WARNING: CONTAINS SEASON 5 SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. This fan fic contains mildly suggestive sexual themes and goes into detail about wounds and blood. It's probably ok for most people, but I figured i might as well put up a warning. It also has a gay ship in it, please no hating.
Paladin Down- Part One
Allura quietly walked down the hallway, haste in her step. It was still early morning in the Castle, but the day had already begun. It was imperative that she found Keith. After several ticks, she arrived at the door to his room. Allura knocked sharply and waited for the door to open. "Keith? It's Allura. Are you in there?" There was no answer. Frowning, she opened the door and glanced inside. The room was dark, but Allura could see that Keith's small bed was made and none of his belongs were laying out. Where could he be? She thought to herself and stepped back, closing the door. Perhaps he was on the training deck. With a deep breath, Allura quickly headed down. To her disappointment, he wasn't there either. Following the training deck, she checked the shuttle bay, the lion hangars, and the kitchen.
"Princess, are you looking for something?" Shiro's voice greeted her when she entered the lounge.
Her eyebrows pulled together and her eyes met Shiro's. He sat comfortably on the large couch, still waking up. "Yes, I'm looking for Keith. Kolivan needs him, but I've looked everywhere and can't find him." She sighed in frustration.
Shiro sat up, a small smile tugging at his lips. "It's Keith. He's around here somewhere. He's probably just enjoying his time on the ship. From what he tells me, the Blades' ships are quite cramped."
"You're probably right." Allura looked around the room. "But Kolivan will have my head if I don't find him in time for their mission." She walked back out the door. "Perhaps the others have seen him." With that, she departed from the room and returned to the sleeping quarters, hoping the other three Paladins were around. Lance's room was the closest to Keith's, so she decided to start there. "Lonce, have you seen Keith?" She knocked on the metallic door. Several ticks later, she opened it and peered inside. "Lonce-" Allura stopped when she caught sight of several articles of clothing strewn across the floor. Amongst them was a red, white, and yellow jacket. Her blue eyes widened and she risked a glance at the bed. In the dim light, she could see two figures in Lance's bed, thankfully covered by a blanket. Her cheeks burned bright red and she flipped on the light. "Keith?!" Keith shot up from resting on Lance's bare chest and fell out of the bed, onto the floor in nothing but his boxers.
"Quiznak! Allura, what are you doing in here?!" He scrambled to his feet, his cheeks turning redder than hers.
Allura held a hand up to her eyes and lowered her gaze to the ground, trying not to look at the nearly naked man before her. "I received a transmission from Kolivan almost a varga ago. I've been looking for you everywhere. I finally decided to come and ask Lonce and the others if they had seen you." As she stammered, she closed the door so no one would see this. Keith grumbled and ran over to a bag in the corner of the room, pulling out his Blades uniform. He slipped it on as fast as he could before grabbing his regular clothes from the floor. When Allura was sure he was dressed, she dropped her hand and crossed her arms, her face still as red as Keith's jacket. "Kolivan will be in the shuttle bay in fifteen doboshes."
"Fifteen? Why the short notice?" Keith paused for a minute, glancing at her in surprise. The red in his cheeks had begun to fade. "Did he say where we're going?"
"He mentioned Olkarion." Allura's eyes settled on Lance. "I- How is he still asleep?" The other young man was still in deep slumber. He had hardly moved the whole time.
Keith's thick eyebrows pulled together and he set down the things in his arms, only his red jacket in his hands. "Lance can sleep through a trainwreck, unlike most of us."
"What's a train?" Allura gave him a puzzled look, tilting her head. Her long white hair fell to the side.
"Erm, its another form of transportation on Earth." Keith muttered as he draped his red jacket over Lance's torso. It was best to just let him sleep. Keith knew he wouldn't be gone long. Missions these quintants didn't last as long as they had leading up to the battle of Naxzela. Allura watched Keith curiously. She had never seen him act this way towards anybody, not even Shiro, who was like a brother to him. Despite Allura's presence, Keith placed a gentle kiss on Lance's forehead before picking up his things again and shoving them in his bag, which he left in Lance's room. Then he opened the door. "Come on; I'd rather not be late." He walked outside and gestured for Allura to come with him. She numbly nodded and turned off the light before exiting as well. The door closed behind them and Keith began leading the way to the shuttle bay. "Allura, if anyone asks, you found me on the training deck." Keith sternly spoke when they were further down the hallway.
Allura frowned. "You've got to be joking me. How long have you two been hiding this from all of us?!" She tried to keep up, but Keith was moving quickly. "Why didn't either of you tell us? We're all a team. We don't keep secrets!"
Keith sighed and stopped, pulling his hood over his head. "Allura, in case you haven't noticed, I haven't really been around much lately. But to answer your question, about half a decaphoeb. We didn't tell anyone because I've been gone for most of it and we weren't ready."
"You've been together for five phoebs?!" She gasped.
He began walking again. "Yes. Allura, I need to get going or Kolivan won't be too happy. Please don't tell anyone about us until we've had a chance to talk. We can do that when I get back from Olkarion."
"You have my word, Keith." Allura sighed as they reached the shuttle bay. Kolivan's shuttle pulled into the bay as the door closed behind the pair. "Be safe." She muttered as Keith continued towards the shuttle. He gave her a small nod before his mask formed over his face. He hopped into the small ship and sat beside Kolivan, who had his mask up.
"Fill me in." Keith spoke as the shuttle lifted off the ground and returned to space.
"Last night, several important figures from the Olkarion rebel forces were captured by the Galra. The battlecruiser has not yet left the system. We need to sneak on to it and rescue the rebels inside before they are handed over to Sendak." Kolivan leaned forward, pulling up a hologram of the cruiser.
Keith frowned beneath his mask. "Isn't this a type of mission for Voltron? This is risky for the Blades."
"Voltron has been on three major missions in the past movement. The Paladins need time to rest and prepare for their next. The Blades will do what we must. Today that means rescuing rebels." Kolivan looked down at Keith, who only nodded slowly. It was risky, but he knew it had to be done. His leader faced the other Blades in the shuttle. "We must exercise caution when we board the ship. The goal is to get in and get out with the rebels. We cannot risk engaging in a battle with a fleet." Keith listened silently as Kolivan explained their plan of attack.
Doboshes later, their cloaked shuttle latched on to the great Galra battlecruiser and the Blades slipped inside, quickly moving down the dark hallways towards the prisoner level. The men only stopped when sentries were nearby, taking cover to avoid being seen. Keith kept his eyes on Kolivan, watching for orders and following his lead. After what felt like ages, the Blades reached the prison block, finding a dozen sentries guarding the corridor. "Take them out quickly and quietly. We can't risk them tripping an alarm." Kolivan spoke quietly to his men. One by one they nodded and withdrew their blades. On Kolivan's mark, the Blades attacked, taking out the sentries. Keith ran ahead of the others, stopping the two at the end of the hallway. His blade sunk into the first's chest and he quickly forced the second into a wall, bashing in its metallic head. When both were down, Keith yanked his blade out of the first sentry and peered down an intersection in the hallway, making sure no one had heard them and were coming. He breathed in deeply and glanced back at Kolivan, nodding. Within ticks, the fight was over and one of the Blades managed to get all of the prison doors open.
"Kolivan, we are forever in your debt. Thank you for coming for us!" A familiar voice spoke above the quiet whispers in the hallway. Keith turned to see Ryner and Olia standing in front of his leader. They, and all the other prisoners, were dressed in the typical, tattered, Galra prisoner uniform. Keith recognized several of the other rebels.
"It's not over yet. We need to get out of here." Kolivan nodded to the Olkari woman. Captain Olia shifted at her side, glancing around nervously. They didn't have long before the next patrol came. When the Blades had all the rebel prisoners, Kolivan began leading the way back to their shuttle. Ryner gestured for the other rebels to follow. The Blades flanked around the rebels, protecting them from all sides. Keith and two of his comrades held up the rear. They were almost back when the alarm began to sound.
"The next patrol must have arrived at the prison block!" Keith hissed, pulling his blade out.
Kolivan began running down the corridor. "Move! Move! Move!" He shouted over his shoulder. Ryner and the other rebels quickly followed him, knowing they were in imminent danger of getting caught. Keith glanced around nervously as they sprinted through the halls. "Prepare launch sequence." Kolivan ran into the ship, getting ready to take off. The Blades began ushering in the rebels as sentries down the hall began opening fire on them. Several of the dozens of rebels screamed in alarm and ducked down, trying to take cover.
"Get in! Hurry!" Keith shouted to them as he managed to deflect a blast with his blade. He knew Kolivan would take off in only ticks. They would not be able to hold off all the sentries and Galra soldiers that were coming. The rebels filed in as quickly as they could, but it was still taking too long. They and some of the Blades had made it in when something just down the hallway exploded, knocking back Keith and the remaining Blades. Keith's body collided with a wall and he let out a groan, trying to climb to his feet. "No!" His eyes widened. Flames enveloped the hallway, cutting off their exit to the shuttle. The remaining Blades were trapped. The metal around them creaked and a large clang came from the other side of the wall. Kolivan and the ship had left. They were on their own. The other five Blades with Keith slowly rose to their feet, most injured from debris. "Come on. We need to find another way to get off this cruiser." Keith pulled the last Blade to her feet. "Maybe we can steal a few Galra fighter jets."
"Lead the way, Keith. We're with you." The woman beside him, Ilun, spoke. He nodded and ran in the opposite direction of the fire. All six Blades pulled out their knives again and moved down the hallways, trying to avoid as many sentries as they could.
Keith quickly found a hangar. "This is going to be hairy. There are sentries and soldiers everywhere." He peered around a doorway.
"I'll take the risk over becoming a prisoner." A Blade spoke behind him in a hushed voice. Keith drew in a deep breath before slipping through the large doorway, leading the way in.
"Get to a fighter as quickly as you can!" Keith took cover behind several cargo containers, followed by the others. They nodded and peered around the containers, setting their sights on the closest fighters. Keith watched the sentries for several ticks, waiting for the right time to proceed. When they were spaced far enough apart, he gave them the signal before heading to a fighter jet farther away. He wanted to give the others a chance at getting to ones that were closer. The five Blades followed his lead, scrambling towards the ships. Sentries and Galra soldiers opened fire on them, but the Blades were deft on their feet, avoiding the blasts as best they could. By the time Keith had reached his own fighter, the other five had climbed into theirs and started them. Keith nodded to himself and pried the door open, stepping in. However, a blast punched into his shoulder, burning through his suit. Keith let out a hiss and forced the door shut, running to the cockpit. He hurriedly cranked the ship up and launched after the other Blades, punching their way through the closing hangar door. Despite their narrow escape, Keith couldn't relax or look at his wound. The Galra cruiser would send fighters after them. Instead, Keith tried to contact Kolivan through the communicator in his suit. "Kolivan. It's Keith. Do you copy?"
"Keith, I'm here." Kolivan's voice answered back. "What's your status?"
"We managed to escape on some Galra fighter jets. I'm sure there will be more coming for us shortly. Are you almost to Olkarion?" Keith huffed and tried to catch up with the other Blades.
There were several ticks of silence before his leader replied. "Yes."
"Keith, there are six Galra fighters on your seven." Ilun's voice interrupted.
Keith glanced at his scanners, seeing them. His mask retracted from his face as his eyebrows pulled together. "Quiznak. Take evasive action. Protect the shuttle at all costs. I'm going to try and distract them from the shuttle." With that, he pulled away from the others, drawing the fighters away as they neared Olkarion. Three of the fighters followed after him, while the others broke off to go after the Blades. Keith's fighter shot forward, rocketing over the titanic mountain range around Olkarion. A smug smile crossed his pale face and he dove towards the mountains, which he could use for cover from the fighters.
"I've been hit." A Blade's voice came through his communicator. "I'm going do-" An explosion in the distance cut the voice off. Keith's lips pulled down and he made a sharp turn into an opening in the mountain's ridges, drawing the three fighters on his tail in there. At a dead end in the cramped area, he pulled up and seized the opportunity to fire down at the fighters. Two of the ships went down, but the third swerved around his blasts. Keith grumbled and focused on flying away as it returned fire.
"More Galra fighters inbound!" He heard Ilun again. "There's too many. We'll be overrun."
"Hang tight!" Keith shouted, noticing four more fighters gaining on him. "You gotta be kidding me." He growled and attempted to weave through the mountain ridges again. When the other four were in range, they began to fire on him as well. Ticks later, a blast hit his fighter and the whole thing shook. Keith groaned. "I'm taking heavy fire. I can't shake them!" He managed to take one more out before another blast shook his fighter. He wasn't going to last much longer. Keith's eyebrows pulled together and he grunted, the wound on his shoulder flaring up. An explosion violently shook his ship again, but this time, alarms began blaring and he looked at his dashboard. His eyes widened. "I just lost a wing. I'm going down. Ilun, Kolivan, you're on your own. I'm sorry." Black smoke trailed behind him as his fighter began to nosedive towards the surface, spinning out of control. Keith tried to pilot it as best he could, but there wasn't much he could do.
"Keith, no!" Ilun's voice became distorted as the small ship accelerated towards a cliff in the titanic mountains.
Keith's heart raced in his chest and he tensed as his life flashed before his eyes. Beating up Iverson and being booted from the Garrison. Finding Shiro and carrying him out with Lance. Finding the Lions. Forming Voltron. Going to the mall with Coran. Discovering the truth about his heritage. His time with Hunk in the Weblum. The time he spent with Pidge. Allura apologizing for mistrusting him. Lotor saving him in the Battle of Naxzela. Finding his mother, Krolia. Helping Kuro figure out who he was and getting Shiro back on his feet. All his moments with Lance. As the rocks drew closer, he squeezed his eyes shut and a single tear shot down his cheek. "I'm sorry, Lance. I won't be coming home after all." He whispered to himself and drew in a deep breath as his ship slammed into the cliff.
Captain Olia and Ryner sat stiffly beside Kolivan, their eyes wide in shock. A Blade of Marmora communicator was in Olia's hand. "Keith? Keith, are you there?!" She shakily lowered her hand when there was no response. Her eyes slowly met Ryner's. The best pilot in the rebellion had just been shot down. The Olkari woman wrapped her arm around her comrade and silence enveloped them and the rest of the shuttle.
"Vroka was just shot down as well." Kolivan's right-hand man announced. They had lost half their fighters. This wasn't going to end well.
Kolivan's face hardened and he held his hand out for the communicator. Olia quietly gave it to him. Kolivan held it out in front of him and activated it, a static blue screen appearing over it. "Princess Allura, can you hear me?"
"Kolivan, I'm here." The screen flickered for a tick before the princess appeared, Coran and Shiro standing behind her. "What's going on?" As she spoke, the shuttle shook violently and Kolivan struggled to stay sitting, grabbing on to the seat behind him.
"We were just hit again. Another hit like that and we'll be joining the rest of our pilots." Kolivan's right hand called again. Kolivan's eyebrows pulled together.
"Princess, we need immediate assistance on Olkarion. We rescued the captured rebels, but the Galra cruiser and its fighter jets are gunning us down. I've lost several of my men. We won't last much longer." His face hardened more as he spoke.
Allura's eyes widened. "The Castle and Voltron will be there in one dobosh to assist you. Hang tight."
"And princess, three of my men are in Galra fighters. It was the only way they could escape the cruiser." He added. He didn't want to lose any more men.
"Ten-four." She nodded. "When we arrive, dock in our shuttle bay. We'll take care of the fleet. But do it quickly so we can raise the particle barrier." With that, the transmission ended.
"Why didn't you tell them about Keith?" Olia stared at him with wide eyes. "They should know."
Kolivan set down the communicator and looked at her. "The last thing we need is Voltron to be off their game while rescuing us. I will tell them once we are all safe." Olia nodded numbly, understanding. Thirty ticks later, a loud roar shattered the silence. "Right on time, Voltron." Kolivan glanced out the window of the cockpit, seeing the five lions and the Castle in the distance. The lions cleared a path to the Castle and the small shuttle shot forward, quickly docking in the shuttle bay with the three remaining fighters.
The particle barrier enveloped the Castle as it and the lions shot down the Galra fighters. The Galra cruiser fired upon the Castle, but the ion cannon for once couldn't break through the barrier. Coran directed the Castle to aim at the cruiser, firing again and again. When most of the fighters had been taken care of, the lions turned their attention to the cruiser, helping Coran take it out. A dobosh later, the fleet was destroyed and the lions returned to the Castle, docking in their hangars. The five Paladins ran to the shuttle bay, where the rebels and Blade of Marmora were climbing out of their ships. "Kolivan, is everyone okay?" Shiro ran up to the large group of people, his eyes scanning for anyone who was injured.
"Thanks to you, Paladins." Kolivan shook Shiro's arm before glancing at his men. The other four Paladins arrived at the same time, all huffing from running. "Thank you for coming to our aid. I fear that if we had gone another dobosh longer without you, we would not have made it."
Shiro nodded and stepped back as Ilun and the other two pilots climbed out of their ships. One by one, they pushed back their hoods and retracted their masks. Behind Kolivan, the shuttle powered down and the rest of the crew stepped out. Allura glanced over all the Blades, her eyebrows pulling together. They were all the roughly the same height and had the same build. There was no sign of the smallest Blade. Allura glanced at Lance and she saw the same expression on his tan face. Her gaze returned to Kolivan. Lance looked around anxiously, knots forming in his stomach. Olia and Ryner approached Kolivan, grief on their faces. Olia spoke up. "Kolivan, they deserve to know."
"Know what?" Shiro raised an eyebrow and looked down at Olia and Ryner, then returned his gaze to Kolivan.
Allura let out a shaky breath and stepped forward. "Where is he?" Something was off. "Where is Keith?" Around her, Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge straightened, their eyes widening, and glanced around, noticing it too. A lump formed in Lance's throat.
Kolivan's jaw tightened as Olia's sad eyes met Allura's. Ilun glanced at the two pilots beside her. "When we were in the cruiser, an explosion separated most of the Blades from the ship. We had to steal Galra fighters to escape. Keith led us there and we all managed to make it out, but the cruiser sent fighters after us. Keith tried to draw them away from the shuttle so the rebels could escape…" Ilun spoke since Kolivan took too long to answer. Her yellow eyes slowly met with all of the Paladins'. "His fighter took heavy fire and he lost a wing. He crashed full force into the mountains of Olkarion. I'm so sorry." She bowed her head.
"When did this happen?" Shiro choked on his words, his gaze lowering. Allura staggered back several steps back as Lance dropped to his knees. Hunk and Pidge exchanged tearful glances.
"Right before we called you for support. We lost him and two other pilots within a dobosh." Kolivan crossed his arms. Allura's eyes returned to Lance as grief washed over her. Tears welled up in his eyes, but they didn't spill over on to his cheeks. After several ticks, his face hardened and he pushed himself off the ground. Lance began walking out of the room and in the direction of the lion hangars.
"Lance, where are you going?" Hunk turned and watched his friend walk away.
Lance paused and looked over his shoulder. His sea blue eyes met the other Paladins'. "I'm going to find Keith."
"Kid, I don't think you understand." Kolivan spoke up, walking closer to the Paladins. "Keith crashed full force into a mountain. That's not something you can walk away from, let alone survive. There's probably nothing of him or his ship left."
Lance's eyebrows pulled together and his face hardened. He turned back to face Kolivan. "This is Keith we're talking about. When Shiro went missing after our second battle with Zarkon, Keith never gave up looking for him. It was the same way after we found out about Kuro. Keith deserves the same amount of loyalty. If there's a slight chance that he's alive, I'm going to take it. If he's not, then the least we can do is bring him home." Kolivan's expression softened while a pained look crossed Shiro's face. Shiro had missed so much during his time trapped within the black lion.
"I'm coming with you." Allura spoke, walking up to him. Lance nodded slowly. He wanted to cry so badly, but he knew he couldn't in front of the others.
"As am I." Shiro slipped his helmet on and approached the other two Paladins. Hunk and Pidge exchanged more glances before they both nodded and joined their friends, also putting on their helmets. "Let's bring our Paladin home." Shiro led the way to the lion hangars. The others followed him, determination in their steps. Allura silently walked beside Lance as they moved, trying to support him without anyone noticing. She had made a promise to Keith and she was going to keep it.
When the Paladins reached the hangar, they split off their separate directions to head to their lions. However, Allura stopped at the entrance to Blue's hangar and watched Lance start down the path to Red's. "Lonce." She ran to him after a tick. He stopped and looked at her. To his surprise, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
He awkwardly hugged her back, not sure what was going on. "Allura, what are you-"
"I know you need a hug." She whispered, resting her chin on his shoulder. Lance blinked slowly and she could sense his confusion. She quietly pulled back and looked up at him. "I know about you and Keith. I'm so sorry." She placed her hand on his arm, trying to be reassuring. "We're going to find him. We're going to bring him home to you."
The tears in Lance's eyes finally spilled over, soaking his face. "I… How do you know?" He broke down in front of her, barely fighting the sobs.
Her eyes lowered and she sighed sadly. "When I received the transmission from Kolivan this morning, I went to go find Keith, but I couldn't find him anywhere. So I went into your room to ask if you had seen him and I found you two. Lonce, I won't tell anyone. I promised Keith I wouldn't and I'm going to keep that promise." He nodded slowly and began wiping away his tears. Allura let go of his arms so he could. "Now let's go get him." She patted his shoulder and began heading back towards Blue.
"Allura?" Lance called after her and she paused, looking back at him. "Thank you." He forced himself to breathe. She gave him a small smile before slipping on her helmet and running to her lion. Lance drew in a shaky breath and looked ahead at his lion. Keith's lion. His face grew serious and he ran to Red. "I'm going to find you, babe." He pulled his helmet over his head.
Pain consumed Keith like the ocean. It came in continuous waves, lapping at his skin and dragging him further out to sea. It pulled him down deeper, threatening to drown him. Keith's mind swam, fighting against the current so he could wake up. He tried to breathe but each breath was more painful than the last. Keith knew he was dying. He could have slipped back into the darkness and just let it happen, but he held on to what little time he had left. Keith cracked his eyes open and groaned, his vision spinning. He blinked until he could see clearly and he numbly looked around. It was dark and cramped. It was cold. Keith still sat in the chair of the Galra fighter jet, but the front of the vessel had been destroyed in the collision. Sharp rocks replaced the dashboard and controls that had been in front of him only doboshes ago. Shattered glass was everywhere. It was on the floor and the rocks. It was in his uniform and skin, tearing him open more with every little move. The sharp rocks that had destroyed the front of the ship had also damaged him. They pinned his legs to the seat he was in, crushing them until his bones had shattered in different places. Keith tried to breathe, but could only wince as he looked down at his torso. A long shaft of rock had pierced a large section of his lower abdomen, tearing through his organs and rendering him motionless. Blood seeped slowly out of the great wound, staining the rocks red and soaking his Blades uniform. Keith wheezed and coughed, blood dripping from the corners of lips down his chin. Keith was surprised he had survived the crash, given his speed, but he knew this would still be the end. Keith's left hand wrapped around the rock in his torso, applying some pressure to the edges of his wound.
"K-Koli-van." He tried to speak, barely having the lung capacity to do so. "Can you… h-hear me…?" He tried again. Despite the situation, he wanted someone to come for him. It would be nice to at least have someone there when he died. "K-Kolivan?" There was no response. Communications were out. No one knew where he was or that he had lived for small amount of time. No one would be coming. A tear streaked down his cheek as he thought about Lance. What he wouldn't give to have Lance here. What he wouldn't give to say goodbye or 'I love you' one last time. His boyfriend would never know how much he loved him. Keith squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the pain. But it was a losing battle. The waves continued to draw him out, pulling him away from the shore. It loosened his grip on his wound and told him to relax. They waved his eyes closed and filled his head with a sudden heaviness, pulling him into the depths of the ocean.
Lance stared anxiously out of Red's window, searching for the fallen Galra fighter. He and the other Paladins had been looking for Keith for half a varga and still hadn't found him. They had split up to cover more ground around Olkarion's titanic mountain range but even then it didn't seem to be enough. Allura had found two Galra fighters, but both still had wings, so they continued to search. Lance had found another fighter some distance away from the first two, but once again, it also had both wings. "How hard is it to find a single winged Galra fighter?" Lance heard Allura say at some point, but he ignored it. He was losing hope of finding Keith. Every dobosh it took to find him was one step closer to losing him.
"Where do you think he is, Red?" Lance whispered to his lion, his heart breaking a little more. The great lion was silent as it flew over the mountain ranges. Lance slouched in his seat and had the lion move higher into the sky, trying to see if he could see more. After another dobosh, he sighed. "What if Kolivan was right? What if there is nothing left of Keith or his ship?"
"Lance, I don't think that's physically possible." Pidge spoke. "Those fighters may go fast, but they can't go fast enough to hit the ground at a speed that would completely destroy the fighter. There would still be pieces of it."
"I don't think that made any of us feel better, Pidge." Shiro responded.
"What I'm trying to say is that Kolivan is wrong. We should be able to find at least the fighter..." Pidge trailed off, deciding not to finish the rest of her sentence. She couldn't say the same about being able to find Keith. Speeds that high had been known in Earth's history to completely destroy a human.
Lance continued to look, hoping for some kind of sign. A glint of light off metal, smoke from the crash. Something. Anything that would lead him to Keith. His eyebrows pulled together and he continued flying over the mountain range until Red suddenly stopped mid-air several doboshes later. Lance barely stopped himself from flying out of the seat. "Red, what the cheese?" He huffed and climbed back into it, groaning.
"Lance, are you okay?" Shiro asked, concern clear in his voice.
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. I can't say the same about my lion. Red just suddenly stopped and sent me flying out of my seat." Lance shook his head, glancing around.
"Stopped?" Allura replied. "Lonce, I think Red might be trying to tell you something. The red lion was originally Keith's. Perhaps it senses he's near."
Lance sat up in his seat and looked out the window. "What is it Red? Can you show me?" He couldn't see anything in particular that stuck out in the scene out the window. Lance drew in a deep breath and loosened his grip on the controls, allowing the red lion to take over. Show me, Red. The controls moved in his hands and the great lion turned in the direction they had just come from. A loud roar came from its mouth and Red shot forward, diving into the ridge. Lance flew back into his seat and held on for dear life. "He's definitely on to something, but I have no idea what yet."
"Keep us updated, Lance, we'll keep looking." Shiro responded.
The red lion continued to fly through canyons in the mountain range, taking select turns and routes. Lance's eyes scanned the area ahead as Red led the way, his heart pounding in his chest. Several ticks later, the great lion began to slow down until a Galra fighter came into view. Lance's eyes widened as he took in the scene. The fighter had smashed right into a cliff, destroying the front of the ship. Lance took back over the controls and hovered just above the wrecked craft. His eyebrows pulled up when he saw that it only had one wing. He immediately set the lion down on the left side of the ship. "Guys." Lance breathed. "Red just led me straight to a crashed Galra fighter with only one wing. But if Keith is in there, its gonna be really bad."
"What do you mean?" Hunk asked as Lance had Red move several steps forward.
"The entire front of the ship is gone." Lance breathed, horror creeping on to his face. "It crashed nose first into a cliff." Silence responded to Lance as he mustered up the courage. The door to the ship had been crushed during the impact. He would have to blast his way into it. "Okay, Red. Give the back end of the ship a small blast, only enough to breach the hull. We don't want to hurt Keith if he's in there." The lion moved its head slightly and fired, punching a hole into the crashed ship. Lance stood up and made his way to the mouth, climbing out of the lion and into the dark ship. "Keith? Are you in here?" He glanced around anxiously, fumbling around in the dark. "Keith?" An almost inaudible groan called Lance to the front. He ran when he caught a glimpse of black hair. Nothing could have prepared him for the horror that waited there.
"Lance, is he in there?" Shiro's voice was lost in Lance's mind as he sank to his knees, taking in his boyfriend's scratched face and the blood on his lips. The rock impaled in his lower abdomen was traumatizing to see. "Lance?" Lance shifted closer and pressed his fingers against Keith's paler than normal neck. After a long tick, he felt an incredibly weak pulse. "Lance?!"
Lance drew in a shaky breath. "Shiro. He's here." His blue eyes glanced at Keith's torso.
"Is he…?" Pidge timidly asked, not wanting to finish the sentence.
"He's alive, but he barely has a pulse. It's a lot worse than I was expecting." He looked around, trying to figure out how to get Keith out. "I'm going to try and get him out, but he needs to be put in a healing pod immediately or he will die."
"I'll leave now and prepare a pod." Allura responded quickly.
After several ticks, Shiro's voice came through. "Do you need help getting him out?"
"Honestly, I don't know. It's really cramped in here. I think I know how to get him, but I have to do it really carefully." Lance sighed, glancing at the rocks again. "Go ahead to the Castle. I'll be there with Keith in no time."
"Good luck, Lance." Shiro replied one last time.
Lance shakily removed his helmet and tossed it towards the opening Red had made. He carefully placed his hands on Keith's face. "Keith? Can you hear me?" He could barely spoke above a whisper. His eyes watched for any movement on his face. "Keith, it's Lance."
After a few ticks, Keith's head shifted slightly and his eyes cracked open, barely able to focus. Lance's heart pounded in his chest. Eventually, Keith's eyes met his and he wheezed. "L-Lance?" He spoke weakly. "A-are you… really here?"
Lance stroked Keith's face gently, his own face softening. "Yes, babe, I'm here." He choked back tears. "I'm going to get you out of here."
A small smile crossed Keith's exhausted face, but it quickly disappeared as he wheezed. A coughing fit followed and Lance tried to keep Keith's head up as more blood seeped out of his lips. "L-Lance… you c-can't… get me out… of t-this." Keith sank in Lance's hands and his eyes looked down at the rock lodged in his stomach. "I can't… e-even move."
"I can't let you die, Keith." Tears welled up in Lance's eyes and he straightened. "I need you." He stammered for several ticks. "I love you."
The small smile returned to Keith's face and he weakly moved his right arm from beside his leg, placing his blood-free hand on Lance's face. "I l-love you, too, Lance." Lance shifted one of his hands to hold Keith's on his face.
Lance's face slowly grew serious. "Please, let me try to save you." He barely whispered.
"Y-you can try." Keith squeezed his eyes shut, fighting another wave of pain. Lance gently squeezed his hand. When most of the pain subdued, Keith's blue-grey eyes opened again. "H-how are you… going t-to get… me out?" He paused to catch his breath. "I'm p-pinned in two… places and one i-is both k-killing… me and keeping me alive."
Lance carefully laid Keith's arm back down beside his thigh and stood up, thinking. Keith had a point. The rock impaled in his stomach was a major issue, but because it was still in there, it was preventing him from bleeding out. "I'll probably have to sever this rock, that way you can move, but won't bleed out. Can you move your legs at all?" He glanced at Keith's legs and the rocks around them. They were definitely were stuck.
"B-barely…" Keith breathed. "I think they're… both broken."
Lance huffed and leaned on the chair's arm. "You have your blade, right? The one made of luxite?"
Keith wearily glanced up at him. "Of c-course I do." He winced. "The only p-problem… is it's on… my back."
"Quiznak." Lance shifted closer and looked over Keith's torso. He could see the handle of the blade, but he didn't want to hurt Keith more by having him lean further on to the rock. He huffed again. "I might be able to get it without hurting you. Lift up your arm as best you can." Keith nodded quietly and did as Lance asked, raising his arm. Lance carefully reached behind Keith's back and began pulling the blade from the sheath. When he had it almost out, he gave Keith a look. "It's a good thing they call me the tailor-"
"Oh my g-god. Stop." Keith's eyes narrowed. Leave it to Lance to be making jokes in this situation.
Lance grinned and pulled the blade out, letting Keith rest his arm again. "That's not what you said last night."
Some color returned to Keith's deathly pale cheeks and he looked away from his boyfriend. "If I wasn't dying, I'd p-punch... you right now."
"No, you wouldn't." Lance chuckled and knelt down beside the rocks, beginning to carefully chisel away the rocks around Keith's legs. "I figure I'll start around your legs. We'll figure out what to do with the rock in your stomach afterward." Keith nodded quietly and sank into his chair, wincing as more pain flared up. Keith's blade easily sliced through the rock. Within a dobosh, Lance was able to free Keith's legs. He scooped the loose rock out before standing. "How are you doing?" He asked when he saw Keith wince again. His skin had nearly gone white.
"I can… barely… breathe." Keith wheezed, his eyes wandering.
Lance's eyebrows pulled together. "Hang in there, I just have to cut this rock, then we can get you to a healing pod." Keith nodded slowly. Lance drew in a deep breath and he focused on the rock impaling Keith's torso. He needed to cut it close but not so close that Keith started bleeding because the rock wasn't doing its job. Lance settled for six inches away from Keith's body and carefully made the cut. Keith let out a pained groan and squeezed his eyes shut. Lance winced at the groan and tried his best not to hurt him more. When it was done, he let out a relieved sigh. "Come on, let's get you out of here." Lance leaned down and slipped his hands beneath Keith's arms, quickly slipping the blade into its sheath before holding him. Keith weakly wrapped his arms around Lance's back and buried his face in his neck. Lance pulled Keith out of the chair as gently as he could, watching for any signs of distress.
At first, Keith seemed to do fine. But when the pressure of the large rock was removed, the rest of the rock in his stomach shifted, releasing a wave pain that was too much for him to bear. His face went white and he had to fight the urge to puke. "Lance." He gasped and his grip on him loosened, his arms sliding down the length of Lance's back. A tear streaked down his cheek as he blacked out.
"Keith?" Lance immediately felt the change in his boyfriend and his arms tightened around Keith's frail body, catching him. He quickly set him down on the ground beside the chair, trying to see what happened. Keith laid there below him lifelessly. "Keith?!" Lance's eyes widened and felt for his pulse. It was even weaker than before. Tears streamed down his face as he pulled Keith into his lap. "Come on, wake up." He whispered just before warmth surrounded his hand. "Oh, no." He glanced down to see that blood was seeping from Keith's stomach. "Keith, stay with me. Please." Keith's hand weakly wrapped around Lance's wrist, the one over his wound. His blue-grey eyes cracked open for a fraction of a second, then, with a ragged breath, they closed and his hand slipped from Lance's wrist. Lance choked back a sob and laid Keith down. He urgently grabbed his helmet, putting it on. Then Lance scooped down and picked up Keith, carrying him bridal style in the red lion.
"Lance, it's been ten doboshes. What's going on?" Shiro's voice came through the communicator in Lance's helmet as he sat down in the chair, Keith laying across his lap. Lance pressed Keith's head on to his chest as Red launched from the ground, flying into space towards the Castle.
"Shiro, it took forever to get Keith free and when I did, he crashed. I just boarded Red. We'll be there in the infirmary in thirty ticks. Please tell me the pod and a healing suit is ready to go." Lance spoke quickly. He glanced down at Keith's stomach. He was bleeding more now. Nearly all of the stomach section of his uniform had been soaked with blood, which then spread to Lance's armor and the seat beneath them.
"We're ready, just bring him in as fast as you can, Lonce." Allura responded. Red shot into the hangar and Lance hurried out of the lion, carrying Keith the same way he had before. Keith's arms and head hung loosely. Lance ran as fast as he could to the infirmary, where he knew the others were waiting. A dim light greeted him as he blew into the infirmary. Allura and Shiro stood anxiously in the center, but they took action as soon as Lance entered. "Lay him down on here." Allura gestured to a floating stretcher she had set up.
Lance carefully laid Keith's limp form on to it. "He's got a rock in his stomach, he took a blast to the shoulder, both of his legs are severely broken and there's glass everywhere." He quickly explained, so the other two knew what they were dealing with, and removed his helmet, setting it on the floor. Allura and Shiro exchanged horrified looks. Lance had said it was bad, but they hadn't thought it was this bad.
Allura's face hardened. "We need to remove Keith's uniform, pull out that rock, and put him in the healing suit." Lance nodded and quickly unlatched the armor breastplate on the uniform and slipped it off before removing Keith's bracers. Shiro and Allura worked to remove the rest of the uniform, carefully sliding the fabric over the rock in his abdomen. Once Keith's Blades uniform was removed, Allura pulled the healing suit over his legs, stopping just below the bloodstained rock. Lance's eyes met Shiro's. He could see the pain in his irises. Keith was like a little brother to him. Shiro's face hardened as his hand wrapped around the large rock embedded in the dying man.
"Do it." Lance spoke, holding his breath. He and Allura held the sleeves of the healing suit, ready to finish it putting it on as soon as the rock was free. They wouldn't have long to get him in the pod once it was gone. Shiro squeezed his eyes shut and yanked on the rock, pulling it out on the first try. Blood immediately flowed out of the massive wound and Shiro staggered back. Lance and Allura made quick work of the suit. Shiro dropped the heavy rock on to the floor and scooped Keith up, running up to the healing pod. Allura slipped behind the control panel and activated the pod. Shiro set Keith in and moved out of the way as Allura locked the pod and started the freezing process. Inside the pod, Keith's body straightened as he froze, beginning the healing process. Shiro sank to his knees, his eyes never leaving Keith. Lance stood numbly behind him, hardly able to breathe. He choked back tears. Crying would have to wait for when the others weren't around.
"You did it, Lonce." Allura slowly walked up to both men. Lance hardly looked at her. "You brought him home. You saved him."
Lance's expression wavered. "It's not over yet." He slowly knelt down beside Shiro, who looked over at him. "Not until he's really back with us." His eyes met Shiro's. Allura sat between them, placing her hands on their shoulders. Only time would tell if they had really saved him. The three Paladins grew quiet.
Allura glanced down at herself, then at Shiro and Lance. Keith's blood had splattered all over their armor, especially Lance's. Her eyes tugged down. "We should clean up."
Shiro nodded, also looking at Lance. He slowly stood and picked up the blood-covered rock. "We should send this out the airlock." Lance nodded and climbed to his feet, picking up Keith's Blade uniform and knife, and his own helmet. Allura sent the stretcher away.
"And tell the others." Lance sighed. "They need to know." Allura nodded and began leading the way out of the infirmary. At the door, the three Paladins paused, looking at Keith one last time. Then, they continued. The Paladins first stopped at the airlock, gladly sending the rock into space. Despite the mass amount of drying blood on their uniforms, they decided to head to the shuttle bay and update everyone. Pidge and Hunk were with the rebels and Blades, all still recovering from battle. The two Paladins had known they wouldn't be able to handle seeing Keith. The bay immediately went silent when the three Paladins entered, everyone's wide eyes on the blood on their uniforms. Lance's hands tightened on Keith's belongings as Kolivan, Ilun, Coran, Ryner, Olia, and the other two Paladins approached them, fear in all of their steps.
Allura straightened, speaking slowly. "Keith is alive. But barely." She glanced at Lance. "Lance found his fighter in the side of a cliff in the mountains. Somehow he survived crashing nose first, but the rocks did a lot of damage to his body. We were able to get him in a healing pod, but I don't know how long it will take him to heal. It could take several quintants."
Lance numbly listened to her speak, his mind only focused on returning to Keith. Every dobosh that he was away from him killed him a little more. Pidge's eyes met Shiro's. "What exactly happened? All three of you are covered in blood." Her young face grew serious. Hunk tried not to look at their suits. He still hadn't gotten over the sight of blood, even after the Weblum.
Shiro glanced at Allura and Lance, knowing there was no way to sugarcoat the situation. He lowered his head. "When his ship crashed, Keith was impaled by a large rock." Pidge's large eyes narrow and she looked down.
Lance's eyebrows pulled together, the image of Keith in the chair with the large stone in his stomach burned into his mind. He noticed Kolivan's eyes on the uniform in his hands and he shifted his helmet between his side and elbow, removing the sheathed blade from the back. Then, Lance held out the uniform. "I take it you'll be able to fix this before he returns."
Kolivan slowly stepped forward, glancing down at the young Paladin and taking the folded uniform. He eyed the suit cautiously and unfolded the fabric, assessing the damage. His yellow eyes narrowed as the other noticed the size of the hole in the stomach. "Keith's suit will most likely need to be replaced. This one has seen too much of battle." Kolivan's gaze returned to Lance as he folded the uniform. "We can hold on to the blade too."
"With all due respect," Lance's face hardened, his hand on the blade tightening. "We all know that Keith would want it here with him." Shiro nodded in agreement, remembering all the trouble he went through to keep it in the first place.
"Very well." Kolivan stepped back, the uniform still in his hands. After a pause, he continued to speak, looking at Allura. "We should get the rebels back to Olkarion."
Allura nodded, looking at Ryner and Olia. "Indeed. We'll take everyone there. It's about time the Castle landed for a bit of time. Coran, can you land the Castle for me? Shiro, Lonce, and I need to clean up.
"Of course, Princess." Coran nodded and quickly walked away, heading to the bridge. Lance broke away a few ticks later, wanting to take off his suit and get into regular clothes so that he could return to Keith. Allura and Shiro loosely followed behind him. By the time they caught up with him in the uniform room, he had already changed out and put his suit in a sanitation chamber.
Allura slipped in as he walked out, but Shiro grabbed him and pulled him to the side. "Lance, are you okay? You definitely aren't yourself."
"You wouldn't be either if you had seen everything I had in that Galra fighter." It had been traumatizing. Lance slouched. Worry weighed him down more than anything, though. He was terrified that after everything he would still lose Keith. "I just need some time." He sighed and walked away, Keith's blade in his hand. Shiro's eyebrows pulled together and he watched Lance go. After several ticks, he slipped into the uniform room as Allura latched her cape on over her dress.
"I'm worried about Lance." Shiro spoke softly as he began removing the armor of his uniform.
"About what?" Allura sat down in a nearby chair, exhaustion slowly catching up with her. She watched him remove his armor, a slight blush warming her dark cheeks.
Shiro was too busy taking off his suit to notice. "I'm not quite sure what it is." He slipped into a back room to remove the rest of his suit and change into his regular clothes. When he was done, he returned and placed his armor into another sanitation chamber. "I've noticed he's been off lately. But its been especially noticeable today." He spoke, adjusting his collar. When he looked up, he found a small smile on Allura's face. "What?"
"Lonce has changed over time. There's nothing wrong with that." She stood again and approached him, adjusting his collar for him. "Today's just one of those days that brings out unusual emotions in everyone." She patted his shoulder when she was done, then walked out of the room. "Come on, Takashi. Let's get back to the others." A deep blush lit up Shiro's face and he forced himself to follow her.
Lance only made two small stops on his way back to the infirmary. He set the blade on Keith's bed before running into his room. There, he grabbed Keith's red jacket and his orange tablet. Stuffing both items into his jacket, Lance ran to the infirmary, unable to stay away any longer. His sea blue eyes focused on the healing pod in the dark room when he entered. His heart slowly sank in his chest and he walked up to the pod, placing his hands on it. The tears that he had been holding back for so long finally spilled over, soaking his tan face. Inside the pod, Keith remained still, more lifeless than he had been before. His black hair hung in his scratched up face, hiding the cuts that marked up his pale skin. The blood surrounding his mouth began to dissolve slowly. Lance closed his eyes as sobs shook his body. "Please come back to me, Keith."
Lance stood in front of Keith's pod for a long time, grief consuming him. Then, his hands slipped from the pod and he numbly approached the control panel, sinking to the ground in front of it. He leaned back against the panel and pulled out Keith's jacket and his orange tablet. With the jacket wadded up on his knees, Lance curled up, burying most of his face in it and breathing in Keith's scent. After several doboshes, he turned on the small tablet in his hands and flipped through pictures he had taken of Keith and them together. A sad smile crossed his face. When Lance had first started taking pictures, Keith hadn't smiled much, just like always. However, Lance found ways to make him smile, even if that meant doing something incredibly stupid. It was worth seeing a rare smile from his boyfriend. Lance held on to these photos, hoping and praying that soon he would be able to add more. He hoped he could make more memories and have more time with Keith. When he ran out of photos, he slipped the tablet back into his pocket and curled up tighter around Keith's jacket, his tearful eyes on Keith.