the Lions, all too ready to retreat back to the Castle. Allura's heart was in her stomach, eyes never leaving Keith as Shiro and Kolivan lowered him to the floor of the Black Lion's cockpit. Having been the only one directly hit with the Druids's attack, Keith was in dire need of medical attention. In fact, his body's reaction to the magic was unexpected and frightening, making Allura question how much she had known about the former Paladin.

In the visible places where he had been struck with the rays, Keith's normally pale skin had turned a splotchy purple, identical to other Galra she had seen before. As he gasped in pain and writhed on the floor, Allura could see that his teeth had grown sharper and a pair of enlarged fangs had started to grow on the top row. What had scared her the most, however, was the way his dark and beautiful eyes had turned entirely yellow, practically glowing as they bulged out of his head.

Shiro had gone to pilot the Black Lion, but she did not miss the stricken look of fear on his face as he had placed his comrade on the floor, nor the pained way his mouth tightened when Keith cried out and clutched at his head. Even Kolivan did not appear unaffected, his normal steely gaze wide with surprise and apprehension as he held Keith down against the floor.

"What happened?" she asked him as the Lion started to fly towards the Castle.

"To the mission or to Keith?"

"Both!" she cried, watching as Keith squeezed his eyes shut and groaned as the purple on his skin started to spread. "There weren't supposed to be any Druids there."

Kolivan sighed and dropped his gaze to Keith, who had cried out as his body seized once more. "Our intel said the Druids would not be there for another quintant. There must have been a change on their end, because the rotations have always been the same."

Allura growled under her breath and blinked away the painful tears that had started to burn in her eyes.

"As for Keith," Kolivan continued, his voice dropping to solemn, "He was struck with corrupted quintessence. It has happened before under my supervision, but it was reversed with normal quintessence. It seems the Galra genetics in his body become active when exposed to the corrupted quintessence, and then reverts back to dormant once he touches the more pure form. However, last time it was just his hand. He said it happened once before that on the same hand, but he kept it a secret. But now, we do not have the means to reverse it again."

Keith's hands clawed against the floor, causing Allura to look down. His eyes were open and pained, but he was looking right at her as he gasped and trembled. Without a second thought, Allura took his hand between her own and held him tightly. His nails dug into the back of her knuckles, almost piercing the gloves of her armor, and he squeezed as his body convulsed again. His scream of pain bounced all around the cockpit, ripping at the hearts of the occupants.

This time, Allura didn't stop her tears as they fell.

"Don't worry, Keith," she murmured to him as she pushed away some of his sweat-drenched hair from his burning-hot forehead. "We'll heal you. I promise."

There was a beeping behind her and she heard the dull murmur of Shiro speaking to Coran over the comms, then the short shake of the Black Lion landing in her hangar. The Lion opened up and Kolivan quickly swept Keith into his arms, all while the younger Blade groaned out once more. Allura followed him out of the Lion and towards the elevators, which would lead them to the healing chamber room.

The hurried footsteps of the other Paladins behind her were faint compared to the loudness of Keith's labored breathing. Her eyes never left his as he struggled to remain conscious and his body spasmed once more in Kolivan's arms.

"Hey... is he going to be alright?"

"We don't know anything yet, Pidge. Just hang tight."

"He doesn't look so good, Shiro. I mean, more than usual."

"Hunk, this isn't the time for jokes."

"What? I'm just saying he doesn't look like he's making any progress, that's all!"

"He's only been in there for a day, it's not like he's going to heal immediately!"

"But-"

"Lance, Hunk. Knock it off. Coran, how much longer until he will be okay to leave the chamber?"

"I... I don't know, Shiro. It looks like it's not even working..."

"Hang on, Keith. We'll figure out how to help you, I promise."

Princess...

Allura paced in front of the healing chamber for what felt like the hundredth time, her eyes darting back to Keith and the hopelessness she had felt before increasing tenfold. Three quintants he had spent in the healing chamber and not one bit of improvement. Without his armor, Allura could see the full extent of the damage: his skin was still mottled with the harsh purple, spread across his broad chest like a galactic web, and his hair had gained a purple tint. His eyes had not opened, but she suspected they were still glowing and yellow, full of his pain. His nails were now more like claws, and she was sure she saw the vestiges of his fangs through his parted lips when he grimaced as he clenched his jaw just a few moment ago.

"Princess, you should be resting."

She turned to see Shiro standing in the doorway, his eyes hooded with sleep, and she broke away her gaze to look upon Keith once more.

"I just don't understand why he isn't healing."

Shiro approached her, eyes starting to clear and his mouth setting into a stern frown, and he said, "Just give it time. He was hit with a very powerful attack, so it's going to take some time for him to get back to normal."

"There hasn't been any change since we put him in," Allura countered with distress. "He's suffering right now, and for all we know the longer we take to change him back the more permanent this becomes. What if we can't heal him, Shiro?"

The Paladin's eyes dropped and he set his jaw tightly. "I'm just as worried as you are, but keeping yourself up all night worrying about him won't do anyone any favors. Please, go to back to bed and we can figure this all out once everyone has gotten some rest."

She spared one more glance at Keith, who had been twitching and writhing once more in his chamber, then she frowned. Without saying a word, Allura grabbed one of the blankets off of the nearby control station left by Coran and draped it over her shoulders before sitting down at the base of Keith's pod. She sent Shiro a challenging glare, which he responded with a quiet one of his own.

She knew he would back down before her, too gentle and unwilling to fight with her. So when she turned her attention back to Keith's pod, she heard him sigh with defeat and walk back to the door.

"Don't run yourself into the ground because of this, Princess," he said softly. "We all need him, too."

The door closed behind him, leaving Allura alone with Keith once more. She stared up at his pained face, wishing so desperately to be able to help him, but she knew it was all in vain. All she could do was wait.

"... tessence... accessible... us."

"Can it... done?"

"... infiltrate... Marmora... possible but risky."

"If that is... healed him before... must take the risk. He... valuable to us... please."

"Princess... ask of us... will not be easy... must exercise caution. My soldiers know the risks of our missions. Keith understood them-"

"I don't care about your stupid beliefs, Kolivan! Keith is first and foremost a Paladin of Voltron. He is invaluable to defeating Zarkon-"

Allura...

"- and his life matters. He's not just some pawn in the Grand Scheme of taking down the Galra Empire!"

"... Princess, I'm not saying he does not matter. I am saying that the lives of my men matter, as well. Going into another Galra base and attempting to steal raw quintessence is a dangerous mission. One that may not be possible. I want nothing more than Keith to be healed but we have to consider the risks."

"He's been in there for five quintants, Kolivan! There are no signs of improvement and he's constantly in pain."

"... There is a time and place for grief, Princess. I know I do not say it often, but let it out here so your mind is clear on the battlefield."

"I am not grieving. I am frustrated. I want to save my friend, and it seems like I am the only-"

"Do not presume the rest of your friends are indifferent to Keith's suffering. They are worried about you, as well. Please, go rest and we will figure out what to do."

"... Alright."

"Have you considered going, Kolivan?"

As Allura entered the bridge of the ship, the Galra lifted his gaze from Shiro to her and he frowned, his face lined with exhaustion and wariness. "I spoke to one of my spies within the Empire. Since our last attack, all of the remaining raw quintessence has been moved to Central Command and will be transported there from now on."

Allura's heart sank and she felt her knees buckle in defeat.

"Even if we tried, it would be a suicide mission. I cannot condone such a risk for one soldier."

Tears burned in her eyes and Allura immediately turned on her heels to flee. She heard Shiro shout her name, but she did not stop. Her feet carried her through the castle down to the healing chamber room. She vaguely noticed Lance and Hunk rushing to the walls to let her pass, but then again she could barely see through the tears that kept falling.

Did no one care about Keith getting better? Did no one want him to return? Was she the only one who wanted him back to normal?

Her feet brought her to Keith's pod, eyes drifting up to his pained face and his clenched fists. No matter what they did, or how much healing energy was given to him, there was no change in his prognosis. Keith was still inflicted with the black magic's marks.

Her hands trembled as they practically clawed at the glass, aching to touch him and comfort him as he suffered. All she wanted was to help him, to heal him back to normal. She couldn't do that standing outside of his pod and praying that the Altean magic would work on him.

Wait. Her eyes widened and a sudden sense of clarity washed over her. Altean magic. That's it.

Immediately, she wiped her eyes dry and went to the control panel of the pod. She pressed the code for it to open and stepped back as the glass opened and Keith began falling forward. She caught him in her arms, unperturbed by his weight, and she slowly lowered him to the floor. The sound of racing footsteps starting to echo throughout the room as the rest of the Paladins and Kolivan entered the chamber.

"Princess!" Shiro exclaimed as he ran to her side. "What are you doing?"

"What I should have done from the start," she murmured as she closed her eyes. She thought back to the time they were escaping Naxzela, and to the time she healed the Balmera in the sacred ritual. She touched one hand to Keith's chest while the other cradled his head. She pressed her forehead to his, ignoring the way it burned to the touch, and she focused.

She felt every heartbeat, every worried breath coming from the Paladins behind her, and she drew in the pure energy from within the Castle and herself. She felt it as if it was tangible in her hands and pushed it to Keith. His pained inhale and resounding cry shook her to the bone, but she pushed past it. He writhed in her grip, but as soon as she hushed him quietly did he start to calm down and relax into her. The quintessence funneled through her and into him, spreading to the weakened areas of his body and healing the damage that had been done.

She heard a gasp behind her, but it was being drowned out by the leveling of Keith's breathing and the cooling of his skin. She felt the quintessence flow more freely, washing over them both and then out into the air.

Once the sensation started to dwindle and the flow started to stop, Allura opened her eyes to see Keith had returned to his normal pallor, his eyes still closed but no longer squeezed together in pain, and his teeth had regained their normal appearance. Her vision swam and she swayed in her spot, and she could swear she heard a couple of shouts over the roaring in her ears. But that didn't matter. She did it. She healed Keith.

And as her vision grew dark and her body collapsed, she felt her lips pull into a proud smile.

Keith's eyes burned like they had been staring at a star for an hour straight. They were heavy and tired, pushing into his skull and throbbing with every beat of his heart. His whole body was stiff and aching, more so than he had ever felt in his entire life. But the suddenly clarity in his head and the revitalized sensation he felt was strange, especially compared to the excruciating pain he had been feeling lately as he remained in stasis inside the healing pod.

"... improving significantly... We may see him awaken within a few vargas..."

"Thank you, Coran."

"What you did was risky, Princess. But I'm glad that gamble paid off."

Keith felt a soft pressure on his hand and a light squeeze. "Me too... I don't know what spurred me to do it... I was reminded of the Balmera, and of our escape on Naxzela... I felt the quintessence all around us and funneled it into him to replace the damaged essence inside of him."

"It was very smart of you," Coran commented, his voice becoming clearer with every word. "Your father would have very proud of you thinking on your feet like that."

"It was a dangerous move, Princess," Keith heard Shiro comment. "And the fact that it took a lot out of you was awfully reckless."

The grip on Keith's hand tightened. "I did what I had to, Shiro. You of all people know how much Keith matters to us."

There was a short pause and a sigh. "Of course I do. Keith is like a brother to me. And seeing him hurting like that was very hard, on all of us. I'm not saying I'm not glad you did it, I'm just saying you scared the living shit out of us after passing out like that."

"It wouldn't be the first time, and most certainly not the last, I can assure you. It was well worth the risk. He is worth the risk."

"... I know. And I am thankful you did it. We all are."

Control was starting to return to Keith's limbs and immediately he tried to move his hands and sit up, but a sharp pain ripped through his body at the smallest movement and he groaned, unable to hold it in. A pair of gentle hands pressed against his shoulders and into the mattress, one warm and the other cold against his bare skin.

"Take it easy, buddy."

Keith felt his eye get pried open and a immediately blinded by a bright light.

"Pupils appear to be back to normal," Coran had commented. "Keith, I'm going to need you to avoid moving. Your body just went through a lot and will need some more time to recuperate."

The grip on his hands tightened and he started hearing soft sniffles.

"Coran, can you let the other Paladins know Keith is awake?"

"Of course, Shiro."

Keith tried to open his eyes on his own, but they wouldn't listen. Instead, he felt another sharp pain stretch across his chest when he inhaled too deeply and he groaned out in pain once more. The grip on his hand left and was placed on his forehead, followed by a soft hushing noise and another sniffle.

"It's alright, Keith. You'll be fine."

Allura.

She was crying. Something in his chest ached, and it had nothing to do with the pain from his injury. He swallowed past the dry thickness coating his throat and he croaked out, "Don' cry..."

That had the opposite intended effect. He felt the tears drop onto his hand, then the warmth of her face was pressing against his knuckles as she silently sobbed at the side of his bed. He tried opening his eyes again, but they felt as if they were glued shut. His pain was put on the back burner as he willed his body to move and console her. Why was she crying? He was alive and okay. At least, he was okay enough. He probably wouldn't be able to do a mission for a while, let alone leave the bed. His legs felt like they were encased in cement. There was no way he was going to be doing anything, but at least he was alive.

All thanks to her.

"'lura..."

He felt her press her cheek against his hand again. Faintly, he heard Shiro murmur something about giving them a minute and the soft sounds of his retreating footsteps echoed with Allura's sniffles. For a moment, that had been the only sound she had made. Her cheek was pressed so tightly against his hand, he started to believe they were going to be stuck that way. She just didn't let him go.

"Oh, Keith," she whispered, her warm breath fanning his knuckles as her lips ghosted against his skin. "We were all so worried about you... I was so worried about you. Nothing we did helped you. Oh, and you were in so much pain... It was agonizing seeing you in that state."

Keith mustered as much strength as he could and flipped his hand around in her grip so he could cup her cheek. It was a little clumsy, and took one more try than he would have preferred, but he did it and her small gasp and subsequent nuzzle against his palm was totally worth it.

"I'm so glad you're alright."

"Wha' happened?"

Allura nuzzled her cheek against him once more, then she sighed a breath against his wrist. "The Druids hit you with an attack... For some reason the dark magic they wield enhances your Galra genetics, making them more dominant over your human genes. We concurred that the blasts of their dark energy hit you with the intention of harm, plus it corrupted your already unstable genetic base. The struggle for dominance in your body caused some sort of incomplete transformation, resulting in your body essentially shutting down in its stress.

"As of right now, your body is still struggling to regain its former appearance," she added with a solemn tone that made his heart ache. He could only imagine the pained expression on her face as she continued, "I'm afraid with you being stuck in that form for so long, these things may not be reversed. I won't be strong enough to carry out another cleansing ritual for some time..."

The way her voice wobbled with more tears struck him to his core. Despite his struggle before, Keith found it absolutely necessary to be able to open his eyes and comfort her completely. Though they still felt heavy, Keith forced them open one at a time, gritting his teeth at the amount of effort it required, but he managed. The room was blurry and he was struggling to focus, but it was enough to steal her breath and cause her to press a soft kiss to his palm.

"You will be okay, I promise."

He blinked away the bleariness, heart swelling with affection at the warm look Allura was giving him, and he managed a smile.

"So what didn't change?"

"Hmm?"

"You said there were some things that may not be reversed," he said hoarsely. At least he was managing to say full words without sounding drunk.

Allura looked away, then her eyes darted to his hair. Her free hand reached up and caressed his locks, running her fingers through them and sighing sadly, "It's not that I mind the color, it just doesn't suit you. But at least now you match Shiro."

Without saying anything else, Allura turned around and grabbed something off of the table behind her. After a moment, she brought it to his face - a mirror, he realized - and leveled it so he could get a better look. He sucked in a sharp breath at the sight, then chewed on his lip as he observed the change.

His skin was back to normal, no sign of injury. His eyes were their typical dark blue, gleaming back at him as he stared at himself. What had changed was his hair, formerly jet black like his father's, now a dark purple that resembled a Galra. What shocked him the most was the thin patch of white at his scalp near his temple.

"It's been quite some time since we were ambushed, and we noticed it growing out after I did the cleansing ritual," Allura murmured, bringing him out of his daze. "Shiro explained that your human hair can turn white due to extreme stress, which is why his had done the same while he was a Galra prisoner.

"As for the rest of your hair, it isn't much of a noticeable difference. Now you'll blend in with the Blades a little bit more."

The lack of humor was not lost on him, so Keith merely frowned as he replied, "I don't think I'll be needing to blend in anywhere right now. I can't even move my legs right now."

Allura's sad look wretched at his heart, but that was soothed by her soft smile and a caress of his hair. "We'll all help you. You can stay here in the Castle of Lions and help us coordinate our next strike. Plus, we all miss you. Having you back would be nice for the other Paladins. It's a silver lining, but that's better than nothing."

Which reminded him... "When... when I was in the pod, I heard you say I was still a Paladin of Voltron... Did you mean that?"

Her face softened and she nodded. "Of course. You will always be a Paladin. No one can replace you."

Keith smiled at her and made to ask her one other thing that had been on my mind, but the door to his room flew open and Lance came barreling in with tears in his eyes.

"Keith! Buddy! You're okay!"

What happened next was a blur. Lance was hugging him - which, by the way, was one of the strangest things that had happened since he started his journey with these people. Pidge was asking boundless questions and hanging onto his arm while Hunk begged Keith to eat something because he had been in stasis for over a week and then unconscious for another. Shiro had helped him sit up and wrapped his good arm around his shoulder, a pleased and relieved look on his face as they all recounted all of the adventures they had while Keith was off with the Blades.

And when Keith glanced over at Allura, he smiled and realized she had never let go of his hand the entire time.

fin

A/N I love fluff and angst. It's the perfect cocktail for good fanfiction.

Also, write the fanfiction you want to see in the world. I'm on a kallura kick so look forward to more stuff from me.