Deserving

Chapter thirteen

Lance's heart was in his ears as they hurried down the corridors, Lotor's hand heavy in his.

"The Paek fleet is stranded in the Erld system," He was saying, "Commander Heark's fleet is nearby and likely closing in as we speak." In other words, the Paek were soon to be wiped out.

Lance's eyes darted around the halls, barely following along with the information (that they both already knew by heart) the Lotor was rattling off nervously, "I'll send send you updates on how it goes." Lance tried to comfort him with. Lance and his crew would be leading the fleet meant to intercept Commander Heark. The Paek fleet were defending the outer edges of Altean territory.

Lotor chewed his lips, stopping when Lance squeezed his hand, "It won't be enough. None of this is enough, we're-"

Lance shushed him and the pair slowed down, their hands dropping each other. Lotor took a step back so that Lance was in the lead and they turned the corner with matching calm masks.

The hangar's guards stood to attention on sight, offering a short bow each. Lance responded in kind, continuing on his path to the hangar door smoothly. The guards glanced between each other in varying states of panic. One of them fumbled with his weapon, using it to bar Lance's path, "Y-You're not permitted inside, your highness!"

Lance frowned, scrunching his eyebrows up in irritation, "My father just requested that I escort Prince Lotor here to his lion." Lance lies smoothly, waving a hand back towards his fiancé, "If there's a problem, I can simply leave him here while I wait outside?"

"I- er.."

The other guard cleared his throat, nudging his partner, "That's quite alright, sir." He cleared Lance's path as the prince smiled, "Take your time."

"Thank you." Lance bowed again and strode inside, the door closing on them both just in time to hear a sputtering 'Take your time!?' from the other guard.

Lance sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping in privacy. Lotor rubbed a hand over Lance's shoulder reassuringly as he passed him, "Good evening, Red."

The lion's purrs reverberated throughout the hangar as the barrier lowered. Lotor turned back to Lance, his hands smoothing over his shoulders, "Be careful, love."

"Always am." Lance's arms slid around his neck. Lotor bowed his head to meet Lance's as he carefully cupped his cheek, "Come back to me."

The hand on his cheek tightened, claws digging into Lance's skin, "I'll always find you." Zarkon growled back him.

Lance snapped his eyes open, his breath coming out in shaky pants. His hands were clenched in the bed sheets so tightly that it had ripped. He sat up, clutching his quilt around him as he reached for the light.
The room lit up in a soft gold and Lance pulled the blankets tighter around him as he sat against the headboard, the shadows feeling longer and darker than he remembered.

Pidge joined them in the kitchen with a perplexed look on her face, "Where's Shiro?"

Keith resumed his pacing as Hunk and Lance glanced at each other worriedly, "Maybe he slept in?" Hunk suggested.

Keith strode towards the door, "I'm gonna check on him." But just as the words left his mouth, the door opened again and Shiro stepped inside. 

He froze under their gazes, a wavering smile on his lips, "Morning, team." His hair was ruffled, as if he had just woken up, but there were deep bags under his eyes, "We're moving training back to this afternoon." Allura wasn't going to be happy about that, Lance frowned. Shiro must have caught it as he shifted his gaze away from Lance.