outliers [klance au]

13. saving adam

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ca/c2/24/cac224f533de115f6bb56dbd4f584ad5.jpg

"Adam?" Lance asked, confused. 

Keith realized that he and Shiro had never really talked about Adam before in front of the other Paladins. Now that he thought about it, he doubted that they even knew that Shiro was gay, but he didn't want to get into it- Lance would find out who Adam was when they arrived on Earth. 

Keith fidgetted with the TRAM, setting coordinated and so on to make sure they'd arrive at the right time in the right reality. 

"Are you sure about this, Lance?" Keith asked quietly. "It's not really part of the mission."

Lance laughed weakly. "Allura wasn't really part of the mission either. We're winging it, Mullet."

Keith smiled at the name. It had grown from an annoyance to a pet name that he secretly liked. Lance continued, "Keith, when we get back to Earth, can I cut your hair?"

Keith looked up at the monitor, meeting Lance's eyes. He instinctively raised a hand to the back of his neck. "I'd love that," he finally murmured. They held eye contact for a few more moments until Keith looked away, trying to hide a blush. 

"Alright," he said awkwardly after a few moments, "the TRAM is set."

Lance nodded, bracing himself in his seat. "Yeet it," he said supportively. Keith gritted his teeth at the meme that was the Blue Paladin. 

"Dumbass," he mumbled under his breath.

"What's that, Mullet?" Lance asked innocently. 

"Idiot," Keith said with a smirk.

Lance batted his eyelashes, a smile making its way to his lips, which spoke, "Moron."

"Try-hard."

"Mouth-breather."

"Bastard."

"Asshole."

"Dipshit," Keith concluded at the TRAM portal opened and the Lions eagerly leaped through it. 

As soon as they arrived on the side of the porta, both Lions nearly crashed right into a Galran warship. 

"Jesus fuck, mierda, cabrón," Lance screeched, veering away from the cruiser. Keith looked around the familiar scene. 

"Goddamnit, Lance, get out of the sky! We're reliving the fucking battle with Haggar!"

"Where the FUCK do I go?" Lance answered, Blue flipping over a cruiser to avoid being shot at. 

Keith looked around desperately, pausing to blast a cruiser whose guns were aimed at Blue with a few lasers. 

His eyes fell on Earth, huge beams of light shooting upwards towards the Galran's ships from its surface. "Lance, get to Earth. I'll be right behind you."

"Keith-"

"Trust me, Lance. I won't let you down. Go."

Lance's eyes swam in Keith's vision. He smiled fiercely. "Don't die on me, Keith." Blue bolted towards Earth. Keith followed in Red. 

The two lions shot down through space, taking down fighter jets when they could. "I'm so out of practice!" Lance yelled as Blue grabbed a jet in her mouth, flinging it towards a cruiser but not checking to see if she hit her mark. 

"You're doing great, Lance," Keith said through painfully gritted teeth, dodging lasers here and there, firing at any jet who got too close to Blue. "Almost there," he told himself, Red, and Lance.