Superstar

Chapter 12

"They blew us all out of the sky," Nyma said shakily, leaning into Lance, "We flew in, and they just- they decimated us! I- I don't even know how I got out alive! Why am I alive, Sol?" Her voice was muffled against his jacket. "Why am I still here? I shouldn't be here, Sol!"

Lance stroked her head gently. "No, no, Luna, you are supposed to be here!"

"I'm useless," she wailed, "I should've died with them!"

Lance's spine stiffened. "Don't say that. Luna, please, don't say that."

"Then why am I here," she whispered again, "Why am I alive, when all of them are dead?"

"Because I need you," he murmured into her hair, "And you need me."

She drew back, and they kissed. Lance felt his stomach turn to butterflies inside of him, despite this being the twentieth time they'd done it.

"Cut! Lance, Nyma, good work, we've almost made up for the time we lost when the set nearly blew up! Excellent!"

Allura smiled at Lance. "Come on into my office, would you?"

He followed her, and she shut the door. She took a deep breath. "I know that things have been... stressing, recently. And... I didn't want to talk about it, not right away. But it's been nearly five days now, and..."

"And you think that I should find a new bodyguard," Lance finished dully.

"Exactly. I know... I know it's hard. And I know you want to think that he's coming back. But their chances of finding him... they decrease every day."

Lance sighed. "I know."

Allura bit her lip. "Lance... I really think that we should hire a professional this time. I'm not saying it's because they're inexperienced, but first Hunk, and then Keith... you have to admit, this movie is a trouble magnet, and I feel that if we hire someone more professional... well, either they'll handle themselves better, or they'll scare off whoever's sabotaging the set."

Lance sighed again. "Yeah. You're right."

"I'm glad you see it my way," Allura said gently, "I promise you, as soon as Hunk is better, you can hire him back, right away. But with his arm the way it is... I'd feel safer for you to have a professional." She reached for her phone, stopped, and looked back at him. "And... I... I'm sorry about Keith."

The door burst open, startling both of them. Pidge puffed, hands on her knees. She held up a hand as she regained her breath. "Shiro- phone call- Kolivan—"

Lance frowned. "What is it? Spit it out, Pidge!"

"They found him," she panted, "They found Keith!"

Allura set her phone down. "Well, I'll be," she whispered.

Xxx

Shiro's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. "Yeah. Kolivan said that he was in the hospital. Has been for the last three hours, apparently. They had to put off calling because of everything that was going on."

"The hospital? Why?"

The others echoed Lance's sentiment.

Shiro bit his lip. "They said- they said he got banged up pretty badly."

"How badly?" Pidge asked quietly.

Shiro didn't answer.

Pidge's face hardened. "Takeshi Shirogane, how badly is he injured?"

Shiro sighed. "Broken jaw," he said hoarsely, "Broken nose, Broken fingers on his left hand, and his right knee is messed up, like, needing surgery messed up. Plus, you know, bruises. Scrapes. And... they said that there were signs of asphyxiation."

Lance blinked. "Sorry, care to dumb that down for the idiots?"

"Suffocation," Pidge whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

Shiro's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Kolivan suspects waterboarding."

He pulled into the hospital parking lot, all of them piling into the waiting room. The receptionist gave Lance a little wave. "I remember you."

He nodded distractedly. "Keith Kogane?"

"He can have visitors. He's a little groggy from the pain meds, just a warning, so if he doesn't recognize you or is a little dopey, that's why. Room 412."

They all flooded up the elevator, knocking quietly on the door before streaming in. Keith blinked groggily at them from a hospital bed, his face- Lance sucked in a deep breath. His face was a mess. His eyes- both were black, like someone had punched him twice, and his jaw was swollen. Not to mention the bandages on his nose and the splints on his fingers. Lance had a sneaking suspicion that if he pulled the bedcovers back, he'd see more bandages wrapped around Keith's knee.

They all gathered around the bed. "Hey," Shiro said softly.

"Hey," Keith croaked.

"You know who we are?"

Keith blinked. "Shiro. Lance. Hunk." His eyes slid to Pidge. "Katie."

Pidge stiffened. "No, Keith," she said gently, "My name's Pidge."

"No 's not," he slurred, "'s Katie."

Pidge gave him a sad smile. "Okay. You're the boss."

"I am?"

"Sure."

"Oh." Then, "Lance didn't get caught?"

Lance offered a shaky smile. "Nope. Right here. Thanks to you."

The ghost of a smile flitted across Keith's face. "D-don't owe you one anymore."

"Oh, no," Lance challenged, "No, no, you don't get out of it that easily. See, that's what I'm paying you for, so it doesn't count."

Keith's head went back against the pillows. "Quiznek," he muttered.

Shiro smiled at him. "How are the hospitals, huh? I've only ever been in army hospitals. How are civilian hospitals?"

"Mmm... okay, I guess..."

"You guess?"

"They won't let me leave," Keith said irritably, "Last time, they let me leave."

"Oh, no, buddy," Shiro said quickly, "You are not leaving this hospital. No, sir."

"...ugh."

A nurse poked her head in and tapped her watch. Keith didn't see her. Shiro sighed.

"Hey, Keith?"

"Uh-huh?"

"We've gotta go now, okay?"

Keith blinked at them, lost. "Where are you going?"

"Hospital won't let us stay," Shiro said lightly, "We'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

"'K."

"You need to rest, you hear me?"

"Yessir."

"Goodnight, Keith."

"'Night." Keith leaned back on the pillows as they exited, watching them go as his eyes drifted shut. As Pidge shut the door, he was already asleep.