Dick was woken by Coran's voice yet again, making him want to burrow under the covers and never come out. He was so tired. He felt horrible, as well. The small fever he thought he'd had was getting worse by the day. He could barely move without his body revolting against him. Maybe he should take a day off.
"Dick? C'mon, you're going to be late!" Wally's voice cut through the door. Dick simply closed his eyes again, deciding that he was going to ignore the world today. It was only one day full of training. He could rest. Maybe he'd finally get over this stupid fever.
"Dick? Are you okay?" Wally asked, but got no response. "I'm coming in." He opened the door, looking around the room for some sign of danger. Something that told him Dick wasn't doing this willingly. He knew Dick wouldn't scare him like this.
All he found was a sleeping acrobat. No blood, no signs of a struggle. There wasn't a single thing out of place, besides the armor. It was in a pile by Dick's bed, all sloppy and completely unlike Dick. Even when he was completely exhausted, he usually tried to keep stuff organized.
"Dick?" Wally shook the acrobat's shoulder. It took all of three seconds for him to realize Dick was way too warm. His breathing was labored, and he was covered in sweat. He was sick, and there was no denying it. "Hang on, Dickie. I'll get you help." Wally whispered, picking Dick up and carrying him out the door.
"Where have you two been?" Allura asked. "Questions later. Dick's ill, and it's really bad. He needs help." "How long has he been sick?" "Knowing him? Probably a few days." "Nobody noticed?" "You haven't known him as long as we have. He's really good at hiding things."
"Let's get him into a healing pod. The sooner he can get back on his feet, the sooner he can lead again." "Voltron can wait a little bit. I know you just want to defeat Zarkon, but I think he's getting too stressed. He needs a break." "Many leaders have gone through this before." "Dick is family oriented. His family is what gives him strength. He's missing a lot of that. Normally, he'd be able to lead just fine, but he's not in the right condition. He's not used to leading without family."
"Let's not start arguing, now. We still need to get him to a healing pod. I'll get him set up." "We were going to attempt to form Voltron again, but with the Black Lion out of commission, that isn't possible." "We'll figure it out later." "Come along. He'll feel better after a few hours, so hopefully it shouldn't take too long." "Hopefully."
Wally followed Coran to the healing pods, holding Dick carefully. It felt like if he made one wrong move, Dick would shatter into a million pieces. One wrong step, and he was done for. His limp body made Wally want to cry, all pale and sweaty. Dick shouldn't be in this condition.
"Get him into one of the suits. I'll get the pod ready." Coran instructed. Wally did so, trying to keep Dick's head up. It wouldn't do good if Dick had an achy neck when he came out, considering he had to look everywhere when piloting the Black Lion. He had to know where everything was, especially when they formed Voltron and more lives were at risk.
"You're taking a long time over there." "Sorry. Just thinking." "If I may ask, what about?" "I didn't even know he was sick until today. We used to be able to spend so much time together, now it feels like I barely see him. He's so stressed by leading Voltron without his family there to help that he's gotten sick. And Allura is too obsessed with Zarkon to see that! Dick needs a break from this. Maybe not long, but a break nonetheless. That, or he needs to see his family again. They must be worried by now."
"I agree. Perhaps it is time to take a break." "Good luck convincing Allura." "I'm sure I can manage. Let's get him into the pod." Wally picked Dick up again, heading towards said pod. Maybe Dick could benefit from this small break. Even if it wasn't what he needed, it could still help.
