#elementkitsune

Lance and Keith, they were amusing to be sure. The mice knew Lance's skin care routine so well that they helped him with it when they had time. And they knew Keith missed the team while he was away with the Blade, so they helped to make him feel at home whenever he came back to the castle.

They related to Shiro, in some ways, always trying to support whoever they could on the team. They knew he was tired but wouldn't show it, and that he was always polite to them, to everybody that deserved it. They also liked to help him count his push-ups in the morning. They knew his personal best was 703.

And above all else, they knew that Coran needed a break.

As a general rule, the mice did their very best to keep tabs on Coran whenever they had a free chance. Sometimes they would create distractions on purpose, just so he could think about something else for awhile. Platt started the tradition of hiding his mustache comb somewhere within the castle, and it became a weekly game for Coran to find it. They also liked to rehearse their shows for Allura for him first.

And yet sometimes, it was someone else who stepped up for Coran.

On this particular night, that someone else was Shiro.

All the paladins and Allura had been asleep for about half a varga at this point. Coran, as usual, was doing his routine checks of the castle's systems on the bridge. The mice were tucked away in the corner of his station, with Chulatt sleeping atop Platt, and Plachu and Chuchule resting comfortably at Platt's sides. Plachu and Chuchule remained awake, partly to keep Coran company and partly to be ready to help him at a moment's notice.

Coran was muttering to himself when the bridge doors opened and Shiro walked in. Plachu squeaked at his arrival, causing Coran to turn around.

"Ah, Shiro. Can't sleep?" he asked.

"Not really." Shiro made his way over to Coran and smiled. "Especially when I know you're still awake."

Coran smirked as he typed something into his console. "I don't know if you mean that more for your benefit or mine."

"Mostly yours, but I don't mind picking up the slack," Shiro said as he wrapped his arm's around the advisor's waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. "Take a break, Coran," he whispered in his ear before kissing his cheek.

That was another thing the mice knew, exclusively. Ever since the team had located Shiro after his recapture by the Galra, he and Coran had bonded and formed a secret relationship. The mice knew that, for now, they couldn't tell anyone about this, not even Allura. Coran had made that very clear.

Chuchule looked up at the couple and smiled sweetly, finding their love adorable. Plachu simply rolled his eyes at her before resting his head on his paws again. Perhaps if he woke Platt up he could sleep through this.

Shiro started to massage Coran's shoulders, and from her vantage point, Chuchule could see Coran's resolve melting away. But he tried to keep up his front by focusing on his console. "Shiro, baby, please. I-"

"Please, what?" Shiro teased. His hands moved all over his back, making Coran sigh.

"I...I'm almost done here. Just let me finish this one check." That was one thing Coran couldn't be damned for - his dedication to the ship.

"Oh, come on, Coran. You know everything's working. If it wasn't, I'd think you know before the ship even knew."

Coran mulled over that; he probably wasn't wrong. Still, Voltron and the castle came first. "Just...oh quiznak..." Shiro was kissing his neck now. "Hang on. Aaaand...done." With a furious speed Coran whipped around and surprised Shiro with a full kiss, making him melt. "Now that's more like it," he declared with a wink.

At this point, Platt and Chulatt were starting to stir. They woke up with little mousy yawns and soon joined the others in watching the humanoids above them.

"You know, if you can't sleep, we could always go relax by the pool," Coran suggested, pulling away to grab Shiro's hands.

"Whatever you want." Shiro stepped aside and together they started to leave the bridge. The mice got up and stretched, intent on doing the same.

The two were about halfway to the doors when the atmosphere changed.

Shiro pulled his robotic arm free from Coran's, swung back around, and grabbed him in a headlock. Before Coran had a chance to break free, Shiro used his free hand to pinch his shoulder, making him fall limp to the floor. Shiro stepped back and brushed nonexistent wrinkles from his shirt.

"Whatever you want," he breathed out.

The mice were floored. They glanced noiselessly at each other, unsure of what they just saw. Shiro...hurt...Coran?

Before they could make sense of anything, Shiro turned back to the front of the bridge and came back to Coran's station. The mice hid behind it before he could see them. They were confused and scared. They would never expect Shiro, of all people, to act like this.

Plachu was the first to peek out from around the corner. Shiro was busy typing something into the system. Based on what just happened, this couldn't be a good thing.

The red-eyed mouse ducked back down and turned to his friends. Must stop. Protect.

The others agreed and fell into planning. Within a minute they were ready. Platt and Chulatt skittered around the back of the console to the other side as Plachu and Chuchule waited. Once they were in position, Plachu gave the signal.

At the same time, both teams scampered up the railings of the console. Shiro didn't notice them until they were nearly on top of his hands. Chuchule got in an early bite on his left thumb and held on for dear life, while Platt tossed Chulatt up onto his right hand as he pulled it back. She scurried up his arm, trying to get to his shoulder.

Plachu, meanwhile, turned to the console. It lit him up from below with a futuristic glow. He studied it carefully, trying to make sense of things that seemed familiar.

There was a map. He could see the previous coordinates, home base. But now the castle was set for a new target. A moving one.

Galra?

Plachu turned around to see Shiro scrambling to grab Chulatt from his hair. He finally did, tossing the mouse aside in fury. She hit the far wall and slid down to the ground, motionless. With a swift shake, Shiro sent Chuchule flying behind him as well, out of sight behind Pidge's station.

Plachu's instincts bubbled up inside at seeing his friends hurt, but the rage was stopped cold when Shiro stared at him.

Full yellow eyes.

Galra.

Plachu turned around, intent on stopping the monster now with them, or at least his plan. But he could only notice one word on the screen - destruct - before Shiro swiped his arm across the console, sending both him and Platt flying as well.

Dark.

It only took a few ticks for Plachu to regain consciousness. He wanted to fight, but Chulatt was only a few feet away. He scampered over to her, soon followed by Platt. Their squeaks did nothing to rouse her, but a few twitches let them know that she was still alive.

The pounding of boots caught their attention. Shiro was leaving the console. As he did, he inspected his thumb bite, pressing it against his shirt to clear away the blood. A small victory for Chuchule.

He growled, then glared at the three mice huddled together. "You better not tell anyone about this," he threatened, eyes glowing. He continued on towards the doors, stopping to pick up Coran and hold him against his chest. "I'm sorry, Coran," was all he said as he finally left.

Plachu crawled forward and watched the doors slide closed. It was obvious what had happened, but at the same time, it wasn't. Something bigger was going on, something dangerous and imminent they couldn't possibly piece together.