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Everything is falling apart, the plan, the teams’ hopes and the ship they are in. They are exhausted from a longer than expected fight that have been going on and also from trying to figure out how to escape this bloody machine. All of them have at least one severe injury and Shiro’s pretty sure Hunk is covering a slight limp. At first, their only objective has been reckon but they were soon found out and had to blow up the database room instead of extracting information from it. The explosion got out of hand and now the ship is emerged in a deep red from the emergency light and you can hear sirens blaring everywhere. Their situation is critical already as they try to run to the little spy shuttle they came here with, but they also have to fend enemies almost every step of the way.
“My calculations say we’re not going to make it to our shuttle before this whole ship blows up if we run in any more interruptions, Shiro.” Pidge says as her eyes start to slowly fill with panic. They’re all already running as fast as they can, while also trying to find a way out of this. The anxious energy swirls between them, not helping the situation.
“Shit!” Lance makes an attempt to speed up even though the blood from his head injury is starting to drip into his eyes and partially block his vision.
“I knew we should have taken the lions,” cries Hunk. “I hate spy missions.”
“Pidge, how long till the hangar?” Shiro asks while going through all the possibilities on how to get his team out of here safely.
“There’s an elevator ahead of us and depends on how long it takes to get down, from 3 minutes and 30 seconds to 4 minutes and-“ she gets interrupted by a sound group of Galra soldiers coming their way from a perpendicular corridor. They don’t have the time to look at each other but they all know the terror that strikes through all of their hearts. Pidge just said that there’s no time for this, moreover they wouldn’t be in a position to properly defend themselves even if there was, because of all the injuries and exhaustion.
Luckily, just around the corner they finally see the door to the elevator. Keith, who has relatively the fewest injuries, gets there first and slams the button. There’s a ping from the machine in acknowledgement but it quickly becomes clear that it’s going to take some time before it reaches them. As soon as Lance gets to the door he presses the button again and then continues to slam it frantically. “C’mon, c’mon!”
“Oh my god, what are we going to do? They’re going to be here any second now!” laments Hunk.
“I’m gonna distract them.” Keith says instantly and makes a move to get past them, but Shiro catches him by the arm and blocks his way.
“What?! No!” say Shiro and Pidge in unison.
“I have to stop them so you have enough time to run.” Keith says matter-of-factly. “Or what if they cut the elevator’s cord after you’re in there? I have to go out there.”
“You’re not doing it, Keith!” Shiro’s heart has already been beating wildly, but just the thought of losing Keith robs Shiro out of breath entirely.
Keith’s beautiful blue eyes burn with determination as he bores them into Shiro’s.
“Shiro, there’s no other way” he states impatiently. “Otherwise all of us are going to be in danger! Besides, I’ll be fine, I’ll be right behind you guys.”
Shiro can’t help the way he reaches out to hold onto Keith’s arms. To make sure he doesn’t do anything rash but also just to ground himself in the touch. The fear rising in him starts to become overwhelming. Why would Keith even suggest that? Doesn’t he know that his death would shatter Shiro? Not for the first time he’s overcome with regret of never telling Keith his feelings. He doesn’t have the hope that it would be reciprocated, but he regrets every minute of not letting Keith know how loved, important and cherished he is. Maybe then he wouldn’t seem so eager to offer his life away for the greater good. And what greater good? In that moment Shiro is washed over with a certainty that he would rather die than live in a world without Keith in it.
It feels like forever has passed, which in reality has only been a few seconds, when they finally hear a sound of the elevator approaching their floor.
“We’re not going to risk your life for it” Shiro says as firmly as he can, trying not to let the desperation color his tone. It’s hard when everyone’s jittery energy feels palpable, as the others seem to will the elevator to move faster. “Either the elevator is going to come or we’ll face them together and then maybe-“
“We can’t afford to count on a “maybe”, Shiro. Like Pidge said we have no time and Voltron is too important.” Keith says as he grips Shiro’s arms to take them off of himself and walks around the man, but Shiro can’t allow that so he grabs Keith’s hands instead.
“You’re important too.” Shiro definitely sounds desperate now. It isn’t the right time to reveal something so precious to Keith. The red paladin deserves better than this, he deserves everything. But Shiro could never find the right moment and he feels like he has to stop Keith even if that means leaving himself vulnerable.
Keith’s eyes soften a little and he squeezes Shiro’s hands a tiny fracture.
“You don’t understand the situation, Shiro” he says.
“What?”
In that moment the elevator finally pings twice and even before the door fully opens the others are already rushing in and pressing the hangar level button. Shiro takes a step backwards trying to coax Keith into following him into the lift. Keith bites his lip and lets himself be pulled slightly, he crowds in Shiro’s space until Shiro’s mostly in the elevator but Keith is still outside. They’re so close Shiro forgets for a second what’s happening around them and just looks into Keith’s infinitely lovely eyes.
“You don’t understand how in love with you I am” Keith says quietly and Shiro isn’t sure if the elevator started descending already or if the swoop in his stomach is because of those words. “If you think that I’m not going to risk my life to save yours.” Keith finishes and then Shiro really feels as if the floor has been yanked from underneath him as Keith pushes Shiro the rest of the way into the elevator as the door closes.
“Keith!” he screams as he tries to scramble up as fast as he can but all he manages is to throw himself against the already closed door. “No! Fuck!”
His head is spinning with the last image of Keith turning around as countless enemies approach.
The other paladins look in shock and at a loss for words. Shiro feels his breath quickening rapidly but tries to push it down, he can’t fix the situation if he spirals right now. He has to do something or else he might never get a chance to tell Keith he loves him back, and he’ll never forgive himself for that.
A single insane idea pops into his head and he instantly decides to follow it.
“Get to the hangar and into the shuttle.” he says to the team as he fires up his right arm and punches through the ceiling of the elevator.
“Shiro, what are you doing?!” asks Lance as him and the others flinch away from the falling metal pieces.
Shiro’s already pulling himself up and out of the little silver box. “Give us a minute and a half and then run away.” is the last thing he says before grabbing one of the cords and shooting up with its movement. He has to grip it with his metal hand or else it would tear through his flesh and he’s never been more grateful for his right hand than in that moment.
As soon as he reaches the floor where they came from he jumps again and pries the door open with force. He seems to have perfect timing as he opens it just in time to see Keith being slammed into the wall by a Galra soldier who begins to choke him. Red fury ignites in Shiro and he launches himself onto the enemy and brings him to the floor to the sound of Keith wheezing in a breath.
“S-Shiro?” he rasps, but doesn’t have time for more as another Galra attacks him.
“I think,” Shiro knocks out the first guy in time to brace for another. ”That you don’t understand the situation.”
“What?!” Keith shouts as he swirls around, defeating another two attackers.
Just as Shiro bests another soldier he catches eye contact with Keith.
“You don’t understand,” he pants. “how in love with you I am,” he smiles at the way Keith’s eye widen. “if you think that I’m going to let you risk your life to save mine.”
They’re interrupted yet again by another wave of enemies coming, but manage to fight them off together. As the last Galra hits the floor, Shiro grabs Keith by the waist and he goes willingly, so full of trust, which in turn makes Shiro smile again while looking down at him.
“We have to jump and you have to trust me.”
Keith’s mouth also quirks up. “I do.”
Shiro grabs Keith tighter and they both jump into the empty elevator slot. They’re weightless for a moment, but then Shiro catches the cord again and sees red sparks going off from the contact point of his metal hand and the rope but doesn’t care as Keith clings to him tighter. When he sees that they’re quickly approaching the actual elevator left by the paladins at the very bottom, he grips even harder to stop them, which doesn’t fully work but slows them down enough not to make the fall as brutal as it could have been. They quickly snake through the opening on the ceiling, he wonders if Keith will ask about it later, and bolt to the exit of the hangar.
Adrenaline courses through Shiro’s veins like never before, but the sudden wave of relief that washes over him when he sees their friends already safe in the shuttle right outside the main door calms him a little. The whole ship shakes and comes apart by the seams more and more with every second so he doesn’t waste much time by grabbing Keith and jumping out again, but this time into the vastness of space.
Only when the shuttle extends a little anchor to them so they can hold on and finally fly away, does Shiro take a second to catch his breath and properly look at Keith. The boy seems to be in a similar state of adrenaline high because he’s cheeks are visibly red even through the visor of his helmet, and his eyes are wide and wild. Shiro can’t help the fond smile that blooms on his face nor the squeeze he gives Keith as the Galra ship finally blows to pieces in the distance.
Keith turns his eyes towards Shiro and also gives him a tender smile.
“Never do that again.” The black paladin warns, but his tone is too soft.
“You never do that again,” Keith fires back laughing. “what you pulled there was crazy!”
“Didn’t I tell you?” Shiro can’t wait till their not in open space so he can take of the helmet and finally kiss the man he loves until they both run out of breath. “I love you so I’ll do anything if it means saving you.”
Keith wraps his arms around Shiro’s neck to bring them even closer. “I love you too.”