We're Going Home

24

"Allura! I need you in here now!" Coran yelled across the castle. His hands were glowing against Lance's chest, who lay unmoving on the bed.

Allura ran in, panicked. "What's happening?"

"I don't know, he's not breathing." Coran said, tears in his eyes.

She placed her hands on his chest and gave everything she had, with no results.

Sure, Lance was flirty and sometimes annoying. But he was a Paladin, and he was important. He mattered to everyone on the team, even to her.

She started to panic as he wouldn't breath. "Please, please." She whispered. "I can heal a whole quiznaking planet but I can't save your life?" She closed her eyes, driving all of her quintessence into him. But it wasn't enough.

...

"Let him go! You can keep me but let him go!" Keith struggled against the cuffs relentlessly.

"Or what? You'll glare me to death?" Lotor asked with a raised brow. "No, I think we're going to have some fun with the Black Paladin. In fact, I think you'll be the source of the fun." He grinned evilly then drug Keith down the halls into the chamber with Shiro.

"Shiro!" Keith shouted in relief.

Shiro looked at him with dead purple eyes.

"Shiro?" He asked, worried.

Lotor shoved Keith forward then focused on Shiro. "Go on, kill him." He ordered.

Lotor leaned against the wall, amusement prominent on his face. This would be quite the show. To see if Shiro's love for Keith was stronger than Zarkon's hold on him.

Shiro immediately went to town. He punched at Keith, Keith barely rolling out of the way, grazing him several times, steam rising off the burnt flesh.

He booted him in the stomach and stomped on his rib cage. Keith could feel and hear ribs snapping. He groaned as one managed to puncture his lung.

"Shiro! Please! It's me!" He yelped as Shiro threw him against the wall. He got to his knees and spat up blood.

Shiro was now standing over him, ready to deliver the final blow. Keith gazed at him, his eyes full of fear and resignation. "This isn't you." His breaths were rattling and moist.

Shiro went in for the blow. His eyes were dead, uncaring.

"At ease." Lotor said from the other side of the room.

Shiro stopped mid-strike and his arms fell to his sides, awaiting further instruction.

Keith lowered his his arm, which he'd put up to block the blow in vain. With or without his arm in the way, he would have died. No amount of brotherly love could overcome the hold Zarkon had on Shiro.

Just then the red lion came bursting through the side of the ship. "You're a little late." Keith started towards the lion. Shiro collapsed and Keith drug him along. He glanced back at Lotor who had his arms folded, some sort of smug look apparent on his face.

"You can take the cure back. But it's already too late for the Blue Paladin. His heart will have stopped by now." Lotor chuckled.

"You're lying!" He dropped Shiro and pinned Lotor to the wall. "You will not tear my team apart. Lance is too strong to die!"

"You love him. Peculiar," Lotor noticed. "I wouldn't waste your time on me. Board your lion and see what's left of your boyfriend."

Keith let him drop and dragged Shiro onto Red. He started for the castle as quickly as he could, with Shiro's lion in hot pursuit. No one tried to stop them, which was odd enough on its own.

Somehow, Keith was back in his red armour by the time they got to the castle, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Keith literally leapt from the mouth of his lion and was running to his room. What mattered was the tears falling on Lance's face as Allura tried and failed and tried again to heal him. What mattered was the heartbroken screech emitted from Keith as he came across the scene.

He rushed to Lance's side. "Don't you dare die, Lance. Not now. You fucking asshole. How dare you die." He cried into his chest.

Lance still lay there, his lungs refusing to breath, like some sick joke.

"I was supposed to die first." He clutched at his shirt.

His ribs ached and his lungs were filling with red liquid. He could barely breathe yet here he was, holding onto Lance for dear life because he couldn't die now.

Lance's eyes flitted open and looked up at the princess. "Hey, I knew you had a thing for me but this sort of prolonged contact with my titties is making me uncomfortable. I may have to file harassment charges."

Keith looked up. His eyes were angry and tired from tears. "You fucking asshole. Don't you dare pull that shit again." He placed his lips hard on Lance's and then backed away.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Guess no more naps?" Lance raised a brow. He did have a strange glow in his eye from the kiss he'd received. He enjoyed it.

Coran and Allura almost collapsed in relief. "Come on, we need to get him to a healing pod. And you too Keith. What the quiznak happened to you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine. And I have the cure." He pulled a pink vial out of his pocket and they headed out to the pods. He made Lance drink the vial, although it was 'disgusting' and they both were ushered into healing pods.

Shiro managed to stumble off the Red lion about half a varga later, with all intentions of telling the team he was leaving. Instead, however, he was dragged to Pidge's room, where Matt was currently video chatting them.

"Hey, can't talk for long, but I thought you should know I'm alive. No sign of dad, but I landed on this planet that's a lot like earth. I'm gonna crash here for a bit then I'm back on the hunt again. How are you both?" Matt wasn't wearing the suit Shiro had given him. In fact, his apparel almost looked Galra. Shiro noted that but tried to keep the conversation friendly.

"Lance almost died. But he's okay now, healing even." Pidge said.

Matt seemed disappointed. "Almost died?"

"Yeah. Allura healed him."

This was news for Shiro too. Lance had almost died? When? Shiro wasn't aware he was in that bad of condition.

"Oh, good." He said 'good' in a way that insinuated he didn't think it was at all 'good'. "And Shiro, how are you?" Matt averted his attention to the team leader, who seemed a little lost in thought.

"I don't know." He wanted to expose everything to Matt. To tell him the whole truth because maybe he'd understand. But he couldn't, not with Pidge in the room. "I haven't been myself lately."

Pidge looked over the Shiro with a gaze that read 'that's an understatement'.

"How so?" Matt tilted his head.

"I'll tell you once you get back. Hopefully it'll be resolved by then." Shiro said, painting a smile on his face.

Matt raised a brow. "Hopefully not." He whispered.

Pidge knit her her brows. "What?"

"Nothing. Love you." The camera turned off.

"He was acting really strange." Pidge turned off her camera and stood. "He didn't seem like himself at all. He seemed... creepy.

Shiro nodded in agreement and stared at the screen where his face had been. Who was that?