The Real Enemy [Klance]

Chapter 23

Hunk POV

When the team had finally worm holed out of there with the scaltrite they had gotten from the space mall everyone was silent.

Pidge was the first one to break down. She became hysterical saying, "We have to go back! Now!" She weakly tugged on Allura's jumpsuit. "They got them, they got Lance and Keith!" Fat tears rolled down her cheeks but Allura didn't respond. Her face was blank and her eyes were empty.

They couldn't go back. They were no match for the other three battleships that had appeared and the castle's particle barriers were in desperate need of repairs.

The wounds where Pidge had been struck by druid magic were an angry, throbbing red, and she looked close to collapsing. It was Shiro who finally grabbed Pidge and hauled her over his shoulder to take her to the healing pods. She put up a fight, but was too weak to actually get out of his grasp.

Hunk couldn't help but to cry, sniffling and sobbing quietly as he followed Shiro and Pidge. He wasn't in the best condition, but he would live.

The same could not be said for Keith or Lance.

A whimper left his lips. Lance was gone, just like that.

Lance was his best friend and he was gone.

When they got to the healing room Shiro put Pidge down, intending on leaving to let her dress for the healing pod, but Pidge reached up on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck so she could bury her face in his chest and cry. Shiro hesitated for a moment before wrapping his own arms around her shoulders and holding her tightly.

That was the first time he had seen Shiro cry.

There was a second where they were still, but then there was a whimper from Shiro and he fell to his knees and held Pidge tighter. Hunk couldn't help but to join the whole mess and he wrapped his arms around both of them. Pidge pulled one of her tiny arms off of Shiro to hold on to Hunk.

And they sobbed.

...

Allura POV

Allura and Coran were alone in the bridge once the paladins left. Allura was silent, still in shock from the fight and the fact that one of their paladins had been left behind.

Not even just Lance, Keith had been left behind as well and even though she hadn't trusted him at first purely because of his Galra heritage, he had proven himself trustworthy. She had finally accepted him into her little family, and now he was gone.

It was her fault. If she had been able to maneuver the castle better or maybe come up with a better plan... something. But she had failed her paladins and Keith too. When the other battle cruisers had shown up she knew that they wouldn't be able to defeat all of them without Voltron.

They had been so close to getting out of there too. But then that druid attacked Pidge- Thank the above that Keith had been there to protect her- and Lance had to go in without his lion and Hunk had no back up.

They were outnumbered and overpowered.

She had to make the executive decision to leave with the lions and she's still trying to decide if that was the right choice to make.

A hand fell onto her shoulder, pulling her from her inner turmoil.

"Princess. It was not your fault." Coran says softly. Allura turns her gaze to look at him fully. He seemed just as upset as she was.

"But it is Coran. I led them into that fight and I couldn't- I couldn't-" A sob escaped her and she stopped speaking. The sound frightened her. She couldn't break right now. She had to stay strong for the others and the castle needed to be repaired and-