Endangered

by KuramaBabe

Summary:

Keith decides to visit the Castle of Lions during a break from Blade missions. However, a nearby planet has requested help from Voltron and Lance is the one to make the trip. He asks Keith to accompany him for old time's sake. Unfortunately for the half Galran, something lurks in the depths that none of them had been warned about...

--

However, he had jerked a little too harshly to do so and the animal retaliated by swiftly pulling out of Keith; a movement that Lance noticed had caused him to bleed. This was enough to get Lance to spring into action, but the Blue Paladin wasn't prepared to watch Keith get slammed into a nearby rock formation, hearing the glass of his helmet shatter over the comm.

Notes:

This was purely for my own twisted enjoyment. I recently read a couple fics by ohmyguts and sat here thinking...I want to write some unhappy, fucked up mpreg too. But I need to have my fluff and cute boyfriends, because I'm apparently inept at writing hurt with no comfort. So please note this is a bit different from my usual writing - this is MUCH more angsty than what I currently have out, but there is sweetness sprinkled around. Also been in a pretty bad mood lately and focusing on my other stuff wasn't going to cut it.

Chapter 1: Vacation

Keith stretched as he exited his pod and jumped down to the floor. It felt good to be back at the Castle of Lions. He used to think Allura's training when she was serious about running them ragged was hard; he dared any of them to complain if they saw what he had to do on Blade missions and any training done at the base. Keith never had issues with the training as a Paladin, but he was starting to miss those days now that things were more intense.

But Kolivan had awarded him a break. As hardcore of a leader as he was, he understood that Keith's only half Galran body wasn't as strong as the other Blade members. If pushed too hard, he would be useless as his body broke down, as they already witnessed once. So Keith had kept an eye on his health and requested a whole movement away from the base. He almost wasn't given the entire time until he argued that some of that was for travel time, especially since he would have to contact his old team to see where they even were. It had been a while and he knew they were busy; they could be on the other side of the universe for all he knew. Single occupant Blade transportation was fast, but not quite that fast.

Only Allura knew of his visit. He wanted to surprise everyone and knew she'd keep it a secret. Well, except for the mice, but telepathic bonds are just like that. She was happy to hear he was taking care of himself, as it was something he hadn't done often as a Paladin. He was glad they were close again, worried his heritage had ruined everything they had built up over time.

In fact, he was happy to have his friendships repaired in general. Usually a loner because of his past, he didn't want to lose his friends now that he finally had them. Despite sticking up for him against the princess, Hunk had still been rude on their journey to and from the weblum. Pidge and Coran had been quieter around him, though they talked the usual amount to everyone else. Even Shiro wasn't as amiable, though Keith was chalking that up to whatever happened during his abduction.

Truthfully, the only one that hadn't treated him worse was Lance: the one Keith EXPECTED to be more of a jerk. While they still hadn't been close when they all found out, Lance's teasing was the same as it always was. Not once did he ever bring Keith's new-found heritage into the equation, seeming even to back off a little bit for the first few quintants, while Keith digested the information. Lance even stuck around during video calls, long after the others left the control room. Keith felt like he actually listened and it felt nice to be heard for a change, even over trivial things. If there was anyone Keith was the happiest to hopefully see during his break, it was Lance.

Notes:

Sorry this chapter is so short! Just wanted to get the start of this posted so I can go to bed lol

Chapter 2: Greetings and Salutations

He and Allura had timed everything, making sure everyone was busy so she could open the hangar for him alone. Because of this, she was there to greet him first and made sure no one had followed her. Her smile and eyes were bright, hugging him tightly. Keith briefly forgot how strong the Alteans were, as he couldn't breathe until she let him go. His own hug in return was a lot less enthusiastic, having more do to with not being as physically affectionate than not being able to match her strength.

“It is so good to see you again, Keith!” She seemed genuinely happy to have him back and it warmed his heart. “I take it you had a safe journey?”

“Glad to be back, even if it's just for a bit.” The pair began walking out of the hangar, voices becoming more hushed. “Pretty boring, though I guess I should be thankful for that.” He peeked around, wondering why it was so quiet. At the very least he would hear the others, right? “Where is everyone?”

“Coran is in the infirmary, checking our supplies and doing general cleaning. Lance and Shiro are training. Hunk is testing out something new in the kitchen. I'm actually not quite certain where Pidge has gotten to.”

“Hunk probably knows, so I'll go surprise him first,” Keith replied with a sneaky grin. “Keep everyone else preoccupied if you need to.”

“You got it,” Allura giggled, her first objective to make sure the two trainees didn't need any injuries treated. She'd keep an eye on them and make sure they either didn't get too involved with the simulation or that they didn't leave before Keith was ready. Knowing Shiro and how he'd been acting these days, she had extra reason to watch him.

---

Hunk would cry when Keith found him first and the ex-Paladin would get his second bear hug. Getting to taste test Hunk's current experiment, and being delighted, Keith went to find Coran after telling the yellow Paladin about his stay. Hunk had said Pidge might be with him, since that was her destination after she was done doing some personal, computer work.

Sure enough, he found them both in the infirmary. Shockingly, Coran was the more reserved hugger, knowing Keith wasn't entirely fond of them. While Keith would normally agree with this, it was reserved for close friends and everyone on the ship fit the bill. Pidge was so excited, Keith was certain she would straight up fuse with him and he'd gain a new appendage.

Shiro walked in on them all, Allura having not been able to keep him at bay. Apparently, Lance had gotten him pretty good in a moment of weakness, so felt the need to have the goose egg examined. He was ecstatic to see Keith, his reaction only tampered down because of the injury. Keith completely understood and wasn't about to pressure Shiro into too rough of a greeting.

“You just rest easy; I don't think it's too bad to need anything other than chilling out, figuratively and literally.”

“I think so too, but you can never be too careful,” Shiro smiled.

“Where did Lance go then? He didn't help you down here?”

“I'm a grown man, Keith, and it's not like I couldn't make it here on my own. He went back to his room,” Shiro replied with a nod to the door, his tone good-natured. “We got pretty sweaty, so I'm sure he took a shower right away. He'll probably be done before you get there.” Keith thanked him, gave him a gentle hug and left the infirmary. Greeting everyone was draining his social battery, so he was glad he was almost done. He was, of course, saving the best for last.

Keith was tired from his trip anyway and hoped he could kick back. Lance was, surprisingly, intuitive and seemed to always know when the original red Paladin either needed space, quiet company, or mindless chatter without expecting a reply. Sometimes, Keith just liked listening to him ramble. This wasn't always the norm, but had grown in the frequency that they spent time together, albeit the start of that being forced upon them. Now? Lance could just pick up on Keith's mood, even through a standard call or video chat. Keith knew he could recharge in the blue Paladin's company.

Shiro had been good for that when Keith was still a kid. But now Keith needed someone closer to his own age to help with that. In addition, something in Keith's gut told him Shiro wasn't meant for that role in general anymore. It was likely due to all the trauma, but there was something off now about his brother and he didn't want to make Shiro feel like he was taking on too much. He already had so much on his plate; Keith didn't want to add to it.

Notes:

Sorry for another short one! Just trying to set the scene and this seemed like a good place to stop. Once the ball gets rolling, we should be back to my usual length.

Chapter 3: Recharge

“Shit!” the blue Paladin squawked as he heard a knock on his bedroom door. “Uuuuhhh, hang on a sec!” Lance had been lounging in his towel, waiting for his body and hair to dry naturally. The day was pretty much over, so he wasn't expecting to see anyone until dinner. Needless to say, he was now freaking out at the idea of anyone seeing him basically naked. He would die of embarrassment if it was literally anyone other than Hunk. Pidge would never let him hear the end of it.

“I believe that was much longer than a second,” Keith smirked as the door finally open to reveal a fully clothed Cuban.

“Mullet!” Lance chirped as he threw himself at the former red Paladin for a hug. “Holy crow, when did you get in? Best surprise ever! How long are you staying? You been doing okay? Blades treating you good?” Keith smiled fondly at Lance's long-winded string of questions, not missing the unbridled joy in his voice. But something in his expression must have hinted at how drained he was, because Lance's grin grew smaller and a knowing look came to his eyes. Releasing Keith from the crushing embrace, he chose instead to hold both his hands between them, giving a supportive squeeze. His tone became softer. “Hey, c'mon and relax.”

Keith nodded minutely and let himself be tugged gently by Lance into the bedroom. Letting Keith get comfortable on his own, Lance busied himself by picking up his mess on the floor and putting things away. He usually wasn't this disheveled, but he found he just didn't have the energy these days. Unwilling to admit it to anyone, not having Keith around had greatly impacted his mood and it was influencing various aspects of himself. He would have a burst of his old self after a call or video chat, but it wasn't the same. This was their first time actually seeing each other since Keith had left, so Lance only hoped the effect would be greater this time.

Flopping down face first on the bed with a huff, Keith turned his head so he could actually breathe. Moving his arms so he could rest his cheek on them, he watched Lance as the boy gave him space to have some peace and quiet until he was ready to interact again. Once he was done, Lance grabbed his data pad and crawled up onto his bed, being mindful of the way Keith's legs were sprawled out so he didn't crush them. Propping his back up with the pillows, Lance played on the device as Keith turned his head in the boy's direction and just took in the silence, save for the game noises.

“I'll be here for one movement.”

“A whole ass WEEK?!” Lance squeaked with excitement.

“Yeah. Was getting run ragged back at the base and on missions, so I asked Kolivan for a break. He knows that, since I'm not full Galra, I can't always keep up with the others. I'm fine during missions and training when they actually happen. But, once we come back and I have time to rest, that's when it hits me if I've been pushing myself too much already.” Keith turned on his side to face Lance.

“Never thought I'd see the day where you actually took care of yourself.” Keith gave him a dubious look, thick eyebrow raised. The Texan totally thought he was in really good shape and took care of himself just fine. “I mean...you don't really relax in the sense that you should be. Putting your nose to the grindstone is not proper R&R, Mullet. I get that training helps you blow off steam and clear your head but...”

“Okay MOM,” Keith barked, but it was without discontent.

“...I...” Keith's eyes softened as he waited for Lance to continue. “I worry as much as Hunk does; I'm just not as outwardly expressive or honest about it.” He drew his legs up to his chest and set his chin on his knees. Keith watched Lance bite his lower lip, as if he was thinking of saying something else. “Better late than never, I guess,” he chuckled as he peered over at Keith.

“I suppose that's true.” Keith moved to sit up, leaning forward as he hugged his thighs. Their sides were touching a little, Lance happy with just this, even though he really wished he could have gotten a hug in return earlier. But the last thing he wanted was to push Keith's comfort level. “So I guess you could say the Blades have been treating me well enough. Almost didn't get the whole amount until I told them I was factoring in travel time. I didn't expect to find you guys so quickly. Or...more like I was thinking communication wouldn't be so easy. Half anticipated one whole quintant to at least get a hold of someone.” He turned his head to fully look at Lance. “I'm glad. Means I get to spend more time with you.”

“...” Lance blinked owlishly at Keith and the half Galran sat ramrod straight as he realized what he just said.

“More time with you GUYS! I meant everyone! Came here to enjoy my vacation with all of you!” Keith was mortified. He didn't even LIKE Lance like that! The Cuban was just a friend! Probably the only best friend he'd ever had (not counting Shiro since he's family), but that was all! “I, uh, I should go to bed! Got lots to catch up on with the team!” Keith jumped off the bed like it was made of fire and went to the door immediately.

Lance was starting to get disappointed with the reaction until Keith called to him. He was in the doorway, about to head out, looking at Lance with a smile. “Thank you for all that.”

“No problem. It's good to have you back, even if just for a bit. Night, Keith.”

“Good night, Lance.” With that, he continued on, the door sliding shut behind him. He was so exhausted that he didn't intend on eating dinner tonight.

Chapter 4: Like Old Times

Lance was thrumming with excitement! Normally, this would have been a usual situation for him, as doing a mission without all the lions was a regular occurrence. He was used to it. However, he'd never done one completely solo.

Well, almost solo.

---

Spending so much time with Keith felt like a dream come true. It felt like he was a Paladin again and that nothing had changed. Their little family was together, just feeling closer than before due to his absence. But Keith also felt back at home with the others, slightly wishing his need to do something greater wasn't overriding his need for company and affection.

He felt like he was a more important piece to larger puzzle being in the Blade as opposed to Voltron, as well as learning more about his heritage that his dad never let on about. Keith wasn't sure how much his father may have known about his mother's people, but he was still sore about not being told at all. Maybe his father assumed Keith wouldn't believe him. Keith himself wasn't sure how much he might have at that age; perhaps he might have if he'd died closer to when Keith enrolled in the Garrison and knew more about space.

The team was blessed with minimal disruptions, always things that Coran and Shiro would be able to handle together or on their own. Coran wanted Keith to be with peers his own age; Shiro already had so many years with him as a teenager that he knew he could spare the boy some time to be with friends. Seeing the group upon their return each time, they knew it had been the best choice.

However, the bliss would come to an end for Keith's second to last quintant of his vacation. Something much more pressing had come up. While it wasn't anything too dire for everyone to have to go, it was definitely a job for at least one of Voltron's extremities. They had just picked up a signal from a nearby planet asking for help. Not saying what quite yet, as they wanted to discuss the matter in person, the natives were elated to at least be getting assistance. Allura reminded them it would still have to be decided after finding out the details, but that she hoped they'd be able to lend a hand. After running diagnostics on the destination, Coran allowed any of the arms and legs of Voltron to volunteer.

---

Lance wanted to pinch himself! If the planet that called was anything to go by just on the sensors alone, he was glad to have volunteered. But that hadn't been the jackpot moment for him. No, that had been as he was on his way to his lion. Everyone but Hunk had seemed surprised that Lance had offered to go. The Blue Paladin was usually not one to do this without prodding. But Hunk understood why his best friend had so readily agreed to go.

The one bummer about the time Keith had been staying with them was that there was this pressing need for EVERYONE to be with him. His time was limited, so of course they wanted to make his vacation worth it. It's not like he came to see just any one person. But Lance had been hoping to spend some time alone with Keith. However, even needing to decompress would be spent by himself in his old room. As the end drew near, Lance was becoming more crestfallen at the lack of freedom to do so.

He looked up by his left shoulder, still in a trance that Keith had agreed to tag along. They still had the Red Paladin armor of course, so he had changed quickly into that instead of his Blade uniform. Lance had no bones about going alone, but he noticed Keith watching him leave the debriefing room. Throwing him a smirk, he jokingly asked if he wanted to come with him. That had NOT been the thing Keith expected to hear and Lance was MOST certainly not expecting a positive reaction from the half Galran. Not how he wanted to have one-on-one time with him, but Lance would take what he could get, considering the amount he thought he'd get at this point was zero.

“Feels good to be back in a lion,” Keith mused, mostly to himself. Lance couldn't even imagine being bonded to a lion and then just...not piloting. His heart ached at the thought of being apart from Blue. “Thanks for asking me.”

Lance gave him a soft smile. “Thanks for agreeing.” He would be lying if he didn't admit he was the tiniest bit anxious about going on his own. Obviously, he would have backup at a moment's notice if he called to them, but he hoped he wouldn't have to.

Chapter 5: Land Ho!

As the doors under Blue opened, Keith allowed the wind to whip his hair around for a bit, breathing in deeply before putting on his helmet. He wasn't as enamored with the ocean like Lance was, but it was refreshing when you've been cooped up in space for who knows how long. He briefly allowed himself to remember the look Lance had on his face when they broke the atmosphere and burned it into his memory. Keith didn't know WHY he wanted to cherish that, but he'd never seen that expression on Lance before.

Cocky, arrogant Lance McClain had been reduced to a childlike awe and wonder as they flew through the clouds and the landscape came into view. A decently large, surprisingly modern town lie not too far ahead. It wasn't big enough to be a city, but Keith was certainly expecting smaller. Nearby was a lush forest, needing to cross a colorful meadow to get there. But what had taken up most of the area, and was the cause of Lance's reaction, was the enormous body of water that stretched so far out and lapped at the edge of town. The sun's rays reflected off the surface, making it look like a sea of stars.

This had been precisely why Lance had volunteered. He saw that the map had been mostly water and a large chunk of where he needed to land was on the coastline. It made him think of Varadero and there was a pang of homesickness in his chest that he was pretty sure showed on his face for a moment.

Pulled out of his reverie, Lance heard Keith say he'd catch him once he landed. Wind whistling in his earpiece, Lance watched as Keith eventually got ahead of them, using his body to affect his speed, as he dove into the water.

“Hey, no fair!” Lance whined.

“Well, you're just going to have to finish this mission so you can enjoy it with me,” Keith jeered.

“Oh, it's on!” Lance pushed the controls swiftly forward and Blue shot closer to the sand. “Bet I can swim better than you!”

Chapter 6: Depths

It was a satisfying feeling for Keith as he hit the water and went under. The sun above him illuminated everything just under the surface and he could make out so many different life forms, quite reminiscent of Earth in their variety. He smirked, knowing Lance would love this, now that he had the little nugget of information about the man that had been occupying his mind so recently.

Figuring he'd let Lance handle the natives once he landed Blue and would be busy with them for at least a little bit, Keith took a moment to explore. He dove deeper and in the opposite direction of the shoreline, curious as to what else might be down here. Some of the creatures swam up to him, acting unused to seeing anything that lived on land. Using his data pad, he took pictures of some of the plant life, so vibrant it was like a work of art. He had a feeling Lance knew a lot about water and was unlikely to traverse too far for his own safety. After becoming a Paladin, Lance's self preservation was increasing (not that there had been any real danger at the Galaxy Garrison), but Keith also knew the Cuban had a knack for these things.

After about ten or so minutes, Keith decided he'd had his fun, getting too far from the coast for his own comfort. Thinking Lance had taken care of all the pleasantries on top of that, he didn't want to keep the Blue Paladin waiting too long. Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck raise up as he looked into the deeper waters below him, Keith turned and began to swim toward shore.

He wouldn't make it far, as something wrapped around his ankle and yanked him back. Keith shouted, unsure what had taken hold of him and not being able to see, panicking too much to use his light.

Chapter 7: Entangled

Lance, ever the charmer, hadn't had any difficulty talking to the natives of the planet they'd arrived on. Landing Blue effortlessly in the sand, he was greeted warmly and immediately. Only one amongst the group was actually anyone in charge and they began talking about bringing Lance into the city to meet with the rest of the council. Help from the Paladins was required, but they were trying to save their people from panic and didn't want to say anything out in public. Lance understood, but asked for a few more moments with the citizens, remembering Allura saying that morale was just as important as actually helping.

After a few doboshes, he held his head in pain as a deafening scream came over his comm. For the most fleeting of moments, he wondered where it came from. But only one person, other than Lance himself, currently had access to the radio. What was worse was that the sound wasn't stopping. It wasn't even easing.

“Keith?!” No reply, only more of the same sound. “KEITH!” Breaking out in a sweat, Lance turned around to face the ocean behind him. Nada. Lance had heard Keith shout before, and it wasn't even just from their squabbles when they had just started out as new Paladins. Battle cries. Shouts of pain. Rage when a teammate went down.

This was different. What Lance was hearing now was terror. A fear that Lance didn't think Keith was capable of. He continued to scan the area, hoping to see the half Galran break the water's surface. Lance didn't wait long, as the scream became sobs. Storing his Bayard in his suit, Lance ran through the waves and dove into the water, looking at this visor to locate Keith's little, red dot.

Lance would have been more in awe at the beauty that was the underwater scenery. But he swam past it all, ignoring everything, far too worried about what might be happening with his teammate. He thought it strange that, according to his screen, he was getting closer and wasn't seeing anything. After a few ticks, he looked down and saw just how deep the ocean was. Taking a deep breath, he turned on his helmet's light and swam farther down.

---

Every moment that went by and Lance still didn't see anything increased his concern. He was getting down far enough that he could feel some of the pressure, his suit only able to do so much. But he didn't care; he'd go as far as he needed to get Keith back.

He saw the bubbles before he saw any movement, realizing there was quite a bit for it to be entirely natural. Forcing himself to swim faster, Lance came to a halt when he saw shadows that were utterly too enormous to be anything that could be fought and defeated. Swallowing thickly, he got closer and balked at what he was seeing, horror taking over his countenance.

Chapter 8: Rescue

Keith Kogane. Best pilot at the Galaxy Garrison. Lance's rival, role model, and object of his affections (though he wouldn't admit the last two out loud). One of Voltron's most competent fighters. Right in front of Lance's eyes, Keith had been reduced to nothing but a toy for the monstrous animal that had captured him. To his credit, the half Galran hadn't given up yet, still trying to find purchase anywhere he could find so he could scrabble away, but to no avail.

The pair locked eyes, tears streaming down his face, as Lance took several moments to react. Two, large tentacles held Keith's legs in place so he couldn't kick, but also to hold them far apart from each other. A few thinner ones held him around his chest and torso. Another appendage, looking a bit different from the others, was thrusting itself in and out of Keith where parts of his suit had been torn to gain access. His screams matched each movement upwards, turning more and more into sobs as every plunge became more erratic and deeper into his body. It felt hot, despite being ice cold from the watery depths. The searing handling of his body made him feel sick.

Eventually, his energy ran out, as one particular force had buried itself so deep inside him that his wail caused Lance's ears to ring. Slumping, Keith tried to reach out to his teammate's direction in a final plea. However, he had jerked a little too harshly to do so and the animal retaliated by swiftly pulling out of Keith; a movement that Lance noticed had caused him to bleed. This was enough to get Lance to spring into action, but the Blue Paladin wasn't prepared to watch Keith get slammed into a nearby rock formation, hearing the glass of his helmet shatter over the comm.

“KEITH!!!” Lance wasted no more time, not knowing how long Keith could hold his breath, but realizing it wouldn't matter for very long with how far down they were. Swimming to where Keith's body was starting to sink, Lance summoned his Bayard and tried to keep his eyes peeled for any sneak attack the creature might pull. Retrieving Keith was, surprisingly, easy. It was trying to leave and get to shore that proved to be difficult.

The animal, noticing its prize was being taken from it, began to pursue them. Lance, taking a moment to steady and calm himself, took a few shots. Two of them hit, causing a guttural cry from the hideous thing. He was fast enough that letting go of Keith in that time meant he didn't sink much, able to grab him and be off quickly to resume their escape. The creature tried once more to grab for him. Holding Keith closely and tightly with his right arm, now too paranoid to let him go, he took a one handed shot with his non-dominant side. He didn't even care to watch if the shot hit anything (he managed to take out two eyes) before powering on his jetpack and praying that it would work underwater, using both arms to completely wrap around Keith and hoping he made it to shore in time.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of KB's Shameless Kinky BS