Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Clear day was an absolute joke and Keith was done with it yesterday. Why the hell would shrieking creatures in a stupidly dark tunnel be entertaining? It was horrific. And Hunk should not be singing along. Keith’s grip tightened on the safety bar.

‘Hunk. We are getting off.’

‘Wha-!? Oh, come on Keith, lighten up! It’ll be running again any tick now.’

Keith couldn’t help the eye roll. Sure, it would get running. But what was lying around the corner? Probably even squeakier creepy figurines jumping out at them. Maybe, if he was lucky, they’d be holding pick-axes and he could impale himself on one.

A shudder rumbled through the seat and suddenly they were trudging along again.

‘See! What did I tell ya?’

Keith side eyed Hunk. That smile could almost be smug but coming from Hunk it was soft, sympathetic with a hint of happiness. At least he seemed to be enjoying neo-Disneyland with 60s rides straight out of the 90s when they were already old and decrepit. Keith let himself relax back into the chair, folding his arms instead of trying to bend metal with his bare hands. This would be fine. Five more minutes at most. And Hunk was having a good time swinging his arms about like an overzealous conductor. They’d laugh about this later.

Then the ride came to a juddering halt.

There was nothing left to dampen out the shrill voices of by-gone choir children ringing around the psychedelic railway to hell.

Fuck it. Keith ripped his Bayard out of his suit and sliced the bar clean in half. He didn’t need to stick around for this.

‘Coming?’ He yelled as he jumped over the railing and began climbing across the fake wooden hills.

Vowels spilled out of Hunk’s mouth behind him before there was a thud and Hunk was marching alongside him.

‘I mean there was really no need to break their equipment.’

‘It was already broken Hunk.’ Keith bit back in exasperation, ‘that’s what got us into this mess.’

Hunk hummed, unconvinced. Keith didn’t let him respond, slicing the curtain open still on a war path. This planet was just the worst. First of all, everyone was slacking off playing games instead of being on guard. Secondly, the aliens were all sarcastic little shits. And lastly, Lance had run off to find something sparkly for Allura. Like come on, none of them had forgotten they were going out. Quit reminding them. Damn him.

‘KEITH! Wait up!’

Keith let out a growl as Hunk hooked a hand around his arm, physically forcing him into a standstill.

‘Hey man, chill out. What’s got you so mad?’

‘I’m not mad.’

Hunk gave him a look, raising his eye brows. ‘You kinda are.’

‘Just drop it Hunk.’ Keith hissed. Hunk was too damn perceptive. And his brown eyes were so warm Keith knew he’d crack if they kept up with that gooey caring thing they had going on.

Hunk was about to speak when an arm slammed down across Keith’s shoulders, shoving him under a heavy body.

‘Hey guys!’

Oh god no.

‘Guess who won something sparkly for Allura!’

‘Oh, nice one Lance!’ Hunk cheered, slapping their hands together in a high-five that rocked through Keith. He grunted, rolling Lance’s arm off his shoulder.

‘Well done.’ He forced out, ‘what did you get?’

‘Ta-dah!’

Lance beamed as he presented a blue lion toy in front of them. Their lion. Keith’s stomach twisted uncomfortably, and he hated himself for it.

‘I mean I know it’s not sparkly in like the jewellery sense, but d’you think she’ll like it?’

‘Of course, she will dude!’ Hunk replied easily, smashing Lance’s doubts, ‘it’s your lion, how could she not!?’

Keith nodded along with him, ‘yeah, it’s really sweet.’

Because it was, and Keith wasn’t a liar. And he really did want Lance to be happy. It was just that, sometimes, it hurt a little that it couldn’t be with him.

Lance grinned at the two of them, blinding them with sparkling white teeth. ‘Okay! I’m gonna go see how Pidge is doing!’

And just as quickly as he’d arrived, Lance was galloping away, sweeping through the crowd with an ease Keith could only dream of achieving. Without him even realising, a sigh was trailing away from his lips. Warmth wrapped around his bicep and a firm squeeze finally tore Keith away from his trance.

Hunk was ducked in close, speaking quietly. ‘Is that what it is? You’re jealous of Lance?’

Keith recoiled. ‘No!’

Jealous of Lance was the exact opposite of his feelings.

‘Okay!’ Hunk yelped with equal volume, offering out placating hands, ‘just kinda seems like you get quiet every time he mentions Allura.’

‘Well you’re reading it wrong.’ Keith assured gruffly. Hunk was a little too close to the truth than what was comfortable. Keith turned to leave but Hunk’s grip tightened.

‘Then what is it?’

Hunk’s eyes locked onto his, unwavering. His determination to offer care was something Keith truly admired. But it was also his Achilles heel. Keith swallowed thickly, hoping to contain the truths begging to be set free from his throat. Hunk wasn’t having any of that.

‘Seriously man.’ He said softly, ‘you can talk to me.’

Keith shook his head. He couldn’t do this. He was pathetic. He didn’t need Hunk’s sympathy. He was perfectly fine with how things were.

Hunk leant in further, ‘are you in love with Allura?’

‘Jesus Hunk no!’ Keith yelped, throwing his head back in frustration ‘it’s not Allura!’

Hunk hesitated, and Keith could feel his eyes analysing his every muscle.

‘If it’s not her then…’ Hunk trailed off. Keith couldn’t fight the heat rising through his body like a volcano.

‘You like L-‘

Keith didn’t let him finish the sentence, smothering his lips with his palms. With Hunk’s voice trapped, Keith whipped his gaze around the vicinity. Aliens were trudging past, sparing the two scathing looks. Others were distracted with the many stalls surrounding them and more were surging in another direction. Thankfully, there were no familiar faces. Hunk tugged his hand away.

‘You like Lance,’ he whispered, sound barely above the wind.

Keith managed a nod. He wanted to cry. But also yell. And mostly he wanted to run away and hide back in his room on the Atlas for the rest of the night and never speak of this again. None of this was fair.

‘Keith I’m- I’m so sorry.’

The gooey eyes were back. Melted caramel swirling in chocolate pupils and Keith felt them down to the pit of his stomach. Hunk just cared so damn much. It physically hurt Keith to see his own pain mirrored on a face that deserved none of the sort.

‘Don’t be.’ Keith said, stepping back and losing the strength to hold his head up, ‘it’s fine.’

‘No, it’s not.’ Hunk cut in, holding Keith’s arms, ‘you don’t have to go through this alone. Talk to me.’

Hunk was amazing. Despite wanting to cry Keith couldn’t help but smile at his words. He worked so hard to make people happy – able to protect in a way Keith never could. He was a true asset to Voltron. A true friend. And Keith was almost pulled into his offer. Almost. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about this particular problem.

‘Thanks.’ Keith said sadly, ‘but I’d really just rather not think about it.’

And rather not pull anyone else into his web of misery.

‘Then come bake!’ Hunk countered quickly, ‘we could always do with the spare hands! Plus, I don’t like seeing you all sad and mopey. Let me cheer you up!’

Keith shook his head, unable to fight off a wider smile. Of course, Hunk had a backup plan. He was far too good for this world. And, well, Keith was never as strong as he made out to be.

‘Alright,’ Keith found himself saying, ‘but I’m not exactly known for my expertise in baking.’

‘Well that’s why I’ll be there!’

Keith felt his shoulders relax. Baking really would be a step up from moping around his room like a slug. Plus, Hunk was pretty strong. With his help, the burden already felt lighter.

‘Thanks Hunk.’ Keith said quietly, ‘you’re a good friend.’

Hunk glowed pink at the compliment, ‘well I try.’

They started walking again and Hunk knocked their shoulders together.

‘We’ll get through this.’ He assured, taking away the last of Keith’s anxieties, ‘you deserve to be happy too.’

Chapter Text

Lance found Allura in the Altean control room, silhouetted against a myriad of colours splashed across the stars. Her shoulders always seemed relaxed here, the softness in her eyes never going unmissed as Lance watched her gaze out the large windows. This was a small room, rumbling with the weight of the ships engines and tucked away in a dark corner. Garrison members rarely came down here, the tech being out of sync with their biology, so it was a quiet place. Lance got the feeling Allura had an affinity to it – it being the only Altean part of the ship. He leaned up against the door frame, letting the scene wash over him before he broke it softly. ‘You were incredible out there today.’

‘Lance!’ Allura jolted, whipping around. Their eyes met, and then the shock slowly melted into something warmer. ‘Thank you.’

‘No problem, Princess.’ Lance replied. Then he added a wink just to savour another expression crossing his girlfriend’s face. Girlfriend. The word made him giddy. Before he could help himself, he hopped down the step and glided into Allura’s space, dropping a peck against her cheek and smiling at the warmth touching his lips. ‘It was just the truth.’

Allura giggled, hiding her face. She fell against his chest and the action sent warmth radiating through Lance’s body. He loved seeing this side of Allura – the relaxed one, dropping the burden of the universe for once.

‘You are too kind, Lance.’

Not true, Lance thought. Allura was. Always throwing herself into danger to protect the rest of the team. Lance’s admiration felt overwhelming and he squeezed her tightly under his arms. Instead of the expected melting of said Princess, a hiss left her lips. Lance immediately let go.

‘Are you hurt?’

‘It’s nothing.’ Allura quickly admonished. ‘A minor scratch on my upper arm. It’ll clear up soon enough.’

Lance didn’t believe her.

‘May I see?’ He asked carefully. Allura faltered, glancing away. She fidgeted with her shirt sleeve, almost as if she was shy? Lance found it strange. He let his eyes roam, trying to decipher her body language. She was wearing her Altean flight suit, hair falling in a mess across her shoulders as she tried to hide behind it. Options seemed to weigh over her eyes, the atmosphere shifting around them and Lance finally realised what was happening. His muscles drew tight, blood rushing to his face. He’d just asked her to undress. Oh God, he’d just asked Allura to undress. Without even thinking. Completely brash. The Princess of Altea. He should just launch himself out the window now. An apology was waiting to burst onto his tongue, when Allura finally looked up at him.

‘Okay.’

Okay? Okay! Everything was okay. Lance let out a whooshing breath, feeling himself shrink like a balloon in relief. Allura took a step back, reaching up and around to her spine. She tapped against the neck a few times, grip missing target and Lance’s fingers twitched at his side. He could help. Should help. Or would that be inappropriate? Would Allura disapprove? He didn’t get to decide as Allura finally caught the zip, letting out a silent breath of victory. She pulled the zip down, the fastening releasing in short successive clicks that echoed in the quiet room. Clutching the fabric to her chest, she shrugged her shoulder out from the white fabric and Lance’s breath hitched. Beautiful brown skin was unveiled, slipping over her collar bone and out across her shoulder. The orange lights of the Atlas caught every undulation of taught muscle spreading from her neck and Lance found himself staring, never having seen this much of his girlfriend before. She was gorgeous.

Without thinking, Lance brushed her hair back over her shoulder to get a better look and Allura gasped. He suddenly stilled. Was that okay? Was he being too forceful? This whole thing was so new, he could be overstepping boundaries. Lance was always putting his foot in it around Allura. He needed to control his behaviour. He should focus on the matter at hand. Muttering an apology, he stared hard at her arm. Time to play doctor, he thought, before quickly changing his mind to biologist. Much safer, way less kinky - didn’t have his cheeks flaming at the thought. Steadying his breaths, Lance tried to slow his heart as he slid his hand along soft skin. His fingers curled around her elbow before he finally looked at the injury.

Lance took in a sharp breath. It was more than a scratch crossing her dark skin. He’d describe it as an angry gash cut across clean flesh. He squeezed her elbow, gaining her attention.

‘This needs treating.’ He said firmly, looking straight into wide blue eyes, ‘may I?’

Allura bit her lip but after a brief pause, she nodded shakily.

~*~

Lance had slipped his hand into Allura’s to lead her to the med bay, trying to keep a comforting presence whilst not worrying about how sweaty his palm was. Sitting her on the bench, he frowned when the clinical mattress barely dipped with the weight, the sheets pulled so tight they didn’t even crease. That couldn’t have been comforting. Lance threw her a sheepish smile, hoping to offset the harsh environment before he set to work. Why were hospital rooms always so unsettling? His mother always told him they were places of healing, but Lance could never shake the scent of death from his mind. Kneeling down, he distracted himself by digging through the cupboards lining the walls, on the lookout for antiseptic wipes and bandages.

‘Did you get injured during the battle?’ Allura asked behind him, legs swinging back and forth as she gazed around the unfamiliar room. The Atlas didn’t have healing pods – and Lance had no doubt that Allura had never needed to treat an injury manually before, so this must have been a new experience for her. Was she nervous? He jumped back up, dropping his armful of supplies onto the bench to eagerly put aside her worries.

‘Nope! Fit as a fiddle!’

Fit as a fiddle may have been an exaggeration – Lance had several bruises dotting his torso and a burn mark on his leg that probably shouldn’t go untreated. But Allura was more important. And he didn’t want to give her anything extra to concern herself over. Plus, now he knew where the supplies were kept, sneaking back later wouldn’t be an issue.

‘Now this may sting.’

He pressed the soaked cotton wool against Allura’s arm and she let out a hiss through her teeth.

‘Sorry.’ He whispered, quickly taking the cloth away again. Allura shook her head.

‘No, it’s fine. It’s supposed to hurt, right?’

She was smiling up at him, quirk of encouragement in her brow. Lance cursed himself for having turned the situation back on himself.

‘Yeah. But you’re new to this,’ He explained, hoping to set right just who the patient was supposed to be in that moment, ‘stop me if it’s too much.’

‘Lance.’

Allura’s tone made him look up. Commanding but kind. Her eyes were soft on his, a hint of amusement sparkling in the blue. She reached up to cup his cheek, smile pulling against her own, ‘don’t be so nervous. I’m fine.’

Lance nodded. Of course she was. She was the Princess of Altea for Christ sake – stronger than any army. Why was he doubting her? His stomach twisted uncomfortably. What kind of boyfriend was he?

Swallowing down his thoughts, he plastered on a reassuring smile. ‘Okay then.’

Focussing on wrapping the wound he tried to ignore the weight pulling on his gut.

~*~

Long after the ship had dimmed its lights, Lance was disappointed to find the cupboards empty of burn cream. Having even crawled to the back of the corner one, tipping boxes upon boxes of plasters out onto the tiles, his search turned out to be futile. With a huff, he shoved the items back into the space, replacement much more haphazard than necessary. He had to force the doors closed against bulging boxes, slamming the wood shut and feeling it give as if set against a squashed spring.  That would be a fun explosion for the next user. Lance hoped it would be Keith. Maybe he could set up a camera somewhere just in case?

Lance turned to see if there were any good hiding places behind him - a decent flower pot would be a good shout - when a burst of pain erupted through his leg. His open wound had caught painfully on the rough fabric of his jeans and he let out a surprised shout at the sting. His leg jerked off the ground and he quickly hugged it to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut against a rush of water. He really needed to treat this wound. It seemed to be getting worse.

With a sigh, Lance clambered to his feet. There was always one person on this ship he could rely upon getting injured who probably had some sort of personal first aid kit. And they did suffer many burns by Lance’s hands.

~*~

‘Hey, Keith?’

Lance knocked on the open door of the training room. It was far too late to be there, and Keith really should be relaxing, but Lance was willing to let that slip in exchange for medicine. He was barely able to ignore the throbbing now.

Keith swiped a hand across his forehead, sword in his hand fizzling back into dagger form as he stood to attention, ‘yeah?’

‘You got any burn cream?’ Lance tried for a light tone, downplaying his pain as if he was merely curious. It didn’t work as Keith’s face was immediately overtaken with a frown and he crossed the room, aiming it at Lance.

‘You got hurt?’

Lance rolled his eyes.

‘No, I just like the taste.’

Keith’s face took on a wave of confusion at the joke. He cocked his head to side and Lance was hit with a wave of familiarity. Kosmo. Keith looked just like his space wolf right now. Lance could practically feel the question marks radiating off him as if he’d thrown a ball for the dog who didn’t understand fetch. It was strangely endearing. Lance felt his lips quiver. But when the furrow in Keith’s brow buried deeper, he quickly shook away the thoughts. ‘Yes! I got hurt. I was just kidding about the whole taste thing.’

‘Oh.’ Keith ducked his head, avoiding Lance’s gaze. And if he wasn’t mistaken, a faint blush seemed to be dusting the red paladins’ cheeks. Lance’s chest squeezed tightly, and his lips widened without permission.

‘You’re du-umb,’ he sang. It was childish, completely unnecessary and one-hundred percent unhelpful. But Lance couldn’t seem to resist. Keith reacted immediately, throwing a fierce glare at the other. It would be scary if it weren’t for the red glow surrounding it. Lance laughed now, completely unashamed. Keith was so easy to rile up. And he did it so well, reacting quickly, dramatically and with promise of a later counter strike. Lance couldn’t help taking advantage of absolute gold. Besides, it was his right, as one of the very few people close enough to Keith to not be on the receiving end of murder, to tease him. And as Lance’s laughter trailed off, Keith finished a classic eye roll, but Lance spotted the glimmer of amusement there too. And that was the real win if Lance was being honest. Because if not getting murdered was rare, then witnessing joy was nigh-on impossible. Lance couldn’t help but preen at the thought that he did. It was nice to get the tense arch out of their leader’s shoulders.

‘So you’re injured?’ Keith prompted, leaning into his hip and fixing Lance with a look.

‘It’s really not that bad!’ Lance assured quickly. But as Keith continued to stare, he let his head drop in defeat. ‘I got too close to one of the steam vents on that last mission. Got a burn on my leg.’

Keith shook his head in disapproval.

‘Come on,’ he said, hint of a smirk against his lips, ‘there’s a first aid kit in the training room cupboard.’

‘There’s a training room cupboard?’

Keith shot his head back so quickly it could have ripped off his neck. Lance couldn’t even begin to try holding his deadpan as he witnessed the full scope of unrefined shock slapped across their leader’s face. He snorted. Then laughter was tumbling from his lips, unrestrained.

‘No no, I did know that.’ He managed between laughs, ‘despite what you think I do actually train.’

Keith rolled his eyes but there was a smile there too.

‘Oh, I don’t doubt that you train,’ He said, continuing their trek to the back wall ‘you don’t get that good without proper training.’

Lance tripped over thin air. Had Keith just said he was good? No wait, he said he was that good. That implied he was impressed. Was Keith impressed by him? Was Lance impressive? His insides went warm with the idea, folding like cake batter. In his elation he nearly missed Keith’s following dig.

‘I just doubt you bother tidying up.’

The bubble popped. Lance let out an offended noise, forgetting his previous elation. He struggled to put together a lie about just how untrue that was until Keith threw him a dangerous smirk that had Lance burning from the inside out and even more desperate to wipe it off his face. Unfortunately, that wasn’t conducive to finding any more of a comeback other than a strangled screech.

They arrived at their destination, and Keith pulled the cupboard open smugly. Flicking through the contents smugly he lifted a out small white tub smugly. He passed it over all smugly and Lance threw his hand over it, readying his offence. But before he could begin, Keith caught his hand.

‘Seriously though-’

God his expression was so intense. It didn’t leave any room for Lance to catch respite. All he could do was nod for Keith to continue, staring at the dark eyes locked on his.

‘It’s not serious is it?’

Lance shook his head and that warm feeling was creeping back into his stomach again. ‘It’s fine. Really.’

Keith searched his eyes for what felt like forever. It was as if he could see the inner workings of Lance’s mind but the weird part was that Lance wasn’t totally against it. In fact, it gave him a moment to look into Keith’s. There was wild passion surrounding his dark, almost black irises – untamed energy ready to explode. But they were also steady, holding Lance to his place. And well-meaning. But before Lance could decipher any further, Keith was closing them, nodding to himself. Turning away, he seemed satisfied with Lance’s response - as he should be Lance had poured a whole barrel full of sincerity into that statement. But Lance stayed still for a second longer. Keith cared. The thought echoed through his mind. It was nice. Made his skin feel like it was trapping bubbles. He couldn’t quite bring himself to leave the moment so soon.

Keith smiled at him then. A small thing, easy to miss but not to someone who knew how rare it was. And it made Lance’s heart stutter strangely.

‘Go fix yourself up,’ Keith commanded before adding a sly, ‘sharpshooter.’

Lance grinned.

‘On your orders team leader!’

He raised a small two fingered salute to his forehead, making Keith laugh at the gesture. The sight had Lance’s chest blooming. Despite his injury he practically bounced back to his room.

Chapter Text

Meetings on the Atlas were busy, formal affairs. A long table sat all the important personnel, most of which Allura could count her conversations with on one hand. She was glad to have the paladins by her side, they reminded her of her purpose, the place she served in all this chaos. Shiro headed the meetings, allowing everyone to speak in turn and maintaining order. Allura decided he did very well. He was able to keep talks on task but never rushed through points. He turned to Allura kindly, speaking coolly.

‘And the Alteans?’

Allura sucked in a breath. The Alteans. They’d warmed up a lot since they’d first arrived, but Allura could hardly say she’d made progress. It wasn’t like talking to the members of court of old. They’d been through a lot, minds harrowed with the abuse they’d taken from Haggar – the lies they’d been told, the promises of freedom they’d been given by… She didn’t finish the thought, boxing it up and pushing it deep in the caverns of her mind.

‘Still a little hostile.’ She said, putting on a smile for the room, ‘however, since treatment, they’ve been slowly opening up about their experiences.’

Shiro nodded. The treatment. Once Allura had saved Tavos’ life, she’d removed something from within him. It was darkness incarnate - whispers in a smoky shadow. Just it’s presence could make you feel cold, like your mind was being pulled part and rearranged. She shivered at the thought.

‘Pidge, is there any more information on the…’ Shiro drifted off, not as if he’d forgotten his words, more that he needed the right one. He seemed to settle, eyes flicking to Allura before he addressed Pidge once again, ‘essence we removed? Have we discovered anything from it?’

Essence. That was a good way to put it. Allura was once again impressed by Shiro’s tact. He said what needed to be said but never trod on landmines. Maybe she should take notes?

‘Not yet,’ Pidge said with a grimace, ‘Coran and I are gonna keep running tests though. Currently the substance is undertaking several tests using electromagnetic scanners. We’ll update you when we’re done.’

‘Great.’ Shiro announced. Progress was slow, but it was still happening. Allura found it relaxed her, knowing an answer was just around the corner. She wanted to ask more about the tests, when Shiro continued.

‘And Hunk, have there been any signs of Haggar?’

‘Well…’

Allura found her heart beating a little faster. Haggar. She was the reason they were here, the reason Alteans were in danger. It made her blood run cold and she squeezed her hands against her knees, bracing for the worst.

‘There’s been rumoured sightings. Brief appearances, like rips in time. But nothing concrete. It’s like she’s hopping from place to place.’

‘Is there a pattern?’ Shiro asked, taking the words straight from Allura’s mouth.

Hunk shook his head. ‘I’m keeping a record of all sightings, but so far we’ve got nothing.’

Allura frowned at the table. Nothing. Were they really getting anywhere at all? Allura was falling into a pit when a hand squeezed against hers. Lance. She glanced up to find him looking at her, wearing that lopsided smile he always wore. It was nice, warmed her stomach, so Allura gave a pinched one back. She couldn’t give a proper one, thoughts of Haggar still skittering around her mind like ghosts, but if she focused on his and the touch of their fingers combined, she felt the lightness scare them away.

‘That’s alright.’ Shiro said smoothly over the ringing in Allura’s head. ‘Keep up the good work, we may still find something yet. Other than that, are there any issues that haven’t been raised this meeting?’

Around the room were several shaking heads and shared glances.

‘Good. Then meeting adjourned.’

And just like that the room was buzzing once more. Chairs scraped against the floor, papers flapped against the table and then people were filtering out the room. Allura took a moment to relax back in her chair. Hunk and Pidge were springing to their feet, keen to continue their work no doubt. Keith muttered something about training before removing himself too. Shiro was tapping his papers against the table top, nodding to several crew members.

‘Shirogane,’ Iverson stepped up to the man in question, ‘could you come up to the control deck, we need confirmation on our defence plan before we head into the next asteroid field.’

‘Oh!’ Veronica leaned back over the table from where she was about to leave, ‘and while you’re there, can we do a weapons drill as well? I think I knocked out my cannon last battle.’

Shiro nodded to the both of them. ‘I’ll meet you up there.’

Iverson saluted, heading to the door whilst Veronica grinned, an action somewhat reflective of Lance’s before she joined him too. It was nice, seeing them in the same room. After meeting Lance’s family, Allura truly saw how close they were, how dear those people were to him. They clearly played a big role in his life. She looked over to him then, finding the boy sliding back in his chair and watching Shiro closely.

‘How’s it going being the most popular man on the ship?’

Shiro shook his head, but he was clearly fighting a smirk – and a blush.

‘I don’t know about that.’

Lance sat up like a spark, ‘I’d beg to differ! Everyone wants a piece of you!’

Shiro was in fact blushing now, but his eyes were crinkling at the corners. ‘You mean everyone’s got work for me.’

Lance grinned, bouncing a little in his seat. He liked teasing people. But Allura could see now, it wasn’t malicious – more complimentary if anything. He was bolstering Shiro’s ego, just to see him smile. The only possible mal-intent was the selfish kick he seemed to get out of it as he glowed back at the man.

‘Nah, you love it.’

Shiro sighed. ‘I don’t mind helping out. But a break would be nice.’

Lance laughed loudly, flopping back in his chair. Allura found the words too distracting to join in. Shiro wanted a break? She had never considered the man might feel overworked. He just got on with everything so well, smile always attached to his lips she figured he was fine. Maybe Allura wasn’t as in tune with her fellow paladin as she once thought?

‘Ahh, don’t worry,’ Lance was speaking again, throwing his feet up on the desk and head back in his hands, ‘five years’ time, you’ll be on Varadero, sipping on cocktails and laughing about the fact you have no responsibilities in life.’

His eyes slipped shut as he seemed to disappear to the day itself, sunning himself under a blue sky.

‘I’m holding you to that.’ Shiro said with a laugh, squeezing around the two to get to the door.

‘I’m counting on it,’ Lance called after him, ‘need to get me down there too!’

Allura watched with amusement as Lance slid further down in his chair, blissed out on the thought.

‘Is that your dream?’ She asked, ‘for when this is all over.’

Lance peeked an eye open, looking over to her with curiosity.

‘Yeah.’ He said, before turning to her fully, ‘don’t worry, you’ll be there too.’

Then he leaned in to press a quick peck to her nose. It tickled, making her giggle and he sat back with a proud smile. She thought about his dream. Lying on an Earthen beach, no responsibilities? She hadn’t really considered it and let out a hum.

‘You don’t want to be?’ Lance asked, leaning in closer again. His brows seemed to twitch, mouth set in a worried frown. Guilt trickled into Allura’s stomach. She hadn’t given much consideration to the future, not since… No. The box would stay firmly shut.

‘I don’t know.’ She said honestly, ‘I guess I always imagined myself rebuilding Altea.’

It would be no mean feat. A whole people, a whole planet. And with the current Alteans not wonderfully keen on her, Allura almost doubted its possibility at all. But she still dreamed of it. To preserve their culture, it’s all she’d ever wanted – its what she was raised to do. As a member of Royalty, she would uphold tradition, learn what was most important to her people and make sure they were satisfied too. That was a responsibility she wanted to uphold. If in five years’ time, she didn’t have that, could she say she was truly happy?

‘With me by your side?’ Lance urged. He wore a worried kind of hope in his eyes, that made Allura’s stomach twist awkwardly. It’s not quite what she had in mind, in all truth. There was someone else stood there, no matter how hard she tried to close the box, he still shone. She bit her lip.

‘Shall we go for a walk?’ She asked. When Lance didn’t reply she threw him a smile getting to her feet. She needed to get rid of this restless energy. And Lance always seemed to like their walks. Plus, his endless chatter soothed the fullness in her head. After a moment, she held out her hand and he took it with a grin, all the worry sliding away.

‘Sure.’

~*~

Keith stumbled back to his room, rubbing a towel roughly over his head and shuddering as cold water splashed onto his shoulders. Why would they design their rooms so far from the showers? Keith would be having words with Sam about this. Well, only in his mind. But the words would be just as strong. Pressing the button for his bedroom door, he jogged up and down on the spot, willing the cold to run from his veins. He was fully dressed, but his hair retained cold like a fridge and he couldn’t wait to blast the hair dryer through it.

The door whooshed open and Keith immediately stepped inside. Something crunched under his foot and he paused mid step. Beneath his toes was a piece of paper. It was soft around the edge like it had been poorly ripped from a notepad and scrawled with both black and red ink. Keith crouched down to pick it up.

In black, it read: ‘dear Keith, your presence is requested promptly at room 205.’

And then in red: ‘come if you wish for your friends to LIVE!!!!!!!!!’

Keith swallowed thickly. A death threat. And if the number of exclamation marks were anything to go by, it was a serious one. The paper crumpled in his fist as he stood back up. Reaching around he felt the cool metal of his knife strapped to his back, a firm, reassuring presence. Room 205 it was.

~*~

Keith found the door to room 205 was a looming one. Arching at the top, it met in the middle with two horse-shoe shaped handles. Keith took a deep breath. Taking his knife in his hand, he counted.

One. His hand was on the door.

Two. He pressed forward wincing at the coffin-like creaking.

Three. He stepped inside.

~*~

‘Was that a scream?’

More like a blood-curdling shriek, Lance thought. His whole body shivered and he unconsciously squeezed Allura’s hand tighter. ‘It sounded like Keith.’

In a second, the two were running, reaching for their Bayards in practiced synchronisation. Winding around dimly lit hallways, Lance clattered after Allura whipping his head around every doorway. The corridors were unfamiliar this side of the castle – it mostly belonged to Garrison personnel as the paladins kept a wing to the East. It made searching that much more difficult. Why would Keith even be here? Lance’s dug his fingers into his Bayard, silently cursing the mysterious paladin.

Allura stopped ahead, but Lance’s momentum had him slamming straight into her back.

‘Sorry!’ He spluttered and the two stumbled forward. Allura didn’t respond, brushing down her suit as she righted herself. Lance swallowed thickly. Was that a good or bad sign?

‘He must be here.’ Allura announced, nodding forward. Lance looked up to find they’d hit the end of the hallway. A large gothic-style door towered before them, hiding the room beyond. If there was movement inside, it’s cold metal probably blocked all evidence of it. The two approached carefully.

Meeting Allura’s eye, Lance put up three fingers. She nodded, lifting her Bayard and he began counting down.

Three, he took a deep breath.

Two, his back was against the door.

One, his Bayard was engaged.

And as the last finger downed, he balled his hand into a fist and shoved hard against the door. It gave easily and the two burst into the room. Weapons pulled high they stood tall, blocking the exit as their eyes landed on the scene set out in front of them. Lance’s gun immediately fizzled out of life.

‘What the hell guys?’

In front of him, Keith was sat cross-legged on the floor, face of resignation. His hair swished through the air around him, fringe fluffy over his forehead. Kinkade drew strands between his fingers, fluttering a hair dryer across them, expression serene as if no longer aware of anything but the task at hand. Rizavi was stood behind him, arms crossed, and no longer watching the show. Instead her head was tilted in confusion at the Keith defence squad who’d burst right into an apparent hair salon.

‘We heard a scream?’ Allura prompted, voice a little off kilter with her obvious surprise.

‘Because they attacked me.’ Keith pouted, wincing as the movement ripped his hair from Kinkade’s grip.

‘Yeah, you look like you’re in real danger here.’ Lance responded flatly. Kinkade finally switched off the hair dryer, and Keith was free to yell in all his grumpy glory.

‘They sent me a death threat!’

Lance let a single eye brow raise, fighting a smirk. Keith playing hair-dressers with the MFE’s was new and definitely tease-worthy. Before he could though, a deep yet calm voice was speaking.

‘I told you not to write that.’

Kinkade was looking at Rizavi who refused to show any signs of guilt. ‘Come on! Like he would have come without it!?’

‘Might’ve.’ Keith mumbled, more to himself than anything, but Rizavi definitely picked it up.

 ‘Wha-!?’ The girl squeaked. ‘Why!?’

Keith finally looked up then, and something about his expression had Lance gripped. It was open, yet defiant. And his voice reflected the sentiment. ‘It was polite.’

Rizavi was struck, bubbling with a hundred different emotions but Keith paid it no mind. Instead, he looked up to Kinkade, wearing a quiet kind of respect. The other reflected the expression right back and the two shared a nod. Lance felt it’s power like a gong ringing through the room. The action exuded the strength of ten thousand suns exploding all at once. It was entrancing yet too pure to look at head on. Lance was almost too absorbed by the moment to hear Allura’s voice break through.

‘So, nobody’s hurt?’

Ah, the important question. Lance slammed back to reality, landing back in the strange world he’d walked into having nearly forgotten the reason they were even here.

The three shook their heads.

‘Alright.’ Allura said, putting her Bayard away. At the same time she began turning away, Lance took wide step forward.

‘Then what is going on here?’ He asked, eyeing the group suspiciously. Keith avoided his gaze.

‘Kinkade can do braids and I can’t!’ Rizavi burst out, ‘he doesn’t even have hair!’

The boy shrugged, seemingly unaffected by her insult to his hair that Lance very much admired, ‘I used to do my little sisters back home.’

Lance nodded before a smirk pulled against his cheek. Keith was glaring holes in the floor and Lance lapped it up. ‘So, you needed a Guinea pig.’

‘Exactly!’

Lance just knew Keith’s hair would get him into trouble eventually. ‘I want in.’

Three “what!?”’s of varying pitch echoed through the room, but Lance paid them no mind watching as Keith’s face exploded with shock, eyes and mouth wide as he stared. Lance walked forward to shove a hand through Keith’s still damp hair, intent on messing it up but stopped short. He was surprised to find it silky, releasing a burst of fresh, minty scent that tugged Lance in. He nearly forgot to explain himself, as he found himself relishing in the feeling of smooth strands falling between his fingers and the fragrance smothering his senses. When he realised what he was doing, he cleared his throat.

‘I miss plaiting my niece’s hair.’ He said, hand still in Keith’s mess. He remembered those Sunday nights, when the kids would want baths and bubbles before bed. They’d get into their pyjama’s and Nadia would crawl into his lap demanding a French braid. “Like the ones you do on papi!” she’d cry, stamping on Lance’s shins and making him wince. He pulled her down, and combed her hair whilst laughing because Luis absolutely hated those pictures of him and Nadia would never let them go. Rachel and Lance were truly a dream team as kids - tackling a large, teenage Luis to the floor just to take that unruly locks for themselves. Lance smiled at the thought. ‘And my brother’s. Back when he still wore it long.’

The three remained quiet before Rizavi finally relented. ‘Fine, you can do it. Just as long as you talk me through every step.’

‘Of course!’ Lance replied brightly, shifting around to Keith’s back.

‘This okay with you?’ He asked, looking over to Kinkade. The other gave him a grunt of affirmation. At the same time a poor, unfortunate soul found his voice.

‘I guess.’

Lance snorted. Leaning over Keith’s shoulder he gave a sharp tug to the hair, ‘wasn’t talking to you, mullet.’

‘IT’S MY HAIR!’

Lance just threw his head back, laughter gripping his stomach and exploding from his lungs. It was so sweet that Keith actually thought he had a choice.

‘Should I continue drying it?’ Kinkade asked, waving the hairdryer in the air. Lance shook his head.

‘Nah. It’ll be easier to show you while it’s damp.’

Lance combed his fingers through Keith’s hair, letting his nails scrape along his scalp. Despite earlier protest, Keith seemed to be melting, shoulders slipping out from where they hid below his ears. And Lance maybe revelled in it a little more than what was acceptable. It wasn’t his fault their leader had a habit of hoarding his stress like a squirrel gripping an acorn.

 ‘So,’ Lance finally began explaining, letting his hands rest on the sides of Keith’s head, ‘you want the hair to have as few knots as possible when you start.’

Keith twitched below him, and Lance glanced down at the subtle movement. Was that a silent protest against the loss of movement? Lance smirked to himself. Keith liked having his hair played with. Despite the gruff facade, he was having fun. Without another word, Lance began swirling his thumbs in gentle circles at the base of his head. Keith immediately slackened, a low hum spilling from his throat, no doubt an accident. Lance felt it warm through him like golden sunlight. He soaked it up a second longer, a moment of self-indulgence. Then he turned to Rizavi once again, not wanting to draw attention to Keith’s obvious pleasure and spare his bad-boy reputation.

‘You need to split the hair into three even sections.’ Lance explained and did as much. The girl nodded next to him, lips pulled tight in concentration.

‘And then you just cross each into the middle, one at a time, until you’re done.’

Lance then slowly began to plait Keith’s black hair, trying not to lament too much on the smell of tea tree that wafted with every turn of locks. A far away feeling in his mind wanted to bury his face in it. Lance quickly threw his thoughts of braiding over it. That would do absolutely no good. Keith may be enjoying himself, but it was begrudgingly, and Lance couldn’t afford to scare him off when he was finally taking time to relax. After a minute of twisting, a short plait lay heavy on the back of Keith’s neck and Lance wasn’t afraid to say he was satisfied with the outcome. Rizavi leant in to inspect the work, absently pushing his glasses up against the wrinkle in her nose.

‘Amazing.’ She breathed. Lance felt his cheeks glow and he happily sat back on his heels.

‘I didn’t know you could do hair.’

Lance jolted at Allura’s voice. He’d forgotten she had entered the room with him, having watched everything from the door. He squeezed his fists into his thighs, palms suddenly filled with sweat. How could he forget his own girlfriend? No wonder she couldn’t imagine a life with him. Allura tilted forward to smile at him. Lance tried to mirror it but it fell short and Allura’s slipped into a frown. She turned to Rizavi.

‘Would you like to practice on mine?’

Rizavi practically jumped in excitement. ‘Yes! Of course! Please, Princess, have a seat!’

‘That’s pretty brave.’ Keith whispered, nudging her as she sat down. The princess let out a small laugh.

‘I’m sure Rizavi will do fine. And if not, Kinkade and Lance are here.’

‘You’re right.’ Keith responded, before turning a wicked smirk on Lance, ‘Kinkade’s here. It’ll be fine.’

Outrageous. Lance couldn’t contain his offense as it burst out in random noises, probably at a pitch higher than necessary. He tugged sharply on the plait. ‘I’ll have you know this is some of my best work.’

The smirk grew dangerous, and Lance got the feeling he’d stepped on a landmine. Then it flattened out, almost innocent until he noticed the eyebrow slip up to level “judging you”, indicating Lance’s foot had left the trigger

‘I don’t doubt that.’

Goddamn him. Keith burst into laughter. Lance’s sheer offense must have been a picture on his face because Keith’s deadpan usually lasted longer. But here they were, Keith rolling his head to the side as his face sparkled with the sound, mouth wide, eyes squeezed closed. Clearly his muscles were falling weak to the power of it as he leaned heavily to his side, mirth refusing to subside. Lance gave it hand, shoving him over.

‘Right Rizavi.’ He said, ignoring the noise on the floor beside him, ‘you ready?’

Chapter Text

Allura stepped into the lab. It was darker in here, small disc lights hanging over the benches instead of the large bars adorning most of the ship. Allura still didn’t feel comfortable calling the Atlas home. The castle - her castle - was full of light, every corridor worn in by the hundreds of pairs of shoes that had walked them before. This place had barely seen its first crew.

Letting her hand sweep across the edge of the bench closest to her, Allura felt cold metal beneath her finger tips, not even a scratch poking back at her touch. No sign of any predecessors, no guardians of old there to guide them. She sighed.

‘Allura?’

At the sound of her name, Allura spun around. Pidge was at the end of the bench, blinking owlishly at her, still hunched over the work top with a wrinkle squidged on her nose as if mid sniff. Allura found herself staring back with equal surprise. She had assumed she was alone. At the lengthening silence, Pidge seemed to come to herself and shuffled down the bench, clip board in hand as she dodged some of the more eager plants who’s leaves scrambled into the aisle.

‘You alright?’

Allura faltered as Pidge landed in front on her, large blinking eyes in full bloom. The girl seemed to analyse her as if she were one of the experiments, but Allura couldn’t exactly blame her. This wasn’t one of her typical haunts. In fact, it may be the first time Allura had come to Colleen’s biochemical lab.

Many of the Garrison members swooned over it - often taking their breaks to wander among the flowers. They compared it to an upmarket garden centre, a look of nostalgia softening their eyes, and the rumours had intrigued Allura before. However, it was Shiro who really swayed her. The man could often be found hiding amongst the greenery. He told Allura over lunch about the streams of water passing under the benches and falling in waterfalls through the pipes, aqueducts feeding directly into the roots of the plants. He seemed awed by the set-up, saying the fountains reminded him of his grandmother’s garden back home. Apparently, she had a small pond with water trickling down a moss-covered wall through flower pots and metal slides – depositing the liquid back into the frogs’ home where the cycle would resume. It seemed the man had developed a soft spot for the lab and Allura was more than happy to listen to his whims. That was one good thing about the Atlas - the nostalgia Allura had lost, the humans had gained and all the tiny details they added to the ship made it feel alive. That was something the castle had lost that eons ago.

‘Sorry,’ Allura finally spoke, voice feeling a little foreign, ‘I know I don’t come down here often.’

‘It’s cool,’ Pidge interrupted quickly, ‘we could always do with the company.’

She smiled, off handed shrug in her shoulders and it made Allura’s feel that bit lighter. Pidge glanced down at her clipboard, fiddling with her glasses before looking back up, ‘you wanna help monitoring?’

‘Of course.’

Allura wasn’t sure what monitoring involved but it was a welcome distraction all the same. Rounding the bench, she peered over Pidge’s shoulder to see an electronic list glowing back at them.

‘All we do is check each plant for the stuff here, note down anything interesting and then move on to the next.’

Allura nodded before they were walking back to where Pidge had been working only moments before. The plant in front of them had silvery leaves that drooped at the ends and the red stems were adorned with spikes. Pidge picked up one of the leaves to look at the underside before mumbling something about pink veins and ticking a box. Allura checked the list before having a look for any lilac buds and finding none.

‘So how are you finding life on the Atlas?’ Pidge asked, nose-deep in a fern.

‘Oh, it’s uhh...’ Allura struggled to land on the right word, ‘fine.’

Pidge raised an eyebrow, ‘I’m guessing the crew is a lot larger than you’re used to.’

‘Well...’ Allura sighed as she thought back to the castle. Their make shift crew of four humans, two Alteans and a mixed-heritage Galra seemed something of nostalgia now. They’d had rocky moments but, against it all, the group really had blended well as a team. And she’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss the ease of having a smaller group to answer to.

Pidge interrupted her thought. ‘Don’t worry I miss the castle too.’

Was Allura that obvious? Pidge just laughed.

‘I know, sounds crazy. I mean I have my whole family back here.’ The girl turned around to lean against the work bench, eyes glazing as she looked to the ceiling, ‘But I dunno, there was something about our tiny little space family.’

Allura smiled, ‘we did have some fun didn’t we?’

Pidge grinned at that, turning to face the other, ‘remember when you tried to bond with me about being girls and I just started talking about peanuts?’

Allura remembered that well, mostly the feeling of utter confusion as Pidge just kept talking of this foreign food that Allura couldn’t even begin to imagine. Was it a spice? Goo? Genetically engineered plant? The worst part was Allura had no idea how to stop her Pidge rambling and her own growing curiosity of the nut of pea had very nearly overtaken her excitement in finally having another girl to talk to. It was such a strange distraction to have become swallowed up in that Allura had to stifle a laugh at the thought. ‘Yes. Seems neither of us were quite in tune with the other at that point.’

Pidge shook her head. ‘Really though. I’m so glad I didn’t leave that day.’

Allura warmed at the words. She was so grateful to the paladins for staying - and maybe it was selfish but even if the universe wasn’t at risk, she’d still think the same thing. She found herself talking before she even realised, ‘I’m really glad it was you five who found the Blue Lion. I can’t imagine a better group to have shared those final months in the Castle with.’

Allura saddened at the thought. The Castle was gone - all their time spent there over. Now everything was so different. The lions were far from the hangars they were built, Allura far from her childhood home. Their experiences were mere memories now.

‘Hey.’

Allura jolted at Pidge’s hand falling on her shoulder. How long had she been thinking for? Pidge squeezed the spot and Allura finally tore herself away from the darker shadows of her mind.

‘We’re still here. It might not be the same ship but we’re the same people. We’re not going anywhere anytime soon.’

Pidge’s expression was soft, eyes crinkling at the corners as her eyebrows left them open. Allura’s heart tightened. They were all here. Maybe it wasn’t the same, but it wasn’t all that different either. It did no good wallowing in the past when there were so many more memories to make. Taking a deep breath, Allura let the earthy smell of soil fill her lungs. The sensation was unfamiliar, especially on a ship, but it wasn’t terrible. In fact, as her chest expanded, a feeling of ease spread from her lungs into her arms and her legs and all the way out to her little toes. With everything so new, she felt the tingle of anticipation flow through her blood. But it wasn’t fear anymore. It was excitement. She could see good things in their future if she just kept her head held high.

‘Thank you Pidge.’ She said, feet set more firmly against the ground, ‘I think I needed to hear that.’

‘No probs!’ Pidge shrugged, hopping down from the bench. ‘Now we’ve really got to get on with this before mom-‘

Pidge’s words cut short as she tripped over her own feet. Colleen was stood at the end of the aisle, like a guardian of hell, arms folded across her chest, orange lights casting her into a fiery shadow.

‘Before mom whats?’

Allura could practically hear the thunder crashing around them. Pidge remained frozen to the spot.

‘Nothing!’ She squeaked. Then she was scurrying up to the next plant like a gerbil caught stealing a seed.

Colleen smirked, ‘that’s what I thought.’

She walked down the aisle to join them, Pidge getting a short jibe of ‘more like loses her shit,’ under her breath before she could arrive.

‘Allura, it’s lovely to see you.’

‘You too Colleen.’ Allura said, bowing her head politely. Colleen was always kind and considerate, an expert in her field, but she was also, ever so slightly, terrifying. She was a ruthless ruler when she wanted to be - something Pidge had definitely picked up. Though Allura knew better than to mention that - Pidge being adamant the two were nothing alike.

‘Heard you got yourself a fella.’ Colleen continued, bumping Allura’s hip. Allura stumbled, frowning at the floor. Fella? Her brain struggled to attach a meaning to the word. Pidge snorted, ripping Allura back from her efforts. The girl was looking up at her with sparkling eyes, barely holding off a laugh, ‘she means Lance.’

Oh. Allura felt her cheeks burst with heat. Clearing her throat, she tried to maintain grace, ‘Uhh yes. Lance is my... fella.’

Colleen smiled at her, in an almost knowing manner, before sighing to herself. ‘Reminds me of when I first met my husband.’

‘Oh?’ Allura said, thankful for the distraction, ‘how did the two of you first meet?’

Colleen let out a short laugh and Pidge groaned.

‘Modulation.’ They said together, one voice in humour the other dripping with exasperation. Allura didn’t have time to comment as Colleen launched into the story.

‘We were working in the same lab at the time.’ She began, stepping back to lean against the bench, resting her clip board flat against her stomach. ‘Sam usually had one of his friends check over his work - get a second opinion on his code and all that. But his friend, also a friend of mine at the time, fell ill one afternoon. I offered to take on his work, so he could go home and rest, and Sam’s code just so happened to be in there. I went through it, made a few notes and then sent it back explaining what had happened. Five minutes later I find myself in a very heated argument over the different ways to modulate.’

She laughed, shaking her head at the memory. ‘Of course, Sam didn’t listen to me, ignoring the fact that single would mean a much more adaptable code and the security of double just wasn’t necessary for his level of work. He decided to stick firmly with double, and I decided that I couldn’t stand him.’

Colleen was rolling her eyes in a fond manner and Allura found herself leaning in closer. ‘You didn’t like each other?’

Colleen shook her head, leaving Allura with yet more questions. They were left unasked as Colleen continued the story.

‘I spent the next week watching him labour over all the changes his boss had given him, thinking if he had just single modulated it would have taken half the time. I mean I’ve never seen so many coffee cups covering a desk before. It was one hellish week for him and I honestly felt so smug. Served him right for not listening to me.’

Colleen had an air of defiance as she ended the speech, like the triumph was still fresh in her mind. Allura just felt more confused. But Colleen’s expression soon softened, eyes glazed over, and it was clear there was something underlining it all. ‘But at the end, when he was all finished up, I came to my desk and there, sitting in the middle, was a pot of these pretty yellow flowers. They were the kind I loved, with little round petals and lilac stamens. I even had a coat with the exact pattern. Sam had probably seen me wear it.’

She paused for a moment, reaching for a ring hung on a delicate chain around her neck. Allura remembered Lance mentioning that. A wedding ring – a symbol of endless love. The sight made Allura’s heart squeeze. Even apart, Colleen could feel close to her husband. Just a simple action and the love between the two of them was radiating from Colleen like a sun. And Sam wasn’t even there. It was almost too much and Allura had to avert her gaze. When Colleen spoke again, her voice was lighter, almost wavering as a smile pulled against her lips. ‘And there was this little card poking out the top. It said, “you were right. I should have double modulated.” And I just thought it was sweetest thing. Somehow, in all his stress, Sam had found the time to buy me flowers. Well, I went straight over to his desk and asked him out to dinner there and then.’

She laughed again, Pidge gagging somewhere in the background but Allura was too wrapped up to notice.

‘I’ll never forget his face - bright red, shining eyes, mouth completely incapable of movement. He could barely make a sentence. But I did get a yes.’

The smile on her face couldn’t be wider and Allura found herself absorbed in it. She wanted that. The kind of love where you couldn’t help but smile thinking about the other.

‘Do you agree on modulation now?’

‘Oh heavens no!’ Colleen cried, and Allura flinched back suddenly. ‘No, we argue about that every other week!’

Pidge turned from her work then to send Allura a look of exasperation, ‘you have no idea how annoying it is.’

‘Then,’ Allura hesitated. She didn’t want to be rude, but she felt even more confused, ‘if you don’t mind me asking, why are you together if you disagree so much?’

Colleen smiled at her, and the knot of worry tied in Allura’s stomach released.

‘Well, I don’t know anyone else as passionate about modulation as me. And the fact we argue over these things just goes to show how similar we are. And that we’re comfortable enough to speak our minds. I think it’s a good thing.’

Allura nodded. She hadn’t considered that. Somehow the knot was returning.

‘We do agree on the important things though!’ Colleen added quickly. ‘Like raising these tyrants.’

Pidge yelped as Colleen made a grab for her. Pidge tried to dodge, narrowly missing one arm and falling into the other where Colleen was waiting. She squeezed the girl’s hip and the other squirmed, throwing her head back in desperate, screechy laughter. ‘No! Mom! STOP!’

Colleen laughed her off, letting her go and Pidge made a break for the other side of the room. Allura watched fondly. Despite all Pidge’s talk, they really did get on well. She couldn’t help it as a sense of longing pooled in her stomach. She hadn’t given her mother much thought over the past year. Couldn’t bear to. But they’d been like that once too.

There was a squeeze on her arm and Allura turned to find Colleen close again. She was smiling, but it wasn’t from happiness. Her eyes carried a lilt of sadness, the gesture one of comfort. Before Allura could respond, arms were scooping her up and she was surrounded by plush warmth.

‘Remember,’ Colleen whispered, the words warm puffs against Allura’s hair ‘you’re always welcome down here.’

Allura couldn’t speak. The sound would be muffled anyway by the cotton of Colleens sleeve. So, she opted to nod, eyes feeling warm as a sharp tug made itself known in her throat. She returned the hug, probably gripping tighter than what was considered normal. But it felt necessary. She wanted to hide in the comfort just a moment longer. And the longer she held, the more the words sunk in. You’re always welcome down here. It felt like more than an invitation. A promise. A safety net. And suddenly Allura’s cheek was wet.

‘Thank you.’ She whispered, burying in closer. She really had a lot more to thank the Holts for. But in that moment, she forgot it all. For once, she just accepted the comfort.

Chapter Text

The lounge was quiet. Lance sprawled himself across one of the sofas, tablet in one hand and Kosmo’s fur in the other. The wolf had decided to use him a pillow and Lance could honestly say he’d never been more blessed. He felt warm, as if tucked under several woollen blankets in-front of an open hearth. It was comforting. And he was very content reading through the stats of the next monster they were likely to bump into in space – a database courtesy of Coran. That was until…

‘LANCE!’

Hunk came bursting into the room, huffing and puffing. His headband was half way up his hair, apron splattered with batter like a crime scene and oven gloves waving wildy. Lance lifted his hand to indicate presence, ‘yes?’

‘OH MY GOD! LANCE!’

Hunk fell over him, still shouting despite the quiet of the room. He grabbed his shoulder’s, shaking so hard Lance got motion sickness.

‘WHERE’S THE BURN CREAM?’

‘Whoa man-‘ Lance began, dizzying with the movement. Kosmo didn’t seem to appreciate it either, letting out a small whine before hopping off the sofa and teleporting out. Traitor.

‘KEITH SAID YOU BORROWED THE BURN CREAM.’ Hunk continued yelling, still shaking Lance’s shoulders, ‘GIVE IT TO ME.’

‘Dude stop!’ Lance yelped grabbing his hands to steady them, ‘I’ll get the burn cream jeez, what even happened?’

Hunk’s panic dissipated then, giving way to an apologetic smile but not without urgency still lining his eyes. ‘It’s Keith. We were baking and he grabbed the tray but he wasn’t wearing gloves! And it looks pretty bad! Like, blisters all up his fingers and... We need burn cream. Stat.’

His large hands squeezed again, crushing Lance’s bones. Lance winced, trying to shift out the grip and take control of the situation.

‘Okay, deep breath.’

Hunk did as much, chest expanding widely. But worry still had him glued to the spot. Lance had to shimmy around his body to stand up. Right now, Hunk seemed to be the one in need of help. Lance had seen him in this state many times before, panic lining every one of his nerves, rational thought giving way to countless worst-case scenarios. He needed to be brought back to the real world, and Lance would be his anchor. Letting his own hands rest on Hunk, he reversed their arrangement and Hunk’s shoulders shot up with the touch. But, slowly, they began returning down and his breathing slowed.

‘Keith’s running his hands under cold water, right?’

Lance hoped the answer was yes. Keith may be reckless, but he had some sense. And his impulsive nature meant he probably had a lot of experience carrying out damage control. He’d know the sensible thing to do. And if he did, then Hunk’s mind would be eased.

‘Yeah. I-uh, I think so.’ Hunk’s eyes flickered, as he tried to recall the memory. Then he became focused and spoke more firmly, ‘Yes. Definitely. I distinctly remember him running to the sink after the tray fell.’

Lance let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. Maybe he hadn’t been quite as faithful in Keith as he first thought? At least he was right though. That meant Hunk would be ten times calmer now. He locked their gazes.

‘Okay. I’m gonna run back to my room and get the cream. You go keep Keith company.’ Hunk nodded sharply. With renewed vigour he went to turn but Lance caught him just before he could leave. ‘Remember, burns happen all the time. He’ll be fine.’

Hunk paused, staring back at Lance. Then his eyes went glassy and a weak smile pulled against his cheeks. His shoulders fell and before Lance could move, he was crushed in an enormous bear hug.

‘Whoa! Hey buddy, I’m not the one injured right now!’

‘I know,’ Hunk replied, voice wobbling, ‘I just- I love you man.’

Lance laughed, before curling into the hug. Lance shouldn’t have even be surprised at the rush of emotions coming from his best friend. Hunk could never stay down for long. And when Lance was so well versed in the art of calming him, the emotions were bound to come thick and fast. He buried his face in the other’s shoulder, muffling his words, ‘love you too.’

Then, as quickly as it had begun, the moment was over and Hunk was all business. Standing back like an army general, he nodded formally at Lance, ‘now, get that cream.’

‘Roger that!’

~*~

Keith cursed himself. He cursed the oven, he cursed the trays and he cursed Hunk. No wait, he didn’t curse Hunk. Curse himself again, Hunk was the angel trying to teach a disaster like him how to bake. And Keith, being Keith, just had to go and get himself burned. He frowned, swirling his fingers through the bowl of water. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt too bad? Experimentally, he lifted his hand until the water was dripping into the bowl. See, fine. Hunk was overreacting. Flicking his wrist, he ridded himself of the excess water before immediately seizing up. Damn, that hurt. The blisters felt like they were squeezing in on themselves, pain increasing from hushed whispers to screaming shouts in less than a minute. He shoved them back down into the water, sighing as the sting immediately subsided. Okay, maybe Hunk was onto something.

‘Lance is on the case!’

Keith spun around to find Hunk lumbering towards him. He smiled as Hunk continued to step into his space, peering over Keith’s shoulder to see the damage. He let out a deep sigh.

‘Ah man. My brain was making all kinds of grotesque images of these. But they’re just little white bumps.’

Hunk leaned down to rest his chin on Keith’s shoulder and Keith fought not to flinch at the action. It’s not that he didn’t like it – he did, always missing the extra warmth when it left. It’s just that the casual touches, free affection, willing love, was still a little unusual to him. Hunk was so tactile though that the time it took for Keith to relax into it was decreasing on a daily basis. Today, Keith was feeling brave. Or maybe weak, given his injury. He dropped his head to rest against the others, enjoying the softness of Hunk’s hair against his cheek.

‘They’re kinda cute,’ Hunk cooed, wagging a finger at Keith’s burns, ‘like lil albino turtles.’

Keith snorted, turning his hands over. He could maybe see clouds, or white pebbles. But turtles were a bit of a push. But if Hunk said they were turtles, then who was he to deny it? Hunk had been a spiking mesh of anxiety only ten minutes before. Clattering around the kitchen as Keith slammed the cold water tap on, yelling how there was no burn cream. Keith had to shout to be heard over the noise, telling him it was with Lance. Hunk disappeared nearly as fast as Kosmo teleporting and Keith was left in dead silence, staring at his mistake. It was nice to have soft Hunk back. Lance must have said something to him. A magic word of some sort. Maybe Keith would have to learn it? Then again, it seemed to be Lance’s nature to smooth over edges. He had a certain energy about him, able to spark a change in mood just by entering a room.

‘Don’t panic, my friends!’

Speak of the devil. Hunk whipped around as Keith craned his neck to the door. Lance waltzed into the room, nose to the sky, holding a small tub high in the air.

‘I, your royal saviour Lance, have brought the burn cream.’

Keith found himself grinning despite Lance’s obnoxious entrance. Hunk stumbled over, accepting the gift and running back to Keith. Lance joined them, sandwiching Keith in the middle.

‘Oof, ouch.’ Lance hissed, leaning right up to the water. ‘You alright bud?’

He tilted his gaze up to Keith, cheeks the slightest tinge of pink due to the near upside-down angle. His hair was falling into his eyes and he scraped it away, letting the curls slip between his fingers as he dragged it back from his forehead. Keith found his breath catch in his throat. How was he so radiant? Lance’s beauty was near blinding and the sincerity of his question nearly fatal with the palpitations it gave Keith’s heart. God, he was in far too deep. He had to summon the strength of a God just to tear his gaze away. Words seemed too risky so he simply nodded, darting his eyes to Hunk in the hope for help. Luckily Hunk took pity on him.

‘Let’s dry you off and get some cream on, yeah?’

Keith nodded, bracing himself for the sting of leaving the water. It still caught him off guard, pain increasing tenfold as Hunk passed him a tea towel. A hand landed on his back and Keith was too caught up in the sting not to lean into the body. Hunk unscrewed the pot lid, before offering it out to Keith who lathered it on. The cool liquid was instant relief and Keith sighed. There was a chuckle in his ear, way too close and Keith suddenly realised why. He was leaning into Lance’s side, the other drawing circles across his back. It was comforting. Familiar. Dangerous. It had Keith’s heart aching.

‘What’s going on in here?’

Now Keith flinched hard. Allura had entered the kitchen, looking at the three with reserved concern. Lance quickly waved it off.

‘s’all good Princess!’ He announced brightly, pulling her in by his spare arm. He leant in close, pressing a loud kiss to her lips. Keith winced, squirming awkwardly. He knew they were together. And he was happy for the two. But, God, the close proximity was like a stab in the gut. Why? Why was he so weak? He’d known the whole time Lance had a thing for Allura. But he still went ahead and let a small bud of hope unfurl in his heart. They’d been getting on so well after the whole Earth invasion thing. Lance even seemed genuinely happy to be around him. That’s when he made the mistake of thinking maybe. Maybe, Keith wouldn’t be rejected. But then Lance asked Allura out. And that was it. Keith was too late. Not even late, just alone in his feelings. His eyes prickled. He needed to get out. Now.

‘Keith here just got himself burned,’ Lance said, gesturing to his side. Keith tried to shrink away but Lance squeezed him tight, pulling him closer under his arm and all Keith could do was stumble stiffly with him.

‘Hey, you’re the one who got burned first.’ Keith muttered, suddenly irritated. He crossed his arms stubbornly, glaring holes in the floor. Why couldn’t Lance just leave him alone? That was it. Keith would be leaving him alone from now on. It was time to get strong.

‘You got burned?’

It was Allura speaking now, but the words weren’t directed at Keith. He would have just ignored them if it weren’t for the obvious shift in atmosphere. Lance was suddenly stiff against him, fingers digging into Keith’s jacket.

‘Yeah.’ Lance said. It was light – a fake kind of light, like it knew it was hiding something.

‘When?’

Keith turned at the tone. It was Allura’s commander voice. It was designed to hold back any kind of emotion, but right now, it barely did its job. She narrowed her eyes at Lance, leaning back to square her shoulders. Lance’s tongue slowly moved to lick his lips, and he cast his gaze to a spot on the wall beyond her. ‘The other day.’

‘On the mission?’

Keith wanted to shrink away. Dissolve like dust in space. Allura’s tone was even but it was slowly giving way to anger. Lance still wasn’t looking at her. His voice broke as he spoke, ‘yeah.’

Suddenly Allura threw her head down. ‘You lied to me.’

It wasn’t addressed to anyone in particular. More of a statement for herself. But it attracted the attention of the whole room. The air was thick and Keith didn’t dare move a muscle.

‘It was a white lie!’ Lance burst out, ‘I just didn’t want you to worry!’

Allura looked up then. And it shot through Keith. Her eyes were huge, and shining, hurt etched across every pore. ‘You still lied.’

Then she whipped around, striding from the kitchen, hands balled into fists.

‘Allura!’ Lance yelped, fear dripping off his voice. He immediately dropped Keith, running after her. ‘Wait!’

Keith stood frozen. He looked to Hunk who just stared back. After a tense moment, Hunk cleared his throat.

‘Right. Well. Um…’ He trailed off, looking back at the floor. ‘Lets just- yeah. Let’s tidy up.’

Keith forced himself to nod. Hunk shuffled around to the cupboards before slowly beginning to tidy the mess of their afternoon baking. Keith watched for a moment, leaning back against the counter. He didn’t know what to say. What to do. He couldn’t help a knot of guilt tying into his stomach.

‘Come on, bud.’ Hunk said, pulling him out his thoughts. ‘Nothing we can do now.’

Hunk smiled at him, resigned. Keith sighed. He was right. This was a problem for the couple, not them. Even if they witnessed the whole uncomfortable ordeal, it was better to pretend they didn’t. Kicking off the counter, he joined Hunk’s cleaning spree. Besides, Keith had decided to leave Lance alone now.

Chapter Text

‘Allura!’

Lance grabbed her hand, finally having caught up and Allura ripped it back. She didn’t want his touch right now. She didn’t want him anywhere near him. He lied. That said as much as she cared to listen for.

‘I don’t want to talk!’ Allura snapped, head thrown over her shoulder.

Lance looked like he’d been slapped. But he didn’t say another word, lowering his head. Allura thought about leaving. She had her room, three turns over. Blue was sitting in her hangar on the floor below. And there was always the control room – the one with Altean tech, none of the human stuff she couldn’t understand. Instead, she found herself snapping once again.

‘Why did you lie?’

Lance looked up again. With wide glistening eyes and apprehension written across his face. It irritated Allura. She pulled her arms across her chest, trying her best not tap her foot. She wanted answers. Now.

‘I didn’t want you to worry.’

‘And why shouldn’t I worry?’

Lance hesitated at that. ‘Because. You were injured.’

Lance was being sincere now at least. Allura fought to decide whether it was too late. Besides, his answers weren’t a satisfactory explanation. She said as much.

‘By the sounds of it you were too.’

‘It didn’t matter Allura!’

Allura stepped back a little with the force of his shout. Lance rarely raised his voice like this. He was loud but never angry loud. Clearly, Lance was surprised too, immediately lowering his heels to the floor and returning the hunch to his back.

‘Look. I wanted to look after you, okay? You are so incredibly important. To me, and to the universe. You shouldn’t be injured. Or even looking after the injured. You should be out there fighting. I don’t want to be the one to hold you back.’

‘Lance…’

Allura couldn’t find the words. Lance was looking at her like she was the world, unadulterated adoration. It made her heart pump faster; her hairs stand on end. He was so kind. She could fall into his arms feeling warm and loved. Everything at peace. But his words made her stomach turn in on itself.

‘Lance.’ Allura said, more firmly this time. She needed to be careful with these words – and she needed him to hear them. Removing herself from the situation, closing her eyes to that gaze she desperately wanted to keep, she spoke clearly, without room for argument. ‘I decide when I worry and who I want to worry about. I don’t want you hiding injuries because you think they’re not important. Because they are. Especially to me.’

When she opened her eyes, Lance was looking to the floor. His lips moved shakily, rubbing together like they were considering when to next open.

‘Lance?’

Lance whipped his eyes back up, ‘yes!’

‘Are you okay?’

Lance’s brows twitched again. Then his face was quickly rearranged into a happy one, the familiar smile Allura had come to adore.

‘I’m sorry.’ He said, ‘About lying. And all this.’

Allura shook her head. ‘No. I know you didn’t mean it maliciously.’

And really, when Allura looked back over the situation, she didn’t need Lance to tell her that. For one, Lance was never one to act out of malice. And for another, it really was only a small lie. Not like… Allura quickly cut off her thoughts, slamming them away behind the steel of a prison cell door. No need to bring up bad thoughts. She focussed on Lance in front of her, untreated guilt bubbling like acid in her stomach.

‘I’m sorry for over-reacting.’

‘You didn’t!’ Lance quickly reassured, stepping closer once again, ‘lying’s bad. I should know better. My mamá would scold me if she heard.’

He slapped his wrist in mock fashion and Allura found herself giggling. Lance always had a way of diffusing a situation, removing the tension with his sense of humour. He could brush away the bad thoughts, argument already practically forgotten. She felt safe around him. Happy.

~*~

The air in the meeting room tasted like cotton wool to Keith. He sat opposite Lance, who was fidgeting, taking glances at Allura’s hand that sat on the table between them. Keith hadn’t spoken to him since the whole incident it the kitchen. Although that was mostly because it had only been a few days ago. But he was assured by Hunk that the couple had made up. And then force-fed cookie batter because apparently, he could tell Keith was still blaming himself for the whole thing. He wasn’t entirely wrong. Keith knew logically, that Lance and Allura’s argument was something between the two of them – they couldn’t possibly know Keith’s feelings. But the guilt continued to bubble away in his stomach as his thoughts refused to be corralled back into their pens. He liked Lance. So much. He was so sweet. And funny. And ridiculous. And annoying. Oh god, he annoyed Keith so much. Like an irritating spot that needed to be itched. And Keith had very little self-control. 

He used to hide behind that fact. That Keith got far too annoyed by Lance to ever like him. But that wasn’t true. Because Lance wasn’t always annoying in the “oh my god I’m gonna punch him” kind of sense. He was annoying because he was always hiding behind the “oh my god I’m gonna punch him” façade. Underneath it, Lance’s support was unending. His passion was ferocious, the honesty in his action’s tangible. He had a power over Keith. In those moments he let go. Where he let his real-self talk. Because Keith couldn’t stop listening. He was strong, clever – thinking in ways Keith couldn’t but understanding where Keith was. It was grounding. Keith liked who he was around Lance. Calm. Collected. Chaotic thoughts finally drawn into smooth lines. And he liked pushing Lance – the real Lance - forward. There was a closeness he craved. To be the only one to hold Lance. To hold him close and tell him exactly what he meant to Keith – meant to the world. He wanted Lance at his side for all of time, keeping him safe from whirling out of control. And laughing with him. To share in a happiness only the two of them could create.

He swallowed it all down. Trapped it in the back of his mind. This wasn’t fair on him. On Keith, Lance or Allura. He needed to temper this down. Because he truly wanted Lance to be happy and if he was the one messing things up between him and Allura, Keith would never forgive himself. Throwing on his business face he concentrated on the meeting.

‘So,’ Pidge spoke, Keith tuning into the important bit where she’d finished her scientific drivel ‘we need to collect a sample of these particles left over from Haggar’s wormholes so we can track her ship and confront her head on.’

Shiro nodded, bringing a hand up to rub against his chin. There was stubble there. Keith wondered if he was looking after himself on the Garrison side of the ship. ‘And how do we do that?’

‘Well.’ Pidge said, sliding her glasses up the ridge of her nose. ‘I propose we carry out a two-person mission. One piloting a lion, the other diving out to the rift and collecting the particles. Coran already has a container we can use.’

Coran nodded at that, lifting a large cylindrical jar to the table. ‘It’s made of Alluminus Flomite! In natural form, the ore is highly explosive, but if melted down correctly, the stone naturally decays to release stabilisers that will keep the particles from dissolving. And it also appears clear like glass!’

‘Perfect.’ Shiro said, smiling formally at the man, ‘so who should go on the mission?’

‘Lance and I will.’ Allura announced firmly. Keith couldn’t help noticing Lance’s mouth fall open at the suggestion.

‘Are you sure that’s a good idea?’ Lance said nervously, glancing around the table.

‘Of course. I want to help the Altean’s any way I can.’

‘But maybe…’ Lance trailed off as Allura turned to him, blinking widely.

‘You don’t think I should?’ She sounded a little hurt. But she masked it well with anger. Keith shrank into his seat

‘No! I do!’ Lance quickly replied. Then he looked back down at the table, poking a finger at a stain, ‘just maybe a different lion?’

‘Why?’ Allura asked sharply. Keith felt uncomfortable. It wasn’t uncommon for the Paladins to fight. But a lover’s spat was different. It made his stomach twist uncomfortably and he wasn’t the only one by the looks of it, Pidge looking around wildly, Shiro re-acquainting himself with his notes and Hunk chewing his lip. ‘Red’s the fastest.’

‘But yellow’s more sturdy!’ Lance burst out, ‘And Pidge upgraded green with cloaking! You’d be safer with them!’

Allura shook her head. ‘This isn’t about safety Lance. It’s about efficiency. We need the red lion as it will get the job done most quickly.’

Lance seemed to still want to fight on this, moving his mouth in circles like getting gum off his teeth. Thankfully Shiro intervened.

‘The Princess is right Lance. You two are the best to carry out this mission, is that okay?’

Lance looked like he was about to protest. Then he sighed, sinking into his shoulders. ‘Yeah. It’s fine.’

‘Great. Then that’s meeting adjourned. We’ll change course now and be at the rift sometime tomorrow morning.’

Then papers were shuffling and chairs scraping. Keith made a beeline for the door. The air was still uncomfortable, and he wanted to spend as less time with the couple as possible.

‘Hey Keith, wait a sec-’

Lance. Keith sighed. He couldn’t do this right now.

‘I need to go train.’

Lance recoiled at the venom. Keith hadn’t meant to spit the words. It just sort of happened. He didn’t want to see Lance hurt. So, he turned his back. And powered towards the training deck. It felt wrong. Like taking a different turn along a familiar path. But he didn’t go back. This was for the best. Less time with Lance was less time to pine. Less time for his heart to collect stab wounds. He kept walking.

Chapter Text

Lance had tried talking to Keith all day but there was always some sort of excuse. Training. Shiro. Busy. He never got a word in edge ways. That or he was completely untraceable, hiding quiznak knows where on the Atlas. It made Lance irritated. How come whenever he needed him, the red paladin seemed to jet off to some other reality? But worse than that, Lance had never got to speak to him. Which meant he was still supposed to be flying Red. This was wrong. He couldn’t- he wasn’t- the fact of the matter was that Keith would do a far better job at protecting Allura than he ever could. And if they had to take Red, then Keith was the only person who could pilot.

Lance pulled at his sleeves, frowning at his feet. Behind him, he could sense the Red Lion – her eye’s stuck on him like prey. He swallowed hard, unwilling to feel her presence. She was insistent but he pushed back against her consciousness. This wasn’t her problem. It was Lance’s. And, honestly, what could a sentient lion do about this? She couldn’t go demand Keith to take over for him. Or make yellow fly for them. She needed to butt out. He pulled up a thicker wall against her, feeling it bend inwards as she practically forced her mind against it.

‘Lance?’

The boy jolted at Allura’s voice. She was walking across the hangar, dressed in her pink paladin armour and tying her hair back into a high ponytail. Lance plastered on a grin.

‘Ready to go?’

He hoped his nerves weren’t clear in his voice. Allura nodded and he quickly turned around to enter Red. She would open right? She wasn’t always one to do as Lance told, but he really needed her right now.

Luckily, after a moment long enough to make his lungs burn, Red lowered her jaw and Lance scrambled inside. She pushed harder against his consciousness, like a thunderous wave nearly toppling him over. He let out the quietest growl, glaring at the cockpit. He knew he’d have to give in if he wanted to pilot properly. But did she have to be so forceful about it? With a sigh, he flopped into the seat, grabbed the controls and let her thoughts swarm his mind.

They were harsh. Sudden. Determined. Worried. And they all said one thing. That Lance was doing fine. More than fine. He was capable. And if she trusted him then he should trust himself too. Lance ignored them all. It was surprisingly easy. Like they were echoes around his bubble. Allura sat down on the bench at the back, placing her helmet on before giving the go ahead. Then Lance was bursting into space.

‘I heard you were looking for Keith earlier.’

Lance’s grip tightened around the controls.

‘Yeah?’ He said, trying not to give anything away. She couldn’t possibly know the reason he was searching, right?

‘Well, I have to apologise. I had him occupied for most of the day.’

‘No worries,’ Lance said swiftly. She didn’t need to apologise. It was nobody’s fault really. Except Lance’s for being so inept at his job that he had to try and find someone else to do it. And that was his burden. His problem, and his alone, to fix. He felt Red jabbing at his mind again and shoved her away, glaring at the console. Alone.

They rode out the rest of the journey in silence. It suffocated Lance. His throat was tight with words that refused to form. It seemed his mind was mush, unable to form sentences. Lance’s one talent was talking too much and he didn’t even have that anymore. Red was near purring against his mind now. She was no longer battering against his defences. Instead she was slinking around the bubble like a cat around legs, cooing and insistent. Lance stiffened his shoulders in his seat. It would be so easy to lean into the feeling of her comfort, let himself slump into the chair and cry. Let go of the bubble and cuddle her close. It’s all he really wanted to do and his stomach ached with the effort of holding himself together. But they had a mission to do. And Lance would be damned if he let harm come to the Princess just because he couldn’t keep his emotions in check. So, he ignored Red and pressed firmly against the controls.

They rounded the next planet and found themselves in some sort of asteroid field. There was a sun burning white beyond them, throwing out bursts of magma in purple sparks. Rubble floated everywhere between, as if an entire planet had been blown up. And just to the side was a strike against the sky, like a scar. It was made up of twinkling pink stars though on closer inspection, it was just dust.

‘Those are the particles.’ Allura announced. She stood up, grabbing the cylinder Coran had provided. ‘I’m going out.’

Lance nodded, stomach twisting nervously.

‘Be safe.’ He said.

Allura sent him an appreciative smile. ‘No need to worry. I’ve got you backing me up.’

Lance laughed nervously. He felt sick. Allura shouldn’t trust him. He was useless. How many shots had he missed? How many moments had he held back and made the wrong decision? Shiro wasn’t even Shiro at some point, and Lance just knew. The man had even reached out to him. And Lance? Lance had ignored him. He was no good. Even given the opportunity to do something helpful and he failed completely. His eyes prickled. He squeezed them tight, turning to the window. He couldn’t keep watch if he was crying.

Allura glided through space in front of him. She was like a mermaid, effortlessly swimming through the water. She opened the jar, scooping up the glitter. Then a grin was on her face and she held it up to Lance in triumph. Lance laughed despite himself. She was too cute. It made his chest ache.

Then a sudden explosion had him falling out his seat. Lance grabbed at the controls, hauling himself back up as he spun Red around. A huge robot had appeared. Floating in the space just beyond them was a silver body and bulbous head. Bile rose through Lance’s throat as he realised what it was. One of Haggar’s Alteans. One brainwashed enough to turn on the whole universe. Lance stared as the creature lifted its weapon, a jagged, purple scythe. Then it charged and Lance barely had time to dodge. Red’s tail got knocked to the side as he slid left and Lance toppled off balance. He stumbled through a turn, cursing under his breath as he realigned with the bot, jaw blade already formed.

The creature loomed and he didn’t give it a chance to attack again. Charging forward, he let out a shout, speeding into the Robot’s side. It dodged the hit, but Lance had anticipated that. Unrelenting on speed he swung upwards, looping around to slice its neck. Sparks flew out like a firework, Lance already speeding out the way again. The Robot didn’t slow either. It flew after Lance, swinging its weapon back in preparation. Lance faked left, ducked down, leapt off rubble and shot blindly. The sky soon became filled with light and explosions. He was landing hit after hit, but it was barely letting up. Then it came to a sudden stop.

Lance slowed, keeping his foot close to the accelerator. His breathing was erratic, and now he’d paused, he noticed how loudly his heart beat in his ears. He watched with bated breath as the robot lifted its arms. Then dark energy was pouring through the sky, swelling into the beast’s chest, like thick smoke made of treacle. Lance clung to Red’s controls with almost painful grip as he watched in dread. So enraptured, he missed the tell-tale swing of the scythe.

Red slammed to the side and Lance tumbled with her, stars spinning into circles. He squeezed the controls, muscles screaming as he tried to get them upright. Alarms rung out like a nuclear station in meltdown, and Lance could barely think over the flurry of sharp beeps and squeaks that only dizzied him further. Red blasted her cannon, urging Lance to guide them to a halt. He quickly followed her plan, rolling them to a stop through a haze of light and sound.

‘Sorry Red.’ He hissed between his teeth, ‘won’t happen again.’

Vision still clearing, he slammed forward before suddenly pulling back. Allura. She was right in the sky between them. Her Bayard was raised in anticipation, whip curling in the air. She threw it out, blue light streaming through the sky before wrapping tight around the robot’s arm. Then she pulled back, hard, the robot flying with it. She swung it like a hammer throw athlete, robot crashing into rocks, exploding the asteroids. With a wide swing, Allura pulled her whip free, before quickly sending it back to latch onto its leg. She didn’t pull back fast enough this time though. The beast kicked up, taking advantage of her stance change and threw her out into the rubble.

Lance yelled in alarm. Diving forward, he shot along the robot until it’s leg joint was all but a thread. Then he rammed against it, forcing it from its place. The whip fell free and Lance roared upwards, slicing his jaw blade along its front. He curved through the sky, dashboard glowing with explosions. Then it began recharging.

‘Lance!’ Allura shouted. In the heat of the battle Lance had completely forgotten his com. ‘Now! Shoot it’s chest now!’

Lance skidded to stop. The robot’s chest plate had split open to let the energy in. Allura was right, if he shot now, he could target its weak inside and defeat it quickly. He swung around to align his shot. Finger against the trigger, he programmed Red to show him gridlines. The lines bobbed up and down, both the robot and Red floating making the target waver uncertainly. Lance was about to shoot anyway, when he froze. Allura was out there. She was floating between them and every dip of his Lion had her wobbling closer to the firing line. He couldn’t. Lance couldn’t. If he shot now, he would miss. He’d hit Allura. Lance’s throat felt hot, his palms sweaty. His stomach plummeted through the floor.

‘ALLURA I CAN’T. I MIGHT-.’

‘DO IT LANCE!’

The cross lined up with her head.

‘NO! NO I CAN’T I’LL-‘

The beast was almost at full capacity. The plates were already sliding shut. Chances were getting slim. Lance squeezed the controls. He couldn’t do it. Allura. He couldn’t.

There was a flash. Lance threw his head up just as the beast exploded. Allura had her Bayard outstretched, stance mid lunge as if she’d thrown a pitch.

‘Allura, what happened, what did you-?’

‘Quick. I need pick up. There’ll be more on their way.’

Lance wanted to ask more, words hanging on his lips. But she was right. When this one didn’t return Haggar would know something had happened. He lurched forward, snapping Allura up in Red’s jaw. Then he stamped down on the acceleration and booked it back to the Atlas.

‘What did you do?’ Lance asked when they were finally out the danger zone.

‘I threw the cylinder.’ She said flatly, collapsing against the bench. She was dripping with sweat, face furrowed as she tried to regain her composure. ‘Altean fireworks. They used to contain Alluminus Flomite. Even melted down, with enough pressure, it can be used as an explosive.’

Lance nodded vaguely, looking back out to the stars. They’d been so close. They’d had the particles in their grasp. If Lance had just been quicker. Had been better. Had taken the fucking shot, then they wouldn’t be in this mess. His stomach lurched, arms feeling weak against Red’s controls. It was all his fault. The universe was in danger now. Because of him. Lance. He was to blame. If the universe ended tomorrow he’d be given a front row seat to the show, plaque made out in his name marking the grave.

‘-ance. Lance.’

‘Huh?’

Lance flinched as Allura settled a hand against his shoulder. ‘We’re back at the Atlas.’

‘Oh.’ Lance turned and found his vision a little hazy. He had to blink several times just to bring her into focus.

‘Are you okay?’

Lance hummed in response turning back to the Red’s dash. He couldn’t seem to move his hands. It was like they’d been glued to the controls. He could feel Allura’s stare remaining on him. He should move. Smile. At the very least, give her some words of encouragement. Hell, it was Lance’s fault they were in this mess.

‘I’m sor-.’

Lance cut himself off. Because he was talking to an empty room.

Chapter Text

When the Red Lion landed, Allura was first to exit down the runway. She was visibly dishevelled, holding her helmet under one arm as she brushed damp strands of hair back from her face.

‘Get the particles?’ Pidge asked, practically bouncing in place. It wasn’t too surprising, she’d been the one to suggest this route and was probably eager to get research started. But the movement quickly stopped as Allura shook her head.

‘I’m sorry, we weren’t able to obtain the particles.’

Pidge’s shoulders hunched a little but credit to her, she kept her mouth buttoned, probably sensing as much as Keith that there was more to be said on the matter. Neither of them had quite the way with words to ask without sounding forceful.

‘Did something happen?’ Shiro asked. He had the level of tact for this sort of situation, sounding sympathetic instead of demanding.

Allura sighed, more exasperated than anything else. ‘Haggar happened.’

Pidge rolled her eyes, ‘of course. The one and only. Guess, I’ll be going back to the lab. Maybe I can find another rift?’

‘Try for less Altean Robeasts this time?’ Allura called, Pidge already slinking out the room.

‘Can’t make any promises!’

Keith smiled despite himself. Missions always made him a little tense – even more so when they went wrong. But Pidge’s blasé attitude calmed him down.

‘So, you’re both okay then?’ Shiro asked.

Allura nodded. ‘Yes. We were able to fight off the robot.’

‘Good.’ Shiro said with finality. ‘Then I’ll report back to the Atlas and redirect our travel to avoid any stragglers.’ Then he was waving them goodbye and heading back into the ship.

Keith watched him before he felt a hand touch his elbow.

‘Could I pinch you once again? I want to continue my quintessence tests.’

Keith nodded, unable to help himself as his eyes flickered back to Red. Still, he said goodbye to Hunk, following Allura to the lab.

As soon as they arrived, Allura was pulling out drawers and throwing wires onto desks. Keith leaned awkwardly against one of the cupboards. Why hadn’t Lance left his Lion? He was nearly always first out on group missions, like he fed off the glory. Allura tapped against his leg, looking meaningfully at the cupboard Keith just so happened to be stood against. He shuffled aside, hovering awkwardly as she worked. The equipment was relatively similar to the previous day’s when Allura had first invited him down to the lab. With Pidge favouring the rift particle idea, the entity research fell solely to Coran. Given that he’d garnered as much information as he could with the Castle of Lion’s databases, he’d given Allura the go ahead to look at it from an alchemic perspective.

Keith watched as she began hooking up equipment. Strange machines, chemicals, electrodes. It seemed like her experiments were a kind of anything goes situation. He assumed Allura knew what she was doing though, so he let it wash over him. The Altean had explained that she was analysing quintessence – what form it took within bodies. Half the tests hadn’t even involved objects. Just her, shutting her eyes and focussing on Keith’s energy. At one point, she’d clutched his wrist, closing her eyes and humming. Keith had felt awkward until he felt a jolt in his veins. They felt hot, like they were trying to escape his body. Then Allura had suddenly let go and everything was normal again. He shuddered at the thought.

‘So?’ He prompted, tapping the nearby table.

Allura glanced up in question.

‘More tests?’

Allura laughed. ‘Sorry, just a few, for safety. But I also needed to ask you something.’

Keith hummed, cocking his head to the side.

‘I just- this is a last resort.’ She said firmly. Keith eyed her carefully. What was she talking about? ‘I had some suspicions. That’s why I was carrying out all those tests on you.’

Allura turned away from him, crossing the room to unlock a thick black safe. Then she pulled out a cylindrical jar, fixed with a metal top and bottom and encasing a slimmer glass tube. Inside the glass, was a buzzing kind of creature. It was like a living scribble on a page but it had no discernible features. Keith wasn’t sure if it was even a creature, or just another strange substance they’d found on a planet.

‘This is the entity.’ Allura said, bringing the jar up to the desk in front of them as if introducing them. Keith blinked down at the shape. It was like cobwebs wrapped together, constantly lurching and twisting like it didn’t fit together. He shuddered.

‘Friendly.’

Allura chuckled, fetching a tablet from the cupboard. ‘I tried a few alchemic tests on it the other day, trying to work out if the matter was living, or if it was, indeed, friendly.’

Keith raised an eyebrow. There was no way this thing could be considered friendly. Just looking at it made his brain feel funny. Like his eyes were being swallowed up and his limbs no longer belonged to his body.

‘When I tried to pick apart it’s quintessence, I found it was like mine. Altean.’

Keith nodded. Honerva was Altean, it would make sense whatever magic she enacted would be too.

‘But also not. It was like something else was there, latched onto the strands. It didn’t match any of the energy on our existing database.’

Keith swallowed thickly. He couldn’t say he was surprised that this… thing was an anomaly. But that fact still made his hairs stand on end. They were fighting with the unknown.

‘The thing is, with your unusual biology, I realised that our data was rather outdated. There’s isn’t much in the way of mixed heritage. So, I needed to collect more.’

She slid a shiny white tablet across the table, flicking through settings until she found what she was looking for. On the screen was something akin to a golden DNA helix but it was broken and knotted. And the strands weren’t smooth lines but undulating curves with purple hooked on like thorns. Below it, was another, a more recognisable black helix but with the same purple thorns.

‘What am I looking at?’ Keith asked although he had a sneaking suspicion that he already knew.

‘This is the entity.’ She said, pointing to the top image. ‘I couldn’t tell whether it was produced by multiple sources, Galra, Altean and others. Or perhaps, just one of mixed DNA.’

Her face fell into a grimace. Keith could hear the unsaid word.

‘Lotor.’ He supplied.

Allura practically jumped at the sound. She bit down on her cheek, looking away to the floor. Should Keith have kept his mouth shut? It’s not like they could ignore him forever. He had a part to play in all this. Was Keith just supposed to never mention his name? The silence drew on before Allura was standing straight again.

‘Precisely. Although you are part human and not altean, the principle is the same. Your DNA,’ She gestured to the second picture on the screen, ‘reflects the entity’s more than any other I’ve seen. It’s safe to conclude, the person responsible has both Altean and Galran DNA.’

‘Right.’ Keith said. Well, that confirmed his suspicions that Lotor was somehow involved here. And explained why Keith of all people had been under rigorous testing. ‘What now?’

Allura sucked on her lips.

‘Well…’ she began, looking back to the entity. ‘I have a hypothesis. Since this entity has quintessence matching various species, it is safe to assume, it has come from a person. Quintessence retains much of what a person is, even when removed. I think, if I could harness it correctly, I could find out where it came from and what its purpose is.’

Keith didn’t understand much about quintessence. He just knew it was energy and it was useful. The way Allura spoke about it made it sound like a being of its own. A substance akin to atoms, making everything up.

‘So how do you do that?’ Keith asked, and the tension in the room shifted. Allura grimaced and Keith sensed it wasn’t going to be an easy task.

‘Quintessence. It retains form. It can move from planet to planet. Stem to leaf. Person to person. That’s how the entity got into the Alteans. But it was forced. I believe if I can absorb it, I can avoid the adverse effects and instead analyse its quintessence to discover its past.’

Keith’s breath stuck in his throat like gum. ‘Absorb it?’

Allura nodded solemnly. ‘I know its risky. But I’m afraid at this point we don’t have a choice.’

They still hadn’t found Haggar. The Altean’s were still terrified of the Atlas, barely sparing them any information. And the mission for particles had gone awry. Keith frowned. What had happened on that mission? Maybe they could try again? Or had something deeper gone wrong? Keith couldn’t help it as his mind thought back to the Red Lion sitting open in the Hanger – Lance still inside. Why hadn’t he left?

‘Keith, I’m not sure how this will affect me.’ Allura continued, bringing Keith back to the room. The itch under his skin didn’t go anywhere though. ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to pilot whilst harbouring it, or if I can, whether Voltron itself will be affected. But I firmly believe doing this will push forward our fight with Haggar. That’s why I’m asking you as head of Voltron, to allow me to do this.’

Oh. Keith felt off guard. He still wasn’t quite used to having authority in these types of situations. And to be fair, he wasn’t sure if he was qualified. Allura’s stance was firm and confident as she asked though. It was clear she really wanted to do this. And the logic made complete sense. Voltron wasn’t in high-demand whilst they drifted in space and the Atlas was well-kitted with weaponry. It seemed their best next step.

‘Are you sure?’ Keith asked. Because, yes, maybe it did make sense, but it didn’t exactly seem appealing. Could Allura be sure this thing wouldn’t kill her? And given how Lance still hadn’t made an appearance after their previous mission, was she ready to take on another?

But Allura was nodding sharply. ‘Absolutely.’

Keith sighed. This was a dangerous mission. But when were they ever not? Voltron needed to defeat Haggar and this risk was one they needed to take, even if the thought of his friend absorbing a strange alien entity made him queasy. Keith reminded himself that this was Allura. She was an expert of quintessence and alchemy. They were putting their best foot forward.

‘Okay.’ He found himself saying.

Allura grinned. Then she was dancing around the lab, whipping together equipment once again.

‘I still want to do just a few more safety tests before hand. One including you.’

Keith nodded, accepting his fate. He settled into the chair she presented, allowing her to clip strange things to his fingers that were wired up to some kind of ticking box with plenty of dials and clocks. As the conversation ended, Keith found his mind drifting. Had something happened on their mission? Something bad? No. If it had, Allura would have said so. And she was obviously unharmed. So where was Lance?

Allura nudged his arm and began fixing a cuff to it like she was taking his blood pressure. She moved over to the entity and Keith watched intently as she hooked it’s cylinder up too. He could just ask. Nothing wrong with asking. It’s not like mission debriefs weren’t a thing. And she’d made the acute observation that Keith was the leader of Voltron. It was only natural he asks really.

‘Where’s Lance?’

His voice felt too loud for the quiet room. That wasn’t quite the question he’d been aiming for. It would get the answer he was wanting, but still. He felt awkward and hot. Allura was looking at him curiously now. He practically vomited his next words.

‘I didn’t see him in the hangar.’

Allura blinked before standing up again. ‘You didn’t? I thought he was right behind me.’

‘No?’ Keith said carefully. ‘Did something happen?’

‘Well… the mission didn’t quite go to plan. Unfortunately, we lost the particles in a fight with an Altean Robeast. It couldn’t be helped though, but we were lucky to leave unscathed.’

Keith nodded slowly, trying to pull together some kind of explanation, ‘And Lance was upset?’

‘No.’ Allura said although she didn’t seem so sure now. ‘I mean, I don’t think so. He- he said he was fine.’

‘But did he seem fine?’ Keith said before he could stop himself. What was he doing? Allura would know if he was fine. This wasn’t an argument for him to have.

‘I asked if he was and he said so.’

‘Are you sure?’ Keith could kick himself. What was he doing? Allura was Lance’s girlfriend. Of course, she’d be sure. Keith should not be butting him. What if he was causing a rift between them? What if he caused another fight? Lance had looked so hurt last time. He didn’t deserve to look hurt.

Keith shook his head hard. ‘Nevermind.’

This wasn’t his place.

‘Lets just get on with the test, yeah.’

Allura hummed, but she didn’t move right away. She bit her lip staring down at the machine. Keith shifted nervously in his seat. Why was he worrying about this?

Allura moved suddenly. She was at his arm, unbuckling the cuff and unplugging wires. Keith’s brain didn’t catch up quick enough to help out, feeling his mouth part in confusion.

‘I think on second thought, I have all the tests I need completed.’

Odd. Keith shrugged out of the equipment anyway. Watching her hands he saw them shaking slightly. Then Allura gestured to the door. ‘You’re free to go.’

‘O-okay.’ Keith said, still a little lost. He stepped towards the door, taking a second to look back. Allura’s brows were furrowed and she was tidying equipment with alarming efficiency. Keith decided it best to leave her to it, leaving the lab and heading back to his room, trying to ignore the knot of guilt in his stomach. It wasn’t his fault Allura seemed so off, right? Or the stupid Lance-oriented feelings that still clung heavily to his heart.

Chapter Text

‘-ance?’

Lance was concentrating on breathing. His throat felt tight, his muscles too tight. He wanted to rip off his armour just to breathe. In for two out for four, in for… how many was it? He could barely hear what was going on around him, even Red a muted rumble in the back of his mind. Everything was thumping, blood in his ears, heart in his chest, foot on the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling heat pour down his cheeks. He needed to stop. Needed his mind to just stop.

‘Lance? Buddy, you in h-’ A gasp. Then footsteps falling over themselves.

‘Dude! Lance! Are you okay!?’

There was warmth covering his knees. Not the burning kind that seemed to be drowning him – the soft kind. Lance peeked his eyes open and found himself staring into the soft brown eyes of his best friends. His brows dipped in concern, but his hands held firm and grounding. Thumbs swirled in slow circles across Lance’s knee caps and he tried to focus on feeling. Slowly his breaths came to align with the feeling, drawing in and out with the movement. And after a minute he felt his stomach uncoil, shoulders releasing their strong hold against his neck.

‘I’m okay.’ Lance breathed, voice thin and catching against the lump in his throat.

Hunk shook his head. ‘No, you’re not.’

Lance frowned at his knees. He was now. ‘I won’t force you to stay.’

Hunk squeezed his palms until Lance looked up. The chocolate eyes were now steel, burning him to the spot. ‘Would you leave me? If this were the other way around?’

‘No!’ Lance spluttered. He would never – had never. Hunk had a tendency to panic, his thoughts easily swept up into tornadoes and Lance was now well-practiced in the art of bringing them down. He’d never leave Hunk alone like that, because Hunk was brave and considerate and kind and helping with his troubles was the least Lance could do to show appreciation for their friendship. ‘Of course not.’

‘There, you see, same goes for me. This isn’t some one-sided deal. I know you all love your self-sacrifice but Hunk is here to say no. You are worth my time. So, yeah. Not leaving.’

‘Hunk…’

‘Ah ah ah. No.’ Hunk interrupted, batting his nose. ‘You’re upset. That much is obvious. Did something happen? With Allura? Did you guys argue?’

Lance shook his head, feeling his eyes prickle again.

‘Then why isn’t she here?’

Hunk’s tone had dipped into something with bite. Lance felt his tummy twist. Hunk’s anger was rare but never wrong. Lance never doubted it. When Hunk was angry then there was a clear case of unjust. But this wasn’t really the case. Right? Lance shrugged his shoulders.

‘Told her I was fine.’

‘And she, what? Believed you? No offense bud, but I think it’s fairly obvious you are not fine.’

Lance opened his mouth but no words came out.

‘Lance.’ Hunk said firmly, digging his fingers into Lance’s knees, ‘leaving someone like this is not okay. You know that, right?’

Lance bit his lip. It’s not like he had told her to stay. And when she asked if he was fine, he didn’t exactly say no. His mind was too busy for that. Lance felt his eyes burn. He hadn’t said yes either. In that moment, he needed someone, anyone, to just hold him together. To take his hand and lead him out the labyrinth of his mind. But he was left out in the cold and barely clinging to life. Without another thought, Lance threw himself into Hunks arms. Burying his nose into his hair, he let out an uncontrollable sob, Hunk’s shoulder already becoming soaked.

‘It’s okay, it’s okay,’ Hunk soothed, sweeping him up into his cosy warmth.

‘I just- I really screwed up.’ Lance burst out, squeezing Hunk tighter. ‘I had a clean shot. At the Altean. And I didn’t take it. Allura had to sacrifice the particles and we barely got out alive. Now we’re another step back from defeating Haggar and I could’ve stopped it all if I just stopped. Being. So. Damn. Weak.’

He slumped against Hunk, squeezing his eyes shut against the fabric of his t-shirt. That’s what it all came back to. Weakness. Insecurity. Simply put, Lance wasn’t good enough. It frustrated him to no end. He had no place in this team. In this fight. He’d fallen into a chasm and didn’t have the strength to pull himself back out again.

‘Lance.’

Hunk pushed him back, holding him by the shoulders.

‘Getting out alive is not a setback. In my opinion, it’s the best possible outcome.’

Lance tensed under his hold. Was that really true? Hunk’s mouth slipped into an encouraging smile.

‘It’s all well and good saying you should’ve taken the shot with hindsight that everything worked out. But you didn’t know. And, I, for one, am glad you didn’t take it. I’d much rather be here consoling you for your so-called mistakes than to be pacing around the med-bay tying up injuries and trying to find the nearest space hospital.’

Lance’s lip caught against his cheek. A small laugh tumbled from his lips, and he covered his mouth, but not quick enough. Hunk’s face was alight. He grinned impossibly wide, knocking into Lance’s shoulder and watching as Lance’s watery laughter released the last of the tension from his body.

‘Alright.’ Hunk announced. ‘I know what you need.’

Lance cocked his head. He was pretty sure Hunk had already given that to him – honest advice and the squishy comfort of his arms. Hunk disagreed.

‘Me and Keith made some rather delectable ice-cream earlier, before he told me he was lactose-intolerant.’

Lance snorted. Classic Keith. Failing to mention important information because he’s just along for the ride. Although, to be fair, Lance would probably do anything for Hunk right now, so he wasn’t one to judge.

‘So, now I’ve got a whole batch just for myself. Let’s say, you get yourself cleaned up and we meet in the rec-room in ten minutes for some well-deserved ice-cream and movies?’

Ice-cream and movies? Lance relaxed at the thought. That sounded good. No, in fact, that sounded perfect. Lance’s stomach nearly rumbled at the thought and he rubbed his eyes before they could release another wave of tears. Hunk really was an angel. Lance truly believed he was sent down just to keep him from completely falling apart. Lance’s lips shook but he still managed a watery smile.

‘Sounds like a plan.’

Before Lance could even think about shifting out his seat, Hunk was throwing himself at him.

‘I love you, man.’ He spluttered, arms hooking tight around his neck.

Lance chuckled, batting at his back, ‘love you too.’

Chapter Text

Allura was on her way to the hangar when a blur of yellow blitzed past her. Hunk just about slowed enough to squeeze past her and mumble a quick sorry, before he was racing down the corridor once again. Allura watched for a moment before continuing towards the hangar. She’d ask about it later.

Just through the arch of the doorway, and she saw Lance’s feet stumbling down Red’s ramp. Thank goodness! She was concerned she’d have to go on a wild goose chase. After what Keith had said, she felt she should check on him. The thought that he hadn’t followed her down the ramp was playing in the back of her mind. So, it was a stroke of luck he’d still been there. She moved to take a step forward before she stopped short. Lance was rubbing roughly at his eyes, sniffing hard and bowing his head. His cheeks were blotchy and his skin didn’t shine in the usual sense. Anger immediately bolted through her body.

‘You said you were fine.’

She hadn’t meant to snarl, or to scare him. But it burst out, uncontrollable like a volcano and Lance nearly tripping over his own feet at the words. Wide eyes flew to hers. Then they sank into something sharper.

‘Well,’ he hissed with equal venom, ‘I wasn’t.’

Fury entered her lungs, too quick for her to decipher. Lying. Lies. Allura hated them. Her whole life was covered in them. She wanted them gone. Banished. And before she knew it, she was throwing the feeling into her words like poison darts. ‘So, you lied.’

Lance’s mouth tightened. Then his eyebrows lowered dangerously, reminiscent of the look he wore when he was aiming a snipe.

‘I didn’t lie.’ Lance bit out, fists tightening. ‘I barely even responded.’

‘But you agreed!’ Allura cried. She wasn’t listening and she knew it. But she didn’t have time to feel remorse when her brain was fogged with such raw anger.

‘No I didn’t Allura. Or maybe I did, I don’t know!’ Lance threw his hands up in frustration, ‘Either way, I was not fine and you shouldn’t have left.’

‘And you lied!’ Allura practically shouted, ‘tell me to stay, I stay, tell me you’re fine, you’re fine, tell me the truth, and I will trust you.’

‘I DIDN’T LIE!’

Allura burned, refusing to accept any more of the same lies, but she didn’t get a chance to retort. Lance marched forward, face red and raw.

‘Fine doesn’t always mean fine. It means I’ll be fine. Or I don’t want to say I’m not fine. Or I need to pretend everything’s fine. Fine doesn’t mean good, okay!? It means look closer. It is not a lie.’

Allura recoiled. She hadn’t expected Lance to speak with such heat, or such… sincerity. The words were sharp, but they were not wrong. The anger behind them, it made the impact more solid. And his conviction made her want to listen. But the anger wanted to cling on, like thorns that couldn’t let go. Her voice wobbled, ‘but, it’s dishonest…’

Lance sighed, rolling his head around his neck. ‘Look Allura. I know that lying’s bad. But sometimes telling the truth is hard. I’m only human okay? We’re not evil, we’re not trying to blackmail anyone, or to deceive you. We’re just trying to protect ourselves. So whatever vendetta you’ve got against lying, you need to drop it, because humans lie. And the reasons aren’t just black and white. Sometimes, the truth is obvious, but a lie is all we have.’

Allura lost all words now. Lance’s tone was soft by the end of his speech, and he wore the smallest hint of a saddened smile that made her heart squeeze. He kept it a second longer, chest still heaving with emotion. Whilst she simply stared, he turned away, walking straight out the other side of the room.

Lying. Lance was right. It wasn’t just black and white. There were far more complicated emotions at work behind them. Yes, some were worthy of rage hotter than the sun. She felt that firmly. But she also knew Lance didn’t deserve that. He had clearly been upset when she entered the hangar, and what had Allura done? She’d yelled. She didn’t ask what was wrong, didn’t try to help. She just attacked. Why? Why did lying make her blood boil so much? They made her want to lash out, forced her mind to cloud over. She trusted Lance. She knew he wasn’t going to hurt her. And yet, still, she couldn’t bear the thought of him lying. She didn’t listen, didn’t wait. She just hurt him. And now she hurt too. Because why? Why did she act out? Why did the smallest hint of a lie make her launch into an attack of full force? Why did her stomach plunge deep into a pit of remorse, when she hadn’t even been betrayed?

Oh.

It was because she had been. Not by Lance, but by someone else. The fog finally lifted as she saw her behaviour for what it was. Deflection. She was deflecting. All the anger, the fear, the hopelessness, the things she had refused to deal with before, they were all getting thrown onto Lance because… because she refused to think about him. About Lotor.

The problem was, in all that time she’d spent ignoring the thoughts, the feelings, the negative emotions, they hadn’t stayed still. They had slipped out the box and spilled over her mind like a smashed vial of poison. It infected her like a disease and she needed to cleanse it. She needed to face the mess head on. Conquer it, once and for all. Open the box. She sighed, scrubbing a hand through her hair. She needed to face Lotor.

That was easier said than done.

~*~

Allura found herself back in the lab, resting her elbows on the table and staring at the entity. The thing she knew Lotor had a hand in creating. How could he? He told her he dreamed of bringing back Altea. Of fixing his father’s wrongs. Of reaching peace across the universe. And then it turned out to be lies. That he had just abused her trust. The Altean’s trust. He knew that she was not alone. He knew that there were Alteans living out there. He knew that there were Alteans being sapped of life under their very noses.

Her blood was liquid fire, her eyes too. How could he? She thought- she hoped, that maybe, what he said could be true. That she’d found someone to share her passion with. To live Altea with. She squished her palm against her eyes. Betrayal. Above all else it caved hollow in her stomach. Lotor betrayed her. His sting left her questioning every decision she’d ever made, questioned every motive of those around her. One minute prince, the next minute bandit. He tore a hole in her heart as well as the universe. Now there was a rift in the Altean populace, Allura was barely allowed to see. How dare he.

Allura began tugging the jar across the table. She would beat this. Him. Lotor had poisoned her and she just let it happen. But no more. She would act strongly. Right all his wrongs and her own. First, she would discover exactly what he’d done. She’d absorb the entity.

With a final click, she flipped the clasp withholding the entity. It started vibrating faster, like it was eager for its next victim. Which she would not be. She stared it down, focusing on keeping her mind her own. Then she slipped her hands in, took the writhing ball of energy and shadow into her hands and hauled it to her chest.

It burned like ice. Turned acrid in her veins. It sprawled like spiders running up and down the underside of her skin. Allura stumbled back, a scream trapped in her throat and dragging down her throat. Her vision flashed, hazy, clear, negative, bright. Her feet were no longer firm beneath her and the room wobbled around her. Her ears buzzed. She couldn’t lift her arms. It was getting darker. Darker. Her skin was slipping away. Her heart thundered but faded from her chest. Her hip slammed into something hard. She threw her hands out for purchase, glass smashing, papers flying. She couldn’t grasp anything, her muscles losing their battle. Her vision swooped. Something cold slammed into her head. Then everything was silent.

Chapter Text

Blurs of colour, rushes of words, whispers, shouts and cries. Everything was happening around Allura. And yet, nothing was. She felt like air amongst it all, neither attached or detached from the world. It was surreal. She was just an observer, unable to really feel at all. Scenes blended and flashed, flitting past like a picture book until it clicked into place.

“Father.”

Allura was faced with a young boy, eyes cold as steel as he faced a man five times his size. He had the plump cheeks of youth but his words, his demeanour, were aged, like a boy who’d never felt the lightness of childhood.

 “Where is my mother?”

“Lotor.” The man hissed, turning his hunched back and wrinkled skull, “we do not discuss these matters.”

“But-”

“NO.”

It was ferocious. Like a lion defending its territory and Lotor shrunk down, already losing that defiance he’d worn so bravely. His eyes turned alert, not with defiance but with fear. They widened, revealing their true age. And they were young. So very young. He couldn’t have been older than seven, and Allura shuddered at the pure rage directed at such a small face. She expected Lotor to run, to hide under a table, maybe even cry. She would understand. But he didn’t. When Zarkon turned his back once again, Lotor raised himself to full height and filled his lungs like balloons.

“WHY WON’T YOU TELL ME?”

“BECAUSE.” Zarkon launched himself back around, shoving haggard skin against soft innocence. “You insolent boy need to learn who your emperor is.”

He poked a claw into the child’s chest, forcing him backwards.

“Respect my authority,” he pressed, lips curling into a snarl, “or join the rest of the insurgents.”

At that his slim eyes flickered to the window and the child’s face fell apart into complete and utter horror. Allura only caught a glimpse but it was enough to fill her very being with acrid repulsion. A body. Floating past the window as if nothing but debris. But it was a stain on the sky. A clear warning. A haunting image that consumed her. Immense fear became smothering as she watched once glassy eyes dull into mist. The boy slumped to the floor, bones dust.

The picture faded into something else now. Lotor, in little red dungarees and hair slicked neatly back, lying on the ground surrounded by books, legs kicking in the air as he poured over the words in front of him. Not the same boy. A happier one, who hadn’t just witnessed the fragility of life, the horrors of war and the crimes of his own family. In fact, it would be a picture of childhood if it weren’t for the books themselves. They were not brightly coloured, or bold in their fonts. Instead they appeared old, and worn, pages yellow and script more of a scrawl than any font of a typeset writer. But Lotor treated them like beloved picture boots, nose pressed up to the spine as his eyes glittered across the thick pages in front of him.

“Ahh,” Came a voice from behind, croaky with disuse. Lotor spun around immediately on edge.

“What do you want witch?” Lotor spat, chest puffed out as if he were the guardian of his little library.

“I see you are interested in Altea.”

“Yes. My mother was Altean, why shouldn’t I be?”

The witch twitched at the words.

“A pitiful race.” She said darkly, lips curling around the word and Allura was filled with such anger she thought she might combust. This was just a child. And her words bloodied and wrong. She spread hatred in every drop of her presence and Allura wanted to boil it. “They are of no interest to you.”

“And why not?”

“Because,” Haggar said, voice hissing like a snake, “they no longer exist.”

Lotor narrowed his eyes though he seemed uncertain, toeing the book closest to his feet further behind his back, “I don’t believe you.”

“The Galra are a far superior organisation wouldn’t you agree?”

Lotor’s mouth pinched tight under slanted brows. “Untrue. The Altean’s are incredible! They have a beautiful culture, alchemic powers and fought for everyone! Not just their people, but others too! Anyone who needed help!”

Haggar stepped further into the room, crunching paper beneath her feet, saving her glare for Lotor himself. “You want protection? The Galra protects its own.”

“By destroying others!” Lotor yelled. The witch loomed larger.

“What hope is there for planets who cannot fight! The Emperor is simply doing his duty, keeping the empire thriving.”

“The Alteans never would!” Lotor threw back, undeterred by the woman’s snarl, “they used alchemy to gain quintessence!”

“You think Altea was better?” The witch snapped, “you think your precious Altea was innocent?”

“Don’t think, I know!” Lotor roared, slamming a fist into his chest to defy the witch despite barely reaching her waist.

“YOU KNOW NOTHING!”

The witch shoved the boy to the ground, circling like a vulture. Her mouth sprawled into a leer as she moved, speaking like gravel being churned.

“You know how the Altean’s got their quintessence?”

“Alchemy,” Lotor shouted in the mist of Haggar’s movement.

“Exactly,” she snarled, “alchemy. Of beings. They taught the Galra how to take it straight from living matter.”

“You’re lying!”

“You are naïve!” Haggar boomed, pushing closer until Lotor was shrinking back, eyes wild.

“It’s not true,” he said in a shaky voice.

“Altean’s harvested quintessence just like the Galra. At least our kindly emperor spare the planets their pain.”

“No!” Tears streamed down the boy’s cheeks as he practically begged, fists tight and banging on the floor. “Stop this. Stop your lies!”

“There are no lies Lotor.” She hissed, hand producing another book, pages tumbling to the floor, “If you love Altea so much, take a look at its real legacy. Maybe then you’ll learn of the kindness your emperor shows you.”

The book thudded to the floor, the witch gone in a wisp of smoke. Lotor rubbed at his dripping eyes, staring at the paper on the floor. Then he picked it up.

~*~

Warm and humid. That’s how Allura felt now, dewy droplets between large green leaves. An orange sky stretched above, thrown in with yellow and white bleach. An older Lotor was below, handsome, tall, but not quite big enough to fill his limbs. He had a manner in his walk, one of confidence and satisfaction. As if he’d found the way he was meant to walk and was determined to take every step of it with pride.

“And food supplies?” He asked, voice carrying a familiar regal essence but a heart aching softness Allura had witnessed but a few times. He tilted his head down to a shorter alien, who had orange skin pulled tight to their skull and bright emerald eyes that seemed as awed as Allura felt.

“This is the best harvest we’ve had in years, young prince!” The alien squeaked, yellow brightening in patches across their face, eyes squeezing into thin curves, “I can’t thank you enough for lending your forces to sweep the Pamplenut trees! We could have never powered our City without the extra fruit you collected! The help of the Galra has really been something!”

Lotor shook his head, blonde hair sweeping out in smooth silky strands despite the sticky heat.

“No need for gratitude, Erustace. Your willingness to join our collaboration has been monumental in allowing us to pave the stones for a brand-new future. It is I who wishes the thank you, on behalf of my father’s empire.”

Erustace practically glowed with the compliments, hopping beside Lotor like a puppy. Lotor himself didn’t remain unaffected, smile wide on his cheeks. And that struck Allura. When had he last smiled so freely? In her time, they were few and far between, small things that stuck to his cheek, too shy to come out in full. Free. Lotor was free here. Free of a burden Allura knew he shouldered. One that was beginning to fill her with dread.

“What is the meaning of this!?”

The smile dropped, Lotor nearly tripping over her own feet. Zarkon stamped through the land, slapping at tree branches and crushing flowers under the thick soles of his boots. The wince was visible on Lotor’s face, even when he tried to school his expression into something more neutral even though defiance glinted in his eye like a blade.

“Emperor Zarkon.”

He knelt into a deep bow, hand flicking by his side towards the alien who quickly scuttled away into the trees.

“Stand and face me Lotor.”

The young man quickly righted himself. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” He asked, standing tall despite the way his fingers refused to sit still against his palms. Zarkon pushed him into shadow, Allura feeling the cold of his presence as he stepped closer and taller.

“This is not how a conqueror behaves, how the conquered behave. This is not subjugation.”

“It is not, sire. It is better.”

“Better?” Zarkon roared, word echoing through the trees. “Do you question my authority?”

“No! I merely-”

“ENOUGH!”

Lotor sprang back but Zarkon grabbed his arm and hauled him forward.

“Insolence will get you nowhere boy. Overcome this weakness or I’ll have to beat it out of you.”

“But-”

The word was cut off by a slap across the face. Lotor looked stunned, the sound ringing out across the planet. Not a bird could be heard now. Not a word. Just the heavy breaths of a boy holding his cheek and a man marching away.

“Take this planet before my return or suffer the consequences.”

~*~

“No! You don’t understand! This planet’s resources are vital! If we just work-”

“What did I tell you!?”

Lotor was on the floor, hands in chains and soldiers circling around him, guns poised to kill. Zarkon sat on his throne, seething. He spat his words in front of a window glowing with orange and green from a planet far below. A planet they’d been moments before.

“If you’d just listen, co-existence can make our empire so much richer. Erustace showed me how the fruit of their planet can be used as a power source, father we-”

“THAT’S EMPEROR TO YOU!”

Glass eyes shattered as the man erupted. Anger swept the base into silence as Zarkon glared down at Lotor, forcing him to sink back into his shoulders. Lotor’s voice became a thin whisper, “I don’t understand.”

“I am in charge, I am the leader and I am your emperor. I know what is best for my empire, and if you cannot understand that then you don’t deserve to be a part of it.”

Lotor stared up at the man, mouth falling slack as the words landed like punches.

“You are banished.” Zarkon announced coldly. “Return to this empire at your very demise.” Then he turned to the guard stood next to him, “Destroy the planet.”

“WHAT!?”

“And make sure he sees every last ember.

“NO!”

Lotor launched himself forward, straining against his chains as soldiers threw themselves at him stopping him in his tracks. “NO! NO! YOU CAN’T-”

His words cut short as the sky turned to fire. Explosions rumbled through the ship but all Allura could her was white noise. She felt sick.

~*~

The images blitzed past now, Lotor crying, shouting, screaming in frustration. A tiny ship, a small planet, a darkened bar. Then it was books, research, hands gripped tight in tangled hair. Then it was a spark and movement. Alteans. Talking. Laughing. Lotor happy. A fight. A galra. Acxa joining his side. Yet more Alteans. A new land. Feelings of safety, of success, of freedom. It all whisked by so quickly. A bombardment of emotion. Then it reeled to a stop.

“Lotor! Get out!”

“No! I won’t leave you here.”

They were in a base. A mission gone awry. Acxa and Lotor dressed as soldiers, stealing information from some sort of laboratory. Lotor had his hand curled tightly around his bicep, fingers bloodied and face swollen with a thick red bruise. Growling, he shouldered aside sentries, watching as Acxa fought tooth and nail with a man twice her size. She held her own well, using the hilt of her gun like a sword, but Allura had witnessed her fight first hand and knew she was inexperienced here. Young. But her eyes shone with wild determination, something Allura could feel tingle through her like fire.

“GO! Our empire needs you!” Axca screeched. She lost her footing and the Galra shoved hard, Acxa tumbling back into what Allura had assumed was a wall. It quickly revealed itself as a lie, Acxa falling straight through and pulling a curtain down around her. Glass smashed and metal clanked as she pedalled for purchase. The soldier took this as an opening raising his sword. She squeezed her eyes shut, but before the final blow could be taken, his arm was shot clean through. She opened her eyes just in time to find Lotor barrelling into the soldier.

“We need to get out of here!” He yelled and Acxa scrambled to her feet. Lotor was unarmed and weak, the soldier already getting the upper hand. He rolled out the way just quick enough for the soldier’s blow to miss but he slammed into the machine beside them. It appeared to be part of some kind of production line, hissing with the blow. Sparks burst out and a conveyor wobbled to a halt. The soldier didn’t care for the damage already going in for another swing. Acxa threw herself at him as the swing of his sword narrowly missed Lotor, colliding with the thousands of bottles lying on the belt. Yellow burst out across the room, splattering like blood but sparkling like gold. Acxa sprang back before he could turn and slammed a foot into his back, sending the soldier straight into the pile of glass and liquid. He screeched, ripping at his face trying to turn back as Acxa shot a final laser into his back.

“Are you okay?” She panted, already running to Lotor’s side. The man nodded, though seemed distracted by the machine behind them.

“The quintessence line.” He said flatly. Acxa tugged him over her shoulder.

“Seems it’s a secret even amongst the troops.” Acxa offered, shifting them towards the door.

“Wait.”

Lotor glared at the machinery, eyes flickering with a thousand thoughts slowly becoming more harrowed. “We need to cover this.”

“Why?”

“We can’t let Zarkon know his quintessence line has been breached. If he finds out he’ll come straight out here and-”

“The colony.” Acxa finished, eyes dimming into horror, “he’ll find the Alteans.”

“Exactly.” Lotor slipped out of her grip, tugging at the curtain, “grab the other side.”

The two worked quickly, returning the fake wall to its place, hiding the production line.

“This will evade suspicion for now but if quintessence stops being produced…” Acxa trailed off, staring widely at Lotor, “what do we do then?”

Lotor bit his lip, wincing as he returned his arm to his side, covered in red.

“I-I don’t know.”

The scene faded but the words echoed. Allura had never seen him so unsure. Weak. Scared. It didn’t sit right, like the wrong brick in a wall.

~*~

“Lotor, they’re making the call in two vargas. We need to do something now!”

Acxa was on a hover screen in a chemical lab, piloting some sort of jet and flying fast from an explosive sky.

“I’m trying!” Lotor yelled back, hair tied back, stormy eyes glaring hard through screens and papers scattered over the bench, “there’s just nowhere to get quintessence in this sector.”

“Then find another way to get some! All those books you read, there’s gotta be something!”

“No! There’s nothing!”

“There has to be!” Acxa yelled, panting as she whirled through another fleet, “if we get found out, Zarkon will not let this colony survive.”

“I KNOW!” Lotor threw down his tablet with a mighty clatter, shattering glass as his papers flew like a bomb. Then he threw himself down, burying his head in his hands on the desk. “I just- I don’t know what to do.”

“Anything.” Acxa prompted, softer this time, though still maintaining the hard edge of urgency.  “We don’t have a lot of options right now. Just give me something.”

Lotor frowned at his desk, grip tightening in his hair. A low growl spread from his chest, then he was throwing a drawer open and ripping out the contents. Books, papers, pens, everything flew out across the room until he found what he was looking for. A book with a deep black cover and pages brown and worn.

“This.” He said, throwing it down on the desk. “We can make our own.”

“Then do it!” Acxa shouted, feed buzzing as she ducked into a loop, clearly on the tail of an enemy ship.

“It’s- it was from the witch.”

“You stole it from Haggar?”

“Not exactly,” Lotor murmured, lips curling like he’d taken a bite out of a lemon, “I don’t trust her or this one bit.”

“But it’ll let us make quintessence?”

“Theoretically.” Lotor replied, flicking through the pages, and looking as if they made him want to vomit, “At a cost. We have to take it from the Alteans.”

“How?”

“There’s plans for a machine here, simple to make, and, by the looks of it, used by Alteans of old.”

“Then that’s perfect!”

Lotor shook his head. “I don’t what it will do to them. It may cause harm.”

“But the Alteans themselves used it?”

“Yes.” Lotor said with an unease Allura could feel in the pit of her stomach, “but Haggar gave this to me. I can’t help feel there’s more at work here.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Acxa shouted, taking another dive, the rumble of explosives now clear over the call, “we need quintessence now or the colony dies. Do it.”

Lotor bit his lip staring at the pages longer. Torn. His eyes thundered, muscles pulled tight. Then he shut the book with a loud thump and shoved it under his arm.

“I’ll be in the second lab. Two doboshes. Find me a willing recruit. Don’t spread any news of Zarkon, he won’t be finding us any time soon.”

Then the images turned to nothing.

Allura felt cold. Harvesting. This is how it began. And yet, it wasn’t what she thought at all. She was disgusted, repulsed even at the notion. But given the alternative, she wasn’t sure what made her feel sicker. The Alteans were safe right? But at what cost? And how many really were? The whole affair made her numb. When she finally blinked into bright light, with a body of flesh and bone, her cheeks felt wet and her stomach knotted. She didn’t know what to think. It was all too much. But the ache in her heart was loud and clear. She really loved Lotor. She only wished he’d been offered a better path. 

Chapter Text

Allura felt like death itself. She sat up as if doused in treacle and her stomach felt uneasy, ill in an unusual sense – full but empty. It swirled uncomfortably and Allura realised with a start it was the entity, swooping like an eel in and out of her intestines. She lurched forward, gagging emptily.

“Allura are you okay!?”

An arm scooped Allura up into warmth and she sank into it, inhaling the light smell of cotton as a hand smoothed gently over her back. She looked up warily, finding Colleen smiling down at her.

“How are you feeling?”

Allura just sighed, allowing herself to be manoeuvred until she was propped up between her pillow and Colleens side.

“I feel lost.”

“Lost?”

Allura nodded, thoughts of Lotor, Lance, and hurt flooding her mind.

“I saw-” she stopped herself, swallowing around the lump in her throat, “I saw a lot.”

Colleen gave her a sympathetic smile, passing over a glass of water that she gulped down eagerly. How long was she asleep for to make it taste so sweet?

“Like what?” Colleen pressed, squeezing Allura close into her side.

‘Well… I saw Lotor. And his past.”

It had been like walking amongst the scene of a nightmare, grey lines and wrenching emotion. Even now, it still held Allura in custody, the flickering feelings of fear and sorrow heavy in her heart. There was so much to process, she didn’t know where to begin - how to begin. Colleen waited patiently but Allura couldn’t find an answer. So, she spoke honestly.

“I don’t know what to think. He was in so much pain. I witnessed such… agony, I-I felt what he felt, like a thick cloud of fog smothering me.”

“And it was painful?”

“Unbearably so.”

Allura could still feel it - the coldness of his childhood, the intense fear of his father, the all-consuming agony he felt with his betrayal. The complete emptiness of loss. All those lives, all those people Lotor had known, gone in an instant. She clamped a hand over her mouth, desperate not to vomit. It was too much, she felt it prickle her eyes. He’d tried so hard. Even with the Alteans, he always tried to preserve life. And yet, death followed him everywhere like a shadow. What kind of universe were they living in?

“Hey, it’s okay.” Colleen soothed in a mothering tone not unknown to Allura, but almost forgotten. Her hand smoothed over Allura’s back, squeezing her arm before she was pulling the girl into her breast and enveloping her in softness. “Let yourself feel it.”

Allura did as she was told. She slumped against Colleen, letting her tears soak into her cardigan with little care for the damage. It was too much, all of this. Fighting a war they never wanted to fight, were never supposed to fight. Allura just needed to grieve. She didn’t even have a parent’s arms to crawl into. She’d lost so much. Lotor had lost so much. The universe was broken and Allura was caught in its collapse. Fissures burst under the pressure, the weight crashing down on her in a landslide. And it was painful. Too much to bear. She threw out in sobs, Colleen cradling her close, as she cried and cried, tears pouring until there were no more left in her ducts to cry anymore.  

Eventually Allura’s breaths began to even out, and Colleen gently peeled away, sliding her hand into Allura’s hair to comb through the strands.

“Better?”

“Much.”

They stayed like that a moment longer and although Allura’s mind wasn’t exactly at peace, it was far calmer than before. The fingers gently crossing her scalp gave her something different to focus on. A notion of comfort passing through all the darkness.

“You know,” Colleen said softly, ruffling Allura’s hair, “I brought a little surprise for you when you woke up.”

“You did?”

Colleen nodded, untangling herself from their hug. Allura almost whined at the loss, but then her curiosity won over as she watched Colleen slide over to the table at the foot of the bed and gestured to something. Allura’s breath caught in her throat.

“A juniberry flower.” She breathed, almost unsure whether she should say it because it had to be impossible. Resting on the wood, in a small plant pot was a delicate and assuming flower of three petals, iridescent even in the yellowy Atlas light. It surely couldn’t be, but then what else could it be, with its long green leaves pooling over a firm stem that stood tall under the pink bulb of beauty.

Colleen simply grinned, picking up the plan to place it in Allura’s already outstretched hands. It was like seeing a ghost, a glimmer of her dreams she was sure would never come true, and yet, Allura could reach out and touch it. She stroked her fingers along the rubbery petals, breathing in the thick sweet scent released in the gentle touch.

“How did you-?”

“Pidge told me you liked them. Then it was only a matter of synthesising the seeds from the Castle’s data and replicating conditions.”

Pidge. Of course, Allura should have known. Those two were a wicked combination, and Allura loved them dearly for it.

“This is amazing,” Allura said barely able to tear her gaze from the flower, “thank you so much.”

“It’s no problem.” Colleen replied simply, pressing a mother’s kiss to Allura’s hair. “I know you’ve lost a lot, and moving forward, we’re sure to lose more. But the things you love won’t always disappear.”

She placed a hand over Allura’s on the pot and squeezed tight. “It’s okay to be scared. And to hurt. You have to feel that pain, so that you can move past it. It’s never gone, or forgotten, but it can evolve. You can turn it into better things and I have faith you’ll find the way forward.”

Allura smiled before turning back to the juniberry flower that was beginning to blur. She never thought she’d see one again. She missed Altea so much. She missed her old life, the love of her parents, the safety of her kingdom. And she could never get that back. It was sad, painful even, but here, holding a juniberry flower of all things, she had hope. Maybe she could see more in the future, plant whole fields full of them, tell the universe she’ll take its pain, but on her own terms. And she’ll turn it into something better.

“I think I’ve made some mistakes.” Allura said quietly, tracing the veins spreading through the juniberry leaves. “Through all this, I’ve been selfish. I tried to contain everything, tried to make everything perfect. And all I wanted to do was fix the universe but, not everything can be fixed.”

Colleen hummed, watching Allura carefully. She seemed to want to speak but Allura shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes.

“But my universe can be.” She said, taking a deep breath. It felt like the first breath of clean air she’d taken in months. “I hurt my friends. I took for granted their presence. I bottled up my emotions, ignored my feelings and ultimately, I missed theirs. I’ve been wrong. But I want to make it right.”

Colleen hesitated a second, and Allura’s resolve almost wavered. Was this okay? To concentrate on those around her when the universe was crumbling around them. But then Colleen was smiling, that warm reassuring smile she wore back in the lab weeks ago, and Allura knew she was making the right decision.

“Then I’m sure you can.”

Chapter Text

Allura was awake. The moment Coran announced the news, Lance was flooded with immense relief. He had been beside himself with worry all evening and not even Hunk’s serious talk could make him forget. Seeing her lifeless body on a hospital bed spiked a fear through Lance so intense it felt like he would throw up. He’d fallen into a fitful sleep that night, full of nightmares and ghosts and his nerves were frazzled by the morning.

One thought stuck in his mind like a thorn; it was his fault. There was no way it could have been a coincidence that Allura had been found collapsed on the laboratory floor only hours after their fight. Coran was sure it was an experiment gone wrong, but it was out of hours. She didn’t even have reason to be there, Keith said as much, telling them they’d finished experiments for the day, distress spilling out all over his body. Then Lance mentioned their fight and he’d got this constipated look on his face before leaving all together, stormy eyed and stamping.

That said it all. Between Keith leaving the lab and Allura falling unconscious, only one event had occurred: the fight. And Keith knew as well as anyone that Lance was to blame. He’d left Allura in safety and then Lance came along and threw his stupid volatile emotions into the mix. Why couldn’t he control himself?

Hunk had spent the evening doing what he called ‘rationalising’ with Lance – essentially assuring him of the multitude of reasons Allura was in the lab that were nothing to do with Lance – all of which were flimsy. Somehow, he had managed to persuade Lance to at least try and learn more about the experiments Allura had been undertaking, even if it was only to appease the extra guilt he’d gained for wasting his friends time. In any case, it had seemed a good excuse to talk to Keith. Lance was pretty sure he’d seen less of the loner paladin in the last month than he had when the boy had left for the blades. But when Lance had found Keith, he’d been caught up in some sort of important conversation with Kolivan - all hushed voices and suspicious glances and in no way inviting to a blabbermouth paladin such as Lance himself. So, he gave up. It didn’t matter anyway – whatever Allura was up to, science, alchemy or magic, she had decided to stop. It was only when Lance threw a temper tantrum that things had changed.

Now Lance stood outside the med bay, hand shaking on the door handle. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. If there was anything to be learnt from the thousands of times Lance had been injured, it was that warmth and smiles were the best way to aid recovery. So, he wasn’t going to show Allura fear or shame - he was going to be the rock she deserved, not the sinking stone threatening to drown her. With a final deep breath, he stuck on a smile and pushed into the room.

Allura was sat up against her pillows, tablet propped against her legs and hair spilled loosely over her shoulders. She could have very well been in her own room with how relaxed she seemed, the only hints to her situation being the loose medical t-shirt, green wrist tie and dark circles clinging to her eyes. She looked up as soon as he entered, features smoothing out into an easy smile. Lance rushed to her side.

“Allura! How you feeling!?”

“I’m fine.” She reassured, dignified as always. Lance had no idea how she could maintain such class when lying on a medical bed. “A few lasting aches, but nothing I can’t handle”

Lance nodded, before the worry wound up in his muscles released in a short laugh of relief, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“It would take more than that to kill me I’m afraid.”

She took his hand squeezing it tight. It was a comforting gesture, but Lance couldn’t help notice how cold her fingers were. Guilt knotted itself in his throat once more.

“I’m so sorry.” He whispered, sinking into the bedside chair, “I- if we hadn’t fought-”

“NO!”

Lance startled at the volume, blinking widely at Allura who was turning her head. “No. I mean, I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing-”

“No Lance, I do. For one, I worried you all-”

“Hey.” Lance interrupted, brushing a curl of her hair to the side and waiting for her attention to fall on him. “Worrying’s our decision. Maybe even our right. And if we’re thinking about Hunk, it’s our nature. Can’t apologise for nature.”

Allura laughed softly and Lance admired the crinkle of her eyes. She didn’t wear that look nearly enough but it was truly her most beautiful.

“You’re right there.” She said softly. Then she tugged Lance’s hand away from her hair to join it with the other. “However, I need you to listen to me now. No interruptions.”

Lance nodded but couldn’t help feeling a tendril of unease sneak into his stomach. It was his fault, wasn’t it? This was where she announced her disappointment, tell him to be better. Why couldn’t he be better?

“You were right.” Allura said, squeezing his fingers to gain his attention. “When we fought. I didn’t pay you enough attention, I had no idea how you felt.”

“But-” Lance tried to counter, but Allura sent him a pointed look, and he shut his mouth again. No interruptions, right? Wasn’t that hard Lance.

“That wasn’t okay.” Allura continued, and Lance had to force himself to concentrate again. “I should have picked up on your distress, I shouldn’t have yelled. More than that, I should have trusted you.”

Lance tried to shake his head but Allura reached out to cup his cheek, affectively stopping the movement. Her eyes were soft. But they were watery, holding something thick behind them, something Lance didn’t want to see. Something like the inevitable.

“Lance,” Allura pressed, voice growing weak as her thumb smoothed across his cheek, “you’re one of the most treasured people I have in my life, I don’t want to hurt you.”

That line. It felt too familiar. Like wire twisted through his stomach, sharp and barbed, wrapping tighter. Lance didn’t recognise his voice when he spoke, “Allura, you haven’t…”

“I have.” She said, squeezing his hands. It didn’t do anything to keep the blood pumping around his body.

“I cut myself off.” She continued, looking beyond his shoulder as Lance found himself hanging off her every word. “My emotions, my thoughts, my trust. All because I was afraid of what would happen if I looked. But in not looking, I did just as much damage. Lance I-”

Allura met Lance’s eyes now, a single arrow to his heart.

“I still love Lotor.”

Lance’s blood turned to ice.

“W-what do you mean?” He asked, panic cracking shards through his body. This didn’t mean, she wasn’t, they weren’t-

“I mean,” Allura said softly, with purpose, unmistakable in her sincerity, “I can’t be with you anymore.”

The ice shattered.

It was like his world had slowed to a fraction, and yet every frame was more defined. Allura’s crystalline eyes in perfect focus, every swish of light revealing more. Sadness. Pity. Concern. It was all too much. And yet, Lance couldn’t look away. Couldn’t even blink back the thick warmth smothering his eyes. Allura. His girlfriend. Gripping the heart, she would never give him. Holding out the one she never took, cold and lifeless in her palm.

“Lance?”

It stung. The words stung. The gaze stung. Lance shook his head. They were- they’d been together. And yet she still loved Lotor. All this time? Lance’s lungs burned. He thought – he’d actually believed he held a place in her heart. That he was somehow special. How naïve. It was only natural for a princess to find her prince. He’d known that all along, hadn’t he? Lance was no prince. He was barely even a paladin. And who was he kidding? He was barely even a boyfriend. Lance couldn’t stop himself messing up his own life, let alone somebody else’s.

“Lance.” Allura leant into his gaze, searching for something. “I need you to know, I wanted us to work. I do love you.”

Lance let out a pathetic laugh. Yeah, she loved him, but not how he loved her.

“I really do. I just-” Her eyes were glazing over, voice going shaky, “I saw his memories. His abuse. And everything I thought I’d buried came flooding back. I know what he did was wrong but, like you said, it’s not just black and white.”

Lance’s tongue tasted bitter with the sound of his own words.

“I still love him.” Allura sighed, leaning back into her pillows once again, “I don’t know if he was good or bad, or if he meant to do what he did. But I know I can’t just erase our relationship. I can’t just pretend not to feel. When you asked me to meet your family, when you said you loved me, I thought-”

“Stop.”

“Sorry?”

“I said stop.” Lance hissed, barely recognising his own voice. It was raw. Unbidden. Dangerous. “I’ve heard enough.”

“But-”

“No. Allura, I thought-” Lance’s breath hitched and he suddenly realised his face was soaking wet, words catching on sobs. But they weren’t sad. They weren’t pitiful. They were fierce. “I wanted to give you everything. I wanted to be everything for you. I tried my damned hardest, and this entire time…”

He shook his head, memories flooding his mind and flickering into fire. Worn out memories given a new light. Lance hated them. Hated how they turned. Hated how he’d let himself get dragged into this explosion. One question lay in the ashes. One last thing to salvage. “Did you ever think to do the same?”

Allura paused and that was answer enough. He scoffed, shoving his chair back and throwing his sleeve over his eyes.

“Lance,” Allura pleaded, reaching out, “I never wanted to hurt you.”

“Course.” Lance shrugged, swiping his hand away and rising to his feet.  

“I don’t want to lose you Lance.” Allura pushed, fear escaping her usually placid façade. “We can still be friends, right?”

Lance looked into her eyes, shining bubbles of hope and apprehension. And he felt nothing. There was a still a shard of ice lodged between his ribs and he drew it out slowly, letting it clatter to the ground. The blood spilled across his chest, red and raw, and he wanted her to see it. He didn’t respond. Instead, he wiped his eyes and strode out the door.

Chapter Text

Lance was bitter.

He’d tried constraining his bitterness to his room but it was too powerful. He’d tried sitting bitterly in Red but her curiosity had nearly driven him insane. He had even gone as far as shooting bitterly at targets, but that proved to make his mood worse when his fingers pulled too strongly at the triggers and his aim veered dangerously with every shot.

And now that it was heading into late evening, not only was he bitter, but he was bitter and hungry. A nasty combination. Lance considered his only option left was to hunt down food in order to return to those halcyon days of plain bitterness. Or, maybe, he could have a little fun and branch out into sour?

Huffing into the kitchen he had hoped to find it empty but, of course, on a ship with a crew of over a hundred people, that was impossible. Keith was there. Now frozen mid step. He stared widely at Lance, clinging to a tray full of steaming brownies wearing oversized gloves that very clearly belonged to Hunk.

“Hey.” Lance grunted, throwing himself down onto a stool. He could do with a brownie.

“Hey.” Keith echoed, blinking into space. He seemed too lost to notice Lance eyeing the brownies. Then he was sweeping past without a second look. The tray clattered onto the work surface, and Keith was briskly swiping the gloves from his hands – hands, Lance noticed, that were still wearing his signature fingerless gloves. What the hell was wrong with this boy? Lance was about to comment when Keith whizzed past once again, this time out the room. Lance stared after him. But he didn’t return. Nor did he shout a word of goodbye. And after a good few minutes of silence, Lance decided he wasn’t going to.

“Jeez, couldn’t offer a dying man some food, huh?” Lance muttered under his breath, glaring at the freshly baked goods. When had Keith started cooking anyway? Seemed like information the whole ship could do with. Along with the actual food stuffs he was making. Selfish bastard. Without a second thought, Lance marched over to the tray and cut himself an unreasonably sized slice of brownie.

Then he bit down and immediately spluttered. The cake was molten. Lance had effectively poured burning hot lava onto his tongue in his innocent attempt at gaining nourishment. Curse that Keith. Lance hissed at the half-chewed mess reaching back for the fridge. Then he downed a pint of milk, before reaching out for another. This time he drank slowly, letting the cream soothe his tongue gently as he hopped onto the counter, continuing to sip in a more careful manner.

The cake still steamed beside him. Mockingly. Heat pulled Lance in with the strong smell of melting chocolate and freshly baked sugar. Lance tried to remain vigilant. But the temptation was overwhelming. So, he gave it a small poke. And immediately whipped back with a hiss of pain. Way too hot. Lance quickly concluded that Keith had done this on purpose. Stopping Lance from eating nice food when he was at his lowest was rather typical behaviour and Lance deemed his hasty exit evidence enough. Well, Lance wasn’t going to play his game today. Instead, he was going to wait. Folding his arms, he puffed up his chest in defiance, awaiting counter argument.

None came. It was almost as Keith was giving him the brownies at this point. And after five minutes of silence Lance decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and helped himself to a much cooler slice. This one was heavenly – just the right balance between cool and gooey, with chunks of a crackling honey-like substance gathered in the middle to add some spark. Lance lost himself to the taste, indulging in more as the kitchen remained empty.

Soon enough, Lance was sliding down onto his back, melting into the countertop. The tray acted more like a hot-water bottle in this position and he felt cosy, in an uncomfortable sort of way. Lance found himself unwilling to move, even when the automatic lights stopped detecting his presence. It was late anyway and he had free brownie. There was no reason to leave.

Lance had adjusted to the darkness rather well by the time it was interrupted by padding feet. At this point, he’d eaten far more than his fair share of the brownie and carefully angled his body over the sin as he rolled his head to find someone else poking around the kitchen.

“Hunk?”

“Ah!” The boy in question jumped, slamming his head into a shelf as he scrambled to spin around. “Oh my god! Lance!? I had no idea you were there!”

Lance shrugged, lying back down to throw a piece of brownie into his mouth, safe in the knowledge that Hunk would never judge him. “Was dark.”

“Oh.” Hunk managed, hand clutching his chest as if trying to force his heart to slow down, “Well, I guess that’s true. But, uhh, why was it dark?”

“Light went out.”

Hunk hummed. Lance pretended not to notice how his eyes narrowed, tracing over his figure to pause briefly over the crumbs covering his shirt.

“Okay. And, not being rude, but why didn’t you turn it back on?”

Lance paused a second. “Comfy.”

“I see.” Hunk said, shuffling closer to peer down at Lance. “Something wrong bud?”

“Nope. Just enjoying my brownies.” Lance said, throwing more crumbs into the air as a distraction.

“Are those not Keith’s brownies?”

“Hey, he left them here! Not my fault he didn’t want them!”

“Okay, okay!” Hunk rushed, holding his hands up, “it’s just… unusual. To find you lying around here. On the counter. Eating brownies.”

Lance rolled his head back up to gaze at the bottom of the cabinets. Someone really needed to start some graffiti on this ship, he decided, it was too plain. Back home every one of his siblings had carved their initials into the underside of the cupboards. In hindsight, they probably should have gone for something a little more anonymous, given their mother, a woman with pride in her home, was the one who would be finding it. Lance shuddered at the memory of the scolding, quickly shovelling in more brownie.

“Is there something going on?” Hunk pressed, sliding onto the table opposite. Lance slowed his chewing to buy more time.

“No?” He said, mid mouthful.

“Lance.”

“Fine!” He exclaimed, throwing his arms across his chest. “Allura dumped me.”

“What!?”

“Yeah. Apparently, she still loves Lotor or whatever.” Fucking Lotor. Lance hated that guy.

“Ah man…” Hunk trailed off, and Lance could practically hear the frown in his voice. “I’m sorry bud. That sucks.”

“It does.” Lance mused, trying not to feel like a pitiful lost puppy, “so, I’m eating brownie.”

“You want to watch a film?” Hunk asked brightly, “Or go to the observation deck? I could grab Pidge too! Sneak around like old times, we could even-”

“Hunk.” Lance interrupted, sharper than he had intended to, “is it okay if we don’t do the whole cheering up thing right now?

“What?”

Lance winced at the palpable worry in his friend’s voice. He loved Hunk, he never wanted to make him sad, but sometimes his care was overwhelming. “I just- I can’t do it right now. I need to take a minute.”

Hunk paused and Lance was scared to look at him in case it made him lose his nerve. But then a warm hand squeezed over one of Lance’s knees, and he found Hunk smiling down at him, all soft and cuddly looking. Man, Lance wanted a cuddle.

“Okay. I won’t say anything. Take as much time as you need. I’ll just be here.”

Lance let out a long-held breath, finally summoning the courage to smile at him. “Thanks Hunk.”

He couldn’t imagine facing everyone right now. Or their pitiful looks. Or any words of encouragement they had to give. Or worse, any knowing phrases. Like they saw this coming or that Lance was a ladies-man anyway – couldn’t be held down. Lance wanted to be held down. So badly. Sure, flirting was a game, but how else were you supposed to win without falling in love?

“No problem,” Hunk said dragging Lance back to the real world. Then his tone shifted into one of warning, “but promise me you won’t fester. I don’t want any festering! Feeling yes. Festering no.”

Lance found himself letting out a soft laugh before he could stop himself. At least he always had Hunk. Friendships rarely ended in explosive fireworks. In fact, they rarely ended at all. Hunk and Lance had been through so much, from petty arguments to near death experiences and yet, Hunk was right here by his side. On a spaceship destined for war. Comforting Lance after a breakup. He laughed again, stronger this time. Even in the most extraordinary situation, the two friends were just doing friend things. Lance felt his chest bloom. He’d never really be alone. In that moment, he decided to treasure Hunk. Properly. Even when other relationships distracted him, Lance never wanted to lose him. Afterall, it was his words that had made Lance’s heart flutter back to life.

“Got it.” Lance said firmly, believing it too, as he swivelled around to sit properly on the counter. “Want some brownie? I didn’t make it myself.”

Hunk laughed, hopping up beside him. “Sure.”

Chapter Text

There was a tension in the air. Usually when Keith sensed tension he reached for his knife and made a mental note of all the exits. But this wasn’t that kind of tension.

Allura was sat at a round table, back straight and lips pursed, fingers tapping impatiently together where they were clasped on the metal. Beside her was the final empty chair, Keith being the only paladin left to take his place assumed it was for him, but he hesitated. On Allura’s other side was Pidge.

That wasn’t significant in itself, and technically they didn’t have assigned seating so really it shouldn’t have been striking. But Keith found it odd that, despite there having been space, Lance wasn’t sat either side of Allura. Even before they were dating, Lance leapt at the chance to sit close to the girl. If Keith were being honest, it had been kind of annoying - an unnecessary game of musical chairs before every meeting. But now that Lance was sandwiched between Hunk and Pidge, wrapping his fingers impatiently against the table with his chin in his hand, Keith almost wanted him to make a fuss. The way the boy glared up into the corner of the room, ignoring every other face around him despite usually engaging in conversation with anything that had a mouth, or even just something that resembled a mouth, was unnerving.

Maybe it was just today’s subject matter? The entity. Allura had pulled together this meeting overnight, not even forty-eight hours after waking up, and she still had the withered cheeks of a patient in need of rest. Yet, she’d efficiently gathered together all the paladins in one place. In fact, Keith noticed now the whole of original team Voltron were here. Coran was flipping through a clipboard of papers, pacing across the far-side of the room whilst Shiro leaned against the opposing wall, mouth tilted into a frown as he stared at the floor. Keith glanced between them and the table. Why hadn’t one of them taken a seat? There had been enough chairs for at least one of them to sit before his arrival. It made no sense. Surely there most senior members should sit? Keith decided to take a literal stand and edged towards the wall.

He didn’t make it far. Allura cleared her throat to catch his attention and Pidge gave him a look that said ‘sit dumbass’ with a brow line that added ‘or I’ll make you.’ Their youngest hadn’t got much sleep either if the deep bags under her eyes were anything to go by and Keith thought it wise not to argue. He slipped into the last seat, completing the circle as Allura stood up, clearing her throat once again.

“Thank you for gathering here so quickly. This is a matter of deep urgency.”

There were a few nods around the table, and the atmosphere shifted, Keith feeling his stomach harden into battle mode. Allura had asked them to arrive in their Paladin armour. That could only mean thing: a mission. And with how far they’d come in this war, it seemed they’d be facing a difficult one.

“But first, I’d like to say something.”

There was a pause, the tension briefly becoming washed with confusion, and Keith turned his full attention to Allura, despite usually spending his time in meetings concentrating on the tabletop. The girl herself seemed unsure how to proceed too, sucking on her lip and clasping her hands togehter to stop herself fiddling with her nails. Shiro had pointed this behaviour out before, using the moment to teach the young paladins how to present confidence in their diplomacy. Lance thought it was genius. Keith thought he didn’t have time to worry about his hands when he had a speech to force out and the wrong words to keep in.

“I’d like to apologise,” Allura continued, taking a deep breath to rid herself of the wobble in her voice. “I have brought you all along on a journey you never asked for and whilst I believe we have formed an incredible team; I only want to go forward with everyone’s consent. I’ve come to realise that we are all individuals, Human, Altean, Galra, and our goals are not always aligned. To expect you to adhere to mine when I do not adhere to yours is selfish. And I wish to leave that part of myself behind.”

A quiet unfolded through the room, not an uncomfortable one, a more baffled kind. It seemed obvious to Keith that they were too far in this journey to back out now. And he knew full well he wouldn’t be. In his mind, they did all have the same goal: defeat the Galra empire and free the universe. Maybe they hadn’t quite shared the sentiment at first, but now, with the universe at stake, having seen Earth torn apart and countless species tormented, there was no doubt in his mind they were going to finish this. Together.

But knowing this and saying it were two different things. And Keith was by far the worst man for the job. So, he squeezed his hands into fists and looked over to the person he knew would say the right thing. Lance. Keith knew the boy lived for glory, whooping with every shot made and spinning around to check everyone saw his success. Keith always liked that, it gave him a buzz to revel in Lance’s triumph – and motivation to try and beat him. It was fun. But, secretly, Keith admired Lance the most in moments like this. Where he reminded them what a good team they were, offer support and speak their feelings without views clouded by strategies and logic. It was Lance’s love for them spilling out in ways he didn’t even notice, because, to him, it was obvious to start joking with Pidge when she missed her brother or to keep sentences short when Hunk was panicking. He had an understanding of the entire team that Keith could only hope to gain of just one of them. It’s what made him so good at speaking on their behalf. Which was why Keith was so shocked to find him silent.

It wasn’t just that Lance was refusing to speak. He wasn’t even looking at Allura. Instead, he was staring back at Keith, gaze almost imploring. Why was he looking at Keith? This was not his talent. Keith’s instinct was to panic. Why would he speak on behalf of the group? He wasn’t tactful. Or sensitive. And whilst he cared deeply for everyone in the room, he had a very hard time showing it. But Lance continued staring, eyes shining as if he was desperate. Was it because Keith was leader now? He looked down at the table. It must have been. Lance had come to him all that time ago talking about numbers and lions. Maybe this was a reminder to do his job again? But Keith was so sure it wasn’t. He glanced up before quickly averting his gaze once again. Lance really was staring intensely. His jaw was set too, and the fingers that were once tapping against the table now squeezed so tight it looked like his knuckles were about to snap inwards. Keith couldn’t understand. And he definitely couldn’t speak. Whatever Lance wanted from him, Keith wasn’t able to give it. So, he decided to stay quiet too. Besides, hadn’t he decided he was going to put distance between himself and Lance? To do that, he’d have to put his foot down and suffer some awkwardness. Ignoring this nonsense was the right course of action. Plus, Allura was Lance’s girlfriend, he probably had the mother of all speeches laid out for her but was just too shy to say it in front of everyone. It really wasn’t Keith’s problem.

“When we started our journey, I was focussed on a single path.” Allura said, continuing even without the prompt. Her voice was unwavering, and Keith decided to focus solely on her, missing the gleam of hurt he might have seen in Lance’s eye. “I wanted to save Altea and felt that I would be alone without it. I put so much energy into destroying Zarkon, that I missed what we were creating. Because we are not only a team, but we are a family. I am not alone. Because I am here. With all of you. And we may not be the paladins of old, but we share a bond just as bright.”

She took a deep breath and ducked down. Keith had thought it was to take a bow, but then he noticed a glint of light. She reached up her arm, and instead of tucking her hair back, she pulled it loose from a line of gold. Keith watched in slow motion as the crown slid from her forehead and fell to the table with a resounding clink.

“So, if we continue this journey, it will be as equals.” She said, rising once again with eyes sharp as glass. “I am no longer a princess; I am a warrior. Along with all of you. And if we fight, we fight together. I want to preserve the past, but I do not wish to live in it. So, please, rely on me as I am, and allow me to rely on you, as you are.”

The crown was left shining on the table, but Keith didn’t even pay it a glance. Allura was standing tall above them, resolute, as wisps of her hair fluttered across her cheeks. There was determination in her expression, an unmissable energy that bubbled like adrenaline in Keith’s blood. For years, he had been alone. Ruminating in a past he never thought he could leave. He’d lost his mother. His father. Shiro. Become a rogue, a menace, an outlaw. But in just one night, his life had changed.

Keith had become a warrior. Not overnight, but by following that night through. Never giving up. Letting go of his past, forgiving his own weaknesses and realising that he held a place in this world. And Allura’s words sunk deep as he realised, he shared this experience with them all. Keith felt something then. Surrounded by these people he could rely on and who could rely on him. It was a strange feeling - of warmth and wriggles in his belly. Keith was okay.

It struck him, that this must have been what Shiro had envisioned. All those years ago when they met in a small classroom at the edge of a desert. For Keith to find a purpose. To find peace in himself and people to care about. To become someone who fought not because they were spoiling for a fight but because they were stable enough to do it right. And Keith felt a surge of pride that they’d done it together. He turned to Shiro, sharing a proud smile with the man who returned it warmly. But he didn’t speak. Instead, there was loud ugly noise somewhere behind, making Keith jump before he realised it was a wet sniffle and spun around to find Coran dabbing his eyes.

“Your father would be proud.”

It was a simple sentence, but the meaning shone in Allura’s eyes. Keith almost felt like an intruder on the moment, watching as Coran crossed the room to scoop her up in his arms.

“A title is only a word.” He said, pressing a kiss into her hair, “the way someone holds themselves is a true display of character. I’ve always believed that a Royal who could remove their crown and still act with noble intent, is the only person I would ever bow to.”

A happy kind of sadness took over Allura’s face. She seemed relieved, falling wordlessly into his hold as he finished, eyes fluttering shut. Tucked against the man’s shoulder, Allura appeared the youngest Keith had ever seen her. He felt a little stunned. But also ashamed for forgetting how much she’d been through too. It was easy to focus on his own problems, but in their little team, they all needed someone to lean on, even if they never ask.

The two hugged for a long minute before pulling apart, and even then they lingered, Coran squeezing her hands with the admiration of a proud father. It seemed to Keith he was a second father to her. And maybe it wasn’t birth that dictated the relationships in life, but the people who existed within it. That losing a relationship doesn’t mean never forging another. And then Keith really did have to avert his gaze to stop the stinging in the back of his eyes.

“Right.” Allura announced suddenly, wiping her nose and pulling the meeting back on track. “I have a plan I’d like to discuss. If we’re all in?”

There was no delay in the affirmative response.

Chapter Text

Entering Haggar’s mind was weird. Lance’s body was still in Red. He knew that logically. But his mind, his soul, they were water flowing through another existence.

The group had been drifting for about half an hour now and the landscape appeared unchanging. On all sides Lance looked, there was a stream of endless static, the same snowstorm rival he had faced as a kid when the TV aerial had broken. It was almost nostalgic at first, coaxing him into a false sense of security as he reminisced Saturday mornings punching his sister until she fixed it. But as it continued, the sight started to irritate Lance.

Wasn’t there supposed to be memories here? Or at least some sort of clue to why Haggar was ruining all their lives? But it just droned on and on, black and white, black and white, black and white. Lance couldn’t decide if it was worse being the only ones there or if some company might spice things up a bit. What kind of creatures could be hiding in there anyway? Giant space worms? Hordes of Galra soldiers? Maybe even tiny invisible aliens that had already found them and were just biding their time before striking and eating them from the inside out.

Lance squeezed Red’s controls, expecting to shudder. But his body didn’t react. And the realisation unnerved him ever further. Lance’s body wasn’t really his. Here, the paladins were mere ghosts, navigating this world with their quintessence alone. His body was a poor simulation, and Lance felt sick at the thought that not even human comforts would be afforded to him. Then he felt even worse as he realised his stomach was twisting but it wasn’t even his. How was he supposed to survive this place?

Lance was ready to fall into the pit of despair when there was a tug on his mind. He jerked back instinctively, not expecting the sudden intruder. But the owner didn’t back down, and a moment later it was sliding back in, a familiar calmness washing over Lance. He sighed, rolling his head back against the head rest. It was Red. Appearing like winter sun.

“Sorry.” He muttered, releasing her controls. He hadn’t realised how tight his grip had become.

“What was that?”

Lance’s eyes flew open.

“N-nothing Keith!” He stammered quickly shutting off his com. Then he added in a hiss, “Red, that better have not been you.”

Response came in the form of a sharp bang, Lance suddenly colliding with the dashboard as Red flicked her tail into her own back just to smack him.

“Should I ask?” Keith asked dryly, before Hunk’s voice burst into the cockpit.

“Lance! You okay!? What happened?”

“M’fine.” Lance gritted out, pushing his feet into the floor in a sort of frustrated warning. “Red’s just having some fun, aren’t you girl?”

Red gave a defiant flick of her tail.

“Right, okay, cool.”

Hunk didn’t sound very reassured, but Lance couldn’t be bothered to explain further. Luckily, the group were heading into a downward curve, so he quickly urged Red into a nosedive and ignored the whole incident.

Flying straight down, Lance found that the void didn’t seem quite the same anymore. It was still all a mess of black and white specks, but it also wavered, as if laying behind a wave of heat. And as they got closer Lance realised why. The landscape plateaued. There was the same sprawling static, but it was as if a pane of glass had been laid across the middle. Lance immediately wanted to fly higher, but Black was already landing. Lance half expected it to be like smoke, the Lions simply sinking through more of the same static. But it wasn’t. Instead, the Black Lion landed heavy like it would on any other planet. Lance bit his lip. He really didn’t want to land. But he couldn’t be the only one still flying, even if he didn’t want to face his team, so after only a moment more of stalling, Lance did the same.

Stepping carefully out of Red, Lance was glad to find he didn’t plummet to his death. And he grew a little more confident as he walked finding the ground acting pretty much like concrete despite its looks. In fact, the illusion worked wonderfully for his nerves until Lance looked down and saw his feet floating on air. Though it wasn’t quite normal air. The static beneath him felt far away, but also dipped in and out of focus, reminding Lance of summers back home, standing in the shallows on a hot day trying to decide how deep the next dip in the sand would be. Back then, it didn’t matter if he misjudged it and got soaked. It was just water. But here, he was wading through something altogether different. And instead of baby fish kissing his toes, there were dark shadows swimming underneath him like koi of death.

Lance whipped his gaze back up. The freaky abyss was messing with his head. He couldn’t possibly be seeing creatures now! Refusing to look down again, Lance hurried over to join the rest of the group. 

Pidge was already crouching down to the floor when he arrived. She poked the glass, tongue half way up her cheek. Beside her, Hunk was unloading devices from his Lion, hooking up wires and adjusting bolts as he went. Lance knew what none of it did, or what Pidge was thinking as she scanned the surface with her forearm. Out the corner of his eye he could see Allura. She was sticking close to Blue but her gaze kept shifting back to them and she dallied around her Lions feet obviously uncomfortable. Lance flipped back to Pidge.

“We got a plan then?” He asked, bouncing on his toes and deliberately keeping his gaze firmly off Allura.

Pidge didn’t know about their break-up. In fact, none of the team did. Except Hunk. And obviously Allura. But Lance didn’t want anyone else to know. At least, not yet. There were more important things to worry about. And, in all honesty, Lance didn’t want their pity. He felt bad enough being a dumpee without everyone’s weak smiles reminding him of it every five seconds. 

Besides, this was going to affect the team. Even if he and Allura managed to somehow act normal, the rest would feel awkward just being around them. The dynamics would be different. They couldn’t make the same jokes or talk the same way. Even in physical combat, would they be trusted to work together? Maybe Keith would stop pairing the ex-couple, and missions would be jeopardised with the right people in the wrong jobs. They were at a critical moment in their fight, one wrong move and the whole universe could collapse and Lance refused to be the cause of that.

“Not so far.” The girl answered, breaking apart Lance’s thoughts. He couldn’t help notice that she hadn’t looked up to speak and worked hard not to let his irritation show. Instead, he turned to Hunk who shrugged shyly then nudged a glance over his shoulder. Allura was still standing there. Fiddling with the settings on her armour as she continued to steal looks their way. Lance could feel the awkwardness radiating from her even from afar. She probably knew what to do here. Could help Pidge with her equipment. Or at least guide them to somewhere less vast and empty. But instead she was hovering over there like a baby. Lance folded his arms,

“Allura,” he called. Everyone seemed to look when he did and it almost made him want to glare back. But instead, he took a deep breath. “You wanna take a look?”

He didn’t want her closer. In fact, Allura being far away was Lance’s ideal preference. It wasn’t like the depth of his feelings had disappeared overnight and the nearer she was, the heavier they felt. But they were unwanted. So much so, Lance wanted to rip them off his chest and throw them at her. But that was impractical. And spiteful. And their mission was more important. So, Lance forced on a smile.

“If you’re sure?” Allura answered carefully, watching him as if he were a bomb waiting to go off. Lance fought to make sure the smile didn’t turn to a grimace. Why wouldn’t he be sure?

“Positive.” He gritted out, taking a step back.

Allura hesitated a further minute, one in which Lance was sure his teeth became bared instead of grinning, but eventually she strode over and began pouring over whatever statistics Pidge was gathering.

Lance had no help to offer now. So, he took his spare time to look around the vicinity. It was all just void. Infuriating void. Snow-storm static drawn out into motorway lines in every direction possible. At least the Lion’s offered some rest for Lance’s eyes. They were huge strikes of colour against the blankness. And they were close. Lance was struck with a sense of gratitude that the team had made an unofficial agreement to stay close. This place may have been full of nothingness but that’s what would make someone disappearing all the more terrifying.

Lance turned around to check the other side. Keith wasn’t too much further off. Black suit making him melt into the lines more than anyone else. It irked Lance. The boy was dressed in perfect camouflage for this unworldly place but did he act like it? No. Keith was waltzing off with no cares in the world, not even bothering to study machines like the rest of them. How exactly did he expect Lance to keep an eye on him? More than that, how was safety in numbers going to work when they were always one short?

Lance stamped forward.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked, impatiently. It hadn’t meant to sound quite so accusatory, but Lance was at the end of his tether. He was tired. His skin was raw from crying all night. This place was creepy and he couldn’t do anything right now except wait for someone else to figure it out.

And what was Keith doing? Pissing off into the void to glare at transparent ground.

“I saw something,” He said, not even turning around, just moving his head a little closer to his shoulder as he talked.  “We should check it out.”

Lance barked out a laugh, short and derisive.

“We? Yeah, it sure looks like ‘we’ when you’re always wandering off on your own.”

Keith frowned, finally having the decency to turn around only to send Lance an infuriatingly gormless look. “You’re here too?”

“BECAUSE I FOLLOWED YOU!”

Keith’s nose wrinkled.

“You got a problem Lance?” He asked, stalking forward.

“Yeah, I do, actually.”

Lance couldn’t find whatever monster Keith had invented and at this point didn’t care. To hell with Haggar. To hell with memories. To hell with the universe. In every aspect of his life Lance was being treated like a damn house fly and he wasn't going to stand for it.

“You.” Lance hissed, jabbing a sharp finger into Keith’s chest, “are always leaving.”

“m’not.” Keith mumbled, casting his gaze to the floor. Why couldn’t he look him in the eye?

“Are.” Lance insisted, stepping closer. The void seemed quieter now, but Lance ignored it, moving his face into Keith’s until he had no other place to look.

“No.” Keith growled, shutting his eyes to avoid Lance, “I’m not.”

“You’re lying!” Lance cried, missing how the world was getting darker, “why can’t you be honest!?”

“Because-!” Keith yelled. But he didn’t get to finish as suddenly a tremendous boom rang out from below and the whole world began shaking. Lance’s eyes flew to the ground. Shadows were swarming around their feet, massive shapeless forms that swam like sharks. And Lance quickly discovered the cause of the tremors. The huge creatures were slamming into the glass, throwing themselves against the ceiling like they were trying to escape. Lance shrieked, grabbing onto Keith as another shockwave had him falling onto one foot.

“What the hell’s going on!?”

“I don’t know!” Keith yelled. He grabbed Lance with just as much desperation, digging his fingers into Lance’s biceps until it almost hurt. “We need to get back to the Lions.”

“Where are the others?”

Lance flipped his head to look over his shoulder but another quake had him falling into Keith before he could even see.

“They’ll be fine!” Keith yelled, grabbing Lance tight in his arms. “We have to trust them.”

Lance burned. “Wouldn’t have to if you didn’t keep fucking off.”

“What!?“ Keith demanded, but there was no time to respond as suddenly glass exploded around them. The noise was deafening, like a thousand plates crashing to the floor. And it happened fast, shadows bursting into the air around them in seconds, cold rushing down Lance’s spine

“Keith!” He shrieked for lack of a better word.

“Follow me.”

Lance felt himself getting dragged forward but caught a glimpse of spiderwebs cracking across the floor over Keith’s shoulder and hauled them back.

“Not that way!” He shouted just as another shadow slammed through the floor.

“Shit.” Keith hissed. There were more booms now, the shadows hitting with more vigour, more darkness swirling around them. “Get your bayard.”

Lance scrambled against his suit one-handedly. The gun began forming near instantly, sparks flying around his wrist, weight falling into his hand. Then the floor gave out.

Glass shattered around Lance, his world becoming darkness as the shadows whooshed past like gale force winds. He was entirely exposed, shadows rushing into his suit, whipping back his hair and ripping through his mouth. The he hit the ground. Hard. And a second later, Keith came crashing on top of him.

“Lance!” Keith yelped, already crawling to his feet, bayard in hand. “You okay?”

Lance wheezed, trying to cough out any stray shadow that had got into his lungs. “Peachy.”

Keith let up the barest smile. He seemed practically unaffected by the ordeal, even his fringe staying in place like a  doll’s and Lance cursed him. Was the boy even capable of doing anything that didn’t piss Lance off at this point? Slapping aside the hand he had offered out, Lance clambered to his feet, hissing at the strain on his back. Damn, Keith couldn’t have given him a hand could he?

They seemed to be in an inner chamber now, empty of any of the shadows. But the strange thing was, the ceiling was completely sealed, as if they’d never broken through in the first place. The room didn’t have clear dimensions either. It was boundless, pooling outwards and up into a smooth curve circling overhead, all whilst glowing a pale red, appearing scratched like worn metal, but translucent like the ground above. Lance didn’t have time to get a closer look though, because a moment later he realised they weren’t alone.

“Look out!”

Lance barely had the time to shout before a shadow was rushing Keith. A different one, with the physique of an athletic man. And Keith dropped to the ground just in time for it to thrust a sword into the space he’d occupied only moments before. It didn’t stop there though. If anything, the warrior sped up. And now it was aiming straight for Lance.

Lance jolted, jumping to the side as he felt a rush of air sweeping up his arm, the shadow sword striking close. He made to form his bayard but the shadow changed direction, already engaging in hand to hand combat. Lance caught the punch, surprised to find the creature didn’t pass through him like a ghost. But his shock was short-lived as the next moment Lance found himself thrown to the floor, foot kicked hard into his stomach.

He choked, curling over his stomach as his vision starred. The blob standing above him wavered, only pulling into focus on every other blink. Lance saw it plant its feet, its shoulders rise and its arms lengthening to the sky. Then he was hit with sudden clarity. Lance rolled to the side, narrowly missing the sword being thrust onto him. Immediately, he pulled into a crouch, spinning around on his toes to catch the second slash with his forearm.

“Thank god for Altean child-grade armour,” he breathed, chest heaving millimetres below a razor-sharp blade.

But Lance only had seconds to think before the creature doubled down and he was blocking slice after slice, back arching closer and closer to the floor as he fought off the advances. His muscles were starting to cramp as the attack drew on, parries becoming lazy but still the shadow threw on. It was almost robotic in its actions, relentless in its onslaught. With all his efforts going into defence, Lance couldn’t form his bayard and he was getting closer and closer to getting filleted.

He had to move.

So, on the next slice Lance dodged, letting the sword fall past his shoulder. Then he lurched forward, slamming his shoulder into the warrior’s chest. The shadow flew back and Lance bounced out the way just in time for Keith to tear his sword upwards between them and fight.

“Good to have you back.” Lance teased, finally forming his bayard and swinging the blaster around his wrist.

“Never left.” Keith panted back, kicking the warrior into Lance’s firing range.

“Well that would be a first.” Lance mumbled, lifting his gun to shoot circles around the shadow.

But he never shot. Because Keith had stopped moving. And he wasn’t even looking at the enemy. Instead, his gaze was fixed entirely on Lance, head cocked to the side as if he was confused. But more than that, there was a sheen across his eyes. Like he was hurt. And the intensity was enough for a bud of guilt to form in Lance’s stomach. But it quickly disappeared as he caught sight of the warrior circling around and watched in slow-motion as an elbow came flying into Keith’s side. The boy was thrown to the floor, sword clattering down like glass.

Lance roared. How dare this place treat Keith like a ragdoll! Before even realising, he was running, shooting along the floor until the creature was forced to retreat.

“FOCUS!” He yelled, standing over the boy and continuing to shoot. Keith didn’t respond at first, and Lance wanted to kick him. But soon there was a groan. And a moment later Keith was crawling to his feet.

“I wasn’t leaving you, Lance.” He hissed, picking up his bayard, “I knew you were gonna come too.”

Lance let out a tut. “Sure.”

“I WAS!”

Lance shook his head, feeling his chest tighten in frustration.

“Quit lying,” he growled lifting up his blaster to send a glare at Keith, “you never once thought about me.”

Keith recoiled. Like the words had physically hurt him. But Lance’s eye caught movement and he turned just in time to see the shadow burst into a run. Keith slammed ahead, catching its sword and slicing upwards with a metallic shriek. Lance went to realign his shot, moving in a circle around them when something shoved him forward. He fell into Keith, helpless against gravity and they both tumbled into a pile on the floor..

Lance scrambled into a turn, gun moving first. Then he froze. There wasn’t just one shadow anymore. There were two, circling above them like vultures. But Lance was no wounded animal. And despite his bruises he jumped to his feet, Keith doing the same in front of him.

Then a hand came up to his side and he stuttered. Why was there a hand there? There should be no hand there. Lance followed it, all the way up from the rise of his hip to the crook of an elbow and finally to Keith.

The boy was snarling. Like a wolf. Entirely focussed on the danger, gaze locked, sword drawn. Lance could have mistaken himself for being invisible if it weren’t for the hand on his waist. The hand that kept pushing.

And it dawned on Lance. Keith was pushing him behind his body. Like he needed protecting.

Because Lance couldn’t fight. He was a liability. Extra baggage. Good-for-nothing goof who destroyed every mission.

Familiar anger tingled through his veins. The pushing continued. Lance’s blood ignited.

“LIKE HELL I’M NOT GONNA FIGHT.”

And suddenly his bayard was flames. Lance threw out his arm, weight shooting downward as his sword flowed into place.

“Wh-wha-WHAT IS THAT!?” Keith yelped, staring at Lance’s hands. Lance felt a wicked smirk against his lips.

“A sword.” He said, eyeing the shadows with venom.

“I didn’t know you had a sword.” Keith stated, voice a little shaky. Lance let the subtle note of awe burn through his veins as he moved to lean his back against Keith.

“Miss a lot of things don’t ya?”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Keith snapped. But there was no time to answer as the shadows launched into battle.

Lance fell against Keith, weight tearing down on his sword as the clashing of metal filled the air. He kicked at the shadow’s feet, forcing the warrior to stumble and when it did, he swiped back, fiery blade tickling its body orange but never quite striking.

“I’m serious Lance!” Keith shouted, breathing ragged as he parried attacks. “What did I miss!?”

Lance growled, ducking down to slice at the warrior’s legs. It jumped.

“Lance,” Keith warned, whipping sweat off his forehead, “if we’re going to die I don’t want you mad at me.”

“WE’RE NOT GONNA DIE!” Lance yelled, ducking under Keith’s arm to stab the other warrior. This one was just as relentless.

“IF.” Keith insisted, falling against Lance’s back as he struggled to fend off his new shadow.

“FINE!”

Lance sent a harsh kick to his warriors chest.

“ALLURA AND I BROKE UP, OKAY!?”

Keith went silent. The swords echoed but Lance barely noticed.

“And you weren’t even there.”

It was practically a whisper. Lance wasn’t sure why he bothered to say it. What was the point? Keith couldn’t change anything. Couldn’t make this any easier. Lance was broken. How could losing one more person make a difference?

“Lance I-“

“You didn’t know.” Lance interrupted, slipping down against his back. He was so tired. “I get it.”

“No!”

Keith whirled around, sword slicing outwards as he linked their elbows together and pulled Lance in. They were face to face now, and how Keith was expecting them to fight properly Lance couldn’t begin to comprehend. But apparently that didn’t matter as Keith’s eyes met his in an intense staring contest.

“I’m sorry.” he said, voice raw with emotion, “I should have been there.”

Lance found himself unable to look away. Then he was suddenly shoved to the floor.

A whoosh of air rushed over his head, two blades striking the empty space he’d once occupied.

“You’re right.” Keith continued, watching the two shadows struggle to make any hits as they each countered the others. “I’m always running away. I see myself getting comfortable and I press eject. But that’s not an option anymore.”

“Why not?” Lance asked stubbornly, crouching closer as the warrior’s hits got lower.  “Seems as good an option as any.”

“Because,” Keith answered, ducking so close that his words tickled Lance’s ear, “I care about who I hurt.”

Then, before Lance could even begin to process the goose bumps covering his skin, Keith was leaning away. And he gave Lance a look. The look. The one that sparked excitement in Lance’s stomach. Anticipation. The one that promised a win in the most devastatingly bad-ass way possible. The one that asked ‘ready?’ and Lance always was. So, despite everything, Lance grinned. And that was it.

Keith shoved a leg out, spinning around to knock the shadows down like bowling pins. One fell and Keith pounced on it whilst the other landed on its feet. But that’s where Lance’s gymnastics came in. Flipping up onto his hands, he kicked his legs up, boots slamming into the last warriors chin. And as it stumbled back, Lance sprang upwards, knees falling either side of its chest and pinning it to the ground.

“Surrender.” He demanded and plunged his sword into its heart.

There was a further second where the chest rose and fell once more. Then it stiffened. And Lance felt cold hard victory rattle through his bones. Slowly, the shadows began swirling, leaving the body like ashes in the wind. The body was disintegrating, but somehow the presence beneath Lance’s body remained firm.

Behind him, Keith gasped and Lance quickly spun round. The boy’s mouth was agape, chest still heaving from the battle but being paid no mind. Because he was staring. At the body pinned beneath his own. Not a shadow. A woman. With large curves, dark skin and fluffy white hair pulled back over her crown.

“What?” She said, lilt of humour in her voice, “you thought Allura took after her father?”

Lance felt vibrations rocket up his legs and whipped back around. Underneath him was no longer a shadow. It was a man. Laughing. With familiar bronze skin, bright white hair, and beard strung beneath his chin.

“King Alfor?” Lance breathed. The man grinned.

“That’s former Red Paladin to you.”

Chapter Text

“We’ve not much time.”

King Alfor had barely been in the flesh for five minutes but already he was striding across the room, regal cape swinging behind, plans rolling off the tongue.

“This mindscape is of Haggar’s creation. She’ll notice somethings amiss soon.”

“Course!”

Lance was nodding furiously, stepping on the back Alfor’s heels. Keith could tell the boy was trying his best to concentrate but even he couldn’t miss the aura of wander that followed the procession.

“Right.”

Alfor came to a sudden stop and Lance slammed straight into the back of him.

“Ohmygod!" The boy exclaimed, pedalling back with a comically wide-eyed look of horror. “I’m so sorry King Alfor! I mean Paladin Alfor! I mean! King Paladin-“

“Hush now.” Alfor soothed. Keith would have expected this to be the moment he cracked, but instead the King only radiated warmth, smiling kindly at the fanboy as his jaw clamped shut. “Lance, was it?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Okay, Lance. Stand back.”

“Okay?”

Lance did as he was told, though there was a furrow in his brow. Still, he watched Alfor closely, eyes following his movements in much the same way as a puppy. Keith could hardly blame him though, it was a little awe-inspiring witnessing the King Alfor, creator of Voltron, leader of Altea, walking in their very presence. Keith had enough wits about him to hold off a little, following along at a polite distance from all three of them. Lance really had been angry before; Keith hadn’t witnessed anything like it, and he wasn’t dumb enough to believe that inferno had just disappeared. Keith just hoped it might be quelled. Enough for them to complete the mission at least. As long as Keith stayed focussed and avoided any more mistakes, they’d be fine. However, he hadn’t bargained on Alfor being quite so mesmerising. When the man took a step back, he shook out his shoulders, lifted his head high, and radiated a regal kind of confidence that hypnotized. In fact, it was only when Keith caught wind of Melenor’s muttered ‘oh no’ that he was shaken from his stupor. Just in time to watch, Alfor, King of Altea, original red paladin, lift his sword high into the air and charge at a wall.

With a massive clanking sound, the sword reverbed back. Alfor, thrown off balance, made what could only be described as a squeaking sound, before tumbling to the ground, landing heavily on his back as the weapon clattered to the floor.

“Ah.” He said.

Melenor was first to move.

With the grace of a queen, she glided over to the upturned beetle and planted her weapon – a pole of some kind – into the ground beside his head.

“Honey, shall we make a plan first?” She asked, a tight smile pulled onto her lips, “Preferably before you impale yourself on your own sword?”

Alfor visibly cringed.

“Good idea.”

With that, he began struggling to his feet and Lance’s instincts finally seemed to kick in as he rushed forward to help. Keith hovered awkwardly by. Alfor didn’t need that much help. And, to be fair, Melenor wasn’t helping either. If anything, she was trying to hide a smirk.

“Right.” Alfor announced, standing tall once again but now noticeably dishevelled. The magic was lost. Well, maybe not on all of them.

“How can we help?” Lance asked, still hugging Alfor’s arm and gazing up as if he were the moon. Keith suspected he was the one who really needed help with balance.

“I…” Alfor looked around the space, a seemingly endless red that pooled in all directions, “have to admit, I have no idea.”

Keith found himself nodding. Then he noticed Lance’s face, pure unadulterated shock, and he had to quickly turn around before he laughed. Melenor caught his eye. She was giggling too.

“My husband’s not much of a practical thinker.” She said, plainly. “He’s a visionary, no doubt. But maybe I should take over for now?”

“Yes please.”

With Alfor’s plead, Melenor swung her pole and landed it upright beside her, resembling an old tapestry of a much more medieval queen. “Hear that?”

Not a noise. Keith looked over to Lance but he just shrugged.

“Exactly.” She said with a flick of her brows, “No echo. But when you fell over there...”

She gestured to the spot Keith was thrown onto in their fight.

“It made a noise.” Lance finished. “A weak point!”

“Exactly! And if we hit it with enough force.”

“YOUR SWORD!”

Lance turned excitedly to Alfor, “your plan could still work!”

“Actually,” Melenor cut in, “I was thinking your blaster.”

“My blaster?”

“Yes. A long-distance shot will give us an advantage if anymore shadows come through.”

“I agree.” Alfor added hastily, rubbing his back. “We need to conserve our strength.”

“But…” Lance frowned at the floor. “I don’t know if it has enough power.”

“Nonsense!” Melenor cried, already spinning around and heading to the spot. “A paladin’s bayard has as much strength as the paladin himself.”

A flicker of pain crossed Lance’s face, but as quickly as it appeared it was gone. The resulting smile looked forced. “Guess we’ll see.”

Keith couldn’t help the fire it caused in his veins. He ground his teeth. “It’ll work.”

Lance’s eyes flashed up. He looked surprised. But quickly, the expression disappeared as he schooled his emotions into another frown, unlatching himself from Alfor and hurrying past. Keith squeezed his fists. It wasn’t worth another argument.

“Here will do,” Melenor announced. She was tapping at the floor with her pole, nodding periodically to herself as she drew a cross. “Might need a few shots though. I’m not sure how thick the chamber walls are.”

Lance shucked his bayard onto his shoulder, fiddling with the viewfinder.

“Should be able to make it.” He mumbled, winking his eye and fiddling with settings.

“He’ll make it.” Keith said firmly, eyeing each of the royals in turn. Neither seemed in doubt of this fact which pleased Keith.

“Okay.”

Lance turned to the group, whooshing his breath. “Ready?”

Keith nodded sharply. “Always.”

Alfor rubbed his hands together. “Let’s get ourselves an explosion.”

With that, Lance smirked. “Alright.”

Then he turned back, and the group ducked in close, weapons in hand. Keith could feel his heart thumping against his ribs, muscles pulled taut. They didn’t know what would be on the other side. And that’s what thrilled him.

Lance pulled the trigger.

Glass exploded around them, light bursting through the floor. But before their eyes could adjust, a rush of shadows followed, whipping like gales. This time, the creatures were small, but plenty, quickly filling the air around them like a tornado. Keith struck first, throwing his blade blindly through the blackness as blaster fire erupted in the air. Behind, he heard Alfor roar, then there was a shout of ‘duck’ and Keith hit the floor. A rush of air swooped overhead and when Keith looked up, he saw Melenor swinging through like a pole-vaulter, clearing the smoke as Alfor sliced the runaways. Not to be outdone, Lance skidded in, providing covering fire as Keith got to his feet. As soon as he was up, the two fought back to back, destroying the last of the creatures. It ended a short battle, but intense. One moment surrounded in darkness, the next a stark silence.

“Good job everyone.” Alfor panted, wiping sweat off his brow.

Melenor agreed, letting out a whoosh of breath as she slid her pole back into a cylinder size. “And well-done Lance, only using one shot.”

“Yes,” Alfor agreed, stretching his back out, “very efficient, I’m impressed.”

Lance’s jaw wobbled with the comment and Keith found his heart blooming at witnessing the recognition being laid upon the blue paladin.

“I- uh-”

Lance was flailing for words and Alfor only made things worse as he strolled over, placing a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“You should have more belief in yourself.”

Lance’s jaw fell slack, not even trying to reclose. He seemed at a complete loss of words, and Keith could laugh it was a sight so rare.

“I-”

It looked as though Lance might cry, voice cracking on the word, but before anything could happen there was a shout.

“Guys? Is that you?”

“HUNK!” Lance cried. And as if his saviour had called, Lance was gone in a second, sprinting for the hole blasted into the floor. “YOU’RE HERE!”

Without wasting another moment, he dropped down, disappearing into the floor.

Alfor turned to Keith.

“A friend?”

Keith grinned. “Oh yeah.”

Chapter Text

It wasn’t just Hunk in the inner chamber. There was Pidge and Allura too. But that’s not what pulled Keith’ eye. Behind his friends, stood the former paladins – Trigel of the Green Lion, Blaytz of the Blue and Gyrgan, paladin of yellow. They stood tall, their stance wide, and they carried the presence of royal knights protecting a palace of gold. And at the sight of the newcomers, they beamed. Or at least Blaytz did, right before he ran forward and tackled Lance to the ground, yelling something about “blue buddies!”

The embrace looked uncomfortable. Keith was glad Zarkon was paladin of black and Alfor of red, that kind of welcome was not his style. However, Lance seemed to enjoy it, glowing under the attention, and Keith decided he didn’t need to intervene. He approached Trigel instead. The alien woman seemed to have the most restraint of the new three. Keith held out his hand.

“Keith. Red paladin, I pilot Black.”  

“Interesting.” She said, taking his hand. “I’m Trigel, former paladin of the Green Lion. This is Gyrgan.”

The yellow paladin stepped forward, a stocky man with a disarming presence not unlike the new yellow paladin. Keith nodded politely, inquiring how the rest had met. It was a fairly similar story to his own, but he asked probing questions. Kept nodding. Concentrated hard on the conversation. But the girl in pink was circling closer.

‘Keith?’ Allura called, uncharacteristically timid. Keith pretended not to hear.

‘Keith?’ she called again, stepping forward. This time, Trigel turned and he was left with no alternative conversation to invest in. ‘Was there anyone else with you? In the above chamber?’

‘Uh…’

How does one warn a person of the head-on collision they were about to suffer? That hadn’t exactly been in Keith’s training. Not that it mattered, he would have failed anyway because he was made of blunt bones and sharp teeth. Even Pidge was better at this than him, and she had dealt some devastating blows. So why did Allura have to ask him? Why did he, out of everyone, have to be holding the black bayard?

‘I, umm…’

‘Blaytz!’

Keith jolted at the sudden shout. It came from above, and Keith looked up to find Alfor’s legs kicking in the air, a wisp of beard barely visible below the ceiling fracture. Saved by the bell!

‘My old friend!’ came Alfor’s shout, ‘you couldn’t give an old man a hand could you?’

Blaytz practically threw Lance to the ground. ‘YOUR MAJESTY!’

He ran over to the hole just as Melenor dropped down, graceful as ever.

‘Really husband?’ She called back, brushing down her clothes. ‘It’s barely two metres high.’

Alfor may have spellbound the young paladins, but Keith couldn’t help noticing how the queen had a habit of showing her husband up. It reminded him of someone. 

‘Mother?’

Allura’s mouth dropped open. Keith’s throat went dry. He didn’t dare move.

‘Allura?’

Melenor’s voice was breathless. All her rich confidence from before was replaced with something altogether different. Hopeful yet fearful, weak but full-bodied, loud yet quiet. A second passed. The world seemed frozen in time, balanced on a fine tightrope wire.

Then Allura was running.

She threw herself at Melenor, and the two went flying. The queen’s eyes flashed frantic, and she had but a second to catch the girl before they toppled into a pile on the floor. There was a second of panting. Of locked eyes. And then laughter. The sound burst into the room like a popped balloon and suddenly their cheeks were flushed together and arms locked tight and there was warmth being shared and tears being shed.

‘I never thought…’ Melenor breathed, shaking her head. Her voice may have been confused, but the joy was there. Undeniably. Keith could see her cheeks shining around an iridescent smile, one Allura was sure to match, though it was hard to tell when she was crushed against her mother’s breast.

A crash sounded, followed by a scrambling and Alfor appeared panting above the two, hair thrown awry.

‘Father!’

Allura’s voice hiccupped and suddenly, Alfor was being tackled to the ground too. Eyes squeezed shut, she clung tightly to his shirt, tears now pouring in earnest down her cheeks. Alfor stared down at her, almost disbelieving. Then, seeming to find himself in the present, a smile spread across his lips, as easy as the aura of his walk, and he lowered his lips to Allura’s head, enveloping her in his arms as if it were second nature. Melenor slid closer, gently combing the hair out her daughter’s face as her own stuck to her wet cheeks. The family scene was complete.

Keith averted his eyes. Watching his friend sandwiched between the two people she’d once lost made his chest tighten strangely.

‘Hard to watch isn’t it?’ Hunk commented, having pulled out the fray. Keith nodded silently.

‘Like you’re intruding.’ He said, without emotion. Somehow his hand found itself resting on his blade.

Hunk was closer now. His elbow nudged Keith’s and he let his hand fall to his side. It felt empty.

‘You want a hug?’

Keith shook his head. Why would he need a hug?

‘It’s alright, you know. I don’t bite.’

Keith raised an eyebrow at his friend. Hunk’s face fell.

‘That was one time. You know not to get between me and a triple-stack-what-the-quiznak-burger.’

Keith let out a small chuckle. ‘I do know.’

Hunk smiled. Then he lifted his arms out into a low v, a careful invitation. Keith eyed the movement.  Then he sighed.

‘Alright big guy.’

Hunk grinned. Then promptly swaddled Keith in his warmth, squeezing just enough for Keith to hop onto his tiptoes before he relaxed, letting his head fall onto a soft shoulder.

‘It’s okay buddy,’ Hunk whispered, smoothing his hand over Keith’s back. ‘We’re all here for you.’

And as he moved back, the boy nodded over to the rest of their friends. They were sitting in a circle with the paladins of old, supposedly making plans, but Keith caught the way both Pidge and Lance were stealing glances his way. Somehow, it made his stomach fill with warmth.

‘Thanks Hunk.’ Keith breathed, feeling his feet sit firmer in his boots. It was strange, emotion always seemed to wash up on Keith out of nowhere, consuming him like a tsunami wave. But these days, the threat of drowning was less potent.

‘Anytime.’

Chapter Text

It was decided the group would go on as a whole.

“No more splitting up,” Lance had said, rather airily, basking in the chorus of praise. But as soon as it was over, he was sliding a snide look over to Keith who rolled his eyes barely containing his contempt. For some reason, it didn’t irritate Lance as it would have done that morning. Instead it made him grin wickedly. He’d won.

Still, teaming up with what was essentially a whole separate team was strange. It kind of reminded Lance of Shiro’s return the first time around, Keith and him always stepping up to the mic at the same time. The team getting mixed signals every mission. Shiro taking over. Keith leaving…

“Hey, guys?”

The group turned to him and Lance felt strangely shy. He put it down to being starstruck - two whole royals were looking at him after all. Lance swallowed his nerves. “What’s our plan here? I mean, we usually follow Keith, not that I don’t wanna follow you! It’s just…”

His eyes drifted over to Keith who was fixing him with a peculiar expression. Lance flicked back to the royals. Apparently, it was the safer place to look.

“I think we should have direction, you know? Like, maybe not physically but mentally? We don’t wanna start pulling in two directions, end up getting wires crossed, splitting up...”

Lance tensed. Was it a silly question? Alfor was the clear leader here - the original leader. A ruler too. With age and wisdom on his side. Had that been a rude question? Oh god had Lance just offended the King of Altea!?

“I’ll be honest, Lance,” Alfor addressed, scratching his neck, “I hadn’t thought of that.”

He looked almost bashful, the way he hid under his elbow and ducked his head low. It puzzled Lance.

“Keith.” The royal turned, bowing toward a very unprepared Keith. “My condolences, I hadn’t considered your opinion.”

Keith put up his hands, looking about as out of place as a tiger in a vegetable patch.

“It’s fine, really.” He said, and maybe it was Lance projecting, but it sounded as if his voice wobbled ever so slightly. Was Keith as nervous as Lance about the royals? It should be a source of discomfort seeing your leader lose their cool, but somehow, Lance felt a wave of relief flood his body.

“Actually,” Lance chimed, “I know I said we follow Keith, but he’s kind of a mess. I mean, look at his hair.”

There were several eye rolls at the comment, but Lance lapped it up moving in to rest his elbow right on Keith’s shoulder. Lance knew the boy would put up with it, he didn’t have a choice if he wanted to come off Lance probation. And Lance may have seemed like an easy-going guy, but you didn’t grow up with four siblings and not learn a thing or two about dragging out a win. Especially when the rest of the family were to be kept none the wiser.

“We make decisions together. We support each other. And we stick together. I just wanna make sure we’re all on the same page. No walking off on your own.”

Keith shifted on the last bit so Lance flicked him a quick smile. Had to pity the soul at some point.

“No walking off on your own.” Alfor echoed. There was a snort.

“We should have had that rule ten thousand years ago.” Trigel said, jabbing Gyrgan in the side. A sort of tension was lifted. She stepped forward. “We understand your concern paladins. But fear not, we are experienced warriors. And comrades. We follow Alfor, but we do not form a dictatorship.”

Blaytz and Gyrgan agreed. Keith glanced at Lance, question in his brows. Instead of answering, he squeezed Keith’s shoulder and stepped back.

Keith turned to face them.

“We’ll follow Alfor too.” He said with finality. “He’s the reason we’re here. And he’s Allura’s father. I can’t imagine anyone better.”

“Agreed!” Lance chimed, and behind he heard Hunk whoop and Pidge saying something along the lines ‘yeah fuck keith!’ but he couldn’t be sure. Keith’s glare seemed to be though, attempting to pierce Pidge to the spot. The snorting girl could not be pierced.

With house rules sorted, Lance felt a little lighter as they trailed through the lucid landscape. It wasn’t glowing red anymore, and it was structured, like a labyrinth, the group walking through twisting tunnels of liquid glass. Alfor and Melenor led, Allura sandwiched between them, talking and laughing, catching up on lost time. Behind were Hunk and Gyrgan, discussing the yellow lion in depth. Trigel had attempted doing the same with Pidge, but it soon became clear that the smallest of the group was struggling to keep up with the tallest. Naturally, Blaytz stepped in here and hauled Pidge up onto his shoulders. Now they could speak far more easily. With each other that was, Lance couldn’t understand a word either was saying, and he sensed it wasn’t to do with poor hearing.

After Blaytz had practically flattened Lance on arrival, the large blue Hulk had launched a barrage of questions at Lance. All about blue and flying her and how cool they were for flying her. Lance kind of felt like a fraud. He piloted red after all. Blue had even gone so far as to freeze him out. Obviously, he’d left this out of their conversation, concentrating on the many girls he’d impressed. Only this wasn’t exactly a great alternative as he started thinking about Allura and how he hadn’t really impressed any of those girls. Luckily that was when Blaytz had lost interest, noticing the green paladin’s struggle and butted in. He turned around to speak to Lance but seemed distracted by their last member, quickly changing aim.

“Hey, Keith, I hear your mom’s a galra rebellion fighter!.

Keith startled at the address.

“Uh yeah, she is.”

Blaytz frowned as the paladin went back to gazing at the wall. Lance stepped in.

“Not just his mom. Keith’s a blade of Marmora too.”

“What?! You’re kidding! That’s insane! You got one of those cool knives?”

“I do?” Keith cocked his head, “Were the blades around when you were…”

He trailed off. Lance suspected that sentence was supposed to end in ‘alive’. It hadn’t occurred to him, but all these people surrounding them were ghosts. Energy trapped in a lost memory. How long could they stay before they were gone all together? Blaytz, Trigel, Gyrgan, Melenor, Alfor. How long did they have? How long did Allura have? Lance suddenly felt cold. But apparently it was hard to feel down for too long with Blaytz around.

“No, we didn’t need ‘em!” The big blue man announced, flexing a bicep with a wink. “But here, we saw everything. The first rendezvous, the first break in, first explosion! Man, those guys like to explode stuff!”

 “You saw their first meeting?”

Keith’s concentration was finally occupied with something other than the walls. And Blaytz beamed.

“First hand. Apparently Honerva had eyes everywhere.”

“What was it like?”

“Well.”

Blaytz launched into a graphic re-imagination of the Blade’s first meeting, one that was probably highly tampered with. Keith didn’t seem to mind, lapping it all up with childlike eyes. Lance liked the story. Liked how it included so much more the way Blaytz told it – all loud noises and huge hand movements – so huge Pidge was almost thrown off twice. She laughed it off, batting at Blaytz’ ears with shrieking noises. It was nice. Lance had almost forgotten what it was like. Talking amongst friends. He used to tell stories like that. Loud and over the top. It was actually a source of embarrassment recently. Lance the idiot, all talk no action. But watching Blaytz…

“There’s something here.”

All conversation stopped abruptly. The tunnel was opening up into a room and the group dispersed. Lance followed, moving between bodies until he could spot what had captured so much attention. In the centre of the chamber was a dome. Completely black, it sat stark against the translucent landscape. Out the corner of his eye he saw Keith draw his sword.

“Dude.”

Keith turned with a confused look. Lance sighed.

“What are you doing?”

“I was gonna cut it open?”

“We don’t know what’s inside!?”

Keith stuck his chin forward as if to say exactly. Lance decided the team needed to invest in a leash.

“At least let me take a scan first.” Pidge sighed, slipping off Blaytz’ shoulders. She slid easily through the crowd, holding her arm to the dome with furrowed brows. Keith watched this all unfold with lips parted as if genuinely impressed at Pidge’s idea. Like it wasn’t the normal thing to do. Lance shook his head, pushing Keith’s hand back down before he got any ideas.

After a few beeps and clicks, Pidge stood before the group.

“It’s not a dome.” She said. Lance was not convinced of this analysis.

“Well, it is,” She corrected, pushing her glasses up her nose, “but it’s not black. It’s made from the same material as the floor, so it should be clear. Which means…”

“It’s not empty?” Lance ventured.

“Exactly. It’s packed full of miasma, possibly the same shadows we fought off before.”

Keith marched forward. “How many?”

“Couldn’t say.”

“We should avoid it.” Hunk said resolutely. Pidge shook her head.

“No way, those shadows hid five former paladins. This.” She tapped the glass. “Has to be hiding something huge.”

“The secrets to her plan.” Allura cried, eyes widening. “We have to open it!”

Keith stepped forward with his sword, Lance pulled him right back.

“We have to make a plan first.” He said, glaring at the knife. “Those shadows nearly wiped us out before.”

Hunk nodded vehemently. “Plan. I like plans. Preferably ones that don’t involve fighting.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be an option Hunk.” Keith said, eyeing up the glass. He didn’t have his sword drawn this time, thankfully. “What do we know?”

“They’re numerous.” Pidge said, doing calculations on her arm.

“They’re easily shot.” Lance offered, “and sliced.”

“They’re attracted to light!” Allura cried. “Before, when we were fighting them, a hole broke in the ceiling and they swarmed away.”

Lance jumped, “I shot the ceiling!”

“Yes! Let’s do that again!” Hunk yelled, buzzing with excitement, “No fighting at all!”

Keith shook his head, scratching his chin, “but we need them out the dome first.”

“Shoot that too?”

Pidge waved off Lance’s feeble idea. “We can’t afford to frighten them. And we need them in the room before we shoot the ceiling in case leaving the dome has them too disoriented to even notice any gaps to diffuse through.”

Lance scratched his head. He wasn’t as bothered as Hunk about a fight, his blood still hot from the previous one telling him he had a grudge to bust. However, there was no telling how many creatures were trapped in there. They could be overwhelmed.

“I have an idea.”

Keith stepped forward.

“If Pidge slices open the dome with her bayard, she should be able to minimise contact with the creatures, hopefully keeping them calm. We’ll let them escape into here, then, Hunk and Lance, you’ll shoot holes in the ceiling and they’ll rush out. The rest of us will have your backs until then. That sound good?”

Keith’s plan reverberated with confidence despite the tone of his final question. Maybe he’d gone on autopilot. Whatever the reason, Lance decided if there was even a slither of doubt plaguing their leader, he would wipe it out.

“That sounds like a plan.”

Chapter Text

It had sounded like a reasonable plan when Keith had explained it five minutes ago. Now Lance was hefting a blaster onto his shoulder and pretending to fiddle with the stats, it seemed as though they were poking a wasp’s nests and expecting to avoid the stings. Was this the result of cold hard calculation or just fool-hardy hubris?

“Lance?”

Keith was calling from beside the dome. Lance wished he wouldn’t stand so close. Especially with that knife of his glancing the side every time he turned around – and he had to turn around a lot because Lance and Hunk were helpfully placed on opposite sides of the room.

“You ready?”

Lance swallowed down the thoughts of swarming insects.

“YESSIR!”

Keith swivelled on his heel and Lance watched as the blade flitted dangerous close to the shadow dome.

“Seriously,” He muttered to himself. Then he noticed Pidge watching, eyes going all analytical like they did when she studied a new piece of alien tech and he decided to whisper shout instead. “Even you’re standing a good five feet away from that thing.”

Pidge’s neck pulled back a fraction as if that wasn’t what she’d been expecting him to say and Lance found himself becoming the analyst. Still, she shrugged it off. “He’ll move when I actually shoot it.”

“Not if his knife catches it first.”

Pidge didn’t respond. Either Lance had perfected the art of the quite mumble, or she had lost interest in favour of fixing the line of her shot. It seemed he wasn’t the only one aiming for precision.

“Pidge.” Keith called. Finally, he was stepping back from the dome, although the safety five metres looked more like four from where Lance was standing. “Count us in.”

“Alright.”

Pidge shifted her weight between her feet, shaking out her shoulders before settling into her stance.

“Three.”

She lowered her gaze, eyes gleaming along the line of her electro-charged grapple.

“Two.”

She puffed out her cheeks, letting out the air in her lungs.

“One.”

But before Pidge could press shoot, the grapple burst into light. The girl gasped and suddenly her eyes were glowing. Energy eased in and out from the bayard like a pulse and its body became aqueous. Green flames curled around small fingers, licking and spreading thinner and further until the weapon was a curve between Pidge’s hands. The glow faded, and Lance watched as a boomerang manifested in the girl’s hands. It was made of what appeared to be chrome and its entire right side buzzed like a telephone wire.

“Awesome.” Pidge breathed. Then, with a grin gone wild, she switched stance and cast the weapon through the air. Whirring in a high-pitched whine, the boomerang zipped across the room and sliced the dome cleanly across the top. For a brief second, the object was lost on the far side of the room, holding the collective breath of all who inhabited it. Then, in an explosion, it shattered back through again.

Pidge leapt into the air, catching the boomerang with a shout of glee. It became quiet after that. Still. Lance could feel the hairs on his neck rising one by one. Slowly, a rumbling began. A thunder, built quietly from below. The floor started to vibrate, shaking through Lance’s toes, travelling up his bones, thumping against his chest. It dawned on Lance. There was going to be a stampede.

Then it happened.

All at once, a thousand shadows burst out the floor like ash from a volcano. A fountain of death without gravity, a pool swelled under the ceiling and curled into a cyclone, more arriving with every passing second. Hypnotized, Lance couldn’t tell how many there were. It was like watching bats escaping from a never-ending cave. Vultures circling their prey.

“LANCE!” Keith’s shout was raw. Lance looked around and saw him pelting across the floor. “SHOOT! SHOOT!”

“Shit.”

Lance fumbled with his blaster. His heart was in his throat, eyes having trouble focussing on the view finder.

“Doesn’t have to be exact!” Pidge yelled. He had a vague image in his peripheral vision of the rest of his team drawing their weapons. A crack of Allura’s blue whip, a swirl of Melenor’s baton. There was a sudden flash. Hunk taking his shots. ‘Doesn’t have to be exact’, Lance repeated to himself. He shook his hair out if his face. Then he shot.

Three rounds made a sizeable well in the ceiling before he sensed a surge. Dropping to the floor, Lance had about a second before ten thousand shadow came rushing overhead. It was like lying on a runway just as a jet swoops into take-off. The wind whipped Lance flush to the floor and the engines roared loud enough to make his ears pop, but Lance was grinning wildly. Keith had been right. They were flying right out. Like moths to a flame.

“Hell yeah!” Lance shouted, leaping to his feet. Watching the last disappear into light, he couldn’t believe their luck. A hundred thousand shadows, gone. Without so much as an injury. Lance’s muscles burned with the need to tackle his entire team with a victory hug. But there was something off. No-one else was shouting.

“Guys…?”

Lance’s sentence dropped cold. Across the room, rising from where the dome once stood, was something new. A titan. Growing from the remains, the creature resembled the warriors from before in its humanoid shape and stance, but that’s where the analogy ended. This warrior wasn’t human. It was already a ten-foot giant and growing. It’s neck uncurled, shoulders loosened, feet stretched until the last of the igloo disappeared with a knock of its boot. In a sudden movement it bent forward. Then, just as quickly, it unleashed two huge poleaxes from its hips, a throwing of its gauntlet.

Lance stumbled back. There was no way they could fight this. Not without Voltron. He looked around for his fellow paladins and found the same doom-stricken faces surrounding him. Weapons were held loose in hands and they all just gaped. The creature swirled a single poleaxe around its wrist and the wind produced was enough to make Lance stumble.

“We can’t do this.”

The words came from Allura. And they were like a bolt of lightning paralysing Lance. Allura could handle anything. Every single enemy they’d fought, she’d attacked. Never wavered. Or had she. Some dormant memory was clawing at Lance’s mind. A sharp pain. Electricity to his chest. Blinding light.

“Paladins!”

Lance was torn out his thoughts by a roar loud enough to rival a lion’s. King Alfor stood squarely in front of the titan, sword raised to the sky.

“No battle is fought alone. You have allies. Use them.”

Lance’s hands were shaking. He squeezed the handle of his blaster, forcing his feet to turn to the creature. It mirrored the stance.

“He’s right.” Lance gritted out between chattering teeth. “There’s nine of us and one of him.”

“We need Voltron!” Pidge cried.

Gyrgan stepped up beside her, squeezing her shoulder under one of his big leathery hands. “You have it.”

“What!? No, we don’t! Our Lion’s are way out there somewhere!”

“Voltron’s only strong as it’s paladins.” Trigel announced, despite being on the other side of the room. From her coat she produced some sort of throwing stars.

“Don’t give me that crap!” Pidge cried, and Hunk was nodding in agreement, slowly sidling up to the former green paladin.

“Yeah, I’m all about a good metaphor, but I don’t think they help when fighting actual fifteen-foot giants.”

“That’s not what they mean.” Blaytz announced. Drawing his shoulders back, he lifted his chin as if staring down the titan towering over them all. “You guys have a bond. Not just with each other. Not just with your lions. But with the people out there. You see them suffer and you vow to get stronger. They feed your fire. But what you don’t realise is that, fire’s are real easy to spread. It’s cute really. So naïve.”

Lance frowned. There was a compliment in there somewhere but he wasn’t sure of its sincerity. It didn’t matter, what was obvious was that Blaytz had his attention – all their attentions. Lance even watching the way he breathed. 

“You work so hard to forge a bond.” Blaytz said, rubbing his fingers together, “But that fire’s doing all the work. You empower them and in return-”

The man stuck his fingers in his cheeks and whistled. Loudly. Like a farmer calling his dog.

“They empower you.”

Lance was about to ask what the hell was going on when suddenly the wall crashed around him.

“Red!?”

Lance found himself gawking as the sound of a purr rumbled through his heart.

“THE LIONS!” Hunk cried, already sprinting across the room to an awaiting yellow. “Oh thank god I thought I was a gonna for sure this time.”

Lance let out a small laugh. They really weren’t alone. How did Blaytz do that?

“Paladins!” Alfor announced, lifting his sword, “For Voltron!”

“For Voltron!” Chorused the entire room.

With Alfor and the others distracting the warrior, Lance leaped up into Red.

“We got this girl.” He murmured, running to the cockpit. And, as if her engine had been reignited, Red roared, entire chasis shaking.  

“Hey!” Lance squeaked, finding himself thrown prematurely into the driver’s seat, “what’s with the enthusiasm!?”

Red didn’t explain. Just smothered his mind with her warmth. And Lance lapped it up.

“Ready to form Voltron?” Keith buzzed over the intercom.

“Try and stop me!”

The electricity of creating Voltron fizzed through Lance’s veins. His stomach went hot, arms loopy, and his mind stretched and pulled like a balloon being prepared for the pump. For a moment, he was a rain drop floating above a river. Then Red clicked into place, and they zapped into one. Instantly, the battle was in their favour. And Keith was throwing out orders.

“Lance pull right.”

“Roger.”

“Hunk-“

“Got it!”

Hunk sent a sharp kick into the gigantic warrior’s side and it stumbled back. The ground team took no time in throwing a few shots of their own as its chest opened up for attack. Lance went for a whoop, when Red took a sudden hit and he jerked into the dashboard.

“He’s not messing around!” Pidge chirped, throwing Voltron’s arm up just as another Poleaxe crashed down on them.

“Guys!” Lance yelled, Red’s dash starting to flash as another Poleaxe came from the rear. “A plan!?”

“Form sword.” Keith commanded. Lance shoved his bayard into place. “Allura?”

“On it!” Voltron leaned heavily into blue. Then, just as the titan pitched another hit, blue slammed forward, ramming the warrior back. Seeing an opening, Lance swung into an arc slicing the Poleaxe right out its hand.

“Bulls-eye!”

But the sudden movement shifted Voltron’s gravity and they wavered, giving the warrior enough time to drop and slam their leg into Voltron’s knee. Lance swung back with a start, smashing his head against the seatback. Red’s alarms started to blare but it was all white noise when a shriek pierced the coms.

“HUNK!?” Lance screamed, fingers squeezing the coms so tight they burned.

There was a stomach churning second of no response. Lance’s mind whizzed through worst case scenarios. What if the Poleaxe had breached Yellow’s hull? What if it had hit Hunk? What if Hunk was dead. Then came a withered, “I’m okay.”

“Oh thank the stars.” Lance breathed, collapsing in on himself. The sudden flood of fear had him panting, and an ache began forming in his head.

“But I-”

Hunk’s words were cut off when a poleaxe to the gut sent Voltron flying into the air. Red flipped head over tail and Lance’s blood rushed to his head, ears ringing as the warrior swept a three-sixty around his window. Red’s alarms flashed all around him, panicked voices a blur. Then they slammed the ground hard and Lance tasted copper, teeth slashing his tongue.

“Shit.” Was the first word Lance could process, Keith letting out numerous curses.

“I can’t- guys? Can you hear me? Hello? Guys”

Lance reached lamely for the dash. “Pidge. I hear ya.”

“Oh thank goodness.”

“Guys.” Hunks voice was shaky. “I don’t…”

Then there was a thud on his line. Lance’s heart leapt into his throat.

“HUNK! SPEAK TO ME BUDDY!”

No response.

“HUNK!? ARE YOU OKAY?!”

Lance was nearly falling out his chair, clicking any buttons he could trying to get an answer.

“He’s alive.” Pidge shouted, already manoeuvring Voltron so its weight shifted onto her and Blue. “His vitals are fine! But we can’t fight much longer!”

“Pidge’s right.” Keith ground out. Lance could hear his breath heaving. “We need to defeat this thing now.”

Below, the former paladins were forming a circle around the beast, but every weapon thrown was a measly twig brushed away. The warrior was readying the final blow, knees bent, poleaxe drawn, shoulders directed their way.

“Yes now!” Lance agreed, shifting Red to realign the blade. “Pidge, maybe get that shield ready.”

“On it.” There was a familiar fuzz of energy fizzling through the connection as Pidge pulled forward, partially covering Lance’s vision

“Allura?” Keith called, “you seeing this?”

“Seeing what?” Lance asked, bobbing up and down in his seat. The fighter was retreating but not in a good way, stalking backwards like a lioness.

“Yes!” Allura cried, “Blue has a plan!”

There was the shuck of a bayard slotting into place, a slight tingle of change on the horizon, but nothing happened.

“Oh dear…”

Keith clicked his teeth. “We need yellow too.”

“Hunk?” Allura called, “are you awake?”

Radio silence.

The warrior stopped.

“Hunk!” There was desperation in Keith’s voice. “We need you buddy!”

The ground pounded with heavy feet.

“HUNK!”

The warrior gained on them. Pidge pulled the shield closer. Lance squeezed his eyes shut.

“HUUUUNK!

“Guys! Now might be a good time to disperse!”

“Wait!” Allura shouted. Suddenly, the warrior veered. A rope had been swung around its wrist and with every muscle in their tiny bodies, the ground team were holding fast, yanking it off course.

“That’ll buy us some time.” Keith murmured. Lance could already see the five struggling, Melenor’s feet slipping off the ground as the titan rounded on them.

“I have an idea!” Allura cried. “If I can direct my energy along Voltron’s I can combine its power with my own to heal Hunk.”

“Do it!” Lance said immediately

“It may be uncomfortable-“

“Doesn’t matter.” Keith spat. There was a slight bump in Voltron, Black jolting back as the warrior broke free of the rope. “Work quickly.”

“Got it.” Allura’s com beeped out. Then a tingling began crawling along Lance’s back. It forced his heart to beat faster, adrenaline riddling his body. Blue tinged the cockpit, a cold shivered through it, then;

“…guys?”

Lance’s eye’s flew open. “Hunk!”

The warrior’s foot slammed the floor in front of them.

“Your bayard!” Keith shouted.

The poleaxe rose high into the air. Lance held his breath. Would Hunk act in time? Would the plan even work? Then, like a shot of electricity, something shifted, and Voltron shot forward like a spring. The warrior was hurled across the room, poleaxe clattering to the ground. Voltron tackled, trapping the shadow and before Lance could think, he plunged the sword into its chest.

There was a twitch, the warrior stiffening like a corpse, then, slowly, its limbs lowered to the floor. Lance panted, staring down at the shadows wisping around the wound.

“We did it!” Pidge cheered. Allura clapped over the com. Keith gave a proud, “nice work Voltron.”

But Lance found himself talking over all of them “Hunk!?”

There was a ragged breath. Lance dared not move. Then, Hunk’s voice filled the cockpit.

“I may have been less okay than I first thought.”

Lance flooded with relief. “You had us for a second there.”

Voltron popped apart and he turned Red in a loop, landing beside his best friend and near immediately jumping out. Lance hauled himself up onto Yellow’s head, knocking on the metal hatch when he heard Allura’s breath hitch. Pausing, he followed the noise, watching the shadows disappearing like smoke in the breeze. Then he saw what was being left behind and his blood turned ice. Beneath the blackness, was a man. One of a lithe figure, lilac skin and flowing blond hair.

“Lotor.”

Allura’s voice was as thin as glass. Lance’s was venomous.

Chapter Text

Allura tensed. Only moments ago, Voltron was locked in a fierce battle with the man lying limply at her very feet. Now, shadows curled about his body, floating away like wisps of smoke off a drowned fire. And yet, Allura’s fists clenched. Her bayard warmed in her palm and she had to make a conscious effort against its formation. The last time she had laid eyes on Lotor, the man was crying for her murder. Fighting for her life, she was racing through an abyss that poisoned their minds in a chase she no longer understood. That man was not the Lotor she had known. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to meet another.

On the floor, Lotor stirred and Allura automatically squared her shoulders, catching the tail of her whip in her left hand.

“Disarm.” She commanded.

Lotor barely moved. He blinked weakly at her through milky eyes and his lips parted, acting less like he couldn’t hear her and more like he couldn’t comprehend. She pulled her whip taut.

“Dis-arm.” She repeated. A further moment passed. Then, a minute gleam of understanding washed through Lotor’s eyes and he moved his hands vaguely upwards, indicating his lack of weaponry.

Allura noticed now, how loosely Lotor’s armour hung about his shoulders, as if he’d bought a suit three sizes too big. And his cheeks were hollow, lips cracked around pallid skin. Like a man who’d been trapped underground for many years with neither food nor water. This image didn’t match any she possessed of Lotor either. She squeezed the rope.

“Friend or foe?” She called. Lotor’s expression faltered. His eyes shone briefly before he cast them down, whole body drooping like a dying Juniberry flower. The way his brows dipped. It reminded her of another memory. One that wasn’t her own.

“I don’t know.” Lotor murmured, a note of finality in his sigh. He began moving, lethargically, like it physically pained him to do so, twisting on the floor. Allura shifted her weight into her heels but did not run. Not yet. She watched closely as Lotor turned, crawling onto one knee and placing an arm on top of it like an old Altean statue of a server meeting their God. Then he leaned into a deep bow.

“Allura.” Lotor said, voice a croak. “I-”

“Stop.” Allura commanded, lifting her chin and slapping the whip against the floor. “I will be offering no forgiveness.”

Lotor didn’t move. The smack of the whip echoed hollowly through the cavern. A hush settled. Then,

“There is none to give.”

Lotor didn’t meet her eye when he spoke. His lashes fell low, face pointed to the glass, body completely still. He stuck stubbornly to his stance but Allura forgave hers a little. She didn’t move exactly, just let her muscles relax a fraction. Observed the way Lotor’s lips sank towards the floor.

“I-”

And now Lotor’s voice truly broke.

“I was naïve -stupid even. Deluded to think I, a wretched weakling, could save a society I’d never even known. Those Alteans…”

His eyes drew upwards but he didn’t seem to be seeing the room anymore.

“They deserved better. I-” He paused, eye’s coming to focus on Allura’s and this time Allura witnessed a shattering in those haunted eyes. “I watched Haggar. Everyday. Stuck inside her memories, watching as she murdered anyone without use. I saw what she did, how she tortured those Alteans, made them her servants, and I- I thought I was different. I thought I could do good. I thought I could change things. But I-”

Tears pooled in Lotor’s eyes but he made no attempt to wipe them.  

“I’m just like them.”

The words echoed in Allura’s head as Lotor finally collapsed onto the floor. He buried his head in his hands, scraped at his hair as a sob ripped out his throat. It was loud. Wrong. Allura wanted it to stop.  She didn’t know how to make it stop. Vaguely aware of the glow of her bayard in her hand, she edged backwards. Stop, she silently willed, stop. Her mind was being juggled, memories old and new flashing in and out. Lotor chasing her, Lotor kissing her, Lotor crying out, Lotor sobbing. It was too much. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t. This wasn’t something she could fix…

Then, a weight fell on her shoulder and she jumped. The hand… it belonged to Lance. And despite the heavy lean, Allura found herself able to breathe. She noticed Hunk propped up over Lance’s shoulder, sweating profusely but conscious and slowly the light in her bayard died. Lance heaved the boy up again, expression grim. His gaze was focussed on Lotor, but his words weren’t as he whispered,  “you don’t owe him.”

Allura blinked. Owe him? She hadn’t considered… but perhaps? Allura pondered the words, let the meaning wash over her. She saw Keith approach, wordlessly sliding under Hunk’s free arm and sharing the weight as the two carried him off. Lance’s hand left, but the warmth didn’t. It poured through her body and loosened the knots wrapping her ribs. Allura was able to draw in another breath.

She didn’t owe Lotor. She didn’t need to fix the unfixable. But she wanted to do something. Pay a kindness to someone never afforded the luxury, and yet, so desired to share.

“Lotor.”

The man looked up, eyes wide and red. A part of Allura longed to wipe them, hold Lotor close like none of this ever happened, but another flashed with resent. Of heartbreak and panic. She did not approach, instead took a deep breath and remembered, the universe was not painted in only black and white.

“You are not your parents.” Allura said calmly, “Zarkon brewed an era of destruction that Haggar is drinking dry. You tried to stop it. And, although what happened is unforgiveable, I know, you intended to do good.”

Lotor’s eyes shone. His lips trembled but he swallowed visibly, attempting to hide whatever emotion was welling inside. It made Allura’s chest ache,

“In another life,” She said, feeling her own eyes prickle. “Maybe you could have.”

Lotor stared rosy a moment more. Then, to Allura’s surprise, he let out the faintest huff of a laugh. He fell back onto his heels, and closed his eyes, rubbed his forehead with a hand. 

“Thank you.” He whispered, looking up with dewy eyes and the gentlest smile sank into his features. “Thank you.”

Allura decided, she liked this Lotor.

Chapter Text

Lance had been watching Allura’s conversation with Lotor out the corner of his eye as he sat beside Hunk on the foot of the yellow lion. Hunk was awake – thankfully – but strained. His eyes were screwed shut and his body leaned heavily into Yellow who was purring so loudly Lance could hear.  He couldn’t exactly complain. The gesture made Hunk feel safe, and well, Lance too. Something about the deep hum releasing the tension in his muscles. It was surprising either could relax really, with the way Keith was glaring at them from the left. He had finally let go of Hunk, but sat practically on top of the boy, stare intensifying whenever Hunk so much as moved a finger. Lance would tease him if he weren’t so preoccupied with their ex-enemy-turned-ally-turned-enemy lying on the floor only metres away.

Allura said something. Lance wasn’t sure what but it made Lotor make a strange noise that had Lance squeezing his fists. Then she turned and Lance quickly spun around. Keith flinched back.

“Don’t move like that.” He hissed, immediately pouring his gaze over Hunk. Lance mumbled a sorry glancing back at Hunk. The boy was entirely unaware. If anything, he looked more comfortable, arm falling into the space Lance’s back had occupied. Keith was being such a nervous ninny. Lance smirked.

“Aw does our resident loner have feelings now?”

Keith’s glare returned to its rightful owner: Lance.

“With Shiro on the Atlas, I’m our leader. I need to keep my team safe.”

“Your team? I think you’ll find-“

“Guys?” Hunk cut in with a voice crackling with weakness. Both the boys found themselves leaning in.

“Yeah?”

“You okay bud?”

“Could you go over there. You’re fighting’s kind of annoying.”

Lance spluttered. “Wha-! It’s Keith’s fault!”

“How is it my fault!?”

“Oh, you know how it’s your fault.”

Hunk groaned, dropping his head against the metal. “Where’s Pidge?”

Good point. Lance pursed his lips and surveyed the hub. Alfor was squinting at the ceiling, stroking his beard whilst Melenor sat on Blaytz’ shoulders, poking at the ceiling with her pole and scattering the translucent fragments. Pidge stood below, scanning each as they fell, both Gyrgan and Trigel peering over her shoulders with wondrous eyes. Lance surmised, “busy.”

Hunk groaned even harder. Lance was mindful to take offence.

“Hunk!”

Lance jolted when Allura landed at their feet. She bowed close, hair falling like a curtain between them. She addressed Hunk’s condition. “How are you feeling?”

Hunk smiled weakly up at her. “Been better.”

Lance felt a stab of guilt. Why couldn’t he have killed the thing first time around? Or at least ducked out of the way when it struck back. It was his fault. His swing was the one that threw them off balance. Lance’s incompetence got his friend hurt. How could he look him in the eye?

“You got any more of that healing juice?” Hunk said, though it felt like a room away. So was Allura’s responding hum. Light sprung out her palms and she crouched down, pressing her hands to Hunk’s stomach. The action could have been performed by two strangers walking past for all Lance knew. The conversation ended and the void felt even more empty than before.

Lance watched Pidge scanning fragments across the room. Her, Trigel and Gyrgan made a good team. They were all scientists, fascinated with paper-thin pieces of ceiling. To Lance, they were ash - the way they rolled away like remnants of paper from a fire. It reminded him of summers back home. Cold noses around campfires. Burnt marshmallows sticking to lips. Stupid ghost stories Veronica told him that still made him shudder to this day. Could he even go back to those days?

The fragments continued to fall and Lance continued to watch. Pidge kicked a few to the side, gathering up a pyramid. She crouched in front of it, held up her arm and shot a bright green beam at it. Trigel made an excited noise. Gyrgan slapped her on the back. Pidge stood back up and the three huddled about the result, the pile abandoned. Lance looked back at it. The way the pieces stacked, it kind of looked like a bunch of tiny prisms all gathered up to make one big one. A hundred tiny rainbows trapped. They seemed to move, which was weird since no one else was. Then Lance felt something in his toes. The slightest vibration.

“Do you feel that?”

“Hmm?” Allura’s light dimmed. Keith cocked his head behind. The vibrations increased.

“An earthquake?”

The movement didn’t peter out though, it grew more intense, strong enough for Lance to feel it resonating through his chest. It was a little too familiar to be comfortable.

“Guys?” Pidge called. “What is that?”

The three stood up now, muscles pulled tight. No one had an answer. And the vibrations were shaking in Lance’s skull.

“The shadows…”

That voice. Lance spun around. Lotor was staring at him, eyes piercing as he dragged himself onto his feet. “You have to get out of here.”

“What, why?”

But Lance got his answer from elsewhere. With a humungous crash, the shadows burst through the wall.

“GET TO THE LIONS!” Lotor roared, and with a swish, drew his sword. His face was set with rage, right on the swirling black mass.

“HE’S RIGHT.” Keith yelled from somewhere behind, wind whooshing like a gale. Lance stumbled back throwing his arm over his eyes. Somewhere to his left he could hear running.

“But what about Hunk?!” Allura called.

Someone cursed. Lance turned around to see Hunk sprawled on Yellow’s paw in no condition to fly.

“You don’t need them.”

Alfor manifested next to Lance, grabbing him by the arm before he could fall with the surprise.

“Join hands.” He commanded, the shadows looming. “We’ll take the Lions. Buy you some time.”

“But what about you guys!?”

“We have Voltron.”

Lance wanted to argue. Not only were they not prepared for movement without the lions, they hadn’t even discovered Haggar’s whereabouts or even her plan. They needed more time. To learn. To train. To bond. But a stray shadow swooping close overhead, forced Lance to reconsider as he ducked into a crouch. The rest of the paladins were gathering, wind whipping through long hair as shining knuckles clung to weaponry. The old crew were circling, throwing out attacks with knives and poles and whatever else they had, nearing their respective lions.  

“But what about Black?” Lance asked, searching for a weak point in the mass as the attacks made little more than a dent.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Alfor sent him a wink. Then he was taking off towards Red, Melenor swinging in behind. Somewhere behind him Blue was taking off, Green already firing off vine attacks. Lotor’s sword clashed and Lance glimpsed a flash of light as it clattered to the ground. He caught Lotor’s eye.

“GO!” The man yelled, ripping out a smaller dagger from his chest and slicing at the shadows. “WE’LL HOLD THEM BACK.”

Shadows bit at Lotor’s feet but his face burned with determination. Despite the odds stacked against him, Lotor threw himself into battle, shouting as Shadows smacked into his chest. He fought doggedly, kicking at any Shadows that got too close, sweat flicking off his forehead as his dagger ripped through the fog. Lance couldn’t stop staring. Lotor was fighting for them. On their side. Despite everything. But it looked like he might die as another shadow slammed into her shoulder and a screech tore from his throat. Lance too a step forward. An arm yanked him back.

“Come on.” Keith growled into his ear, practically throwing him next to Hunk. “We need you.”

“We have to concentrate our energy.” Allura explained taking his hand and gesturing for the rest to do the same. Lance quickly followed, though his mind was stuck on Lotor. That expression. It was fire and rage, dangerous and determined. It burned with familiarity. Lance had to help.

“Sorry-” He began but a huge shadow encompassed them. One moment Lotor was fighting for his life, the next his eyes were wide, stuck on the huge Lion tearing down on him. With a gut-wrenching roar, Black scattered the shadows, bracketing Lotor with her huge metal legs. Lotor’s mouth fell open. There was a moment of complete silence, an unheard conversation. Then Lotor bowed his head, eyes slipping shut and Black grabbed him in her jaw, flying upwards once more.

“You were saying?” Pidge prodded. Lance shook his head, returning to the floor. Keith grabbed his hand.

“Our bond is one that exists within both our bodies and our souls.” Allura continued against the deafening winds. “We have to align them. And follow.”

“Isn’t there a reason we did this in the Lions?” Pidge yelled, ducking forward as a group of shadows rushed down followed by a flash of Red chasing after. Lance’s heart pounded in his ears. They had to get out soon.

“Yes.” Allura said, uncertainly. “They act like at magnifier.”

“Then shouldn’t we get in them!?” Lance yelped.

“We can’t. If we’re too busy fighting we won’t be able to leave.”

Gun fire erupted in the air above them, Lance looking up to see flashes turn fog into figures, particles fizzling into the air.

“CONCENTRATE.”

Keith dug his nails into Lance’s hand. Above, a huge light burst out like an explosion in slow motion. Voltron from the outside. Lance was desperate to watch, but Allura was right. This was their best shot, they had to concentrate.

“Close your eyes.” Allura said. “Focus on your quintessence. On the energy we share. Think of our bond. Of Voltron.”

Above Voltron clanked into life. Lance thought of the bone melting experience. Of his mind widening.

“Of protecting your friends.”

Lance held their hands a little tighter.

“Your family.”

Veronica. His mother. The little campsite just outside the farm.

“Your universe.”

Earth. Blue skies. Clean air. Stars. A million other galaxies to explore.

“We have to go back.”

We have to go back.

Lance repeated it like a mantra, screwing his eyes tight, ignoring the wind whipping his hair. He thought of Hunk, of his injury. Of Allura healing him. Keith’s worried face. Pidge’s feet pelting across the room. They were together. Always. They had to stay together. To go back together. Lance had to go back.

There was a vibration in his bones again. But this time, it came from deep within. Like his heart was beating out like an amp. Lance squeezed tight, focussed on the energy. He let the heat overflow him, felt it cover his body and swell out over his hands. He pushed the flow through his fingers, out into the ring and the light swirled through them, blinding his closed eyes. Lance’s stomach twisted. His mind screamed. The pulse beat came to a crescendo. And then, it all stopped.

Lance blinked open his eyes. The air was still. The light gentle. He felt the smooth purr of Red’s engine through his feet.

“We made it!” Allura cried through the coms. Lance fell back into his seat, with a huff. His muscles ached like a marathon runner and his skin was sticky with sweat, but still, a tired laugh fell from his lips. They’d made it. With only the bond they shared.

“Nice work team.” Keith called. A chorus a happy cheers replied from the dashboard. Lance smiled, a rush of happiness radiating through his chest as Red somersaulted in delight.

“Let’s head home.” Lance called, batting weakly at the autopilot. Keith laughed. The sound was light and warm like a hearth.

“Yeah,” he agreed in a gentle murmur. “Let’s head home.”

Home, Lance thought. That sounded nice.

Chapter Text

“All I’m saying is that there has to be something we’re missing.”

Keith nodded seriously as Pidge fiddled with the settings on her laptop again, changing the frequency of whatever waves she had detected in Haggar’s mind space. He had no idea what he was looking at, but agreed with the sentiment. Surely, their mission wouldn’t be for nothing?

“Have you looked at the Fraunhofer lines?”

Pidge’s fingers stopped moving. Creaking like the door of an old haunted house, she turned her face towards him.

“These are the fraunhofer lines.”

“Oh...”

Silence. Pidge continued her unimpressed stare, mocking without the smile, and despite her tiny stature Keith knew he was being looked down on.0

The paladins had been called to meet in the second lounge on the Atlas at precisely 19:00 (apparently the first had already been booked) but so far, he and Pidge were the only arrivals. Unusually, they were told to arrive in pyjamas. Keith had not honoured that request. He had, however, honoured the time. Something that could not be said for the rest of his teammates as he noticed the clock read 19:03.

Pidge sighed. Slapping the laptop shut she kicked her feet onto the coffee table.

“I don’t get it.”

Keith watched the girl puff out her cheeks, glaring at her beloved. She didn’t often close it. Was this an acceptance of defeat? This sight didn’t sit well with Keith. 

“Maybe…” He said, thinking as he went, “maybe the shadows aren’t made of anything - maybe they’re exactly that: shadows.”

Pidge’s mouth opened. Her glare gone, she fixed Keith with a strange look.

“What?” He asked, squaring his shoulders.

“Nothing.” The girl answered, slumping back into the sofa. “I just spend so much time teasing Lance I forget there’s two of you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly.”

Keith didn’t follow and he didn’t like it. But before he could say anything stupid, Shiro popped his head around the door.

“Oh good, I’m not late.”

“Nope!” Pidge sang, popping the ‘p’. “Just me and flowerhead.”

“Flower head?”

Shiro gave Keith a curious look. Keith gave it back to Pidge. The girl grinned. It had a bit too much devils edge for his liking. “Dirt for brains.”

“Oh, you’re here!”

Moments after Shiro had found a seat and Keith became slain, Allura appeared at the door. Dressed in a long night gown and robe, she looked ready for a palace ball more than a late night meeting. Keith knew it was nightwear for a princess, but rather enjoyed the way it outshone Shiro’s black paladin pyjamas when she settled onto the loveseat beside him. Keith proudly kicked his still booted foot over his knee and smirked. Didn’t look so out of place now, did he?  

Next into the room, came Lance. He took one look at Keith and tutted.

“Nice pyjamas.”

“Thanks.”

Lance shook his head. Keith expected him to throw himself into the sofa next too Pidge – Keith himself having taken the only single chair – but instead Lance stuck his head back into the corridor and yelled, “you coming or what?”

There was a groan from outside. Shuffling followed, spotted with a few bumps and a soft ‘ow’, until finally, a meandering Hunk wandered in, rubbing his eyes.

“Y’know I liked the pyjama idea at first, but now…” He failed to stifle a yawn. “I think I might fall asleep.”

“Not yet, buddy.” Lance said, slapping his back. Shiro stepped up to aid his crossing of the room, lowering Hunk carefully to sit next to Pidge where Lance flopped down heavily afterwards.

“How’re you feeling?”

“Tired.” Hunk said with another yawn. “Allura fixed me up, but I still ache.”

“It should wear off by tomorrow.” Allura assured, rearranging her robe as Shiro settled back next to her.

“Glad to hear it.”

Hunk smiled sleepily, “so what’s this about?”

Shiro shrugged. “Coran’s the one who organised it, I’m just the messenger.”

Keith frowned. The things Coran organised… they were always so full of… chaos. Or upchuck if an introduction to Altean cuisine was involved. Allura was always the sole survivor of those nights. The rest? Well they would get real cosy with the edge of the toilet bowl before morning.

“PALADINS!”

Keith jumped. Coran had burst into the room, armed with pillow shields and blanket cape.

“IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT YOU’VE ALL BEEN-“

He whipped his head around, glaring at them each in turn with a sparkle in his eyes.

“-working incredibly hard.”

He smiled.

“Tonight, lets take a break.”

Keith blinked. Coran’s appearance was like a bright light at midnight. It was hard to adjust. One moment, they were having a casual conversation, the next, the lights were out and a pillow was hitting him in the face.

“Oh nice shot Coran!” Lance whooped. Keith glared, picking up the pillow and throwing it at the boy. To his great aggrievance, Lance caught it in one hand. “Thanks man!”

“Now simmer down,” Coran chided, “you two are like a pair of Wolverian night hounds - can’t resist a bite. However, we must treat tonight as they do the Blood Moon Solstice, and put aside petty squabbles in order to feed on the rare Fouling Moth – they say it’s the only creature who’s faeces-“

“Let’s not finish that one.” Allura interrupted.

“Oh?” Coran looked perplexed. “Hmm, I guess humans can be rather sensitive on subjects such as, ahem. Right. Well I have another surprise.”

With that, Coran disappeared once again. A moment later, he reappeared, a tray strapped to his front like an old-fashioned usher.

“I heard from Veronica that this is an Earthen tradition.”

From the tray, Coran produced several little paper cups, passing them around the room like a student with school trip letters. Only this was Coran, so the cups were not an excitement filled promise of fun, but rather a taste of bile in the mouth and a shudder at the memory of the last use of such cups - the fateful night of the introduction to Altean cuisine. Keith’s hand shook as he gingerly accepted his.

Peaking inside, the bag appeared to be filled with tiny white heads. Taking a whiff Keith was pleasantly surprised - more sweet than decapitated corpse… like sugar. Still, he proceeded with caution, shaking the bag. Out the corner of his eye he saw Lance dive in and blanched as the boy threw a head into the air. Powerless, Keith could only watch as the boy caught it in his mouth like a dolphin, chewing down with vigour. Keith held his breath. Lance’s brows furrowed. His throat contracted. Then, his eyes lit up.

“Popcorn!” Lance cried. Coran affirmed and before the pull on his lapels was complete, Lance was throwing himself at the man, showering him in ridiculous compliments as he squeezed the life out him.

“It’s a small gesture really…” Coran said, through blushing skin, “my gratitude to all you do.”

“It’s a lovely gesture.” Shiro assured. The rest of the paladins nodded, sharing in the sentiment.

Noting Lance’s lack of death or any other adverse reaction, Keith looked down into his own packet once more. He recognised the snack now, although it resembled cauliflower more than corn. Digging around, he took the smallest piece he could find and took a bite. Indeed, it was popcorn, flavoured with a powdery sugar and complete with kernels to choke on. Impressive.

“Where did you get this?” Pidge asked as she wolfed down a handful.

“Ah, that would be Veronica. She brought some for, and I quote, a human style movie night for when Lance inevitably misses his mum in space.”

“What!?” Lance spluttered. “I don’t miss my mum!”

Six pitiful looks.

“Are we having a movie night?” Shiro asked, ignoring the barefaced lie.

Coran grinned.

“Why yes number one! Now, I don’t have any Earth movies but I did find an Altean classic: The Worm and the Priest.”

“Oh I love that one!” Allura cried, clapping her hands.

“Wonderful! Now, if everyone would take a blanket, there we go, and I’ll just…”

Climbing over the sofas, Coran stepped on a few toes and thighs to clamber his way up to the far wall. Fiddling with one of the panels, the room buzzed before there was a noise like a scratched record and a huge light burst out the wall.

“Perfect!” Coran announced as Keith shielded his eyes. “Just got to add the subtitles…”

Squinting between his fingers, Keith watched the view of a peaceful ocean come into focus. Blue characters flashed onto the bottom of the wall, flipping between languages until English appeared.

“Done!”

The screen blacked. A moment later a symbol dissolved out the darkness, something akin to a camera but pentagonal. Then the scene of the ocean reappeared. The beginning, Keith assumed. Kicking his feet over the armrest, he settled back to watch.

“Thanks Coran.” Shiro whispered, “This is really… really thoughtful.”

Coran smiled back, turning down the lights.

“No problem, paladins.”

~*~

The film was… really rather difficult to follow. Keith tried. But some of the subtitles didn’t even appear to match up. And the worm. It was hard to watch with both eyes. Allura kept swooning, but Keith was struggling to understand why a priest would even be out bonding with giant worms. Surely he should be fighting them? Or at the very least stabbing. The film was very lacklustre in the action department. Still, he was invested. And when someone whispered a “s’cuse me”, Keith shushed on instinct.

There was a tut.

“Pidge.”

It was Lance.

“Come on. Move ‘em or lose ‘em.”

Pidge made the noise of a dying dinosaur, feet thudding onto the ground.

“Thanks.” Lance hissed. Keith looked over. Lance had his arms crossed and marched out the room, although silently as his slippers were cotton clouds. Keith looked back at the screen.

Lance seemed kinda mad. Had actually been mad, if Keith recalled their recent fight right. It was fair, Keith hadn’t exactly been present as of late. More like actively avoidant. He glanced to the door. Back to the screen. It wasn’t like he knew what was going on. How much more could the priest tell the worm? He wouldn’t be missing out. But then, he was invested. But then again…

Keith found Lance in the kitchen. The boy was leaning against the cabinets, staring at the fridge.

“You hungry?” Keith asked, wrapping his knuckles against the fridge. And then, for some universally determined reason he could not fathom, he just stayed there. In his awkward lean. Standing.

“Oh,” Lance blinked as if resuming life out a daze. “uhh… yes?”

Lance looked confused. Keith was confused. Then Lance shook his head as if suddenly waking up.

“Food! Yes. Pidge ate all my popcorn! What a quiznak!?”

“Uh-”

Lance dived for the fridge, knocking Keith off his toes.

“What do we have, what do we have… ooh some lemon bars!”

Keith, now the dazed one, wobbled over to the opposing cabinets.

“Yeah. Me and Hunk made them yesterday. About that-”

Lance made an exaggerated gasp, throwing the fridge shut. “Have we got another chef in our midst?”

“Um-“

“Hid that little talent pretty well, eh samurai!?”

Keith stumbled as Lance elbowed his middle, trying to find the words.

“No. I just- I’ve been-“

“Hey! We should do a bake off!”

“I guess but-”

“Yes! Coran can judge!”

“O-kay? Now-”

“Actually no. I’ll judge.”

“Sure-”

“Or maybe Shiro?”

“Lance-”

“I mean as long as I get to eat, I don’t mind!”

“Can I-“

“But then I couldn’t-”

“LANCE WOULD YOU SHUT UP!”

Lance’s mouth clamped shut. He stared, stunned at the outburst and Keith let out a growl pulling at his hair.

“Sorry. I just, would you let me talk?”

Lance wrinkled his lip, folding his arms. “What do you want to say?”

Keith sighed. “Thank you.”

Resting up against the counter, Keith tucked his burning face behind his fringe and began.

“I’ve been… it’s like…argh. Okay.”

He looked up determined to spell it out.

“Lance. I’ve been avoiding you. I wasn’t there when you needed me and I don’t like that. So. There. I’m sorry. All the baking, it’s been an excuse, because, I- I found it hard to be around you. With Allura. Because I – I- I, uh, I’m in-“

“It’s okay.”

“Wait, I haven’t finished.”

“You don’t have to.” Lance stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder that felt like an electric shock. “I mean, you look pretty constipated right now. I don’t want you to, you know, explode.”

“But I-”

“Stop.” Lance fell back, lowering his eyes. “I know I can be a bit much.”

“No, Lance. You don’t get it-”

“No. I do. I need to stop. It’s okay.”

Keith pushed off the cabinets, trying to follow his thread but Lance was quickly cutting it off. “It’s not-”

“Keith.” The string snaps. “Thank you for apologising, but I’m alright. I just had a bit of a moment earlier. A big moment. A messy moment. To be honest, I should be apologising to you.”

Keith opened his mouth to counter, but Lance continued too quickly.

“Which I will. I’m sorry for yelling at you, my breakup is not your problem. It’s just- with everything going on. It was hard to keep the lid on.”

Lance collapsed into the work top, biting his thumb nail. He was quiet, brows furrowed and twitching as if they were arguing with one another on where to sit. It was uncomfortable to see Lance like this. Unrelaxed. Keith was tempted to think it was completely new, but that wasn’t entirely true. Keith had seen Lance like this once before. When he was counting lions.

“I mean, break ups are hard, right?” It was a fact, but not one Keith was exactly familiar with, turning it into a question that sounded more like a flex than sympathy. Keith winced. “I mean, they’re a bad thing. It’s okay to hurt, y’know?”

Lance dropped his gaze.

“If I’m being honest, I don’t think Allura breaking up with me was a bad thing.” He twisted his fingers together, toeing at the tiles and Keith found himself unable to speak. “I was angry at first. Upset. And yeah, I yelled at you instead of dealing with it – and I’m sorry. No excuses. The thing is… I’m not… I don’t think I was… I’m not...”

“Happy?”

Lance looked up as if he’d forgotten he was talking to someone. Then he sighed and his shoulders fell and he looked so loose, Keith wanted to push him back together again. Instead, he squeezed the edge of the counter and held his tongue before something stupid came out.

“No. I don’t think I’ve been happy for a while. Not properly. I thought I could force it. Make everything perfect with Allura. We’d be in our own happy bubble like in the movies - I’d love her, she’d love me. I’d take down Haggar, she’d bring back Altea. I’d be strong, she’d believe in me. We’d be two happy peas in one happy pod.”

“But you weren’t?”

Lance bit his lip.

“It’s not her fault.” He said, eyes moving back to the floor. “I was like this before.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just-”

Lance’s hands were shaking. Keith took a minute step forward.

“Alfor said something earlier.” His voice cracked on the words. “He said I needed to believe in myself more. And he’s right. Because I do. I feel weak. Stupid. Insecure. I’m so irritated with myself all the time that it’s exhausting. I want to be happy, but how? How are you supposed to do that? How can you believe in yourself when everything you do is a disaster?  I- I hate myself. And I hate that I hate myself. I’m so fed up of all these thoughts pulling me in every direction and I can’t. I can’t stand it. How? How am I supposed to get out of this? Seriously Keith, how?”

Keith almost stumbled back with the intensity in Lance’s eyes. He wasn’t asking for an answer. He needed an answer. And Keith had to give it. Not because of the begging, or because he was the only one, but because Lance was near crying and Keith hated it. Hated that Lance was unhappy. Hated that he couldn’t cut open his brain and sort out the good thoughts from the bad so he could lob the worst out the escape hatch and into a sun.

But Keith was no expert. At best, he was a sub-par leader, and worst, a barely qualified friend. But… how was he supposed to get better if he didn’t try?

“Well…” Keith started, hoping the words would form when he moved his tongue. “It’s like… training.”

That sounded like something Shiro would say. And the more Keith thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Sliding into the gap next to Lance, he bumped his shoulder into the other’s.

“You didn’t become a master sharpshooter overnight.”

Lance huffed, shuffling away, but Keith simply moved into the gap.

“But you did do it.”

Lance stiffened. He didn’t return Keith’s gaze but he was sure he was listening. “You’re a likeable guy. And incredibly argumentative-”

“Hey!”

“So, argue with yourself.”

Keith grinned, Lance having finally given him his full attention.

“Every time you get a bad thought tell it it’s wrong. Every time someone compliments you, keep it. Repeat it. You don’t even have to love yourself, but look at the facts: you’re a paladin of Voltron. You put your life on the line to save the universe everyday. And whatever’s been going on in your head that past few months, you still tried to keep us all happy, didn’t you?”

Lance shrugged, hiding his face. Keith knocked their knuckles together, leaning in to speak quietly. “You’re a good guy Lance. You don’t have to be so hard on yourself.”

Lance squashed his lips, stubbornly looking at the floor. Keith frowned. Maybe this wasn’t working? Maybe a few choice words wasn’t enough? Keith wasn’t naïve enough to think he could fix Lance’s head, but surely there was something he could say? A guide to help him pick up the tools? Maybe he was mistaken… Keith moved a fraction away.

“I’m not good at this comfort stuff.” He said after a moment. “I don’t want to make things worse. But Lance, you’re probably… you’re my closest friend.”

Lance looked up and Keith cursed him for it, hiding behind his hair.

“I know you hated me when we first me. But I liked our competitions. It was like… you actually interacted with me. Hunk always seemed scared, and Pidge… well yeah. It doesn’t matter. You probably don’t notice but getting along with people – it’s a skill. And the only reason you think it’s not is because you have it. So, yeah… I’m bad at this. But you’re not, so… just because you don’t value your skills, that doesn’t mean they’re not valuable.”

Lance remained quiet a moment. Keith could hear his pulse in his ears. And just when he was sure his palms were beginning to drip with sweat, Keith felt a small tap on his knuckles. A return gesture. Lance’s words followed.

“You’re not as bad as you think.”

Keith blinked.

“What?”

“You’re comforting skills.” Lance said quietly. “They’re not as bad as you think.”

Keith held his breath. They were just words. Just hands. But somehow, they made his belly warm.

“You too.” He managed to say. It lingered in the air. “I mean, at the very least, you’re not an evil empress conquering the entire universe just to power a space suit.”

Lance huffed a laugh.

“You got me there.”

A more pleasant quiet followed.

“I mean it Lance.” Keith warned gently. “Train.”

Lance didn’t say anything right away. The lack of noise had Keith worried he’d taken the metaphor too far - stepped on a nerve – but then, in the easiest of movements, Lance dropped his head onto his shoulder. And, for some universally determined reason Keith could not fathom, he just stayed there.

Chapter Text

It had started feeling like a regular paladin meeting. Coran and Shiro had arrived first, set up places and materials. Keith second. Allura third. Lance was a surprise, slipping in soon after she had, and sliding into the seat next to Keith. He flipped through the notes, drumming his fingers on the table, and humming along to some tune Shiro was whistling. Keith decided not to comment on his promptness. It was all quite pleasant. Easy even. Then the last two burst in. 

“Guys I figured it out!” 

Pidge threw her laptop onto the table, scrambling onto one of the stools as fast as her tiny legs would take her.

“You mean we figured out,” Hunk cut in. Pidge shook her head.

“No I.”

“But we said.”

“No its not that.”

“But-“

“Is anyone going to explain?” Lance thankfully cut into the quarrel, wearing the confusion Keith very much felt. Sometimes it felt like the team’s brains spoke their own secret language. 

“Okay. “ Pidge said. She had her hands bracketing the laptop to conceal the screen and wiggled her brows in a mischievous way, as if what she’d reveal would blow their minds. “So, I was thinking about the shadow creatures in Haggar’s mind.”

“And I,” Hunk interrupted, finger in the air, “said they were hiding important memories. Like how she killed all her friends?” 

Hunk caught Allura’s eye, “I mean!”

“It’s okay.” Allura assured, though she had recoiled at the lack of tact. Even Keith was a little taken aback, throwing a glance to Lance who pulled an awkward fish-like expression. “Go ahead.”

“Okay, so I agreed BUT-” Pidge smacked the keyboard with dramatic flair. “Lotor.”

Allura flinched at the name. “What about Lotor?”

“He had the most protection.”

“He was her son.” Shiro countered, “it couldn’t have been easy losing him.”

“That’s exactly it! Haggar didn’t kill Lotor!”

The room washed with a hush. 

“That can’t be-”

“Wait…”

“Oh my…”

Counter argument was hanging off Keith’s tongue when he clamped his mouth shut. That was right. Haggar may have recovered his body, but there was no doubt that he had died in the rift due to quintessence overload.  A heavy weight hung over the room. 

“We did...” Allura seemed to shudder, no doubt recalling the haunting image of Lotor spurring through the rift, mind slowly corrupting. “It was us.”

“No.” Shiro cut in firmly. “You did not kill Lotor.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Pidge breezed waving a hand in the air. “We were there. Haggar was not.”

She began typing furiously, missing the way the tension in the room spread like fog. Hunk coughed awkwardly, squeezing Pidge’s shoulder. She didn’t seem to catch the meaning, simply shrugging him off. Hunk looked to Keith. Keith looked to Lance. Lance looked to Allura. She pulled a tight smile. 

“Yes. Pidge is right. Haggar was not present.”

“Exactly.” Pidge smoothed through. “So why was Lotor so well protected?” 

Everyone blinked cluelessly back. Pidge clapped loudly. “His supercharged quintessence!”

Silence. Only Lance was brave enough to break it. He sighed loudly, dropping his head into his hands and scrambling with his hair. 

“Okay I am not following. Why does his quintessence matter?”

Pidge rolled her eyes as if this was first year English. She spun her laptop around. 

“Those ghosts we saw, the old paladins. I took readings of their bodies.” 

The screen showed several graphs Keith couldn’t comprehend. There were bouncing lines like a heartbeat on top of curving, exponential lines and figures that rolled up the screen in an endless scroll. Keith had only read a couple numbers when Pidge smacked the spacebar and the page changed. New graphs appeared, all in different colours, but their overall shape were pretty much the same as the previous.

“These are the readings I took of you guys.”

“Uhh…”

Pidge was taking readings of them? The tension shifted once again and this time, Pidge did notice the strange looks she was getting. She quickly amended. “Subtly! You didn’t feel a thing!”

“I think that’s the problem.” Lance muttered, pulling the laptop in front of him. “Am I blue?”

Pidge scoffed. “Obviously. What am I, an animal?”

Hunk nodded vaguely. Lance brought up his own graph, scanning it curiously. No-body else seemed too keen on moving forward. That was a definite breach of trust, right? Finally, Shiro spoke.

“Right. Let’s just put a pin in the subject of team testing for now. Pidge, what have you found?”

“Well, look!” She cried. “The old paladins had energy readings equal to the average being. It’s like Haggar had simply plucked them off the Earth - or Altea - and plonked them in her mind space. And I guess I don’t know much about mind or memory so hey, that could happen, but then I looked at Lotor’s reading and… it’s like only one thing I’ve seen before.”

Keith felt a nudge on his elbow and only then realised how close they’d all gotten. The entire room was hanging off Pidge’s every word, even Lance was pressing up against Keith’s arm to get in close. 

“What?” He whispered, fists curling shut against the tabletop.

“The rift.”

The room dropped into silence again. Not even Keith’s breaths were audible as he rolled the concept about in his head. The rift. That was a field of pure quintessence. If Lotor’s readings were equal, did that mean his power was too? Was Haggar's?

“So…” Lance ventured , wearing a look of trepidation, “you’re saying Haggar plucked Lotor out the rift and what, just shoved him inside her brain like a doll?”

Pidge huffed.

“I don’t think he’s actually inside her. I think she entered the rift, managed to collect his body and then absorbed the quintessence.”

“That’s the same thing!”

“Okay,” Shiro cut in, hand on the desk between them before someone’s (Lance’s) hand gestures got out of control. “Pidge. What does this mean for us?”

“It means we weren’t dealing with memories or abstract thought back there. We were dealing with energy – actual physical forms!”

“Physical?” Lance echoed, stepping back from the table as an unease pooled in Keith’s stomach. “You don’t think they were real, do you?”

Pidge gave a grim nod.

“Wait,” Hunk said, the first words he’d uttered since their little argument, clearly having been blindsided with these revelations. “So we could potentially see them again? In real life?”

His hand moved unconsciously to his ribs.

“All I know is Haggar’s seen those creatures before.” Pidge said. "And I wouldn't worry if they were just linked to the Paladins of old, but they were linked to Lotor too. It has to mean something..."

A thick silence smothered the room. It had been naïve to think those shadows would be their biggest enemy in a fight for the universe, but still, the idea of fighting creatures that had left their team battered for a second time was unsettling to say the least. Keith shared Pidge’s grim aura. He knew he should say something rousing - a team leader should give them hope - but a heavy weight clung to his chest. He didn’t feel hopeless. In fact, he very much wanted to fight. But he saw dread in his teammates eyes, a rotten dismay carried by the revelation of an even more monumental battle, and he realised he didn't want them to fight. He wanted them to be safe.

It was Allura who finally spoke.

“I don’t think we’ll have to fight those creatures again.” She said firmly. “At least not in the same way. Quintessence takes many forms, and that of memory cannot transform into that of the natural world.”

That was at least comforting.

“But it could manifest some other way?” Hunk asked, twisting his fingers together. Allura bit her lip. She didn’t answer as such, just nodded quietly. And that was enough to cement the growing unease amongst the paladins. 

This time, it was down to Coran to break the silence.

“Well team.” He announced, brightly. “I do have some good news.”

Keith blinked at him, bewildered. How could he possibly have good news at a time like this?

“Team Atlas has located Haggar’s hideout.”

Chapter Text

Purple sky glowed above Lance where he sat in Red’s cockpit, head propped up by one hand. Haggar's lair was supposedly somewhere on this planet but so far it, seemed only to be inhabited by 200 foot tall trees that had the aura of Earthen Pines but the sensibility of old-fashioned steam ships. Where Earth's tallest trees may stretch to the clouds, these ones produced their own - a toxic mist of chlorine gas hissing out the branches periodically. Despite being in his Lion, Lance did not risk removing his helmet.

“Pidge, pull a little left.”

Keith’s request was met with a moment of silence, then a purposeful sigh – purposeful in that Pidge had to physically press the comm’s button to be heard, and all she did was sigh when her Lion came online. Lance checked the radar map. Pidge had not pulled left.

“Pidge.” Keith growled.

“Why?”

“Because our formation is off balance.”

“There’s nobody here!” Pidge argued and it was Lance’s turn to sigh. They had been flying in formation for four hours and as far as he was aware there were no spectators. Still, it irked him that she wouldn't respect Keith. 

“It’s basic, Pidge.” Keith hissed. His voice had taken on a gravelly tone - one of thinly veiled annoyance and Lance was impressed; he was veiling it. Although the veil became thinner as he listed every reason they should stick to his formation.

One: “We’re prepared for battle.”

Two: “We’ll avoid colliding with each other.”

And three: the big one. “Shiro wants us to keep up appearances. Remain a symbol. So. Pull. Left.”

Pidge clicked her tongue. 

“I’ll show you a symbol.”

"Pidge." Lance cut in. "Just do it." 

There was no response but the little green icon budged a fraction across the screen.

“Happy?” She sneered.

“Yes.” Said Keith, as if she hadn’t just threatened him, and Black gave a pleased flick of her tail.

Lance shook his head, fighting the urge to smile. Back in the day, he had assumed tail flicking was a habit of the Red Lion herself, but having moved in, he quickly realised it was more of a red paladin thing. Either Keith had discovered a control Lance wasn't aware of or, more likely, Black had synced with his thoughts so well that she was powerless to resist the urge to reflect them in real life – Keith's happiness inducing a quick involuntary flick of the tail. Both ideas were fine, though Red seemed to believe the latter, wrapping herself about Lance's mind and giving a coo. It was a warm gesture, like hugging a mug of hot chocolate on a rainy day. Lance leaned into it. She was right, Keith could be rather sweet sometimes.

“I see something up ahead.” Allura called, and Lance immediately assumed position, placing his feet firmly on the floor and hands tightly on the controls.

Hunk’s answering hum buzzed over the line. “According to Yellow’s scan so far there’s a tunnel system cut into the ground below and oh, wow! It must span like fifty square miles. This place is crazy!”

A map pinged onto Red’s dashboard and Lance dragged his finger across the screen scanning through it. The tunnels were cut in perfect straight lines and spread across the entire forest floor, many ending in dead ends.

“Look.” As Pidge spoke a green arrow flashed onto Lance’s screen and he followed it to a large square where two sections of tunnel met. A little pictogram of Voltron hovered just below. “The only entrance is up ahead.”

“Only entrance, huh?” Lance thought aloud. “I’m guessing that’s the only exit too.”

Pidge snorted. “Nice observation, genius.”

Why bother opening your mouth?

“That’s right.” Allura said politely. Lance cringed. He knew she was just being nice but, after all they'd been through, the fighting, the tears, the... vulnerability, Lance would rather she took her pity elsewhere. Luckily, she moved on swiftly. “Haggar hasn’t been seen in the area for the past three days but that doesn’t mean we won’t encounter trouble. Only one exit means we could very easily get trapped. We must all remain vigilant.”

Lance felt an unease crawl into his stomach. He didn’t fancy another showdown so soon after their last battle. Red’s warmth nudged his mind and he squeezed the ship’s handles, trying to remain calm.

“We can handle this.”

It was Keith.

“If we meet Haggar, we fight. If we don't, we keep moving. But no matter what, we have each other's backs. We will handle this.”

And the way he spoke struck Lance. The tone was familiar. It wasn’t demanding, but didn’t hide the seriousness of their situation either. No betrayal of fear, but no promise of safety. He imagined a slight inflection put on the words by a smile and it clicked. Shiro. Keith was trying to emulate Shiro. He was missing a certain softness but the resolve was clear. Keith, out of his comfort zone, turned to the one person he trusted most. Despite the realisation that their leader may not have been as confident as first portrayed, Lance’s unease dissolved. He leaned into Red’s warmth and let his eyes slip shut, loosening his hold on the controls. He wasn’t alone in his nerves. And though it was selfish, he couldn’t help feeling good with the thought.

“Hunk,” Keith called, “how’s that scan coming?”

“Eighty percent complete!” Hunk announced proudly. “Well eighty-three actually, thought I’d save you the three percent, get straight to the point, y’know? Eighty-four now!”

Keith’s answer was dry. “Thanks for saving our time.”

“You are most welcome my man! Hey, check it out, eighty-five! Wow, this is going fast!”

Lance squinted at the screen. That didn’t sound like enthusiasm to him. Pressing a finger to his comm, he spoke. “You feeling alright buddy?”

“Yeah, totally! A-Okay as they say!”

There was a pause Lance purposely didn’t disturb.

“Okay… maybe like eighty percent alright… seventy three. Okay I’m nervous!”

Lance shook his head. Why his friend bothered to lie when he was so bad at it was a mystery?

“Spill.”

“Well! We’re floating right on top of the lair of the biggest threat the universe has ever seen, and on top of that we’re going inside it! Just five of us! And this place is huge, there’s like a billion corridors for traps to hide and even if we don’t get trapped, we’ll get lost and that’s basically the same thing on a planet that’s completely uninhabited!”

Hunk’s rant ended with several pants down the line. Lance waited for him to collect himself, then spoke.

“Well, first off, your maths is wrong. There’s three humans, one altean, one Keith and five intergalactic battle-spliced fighter Lions that transform into a big-ass robot here alongside you.”

There was a pause. “I’m my own species now?”

Lance ploughed on.

“Secondly, in about ten minutes your scan will finish and we’ll have a map of the entire thing.”

There was a murmur but Lance hadn’t reached a conclusion.

“You and Yellow are best buds right?”

“Y-yeah...”

“And she’s the Earth Lion, or whatever the Altean equivalent of fancy ground is.”

“Gyr.” Allura supplied.

“The Gyr Lion!” Lance exclaimed. “I knew that, you taught me that. Anyway, ground is Yellow’s fave, like water is Blue’s.”

“Uh huh…” Hunk said carefully.

“Then you’re made for this task! There’ll be ground everywhere you’ll be like a fish in water - flying through this one.”

“You think?” Hunk’s voice wobbled but there was an air of hope to it. “I mean we still don’t know much about the Lion’s or their elemental powers, there’s no guaranteed advantage or appearance…”

“If – “ Lance countered, “and I mean IF! – you need Yellow’s powers, they’ll be there. I promise.”

Then he took a deep breath, and the next words he spoke were just as much for Hunk's benefit as it was for his own. “Don’t sweat it buddy, we’re all here for each other, Yellow included.”

“She is pretty sturdy.” Hunk said and, as if to demonstrate, Yellow ripped a branch off a nearby tree and threw it in the air. It tumbled down into the canopy, exploding twigs in its wake and releasing huge clouds of yellow gas.

“Thanks, Lance.” Hunk said, as it disappeared from view. “I feel a lot better.”

“No problem, bud!”

Lance signed off and a quiet settled over the group. The entrance was only a few kilometres away and he assumed they were all too focused on their surroundings to pay mind to conversation now. He wasn’t expecting a little ping to sound from the desktop.

A message from Keith. Lance clicked it open and cringed.

‘Nice one.’

That was something you said to someone after they made a difficult shot, not when they just comforted a friend. Lance rested his head in his hands, wracking his brain for response when there was another ping.

‘ :) ’

Lance frowned at the message. Or tried to. In the end he slipped into a begrudging smile. Who else would follow up a message completely devoid of compassion with a smiley face? And who else could make it work.

‘Was only doing my duty as a friend, don’t need praise.’ He wrote back.

Keith’s delay in response implied sonnets were incoming. Instead it was just two words.

‘Get training.’

And a second later, a mildly irritating, ‘ :) '

Chapter Text

Haggar's entrance was a huge gaping hole cut into a sizeable clearing – Haggar's Lair's entrance that is, to be clear. The Lions swooped straight in, landing inside what appeared to be a warehouse. The paladins alighted their Lion's and looked about the cave of a room. The grey walls and high-ceiling reminded Lance of the old Hangar at the Garrison. It was almost muscle memory when he pulled his hands up his mouth, ready to shout before remembering he was wearing a helmet and the comment on Keith's hair would not echo throughout the entire cave system - though he may have felt repercussions when his own comm broadcast the message throughout his entire team.

“Right.” Keith clapped his hands before he spoke, another classic Shiro move. “Pidge. Lance. You're on the left. Hunk. Allura. We're taking the right. Check in every 30 minutes. If you find Haggar, call.”

“Pep talk?” Lance asked. Keith smirked.

“Don't die.”

Lance gave a thumbs up. “Pepped.”

~*~

It was quieter without the other three. Lance felt a little more exposed, constantly sweeping his Bayard over Pidge's head whilst they walked. The light from the entry hole had disappeared almost immediately and the two had to set their torches to full beam just to see a few feet into the darkness. It became apparent pretty soon that the place was deserted, the only signs of life being a stray trolley piled high with test tubes and strange purple balls that Lance seemed unable not to kick. Pidge picked one up, holding it to her light.

“Empty.” She said, throwing it down with a clatter. Lance hadn't considered it could be full. “Maybe all your kicking killed it.”

“How was I supposed to avoid it!?”

The place was basically a black hole where light was concerned. Pidge didn't answer, scanning the pile of balls with her forearm and Lance moved his attention to the trolley. It was parked beside a door, kind of like how a maid cart waited outside a hotel room. Only in this case the maid had gone for her break and the guests had made a run for it – carrying only the clothes they wore and the weight of their unpaid bill. Usually, Lance would mind his own business, of course, but there was a small window cut into the door. Like a porthole on a submarine. And it wasn't really snooping if the guests weren't returning... He stepped up to the door, bracketed his eyes with his hands, and peered inside.

“Too dark to see.” Curse the carrot-less goo. He rose up on tiptoes, squinting into the darkness, focus almost splitting the grey from the black when his forehead smacked the glass and he dropped back with a yelp.

“Ow.” He said, rubbing his forehead.

Pidge raised an eyebrow. “Nice one goof.”

Lance tutted. This was going to be a long afternoon.

~*~

Keith was proud of his plan. He hadn’t paired Lance with Pidge before, but it made sense: tall and short. Close and long range. Academic and pragmatic. They were the perfect team; he was surprised he hadn’t thought of it before. Then there was his team: Allura, expert in all things Altean, Hunk, boasting both brains and braun, and Keith, the key - what with his Galra blood and all enabling their infiltration. Team Krank were flying through their assignment.

“Nothing in here!” Shouted Hunk. The group agreed upon checking each door as they went, one person entering a door on either side and the last acting as lookout. So far, all they’d seen were empty vehicle berths and droid charging points.

“Clear.” Allura called, stepping back into the hall. “I have a feeling we may have chosen the wrong corridor.”

~*~

Lance kicked another ball, hearing it bang against every wall like a pinball machine.

“Why's this place so full of balls?” He huffed, wandering how he'd ended up with the dud side of the base.

Pidge snickered. “I ask myself that everyday I wake up on the Atlas.”

Ignoring the comment, Lance banged his fist on the wall.

“Hellooooo?” He called, “HEELLLLOOO.”

“No-one's going to answer.” Pidge mumbled, scanning one of the keypads.

“Yeah this place is deserted.”

“No,” Pidge said plainly, “No-one's going to answer because they don't want to have to speak to you.”

~*~

When he entered the next room, Hunk gasped loudly. Like, cartoon character loudly. Keith glanced over and was surprised to find Hunk, hands to his cheeks, hopping from foot to foot.

“It’s the Hadron-3000 AirMaster!”

Keith shared a look with Allura - it was clear neither had a clue what Hunk was gushing about.

“Oh man, Pidge is gonna be so jealous. Wait a minute!” Hunk dug around in his pocket and found his phone. Immediately, he was an enthusiastic dad taking photos of his toddlers first anything. Flashes erupted from every angle, illuminating a beast of a ship. It was entirely made of chrome, smooth curves and black out windows on all sides. Keith had to admit, it was a nice ship.

“Alright, bud.” He said, nodding to his door as yet unexplored. “You got two minutes, then we're gone.”

Hunk gasped ever louder. With a massive grin he yelled a “thanks Keith!” throwing his arms around the boy before immediately running back into the room. There was a hiss and a click followed by an ‘oh my god.’ which Keith took as confirmation he had managed to enter the ship. He shook his head, entering his own room. Another droid charging point. Great.

~*~

“Hey, check this out.”

Lance had finally opened a door to something that wasn't a lab. He wasn't sure what it was but that was progress right? He poured his light over the room. It was barely big enough to fit two people in and there was a strange contraption in the corner. Lance knelt closer. It didn't smell particularly good. He reached out a finger and stroked the smooth surface of the chair-like device. It came back wet.

“What do you think this is?” He asked, tapping his fingers together and finding them stick like glue.

Pidge made a noise somewhere between a snort and a wet cough.

“That's a toilet you creep!”

~*~

“Hunk,” Keith called, leaning up on the wall. “You ready to go?”

Hunk’s head popped out the doorway.

“Two seconds.” His smile was that of an angel holding a puppy.

Keith sighed. He really wasn't one for indulging. And they'd already spent a good three minutes standing still. And what would it do for his reputation if he let this continue?

“You can go take a look too, Keith.”

Keith hadn't noticed Allura's presence until then. Now he realised she was staring at him, lips pulled into a smirk as she read him like a book.

“Do you really think Pidge and Lance aren't goofing off at all on their side?” Allura added, eyebrow raised.

That was excuse enough for Keith.

~*~

“Another workshop!?” Lance cried as the two slammed into another room - Pidge having worked out a universal access code and him having given up on stealth. It was the tenth workshop they’d come upon and Lance was starting to suspect they had entered a time loop. “Who needs this many workshops!?”

“Haggar.” Pidge drawled, “Evidently.”

Lance rolled his eyes. This may have been the tenth workshop but that had to be the hundredth sarcastic comment. Lance hadn’t laughed at the first.

~*~

“Holy- what power is that engine!?” Keith was shouting – had to shout to be heard over the roaring engine beneath him. He may have been pilot to one of the only magical mechanical Lions in the universe but there was something about sitting behind the wheel of a turbo-charged rocket ship that made his entire body pound.

“Eight-hundred!” Hunk called, arms braced around the engine watching it work. “Rev it again!”

“Yes sir!” Another minute couldn't hurt. And as Allura had said, there was no way Pidge and Lance weren't having fun too.

~*~

“Do you think you could find a better hobby than making fun of me?”

They were in a classroom now - Lance could recognise the dark silhouettes of desks, chairs and existential angst even through the darkness. Pidge was fiddling with the light switch – having already pointed out that Lance’s dimness was catching.

“Gotta do something.” She shrugged.

~*~

“Okay.” Keith finally said, having pushed his foot on the clutch a seventh time. “We need to move on. The facility won't search itself.”

“You're right.” Hunk said, resigned. He closed the hood with a deflating sigh. “Wait!”

He jumped up to the cockpit.

“Can I check the lights?”

He smiled like he knew he was pushing his luck and Keith... he was a sucker for honesty. So, with a half-hearted eye roll, he gestured to the dashboard. “Fine.”

~*~

“Look, I get it. You’d rather hang with anybody else but I’m the only one here and I’m getting real tired of the ole ‘Lance is an idiot routine.’”

Pidge stopped in her tracks.

“What?”

“Just quit it with the digs alright! I know I’m not smart, I don’t need your constant reminders, I’m doing my best okay!?”

Pidge was quiet a moment. When she spoke her voice was far from normal.

“You don’t think I like hanging out with you?”

She sounded careful, hesitant even, like a cat approaching a new hand. And, if Lance didn’t know any better, he’d almost venture to say she sounded hurt. But that couldn’t be it…

“How those lights coming along?” He asked, sticking his head close to the open electronics box despite knowing precisely nothing.

“Answer me, Lance.”

~*~
Light burst out the ship as if it had gone supernova.

“Hunk!” Keith cried, throwing an arm over his eyes. “You mind!?”

“Sorry! I didn't realise they'd be so bright!”

Bright was an understatement, those headlights could illuminate time itself.

Keith squinted between his fingers watching Hunk's race across the controls. There was the banging of buttons being pressed and dials being set, a couple switches flicked and finally the lights dimmed. Keith let out a sigh, rubbing his eyes.

“Enough fun now.” He said. Hunk bowed his head in silent agreement. They didn't notice Allura enter the room until her voice rang out in an echo.

“Whoa.”

Keith looked up. With the lights on he could see the entire room and it appeared this was no mere ship house. It was a billowing chamber, filled front to back with half broken ships, their insides strewn across benches like a mechanics best Halloween decor.

He smirked.

“Looks like we found our clue.”

~*~

“You don’t think I like hanging out with you?” Pidge repeated.

Lance took a deep breath. He cringed at what he was about to do, what he was about to admit. He hid his face from the girl.

“No…?”

“Oh.”

The resulting silence was deafening. Lance held onto it, pulling it into his chest until it twisted so tightly he thought he'd choke. It was painful. Not hearing anything. Knowing she knew his truth and he didn't know hers. He couldn't bear it. So he swept into Paladin mode, strode back into the room and stuck his hands on his hips.

“Light or no light,” He announced brightly, “we’re bound to find something here!”

He started gathering up books and tablets from the desks squinting at them. There was only so much he could glean from shadows but it was something. A distraction. And in any case, it didn't matter for long as a moment later the room gave a quick round of squeaks and light pooled inside. The books were suddenly bright shining gemstones.

“Oh!” Lance cried, spinning around to find Pidge snapping the panel back over the electricity box. “You fixed it!”

The girl shrugged. “Was only a wire away before you interrupted.”

“Course you were.”

And of course, it was Lance’s fault they were delayed again. He turned back to the textbooks and groaned. They were all written in foreign characters.

“It isn’t true you know.” Pidge said quietly. Lance shrugged, pretending he didn’t really care. Wasn’t like it mattered.

“It isn’t true.” Pidge repeated. Something in her voice, the way she gave power to each word, it made Lance turn around.

Chapter Text

After Hunk readjusted the Hadron-3000’s lights to that of a candlelit dinner, the three crossed the vehicle berth into the workshop. Keith moved his knife into his hand as he drew closer to the first bench. It was covered in equipment, from huge ship parts to small tools and vices. It smelt like his dad’s old garage. It looked like something out of the Castle of Lions.

“Does this room feel familiar to you guys?” Hunk asked. After jumping out the Hadron-3000 he’d held back, footsteps barely making whispers across the floor, excitement a memory.

“Never seen it before.” Keith offered offhandedly, picking up a random part from the bench and observing how much he did not know about engineering.

“No…” Hunk said, fading into thought. “Not see. Feel. I dunno, I’m just getting this weird feeling in my stomach like I’ve been here before.”

Keith sighed, replacing the part. “I’m sure it’s just nerves.”

He did not want a vomit-ty Hunk on his hands. How would Shiro approach this kind of thing? A pat on the back? But what if that just induced propulsion? In that moment, Keith doubted his earlier success in splitting their team. Maybe he should have paired them up with Lance, he was better at this sort of thing. Luckily, Allura took the lead.

“Actually, Hunk, I think I feel it too. What do you Earthlings call it? De ja vu?”

“Yes! But more intense! Kinda like how it felt when we first entered the Castle of Lions.”

Keith pressed his hand to his stomach. Nothing felt unusual to him. There was a tingle on the back of his neck, maybe a buzz to the air, but that was usually the case when he was on a mission.

“Lets just look for clues guys.” Keith said firmly. In his experience, nothing revealed itself on its own. They had to find it.

~*~

It isn't true. The words echoed in Lance's head like stones skipping across the ocean. Pidge said nothing more, but her eyes were fixed on him, shining wetly. They were just words though, right? They didn't feel true. Lance turned back to the textbooks.

“Whatever. Just translate these for me.”

~*~

Approaching the closest bench, Keith poked a pipe with the end of his sword and it rolled onto the floor, revealing precisely nothing. He frowned. That had to have been the sixth one. Perhaps their engineer could make head and tail of the place?

“I dunno if we’ll find any clues here man,” Hunk said, as if reading his mind. “It all looks like junk to me.”

Great. Just great. Keith poked another pipe and it clanged onto the floor.

~*~

Either Pidge had discovered a new method of walking that involved hovering across solid ground or she hadn't moved. Lance tutted.

“Pidge. The mission.”

He turned around and was startled to find Pidge staring at him, fists balled at her sides and glaring.

“I do like hanging out with you.”

Lance rolled his eyes. It was perfectly clear she was stuck with the idiot and pissed about it. Why did she feel the need to draw this out? It was obvious and Lance just needed to accept that.

“Look, it's fine. I shouldn't have said anything. Lets just keep moving.”

“Lance.” It was less his name and more a growl.

“Stop! Okay, I get it. You're gonna say that no matter what but I know you not gonna mean it. The sooner we're back to the Atlas the better. Then you can go hang with your real friends.”

Pidge's mouth fell open. Slowly, her fists tightened rising at her sides and her skin bloomed red.

“Who the hell are you to say who my real friends are!?”

~*~

“Exhaust pipes. Industrial-sized diodes. Engine ducts. It’s all just bits of machine that didn’t make it to the ship.”

Hunk punctuated his point with a knock on one of the large drums..

“Hmm…?”

The boy knocked it again. The sound reverberated like the clash of cymbals from the rather too enthusiastic garrison marching band. Hunk picked up the large metal disc and smacked it into the bench.

“Do you mind?” Keith gritted out, barely audible above the cacophony. Hunk smiled sheepishly, placing the metal cylinder back on the table.

“Sorry. It just doesn’t sound right, y’know?”

Keith could agree with that sentiment. Allura apparently couldn’t.

“Sounds perfectly normal to me.” She said, with a shrug. “Just like my father’s workshop.”

The two’s eyes met.

“You don’t think-?”

“Could it be-?”

In a rush of movement, Hunk was scanning the ship part, Allura grabbing pieces from every table and pulling them up to her eyes.

“Look!” She cried, hurrying over to Hunk. “The metal! It’s made up of hexagons!”

“And the scan! Chemical make-up matches Voltron’s almost to a tee!”

“It’s Altean!”

“Not just that! It’s Voltron! These parts must have been made from the same material - the reality comet!”

“Lotor’s syncline ships! They’re here! Or rather…”

Allura’s eyes scanned the room of dismembered parts. If the ships had been here, they certainly weren’t now. Just leftovers from the scrapheap.

“Haggar must have been building something with them.” Allura finished.

The words had a grim resonance.

~*~

“And where the hell do you get off pretending you know my mind!?”

Lance stumbled back as Pidge's words shot-out like bullets.

“You know Voltron can run us through all the realities of the universe Lance, but you will never see mine. Never be in mine. So don't act like you know what I'm thinking, because you don't! I told you-”

She took a huge intake of breath as if she was gearing up for a roar. Instead the words came out cold and steady.

“Told. I told you. With actual words. And you chose, chose, not to believe them. I mean- how could you? How dare you!? When I offered you this... this window into my mind. My reality.”

Pidge's rage seemed to putter out then and Lance felt cold. Chose. Chose not to believe her. Had that been what Lance had done? But he felt so sure... But then again, how could he know? It wasn't his brain to know. Chose. The word hooked itself onto his mind - alongside training and an infuriating colon-bracket combination. It clicked then. Chose. He chose not to believe her – to doubt himself, to hurt her, even if he hadn't really known he'd done it. Training. It wasn't about being nice to himself, it was about choosing to be nice to himself. It was about noticing the nasty thoughts. Finding shadows in his own mind and shedding light on them. Defeating those demons... it took training. This would take training. And he'd start now.

Lance took a deep breath.

“You're right.” He said.

Pidge didn't wear her heart on her sleeve. She wore a smirk when she made a joke and a frown when she lied. She cried when she was hurt. And blushed when she cared. And Lance... he swallowed down the lump in his throat.

“I'm sorry.”

~*~

Hunk, Keith and Allura stared at the collection of ship parts they'd gathered.

“Maybe we can work out what she was building from the parts?” Keith offered. He began moving pieces about as if the puzzle would reveal itself. He started trying to push a pipe onto the end of a speedometer, then moved onto fitting a spindly wire into a gaping hole before picking up a plug and unmatched socket and throwing the whole thing down on the table with a loud, irritated clatter.

Hunk bumped him in the shoulder.

“Or rather,” He said, pushing the sharp metal objects away from trigger happy hands. “We could look at what’s missing?”

That seemed sensible, to Keith’s utter irritation.

“Let’s take an inventory.” Hunk said, unpicking Keith’s uninspired creation. “If these were the bits she didn’t need out of a whole ship, we can get an idea of parameters.”

“Alright.” Allura said with a clap. “Keith. Let’s collect everything we can. Hunk take notes as we go – you’re the expert here – try and see what you’d create.”

“On it.”

Hunk was already opening up the holographic notepad on his forearm panel, sliding bits and pieces across the table. Keith nodded sharply. Gathering was probably more his forte anyway.

~*~

“Wait.” Pidge held up her hands. “I was the one who upset you. I'm sorry. I totally lost my cool.”

Lance shrugged. “You wouldn't be the first. Trust me, these last few days...”

“Shit, I forgot. You and Allura...” She buried her head in her hands, rubbing her forehead. Lance could copy the motion with just the same amount of feeling - it had been a long week. At least the embarrassment was waning but the awkwardness of the situation still lingered, especially when Lance thought of the strain he was putting on his team. He fought the urge to berate himself.

“I’m sorry.” Pidge finally said. “Really. About the jokes. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just… I like taking jabs at my friends. Make them laugh.”

“I know. I just...”

“Don't find them funny. I get it. I'll work on my boundaries.”

“Thanks.”

Lance went to return to his books, when Pidge spoke again.

“I don’t actually think your dumb you know.”

“Thanks?”

“Thoughtless at times, sure. And kindof the 'forgets to look before he leaps' type. But it’s fun like that. You don’t care. Or well, maybe you do… Look, from here all I see is a guy that just goes for it, all the time, no matter what! You’re never scared to fail! And when you do, you bounce right back!”

Lance scoffed, “I'd rather be like you and never fail.”

“Oh no way." Pidge was immediately shaking her hands in the air like they could fan away the idea from existence it was so wrong. "I fail. You know how many dead Rover’s there are in my room? There’s gotta be like fifty failed robots under my bed alone. And I never show you guys my laptop until I have results. I'm just... I'm scared that if I show you guys my failures, you'll realise I'm not a genius, that I'm just a hack.”

Lance shook his head. He crossed the room, bent down and squeezed her shoulders tight. “You're not a hack Pidge. You work too hard to be a hack.”

“And that's why you're my friend Lance! You don't even think twice before saying these things! Compliments flow out of you like water because you care! Lance, you care and you don't even care who knows it."

Lance wasn't really following and the more she spoke the more befuddled he felt.

"Do you know how rare that is?" She asked, "You put yourself out there, you allow yourself to be vulnerable, and I know I make jokes but seriously Lance, that's brave. I'd like... I wish I could be more like that, you know? Worry less and dive straight in more. That's why people like you Lance. Even if you make a fool of yourself, you keep going. It makes it okay for us to be a little more foolish. A little more ourselves. Myself.”

Lance was about to argue that being a fool was the exact opposite of brave when a memory popped into his head. The word training followed by a smiley face. Keith was right. If he wanted to get better he had to fight. And Pidge was laying her mind bare. The least Lance could do was listen. Trust her. Maybe he did embarrass himself. And he was insecure about his intellect. But he never did give up. And even if he wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, Pidge was the floodlight on a football field. If she was saying all this, maybe there was something to it? A tiny glimmer of fact - something he could hold onto. So he did. Clutched the embers close to his chest and hoped they might one day burn into the brightest fire.

“Thanks, Pidge.” Lance said quietly, ducking his head. It made his chest feel warm to accept the compliment. How long had it been since he'd done that?

~*~

“Okay. So far, I’ve got: aeroplane, jetpack, incinerator, power drill, loudspeaker, oven timer and atomic bomb. Think Haggar would be making any of them?”

Hunk wiggled his brows invitingly. Keith sighed, trying to shake the damp hair from his forehead. Ship parts weren’t exactly light. And the idea they hadn’t made any progress in half an hour ago of graft made his skin feel all the more sticky.

“Nothing more specific?” He pressed.

Hunk shook his head.

Keith smacked the bench.

“This is useless!”

They could collect a hundred parts – a thousand parts! - and they still wouldn't have a clue what Haggar was doing. For all they knew, the parts weren't being used for anything else, they were just being stored in another room in another facility!

“Keith,” Allura said, reproachfully. She was watching him stalk back and forth across the room like a bomb about to explode. Keith stamped his feet. He huffed over to the closest wall and slammed his back against it. Unfortunately, there was a rather large protrusion at the exact point his head reached and he received an almighty smack.

Distracted by his own yelp, he didn't notice the clicking sound of the protrusion slotting back into the wall or the light flooding the window beside it.

As it turned out, there was a second room, hidden behind black glass. It was a lab. Cranes circled a central point, long metallic arms all reaching towards a slab of metal, carved with something, the unmistakable outline of a gigantic body.

Hunk shut his notepad.

“Or a suit of armour.”

~*~

“So we’re cool?”

“Yeah,” Lance said, squeezing Pidge to his side. “We're cool. Now let’s get looking there’s gotta be some sort of clue around here.”

Pidge agreed happily, taking the books from Lance's arms and piling them onto a bench to scan. Lance resumed his reconnaissance, sliding books across the desks as he found them. They were just getting into a rhythm when Lance peeled open the door of what he thought was a supply cupboard. The ruse didn't last long.

“Uhh…” Was all Lance could say as he stared down at a lecture theatre full of Alteans, all dressed in identical hazmat suits. And as the noise left his throat, all one thousand turned their eyes on him.

“What?” Pidge called. “What is it?”

Lance swallowed thickly. Pidge appeared at his shoulder. Their next word was said in unison.

“Run.”

~*~
One second, Keith was staring at what was clearly an armour building station, the next he was throwing his hands over his ear as an alarm blared overhead. The room filled with flashing red light and the building began to hum.

“Quick.” Keith shouted, trying to gesture to his team. “Everybody to the lions!”

He pressed the button for his comm and opened his mouth, “La-”

~*~

“GUYS! WE GOT A SITUATION!”

Lance was running for his life, Pidge in tow, as Haggar's army poured into the corridor behind.

“Are you serio-”

“NO TIME TO EXPLAIN. JUST-”

Lance ducked as a textbook flew over his head.

“They're unarmed.” Pidge piped in.

“They!?” Hunk yelped.

“Get to your Lion's.” Keith growled.

“Aye sir!”

~*~

Doors were sliding shut on all sides. Keith hoped the last would stay open as they raced passed the vehicle berths.

“Did Lance say they?” Hunk called over the noise. “I feel like Lance said they!”

“Just keep moving Hunk.” Keith gritted out. There was no way they'd cut off their own exit, right?

“I'm sure they'll let us know if they need help.” Allura offered, though her expression was just as grim as Keith's. How many doors were there in this corridor?

~*~

Bolting back through the labyrinth of tunnels, Lance slammed into another classroom and straight out the other side. The good thing about Pidge having fixed the electrics was that he didn't have to worry about tripping over tables. The bad thing was that neither did the Alteans. And they were zippy! A hand glanced his wrist and he let out a yelp, blaster forming in his hand as he stumbled out the door, barely avoiding capture. Pidge was ahead now and Lance took a random shot over his shoulder before racing to catch up and nearly knocking her out.

“PIDGE!?” He cried. The girl had skidded around the corner one way and then immediately skidded in the opposite direction.

“Short-cut.” She yelled. Lance wasn't about to argue, glimpsing an army of heavy booted lab technicians pooling into the opposing hallway.

~*~

“Hold on.” Hunk yelled between pants.

“We don't have time to break, Hunk.” Keith said, his breathing not exactly slow either.

“I have an idea.”

The three gathered in the hallway.

“I hooked up the Hadron-3000's controls to my suit.” He said, with a bashful shrug. “There's a self-destruct sequence. Could make for a decent distraction?”

Keith blinked at him. That beautiful ship...

“Do it.” Allura said, resolute. “If there really is a they, we need all the help we can get.”

Keith nodded sharply. He put his hand over Hunk's where it hovered the controls of his suit and squeezed.

“Together.”

He looked to Allura who added her hand in turn.

“Together.”

~*~

Rushing through another lab, glass clattered to the floor as Pidge and Lance weaved between tables, elbows knocking wildly as they went. Pidge heaved open a set of double doors and Lance glimpsed the silver shine of Red's jaw. They were nearly homebound! But, before Lance could slide out something else caught his eye. He pedalled backwards.

“Lance.” Pidge shout-whispered. Through the lab windows more Alteans were visible, this time armed with blasters. Lance ducked down under the nearest table, shifting around his pockets for his phone.

“We don't have time for texting.” Pidge hissed, slipping back inside the room, eyes on the hall now flashing red.

“Won’t take a tick.”

Quickly, Lance snapped a picture of the whiteboard, zooming in to the diagrams and words. He never learnt Altean properly, but Allura had taught him the date. And he was sure the one on the board was set to tomorrow’s.

The door to the lab slammed open.

“Lance!” Pidge shrieked.

“Got it!” Lance cried. Launching himself across the room, the door was barely shut before gunfire could be heard ripping apart the room.

“That better be worth it.” Pidge panted, grabbing his arm and throwing them into a run. Lance prayed it would be as they crashed into the main tunnel.

“WHAT DID YOU DO!?” Keith yelled as the other three spilled out right on time. Lance was ready to speak first and think later when Pidge beat him to it.

“Nothing you wouldn't have!” Pidge called out. She was too busy climbing into her lion to see Keith’s face of utter disbelief. Or to see how it was undermined by Hunk’s nod of understanding and Allura’s rub of forehead.

There was an explosion somewhere in the back of the caves, shaking dust from the ceiling.

“Time to leave?” Hunk called.

“Time to leave.” Keith agreed

Lance wasted no more time in hopping into Red and zooming out of there.

Chapter Text

After a mad dash back to the Atlas and a quick explanation to the blaster fire following them, the Atlas whirled the team away to safety. And with their respective findings safely in the hands of Coran, team Voltron were given the all clear to take a rare but well-deserved afternoon off. Naturally, Shiro stayed in the meeting room to help Coran, Allura swept Pidge away to water flowers and Hunk invited Keith to bake. That left Lance. He poked about the settings of his phone, sitting at the table with one hand propping up his chin. Working away his afternoon off didn't sound appealing. Then again, neither did an afternoon spent with his ex.

“Hey, Lance?”

Keith was at the door. Lance thought he’d left.

“Yeah?”

Keith coughed awkwardly, staring up at the ceiling fan. “You wanna umm, come bake… with me and Hunk?”

Lance blinked back at him. Since when was he invited to bake with the boys?

“You sure you want me?”

Keith’s head cocked. “Yes?”

It was like Lance had just asked if the sky was blue, or if Voltron was a robot. He didn’t dismiss the question, he just seemed confused as to why it was asked. Lance waved his hands.

“Ah, forget I asked. Stupid question.”

If Lance knew one thing about Keith, it was that he wasn’t the socially aware type. He didn’t fake pleasantries. He didn’t dig more than he had to. And he didn’t ask questions for the sake of asking questions. So, if he didn't want Lance, he wouldn't ask for him.

“Alright,” Lance said, hopping off his chair. He couldn't recall the last time they'd hung out. The idea sat warmly within him, like sweet apple pie in his stomach. “What are we making?”

“You’re coming?” Keith’s eyes lit up. Lance tripped over his non-existent laces.

“Sure. I mean, last time I left you guys on your own you ended up with burn marks, can't let that happen twice.”

Keith looked down at his fingers.

“But-” He paused as if he'd only just realised he had fingers, “they're fine now.”

Lance shook his head, fighting a laugh. “Right. Guess you can just jump into open fires then.”

Keith’s silence suggested he was debating whether jumping into fire wasn’t something one was supposed to do. Lance clipped him round the ear.

“Don’t jump into fires.”

~*~

One hour later

“You know,” Lance said, licking vaguely luminescent batter off a spoon, “we should definitely do this more often.”

Baking was fun. And it was a crime that the three hadn't hung out sooner.

The oven door slammed shut.

“Don’t act like you helped.”

The words on paper would have looked like they belonged to Keith, but in fact, it was Hunk glowering at Lance, sharp eyes pinning him to the counter top. In one swift movement, the bowl was snatched away leaving Lance empty handed, open mouthed, and quite offended.

“Too many cooks…” He mumbled, folding his arms like a spoilt child.

Hunk shot him a warning glare, dropping the bowl in the sink alongside half the kitchen. How many utensils had they used?

“You two.” Hunk said, pointing a dirty spoon at each of them. Lance noticed Keith had snuck up next to him. His expression feigned innocence, the batter on his chin suggested otherwise. “You’re banished.”

Lance made a noise of absolute outrage. “You can’t banish us from the kitchen!?”

“Uh, I think I can. Shiro? Can I?”

Shiro nursed his bandaged hand. He wore puppy dog eyes well which was damn unfair for a twenty-six year old to do.

“I’m very disappointed in the both of you.”

The fated ‘D’ word. It shot Lance in the chest like blaster fire. Apparently, it failed to have the same affect on his partner in crime as Keith protested immediately.

“Come on Shiro, we were training!”

Shiro’s eyes went cold.

“Training does not occur in a kitchen. It does not involve lemons. And it certainly does not involve Hunk running half way across a space ship crying because you guys are literally tearing the place apart!”

Keith’s jaw cracked. Lance didn’t miss the way his eyes slipped to the neat slices of lemon lined up on the table. They had gotten pretty precise cutting with the Bayards. Unfortunately, they’d started pretty imprecise. And with doors on the kitchen cupboards.

“You will repair these.” Shiro said coldly. Hunk nodded seriously.

“And then you’re banished!”

Lance made to protest but Hunk jabbed a finger in his direction with so much force Lance was propelled backwards despite the two being stood on opposite sides of the room.

“BANISHED.”

~*~

Two hours later

After the slithers of kitchen cupboard had been collected into three substantial-sized buckets, Lance picked up a tea towel. Keith, with a strong effort, rolled up his jacket sleeves and took to the sink, slamming the tap on at full blast.

“Pass us the soap.”

Lance did as asked, handing over the bottle whilst eyeing the pale flesh of his friend’s arms and the muscle constrained by the tight fabric rolls. “Why not just remove the jacket?”

Keith paused mid soap squeeze.

“Don’t tell Pidge I did that.”

Lance smirked as Keith shrugged out of the leather, a pink blush rising through his cheeks.

“No promises.” Lance decided aloud, leaning against the counter as Keith shut off the tap, dumping dishes into the sink. “But only because we had a nice chat earlier.”

Keith raised his brows. “A nice chat? With Pidge?”

“Yes.” Lance said, grabbing a spoon and flicking the excess water at Keith before he dried it. “She only teases us because we’re like brothers.”

Keith’s hand slipped on a glass, throwing it into the sink with a clang.

“Brothers?” He asked. Lance tutted at his lack of concentration, grabbing the now-clean glass out his hand before he could break it.

“Yeah. Well, she said friends but I noticed earlier that’s how she acts with Matt.”

“Oh.” Keith said quietly. He seemed to be concentrating harder on the cleaning now. It seemed a bit too little too late in Lance's opinion as he gazed around the broken kitchen. Maybe the guilt was catching up on him? Lance hopped onto the counter and took the dishes as they arrived.

“I don’t hate it really. Kinda reminds me of home – Veronica making fun of me for having cows for friends. Just got a bit much y’know?”

Keith nodded, placing another plate on the draining board.

“She felt bad though.” Lance said, wiping it with the cloth. “I don’t think she had many friends until Voltron came along.”

“Me neither.” Keith mumbled. Lance looked at him a moment but he seemed absorbed in scouring a particularly burnt pan.

“Is that why you were so angsty?”

Keith stiffened. Clearing his throat he turned on the tap, clearing the suds from the pan. “I guess?”

Lance nodded, sliding the plate into the cupboard and placing the towel on his lap. The pan could wait.

“I never…” Keith stopped the tap, rubbing at the stain again. “I’d been alone. For a long time. I think I forgot how to be around people. And how much I wanted to be.”

Lance hummed. A question niggled at his mind.

“So you’re happy?” He asked, leaning forward. “Being here? Around all of us?”

Keith paused the cleaning. Pushing the pan aside, he turned to Lance and the soft line of his brows betrayed such sincerity Lance couldn’t help but stare.

“Yes.” Keith said firmly, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. “I feel happy around you.”

Lance felt the words nestle in his tummy like a cat. He had to look away before it began to purr.

“That’s good.” He said, twisting the cloth between his fingers. “I’m glad.”

Something about the quiet that settled was thick. Like the comfort of a warm scarf. Lance hummed as he wiped down the next dish, Keith’s head swaying ever so slightly to the rhythm. It was nice. Private. A blanket fort for two, a reality too far away to hear the footsteps down the hall until Coran appeared at the door, cheeks rosy from exertion.

“Oh you’re both- crikey! What happened in here!?”

Whilst the clean-up had been successful, the cabinets were still doorless and lemons still decorated the table in various shapes of disrepair. Two bayards lay on the table covered in juice. Lance nodded to them. “Take one guess.”

“Ah... I see. Well, at least the lemons look good! Anyway, could you please gather in the meeting room, we have some important news.”

Lance nodded, hopping off the counter. “Which one?”

“Meeting room one precisely.” Coran announced with an official pull on his lapels. “The first. Numero uno. Or ‘cam’ as they say in altean.”

Lance knew that.

“I knew that.” He said, unable to help the smug little wiggle that overtook his shoulders.

“Of course, my boy.” Coran said, slamming a hand through his shoulder. “You know, that little piece of knowledge on Altean numbers has really brought us a huge way in our investigation.”

Lance blanched. “Seriously!? I helped!”

“Of course! I can’t go into detail yet, but all will be revealed soon.”

Coran wiggled his fingers mysteriously but the magic was lost on Lance. He’d helped. Lance. And his previously useless knowledge of Altean numbers. How? It almost seemed too much. Too convenient. Maybe it was too much credit…

“Hey.” Keith’s voice came in sharp. Then his face popped up just below Lance's and his words flowed gently over his breath. “Good work.”

It was barely a comment. A brief moment of closeness. Then Keith’s back passed by, Coran’s too, and Lance was left staring into empty space. It was good work. He’d done good. Lance. Had done good. It felt strange. He wasn't used to this, receiving compliments and actually accepting them. A low voice in the back of his head said he shouldn't - that he was drawing too quick a conclusion - but he knocked it back. Lance was training. And training meant trusting the opinions of those around him. So, if Coran said he contributed, Lance had contributed. That’s all he had to remember. And when he held the fact close to his chest, he could feel his heart grow a little stronger.

Chapter Text

The meeting room was dark, grey and dark. Always so dark. It reminded Lance he probably shouldn’t be nudging the prince of darkness in the arm to comment on it. He did it anyway, earning a knee-jerk eye-roll from Keith and a stern look from Shiro who Keith chose to join. Hunk shuffled around to make space and Lance slipped into the seat next to him.

The holo-projector at the centre of the table was already on and slowly rotated an image of a star system Lance had never seen before.

“Where’s that?” He asked, flicking his fingers through the light.

“Oh, nowhere, my boy!”

Coran was too distracted sorting notes to offer any more explanation, so Lance hummed to himself. “Strange thing to name a star system.”

Pidge snorted. “It’s a screen saver, you dummy.”

“It was a joke, you ass.” And, to punctuate his point, Lance kicked her under the table, smiling triumphantly when her tiny little legs couldn't get him back.

“She's just bitter you didn't fall for her trap.” Hunk said, tapping Lance's leg away from the landmine that was an angered Pidge. “She’s been tricking people all afternoon. Allura spent fifteen minutes trying to figure it out.”

“Really?”

Lance’s gaze met Allura’s across the table and she immediately sat up. “Well, it looked rather familiar to me! On Altea we had puzzles of just the sort! I cannot be blamed for assuming it was another of such.”

Pidge snickered into her sleeve.

The noise was contagious. Lance was unable to help himself as he smirked at Allura’s obvious distaste for being duped. It gave him an idea.

“Hey Keith!”

Keith turned from his conversation with Shiro, unaware of the mother of all pranks that was about to befall. Lance nodded to the projector. Keith cocked his head. Lance widened his eyes meaningfully. Keith’s brows furrowed. His eyes flickered to the projector. Conclusion dawned.

“The worm and the priest!”

“Hah! It’s no- what?”

Keith’s confusion reflected his own but before he could express it verbally, Pidge’s laughter burst into the room.

“Wow, Keith! You are beyond all my expectations!”

“Exactly!” Hunk guffawed, “I mean, where did that even come from?”

Lance nodded along in a mixture of shock, awe and tentative bliss. Even Allura struggled to hide her amusement, barking out a series of unconvincing coughs.

“What? What’s going on?”

“We could ask the same to you bud!” Lance exclaimed, slapping the table. “Priest and worm?”

“The film from the other day? Isn’t that a scene?”

Pidge shook her head.

Lance squinted at the lights. “Since when were stars involved in a parasite movie.”

“Parasite?”

“Yes.” Pidge’s laughter subsided. “Wait. What did you think the film was about?”

“Unlikely friendship?”

Lance thought his appendix would burst. The team was in uproar. How could someone be so wrong? Someone so tough be so sweetly wrong?

“Oh my.” Allura dabbed her eyes. “Keith. The worms take over Altea. They don't make friends, rather, the Priest must cleanse the land of all crops to try and get rid of them. But when the worms food source is taken instead they move on to the Priest himself. He’s devoured.”

Lance shook his head. “Man… what about that whole scene when it was, like, hanging off his neck?”

“I thought it was bonding…”

Lance barked out another incredulous laugh. This boy.

“And the stars?” Pidge prompted. Keith seemed unsure but answered honestly.

“The stars at the end? When they look up to the sky and finally make friends?”

“No Keith. That was particles of worm. They blew them all up.”

Keith’s crestfallen look fuelled another round of giggles.

“Oh Keith,” Hunk swooned, hugging him to his side. “That’s adorable. I’d watch your version of the movie.”

Keith glared, clearly not taken with the idea of being adorable. It didn’t help his case.

“Okay that’s enough teasing.” Shiro interrupted. “Keith may be wildly naïve, but we have serious business to attend to. Coran?”

“Quite! Paladins, as you may be aware, Haggar has been acting quite erratic as of late - appearing and disappearing at the drop of a hat. It’s been rather difficult to stick a pin in her.”

It was hard to ignore Keith's reddening cheeks, but Lance shifted in Paladin mode.

“You’ve found her?” He asked

“Yes. Or rather. Where she will be. Lance you recognised the date from that board in the lab.”

Lance recalled the moment - heart beating in his mouth, fingers snapping a photo, torn between a desire for clarity and a desire to live. Somehow, he managed both. “Sec Rinto Vin Klamura. Tomorrow.”

“Right. Tomorrow. We believe Haggar will be heading to the AC3B-K42 star system tomorrow.”

“AC3B-K42, why do I know that name?” Pidge's face contorted in thought, fingers pinching her nose.

“It's a highly documented system in the fifth quadrant of the Kai galaxy.” Shiro explained. “Three sets of binary star systems orbiting one another for thousands of years. Each binary is made up of one red giant and one white dwarf that are all extremely close to critical mass. Experts say they could go supernova any day now.”

Coran nodded sagely. “Highly dangerous. Highly powerful. An explosion of this size could rupture the very fabric of our reality.”

“But-” Lance frowned. He wasn't sure if he'd sound stupid saying his next words but it was like a stubborn itch. “I get that Haggar wants power yada yada but surely that would be a dangerous place to go even for her?”

Keith hummed. “I remember when I was working with the blades, they refused to go near the Kai galaxy. It's basically a dead zone.”

“I've read hundreds of articles.” Pidge said, eyes glazed in recollection. “Nobody dares even enter that region of space - research ended years ago after a solar flare wiped out an entire crew of 20,000. If it's not a dead zone then it's a death trap, even for an Empress of a deadly empire.”

Coran sighed. “I'm afraid you are not wrong Paladins.”

It was like a death blow.

“But Haggar deploys a high-risk, high-reward harvesting programme. And AC3B-K42 is teeming with quintessence.”

The room fell quiet, like a pre-emptive moment of silence for the losses they'd surely amass.

Shiro was the only one brave enough to breach it. He was business as ever, focussing on the facts. “We believe the suit of armour was not only built to protect her but to absorb any quintessence she encounters.”

“And this amount of quintessence...” Coran followed.

Hunk's breath hitched. “Supernovas have been known to wipe out entire galaxies in a single blow.”

“She could destroy everything...” Lance's voice came out hollow and he didn't like how the words tasted on his tongue.

“Which is why we have to stop her.” Shiro cut in. “Allura, are you able to create a wormhole with the Atlas tech?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. You and Coran head down to the Altean Control Room to prepare. Keith, can you get in touch with the Blades of Marmora? We'll need as much intel as we can get.”

“On it.”

“I will liase with the Atlas team. The rest of you reach out to our other allies. I believe Coran has a list?”

“Right you are number one! I will ping it over to the team once I'm in the control room.”

“Alright. That sounds like a plan.”

Shiro clapped and the team immediately got to their feet. The room filled with the sound of their footsteps, each person laser focussed on the task at hand. Lance squeezed his fists to his side, trying not to let his mind stray towards the danger they were about to find themselves in. His thoughts seemed louder in the sudden quiet, as if his friends silent worries amplified his own. He was just at the door when Shiro spoke again.

“Oh, and one last thing.”

The group turned as one and Shiro smiled.

“Get some rest. You're gonna need it.”

Lance grinned despite himself. “Roger that, sir. You know I won't let you down on that front.”

Shiro cracked a smile whilst the rest of the team groaned and for once, Lance didn't care that he was playing the fool. The tension had vanished, like a taut string had snapped. The seatbelt sign had flashed off on the flight and he could sit back and relax – put the tray table down and have a snack. The team was breathing again - Pidge jostling Hunk for a joke, Shiro dropping his hand onto Keith's shoulder, Allura smiling at Coran – and the moment was warm. Safe. And it was manageable now, the fear, because Lance was with them. His team. His friends. His family. They were the same as they always were and the same they would always be. Together. And that's all the power he needed.

Chapter Text

The paladins were told to dress for battle that morning and Keith was more than happy to oblige with these orders. He always felt a certain calmness wash over him when he wore his paladin armour - something about the water/bullet/laser-proof plating just made him feel safe. If Keith had his way, they'd wear it all the time. Lance would probably have something to say about that.

“Hey.”

Speak of the devil – or rather think of – Lance sidled up the wall next to him.

They were at the back of the main control deck, standing on the highest tier far out the way of the Atlas staff busily preparing for the jump below. Shiro ran up the stairs every few minutes, liaising with engineers on one level and flight crew on another. He was too busy to chat so Keith had found this spot a few minutes earlier. The paladins had agreed to meet here the night before – minus Allura who would be in the Altean Control room operating the wormhole jump. It seemed appropriate for team Voltron to be available for assistance but Keith was beginning to realise that the Atlas was very much a hive of it's own. Until Voltron was needed, he was a spare part. Thus, he began staring into space. Literal space, as the far side of the control room was floor to ceiling glass, displaying a dreamy scene of indigo whirls and neon stars.

Here, far above the buzz of the Atlas, Keith could imagine he was somewhere else altogether. On Earth. In the desert. Sitting on the front porch of his dad's old shack, quietly watching the stars. All alone. Then Lance kicked his toe and ruined the illusion.

“Ready for the final boss?”

He was grinning, helmet nestled under his arm like a football and lick of hair sticking up in the wrong direction. He looked every bit the cock-sure green bean he had been when they'd first met. Only, Keith noticed now, his fingers were drumming on the visor of his helmet and his smile was turned inwards where he chewed on his lip. Had Lance always carried so much nervous energy? He had definitely changed over their time together but then again, so had Keith. And maybe noticing the slight tells of the other's true emotions was a Keith development, not a Lance one.

How much could a person change? Keith acknowledged that he had indeed, but was in doubt as to how much. For Keith, it was like the person within him had slowly been putting on their Keith suit and for years it simply hadn't fitted. He had the best intentions but with an arm in the head hole and a hand caught in a zip it was impossible to get things right. Now Keith finally had his sleeves in, everything went so much more smoothly. He could relax. Be Keith. And he could tackle all the trouble that came with that with a little more decorum and a little less knocking over the furnishings.

He knew how to play this one.

“What's a final boss?”

Lance's mouth dropped open.

For all intents and purposes, this was the same boy he met all those years ago. Loud. Excitable. Daring. But he had more sense now – made more sense now. Before it was a billion jabs and zero ears; now he listened. And his jabs were more like tickles – teasing rather than cutting. And Keith's too. His return fire was received like puppy licks, and maybe that's what they were. Could it be the same case for Lance too? That those sleeves were finally fitting.

“You don't- oh my god, ohh my God. Pidge! Pidge? Where is that child?”

“She's running some last minute tests on Green.”

“Well she would eat you alive for that comment! How on Earth do you not know what a final boss is?”

Keith shrugged.

“Unbelievable.”

Precisely, thought Keith. He hoped those sleeves fitted around the word 'gullible' because exploiting the trait was Keith's guilty pleasure. He turned his face back to the Atlas' window to hide his smirk.

“When are we jumping?” Lance asked. He was bouncing on his toes, twirling his helmet between his index fingers. Keith ignored the question.

“You know you should be wearing that.” He said, eyeing Lance's helmet meaningfully. As if hearing it's cue, the helmet chose that moment to slip between Lance's fingers and the boy yelped, performing an erratic juggling act to keep it from hitting the floor.

“Allura will be finishing the wormhole in a few minutes.” Came a voice from behind. A familiar hand dropped onto his shoulder and Keith jolted as Shiro leaned over him to push Lance's helmet more firmly into his hands. “Just need to sit tight until then.”

Lance hugged the helmet to his chest. Keith pulled a tight smile.

“Thanks, Shiro.”

“No problem. Remember you've got a whole team supporting you.”

He addressed the both of them but his eyes lingered on Keith's and the words hit him like a target. As Shiro jogged back down the stairs the gentle reminder played on his mind. It was true, Keith veered towards working alone. He knew there was strength in numbers and he was surrounded by the best, but Keith was Keith. He was the Red Paladin, a wildcard, a risk taker. A someone who could run into danger with a blissful lack of forethought. And that was fine when it was just him, but there was a team following him now. What if when he leapt into the fire, they did too?

“Hey.”

Lance was kicking his foot again. Keith looked up. He finally had his helmet on.

“Nervous?”

Keith bit his lip. He looked out the Atlas' window, at the large vastness of space outside of it, and ducked his head again.

“Me too.” Lance whispered.

Keith peeked up at Lance's reflection in the window. Lance was looking at his shoes. His chest expanded with a deep inhale and then he blew it out as if releasing all the air from his spine until it collapsed and he fell against the wall.

“This is the biggest battle we've been in yet.” He said. “And our last one wasn't exactly plain sailing.”

Keith hummed. They hadn't done this in a while. Real talk. It made him strangely nervous. Shiro's words echoed in his mind. 'You've got a whole team supporting you.' Keith was the Black Paladin, Voltron's leader. Lance's captain. If he was talking to Keith, was he looking for support from his friend or from his leader?

“I really don't know what we'll be in for.” Lance continued.

Keith bit his lip. He wanted to nod, but thought better of it. Shiro wouldn't just nod. He would say something positive. And leaders gave more than hums of affirmation. But what could Keith say? 'I won't let anything happen to you' – no! That would be irresponsible. It was what Keith felt, not what a captain should do.

“And if I'm being honest...”

Lance turned his head and met Keith's gaze with steel eyes.

“I'm scared.”

It was like a jolt. An electric shock direct to his chest. Keith couldn't speak but Lance didn't seem to notice, instead he turned his head and let it fall right onto Keith's shoulder.

A second jolt. And Keith's chest tightened. A single thought shot through his mind. He couldn't be captain. He wasn't strong enough. He wanted to be Keith. Keith and Lance. Where the words didn't matter, the actions did. And, in that moment, with the boy's head still resting heavily on his shoulder, he thought maybe Lance wanted Keith to be Keith too.

He took a deep breath.

“Me too.” He said honestly.

It wasn't what Shiro would say. It wasn't what a captain would say. It wasn't even what Keith thought he should say. But it was what Keith wanted to say. And with nothing else to add, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let his head roll along the wall until it bumped into Lance's with a soft thud.

“It's the final boss.” He said, after a moment of quiet. “Why wouldn't I be scared?”

Once upon a time, Lance would have taken that as a slight. They would have argued for sure, with Keith unable to explain his innocence and Lance unable to hear his candour. But these days, they were wearing themselves much better. And Keith felt warmed when Lance's breath huffed into a soft laugh.

“Thought you didn't know what that was.”

Keith smiled.

“I lied.”

Lance elbowed him in the side but his laugh was a little louder this time. It was nice. Heads stacked in their little rose-tinted bubble, he could almost forget that this could be their last moment together. Then, Shiro's voice made it pop.

“T-minus one until launch.”

Lance's face shattered into blinding blue light. A wormhole the size of a planet burst forth into the sky and the two jumped apart. A swirling whirlpool of light spread across the entire Atlas window, magic building inside a circle of Altean runes that seemed to write themselves into existence. The final boss. It was fast approaching.

“Veronica,” Shiro called from somewhere below, “how are the system stats looking?”

“Positive sir!”

“Engage engines.” Shiro called.

“Shield charged to 100 percentage.” Announced Iverson.

“Initiating final checks.”

Lance's shoulder nudged Keith's.

“You ready?”

His eyes glittered with something akin to excitement. Keith couldn't help but grin. His heart was pounding and he channelled the fear into adrenaline.

“Ready.”

“LAUNCH.” Commanded Shiro. The Atlas burst forward with a thunderous roar.

Chapter Text

It was the lights that Keith saw first, sudden bursts of colour exploding across the sky. Then, a cacophony of blaster fire hit his eardrum and the floor leapt out from under him.

“Shit.” He hissed, grabbing Lance’s arm and almost head butting him in the process. He could just about hear Shiro barking out orders over the chaos. He lifted his finger to his comm button.

“Get to your Lions.”

Keith had just a moment to lock eyes with Lance, silently demand him to come back, before they were off. Lance disappeared quickly, Red’s hangar being the closest to the Atlas’ control centre. Black’s wasn’t much further off, but instead of turning torward the entry chute, Keith doubled speed and raced toward the Altean control room.

Around him every light on the Atlas was flashing. Alarms were blaring, the crew running about piling ammunition onto trolleys and weapons into arms. The first shuttles were spilling into space, return fire igniting the sky.

“Allura!” Keith shouted as he stumbled into the control room, catching the end of white curls disappearing out the other side. He cursed under his breath, breaking into a sprint just as she came flying back into the room, slamming into a head-on collision.

“Keith!” She exclaimed. “What are you doing? Black’s hangar is on the other side of the ship!?”

Keith bent over, catching his breath. “I know."

His visor was fogged and Allura appeared like a spectre against the flashing sky. He needed to do this quickly.

“You should fly her.”

Allura looked incredulous.

“Excuse me?”

“Black. You should pilot her. You’ve been our leader from the start, you know everything there is to know about Voltron and, well... I trust you.”

Allura’s eyes narrowed.

“You don’t trust yourself?”

Keith didn’t answer. It wasn’t that he didn’t think he could lead, or that in a pinch he wouldn’t make a good decision. It was that he couldn’t trust himself not to run into fire. If Lance got into jeopardy and a suicide mission could save him, Keith would go on that mission. No hesitation. Just thinking about how vulnerable Lance had been a few moments ago, a hazy reflection that Keith could never touch, it made his chest tight. Lance was just as mortal as the rest of them. That only made Keith want to protect him more. But that didn’t mean Keith could let anything happen to the rest of their team either. The reason he couldn’t be a leader was because he didn’t want to be followed. Not into fire. Shiro. Allura. They’d get as many as they could home. Keith? He couldn’t bear leaving even just one behind.

“Please, Allura.”

It startled even Keith to hear how raw the words sounded. It wasn’t exactly a beg, but Keith wasn’t sure how he’d cope if she said no.

Allura bit her lip.

“But who will fly Blue?”

~*~

Keith glared up at the hulk of robotic beast, stubbornly wrapped in its own luminescent force field.

“Blue?” He called again. No answer. He stepped up to the field and put a hand out. "For me?"

As soon as he touched it a shot of electricity zipped out the force field and up his arm, flinging him back.

“Come on,” he growled, rubbing his arm. “This is like Red all over again.”

Wait! Maybe that was it. Keith opened up his comm channel.

“Lance!” He called, already running and wondering when he'd reach a marathon. “Do not launch.”

~*~

Lance had got to Red’s hangar in record time. He'd thrown off his helmet as soon as he was inside and jumped over the armrest to land in the cockpit seat.

“Hello, my sweet!” He sang, pulling on his gloves. He’d always laughed at Ivor’s leather driving gloves whenever he’d peel them off at the start of class, but now he kind of understood. Piloting the Lion’s was sweaty work but that was the exact moment you couldn’t afford to be slipping off the wheel.

“How are you feeling today?" He asked, opening up his arm band to type in the commands to open the Hangar door. “We’ve got a big fight on our hands, you ready?”

Red gave a half-hearted purr. She almost seemed distracted. If she were a student the teacher would be silently walking up to her desk right now, smacking it with a ruler just before she could come to.

“Come on, Red. We need your A-game today.”

She didn’t answer and Lance frowned. Was there something wrong?

“Lance!”

Keith's voice came from precisely nowhere and Lance gave a manly screech, barely hearing the following, “Do not launch" through his comm.

“What, why? What's happening? Keith? KEITH!”

Lance asked the questions but Keith had already severed the link. The cockpit suddenly felt very quiet. Lance closed the panel on his arm. Then he started fiddling with his gloves. Keith would want him to launch eventually right? Just because Red was a little distant, that didn’t mean he couldn’t pilot, did it?

“Hey.”

Lance nearly fell out his chair.

“Keith!”

He’d come in like a vampire without legs.

“I need you to Pilot Blue.” He said, grabbing Lance’s shoulder and Lance was so struck with the shock of it all that he actually let himself be led out of his own seat.

“Wait, wait, wait. What is going on? Why are you in my Lion?”

Keith stopped abruptly. “Red isn’t your Lion.”

Lance squawked.

“Of course she is!“ And if he’d doubted before, he certainly didn’t now with Red throwing a heated purr through his body like a sudden blast of air from a bonfire.

Keith blinked widely, perplexed by a very reasonable response.

"Sorry, no. I didn't mean... she's our Lion, no?"

For some reason, the idea of sharing Red made Lance's tummy feel funny. He gave a shaky nod.

"Anyway, that doesn't matter. There’s been a slight change of plan. Allura’s piloting Black.”

“Wha-”

“And I’m piloting Red.”

Lance guffawed.

“Then who am I piloting!?”

A thunderous roar ripped through the cockpit. Thick. Commanding. Blue. And despite everything, Lance’s stomach did a happy little flip. He loved Red, of course! But ever since the day Blue cast him out, he’d always held the smallest of doubts. That maybe it wasn’t that Red wanted him, but it was that Blue didn’t. Now, with Blue’s heartbeat thrumming against his own, he knew that was wrong. That it could only be him. That if they’d fought their first battle together, then they should fight their last together too.

"But hold on. Why aren't you piloting Black?"

Keith ducked his head.

"Keith?"

Lance narrowed his eyes. Keith was ignoring him – no, avoiding him - burying himself in cockpit checks in order to justify the ruse. Lance's hand twitched at his side. With the sound of gunfire in the air, he knew they needed to get moving but there was something going on. Something important.

"Keith.” 

Lance bent into a crouch, finally able to gain eye contact with this new angle.

“Come on. Talk to me.” 

Keith looked conflicted, maybe even a little panicked. It was unusual to say the least and it made Lance lean closer which made Keith turn away.

"I just…” He started, voice like glass. ‘I can't lose you."

“Lose us?” 

Lance ran the words over his tongue. Keith, self-proclaimed lone-wolf, guy who ran at the first sign of belonging, was worried about losing his team.

"Keith," Lance breathed, placing a hand on his knee. "What are you talking about? You wouldn’t lose us. You’re a great leader.”

Keith visibly cringed but Lance felt a vigour of determination wash over him. He knew what it was like to doubt. To think yourself unworthy. And there was no way in hell he was going to let Keith fall into that same trap. Not when he was the one that pulled him out.

“Seriously. You're loyal. Determined. And sure, you’ve led us into trouble before, but you’ve led us out of it too.”

Lance squeezed his knee, leaning in to make sure Keith could see his eyes.

“I'm proud to be your right hand man. So what if you're a little rough around the edges? So am I. So’s everyone. You make me feel safe and honestly, there's no one else I'd rather have by my side."

Lance was smiling – he'd found the issue and was sure of his solution but he noticed Keith falter. He moved his hand back, was he wrong?

"Is that not-"

But Lance didn't get to finish his sentence as Keith had moved. Without warning he uprooted Lance, squeezing him so tight Lance was scared his torso would pop right off.

"Keith!?"

Lance could hear his own heartbeat thumping in his ears. This was new. Keith had never hugged him before, at least not on purpose. It had seemed like something out of the realm of possibility… was it okay? Was Keith okay? 

“Umm?” Was all he could manage to squeeze from his lungs. Keith’s arms were strong, his hug warm and grounding, but Lance was far from relaxed. Something must have been wrong. Really wrong. “Are you okay?"

Keith somehow managed to squeeze tighter.

"I'm fine." He murmured. The words stuck in Lance's hair. "Everything's fine. I just- "

He sighed, finally releasing Lance.

"I want Allura to lead."

Lance leaned back still unable to fathom what was going on.

"But why?"

“Because!” Keith grabbed at his hair. “Because… I don’t trust myself. 

Lance cocked his head.

Keith pushed it away.

“I’m fine. I just, I want to be by your side.”

Lance frowned. What a strange thing to say when they were literally Captain and Vice Captain moment’s before?

“Look, it doesn’t matter. Allura’s already agreed and we really need to get going.”

Lance felt like he was missing something but Keith had a point. Every moment not spent on the battlefield was another moment of pressure on their allies. They needed to get out there.

“Okay.” Lance said, but he still lingered a moment longer. What was he missing?