Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A sense of routine had taken place aboard the castle of lions. The paladins would wake up, eat food goo, train together, eat food that Coran insisted would stimulate their brains or re-energized them that made them wish for normal food goo, train some more, have dinner consisting food goo with a Hunk flare-that actually tasted like something edible, and then some much needed rest time before they headed to bed.

They usually all went about and did their own things separately for their rest times. Keith would go back to the training deck to improve his skills, Shiro would plot attack patterns for the next time they formed Voltron and fought the Galra, Hunk would slip into the kitchen and see what more he could do to make the food goo and other various alien dishes more appetizing if he had the ingredients to do so-otherwise he’d go tinker with his lion or help Coran fix the ship, Pidge would be in green’s docking bay to modify and upgrade all sorts of things-including her own lion, and Lance did what Lance did best; either lounging or bugging one of the other paladins.

Today, however, they all seemed to convene in the lounge area together rather than go off on their own. They had just had an extremely rough battle with the Galra involving a rather resilient fleet of ships that was working on taking control of a small planets. The inhabitants were small, friendly creatures that looks like squishy centipedes. The fight felt like it went on forever, when it had only taken them a few hours to destroy the fleet and free the captive aliens that were being held by the soldiers.

The paladins were all thoroughly exhausted, but they won the fight finally after forming Voltron. Before they had, they had split up to take out as many of the battleships at they could alone before it became too much for one single person to handle. Both Keith and Shiro wound up on the planet’s surface trying to free the small village that the Galra had made their base of command.

They didn’t want to talk about that day’s fight anymore-Shiro had gone over what could have gone better already-so instead Hunk and Lance had an animated conversation about food. Keith and Shiro were on the seats directly across from them talking about different strategies and what can be done to help the team in the future. Pidge was in the middle of the boys, tapping away at her computer and giving input to both conversations when she felt it was needed or she was asked. Allura and Coran were on the Bridge checking for signs of Galra in the area-just to be ready-as their headed towards another planet to check up on, spread the word about fighting the Galra, and to restock their supplies.

Lance groaned. “Man, all this talk about food is making me hungry again…”

“You mean you actually want to eat more space goo? I mean I think I can whip something up that tastes a little better than dinner, but I’m kind of limited right now until we resupply.”

Lance patted his friend on the shoulder. “It’s all good, my man. Don’t trouble yourself. I just…want real food, you know? Like pies and cookies and cakes.”

Pidge snorted. “I don’t think your definition of real food really counts.”

“Oh yeah?! Well what would you consider real food, oh wise one?”

“Something that isn’t all sugar based. Like Shepard’s pie or spaghetti with meatballs.”

Hunk groaned. “Aw man, now I’m hungry again too. I could seriously go for all of that right now. And pizza, definitely pizza.”

There was a hum of agreement amongst the paladins, aside from Keith who simply rolled his eyes. Lance lay back with his feet over Hunk’s lap, causing the other boy to grimace. “Know what I really miss though? Home cooked meals…Like my mom’s paella, or my dad’s empanadas...”

A wave of homesickness washed over the group. Hunk was the first to break the silence. “I miss my parent’s cooking as well, but there’s a lot more things I miss than just food. Like movies, and swimming pools, and animals that I don’t have to worry will try and kill me.”

Pidge curled in on herself some; blankly staring at her screen. “I miss video games, and the internet, and being able to read code without a translator. And, while I miss my brother and father terribly, I miss my mom just as much.”

Lance could feel a lump in his throat and a burning in his eye. He wouldn’t cry though, especially in front of the others. “I miss the rain, and beaches, and malls and…my family most of all,” There was another tense silence between the group. Lance looked over at the other two in the room. Shiro looked pained, having been away for even longer than the others. “Shiro, what do you miss?”

Shiro snapped his attention to the younger male. “I really don’t like to think about those things, Lance.”

Lance could hear the strain in his voice. “Sorry. How about you, Keith?”

Keith shrugged. “I don’t really care much, honestly.”

Lance felt like he had been punched in the gut. Here they all were missing Earth- their home! -and Keith was acting like it was nothing to him at all. He shot up from the couch and stalked over to the red paladin. “What do you mean, you don’t care?! You don’t care about getting back to Earth at all?”

“Not really. The Castle or Earth, it doesn’t make much of a difference to me either way.”

“So what, after this is all over you’re just going to abandon Earth?! Stay up here?!” Lance fumed.

“Haven’t thought that far ahead, but that doesn’t sound like a bad plan to me.”

Lance nearly growled in frustration. “Oh so you’re just going to abandon everything and everyone you had on Earth, just because you don’t have enough normal human emotion to care?!”

Keith stood up and made to move out of the lounge. He was getting tired of Lance being in his face, so it was best to leave before he got worse. He ignored the jab about his lack of emotion. “Sure. Not like I have much to go back to anyway.”

He brushed passed the angry blue paladin, intent on going to Red’s hanger to check up on her then going to his room to sleep. Lance was insufferable at time, this being one of those times. He cared about his teammates, but he sure wasn’t going to stick around and let Lance insult him any further. Lance scoffed. “Oh I see. You’re just scared to go back to Earth, aren’t you?”

Keith stopped in his tracks and turned back to face Lance in confusion. “What are you even talking about? What do I have to be scared about?”

“How to face your family,” Lance gave a wicked smirk. “I’ve figured you out! You holed up in that shack in the middle of nowhere because you were too scared to go back home and face the disappointment of your parents after getting kicked out of The Garrison! I’ll bet your shitty attitude has just broken their hearts more than you can count, and you just can’t bare to face them anymore! This probably isn’t the first time you’ve been kicked out from a school, so you ran away and hide like a coward, rather than go back and show them what a failure as a son you are!”

Shiro stood up and raised his voice. “Lance!”

Lance didn’t hear Keith close in on him, but he certainly felt the right hook to his face. He was swiftly knocked back onto the floor from the force. He glared up at Keith, but the other had already turned away and stormed out of the room. The others were silent after he left. Lance stayed on the ground, rubbing his cheek. “Guess I was right….”

Shiro strode over to him and quickly assessed that the punch didn’t break anything before heading towards the door Keith had just left from. “You really shouldn’t talk about things you don’t know or understand, Lance.”

He left the area without so much as a second glace at the younger paladins. Lance stood up and flopped back on the couch with a groan. “Jeez, what a dick move. He seriously didn’t have to punch me.”

“Uh yeah Lance, I think he did have to. You totally deserved it,” Hunk stood up and began to make his way out of the room, brow furrowed as he looked at the ground. “You’re the one who pulled the dick move. I can’t even look at you right now…cause wow that was harsh man. I didn’t think you could be that cruel to anyone, and especially not someone who’s part of this team.”

Hunk left without another word. Lance called after him but was ignored. He turned his attention to Pidge who shot him a downcast look. “You need to apologize to Keith.”

“For what? Saying the cold hard truth?!”

“No Lance, for talking shit about something you have absolutely no idea about.” Lance scoffed. “Oh and what, like you know? You and Keith get all buddy-buddy while no one was watching?”

“No. I have all the personal files of everyone who ever entered The Garrison in the last five years on my laptop. So, I know a lot of things about a lot of people, and that’s why I am telling you that you absolutely need to apologize.”

Lance’s interest piqued. “Oo, what does mine say about me!?” Pidge just crossed her arms and glared at the boy until he sighed and brought his attention back to their conversation. “Okay, but you seriously have to give me a better reason than ‘I need to’. What exactly is on his file that makes you so sure I’m not completely right.”

Pidge shut her laptop and huffed. “It’s not my place to say, Lance. If Keith wanted people to know, he would have said something. Especially when you went off on him just now like a dickhead. His private life is just that, private. Even I feel bad for snooping,” She headed out of the lounge as well, intent on working applying the modifications for her lion she had just worked on. “Just…be sure to apologize, okay? The last thing we all want is not being able to form Voltron because you decided to be a colossal jerk and make wild accusations.”

With that she trudged off towards her lion’s hanger where she could be away from the petty drama. Lance stuck his tongue out at her as she left then flopped back down on the couch. He didn’t get why he should have to apologise when Keith was the one who punched him in the face-a punch he certainly didn’t pull. He was going to bruise, and it wasn’t going to be pretty. Still, he did have to admit that Pidge had a very valid point. They needed to form Voltron to beat the Galra. No Voltron, no end to this war. No end to the war means they would never get to go home because Zarkon would probably blow it up to spite them all if he was still around.

He got up and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He began making his way slowly towards the sleeping quarters. He wasn’t sure where Keith has slunk off to after he punched him, so Lance had to go looking. Thankfully, Keith only ever seemed to be in three places if he was on his own; His room, Red’s hanger, and the training deck.

He checked the rooms first, and no sign of life at all in the entire hall. Next stop was Red’s hanger, which was a bit of a pain to get to since it wasn’t his lion. He took his sweet time getting there, allowing his temper to simmer more. He wasn't in any rush to get to Keith, but he knew it was something that needed to be done for the sake of everyone else. He just hoped that once he gave his own apology, Keith would give him one for damaging Lance’s face. How was he supposed to pick up hot aliens with a gross purple and yellow mark marring his beautiful face?! Unfortunately when Lance made it to Red’s hanger no one seemed to be in there. He opened the door just in case, thankful that other paladins could go into the other hangers. It would have been quite the pain in Lance’s ass-which was hurting as well from being knocked back so hard-if Keith had actually been in there but just refused to let him in to apologise. Lance briefly looked at the red lion; she seemed to be looking disapprovingly at him, almost like she knew what Lance had said to her own paladin. Lance did a double check around the room before leaving with a drawn out, dramatic sigh. If Keith wasn’t in his room or the hanger, that left one last place. Thankfully Red’s hanger was the closest to the training deck, but it was still a decent distance away. Like everything else on the ship.

On his way to the training deck, he mulled over his verbal attack towards Keith. In hindsight, it was a dick move on his part. Lance didn’t know what Keith’s actual reason was for staying out in that shack was. He could only assume, and his older sister’s nagging voice in the back of his head reminded him that ‘when you assume it makes an ass out of you and me’. Lance closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm the panic setting in again. It always hurt thinking about never being able to make it back to Earth, never seeing his family again, but he reacted terribly just because Keith had a different opinion on the matter. He felt disappointment in himself for letting his emotions take control and make him sound like a douchebag. Keith hadn’t deserved it just because he touched a nerve. Lance knew deep down that he never meant any harm by stating his own feelings on the matter; he just answered Lance’s question honestly.

When he made finally it to the hall where the training deck was, he noticed the door was open; bright white light shining into the dimmer light of the hallway.

Typical Keith and his non-stop training, he thought as he strolled towards the light. Lance was at least a little glad that Keith was a bit predictable, or else he would have to ask someone else for help to find the other boy in the massive castle.

He was about to head straight in and get right to it, but a voice that was definitely not Keith’s made him stop before the door. “It’s not like he knows. Keith.”

Lance pressed himself up against the wall and listened. He heard Keith huff. “Yeah yeah, I know, Shiro. He doesn’t know the first thing about me, so I shouldn’t take it to heart. I’m just angry, and upset, and I’ll work it off like I always do. I promise it won’t affect forming of Voltron. I know Lance gets touchy when it comes to Earth. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

There was a pause. “Maybe…maybe you should set the record straight? Tell him why he’s so incredibly wrong about everything he said?”

“Why should I? I don’t owe Lance an explanation for anything.”

Shiro hummed in thought. “No, you don’t owe him anything. It might be an idea is all I’m saying. Talking to him and explaining your side may help you both in the future. It will strength your bonds as teammates.”

Keith let out a short harsh laugh. “Like he remembers the last time we bonded. He’d probably forget this time too, because he wouldn’t think it was important enough to remember,”

Lance was just about ready to walk right into the training deck and explain his side-it wasn’t his fault he didn’t remember; he didn’t remember much of anything from that time! He wouldn’t forget anything this time, especially if it was important.

As he moved to do just that, Keith spoke up once more so he resigned himself to press back against the wall and listened. “And okay, let’s say that I do tell him about how I don’t have a family that would be disappointed in me. I could tell him how I was orphaned at a young age and was bounced from foster care to foster care, group home to group home, and no one gave a shit long enough for me to even be a disappointment to anyone. I was extra money from the government, until I was just an extra mouth to feed that wasn’t really theirs and I was cast out,”

Keith took a breath then continued his rant. “Yeah, as I got older, my temper did cause me some issues and some families and homes kicked me out because of it. Then as a last ditch effort to do something good with my life, something with meaning, I join The Galaxy Garrison. Only to be kicked out for my ‘inability to follow directions’ and other bullshit reasons. Do you honestly think that would be enough for Lance shut up about my life and leave me alone?”

Lance’s heart dropped. All residual anger he had about Keith’s lack of caring about people back on Earth and punching him in the face vanished. Family had always been such a huge part of Lance’s life and he could never imagine having to live without them around. Yet here was Keith, having done just that all his life. Lance already felt like kind of a jerk about before, but now he really felt like an ass.

Shiro was the next to speak. “Well, I’m sure Lance would understand if you did tell him about your past, and then he wouldn’t bring it up again. He’s not unreasonable, he’s just…the most attached to Earth in comparison to the others. Strong feelings towards something can lead to emotional outburst when someone doesn’t feel that same. You know it was probably nothing personal on his end, he was just upset and missing his home.”

Keith scoffed. “Yeah, I know he probably didn’t mean it. And sure, I could tell him all about my life, or we can pretend the argument never happened and I can keep my personal business to myself. Besides, I don’t want that look of pity coming from Lance when he finds out, because than I’ll get that look from the others too since he can’t keep his mouth shut. I hate that look more than anything. Just because I have no family doesn’t mean I should be pitied or treated any differently.”

Lance frowned; he didn’t appreciate that Keith even assumed he couldn’t keep a secret. He had never once told a secret that had been shared to him, not even by accident. Still, he didn’t dare move and set the record straight. Instead he kept listening to their conversation. Shiro sighed. “I don’t think you’re giving Lance enough credit. He’s not that bad of a guy. A little eccentric and maybe a bit nosy, but I’m sure if you asked him not to tell anyone, he wouldn’t.”

“Okay, let’s say I tell him about my past since you’re so insistent about it. You just mentioned that Lance was nosy, so of course he’s going to poke his nose where it doesn’t belong and start questioning other things.”

“Like what, Keith?”

“The other bullshit reason I got kicked from The Garrison, as well as a few homes later in life might I add. You know as well I as do that he will poke and won’t stop until he gets to the truth.”

Lance was curious now; which part of his brain cursed him for because than meant Keith was completely right about him. He had always been told that it was only Keith’s inability to follow directions of their superiors that got him kicked out; even though he was the best pilot of their year. To hear there was another reason entirely was intriguing to him. Shiro’s voice grew a little softer, and Lance had to get a tiny bit closer to hear. If he moved even one more inch closer, they would be able to see him at the door. “You never did tell me the other reason, Keith. Was it because they found out you’re-.”

“Yes Shiro, that’s exactly why,” Keith snapped. “It was for the same reason I got kicked out of the Wallenberg household. I got caught, and the other guy was some rich kid whose daddy paid to have his son’s distraction removed. It didn’t help that I was still a bit of a mess after the only friend I ever made had apparently died; only to recently find out they were taken by aliens. So needless to say, I was a bit of a wreck already, and tried to find comfort with someone who didn’t treat me differently, only to have that and any hope for a promising future ripped away from me.”

There was silence. Lance didn’t dare budge, barely breathing, in fear of being heard. He had learned so much about Keith, but at the same time there were still questions he wanted answers to and he hoped if he stayed a little longer, he’d get those answers; even though part of his brain was screaming at him that he shouldn’t be listening to these things at all. This was a complete invasion of privacy, but Lance really couldn’t help himself; He wanted to know so badly. “Keith, I’m so sorry you went through that again. I had no idea…I had my suspicions of course, but I was never quite sure. I wish I had never gone to Kerberos sometimes, but if I didn’t I doubt we’d know that the Holts are still out there, and we wouldn’t be looking for them.”

Keith’s voice was shaky. “Technically we don’t know anything, we can only pray they are. For Pidge’s sake, as well as yours.”

“Right…but still, I’m sorry you were left with so many questions and feeling lost. I wish I would have been there. Maybe I could have persuaded the commanders that your talent was far more worth than they could imagine, and they shouldn’t carelessly throw you away. To toss you aside because you date men is just…”

Lance had heard enough at that point. He made his way slowly from the area than quickly turned and headed towards his room. Once inside, he slipped down the wall to sit on the floor. Keith was an orphan that had no family or friends to go home to. Keith only had made one friend in his life, and was probably too scared to make more after what happened to Shiro. Keith was gay, or at least not straight, and got kicked out of The Garrison for loving another boy. The last one made Lance’s blood boil. He was positive that there were other people in The Garrison that weren’t straight. He wasn’t straight himself, and he sure as hell made out with a few guys once or twice without there ever being a problem; even from that one time he got caught by a commanding officer hadn’t provoked more than a request they not swap spit in a public area. What Keith had been through growing up, and the treatment he had been subjected to at The Garrison was so much for one person to handle, yet Keith had no choice but take everything and keep going. Lance was sure if someone else was in Keith’s situation…well, they may not have been strong enough to keep going on. Lance wasn’t completely certain he would have been able to handle it if he had been in Keith’s place.

The revelation of Keith’s past and sexuality made Lance even more certain that not only would he give Keith the best damn apology he could, but that he would also take time and get to know his fellow paladin. He knew that he needed to talk to Keith, but he needed to talk to someone else first. His brain was a mess, and while he wasn’t going to let anything spill, he knew that if he didn’t get some form of advice on how to approach Keith after this, he was going to mess it up. He stood up and headed out of his room. There was only one person he could go to right now; and he was only hoping that she would be where he thought she was; in her lion’s hanger.

Pidge was, of course, in the green lion’s hanger. She was completely focused on her work that she didn’t even notice the other paladin come in until he place a hand on her shoulder. She shrieked and spun around with wide-eyes. “Lance!? What the fuck! Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“Sorry, sorry. I just…need to talk to someone right now.”

Pidge crossed her arms. “Did you talk to Keith yet?”

Lance shook his head and Pidge sighed and turned around. “No hang on, don’t shut me out! I went to go talk to him but…Shiro was in there talking to him first.”

Pidge side-eyed him. “You eavesdropped on them, didn’t you?”

Lance cursed. Sometimes he forgot that Pidge was incredibly intelligent and could easily and rather accurately assess a situation. “Yeah…I didn’t mean to though! But…I just couldn’t leave. It felt like I was frozen in place.”

Pidge hummed and turned back to face Lance. “So, how much did you hear?”

“Enough. I know why you told me I needed to apologise in any case. Definitely feel like a grade A asshole for saying any of that.”

“So why haven’t you gone to apologize if you know you messed up? I mean, really messed up.”

Lance pouted. “Yes, thank you Pidge, I get how badly I fucked up. I just…I can’t tell him I was eavesdropping. He’ll be even more pissed at me that I overheard his and Shiro’s conversation than he would be about earlier. Seriously, he would pummel me, and this face can only take so much damage.”

Pidge frowned. “Is you face the only thing you really care about in this?”

“No!” Lance flushed, his looks were important to him, but that wasn’t what mattered at the moment. “No, I just…I don’t want to make Keith even angrier at me than he already is. How to I go about apologising without letting slip that I know anything at all. Better yet, how do I get him to tell me these things himself? I understand Keith way better than I ever have with all this knowledge, but I can’t even let him think I know what I know.”

Pidge had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Honestly, she wasn’t cut out for dealing with these things. Why couldn’t they just let her tinker, she was good at that. No one got their feelings hurt if she was tinkering. “Look Lance, I’m not very good with this sort of thing, but I really think you just need to find him and straight out apologise. If you can get more out of him tonight, or even later on down the road, then that’s great. Don’t try and push him too far if he’s not ready to talk. He’ll open up in his own way at his own pace. Sure, giving him a little push to show that it’s okay to talk to you is fine, but don’t push too much. Instead of being rivals, become his friend, and see where that takes you two. I promise you will both be better off without all the petty fights.”

Lance smiled and engulfed the young girl in a big hug; which she squirmed to get out of. “You are wise beyond your years Pidge, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. By the end of tonight I’m going to make damn sure that Keith has at least one more person to call a friend abroad this ship!” Lance finally let her go after one more tight squeeze that made her squawk in protest and turned to head out of the hanger. “Thanks Pidge! I owe you one if it all works out!”

Pidge watched the blue paladin stroll out of the room before she turned back to her work. Her next project was going to involve tampering with the door so no one else came in to bother her.

Lance hummed a tune as he headed back towards the training deck. He would apologise to Keith of course, but as far as becoming friends with him, he wasn’t so sure how to go about doing that. Making friends had never been an issue for him ever, but this time was so much different. How do you make friends with someone who was once your rival and hasn’t ever had more than one person he was close to? Lance wasn’t sure, but he was positive that the first step of friendship was not telling Keith he had been eavesdropping. If Keith found out that Lance knew things about his personal life because he had been spying on a private conversation, that would dash any hopes of ever being friends with Keith.

Once he was certain that he knew what to say, he picked up his pace to get to the training deck sooner. The door was closed when he got there, and opening it revealed an empty room. Frowning, he quickly headed back to the sleeping quarters to see if Keith had gone back to his room. One quick head poke into Keith’s room-because they he never locked the door when he left the room- showed that he hadn’t come back to his rom. Lance than jogged the long trek to get back to Red’s hanger. On his way, he spotted Allura heading towards her own room. “Why hello, Princess! Lovely to see you this evening!”

He wasn’t in the mood to flirt, especially since his mind was otherwise occupied with finding Keith. If he wasn’t at the hanger, than Lance would have to run around the entire castle until he found him. Allura gave him a curt smile. “Hello Lance. Strange to see you in this part of the Castle at this time. Are you lost?”

“Pfft, me? Lost? Never! I’m actually in search of one short tempered paladin. Perhaps you’ve seem him?”

“Yes, I appear to be looking at him right now.”

Lance flushed. “Shiro told you about earlier, didn’t he…”

“He did. I’m quite disappointed with you, Lance. We cannot afford to risk your bonds as paladins over emotional tantrums.”

“Right…sorry. I’m looking for Keith to apologize for earlier. I was out of line.”

Allura gave him a soft smile this time. “Well, if you’re headed towards the red lion’s docking bay, you won’t find Keith there. I saw him a while ago, and he seemed to be headed towards the observation deck.”

“The observation deck? Like the Bridge? Is that another name for it?”

“Not quite. It’s almost like a smaller version of the Bridge, without all the controls and screens for flying the Castle. It’s not well known about. I hadn’t even known any of you had located it until I found Keith in there on evening.”

“Could you…could you tell me how to get there?”

Allura gave him a once over. “Can you promise me that you won’t make things worse if I tell you.”

Lance put a hand to his heart. “I promise, Princess.”

Allura nodded and explain how to get to the room. It was on the other side of the castle, and took a bit of time to get to since it was rather out of the way from everything else. Still, Lance wouldn’t be deterred because it was a bit of a walk to get to. He walked until he was sure Allura couldn’t see him any more than ran in the direction she had told him. The sooner he got to Keith and apologized, the better.

He eventually found the area in which Allura had described and stopped before the door. He was nervous, but he knew that he couldn’t afford to chicken out now. Lance placed a hand on the pad by the door and walked inside. Sure enough, Keith was there, leaning against a glass wall in the corner, staring out into the void of space. When he heard the door open, he looked over his shoulder to see who it was. With a sigh, he pushed off from the wall and headed towards Lance. He wasn’t planning on staying in the room and talking, but he’d have to pass Lance to get to the door. He'd had enough of the boy for one evening, and would deal with him in the morning when they both had more time to simmer. Lance seemed to understand Keith’s intent and moved to block the door. “Keith, can we talk?”

Keith glared at the brunette. “I don’t know Lance, can we? Every time we seem to talk, it ends up with us fighting. I have had enough of that for one day, thanks.”

He made to push past Lance, but Lance grabbed onto his arm. “Keith wait! I came to apologize!”

Keith snorted. “Yeah? Under whose orders? Shiro? Allura? Maybe even Coran? Did Hunk threaten he’d stop giving you his food creations, or maybe Pidge said she’d tamper with Blue. Which one was it?”

“No one! I came here on my own!”

“I find that very hard to believe, Lance.” Keith tried to tug his arm out of Lance’s grasp.

Lance let out an exasperated sigh; Keith could be so damn stubborn. “Look, I swear that absolutely no one ordered or threatened me into coming to apologize. If I’m lying then… then may I never be able to return to Earth!”

Even the thought made his gut twist in anxiety, but he figured it would show Keith how serious he really was. It worked, Keith gave him a wide-eyed look and moved back a bit to properly face him. “Alright, I believe you. No need for dramatics.”

Lance gave him a small, pained smile. At least Keith believed that he was only here on orders; even if it meant making a promise with something that pained him. Lance released Keith’s arm so the other paladin wasn’t feeling forced into staying. “Do you…want to sit down?”

Keith didn’t care either way, but he was rather tired from exerting himself a little harder than normal to work out his anger. Keith moved back towards the glass and sat himself down on the floor. He wasn’t sure what the floor around the windows were made of, but it was soft, almost like cushions. Lance followed and sat himself near the other boy, only to exclaim excitedly about the feeling of the cushion like floor. They didn’t talk for a while other than that; they both just sat in a tense silence. “Okay Lance, I’m listening. I’m not going to stay here all night while you pretend like you care.”

“That’s not fair Keith. I do care,” Lance pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arounds around his legs. “I’m beyond sorry about earlier. I lashed out, and it was completely uncalled for. I totally deserved getting punched.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? That’s the apology you came to give me?” He rolled his eyes and stood up. “Well, whatever. It’s good enough. Not sorry I punched you in the face at all by the way, so I'm glad you agree you deserved. Thanks for the apology, as weak as it was, and you have a good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Wait! I’m not done!” Lance made to grab Keith’s wrist, but only managed to catch his hand. He blushed slightly and dropped the hand. “I wanted to talk more…I realize that I really don’t know anything about you besides from your piloting skills and that you’re more of an act now kind of guy. I don’t know what your reasons are for not being as attached to Earth, but I’m sure they’re good ones. Could you maybe...help me understand? I know it’s a lot to ask, but I don’t want to fight about things like this any more. I don’t want to fight at all, actually. I’d like to know you, if you’ll let me.”

Keith stared down at him, shock evident on his face. “Why do you want to? You never cared about me past being your rival before. Why now?”

“I just told you. I don’t want to fight any more and I want to get to know you. You’re the only person that’s kind of a mystery to me. There’s only seven people on this ship, and I know a decent amount about everyone except you. I know more about Coran than I know about you, and that’s saying something!”

“That’s because Coran doesn’t stop talking, especially when you get stuck cleaning with him.”

Lance chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.” “What about Shiro, Allura or Pidge? Surely you can’t know much about them either.”

“Well Shiro was my idol, so I learned a bit about him that way, plus just spending time around him and listening to him talk about his time on the Galra ships helps. Pidge was part of my team back at The Garrison. While we didn’t spend a ton of time outside the simulations, I still learned a bit about her habits and likes. Did you know she likes peanut butter but not peanuts? She ranted about that during breakfast once,”

Lance ignored the wave of homesickness that hit him once again. It was a tight feeling in his heart and burning in the back of his throat. “As far as Allura goes, she talks about Altea and her father often enough. We’ve all seen her in action, and she’s awesome! While I know the least about her of those three, I can still say I grasp her life better than I get yours. We’re supposed to be teammates, and yet I’ve been so caught up in you being my rival, that I kind of missed the important parts of what makes a great team; getting to know and understand the others in the team. Being their friend.”

“You were my self-proclaimed rival only a few hours ago, and now you’re saying you want to be friends?”

Lance cocked his head. He didn’t think that was so hard to understand. “Yes? Is that really so strange?”

Keith snorted. “Man, I must have really hit you hard. I rattled your brain pretty good.”

“No! I mean yeah you hit me hard, but the only thing you damaged was my gorgeous face. Seriously Keith, I just want to be your friend. Is that so bad?”

Keith wasn’t looking at him. “I don’t really do friends, Lance. It never really works out for me.”

Lance knew that was only partially true, but he wasn’t going to say that. “What, you’ve never had a single friend before? I find that hard to believe, even for you, mister grumpy-mullet.”

Keith rolled his eyes at the nickname, “Yeah well, the only friend I ever made got abducted by aliens, but no one knew that so I thought he was dead for a year. I wouldn’t say that’s a great first experience with friendship.”

“Well see, now I know something I didn’t know before. You were friends with Shiro before all this. You knew him before the Kerberos mission. I never knew that,” Keith blinked. He hasn’t meant to give in to Lance’s request of getting to know him, yet here he was telling Lance that his only friend in the world is Shiro. Lance grinned up at him. “That wasn’t so hard to tell me, was it?”

“It wasn’t intentional….”

“But it still happened, and I count that as a good thing.”

Keith couldn’t believe the other boy was so damn happy about knowing that Keith was friends with Shiro, yet here he was grinning like an idiot. He patted the floor beside him, signalling he wanted Keith to sit down and chat more. Keith wanted nothing more than to just leave and hide away, but instead he sat back down and continued to stare out the glass, rather than the other boy in the room. The view was pretty to look at when he first found the room, but now it just all seemed the same. You’ve seen one star; you’ve seen a billion. He appreciated the solitude that space provided though, that sense of being alone even if people were around. It was silent, and he enjoyed that.

Lance was still starting at him, patiently waiting for Keith to talk again. Keith glanced over at the other boy after growing tired of waiting for the boy to speak first. “I don’t know what you want me to say…this whole thing just seems ridiculous to me.”

Lance shrugged. “Whatever you want to say. It doesn’t have to be big things. It can be small things like...what’s your favorite color?”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “Why do you even want to know that?” “We’re bonding! My favorite color is purple!”

“I would have thought it would be blue…”

Lance shook his head. “Nope! Always loved purple. Blue is a close second, but purple has been my favorite since I was five years old. How about you?”

“…Red.”

Lance laughed. “I sort of figured. Okay, how about…what’s your favorite thing about flying?”

Keith paused to think about the question. He knew he didn’t have to answer at all, he could leave. However, he knew that if he and Lance got along better, it would strengthen the team as a whole for when they formed Voltron; and that benefitted not only the team, but the entire universe that they were trying to protect. “I guess…the speed? The adrenaline rush I get when I’m shooting through the skies-or stars in this case- or weaving through asteroids.”

Lance nodded, completely understanding. “Same here. How about…your favorite movie?”

“Didn’t really watch movies.”

Lance gasped in shock. “What?! Surely you’ve had to have watched some!”

“I guess? I just…didn’t pay enough attention to remember them. It wasn’t all that important to me.”

Lance shrugged. “That’s fair. How about books? Any that you enjoyed?”

“Uh…I liked reading non-fiction more than anything else. History books and books about space science. Facts always appealed to me more than fantasy.”

Lance hummed in acknowledgement. “Well I can definitely see that. Did you have any fiction books you enjoyed?”

“…War and Peace was pretty good.”

“Whoa, you actually read that book!? It’s massive! I couldn’t even get half way through!”

“I had a lot of alone time growing up, so it was something to do more than anything. Kept me distracted from all the negative shit in my life.”

Lance wanted to say something, but he didn’t want to push. Nor did he want to accidentally let slip about what he overheard. “Sorry to hear that.”

Keith gave a half shrug. “Yeah well, such is life I guess. I suppose I could have had it a lot worse than I did.”

“…Hey Keith, can I ask something that may be a bit touchy?”

Keith sighed. “You can ask, but that doesn’t mean I’ll respond if I don’t want to.”

Lance thought that was fair. He wasn’t learning all that much, and certainly nothing to the extent of what he had heard before, but he hadn’t been expecting much. Still, he was thankful for the few bits of information that Keith was willing to tell him. “Is there anything…you do miss back on Earth?”

It was a while before Keith responded; so long that Lance thought Keith wasn’t going to respond at all. “I do miss some things, but nothing really that holds a strong attachment like you and the others have. I know you all miss Earth, and you all have families that are there. It’s not the same for me, it never has been or will be, but I will make sure that after we beat the Galra, I will help get everyone home.”

“Do you…not have a family?”

Lance knew the answer, but it was one thing to hear it when he wasn’t supposed to, and another to hear it straight from the person in question. Keith shifted, looking uncomfortable. “I don’t.”

Lance nodded. Even though he already knew, it almost seemed to make his heart ache more now that he was hearing it straight from Keith himself. “I see. Then I am even sorrier about earlier.”

“You didn’t know. No one knows, except Shiro. He was my neighbour when I was younger. That’s how we met. He’s the reason I even thought to join The Garrison.”

“Well, your secrets safe with me. I promise you, no one else will know anything you’ve just told me, unless you decide to tell them yourself. The Galra could capture me and torture me for the information, and I would still never tell!”

Keith shot him a small, albeit uneasy, smile. “Thanks, Lance.”

Lance patted him on the shoulder. “Any time, buddy. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can always come talk to me. I may not look like it, but I am a fantastic listener! I know Shiro is probably your first option, but just know I’m here for you if you need me!”

“…I’ll keep that in mind,” Keith stood up and stretched some. “Well, I’m heading to bed. Knowing Allura, she’s going to sound the alarm early tomorrow and I’d like at least a little bit of sleep. Goodnight, Lance.”

Lance waved at him as he retreated. “Night Keith! See you in the morning.”

As Keith walked towards the door, he paused slightly. “The sunsets.”

“Huh?”

Keith was standing awkwardly between Lance and the door, head turned to the side just enough so Lance could hear him. Lance could just barely make out the pink on the tips of Keith’s ears and the edge of his cheek. “Something I miss about Earth. I miss the viewing the sunsets from my porch. I miss the sound of the coyotes howling in the distance, I miss my speeder; even though I love flying Red, its not the same. And…I kind of miss my guitar.”

Lance was processing the information, but before he could exclaim his excitement about Keith playing an instrument, Keith had left the room. Lance quickly jumped up and scrambled after the other boy, but he was gone from the hallway faster than Lance had expected. He figured Keith was embarrassed about his reveal, so Lance chose not to pursue him further. He made his way back to his room and a leisurely pace, grinning like a fool. Lance didn’t know why the knowledge Keith just dropped on him made him happy, but it did. His heart raced at the thought of Keith sitting on his porch, strumming a guitar while the sun was setting on the horizon. The image in his head was something to behold, and Lance only prayed that when everything was over, he’d be able to see it in person.

He stopped abruptly. The desire alone was a bit strange to him in itself; seeing Keith play a guitar at sunset, just the two of them? Even he had to admit that was just a tiny bit mushy and not something he’d normally see himself doing with a friend; not even Hunk! The idea of the two alone together was quickly shoved from his mind, to be replaced with a better image including the rest of the paladins. They could all enjoy a moment together back on Earth, after this battle was won. Once Lance had made it back to his room and completed his nightly skin routine, he jumped into bed and fell asleep almost as soon as his head it the pillow. He drifted off thinking about his earlier conversation with Keith, and the beginnings of friendship he had just formed. It made him happy that he could easily call the boy his friend, and not just his rival. As he slipped into dreamland, he had one more fleeting thought about the red paladin.

I wonder if Keith can sing.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Lance woke up feeling incredibly well rested. After his talk with Keith the night before, he could safely say that they were on the road to friendship. He would have to spend more time with Keith, both in training and outside to really make their friendship work, but the thought didn’t bother him in the slightest. In fact, he was sort of looking forward to spending more time with him now that their relationship was changing; for the better.

Allura hadn’t buzzed the alarm to get them battle ready this morning, as Keith had suggested she might, so Lance took his sweet time making his way to the dining hall. The rest of the team were already there eating their goo like every other morning.

“Good morning everybody.”

“Good morning to you too, Lance. You certainly seem in better spirits this morning.” It was Allura who spoke, the rest of the team wearily looking back and forth between Keith and Lance. Keith saw their glances and sighed. “Morning.”

“Nice to see some people have the decency to answer back,” Lance made a face at Hunk and Pidge-who just shrugged and continued to eat their goo; Shiro looked a little sheepish. He sat himself at his normal space beside Keith and the rest of the table seemed to relax at the sight of the two getting along. “Now, is this normal space goo, or has this magically become better than yesterday.”

Coran huffed and muttered about ungrateful paladins. Hunk explained that when they are able to restock, he’s going to be getting some types of space herbs and vegetables to hopefully make everything else taste like food back home. “Plus, Pidge has been helping me work on a type of conversion device. We might be able to make the goo resemble certain items like bread or meats.”

Pidge was multi-tasking eating and typing on her laptop. “Although whether or not we can get it to taste like the items it will resemble is a different story. It’s a work in progress,” she shot a sheepish look to Coran. “Not that we don’t appreciate the food we get now. We just want to see what more we can do with it.”

Lance nodded as he helped himself to his goo. “Speaking of restocking. When are we supposed to be at the next planet?”

Coran twirled his mustache in thought. “We’re coming up on the planet as we speak. We should reach Xueter by the time you lot break for lunch. We’ll eat, dock the ship if they permit us, and do our duties to form a relationship with their people. After ten thousand years, you never know who still remember their alliances with Altea.”

Allura nodded. “It’s very important that we have as many allies on our side when we go up against Zarkon. The more people willing to help our cause, the better. It also gives us opportunities to hide away if we are ever in need of sanctuary for a short while.”

Lance snorted. “Like we’ve ever hidden from the Galra. We’d just form Voltron and kick some Galra ass!”

“While that is what we would do in an ideal situation, I was thinking more of a situation where one of your lions is damaged, or worse; one of you gets gravely injured.”

They all knew it could happen; already had with Lance while they were on Arus. If they got attacked on a planet before they were able to really save anyone, or one that they feared the Galra may return to with more of an army, they would have to fall back and recover some. While in that event it would usually be that they stay on the planet they just saved, in some cases they may not be able to for a variety of reasons.

“Well I’m just hoping this planet has some food we can use. I love the goo, when it’s not attacking me, but I need some variety in my diet.” Hunk eased the tension some, but the very real reminder how dangerous their job was hung in the back of their minds as they finished their breakfast. Once the table was cleared and everything cleaned, the team made their way to the training deck; save for Lance who headed to his room to change into actual clothes rather than his sleepwear.

Training always seemed repetitive and tedious, but they all knew it was necessary to strengthen themselves and the team for their on-going battle with the Galra. Today they started with mind melding; something they all rather hated because sometimes it was difficult not to let the others see what was going on in the back of their mind. Lance was worried about his eavesdropping coming to light, so he focused a lot more than he normally did. It turned out that his extra focus made the exercise go a lot smoother than normal. They were all able to connect and form their mental puzzles; it wasn’t always just Voltron they formed, Coran had them do a bunch of mental puzzles and builds to help over all with their mental links.

They also broke into groups and tried to press into each other’s thoughts. The exercise was geared to help them if they ever got telekinetically interrogated if they were captured. Lance and Hunk normally paired up, but this time Lance had a different partner in mind. “Keith, partner with me?”

It surprised everyone, including Keith, but he agreed none the less. Normally the red paladin chose Shiro or Pidge; whoever wanted to work with him that day. The person left out was paired with Allura, who was always a challenge; whether it was shielding their own thoughts or trying to get into hers, her experience vastly outweighed theirs and it certainly showed.

Lance chose to try and breach Keith’s mind first. He concentrated with all he had to break through Keith’s mental barrier, and he then learned very quickly that Keith was very good at keeping his thoughts private. He figured that may come from how he grew up; never really having anyone he deeply cared for in his life, save for one person, who could help him make those connections. Lance on the other hand, was not nearly as good at keeping his thoughts to himself. Thankfully for him, what always slipped through were random thoughts that popped into his mind, rather than the secrets or anxious thoughts that he harboured deep in the back of his mind.

Keith snorted once he broke through Lance’s weak mental barrier. “I don’t think the lions will chase after lights like that.”

Lance shrugged. “You never know, they may have kitty instincts buried deep in their programing…or magic. Either way, I think it’s a very real possibility that you could play with them like normal. Maybe not yours though.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but had to agree that if the lions did play like cats – which he doubted they did – that red wouldn’t take part. She was far to dignified and proud. They tried once more with Lance failing after fifteen minutes; a personal best for him. They switched off partners, Lance being paired with Pidge this time. Pidge struggled much like Lance did, only she almost always thought about her family rather than anything else. Today was no different, she pushed against Lance mentally probing into her mind only to let through a memory of her and her brother playing in a treehouse together.

Lance reached out and grasped Pidge’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. “We’ll get them back, I promise.”

Keith’s comment the previous night flooded into his mind. He didn’t want to even think it was a possibility that Pidge’s father and brother weren’t still alive, but he knew it may be a reality they had to face in the future. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind as Pidge began her turn of entering Lance’s mind; or trying to. She wasn’t as forceful to start off with, but after twenty minutes she got impatient and really pushed against Lance’s mental block. When she broke though, she started laughing at the picture in Lance’s mind. “Really Lance?”

His mind had gone back to the thought of just him and Keith on the porch of Keith’s shack, watching the sunset together. Pidge had been quite so the others weren’t paying attention to them. Which Lance felt was a blessing as his face was on fire. “Shut up. It would be a bonding moment. You would all be there too!”

“Uh-huh, but that’s not what I saw~!”

Lance groaned and took of the mental link device. “Okay, we’re done. Moving on.”

Pidge snickered and she took of her own connection and stood up. The rest of the team was just about done; only waiting for Keith and Shiro. They both looked like they weren’t even phased by the other trying to prod into their mind; it was hard to tell who was trying to enter whose mind. After a few more minutes Shiro cracked a smile and opened his eyes. Keith huffed and looked away.

Lance was impressed that Shiro had managed to break Keith’s seemingly impenetrable barrier. They took off their devices and got ready to run the invisible maze. They all tried to argue that they trusted each other and that there was no need for it, but Allura and Coran disagreed. Lance figured it probably had something to do with him and Keith always at each other’s throats. Hopefully when they became better friends, they could get rid of this exercise all together.

Hunk and Lance were the first to go, and other than a few mess ups in directions, they didn’t have any issues. Shiro and Pidge managed to get through without a problem; though Pidge did make a note she wanted to see how exactly Shiro’s metal arm reacted to the shocks. He wasn’t on board with that idea.

Keith waited for whoever chose to be his partner for this exercise. Allura never participated in this one, so it was usually a choice for whoever didn’t mind running the maze twice. “Attention, this is your captain speaking. Please be advised that I am the master of this drill, and you are in good hands.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Right, so that wasn’t you who ran Hunk into the same wall three times?”

“It was four times, actually,” Lance shot Hunk and apologetic look before turning his attention back to the screen. “Now have no fear, I’ve got this. Three steps left and five steps forward.”

As it turned out, Lance was actually decent at the maze when he set his mind to it. Keith managed to get away with only brushing against a wall rather than walking head on into it. When Lance switched, he was glad to see that Lance was actually following his directions correctly. When he reached the end of the maze, he couldn’t help but cheer. Keith left out a small laugh at Lance dancing on the floor below. Shiro placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder and leaned into the mic. “Great job, both of you. Coran’s called for an early lunch; we’ve arrived at Xueter a lot quicker than anticipated.”

They all convened for lunch after they changed into their flight suits. They were going to dock the castle, but they should be prepared for anything; thus, they were ready for battle if something came up. Lunch was a rather different affair since they weren’t tired from fighting the gladiator or any other bot in the training room. Hunk was asking Coran if he remembered any types of local vegetation that they could use. Coran went off about some vegetables he remembered, but the conversation quickly turned into something about exploration days in his cadet years and everyone else who wasn’t involved in the conversation tuned him out; meaning Hunk was the only one who actively had to pay attention since he’s the one who started the conversation in the first place. Although Hunk honestly didn’t mind, he did learn some stuff about the native plants of Xueter, even if it was through a long-winded process of Coran recounting old tales.

They had been permitted to land the castle to restock and meet with the leader of the Xueterians. The castle landed on top of a small hill with a flatter top. The entire planet was covered in in rolling, grassy hills. The grass, however, was yellow in color rather than an Earth-like green. There seemed to be no real trees as far as they could see, only bushes that came up to about Shiro’s height. The bushes themselves were neon colors ranging from greens to pinks to blues, all seeming to sport some type of food or another. In Coran’s retelling of his younger years, he had mention to Hunk that the planet had an abundance of native vegetation that used to be sold for trade. He wasn’t certain that trading between planets happened as much any more with the Galra taking over most of the galaxy.

A welcoming party was waiting for them when they stepped out of doorway. The Xueterians were thin, gangly creatures with four arms and six legs. Green in base color, with a variety of different colors splotched in varying places amongst them. No two Xueterians looked alike in coloring, all having a unique pattern of colors and splotches. The average Xueterian stood at about Allura’s height, their large grey eyes looking in wonder at the Princess.

Lance was trying hard not to laugh when one of their welcome party spoke. Their cheeks were puffed liked chipmunks at all times, with voices sounding like they consumed helium on a regular basis.  “Greetings Princess of Altea and great Paladins of Voltron. I am Waennos, your guide. Please, if you would allow us to show you to our great leader Infra, we would be most honored.”

“Of course, we would be delighted for the tour.” Allura spoke in a strong manner, smiling at the alien before her.

The group was lead in between the hills on a rough path; Coran staying behind to keep an eye on the ship and checking it over before they took off once more. The path was difficult for the people with only two legs, rather than six sturdy ones, but they managed with very little sliding on their way; thankfully not losing their hover cart to carry back their supplies.

The town was not far from where they had docked their ship, the houses on the outer layer seemed to have the most number of bushes with strange fruits on them, but almost all houses had at least two outside their front doors. The houses themselves were rather small, single story buildings. It didn’t appear that any of the buildings were over seven feet tall.

Other Xueterians poked their head out from doorways and peered through windows as the group made their way to the other end of town. The only building that looked about ten feet tall, and three times the size of the larger houses that they saw in the town; was the home of the Xueterian’s leader. It was modest, save for the size. There was no ornate decoration on the outside, it looked like all the other building.

They entered through the small door and made their way inside to the main room. It would almost be considered a throne room, but it reminded the team of someone’s living room a lot more. Comfortable looking chairs with a fire pit in the middle. On the middle couch facing them was a Xueterian with gold and red splotches adorning her body. She stood as everyone filed in. “Greetings, I am Infra, leader of the Xueterians. It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Allura of Altea and Paladins of Voltron.”

“The pleasure is ours. Thank you ever so kindly for allowing us to land our ship on your lovely planet to restock our supplies.”

“I hope you are able to find everything you require on our planet before you make your departure,” Infra strode over to their group, giving them a once over. “My grandfather spoke of the Alteans, and the tragedy of your planet. Allow me to give my deepest sympathies for the loss of your home all those years ago. Xueter has never forgotten its ties with Altea, so please rest easy.”

A sorrowful look passed through Allura’s eyes before the smiled brightly at Infra. “I am delighted to hear that. Please, if you wouldn’t mind, I would love to speak with you about some sensitive issues.”

Infra nodded and gestured to the couches behind her. Allura bowed and made her way over to the plush seats. Infra turned to address the paladins. “I would quite like to speak to your Princess alone, so Waennos will show you around town and help you restock your supplies.”

Shiro crossed his arms. “I’m sorry to oppose, but one of us will be staying with the Princess. Just in case something happens. I’m sure you understand.”

“I do not think any harm will befall your Princess, but if it makes you feel more comfortable, I have no qualms with one of you staying behind.”

Allura looked cross, but Shiro ignored her. He turned to his teammates. “I’ll stay with the Princess. I’ll leave you four to get supplies for the castle. Hunk, I’m leaving you in charge.”

“You got it! I’ll make sure we are all stocked and ready to go before you know it,” as the others turned to file out, Hunk leaned closer to Shiro and lowered his voice. “I’ll also watch to make sure no one strays off…again.”

Shiro patted Hunk on the shoulder and turned to join the Princess, who was still less than happy that he assumed she needed a bodyguard. Hunk joined up with the rest of the team, tagging a little behind to keep a better eye on them all. He knew they could all behave, but at the same time, there was no telling if any of them would disappear. So as much as he was asking questions to their guide, he was also making sure that they stuck together.

Xueter had a relatively decent sized marketplace in between the town and Infra’s manor. There were all sorts of fruits and vegetables being sold, and the team had a field day gathering different types of food to try for the castle. They had some Altean jewels to trade with, but Waennos insisted that for the Paladins of Voltron, there need be no payment. “Anyone who is brave enough to fight against the Galra has our eternal thanks.”

“So how have you guys heard of us anyway? Normally when we go to other planets, people either haven’t heard of us or Voltron is just a legend. Also, about the Galra. You guys seem pretty Galra free, even though they have definitely been in this area before.”

Waennos turned his body to speak to Lance directly. “As our leader said, we have never forgotten our alliance to Altea. Many instances with Voltron have been recorded in our history books. To us, Voltron has never been just a story, but a being of great importance to our planet. As far as the Galra, they do not bother with our planet as there is nothing special they can exploit from us.”

Lance seemed to accept it, turning back to the Xueterians merchant who was smiling at him. He winked at her, causing her to giggle and flush a brilliant pink. The team rolled their eyes and dragged Lance over to the next stall. “Aw come on! I was just being friendly! I didn’t even say anything!”

Pidge pulled him along. “Uh-huh, and remember the last time you were just being friendly?”

Lance pouted as he allowed himself to be taken to a stall with what appeared to be herbs. They were all very dim colors, in comparison everything else on the planet. The shopkeeper, Feitox-as he introduced himself-explained that their spices weren’t as vibrant in color so as not to take away from the other colors in a dish. As Hunk was engrossed in a conversation about the different dishes that were considered local cuisine, Pidge slipped away from the group.

Keith was the first to notice, nudging Lance and motioning to the empty space where Pidge once was. Lance’s eyes went wide; Shiro was going to have their heads if they lost Pidge. Hunk was still in deep conversation, so the two slipped away from the group in search of the younger paladin. They were both determined to find her before anyone else noticed they had left too.

Late afternoon appeared to be when the majority of the Xueterians came out to shop and mingle; the crowd was nearly double in size than what it had been before. They searched the immediate area, checking around various stalls and even behind some bushes with no luck. Lance began asking the locals if anyone had seen her, chatting up a few of the more attractive aliens he spoke to. Most had no idea who they were talking about, while others didn’t feel up to conversation. Keith frowned. “Maybe we should split up? Cover more ground?”

“We could, but I’d hate to lose you as well.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “If anyone is getting lost, it’d be you.”

“Hey now! I have a fantastic sense of direction I’ll have you know!” Keith held back a laugh. “But in all seriousness, we should probably just stick together. New planet, don’t know where we’re going, it’s best not to be alone.”

Keith didn’t agree, splitting up would save them a ton of time, but he didn’t argue. They continued their search further away from where they had been, but to no avail. Eventually, both of them got a bit side-tracked every once in a while when either of them found something of interest in a stall. Lance would always beckon Keith over and show him whatever he trinket he found. Usually it was strange articles of clothing or random do-dads that didn’t seem like they could be used for much of anything but Lance thought they were cool.

Keith was honest in his opinions of the various objects Lance showed him; though he was sure to do so quietly so as not to offend the shop keepers. Keith also found a few things of interest as well; which Lance always teased him for as most of the items were a weapon of sorts. Some where long glowing swords, while others were small daggers that barely looked long enough to do any real damage but still looked lethal.

Before they knew it, they had circled back around and they were back at the herb stall where they had left Hunk. Hunk wasn’t anywhere to be seen, and neither were the guides. “Aw man, Hunk is probably gonna be so angry when we find him.”

“Hunk is very angry, actually.” Hunk was standing behind them, one hand on a hip, the other holding Pidge by the collar. “I look away for two seconds!”

They all apologised sheepishly. Hunk wasn’t a scary guy per se, but they all knew that if he was angry enough he would go on and on about something, and no one wanted to deal with that. “Dude, we’re sorry,” Lance slung an arm around Hunk’s shoulder. “But how about we don’t tell Shiro that this ever happened, okay? He’ll give all of us a lecture, even you, since you did let Pidge slip away.”

Hunk narrowed his eyes. “I should tell Shiro, I really should. But unfortunately, you’re right. No one says anything, agreed?”

They all agreed unanimously; Angry Shiro could be a scary thing, but even worse is that he would mention it to Allura and they could never tell what punishment she might have in store for them.

Lance turned to Pidge, crossing his arms. “Although, what the hell Pidge? Why’d you run off anyway?”

Pidge shrugged, unfazed by Lance’s scowl. “Cool droid. I wanted to see how it worked,” She shook out of Hunk’s grasp on her collar. “Also, I’m not twelve guys; I found my way back just fine on my own. Besides, we have the coms in our helmets, in case you boys forgot. You could have simply opened it up to a private line and asked me to come back.”

The boys opened their mouths to retort, but none of them could argue. They had all forgotten the were wearing their helmets and could in fact have just messaged her. Waennos looked less than impressed about the entire ordeal, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he brought them to a few more stalls before bringing them back up to the Castle. Coran was waiting for them, helping load all their goods into the ship.

On their way back to retrieve the Princess and Shiro, Coran accompanied them with Hunk staying behind to put their supplies away. It wasn’t just food they got, they also obtained a few parts for the ship just in case.  Coran talked to Waennos the entire time, speaking of days before any of the current residence of Xueter were even a thought. Waennos seemed to perk up, talking excitedly about all the things that Coran had missed in the ten thousand years of slumber he had.

When they returned back to Infra’s home, Shiro was waiting just outside the doors of the main room. He looked a little embarrassed, but no one wanted to press him for answers. Allura stepped out of the doors with Infra, laughing about something on the way. “Oh, it saddens me we must depart, but duty calls.”

Infra smiled and grasped Allura’s hand. “It was a pleasure spending time with you. I will be sure to call if we are ever in need of your assistance. And perhaps, even if we don’t,” She brought Allura’s hand up and kissed the back of it. “Until we meet again, Princess.”

The other four Paladins gaped, but Shiro shot them a warning look. “Thank you for your hospitality, your Grace.”

Infra acknowledged Shiro’s words with a small nod. “You are always welcome back on Xueter. It is comforting to know that the Paladins of Voltron will aide us if we are ever in need.”

They all thanked Infra for her hospitality before headed off back to the castle. Allura talked animatedly to Coran about how charming Infra was and how she was such a gracious host. Lance kept his eye on Shiro’s face. He nudged Keith. “What do you think is up with him?”

Keith snorted. “Did you not see how Infra was with Allura? She was probably flirting up a storm with Allura and Shiro left to give them some space.”

“Huh,” He considered the evidence of how he last saw Infra with Allura. “I wonder if she flirted back. Do you think Allura likes other women?”

“Worried about your chances?”

“Pfft, as if I actually have any chance. Nah, I’m just curious.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “You know you have no chance, but you flirt with her anyway?”

“Sure why not?” Lance shrugged as he trekked on back to the ship. “There’s no harm in it, and I enjoy it. Can’t let my skills go rusty while I’m up here. Besides, there’s plenty of gorgeous people up here to practise my skills on.”

“Skills you say.”

Lance gave a friendly shove at Keith’s shoulder. The move wasn’t wise on the path they were on, causing Keith to lose his footing and fall. He grabbed onto the first thing he could to stable himself, which happened to be a very stunned Lance. They toppled downwards together, sliding down the hill away from the rest of their team. They stopped at the base of the hill in a tangled mess of limb. Keith groaned as he sat up and moved his legs from Lance’s. “You’re fault.”

Lance lay flat on his back. “Yeah, I’ll take that.”

Shiro and the others were shouting down at them, carefully making their way towards them. They gave themselves a few extra minutes to rest before getting up and making their way back to their team. Lance was a little unsteady from the tumble, which Keith noticed. He shook his head and lifted Lance’s arm over his shoulder. “You shove me down, and yet you’re the one who needs to be steadied.”

“Hey, you grabbed me, so I fell too. You’re lucky I cushioned your fall, or you’d be just this sore!”

Keith laughed, small smile adorning his normally serious face. “My hero.”

Lance stuck out his tongue. “You’re damn right.”

They made it back to the castle just before nightfall. They thanked Waennos for everything he did, and boarded the ship. Everyone gathered in the Bridge or take off, sitting in their chairs. Hunk had to be dragged from the kitchen before they could launch, grumbling about being in the middle of dinner. The take off was the same as always, loud and rather uneventful. Before long, they had left planet Xueter and were making their way through space once more.

Allura, in good spirits, did not ask the paladins to do more training exercises before dinner. Hunk had torn off back to the kitchen as soon as it was safe to be released from their seats. Keith had snuck away to the training deck himself before anyone noticed he was gone. Coran beckoned Shiro over to plot out their next stop. Pidge was headed towards the kitchen to see if she could help Hunk out. Lance turned to ask if Keith wanted to hang out, only to find he wasn’t there.

Lance frowned and made his way towards the only place he’d figure Keith would be at this time; the training deck. His hunch paid off, Keith was already sparing with a low level gladiator. Lance watched from beside the door. “Jesus Keith, do you have any chill?”

Keith sliced through the bot-causing the bot to vanish. “I just like to train. Problem?”

Lance pushed himself off the wall and headed over towards his teammate. “With you training constantly? No. With the fact that you are probably going to be a cripple by the time you’re twenty-five? Absolutely.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“You’ve been here for what, like maybe ten minutes?”

Keith crossed his arms. “If that. What of it?”

Lance waved his arms. “Do you even stretch before you train?” Keith looked away. “No of course you don’t! Here I thought a workout junkie would know the basics of a healthy work out.”

Keith rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t normally think about it. I guess my thought is more like, I’m not going to have a chance to stretch in a real battle, so why should I if I’m training for battle. Makes it feel more real.”

Lance tsked and placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Keith, buddy, while I do completely get your point, I cannot stand by and watch you wreck your muscles. Come on, we’re stretching.”

Keith tried to argue, but the door hissed open and Pidge poked her head inside. “Am I interrupting something?”

Lance took his hand off Keith’s shoulder. “Just an informative lesson on taking care of one’s body.”

Pidge scrunched up her face. “I don’t even want to know. Dinner is ready, come get it before we eat it all. Hunk outdid himself.”

She exited the room, leaving the boys alone once more. They shared a glace at one another before racing off towards the dining area. Lance got to the door first, but before he could celebrate his victory, Keith slipped past him and took up his normal seat at the table. Lance shouted in outrage and rushed to the table to get some food before everyone else ate it all. Once everyone settled down, Lance lightly punched Keith in the shoulder; which Keith returned with only slightly more force.

Dinner was amazing, and everyone’s compliments to Hunk made him tear up. Everyone dispersed and headed their own ways, save for Lance, who tailed after Keith back to the training deck. “Are you going to follow me and made sure I stretch properly?”

“Yep.” Lance popped the P loudly. “Gotta make sure my teammate doesn’t pull something because he’s won’t do some simple stretches.”

Keith sighed and resigned himself to the knowledge that there was no way he was going to get Lance to lose interest. They entered the training deck together, and Keith did a few arm stretches and leg stretched before inclining his head towards Lance. “There. Are you satisfied?”

Lance shook his head. “You’re like a stubborn child. No that’s not good enough!” Lance came up behind Keith put both his hands on his shoulders and pushed down. “Sit down. I’ll help.”

Keith knew there was no way of getting out of something Lance has set his mind to. He sat down on the ground and allowed Lance to push his shoulders forward. Keith had to admit that it hurt a little more than it should since he didn’t stretch like this normally. Lance could feel the tension. “See! You’d throw out your back if you kept going on. You’re stiff as a board.”

Lance continued to help Keith stretch properly, even getting Keith to do a few small yoga poses before he got embarrassed and claimed they were stretched enough. Lance hummed and let him stand up. He finished his own stretches before standing up. “Now doesn’t that feel better?”

Keith couldn’t deny that it did. “Thanks. You’re right, and I should probably do this more.”

Lance patted him on the shoulder. “Now, how about we spar some?”

Keith smirked. “You want to spar with me?”

“Why not? Think I can’t handle it?”

Keith shrugged. “You said it, not me.”

“Well let’s find out, shall we?”

They stood equal distance from each other and waited. Lance made the first move, charging forward with a cry. Keith stepped out of the way, grabbing Lance’s arm and flipping him. Lance recovered before he landed on his back and tugged his arm back, spinning to face his opponent with a grin. “I’m afraid it’s not going to be quite that easy, buddy.”

Keith enjoyed the challenge, and chose to attack quickly lest he give Lance more recovery time. Their punches were pulled, and mostly blocked. One couldn’t seem to take the lead before the other took control of the fight. It ended when Keith dipped down and swept a leg out behind Lance’s. He toppled backwards, and before he could flip to right himself, Keith grabbed a-hold on one of his wrists and yanked it up. Lance landed on his back with a grunt and glared up at Keith’s smirking face. “Lucky break.”

Keith huffed out a laugh. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Lance stuck his tongue out at Keith, who laughed a little louder. When the laughter died down, Keith noticed that he was still crouched over Lance, pinning his left arm above his head. He flushed, and released the boy from his grasp. Standing up quickly, he reached a hand down. “Come on, I’ll help you up.”

Lance grasped his hand, and grinned, before yanking Keith down and flipping their positions so Keith was on his back. Lance straddled Keith’s hips and pinned his arms to the side. “And that is why you should never underestimate your opponent! I win!”

Keith snorted, but didn’t struggle. “Sure, you win. Now will you let me up?”

Lance seemed to realize his position, which was a little suggestive in his mind, and sprung off Keith quickly. He chuckled nervously. “Sorry.”

Keith got up and brushed himself off. There wasn’t much dust in space, but it was habit. “I have to admit though; I don’t feel as sore since I stretched.”

“See~? I know what I’m talking about.”

“Most of the time, sure.”

Lance gasped. “Was that a compliment I just heard?”

“Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Too late! I’ll never forget this moment for as long as I live!”

Keith groaned. “Are you always this embarrassing?”

Lance patted him on the back. “Get used to it, bud.”

Keith shook his head. “Anyway, I’m about ready to get out of this suit and relax for a while.”

“Ooh, good call. I didn’t even realize we were still in our flight suits. They’re not too bad after a while, but I could definitely go for comfy pyjamas. You headed to the observation deck?”

“Probably. I like how quiet it is up there.”

“Can I join you?”

Keith shrugged. “Kind of defeats the purpose of quiet, but sure why not.”

Lance beamed and followed Keith out of the training room. They headed to their rooms, changing into their own clothes. Lance chose his nice blue pyjamas and robe, while Keith wore his regular attire, sans jacket. “Didn’t you get pyjamas too? It can’t have just been me.”

“Have em, don’t use em. I like my clothes.”

“You seriously need to learn how to relax and take part in a little bit of extra comfort.”

“Or I can be dressed and prepared if someone decides to attack the ship, rather than tripping over fuzzy lion slippers.”

Lance pouted. “Killjoy.”

They walked together to the observation room. Keith was impressed that Lance didn’t try and strike up conversation once on the way there. The journey was as peaceful as it was when he was alone, and Keith was thankful for that. Without their faux rivalry, Lance was actually fun to be around; even if he was incredibly loud and embarrassing almost always. He wasn’t used to it, having someone around that was so full of energy, but he wasn’t complaining. He was still unsure about how their friendship would playout, still worried that if he was close with Lance that something might happen to him. He didn’t want to think he was cursed, but he was cautious none the less.

Once they were in the room, Lance flopped down where they had been the previous night and laid back. “So, when did you find this place?”

Keith sat down near him. “While we were still on Arus, after we got attacked.”

Lance hummed. “What did you guys even do when I was in the cryo-pod?”

“Mostly repaired the castle, made sure it would run. Everyone checked up on you from time to time, but mostly Coran watched over you. Shiro was anxious, felt like it was his fault you got hurt.”

Lance sat up. “He should know it wasn’t. It was Sendak’s fault, and no one else’s.”

“He still blamed himself. He was outside keeping watch at the time,” Keith sighed. “And you can’t change his mind on that. He’ll always take the blame if he believes there was even a slight possibility he could have done something. He’s always been like that.”

“You know that from experience?”

Keith nodded. “I got jumped once, while walking back to my foster home from school. Shiro normally walked home with me, but that day he didn’t. I still think he blames himself for me getting hurt; and that was years ago.”

“Sounds like he was kind of like a big brother to you.”

“He was, is still I guess. He’s like that with everyone though. Besides, I’ve never had real siblings before, so I don’t know what it’s like.”

Lance snorted. “It’s a lot less like how Shiro treats us, and a lot more yelling, and hair pulling, and pranking. But it’s also a lot of hugs, and tears, and comfort. It’s like, you never know what to expect from your siblings on any given day, it’s never consistent, but it’s kind of fun that way. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“You sound like you have a sibling or two.”

“I have seven siblings actually. Three older siblings, and four younger ones.”

Keith blinked. “That’s a lot of people in one household….”

Launce laughed. “Well, its not all bad. My three older sisters don’t live at home. The youngest of them is four years older than I am, so she was out of the house by the time I started high school. So, there’s really only five of us in the house normally. It gets a little crazy around Christmas time though. Between all my siblings, the older one’s families, and my extended family, it’s nuts!”

“You don’t talk about your siblings much.”

Lance looked away from Keith, out at the stars they passed. “I know. I miss them all terribly, and sometimes it gets too much to think about.”

“Sorry, I won’t bring it up again.”

“No, it’s okay. I know you’re just curious.”

“Well, you did learn a lot about me yesterday. I guess I’d like to know some things about you too. That’s how friends work? We get to know each other?”

Lance noted Keith sounded unsure. “Yeah, yeah that’s how it works. So, ask away! I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me!”

Keith thought about it for a moment. “What are your siblings’ names?”

“In order from oldest to youngest, it’s Raquel, Carmen, Diana, Nicolas, Adrianna, Miranda, and Alex.”

“So five sisters, and two brothers?”

“Yep, and let me tell you, a house that is mostly women can be a scary scary place,” Lance grimaced. “Between dress up torture and moodiness from synced cycles, it’s crazy. But I did learn some valuable things like the benefits of good skin care, and yoga.”

Keith laughed. “I’m not even surprised you learned that from your sisters.”

“Mostly Diana, but Carmen taught me a few things. She’s actually a yoga instructor back home.”

“What do your other sisters do? The older ones I mean.”

“Well, Raquel is a stay at home mom mostly as her kids are eight, five, and two; but she also writes articles for a parenting magazine. Diana is a high school science teacher.”

Keith didn’t think any of this information was important, not like he’d ever meet Lance’s family, but listened anyway, and kept asking questions. “How about your younger siblings? Any goals they have for the future.”

Lance smiled softly as he spoke. “Nicolas plays soccer, and he’s shooting to go pro. Adrianna and Miranda are twins, and refuse to be apart ever, yet don’t want to do the same thing-which makes after school activities a pain. They are ten though, so I’m sure they’ll grow out of it. Alex is five, and wants to be a cowboy.”

“Did you all have after school activities?”

“Yeah, my mom insisted on it once we turned eight. We all had to do different things though, so we weren’t always together save for school. Gave us a break from each other. The twins don’t want to do the same thing, but they have to be in the same building or they throw fits. So Adriana does gymnastics and Miranda does karate because they are held in the same building around the same time.”

Keith could only imagine the headache their poor mother had too through with the twins. “How about you? What did you do?”

“It changed,” Lance laughed. “I was such a pain in the ass, I couldn’t pick one thing to stay in longer than a year. I started with soccer, then moved to baseball, then to dance, then swimming, then volleyball, then basketball, then my mom told me if I stuck with something for two years, she’d get me anything I wanted. So I joined cadets, and did that for three years. Its part of the reason I went to The Garrison in the first place.”

“I can’t imagine doing so many things over the years.”

Lance shrugged. “It was fun for the most part. How about you though? You play guitar, right? Did you take lessons?”

Keith frowned, he was really hoping Lance would never bring up anything from his confession the night before. “Kind of, but not really. When I was eleven I lived with a foster family who were both teachers. My foster father was a band teacher, and he taught me a few things, mostly the basics. It was pretty hard to keep up with practice when you didn’t have a guitar though. I didn’t get my own until I was sixteen. Worked a part-time job and saved up.”

“Where did you keep your guitar anyway? I didn’t see it in your shack, and I definitely snooped while you were outside with Shiro.”

Keith sighed. “Of course you did. It was behind my couch. You didn’t look very hard.”

“Well in my defense, I wasn’t looking for a guitar. I was curious what all the tech in the corner was, and if you had porn hiding under you bed. You did not.”

Keith flushed and snapped his head towards Lance. “Of course I didn’t! Why would you even look for that?”

“Curious,” Lance shot him a sly grin. “Did I look in the wrong place?”

“Oh my god, we are not talking about this.”

Lance laughed loudly at Keith’s clear embarrassment. He probably did have something in his shack, most guys their age did, but it probably wasn’t hidden at all. Why would you need to hide anything when you live alone in the middle of absolutely no-where. At the time Lance wanted to see what kind if women his rival was into, but now that he had better knowledge of Keith’s preferences, he knew he wouldn’t have found what he was looking for. He was curious about what kind of guy Keith liked, but he couldn’t just straight up ask him without giving away what he knew. Keith certainly wasn’t outspoken about his preferences, so it wasn’t like he could just say he guessed. “Aw come on, Keith. This is male bonding at it’s finest!”

“Nope, not doing it. I am not talking about porn with you,” Keith shifted uncomfortably. “Change the subject.”

“Fine, have it your way,” Lance tapped a finger to his chin as he thought what to ask. “Where did you get all that tech in your shack anyway?”

Keith let out a low sigh of relief. “Mostly from scrap yards, and thrift stores. I had some money saved from old part-time jobs. I also did a few under the table jobs here and there after The Garrison kicked me out.”

“What kind of jobs?”

“I did some deliveries for a company, did some serving-which I was apparently shit at.”

Lance barked out a laugh. “It’s because your people skills suck, my dude. Also, wow they still have places that use human servers?”

“Yeah well, we can’t all be social butterflies,” Keith turned his attention back outside. “And yes, there’s a few restaurants here and there that don’t use service robots.”

“They’re pretty rare though. I worked as a busser at a restaurant back home, as that was one of the only human jobs in restaurants that were available. It wasn’t too bad though, got a few dates out of it.”

Keith snorted. “Leave it to you to get dates even when you’re working.”

“Hey, social butterfly, remember? Besides, the dates never went very far. Just one or two, and that was it.”

Keith side-eyed him. “Have you ever actually dated anyone?”

“I am offended you would think otherwise. No one can resist my charms for long!” Lance laid back and stared up at the ceiling. “I’ve dated all of four people, thank you very much. Although, maybe the first one didn’t count as we were like nine.”

Keith couldn’t help but laugh. Lance smiled fondly, Keith had a really nice laugh. It was a shame he didn’t laugh more; something Lance was determined to change. “No, I don’t think that counts, Lance.”

“Well fine, three then. All varying degree of firsts for me.”

Keith raised an eye, attention fully turned back to Lance once more. “First date? First kiss? First time?”

“Not quite. First real girlfriend, first time, first boyfriend.”

Lance waited, not looking at Keith just yet. He didn’t mind telling anyone about his preferences. It was part of who he was and he embraced it completely. “I didn’t…you like guys?”

“You bet! Honestly, I just like people. I don’t have a preference; Any gender, or no gender, I’d love anyone the same.” Lance sat up and looked at Keith with a bright smile. Keith looked surprised, but definitely not repulsed-which was always a bonus. Though Lance figured Keith would be a hypocrite if he didn’t accept that Lance wasn’t straight, when he himself wasn’t either.

Keith gave him a small, almost shy, smile. One that caused Lance’s heart to race for reasons unknown to Lance. “Well, I can’t say that’s what I was expecting. But, thanks. I know it can be hard on people to open up about those kinds of things, so I’m glad you trust me enough.”

Keith sounded awkward as he thanked him, and Lance made sure not to tease him. Now was not the time. “You’re my teammate, and my friend, of course I trust you. Pidge and Hunk know, so why shouldn’t you?”

“Still, I…thanks. Means a lot.”

Lance hoped this was a good opportunity, so he pressed a little more. Perhaps now that he was open himself, Keith may feel comfortable talking about his own sexuality with him. “So, any deep secrets you have? Since you know mine, even though it isn’t much of an actual secret.”

Keith took a breath. “My porn was with my other books.”

Lance blinked, and then laughed harder than he had since he’d been away from Earth. He laughed so hard his sides began to hurt. That wasn’t what he was expecting, but that’s something he noticed about Keith. He was predictable, yet unpredictable at the same time. Keith joined in laughing; Lance’s laughter was infectious.

When the laughter died down, Lance let out a loud yawn. “Alright, time for bed,” Lance got up and stretched, releasing another yawn. “You coming?”

Keith shook his head. “I’m gonna stay up here for a bit longer.”

Lance shrugged and headed for the door. “Well, have a good night Keith.”

“You too, Lance.”

Lance hummed a tune as he made his way back to his room. Another successful night, and even some of the day, getting to know Keith better. He had to admit that once he started getting to know Keith, he was a really nice guy. Lance could hit himself; he had been such a jerk for no reason. They could have been friends back in The Garrison if he had just accepted that Keith was a better pilot and not challenged him at every opportunity. They worked well together as a team, as proven on the Balmera rescue mission, but Lance could only fully respect their compatibility now. They could connect better, and he knew that would help them over all. He would have to teach Keith his signals for when they were next in combat, but that could come later.

Lance cleaned his face and crawled into bed. There would be plenty more opportunities to work on the important stuff, but for now he was just glad to know Keith was letting him in; trusting him enough to talk about his personal life. An uncomfortable twist in Lance’s gut reminded him that he was hiding something important from Keith, that he was betraying Keith’s trust in him by not saying anything. He couldn’t though, it would end badly either way. Lance drifted off into a restless sleep, plagued by images of Keith’s distraught face at learning what Lance was keeping from him dancing through his mind.

Chapter Text

Over the course of the next week, Lance and Keith continued to bond as friends. Lance learned so much more than he expected about Keith, and some if it was all just observation from his actions. He learned very quickly that while Keith didn’t mind him hanging around, or training with him, sometimes he just wanted to do things alone. It never meant that he was annoyed with Lance’s presence, it simply meant he just needed some space for some time, and Lance could hang out later. Sometimes Keith just wanted to spend some training time with Shiro, and again, it was never because he was bothered by Lance. In fact, over the course of them spending more time together training, Lance could safely say his hand-to-hand combat had improved immensely.

They had been woken up early by the alarm, which they all quickly learned was not about the Galra. “Paladins, we have received a distress call from planet Oshornia.”

Lance yawned. “Is that like…the beach party planet? Because I could be down with saving some alien beach babes.”

“No, though Oshornia does have many beaches, it is not a party planet,” Allura turned back to the screens and activated the hologram. “We’ve received the call from this region here in the mountains,” Allura zoomed in on the area. “We cannot land the castle there, and I think it would be best to take your lions. It appears that in the thousands of years we’ve been asleep, times have changed drastically on Oshornia.”

“The Galra?”

“No. Though I am sure they will try to conquer this planet soon, it does not appear they have made it here yet,” Allura turned her attention back to the paladins. “Oshornia is a rather unique planet in its history. Long ago, even before my great grandfather’s time, there was only one species on Oshornia. Over time, the Oshornians developed into two different creatures that were the essence of the Oshornians as a whole. Both colonies gave themselves new names after some time, the Glybulp and the Medowz. The Glybulp represent the amphibious side of the Oshornians, while the Medowz represent the plant-like side. Both sides lived together in harmony for many millennia.”

Coran piped up. “Until the Galra began to really take over it seems. Now, both colonies have broken their ties with each other, and from the distress call, it seems like the sides are on the brink of a war.”

“So, we’re here to stop an internal feud?” Shiro spoke, trying to understand the situation.

“Precisely,” Allura responded. “The two divided as they are now do not stand a remote chance against the Galra, and if they were go to war, it would only give the Galra easier access to take over the entire planet.”

“So who sent the call then?” Keith eyed the hologram planet suspiciously. “If the two sides are in such a bad state with each other, who exactly called us?”

“Well it wasn’t us per se, it was more of a general call for anyone willing to help,” Coran answered. “We happened to be passing by so it was really just coincidence. As far as who sent the signal…, well I think it might be fun if you find that out for yourselves.”

Keith wanted to retort but Allura ordered them to get into their lions and head down. Allura herself was joining on their mission, joining Shiro in the black lion for their decent. As they entered the atmosphere of Oshornia, they noticed the main feature of the planet was a very large mountain range that stretched as far as the eye could see. Allura explained through the coms. “It’s a loop that covers the entire planet straight through the middle. There are absolutely no breaks or low parts of the range that would be considered safe for crossing. There are tunnels that are used as pathways to either side.”

On one side of the loop was sand and ocean. The water was a stunning turquoise, while the sand was a dull grey. There were small specs of bushes and grass, but the sand took over everything else. The other side was trees of reds and purples, and grassy plains of a brilliant fuchsia. The mountain range itself was ginger in color and void of any form of plant life. The lions landed in a lower dip in the mountains, circling the area of where the call was originating. In the lowest part of the valley were two creatures staring in awe at their arrival. Allura instructed them to get out and greet the two aliens.

As soon as the paladins made it down to the two aliens, they understood why Coran wanted it to be a surprise. One of the two was a frog like creature who stood no taller than Pidge. Navy in color with red spots, adorned in a pink silk gown. Beside her was a tall tree like alien that was brass in color with navy leaves symbolizing hair. He wore what looked like cargo pants and a tank top. What drew everyone’s eyes was the fact that the two were holding hands tightly.

Allura smiled fondly at the couple. “Greeting, I am Princess Allura of Altea. With me are the Paladins of Voltron. We are here to help.”

The couple exchanged looks before bowing. “Thank you for answering our call Princess and Paladins,” The tree creature spoke. “I am Jeatin of the Medowz, and with me is the love of my wife Girtisza of the Glybulp.”

Girtisza looked terrified but spoke with as much confidence as she could muster. “We are in fear that our two clans are to go to war with each other.”

Shiro spoke calmly. “The two sides used to live together, correct? What changed?”

“Differences in opinion of how things were supposed to be run. The story in our books tell that two cousins were appointed rulers of either clan. They didn’t agree with most things, and in the end, the king of the Medowz declared that the Glybulp were suited for nothing more than servants. He passed a law that any Glybulp that were to live on the side of the mountain with the Medowz, could only live as a slave.”

Jeatin held Girtisza closer. “Once the law was passed, the king of the Glybulp extracted every single Glybulp from the Medowz side of the land, and brought them to the side where they live now. They closed the tunnels and made sure that no one would trespass on either side.”

Hunk, ever the romantic, was the next to ask a question. “So how did you two meet then?”

Girtisza flushed, her face lighting up a bright green. “I’ve always liked to explore, and I wanted to see the other side. There are paintings of what the Medowz land looks like, but I wanted to see it for myself. I climbed the mountain many times just to look at the beautiful landscape alone,” She looked up at Jeatin. “One day, I wasn’t alone.”

“I wanted to get away from my family, and all their expectations, so I climbed the mountain to see if maybe I could possibly live out here alone. Instead, I found her.”

“At first I was so scared. I had never seen a Medowz up close, and I was certain he was going to enslave me at once.”

Jeatin leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “I am of royal nobility, and have Medowz handmaid that are paid very well. I had never seen a Glybulp before, and was entranced by her the moment I saw her.”

“So we got to know each other slowly, and eventually we fell in love.”

Hunk looked like he wanted to gush over them, but one stern look from Shiro reminded him to keep his decorum. Shiro addressed Jeatin. “Why is it that your people are now wanting to go to war? If you have lived without problems from millennia, what changed?”

Jeatin made a fist with the hand that wasn’t holding Giritzsa. “My people heard talk that the Glybulp king wants to make a deal with the Galra. He would allow the Galra the Medowz side of the planet, and to keep the Medowz as Galra slaves.”

“Which is not the case,” Giritzsa piped up. “Our people are in fear of the Galra. We have heard that the Medowz are to make a deal with the Galra.”

“But neither side is?”

“No, my people would never side with the Galra,” Jeatin looked over towards the Medowz side. “But the king is scared, and thinks that wiping out the Glybulp will save the planet.”

Giritzsa nodded. “Our king is also scared, and while he is a peaceful man, he will do whatever it takes to protect our people.”

Allura nodded. “How can we help?”

Jeatin turned his attention to the princess. “We need to get our kings together, to have them talk things out. I think that after all these years, something can be worked out. My uncle is the king, and he is not a hateful being. He just wants what’s best for the planet.”

“How do we go about getting the kings together? If both sides think the other is picking sides with the Galra, it’s going to be hard to get them together.”

Allura assessed the situation. “We shall split up into two groups, and talk to the kings. Perhaps we can convince them that there is a way to work things out,” She turned to the two lovers. “Is there a place we can get them to meet?”

“Here would be best, but it is hard to reach.”

Shiro looked around. “If we take our lions, we could always fly someone else up here with us.”

“Excellent idea Shiro,” Allura placed a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “The teams will split as following. Pidge and Hunk, you are to follow Shiro and Giritzsa to the Glybulp side to speak to their king. Lance and Keith will follow Jeatin and myself to the Medowz side.”

She glared at Shiro before he had a chance to object. He sighed. “Will do Princess. We’ll call when we’ve spoken to the king of the Glybulp.”

Allura nodded and headed towards the red lion. “Keith, I’ll be riding with you. Lance, please take Jeatin with you.”

Lance grumbled about how Keith got to take the princess, but showed Jeatin into his lion. The fit was tight; Jeatin was over seven feet tall, and his lion was not made from someone that size. Once everyone was in their lions, they took off to their respective sides. Jeatin instructed them to land on the outskirts of town, rather than closer to the castle. “My uncle may take it as a threat if you’re too close.”

They landed as close to the mountain as they could. It unnerved both the paladins to leave their lions unattended, but Jeatin and Giritzsa assured them that they would be safe; the Galra hadn’t set their sighs on the planet yet.

The Medowz side was even more breathtaking up close. The vibrant colors of the grass alone was enough to captivate Lance, but the trees being varying shades of purples and red were probably the most amazing thing. The city itself was incredibly spread out. Each home was made of a red or purple tree color with large metal doors and window frames. There was a farm or orchard at each house; some having one or the other, some having both. A wide cobblestone path led the way to the castle in the middle of the city. Each house had a stand out front, reminding Lance of farmer’s markets back home. Families sold their goods to other Medowz, as well as foreign merchants from other planets.

“We are not closed off from trading with outside planets, only the Glybulp. They also trade their wares, but never to us.”

Keith looked around at the sprawling countryside. “What do they sell? It didn’t look like they had much in ways of farmland.”

“They do not farm, as we do. Glybulp fish for the aquatic creatures that lie their waters. They cultivate some of the more common variety in a way that I guess you could call farming. They also make wonderful healing elixirs from plant life that exists deep in caves under the water.”

As they passed, many Medowz bowed at Jeatin as he passed. He waved in return, smiling at his people fondly. “So you said you are royalty?”

“In a way. My father died just after I was born, and before I was old enough to remember, my mother remarried- to the king’s sister. I am a royal by marriage, but not by blood.”

“Does your uncle approve of his sister’s marriage?”

Jeatin looked confused. “Of course he does. Why would he not? Medowz marry for love. Does your planet not allow people of the same gender to marry?”

“Some places do, but not everywhere. Most people don’t agree with it because they get concerned about how families will carry on if two people of the same gender marry one another.”

“That seems like a rather backwards way of living. I do understand the importance of carrying on lineage, but that should never interfere with love. Our species can reproduce no matter the gender, so that has never been a concern for us. It is harder for couples of the same sex to reproduce, but it is not impossible.”

Lance looked around at the happy families around them. It was easy to see first hand that Jeatin wasn’t exaggerating. There were many different types of families around them. Some with children, some without, no matter the gender of the couples. It was much like earth in a way, just vastly more accepting. It tugged at Lance’s heart; why couldn’t Earth be as understanding as this planet.

When they reached the large wooden palace gates nearly an hour later, Jeatin spoke with the guards. They seemed unsure about letting strangers into the palace, even with Jeatin right there. Allura spoke with one of the guards herself, asking if someone could please go and ask if the king would see them for peacekeeping reasons. One of the guards agreed only after Jeatin assured him that they could be trusted and rushed off towards the palace. They waited outside the gates for him to return, looking at the hustle and bustle of the city around them. Keith had his guard up, watching for any signs of Galra or Galra supporters.

The guard, Yousurs as Jeatin had called him, returned promptly. “The King had accepted your request for an audience with him. He will meet you shortly in the rear gardens once he is finished with his business. Jeatin, I trust you can get these outsiders there. Guards will keep an eye, just to be careful.”

“Thank you, Yousurs.”

Jeatin lead the three inside the courtyard of the castle. The yard consisted of the largest farm yet. One side held rows of gardens hosting an assortment of food, while the other side had rows of orchards. “Please, help yourself to anything you’d like. We have plenty to spare.”

The group didn’t have time for breakfast, just the Altean version of a protein bar before heading down to the planet. As they walked, Keith snagged a peach like fruit off the tree. The flavor reminded him more of a lemon than a peach; tart and sour with very little sweetness. Allura picked something that looked like a giant cherry. Lance was looking around for the perfect fruit. He wanted something different than the others, something more unique and alien like.

Just before they reached the back of the castle-they went through the orchard side rather than the garden side-Lance found the perfect tree off the path. It was the most stunning red he had ever seen, with lilac leaves. The fruit was golden on the outside and reminded him of a pineapple, but smaller. He slipped away from the group to fetch it. It was soft to the touch and sounded like it was filled with liquid, rather than being solid. One bite into the fruit, and he learned his observation was correct. He drank the sweet nectar quickly, careful not to spill the pink liquid on his white suit. It tasted like honey, mixed with another strange sweetness he couldn’t put a name to.

He drained the inside, then headed back to the group as he ate the remaining skin; which reminded him of artificial strawberry in flavor. The fruit wasn’t large, but it was strangely filling. He felt full and warm; more comfortable than he had been in a long time.

As soon as he stepped back onto the path behind Allura and Keith, his vision wavered. He staggered backwards and leaned against a tree. Everything around him was spinning, and he could barely focus on anything around him. He was too warm, sweating inside his suit. His mouth felt dry as he opened his mouth to call out for help. The last thing he saw before he passed out was Keith turning to look for him.

Keith saw Lance drop on the grass a little ways back from the group. “Lance!”

He ran after his teammate, crouching down and lifting his torso off the ground. Allura and Jeatin joined him. Keith shot a glare up at Jeatin. “What happened to him?”

“I don’t know! Maybe he ate something and it reacted badly? Nothing in the garden is considered poisonous.”

Keith wanted to argue more, but Lance groaned. He quickly turned back his friend. “Lance? Are you okay? What happened?”

Lance blearily opened his eyes, looking right at Keith. “Something’s wrong with my eyes,” Keith’s heart felt like it stopped for a moment, panic flooding his system. He yanked Lance’s helmet off to better look at him. Lance grasped his hand. “Because I can’t take them off you.”

“W-what?!”

Keith was stunned as Lance smiled at him, eyesight seeming a bit hazy. He gripped Keith’s hand tighter. “I don’t have a library card, but do you mind if I check you out?”

Keith blushed furiously. “What the hell, Lance?! Now’s not the time for your bad flirting! I-we were really worried about you. You collapsed!”

Allura crouched down on the other side of Lance. Lance pushed himself closer to Keith. “Lance, are you feeling alright?”

Lance didn’t look at her, continuing to gaze up at Keith. “Are you kitten me, Princess? I feel paw-sitively claw-some!”

Keith and Allura both groaned. “Lance, that was probably your worst pun yet,” Keith tried break his hand from Lance’s grasp. “Now come on, let’s get up and meet the king.”

Keith tried to break away, but Lance held on tighter. “Don’t leave!”

Keith managed to stand up, but Lance was still holding his hand like a vice grip. “I’m not leaving…we’re all going to see the king, remember?”

Lance seemed to be in some sort of daze. He looked Keith up and down. “Are your pants from outer space? ‘Cause your butt is outta this world.”

Keith made a choking noise, looking to Allura for help. Allura looked around the area for any signs of what might have caused this unusual behaviour from Lance. Allura noticed gold beside Lance and picked it up. Her eyes widened, as did Jeatin’s. “Lance? Lance, I need to know if you ate this fruit.”

Lance was standing now, trying to be as close to Keith as possible. He wasn’t looking at Allura, nor did he acknowledge her presence. Allura sighed and turned to Jeatin. “You could have mentioned that you had Ziphere trees growing in this garden!”

“Hey, I thought everyone knew not to just eat Ziphere fruit! How was I supposed to know their primitive planet doesn’t teach them something that’s common knowledge everywhere else in the galaxy?!”

Allura looked back at the two paladins. Lance was now holding Keith by the waist with his free hand, other hand still holding Keith’s. Keith was trying to break free without causing the other boy harm; he was still worried about how Lance had passed out just a few moments before. “Keith, I’m sorry to say, but you’re going to have to keep an eye on Lance.”

“Why?! What exactly did he eat that’s making him like this?”

Allura held up the remaining bit of fruit. “This is called Ziphere fruit. It’s a very old species that is only native to one planet. Other planets do grow it, but it comes from a far planet called Nierus. The way to consume the Ziphere fruit properly is to drain the liquid from the inside and boil it until it starts to thicken; most species use the thickened liquid as a spread. If you consume any of the it raw, especially the skin, it acts more like a drug of sorts; or alcohol.”

Keith shoved Lance’s head off his shoulder. “So he’s drugged? Or drunk?”

“More or less. It should wear off over time, but the length of time varies from person to person.”

Keith nodded, still struggling from Lance’s hold. “Okay, got that. But why is he like this with me? I get flirty Lance with other people. What I don’t get is why he’s so attached to me, and me alone!” Keith paled. “It’s not like an aphrodisiac or something, right?”

Allura shook her head. “It’s definitely nothing like that. He’s just going to be very attached to you, so he’s your responsibility.”

“But why me!? Is it just because he saw me first?”

Jeatin stepped in. “Well actually-”

Allura piped up. “Yes, Keith. That is exactly how it is. He saw you first, so he’s going to focus all his attention on you. Think you can handle it?”

Keith grimaced as Lance nuzzled his head against his helmet. “Maybe. If I don’t die of embarrassment first.”

Lance pulled back and pouted. “Hey don’t frown! You never know who could be falling in love with your smile.”

Keith let out something akin to a whine. He looked to the other two for help, but they just shook their heads. He tried to pull away from Lance. “Lance, come on buddy. I can’t walk if you’re holding me like this.”

Lance rested his head on Keith’s shoulder, facing towards Keith; lips far too close for Keith’s liking. “If I let you go, you’ll leave me.”

|Keith shivered at the feel of Lance’s breath against what little skin was exposed. “What are you talking about? We’re just going to meet the king. We’re trying to bring peace to this planet, remember? We’re not going anywhere without you; you’re coming too.”

“B-But what if I lose you? What if someone tries to take you away from me?”

Keith sighed. “Look, how about you hold my hand or something. That way you won’t lose me.”

Lance seemed to contemplate it. He nodded against Keith’s shoulder before releasing his hold on Keith’s waist. His left hand was still tightly holding onto Keith’s right. Keith reminded himself that this was better than Lance’s earlier, very uncomfortable clinging. Allura and Jeatin had already resumed their walk to their destination, so Keith tugged Lance to follow. “Keith, hey, didn’t we take a class together?”

“Uh, yeah Lance, we did. We took flight class together, remember?” Keith was worried that the fruit was messing with Lance’s memory.

Lance grinned. “Are you sure? I could have sworn we had chemistry.”

Keith groaned. Lance’s flirting had always pretty bad, but Keith had never had any of Lance’s bad flirting techniques directed at him. It was a completely different feeling, and he wasn’t sure if he liked the attention or not.

Behind the castle was a stone gazebo. There was a beautiful table in the center, set with beverages and baskets of fruits in the center. A petite Medowz with long blue vines done up in a bun and dressed in white bowed as they stepped up to the table. “Greetings, I am Ihime, the king’s personal handmaiden. King Visneur is almost done with his business and will be joining us shortly. Please, have a seat and help yourself to anything you’d like. If nothing on the table pleases you, I will do my best to find something that will.”

Allura smiled warmly. “This is more than enough, thank you.”

Ihime bowed and moved to stand off to the side. There were benches, not seats around the table, which allowed for Lance to cuddle up closely to Keith. Keith removed his own helmet and set it on the bench where he placed Lance’s. Ihime eyed them with a small, knowing smile. Jeatin began to pour them drinks. “You must be thirsty. Please, try this. It’s called Lilurgi, and it’s a Medowz specialty.”

Keith eyed the silvery liquid suspiciously. “Look, no offense, but I’m not too keen on consuming anything else from this planet after what just happened.”

Jeatin laughed deeply. “I promise you, it’s nothing like what your…friend just had. It’s made from the juice of one of our most common exports.”

Allura drank it gracefully, shooting Keith a look that screamed he was being rude. Keith drank the liquid slowly. It was tasty, and reminded him of cola back on Earth. He watched Lance from the corner of his eye; Lance was just staring at him. “Lance…you should drink. You’re probably thirsty.”

“Only if you help. I don’t think I can drink it on my own~.”

Lance batted his eyes at Keith, who looked at the sky praying for this to all be over with. He grabbed Lance’s cup, and held it against his lips. “Here, now drink.”

Lance pouted but drank the entire cup anyway. He licked his lips. “That’s not what I had in mind.”

Keith was about to ask what he did have in mind, but after thinking about it more, he decided to keep his mouth shut. He felt like his was on fire, and it didn’t seem like this embarrassing situation was going to die down anytime soon.

There was a loud groan of a door opening, and the team turned to see King Visneur and his small entourage heading towards them. The king was one of the largest Medowz they had seen thus far, easily standing at ten feet tall. He was dressed in long flowing robes, different shades of green with gold trim. A crown of metal flowers with brilliant gems set in the centers. Beside him was a shorter Medowz dressed in shades of blue, long teal vines flowing freely behind her. She wore a smaller crown, but it was entirely made of crystal. Behind her was yet another Medowz, dressed simply in pink with a small metal tiara. They were surrounded by guards and maids as they made their way to the table. The group stood up promptly and bowed as the king approached them.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, your highness. I am Princess Allura of Altea.”

The king regarded her curiously. “Altea you say? I was under the impression there were no more Alteans left in the galaxy after the Galra destroyed your planet.”

Allura clenched her fists. “There are but two of us left, as well as some mice.”

“Well, it is nice to see your species wasn’t completely wiped out in any case. I know that a fair few other species have not been so lucky,” The king sat down at the head of the table. “Tell me, what has brought you to our humble planet.”

“I called from them, Uncle. I wish to bring peace to our lands.”

Visneur turned to his nephew. “Is this in regards to the Glybulp’s heinous plans?”

“Please Uncle, it’s not what you think it is.” Jeatin looked desperately at his uncle.

The king chuckled, deep and booming that shook the glasses on the table. “You will have to forgive my nephew; he always likes to see the best in everyone. Even if some people are beyond hope.”

Allura nodded. “We are here to help smooth things over if we can. We’ve come here to restore peace to Oshornia.”

“You’ll help us fight the Glybulp then, yes? We can’t let their plan go through, or there will be no Oshornia left.”

“Your Highness, we will not be partaking in any war that is not directly fought against the Galra. We are here to help restore peace through other means if you will allow us.”

The king huffed. “By what means do you intend to bring peace to this planet if is not to wipe out those who seek to destroy it?”

“We would like to arrange a peacekeeping meeting between the two clans.”

There were startled gasps and a few murmurs amongst the guards. Keith was surveying them, ready for a fight if need be. The weight of Lance on his right side reminded him that fighting may be a lot more difficult than it once was. Lance looked briefly at the basket of fruit in front of them before turning his attention back to Keith. “Baby, if you were a fruit, you’d be a fineapple.”

Keith knew his face was rivalling his lion’s color; this was way too much for him. The king stared at them, before bursting out into a bellowing laughter. Keith was thankful he was not offended by the rather inappropriate interruption. “I see someone has gotten into the Ziphere fruit!”

The mood seemed to shift to a lighter one, and for that Allura was thankful. She knew nothing could be done about Lance at the moment, but she used the opportunity to press her point. “Your Highness if you will, I have on good record that the Glybulp people are not trying to make a deal with the Galra. It seems they are under the impression that your clan is the one that is making a deal.”

Visneur furrowed his brow. “That is preposterous! We would never side with the Galra! Look what they’ve done to so many planets! To your own home of Altea! Only true monsters would ever agree to side with such beasts.”

“I am glad you think that way, but as you can see, the Glybulp are unaware of your feelings towards the Galra. Would it not be a safe assumption to say you do not know their views?”

“And you do, Princess? Tell me exactly how long have you been on this planet to get such information? How do I know you are not actually spies for the Glybulp to find our weak points?”

A few guards placed their hands on the hilts of their weapons; Keith made ready to grab his bayard. Jeatin stood up, slamming his hands on the table. “I am the one who knows how the Glybulp feel! I have fallen in love with one, and she has told me many things about her people!”

Shock was evident through the small crowd around the table. The king stood up to his full height. “You disobeyed our laws and you went over to their side!?”

“No Uncle, just to the mountains. I promise I have not broken our laws in any matter, and neither has my beloved,” Jeatin regained his composure before speaking once more. “But please Uncle, I have been assured that the Glybulp want peace more than anything else. They do not wish to fight anyone, not even us, but they will if we start a war with them.”

Visneur was clearly displeased by his nephews outspoken-ness. “You expect me just to take the word of a Glybulp simply because you’ve fallen for her?!”

“No, I am asking you to talk things out with the Glybulp! Hasn’t this feud gone on long enough?”

The king surveyed Jeatin more before sitting down. “I don’t think they would agree to talk to us. There is too much bad history between our clans.”

“But you used to be one creature, didn’t you? That must count for something.” Keith didn’t know if he was helping or not, but he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. The sooner this was done, the sooner he could get Lance back to the castle and lock him in a room by himself.

The king huffed. “While that may have been our origin, I can promise that neither the Glybulp nor the Medowz do not care about our ancient past. We are two different beings, with two different ideals. It’s not something we can just talk about.”

Allura sipped her drink slowly, taking everything in. “Would it not be worth it to try at the very least? I have a team on the Glybulp side of the planet having a similar meeting with their king. Would trying to talk to gain peace not be worth it?”

Visneur hummed as he thought it over; the sound was deep and thrummed through the ground. “If King Ziuxin agrees to meet, I will also agree. I just doubt the old man will agree. I wouldn’t be surprised if he imprisoned your team for being spies.”

Allura smiled. “I assure you, my paladins will not fail in this.”

The coms sparked to life, echoing through Allura’s earrings; Keith could hear well enough from the helmets beside him. “Princess, King Ziuxin has agreed to a peace meeting, provided all of the paladins are there, as well as yourself. He will be sending his oldest son for the meeting.”

“Thank you Shiro, we shall meet you back on the mountain shortly.”

Allura smiled brightly at Visneur. “It seems that the Glybulp have agreed to a peace meeting. However, King Ziuxin will be sending his son in his stead.”

“Ha, the coward. Can’t even face us himself!” The king crossed his thick arms. “If that’s the case, my daughter Erirua will be going for me instead.”

The small willowy girl stared up at her father before nodding silently. She stood up and bowed before making her way back into the castle with one of the handmaidens. The queen watched her daughter leave. “You’ll have to forgive her. She’s shy, and doesn’t speak much. But she has the potential to be one of the best diplomats are clan has seen, so she will not let us down. She’s just gone to get into something she won’t mind getting a little dirty.”

While they waited, Allura spoke of Voltron, and their plans to beat the Galra once and for all. King Visneur was very invested in her speech. “Well, if the Medowz can assist in any way, please feel free to ask.”

“And if you are ever trouble by the Galra, and it’s more than you can handle, please call us.” Allura handed him one of the communication devices she gives to all their allies. “We will gladly come by and help your people.”

“I thank you, Princess,” Visneur took the small device from her outstretched hand. “Though I do hope we never have to use this in the future.”

“I hope that is not the case as well.”

Keith watched the interactions carefully. He was always on guard, and while he knew the princess was more than capable of handling herself, he wasn’t about to take any risks. Lance, on the other hand, didn’t take to kindly to being ignored by Keith. He ran his free hand through Keith’s hair, mesmerized by how soft it felt. “Keeeeith, your hair is so soft. Like a kitty.”

“Thank you?” Keith didn’t really know how to respond to Lance like this. “Can you please not play with my hair. It’s kind of weirding me out.”

In truth, Keith was feeling a jumble of emotions he didn’t want to think about with Lance being all touchy-feely with him all of a sudden. Lance gave him a dopey grin. “Are you a sheep? Because your body is unbaaalievable!”

Keith put his head in his free hand. “Allura, please tell me this is going to wear off soon.”

“As I said before, it varies from person to person. You’ll know when he crashes suddenly,” Allura gave him a grin he didn’t appreciate. “It can’t be that bad. Surely a Paladin of Voltron can handle this much. Besides, I thought you two were close.”

“Galra I can handle. Space bandits I can handle. This? This is too much.” Keith gestured to Lance who wouldn’t stop staring at him like he was the best thing in the world. “I cannot deal with a drunk Lance.”

“I’m not drunk!” Lance sulked. “I’m just intoxicated by your beauty.”

Keith groaned and looked up at the canopy of the gazebo. There were giggles from the castle’s staff at Keith and Lance’s interactions. Keith wanted nothing more than to just disappear. This was far too much attention than he was used to getting at once. Everyone’s eyes seemed to be on them, and Keith felt uncomfortable under their stares.

The princess’s return was a saving grace for Keith; it meant they would be on their way. The outfit the princess wore now didn’t looked much different than the one she had on before, either than it was duller in color. She stood beside a guard who they assumed would be accompanying them. He narrowed his eyes at the group. “Now, where exactly is this meeting taking place?”

“On the top of the mountains, in a valley. It’s difficult to get to, so we will be flying you up in the lions.”

Allura’s words seemed to appease the guard for now. The group said their goodbyes to the king and queen, promising that no harm would befall their daughter. Keith had to struggle with Lance to get him to wear his helmet; which he finally agreed to simply because Keith told him it would be good if they matched-much to his own self embarrassment. As they left, with Jeatin in the lead, a very important concern regarding flying passed through Keith’s mind. “Hey Allura…How exactly am I supposed to get his guy to let me go so he can fly Blue up the mountain?”

Allura’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought about that actually.”

“Well we can’t all go in Red! We won’t fit.”

Allura looked at Lance who was happily swinging his and Keith’s adjoined hands back and forth as they walked. “Relax Keith, I have a few ideas that could help us.”

“Like what? He won’t let go!”

Allura coughed to hold back a laugh. “Well, my first plan may not work, but the second one will be fine. And if that doesn’t work, I have a third plan, but that might take a while longer.”

“Care to enlighten me?”

“You’re so impatient. Don’t you find any fun in mystery?”

“No. No I don’t.”

Allura pouted. “Fine. My first plan is to fly the blue lion myself. If that doesn’t work, than we can all get inside the blue lion and you can carry it up the mountain in your lion. If we are too heavy for that, which we shouldn’t be, then we will have to wait until one of the other paladins can come assist us.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, back up to the first one. You’re going to try and fly the blue lion yourself?”

“Well yes. They are Altean, so I think I should be able to. Well the blue lion in any case, as I doubt the red lion would allow anyone else to fly her.”

Keith couldn’t help a small smile. He was proud how his lion chose him, that he was worthy enough to fly her. Lance hummed gleefully beside him, resting his helmeted head on Keith’s shoulder.

“Your smile must be a black hole. Nothing can escape it’s pull.”

Keith groaned; he was so hoping they could get back to the castle without more flirty one-liners. His heart was racing in his chest, and it was uncomfortable. This surge of feeling was unwelcome, especially on a foreign planet where there could be a threat just around the corner.

They managed to get to their lions after another hour walk without any fuss. There had been a small crowd of curious Medowz around them, but they were still in shape; not that they would assume anyone would tamper with them here. Everyone parted at the sight of their princess, bowing respectfully. Allura walked up to the blue lion and placed a hand on it’s leg. She closed her eyes, and attempted to communicate with the lion.

Keith watched in amazement as the blue lion lowered it’s head and opened it’s mouth. Allura shot him a thumbs up and led their Medowz friends inside. Keith’s own lion allowed him inside the cockpit, Lance in tow. As soon as Keith sat down, Lance plopped himself in his lap. “Hey! What are you doing?”

Lance turned as best he could to give Keith a wide-eyed look. “But this is safer…”

Keith wanted to argue, he did, but he knew he couldn’t. It could be bad if Lance fell and hit his head while they were flying; though he had to admit that a knocked-out Lance could have some benefits. Keith flew up and waited to see if Allura had any issues. It took her a while longer, but she seemed to manage just fine. He was impressed by the way she handled the lion, but then again she was over ten thousand years and probably knew more about flying than the entirety of Earth combined.

Lance shifted in his lap, and Keith wanted nothing more than to throw him off. “Stop squirming, you’re making it hard to fly.”

“Oh, I think I’m making something hard alright.” Lance wiggled once more.

Keith gritted his teeth; Lance wasn’t right…but he was going to be very soon. Keith ignored the comment and focused on flying, focused on getting up the mountain and to the team. Focused on the mission. The sooner it was over, the better. Lance didn’t stop his moving, and Keith knew there was nothing he could do accept ignore Lance.

When they finally reached their destination, Keith sighed in relief. The others were already there, out of their lions and waiting at the basin of the valley. Keith landed the red lion and shoved Lance out of his lap. Lance hit the ground on his ass with a loud thunk. The other paladin whined and pouted up at him. “So mean! Don’t you like being close to me?”

Keith got out of his chair and stormed off towards the entrance. Arms wrapped around one of his legs as he tried to leave. “Keeeiiiiith! You said you wouldn’t leave me!”

Keith let out a frustrated growl before leaning down and yanking Lance up. Instead of holding his hand, he dragged him by the wrist out of his lion. Lance protested at the rough treatment, but otherwise didn’t argue. Allura was already introducing the Medowz to the other paladins as Keith pulled Lance towards them. Shiro was the first to notice them, raising an eyebrow at them. “Something happen?”

“Lance is an idiot, that’s what happened.”

“Aw babe, don’t be like that!”

That got the attention of the other two paladins. Pidge and Hunk turned to the other two. Hunk looked confused and concerned, while Pidge looked amused. Pidge opened her mouth to speak but Keith shut her down. “Pidge, don’t. It’s not what it looks like. Lance ate something weird, and now he’s like drunk or something. And to top it all off, I guess it makes you attached to the first person you see, so lucky me I’ve been stuck with him like this for hours.”

Pidge sighed and turned her attention back to the group of aliens they were there to help. Hunk walked over to the two, patting Keith on the shoulder. “You’re a brave soldier, my friend. Drunk Lance is a flirty mess with everyone normally, so I can only imagine what it’s like having all that attention at once.”

“Uh…thanks?” Keith didn’t exactly know if it was meant to be a compliment or not.

Hunk patted him once more and headed back to the group. Shiro smiled. “I think you and Lance should stay back here. You know, to keep an eye out for any danger that could be lurking about.”

Keith knew that Shiro meant so Lance wouldn’t keep embarrassing him in front of everyone else, so he nodded in agreement. Shiro gave him a reassuring look before heading back to finish the mission. Truth be told, Keith wasn’t a big fan of all the diplomatic talks. Not that he didn’t think they were important, he was just more of an action guy.

Lance didn’t seem to mind; he was just happy he was with Keith. “So…what did the chocolate syrup say to the ice cream?”

He didn’t want to answer, but nothing could get worse “Don’t care.”

Keith’s answer didn’t deter him any. He smiled and bumped shoulders. “I’m sweet on you!”

The red paladin looked towards the meeting and prayed it would be over soon. It was underway, and no one was screaming at each other, so Keith took that as a good sign. There was no sign of any Galra around either, which was definitely for the best; Especially now. Even if Allura could fly a lion, that didn’t mean they could form Voltron with her. They had bonded as a team, and though Allura was part of the team, she hadn’t fought with them on that scale before.

It took about an hour before the meeting ended; An entire hour in which Keith had to continue to endure every bad pick up line that Lance could think of. The meeting concluded with hands shaking between the Glybulp prince and the Medowz princess. The prince and his guard followed Hunk and Shiro back towards the lions, while Allura and Pidge took the princess and her guard. “We’re just going to spread the good news to the Medowz and hopefully help open some of these gates. You can decide what you want to do. You can follow us, or follow the others. Or stay here and wait for us if you desire.”

Keith just nodded and Allura took off towards the blue lion. Keith figured their best option was to stay and wait. He couldn’t handle having Lance move around on him any longer than it would take to go back to the castle. Lance seemed to have other ideas though, and pulled Keith towards the red lion. Keith thought Lance wanted him to let go-which he was glad to do-so he did. Lance just grabbed his wrist instead and continued to try to pull Keith in the direction he wanted. “Lance, what are you doing?”

“I wanna go see the Glybulp side with you!”

“You can see it from here. Just sit down and wait until the others are done.”

Lance whined. “But I want to see it up close! C’mon Keith!!”

The constant swing in between Lance’s emotions was making Keith dizzy. Normally he was a drunk-like mess who only wanted to flirt with him, but at other times he almost seemed like his regular self, just a little more handsy. There was a small bit of hope that the fruit was finally wearing off, but at the same time he wondered if it had worn off long ago and Lance was faking it. If he was faking it, what did that mean in the long run? “Well Allura has your lion, and you can’t fly mine. So tough.”

Lance complained, but Keith wasn’t going to budge. At least not until Lance got on his knees and gave Keith his best puppy-dog eyes. He brought Keith’s hand up to his face and stared up at his teammate. “Keith, babe, please. I want to fly over the ocean with you, take in the stunning sights that this planet has to offer.”

Keith could swear he was going to combust. This was all too much. “Fine! We’ll see the sights. But only if you promise to sit still and behave. Deal?”

Lance kissed his knuckles softly. “It’s a deal, gorgeous.”

Keith let Lance lead him towards the red lion, as he could barely function enough to walk by himself. His brain was a muddled mess of confused emotions. He had to remind himself that this wasn’t real; Lance didn’t really feel this way. He is drugged, and Keith would not take advantage of that fact for his own selfish gain.

Lance sprawled himself over Keith’s lap once more once he had taken his spot at the cockpit. He kept his word as Keith took off towards the Glybulp side; he didn’t move once. The ocean was even more stunning up close than it had been from afar. The teal water was crystal clear up close, allowing for both paladins to see the weird fish like creatures swimming around. Glimmering specks that reminded them of diamonds were spread out among the rocks under the surface. Keith had to admit that it was one of the prettiest sights he’d ever seen. He looked to see Lance’s reaction; he was smiling brilliantly-it was almost blinding. Keith was almost disappointed that Lance wasn’t looking at him that way.

What am I thinking!? I don’t want Lance to look at me like that! Just because he’s cute…Keith shook the notion out of his head and focused on flying.

They circled the ocean and swept over the town. The homes were different than the ones on the Medowz side. The majority of the houses looked like they were made of a clay and stone combination, though the ones that were closest to the water just seemed to be mostly stone. All houses had stained glass windows of all shapes and sizes. There were some homes that were single story, and some that were multi-story. He couldn’t get too close in his lion, so he was thankful for the zoom capabilities. He supposed they could land and walk around if they wanted to, but Keith didn’t really want to move from where he was if he was being completely honest with himself. He was comfortable, and Lance wasn’t flirting with him right now; it was a win-win situation.

Shiro’s face appeared on the coms. “Everything is settled, and we’ve opened a few of the gates on this side. We’re all heading back to the castle…unless you two would rather some more alone time?”

“We’re heading back.” Keith snapped before disconnected the call. He didn’t appreciate that knowing smile from Shiro one bit.

He sped his way back towards the castle. He shifted so fast that Lance had to grip onto him tightly to keep himself from flying out of Keith’s lap. Once he docked his lion, he sat in his seat for a while. Lance was still clinging to him like his life depended on it. He stood up and let Lance’s feet hit the floor; rather than just shoving him off like last time. Lance frowned, and moved his hands off Keith’s suit, bringing one hand down to lace their fingers together. The blue paladin leaned forward and put his helmet against Keith’s. “Thank you, Keith.”

Keith stammered out something he swore sounded like a ‘your welcome’ to him, but he couldn’t be sure if that he said was actually words or not. Lance giggled none the less, slightly swaying on the spot. “You know, if you were a vegetable, you’d be a cute-cumber!”

Back to dumb drunk Lance again. Keith sighed. “Let’s go meet up with the others.”

He guided Lance out of his lion and towards the Bridge where he knew the rest of the team would be waiting. Lance was unsteady on his feet, worse than he had been all day. “Hey, you doing okay?”

“Why I am absolutely purr-fect, sweetums!”

There was snickering behind them as they got to the door of the Bridge. Keith turned to see Hunk and Pidge smirking at them. “Sweetums, eh?”

“Can it, Pidge.”

She stuck her tongue out at Keith and slipped around him to enter the doors. Hunk was still snickering behind them. “I wish I had my camera. This is just too much!”

“Glad you guys are getting amusement out of this.”

Hunk continued to laugh as they all headed in to the Bridge. Allura was there waiting for them with Coran, along with Shiro and Pidge. As they headed towards the others, Lance tripped over his own two feet. Keith managed to grab him by the collar before he landed on his face. “Hey, Keith. Know what this suit is made out of?”

“Some kind of space material?”

“Nope! Boyfriend material!” Lance’s voice was slurring slightly.

Keith groaned for what felt like the thousandth time while the others all laughed. It was clear Lance couldn’t support himself anymore so Keith slung removed Lance’s hand from his hand slung one of his arms over his shoulders instead. Shiro and Coran were the only ones that looked slightly concerned. “What happened to Lance?”

Allura stifled her giggles to answer. “It seems that Ziphere fruit isn’t known on Earth. Lance ate one off the tree.”

“Good heavens! What do they teach you on your primitive planet?”

“Clearly not the effects of weird drugging fruits that make you fixated on the first person you see.” Keith grumbled.

Coran raised an eyebrow and looked to Allura. She just smiled at him. “Now, how about we tell you all about our day! We did a lot of good work team. Well done!”

Allura regaled the tale of her talks with the Medowz king, while Shiro added his team’s side to the tale. It seems they had a difficult time seeking an audience with the king; they had almost been sent to the dungeons instead. “We almost had to promise Pidge’s hand to get them to take us seriously.”

Hunk chortled. “Yeah the prince took a liking to her. We had to tell her she was promised to someone else so he would back off.”

A loud groan interrupted any further conversation as Lance slumped against him. Keith nearly buckled at the unexpected added weight. Keith adjusted his hold on Lance and took the other paladin’s helmet off. “Whoa, Lance. You still with us?”

Keith looked to see if there was any noticeable changes in Lance’s glassy vision. Lance just gave him a dopey grin. “Are you a camp fire? Cause you’re hot and I want s’more.”

Shiro bit his lip to try and not laugh; the others laughed openly. Lance tried to right himself on his own, but failed. Coran strode over and placed a hand on Lance’s forehead. “He’s burning up. The effects are starting to wear off. He’ll pass out soon, so you best get him somewhere he can rest.”

Keith nodded and tried to lead Lance out of the room, but realized there was no way he was going to be able to get Lance to walk to his room. “Uh…help?”

Pidge and Hunk were out of the room so fast Keith didn’t even see them leave. Shiro scratched the back of his neck. “I would, but I really need to finish reporting about the mission. You can carry him by yourself, can’t you?”

“Yeah, I can. Don’t see why you can’t help me now and come back to finish your report later though…”

Allura crossed her arms. “Because this is important. So cease your whining and get Lance somewhere he can lay down before he drops on his face.”

Keith furrowed his brow. He could argue with Allura, but that wouldn’t get him anywhere. The fact of the matter was, he could see Lance fading fast, and it was only a matter of time before he would pass out completely. Keith maneuvered Lance and hoisted him up over his shoulder. He didn’t even bother looking back as he stalked out of the room. Lance was heavier than he looked, and it was throwing Keith’s balance off.

After the third time he almost ran into a wall because he was unsteady, Keith lowered Lance on the ground. He quickly repositioned Lance and picked him up bridal style. He ignored all the feelings rushing through him and stalked towards the sleeping quarters. Lance was babbling, but none of it was making much sense. He thought he heard something about parking tickets and fines, but he wasn’t completely sure.

The sight of Lance’s room was a blessing. He would finally be able to get away from this situation; to finally be able to calm himself down and collect his thoughts. Lance’s bed wasn’t made, much in Lance fashion. Keith almost felt bad for having to let him sleep in his flight suit, but there was absolutely no way in hell he was going to strip Lance to dress him. As he lowered Lance onto his bed, the other boy clung to him. “Don’t go.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m just putting you down, you’re heavy.”

“M’kay,” Lance released his tight grip on Keith as he laid his head on his pillow. “Hey Keith?”

“What, Lance?”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t part of your past…can I make it up by being in your future?”

Keith reminded himself that this wasn’t real. It was all an induced haze. “Sure Lance. I’d like that.”

Lance smiled, eyelids drooping shut. He was asleep before he could say anything else. Keith watched him for a moment, checking to make absolutely certain that Lance was actually asleep before backing out of the room slowly. As soon as he stepped into the hallway and the automatic door hiss closed, he stalked off to his room down the hall and locked himself in. Ripping off his helmet he chucked it against the wall. He stripped out of his flight suit and got changed into his normal attire. He sat on his bed with a drawn out sigh.

Today was too much, and he didn’t no how to process it all. He was happy he had enough self control to keep his helmet on at all times. If Lance had pecked his cheek like he had his hand, Keith couldn’t honestly say what he would have done. That notion alone made him feel sick. Lance was drugged, not himself, and incapable of pushing Keith away. Keith would never force affections on someone who wasn’t in a right state of mind. He couldn’t help the desire to want to though, to take advantage of the situation to suit him. He wasn’t lonely, never had been, but he did miss aspects of physical affections with other people.

He laid down and started at the ceiling. So many thoughts plagued his mind, but one of his biggest concerns was if Lance would remember anything at all about today, or if it would be a complete blank. If he did remember, how would he act around Keith after. Lance was into guys, but Keith hadn’t told him his own preference. It scared him, to let someone else in. Either than Shiro, and the few guys he had been with in the past, his preference was never received well. He knew Lance wouldn’t be grossed out, as that would make him a hypocrite, but it still made him anxious. Would Lance treat him differently if he knew?

He curled on his side and closed his eyes. He needed to sleep and stop worrying about the heavy stuff. He could deal with all of that another time. For now, he needed to rest and not think about pressing Lance up against a hard surface and kissing him senseless.

Shiro finished retelling Coran and Allura everything that happened with the Glybulp, and how they also agreed to ally themselves with team Voltron. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to track down Pidge and Hunk and give them an earful for ducking out earlier.”

Allura chuckled. “Don’t be too harsh on them. We’re going to move on our way, as there have been no Galra sightings here, and I doubt we will be needed again so soon. Have a good night, Shiro.”

“You too, Princess.” He was almost out the door before he remembered to address Coran as well.

Once Shiro left Coran turned his attention to Allura, who was in the process of moving the castle away from Oshornia. “You know, things must have really changed the ten thousand years we were asleep.”

“Anything you’re referencing in particular, Coran?”

“Well, back then, Ziphere fruit didn’t cause people to be fixated with the first person they saw. They only reacted to the person they were in love with. Amazing how things have changed!” There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Allura just batted her eye in faux innocence. “Is that what it did? I honestly had no idea!”

Coran shook his head at the blatant lie. “Careful Allura, it might not be wise to meddle with those two. They’ll figure things out themselves.”

Allura rolled her eyes. “That’s a lot less fun, but alright. I’ll leave them be.”

Coran gave his approval and headed out towards the kitchens to see about whipping up something for the paladins for dinner. Allura waited until Coran was out of the room before pulled up the cameras to Lance’s room. He was sound asleep, still in his flight suit. She was relieved; not that she didn’t trust Keith to get him their safely, but there was always a chance Lance would say something that pushed too far and Keith would just leave him somewhere. She closed them down and put the ship into autopilot. She knew Coran was right, but that didn’t stop her from wanting to give a friendly little push. From the moment she first watch them together, she knew there was something more there than some silly rivalry. She wanted to help, but knew it was best to let them sort it out themselves.

They can’t be that dense….can they? 

Chapter Text

Lance woke up with a start the next morning, shaken by dreams that may have been memories. His mind was foggy as he first sat up and stretched. He was sore and stiff throughout every inch of his body, and looking down he realized that was due to still being in his armor; having apparently slept in his armor even though he didn’t remember going to bed. Lance slowly slid out of bed and got changed into his usual clothes. He was going to be hurting for the majority of the day and could only hope nothing strenuous came up other than the usual training he was sure that Allura wouldn’t allow him to skip out on.

Lance whistled a cheerful tune on his way to the dining area for breakfast. Despite being sore all over from sleeping in armor, he felt well rested and full of energy. His mind was mostly cleared and only lingering flashes of some of the previous day were left. Lance couldn't tell if some of them actually happened, or if some were only dreams. Things that seemed too out of character for Keith to do, or things that made his heart race at the mere thought he may have gone too far in his inebriated state. He knew there had to be some truth to most of the memories though, or else he’d consider himself going mad. However with the knowledge that most of the embarrassing and strange behaviour he displayed yesterday was real, Lance knew that he needed to thank his friends for dealing with him and apologize thoroughly to someone very special in particular.  

The first thing the blue paladin noticed when he entered the dining hall was that there were only five people eating, rather than the six he expected. He didn’t let his disappointment at Keith’s absence show though. He simply smiled at his team and headed towards his usual spot. "Mornin!"

"Good morning Lance. How are you feeling?" Lance was almost disappointed Allura didn't seem concerned in the slightest; She hardly looked his way as he approached.

"Well I feel much better after seeing your gorgeous face, Princess!" Lance gave her a half-hearted wink; which she noticed with some amusement.

Pidge groaned. "Sadly he's back to normal."

Lance plopped down in his usual spot beside Hunk. "Why that I am Pidge! And feeling like a million bucks to boot! The fruit may have messed me up, but man do I feel well rested and ready to take on the day."

"So, you do remember yesterday?" Shiro seemed amused. 

Lance nodded and scooped goo onto his plate. "Most of it, I think? Some bits are super blurry, some bits are blindingly clear, and some I can't tell if my brain is trying to supply things that didn't happen to make up for the gaps I do have, or if those things really did happen.”

Pidge grinned and opened her mouth to help Lance remember things that totally happened, but Shiro shot her down. "Pidge, no." 

She pouted and turned back to her food. "You're no fun." 

Lance chuckled and pushed around the goo on his plate. "I'm really sorry for the trouble I caused yesterday. I know I was probably a lot to handle. And thank you Allura, for taking care of Blue for me. I would have felt like a monster if we left her on Oshornia."

Allura smiled. "Oh, we wouldn't have. We would have just towed her with another lion."

"Still. I’m sorry for all the trouble...” Lance wasn’t looking at anyone, just staring at his goo.

It was rare Lance apologized so sincerely; it threw the team off a bit. Hunk cleared his throat. “Well in any case, you weren't much of a hassle for us. More like an endless source of amusement until you passed out."

"Gee thanks pal. Laughing at me while I'm out of sorts, in my time of weakness! My own best friend!" They laughed together and Lance finally started eating. Half way through Lance glanced over at Shiro. "So, where is he?"

Shiro sighed; He didn’t need to even ask who Lance meant, he must knew. "Keith is where he usually is. But I'd just give him a bit of space for now; he doesn’t seem to want to talk at the moment. Not even to me."

Lance frowned but nodded. He needed to talk to Keith badly, to apologize for everything Keith was put through the previous day. Keith got the worst of all of them, he knew that wasn't his brain making shit up. With all the flirting and the holding, the grinding-oh how he wished that was a figment of his imagination, but no, he knew that really happened and he was mortified-, and God Lance was sure he would have kissed him if given the chance. He was so glad that Keith almost never took off his helmet, and the one time he did take it off, Lance managed to behave himself enough not to screw things up. But as much as he needed to talk to Keith immediately, he knew it would have to wait lest Keith be scared off even more.

The feelings Lance had experienced yesterday was beyond anything he felt before. It was almost like being drunk-that warm buzzing feeling-but on top of all that, he just felt so much love and care for Keith specifically. It was like floating in the air when they touched, yet drowning at the same time-like he couldn’t get enough air no matter how hard he tried-and it was oh so very addicting. Lance didn’t know how much of that was the fruit messing with him, and how much was from his own genuine feelings that Lance was slowly realizing he actually had for the other boy.

Just in case it was mostly the fruit though and he wasn’t going to make a fool of himself in front of Keith, he turned his attention to Allura. "So Allura, that fruit wasn't like…a love drug, right?"

Allura laughed. "No Lance, as I assured Keith, Ziphere is not a love drug nor aphrodisiac."

Lance was embarrassed that Keith even had to ask that in the first place-and he certainly didn’t remember Keith asking that at all; He must have been worse than he originally perceived, and to him that was a horrifying thought. Pidge and Hunk were snickering beside him, and Shiro looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there at the moment.

Shiro coughed, trying to divert Lance’s attention beyond the two laughing beside him. "I'm just glad you’re alright now. It would have been bad for all of us if the effects lasted longer than they did."

Lance smiled, and thanked Shiro for his concern. They all finished their breakfast in relative silence after that-save for a few jokes from Pidge and Hunk at Lance’s expense-and then Allura cheerfully all escorted them to the training deck while Coran went to check their flight plan. Keith was already there, of course, fighting with a high-level gladiator intently. Lance couldn’t help but just stare at his teammates fluid movements. The way his body moved as he struck at his enemy, or the way he dodged, was entrancing to Lance. Just as Keith was about to go in for the kill, Allura canceled the hologram.

"Fall in with the others Keith. We have a lot of work to do!" He shot Allura a dirty look when she wasn't looking for interrupting his session. Keith slinked over to the rest of the team, being sure to keep as far away from Lance as possible; which Lance noticed glumly. Allura noticed the  change in atmosphere around them, but remembered Coran’s advice not to meddle. “Now, today we’re going to work on pair fighting! You guys have been working well as a whole team, but I’d like to see how well you do in pairs with the bots. So, we’ll have Pidge and Shiro start.”

Pidge grumbled about having to start first, but got into position with he back facing Shiro in the ring anyway. As soon as Shiro and Pidge were ready, Allura activated the bots-which came swooping down from the ceiling. Despite her grumblings, Pidge worked well with Shiro in combat. Shiro instructed her quietly in ways that wouldn’t be very obvious to the others, but loud enough to really help direct her. She wasn’t trained for combat fighting, she was supposed to be a computer specialist after all.

She was also decent with Hunk and Keith when it came down to it, Keith more so than Hunk. But put her and Lance together and usually became a train wreck. They were both insanely stubborn about things and sometimes Lance made quick decisions that she just couldn’t follow. They both knew they didn’t work well together, and so did everyone else. Allura made her work with Lance next for that very reason; Shiro was just a way to get Pidge warmed up and battle ready. They didn’t last nearly as long as she had with Shiro, but it was at least better than normal; so, a high five was definitely in order.

Afterwards, it was Lance and Keith. Keith kept avoiding his gaze, just turned his back to Lance and got into a proper stance. Lance sighed and turned his back to Keith, readying himself with his bayard and shield for the bots to shoot at them. It was going okay at first, but then Lance pressed his back against Keith to protect them both better, and Keith jumped away suddenly-leaving Lance’s back open to a shot. He fell through the hole in the ground and waited until the simulation was over; which didn’t take long after he fell.

Allura looked annoyed when they were brought up to the surface level. “Really? After all the progress you two have made recently in combat, it’s just gone down the drain in one day?”

Keith muttered an apology to her, but didn’t look up to meet her eye. The red paladin was feeling like an idiot more than anything, and really couldn’t deal with being ragged on about his shit performance as well. Despite the emotional turmoil going through him, he knew that it should not let it interfere with training. Lance was a good teammate, a good friend, and now Keith was treating him like crap because he couldn’t sort out his own feelings about the previous day and the boy in question. It was frustrating, to know that he had let someone under his skin so much that it was messing with him in combat. He knew it wasn’t Lance’s fault, and that is was his own feelings that were the issue. Still, he couldn’t help but be a little annoyed at Lance; with his stupidly cute face and his gorgeous body. It was a distraction! One that Keith couldn’t help but peek at when Lance wasn’t looking; which didn’t help with the feelings he had in the slightest.

Allura knew she wasn’t going to get anywhere scolding them for their ridiculous behaviour; it would probably only cause more problems if she brought it up. Plus, if she told them that the Ziphere fruit only amplified their own feelings right now, they would be furious with her and probably too embarrassed at each other to be even remotely useful. She paired Lance with Hunk for the next round, which went rather well for both despite Lance feeling just a tad hurt at Keith’s reaction to light back touching during their round. It was almost like a slap in the face to his current feelings towards the boy, and it wasn’t something he could afford to work through during battle simulations. He pushed all distracting thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on the bots around him, and Hunk behind him.

Lance and Hunk did almost beat the round, if not for a missed shot on Lance’s part and a missed block simultaneously from Hunk; they both went down together. Next, Lance was paired with Shiro, and that was always quite the thrill for him; secretly though, he’d never told anyone and never would. He got to fight side by side with his hero, and that was one of the most incredible feelings in the world.

They cleared the simulation, the first two to do so that day, but just barely. Lance almost missed blocking a shot that was headed for Shiro’s human arm, but caught it just by the edge. Shiro congratulated Lance on a job well done after they were done, patting him on the shoulder and giving him a soft smile; a gesture which skyrocketed Lance’s previously down mood way up.

Shiro and Hunk went next, and it went just as well as Lance’s round with Shiro. Hunk was a decent shot and a hell of a defence man; which was an added bonus in combat. Keith was paired with Pidge after Shiro and Hunk’s turn. It went smoother than she personally expected, given the painfully obvious rift between Lance and Keith. She could tell Keith had a lot on his mind, about the previous day no doubt, and wasn’t totally focused on the simulation. She didn’t blame him for being slightly distracted though. Her teammate had a lot happen to him yesterday, and if her hunch was correct, there may be some deeper underlying feelings about Lance that Keith would probably need to sort through some point soon.

Pidge and Hunk went next, and they did well until Hunk back too far against Pidge and knocked her over; leaving his own back wide open to a shot. With Hunk being her last person to pair up with, she flopped on the ground and waited for the last two team-ups to happen. Keith with Hunk was a bit of a jumble, but they managed to get more than half way through before Keith got hit in the side while moving to shield Hunk.

The last match up was Keith and Shiro, and it was always a sight to see. Pidge even sat up properly to watch them. Before the bots were activated, they seemed to have a wordless conversation which ended up with Keith nodded and getting into position without having a single verbal word exchanged. Their round was practically flawless, as it usually was. They moved in sync with one another, not letting a single shot through their guard. Allura congratulated them on a job well done and allowed them to rest for a short while-only because Coran insisted they would need a break and that lunch was almost ready-with some drink pouches. They all sat in kind spaced out so they could lounge out some.

Lance was having a chat with Hunk about his newest invention which Hunk was planning on starting tonight. Lance subtly glanced over Keith’s way and froze at the sight before his eyes. Shiro was ruffling Keith’s hair quickly and speaking to him lowly with a small proud smile on his face. Lance’s heart ached at the sight, and turned back quickly to give his full attention to Hunk. His heart raced as he replayed the moment in his mind over and over, but he also felt a twinge of jealously. Not to the affections that Keith was getting from Shiro – his idol – but from the warm smile that Shiro had received in return. He craved that smile from Keith and was only a little annoyed it wasn’t directed at him in the slightest.

They continued training for a while longer after a quick lunch provided by Coran; which looked more like bouncy balls then they did actual food. They did a few more duel simulations in pairs, but also a few group ones just to mix it up. Sometimes three of them, sometimes four. They did one of all of them. Mind melding came next, and it was a train wreck-more so then the very first time that they had tried it. Both Keith and Lance couldn’t hold anything resembling the shapes they needed in their minds; allowing flashes of their previous-embarrassing- day blinking on display for the others to witness before quickly disappearing. Eventually Allura scolded them about their lack of focus and called it a day for the team. It was early for dinner, but Hunk zoomed off to the kitchen as soon as he could to start preparing. In the meantime, the rest of the group broke apart to do their own things for a little while. Lance was tempted to corner Keith and talk to him, but Keith had already left the room before he got the chance. Sighing, he resigned himself just to take a shower and relax in his room until dinner was ready.

Dinner itself once it was ready was uneventful, albeit incredibly delicious, and Keith wasn’t there yet again. Hunk told Lance that Keith snagged something before he was even finished making their dinner, which Hunk thought was a complete waste. “Like, he’s missing half the flavors that make this all work!! If he had waited just five more minutes, I would have been able to be proud of what he was eating! But noooo, he just had to snag something and take off.”

Lance could barely focus on the delicious taste of Hunk’s new dishes himself, pushing around the varying vegetables like things and the standard but ore flavorful goo on his plate rather than eating it. He was ashamed of letting his team down, and annoyed at Keith for doing the same. Lance couldn’t really blame Keith though, he knew that was probably more affection in one day than Keith had ever probably had growing up. If he were in Keith’s shoes, he would probably do something similar. And unlike Lance who had gaps in his memory, Keith remembered everything. God knows what Lance did to Keith that he didn’t even remember doing in the first place. He prayed that it wasn’t anything too extreme; he already ground his ass against Keith’s lap and that was bad enough.

Once dinner was done, everyone parted for their spare time; Hunk explicitly stating he was working on something precarious and to not disturb him, lest he accidently blow something up. Lance found himself wandering the halls of the castle aimlessly. He mulled over what to say to Keith when the other paladin finally decided to let Lance talk to him. With so many thoughts jumbled up in his mind, Lance headed down to the only place where he might get some help; the green lion’s hanger.

Pidge groaned when Lance waltzed into the room like he belonged there. “I seriously need to prioritize a lock.”

“Hey! It’s not that bad when I come to see you, is it?” Lance pouted.

Pidge adjusted her glasses and refocused her attention on what she was working on. “Depends on what you’re in here for.”

Lance shuffled awkwardly. “I need help...with…Keith.”

Pidge swivelled in her chair to face Lance. “And tell me why exactly that you chose to come to me about your big fat crush on Keith? I’m not exactly some love guru over here.”

“Because you’re my friend! Also, you heard Hunk after dinner, he said do not disturb him and ran off to the kitchen…”

Pidge sighed and resigned herself to having to help Lance out. “Fine. Not sure how much help I’m actually going to be, but I can at least listen.”

Lance plunked down on the hard ground in front of her chair and groaned. “I might totally have a thing for Keith, and I have no idea what to do about it!”

“And this is new news how…? It’s pretty obvious dude. I think you two are the only ones that don’t get it. Plus, I just mentioned your big fat crush like a minute ago.”

Lance was embarrassed his friends noticed his own feelings before he did, and that he actually hadn’t heard her say that at all, but carried on none the less. “And okay, so I like Keith. So, I like the way he smiles, and I like his laugh and I even like his stupid hair! But like what if he doesn’t like me like that? Like he might only see me as a friend and I don’t want to mess up what we do have by trying for something we could have, you know?”

Pidge opened her mouth to respond that no she didn’t know, but Lance had more to say. “He’s just so…ugh! I want to talk to him, I want to apologise for yesterday; for making him uncomfortable. But I also want to shake him and yell because he’s being a jerk and ignoring me and he jumped away when our backs brushes and I got shot in the back! Who even does that?!”

Lance took another breath before he continued his rant. Pidge didn’t even bother trying to respond. “And let’s say that he maybe was okay with being with me, what if it doesn’t last? What if he finds out I listened in on his conversation with Shiro? Keith still doesn’t know that I did that, and he hasn’t exactly told me all the things I heard either. If Keith finds out, he’d hate me for sure, and that would ruin everything. I want to be with him, but I don’t want to lie to him either. I just…I’m so god damn confused.”

It was silent for a while, which signalled that it was okay for Pidge to speak. She had no real experience in this sort of thing, so her initial response was blurted out. “Damn you’ve got it bad…”

“Pidge!!!” Lance whined, face flushed.

“Sorry, sorry. Just stating a fact.” She cleared her throat and carried on. “Look, if you like Keith-which it’s clear you really really do-I think you should probably just tell him.”

“I can’t! Weren’t you listening?! What if he doesn’t like me like that! I can’t handle more awkwardness around him on this ship! It’s not like its that big of a place and it’s kind of only us seven up here!”

“Right, okay. So be subtle about it? Like maybe test the waters and see if he likes you too? Though Keith might be kinda dense about it…so maybe just kiss him or something?”

Lance sputtered out words that Pidge couldn’t make sense of; she assumed it was another language. Lance finally switched back to English. “I can’t just kiss him!! I almost did that yesterday, and could you imagine how things would be if I had!?”

Pidge rubbed her temples. “Look, I think you’re over thinking the hell out of this. Just go with it? You’re Lance for Christ sakes! When have you ever doubted yourself when it comes to going after someone you want?”

“This is different…this is so different. I’ve never felt this confused, and happy, and stressed, and sad, and angry, and…” He trailed off in a groan.

“Dude, just try the subtly thing? Might work.”

Lance flopped on his back. “But what if I’m not his type!”

Pudge shrugged. “Don’t know. I guess you’ll figure out that when you actually go talk to him, rather than me. How am I supposed to know what kind of person Keith likes!?”

Lance sprung up and composed himself. “You’re right! No sense talking to you about this, I need to talk to Keith!” He turned abruptly and headed for the door. “Thanks Pidge! You’re really good at this!”

Pidge waited until the other paladin left before she let out of huff and turned back to her work. She prayed for everyone’s sake that her hunch was correct and Keith did like Lance back, and that everything would go fine between them. It was so painfully obvious she felt like bashing their heads together and yelling at them to open their eyes and realize how stupid they were being. For now, though, she had modifications to work on and door locks to plan.

Lance wouldn’t say he was running per se, but he was definitely speed walking towards the training deck. He figured Keith would be there once more,  since he didn’t seem to be anywhere else today either than briefly after training finished. His hunch was correct, the light on the panel beside the training room was indicating that someone was currently using it. Lance took a deep breath and placed a hand on the scanner for the door to open. It whooshed to the side and stepped in quietly. He knew it wouldn’t take long for Keith to notice he was there, but Lance wasn’t moving from the door. He knew it was mean of him to block Keith from leaving, but there was no way Lance was going to let all the work they had done to strengthen their bond to go to waste.

Keith only noticed him after he took down the gladiator he was fighting. His first instinct was to run, but noticed that Lance was currently blocking the only exit to the room. Keith cursed, but stood his ground. Lance looked nervous, not quite looking him in the eye, but definitely looking his way. “Keith…can we talk please?”

Keith put his bayard away. “Do we have to?”

Lance nodded and stepped away from the door a little. “I-uh-I want to apologize for yesterday. I wasn’t in my right mind at all, and I’m sorry you got stuck looking after me. I know I was probably more of a flirty pain than normal, and that was probably a bit much directed at you suddenly. And I mean I-I really appreciate that you took care of me, so thank you for that. But I’m sure it kind of sucked a bit for you? H-Having to watch over me all day while I was like that...” 

Lance couldn’t distinguish the look on Keith’s face; was it relief? Was it nervousness? “So, you do remember yesterday…?”

“Mostly, yeah. I’ll admit a good chunk near the end is missing, but I remember bits and pieces. Like I remember eating the fruit, and I remember not being able to fly Blue because I was so out of it.” Lance made his way a little closer, Keith hadn’t made a move to flee, so he took that as a good sign. “I remember flirting with you, horribly; definitely not some of my best material. I remember not letting you go, and I’m sure that made you uncomfortable. I remember being in your lap…the first time I remember too well,”

Lance felt his face grow hot. “I’m so sorry! That was probably the worst thing I did! Like wow who does that? Just-I…I’m sorry. Really glad that didn’t happen the second time? A-At least I don’t think it did?” 

Keith couldn’t help the blush creeping its way onto his cheeks. He definitely wished that Lance didn’t remember that part. That was probably the worst physical thing he did that day, but the worst thing about it was that Keith was enjoying it; which made him feel like a pervert since Lance wasn’t really in control of his own actions.

He didn’t say anything, so Lance came a little closer and kept talking. “After the meeting, it’s a little fuzzy though? I think we went for a ride in Red?” Keith nodded in confirmation. “Okay, so that did happen…did we get out of Red and go sit on a dock?

Keith shook his head. “No, we didn’t do that.”

“Okay, so my brain is making shit up then. Can you tell me what happened after the ride?” Lance bit the edge of his lip, waiting nervously for Keith to respond. Hoping nothing would be too bad that he didn’t remember.

Keith ran a gloved hand through his hair, brushing it out of his face. “Not much. We went back to the castle, you let out some more bad lines, and then you passed out. I dragged your ass to your room and left you there.”

“Ah, well, thank you. I really can’t thank you enough for everything, and seriously, I’m really sorry about everything. I had no idea that fruit was gonna give me that kind of reaction. Really reminds you how alien things are up here, eh?”

“I guess it does…”

Lance wrung his hands together; the anxiety was getting to him. “So? Are we…okay?”

Keith made the mistake of looking Lance right in the face. He looked like a kicked puppy, and Keith couldn’t resist it at all. Lance’s blue eyes making him melt inside. “Yeah. We’re okay. Sorry about today…I was just…”

Lance shook his head. “You don’t need to explain, I get it. Too much weird affection all at once can be a lot to take in. At least you didn’t knock me out and just left me somewhere! Other people might have.”

“I wouldn’t do that…and…since you brought it up…I guess I never actually apologised for punching you in the face…so, I’m sorry about that. I was just so angry at the time, and I know I can be a bit…impulsive sometimes. I did try and pull my punch some though; so I was a little surprised you went down like that.” Keith was annoyed at himself that it took this long to properly apologise. He may be impulsive, but hitting someone just because they hurt you wasn’t the way to go about things.

Lance chuckled. “Ah, you caught me off guard is all and I kind of tripped over my own feet; that’s why I went down. Still hurt like a mother fucker, but hey I got lucky and nothing broke, and no blood was spilt! I was pretty impressed that there wasn’t at least a tooth knocked out or something.”

Keith flushed; him not spilling blood shouldn’t be that impressive to anyone-though he was glad for it none-the-less. “Still, I shouldn’t have hit you in the first place. I should have just walked away from the situation instead.”

Lance smiled at him. “Hey, it’s all behind us now. Hurt at the time, but Coran got me into a pod for a bit the next day, so no nasty bruise with no make up to hide it with! Besides, it kind of led to me coming to talk to you, and now look at us? It’s not exactly the worse result from a bad situation, hm?”

Keith couldn’t help a slight smile. “Shiro felt bad after he left you, just so you know. He came and talked to me right after I stormed out. Once I calmed down he kind of gave me shit for hitting you and then worried like hell about how he barely looked you over and how he felt like a bad leader for not staying and actually making sure you were one hundred percent okay.”

Lance laughed loudly. “He’s quite the mother hen sometimes, isn’t he?”

Keith groaned. “You have no idea. He was a lot worse when we were younger.”

“Wish I could have seen that!” Lance was picturing a younger Shiro badgering Keith about getting into fights at school, or not doing his homework right away.

Keith snorted. “It was something else. He’s mellowed out quite a bit in comparison.”

They smiled at each other, and Lance took the final few steps until he was standing right in front of Keith. “So, we’re cool then?”

“Yeah Lance, like I said before, we’re okay. Just next time be careful about what you eat on strange planets.” Keith teased.

“I’ll try, but sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me. Besides, it just looked too delicious to resist.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Then next time, someone else gets to take care of your clingy ass.”

“Sir, yes sir!” Lance mockingly gave him a salute.

Keith couldn’t help but laugh again and Lance smiled at him. His laughter was one of Lance’s favorite things about Keith, and hearing it again made him feel all kinds of things; but mostly a comfortable warmth and insane amounts of butterflies in his stomach. He was so far gone for this boy, he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“Wanna spar some? Make up for our shit performance today?” Keith questioned with a hint of nervousness.

Lance beamed. “God yes. I want to show them tomorrow that we could easily kick anyone’s ass any time!  Today was a fluke!”

They got into position and activated the bots they had used earlier. Now that they were talking again they moved as one. Lance would even say it rivaled Keith and Shiro’s turn earlier that day. He’d work with Keith until he could eventually surpass that bond Keith had with Shiro currently; being the best person to work with Keith in battle. Lance knew the notion was pretty silly to shoot for, but he wanted to be Keith’s partner in more than one way, and he’d be damned if he couldn’t at least try to take that spot. Lance wasn’t a possessive person, but he wanted to be first in Keith’s mind. The first person Keith thought to call out to if he needed someone, first person to choose to do missions with, or training with.

They got through the entire simulation in no time, and upped it to the next level. It was noticeably harder, and they absolutely had to stand back to back to fight it properly. Now that Keith wasn’t freaking out about his touch, it went a million times better. They carried on up the levels until it got too much for only two people and Lance nearly got hit shielding Keith. They managed to just squeak by and called for the simulation to end after. Lance was feeling amazing about their teamwork and slung an arm around Keith’s shoulder without thinking. “Nice work, partner!”

Keith’s cheeks turned a bit pink; something that Lance absolutely noticed. His heart raced-the reaction gave him hope for more. Keith didn’t shrug him off, and that definitely meant something to Lance. “Yeah, you too Lance.”

Lance wanted to say something, wanted to let his emotions gush out like a waterfall. Before he could Keith slipped out of his hold. “I’m a little tired, so I’m going to head to bed.”

“R-Right, of course! You’ve been training almost non-stop today! You have a good night, buddy!”

Keith nodded and started heading towards the door. “You too Lance. See you in the morning.”

As soon as the door slid closed behind Keith, Lance groaned and dropped on the floor. “Stupid.”

He’d had a chance with Keith right there to test the waters; see if Keith might actually be into him. Lance could only pray that his reaction when he put an arm around his shoulders meant that it was a possibility Keith could like him back. Lance also knew the second he opened his mouth to say anything he was probably going to sound like a huge dork, but Lance was prepared for that. Keith made him nervous, Keith made his head spin and his heart race a million miles an hour. Through the few past relationships he had he could honestly say he had never felt anything remotely close to it; this was almost too much.

Lance had a right mind to run after Keith and just confess right then and there but the Castle’s alarm system went off; blaring the warning sirens all around. Allura’s voice flickered onto the loud speaker. “Paladins, we’re under attack! This is not a drill, you need to get into your lions immediately! The planet we were passing had hidden Galra presence and we are taking heavy fire! We need Voltron now!”

Chapter Text

Lance scrambled up from his position on the floor and raced out of the training room, nearly colliding with Keith who was strangely standing at the door still. They looked at each other but they knew they had no time to say or question the other’s actions. Lance sprinted past Keith and headed for the Bridge for the quick way to his lion; Keith was right on his heels following him.

The others were racing into the room just after Keith and Lance got there. From the screens, they could see about eight medium sized Galra battleships firing directly at them, shaking the castle each time a blast hit the barrier. Allura was focused on keeping the barrier up while Coran was concentrating on firing back when he could. None of the paladins stopped to think, just headed into their elevators to take them to their lions. There was no time for anything else, they needed to neutralise the threat in front of them.

As soon as they were in their lions and launched into space, they wasted no time returning fire on the ships attacking them. Shiro came through on the coms. “We’re not going to be able to take them out individually. Keith, Lance. Are you two going to be-”

“We’re fine, Shiro. We’ve talked.” Keith responded.

“Now let’s form Voltron and kick some Galra ass!” Lance added.

Shiro didn’t need anything more than that, and the team merge together as Voltron seconds later. Half the ships aimed all their fire on the giant robot, only to be deflected by Voltron’s shield. They flew through the sky, dodging blasts left and right to get close to the nearest ship. Keith engaged his bayard to give them the sword to use during the battle. The easily sliced through the hull of the ship, taking it down in a fiery explosion. The blast was enough to take out the ship that was closest to it as well. They continued to block, dodge and slice their way through the rest of the ships around them, taking care as not to take much damage. The final ship they took down managed to get in a hit to the leg, but thankfully it was Hunk’s heavily armoured lion that took the hit.

Allura’s face appeared on their screens-expression tense. “I’m getting readings that there are more ships still stationed on the planet’s surface. Please land on planet Qautune and assess the threat.”

“Roger that. Let’s go team!” Shiro commanded, steering Voltron into the planet’s atmosphere.

As they raced through the silver clouds to reach the ground below, they briefly noticed that Qautune’s surface resembled a coniferous forest from back on Earth. However, the team barely had time to appreciate that fact before they were being shot at from two ships. The deflected and took down the enemy ships with relative ease. Landing on the surface in a clearing, they scanned over the treetops to where there may be more enemy ships hiding. They spotted the Galra purple of a ship over by what they assumed was a castle.

As they flew over the dense canopy of trees, Voltron was hit with enemy fire from the ground: Galra soldiers hiding from sight under the thick foliage. They tried to hit back, but it was difficult to tell where the Galra enemies were. It became increasingly difficult to block all shots headed their way, as the shots were coming in every direction.

“We need to split up for now, they’re too spread out to get with one robot.” Shiro commanded. The team split up Voltron and continued to defend themselves and each other. “Pidge, Hunk. I want you two on the left. Lance and Keith take the right. I’ll head towards the castle and see what they’re up to.”

The team gave their acknowledgement to Shiro and tore off over the treetops in their designated areas to take out the enemy soldiers. Lance was almost remorseful that they had to take out so many trees that reminded him of Earth to get to their targets, but it was a small price to pay if it meant saving the day in the end. Keith didn’t have as much issue about the trees as he used his fire power to take down the ground cannons and soldiers; along with any tree that was in his path

Lance quickly followed behind freezing the flames Keith left before they spread too far. “Jeez Keith, think you can spare a few trees?”

“Trees are a small price to pay if it means taking down the enemy, Lance.” Keith replied, focused more on what he was doing than their conversation. “It’s not like there isn’t a whole forest around us.”

“Bet I could take down more soldiers without wrecking the landscape.” Lance challenged.

“I’d love to see you try.” Keith snorted.

Lance took that as an acceptance and began to fire ice blasts in between trees to only hit the Galra on the ground. Smaller Galra ships fled from where they were stationed on the ground; heading out of the planet’s atmosphere. The small ships attempted to make a break away from the planet, only to be taken down by Allura and Coran.

“Shiro, right side is cleared. What’s happening on your end?” Keith asked.

It took a minute before Shiro could respond. “Heavy Galra presence over here. Could use some back-up right away. I think they’re after the nobility of this planet.”

Keith and Lance raced towards where the black lion was and carried out a similar assault of flames and ice as they had before.  Pidge and Hunk joined up shortly after and they were able to take the rest of the ships and soldiers out quickly. All that was left was a small team on the top of the Castle. They seemed to have a hostage, so none of the paladins had a clear shot. “What do we do, Shiro?”

“We can’t attack and risk hurting the hostage they have. We need coverage here in case there is back up we missed.” Shiro paused before continuing. “I’m going to infiltrate the castle and try and take them all out that way.”

“You’re not going alone. I’m coming too.” Keith stated.

Shiro sighed. Keith’s tone meant he wouldn’t listen even if Shiro told him not to go. “Alright. Lance, Pidge, and Hunk, please guard the perimeter of the castle. Call if there’s any activity.”

“Hey wait, I’m coming with you guys!” Lance stated.

“No. I need the three of you to stay in your lions to defend us.”

Lance huffed. “Wouldn’t three be better than two?”

Shiro was trying hard not to snap. It was one thing to have Keith to back-talk him, but he couldn’t have another member of the team disobey orders. “That’s why you’re staying out with Pidge and Hunk. Please don’t argue Lance.”

Lance wanted to, but he knew there was no point. He had been trained to obey the orders of the leader, and that was Shiro. With no further input from anyone else, Shiro and Keith exited their lions and snuck into the castle. Hunk shot a few blasts up at the group to give the two on the ground cover to slip inside.

A few soldiers tried to fire back from the roof, but their smaller guns didn’t do much against the armor of the lions. Shiro checked in with them ever so often, but they didn’t see any changes on the horizon. Most of the Galra presence was up on the roof with the captive, and from the intel Shiro and Keith gained before taking out two guards near the third floor was that the Galra were waiting for a larger ship to arrive and take away the crowned prince of the planet as a gift to Zarkon.

Allura and Coran were notified to be on the look out, and just in time as the ship in question was approaching quickly. “We’ll be able to hold them off, but we will need your help to take them out.”

“Roger that. We’ll make quick work here and then head back to you, Princess.” Shiro responded.

Shiro and Keith sped up their pace, taking out soldiers as they came and instructing scared workers to head outside of the castle for now. “So, what’s the plan for getting up there? We can’t just walk through the front door.”

Shiro was a little proud Keith was asking, rather than just rushing in. “One of us goes through the door, and the others jets up from an open window with their jet-pack. I’ll let you choose where you want to be.”

Keith was grateful for the trust. “I’ll go through the window. You take the door.”

Shiro had no reason to argue the choice, so they split up as soon as they found the door. Once they were both in position, Shiro counted down and then Keith shot up from the window onto the roof, blocking all shots directed at him. Shiro burst through the door not minute after, rushing forward to take out the enemies. As soon as Keith landed beside Shiro, he began his own attacks with his sword. The Galra put up a hell of a fight, but their training gave them a sense of what the other was doing without having to communicate. A few shots were sent above their heads from their fellow paladins on the ground, as a sort of distraction.

“Enough!” The Galra commander bellowed, stepping backwards towards the edge. He held his captive over the edge of the roof by the front of his flowing shirt; the prince’s tail whipping wildly behind him as he was suspended over the castle grounds. “Drop your weapons, or I let this one die.”

Keith really wanted to tell them that they didn’t care what happened to the prince, but he knew that wasn’t the diplomatic response-and they did actually care. He retracted his sword, but kept his bayard ready for any surprises. It was just the commander and four guards. Both paladins were waiting tensely for the next move. They couldn’t take them down anymore, lest their hostage be dropped to his death.

The coms crackled in their ear. “I’ve got an idea,” It was Lance speaking; sounding incredibly sure of himself. “Just go with it. I’m not going to wait for a response-just attack when you have an opening. I’ve got this.”

Shiro was going to tell him not to do anything so they could have more time to assess the situation, but he was too late. A powerful ice blast grazed the top of the commander’s head; causing the alien to shout and drop what he was holding-his hostage. Keith and Shiro sprang into action while the Galra were startled. Keith took care of the guards while Shiro ran over to see what became of the prince. Before he could reach the edge of the roof the blue lion’s face came into view. Lance’s cheerful voice came back on the coms. “Hostage is safe and sound with me, Shiro.”

Shiro didn’t need anything more than that before turning his focus onto the Galra commander himself. It seemed his was still taken by surprise so Shiro took advantage of that and knocked him out. He would become their hostage and hopefully get some answers out of him better than they had with Sendak. “Allura, we’ve secured the hostage and have one of our own. We’ll be heading up shortly.”

Allura’s voice sounded tense. “The sooner the better, Paladins.”

Shiro confirmed they would be there shortly. “Pidge, Hunk. I need you to head up and assist the Castle. Lance, as soon as you let the Prince off in a safe location, please join them. Keith and I will be there as soon as we can.”

“Roger that.” They all chimed in unison.

Shiro watched the three head away from the castle while Shiro dragged their hostage all the way down the stairs to the basement. He was happy that his intuition was correct and there were dungeons in the palace. He threw the Galra commander inside an open cell and slammed it closed. Keith had followed only to make sure that there weren’t hidden soldiers in the area. Once their hostage as secured they raced out of the castle and into their lions. Pidge’s face popped onto their screens as soon as they were inside their lions. “Yeah, it’s pretty bad up here. So, if you two could get up here like now so we could form Voltron like now, that would be great.”

“We’ll be there in no time. Just hang in there a little longer.” Shiro’s voice was tense.

Keith and Shiro took off without any other communications from their team. Once they got back into space, they could see what they rush was about. The ship that as firing ion cannon blasts at the castle was massive, and the castle’s shields would only hold for so long. There was a fleet of smaller ships about as well, with each paladin taking on a group of them. “Alright team, let’s form Voltron!”

As soon as the others were able to fly close enough, they merged their lions to become the mighty Voltron. The small fleet was easy for the giant robot to take out-especially once Keith engaged the sword, and it was only a matter of time before the largest ship became aiming for them when the small fleet was nearly depleted. They knew it wasn’t the Galra’s biggest ship by any means, nor did it look like one of the higher commanders’ ships, but it was still large enough to do a lot of damage. “I don’t think cutting this one down is going to be the answer. Hunk, let’s try your blaster.”

Keith disengaged his bayard so that Hunk could engage his. While they were sure they could do two at once, they would lose their shield in the process; which was something they couldn’t afford to do at the moment. Once Hunk’s bayard was engaged and the giant blaster in Voltron’s hands, they began to fire back at the large ship.

Between the castle also returning fire and Voltron’s blaster, it was only a matter of time before the Galra ship lost it’s protective barrier; leaving it wide open to the assault from team Voltron. They managed to land a shot on the ship’s ion cannon, and that was the end of it. The purple ship went down in fiery explosions.

Allura’s face appeared on their com screen. “Great work Paladins. Return to your docking bays and come meet me and Coran in the Bridge.”

The team confirmed and disengaged Voltron before heading back to the castle to dock their lions. Taking the quick was back up to the Bridge, the all convened in front of the two Alteans. Allura and Coran looked pleased at their work. “You all did a great job out there today! I’m glad to see your training is paying off! Tell me how it went on Qautune.”

Shiro was the one to begin to respond, as he felt it his responsibility as team leader. “Qautune had heavy Galra presence, but we managed to take down their forces completely. Their intent was to capture the prince of the planet and take him to Zarkon as a gift. We managed to rescue the prince and Lance took him to a safe location. We have the commander locked in the prince’s dungeons-as I didn’t think it wise to bring a Galra soldier on our lions.”

Coran hummed in thought. “Well, it’d be good to get some intel from your captive, but we will have to contact the planet to make sure they are okay with us landing on the planet. I fear that the castle took a bit more damage than I hoped, and I need to make some repairs before we go anywhere else.”

“Well, the prince seemed very, very grateful to us for helping out, so I don’t think we’ll have many problems getting permission to land.” Lance smiled.

Coran nodded and went about contacting the planet. Shiro turned to Lance. “You did good out there, Lance. Even if you acted on your own.”

Lance shrugged. “Something needed to be done, or else we all would have been a stand still.”

“How did you save the prince anyway?” Keith questioned.

Lance smiled widely, happy for the question. “Well after I fired a blast at that fuzz-butt’s head, I knew he was going to drop the prince. So, I just had Blue open her mouth and I caught him. Landed a little hard, but he was otherwise unharmed. Very friendly guy, might I add. And then I dropped him off where he asked me too, and headed up here to kick more Galra ass.”

“Apparently very friendly indeed,” Coran pipped in. “I’ve just received clearance to land, and there will be a small welcoming party for us, which will include Qautune’s prince. He is incredibly eager to meet all of us.”

Allura clapped her hands together. “Wonderful! This will be a great opportunity to strengthen our alliances against the Galra Empire. Buckle up, Paladins. We’re heading down immediately.”

Their seats lifted from the floor and they all sat themselves down to prepare for entry to the planet. Allura skillfully brought the castle down and landed it in a large clearing some distance from the castle-which was the specified location. As soon as the castle was grounded, they all unbuckled themselves from their seats and headed towards the entrance of the castle.

As Coran noted, there was a gathering of locals waiting for them at the edge of the clearing; headed by the prince that they had rescued. As soon as the doors opened to allow the team out  into the clearing, their welcoming party moved forward to greet them. The prince was all smiles. “Welcome to Planet Qautune, Team Voltron. I am Rakluik, Prince of the Ymorian people. We are honored by your sacrifice to save not only my life, but our planet as well.”

The prince bowed at the team, followed by his entourage. Allura took of her helmet to regard the prince directly. “Thank you, Prince Rakluik. I am Princess Allura of Altea, and beside me are the Paladins of Voltron and my trusted advisor, Coran.”

Rakluik stepped forward and took Allura’s hand, kissing the back of it softly. “It is truly an honor to meet you, Princess,” He pulled back and looked at the rest of the team. “And to you as well, courageous paladins. I thank all of you for saving us. If you please, we’d like to throw a party for you all at my castle. It shouldn’t take more than an hour or two to set things up. We would like to show our gratitude to you all.”

The sun was setting in the background, and the adrenaline was wearing off of the team. Enough so that Pidge wasn’t even keeping herself upright; she was leaning against Hunk for support. Shiro looked at his team and then back to the prince. “With all due respect, we would appreciate a celebration tomorrow evening if that is possible. We’d hate to have you rushing around for us after your planet was just under attack.”

Rakluik turned his attention to Shiro. He seemed to look him up and down, almost checking him out, before smiling at him. “Of course, you’re all probably exhausted after such a difficult battle as well. We will arrange for a party tomorrow evening, if that would be acceptable.”

“Thank you, your highness. We would be honored to attend your party tomorrow evening,” Shiro bowed out of respect for the royal. “And about your prisoner in your dungeon…”

“He is secured, and still out cold. We will keep him there as long as you wish, knocked out with a special herb that my soldiers use for our own prisoners.” Rakluik answered, still smiling brightly as he spoke. “Well then, if that is all for this evening, I bid you all a good night. One of my advisors will be by in the morning. If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask. We will supply you with anything you desire.”

With nothing more to add, the team said farewell to the Ymorian’s and watched as the party retreated into the woods. Allura steered the team back into the castle so they could close the door. “You all worked hard today, so I suggest retiring to your rooms for the evening. You all deserve a good night’s sleep.”

They all said goodnight to Allura before heading off to their bed chambers. Pidge seemed to be the most worn out of them all, but they assumed that was from her probable lack of sleep previous nights combined with adrenaline crash. Shiro ended up having to pick her up and carry her to her room, much to her mumbled dissatisfaction. Hunk’s room was the closest so he yawned a goodnight and entered his room. Lance’s was the next, and he stopped before the door. Keith stopped with him. “Good work today, Lance. I don’t know how we would have handled the situation without your quick thinking.”

Lance smiled and lightly knocked his fist against Keith’s shoulder. “Well, happy to help. You did great out there too!”

Keith smiled lightly, and Lance’s heart fluttered. “Thanks Lance,” Keith placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder and patted it lightly. “Sleep well. See you in the morning.”

Lance nodded and opened his mouth to say more, to talk to Keith about why he had been outside the training deck after he left-looking like he was going to come back inside, but he yawned instead. He flushed and was going to try again, but he saw how tired Keith looked. “Yeah, have a good night, buddy.”

Now wasn’t the time to bring things up, but it certainly helped his confidence with trying to subtly see if Keith could be interested in him. If Keith left after saying he was tired, but then was still standing outside the door while Lance was in there, that had to be a good sign. Lance entered his room as Keith was already heading down the hall to his own room. Lance shed himself of his armor and changed into his pyjamas; relishing in the lavish feeling of the silk against his skin. He cleaned up his face in his small bathroom and crawled into bed. Lance fell asleep to thoughts of he and Keith dancing the night away in tuxedos.

The next morning was like any other. When the paladins got up they all made their way to the dining hall where breakfast consisting of goo was waiting for them. Coran and Allura were already there, they almost always were. Shiro was usually the first of the paladins to arrive, followed usually by Keith. Today was no different save for the last paladin to enter was Pidge, rather than Lance.

The castle’s detection system alerted them to the arrival of the prince’s advisor. Coran went to go greet the party as the team finished their goo. Coran was instructed by Allura to lead the Ymorian’s into the lounge area to discuss the evening that they planned. The paladins headed off that was as soon as they were all finished with breakfast and cleaned up. Coran was already engaged in conversation with the silvery alien as they entered the room. The group bowed at them as they entered. The alien beside Coran addressed the team directly. “Good morning, brave Paladins. My name is Gaotyul, advisor to Prince Rakluik.”

Coran twisted his mustache. “Gaotyul and I were just discussing the parts we need to repair the ship. It won’t take longer than a few hours to get the parts and repair the ship. We’ll be set to depart after the party, or the day after.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. Please, Gaotyul, tell us if there is anything we should be aware of custom wise for this party.” Allura inquired.

“Nothing that really stands out, your highness. My people hold many lavish parties throughout our year, so the only custom is just to make an appearance if you are invited. Prince Rakluik has sent our tailors with me, in the hopes he may be able to fit you with some fine clothes for this evening; though he noted that it was only if you wanted. It’s not a requirement for the party.”

“We thank the prince for his kind offer, but it might be wise to wear our armor to the party instead. We’d rather be cautious in case there’s another attack.” Shiro answered, seeming a little uncomfortable with strangers so far into the castle.

Gaotyul bowed. “Of course, that would make perfect sense. The prince is very fond of your armor in any case, so I’m sure he will be delighted to see it once more.”

“We’d also like to have our lion’s close by, just in case. The castle is too far away from here for us to get to our ships if there is any danger present.” Shiro added.

“That would be fine. There are areas in which you should be able to conceal them amongst the trees beside the castle,” Gaotyul said. “I’ll have to speak with our planners and reroute the parade some, but in the long run we would appreciate the added security.”

One word caught Lance’s attention. “Did you just say a parade?! As in you are throwing a parade in our honor, as well as a fancy party!?”

“That is correct, sir. We will be leading you around our fair city so that the residents can show their appreciation for your help yesterday. The parade will end back at the palace where the ball will take place.” Gaotyul answered calmly. “Now, if I may be excused, we wish to acquire the parts needed for your ship, as well as speak about redirecting the parade route for optimal exposure.”

“Of course, I’ll show you the way out. This way, please.” Allura addressed their visitors.

They followed the Altean princess, Shiro trailing after them just in case. Lance plopped himself down on the couch. “So now what? I guess we have some time to kill before the parade that is being held in our honor.”

They could all see how excited Lance was at the idea of the parade. None of the others were quite as passionate about the fanfare, but they felt humbled by it all. They were there to save the universe, and they expected nothing in return. When they did get recognition for their hard work, they never expected anything as extreme as what they were going to receive in thanks on Qautune. Keith leaned against the couch beside Lance. “Well, we could train more? We could probably use more hand-to-hand combat skills.”

Lance snorted. “And by we, you mean mostly us three because you and Shiro proved you can totally kick Galra ass in hand-to-hand.”

Lance was grinning, so Keith knew he wasn’t insulted by the unintentional insinuation. Keith decided to play along. “Well I mean…Hunk and Pidge are probably okay...”

Lance gasped. “Are you implying I’m the weak link here!?”

Keith shrugged. “You said it, not me.”

Lance jumped up and stood in front of Keith, wide smile on his face. “Then I challenge you to a duel, good sir!! First man down is the loser!”

Keith was about to accept, since it was all in good fun, but Shiro came back and shot the idea down. “Or, how about you guys all go check on your lions to see if there’s any damage. You two can spar later,” He wasn’t entirely aware that they were just playing around, but he could at least tell there was no malice between them. “Besides, Keith, you should really take a rest day. I’ve told you before that everyone needs one or two in a week at least.”

Keith grumbled something under his breath but didn’t challenge the matter. Lance sighed and placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “A rain cheque then, I suppose.”

“Any time you wanna go, just say the word. I’ll kick your ass.” Keith grinned up at him cheekily before slipping out of his grasp and heading towards Red’s hanger.

Lance bit the edge of his lip as he watched Keith leave. First there was that grin he shot him, and now that he really gets to look at Keith from behind…Pidge had been absolutely correct when she said he had it bad for Keith. He only snapped out of it when Hunk nudged him. “Dude, you okay?”

Pidge smirked as she walked past. “Oh, he’s just looking at a certain asset. Right, Lance?”

Lance flushed and stormed passed her towards his own lion’s hanger. He could vaguely here Hunk asked Pidge what she meant as he left. He barely even noticed when he made it to the hanger door; nearly running face first into it. It was one thing for he himself to accept and acknowledge that he was staring at Keith’s ass, but it was another to have someone else point it out. She wasn’t wrong by any means, but Lance hadn’t even talked to Hunk about how he felt for Keith yet, and he wanted to do that without her teasing jabs at his expense.

Blue’s presence sparked in the back of his mind as soon as he entered the room. She seemed very standoffish to him, which was always a weird thing to experience; a robot having emotions that he could feel himself. He sighed and got to work looking her over. She took a little bit of damage in the later half of the battle, but nothing that would be hard to fix. He did the minor repairs on her frame that needed to be done, and soldered a few wired that looked like they were coming loose.

As soon as he was done Coran’s voice echoed down into his hanger. “Well, seems like you didn’t need to take much time with your lion. Think you could come up here and give me a hand with the new supplies? The others are busy.”

Lance sighed. “Will do, Coran.”

He didn’t completely enjoy the mechanical aspect of things; that wasn’t his forte. He could do an alright job repairing minor things, but anything more and they would need a specialist like Pidge or Hunk who really knew what they were talking about. If Coran needed help, it would probably be more fetching and holding things for him while Coran fixed the ship. Lance was impressed by the speed that the Ymorian’s had returned with the supplies. He figured that they were probably trying to impress them with how quickly they go things done.

Lance took the quick way to Coran and began to assist in any way he could that didn’t get him overly involved.  There were a lot of repairs to take care of, but they were all minor. A little crack here, a few frayed wires here, a crystal became dislodged so the mice had to help as well. All in all it took up quite a bit of time. Enough time that they missed lunch time completely; Coran settling for tossing him an Altean protein bar for a quick break before getting back to work. Shiro joined them after he was finished his own repairs, and it made the work go so much faster. By the time they were finished, the rest of the team had joined them save for Keith. Keith was the last to come up, hair mussed and a smudge of grease on his chin. Lance couldn’t help but laugh at his appearance. Keith all but pouted. “Red took a few good hits…had to really get inside to fix a few things.”

“You should freshen up a bit before we go. Gaotyul is has sent word that he would like us to meet him at the palace shortly so they can begin the parade.” Allura said, walking into the room behind them.

Keith looked at her strangely. “Why? I don’t look that bad, do I?”

Lance laughed even harder and strode over to his teammate. “I think she was referring to the grease on your face and probably your hair too…do you even wash that mullet of yours?”

Lance didn’t even think before reaching a hand out in an attempt to feel Keith’s hair. He was thankful Keith swatted it away before he did. “Yes, I do. Thank you very much.”

Keith rubbed his chin furiously and felt his hair with the tips of his fingers. Sighing, he turned and headed out the door towards his room. He had been hoping his hair would be passable enough he wouldn’t need to wash it; his hair took forever to completely dry.

Allura crossed her arms. “I meant all of you, not just Keith. He may have looked the worst, but you could all do with a good cleaning.”

Lance pouted. “But don’t I always look good?”

“Not right now you don’t. Now get cleaned up.” Allura wasn’t about to give into his game.

Lance wasn’t too upset she didn’t play along and made his way to his room without much of a fuss. He certainly didn’t mind sprucing up a bit for a party, so this was no big deal to him. As he turned the corner to their sleeping chambers, he noticed Keith standing awkwardly by his door. “What’s up, Keith my man?”

Keith wouldn’t look at him in the face as he approached. “Do you have something…a little better than soap for my hair? I don’t think what I’ve been using will cut it.”

Lance couldn’t help but fine Keith absolutely adorable in his moment. “Yeah man, I’m sure there’s something in here that you can use. Though we all have the same things for the most part, maybe you just haven’t seen what you need yet?”

Keith shrugged. “Can’t say I paid much attention. All the products are labeled in Altean and they don’t resemble anything I’m used to.”

Lance rolled his eyes; where was Keith’s sense of adventure. The boy could run head first into life or death situations, but he couldn’t experiment with foreign bath products. “Wait right here.”

Lance slipped inside his room and found the sand scrub in the back of the cupboard. Hair wasn’t it’s intended purpose, but it would certainly help get some of the oil out of Keith’s hair. He also grabbed a bottle of what he deemed Altean conditioner. He brought the items with him back out into his room; where Keith was suddenly waiting for him. He nearly shouted and dropped the items in surprise. “Why are you in here?!”

“The others were coming….” Keith looked like he didn’t want Lance to ask why that mattered.

So he didn’t. He could tell Keith was embarrassed, and having others see this side of him wasn’t something the red paladin was probably comfortable with. Lance felt a surge of pride that Keith was showing his weaker side to him, and him alone. He just got his wits about him and held out the products to Keith. “Do you have any of these in your own bathroom?”

Keith took the items presented and observed the contents and the labels. “I think so?”

“Okay. Well use this scrub to get all the crap out of your hair, then use soap to help rinse the scrub out. Afterwards use a bit of this conditioner-and I do just mean a bit!” The blue paladin remembered the scolding from his older sisters about him using too much conditioner back home and his hair was so oily after.

“Got it…Thank you, Lance. I appreciate it.” Keith gave him a soft smile as he handed back the items that made Lance melt.

“Y-Yeah, what are friends for, right? Any time you need beauty tips, I’m your guy!” Lance flushed; praying it wasn’t obvious to the other boy in his room.

Keith thanked him once more and headed out of the room. Lance felt weak in the knees and stumbled back into his bathroom to take a shower of his own. As he turned on the water and stripped, he tried not to think about Keith taking off his clothes a few doors down. When he stepped under the hot spray, he definitely was not thinking about what Keith looked like in his own shower. While Lance scrubbed his hair, he certainly was not thinking about his hands running through someone else’s wet hair. Lance felt entirely too hot in the shower, and he knew that he was going to have to take a bit of a longer shower to take some extra care of a few things that he hadn’t been planning on; but who was he kidding, he couldn’t push those images out of his head if he tried…so he might as well indulge himself.

After all the Paladins showered and changed into their amour-much to Lance’s constant complaints- they all made their way to the Bridge. Keith wasn’t with the group when they all met up. Shiro had an amused smile on his face at their teammate’s absence. “He said he’d meet us out there. He’ll be finished up soon.”

“Since when did Keith of all people take more time to get ready then our resident prima donna?” Pidge questioned.

“Rude! I’m not that bad!” Lance whined.

Shiro sighed. “Alright, let’s not do this now. We’ll all head out and fly towards the palace with our lions. Okay?”

It was clear Shiro did not want to play dad today, so Pidge and Lance just agreed and headed to their elevators. Coran was locking down the castle in high defense mode as he was planning on joining the party as well. Allura was dressed in a lovely pink gown that they hadn’t seen her wear before. She was riding with Shiro to the palace, while Coran chose to ride with Keith once he got there. “I’ve had bonding moments with Hunk and Lance before, so now it’s his turn! And don’t worry Pidge, you’ll get some time with me too. You can fly me back at the end of the night!”

Pidge knew she wasn’t getting out of it. So, she turned back to give Coran a slightly forced smile. “Sounds great. I look forward to it…”

With that she zipped down to her lion before Coran changed his mind that he actually wanted to go with her now, rather than Keith. She loved Coran, but sometime he was a little much for her to handle. Like a weird uncle that talked about the old days and made bad jokes at a family reunions. The other Paladins followed suit, heading down to their lions. Once inside their cockpits and out of the castle, Shiro’s face popped up on their screens. “Keith just told me he’d be like five minutes behind us, so let’s be on our way.”

An ugly twinge of jealousy spread through Lance’s mind. Why was he only talking to Shiro and not just everyone…or why not just talk to him. He helped Keith was his hair after all, so really Keith should be more than fine telling him that he was going to be behind so that Lance could be the one to tell the team, rather than Shiro.

Lance held back a snappy retort, and once he had time to settle down, he felt ashamed of even thinking that way at all. He may like Keith, and like him a lot, but that didn’t mean he could monopolize his attention completely. Shiro was an important person in Keith’s life, and Lance knew and respected that. Nothing would change that, and it was stupid of Lance to get so worked up when Keith just wanted to confide in Shiro rather than anyone else; Keith had known Shiro longer. Yes, he wanted to be Keith’s number one, but that didn’t mean he could trample over the relationships Keith already had with the others. He would have to work on controlling his jealous flare-ups in the future.

The team flew towards the palace at a leisurely pace. They hadn’t gotten much of a chance to really appreciate how much Qautune looked like an Earth forest. Even the trees looked similar, with green leaves and brown trunks as far as the eye could see. The difference being that the bark seemed to glimmer in the sunlight like they were covered in glitter. There were a few smaller bushes about that were not completely Earth-like colours; vibrant neon oranges and yellows dotting the ground every so often. There was a river or sorts running through the forest that they hadn’t noticed whilst fighting; it looked like molten gold flowing in a gentle current in the same direction they were headed.

The palace looked a million times better than when they had seen it the previous evening. If they were amazed at the Ymorians getting them supplies in a short amount of time before, that paled in comparison so the work that was completed on the palace and its grounds. It almost looked like nothing had happened at all; very little evidence left behind that there had been large blasts on the side of the walls and craters in the ground. Workers were still about, fixing as many things last minute as they possibly could.

Gaotyul was waiting for them by the castle gates with a large contraption that looked mostly like a tuba. There were two other Ymorians on either side of him pointing at the directions on either side of the castle they should go. Pidge and Shiro took the left side while Lance followed Hunk on the right; being sure to leave an extra amount of space for Keith when he joined the group.

They all exited their lions and made their way to the main gates and Gaotyul. He bowed as low as he could without the strange instrument pulling him over. “Greetings, Paladins of Voltron. It is nice to see you here…though it looks like we’re missing two people?”

As soon as he said it, the Red lion came barreling from out of nowhere; stopping quickly just before the group. Lance gestured to the right side by his lion, but the Ymorian flaggers had a different idea and pointed him in the right direction. Lance huffed as Keith followed the flagger’s directions over his; though he figured that had something to do with the lights they were carrying-which were a lot more noticeable than Lance waving his arms.

Pidge was watching him, snickering as Lance crossed his arms and waited for Keith and Coran to make their way to the rest of the group. Their helmets were still on, and on the flight towards the castle Allura mentioned via coms that it would be easier to keep them on through the parade and then take them off and place them in a safe location for the ball. She relayed a similar message to Gaotyul as they waited for Keith and Coran to join them. “Of course, Princess. We will see to it that there is a safe space for anything you need.”

Allura smiled warmly. “Thank you. We all appreciate your hospitality, and look forward to a prosperous alliance in the future.”

“That is a matter to discuss with his highness, but I am certain you are correct in your assumption.”

Allura looked like she wanted to add more, but Keith and Coran came into view. Coran was leading the way while Keith was taking his time making it to them. Allura would almost say he looked shy. “Nice of your two to finally join us,” She turned her attention to Keith. “I was surprised you were the last to join us. I expect that sort of behaviour from Lance but….”

“Hey!” Lance pouted, arms still crossed.

Keith couldn’t help but snort in laughter at Lance’s reaction. Coran didn’t seem fazed. “Ah I’m afraid some of that was my fault, Princess. Locking down the castle took a lot more time than I expected. Keith managed to get us here in no time flat! It was quite impressive. Reminds me of the old days back when I first joined the army!”

He probably would have gone on and on about the good old days, but Gaotyul cleared his throat to get their attention. “If you all are ready, would you please follow me?”

The group followed him just inside the gates where a large float was waiting for them. It didn’t seem to be drawn by anything-no exotic alien animals pulling it along nor a space car. Pidge was at the float and checking underneath it to see what mechanics it was run by. “Hover tech! This is so much more advanced than anything I’ve seen! I can’t believe it can hold this float up as it, let alone with us on it!!”

She continued to poke around at the underworking of the float while the others got on top of it. Shiro seemed a little reluctant to join. “Pidge, you should get out from under there. Just in case this can’t hold us all after all, or it just starts and you get burned.”

He couldn’t see Pidge anymore, but he still heard her snort. “Please Shiro, from what I could tell this baby would be able to carry Voltron no problem, let alone like the seven of us and a few Ymorians.”

“Still, I’d like it if you joined us anyway…on top of the hover float.” Shiro tried his best not to just go under and grab her. He really did feel like a parent to all of them some days.

Pidge groaned and popped out from under the float. “You really have no sense of fun, Shiro.”

Shiro didn’t try and argue with her, there was no point. He waited until Pidge walked up the small set of removable stairs herself before joining his team and the Ymorians. Gaotyul was there of course, along with two new Ymorians; one blue one pink. “This is Nabirce and Somurzi, two of the Prince’s royal guards.”

They bowed at the paladins and spoke in unison. “We are honored to be joining you this evening. We thank you all for risking your well-being on our planet and people.”

“Now, if we are all ready, we can begin the procession.” Gaotyul waited patiently for a response.

Allura was the one to answer. “We are ready when you are.”

Gaotyul spoke quickly to a few other Ymorians on the ground and then their float was moving forward. They headed out the gate and began to make their way off the main shop road to a more secluded one. Allura moved them so they were more or less spread out, with Lance, Hunk and Pidge taking one side. Keith, Shiro, Coran and Allura took the other, looking around at the few Ymorians that were around the path; waving at them as they waved and cheered.

“We are taking you around all the residential areas, then through the main shop route. It would have been difficult to amass the amount of people required in such a short amount of time. We apologise if you think it takes too long.”

“Oh not in the slightest,” Coran responded cheerfully. “In fact, I think its better this way. We will get to see the beauty of your planet in all it’s glory.”

Gaotyul seemed pleased by the response and turned his attention to the front. He brought the mouth piece up to his wide mouth and spoke into it; the contraption was a megaphone of sorts. “Attention, all. I bring you our saviours, The Paladins of Voltron.”

As he spoke, the small clearing came into view. Either side of their road were houses These houses were brilliant stone works, some three stories high while others were only one. One building stood out from the rest; it’s stone work decorated with large amber windows and towered at five stories high.

“That is the governing building of this residency. Each section has their own, and they are for tax payments as well as requests for all matters involving the royals or the government itself.” Gaotyul explained with his megaphone away from his mouth.

There were lots of Ymorians lined up along the road, waiting for the float to pass by. Cheers and waves were abound, and the Paladins waved and smiled in kind. The Ymorian people were humanoid in body structure, with only a few major differences. First being their long strong tails. It resembled something along the lines of a reptilian tail, though not in texture as it looked smooth like the rest of their bodies. They had four large eyes, all in varying colours much like humans. Long pointed ears that Lance and Hunk felt looked like elven ears. Their skin was thin, almost opaque, and shone like gems. There seemed to only be four colours that made up the Ymorian people; gold, silver, blue and pink. Some Ymorians had horns as, while others did not.

Pidge questioned the horns and colours to Gaotyul; who had a pair of his own. “The horns are a gender identifier. Those who present as male have horns, while those who are women do not. Even if you are born with the wrong reproductive organs, the horns will always be the best way of identifying our species gender. They are never wrong. As for our colourings…only those of royal bloodline are golden, but those who have some mixed royal blood are silver. The rest make up the blues and pinks that you see.”

The parade continued through the town and onto the next; with Gaotyul announcing their arrival at each entrance to the town. This town had more stone, but mixed in with wooden structures as well. The fan-fare was just as large as the last clearing had been. Lance was eating up the attention as soon as they hit the first residency, and it hadn’t subsided any with the second on. At first, he was upset that he had to have his back to Keith the entire time, but that all faded for a while as people cheered for them. Some even threw flowers; skillfully landing them on the platform they were on.

The homes were different in each area-some being just stone as they saw first, and some being mixed stone and wood. As they continued their journey, there were houses that were just wood, while some were wood and clay, and others were just clay. The clay homes seemed furthest from everyone and more spaced out than the others.

“The style of home you live in represents your status,” Gaotyul explained. “Those in stone houses are of the highest status, while those in these clay houses are the lowest. Though that’s not to say that they are not well looked after. If they ever need anything, they only need ask their government representative. Our Prince has a soft spot for all his subjects and would protect them with his life.”

The poorer Ymorians were not as nicely dressed as the ones from the stone houses-with some outfits having a hole or two in them-but they all seemed happy and cozy in their area. Their smiles were just as bright as any other and they almost seemed more enthusiastic about their presence than the others; though some of the team realized that was probably due to them not being invited to the gala and this would be the only time that these Ymorians would really get to see them.

On their way back around towards the castle, the homes went up in class-type. After their last pure stone home, they were headed back towards the castle. “Just one more loop and then we will be able to enter the castle. The majority of those attending the ball are in our shopping district awaiting your arrival.”

Chapter Text

The shopping district was a large loop, with dozens of stone shops lining the street. The cheers from those on the ground were nearly deafening. There was a moment at the middle of the loop where they were stopped. A few younger Ymorians were lifted onto the float and held out metal necklaces for the team members; all except for Allura who was gifted with a light metal tiara. Each one had a large piece of amber with something encased inside it. For Allura’s tiara it was a gorgeous flower, for Keith it was a claw, Shiro a sharp tooth, Pidge a leaf, Coran a small metal tree Hunk a beetle, and Lance a spiral shell. They all knelt down so the young aliens could put the items on them. They thanked the young girls before they ran off back to their parents.

The loop finished with one more resounding cheer from the group of Ymorians before the float made its way back inside the palace gates. Most of the Paladins shuffled off the platform after the stairs were brought to them. Hunk groaned. “Man, who thought waving and smiling could be that exhausting!”

Lance had not clue what the others were talking about with feeling exhausted. He felt so energized as he sauntered off the float. “What are you talking about!? That was amazing!”

“I’m not saying it wasn’t super flattering and all. What I am saying is that my arms are tired and I feel like I could nap.” Hunk shrugged; not nearly as jazzed about parades and fan-fare that his best friend was. He wasn’t part of Voltron for glory or recognition; people needed to be saved. He knew it was mostly the same for Lance, that the blue paladin would risk his own life-had risked his own life-for the safety of others. He also knew that Lance was the type to be reassured from time to time that he wasn’t a failure. That all his incredibly hard work is paying off in the best way. Not that Lance would ever say anything, and probably deny it if someone tried to say so.

Gaotyul handed off his megaphone-which they learned was called a Yilmei when Pidge asked part way through their trip-to one of the guards to be taken inside the castle. “I hope that was to your satisfaction.”

“We are all very flattered and humbled by your peoples’ gratitude towards us.” Allura spoke.

Gaotyul bowed lowly. “You all did save our planet, and our Prince. It is the least we could do,” He straightened himself and gestured to the castle. “Now, if you would follow me, the ball is to commence shortly, and I have been asked to give you a tour as the guests fill in.”

They all followed the Ymorian down the path and into the castle’s grand entrance. There was already a significant difference in the appearance of the place since Shiro and Keith had entered the day before. There were more lights around, as well as flowers and streamers everywhere. There was a grand staircase in the front with a door at the top and more stairs on either side. “The door at the top of the stairs will lead to the ballroom where they celebration is to be held. For now, I’d like to show you the upper levels of the palace.”

The tour of the castle took nearly an hour, and if the paladins hadn’t already been a bit tired, they definitely were now. The castle was much larger than The Castle of Lions, but that was probably due to it being a stationary building, rather than a massive space ship.  Gaotyul didn’t go into much detail until Coran started asking questions like when was this built, what happened in this room to make it off limits, why is every other window made of amber. There were so many detail and dates that the paladins couldn’t even fathom that they generally just tuned it all out. The castle was stunning in general. It was made of a smooth granite. While mostly grey in colour, there were swirls mixed in of black and white. There was a lot of amber around the castle; mostly consisting of windows but there were also chandeliers and decorative vases around. It wasn’t even called amber on this planet, it was known to the Ymorians as Osmiond; it was their biggest resource on Qautune.

Finally, the tour ended and they were led back to the main staircase. An announcer with another yilmei declared their entrance as they walked through the doors. They were met with more cheers and applause from the Ymorians attending the party. The guests were all surrounding osmiond made tables with flower center pieces on each one. Gaotyul led them down the staircase towards the largest osmiond table at the head of the room. There were markings for each table seating matching with the colours of their lions; Allura was given pink and Coran orange since they did not have their own lions. From left to right the seating was arranged with Pidge, Keith, Shiro, Gaotyul, a lavish throne they assumed was for Rakluik, Allura, Coran, Hunk and then Lance at the far right. Behind their seats was a small table where they were to place their helmets for the remainder of the evening unless God forbid they required it.

A small pink Ymorian came up to Gaotyul and whispered in his ear. Gaotyul sighed and addressed the team. “Please remain standing until I fetch Prince Rakluik. I will be back momentarily. Nabrice and Somurzi are here if you require anything.”

He bowed before he departed to get the prince. The pink guard, Nabrice, laughed a bit. “Is this a regular occurrence?” Allura questioned.

“Sort of,” Somurzi answered. The blue guard was a lot most stoic than her pink counter part. “Sometimes his highness requires a bit of reassurance from his most trusted advisor before joining a large crowd. He is rather uncomfortable in them, though you’d never know it if you saw him.”

“Somurzi!! That is a secret!” Nabrice looked around nervously. “What if someone heard you?”

Somurzi half shrugged. “Then they hear. Most of the regular party goers and all the nobility are aware. It is not as if the ones who saved us will use this knowledge in any harmful manner.”

The doors opened once more and the arrival of the Prince was announced, followed by deafening applause. It was clear that the Ymorian people love their prince, and he loved them just as much. Gaotyul followed along dutifully behind his liege. Rakluik reached the table and turned to the rest of the crowd. He was brought a silver yilmei by a servant boy. “Thank you, and I welcome you all to this very special celebration. We are here today to honor the ones who saved not only my life from the sinister clutched of the Galra, but they also saved our home as well. So please, raise a glass to our heroes; Team Voltron.

“To Team Voltron!” The crowd cheered; drinks in hand raised.

Rakluik smiled brightly as his subjects drank their wine. “We shall dine, and then we shall dance the night away! So, without further interruption, I present the feast for this evening!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, more serving staff entered the room carrying bowls while more bowls followed behind on hover carts. The team took off their helmets and sat themselves; though Rakluik was insistent that he pull out Allura’s chair for her. As soon as they were seated the Ymorian who appeared to be the head chef came to them with a few servers to present them with their meals. “I present you a traditional ziccikra to start. Dinner this evening is seared vreccoper breast, served with kluttadine, grilled iseaper, and glazed eshalal. I hope it is to your liking. Dessert is to be a surprise.”

He bowed and left them to their starter. It was a sludgy stew-like dish that was pitch black and smelled of burnt toast; though it tasted like chicken soup much to the human’s relief. Once they were finished with their soup, half the serving staff cleared plates while others served their dinner. The vreccoper looked like beef steak, with a slightly green tint to it. The kluttadine resembled mash potato in consistency, but was blood red in colour. Iseaper appeared to be the Qautune version of asparagus-though it was teal and smelled of ripe cheese. The eshalal really weirded the Earthlings out as they were brown, moist mini logs that resembled something rather unappetizing to the paladins.  The utensils looked mostly similar even though their forks had two prongs rather than four. Allura and Coran were the first to dig into their meal, and they sang praises to Rakluik about his chef’s work. Hunk braved the strange food next, starting with the eshalal. Him proceeding to all but shovel the rest of them in his mouth was a good indication that it was safe to eat. The food was incredible, and they were sure to tell the two Ymorians at the table. Everything tasted different from what it resembled, but it was still one of the best things they had eaten since being out in space. Hunk was trying to find out how things were cooked, and if he would be able to recreate something similar back on the ship.

After their filling dinner, there was dessert. Rakluik called it Dittime and it was apparently a delicacy on Qautune; not even he had it very often. It looked like a flaming apple stuffed with ice cream that wasn’t melting in the slightest. “That is just the colour of the inside of the fruit. The filing is scooped out and a few items are added, then it is put back inside the fruit, then its lit-on fire and served. The tree only blooms and bears fruit for one day of the year, and they don’t do well with more than two in one area.”

It tasted like cookies and cream ice cream, and they were in love. Lance had to hold back tears at the nostalgic feelings rushing through him; and he wasn’t the only one. They ate it slowly, savouring the taste of the fruit and individually reminiscing about ice cream on Earth.

After their plates were cleared away, Rakluik took up his yilmei once more. “Now, I ask the band to begin, and for the first dance, I ask Princess Allura of Team Voltron to accompany me.”

Allura stood up gracefully and took Rakluik’s extended hand. They made their way to the center of the dancefloor and the band tucked in the corner began to play something slow; almost waltz like. The Prince led Allura through the dance in the middle of the dancefloor for a while before other couples decided to join along side of them. Gaotyul ushered them to join the crowd, stating that it would be a shame to miss out on the fun. Though most of them didn’t know what was so fun about slow dances. Coran seemed to be the only one excited, and agreed wholeheartedly when a blue Ymorian man asked for a dance.

Once the song was over, Rakluik brought Allura’s hand up to his mouth and kissed it softly. The paladins couldn’t tell if it was the lighting or the physical activity, but Allura appeared to be rather red in the face. Rakluik had chosen Coran as his next partner, while Allura snagged Shiro for a dance. They spoke in hushed tones, so that no one could over hear them. The other four stood on the sidelines watching how the Ymorians danced. It seemed easy enough, no complicated steps to worry about, but incredibly boring; like something their grandmothers would listen to rather than something with more energy that they enjoyed.

Lance was internally fighting with himself about asking Keith for a dance, but didn’t know how Keith would feel about it. He would hate to make the other boy uncomfortable if he could avoid it, but his desire to dance with the boy he liked was overwhelming. He hadn’t really gotten much of a chance to look at Keith during their meal, but now he wished he had tried harder. It seemed his beauty tips had really paid off in ways he didn’t even imagine it would. Keith’s hair always looked kind of soft, but also looked a little oily-probably due to his work-out addiction-however today it looked cleaner than Lance had ever seen it, and silky smooth. He wanted to dance close to this boy, reach his fingers up and just run his fingers through his hair just to see if it looked as soft as he perceived it to be. Keith also smelled amazing and he didn’t know if that was from the scrub or from something he found in his bathroom. He’d have to ask later when they were alone together so no one could bug him. Maybe go back to Keith’s room and see what exactly he used, and maybe just get closer and taste his lips, his skin, his-

Hunk nudged him out of his thoughts with a small snort. “Man Shiro looks so uncomfortable!”

Lance focused his attention back to the dance floor, where he apparently had completely missed Coran’s dance with the Rakluik, and now Shiro was awkwardly dancing with the prince. Rakluik was about the same height as Shiro, but not nearly as muscular. Still, the prince was leading the dance, and that was where it looked sort of funny. Lance had to remember how to form words that didn’t include Keith’s name before answering. “Does this guy want to dance with all of us?”

“Looks that way. Wonder who’s next…” Pidge mumbled.

Turns out, Pidge was the next to go, and she was vastly uncoordinated in slow dances. Since she was so small, Rakluik danced with her with more distance between them; almost like you would with small children. He was speaking to Pidge through most of it, as he did with the others. Whatever he was saying seemed to displease the green paladin, who then refused to look him in the eye and only at their feet. Once the song was over, she was brought back to the group before Rakluik scooped up Lance as his next partner.

The prince signalled something to the band, and they changed their tune into something with a higher tempo. Lance was pulled closer than he had seen anyone else as Rakluik placed a hand firmly on Lance’s hips. “It’s so nice to be able to speak with you once again. I really cannot express how much I appreciate you saving me from falling to my death.”

Lance picked up the steps easily, following along without a second thought. “Hey, no problem. All in a day’s work of saving the universe and all.”

Rakluik spun him out and back again. “It must be exhausting to fight the Galra all the time. How do you all relax?”

“We all have time on the ship where we can just chill out. Each of us has a thing we like to do in that time; or we hang out. It’s not fighting all the time, and definitely not rescuing royalty.” Lance answered honestly.

Rakluik hummed. “Oh, but it must get sort of dull out there in space. No real option to…connect with others.”

Lance didn’t like the implication in how Rakluik spoke the word connect. “Well, I have my friends, and that’s all I really need. I know they feel the same.”

“Well, if ever you need to get away for a little rest and relaxation, please feel free to return to Ymorian. I promise you I can show you a wonderful time.” Rakluik winked.

The song was over and Lance pulled away. “Yeah…I’ll keep that in mind….Thanks for the dance.”

Rakluik grabbed his hand and kissed it like he had Allura’s. “Any time, my savior.”

Lance walked back to his friends, with Rakluik trailing behind. Lance was annoyed and kind of grossed out by some random guy, prince or not, basically suggesting they have sex. Lance wasn’t a prude by any means, but creepy was creepy and Rakluik unnerved him. He was so distracted in his fuming that he didn’t even notice who Rakluik chose from the group until after the dance had started. Hunk groaned. “Guess I get the honor of going last.”

Lance spun around to see Rakluik pressed incredibly close to Keith, head way too close for his own personal liking. He knew he really had to control his jealousy in this moment, especially in this case where it could lead to some serious issues with an alliance between Team Voltron and Qautune. They needed as many people backing them as they could, and upsetting the prince by ripping his dance partner away was a huge etiquette faux pas on his part.

Keith had hoped to ask Lance why he looked so pissed off after coming back. While Keith was originally going to tease him about Rakluik kissing his hand, Keith couldn’t bring himself to do it with the look on Lance’s face. It didn’t help that there was a twinge of something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on while they danced. It almost felt like jealousy, but he had no real idea about what he could be jealous of with a simple dance. Rakluik chuckled; a little too close to his ear for Keith’s liking. “My my, you seem a little distracted. Does dancing with me not interest you?”

“Ah, I’m just not much for dancing. Sorry, nothing against you personally; you’re a fantastic dancer from what I’ve seen.” Keith didn’t want to offend the prince and certainly didn’t want to tell him what was on his mind.

“Well, perhaps you just haven’t had the right partner before,” With that Rakluik pulled them even closer. There was barely an inch in between their bodies. It was way too close for someone to be with barely knowing Keith. “I don’t think I properly thanked you for risking your life on the roof yesterday. You didn’t know me, and could have let me just fall to save yourself.”

Maybe I should have….“Can’t let the Galra win, no matter the circumstances.”

“I am grateful none-the-less,” Keith had hoped that would be it, but apparently, he wasn’t so lucky. “You know, you have the most stunning eyes I’ve ever seen.”

“W-What?!” Keith swore he heard him wrong, but something told him that he wasn’t hearing anything incorrectly.

“Your eyes. I noticed them before we began to dance. They are a gorgeous shade, with so much fire and passion in them. I dare say I am entranced. It is such a shame that you will have to depart from here soon. I wouldn’t have minded spending more time really getting to know you. I can only imagine the sorts of expressions you could make when not in a crowded room.”

Keith didn’t have to wonder why Lance looked angry anymore, or why Allura and the others had looked so flustered after their turns; he now knew why. He knew he couldn’t yell and shove the prince off of him, but he absolutely wanted to. This guy was all kinds of gross, and Keith had met some pretty big slime-balls in the past that wanted him, but this one took the cake. The song ended, and Keith was hoping that meant he could go free, but Rakluik’s grip was tight on his hips-moved down from his waist at some point-and not letting go. “I do mean that. I admire all beauty, and it would be a shame to let someone such as yourself slip by. If you have time after this-”

“Sorry, Your Highness, but may I have Keith for a dance?” Lance was standing beside them, looking frustrated.

Rakluik loosened his grip in surprise and Keith slipped out. Before he could move into the furthest darkest corner he could find, Lance snatched his hand and pulled him into a dancing position before half walking, half dancing Keith away from the prince. Rakluik just waved at them as they left and strolled over to Hunk for his turn.

They at the other end of the room from Rakluik, but still close enough they could watch his awkward movements with Hunk. If they thought Shiro dancing with Rakluik looked odd, it was nothing into comparison to Hunk being led by someone who was half the size width wise as him. Keith would have smiled a bit at the sight if he didn’t feel so bad for any of his teammates having to be anywhere near the nasty prince. Lance wasn’t even commenting, just breathing really hard through his nose. His one hand was placed tightly on Keith’s waist-almost painfully- while the other was in Keith’s hand. Keith’s other hand had just been hanging awkwardly at his side when the dance began, but he moved it up to grip Lance’s shoulder. “Hey, you okay?”

“I’m fine.” The answer was sounded forced.

Keith allowed Lance to lead, as he had no idea what to do when it came to dancing. “He flirt with you too?”

“Not that badly, but yes.” Lance’s voice still sounded strained. Like he was trying not to snap.

“How much of that did you actually hear?” Keith hadn’t noticed Lance near them in the slightest, and wondered when his fellow paladin had shown up.

Lance huffed. “About when he started talking about your eyes, and the expressions you could make.”

Keith flushed. “Yeah well…it’s not like he’s the first creep I’ve ever had hit on me. He didn’t really try anything, so I’ll count that as a win.”

“It doesn’t matter! He shouldn’t have talked to you like that at all?” Lance was getting snappy now.

“Hey…why are you so upset? I can handle myself you know, and its not like he didn’t hit on you too. I think he hit on everyone, even Coran.”

“I know…I know it’s just…it’s one thing when it’s being said to you, but another if you hear that shit being said to someone you li-are good friends with.” Lance managed to catch himself just enough; he didn’t want to make this night more awkward that it already was.

Keith didn’t catch the slip. “I guess, but seriously man, I’m fine. It doesn’t bother me that much, and you shouldn’t let it bother you either.”

Lance took a few deep breaths to calm himself; because he knew Keith was absolutely right. And without telling Keith that he was totally into him, there was no way to justify exactly how angry Rakluik’s words to Keith made him. Lance didn’t want that creep to see any part of Keith either than what was exposed, and especially not expressions behind closed doors. Lance knew he wouldn’t be the only person to see Keith like that if he ever got lucky enough, but he sure as hell wouldn’t stand for Keith to be treated like just a piece of ass. There was so much more to the fiery paladin that Rakluik would never understand.

One danced turned into another, and it was half way through the second dance that anything more was spoken between the two. “So…are we going to keep dancing? I think we’re pretty safe now. Rakluik seems to be dancing with other people now.”

Lance could honestly say that he had barely even noticed that they were dancing together at all. All that was in his mind was keep Keith safe and away from Prince Creep, and keep him close. He looked down at their feet, still moving to the song, and then back up to Keith. He gave the other boy a lopsided smile while his heart thundered in his chest. “Well, since we’re already most of the way through this one, we might as well finish it.”

Keith didn’t argue, nor was he displeased to still be pressed rather close to Lance. It wasn’t nearly as close as Rakluik had been, but it was comfortable. There was something about being near Lance that felt warm and safe. He hadn’t felt that way in a long time, and he missed it. He even gave Lance a small smile in return as they continued their dance. He could honestly stay like this, with Lance’s hands on his hips, for hours. Though Keith had to admit that he’d like Lance’s hands on him in a completely different manner. “So, the hair tips worked well I see.”

“Yeah they did…thanks.” Keith was a little flustered that Lance brought it up.

Lance spun him out in tantum with the rest of the dancers and then back to him again. “I’m glad it turned out. Looks soft. Did you use a cologne or something too?”

“Um…I think so? It looked like it and I figure it couldn’t hurt…” It had taken Keith about ten minutes going through things before he found something he felt looked like cologne and smelled kind of nice.

“It definitely doesn’t. Wish I had thought to put something on myself!” Lance was trying to get Keith not looking so awkward and flustered by the conversation. That’s not what he wanted from the other paladin at all. Keith should be comfortable with him, talking about anything at all.

“I don’t know if you’d need it. You always smell nice.” Keith spoke before he could think about what he was saying. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his face went red. He looked down at their feet, pretending to make sure he wasn’t stepping on Lance’s feet; even though he hadn’t yet.

Lance wasn’t in a much better state, face feeling like it was on fire from the compliment. The song ended and he knew that Keith would probably want to get away, so he let go; even though he just wanted to pull Keith closer. “I-I’m glad you think so.” He shuffled in place and tried not to say something he could regret later. “Thanks for the dance, Keith. I had fun.”

He couldn’t help it and moved to tuck a stray piece of Keith’s hair behind his ear. It felt softer than he imagined, and he had to use every bit of willpower he had not to feel it again. Keith’s breath seemed to hitch, and he still wouldn’t look Lance in the eye. “Y-Yeah, I had fun too. I-I’ll um…I’ll see you later. Thanks for getting me away from Rakluik.”

“N-No problem, Keith. Any time.” Lance bit his lip, stopping himself from asking Keith to stay. From asking if he could just kiss him.

Keith turned and quickly made his way off the dance floor and towards a far corner of the room close to their table. He had stopped a waitress on the way over and snagged a drink, intending to sip it slowly and pray that it didn’t give him any weird side effects. The drink itself tasted like watermelon, so he couldn’t complain much. He leaned against the wall and watched the Ymorians dance. Lance had made his way to Hunk and Pidge, and together they were in some sort of strange three-way tango. Allura was dancing with Coran, all smiles and grace on the dancefloor.

The only one he couldn’t see was Shiro. He searched for the older male, but didn’t see him anywhere. So, it took him by surprise when hand landed on his suit; metal clunking against metal. “You alright? You look kind of…conflicted.”

Shiro took his hand of Keith and leaned against the wall beside him. Keith sighed. “Guess I am, and still a little weirded out by Prince Charming over there.”

Shiro snorted. “Hit on you too eh? Figured he did, you looked pissed,” Shiro paused, with a small smile gracing his features after. “But not at much as Lance.”

“Yeah I saw. Lance was pretty upset with whatever Rakluik said to him too.” Keith swirled his drink around the glass.

Shiro chuckled. “That’s not what I meant. I mean how angry Lance looked with Rakluik was with you.”

Keith flushed. “He didn’t need to be…I don’t understand why he got so upset.”

Shiro shrugged. “Who knows. That’s something you’ll probably have to talk to him about.”

“Already did that…still doesn’t make sense. Like he’s keeping something from me…” Keith trailed off, watching Lance spin around in circles with Pidge and Hunk, laughing as they did.

“And you aren’t keeping things from him? Like how about how cute you think he is, and thought he was cute back in the Garrison, even though you didn’t know his name.” Shiro was teasing him, bringing up their conversation from back when he hit Lance.

“Ugh, why did I even tell you that!?” Keith couldn’t believe he was bringing it up now.

Shiro laughed and nudged his shoulder. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I think it’s kind of cute. Lance is pretty good looking for a dude.”

“You don’t have to tell me that…” Keith couldn’t help but hone in on Lance dancing. He was moving his hips to the beat-which was now a lot faster-and it was distracting.

Shiro followed his gaze and snorted. “You have it bad!”

Keith groaned. “Can you blame me?! Look at him move! Plus god, his ass-which is a fucking shame I can’t see in his armor. But look at his shoulders! Like fuck he could pick me up and hold me against a wall as he fu-”

“Nope! Stop, don’t wanna hear that.” Shiro did not need to know about any of his team’s sex lives.

Keith snorted but deviated the conversation to topics more appropriate. “Also, his eyes. Like that creepy prince was trying to tell me that my eyes were gorgeous…he clearly didn’t look at Lance enough. I don’t think most people can resist his eyes, they just pull you in. It’s part of what drew me to him in the first place.”

“So, your type is strong shoulders, nice hips, great ass, and nice eyes?” Shiro couldn’t help but snicker. “Is that part of the reason you had a crush on me when we were younger?”

Keith nearly dropped his glass. “W-Wha?! H-How did you…!?”

Shiro just patted him. “Well, you really weren’t as subtle as you thought you were. It was kind of obvious.”

“Just kill me now…” Keith bemoaned.

“Don’t be so dramatic. I thought it was sweet! I was really flattered, honest!” Shiro wasn’t just saying that to make Keith feel better.

“I tried so hard to make sure you’d never know…you were basically my god damn gay awakening. I met you, and after that I knew exactly why I wasn’t into women like I was supposed to be.” Since the cat was already out of the bag, Keith felt he might as well talk about it. It would be good to get it off his chest finally, rather than bottle it up forever.

Shiro smiled. “Well, I honestly wish I could have reciprocated you feelings. At least then I would know you’d have a half decent first boyfriend.”

Keith snorted. “You say that like I’ve really had a boyfriend before. I’ve slept with dudes, but that’s about it. I don’t think I could have considered any of them my boyfriend. My first was so god damn closeted that he had a girlfriend while he was with me…which I didn’t know and found out when she caught us.”

Shiro grimaced. “You really have bad luck with getting walked in on, huh?”

“At least this one didn’t get me kick out of the Garrison…Though I guess it did get me kicked from my foster home ‘cause I was sleeping with my foster brother at the time. Least I could say he wasn’t cruel to me. It could have been worse.” Keith reminisced.

“So that’s why you left suddenly…I never knew the reason...” Shiro frowned. He was upset Keith had gone through that, that Keith’s foster brother at the time-who had been about Shiro’s age and build now that he thought about it-had taken advantage of Keith’s sexuality and trust-though thankfully not in a malicious way. He didn’t want to dwell on the past, and from the look in Keith’s eyes, neither did he. “So, and I’ll probably regret asking this, but is sex all you want from Lance?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Don’t ask questions if you don’t want to know the answer.”

“Well, I asked, so I want to know.” Shiro may not want to know many details about others’ sex lives, but he knew that if Keith only acted on his physical feelings towards Lance, it would end badly for both of them. Shiro didn’t know for sure, but he was pretty positive that Lance was interested in Keith, and not just for sex. He saw how upset Keith got when Rakluik was dancing and flirting with Keith, and how he took Keith away and danced with him to keep Rakluik away.

Keith sighed and trained his eye on Lance once more. He was dancing with a Ymorian this time, who more or less just seemed to be dancing with the group than just Lance, but it still bothered him. “I honestly don’t know. It was like that with you too. Didn’t know after a while if I wanted to be in a relationship with you, or if I just wanted to pin me to your bed and make a mess of me. Still wouldn’t be opposed if you wanted to do that now actually.”

Shiro could hear in Keith’s tone that he was joking; though he assumed their might be some truth to that. He wasn’t completely sure what he was into, having never given it much though, but even if he was into men, he didn’t think he could ever be intimate with Keith like that. He brushed the notion off, and focused on what was important. “Do you think you might be able to actually be in a relationship with Lance?”

“I really couldn’t say. I want to say yes, because he makes me feel things that I can’t put a name to. Like I have so many emotions running through me when I’m with him it’s giving me a headache. I can barely speak with him right, and he makes me feel…safe. But I don’t want to fool myself into thinking that I do like him for more than just physical urges, if that’s actually not the case. Plus, I haven’t even told him I like guys yet. And while I doubt he’d be disgusted with me if I do…I just don’t know if I want to say something yet.” Keith had to look away from Lance, focusing back in on his glass.

Shiro pondered Keith’s words for a while. “I think that you should definitely take a bit of time to yourself and think about how you feel for Lance. From what I can tell, Lance isn’t the type of guy who prefers a friends-with-benefits situation. He definitely seems more like a full-on relationship kind of guy.”

“But what if he’s not into me…like even if I tell him I’m into guys, it’s not like that automatically means he’d be okay dating me.”

Shiro nearly face-palmed; he had no idea how Lance and Keith could be so oblivious to each other’s feelings. Still, it wasn’t his place to open Keith’s eyes. “I don’t think you should fret about it. If he doesn’t like you, I don’t think it will damage the relationship you have. Lance is a nice guy, and he’d never shut you out even if he didn’t like you in a romantic sense. But just take some time to yourself and think about how you feel about Lance before you talk to him about your preferences.”

Keith nodded. “I will. Thanks Shiro.”

“Just promise me something…if you do end up being with Lance, I do not want to hear about it. Absolutely say you’re dating, but I don’t need any more details after that. Please, for my sanity.”

“Oh, well now I’m definitely going to make sure to tell you every little nasty detail.” Keith laughed.

Shiro shoved against his shoulder with a smile. He could only hope that Keith would be able to realize of his own feelings before someone else in the castle snapped at them for being so dense. He voted Pidge, but he wouldn’t be too surprised if Allura was the one that lost it on them about being oblivious.

The ball ended shorty after their conversation finished. Rakluik thanked everyone who attended, and once more thanked the team for all their efforts. There was one last applause given for them before the Ymorians began to file out. Keith and Shiro joined the rest of the team to grab their helmets, taking their time to let most of the crowd leave first. Hunk yawned. “Well that was fun, but I’m definitely looking forward to heading back up into space again tonight.”

Allura nodded, clearly tired as well. “Yes, as soon as we dock the lions, I’ll fly the castle off Qautune.”

Coran scratched the back of his neck. “A-Actually Princess, we need to stay until at least mid afternoon tomorrow. You have yet to discuss anything with High Majesty, and Gaotyul reminded me that we have a prisoner that needs to be transported to us as well. He’ll have guards taking care of that in the morning.”

Allura sighed. “Well, I guess we have to stay a little longer than….”

She didn’t seem enthused, and they all knew why. Neither were any of the Paladins. The further they got away from the lecherous Prince, the better for them. He wasn’t a bad person, and they knew it, but he definitely made them uncomfortable.

The walk out of the palace was slow, everyone a little bit too tired to move with any real speed. At the top of the stairs, Prince Rakluik was thanking everyone for attending once more. He beamed as he saw his honored guests approach. “Thank you all for attending. I do so hope that you enjoyed yourselves. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.”

Shiro interjected. “I’m afraid you may only see the Princess and myself tomorrow. These guys have agreed to help restock the castle, and make sure that all the repairs are one hundred percent complete.”

Shiro was lying about asking them for anything, but they all nodded anyway. Rakluik pouted some. “That’s a shame…though I do understand. I will send word to all our shops that anything for a Paladin of Voltron, is on me.”

They all bowed sporadically, too tired to try and be in sync with each other. Allura smiled. “You are too kind. I shall see you tomorrow, Your Highness.”

Rakluik waved as they went passed. “Until then, Princess Allura.”

They made their way slowly down the grand stair case, having to wait for the large line of party-goers to make it out the door. Lance had chosen to stick close to Keith, just in case Rakluik tried anything. As they walked side by side, their hands kept brushing against each other. Lance was so tempted just to bridge that small gap and link their fingers together, but he didn’t know how that would make Keith feel. After dancing with Keith, he had an inkling that if he ever decided to ask Keith out, the answer would probably be yes. He knew he’d have to wait until after Keith told him his sexual preference, but that may be sooner now than he expected. It still didn’t feel right to keep what heard from Keith, but at the same time be didn’t want to ruin his chances for a future with Keith. It was stupid, it was selfish, but Lance would have to be okay with that. He had never wanted to be with a person more than he wanted to be with Keith. While that didn’t make hiding things right, it may be the only way to be with Keith. At least for now. Eventually he knew he would have to tell him, but in this early fragile stage, that wasn’t safe to do.

They finally made it outside and through the gates. Lance through a bit of caution to the wind and knocked his hand purposefully against Keith’s. “I’ll see you at the castle.”

“Y-Yeah,” Keith looked a little flustered still, a good sign for Lance, but then he smirked. “Race you there.”

The two smiled and broke away, racing towards their lions. They heard Shiro yelling at them to chill out, but it fell on deaf ears. Jumping into their lions, they took off before any of the other paladins had even made it to their own lions. Keith’s lion was faster, and he was still a better pilot, but that didn’t mean Lance wasn’t going to give it his all. They sped over top of the trees, weaving around each other just for fun. Of course Keith was the one to make it first, since his lion was designed for speed, but it was incredibly close. He waited in the Bridge for Lance to join him, leaning against one of the consoles. Lance was sort of pouting as he entered the Bridge from his lift, but it didn’t hold any real sorrow. “I swear you cheated. Did Pidge modify your lion?”

“I would never resort to tricks. Maybe I’m just that good.” Keith smirked, no real smugness behind it though. He knew he was a damn good pilot, but so was Lance. It was an incredibly close race, and Keith didn’t feel like there were any real winners or losers in their little match at all. Especially with how close Lance was to him now, while they were all alone in the castle together. Keith’s breath hitched as Lance stood in front of him, closer than he ever had before. “So tell me Keith, yesterday, why were you still outside the training deck. I thought you went to bed.”

Keith cursed his luck; had been hoping that Lance had forgotten since he hadn’t brought it up prior. Keith could think of a hundred different things he could say, but none of them seemed right. He honestly couldn’t put a finger on exactly why he had still been out there, but something had been compelling him to stay. He didn’t know what to say that would express that correctly to Lance and not sound weird.

“Keith.” Lance’s voice was soft.

Keith made the mistake of looking right into Lance’s eyes. They were still stunning, no matter how many times Keith saw them. From a distance, they looked dark blue, but up close you could see specks of lighter blue mixed in. It reminded me of the ocean, which seemed fitting for Lance in so many ways. Keith bit the corner of his lips, silently apologizing to Shiro that he was probably going to make a really bad decision again. He moved a few inched closer and leaned forward.

“I don’t know what you two were thinking, but you should have waited for the rest of the team. What if the Galra were lying in wait to capture you two?!” Allura sounded cross as she entered through the black lion’s lift.

Keith stepped away from Lance quickly, hoping that Allura didn’t notice what they were about to do. Shiro was with them, and he definitely knew what Keith had been about to try. He didn’t look disappointed, but maybe a bit exasperated. Lance just laughed it off. “Aw come on, Princess. We were just having a little fun. You can’t blame us after that awkward experience at the ball, can you?”

Allura sighed. “No, no I suppose not. Either way, next time I would like you two to wait,” The other team joined them slowly, amused at Lance and Keith being scolded. “Now, off to bed with all of you. I would like you well rested for tomorrow. I know I’m going to need all the energy I can get if I have to deal with Prince Rakluik again.”

The team bid their goodnights together, but Keith was the first one out of the room. He rushed to his bedroom and closed the door behind him. The only doors in the castle that locked, aside from the front, were the bedrooms. He made sure to lock his before he stripped out of his armor and flopped onto his bed. He knew he had just been about to kiss Lance, and probably take him somewhere and just…have him all to himself. He knew he shouldn’t have tried to, but he wanted Lance so badly. Shiro had been right though, about needed to really think about his own feelings for Lance before trying anything. So before he drifted off to sleep, he laid on his bed and stared up at the ceiling; thinking about how he liked Lance, and what he really wanted from of his fellow paladin.

Lance was in a tizzy when he finally got to his own room. He was half tempted to just go to Keith’s room, but as he passed by Lance noticed that the panel indicated the door was locked. The blue paladin didn’t want to push, so just headed to his own room instead. There was no point in locking his door, and he honestly hoped that Keith would come barging in and finish what he started.

He was absolutely going to kiss me! Lance felt giddy as he got ready for bed. Keith had wanted to kiss him, and there was no way that the red paladin could even try and deny it. Had Allura not walked in on them, Lance would finally be able to know what Keith’s lips tasted like; to be able to probably feel and taste a whole lot more if Keith was willing. He wanted to be physical with Keith, but that definitely wasn’t all. He would be fine going slow, just to prove to Keith that physical intimacy wasn’t all Lance was there for. He knew just how to start doing that. While they were stuck on Qautune for half the next day, Lance would go out and get Keith a gift that will wow him.

And he knew just what present would do the trick.

Chapter Text

Lance was practically skipping down the corridor towards the dining hall the next morning. Not only was he excited to get out and get the gift he had in mind, but he was also looking forward to seeing Keith. Lance wondered how the other boy would act around him after their almost kiss the previous night.  He was still running on cloud nine about that, even if they hadn’t actually kissed. But to Lance, that meant that Keith had totally wanted to in the first place, which meant he had to have feelings for Lance that went beyond just friends and teammates.

“Good mornin’ everyone!” Lance chirped as he entered the room.

He looked around to see that Keith wasn’t even there. He frowned. Typical

Lance was half tempted to just go find him and finish their conversation before Allura ruined it. However, he knew that he needed breakfast first, and that not seeing Keith right away wasn’t the worst thing in the world he could think of. There would always be time after breakfast, or even after he got Keith his gift.

Pidge was the only one who seemed to notice his displeasure, but only smiled to herself rather than tease Lance in front of the others. Lance noticed her looking and made his way to the table to sit himself down beside her.  Pidge lowered her voice. “Disappointed your boyfriend isn’t here?”

Lance rolled his eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend, Pidge…yet.”

“Ooo, yet huh? Things’ve changed, have they?” Pidge snickered at the dopey look on Lances face; one she was used to only seeing when he looked at attractive women. “Well, I’m happy you’ve worked up enough courage to actually tell him how you feel, rather than gush at me about him.”

Lance just mussed her hair and ate his goo quickly, not being able to help the small smile gracing his features. Hunk and Shiro were having a discussion about Hunk altering the kitchen for their benefit, which Lance tuned in on. “But it will be better for everyone! Don’t you want more than food goo all the time?”

Shiro sighed. “As much as I miss not goo food, I just don’t know if you can hook anything up to the kitchen. It seems pretty streamlined.”

“Well, that’s what Pidge and I are good at, isn’t it? Creating strange things in weird environments. I just need some supplies from town, and we’re good to go! I could have something up within the next two days. Think of the non-goo possibilities!!” Hunk pleaded.

Shiro contemplated it. “I just don’t know about going out by yourself, even if it is a safe place. I have to go with Allura, otherwise I’d go with you myself.”

“I’ll go with ya, buddy!” Lance chimed in.

Hunk turned his attention to Lance, elated. “Really? You sure you don’t mind?”

Lance finished off the last of his goo and stood up. “Yeah man, no problem-o. I was thinking of popping by the market myself anyway.”

Hunk engulfed Lance in a tight hug. “You are the bestest friend a guy could ask for! Thank Lance.” He put Lance down and turned to Shiro. “So its fine right? Because Lance will be there too.”

Shiro nodded. “Yeah that’s fine. Just promise me you two won’t bring back anything that could blow up the ship please.”

They gave their word and Shiro exited the room to go get Allura. Hunk brought his attention to Pidge. “You wanna come to?”

“And invade your wonderful male bonding time? Not a chance. I promised Coran I’d help out with some repairs anyway.” Pidge replied.

Hunk shrugged and slung an arm around Lance’s shoulder. “Well, guess it’s just you and me buddy. Unless you want to go see if Keith wants to come with us?”

Lance eyes widened. He couldn’t have Keith be there, or else it would ruin the surprise of his gift. “No!” Lance cleared his throat and lowered his tone. “No, I’m sure he’s got some stuff he has to do too. Plus, it’s been too long since it was just us hanging out! I need me some best friend time!”

Hunk raised an eyebrow at Lance’s rather loud outburst, but didn’t push it. “Well, lets head out then! I’d like to get what I need as soon as possible so that they team isn’t waiting on us before we can leave.”

They headed out of the dining room and towards the front entrance. While it was probably a better idea to take their lions for safety, they just didn’t think that anything would happen while they were out. Plus they didn’t want to make a spectacle of their arrival and potentially have Rakluik come and find them if he wasn’t busy with Allura and Shiro. If they were lucky, they wouldn’t have to deal with anyone from the castle at all. They just hoped that in their regular clothes it would still be okay and they wouldn’t be treated like impostors. They did still wear the lovely necklaces they were gifted with, so they hoped that helped in validating their identities.

The walk wasn’t too long, only about forty minutes, which they walked mostly in silence save for the hum of the hover cart until Hunk spoke up. “Sooooo, what’s up with you and Keith?”

“What do you mean?” Lance knew what Hunk meant, but he couldn’t help but be just a little bit evasive while he could be. He was still a little shy about his real feelings.

Hunk side-eyed him. “Dude come on. You two have been spending a ton of time together, plus the way you acted last night at the ball….”

Lance huffed. “Well, Keith looked uncomfortable. So I stepped in.”

“Uh-huh, he did, but so did everyone else. Like, you didn’t come swooping me off my feet when Rakluik was flirting with me. You were too busy dancing with Keith~.” Hunk’s words had a teasing tone.

Lance flushed. “Well…”

Hunk laughed and nudged his friend. “It’s alright dude, I get it. You like Keith, and that’s totally fine. Just promise me you two won’t be all kissy and grossly fawning over each other around everyone.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Have you met Keith? I don’t think he’d grossly fawn over me in private, let alone where other people could see.”

“But you do admit he would be all kissy with you in private?” Hunk questioned.

Lance made a sound akin to a groan. “God I hope so.”

Hunk looked shocked. “What, you mean you haven’t told him!? Laaaance! I thought you two were for sure hooking up when we all got back to the castle. Pidge and I took our sweet time so we wouldn’t disturb you two.”

“We probably would have, had Allura not interrupted us! He was going to kiss me, Hunk! I just know it!” Lance was still just slightly miffed that Allura had disturbed them, but that was also partially their fault for not going somewhere more private.

“Dude, that blows. Gonna try again, or are you hiding out and waiting in case you think it was just a heat of the moment thing?” Hunk was sympathetic for his friend.

Lance sighed. “Well, I don’t think it was just a fluke, so hopefully by this evening I can safely say that Keith and I are together. I was planning on getting him a gift, ya know, to kind of help my chances a bit.”

Hunk snorted. “Yeah, I don’t think you have to worry about your chances dude.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that I think even without a gift, Keith would probably still want to go out with you.” Hunk patted Lance’s shoulder.

Lance smiled. “Well, I hope your right. But I’m still going to get him something. And I need you to help me sneak it into the castle.”

“I got you, man. You can count on me!”

“Thanks Hunk. I really appreciate it.” Lance was so overjoyed that Hunk was not only taking the fact that Lance wanted to date Keith with no issues, but was also willing to help sneak a gift on board for Keith as well.

The rest of the trip was spent with Lance gushing to Hunk about all the little things he likes about Keith, from the way he gets so serious about things to the way he smiles, while also making sure not to accidently spill that he had eavesdropped on a private conversation. Hunk just listened, smiling as he did. Seeing his best friend happy and actually in love was one of the best things he had seen out in space, and he could only hope it would last for a very long time.

The marketplace wasn’t too busy once they got there, and they were greeted warmly by anyone who came close to them. “Alright, I’ve got a lot of looking around to do, because I can’t read this language and I don’t totally know if I’m going to be able to find what I’m looking for. So, let’s split up and meet back here when we’re done. Just don’t tell Shiro.”

“Like I’d say anything! See you when you’re done!” Lance waved and headed off to the right while Hunk headed towards the left.

Lance knew exactly what he was looking for, but had no idea where to find a shop that would cater to his needs. He knew that they absolutely had to have a store though, that he was sure of. He wandered through the marketplace slowly, looking at all the signs and through all the windows to see if he finally found what he was looking for. Lance knew he could just ask for help and be pointed in the right direction, but he found that took away some of the meaning. He was dedicated to find the shop himself.

After going though all the shops on the right-hand side, he finally found what he was looking for on the left.  The sign was a dead give-away, plus the displays in the window couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. Eagerly he entered the shop and started browsing for the perfect gift.

The shops themselves where all fairly large in size, with a second and third floor for living space for the families that ran the shops. Lance spent a good five minutes just trying to find the right area of the shop he needed. Finally, he was exactly where he needed to be. It didn’t take him long to find the perfect one either, it was sitting in a glass case all to itself, gleaming in the lights of the shop.

The shop keepers seemed eager to assist. “You have a good eye, mighty paladin of Voltron. Would you like to view this item more closely?”

“Please.” Lance was eager to see if it would work well enough that Keith would like it.

The shop keep was more than happy to open the case and hand it to Lance. He played around with the item, making sure that it was perfect before asking if he could take it. He knew Rakluik said they could have anything they wanted, and he hoped that it extended to items at the shop.

The pink Ymorian bowed. “Of course. Anything for our saviours. Let me just put it in a case so you can carry it better.”

Lance thanked him, and waited patiently until he was finished. Once the case was handed to him, he exited the shop and started heading over to meet Hunk, whistling a cheery tune as he did so. It was absolutely perfect, better than he had even been expecting, and he only hoped that Keith would like it just the same.

“That’s a lovely lirso you’ve got there. Geinsor was quite proud when he made that one.” A voice spoke. Lance stopped and turned to face the short Ymorian elder who was speaking to him. She was blue in colour and smiling up at Lance. “Is it for someone special?”

“Y-Yeah it is. Someone very special to me.” Lance responded. “Wait, how’d you know which one I got?”

“I walked past the shop while you were looking at it.” She said like it was the most obvious thing. She then nodded to herself. “Now, you wait right here for a moment, dear. I want to give you something to add to it.”

She headed into the shop she had ben standing in front of, which Lance only just realized was a flower shop; he had noticed the smells were incredible over here, but was too focused on Keith’s potential reactions to his gift to look around at his surroundings.

A few moments later, the blue Ymorian was back with a stunning bouquet of flowers that reminded Lance of roses, though a lot bigger and the petals were more spread out and different colours. The base colour was a shade of violet while the tips were more lilac color.  “Here, give these to your sweetheart. Flowers from my shop have always helped in any situation involving love.”

Lance accepted the flowers graciously. “I’m sure he’ll love them. Thank you…um...?”

The shop keep laughed. “Jeccio. And what might I call you aside from Paladin of the Blue Lion?”

“Ah, it’s Lance. How did you know Blue was mine?” Lance questioned.

“I am the royal florist, young man. And while in most places that might not mean much, here it means I know everything that goes on in that castle and I attend all events at His Majesties personal request.” Jeccio motioned for Lance to follow closer to the shop where there was a chair and a table so she could sit down. “And being at last night’s ball meant I know not only your face and colour, but of your loved one as well. He is quite lovely looking, you are very fortunate.”

Lance flushed. “Well, we aren’t together yet. That’s what the gift…gifts are for.”

“I hope you are able to woo him then. The flowers alone should do the trick, but the lirso is a nice gift as well, especially that one.” Jeccio chuckled.

Lance eyed the flowers suspiciously. “This won’t be like some strange space pollen thing where he just falls for me because of the flowers, will it? Because we already had an incident like that with some ziphere fruit, and I do not want Keith to go through that.”

Jeccio laughed loudly, slightly wheezing as she did. “You ate ziphere fruit whole?! What in the world possessed you to do that?”

Lance flushed, embarrassed. “I didn’t know what it did…”

“My, you young things are so naïve in the world these days.” Jeccio shook her head. “But no, it won’t be anything like that. Flowers all have meanings, and those velda I gave you mean everlasting devotion. Be sure to explain that to your…Keith was it?”

“Yes, Keith is right. I will, thank you, Jeccio.” Lance smiled fondly.

Jeccio nodded and leaned further back in her chair. “Now you run along to your love, and give him his gifts. I hope if I ever see you again that you two will be together.” She chuckled to herself. “And if you are to wed, I want to do your flower arrangements.”

Lance’s face rivaled the flowers in his hand. “I-It’s a little early to think about that!! But…I absolutely will come back if that does happen.”

“Good, now off you go. I need to take a break before my granddaughter harps on me for doing too much.” Jeccio waved Lance off as she closed her eyes.

Lance thanked her once more and made his way back to the meeting point he agreed to with Hunk. He was slightly nervous now about how Keith would react to not only his initial gift, but to flowers with the meaning everlasting devotion. It wasn’t that the meaning wasn’t true, Lance could see himself with Keith for a very long time to come, but he didn’t know if Keith would feel the same way.

Hunk wasn’t much longer, beaming form ear to ear. “Man does this place have some of the best materials for building I’ve seen! They’re all so helpful too!”

“That’s great, buddy. You never did tell me what you were building.” Lance lifted the lid of the cart to look at all Hunk’s supplies. “Some kind of food related machine?”

“Yes, I’m trying to make a converter of sorts if I can.” Hunk said almost dreamily. “We could have so many more uses for the goo.”

“That sounds amazing!” Lance knew Hunk was incredibly smart, but it still always amazed him just how much Hunk could actually do when he wanted to put his mind to it. “So, what’s the converter going to do?”

Hunk grinned. “I’m hoping that it will be able to break down the molecular structure of the goo so that the properties can be changed as we see fit. Pidge and I have been talking about it, and we think it can be done.”

“Is Pidge gonna be helping you with these machines? Or is it just you?”

Hunk laughed. “I don’t think I could do this all myself. The technical aspects are mostly Pidge, but the build part is going to be mostly me. That what we’ve been doing while you’ve been off flirting with Keith.”

“Hey! I wasn’t flirting all the time! Sometimes we were just training together or talking!” Lance pouted.

“Uh-huh, but even then, you were probably thinking about and staring at his, and I quote, ‘cute butt’.” Hunk teased.

Lance shrugged. “I will neither confirm nor deny that accusation.”

Hunk laughed and Lance couldn’t help but join in. “Alright, we should start heading back. Could you help me get these in here.? I’m really hoping these flowers don’t get squished.”

Hunk moved some stuff around so both the case and flowers fit nicely inside the hover cart. Lance replaced the lid and helped Hunk steer it towards the ship. Their conversation on the way back was mostly the bits of technical aspects of Hunk and Pidge’s machine, and exactly what they would be able to make with it if everything worked out the way they intended.

When they got back, the idea was to get on the ship and then Lance to make sure Keith wasn’t about and go hide the gift. That notion was shot as soon as they entered the castle with the cart. Keith was walking towards the door as soon as they got in. “Oh, I didn’t know you went out. I was looking for you.”

“O-Oh, yeah sorry man. I agreed to help Hunk get some supplies for this wicked tech he and Pidge are building.” Lance was overjoyed that Keith had been seeking him, and a tiny bit disappointed that he couldn’t have had Keith come with them in the first place. “Did…Do you need me for something?”

“Oh, um, I just got bored with the gladiator…was wondering if you wanted to spar or something…” Keith shuffled his feet nervously.

Lance thought he was being adorable and had to use every ounce of willpower not to tell him so. “Sure! Just let me help Hunk out and I’ll meet you at the training deck in a little bit, okay?”

“I can help if you want?” Keith sounded unsure if he should be offering in the first place. He didn’t want to intrude if Lance and Hunk just wanted to hang out. He felt kind of bad that he was monopolizing so much of Lance’s time that it felt like he barely spent much time with Hunk anymore. “But I can just wait too…”

It hurt Lance that he had to tell Keith that he couldn’t join them. But soon Keith would understand why. He was almost tempted to just give Keith his gift now and confess right there. However, he knew that it would be better to say such things in a private setting. “Sorry, would you mind just waiting? I promise I won’t be long.”

Keith nodded. “I’ll meet you up there. And I’ll see you later, Hunk.”

“See ya, man!” Hunk waved as Keith made his way back up the stairs towards the training deck. Lance made a small whining sound as Keith left; watching every move until he could no longer be seen. Hunk snorted. “How does that saying go? ‘I hate seeing you leave but I love watching you go’? Is that what that sound was for?”

Lance snapped his attention back. “Partially…but I also just feel so bad I had to turn him away. He looked a little hurt…”

“Just imagine the look on his face when he gets those gifts from you, though! I know it sucks now, but think of the overall outcome! Which is you and Keith gettin’ together and being all cute and stuff…in private.” Hunk gave a comforting pat on the back.

Lance sighed. “You’re right. Hurts now, will not suck so bad in a few hours when we can be alone. Gonna let him find the gift though, I’m not just giving it to him. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some setting up to take care of.” Lance popped open the lid and grabbed his items. “Thanks again, Hunk. You’re a real pal!”

Hunk smiled as he turned the cart to head towards yellow’s hanger. “Anytime, Lance. Lemme know how it goes!”

Lance raced off up the stairs and to his room first. He wanted to grab a pen and paper to leave Keith a note with his gift since he wouldn’t be there in person to present it to him. He just took them with him, rather than spend time and write a note in his room, then raced off towards the observation deck. He had learned that there were two ways to get there, and only one of them had to pass the training deck. The other way was longer, but at least he had less of a chance of Keith or anyone else spotting him.

Once he was absolutely sure no one was inside, he slipped inside and got to work. Keith would always sit in the same spot when he was here alone, so that’s where Lance decided to set up his gift. He was thankful that Keith was usually in the corner like an angsty teenager, so that the case was less likely to fall over once they took off.

Lance leaned the case upright in the corner and rocked it a bit to make sure. Since the handle was on the side, he lifted it up so he could slip the bouquet in the loop. After he was sure that it looked as good as he could possibly make it, he flopped down and took the pen and paper out of his jacket pocket. Now was the hard part; finding what to write without bluntly saying how he felt-since he wanted to do that in person.

It took him longer than he had planned for, but once he was satisfied with it, he folded the note and tucked it just so in with the flowers so Keith would be sure to notice it. Lance was shaking with excitement and nerves when he left the observation deck to head to the training deck where Keith was waiting for him.

He went the quick way and all but sprinted his way to the room. He wanted to spend some time with Keith before things changed, mostly to see if he could finally get the confirmation that Keith did in fact like boys, but also because in case Keith rejected him that this may be the last time they could comfortably be together for a while.

Just as he was about to waltz through the door, Allura’s voice boomed over the coms. “Paladins, please report to the entrance where we can give our farewell to the Ymorians and be on our way.”

Lance groaned and banged his head against the wall. So much for spending some quality training time with Keith. He supposed there would be more time later, but he really was eager to do it now. He was pouting as he waited for Keith to step out of the room. Lance gave him a sheepish look. “Sorry, guess I wasn’t quick enough.”

Keith looked a little surprised to see Lance standing out in the hall. “Well, we’ll have time later right? Unless you’re busy…?”

“Definitely not busy. Would love to spend so more time with you later.” Lance put emphasis on love, in a subtle attempt to get Keith sort of prepared for his confession later. Not that he thought Keith would pick up on it, but just in case.

Keith nodded, always the one for little words, and started heading towards the entrance with Lance beside him. They didn’t talk as they made their way down, but Lance brushed their hands together at any chance he could. He was almost tempted to tell Keith that maybe they should just hold hands since their hands kept touching anyway, but held his tongue. There would be lots of time, in theory, for hand-holding and other such things.

The rest of the group was already at the bottom of the stairs while the royal entourage was in the foyer. Lance consciously put himself just a little in front of Keith so that he was in between Keith and Rakluik; and while Keith noticed, he definitely didn’t complain, and in fact made a move to press against the back of Lance’s shoulder; mostly so he could feel it up close. Keith only hope that Lance couldn’t feel him in certain areas that were a little more prominent at the moment because Keith absolutely loved Lance’s shoulders…probably too much for his own sanity. He just couldn’t help but let his mind wander being so close.

“We thank you once more for saving all of the Ymorian people, and I look forward to our continued alliance. Know that if ever need be, just come right back and you will find a safe haven here.” Rakluik bowed at them all.

Allura smiled, tense but diplomatic. She still wasn’t fond of him. “I am happy you agreed to go against the Galra. Their tyranny must be stopped. We thank you for your offer and will keep it in mind if ever the need should arise.”

Rakluik flashed her a smile and bowed once more. “It is a shame that you all must part from us, but we understand your job is very crucial in defending the universe’s very existence.  I speak for my people when I bid you all a farewell, and a safe journey. We hope you are able to destroy the Galra and bring piece to the universe.”

“We’ll definitely give it are all. Thank you for your hospitality. Please do call us if the Galra ever show up again.” Shiro spoke, keeping a watchful eye on everyone in the party; but mostly Rakluik.

The Ymorians all bowed and gave their thanks once more before filing out of the castle’s front door. Gaotyul stayed behind and handed off a small pouch to Shiro. “This is the drug we’ve given the prisoner. It will knock anyone out for quite a while. Just in case you get into a situation.”

Shiro accepted the bag. “Thanks, though I’m sure he won’t be an issue. We keep our prisoners in stasis.”

Gaotyul nodded and bowed lowly. “Well, just in case. And I thank you for putting up with His Majesty’s…amorous behavior. I know it can be a lot to handle sometimes…”

“Uh…yeah…no trouble at all…” Shiro didn’t really know what to say.

Gaotyul bowed and headed off to catch up with the party, Rakluik was already out the door, but they could see him waiting for Gaotyul to return to his side. They departed shortly after, the team waving until they were out of sight just in case anyone looked back. Once they Ymorians were out of sight the doors closed and Allura turned on her heels and headed towards the Bridge. “Come on, Paladins. We’re heading back out into space. Prepare yourselves for a wormhole jump. I’d personally like to get to another part of the galaxy after the last few days here.”

None of the paladins would argue with her, as they all shared the sentiment and dutifully followed her back up to the Bridge and took their seats. Keith was slightly thankful for the partial distance between him and Lance, it gave him a chance to calm down a little bit. He felt just a tiny bit ridiculous reacting to something as simple as being pressed up so closed to Lance while Lance was standing in front of him like he was protecting him. He didn’t have the same issue the previous night whilst they were dancing, but Keith figured that was because he was in a situation that he didn’t feel as safe in.  

Whilst Keith was trying not to think about Lance as they buckled up and got ready for take off. It didn’t worry him as much as it did the first time, since he knew the ship was relatively safe-when it wasn’t infected with Galra tech and trying to kill them that was. The take off was uneventful, as was their wormhole jump to somewhere else across the galaxy. It was always a little bumpy, but it gave Keith a distraction; which he was grateful for in that moment.

Once the ship stabilized out of hyperspace and began flying through the stars at a leisurely pace, the team unbuckled and mulled around the Bridge together. “So…what now?”

Shiro’s question was in general directed at Allura, but Coran answered instead. “Well, I do need a few able hands to help out with a few things! Don’t suppose there’s any volunteers around is there?”

“Uh well Pidge and I were going to head over to the kitchen and do the final drafting and layout of our converter, and also start on dinner, so we’re out.” Hunk said, a little guilty he had to bail but he had to get started on the tech for the betterment of the team’s stomachs.

Allura also looked a little sheepish. “And I require Shiro for a tactical meeting. I’d like to plan out where we should head next if we don’t get a distress call in the meantime.”

Coran turned to Lance and Keith who had no real plans either than to probably go train some more. Lance sighed. “Yeah, I’m game. Whatever you need done Coran.”

“Same here.” Keith added.

“Great!” Coran beamed and clapped a hand on each of their shoulders. “Because there’s still a lot of work to be done on the castle, and six hands are better than two!”

He steered them out of the Bridge and out into the hall. “What is it that needs fixing?”

“Well Lance, a few minor things. A few crystals got dislodged, a few wires shorted out. That sort of stuff. Nothing that would impact flying or livability for now, but there’s always a chance. So, Keith you’ll be taking the control room and fixing the wires, and Lance you’ll come with me and give me a hand with the crystals.” Coran answered.

Keith frowned. “How will I know what wires to fix? It’s not like I can read a manual in Altean.”

“Aha, I already thought of that. I drew a diagram for whoever was going to help to follow. So you should have no problems fixing things now!” Coran looked proud of his own forethought.

Keith sighed and only hoped that Coran was a decent enough artist he could make heads or tails out of things. Lance almost wanted to tell Coran that it was better he go help Keith with the frayed wires, just in case he couldn’t understand the directions, but he knew that would probably insult Keith’s intelligence in a way he wouldn’t intend it to, so he followed Coran to fix crystals in other parts of the castle.

When dinner time arrive, Lance was exhausted. Coran brought him around almost every single hallway in the castle to check and tweak various crystals throughout the caste that Lance didn’t even know existed. He could hear the chattering of the team as he and Coran made their way to get food. Dinner had already probably been solved, and he assumed everyone was already mowing down. The door swished open and he and Keith nearly collided. “Oh, sorry Lance.”

“It’s okay. You already done dinner?” Lance was getting extremely disappointed that he had been missing Keith at meals. It was his golden opportunity to sit beside Keith for however long it took one of them to finish.

“Ah, well I’m not actually finished with fixing all the wires, but I was getting to hungry to focus. So I ate quickly and I’m just headed back now.”

“I’ll help you, if you need a hand.” Lance may be hungry but he couldn’t pass up a chance for more one on one time with Keith.

Keith looked tempted by the offer, but shook his head. “I’m nearly finished. Besides, you’re probably as hungry as I was. I’ll finish up quick and then…maybe meet you for the sparring session you owe me?”

“Yeah, sounds like a plan. I’ll finish up here and make my way over in a bit.” Lance was trying to contain exactly how happy he was he could finally spend some time with Keith so that Coran wouldn’t notice, but he was doing a poor job of it.

“Okay. Then I’ll…um…see you in a bit.” Keith’s face was a little pink, and Lance was sure that would be the death of him eventually.

As Keith left, Coran started to chuckle. “Ah too be young again.”

Lance flushed and just walked past him and into the dining hall to eat quickly and then meet up with Keith. Everyone else was still eating, feasting on what almost looked like some goo version of a casserole. “Lance!! Guess what Allura is letting us drink! Space wine!”

Allura rolled her eyes. “I just opened a bottle for a job well done. I know dealing with Rakluik was…trying for us all, and I’m just glad none of us acted rashly.”

Lance could see each of his teammates with a glass, and a mostly empty one in Keith’s space. Lance took his own seat and Allura poured him a glass. Coran was sputtering something about how it was unlike the princess to be the one serving, but Lance tuned him out. He looked at Pidge who was sipping her own glass carefully then to Shiro. Shiro caught Lance’s looks and sighed. “I’m not your guys’ parent. Yeah Pidge is probably underage, but hey can’t say I never drank before I was legal.”

Lance had wanted to poke fun, as Shiro did act like their parent sometimes, and was disheartened that he was shot down. Pidge, very maturely, stuck her tongue out at Lance before taking another sip. He dished out some the casserole and began to eat as fast as he could without choking and still savoring his food. No one at the table questioned his actions, all having a knowing look in their expression. Lance was done in no time, and finished his wine fairly quickly after.

As Lance started to get up, Hunk put a hand on his shoulder. “I know you wanna get out of here and take care of…stuff. But make sure you fill up, because the kitchen is gonna be off-limits after we’re done here.”

“I’m good man. It was one of your best dishes yet, and you continue to amaze me.” Lance patted his friend’s hand and continued getting up. “Now, I’ll be off to do…stuff.”

Lance swore he vaguely heard a remark from Pidge along the lines of, “Stuff...Keith…same thing.”, but he chose not to comment. Especially since she wasn’t totally wrong; though that would be a lot further down the road.

Lance wished everyone a hasty goodnight before exiting out of the room as fast as he could without breaking out into a sprint. Until he got to the hallway that was, and then he took off as fast as he could to the training deck. Keith would probably be there waiting by now, and he didn’t want to make him wait a moment longer.

Keith was not in fact in the training deck at all. Lance frowned and walked around just for good measure. Not that there were many places to hide, nor did Keith need a reason to hide at all. Lance pondered what he should do next; either wait for Keith where he was, or go looking for him. On the one hand it usually made the most sense to stay where you were and wait for the other person, but on the other Keith could need assistance, or worse-he could be hurt somewhere in the castle.

Lance took off and began to look for his fellow paladin; a little frantically if he was being completely honest. He went to the control room first, and no signs of Keith still being there or having been hurt. Lance looked in every inch of the main parts of the castle he could think of, leaving the observation deck for last; which hadn’t yet been disturbed. He had checked the hologram room, the med bay, the entrance, the kitchen area-which had large signs on it telling people to keep out, the Bridge, the prison, the lounge, the sleeping quarters-including Allura and Coran’s rooms. Nothing, no signs of Keith in the main part of the castle. Getting incredibly anxious right now, he hurried to Red’s hanger to see if he was there. The answer, like any other room, was no he wasn’t, but at least Lance saw signs that Keith had been there. A strange tool box he didn’t recognise in the room was there, and on closer inspection appeared to be Coran’s actually very well drawn diagram. He gazed up at the metallic feline in the room. “He’s alright, right? Like you’d make a fuss and alert us if he wasn’t right?”

Cold eyes did little in the ways of a response, but Lance knew that Red wouldn’t answer to him. They weren’t connected, and he hadn’t earned that trust from her like Keith had. Not that he needed Red’s trust and connection, not when he had Blue.

He didn’t have time to think about the strange connections with metal cats, and continued to look for Keith. He was starting to get increasingly more worried about Keith’s whereabouts as he had looked in every inch of the castle save for the other lion hangers; though it was unlikely that Keith was there. As he made his way back to the training deck just in case Keith was there, he nearly collided with another body. “Whoa, where’s the fire?”

Lance took a breath. “Sorry Shiro, just looking for Keith.”

Shiro chuckled. “Figured you might be. He’s in the training deck. He mentioned he was waiting for you.”

Lance wanted to hit his head against the wall. “Right, I’ll just head over there now. Thanks Shiro.”

A metal hand gripped his shoulder. “Hang on a minute, Lance.”

“Can we talk later? Sorry, I just don’t want to keep Keith waiting for me…”

Shiro smiled, knowingly. “I promise I won’t take too much of your time.”

“Alright…Just a few minutes more won’t hurt. What’s up?” Lance hoped whatever Shiro wanted to say was in fact as quick as he said so that he could take off.

“Nothing much. I just want to ask if you could take these to Keith for me. He tends to forget to keep hydrated when he’s focusing.” Shiro held out water pouches that Lance hadn’t even noticed that Shiro was holding. “I barely managed to get into the kitchen to grab these, Hunk and Pidge can be scary…so since you’re going anyway, would you mind?”

Lance shook his head and took the beverages from Shiro. The older male smiled and squeezed the shoulder he was still gripping. “And remember Lance, Keith can be a little stubborn sometimes, and a little dense. So, good luck!”

With that Shiro took off down the hall that Lance had just come down. Lance was flustered by Shiro’s words, as that meant that Shiro had an idea about what was going down. Although, he wondered if it was him that was super obvious, or if Keith had said something to Shiro before. Lance was so caught up in his internal debate that he almost walked right past the training deck. The light on the screen indicated that it was being used and Lance took a second to compose himself. He was just going to do some training, maybe chat it up a little bit, and then make a suggestion that Keith meet him at the observation deck. He’d shower, gussy up a little bit, and hopefully find an overjoyed Keith waiting for him. Lance took one more deep breath to settle his nerves and entered the training deck.

Keith wasn’t facing him, his back was to the door, and the gladiator he was fighting was a little higher level than Lance had seen Keith use. However, Lance was distracted less by the level of a robot and more by the way Keith had his hair tied up in a little ponytail. He’d never seen Keith with his hair up, and he was glad no one else was here to see his. His mouth felt dry, and his heart felt like it was going to burst from his chest. Keith was attractive to begin with, but Keith with his hair up was a whole ‘nother level of good looking.

Keith defeated the gladiator just by a hair. He looked out of breath and sweaty. Lance watched as he lifted the hem of his shirt to use it as a towel. In that moment, Lance thought he had died and gone to some form of gay heaven. He knew that Keith had to be well built given how much he worked out, but nothing had prepared him for the abs he was faced with, and he wasn’t even getting a full view; only a side view since Keith had turned after winning against the bot.

Lance snapped out of it and decided to hell with working out with Keith, he just wanted to watch. He whistled appreciatively at the sight before him, catching Keith’s attention. “Oh, I didn’t see you come in. Been here long?”

Lance shook his head. “Nah, just long enough to see you take down the gladiator. Shiro also gave me these to give to you.” He tossed one of the pouches at Keith who caught it with ease.

Keith drank it all quickly. “Thanks. I sometimes forget.”

“You also forget a towel, or do you normally just use your shirt?”

Keith looked down at his shirt and back at Lance. “Mm, guess I always just use my shirt. Didn’t always have the luxury of a towel on hand.”

Lance laughed. “Well if that’s the case, why not just take your shirt off and just use it solely for a towel. Not like anyone would complain if you were shirtless.” Lance knew he wouldn’t.

“I’m sure some people might…” Keith looked a little red in the face, and Lance knew it wasn’t just from the work out.

Lance knew this was his chance to get the last confirmation he needed before asking Keith out, so he went for it. “Dude, have you looked in a mirror? Seriously, you could have any girl you wanted.”

Lance waited patiently and watched Keith closely. Keith’s brows furrowed and he looked down. It took a bit before Keith said anything, and Lance was almost worried he had made him angry. “Well, that would be a shame…since I’m…not really…into…girls.”

There it was, the finally thing Lance absolutely had to be sure of, the last thing he had overheard from Keith and Shiro’s conversation over a week ago. “Oh, well guy then! You could get any guy you wanted. Promise.”

Keith blinked. “You’re not…like…weirded out?”

Lance wasn’t expecting that at all. “Uh, no? Did you miss the part where I mentioned I’ve had a boyfriend before? Like why would I be weirded out over the fact you like guys too?”

Keith laughed kind of awkwardly. “Yeah, yeah I guess that was a stupid question. I’m just…so used to people not being okay with it that I kind of forgot what it was like to have people accept me as me. God knows none of my foster families did. Got kicked out for being gay from more families than I can count.”

Lance nodded. “And the Garrison, too.”

In that moment, Lance knew he had fucked up. All his careful working and avoidance of anything that could bring up the fact that Lance had eavesdropped just went out the window completely. Lance watched the confusion in Keith’s eyes. “I…never told anyone but Shiro that…and that was just a few…Did you spy on us?!”

There was no way that Lance could back out of this if her tried, his only option was to come clean; which he was regretting he hadn’t done so in the first place. “Not spying on purpose…but I did overhear. I’m sor-”

Keith was angry now. “You’re sorry?! You listened in on a private conversation I had with Shiro and decided not to tell me about it!? How much did you hear!?”

“Not much, I promise! I came in around you ranting about me not knowing you were a foster kid and left after you said you were gay and that’s why you got kicked from the Garrison. I didn’t mean to! Honest! It just sort of happened…”

“Just sort of happened?! You don’t just happen to eavesdrop on a conversation! As soon as you heard us talking you should have left! That entire conversation was none of your business!”

Lance was getting a little frustrated. He could tell Keith was upset and a little hurt, but he was kind of overreacting. “Without me hearing any of that, I don’t think I would have even tried to get to know you like I have been.”

Keith scoffed. “So what, you were just taking pity on me? Oh, poor little gay orphan Keith lets give him some attention because he must be so lonely!”

“What? No, it wasn’t like that Keith! You’re being ridiculous! When I overheard you guys, I realized that you were completely right and I really did know nothing about you. So, after we made up, I spent more time with you so I could get to know you.” Lance was desperately trying to defuse Keith’s anger, which was not an easy task.

“I don’t think I’m being ridiculous at all! What I do think is that I was an idiot for ever trusting you and letting you in. You’re just like every one else, you use me for your own benefit, and then when I’m no longer entertaining for you, you toss me aside.”

“I’m not that kind of person, Keith! I really do like-” Lance felt his eyes burning; this was all going so wrong.

Keith shook his head. “I don’t believe that. You listened in on something you shouldn’t have and used that to your advantage so I would lower my guard around you.” Keith began walking forward, but didn’t stop in front of Lance and continued past him. “I think we’re done this…whatever this is. You’ve had you’re fun, but I’m not playing any more.”

“Keith, please wait!” Keith didn’t wait a second longer even after Lance’s pleading and stormed out of the deck.

Lance was so hurt and so confused he didn’t understand what had happened. He walked in there wanting to be Keith’s boyfriend, and now he was standing there alone with Keith not even wanting to be his friend anymore. He knew not telling Keith had hurt the other boy deeply, and he had every right to be upset with Lance, but he never expected that Keith would be that upset about it.

Lance was numb all over, and began to move slowly out of the training deck, closing it down as he did. He was unfocused on his surroundings and all he could see was the look of betrayal on Keith’s face, his hurt. Lance made it back to his room by sheer luck, like he was on auto pilot. He didn’t shower like he normally would, he didn’t change into his pyjamas or get under the covers. He just sat down on the end of his bed with his face in his hands and finally let out the anguish he was feeling. Hot tears poured freely as he sobbed into his hands.

He had hurt Keith, the boy he was head over heels in love with, and he wasn’t sure if he could honestly do anything to fix it.

Chapter Text

Lance awoke the next morning feeling incredibly tired. He hadn’t slept well that night, replaying what had happened with Keith in his mind. He had tossed and turned the entire time, unable to drift off for hours. Finally, his body just gave in and he was at least able to rest for an hour or two. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, and he knew that nothing he had in his bathroom would even remotely help that. So, with a sigh, he got up and headed to get breakfast. Back on Earth when his heart got broken, he would lay in bed and mope for a day before getting up and being productive. Out in space, fighting to defend the universe, he didn’t have that luxury.

He knew he wouldn’t run into Keith, as Keith was the earliest riser aside from Shiro. Lance slunk into the dining room and just sat down in his spot, spooning out the goo that was in front of him. He ate slowly, trying to keep himself together and not thinking about how he hurt Keith and how Keith would never forgive him and then they wouldn’t be able to form Voltron again.

He was panicking, and barely felt the cold hand that landed on his shoulder. “Lance…”

Lance turned up to see Shiro. He couldn’t tell what kind of expression Shiro had exactly, but it made him uneasy. “Hey Shiro…morning.”

Shiro squeezed Lance’s shoulder. “Can you come with me for a sec? I wanna talk.”

Lance just nodded and got out of his chair, ignoring the concerned glancing Hunk and Pidge were shooting him. Shiro led him to the longue where they could talk with little likeliness of getting interrupted. Shiro motioned for Lance to take a seat, and that felt all too much like going to the principal’s office. Lance prepared himself for a scolding, because of course he should have known Keith would have told Shiro. He had intruded on Shiro’s privacy just as much as he had with Keith’s, and he could only imagine how upset Shiro had to be at him. “I’m sorry…”

Shiro sat down beside him, not even remotely surprised that Lance knew what he wanted to talk about. “I know you are, Lance.”

“You’re really mad at me too huh? If you want to find a new blue paladin, that’s cool. I’d understand. I’ve probably fucked things up so badly that we can’t form Voltron anyway…” Lance’s eyes were burning, and he was trying desperately not to cry in front of his hero.

“What? Who said anything about me being mad at you?” Shiro was genuinely confused where Lance even got the idea. “And there’s no way we would ever get someone to take your place. You’re needed on this team.”

Lance couldn’t help the few tears that fell down his face. “But…but I was nosey, and I listened in on something I shouldn’t have. Keith hates me now, so now we couldn’t possibly even try to form Voltron. Why would you want to keep someone that betrays the trust of his teammates around!?”

Shiro stayed silent for a while, and allowed Lance to calm down some before he spoke again. “I do agree you probably shouldn’t have eavesdropped, and I’m a little disappointed you didn’t tell Keith and I right away that you did, but I think you are being way too harsh on yourself. Yes, Keith is upset right now and he is hurt, but he doesn’t hate you, Lance. Nor do I, so please never think that.”

Lance sniffed. “But…”

“But what about forming Voltron? It will be tough, and probably not possible today, but give it some time and things will work themselves out. I promise you, Keith will realize you didn’t mean to cause any harm and you two will be okay. Just give him some space and time to cool down, and it will be alright. No one on this ship wants to see you leave us, okay? So, promise me no more of that kind of talk, okay?”

Lance didn’t reply verbally at first, just allowed himself to silently cry a little more and hug Shiro tightly. Shiro returned the embrace, rubbing Lance’s back in a soothing manner. Lance mumbled sorry’s and thank you’s into Shiro’s shoulder. Once he calmed down enough, he pulled back from Shiro and wiped his eyes. “Sorry…and thank you.”

“Don’t apologise for having emotions, Lance. It’s okay to break down sometimes.” Shiro ruffled Lance’s hair. “Now chin up and let’s take it day by day. Don’t stress too much on what happened, just focus on what you can do right now, rather than what you can’t. I promise things will be okay with Keith.”

“Thank you, Shiro. And I promise I won’t talk about getting a new blue paladin. Sorry.” Lance gave Shiro a weak smile.

Shiro smiled back. “Good. Now, go finish eating. Good thing about that goo, it doesn’t really lose or keep temperature…” Shiro grimaced as he stood up. “Allura will probably want to run some more training today, so be prepared for that. I’ll see you then.”

Lance sighed, he knew that meant he’d have to be in a room with Keith for hours, and that could only mean trouble. He wondered if he could fake a stomach-ache, but doubted it; Coran would probably just shove him in a pod and have any ailment cleared in no time.

He made his way back to the dining room, where Hunk and Pidge were still there; finished their meals and waiting for his return. “Hey man…you doing okay?”

Lance shook his head. “No, but I’ll be alright. Just messed things up…but Shiro told me not to fret and it’d work itself out…somehow.”

Hunk nodded and scooped up more goo for Lance; as he had barely taken any to start with. “Well, we’re here for you no matter what dude. Right, Pidge?”

“Always.” Pidge had moved from her space at the end of the table and sat beside Lance. “So, finish up, and then you can come help Hunk and I finish our machine.”

Lance wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders and pulled them into a tight hug. He didn’t say anything, just hugged his friends close. Once he let them go, he shoveled down as much goo as he could possibly stomach. He helped gather all the dishes and followed Pidge and Hunk towards the kitchen to clean up and assist where they needed. Lance mostly kept quiet, only adding quips and remarks when they were direct at him. He was trying to do what Shiro suggested of not stressing about Keith, but he couldn’t help it. All he could think about was the look on Keith’s face before he left the training deck the previous night.

As his friends tinkered, he mostly just sat himself on a counter and watched. He knew they didn’t really need his help, but instead were trying to take his mind off things. They did ask him to get them tools or parts at random, so he couldn’t say he wasn’t doing anything, but it wasn’t enough to completely take his mind off things either.

Allura’s voice came over the coms not half an hour into their tinkering. “Paladins, meet me in the training deck in five minutes.”

Lance just started up at the ceiling, where he assumed the coms were, and groaned. There was no part of this that was going to go well. Pidge and Hunk waited from him by the door, looking worried. “It’ll be okay man…lets just focus on not getting the crap kicked outta us by bots…or Allura if we don’t show up on time.”

Lance hopped off the counter he had been perching on and slowly made his way out of the kitchens following his friends. They tried to lighten the mood and talk about tactics on how not to suck together during training, but Lance mostly tuned it out. His main concern was how he was going to be able seeing Keith for the first time since their fight.

When they got into the training deck, Allura and Shiro were deep in conversation. Shiro’s brows were furrowed as he spoke, clearly frustrated with what Allura had been saying. She shook her head and spoke back at him in their soft tone. From where the other three were standing, they couldn’t hear what was being said much. But the last thing they heard from Allura was, “Just trust me, alright?”

Shiro sighed, but nodded none the less. He turned around and headed over to his team members. Pidge, ever inquisitive asked, “So what was that about?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Shiro said in a final tone.

Pidge shrugged and didn’t ask further…for now. She knew that if she bugged him later she could find out, or guess herself if it was something she would be able to witness. Knowing Allura, that might be the case. She’d just have to wait and find out which option presented itself first.

They mulled around and waited for their last paladin; who they were all surprised wasn’t already there like normal. By ten minutes, Allura was visibly annoyed. “Where is Keith?”

“Don’t know…I haven’t seen him since last night.” Shiro answered.

Same here. Lance thought mournfully. It was something else that Keith wasn’t right there on the deck already, and even more concerning that he refused a direct order from Allura about the timing. He wondered if maybe Keith was locking himself in his room like he had wanted to. Or worse yet, maybe Keith had snuck away and taken one of the pods; never to return to their group again. Lance felt sick at the mere thought, that he could potentially be the cause of Keith running away from the team.

Coran came in just before Lance was about to suggest they search for Keith. He was whistling and tune and dragging Keith into the room by his collar. “Sorry we’re late everyone! Keith here said he wasn’t feeling well so I had him in the pods for a few ticks and he seems to be in better shape now. Isn’t that right Keith?”

“Just peachy.” Keith mumbled, clearly pissed off at the situation.

Coran released him and winked at the princess before whistling his way right back out the door he came in. Keith gave the door a calculating look; as if questioning his ability to flee the area before someone caught up to him. Allura cleared her throat, arms crossed as she narrowed her eyes at Keith. “So nice of you to join us.”

Keith sighed and knew he wasn’t going to be able to escape so easily. He fell in with the rest of them; but as far away from Lance as he possibly could muster. Arms crossed and scowl on his face, he waited for Allura to give her instructions and get the session over with.

Allura could see his malice, but she could care less. If he wanted to act like a angsty teenager, he could. As long as he did what was needed of him in their fight to save the universe. “I’d like you all to do more in groups of two. You all need work on protecting your own backs, as well as your fellow paladins. So, I’d like Shiro and Keith first please.”

Shiro and Keith fell into place silently; engaging their shields and Keith activated his bayard. The bots were activated and as usual, they had no issued preforming the simulation. Allura smiled brightly. “Perfect! Now, I want all of you to be able to do that. So, lets have Shiro and…Hunk next.”

Their run was by far Hunk’s overall best. He was ecstatic, and both Pidge and Lance congratulated him. Everyone’s turns went smoothly, with near perfection and hardly any mistakes. No one had lost a simulation yet, but there had been some close calls. Finally, it was the pair up that Lance knew was coming. He would have to be paired with Keith. He knew before Allura had even called for them to get into position. He shuffled back into the ring where Keith already was, having just finished his turn with Pidge. Keith wouldn’t look his way, just focused dead ahead. Lance got into position behind Keith, and felt Keith move away from him.

“Keith! Move back into position. Your backs are wide open.” Keith didn’t budge. Allura scowled. “Keith, move back now or I will move you myself.”

Keith took one small step back and didn’t move any closer than that. He wouldn’t look at any one else in the room, just focused dead ahead and waited for the bots to come in. Allura huffed and Shiro shot her a look that screamed ‘I told you so’. She started the simulation and waited to see what happened.

Lance was having a hard time focusing on anything but Keith’s presence behind him, but tried to make sure he did his job and protected them both. That’s what teammates were supposed to do. However, it didn’t matter in the slightest. As soon as the first bot shot at Keith, he dropped his shield and just let it hit him in the chest. The hole in the floor opened up and he dropped in. Lance was stunned that Keith would just give up like that, that he didn’t even bother trying to protect himself from the next shot.

When they came back up Allura was absolutely furious. “What was that?! You cannot afford that kind of behaviour while we are in the middle of a war! You two will try again, immediately!”

Lance hung his head and got back into position. Keith emitted something akin to a growl and moved back into his space slightly further away from Lance than he should be. They managed to get half way through the simulation before Keith sabotaged them again by moving his shield just enough out of the way to get hit again. Lance did try to fight off the bots himself, but it wasn’t easy and eventually got hit himself.

Allura looked like she was going to tell them to go again, but Shiro stepped in. “Okay team, five minute break and then we’ll move on to something else.”

He grabbed Allura by the arm and led her away from the team so they could talk away from prying ears. Lance made his way back to Hunk and Pidge, while Keith walked over to the furthest wall from everyone and sat down. Lance tried not to glance his way, but couldn’t help it. Keith was starting moodily at Shiro and Allura while they chatted. Lance turned back just in case Keith happened to look over, and hunched in on himself.

Allura and Shiro finished their chat with Shiro still looking peeved. Allura just strode over to the three of them and glared at Keith until he came closer. “Alright paladins. I was going to have you go against each other in combat, but it has come to my attention that there may be some issues if we do. So, I’ve decided to do more mind melding. In pairs. Shiro and Pidge, Hunk and I, and Lance and Keith; since you two can’t seem to do simple battle exercises today.”

Keith turned on his heels and made for the exit without a word. Allura grabbed his jacket and yanked him back. “You’re not getting out of this Keith. So sit down and do as I ask.”

Keith pulled his arms free from the jacket and continued his way out. “I’ll pass.”

Lance wanted to cry out, beg Keith to just stay and let them work it out, but it wouldn’t be any use. Shiro intervened instead, stepping in front of Keith and the door. They could all see Shiro talking in a rushed, quiet manner to Keith; who looked like he wanted nothing more than to shove Shiro out of the way and keep going. Keith knew that was impossible though; Shiro could easily overpower him and wouldn’t think twice about doing it.

Lance watched as Keith just scowl at Shiro with saying nothing back. They stared at each other for a while before Keith turned back around and came back to the group. Shiro looked like he wanted to scream and lose it, but was holding it together for the sake of the team. Allura handed Keith the mind melding set and pointed to one corner of the room. “Go over there with Lance, and get to it. I want to see at least some of the teamwork you’ve shown over the last week.”

Keith didn’t respond and just marched over to where she wanted. Lance got up slowly and followed at a distance. He didn’t want to get too close to Keith so as not to set off the boy any further. He was clearly pissed that Allura was singling them out, but Lance wasn’t all that surprised. She was probably just trying to make sure their bond wasn’t completely screwed so that they could at least form Voltron.

Lance sat down across from Keith and waited patiently for Keith to set up the small device. He watched the others do the same, to make it seem like he wasn’t hyper aware that he was away from the others and close to Keith. He wanted to say something, beg for forgiveness, but Shiro’s words about giving Keith space kept ringing through his mind. Shiro was looking their way as Pidge did the set up, watching how they were doing.

Keith all but through the headpiece at Lance’s face once he had set up and arranged his own. Keith was still refusing to look at him, choosing to have his eyes closed and waiting for Lance to get things going. He didn’t want to keep Keith waiting and hurried to put his headpiece on and wait for Coran to start their session from the control booth. “Right, okay. You’re going to be working on strengthening your mental protection. So, whoever is shortest will defend, and the taller one will be on the offense.” Coran’s voice boomed through the room.

Keith huffed and furrowed his brow. Lance closed his eyes and concentrated on pushing into Keith’s thoughts. It was hard, since Keith was naturally good at it, but this time was different. After only a few minutes, Keith’s mental barriers came crashing down and Lance was able to see exactly what was on Keith’s mind. The images rushing through his mind were of the previous night. He could all but feel the hurt from Keith. He saw everything through Keith’s eyes; how he was nearly in tears as he left the training deck, or how he ran to Shiro’s room right away. How Shiro held him close as Keith screamed against Shiro’s chest and let out more angry tears.

The connection was severed when Keith threw off his headpiece and ran out of the training deck. “Keith wait!” Lance cried after him.

It was no use, and Keith had left the room without anyone being fast enough to stop him. Lance was about to go after him but Shiro shot him a look that froze him in place. A look that screamed at Lance to just leave Keith be. Lance focused on slowly cleaning up the gear instead. His heart ached at the reality that he made Keith cry, that he had hurt someone he cared about so much they were in tears. He had never ever thought he could cause so much pain to someone else before, and seeing it as a reality was one of the hardest things he would probably ever experience in his life.

Keith stormed his way around the castle, not really having a course in mind, just walking. He couldn’t work out to keep his mind off things while the training deck was being used, so he instead just wandered around in a huff until he finds himself down at his lion’s hangar. Red’s presence did very little to sooth him in his current mood, but he went to go sit on one of her metal paws and brood. He could feel her in the back of his mind, poking to see if Keith was alright. “Ugh, Red don’t. I’ll be fine…I’m just…pissed off and hurt and…feeling like an idiot.”

A questioning rumble ran through his mind from his lion. “Look, shit happened last night and it seems that the universe still hates me. You are literally the only thing good in my life.”

Red pushed images from her perspective into Keith’s mind. They were all of Keith and Lance together on Oshornia. Of Lance in Keith’s lap inside red, of them holding hands just outside of her. Keith scoffed. “That is probably the worst thing in my life right now. Doesn’t mean shit. He was drugged anyway.”

Red pushed more images at him. Of just Lance looking at him while he was drugged; a dopey love-struck gaze that screamed pure adoration. Keith pushed the thoughts out of his mind. “Stop it, Red! He doesn’t give a shit about me. That was all the drug! He’s selfish and doesn’t think about how badly he can hurt someone with the choices he makes! I just…wanted it to be real…”

Red made a noise that reminded of Keith of a purr as Keith just let lose and vented. “I’ve never had a relationship, and I was so sure that I could have with Lance. That I could have genuinely loved him and that he could maybe even love me back. But now? Now I know he was just being my friend to get whatever he wanted from me and that none of it was real. It was just me projecting the feelings I wanted to see from Lance, even though they weren’t actually there.”

He leaned back against Red’s leg. “But god did I want them to really be there. I haven’t felt this way about someone since I fell for Shiro all those years ago…and this felt more. And now…now I can’t even be in the same room as him.”

Red showed Voltron breaking apart, unable to keep their formation together. Keith sighed. “I know…I know that I shouldn’t let my personal issue affect things. I know that not talking to Lance anymore will help absolutely no one. But it hurts so much, Red. I don’t even know if we can fix this…if I want to fix things.”

Keith hopped off Red’s leg and looked up at her. “Thanks for listening, Red. I think…I think I should just have some alone time right now though.”

Keith left the hangar and headed to the kitchen. The remains bits of Hunk and Pidge’s machine were scattered around the area. Keith stepped over everything and snagged a water pouch and a protein bar. He wouldn’t be joining the group for lunch and knew he should probably lay low for a while. He considered going back to his room, but then he knew Allura or Shiro would just let themselves in, and he didn’t want that. So, he headed to a place where he could be alone. He knew Allura could find him if she really wanted to, as could Lance, but he had a feeling Lance wouldn’t come after him. He hadn’t the previous night, nor just a few moments ago on the training deck. Why go after someone you don’t really care about.

 The observation deck was far enough away from everyone and everything that he could just sit and figure out how to control his thoughts enough that it wouldn’t affect the entire team. Just because he was hurt didn’t mean he had to let the others down. They were in a war, and there was no time for romantic feelings, or even sexual feelings, to get in the way. He would go and sit and figure out how to function with Lance being around; being part of the team. Keith knew that he would have to let go of any ridiculous notion he had of Lance liking him back. He’d get over Lance, as that was the smart move to make.

As soon as he stepped into the observation deck, however, everything he once thought was completely ripped away from him. He walked slowly into the room towards his usual spot, not believing his eyes. A bouquet of the most gorgeous flowers he had ever seen, resting prettily in the handle of a rectangular case. The case was open, and Keith dropped to his knees to take the item from it with shaky hands.

It was a guitar; Probably the most gorgeous one that he had ever seen in his life. The body was made from a wood that clearly wasn’t from Earth as it was practically silver in colour, while everything else aside from the strings was made from amber. The neck had vines encased in the amber, twisting together and ending in a heart at the top. He made to grab the bouquet as well, and noticed the letter sticking out from it. He carefully retrieved the letter and held it in his hand.

Keith didn’t dare read the letter right away. He was too confused and scared to want to try. There was only one person that could have left this for him, and that was the one person he was trying so hard to ignore. The person who he was so sure didn’t feel a thing for him. Yet here was a guitar, and flowers, and a letter, all for him.

Slowly, Keith opened the letter.

Dear Keith,

Sooo I know that things in space kind of suck sometimes, and that it’s hard to feel at home. At the ball last night, I wondered if the instruments were made here. And they were! So, since you said you missed your guitar, I thought I would get you a new one. I know it’s not like the one you probably had on Earth, and it may not even work right since I don’t know jack about instruments, but hopefully it works.

The flowers were given to me by the royal florist. They have a meaning…but I’d rather tell you that in person.

I’m not good at letters, and I’ve got so much more to say in person, so I’ll end this here. Hope you like the guitar, and I’m sure I’ll see you very soon. I’d love to hear you play some time!

Yours truly,

Lance.

Keith probably read the note over three times before he put it down. He looked back at the flowers and down at the guitar in his lap. He was now more confused than he had ever been. Lance had left him a gift, just so that he would find it before they met up. Lance had said he wanted to talk in person, and Keith’s imagination ran wild about all the things Lance might have wanted to say. Was he going to tell Keith about his eavesdropping, or was there something more? He didn’t want to think he was still reading too much into things, but how could he not assume that maybe he had been right, and that Lance maybe did feel the same way.

His legs felt like lead, keeping him in place. He idly began plucking at the strings of the guitar, tuning it as was required. Keith’s mind was racing a million miles and hour, along with his pulse. He wanted to stay here forever with the guitar and flowers, he wanted to get up and find Lance and just hold him tightly and apologize for being an asshole. Yes, he was hurt that Lance had listened in on a private conversation about his personal life, but in hindsight maybe he had just blown up and acted on emotion rather than really listen to what Lance was trying to say.

Lance wasn’t a cruel person, and Keith felt ashamed he could even assume that Lance had any ill intentions towards him. He had told Lance about his past, what he knew anyway, because he felt comfortable with Lance; because he trusted Lance. Yes, he was still hurt, but completely ignoring Lance was probably the worst thing he could do for both of them right now.

“God, I’ve been so stupid!” Keith groaned. He gently placed the guitar on the ground and got up.

He had every intention of just running to the training deck and finding Lance, but fate had other ideas. The ship rocked violently and the alarms blared; lights all around turning red. “Galra ships are attacking! Everyone, get to your lions! Allura, we need you back up here.” Coran yelled. 

Keith’s heart sank. Of course, the Galra were attacking right now, just when he needed to fix things with Lance. He raced towards the bridge as fast as he could, hoping he could catch Lance for a second before they headed out into enemy fire.

Keith wasn’t so lucky, being the last person to make it in. He saw Lance’s elevator close as another blast hit the barrier. There wasn’t any time to waste, so Keith hopped in his own elevator and headed down to Red.

The others were taking down the fleet surrounding them as Keith joined the fray. Keith shot down Galra ships with his teammates, being sure to concentrate on what he was doing and not what the Blue Lion was doing off in the distance. The paladins were taking quite a bit of damage as they continued their fight.

“Paladins, you need to form Voltron. I’m afraid the castle’s shields can’t take much more.” Allura bellowed into their coms.

“Right. Team, lets from Voltron!” Shiro declared, a little hesitantly.

They all got in formation, and attempted to fuse into the might Voltron, but it failed. Hunk ended up ramming into the black lion by accident, sending it spiralling out of the way. “Ooo, sorry Shiro!”

Shiro huffed. “Okay, looks like we can’t do this right now. Lets just keep firing and take them down. Lance, Hunk. You take the left fleets. Pidge and Keith take the right. I’ll work with the castle for the ones in the middle. We can do this.”

The paladins broke into their groups and laid down a powerful barrage of attacks. They were sure to utilize all their lions’ powers to be able to take down their enemy. It wasn’t easy, but when they last ship exploded from the black lion’s jaw blade, there was an audible sigh of relief across the coms. Coran cleared his throat. “Great work Paladins!”

Shiro sighed. “I’m sensing a ‘but’ in there…tell me I’m wrong.”

“But…while we were fighting the Galra, we received a short distress signal from Gostoria, the planet we’re beside.” Coran explained.

“We must go to them at once. If the Galra are wreaking havoc on these poor Gostorians, then it is our duty to protect them” Allura declared.

“Um Allura, not to like, step on your authority or anything, but we barely managed to fight just now,” Hunk interjected. “What if we get down there and we need Voltron and we can’t form Voltron again and we all get shot down, and the Galra take our lions away and then Zarkon has control of our lions and-”

Allura cut of Hunk’s panicked rambling. “You will just have to try harder next time. I believe you can do it, Paladins. When push comes to shove, you never let your team down.”

“We’ll follow you down for back up, just in case.” Coran added.

The collective groan from the paladins did not go unheard by the Alteans, but no scolding followed. They guided their lions down into Gostoria’s atmosphere, taking down any fleet ships that came their way. Coran directed them to the location the signal came from. It was difficult to navigate and see where the enemy was. There was rather dense cloud cover for what felt like an eternity, and as soon as they were cleared from the clouds, they encountered dozens of floating islands. Pidge nearly collided with one as she sped her way to the surface, narrowly avoiding a tree that was precariously close to the edge. The planet’s surface was no where near as lush as the small islands. All they could see was sandy and mountains as they neared the ground. There were small villages spread out from what they could tell, and they were headed straight for one. In the middle of the small town was a large Galran base.

As soon as the lions came within range, the base began to fire its defensive cannons at the lions. Small fleet ships poured out from the base’s hangar; giving the paladins a lot of deal with. They all knew they wouldn’t be able to form Voltron, and they all knew why. Keith felt guilty, but now was not the idea time to talk to Lance; not when he was being flanked at every angle, and could barely keep up with taking down the enemy. Every one else was in a similar predicament, with the castle taking the most fire from the base itself.

It felt like it took hours before they all managed to take out the entire fleet and base. They knew more were probably on their way, but Shiro landed his lion and got out to free the Gostrian people from their shackles and cages. The others were on look-out; watching the horizon for any movement. Keith knew he was supposed to focus on the sky, but was also looking around and mentally asking Red if she could privately link him to Blue so he could talk to Lance alone. Maybe if they were able to talk, even quickly, they would be able to form Voltron again. He hated letting everyone down like this, and he was positive that Lance felt the same way.

Just as Red pulsed the right part of his screens at him, Shiro’s voice came back on the group com. “Alright team, so it seems like this was only one base the Galra have. There were seven in total, and now we have six more to deal with.”

Pidge groaned. “What do they even want with a desert planet anyway?”

“Apparently under all this sand there are very valuable and rare gems deep underground. The Galra have build these bases so they can drill into the ground and use the Gostorians as slaves to mine out the gems.” Shiro explained.

“So we have to take out each base one by one.” Hunk moaned. “That’s going to take forever.”

“No, it is not. We are going to split up and each take one down.” Allura chimed in.

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea Allura. I don’t like the idea of us being split apart when we’re…vulnerable.” Shiro noted.

Allura looked torn. “I know, and I would normally agree with you. But right now, I think the best thing to do is take down the bases simultaneously. If we take them out one by one it will alert the Galra to our whereabouts more so than they already are. I don’t think we should take that risk.”

Shiro was silent for a while, speaking with the locals once more. When he came back on the coms, he didn’t sound any more reassured. “There are explosives just outside the base here. If we take some explosives and place them on the main power grid at each base, it will overload and blow the whole thing.”

“Is that like, safe though? Not to be the worrywart here, but shouldn’t we at least have some back up? I mean how are we going to get in the base anyway? Is there some like secret entrance that the Gostorians know about?” Hunk questioned.

“I agree with Hunk,” Pidge chimed in. “Plus, where are we going to leave our lions. If this is a stealth mission, only my lion has cloaking. Are we just going to leave them in the sand and hope the Galra don’t come by an take them?”

They could see Shiro turn and talk to the Gostorian he was beside. He was waving his arms about and pointing to the lions. The others might have thought it amusing if it wasn’t such a tense situation.

“Uh, guys? We got company.” Lance began firing off ice blasts in the direction the ships were coming from. 

Keith turned Red to face the way the enemy was attack and began to fire away in tandem with Lance. Pidge and Hunk joined while Shiro got the Gostorians inside and away from the fight. While Pidge and Hunk were communicating with both Lance and Keith, neither of them would communicate with each other. It wasn’t as if they had the others communicate for them, it was more like they just didn’t speak up. Even when an enemy was coming at Lance’s back, Keith hesitated to speak up. Instead he just shot down the ship and carried on firing until the group was alone again.

Hunk groaned. “It’s not going to be long before more come. Shiro, any ideas?”

“Yeah, I got something. While you guys were taking care of things out there Klimmos here helped me devise a plan. Each of us are going to take two Gostorians in our lions and fly up to a floating island closest to the base. We’ll be guided down with one Gostorian while the other keeps watch. You’ll each infiltrate the base with your partner-and yes there are sort of secret emergency exits Hunk, and destroy the base simultaneously with the rest of the group. Once you’re done just head back to the island and they will fly you up. The Galra should all start flooding out to find their saboteurs, and we’ll be waiting for them together at the mid point.”

“Isn’t there six bases left though?” Allura asked. “What of the last base?”

“Klimmos said he would lead a small troop in and take that one out themselves. Their people have been enslaved for a very long time. They want to fight back in any way they can,” Shiro replied. “It’s risky, but it should work. Just focus on the mission, and don’t get distracted. We can do this team, it’s what we do training for.”

“Uh, I don’t think any of our training covered sneaking into a Galra base and blowing things up, but yeah let’s do this!” Hunk said with subdued enthusiasm.

They all lowered their lions so two of the winged aliens could come aboard. The Gostorians were a large  dark-skinned bird like species. Black beady eyes and long beaks for their nose and mouth. Thick legs and very large wings with small three taloned hands at the end. Their wings colours were all vastly different, with no two Gostorians having identical feathers. Keith was skeptical when the two aliens climbed on board his lion. He had no idea how in the hell they would be able to carry him or anyone else up for that matter, with their hands being attached to their wings. He didn’t ask though, as he didn’t want to offend the creatures that were about to put their lives on the line.

Once everyone was set and ready to go, they took off from the area an were guided to a floating island by one of the Gostorians on their lion. Keith wondered if the universe had it out for him, as the two who were with him were apparently a sappy couple who had been kept separate once they got old enough to be put to work in the mines; since, from what Keith gathered, the men and women were kept far away from each other, but the kids were all raised in the same area. Certain pairs were allowed to breed once a year to make new workers, but that was about it. 

“I’ll never let those Galra brutes chain your wings again, my beloved Sezti.” The male cooed, stroking the feathers that made the Sezti’s hair.

“Oh, my sweet Tuoma. I’ve longed for your arms to be around me once more. Being kept away from you was the hardest part.”

Keith had to deal with their mushy love declarations and kissing the entire time as he flew high in the cloud cover. They were supposed to be guiding him, but so far they had only told him the general direction to fly and left him alone. “Okay guys! Where exactly is this island? I’m way too far up to see where I’m going.”

Tuoma scoffed. “You should have hit the trees by now. Perhaps you didn’t follow our directions well enough.”

“I followed them exactly like you told me! Maybe if you guys were less preoccupied with each other, you’d be able to help!” Keith snapped.

Tuoma glare at Keith and turned his back to him. “You can figure it out yourself then.”

Sezti looked between the two males and shook her head. She moved closer to Keith’s chair and lowered her head so she could speak to him softly. “Please excuse us. We fell in love at a young age and said once we were of age we would be together no matter what and break out the others. Being able to be part of this mission means a lot to us. However, it had been a long while since we have been reunited.”

Keith sighed. “I get it. I’m sorry for snapping. I just…want to get back to La…the others.”

“It sounds as though you really do get it. Which one is your love?” Sezti inquired.

Keith flushed. “I uh...wouldn’t quite say love yet…but I think I want to be? I’m really confused, we’re in a bit of a fight at the moment…and I need to apologies for over reacting. And I just….”

Sezti placed a hand on his shoulder. “I understand. Sorry for being distracting. Lower out of the cloud cover a bit so we can see where we are.”

Keith could hear Tuoma turn around and move to his other side as he brought Red down so they could see. The resounding horrified gasp at what they saw was enough to tell Keith that things were bad over here. All the floating islands as far as they could see were currently in craters on the ground below them. They appeared to be dried up and cracking, like all the life had been drained. “It’s worse than we had thought….”

Keith looked to Tuoma, who looked angry. “What do you mean? What happened to these islands?”

“The islands float because they have a different level of energy than the rest of the planet. Somehow, the Galra have taken the energy for themselves. We heard talk that one quadrant was devoid of floating islands…I guess we now know which one.” Sezti replied, face paling at the sight before her.

Keith surveyed the area. “How am I supposed to hide Red if all the islands are down…?”

Tuoma looked ready to tear Keith a new one, and opened his mouth to start shouting, but Sezti hushed him. “Look there,” She pointed to the deepest island crater that was close to the back of the base. The island itself was mostly just rubble and it looked like it had fallen on it’s side rather than straight down like the others. “That’s the closest one to the emergency exit. If you speed down and land softly behind the rocks, they shouldn’t be able to detect you.”

Keith hoped she was right and put Red into a nosedive. They shot down to the ground and break-neck speed, with Keith pulling up just before Red slammed into the sand. He lowered her down and waited to see if they had been detected. After ten minutes of waiting, the contacted the rest of the group. “The Galra have drained the energy of the islands where I am. I’m on the ground, about to infiltrate the base.”

“Stay there until we’ve all reached out islands.” Shiro commanded.

Keith confirmed that he would and surveyed the area while his two passengers spoke in hushed tones behind him. Shiro confirmed next, then Pidge, Lance, Hunk, and Klimmos; who Shiro gave a com to. The plan was to contact the group again once they made it to the main panel. Keith muted his com and turned back to the other two. “So, who’s going with me?”

“I am,” Tuoma said, winged arms crossed. “Sezti said she would rather guard the ship, so I will join you. Although I guess I won’t be flying you back down, since we’re already on the ground.”

“Yeah that’s fine. Just show me to the entrance, give me the bombs, and I’ll figure it out from there.” Keith replied.

Tuoma scoffed. “Do you even know what the main power grid will look like or where it will be located?”

“Tell me then, and then you two can get somewhere far away from here where you can be together.”

“No,” Sezti said. “Tuoma will stay with you. It is safer that way. I would hate for something to happen to you and you not to be able to see your…to be love because you were captured or killed.”

Keith opened his mouth to retort, but found he had nothing to say. He closed his mouth in resignation and started heading out. “Let’s go then.”

Tuoma followed him out of Red, but not before kissing Sezti goodbye and promising to return to her side as she gave him the rucksack that contained the bombs. Keith waited on top of Red for his companion to finish. “Okay…so how are you going to get me up there. Is Red tall enough to jump off of?”

Tuoma rolled his eyes. “Just grab onto my middle and do not let go. Or move.”

Keith begrudgingly did as he was told and waited. Tuoma took a deep breath and crouched. “Use your jet pack on the count of three, alright?”

At Tuoma’s counting, Keith did as was instructed and activated his pack; before gripping back onto the Gostorian for dear life. The added boost from the pack combined with the sheer power in Tuoma’s legs was enough to get them airborne. Keith was impressed that Tuoma seemed to be doing this effortlessly. “I figured your wings wouldn’t be of much use since you’ve been cooped up for so long.”

“Honestly, this is barely a fifth of what I should be able to do. My people are used to taking flight from the sand, no need for higher elevation or boosts from anyone else,” They dropped in elevation some before Tuoma beat his wings to get them back up. “Please keep your pack running, I don’t think I can fly us without it.” Tuoma grunted, voice strained from the effort.

Keith kept as still as he could and watched as they just barely made it out of the crater. As soon as he was set on the ground, Tuoma dropped beside him. He seemed slightly winded and Keith turned off his jetpack and waited a moment for Tuoma before trudging forward. He was used to walking on sand on Earth, but the sand felt so much softer, and he sank deeper as he trudged along. He wondered how the Gostorians seemed to have little issue since they were clearly a lot heavier than the average human. Keith glanced over at Tuoma who was dragging his wings behind both of them, covering their tracks.

The emergency exit was located in a pile of rocks a decent distance from the base. Keith opened it and waited to see if there was an ambush. No one came out so he slowly stepped in. “So how do you guys know about these entrances anyway?”

 Tuoma followed behind and closed the door behind him. “These are Gostorian mines originally…the Galra just build bases over them. We had these tunnels long before the Galra set their eyes on our planet, and our people did our best to close them up so they wouldn’t be noticed.”

“We gonna be able to even get into the base this way?” Keith questioned.

Tuoma shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out. Now come on, I don’t want to waste any more time.”

Together they silently made their way through the dark tunnel. The only light came from ancient looking lamps that had been probably left going since the Galra had shown up. It wasn’t much light, but it was enough. The tunnel came to an end at a plain stone slab, with a handle carved out. “Okay, this is probably the door. We’re only going to be able to leave it open a crack to get back into it.”

Keith nodded and slowly slid the rock over some. It was heavy, and Tuoma ended up helping instead. They peaked around and noticed the entrance to the base was across and to the left of the cavern from them, guarded by two sentries. This seemed to be an area that had been taken for all it was worth, and it didn’t seem like there would be more guards than there currently were. They slipped into the cavern and silently closed the door nearly all the way. Together they ran over to the entrance, just as the sentries spotted them. Keith activated his shield and blocked their blasts as he charged forward. He sliced through them with his bayard before they caused too much of a ruckus. Taking one of their arms, he used it on the scanner beside the door to get in.

Once inside they were greeted with a few more sentries, but they were quickly taken out. “Alright, we’re not going to have a lot of time to do this. Which way are we headed?”

“Go…straight, left, right, up, right again and you should be there. These bases were supposed to be built identical, So I shouldn’t be mistaken.”

Keith stalked forward quickly, taking out anything in his path that looked like a threat. Tuoma snorted when he took out a cleaning drone which he mistook for another type of sentry. Keith breezed through the base, following the directions given while Tuoma watched their back and checked that his directions weren’t faulty.

Eventually, they wound up at a large room, filled with computer grids, generators and things Keith couldn’t even begin to know the purpose of. Once the doors shut behind him and the guards were taken out, Tuoma read the alien language until he found the correct set of computers. He placed a bomb on a set of four computers, using the last two on the other side of the room just in case. “Okay, these will blow once I push the detonator. Let’s get out of here before they find and disarm the bombs.”

“Got it,” Keith turned his com back on. “Shiro, bombs have been planted and armed. We’re going to get clear and back to Red and wait for your signal.”

“Roger that Keith. Lance and Hunk have just gotten back to me too. Waiting on the others. Keep your com on, I’ll tell you when to blow them.”

Keith confirmed he understood his orders and took off the way they had come. It seemed to go a lot quicker, they had been in and out in a matter of minutes, and it didn’t seem anyone on patrol had hit the destroyed sentries yet. By the time they got back to the tunnel, Keith was beginning to have a sinking feeling in his gut that it had been too easy. There should have been a lot more guards about.

Once out of the tunnel, Tuoma took off ahead of Keith, basically running through the sand. Keith followed as fast as he could, but even with ad added boost of his jetpack, he wasn’t gaining on the winged creature any faster. Keith kept checking over his shoulder to see if they were being followed, but nothing was coming. This only heightened Keith’s sense of unease.

As there were sliding down the crater, Keith realized his gut was on the right track. There were noticeable footprints heading towards where Red was, and he knew it wasn’t from them. That meant they probably had Sezti and Red, and that they were probably waiting to ambush them. Keith used his pack for and extra boost to speed down to yank at Tuoma’s wings. “We’ve got company.”

Keith pointed at the tracks leading to their hiding space, and Tuoma swore. It didn’t slow him down in the slightest, if anything it spurred him on faster. Keith chased after him, and sure enough as they rounded the corner, a whole troop of Galra soldiers waited with Sezti in their grasp.

“Just as I thought. Another Gostorian, and a Paladin of Voltron. Lord Zarkon will be most pleased when I deliver the red lion and it’s paladin to him directly,” The commander said pompously. “Now seize them. You can kill the Gostorian if you need, I have no use for him.”

Keith’s com crackled in his ear. “Alright everyone, blow them!”

“Tuoma, now!” Keith called as the guards charged forward. Keith launched himself into the fray. Tuoma took the few seconds that Keith granted him to press the detonator; hoping it would cause at least some form of distraction. The ground trembled and explosions were heard from where they were standing. It did cause some of the soldiers to be distracted, but most were trained to be on task. Tuoma pulled a knife from the rucksack and joined the fight. He fought his way to the solider holding onto Sezti and threw his knife into the soldier’s knee. This was enough to make the Galran let go of Sezti. She turned and snapped his neck while he was on the ground. She did not run right to Tuoma, just yanked the knife out of the dead solider and grabbed his laser rifle. She tossed the rifle to Tuoma before charging after Galra soldiers herself. Tuoma was awestruck if not for a moment before firing away at oncoming solders.

Keith was having a hell of a time keeping the Galra off his back. While he was trying to slice down a guard at his front, he felt a sharp pain in his side. Wheeling his blade around, he sliced down the enemy behind him before turning to take out the one he had previously been fighting. The commander had long since fled from the scene, taking a few guards with him. Keith was getting backed up against the fallen island when Tuoma took down soldier after soldier with the laser rifle. Most of their enemy had either fled after their commander, or were already taken out. There were only a handful left to fight, and with three of them, it took no time at all.

Soon it was just the three of them left. Sezti ran to Tuoma and threw herself in his arms. She sobbed against his chest about how she was so worried they would kill him, and how they would force her to live in a cage once they got the red lion. Tuoma shushed her, and stroked her feathers. Keith stood awkwardly off to the side, trying not to think about the pain that was spreading from where he had been hit. He couldn’t see exactly how he was injured, given the place of the injury, but it hurt something awful.

“Are you two coming back with me or…?”

Tuoma looked up at him. “No, I think we should fly back and regroup with the others.”

Sezti tightened her grip on Tuoma. “I cannot fly. When they grabbed me, they sliced through my flight feathers…”

Tuoma reached out to her wings and examined them carefully. Keith watched the concerned expression on Tuoma’s face turn into rage. “I’ll kill them all…Galran bastards hurting my beloved!”

Sezti shushed him. “Don’t go after them in rage, my darling. It only brings sorrow. We should meet back with the others, but I think we should be taken there.”

Keith was already walking to Red. “Well let’s go then. Before the Galra come back in their ships.”

The two Gostorians followed Keith and boarded the lion. The pain was starting to worsen, but Keith didn’t have time to think about that. He felt Red’s concern as he sat down in his seat. He brushed it away and got them out of there as fast as he could. His take off could have been a little better, but the ground conditions were in no way ideal. Red shot through the skies, racing where Keith steered her up in the clouds. Sezti and Tuoma were having a conversation behind him, but Keith couldn’t be bothered to hear what they were saying.

Tuoma tapped Keith on the shoulder. “I am going to fly Sezti out the rest of the way. I should be able to carry both out weights far enough. Taking us all the way would be out of the way.”

“You sure?”

“You’ve done enough for us, for our people. We thank you, mighty paladin.” Sezti said warmly.

Keith smiled lightly. “Ah, it’s Keith. And thank you guys for the back up. Pretty sure I would have been dead without you.”

“Any time. It was an honor fighting along side you.” Tuoma said before leading Sezti out to Red’s mouth.

Keith slowed some to allow them a less turbulent jump. As soon as he could see them take off, he tore through the sky towards the arranged meeting place. The yellow lion and blue lion were already there, with the black and green lions coming into view in the distance. “Everything go alright, team?”

“There were Galra every corner I turned! I’m just thankful that Egae brought a sword with him.” Hunk said.

“I had a similar experience,” Pidge noted. “Harsi didn’t bring any weapons, but she was really good at hand to hand apparently.”

“The base I was in was flooded in most parts. It was practically abandoned. Kannarc didn’t have to do anything.” Lance said dully.

“Keith, what about you?” Shiro asked.

Keith sighed. “It was well guarded, but that was mostly fine. There was an ambush waiting around Red. We took care of it.”

“Glad to hear you’re all alright then. I had a similar situation as Pidge and Hunk. As did Klimmos. He sadly lost one of his men.” Shiro noted.

“Wonderful to hear Paladins, but heads up! You have Galra coming in from all angles.” Allura called.

Allura had not been exaggerating. The horizon was almost black with ships headed their way. This would be an idea time to form the universe’s mightiest defender, but they all knew that was basically impossible at the moment. Instead, they backed up into a circle and began to fire away at the oncoming ships. The castle aided in any way it could from above.

It was too much, too quickly however. It didn’t matter how many they took down, more swarmed in and took shots at their lions; with most shots hitting. “I don’t know how much longer we can take this…we need Voltron now!”

“We know, Allura! It’s not that simple right now.” Shiro snapped back. “Team, we need to at least try. Just concentrate on our bonds as teammates and nothing else. We need this.”

“Right!” They called in unison and shot up in formation to form Voltron. They managed to get together, but it lasted seconds before they were forced apart. Keith gritted his teeth; he knew that was partially his fault. He had been thinking of the team, and not letting them down. His mind betrayed him and trailed to Lance however, his hurt expression when Keith stormed off the night before and in the training deck a few hours ago.

The Galra continued to fire at them, with their hazard light flashing in all their cockpits. A few more hits and they would be dead in the air with no hope of fighting back. Red got slammed back with a blast from a Galra ship. He felt the pain worsen, and he really didn’t have time to think about a stupid cut. “Lance!”

There was silence for a moment. “Keith…?”

“Lance…I know things suck right now…and yes I’m still a mad. But we will never be able to work through this if we’re both dead. So please…as soon as this is over, I promise we will talk. But for now, we need to concentrate. Alright?”

“…Okay,” Lance said lowly, voice cracking slightly. “Shiro, can we try again?”

The team had heard the entire exchange, as Keith didn’t bother with a private link. They chose to say nothing though. “Let’s form Voltron!”

The shot higher, away from the enemy fleets and concentrated on their bond. Once they had formed the giant robot, they waited to see if they would just break apart like last time. Keith put extra concentration into keeping them together; into being the arm of Voltron. Once Shiro was sure that they wouldn’t just break apart, the fight changed completely. “Keith, activate sword. Pidge, I need that shield up.”

The two complied and with the power of Voltron, and the support of the castle, they were soon taking back the day. “Keith, switch out. Hunk, I need that blaster!”

Keith removed his bayard as Hunk inserted his own. There were able to decimate the remaining ships in the fleet in a matter of minutes. The collective cheer from the team was loud, and just what they needed as they watched the last Galra ship crash into the sand below them. “Nice work paladins! Let’s dock your lions and we’ll land the ship to thank everyone for their help.”

“Roger that, Allura.” Shiro said.

Voltron broke apart and they each flew towards their docking bay. The wound Keith received was feeling a lot worse than it had been a few moments before. He was starting to feel a little bit hazy as he steered Red into her hangar. While they landed the ship, he figured if he slipped into a healing pod for a while, no one would be any the wiser that he had let himself get hurt.

As soon as he stepped out of his lion, however, his whole world felt like it was spinning. Stumbling, he reached out to place a hand on the wall beside him, but missed, falling straight onto the floor. As soon as he hit the ground, the world went dark around him as he slipped from consciousness.

Chapter Text

Lance was all nerves as he took the elevator from Blue’s hangar up to the bridge. Keith had said they would talk, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t take his sweet time down with Blue making sure he knew what he could say to Keith either than how sorry he was about the whole thing. Hopefully, if things played out well, they could at least go back to being friends. Lance wasn’t sure that pushing for anything more after rekindling their friendship was a wise decision. It was the one he wanted to do more than anything, but not the one that was most feasible at the moment.

When he stepped out of his elevator, there were only five people waiting, and Keith was not one of them. He slowly made his way over to Hunk and Pidge who were slumped on the central control platform. Hunk gave Lance a tired wave. “Hey Lance…you and Keith make out yet?”

Lance flushed. “Make up, Hunk!”

Pidge snorted. “Same thing. Question still stands.”

“Well no…I thought he’d be here with you guys.”

That seemed to get Shiro’s attention. “You haven’t seen Keith, yet?”

“No…why is something the matter?”

Allura looked worried. “Well…it’s just he’s not responding to the coms. It shows he’s in the Castle, but when Shiro tried to reach him, there was no response.”

“I thought he muted it, since I assumed he was talking to you.” Shiro added.

Lance chewed his lip. “So…is he just ignoring us?”

Allura and Shiro exchanged glances before Shiro sighed and scratched his head. “Well, Klimmos contacted me on the coms. I guess that the Gostorians that Keith was with told Klimmos that they hoped Keith’s injuries weren’t too bad...”

“Injuries?! Keith got hurt!?” Lance could feel the panic creeping up.

“I guess when they were in that ambush…but Keith would have said something if it was serious. Maybe he’s just in the med-bay.” Shiro said calmly, trying to calm Lance.

Coran coughed. “Actually, I’m getting readings that he’s still in the red lion’s hangar.”

“Coran, can you pull up cameras for the hangar?” Allura asked, moving closer to the screen.

Pidge and Hunk had gotten up and made their way to the group; concern apparent on their faces. It took Coran a few moments before the camera image flickered on screen. Lance felt his stomach drop at that sight on the screen before him. Keith was laying face down in front of his lion, unmoving.

Lance didn’t even wait for anyone to follow him. He turned around and he ran towards the elevator leading to Red’s hangar. The hangar wouldn’t open for him, so he took off to go the long way. Shiro was already ahead of him; having taken off only a few moments after he did. The rest of the group followed suit, running full speed towards the red lion’s hangar.

When they got there, Shiro and Lance were the first two into the room. They raced over to Keith’s still body. Lance dropped to his knees and placed his fingers on Keith’s wrist; checking for a pulse. It was faint but it was there. Shiro also dropped to his knees, examining Keith’s body carefully. Lance helped look Keith over once he was sure that Keith was still in fact alive. He moved his hands along Keith’s body, checking for anything out of the ordinary. When he got down to the midsection of the armour, he felt a hot wetness on his gloves. Pulling back, he tried to see what it was but that was difficult with black gloves. He wiped his glove on the white of his armour and reeled back in horror at the realization that it was Keith’s blood that was on his hands. “Shiro…”

Shiro looked up quickly and saw Lance’s hand. He cursed and continued his search, mindfully running his own hands along the other side of Keith. Lance, with shaky hands, continued to help. He was scared beyond belief; what if they couldn’t find where Keith was hurt and he bled out in their arms?

Just as Shiro was about to command they flip him, his hand brushed against something small and metallic. He leant closer and saw a very small, very slim dagger stuck deep into Keith’s side. There was no quillion or guard to separate the blade from the handle; and it was black in color making it hard to see; and there was only about a fingernail’s length of the handle sticking out to make matters worse. “I found it. He’s been stabbed. We need to get him to a pod now, before he bleeds any more.”

Coran was already out the door and headed to the med-bay before Shiro had even finished his sentence. Shiro looked around the room, then at his fellow paladins. “Hunk, I need you to help me carry Keith up to the medical bay.”

“I’ll do it…I can handle blood better.” Lance squeaked out.

Shiro gave him a pitying look. “I know, Lance. But you are shaking so badly right now, and I don’t want to drop him. I need steady hands.”

Lance wanted to argue, but knew it was pointless. He felt tears burn in his eyes in humiliation that he couldn’t even control his emotions to stop shaking when it really mattered. Hunk looked queasy, but did as he was asked. Slowly Shiro and Hunk lifted Keith up and walked him out of the room as fast as they could without jostling him. The knife being stuck inside Keith was the only thing that had stopped him from bleeding out this far. If they moved him too much, or jostled him in a wrong way, they could dislodge the knife and lose Keith in the process. Lance was following behind, watching Keith’s body for any sign of an issue. Pidge was beside him, but he didn’t even notice her. She grasped his hand tightly, and he barely felt it. His panic was making him numb to all things that didn’t revolve around Keith.

When they got to the med-bay, Coran was standing beside the readied pod and a table that would just be enough to fit most of a person on it. “Alright now, gently place Keith on the table, and we can take off the outer layer of his armour.”

Shiro and Hunk put Keith down gently and than Hunk stepped back. Blood made him queasy, and no matter how much he wanted to help, he needed to step back for a moment before he hurled all over the clean floors. Shiro started to undo the chest plate from the top, eyes focused and expression unreadable. Lance moved to take the bottom sections off, careful with each piece he undid not to move Keith too much.

The inside of each piece was stained with blood, but the belt was the worst of it. Coran bundled up all the hard pieces into a bag so they could be taken to be washed. “Now, we’re going to have to cut the fabric off him, and get the pod suit on him before we get this dagger out. So, I’m going to have to ask you all to leave for a few doboshes.”

Shiro gave Coran a sharp look. “I will not leave him.”

“I’m not leaving either!” Lance cried.

Coran sighed. “I know you are all worried about Keith. But this is a very delicate process and I am not certain he would like his entire team to see him naked. So, to spare his dignity, I am asking you to leave.”

Pidge and Hunk were already out the door, while Lance and Shiro stood their ground. “I’d rather stay. Dignity be damned. This is his life we’re talking about.”

Shiro nodded. “Plus, I’ve known Keith for years. He won’t mind so much.”

Coran sighed loudly, but couldn’t spare more time to argue. Instead he barked orders at them to fetch the things he needed. Coran was the one to cut open the remainder of the suit, while Lance and Shiro worked to get the suit on Keith’s body. It looked like the one Lance had been in after the Castle got attacked, just in two pieces. Once the hand the clothes on enough, Coran had the boys take Keith to the pod he had readied. “Okay, now on the count of three, I’m going to yank this knife out. As son as it’s out, put Keith in the pod immediately. Got it?” The boys nodded. “Okay, ready…three…two…one….”

With that Coran yanked out the small knife imbedded in Keith’s flesh. As soon as they saw it was out, Shiro and Lance lifted Keith into the pod and stepped back so the door could close.  It was in good time too, the side where the knife had been had been gushing blood once the knife was out. The pod started working as soon as the doors shut, and Lance watched as the blood seep stopped in it’s tracks.

A hand clamped on his shoulder. “Alright. Now you both need to leave and let the pod do it’s work. We need to figure out our next course of action, and it will do no good if you two are in here.” Coran said.

Coran’s grip tightened as he steered Lance and Shiro out of the room. They didn’t argue, just walked where he wanted them to go. He led them all the way back to the bridge where Allura, Pidge, and Hunk were waiting for them. Allura perked up as soon as they came in the room. “How did it go?”

“Well, we got him in time. So he will live. The pod is working away at his injuries as we speak.”

Allura breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.”

Shiro shook off Coran’s grip and stalked forward to Allura. He tried not to seem angry, as it wasn’t her fault, but he was frustrated and upset about the situation. “What are we going to do now?”

“Well…I was thinking we would land the ship and wait until Keith is healed.”

“I think we should go somewhere else. There was major Galra presence here and there is no guarantee we have them all. The Gostorians probably have it from here, but without all of us, it’s going to be really hard to fight anyone. We need to go somewhere safe for now until Keith heals.”

“Shiro…I know you’re upset but-”

“Oh, I am beyond upset right now, Allura. Just take the castle somewhere else where we can be safe for a while.” Shiro snapped.

The team started at him in shock; not used to Shiro losing his cool. Allura looked like she wanted to snap back, that he had no right to bark orders at her. Coran came over and placed a hand on hers, shaking his head slightly. Allura sighed and pulled up the holoscreen. She didn’t want to bother typing in coordinates, and just hit the button to return them to the last docking point. She didn’t bother steering the castle down, just stormed off her platform and out of the room.

They were back in Qautune’s orbit; which was probably the last place that either of them wanted to be. Lance couldn’t care less where they were, just sat down in his chair and blankly stared over to the area in which Keith should be sitting. He buckled up, but barely noticed Coran guiding the castle down onto Qautune’s surface.

Shiro was still grumpy when they landed, and left the bridge as soon as it was safe to do so. Coran followed after him promptly, sharp look on his face. Pidge and Hunk exchanged glances before slowly going over to Lance’s chair. Lance hadn’t even noticed they moved until he felt arms around him. Lance looked at his friends and tried to smile, but found that even his carefree mask wouldn’t cut it. “It’s all my fault…”

“No Lance, it’s not your fault.” Hunk said.

“If we hadn’t been in a fight…he might not have been distracted and gotten hurt.”

“Lance!” Pidge turned his face towards her. “Keith said there was an ambush. I don’t think he would have gotten out of there unscathed even if you guys hadn’t fought. You are being stupidly hard on yourself.”

“Pidge is right, man. Like if it’s anyone’s fault, it’s the Galra’s, right?”

“But…”

“Nope! Not listening to anything but hard facts. You need to stop thinking that everything that goes wrong is your fault.” Pidge said loudly.

Hunk nodded.  “You need to love yourself a little more Lance, and not just in that fake bravado way you like to show everyone. We’re your friends, don’t hide yourself from us.”

Lance couldn’t help the tears spilling out of his eyes, but he didn’t care. He pulled his friends close and sobbed into them. The emotions he had been trying to bottle up for the past little while came flooding out. He cried and cried until he couldn’t cry anymore. Pidge and Hunk held him through the whole thing; staying silent and letting him get it all out of his system.

Lance dried his eyes and softly smiled at his friends. “Thank you.”

Hunk patted his back. “Any time buddy. That’s what friends are for.”

“Now, lets go see Keith. I know that’s where you want to be right now anyway.” Pidge said, as she got up.

Lance and Hunk followed her to the med bay. Keith was exactly where they left him, eyes closed and machine working its magic on his wound. The blood was gone from his clothes now, which they all took as a good sign. There were Altean words on the screen of the pod that none of them could make out. It seemed like statistics, but they would have to wait until Coran came back to know what it meant. Lance sat down in front of the pod and just watched Keith. Pidge and Hunk milled around quietly, letting Lance do as he needed.

They didn’t have to wait long before Coran came back to the med bay. He took a look at all of them and sighed. “Guess it was too much to ask you guys to leave Keith be for a while…”

“We came to check up on him…but we can’t read Altean.” Pidge answered.

Coran walked over to the pod and started reading the words on the screen. “Hm…well, the good news is that he’s going to make a full recovery.”

“…is there bad news?” Lance asked lowly.

“Well I don’t know if I would call it bad news…it’s just…he was hurt a lot worse than I had thought. So, it’s going to be a little longer for him to heal.”

“How long are we talking Coran?”

Coran looked at the screen again. “It should be anywhere from seven to ten of your Earth rotations.”

“Seven to ten days!?” Lance jumped up. “How badly was he hurt!? I didn’t take that long in the pod!”

“He has some organ damage. It’s nothing the pod won’t heal, but organs take a lot longer to fix.” Coran said.

Lance slumped down against the pod and slid to the ground. This was not the news he had been hoping for. He assumed it would be a day or two tops, not a week or more. He didn’t know what to do in that week. How was he just supposed to sit there and wait for Keith to come out of the pod when he had no idea if Keith even wanted to see him. For all he knew Keith could blame their fight on him getting hurt, and then really not want to be friends with Lance any more.

The door slid open and Shiro strode in, face tense. He took a look around the room before walking over to Keith’s pod. He leant against one of the control stations; arms crossed and just staring at the pod. Pidge took a look around the room and slowly started to leave; there was way too much tension in the room. “I’m going to go check on the red lion. See if she’s damaged at all and needs any repairs…if she’ll let me.”

Pidge slipped out of the room after that. Coran silently got Hunk’s attention from behind Shiro and motioned for them to both leave. Hunk looked towards Lance and back to the Altean, but Coran shook his head. Hunk didn’t really want to leave Lance alone, but if Coran thought it was a good idea at the moment, then he would leave for a short time and come back.

Once Hunk and Coran were gone, it took nearly twenty minutes before either of the boys in the room said anything. Shiro spoke first. “I don’t blame you.”

Lance looked up at their leader. “I blame me.”

“If Keith was distracted by your fight, that is Keith’s fault. He knows better than to let his feelings distract him.” Shiro said.

Lance gave a forced laugh. “Have you met Keith?”

“Point taken. Still, he does know better,” Shiro noted. “Besides, I don’t think that was the cause at all. I think there were just too many for him to take on and his group wasn’t much help to him.”

Lance could see the anger in Shiro’s eyes. “Is that what you’re mad about? Because we had to split up?”

“This was the reason I didn’t want us to break up the team. I know I’m the one who made the final plan, but damn it we should have at least had two paladins per base. It may have taken longer, and it may have alerted the Galra, but maybe then Keith wouldn’t be….”

Lance stared up at Shiro. Keith had been absolutely correct when he said that Shiro always took things to heart; Lance could relate in that manner. “If it’s not my fault, then it’s not your fault either.”

Shiro sighed. “I know…I just…if you guys get hurt, any of you, I feel like I’ve failed you as a leader. Like I didn’t make the right call and someone else suffers for it.”

“You’re not perfect, and we’re up against some really terrible beings out here.” Lance said. Talking like this was Shiro was helping calm him down. Lance got up and walked over to Shiro. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’ve ever been a failure as our leader. I don’t think any of us think that, and I know Keith doesn’t.”

Shiro smiled and pulled Lance into a short hug. “Thank you, Lance.”

Lance hugged back, feeling a little better about himself that he could help Shiro out in some way. “You’re welcome. And thanks to you too.”

Shiro understood he meant not blaming Lance for Keith getting hurt. “Any time. Now, did Coran say when he was going to be out?”

Lance bit his lip. “Seven to ten days…”

The small bit of happiness that had been on Shiro’s face was gone again. “I see…”

Lance nodded and glanced back at Keith’s still body. It was almost scary to see Keith so lifeless. He had to wonder what the others thought when he was in a pod himself. “Sorry I couldn’t relay better news.”

“No, it’s okay…the fact that he’s probably going to be just fine after those days is all that matters. Gives me some time to work on a lecture for him…” Shiro half smiled at that.

Lance chuckled lowly. “I’m sure it’ll be a good one. I’m going to go check on Blue. Unless you’d rather I stay?”

“No, it’s fine if you leave, Lance. I think being alone might be a good idea right now. Thank you though.”

Lance nodded and made his way out of the med bay. He wanted to stay, but knew there was no right now. What he needed to do was check on his lion to make sure that nothing was wrong with her, in case the Galra showed back up on Qautune. He prayed that they would leave the planet alone forever; or at least until Keith was healed, if he was being realistic.

He felt Blue’s comforting purrs before he even entered her hangar. It caused a small smile to appear on his face. He entered the hangar and looked at his lion. “Hey Blue.”

The warmth in the back of his mind from his lion helped calm him. She knew he wasn’t doing ok, and was trying to help in any way she could, much like a real cat would; though Lance assumed that Blue climbing into his lap like a normal cat wouldn’t work out so well.

He got to work on checking up on Blue. She mentally informed him that she didn’t take any hard damage and she would be fine, but Lance looked her over anyway. If anything, it was keeping him distracted from the overwhelming feelings he would be dealing with otherwise.

As he was finishing checking Blue over, Hunk came into the hangar with some snacks and drink pouches. “Hey buddy, thought you could use some food.”

“Thanks Hunk.” Lance took one of the mini sandwich looking things and ate it slowly.

Hunk sat down on one of Blue’s paws and waited until Lance joined him. He let Lance eat in silence until all the food was done. “Sooooo…wanna talk about it?”

Lance sighed. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. But…I mean we all heard that com. What happened between you two?”

“Ah. Well, needless to say my plan failed miserably.” Lance said. “I messed up even before he could see the gifts I got him.”

“So, what, you asked him out and he…?”

“No…didn’t get that far.” Lance said.

“What happened then? If you don’t mind telling me.” Hunk asked.

Lance looked anywhere but towards his friend. “When he hit me…I went to go apologise for being a jerk. I…overheard a conversation between Keith and Shiro that I really wasn’t supposed to hear. It did kick start my ass into trying to actually be Keith’s friend instead of just blindly declaring him my rival…but I let it slip that I eavesdropped and he got angry.”

Hunk nodded. “So, you never got the chance to say how you feel.”

“Not even a little bit. Keith wouldn’t hear any of it and either than that com you guys heard, we haven’t talked since.”

Hunk placed a hand on Lance’s knee. “I’m sorry man. Hopefully you can talk it out once he gets out of the pod. Maybe you still have a chance?”

“Or maybe he blames me for being a distraction due to our fight and never wants to be even just friends with me again.”

“Lance, I know you’re really hard on yourself, and I know that your brain can sometimes just jump to the worst possible scenario. But dude, I don’t think Keith said he would talk to you after he got hurt if he was going to just cut you out.”

Lance thought about it for a moment and realized Hunk was probably a very under credited genius. Keith probably wouldn’t had said anything to him if he was mad at him, even if it meant forming Voltron. Keith, just like himself, was stubborn. Still, there was a small nagging voice in his head that told him maybe Keith would just talk to him if that meant they could better the team in battle; he tried to ignore that voice as much as he could. “You’re probably right, Hunk. Thanks buddy.”

Lance yawned loudly after, and Hunk laughed. “I think you should sleep man. It’s been a long day for all of us, and we could all use some shut-eye.”

The blue paladin didn’t want to agree, but he was exhausted and uncomfortable still being in his armour. Hunk was once again right and he slipped off Blue’s paw.  Hunk followed him out of the hangar and up towards the sleeping quarters. Lance bid Hunk a goodnight and slipped into his room.

It was almost mechanical the way he undressed and into his pyjamas. He didn’t need to think about his routine, he had it all down to muscle memory. Unfortunately, that allowed for his mind to wander towards Keith. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to think about Keith, it was that he didn’t want his mind to bring up their fight or the fact that Keith was hurt, which he knew it was likely too. Instead, he tried to focus on moments they had together that were good. He wished he could remember when Keith held him after the attack on the castle, but knew that would probably never happen.

So instead he thought back to their time on Oshornia. Even though he was intoxicated, he thought back to how kind Keith had been to him in his own way, how he took Lance for a ride in Red because he begged for it. They were all good memories, and helped keep the dark ones from taking over his mind. The last thing he thought of before falling asleep was the almost kiss that he and Keith had shared the last time they were on Gostoria.

Lance was only able to sleep a few hours before he woke up. Nightmares had been plaguing him about the pod systems shutting down and Keith dying alone and cold. He slipped his feet into his lion slippers and padded down to the med bay. No one was in there, save for Keith in the pod. He checked over the Altean screens and from what he could tell everything was still running.

He sat himself in front of the pod and looked at Keith. It was eerily quiet in the room; no beeps or whirs of machines working like there would be on Earth. Lance almost wished there was some form of noise, just for something to let him know things were operating, but noiseless machines seemed to be very much a part of space technology.

“Lance?” Lance whipped around to see Coran rubbing sleep out of his eyes. “What are you doing up so early?”

“Could ask you the same thing…”

“I am in charge of the med bay, and I wanted to check up on Keith’s progress.” Coran moved forward into the room and read the screen. “And he is doing fine and healing as expected.”

Lance nodded. “That’s good. I uh…just couldn’t sleep.”

“Well, sitting here isn’t going to help any,” Coran said, looking down at Lance on the floor. “I think you should head back to bed; Keith will still be here and healing when you wake up.”

Coran didn’t look like he was going to budge on the matter so Lance sighed and got up. He said goodnight to Coran and headed out back into the hallway. He was not going back to his room however. He was awake for now, and just laying down certainly wasn’t going to make him fall asleep again.

So, he wandered the castle aimlessly. Some form of exercise was likely to tire him out, and he really needed his mind to be tired. A walk or jog around the castle could be just what he needed. He power walked towards the training deck, but slowed down before he got to the door. Memories of both the fight and their last training session crept into his mind, so he strode past the door and continued walking; as much as fighting bots would help, the area just plagued his mind with too much stress.

Lance wandered and wandered until his feet took him to the observation deck. He didn’t really want to be there, especially after everything that happened, but he wanted to see if the flowers were worth saving in some water at least. It was something to do, if anything else; though he wasn’t positive that there were vases on the ship, or if there were, where to find them.

He slipped into the room and headed towards where he left Keith’s gift. Lance stopped in his tracks as he saw what was before him. The guitar was out of its case and the flowers on the floor beside it. The letter was open on the ground beside it all. He walked over and knelt beside the gifts he had left for Keith; who had clearly found them.

Lance idly plucked at the strings as he contemplated what Keith finding the gifts meant. The small sliver of hope he had left in his heart wanted to believe that this was why Keith wanted to talk. Because he liked the gifts and understood what Lance’s letter meant. He knew it could also be that he just wanted to thank him for a nice gift because Lance was a good friend, or that it could mean absolutely nothing and Keith hated it because it didn’t work and it reminded of Earth and being lonely. Lance groaned; he hadn’t thought about the possibility that the guitar might have reminded Keith of being alone. He really hoped that wasn’t the case since Keith did tell him his missed his guitar back on Earth.

He continued to strum a little, trying to make something of a melody. He never really learned how to play, as it was never a huge draw to him, but for what he was doing it didn’t sound too bad. There were so many things rushing through his mind, and all of them revolved around Keith. He knew this wasn’t just a simple crush, something he could get over easily if Keith rejected him. Lance was head over heels for his fellow paladin and there was nothing he could, or would, do to stop that feeling. That also meant that if Keith did think of him as only a friend, he doubted that he could ever really stop feeling the way he did about the other boy. Lance had never fallen so hard for someone in his life and it was almost terrifying. The fear of Keith brushing off his feelings was very present, but there was no proof one way or the other of how Keith would take his feelings.

All he wanted right now was to know for sure one way or the other if Keith felt the same way. A week or so’s wait was going to be hell waiting until he could get an answer. And even then, there was no guarantee that Keith would want to talk right away. He probably would need to have a very long discussion with Shiro, and then after that he may just want some time to be out of the pod before he spoke to Lance or anyone else. Lance knew he had felt groggy and disoriented after he came out, and that was just about one day he was in there.

Lance stood up and grabbed the flowers; there was no point wondering about things that he wouldn’t get answers about for over a week. If anything, it was to keep him sane while he waited to talk to Keith. He left the guitar where it was for now, and wandered back through the halls again. He was on the hunt for any form of vase that could hold the flowers he was holding.

There was a form of glass liquid holder that he wasn’t certain if it was a cup or a vase or just some type of strange ornament in one of the cupboards in the kitchen. He filled it with some water and placed the flowers inside. He was hoping that would be enough to keep them for a week, since he didn’t have any plant food on the ship. He carried the flowers all the way back to his room and placed them on the shelf across from his bed. They wouldn’t fall off if the ship got hit again; Lance couldn’t even begin to understand the physics inside the castle on how or why things didn’t fall off shelves when the castle got hit.

Lance kicked off his slippers and crawled back into bed. He wasn’t as physically tired as he was hoping to be after his wander, but he was emotionally exhausted and that was enough to help him fall back asleep once more. He didn’t know how long he would sleep for, but he hoped it was long enough he could feel a little like himself again.

Chapter Text

Ten days had passed and now they were on the eleventh day since Keith had been in the pod. After day seven, Lance had questioned Coran about when Keith would be out. Coran had informed him it would be a few more days. At day ten, Shiro and Lance had both come to bother Coran about when Keith would be in the pod. The two had a non-verbal agreement that someone would always be watching over Keith while he was in the pod; aside from Coran who always checked up on Keith. When one was eating, or sleeping, the other was in the med-bay waiting for Keith to come out. They were never there at the same time however, and if one of them came into the med-bay, it meant it was time for the other to go do something else.

Usually it was Shiro making Lance leave, but Lance didn’t have it in him to argue that he wanted more time. He knew that Shiro was important to Keith, and clearly the feeling was mutual. He was just grateful that Shiro hadn’t barred him completely since they didn’t know if Keith even really wanted to see Lance right away or not. The other three made their appearances from time to time, both to check up on Keith but also to make sure that Shiro and Lance were alright as well.

On the eleventh day, Coran had gotten fed up with their constant questions and hovering and banned everyone from entering the med-bay. He even locked the door so they couldn’t even try to get in. Shiro had been furious and spent a good twenty minutes yelling through the door that Coran had no right to refuse them entry. Keith was their teammate and they were worried. Coran didn’t budge though; he knew they were concerned, but they needed a little bit of a break to collect themselves rather than brood and mope about the castle. Pidge, Hunk, and Allura had all gone out of the castle a few times to talk to the locals or just explore Qautune more than they had gotten to before. Prince Rakluik was thrilled to have them back, and spared no expense to make them feel welcome.

Word had spread through the land about the red paladin’s injuries and many Ymorians brought gifts in a show of respect; although not all the gifts were for Keith alone. There were bouquets of all shapes and sizes, foods ranging from raw produce to home cooked meals, and many amber trinkets given. There was so much stuff that Allura had to ask Rakluik to get his people to stop sending things or they would run out of room to put them in the castle; not that they weren’t all grateful from their thoughtfulness.

Neither Lance or Shiro had stepped foot outside the castle. After Coran had kicked them out of the med-bay, Hunk had suggested to Lance that some fresh air might do him some good for a little while. Lance had begrudgingly agreed, but only if he was allowed to go alone. Allura had said they could all leave the castle as they pleased, but she preferred if no one went wandering off by themselves just in case there was any sort of problem. Hunk usually didn’t disobey orders, but if it meant making Lance a little happier, than he would do it. They left the castle with Pidge, and when they were far enough away from view, Lance wandered off on his own. Pidge and Hunk went in a different direction; not willing to go back to the castle without Lance in fear of Allura’s wrath.

Lance didn’t have a place in mind that he wanted to go to, he just wanted to walk and think. Not that he hadn’t been thinking while in the castle. That’s all he really seemed to have been doing, just thinking and thinking and thinking. Mostly about Keith, of course, but sometime he would think about his family. It was times like these that he could use some of his mother’s wisdom, or his older sisters all telling him different ways to deal with the situation, and those thoughts caused more pain than he wanted to admit to even himself.

He now knew that once Keith had woken up, he would give Keith time to come find him. He was certain that would be the best course of action. If after a week, Keith didn’t try and talk to him, then Lance would give up on his hopes of being with Keith in any regard. It would be one of the hardest things he would try to do-since they were stuck aboard the same ship-but he was not going to let anything hurt the team ever again. Even if Keith didn’t want to be just friends or anything more, Lance knew he could, over time, go back to them being just teammates. They would never be ‘rivals’ again; since Lance had acknowledged that whole notion had been ridiculous well before Keith had gotten hurt.

Lance had decided he wouldn’t go into town. He didn’t want any of the locals stopping him to chat. He wasn’t in the mood to stay in a conversation and he didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. He had wandered off the path and away from the small residential areas that had been shown. After some time of wander he looked up and realized he had absolutely no idea where he was or if he had made turns. He cursed under his breath but did nothing to try and head back. Hunk had told him that if he was gone too long, he and Pidge would go back to the castle, get one of their lions, and start searching for him. So, if he couldn’t find his way back, he’d stop in a clearing somewhere and wait for a rescue.  As it was, the woods were rather calming to him at the moment and he didn’t want to leave. 

There was a clearing up ahead that he could see, and he would just stay there and wait. As far as he knew there were no dangerous wild animals on the planet, so he should be relatively safe from danger. If there was anything out there, he had brought his bayard with him, so he would be able to take care of any issues that could potentially arise.

When Lance stepped out of the woods and into the clearing, he was flabbergasted. It was a field that was entirely flowers. Flowers that looked like ones from Earth, and flowers that looked nothing even close to Earth-like. Various scents assaulted his nose from all around him; it was over powering, and it was making him a little dizzy.

There was a chuckle to his right. “Well, if it isn’t the blue paladin.”

Lance spun, hand ready on his bayard. He stopped when he realized the voice had come from not only a local Ymorian, but one he had previously met. “Jeccio!”

The elderly woman smile and gave a light bow to Lance. “It is nice to see you again.”

“You as well,” Lance said, relaxing his pose some more. “What are you doing out here?”

Jeccio looked around the field and gave Lance a skeptical look. “I run a flower shop, dear. What do you think I’m doing here?”

Lance was only a little embarrassed at his clearly stupid question. “Sorry…um…is this your field then?”

Jeccio nodded. “More or less anyway. It was just a field full of wild flowers when I stumbled upon it back when I was in my youth. I’ve added new species and taken wild bulbs since then, but it remains mostly wild for anyone’s enjoyment. Though not many people know if this place.”

“It’s beautiful.” Lance commented, still in awe at the sheer gorgeousness of his surroundings.

“Thank you dear. It has been a long endeavor of mine,” Jeccio said, lightly brushing the petals of a bright pink flower next to her. “What brings you here? This is quite some distance away from where your ship is stationed, and even further from town.”

“Ah, I was just…walking. Thinking.”

“About your lover? The one you played the lirso to woo?”

“No, the lirso was for him to play,” Lance flushed. “And…well he’s not my lover either. We…we got into a fight before I could give him his gifts…and now he’s hurt…and…”

Jeccio took one of his hands in both of hers and squeezed lightly before letting go. “And you do not know if he will like you back once he had been healed?”

Lance nodded and sat down on the ground; right before the flowers started in the meadow so he wouldn’t wreck any of them. Jeccio took a seat on a rock near him at the edge of the forest. “I just…I don’t know if he’s going to blame me, or even like me back? Like I left the gifts in a place only we know, and after our fight, and before he got hurt, he definitely found them. But what if he does think its my fault and then him liking the gifts becomes null and void?”

Jeccio listened to his ramble silently. When he was finished, she took a moment before responding to him. “Lance, do you love him?”

“Of course I do…” Lance’s voice wavered. “I love him so much it physically hurts to think of the possibility that he may never like me back, or even like me as a friend any more.”

Jeccio smiled at him. “If your love runs that deep, I have a hard time even imagining that your Keith wouldn’t love you back.”

“How do you know though? Love is often one-sided…especially where we come from.” Lance mumbled.

“It can be here as well, just as I suspect it could be anywhere in this vast universe. However, I do not see others with their loves like I have seen you with yours though. That night at the ball is enough to convince me that there is something there that you did not see for yourself.”

Lance wanted to believe that more than anything else. Still, there was some nagging doubt in the back of his head he couldn’t ignore. “But…what if that’s all changed now?”

“Love is a very hard feeling to squash my dear. I believe if you two just talk once he is better, things will work out.” Jeccio said.

“What if he rejects me anyway though? Like what if I can’t get my feelings across right and he doesn’t get it?” Lance asked. “How do the Ymorians tell people they like them?”

“Well, we’re usually not shy when we like someone. We’re a very open species, and it is encouraged by all that we express our feelings, rather than hide them. Not all do this of course, but you’ve experienced first-hand just how open about our interests that our species can be.”

Lance grimaced. “You mean like the prince hitting on me and team?”

Jeccio laughed. “Well, to an extent. His Majesty is one who hides himself from the one he loves most due to general uncertainty how it would be seen by his people. Which I might add is ridiculous to our kind. We are all brought up to marry for love, and not let anyone’s opinion stand in the way. His parents were no different, and if he would just be honest about his feelings, he would realize they are reciprocated.”

“Wait…Prince Rakluik likes someone?!?” Lance was more than a little shocked. “But he was flirting with like…everyone!”

“Yes, unfortunately that is his own silly defence mechanism. His Majesty does not think he is good enough for the one he loves.”

“But…he’s the prince?! Like wouldn’t everyone generally be like thrilled they won his fancy?”

“You’re quite correct. Any regular being would be over the moon,” Jeccio said, smiling fondly. “However, the person our dear prince is in love with is the one person he had never made advances to. Someone who is always by his side and always there for him.”

Lance thought about all the people he met, and the few times he saw Rakluik speaking to his own kind. He hadn’t really seen the prince flirt with anyone aside his team specifically, but he definitely knew that there was someone who probably fit the bill. “He’s in love with Gaotyul, isn’t he?”

“Very perceptive. It is a shame you cannot be as perceptive in your own love life. Yes, His Majesty is very much in love with his most trusted advisor. Never in our long history had a royal fallen for an advisor to the castle. Usually they are already wed before they are in service to the castle. Gaotyul is a rarity in his own right. It scares His Majesty that his people may not accept their love as easily as they would accept any other.” Jeccio explained.

Lance scoffed. “That’s stupid. The prince should just tell Gaotyul how he feels! You don’t seem against it, so I have a hard time seeing that anyone else would have an issue with it. Am I wrong?”

“You are not wrong.” Jeccio laughed. “Though perhaps you should take your own advice on love first, before giving it to others.”

Lance’s face rivaled the pink of the flowers they sat beside. “I…it’s complicated…with Keith and I.”

“Isn’t love always complicated? I don’t think it’s supposed to be as easy as it seems from the outside. Tell me, why does your species love?”

“Why do we love…?”

“Do you love for loves sake? Do you only love if reproduction is involved?”

“Um…I mean I guess both? I don’t know. Everyone is really different where we’re from. Views of love can vastly change from person to person. Like some people would be totally fine with Keith and I being in love…and others would think it was disgusting.”

“That seems unfortunate…why is that?” Jeccio prodded, clearly intrigued at the human culture.

Lance shrugged. “For some people, it’s like a religious thing, or it’s because of a lack of reproduction…sometimes its both. And some people are just generally jerks for no reason. It used to be a lot worse, and it is getting way better, but there are still people out there that will never accept love between two people of the same gender.”

“It’s a shame your species lives that way. I do not believe there is any wrong is being with the person you love, regardless of any external factor.” Jeccio sighed. “Two males of your species can have physical relations, can’t they?”

“Well I mean yeah, but it’s not as easy as it is with women, since generally they can automatically generate a fluid to help ease...wait, why am I even telling you this?!”

Jeccio laughed so hard Lance was worried she may fall off the rock she was sat upon and hurt herself. “My, your species gets embarrassed easily. So what, you use a sort of artificial fluid to help things along?”

Lance was too flustered to verbally respond, so he just nodded. Jeccio chuckled. “That sounds a lot like our species. Though that is for all, not just for the males. Our bodies don’t create any liquid outside of our blood.”

The old lady slid off her makeshift seat and dug through her bag. She pulled out a bottle no bigger than a beer bottle, and handed it to Lance. “I was out gathering some for our pharmacist who has fallen under the weather before I met you. You take one with you.”

“What…is it?” Lance took the bottle gingerly from her hand.

“My dear, were you not listening? It is the liquid that my kind use in physical intimacies.”

Lance made a sound akin to a squeak and nearly dropped the bottle on the floor. He managed to catch it at the last minute. “Jeccio!!”

The elderly lady didn’t seem to be phased in the slightest. “You said two males need artificial fluid. I have given you artificial fluid. I do not know what you’re making a fuss about.”

“I…it’s just…weird? I guess? Like thank you, this is very kind of you.”

“Say nothing more. You are welcome. Take it, and use it as you need to,” Jeccio wasn’t going to let him talk himself in circles any longer. There was only so much patience an old lady had for embarrassed youngsters. “Now, would you so kindly escort me back to my shop. It’s getting rather late, and heavens knows you probably have no idea how to get back.”

“Uh…yeah. No problem.” Lance got up and offered his arm to Jeccio.

She grabbed hold of it and led the way. Jeccio talked of the different trees, of the different saps they produced and what they made. She spoke of her flowers, and of her family. Her son and his wife had passed many years before, leaving behind their three children. She raised all of them with all the love and care she had in her. The youngest was still fairly little; having been barely a year before his parents passed. The middle child was the one that ran the flower shop. She was strong willed and stubborn like her mother had been. The oldest was one of the prince’s royal guard. “I believe you have met her. Her name is Nabirce. She helped escort you and your team through the parade.”

Lance recalled the name. “Right, I remember her. She was the pink, almost shy one.”

“That would be her. The other one escorting you was her wife, Somurzi.”

“O-oh! I didn’t know they were married.” Lance hadn’t seen anything so suggest they were in any form of relationship outside of work.

“They are very professional while on the job. Off duty they are the most loving, affectionate couple I have ever seen in my life.”

Lance smiled warmly as Jeccio talked of how they fell in love, and their wedding. Lance listened to every detail as they entered the market place. Jeccio explain the flower arrangements, along with their meaning, and the reception itself. “It was absolutely stunning. I can only hope that Paeyerae’s wedding will be just as lovely once she decides to wed.”

“Which will not be for a long long time, grandmother!” A slight, blue Ymorian said, hand on her hip and frown on her face.

“Come now, Peayerae. You and I both know that dear Fooczum is about ready to ask for your hand any day.” Jeccio said, releasing Lance’s arm and slowly making her way to her granddaughter.

The young Ymorian flushed. “That’s besides the point!! You were gone so long, I was beginning to worry.”

Jeccio patted her granddaughter’s cheek. “No need to fret my dear. I just stopped to talk to this nice paladin. He was so kind as to help this old lady make her way home.”

Lance knew that Jeccio was putting on a bit of a show. From what he had seen, she didn’t need anyone’s help doing the things she wanted to do. She may be old, but she was definitely still in good shape. Still, he would play along. “Just doing what I can, Ma’am.”

Peayerae looked Lance over, eyebrow raised at the bottle in his hand. “Well, thank you kind paladin. I shall take it from here, if it’s all the same to you.”

He nodded. “Of course. Have a good evening!”

Peayerae turned and headed back inside the flower shop. Jeccio chuckled lightly. “I wish you the best, Lance. Do me one small favor though.”

“What’s that?”

“Promise me that you will talk to your love, and you will tell him how you feel.”

Lance looked her in the eye. It felt like if he fibbed, she would be able to tell immediately; four eyes seeming to peer deep into his soul. “I promise.”

She smiled and gave a curt nod before heading into her shop. Lance waited until she was back inside before he began to head back towards the ship. It wasn’t too late that Hunk would be worrying-he hoped-but he still walked at a brisk pace. The plan with Hunk and Pidge was to meet up at the edge of the path just before they reached the castle. They were both waiting there when Lance arrived. He quickly shoved the bottle into his coat pocket before he met up with them.

“Oh good, you found your way back. Ten more minutes and Pidge and I were gonna start looking.” Hunk said, wrapping an arm around Lance’s shoulders and giving him a hug.

Pidge snorted. “Please, you wanted to go looking for him after half an hour. Worrying about man-eating plants or space pirates kidnapping him.

Lance laughed, probably the first genuine laugh he had given since his fight with Keith. “I promise there were no vicious plants or pirates about. Just me, some friendly foliage, and an old lady who owns a flower shop.”

Both Hunk and Pidge exchanged quick looks before grinning widely. Pidge joined the hug, and Hunk squeezed a little tighter. The three were all smiles as they walked back into the castle. “Ooh, Hunk and I were planning on running test number twenty-three on our invention? You wanna join us?”

Their invention had needed a vast number of tweaks since they had finished making it, and it still wasn’t working they way they had intended. They kept working on it, never losing hope that it would finally work they way it should. “Sure, but I’ll catch up with you guys later. I’m just going to my room for a bit, wash some of the dirt off me.”

“Alright, well we’ll see you in a bit then!” Hunk said.

Pidge and Hunk headed towards the kitchen while Lance headed for the sleeping quarters. He pulled the bottled out from his pocket and took a better look at it. I was amber, of course, but he couldn’t tell what the liquid was like inside. He opened the cap and slipped a finger inside. It was thin, unlike any kind of sap on Earth; It really did feel like lubricant from back home. Examining the small amount that was on his fingers, he saw that it was mostly clear in colour-although it shone slightly silver when the light hit it right. He brought it up towards his face and smelled it-slightly floral but nothing strong-before tasting a little bit of it. It didn’t taste like anything; which Lance was kind of thankful for. Testing it was also Lance’s way to be completely sure that there were no aphrodisiac properties. He wanted to trust Jeccio, but one could only be so trusting when it came to strange liquids in space.

Just before he could put the bottle back inside his coat pocket, he nearly collided with Shiro who was coming around the corner from the sleeping quarters. “Sorry, Shiro.”

“It’s okay, Lance. I wasn’t watching where I was…Lance, what is that?” Shiro looked down at the amber bottle in Lance’s hand.

Lance stood frozen, unable to think of what to say. “Um….”

Shiro frowned and crossed his arms. “Lance…you need to tell me what that is. Is it booze? Is it some or of weird potion. I don’t want to have to remind you what happened on Oshornia….”

“No, no I promise it’s nothing like that.” Lance said. He wanted to avoid having to tell Shiro what was actually inside the bottle, but giving the disapproving look Shiro was giving him, he knew he would have to come clean. “Look it’s like…space lube…okay?”

Shiro opened his mouth to warn Lance of the dangers of bringing foreign liquids onboard, but then stopped when he realized what Lance had said.  “Lance…”

Lance flushed. “It was just a gift. It’s good to be prepared anyway…right?”

Shiro sighed. “Does this have something to do with Keith?”

Lance tried to stammer out an answer, but just couldn’t. He figured that Shiro would be able to get it from how red his face was. “Lance…can I ask you something?”

“Sure…”

“Are you interested in being with Keith, or are you just interested in the physical aspect of things?”

Lance was almost offended that Shiro would even suggest such a thing. “Of course I want to be with him! Do you think someone who just wanted to have sex with him would be constantly at his side in the med-bay? How about worrying themselves sick while they are in that pod? If I only wanted to have his body, I wouldn’t be hurting this much! I love him, Shiro!”

Shiro smiled lightly. Lance’s anger was a very good indication that he had been correct in his assumption on how seriously Lance took relationships. “Good. I just had to make sure before I said anything else.” Shiro relaxed his pose and continued. “It’s just that…Keith has never had a person that wants to be with him for more than just physical intimacies.”

“It won’t be like that…if Keith even wants anything to do with me…” Lance mumbled the last part.

“I can’t speak for Keith, but I don’t think you need to worry so much.”

Lance wanted to say more, but Shiro just ruffled his hair and headed off in the direction he had been going. Lance shoved the bottle into his jacket and walked into his room. His small conversation with Shiro had been strange. He and Shiro hadn’t talked in over a week, and now Shiro was talking about him and Keith being together like there would be no issues once Keith woke up. Shiro knew Keith very well, and while that gave Lance a small sliver of hope, he didn’t want to read too much into it.

He was only a little embarrassed that he had basically screamed his feelings about Keith and their leader, but he knew it would come out eventually. Lance didn’t want to hide that part of him any longer. If the team knew, then so be it. Keith would know soon enough as well, and then it would be up to Keith to decide what happens from there. Lance couldn’t force Keith to feel the same, just hope that there was maybe something there.

One he had placed the bottle safely in his bathroom, he headed out towards the kitchens. Lance had said he would meet up with his friends, and he wasn’t about to go back on his word.

The evening had gone by fast. They had dinner and chatted around the table afterwards. The others were happy to have both Lance and Shiro with them as they ate. Since one or the other would be in the med-bay, they were almost thankful that Coran had locked them out. They wouldn’t speak to Coran, who sat beside Allura and didn’t say much. He didn’t mind he was being ignored by Shiro and Lance, he understood why they were upset with him.

Lance had gone to bed after that, not really having much else to do. Pidge had gone to tinker and Hunk had gone to clean and bake; if his invention would allow it. Shiro went to properly discuss plans for after Keith woke up with Allura. While Lance had been in the med-bay, Coran had no so quietly muttered about how Shiro had taken his frustrations out on Allura once he learned Keith had been hurt; he had been opposed to the plan of them splitting up initially, so it made sense he would be upset the person who insisted upon it would take some heat. Lance knew she felt terrible about it, about not being the leader her father once was. She never told him, but it was easy to tell just spending time around her. Lance supposed they had talked in out and were on better terms now in any case, or they wouldn’t be together.

He himself had gotten a few hours of sleep, but then his peaceful dreams turned dark, and he woke up. Lance was still shivering from the lingering feeling of darkness enveloping him. There had been no paladins, no lions, no…anything. No one had been around, and the darkness was trying to swallow him.

Lance wanted to get out and move around; shake off the feeling of being trapped a bit. He slipped on his lion head slippers and left his room. The halls were dimly lit, to signify a night time atmosphere. He didn’t know if anyone else was awake, or if everyone went to sleep, but if he ran into someone he hoped they wouldn’t mind his company.

Not looking where he was headed, he found himself in front of the med-bay doors. Lance had been at Keith’s side for over a week-on and off-so of course he would automatically walk back there. He moved to lean his head on the door, and nearly fell on his face as the door swooshed open. He froze inside the door frame, waiting for Coran to yell at him for being in there, but he heard nothing. Slowly, Lance entered the room.

It was dark, darker than he had remembered. Keith was placed in the closet pod to the door, but you could only see the back from the door. He moved around to check on Keith and his heart felt like it stopped in his chest when he found the pod completely empty.

Frantically, Lance looked around the entire med-bay to see that Keith was in fact not in another pod, and not anywhere in the room. He spun quickly on his heels and took off running down the halls in search of Keith. Since Keith had been in the pod a lot longer than had been predicted, Lance was concerned that maybe Keith still wasn’t completely okay. Maybe he wandered off in a daze, and didn’t know where he was headed and found his way out into the cold vacuum of space.

He checked the escape pods, the Bridge, the prison-with their very forgotten about prisoner, he checked the air lock just in case. Keith hadn’t been there. He ran about and checked the longue, the training deck, and the observation deck. The guitar had been in the same place that Lance had left it, so Keith couldn’t have been there. He raced all the way down to the red lion’s hanger. She was still sitting in the same space she always was, and no human life seemed to be anywhere.

Lance was getting worn out from running, a little hungry, and he was definitely starting to get dehydrated. He would down a drink pouch, mow down a protein bar, and then go check Keith’s room before waking everyone else up. As he made his way to the kitchen, he pondered if it would be better to wake someone up first. However, his stomach rumbled in protest, so he quickly jogged to the kitchen.

As soon as he entered the room, he stood stalk still. There, leaning again the countered and inhaling a bowl of food goo, was Keith. Keith who looked very much alright and healthy. There was colour back in his face, and anything was better than him bleeding out all over the castle floor. “Keith!”

Keith, with a mouth full of goo, snapped his attention towards Lance. They made eye contact, and all logical thought left Lance’s mind. He raced over the other paladin and wrapped his arms around him tightly. “Oh my god, I thought you were going to be a goner! Coran said seven to ten days and it’s been eleven! It was so scary finding you! I just…God I’m so happy you’re alright!!”

Lance pulled back suddenly, and without thinking his actions through, kissed both of Keith’s cheeks quickly yet firmly. When he brought himself back to look Keith in the eye, he realized what he had done. They hadn’t talked yet, Keith could still be mad at him over a number of things including their fight. Keith’s eyes were wide with shock at Lance’s actions. He slowly swallowed the goo that had been still in his mouth before speaking. “Lance…I-”

“There you are!” Coran bellowed from the doorway; arms crossed and clearly not impressed. “I don’t know what possessed you to leave the medical wing after an injury like that, but it’s right back there with you, mister! I left for half a varga, then you wake up and just go wandering the castle like some lost baby broqrop!”

Coran swept into the room and grabbed Keith by the arm, guiding him out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Lance didn’t know whether to follow behind or just go back to his room, but Coran made the decision for him. “Lance, I know you probably want to come with us, but I’m going to be running some test on Keith and I don’t want any disturbances. So unfortunately, the door is going to be locked again for the time being. You can tell the others, but they will also have to wait until morning before they can see him.”

Keith frowned. “Coran, I’m fine.”

“I’m sure you are, but I’d rather be safe than sorry!” Coran said, cheerfully.

Lance said nothing as Keith was dragged out of the kitchen and back down towards the med-bay. As soon as he assumed they were out of earshot, he groaned and hit his head against the counter top. He had just kissed Keith-on the cheek-and it was probably the best thing and the worst thing that had happened to him recently. Best because he got to put his lips on the boy he was in love with, worst because Keith didn’t look like he appreciated it very much and would have probably told him off if Coran hadn’t interrupted. That impulsive action may have cost him any chance he had to be with Keith.

Keith hadn’t hit him or yelled right away, so Lance took that as a small sign that they could at least be friends again at least. However, now it may be a bit awkward between them for a while. There was no way that Keith wouldn’t be able to tell how Lance felt about him now. If he did, then Keith was denser about love than Lance had known.

Lance sighed and stood up before grabbing some much-needed fluids and a snack. After consuming everything, he cleaned up both his mess and Keith’s, and then headed towards the sleeping quarters. The first person he knew he should tell was Shiro, but that was no the door he went to first. He knocked loudly and waited. He heard the interrupted snore from his best friend, and knocked again. There was grumbling, and then the door opened. “Laaaance. It’s like…probably one in the morning? Did you have a nightmare or something, ‘cause you can stay with me if you did.”

“Keith woke up.”

Hunk took a few seconds to snap out of his sleepy haze. “He’s up?! That’s awesome! We should let the others know and head over there and…Lance? Why do you look so upset? He’s okay, right?”

Lance nodded. “Up walking and talking. I found him in the kitchen before Coran dragged him off. Said to tell you guys, but that no one can see him ‘til tomorrow.”

“Ah, I guess I get that,” He could see the distraught look on his best friend’s face, so Hunk smiled and stepped aside. “How about you come chat for a while. You look like you could use some company.”

Lance made his way inside Hunk’s room without a single word or gesture. He sat down on his friend’s bed and pulled his legs up so that he could rest his chin on his knees. Hunk sat beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, holding him tight. The warmth from Hunk was comforting, and it reminded Lance that he hadn’t been spending nearly enough time with his best friend. As soon as everything was sorted one way or the other for Keith, he was going to make time for Hunk. “Soooo, anything you wanna talk about?”

Lance thought about it. There was a lot of things he could say. A lot of things he was feeling; so many emotions he felt like he was suffocating. “I think I’m in love love with Keith. Like it’s not just some crush. When I saw him in the kitchen mowing down some goo, I just…couldn’t think about anything but him and him being okay and I ran over to him. I held him…and I kissed him…on the cheeks…”

Hunk waited to see if Lance had more to say. As it was, Lance did have a lot more to say. “And like, that was amazing because oh my god my lips were so close to his and he was there and warm and alive and I can’t really tell if I was just relieved that he was alright, or if it was because of how I feel about him. Maybe both? But he didn’t seem happy about it…he didn’t seem mad about it either, just stood there. Before he could say anything, Coran showed up and took him away. Kind of glad for that, I think? But maybe kissing Keith’s cheeks was the wrong move entirely and maybe I fucked everything up forever and I just don’t know what I’ll do if that is the case.”

Lance took a sharp inhale of breath before continuing. “Like I said if Keith just wanted to be friends or even just teammates that I would let go, but could I really just stop feeling all these things I feel for Keith!? I know it would be over time, but we are on this ship and fighting a war. But at that same time, I don’t want him to feel trapped, like for the betterment of the team he has to like me back because that would be the easiest way. I just want Keith to be happy, and as much as I hope that includes being with me, I just don’t know if that’s even possible! I’m so scared or rejection but I almost expect it at this point? Keith is so hard to read about stuff like this. I just…really, really love him, Hunk.”

Lance had barely taken any breathes while he ranted to Hunk, and his eyes felt like they were burning. Hunk slipped his hand down to Lance’s back and then under Lance’s legs. He pulled Lance up and onto his lap. His friend was shaking, and there were tears in his eyes. There was no way Hunk’s half hug was going to be enough love and support in the moment. Right now, Lance needed a full on big hug and to be held close to someone who cared about him; Lance rarely showed weakness in terms of self doubt to many, but when he did, he needed the kind of affection Hunk was now giving him.

Lance took a few moments to calm down, adjusting his body so he was more comfortable. He knew that most people didn’t think boys did or should do this sort of thing; Cuddle and cry with their best buddy. Those people were wrong on every level. Boy cried, and boys needed physical affection just like anyone else. It didn’t mean anything romantic in any way, shape, or form. It was just friendly affection that was much needed at the moment. “Thanks Hunk.”

Hunk smiled. “I’ve got you, buddy,” They stayed in their embrace for a while before Hunk spoke again. “Mind is I put my two-cents in?”

Lance shrugged. “Free country…or spaceship, I guess.”

“I think that you have been in love with Keith since before he left the garrison. He was seriously all you ever talked about, and I thought you just didn’t want to admit it to yourself that you liked him. Clearly, that hasn’t changed. I’m really happy that you can now see how you feel about Keith.”

“You…might be right…shit.” Lance said, after giving it some thought. He probably had been crushing on Keith back on Earth, and it just blossomed into something more than just a crush after spending more time with him on the ship and then even more so after getting to know him better.

Hunk laughed. “Mhm, I know I am. And, I’m also pretty sure that Keith had a thing for you too. I think he was just as stubborn about it as you were. But like, I don’t think you ever saw the way he used to look at you in the garrison. I didn’t want to be obvious and like pointed it out, but he definitely checked you out on more than one occasion.  I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, because it’s usually better if people find this stuff out on their own but yeah, I don’t think that Keith could ever really hate you. I would be shocked if he didn’t still have feelings for you, and want to be with you even though you guys had a fight.”

Lance wanted to be annoyed that Hunk hadn’t said anything back at the garrison, but he understood why he didn’t. Even if he did, Lance wouldn’t have been able to guarantee he would have actually listened and not just laughed if off. He had been so caught up in their ‘rivalry’ that he doubted he could have seen anything else. “I hope you’re right…I really do.”

“I do too. I can’t promise that he likes you back, but it seems like, super likely. I think once you guys can talk, it’ll work out in the end.”

Lance nodded but said nothing more. He just stayed in Hunk’s arms, listening to the steady pace of his friend’s heart. Hunk stayed quite for a while as well, just kept holding his friend until Lance didn’t want to be held anymore. If Lance wanted to say for the rest of the night and cuddle in his bed, than Hunk would absolutely be alright with that. He knew Lance hadn’t been sleeping much, or well, so if sharing a bed could help any, he was absolutely down; although he would be down for it anyway since he enjoyed all forms of cuddling.

Lance slipped out of Hunk’s hold and stood up. “I should probably tell Pidge and Shiro that Keith is awake now. Shiro will have my head if I wait until tomorrow.”

“I’ll come with you if you’d like.”

“Yeah…yeah I think I would.” Lance said, waiting for Hunk at the door.

Together, they made their way to Pidge’s room, who was less than thrilled to be woken up; having only gone to bed less than an hour prior. She was happy Keith was away, annoyed at Coran for barring them yet again, but understood and went back to bed. Shiro hadn’t been asleep, and wanted to bang on the med-bay door until Coran had to answer. It took a lot of convincing from both Hunk and Lance to make him go rest up first, and then go to Keith first thing in the morning. He wasn’t going anywhere, and Coran wasn’t in the wrong for wanting an undisturbed work space.

After Shiro agreed and went back into his room, Hunk offered up his bed to Lance if he wanted to stay the night like old times. “I’d love that.”

They made their way back to Hunk’s room and got under the covers. Lance cuddled up to his friend and relaxed against the warmth of his friend’s chest. Hunk threw an arm around Lance, and promptly fell asleep. Lance stayed away for a while, adjusting until he was comfortable. He settled with his back against Hunk’s chest; He loving the feeling of being the little spoon just as much as he liked to be the big spoon. The extra heat and the steady thudding from Hunk’s heart helped him drift into a peaceful slumber. He’d deal with all the stressful feeling stuff when he woke up. For now, all he needed was some deep uninterrupted sleep.

Chapter Text

Lance awoke to an empty bed. He got up slowly and looked around the room to see if Hunk was still around, but found no signs that his friend was still in the room. There was a small note left on Hunk’s desk with a drink pouch. The note read,

‘Lance,

I tried to wake you up so many times, but you would not wake up. I guess you needed sleep.

So when you wake up, drink the water, and than come join the rest of us in the med-bay.

Love,

Hunk’

Lance crumpled the note and drank the contents of the box quickly; chunking the empty box in the small garbage can Hunk had beside the desk. He didn’t hesitate to race down the hall towards the medical wing. He was still in his pyjamas, but he didn’t care. The slippers had become a hindrance halfway through, and all he could do was kick them off and abandon them in the hall. The floor may be cold but he barely felt it; mind too focused on getting to the med-bay to worry about the cold.

He almost raced past the door, and stumbled and he came to a screeching halt. Lance could hear the distinct murmur of people behind the door, and he froze. So many things raced through his head, and most of them were about the night before. What if Keith hadn’t wanted to see him last night, and he had wrecked everything. What if Keith had wanted to see him, and the kisses ruined it. What if the simple cheek kisses meant something to Keith and by Lance not showing up right away, Keith might think that they meant nothing to Lance.

Even though he could stand there outside the door for hours to contemplate the various outcomes of what would happen when he walked through that door, but he knew there was no point. The best way to handle it was to just grit his teeth and go in; taking whatever came to him. With a deep intake of breath, Lance placed his hand on the panel and opened the door.

The first thing he heard was Shiro. “-and you need to tell us if you are injured!! Even if you don’t think it’s that bad!”

“Oh my god, Shiro! I got it, okay?! I won’t do it again…if only to keep you from nagging me!” Lance’s breath caught in his throat. He had barely heard Keith speak the previous night, and hearing it again was like music to his ears. It meant that Keith was still fine, that it wasn’t all in Lance’s head.

Lance didn’t bother making himself known. He slipped into the room as quietly as he could and stood off to the side, watching his team huddle around Keith; unable to bring himself any closer.  Shiro was sitting the closest to Keith, looking a mix of cross and relieved. Pidge was on the other side, snickering at the lecture that Shiro had given. Hunk had a huge platter of various foods that Keith was picking at and nibbling on as he sat there.

It was Allura who noticed Lance first, and she smiled at him gently. She nudged Hunk and jerked her head to the door. Hunk craned his head back and looked at his friend. “Well, I think that we’ve all scolding Keith enough. How about we all go to town and let the prince know Keith is okay now!”

Shiro frowned at Hunk. “Why would we do that? We can just send word.”

Hunk shot Shiro a look and turned back to Lance. Shiro, finally noticing the new presence in the room, seemed to understand what Hunk was getting at. “Actually, it would be rude not to do so in person. Keith, you rest here okay? I know you’re completely healed, but just to be on the safe side.”

Shiro stood up and gently ruffled Keith’s hair. Keith had looked up at Lance briefly, but wasn’t looking at him any more. The rest of the group followed Shiro’s example and got up off the ground. Hunk left the tray in Keith’s hands and promised him a dinner that would wow him.

As the team left, they all exchanged looks with Lance. Some, like Shiro and Allura, were more a warning not to make him upset again. But Pidge and Hunk just smiled and silently expressed that they wished him luck. Hunk gave Lance a tight hug before he left.

Lance went to look back towards Keith, but found that he had moved to stand close to him; tray in hand and looking rather passive. He handed the tray to Lance after Hunk had left and the door had closed. “You should eat the rest of these. You probably haven’t.”

“Keith…I-”

Keith cut him off. “And you should get dressed. It’s probably really cold with no shoes.”

Lance just wanted to talk to him, here and now. Yet Keith seemed to be pushing him away. “Please, Keith…I just want to-”

“Talk. I know,” Keith said with a sigh. “And we will, I promise. Just not…here and now. So please just…go get dressed and eat. Then we can talk. You’ll know where to find me.”

And with that, Keith was gone from the room. Lance stood there in stunned silence for what felt like an eternity. Here he had just expected to go in and talk, and just deal with whatever situation that came to him. Now, he didn’t know what to think. Clearly Keith wanted to talk, but Lance was having a hard time understanding why they couldn’t do it right away.

Lance was half tempted to just say ‘fuck it’ and run after Keith. However, he knew that probably wouldn’t help the precarious situation any. So, he wolfed down the remaining items on the tray before heading to his own room. He tried not to run, if only to give Keith a little more time to himself, but it was hard; Power walking was the closest thing to running that he allowed himself to do.

Once dressed and properly groomed, he made his way up to the observation deck. After everything, that was the only place that Lance thought Keith would be in. Walking up to the deck was so nerve wracking that it made Lance feel nauseous, yet it also made him feel excited and hopeful at the same time. If he didn’t get to Keith soon, he may internally combust from the sheer amount of feelings he was experiencing.

As he got up to the landing, he heard the soft sound that made his heart feel like it jumped up to his throat. The distinct tone of a guitar being strummed was echoing down the halls. As Lance moved closer to the sound, he realized that the door had been purposely left open so that the sound would carry better. Lance’s anxiety and hope had tripled from what it had been, and that was saying a lot. He calmed himself as much as he could before he entered the room.

Keith was in his spot, sitting down with his back against the glass with the lirso in his lap. It sounded way better the closer Lance got, and certainly better than when Lance had plucked at it back when he got it. The song that was being played wasn’t something Lance was familiar with, but he liked it none the less. It was slow, and almost sorrowful, while still being nearly hopeful-like it was reaching out to grasp something, or someone.

The closer Lance got, the more he heard. It wasn’t just that Keith was playing the guitar, but he was also humming along with the tune as he played. Lance knew he noticed him, there was no way that he couldn’t have, but Keith just kept playing as Lance sat down across from him and waited for the song to end.

It wasn’t long after that the song trailed off, along with Keith’s humming. Lance didn’t know if he should applaud or not, if that was inappropriate or not. Instead, he waited until Keith had set the lirso off to the side before speaking. “That was really beautiful.”

Keith, who had yet to make eye contact with him, brushed a strand of hair out of his face. “Thanks.”

They sat there in an awkward silence, neither really knowing what to say or do, yet not totally wanting to be the first one to talk.

“Lance…I-”

“Keith, I’m so sorry!” Lance interrupted, unable to hold back from saying something anymore. “I’m so sorry that I eavesdropped, and I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you right away. I didn’t really mean to stay and listen, but I got so caught up when I realized that I didn’t know jack shit about you and I really really wanted to. But I wanted you to tell me yourself. It wasn’t the right way to go about it, and I know it. I feel like an ass for ever letting myself invade yours and Shiro’s privacy,” Lance was shaking, but continued. “And it’s probably half my fault you got hurt too, so I’m sorry about that as well and I…I can’t even apologise enough for everything. I completely understand if you’re still angry or…or if you hate me now and want to blame me. I just…needed to apologise again.”

Keith made sure that Lance was finished speaking before he tried to speak again. “As I was trying to say…I didn’t get a chance to thank you for this. So, thank you. I don’t see the flowers anymore though? Did they get dried up?”

Lance shook his head, unable to know if Keith was even looking at him or not. “No, I took them to my room. They’re in some water…” His voice was cracking, but he couldn’t help it. Keith’s avoidance of talking about their fight or anything else felt like a punch to the gut. He just wanted to know if he and Keith would be okay. If they could still be friends or not.

It felt like ages before Keith spoke again. “Lance…I’m still a little annoyed at you, but I don’t hate you. I don’t even dislike you. I know you didn’t do it because you wanted to hurt me or anything, and I guess I overreacted…so, I’m sorry about that. And no, it’s not your fault that I got hurt. One of the Galra bastards snuck up on me. It was my own fault for not paying enough attention and trying to take on too many at once by myself.”

Keith was finally looking at Lance, and Lance couldn’t see any hint of a lie in Keith’s expression. He looked like he was searching Lance’s own expression from something, though Lance couldn’t tell what it was. “So…we’re still…friends?”

Keith let out a small breathy laugh. “Yeah, Lance. We’re still friends.”

Lance could almost cry for joy as soon as the words left Keith’s mouth. He wanted to just lean over and wrap Keith in the biggest tightest hug he could muster, but didn’t know how Keith would feel about that. Which brought him to the next thing he would have to bring up. “And…well I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have just done that…I should have asked or something first before I…you know.”

“You should have asked before you kissed me on the cheeks?” Keith asked. “Did you want to kiss me?”

Lance bit his lip but nodded. “I did…I do…”

Keith leaned forward. “Then just kiss me.”

Lance gawked at Keith and before he could sputter what he meant by that, Keith took mattered into his own hands and closed the gap between them. Keith’s lips were hot and dry, and absolutely perfect if anyone asked Lance. He melted into it, pressing back with a little more force. Keith pulled back with a flushed face that matched Lance’s own. “Please tell me that I wasn’t reading into anything the past little while. Because this guitar and the flowers and Shiro told me you barely left the med-bay when I was in the pod…plus last night. I’m not like…reading into this too much, right?”

Lance shook his head so hard it almost hurt. “No no no, you definitely didn’t read into anything too much. I wanted to tell you that day…before our fight I mean, but…”

“Well, good. I’m glad for that because, fuck even if you piss me off, I still really like you and I want to try this…whatever this turns out to be. I’m shit with relationships, since I’ve never really had any, but we could try?”

“I’d really like that, Keith. So much.” Lance was tearing up now, but he didn’t care. The overflow of emotions Lance had been experienced over the past week and a half needed somewhere to go, so crying was the best option that Lance knew. Despite the fact he had let himself cry with Hunk the previous night, this was needed just as much.

Keith moved forward once more, brushing the tears away from Lance’s eyes before kissing him again. The kiss was gentler than before, as it showed Lance that Keith was there and his feelings were real. Lance gripped onto Keith tightly as they kissed, pulling the other boy into his lap eventually.

After Lance’s tears stopped, Keith pulled back and rested his forehead against Lance’s. “Promise me that there will be no more secrets, okay? Don’t hide things from me.”

Lance laughed a little, though it was a little forced. “Same goes for you. Please don’t ever, ever, not tell the team you’re hurt. You scared the hell out of us…there was so much blood Keith, we thought you weren’t going to make it.”

“I won’t. I promised the team, and I promise you, I will say something even if I think it’s minor,” Keith sighed. “I guess everyone needed to give me some form of hell about being an idiot, even my own boyfriend.”

Lanced pulled back to get a better look at Keith’s face, grinning ear to ear. “Did you just call me your boyfriend?”

“That’s what you are, right? We just established that, or am I jumping ahead to far like a complete idi-”

Lance pulled him into another kiss; deep and full of emotion. Keith responded in kind, opening his mouth to allow Lance to deep the kiss. It was a long time coming, and they both knew it. It was hard not to get swept up in their newly established relationship, and before long, Lance was on his back with Keith above him, hands halfway up the blue paladin’s shirt.

Lance only broke away after Keith ground down on Lance’s crotch. “Whoa, Keith. Slow down a bit.”

Keith pulled himself up, face flush and hair a lot messier than it had been. “Shit sorry, I just…it’s what I’m used to.”

Lance propped himself up on his elbows and smiled up at Keith. “I know, and we’ll get there. But not now. I don’t just want you for your body, as nice as it is. I want all of you. We can get to the physical stuff later…for now we can just…hold hands and cuddle.”

Keith snorted but smiled back at Lance none the less. “Okay, that sounds…perfect.”

Lance pulled Keith back down, but not for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around Keith and just held him tight. Their relationship was just starting, and both of them had a lot of learning to do together before it would be right to go any further. For now, Lance would teach Keith what it meant to be in a real relationship until they were both ready for the next step. It would be difficult-and it already was, with an uncomfortable tightness in Lance’s pants that hadn’t subsided yet-, but worth it in the end. Keith was, and always would be, worth the time. They may not get it right immediately, but together, they could make it work.

Change was in the air, and Lance wouldn’t wait to experience it all. With Keith by his side, they could face any change or any challenge, together.