#SIXTEEN#

Shiro sat up as the sun shined through the delicate glass panes. He squinted and looked around. Lance's leg was wrapped around his left arm, and Hunk's head was on his thigh. His shoulder popped as he moved his free arm. Hands placing themselves on the two paladins heads and slowly moving them away. Wincing each time they made a noise.

Sliding away, he stood up. Knees stiff and his head spinning for a few seconds. He blinked and looked again.

His eyes landed on Adam.

The conversation he heard last night replayed in his mind. He gave a soft, sad chuckle. "You idiot." His frown deepening as he went to his knees— crawling to Adam's bed. He stopped a foot away, kneeling upwards with his hands to his sides. He debated waking him up, letting out a shaky breath as he glanced at Adam's face. His chest rising up and down calmly.

His hand went to his arm– well his prosthetic. Since Keith kinda cut his old one off... Pidge had built Shiro a new one. Using all the Altean technology they could use, trying to match it up with the Galra's.

Adam's eye cracked open slowly. The man's vision blurred without his glasses, and his mouth dry. "Takashi?" He murmured, obviously confused.

"I heard what you said last night." Shiro spoke, trying his hardest not to disturb the sleeping. Adam gave a small smile, then a laugh. "I'm dreaming." He said to himself as he grabbed his pillow. Adam then proceeded to burry his face under it.

Shiro gulping as he softly moved the pillow off of Adam's face. "This isn't a dream..." Shiro told him but found himself smiling. Despite the fear and hurt he had in his gut.

"Oh really?" Adam replied cockily, pinching himself on the wrist. He winced and was instantly in a sour mood. "Ow." He muttered, but then shot up.

"Takashi–" He breathed.

Shiro shrugged and looked down. "I heard what you said. And 1. I think your an idiot. 2. I don't need protecting." Adam's cheeks tinged pink. "I don't mean it like that. It's just– when Iverson brought up the memories... I thought of what you went through. How you've probably changed, and how it's affected you. I agree that it could be useful for future advances, but I want to help you. I just don't know if you'd open up, so I figured this would be the best shot I could take. The less painful." Adam grew quiet and Shiro stared at him.

His eyes hardened and he blinked. "You waited. That's all I needed." Adam put his arms to his chest. "That's not part of this." He debated softly, "I didn't want to hurt you, but I did. What if I do it again?" Adam questioned as he pressed his limbs against his body tighter.

Shiro got closer and placed a hand on Adam. Adam froze, but soon relaxed as Shiro started to talk again. "In a relationship, there are two things needed. Communication and understandment. You hurt me, I understand that, and we are communicating. Talking about how and why it happened." Adam opened his mouth, but Shiro put a finger on his lips.

"In relationships, we are both bound to be hurt. But we have to pull through, making it Okay is part of how we work."

Adam bit his tongue and his thumbs rubbed his shoulders. "I'm sorry." He said, and then Shiro got onto the bed.

"I am too."