Keith and Pidge
Shidge/Klance
Shiro wasn't abducted from his lion in this one shot.

"No!"

"Why not!?"

"It's a death sentence!"

"It's where my brother was last seen!"

"They've stocked the place up with guards because it's the last place your brother was seen!"

"Damnit, Keith!" Pidge cried, her fingers curling in her unruly hair and tugging. "We all accepted the fact that you're Galran, why can't you accept the fact that we just want to see our families again!? That we just want to go home!?"

Keith clenched his jaw and clacked his teeth together. "I have accepted that fact, Pidge! You miss family, you miss home! I know! But you can't go head-first into that prison, even though you know your brother isn't there!"

A sob broke from the youngest Paladin's throat, tears in her amber eyes that she refused to let fall. "I hate you!" Pidge screamed. Keith jolted as well as everyone else in the room. "I fucking hate you so much!" The green paladin pivoted sharply and stormed out of the main control room.

The red paladin balled his hands into fists, glaring at the floor. He turned and looked up at Allura. "We can't go to that prison, Allura. It'll kill one of us and her brother isn't even there anymore."

Shiro gulped, then nodded. "I have to agree with Keith. It's unreasonable to go to a prison that we know her brother is no longer in. I'm going to go find Pidge."

Allura nodded to the black paladin, then watched him leave. Lance came up to Keith and took his hand. "Keith, I don't know if yelling at her made anything better."

Keith shook his head and looked up at Lance. "It's the only way to get to her when she's made up her mind. She's stubborn."

Lance chuckled and nodded, kissing Keith's cheek. "Yeah. She is. Just... Will you at least try to apologize? When you've both calmed down?"

Keith opened his mouth to protest, then sighed and nodded. Lance wrapped an arm around Keith and drew him into an embrace. "There's my Keith." Keith smiled just slightly, closing his eyes and resting his head on Lance's shoulder. "For now, we'll just give her some space."

~

"Katie? Will you please come down?"

Pidge groaned, hitting her head on her lion's metallic muzzle. "No!"

Shiro sighed. "Please? I promise I'm not mad about you two yelling, just come down."

The green paladin was silent for a moment before she patted the white of her lion's muzzle. Green slowly lowered her head until Pidge could easily slide off. Shiro took her hands and knelt down on one knee in front of her. "Katie, I know you want to find your brother and father, but going somewhere that you know they aren't isn't going to help, Katie. It might make you feel worse." She nodded, gaze downcast. Shiro released her hands, then cupped her face. "Come here, baby girl."

Pidge broke into a grin and giggled. Shiro smiled and pushed himself up just slightly to kiss her. He had found during their relationship that Pidge loved the sweet nickname.

"I'll apologize." Pidge stated once they pulled away. "I will."

Shiro smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "That's my girl." Pidge smiled, her cheeks tinged pink.

~

Keith grunted, skidding backwards with his shield held up in front of him.

"Keith! You okay!?" Lance shouted, on top of a nearby building.

"I'm fine. It just was stronger than I expected." Keith muttered into the comm.

Lance sighed in relief. "Mkay. Keep an eye on Pidge."

Pidge huffed and dodged a blast. "I can keep an eye on myself, thank you very much."

Shiro chuckled. "Alright, focus on the enemy. Keep your eyes on them or they'll get you down on the ground before you know it."

"Aye, sir." Hunk shouted.

Somewhere into the battle, Keith and Pidge got pushed back, being sectioned off from the rest. Pidge cursed repeatedly under her breath, then cried as her bayard was shot out of her hand. "Shit!"

Keith grabbed the back,of her armor and pulled her behind himself. "Shield up!"

"Got it!" Pidge raised her shield. "We should get out of the city!"

"Why!?"

"There's less of them out on the outskirts! We should to to the caves!" Pidge pointed.

"No way!" Keith yelped, but they were backing up anyway. "Those caves are unstable! They could collapse on us!"

"They're our best bet right now since my bayard is gone!" Pidge snapped.

Keith groaned, but nodded. "Okay, okay! To the caves." Keith blocked one more blast, then snatched Pidge's wrist.

The younger paladin yelped as she was dragged. "Come on!" Keith shouted, pulling her along as he dashed. She stumbled, but quickly caught herself.

They ran out of the city, wildly dashing for the cover of the caves.

Another blast sounded and Pidge screamed, falling.

"Pidge!" Keith gasped, then rushed to pick her up.

"I ain't no damn princess!"

"Shut up! You just got shot!" Keith yelled as her as he continued running. Pidge clung to his neck, her hair whipping around now that her helmet fell off. "Shit, shit!"

Keith made a sharp turn into a small cave. Pidge gasped and curled in tighter as Galran sentries shot into the cave.

The rocks groaned and crumbled, echoing from the blasts. Keith tripped and cried as they fell. Both tumbled, Keith's helmet falling off. The roof began to cave. "Pidge!" Keith used his jet pack to launch forward. He wrapped his arms around her and they tumbled over an edge.

Pidge desperately clung to Keith as they fell and tumbled down the side. They slid to a stop and panted heavily, Pidge clinging to Keith on top of him. Keith gulped and panted, arms wrapped tightly around the smaller paladin.

"You... You okay?" Keith breathed, loosening his hold on her. Pidge slowly nodded, pushing herself up.

"Y-yeah... I'm alright... Thanks..." She muttered, then winced. She pressed her hand to her thigh. "Ow..."

Keith sat up and flinched at the stench. "That's... A lot of blood... We need to wrap it." Pidge nodded again, pressing down harder. Keith stood and squinted. Their only light was the lights from their suits and the dim glow of the crystals. "These caves were used for mines, so there's got to be something..." Keith searched the small area, then found a little camp set up in the corner. He rushed back to Pidge and helped her stand. "Do you want me to carry you, or do you think you can make it?"

"I'll live." Pidge grumbled, then whined as she stepped down. "-If you carry me."

Keith smiled slightly and picked her up. "It looks like there were some miners down here. There's a little bit of food and water and there are bedrolls and blankets."

Pidge nodded, then groaned as Keith lay her down on a bedroll. Keith grabbed one of the blankets and tore it. "Hopefully it'll last until the others get here. We have no way of communicating."

The green paladin hissed as Keith tightly wrapped the make-shift bandage around her thigh. "Yeah... Yeah-ow!" Keith tied the torn and now-bloody cloth and sat back. "Ow... Ow, ow..."

"Sorry." Keith muttered, dropping his head. "Gotta keep it tight, though." Pidge just groaned in response. "Hopefully they can find us."

~

"I lost contact with Keith!" Lance shouted into the comm, but refused to pause his firing.

Shiro blocked a blast from a droid and lashed his bayard out. "Pidge!? Pidge, can you hear me!? Katie, answer me!" Shiro demanded, driving his glowing arm through a sentry. "Damn it! Did anyone see where they went!?"

"I can search for their heat signatures!" Allura shouted.

Hunk spoke up, rounding a corner. "They were together, I know! I think they said something about caves!"

Shiro dodged a blast and glanced around the building to the caves off across the field. Sentries were headed back towards them and Shiro's eyes caught something green. His teeth clicked. "Send the Galra running!" He shouted, lounging forward.

~

Pidge and Keith grunted at the muffled explosions from above. "How far from over do you think this is?" Pidge asked, eyes heavy with exhaustion.

Keith shrugged, lowering himself on another bedroll. "I don't know. We're thinning them out pretty fast and they aren't sending for backup." Pidge nodded. "They'll just have to dig through all that rubble afterwards. It could take them hours to get here. Maybe a day."

The green paladin nodded, swallowing thickly. "Yeah..." She reached over and pat his shoulder with the tips,of her fingers. "Can you help me take my chestplate off? It's uncomfy."

Keith chuckled and nodded. "Yeah." Pidge groaned as she raised her arms and Keith tugged her chestplate off. "Better?" She nodded, relaxing in the bedroll. "Are you cold?" She nodded again.

Keith didn't think much of it. He grabbed two of the blankets and lay them over her. Pidge sighed and burrowed into the blankets. Keith pat her head, then leaned against the wall of rubble and rocks. "You hear that? Sounds like the Galra are retreating." A small smile curled Pidge's lips as she looked up at the crystal-littered ceiling. Keith smiled as well, petting her hair out of her face. "Everyone will be looking for us. They'll find us and we'll get you in a pod."

~

Shiro's jaw clenched painfully as he held up Pidge's bayard and helmet. "Her helmet was... By a puddle of blood..."

Lance gulped, looking around. "Maybe... Maybe they're just... In a cave. We don't know who's hurt, and maybe they're okay. We just... We gotta look."

Hunk dashed toward a cave. The roof had crumbled and hunk could see a Galran sentry crushed in between the rocks. "They went in here." Hunk muttered, pointing to the rocks. "The cave must have collapsed when the Galra were shooting at them."

Shiro pushed against a rock and winced at the crumbles that followed. "It looks unstable. One wrong,move could bring the rest of it down. It'll take hours to get them out."

"Shit." Lance buried his face in his hands. "Damnit. Quiznak. We've gotta get them out, somehow! One of them is hurt!"

Hunk raised his hand and pat Lance's shoulder. "Buddy, I have an idea."

~

Keith was beginning to get concerned.

Pidge's breathing grew sharp and shallow, her brows knitting together and cold sweat dotted her forehead. He took off his glove and placed the back of his hand to her forehead. "Damn it." Keith hissed. She was burning up. He heard faint echoes of distant pebbles falling and bouncing.

The red paladin scooted closer and raised her head to rest on his leg.

She groaned. "Don't... Don't baby me..." She grumbled, but didn't push him away. Keith chuckled at her and pet her dampening hair out of her face. Pidge huffed. "My leg... Is numb..."

"I probably cut off the circulation. I'll loosen the bandage." Keith told her and activated his bayard. He readied a spare cloth and cut the one wrapped around her leg. Pidge cried weakly and whimpered as he quickly pressed the bundled cloth to her wound. Pidge panted and rolled her head. "Better?"

"I can... Practically feel my blood just... Pulsing through..." She grumbled, using weak hand gestures. Keith patted her head. "Where's... Where's everyone else?"

Keith sighed. "I... Don't know..."

~

"I can see their heat signatures!" Hunk cried, then shut himself up at the glare from Lance. "Sorry. Sensitive rocks could,collapse on us at any moment. But I got their heat waves. One looks colder than the other... I can't tell which is which because of everything in the way, but... One of them is losing blood."

Shiro gulped. "Is there any way we could move faster?"

Hunk looked up at his lion. The lion made a clicking noise, then whirred. Hunk sighed and shook his head. "No. Not without the cave completely collapsing."

Lance and Shiro cursed, then got back to work.

~

Pidge whimpered, gripping Keith's arm. "Ev-everything hurts... It's-it's so cold..."

Keith nodded, biting his lip. "I know... I know, Pidge... Just- they'll be here soon. I promise." Pidge nodded, sucking in a shaky, ragged breath. Keith gulped, petting her hair back. "Pidge, I-... I'm sorry. Maybe you'd... You'd be closer to your brother by now if we had just gone..."

She shook her head. "No... You were right... It'd be pointless to go... He was already gone..."

"But you wouldn't be here, like this." Keith countered. Pidge shrugged and groaned, closing her eyes.

~

"Guys, hold up. I think I see something." Lance paused, holding up a hand. He reached in between two rocks with a large gap, just not large enough for a person to fit through. He pulled out a cracked, red helmet. Lance gulped and gripped it. "No, uhm... No blood."

Shiro bit his lips and brushed his fingertips over Pidge's bayard and helmet. "I'm coming, sweetheart."

~

"I'm... I'm the one who should be apologizing." Pidge huffed and shifted slightly. "I yelled back. I shouldn't have suggested such a stupid idea... I should have thought about it more thoroughly."

Keith switched out the bunched cloth for a cleaner cloth. "You just wanted to find your brother, Pidge. I shouldn't have gotten angry about that." Pidge opened her eyes and smiled weakly up at him. "But, for what it's worth... You're like a sister to me, Pidge. I wouldn't trade you for anything."

Tears welled up in her glazed amber eyes. "And you're like a brother to me..." Her voice broke and she squeezed his arm. Keith smiled and leaned down to be closer. He kissed her forehead, then leaned back on the rocks.

He let his eyes slide shut, Pidge resting her head on his lap and his hand keeping the cloth firmly held to her leg.

~

"We're so close!" Hunk cheered as quietly as possible.

~

Something was wrong.

~

Lance grinned. "I'm coming, Keith. Just hold on."

~

Keith's stomach twisted and his eyes snapped open.

~

"Katie? Katie, baby, I'm coming!" Shiro called, voice echoing softly.

~

Her eyes stared distantly up at the ceiling, her body unmoving.

~

Hunk finally cleared an opening. "Guys! Guys, where are you!?"

~

"Pidge?" Keith's voice trembled, even as he heard the other's faint voices. He grabbed her shoulder. "Pidge, look at me."

~

"There's blood. They're in here."

~

Tears stung his eyes and his throat closed up.

~

"There - the edge!"

~

"N-no..."

~

"Keith!"

~

He sobbed softly, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her up.

~

"Katie!?"

~

Keith rocked, tears sliding down his dirty cheeks. "No... No, no, no..."

~

"I see them!" Hunk gasped, peering over the edge. "Down there!" He pointed.

Lance and Shiro leapt off, shortly followed by Hunk. They used their jetpacks and slid down the edge.

"Keith!"

"Katie!"

Keith stayed hunched over Pidge, rocking and holding her tight. "Damn it... Damn it all..." His voice trembled and he didn't look up at footsteps stopped beside him.

"Keith?" Shiro asked. "What-what's going on?"

The red paladin coughed and hiccuped, his eyes tightly shut. Tears still managed to squeeze through.

Lance knelt beside Keith and touched his shoulder. "Keith, babe-"

"Don't touch me!" Keith screamed, stopping the rocking motions. "Don't-don't touch me..."

The blue paladin flinched back. "What's wrong? Keith, tell me..."

Shiro trembled and made his way around. His chest tightened and his throat closed up. He fell to his knees and choked on a sob.

Keith began rocking again, his forehead pressing into her chest. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." He repeated this over and over again. Keith got louder and louder until he was just screaming and crying, holding his fellow paladin closer and closer.

~

Keith gasped and stumbled.

"Whoa, whoa!" Lance shouted, quickly catching Keith. "Slow down, Keith. You just got out of the pod."

The red paladin blinked, slowly relaxing in his boyfriend's arms. "What... Happened?"

"You and Pidge got trapped in a cave." Lance muttered, rubbing his back. "You got pretty banged up and your lungs were full of dust."

Keith hummed and nodded, closing his eyes. "Right... Right... How is Pidge?"

Lance stiffened. "She's... She's uhm... Let-let me show you. Actually, let's get you dressed first." Keith just nodded and leaned on Lance.

~

Keith's stomach churned nervously as Lance led him down a familiar hallway. He spotted Shiro, Hunk, Allura and Coran all gathered around one of the chambers and his chest tightened. "Where's Pidge?" He's breath hitched. Lance squeezed his hand.

Shiro's forehead and hands were pressed to the chamber, tears streaking his cheeks.

Keith didn't want to know anymore.

There Pidge was. Clean, peaceful. She was in a plain, white dress. One Allura must have dug up. The dress ended at her knees and the sleeves fell from her shoulders. A green rope tied around her waist and it looks like someone painted green just under her right eye. She also had no shoes on her little feet

Pidge was beautiful and so peaceful...

Keith sobbed, remembering now. He sunk to his knees, burying his face in his hands. "I failed her... I failed her..."

Allura placed a gentle hand on Shiro's back. "This chamber will keep her body the same, but... We can no longer retrieve her memories nor can we bring her back..." The princess mournfully whispered, her own tears wetting her cheeks.

Hunk stood back, silent as his cheeks just got more damp with each tik.

Lance stayed beside Keith, eyes on the floor. He didn't want to cry. He wanted to be strong for everyone else, but... He couldn't help himself as his shoulders shook and his eyes stung.

"I love you..." Shiro rasped, now kneeling in front of the pod. "I love you..."

~

Keith gasped and jolted, flinging himself out of bed. "Oh, quiznak-" He yelped, then collided with the floor.

"Babe?" Lance groaned, shifting on the bed.

The red paladin panted as he sat up. He touched his sticky cheeks. Wet... He thought, then shot to his feet. "Pidge!"

"Wha...?"

Keith dashed out of his room and down the hallway. He didn't bother to stop himself in time, so he collided with the familiar door. "Pidge!" He shouted, pounding on the door. The door slid open unexpectedly, causing him to tumble in.

No little paladin.

"No no no!" Keith panted, panic rising in his chest.

He started darting around the castle, peeking into every room, every vent, until he finally came upon Green's hangar.

"Pidge!" He yelled as he rushed in, and jumped at the high-pitched shriek and the clatter of tools.

"What the fuck!?" A voice snapped and a messy head of hair popped up from behind Green's paw. "Damn it, Keith!"

Keith nearly wilted, then made his way over to her as she shouted and cursed at him. Once he reached her, he threw his arms around her and held her close.

Pidge gasped and froze, eyes wide. Keith hunched and pressed his face into her shoulder. "... Keith?" She asked, voice soft. Pidge hesitantly returned the embrace.

"Don't... Don't leave... Don't die... Please... I'm begging you..." Keith whispered as his legs gave out. Both of them fell to their knees.

The green paladin smiled and nuzzled his shoulder. "Did you have a nightmare?" She asked, rubbing soothing circles into his back. Keith nodded. "Don't worry, Keith... I'm not going anywhere. This isn't a dream, this isn't a nightmare anymore... I promise I'll live."

Keith nodded. "Good... I'll kill you if you break your promise."

"I'll already be dead, Keith."

"I know... Just- I know..."

Pidge hummed and nodded. "Yeah... Just promise me you'll live, too."

"I promise."

"I'm glad."

-------

3292 words

Lol, bet you thought I really killed her for a minute.