Stranded

Shiro could feel the others watching him, their eyes wide and scared as they waited for him to tell them that everything was going to be okay, that Allura and Coran were on their way, but Shiro couldn't lie about this, not to them. Instead, he bit his lip and focused back on the gaping wound in Keith's side, ignoring the way his heart clenched as a small, pained cry escaped the red paladin's mouth.

Shiro would never admit it, but deep down he was panicking. (Gen fic) (Broganes)

Sorry about the wait, guys, I was just really busy with college and work and simply didn't have a lot of free time to write. But the semester's almost over, so hopefully the third chapter won't take as long lol.

And thank for all the reviews! Your kind words are so precious to me! :)

Also! If you like, you can now follow me as isceawritings on tumblr!

/

Chapter 2 – Worry

"They should've checked in by now."

Coran paused, hands hovering over the control panel as he turned to glance at Allura. The young princess was frowning, which was never a good sign in Coran's humble opinion—he could still remember how that same frown, and the tantrum that followed it, often sent Alfor ducking for cover when Allura was a little girl. But that was years ago. Allura was no longer that little girl, and now that she had matured, that same frown could mean a vast amount of things. But judging from the the slight wrinkle in her brow, Coran could only assume that she was worried.

Well, that just wouldn't do.

"I'm sure they're fine, princess." Coran reassured her, smiling brightly. "They're probably chatting it up with the locals right now."

Well, Lance probably was, anyway. A social butterfly, that one. Keith he wasn't so sure about, and Pidge and Hunk would probably be more interested in the Agharians' technology than going over mundane politics. Shiro, the poor lad, was probably struggling to keep them all from wandering off.

Allura's frown deepened, and she turned her gaze away from the window, where Agharia could be seen in the nearby distance.

"It's been almost a whole varga, Coran." Allura stated softly, and nervously bit her lip. "I don't like this. Something feels wrong."

"If they were in trouble, I'm sure they would've called us by now, princess." Coran pointed out gently before turning back towards the control panel, checking up on some of the castle's updates. "Don't worry. Have some faith in your paladins."

Allura sighed.

"I suppose you right. I'm probably just being paranoid. All this fighting has made me rather suspicious."

At this, Coran felt his heart sink, and not for the first time he wondered if he had failed Alfor when he promised to keep his daughter safe. A young girl like Allura shouldn't have to worry about fighting and war, shouldn't have to be so suspicious of the world.

Coran was brought out of his musings when his monitor suddenly began to beep. Tilting his head, he swiped his hand across then panel, searching for the source of the sudden beeping, and his brows furrowed in confusion when he realized where it was coming from.

"Odd." He muttered, absentmindedly rubbing his mustache.

"What is it?" Allura asked, her boots clapping against the floor as she moved to stand beside him.

"The Red Lion's moving." Coran informed her as he brought up the video feed from the lion's hangar. The Red Lion was indeed up on all fours, and was restlessly moving from one side of the hangar to other, his tail flickering slowly behind him.

Allura's blue eyes narrowed as she watched the footage. "He seems agitated."

"Yes, but why?" Coran inquired, a puzzled frown forming on his lips.

Silently, the two of them shared a long look. It was no secret that Red Lion shared a strong bond with Keith, and was very protective of his paladin. Whatever had happened to human teen, it was strong enough to wake Red Lion, and judging by his body language, it couldn't be anything good.

Allura's eyes hardened, and she gave Coran a sharp look.

"Call Shiro." She said firmly, voice stern and sounding every bit the leader her father used to be.

"Yes, princess." Coran replied, and inwardly tried to ignore the barest hint of unease curling in his chest.

Raising his hand, Coran reached for the comms, but before he could even touch the screen the castle suddenly shuddered, and the next thing he knew he was being thrown across the room with a loud bang.

/

It was steadily becoming harder and harder to stay focused.

Blinking sluggishly, Keith struggled to keep his eyes open. He was beginning to feel lightheaded—probably not a good sign in his current state—and if it wasn't for Hunks's steadying hands on his shoulders, he probably would've face-planted into the floor by now.

"—pod's radio . . . busted . . . can't—!"

"—try contacting . . . with the comms on your helmet—"

"—already tried, Shiro! Nothing's working!"

Shiro. Pidge. They were talking—rather loudly in fact—but due to the dull roaring in his ears, actually following the conversation was proving rather difficult. They were just talking way too fast—his muddled brain couldn't keep up.

Hissing through his teeth, Keith's eyes squeezed shut as another wave of pain erupted from his side, sharp and stabbing, and he grimaced, ducking his head as his body trembled. His breathing stuttered, and his right hand clenched into a tight fist while his left desperately clutched at his abdomen, causing blood to smear across his hands and across his armor. He could feel the cold, stinging sharpness of the glass shard biting into his skin, draining him of his energy, and his fingers shook. Honestly, Shiro's words from earlier was the only thing keeping him from ripping out the shard and flinging it across the room with a loud snarl.

God, his side ached.

Hunk's grip on his shoulders tightened as another tremor shook his battered frame, and Keith had to bite down hard on his bottom lip to keep himself from gasping.

"Keith, you okay?" The yellow paladin inquired softly, and Keith blinked his eyes open, glancing up to see Hunk regarding him with furrowed brows and worried, brown eyes.

Keith quickly turned his head away, and instantly regretted it when the world began to tilt ever so slightly.

"M'fine." Keith grunted shortly, and he inwardly winced at the strained rawness of his voice.

Hunk hummed lowly in the back of his throat, looking unconvinced, which frankly didn't come as a surprise. Anyone with eyes could see that he wasn't in fact fine, but the yellow paladin didn't call him out on his obvious lie. Instead, Hunk merely dropped a large hand to hover over his injured side for a moment before gently placing his hand over Keith's own, helping him stem the blood flow as the yellow paladin gently pressed their hands down, careful not to touch the glass shard. Keith hissed at the contact, suddenly feeling as if he had been pricked by thousands of needles, and Hunk frowned, his eyes nervously flickering between Keith's face and the blood staining his armor, but otherwise remained silent.

That was the good thing about Hunk, Keith mused. Unlike Lance, the yellow paladin knew when to keep his thoughts to himself.

Keith closed his eyes as his side gave another painful throb, and let out a shaky breath, his chest hitching. He wished Red was here, not caring how childish it might've sounded. Red was now a very intricate part of his very being, his very soul, and he missed his lion's warm, soothing presence. At the moment, their connection was barely more than a trickle, fleeting and hazy—possibly a side effect from the blood loss, but it left Keith feeling cold and inexplicably empty. He wanted nothing more than for Red to just scoop him up into his massive jaws and fly them far away from this wretched planet, as fast as Red could go until they were safe—from this planet, from Zarkon, from everything.

But Red wasn't here—Red, who fiercely fought side by side with him against Zarkon, and who always came for him whenever he was in danger—and Keith couldn't help but feel troubled, worry and fear beginning to churn in his gut along with the sharp coldness of the glass shard. But whether it was for himself, Red, or his friends, he wasn't sure.

. . . Where are you? He asked, wordlessly calling out to the eerie quietness inside his mind.

Silence was his answer.

/

Shiro was seriously beginning to believe that the universe conspired to make his life a living hell.

Head pounding, Shiro placed his helmet on the floor and ran an aggravated hand through his short hair, struggling to keep his cool and collected countenance—his game face, as the other paladins had jokingly called it—and desperately tried to keep his own worry at bay. The fact that the comms were down shouldn't have surprised him—the universe loved to thrust him into the most unfortunate of circumstances after all—but it did little to ease the cold, helpless feeling wringing inside his chest as he dug through the med-kit's contents.

They needed to reach Allura and Coran. With their only means of transportation now completely busted, they had no safe way of getting off this planet, and with their meager medical supplies and mediocre medical training from the Garrison, there was only so much they could do for Keith.

Grimacing, Shiro's eyes drifted back towards the red paladin, and his heart sank. Keith's pale face was pinched with pain, and his breathing had gotten rougher over the past couple of minutes, becoming more shallow and fast, and if it wasn't for Hunk holding him upright, Keith probably would've fallen out of his chair by now, judging from the dazed look in his violet-gray eyes.

Shiro's hands clenched, fingers digging into the med-kit as he mentally cursed his own inadequateness.

He needed a doctor, or preferably a cryo-pod. If the circumstances had been different, Shiro would've scooped him up and marched him right over to their meeting place with the Agharians, but they weren't. They had been shot down. Someone had tried to take them out and were still out there, somewhere, and now Shiro didn't know who he could trust on this planet. For all he knew, the Agharians could be behind this, and Shiro had sworn that he wouldn't let anything happen to any of the younger paladins. If he took them there, Shiro could very well end up leading them to their deaths.

He couldn't loose any of them. Not here, when they were millions of light years away from Earth. Otherwise he'd never be able to forgive himself—never be able to look their families in the eye ever again.

Pidge started pacing, her boots clapping loudly against the metal floor, and Shiro focused his gaze back on her. The green paladin was mumbling lowly to herself, her hair frazzled from both the crash and where she had run her fingers through the short strands. Every now and then her eyes would flicker from the broken control panel to Keith, and Shiro could see the slight, frustrated tears pricking at the corner of her eyes whenever she happened to glance down at the red paladin's wounded side.

It wasn't Pidge's fault that the comms were completely busted, but as their designated tech expert, she probably felt like she was failing them now that it was abundantly clear that they were on their own—that she couldn't get Keith the help he needed.

The big brother in him made Shiro want to console her, but before he could open his mouth he was suddenly interrupted by Hunk.

"Shiro, I really think we should do something about the bleeding." The yellow paladin said nervously. "It's not stopping."

A quick glance at the shard imbedded in Keith's flank confirmed Hunk's words. Underneath the red and yellow paladins' hands, blood still steadily oozed from the wound, and with a start Shiro realized that the red liquid was beginning to drop onto the floor, forming a small puddle by Hunk's feet.

Heart pounding, Shiro quickly grabbed the box of gauze pads from the med-kit, but paused when he caught the look on Pidge's face out of the corner of her eye.

She looked stricken, her brown eyes wide behind her glasses as she stared at the blood on the floor with something akin to fear and horror.

Something in Shiro's chest wrenched, hard. She was only fourteen. She didn't need to see this.

"Pidge, go help Lance outside." He told her as he ripped the box open.

The girl frowned. "But, Shiro—the comms—"

"—Can wait." He insisted firmly. "Now go help Lance."

Pidge bit her lip, looking undecided and torn as she glanced over at the broken control panel, then back at Keith. Her brows furrowed, her eyes narrowing stubbornly with determination, but before she could protest, Shiro cut her off.

"Please." He said softly.

Pidge swallowed and closed her eyes, and for a moment Shiro thought she was about to argue, but after a few tense seconds she nodded.

"Fine." She muttered. With one last worried look in Keith's direction, she jerkily spun on her heel and marched her way out of the pod.

With Pidge gone and his conscience now cleared—Samuel would kill him if he had let his daughter stay—Shiro focused on Keith, ignoring the trepidation of what he was about to do, and wondered how they should go about this.

"We should lay him down," Shiro told Hunk, recalling his Garrison training as he momentarily placed the box of gauze on the floor, "it'll make things a lot easier on him and on us."

Hunk nodded, though his eyes were anxious. "Right, okay, um—how do you want to—?"

"Grab his shoulders, I'll grab his legs." Shiro said curtly, but not unkindly. He could understand the yellow paladin's wariness. He was scared, too.

Taking a deep breath, Shiro steadied his nerves, and cleared his head. Gently, he reached out tapped the red paladin's cheek, inwardly grimacing as he listen to Keith's uneven breathing.

"Keith? You still with me, kiddo?" He asked softly.

"Y-yeah," Keith rasped, chest hitching and eyes blinking slowly. Shiro frowned.

"We're going to move you." He said gently, moving his hand down to grip the red paladin's arm. "I know it'll hurt, but try to stay as still as possible, okay?"

It took a moment longer for Keith to respond than he should have, and Shiro's frown deepened.

"M'kay," Keith breathed, nodding jerkily as his shoulders trembled. Whether it was from pain, or fear of what was about to come, Shiro couldn't tell.

Glancing upwards, Shiro's gaze met Hunk's.

"Ready?" Shiro asked as he grabbed Keith's calves.

"Not really," Hunk replied honestly, but despite his words he gripped Keith's shoulders firmly, maneuvering his hands underneath the red paladin's arms, before nodding.

But before they could so much as lift Keith from the chair, loud, hurried footsteps echoed off the pod's metallic walls, and a moment later, Lance was skidding to stop in front of them, chest heaving and eyes wide with a certain nervousness that caused Shiro's heart to instantly drop to his toes.

"We got a problem!" The blue paladin cried as Pidge quickly came up behind him, looking just as lost and bewildered as Shiro.

"What is it, Lance?" Shiro's asked. His eyes narrowed as a sudden, suspicious thought occurred to him. "Is it the Agharians?"

Lance nodded, pausing just long enough to look impressed by Shiro's deductive skills. "Yeah and they're not alone. They've got at least a dozen Galra soldiers with them, and they're heading right for us."

"Galra?" Hunk yelped in disbelief. "But I thought the Agharians were free from the Galra? That's the whole reason why Allura sent us here!"

"Looks like they lied." Pidge muttered bitterly, crossing her arms.

Hunk's eyes widened with a dawning realization as he glanced between his teammates. "Wait, this was a trap?"

"It's starting to look that way." Shiro said with a scowl. He was really beginning to wish they had brought the lions. What he wouldn't give to have Black with him right now. "How long until they get here, Lance?"

"They're about two miles out, so . . ." Lance shrugged, rotating his hand in a rough-estimate gesture, "maybe ten minutes?"

Shiro mentally cursed. Damn, that didn't leave them with a whole lot of time, and with Keith hurt . . .

"Okay, everyone, grab your helmets and your gear, we're leaving." Shiro announced, leaving no room for debate as he grabbed his own helmet off the floor and placed it over his head.

Considering that Shiro had nearly bit their heads off the last time he given them an order, Pidge and Lance didn't waste any time following his instructions this time around. Both of them scrambled for their discarded helmets, and quickly began stuffing Pidge's backpack with any other essentials they could find in the small pod.

Hunk, however, remained rooted to the spot.

"But, Shiro," Hunk whispered, worriedly glancing down at the red paladin in his arms, who was slumped in his seat, eyes half-lidded, and looking one second away from passing out, "Keith's still—"

"I know," Shiro interrupted gently, "I don't like it either, Hunk. But we can't stay here."

The yellow paladin bit his lip, still seeming unsure and looking like he wanted to say more, but didn't question Shiro any further, something that Shiro was internally grateful for.

Hunk was right about one thing, though. The bleeding, they had to do something about it or Keith would eventually bleed to death.

A plan forming in his mind, Shiro quickly reached down and picked up the box of gauze pads he had set down earlier and ripped it open. Taking out several packets, he tore the seams off and bunched the white fabric together before inching closer towards Keith and grabbing his wrist, carefully moving his hand aside. The red paladin stirred at the movement, his brows furrowing and eyes blinking slowly, but before he could ask him what he was doing Shiro was already moving forward, placing the gauze around the shard and pressing down, hard.

The reaction was almost instantaneous.

Keith's eyes snapped open before quickly squeezing shut as his back twisted against the co-pilot's chair, a strangled cry rising in the back of his throat as his body tried to lurch forward into a fetal position, but Hunk firmly held him down by his shoulders. Groaning, the red paladin's breathing stuttered, his breaths coming in short, rapid pants, and Shiro frowned as he felt Keith's chest heave sporadically underneath his palms.

"Keith, buddy, I know it hurts but I need to listen to me." Shiro instructed him firmly, but gently as he grabbed the younger paladin's hand and placed it over the gauze. "We have to go, so I need to hold this down for me while I carry you. Think you can do that?"

Sucking in a harsh breath, Keith's eyes pried open, and though they were filled with pain Shiro was relieved to see that they more alert than they had been a couple seconds ago, and had the barest hints of a familiar fire burning inside them.

Swallowing thickly, Keith stubbornly clenched his jaw.

"I . . . I can w-walk." The red paladin declared feebly. Shifting in his seat, Keith tried to move to his feet, but Shiro and Hunk held him down.

"The hell you are." Shiro chided. Keith huffed, muttering something unintelligible under his his breath, but Shiro didn't waste any more time trying to decipher it. Instead, he maneuvered his hands underneath the red paladin's back and knees, adjusting his weight on the balls of his feet before carefully lifting the younger teen up.

Eyes squeezing shut, Keith's body shuddered at the sudden movement, his mouth twisting with pain as his head lolled against Shiro's shoulder.

"Keep up the pressure on your side, Keith." Shiro sternly reminded him when he saw the red paladin's hand start to slip. Keith once again muttered something he couldn't quite hear, but obediently pressed a shaking hand against his wound.

Turning around, Shiro focused on the rest of team while Hunk moved to safely stash the med-kit inside Pidge's backpack. The three of them were eyeing Keith with quiet concern, but stood with their backs straight, bayards at hand, and ready to follow Shiro's orders into the unknown. Despite their rather bleak situation, a small smile lit the corners of Shiro's lips. How'd he get so lucky to have such an amazing team?

"Let's go, guys."

As they stepped out of the pod, Shiro only prayed Allura and Coran would find them soon.

Hunk is such a pure cinnamon roll lol.

And next chapter we'll get a bit more Lance (and Pidge) interaction, since he hasn't really had his chance to shine yet. And what's going on at the Castle of Lions?

Please review! For the most part, they determine if I continue or not.

Thank you,

Iscea