realised writing this that paying attention during fight scenes might of helped a bit so apologies if it's incorrect i will not be changing it xx

"What's on your mind, Shiro?"

It was the middle of the night - or, at least, what the Paladins considered to be the middle of the night - and Keith had noticed Shiro awake in the kitchen, staring into space.

"Hm? Oh. Nothing much. Just couldn't sleep."

Keith nodded. "Yeah. I get it." he sat across from him. "Must have been thinking about something, though. When someone's sat there, staring into space, it usually means they're thinking about something."

A soft smile crossed Shiro's face, and he nodded. "Yep."

"So what were you thinking about?"

"Kerberos." Shiro said. "I can't help but worry about them, you know? I hate not knowing where they are and if they're okay."

Keith nodded. "We're gonna find them. I promise."

"I really hope when we do they're unscathed."

"You might be slipping into wishful thinking territory there." Keith said.

Shiro nodded. "I'm well aware of that, but wishful thinking is the only thing that can keep me focused. I'm sure they're dealing with whatever it is well."

"They're fighters if nothing else." Keith replied encouragingly.

Shiro nodded. "Right. I think I'll head to bed. Goodnight, Keith."

"Goodnight, Shiro."

***

"Kassy's here." Shiro mumbled. It was the middle of their latest face-off with the Galra, and he and Keith had snuck onto their ship. There had been a scream from down the hallway, and Shiro had instantly recognised the voice.

"I'll get the guards if you get her." Keith murmured back. Shiro nodded, and the two men ran from the corner they were hiding behind. Keith ran and started fighting against the couple of guards, allowing Shiro just enough time to run to the location of the scream.

It was Kassy alright, at that point unconscious, with a whole group of Galra surrounding her, on what appeared to be a hospital bed.

Shiro was reminded of his time with the Galra, and he almost stopped from the anxiety that seemed to surge through him. Before he gave them the advantage however, he swiftly turned to fight them.

These weren't trained soldiers; these were doctors, or scientists, or something. They were no match for him, and he managed to fight all of them off. He saw where Kassy had been strapped to the bed, and, using the strength from his Galra arm, managed to rip her free, picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder. He left, and seeing how Keith had destroyed the few guards like a girlboss, left back to the castle.

Coran and Allura turned, spotting Shiro.

"Who is that?" Allura asked.

"I'll explain later. Just protect her, okay?"

Coran nodded. "Roger that!"

By the time they had managed to escape, and everyone was back on the ship with minimal injuries, the random girl Shiro had collected was just about to come to . She was laying on the couch, and he crouched next to her, everyone crowded around.

"Who is this, Shiro? Care to explain?" Allura asked.

"This is Kassiopeia Blackwood. We were on the Kerberos mission together."

"Oh, yeah! I know this girl, she came to mine for dinner." Rora said.

"Yeah, I'd imagine so. We, uh, we were best friends as kids." Shiro said.

"Guys, I think she's coming round." Lance spoke.

Kassy's eyes fluttered open. She glanced around at the faces around her, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Hey." She turned to see Shiro.

"Shiro. It's you." she whispered, tearing up. "I-I thought they were going to kill me, I-I-"

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're safe. Don't worry. Deep breaths."

She slowly sat up, looking around at the others in confusion. "What... what happened?"

"Doesn't matter now. All that matters now is that you're safe." Keith said.

"Im not... I'm not with the Galra anymore? They're not...?"

"No. And they never will again." Shiro said. "Guys, why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"Hi, I'm Keith, Red Paladin."

"I'm Hunk, nice to finally meet you!"

"Princess Allura."

"Oh, and you're Katie and Rora!" She said to the sisters. "Your mom is so sweet."

"Do you have any idea where my dad or Matt is?" Pidge asked. Kassy shook her head.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened."

"Oh. Nevermind, then."

"Anyway, I'm Coran."

"And I'm Lance. I know what you're thinking. Yes, you can feel my shirt."

"Hm?"

"Cos it's made out of boyfriend material!"

There was an awkward moment of silence before Pidge and Rora both jumped upon Lance, creating a human pile.

"Ignore him, Kassy, he's an idiot." Rora called to her.

"Okay, thanks, Rora."

"Right, team, it's been a long day. I reckon we should stop making human piles and get some rest." Coran said, rubbing his hands together.

The Paladins all said goodnight (not before the rest of them joined the human pile, however), and went to bed, leaving Shiro and Kassy alone.

"You feel like telling me about what happened?"

Kassy shrugged. "I don't know. Last thing I remember is getting injected with... something. I don't know what it was, but it stung so bad, I screamed. Then I guess it knocked me unconscious."

"Were they experimenting on you?"

"They must have been." she rubbed her arms. He noticed the amount of scars on them. "They really wanted my blood. Always cutting me up, collecting it up in little vials, doing I don't even know what to it."

"Whatever it was, you're safe now. Is there anything I can do?"

She ran her hands through her hair. "Right now I just want a shower, some makeup, and some hair straighteners."

"The bathroom's just down the hall, you can get showered there. I'll see what I can do about the rest. Im sure Rora will have something you can borrow."

She nodded, standing up, and stretching, before wrapping her arms around him and tightly embracing him. "Sorry. I just... I've really wanted to touch someone who doesn't want to hurt me."

He nodded and hugged her back, holding her for a few seconds, until she pulled away.

"Thanks for everything, Shiro. Goodnight."