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The first couple of hours after seeing Lance and Coran off were uneventful.
Walking to the hangar had left Shiro exhausted especially with his still healing arm. Almost as soon as Hunk laid him down Shiro was out. The group stayed around for a while before Pidge got up to see what tech was around, then Hunk felt the need to cook which prompted Romelle to follow him out. Krolia shortly stepped out to test the communications of the old base.
Keith and Allura stuck around, both on either side of Shiro. Allura refreshed the towel along his forehead while Keith simply sat on the cot propped up with his eyes closed.
"How are your ribs?"
His shoulders raised up in a slight shrug. "Still bruised." He cracked an eye open. "Is his fever still bad?"
Allura leaned forward a little so she could address Keith better.
"It is going down but I do not feel comfortable enough to leave him alone."
He let out a low grunt before leaning his head against the wall.
"Same."
He heard Allura move on the cot and then the post op room was semi-quiet again. He listened to his brother's breath. It was slightly louder than normal but nothing that would cause alarm. His body's healing. It made sense that he'd be laboring a little.
He turned his head to the side, opening his eyes.
Allura was lying along her side, eyes closed and with her chin lightly resting against Shiro's left shoulder. Keith didn't know what prompted him to speak up. He usually wasn't one to think about such things.
"Before Kerberos, Shiro was close to Adam." Pause. "They were more than friends."
Her eyes half opened. There was a sliver of a storm in her eyes, so many feelings flitting about in that lidded expression but also one emotion that centered her, kept her from being pulled under the waves and losing herself.
"I do not hold any expectations from him," she flatly stated, "other than what he decides for himself."
Shiro was murmuring again. Her fingers went through his hair in a calming motion without hesitation. The murmurings quieted. Shiro's head turned towards her palm and rested his head there.
"Even if those decisions don't include you?"
"My primary concern is his health." She closed her eyes. "Everything else will follow."
After what happened with Lotor... Just being here was more than she deserved.
Keith didn't even realize he had fallen asleep.
In the middle of the fourth hour, however...
"Shiro!"
The new Black Paladin quickly jerked awake. His Blade was already out despite his groggy eyes.
"Keith put that away and help me!"
He blinked hard as he did what he was told. Shiro was roughly turning about, his left arm swinging in a wide arch. Keith ducked the swing before gripping his forearm. Shiro's gray eyes were on him, his pupils more oval than circular. His clenched teeth let Keith see the sharper canines for a third time since their fight in the secret lab.
"Shiro calm down," Keith murmured a lot calmer than he felt. "You're not in danger."
"...Keith." His eyes rapidly blinked as he looked around. "Allura."
Allura tried to lead Shiro to lie back down. With how tense he was it was taking more strength than she had expected it to. She looked over at Keith. He adjusted his hold so he had Shiro's hand. Immediately Shiro squeezed hard as his eyes tightly closed.
"It hurts."
"Where? Your arm?"
Shiro shook his head as he breathed harder. "Everywhere."
"Allura -" Keith shot her a pleading look.
She forewent trying to get him to lie down. Instead she adjusted herself to sit behind him, making Keith shuffle out of the way.
"Shiro try to relax," the princess softly murmured as her glowing hands went up along his neck, "don't think about the pain," her hands went up to the base of his skull then trailed her thumbs down to follow his neck, "feel the warmth of my energy."
Shiro's breath labored for a moment before her massage started to take effect. His painful grip on Keith's hand slowly eased but now Keith felt it throb from the abuse. Shiro's eyes were half closed now as Allura worked along his shoulders. He let out a sharp breath when her hand stretched out towards his right bicep.
"I am sorry," she murmured, "but I need to push here a little. Relieving the tension could assist in the healing."
Shiro bowed his head but said nothing to stop her. Keith moved so Shiro's forehead could rest on his shoulder. Shiro let go of Keith's hand to grip his arm. The tension here took longer to ease than his neck.
But eventually he fell back asleep.
Krolia stood in the doorway with a tray in her hands.
Her son and the Altean princess were curled around the former Black Paladin. She was suppose to bring the broth soup Hunk and Romelle made for Shiro but clearly that was not going to happen.
She turned around and left.
The next time Krolia entered the three were awake.
She let Shiro eat first before unwrapping his right bicep. Keith was leaning against the wall by the cot while Allura stayed seated along the edge of the bed with a metal bowl and bottle of some solution.
"Remember the time you gave me the flu?"
Shiro looked away from his arm to give Keith a shake of his head.
"I told you not to finish my sandwich."
"You told me you were sick after I ate it."
"Actions have consequences," Shiro half grinned. "Had to teach you that somehow."
"Garrison's Golden Boy my ass," Keith scoffed in good humor.
"Language," Shiro and Allura chided at the same time.
Krolia blinked at the duo scolding then lightly smirked. When Keith told her Kolivan had actually grounded him for half a day she was certain she had a pathological liar for a son. But then she saw some memories with Kolivan and the others. It was then she knew. Keith brings out the paternal instincts in everyone.
"I gave you some of Mrs. Holt's famous chicken noodle soup."
"Yeah, with some hot sauce added..." Keith let out a tiny smile in memory, "that stuff was magic."
Allura perked at that. "Pidge's mother knows the mystic arts?"
Shiro and Keith shared a small smile.
"In the kitchen," Shiro chuckled. "I'm sure Hunk would love to cook with her."
Keith's smile waned when he saw his mother stop moving.
"What's wrong?"
Her hands moved again. "Why do you think something is always wrong?"
Allura focused back on Shiro's arm. "It's rather good, actually."
Keith pushed off the wall to take a look himself. Where the charred skin used to be was now angry red. Any broken skin was starting to stitch itself back together. He's healing faster than a human. He felt eyes on him. He looked up to catch Shiro's questioning gaze. He couldn't help but notice that his pupils were still oval shaped.
Shiro broke the gaze with a light hiss.
"That's all." Allura stopped pouring the solution over his wound. "Just a quick wash before the new bandages."
Shiro gave her a flat look. "A little warning would be nice."
"Or do it quick like an earth Band-Aid," Allura cheerily smiled.
He shook his head as Krolia rewrapped his arm.
"You need to stop hanging around Lance so much."
Once Shiro was lying down again Krolia pulled the two aside.
"He's changed."
"How would you know?" Keith defended.
"You do not know what is normal for him." Allura jumped in with plenty of petulance, "This is the first time you've been around him for an extended period of time."
"I know how long it takes for humans to heal," Krolia gestured to the closed door behind her. "That is not normal. You cannot possibly be blind to this."
The two paladins were quiet for a couple of ticks.
"So what?" Keith rumbled out. "Shiro is still Shiro."
"Yes," Allura determinedly agreed. "The essence I pulled from Black is Takashi Shirogane."
"I'm not suggesting he is not your comrade." Krolia sighed with barely veiled impatience. "But I'm certain your friend deserves to know about the change." Pause. "Not that we ourselves know what was altered in the clone's dna."
Silence fell on them once more.
"He might know already," Keith murmured. "Or at least have a feeling something's different."
Allura slowly nodded to that. "It is possible. He is rather intuitive..."
Footsteps sounded at the other end of the hall. The three looked over to see Romelle and Yorak trailing after her. By the frown on her face they took it she did not have good news.
"Paladin Pidge and Hunk would like a word."
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AN: Not much happening in this chapter, I know, but I wanted to get in some healing/bonding time. I doubt I'll finish this before season seven comes out like I had wanted but oh well. XD