hurt/comfort; established relationship

Set in season 6 right after the fight with Sendak (i'll admit the timeline of their fights is a blurry for me because i don't really remember but oh well, it makes sense so that should work) and then my version of post season 6 because i shall ignore season 7 and 8 forever. Also Keith is a taller than Shiro because reasons... blame it on the fanonic second galra spurt

"Shiro."

Staggering, he fell down and collided with the dry ground. Ignoring the pain of rocks jabbing into his ribs, he forced himself back up. Focused on the strands of white hair he blurrily perceived, he pushed forward and dragged his sore body towards Shiro.

Weariness pulled at his feet but he managed to close the distance between them and at last dropped on his knees next to his partner.

Purple eyes purposely avoided the expanding crimson tainting Shiro's white armor and bruised knuckles gently brushed the former paladin's cheek.

"Shiro," voice cracking, he moved his hand to his partner's neck but stopped before his fingers could touch the skin.

Heart thumping with fear, he called out again.

"Takashi, c'mon wake up."

Hand hovering, he still couldn't bring himself to complete the gesture. What if he couldn't find a pulse?

Mind hazy with the accumulated fatigue of the fights, Keith struggled to stay focused.

"Please, 'kashi, open your eyes." He pleaded, hoping it would do the trick but no reassuring smile beamed up towards him.

Cradling Shiro's head on his lap, the Galra paladin urged himself to breathe.

Victory was theirs. They won for the greater good. After everything their team went through, they finally made it to the final battle and tipped the balance back to good. They bled but earnt galaxies a chance at freedom.

So why did he only feel dread?

"Keith?"

Keeping his eyes on Shiro, the Blade didn't move nor respond.

"We came as fast as we could, but it took us a while to find you guys. How's Shiro doing?"

Finally registering the words, the black paladin looked up.

Concerned etched on his features, Lance kept glancing back and forth between Shiro and him.

"I-," wincing at the hoarseness of his voice Keith cleared his throat, "I don't know."

Seeing the brunette throw a worried glance at something, the Blade finally realized his whole team was here.

"Alright, Keith, buddy, we need to get you two to medbay asap." Stepping closer to the pair, Lance made sure to keep his demeanor as non-threatening as possible. "Don't go Galra on me, man, but we really need to get you two some help."

"Lance is right," added Allura as she joined her Cuban teammate. "You both seem to be in dire need of medical attention, especially Shiro, we should hurry."

Keith agreed but no sound passed his lips.

"Did you check his pulse?" suddenly asked Pidge who materialized by his side.

Staring at the younger paladin, Keith didn't immediately comprehend her question and by the time his mind caught up, she had barked orders at the rest of the team who didn't hesitate to comply.

Shock. Blood loss. Lions. His clouded mind could only decipher so much before his teammates put what he assumed were Pidge's orders into motion.

His grip on Shiro slipped all too easily when Hunk delicately took their former leader in his arms. His heart wept at the loss, but any ounce of energy left had deserted his body, turning him into a ragged-doll for Allura to carry.

He could see Shiro's white locks sway as Hunk hastily carried the commander to his Lion and held onto the remembrance of his lover's smile before fatigue ultimately claimed his mind.

i wrote a one-shot in which Shiro died after the fight with Sendak a while back but was not satisfied with it anymore, started editing it and ended up creating two versions of it. I'm still working on the other version but here's the first part of the happy ending one.

This version will probably be a two-shot, just gotta finish the second part.

Hope you liked it!

D.

xoxo