When the cry came, it came ear-splitting. It came world-shattering. And it came heartbreaking.

It sounded like pure pain funneled into a pair of lungs.

"Lance!"

Keith's voice was ragged, cutting through the echo of the team's battle. With one word, two syllables, his jagged voice tore everyone's attention away.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself onto his feet and slammed the butt of his blade into his opponent's chest. And then he took off without a second thought, diving to catch Lance's falling body. He managed to snake his arms underneath Lance in time. They both hit the ground with a thud.

Keith pushed their entwined bodies up.

"Lance," Keith said again, more desperate now as he looked over Lance's wounds. "Why would you do that?"

"What?" Lance tried, parting his dry lips. Blood spilled down his chin. "Take a hit for you?" His eyes fluttered closed. "Cause I love you, tough guy."

Keith put his hand against Lance's cheek, tapping his thumb under one brown eye. "Lance! Lance, stay with me!"

"Huh?"

"Lance!" Keith pulled him closer, one hand on his face and one hand cradling the back of his head. He carefully moved Lance into his lap, balancing him across his thighs. He wiped away some of the blood forming at the corner of Lance's mouth. "Lance! I love you, too? Okay? Stay with me. Do you hear me?"

"I...I hear you." Lance's voice started to drift like it was being carried by the wind.

Keith saw the others rushing toward him in his peripheral vision but he didn't look up. "Open your eyes. Lance. Lance. Please open your eyes."

And he tried. He tried to open them but he groaned and they instantly fell shut again. His head lolled across Keith's lap.

Keith glanced at the gaping wound in Lance's torso. With every passing tick, more and more blood stained the canvas of his white and blue uniform. Keith momentarily whipped his head back. "Guys!" he screamed. Something broke every ounce of self control he always had. He dripped with panic now.

Lance's fingers touched his arm. He turned back, eyes flickering between Lance's face and his hand.

"Keith…"

"I'm right here," Keith said. He softened his voice for Lance. "It's gonna be okay. You hear me? Everything is gonna be okay."

"Yeah." Lance's breathing was heavy. "But...just in case-"

Keith's expression hardened and he held Lance a little tighter. "No. The others are coming. We're getting you out of here."

"Just in case, Keith-"

"No. Don't you dare say goodbye to me."

Lance licked his bloody lips. "-I love you. Thanks...for being the best boyfriend in the whole universe."

Keith brushed Lance's stray tears away. "I love you, too, Lance. So much, okay? But you're not going anywhere." He jerked his head towards the others again, careful not to move the lower half of his body and disturb Lance. "Guys! We can't wait for Coran and the castle! Somebody help me move him into my lion. Now!" He peered at the now unconscious body in his arms. "You're gonna be fine, Lance. ...Lance?!"

Keith didn't know much about what'd been going on outside the doors of the pod room. All he knew, since carrying Lance out of the Red Lion, was what he looked like in the healing pod.

And Keith didn't leave. After Lance was safe, he pulled up a chair and planted himself on permanent guard duty.

He wasn't sure how much time elapsed.

But he watched.

He wasn't optimistic about the gradual changes in Lance's physical appearance. He barely noticed them. He just wanted Lance to heal.

At some point, his eyes glazed over. But Keith fought the fatigue. He forced his eyes open. He forced the rumbling hunger in his stomach down. He had to be there for Lance. Like he hadn't been on the battlefield.

Why hadn't he been more careful? His attention was focused on Lance the entire fight and he wasn't watching his own surroundings carefully, which was exactly what he'd been trained to do.

He'd always kept an eye on Lance. In every fight they'd ever fought. But since they started dating, Keith, without fail, became distracted by Lance's safety every single time. And now who was paying the price for it?

Lance.

The very person he'd been trying so hard to protect.

Why couldn't he have seen that guy aiming at him before Lance did? He should've been the one to get hit. Not Lance.

Lance getting hurt was his fault.

Keith knew it was his fault.

He would've done the same thing for Lance, or anyone on the team, for that matter, in a heartbeat. Keith would willingly take a bullet for Lance over and over again if it secured Lance's safety.

But Lance shouldn't have done it for Keith.

With an elongated sigh, Keith looked up at the healing pod, at Lance's closed eyes and still body.

He never wanted to hold Lance like that again, with death lurking around the corner. He'd never forget the dimming light in Lance's eyes, the blood on the corner of his mouth, the way he brokenly croaked out Keith's name.

Keith wanted to make sure that never happened again.

From now on, he'd be better.

For Lance.

The doors behind him creaked open. Echoed footsteps poured in. Familiar footsteps.

"Why are you here, Shiro?" Keith greeted with too much bark and not enough bite. He sounded tired and hollow. He could hear it in his own voice. But he swallowed it down.

"How's Lance doing?"

Keith honestly didn't know how to answer.

"He's healing."

Shiro stopped behind his chair. Keith felt the weight of his stare on the pod, on Lance.

"And how are you doing?"

Keith raised his eyebrows even though Shiro couldn't see him. "Me? I…" he swallowed. "Fine. I'm fine."

Shiro chuckled. "Keith, you are so far from fine."

"No, I'm not."

Shiro stepped out from behind the chair, standing diagonally on Keith's right. He held out a bowl. "I know you haven't been eating. I brought you some food goo."

"No thanks." Keith crossed his arms. "I'm not hungry."

Shiro shrugged. "I'm not gonna force you. I'm just hoping you'll eat something." He set the bowl down on the floor between his own feet and the feet of the chair.

Shiro looked up at the pod again, mimicking Keith's arm positioning.

This was the first time anyone had visited and Keith became acutely aware that he and Lance were not the only ones in the room.

But if there was one person here with him, he was at least glad it was Shiro.

"Keith, do you have any idea how long you've been sitting here?"

He scrunched his forehead and continued staring ahead. Lance was so beautiful. He just wanted to hold him and tell him he was sorry.

"No. But it doesn't matter."

"Almost an entire earth day," Shiro replied.

That much time?

"Then Lance should be fully healed soon."

"Right." Keith sensed Shiro frown. "Until that happens, I think you should get some sleep."

"I'm not leaving."

"Keith-"

"I'm not leaving, Shiro."

As Keith expected, Shiro sighed. "I know you haven't slept since we returned from the latest mission. You need to rest up."

"I'm fine."

"If it's Lance's protection you're worried about," Shiro suggested, "then I can take over. And after, we can-"

"No." Keith pressed his back into the chair. "I'm not going anywhere until Lance is okay."

Shiro paused for a tick, exhaling slowly. "Keith. Lance is okay. Nothing is going to happen to him here. He's safe."

Keith scowled. "I thought he was safe during the fight. Next thing I know, he's on the ground."

"...Is that what this is about?" Shiro prompted. "Keith...whatever happened out there...it's not your fault."

"It is my fault," Keith bit back. "I got shot at and Lance...he jumped in front of me."

Shiro put a hand on Keith's shoulder. "That was Lance's decision."

"A decision he only had to make because of me!" Keith jerked away.

"He knew what he was doing."

"I was being careless! And now Lance is-"

"Healing." Shiro gestured at his body in the pod. "I didn't see what happened, but he probably saved your life, Keith."

"He shouldn't have had to save me."

"It's a team. It's what we do."

"He's...he's my boyfriend." Keith hated how weak he sounded. But Lance was his greatest weakness. And Shiro was the only person, besides Lance, who he trusted enough to be this vulnerable around. "I should protect him."

"You do realize…that's probably exactly what Lance was thinking."

Keith flicked a sole eye towards Shiro. "What?"

"Well, Lance was protecting you. Because he loves you," Shiro said. "It works both ways, Keith."

"I know that."

"Do you?"

Keith sat with his elbows pressed to his knees, hands clasped out in front of him, forehead leaned against his knuckles.

He contemplated closing his eyes, tempted to fall asleep. And he almost did. But he forced himself to stay awake.

Good thing, too. When the pod opened, Keith was on his feet before Lance managed to tumble out.

Keith jumped, catching Lance as he tripped into his arms.

"Hey," he said softly. "It's okay. I gotcha."

Lance rubbed at his eyes. "Keith?"

"Hey."

"What…" Lance turned his head against the crook of Keith's arm. "What happened? Last thing I remember...I was saying goodbye to you."

Keith pushed a lock of Lance's hair out of his eyes, tucking it behind his ear. "Yeah."

"Guess you got me outta there fast enough, huh?"

"I almost didn't." Keith bit his lower lip. "I'm sorry you even had to-"

"No. Don't do that."

He furrowed a brow. "Do what?"

"That thing."

"What thing?"

"Your take-all-the-blame-thing," Lance said. He smiled and his eyes glimmered. Keith's heart melted. "It's adorable, but it's frustrating." He exhaled. "It's not your fault."

"Lance-"

"Hey." Lance reached a hand up and kissed the skin under Keith's eye with his thumb. "It's okay. I'm...alive. Thanks to you. I saved your life and you saved mine." He grinned. "Just hero stuff."

Holding his breath, Keith leaned into Lance's touch. "I love you."

Lance kissed him.