Keith cursed and ducked behind the boulder once more. They were surrounded.
"Pidge, we have any friends nearby that can help us out?"
The girl shook her head, tapping at the holo screen she'd installed in her amour.
"Allura and Coran are too far out to get to us on time and none of our allies are even close to this location. The lions too."
Lance watched the small army of galra soldiers through the scope of his rifle.
"We're outnumbered more than five to one. There's no way we're beating them in a fight."
Shiro swore as Keith pulled lance back behind the boulder. They had gotten the materials they'd gone to the planet for but now they had to get them out.
"This is one of the last pieces for the weapon that will defeat Zarkon. We cannot let them get their hands on it."
Lance scoffed from his crouched position, watching the galra guards get closer.
"Yeah, well despite how important that is I also wouldn't be too thrilled to be captured and killed. Do I need to remind you that if we get captured the galra get voltron? If it comes down to that weapon or us I'm choosing us."
Keith yanked his boyfriend down again.
"They're going to find us any minute and there's no coverage to make a run for it, so what's the plan here?"
Hunk started pulling things out of his pockets, twisting wires together to a slab of putty. "If we can get them all in that tunnel we can blow it up with them inside but I only have enough for one grenade and I'm making it out of scraps so it doesn't have more than a few seconds after you detonate it. That's not enough time to throw it from here. We'll have to get closer."
Lance bit his lip, eyes focussed on the ground in that intense way of his when he thought of a really bad idea. Keith noticed and grabbed his arm.
"Whatever your thinking? Stop it right now. We are not going with another one of your self-sacrificial plans."
Lance frowned back. "We have about a minute before they find us and this is the only plan I have. I'll be careful, just let me explain what we're doing before we run out of time."
Keith knew from the look in Lance's eyes, that he would not like whatever it was. But he was right, they were out of time. He nodded.
"Okay, I'll surrender and make it look like I'm alone. They might take some convincing so tell your lions to take off as if you're all leaving the planet without me. I'll take the bomb with them into the tunnel and set it off. I'll run for it as soon as I throw it in. Hopefully it'll take out enough of them to give us a chance."
Hunk nodded as he finished making the bomb and handed it to Lance.
"This is the trigger switch. Throw it very far and run like hell, it won't give you much time before it blows that whole tunnel down."
The blue paladin nodded and handed his bayard to Pidge but Keith was shaking his head, breaths coming in angry pants.
"Why do you have to do it? I'm the fastest runner, I'd have a better chance of getting away before it-"
Lance shook his head but couldn't meet Keith's eyes. He knew how slim a chance he had of getting out of this alive and he didn't want his boyfriend seeing how scared he was.
"Blue is still weak from the crash on the last mission, I won't be able to communicate with her from this far and the galra might be dumb but they can count and they'll know you aren't alone. Let me do this Keith."
The red paladin looked as if he wanted to protest again but instead grabbed lance's collar and pulled him forward for a kiss.
Keith felt his chest ache. He hated how much it felt like goodbye. He met lances eyes with his own, earnest and begging.
"Be careful, come back to me. I love you."
Lance rubbed his thumb over Keith's shoulder where he held it.
"I love you too."
Keith didn't want lance to go. But the soldiers were almost on them. Lance stood from behind the rock, the grenade tucked in his pocket. He threw his hands up as the soldiers aimed their weapons at him.
"Stop! I'm unarmed. I surrender."
One of the soldiers came towards him, gun raised as he went to look behind the boulder.
"Where is the rest of your team. We know they landed here with you."
Lance shrugged, smirking.
"They landed with me sure but this was a solo mission. You aren't getting them."
He tapped a hand against his helmet, activating the coms.
"Go guys!"
The team, still hidden behind the boulder connected to their lions, getting them to take off. The galra soldiers cursed as they watched the lions fly away in the distance. One of the guards grabbed lance's arm and started dragging him over to the tunnel.
No one was Interested in the boulder now that the rest of the paladins were supposedly gone but they were not happy.
"Take the blue paladin inside, if he's here his lion is too."
Keith listened as Lances feet scuffled against the ground and retreated to the tunnel. Once he was sure no one was close enough to see him he peeked over the rock. Lance was walking into the tunnel with the galra who were helpfully all within bomb distance.
Their plan was working. Or it would have if the galra hadn't secured the tunnel.
Once Lance was inside, the galra activated a safety measure to make sure their prisoner wouldn't escape. Green lasers flickered to life at the entrance of the tunnel. Keith's stomach dropped.
"He won't be able to get out before the bomb goes off. He's trapped. We have to think of something else, he is not detonating that bomb."
Shiro relayed the sentiment to Lance through the coms before addressing Pidge.
"Could we get the lions here? Now that the galra think it's only Lance we have enough time for them to come."
Pidge shook her head, looking panicked as she typed at her holo screen.
"Actually, we don't. The galra are setting up a message for Zarkon. In two minutes, he'll know the blue lion is here and the rest are nearby. Even if we did get Lance out we would still have to fight Zarkon and without the weapon we've been waiting for we'll lose. We have to stop that message."
Hunk looked sick.
"That tunnel has to blow."
And Lance knew it. Keith watched as the blue paladin sent one last look their way.
The team looked at each other. None of them wanted this to happen, but there just weren't any other options. Keith saw their looks of defeat and shook his head furiously.
"No, he isn't doing it. Lance, don't you dare detonate that bomb, we'll think of something else."
His voice cracked as he begged his boyfriend not to go through with it because he knew Lance wouldn't listen.
"Please, baby. Think of something else. I- I can't lose you." His cheeks were wet and he scrunched his eyes shut, desperately trying to turn his grief into anger. Anger was hot and burned everything else away, it was much easier to deal with than the chest crushing agony he felt when he thought about living without Lance. He took a shuddering breath and slammed his fist against the ground, getting ready to jump up and go after his team mate.
Hunks solemn voice came through the coms as Shiro grabbed Keith around the middle, stopping him from leaping up from their only cover.
"Lance, throw it as far as you can and try to find cover before it blows. I'm… I'm so, sorry."
Keith fought against Shiro's hold, hands gripping the metal arm as he kicked but he couldn't fight free and Shiro's hand was covering his mouth before he could yell out protests. His voice came close to his ear, as shaky and thick with tears as the others had been.
"Keith, you can't give away our position. I'm sorry, I really am sorry but once that tunnel blows Lance is going to need help getting out and we can't do that if we get captured too. This is our only option."
Keith stopped fighting enough that Shiro let him go and he slumped, chest heaving as he sobbed.
"I can't live without him. Please, don't do this."
Pidge sniffed as she spoke to Lance through her helmet.
"It has to be now Lance. The transmission to Zarkon is almost up."
Lance had been sat down on a crate and was being watched by multiple guards. He knew he couldn't get out and his heart broke at hearing his boyfriend beg him to stop. But he needed to save them. He lifted a slow hand to his helmet while the other went for the grenade. He turned on the coms and tried to keep his voice steady.
"I'm sorry."
He threw the bomb to the far end of the tunnel and ducked low to the ground, behind the crate he had been sitting on. And then the tunnel exploded.
Keith screamed as the explosion hit, Lance disappearing as the tunnel began to collapse. Fire overtook the back where the blast originated and the front entry fell into a cloud of smoke as it turned to rubble. The galra inside would be crushed and the guards outside the tunnel had been taken out by the blast wave and falling debris. The plan worked and Lance was gone.