It's All My Fault-A Voltron Fanfic

Part 12

Keith was laying on a bed in the infirmary in a room next to Pidge. They had removed his chest plate, so he could breathe a little bit easier, but as time wore on he could feel his lungs getting smaller and smaller. Allowing less air to get in and fill his lungs with the precious air. The poison from the dart was acting fast, and he could tell he didn't have enough time left...

He wouldn't be able to see Pidge wake up from her sedation all back to normal. He wouldn't be able to watch as her eyebrows pinched down concentrating on hacking into a mainframe. He wouldn't be able to watch as she pushed her glasses back up onto her face. He wouldn't get to see the end of the war. He wouldn't be able to taste any more of Hunk's food experiments. He would no longer be able to see Lance make a fool of himself, who he so enjoyed watching. He would never hear Shiro's calm voice come over the coms during the heat of a battle. He would never be able to see Allura and Coran's confused looks, as one of the paladins mentions an Earth term without thinking. He would never be able to see earth...

The last one hit him hard. He started to cough, gasping for air.

"Okay, there son?" A man's voice filled the room. He would no longer be able to see Lance make a fool of himself, who he so enjoyed watching. His hair was brown and was a mess. A scar crossed his right eyebrow. His face was rough and worn, but his eyes were warm and inviting.

"Dad..." Keith smiled he could see his dad! He watched as his father gripped his leg and gave him a loving smile before he started to fade away.

"Dad! No!" Keith cried out. "Stay with me!" He felt the hot tears running down his face as he watched his father disappear once again from his life.

He started to cough again, making it difficult to let out a scream of defeat he so wanted to unleash, but instead he sat there letting the tears run down his face. He gripped his chest as he was thrown into another fit of coughing.

When he looked up again, he saw Allura walking over to him a cup in hand.

"Here drink this." She helped him hold the cup against his lips as he drank the precious liquid.

The liquid was warm and tasted sweet like honey. It warmed his whole body and soon he was asleep.

A few moments earlier

"Shiro bring him in here." Allura had opened another room next to Pidge.

"Why aren't we using a healing pod?"

"Because they won't work." She saw Shiro's doubtful face. "Trust me."

Shiro laid Keith down on the bed, removing the chest plate immediately.

"Give me the plants." Allura's panicked voice filled the room. Handing the plants to her, she quickly snatched them out of his hand and rushed from the room.

"Shiro!" Allura called from out in the hallway. Shiro moved toward the door but stopped and turned back to Keith when he heard him starting to cough. "Shiro! I need you now!" Giving one last look at Keith he left the room.

"How do we know which one to use?" Shiro stood across from Allura in between them was a table. On it there were two bowls of about medium sized, then there were some knives, and last but not least was a pot of boiling water.

"Like this." Allura flipped the plant upside down to where the roots were at the top and you could see the bottom of the petals.

On the first plant there was a small purple dot on each one of the petals on the second one there were small pink dots.

"Here!" Allura put the plant with the Pink dots into his hands. "Follow whatever I do exactly." Shiro nodded and watched as Allura took a knife and separated the petals from the stem. Setting the knife down she quickly gathered up all the petals and laid them inside the bowl.

She looked up at him just as he laid the petals in his bowl. Grabbing a hold of the boiling pot she quickly but carefully poured the water into the bowls. Slowly the petals dissolved leaving the water colored pink or purple depending on which flower was put in the bowl. Taking the stem of the plant, she stirred both of the bowls.

She handed Shiro a filled cup. "Take this one to Pidge, make sure she is awake before you give it to her." Then she was hustling to Keith.

Present

Shiro walked in the room to see that Hunk had replaced Lance, who had long since gone to bed. Looking past Hunk he saw Pidge who was beginning to stir. This got the attention of Hunk who quickly ran to the drawer to grab another syringe.

He turned back towards the bed only to stop again when he saw Shiro.

Shaking his head, he said, "Put it away, Allura made something up to help Pidge and Keith." Nodding Hunk put the syringe away and moved back beside the bed.

Sitting on the edge of the bed he watched as Pidge slowly opened her eyes. Squinting she looked up at him a confused look on her face.

"Here drink this." He handed her the cup as she sat up. She gave Shiro and Hunk a doubtful look. Before looking back at the cup and eyeing it suspiciously. "The Hallucinating will stop." She froze when he said this her eyes slowly working up to him. Looking back at the cup she finally seemed to trust him and took a sip.

She seemed to like the flavor cause her eyes brightened and her mouth curled up in a smile. She took another drink this time chugging the drink until it was gone.

Once she had finished, she looked up at him smiling, but the moment was short-lived.

It was soft at first but as Shiro looked closer he saw pain slowly envelope her eyes. She fell against Shiro's chest her hands gripping her hair. She let out a small moan.

"Shiro...make it stop..." He understood what she was going through, but it hurt all the more to see one of his own go through it.

"Where is she?!" The door flew open and in came Matt, Lance right on his tail out of breath.

"Sorry, Shiro...I tried stopping him."

"It's okay. I would do whatever it took to see someone close to me again." He smiled sympathetically at Matt who made his way over to the bed.

Sitting down across from Shiro, Matt extended his arms. Shiro handed Pidge over, who was curled up, to Matt wrapping his arms around his little sister immediately. Stroking her arm and murmuring comforting words.

Pidge eventually opened her eyes, the torment in her head ebbing away.

"Matt!" Her excited voice filled the room as she flung her arms around him. "I can't believe you're actually here!" Pidge released him from the hug and looked at her brother with affection.

"Yeah, when I heard that you had gotten hurt I got here as soon as I could." He wrapped her in another hug. "And from the looks of things, Shiro and Keith had a successful mission."

"Yeah..."

Shiro noticed Pidge's sudden change in mood. "Pidge?"

"Where is Keith?" Pidge asked turning toward Shiro.

"He's in the other room."

"What?!" Pidge quickly got off the bed and ran towards the door.

"Pidge wait!" Shiro called a little too late as the green Paladin ran from the room.

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Pidge slowed her pace as she entered the room. Allura was sitting on the side of the bed when she entered but quickly got up when she saw Pidge.

"Oh! Pidge..." her voice faded away as she saw where Pidge was looking "I...I was just leaving." Without another word, she walked out of the room.

Laying on the bed was Keith. He was still in his armor the only things that were taken off was his chest plate and his helmet.

Padding softly up to the bed, her bare feet making little to no noise. She sat on the bed carefully so not as to disturb him.

"K-Keith." Her voice caught in her throat. His eyes were closed, and they looked so...so...peaceful.

Movement at the door caused her to wipe her eyes and swallow her sorrow. "What happened?" She asked still looking at Keith.

"He was hit by a poison dart when we were retrieving the plants." Shiro moved closer placing a hand in her shoulder. She put her hand on his, keeping her eyes on the red Paladin.

After some time she turned away from the bed, her back pressing against his leg.

"It's all my fault." She whispered as she looked down at the ground.

"No, it's not." Shiro knelt on the ground in front of her.

"Yes, Shiro." She looked up at him. "It is. If I hadn't have been stupid enough to have gotten captured. Keith would not be..." her voice caught in her throat. "He wouldn't be here now..."

Shiro was about to object when movement on the bed caught his attention. Pidge looked back just in time to see the red Paladin open his eyes.

"Keith!" Pidge exclaimed.

Keith opened his eyes to see the green Paladin looking back at him. "Hey there Pidge." He smiled.

The door opened and in walked the rest of the group.

"Is he awake?" Lance asked at full volume.

"Yes, He is, but you don't have to be so loud about it." Pidge glared at Lance who ignored her.

"How are you feeling buddy?"

"Pretty good actually." Keith sat up and leaned back on his arms.

"That's good to hear," Shiro said standing up.

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Keith looked around the room. Lance, Hunk, Shiro, Allura, Coran, and Matt. They were all here. And Pid-

Keith turned to look at Pidge only to find her face was downcast and tears were forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Pidge what's wrong?" He watched her as she formulated an answer.

Without warning the green Paladin flung herself on top of him letting the tears flow freely, although she wasn't sobbing.

"I-I'm so...Sorry..." she tightened the grip she had around his waist.

Gripping her arms softly he gently lifted her to where he was looking into her eyes. "What are you sorry for?"

"It..it...it was...all...all....my..fault." She managed to whisper.

Keith turned to look at Pidge only to find her face was downcast and tears were forming at the corners of her eyes. It started as a chuckle then he lost it. Everybody looked at him like he was crazy, and Pidge just looked hurt.

"No, Pidge...I'm..I'm not laughing at you." He continued laughing.

"Well, it sure looks like it." Pidge along with the others completely shook they had never before seen Keith laugh before much less smiled.

"I think I'm going to be traumatized after this," Lance said. He looked completely shocked. Which made Keith laugh all the more.

Even after he stopped everyone still looked at him like he was crazy.

"Pidge listen. I said the same thing to Shiro when you were captured. And he told me you're strong and you were going to make it." He lifted her head again. "And you did. Same for me. I will make it." She nodded.

"Thanks, Keith."

"Now come here." He wrapped her up in a hug. Over the past few weeks or, was it years? Pidge had become more than a teammate to him she had come to be a little sister to him. A little sister he never had.