A Pain Too Great (Shidge/Klance AU)

8-Together

Keith left the room, heading for the Black lion's hanger, followed by everyone. When they arrived, Keith and Lance opened up the lion to only see Shiro was, once again, missing. In that moment, all of Keith's remaining hopes faded away and he stormed out of the chamber. 

He hasn't been spotted outside his room since.

Lance didn't know what exactly to do, so he simply went to Keith's room, where the red paladin had locked himself inside. "Keith, look. I know your upset because Shiro was a brother to you and all, but you can't just lock yourself inside your room all day. You have us out here," Lance started, not really sure what to say, "hey at least let you good ole' pal Lance in!"

Inside his room, Keith was curled up on his bed, listening to Lance. He really felt like talking to someone and that someone was usually Pidge, because she was the only one who'd listen and truly understand. Lance would've never wanted to listen to Keith back then, much less understand him. But today, Keith felt like he had to let Lance in, so he got up off his bed and opened his door. When he did, he got a unexpected hug from Lance.

-----

When Shiro opened his eyes, he was in a brightly purple lit room with bars instead of a front wall. He was once again in a Galra cell. The last time he was in one, it was a year ago before they stripped him of his Galra arm. He remembers that day very well. They had taken him out of his cell randomly one day after his daily questioning and torture... 

Galra robots dragged him down the halls of his prison. They passed the interrogation room and went into a room much like the one they gave him his arm in. A Galra woman with long white hair and a hood covering her face walked in after the guards strapped him to the table. Were they going to give him another arm?

"Hello black paladin and our leader's destroyer. You don't know how glad I am you were snatched from your lion like you snatched Zarkon's bayard," she sneered leaning over the table, glaring at Shiro.  He began to speak, but was quickly hushed by the villain. "Don't speak you failure. We gave you an arm and placed our hopes in you and you failed us, so we are taking back what is ours."

That's when a commander walked in a began to take his Galra arm away. It wasn't nearly as painful as it was to install it, but they didn't spare the chance to hurt him. Even did it on purpose.

The cell definitely brought up memories that he rather forget. 

He was about to get up and check the halls, when he felt a weight on his only arm. He turned to see Pidge still knocked out. She was sweating and had a face covered in distress. Was she having a nightmare?

As he thought, she was indeed having a nightmare. Like she always did when she slept, even forced sleep.

Her nightmare was the same as always. It starts with her enjoying dinner with her family like they used to before the Kerberos mission. But then her father and brother disappear, making her mother start to cry in despair. It moved quickly to a new scene, leaving her mother behind. She was then on the bridge of Allura's castle watching the sunset, Shiro is next to her talking of how he hurt Matt to stop him from entering the gladiator fight. A few minutes later, he used her real name. When he did, it made her heart flutter. Of course, she responded with a, "huh". Though, that was the day her feelings started to fester.

It was cruel for her dream to use that moment.

Shiro would stand up and walk away, fading with each step. She then found herself running after the older paladin, only to grab air when she reached him. The next scene was her friends and family standing together, smiling, as if it was a photo. But one by one they disappear, leaving the others with sad expressions that got worse with each disappearance. The dream would show her more scenes with her family and Shiro until it reached a point where she was watching as Lance, Keith, and Hunk walked away after Coran and Allura left to return home. Their backs would fade and her mother would appear in her death bed. It would play her mother's last words, "Don't get caught up in the past, Katie," over and over until she woke up.

She woke up after the third repeat of her mother's last words. She looked at the unfamiliar walls and bars of the cell before she realized she was on something warm. 

She immediately flew off of Shiro and into the opposite corner. Shiro moved his arm as if to wake it up after it fell asleep. "Sorry," she apologized as she looked at her feet. She noticed she wasn't wearing her armor anymore, but a Galra prison uniform.

She looked up at Shiro. He honestly looked pitiful. His hair was a mess and he only stared at an empty space with a expression of loss and sadness. Pidge could guess a few things he could be thinking about. She was going to ask, but he cut her off.

"Sorry."

Pidge was once again, in utter confusion. Why was he apologizing? Did something happen while she was out cold having nightmares? "Shiro, why?" was all she managed to say with all the questions flowing through her mind at that very moment. He finally looked at her.

"I can't help but feel this is all my fault..., if I could've noticed certain things before. Then maybe, just maybe-" Shiro started but the cell door opened and two Galra soldiers stepped in while four robots waited outside. One grabbed Pidge and the other grabbed Shiro and began to walk them out. They were being taken to questioning in separate rooms. 

Pidge didn't know why her mother's words swirled around her head at that moment enough to make her say it aloud to Shiro, but they just did.

"Shiro, don't get caught up in the past. Everyone makes mistakes," she whispered to him as they were pulled past the entrance. At that moment the soldiers split up taking one of them and two guards with them. She had to say one more thing. "Thank you!" she called out to him before the Galra soldier yanked her forward as to say shut up.

This is where the ships start kicking in ^~^ I am rusty when it comes to fafiction writing since I haven't written one in a long time, but I'm getting back on track!

ThatOneServant out!