Keith
Keith helps Lance up onto Red's head. Lance is squinting hard and trying to cover his eyes. It reminds him Lance found him passed out. His hand goes to the spot where he seems to have a slight bump. It doesn't hurt, he doesn't have a headache. Why is it not worse? Lance had to slap him awake. He looks at his hand, the ripped fabric around his wrist.
He flexes his hand and remembers how it'd been burned, how it stung and how the wound had simply vanished after he was doused in the raw quintessence. Does it have something to do with why he is fine while Lance is not?
What is that stuff?
"Keith? Earth to Keith?"
"What?"
"We need to do something?"
"We're going to figure out where we are."
"How are we going to do that?"
Keith sighs. "I don't know, walk around, investigate."
Lance groans.
Keith rolls his eyes and looks up the slope he thinks Lance must have climbed down. He looks around. Red's rather pinned into the side of the mountain. "Where is Blue?"
"Summit of this mountain, I think…" he points west.
"We should go back."
Lance's mouth falls open and he points to the steep slope. "How are we supposed to climb that? I nearly DIED climbing down."
Keith scoffs. "Our jet packs. Didn't you use it to get down?"
Lance stares at him.
It dawns on Keith that he didn't use the jet pack, and he's torn between laughing or worrying a bit more about Lance's head. "Wow, that knock to your head knocked out all your brain cells…" he's going with snark.
"Ha ha, make fun of the concussion victim."
"You go first," Keith says and motions at him to go up.
"Why me?"
"Cause it's better for me to behind your wobbly ass…"
Lance groans and bends his head down a bit too far, and Keith winces. He probably should get looked at by a doctor. If this planet they're on even has doctors.
Lance starts up the slope using his jet pack. Keith ends up having to grab Lance's shoulders to keep him steady when they reach the top.
"It's a bit of a long walk."
"We better get started then."
Keith looks around as they walk, they are on a mountain, which isn't news. The sky is blue and has white clouds. It's impossible to guess if this an alien world or not, he always thought aliens worlds would be alien. But there is nothing to say this world isn't Earth, or even Arus for that matter. Arus it was alien though, he thinks about the Arusians and frowns, instantly looking around for weird mollusk like creatures who look like toys but sound like truckers.
He always wanted to believe there was life outside of Earth, with the vastness of space it seemed impossible they could be alone. Knowing its true however was a lot to process. It's more than expected and it's worse than he expected. Now he knows the universe is a vast place, filled with life but also filled with dread. Zarkon is out to destroy all the life that thrives in space. All of it… And he wants to use Voltron to do it, they can't let it happen, they can't… They've got to get back to the Castle Ship.
Instantly he thinks of Red, flying her off this planet and the empty space she fills hurts. And he's walking away from her. He pauses in his steps and turns back. Reaching out, wondering, hoping, maybe she returned to life after they left. Nothing.
Keith never knew what it could be like to have something, something sentient choose him. The lion chose him, he was never chosen. When Allura explained the relationships between the paladin and its lion, he had heard the words but he hadn't understood the weight of what it meant to have a lion want you. But when he saw Red moving toward him, mouth open wide, to save him from floating in space. He knew he finally belonged.
It felt like home. It isn't a feeling he knew until that moment and now he doesn't feel it. He is back to the empty feeling of not belonging.
"Keith?"
He looks up and Lance is a few steps ahead of him, looking back with concern and it irritates him. "What?"
"Are you okay?"
"Fine." He starts walking again. "Let's get to Blue, then go from here. I don't see any life, that's for sure."
"Saw some birds… kind of looked like you know birds. Maybe this place is just like Earth?"
"Maybe. I hope it isn't like Galra."
"Why did you have to say that?"
"We should be pragmatic, it's possible."
"I know, I know… but we're alone. I mean ALONE. You know?" Lance looks at him meaningfully.
Keith startles because its then he realizes Lance isn't feeling Blue either. "Yeah…"
"Yeah."
They walk in silence for a long stretch of time. Keith trying to figure out what it is they need to do. Camp out near the Lions, wait for Allura to find them? That assumes Allura and Castle Ship didn't run into any issues due to the wild ride in the wormhole? Where is Shiro? The others. And how long until they reach Blue?
He starts to open his mouth to ask Lance about Blue, when he hears what sounds like aircraft in the sky. He turns toward the sound and stares up. It's not one but two ships flying in the sky. He stares at them flabbergasted because it can't be… it can't.
"Holy crow…" Lance exclaims from beside him. "Those are Garrison ships."
But it is true. Keith turns and meets Lance's blue eyes and then they both look around them as if seeing the mountain for the first time.
"We're on Earth." Lance says.
More ships appear in the air and Keith looks to see where they are headed. It is filled with dread. The first two they saw are headed in the direction they're walking, and the others are going toward the direction they came from.
"The Lions," Lance shouts.
On instinct Keith turns and starts to run back toward Red. He has to get to her, he has to stop this, it can't happen. It just can't happen. He has to save her. He's all action and intent, so when Lance tackles him to the ground he's shocked as hell. He struggles but somehow Lance stays on top of him, his hands on his chest keeping him pushed into the ground.
"Lance let me go before you puke on me," he yells because Lance looks green, greener than he's ever seen anyone look.
Lance is trying to catch his breathe but he shakes his head.
Keith doesn't want to hurt him, so he ends up having to stay pinned when all he wants to do is toss Lance off of him and run for Red. "Damn it, Lance the lions?"
"Yeah," his breath is harsh and voice deep from the exertion. "I wanna run to Blue too, but we can't let them see us. We'll get thrown in that quarantine like Shiro did. They won't listen to what we have to say. We just can't."
"We can't let them have the lions."
"I know, I know, but we get caught we won't have a chance at getting the lions back."
Keith groans and pushes at Lance. "Get off me."
"You aren't going to run off?" Lance looks at him suspicious.
"No."
"Promise?"
"YES."
Lance sighs and stands up but he does it too quickly and Keith has to jump to his feet to steady him. He looks at Lance and thinks about all things his done since he crashed. It's amazing he is standing, maybe he's maybe he's tougher than Keith thought.
"Now what?" he asks.
"We don't get caught by the Garrison and we get off this mountain."
"Sounds like a plan, then what?"
"I take you home."
"What?"
"We'll need help, and my brother is our best bet."
"Your brother?"
"Tony Taylor."
Keith's mouth drops open. "Tony Taylor is YOUR brother?"
Lance sighs.
"He's like one of the best fighter pilots ever…"
"I KNOW…" Lance turns away from Keith. "Let's go."
Keith isn't sure how they made it down the mountain. More surprising is the fact Lance is conscious. Though it's a close thing. At some point Keith wrapped his arm around him to help keep him steady. Lance slowly putting more and more of his weight against him.
Keith sighs in relief that they walk into a town, not a big one or anything but there are stores and a diner. He realizes as a few people give them odd looks they stand out in their red and blue uniforms. "Not made for stealth…maybe Pidge can work on that…. If we ever see her again."
He shakes his head, he has to believe they will. Has too. He's finally found the right path, the thing he knows he's supposed to do. He's supposed to stop Galra, stop Zarkon. He doesn't understand it, but something shifted inside of him when they found Blue lion, a hole started to fill up inside of him and when he met Red it filled completely.
"Red…" he can't stop thinking about her. He closes his eyes and steals himself. The absence hurts and the fear about what the Garrison may do makes his skin crawl.
"Keith, why we stop moving?"
Keith leaves his thoughts and looks around. "We need to change clothes and get you some water."
"Change into what?"
"Let me worry about that…" he looks around and sees an alley way. It's crappy place to choose but he's got limited options. He helps Lance get down onto the ground, leaning his back against a wall. "Just stay here."
"Your dumping me in an alley?"
"Yes… just rest up a bit."
"Ugh… don't hit me awake."
Keith grins down at him as he rises up.
"Oh, quiznak."
"Still don't think you're using that right."
"Mullet…" Lance mutters his eyes closing.
Keith walks way, running a hand through his hair. He's hot and uncomfortable himself, exhausted. He feels it in his bones. So much has happened in a short time. He was battling Zarkon, and then he wakes up with Lance, on Earth of all places. Keith grits his teeth and pauses in the middle of the sidewalk he is on, he's frazzled, he needs to focus. He thinks about Shiro.
"Patience yields focus… patience yields focus…" He mutters it under his breath and then opens his eyes. Focusing in all the storefronts he can see and he grins. A laundry mat. "That'll work."
He walks through the place first, noting who is doing what, eyeing piles of clothes. Finally he zooms in a guy probably a bit older than him and Lance but looks like his stuff would fit them. Watches in relief as he starts pulling clothes out of the drier.
As he walking closer to them he sees a backpack on the floor, and sees it belongs to the teenager sitting on a washing machine with earphones on. He grabs it and then walks up to the guy and taps him on his shoulder.
"Hey someone ran into a car outside, better check it wasn't yours."
"What!?" the guy runs off.
"Huh, didn't think that would work," he grabs two pairs of jeans, two shirts and a hoodie from the guys clothes and hurries out the back. Then he dumps the backpack of school supplies and grins when he sees a twenty dollar bill. He'll feel guilty about it all later.
Back in the alley he crouches down in front of Lance and sighs. Guy is conked out, and Keith's torn between letting him rest and worrying about how the guys head is doing. He decides to change quickly first though, because he's going to have to help Lance out. He strips out of the uniform quickly, eyes darting around to make sure no one is poking in the alley. He pulls on the jeans and the black t-shirt and then crouches again and pokes Lance in the chest.
"Hey, Lance.. Lance?" Pokes him some more. "Come on. Wake up."
Nothing.
He sighs and smacks Lance's cheek.
Lance groans, his eyes open and though he's blinking he is also glaring. "I told you not too…"
"Yeah, whatever. Come on let's get you undressed." He moves to put his shoulder around Lance to help him up.
"HERE?"
"Yeah here, come on." He starts on the fastenings of the uniform, they're quick to get on but a pain to get off.
Lance lets him but his eyes are all over the place. Then he squawks and pushes Keith's hands away when Keith goes to pull his white long sleeved undershirt off of him. "I got it… and turn around. I got it from here."
"Suit yourself…" Keith turns but he keeps his ear out in case the guy falls.
"These clothes fit pretty well, not bad…"
He turns to see Lance pull on the hoodie but his eyes on Keith.
"How did you get these?"
"Does it matter?"
Lance sighs and shakes his head. "Guess not."
"Come on, let's get food."
"Oh, hell no…" He turns to see Lance look ready to toss up something he hasn't even eaten.
"Water."
"Yeah… I should maybe try to call Tony. If we can find a phone?"
"Maybe we can use the one at the diner."
Lance nods.
Keith takes in a breath, he isn't so sure about going to Lance's brother for help. But it was the only plan they had. He pushes open the diners doors and a waitress, probably around their age bounces up to them. All smiles.
"Hi, Welcome to Dean's Diner… just pick a seat." She motions forward.
Keith waits for Lance to say something to embarrass them both. But he just starts walking forward, unsteady on his feet and he rushes forward to make sure he's there in case he falls.
"He okay?"
"Uh… he hit is head?" Keith winces.
"Oh. Football game or something?"
"Yeah."
"Well then, Cutie, I'll give you free slice of pie for desert." She grins at Lance.
Lance stares at her for a moment and then he slowly grins. "Thanks Beautiful."
Keith watches the whole exchange wondering if maybe they went to a different dimension instead of Earth. He pulls at Lance until they in a booth, sitting across from each other.
"She did call me cute right? I didn't imagine it?" Lance asks.
"Yeah…" Keith looks back at her. "Fluke, I think."
Lance shakes his head. "Nope, nope… it's my natural charisma."
Keith rolls his eyes.
The waitress appears. "Hi again, I'm Sadie, what can get ya."
"Just water, thanks," Lance says, his hands going up to his head.
"Uh, same and just a tuna fish sandwich?"
"Sure thing." She vanishes.
A man walks in and sits in the booth across the aisle from them while they're waiting for their order. "Hey, Sadie, darling turn on that TV for me?"
"Mr. Nichols is it six already? Time flies."
A television that set on the wall flickers to life and Keith cringes at the volume. Lance looks like he's been attacked and he glares at Keith.
"What?"
"Get him to turn it off. Or lower it," Lance hisses.
Keith is about to answer him when something on the screen catches his eyes. It's footage of Blue Lion, looping around in the air. His mouth drops open. Lance turns to see what he's staring at. A woman is suddenly on the screen talking into the camera.
"The footage you just saw was from two weeks ago… it was leaked from an unnamed source. This same source has said that this 'Lion' has been spotted again in our skies. We'll have more updates as they arrive… On a more serious note Galaxy Garrison has issued a public statement saying that three students who went missing the night the night this Lion appeared as dead. It is a sad day for the Taylor, Sanchez and Holt family… Especially for Emma Holt as she has now lost her daughter, as well as her husband and son. It was quite a shock for Mrs. Holt to find out her daughter had been masquerading as boy, which has been a subject of much discus -"
Keith stops listening because Lance turns to look at him is not only green but ashen. He looks worse than Keith ever imagine. And he doesn't know what to say, or how to react. He can't guess at what Lance is thinking, how he must feel knowing his family thinks he is dead. Keith wasn't even mentioned because he's no one. No one is missing him. Lance looks stricken and Keith wishes he knew what to say and he opens his mouth to try but Lance interrupts him.
"I gotta get home…I gotta get home… This can't be happening, I gotta get home."