Something is wrong.
It's a revelation that comes too late. Not too late to complete their objective, but too late to avoid capture.
Allura notices it only after they're surrounded. Keith was supposed to be on lookout, supposed to watch her back, but he hadn't said a word. In retrospect, he's been quiet for nearly half a varga. Now, he swings his sword at the nearest guard, and he misses. Something is definitely wrong.
With a dozen guns trained on them, Allura and Keith are marched through the same halls they'd spent the better part of two vargas skulking through, trying to avoid this exact situation. They're brought past the transmitter they'd shut down, past the experimental weapons they'd destroyed along the way, further and further down until they reach a room deep underground.
A laboratory. The dim lights overhead tint everything crimson. Crystals and beakers and chunks of metal line the shelves in strange colours. A heavy layer of dust has settled over all the lab equipment; rust eats away at the machines. It hasn't been used in a while.
The guards strip them of their weapons and armour with rough hands, and then throw them into a large cage meant for lab animals. Or maybe it's meant for people; Allura wouldn't put it past the Xorathians, the cruel, self-centred—
The door of the cage locks with a loud click.
"You can rot in here, Galra sympathizers," one of the guards spits.
Allura glares at them, a retort ready on her tongue. Just because they've formed an alliance with the Blade of Marmora—
No. It's not worth it. Don't engage. The sooner they get bored, the sooner they'll leave. The guards speak obscenities, but Allura keeps her mouth clamped shut. Keith remains silent beside her.
The guards take their leave after a few doboshes. As soon as the laboratory doors slide shut, Allura leaps to the door of the cage and tugs at the bars. She pushes and pulls and strikes with all her might, but it won't budge. She reaches through and stretches her shapeshifter bones to their very limit, but the locking mechanism is still far out of range. They're not getting out of this cage without help.
The Xorathians took their helmets with the rest of their armour, but thankfully, Allura still has her earrings. "Lance, can you hear me?"
"Allura? I found our target; we're on our way out now. What's up?"
"Keith and I have been captured. Our equipment's been taken. I don't think we're getting out of here on our own." She adds in a hushed whisper, "I… I fear something may be wrong with Keith."
"Not good. I'm still getting interference on the comms from the others—they must still be on Ganatham. I'll come get you guys as soon as I can."
"Thank you, Lance."
Allura sighs and takes a deep breath. Tentatively, she faces her mission partner. "Keith?"
Keith turns to look at her. His eyes are unfocused and dull; his usual sharpness is completely gone. Something is definitely, definitely wrong.
"What's wrong with you?" she asks, bluntly.
"I… I dunno. Don't feel right," Keith admits, his words slurring together. "Worse now."
She frowns. "How long have you been feeling this way?"
"Started when we got here," he says, tongue slow. "Something… something in this building, maybe..."
"Keith, we've been here for nearly two vargas. You should have said something earlier," she chastises.
"Sorry," he says, quietly. "'m sorry."
"Hey, Allura?" Lance's voice comes from over the comm link. "Keith's an idiot, and we can all yell at him later, but it doesn't sound like he's doing so good at the moment. I think he needs comfort more than a lecture right now."
Allura has many strengths. Providing comfort is not among them. "I… I'm not very good at that," Allura whispers.
"You can do it," Lance assures her. "Just take care of him until I get there."
"I don't… What am I even supposed to say?"
"Well, he said he doesn't feel 'right'. You could start by asking him what that means."
That's easy enough. "Keith, what do you mean you don't feel right?"
Keith winces. "Dizzy. Head hurts. Stomach hurts. Muscles hurt? Can't… can't think straight." He draws his knees in close to his body and squeezes his eyes shut.
"That's not good," Lance mutters.
"Now what?" she hisses.
"Well, you probably can't do a whole lot to fix those things, so just try to comfort him until we can get him back to the Castle."
"I don't—" She sighs. "I wish you could do this instead, Lance."
"You'll be fine. But if you're really that worried about it, can't you just, like, hand him your earring and let me talk directly?"
"Of course not. They're tuned specifically to my neural patterns so nobody else can listen in. Is that not how earrings work on Earth?"
"Yeah, not exactly."
"So tell me what to say," she insists.
"Okay, okay. Tell him, that sucks, but hang in there; help is on the way."
"Keith." His name draws hazy eyes back to her. "That sucks, but hang in there; help is on the way," she repeats, verbatim.
"And if there's anything we can do to make it a little less terrible, just say the word."
"And if there's anything we can do to make it a little less terrible, just say the word."
Keith's eyebrows furrow in confusion. After a beat too long, he asks, "We?"
"Me and sexy Lance."
"Me and… Lance," she says, eyes narrowing. "Lance!" she hisses under her breath.
"Worth a shot," Lance says, and she can hear his grin. "But for real, you can't just repeat my words exactly. It sounds super wrong. You gotta say stuff from the heart, or whatever. Say it like you mean it."
"I don't—"
"'Lura?" Keith slurs.
"Yes, Keith?"
"Where… where are we?"
She frowns. "We're on Xorath. Do you not remember?"
The blank expression on his face gives no indication that he does.
"We're here to rescue Retka, one of the Blade of Marmora's allies," she recounts for him. "You and I came to this facility to shut down the planet-wide transmitter, so that Lance could sneak inside the prison to get her out. We completed our task, but the two of us were captured. We're just waiting now for Lance to come get us."
"Oh," Keith says, though he still looks dazed. "Where's Shiro?"
"I'm not sure, exactly. We've lost contact with him."
Keith's eyes go wide. "Lost…? Again…?"
"Oh my god, Allura," Lance says, exasperated. "Don't make it sound like he might be dead."
"Ah, what I mean is, we're too far out of range for our comms to function properly. He's on Ganatham, a planet whose atmosphere has a lot of interference. He's there with Hunk and Pidge on another mission. Shiro is fine."
"Promise?" Keith asks in a small voice. It's so far from his usual tone. Allura hesitates.
"Just say yes!" Lance urges.
"Yes, Keith. I promise."
"Good, 'cause I—" His voice cuts off, his face scrunching up in pain. A groan escapes him as he slumps over and curls in on himself.
"Keith? What's wrong?"
"H-hurts," he gasps.
"Will you… be alright?"
He sucks in a shaky breath. "Th-think I'm gonna throw up."
"Quiznak," Allura whispers. "Lance? Lance, what should I do?"
"Help him sit up if he needs to, and make sure to keep that mullet out of his face. Rub his back—that might help."
"Will that stop it?" she asks, pulling Keith up from under his arms and propping him up against her.
"No, but it might make him feel better."
"How, exactly, do I go about 'rubbing one's back'?"she asks. She carefully tucks Keith's dark hair behind his ears.
"Like, make circular motions with your hands."
"On his back?"
"Yeah."
She stares at the expanse of Keith's back. "Where on his back, exactly?"
"I dunno, I guess somewhere in the middle?"
"And what size should these circles be?"
"Uh… small?"
Allura frowns. "Under or over a deciplaxel in diameter? How many rotations per dobosh?"
"It's not a science, Allura. Just do what feels right."
"I… I don't know what feels right," she admits. "I don't know how to do this, Lance."
"It's alright," Lance reassures her. "You'll get there. In the meantime, why don't you just rest your hand on his upper back, or maybe hold his hand. Just, y'know, to remind him you're there."
"Do you really think he's forgotten?"
"No—well, maybe; he doesn't sound so good. But it's more of a comfort thing."
She takes a deep breath. "Alright." She places a cautious hand between Keith's shoulder blades, another over his hand.
She flinches when his stomach spasms and he hunches over. He gags a few times, but nothing comes up. Thank the ancients for small mercies.
He's left panting for breath, but eventually, his rigid muscles start to go slack.
"Are… are you alright?" she asks, after his breathing begins to even out. She runs an experimental hand down his spine. It doesn't feel natural to her, but he seems to relax further, leaning back against her.
"Dizzy," he slurs. "Think'm gonna... pass out…"
"That's alright. Tell him to get some rest."
"Get some rest," she commands.
"…We'll work on the tone," Lance says. "Now tell him you're gonna be right here when he wakes up."
"Why?" she whispers. "Of course I will be. We're locked in a quiznaking cage together."
"Again. Comfort thing."
Ah. "Get some rest, Keith," she tries again, gentler now. "I'll be right here when you wake up."
"'Kay," he says, quietly. He slumps against her and closes his eyes. He's asleep in a matter of ticks.
"Good. That was good."
She sighs, laying Keith down on his side. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Lance," she murmurs.
"You'd get it eventually."
"You have too much faith in me."
"I have just enough faith in you. You can do anything you put your mind to, Allura. I know you can."
She smiles. "You are sweet."
"Sweet enough to warrant a date?" She's certain his eyebrows are waggling.
She lets out a slight chuckle. "In your dreams," she says, amicably. This, this comes naturally.
"And what good dreams they are."
…
Keith's dreams are decidedly not good. He mutters things in his sleep as he tosses and turns, making her heart clench. Shiro; don't leave; I'm sorry.
Allura watches him uselessly with bated breath until he wakes with a start. Tears bead his dark lashes. With a shudder, they fall.
"Lance?" she whispers, panicked. "Lance, he's crying. What should I do?"
"Maybe he could use a hug?"
"Keith, do you require a hug?" she asks.
He ducks his head. "No, I-I'm fine," he stammers.
"No, no, don't ask him outright if he requires a hug. Of course he's gonna say no; it's Keith."
"But you still think he could use one?" she whispers.
"Did you see the look on his face during our last group hug? Every time he hugs Shiro? Even if he won't say so, he likes 'em, no question."
She takes a deep breath and tries again. "I… I would like a hug," she says. "Would that be alright?"
Keith looks up, dark eyes wide. "You… would?"
"Yes. I think it would be very helpful."
"Oh. Okay," he whispers.
Keith readily collapses into her arms. He holds on tight, burrowing his face into her shoulder. It seems to be exactly what he needs.
"Good call, Lance," she breathes.
"'Lura?" Keith mumbles, his voice muffled by the thick fabric of her undersuit. "Where's Shiro?"
She frowns. "We've already been over this, Keith. Don't you remember?"
Silence.
"Lance, help me," she whispers.
"Just explain it again. He's not thinking straight. Just be patient with him."
Ugh. "Patient?" she says, her voice dangerously close to a whine. Patience is not her strong suit.
"Patience yields focus," Keith murmurs, and oh, he was listening.
"I… Yes, I suppose it does," she says, though the statement takes her by surprise. It's a very un-Keith-like sentiment.
"'Course it does. Shiro says so."
She smiles. That's not so un-Keith-like. "And I suppose Shiro's always right?"
"Most of the time."
"Yeah, that's fair," Lance agrees.
"'Cept when he's talking 'bout himself," Keith continues.
She quirks an eyebrow. "Oh? How's that?"
"Says he's fine when he isn't. Says things don't bother'm when they do. Says he'll be back soon. Says… says Kerberos'll just be for a… a few months…" His voice chokes.
"Oh, Keith," Lance murmurs, sympathetically.
"What is Kerberos?" she asks.
"Fuck Kerberos," Keith spits.
"Kerberos is the moon Shiro was on when he and Matt and Pidge's dad were abducted by the Galra," Lance explains.
"But that was the Galra's fault, not the moon's, was it not?"
"You're right," Keith says, quietly. "I'm sorry. 's just a dumb icy rock. Not its fault. It was the Galra. Galra are bad."
"Allura…" Lance urges.
Right. "Not all of them are bad."
"…Me?"
"Of course not, Keith."
"But I wasn't there. Disappointed you."
She can't lie; she didn't exactly hide her feelings when he put the Blade first. "I was a bit disappointed when you left," she admits. "But that's only because you're such an important part of the team."
"And…?" Lance prompts.
"And… and because I missed you," she concedes.
"Oh." That takes Keith by surprise. "I missed you, too."
"Aw," Lance coos.
"…'s that why Shiro was mad too?"
"Shiro? I don't think Shiro was angry," Allura says, "Just frustrated. With himself, more than anything." Late nights on the bridge and footsteps to the Black Lion's hangar and brutal rounds with the gladiator had told her that much.
"I shoulda… shoulda been there for him. He's always—" he cuts off, eyes going wide. "Where is he? Where's Shiro?"
"Shiro's fine, Keith."
"We gotta find him," he says, trying to push himself to his feet. She puts a hand on his shoulder, staying him.
"Shiro's on a mission with Hunk and Pidge. He's safe," she reiterates.
"He… he disappeared," he says, shoulders drooping.
"Yes, but you found him," she reminds him. "Remember, Keith? You rescued him. You never gave up on him."
"But I did," he whispers. It's a confession, one she probably shouldn't be privy to. "Before. The Garrison. I believed them. Knew it wasn't pilot error, but—but they said he was dead, an' I believed them."
"So did I," Lance says. "So did the rest of the world."
"It was a reasonable assumption," she says. "It would be the most logical conclusion to come to, especially if you Earthlings had not had any prior contact with other planets."
"No need for any snide comments about how primitive Earth is," Lance says.
"I know," she hisses to Lance under her breath. Although to be fair, she was thinking it.
"I shoulda known," Keith says, his voice brimming with guilt. "Shoulda—Pidge did. Pidge never gave up on her family. She was looking for them, an' I was just, I was just wasting my time in the desert looking for something I never woulda found on my own. Didn't help anyone. Didn't do anything. Didn't work. Just took the money he left me, like he was dead. Wasted it on food and fuel. He was out there and I just—just spent it, like he was never gonna need it again…"
"That doesn't sound like a waste of anything to me," Allura says. "Your research is what helped you to locate the Blue Lion in the first place, if I recall correctly. And it led you back to Shiro, did it not?"
Keith's eyes flicker with something less sad.
"And Shiro left that to you so you would use it. Really, it would have been a waste had you not used it. He's told me himself that he has no intention of going back to Earth any time soon. Not when there's so much to do out here, and not when his family is out here. His family. That's you, Keith."
"Oh. Yeah." Keith gives a soft sigh, snuggling closer against her.
"Aww. See?" Lance says. "You can totally do this."
A slight smile makes its way to her face. She stays right where she is until he falls back asleep.
…
"Lance?" Allura whispers, as she watches over Keith. His limbs thrash and twitch in jerky movements. Sweat beads his temples; his skin is ghostly pale. His teeth are clenched tightly, every muscle drawn taut. "He's gotten significantly worse. What's your status?"
"I'm in the building. Be there soon."
"Good. Please, hurry."
Keith groans; his eyes crack open. His gaze settles on Allura. "'Lura? Shiro… where's…"
"Again?" she mutters under her breath. "For quiznak's sake—"
"He's delirious. Cut him some slack," Lance says. "Remember: focus yields patience. Or something."
"I am fairly certain that is not how it went."
"Whatever. You got this."
She sighs. "Keith, Shiro is fine," she says, keeping her voice level. "He's busy on a mission elsewhere, but he is fine. I promise."
"Oh," Keith says. "…Can we go on that one instead?" he asks in a small voice. "I don't like it here."
"I know, Keith," she murmurs. "I know."
"Tell him Lancey-Lance is on his way."
"Lancey—I mean, Lance is on his way," she says, quietly fuming at the laughter coming from her earrings. "He will be here soon."
Keith shivers. "'Lura, I don't feel good," he says, quietly.
"My mom used to stroke my hair when I was sick," Lance offers.
"And I'm supposed to act like Keith's mother?" she says, a little louder than she means to.
"Don't," Keith begs. "Want you to stay."
Allura's heart breaks a little. "Your mother left you?" she asks, softly.
He nods. "Everyone does."
"Not everyone. I'm not going anywhere," she reassures him, carding a hand through his dark hair.
"Now you're getting it."
…
Keith shakes and shudders. A whimper escapes his lips between stuttering breaths. He looks so, so miserable.
She wants to ask Lance what to do next, but the sound of blaster fire has become near constant over the comm link. It's reassuring—he must be getting closer—but she shouldn't distract him.
Just do what feels right.
She can do this.
Carefully, Allura scoops Keith up in her arms. One of her palms settles between his shoulder blades, and she lets it run over his back in small, soothing motions. Her other hand rests at the nape of his neck.
Somehow, it feels right.
"Just hold on, Keith," she soothes. "We'll be out of here soon."
She continues to utter quiet reassurances, not focusing too hard on the words themselves, but keeping her voice soft and warm. Shivering, Keith settles against her. She holds him close.
Allura's close to drifting off herself when a voice interrupts.
"I'm jealous."
Allura's eyes fly open. "Lance!" she exclaims. The sight of the Blue Paladin has never been more welcome.
Lance shoots the lock mechanism outside with perfect precision and opens the door.
"Lance?" Keith asks, weakly, blinking his eyes open.
Lance gives him a smile. "Hey, man."
"You came," Keith murmurs.
"Well, I couldn't just leave the Princess here."
"Oh." Keith's voice is quiet. "…Yeah. Guess not."
"I'm kidding," Lance says, more softly now. "You're really not feeling well, huh."
Keith shakes his head.
"Some sort of Galra kryptonite around here, maybe."
Keith's eyebrows knit together, trying to understand.
Lance smiles. "Don't worry about it."
Keith's eyes flicker to Allura as she tucks her hand under his knees. "Can we go home now?"
"Yes, Keith," she says, lifting him into her arms. "Let's go home."
…
Allura presses her hand against the cool, translucent material of the healing pod. Keith slumbers inside, limbs slack and a peaceful expression on his face. The sight alleviates the tension that's been running through her own body as well.
"He looks way better already," Lance says.
"Yes," she agrees. "Thank goodness."
She walks over to join Lance, sitting down beside him on the circular steps. He smiles at her, and she scoots closer. "Lance?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
He cocks his head. "What for?"
"You know what for," she says. "For getting us out of there. For preventing me from making the situation worse for Keith. For guiding me through something I was… uncomfortable with. For being so encouraging and supportive throughout."
"Oh, I like this," he grins. "Please, go on about how great I am."
Allura gives him a light shove, but she continues. "I meant what I said. I don't know what I'd have done without you."
He shrugs. "Made a few slip-ups, maybe, but you would've figured it out on your own eventually. I know that for a fact."
"Well, thank you for making it such that I did not have to," she says. "I appreciate it. And I'm certain Keith appreciates it as well."
Lance glances back at the cryopod. "D'you think he'll even remember?"
It's a good question. "I'm not sure. But I will make sure to tell him how much you helped."
"Don't you dare."
Allura laughs. "Would that really be so bad?"
"The worst," Lance says. "Do it and I'm bragging to everyone on the ship about you calling me Lancey."
She scowls. "I want to strangle you sometimes. I—Stop doing that with your eyebrows!"
He laughs. It earns him another shove, harder this time.
"For real, though," he says. "I know it wasn't easy for you, but you really pulled through for Keith. You did great today. I mean it."
The corners of her lips lift. "You make it sound as if you weren't the one to save the day."
"Heh. I guess we're both pretty awesome, aren't we?"
She gives him a warm look. "Indeed."
They share a few moments of amicable silence, but hunger and exhaustion soon catch up. She gets to her feet and extends a hand to Lance. "It's been a long day. I'm starving. Let's go eat dinner."
He grins as he takes her hand. "Holding hands? Dinner? Sounds an awful lot like a date to me."
She rolls her eyes and yanks her hand away, letting him fall back to the floor. Their dynamic is familiar; it's just what she needs. She gives Lance a fond, playful smile. "You must be dreaming."