Archive of Our Own ^beta

The first time that they had seen each other was in the room of some strange cottage in the middle of the desert. One of them had seen the other around campus at the garrison due to what he had done and where he had been, maybe even having admiration him. But they had not known each other in person.

“Lance, right?” Shiro inquired, extending a bionic arm towards the one said to be Lance.

Lance didn’t reply, simply looking at the arm, hesitating slightly before taking it in his own, offering a smile to the one in front of him.

He moved on to the other two in the room that had not been introduced, while Lance was left to look at his hand, feeling a slight warmth spread from his hand down his whole body from the touch. He shook his head lightly, pushing away the thoughts and telling himself it was all because this person was his hero.

One of Lance’s teammates, Pidge, began talking to him about the mission he had been on, the one he had gone missing on with his other two crew members. Lance zoned out, trying to clear his own head but getting lost in the way this person glowed in front of him, how his eyes seemed to sparkle even in the dimness of the room, it was... beautiful.

Discading his thoughts aside, he focused back on what everyone was saying. Hunk, his best friend, was talking about going through Pidge’s bag and finding a picture of Pidge and his girlfriend and Pidge’s diary, then mentioning something about a...whatever he had said.

“Gimme that,” another voice said, this one known as Keith, one of Lance’s rivals, who was exploring some weird ruins full of “blue lion carvings”.

Lance had completely blocked out anything Keith had said, not wanting to have to listen to him anymore.

Before he knew it, they were all being shoved outside, going to go look for the ruins and explore them together. They all clambered onto the hovercraft, squished together and barely fitting but they would only be like that until they reached the ruins.

Lance was the second one to climb on, after Keith, who was piloting of course, and everyone piled on after him. Shiro, not knowing where to sit, ended up next to Lance and behind Keith.

Glancing at him every once in awhile, Lance felt his heart pounding at the way Shiro looked, his silhouette in the dawn light making him look gorgeous. Lance stopped himself from staring when Shiro turned to him.

“You okay, Lance?” He asked, his voice slightly louder from trying to get over the light buzzing of the hovercraft.

Turning away, face flushed, Lance nodded quickly, stunned into silence by the way Shiro’s voice turned into worry so quickly.

This was going to suck if they got stuck together for awhile. Lance was going to have to control his emotions.

Running was all he could do anymore.

Searching for something- no- someone, who had gone missing.

Shiro stopped in his tracks, looking around him and trying to find a hiding place.

Footsteps clanked behind him, all in a rhythm that was scarily in sync as they marched closer.

Shifting himself, he found a spot, throwing himself into it and trying to be as quiet as possible, holding a hand over his mouth as he watched the guards pass by, something in their arms.

No. There was no way.

The thing they were holding was who he was looking for. Lance.

Shiro waited till they had all passed before following them, panic rising in his chest as he watched them march with his partner like he was a bag full of garbage.

They soon reached a room at the end of a long hallway, the guards marching in and Shiro having to slide in last minute and hide once inside.

The room didn’t have much vastly empty. A control panel, like most rooms, and a chair. This room wasn’t familiar to him at all, he had never been here even when he was captured.

The guards had disappeared completely like that had left through a door on the other side of the room, but they left Lance in the middle of the room.

Shiro took a moment to look around the room for any traps before running over to Lance, gently lifting him up and moving his chin to face him.

“Lance? Lance, please wake up,” Shiro was quiet in his words but loud enough for Lance to hear.

Lance shifted, letting out a small breath before his eyes fluttered open.

“S-Shiro?” He inquired, his eyes not fully open yet.

“Yes, it’s me. Are you ok-” Shiro was cut off by a sudden force impaling his chest.

He looked down to where an arm was through him. It belonged to Lance.

“L-Lance?” Shiro stuttered, coughing slightly as blood dripped from his mouth.

“Hello, darling,” Lance said, pulling his arm out and letting Shiro fall next to him.

“La...nce…you…” Shiro coughed out, putting a hand over his chest.

Lance opened his eyes fully to reveal the golden hue they had.

“This form no longer belongs to this ‘Lance’ you keep mentioning,” the figure said,air-quoting with the delicate hands Shiro had grown fond of.

“Lan- AH!” Shiro hissed out, “Lance” now pressing around the wound.

“Oh, does that hurt love? I’m sorry,” he mocked, moving his hands away and standing above Shiro.

Shiro heaved, watching the person in front of him with squinted eyes, trying to keep himself alive for as long as he could.

Fake Lance looked over himself, moving his arms around before settling a hand on his chest.

“I wonder,” Fake Lance said, looking down at Shiro before plunging his own arm through himself.

“N-N-” Shiro tried to get out, the sudden weight on him making it unable for him too.

“It’s....ok...ay...Sh-Shiro…” Lance stuttered out, moving his hand slowly to place it on top of Shiro’s.

“No...Lance…” Shiro could feel himself fading fast, his vision becoming more and more blurry by the second.

“Aww, what a lovely couple. Such a shame that you two had to die with each other. But that’s just true love,” a figure hissed, looking down at Lance and Shiro.

“Oh no, blue’s already dead. Just join him now, Champion.”

Shiro managed to get a good look at the attacker, not recognizing them as anyone. Before he could get a better look his eyes rolled back into his head, nothing but black visible as they closed and his head slumped to one side.

“That’s right, Champion. The Garla have finally won.”