Fire.
It was everywhere, ugly yellow-gray flames licking the surface of the barren planet. Me and Blue blasted ice at the dancing lights, attempting to quell the heat, but the fire was faster. It surged up and surrounded us, bathing us, and we were suffocating in the sulfur-smelling smoke as our very bodies melted.
And suddenly it was lessening. We flew up and saw Red, roaring fire at fire, except Red's flames were a vibrant ruby-red that put out the yellow ones like ice cubes before sunlight. The heat given off by Red's fire was warm, but gentle, and we were caressed by it like being hugged.
It was nice, just being hugged. Being held in a gentle warmth that lulled me like a lullaby, but my eyes opened and I saw the inside of the cockpit melting. I looked at my hand, and the armor was melting right off of it, and next came skin, and flesh, and even the bone was reduced to a blackened ash, even though I felt no pain. And somewhere, a voice screeched in my head, screaming words that hurt more then the yellow flames.
No..help…I'm sorry…I tried to say, to scream, but my tongue and lips are reduced to puddles of burning oil that I choke on. I was drowning in this fire that comforted me.
But the red fire bore into my eyes and I blacked out.
"ATTENTION PALADINS. GET TO YOUR LIONS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL." Allura's voice blared through the intercom.
I jerked, and my head shot up and banged against the ceiling of my bunk. I cursed and rubbed the egg that was forming, before leaping out from under the covers and quickly changing into my armor. As I tossed my jacket onto the bed, my phone fell out and landed with a soft thump on my pants.
Nope. Bad idea. I thought immediately, even as I snatched up the phone and tucked it away inside my armor. Hey, why not?
Hold close what I have left of Keith, when the real thing is giving me the cold shoulder.
I rushed into the main control room to meet up with the rest of the crew, and found all of them already there, with similar grim faces. Allura stood at her console, hands on the controls. Before us, technicolor lasers slapped against the prismic shield, leaving explosions in their wake. Dozens of Galran drones shot around the ship. and I saw a large fleet far off.
"Paladins, to your lions. We're engaging in battle." She said, eyes not leaving the scene. We didn't need telling twice and launched ourselves at our lions.
Me and Blue shot ice rays at the drones, successfully freezing at least half a dozen of them. We leaped between laser shots, and sank Blue's fangs into another passing drone. Nearby, Keith erupted fire from Red's maw, melting a couple drones from the heat.
They're strong. Blue purred in my head. We have good teammates.
Yeah. I thought back. If only they didn't hate me.
They don't. Blue replied. Red told me Keith still cares deeply about you, but his temper is building a wall. He needs time away, but he will be the same soon.
Really? You really think so? Even in my head, I couldn't help but think that those words were the words of five year old Lance, not paladin Lance. I pushed away Blue's mechanic vibration in frustration, and then clumsily dodged a kamikaze drone that was heading for Keith.
I fired a blast at the drone, but it was fast. And instead, that icy ray hit-
"Keith!"
Even though I cut off the ray quickly, a chunk of ice now sat on Red's back paw, sending Keith and Red tumbling right into the direction of the Galran fleet. I shot after them.
'Keith! Hang on buddy, I got you!" I bumped Blue's head against Red's side and began pushing them away from the ship, even as explosions happened against Blue's back and jolted me around in the cockpit.
"Lance! What the hell are you doing!" Keith's voice echoed out from my helmet, furious and also concerned.
"What does it look like dumbass! I'm trying to get you out of the danger zone!" I hissed back, as a blast almost knocked me and Blue off balance.
"Stop it! You're going to die!" This time the voice was more worry then anger. Red began wiggling, but I refused to let up.
"You do this sort of stuff all the time, okay! Now shut up and let me save your life!" Was my retort. We were almost back to where the rest of the paladins were fighting. A little more, and we'd be able to get the ice off Red's leg without heavy danger.
"Lance. Lance! LANCE LOOK OUT!" Keith's voice shrieked in my head, full of hysteria now. Too late, I realized that there was another Galran fleet now hovering above us.
Suddenly, me and Blue were shot away from Red and Keith. I looked, and I realized that Keith and Red had kicked us away, and now were being drawn in by the malevolent tractor beam.
"NO!"
"Lance, don't! We'll get him, I promise!" Came Shiro's voice, desperate and anguished. He spoke too late, because I already launched toward Red's unmoving body.
Hunk and Yellow came out of no where and stopped right in my path, bumping into Blue. We spun off course a little, then righted ourselves.
"Hunk, come on! They're taking Keith!"
"We can't lose another paladin. Focus on blowing the ship up, and we'll be able to get him out!" But even as Hunk said that, I noticed the shimmering along the edges of the ship, flickering lights of every shade of purple.
"They're going into hyperspace!" I cried, and immediately Shiro's voice called back.
"Are you sure? How can you tell? Lance, I forbid you to do anything rash-"
Sorry Shiro.
I had Blue force me from the cockpit, and the rocket thrusters on my back carried me to the not-yet-closed bay door where Red and Keith was. I just made it in even as the heavy metal clanged shut, and a loud whoosh filled my ear drums. There was a window on the door, and I peeked out.
I caught one glimpse of Blue, empty of a Pilot and being guarded by Hunk, before hyperspace dissolved the image in a swirl of bright rainbow.
Crouched in the darkness, in a corner of the bay, I watched the Galran droids bang at the red force field surrounding Red's body.
Why wasn't Keith doing anything?
I tried to make contact with him through the comm in my helmet, but all I got was a low groan. He was knocked out.
Come on Keithy boy. You serious?
If Keith was injured in the cockpit, then I had to get him out of here as soon as possible and back to the castle. But Galran droids surrounded Red, and I was hiding between a metal wall and a barrel.
Fear overtook me. My fingers started tapping on the floor, and my foot jumped against the ground. Sweat dripped into my eyes, and my breathing sped up. I was stuck, with no way to help Keith, on an enemy ship. I had no idea where the ship was, and even if I did get to Red, how would I get Keith and Red out of here? I wasn't the pilot of Red, and if Keith was too injured to pilot, we would still be stuck.
You stupid fuck up. Look at you. Fucked up again. A tiny voice murmured in my head, and tears pricked my eyes. I blinked them away furiously,
No time to be crying over mistakes. Right now, I had to make a plan. I carefully edged my way up the metal wall, using the rocket pack every now and then. All the droids were to busy on Red to notice me shimmy into an air vent.
I wasn't small like Pidge, but I'd always been skinny, enough so to slide in. From there, I watched the red sphere of Red's field, pulsing gently.
"Mmmhmm…Lance…."
I jumped; Keith's voice was mumbling in my ear. "Keith?! Keith! Are you okay?!" I choked back, ready to sob with relief.
"Lance…ow….You shouldn't be here."
"Well I'm here now dummy. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Coughing. "Ugh…my ribs…I think they're broken. My head hurts." The voice murmured, sounding sleepy. "Lance…I'm sorry."
"Don't be, you idiot. I'm going to get you out, just stay put." I whispered back. But my heart ached; he was so close, yet so far.
"No, Lance. I'm sorry I was like that. I'm sorry I was mean to you for telling the truth. I feel the same way." His voice was slow, tired. A part of my mind was rejoicing; it's not everyday when Keith apologizes, but the rest of me was just worried. What would happen if Keith fell asleep? I had to keep him talking.
"Listen, I know. I know you feel the same way okay? Just relax." I said back, analyzing my quickest path down. Would Red open up to me? Would I be able to get within the field without getting caught?
Now Red was talking, or growling more like. Lance, he is in pain. But he is afraid of sleep. I will see to it that the sleep is not forever, but you must help him rest.
Oh. Okay. I'm supposed to let him sleep. I felt like a dumbass.
"Keith, listen. You need to rest. I'll talk to you later, 'kay buddy?" I hoped that would suffice.
"No! No, don't go." His voice was strong, forceful, angry now, before dissolving in a series of wet coughs. I didn't want to know what was making his cough wet. Also, now I had a stubborn Keith that was dying and I was still stuck on what to do.
"Okay, okay I won't go." Pause. How the hell do you get a teenager to go to sleep? Sing them a lullaby?
Hey…that might actually work. I got an idea.I pulled my phone out from inside my armor (not easy, let me tell you. Especially when you're stuck in an air vent). I pulled up one of Keith's poems.
"Keith, I'm going to read to you okay? And you're going to go to sleep because you need it."
"Lance-"
Too late. I already started reading, keeping a rhythmic beat to my words.
Fire is such a terrible thing.
It burns and destroys, ruins everything in its path. It leaves scars that never heal, it burns away will to live.
That is why I always preferred ice.
Fire burns hurts. When it kills, it kills through pain. It leaves ugly marks, ruins nerves, and hurts.
Ice heals burns. Ice is cool against the burn. Ice kills gently, through sleep. It doesn't leave marks and preserves bodies in eternal rest
Which is why you are killing me.
You were ice, and you healed the burns left on me. You cooled the fire that ate away my happiness, my ability to love.
I wanted you. I wanted you to soothe my pain, even as the flames ate away my life. But I was also afraid
I was afraid if I got too close you would melt away.
So I stood and watched, always wanting and never receiving. Starving for it yet scared to feed. As you stood strong and welcomed and healing, I burned away everything.
I wanted you
I was afraid of you
Because even if you could soothe this pain, you would still extinguish me.
Would it be worth it? To have you end this suffering? Would it be worth it? To live on but with the knowledge you would never know me? I don't know.
All I know is that someday, somehow, you would be the end of me
Someday, somehow, I'll tell you I love you
Until that day I'll burn