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Lance knew something was wrong, when does anything ever go right was more like his thought. He knew something was bound to happen that would ruin the plan everyone tried so hard to make go right. He knew he would be the one to mess it all up, to make everyone worry and angry because the plan almost worked.
When he didn’t feel the connection to Red, when he didn’t feel that pull or hear the roar of the lion, he knew this was the moment the plan was going to shit. He was trying so hard to call out to Red, to get the stupid lion to fly down to Earth and help him. But, of course, the lion would never come because he never really saw Lance as his Paladin, did he?
“Veronica! Watch out!” Lance yells out to his sister, although he knew it wouldn’t help her. He knew yelling at Veronica was only going to stress her out more, but there was nothing he could do. His gun wasn’t strong enough to take down a Galra fighter ship and his lion wasn’t responding to him. He was useless, once again. “Go faster!”
“I’m trying! These things can only go so fast!” Veronica yells back, stealing a glance at the ship flying behind them. She swerves to miss a blast, but neither of them saw the second ship. Neither of the siblings saw another ship fly down, aim at the car, and shoot until it was all too late.
They’re flipping through the air, glass shattering around them, and the team yelling in their ears. Lance ins’t sure where Veronica lands, but he can hear the car crash behind him. He feels something stab him in his side, but he’s in too much pain to move. He never realized how bad it was until he saw blood began to pool around him.
Lance squeezes his eyes shut, his ears ringing from the explosion before his team’s voices began to break through. He couldn’t tell who’s voice was speaking out, but he could hear his name being yelled. Slowly, he opens his eyes and clenches his fist, angry at himself for letting this happen.
“Lance! Come in!” Keith’s voice was the first to break through the ringing, it being clear as day. He sounded worried and scared, which shouldn’t have made Lance smile, but it did. He winces at the slightest movement of his head and he can feel the blood soaking his suit.
“Lance, tell us you’re okay!” It was Shiro now, followed by the rest yelling for Lance to respond. His head was bounding, his eyes getting weaker with each passing second. There was so much he wanted to tell the team, but there wasn’t enough time to tell it all.
Lance heard lasers being shot, seeing them hit everywhere around him. His body was in too much pain to move, to try and protect himself. To try and protect his sister who he wasn’t even sure was okay. He couldn’t think of a worst ways to go.
“I-I’m sorry,” Lance wheezes out, coughing afterwards and seeing blood splatter on the sand in front of him, adding to the puddle already around him. He wanted to tell them how sorry he was for being such a screw up, for letting them down again and again. He wanted to tell them how much he loved each and every one of them. That he was happy to have met them, even if it ended in his death.
“Lance! What are you saying!?” Keith’s voice again. God, there was so much Lance wanted to tell Keith, so much he didn’t get to say and now never will. Lance remembers the bonding moment, how Keith made sure he was okay before caring him to the healing pod. How Keith was so worried about Lance when his injuries weren’t as bad as they are now. Lance wanted to laugh, he wanted to cry and scream at the situation, but he couldn’t. “Lance! Please! Talk to me!”
“I’m sorry...I let you guys...down,” his fist go limp in front of him, his eyes slowly closing as more blood leaves his body. He can hear his friends screaming, crying maybe.
He could hear Hunk, his best friend, screaming for Lance to stay awake. He could hear Pidge, begging him to keep talking, that someone is on their way. Allura, his long time crush, crying Lance’s name over and over again as if she stopped, he would be gone. And he heard Shiro whispering his name, as if praying for Lance to live.
“Lance!”
And Keith, trying his hardest to keep Lance talking, to keep him alive.
“Please don’t leave me!”
I don’t want to.
“Not like this.”
I don’t want to.
“Lance!”
Goodbye, Keith.