Keith trembled as he reached up, eyes welling with hot tears. "Lance..." He tentatively cupped Lance's face, chest tightening. He brushed his fingertips over the bandage and made a chocked noise.

Lance glanced away, but didn't push back Keith. "That last battle... Before we found out about you... It was going fine. We were winning, and then... This fleet came out of no where. We were separated and I was cornered... One got me. I thought I was going to die. I don't remember anything between being shot and waking up in the pod. But everyone has a scar from it. Pidge has a gash across her stomach and on her shoulder, Hunk has one down his arm and Shiro has one down his leg. I have no idea how all of us lived through that."

Keith swallowed thickly, lip trembling. "I-I'm sorry... I should have been there, I could have-"

"Been hurt." Lance took both of Keith's hands and pulled him away from his face. "You could have been hurt, too. I'm glad you weren't there. I wouldn't have been able to see you hurt so badly."

"I can't stand to know that you were hurt so badly and I wasn't there to do anything about it!" Keith snapped, gripping Lance's hands. "Maybe I would have been hurt if I was there, but maybe you might still have your eye!"

"Or I might not." Lance shrugged, looking back at Keith. "It's okay, Keith. I don't need this eye to use my bayard, anyway. I just need to get used to everyday things."

The red paladin shook his head, but kept his mouth shut in fear of breaking down in tears. Lance's thumb rubbed circles into the backs of Keith's hands. Keith's shoulders shook as he held back sobs and fat tears. Slowly, the tears started to escape, cascading down Keith's pale cheeks. "Why are you saying this like it's alright? Like it's normal?" Keith's voice cracked as he spoke, sobbing softly at the end.

Lance sighed, gently pulling Keith closer. "Because I can't undo it, and it's better to live with it than to bitch and whine about it. I'm alive, Keith. That's what matters. I'm still a paladin. That's what matters. I still love you. That's what matters."

Another sob broke free from Keith as Lance's fingers caressed his cheek. Lance leaned down, gently pressing his warm lips to Keith's. Keith reached up, threading his fingers through Lance's hair.

Lance squeezed Keith's hand as he pulled away, smiling. "I'm still the best kisser in the universe."

Keith groaned, hitting his head on Lance's chest plate, but smiled. His ears twitched happily, though they were twisted back. "You're a complete idiot."

"Correction; I am your complete idiot."

~

Keith gulped as he stepped into the dining room behind Lance. Shiro was the first one to become quiet. As soon as Pidge noticed him, she shrieked and leapt over the table. This drew everyone else's attention.

"Keith!" Pidge cried and threw her arms around the red paladin. Keith grunted and hesitated to return the embrace, much less tightly than her. "It's so so awesome to see you! Did you bring tech!?"

"Ah, no... I forgot..."

Pidge pouted up at him, then quickly pulled away with a huge grin. "Come on, come on! Dad and Matt wanted to meet you!"

Keith nodded and followed her over to the two familiar people. The older stood and grinned at him. "I'm Samuel, Katie's father." He held out his hand. "I hear you helped us escape." Keith nodded, shaking his hand. He also shook Matthew's outstretched hand. "It's nice to meet an old friend's son."

The red paladin paused, then bowed his head. "That's right.. You knew my father."

Samuel frowned. "I take it you didn't meet him until recently."

"Yeah..." Keith nodded. "A few days after I left with the Galra, he came to me."

"How did he take to the news of your mother?"

"Not... Not too well..." Keith bit his lip and looked back up. "Said he wished he could have seen her again."

"Yes." Samuel hummed. "He did love her, very much." He then grinned and reached up to ruffle Keith's hair. "I remember he'd use to cradle you and play with you and you would be grinning and laughing up at him the whole while. You were the happiest, chubbiest damn baby I've ever seen." He chuckled and Keith immediately jolted, face becoming hot. The other paladins snickered at him. "You'd roll around and play with everyone's hair and chew on anything you'd get those fat little hands on. I remember you tried eating Matthew's hand once. Funniest thing I'd seen a baby try to do!"

Matthew joined in on the snickering and giggling. Lance was trying very hard(not) to hold back loud bouts of laughter.

Allura and Coran were slightly confused.

"I'm so sorry, Pidge, but right now I wish I hadn't helped get them out," Keith grumbled, face hidden behind his hands. Pidge only patted his back as she giggled. "This isn't funny."

Shiro came up and pat Keith's shoulder. Keith looked up at him, face still red. The black paladin grinned at him. "It's good to have you back, Keith."

The red paladin smiled slightly and nodded. "It's good to be back..."

~

Keith walked beside Lance, back in his regular clothes. Both his hands were locked around Lance's hand, Lance's free hand tucked away in his cargo jacket. Keith sighed. "I'm glad everyone laughed."

Lance snorted and grinned. "Even though they were laughing at you?"

"Yeah." Keith looked up at Lance. "I'd take that any day over hateful glares and 'go to hell's. I'm glad Samuel and Matthew are safe and Pidge has her family again, I'm glad Shiro has his best friends again, and was that Shay I saw earlier in the kitchen with Hunk?"

Lance grinned. "Yup. Pidge may have forgotten to mention that since we picked up her dad and brother, we've been collecting people to make the castle less lonely. Shay and Hunk are a thing, now." Keith hummed and nodded. "Also... We found some Alteans..."

Keith's eyes widened and they stopped in the hallway. "No way! I thought Coran and Allura were the last?"

"Well," Lance shrugged, "the Galra kept a few as prizes ten thousand years ago, so there's still some left. Little under seven hundred."

"Wow..."

"Yeah." Lance carded his fingers through his hair. "Most of them stayed on the planet after we freed them, but we have a few on the Castle-Ship. They're pretty cool. I hang out with Ceila a lot. She's like Hunk. Works with mechanics and engineering."

Keith's ears twitched back and he bit his lip as he looked down. "Did you do any thing with her while I was away?"

"What?" Lance furrowed his brow and turned fully to face Keith. "No, don't even think like that. I would never, even though I had thought you were on their side when we picked her up. Keith..." Lance reached up, brushing his knuckles over Keith's cheeks and tucking Keith's hair behind his ear. "I'm in love with you... You joining the Galra didn't and wouldn't change that. You're all I need. You're all that matters to me."

Keith sucked in a shaky breath and nodded, tears threatening to spill all over again. "I love you, too..." Lance smiled and pressed his lips to Keith's forehead. "You stupid idiot... You keep making me cry and I hate it."

Lance laughed, pressing their foreheads together. "I'm not meaning to make you cry. Maybe you're doing it all by yourself." Keith stomped on his toes. "Ow!" The blue paladin jumped back. "Okay, okay! It's my fault you cry like a baby!"

Keith nodded firmly. Lance then released Keith's hands and wrapped his arms around the smaller paladin. Keith gripped Lance's shirt and buried his nose in Lance's shoulder. "I missed you," Lance murmured. "I missed you way too much."

The red paladin smiled. "Good."