Shiro dreams of needles under his skin, of chemicals in his veins, of surgical steel. He wakes choking on a scream, panting for breath. Sweat drenches his skin.

"Shiro," Allura's voice soothes. "It's alright. You're safe. I'm here with you."

She interlaces her right hand fingers with his left and strokes his hair, calming him down. Her touch might remind him of something that feels like home, if he knew what that was anymore.

"Can you sit up?" she asks after his breathing has evened out, and he gives a small nod. She helps him into a seated position, keeping a steady hand at his back to support him. She reaches for the water by his bed with her other hand – the water Keith must have brought. At some point in the night, Allura must have taken over looking after him so Keith could get some much-needed rest.

She hands the glass to Shiro, keeping her fingers over his as he takes it, staying his shaky hand and guiding the glass to his lips. She takes it back and sets it down after a few sips when it's apparent he's not going to drink anymore.

Allura brushes back his sticky bangs, her hand resting against his forehead. "Your fever, it's gotten worse," she says, her brows furrowing in concern. "You can't be feeling well."

He doesn't refute it. He's really not. He's chilled from the fever and feels unreasonably sluggish; he's dizzy and his head hurts; he's incredibly weak and every muscle in his body aches.

"We should get you back to the hospital and finish up those tests." He tenses and sucks in a sharp breath at the thought, panic flooding him all over again. The nightmare is too fresh in his mind. Drugs and scalpels and needles and drills and…

"I'm sorry," she says, feeling his muscles lock up, his breaths quickening, his pulse racing. She wraps her arms around him and pulls him in, holding his body close against hers. "I know it's hard. But it will be alright. I promise."

-v-V-v-

The hospital is as daunting as ever, dim and sterile, metal and stone. They enter the elevator and go up and up and up. The lurch of the elevator as they reach the twenty-seventh floor does not help with Shiro's nausea.

The sky through the small window in the room is an ominous red, the sun still rising over the city. It casts an eerie glow on all of the strange laboratory equipment in the otherwise dark room. His breathing is shallow, and he knows in the back of his mind that he should try to slow his breaths, stay calm, but he's occupied with trying to stay vertical.

The Tryophian researcher, pharmacologist, and lab techs all meet them there, entering the room single file, their dark robes mirroring their sombre expressions. Their ruby eyes all fix on him, intense and unsettling.

Allura helps Shiro out of his clothes, and he tries not to notice the way she can't stop staring at his scars or the way Keith tries to avoid looking at them entirely. He shivers as the cool air touches his bare skin.

"Lie down," one of the techs gestures, and he obeys. His heart is pounding as they approach with strange instruments, hovering over him as he lies trembling on the table like a specimen to be vivisected. He feels as Keith's hand, calloused and warm, grips his left hand, and Allura's hand, delicate and cool, slips between his metal fingers. He squeezes his eyes shut and focuses on that, on them.

It doesn't take long – most of the tests had been completed the day before. There's nothing invasive this time, just scans and monitoring. And soon enough, it's over.

The Tryophians are speaking. Their voices are hazy through his fever-addled and panic-stricken mind, but he gets the gist of what they're saying. The treatment will likely be compatible with his makeup; there's a good chance it will work.

He's almost calmed down, but then they present a needle to inject him with the treatment and he starts to slip. The blue-skinned Tryophians morph into druids in his mind, the red of their eyes replaced with gleaming yellow. No, no, no… "Druids," he gasps. "No… can't…" The rest of his words are lost, incoherent.

"Shiro, there aren't any druids here," Keith says slowly. "You're on Tryoph, in the hospital, with me and Allura." Shiro can't reconcile the words with the rest of what he sees and hears, though, and the hallucination wins out.

He tries to get away. Allura and Keith squeeze tighter, their grips tightening on his hands. He tries to resist, the pressure feeling too much like the restraints that bound him, but he can't escape. He's weak, so weak, and they don't let go. He's trapped.

Keith holds his left arm down, and one of the druids comes forward, flicking the needle with her blue fingertips. "Please," Shiro whispers, shaking, but they don't let up. Pity and heartbreak shine in their eyes.

"I'm sorry, Shiro," Allura says, her voice remorseful. "But I promise you, you're safe. We're safe."

Keith's grip tightens, and then metal is inserted into his skin. Shiro jolts, bracing himself for the pain to come, the fire to spread through his veins, the spasms to wrack his body. But there's nothing. Just hands holding his.

The pressure on his hands has let up into something more comfortable. The hands aren't there to restrain him, but are there as a gesture of solidarity. He's not alone. His panic starts to subside.

"You should see the effects in a couple of days," a foreign voice says. "He just needs rest until then."

It's over, and Keith and Allura are helping him up off the table, steadying him, helping him back into his clothing. Allura exchanges words with the Tryophians, gratitude apparent in her voice, and then the two of them are guiding him out of the room.

Before they reach the door, though, Keith halts abruptly, Shiro's stomach lurching at the sudden stop. When Keith gestures to the window, his stomach twists with something else. The crimson sky is filled with Galra ships. Reinforcements.

"No…" Allura whispers.

A thunderous voice reverberates overhead, loud and unfriendly. It informs them that the Galra have reason to believe that the paladins of Voltron may be hiding in the city. It orders them to turn them over immediately, and states that any citizens caught harbouring the paladins will be killed.

"Of course. After that little showdown with the Lions yesterday…" Keith utters.

"We cannot wait. We need to leave the hospital now," Allura says urgently.

"This way," the Tryophian pharmacologist gestures, leading them out of the room and down the hall into an unused stairwell. Shiro's eyes blur as he looks down at the stairs that seem to go on forever. Wordlessly, Allura crouches down and Keith helps Shiro onto her back. He hates feeling so weak, but he's grateful for the unspoken assistance. Her arms tuck under his thighs, and then they're racing down the stairs, too many flights to count.

At long last, they reach the end of the stairs, entering the barely lit subbasement. The Tryophian leads them to a small room. She reaches into a drawer and hands Allura a small emergency kit, and then she presses her hand against a stone in the wall. The wall opens up to reveal a small passageway that leads to a tunnel. She tells them that although she's never been in it herself, it should eventually take them outside, away from the city.

As they stand in the passageway, Allura thanks her profusely. Shiro does his best to express his gratitude, and even Keith offers his thanks. She gives them a brief nod before the wall slides closed and the light leaves them completely.

Allura opens the emergency kit, rummaging through its contents until her fingers find a small portable light. She switches it on and holds the small orb in her palm. It reveals the rest of the items in the kit – a blanket, water pouches, and some freeze-dried food - and illuminates the stone of the cave system around them with a warm glow.

They make their way forward through the cave, slowly but steadily, Shiro leaning heavily on his companions. They're quiet, their footsteps echoing in the silence, speaking only when deciding which way to go.

They keep trekking for a while, but eventually, Shiro can't keep going. He needs rest. His breathing has become laboured, too loud in the empty space, and he's completely drained.

"Sorry," he utters as he sinks to the cave floor. Keith gives him a withering glance, like he should know by now not to apologize for what isn't his fault.

He can't stop shivering, chills racking his febrile body. Keith and Allura settle down beside him, and Allura helps him to lie down. The ground is hard and cold, but she rests his head in her lap.

Keith retrieves the blanket from the kit and drapes it over Shiro. "Rest," he says, and despite his shivering, Shiro is out almost instantly.

-v-V-v-

Shiro wakes in a panic – par for the course at this point. He's scared, but Allura and Keith are there with him. He's safe, he's safe, he's safe. Allura strokes his hair and Keith holds his hand, not letting go until his breathing evens out and his heart resumes a normal pace.

When he's calmed down, Allura guides him to a sitting position and Keith brings him a water pouch and a freeze-dried food bar. Shiro accepts the water, taking a couple slow sips, but he doesn't take the food.

"You should eat something," Keith says. "When's the last time you ate?"

Shiro knows he should eat – his body is horribly weak – but the state of his stomach tells him it'll come right back up. He can barely keep the water down as it is. "Few days ago," Shiro murmurs, too drained to come up with a reassuring half-lie. "Can't keep anything down."

Keith frowns deeply. "Okay," he says, letting it drop. "But as soon as we get to the Castle, we're getting you something you can."

Allura nods. "We'll be home soon enough," she says, and though she has no way of knowing how long it will be, her words are reassuring nonetheless.

They continue making their way through the cave. They take another break a few hours later, and it repeats: Shiro sleeps with his head in Allura's lap and wakes from a nightmare with the two of them holding him. It's familiar. He hates that it's become familiar, that he relies on him so much, but he's grateful beyond words.

Allura and Keith are watching over him when he wakes. He looks up at them, warmth and compassion and protectiveness reflected in their sky blue and midnight eyes. A smile traces his features.

They sit like that for a few moments, but then there's movement in the corner of his eye and Shiro startles. His eyes widen as a form takes shape. "What's wrong?" Keith asks, squeezing his hand.

"Behind you," Shiro gasps, moving to sit up. He's not sure he can trust his eyes, but when Keith spins around and curses, he knows it's real. A hideous and massive creature scuttles towards them. It's like a horrible three-way cross between a centipede, a pangolin, and a stag beetle, the worst features of each magnified tenfold.

Keith and Allura are at their feet in an instant, standing in front of Shiro. They're not in their armour, though, and the only weapon they have between them is the knife Keith keeps on him.

Keith slashes at the creature, but nothing seems to get past its plated scales. Allura tries physical strikes, but her attacks don't seem to affect it either. It charges at Keith, knocking him flat on his back and pinning him down with its legs, and when Allura tries to help him, its monstrous jaws open wide and-

Shiro's moving before he can fully register what's happening. All he knows is that they're in danger and they need him. He rushes forward, clumsy and uncoordinated but forward nonetheless, drawing the creature's attention. The creature rears, its jaws snapping open and shut, and charges at him.

Shiro's seeing double, but he can't miss. He activates his Galra arm and drives it deep into the creature's body, the heat from his hand able to get past its defences. He strikes again and slices through. It's enough. It stops moving.

Keith and Allura rush towards Shiro as he sinks to his knees, exhausted. The motion and the exertion and the smell of burnt flesh are enough to force the water he drank back up. They rub his back and help him sit, and they rest for a little while longer before carrying on.

A couple hours more and finally, finally, they reach the exit. They step outside and it's almost dark out. The sun lies low along the horizon, but the sky is otherwise empty, devoid of any Galra ships. They're quite a ways away from the city, away from the jungle, away from anything, really.

Allura contacts Coran. He tracks their coordinates and tells them to sit tight – someone will be there to come get them shortly. The three of them wait at the mouth of the cave, and as they rest, they take up the positions that have become routine.

-v-V-v-

After a while, a pod flies down and Lance steps out. He opens his mouth to make some sort of grand entrance, but he sees them, sees Shiro, and the words die on his lips. He doesn't even comment on the fact that Shiro's head rests in Allura's lap. "Holy quiznak, Shiro. You look like death warmed over," he says.

Shiro manages a weak smile. "I'll be fine. Glad you're here."

Allura helps Shiro up and Keith races to the pod, jumping into the pilot's seat. "Hey!" Lance protests.

"Shiro's sick. There's no way you're flying," Keith says flatly.

"Excuse me?"

The two of them start bickering, and Shiro presses a hand to his temple. "You guys." His headache is bad enough as it is. Their mouths shut instantly.

"…Fine," Lance relents, and silently, Shiro is grateful.

Keith flies the four-person pod back to the Castle. He's careful, making the trip as smooth as possible. It still unsettles Shiro's stomach, but it could be much worse. They pass by planets and asteroids and space debris until they reach the neighbouring solar system where Coran had brought the Castle so as to avoid detection by the Galra.

Keith lands the pod in the hangar and they bring Shiro, dizzy and exhausted, straight to his room and into bed. It's all a little hazy, but Lance is telling them that he's heading out again – he's got to go back to Rieb to assist Pidge and Hunk. "They're not in any trouble, don't worry," Lance reassures them.

"You should… bring Keith. Backup," Shiro murmurs.

"Nah. He'll just get in the way," Lance says. Keith glowers at him, but Lance grins, raising his hands. He obviously meant to word it that way, but he clarifies, "We've got a plan, and we need to be covert. Any more people will raise suspicion. But don't worry – we've got this."

Shiro knows that as a leader he needs to show he believes in them, and besides, his head is too muddled to strategize. So he just looks to Allura, and she nods.

"You'll tell us, of course, if anything goes wrong," she says, and Lance nods.

"You too," he says. He glances at Shiro. "Feel better soon, alright? We won't take too long," he says, and then he heads out, making his way to the Blue Lion.

Allura sits at the edge of Shiro's bed. "They'll be fine," she reassures him. Then she takes his hands and says, "It's been a long day. You can rest now." And so he does.

-v-V-v-

Allura holds him as he wakes from another nightmare. They're all a blur and he can't tell what happens in them anymore, but he knows that he's scared and he knows that her presence helps.

His hand feels empty, though, and he wonders where Keith is. He must have said that out loud, because Allura tells him he's in the kitchen, and once he's calmed down, she leaves to go get him. "I'll be right back," she says, pressing her lips to his forehead.

She comes back soon, Keith in tow, and Keith is holding a bowl in his hands. He brings it to Shiro, and Shiro realizes it's some sort of broth.

"You made this?" Shiro asks, and Keith nods.

"I asked Hunk about the ingredients," he says, his voice a little uncertain. "Hope it's okay."

"It's quite good," Allura smiles, reassuring Keith as she helps Shiro to sit up. "Though it's quite unlike any Altean dish."

Keith nods and his lips quirk upward. Not tasting like Altean food is a good thing.

"Thank you," Shiro says earnestly, and he brings the bowl to his lips.

He was ready to stomach whatever Keith made with a smile, but he's pleasantly surprised. It's simple and not too heavy, and it actually tastes a bit like kenchinjiru. It reminds him of home - his former home, anyway. He doesn't know when he'll return to Earth, if ever. He's accepted that he's probably going to die out here. He's not sure where home is anymore.

"This is really great, Keith," Shiro says, a genuine smile on his lips. "Thank you," he repeats.

Keith tries and fails to suppress a beam. Shiro takes a few more sips, letting the warmth flood his body.

For the first time in days, Shiro's stomach settles.

-v-V-v-

Shiro spends the next few days mostly asleep. Keith and Allura continue to watch over him. They take turns sometimes, but usually both of them are there. They read, or catch up on work, or talk in hushed tones as he sleeps, but they don't leave. He never wakes up alone.

Keith does whatever he can to help, bringing him meals and water and helping him to the bathroom. He stays quiet, focusing more on practical, physical ways he can help, but he has a warm, solid presence that fills the room.

Allura keeps him entertained in the hours he's awake. She tells him all about Altea – its culture, its history. Sometimes it's hard to focus and the words float over him, but her voice never ceases to soothe him.

Days go by, and slowly but surely, Shiro's symptoms remit. His fever breaks. The nausea diminishes, and the world doesn't spin every time he opens his eyes. The pounding in his head subsides, and his muscles stop aching. He doesn't feel quite so weak anymore, slowly regaining his strength.

Still, even though they don't need to be there, Keith and Allura stay. They're there with him. And when he wakes from his nightmares with their hands entwined in his own, he knows definitively that this is home.