Shiro stared at Coran, thinking surely he'd heard him wrong. Maybe it was a joke. That didn't like something Coran would joke about though.

"That... That can't be right. The scanner must have made a mistake"

He stuttered

"Well, I know this is very shocking news for you but there's no need to insult our tech. The scanners are never wrong, it's proven to work on all species"

The altean huffed a bit miffed at his disrespect but Shiro was too startled to be polite

"No but Coran, male humans can't get pregnant! Least not ones with my biology"

He insisted, having a hard time explaining it

"Only humans with biology like Pidge's can be pregnant, it's not possible"

He said with a bit of panic creeping into his voice. That just made Coran's face go paler, a flicker of shock and... Was that pity in his eyes?

"O-Oh... Oh dear... That makes this worse"

He muttered vaguely as Shiro walked around quickly to look at the scan results himself even though he couldn't read the language

"If it wasn't one of your fellow paladins who did this then well..."

He hesitated as he looked at Shiro, and yeah he was sure this time that was pity

"...The galra are well known for being able to breed other species regardless of their ability to carry offspring. Haven't you ever wondered why we've never come across a female when they're clearly mammals?"

Shiro froze, feeling as if the floor under his feet was shifting, staring blankly ahead. No, no he couldn't deal with this, not after everything they'd already done to him. He couldn't handle this, Coran was still talking, explaining how the galra could breed with practically any species they liked but he wasn't listening. There was a ringing in his ears as his eyes went unfocused, the shadows in the room seeming to grow darker and bigger. He could practically see Sendak's taunting smirk and hear his voice whispering in his ear

"You're mine, no matter what you do or where you go, you'll always be mine"

Next thing he knew he was sprawled on his back, his head aching with pain where it had smacked on the floor, Coran looking down at him slightly panicky. Did he really just faint? He must have, shaking as a pained laugh bubbled out of him. Coran looked alarmed at that reaction, pulling back a bit. He blinked as he felt tears running down his face, when did he start crying? Coran was panicking a bit, not sure what to do with him

"I.. I'm going to go get Allura, or one of the other paladins"

He said as he quickly went to stand, knowing they'd be able to handle Shiro's break down better but Shiro immediately darted a hand out and grabbed him by his ankle to stop him in his tracks

"No! N-no you can not tell any of the others about this"

He said as the older altean looked down at him

"What? You can't very well keep this from them, eventually it will be pretty obvious!"

Coran said, voice going up an octave. Through his panic Shiro knew he was scaring him but he couldn't gather himself enough to care, shaking his head

"I know, I know that! I just.. I need some time to think"

He said quickly, feeling a panic attack building in his chest. He needed to get out of there before he broke down even more, already having embarrassed himself enough.

"I need to figure this out, ok? I just, I-I need to figure out what to do, then I'll tell them"

He stuttered as he pushed himself up onto shaking legs. He knew Coran was concerned, had more to say, but he didn't want to hear it, wasn't sure he could handle hearing it. He needed some time to absorb this shocking information before discussing it further. Coran opened his mouth but Shiro pushed past him

"I... I'm going to go lay down"

he muttered, walking out the door before he could respond. He couldn't stand the thought of laying still right now, despite how worn and shaken he was. There was no way he could train like this, he'd throw up again for sure. But if he tried to lay down he was pretty sure he'd throw up from that too. The vague, hazy memories of things Sendak had said and done to him were already plaguing his mind, if he slept again he knew he'd be forced to relive a memory all over again. So he pushed himself forward and just started walking, letting himself space out as his feet guided him through the castle, forcing himself not to think of anything but moving. He didn't know how long he wandered around totally spaced out, feeling like a ghost so detached and reeling, before he found himself in the hanger. He was unsure if his body had brought him here out of instinct or if his lion had sensed his distress and called out to him but didn't question it.

Shiro entered the black lion's cockpit and sat down heavily in the seat, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. She didn't speak to him right away but he felt her presence in a warm heavy cloud, making the tension leave his body, like a soft blanket wrapping around him.

"You're carrying so much pain, bearing the weight of the universe on your shoulders"

She hummed softly after a few minutes, a tone of sadness in her presence. Shiro didn't respond, opening his eyes to stare blankly at the ceiling of the cockpit in acknowledgment that he was listening

"It doesn't make you weak to ask for help, nor what they did to you. The other paladins aren't going to think less of you"

She murmured and he could have sworn he felt a puff of hot breath against the back of his neck

"You can't know that..."

He said weakly, glancing down and resting a hand on his stomach

"How can I ask them to be strong and fight the galra if I couldn't do it? They're still so young, what will that do to their hope if they find out their leader was... I-is.."

Shiro said as he cleanched his fist over his abdaman, unable to actually say it out loud. Black let out a sigh, the soft warm feeling increasing as she tried to comfort him

"My little paladin, you are being foolish. You may be the oldest but to me you are still a kit, so young and new to this universe. I know you are strong, I know you can take care of yourself, but I still wish to protect you as if you were my cub"

She purred softly, and Shiro couldn't help but think in the back of his mind if he was the "space dad" Black was definitely the space mom

"The rest of your pride is strong too Shiro, their hope will not be broken so easily, otherwise they won't be here. They are your team, your mates, if anything the knowing of how badly they hurt you will encourage them to fight harder, for you"

Black said with a firmness in her tone, knowing it to be true. Shiro opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off before he could

"Think it over, rest. You are too frazzled from lack of sleep to handle this properly. You'll know how to tell them once you've rested"

She insisted in a way he knew she wouldn't take no for an answer but still, the thought of nightmares and reliving memories had him squirming a bit

"I.. I can't... The dreams are too much"

He stuttered but the warmth increased, making his body feel heavy and eyelids droop

"I'll keep your sleep dreamless. Rest"

She practically growled, the last word making him go limp in the seat with the force behind it. Shiro fought against sleep a little longer before giving in, closing his eyes and letting it overtake him. To his relief, Black kept her promise, for the first time since escaping the galra his sleep was free of pain and fear, totally peaceful. But it wasn't dreamless. He wasn't sure, it was bit hazy and hard to remember, but he was fairly sure in his dream his face was pressed in soft black fur with big paws resting on his back, a rumbling purr filling his ears as a rough textured tongue groomed his hair...

Shiro woke slowly, feeling a bit out of it from having the best sleep he'd had in over a year, unsure how long he'd been out. He rolled over in the chair, wanting to return to that soft peaceful sleep, but Black was prodding him to get up.

"What?"

He grumbled groggily as he sat up a bit, rubbing his eyes

"Allura is outside, she wants to speak to you"

She murmured back and Shiro quickly sat up, looking out the windshield down to where Allura was standing by Black's paws, looking up with her arms crossed and a worried frown on her face. He groaned and ran a hand through his mussed hair. Damn it, she must know. He told Coran not to tell anyone.

"Go talk with her, it will ease some of your pain"

Black insisted, prodding him relentlessly. Shiro groaned as he stood, dragging his feet

"Alright alright, if she knows I'm here I'm not going to be able to avoid her"

He grumbled unhappily as Black lowered down onto her stomach to let him step out of the cockpit. Allura was waiting for him, eyes boring into him as he stepped out, her gaze distinctly reminding him of the way the captains of the Garrison glared at him back when he was just a young cadet making too much noise. There was a moment of silence as they just looked at each other, the only sound Black straightening back up into her neutral sitting position

"... Coran told you, didn't he?"

He asked after a minute

"Of course he did, he was startled to see you so unhinged"

She said crisply

"Not to mention it is a rather big deal that you're pregnant, it affects the team"

She said with an undertone of anger that made Shiro flinch a bit on instinct before her gaze and tone softened

"Why didn't you tell us the full extent of what the galra did to you?"

She asked much more gentle but he still avoided her gaze

"It... It wasn't relevant..."

Shiro muttered back

"It's very relevant, don't be such a fool. We are a team, and more than that, we're bonded together, mates"

Allura snapped back, hands on her hips as her eyes flashed dangerously

"I will admit I had my suspicions. Your reaction to intimacy and any of our attempts to move in a more sexual direction made me wonder. But I wasn't sure if that was a normal human reaction to general trauma or if it was because the galra had done something to make you fear things like that. I thought if it was the latter you would have told us"

The altean princess said, a tone of sadness in her voice, Shiro staring at his feet as the familiar feeling of guilt crept up inside his chest.

"If I'd known he could get me pregnant I would have spoken up earlier, I was handling it just fine on my own before this"

He muttered, a total lie, and he could tell Allura wasn't buying it but continued on before she could point that out

"Did you tell the others yet?"

He asked as he glanced up at her

"No. I wanted to confront you myself to help you get a better handle on this before speaking with the other paladins about it"

She explained before stepping closer, bring a hand up to run over his cheek, making him flinch with how on edge he was. She gently grabbed his chin and tilted his face until Shiro looked at her, seeing Allura's eyes were full of concern and love for him.

"Come, let me help you"

She muttered softly, briefly tracing her fingers over the scar that slashed across his face before moving her hand down to take his own, his human one, tugging him forward with her. Her hold was gentle but Shiro could feel the strength behind it, knowing even if he tried he wouldn't be able to pull away, but he found he didn't really want to, squeezing her hand a bit as he let her lead him through the castle. Allura took him to a part of the castle he hadn't been to before, ushering him into a small room. He looked around in surprise as he found the little room was oddly similar to a human doctor's office, a small padded table with cabinets against the plain white walls.

"Princess, what is this place?"

He asked as she let go of his hand and started opening some of the cabinets and digging around

"We alteans are a chameleon race and thus can breed with any other species Shiro, it's important for our ships to have supplies to deal with one of the crew carrying child. Sit"

She explained before pointing to the table. Shiro hesitantly did so, nervously bouncing his leg, the strong medical smell and white walls making him a bit nervous. He had to remind himself it was just Allura, she only wanted to help him. Once Allura finished laying out the strange altrean tools she turned back around to him, a softness in her eyes that made him relax

"Can you take your shirt off for me?"

She asked him and he stiffened again, hesitantly gripping the front of his vest

"Do I have to?"

He muttered, really not liking the idea of how she might react to his body. He might have been good looking once but now his body was disgusting and he knew it

"It's going to be pretty hard to check you over properly with it in the way"

Allura said back, the tiniest bit of teasing in her voice.

"I promise you, whatever you're scared of me seeing I've seen worse"

She said more seriously and Shiro sighed before shrugging off his vest, his gray undershirt quickly following, just wanting to get it over with. He didn't look at her face, not wanting to see her reaction to his maimed and scarred skin. Sure things had gotten heated with her and other paladins before but he'd never let it go far, and he'd never let any of them see him naked. He closed his eyes as he heard Allura let out a soft gasp, to his interpretation of horror, and then jumped as he felt her hands touch him softly. Shiro opened his eyes and looked up at her, eyes going wide and blushing at the awestruck look on her face as she ran her hands over his skin, a small shudder going up his spine. Allura blinked herself out of it as she realized he was staring at her and pulled her hands back

"Sorry, got a bit distracted there... You're just so beautiful"

The princess apologized, face flushing a bit herself. Shiro was bright red at her compliment, having never been able to handle those well, opening his mouth and then closing it again, not sure what to say. He was grateful when she started touching him more purposefully, relaxing again though he did twitch when her fingers skimmed down lower over his pecs.

"Have you felt some soreness here? Should be swelling some"

She asked as she gently groped his chest, making him squirm a bit

"U-uh a little bit"

Shiro muttered back, biting down on his lower lip. He hadn't really noticed it but his chest had been feeling sore lately, his paladin suit rubbing him a bit more uncomfortable than normal.

"The changes the galra's impregnation does to species not originally made to carry young can be rather rough, rougher than a normal pregnancy"

She said as her fingers brushed over the claiming bite scar on his shoulder and he could hear anger sinking into her voice and realized the Black lion had been right, Allura was hating the galra even more right now. He was still learning about altrean romance from her but had noticed while they seemed to be fine with having multiple partners they seemed much more protective and aggressive towards threats to those partners.

"There's... There's no chance of an abortion, is there? Do altreans have that?"

He asked hesitantly. If that was an option he'd take it in a heartbeat, then he wouldn't even have to tell the rest of his team about this. Allura glanced up at him, frowning unhappily

"Yes we do, but unfortunately the way galra impregnation works is that the temporary womb buries and attaches to vital organs so it's impossible to access let alone remove without killing the surrogate"

She practically growled, a loud crack splitting the air making Shiro jump, looking down quickly to see where her hand was gripping the table next to him had ripped the cushion and dented the metal. She quickly let go of the table and pulled back at his alarm

"I apologize, I'm just... Not pleased about this with how much they've already hurt you"

Allura said as she tried to compose herself.

"Hah well it's not the first time they've fucked me over"

Shiro said with dry humor, hoping to lighten the tone but when he looked up he saw she did not find that very funny at all.

"Sorry I just... Forget it, so what are we going to do with this child then?... I mean I can't lead this team and raise a kid"

He said, honestly grimacing at the idea. He was already being forced to carry and give birth to Sendak's offspring, he didn't want to have to raise it. He felt a little guilty, this unborn child hadn't done anything to him but at the same time he knew he'd never be able to look at it without thinking of the galra commander and all he'd done to him.

"Well, it won't be easy given the galra's reputation but I'm sure we can find a family to adopt it. If we're lucky it will come out looking more human, that will make it much easier. We could even temporarily return to earth to find a home for it"

The princess said as she continued her physical examination which did brighten him up a bit. He'd been away from earth for a little over two years and would be lying if he said he didn't miss earth. Shiro squirmed a bit ticklish as her hands gently prodded his stomach.

"How long do humans normally carry their young before birth?"

She asked him as she picked up a strange medical device

"Nine months"

He answered, surprised as Allura looked startled

"That long!? Well, I suppose that mammals do take awhile..."

She hummed, Shiro resisting the urge to ask what altreans were exactly if not mammals

"I was worried you would think six months was too long but it's actually shorter, I'm sure that makes it a little easier"

Allura said as she pressed the device to his stomach and then there was a jolt, not really painful just surprising. She pulled it back and pressed another button, Shiro blinking as it projected a small hologram that looked an awful lot like an ultrasound, showing the life growing inside him. To his relief it didn't look much different from a human, at least for now, as it was just sort of a blob right now with an oddly shaped head and the start of arms and legs.

"As I assumed, about a month in"

She muttered before flicking the hologram off and looking at him with those intense light blue eyes of hers, showing more emotion in them than a human's could. She reached up and cupped his cheek before running her fingers through his hair, Shiro leaning into her touch without even thinking about it.

"... Did this help any?"

The princess asked him after a moment, continuing to pet his hair

"Yeah, actually it did... I didn't think it would but, I do feel a little better"

He muttered, pressing into her hands. Allura smiled softly at him, leaning in and kissing him lovingly for a moment

"Good, I'm glad this calmed you. You're not alone in this, after all, I'm here for you and I know the others will be too"

She said firmly, not about to let him even think otherwise before her smile grew a bit as she trailed a hand down his chest, enjoying the feel of his skin

"Once we explain this to the rest of the team and things have settled, I'd like to see the rest of you~"

She purred in Shiro's ear, who turned bright red as his mouth went dry, making her laugh softly at his reaction when she pulled back

"Speaking of which, are you ready for that? It's ok if you want to wait for a bit but there's no way you'll be able to keep it from them for much longer, it'll be obvious in only a few weeks"

Allura said more serious, giving him a slightly concerned look. He sighed and grabbed his shirt, starting to pull it back on

"No, might as well get this over with while the momentum is there"

He muttered as he pulled his vest on and zipped it up before standing

"Let's get this over with"