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"Adam?" Lance asked, confused. 

Keith realized that he and Shiro had never really talked about Adam before in front of the other Paladins. Now that he thought about it, he doubted that they even knew that Shiro was gay, but he didn't want to get into it- Lance would find out who Adam was when they arrived on Earth. 

Keith fidgetted with the TRAM, setting coordinated and so on to make sure they'd arrive at the right time in the right reality. 

"Are you sure about this, Lance?" Keith asked quietly. "It's not really part of the mission."

Lance laughed weakly. "Allura wasn't really part of the mission either. We're winging it, Mullet."

Keith smiled at the name. It had grown from an annoyance to a pet name that he secretly liked. Lance continued, "Keith, when we get back to Earth, can I cut your hair?"

Keith looked up at the monitor, meeting Lance's eyes. He instinctively raised a hand to the back of his neck. "I'd love that," he finally murmured. They held eye contact for a few more moments until Keith looked away, trying to hide a blush. 

"Alright," he said awkwardly after a few moments, "the TRAM is set."

Lance nodded, bracing himself in his seat. "Yeet it," he said supportively. Keith gritted his teeth at the meme that was the Blue Paladin. 

"Dumbass," he mumbled under his breath.

"What's that, Mullet?" Lance asked innocently. 

"Idiot," Keith said with a smirk.

Lance batted his eyelashes, a smile making its way to his lips, which spoke, "Moron."

"Try-hard."

"Mouth-breather."

"Bastard."

"Asshole."

"Dipshit," Keith concluded at the TRAM portal opened and the Lions eagerly leaped through it. 

As soon as they arrived on the side of the porta, both Lions nearly crashed right into a Galran warship. 

"Jesus fuck, mierda, cabrón," Lance screeched, veering away from the cruiser. Keith looked around the familiar scene. 

"Goddamnit, Lance, get out of the sky! We're reliving the fucking battle with Haggar!"

"Where the FUCK do I go?" Lance answered, Blue flipping over a cruiser to avoid being shot at. 

Keith looked around desperately, pausing to blast a cruiser whose guns were aimed at Blue with a few lasers. 

His eyes fell on Earth, huge beams of light shooting upwards towards the Galran's ships from its surface. "Lance, get to Earth. I'll be right behind you."

"Keith-"

"Trust me, Lance. I won't let you down. Go."

Lance's eyes swam in Keith's vision. He smiled fiercely. "Don't die on me, Keith." Blue bolted towards Earth. Keith followed in Red. 

The two lions shot down through space, taking down fighter jets when they could. "I'm so out of practice!" Lance yelled as Blue grabbed a jet in her mouth, flinging it towards a cruiser but not checking to see if she hit her mark. 

"You're doing great, Lance," Keith said through painfully gritted teeth, dodging lasers here and there, firing at any jet who got too close to Blue. "Almost there," he told himself, Red, and Lance. 

While racking his brain for Adam's cause of death, he was nearly hit by a stream of lasers from a cruiser. Red roared and pushed forward. Suddenly, the controls were stuck. Keith panicked, worried that they'd been caught in a tractor beam, but then Red purred inwardly, right on Blue's tail as she wove through debris and spaceships. 

Keith felt a deep connection between his Lion and himself. "Thank you, Red," he whispered, then threw any and all common sense out the window and closed his eyes, focusing. 

Remembering the moment when the news of Adam's death had been delivered to him. Shiro's face turning from hope to despair. The commander's voice. "He died valiantly defending us. Under Admiral Sanda's orders, he and 9 other pilots took Garrison-Altean hybrid fighters to fight Sendak. Unfortunately, he and the pilots did not survive. I'm so sorry for your loss."

Keith's eyes shot open. "Lance! Can you get me into the Garrison's comm system?"

"Already on it, Captain," Lance replied dutifully. After a few moments, a voice was heard over the Lions' comms. 

"Power the surface-to-air-blasters. Dispatch the first wave of Garrison fighters. Prep the next wave immediately."

Keith's blood ran cold. That was Admiral Sanda's voice. "We've gotta make it, Red. Come on..." he urged his Lion faster. They were plummeting through Earth's atmosphere, the heat rising in the cabin as Red pushed through the layers. 

"This is Commander Iverson. Initiate base defense protocol, Beta-Five."

Keith could make out the large, orange dome of the particle barrier surrounding the Garrison on the horizon. Red and Blue leveled out, shooting across the hot, arid desert, lunging forward as if they themselves knew the importance of the mission.

"Are we gonna make it?" Lance asked nervously. 

Keith frowned. "We'd better."

"Our weapons have no effect!" Keith's stomach lurched. That was Adam's voice. He looked above the Garrison to see five huge Galra cruisers shooting beam after beam at ten small targets that wove and spun around them. 

"Lance, I've got this. You need to get into the particle barrier stat. Connect with the base and request sanctuary, do you understand?"

"Evasive maneuvers!"

Lance's eyes went wild. "Absolutely not. Keith, they'll kill you! Do you not see that?" 

"Wildcat's gone. Titan's not responding."

Keith exhaled slowly, trying to calm his nerves. "I need to do this Lance. For Adam. For Shiro. Get to safety."

"Be aware, another Galra fleet is launching and approaching."

Lance shook his head. "I'm coming with you." Lance's breath was fast and heavy, his frustration and stubbornness showing through. 

Keith felt his heart strain. Slowly, calculated and articulate, he spoke. "I can't be worried about two people I love at the same time. Get to safety, Lance. Please."

Lance didn't say anything but they were nearing the base and Keith couldn't afford to take his eyes off the scene in front of him to look at the live comm. In his peripheral, he saw Blue veer off towards the Garrison. He regretted his words and knew that there was no going back now, but it was true. 

"Time to save Adam," he whispered to Red. She roared in agreement. 

Keith narrowly dodged the purple lasers, momentarily blind as he searched for the fighter jets. He knew that Adam had been the last of the pilots to be killed. Red circled above the fleet, searching for the Garrison fighters. 

Suddenly, to his left, he noticed three small jets speeding towards one of the warships. He acted immediately, diving towards the jets. 

Closer...

A laser caught one of the jets. Keith felt tears at his eyes. 

Closer still...

The other jet veered away but was hit too. 

A beam of light aimed directly towards the last jet... 

Red slammed into the craft, almost overshooting, but was able to grab one of the triangular wings in her jaws as the deathly laser passed overhead. Keith let out a short exhale of relief but didn't allow himself to slow. They were still in danger. 

He opened a live comm to the Garrison. "Requesting sanctuary! This is Paladin Keith!" Red, off-balance but steady enough to fly, dove towards the particle barrier. "I repeat, this is Paladin Keith-"

A hole in the barrier opened and Red tumbled inside, landing in a heap on the ground with the jet still clutched in her jaws. Keith blinked hard as his consciousness became dizzy. He struggled to stay awake, but in moments, his eyes shut and everything was dark. 

...

hi loves<3

the next fix! ADAM DESERVED BETTER!!

also ive been thinking about my next works...

also also i know i ask this a lot but i just wanna make sure,, i always put the music i listen to while writing the chapter in the chapter but i was just wondering if y'all still liked that? idk

qotd: favorite voltron season?

ily to the edge of the universe