Title: Stop screaming, Mullet

Chapter title: From the other side

Rating: T

Why was it always him? I mean did he have some kind of cosmic curse or what? I'm running down the hall of the Galra ship. It was going so well. We had infiltrated the ship using just Blue and Green for stealth. Lance had taken position in the control room, he had a great line of sight over the entire hanger bay and every entrance. Pidge had also said it was where the primary shields were located. It was not, however, where the database was accessed from, that was in the lower level of the ship. Pidge and Hunk had headed that way. Allura and I were searching for any prisoners, but had come up empty.

Pidge had given an update that they were in and downloading. That's when things went wrong.

"Keith, got company up here, I can't hold them all." The sound of Lance's rifle firing could be heard along with the return fire of Galra sentries.

"Allura and I are on our way. Find a place to hole up." Allura had already taken off running.

"Pidge, how long?" I asked between pants.

"Two dobashes and I will have it all. Do you need us?" Pidge didn't want to leave the data, but she would for Lance.

"Not yet." We came around the corner into the hanger. Lance was backed up a set of stairs with about fifteen sentries coming up at him. He was picking them off with his rifle when he could get an opening, but with so many he was spending most of his time behind the shield. He made it to the door to the control room and backed through.

I charged straight into them, sword at the ready. If I could get their attention I'm sure Lance will be able to finish them off. Allura's whip went past me and grabbed the rifle from a sentry near me, probably saving me a blast to the shoulder.

I looked up. Lance was standing in the doorway, rifle picking off sentries, and then he wasn't alone. There was a Galra behind him; it smiled at me.

"Lance!"

Lance turned, but it wasn't fast enough. The Galra grabbed him and threw him into the control room. He slammed shut the door.

"No!" I worked desperately hacking sentries to bits. I could hear Allura next to me her whip flying.

The sounds of the fight in the room echo into the hanger. Grunts, yells, thumps, and then a long scream that sent chills down my spine followed by a blast from Lance's rifle. We cleared through the sentries and I run up to rush through the door. Unfortunately there is some sort of forcefield around the door. I ran right into it and the shock likely would have bounced me off of it and down the stairs if Allura hadn't caught me. I hear her gasp as I'm trying see again past the spots dancing in front of my eyes.

"Lance."

I can see him from here. There was a window on this side. I reached out and grabbed Allura's arm, because there is a freaking sword sticking out of him. He's propped up against the wall and there is a sword in his gut. I feel cold. I swear it got hard to breath all of the sudden. The Galra is lying on the other side of the room, clearly dead with a blast wound to the forehead.

"Keith." Now she's turning that concerned voice to me. I look over and she has tears in her eyes. I look back to the room. I'm getting him out of there. He's going to be fine. There are no other options.

"Pidge! Hunk! I need you up here now!" I called into the coms. "Allura, go to Blue. Keep this hanger clear, I don't care if you have to blast holes in this ship to do it."

"What's going on?" Pidge asked. I could tell she was running.

"I need a forcefield down. Lance is hurt and I can't get to him."

"What?! How? Is he okay?" Hunk's panicked voice asked.

"He's…you need to hurry." I can't say it. Now for the hard part.

"Lance!" I yelled his name. I need to get his attention. I need to know he's there. "LANCE!"

He groaned. I can't help the thrill that goes through my heart. He's alive. I keep shouting his name. Pidge and Hunk get there and they are working on how to get through the shield. It's going to be okay. I think we are going to get him and get out of here okay. And then again, why should things go right.

"Keith, we can't get to any of the controls, everything is in there. It's set up like a failsafe. The only control is in there." Pidge pointed into the room. "It's on the panel right in front of Lance. The big button in the middle, it's set up just like Beta Traz in there."

"Lance! Lance, get up!" I screamed as loud as I could.

"sssp sring et," he made some sort of sound. That was improvement. "Stop, screaming Mullet." Okay even that was better.

"I'll scream if that's what it takes to get you up! NOW GET UP!" I swear Pidge flinched next to me at the volume. He's just sitting there staring at things, at least his eyes are open. "LANCE!"

"What?" I can barely here him, but at least he's talking.

"Get up, push the damn purple button on the console in front of you." I screamed. I don't know how much time he has. I need to get in there and get him.

"It's really far away. I'd rather stay here." Hunk sobbed next to me. I had to take a deep breath, he sounded awful.

"Lance," I choked back tears, "please, PLEASE, you have to do this."

"It will hurt," he whispered and I couldn't stop the sob this time. I was asking him to get up with a sword stuck in him, but it was the only way to save him.

"Pidge isn't there any other way?" Hunk practically begged. His tears were free flowing.

"I'm trying. I can't get past this shield. He's the only one that can deactivate it. I just can't from this side. It's blocked." Pidge was frantically poking at a scanner, trying to find anything else she could do, any other way in.

"Hey, Hunk, it'll be okay man." Lance spoked softly and Hunk sobbed. "Missed," he muttered.

"LANCE!" I yell again. He's not making sense.

"Yeah yeah, get up, push button…real easy…real simple…," he started to move and screamed. I would have rather had the damn sword in my own gut than listen to that.

"Lance? Lance, please answer me." Allura called.

"Lance, please we need you." Pidge whispered.

"Lance, buddy, you gotta do this." Hunk begged.

"LANCE!" I'm sticking with screaming. It works.

"Shiro?" Okay, I wasn't expecting him to say that, maybe I sounded like Shiro to him. He's crying now, but at least he's up further than he was, "I can't. I tried and I couldn't even sit all the way up."

"YOU CAN!" I screamed, he's crying and I'm screaming at him. I feel like a jerk.

"We miss you so much. Keith really misses you." Okay, so he really thinks he's talking to Shiro. That's creepy. He takes a deep breath and reaches for the button. He manages to get his arm up and push it. As soon as the forcefield drops I'm in there beside him. He's fallen back onto the ground. Hunk is right with me. I can hear blasting coming from the hanger. Allura and Blue are fighting something.

"Shiro, don't go!" He's reaching his hand up into the air, like he's trying to catch something.

"Hey, Mullet." He's finally looked at me and I try to give him a reassuring smile.

"Hey, yourself. We are getting you out of here, just hold on a little longer. Now that you have the shield down we can get you out of here. Allura is going to punch a hole in this side of this ship with Blue at this rate. Green is in the hanger waiting for us." I'm wrapping the sword with bandages trying to keep the sword from shifting. I turned to Hunk, "Hunk, pick him up, I've got this sword as stabilized as I can. Just be careful."

Lance is looking at Hunk now, "My best bud wouldn't be anything, but careful with me, would you?" He actually smiles at Hunk which just makes him cry more, but he nods.

"Let's go. " Pidge popped her head in the door. "Allura's almost in place, to provide cover."

Hunk wrapped his arms around Lance. I try to stabilize him as Hunk gets ready to lift,

"Hunk, I'm going to scream and pass out when you pick me up, sorry about that." Lance whispered.

Hunk sobbed and nodded. And true to his word when Hunk and I lifted he screamed and passed out. We got him loaded into Green and back to the castle. I kept watching him the whole way there. I couldn't stand seeing him so still. Hunk just held him and hummed some kind of lullaby. It was sweet.

Coran had to pull the sword out before we put him into the pod. It made a noise that I will never be able to scrub it out of my mind. I'm pretty sure Coran even looked a little green. It was a rush from there to the pod though as blood was free flowing after the sword came out.

I breathed a sigh of relief and sat down in front of the pod. I felt like I'd run three marathons.

"Hunk, go get cleaned up. Allura, if you could get us someplace quiet to regroup?" I could hear Hunk vomitting in the background, apparently my words made him realize he had blood all over him. Pidge was whispering to him.

"Of course, Keith. You will need to clean up as well." Allura said as she made to leave to wormhole us somewhere safe.

"Yeah." I haven't looked away from the pod. I need to be sure he's okay. "Later."

Later turns out to be three vargas later when Hunk and Pidge bring me my clothes and Coran rather forcefully points out the showers off of the medbay. The smell hits me in the shower. Copper and cloying, blood, Lance's blood - I vomited. I couldn't stop the feeling a guilt welling up inside of me. This is my team now, my responsibility and I nearly got one of them killed. I nearly got Lance killed. It took a good varga of scrubbing before I felt clean enough and calm enough to come out. No one said anything to me about it.

It was nearly three vargas after that when Coran said the pod was nearly done. Allura and I waited with the blanket. Pidge and Hunk were sleeping on the floor nearby. Lance practically fell into our arms.

"Beautiful," he murmured looking up. I thought for a brief moment he was talking to me as his eyes met mine.

"I think I owed you a catch out of one of these, didn't I?" Allura asked smiling. Oh yeah, Allura, right, he was totally talking to Allura, that made sense.

He looked over to where Pidge and Hunk were sleeping and smiled softly.

"They've been there since we put you in," Coran smiled and reached out to steady Lance as he stood on his own feet. "We are so glad to have you back, my boy." He sniffled a little.

"It's good to be back. I…um…I wasn't sure I was going to make it." He looked like he was tearing up again.

"I never had any doubts." I told him with all the confidence I could muster. "I knew you could do it." And I did. I'd known he could do it because there weren't any other acceptable options.