Timeline Notes: Takes place during season three up to episode four, Hole in the Sky. (I apparently really like this timeline section - Yay Keith in leader mode!)

This fic is a birthday present for my absolutely wonderful friend and fellow author, heyheroics! Happy birthday hun! She and I met and bonded over Voltron fanfiction and it goes to show you that you never know who you'll meet and the impact they will make in your life. I'm so glad we became friends and I look forward to many, many more memories. Enjoy your birthday present with all of your favorites!

xxx

Detonate

Keith couldn't help the smirk of satisfaction as he closed up the panel with a resounding snap. It looked the same as all the others that lined the engine room, save that this one now had Pidge's code and Hunk's bomb ensconced within it that would start the chain reaction to take out the entire Galra base that housed battleships and cruisers.

It was one of Keith's first missions as the Black Paladin, not counting the failed attempt to take on Lotor that could have ended much, much worse. So this time Keith was determined to do right as the leader of Team Voltron and he had made it a full group effort upon learning of the base through Pidge's radio chatter.

The base was fully automated with sentry-bots rather than flesh and blood Galrans and served as both a repair depot for damaged ships as well as storage of operational craft. Taking out the base wouldn't deal any huge blow to the Galra Empire, but it would certainly cause them quite the inconvenience in this sector and would give the Paladins additional time to free nearby subjugated planets without Galra reinforcements flooding in.

That, and after said failed mission they needed a morale boost as a team. Hunk and Pidge had put their genius together to create a sequence of coding that Pidge was uploading into the mainframe that would send a current to each generator box and trigger the bomb Hunk had designed. Using the Blue Lion's sonar they had calculated the optimal places to put the bombs and while Hunk guarded Pidge as she uploaded the programming, Keith, Lance and Allura had made their way around the base and installed the devices according to Hunk's instructions.

Keith had just placed his fourth and final one without incident. He had stressed stealth to all members of the team, especially Lance, as even though there were only sentries here they wanted to avoid alerting them at all costs.

Reaching up Keith activated his comm, bayard held firmly in his hand as he exited the engine room.

"Pidge, Hunk, status report," he said softly, going back down the hall he'd come in on toward the hangar where they had parked the Green Lion.

"Sequence is engaged," Pidge said, sounding far too delighted at the idea of the base blowing up. "We've got… fifteen dobashes and thirty ticks remaining. Hunk and I are headed for Green now."

"Allura?" Keith checked in next.

"I have just finished," Allura's regal tones sounded over the comms. "Also returning to the Green Lion."

Last one then. "Lance?" Keith asked.

"Just about done, oh fearless leader," came Lance's response. A pause and then, "All right, finished."

Keith went to exhale the breath he wasn't aware he was holding when there was a short gasp on Lance's end.

"Lance?" he called, hating how the back of his neck prickled with some unknown dread. Because nothing was supposed to go wrong. This was a team-building mission, a quick get-in, get-out. They'd done their research. He'd listened this time. They'd looked over every angle.

Nothing was supposed to go wrong.

"Holy cr—"

Lance's panicked words were cut off with a burst of static and at once everyone began yelling into their own comms for Lance to respond.

But Lance did not answer.

The dread morphed into something colder, something fiercer and Keith shivered at the onslaught.

Something had most certainly gone wrong.

Keith forced himself to take a breath, willing the icy grip around his lungs to lessen.

"Pidge," he said, steadier than he felt and at the tone the other shouts fell silent. "What was Lance's last location?"

"Um… Three floors down from you and about a quarter mile north. There's a stairwell two hallways down from your current location." Keith calculated that as roughly about six minutes away, if he hurried. Hunk and Pidge were closer, being already on the same level, but he needed Pidge back to fly the Green Lion or they were all stuck.

"I shall come too," Allura joined in.

"No," Keith said. "Get to the Green Lion."

"Keith—" Hunk tried to protest.

"I'll get Lance," Keith overrode. "Get to the Lion."

He couldn't explain the fear that was wrapping itself about him or the way every instinct he had was screaming that they all needed to leave. Now.

What he did know was that Lance was in trouble and he was not going to let any other members of the team endanger themselves. They were safest in the Green Lion and so that was where they were going to go. He would be enough to help Lance. He was their best fighter and team leader. And he wasn't going to let Hunk leave Pidge alone with who knows what out there to double back for Lance while she made for the Green Lion to ready her for launch.

"I'll go back and shut down the detonation," Pidge said, voice higher-pitched as it tended to do when she was scared. "It won't take long."

That… that wasn't actually a bad idea, even if Keith's stomach did curdle at the thought of them moving towards possible danger. But he'd told himself he need to listen to his team and Pidge was making a lot of sense. Why fight against both an exploding base and the unknown threat when they could eliminate one of them for their own safety? "All right," he heard himself say. "Hunk, stay with her. Allura, continue to the Green Lion."

All was silent for a couple minutes except for Keith's short breaths echoing in his ears as he pelted both quickly and quietly to the aforementioned staircase, before Hunk's voice came over the comms, trembling and panicked.

"Keith," he whispered, barely audible over Pidge's frustrated cursing. "There's sentries everywhere and—"

He broke off and Keith felt his heart leap into his throat for the second time in a matter of seconds.

"Quiznak, there's a Galran here," Pidge gasped. "He's huge! And…" Keith heard her swallow thickly. "He's got a prosthetic, Keith. Like Sendak. He just entered the control room."

The control room where Pidge needed to get defuse their bomb.

"Get out of there now," Keith demanded, fear making his voice sharp. The knot in his stomach tightened and he had the terrible, terrible feeling that that Galran was the reason for Lance's sudden radio silence. And if the Galran was walking around then that meant… that meant…

He couldn't think like that. Lance was fine.

He had to be.

"But the bomb—"

"Keep me updated on the timer," Keith ordered. "Every dobash."

He could not, would not, allow Pidge and Hunk to come into contact with that Galran. Not when it had already taken out Lance, who despite lacking in close combat skills was beyond an amazing sharpshooter and incredibly agile to the point he could dodge most attacks. If he had been taken out there was no way Hunk or Pidge would have a chance, not coming through an army of sentries with no chance for a sneak attack, as was Pidge's specialty.

Maybe Allura. Maybe himself and those were big maybes. But neither of them were near the control room and he couldn't risk Pidge and Hunk remaining where they were and being spotted and summoning the Galran.

"But—"

"I'll get Lance," Keith promised, flinging open the stairwell door. "We'll meet you in the hangar with Green. Now go."

"Ten dobashes," Pidge whispered in reply.

And Keith ran.

xxx

Lance was feeling pretty proud of himself. He had successfully avoided both sentry patrols thanks to his awesome ninja-like reflexes and was at his last panel without incident, wiring Hunk and Pidge's genius into position.

The last room he found himself in was a large hangar full of all sorts of fighter ships that he was just as excited as Pidge to see blown up. He hoped Keith wouldn't be a complete killjoy and let them actually see their explosion in action. At a safe distance, of course. He had no desire to be within range of a bomb ever again, thank you very much.

Everyone was remaining silent on the comms, so he nearly jumped when Keith finally spoke despite the fact his voice was just above a whisper as he asked their two geniuses for a status report. That could only mean Keith had finished and Lance glared at the last panel as though it had wronged him for not completing his own assignment before the mullet.

He hoped he could have it finished by the time Keith got to his name on the roll call, but the darn explosive didn't want to nestle into the circuit board like the others had and he was not going to be hasty and blow them both up with a rush job.

So when Keith inquired he bit back the sigh and said cheerily instead, "Just about done, oh fearless leader," which Keith had still not figured out was an homage to one of Lance's favorite cartoons growing up and was actually rather a compliment. Although, he supposed, it would make more sense if Keith was the Blue Paladin, but at least Lance was sort of the Red Paladin and it kind of worked? Meh, it made him smile.

A second later he finally got the darn thing to stay and slammed the panel cover closed before it could choose to obey gravity and slip out. "All right, finished."

However, reflected in the now closed cover Lance saw something that wasn't supposed to be there. He turned so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash, unable to hold back to gasp of fear as ocean eyes took in the hulking Galran standing just yards away.

He heard Keith call out his name but it sounded so far away over the sudden pounding of his pulse in his ears as he took in the Galran. Huge, easily bigger than Sendak, with plated armor, spiked shoulder pads and a matching helmet that obscured most of his lower face. But besides the size the most glaring detail was the huge glowing prosthetic arm that was at least twice the size of his other arm.

He fumbled for his bayard, cursing that he'd ever put it away even though installing a bomb did tend to need two hands. He'd just managed to raise it when the Galran's glowing hand shot out. And out. And out.

"Holy cr—"

The flying fist slammed into his helmet with all the force of a freight train, sending Lance skidding across the hangar and glass fragments pelting his face while static erupted in his ears. Helmet was busted which meant communications were down. Quiznak.

Despite the throbbing, he scrambled to his feet, left hand yanking at the helmet to pull it off and clear his vision and his hearing from the negative feedback while his right was slamming on the trigger, bayard cocked towards the Galran. Blood was dripping down his face, hot and sticky, and he blinked what he could out of his eyes as the Galran, still strangely silent, sent his chain-connected arm back for another pass.

Although he was ready for it this time, his body was not. Lance clumsily tried to shift right but shooting pain made his ankle buckle and the fist smashed into his side, sending all the air out of his lungs in a silent scream while a dull crack permeated the room.

He went down like a broken marionette, limbs collapsing beneath him and shattered ribs crying out in agony. Still, he held onto his bayard, shakily lifting the muzzle from the floor. His vision was blurred from blood and reflexive tears of pain, but his eyes were as sharp as ever and they zoned in on where the prosthetic met the barest hint of purple flesh and the casing that held the two together.

The Galran was still reeling his arm back in and Lance knew this would be his one and only chance. He couldn't take another hit and with his ribs and ankle most definitely broken he knew he couldn't even try to dodge.

Lips pressed in a thin line and eyes narrowed, Lance took the shot.

It flew straight and true, striking in the barest sliver of space on the Galran. The alien roared out an odd sounding metallic cry, stumbling backwards and his flesh hand sweeping up to press on the wound.

But he did not go down and the arm did not fall off. Lance felt his stomach sink as he realized that his bayard had not been strong enough to pierce whatever material the prosthetic was made of. Or, his eyes widened, pierce the magic protecting it. Because as the enraged Galran stalked closer, still silent, he could see the purple light and runes dancing over the spot where his shot had been.

"Stay back," Lance warned, sounding as threatening as a duckling with the way his voice was tight with pain. He raised his bayard again, this time centering it between the Galran's eyes. "I will shoot."

The Galran did not heed the warning and kept coming, eyes narrowed in pure hate.

Lance sucked in a harsh breath. He didn't want to. Dios, he had never wanted to. But it was him or the Galran and when he put it that way the choice was clear.

On the exhale he pulled the trigger.

And the blast reflected off a shimmering purple light that filled the space between the helmet and the faceplate and struck him instead.

Lance's scream was not quiet. It echoed and echoed about the hangar, making it sound like hundreds were crying. His chest was alight with fire, the blast having gone straight through his armor and burned itself deep into his flesh. He fought to control the pain, to ignore it, as booted footsteps walked closer. He couldn't afford to fall apart now, not even when it felt like he'd been shot.

Oh wait. He had. A painful laugh stabbed his chest and he tried to push it down.

Chalk up one more point on going delirious from pain scale for him.

"Foolish Paladin," the Galran spoke then, voice hauntingly mechanical as though he was a robot just like the sentries over the sound of Lance's shuddering breaths. "Ziok undefeatable. Ziok guard base."

"You mean," Lance gasped around his raw throat and the pain as he struggled to reach for his bayard that had fallen from his hand, "the base we're blowing up?"

The Galran reached down then, huge mechanical hand lighting atop Lance's head and he lifted the boy into the air without any apparent effort. Lance bit back the moan as the metal fingers pressed into his skull and he dangled helplessly in the large hand, arms hanging limp with pain.

"What Paladin mean?" Ziok demanded. Lance remained silent. "Tell Ziok!"

The Galran shook Lance then like one would a ragdoll and Lance couldn't contain the scream as every wound flared with new agony, black spots dancing across his vision.

Ziok stroke them both over then to the panel Lance had been at, ripping off the cover like it was paper. The Galran's yellow eyes flashed as they observed something that clearly did not belong.

"Paladins blow up Ziok's base?" he growled, giving Lance another shake. "Paladin stop it!"

"C-can't," Lance managed, tasting blood on his tongue. He grinned then, baring all his teeth. "Won't."

With a scream of rage the Galran threw Lance to the ground so hard Lance bounced at the impact. He dully heard something in his right arm snap and white-hot fire raced along the limb while even that was washed out by the rattling in his brain as his head took the other impact.

"Paladin blow up then too," Ziok declared. "Paladin die."

He stalked out of Lance's sight then and the sharpshooter took the opportunity for all it was worth, even as his head was ringing and his vision was blurry. His bayard — his two bayards, as they image kept going in and out — was just a couple feet away, tantalizingly close. If he could just reach it… at least he'd have some semblance of a chance. Anything to stall; his team was coming. He knew they were. He just had to hold out until then.

He pulled himself painfully forward using his left hand, fingers clenching and digging into the floor as his feet scrambled to assist, left one screaming at every ounce of pressure but Lance kept on it. What was a broken ankle compared to being blown up?

He had almost reached it when an armored boot descended upon his outstretched arm.

Lance shrieked as the heel ground into the newest broken bone, writhing and trying to free his trapped limb to no avail.

"Paladin bad," Ziok snarled, voice distorted with the metallic twang. "Paladin blow up Ziok's base. Paladin stay and blow up too."

Lance brought tear-lined eyes up from the floor to the Galran, breath catching in his throat as he took in the sight before him; Ziok standing proud with a small battleship that easily, easily weighed several tons above his head as his muscles bulged and his prosthetic whirred. It was the only warning he had of what was about to happen and the "no" died on his lips before it ever fully formed.

Pain unlike anything he'd ever felt encompassed him as the Galran dropped the ship and it landed fully on top of Lance, leaving only his head, outstretched broken left arm and the very upper part of his torso and shoulder free.

He couldn't even scream properly as the weight dug into his back and all of the breath whooshed out of him as bones cracked and broke and organs and muscle and tissue were compressed and copper flooded his mouth.

"Paladin stay," Lance heard over the blood pounding in his ears, muted footsteps shaking the ground and sending terrible vibrations through him and the ship.

And then there was silence save for his wheezing, gurgling breaths and the sound of blood dripping down his face to plop onto the metal floor and the absolute agony of bones grinding into one another and destroying him from the inside from the insane pressure of having a several-ton ship dropped on top of him.

And Lance realized with a sort of numb disconnect that he was dying.

It didn't want to sink in, even as blood flecked his lips and the crushing weight pressed even deeper into him, pushing his body unforgivingly into the ground and drawing a choked gasp at the shift.

It had been what, five minutes, maybe? Was that all the fight he had in him? That was all a Paladin of Voltron was capable of?

Or maybe it was just all he was capable of.

Shame burned his eyes and defeat tasted bitter. Or that could just be the blood. And acid as his stomach heaved and he swallowed it all down thickly, sending new waves of hurt back through him.

Five minutes ago he had been healthy and whole and talking with his team. And now he was in pain and dying and he couldn't do anything to get out of this.

If the Galran hadn't dumped a ship on top of him, maybe he'd have had a chance. He'd lost his connection when the fist had taken out his helmet, but he knew, he knew, that someone was coming to help because that's what they did.

He almost didn't want them to come. They'd see him like this and they'd realize there was no way to save him and he couldn't do that. He didn't want them to feel bad or guilty that they couldn't lift a battleship off him and they were going to have to leave him behind.

He prayed it wasn't Hunk. He couldn't do that to him. He couldn't… More tears stung his eyes and he tried to blink them back. He couldn't be crying. He couldn't make this harder on whoever showed because he knew how this was going to end.

It looked like he was going to get a front row seat to that explosion after all.

It wasn't their fault. It was all his. He'd dropped his guard. If he'd been more prepared, more vigilant like Keith was always stressing, maybe he'd have seen the Galran. Maybe he'd have been able to avoid the first hit, call for backup sooner.

Maybe, maybe, mabye. He hated maybes. They always felt like mistakes.

Well, he had made a mistake. A big one. More blood coated his tongue and he coughed weakly to clear it.

Maybe if Shiro was here, with his own prosthetic and super-strength it imbued the limb, he'd have gotten out. But none of them, not even Hunk with all his might, stood a chance at lifting a several-ton object off of him. The Lions could, but Blue and Red were too far away and even Green, maybe a half-mile down the hall, wouldn't make it in time as she would have to fly around the entire base to reach him.

At least if he had to die blood loss didn't seem as painful as exploding. Right? He wasn't really sure. The hurt was starting to fade away, his lower half going pleasantly numb under the pressure and only his chest and left arm really aching now.

But he didn't want to die at all.

Tears stung his eyes and he finally let them fall, blurring his already double-vision from his bayard still just a foot out of reach. Not like it would help, unless it turned into a giant lever to push the ship off before the explosion.

He heaved out a painful sob, feeling more copper tickle his tongue.

He was dying.

He was dying all alone and he hadn't even had a chance to say good bye and—

"Lance!" Keith's panicked shout disrupted the spiral and Lance jerked his head, regretting it immediately as new black spots danced across his vision and his chest wailed at the movement. "Lance! Where are you?"

He tried to respond, but blood filled his mouth and all he managed was a weak cough as he fought to expel it, body begging for air.

"Lance!" Keith yelled again, drawing nearer. Lance!".There was stark terror in Keith's voice, nothing like the annoyance he normally projected and Lance felt a burst of guilt that he had put it there. "La—"

Keith's shouting broke off with a horrified inhale and Lance surmised that he had been found. He couldn't really look for confirmation though, as even turning his head slightly from where his cheek was pressed against the floor sent new ribbons of agony flowing through him.

But the mullet stumbled into his vision a second later, dropping to his knees with a resounding clatter of armor on the metal floor that made Lance wince as it sent more vibrations through him and awakened some of the sleeping wounds.

"Hi," he managed, feeling the blood dripping down his chin now. What did one say in this kind of situation?

"L-Lance," Keith stuttered. "What… How…?"

His hands were hovering as though unsure where to place them. He finally settled on wrapping them about Lance's left shoulder, fingers digging painfully where the armor did not cover.

"D-don't," Lance choked out as Keith made to pull and his entire body screamed at the action, and he could almost believe if Keith pulled hard enough he'd split into two. "H-hurts."

Keith looked stricken and his grip loosened immediately, although his hands remained wrapped around Lance's arm. It was comforting. Sort of. Comforting in the way that he wasn't alone and terrifying in the same way because Keith was stubborn to a fault and he wasn't going to want to leave Lance here.

He had to though.

Fresh tears trekked down his face, mingling with the blood from the shattered glass and he bit back the sob as it only hurt more.

He needed Keith to leave. He didn't want to die alone, but more than that he didn't want Keith to die.

Not for him.

"We have to get you out," Keith said, mind in a panicked whirl of nothing helpful. The only thing he seemed capable of focusing on was that Lance had a battleship on top of him and there was blood everywhere and a bomb was steadily ticking down. Pidge had called out six dobashes just before he'd entered the hangar which meant that he had less than two to free Lance and then somehow get them down the hall to the Green Lion while dodging any remaining sentries.

"Keith, did you find him?" Hunk's voice crackled in his ear. "Is he okay?"

"He's…" Keith didn't know what to say.

"Keith!" Pidge's voice was sharp. "Is Lance okay?"

What did he say? What did he do?

Lance coughed weakly, staining the ground in front of him with new blood splatter.

"He's stuck," Keith finally said.

"Then get him unstuck," Pidge snapped. "Hurry up! You're at five dobashes."

Keith didn't respond to that, gaze meeting Lance's surprisingly steady dark blue that had fixated on him with a sort of resignation that made dread coil in Keith's gut.

"I'm stuck," Lance whispered, repeating Keith's words.

"Yeah, you are." Keith felt something hot and heavy fill his throat and he painfully tried to swallow it down.

"There's a bomb," Lance continued, voice still soft and strained. "you need to go."

"We both do," Keith said, feeling the knot tighten.

Lance gave a barely there shake of his head. "I can't." Tear-lined eyes bore into Keith's. "I'm… I'm already d-dying, Keith." As he spoke more blood trickled out of his mouth.

Keith recoiled. "What?"

"You have to g-go." Lance's eyes closed for the moment and Keith saw a sob shudder through him.

"Like hell," Keith snarled. "You can't be serious. You honestly think I'd just leave you?"

"You have t-to."

"Lance—"

"Tell Hunk," Lance interrupted, weak and strong all at the same time and Keith's breath caught. "… tell him I love h-him… he's the best br-brother in the whole world."

"Lance, no—"

"Tell Pidge too." His voice was getting fainter. His eyes had yet to reopen. "I h-hope she finds Matt. And her d-dad."

"Lance, stop this. Stop this now." Keith was shaking, hands tightening painfully on Lance's upper arm. "I'm getting you out. We're leaving. Together."

"There's no time," Lance murmured, sounding almost asleep now. Head wound, the rational part of Keith's functioning brain noted. And blood loss. Internal injuries no doubt from the amount of blood staining Lance's lips and the fact a massive ship was crushing most of his body.

As if summoned Pidge's voice crackled in Keith's headset. "Four dobashes. What's the update?" He had waited too long because Pidge barked out a "Keith!" and Allura snapped off an "Update, Keith!" at the same time.

"How far away is Green from our location?" Keith asked, already knowing but he didn't want reality to take away his last hope.

"We can't get through the base so we would need to fly out and circle around. About two dobashes," Pidge said.

They'd already calculated that the minimum distance needed to avoid the blast zone was about three dobashes out. If Pidge flew to them now they would never escape the fallout in time and the Green Lion's shields would never be able to withstand it. Keith wasn't even sure if Yellow's could.

Four dobashes wasn't enough time either for even all three of them to battle back through the sentries and to the control room, assuming the Galran had left, and defuse the bomb.

There was only one logical choice that would ensure their safety. The hard part was going to be getting them to accept it.

"Take Green and go."

"What are you saying?" Allura demanded, sounding more scared than anything. "Keith, what is happening?"

"Lance is stuck," Keith whispered. "He's… I can't get him out."

"What?" Allura asked in a horrified whisper.

"There's a ship on top of him."

"A… a ship?" Hunk joined in, sounding close to tears. "Keith, what—"

"He's stuck," Keith repeated, glancing down at Lance whose breathing had grown even more shallow in the few seconds and his mocha skin pale.

"I'm coming over," Hunk said, nearly tripping over his words. "I'll be—"

"No!" Keith all but roared. "Hunk, no. You guys have to get out of here."

"Keith this is insane!" Pidge shrieked. "You can't be serious!"

The déjà vu of his conversation with Lance from a minute before hit hard and Keith realized now how unfair and selfish he was being to the team. He was ignoring Lance's request and yet asking the others to do what he refused to.

Still… he could not put them in any more danger. He needed them to be safe. He hadn't been able to protect Shiro, but he could save them.

"That's an order," he said. "Pidge, take Green and get out of there now."

"We are not leaving you and Lance behind!" Allura cried out.

"Now, Allura," Keith growled. "I'll... I'll get us out."

"How?" Hunk cried.

"I'll find a way," Keith said, knowing though by the uncomfortable pit in his stomach that he really hadn't a clue. But he was not leaving Lance. He would figure something out.

He had to.

But he couldn't do that if he was worrying about the rest of them and so they needed to go.

"Keith—" Hunk tried one more time.

"Go," Keith roared. "Now." His tone softened into a plea. "Please."

He heard Pidge sniffle but her voice was curt when she came back on. "Fine. But if you die I will never, ever, forgive you."

"Stay on the comms," Allura instructed. "We shall keep you updated."

"Keith," and Hunk's voice broke. "Please… please, I can't…"

"I'll bring him home," Keith promised, praying it was one he could find a way to keep. "Get out of here."

"We're going," Pidge said. "Three dobashes, Keith."

Keith turned his attention back to Lance, whose breaths had grown even quieter in the mere minute.

"Lance," he whispered, squeezing Lance's arm.

Ocean eyes squinted open, hazy with pain and tears that cleared and filled with terror as they took in Keith.

"What…" Lance coughed, spitting blood. "What… are you d-doing here?"

Because Keith should have been gone. Long gone. Thoughts were hard to come by between the aching in his skull and the numbness spreading through the rest of him and things weren't lining up really well but he did know that much. He knew that he was dying and a bomb was going to go off and Keith was still kneeling next to him like some idiot with a death wish.

"You hafta go," Lance said, biting back a whimper as talking brought back feeling and feeling things hurt.

"Not without you," Keith retorted without any bite. Lance watched numbly as Keith proceeded to activate his shield and attempted to jam it into the slight crevice made from Lance's torso under the ship. It unwittingly hit his side and even with the armor he flinched as it made broken ribs shriek with pain.

Despite the efforts though the shield didn't do anything to create more gap space or lever the ship up.

"Keith," Lance whispered, wincing as blood tickled his throat.

Keith did not respond, now pulling his luxite blade free and slashing it into the ship. A shower of sparks greeted the blow and while the sword had cut into the panel, it was like a papercut. Maybe if they had time Keith could eventually hack away at enough of it to matter, but Lance knew between the blood threatening to choke him and the bomb ticking down they did not have enough.

"Keith," he tried again and this time Keith looked at him, despair swimming in amethyst eyes as he realized the futileness of his efforts. "You have to go." He tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace. "I'll…. I'll be okay."

The dark-haired boy let out a sound between a sob and a laugh. "Okay?" he repeated, incredulous. "You're dying, Lance."

"I know." He knew it very well, from the way he was both in agony beyond description to the hazy numbness that was starting to blanket everything.

But it was okay. It would be okay so long as Keith and Hunk and Pidge and Allura made it safely out of there. However, one stubborn mullet was making things harder than they needed to be. It wasn't complicated. He was stuck. They had no time to free him, not without risking their own lives.

And he refused to let them die with him.

"I'm not leaving," Keith said fiercely. "Not without you."

"Keith please," Lance pleaded, forcing the numbness away. He couldn't give into it. Not yet. "They can't…" he trailed off. "They can't lose you too."

"And what, you think we can afford to lose you?" Keith retorted, eyes glassy. "Like hell, Lance."

"Keith, please. Por favor," he begged, coughing weakly and tasting a new wave of copper. "P-please. Go."

Keith stared down at him, face flickering through so many emotions Lance could not figure out what he was thinking. Finally though it settled on resolute and Lance didn't know whether to be terrified or relieved.

"Fine," Keith ground out, and Lance felt himself go near limp with relief. The mullet did have brain cells then. He was going to leave and he would be safe and he'd live and at least Lance could die knowing that his friends, his family, were going to be all right.

"But I'll be back," Keith added, before turning and sprinting from Lance's line of sight.

And now the panic was back, hot and heavy in his chest. "Keith," he called, struggling to raise his voice. "K-Keith. No. G-go."

But no response greeted him and Lance bit back the sob as all that did was reignite the pain.

He was going to get Keith killed. Keith was going to die because of him and Lance couldn't do anything more to change his mind. This was his fault. All his. And now Keith was going to pay the price.

"Please," he whispered brokenly, not sure who or what he was asking it of. "Please…"

A ways across the hangar Keith had scrambled his way into one of the smaller fighter jets, Pidge's call of two dobashes echoing in his ear. He didn't bother it with a response. Not yet. Not until it was too late for anything else.

He'd had an idea. A brilliant, dangerous idea. If he couldn't lift the ship off of Lance he just needed to find something that could. And he was in a hangar surrounded by ships that would jump to respond to his Galra blood and were powerful enough to do the job.

If he could control them, that was.

The Garrison had called him one of the best pilots to ever walk in the doors and he was damn well going to live up to that praise now.

But it wasn't for some status achievement or a way to make the recruiting officer look good. It wasn't for special missions or privileges. He was going to be the best pilot the universe had ever seen because Lance needed him to.

He pressed his hand against the dashboard, the cockpit lighting up purple around him and the engines clicking on that still couldn't drown out his own ragged heartbeat. Sharp eyes hurriedly scanned the controls, seeking out the most likely ones for his use.

Flipping a few switches the lights dimmed and the engines thrummed louder, vibrating under his feet and he pulled back, easing the jet out of the line.

"Come on," he muttered, toggling a few more controls to pull the ship into position. "Come on."

He maneuvered the jet around the hangar, coming up on Lance's blindside and facing his challenge. He'd picked a smaller jet for a reason as it was low enough to the ground that its nose would strike into the center mass of the ship pinning Lance and hopefully, hopefully, be enough to push it away.

The thrusters fired up with a whine behind him and Keith took a deep, steadying breath. He could do this. He could. It was simple. He just had to hit the ship at exactly the right angle, avoiding fuel tanks and crystals that could explode while also avoiding Lance. And pray the entire time that the collision didn't blow them both sky high anyway and that his smaller jet could hold out against the larger vehicle.

Reckless they called him. Reckless was right, he snorted. But it was the only way and he refused to even consider the other option.

He wouldn't lose anyone ever again.

The ship thrummed beneath him and Keith took one more breath. And before he could overthink it anymore he pushed the throttle and the ship rocketed forward at a speed that rivaled a wormhole jump.

Keith had but a tick before impact, and it passed in a nauseating blur before he made contact with the ship. Every part of him screamed as he was smashed against the dashboard in a hit that not even his armor could protect him from. At least he'd thought to engage the safety strap, he thought dazedly, lying sprawled across the console and straps digging into his neck, because otherwise he'd have gone straight through the window.

"Keith!" Pidge's voice was sharp and dragged him out of the dull haze as his fingers fumbled to unlock the harness. "One dobash!"

"You're safe?" he asked, voice more slurred than he'd like as he stumbled his way out of the slanting cockpit and threw open the door.

"We have just reached outside the blast radius," Allura said, voice steady although Keith could pick up the undercurrent of fear.

"Where are you?" Hunk bellowed, having none of the princess' restraint.

"Coming," Keith muttered, dropping from the smoldering ship and landing as gracefully as he could on the ground. Or, he hoped he was. It all depended on whether his plan was successful.

And, he thought, relief nearly choking him, they had a chance now.

The ship had tipped over from the impact, leaving a prone figure all alone on the red-coated metal floor, coughing and spitting up even more to add to the macabre scene.

"Lance!" Keith gasped, doing an odd sort of stumbling sprint to close the few yards between them, skidding to his knees. "Lance!"

Now that the ship was gone he could see the damage. Lance's armor was the only reason the boy wasn't a pancake, but he was still so, so broken. The loss of the pressure had caused everything to flare back into consciousness and Lance's eyes were squeezed tightly shut and face etched with agony.

"Come on, we have to go," Keith grabbed Lance's still outstretched left arm and lifted it over his shoulders, his own chest throbbing. It was nothing though to the sharp keen that burst from Lance's lips and blue eyes flew open, disoriented and filled with fear.

"K-Keith?" he burbled, sick red spilling down his chin as Keith hauled him up. He didn't understand what was happening. He'd heard something, jets firing, and he had given into relief that Keith had left. He'd escaped and that was what had mattered.

But rather than fading the noise had only grown louder and Lance had wished he could cover his ears as it became painful to listen to. All of that had paled though in comparison to the almighty crash that had sounded above him before all of the crushing weight had rolled off and left agony in its wake.

And now Keith was here, still here, and was trying to hoist him up but his body didn't want to cooperate and all he could do was whimper as Keith dragged him forward, shattered ankles crying out as they hit the floor.

Keith wished he could be gentle, but they had no time. He still didn't' know if they were going to get out of this, Pidge counting down now from thirty ticks in his helmet.

"Keith!" Hunk was begging. "Keith, please! Where are you?"

"Twenty-six…" Pidge's voice broke.

Keith resolutely dragged Lance to the very ship that had near killed him, which despite being plowed into by a fighter jet at close range did not appear to have suffered any major structural damage.

It was going to be their ticket out of there.

He lurched for a door that looked as though it went to the body of the ship. He already knew he wasn't going to be flying out of here so any doorway would do.

"Twenty-five…"

"Keith, w-what?" Lance tried to speak, words being cut off with a moan as Keith's hold tightened about his waist and he felt himself being pushed up. Keith's hands were anything but gentle as they pushed and prodded him over what felt like a metal edge, his vision blurry with pain and tears to really focus on what was happening.

"It's okay," Keith muttered behind him. "It's okay. You're going to be okay."

"K-Keith…"

Keith hauled himself in behind Lance and slammed the door shut, plunging them into darkness save the emergency teal lights that lit up on Keith's armor. Lance's did not even flicker.

They were in an empty cargo bay of the ship, Keith realized. Too empty. They needed somewhere enclosed.

He grabbed Lance's right arm, earning a sharp groan, and hating how he felt pieces under his hand. There was nothing to be done for it now though and he bodily pulled Lance back up, half-dragging, half-carrying him forward into the ship.

"Eighteen," Pidge said, voice shaking. "Keith! Answer us!"

"Got Lance," he panted, eyes darting around for somewhere to go. Another doorway caught his eye and he trudged for it.

"You got him?" Hunk repeated, and Keith could hear the utter relief.

"Gonna need a lift," Keith said, kicking open the door and revealing a much smaller compartment stocked with a few crates.

"Where are you?" Allura asked. "We do not see you."

"Ten seconds Keith!" Pidge all but screamed. "Get out now!"

"We're going to be okay," Keith said, both to the team on comms, to Lance, who had gone almost limp as Keith tucked them down into a corner between two crates, and to himself.

He pulled Lance halfway onto his lap, the broken legs trailing off into the darkness but angling his own body so that he tucked Lance's head up against his chest and curled over it. He activated his shield as best he could and held it over both of them.

"Keith," Lance whispered, eyes near glowing with tears under the emergency teal lights and meeting Keith's own dark purple.

"We're going to be okay," Keith repeated, voice trembling. "We're going to be—"

The explosion cut off the rest of his words with a terrifying wave of sound and force.

They were tossed like ragdolls as the ship overturned and Keith desperately tried to shield Lance's head as they smashed into walls and crates, but he felt the other boy go completely lifeless and fear spiked.

There was nothing else he could do though as they were batted head over heels, heat searing from all directions. He heard screaming in his head, only realizing after a few seconds that it was his own.

And then everything came to a screeching halt, throwing him one last time against a wall and letting him remain there.

He could hear explosions still going off but they were not rocking the ship they'd taken refuge in and the hellish fires had died down. His ears were ringing and the world was still turning though in dizzying circles and all Keith could do was clutch onto Lance and wait for it to all stop moving.

It wasn't stopping, and a moment later it clicked that that was because there was no gravity here.

They were in space.

They had been blown off the base.

They were alive.

He became aware then that over the static ringing he could hear voices, screams and cries and demands that he answer.

"'m here," he managed, voice barely above a whisper but the others ceased talking immediately. He glanced down at the unconscious form still pulled tight against him, relieved when he could still see fresh blood dripping from Lance's mouth. It meant he was still alive. "Lance too."

"I've locked onto your armor's coordinates," Pidge said, breathless. "Hang on."

Keith only tightened his hold and shuddered out a breath that wracked his entire body. It was a good hurt though because against all odds they had made it.

Both of them.

When it so, so easily could have gone a different direction.

Lance had almost died. He'd been willing to sacrifice himself, give up any possible hope of escape, to make sure the rest of them made it out.

He'd been ready to die.

He'd been willing to die.

He had almost died.

And Keith knew that Lance would do it all over again if it meant he could protect them.

It was a thought that kept circling even as Keith heard the bay door forced open and Hunk's worried call echo into the room. It carried on as Hunk pulled Lance from his grasp, the larger boy's sob echoing as he took in the sight of his best friend. It didn't stop as Allura helped Keith navigate out of the ship.

And it was still spinning as Coran helped him change into a cryo-suit for the pod while Lance was already firmly encased in one, black undersuit still on as they hadn't been able to change him out of it with how it had become embedded in his skin.

It didn't stop until the cold wash of cryo and sleep stole over him and everything faded to a welcome black.

xxx

It was dragging on to day four, but Coran had said Lance should be ready to come out of the pod any varga now.

Those four days of waiting — only three for Keith as he'd spent nearly one ensconced in a cryo-pod and healing from several fractured ribs, bruised lungs and a broken femur that he didn't even recall getting — had been heavy with tension and fear, only gradually lessening as Lance continued to heal and Coran marked that he was out of the danger zone a day and a half in.

His body had suffered intense and normally fatal blunt force trauma. His legs and feet had been completely crushed and nearly every rib had been broken along with his left arm radius and ulna and his pelvis fractured along with his lower lumbar spine. One lung had bruised while the other had been nicked and nearly suffocated Lance with his own blood, caused from what appeared to be a gunshot while a cracked skull and embedded glass in his face rounded out the mess.

Somehow he was expected to make a full recovery. Had this been on Earth he'd have been dead, and if not dead then paralyzed. Then again, Keith had thought with a rare hint of bitterness, if Lance had been on Earth none of this would have happened in the first place.

The under armor had broken down in the cryo-freeze and was hanging in tatters about Lance, fortunately preserving his modesty. It also had relieved some of that lingering fear as the skin beneath it was whole and unblemished mocha without a hint of the suffering it had endured.

Still, the atmosphere was not pleasant in the Castle of Lions. Each Paladin continued to blame him or herself for how events had unfolded, but Pidge and Keith shouldered the most. Pidge had been appalled that she had missed the fact an actual Galran had been stationed there, his signature disguised by the enhancements made and the fact that his speech on outgoing transmissions had been as robotic as the sentries. If she had known, if they'd had even a hint, then they would have taken more precautions. They'd have planned.

And that lack of information had almost gotten not just Lance but Keith killed.

Keith though had gone from being upset to being angry. At himself. At Lance. At the misinformation. He didn't blame Lance for what had happened. Not at all. But he was upset with Lance for what he'd tried to do. How did he not understand what he meant to them? To him?

They had lost Shiro already and Keith was still constantly sick with worry as to whether Shiro was in Galran captivity, suffering under Haggar or floating lost and alone through space. But he hung onto hope. Shiro was strong, Shiro had survived so much already. He would continue to survive until they found him and then Keith was never going to let him go.

They couldn't lose Lance too. They wouldn't be able to move on without him. It was Lance who had dragged Keith from training simulation after simulation, destroying the gladiator again and again when their search yielded no results. He was the one who had welcomed Allura into the role of Paladin, held no ill-will as the princess bonded with the Blue Lion although Keith would have had to have been blind to miss the longing Lance still shot Blue when he thought no one could see.

Lance had been the one to haul Pidge off to bed when she worked too long into the night, to sit with Hunk in the kitchen and just be there when it all got to be too much. Lance had kept them all from splintering apart and if Lance were to… were to… they wouldn't be able to pick themselves up again.

Keith knew he couldn't. Not without losing a part of himself.

But mostly the anger was directed at himself. He was the leader. He was supposed to protect his team and he'd failed. He'd almost lost Lance. Almost gotten himself killed to. Scared the rest of them beyond any right and ordered them to obey a command that he himself could not have brought himself to follow and they'd listened. They'd believed in him and he had almost destroyed them all.

But now as Keith found himself gathered with his fellow humans in the infirmary, anger and blame aside had been pushed aside for the moment to be replaced with relief as they waited for the pod to open. Allura had been called away to a hail from one of their Alliances and Coran had gone with her. Keith had seen her about to ask him to join them but then she'd shaken her head with a rueful smile and said she would see them all later.

The pod went off with a soft beep and Hunk was ready, large blanket at the ready, as Lance tipped bonelessly out and into waiting arms.

"Hunk?" Lance whispered, resting his head against the broad chest and feeling hands vigorously rubbing over his back.

"How're you feeling?" Hunk asked.

"Cold," Lance admitted softly, trying to remember how he'd ended up in the pod this time. As Hunk pressed against his lower back though he gasped in memory and jerked more upright.

"Oh God, did that hurt? Are you still hurt?" Hunk babbled, moving his hands to Lance's shoulders instead and Lance was aware of Keith and Pidge stepping closer from where they'd been off to the side.

"No, no," Lance quickly assured. It hadn't hurt, just surprised him. "I'm… I'm okay." He looked up, meeting Keith's eyes over Hunk's shoulder. "I'm okay."

Pidge smashed a tiny fist into Lance's shoulder before her arms wrapped about him from the side and she pressed her face against him. "Don't do that again," she mumbled.

"I shall do my best to avoid getting ships dropped on top of me in the future," Lance said lightly, although when Pidge only sniffled his tone softened. "Sorry for worrying you, Pidge," he murmured, freeing one arm from Hunk's hug and the blanket and nestling it into her hair. "I'm okay now."

She let out a soft, muffled sob against the blanket.

"I'm okay," Lance repeated. "It's over."

He looked at Keith again, who was hanging back from the impromptu group hug and cocked his head with a questioning gaze. When Keith made no move to step forward Lance freed his other arm and held it out.

At last Keith stepped forward and Lance wrapped his fingers about Keith's arm, pulling him in close and smiling gently as a pair of gloved hands gingerly rose to wrap around him and rest lightly on Pidge and Hunk's backs. Their circle was now complete.

"I'm sorry," Lance said after a few moments, voice hushed. "For worrying all of you. And Keith…" he turned his head slightly to smile down at the shorter boy. "Thank you. I... " His smile wobbled. "Just… Gracias."

Keith didn't trust himself to speak and just gave a curt nod, pressing his forehead against Lance's shoulder to hide his suddenly glassy eyes and his hand tightened in the back of Hunk's vest.

Hunk gave the entire group one last big squeeze before he released his hands, prompting nearly everyone else to step back.

"We'll go let Allura know you're awake," he said, adjusting the blanket about Lance's shoulders and smoothing it down like a mother hen, words light but his honey gaze serious as he met Lance's, noticing that Lance had yet to release his hold on Keith's arm and the way Keith had yet to fully step away. "Meet us in the common room after you get dressed? I'll bring hot chocolate. Or, well, the Altean equivalent anyway."

Lance shifted to hold the blanket closed, the chilly air of the infirmary making every piece of exposed skin tingle. "Aye aye," he grinned. "And those weird marshmallow things?"

"And the weird marshmallow things," Hunk said. "C'mon, Pidge. Let's go share the good news."

The girl nodded, giving Lance one last punch that had him wincing and calling out a, "See you guys in a bit," and following Hunk out the door.

Just the two of them now, Lance gave Keith's arm a tiny squeeze. "Hey," he murmured. "You okay?"

And to his surprise Keith gave a barely perceptible shake of his head.

"You almost died," Keith said just above a whisper, keeping his head bowed.

"But I didn't."

At that Keith did jerk his head up, eyes flashing with anger and Lance nearly took a step back. "You don't get it, do you?" Keith spat, but the heat was missing. "You were going to die, Lance. And you were going to let it happen."

"Hey, hey," Lance protested, his own eyes narrowing. "I did not 'let it happen,' thank you very much. I was crushed by a quiznaking ship!"

"You told me to go," Keith snarled. "You wanted me to leave you behind. To die!"

"I was trying to save you!" Lance bit back, "Dios, Keith! There was a bomb. A bomb." The sudden anger faded as quickly as it had come on. "If you had stayed," he said quietly, "you'd have died too. I… I couldn't let you do that. The team needs you. The universe needs you."

"But it doesn't need you?" Keith countered, voice still harsh. "Bullshit, Lance. You don't get to make that decision. We do. And we need you here. With us."

"So you'd blow up and let them lose us both?" Lance asked, choking back a sob. "Damnit, Keith, that's even worse. Don't lecture me about that when you're just as willing to die too."

"Then I'm a hypocrite," Keith said hotly. "Fine. But Lance…" He swallowed thickly. "I can't… I can't lose you. I already lost Shiro. I can't…" he didn't successfully manage to hide the sob that shuddered through him.

"Keith…"

"I won't leave anyone behind. Ever again. I won't lose anyone else."

The anger had bled from his eyes, leaving only exhaustion behind and the same was mirrored in Lance's.

"Me either," Lance said softly, drawing Keith into a full hug and feeling the last of the tension leave him as Keith gingerly returned it, hands light around his back.. "I'm… I'm sorry I put you in that position."

"'s not your fault," Keith muttered, voice somewhat obscured by the blanket. "You had a ship dropped on top of you."

"I really will try to avoid that again. It hurt."

Keith snorted. "I imagine it did."

"Let's make a deal," Lance said, voice serious again. "Neither of us dies."

"That's not really a deal," Keith said, pulling his face out of Lance's embrace.

"Pact then," Lance said. "Neither of us is allowed to die. Not until we're old and crotchety and yelling about kids being on our lawns."

Keith frowned in confusion. "Why would I want to yell at kids for that?"

Lance rolled his eyes although a real smile tugged his face up. "Nevermind. Point is, we're not dying. No sacrificing ourselves for the greater good. No leaving anyone behind. We're going to win and we're going to live and we're going to do whatever it is we have to to keep each other alive."

"It's a war, Lance," Keith pointed out. "We don't know what is going to happen."

"I know. But I do know that I will never, never stop protecting you. You and the rest of our family. You're the sword, Keith, and I'll be your shield. We'll protect each other."

"A sword and a shield," Keith repeated, thoughtfully.

"I'll be your impulse control when you try to be all stupid and reckless," Lance grinned.

"Hey!" Keith protested.

"And you'll be the reminder of what I'm fighting for," Lance said. "A reminder to not give up, no matter the odds."

"Lance…" Keith murmured, feeling an embarrassed flush spread across his face, absolutely touched.

Lance laughed, carefree and light and swung himself so that he was walking forward and pulling Keith along with him, who found he didn't mind the arm slung about his shoulders.

"Now come on. There's hot chocolate calling our names and I would really, really like to get into actual clothes. Not that the infirmary blankets aren't all the rage these days, but we have really got to talk to Coran about the material. They're so itchy."

As Lance babbled on about blankets and cold temperatures and the wonders of hot chocolate, Keith felt a warmth blossom in his chest as he watched Lance . He felt his own lips curve into a smile as a new thought echoed in his mind.

They really were going to be okay.

Author's Notes:

Again, this fic was written for the lovely heyheroics for her birthday. It's a big one and as such should be celebrated mightily! For her that means a fic with all of her favorites of Lance whump and protective Keith. I hope you all enjoyed reading this creation as much as I enjoyed writing it!

If you did, please do drop a review below. I'd love to read your comments!