Chapter Text
This is such a bad idea.
You are going to die before you find them.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Hunk repeated that to himself, hands gripping the handles so tightly his knuckles were going white. He looked out of Yellow’s windows to try to spot something, anything other than stars and darkness.
How could he be so reckless? He had no idea where the Galran’s ship went. He was never going to find Lance.
But still, he wasn’t about to give up yet.
He was lucky Yellow hadn’t been to badly ripped up in their last battle. Her dashboard was still a little busted, but he had repaired the rest quickly when he had decided to leave to find Keith and Lance.
And he wasn’t going to go back to the castle, just to sit there uselessly while his best friend was captured, tortured, and who knows what else.
Maybe even dead.
A few hours ago that thought would have sent him into a panicked cry, but now it just fueled him with a steely determination.
He was not returning to the castle without his friends, no matter what.
Even if they were already dead.
It would be inhuman to leave the corpses of his friends, and his family, on an enemy ship.
If, when, he found them, he would bring them back.
Hopefully alive, if not…
Well, at least they could have a proper funeral.
“Hunk!” Pidge’s voice yelled through his helmet. The yellow paladin yelped, startled to hear another voice other than his own.
“Hunk what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Pidge asked angrily, her voice crackling over the speaker.
“Pidge! You’re awake!” he exclaimed, a weight falling off his shoulders.
“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock,” she replied. Hunk recoiled at her sharp tone. “Now answer my question. What do you think you are doing?”
“Saving them,” Hunk answered simply. Pidge faked a laugh.
“Haha, right. I know that you are not that dumb to go to a Galra cruiser alone with no backup that's god knows where!”
“I’m not leaving them to die.”
“Yeah, neither am I!” Pidge shouted. “But at least I have a brain to stay with Allura and Coran to come up with a half-decent plan first!”
Hunk winced, knowing logically that she was right.
But, in his heart, however, he knew what had to be done.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice steady despite the punk crawling up his throat. “But I’m not going back.
“Hunk… please,” Pidge pleaded, her voice softening. “I can’t lose you too.”
Lose you too. Hunk replayed her words.
Lance and Keith were already lost to her.
She didn’t think they were coming back home.
“I have to, Katie,” Hunk whispered. He heard Pidge inhale sharply at her first name.
A moment of silence passed.
“Please,” she begged.
He ended the transmission, cutting himself off from the castle.
Sure, she or Allura could grab their helmets and continue the conversation. He didn’t block himself off from the other paladins. But he thought he made it clear he wasn’t returning alone.
He sighed, swallowed the puke, and shifted his potion in his chair. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself.
“You’re an idiot,” he could picture Lance saying. “But you’re a good friend.”
“I’m coming for you, buddy,” Hunk said aloud, eyes still closed. “I will find you-”
Hunk went flying forward in his seat as something exploded from behind Yellow, shoving them forcefully forward.
Hunk’s head throbbed and his heart thumped painfully fast in his chest.
“What the heck?” he cried, sitting up. Yellow roared in his mind, obviously knowing something was wrong.
Hunk looked around rapidly outside, searching for the source of the explosion-
He froze as he saw a rock float around next to Yellow, and then another and another. Soon he was surrounded by giant floating rocks.
It wasn’t an explosion.
He was caught in an asteroid field.
“For crying out loud!” Hunk cried as he quickly turned Yellow to the left to avoid getting hit by another asteroid.
Of course, this happened today, of all days.
This was quite possibly the worst day in Hunk’s life, past and future.
If there was a future.
He severed right and then down, barely missing two more rocks. A third one crashed into the side of the lion, throwing Hunk sideways.
He managed to stay in the pilot's chair, silently cursing Coran for not letting them put in seatbelts.
“Damnit!” he yelled as another one slammed into the top of Yellow’s head. His lion whined in his mind. Clearly that one had hurt.
Hunk began to panic as more asteroids closed it. There had to be hundreds now, if not more. He tried to swerve past them, but they just kept coming until he could barely move Yellow without hitting one.
“I’m so sorry girl,” Hunk said as Yellow took another hit, this time to the stomach. She groaned in his mind.
Her lights flickered as she took another hit, this one so big Hunk was tossed out of his chair. He landed in a heap on the ground, tears brimming his eyes.
“I’m so sorry Keith,” he said as another hit came. Yellow cried out.
“Oh god, Lance I am so sorry,”
Hunk looked up to see a rock the size of a moon approaching them.
There was no way around it.
He and Yellow were about to be crushed.
He slid up against the wall, ignoring the small bumps as asteroids banged into them. He tucked his knees to his chest and prepared for the hit.
Hopefully I will still see you again, Lance. Even if it wasn’t the way I planned.
The space rock came closer and closer until Hunk knew he only had seconds left. He squeezed his eyes shut and accepted his fate.
….
“Hello?”
Hunk opened his eyes.
He knew that voice.
“Keith?” he breathed, hoping to hear his voice again. The asteroid was almost upon him, so maybe it could have just been the fear getting to him-
“Hello, is anyone there?” Keith asked again, his voice filtering through Hunk’s helmet and he let out a sob.
“Keith! Keith, are you okay? Can you hear me?” Hunk cried out untangling himself from the floor. The asteroid was nearly there, but Keith was talking to him.
Keith was okay.
“Keith?” Hunk asked again, begging for a reply.
“Can anyone hear me?” The black paladin called out again. Hunk thought he could hear gunshots in the background.
Oh no.
“Keith! Keith, buddy, just hang on.” Hunk didn’t know why he was talking, his friend obviously couldn’t hear him.
But… Keith was alive, meaning there was a chance Lance was alive.
Hunk couldn’t just sit here and die when he knew they were waiting for a rescue.
The yellow paladin walked back over to his chair and sat down, gulping at the rock about to hit him.
He had ten seconds tops, to think of a way out of this.
Oh god.
He had no idea what to do.
It was too big to try and go around, to try and fly over.
His only shot was to go through.
How the heck was he supposed to do that?!
And then he felt his bayard.
Oh.
Oh.
His only shot…
He didn’t quite know what he was doing, but he grabbed his bayard and felt a wave of power wash over him.
He knew what to do.
Suddenly, a little compartment opened up next to him. Without thinking, he shoved the bayard into the compartment and his world went white.
When the brightness faded, he felt ready.
The rock was right there, he had two seconds before he would be squashed…
And he fired.
The gunshot that came out of Yellow’s mouth was enough to knock them both back, but Hunk kept firing.
A wave of heat rushed over him as the asteroid exploded.
He turned Yellow in a circle, still shooting. He screamed, letting out all his fear and anger as rock after rock exploded.
When he stopped, they were all obliterated into dust.
Hunk sat there, breathing rapidly as he surveyed what he just did.
What did he just do?
He wasn’t sure.
But it was pretty cool, that much he was sure of.
“Hello? Pidge, Allura, Hunk, Coran? Anyone?’ Keith asked again.
“I’m here!” Hunk cried, making sure his helmet was working.
“Hello? Please! Someone!” another gunshot. Hunk’s stomach sank.
“If anyone can hear me, please send help! I do not know the exact coordinates, but-” he was cut off by an explosion. “-but I know we are near the planet Salfia! Please get here soon. Lance… he…” Keith trailed off and Hunk pressed a hand to his mouth.
“Just get here! All of you. There are a lot of them, I don’t know how much longer-”
And then a deafening gunshot let out, followed by an even louder scream.