Ruby and Saphire : Voltron:LD Klance

Fifty-Seven

Lance curled up in the corner rather than on the bed, barely noticing the little tremors or distant explosions.

He jumped at the unexpected thump from his cell door, snapping his head up as it opened. Lance scrambled to his feet, heart racing suddenly.

No one was there.

The blue paladin gulped and stepped forward. He glanced down the hall, then scurried back to his corner as he spotted guards shoving prisoners back into cells, shooting the ones not cooperating.

He curled his fingers in his hair, hunching over his knees. A guard looked into his cell, then kept going.

Not even three minutes later, he heard footsteps coming closer at an alarmingly fast rate.

Lance clenched his jaw, not looking up as the footsteps skidded to a halt nearby.

Soft muttering, soft steps, then silence.

"... Lance?"

His eyes widened and he jolted upright.

Keith stood in his armor in the doorway, eyes wide. "Lance... Lance!" Keith gasped in relief and rushed forward.

Lance shouted and scrambled to the other corner. "Stay away from me!" He spat, startling Keith. "I'm tired of these damn tricks! Get out of here!"

Keith stared over at him with wide eyes. "Lance? Lance- no, I-it's me! It's Keith!"

"That's what the last thirty said!" Lance clenched his fists, glaring at him. "And I fell for each and every one! Well, guess what!? I'm not falling for it this time!"

Keith's breath caught in his throat as he reached for Lance. "Please, Lance! It's okay! It's really me!" He inched closer, Lance shrinking against the wall.

"Get away!" Lance snapped, tears in his eyes. "Get away from me! You broke me with Rosie in the arena! Why don't you stop!?"

Tears began to well up in Keith's eyes as well. "Lance... Rosie is safe. She's safe on the ship with the others..."

"Shut up!" Lance screamed, breathing shallow and quick as if he was panicking in his anger. "Just shut up! How do I know you're not lying to me!?"

Keith held up his palm towards Lance. "Touch me. I'm real; you'll feel me."

"I could feel all the others!" Lance bellowed and Keith flinched back. "I could feel them, I could hear them, see them! They still weren't real!"

"Then what can I do!?" Keith cried desperately, searching Lance. "How can I prove to you I'm really Keith!?"

"I don't know!" Lance curled back into the corner, his tears overflowing. "I don't know..."

He looked so small and fragile, despite being a little larger than Keith had last seen him.

Slowly, cautiously, Keith shuffled closer ans knelt in front of Lance. "Everyone is waiting for you at the castle." He whispered, gently placing his hand on Lance's knee. Lance flinched back. "Rosie misses you singing to her. She misses braiding and playing with you. She really wants you to come home." Keith tilted his head, searching Lance's expression for any sort of change. "Pike misses you, too..."

Lance cracked his eyes open, then blinked a few times. He raised his head and looked up to Keith. "Pike?"

Keith nodded, scooting an inch closer. "Pike does. He's been asking about you, and- oh!" Keith gasped and nearly fell back, Lance through his arms around and most of his weight onto Keith. "Lance!?"

"Pike! Pike, Pike!" Lance sobbed, trembling and grasping Keith as tightly as he could. "Pike! Little Pike! Pequeño Pike!"

Keith gripped Lance close. "Lance?"

"Keith... Keith..." Lance gripped him tighter and tighter. "Keith... Pike... Pike..."

"Keith? Keith, did you find Lance?"

"I have him." The red paladin answered, rocking with Lance. "I have Lance... I'm bringing him back now."

~

Pike sat in front of the activated pod, set between his sister and Berrie. He kept his eyes on his father's relaxed, but pained expression.

The one-year-old twisted to look back at his mother, cooing softly to catch his attention. Keith hummed, glancing down to him. "Hi, Pike."

"Mommy..." Pike crawled into Keith's lap and nuzzled into him, pulling his blanket over his legs and trying to cover Keith's as well.

Keith smiled, rubbing gently up and down Pike's back. "Hey, baby boy."

Rosályn looked back to them. "Mommy... When will daddy come out?"

"I don't know, princess." Keith sighed softly and held his arm out to her.

The toddler sniffled and shuffled over, tucking herself into his side. "I want daddy out, now. I miss him."

Keith carded his fingers through her hair. "I miss him, too... But he's home, now. We don't have to look for him or wait for him any more."

Rosályn nodded, giggling as Berrie curled up in her lap and started to pur loudly.

~

Lance sighed softly, swaying as the pod opened. He stepped,forward, grabbing the edge of the pod for balance.

"Daddy!"

The blue paladin jumped at the sudden scream, eyes wide and wild as he snapped his head up.

He gasped as something crashed into his leg and wrapped around him. "Daddy! Daddy, daddy!"

Lance looked down, his heart pounding and breath hitching.

"Dada!" Lance looked up, eyes widening more, if possible. Tears stung his eyes, crouching down. He gathered the two little ones into his arms and held them both tightly. "Oh, thank God... Thank God, thank God." He kissed their heads, holding them tighter and tighter. "My precious, darling, sweet Pike and Rosie."

"Lance!"

A soft gasp drew his attention back up, and Lance sobbed.

"Lance!" Keith ran over and Lance stood up, setting Pike and Rosályn down.

"Keith!" He threw his arms around the smaller paladin, holding him tightly and burying his face in Keith's hair. "Keith! Keith, Keith! You're alive... You're okay..." He whimpered, squeezing him, fingers latched into Keith's shirt. "You're all okay..."

He pulled back, grabbing Keith's face to litter him with kisses. Keith laughed, placing his hands over Lance's. "Lance! Lance, I'm okay! You're okay!"

Lance nodded, planting one last, firm kiss to Keith's lips, then yanked him back to his chest. "I missed you... I missed you so much..."

Keith nodded, nuzzling into Lance's shoulder. "I missed you, too..."

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1015 words

Yay! He's back on the castle!!!