Title: Stop screaming, Mullet

Chapter title: I knew you could

Rating: T

Dark, why is it so dark in here. I remembered there being bright lights. Why am I on the ground? When did that happen? My arms feel like they weigh a hundred pounds. Speaking of pounding what is wrong with my head? A strange buzzing sound has started, which slowly shifts into words.

"Lance! Lance, get up!"

"Stop screaming, Mullet," at least that's what I tried to say, but it came out more like "sssp sring et". What is the matter with my mouth? If there is one thing I'm good at it's talking, so I tried again and this time it was close enough.

"I'll scream if that's what it takes to get you up! NOW GET UP!" Keith sounded like he was foaming at the mouth.

What did I do oversleep? I blinked my eyes and realized the darkness was due to the fact that they were closed a moment ago. Everything is red and purple. The lights are purple, my hands are red, the dead Galra sitting across the room from me is purple, the gun in my hands is red, the Galra blood splattered on my armor is purple, the blood leaking from around the sword in my side is red… Wait… sword. I looked down and sure enough sticking out of my left side above my hip is a Galra sword. That should really hurt. I mean, I don't really want it to, but that is going to hurt. The buzzing sound is back and I realize I've been distracted.

"LANCE!" Keith was going to give himself an aneurism if he kept that up.

"What?" I really don't remember what he wants or why I'm here or what I'm supposed to be doing. I must have done something wrong; he seems really ticked.

"Get up, push the damn purple button on the console in front of you." Keith screamed. I sort of wondered if maybe he'd already told me this a couple of times. I look over and see the button, but it's like the grand canyon away from me.

"It's really far away. I'd rather stay here."

"Lance," Keith sounded like he was taking a huge breath to yell louder, "please, PLEASE, you have to do this."

"It will hurt." I whispered. I knew it would hurt, more than the dull empty throbbing I was feeling now, more than the pounding in my head, I just knew that if I moved that I would feel what that sword was really doing to me.

A sob sounded over the comm, and I heard Pidge and Hunk talking quietly. Or maybe they were talking normally and I just couldn't hear them well.

"Pidge isn't there…other way…"

"I'm trying…he's…can't…blocked…"

It didn't really make sense what I could hear, but they sounded sad.

"Hey, Hunk, it'll be okay man." And for some reason he just sobbed harder. I guess he didn't get that I was shooting for comforting. "missed," I muttered. I don't like missing. Doesn't look like I missed the guy across from me, there was a big hole between his eyes. That should bother me I think. It doesn't right now, but that could be because his sword is still sticking in me.

"LANCE!" Keith yells again.

"Yeah yeah, get up, push button…real easy…real simple…," and then I started to move and the only color I saw was white. Just trying to push myself up from leaning against the wall and I can't breathe. I can't hear. I can't see. All I am is pain. I think I screamed.

"Lance? Lance, please answer me."

"Lance, please we need you."

"Lance, buddy, you gotta do this."

"LANCE!"

"Lance, you can do this." The voices of Pidge, Allura, Hunk, and Keith were indistinct and blurred together, but that last voice was so clear and right next to me. I looked over and there was Shiro. It was weird because it was like I wasn't in the room anymore. Everything around him was black and swirling and open, so vast and open, not like the little room I'm trapped in. But he was there, after we'd been looking so hard for him and I felt the tears falling down my face.

"Shiro?"

"You can do this, Lance. Get up, get up and push that button. They need you." Shiro kneeled down beside where Lance was sitting.

"I can't," I sobbed, "I tried and I couldn't even sit all the way up."

"You are sitting up. You're part way there," Shiro offered as he took my hand. "You can do this."

In the background I could Keith screaming, "YOU CAN!" I turned to Shiro and looked at him.

"We miss you so much. Keith really misses you."

"I know, Lance, I know, but right now this is about you and you need to do this. No one else can do this for you." Shiro tugs at my hand. I take a deep breath and move. I can see the button on the console. I don't need to stand to reach it, just get to my knees. I push again. The blinding pain returns and I vomit, green bile, which sucks beyond the telling of it, but when the white light goes away I'm on my knees and there is the button. I throw my arm up and press. A whooshing sound echoes in my ears and then there are voices and people touching me. Shiro is smiling down at me because for some reason I'm on the ground again, and somehow he's not touched by the people rushing around me. "I knew you could do it. Great job." He started fading away. Just going invisible like a ghost or something that wasn't real.

"Shiro, don't go!" I reached out to him, but my hand went right through his.

"I'm not leaving - you are, you have to go back, they need you." he held up his hand as his image disappeared and in his place was Keith's face looking right at mine.

"Hey, Mullet." He smiled a little.

"Hey, yourself. We are getting you out of here, just hold on a little longer. Now that you have the shield down we can get you out of here. Allura is going to punch a hole in this side of this ship with Blue at this rate. Green is in the hanger waiting for us." He turned to the side, "Hunk, pick him up, I've got this sword as stabilized as I can. Just be careful."

I turned my head and there was Hunk, tears streaming down his face, "My best bud wouldn't be anything, but careful with me, would you?" I smiled at him. He nodded and hiccupped a little.

"Let's go. " Pidge popped her head in the door. "Allura's almost in place, to provide cover."

Hunk wrapped his arms carefully around me. He felt so warm, I leaned into him, I hadn't realized how very cold I had gotten. He felt so good, but this moving - this wasn't going to feel good. "Hunk, I'm going to scream and pass out when you pick me up, sorry about that." He sobbed again and nodded. As he lifted the pressure on the sword shifted and this time there wasn't white - just blackness.

The next thing I remembered was falling into someone's arms and looking up. "Beautiful," I murmured, beautiful eyes sparkled above me.

"I think I owed you a catch out of one of these, didn't I?" Allura asked smiling.

I looked around and found myself in the med bay. Keith was there holding me from my left with Allura on my right helping hold me up. Hunk was asleep on the floor next to the pod I had just exited and Pidge was curled up next to him with her head on his shoulder.

"They've been there since we put you in," Coran smiled softly at them as he helped steady me onto my feet and out of Allura's and Keith's arms. "We are so glad to have you back, my boy." He sniffled a little.

A warm feeling filled my chest and I could feel tears forming in my eyes. "It's good to be back. I…um…I wasn't sure I was going to make it."

"I never had any doubts." Keith stated confidently, though the tears in his own eyes told a different story. "I knew you could do it." And that part, that part I believe he meant.