The transmission feed came as a surprise, and Shiro couldn't help but stare with wide eyes and jaw slack.

~Our demands are simple.~ the alien glared at the screen. ~Give us the captain of the Atlas, or the leader of Voltron dies.~

This kind of thing wasn't new to them,

Hostage situations had become normal when the war was going on. But the war was supposed to be over now, though apparently even five years later some planets didn't get the memo.

A weak chuckle from behind the alien caught Shiro's attention.

~That's what this is about?~ there was a wet cough, and another chuckle. ~All this shit for someone that retired as soon as the war was over?~

The alien moved, and Shiro gasped when Keith came into view. Bruised and bloodied, a leg and an arm missing and haphazardly cauterized.

~Quiet you!~ the alien grabbed Keith by his jaw, growling at him. ~Haggar always said you and the captain had a strong bond-~

~Well, she lied...~ Keith spit a glob of blood at the alien. ~Takashi Shirogane isn't coming. He's living a carefree, white picket fence, trophy husband-

Life now. Bet he won't even answer-~

Keith grunted when a fist connected with his stomach, the alien growling again.

~I said. Be. Quiet.~

~Why?~ Keith coughed, looking somewhere above him. ~I told you, he isn't going to come. Not even for me. He doesn't care..~

~Quiet-~

~He gave up on me, ya know. Married some dude that only saw him as someone famous. They didn't even know each other that long-~

~Quiet-!~

~Completely cut me off. No explanation, no warning. I don't even deserve to be his friend. What the fuck makes you think-~

Keith's rant ended on a strangled cry when the alien gripped his jaw again, squeezing painfully. ~I'm sure he will, see, it our way.~

Shiro couldn't look away as the alien brought a knife to Keith's face, digging it into his eye as he shrieked and kicked in pain.

"Trace the feed!" Shiro barked the order, fists clenched at his sides.

"Sir, we can't. They must have been too far away, this feed is from about a month ago-"

"Trace it anyway! I want the last location they were at-"

The shrieking suddenly cut off, the feed going to static.

The screen flickered, giving Shiro glances of figures in black attacking the aliens around Keith, and one haunting image of Keith's blood soaked face before it cut out completely.

In a fit of panic, Shiro contacted Kolivan.

"Shirogane? You're out of retirement I see." The Blade leader looked him over with his usual cool regard.

"We just received a transmission, Keith was captured. Where is he?" Shiro skipped all formalities, heart racing when Kolivan's shoulders slumped.

"We recovered Keith a pheob ago. His chapter's technology was basic, at best. I'm not surprised you just received it-"

"Where is he? Can I speak with him?" Shiro was one step away from begging.

"......" Kolivan sighed, typing on another screen.

"I will give you his coordinates, but I'm not sure if he will talk to you."

---------------------

Keith grimaced when the prosthetics were gently pulled from him, Kosmo whining at his side.

"I'm so sorry about that." Trolx scowled at the metal. "I didn't think it would break.

(( bed time ))

"It's alright, Trolx. You're still learning." Keith rubbed his arm where the metal of the port joined his flesh, sighing softly.

He had taken residence on a remote planet after he recovered enough from his injuries. He was tired of fighting, tired of being reminded that-

Shiro didn't care about him anymore. His last capture wasn't the first time someone tries to use him to get to Shiro.

"I'll keep working on it." Trolx smiled at him.

Keith patted him on the shoulder, grumbling when he had to hoist himself up onto Kosmo's back. He was lucky that the wolf had a growth spurt over the years, now he was the size of a horse. Trolx helped him get settled, waving him off as they made their way to the town square.

Kosmo walked softly, looking back at Keith every so often when his grip on the wolf's fur tightened. His landing on this planet was, rough, to say the least. The atmosphere ended up causing his ship to crash, and damaged his prosthetics.

The residents of the planet though-

Were very helpful, offering him a little shack to stay in and to repair his prosthetics. Their supplies were limited, but the Blade had said that this planet was an ally, and that Keith would be safe here.

The residents filled the bags at Kosmo's sides with various things that Keith wanted to buy, basic supplies and food things. He managed to give the last shop keeper a smile before Kosmo started back towards their shack.

He probably should have listened to Krolia about-

Traveling so soon after he was rescued. His wounds still ached and where his eye used to be continued to burn. Keith pondered on the possibility of getting sick again-

Kosmo stopped just short of their shack, growling softly. Keith looked up, shocked to see who was standing-

At his doorstep.

"Does your husband know you're here, Shirogane?"

Shiro gawked at him while Kosmo hunkered down enough for Keith to slide off of his back, hand curled tightly in the wolf's fur as they slowly approached the doorstep.

"You've got about one dobash to leave the planet, by the way. Monsoon season starts soon, and-

Leaving the atmosphere will be impossible." Keith couldn't help but glare at the former admiral, murmuring 'good boy's to Kosmo when the wolf pawed the door open.

"K-Keith..-"

"Hm, surprised you even remember my name." Keith huffed, sinking into his wheelchair and clumsily-

Undoing the bags at Kosmo's sides. "What do you want, Shiro? Shouldn't you be with your husband on Earth?"

Shiro blinked at him, mouth opening and closing like he wanted to say something.

"Let me guess, forgot how to speak? Or am I really that ugly now?" Keith sneered.

"That's not-"

"Then what? Why the hell are you here? What changed?" Keith set the bags on the little table he was sitting at, scowling at the wood.

"I- we- I saw the hostage footage-" Shiro stepped closer, but the hollow laugh from Keith made him stop.

"Fuck off with that pity, Shiro. You know damn well this isn't the first time I've been tortured by people trying to get to you." Keith shook his head, cursing the building pressure in his chest. "Just...leave. Go home to Curtis."

"Keith, that- I just-" Shiro was wide eyed.

"Just...leave....go home, go home and live the life you always wanted to live."

"But, Keith-"

"You already made it perfectly clear I have no place in your life, Takashi Shirogane." Keith kept his head down, voice clipped, and prayed Shiro couldn't hear the tears forming.

Shiro was silent, but eventually Keith heard his footsteps going towards the door, opening, and closing without a sound.

Keith's breath hitched, and Kosmo pressed into him as much as he could as Keith started to break down. He hadn't had an attack since his rescue,

But everything was weighing down on him now. Shiro left, like he always did. Didn't even try to convince as Keith to let him stay, to talk. He should have known better.

Shiro never loved him.

He couldn't hear past the wheezing in his ears, and he jumped when hands framed his face.

"Breathe, Keith. In, and out..." Shiro's voice cut through the static. "Breathe..."

"You- you fuck-fucking left me!" Keith try to pull away, thinking his mind was toying with him again.

"I never- never mattered! You just, leave, you leave and you don't look back I'm t-tired of waiting for you to save me-"

Keith tried to push the hands away, sobs ripping from his chest when it didn't work. "You never came! Just- just like Zethrid- you never even tried!"

Strong arms wrapped around him, holding him no matter how hard he tried to push them away. "You...you left me...you never tried..."

"Fuck, Keith, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry I pushed you away..." Shiro rocked him gently. "I didn't- I didn't think-"

"Fuck- fuck /off/!" Keith finally shoved him back, bracing his arm on the chair to keep from falling. "I was just- a pity case to you, wasn't I?"

Shiro stared, wide eyed, watching tears fall down Keith's face. The ones from his missing eye tinged red.

"Every fucking time I got captured, they all wanted /you/. And every time they didn't get you, they took something from /me/." Keith's face crumpled again, the fury and spite leaving him. "I don't...I don't have anything left to take, Shiro....what do you want..."

"My position at the Blade was all I had, it's open...take it. Take my ship, I don't need it anymore-"

"I want you." Shiro got back into Keith's space, ignoring the growls from Kosmo.

Keith's brow furrowed, and he glared up at him. "No, you don't. You made that clear-"

"Then let me show you. I've done you so wrong, Keith. Let me fix it."

Keith scoffed, looking away from Shiro as he tugged off the ports to his prosthetics and tossing then aside, leaving raw and rubbed flesh in their place.

"That- that looks-" Shiro reached for him again.

"Don't." Keith slapped his hand away. "The Blade didn't have the right equipment to build me an arm and a leg, so this was the best alternative."

"It doesn't even look healed, Keith!" Shiro didn't try to move closer again, but he wanted to.

"Cause it isn't. The Blade-

Still doesn't have healing pods."

Shiro's frown deepened. "What, what did you mean your position at the Blade is free?"

Keith wilted, looking somewhere at the floor. "....I quit, Shiro..."

Shiro's eyes widened. "What?"

"Even I know when to give up, and I have."

A distant, far away look took over in Keith's eye, and Kosmo pushed his head into Shiro like he was urging hin forward. Shiro rolled his shoulders, and carefully picked Keith up.

"Kosmo, where's the bathroom?"

The wolf boofed, leading Shiro to a modest-

Sized bathroom, surprising for the size of the little shack. He gently sat Keith down on a chair near the tub, running the water before going back to Keith.

"Your wounds look like they need cleaned, ok? I'm- I'm gonna help, Keith. I want to."

Keith didn't answer, and Shiro didn't expect one. He was gentle in getting Keith undressed and unwrapping his bandages. Shiro paled at the scars and wounds littering Keith's body, but what had him tamping down his anger was the scarring on Keith's thigh.

It painted a horrid-

Picture, and gave Keith's words a new meaning.

He picked Keith up, gently settling him into the tub. Shiro stayed on the outside, not wanting to crowd Keith too much, knowing how vulnerable he was.

Keith didn't make a sound as Shiro washed him, but he did-

Tense up when Shiro pushed his hair away from his face and revealed the true extent of the damage.

Shiro grimaced at the cruel irony that the eye that was taken from him was on the same side the clone had burned.

He didn't comment on it, simply continuing with the task at hand and getting Keith dried and dressed when he was clean. Shiro brought him back to the table, sitting him in the chair before wrapping his arm and leg again.

Kosmo boofed at him, a bag of pills hanging in his-

Mouth and a note within it. Shiro read the note, taking out which ones Keith needed right then and a glass of water. Keith just stared at his hand, bottom lip trembling as it began to rain.

".....you missed your chance to leave..."

"I don't mind. Told Allura where I was."

Keith took his pills, staring at the glass of water like it would move on its own.

".....your husband-"

"We didn't last. Ended about a year in." Shiro sighed, looking around the small kitchen to cook something. "Everyone was right about him anyway."

If Keith had a remark about it, he didn't say it. Just a soft and barely there- "....I'm sorry..."

"No, Keith, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't listen, and I'm sorry you've been hurt because of me." Shiro found something easy to make and got started.

"You- you're always getting hurt because of me. I'm...let me help, at least. Please?"

Keith remained quiet, even as he slowly ate what Shiro had given him. He didn't finish it, but it was a start in Shiro's eyes.

Bed time for me. https://ko-fi.com/kibathecryptid 

For the most part, Keith stayed unnaturally quiet, only giving Shiro short answers to anything asked of him. But Shiro remained patient, diligent, always at Keith's side.

A month into monsoon season, Keith developed an infection in his wounds, and a high fever.

The residents of the planet, unbothered by the raging monsoon, continued to bring food and medicine to the little shack.

"Come on, Keith.." Shiro propped Keith up with his Altean arm, holding a cup of the medicine up to his lips. "You need to drink this."

Keith groaned,

But he let Shiro tip the contents of the cup into his mouth slowly, a harsh cough wracking him when he was done. "...Sh- Shir...?"

"It's ok, starburst, I'm here." Shiro cleaned his chin, laying him back down. "You'll be ok.."

"Hur's.." Keith whined, his head lolling towards-

Shiro. "Why're you...here..?"

"Because I care, and I told you that I would take care of you."

"...but...you- you don' love me..." Keith's face crumpled, lip quivering. "Jus'- jus' go...."

"I'm not leaving you like this." Shiro smoothed Keith's hair from his forehead.

Keith's sleep was fitful, he cried for Shiro to save him, to make the pain stop. It broke Shiro's heart to hear Keith like this.

As soon as the rain stopped, Shiro carried Keith to his ship. The residents waved them off, and Shiro set a course for Earth.