Ardor | Klance [COMPLETED]

IX. Idiosyncrasy

The entire trip was a blur.
Withing thirty seconds of being on that planet, Keith was seemingly unconscious. The only thing he remembered was Lance being dragged away by those guards, and when he woke up, he was back on the ship.
"Do you think he's awake?"
"Back up, Pidge, he's waking up."
Blurry words became reality as Keith opened his eyes, and he instantly shot up with one thing on his mind.
"W-where's Lance?"
Only solemn looks from Pidge and Hunk answered that question.
When Keith saw their expressions, he only got angrier, and asked the question again, louder. "Where is Lance?"
Again, no answer.
Desperate, Keith tried to jump up and get off the bed, only to be pushed back down by a firm set of small hands.
"Sit, Keith." Pidge demanded.
"Where's Lance?"
"God dammit, Keith! Can you just shut up for a second? Your gonna reopen your stitches!"
Keith tilted his head, confused, before looking down at his bare stomach and almost gagging.
A large slice cut across his chest, down his left rib and to the side of his belly button. It was carelessly stitched up, and the dried-up blood that crusted the surface of the gash was dark green.
"When did this happen?!"
Hunk sniffled. "You guys got attacked by a Galra patrol. Apparently they knew we where coming and where already there, waiting for you two." He cleared his throat. "You're okay, but... we couldn't find Lance. Shiro's already gone with Allura to go get him, and we're doing all we can, okay buddy? Just... relax." He put his hands on Keith's shoulders and laid him back down onto the bed. Pidge smiled sadly and walked out of the room, head low. Hunk followed soon after, sniffling and wiping his face with his hands.
And Keith was left alone, in the dimly lit room, with nothing to comfort him except for the numbing of the medication and the beating of his heart.

Keith wasn't sure how much time was passing; hours, days, maybe even weeks. All he knew was that Lance had not been found. Even after his gash healed enough for him to be able to leave his room, he still stayed in his bed, sleeping the pain away. Shiro and Allura had returned, but the blue paladin had not.
He was asked to train, but Keith didn't feel like ever getting out of bed again. Everytime someone tried to talk to him, he pretended to be asleep, and covered his eyes with the duvet.
Eventually, Hunk lost hope of trying to help Keith, and only came into his room to set food down on his desk every now and then. Shiro had been more persistent, but believing that Keith was just being stubborn, decided not to annoy him about anything after a while. Allura hadn't even tried; she liked to stay away from him when he was moody. Coran was away most of the time, looking for Lance and flying over planets, but Pidge would not give up on Keith. Everyday, she stormed into his room, demanded he get out of bed that very minute, and kick the side of the bed when he didn't. She would argue and yell and pull the sheets off of the bed, but Keith never did more than tell her to leave. She insulted him, his mood, his family; it had no effect, as Keith knew she was just trying to get him mad.
Pidge would not leave him alone, and Keith was so very done with it.
Even after lying in bed for so long, he was still exhausted. All the tears and sweat made his head hurt, but he refused to drink water or eat anything, and Pidge finally got sick of him acting like he was dead.

Small footsteps echoed through the hallway, and Keith's door opened.
"Keith."
No answer.
"Keith, get up."
Still nothing.
Pidge sat down on the foot of his bed, and pulled the comforters from over Keith's face.
"I know you're not sleeping."
He groaned and opened his eyes.

"If you're gonna kick me again, just get it over with."

"I'm not gonna kick you anymore. It just all on you, Keith. I can't do anything to help you, apparently."

"Huh?"

"It's up to you to get up, Keith. It's up to you to do your duty as the red paladin, and get Voltron back together. We can't do it alone. The red lion is the most powerful lion in Voltron, and without you, we are never getting Lance back. Is that what you want? Would you rather Lance die so that you have an excuse to sulk for the rest of your life? Are you really that selfish?"

"I am not being selfish."

"Except you are. We are out there, working our asses off to get Lance back, while you lay in here, crying and eating chips! Does that say fair to you?" She raised her voice. "I am just as broken as you are, Keith. Sure, Lance might've meant something a little different to you than he does to me, but that makes us no different in this situation. All of us miss Lance. All of us stay awake at night, wondering where he is and if he's alive. We're in the same boat, Keith, all six of us. So get up."

"Go away."

"Keith!" She practically screamed. "I will not let you lay here and kill yourself! I have tried--very hard-- to get you to get the fuck up, but here you lay!" She got in his face. "You think you get special treatment? Do you think I'm gonna feel any sympathy for you? Do you? Because I'm not! We are in the same boat, Keith! So I will not feel bad for you, because I know how you feel, and if I can work through that, than you definitely should be able to do more than sit here and wither away in your own sadness!"

"I want to rescue him, Pidge, but I can't. We can't even form Voltron, because we don't have the blue lion!"

"Bullshit!" She retorted. "You can do whatever shit you want to. You're Keith! You are the red paladin! And your excuses are making me mad, so stop talking and start moving!"

"We can't rescue him! The Galra have him, and we can't even form Voltron!"

"We can try." Pidge barked. "Coran is still out there looking for Lance. We haven't given up, and you have no excuse to, either!" Her eyes softened, and her voice lowered. "I know, it's hard. For all of us. I know what he meant to you, teasing aside." She put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll get him back. He's gonna come back. The Galra are shit, yeah, but they wouldn't just kill a paladin like that. He is still alive. So get your sorry little ass up and come help us rescue your boyfriend, ok?"

Keith groaned, and sat up next to Pidge. "You almost sounded nice for a minute."

"Don't expect any more of it."

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You guys are so amazing ♡ I've gotten so much positive feedback on this and I'm really sorry I've been gone for so long.
I'm going to try to write a chapter every one or two days of spring break, and at least once a week when school starts again. I even had people asking me if they could draw some of this story and I'm ???? You guys are so funny too I read through the comments and I was literally wHEEZING so funny I cry
Anyways I just wanted to say sorry for making you wait and you guys are pretty diddly darn great <3

P.S.
This story will get funnier again I swear I have so many good pickup lines and insults in the back of my head you have no idea
Brace yourselves