Chapter Text
Time stops as Lance processes what just happened.
He sees it in slow motion as Keith’s body gives into gravity and falls heavily on his chest.
He screams his name.
KEITH
And it almost feels like no sound is coming from his throat, but he knows there must be some, because his throat burns from the effort. He feels helpless as he holds onto his lover. Blood pooling in his hand that rests on Keith’s chest. He looks around and time starts again. The soldiers are too close to them now. Lance breathes heavily as he tries to think of a way to defend himself, but it’s too late.
This is how it ends.
Just as he closes his eyes in acceptance, he hears the soldiers scream in agony. Sharp lasers pierce through them just before they could reach them. Lance turns his head to find his team rushing into the hall. A heavy sigh of relief leaves his chest, before he scrambles to regain his footing. The soldiers are busy with handling the rest of the team now, so Lance has the perfect opportunity to skip past them and slide Keith out of the door. He picks him up in his arms once they’re outside, and runs towards their lion.
Red was already rushing towards them, so he quickly jumps into her jaws. She closes her mouth and quickly turns towards the castle.
Lance delicately rests Keith onto his lap as he adjusts himself on the pilot seat. He sets red on autopilot and holds Keith tighter to himself. Keith grunts a little from being jostled and slowly opens his eyes.
“Lance” he whispers
“I’m here! I’m here sweetheart. You’re gonna be alright” he kisses Keith’s forehead, “everything’s gonna be okay” he reassures with a trembling voice.
“The bullet…” Keith croaks out, but Lance shushes him, “it’s okay, don’t worry. Coran will take it out, we’ll get you into a pod ASAP. You’re gonna be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Lance pants.
Hyperventilating from the panic.
“Just promise me one thing” he holds eye contact with Keith, “YOU WILL NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN”
It comes out harsher than intended but the sentiment remains.
Keith smiles weakly at him.
“I can’t ”
Keith doesn’t open his eyes after that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as Lance lands Red in he hangar, Coran and Allura help him take Keith to the med room. Once Coran rests Keith on the medical bed, he strips off his shirt to look at the injury. And to everyone’s relief, there’s no bullet. There’s a stone hanging from Keith’s neck, tied in a thin string in a make-shift locket. Lance picks up the stone from his chest gently and realises that it’s the one he gifted Keith. From their beach date. He examines the stone and finds that there’s a deep crack on it’s surface.
A sob escapes him. He’s trembling from relief. The stone must have caught the bullet instead of Keith’s chest. It was a close call.
But the impact still left a wound on Keith’s chest. Right above his heart. Lance touches the skin gently, tears run down his cheeks freely.
“I’m so sorry” he whispers to his unconscious lover, when he feels a hand on his shoulder.
It’s Coran.
“It’s time to put him in the pod my boy, we’re fortunate that the bullet didn’t touch him directly”
Lance places a hand on top of Coran’s, then nods silently.
He takes out Keith’s locket, and puts it on himself. Then helps place Keith in a pod.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once Keith is resting inside, the team returns. Hunk is the first one to engulf Lance in a bear tight hug.
“I’m so sorry Lance, we should’ve known those aliens couldn’t be trusted” he says.
Lance smiles sadly at his friend, “It’s okay buddy, I’m just glad that we made it in time“
“How’s Keith? !” Pidge asks as she rushes towards them, Shiro close behind her.
They all surround Keith’s pod, and Lance explains how Keith managed to escape hitting the bullet directly. The rest of the team sighs in relief. They must have been worried because everyone saw Keith jumping in front of Lance when the bullet’s sound echoed across the hall.
Allura calls a meeting after everyone has rested for an hour. Lance couldn’t leave his lover’s side, so he sat down with his back supported by Keith’s pod. His mind replaying the incident on a loop. It was torture. He took off Keith's locket from his neck and clutched the stone in his hand. Tracing the crack with his thumb as his mind ran a mile a minute. His boyfriend was a self sacrificing idiot , even without his memories.
“I have integrated a special scan in the castle system, so no Xylian will go undetected. Even if they’re invisible.” Allura claims loudly. It’s clear that she’s angry. And a little bit of sadness leaks through her voice. It’s obvious that the Xylian’s betrayal hurt her pride. She was ashamed. It felt like she had failed her team.
But she composes herself.
“They are not to be trusted again.” she says and the team voices their agreement.
“Their behaviour is not acceptable, and we will avoid any more contact with them” Shiro declares, “And about Keith-” he glances at Lance, who perks up at the mention of his boyfriend, “I’m trusting you Lance, I’m sure he will recover his memories”
Lance manages a nod in response, and it’s satisfactory enough for Shiro.
After the mission debrief, the team is dismissed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lance resumes sulking at the foot of his lover’s pod.
That was a really close call, and he’s mad.
He’s still mad at Keith for doing something like that. For risking his life like that. As if it means nothing.
But he’s worried too.
He looks up at Keith’s unconscious form, floating in that healing liquid, oblivious to the chaos inside his heart.
He looks too peaceful in there.
Lance sighs. He clutches the stone in his hand , and soon, sleep takes over him.