(( Smut warning!))

Lance and Keith had migrated toward the back of the suite, and they'd taken refuge in Shiro's, Adam's and Matt's bed. It was larger than three regular mattresses combined.

Keith was laying on one side of the bed with his back to Lance, pulling the covers close to himself out of pure humiliation. He couldn't believe he'd done that. He'd gone full psychopath mode, and unleashed a side of himself he didn't even know he had.

Lance was in the middle of the bed, still fuming to himself. The fact that Keith had just fled like that and tried to be some sort of vigilante, it was troubling.

However... Lance could tell that Keith was feeling guilt for his actions. He didn't want him to suffer emotionally or physically.

" Baby..." The taller male whispered, scooting closer to him. Keith moved farther away, keeping the distance between them.

" No." Keith sniffled.

" Come here." Lance tried to get Keith to look at him, but he got nowhere. His boyfriend was so god damn stubborn sometimes.

Keith shook his head and trembled, and eventually he couldn't escape it. Lance wrapped his arms around him and pulled Keith into his chest. Next thing the smaller boy knew, he was met with a faceful of Lance's shirt. He squeezed his eyes shut and succumbed to the embrace, accepting the affection.

" I'm s-sorry..." Keith choked out. " I put th-the whole family in jeopardy..."

" We'll fix this, Keith." Lance spoke in his ear with certainty.

" How the hell can we do anything?! I can't f-find them, the doctors are busting their asses to save Pidge, and all we can do is sit around and twiddle our thumbs!" Keith expelled words into the fabric of Lance's shirt with no regard for what he said. He felt awful for making Lance and the others worry, for putting them in harm's way, but on the other hand... he wasn't regretful of his need for vengeance.

" Keith, you and I both know that it's not like that..." Lance whispered, rubbing his back reassuringly. " It's better to stay safe, because how can we even fight? It's not like we could bring knives on the private jet to get here, let alone guns. We know that they have the upper hand. Wouldn't you rather wait for Pidge to get better and strategize than run off and get yourself killed or worse?"

" We don't know if she'll even get better..." Keith coldly said.

" Don't say that." Lance told him seriously. " Don't you dare get like that."

Keith shut up and stayed in Lance's chest, hiding himself and finding that the shame was overtaking him.

" Baby..." Lance whispered, kissing the top of Keith's head. " Everything will be okay."

Keith wanted to believe him, wanted to take comfort in the idea of 'okay'. It was a foreign concept and would remain to be as such until they knew Pidge would survive. She had been one of the only friends he'd had for a long time. During Keith's time with the family before his grand escape, Pidge was his best friend. Lance wasn't around quite yet, and there wasn't much else to do besides be friends. Hunk, Pidge, Matt... they had been a support system. Pidge was the primary one, though. Keith couldn't stand the thought of possibly losing her in this senseless war.

Keith tried to focus on something else, something that might possibly make him feel better. He pulled back from Lance's chest and looked up at him, vulnerable and slightly trembling. Lance found his eyes wandering to gaze into Keith's indigo orbs as well.

" What?" Lance asked him gently, and Keith pressed his lips on Lance's softly. It wasn't a hesitant contact, but it wasn't a powerful one either. Lance's eyes remained open at first, but that soon came to pass as they fluttered shut. He cupped Keith's cheek and couldn't help but crumble into the kiss.

After the anxiety that mounted in Lance's soul, his emotions had been on a roller coaster. When he awakened to find Keith missing, he'd jumped to any number of conclusions. There was nothing that he'd wanted more, nothing he desired more, than for Keith to be okay. That hope had stayed alive and driven him to bring Keith back.

Lance pulled Keith closer and got lost as everything faded away for right then. His mind went blank as Keith's kiss sapped all of his attention.

" Make it okay..." Keith mumbled on Lance's lips. " Like you always do."

...

The hospital's white lights were unforgiving and harsh, and seemed to make the whole situation even worse.

Matt had a needle jabbed into his arm, and was currently giving up his blood for his sister. That was what happened when he and his sister had a rare blood type. He had offered to give a direct donation for her, being that Pidge was in desperate need of a blood transfusion as well. Sure, the hospital had been able to give her some, but there hadn't been enough. Matt was willing to give as much as she needed.

" Sir, that's two cups." The nurse tried to take the needle out.

" How much does she need?" Matt asked, looking at her distraughtly. The female RN seemed to stiffen.

" We're only supposed to take a pint usually." She explained. " Based on your body weight, you can safely give up to 1.5 pints, sir. You'll have side effects like dizziness and lightheadedness for the following week or so."

" I don't care." Matt said. " Take it all if it means she can have it."

Shiro, who was next to Matt in another chair, looked at him with a frown from concern. Matt was an absolute mess, and Pidge was still in surgery. That didn't help matters regarding his constant state of panic.

" Matt, be careful." Shiro whispered.

" Will this be enough for her? Please, can you tell me that much?" Matt ignored him and asked the woman.

" We're hoping so." She told him. " I can't promise anything."

It was a couple minutes later before the needle was out of Matt's arm and they'd taped some gauze over the hole. He leaned on Shiro's shoulder as they walked from the donation room and out into the waiting area.

" Are you doing okay?" Shiro asked Matt, seeing that he was walking in a wonky fashion. The shorter man seemed to be dizzy, and not able to walk in a straight line.

" Does any part of me look even remotely okay?" Matt spoke, following with a deep sigh.

" I'm sorry... dumb question." Shiro cringed while helping Matt sit in one of the uncomfortable chairs. Whoever had designed the cushioned benches in the waiting area had to have been a sadist. They were a sick joke, and Shiro knew that there would be a kink in his back for a while as a result of that.

Matt leaned on his boyfriend's shoulder and closed his eyes. He'd transitioned from an inconsolable mess, into a lightheaded mess that had run out of tears. His sister was the only thing he had, the only family that he had. She had been his rock when they lived on the streets, before Shiro had taken pity on them.

Shiro wrapped his arms around Matt and held him close, though the smaller man was numb from everything that had just went down.

" I love you, you know... you can tell me what you're feeling..." Shiro whispered, pressing a kiss on the top of Matt's ginger hair. Matt seemed stunned, pulled out of the trance he'd hurled himself into.

" You do?" He asked, his voice not willing to cooperate with him as it cracked. Shiro nodded.

" I do."

Words couldn't describe how long Matt had been waiting for Shiro to tell him that.

Even in the extremely shitty-no- gruesomely morbid situation they were in, Matt could take comfort in those words. He could use them as a shield, as a barrier, and they would help him weather the storm that his life presently was. Shiro could be his rock in Pidge's absence.

...

Keith was tugging at the bottom of Lance's shirt as he was pressed into the sheets and kissed. When Lance had taken a hold of him to get the scissors earlier, Keith expected something angry and heated.

But it wasn't.

Lance's lips were peaceful and harbored a feeling Keith didn't have the words to describe. It was endearing and unconditional, and relieved and Keith was unable to fathom what else it stood for.

Keith gasped on Lance's lips after his member was squeezed through the fabric of his leggings, and he accidentally bucked his hips up into Lance's hand.

" Shh..." Lance told him quietly. " We can't unless you're quiet..."

Keith nodded and turned his head to the side submissively. It was like as soon as Lance laid a hand on him, he was mush and unable to resist. The smaller male wanted this, wanted Lance to make him forget about everything that had just happened. Lance could distract him from everything and anything, even if only temporarily.

Lance kissed Keith's neck gently and sucked hickeys up to the surface of his pale skin. They were a dark purplish color soon enough, and Keith was shivering from the pressure on his skin. It was subtle, yet impossible to ignore as Lance's lips brushed over every sweet spot he had.

Lance's hands caressed down Keith's body, squeezing him and firmly pressing him down. The passion was practically dripping from Lance as he felt Keith up and yet again touched Keith's length.

" Please..." Keith murmured almost inaudibly. Lance pulled his leggings down until they were around Keith's ankles and soon Keith's underwear met the same fate. He pulled the covers up over both he and Keith, pumping Keith's cock while dusting their lips together again.

Lance smiled into the kiss and held his boyfriend closer. He'd do anything if it meant Keith was safe, and at that moment, Lance knew he couldn't let Keith out of his sight. Even if it sounded bad, he didn't trust that if he fell asleep... Keith would still be there when he woke up. Lance knew this was what they both needed to feel better, even if it was for a different reason.

" Promise me..." Lance whispered. " Promise me you'll never do that again..."

" I won't." Keith shivered, and Lance felt around by the side of the bed. Once his arm draped over the edge of the mattress and grazed the floor, he found that there were a couple bottles of lube. Thank the heavens for that. Lance was starting to wonder if he'd be forced into using spit, which never compared to the slick that lubricant provided.

" I said promise me." Lance grabbed a random bottle, thankfully not choosing the glow in the dark one by accident. That would've been scary, if Keith's ass just started glowing.

Keith felt the lube being spread out all across his rim by Lance's finger, but it never breached his entrance in the process. It only moistened him up with care.

" I promise." Keith assured Lance, pulling him so they could make eye contact in the mostly dark room. He was in need of everything Lance was doing to him right then. Keith could've broken down and sobbed about Pidge, and he knew Lance was in the same boat. However... the sensual touches were helping him to not think about what he couldn't control.

Lance met his and Keith's lips together in an intimate kiss, holding him close and staying over him. Keith made a breathy noise on his lips, doing his very best to be quiet. The last thing Hunk and Shay needed was to hear what they were doing.

Lance drew back for a moment to pull his own pants down and expose his hard member from behind the boxers he still wore. He didn't want to get naked right then, mainly because they needed to stay inconspicuous.

His length prodded at Keith's hole for a moment, and he slicked down his shaft with lube while teasing Keith's entrance with his tip. Right as he slid in, Lance leaned back down to meet their lips in yet another kiss. Keith's eyes were tightly squeezed shut as he held onto Lance's back and tangled his legs behind him.

" Shh... Baby..." Lance whispered once Keith started to moan on his lips in a raspy fashion.

Keith couldn't help but press into Lance's lips more, whining into the contact ever so quietly. He felt himself getting stretched out and his cock twitching in response to the stimulation. It was almost always better without a prep, especially when Lance was gentle at first.

Keith felt so taken care of, almost like he was a breakable piece of fine china. Normally he would've hated it, hated others fussing over him. This was the one time when he actually enjoyed getting the attention. Lance felt all along Keith's body, and he swore that there wasn't a square inch of him that wasn't appreciated. Lance pumped Keith's member slowly, letting the precum get all over his palm as he did so.

" Lance..." Keith shakily uttered in the taller boy's ear.

" You can't ever leave..." Lance told him, emotional as he buried into Keith's neck and went deeper. Keith suppressed his moans desperately as Lance began whispering in his ear. " I need you, Baby..." Was grunted very intimately.

Keith tried his best not to squirm as Lance thrusted into him a couple times, not ever letting his hold on him waver.

Lance kept himself buried in the crook of Keith's neck while his hips kept sinking in and out, sometimes diving into his boyfriend's deepest points. He couldn't ever lose him, couldn't let Keith slip through the cracks. He loved him so much, too much.

Keith's eyes finally struggled open, and his nails raked down Lance's back uncontrollably. They dug into his tan skin, latching on and refusing to let go.

The smaller boy was forced to cover his mouth as Lance sped up and went in at the perfect angle, the one he knew would make Keith see stars.

Lance could've cried, could've gotten tears all over while showing Keith his love, but he didn't. He kept it together for the sole purpose of making everything okay for Keith, for showing him that he loved him more than life itself. He pumped Keith's painfully hard length under the sheets and ran his thumb over the slit to massage it.

This wasn't about Lance's pleasure, though he was getting plenty of it from the tight and welcoming feeling of Keith's walls. It was about the endearment and duty to protect Keith. Lance would've never forgiven himself if Keith got hurt, and he was unable to prevent it. He'd do anything, step in front of anything, say anything to make sure his boyfriend stayed okay.

His purpose in life, Keith, his everything... he had to make it okay.

" I love you... I love you so damn much..." Lance murmured into Keith's neck, repeating it mindlessly while slamming into him and hitting his prostate just how Keith liked.

In that moment, he wasn't afraid to tell him. Lance knew it was true, and he needed Keith to hear it over and over until it was okay again, if it ever even would be.

(( My heart uwu ))