Keith woke up to the movement of someone shaking him. His first thought was of a Blade member, possibly Yangkor or Devlin trying to get him to do their share of the work. He ignored it at first, shifting so that he was facing away. But the shaking continued, a familiar voice speaking to him.

"Keeeeith." It prodded at him, trying to convince him to return to the world of the conscious with simply his name. Keith recognized who it was immediately. Shiro obviously needed him for something. Shiro was on his ship to…. Oh Shit. Keith's eyes flew open as soon as he realized why Shiro was with him. He rolled over, getting up too quickly. He fell straight on his ass, his legs not awake yet. Shiro chuckled at him, but helped Keith get to his feet.

"You should be resting," Keith yawned, his annoyance able to slip through the tiredness.

"We're approaching the planet," Shiro told him, a small amused smile on his lips. That woke Keith up right away. He stalked to the navigation system, seeing how close. He was still in his clothes from his trip to see Hunk. Which according to his in-ship time zone was about 12 hours ago. They were about to begin their descent to the planet. Keith had apparently slept through the alarm he put in place. All 10 of them. Keith had set it so that when the ship was 2 hours away, it would alert him. That way he could prepare his talk to Pidge, gather information about the planet, and get dressed. So he now had to compensate.

Keith scanned the area for possible landing areas, gathering information on the planet in general while running through the information he knew about this Pidge person. All at the same time. Shiro offered to help research on his personal tablet and Keith accepted the help. Shiro always liked being a part of the action, Keith knew. Shiro wanted to help out as much as he could and was not afraid to push his luck. Keith had to keep him in check now, just as Shiro did for Keith.

Keith decided it was best for him to do the geographical search for a place to land and to get himself ready, while Shiro gathered information regarding the culture on the planet. Shiro sat on his bunk with his tablet while Keith looked through his closet. Sure, he had a few items that were colorful but most of his attire was black or grey. Amidst his scurrying to find an outfit he realized that he could not pick something until he knew the cultural norms, just as he knew them for Hunk's planet. Keith returned to the console, Shiro following behind him to sit in the co-pilot seat. Shiro started telling him what information he found regarding the planet while Keith looked for a place to park his ship.

Approaching the planet of Gloxi, Keith recognized it was a very green planet. Various plants inhabited the planet, the actual planet being half water and half land. The atmosphere was breathable for Shiro and Keith, as it was very close to Earth's. The main structure for civilization, Shiro told him, were plants grown into dens, occupied caves, and hollowed hills. There was a mythological story about a being who could control the plants and manipulated them to form shelters, homes. Weaving vines and trees to create human-esque living spaces, the plants were free to grow naturally after they were put into place. The inhabitants were sentient and intelligent, this planet housing multiple different species. Some Keith knew of and have had contact with, others Keith had no reference to. The planet was another peaceful one. Technology was used for research, healing, and building. They did not appreciate weapons such as guns or lasers or blasters. More basic weapons, such as knives and swords were okay, but they had to be used in certain ways. The planet recently had an upsurge of technological experimentation and they somehow have combined plants and tech together, in what Keith understood as a cyborg. But instead of a human it was a plant. Gloxi was sustainable.

Keith did not have to conform to any way of dressing, as the various cultures and aliens were diverse as hell. People here would not give a shit about him being part Galra, may not even pay attention to him. He did want to impress the locals, however. His pirate status was apparent due to his ship. Almost all who visit the planet register before entering the surface, and occupants tell the officials. Keith, however, was sure that Pidge did not inform the officials. So he had to look presentable. When he stepped out of the bathroom, he gruffly approached Shiro, hoping one look was all it took for Shiro to figure out what was wrong. Shiro chuckled at the sight of him.

"You cleaned up well," Shiro commented.

"Yeah. Can you please help me?" Keith strained. "Starting to lose air…."

Keith was plopped onto a chair and felt relieved as his tie came undone. Shiro properly did up the garment, making sure it wasn't too tight or too loose. Keith also got Shiro to pull half his hair up in a hair tie, away from his face.

Pidge and Matt in particular were located just outside a major city. There was a place where Keith could park his ship without having to pay, in a "visitors" lot outside of the city. He did so, however that meant the ship had to be searched by government officials. Unexpected visitors were welcomed, as long as their technologically advanced weapons were confiscated and they could be given back upon departure. Keith knew that his dagger was fine, and the only other weapons in his possession were built into the ship.

Shiro went to his bunk, crawled in. Keith and Shiro decided it was best if Shiro pretended to be asleep while Keith dealt with the government officials. Keith prepared his ship for entry, opening the door when he saw guards outside. Keith stood by the console of the ship, his bag with his tablet on the seat.

Three guards entered, the one in the middle stepping closer to Keith. Their leader. They were wearing tattered, oversized cloth rags over their armor and carried spears. Keith couldn't see their faces or any individual characteristics other than height due to their uniforms.

"State name and purpose." the leader demanded. Their voice was electric.

"Keith and visiting for knowledge." Keith was looking at their feet in a sign of submissiveness. It felt foreign and wrong. He felt like the guard eyed him up and down.

"Knowledge?" One of the other guards questioned.

"Who is the man on the ship?" the leader asked.

"That's my brother," Keith remembered the lie "and he is sick. I am here to talk to a healer here."

"Don't mind if we have a look around?" the leader asked but Keith knew it was not optional. Keith gestured for them to look. They were surprisingly respectful, making sure not to disturb or drop anything. Keith noted that. They looked in cupboards and in chests. One of them analyzed Shiro for most of the scan, causing Keith's heart to beat slightly faster. The leader approached Keith after talking with their fellow guards.

"You may park your vessel here. It will be landlocked until you return from your journey."

They swiftly left. Keith let out a breath he was too aware he was holding, wiping his face with his hands. Shiro smirked.

"They couldn't tell a sleeping man from an awake one. I didn't get a good look at them, were they human?"

Keith shook his head.

"Probably not."

Shiro requested that he join Keith for this one. He didn't want to spend his time wasting away in the ship while Keith did all of the convincing. Perhaps, Shiro offered, having a sick and dying man with him would help get the sympathy vote. Keith hated hearing Shiro refer to himself as a dying man so lightly. Shiro did have a point, so Keith went with it.

Shiro was able to walk, however he had to take many breaks. Keith offered venturing into the city to get a hoverchair, which Shiro caved and agreed to. The climb to Pidge's place was horrendous for someone healthy; for anyone with mobility issues or without stamina it was pure hell.

According to Keith's tablet, Pidge lived outside of the city, inside a waterfall. In order to get to the waterfall, they have to climb a cliff nearby. Keith had to park in the designated space, and therefore could not park closer. They ventured across the river, and to the mountains where the waterfall was. The trek took 10 minutes. Keith could control the hoverchair via the tablet when Shiro was not able to. They reached the waterfall. Keith looked around but could not see the entrance. Shiro did not either. Keith paced around, the spray from the waterfall hitting him as he did so. The tablet said it was here! Shiro suggested reloading the program that he had been using. The result was the same. It said Pidge's location was inside the waterfall, but all that was there were a thick curtain of vines that probably had rock on the other side. Keith exclaimed a drawn out curse word, wanting to punch something but also not wanting to hurt his hand. He looked around in anger and figured the vines would soften the blow.

"Stupid fucking poison!" Keith exclaimed, punching the vines. He cursed again, as his hand passed through the curtain and he fell on his face on the rock ground. He groaned in pain.

"Keith!" Shiro called with worry.

"I'm fine," Keith replied. He picked himself up and opened the vines so that Shiro could see him and enter. "I think I found where the tracker wanted us to go."

Shiro and Keith followed the path in the mountain/cliff until they reached the end; a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was an average looking house, very remnant of home. There was a garden amongst the greenery that filled the large clearing. Many plants from different cultures surrounded the house. Keith wondered which ones were edible and which ones were just for show. Some of the plants seemed to almost be alive; Keith had an odd feeling of being watched. Perhaps it was from the house. Three vehicles of various alien origin were parked outside, in their own particle barriers. The house, while looking like those of earth, was built out of manipulated trees and vines. Like latticework, the house had trees as the main means of structure, with the vines and leaves looking as if their purpose was for aesthetics and to keep out the rain. Keith could see the technology peaking through, as there was a chimney and a solar panel. He suspected there would be more inside. When he looked up, he could see the sky. Luckily, there was a path from the opening to the door.

Shiro and Keith approached the door, taking in the entire scene as they walked. Before they even knocked on the door, a voice came through, seemingly out of the vines.

"State name and purpose," an androgynous voice came through.

"Keith, and help. My buddy here is Shiro. We are looking for the Fountain."

"Oh! Hunk sent you my way!" The voice said, more welcoming and cheery than before. "Come on in!"

Keith looked for a doorknob or anything resembling one, but it appeared to just be vines and bark.

"Uh…. How?" Keith called, hoping the owner of the voice was still listening. He assumed it was Pidge but did not want to jump to conclusions.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

A section of the vines and tree moved - rather, it detangled itself from itself - to create an opening for Keith and Shiro to enter from. The two boys looked at each other nervously and for guidance. Shiro moved first, driving his chair inside. Keith followed a beat later.

As soon as they entered, someone came from around the corner. They were in some kind of foyer, and there seemed to be an elevator to their left, a room to their right, and a closet directly in front of them. A person significantly shorter than Keith appeared on the doorway of the room on the right. They had light brown hair, an oversized green hoodie on, and had round glasses on their face. They smiled and waved brightly.

"Hi! I'm Pidge," they said.

"Hi Pidge," Shiro greeted warmly, gratefully. Keith was still on edge. "Thank you for speaking with us."

"No problem! If you follow me, my brother Matt and I can tell you about our adventure and kind of how to get to the… fountain."

Keith picked up on Pidge's hesitation to say 'fountain'.

"Before we go any further, mind if I ask for your pronouns?" Shiro asked. Keith smiled a little.

"Oh, yeah, haha. My name and appearance often leaves people wondering. I go by either they/them or she/her, whichever you prefer."

With that, Pidge led them to the elevator. They explained that their workshop was in the lower levels, while their living space was in the above area that Keith and Shiro had a glimpse of. The elevator was all mechanical, going down into a huge laboratory. The lab was an open space, sectioned off into various projects. Sitting at a desk in the middle of the space was someone who greatly resembled Pidge, probably the older brother previously mentioned. Keith and SHiro were slow to cross the room, distracted by the various projects and tech and robots. The robots seemed to be building various items and assisting. One approached the group and offered a refreshment; Shiro accepted, Keith rejected it. He wasn't sure if he could fully trust them yet. He didn't try to stop Shiro because, frankly, he probably couldn't. Pidge got her robots to bring over a chair for herself and Keith. She called over to her brother about ¾ of the way to him, alerting to their presence. The siblings sat across from Keith and Shiro.

"So… what brings you two into our neck of the woods?" Matt asked bluntly. Keith noticed Shiro eying him in interest.

"Shiro here is sick. Really sick. We are trying to get to the fountain of youth so that he may not be sick anymore. We were told to come to you, since you had the location?" Keith explained briefly.

Matt looked Shiro up and down.

"What exactly is happening to you?" Pidge asked. Shiro relayed his symptoms, saying he doesn't know exactly other than he's been poisoned and the doctors can't find anything. Keith had noticed Shiro's trouble with focusing. Obviously he was having trouble walking and supporting himself.

"Mind if we have a quick look at you?" Pidge asked. One of the robots brought to the group's attention a section of the room for person examining. Shiro said he didn't mind, despite Keith's looks of protest. Matt and robots brought Shiro over, while Keith and Pidge joined them. Shiro stripped down to his boxers and took his arm off. Laid himself onto the table. Unfortunately, this sent him into a coughing fit. A robot quickly attached a device to him to help with breathing. Keith didn't realize he had moved until Pidge's small but firm hand grasped his upper arm and pulled him back.

"Dude, it's okay." Pidge said. "I know you are protective of your friend, but he's in good hands."

Keith forced himself to relax a little. These people wanted to help. They were nice. They had been through similar experiences before.

Matt examined Shiro's entire body, using fancy looking devices Keith had never seen before. He didn't go to the hospital much, and the ones he could afford - rather, the ones that would take him - were all low budget, not tech savvy. Keith did notice Pidge had a keen interest in Shiro's robot arm. She asked Shiro if she could have a look at it, to which Shiro allowed. Pidge asked how it worked. She informed Shiro not to over-exert himself; if answering was too much, that was okay. Keith piped up and briefly explained what he knew of the arm. Shiro could control it through thought like a biologically attached arm. He received a special implant for that, a procedure that was common on certain planets. One of the least invasive things you can have done. Pidge asked some questions that Keith couldn't answer and Shiro didn't have the strength to. Pidge brought over a tablet, looked up the make and model online.

"You seem to be in a lot of pain" Matt reported to Shiro. Shiro nodded slightly, his gaze drifting to Keith. Had Shiro been faking how healthy he was? Matt proclaimed he was done, and went on to talk about how Shiro's nervous system was starting to freak out from the poison, and how there was a lot of pressure building up in his muscles and brain. This was news to Keith; Shiro was acting like he was just weak and a little dizzy. Had Shiro's health plummeted that badly? What would happen if the journey took too long?

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Keith choked out. He swallowed the sob and blinked back the tears. He was angry. He was scared. He realized he was shaking but made no effort to hide it.

"I didn't want you to worry!" Shiro exclaimed before coughing some more.

"Goddamnit Shiro, you need to tell me! You can't use the fountain if you're FUCKING DEAD!"

Keith collapsed in a fit of tears. He could only see red and hear voices off in the distance, as if he were under water and someone on the surface was trying to reach him. Then the buzzing sound came. It invaded his hearing. His body shook, trying to get rid of the thought, the image, of Shiro dying. Keith not able to stop it. Having to bring the body back to his husband. Suddenly he was suffocating. Drowning. The water seemed to crash around him, although it was only air. He felt the cold grasp of metal hands grab his arms and legs. His throat started hurting, his voice box vibrating but he heard only the buzzing. Then, like a light switch, everything turned off.

Keith jumped awake. Quite literally. He sat up immediately, his body shaking. He breathed in big breaths of air, as if he had held his breath under water. Perhaps he had. No, Keith realized, that was just sweat. He felt a metal surface below him, something soft on him. He rubbed his eyes, opened them, seeing clearly now. He was still in Pidge's lab, on a table with examination equipment surrounding him. Matt was approaching him from the next examination area over; there were about four in a row. Shirt was on the adjacent table, a few machines hooked up to him. His metal arm on the exam counter. Matt asked Keith how he was feeling, and requested to examine him. Keith reluctantly agreed. His head felt funny; the pressure from before was gone. In fact, whatever the hell happened, his body felt fine apart from the tired feeling.

Matt and a robot took his blood pressure, looked at his pupil reaction to light, and quickly took a blood sample. Keith wrapped himself in the blanket given to him, the weight of it comforting. While waiting, he watched as Pidge monitored Shiro. Shiro was passed out on the table. Pidge noticed his gaze and came over to Keith upon completion of their checks.

"How long was I out?" Keith asked.

"About one standard Earth day." Pidge replied. "Shiro's condition is… not great. We don't have anything here to treat him, but Matt can run into the city and grab some medicine and some devices for you. Should be user-friendly and last you long enough to get to the… fountain."

What was with the hesitation? Keith wondered. He muttered a thanks to Pidge and tried to get up off the table, wanting to see Shiro himself, but his head swam and he collapsed again. This time staying conscious, and also this time Matt caught him.

"Woah there! You need rest." Matt said, placing Keith back onto the table.

"What I NEED is for you to tell me how to get to the fountain. What I NEED is for Shiro to get better! I can't rest until he is okay." Keith growled, frustrated.

"You can't help Shiro get better if you are in poor health yourself." Pidge said matter-of-factly. Something about the way she spoke did not offend Keith as it would have from someone else. He didn't know why. Keith groaned. He heard someone chuckle.

"Shiro must mean a lot to you." Matt said. He was preparing something in a glass or a beaker.

"I don't need you to play psychologist along with doctor, okay?" Keith snapped.

"Just an observation," Matt replied. He produced the vial with a weird liquid inside. It looked like watered down blue pen ink.

"Drink this, it will help nourish you."

Keith did as he was told. It tasted like blueberries, and Keith was definitely not expecting it. He thought it would taste as gross as it looked. Matt said he would go into the city for Shiro's supplies, and in the meantime, Pidge can tell Keith about their journey. They tell Keith they will not give them the location/path until Keith is healthy enough. Keith grumbly agrees to the terms. Matt leaves; a robot helps Keith sit up and stand so that he could go be near Shiro. His brother. Pidge sidles up beside Keith, looking from one to the other. She comments about how she would do anything for her brother too, as he would do anything for her.

"So…. why did you need the fountain?" Keith awkwardly asked after a long silence. Pidge's mouth quirked into a smile.

"I'm a scientist." Pidge stated proudly. "Ethically I can't experiment on other living organisms, but I can on myself. I was on a new project that the board did not approve of."

Pidge gestured to the group's surroundings. "I made this possible. The merging of technology and plants. Living, technically, beings. I wanted to try to merge it with humans or humanoids. So

I tried merging it with myself."

Pidge rolled back their sweater to reveal a nasty scar.

"The… fountain cured the metal poison I suffered through - stopped it from killing me - but it did not heal me entirely. I was so close to combining organic matter to technology. But alas. I got sick. I called Matt to come help and we went on our journey to the fountain. He stumbled across Hunk and Shay, and then as a group came across Allura and Coran. They're Altean. Their people practically invented the fountain. They knew the ritual and tagged along with us. Unfortunately, I was coming in and out of consciousness and did not formerly meet them until after I was healed. Therefore, I do not know the ritual. But we can supply you with the path! Allura and Coran might be a good place to stop by anyway, with the condition Shiro is in. Their people created the fountain of youth, they probably have some technology that can preserve Shiro until then."

"Sounds rough." Keith awkwardly replied. How else could he reply to that?

"I mean, I kind of put myself in that position. I DID literally impose it on myself," Pidge noted. They went over to Shiro, Keith following. Pidge mentioned something about one of their scans being able to predict a projection for Shiro's symptoms. Pidge got a weird looking device. They told Keith it would help if she knew what poisoned Shiro. Keith noticed the sweat on Shiro's body. He grabbed a towel and dabbed at the wetness while explaining what had happened. How he got to this point. What he knew of Shiro and the wicked creatures that poisoned him. Shortly after he finished the explanation, the man in question started stirring from his sleep.

"I can't imagine what Shiro must be going through," Pidge said. She was still tapping away on the device that held Keith's mental stability. Keith asked if there were any tests they could do to find out what he was poisoned with. Pidge said that once Matt returned, he could administer a blood test to try and determine the substance. Pidge facepalmed herself and cursed.

"Why didn't we do that in the first place?"

"Probably because we were more concerned about Shiro than looking into the cause," Keith offered. Shiro's eyes fluttered open and he groggily looked around. He hoarsely said Keith's name, his tone pulling at Keith's heart. The confusion and hurt in his voice, the way the single word conveyed so much hurt.

"Hey Shiro," Keith lightly said "How are you feeling?"

"Not great," Shiro sighed, but unfortunately he started coughing again. Pidge and Keith helped him sit up so that Shiro could cough better. He coughed up some gross shit that Keith was not a fan of. Granted, Shiro was probably less of a fan since it came out of him. He regained the ability to breath normally, calming Keith down. Pidge took the sample, making no effort to hide the alarm on her face, and immediately went to examine it. Keith comforted Shiro as Pidge checked out the gunk.

"What's wrong?" Shiro asked. Keith didn't get a good look at whatever came out of Shiro, but even he could tell something was off about Pidge's demeanor as they examined the substance,

"Well… firstly the color isn't like anything I have seen." Pidge stated, empathy in their voice. Keith asked what color it was. "Purple."

"Ok," Keith said shortly. Purple? How? Keith had many questions swarming through his head that Pidge's movements did not register. Keith just stayed in place. He heard Shiro ask a question but he was not able to answer, much less hear what he actually said. He felt his head floating. His breaths grew shorter. It felt as if the bottom of his head was filled with helium while the top of his head was filled with cement. His skin became icy, as if all the heat left at once. A firm hand grabbing him brought Keith down.

"Hey. I can help this." Pidge firmly said. Her voice pulled Keith further back to reality. He seemed to crash back to the present.

"How?!" He said incredulously.

"While you were spacing out there, I examined the substance. I believe it's a mixture of the poison used on him and his own bodily materials." Pidge brought Keith over to sit next to Shiro. The older man had a ventilator on. On the side table, the purple gunk was under a microscope.

"Once I get the chemical composition, I will be able to help Allura and Coran find something to slow down the deterioration of Shiro's health. In the meantime, the ventilator will help alleviate the stress on his lungs, and I can set up an IV and tube to help drain the substance and keep you healthy."

Pidge gave Keith a look over, as if doing calculations.

"You, on the other hand, need to rest. I can bring a screen over and you two can watch some news or videos?"

Keith numbly agreed. Pidge informed them once returning with the screen that Matt was on his way back. There was a portable respirator and device they could use to drain the purple fluid coming out of Shiro. It would help until they could get to Allura and Coran. Pidge got Keith a cot to lie down on next to Shiro. Soon he was dozing off to sleep, despite just waking up moments ago. His sleep was light and Keith recognized this fact as he slept. He was floating somewhere between consciousness and sleep. His eyes were closed and body relaxed, he couldn't talk, couldn't really move. He stayed in this state for an unknown amount of time before waking up. His eventual wake up call was someone feeling his wrist for a pulse. When his eyes decided to work, Matt was next to him.

"Hello sleepy head!" He greeted. Keith rubbed his eyes. "We are just about ready to send you and Shiro on your way to Allura and Coran. Are you okay to drive?"

Keith shrugged him awake and stood up. He was dizzy from the sleepiness still inside him but that hadn't stopped him before. Matt gave Keith another nutrition smoothie. This one tasted like blueberries as well. He gruffly thanked Matt for his kindness. Matt told him the equipment should be able to last them until they got to Allura and Coran. Pidge had some tests done and found out that an antibiotic they had could slow down the poison. They gave the pair of boys their whole supply, telling Keith to give it to Shiro every 6 hours. Pidge wished them luck as Matt helped Shiro board the ship, Keith carrying the supplies. Keith had a quick shower before leaving.

Matt placed Shiro into the cot in the back Keith had for passengers. He typed in the coordinates to Keith's console and wrote them down just in case. The coordinates for Allura and Coran, as well as for the Fountain of Youth.

Keith left the atmosphere, he felt many feelings that he tried to sort out.

He felt relieved about getting better equipment. Shiro was chilling in his cot, playing a game on his tablet. Shiro didn't seem to mind being hooked up to machines. Keith found him surprisingly calm and oddly quiet. This was another feeling; that Shiro was too quiet. They have had a weird time together and it could be that Shiro was just tired. Keith put the ship on autopilot and joined his brother in the back.

"Hey," he said softly. Shiro paused his game and smiled at him.

"Hey."

"How are you, erm, feeling?" Keith asked, nodding at the tank that was helping Shiro breathe and the nutrition line. Keith was to fill that with the antibiotic every six hours; he set a timer on the console of The Red Lion.

"A bit better. I think that the Holt siblings' knowledge helped. I feel healthier, that's for sure."

Keith bit back the sudden sob that tried to escape. That was one thing he was not able to properly deal with.

"Why didn't you tell me you were getting worse?" Keith asked. He was hurt, but he was mostly disappointed in himself. Why couldn't Shiro feel comfortable enough to tell him?

Shiro's expression sunk into sadness and regret.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want you to worry more than you already were."

"I can't help you if I don't know how you are doing. Please tell me next time something new pops up," Keith requested, his voice shaking but firm. Shiro let out a long breath. He sincerely looked at Keith and promised to tell him. He gave Keith a loving squeeze on the arm with his robotic arm and Keith went back to his seat.

For a second when he came to the control panel, he caught a glimpse of a red dot in the radar. His last feeling had been sitting in his chest since they departed from the planet. The red dot was only there for a second, and immediately disappeared a moment later. Despite the last feeling he felt, he decided it was unimportant. He tried relaxing; playing games on his tablet, researching about Allura's planet, but no matter what he did the whole ride there, Keith just couldn't shake the feeling away.

The feeling of being watched.