Guillotine - a Klance fanfic

There's Bones In My Closet, But You Hang Stuff Anyway

It had been about a week (a movement as Coran put it) after Lance got completely better and everything went back to normal. Well, almost everything. Keith was acting a little cold, colder than usual, and everyone noticed. But whenever anyone asked him if he was alright, he would always shrug it off and say that he was fine, he wouldn't even talking to Shiro about whatever was bothering him.

He was training endlessly nowadays, only taking breaks to eat, to go on a mission, or just minutes before he crashed. He was pushing himself over something and it was very apparent, but no one knew what was bothering him so much.

Keith had come a long way while he was in space, a long way in getting closer to other people and allowing himself to care for and be cared for by them. But now it was like he was receding back into the same closed off person who first stepped into the Castle of Lions. The same closed off person who pushed other away before they had a chance to push him away.

On this particular day Lance thought that he would try himself on the training deck, wanting to test out the limits of his flexibility which might've been altered by his wound (everyone assured him that it wouldn't but he still wanted to check), that and the fact that he hasn't trained for a while and felt like it was long due.

As he walked into the training area he saw Keith battling the Gladiator with all his might. Yet he was sluggish, getting sloppy and being pushed around by the Altean robot. Keith had his hair tied up into a ponytail, sweat dripping down and through his shirt, and droopy posture. With one last burst of energy Keith charged at the Gladiator, swinging his sword at it and chopping off it's head with the once last slice.

"Training sequence fifteen; complete" the castle's automated voice said from around the room. Lance's eyes widened, he couldn't believe that the Korean had gotten so far into the training sequences.

Then Keith fell. Hard.

"End training sequence. End training sequence!" Lance commanded as he ran over to Keith's side. Lance slid to a kneeled position next to Keith, freaking out a little because he had no idea what to do.

Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit, Lance thought to himself as he finally decided on starting off by checking for a pulse. He pressed two of his long, tanned fingers up to Keith's neck while supporting himself with his other hand, waiting for a heartbeat.

There it was. Faint and palpitating, but it was there. Lance could feel his own heart rushing with adrenaline as he picked Keith up and ran him to the medical bay with the healing pods.

"Allura! Coran! Pidge! Anyone? I need help here, I need a healing pod!" the Cuban yelled as he ran down the hallways. He screeched to a halt once he made it into the medical bay, hearing the sound of pounding footsteps coming up behind him.

Or was that his heart?

He couldn't tell.

Lance started pacing a little while he waited for someone, anyone who could activate the healing pods, to come in and help him get Keith into one.

"Lance? Lance what's wrong?" Allura asked, rushing into the room with Pidge at her heels. "I heard you yelling and- oh my! Keith! What's wrong with him?" she asked, hurrying over to Lance who was still carrying Keith bridal style in his arms.

"I-I don't know! He just passed out after a finished training sequence!" Lance answered as Allura and Pidge rushed over to get a better look at Keith.

"Overexhaustion I'm guessing. Lance tell me how he was acting before he collapsed," Pidge said calmly.

"Well, he looked tired, sloppy. He was...not himself."

"Definitely overexhaustion."

"Yes well we have to get him into a healing pod, like, now!" Lance said, a little agitated, panic was taking root in his brain.