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Lance came to and realized he was moving, the definite cadence of footsteps rocking his body. He shifted, regretting it immediately when pain lanced through his side. He whimpered, clenching his teeth together.
“I know,” a voice said. “It hurts, but don’t worry. I’ll find us some shelter soon.”
“Keith?”
“I’m here, Lance. I’ve got you.” He said, squeezing Lance’s legs where they rested astride his waist.
“Wha— what happened?” Lance asked, slowly opening his eyes, which were gritty with soot.
“We crashed, and we’ve still got some galra on our tail, but don’t worry. I’m gonna take care of them.” Lance’s brain wrapped slowly around the words.
“We crashed? Are you okay?” Lance asked sleepily. Keith chuckled.
“Yeah, sweetheart. I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about. You got knocked around last fight and in the crash. I wanna get us somewhere I can check you over.”
“I can walk,” Lance said, shifting as if to climb off of Keith’s back.
“I want to carry you,” Keith said, holding him firmly. Lance said nothing, nuzzling his head against Keith’s. He only managed to click their helmets together, but Keith got the gist and appreciated the attempted gesture.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re looking for shelter. There’s a river a bit east of us. I’m gonna follow it until we find somewhere safe.” Keith said, hefting Lance a little higher on his back as he started up a hill. “I’m hoping we have a bit of time before nightfall on this planet, so I should be able to find us somewhere by then.”
“And then I’ll check you over?”
“What? Lance, I’m fine.”
“You probably didn’t even look at yourself over before grabbing me.” Keith said nothing, the silence speaking for itself. Lance made a tired, fond sound. “Imma look you over when we stop.”
“Alright,” Keith said fondly. They lapsed into silence, Keith listening carefully to their surroundings, trying to keep the sound of the river in his head while also listening for their pursuers. Lance slipped in and out of consciousness as they walked, the changing cadence of his breath telling Keith when he was awake and had to feel the pain of his wounds versus when he succumbed to them. Keith clenched his jaw. Ideally, he would have kept Lance awake the entire time somehow, but with night falling any moment and their pursuers soon realizing they weren't in the lion, he had to focus on getting them to safety.
Lance woke again with a pained sound. Keith shushed him gently, trying to offer what comfort he could as Lance trembled and panted against his back.
“It'll be okay, Lance,” he murmured between breaths. He was panting as they made their way through the trees. Nevertheless, he spilled assurances. “I'm going to take care of you, I promise. I've—”
He paused, freezing at the top of a hill. In the distance he could hear a speeder of some sort, the noise of it getting closer. He turned, rushing back down the hill as carefully as he could.
“Keith?” Lance asked groggily. Keith felt panic seize his heart.
“Shh, it's okay,” he lied. “They're getting close, so I’m gonna go lead them off.” He said it quickly, as if trying to slip the words past Lance's foggy brain without him noticing.
He carried Lance back to a fallen tree halfway down the hill. It was propped against two trees nearby, creating a small gap beneath it. He sat Lance on the ground, crawling into the gap and clearing the space haphazardly. He pulled a metallic shock blanket from the first aid pouch on his belt, wrapping Lance in it quickly to protect him from the elements and his wounds from dirt before sliding him into the small shelter. Lance looked at him frantically, foggy eyes wide and brimming with tears.
“Keith, where—”
“I've gotta lead them away.” He said, pushing dead leaves around Lance like camouflage. Lance tried to sit up but Keith held him down with a hand on his chest. “You’ve gotta stay here.”
“Keith—”
“Lance, I need to know you're safe. We have our helmets to communicate. Now—” he leaned in, pressing a kiss to Lance's lips, drawing a sad whimper from the other boy. “ — be good for me. Stay safe.”
With that, he pushed the button to close Lance's helmet and pulled away. He stood, risking a look back before running off.
Lance could only watch him go and worry, the silky black of unconsciousness already wrapping around his vision.
When he came to, he was moving again. He panicked, jolting and pulling his wounds, causing him to choke on a pained groan.
“It's just me!” Keith said frantically, squeezing Lance's legs where they rested astride his hips. “It's just me,” he promised. Lance's arms went tight around his neck and he shuddered against his back. He sighed, pressing his helmet against the shoulder of Keith's armor.
“How long have I been out?”
“I think most of the last two hours.”
“When'd you get back?”
“About thirty minutes ago.”
“Why'd you leave me?”
“I had to lead them away from the river.”
“Did it work?”
“Yeah. I took two of them out. I don't know how many are left, but that's at least two we don't have to worry about.”
“Shoulda stole a speeder.” Lance said sleepily. Keith chuckled.
“Wanted to, but I didn't know if there were trackers in them. Don't want to put you in any more danger.”
“Us.”
“Hm?”
“Don't wanna put us in any more danger.”
“‘Course,” Keith said, squeezing Lance's leg.
“You okay from the fight?”
“They barely even saw me.”
“So you're okay?”
“Yeah, honey. I'm okay.”
“Good.” Lance dozed for a bit after that, the easy cadence of Keith's steps working with his exhaustion to pull him under. Keith kept steadily on, staying near the water and searching for a safe haven.
The next time Lance woke, Keith was shaking him.
“There you are,” he said gently, relief evident in his voice.
“What’s wrong?” Lance asked immediately, grasping for awareness, even as his pounding head begged him for rest.
“We’re by the river, and there’s a few caves along the canyon wall. I think it’s a pretty safe bet, but we’ve got to get down there.”
Lance nodded clumsily. “Ok, what do you need me to do.”
“Summon your bayard and stay awake for me while I jetpack down to a cave and make sure it’s clear.” Lance nodded, summoning his bayard and cradling the rifle carefully in his lap. He leaned against the rock behind him, carefully shifting until he was in a position where he could shoot if needed.
“Ready,” Lance said, shaking hands clenched on his bayard. Keith swallowed, heart pounding at the idea of leaving Lance alone— again — in such a vulnerable state; but he’d rather die than rappel them into another dangerous situation.
He knelt and pressed their helmets together, his hand a firm presence on the back of Lance’s neck.
“I’ll be right back. Keep your comm open.”
“Okay. Be careful,” Lance rasped, blue eyes looking up at his boyfriend. Keith pulled back and gave him a confident smirk.
“Of course,” he said. Keith backed away, closing his helmet and walking towards the cliff’s edge. He turned and gave Lance a two-finger salute, before activating his jetpack and jumping off the ledge.
While he was gone, Lance counted his breaths. He tried to breathe slow and even, trying to ignore the way air seemed to rattle and pinch in his chest. He was sweating, the jungle humidity clinging to his skin and making him somehow feel both hot and cold. His legs tingled and his head pounded, but he clenched his jaw and tried to focus.
He took a deep breath, pushing it out slowly.
“You’re doing great,” Keith whispered through the comms. Lance chuckled.
“I feel like melting jello,” Lance mumbled, blinking his tired eyes. His eyelids drooped but he forced them open. Keith laughed nervously.
“Jello doesn’t melt, babe,” Keith responded.
“Yes it does. Not all the way but it loses shape. It doesn’t— “ Lance broke off on a rattling cough. His back erupted in agony, rebelling against his lungs’s violent movement. Spots danced in front of his eyes and he thought he tasted blood against the back of his teeth.
Keith’s voice reached him through the comms, but he couldn’t grasp what it said. He couldn’t stop coughing, and every push of air sent fire through his veins.
“It’s okay, you’re okay. Let me—”
Firm hands landed on his torso, helping pull him upright, and he was finally able to pull in a clear breath. He gasped, a hand clawing to his left and hooking on Keith’s breastplate.
“Just breathe. Breathe, Lance.”
Lance didn’t know how long they sat in the grass, Keith supporting him in his arms as he tried to take control of his body. Finally, his body calmed, and he lay exhausted in Keith’s arms.
When he next looked up, the sky seemed to have darkened, the distinct rosiness of sunset clear in the planet’s oddly shaped clouds.
“Did I pass out again?” He asked, turning his head where it rested on Keith’s shoulder.
“Just for a little bit,” Keith said, avoiding the clear yes in his answer. “Drink some water for me and then we’ll move down into the cave and build a fire before nightfall.”
Lance nodded, clumsily grasping Keith’s water pouch and bringing it to his chapped lips. His sip turned into desperate pulls, and, before he knew it, he’d nearly finished the pouch.
“Don’t worry about it,” Keith said, pre-empting his apology. “I’ll purify some water from the river and we’ll be fine.” Lance nodded, too exhausted to respond in any other way. With what seemed like permission, he finished the water pouch, pulling the empty plastic away with a sigh.
Keith stashed it away then grabbed a span of rope.
“I’m gonna tie us together and we’ll fly down to the cave, okay?”
Lance nodded clumsily, and Keith’s arms closed around him, pulling him upright and attempting to align their bodies. Lance tried to work with him, but his limbs felt like lead as he tried to move them. Somehow, Keith got them figured out, looping rope between and around them in a pattern that Lance tried following but couldn’t, quickly growing dizzy.
“Okay,” Keith said after a minute. “We’re gonna fly now, alright?”
“Okay,” Lance said, nodding once before tipping his heavy head onto Keith’s shoulder and closing his eyes.
“I’m gonna get you somewhere safe,” Keith’s rough voice said, “Then we’ll wait for the team to come get us. They can’t be far now.”
“Okay.” Lance cinched his arms as tight as he could around Keith’s shoulders and felt the other boy’s arms fit under his own, holding him close.
“On the count of three, I’m going to turn on our jet packs.”
“Jetpacks,” Lance mumbled, hot breath puffing against Keith’s armor.
“One, two, three!”
Lance felt them both jolt into midair and he gasped, arms clenching around Keith. He held on tight as they whizzed through the air, counting the breaths until they landed again.
When they found the ground, he felt how unsteady his legs were. His entire body felt weak and wobbly.
He mumbled Keith’s name.
“Stay with me Lance. C’mon. Stay with me.”
What he said next was again lost to darkness.
Lance awoke with a jolt, coughing painfully. He rolled over, propping himself up on his elbows and hacking towards the stony ground. Strong hands landed under his arms, hauling him upright. Keith pulled Lance into his lap, supporting him against his chest, Lance’s head on his shoulder, as he coughed. Keith rocked him gently, holding him almost maternally in his arms.
“It’s okay. It’s okay,” Keith whispered, repeating the phrase almost desperately. He pressed his lips to Lance’s sweaty hair, kissing him gently. Finally, Lance was able to draw breath. It rattled through his chest in a way that made both of them wince. Lance sat back, trusting Keith to help him as he lay back down.
“I don’t sound good,” Lance said when he was back on the ground.
“No you don’t.”
“Where are we?”
“Cave in the canyon. We’re by the river.”
“How long have we been here?”
“Almost an hour.”
“Any sign of the galra?”
“I saw a light pass not too long ago. Had to douse the fire. I’m gonna go after them, but I didn’t want to leave without you knowing.”
“Don’t go,” Lance croaked, the words out of his mouth before he could stop them.
“Lance—”
“Wait- Wait for the team.”
“We can’t sit here for hours without a fire.”
“You can’t leave me again.” And as he said it, his voice cracked, betraying the panic ratcheting tight around his heart.
“Lance,” Keith rasped, his own voice tight with emotion. “Don’t make this harder than it already is. I have to do something. We can’t just sit and wait for them to find us.”
“But the team might find us first.”
“But they might not.”
The phrase hung between them, skating on the tension-filled air. In the quiet, Lance could hear the sounds of the strange planet’s night: the rustle of leaves and the clicking of creatures whose sounds reminded Lance of cicadas on Earth.
Keith sighed his name, reaching out and taking Lance’s gloved hand in his own.
“Lance—”
But he was cut off by the sound of a distant motor. Keith’s head snapped towards the mouth of the cave and Lance’s hand clenched around his.
“Keith—”
“I’ll be right back, I promise.”
“Keith,” Lance groaned, his voice weak. He sniffled. Keith looked at him, one hand halfway to his helmet, and sighed. He leaned over Lance, leaning in to press a long kiss to his chapped lips.
“I will always come back to you,” Keith murmured as he drew away.
“You better,” Lance said, squeezing Keith’s hand yet again. Keith squeezed back before pulling his hand away and replacing it with Lance’s bayard. He laid Lance’s fingers over it, patting the back of his hand.
“Rest.”
And as Keith replaced his helmet and helped Lance back into his, Lance obeyed the simple command, letting his exhaustion pull him under.
He awoke to a clatter, and was bombarded by pain, but it didn’t stop him from trying to sit up. He gripped his bayard tightly, turning towards the mouth of the cave and nearly crying with relief at seeing Keith—
Before his heart seized with panic as he noticed his boyfriend’s significant limp, and the sooty burn marks marring his armor.
“Keith!” Lance nearly yelled. He tried to stand but couldn’t, and instead tried to scoot himself towards the other boy.
“I’m okay,” Keith said, rushing to Lance. He collapsed in front of him, gathering Lance into his arms. They were a heap on the cave floor, both of them shaking as frantic hands moved over their battered bodies.
“No you aren’t, you’re hurt.”
“Not badly,” Keith said, tugging off his helmet then reaching for Lance’s. As soon as it was off, the other boy leaned up, kissing him soundly.
“You left me.”
“I know. I’m sorry. But I won’t need to again.”
“You got the last of them?”
“Yep. And I destroyed their ship. They’ll have to send a new team to try and find us, and the others will be here before that can happen. I can feel it.” He looked at Lance in his arms and gave him a shaky smile. “We’re gonna be okay.”
“We’re gonna be okay,” Lance repeated.
Keith spent the next half hour building the fire and rearranging the remaining shock blankets and emergency supplies into a small camp. He stripped them out of their armor, leaving them both in their flight suits before finally coming to lay with Lance by the fire. He pulled the other boy into his lap, cradling him in his arms as Lance’s head leaned back onto his chest. His hands found Keith’s, gripping them tightly.
Keith listened closely, feeling the other boy’s shallow breaths and the way his body both radiated heat and shivered from the chill.
“You’re gonna be okay,” Keith whispered, hoping that the more he said it, the closer it would get to being true.
Lance didn’t respond. He was already starting to doze, his exhausted body pulling him desperately towards the dark.
The next time Lance woke up, he was falling.
“I’ve got you,” Keith said, catching him in his arms as he tumbled out of the healing pod. Lance shivered from the cold of kryo, blinking rapidly against the bright lights of the med bay. He looked up at Keith and smiled. Keith could see the disbelief hidden in the expression and simply nodded.
“You’re okay,” Lance sighed, hugging him tightly. Keith chuckled, a sentiment echoed by the others gathered around the room.
“You’re ridiculous,” Keith said.
“And you’re a reckless idiot,” Lance said.
“You’re both reckless idiots,” Pidge called. “We picked the two of you up beat to hell.”
“That’s the last time you two go on a duo mission,” Shiro said, coming and laying a hand on each of their shoulders. “But I am proud of you guys for looking out for each other.”
“I mean, I wasn’t much help,” Lance muttered. “I don’t remember that much other than—” He cut off, struck with an inexplicable wave of longing. He coughed, trying to clear his suddenly tight throat. “O-other than Keith constantly trying to keep me safe.”
He looked at the other boy, realizing for the first time that he was also wearing one of the sterile looking kryo suits.
“You kept risking yourself for me,” Lance said, awe coloring his words as he looked at the other boy.
Even though they were now officially together, the relationship was still new. Lance was often still nervous around the other boy, shifting between thrilled and shaken by Keith’s intensity. He’d constantly worried that he was falling too fast and too hard for the other boy, worrying that he was reading the red paladin wrong.
But now, as he looked at Keith, he saw the raw emotion in the other boy’s face. His violet eyes were wet with unshed tears and his jaw worked erratically, clenching and unclenching. Silently, Lance extended his hand, fingers brushing against Keith’s. Keith grasped his hand firmly, nearly crushing Lance’s fingers but Lance didn’t care. He simply held on as Keith turned and nearly ran out of the med bay, pulling Lance in tow.
Lance spared a glance at the others, who all looked bemused, as Keith pulled him from the room. He walked silently beside the other boy as they wound their way through the halls, finally coming to Keith’s bedroom.
Keith sat on the edge of the bed, pulling Lance down beside him. Lance sat gingerly, trying to calm his pounding heart at the implications of them being on Keith’s bed together; the strength of his own desire looking past the tension laying thick in the air.
Lance tried not to fidget, sharing the quiet with Keith as the other boy took deep, ragged breaths. His thumb skated continuously over Lance’s knuckles, and Lance watched the easy, familiar movement. He squeezed Keith’s fingers, looking up at the other boy, and finding Keith watching him.
Keith leaned in slowly, kissing Lance with a tenderness that took his breath away. Lance found himself chasing Keith’s lips with his when he tried to pull away, stealing a kiss of his own. Keith sighed, letting go of Lance’s hand to wrap his arms around his waist, pulling him until they were chest to chest.
Lance’s arms wrapped around Keith’s shoulders, one hand cupping his jaw as the other buried into his hair. Keith sighed against him, tongue slipping against the seam of Lance’s mouth, asking entry. Lance opened to him easily, shivering at the first touch of their tongues and tugging at Keith’s hair.
Keith groaned low in his throat, arms tightening against Lance’s waist. That was the only warning Lance had before they were tipping backwards, Keith laying them on the bed. Lance nodded, panting against Keith as the kisses turned firm, almost desperate. They separated for a breath and Keith looked at Lance hungrily. His eyes flicked to the pillows and Lance began to move, scooting himself fully onto the bed and angling for the head of the bed—
“Wait.” Keith said, eyes clenched shut as if the word had pained him to say. Lance froze, looking at his tousled boyfriend.
“What’s wrong?” he asked warily.
“Nothing,” Keith said quickly. “Nothing’s wrong. This is- This is perfect, and—” he cut off, mouth working wordlessly for a second before he groaned, a hand reaching up to pull at his own hair. “God, the things I want to do to you.”
Lance flushed, heat rushing through his body; starting at his cheeks and settling in his groin.
“I-I. I-uh,” Lance stammered uselessly, not even sure what he should say to that. Keith looked at him fondly, reaching out and threading their fingers together. He kissed Lance’s knuckles, before dropping their joined hands to his lap. Keith took a deep breath, letting it out on a sigh.
“I’m sorry.”
Whatever Lance was expecting to hear, it wasn’t that. He blinked, before narrowing his eyes at the other boy.
“For?”
“For leaving you during the mission. I- I know why I did it, but it wasn’t—”
“Keith, you protected me. I wasn’t able to help you, and you took care of me and went after the galra on our tail. You shouldn’t apologize for that.”
Keith nodded, but he still didn’t look satisfied.
“I just hated leaving you,” he admitted finally. “I—” He looked at Lance, holding eye contact. “I hate being apart from you. No matter the reason.”
Lance felt his cheeks flare red, and he croaked Keith’s name. Keith leaned slowly in, kissing Lance deeply. Keith ended the kiss, but stayed leaning over Lance, their lips nearly touching as Keith whispered Lance’s name.
“Mhmm?” Lance responded, eyes still closed. Keith’s thumb brushed his temple.
“Look at me?” Keith whispered, punctuating the request with a kiss to the corner of Lance’s mouth. Helpless to oblige, Lance did: blue eyes fluttering open to meet violet ones swirling with emotion.
Keith took a deep breath, then—
“I love you.”
And as Keith’s lips brushed his with each syllable, Lance felt it in his bones.
“I love you, too,” he said, a slow smile curving his lips.
Next thing he knew, Keith was kissing him like there was nothing left to do in the universe. He clambered into Lance’s lap, straddling him and pulling the other boy’s hands to rest on his hips. Lance grinned into the kiss, squeezing Keith’s hips and nipping at the tip of his tongue as it came to explore his mouth.
Some part of Lance felt complete; happy in the embrace of the one he loved.
When Lance next woke, he was warm. He rolled over in Keith’s arms, pressing his face into his bare chest. Part of him was incredulous, but the rest of him was filled with joy. And as Keith sighed happily in his sleep, Lance couldn’t help but smile.
He was safe, and he was happy. He was with Keith, and, as he shut his eyes to go back to sleep, he knew this was where he belonged.