After his fight with Keith, Shiro decided to let off some steam in the exercise room, wailing on a punching bag. He just couldn't understand what was going through his head! Keith almost died and yet he was going on about some stupid birthday party? Didn't he even care about how worried he and the others were? Why did he have to treat it like it was nothing? After all they went through?!

"Don't bother."

Shiro's fist stopped short of the bag as he remembered Keith's words. He told them not to bother, to stop trying to save him… The memory caused Shiro's hand to shake before moving to grip the front of his shirt over his heart, his anger quickly shifting to hurt… He'd never heard Keith talk like that before, like he was ready to give up and die just like that. Keith was the stubborn one, the hot head… Out of everyone he always seemed like he had the strongest will, but now…

"I'm tired… of always messing up." He'd said. "You don't need someone like that…"

Shiro's mind then went back to his disturbingly realistic dream and how eerily similar it was to what actually happened, the two scenes merging together in his mind. He saw the pained expression on Keith's face as the color drained from his skin and the light faded from his eyes. It really felt like Keith was slipping away, telling him goodbye. When he awoke he expected to find Keith dead! It felt like his last chance to be honest with Keith, to tell him what he'd always stopped himself from saying aloud and yet… even then he couldn't do so, like even his subconscious was telling him not to.

"Don't say something… that you'll only regret, Shiro. Don't say something you can't take back."

"Regret…. Huh?" Shiro said softly, moving to a nearby wall to slide down to the floor. He looked down at his left hand which still trembled badly after the incident. "Is that it…?" If he were to really come out and say it would he regret it? It would change things between the two of them for sure… but….

Though he wasn't sure if he was ready to come out with that, he knew he still had to address the things Keith had said aboard the skiff. They needed to talk about it… So after a few moments of steadying himself emotionally he rose back up and made his way to Keith's room. When he reached his room Shiro almost laughed at a crudely written note on the outside reading "No Shiros Allowed." It was comical but also concerning. Keith had naturally nice handwriting but his hands were clearly unsteady if the jagged lines were any indication. That brief moment of thought opened up a faint crack in his resolve, just enough for hesitation to slip in. For that moment he considered abandoning his mission and returning to his room but as he turned to leave he heard a series of coughs from the other side of the door followed by muffled yells of pain.

Panic overtook Shiro once more and he quickly rushed inside, eyes darting towards the bed. His heart was pounding in his chest, expecting the worst. Keith was lying awkwardly on his side, his shirt pulled half off and while he was raggedly coughing and taking shallow, labored breaths he was tightly hugging his chest. Keith's eyes opened partway, giving Shiro a helpless expression.

"S-Shiro…"

"I'm coming, Keith, hang on." Shiro rushed over to him, prying his hands away from his chest and helping him shift back onto his back. Then Shiro cupped his hand over Keith's damaged ribs and lightly applied pressure like he'd done before, his other hand cradling the back of Keith's neck. The pressure helped to relieve some of the pain.

"Just take it easy. Take slow, deep breaths alright?"

"I-it hurts…"

"I know it does, Keith but it'll pass. Just breathe…."

It took several minutes but eventually Keith's coughing subsided and he was able to settle back down. He was shaking now, eyes shut and sweating but he wasn't the only one shaking. Shiro watched him carefully, waiting to see if Keith was really alright. Eventually Keith reopened his eyes, the pain having died down considerably.

"Shiro…?"

"Yes Keith? What it is?"

"You can… let go now…"

Shiro hadn't realized he was still touching him until then. He looked down at his hand, pressed against Keith's pale yet still soft skin. He only faintly wished it was his fleshy hand making contact. But he didn't say that aloud- he just couldn't- and he slowly released him and pulled his shirt back down, noticing the change in Keith's breathing as he did so.

"Nng…" Keith groaned. "The pressure helps… ironic, isn't it?"

"…"

"Can't we just wrap something around…?"

"I'm afraid we can't." Shiro said, lingering by the edge of the bed. "If we do that it'll prevent you from breathing deep enough. It could make you very sick."

"Deep breath…? I can't breathe now anyway…!" Shiro understood Keith's concerns and he knew from experience how painful it was to have injured ribs. He suffered many wounds while under enemy capture. "This sucks…"

"I know and I'm sorry." He just couldn't apologize enough. Keith had enough healing to do if not for his rib breaks but it couldn't be helped. Or maybe it could…. "What were you trying to do, anyway?"

"…..I wanted a different shirt…" Keith said softly with a bit of a pout. What trouble he was in that he couldn't even change his own clothes.

"I'll help you with that."

"Just forget it." Keith said, looking away. He wasn't prepared to even risk a repeat of that incident just yet. Shiro didn't argue, instead pulling up a chair and settling down into it, arms crossed. The room was silent for a few minutes until Keith finally spoke again, almost making Shiro jump.

"By the way…"

"Mm? What is it?"

"….Can't you read?" This time, Shiro couldn't stop himself from smiling. No matter the situation, Keith was always Keith. Always snarky. Almost… Shiro shook his head, hiding his smile as Keith turned his head to half-heartedly glaring at him.

"I can read just fine. But that chicken scratch on the door hardly qualified as words. You'll have to try harder than that to keep me away."

"….You're mean."

Shiro chuckled then and relaxed, leaning forward to lightly tousle Keith's hair. The teen was too sore and tired to brush his hand away.

"You'll get better, Keith. It'll take longer than you want it to but you'll heal. You're still…" Suddenly the sadness started sinking in again, fear and hurt showing on Shiro's face. Keith saw this and his expression also softened.

"Shiro…? You okay?"

"….No, Keith. I don't think I am." Shiro sighed and shook his head, moving in closer. "Keith… we really need to talk about what happened."

"You know what happened… Lance and Hunk told you, didn't they?"

"That's not what I mean. I'm talking about… what you said right before we found you. What you told me… about giving up?"

Keith's eyes immediately darted away and it was clear that he didn't want to talk about that. Which meant, of course, that they absolutely needed to talk.

"Keith." Shiro pressed him, gently, but he wouldn't turn his way or respond. The expression on his face was clearly distressed but whether it was from guilt or something else Shiro couldn't be sure. Shiro tried again. "Keith, please."

"Just forget it already!" Keith snapped at him, attempting to roll onto his side away from Shiro. Before he could manage it, however, Shiro took his shoulder and pushed him onto his back once more. He had one knee on the bed, his hands on either side of Keith's head and the suddenness of it seemed to startle Keith. His eyes widened and for a moment and he actually looked scared… and vulnerable. Shiro didn't want to force him but this was the only way to break through his stubbornness.

"I wont forget it, Keith. I can't…" His voice softened which seemed to relieve Keith slightly. But he still turned his eyes away, unable to look at him dead on.

"Why…?"

"Because it scared me, Keith. It sounded like you were saying goodbye and I'm not ready yet. I'm not ready to let you go."

"I was just being realistic." Keith finally said, looking up at him. "Everything was fading, Shiro… I just didn't want to give you false hope."

"False hope is better than no hope at all. Yeah we cut it close there but…" Shiro gently lifted one hand to cup Keith's cheek, stroking softly with his thumb. "I wasn't about to give up on you."

"Even though I'm hot-headed and abrasive and…not like you."

"I don't expect you to be me, Keith. I want you to be yourself." Shiro felt bad, remembering just how hard and judgmental he'd been of Keith over the years. It was clear to him now just how much Keith valued his approval. Keith tried so hard to be the person Shiro wanted him to be, so when he made mistakes it really hurt him. "Keith… I want you to be you… this team needs you."

"Don't lie." Keith said, finally shutting his eyes and turning his head away. "I'm replaceable and everyone knows it."

"Keith…!" Shiro couldn't believe he was hearing this. Since when had Keith started having these feelings? ….Come to think of it, his attitude did start to change after he learned about his heritage. Maybe he felt that he no longer deserved a place on the team. Unwilling to accept this answer, Shiro stroked his cheek once more, his voice softening.

"If you think that then it must mean the rest of us are disposable as well. Myself included." Keith's eyes shot open and he looked back up at Shiro with a strangely desperate expression. His hands rose off the bed to lightly clutch Shiro's shirt.

"You're wrong…!" Keith said, his voice shaky. "Shiro, you're perfect. You're exactly what Voltron needs… no one could replace you!"

"Then trust my judgment and believe me when I say it needs you, too." Keith's words warmed his heart and he lowered down, pressing his forehead against Keith's. The younger's hands slipped upward more to weakly wrap around his torso in a hug and Shiro wished he could do more to comfort him without potentially causing him harm.

It was during this moment that something in the back of Shiro's mind spoke up. Feelings long since buried were floating back towards the surface and it was becoming harder for Shiro to hold them back. He had been waiting for the right moment… was this that moment? Shiro opened his mouth to speak but no words would come out. Butterflies were suddenly swarming in his stomach and fear was welling up inside him. What if he was misreading the situation? What if Keith rejected him or flat out hated him? He didn't want to take advantage of someone in his position but even so he just couldn't help but feel that it needed to be said! After all, he almost lost his chance. Taking in a somewhat shaky breath, Shiro pulled back and stared down at Keith who looked a bit confused.

"Keith… There's something I have to say to you… and you don't have to respond if you don't want to."

"O…kay. What is it?" This was it. This was the moment! Even so Shiro still struggled to force the words out.

"I…" He was hesitating. He didn't want the moment to pass but he just couldn't get past the fear. "This is really hard to say…"

"Shiro, what's wrong?" Shiro's hesitation was alarming and Keith cupped Shiro's cheek, hoping to calm him down. What was he trying to say? Either way it looked like he was about to cry.

"It's okay. Whatever it is you can tell me. I'll help you."

The skin to skin contact felt nice… Shiro's eyes softly closed and a smile gradually made its way back onto his face as his hand fell over Keith's. He was warm… This was enough. That's what Shiro thought, anyway. For now, this was enough for him.

"Nothing… Nothing's wrong. Thanks, Keith."

Keith returned the smile and the two shared a silent moment together, staring into each other's eyes. That is, until that silence was broken by Allura clearing her throat. Neither had heard her enter, nor did they know how long she'd been standing there watching them, causing the boys to blush, noticing the almost intimate closeness. Shiro sat up and cleared his throat.

"Oh uh, sorry Allura. I didn't see you there."

"And how long exactly were you standing there?" Keith asked, accusingly.

"Keith." Shiro gently scolded, looking towards the door. "Sorry. Did you need something?"

Allura smiled softly, amused by their sudden embarrassment but she didn't mention it. "I just came to see how Keith was holding up."

She walked further into the room and looked him over. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I guess." Keith responded, only then noticing how much heavier his breathing had gotten. But he could always blame that on his ribs. "Thanks for checking."

"Of course! I regret that we can't heal you right up so if you need anything please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks. For now, though I think I should get some sleep."

"Alright." Allura glanced over at Shiro next. "Shiro, could I borrow you for a while then? We could use all the help we can get in securing the castle."

"Of course." Shiro looked back down and laid his hand gently on Keith's chest. "I'll be back soon, Keith so you just get some rest."

"Mm." Keith hummed, his eyes already closing. The two headed for the door but even then Shiro hesitated a moment, eyes locked on Keith's frail form before leaving the room with Allura. Immediately his attitude changed, his voice taking on a more serious tone.

"So what's the current state of the castle?" Back to business as usual it seemed but Allura had other ideas.

"What were you about to say to him?"

"Hm?" The two of them stopped walking and Allura gave Shiro an amused smile. This made him feel embarrassed and he looked away. So apparently she'd been standing there a while.

"It was nothing, really."

"I don't think that's true." She stepped up to him, setting a hand on his shoulder. Even through the small contact she could feel his heart fluttering still. "I may not know everything you've been through, but I know what this looks like. You really should say something."

She was so observant… or maybe he was more transparent than he thought. Shiro blushed softly and looked down at the floor.

"It's not that easy, Allura. There are a lot of things that could go wrong if I say it."

"You can't be afraid of being honest, Shiro. He deserves to hear it."

"….I know." Shiro gave her a soft smile followed by a hug before the two of them set back out to meet with the others to see just how much trouble they were in.