Chapter Text
Day One
Lance ducked into the storage unit located in Red's chest. He looked around double checking he had extra food, clothes, and medical supplies. He didn't think anything would happen but it was better to stay safe. Red rumbled a message to Lance alerting him that someone was about to come in. Hopping up from his inventory check he dodged a box of items from the Castle of Lions he still hadn't unpacked yet.
Opening the door led to a round room that served as a hallway to the cockpit. To the left was a set of stairs that curved with the room and led out near where the mouth cannon was generated. Keith's head was just poking up from the stairwell as he climbed up towards Lance. Sending Lance a small reassuring smile, he clapped his gloved hand onto Lance's shoulder.
“If you’re all packed up go and suit up. Remember it’s just us on this mission.” Keith turned to head back down the stairs to return to the black lion.
Lance smirked, “is it really a mission if we're just patrolling for leftover Galra troops?”
Keith paused frowning momentarily, with a thoughtful expression.
“Sure, I mean it’s four days long right? Eh, whatever, just go and suit up,” Keith responded with an amused half smile before disappearing down the stairs. Lance watched Keith descend the stairs still grinning before turning back into the storage humming contentedly, pulling on his paladin armor.
This would be the easiest ‘mission’ in a while Lance thought, pulling on his helmet. Settling into his chair as it pulled forward, Lance heard Keith's voice crackle onto the com, “you ready?”
“Yup, I was born ready.” Lance grinned at Keith's amused huff on the other end of the com.
“Stay safe you guys!” Another voice popped into the com.
Lance laughed at Shiro’s farewell. “You know we will Shiro,” Keith responded. Lance hummed in agreement. Leaning forward to grab the controls, Red's eyes glowed gold and she rumbled with impatience. Lance smiled and patted the controls as if reassuring her.
‘Besides how hard could a four-day patrol be?’
Day Two
Keith ran across the pitted surface of the planet, each step pushing him a meter ahead. The low gravity planet was desolate and cold without an organism in sight. The red lion lay ahead of Keith, her eyes black and her jaw propped open like an ominous, grinning skull.
“Lance, come in.” Keith's ragged breaths echoed through the coms, “Lance?”
Keith looked up into Red’s eyes one last time barely taking in the new dents that freckled her armor before jumping up into her jaws, kicking towards the outer door that also generated the mouth cannon.
With a grinding screech, Keith pushed the doors open noting the fractures in the hull and the flashes of electricity that raced around the walls. Red would need a very long time to recover even with Atlas's recharge bay.
The black lion wasn't nearly as badly damaged. What had happened to damage a Voltron lion like this? Keith tried to remember but was rewarded with a throbbing headache.
Pushing his way into the cockpit, Keith took a moment to note the destruction that had ravaged the inside and instantly Keith began to fear for Lance.
“Lance?” Keith called out, walking to the side of the cockpit seat, his eyes wandering around the damaged controls that fizzled with sparks of electricity. “Lance, are you-” Keith froze turning towards the chair where Lance should have been. Blood smeared the headrest already drying. Even the controls directly in front of the chair had hints of blood as if Lance had smashed his head on them.
“Lance!” Keith spun around searching frantically, his breath coming in short panicky pants. Finally, Keith found what he was looking for.
Blue armor.
Keith ran to the other side of the cockpit leaping over the chair to fall on his knees with a dull clunk. Fearing the worst Keith pulled Lance out from under the controls turning him face side up. Keith hung his head with relief exhaling all at once when he saw the rise and fall of Lance’s shallow breaths.
Focusing back on the task at hand Keith did a look over for more injuries. Lance’s helmet was fractured, almost shattered and blood obstructed the visor making it almost impossible to see the extent of the injuries. Before pulling off his own helmet first, Keith checked that there was still oxygen circulating through the cockpit then pulled off Lance’s helmet, sucking in a deep breath.
Lance’s face was covered in blood that seemed to come from a jagged wound in his forehead. One eye was swollen shut and a long scratch trailed down Lance’s jaw, from his ear to his chin. Only after did Keith begin to realize just how pale Lance was. Lance needed a healing pod.
Even then it would be a long time before Lance was in fighting condition again. Lance took a shallow breath, one that’s wheeze echoed in Keith’s brain. Lance’s condition was only getting worse and if he wasn't stabilized soon there might not be a red paladin.
Breath in.
Breath out.
In.
Out.
In.
Lance's right eye creaked open, his left eye numb and swollen shut. His vision blurred as he almost fell back into unconsciousness. With a great deal of concentration Lance forced himself to look around.
He recognized the inside of the red lion, was is the storage room? Lance winced at his throbbing head and moved on. He was in the red lion but something seemed off. The lights. Red's lights weren't on. Where was the light coming- Lance sucked in a shallow breath as pain raced through his body like lightning.
Panting, Lance closed his eyes regaining composure. Two crates had been pushed together and formed the makeshift bed Lance was lying on and a thin blanket covered him. He looked down at his chest, his armor was missing, but he still wore the black undersuit. Wait. The light. Where was the light coming from? Lance turned his head to the left and saw a contained fire on the floor of the-
Of the-
Lance's eyelid drifted shut and he fell into a heavy sleep.
Keith was sitting down opposite of Lance's makeshift bed, looking into the fire and tossed in another board of wood making the flames crackle and pop cheerily. He frowned and looked up noting that Lance was looking in his direction.
Jumping up to see if Lance needed anything Keith realized Lance had already fallen back asleep. Keith sat back on his heels surprised that Lance had been able to wake up so soon. The crash had only been about 10 hours earlier. Keith hadn't expected Lance to wake up but even so Keith hadn't let himself sleep just in case. Keith's gaze flickered across Lance's blanketed form remembering setting Lance's dislocated ankle. Lance had actually woken up in pain screaming before promptly collapsing again a new film of sweat covering his face.
Keith had bandaged the ankle and other various wounds as best as he could but still, Lance had lost a lot of blood. The meager supplies in the med kit could only help so much and there was nothing for his fever. Infection could still set- Keith shook his head. Lance just needed rest and water to break the fever and regain lost blood. After that, it would be no time before he could pilot the red lion again.
Keith looked around the red lion's inner hull. She still hadn't turned back on so communication was not an option. At least not in here. Keith had considered going back to the black lion but one look at Lance changed his mind. He needed to stay here. Just in case.
After Lance healed up and could be left on his own, then Keith could run to the black lion and call Atlas. Keith looked at Lance again who had turned in his fevered dream.
If Lance took a long time healing, the Atlas would realize something was wrong right? Keith did the math in his head. If the mission was four days long and they left yesterday? Yes, they left yesterday. So the third day is starting this morning. So it would be another two whole days before the rest of the Voltron crew realized something was wrong. Keith sighed relieved he had a plan.
After Atlas realized something was wrong it wouldn't take very long to find them. At the most, it would be three days before Lance and he were rescued. Keith sat back down unfolding his legs in front of him and tossed another plank of wood into the fire. The wood was scattered around him, originating from crates Keith had smashed in his harried search for medical supplies. With Red powered down the only heat came from the fire as the lion grew colder by the hour.
The cold planet or moon or whatever they were stranded on got very little light from its sun and the coldness seeped through Red's metal chest. Keith sighed again and buried deeper into the extra layers of borrowed clothes. Lance's paladin suit would keep him warm for the most part but Keith needed the extra layers with him being awake and all.
Keith's stomach rumbled and he looked around doubtfully for food. Scooting to the left Keith tipped the box onto its edge and peered in rummaging for anything edible then hesitated and glanced towards Lance. ‘Lance would need the food most to recover’ Keith thought to himself then pushed himself closer to the fire hunching over grumpily. It would be a long three days.
Day Three
Lance woke up again feeling overly hot and feverish. Looking around he saw a sleeping figure next to some smoldering ashes and tensed up his breath hitching before he recognized Keith under the extra layers of clothes.
Sighing and then wincing at the pain from it, Lance slowly lifted a hand from under the blanket and felt gingerly around his left eye and the swelling around it. His face seemed plastered in bandages as well as his ankle which throbbed.
Swallowing thickly Lance felt around for other injuries. His chest felt fine probably protected with his chest plate. Abdomen sore but not injured. Waist down... Lance felt hesitant about moving around to check but he felt it was needed so he began to prop himself up before sinking back onto the crates with his head spinning and him feeling nauseous.
Taking in as deep of a breath as he could Lance forced himself into a slouched sitting position breathing heavily from exertion and swaying. Lance already knew he couldn't handle standing and just contented himself by finishing his check over. His tender ankle was definitely wrapped in a bandage. But besides that, he seemed free from any other major injuries just bumps and scrapes. Lance's vision doubled and he sucked in a deep breath as his vision tunneled.
“Woah there.”
Lance looked around woozily and met Keith's gaze who had since woken and moved closer to Lance.
“You lost a lot a blood so just take it easy.”
Lance nodded barely hearing. “How-how long?” Lance's voice creaked a raspy whisper. Keith nodded in understanding.
“Almost a day and a half from the crash and about two days since we left. Here you should drink.” There was a shuffling and something was lifted to Lance's mouth.
Water. Sweet delicious water. Lance drank it greedily like a dragon and its treasure. Lance hadn't realized his thirsty he was. Or just how dry his throat felt. Out of the corner if his eye Lance saw Keith frown and take away the water bottle even as Lance protested.
“Do you want to throw up? You gotta take easy alright?” Keith turned to put the water out of Lance's sight. Lance sighed, huffing as he acknowledged Keith's advice and eased himself back into a lying position, closing his eye but not yet sleeping. The water had done wonders for Lance but he still ached and felt feverish.
“Soo how do you feel?” Keith asked hesitantly sitting back on his heels, one hand on the crates for balance. Lance creaked open his right eye and sent Keith a look with his eyebrow slightly raised. Keith nodded slowly, “right. Well uh, let me know if you need anything?”
Keith winced at his own words but Lance just hummed in agreement before closing his eye again. Keith ducked his head, tapping his fingers then abruptly stood up and walked back towards the fire sitting down hunched over again. Poking at the ashes Keith looked back at Lance who seemed to have fallen asleep then looked around for wooden slats to restart the fire. Standing up Keith walked to the other side of the storage room picking up various pieces of wood when he heard a moan from the other side of the room.
“Lance?” Keith called out tentatively as he walked closer to the crates that Lance lay on. Another moan responded with spastic twitches. Keith dropped the wood and was at Lance's side in a heartbeat. His pulse racing Keith felt around for Lance's wrist. Pressing two fingers to the inside of Lance's wrist Keith froze feeling Lance's pulse.
Quiznack. The pulse was through the roof and fluttery. Definitely not a good sign. Keith replaced Lance's hand to the crate and moved on to feel his temperature. It was just as he feared. The fever had gotten worse. Lance's breath hitched and shuddered as Keith watched on in fear unable to help.
Shiro paced the bridge of Atlas frowning before turning towards Pidge.
“Are you sure you haven't gotten a signal from them? It seems unlike them to not check in.”
Pidge looked up over their glasses from their computer screen, “I'm sure they're fine but if I do get a signal you'll be the first to know.”
Shiro nodded his apprehension slightly appeased. “Thank you, Pidge.”
Pidge sent him a reassuring smile, “besides they're perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.”