#tiwwf

It’s not a clean fight in the end, but it’s quick and the job gets done. It’s all kind of a blur to Matt really. He’s not quite sure what he did,  but he walks away from the fight with a sore shoulder and a sword wet with blood while the general’s last breath sputters past his lips. Matt’s already turning to Shiro before the Galran can even hit the floor.He’s on his knees at Shiro’s side, breath tangled up with words in his throat as he rolls Shiro over, and he has to physically force himself not to stall at the pained groan that movement causes from his lover. “Sorry,” he breathes, fingers skimming over Shiro’s armored chest. “Where are you hit?”“Are you okay?” Shiro asks, which is not the damned answer to Matt’s question. “Matt are you-”“I’m fine!” Matt snaps, harsh to his own ears, and there’s more that could follow that but Shiro’s suit is dark over his ribs and wet with blood, the edge of his chestplate splattered with it like some sick Jackson Pollock. “Fuck,” he breathes. “Shiro…I… What the fuck is the matter with you?!”“What?”“Why’d you get in the way?” he demands, because it’s easier to be angry and everyone always tells him he’s reckless in fights but Shiro’s apparently way worse than him and he’s never heard a word about it. Shiro blinks at him, like he’s confused by the question. “You were gonna get hurt…”“I was in a fight. That tends to happen sometimes.” Matt covers the wound with his hands, applying just a enough pressure to stem the leak of blood from the wound, but not enough to make Shiro wince. “Martek,” he barks into the comms. “Get us an extraction now, we gotta get Shiro out.”The reply is immediate. “Yes Commander. Baerl and Ta’el will be rerouted to your location.” Matt breathes out a sigh of relief. They’ll be quick about it and Baerl could easily carry Shiro out and fight her way through a full fledged attack if she had to. “What’s going on?” Keith demands, loud and sharp in his ear. Shiro sighs, and Matt presses a little hard on the wound. He doesn’t get to be exasperated about people worrying when he got himself shot.“Shiro knocked me out of the way of a shot.” Matt frowns down at his boyfriend, narrowing his eyes at the little satisfied upturn of his lips. “Which was really fucking stupid.”“I’m fine,” Shiro says, voice strained and eyes closed against the pain. “It’s just a flesh wound I-”“Takashi Shirogane if you fucking quote Monty Python at me right now I swear to God-”“I’m not gonna die from it.” Shiro’s pale and his breathing hasn’t yet settled, but otherwise he’s totally calm. “I know what dying feels like. This isn’t it.”“That’s doesn’t suddenly make this okay!” Matt snaps while the comms go silent. “Dude…” That’s Lance, with the quietest and wobbliest voice Matt’s ever heard. Shiro winces. “Shit,” he breathes. “Guys I-”“Shut up,” Matt mutters. “You’ve lost talking privileges until you’re not bleeding anymore. Only people who’s blood isn’t literally on my hands get to talk right now.”Shiro blinks at him, gaze sharp for all that he’s still in pain and that shouldn’t be as much of a relief as it is. He doesn’t say anything else, but Matt’s honeslty now sure if it’s because of what he said or if he just doesn’t get a chance to before Baerl and Ta’el show up to get them out and to their pod. Matt follows close behind them, alert, but not terribly worried about coming across anyone. The general was the last thing they’d had to deal with before making an escape, and Matt has the system data he swiped safe in a drive on his hip. The paladins and Princess are talking to Shiro, and Matt takes the opportunity on the quick trek back to the pods to quietly check in with Martek himself. He’ll be the one to brief the other Commanders on the situation before Matt gets a chance, and Matt’s sure he’ll get a call from them later, after the renegotiation of an long held ally’s recruitment agreement wraps up. They don’t run into any trouble and before Matt knows it Ta’el has them in the air and he’s back at Shiro’s side, kneeling on the floor next to where he’s laid out with a quick compress from the medkit pressed over the wound. His helmet’s off, so it’s easy to see that he’s paler than usual, but nothing too drastic, and the bleeding has slowed, which is good. Mainly Shiro just seems tired, drained, and like he’s in some pain. Matt peels off his blood soaked gloves before touching him, gently brushing Shiro’s bangs out of his face with a soft, “Hey.”Shiro blinks his eyes open and smiles. “Hi. Am I allowed to talk now?”“Well you’re not bleeding on me anymore, so I guess I can allow it.” Matt allows himself a half start to a smile, but it quickly falls away. “Shiro… What the fuck?”Shiro sighs, fumbling a bit to take Matt’s  free hand. “You were going to get hurt.”Matt frowns, slotting their fingers together, his other hand still in Shiro’s hair. “I get hurt a lot. Comes with the territory of what we do. You can’t do that again, alright?”“Matt-”“No, I don’t want to hear it Shiro, you can’t!” It comes sharper than Matt wants it to, but it also comes quick and almost desperate. Scared. He sounds scared. Shiro must hear it too, because his brow creases and his eyes go a bit wide. “Hey,” he says, squeezing Matt’s hand. “What’s wrong?”“I…” Matt swallows hard. “You can’t pull this martyr bullshit again. You sacrificed yourself for me once already and… Never again Takashi. I can’t lose you again.” His hands are shaking and he hates it but he can’t make it stop. “Matt,” Shiro breathes. “Matt I…”“I mourned you,” he says, unbidden and unable to stop the words from coming. “Please don’t make me do it again. I can’t do it, I won’t-” Matt’s voice breaks, and his eyes start to burn and he can’t, he can’t–A forceful tug on his hand brings Matt down to Shiro for a kiss. “I’m sorry,” Shiro murmurs against his lips. “Matt I… Matt I’m so sorry.” Matt closes his eyes tight and forces himself to breath. Shiro is fine, he’s fine and breathing and alive, he’s fine. “Please,” he whispers, hand in Shiro’s hair moving to his cheek. “Please Takashi.”“I love you.” Shiro kisses him again, holding tight to his hand. “I love you, Matt, I’m sorry I made you feel like this…”This isn’t okay. Matt won’t make Shiro promise not to do it again, because he knows it’s a promise Shiro’ll break. Because that’s just who he is, that’s who Matt fell in love with a lifetime ago. But that doesn’t mean Matt has to like it, or be okay with it. And what is there to do but hold on to Shiro’s hand and kiss him and whisper love and worry between them?