Author's Note: Koibito is Japanese for sweetheart; aniki is Japanese for big brother.
"So, that's what we're facing," Keith concluded, looking around the table at his teammates and Allura. "We have maybe a week before there's a Garrison fleet knocking on our door."
Allura was livid. "I cannot believe Marshal Graham would do such a thing! He has to know Arus will view this as an act of war on the part of the Alliance."
"Oh, trust me, he knows," Lance drawled. "He just doesn't care. He wants Voltron and will do whatever it takes to get him." He looked at Keith and Jeff. "If he can take one or both of you out in the process, that's just gravy."
"Yeah, that's the truth," Jeff sighed. "So, what do we do? It'll be just our luck that Zarkon will attack at the same time."
"Our main focus is Zarkon," Keith answered grimly. "If it comes to it, ignore the Garrison fleet. Hopefully, the commander won't be so terminally stupid as to attack us while Zarkon is attacking."
Allura got to her feet. "I must go discuss this with Coran. We WILL file a formal protest with the Alliance." She swept out, leaving the Force to discuss how best to deal with the Garrison fleet.
Two nights later found Keith in a secluded corner of the garden, meditating. Despite Arus' protest, the team's Garrison contacts had confirmed that morning that a fleet was on the way to Arus, with orders to take Voltron at any cost. For the first time in his life, Keith found himself unable to meditate. His thoughts kept racing in circles, going back again and again to Jeff's prediction that Zarkon would mount an attack at the same time. If that happens, we're dead, he thought grimly.
He started as a pair of arms slipped around his waist, then relaxed as he registered Jeff's presence. "Thought I'd find you out here," his lover murmured, nuzzling his neck. "You do know you're an hour late for your shift in the Control Room?"
Keith swore and started to get up; he hadn't realized it was that late. Jeff pulled him back to the ground with a laugh. "Relax, Lance is covering for you. He took the shift and chased me off to look for you when you didn't show up. Talk to me, koibito. What's in that head of yours?"
"Everything," Keith sighed, leaning back into his lover's arms. "Graham will stop at nothing to have Voltron, including our deaths. Zarkon wants us just as dead. How do we fight both of them?"
"We don't, tonight." Jeff massaged Keith's shoulders, marveling at the tension in them. "Do you realize we haven't touched each other since we came to Arus?" He moved in front of Keith, taking his face in his hands and kissing him deeply. Keith resisted at first, aware that anyone could come along, but soon lost his will to fight.
Slowly, Jeff unbuttoned Keith's shirt and let it fall to the ground. He lowered his head and sucked on Keith's nipple until it turned pebbly under his tongue. Keith moaned, wrapping his fingers into Jeff's dark hair. "Been too long, koibito. That feels good!" Jeff switched to the other nipple, licking and sucking. One hand drifted to the bulge in Keith's jeans and cupped it for a minute, then slowly stroked it. Keith froze. "Ah, wait, not yet, SHIT!"
Jeff sat up, eyes wide. "Did you just come?" Keith's blush was his answer. "Damn, didn't realize it had been that long! Come on, let's go inside and finish this. A fine thing," Jeff grumbled, low enough that only Keith could hear him. "Get all set to make love to you in the garden all night, and you go all thirteen years old on me."
"Sorry, koibito. I'll make it up to you." They reached their quarters and Keith slowly stripped Jeff of his shirt and jeans. His lover was achingly hard, penis flat against his belly and already leaking precum. Keith pushed him down on the bed, then knelt between his legs. Slowly he licked Jeff's erection from bottom to top, then took the head into his mouth and sucked it.
Jeff hissed and fisted his hands in the sheets, closing his eyes in ecstasy. "Oh, yes, just like that, koibito!" Keith said nothing, just took more of him into his mouth, swirling his tongue up and down Jeff's shaft. Jeff groaned and thrust into Keith's mouth, quickly reaching his peak and tumbling over it with a shout. Keith gulped his release down, then crawled up to lie beside Jeff.
"Did that make up for it?" Keith grinned. Jeff didn't answer, but wrapped his arms around Keith and kissed him soundly. Keith returned the kiss and nestled into Jeff's arms.
Just as they were about to fall asleep, the alarms went off. The two men threw their clothes on and sprinted for Control. Lance had the main monitor split in two, and was intently watching two very different fleets entering the Arus system. He glanced behind him when he heard Keith and Jeff's footsteps. "That bastard Graham," he growled. "He sent the fleet as soon as he talked to you, Keith; looks like we're going to have one hell of a party. How do we fight Garrison and Zarkon?"
"We don't," Keith said calmly, as Hunk and Pidge scrambled into the room. "Zarkon is our enemy, not the Garrison. Don't engage the Garrison forces unless you have to, and shoot to disable only. We don't need to give Graham the ammunition that we killed innocent Garrison soldiers following orders."
Lance rolled his eyes and yielded his seat to one of the Castle technicians. "Damn, you don't ask for much, do you?"
"Wouldn't ask if I didn't know you could do it." Keith took one more glance at the monitor; the Doom fleet was entering Arus' atmosphere. "Let's go, team."
Halfway through the battle with the Doom forces, the Garrison fleet arrived and hailed the Force. "This is Admiral James Connelly, commanding the 7th Garrison fleet. You are ordered to immediately surrender yourselves and your ships. I f you refuse, we have orders to fire on you."
"We're a little bit busy here, already getting shot at, in case you didn't notice." Lance grunted the last words as he dodged an attack and destroyed its source.
Keith unleashed a volley that took out half a dozen Doom ships, then addressed the Admiral. "We aren't surrendering. Arus depends on us, and on Voltron, to do just what we're doing right now. Either help us, or stay out of our way. As Lt. McClain said, we're a little bit busy right now." He switched his COM to the private Force frequency. "Here we go, guys. Remember what I said about shooting to disable."
"Shame no one told THEM that," Jeff commented. As soon as the words left his mouth, the fleet opened fire. The Force did their best, but were caught in a crossfire between the Garrison ships and the Doom ships, all of which seemed determined to kill them.
One of the Garrison fighters was just a little quicker than Jeff. As he dodged a Doom attack, the Garrison fighter took aim and fired a missile that tore into Blue Lion just behind the cockpit. Jeff's scream rang across the COM, then cut off as Blue plummeted from the sky. Keith cried out and dove after his lover.
Lance swore and went after him. "Keith, get your head back in this battle!" Red Lion crouched in front of Black, tail whipping. Black growled and tried to go around him; Lance matched the move. "Damn it, Keith, listen to me!" Lance yelled. "I know you want to see about Jeff, but we need you here! You leave, we're ALL gonna be in MedTech, if we aren't dead!"
"Jeff," Keith whispered brokenly. "Lance, he—"
"I don't know, aniki." Lance glanced at the ground. "The trauma team's got him; they'll do everything they can. You can't help him now, but you can help us."
Keith took a deep breath and wiped his eyes with gloved fingers, then jerked his controls and re-engaged the Doom fleet.
As he did, he heard the Princess on the COM. "Admiral Connelly," she said formally. "You have fired on Arusian forces in the middle of a battle. We have no choice but to view that as an act of war on the part of the Galaxy Alliance. Commander Kogane, do you and your men stand with Arus, or is your loyalty to the Alliance?"
Keith destroyed the last Doom ship and looked around for a robeast. Not seeing one, he turned his attention to his teammates, ignoring the ache in his heart over the missing one. Hunk and Lance were both coldly furious, shooting at every Garrison ship in range, but still mindful of Keith's orders. Pidge was flying, but not firing; his face was white and his eyes were huge behind his glasses. "Guys," Keith said quietly. "I can't order you to stay; you're free to go back to Earth with the fleet. I'm staying; I can't leave Jeff." If he's still alive, he thought bleakly.
Lance snorted. "And you two will form Voltron how? This place needs us; they're Zarkon bait without Voltron, and if we leave, they don't have him." Hunk and Pidge nodded in agreement.
"I just wish I knew Chip would be OK," Pidge whispered.
"He will be," Lance assured him. "The Explorer is well out of Graham's reach now, and Sven and Commander Hawkins will protect him." Pidge nodded, the look on his face changing from fear to determination.
Keith switched from the private COM to open mode. "Princess Allura, my men and I would be honored to stand with Arus. Admiral Connelly, we will be transmitting our resignations to Galaxy Garrison no later than 1700 hours."
"Thank you, Commander Kogane." Allura addressed the admiral. "Sir, you and your troops are not welcome in Arusian airspace. Leave at once. Commander Kogane, kindly see to it that he does so."
"Highness," Keith acknowledged, then turned and took up a position flanking the Garrison flagship. The rest of the Force followed suit, and escorted the fleet beyond the bounds of the Arus system. Once he was sure the fleet was leaving, Keith flew back to Arus with all the speed he could coax out of Black. Now that the battle was over, all his fear for his partner had come roaring back to the surface, and he could think of nothing but getting to Jeff's side.
Lance watched him go, then ordered Hunk and Pidge back to the Castle, sighing as he brought Red around to follow them. Please Dear God, he prayed, for the first time in years, let Jeff be all right. Keith can't live without him, and we don't stand a chance in hell without Keith.
Keith landed Black in front of the Castle and sprinted for MedTech, heart in his throat. "Where is Lieutenant Commander Dukane?" he asked the first nurse he saw.
"He's in surgery, sir," the nurse was wide-eyed at the frantic appearance of the usually cool and collected Voltron Commander. "If you have a seat in the waiting room, Dr. Gorma will let you know something as soon as he can."
Lance found him pacing the waiting room a short time later, too anxious to sit. "Any word?" Lance asked softly.
"Not yet." Keith turned an anguished face to Lance. "What if he dies, Lance? I-I can't live without him!" Tears shone in his eyes and poured down his cheeks unheeded.
Lance pulled his best friend into his arms, letting the tears soak his shoulder. "He won't die, brother. He loves you too much to leave you like that. It'll be all right, you'll see." Someone cleared their throat behind him; the two men turned to see Dr. Gorma, still in his scrubs.
"Lt. Commander Dukane is in critical condition," he said somberly. "He has a concussion, lacerated liver, and a right arm that is broken in three places. He should make a full recovery, however, Commander."
"May I see him?" Keith managed not to beg.
"Not now, he needs his rest and we don't allow visitors in ICU. Speak with the nurse about visiting hours when he is moved to a room." Gorma turned and left, oblivious to the bereft expression on Keith's face.
Lance ran after the doctor. "Doc, there's something you should know. Keith and Jeff have been lovers for a long time. That wasn't the Commander of the Voltron Force asking to see his second; that was Keith Kogane begging you to let him see the man he loves." He put his hand on Gorma's arm. "Please, make an exception? Those two are closer than any two people I've ever seen in my life; I know it will do Jeff good to have Keith there."
The doctor hesitated, then nodded. "Very well. I will leave orders that Commander Kogane may see Lt. Commander Dukane any time he wishes. That is the only exception I will make, Lieutenant. I don't want your whole team crowding into my ICU."
"We won't. Thank you, doctor." Lance went back and gave Keith the good news; a few minutes later, a nurse came and escorted Keith to the intensive care unit.
Keith's heart stopped at the sight of Jeff. He was deathly white, black curls gone and a bandage in their place. Tubes and wires ran everywhere, and Keith could barely make out the rise and fall of Jeff's chest as he breathed. He sat down next to the bed and took Jeff's slack hand. "Oh god, koibito," he whispered. "Please don't leave me; I can't do this without you."
There was no response but the beeping machines.