A/N: Another short entry for badthingshappenbing on Tumblr! You can find me there, username: heyheroics

I got two requests for hostage situation w/Keith, both from anon but one of the anons asked for Lance's POV as the rescuer so this is what I came up with.

Yo, I'm sorry I haven't been on top of these prompts. I'm trying to knock them out because I'd love to get a second bingo card but for art prompts. Don't feel right opening that up though until I finish these!

Also, side-note, I love how Keith is the only one who won't settle on the name Cosmo for the wolf. The creators said Cosmo's name was a spoiler? So a small part of me wonders if his name is Cosmo or something else. Hmmm.

xxx

Lance ran as fast as his long legs would carry him while still trying to stay out of sight. The snake-like aliens inhabiting the facility were sneaky, strong, quiet and very good at giving him a serious case of the heebie-jeebies.

A sense of urgency kept him alert, blaster hugged close to his chest just in case. Through the comms he could hear the others. They'd found Keith after the boy had gone radio silent for a few dobashes too long, but it was a less than ideal scenario, from the sound of it.

'Sythe has Keith.' Shiro's voice was a wavered whisper in his ear. Quiet, like he only wanted Lance to hear. 'Pick up the pace, bud.'

Lance nodded, mostly to himself. "Keep the line open," he requested a moment later, wanting to keep audible tabs on the situation. He ducked around a corner, into a new line of cells. There were just so many.

Back to the wall, Lance threw out the slightest of whistles. Then stood silent, ears hot.

A few ticks later, a soft, high-pitched whine echoed through the small enclosure. Lance beelined towards it.

'I thought I told you all to stand back, unless you want me to slice this boy's neck in half.'

Lance winced as he ran, mind conjuring up the image of Keith with a blade to his throat.

'We can talk this out. No one needs to get hurt. Let him go.'

'Don't hurt him.'

A pause. A gasp.

'Keith!'

Lance, if at all possible, moved faster, voice a breathless whisper. "Guys? What's happening? Is Keith-"

He stopped short when a blue blur flashed across his peripheral.

Cosmo's nose pushed through the narrow bars as soon as the animal recognized him, whine a little more frantic and the slightest swish of his tail disturbing dust on the cell floor. Lance kindly greeted him with fingers to the wolf's snout.

'Stop!'

'Oh my, that's a lot of blood, isn't it?'

"Watch out, boy" Lance warned, tone sober, lifting his rifle to his sights and shooting the lock clean off the door. Lance pushed his way in, dropping to his knees to pet and soothe the distressed creature. "Found Cosmo. Stand by."

'Running out of time, Lance,' Pidge's voice floated through. 'Now or never.'

"Right," Lance affirmed, grasping at the creature's thick fur but then paused. If Cosmo was able to transport to Keith, especially a very-much-in-danger-Keith, he surely would have done so by now, unprompted. Something was keeping him confined.

With a soft curse, Lance swiped and pushed away heavy fur around the wolf's head, fingers brushing against a harsh cold metal that was wrapped snugly around his neck.

'You're planning something. You're all planning something, I can see it.' The voice was panicked. Panicked was dangerous. 'Tell me what you're planning! I'll kill him. I'll kill him.'

'Lance.'

"A few more ticks," Lance breathed, fingers curling under the collar and fumbling for a button, a latch, anything. Keith might not have a few ticks. Keith was going to die because he couldn't find it. Beneath his touch, Cosmo whined mournfully. "Come on, come on."

'Lance!' Not even a whisper anymore.

There!

He could feel the latch, sharp against his fingers as he squeezed it with a painful grip. The collar popped off with a hiss and Lance wasted no time.

'Now! Lance!'

He dig his fingers into Cosmo's neck as the creature vibrated and then engulfed them both in a blinding, bluish-white light.

He'd never teleported with Cosmo before and wasn't ready for the instant change of scenery. One moment he's hugging the wolf in a cell and the next he's sitting directly in front of Sythe and Keith, with Keith is on his knees and bleeding, and Sythe…

Sythe was mid-swing, massive dagger arching down for the killing blow.

A short shriek slipped past his lips, even as he dragged his bayard level and fired.

The shot connected loudly with the incoming blade, sending it spiraling into the air and buying him a precious few moments to slip an arm around Keith's bloodied chest and hugging them both to Cosmo, who vanished the instant contact was made.

He was dizzy. That was his first thought as the world went from blue (Cosmo, beautiful Cosmo), to red (Keith is dripping it) to white as he was suddenly in the middle of themed bay on the castleship.

A massive breath pushed out of his lungs. What a smart pooch. "Good boy, Cosmo."

He stayed there for a moment, letting his vision fall back into focus, knowing that the others will be closing out the battle now that Keith was out of harm's way.

Cosmo was whimpering though, and Lance rolled his head to the side to see Keith hunched over and still dripping. Still red.

"Keith!" Lance scrambled to him on all fours, pulling on his shoulder. "Hey, hey, how bad is it?"

Keith's brows were dipped low, one arm folded over his middle while the other reached out for purchase on Lance's shoulder. "His name isn't C-Cosmo. He doesn't… have a n-name."

The instinctive urge to fire back lingered on the tip of his tongue, but Lance melted instead, pressing an open palm to Keith's injured stomach to apply pressure while simultaneously making to stand. He met not-Cosmo's piercing eyes. "You see the way he talks to me?"

A wet nose pressed into his thigh.

"It's okay," he said, offering the worried creature a soft smile. "Gonna let him off the hook this time."

But Keith rattled a breath then, arm around Lance squeezing weakly, fingers curling around the shoulder plate. A dark head rested against him but Keith's weight had not shifted so he thankfully hadn't passed out. This was more of a… hug? An awkward, subtle, Keith hug?

"I know," Lance whispered. "You're welcome."