Don't Ask About My Demons

Cryopods and Apologies

Without warning, Keith slumped over. Krolia caught him in her arms before he hit the floor. "Stay with me, little one! Please stay awake!"

Lance whirled around just in time to see the unconscious Keith go limp in Krolia's arms. "Red, a little help please?"

The gears whirred before she let out a series of frantic clicks. Without warning, Red took a nosedive toward the Altean ship.

"Whoa! Red! Too fast! We're gonna crash!" Lance's fingers tried to maneuver the controls but was stopped by a low growl echoing in his head. His mind turned with thoughts. "R-Red?"

The reply was low and guttural but, somehow, Lance knew what Red was trying to say. Trust me.

Lance nodded as his hands darted to the arms of the pilot's seat. "Brace yourselves!" He called over his shoulder as the lion became a blur of red among the stars. Lance shut his eyes tightly. The Altean ship was coming up fast... too fast. He had half a mind to change his mind and grab the controls again. He was almost certain they were going to crash. But then his thoughts drifted to Keith. Every second was vital. A mere tic longer could mean life or death for the red paladin. For that reason, he decided to trust Red. She knew what she was doing. He was sure of it. In fact, he had never been this sure of anything. With that thought in mind, he opened his eyes. His fingers loosened their grip just enough so that his nails were no longer digging into the seat. He evened out his breathing and watched as the red lion sailed forward, nearly clipping the edge of the ship as she came barreling into the hangar. She lurched to a stop and landed with a run that gradually slowed into a walk before she stopped.
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Meanwhile, from inside the ship, Pidge noticed something peculiar on her screen.

"Uh, Princess?"

"Yes, Pidge?"

"You know how Lance kinda just... disappeared while we were all asleep?"

"I'm aware of that, Pidge. We're locating him now."

"Oh. I've located him, alright."

"Is that a good alright or a he's-in-grave-danger alright?" Hunk asked. "I just need some clarification."

"Where is he?" Shiro demanded.

Pidge pulled up her screen and Allura sent the coordinates to the mainframe.

"That's... odd," Coran began, twirling his mustache. "The Red lion is back on the ship... so then where's--"

--The door slid open to reveal a sight that Allura never expected to see. A rather disheveled Lance sprinted into the room with a Galra soldier running close behind. However, the soldier wasn't chasing him but, rather, following him while cradling an unconscious Keith in her arms. Allura blinked in surprise.

"Who is this?" Allura asked, looking to the stranger who just ran into the control room.

Lance groaned in irritation. "Allura, meet Krolia!" He replied quickly, waving his arms frantically between the two of them. "Krolia, Allura! Now that we've been acquainted, HELP ME OR GET OUT OF MY WAY! KEITH'S DYING!"

Shiro and Hunk bolted out of their seat to help Krolia with Keith.

Allura's eyes widened in shock before she hopped out of the way. "Coran! Prepare a cryopod for Keith!"

"We have one prepared now!" Coran called back in the same urgent tone.

"What happened?" Allura demanded.

"Haggar..." Krolia responded, propping Keith up against the inner wall of the cryopod. "Judging by the blood loss, it would appear that she hit a main artery. I can only hope we got him here in time."

Lance rested his hands on the glass as he watched Keith, eyebrows furrowed with worry. "He has to be okay," Lance mumbled almost to himself. "Quiznak, let him be okay."

Lance felt a weight on his shoulder and turned to find Krolia giving him a sympathetic look. "All we can do now is wait," she said gently.

They stood in silence, watching for the slightest sign of life from the red paladin. The only tell that Keith was still alive was the fact that the vitals on the screen showed the faintest of heartbeats. Keith was holding on to life by a thread.

Allura turned to Krolia. "Thank you... for helping Lance bring Keith back," she said hesitantly.

Krolia stared back. She wasn't sure how to respond. "I--well he's my--I mean it's just... It's complicated."

"It's complicated?" Hunk asked, quirking a brow.

Krolia turned to the others. "I'll explain everything. But there's a lot to say. I think you all might want to sit down."

"We have a sitting room just down the hall from here," Allura replied. "We will talk there." They stepped out of the room, apart from Lance who remained rooted to the spot. His gaze never wavered from Keith's serene face. "Lance?" Allura called. "Are you coming?"

Lance shook his head. "Go on without me. Hunk can brief me on what's been said. I want to stay with Keith if it's all the same to you." He turned to her with pleading eyes.

Allura was certain that her heart broke in that moment. "Yes, you may stay if that is what you wish," she said gently.

Lance nodded solemnly. "It is."

Allura took a step away then hesitated. "Lance?"

"Yes, princess?"

Her eyes dropped to the floor. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry." She met his gaze. "For what I've done and what I've said regarding Keith. I was wrong."

Lance cocked his head to the side. "What are you saying?"

"What I mean is, I didn't give Keith the respect he deserved. I found out that he was part Galra and I shut down. That was immature of me. Keith had nothing to do with the genocide of my people. There's no use causing strife for something he's never done. He has been nothing but loyal to Voltron." She paused to take a breath. "Which is why I plan to apologize to him when he wakes up... Whether or not he accepts my apology is another story."

Lance nodded. "I think Keith would be relieved to hear you say that. Thank you, Princess." His gaze drifted to Keith's face.

Allura considered saying more but decided to leave Lance alone for the time being. She nodded and stepped out of the room to meet the rest of the team.