Support Mechanism

9

"What happened to him?" Allura asked as Hunk exited the yellow lion.

They had been teleported to an empty quadrant of space where they could lie low for a while.

They would need the time.

"I don't know." Hunk admitted shakily. "But I'm more concerned about the fact that he's not responding."

Coran stepped forwards directing Lance's head towards him. He frowned at him for a moment. "Quintessence."

"What?" Pidge asked confused.

"Lance has been given quintessence, probably to keep him sedated or to stop him from fighting." Coran explained as he stepped back to look at his tablet. "It's still coursing through his system."

"How do we remove it?" Keith asked crossing his arms.

"Maybe we shouldn't." Allura cut in making them all look at her. "The quintessence is stopping him feeling pain, we don't know what Haggar has done to him. Perhaps it will be best to leave it in his system until he's been in a pod."

"The pod won't accept him if we don't remove it." Coran frowned. "We have to remove it from his system."

"If he has the quintessence removed he'll fall into withdrawal." Shiro cut in making them all pause. "Trust me, the feeling is... It's addictive... You feel free from pain and memories it... It feels like it fixes everything."

Hunk glared down at Lance who was looking around vaguely. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Lance was in desperate need of help and he felt so useless.

"Hunk, come on." Coran guided gently directing him forwards. "Let's get him to the medical room."

~~~

"So how come you don't need the quintessence?" Keith asked making Hunk look up.

Shiro was stood next to Lance with a worried frown on his face. His hand hand gently brushed against Lance's hand as a look of pain filled his eyes.

"Haggar slowly decreased my intake, and the fights worked it out of my system." Shiro admitted quietly. "It took a long time, but I know that removing it suddenly from Lance will cause him a lot of pain."

"But we don't have another option." Coran reminded as he stood at Lance's head. "If we want him to recover then we have to do this."

"I know." Shiro nodded taking Lance's hand fully cautious of his wrist. "I just don't know how he is going to react."

Hunk stepped closer to Lance watching his dazed look closely. "Okay," he breathed. "Let's do this."

Coran gave a sharp nod before he pressed two pads to either side of Lance's neck.

Lance's eyes then flew wide his whole body stiffening. He gasped harshly one hand scrambling to grip his hair while the other gripped harshly onto Shiro's hand.

Hunk pulled his hand away with a worried frown as he and Shiro pinned his arms down.

"No, no." Lance complained quietly trying to get his arms free. "Please."

"Lance stop." Hunk said urgently.

Lance's eyes flickered open as recognition suddenly filled his eyes as tears grew. "Hunk?" He breathed weakly squinting at him.

"I'm here." Hunk promises.

"I'm sorry." Lance whispered shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

"Coran." Hunk said looking up at him.

"Let's get him in a pod." Coran said as a pod rose from the floor. "Now."

~~~

Hunk hated waiting. It had to be the worst part of all of this.

Not knowing how Lance was going to be once he came out of the pod mixed with the wait left Hunk's imagination to run. He thought of every worse case scenario and wanted to cry.

"He's going to be okay." Keith said gently as he stood next to him.

"How do you know that?" Hunk whispered.

"Because he has you as a best friend." Keith replied steadily. "Lance has always bragged that you're the best friend he could ever want and that you always have his back."

Hunk looked back at the pod containing the blue paladin. He knew that Lance often called him the best friend ever, it was uncommon for Lance not to wrangle it into conversation, but hearing Keith say it made Hunk wonder.

"He worries about you." Keith continued quietly. "He's worried he's been holding you back, stopping you from being what you're capable of being."

"No, Lance has never-"

"I know." Keith smiled cutting him off. "When we were in that cell, I wanted to kill Haggar right there and then. But you were calm and brave and everything Lance tells you you are. You proved it in that one moment."

Hunk stared at him before he again looked to Lance. "I was just so worried about him..."

"And that helped you to become what he needed." Keith pointed out. "Lance was right, you are brave and strong and smart and very cool."

Hunk gave a soft chuckle which then faded as he frowned. "But I couldn't protect him."

"I couldn't protect Shiro." Keith reminded meeting Hunk's gaze again. "It doesn't mean we've failed them."

"When did you get good at talking like that?" Hunk asked blinking his eyes clear.

"Shiro helped a lot and Lance... He's always told me to be more open about things and... Turns out he was right, again." Keith smiled.

Hunk let out a relieved sigh, he had never realised what an amazing team he had here.

Sure he knew that Shiro was an amazing pilot and that Keith was an incredible fighter, but over the past few days that Lance had been in the pod he had seen a whole other side to them all.

Shiro had been scared but even when he was scared of what had happened he was kind and brave, he had faced his past so that he could reasure them all.

Keith had opened his emotions to them all, showing his own kindness and support in ways that Hunk never expected of the red paladin.

And Lance had been right about all of them.

"He's going to need our help." Keith mumbled quietly. "No one walks away from Haggar without some mental scars."

"I know." Hunk whispered. "I know."