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Shiro frowns as he rests between the two Galra who drag him forward through long halls. His lion had been the last to crash, and he was the last to be caught. He's absolutely sure that the rest of them are captured too.
He's proven correct when he's slammed to his knees in a room where the rest are. A wall of red bars cuts off about a third of the room. Behind those bars are an array of colors, the other paladins in their armor. He can see yellow and green and blue and-
"Shiro," Keith's voice cracks as Shiro whips his head up more. The younger stands up with his hands on the bars, face worried and angry, "Shiro."
"Keith," Shiro tries to say more but one of the men slams his gun onto his shoulder. Something pops in his shoulder blade, agony flaring through his body. The Galra grip him tighter as he groans slightly, eyes shut.
"Shut it, Champion," the one who hadn't hit him hisses at him, twisting his flesh hand behind his back even more, "Or you'll be missing more than an arm."
"Don't touch him!" Keith shouts at them, voice low with something Shiro can't place, "If you touch him, I'll-"
"You'll what?" A new voice questions from behind all of them. Shiro opens his eyes, watching as a man wanders up to his side. He's not much different from the standard Galra, eyes aglow with poisonous yellow. He smirks over at Keith before gripping Shiro's bangs, holding his head up sharply, getting a wince from him as pain flashes through his hair, "You hardly look to be in a position to kill us. Why, I could do whatever I want with the Champion. He deserves some punishment for escaping from his fate. I think a missing leg would prevent him from escaping again. Or maybe we can just drown him in his own blood as you watch on helplessly. We could-"
"Let me out of here and you'll find out," Keith growls, hand grabbing the bar before he presses his head to the bars. Something...animalistic shines deep down within his eyes, "I want to trade. You let Shiro go, you can have me."
"Keith," Shiro tries to shake his head, only to get his hair yanked up further.
"Silence," the Galra commands, holding so tightly that he is nearly lifted off of his knees. The man seems to consider it before he cackles, "I think I rather like this one. The Champion...he is known. He's a fighter, no doubt. But you...Red Paladin, have an instinct that I simply cannot resist. You will take his place, and you will fight us. If you win, you can likely get your team free. If we win, looks like you're going to offer more than...a fight."
Shiro can't comprehend what happens next. One moment, his hair is being yanked, the next he's crashing onto his side, rolling to a stop as bars close behind him. His arm hurts a bit, along with his hairline. But his heart hurts more as he quickly gets to his feet. He rushes to the bars, banging on them as Keith's pressed to the floor. The lead Galra strips the younger of his armor, tossing the stuff carelessly to the side. A moment passes before he quickly tightens something around Keith's neck, stepping back over to the other two who smirk.
It's a collar, one that's fairly thick but small. The center glows red like the bars, pulsing like a heartbeat. Keith gets to his feet, shaking out his hands before he gets into a fighting stance, fists clenching.
"Such an adorable child," the man grins before he steps closer, "So headstrong. So foolish."
Keith's eyes narrow before he launches himself forward. It takes one of those in the back off guard as Keith rushes at them. He hops up the man's leg, grabbing his shoulders before twisting with a shout, putting all of his energy into the toss. The Galra slams into the wall with a small yelp, sliding down onto the floor, unconscious.
Keith wastes no time before twirling and taking out the next one. That man is also taken off guard. The leader, however, is not as he dodges back. Shiro can hear the others in the cage with him, but he doesn't listen as Keith goes for the man's neck.
The Galra moves out of the way, twisting to the side and back some. Keith goes flying by before he smashes into…
Solid air. He slides down as if a wall is there. A moment later, he jumps up before throwing himself at the grinning Galra. Once again, he smacks into the air that stops him from reaching the other. With a snarl, Keith huffs, reaching out but not getting the other. The man chuckles softly before he switches the fight on Keith.
His large hand latches onto Keith's limb, grabbing on before tossing Keith toward the bars, towards them. The younger cries out in shock, bouncing a few times before coming to a stop feet from them.
"Keith," Shiro whispers as the other gets back to his feet. Barely any time goes by before the much bigger Galra wraps his hand over Keith's neck, picking him up and flinging him up into the air. The younger tries to break the fall on the way down, landing on his knees before rolling softly to the side, panting.
"Keith, behind you!" Pidge shouts out as the man takes advantage of Keith's distraction. The younger is suddenly pressed to the floor, arms twisting behind his back painfully. The two others get up, rubbing their heads before stepping closer.
"Damn bitch fights like us," one grumbles before pressing his boot down on Keith's neck, "Maybe we should take him like one of us. He needs to know his place."
"Hmmm, I think I like that idea," the leader grins before he lets Keith's arms drop down. A moment passes before he grips Keith's sharp chin, yanking his head upward, "He is rather pretty. Too pretty for a dump like this but oh well. I still can enjoy him."
Keith's brows scrunch down before he hisses. A second passes before he snarls, teeth latching onto purple fingers and biting sharply. The leader shouts in surprise, trying to yank his bleeding fingers out of the other's mouth. Keith bites even harder, all of them hearing the crack of breaking bones.
"Get him off of me!" The Galra screams at the other two who glance at each other, "Hurry, you idiots!"
One of the Galra quickly shuffles forward, smashing his armored boot into Keith's chest hard. The younger yelps in pain, letting the bleeding man go as he yanks back his fingers. Keith receives a full kick from him too, right over the same spot.
"Damn fuck needs to know his place," the man grips his hands, purple splattering onto the floor a bit, "Strip him. He's going to be broken."
Shiro's heart thumps quickly in his chest at those words. His arm lights up, trying to cut through the prison holding him. He needs to help Keith. He has to get out. But he can't. The bars don't melt or warp. He can only watch as Keith struggles with them.
As soon as the zipper starts moving downward, Keith comes to life with a small sound. He yanks and shuffles around, trying to roll around to make their task all the more difficult. The leader leans over him, front to his back. The younger is shoved down by the other's weight but he doesn't stop. He reaches up, scratching at the man's face. When this doesn't yield anything, he smashes his head backwards into the other's face.
He lets him go, the other two grabbing an arm. Keith struggles more, nearly breaking out of their hold multiple times. The three can't hold him still.
"Fucking worthless bitch!" The leader roars before he grabs something from his belt with his good hand, "Just stop moving already!"
And then he jams something sharp straight into Keith's head. The younger lets out a pained whine before going completely still, stiff as a rock. The fist Shiro can see shakes slightly as Keith's eyes go unfocused towards the bottom corner of the cell. A second passes before a slight tremor flows through his body as he goes pale. The light on the collar pulses much faster. Shiro can see his eyelids fluttering uncontrollably, his limbs jerking just slightly. A bit of saliva gathers in the corner of his lips, sliding down his chin to the floor.
"Let him go!" Pidge shouts from Shiro's side, pressing to the bars with an angry hiss, "He's having a seizure!"
Shiro's eyes widen as he glances back to his best friend who continues to shake slightly. The leader finally removes his hand, revealing a long needle-like thing sticking out of the top of Keith's head. Even with Keith's thick black hair, he can see the end of the needle poking out of Keith's left temple area. Some blood dribbles onto Keith's cheek from said needle, creating a scarlet river that courses down his face to his neck.
"I'm going to be sick," Hunk huffs before turning away, "That's just...horrible."
Shiro doesn’t hear Lance say anything, but he can see blue armor in the corner of his eye. He doesn’t say anything, focused on their Red Paladin.
Keith stills completely after a moment, eyes sharpening up enough to look up at Shiro. Shiro grips the bars harder as he feels tears in his eyes. The younger pants, trying to move closer and not getting far before collapsing. A moment passes before his eyes find him once again, this time trying to call out.
Only...he doesn't make a sound. His mouth opens, saying his name. He clearly wants to say 'Shiro' but his voice never comes with. Keith pauses, confusion rolling over his face before he calls out again.
"Sh'o," Keith's voice comes out strange, as if he can't control what he's saying or how his tone is shaped. His brows move down in pain and concentration before he tries again, "Sh...o…"
"Looks like I hit something besides his movement area," the leader laughs darkly before pushing his boot onto Keith's back, "Whoops. All the better, I suppose. The little bitch won't be able to speak either. I bet his cries of pain still sound amusing."
And then he slams his hand onto the other's ribs, right where they had previously been kicked. Keith yelps brokenly, face pressing to the floor on his right side. His arm moves slowly to the area to cover it, but the Galra at his front yanks it back up to his chin. Keith whines lowly as fingers dig into his side.
"St...p…" Keith's voice crackles brokenly as he cries out, "H...ts…"
"What are you trying to say?" The leader grins wickedly, "Finish your words, boy."
"F…" Keith swallows weakly, eyes glaring up at the man, "Y…"
“What was that, boy?” He narrows his eyes, “You weren’t speaking very clearly.”
Keith huffs quietly before his nose wrinkles. He relaxes, moving his arms to his sides before he pants softly. The younger stares over at him, eyes in pain before they slide over to the side. He slowly blinks his eyes before his face scrunches up in anger, a roar from his lips as something forms in his left hand with a red flash. His bayard forms, cutting straight into the leader’s leg as he shouts in shock and agony.
“NOW!” Lance screams loudly before a blast to the man on the right takes him out, flinging him to the right as he passes out. To the other side, large blasts take out the other man, golden streaks trashing the place and throwing the man back into the wall with a cry. A green rope zips past Shiro, wrapping around the leader before yanking him into the cell bars. He grabs the man as soon as he hits the lights, grabbing his throat before snarling at him. The man pales, seeing his Champion side as he stands only an inch away from his face.
“Fuck you,” Shiro growls before he slams the man’s forehead into the bars. He takes out his anger on the man, smashing his head into the bars before letting him drop, likely dead since he doesn’t move after that. His body buzzes with energy, with the need to kill. He wants to destroy all those in the room. He has to get to Keith.
“Woah, big guy,” a voice speaks up, grabbing his arm as he tries cutting into the bars again, “We got the keys. Let’s go!”
Shiro blinks, coming back to himself a bit as the door opens. He bursts out of there like a rocket, rushing for Keith’s side, plopping down onto the filthy ground. He quickly turns the younger onto his back, getting a low whimper from him as he presses onto his chest.
“Sh…” Keith starts, voice dying off as he watches Shiro helplessly. His wrist comes up, holding onto his own wrist, “O…”
“I’m here, Keith,” Shiro answers back before carefully pressing his hand to the right side of Keith’s face. He quickly unhooks the collar, not giving it any attention, “I got you. Let’s go home.”
“We…” Keith’s brows move down again in concentration before he snarls in frustration, pawing at his own chest, “Home.”
“Yeah,” Shiro nods before gripping him below his knees and back, “We’re going home, buddy.”
“‘Kay,” Keith nods slightly before resting against his shoulder, “Pai...n…”
“I know,” Shiro frowns softly, holding him tighter, “We’ll help you. You’re in pain. We’ll stop it soon.”
“Top...pain,” Keith repeats softly, pressing his nose to Shiro’s arm. The younger’s face presses to his armor as he moves his hand up to his chest plate, brushing it with the back of his fist, “Sh…”
“I know, buddy,” Shiro feels tears gather in his eyes at Keith’s words, “Your head hurts. We’ll treat that soon. Just stay still for me. Can you do that, Keith? Don’t move much.”
“Move,” Keith stares at his face for a moment before blinking, “None.”
“Yeah, no movement,” Shiro nods before lifting him up. He hurries to his lion, knowing that the others picked up Keith’s armor. He quickly rushes up to his lion’s cockpit, sitting down before making sure Keith was still in his arms to prevent him from falling and hitting the needle more. He quickly pulls up his screen, hailing Lance and Hunk, “Guys, can you pick up Red for us?”
“Got it!”
“Will do!”
“Pidge…”
“On it!” She shouts before the door to the ship opens, “Pfff...that was easy. Let’s get out of here!”
“Coran,” Shiro calls up the man who stares at them through the screen. Allura is behind them, her face worried and hands on her console piece in the middle of the bridge, “We need a pod. Keith’s hurt.”
“Right on it, Number One,” the older nods before the screen goes blank. Shiro quickly yanks on the yokes, feeling as the ship dives forward. Black hums in his mind, letting him know that she’s got them. She quickly steers them out of the hangar, zooming off for the distant castle. Shiro pays attention to Keith who still rests on his lap. The younger is still awake, left hand brushing against Shiro’s stomach softly as if for comfort. His dark eyes stare off at something in the corner of the cockpit, a small sound leaving him every now and then. Shiro watches, confused as Keith makes a new motion, a new sound.
He can feel the movement through his undersuit. One stroke up and down, arching up, the same gesture as before, and a round circle back to the start. It takes a minute to realize that Keith is tracing a cat in his...whatever this state was.
“Keith?”
“Black…” Keith continues the motion while also staring up more, just over Shiro’s head, “...talk...everywhere…”
“What?” Shiro frowns softly, pressing his hand to Keith’s back, “What about Black?”
“Here,” Keith frowns before his eyes find Shiro’s own, “Talk...Now…”
“Black’s talking to you?”
“Red...Black,” Keith starts the motion again, frowning as he places his head closer, “Here…”
“Here?”
“Now,” Keith nods, doodling harder, “Help...pain…”
“We’re almost there,” Shiro speaks up instead, not quite understanding what Keith was saying. He was beginning to think that the speaking issue was more than just damage, “I got you, Keith. Let’s get you into a pod.”
Shiro bolts for the pods as soon as he lands. He rushes all the way through hall after hall, finally reaching the room just as Coran opens the door up. His eyes widen in shock before he brings Shiro over to a table.
“Place him down, my boy,” he frowns as Shiro does so, resting Keith onto the sheet, “We need to get that needle out of there.”
“Is...he going to be okay?” Shiro asks softly as he rests his hands on the younger’s shoulders.
“I do not know yet,” Coran answers back before he frowns, gently tapping Keith’s head, “Keith, my boy, can you hear me?”
“Yea…” Keith nods weakly, eyes already starting to droop, “Cor…”
“Yes, that is me, Coran,” the man nods back enthusiastically, “Keith, I need you to do one little thing for me before I get you into a pod. This will determine what treatment you need. I need you to repeat a sentence I give you. Here we go...The Red Lion is the fastest.”
“Red…” Keith’s brows move down before he sighs, “Fast…”
“I can fight and I like knives and swords.”
“I fight…” Keith’s brows go down more, face beginning to fill with frustration, “Likes knives...swords…”
“Okay, my boy,” Coran nods, pressing his hand to his head, “That’s all I need. Get some rest.”
“Cor...an?” He stares at the Altean for a bit before his gaze fixes onto the tallest, “Sh...o?”
“Go to sleep, Keith,” Shiro frowns before rubbing his dirty cheek, “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Keith drifts off after that, a frown on his lips as he slips into a deep sleep. Shiro glances at Coran who takes a hold of the needle’s end, carefully pushing it out of his skull. Fresh blood wells to the surface of both ends, dripping down the side of his face.
“Let’s get him into a pod,” the older nods at the younger before Shiro helps him get Keith changed into a white suit, pressing him into a pod, “It may take a bit for him to heal, likely a whole quintant.”
“Why a whole quintant?” Pidge asks as they both turn around. Everyone is inside the room with them now, “Lance’s only took a few vargas.”
“Keith’s injuries are more serious,” Allura speaks up, her hands brushing the panel for Keith’s pod before her icy eyes inspect the data, “The pod must correctly repair areas of his brain that got damaged. It has to take its time.”
“Coran,” Shiro sighs, resting against the pod, staring up at Keith, “What’s...what’s wrong with Keith?”
“From what I saw when you came in, and what the scans show…” Coran blinks, rubbing his moustache before shaking his head, eyes saddened, “He likely developed a disorder known as aphasia. That's when a person has a difficult time with communication. We won't know exactly how it's bothering him, but I assume it's within the Broca aphasia. Our brains seem to be similar, and Alteans can get this if experiencing a stroke or brain injury.”
"How...is it going to affect him?" Hunk wonders softly, frowning, "How can we help him?"
"Well," Coran rubs his head, "It depends on him. From what I saw, he may never be able to speak in full sentences again. He won't be any less smart, but communicating is going to become much harder. He might be able to write or sign. I remember back in my day that some could even sing if they were affected."
"What do you mean by that?" Lance squawks.
"Singing?" Coran starts enthusiastically, "You see, it was found that-"
"No! The full sentences part!"
"Oh," Coran shrugs softly, "The Broca region of the brain is responsible for communicating ideas. It also runs movement with the tongue, mouth, lips, and so on, though Number Four is okay there. He's likely to be unable to repeat what we say, and he's going to miss a lot of grammatical words, though his point will get across."
"So basically baby talk?" Lance frowns before crossing his arms, "A few words at a time. I already feel bad for mullet. So how do we help?"
"He's going to be frustrated and angry," Coran warns them before blinking, "Think about how you would feel if you are trying to tell someone something but it doesn't want to come out right. We can work together. We must give him time to speak, but don't act like he's incapable of understanding you. His intelligence isn't affected. You don't have to raise your voice. Make sure you have Keith's attention before talking. With the damage, I'm amazed more didn't get destroyed. The mind is so fragile but resistant."
Shiro ignores them all as he stares at Keith. The wound is healing already, blood peeling off his face to be pushed out for cleansing. He carefully places his hand to the glass, praying for Keith to be okay. He wants his best friend to come back.
"Fight," he whispers into the glass, "I know you're stronger than this. I'll be here to help you out, no matter what."
Even after the others leave the room, he stays inside, guarding over the other who sleeps on.