~{BONDING MOMENT}~ || A Klance OneShot ||

Bonding moment

It rained. Some would say it was fitting for the occasion, some would say it was a pure coincidence. To be honest, it had been too long since Lance had seen rain, and it was a shame he couldn't experience it fully from where he lay.

There had been a squabble with some rogues, them neither serving the Galra empire or participating in the Voltron coalition. The job didn't require the lions, no. too small of a job to put the ships at risk of being stolen, like last time. Although it was incredibly recent, the motions seemed like a blur in Lance's mind- he couldn't remember why, but something must've happened, otherwise he wouldn't be lying alone in the dirt, surrounded by thousand-year-old debris.

The blue paladin shakily brought a hand to his stomach, feeling for the ripped uniform to press there. I've been shot, he thought. He coughed quietly, small amounts of blood spattering onto his closed visor. Everything hurt.

"Lance do you copy?"

The familiar voice of Allura rang out through his helmet. He mustered all the strength he could to form a response.

"Princess-?" That was all he could push out before a violent fit of coughs took over his body. It was enough to tell her he was not okay.

"Lance!We're on our way!"

Lance blinked slowly, watching the world around him fade through the cracked glass in front of his eyes. Time seemed to meld together as he just stared, unfazed as a familiar red machine landed close by. His grip on the wound in his stomach weakened. Lance knew he had to try and get out of there, to push past the old rubble and crawl to the ship. He couldn't die here. But when his arms betrayed him and the paladin couldn't get himself out, he realised he was truly doomed. Tan lids fluttered closed.

Pressure. There was pressure underneath his shoulder blades, and behind his knees. Then suddenly, Lance was lifted. He wearily opened his eyes to see the red and white of a Voltron chest plate.

"Mullet...?"

"Hold on Lance," Keith puffed. He was running, the blue paladin laying almost limp in his arms as he hastily made his way back to the red lion. "I need you to stay awake for me, okay?"

"Mkay." Lance leaned further against Keith, enjoying the warmth that the Red paladin's body emitted. Maybe he could close his eyes just a little, have a nap while Keith's got him. He stared up and saw the curve of his jawline, observing the way the scar on his face wrapped itself around it. It had faded to a dull tan colour - slightly darker than Keith's skin -, and it ran down half of his neck. Lance's hand slowly made its way up to Keith's face, running his fingers delicately along the scarred flesh there and tracing it down his neck. Keith looked down at him, concern knitting his brows together. He said something, but Lance's tired mind couldn't comprehend it. Luckily, he repeated it.

"Lance, hey. We're just about to get there. You'll be in a cryo-pod in no time."

"Can I please," his voice came out in a hushed whisper. "can I please sleep now-?" He glanced around, taking in the interior of the red lion's cockpit. When had they arrived in the red lion? Who knows. Lance was laying across Keith's lap, the lion clearly taking the initiative to autopilot as the red paladin held him close. He could also feel a strong pressure against his wound, and he guessed that his rival was pressing on it to prevent him from bleeding out too much.

He received a slow shake of Keith's head in response. He knew he had to stay awake, but he was exhausted. Lance didn't have much control over the unconsciousness that was waiting to take him away, so before he crashed, he slurred something quietly.

"Okay goodnight mullet, love you..."

"Wait, no! Lance you need to-"

He was out like a light.

***

Blue eyes groggily opened themselves as Lance woke up. He was behind a sheet of Altean glass, statistics and important information he couldn't really understand written on the other side. He knows where he is, and he knows exactly why. He can see everyone waiting in the room beyond the pod. He touches his middle and forefinger to the glass, waiting for it to slowly dissolve as if it had never been there in the first place. The soft whooshing noise seemed alerted the other paladins, as they stood to quickly assist Lance out of the pod.

Keith looks like he's about to say something, but Shiro beats him to it. Keith takes his arm anyway.

"Welcomeback to the land of the living."