Prompt from anonymous: Keith Insult to Injury sick!fic prompt! Sick!fics are my life tooooooo
Voltron and related characters and properties © Dreamworks
story © RenaRoo
Insult to Injury
"It looks like it's just a sprain, we should consider ourselves lucky."
Keith glared at Shiro, flinching as the black paladin tightened the makeshift wrap on his ankle. "Easy for you to say, you're not on the receiving end of of your first aid skills."
Shiro rolled his eyes. "And just whose fault would that be, Keith?"
With a huff, Keith leaned back against the cave wall. He closed his eyes and took a moment to appreciate the coolness at his back. He'd been running hot since they got separated from the others, but he hadn't realized just how much he wanted to cool off before they got this forced breather.
"Keith, still with me?" Shiro asked, only half sarcastically.
"You couldn't get rid of me if you wanted to," Keith replied groggily.
He needed sleep. They both probably needed it, but Keith felt it hit him like a ton of bricks.
For a moment Shiro lapsed into silence, continuing to wrap his foot before letting out a soft mumble to himself. Keith had begun to notice that Shiro had a bad habit of that – talking to himself as if Keith wasn't literally within arm's length.
He was more than willing to let the curious habit pass without comment but, without warning, a thick hand was slapped up against his forehead.
Keith struggled slightly, eyes opening wide as he got a look at Shiro. "Hey! What are you doing?"
"You have a fever," Shiro said simply, beginning to look around toward the other meager supplies they had gathered before get lost in the depths of the cave.
"No I have a sprained ankle," Keith responded. "And you said it yourself, we're lucky about it."
Shiro paused for a moment before lightly placing Keith's foot on a rock to keep it elevated. He arched a brow at the younger paladin.
"Sprained injuries do not exclude the possibility of illness, Keith," he informed him as if it was news.
Huffing again, Keith pushed up from the cave wall. "But I don't get injured easily, and I don't get sick so–"
The walls around them spun and Keith felt his eyes cross. There was a nauseating wave that came over him and, briefly, he lost the sense of up and down.
Before Keith even comprehended that he was falling, he felt firm arms grab and support him.
"Easy there," Shiro said, leaning Keith back against the wall. "I've got you."
"You don't need to. I'm fine," Keith coughed out. He realized with slight annoyance that his breathing was beginning to grow uneven. "What is this? Does the universe just hate me trying to save it this much?"
"Calm down," Shiro said, reaching back and grabbing Keith's discarded helmet. "Honestly we shouldn't have let you take this off. We don't know anything about the atmosphere on this planet. It could be affecting you."
"Or maybe my temperature's rising because of the blood rushing to the swelling," Keith offered.
Pausing, Shiro looked up to Keith with some surprise.
The red paladin shrugged and nodded to his ankle. "I'm used to dealing with stuff on my own. What? I can't know a thing or two about injuries?"
"No, that's a good thought," Shiro said, forcing the helmet on Keith's head when he was least expecting it anyway. "But just in case we'll play it safe. It's bad enough to deal with an injured Keith who can't accept assistance. I don't feel like testing my luck with an injured sick Keith who doesn't want my assistance."
For a moment, Keith allowed Shiro to move him around however he deemed necessary, but before the leader finished, Keith weakly lifted up his hand and knocked his knuckles against Shiro's shoulder.
Shiro looked at him expectantly.
"Your help might not be wanted per se," Keith said simply, "but I just want to make sure you know that it's not… you know, unnoticed or anything. So thanks."
At first, Shiro allowed himself to be caught by surprise. But his expression quickly changed to something softer and he nodded to Keith.
"Noted," he said, grabbing Keith's arm and pulling him to his feet – or foot rather. "Now lets keep you from getting any other ailments."
"Ha ha, funny," Keith said, allowing Shiro to shift his weight. Just until the others were around to be witnesses.