Snow's Savior (Keith Kogane x Reader)

Escape From the Jaws of the Monster

Keith was vaguely aware of the sound of metal hitting metal and his hand feeling emptier than before. His legs shook from holding his weight. All he could do was stare, letting anything and everything else around him fade to nothing.

There you were, as far away from Earth as he was. Only you shouldn't have been there. You were supposed to be safe back at the Garrison, learning to become a fighter pilot and living the life you deserved. Out of all the places you could have been, you weren't supposed to be here.

A million thoughts formed in his head, fighting to be at the forefront of his mind. Why were you here? How did you get here? What did they want with you? What did they do to you?

You were lying with your back touching the other wall, dressed in the typical rags that the Galra gave their prisoners. Your eyes were closed, and if they weren't currently in space and in the prison of the enemy, he would've thought that you were just asleep. But you were too still, too void of colour, to trick anyone. Your hair was unruly, a nest of what it usually was. Your chest was barely moving from where he was standing.

Barely breathing. Breathing, but not enough. Were you alive? Were you hurt?

That last thought made him shoot forward and approach you. Three quick steps into the cell found himself right in front of where you were lying. He dropped down like a dead weight to his knees and reached out for you. Seeing you in front of him again after so many months almost seemed too surreal.

But his heart stuttered seeing you in such a state. He placed his hand gently on your cheek and wow was he shaking? He leaned in close to your face. Your skin was cold and clammy to the touch, and your breathing was shallow. As the emergency lights from out in the hall illuminated your face, he was able to make out a path of dried blood running down your cheek.

Wait, what?

He gently took your face in both of his hands and turned it around, pushing your hair out of the way. There were trails of dried blood coming from both your ears, and some blood had clumped under your nose.

Oh, God. Oh fuck. What. The fuck. Did they do to you?

"Hey," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Hey, wake up. Come on."

There was no response. Keith didn't know what he was expecting. But you needed to wake up, or at least whisper or whimper or give a twitch or something, anything that would tell him that you would be okay.

"Come on. Please, please wake up. Wake up. You can't die here, you can't."

He brought you in closer to him, burying what he could of his face into your hair with his helmet in the way. In the position you were in, with your face pressed into the crook of his neck and your upper body flush against his, he could feel your breath on the bit of skin not protected by his armour and your pulse under his hand. Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill over. He had never felt so helpless and alone before.

"Please. Please. I'm sorry I left you. Just please wake up. Please. Please. Please. Come on, just open your eyes."

"Keith?"

Keith turned his neck to see Shiro standing at the door of the cell, looking down at him with worry. "What are you doing?"

"Shiro, it... she..." Keith didn't know how to word what he wanted to say. His head felt foggy, and the only thing he could focus on was that you were back in his arms. How he needed to get you out of there immediately, but he didn't have the strength to do it himself.

Shiro walked into the cell and knelt beside Keith. Looking Keith in the eye, he reached out to your prone body in his arms and turned you around so that he could see your face. When he got a glance at your familiar face in Keith's arms, his eyes widened, and he sucked in a sharp gasp through his teeth.