Shiro could feel needles piercing his skin. His forehead was covered in sweat. He was tied to a metal table, blinded by a white overhead light akin to an interrogation bulb.

The soft hum of machinery filled the back of his mind.

A dark, cloaked figure peeked into Shiro's peripheral vision. He couldn't turn his head or see very well past the light above him, but he knew who his tormentor was without the need to see them.

champion

The all-too familiar voice made his skin crawl.

just another puppet

His breathing was gradually getting faster and faster, but it did nothing to fill his panicked lungs.

you're just another one of the Galra's toys

He started to feel more needles.

such a shame that you will be the weapon used to cause your own downfall

Her voice echoed through his skull and filled it with more painful memories. The taunts fused into an unintelligible blurb of agony as Shiro tried in vain to block them out He could do nothing more than shut his eyes and hope the torture ended sooner than the last time.

But amidst Hagger's wicked laughter and endless taunting, Shiro still managed to hear the uneven hum of the machinery somewhere next to him. It took a while for his racing mind to realize that it wasn't machinery, but in fact a low voice, one foreign to the cold darkness of the Galra ship he was locked in.

He could only catch a few words over his own panting.

"...afraid...temporary...breath….Shiro…"

And suddenly there was a hand rubbing his back but-

"There is nothing…afraid of...only temporary...deep breath for...okay Shiro?"

It didn't make sense. He was tied to a lab table in Hagger's experiment cell in the middle of space with no one to help him or hear his screaming or panicked breathing or-

"There is nothing to be afraid of. This is only temporary. I need you to take a deep breath for me, okay Shiro?"

Something deep in his muddled brain told him to listen, and he started doing as he was told. The mantra was repeated to him over and over again. He was still terrified and shaking, but at least the oxygen had helped him regain enough of his senses to realize that the voice belonged to none other than Hunk.

As soon as Hunk was done going over the mantra again, he started over again with a steady voice, as if on instinct.

Shiro was slowly gaining more awareness of his current condition despite still having his eyes shut tighter than a steel door. He was clutching his hair for dear life with both hands, the robotic one a little tighter than his own. His face was scrunched and wet with tears. Hunk's hand was continuously rubbing his hunched and sweaty back in a circular motion. He also suddenly became aware of the fact that he was sitting down against a wall- not tied down to a lab table.

After a another little eternity of deep breaths, Shiro finally began to open his eyes again. He felt a new wave of fear wash over him again as white, sterile light consumed his vision, but it went away once he realized that it was only the glow of the castle's hallway lights.

"I've got you, buddy" Hunk whispered next to him. "I'm not letting anything hurt you."

Shiro trusted that Hunk would keep his word. It would just take a little longer to convince himself that they were far away from the Galra and not on the verge of an attack.

"I-I-"

I'm okay, he wanted to say. His mouth wouldn't let him spit the words out. He wasn't okay, but what kind of leader let themselves become paralyzed with fear at the threat of nothing?

Hunk shut him down. "Take it easy, Shiro. Let's just sit this out together."

They sat together with nothing but shaky breaths to break the silence for what seemed like an eternity, but Hunk seemed in no hurry to go anywhere.

"What-what time is it?" Shiro finally managed to ask.

Hunk thought about his response for a few moments before finally deciding to shrug on it. "The whole 'living in space' thing is screwing with my perception of time, but I'd say we have maybe another three hours until our first wakeup call."

Three hours left for Hunk to get some more shut eye in, Shiro thought to himself. But then why was he here with him at this hour?

"Shouldn't you be in bed?"

A subtle blush washed over Hunk's face as he reached over to scratch his neck. It didn't do much to hide the embarrassed wheels turning in his head. "Ah, well, it's just that, you see, I might have been on my way to Yellow's hanger to give her some midnight belly rubs. And maybe sing her some lullabies while I was at it."

He seemed to regret his response upon falling under the confused gaze of his fellow paladin.

"I mean, I guess technically the lions don't really need to sleep per se, but it helps her unwind after a long day," there was a brief pause before adding, "and sometimes I could use the company myself."

Oh. That made sense.

"I was on my way to the hanger when I saw you stumbling out here in the hallway….you didn't seem like you were feeling so good."

Well, if by 'good' he meant in full awareness of his surroundings, then he was on the right track.

"Speaking of which," he continued, "is, uh, everything all right?" He tapped his own forehead with caution, unsure if his genuine concern was overstepping any boundaries. "You could always come over to my room if you ever need someone to help you get through the night."

They say empathy is a gift.

"I appreciate the offer. Thank you, Hunk," he told him. "For everything." Shiro couldn't remember the last time anybody had been so patient with him, especially given his state.

Shiro stopped getting nightmares as a kid once he was old enough to learn that the waking world was full of things much scarier than Boogiemen and ghosts. But after the failed Kerberos mission and the events following it, the word 'nightmare' began to carry a whole new weight. Sometimes the most terrifying things were the ones we thought to be closest to the truth.

"You shouldn't have to see me like this," he told Hunk. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what? For being put into this mess without so much as a second to take it all in? For being manipulated and hurt by a scumbag alien race? Shiro, none of this is your fault. Give your team a chance support your weight." A smile lit up the Yellow Paladin's face. "Heck, I'm the leg of Voltron. That's basically in my job description."

Given the lengths he had previously gone to keep the Balmera safe, it didn't surprise Shiro that Hunk had such a big heart. The Yellow Lion had chosen its pilot well.

"Alright, I'll be less hard on myself." Inner peace was something Shiro desperately needed. Maybe it was time to put that in the forefront. "I can't thank you enough for being here with me."

"No problem, buddy."

Silence enveloped them again, but it was a new kind of silence. It was a comfortable silence that didn't plead to be broken. The two of them sat there, savoring the brief tranquility they so rarely got to enjoy.

Shiro's heart was a little less heavy the next night.

It's been a while since I've tried my hand at writing fanfiction, so I decided to start fresh and do something for the Voltron fandom. My plan is to write a chapter for each of the paladins (yup, five)

Reviews are appreciated!