Chapter Text
He’s floating in a vacant space, knees curled into his chest. Eyes blinking slowly, he takes in his surrounding- or lack thereof. There’s simply nothing- no sky or ground plane. Only darkness- maybe the slightest tinge of blue. He can’t seem to move; even his sight drags slowly around to take it all in. He isn’t breathing, but his lungs don’t burn. There’s no air, just a sensation like water over is skin. Not warm. Not cold.
And there’s silence. But not the terrifying kind that rings in your ears when you’re all alone. The peaceful kind full of contentment. His eyes drift closed, taking in what little his senses can find. The tickle of his long dark hair brushing across his shoulders, and the current of nonexistent water gently caressing his body.
It feels to him as though he’s been there for a long time. It’s like waking from a nap without remembering when you fell asleep. But he knows where he was before. He knows- he remembers vividly what happened at the end.
At the time his mind was slow to process. The gun fire and the explosions. He’d been buried under rubble and forgotten. Once he’d clawed his way out he’d panicked- where was his team? What if they needed him? He didn’t want to wait there and hope things turned out alright.
So stupidly of course, he’d staggered to his feet and took off in a run- well, he’d tried. After one step he’d fallen flat on his face, chin rammed right back into the rubble. He took that moment to survey his injuries, only just noticing the large sharp piece of shrapnel sticking out through his thigh, having pierced straight through the armor. Or the copious amounts of blood dripping down his face. Where had his helmet gone? He couldn’t recall. Disgust caused him to wrinkle his nose at the tang of metal on his tongue.
Fear fluttered into his heart for the first time in a long time. He’d always been brash, getting cuts and scrapes and injured numerous amounts of times. But nothing like this. Nothing that couldn’t be fixed in a tick. Thoughts flashed through his mind too fast for him to comprehend, everything catching up to him.
Desperate, he’d cast his eyes around the room, scanning the rubble and beyond for anyone. Only dead Galra and drones littering the ground remained. Some moans signaled to those still alive, yet certainly crushed. His team was nowhere to be found.
Something new drove him to get once again to his feet. A ringing sound pierced his ear drums and his limbs felt like ice. He had to find his team. He just… He didn’t want to be alone in the end. He wanted to see their faces one more time. They were his family, though he was hesitant to ever admit it. Sometimes he was still unsure of what a family was, and if he had any right to claim one.
But the thought of all of them- his heart squeezed tightly just thinking of them. Pidge, Hunk, Lance, Allura, Coran, and Shiro. Tears stung his eyes because he didn’t want to lose them. He didn’t want to leave this life if it means existing without them.
By now he’d made it outside the explosion zone and to a mostly in-tact hallway. It was dark now, and he couldn’t tell where he’s going. His foot kicked against something, causing him to glance down. It’s his lost helmet. Now he remembered- the team had all been talking at once while he was focusing on avoiding gunfire. He’d tripped in distraction and the helmet had flown off. Impulsively he’d left it there.
Faintly he could hear the static crinkle of the speakers. He bent over to reach for it before collapsing back to the floor for a second time. Weakly he reached for the helmet, almost surprised to see his hand covered in red.
He pulled the helmet close and managed to slip it over his head.
“-th. I still haven’t heard anything from him. We need to go, where was he last?” Pidge’s tired voice is the first to reach his ears. Tears pricked at his eyes in relief at the sound of a familiar voice.
“I don’t remember, I think he said something about…” Hunks voice faded away for a moment as Keith’s consciousness waned. He struggled to focus again, which he found easier as Lance’s loud obnoxious voice takes over the coms.
“I bet he did something stupid again. That mullet…”
Keith bit his lip, realizing he couldn’t see anymore. He was almost out of time. “…Shiro,” he breathed, hoping the helmet is could pick up his weak voice. He wanted to hear Shiro’s voice one last time. Know he’s okay.
“Keith?” a chorus of voices chanted in panic. He couldn’t tell them apart; though he was sure one of them was Allura.
“Keith,” a stronger voice said. He relaxed, picturing Shiro’s face in his mind. “Keith, come in. Are you okay? What’s your location?”
And everything went quiet for a moment. He could see them all holding their breath as they waited for him to respond. He opened his mouth to answer, but static overcomes his body as everything started to go numb.
“Keith?”
“Keith!”
“Guys, I’ve got his loca….”
“Hey, say so…”
Their voices lulled him into the darkness and allowed him to pretend he wasn’t so alone. When he couldn’t hear them anymore, he felt something inside him. Something weak, but warm. A pull and a link. The Red Lion, struggling to keep hold of their bond. He heard something that seemed like goodbye, and then the fragile thread between them dissipated into the beyond.
And that was how he found himself in oblivion. Cradled in the nothingness reliving his last moments quietly in his mind. He found that the memories didn’t hurt, not like death. His soul was at peace in a way it’d never been. Voltron would be okay without him, they were strong and most importantly, they had each other. He only feels sad knowing that while his pain has ended, theirs will last. Yet, he believes in them. They’ll stop the Galra. And they’ll remember him.