Whumptober prompt 21. Laced drink
Rating: T
Tw: none
Keith & team
I had a lot of fun with this one
...
Keith knew he shouldnāt have drank the glass.Ā
He knew it. It had smelled bad to begin with, and it tasted even worse when he downed it.Ā
But the aliens with who they were negotiating had looked offended when he had refused, and he had promised Allura he would behave.Ā
He was really regretting it now.
It started with the sound.Ā
The music (or what these guys called music anyway) hadnāt been loud at first, but ten minutes after drinking his beverage it had started growing louder, until it was uncomfortably so.Ā
He tried to ignore it. The rest of the team seemed to be having fun and he didnāt want to ruin that.Ā
Later, he would wish he had.
Next it was the light.Ā
His eyes grew steadily more sore as the afternoon wore on, until even looking at the ground made him squint and grind his teeth, trying to block the light. Why was the sun growing brighter?Ā
At this, he started to seriously consider telling Shiro, but he stopped himself. Shiro was busy, he didnāt have time for him. He was eighteen years old, he could handle a little headache.Ā
A big headache.Ā
A really big one. He couldnāt remember the last time it had hurt so bad. It pulsed along with the music, which was now unbearable.Ā
He could hear every person in the party as if they were shouting in his ears.Ā
And that smell. It was too much at once, he could smell the sickeningly sweet aroma of the flowers, the smell from the food made him want to hurl.Ā
Stumbling, he left the safe shade in one of the corners of the garden and went to look for Shiro. Everything was too bright, too loud, too colorful. His head hurt, why wouldnāt his head stop hurting?
He could have sobbed with relief when he saw the figure of Shiro, tall and muscular in comparison to the small and gangly aliens he was talking to.Ā
He was 10 meters away from his brother when three aliens blocked his path. They were all carrying a glass of the damned drink, Keith could tell by the way they reeked of the smell.Ā
āWhat wrong, paladin?ā One of them asked, not with kindness, more like curiosity. He had the feeling he knew them from somewhere, but he wasnāt sure why.
Keith's knees were shaking. Had he felt this hot before? He didnāt think so.Ā
He shivered when icy sweat ran down his spine.Ā
āI uhhhā his tongue suddenly felt too big for his mouth āI need to get to Shiroā
āWhy?āĀ
Why wouldnāt these guys stopped shouting? Why wouldnāt anyone stop shouting?
It hurt. He felt like his eardrums were going to burst.Ā
Actually, he hoped they would burst, because that meant he wouldnāt be able to hear anything.Ā
And just as Keith was half way into considering punching his way to Shiro, his brother appeared, as if he had been able to sense his discomfort.Ā
āKeith?āĀ
Could they please lower their voices? God, now even his thoughts were loud.
āWhatās wrong?ā
His knees buckled and he pitched forwards, slumping into Shiroās chest.Ā
The armour felt pleasantly cool against his burning cheek, and he didnāt even realized his eyes had closed until Shiro was slinging his arm around his shoulders, helping him stay upright.Ā
He was saying something, but everything was too much.Ā
He screwed his eyes shut, but even then the light bore into his eyes, making his headache even worse. He could feel tears starting to gather up in the corner of his eyes.Ā
He pushed away the body that was manhandling him into a standing position, and fell to his knees, pushing his hands against his ears as hard as he could, but the noise was still too much. He tried breathing through his mouth, but even then he could taste the smells. It made his stomach churn, and throwing up suddenly became a very real possibility.Ā
Someone was calling his name, he was sure of it, but he didnāt want to look up.Ā
Was he screaming? Maybe, but he couldnāt really hear it. His throat felt sore.
God if he could just stop hurting-
And then he was being scooped up into someoneās arms, and he thought he recognized the voice.Ā
Shiro.Ā
Without thinking his arms surrounded Shiroās neck, but as soon as he did, noise exploded and he let out a cry of pain.Ā
He could feel more than actually hear Shiroās voice vibrate through his chest, and after a few seconds someone was placing something (a helmet?) in his head.Ā
He could have (and he thought he might have) cried with relief when the noise finally stopped.Ā
All at once, the tension in his body left, leaving him exhausted and limp in Shiroās hold.Ā
He still wouldnāt open his eyes, because it still felt as if someone was stabbing him repeatedly, but he would take what he could take.Ā
He was reduced to a gasping, shivering mess, and he didnāt even have the energy to feel embarrassed about the was his older brother was cradling him against his chest.Ā
Then Shiro started walking, and Keith was pulled into an uneasy doze.
He startled awake when Shiro sat him down in something soft. A medical bed, probably.Ā
God, he felt awful.Ā
And then someone took his helmet off.
And the pain started all over again.Ā
The noise wasnāt like before, thankfully, but it was still painful.Ā
The buzzing and humming of the machines in the infirmary made his head spin.
If he thought the light had been painful before, it was nothing compared to now.Ā
It was blinding white, and he couldnāt see, like someone had turned the lighting feature to 100% while editing an image.Ā
The smell was like someone had placed cotton balls soaked with rubbing alcohol under his nose.
All of this in less than a second. Keith thought he was going to throw up.Ā
His stomach churned.Ā
Scratch that, he was going to throw up.Ā
Blinded by the bright light, he let instinct and memory guide him to a bathroom, and sure enough, he found himself in front of the toilet, the lights off.Ā
He didnāt have time to feel relieved, as he felt bile rise up his throat.Ā
The drink tasted even worse coming up.Ā
He didnāt know when, but a hand had begun rubbing his back between his shoulder blades, and he shivered at the cold sensation.Ā
He could hear someone whispering, and whimpered when it made his headache spike once more.Ā
The whispering stopped, and for a moment the only thing he could hear was his own gasping breath and his heartbeat.
And then bile rose up again, and he dived for the toilet once more.Ā
He didnāt know how much time he spent hugging the toilet, but it was enough for Pidge to come up with a solution.
He sat on the floor, resting against Shiroās chest, panting and trembling, when Pidge walked into the dark bathroom and kneeled in front of him.Ā
He could see her even though it was pitch black, but he could tell she couldnāt see him, so he reached out and grabbed her hand.
She grabbed his jaw with one hand, and with another placed something into his ear, like a bug.Ā
The noise stopped somewhat, and then she placed another one in the other ear.Ā
The noise stopped completely.
This time he did sob with relief. Shiro rubbed his shoulder and pulled him closer
āThanks Pidgeā his voice sounded hoarse, and he wondered for a second how much he had screamed without realizing.Ā
She smiled at him, a bit sadly, but mostly relieved, caressed his cheek, uncharacteristically gentle, and rubbed away a few tears with her thumb.Ā
Keith closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.
āSo what happened to me?ā
His voice still sounded thick and hoarse, but steadier.
He sat on one of the medical cots, earpieces firmly in and wearing modified sunglasses.
His amour was lying in a pile on the floor, and his team stood all around him, arms crossed and concerned and somber expressions on his faces.
He still felt shaky and weak, and the smell of the infirmary hadnāt subsided, making him feel dizzy and nauseous.Ā
Allura and Coran looked at each other.
āWell, you seeā Coran started, wringing his hands āthe beverage you drank had senseweed in it, or SW, as itās known in the black marketā
āWhatās that?ā Pidge asked
āItās a Well-known drug, that when dissolved into a drink, causes alterations in the senses. I have never tried it myself, but itās said to be quite pleasant-ā
Keith arched an eyebrow, pulling the blanket around his shoulders closer to himselfĀ
ā- But lethal to galra. Zarkon banned it when he came to powerā
Oh. Oh.
āBut I didnāt dieā he said quickly, his face heating up when he felt his teamās eyes on him āIt felt like I was dying, but-ā
āThatās because youāre only half galraā Allura said. Keith noticed she looked quite pale herself
āThe effects on a full galra are much worse. They are either driven to insanity, or die from heart failureā
āOhā was Keithās only response.
āKeithā Shiro spoke for the first time, and Keith could feel the waves of anger coming from his brotherĀ
āWho gave you that drink?ā
Keith thought about it for a few seconds, and then he realized
āThe three aliens, the ones that were with me when I collapsed. I was looking for you when they appeared with more glassesā he wrinkled his nose at the memory of the smell āthey didnāt seem concerned, justā¦ curiousā
A somber silence filled the room.
Keith looked around desperatelyĀ
āBut Iām okayā he said as he saw Shiroās face darken āShiro-ā
But the leader was already turning around and walking out of the room.
Keith stood up and went to follow, but his knees buckled, and Lance caught him just in time, slinging his arm around his shoulders.
The nausea came back full force, but he forced himself to swallow it down.
Shiro looked back, looking at Keithās desperate eyes, which looked darker with the glasses. His eyes softenedĀ
āGet some rest, Keith. Iāll be back soonā
āLanceā Pidge turned to the boy, who was helping Keith sit down again.
Lance turned to look at herĀ
āGo with Shiro, make sure he doesnāt do anything stupidā
Lance nodded and ran after Shiro.
Silence followed their departure.
āNumber oneās right, Keithā Coran said kindly āyou need to sleep this offā
Keith nodded, not looking at him.
Hunk helped him up and guided him towards the lounge. Pidge grabbed his hand and followed them.
The ended up making a tent in the middle of the room.Ā
They got in, and made themselves comfortable around the various cushions and blankets.
Keith moaned in delight as he flopped down and lay still. He could hear Hunk and Pidge chuckling behind him, and he smiled slightly.
āLights 0 percentā Pidge said, and Keith sighed in relief when he saw pitch black.
āDo you want to take off the glasses? Itās pitch blackā Hunk asked to his right.Ā
Keith nodded, but realized they couldnāt see him
āYeahāĀ
Hunkās hands found his cheeks and reached behind his right ear.Ā
He pushed a small button, and the glasses turned off.Ā
Immediately, he blinked as his eyes watered slightly. The was barely any light, but he could still see Hunkās and Pidgeās silhouettes.
āYou okay?ā Pidgeās form moved.
āYeahā
āHow are you feeling?ā He could feels her eyes on himĀ
Keith thought about it for a secondĀ
āTiredā he finally said āand dizzy, I guess. Itās like my center of gravity keeps changingāĀ
āSide effect from the drug, I guessā
āAnd mentally?ā Hunkās voice was soft.
āIāll be fineā Hunk didnāt miss the future tense
āYeah, you will beā Keith swallowed thickly
āIām justā¦ā his voice trailed off
āShiro will be fineā Pidge said, and she sounded gentler than normal āheās got Lance with him, and he knows how to control himselfā
āRightā Keith forced himself to breathe āI just wish he was hereā
He felt like he was on a rocking boat, and he didnāt really like the feeling.
āIt was scary, manā Hunk said into the silence.Ā
āYeahā Pidge agreedĀ
āYou were trembling on the floor, screaming and begging to make it stopāĀ
Keith said nothing.
āAnd then Hunk here calibrated the helmet so no sound came in and you just went completely limp. I was kinda afraid you had passed outāĀ
Keith hummed, not bothering to respond.
āI just wished I had known that the light was bothering you tooā Hunk muttered, jawningĀ
āIt doesnāt matterā Keith said āI passed out not long after anywayāĀ
Hunk and Pidge said nothing.Ā
A few minutes later, he fell into an uneasy sleep.
He woke up when he could feel the other two entering the tent.Ā
His over sensitive nose recognized Shiroās smell, and his heartbeat immediately slowed. There was just something awfully comforting about Shiroās smell, like a child who slept with their parentās clothing when they were away.Ā
He could see Shiro, even though it was still pitch black, as he lay down beside him.
āHeyā How did Shiro always know when he was awake?Ā
āWhat happened?ā
Shiro sighed and ran a hand through his face.
āThey caught the guys. Apparently, they wanted to see the effects of the drug on a half galraā his fist clenched āthey didnāt even look sorry. They just wanted to know about any side effectsā
Keith was afraid of the next questionĀ
āAnd what did you do?ā
āI punched themāĀ
āAll three?ā
āYepāĀ
Keith sighed in relief.Ā
āI wasnāt going to kill them, kiddoā Shiro was whispering now, trying to make their conversation privateĀ
āI thought about it, I wanted toā he confessed ābut I knew you would have been upsetāĀ
āGoodā Keith didnāt have any more energy to say much else.
So he curled up like a cat next to Shiro and closed his eyes again, feeling already the pull of sleep.Ā
Shiro surrounded his chest with his flesh arm and pulled him closer.Ā
It didnāt take them long to fall asleep after that.
