Love, Loss and Everything in Between. Klance AU

Chapter 20 - The Light

Ah an attempt at a rescue mission... but will it go the way the paladins planned it to go?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

"It's done." Pidge whispered, stepping back and marvelling at their work. Hunk stood proudly beside them, one hand on his hip as the other wiped at his sweaty forehead. Shiro stood behind them and neither knew how long he'd been there.

"Alright. We can rest for one more night and then, when we are refreshed, we can get Lance back." Shiro spoke, hope returning to his tone. They all nodded in exact unison, more than prepared for such a task. All they could do was cross their fingers that everything went to plan.

-

"Good boy..." Gort whispered as Lance nibbled at his Galran bread roll. Gort had brought him some sort of green thing with it. He had no idea what it was but it had a sour taste that made Lance's taste buds dance and sing. The water also had some sort of flavouring to it as it was tinted pink and tasted almost like an Earth strawberry. He gulped back the liquid without savouring it. "Do you want more of that?"

Nodding slowly, he eyed Gort for any signs of a catch. Of course there was one.

"If you answer one question for me, sweetheart. When the green lion uses its cloaking ability, can you still feel it? Or does it disappear completely?"

"I- I think you can feel it." Lance looked up at Gort through wide, empty eyes as he nodded his head. Gort stood up and disappeared for a few moments before returning with more of the special juice. He sipped at it that time, savouring each moment.

"May I look at your arm?" Choosing against saying anything, Lance held out his arm for Gort to inspect. It had been ripped apart not long earlier and the blood had dried up. Gort mumbled something under his breath before exiting the room once again and returning with a damp cloth. He wiped Lance's arm until only the cuts were visible. "We can't have you dying on us."

"How k-kind of you..."

Gort hushed Lance, reaching out and tracing his cheek with the tip of his finger. "None of those smart retorts of yours anymore, okay? You don't want to be punished, do you?" Lance shook his head, body trembling at the thought alone.

-

"You know what to do, right?" Shiro murmured into his secret earpiece. Once he received confirmation from Pidge, he realised he was live to the entirety of the Galran empire. "Uh, hello Galrans. It's Shiro here, paladin of the black lion. We have realised that you didn't rightfully return Lance to us and we want to propose a second chance to make such a trade. I assure you that we will stick by our end of the bargain and give you Black. We also offer you the red lion as well. We just want the blue paladin in return." He couldn't tell how the Galran responded to the message but the doors of the ship were slowly coming open which seemed like an invitation.

He thrust the controls forward towards the Galran ship. Pidge was behind him, the lion invisible as a result of its cloaking ability. Shiro landed the lion aboard the ship but didn't exit until Pidge had confirmed that they were inside too.

Shiro stepped down, coming face to face with a pair of Galran guards. He cleared his throat, watching as the soldier's faces remained emotionless. "Please bring Lance to me and I will give you the lions as we proposed."

They charged at him but Shiro was prepared for the attack. He curled his robotic hand into a fist and sent it flying towards the first soldier he saw, knocking them out with a single hit. The other stumbled backwards at the sight. Shiro repeated his actions onto the second guard until he was also unconscious.

"We're in." Pidge whispered across the coms, infiltrating Shiro with a mound of hope. Shiro headed to the door behind where the guards had once been standing. He grabbed one of them, lugging them along with him until they were close enough to touch the scanner with their limp hands. The door flew open immediately at the contact.