Chapter Text
Keith opted to wait for Hunk and Pidge to reach them, rather than try to keep walking forward. His whole body ached, especially his torn fingernails, and his head pounded. Still, he was positive that Lance felt ten times worse. Even so, Lance was smiling as Yellow and Green kicked up the dirt, and landed gently on either side of them. Keith was worried, momentarily, that the weight of the Lions would collapse the ground again, but it was solid underneath the giant metal feet. Keith let out a breath - he didn’t think he could take falling into another hole.
The hatches opened on the Lions simultaneously, and then Hunk and Pidge were tearing out, looking wild eyed.
“You guys!” Hunk cried out, running over. “Holy Quiznack, you’re alive, oh my god!” He stumbled to a stop without touching Lance, who he was closest to.
Pidge approached from Keith’s side, looking close to angry tears as she reached them. “What were you doing out here?” she demanded, and then faltered when she took in their full state. “What happened to you!?”
“Hey guys,” Lance said, wiggling the fingers of the arm around Keith’s shoulder. Keith huffed, before gingerly shrugging at Hunk and Pidge. That broke them out of their surprise, and together they jumped forward and folded them both into tight hugs. Lance grunted in pain, but tightened his arm, and didn’t let anyone pull away. Keith felt his emotions float close to the surface again, as Hunk continued to murmur about how scared he’d been when they couldn’t find them.
“And then you guys weren’t anywhere and it was getting late, and then Pidge said her lion was doing something confusing, so I listened to Yellow, and oh geez, they said you were in trouble, but they only said something like you were here. Which you weren’t, you were out here, but-”
“Hunk,” Lance said, voice tight. “It’s okay, you found us.”
Hunk pulled back from the hug, a hand on each of their shoulders, at least until Lance went paler, and cringed away from his touch.
“Sorry!” Hunk exclaimed, and Lance smile-grimaced.
“I’m okay,” he said, short of breath. He was a little bit heavier against Keith’s side. “Just ready to get back.”
Hunk looked miserable, and Pidge, who’d pulled back as well, looked between them all.
“Let’s get going. But I demand the story, once you’re better.”
Lance nodded, which set him swaying a little. The motion had Keith stumbling a little, and Hunk steadied them both, this time his hands gingerly on Lance’s chest, and Keith’s shoulder.
“It’s a doozy,” Lance mumbled. “Wasn’t it, Keith?” Lance’s arm was heavy around Keith’s neck.
“Yeah,” Keith said. “It was.”
*~*
They entered the healing bay slowly, with Hunk leading the way with Lance’s arm now around his shoulder, and Pidge helping Keith. Keith was walking mostly under his own power, which was good because if he went down, he wasn’t sure Pidge could catch him, at least not comfortably. Keith was watching Lance’s pained steps ahead of him, unable to miss how his ankle was obviously tender to walk on where he’d been bitten, and he was moving slowly to not jostle his arm.
“Coran should have the healing pods set up for you both,” Pidge said to him as they walked in. Coran’s head turned at the sound of their entrance, his face immediately creasing in worry.
“Lance! Keith!” Coran exclaimed, coming over with his hands tangled in front of him. “My goodness, boys, you do look dreadful!”
“Thanks, Coran,” Lance half smiled, eyes half lidded. Coran tutted, and brushed some dust off Lance’s hair, before patting his cheek gently.
“You should try not to make a habit of this, my boy,” Coran said, voice turning stern. Lance half winced, looking sheepish.
“I’ll try,” Lance said, and Keith didn’t like the unsurety in his voice. He damn well better try. Coran accepted it though, and helped him to the table to examine and change. Keith was sat down as well, and watched as Lance climbed into the pod with a little swallow of apprehension, and then was frozen over by the strange machine. It was as unsettling as the first time, but at least those red points of damage on the scanner were already beginning to shimmer as they began to heal.
“How long will he be in there?” Keith asked, and Coran tapped the display.
“Oh, it looks like only about three hours. His major wound was a displaced shoulder joint, but it’s back in place now, so the pod is really working on the swelling and other abrasions.”
“He had a bite wound on his ankle too.”
Coran leaned in. “Yup, that’s not too major, looks like. He’s going to be fine.”
Triple sighs of relief sounded, and Keith immediately felt his exhaustion mount. He was ready to fall into bed hours ago. Hunk and Pidge both stepped up into his line of sight, their faces still worried.
“Okay, so what happened out there? The Lion’s scanners didn’t show any other big life forms near you when we picked you up, but you said Lance got bit?”
Keith winced. “It was the small life forms we were worried about. There were these lizards, with stingers like scorpions. Hundreds of them, probably.”
“They trapped you?” Pidge asked, looking interested. Hunk looked paler at the word scorpion. Keith half shrugged.
“Well, once we were trapped in the hole we fell in, it was pretty easy to corner us…”
They both blinked. “You fell in a hole?” Pidge asked, and a smirk was threatening.
“Well, Lance did. In his defense, the ground collapsed. We were running. Then, once I jumped in, there was no way to get out.”
“That’s how his shoulder got dislocated, I presume?” Coran interjected, having been listening in. Keith nodded. “And did you put it back in place?”
“Lance told me how.”
Coran’s hand came down on his shoulder: a grounding weight.
“It was well done. Exactly where it needed to be!”
Pidge opened her mouth, probably to ask more questions about holes, and scorpion lizards, but Coran held up his other hand.
“Now, now, Number Five. I do believe our Number Four has earned a nip in the pod as well.”
Keith blinked, and realized he’d been staring at the space beside Pidge’s face, and shook himself.
“I’m fine, I just need to sleep…”
Coran frowned. “You weren’t injured at all?”
“Just tired, and some scratches. I’ll be fine,” Keith promised. Coran looked him over with searching eyes, but then nodded.
Very well. Hunk, would you help him to his room?”
“No problem, buddy,” Hunk said. Keith sighed in relief, and then wondered how he was supposed to stand, with the way his legs felt like jelly. Hunk seemed to read his issue, and put his hands under Keith’s arms, he pulled him to his feet again. Keith stood steady as best he could, and resisted the urge to lean into him. Together they began walking slowly towards the door. But, before he could step more than two paces, it slid open and Allura came striding in. She then stopped, looking started to see them coming towards her, and took a double take at the state Keith was in. Her eyes whipped to Coran.
“Why is nobody manning the bridge? We’re being hailed,” she said, sounding like her old self, if a little tired still. Her hair was completely down, and smudges were visible under her eyes. Those eyes turned back to Keith, and then Lance in the healing pod.
“What happened while I was ill? Why are Keith and Lance hurt?” she demanded, and Coran jumped forward with an explanation. Keith didn’t think he could go over it again, not without sleeping first, so he just started walking again. Hunk patted his back, and called back to Coran that they were leaving, and walked with Keith out into the halls.
Hunk didn’t have to support him on the way to the corridor with the paladin's bedrooms, but it was a near thing, as Keith’s whole body felt like lead. Hunk kept glancing at him as they walked, and the third time Keith caught his eye, he spoke.
“What is it?” he asked, probably a little too abrupt. Hunk started, and then gave him a concerned look.
“I just wanted to, well, you are okay, right? It sounded like it got pretty terrifying out there. And I know it’s been hard for you lately…” Shiro was still gone, Hunk meant. Keith felt that knot of emotion again, that tiredness wasn’t letting him control, and he cleared his throat hard.
“I’m fine,” Keith said, “Or as fine as I can be. I just want to sleep.”
“Okay,” Hunk said. Keith sighed, and then remembered something else. Something he wanted to start before he went to sleep.
“Hey, you’re Lance’s friend, right?” he started, and Hunk stared at him for a moment.
“Uh, yeah, dude. You are too.”
Keith rubbed his face. “Yeah, of course. I mean, he talks to you?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Hunk said, sounding confused. Keith had reached his bedroom door now, and so he stopped and leaned on the frame, looking back at Hunk.
“He’s going to get out of the pod before I wake up, but could you make sure… make sure he’s okay? I think he’s going through some stuff too. He was saying some things…” Keith asked, folding his arms. Hunk was staring at him, completely nonplussed, and Keith felt a blush rise up on his cheeks. “What?” he demanded, after the stare from the other paladin had gone on a beat too long.
“Oh, there you are,” Hunk said, uncomfortably blunt. “I wondered what you did with Keith for a second.”
Keith glared. “Would you just check on him?”
Hunk lifted his hands in surrender. “Yeah, of course. But why don’t you? It sounds like you guys had another bonding moment out there?”
Keith dropped his arms. “No!”
Hunk smiled at his defensiveness. “Did you, like, share your darkest secrets out there? Did anyone cry?”
Keith’s hackles rose, and so did the heat in his cheeks. Hunk laughed.
“Oh my gosh, you did!”
“Stop,” Keith growled, and Hunk waved a hand in the air, calming himself.
“Sorry, sorry, it’s just, you know, cliche. Two guys, surrounded by imminent death, making emotional confessions, crying on each other’s shoulders, the whole nine yards.”
“Okay,” Keith said, finally turning towards the door. Thing was, Hunk was right. He’d broken down completely in front of Lance, and Lance had helped. He’d said the right things, and been there to literally cry on. Keith thought he should probably feel more embarrassed about it (though he was still blushing from Hunk’s teasing) but he really just felt grateful to Lance. Lance was so much more impressive than he thought of himself.
Out of the corner of his eye, Keith saw Hunk tap his finger to his lip.
“You know what, I do think Galra!Keith is a lot more open. You know, emotionally.”
Keith let out a breath, his shoulders dropping, before he glanced back, lip twitching upwards.
“You ever think that your guys’ acceptance of my being Galra made it easier to be open?” he said, quiet and honest. Hunk stared, before his eyes literally got wobbly, and suddenly Keith was swept up in another hug, this one encompassing and awkwardly sideways.
“Ah, Hunk! Put me down!” Keith struggled, kicking out. Hunk squeezed him tighter.
“Noope! I gotta get in on this bond with Keith thing.”
“Argh!” Keith growled, and then went limp, until Hunk put him down. He may have patted Hunk’s back a couple of times. Once he was back on his feet, Keith swayed a little, before Hunk put both hands on his shoulders, and steering him into his room.
“I’m glad you’re safe, Keith,” Hunk said, before giving him a little push that nearly made him faceplant onto his bed. “Now go to sleep before you fall over. And I’ll talk to Lance too, see if he’ll tell me what’s bothering him.”
“Thanks,” Keith said, not sure if he meant for wishing him well, or getting him to bed, or for promising to talk to Lance, but he was a bit far gone by that point. He barely managed to strip off his clothes and try to shake out the dust as best he could, before he let himself fall into bed. Lance would be glad to hear that his goal for winning the race, and his plan on getting him to sleep, had absolutely worked.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Lance stumbled forward as the glass vanished, straight into a pair of familiar arms.
“Lance, you’re alright!”Hunk hugged him gently, and it felt good to be able to hug back without his shoulder yelling at him.
“Good to see you, buddy,” Lance said. Hunk released him and set him on his feet, a huge grin on his face.
“How’re you feeling?” It was Pidge that spoke, seated on the steps near the pods. She had the remains of a radio-type thing next to her, but was looking up at him.
“Better than before, that’s for sure,” Lance said, stepping back, and rotating his arm. His body was kinda tense, and still heavy with exhaustion - the pod had made him super tired before too - but he felt normal.
Hunk’s grin faded a little, as he seemed to remember what Lance had looked like when he’d gotten here.
“Yeah, man. You have to give us the whole story, but first Allura wants us all to report to the bridge as soon as you get out.”
Lance paused in the middle of a stretch, having just been dreaming about being horizontal.
“What really? What about Keith, he’s okay, right? Did he go in a pod?” Lance turned, but all the other pods were empty.
Hunk shook his head. “He’s just asleep. It’s only been about three hours, but I think Allura got a message from someone, and she wants to discuss it.”
Pidge gathered up her things, and nodded with a tight look on her face. “Yeah, he’s gonna want to be there.”
“Allura said to get him when your pod got done.”
Lance got changed from the thin white suit, and they headed out of the bay, and detoured to Keith’s room. The trio entered to see Keith sleeping heavily in his bed, face turned towards the door. He didn’t even twitch when they knocked, and slid it open.
“Okay, who wants to do the deed?” Lance said, nudging Hunk with his elbow. Hunk made and ‘eh’ sound.
“I’m kinda afraid I’ll get stabbed if I shake him awake…”
Lance spotted the knife on the floor, next to the pile of clothes he’d been wearing. He’d been so sleepy he hadn’t even put it away, since Lance was willing to bet he usually didn’t leave it out so carelessly. With the knowledge that Keith couldn’t do more than punch if he woke up fighting, Lance edged forward, and stood on one foot, and jabbed his toe into Keith’s hip.
“Mmmphh?” Keith twitched, brow furrowing, before he waved his hand like he was shooing away a fly. Pidge snorted from the doorway.
“Keeeith….” Lance said, quietly. “It’s time to wake up nowww…”
He jabbed him again, nearly rolling him over. Keith’s eyes blinked this time, and he breathed in, before peering up at him in abject confusion.
“Wha?” he mumbled, and Lance couldn’t help but grin at the cuteness. “What are you doing here, supposed to be in the pod….?”
Keith’s voice was slurring, and given that he’d only had about three hours after a few days of sleep deprivation, and one very intense night, Lance couldn’t blame him for not coming straight to alertness. Still, they needed to go see what Allura wanted.
“Keith, Allura wants us on the bridge.”
“Allura?” Keith woke more, and then sat up, looking miserable as he forced himself awake. He looked around the room with bleary eyes, at Lance standing close to the bed, and Hunk and Pidge in the doorway. “Lance, you’re okay?”
Lance nodded. “Yup, all healed up. It’s only been about three hours, so I’m hoping Allura lets us both go back to sleep afterwards, but for now, we’ve gotta get up there.”
Keith yawned widely, and nodded, before turning and climbing slowly out of bed. Keith was moving a little bit like he was drugged, and Lance still had to smile as he exchanged a look with Hunk.
“‘Kay, let’s go,” Keith said, once he was standing. Lance couldn’t hold back the laugh now.
“Uh, buddy,” Lance said, and Keith blinked at him. “You might want to put a shirt on? Maybe some pants?”
Keith looked down at himself, and frowned, because Keith had obviously been in a hurry to bed, and he’d been sleeping in just his boxers.
“Oh,” Keith said, slowly. Lance turned, and herded Hunk and PIdge out the door.
“We’ll give you a minute,” he said, still giggling.
*~*
They made it up to the bridge a few minutes later, once they were all decent. Allura was there, in her normal dress and looking loads been than she’d been when she’d collapsed in the Black Lion’s cockpit after the battle. Lance smiled at seeing her, waving.
“Hey, Princess, glad you’re feeling better,” he said, and she turned and smiled as they entered.
“I should say the same to you.” Allura tilted her head. “I heard you injured yourself quite badly outside? You need to take better care of yourself.”
Lance nodded. “I know, it was stupid.”
“I’m glad you’re alright, and that you both are back safe,” Allura said, softening, and looking to Keith as well (who still looked dozy and barely noticed). Coran turned from his station.
“As I am, you two,” he said, pinching the end of his mustache. Lance smiled, and glanced at Keith to see what he thought of all the attention… and he was dozing as he stood, eyes half mast. Lance elbowed him, and he snorted.
“Thanks,” Lance said, and Keith followed his lead.
“Thanks.” There may have been too much of a question at the end of that, but no one mentioned anything.
“So, what’s this message?” Lance asked, wondering what was so important. Keith all dozy from being woken up was hilarious, yes, but he knew that Allura and Coran wouldn’t keep them from resting after being injured without good reason, and Lance felt the draw of being horizontal right now too. Might as well ask, and get this going.
Allura turned to her station, pulling up a video recording.
“It’s from a people called the Visiants, a long-lived race from an old civilization, dating long before this war. I had no idea they were still in existence.” Allura widened the frame, and a figure became visible. Humanoid, with large brown eyes, and greenish skin. Their hair was a light teal, and long and twisted into small braids. They were wearing a hood and robe outfit that kinda reminded Lance of the druids, except instead of purple, this one was black and silver, with shots of red, blue, yellow, and green through the fabric in angular patterns. Allura continued.
“The recording is actually several quintents old, but it had been bounced around for a while, according to Pidge.”
Pidge pushed up her glasses. “I had to decode it a couple of different ways to even download it. This message was locked up tight, except to the Paladins of Voltron. It eventually took Allura’s biosignature to open it. Which is a little…”
“Creepy,” Hunk finished.
Allura nodded. “They shouldn’t have had it. But it’s the message that’s truly intriguing, and it’s the reason I had them wake you, Keith,” she said this to him. Keith blinked, and made a valiant effort to pay attention.
“Yeah, it’s okay. What is it?” he said, voice rough still.
Allura pressed something on her controls, and the figure began to speak. They had a medium range voice, but it was rough, and accented close to Allura’s. Keith straightened up to listen, so Lance followed suit.
“Greetings, Princess Allura of Altea, and the Paladins of Voltron. I am Saint Van Ti. We, the monks of the Lions, have contacted you with this message. The Black Paladin wanders in dreams.”
The person bowed their head, and finished their message.
“We hope to receive you soon. Warmly, I greet you.”
The message cut off, and Lance looked at Allura, mouth open. “Did that guy mean what I think they meant?”
Hunk and Pidge weren’t reacting, as they’d obviously heard the message before, but Keith was standing straight upright now, his face alight with hope, all traces of tiredness gone.
“They know where Shiro is.”