Virus Among Us
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How to approach Keith, Allura honestly did not know.
Coran's insistence that she transferred her crush stuck with her, even after her discussion with Shiro. The princess honestly found herself admitting she didn't understand her feelings towards the young paladin, but knew they differed from the way she felt about the previous red paladin.
She still remembered the first time she saw the previous red paladin, having snuck out of the garden where Coran tutored her to find the young Altean sparring with her father, remembering how the young man went head to head with her father to the point King Altor drew a sweat, and yet the young man still found himself knocked onto his back, his facial features startling upon seeing her staring down at him.
The previous red paladin was handsome, the one all of the girls talked the most about. His pointed ears were perfect, his muscles fine tuned, and his eyes drew the girls in. She noticed this more when she started interacting with other Alteans, finally having progressed away from tutors, to learning about the social system. Personality wise, the young Altean was hot-headed, yet his instincts were considered the best since the lions were created.
She also remembered the jealousy she felt towards the blue paladin, due to seeing the two together one time in the garden, when she climbed a tree, thinking the two were a couple. She saw the two were close to each other, so her assumptions were founded on something. She felt this way despite her admiration for the blue paladin, the first female in her life other than her mother, stepping in to mentor her when the blue paladin realized she needed a female figure.
The blue paladin also suggested to King Altor that Allura should interact with other girls her age, thus starting her schooling with the other girls. She remembered how she struggled to speak with the other girls, as the others kept their difference from the royal celebrity, including the noble, except for a few who thought she might help their political standing, only to find out this wouldn't be the case. She found herself finally able to talk to the other girls when her crush on the red paladin came up, and in some ways she wished there were other Altean females to talk to regarding Keith.
She crushed on the red paladin like the other girls, despite the definite age gap between the girls and the young paladin. She also thought the other girls were jealous of the blue paladin as well, though she found herself to polite to bring it up. However, she found herself learning otherwise when she came down with Altean Fever, the blue paladin coming to her rescue and caring for her, keeping her company in her room.
While Altean Fever wasn't a death threat for a young Altean, it wasn't pleasant either, and took a toll energy wise. She found herself not able to go to school, and spend time with her new friends, staring up at the ceiling. A knock came at the door, and the blue paladin let herself in, a sweet smile on her face. "How are you doing Princess Allura?" No comment came, the princesses mouth pushed together. "No response? I brought you some of your favorites, and none of that nutritious stuff Lord Coran makes for you."
The woman stepped over, sitting on the edge of the bed. Allura sat up, taking the tray of food, muttering under her breath. "How come the cryostasis pods can't cure Altean Feaver. They heal injuries."
"Oh?" A laugh escaped the woman's mouth, Allura taking in how pretty the older Altean was, a bit of jealousy setting in. "Altean children need to build up their immune systems, as this makes them strong individuals. On the positive side, you're not an Altean with the genetics which makes the Altean Fever worse, or that your where it's nice and warm, so the cold weather doesn't aggravate this. It's thankfully quite rare."
Allura's eyes blinked, forgetting about her food, her curiosity getting the better of her. She leaned forward. "How come you know about this, when it is so rare? If the cold weather effects Altean Fever, then doesn't this mean that the real reason a person doesn't go into cryostasis is because it will actually have a negative effect?"
The woman's beautiful eyes blinked a couple of times. "No. Cryostasis isn't the same as exposing one to a harsh environment. You could say being out in the desert with no water would aggravate this as well, as you're not properly resting. It's got to be severe weather though, which lowers the immune system. You could say the genetic issue is an immune issue, some kind of genetics which affects the immune system."
The princess frowned. "How do you know though? Do you know someone with this genetic effect?"
"Yeah, I do." The woman smiled. "Me."
"You got really sick when you had Altean Fever?"
"Yeah, but I had my older brother to take care of me despite the fact our parents could have." The female smiled. "He may be rough around the edges, I know, but deep down he's a very kind person."
Allura blinked a couple of times. "Who is your older brother?"
The woman's eyes blinked. "I thought you knew. My older brother, my twin to be exact, is the red paladin. People think we're complete opposites of each other, but I've got a temper as well, and he's also very kind."
The young princess hoped her blush at that point came across as part of her fever, finding herself embarrassed by the revelation. The blue paladin explained to her those with the genetic issue were rare, but that this also tended to run in families. Even though her brother didn't have the genetic issue, he could still pass this on to her children, but she was far more likely. Allura also learned from her mentor how bad Altean Fever could get, but also the care her brother went into, lasting a good chunk of time.
"You have a crush on him," the blue paladin said, after telling Allura the details, a soft smile spreading across her face.
Allura buried her face into the covers, embarrassed that her mentor found out her secret.
"Don't tell him!" The princess' voice sounded like a mouse.
"I don't know. I love embarrassing my brother, and him finding out that our dear little princess is crushing on him would make him squirm." The female Altean reached out, ticking Allura so that the covers dropped, and giggles rang the time, Allura was very young at the time, probably equivalent to what Pidge would equate to the human's five to an eight-year-old child, something the two discussed briefly. She also idolized the paladins, the war quickly taking away the chances to go to school, making her loose contact with the girls she wanted to make friends with. She also lost the two people she idolized the most.
The past was painful, and she wanted to move forward.
Keith seemed like the way to move forward, and yet Allura found herself struggling with her feeling, but also the first step in how to move forward.
Hunk also somehow picked up on her feelings, catching her off guard, though this made sense given his personality.
After fleeing the kitchen, for that was what she did, she headed to Keith's room to check on how the red paladin was doing. The door to the room slid open, allowing Allura to see the light of the room was on despite the fact Keith should be resting. The young paladin lay on his side, his entire body trembling slightly. The red paladin squeezed his eyes closed, attempting to sleep as his breath came in a labored manner.
Her eye drifted down Keith's slim body, a slight blush flitting to her cheeks, before settling on his now bandaged foot. A sigh escaped Allura's lips, and she stepped over to the bed, leaning over to nudge the red paladin. The teen jumped slightly, his head darting up, showing his eyes dulled from fever. "Allura?"
"Hey, what…" Her attempt to ask about his foot, only for a coughing fit to rack the red paladin's body. Instinctively she lifted him up, holding him close so that his forehead rested against her felt her breath catch in her chest, as the coughing continued to rack his body. When it finally stopped, she spoke again."Are you okay?"
Somehow Keith managed to pull himself away, propping himself up against the wall, frowning at her as his body continued to tremble. "Allura, why are you here?"
The princess' bright blue eyes blinked, her mouth opening. "I came to check on how you're doing."
The red paladin stared at her, reminding her of the day she ran the paladin's through a bunch of bonding activities, and the five ended up taking a break. Keith gave her a similar look as he sucked away at his drink, glaring at her like she was some kind of fly on the wall. Like that time, he didn't say anything. Instead, a few minutes later a coughing fit, one that didn't last as long hit him.
Allura reached out, only for Keith to reach up, stopping her hand from touching him. "Don't touch me."
The words stung, digging in deep in a manner she honestly didn't like. She remembered talking to him about how he didn't let anyone but Shiro get close to him, an admittance of her own jealousy, only for the words to go right over the red paladin's head. His pale cheeks were also tinged with a red color, but she associated this with the fever racing through his body. She took a deep breath, the look in her eyes reminding her of a wild animal she ran into as a child, only to be rescued by the red and blue paladins.
Her bright blue eyes drifted to his foot, noting the bandaging, but also the slight stain of blood. "What happened to your foot."
When she looked back up, she found Keith's facial features to soften. His eyes widened, the word, or name pouring out of his mouth with ease. "Lance."
Allura's eyes widened. "Lance did this?"
"Ah…" The red paladin quickly became flustered. "That was actually in his attempt to help."
"You do realize I'm just trying to help as well?" Her eyes darted to her lap, seeing even more the injured foot. She remembered the jealousy she felt when she heard Lance was helping, realizing she felt slightly relieved when she found Lance to not be there, but even a bit hopeful when she found out Lance caused the injury. This, however, faded quickly back to jealously. She hoped Keith would say something positive in return.
"When you touch me…" The red paladin's voice strained, in part because of his labored breathing "I don't like how I feel."
The princess felt her heart break, the way he spoke reminding her of when the previous red paladin found out about her crush. The older Altean poked her in the forehead. "Aren't you a silly bird, princess. I'm way too old for you."
"No you're not!" She'd protested.
"I'm not?" The male chuckled, towering above her. The young man looked rather uncomfortable with the conversation they were having. "I'm old enough to be your father."
"No you're not! You're really close to me in age!"
The man's beautiful eyes blinked a few times, rather taken back by her statement. "I am? I don't think I am a princess."
"But you're only three my age now! When I'm old enough to marry, it will be less than double!"Allura stared at her fingers, subtracting and adding, and doing the math, only failing. Had the math been in human comparison, Allura knew that she likely would have been correct.
"Princess…" The red paladin knelt in front of her. A blush spread across her face, Allura finding herself completely charmed by the fact her knight in shining armor know knelt down in front of her. "You really don't understand, do you." The words certainly stung. "One day, little princess, you'll meet your real knight in shining armor." The pout on her face made him ruffle the top of her head. "Come now! You'll really know for sure."
If this was knowing for sure, it hurt.
"Allura…" Keith let out another coughing fit as he said her name. Her head darted up, wanting to reach out to him, but stopped short remembering his rather curt reaction. When he finally stopped, he looked at his lap, his hands clenching the front of his pants. "I upset you, with what I said?"
Allura took a deep breath, before looking away. "It's not your fault you dislike being touched by me."
"I…" The red paladin's voice tightened, cracking as the deep breath struggled to come out. "I didn't say that."
"You did."
"I said I didn't like the way I feel, not that…"
"That's the same thing!"
"It is not!"
"It is!" The argument would have continued, but another coughing fit hit Keith then, making it so his eyes shut, his hands clenching together.
What he said surprised her, catching her off guard, a blush likely spreading across her cheeks. The red paladin didn't look her in the eye when he said it, a hand reaching up to scratch the itchy spots only to fall limply to the side. "Just, try to warn me before you try touching me."
Allura's eyes blinked a couple of times, a smile flickering across her face, only to remember that Keith said he didn't like her touching him. She let out a sigh, wondering where the conversation would now go, only to realize that Keith's breathing became, not so much more labored, but a steady rhythm despite the labored nature. Looking up, she could see he'd fallen asleep. The princess slid back, so her back was on the other side of the wall, watching the young paladin sleep blissfully, almost as if he weren't really sick.
She honestly got mixed feelings off Keith. He seemed to say one thing, but the emotions he exuded another. After only a few minutes however, his eyes flickered open, confusion spreading across his face. "You're still here."
"You're not exactly in a condition for me to leave you by yourself a paladin." Guilt replaced confusion. She watched as Keith leaned forward, going into a prostrate bow as she watched., her eyes blinking a couple of times. "Keith…"
"I'm sorry."
The female took a deep breath, watching his entire body shake as he continued to bow to her. "I thought I told you that you're not at fault for hoe you feel."
"Not that. My getting sick like this is detrimental to the team. We can't form Voltron."
"Keith…" Allura felt her mouth twitch, realizing suddenly that she'd not thought of that at all., and instead found herself far more concerned with her infatuation with the young Paladin. She took a deep breath, wanting to reach out to touch the red paladin's shoulder, to comfort him, but found herself holding back. "What you need to worry about is getting better."
The red paladin made to say something, even though Allura couldn't see him speak, only to fall into another coughing fit. She watched as he attempted to right himself, only to collapse forward, her hands reaching out to grab his shoulders. She felt Keith tense up, her own body tensing at his reaction to her touch. When he finally stopped coughing, she didn't know what to do. Keith's body shook too much to lift himself up, and finally he collapsed from exhaustion.
She found herself pulling Keith slightly towards her as he did, letting his head rest in her lap. She didn't remember a single time when the previous paladin seemed so weak in front of her, and one hand reached out to stroke the teen's head, his breathing indicating he'd fallen asleep again, but still struggled to breathe. His body however relaxed for the short period of time he dozed off, as if he forgot while he slept that she was there.
Allura knew when he woke up, as the red paladin's body tensed back up. Keith spoke in a soft voice, half asleep. "This isn't good."
The princess felt her eyes blink, wondering what he meant by that. "You're not filling well."
The red paladin managed to push himself up, unintentionally moving his full body closer to her. "I'm fine Allura, so you can leave."
Keith refused to look her in the eye, so he didn't see the look of worry plastered across her face. Allura's feelings did however come across in her tone. "You're not fine."
Keith turned, this time so his back was against the wall so his legs stuck out, trying to find a comfortable position. "I'm simply in the same boat as Shiro, so don't give me any special treatment."
"You're not in the same boat. You're worse off, and seem to be getting worse, while he remains steady." Allura felt her chest strain, and watched as the red paladin turned to look at her. This time around Keith sat close her her, and she felt her lips push together, the temptation to kiss him flickering across her mind ever so briefly. She pushed the feelings aside, playing them off as childish.
He finally looked away, coming to the conclusion he didn't know what to say. Another coughing fit hit him, causing him to double over. Allura instinctively reached out, pulling him into her arms, so his head now rested against her chest. He attempted to speak through his coughs, an evident embarrassment showing through. "Allura!"
"Don't." Allura held him tightly. "I can't leave you alone Keith. That's how serious this has gotten." She could feel his entire body shake. "As much as I need to let Coran know your condition has worsened, I also can't leave you alone." She could feel Keith drift off again, his body relaxing. He didn't even wake when the door slid open, and another paladin's voice rang out.
"Keith, I got you some of Hunk's…" Lance stared, the sentence finishing. "… soup." A silence fell between the two until he decided to clear his throat. "Um, Allura…"
"He's asleep."
"That's beside the point. You're not supposed to come into his room like this, by yourself."
"You did."
Lance cleared his throat again. "Allura, you're a girl. While I'd personally love to be in Keith's shoes, I can't imagine he's comfortable with this."
"I simply came to check on him. He's gotten worse." Allura watched the blue paladin visibly tense up.
"Still…"
"It's at the point we can't leave him alone. I was waiting for someone else to get here, so I can go and get Coran."
"How bad is it?" Lance looked at the ground, before shifting nervously.
"Considering the fact Coran's not yet gotten green food goo on either Shiro or Keith at this point, and has only given them medicine, I'd say pretty bad. He knows more about this though, as he's older."
The blue paladin set the tray of food on the floor beside the bed, before slipping in between Keith and the tray of food. He reached out gently, pulling Keith from him. "Come on, you need to wake up Keith."
The teen woke up, his eyes blinking a few time, before drawing a deep breath upon realizing who he now sat between. A coughing fit hit before he could protest, both companions holding him up. He then found himself pulled completely into Lance's arm, and Allura got up to leave. She'd slipped through the door, when the blue paladin came after her. She turned, not at all pleased. "You need to stay with Keith. He can't be left alone."
"I know, but just a few ticks as I've got a request." The teen held up his hands defensively. "Could you send Hunk by? It's rather important? Before you talk to Coran maybe?"
"I'll see."