Chapter Text
“This is all your fault.”
Lance stood by the accusation, and practically could hear Keith’s eyes rolling. The gesture would have been more effective though if he were actually facing Lance. The current predicament of being bound, back to back with Keith of all people by the magnetic cuffs did a good job of preventing that.
So Keith elbowed him instead. Tried to, anyway.
“Hey, that’s my spleen !” Lance angled his head but still unable to shoot a look at Keith. Their backs were too close, bumping and brushing as the wiggled and strained against the locks that had their wrists connected.
It had happened in a blink, after a bold dive by Keith that shoved him out of the way from a Gladiator’s blow. Lance had been totally fine without the help, and hadn’t appreciated the weight of Keith barreling into him and knocking his gun out of his grip.
Now there was a lot of Keith. It was fraying all of Lance’s nerves, even from the muscle of Keith’s back shifting with effort, their fingers bumping and tangling. There was little comfort that they were geared up so Lance didn’t actually feel Keith’s skin against his own.
“Ow!”
“Stop moving so much,” Keith said.
“You’re the-Hey! Knock it off, Keith!” Lance yanked at his arms.
Keith yelped, and tugged back, but they almost toppled into the incoming Gladiators. Lance could swear Allura programmed them with a little more malice when they did group exercises.
“Will you stop whining and start thinking of a way to get out of this?”
Lance scowled. Then, he felt Keith tense and move on instinct as the Gladiator’s baton came down.Would have been fine had he not forgotten he had the weight that was Lance attached to him.
They crashed spectacularly on their sides with a harmonious yell.
The light on the Gladiators’ foreheads went out and they stilled.
Training session: fail.
“Yeah,” Lance said, exhaling hard, “I hate you right now.”
“Me? I saved you!”
“Well, great job there given my point of view right now. Which by the way, is not much lower than I see you.”
“Maybe you’re right where you belong on the--”
“Mullet!”
“Cargo pilot!”
“Enough.” Shiro’s voice shut them both up on cue. Lance had the unfortunate view of Shiro’s stern stare as he came from above deck where he had been observing them.
“Keith started it,” Lance muttered. He grunted when Keith shoved against him.
“Stay still.” Shiro crouched down to set them free. Allura would not have shown such mercy. “You’d been doing well up to that point.”
Free, both Paladins leapt away from each other.
“He’s the one that freaked out and made it worse,” Keith said.
“It’s Keith’s fault.”
Shiro scanned them both, arms crossed. “You both faulted. Keith, you’re still reacting on impulse. It’s good in battle, but it’s also risky to your teammates if you forget about them.” And before Lance could look triumphant at the scolding, Shiro said, “And Lance, you were trying to act like a hotshot again.”
Both Paladins lowered their heads.
It was Keith’s fault, Lance wanted to say again. It was only around Keith he faltered (if he would even admit he did), especially now that they were having not just team sessions but paired ones. Keith and his stupid little ponytail when his hair bugged him (um, just cut it?). Keith’s constant training the times Lance walked by and spotted him there (and did not stay to watch him a little). Keith--
“Lance.”
Lance straightened right up and cleared his throat. “Yeah-er...yes?”
Shiro gave him a look that said he knew Lance’s mind had drifted elsewhere. He crossed his arms, and his tone was gentle when he spoke again. “You two are more compatible than you realize. You’ll come to see that soon.”
Both Lance and Keith side-glanced each other.
Keith made this face that must have been stupid it pulled uncomfortably at Lance’s stomach. “I guess,” Keith said.
Lance conceited with a shrug of one shoulder. “Okay, but if we’re so compatible, how come you’ve been pairing us up so much lately? My eyes are starting to burn looking at him so much.”
“You’re not exactly--”
“Focus,” Shiro said, loud enough to squander another argument in the making. “I’ve been pairing you up to show just how well you can work together.”
Lance cocked his brow. He figured the answer wasn’t so simple as that, but then Shiro said they should call it a day, and that Lance agreed with.
Yet just before he could seek sanctuary in a shower, Shiro added, “We better head over. Allura should be calling us soon.”
Lance perked up. “Head over?” He glanced up as Allura’s voice echoed down on them, demanding Team Voltron to gather up. “Man, I hope it’s not another one of her training obstacle courses. The last one left my hair singed.”
He pointed his accusation at Keith as they followed Shiro out. Keith met his stare so easily, like it was nothing.
“You’re the one that didn’t take my instructions seriously.” Keith broke their eye contact and was now saying something to Shiro that Lance wasn’t really picking up on. For some reason his attention was more curious on a few strands of Keith’s hair that must have been tickling his ear.
Weird.
Lance snapped out of it with a shake of his head, and hurried on ahead of Shiro and Keith. Seriously, prolonged drills with Keith was not doing good things to Lance’s mental state. Not to mention the general confinement they found themselves in for periods of time in between helping a planet or chasing off Galra forces.
Lance could use a shower about now. But lately Keith was unlike the sweat he could wipe clean or the debris he could scrub off. It was like Keith was getting under his skin.
All that pair-up work they did now didn’t help matters either.
At least he wasn’t crazy like Keith to breathe and live in the training deck. How many times had Lance found him there when he’d been given the lame duty of calling Keith to a Voltron meeting? Enough that the memories were printed behind Lance’s eyelids, a threatening blink away from popping up.
Lance decided on a long, cold shower, after this.
Everyone else was in the control room when Lance jogged in, with Coran fiddling away with something on the panels. Lance waved at Hunk and Pidge, and smiled at Allura.
“Hey.” Hunk waved back. “How’d your super fun training session go with Keith?" He looked past Lance. "Isn't he with you?"
“What am I, his caretaker?” he asked, taking a seat and very much deciding not to admit he and Keith had locked wrists and fallen over together. He swore he heard Pidge say something to Hunk, who chortled. “What was that?”
Pidge lifted their head. “You wouldn’t get it.”
“I think you’re confusing me with Keith.”
“Um, no. Definitely not.”
Lance opened his mouth, but Keith and Shiro came in. Allura nodded at everyone’s presence, and signaled for complete focus. Maybe a tiny bit of Lance’s strayed to Keith when the Red Paladin came to stand beside him.
“Alright everyone. We’ve a new operation,” Allura said, jumping right in.“We’ve barely begun on our duty to liberate the galaxy of Zarkon.” Her hand, misleadingly delicate in looks, swiped a panel and the galaxies of all the universes bloomed into a map around their heads.
Like usual, Lance’s gaze sought out Earth. Couldn’t find it.
“We all know just how much the Galra Empire has taken over,” Allura said, pointing for reference, “but it’s this one small galaxy yet untouched by the Galra that has piqued our latest course of action.”
Well, Lance thought, that definitely sounded better than the torturous exercises Allura mislabeled as ‘education’.
“Uh, hi,” Hunk raised his hand, “isn’t that galaxy surrounded by others that have made a distress call at some point? I mean, that’s what the red means, right?”
“Exactly! Gold star for you,” Coran said, then chuckled at a joke no one else seemed to understand. “As if gold stars existed. But, ahem, yes. After investigating further, we’ve received nothing to suggest trouble.”
Pidge actually lifted their gaze off the computer they always lugged around. “That’s kind of odd,” they said, “the calls from the other galaxies look like they happened years ago. As in, hundreds and hundreds of years ago.”
“Sooo, they’re next to be hit?” Lance offered.
Allura frowned. “Actually, that’s the part we’re curious about. This is planet Laranta, the centerpoint of this galaxy.” A turn of her palm to zoom into the planet. It was bright, wrapped in blues and green. It reminded Lance of Earth, at least enough to pull at his gut.
“I remember,” Allura continued, “it was a center of commerce and politics in this part of the universe. Alliances have been made at Laranta’s tables.”
“It doesn’t sound like Zarkon would care about politics,” Keith said.
“Wait, hold up,” Hunk held up both hands in a stopping gesture, “are you thinking we divert from the distressed galaxies and go poking around this place that seems to be fine on its own?”
Allura frowned. “It’s them being ‘fine’ that’s suspicious. None of our situation is ideal at the moment, but it’s not just to see why they’ve yet to be conquered. There’s an artifact they have.”
“An artifact,” Pidge said, sounding like they were already not keen on the idea. “Like some kind of relic?”
Tilting her head, Allura said, “Something like that, I suppose. Its exact properties are still unknown, even to the Alteans. I remember it as a kind of...power source. It kept that part of the galaxy at peace for centuries, allegedly, and now that we’ve found no sign of distress there, it might be just something to help us in our battle for the universe.”
“Maybe it’s keeping the Galra at bay somehow,” Keith added. Lance snuck him a glance, feeling like he knew where Keith was going with this.
“You’re up for this,” Lance said, if a little incredulous.
Keith actually looked at him, but Lance refused to look away even if it made him feel warm. “It would be crazier if we didn’t. If this artifact thing is keeping Zarkon at bay, maybe it’s something we can use too. Or even worse, what if there’s a way Zarkon can get to it, and who knows what kind of powers it can gives him?”
“Yeah, I’m not down for the idea of Zarkon getting the last edge he needs to take Voltron,” Hunk said, shaking his head.
“So we would just take it?” Lance asked Keith.
Keith’s shoulders tensed at the bite of those words. “If it meant saving all the galaxies, then yeah.”
“And if it is a power source that say, kept the whole planet or that whole galaxy in tact? Just pluck it like that without even asking,” Lance crossed his arms, snorting, “I knew you were cold, but--”
“I’m not saying it like that!”
“Eyes front,” Allura’s snap for attention was perhaps a few levels more effective than Shiro’s. “We are not here to make a drastic decision without knowing all the variables.”
“Allura’s right,” Shiro said. “That being said, we might regret if we don’t at least look into it. We need any advantage we can get.”
“Hm, yes.” Coran stroked his mustache. “You’re all still new at this despite all that’s happened. It’s not like you’ve had years of experience to rely on and help you squeeze out of tight situations. Ah, speaking of,” he beamed, “we’ll be sure to get you the proper attire, Keith.”
“...Uh?”
“We aren’t barging in as Voltron,” Allura said. “I’ve thought it over with Shiro, and we will enter under aliases, and leave with no one the wiser. One of the worlds we helped will be our key in.”
The planets flickered once, a new image stretching wide enough for all of them to take in. Fair skinned, dark eyes, long waves of hair with a disheveled touch here and there that did not detract from the beauty. Almost human-like, with glimmer along the cheekbones. Almost like a hint of scales.
Lance sat up straight and at the edge of his seat, eyes electric at the sight of something pretty. “Wish we had gotten a celebration party there .” Then, a tick later, “Whoa, she kind of looks like you, Keith. A lot, actually.”
Wait, did he just associate something pretty to Keith?
Nah.
“ They ,” Allura corrected, “but yes, their similarities are just the luck we need. They’re from a quiet planet we shook off the Galra forces that were going to drill in their oceans. They are more than willing to assist us in this mission.”
Keith did not look like he agreed. “Uh, what ?”
“You’re impersonating them,” Coran added, pointing at Keith, and then at the picture. Then at Keith, then at the picture again. “Yes? Got it?”
Keith blinked, and it was almost hilarious how he stared at Coran. “I...don’t have long hair?”
“So you got it cut,” Shiro said, smiling sheepishly at the attempt at humor (or what Lance figured was an attempt at it).
“Wait, wait, wait, hold up.” Lance almost laughed. “Am I hearing this right? Keith of all people is going Mission: Impossible here? Keith ?”
“I’m not sure what your reference is, but yes. We don’t have time on our side,” Allura said, coming closer to Keith. Lance frowned at the attention, more so when Keith looked like he didn’t want her to come any closer. “This is a chance Voltron has to take.”
“Think of it as kind of like being a decoy,” Coran added like that would help the justification. “While you’re in there diverting attention, Allura and Shiro can look around all they want.”
Lance was about to drop something about Allura coming along so easily. Then she gave them all a look from the first time they tried to limit her involvement and he shut up.
“Well, Keith does draw attention,” Pidge said, looking right at Lance with a smirk.
Hunk nodded. “It doesn’t sound too crazy the more I think about it.”
“Keith,” Allura said, now standing only a few feet away, “you’re the best suited to be the face of this mission.”
Keith opened his mouth and pointed at Coran. “He said something about tight .”
“You’ll have to blend in, naturally. You’ll have to wear the clothes traditional to the planet you’ll be hailing from,” Coran said with a nod, like he himself had been working on the customization of the clothing. Actually, he probably was. Lance figured he would be the type. “But,” Coran said, “the tights are under the formal robe.”
Lance pressed his lips into a line, failed. His smirk was creeping up, because Keith’s face was all kinds of gray right now. If only the girls who sighed all dreamily at the sight of him got a load of him now.
“Still loving the idea of going there?” Lance asked.
“It’s a lot to put on you,” Shiro said, breaking Lance’s moment. Keith’s face calmed as Shiro approached, and looked just as it normally did when the Black Paladin squeezed his shoulder.
“But,” Shiro continued, “I know you can do this.”
“It’s not that I won’t,” Keith said, but whatever else he was going to say as a buffer to this idea, he never did. He exhaled and fisted his hands. “We can’t let Zarkon find that...thing, if it’s something he can use.”
“That’s the spirit! You just leave it to me,” Coran said. “You’ll be more convincing than a Malitor at the--”
Keith groaned.
Lance laughed.
“What are you laughing about?” Allura asked, staring Lance down. “Don’t think you’re just getting a front row view of this.”
“What?” Lance scoffed. “Princess, you know I’m all about saving lives, and looking good while doing it. I’m ready for anything.”
“Wonderful. With that attitude, you’ll make a fine escort.”
Lance preened. Escort? That sounded kind of sexy and badass. “Why, of course, my lady,” he said, standing up to offer his hand at Allura. “I would escort you to the most Galra-infested reaches of the galaxy if you asked.”
Allura’s arm rose but the hand she placed in Lance’s palm was not hers.
It was Keith’s.
Behind him, Hunk burst out laughing.
-x-
Lace got the feeling that Blue was mocking him.
At this point, it wasn’t rare for one Paladin or another to be caught grumbling or muttering about some remark their Lion made. It had become a universal truth and routine to hear (or rather, feel? see? something) their Lions even out of battle.
“You know,” Lance said, paying Blue's commentary little mind (man, he was going to miss his Lion) as he inspected himself. “I gotta say I look damn good in these clothes.”
“You’re really the reincarnation of Narcissist,” Pidge said, not quite under their breath. Unlike the others, they got to stay cozy in their preferred clothing. Seriously, Pidge had it made with being the tech-guru sometimes.
“I still think Shiro makes more sense,” Hunk said. When Lance glared at him, he took no offense to it. “I mean it. Shiro’s...you know, bigger. If someone is going to be some kind of guardian to a noble or prince or anything, you surround them with big guys, don’t you?”
“No,” Pidge said.
Lance flashed a smile their way. “Thank you, Pidge--”
“Lance isn’t going as a bodyguard, per se. You all watch too many movies. Plus, better they don’t stand out. Shiro would stand out where they’re going. And not in the way we want Keith to. Shiro’s better off with Allura..”
Lance sneered and adjusted the sleeves of his outfit. He was washed in dark colors, but Coran did a fine job of making him look spiffy. He even had a little glimmer to his cheeks to give the illusion they were...whatever species they were again.
It barely felt like an hour since the start of the operation, where rundowns were given, particularly for Lance and Keith so they had the foundation of the planet they were impersonating having come from. Though it had been much longer than that, Lance still felt a weird pressure on his hand, like it was remembering the weight of Keith’s, the feel of his gloves and pads of his fingertips.
Lance squashed the memory down and regrouped on how fine he looked.
“Yeah, well, Lance also flirts with anything shiny,” Hunk said. “No offense, man, but think you can keep it together for the sake of, you know...the universe?”
“Pfft. What? Whatever. I’m plenty focus,” Lance said, giving his backside a final look. The boots he had were really nice too, kind of fancy and longer than he preferred. They hit at his calf, but the comfort was reassuring. He could kick ass in it if he had to.
Hunk sighed and gestured as if Lance giving himself another once-over proved his point.
“What about you?” Lance asked, eyes on Hunk. “Mr. Back-Up. Sure you won’t fall asleep at your post or be busy writing cyber letters for Allura to send to your girlfriend?”
“She’s not my girlfriend. And I’ll have you know it takes a lot to record what we’ve been up to. We don’t exactly ever get a break.” Hunk beckoned Lance over as he spoke. “I think we should be more concerned they aren’t going to find you guys out."
Lance came by, letting Hunk fix whatever it was he thought needed fixing. “Chill, Hunk. Allura said it’s a bustling kind of place. New faces come in all the time.”
“Just not robotic lions,” Pidge said. “And new faces coming and going isn’t enough to get into areas only special guests can get to. Actually, given how many times Lance snuck out of Galaxy Garrison, he’s actually pretty suited for this kind of thing.”
“Thank you, Pidge.”
“It wasn’t a compliment.”
Lance pulled a face. Pidge ignored it and tested the feedback on the tiny device tucked into Lance’s ear. On a particularly loud test that had Lance clutching his ear, Pidge’s apology did not come out sounding sorry at all.
The argument about that would have to come later; Coran strode in just then, chest up, head high. Clearing his throat, he said, “Allow me to introduce one of my greatest works yet,” and he announced the name Lance was sure he was going to forget to pronounce.
Or he might have forgotten it the instant Keith debuted.
Nothing on Keith’s body was constructed with combat in mind. Starting from his feet, the dark slippers he wore made Lance think of a delicate ballerina in her ballets (and by the look on Keith’s face, he probably thought so too). The comfortable attire and bags at Keith’s hips were stripped, replaced by a swath of rich fabric red as his Lion, if somehow more vibrant. A pattern too intricate to really appreciate from afar arched the lines of his thigh, hip, and up to the high collar that accentuated a neck Lance did not remember being so...slendery and nice.
With the light glimmer Coran powdered into Keith’s skin, and despite not having the longer hair, Lance felt like he was looking at royalty.
He blinked, and realized he was really staring, like enough that he’d forgotten to breathe a second. Yikes.
“Wow.” Hunk approached, inspecting. Coran was practically all aglow at the attention his work was getting. “You made this, Coran? It looks great.”
“I am an Altean of many talents, yes,” Coran said with a stroke of his mustache.
“Impressive,” Pidge said, “this might actually work.” Keith crossed his arms, angling away when Hunk got too close. “Though you might want to work on your face, Keith.”
Keith frowned deeper. “What’s wrong with my face?”
“Besides everything?” Lance suggested.
Pidge ignored him. “You’re basically royalty from this humble little planet that’s seeking a potential ally in Laranta.”
“Be like a less, more effective version of Lance,” Hunk said, bypassing the ‘hey!’ that came from the Blue Paladin. “You know, give a little charm, but not too much, you’re not giving it away.”
“Giving what away?”
“Ignore that part,” Pidge said loudly, shooting Hunk a look that Keith didn’t get. “He means keep in mind what Allura and Coran have been prepping you on.”
“Not to fear, for I am a great teacher.” Coran hesitated, squinting his eyes at Keith carefully. “Though you’re not the best student.”
“He’s a dropout,” Lance said, definitely not looking at the stretch of clothed neck on Keith when the Red Paladin turned to look at Coran.
“Oh, well, that kind of explains that,” Coran said. “But,” he nodded at Keith with faith, “you are a Paladin now, and thus able to adapt.”
“More like we don’t have many options,” Pidge said. When they’d asked why Allura wasn’t doing this part, she’d made the valid point that she’d need the most ground covered and her shapeshifting would prove vital then.
Keith exhaled. “I’d feel better if I got to keep my bayard. Or at least my dagger.”
“Yes, that will go well with any pat-downs they might give. Improvise should things go bad,” Coran said.
“Guys, we’ll be fine,” Lance said, stepping closer finally. His legs had been rooted to the stop when Keith showed up. “I’ll be there too after all.”
They all looked at him as if that was part of their problem.
Luckily, it was at that time Shiro and Allura entered, dolled down in more common-folk attire. Allura had changed into clothing similar to Shiro, but had yet to shapeshift. Lance watched their reactions to his newfound look, brimming at the approval he got. They then surveyed Keith’s ensemble, and Lance found his own gaze straying back to the Red Paladin.
“Good work, Coran. And just in time. The ships are here,” Allura said. “Shiro and I will take the second one. Lance, Keith--”
“I know,” Keith said. “I just...gotta act like a prince. I got it.”
“No, not like a prince given what Coran said. More like a marquess, I think,” Hunk said.
Keith blinked. “What the heck is a marquess?”
“How do you know this, Hunk?” Lance asked, raising a brow.
Hunk gave him a sigh. “Come on, there was a whole lesson about the first generation warships in the making and depending on their stats they were given chivalric ranks where--”
Lance held a hand up quick to stop him. “Sorry I asked.”
“Paladins,” Allura reeled in their focus. “Coran, start moving the castle after Shiro and I take off, but stick to the plan that the least likely we’re seen, the better. Pidge will provide support from here and have access to the Lions should things go bad. Hunk--”
“Yup. Back up for Coran. I’m on it,” Hunk said. He looked to Lance. “Remember...um, you know. Safety first.”
Lance couldn’t help his small smile at that. He bumped Hunk’s arm and watched him hurry off to the corridor toward the Lions. “Well,” he looked at everyone else, “shall we get this mission started?”
A round of nodding, and everyone went their respective ways. Lance lingered slightly as Shiro came to Keith.
“You look ready,” Shiro said.
Lance couldn’t make out Keith’s expression. He’d turned around, revealing the way his attire hugged his back, tapered down to the slenderness of his waist. And smoothed over Keith’s backside. Was he really wearing tights under all that?
Nope. Lance jumped his eyes back up. He didn’t realize his fingers rubbed together.
He snapped to and caught up with Keith to board the first ship docking. Apparently the aforementioned liberated planet was more than eager to assist Voltron and sent actual transportation befitting of a high-status official. Equipped with fine seating and ample escape pods.
Lance took a breath to admire the ship. Sleek, beautiful, and not too big. He’d love to pilot it.
He was very aware of Keith again when they stood side by side to the mouth of the loading deck. The aliens, very much human-like in person, greeted them with gratitude and professionalism.
“The Princess has spoken with us already and we’re ready to depart,” an alien said to them. Lance detected an accident Allura had assured them they shouldn’t have to mimic.
Lance felt his stomach flip, and he blamed it on the pretty aliens and not because Keith’s arm brushed against his.
With a mental parting to their respective Lions they left behind, they began to board.
“No backing out now,” Lance said.
“I never do. You?”
“Please. You know I don’t.”
Inside, luxury awaited. Lance did not hesitate to bask in the attention he got once he was seated. He might have cast glances at Keith, who tried to wave off the attention as politely as he was recently taught to do.
As the ship began its course, they were left to themselves and pre-mission jitters. Even though they were all just a private call away thank to the devices hidden in their ears, Lance felt like this mission was unlike the others. His grandma always believed in bad omens, and she would say the feeling he had was part of it.
Lance let the jitters run its course instead as he sulked around the drink he’d been provided. No pretty alien nearby to chat up, just Keith, who was--well, he looked like he was sleeping.
“You can’t already be tired,” Lance said.
Keith’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’m not. I’m going over all the info Coran gave me.” He sighed as both eyes opened. “It’s a lot.”
“Not really,” Lance said, “we get a lot of wiggle room to improvise actually. We really got lucky.”
Keith narrowed an eye at him. “It’s a lot for me , then.”
Lance blinked at that, then looked at his drink, contemplating. Then, he got up and took the seat beside Keith’s. “Alright,” he said, “let’s do this.”
Keith stared at him. In the shade of the ship, the sparkle under his eyes was a little more prominent. Definitely looked like the hint of scales. Coran really nailed the details.
But Lance turned his face away to focus back on the issue. “We got time before we get there. I’m going to quiz you.”
“...What?”
“What do you mean what?”
Keith blinked twice, then looked forward. “Okay,” he said, and it’s not what Lance thought he would say at all. “Fine. It couldn’t hurt.”
Lance wasn’t sure what to do with the gratitude. So he chucked it aside and got down to work. And work it was. At first, he had the mind to shake Keith until his brain registered the information, but a little trial and error ended up sparing them both from choking the other from sheer frustration.
It made up for the bulk of the time. They ate through their study session after the aliens provided a meal, and reported in with the others at the agreed upon time intervals. Things were looking pretty damn good for this bold operation. Like it might go without a hitch after all.
“Stop that,” Lance said.
Keith chewed slowly. “Stop what?”
“You’re eating like you have no thought about what you’re eating. You gotta show a little more appreciation and, jeez, come on, sit up straighter. Did Coran teach you anything? There.”
Keith grunted, and glared a little, but did straighten. He stopped eating though, watching his food.
Lance, in turn, was watching his profile, legs propped up. “What?”
“We’re going in half-blind on a hunch.”
“Allura’s pretty sure it’s more than a hunch.”
Keith shook his head. “If there really is a powerful relic we can use…”
“It might be too good to be true?”
Keith glanced at him. “Something like that.”
Lance felt his breath come a little more shallow. It must have been the ship’s interior that darkened Keith’s eyes. A deep, dark purple that contrasted the fairness of his skin. And then he was kind of smiling, half-way like. Lance’s stomach felt funny all over again. His gaze dropped to Keith’s bare hands, and it was only now Lance realized he rarely saw them exposed.
“Thanks,” Keith said, which was one time too many already. “You’re not as terrible a tutor as I thought you’d be.”
“Oh...uh, it was nothing. I can’t have you screw us up just because you forgot one little thing.” Actually, what Lance had meant to say was he wasn’t the one who had dropped out, but the insult hadn’t come out as quickly as expected.
Keith looked at him. “Still--”
A blast against the ship rocked them out of their seats.
There was a heartbeat of utter silence in Lance’s head, and then the rush of adrenaline. Stunned, Keith recovered first, leaping to his feet with eyes darting around. Lance was up another heartbeat after, eyes wide.
“Was that a…?”
They both bolted forward, staggering as something hit the ship again. An alarm system blared, and they could hear the feeble cries of the aliens on board, terrified. Keith shot out to the front, locating the cockpit.
Lance couldn’t make out where they were at. Lights from blasters blinded their route.
“What’s shooting at us?!”
Another shot that had the ship pivot to one side entirely. Lance knew it before it happened that he crashed into Keith, and it was really the most inappropriate time to notice the delicate scent clinging to Keith’s robes.
“We won’t last,” Keith was saying, bracing against Lance and pushing to the pilot. “Let me.”
He gripped the controls and barely gave a warning before he spiraled them out of the way from another shot. Lance held onto the original pilot, feeling everything in him churning as they smoothed out.
Not for long, because Keith dived down. Lance peeked at the readings, the panels. They were at the edge of the galaxy now. How far back were the others?
“Pidge? Pidge, can you hear me? Shiro? Allura? Hunk!” Lance cursed. “Nothing. Is something jamming the connection--Whoa! Careful, Keith! There are others in the ship too!”
“Better a few bumps than be shot dead,” Keith said, and yanked the controls to have them arc over an incoming blow. It felt like hours, though it had only been seconds.
Lance was breathing hard, but not as hard as the poor alien clinging to him.
“Galra?” he asked.
Keith brought up a view with a few buttons pressed experimentally. “No...it looks like someone took them out back there but, ack, come on,” he tapped the buttons again but the image was fizzing out. The ship sputtered, the alarm still screaming its warning. “Great.”
“Wait, that’s it.” Keith nodded toward a planet. “Lance, escape pods. They’ll have enough cloaking to get out of the galaxy. Hopefully. Maybe they’ll reach the others.”
“Wait, you--”
“Lance!”
Lance grit his teeth. Keith was navigating the damaged hunk of luxury that wasn’t meant for surviving battle. Questions mounting, Lance tore away from the cockpit and went about gathering the members on the ship. He knew the damage a bad landing could do. It wasn’t like a simulator. He felt his heart beating hard.
Despite the protests of the alien, Lance got them out. There was still one pod left, but…
He hurried back with only a few new bruises along the way.
“This ship’s falling apart,” Lance said.
“We’re in bad shape. We’re coming for a bad landing.”
“Wait, you’re not actually going to try and reach the planet? The ship won’t make it! We have to get to the pod or-”
“Strap in or get flung around!”
Lance did, but not happily. “If you kill us, I’m going to haunt your ghost.” The co-pilot’s seat hadn’t been utilized on the flight here, but he could figure out enough of the mechanics to help where he could.
Keith caught his eye, but they didn’t say anything. The ship careened and trembled, vibrating by the time they somehow managed to enter the planet’s atmosphere. Lance held on tight, the cracks on the windows splintering wider as the pressure and speed took its toll.
And it was all in Keith’s hands.
The crash knocked all the breath and wit out of Lance.
He remembered seeing glimpses of the vibrant ground through the wreck of the window, thought he heard Keith shouting at him not to tense up for the landing. Next thing, Lance was blinking back to the reality that they had landed.
Crashed, but not dead.
“Ow…” Lance craned his neck. The alarms weren’t going off anymore. The eerie silence around him was only overcome by the roar of his blood as the adrenaline held high. He straightened slowly, looking to his left.
Keith was breathing hard, but just as alive. He was already unstrapping and pushing himself up. By the wince, he’d gotten his fair share of bruising. At least no head injuries.
“Are you hurt?” Keith asked him.
Lance groaned as he stood up, lighting patting himself. “I think the goods are okay. I’m not crooked anywhere or anything?”
Keith let out a shaky breath. “You’re good,” he said, and already hurried out. Lance didn’t know how he was able to keep moving, but he trailed behind, mindful of his tenderness. His head was beginning to throb.
He touched his head. “Hey, you’re bleeding.”
Keith paused as if to register his injuries. His hand came up and touched one side of his head. “Just a head wound. It’s not serious.”
“The hell you mean it’s not-- Keith! ”
Keith had jogged to the hatch and started opening it like it was totally safe to do. Lance caught up in time to grab his wrist, hard. Even in their current state, Lance could feel the skin was softer than he’d imagined.
“Are you crazy?” Lance asked.
Keith held his gaze. “We have to find out where we are. All the ship’s signals and diagnostics are shot. Staying in here won’t help.”
“We don’t even know where we are, and you might have a concussion.”
“We’re on the planet we need to be. That’s enough,” Keith said. “Or are you scared now that you don’t have your Lion or weapon?”
Lance bristled. He pressed his lips tightly together, and helped Keith open the hatch, bracing himself. But no elusively hidden Galra ambushed them. Rather, a fresh rush of air swept over them, light filling in the darkness of the broken ship.
Keith made to step out first, but Lance got the better of him. “You’re not supposed to be going off on your own first, right?” It was the best excuse he could give. He didn’t wait for a response, keeping in a moan as he climbed out and shielded his eyes against the brightness.
Lush tropics hugged one side of them, and critters chirped and purred in the distance. The ground was lush and soft even under Lance’s boots. None of this looked like the squares of the center of commerce and politics. In fact, Lance couldn’t see anything like that at all around them. But it was beautiful.
And not where they were supposed to land in the slightest.
Keith came up beside him. It was only now that Lance realized Shiro must have been pairing them together as a build up to this mission.
And look where it got them. Of all places to crash in a world of commerce, it had to be in a patch of wilderness.
“Keith?”
“Yeah?”
"This is definitely all your fault.”
-X-