"Where the hell is he?!" Keith screamed, running breathlessly into the control room. He was met with grim faces and Pidge's muffled sobbing. He inhaled quietly when he saw what she was holding.

A blue helmet.

"H-he... He..." Pidge couldn't seem to form the words over her sobs. Keith took a few deep breaths, but couldn't contain himself.

"What happened?!" He asked forcefully. Pidge just shook her head and clutched the helmet closer to her chest. It was the slight shift of the helmets position that allowed Keith to see it - the blood.

Most of it was on the inside, but enough of it was on the outside to grab Keith's eyes. He didn't ask anything more, but he didn't need to.

"H-he fell. I was ab-bout to fall into the eng-engines, and he g-grabbed me... I couldn't..." Pidge broke back into a sobbing mess, and Shiro picked her up off the ground. His face was stoic and calm, but Keith could see sloppily-concealed tear tracks on his face.

"We should get you to bed." He said, his words calm and smooth until his voice cracked. Pidge didn't let go of Lance's helmet, and Shiro didn't make her.

Keith sat down next to Hunk, who had his head in his hands. Neither of them tried to talk, but when Keith started to cry, Hunk silently wrapped him in a hug. He may have enjoyed it more if not for the circumstances.

"Do you think... Is there any chance..." Keith didn't want to say the words. If he asked whether or not he was alive, it was the same as asking whether or not he was dead.

"I don't know what to think."

°•°

Keith jolted awake, sweat dripping down his forehead. He hadn't had that dream for awhile, but... Lance's return had reawakened old memories. Some were good, some weren't.

But that night... It had been practically all Keith had thought about. He didn't have to worry anymore, though, right?

Well, maybe it would be better to check on him before making any assumptions...

°•°

Lance woke up in a soft bed with a slight headache and faint memories of a dream, something about being rescued. He was sore and tired and unsurprised - he dreamed of being rescued nearly every night. It was the only thing he could look forward to in the prison - leaving it.

If only his team would find him... Maybe they thought he was dead. Maybe he was dead and was in hell.

Or maybe he was sitting in a dirty Galra cell with no way out.

"Lance?" A familiar voice jolted him into a sitting position. No... No! Had they gotten her too?

"Allura?" He gasped, staring, terrified, at the doorway. "W-what happened? Did you get caught?"

"What? I don't... I don't understand." Even in the semi-darkness, he could see the confusion on her features. "I wasn't captured. We... Keith and Hunk found you."

"He... Found me? I'm really... I'm really home?" So it hadn't been a dream. Lance could feel the tears forming in his eyes.

"Yes. We've missed you so much... We thought you were dead." Allura smiled at him and wiped some of her own tears away. "I, uh, brought you a 'wheeled chair.'" She stepped out of the doorway to reveal a rather space-age wheelchair. Lance could just imagine the conversation that Pidge and Allura must have had.

"Oh, uh, thanks." Lance smiled as Allura pushed the chair towards him. She helped in into it, and as he sat down, the armrests began to glow blue. The wheels amde a whirring sound as they slid under the chair. Lance gasped nervously as the seat raises itself into the air. It was a hover chair?!

"P-princess, thank you!" Lance couldn't believe how happy he was. It was just a hover chair. But... It was something he never would've been allowed to use in the prison.

"You're welcome, I guess. It was really mostly Pidge and Coran. They found it and stayed up all night to make it work. All I did was bring it to you." Allura's smile was warm, warmer than anything Lance had seen in a long time.

"Allura? Is Lance awake?" Keith's muffled whisper came from behind Allura in the doorway.

"Oh, yes! He's in there." Allura stepped aside, waved a goodbye at the two paladins and walked off down the hallway.

"Lance..." Keith didn't know where to start. He could barely believe that Lance was even back, let alone that he had been the one to rescue him. It just felt unreal.

"Hey, man." Lance displayed an understanding smile - Keith just wanted to give him a huge hug and never let go of him again.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry we couldn't find you and I'm sorry I didn't do better and I'm sorry that they-"

"Stop." Lance held up a hand, and Keith was glad the room was dark. He could feel the blush forming on his cheeks, whether from embarrassment or love, he did not know. "You don't have to be sorry for anything. I need to be more careful."

"Don't you dare." Keith bit his lip, not wanting to yell at Lance. After he had composed himself a little, he went on. "If you had been 'careful', Pidge would have died. I'm not saying I'm happy with what you did, but I don't want you to change yourself for anyone. Just... Make sure you're making the right choices next time, okay?"

Lance nodded. Keith smiled, feeling a weight lifting off his shoulders.

"Okay, I will." Lance propelled himself towards Keith, but before the red paladin could step out of the way, Lance wrapped him in a hug.

"Oh, uh, thanks." Keith stuttered, feeling his blush grow. Lance closed his eyes. He wouldn't be the same, he knew that, but right now, it felt as if nothing had changed. He felt strong for once. And he had Keith to thank.

"You're welcome."