I hope you enjoy

Disclaimer: I do not own VLD. If I did...well, I shouldn't.

"You take the left, I take the right."

"Got it."

Lance hoisted up his bayard, breathing deeply before turning around and sprinting down the corridor. Sentries were shot down as he headed for the control center. The only sounds he could hear were his own pants along with Keith's grunts as he took down Galra soldiers.

The war may have dwindled down, but Galra rebels were still on the rise. This warship in particular, was the sneakiest and one of the most dangerous, as it contained a newly modified ion cannon. Stationed dangerously near the planet Angefur, stealth was the only way to take it down.

Keith wanted to go on this solo mission, but Lance wasn't having any of that. Lance had lost him once. He wasn't ready to lose him again. Or in his own words: "Suck it, mullet. I'm coming with you before you blow anything up."

Of course, Keith had rolled his eyes and mumbled, "We're still going to blow things up, whether you come or not."

"Are you gonna accept my offer or not?" Lance glared at him, putting his hands on his hips.

"I don't think there's much of an option since you're gonna come with me whether I like it or not." Keith grouched.

Lance beamed and clapped his shoulder. "Now we're talking!"

They weren't talking now. Or more like, Lance was stunned into silence as he read the words on the screen. He was in the control room, having defeated the Galra inside, and had used Pidge's translating machine on the screen.

"Lance! Lance, come in!"

Lance swallowed thickly as he pressed the button on the side of his helmet and said hoarsely, "I'm here."

He could hear Keith sigh with relief. "Status report?"

"I'm in the control room."

Keith ducked as another bullet whizzed past over his head. "And the cannon?"

There was a pause on the other end, and then Lance said, "The cannon's control switch is on the outside of the ship. Even if I try to disable the system, it still has a manual control on the outside."

"So I should get Black to cut through it." Keith finished. "Got it. I'll try to find the nearest exit while you get out of there."

"Roger that, team leader."

Keith pressed his lips in a thin line as he dashed out in the open, slashing through the robots' abdomens. He had a hate/like relationship with that nickname. On one hand, it was a nickname for him that wasn't as aggravating as the rest. On the other hand, it was the distance between them that the name implied. They may have moved past the one-sided rivalry, but Keith felt as though that was the only way Lance saw him.

And here he thought they were finally friends.

"You out yet, mullet?" There was a sense of urgency in Lance's voice that sounded foreign to his ears.

Keith closed his eyes and reached out to the black lion. With a grin, he stopped just as a black robotic snout popped a hole through the wall. The maw opened and Keith jumped inside.

"I'm in." Keith said as he flew out and distanced himself from the ship before summoning the jaw blade. "Now get out of there."

There was silence on the other side of the comms.

"Lance?"

A whine travelled through the Galra ship and then suddenly all exits slammed shut. A cold sense of dread washed over him.

"Lance?" Keith couldn't help the panic creeping up his voice. "What are you doing?"

"Hey, Keith."

Keith strained his ears to hear Lance's quiet voice. "What is it?"

"I remember the bonding moment."

A pause. Then "I knew it! You asshole!"

Lance chuckled and Keith, after a few moments of fuming, joined him. Dodging the lasers, Keith asked, "Why mention it now?"

"I was scared." Lance admitted. Keith felt his heart skip a beat. Does he mean…?

"Lance, what aren't you telling me?"

Lance paused in his typing. He sighed. He might as well come clean. "Oh, lots of things, buddy."

He started ticking them off. "I was the one who tampered with the food goo machine, but never mentioned it. When I had no one to talk to, the mice were my only friends. I missed you a lot when you were gone. Our rivalry was stupid, but that was the only way I knew how to talk to you."

"You could've just talked to me like a normal human being, you know."

Lance snorted. "I know that now. But it was fun teasing you." He could feel the eye roll from his comrade. "Also, if you destroy the ion cannon, the blast is going to reach and damage the planet."

"What?!"

"Relax, mullet. It won't reach the planet now." Lance said breezily. "I've internalized the damage, so the ship takes the brunt instead."

"What?! No, Lance! You're gonna die!" Keith rushed his lion towards the ship, not bothering to dodge the smaller ones. He was near hysterics. "C'mon, Lance, get out of there!"

"No can do, team leader." Keith wanted to slap the cheeriness out of the blue Paladin's voice. "It's a manual switch. Besides, this isn't the first time I died. Allura brought me back though. It wasn't so bad. So I don't think the second time's gonna be much worse. And I get to save a planet as well."

"Lance." Keith practically begged, a sob tearing him in the inside. "Please. I can't lose you."

"Hey, Keith?"

Keith thought he could hear a smile behind Lance's voice.

"Thanks for caring."

And Keith could only watch as blooms of red and fire blossomed down the flank of the warship. It was silent but for his screams.

All that was left was static and a hollow aching of Red's mourning.

I'm sorry

but it is in my job description.

I'm glad you reached the end. Thank you for reading.