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The ship always became larger when he was tired. Every step through the dark hallways was painful, slow. Shiro didn’t want to walk anymore. He wanted to collapse on his bed, sleep until the universe no longer existed and then bury himself in dark, purple fur.
He didn’t like solo missions, never did. They were better than team missions in some sorts. He didn’t have to worry about people getting in his way or others getting hurt because of his actions. The downside to a solo mission, however, was that every mistake would come back to him, stack up only to fall down on top of him. The best missions were in teams of two. One partner he could trust, who could protect him and who he could protect in return. He wanted to go back to those missions, after sleeping forever.
He opened the door to the sight of his bed. Not just his bed. With the man already laying in it, he was reminded that it was their bed. He tried to walk over silently, doing his best not to wake the sleeping form. He failed. The moment he sat down on the bed, he let out a soft groan, enough to wake a trained warrior from his slumber.
Sendak stirred in response and slowly sat up.
“I didn’t think you’d be back yet.” He said as he moved closer, curling his hand across Shiro’s hip. “How did the mission go?”
“Bad.” Shiro sighed as he moved his left hand to stroke Sendak’s. The feeling of the strong hand was usually grounding, but not when he could feel his body covered in bruises underneath it. “They weren’t in the mood to join the empire. There’s nothing left of Heolara.”
“You smell of blood.” Sendak said as he buried his head in Shiro’s neck. “Your own.”
“Yeah,” Shiro moved his hand away to his shoulder. The body suit still sticked to his skin, stronger now with the blood soaking through it. “I told you. It didn’t go as planned.”
He could feel Sendak move away from his neck. The Galra shifted to the Champion’s other side, hand moving away from his hip. His prosthetic was laying on the other side of the bed, unused but not deactivated. It never got turned off. There was always the possibility of an attack, a moment where the second arm would be needed again. But tonight, Sendak didn’t call for the arm. Shiro was glad with that decision. The metal would be too hard on his sensitive skin. The soft fur was welcoming instead.
“Why didn’t you go to medical when you came back?”
Shiro shrugged, a motion he realized was only painful. “I was tired and it’s late. I just wanted to be with you.”
“Champion…” Sendak sighed, but Shiro shook his head in response.
“Don’t.” He whispered as he leaned back into Sendak’s chest. “When it’s just us, call me by my name.”
“Shiro.” Yes, he was Shiro. Champion to the Empire, but still human when in the arms of his commander. Only Shiro when he was with Sendak alone. The empire didn’t care about them when they were together. The soldiers had been trained to leave them alone if they valued their short lives. “Your decision not to visit any healer might result in scars.”
Shiro hummed. “I already have enough of those. I’m sure a majority are from you.”
“And I don’t want to see anyone else marking you.”
“Sometimes I forget how possessive you are.” Shiro smiled as he slowly started to pull the bodysuit away. The smile disappeared soon after, the skin attached to the fabric flared up with every tug. His left arm burned in return, his right feeling too heavy to do anything.
It was Sendak who moved his hands away from his shoulder and laid them back in his lap instead. With only one hand the commander could still do more than Shiro in a situation like this, and through a series of Shiro’s whimpers, the fabric left his skin.
Shiro felt the blood flow free over his shoulder before there was only Sendak, licking away the blood that dripped down. He didn’t register how Sendak moved around moments later, tending to the wound to make sure their bed wouldn’t turn red by the time they needed to wake again.
It didn’t take long for Sendak to be done. The relief of a bandaged shoulder was the best Shiro thought he could feel that night, next to Sendak’s warmth.
“Rest.” Sendak said as he moved Shiro to lay down. His body couldn’t do anything but follow the motion of the bigger Galra. “I’ll send the healers to take a look at you in the morning.”
Shiro wanted to say he didn’t have to or that he was sorry for the inconvenience. Instead, he nodded softly and leaned back into the matress.
“You should learn how to take care of yourself in battle. Like this, I can never see you in the ring again?”
“Is that a bad thing?” Shiro mumbled as he shifted on the bed to find the right position that didn’t strain the wound on his shoulder or the tons of bruises. He didn’t miss the arena. The fights were only staged there. The bloodshed was meaningless. He wouldn’t say that the war was any better, but the blood was spilled for a better reason: the glory of the Empire.
“It could be for the others.” Sendak said. “They miss seeing you fight. And I miss being able to test my strength.”
“We can spar whenever you want. Just ask.” He didn’t have to ask, never had to. The fights with Sendak were better than any the arena or the war could give him. They knew how to let things get out of hand. Shiro would go for a spar with Sendak any moment.
“Not when you’re injured. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I thought you didn’t care about the lives of others.” Shiro said when he was finally comfortable. Exhaustion easily took over, but he fought it enough to listen to Sendak’s voice.
“I don’t.” The answer was harsh and Shiro felt a shudder run through his body. Being with Sendak had started to feel so normal, mutual. It never came to him that he was just another pawn like he was to the rest of the empire. Not anymore, not when Sendak had done so much for him. He had gotten him out of the arena and into the Galra ranks. He had made him who he was now, the Champion of the Empire.
Sendak could see the sudden reaction and ran a comforting hand through his hair. “I don’t,” he said again, softer this time, “but your life isn’t someone else’s. It’s mine.”
Shiro nodded and with Sendak’s strong presence surrounding him, Shiro slept in a sea of purple.