He Saw Stars - Langstron Event Entry
wHOa I haven't posted in sooo long and I am so sorry. My life has been such a complete mess and it has been a trip trying to get through it. And I am sorry I am posting a little late, but it's better than nothing, right?
So here, I present to you my entry, He Saw Stars (inspi for name from Mean Girls), a gift for @klanceranch !! I hope you like it!!!
(Also rip your dashes right now. I'm on mobile so I can't do under the cut, but I'll fix that asap)
He Saw Stars - Langst Fic
Pairing - klance (heck yeah)
The stars in the sky illuminated the infinite, dark abyss like fireflies, flickering and shining through the night. They were beautiful, and even more beautiful now. The stars reminded Lance of Varadero. Every night, he'd look out his bedroom window and stare at the stars, fascinated by their light and the space that held them. Lance had always thought he belonged up there, with all the stars.
Lance missed Varadero - his home, his life - more than anything else that he left behind. He didn't care about any of his old girlfriends anymore. He didn't even want to taste a hot pocket in his mouth again anymore. All he wanted was to go home and see his Mama and Papa, Veronica, Marco, Luis - his familia. Mama knew how to give the best comforting hugs, Papa knew just what joke to tell to cheer him up, Abuelita sang the most sweetest of songs. He could go on and on all the things he missed about his family. He missed them more than anything.
Lance sighed and stood up, shoving his hands into a pretzel across his chest. The Castle had broke the atmosphere of a moon of the planet Velion, where a huge Galra prison sat on the desolate, hot surface. From reports, it wasn't a very cool place. Probably a mission that someone would pass out on again. But whatever. When did the team not defy their deaths on a mission?
“Hey Lance,” Pidge’s voice said from behind him. He looked over at her and smiled as she jumped up to touch his shoulder. “Are you ready for this?”
“Ready as ever,” Lance chuckled, fist bumping her as they walked to the hangers. “You know that though. Of course this handsome sharpshooter would be ready for that.” He grinned smugly. Pidge rolled her eyes, but did nothing to hide the smile from her face in amusement. She reminded Lance of his sister, Veronica. Although she was younger than his sister, she and Lance had that sort of family relationship like he and Veronica had.
“Stop joking around, guys.” Lance’s smile faded away, replaced by a disappointed frown, as his newer team leader snapped. He faltered his gaze from the smaller Pidge to Keith, his harsh gaze like ice piercing into Lance from across the large hanger. His arms were crossed like Lance’s were earlier. Maybe that was a ref lion’s pilot thing to be good at having pretzel arms. “We have a mission to complete.”
The halls were cold and gave off that haunted, eerie, vibe as the team walked slowly and cautiously down them. Through his helmet’s night vision visor, he could see the concerned faces of every other teammate, which made him even the more nervous. He could tell that everyone being nervous made everyone in the team even more nervous, making it an endless cycle of anxiety.
“My sensors say that there are multiple heat sources up ahead,” Pidge whispered over the constant hum of machines in the walls.
“We're getting close,” Keith mumbled, activating his bayard with a white glow. “Keep sharp.”
“Right,” Hunk sighed from behind Lance. “So not nervous.”
“There's no way to escape the anxiety, Hunk,” Allura said in her thick and what sounded like British accent. “Just, breathe deep, I guess.”
Then suddenly, everything went silent. The team, the run of machines, even the hum of the foreign bugs, just stopped. Lance stopped moments later with the soft, but vigorous, sounds of footsteps up above his head.
Too late. Before he knew it, Lance was shrouded by blinding light as the ceiling caved in and hundreds of Galra soldiers poured in like soda into a bottle. He tried to run, but every escape way was already blocked by brigades. The already terrible rush of his heart started to pound even louder and harder against his chest.
Lance had never felt as scared as he did in those few moments. Hundreds of soldiers closing in on him, alone and already so afraid and weak. And the only defense he had was a shield and a gun.
“Lance!!!” The call of his name sounded over all the noise of feet on the floor slowly circling around him. He whipped around as Keith came hurdling over and even through the swarming cloud of the Galra, his sword slicing and his shield blocking bullets that came rushing towards him at the speed of sound.
“You damn idiot!” The red paladin yelled over the sound of gunshots and breaking, screeching metal.
“Shut up and help me!” Lance snapped loudly back. Bullets ricocheted off both their shields violently, making Lance jump and wince.
For minutes and minutes, Lance fired his gun blindly at his attackers while bullets from their own guns raced towards him. In those few, but long, agonizing moments, Lance was certain he wouldn't make it out of this mission alive, let alone in one piece. His shield had a large break down its center, and a few more strikes in that same spot would take him out for good. He and Keith needed a better plan, and fast.
Before Lance even thought it through though, he knew what he had to do.
“The boilers!” He yelled to Keith, whose back was nearly touching his own now.
“What??? Are you crazy? You're gonna kill us!!”
And before Keith had another second to contradict, Lance had shot through the wall and penetrated the pipes, exploding the entire system and making everything turn black.
The smoke cleared a few seconds later, but not before Lance felt a sharp, agonizing pain in his chest. A large piece of the metal wall had stabbed through his armor and pierced through his skin, making hot, steaming blood pour out onto him and the floor. He grimaced as he stared to try and walk, but lost his footing along the way.
“Lance!” Keith gasped as Lance started to fall down in a faint moment. Keith caught Lance in his arms before he had the chance to catch the floor instead.
“I'm fine, mullet,” Lance sighed as he lied. The gaping hole in his armor and skin n below it radiated sharp pain. He was very much not fine. “Don't worry-” He cringed in pain. “About me.”
“Damnit, Lance, stop with the lying.” Lance noticed a tone in Keith he hadn't heard in a long time. Mullet was actually really scared and concerned this time. He'd never seen him this scared, besides the day that Shiro had gone missing. But even now, Keith looked so upset. Lance maybe even saw a small, wet trail along his cheek through his tinted helmet.
Lance realized what was there all along. He gasped a little as the red paladin helped him sit up onto his own lap.
“Keith,” he grimaced through his short, painful breaths. “Do you love me?”
He saw Keith stop. For a split second, he was completely still, Lance held maybe even a bit limply in his arms. The emotions in his face were racing, changing constantly. Lance was surprised that he even stopped this state. Keith looked right into Lance’s eyes, lifted off his helmet, and leant down, embracing him in the warmest, most welcoming kiss anyone had ever given him.
“Of course I do, you stupid idiot,” Keith laughed a little after he pulled away from their kiss. “Why else do you think I came back?”
“Because I'm your teammate?”
“No. It's because you are something else, Lance McClain. I realized that without you - that if I had let you die back there - my life wouldn't be half as amazing. I guess, you're the reason why I'm still here. I love you with all of me.”
Lance smiled, a trail of blood running from his mouth slowly, like a small creek down his chin. He slowly enveloped Keith in another, long, beautiful kiss. He never wanted to let go.
As the two sat their, one in the others lap, and the other silently waiting for help, Lance had a revelation. Maybe the stars from Varadero weren't everything. Maybe Varadero wasn't his home. Maybe his home was right here, in Keith's arms, looking up at the hole in the roof in which the millions of stars could be seen.
Lance looked towards Keith again, an admirable, but very stressed gaze meeting his own. He finally realized that his old home wasn't his real home - where his heart belonged. His heart belonged right there, with Keith. And as his lips were met with his, looking up at the stars, he finally felt at home again.
Oof hope you like I really enjoyed writing it!