The bridge of the castle was filled with people, far too many for Keith’s preference. But it didn’t seem to matter, as Kolivan insisted he make an appearance. Apparently the Blades of Malmora weren’t taking this whole “secret society” thing as seriously anymore. His plans for a quick appearance are immediately dashed as Matt Holt rushes in.
“Pidge? Pidge? Where is- oh thank God. You’re okay.” You had to smile at the Holt siblings unconditional love for each other. The smile on Keith’s face quickly turned to puzzlement, and then alarm as Matt turned on his heel and started marching straight toward him with am expression of murder. Keith was already starting to backpedal but Matt was suprisingly quick and grabbed the front of his uniform.
“What were you doing?” Matt’s tone was low, but the menace radiating from his voice was enough to have most conversations around them going silent.
“What? What do you mean? I’m just standing here. I didn’t do anything I swear.”
“I saw you. I saw you Keith!” Matt’s voice is rising and Shiro and Lance both are moving through the crowd, wearing matching expressions of concern on their faces. “You were about to ram your ship into the shield to destroy it. You were about to sacrifice yourself. I SAW YOU.”
“You… you did what?” Shiro was staring at him, an expression of disbelief on his face. Keith didn’t even notice as well wishers and combatants alike started exiting the castle in droves. All he could focus on was the way Shiro was holding himself, as if one hard shove would shatter him. His gaze switched to Allura, standing to the left in dirt streaked pink armor, visibly shaking. “Why?” Shiro clenches his teeth as he bites of the question. “Why would you do that? Why would you risk that?”
“They..they were going to die. If-if I didn’t, I mean if the shield didn’t come down they were going to die. And then you were going to die. And I-I couldn’t let you die.”
“But you dying is okay? Is that what you’re trying to say Keith?” Now Hunk was yelling at him, and Hunk never yelled. Not at anyone. Hunk was the most even tempered, stable member of the group. But here he was, standing in front of Keith with clenched fists and red creeping over his ears and Keith realized that Hunk was furious. With HIM.
“What was I supposed to do? There was no time! We had no choice.” All of the other paladins were boxing him in now. “And better,” Keith had to swallow, had to force the words from his throat. “Better me than any of you.”
“Why would you think that?” Pidge’s hand shakes as she wipes away tears. Great, now he made Pidge cry. He was a monster. “HOW could you think that? How could you think that any of us would be okay if you were gone?”
“Tell me Keith,” the words were quiet, menacing, and in a tone of voice Keith had never once heard from Lance that he was finally forced to meet his eyes. Keith’s own eyes widened in shock at the abject misery he saw in Lance’s gaze. “Have you lost your goddamned mind?” Lance hands came up and rested on Keith’s shoulders, digging in and starting to shake him as he continued. “What was your plan? To go out in a blaze of glory in some misguided penance because of your heritage? To be hailed as a hero and remembered for days to come? Or do you idolize Shiro so much that falling on the sword seemed like the best way to honor him? What was your goal?”
“TO SAVE YOU! TO SAVE ALL OF YOU! WHAT CHOICE DID I HAVE. You were going to die Lance. All of you were going to die. You’re my family and I couldn’t let that happen.”
“You’re my family too!” Hunk’s muscles had eased during Lance’s barrage, and now he was staring at Keith, eyes no longer angry, just resigned. “We’ve become closer than friends through all of this. And when we get back to earth all of you are coming over for dinner. But this is not a replacement family. This IS my family. It’s just my second family.”
“Yeah! Matt may be my blood related brother, but you, all of you, are just like brothers to me. There is no distinction, if you were taken I wouls go to the ends of the universe to find you.”
“I guess what the team is trying to say Keith, is that we need you. I have always loved you like my brother, and that wont change. So don’t think that you’re death won’t cripple us.”
Allura’s voice is shaking when she asks,“You’ll come back right Keith? You’ll come home?”
Startled laughter from Keith, the idea of home and family foreign to him. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll come home.”
“I’m glad the team is all back together again but what are we going to do about the lions,” Hunk asked, and instanstly the mood crashed.
“It’s simple, Shiro pilots Black, Keith takes Red, Allura takes Blue, and I’ll hang out, until you guys can drop me off somewhere.” Keith could feel Lance’s hands shake as they tightened involuntarily on his shoulders, though the words he spoke were light, almost flippant.
The silence this time is different. Not shocked, resigned.
“No.” A single word, said with finality, Shiro shaking his head in exasperation. “What is it with you two, so ready to sacrifice yourselves for thhe greater good?”
Both Matt and Pidge turned to stare at Shiro and both said, at exactly the same time, “Careful who you are calling black, pot.”
Shiro ignored them. “You got us out of there Lance. I didn’t know what to say to Allura other then ‘keep trying’ but you, you knew what to say. We wouldn’t have made it without you. And I’m sorry that I dismiss you so often.”
“Shiro, it’s-it’s okay. I know I-I’m a goofball. I just want everyone to be okay. And I think that you’ll be okay even if I’m not here.”
“But we won’t be Lance,” Allura’s hand on his cheek. “I wouldn’t be. I may not always appreciate your flirting, but I would have drowned in despair without you and Hunk lightening the mood. I lost my home, my family, and my people all in an instant, but all of you gave me a littlw piece of that back, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
“Lance, buddy, you are my best friend, my numero uno, except for Shay of course. I need you here. We all need you here. You can’t leave.”
Lance still looks like he is going to protest, to deny his importance to the team, and Keith is forced to wonder bow much damage they’ve been doing to one another. Keith puts his own hands on Lance’s shoulder, mimicking his pose. “You keep me sane,” softly spoken, the words drift on the air like feathers, and those blue eyes that minutes ago were glaring at Keith are huge with shock. “You pull me back when I go to far and you are so important to this team and I don’t understand why you don’t understand because it’s not like you’re stupid so why do you keep doing this. You won’t let me leave and I won’t let you leave and that’s the end of it. You are stuck with me forever okay? Okay.”
Lance blinks, not certain exactly what just happened but his hands are still on Keith’s shoulders and Keith’s are still on his. He slowly starts to slide them off as Pidge and Shiro start discussing possible solutions. Keith’s hands slide off too, slipping to Lance’s arm before resting at his wrist.
“I mean it Lance, I’m not letting go.”
Lance smiles, squeezing the hand entangled with his slightly.
ellievsbear
discoholicmusic
jbbartram-illu
dailybridgerton
tangentwithtanner
titsay
dededos
romaincrisis
