AND it was OUR u n i v e r s e

-Chapter 2-

Lance was very confused as to what that could have been. But he fears it may have been from his fight with Haggar.

He remembers that she had used her dark magic on him and ever since that he had been sick and that black mark had appeared.

Lance got lost in thought. He was tired and just out of it. He definitely... isn't himself...

He continued wiping off the black mark, but the mechanical looking mechanism was stuck. He didn't have a single clue on what it was, so he decided it would be best to leave it for the morning.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Lance. Are you okay in there? I just got a little worried as I noticed you weren't in bed anymore..." it was Keith who spoke. His voice was laced with concern and it was quite visible.

Lance opened the bathroom door. He was looking up at Keith. "Man, I don't know what this is and it's scaring me." Lance spoke to Keith. He showed Keith the mark and how it just keeps spreading.

Keith's concern grew alot more as he saw the thing on Lance's waist. "We should ask Allura what it is, when she wakes up ofcourse, but first maybe we should talk?" Keith was quiet for a few moments. "Lance? What exactly happened on our previous mission?"

Lance went quiet as he thought back to the memory. He sighed. "I was on the galra ship. I thought I was alone, so I walked out to go grab that thing Pidge needed. Then someone spotted me..." He was quiet for a few more seconds. "At first I thought it was a soldier, but I was wrong. Very wrong..." He looked at Keith. "Lance, who was it?" He looked back at Lance.

"It was one of those witch looking people.. that's all I can really remember.." he sighs. "Keith?... I'm sorry." Keith put his hand on Lance's shoulder. "Lance. Don't apologize okay? You did nothing... and I mean nothing.. wrong. Okay?" Lance nods with a small smile on his face.

"Thank you Ke-" the castle alarms started going off, signaling a galra attack. The two boys looked at eachother before rushing out to get their uniforms on.

All the paladins had made their way out of the castle with their lions. A galra ship was attacking the castle. Lance had gotten distracted, there was a pain in his waist where the marking was. He lost control of his lion and got shot with the glaran ship's lazer.

Lance's lion was dead and Lance himself was out cold. "Lance? Are you okay?" Keith spoke through their helmets. "Lance?!" Still no reply. "Lance I swear to god. Answer me or I will beat you." Keith spoke, but he sounded more concerned than threatening.

Keith went over to Lance's lion. The other paladins protecting the two lions. Keith left his lion, making his way into Lance's. He walked over to the other boy. "Lance? Are you okay?..." Keith shook Lance lightly. Lance didn't wake up. Keith notices how the black mark had spread up to his neck. "No- no no! Lance?!" The lazer must've worsened the spreading.

Keith threw the unconscious Lance over his shoulder, taking the biy with him. They made their way into Keith's lion, as it was safer due to it not being dead.

"Lance you vetter be okay after this." Keith spoke silently to himself. The other paladins were worried about Lance aswell, but they were to focused in combat to ask questions.

Keith used his lion to bring Lance's back to the castle. Soon the other's came back aswell. Keith had put Lance in the healing pod again before the other paladins had arrived.

Shiro walked over to Keith, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Shiro.. I think I know what happened." Shiro squeezed Keith's ahoulder lightly. "You can tell me."

"Lance had been attacked by one of Zarkon's witches... but what if it wasn't just any witch? What if it was Haggar?... Shiro... that mark is growing because of the lazer Lance got shot with. They must've used the Altean magic negatively to create some sort of virus. And now it's spread.. what if it kills him Shiro?..." Keith's voice was soft at the end of his sentence.

He was worried about Lance... he can't lose him... he is one of the only people he has left... he cares about Lance too much to be able to let him go.

Keith stayed by the healing pod once again. He's back where they were not so long ago. The worry and exhaustion clear in Keith's expression. He hates the fact that bad things keep happening.

Their supposed to protect the universe not be obliterated by it. Nothing makes sense anymore. But everything's connected somehow. Like Zarkon's witch.

Keith was definitely gonna- "Keith?..." Pidge spoke. "Keith you can't stay up this late again." She sighs. "We're all worried about Lance, but our health is also important. Please take care of yourself. Now come on." Pidge grabbed Keith's hand, pulling him up onto his feet. "Pidgeeeee... but I wanna be there when he wakes up." Keith complained. "No buts! You don't have a butt so you can't say but. Come on you emo leech. I swear you're addicted to Lance or something. Jeez-"

Pidge pushed Keith into his room. "Goodnight roach." She walks off not once giving Keith time to speak. Keith knew that if he went back to the pods that he'd probably be scolded by someone. So he decided to actually go to bed.

The next morning Keith woke up at around 7am. The castle was fillef with the smell of food. Keith got up out of bed.

He grabbed his jacket, putting it on before walking to the kitchen. He entered to find Hunk and Shiro in the kitchen. Shiro is trying to help hunk make some pancakes.

They all greet eachother with their goodmornings. Afterwards Keith left with some coffee that Shiro made him. He arrived infront of Lance's pod.

But the pod was empty... Lance wasn't there...