Work Text:
Rebel + garotte + choking
The Atlas just barely sends Shiro tingles of a warning through their developing bond before the bridge is invaded.
"Everyone back up!" A man shouts as three other people pour into the room. They are armed with laser guns, standard Garrison weapons. Shiro wonders what this is about, since they're clearly from the Garrison itself. Shiro vaguely recognizes a few of them. The man sees their confusion before he shouts back, "Bring out the prisoner!"
Before he can think of what prisoner could possibly be captured out here in the middle of open space, he watches in horror as a fifth person brings forth someone he knows well.
It's Keith.
The younger is dressed in his red Garrison jacket, arms cuffed behind his back uncomfortably tight. He's thrust into the room with a few shoves, coming within perfect view of everyone on the bridge, especially Shiro at the top of the podium. He's freshly beaten, with his cheek red and bruising, nose bleeding slightly.
"What is the meaning of this!" Iverson asks in shock before frowning, "Let the Black Paladin go this instant!"
"We can't, sir," the man shakes his head before nodding towards Keith who glares back with a gaze that would drop someone dead on the spot, "He's too dangerous."
"What are you talking about?" Sam scowls before standing up. Unfortunately, one of the others points their gun at him, "Of course, Keith's dangerous. Anyone fighting to end this war is. The Paladins of Voltro-"
"We don't care about Voltron," the man narrows his eyes, "We're here because he's a traitor."
The others nod in agreement, shooting Keith slightly frightened and angry looks. Shiro gets a feeling that he knows exactly where this is going. It often does go the same way.
"How would he be a traitor?" Veronica asks carefully from her desk, "He's been fighting for our cause before he even showed up on Earth with the rest of Voltron. He helped save Earth from its invaders."
"He's one of those invaders," the man snaps out before glaring at Keith with absolute hatred in his eyes, "He's part of the rebel Galra group who claims they're good. But he's not. No Galra is good. Not unless they're dead."
Shiro grows cold before he acts. Slinging his floating prosthetic arm, he smashes it into one man beside Keith. Keith takes the opportunity to attack the person next to him by slamming straight into them, taking the woman by surprise. Shiro flings his arm a different way before the sound of a warming up gun makes him freeze. He glances over to see that one of the others has their weapon pointed at Keith's neck. A fatal blow if it goes off. Everyone holds their breath.
"Kandy, Hannah, restrain the Captain," the man scowls as the woman and another man come forward. Shiro gets the urge to fight, but he holds back with Keith being in danger of being shot at any moment. The two grab him before throwing a cuff on both arms, bolting his mechanical arm to his desk and his human one into his belt. Shiro gasps quietly, trying very hard not to have some type of flashback. People just love cuffing him up a lot.
"Leave him alone!" Keith growls, snapping the older out of his troubled thoughts. Shiro sees as Keith starts to fight them again, despite the gun on him. Before Shiro can even think of what to say, he's reeling from a punch to the face. Everyone in the bridge gasps in shock before another hit comes his way. Shiro's left with his head spinning for a moment before he gains his balance again, the small of his back hitting the desk behind him as he grunts.
"Stop!" Keith shouts before growling. His sclera flare up with glowing golden light, eyes shrinking into slits. Fangs appear from his mouth as he growls again, voice huskier than before, "Leave him alone!"
"So he does look partially Galra at times," the man says like he's confirming some type of rumor. The man inspects Keith from a safe distance, eyeing the half-Galra who glares venomously, "Freaky. Heard he was a half-breed, as his kind say. Looks almost like us. I'll make you a deal, half-breed. You give up fighting us, and we'll leave Captain Shirogane out of this. I didn't want to drag a fellow human into this, but you left me no choice."
"Fine," Keith spits out automatically before standing down, "Leave Shiro out of this. He hasn't done anything wrong."
Shiro wants to cry or kick someone. Keith hasn't done anything wrong either. It's not his fault that he shares the same blood as their enemy. But before anyone can defend Keith, one of the men is yanking the younger to kneel on his knees. Keith hunches over slightly before huffing at the situation, eyes going back to normal.
"Why are you doing this?" Sam questions, sounding absolutely sick, "Keith is an ally. In fact, I can personally vouch for him. I trust him with my life."
"Last time I looked, Commander," the leader spits out with hatred, "You didn't lose any family members to the attacks. You were all snug under the Arizona Galaxy Garrison base. Your kids are alive. Your wife is fine. Hell, your damn dog is still around. But our families…"
The man laughs darkly, clenching his fists before shooting Keith a murderous look. The others nod in agreement, although they share uncomfortable glances with each other. Shiro notices it, wondering if they even wanted to do this attack. The man could be blackmailing them into it, or they just realized how serious the situation is.
"Hannah lost her sons," he snarls back angrily, "Twins. They were only 5 years old. Got crushed under rubble that the Galra fired on. It was the first attacks."
Said woman stares at the wall in morose thoughts.
"Kandy lost his husband," the man goes on, "They just got married a month before the Galra attacked. They were going to adopt a kid or two."
The man waves his head towards the one pointing his gun at Keith.
"Michael lost his mother," the leader spits, "And his baby sister. They burned to death in their house because the Galra's hits caused a fire to break out."
Shiro sees Keith flinch, understanding exactly what it feels like to lose a loved one to flames. That's how his dad died.
"Opal's grandpa and grandma got killed, separated from each other," the man goes on, nodding at the person left, "They also lost two cousins."
"I'm sorry," Keith speaks up, glancing around at the intruders, meaning every word, "I didn't do any of that, but I understand how much it hurts. It never gets easier, losing the people you love."
Keith's eyes meet Shiro's with a meaningful pained look.
"Yeah, what would you know about loss?" Opal demands in frustration, waving their arms around in anger and pain, "Your friends are fine! Your mother is alive! Your alien wolf is good!"
"My dad died 15 years ago," Keith nods before looking right at Opal, "He was a firefighter. I was 6 when he didn't come back home. I still miss him. My mom...she wasn't around. She wanted to keep me safe so she left. I've seen comrades and friends get killed on missions in front of my face. I've seen my teammates nearly killed on a daily basis. I...I almost buried my best friend three times. I know it's not the same as what you've all gone through. But I do know loss. I know death. That's why I want to end the war. We've all lost enough people."
"He's just looking for a way to get out of what's due to come his way!" The leader yells before marching around agitatedly, "We all agreed earlier. You can't back out now! I know you won't!"
The four glance at each other before shaking their heads.
"Good," The man nods before chuckling, "He'll get his due. I'll make sure of it. All scum like him deserve to die."
"What's your problem with Keith?" Veronica asks carefully, "You seem especially angry."
"You would be too, if his kind murdered your fiance in front of you," the leader snarls before glaring at Keith harder. The younger frowns, likely getting it. Shiro does too, he's had to kill other innocent people for sick entertainment, "They killed my Jenny. They just...they executed her at point blank. Just pointed a fucking gun and shot her. She wasn't even recognizable when they got done. I didn't even get the chance to bury her body. I had my future planned with her. She was the love of my life, and look how they destroyed her. Because that's all the Galra do. Kill, destroy, plunder. They're not civilized. And this one's worse. He wears our face. But he'll pay for it. Just as all of these monsters will."
The man grins darkly before walking up behind Keith who tenses, frozen. All of them are frozen, too afraid of the man's deteriorating behavior. Even by now, the four intruders can sense something is wrong with the man.
"It's time to execute a traitor," he smirks before yanking something out. They don't get to see it before it's up and over Keith's head, settling along his neck. It's a coil of wire, wrapped into a long white pole device, with a trigger at the other's hand almost like a gun's own set up.
Anger burns in Shiro's chest, like lava boiling under a volcano. Atlas presses on him, unsure what to do. He can't even attempt to communicate with her, his eyes staying on the smooth wire adorned around Keith's neck like a plain necklace.
Or like Keith's a fucking mutt, restrained with a dog catching pole.
"Garotte execution hasn't been used in a long time," the man chuckles before pulling the rope in automatically until it tightens enough to make all of them uncomfortable, "Not since around the 1800s or something. What better way to get our due than this?"
"Hey, uhhh...maybe we shouldn't do this," Opal frowns, their eyes worried and slightly disturbed, "I mean...He isn't the one who hurt us. He didn't hurt any of our family…"
"But he will," the man pulls the trigger a little more, the wire cutting a bit into Keith's pale skin, "All Galra are horrible monsters. They all deserve to die. Even this one."
And then he grips the trigger with all of his strength. The steel wire tightens too much, instantly sealing off Keith's precious air. The younger is frozen for a moment before gasping in shock, no noise coming free. Keith tries to wiggle free, but the man just pulls the trigger harder. The wire is so tight, squeezing Keith's throat enough to leave painful rope burns. It looks almost like the rope itself may cut straight through Keith's neck.
Execution by strangulation.
"Let him go! Now!" Someone screams from the side. All Shiro can do is watch Keith's face. The younger man is clearly affected. His eyes are wide with fear, face turning red from lack of oxygen. Keith's growing weak, trembling while trying desperately to breathe. He's starting to slump forward, the wire only tightening more.
"Atlas, do something!" Shiro shouts, not even aware he does so, heart throbbing rapidly in his chest as Keith shares one last look with him, face softening in acceptance before he passes out, "I can't lose him!"
Atlas hums before her energy turns hard and angry, feeling his pain and anguish. The ship floods with red light before a panel below the leader opens up. The man doesn't get time to even yelp as he flies straight down. The desks shift rapidly, slamming into the remaining four, immobilizing them. They don't struggle, but Shiro doesn't care as he bolts for his best friend. Turning the younger over after yanking the wire off, he notes with despair that Keith is not breathing.
"Fuck, fuck," he curses before pressing on Keith's chest, over and over, mind already racing to the tune of an invisible beat. He tilts Keith's head, opening his mouth before listening. Nothing. He pounds harder, feeling a rib or two give with the force. Still nothing as agony laces his heart, despair coloring his voice, "You can't do this to me, Keith. Fight. Fight for me, Keith. Breathe, Keith!"
He presses down again, but still receives nothing. Keith's so still. So dead. Shiro can't feel a heartbeat at all. He grabs the other near, cradling him close like it's any other day. As if they're just two best friends cuddling and chilling on a Saturday night. He closes his eyes, finally understanding what Keith must have felt during his fight with the...his clone, and the consequential trip in the pod.
"As many times as it takes," Shiro hugs the other closer yet, pressing a kiss to the other's forehead. He braces himself for a long moment before something tingles. He opens his eyes, watching as his right arm glows blue, the floating prosthesis pressing over Keith's heart. The glow takes over Keith's entire form, a gentle energy coursing through the younger's veins. When it's gone, Shiro's metal arm crashes to the floor, numb and disconnected.
But he doesn't care.
Because Keith lurches to the side weakly, coughing harshly. He gags, trying to drag in enough air. Shiro just holds him with his arm, brushing his fingers over warming skin to make sure that his best friend is alive. Hazy eyes open, glancing up at him before a small smile touches Keith's lips.
"You...saved...me…" Keith breathes out, more whistle than actual talking. The strangulation mark starts to bruise uncomfortably, an ugly scratchy red, fading into purple. Breathing can't be fun, much less trying to swallow. But...Keith is alive.
"I did," Shiro grins back before holding the other better, "We'll talk more later, got it? First, you should rest."
"'Kay," the younger agrees before relaxing. Shiro holds onto him better, making sure Keith is actually alive. He sighs into Keith's hair, knowing he has to confess as soon as Keith wakes up. He's been too stupid to let him go without telling him that he loves him too many times.
He picks Keith up with his flesh arm, adjusting him to fit better with his face to his neck before he looks at the others. The four trapped by the desk look ashamed, staring down. The crew looks frightened but are calming. Veronica, Sam, and Iverson just nod as Shiro nods back seriously. Atlas chimes in his head with the image of the leader being tossed out an airlock and Shiro momentarily chuckles before telling her not to. She replies with slamming him into an empty cell.
She's protective of Keith. Good. Shiro is too.
"Take these four to the cells," he nods pointedly at them before starting for the door, "I'm taking Keith to the infirmary. No one disturbs us unless it's an actual life-or-death emergency, got it?"
Everyone nods before getting to work. Shiro watches for a quick moment before going on, leaving his prosthesis on the floor. He never really liked it anyway. They can always make a new one. They can't make a new Keith.