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James ran towards them across the hangar, legs pumping. Nadia reached a hand out as he jumped, grabbing his wrist and helping him in. The ship he was on started to fall, the far side of the hangar exploding.
“Goddamn.” He muttered. He knelt over, hands on his knees, catching his breath. “Next time, tell me when you set the charges.” He said, eyeing Nadia.
She smiled, shrugging. “Oops. Come on. The others are waiting.” She said, extending a hand out. The doors opened, and Ryan and Keith stepped out. “There you are. We were starting to get worried.” Ryan jokes. James smiles and stands, opening his mouth to say something when the ship jerks sideways. They all stumble, and James begins to fall backward. He trips on a stray wire, and starts falling backwards out of the ship. All of their eyes widen and Nadia lunges for him, reaching a hand out.
The next few moments seem to pass in slow motion.
James goes tumbling out of the ship, arm outstretched and reaching for Nadia.
She will forever have the image seared in her mind.
James’s eyes widening, terror and panic filling them as their fingertips brush, barely touching. He opens his mouth to scream as he falls, back first into the bright blue sky, the ship still exploding and crashing below him.
“JAMES!” She yells, reaching for him helplessly. “NADIA!” He screams.
She’s never heard him sound so scared.
She hears a growl and sees Keith run towards the edge, diving off of it.
Ryan reaches to stop him, but he’s already gone.
They can only watch as their friends fall.
Keith directs himself towards James, reaching a hand out.
James fumbles to grab it, but holds on tightly once he does. They pull each other close, chests pressed close together, wind whistling past their ears.
James hugs him, face in his neck.
Keith is hugging him just as tightly, hand in the small of his back.
“What the hell were you thinking?” James hisses in his ear. “I wasn’t!” Keith says.
The ground is getting closer, the ship burning on it.
“Keith, if we don’t make it out of this, I just want you to know-” James starts. “We’re gonna make it out.” “I-I want you to know-”
The ground is mere hundreds of yards away, and their falling speed gets faster.
“I love you.”
Keith’s heartbeat spikes.
“You-you what?”
“I love you!” James yells, pulling back so he can meet his eyes.
200 yards away.
“I-I love you too.” Keith says. He pulls James tighter to his chest.
100 yards.
He closes his eyes, concentrating. Reaching out. Calling.
They hear a loud roar, and are engulfed in darkness.
They tumble into Black’s jaw, ending up in the cockpit.
Keith is lying on his back, still holding James as his chest goes up and down. Then he starts laughing.
“Oh fuck. Haha! James! James, we’re alive!” He says, sitting up and hugging the man. “We’re alive.”
“I. hate. you.” He says into his shoulder.
Keith pulled back. “I thought you loved me.”
James huffed. “I can do both.”
Keith smiles and cups his face, kissing his boyfriend softly. He can feel James smile into it. His lips are slightly chapped, but soft against his own.
They pull apart, and Keith smiles. "Wow." He says.
James laughed a bit and cups Keith's face with both hands, pulling him in again. He turns his head ever so slightly, deepening it.
James shifts in his lap, so that instead of turning his body to kiss him, he's facing forward, straddling Keith's thighs.
Keith places his hands softly on James's hip and back, keeping him in place.
When they parted, both were smiling.
James met his eyes and blushed. "Um, we should probably contact the others. You know, tell them we're alive?" He suggests. "Kinda hard to do when you're sitting in my lap." Keith says, smirking at him.
James blushes even more, standing and offering Keith a hand up. He takes it, popping up and pecking James on the lips.
"Come on. The comms are in the cockpit."
Keith sits in his chair, pressing some buttons on the dashboard.
The screen lights up, and Ryan and Nadia pop into view. "Keith! James! You're okay!" She says, smiling brightly. "You forget I have a psychic link with a magic lion." Keith says. "Keith!" Lance and Pidge say, popping into view. "Son of a bitch! We thought you were dead!" She says.
Keith chuckled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. But we're fine, Black saved us. We'll meet you back on the ship." They nod, and he turns the comms off.
He turns the chair to James, who's staring at the controls. He tugs on his wrist, pulling him into his lap.
"Wha- Keith!" He says, face flushing again. "I like holding you." He mutters into James's hair. The smaller man seems to fit perfectly in his lap, head leaning into Keith's shoulder, legs thrown over the arm of the chair.
"You know we're never going to hear the end of this, right?" James asked.
Keith grinned, pressing a kiss to his head. "I know. But I love you, so it's okay."