"Lance!? Lance, answer me! Lance, please!" Keith cried as he kept his tearful eyes on the smoking lion half-buried in trees and soil. "Lance!"
Coran, Allura and Slav stood, frozen and wide eyed.
Pidge started screaming for Lance as she fought, the other three lions finally coming into view to help.
"Lance!"
"Lance, come on!"
"Answer us, Lance!"
"Talk to me, Lance!" Keith cried, chest tight with panic. "Lance!"
~
"---ance---swer us---lk to---nce!"
Slowly coming to, Lance groaned. His head rolled as he opened his eyes. The cockpit glowed red, one of the panels on the screen flashing.
Lance pushed himself up off the floor, hand on his helmet as his head throbbed.
"---espond---Lance, plea---eed you ou---et up---"
"I can't... Understand..." Lance muttered.
"La---ce!---at you!?---ou oka---"
The blue paladin grabbed the armrest of his chair and pulled himself up. "I don't understand..." He breathed deeply, hissing as he applied pressure to his right leg. "I can't hear you... I'm leaving my lion."
"Coming to---tay ther---"
Lance dragged himself out of the cockpit and into Blue's mouth. He crawled out of her jaws, then cursed and ducked as he was shot at. "Quiznak!"
He bolted away, skidding around trees and boulders. His leg burned, throbbing painfully with each step.
Lance spotted the river up ahead, so he forced himself faster. Without another thought, Lance threw himself into the raging waters.
The blue paladin sunk down,deep,into the water, the river immediately taking a hold of him and pulling him along. Lance kicked off the river floor and burst from the surface, he gasped, flailing as he was yanked back under by a strong current.
"Shit!" He yelled as he broke surface again, grunting as he was thrown onto a rock. Lance tumbled over it, falling back into the water.
His helmet was flung off as he hit another rock. Lance struggled against the current, lungs burning for air. He kicked up, sucked in a sharp breath, then sunk back under.
Lance fought with the current, grunting and gasping as he hit another rock.
Water filled his mouth and poured down his throat into his lungs. He broke the surface at the next boulder and clung to it, coughing up the water that made it's way into his organs.
He looked up, eyes widening as his helmet bobbed up about four meters away. "No!" Lance cried, leaping back into the water.
Lance went with the current, stretching and pushing himself faster to grab his helmet. "Ha!" He snatched his helmet and held it up, reaching out for another boulder.
His eyes bulged at the sight ahead.
"Oh, no! No, no no no!" He screamed, flailing and battling against the current.
However, the pull tugged him closer and closer to the edge where the water tumbled over. Lance thrashed an arm out, hooking onto a low branch. He screamed as his legs were thrown over, but then sighed in relief as he now hung from the branch, free of the current.
"Great..." He muttered, setting his helmet on. "Guys!? Guys, I'm kinda dangling over a water fall!" Lance shouted, attempting to pull himself up onto the branch. "Guys? Hey, anyone there!?"
"Lanc---the hell are yo---at happen---oing on---"
"I still can't understand-" Lance paused as he heard a sharp snap. He slowly looked up to where the branch met the tree. "No..." Another snap and the branch jerked. "No no no!"
Lance scrambled, heart racing as the snapping continued, picking up pace. "No!"
The branch gave before Lance could grab any other support and he plummeted. He crashed into the water below, the force of the waterfall forcing him even deeper.
A sharp pain pierced the back of his head as he slammed into another rock. He was stunned into not moving and forgetting that he couldn't breathe beneath water.
Lance gagged on the water, crackling voices muffled. He pack peddled, kicking off the rocks. He arched his arms out and kicked the water behind him until he finally broke surface.
First, water came spewing up from his throat as he coughing and choked, then he finally sucked in deep breaths as he bobbed, trying to keep his head above surface.
"Lance!---ere are you---eed you out he---form Voltr---ance!"
Lance swam through the calmer water until his feet could touch the ground. "I just... Fell over... A waterfall..." He panted, collapsing once he reached shore. "Fuck... Ow, shit..."
He pushed up with one hand to roll himself onto his back. Lance grunted with effort. He grabbed his left arm. "Quiznak... I think it's broken..."
"Brok---ance, where are---at's broken---what fall---"
"Ack!" Lance flinched and gasped as a sudden, loud static ringing filled his helmet. He tore it off and tossed to the side. "Quiznaking great..." He muttered, glaring up at the sky.
Fighters and lions battled, weaving through clouds and dipping down. The castle was out of sight, however. Probably too far in the direction that Lance had come from.
~
"That's it!" Allura shouted, stomping down. "I can't take this! I'm going down and searching for Lance!"
Keith scuttled over, violet eyes wide. "Me too! I'm going with you!"
Coran pivoted and grabbed Keith's arm. "You can't go!"
"And why not!?" Keith snapped at the Altean.
"Because you're pregnant, Keith!" Allura answered for Coran. "If you're hurt, the baby will get hurt! Would Lance want that?"
"No, but-"
"Keith, listen to the princess!" Shiro shouted as he dodged a blast.
The red paladin clenched his fists, lowering his head. "Fine..."
Allura nodded, then dashed out of the bridge.
~
"Lance!? Lance, where are you!?" Allura called through cupped hands. "Lance!"
The princess walked along the river side, looking for any signs of the blue paladin. She paused as she saw a broken branch.
Allura rushed over to the edge, eyes widening as she spotted the blue paladin sprawled half-way into the water, half on the green-ish sand of the shore. "Lance!"
She began scrambling down the cliff-side until it became to sheer to climb down. Allura sucked in a deep breath, then leapt off the ledge and down into the water.
Once she came up, she peddled over to Lance.
"Lance? Lance, can you hear me?" Allura scurried out of the water once she was waist-deep. She fell to her knees beside Lance and patted his cheek.
Lance groaned and the Altean sighed in relief. "Thank Voltron." She muttered, stroking his matted hair back. "Let's get you back to the castle before this gets worse."
~
Keith paced back and forth, chewing anxiously on his thumbnail. The others sat nearby, watching.
"It's... It's good that Lotor retreated when he did..." Matthew murmured from his spot between Shiro and Hunk.
Pidge stood up and made her way to Keith. He stopped as she placed his hands on his elbows. "Come on... Sit down and breathe. You're going to stress out the baby."
The red paladin slowly nodded and let her lead him over to sit. Keith tightly hugged Lance's jacket tighter around himself. He leaned on Shiro as the older man gently wrapped his arm around Keith's shoulders. "He'll be okay, Keith. He's going to be out in a few ticks."
Keith nodded. "I know... I know, I just... I can't help it. Hormones are starting to just- ugh..." Shiro chuckled and rubbed his arm. "I just need him out of that pod."
The others laughed softly, Pidge leaning on Keith. Hunk sighed, slumping. Coran tapped his foot while Allura fidgetted with her hands.
The mice squeaked softly, gathered around Allura.
"Hey, Pidge?" Keith murmured, looking down at her.
The green paladin hummed, tilting her head. She didn't look up at him. "Yeah?"
"Do you think... You could build something so Lance and I could... I dunno... See the baby?"
Pidge blinked, then furrowed her brows as she looked up at him. "Who the fuck do you think I am? Of course I could. I'd need some help from Hunk and maybe Matt, but I can do it."
Keith smiled at her. "Thanks."
She grinned. "No problem."
A sudden hissing from a pod drew everyone's attention. Keith shot to his feet a little too fast, and scrambled over.
Lance groaned as he was embraced tightly, then sighed and relaxed into it. "Hey, Keith..."
Keith shook his head, burying his face in Lance's shoulder. "I was so scared, Lance..."
The blue paladin smiled softly, slowly wrapping his arms around Keith. "I'm sorry... I won't do it again."
"Promise me."
"I promise, mi querido."
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Dondjid