Don't Ask, I'll Never Tell

Dream

"Keith!" Allura ran to him as the Paladins stepped into the control room. Her smile faded when she noticed the jagged cut running down his arm and the dark red that stained his bodysuit.

"You're hurt. Come here, we need to take care of that right away!" Allura moved to sit down on the second step of the stairs. She turned to him and patted the spot beside her. Keith obliged. "Give me your arm."

"Can't you just put him in a cryopod? No fuss, and you won't have to worry about the baby complaining."

Keith glared at Lance.

Allura paused. "I wish we could," Allura replied. "There's a malfunction that Coran is currently trying to fix. Luckily for us, Keith's injuries aren't life threatening." Allura stepped closer to Keith.

"What's that?" Keith asked, inspecting a small jar that Allura uncapped.
"It's an old Altean healing salve. It should prevent infection as well as settle the inflammation of your wounds." She gripped his arm gently. She dipped her fingers into the blue-tinted salve then grazed over the cut with light fingers.
Keith grimaced as the salve came into contact with his injury.

"Sorry, I should have warned you that it stings a bit."

"It's better than an infection." He replied through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, he's a wimp when it comes to pain. Aren't ya, Keith?" Lance interjected.

Keith glared at Lance. "Don't you need to be somewhere else?"

"Nope!" Lance smiled and sat on the stair just above them. He watched them with his head resting in his hands. "Wait," he said quickly as if an idea just crossed his mind. "Do I annoy you?"

"Always." Keith replied darkly.

"Good." Lance smirked.

Keith scowled and sent some rather obscene gestures Lance's way. Meanwhile, Allura reached for the gauze and wrapped it tightly around Keith's arm. "Now for the next one." Allura motioned to Keith's stomach. She hesitated for a moment. "Sorry, but I'm going to need you to remove your shirt."

"Oh, right. Um... okay." Keith pulled down the top of his bodysuit to reveal a plain, bloodied shirt underneath. He then removed the undershirt and placed it to the side. His fingers curled  around the edge of the stair on which he sat and looked around to avoid eye contact with Allura.

He grimaced again but this time it didn't sting as much as the arm injury. As Keith's gaze wandered, his eyes met Lance's before Lance quickly looked away. Keith wondered why Lance's face was so red. But he quickly dismissed it. After all, it could have been from the exertion of the recent battle. It was the only logical explanation for the flushed face of the Blue Paladin.

"Alright. Finished," Allura said as she pinned the gauze under his right arm. "We'll have to change the bandages at least once a day but you should be good for now." She smiled. "We were really worried about you."

"I wasn't." Lance interrupted, rising to his feet with the overconfident smirk that Keith knew all too well. "I knew Keith would find his own way out."

"Yes you were," Allura replied. "If I remember correctly, you were out searching for Keith the moment you left the healing pod. Against my orders, I might add."

Keith furrowed his brows in surprise. "You were searching for me?" He asked the Blue Paladin.

Lance's face fell to take on an expression of uncertainty. "Why are we focusing on me? I was hurt. I was delirious. I had weird dreams. I don't think we should take any of that seriously." Lance crossed his arms and looked away.

"Weird dreams? I don't remember having any odd dreams when I was in the healing pod." Allura commented.

Lance shrugged. "It could have been that weird drink that Coran gave me. He insists that it's delicious but it tastes like hotdog water and feet. BLECK!" He  pointed to his throat and made a choking sound.

"What kind of weird dreams?" Keith interrupted.

"Eh, it doesn't matter. It didn't seem much different from anything else. You were there. I mean, you were more angsty than usual which is saying a lot."

"I'm not angsty."

"You're really gonna deny it?" Lance shook his head with disbelief. "No, Keith, you're literally the most angsty person I know."

Keith huffed. "Is this story going anywhere? Or is it another dream about you meeting a mermaid?"

Lance held up is hands in mock defeat. "Hey, you asked. I'm just telling. And no, there aren't any mermaids in this story." His arms dropped to his pockets. "Anyway, I had this dream that you ran away to this weird planet where everything was trying to eat us. I mean EVERYTHING. We even fought off carnivorous squirrels. SQUIRRELS! Isn't that crazy?"

Keith crossed his arms over his chest. He forced himself to keep eye contact as his stomach plummeted. "...yeah... weird."

"But that's not even the weirdest part. The weirdest part is that you told me you were part Galra."