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Chapter Text

“Whoa!” Lance’s yelp of alarm was nearly swallowed by the sharp crack of rock as a fissure carved itself down the wall and the ground rumbled dangerously beneath their feet, Keith sent stumbling on the narrow pathway that wound around the chasm they’d been making their way down for the past twenty minutes.

He barely caught himself before he tumbled over the edge, heart roaring in his ears and almost louder than the sound of the cavern beginning to collapse. 

Even in the dim light — only their armor lights and the luminescent moss they were carrying in lanterns as any type of energy source risked the integrity of the cavern due to its reaction with the gem they’d been sent to retrieve but that clearly hadn’t fucking worked — Keith could make out the whites of Lance’s eyes and the fear that wasn’t entirely related to descending into the pitch-black cavern — of which Keith still wasn’t entirely sure about but him asking Lance if he was scared as the other boy hesitated at the entrance had garnered a sharp, “ Of course not!” and Lance had practically charged in although a few feet in his steps had become hesitant again but he’d maintained a steady plod in leading them down the spiraling rough-hewn staircase in search of the locals’ long lost gem that would help to reunite the warring tribes of the planet.

Keith felt it too.

This cavern was coming down.

And they were absolutely not going down with it.

“Go!” Keith shouted, already turning around as the path was too narrow to pass on and if he didn’t move then Lance was stuck, especially as the edge began to crumble away.

And if they fell…

The bottom was still a long, long way down. 

A second later Keith let out a breathless curse as up ahead he could make out a chunk of rock plummeting from above and he was barely able to brace himself in time as the entire stairway shook as the boulder plunged straight through it, sending even more rocks cascading.

Behind him Lance let out another yelp and a quick glance over his shoulder revealed that Lance had tripped and landed on his knees, catching himself on his hands.

But his lantern had not fared so well and Keith caught a glimpse of green-tinged light as it went over the edge and into the abyss.

The ground violently shook and Keith turned forward once more, hearing Lance scrabbling to his feet behind him, and he took off as fast as he dared, knowing he couldn’t get too far ahead as he had the only real light source left.

He activated his jetpack with his free hand, trusting Lance to see the flares, as he propelled himself over the missing steps and he heard the hiss of Lance’s own activate a few seconds later and then the sound of Lance’s footsteps as he touched down on the other side.

And with Lance safely across…

Keith ran. 

The cavern continued to quake around them, stone crumbling beneath their feet and more jagged lines adding themselves to the wall, a now ever-present cacophony of sound.

Keith grit his teeth and tucked his head down, trying to run even faster over the uneven and shifting surface, the light from the cavern entrance above them almost mocking as they got closer only to have it disappear as the path turned away from it.

The rumbling was becoming more violent and Keith had keep pausing in his run to plaster himself against the wall as pieces of the cave wall broke free and tumbled down, each one bigger than the last.

His heart was hammering in his chest at each near miss as all it would take was one of those to—

The path beneath Keith’s feet lurched and he was flung forward as a rock crashed through it inches behind him, pieces of debris pelting his back as he fell and lantern flinging out of his hand as he prioritized catching himself.

But there there was one sound that was somehow even louder than the destruction of the path.

Lance’s small, terrified sounding inhale.

Keith’s heart stopped.

He jerked his head around to see the compromised ground beneath Lance — a chasm of nearly six feet now between them — giving way.

God.

God. 

“Lance!” his scream echoed and he pivoted, lunging forward on his knees and throwing out his hand.

Lance jumped, thrusters back-lighting up the scene around him and revealing how pinpricked Lance’s eyes were and falling debris and just how fucking wide the gap between them was and there was no way.

God there was no— 

Lance’s fingers brushed the tips of Keith’s…

And a rock smashed directly atop Lance’s thrusters, plunging them back into near-darkness and sending Lance plummeting down and away.

“Lance!” Keith screamed again, making a wild grab at the silhouette of Lance’s outstretched hand as the other boy let out a breathless sounding shout, striking only air.

And then he was gone.

Keith’s pulse roared in his ears as he stared at where Lance had just been.

No.

This…

This couldn’t…

Lance couldn’t—

The ground shook and Keith was jolted back to the roaring and groaning and crashing as the cavern continued to collapse about him and the reality that he was still in danger.

But…

God, but…

He glanced once again over the edge, as though somehow expecting Lance to appear.

He didn’t.

He was…

He was gone.

Just like that.

Keith swallowed thickly, hands trembling and breath coming in harsh pants and God, Lance couldn’t be…

The path beneath Keith began to crumble and that was enough to propel himself back to his feet, stumbling backwards and away from the disintegrating edge before he fell too.

Too.

The word echoed in his head.

If he fell too.

Lance had fallen.

Keith hadn’t seen him…

He swallowed. 

He hadn’t seen Lance die.

He, he could still be…

Somehow…

God, somehow, he could have survived.

And if he had…

Then he was counting on Keith to rescue him. And Keith couldn’t do that if he fell too.

So…

So he needed to go.

God, he needed to go.

Get out, get to safety, and get help.

Keith gave a sharp nod and glanced from where he’d last seen Lance to the cavern entrance, looking for anything to help give him direction for when he came back.

And he would come back.
He would.

And, and somehow Lance was going to be alive.

He had to be.

Keith turned his gaze to the now dark trail, his own lantern gone, and he had only instinct and the barest glow of the immediate area from his armor lights and the crumbling wall to guide him.

It would be almost impossible.

Just like Lance having survived the fall.

And yet both of them were going to make it out of this. 

And Keith took off.

His pulse pounded as every step he could could easily be his last and he would never even see a rock coming for him until it was too late. 

But if he didn’t get out then Lance definitely didn’t.

And that last option wasn’t allowed.

He and Lance might not be friends, not the same way he saw Lance with the other members of Voltron, but…

But they were teammates. Over the couple months he’d been in space he’d come to view Lance as someone he could trust, could depend on, and given his own history that level of didn’t trust come easily. Where Keith built walls Lance seemed to make it his mission to knock them down — even if his methods could come off as rude and aggressive and piss Keith off sometimes Lance was one of the few people he’d ever known that kept trying when so many others just gave up and washed their hands of him — and despite himself, despite telling himself that people always left, that it wasn’t safe to care about others, that it would only hurt him in the end…

Keith found that he did.

He cared about Lance.

And he couldn’t lose him.

He wouldn’t lose him. 

And with a final burst Keith practically stumbled out of the cave and into the too bright sunlight, the ground trembling here too but all of the activity seemed to be underground as other than a few hair-thin cracks it was completely undisturbed.

Keith didn’t even pause to catch his breath.

He began a full out sprint, legs burning and chest heaving, a stitch forming in his side, to where Red was parked almost a mile out as any closer and the local tribes had said she that her systems could affect the cave and as part of that the comms in their helmets had been shut off by Pidge before she’d gone with Allura to one of the other tribes locations and Coran to the third to alert them of the situation and allow them time to prepare for the apparent ritual that would elect a leader to govern all three tribes using the gem, Hunk and Shiro remaining at the encampment they’d all been summoned to start with for assistance. 

So the only way to contact anyone was through the Lions which meant he had to get to Red which meant even more time before a rescue operation could begin even though Keith knew realistically they couldn’t go in until the quake had stopped or they’d all be in danger too. 

Even if the more time that passed…

Lance’s pinpricked eyes swam in his mind, his sharp gasp and then his shout as he fell into the abyss.

Keith gave a shake of his head.

No.

That was not going to be his last memory of Lance.

Lance was alive.

He had to be alive.

And he was counting on Keith to save him. 

He was at Red a far too long almost ten minutes later, legs practically shaking beneath him and hands trembling the same, so much that he missed hitting the transmission switch on Red’s dashboard the first time.

The second time yielded a burst of static from both the console and in his helmet and Keith yanked off the latter with a wince and it clattered without ceremony onto the floor as his hands were shaking too much to hold it.

Both his body and Red — she with far more force and a hot burst of worry that only made him shake more— told him to sit down.

Keith practically collapsed in the pilot chair just as the transmission dashboard lit up, a single signal reached from their location.

“—sn’t expecting to hear from you for a while longer,” Shiro sounded, slightly staticky but audible, over the feed and growing clearer with each second. “Did you and Lance already find the —?”

“Shiro,” Keith interrupted, and he didn’t even recognize the sound of his own voice.

High and breathy and no matter how tight he curled his hands into fists they wouldn’t stop shaking and his vision was starting to tunnel on the console.

“What’s wrong?” Shiro’s tone abruptly changed to worry but still in control and still calm and God, Keith couldn’t stop shaking.

Why couldn’t he stop shaking?

Everything was starting to feel off, sort of hazy.

“Keith, answer me,” Shiro’s sounded, the barest hint of panic starting to leech into his tone. 

“L-Lance,” he choked out, trembles growing worse, and God, what was wrong with him?

Overexertion, his body supplied. 

Lance’s outstretched hand flashed in his mind, the sensation of fingertips brushing against his own.

The way he hadn’t been able to grab hold.

They way Lance had disappeared.

Shock, he realized dimly.

He was starting to go into shock. 

Red brushed up against his mind, hot and almost painful, but it was what he needed as Keith forced out a ragged breath, feeling the tightness in his chest release as a hot heat settled there instead.

He sent a silent thank you to Red and received a warm purr in response

“Lance,” he repeated, voice steady despite the message he was delivering. “Lance is trapped in the cave.”

xxx

Lance was trapped.

Lance was trapped Lance was trapped Lance was trapped.

The words were on a sick circle in Hunk’s head as he stood behind Shiro’s pilot chair, hands white-knuckled beneath his gloves as he clung to the mesh netting.

Lance was trapped Lance was trapped Lance was trapped.

And, and not just trapped.

Trapped in cave that had collapsed, after falling God knows how many feet with his thrusters not working and all those rocks coming down and God, God, the odds of surviving that kind of fall on top of being crushed and on top of oxygen loss and possible blood loss from being impaled on a spire on top of—

“Hunk, breathe,” Shiro called from in front of him, eyes still fully forward as the landscape rushed past them in a blur of color but somehow aware of the fact Hunk was having a panic attack behind him.

Hunk tried.

He couldn’t help Lance if he passed out and he’d cause a delay if he passed out as Shiro would have to stop to help him and that was time they should be using to get to Lance and oh God, what if Lance was—

“Hunk!” Shiro’s tone was sharper but no less kind and despite the speed and the fact Shiro should absolutely not be looking away from driving his head turned around to look at Hunk.

It only made Hunk feel more panicked as now they were going to crash and then they’d be in trouble too and they couldn’t save Lance and God, Lance was—

“Hunk, look at me,” Shiro ordered and Hunk couldn’t do that, watching instead as the Black Lion kept barreling and Shiro wasn’t looking and they were going to go splat, just like Lance and oh God he did not just think that he did not just think that, oh God Lance had—

Hunk was turning to the left and puking at the image his mind conjured and he puked again around a sob.

A moment later he startled as hands descended on his back to pivot him away from his mess and Hunk’s head jerked up to see Shiro next to him and not in the pilot seat and oh God oh God—

“Black is flying,” Shiro said, voice gentle and soft and yet firm, “we’re okay, Hunk.”

The words percolated.

Black was flying.

They weren’t going to crash.

They were still moving.

They were okay.

But Lance…

Lance wasn’t.

Hunk’s breath hitched again.

Lance was—

“Hunk,” Shiro’s hands moved to Hunk’s upper arm where the armor didn’t cover, squeezing him gently. “Breathe.”

“C-can’t,” Hunk gasped, giving a barely there shake of his head as his chest tightened and tears clogged his throat and God, Lance was…

Was…

“I know,” Shiro murmured. “I know, buddy.”

Hunk’s throat just felt tighter.

Shiro wasn’t reassuring him.

He wasn’t telling him Lance was going to be okay. That Lance was okay.

He couldn’t because he didn’t know.

Because the odds of Lance being okay were…

The odds of Lance being alive were…

Hunk let out a strangled sounding sob, hunching over and only Shiro’s grip on his arms kept him from fully collapsing as his legs shook beneath him. 

This couldn’t be happening.

Lance couldn’t be…

He couldn’t.

Lance had been his first friend.

His best friend.

His brother. 

Hunk let out another gasping sob.

He was faintly aware of Shiro lowering him fully to the ground and then the hands left his arms…

To wrap around him in a hug and he was pulled flush to Shiro’s chest.

It made Hunk cry more, heaving gasps against Shiro’s neck and tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I know,” Shiro murmured again, holding him tight and rocking him gently side to side. “I know. It’s…” Shiro swallowed thickly “It’s not good.”

Hunk hiccupped.

“But let’s not assume the worst,” Shiro continued softly. “We can’t think like that. Lance wouldn’t think that, would he?”

Hunk gave the barest shake of his head against Shiro’s chestplate.

No.

Lance would refuse to give up on anyone. No matter the odds, no matter how impossible it was, Lance wouldn’t stop believing in the best possible outcome.

Hunk couldn’t either.

The probabilities were against Lance, but…

But whose to say he hadn’t landed on a ledge? Or taken cover beneath a piece of debris? He was wearing his armor and so long as his helmet wasn’t damaged — Hunk shoved the thought away — he would have oxygen, at least six hours worth stored in the suit.

He could be…

Somehow, he could be…

Hunk shuddered out a breath.

He couldn’t give up.

He wouldn’t give up.

Lance would turn over every stone to find Hunk and so Hunk would do the same. 

And he was going to find Lance and Lance was going to be okay because he had to be okay and that was how it had to be.

He let out another heavy breath and Shiro’s hold loosened ever so as though sensing the change and Hunk sat up, rubbing a hand across his eyes and then his nose, aware he’d gotten snot all over Shiro’s armor.

But Shiro was only looking at him with kind eyes and a soft, “Better?” and Hunk managed a shaky nod. “Then let’s go save Lance.”

Hunk’s nod was firmer that time.

Yes.

They were going to save Lance.

And Lance was going to be okay.

xxx

Shiro’s lips pressed together, his hands shakier than he’d like on Black’s controls as he guided the Lion down to park next to Red, Keith no longer on scene as he’d reported over the transmission he was heading back to the cave but had promised at Shiro’s order to not attempt to go in until Shiro and Hunk arrived.

As despite what he’d told Hunk, what he’d practically snarled at the tribe chief…

Shiro knew the far more likely reality. 

Lance, the young man he was only just starting to get to know, was very, very likely dead.

When Shiro had relayed what Keith was telling him — he’d left his helmet on just in case even though the tribe had said it would be at least a couple hours for Keith and Lance to make it to the gem at the bottom of the cavern (and the reasoning for why none of the tribe members could retrieve it essentially came down to the fact the gem had fallen into a sort of crevice and between their large bulks — all nearly double the size of Hunk in width — and the sensitivity of the cavern it  made it impossible to retrieve) Shiro always wanted to be prepared — the face of the chief had paled and he’d shaken his head.

There was no way anyone had survived such a fall, he’d whispered.

Lance had, Shiro had fired back, even if at the time he hadn’t realized just how bad the situation was. 

The chief had only shaken his head and other aliens had begun to make some sort of sign that vaguely reminded Shiro of the sign of the cross and bowed their heads.

They’d already assumed the worst.

Still, the chief had said, they would provide Shiro and Hunk supplies to aid them — more of the lanterns Keith and Lance had even though clearly something had still gone wrong on that end with the tech, and coils and coils of rope and grappling hooks and harnesses. 

And, the chief had looked almost guiltily at Shiro, if they made it to the bottom if they could try to locate the gem—

Shiro’s glare had silenced the chief and he was grateful Hunk had already been gathering supplies and heading for the Black Lion when those words had been uttered.

He understood their situation, he did. 

But Lance could have just died trying to help them and what they cared most about was a gem. 

Shiro had nearly bitten his tongue to keep from saying anything he would regret later and turned on his heel and strode for the Black Lion to take off, having to trust the chief’s word that he would send a delegate to the secondary tribe — as apparently their communications when Shiro tried had fizzled — to alert them of the situation, even though Shiro’s message to them was to stay where they were.

The more people, no matter how well intentioned, showing up at a volatile, dangerous site would do them no favors and this wasn’t something that Pidge’s hacking or Altean magic could fix. And, selfishly, Shiro didn’t want to expose Pidge to any scene she might stumble upon of one of her friends as while he knew Pidge was far more mature than her age and she had seen and experienced no one her age ever should already…

He didn’t want her to see that.

And he knew Lance wouldn’t want for her to either.

Shiro of course wouldn’t give up just like that, would make every effort to locate Lance and God, he prayed he was alive, he desperately hoped for the impossible, but if it came down to it…

Shiro would not risk any other lives.

It wasn’t fair and it made him feel sick that he could even think of calling off the search and rescue effort, but he couldn’t let Keith or Hunk come to any harm under his command.

Not like Lance.

Shiro’s hands tightened around the controls.

He knew he wasn’t personally responsible for what had just happened here. They had all decided as a team to answer the transmission call for help and then to provide assistance to help reunite the warring tribes. The accident was some sort of earthquake that none of them could have prevented (and they had taken every precaution they could have). Lance had volunteered for the retrieval part of the mission once Keith had and Shiro had approved the groups as despite their bickering Keith and Lance did work well together when they needed to and he hoped this might be a good teamwork exercise for the two of them. 

So that Shiro knew was not something he could solely blame himself for.

But the entire reason Lance — why all of them — were up in space was because of Shiro. He’d gotten them involved, he’d put them in danger, and while they’d all risen remarkably to the occasion, Shiro was well aware they were all — even Keith, although he’d disagree — were kids. 

And Shiro was fully responsible for them. 

And now…

Shiro parked Black with a soft thump and before he could even undo his safety harness he was aware of Hunk already dashing for the exit ramp, pausing only to grab the emergency kit.

Shiro prayed they had need of it.

He prayed that all of his worst fears were just that and they remained as only potential nightmares, not reality. 

But Shiro was not an optimist; he couldn’t afford to be. He didn’t remember a lot of the Arena but he hadn’t survived it by hoping for the best. He’d had to face reality, had to acknowledge that just because you wanted something didn’t mean it was going to happen.

Life was unfair and it would fuck you over without even a moment of hesitation and somehow it was always the people who didn’t deserve it who suffered.

Shiro made himself take his own deep breath, steadying his shaking hands, as he needed to remain strong, in control.

No matter what they found or what they didn’t he had to be prepared to make a difficult call. 

He’d already failed Lance.

He could not fail Keith and Hunk. They might hate him but he would not lose them t—

He cut off the added ‘too’ before it fully formed.

He’d told Hunk they couldn’t think like that and while the mind might say one thing, the heart said another.

Hope was dangerous, Shiro knew. Maybe the most dangerous thing there was as in the wrong hands it had the potential to cause so much hurt and pain and make death look like a reward. But when used correctly…

It gave strength. It gave courage. It could be the difference.

And Shiro would much rather believe in that than the other outcome.

He rose from his chair with one more deep breath.

He had to believe.

Just like Lance would.

And with a decisive nod of his head, grabbing the bag of supplies and equipment the tribe had given them, Shiro headed out.

Chapter Text

The quake had finally stopped after nearly fifteen minutes.

Keith tried very hard not to think of what could have happened in those fifteen minutes, how many rocks could have come down, how destroyed the path was, how buried Lance could be.

He paced back and forth in front of what remained of the cave entrance, unable to sit down even though his legs still felt shaky as he tried to outrun his running wild imagination and while he could feel Red’s presence — calmer than he’d ever felt it before, if still hot and fierce — it wasn’t as strong outside of her cockpit.

Instinct told him to go in on his own because the more time that passed the worse Lance’s chances got.

But he also knew how plain stupid that would be as he was still essentially blind and Shiro had told him they’d get supplies so it would make the most sense to wait. That, and the clear fear in Shiro’s voice when he’d made Keith promise to stay outside the cave and Keith never, ever, wanted to hear Shiro sound like that again.

But waiting was killing him.

It could very well actually be killing Lance.

He’d seen the Black Lion land a couple minutes ago but he knew it’d be a little longer than that for Shiro and Hunk to make it out to the cave.

So he paced.

And paced.

And finally he heard the sound of his name and Shiro and Hunk — the larger boy keeping pace and only speaking to the situation and Keith’s stomach clenched because Lance was to Hunk what Shiro was to Keith and he could not even begin to imagine how he’d be reacting if it was Shiro trapped inside — appeared around the crest of the sloping ground.

“Shiro,” Keith breathed and while nothing had changed it also had.

Shiro was here.

Shiro had saved him.

He’d save Lance too.

He was pulled into a tight hug that he returned without any reservation before Shiro pulled him back by his shoulders, eyes scanning Keith for any injury.

“I’m fine,” Keith assured.

Not a single fucking scratch while Lance…

Shiro nodded, relief flooding his face before his expression turned more wan and he looked past Keith and to the partially collapsed cave entrance. 

“I’m taking point,” Shiro said, tone brooking no argument. “Everyone puts on a safety harness,” Shiro was unloading a bag from his shoulder as he spoke, revealing such, “and secures them outside the cave, here,” he selected a large boulder about twenty feet from the entrance. “I’ve got lanterns you can hook to the harness and another to the rope and grappling hooks. We’ll go in one at a time and Keith,” his gaze cut to him, “direct us to where we should be concentrating our search.” 

Keith nodded.

His hands were starting to shake again and he clenched them into fists, nails digging into his palms.

Focus.

Calm.

The quake had stopped now and outside of shifting any rubble as they searched nothing else was coming down.

But…

He paused before he made his way over to the supply pile that Hunk was separating out.

What had caused the cave to collapse?

They’d turned off their comms — of which, Keith realized with a jolt, Shiro’s would still be activated — and had explicitly not used their bayards or pixel shiels to keep the rest of the armor dormant other than—

Keith’s breath hitched.

The lights.

They weren’t natural light like the moss. If Keith had to take a guess, they were powered by the same thing that powered all Altean technology.

Balmeran crystals.

An energy source.

And even though all they were doing was creating a few tiny lights, allowing for the bayards to be stored,  they were still being read as an energy source. Coran and Allura would probably have known that, but they’d already left for the other tribes by the time the fine details of getting Keith and Lance into the cave had started to be discussed.

And that meant…

They couldn’t go into the cavern with armor on. 

“Wait!” Keith threw his hand out as Hunk began to pull his harness on. “The armor,” he glanced between Shiro and Hunk, “I, I think it caused the collapse.”

“The armor?” Shiro repeated, frowning. “Keith, there is no way any of us are going in without—”

“The crystals,” Hunk gasped, face paling. “The, the crystals in the armor.”  His eyes met Keith’s, horror clear.

Keith understood.

And it also meant…

Keith swallowed.

It also meant that for the cave to have stopped reacting…

None of the crystals in Lance’s armor were active anymore. 

And that meant…

Keith shook his head.

No.

It just meant the lights weren’t working anymore. Nothing more, nothing less. 

Lance was alive.
He was going to be okay.

“The crystals in the armor armor are emitting an energy signal,” Keith said, turning to Shiro. “That’s what caused the collapse. When, when we first entered there was a little bit of a tremor but we thought it was just the reverberations from walking.”

But it hadn’t been.

And God, if they’d only realized sooner…

“Hey,” Shiro’s voice was understanding and his hand landed on Keith’s shoulder, “this isn’t your fault,” and God, how did Shiro always seem to know what he was thinking? “No one realized. But it does mean that this just became infinitely more danger—”

“Shiro, your arm,” Hunk interrupted and Keith looked down to where Shiro’s metal prosthetic was resting on his shoulder.

His blood went cold.

Shiro paled a bit too as he sucked in a breath, pulling his arm away to hold it in front of his face as though that would tell him if it too would be affected. It wasn’t like the lights in the armor where they were still pulling power; it only did so if he activated it like the bayards.

But to whatever the fuck this gem was and its aversion to energy signatures…

Would it recognize that difference?

Shiro let out a breath and gave a small shake of his head. “Change of plans,” he said. “I’ll go in, sans armor. You two stay out—”

“Fuck no,” Keith cut in while Hunk let out more tame, “No way,” and Keith glared at Shiro. “Fuck no,” he repeated. 

There was no way he was staying behind. 

If anyone should stay behind it was Shiro, who could not so easily just remove his arm and was in the most danger.

“I’m going,” Hunk drew himself up, eyes narrowed and Keith was taken aback at just how… how big Hunk was and in that moment…

He looked so strong despite the fact there was still a pale, green tinge to his face, standing nearly inch for inch against Shiro.

“And you can’t stop me,” Hunk said. “Lance,” and his voice wavered then, “Lance is waiting for me.”

“He is,” Shiro agreed quietly. “I’m sorry,” he looked between them both. “We’ll all go. But I’ll still go first and you two wait just… just to make sure it’s safe. And if it’s not…” Shiro looked pained, “I’ll come back here.”

Keith knew how hard that would be. Shiro, whether he wanted to admit it or not, could be a bit of a control freak, and he’d want to be there. And, quite honestly, without him Keith wasn’t sure how they were going to rescue Lance if he was indeed pinned, as Shiro’s arm would have been invaluable, even if it put them in danger if he activated it.

They’d figure that out when and if it happened, he decided.

No sense wasting time on it now. 

Everyone began to strip out of their armor, no care given as pieces clattered to the ground and harnesses and ropes quickly but securely fastened and attached along with the lanterns and within two minutes they were all poised on the outside of the cave.

“Count out a minute,” Shiro instructed, a spare coil of rope of his shoulder, ducking to enter. “If there aren’t any tremors, go ahead and follow.”

And he entered.

The silence outside — and no shaking yet — felt heavy and thick.

“What happened?” Hunk asked quietly, the words not accusing in the slightest.

Keith still hunched his shoulders.

“Path was too narrow to pass,” Keith said quietly, keeping his eyes down. “Lance was behind me. A rock came down, busted it up between us. He jumped and…”

Keith’s hands curled back into fists, the phantom sensation of Lance’s fingertips brushing his own.

“Another rock hit him, took out his thrusters.”

Lance’s breathless scream echoed in his ears.

Keith swallowed.

“He didn’t make it,” came out a whisper.  

Hunk was silent.

Keith nearly jumped as a large hand descended on his shoulder, as while he’d observed Hunk (like Lance) to be rather tactile, Hunk tended to keep his distance unless it happened to be in a group setting from Keith, as though realizing Keith himself wasn’t all that fond of it. 

“It’s not your fault,” Hunk said quietly, just like Shiro had said, although coming from Hunk and his relationship with Lance, who would have every right to blame Keith for not being able to save Lance…

It meant a lot.

“We’ll find him,” Hunk continued.

“We’ll find him,” Keith echoed, lifting his head and able to meet Hunk’s eyes then.

They had to.

And it had been a minute and there had been no shaking and no calls of alarm from Shiro nor had he reappeared.

It was time to go.

Keith entered the cave more hesitantly than he wished, feeling his heart pick up in tempo as he was once more surrounded by darkness and jagged walls, even moreso now, and the reminder that he had barely escaped himself. 

And the path he’d escaped on…

It was gone.

Some random patches further out were intact, but rocks from the ceiling — a few shafts of sunlight piercing from above but not able to go into the permanent gloom — indicating where they had fallen from had taken out the majority of it where there was no way even with thrusters Keith could have made it out.

“Cheeseballs,” Hunk breathed next to him, swaying slightly. 

“Come on,” Keith said, eyeing where he could see a soft greenish-white glow from the ledge below them and where a rope was trailing over indicating where Shiro had gone. 

They didn’t have any more time to waste.

A few seconds later — Keith hesitating for only a second as he wasn’t fucking scared of this cave that had almost killed him— they were both lowering themselves down into the chasm — Keith with the medical kit attached to his rope and Hunk with a bag containing sheathed pick-axes, stakes and hammers Shiro had brought with the supplies — where Shiro was practically hopping along the wall using grappling hooks. 

He swung back to them with a swoop that had Hunk making a gagging noise and Shiro cast a contrite ‘sorry’ that Hunk made a waving motion. 

Keith ignored both of them, doing his best to orient himself and where he and Lance had been, trying his best not to linger on the details.

Those were not Lance’s last moments.

His scream and fear were not the last memory Keith would have of him.

“Keith, what’s our heading?” Shiro asked, pulling Keith from the intruding thoughts.

“About three hundred feet there,” Keith nodded his chin at a space well across the way. “But we were down maybe another hundred, hundred-fifty feet.”

And they had no way to measure how much further the bottom was, but Keith was betting based on the sheer size of the cavern it was at least a thousand feet if not more.

Probably a lot more.

And if Lance had fallen all the way to the bottom…

Keith had seen the picture of a suicide victim who had jumped once in a case file Dave, the station’s paramedic, was looking over with a police officer and they hadn’t realized Keith was coming up behind them at the conference table until it was too late.

The victim…

She’d barely resembled a person.

More of just a smear and blood splatter and limbs so crushed and broken if he hadn’t seen the jacket and jeans he’d have had no idea which body part went where.

Keith closed his eyes against the image.

“—along the wall,” Keith tuned back in to Shiro giving instructions. “We’ll spread out once we’re in position about ten feet apart and then start our descent. I know it’s gonna be tempting to call out for Lance, but he will be able to hear us coming and we’re better off listening for him or any type of movement and remaining quiet outside of any necessary communication. That, and this cavern is still compromised—” and as if cued there was a sharp crack across the way and then the sound of rocks tumbling down and Keith flinched, “—and extra sound is likely to make it worse. I know time is of the essence,” Shiro’s gaze flicked between both of them, “but we need to go slow and steady. Understand?”

He and Hunk both nodded.

“Then let’s go.”

And they began their search.

xxx

Hunk’s hands felt sweaty beneath his gloves as he lowered himself down another few feet to where his feet impacted a ledge that had likely once been the path Keith had told them of, eyes scanning across what remained of it for any glimpse of Lance.

Nothing.

Just like the last two hours had been.

Every minute that passed made Hunk’s stomach clench more that had nothing to do with the swaying rope or the harness digging into his skin. 

They were already by Hunk’s best estimate — counting his height as he descended — almost three hundred feet down from approximately where Lance had fallen from and while he knew that didn’t sound like a lot when he estimated the cavern to be at least fifteen hundred feet deep, but a healthy human body could break a bone from as low as three or four feet and anything greater than ten was considered dangerous.

This was a lot more than ten.

This was likely one hundred times plus more.

They had to go slow too to make sure they both covered the entire area — as where the path remained intact or in sections of ledge, there were rocks and debris over them that they had to sift through as Lance could easily be beneath any of it. The only heading they had was he was likely somewhere along this wall as Keith had said he’d fallen straight down below. But it was slow going and although they didn’t seem to be affecting the gem in any way the cavern was still compromised and dangerous and twice already there’d been a small rock slide that had forced them to stop for several minutes.

And all those rocks falling down could be further burying Lance.

“L-Lance,” Hunk whimpered.

Lance didn’t answer.

The only sound was a scuffing from his right that was Keith and soft footsteps on his left of Shiro walking about the broken ledge and the quiet groaning of the cave around them.

Hunk’s eyes stung and he leaned his head against the rough wall in front of him, clapping a hand over his mouth to contain the sob.

Would…

Would he ever hear Lance’s voice again?

Would he hear his laugh?

See his smile that could light up the darkest room?

God.

Where was he?

Was he slowly bleeding out?

Was he in pain?

Was he scared?

Or was he…

Was he already…?

“Hunk?” Shiro called and Hunk jerked up so fast he scraped his nose against the wall, realizing Shiro must have noticed Hunk’s lantern hadn’t moved for the last minute. “Everything okay?”

No. 

Nothing was okay.

It wouldn’t be okay until he found Lance and Lance was alive, was going to be all right.

And if that didn’t happen…

Hunk wasn’t sure anything would ever be okay again.

“Sorry,” he whispered, more tears stinging his eyes.

He knew he needed to stay positive, he knew that’s what Lance would do, but…

But it was hard. 

And Hunk…

Hunk was scared.

He was pretty sure this was the most afraid he’d ever been in his life. And, and he’d always had Lance there to reassure him, to comfort him, to just be there for him.

And now…

God, now…

Hunk made himself step away from the wall, back off the ledge.

He had to keep looking.

He had to find Lance.

Please.

Please let him find Lance.

He needed his brother.

Please let him be okay.

And muffling his sobs Hunk continued his descent.

xxx

They had a problem.

Shiro glanced up the length of his rope and gave it another tug.

Nothing happened.

Because three hours of searching later he was literally at the end of his rope. 

The pun didn’t even make Shiro crack a smile. He couldn’t because if he was out of rope…

This was as far as they could go.

Just about by Hunk’s estimate — the boy calling out the distance every hundred feet — about five hundred feet from where Lance had fallen and every foot they didn’t locate him…

Shiro felt the pit in his stomach growing that they weren’t going to.

Not alive at least.

They’d be finding a body, likely beyond recognition as even the Altean armor would not protect from this kind of fall at this height.

Shiro looked down at the gaping blackness beneath him, likely still hundreds of feet to go to the bottom, where he was starting to think Lance had fallen to.

It…

He swallowed.

It was time to go.

There was nothing more they were going to be able to do.

The decision tasted like failure and Shiro swallowed thickly again at the creep of bile. But the longer they remained in the cave, the further down they went, Shiro knew their own safety was getting more and more compromised.

They could come back with longer ropes, more lights, armor that they could actually wear, so they could safely find and retrieve Lance’s body. Shiro would insist he was the one to do so as no one else should have to witness that grisly scene.

That was his horror to bear and he deserved every bit of it.

And Lance…

The last thing he’d want would be to have anyone, Hunk especially, find him like that. 

Shiro waited, feeling like a coward but unable to speak up yet, for Keith and Hunk to realize the rope situation for themselves as they were still making their way down from their sections of the wall, but he did make himself start shifting along the wall, digging his grappling hook into the wall to hold him there as he didn’t have any sort of ledge on his section, as this was something he should be relaying in close quarters, not from twenty feet away.

It worked out too as given his distance further into the cavern Hunk and Keith could go a little farther down still so Shiro took the opportunity to scan for himself as he made his way over, shifting his lantern light on the rope with his hand to peer lower.

Just more rock.

More debris.

Darkness and nothing and—

Something white.

Shiro’s breath caught at the flash of brightness.

God.

God, could it actually be…?

Shiro leaned further out, arm straining as he stretched the lantern as far as he could go, pulse roaring in his ears and distantly aware of Keith’s call of his name.

And revealed in the faint circle of light almost ten feet below…

Was Lance.

Chapter Text

Shiro blinked.

Lance remained.

Not a figment of his imagination.

And not…

Not a smear of blood and mutilated limbs.

It was impossible.

But…

But, God, somehow…

Lance wasn’t moving, didn’t react to the faint light above him, his head still encased in his helmet although the visor was completely gone and Shiro could see what looked like blood all over his face, Lance’s eyes closed and his face slack. 

Shiro’s heart skipped a beat.

No.

“Lance,” he whispered, the lantern starting to shake in his hand and light bouncing over Lance’s still form.

Shiro made himself steady his hand and take inventory, to see if from here if he could tell if…

If Lance was…

Both of his legs were clearly bent at angles they shouldn’t be and there was a sizable rock laying over part of Lance’s back and his left arm plus plenty of smaller rocks and rubble half-burying him, his right thrown out in front of him past his head, his armor dented and scratched and every single light out. He didn’t see any obvious blood, but there could easily be internal wounds or something hidden by the rock obscuring the majority of his torso, his chest crushed beneath the armor and lungs punctured.

He could have survived the fall only to suffocate on his own blood.

“Oh G-God,” Hunk’s whimper sounded from up above and Shiro jerked his head up to see Hunk — his rope cutting off a few feet above Shiro — staring down with tears starting to form in already red-rimmed eyes. “L-Lance.”

Lance didn’t react. 

The cavern did though.

Another groan reverberated through it and there was the skittering sound indicating loose shale that always preceded a larger piece of rock breaking off.

But the worst of the sound was across the cavern.

This time.

The entire cave still shook as the rock smashed through the intertwined path, dust and smaller rocks breaking off around them and a few pinging off of Lance who still didn’t react and Shiro was starting to fear he wouldn’t.

He shoved the thought away.

Lance was right there. 

Despite the odds, literally at the end of their rope, they’d found him. 

That had to mean something.

The universe couldn’t be that cruel.

He looked past Hunk to where Keith was braced against the wall, his eyes staring at Lance as though he was seeing a ghost and even accounting for the white-toned light of the moss he looked pale. He could also see that just like theirs, Keith had maybe a foot left of rope to go and nowhere near enough to reach Lance either.

Someone was going to have to climb down.

That, and they also needed a way to remove the rock from Lance. It was large enough that Shiro knew even with Hunk’s strength he wouldn’t be able to lift it and in the same movement pull Lance free and Shiro didn’t feel that the hammers and picks would be the safe option as they could easily hurt Lance more.

His arm could work though.

He could activate it and slice the majority of the rock away and then pull Lance out from beneath the rest of it and that sounded great in theory except for one small, important detail.

The moment he did so he risked the gem reacting to it and starting up the quake again. Speed was going to be required and Shiro knew it wasn’t something he could do on his own.

But that meant endangering Keith and Hunk and that he could not do.

Shiro also knew even if he ordered them away they would not leave, not with Lance literally in their sights. He knew if the situation was in any way reversed and someone was telling him to retreat he’d refuse and so he couldn’t be that kind of hypocrite.

He just had to be smart with his plan. 

“Hunk, Keith,” he called softly and Keith looked over to him while Hunk only had eyes for Lance. 

He still hadn’t moved.

“Hunk,” Shiro called more firmly and tear-lined eyes flicked over to Shiro.

“We need to move fast,” Shiro said and the relief in Hunk’s face solidified Shiro’s decision it was better to do this as a team then try to retrieve Lance on his own for so many reasons, “so here’s what we’re going to do…”

xxx

Oh God.

Oh God oh God oh God.

Hunk panted, arms trembling, where he was clinging to the cave wall with only his grappling hooks and his toes dug into a rough crevice holding him up.

If he lost his grip, if he slipped…

He’d die.

But Lance needed him and so Hunk had to move. 

Shiro had said he and Hunk would go down to free Lance from the rock — Shiro cutting through the rock and Hunk heaving what remained off of Lance — before they then scooped him up and set him into the rope cradle that Keith was currently constructing where he remained in his harness up above with the remaining end of Shiro’s and then secure him to Shiro’s back as Shiro had said he was the best person to carry Lance.

Hunk had reluctantly agreed.

Hunk would follow from below in the event Shiro slipped or needed support and Keith would go directly above and would call out if they had incoming so they had more warning and time to maneuver. 

It was sound in theory, but it all hinged on Hunk actually climbing down the wall.

He needed to move.

Now.

Hunk moved.

It was slow, far slower than he wanted, but it was steady and he was almost there.

Almost to Lance.

Hunk wanted to sob but held that in too.

Later.

He could cry later when Lance was safe.

His feet touched down on the section of path Lance had landed on a few feet from Lance’s head. Shiro was already there on the opposite side — and all that remained of the ledge and it was so small and Hunk swore it shook beneath him and it was not stable at all — and by hand pulling away the smaller rocks that had half-buried Lance.

That left Hunk with the one and only angle to Lance’s face and neck and the ability to see if…

If…

God, if…

It was Schrodinger’s cat in the worst way. Right now he had hope that Lance was breathing, was alive. But if he reached out and confirmed the opposite…

He didn’t know what he would do.

Hunk took a moment to steel himself, eyes scanning about the small platform. And he realized within a second that Lance… Lance was a genius.

There were rocks of course on the ledge with Lance, but there were a bunch of fragments beneath Lance and the pattern indicated they had scattered out from a heavy impact. Lance had been on top of a large rock, no doubt clinging to it as he fell, and he’d let the rock take the brunt of the impact, at least as far as his torso and head went.

His legs…

Hunk tried not to look and told himself the healing pods could repair them. 

But because of that fast action — that even knowing the physics behind it Hunk wasn’t sure he’d have thought of or been able to implement while falling to his death with rocks crashing all around and in the pitch dark — Lance had a chance.

And now…

Hunk took a shaking step forward, crouching down at Lance’s side, pulling off his glove and reaching a bare hand out to brush against Lance’s bloodied cheek.

It was cool.

Hunk’s heart skipped a beat.

But, but so too was the lower level of this cave.

It didn’t automatically mean that…

That…

“L-Lance?” he whispered. “Hermano?” 

Lance didn’t answer.

Hunk brought his hand down to feel out Lance’s pulse at the best angle he could beneath the armored collar.

He…

He didn’t feel…

God, he didn’t feel anyth—

A beat, slow and faint, pressed against his fingertips.

Hunk sucked in his own.

Was that…?

Had that...?

God, was Lance…?

He held his own breath and there was no mistaking a second later the sensation of a pulse not his own against his hand.

Lance was alive.

He was alive.

God, he was alive.

His brother was alive.

“L-Lance,” Hunk sobbed and there must have been something in just that word as Shiro let out a shuddering breath of relief and from above Keith muttered, “thank, God,” and just like that Hunk felt like he could breathe again too. 

Lance was alive.

And they were going to keep him that way.

xxx

“Left!” Keith shouted, pressing himself against the cavern wall as a piece of rock hurtled downwards from where the cavern had once more begun to actively break apart following Shiro activating his prosthetic arm.

It wasn’t as bad, Keith didn’t think, as to earlier when he and Lance had been in full, working armor, as Shiro hadn’t even had it activated for more than twenty seconds, but the cavern’s structure was already weakened.

Still though, they were making progress and faster than Keith had thought to hope for. Hunk’s confirmation that Lance was alive had given them all a second wind, although Keith realistically knew how quickly that could change. They didn’t know what kind of injuries Lance had and there was no time to check so they could unknowingly be hurting him — killing him — in their rescue. 

It was a risk they had to take though and that was why speed was now of the essence. 

And on that note…

“Go!” Keith shouted as a glance both up and down revealed the rock had cleared and there was nothing further incoming, already starting to clamber up the wall, using both the grappling hook and the rope. 

Just keep going.

Faster.

Faster.

Keith’s legs and arms were burning from the going on almost five hours now of running and climbing and his hands, even through the gloves, felt rubbed raw from holding onto the rope.

Keith grit his teeth and kept going.

This was nothing.

He was fine.

Lance was not.

And that meant his exhaustion, his pain meant nothing. 

Light was starting to filter from the cave entrance above and Keith’s heart started to thump in ways unrelated to the exertion.

Almost there.

Almost there.

He kept waiting for something to go wrong — a rock too big to dodge, to slip and fall, to hear a shout of alarm from Shiro or Hunk — but nothing was amiss.

It just made Keith feel more on edge because something always went wrong.

Always.

But as his hands grasped the edge of the wall and he dragged himself up, nothing did.

Keith lay panting on the edge for all of a second, limbs feeling like wet noodles, before he made himself crawl forward, hefting the emergency medical kit up and over the edge as they were definitely going to need that. He glanced over the edge to see Hunk was now hauling himself up alongside Shiro and slowly passing him, Shiro having slowed considerably as time went on but considering he was bringing up a second person who was practically dead weight — and not, Keith shook his head, literally — it was beyond impressive he’d moved as quickly as he had.

Keith threw an arm out to latch onto the back of Hunk’s undersuit and help pull the larger boy up and over, Hunk flopping onto his back and chest rapidly rising up and down, face both drenched and red with sweat and yet ashen. 

He turned his head and made a gagging noise and Keith looked away, own stomach clenching. But Hunk was on his knees within a moment and Keith joined him back at the edge to assist Shiro.

Keith also got his first good look at Lance.

The boy was slumped where he was tied against Shiro’s back, head lolling as Shiro moved, face slack and pale even in the now visible sunlight and streaked with dried blood.

He looked…

He looked dead.

Keith swallowed thickly and turned his attention back to helping pull Shiro up, skidding him forward on his stomach and Shiro offering zero resistance, his own face pale and a visible tremor to his body.

“Get L-Lance,” Shiro groaned, flopping a hand against the ground.

Hunk was already trying to do so, hands fumbling at the knots keeping Lance secured. 

Keith pulled his knife off his belt and made far quicker work of them, not sure his own hands — aching and trembling and God, he was exhausted but there was no time for it — would be capable of picking apart the knots otherwise. 

To his relief and guilt Hunk surged forward and pulled Lance away from the mess of ropes, stumbling backwards a bit at the sudden weight, but ultimately pulling Lance — his broken legs flopping — into his arms. 

“Shiro?” Keith paused but Shiro gave a small shake of his head against the ground and rasped, “Go,” and Keith, after making sure Shiro was well enough away from the edge and the ground was stable, took off after Hunk with the med kit.

Hunk was already lying Lance down on the ground just outside the cave and no doubt the furthest he could go, but there was plenty of sunshine here and no danger of anything collapsing.

Keith set the med kit down and flipped open the latches, nearly upsetting the kit with how fast he flung the lid backwards, but even as it opened and revealed neatly stocked supplies he realized he had no idea what to do.

How did any of this help Lance?

What was even wrong?

Was he even still…?

“L-Lance,” Hunk’s shaking voice brought him back to where Hunk was easing Lance’s dented and dirty helmet off his head, revealing dark hair matted with blood all along the back of his head.

If he hadn’t been wearing a helmet…

Keith shoved that image aside.

“Lance, hermano, pl-please…” Hunk’s fingers brushed Lance’s cheek where the boy’s head was now pillowed in Hunk’s lap. “W-wake up.”

Lance didn’t move.

He was so still. 

Keith hated it.

Lance was never still. He was never quiet like this.

It was wrong.

And this couldn’t be how it ended.

Lance couldn’t…

Keith wouldn’t let him be.

Keith reached forward then, tentatively pressing his fingers to Lance’s neck to feel out a pulse, because if there was none then…

Then…

A soft, slow thud beat against his fingertips.

Keith shuddered out a breath.

Thank God.

His eyes scanned down Lance’s body, looking for any signs of blood or injury. His armor was definitely dented and his legs both absolutely broken, but otherwise he was surprisingly intact and Keith didn’t see any gaping wounds or signs of blood other than the small cuts and scratches where rocks had torn into the underamor. 

His hands went to the clasps on Lance’s chestplate and released it so he could pull it awa—

Lance let out a sudden gasp, entire body jerking, before he cut off with what could only be a whimper, brow furrowing with clear pain and disrupting the slack, motionless expression of before. And while Keith hated to see Lance in pain…

Pain meant alive.

“Lance, Lance, Lance,” Hunk chanted Lance’s name like a prayer, his hands brushing against Lance’s cheek, through his bangs, while Keith continued to pull the chestplate away and no doubt helping Lance to breathe better as the heavy, compressed weight was lifted off.

Lance let out another whimper, his fingers twitching at his sides.

No, Keith realized.

Not just twitching.

Reaching.

Like…

Like before.

Keith tentatively reached his own hand out, fingertips brushing against Lance’s, and the phantom memory had him shuddering.

But this wasn’t like then.

And unlike then, this time Keith wrapped his fingers around Lance’s, holding tight.

And Lance’s fingers…

Curled around Keith’s.

Keith’s eyes stung.

“L-Lance,” Hunk sobbed and Keith swore he almost saw Lance’s lips twitch into a smile even though his eyes remained closed, pain still clear, and still not yet fully conscious. 

“Lance,” Shiro’s soft exhale of Lance’s name sounded and Keith turned to see Shiro, swaying and barely upright, at the entrance to the cave, pale and wan and clearly on his last legs, but his expression was light.

Lance somehow seemed to hear as his own expression gentled and there was definitely a curve to his lips now.

And then he shuddered out a breath, body going limp, but his grip didn’t loosen on Keith’s hand and his chest continued to rise, steadier than before, and the expression of peace remained.

He knew, even in pain and unconscious, he was safe now.

Keith squeezed Lance’s hand, fully ensconced in his own.

And this time…

He wasn’t letting go.