(Klangst)

Keith grimaced as one of the droid soldier's blades scraped his side. He turned and stabbed the metal creature through the chest, winching as he stretched his newly injured arm.

"Everyone, retreat to your lions. Zarkon has fallen." Shiro's voice crackled over the comms. Keith smiled smugly; he couldn't held himself.

"Great job, team." He said.

"Keith, on your left!" Lance cried. Keith lept to the right, barely dodging a shot from a drone's blaster. Keith sliced through metal for several moments, making his way through the hallways in silence, Lance on his tail.

"Shit, the lions!" Keith yelled, panick-stricken. The blue and red lions were surrounded by drones and flesh and blood soldiers. They began to fire at the paladins immediately.

"Keith, get to your lion! I've got your back." Lance shouted.

"Are you crazy?! I can't get through there." Keith gritted his teeth as his shield shook. It could only take so many more shots.

"Use your shield and cut through the masses. I'll cover you! Now, go!" Lance pushed Keith forward and began to shoot down soldiers and drones alike.

Keith groaned and ran forward. He swung his sword, decapitating a few drones, and cut off the right arm of a soldier. He couldn't​ help but smile a little, despite the morbidity of it. Around him, soldier after soldier and drone after drone fell down with smoking holes between their eyes. Keith didn't have much time to admire Lance's skill, but he did note it and made a resolution to mention it to Lance later. The blue paladin was definitely talented.

Keith skidded towards his lion, whose particular barrier dissipated only long enough to let the emo boy through. Keith grinned and dashed into the cockpit, activating his lion. Red roared and blasted through the army of galra guarding the lions. Keith focused his sight on Lance, who stood there breathing heavily. He had moved, probably to avoid fire, and looked as if he had been running and shooting at the same time.

Damn, he really was a sharpshooter.

"Hey, Lance!" Keith shouted joyfully. Lance looked up.

"H-hey, Keith." The blue paladin panted unevenly. His voice sounded weak, even as it was blasted in Keith's ear through the speaker in his helmet.

"Aren't you going to get to your lion?" Keith asked. He was worried now - Lance seemed tired. And he was injured; some blood was trickling down his side.

"I, uh.... Yeah. I should, huh?" Lance ran towards his lion. Keith's brow furrowed more with every pained breath from the blue paladin.

Lance, on the other hand, was glad this had happened. Sure, it hurt, but it was a reminder that he wasn't good enough. He knew now that he wasn't imagining his shortcomings. No, he knew that he truly was the worst paladin.

Keith would disagree, but Keith couldn't read minds.

"Guys, forget fighting off the rest of the swarm." Keith said as he and Lance joined the others outside the warship. "Lance is hurt."

"Allura, prep a healing pod. We're coming in soon." Shiro said.

"Alright. Get the blue paladin to me as soon as possible!" Allura ran off to prep the pod. The black lion grabbed the blue lion by the scruff of its neck, carrying it into the castle like the space dad its pilot was.

"Lance!" Shiro panicked as he entered the cockpit of the blue lion. Lance was sitting in the pilot chair, his fingers tight around the controls of his lion. He was breathing shallowly and his eyes were squeezed shut.

"What's going on? Is he okay?!"  Pidge's panicked voice filled Shiro's ears. Shiro didn't respond, but instead scooped up the injured paladin, carrying him bridal style. He ran down to the infirmary stumbling through the doors sweaty and out of breath.

°•° TS - 6 Days Later °•°

Keith stared. It was all he could do.

Lance frowned at the ground. He didn't want Keith to find out, not like this.

The red paladin flung off his headset.

"I'm sorry."

What was he sorry for?

"Why?"

"I didn't even notice." Keith wrapped Lance in a big hug. Lance closed his eyes as Keith pulled Lance's sleeve up.

The red paladin ran a careful finger up and down Lance's scarred skin.

He ruffled the blue paladin's hair, surprised at first when Lance began to cry in his arms.

Keith held Lance tightly to his chest. He rubbed his back, as if trying to work calm into Lance's skin.

"I should have told you." Lance's words came through sniffly and bitter. Keith smiled.

"You just did."