Rescue

Arc Summary: After being stranded on a mission, Keith and Lance must struggle to stay alive through hellish conditions, all the while without the Lions or communication to keep them company.

Story Summary: Shiro locates the two Paladins, but now he must keep them both alive until the two day limit is up. And with Lance the way he is now that prospect is looking bleak. To make things worse, his little bro is confused and emotional.

Rated: T

Hurt/Comfort/Drama/Angst

Keith K./Lance M. (Implied [But not really])

Reviews

Ruehoo: Okay, but you have been warned. uwu

Me: Okay, so I've managed to escape my Young Justice fanbase for now…but probably not for long.

Disclaimer: Well then, we should probably get started.

Me: I suppose so.

Disclaimer: We own nothing.

Shiro emerged from the wormhole and his breath caught in his throat. The Black Lion purred reassuringly in his ear.

It was a hell hole. The asteroids were bigger than Keith's house in some places, and Lance and Keith's lions didn't stand a chance.

"Okay girl, let's find your sisters," he breathed.

He dodged slowly through the asteroid field with careful precision. He sighed in relief as he entered the planet's atmosphere.

Good Lord it was cold.

"Keith, Lance, are you out there?" he inquired over the comms.

'S-o?'

"Keith, is that you?" he tried excitedly.

'Y…nce…help.'

"Keith, you're breaking up. Listen, if you can hear me, I'm on my way," he assured him. "I'm bringing food and water, and some medical supplies."

'H-ry…L…bad.'

"I'll be there as fast as I can kiddo," he promised.

Keith hugged his knees close to his chest, shivering violently. He and Lance had made it outside the Blue Lion and were now leaning against her stomach. Lance's lips were turning almost the same color as his Lion, and the frostbite had begun to set in.

"K-K-Keith…'m c-c-c-cold," he murmured, teeth chattering.

"I know. I am t-t-t-t-to," he shrugged, rubbing his own arms and longing for his armor that he knew he couldn't put back on.

"Th-this is g-g-gonna sound weird, b-b-but mayb-be w-w-we can sh-sh-share b-body heat," he suggested awkwardly.

Keith didn't argue or ridicule his suggestion, rather drawing the injured Paladin closer to him, exhaling shakily. A small cloud of frost erupted from his mouth. He wished he'd had chapstick on him when he left earth. His lips were dryer than the sand he sat on. He ignored the blood that stuck to his shirt from Lance's many wounds.

'Keith, Lance, are you out there?'

Keith dove for his discarded helmet.

"Sh-Shiro?" he tried.

'Keith, is that you?'

"Yes! Sh-Shiro, Lance r-r-really needs help!" he exclaimed. The teen barely moved at the mention of his name, the blood loss starting to get to him.

'Keith, you're breaking up. Listen, if you can hear me, I'm on my way. I'm bringing food and water, and some medical supplies.'

For Lance's sake, he avoided screaming with frustrated joy. Instead, it came out as more of a happy squeal, and now Lance was listening intently with a tired look on his pale face.

"Hurry! Lance is h-hurt b-b-bad!" he urged.

'I'll be there as fast as I can kiddo.'

The comm cut out and Keith removed the helmet, dropping it beside him where it rolled about a foot away.

"I-i-is he c-c-c-coming?" Lance inquired.

"Y-yeah," he answered, relieved.

"G-g-good. 'C-c-c-cause I d-d-d-don't th-th-think I'm g-g-gonna make it an-nother d-d-day," he admitted with a weak smile.

Keith frowned and wrapped his arm tightly around Lance's shoulders.

"J-j-just h-hold on a little l-l-longer," he begged.

Lance nodded tiredly, head flopping back against Blue's stomach heavily before it rolled against Keith's shoulder. He coughed, and blood trickled down his chin and onto his already bloodied t-shirt. He was pale.

Way too pale.

"H-hey, y-y-you ok-kay?" he shook his bicep lightly with his other hand.

He barely caught it, but Lance gagged quietly and Keith rolled him to the side, holding his forehead and rubbing his back as he threw up. A large amount of it was blood.

"B-breathe," he ordered.

Lance drew in wheezy, shuddering breaths. Finally, after he had nothing left to throw up, Lance collapsed into Keith's arms, hardly able to move. He slipped one arm beneath the half-conscious teen's shoulders, the other wrapped around his body with his hand cradling his back. Lance was heavy, most of his weight leaning into Keith. His head lolled against his shoulder.

"Shh…shh," he rocked him slightly.

Lance's glazed blue eyes opened, blinking up at him. He was pretty out of it, but the two locked gazes and all Keith could think about was Lance's eyes. He'd never really taken the time to look at them. They were the same color as the ocean during the storm, or the sky just before a bad storm when the clouds hadn't completely shaded everything. They reflected all of Lance's pain, his joy, his terror…everything. They brought out his smile. They were beautiful.

He was beautiful.

Keith liked guys. He had for a while. Girls just didn't…click with him. The only one that knew he was gay was Shiro, and even then Shiro knew very little. He'd never dated though. He'd never met the right guy. Never trusted them enough.

But Lance was different. Lance made him mad. Infuriated him even. But he also worried him. Made him laugh.

His eyes moved toward the sky, where Lance was now staring.

"Th-the stars 're s-s-s-so p-p-pretty, a-aren't they?" he murmured lazily.

Keith nodded, admiring the black night sky dotted with glimmering stars and the occasional enormous asteroid.

"K-k-kinda reminds you of h-home, huh?" he whispered.

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Wh-when I was t-t-ten, I w-would lie out o-on the b-b-beach at m-midnight n jus' w-w-watch th-the stars d-drift along. It w-w-was p-p-pretty y'kn-know? P-p-peaceful," he rambled. "T-t-totally worth g-g-getting g-g-grounded for b-being up s-s-s-so late."

Keith gave a small laugh.

"A-anyway, wh-when I j-j-j-joined the G-G-Garrison, I w-w-was so excited t-t-to j-j-join the r-r-r-rest of the fighter c-c-class, b-b-b-because th-th-the f-f-fighters a-a-are usually th-the ones th-that get to g-g-go to space. B-b-but then I g-g-got assigned c-c-cargo pilot I was m-m-mad. A-at you. B-b-because out of a-a-all the p-people in our c-c-c-class it had to b-b-b-be you," he blurted.

Keith frowned. "Wh-what?"

"W-w-well it took y-you like n-n-n-no effort. Y-you w-w-were Iverson's f-f-f-favorite, th-the perfect p-p-p-pilot," he shivered.

Keith sighed. "I-I'm s-s-sorry, I didn't m-m-mean—"

"N-n-no. I d-d-don't blame you," he smiled sleepily. "I w-w-w-was just a t-t-terrible p-pilot." He chuckled, then coughed harshly. More blood erupted from his lips.

"Wh-why don't w-w-we s-s-stop talking now, okay?" he offered.

Lance's eyes snapped wide open. "N-no!" he gasped. "I-I c-c-can't. I-if I d-d-do, I m-m-m-might f-fall as-s-sleep and I d-d-don't th-think I'll…," he trailed off.

"Wake up?" Keith arched an eyebrow.

Lance nodded shakily.

"Lance, I w-w-won't let an-n-nyth-th-thing happen t-t-to you," he murmured, gently brushing the hair out of his face. "I promise."

Lance sighed. "O…okay."

Keith smiled. "G-g-good. C-c'mere."

He pulled him closer and continued his gentle rocking.

He didn't know how long they sat there, but he felt the ground beneath him begin to warm up. He glanced upward, and he knew sunrise was approaching. The dark sky had begun to turn orange along the horizon.

Lance was drowsily blinking up at Keith, watching the thought process on his face. Keith was an anxious thinker. He had tells, and a lot of them. Sometimes he would furrow his eyebrows, or chew his bottom lip. When he thought he was alone, he would twirl his hair around his index finger. There were others, but Lance most commonly saw it in his eyes. They would twinkle curiously as he zoned out, ideas zooming through his head. It was distracting sometimes.

His heart skipped a beat when Keith began to hum. It was a quiet, soft, and peaceful tune that Lance would hear him humming as he passed his room. Both he and Keith liked music, Lance more so than Keith, and they would often be caught singing or humming as they cleaned or worked in their rooms.

Keith started singing. His voice was shivery, but less so than before now that it had started to warm up and Lance was blanketing him.

'I saw the light, fade from the sky. On the wind, I h-heard a sigh. As the snowflakes c-cover, my f-f-fallen brothers, I will say th-this last goodbye.'

Lance's eyelids drooped heavily, and he let out a wheezy sigh. Keith was internally freaking out at how blue his lips were and how absurdly pale he was.

'Night is now falling. S-s-so ends this day. The r-r-road is now c-c-calling, and I, must away. Ov-ver hill, and under t-t-tree, through lands wh-where n-n-never light has shone. B-by silver streams, that run d-down to the sea.'

Though Lance closed his glazed, tired eyes, Keith could tell he was awake and listening.

'Under c-cloud, b-b-beneath the stars, over snow one w-w-winter's morn. I t-t-turn at last, to p-p-paths, that lead h-home. And th-th-though where the road then t-t-takes me, I cannot tell. We came all th-this way, but now comes the day, to b-b-bid you farewell.'

Lance trembled weakly in his arms, and Keith let relief flow through him as the sky began to turn vibrant colors of orange and purple and red. The sand beneath him warmed considerably.

'Many places I have been. M-many sorrows I have seen. But I don't regret, n-n-nor will I forget, all who took that r-r-road with me.'

He trailed off as Lance's breathing deepened and evened out, and he went limp in Keith's arms. The peak of the first sun appeared on the horizon as he dozed off, and Keith chewed his bottom lip.

"Come on Shiro, y-you've gotta get here soon," he prayed quietly.

Shiro spotted her as he crossed above a sand dune.

The Red Lion.

He swooped down and picked her up in Black's jaws. He could tell they weren't inside, though. Paladin's intuition.

Father's intuition.

He sighed, ignoring the little voice in his head.

"Keith, are you with Blue?" he tried.

'Y…g-tt…ry, L…ding r…ad.'

Though he couldn't tell what he was saying, the tone of Keith's voice was enough for him to tell something wasn't right.

"I just picked up Red. What direction do I go?" he asked.

'Wes…t…oon.'

He got enough from that to turn toward the rapidly setting moons—there were three—and even though it had been hours since the crash, he could still clearly see the smoke rising from the small fire Lance's lion had caused.

"I see you. I'm on my way," he assured him.

'H-rry! L…ying!'

Shiro's heart climbed to his throat. Keith was panicking. Keith never panicked. Like, ever.

He shot like a bullet toward the smoke, Red Lion in tow.

Keith was freaking out again. Lance was bleeding again. With the warming temperatures, his body sped up, including his blood flow. Warm, sticky blood spilled over his lips like a river and his naturally browned skin was pale enough to start blending with Keith's, who was already too pale for Shiro's liking. He always said the teen needed more sun. It was unnerving for the Cuban to be this…white. His shirt was drenched with blood, and the rest of him wasn't much better.

Shiro spotted them the instant he neared the lion. Lance's arm was wrapped in a makeshift splint, and though he looked horrific, it was Keith that worried him. Keith was even paler than he usually was, and his face was covered in both his blood and Lance's. His ankle was swollen, though it didn't look broken. He looked exhausted.

But Lance was faring far worse. He looked like he was laying on death's door instead of cradled in Keith's arms. He landed next to them, placing the Red Lion gently on the ground. He leapt from his own Lion, discarding his helmet. He rushed toward them carrying the supply pack.

"Keith!" he shouted.

The black-haired teen glanced up at him tiredly.

"Sh…Shiro," he smiled, relieved.

"My God," he put a hand over his mouth.

Up close, Keith looked awful. The blood was coming from his nose and his temple. He looked like he had been freezing all night, and still was. His fingernails and his lips were an unsettling shade of blue to match Lance's.

Who, by the way, looked dead. The only thing that reminded him he was alive was the small puffs of air erupting from his mouth every dozen ticks.

He was sweating, but it was a cold sweat. The cold weather had allowed for a reprieve from the fever that was probably raging through him. He was literally covered in blood, and his arm was definitely broken…good Lord he could see bone. He was asleep, but Shiro figured he would probably remain that way even if he tried to wake him.

"Sh…Shiro, you've gotta h-help Lance," the Red Paladin whimpered.

The pitiful plea snapped him out of his stupor. He opened the duffel that acted as his supply bag and emptied it. He carried an oxygen tank, bandages, a thermometer, blankets, food, and water.

"Lay him down flat," he ordered gently, spreading a blanket and helping Keith lay Lance on it. He carefully checked his vitals, and when he slipped the mask over Lance's nose and mouth, he was stunned to see tired blue eyes blink up at him.

"P-Papá?" he whimpered softly.

Shiro smiled comfortingly.

"It's Shiro Lance. You're still on Resona," he soothed.

But all he received in response was Lance's inaudible muttering in Spanish and a harsh cough. He sighed again.

"Keith, how're you doin' buddy?" he inquired as he bandaged Lance's wounds.

"'M okay. Jus' t'red," he murmured, leaning heavily against Blue's stomach.

The ground beneath them rumbled, and Keith's eyes drifted to the Lions. Red was standing, and she shook the sand off her back with a low growl.

"Sh-Shiro, d'you think we can—"

Shiro shook his head. "Lance is in no condition for a wormhole jump right now, and I doubt either of you could fly even if Blue were up and running. Besides, that asteroid field is impassible.

Keith frowned as Shiro nixed his plan. Then, he turned his gaze to Lance.

"He's dying," he deadpanned exhaustedly.

"Hey, don't start talking like that," he started.

"I can't lose him Shiro. I-I know I act like I hate him, but I don't," he rambled. "I actually like him, because he's funny, and he's actually pretty smart, a-and…"

Shiro studied his younger friend's face.

"I love him," he breathed. "I love Lance, Shiro. Like…a lot."

Shiro smiled. Allura owed him dinner when he got back. He hadn't wanted to partake in the bet at first, but after Allura heard his theory about the two and bet Shiro he was wrong, he couldn't resist suggesting she make him dinner if she lost. He had his own little theory about her too. He bet himself that she was a good cook and just hiding it from them so she didn't have to take Hunk's place in the kitchen.

"I won't let him die Keith. I promise you," he affirmed.

The boy let out a string of words in Spanish and Shiro returned his attention to Lance.

The next day was a torturous one. Blue had reactivated and now sat with her shield up while Black hovered over them to shade them from the suns. Meanwhile, Shiro and Keith struggled to keep Lance alive, though Keith himself was struggling to stay awake. He was losing blood quickly, and his head wound was getting worse. Turned out it wasn't just a concussion.

Shiro had determined that Lance was bleeding internally and they could do nothing but keep him fed and hydrated. Every once in a while, pain would flare or one of them would touch the wrong place and Lance would let out a blood-curdling scream. It was horrible.

And then, finally…

'Shiro, come in! Can you hear us?'

Allura. He sighed in relief.

"Get down here. Now," he ordered.

Shiro stood between the two cryopods with his arms crossed. Lance would stay in his for the next few days, and he'd wear a brace on his arms to ensure it healed properly. Keith on the other hand would be out in just a few hours, in time to join Shiro and Allura for dinner. Hunk would help her of course, but she would be cooking.

Then, he and Keith would speak about what he would do about Lance. Just years before, he'd helped Keith when he'd been uncertain about his sexuality. It had been difficult enough then. Now he'd get to figure out a relationship with him.

Goodie.

"Mmm," Keith smiled. "This is amazing Allura." He licked his lips.

"Thank you Keith," she smiled gratefully. "I must say, you look much better."

He nodded at the complement with a grin. "I feel a lot better too. Never send us out again without research, okay?"

She laughed. "It's a deal."

Keith sighed.

"Just try to take deep breaths," Shiro suggested.

"That doesn't help Shiro! I'm in love, not trying to meditate!" he snapped.

Shiro flinched.

"S-sorry," he sighed again, running a hand shakily through his hair.

"It's fine. I've never been good at this kind of stuff," he chuckled softly.

Keith smiled. "You really haven't."

Shiro rolled his eyes and smacked Keith's arm, making both of them laugh.

"Okay then. Let's think. Do you know if Lance is into guys?" he inquired after they'd settled down.

Keith shook his head. "I've only ever seen him go for chicks."

Shiro rubbed his chin, feeling his stubble—he needed to shave. "We could ask Hunk," he shrugged.

"Bu-but what if he tells Lance?" he swallowed thickly.

"Hunk may be terrible at keeping secrets, but he's no gossip Keith," the Black Paladin assured him.

"You guys talkin' about me?"

Both of them nearly leapt out of their skin when Hunk came into the common room and flopped down on the couch.

"Hunk! What a coincidence. Keith wanted to ask you something!"

"Wait what? No I—Ow!"

Shiro elbowed him in the stomach.

"Hunk! I just, um…"

Shiro elbowed him again, and he slapped his arm.

"Ow, shit, stop!" he hissed.

"What was it?" Hunk tried.

"IsLancestraight?" he blurted.

"What?" the Samoan arched his eyebrow.

"Is Lance uh…," he cleared his throat. "Is Lance straight?"

"Well no," he replied. "Lance is bisexual. Why?" he inquired.

Keith's heart soared excitedly and Hunk gave him a strange look before it hit him.

"OH!" he exclaimed. "You…oh."

"Y-you can't tell him!" he begged.

Hunk smiled.

"I won't. Promise," he saluted, though his voice was serious.

Keith blew out his breath. He was ready ti tell him.

Now, he just had to wait.

TBC

A/N

Me: That was uh…that was pretty fucking gay.

Disclaimer: Eeyup.

Me: Welp…gOOD THING I'M PANSEXUAL 8D

Disclaimer: You know I hate that face.

Me: 8D 8D 8D

Disclaimer: -_-

-SWGPOC227