17

                                    

                                          
Lance's ears were ringing when he woke up. He shook his head and sat up, trying to remember what had happened. They'd been on a mission, checking out what looked to be an abandoned outpost, when there had been a sudden explosion. That's the last thing he remembered. Looking around revealed the rubble of the wall opposite him and a hint of green, Pidge.
                          
"H--Hey, guys? Is everyone alright?" He croaked sighing when he saw the green helmet move, Pidge lifting her head and looking at him as she confirmed that she was alright. He crawled towards her, sighing again as Hunk reported in, but growing worried when neither Shiro or Keith reported in.
                          
"Shiro..? Keith..?" He asked after a minute. 
                          
"I'm fine, but Keith needs medical attention immediately." Shiro reported and Lance shared a worried look with Pidge.  
                          
"What happened? Where are you two?" He asked, nodding at Pidge and silently telling her to find Hunk. He got a nod in reply from Pidge and watched as she scrambled out the room.
                          
"It isn't good. I was dazed from the blast, but Keith managed to shake it off. He fought off a Galra  commander but this commander was... different? He beat Keith easily, and drove his point across by... well... it'd be better if you saw for yourself, I need to try to keep him still." Shiro said, sounding distracted. Lance tried to ignore the quiet cry from Keith halfway though the sentence.
                          
"I'm on my way." He said worriedly, shakily standing up. It took him a few minutes to find them. When he did he gagged. 
                          
It wasn't clear as to what had happened at first. All he saw was Keith with his chest armour off and his bayard stabbed into the ground next to him. The raven haired boy had his head on Shiro's lap, and, to Lance's utter surprise, had tear marks on his cheeks. Then he saw the blood and registered that Keith's bayard wasn't just next to him, it had impaled him.
"Shit." He whispered harshly, running over and falling too his knees beside Keith's head. He normally bright indigo eyes had dulled to a eerie grey, and he seemed to have trouble taking a deep breath. Keith was trembling, blood dripping down his jaw as he whimpered.
                          
"Lance. I need you to take my place while I see how bad the damage actually is." Shiro said, jerking his attention back to the oldest paladin. He then nodded, and scooted his legs under the injured boy's head. Keith coughed weakly, and screwed his eyes shut in pain. Lance gently moved his hair out off his eyes, before watching as Shiro poked around the jagged wound, making the boy flinch and whine. 
                          
"Shit." Shiro muttered after a minute, gaining Lance's attention from where he had been trying to get Keith to open his eyes, to say something.
                          
"What?" He asked worriedly, face pale in the low lighting.
                          
"From what I can tell, his bayard's gone through his stomach, if we take it out, he'll bleed out before he get him to the lions." He muttered.
                          
"So either we sit here and wait for him to die, or we take it out and watch him die faster." Lance frowned, not liking either option. He was about to ask Shiro what to do when Pidge and Hunk ran in, both skidding to a stop at the bloodied boy. Hunk abruptly threw up, the weak stomached male unable to handle the blood while Katie blanched at the sight.
                          
"What happened?!" The youngest paladin asked in a panicked tone, hurrying over too the others. Lance shut his eyes as Shiro explained, instead trying to think of how to get Keith out alive. The idea hit him out of no where and made him smile grimly.
                          
"Shiro, what if you cauterised the wound?"
He asked softly, not looking up from where Keith was whining quietly, his head now buried in Lance's abdomen.
                          
"That... could work. It'd stop the bleeding and allow us too move him." Shiro agreed, and Pidge nodded. "Right, Lance, You'll need to hold his shoulders down.  Hunk keep his legs still. Pidge, you'll need to monitor his vitals." Shiro instructed. All three nodded, so Shiro closed his eyes and powered his galran hand up. Then with an apology on his lips, he got to work.
                          
The halls echoed with Keith's screaming.
                          
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After, when the bloody bayard was laying too the side and the smell of burning flesh had them all gagging did Shiro heave a sigh of relief. He watched as Lance quietly moved Keith, shifting him into a easier position so he could pick the unconscious boy up. 
                          
"We need to get back to the lions now." He ordered, and they all stood up stiffly. They all moved as one, the three of them forming a protective triangle around Lance, who carried Keith easily. They reached the lions without anymore issues, and they all quickly got into the cockpits, with Lance gently setting Keith down on the floor of Blue while Black carried Red's limp body. The sentient lion hadn't responded when the others had ran past him. All the lions took off as one,  quickly flying back to the castle where Allura and Coran were waiting.
                          
_________________
                          
He remembered the blast. 
He remembered the commander. 
He remembered being disarmed. 
He remembered his own blade cutting through the soft skin of his belly. 
He remembered the horrible burning sensation. 
He remembered the soft voice telling him he'd be ok.
Then there was nothing.
                          
_______________
                          
Keith fell out the pod. There was no drop to his feet, just falling forward. Luckily a solid chest and a lean pair of arms caught him, helping him stay upright as he caught his bearings. He blearily opened his eyes and smiled when they locked with Lance's.
                          
"Hey." He mumbled quietly, and he couldn't keep the smile off his face when Lance greeted him in kind, and helped him too his feet.
                          
"How you feeling?" Lance asked.
                          
"Better." He quietly replied, still holding onto Lance's shoulders loosely. Keith was physically unable to keep the smirk off his face when Lance pulled him into a tight hug.
                          
"Don't you ever scare me like that again." He muttered into the shorter boy's hair.
                          
"I'm not planning on it, love."