Written for Day 21 of Sheith Month: Sacrifice (bonus: Solar Eclipse).

This occurred to me largely with the idea of the 'sacrifice for the eclipse', Keith and Lance's kidnapping (and being locked up together), and, rapidly, as I discussed it with M (who howled with laughter and riffed off things with me), the final scene in this story. I started with the virgin sacrifice trope it was an easy downhill slide from there.

This would naturally tend towards crack, but crack tends to slide towards ridiculous humour mixed with serious plot/concerns when I write it, which is what this is - I hope it retains a feel something like the show itself.

Keith groaned, rubbing his temple, which hurt, his head throbbed actually, and. . .

He tensed as memory returned. He and Lance had been sent down to a new planet, one not occupied by the Galra, had spent half the day - more than it should have taken - tracking down the material they'd been sent for, and then . . . an attack?

He growled quietly, sitting up and looking around. Lance was sprawled nearby, on another cot like the one Keith found he was sitting on. They were within a room with an open wall blocked off only by a thin framework Keith guessed was probably much stronger than it looked.

Still. . .

Keith rolled to his feet, tensing and steadying himself against the momentary dizziness that struck as he rose. He was unsurprised but angry to find his blade was gone, along with his belt. He eyed the visible space outside the cell, then moved over to check on Lance - he was still unconscious, but as far as Keith could tell he was otherwise fine, not that Keith was exactly an expert. He moved to the open wall and carefully brushed the back of one finger to one of the filaments.

Touching it had no effect on him, so he curled his hand around it.

"No! Step away from the barrier!"

Keith arched an eyebrow and glared at the alien - its skin was an almost painfully bright yellow, which gave him pause; the aliens they'd been amongst on the streets had been shades of pale yellowy-green, though they had otherwise been identical to this one. He pulled back, shifting in a way that would be a show of nerves in a human, multiplied by the several additional pairs of hands. Keith pushed his fingers further between the filaments, tightening his grip, testing.

The guard - if that was what the alien was actually supposed to be - did nothing to actually make Keith stop, so he ignored the instruction. He scanned the room, not that it would do him much good to know what was beyond the cell if he couldn't get himself - and his teammate - out of it.

Keith huffed, a low growl of frustration catching in his throat, and glanced at the guard as he pushed at the barrier. It didn't give at all, though it looked like barely more than wire.

Keith glared at the guard, but other than shooting repeated glances at Keith's hand on the barrier, there was nothing forthcoming from that quarter, not even another warning. Keith stayed where he was, watching the guard as he tried to figure out if there was any reason they might have been attacked - ambushed - here on a planet not loyal to, or under the control of, the Galra Empire.

A low groan came from behind him. Keith narrowed his eyes, then turned away, the back of his neck prickling with unease at turning his back on an enemy, and headed to the cot where Lance rested. He was stirring a little, wincing, but clearly waking.

"Easy." Keith said, resting a hand on Lance's shoulder as he tried immediately to move.

The crinkle between Lance's brows smoothed out a little, and he lay still. Keith hesitated, but left his hand on Lance's shoulder, thumb rubbing back and forth lightly. A few moments later Lance actually opened his eyes and winced even more. "Ow." he said faintly, squinting. "Head hurts. Did you punch me?"

Keith snorted. "Ambush." he said shortly. "Someone else may have punched you."

"Oh. Ow. Wait, why?" Lance asked, pushing up on his elbows, then into a sitting position as Keith moved back to leave him room.

"Good question. Did you hit on anyone important while I wasn't looking?" Keith needled. "You know how that tends to go over." He shook his head, sobering. "No one's said anything," he glanced at the one guard in the room, "and we were peaceful and non-disruptive from when we landed and when we were bargaining."

"You haven't even tried talking to them? Not even a little chat?" Lance said, clearly disbelieving. He shook his head, perhaps in disapproval. "Wait, why am I surprised. It's you." he added, chiding.

"Chatter is more your thing than mine." Keith said dryly, and Lance let out a startled laugh, then grinned like his teeth should be gleaming. Keith leaned back a little, giving him a dubious look, and Lance rolled his eyes.

"True, you mullet-headed desert barbarian." Lance said playfully, and slid off the cot only to wobble as he gained his feet. Keith caught his forearm and steadied him, not bothering to offer a retort.

Lance pulled away after a moment, heading towards the barrier himself. "Hey. Hey, yeah, you, uh . . . jailer guy."

Keith rolled his eyes, but sat down on the cot to watch and listen, off the off-chance the guard said something useful to Lance.

"Oh. . . That's not good."

"What?" Shiro rose from his chair and headed over to Pidge's as she muttered to herself but didn't answer. "Pidge." he prompted patiently, aware that she could get lost in her head when she was problem-solving.

"Uh, we lost contact with Keith and Lance." she said, tipping her head and pulling up another screen. Shiro's stomach went cold. "I'm trying to reinstate a connection with their beacons, but I'm not having any luck yet. . ."

Suddenly Allura was there, resting a hand on the back of Pidge's chair. "Did we lose them both at the same time?" she asked, her expression a little pinched with worry.

"Let me check . . . no." Pidge said, then winced. "We lost Lance first, and then Keith only about a dobosh later. There shouldn't have been any serious threat to them down there, right?" she asked, looking up, eyes wide. "That's what you and Coran said."

"No serious threat doesn't mean no threat at all." Shiro said, faintly surprised at how calm and even his tone was. They needed to focus, though. "Is there anything we could have missed that could have meant there were more serious dangers for them? Pidge, can you find anything from where they disappeared?"

"I'll check, Shiro." Pidge promised, nodding.

Allura frowned. "There should not have been, but I will summon Coran. Perhaps he knows more about the people here that may prove helpful." she said hopefully, and Shiro nodded understanding.

Hunk came in with snacks while Coran was explaining a few of the festivals the Razyn enjoyed, and Pidge was still looking for any clues. Hunk was the only one actually interested in the snacks, nervously picking at a sandwich while they all listened to Coran more or less patiently, Pidge likely with only half an ear.

"Really, they're a lovely people, and their festivals- Ah, what a beautiful panoply." Coran said fondly, stroking his moustache. "Nothing to worry about outside of a solar eclipse!" He laughed. "Of course then things can get quite nasty! Wouldn't want to be wandering about unwarily then, no no no!"

"Wait, what about a solar eclipse?" Pidge said suddenly, turning halfway.

"I said there's nothing to worry about with the Razyn any time except leading up to a solar eclipse, why?" Coran asked.

"There's a solar eclipse in two days." Pidge said, looking slightly sick. "Coran, what happens on the solar eclipse?"

"Ah. . . Oh dear." Coran said, even his moustache wilting a little. Shiro's hands tightened into fists at his sides. "The Razyn have an elaborate series of ceremonies the day of the eclipse, right through totality, with a number of . . . sacrifices, killed in locations scattered across the planet to 'appease the universe'. They are chosen from off the streets as those the universe guided there. If they are eligible."

Shiro heard a muted roaring sound he realised after a few moments was only in his head. He forced it down slowly, trembling, until all he could hear was the rhythmic thump of his own heartbeat in his ears - blending with memories of sentries' boots thudding in a terrifying pattern.

"You- You mean they're gonna die?" Hunk yelped, eyes wide and frightened.

"Pidge. Find them." Shiro ordered, and Pidge settled back in her seat, fingers flying over the console. "We're going to get them back, but for that we need to know where they are."

"I will, Shiro." Pidge swore, looking determined, and she was one of the people Shiro would want looking for him if he was lost - taken - anywhere on a strange planet.

The other was down there, somewhere, captured by the Razyn, and Shiro was determined to get him - both of them - back.

"Right. We'll totally get them back." Hunk's eyes looked a little watery, but he was determined, his face set. Shiro nodded to him approvingly.

"Coran, what else can you tell us?" Shiro demanded. "Princess, do you know anything more?"

"I'm afraid not, I'm sorry Shiro. I never came this far myself." Allura said softly, concern warring with determination in her eyes. "The Razyn are an insular people, though quite welcoming to visitors, and do not often involve themselves in galactic politics."

"You said 'eligible'," Shiro said, turning back to Coran, "what does that mean?"

"Ah." Coran said, with a weak smile. "There are a number of criteria, all of which are likely to be met by our Paladins . . . but the most critical requirement is that of complete sexual purity."

Pidge's fingers actually stopped tapping. "What."

"What?" Hunk yelped, then silenced himself again abruptly, frowning. "Wait, do they have a way to, uh, check for that? Like some sort of . . . machine? Because that would be creepy. And cool? But creepy, totally!"

"Of course they don- Wait. Do they?" Pidge asked, looking distracted. "I can't even imagine how you would be able to scan for something like that. I mean, recent activity, sure, maybe, but-"

"Yes, they do." Coran confirmed, interrupting Pidge while Shiro could only stare at her and try not to blush. "They will also choose only the most appealing, ah, victim, from each region - though there are many more points at which sacrifices are required, those captured are never transported from the area in which they were taken."

"So they'll only kill one of them." Hunk said, looking upset again.

"No, they won't." Shiro said firmly. "Because we're going to get them back. Both of them." Any other outcome was . . . not an option. Please, Shiro thought.

"Coran," Allura said, "you know the most about the Razyn's . . . ritual. Which of the Paladins do you think they are more likely to choose?"

Coran looked surprised, then thoughtful.

"Is Lance . . . eligible?" Shiro asked, clearing his throat. "They'll- They'll use Lance." He ducked his head slightly.

"How could you know that, Shiro?" Pidge asked, then hummed, frowning and enlarging an image on her console.

"Erm." Shiro fought down a flush, his stomach turning over. "Because . . . of . . . things." he faltered.

"Why do you say that?" Hunk said at almost the same time. "Coran was saying that the most important thing is sexual purity and I mean I know that Lance hasn't but how do you know if Keith oh my god!"

Shiro jumped, looking at Hunk, Coran and Allura doing the same.

"You- You and- and Keith?" Hunk said, and Shiro went red again.

"Oh my quiznak you and Keith are having sex." Pidge shouted, all but standing up in her chair.

"Well." Shiro said loudly. "Let's not discuss that right now." he said, hopeful. "We do have-"

"You and Keith are involved?" Allura questioned. "Sexually - romantically? And I didn't know?" Her eyes were huge and shimmering. "How did I not know this?"

"Hey! I found where they were taken from!" Pidge interrupted. "And," she paused, whistling, "not a pretty scene."

Shiro lunged to her side, visions of a bloody mess left behind from an attack spinning through his mind, but-

"I'm guessing most of that was trying to take Keith, to be honest." Pidge said, zooming back out a little and showing the section of street littered with smashed glass and wood, a wall that had been sliced through, pieces of it tumbling down and across the street, and a broken down door. "They didn't have their bayards, and. . ."

"Keith fights best hand-to-hand." Allura filled in. "No doubt you are correct, Pidge. I. . . I hope they are all right. Coran, what . . . condition need the . . . potential sacrifices be in?"

"They'll do their best to keep them completely unharmed, Princess." Coran said, and Shiro felt briefly weak-kneed with relief, even if he knew that neither Keith nor Lance would have gone without being either unconscious or subdued and restrained.

"Coran, help Pidge find where they are being held if you can. Our best chance may be to wait until the day of eclipse to rescue them," Allura said, sending a sympathetic look at Shiro as he choked back the urge to shout a protest, "but we must have all the facts."

Keith seriously entertained the idea of punching Lance, but squashed it down again. It wasn't as though he was being more irritating than usual, but usually Keith could get away from him. They were pushing on to a full day of being trapped in this cell together and Keith was beginning to get twitchy from the lack of quiet and the near-constant stream of words from Lance.

Being locked up was making it much worse, of course, but there was even less he could do about that. Keith growled under his breath, bracing one foot against the wall by the cot. He had been trying for probably half a varga to tune Lance out and find some calm - not that it was going well, as images of Shiro kept flitting back into his mind. While normally that would be calming in itself, now Keith kept wondering what Shiro was doing now, what all of the others were doing, back on the Castle, in the wake of his and Lance's disappearance.

He was jolted out of his thoughts not by Lance, but by the sound of footsteps. Lance fell silent, exchanging a look with him. They both rose and moved a little closer to the open wall, watching several aliens that looked like their already-present pair of guards walk in alongside two more whose skin was a much darker yellow.

They both approached the cell, and one of them waved off one of the guards when it moved forwards and began to warn how aggressive the prisoners were. Keith glared and resisted the urge to bare his teeth. He'd done that last night, and Lance had spent at least ten doboshes making 'rabid' jokes until Keith almost did want to bite him.

One of the aliens began to speak, and Keith's brows rose as it explained the eclipse and the universe and some sort of religious - or scientific? - ritual to them. His eyes narrowed, but he listened until it stopped talking, and Lance gave up trying to interrupt after half a dozen times of being hushed sharply by the other dark yellow alien.

They moved together, conferring quietly, though they kept looking - unsurprisingly - at Lance and Keith. The guards held respectfully back from the pair.

Lance wandered over to the barrier and nodded companionably to one of the guards. It twitched, nearly dropping the polearm it held, and Keith resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Especially when Lance began to talk and the guard only looked more terrified. Keith listened closer, trying to make out what Lance was saying, but he couldn't hear him well.

Lance gestured broadly, then changed into an appalling stance that Keith suspected was supposed to look like he was wielding a sword and shield, and made a whoosh-crash sound.

Ah. Lance was talking about Voltron, Keith guessed.

"It is a great prize, of course!" Keith startled, looking back at the aliens who seemed to be in charge.

Prize.

Keith suspected while he'd been focusing on Lance he'd missed something.

"Only one of exceeding purity may be used as an honoured sacrifice to appease the forces of the universe!" one of the darker yellow aliens was saying, and Keith cocked a brow, considering. "Any being not of such sexual purity would be an ill gift, nay, an insult to-"

Keith kept part of his attention on the speech, in case there was anything else important in there, but relaxed a little. He was still ticked to have gotten caught - and to be locked up in here with Lance? he huffed - but at least they were safe from the actual sacrificial-

Keith frowned, gaze ticking towards Lance again. He was safe. Very safe, in fact, after the interlude yesterday morning, he thought, almost amused.

. . .he didn't actually know about Lance, though. He had less than no desire to try and initiate that conversation. Lance continued talking to one of the brighter yellow aliens guarding their cell in a wheedlesome tone, a little louder now - Keith caught 'important', 'Voltron', 'Princess', and 'Blue' - and ignoring Keith.

As it seemed Lance was not going to pay any attention, unfortunately Keith would likely have to ask. He'd worry about broaching the topic later, when they weren't at least being actively lectured, even if 'not watched' was unlikely.

Keith wondered, aggravated, if he pointed out to them that he was a useless sacrifice could they then dispense with this nonsense, letting him go. He shifted his weight, frowning at the alien who was still talking holy Lions how much could there really be to say about this?

Quite a bit, as it happened - especially, they were informed, as this was incredibly short notice, the eclipse being upon the very next quintant- and eventually Lance had come away from the guard and listened as well. Some time after that both of them gave up on presenting a bold front - not that Lance had been very determined to do so anyway - and returned to sit on their cots.

They remained there as the cell slowly darkened with the oncoming night. The aliens in charge had left some time ago, taking their speeches, their machine, and most of their guards with them. But neither Keith nor Lance could sleep, and when Lance rambled and fidgeted nervously, Keith couldn't bring himself to snap at him, now.

The machine had unnerved them both, though the glow it produced had done nothing that they could feel or see. It had initially been white, and spread to fill their entire cell, inescapable - then it had rippled and wrapped around each of them, and changed colours; red for Keith, blue for Lance.

Lance had joked about there being easier ways - he was happy to talk further about their places within Voltron, for one - to determine which Lions they piloted. His voice had trembled a little and neither of them had believed that was what the light had been, but they didn't exactly have anything else to go on.

Lance was going hoarse and Keith had begun to talk for him, by the time the sun rose. He was stressed and angry, but anger had always been a safe shield for him, and while he wished they were both safe, Keith would rather be in danger himself than have one of his . . . 'family' in trouble alone.

Lance, though, had been looking . . . thin, somehow. Something in his eyes had gone rabbity and talking had seemed to help, so Keith had engaged and let him ramble until his voice started to fail. The look came back, and if having something to focus on helped, then Keith could talk, boring as Lance might find it. Lance teased him a few times, but he also smiled, looking steadier, and Keith didn't return any of his jabs, this time.

Somehow neither of them were expecting it when one of the guards just reached through the filaments of the barrier and dragged Lance out. Keith was on his feet instantly but he couldn't get to Lance and was left to shout and wrestle uselessly with the barrier as Lance stared at him, being dragged away and out of sight.

Keith paced, his stomach in knots and his blood racing. Every so often he slammed a fist or booted foot into the barrier or the wall, not really testing - he'd done that the first day, until he was bruised and scraped up and Lance had given up teasing for concern; he couldn't break free - but needing to do something. Lance was-

Lance was probably going to die, and there was nothing Keith could even fucking do about it!

Keith rested his forearm against the wall and his brow against his arm. "Damn. Lance, I'm- I'm sorry, buddy." he said softly, cringing.

"Keith? I need you to be ready."

Keith jumped, straightening. That was Pidge's voice, though amplified and metallic from her Lion's broadcast speaker. He tensed, though . . . was there even a way through the barrier holding him in other than phasing through it like the aliens had done?

Keith shook his head. The wall was there and if necessary Pidge could break through that. And they could get to Lance. Keith clung to that, though he had no idea where Lance was or even how long they had - although at least, he thought, glancing at the small window, he knew that the eclipse was not happening yet.

The filaments glowed brightly before simply dissolving and Keith was through and past them in an instant. He slammed out through the doorway that they'd dragged Lance through, found his belt, jacket, and even his knife, and snatched them up along with - he rolled his eyes, and swore he'd taunt Lance about it later - Lance's jacket and the clacking, mobile alien toy he had bought before their capture.

The supplies they'd been sent for had been in the pouches on Keith's belt and, miraculously, were still there, from the weight. Keith didn't look, running onwards, unsure where Pidge was until she guided him in a weird amplified whisper.

"Keith!" Pidge said, obviously relieved, as Keith ran up into the cockpit. She pulled her Lion away from the prison.

"Pidge! Thanks." Keith said sincerely. "It's good to see you." He shook his head and immediately continued. "We have to get to Lance!" he urged. "We have to track him down. Right now. They're-"

"I know. We know where he is, I just needed to grab you first." Pidge said, smiling reassuringly. "Or, we know where he'll be in about three doboshes. The eclipse is beginning."

Keith's heart thudded and dropped in his chest. "You should have got him first, not me." he said almost numbly.

"More noticeable to grab him first, and easier for them to snap extra security around you, already in jail." Pidge said, soaring over the city. "Hunk and Shiro are providing a distraction elsewhere; I'm going to dive in over the temple, but I need you to take my speeder and grab Lance. There's a dome over the," her voice faltered, "we don't know if Green can break it, but its open at the sides, so with the speeder. . ."

"So you came to get me first because you needed me for the second part." Keith teased, feeling a little better about it.

"Maybe." Pidge flashed a quick grin. "If you drive Lance off another cliff he's never going to shut up this time." she teased back.

"You were screaming pretty loud too." Keith said, snorting, not voicing his thought. He didn't care if Lance bitched about his piloting during the rescue; if he was alive and okay enough to complain about Keith, Keith would be grateful. For at least a whole three vargas, he was reasonably sure. "I'll get him." he swore, and Pidge nodded.

Keith ran down to the speeder to await Pidge's signal, ready to go after Lance as soon as they were close enough.

"A little sympathy here!" Lance protested as they spilled onto the bridge, pushing at Pidge's hands, outstretched towards him with her little scanner, which was making little whirring beeps near his chest. "We could both have died down there!"

Shiro's breath caught as Keith slipped out behind them, and smiled right at him. Shiro had known they were safe - Pidge had reported when she had Keith, and then when Keith had somehow managed to scoop Lance up, still tied up, into the green speeder, dodge all the guards and priests, and get them both back up to Pidge in the Green Lion in less than five doboshes. Shiro had known, but it was unbearably good to see.

"Oh, no no no!" Coran said, laughing and waving his hands. "The Razyn only kill their ritual sacrifices! Any ineligible 'sacrifice potentialities' they captured are free to go after the eclipse passes, no harm done!"

"I wondered about that." Keith nodded, making his way over to Shiro. Shiro clasped his shoulder, fingers shaking a little, and Keith lightly brushed his hip, comforting. "I'm fine." he promised softly.

"Well, that's all right then." Lance said sarcastically, his voice a little rough. "We still could have died! We could have been 'chosen'!"

"Well." Allura stifled a giggle. Badly. "Poor Lance could have, anyway. He was in more danger than Keith, it seems."

"Of course I was!" Lance yelped, and Keith snorted. Shiro thought Lance sounded like he was torn between distress and- "I mean, given a choice between me and mullet-brain the choice is obvious!" he asserted, grinning. "I was of course, the best option!"

Pidge was grinning now, and Shiro felt a premonition of something horrible. "Right." she said cheerfully. "Sure." Lance looked vindicated and slightly surprised. "That and Shiro's dick says Keith is ineligible for their sacrifices."

Shiro blanched and Keith's eyebrows rose sharply.

Lance made a strangled sound. "What?" he managed after a minute. "Wait- Wait. . ." He paused, as though waiting for sense to reassert itself. "What the quiznak?" he yelped when it evidently did not return to him.

Shiro went red, and Keith laughed softly, nuzzling Shiro's cheek affectionately. Shiro's blush deepened and he ducked his head.

"Wait what? What does Shiro's dick have to do with Keith- Wait- Why would that be- What was the criteria for their sacrifice?" Lance yelled, eyes wide.

"Sexual purity," Keith said from almost under Shiro's jaw, surprising him, "I guess you missed that bit of their lecture while you were trying to explain about Voltron and how important we were to one of the guards."

Pidge raised her eyebrows and glanced between Keith and Lance. Lance was gaping slightly, though despite his abortive flailing, no sound was coming out of his mouth for once.

"Now," Keith straightened and grabbed hold of Shiro's vest with one hand, "I'm going to go and make . . . quite sure mine is all gone, just in case. And thank Shiro for," he paused, with a slow grin, as Shiro flushed even deeper, "'saving' me."

He headed towards the door, dragging Shiro along with him.

"I mean, really Pidge saved you." Hunk pointed out, and Shiro almost cringed.

"Oh no, I want none of this." Pidge said, waving one hand.

"No," Keith said, turning halfway back towards the others, his grip on Shiro's vest not loosening, "Pidge saved Lance, apparently - according to Coran - they would have just let me go after the eclipse, you know, since I'm not eligible." He grinned again. "So Shiro saved me. Don't you think that deserves a thank you?" he asked innocently.

Shiro took a moment to bid farewell to the idea of ever not blushing again, because at this rate his cheeks would be red forever.

"Thanks for picking us up, though, Pidge." Keith said with a slight smile.

"You're welcome." Pidge replied, snickering. "Really though, go, uh, thank Shiro."

Shiro shot her a glare, and she only snickered harder, flapping one hand dismissively.

Keith tugged and Shiro let himself be dragged off, grateful to be leaving the bridge and the rest of their friends, now - and . . . he was looking forward to being able to confirm for himself, fully, that his lover was whole and unhurt. He had been unable to rest for two quintants, imagining all the terrible things that could have happened to Keith, even with captors who wanted to keep him 'as close to completely unharmed as possible'.

Shiro caught Keith's waist as they stepped into the elevator, pulling him close.

Keith smiled, tipping his head up for a soft, sweet kiss.