Shallura Week Day 1: Discovery/Recovery

Author's Note: So I'm taking a break from updating Steel Hearts (yes, that is getting more chapters) to come up with some stuff for Shallura week! These are rather spur of the moment (meaning I'm writing them the night before the official day lmao) so most will prooobably be plotless fluff…or angst...

Anway, enjoy this mutual crushing on each other lmao maybe one day I'll stop writing mutual pining but today ain't gonna be that day.

Shiro stumbled out of his lion and back into the castle after another hard fought battle, holding his head as he limped away from the beast.

"You did good girl…" He assured the anxious machine, as he could feel her concern for his well-being. "Just…just a little concussion, I think…" He had hit his head—on what, he couldn't quite recall—after a big hit from the latest Galra monstrosity. His vision was blurring a bit, as were the words he was saying. He yanked off his helmet and let it fall to the floor, hoping it would help but at some level knowing it wouldn't.

"Paladins! Are you alright?" Allura's voice echoed and sounded distant, like she was in a tunnel. Shiro walked towards it but suddenly fell to his knees in a fit of dizziness. He found himself staring at a red splotch on the floor. It took a few seconds for him to realize it was his own blood, a realization that brought his hand to his face, where it came away from his mouth stained with red.

"Guessh that was a harder…harder hit than I thought…" He slurred to himself before collapsing all the way to the floor. He could her his fellow Paladins moving around him and a concerned Allura calling his name before everything faded to black.

. . .

"Shiro? Shiro!" Allura rushed to the eldest Paladin's side as she saw him collapse, closely followed by the other pilots. "What happened to him?"

"He said something about hitting his head…" Keith recalled. "Right after that…thing…swatted Voltron apart."

"He's probably concussed. Badly, by the look of it." Pidge noted, concern edging into her voice.

"We need to get him to the healing pods straight away!" The princess insisted, and with some help from Hunk, she managed to haul the Black Paladin into a cryo pod.

"Hey, don't worry about him too much Princess." Hunk assured her. "Shiro's tough, he's definitely been through worse than a little concussion."

"Thank you Hunk." Allura replied, though she wasn't quite comforted by that. "I'm sure he will recover promptly. The castle's technology may be old, but it is quite effective."

Hunk nodded before exiting the room, leaving Allura alone with Shiro's cryo pod. She was always concerned when the Paladins were injured of course, they were basically the universe's only hope. But Shiro had already been through so much—he, above all the others, didn't deserve something like this. She sighed and sat down next to the pod. The timer had an optimistic diagnosis, saying that the man should be fine within a few hours, and she could spare the time to sit with him for a while. Not much else seemed important to her at the moment. It would give her some time to think too.

Shiro was a…interesting variable in her otherwise dutiful service to Voltron and the universe. She had promised herself that she would keep her feelings out of everything that happened—with the entire universe in the balance, and with few advantages on their side, getting overly attached to anything or anyone could've been a huge weakness.

But maybe it wasn't all bad. As the princess glanced at Shiro's (admittedly, handsome) face, she realized that, perhaps, it was ok for her to…indulge, so to speak. That brought a tinge of pink to her cheeks and she looked away quickly, even though Shiro could not possibly be aware of her. Enough thinking for now, was her thought, and she stood to go check on the other Paladins.

Several hours later, the entire crew of the Castle of Lions was gathered in the med bay as Shiro's pod counted down the final seconds of his healing process. With a soft whoosh the pod opened and Shiro squinted into the light as he stepped out.

"Wha-…what happened?" He muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "There was…a monster…and then everything got all blurry…"

"You said you hit your head." Lance interjected. "And then you kinda blacked out when we got back."

Shiro blinked. "I…kinda remember? It's pretty fuzzy."

The Paladins filled him in on what they surmised had happened and then informed him that Hunk and Coran would be making dinner, when he was up to it. Allura waited until the others had left before stopping Shiro.

"Are…Are you sure you're ok Shiro? You've been through quite a bit already, and now this-"

"Princess, I'm fine." Shiro assured her, firmly but gently. The princess breathed a sigh of relief.

"That is…good. Very good. I'm glad you're ok."

Shiro smiled that little smile that made everyone happier and chuckled. "I'm glad I'm ok too."

Allura immediately smiled and blushed, as did almost everyone who was confronted with Shiro's half smile. "Well…we shouldn't leave Coran and Hunk waiting. I'm sure whatever they're making won't be any better if it's cold."

"Good thinking." Shiro agreed. "Oh, and Allura…thanks for helping me. I know the others helped too but…y'know, the princess shouldn't have to help with all the mundane stuff."

"Nonsense Shiro, your lives are more than 'mundane concerns' to me. I care about you." She paused and watched as Shiro flushed pink before realizing what she had said. "A-and all the other Paladins too, of course!" She added rather quickly.

"O-of course…" he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well we should, uhh…get going, y'know?"

"Of course." Allura regained her composure and headed towards the kitchen. Shiro took a second to let his flushed face return to normal before he followed her, lest the other Paladins start poking fun at him. There'd be hell to pay if they ever found out how he really felt…