2019 Voltron Whumptober Collection

19 Asphyxiation

He'd found him faster than Keith'd hoped.

"I know you're here-" a dark, sing-song voice echoed around him.

Keith stifled his breathing, holding a trembling hand over his mouth as he fought the screaming in his brain to do something, anything to get him out of this mess, but he couldn't do much but stay crouching as close as he could to the floor and wait, he didn't think it was possible for his heart to jam its way further up his throat at the sound of his voice, and yet here he was-

"Come on out, let's make this easier for the both of us hm?"

No, no, no, no.

He ducked to the next corner, heart beating out of his chest, trying to muffle his footsteps as he snuck through the darkened castle, the occasional teal light flickering back on again before plunging him back into darkness a second later, each flash making him jump, because he could swear something in the shadows at the edge of his vision moved.

He didn't like the dark.

He never did.

But light meant death.

And didn't want to die, he wanted to live, but to live he'd have to fight.

But he didn't want to fight either-

"There's no running from this, Keith."

He knew that, but he wasn't going to give up.

He- he wouldn't give up on him.

There was a flash of movement to his left and Keith jumped, locking his lips shut to keep his shout of surprise from escaping, his relief nearly overwhelming him when he realized it had just been his imagination.

There was nothing there.

Just his imagination.

Oh, thank God.

The footsteps were getting closer again, the purple glow brighter against the castle walls.

He clutched his bayard tighter.

An even darker chuckle ran through the halls a moment later, the voice sounding only feet away from where he was still crouched on the floor, "Found you."

Fuck.

He only had a moment to look around wildly before pain ignited down his spine, a fist barreling into his stomach, making him wheeze as he was sent flying into a wall, his bayard clattering to the ground beside him, and Keith rushed to grasp it in his fingers again before a purple fist came down again, the metal thankfully holding against the sizzling heat now hitting his face and he winced, closing his eyes as if that would help his current situation.

It obviously did not.

The purple glow from the man's arm gave a little light to see by and with a grunt, Keith kicked his legs out, pushing the weight off of him before stumbling back to shaky feet. His fingers clenching as he brought his sword back up to parry another blow, then turning to duck just as a burning purple fist landed into the metal wall behind him, forming a smoking hot crater where his head had been only moments before.

He ran again.

Keith could hear the loud footfalls of pursuit behind him as he rounded another corner, and then another, and another, trying to put as much distance between them as he could, Keith's breaths coming out in ragged pants as he pushed forward lungs aching, arms pumping to keep himself going, bayard clutched in his hand like a lifeline.

A few minutes later.

He was alone again.

Dammit, he was alone again.

Keith didn't stop this time, even when he knew for a fact he couldn't hear the footsteps behind him, didn't stop to catch his breath, didn't stop to acknowledge the fact that he was far from any rooms he knew in the castle.

He was lost.

But- at least they both were.

Keith turned another corner again, startling with a yell when metal fingers suddenly clamped around his neck with a breath-seizing squeeze.

His bayard clattered to the ground.

He was hefted into the air.

His back was slammed against the wall, his vision emptying into stars for a moment or two at the pure force of the blow.

No, no, no, no.

He tried breaking free then, fingers grasping at the metal hand locked around his neck as he stared wide-eyed at his assailant, fear finally rushing into his system at the situation he found himself in.

Shiro.

Thinking of the name of his attacker just made the whole thing feel more real to him than the minutes before and Keith was suddenly finding it very hard to draw air to his lungs that had absolutely nothing to do with the fingers wrapped around his throat.

"S-Shiro," he choked out between breaths, his efforts doubling at Shiro squeezed harder.

He was taking his time with killing him.

He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be relieved or mortified.

He couldn't breathe.

Fuck, he couldn't breathe, "p-please. Shiro please."

The man's yellow-engulfed eyes didn't move, didn't even blink as he squeezed tighter against his throat, and Keith, in turn, struggled harder, a whimper escaping his lips as fingers closed in tighter.

Tighter.

"Y-you're my brother, p-please, d-don't do this-"

"Shh, Keith," a dark smile, the expression making Keith's heart drop to his toes, "soon, it'll all be over, and then- then you can rest."

Permanently.

His heart plummeted at the unspoken word.

"I promise," Shiro whispered, leaning in, and Keith's eyes widened in horror.

No. No, please.

He tried kicking out, attempting to weakly connect his foot to something, anything that would somehow make Shiro let go but, no matter how many times his kicked his legs forward, he just wouldn't let go.

He couldn't breathe.

He- he couldn't breathe.

Keith's lungs were beginning to scream at him as he struggled to bring air to his lungs, gasping, mouth wide, eyes pleading, fingers still trying to pry the hand away as his sight began to grow dark, black splotches taking over his vision as pale fingers continued to weakly pry at the metal hand grasped firmly around his throat.

No, please.

He didn't want to die.

His world went dark anyway.