"Courage"
By AuPhoenix
"Heyy Shiro," I stand outside the training area, my heart pounding.
"Hey Pidge? What's up?" Shiro pants.
"I, um, need to tell you something." 'Why does he always look so handsome?' I think.
"Sure. What's up?"
"Well, um, I have been meaning to tell you, but I'm horrible at this kind of thing and well I since my family vanished I hadn't thought about boys but being a part of the paladins has made me realize that, um, maybe things can be different-"
"Pidge, you're rambling."
"Oh, sorry. I just want to tell you that I like you. Ah a lot." I glance at Shiro.
"What?" Shiro blinks. "You like me?"
"Um yes, I do." A moment passes between us. I shuffle my feet.
"Oh Pidge, I'm sorry. I don't like you that way. I –"
"No, don't apologize Shiro. Just forget about it. I gotta go. Computer stuff." I turn away from Shiro and hurry out the room. Tears begin to gather, and I break into a run. Thankfully, I don't pass any of my teammates, and I make it to my room. At once I bury myself into my computer forgetting about my trampled heart.
"Keith and Pidge take the right hall. Hunk and Lance take the left hall. I'll go down the middle. Make sure you go undetected." Shiro's voice echoes throughout the paladin's armor.
"Come on Pidge. Let's make this quick." Keith and I begin to make our descent down the hall. Our mission is to grab supplies for our ship. I found a supply room on board, however, my computer got jammed, and I lost the directions to the room.
"Keith, there's a door to your right." Keith nods at me and stands at the wall before looking in. I creep closer and look in to see a room full of supplies. Odd enough there are no guards.
"Come on Pidge. Grab all you can carry."
"I don't know Keith. This seems odd. Where are the guards?" I watch as Keith enters the room.
"Maybe on break. I don't know. Hurry up." I scurry in and begin to make my way to the most important supplies.
"Keith, I'm going to call the others." I engage my communicators while Keith rummages through the supplies. "Hey guys. We found the supplies."
"No we found the supplies." I hear Lance's voice.
"What are you talking about Lance? I am holding them in my hands." I reply.
"Something is wrong because I am also at the supply room." Shiro's voice breaks in.
"Well couldn't there be more than one supply room?" Hunk's voice reasons.
"No because my computer only located one room for supplies." I defend.
"Listen Pidge, maybe you made a mistake." Lance states.
"I don't make mistakes! Keith tell them." I turn to Keith and find him standing with his arms up. "What?" I feel the edge of a Galra gun at the back of my head.
"It may be wise for you to stop communicating, otherwise, you'll spoil our little trap." Gritting my teeth I end the connection. "Good job. Now tie them up." Just as his gun leaves I quickly turn around and kick the man over. Keith does the same, and we use our weapons to defend ourselves.
"Let's go Pidge!" Keith runs out the door.
"I'm coming." I run after Keith.
Pow
"Ow!" I grab my shoulder to feel a warm substance leak onto my fingers. "Dang it." I quicken my pace to catch up.
"Shiro, it's a trap. Abort mission." Keith's voice echoes through the communications.
"All right. Everyone head back to the ship immediately." Keith turns to me, and I run faster. We exit our hall and find ourselves in a lounge area. We run on the outskirts of the room when a red flash blinks overhead.
"Intruder alert. Intruder alert." A mechanic voice sounds. Suddenly Galra begin to enter the room.
"Run!" Keith yells. I hear the pounding of feet behind us as we leave the room. They begin to open fire on us. We run until we near the place we entered, and I see Lance and Hunk just ahead.
"Lance! Hunk!" Keith calls out and as if in slow motion I see a Galra gain on Keith. Without a moment to spare I launch myself in between and stop the blade with my own.
"Ugh. Leave him alone." I cry. The Galra laughs. I hear Keith turn around.
"Fine. I'll have you then." He lunges himself at me. "Keith, I'll be right behind you. Hurry up and go." I hold out my blade, but I am pushed back.
"Pidge!" Sweat breaks out against my forehead. 'Come on Pidge. Fight back.' I begin to push back and suddenly I have the upper hand.
"Pidge, you have to get out of there. We're leaving."
"Okay." I give one last push before turning and sprinting into the pod.
"Ahh!" A shot hits me near my stomach and I fall in. A laugh rings in my ear as I am launch into space.
"Pidge, are you okay?"
"I heard you yell Pidge. Are you all right?"
"Pidge?" My eyes stare at the white wall as blood seeps from my clothes. My mind is turning fuzzy. I feel my eyes close. A door opens, and I am lifted.
"Pidge, stay with me. You're going to be fine." I black out.
I stare at the encase Pidge.
"You should get some rest." I jump.
"Allura, you startled me."
"I'm sorry Shiro, but staring at her won't make her heal faster."
"I know. I just can't believe she got hit twice." Allura places a hand on my shoulder.
"It's not your fault Shiro. Everyone worked together to get her back here quickly. That's what matters."
"I know. I just feel as if I failed her."
"You didn't Shiro. You fought bravely and so did she." Allura smiles at me. And yet I still feel uneasy.
"Look, go lay down and I'll wake you if she wakes up." I nod and stand up.
As I am walking out I turn back. "Allura, Pidge confessed to me."
"Confessed like a secret?"
"No, I mean she told me she liked me as more than a friend or comrade." I see Allura's face change from confuse to understanding.
"Oh, well do you reciprocate her feelings?"
"I ,um, its complicated. I mean I told her I didn't like her, but I may not have been totally truthful to her." I look to the floor.
"Then I think you need to be honest with Pidge and yourself, okay?"
"All right. Thanks Allura."
"You're welcome Shiro." I exit the room and head to my quarters. I have a lot to think about tonight.
"Guys, I think she is waking up." Lance yells. Everyone but Shiro crowds the healing pod. Shiro stands at a distance shuffling his feet.
"All right just a few more ticks and –" The sound of the gate opening silences Coran. Pidge pitches forward, and Keith catches her.
"Ugh." She blinks her eyes before squeezing them shut.
"Pidge, you are all right?" Allura asks.
"Yes, just hungry and a little weak." Pidge cracks open an eye.
"Well there is plenty of food in the kitchen. I'll go get you something." Hunk replies and heads off to the kitchen.
"Its good to see you awake again Pidge." Keith says while supporting her.
"Thanks. I feel like I have a lot of work to do."
"Don't worry about that now. You need to eat and go rest." Coran states.
"Haven't I done enough resting?"
"Technically, you have been healing. Your body needs to take a break."
"Fine, fine. Let me eat first." Keith guides Pidge to the kitchen with Coran and Lance right behind them.
"Shiro," Allura glances to him.
"I'm glad she's all right." Shiro exits the room.
"Oh Shiro, just be honest with yourself."
Pidge lays in bed twisting and turning.
"You puny human. You think you can defeat the mighty Galra. There is only a handful of you and thousands of us. We could squish you so easily." The Galra soldier laughs in my face. "And you were so easy to capture especially after baiting you with your captain." An image of Shiro bound and gagged flickers onto a screen.
"Shiro!" I pull at my restraints. The Galra only laughs.
"You think you can get out of that. You are a mere weakling. Even the Champion could have been tougher than you." He shakes his head at me. "Guards!" Two guards enter the room.
"Sir."
"Take our prisoner and bring her to the torture room."
"Yes sir."
"Get up weakling." One of the guards kicks me.
"Ugh." I lift myself up and am pushed out the door. We make our way to the torture room. My brain imagines every kind of device that will be used on me.
'No matter what I will not be defeated by them.'
"Stop daydreaming." I am push to the ground.
"Come on." They yank me up, and I stumble towards a door. One of the guards steps up and gives three short raps.
"Who is it?" A voice mutters from the other side.
"We have the prisoner."
Click
The door swings open, and I am led to a small room where there is only one chair. I wait but the guards make no move for me to be seated. I am confuse. Suddenly a door on the other side of the room opens and two guards bring in someone.
"Shiro!"
"Pidge?" His face is bruise, and he pants. They pull him into the chair and restrict his movements.
"What is going on? Aren't you torturing me?" I yell to my guard.
"Sorry weakling but today you are a spectator." The guard smirks at me. I turn to Shiro.
"No." One of the other guards enters with a thin, long object. It unrolls, and he raises it above his head.
"No!"
It is completely dark. I feel the sweat roll down my face as I escape the nightmare. I scramble out of bed with a pounding heart and launch myself through my door. I head to the kitchen and grab some water. I use it to cool myself down. My heart beat slows, and I breathe normally.
"Just a nightmare."
I throw my empty water bottle away and go back to my room but the nightmare still plagues my mind. I shake my head. I won't be getting any sleep tonight. I take off towards the lounge instead.
'Maybe I can watch the stars or something. Anything but my room.' I enter and make my way to the couch.
"Who's there?"
"Ahh!" I jump back and see someone laying on the couch.
"Pidge?"
"Shiro?" He sits up, and I stare at him.
"So what are you doing up?" I ask first.
"Couldn't sleep. What about you?"
"Nightmare." He doesn't say anything, and I wait.
"Would you like to sit?"
"Oh, sure thing." I sit down.
"How are you feeling?"
"Well considering I have been healing for two days and woke up from a nightmare, I'm doing fine."
"Pidge."
"Sorry, it's been rough this past week." A silence unfolds over us.
'This is awkward.' I play with my fingers.
"Sorry." I jump a little.
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry Pidge for hurting you."
"You didn't –"
"Don't cover for me. You told me you liked me, and I rejected you." I could hear Shiro's pain in his voice. I didn't know he felt so bad about that.
"Shiro, you don't need to apologize. Really I should apologize because I put our friendship at risk. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It was stupid of me for thinking about confessing. I mean I was being selfish to try and put my feelings ahead of the team especially since I know you like Allura."
"Wait what? You think I like Allura?"
"Yeah, Lance talks about the both of you together all the time. He's so jealous of y'all. I understand because Allura is intelligent and has magic and is brave and beautiful."
"Pidge."
"Plus she is royalty and she has a ship for a home, which is pretty cool. Also, I love her ancestry and the way she cares for others."
"Pidge."
"I know I am only this tiny girl who dresses like a guy because I wanted to get access to records of my family. The only thing going for me is how smart I am and my incredible skills at building stuff."
"Pidge!" Shiro touches my arm.
"What?" I look at him.
"You're rambling." I look at his hand on my arm.
"I-I have to go." I jump to my feet.
"Pidge wait."
"I'm sorry Shiro. I'll be in my room."
"Katie stop, please." I halt. I hear his footsteps behind me. "Listen when you were healing Allura came to check on me, and I told her of your confession."
"Why did you do that?" I whisper.
"Because I felt bad." I whip around.
"Well you can stop feeling guilty." I turn around but Shiro's arm stops me.
"No, you don't understand. Allura asked me if I was being truthful when I said I rejected you. Katie, I do like you. I'm sorry I wasn't honest but I was afraid if we became something more than you would be in danger." He turns me around completely, and I stare into his eyes. "When you were shot I felt my heart break into millions of pieces. I carried your lifeless body to the ship. I was so broken. We didn't know if we could save you and there was so much blood. Katie, I know now that our lives are in danger every single day, so I don't want to waste another day without you by my side." Tears run down my face. Shiro hugs me, and I cry into his chest.
"I have to say that your confession was a lot better." I smile at him. He looks down at me.
"I'm sorry for taking so long." I punch his chest.
"Stop apologizing. You've done enough of that tonight."
"Okay." His arms squeeze me again to his chest.
"Shiro, can we go back to the couch. I'm getting tired."
"Okay Katie." Shiro scoops me up and carries me back to the couch.
"Here you go." He places me gently on the soft couch before walking off.
"Where are you going?" I call into the darkness.
"I'll be right back." His voice sounds far off. My eyes begin to droop, and I feel my body relaxing. I'm nearly asleep when I hear footsteps.
"Shiro?" I feel a warm blanket drape across me.
"I got you a blanket." I smile at his thoughtfulness.
"Thanks." He slides under the blanket and I wrap my arms around him.
"You're welcome." I feel him kiss my forehead before drifting back to sleep.
"We should wake them."
"No way. This is once in a lifetime chance."
"I don't know Lance. They might not be happy."
"Which is why you shouldn't say anything. It'll just take me a second."
Flash
"Lance you forgot to take it off flash."
"Whoops, sorry."
"What is going on here?"
"Allura, oh well…"
"Lance took a picture of Shiro and Pidge sleeping together."
"Please don't be mad."
"I'm not mad. Can I see the picture?"
"O-of course."
"Look how cute!"
"Shsh you're going to wake them."
"Come on, let's give them some peace." The paladins exit the room.
"I am happy for you both." Allura leaves too. Shiro and Katie crack their eyes at each other and smile.