Savior
A klance one-shot
Bleep. Bleep. The alarm started blaring in his ear, telling Keith that it was time to get up. It was loud, and he was a light sleeper. He never saw the point in having a loud alarm clock when you were a light sleeper, but there he was, wasn't he? The day would go about like any other day, with him waking up, getting ready quickly, drinking his space coffee slowly, and checking his computer for nothing in particular.
It went like that every day, with hardly any change at all. Keith wanted change so much. He knew it would never come. Until one day, his criteria was met by the most unexpected person and with the most beautiful thing.
The message showed up on his screen early one morning. It was not what he thought would happen, but it did. However much he didn't believe it, it did. He couldn't stop staring at the words on the screen. He almost cried a few times, re-reading it over and over again, trying to find the meaning, even though he already knew it.
He even gave up his coffee a few times, which was saying a lot. That was important to him. Apparently, the poem was more important. And it made sense. It went like this:
There used to be a time
When nothing could be solved
There used to be a rhyme
That involved us being half of a whole
There used to be a poem
With us, both spiraling out of control
When we had hold of each other
And wouldn't let go
But then I looked into a mirror
Whispered three words
Remembered my conqueror
The birds thought I had it
I didn't
I waited 'till the time was right
I was still a student
Not a citizen
There used to be a time
When our hearts were whole
There used to be a rhyme
That involved us clinging and not letting go
There used to a poem
With us, both going with the flow
When we were in time with the Earth's frames
Everything was right
I was an iceberg
You were the flame
I knew it was all more than a silly game
But darling
Before I leave for the last time
I need you to remember
My words, the mirror, and broken hearts.
Like a windchime, I fade,
Like a storm, I rage.
Don't forget.
-Lance
He stared at the screen too often, thinking of what to say next. He didn't know what he wanted to do with this. Lance had sent it to him, and he didn't know what to say back. It was beautiful and so thoughtful. He couldn't quite figure how someone could break his heart all over again with a simple poem.
Keith needed Lance. He wanted to see him again. And he was sorry. He really was. He never intended to break anyone's heart. He never intended to fall in love in the first place, but he did and in a way he enjoyed it. It was a strange feeling, the vulnerability to someone else. In another way, he hated it, but only sometimes, when things weren't going like he wanted them to.
Like now.
Because, heck, he had never wanted to leave Lance like that. He never wanted to join the blade in the first place. It was just… He didn't want his friend- His crush- To hurt like that. When they had talked to each other about fate and other things like that, leaving team Voltron seemed like the only way to get Lance what he wanted. In reality, it wasn't, and there were so many other ways, but being the dumb person he was, he was going to listen to his first instinct and stick with it.
Staring at the screen late into the night was how he tried to get through it. The words that had only confirmed what he had thought all along, his face was illuminated by the glow he thought was moonlight at one point but was not, shadows under his eyes emphasized perhaps too much. He knew this wasn't healthy for him, for anyone.
His fingers hovered over the keys, waiting for words to come to him. They never did. He wanted to write something just as beautiful as Lance had, but he couldn't. Nothing came. It had been two whole days since the message had been sent. He didn't have a doubt that Lance was waiting and had been for a while. Keith missed him. He really did. He didn't know what to send, though, and if he was going to talk to Lance it needed to be as perfect as anything could be. One word. That was all he needed to write. But what word? There were so many to choose from, so many that could go wrong. Or maybe two words? He wasn't sure.
Something inside his head sparked. He knew what to do. It was only a flicker of an idea, but he knew it would work. I won't. He typed. It only took a few moments for his fingers to enter the words, and another to press the enter button. He didn't even think of the consequences, something he would normally do.
Lance's message appeared quickly on the screen like he had had it all typed out already and was just waiting for Keith to respond back. Oh, thank god, you're alive. What took you so long? And what do you mean you won't?
He had to think quickly. Make up a lie. He couldn't tell the truth. The B.O.M. has been busy with me. Enter. Another message sent.
Oh.
Yeah. I won't. I won't forget. Nice poem, by the way. Who is it for? And why the heck did you send it to me?
Somewhere on the other side of the galaxy, Lance facepalmed.
I sent it to you because I missed you. And it's for you. I- That was his message. He started typing something else, something he thought he would never admit to Keith's face, but quickly stopped himself, realizing how stupid of an idea it was. Instead, he wrote: When are you going to visit us?
You what? What goes after the I-?
Not important.
I'll visit soon. I have to go now. Keith glanced out the window, realizing that there was no sun in space. But he hadn't slept in days, and he needed some rest. He had a mission tomorrow, an important one.
Goodnight, Keith.
Goodnight.
Lance sat on his bed, waiting for another message to appear on his screen. His fingers were positioned above the keys, his eyelids drifting downwards. He was tired, so tired. He missed Keith so much. Why couldn't he have stayed? He was Lance's friend. Someone he could reside in for once. Someone who understood his insecurities and tried his best to support him. Maybe that was why. He sat cross-legged, thinking. Remembering that one time he had come to Keith and talked about how there were too many paladins and not enough lions with Shiro back. He was just about to drift back asleep when a new line of text popped up on the screen.
Goodnight.
That was all he needed. That one word still ringing in his head, he shut his laptop, setting it on his bedside table, and drifted asleep with a huge grin on his face. Maybe he did have a chance after all, even if it was only a small one. And Keith would visit soon. That was good.
But how soon was soon, exactly?
Keith and Lance awoke at nearly the same time, the former red paladin only minutes before the former blue one. He leaped out of bed, checking his messages hurriedly and not bothering to enter in a new one. This time, he actually had a mission to attend. The quintessence supply route they had found had been intercepted by something. They didn't quite know what it was yet, and that was why Keith was being sent to investigate- To find out what. What he didn't know is how dangerous it would be, and how much he would regret his choices. The Blade sent out a pod as soon as Keith was ready to go. This was a solo mission for him, the very first he had ever done. There was no doubt it would be dangerous.
The capsule slipped through space like a rock would skim across the water. He didn't notice how quiet it was until he yawned, realizing how little sleep he had gotten. Doubts filled his mind, and the quiet seemed broken by his thoughts. Keith realized how dangerous this would be, and how many risks he was taking.
His thoughts couldn't finish themselves. The thing on his wrist started beeping. He pressed the button in the middle of it, and the screen lit up. It showed a tiny map, the red star drifting slowly towards an unknown object floating in space. Keith activated his mask and hoped out of the pod with hardly a moment's hesitation.
He glanced around, unsure of what to do. There didn't seem to be anything here, just space and a meteorite. Swimming towards it, not thinking about what might happen. Right as he was directly above it, a shadow passed over him and the rock.
"Quiznack." He thought, tilting his head upwards to look. There was no way this could be good. Purple light surrounded him, emphasizing the lone particles floating in space here and there. A tiny pebble nearly grazed his face, but he ducked down just in time. He hardly could. The tractor beam lifted him slowly upwards, and no matter how much he struggled it would not let him out of its grip.
This wasn't good, that was for certain. If anything, it was really, really, bad. The ship continued to pull him in, closer and closer. He squeezed his eyes shut, floating with the small rocks and whatever else just happened to be there, waiting for the climax of his mission. He waited, waited, waited some more for the pain to come, but it never did. Strange. In Keith's mind, every mission involved pain, and out of the pain came the reward. This time his expectations would either be passed or shuffled under, but both just barely. Something swooshed past him, and he dared open one eye.
Red. Flashes of red rushing past him, colliding with the purple, making a color he couldn't quite name. He didn't believe his eyes at first, not at all, but then he remembered what Lance had given him before he left. The piece of metal without any purpose, the piece of metal that he kept anyways because it had been from Lance. That was the only reason he had kept it, but now he saw the reasoning behind the gift.
It had been a gift, sure, but one with a purpose. His mind struggled to put the pieces of the puzzle together, but he did, and slowly, he realized why that thing had been given to him. He glanced upwards quickly, head whipped to the side, saw Lance's lion trying to find an angle that would work.
A tracker. That was what it was. And what surprised him more was that he was about to be saved by the one he thought never would come back for him. Maybe deep down he knew that Lance would come to him, but subconsciously, not aware of it. That in itself scared him to a degree that wasn't good for him.
Battle-worn. That was what it was called. That was what he was feeling. The aftermath of a war, a battle. The worst part of it was that it wasn't even over yet. The war would go one for… Well, no one knew how long. Realizing he had closed his eyes once again, Keith blinked, banning the chain of thought from his mind. Lance had rescued him. And that was all that mattered.
The red lion charged towards him, opening its mouth and swallowing him up like it had in the first time they had met. This time, though, it was different. This time he was battle worn and ready for whatever came next. Once he was in the lion, once he knew he was safe, Keith promptly fainted. He didn't know why, but he did faint, one of the last things he would expect himself to do. All he could think of was how Lance was his savior, and how he had blown his chance on fully completing a mission by himself for once. It was a mixed sort of emotion. That was his last pointless thought chain before the darkness fully took over his vision.
Cold. A pleasant cold surrounded him. It was a strange yet nice feeling at the same time. Keith blinked rapidly, wondering where he was and what happened to him. All he remembered was Lance coming to rescue him when a ship had caught him in the tractor beam. The cold ceased and he heard a clicking noise in front of him.
All in a fleeting breath, he stumbled forwards, finding himself in Lance's arms. His breath caught in his throat all too quickly, and gazing up at that face with that smile- that smile killed him every time he saw it- He realized just how in love with Lance he was. The unruly brown hair, those blue eyes, all of him.
His arms were strong, able to hold him up. It was another symbol of their relationship so far, how Lance was Keith's stability when he needed it. Which, in short, was a lot. As his smile grew even larger, Keith's blush grew even redder. "How many times do I have to save you until this war is over, mullet?" Lance grinned, the smile so real that he wanted to die right there. It only took a moment for Lance to lean down and kiss Keith. It was short, but it made everything seem worth it. The war, the battles, and how much they had fought for each other.
Maybe the mission had turned out well, after all. "Okay, no, don't answer that- I'll save you as many times as you need to be saved."
Yeah, it had turned out well. "I love you too, Lance." Keith tried to say it sarcastically, rolling his eyes, but he knew that, deep down, he actually meant it.